Hell's Hoplites - Book 2 - Invasion - 1 - Prologue

Prologue -

Approximately 2123 B.C.E. - Planet Niburu

Year Of Gan Fel Dinin - Day 358

Zeph Caphel king of the Niburu Kingdom sat upon his stone throne deep in the heart of his great castle deep in the swamps of the kingdom capitol lands.

Sitting on the throne he stared into the cup of blood mead that a servant had brought him and wondered how he would be able to get out of the situation that his father and grandfather had gotten the royal lineage into over the last two generations.

In despairing anger Zeph crushed the wooden cup in his long taloned hands and then stood up walking down the dais to the stone floor of the throne room and out of it followed by his coterie of guards and advisors that followed him everywhere he went.

Zeph’s wandering foot steps finally find him to one of the tower parapets where he gazed down on the city of King Dzar, named after his ancient ancestor that had beaten and united the other Scultor Tribes over five thousand years ago. However now the city’s streets paving stones were mired in mud from the latest flooding from the surrounding swamp and muddy high water marks could be seen reaching just below the surrounding buildings first floor windows which sat a good eight feed from street level.

At one time even with the dull gray stones, which at one time had been polished to a high sheen, the city had been a beautiful gem in the Kingdom’s crown but now it was a half-abandoned muddy wreck as the swamp that had been held back for several thousand years had finally starting encroaching on the city in his grandfathers time.

And rather then find out even why his father and grandfather had spent most of their time making sure that the council of nobles were constantly at each others throats rather than trying to usurp the royal families powers and responsibilities.

It wasn’t until Zeph had came to power after his father having choked to death on a stigla bone that he finally found out why the swamps had been encroaching in ever increase regularity.

It seemed that the huge stone pilings that the city sat on that his ancestor had sunk to what he had thought was the solid bottom of the swamp had started sinking into the ground.

No one was a hundred percent why it was happening but some of his scientists had come up with several theories that possibly the bottom of the swamp had been made of a clay like substance and over time the swamp had saturated that clay to the point where it had softened to much to support the weight of the city anymore and as the years continued to roll on the city sank farther.

The engineers told him that the city had less than thirty years before it sank all the way into the muck of the swamp.

“Milord?” A recently arrived advisor called out.

“Yes, Hephtanir,” Zeph said turning back towards the door leading to the parapet.

“Milord a scout from one of the outlying regions has just returned with news of something strange,” the advisor said hesitantly.

“What is this something strange,” Zeph asked.

“I think it would be best if the scout told you himself,” he said nervously.

“Alright,” Zeph said with a sigh and followed by his retinue as they wound their way down the long staircase.

The entourage finally reached the throne room and Zeph retook his spot on the throne as the others headed back to their appointed spots as he settled down making himself more comfortable on the worn cushions on the throne.

“Bring in the scout,” Zeph ordered once he had himself arranged as comfortably as possible.

“Yes milord,” Hephtanir bowed and then heading through the thick doors to the ante-chamber.

A few seconds later the doors opened and Hephtanir returned with a rather young Scout in the light Crimson and silver armor of a Draga scout rider.

“My lord this is Scout Captain Qunxus Mant,” Hephtanir said as he bowed to the king followed in a heart beat by the young officer.

Zeph waved a hand at Hephtanir who returned to his position along one wall.

“So, Captain Mant, Advisor Hephtanir tells me that you saw something strange in the outlying regions,” Zeph said to the still bowed scout.

“Yes Milord,” Qunxus said staring at the floor.

“Please stand up straight I’m sure it will make our conversations much easier,” Zeph ordered.

“Yes Milord,” the young man said standing up straight nervously.

Zeph studied the scout who his thick hide was still a dark green with the white striping of the Tnaftin Baronies, he seemed healthy enough and his light green underscales appeared healthy and his foot and toe claws shone with what Zeph assumed was a hasty polishing.

“What exactly did you see Captain,” Zeph ordered.

“I saw a great beast of metal, it came down in Canopa Lake,” Qunxus said.

“Where exactly in Canopa Lake?” Zeph asked since Canopa lake was so large it could almost be considered an inland sea.

“It came down about sixteen miles from outpost 39-A7,” Quxnus replied.

“And what exactly did this metal beast look like?”

“It was fairly long and cylindrical shape but it appears to be made of all metal but the design was almost organic, maybe even fish like it had a dark green upper portion and an extremely light green/blue underbelly it also had some kind of sensor or fin sticking up above near the rear of the creature.” The young Scultor was nearly out of breath by the time he finished describing what he had seen the words having tumbled out of him at a great pace.

Zeph sat silently in his chair contemplating as his advisors and courtiers in the room starting speaking hurriedly and loudly back and forth amongst each other.

Zeph finally came to a decision but the others in the room were making such a rucus that he was unable to be heard and he saw that Quxnus was looking decidly brown around the mouth scales as he stood nervous and sweating at the foot of the dais.

After a couple more attempts to speak finally Zeph leant over to his chief armsman and whispered something in his ear hole.

The armsman nodded his head and gestured to one of his men who raised and arbalest and shot one of the courtiers in the chest skewering him and causing him to spray brownish blood over those around him a he slammed back and downwards from the force of the attack.

Everyone in the room immediately fell silent and Zeph let out a sigh, he didn’t like doing things like that but he did have to remind them who was king here.

“Alright Captain I want you to pick a company of Scout Riders and get them provisioned and equipped to go back to Canopa lake,” the king told the captain.

“Hephtheras get the royal Regeiment Ready to ride,” Zeph ordered his advisor.

“Yes Sir,” both Scultor said and bowed their way out of the room.

“Are you sure this is wise sir,” one of Zeph’s other asked him quietly.

“Wise or not I am the king and it is my decision to do this, plus if there is a new threat to my people I need to know of it immediately,” Zeph said standing and leaving the throne for his inner ante-chamber.

Once inside the ante-chamber he had is personal assistants help him don the heavy metal curaiss, greaves, and vambraces that had been worn by several generations of his family.

“Your helm sire,” one of the lizards said handing it to the king who took the plumed helm.

“Alright get your own armor donned and meet me in the stables,” he told the half dozen young squires.

“Yes Sire,” the still dark scaled youths said bowing.

Zeph stomped through the halls of the castle and entered the huge underground stables where the smell of Draga dung floated thick in the air and the snorting and stamping of the large lizard like quadrupedal mounts reverberated through the stone pillared and paddocked area.

Colonel Quel Delricky the leader of his personal regiment walked up to him and slammed his fist to his breastplate. “Sire the men are outfitted and mounting now,” the Scultor Colonel told him.

“Good bring me Der Draga Kinel,” Zeph ordered.

Approximately 2123 B.C.E. - Planet Niburu

Year Of Gan Fel Dinin - Day 382

It took over three weeks for Zeph and his royal regiment and the scout company to finally return to Canopa Lake and outpost 39-A7.

“There it is sire,” Captain Quxnus informed the king pointing to a long almost cylindrical shaped object it was metallic but the shape of the thing made it look distinctly organic.

Interesting, Zeph mused to himself and sat his mount examining the large metallic object through a spyglass.

“Colonel get with Captain Quxnus and the outpost commander and start setting up camp.”

“Yes sire,” the Colonel said thumping his fist to his breast plate and then motioning to the Scout Captain he moved his Draga around and headed for the outpost that sat on the edge of the humongous lake.

“Are you sure you want to put the camp so close to the lake Sire?” Hephtheras asked quietly as his lighter Dragana mount pranced back and fourth nervously its four slender scaled legs looking delicate next to the King’s Draga mount.

“It will be fine, each outpost has a parcel of land set aside for camps and has been built into a small rise. Colonel Quel knows how to properly set up the camp,” Zeph explained.

“Yes Sire,” Hephtheras said somewhat miserably as he moved his mount back into the mass of hanger ons that had come with the King.

Zeph had to smile a bit at the man’s nervousness, his scaled lips curling up to reveal oversized hooked teeth that were meant to shred meat.

Matter of fact most of the intrepid band of courtiers and minor lordlings were probably uncomfortable as all get out; most of them had probably never spent more than one or two nights in a row “roughing it” and he had to chuckle to himself quietly at the incidents that had occurred at their expense.

“And just what are you chuckling and smiling about my lord,” a light female voice asked him as a Draga mount almost as big as his stepped up next to him as he stared at the lake.

“Ah my love I wondered when you would be able to pull yourself from that gaggle of ladies in waiting and make your way up here,” he said leaning over and pulling the slighter figure of his wife closer to him.

“Stop evading the question milord,” she told him her delicate snout curling into a smile of her own.

“Ah, as always you just have to get to the heart of the matter,” he told her.

“Well among other things I was reminiscing over Lord Gethgas little bout of lastream sickness,” he told her lightly.

“Ah yes, Lord Gethgas he was told rather bluntly not to eat that raw Kliveck meat but he wouldn’t listen,” she told him.

“Ah yes, but only one of many enjoyable moments over the last few weeks,” Zeph said chuckling again.

Behind the two a voice called out.

“Ah looks like your ladies are no willing to wait for you,” Zeph told his wife.

Selacas gave her husband a jaundiced look and then turned her Draga mount back towards the ladies in waiting and the group of soldiers that was raising her pavilion and tent.

Zeph let out a sigh and one last smile as he watched his wife with shoulders hunched ride towards the distant pavilion and her fate. Within the hour she would be out of her armor and riding leathers and be wrapped in the finest Tultas Worm Silk her scales polished to a gloss and the latest scents spritzed about her bodies by the ladies.

They couldn’t seem to understand why any woman of high status would want to rid around in armor getting all sweaty and dirty.

With another sigh Zeph turned his own Draga towards where the command tent was being set up the distant figures of Quel and Quxnus discussing something as runners came and went.



“Milord,” both men said smacking fist to breast plate and bowing slightly as the King climbed down from his draga and handed the reigns to a stableman to care for the beast.

“As you were gentlemen, how are the preparations going?” He asked.

“I’ll let Captain Quxnus go first,” Quel said waving a taloned hand at the younger Scout leader.

“Thank you sir,” Quxnus said bowing slightly to Quel and then turning to the king.

“If you’ll come over to the sand table Sire I can more easily show you the disposition of my scout platoons,” Quxnus told the king and then moved to one corner of the tent at the king’s nod.

In the corner stood a sand table with miniatures detailing the setup of the encampment around the lake and its outpost.

“As you can see sire I’ve positioned four of my scout platoons at the corners of the camp and they’ll supplement the troops and those areas and send out squads on rotation to scout those corners of the area, my fifth platoon is set up around the command tent and will act as a special force of scouts for the command center and as additional security,” Quxnus told his king.

“And the disposition of the regiment,” Zeph asked.

“Three of the companies are set up in concentric circles around the camp and will rotate in and out for guard duty, one company is guarding the command tent and the other company is set up around your’s and the Queen’s quarters,” Quxnus finished.

“And what of the outposts squad?”

“They’ll be acting as a communication liasions between the outposts and us,” Quxnus told him indicating first the blue pegs that represented the Scout Companies platoons, the red and gold ones of the Royal Regiment and the far smaller green pegs of the outpost squad arrayed around a representation of the outpost and the tents being set up around it.

“Well done Captain, well done both of you,” Zeph said to both the captain and colonel.

“Thank you Sire,” Quel answered with Quxnus following suit.

“I’ll be in my pavilion looking at some maps if you come upon any new information or if our iron friend over there does anything,” Zeph told them.

Both Scultor bowed to their sovereign who turned and walked out of the pavilion followed by a squad of from the royal regiment.

Approximately 2123 B.C.E. - Planet Niburu

Year Of Gan Fel Dinin - Day 387

“Your Majesty, wake up your majesty,” the thin high voice of one of his younger attendants clamored as Zeph roused from a good sleep.

“What is it boy?” Zeph growled huffing out of his nostrils into a piece of cloth to clear out the nights excess mucus.

“Sire, Colonel Quel sent me to wake and tell you that the metal beast is opening it’s mouth and there appear to be some creatures coming from its belly,” the boy told him in equal parts awe, anxiety, and fear.

“Well done boy,” Zeph told him clapping him on the scales of his shoulder. “Now go tell the Colonel I shall be there shortly,” he ordered.

“Yes sire,” the boy squeeked and ran from the tent on his errand.

Groaning Zeph stood up off the field cot and donned his clothes and then buckled his breast plate over that; stamping his feet he settled the metal studded boots he had put on into a better position.

Stepping through the opening of his tent the squad from the royal regiment formed around him.

As they headed towards the command pavilion he wondered what was happening, they had been here for a little over five days and in that time the metal object in lake Canopa had not so much as shivered even when a humongous storm had swept through three days earlier and sloshed the lake in its basin like a drunk man with a washing bowl full of water.

“As you were,” Zeph ordered before the gathered Regiment, Company, and Platoon commanders could salute him thus interrupting what they were doing.

Following his command Colonel Quel finished issuing orders and the various officers ran off to get their troops ready.

“What is the situation Quel?” Zeph asked.

“Well sir, it seems a small portion of the front of the metal object has opened up and first half a dozen mid-sized watercraft were pushed out and then about fifteen small figures climbed into them and they are now headed this way,” Quel told him.

“How accurate is this information,” Zeph asked.

“Extremely Sir, Captain Quxnus led the scout platoon that did the recon and gathered the information,” Quel told him.

“Where is he now.”

“He and a company of my lancers are waiting at the waters edge where it is expected the creatures will make land fall.”

“Get my Draga ready and we’ll head out there now,” Zeph ordered.

“Yes Sire,” Quel said saluting and then snapping rapid fire orders around him at various runners and paiges.

In short order Zeph and Quel were on their dragas surrounded by a platoon of Draga Cavalry as protection.

Quxnus the scout platoon, and the company of lancers made a narrow file for the Colonel and King to pass through along with their bodyguards and then started spreading themselves out a bit more to better watch all avenues of attack now that the King was present.

As Zeph waited patiently the small watercraft drew nearer to the shore and they were able to get a better look at its occupants but it wasn’t until the odd craft had grounded on the beach that Zeph was able to really make out any details.

It was rather hard to differentiate them clearly since they all looked very similar but he was able to realize that of the sixty figures that they were separated by twelve distinct groups of five each, and in each of those groups they looked exactly the same.

He gazed at them quietly while they disembarked taking in their strange appearance. The figures were short standing shorter than even the youngest soldier there and they had what appeared to be soft pink skin with tufts of hair on their heads and even some hair on their faces, he also noticed that some of the figures had large circular mounds on their chests. All the figures wore tight fitting gray garments that seemed to cling to their bodies although he noticed after a few seconds that some of the uniforms had varied colored stripes running up and down invisible seams.

Zeph was so distracted by the appearance of the creatures that at first he didn’t hear the lead most one speak in Scalatarn with a perfect local accent.

“Excuse me,” Zeph said slightly embarrassed.

“Pardon if my accent is difficult to understand,” the figure said. “But I am Sikorias ambassador of the Tyerian Empire, we greet you in peace.”

“You say you are an ambassador of some Empire that I’ve never heard of, matter of fact I’ve never heard mention of a race that even looks remotely like yours and the Niburu Kingdom covers over half this world,” Quel said angrily.

“Calmly Colonel, calmly,” Zeph said taking one hand off of his draga’s reigns and making a placating gesture.

Approximately 2123 B.C.E. - Planet Niburu

Year Of Gan Fel Dinin - Day 387

“What exactly is this Tyerian Empire,” Zeph asked several hours later sitting across a table in the shade of his pavilion, on one side was his wife and queen Selacas now wrapped in tight fitting Tultas silks and smelling of the best latest scents. On the other side was Colonel Quel.

“The Tyerian empire is very similar to your own kingdom except instead of controlling a single planet our Empire spans thousands of galaxies and trillions of people,” Sikorias told them.

“The object you refer to as the metallic beast is but a ship like your own war and fishing vessels save that it is built to travel between the stars rather than between continents,” Sikoria took over the explanation.

“This is preposterous,” Quel snorted through his snout.

“If you would like Colonel we could take you on a trip to see your planet from space,” Sikori continued.

“I think we shall all go on this little trip to see our planet,” Zeph said daring Quel to say anything else.

Approximately 2125 B.C.E. - Planet Niburu

Year Of Gan Fel Corinin - Day 191

A year and a half later found the Niburu Kingdom becoming a member nation of the Tyerian Empire and then two thousand years later once the Tyerians had stripped the Niburu system as it became to be known was left to die.

Approximately 15 C.E. - Planet Niburu

Year Of Gan Fel Corinin - Day 191

Zeph XXXII sat upon his throne and watched the city of Dzar burn down around him as did most of the rest of the planet, thankfully his son and wife had already left in of the Niburu Kingdoms raggedy freighters as had several million other Scultor refugees.

Their destination was unknown but Zeph hoped that his son would one day avenge him at the cost of many Tyerian lives.

Above the throne there was a mighty crack as one of the supporting keystones fractured from the intense heat and an entire archway of the local granite crashed down crushing the last Scultor Monarch and killing him.