(I apologise if this chapter rambles, or if I go off on tangents about the intricacies of Dran'an culture - I feel it's important information to
Gen's overall background - DJ w00t)
CHAPTER 3 - REVELATIONS
"Are you sure?"
"Her metabolism, endurance, everything is off the charts...and those glowing blades, there is no other explanation for them."
A glowing 3-D model of Genau'Goeg's body floated before Karegu'Rhia and a knot of scientists. The great leader's spiny brow furrowed slightly
and his breath steamed as he exhaled. Behind a 5-foot thick glass partition, Gen was still running on a treadmill after 12 straight hours, with no sign of
slowing down. Her head was locked in a sensory deprivation helmet hooked up to sensors and a feeding tube - her "home" for the past 6 months. All
she'd known in this time was the all-encompassing darkness and silence...and pain. Karegu had made sure of that. The only time her helmet ever came off was
during her and Karegu's weekly trysts, in darkness, so as not to damage her eyes. Still, even in the darkened gloom of the great scaled leader's
bedchamber, Genau'Goeg could see everything.
With all their couplings, however, Gen had yet to produce a single egg. At times, she seemed to show signs - increased appetite, nesting behavior, and more
irritable towards other females. Tests even revealed increased hormone levels. However, a few days later, all symptoms of Dran'an pregnancy would fade.
Infuriated and more than a little concerned for his lineage, Karegu had ordered a battery of testing on his new "mate".
What his scientists found was incredible. Due to the abnormality in her pituitary gland, Gen's metabolism was apparetly stuck on "survival" mode.
She utilized every nutrient, vitamin, and mineral from whatever she consumed, creating little to no waste as a result. Her body, it seemed, was metabolizing
her brood as soon as it was conceived, and was having a similar effect on her developing wingbuds, still encased in protective sacs, failing to grow.
The glowing blades of energy she manifested were the most suprising, and had the least explaination. This, and the fact that Gen was barely controllable
without massive doses of sedative, or what equated to a "falconer's hood" for deranged draconian scientists, was sewing seeds of fear among
Karegu's ranks. Rumors of long-forgotten prophecies and legends began circulating like wildfire.
"You know my...concerns about saddling a "mythological" explanation to something created entirely in a laboratory environment. We've had
complete control over every aspect of her biology from the time she was protien chains in a petri dish, to now. And as for her unfortunate name, it is just
that - a name, assigned by computer." Karegu lowered his glare at one of his scientists, who recoiled in a sign of submission. "Are you here to tell
me the only explaination you can come up with for her...interesting weapons is a fairy story told by my grandparents to scare my parents into going to bed
before the gorwydd bellows?"
"S...s...sir, we only know of one other instance of this phenomena, and that is in the old legends! Th...th...the Goddess of the Harvest..."
stammered a scientist.
"IS A STORY!" Karegu bellowed, his voice seeping into the minds of his already-frightened followers, demanding submission, fealty, and above all
else, a satisfactory explaination. Their leader sighed at the quivering mounds of scales that had thrown themselves at his feet. "Get up, you worthless
neidr spawn. And do some REAL science. Leave the fairy tales to the children, when we have them."
Karegu turned and left, his wings snapping open and shut in a sign of extreme annoyance. He muttered to himself, walking rather aimlessly through his massive
strongold. He found his way to a parapet, above the underground portion of his fortress, where Gen was housed for most of the time, apart from their
"special" nights. Karegu had made sure that Gen's exposure to the outside world was minimal, and the layout of his fortress a mystery to her. He
took a deep breath as he breached the outside, taking in the rich air, and paused to survey the landscape.
The Dran'an homeworld of Draxis is a planet rich in life and biodiversity. Although a war-like race by design and temperment, the Dran'an are feircely
connected to nature, and have focused their entire culture around living in balance with the environment and "low-impact" conquering - take only the
cities, leave the wildlands untouched. As a result, over centuries and millenia, the Dran'an empire was famous for beautifying any planet they conquered,
utilizing the native inhabitants as plentiful slave labor. Draxis was unique in that the Dran'an themselves had toiled for centuries and millenia,
perfecting building techniques and roadways that coincided with the natural order, and left little to no impact on the surrounding landscape.
The result of this constant striving to be at one with their environment was spread out before Karegu in a breathtaking panorama of seemingly undisturbed
forest and pristine rivers. The fortress itself stood on a small mountain-top, flanked on all sides for miles around by a vast city nestled in the trees,
completely hidden except for the tell-tail glint of sunlight reflecting off the metallic surface of air exchangers (most of a Dran'an building is actually
underground). Above, small, bat-winged dragonets wheeled in the sky, riding the wind towards the horizon. Below, herds of gorwydds - horse-like reptiles that
served as beasts of burden and a plentiful food source - grunted and bellowed, calling in the approaching night.
As beautiful and serene as this scene was, it did nothing to still the unrelenting sense of unease within Karegu. He sighed and wandered back into the halls of
his fortress, not paying attention to where his feet took him. He snapped out of his reverie long enough to realize that he had somehow found his way to his
personal library, inexplicably drawn to a long-neglected section of literature, covered in dust and cobwebs. He focused on a single tome - "Tales of the
Great Harvest" - an extensive collection of myths, legends, and laws handed down through generations of his lineage and beyond, from a time when his kind
did not live as one with the natural order. Karegu shook his head as if to clear some mental cobwebs.
"Insanity," he whispered, but found himself reaching for the book anyway. Slowly, with great trepidation and more than a little fear, he walked over
to a massive, overstuffed reading couch and reclined, carefully opening the fragile, yellowed pages. The book opened to a brilliantly inked picture, drawn by
steady hands millenia ago, depicting a beautiful blue Dran'an female, basked in glowing light, with large fighting claws wreathed in unearthly blue flames.
A description, lettered in ink unblemished by the ages in an ancient tongue said simply, "Genau'Goeg - Goddess of the Harvest". Karegu turned the
page and began pouring over the text carefully.
Lo, and all was lost, and the land was beset by great pestilence and war. Behold, the time of the Great Harvest was among all of Dran'ankind, as was the
will of the gods, for ages of quarrels and pilliaging of Draxis' vast bounty had angered them. In their wisdom, they did appoint the youngest of their
enclave, Genau'Goeg, the great Goddess of the Harvest, in the task of reaping the dark crop sown of and by Dran'ankind. With claws of flame she did cut
Dran'an and beast alike in a harvest of souls and filled the larders of the heavens to overflowing. When the heavens could hold no more bounty,
Genau'Goeg did call the Kings of the Ten Tribes, the great bloodlines of Dran'ankind, and bid them to cease their evil ways, and live at one with each
other, the land, and all manner of beast, lest another Great Harvest should befall them. Hear her words, and may they echo through time neverending. "You
will know the sign of my coming, when the seeds you sow fail to bear fruit, and by the light of my Holy Flame."
At that, Karegu slammed the book shut, a plume of dust erupting from the ancient pages. An unrelenting sense of fear spread over him as the last passage echoed
through his mind. The name, the strange glowing claws, the strange affliction that had overcome almost every female on the planet...indeed, it all seemed too
much to blame it on mere coincidence. Still, the staunchly scientific part of Karegu'Rhia tried in vain to discount this terrifying revelation on mere
superstition. Surely, the stress of dealing with the greatest catastrophe in the long recorded history of Draxis was just taking it's toll...
Gen's overall background - DJ w00t)
CHAPTER 3 - REVELATIONS
"Are you sure?"
"Her metabolism, endurance, everything is off the charts...and those glowing blades, there is no other explanation for them."
A glowing 3-D model of Genau'Goeg's body floated before Karegu'Rhia and a knot of scientists. The great leader's spiny brow furrowed slightly
and his breath steamed as he exhaled. Behind a 5-foot thick glass partition, Gen was still running on a treadmill after 12 straight hours, with no sign of
slowing down. Her head was locked in a sensory deprivation helmet hooked up to sensors and a feeding tube - her "home" for the past 6 months. All
she'd known in this time was the all-encompassing darkness and silence...and pain. Karegu had made sure of that. The only time her helmet ever came off was
during her and Karegu's weekly trysts, in darkness, so as not to damage her eyes. Still, even in the darkened gloom of the great scaled leader's
bedchamber, Genau'Goeg could see everything.
With all their couplings, however, Gen had yet to produce a single egg. At times, she seemed to show signs - increased appetite, nesting behavior, and more
irritable towards other females. Tests even revealed increased hormone levels. However, a few days later, all symptoms of Dran'an pregnancy would fade.
Infuriated and more than a little concerned for his lineage, Karegu had ordered a battery of testing on his new "mate".
What his scientists found was incredible. Due to the abnormality in her pituitary gland, Gen's metabolism was apparetly stuck on "survival" mode.
She utilized every nutrient, vitamin, and mineral from whatever she consumed, creating little to no waste as a result. Her body, it seemed, was metabolizing
her brood as soon as it was conceived, and was having a similar effect on her developing wingbuds, still encased in protective sacs, failing to grow.
The glowing blades of energy she manifested were the most suprising, and had the least explaination. This, and the fact that Gen was barely controllable
without massive doses of sedative, or what equated to a "falconer's hood" for deranged draconian scientists, was sewing seeds of fear among
Karegu's ranks. Rumors of long-forgotten prophecies and legends began circulating like wildfire.
"You know my...concerns about saddling a "mythological" explanation to something created entirely in a laboratory environment. We've had
complete control over every aspect of her biology from the time she was protien chains in a petri dish, to now. And as for her unfortunate name, it is just
that - a name, assigned by computer." Karegu lowered his glare at one of his scientists, who recoiled in a sign of submission. "Are you here to tell
me the only explaination you can come up with for her...interesting weapons is a fairy story told by my grandparents to scare my parents into going to bed
before the gorwydd bellows?"
"S...s...sir, we only know of one other instance of this phenomena, and that is in the old legends! Th...th...the Goddess of the Harvest..."
stammered a scientist.
"IS A STORY!" Karegu bellowed, his voice seeping into the minds of his already-frightened followers, demanding submission, fealty, and above all
else, a satisfactory explaination. Their leader sighed at the quivering mounds of scales that had thrown themselves at his feet. "Get up, you worthless
neidr spawn. And do some REAL science. Leave the fairy tales to the children, when we have them."
Karegu turned and left, his wings snapping open and shut in a sign of extreme annoyance. He muttered to himself, walking rather aimlessly through his massive
strongold. He found his way to a parapet, above the underground portion of his fortress, where Gen was housed for most of the time, apart from their
"special" nights. Karegu had made sure that Gen's exposure to the outside world was minimal, and the layout of his fortress a mystery to her. He
took a deep breath as he breached the outside, taking in the rich air, and paused to survey the landscape.
The Dran'an homeworld of Draxis is a planet rich in life and biodiversity. Although a war-like race by design and temperment, the Dran'an are feircely
connected to nature, and have focused their entire culture around living in balance with the environment and "low-impact" conquering - take only the
cities, leave the wildlands untouched. As a result, over centuries and millenia, the Dran'an empire was famous for beautifying any planet they conquered,
utilizing the native inhabitants as plentiful slave labor. Draxis was unique in that the Dran'an themselves had toiled for centuries and millenia,
perfecting building techniques and roadways that coincided with the natural order, and left little to no impact on the surrounding landscape.
The result of this constant striving to be at one with their environment was spread out before Karegu in a breathtaking panorama of seemingly undisturbed
forest and pristine rivers. The fortress itself stood on a small mountain-top, flanked on all sides for miles around by a vast city nestled in the trees,
completely hidden except for the tell-tail glint of sunlight reflecting off the metallic surface of air exchangers (most of a Dran'an building is actually
underground). Above, small, bat-winged dragonets wheeled in the sky, riding the wind towards the horizon. Below, herds of gorwydds - horse-like reptiles that
served as beasts of burden and a plentiful food source - grunted and bellowed, calling in the approaching night.
As beautiful and serene as this scene was, it did nothing to still the unrelenting sense of unease within Karegu. He sighed and wandered back into the halls of
his fortress, not paying attention to where his feet took him. He snapped out of his reverie long enough to realize that he had somehow found his way to his
personal library, inexplicably drawn to a long-neglected section of literature, covered in dust and cobwebs. He focused on a single tome - "Tales of the
Great Harvest" - an extensive collection of myths, legends, and laws handed down through generations of his lineage and beyond, from a time when his kind
did not live as one with the natural order. Karegu shook his head as if to clear some mental cobwebs.
"Insanity," he whispered, but found himself reaching for the book anyway. Slowly, with great trepidation and more than a little fear, he walked over
to a massive, overstuffed reading couch and reclined, carefully opening the fragile, yellowed pages. The book opened to a brilliantly inked picture, drawn by
steady hands millenia ago, depicting a beautiful blue Dran'an female, basked in glowing light, with large fighting claws wreathed in unearthly blue flames.
A description, lettered in ink unblemished by the ages in an ancient tongue said simply, "Genau'Goeg - Goddess of the Harvest". Karegu turned the
page and began pouring over the text carefully.
Lo, and all was lost, and the land was beset by great pestilence and war. Behold, the time of the Great Harvest was among all of Dran'ankind, as was the
will of the gods, for ages of quarrels and pilliaging of Draxis' vast bounty had angered them. In their wisdom, they did appoint the youngest of their
enclave, Genau'Goeg, the great Goddess of the Harvest, in the task of reaping the dark crop sown of and by Dran'ankind. With claws of flame she did cut
Dran'an and beast alike in a harvest of souls and filled the larders of the heavens to overflowing. When the heavens could hold no more bounty,
Genau'Goeg did call the Kings of the Ten Tribes, the great bloodlines of Dran'ankind, and bid them to cease their evil ways, and live at one with each
other, the land, and all manner of beast, lest another Great Harvest should befall them. Hear her words, and may they echo through time neverending. "You
will know the sign of my coming, when the seeds you sow fail to bear fruit, and by the light of my Holy Flame."
At that, Karegu slammed the book shut, a plume of dust erupting from the ancient pages. An unrelenting sense of fear spread over him as the last passage echoed
through his mind. The name, the strange glowing claws, the strange affliction that had overcome almost every female on the planet...indeed, it all seemed too
much to blame it on mere coincidence. Still, the staunchly scientific part of Karegu'Rhia tried in vain to discount this terrifying revelation on mere
superstition. Surely, the stress of dealing with the greatest catastrophe in the long recorded history of Draxis was just taking it's toll...