Crash Landing 2:

EXILES

"There are a few people who want to talk to one of the alliance members," Alana explained to Pyrus. They were sitting and eating at a small outdoor cafe. Tarsal had joined them. "You can find them in the town hall meeting room. They're hoping that they can convince Lord Mantle to help us."

"Ok. I'll go see them," Pyrus began, then he noticed Zera heading their way. "HEY, over here!" Pyrus called out. She joined the group and sat down. Pyrus looked at her, his face serious. "Any luck with Lord Mantle??"

Zera shook her head. "No. He's a stubborn King!! MY father would NEVER act like that!"

Alana looked at Pyrus. "What about you? Can't you talk to him??"

"Like Zera said, he's stubborn!"

"But you're the Fire prince! Surely you can find a way to convince him!" Alana said, looking at him hopefully. "Besides, you're so good with words, and-"

"He couldn't even save his OWN planet!" Tarsal blurted out.

Alana gasped. "TARS!! That was uncalled for!!" she snapped, and put a hand on Pyrus's arm. "I'm sure he didn't mean it-"

"Will you stop drooling and fawning over him like some lovesick little girl?!" Tarsal replied.

Pyrus's eyes darted between Tarsal and Alana. "Ummm...??" Pyrus began, his skin taking on a darker shade of orange.

Zera looked at Tarsal, then at Alana. "I have a feeling there's more going on here--"

"You don't know the half of it!" Tarsal answered.

"Zera, Pyrus, will you excuse us for a moment?" Alana asked.

Zera and Pyrus nodded, then stood up and walked away, talking amongst themselves.

Alana turned back to Tarsal. "Why are you being so MEAN?!" She asked.

Tarsal shook his head. "I'm sorry, Alana. I'm just worried that you'll chose them over me," he started, then sighed. "It's just that you're the only friend I've got. I don't even know why you hang out with me at all, after I..." he couldn't bring himself to say it. "... after what happened," he finished finally.

Alana gave her friend a sympathetic look. "Tars, we've been through this. What happened to Caldus was an accident. It wasn't your fault. You didn't know--"

"Would it have made any difference if I had?!" Tarsal suddenly burst out. "I lost my temper, and I did the first thing instinct told me. What's going to happen next time I lose control, when I know what I can do?!" He slumped down in his seat and stared numbly at the barb at the end of his tail--a curved, glistening thing like a scorpion's stinger. "I'm dangerous, Alana," he said softly. "Everyone knows that, and that's why they stay away. Everyone except you."

Pyrus walked into the small meeting room in the Town Hall. Before him stood an Ice/Bone man, a Fire/Rock woman, and a few others. "Alana just told me you guys wanted to talk to one of the Alliance members. I am Prince Pyrus, ruler of Planet Fire." Pyrus held out a hand.

The Ice/Bone man shook it. "My name is Glace. Nice to meet you, Prince Pyrus." He pointed to the Fire/Rock woman. "This is Emery."

Pyrus nodded to Emery, then looked back at Glace. "How can I help you?"

"We'd like to request a meeting with Lord Mantle. If possible," Glace explained. "Perhaps hearing from one of our people will convince him."

Pyrus shrugged. "It's worth a try. You can pick one other to come with. I'll take you in my shuttle."

Glace nodded. "Thank you, Prince! We will be ready shortly."

"Ok. I'll meet you at the shuttle then. It's just past the town gates," Pyrus explained. The group nodded, and Pyrus headed on his way.

Once the young prince was gone, Glace looked at Emery. "Take whatever weapons you can hide on your person. We'll do what we have to in order to save our world,"

"Pyrus! Where are ya going?" Alana asked as she saw Pyrus headed to his shuttle.

"I'm going to take a couple of your people to Lord Mantle. They're going to try to talk him into helping them."

"Can Tarsal and I come with?" she asked.

"Well, I guess. If you think you can help," he answered.

"I'll get Tarsal and be right back!" Alana said, and headed off.

The four Scrap people gathered in front of Mantle's palace, backed by Pyrus and Zera. "Ready guys?" Pyrus asked. Everyone nodded, and they headed in.

Zera and Pyrus went up to Mantle. "The people of Scrap wish to state their case to you, Lord Mantle, " Zera began. "We ask that you just take a few moments to listen to them."

"Listen to riff-raff? What right do you have to come in here and demand an audience with ME, Ice-Child?" Lord Mantle asked angrily.

Alana stepped forward. "Lord Mantle... I am the daughter of Flare - the Leader of Planet Scrap. If we could arrange a meeting between you and my father---"

"ENOUGH!! I will not meet with anyone," Mantle thundered.

"It's no use!" Glace interrupted. "Get out of the way, Alana! The only way to take care of this is by FORCE!" He pulled out a weapon and aimed it at the Rock Lord. Emery pulled her own weapon out and turned it on Zera and Pyrus.

Alana looked at Glace. "What are you DOING?! You will ruin any chance we have!"

"We HAVE no chance! This stone-hearted King would leave us to DIE!" Glace shouted.

"You can't do this!" Alana shouted.

"Watch me!" Glace shouted. He pulled the trigger on his weapon.

"NO!" Alana shouted. She jumped up to Mantle's throne and pushed him out of the way. The gun discharge hit HER instead! The force threw her against a nearby wall, and she fell to the ground with a thump.

"ALANA!" Tarsal, Pyrus and Zera screamed in unison.

"GUARDS!" Mantle shouted.

Tarsal didn't have a moment to think. Alana lay unmoving. He quickly went up to her. "Alana?" No answer. "ALANA!" He shook her. Still nothing. Tarsal glared at Glace. He would pay dearly for hurting his friend. "THIS IS FOR ALANA!!" Tarsal shouted. Before Glace could move, Tarsal swiped his tail and connected his stinger with the Bone/Ice man's arm. Glace screamed as Tarsal released a string of lava into his body.

Mantle and the others watched the scene before them in shock.

Glace doubled over, then fell to the ground, his body racked with convulsions. His screams turned into ear-piercing shrieks and within a few seconds, he was still. All was silent.

"Glace?" Emery began, breaking the silence. However, she just needed to look at him to know he was dead. Emery glared at Tarsal. "MURDERER!!!" she screamed. "I KNEW we should have locked you away long ago! You are a DANGER to society!"

Tarsal's eyes went wide, and he shook his head violently. "I... I didn't mean to! He hurt Alana! I was just trying to..." He stopped, and backed away. In a flash, he ran from the throne room.

Rock Quarriors ran into the room and quickly took custody of Emery. They dragged her away, kicking and screaming.

Zera quickly went up to Alana, with Pyrus following close behind. The Ice Princess knelt beside her fallen friend, and opened her mouth. A string of nanonites covered the ugly wound on Alana's side.

"Is she...?" Pyrus began.

"She's still alive. I'm using the nanonites to heal her injury," Zera explained.

Pyrus looked at the nanonites surrounding Alana's wound. "I still think that's disgusting..." he said.

"So, how long do I have to stay in here?" Alana asked through the glass of the Cryo chamber.

"Just a few more hours," Zera began. "We used it once on Graveheart when we first met him. He had been shot by a Beast Drone, but was healed within the day."

"How are you feeling, Alana?" Pyrus asked.

"I'm starting to feel better," she began, then her expression turned sad. "You can't find Tarsal, can you?"

Pyrus shook his head. "I'm sorry," he said, then offered Alana a smile to cheer her up. "But don't worry! I'm sure he'll be ok!"

The door to the Cryo room opened loudly. Pyrus and Zera turned to see who had entered. "Is that Scrap child here?" the new arrival demanded.

"Lord Mantle?" Pyrus began, surprised that the Rock King got off his throne to come to Planet Ice.

"Yes, boy! Who else would I be? Now answer my question! Is that Scrap child here?" Mantle thundered.

Pyrus and Zera moved away from the glass of the Cryo chamber. Mantle went up and looked at Alana through the glass. "I have... reconsidered your request," he began. "You saved my life, child! To repay you, I will allow your people use of my battle moon. They are being evacuated as we speak."

"OH! THANK YOU, Lord Mantle!" Alana began, her voice echoing through the glass.

"HOWEVER," he boomed, "if any more of your people DARE try to take up arms against me, then I will feed your entire population to the Beast myself!" With that, Mantle left the room.

Pyrus frowned as he watched Lord Mantle leave. "Hmpf! I'd like to feed HIM to the-"

"PYRUS!" Zera interrupted.

Pyrus looked innocent. "What?!"

The shuttles that had landed at Arnia's gates were filled with people of every description. After a few moments, they vanished into the sky. Tarsal watched from an alleyway but made no move to join the evacuation. What difference would it make? He could never go back. Not after what he had done. "The best thing to do," he thought, "is just wait for the BEAST to come and end it all... forever!"

Finally, the last shuttle pulled away, and all was quiet. Tarsal walked out into the open and looked gloomily around the now-abandoned city. "Well." he murmured to the empty air, "looks like I'm on my own..."

"Not quite," said a voice from behind him.

Tarsal whirled around to see the source of the voice. His eyes went wide. "...Emery?!"