Time and Time Again A Tale of the Star Gurns
Micah Glenn
Starfleet Saara Huul
CompuCentral, Tickleopia
Stellar Code 316.54
Who is this creature sucked out of his own time? His dialect is an ancient form of Vorkish, as is his appearance. I have compiled what little details he has given me so far, and my translating computer system is still working on translating the archaic dialect. If he is not lying, he may be the answer to all our problems. The following narrative is, with our notes inserted and changed to the third person, the tale of the time-traveler from ancient Vork.
-~*~-
Long ago, before time began, when the People were not yet one and males were still in power over females, there was a great warrior named Shikra. One year, at the end of the summer, when the Gadflowers were falling and the leaves began to darken, Shikra took up his sword and went out, seeking adventure. As he left his hut, he happened upon his beloved Sheboi.
"Shikra, where are you going?"
"I go to seek adventure."
"In what way? You can not just go seeking adventure with no reason!"
"Silence!! All right, fine. I go to unite the people as one, to combat any evils that may rise upon our great land of Vork!"
"That is better. Be careful, and do not be killed!"
"All right. I shall preserve my life as I preserve yours."
"Farewell, my love."
"Farewell, dear."
With that, Shikra strode out of the village.
In the weeks that followed, Shikra fought and defeated many monsters the Skynxnex, the Torojhor, the Zerakon, and many others, until finally he reached the great fortress Frakk. He walked to the giant iron gate and banged on it with his sword hilt.
"Open, and come forth! For I am the great swordsman Shikra. If thou art an enemy, I shall smite thee!"
With a clang, the gates opened, and a deep, booming voice echoed out of them. "Proceed inside, and face... the MOHRK!"
"The Mohrk?"
"Yes."
"Ooo-kayyy...."
Shikra walked into Fortress Frakk, through the courtyard, and into the main building. There, in an enormous room paneled with Lapis and gold, stood the Mohrk.
Shikra stood in awe of the enormous being. It stood over eight feet tall, blades protruded from its broad, dark shoulders, and its eyes glowed a dull red. In each massive fist, it held a gigantic sword.
"I am the Mohrk. Who art thou, that dares to challenge my might!?"
"I am Shikra, swordsman of Vaintei Village. If thou art a friend, I greet thee as such. But if thou art an enemy, I shall fight thee to the death!"
"Then prepare for battle, for I am no friend of yours!"
With that, the Mohrk attacked Shikra. Each combatant gave and received heavy blows, neither giving nor asking any quarter. After hours of unrelenting combat, the Mohrk fell to the ground, dead. Shikra raised one of the beast's own swords, and, stabbing down, pinned it to the floor through its chest. "I am sorry thou had to die, and I pray that Latai judges thy soul fairly," uttered this most powerful of warriors, as he wiped the blood from his own sword.
A small creature, froglike and on four legs, scuttled from behind a gigantic gilt throne made of claws and bones at the end of the room. Its eye then fell upon its fallen master, and it came upon the body, muttering to itself. The creature stared up at Shikra, gripping the hilt of the sword as if to pull it out. Then, with a shrill squeal, it ran away, leaving behind only the muttered words, "In Medius Rex."
Afterwards, Shikra left Fortress Frakk, heading eastwards to the ancient and mighty city of Tobodan. For many days and nights he traveled, finally reaching the walls of Tobodan on the eve of the 13th day. Being tired, he made camp outside the wall, and laid down to sleep under the stars.
During the night, a feeling of dread awakened Shikra. As he rose, his gaze fell upon the walls of Tobodan, and he knew that the feeling was originating there. Suddenly, there was a purple flash, and Shikra fell to the ground, unconscious.
In the morning, when Shikra awoke, he had no memory of the previous night's events, and there was a large hole in the wall near him. He entered the city through this hole, intent on reaching the center of Tobodan and finding Cesri, the king.
As Shikra walked through the city, he noticed with some dismay that the people of the city were gone. Nothing moved in the silent streets. Upon reaching the immense Gaddik tree at the center of Tobodan, he looked up into its branches. Then, with a gasp of horror, he stumbled back. For not only Gadflowers hung from its branches, but also hundreds of bodies of the people of Tobodan, and, gracing the top like some vile Christmas ornament, King Cesri's body was impaled on the topmost spine.
"Wh... what mockery is this?" gasped Shikra, drawing his sword. "What cowardly force is responsible for the death of this city!?"
From behind the Gaddik tree stepped one of the last creatures Shikra would have expected. The frog-man from Fortress Frakk stood on two legs now, arms folded.
"In Medius Rex, Shikra. You yourself are responsible, for the Mohrk was King Cesri himself, guarding the Time Gate's energies from the likes of me."
"What nonsense speaketh thou!?"
"I speak truth, for I am Venh'Ta, of the Vish'Nu. I thank you for completing my work and liberating Vork from its ties of universal matrimony." The frog-man glided up into the air.
"Within twenty years, this planet will slip into an ice age the likes of which you have never seen. The cold will prevail, warmth will die. If your race still lives, in ten thousand years, Vork will fall, once and for all. Farewell."
And with that, the frog-man disappeared. A rumbling filled the air, the sky changed, and Vork shifted through space and time.
Shikra wasted no time in returning to Fortress Frakk. Hoping to stop the chaotic energies emitting from the Time Gate, he found it and stepped through, disappearing from the world altogether.
-~*~-
Here ends the tale told by our sword-carrying friend, who I believe to be Shikra himself. I now will fill in a few blanks left in his tale.
The planet Vork was ripped out of its original setting by the rampant energies caused by the Time Gate. The Vish'Nu armada had set the planet aside until they were done with other things (see The Star Gurns 5: Exxanon the Droidmaster for more details). The planet fell into a Dark Age of cold, illiteracy, and raw instinct. During this ice age, creatures like Venkurs and Vurtrans were formed from the twisted mutations of common creatures caused by interstellar radiation. Somewhere during that time, Vork went from a patriarchal to matriarchal society, males losing their traditional power almost literally overnight. The new female leadership focused on technology, science, and learning, and by the end of the Ice Age the foundations were being laid for institutions of learning such as the Vorkon Academy.
As I check over my timeline, I realize that Vork appeared in this universe just a little more than 9,999 years ago. In fact, the Vorkons will only next month be celebrating their centennial day of Remembrance. Therefore, Ms. Huul, I am sending this document to you in hopes that you will protect Vork from the Second Coming of the Vish'Nu. I only hope it is not too late.
Sincerely
Terrik Mojhar
Schaft, Inc.
(This message has been edited by moderator (edited 05-13-2002).)