Anonymity

Despite Sho's protests that he was fine, I did manage to get him to hold still long enough to perform a full body scan which naturally showed what he had maintained. He was fine, once again his Unit had healed his injuries so that the only physical mark on his body were the scars he still refused to let it heal. It's not that I didn't trust the man who has now become my husband, it's just that, Sho will tell me that he is fine, even when he's standing in a pool of his own blood, and as one who loves him, I worry for him.

But enough of that. While I had wanted to tend to Alkard both Sho and Agito held me back and surprisingly it was Sho who voiced Makishima's argument. :He will be fine. This is not the time for weakness, or what could be perceived as weakness.: Despite the words though, and my nod of understanding, Sho at least, maintained his hand on my shoulder until I took a small step back, submitting to his decision. Just as I knew how he could be, so did he know how I could be. Alkard was not entirely fine, I could see that he was exhausted as he stumbled to the side but that was to be expected and after he rested, he would be all right, although hopefully now, he wouldn't attack without thinking.

The Meeting, as I have stated earlier, did eventually calm down but then it developed more into a dialogue between the Tekki and Advents as they chronicled their history and enmity. It revealed many things but it did not answer some fundamental questions. Some of those were to come later as was the realization of what was the questions. It is in many ways a silly saying, that you do not know the questions until you have the answers but in this case it was true. Everything was so new to us that we did not know what the questions were and so all we could do was fumble with the information that was given to us. For us Terrans, we had the power that we could survive our fumbles but for others, their misunderstandings proved to be fatal.

===

:Out of control!:

"What do you mean?" The Tekki questioned the disembodied Advent voice.

:They are out of control! They are rabid, unthinking and do not deserve to live. They should be destroyed:

"Who?" The question came from several of the braver diplomats.

"The Terran's," the black shadow of the Tekki simply pointed towards the new Guyver's who had made such an impression. "Although…" the shadow drawled, with a definite smirk. "They looked very much in control to me."

"They are out of control and should be destroyed now before they do any more damage. You, who have the power to stand against us, you should sense their power and the danger they are. You should help us destroy them now!"

For an instant the Tekki stilled. The shifting black substance that made up its shadow ceased moving as the glowing blue eyes blinked. And then there was nothing but laughter - pure, unfettered and highly amused. "I?" The Tekki managed to gasp after seeming to gain some control over himself. But the very question seemed to bring a new realization to him and he lost control again. "I should help you?" At the hiss that was the last word, the amusement vanished, replaced by cold scorn. "I do sense their power and do know their danger. I, like you, remember it. But…" The shadow paused, turning back to face the Advent's representative, somehow seeming more dangerous with the move. "They are not a danger to me."

:They may not be an immediate danger to you,: the Advents continued, circumventing their representative and speaking directly into the minds of all present. :But we doubt that they will see you as an ally once they learn your full history.:

"Oh..." Some of the amusement resurfaced. "And how are they going to learn that? These are not any I remember."

:All previous mistakes have been destroyed. These new one's are children.:

"All the more reason that they will never learn. They enter the world now, what has gone before will not concern them." The Tekki seemed almost smug.

:You have not fought these children,: the Advent's stated simply, their mental voice showing a trace of satisfaction. :We have. And we know that which moves them. We know their 'humanity.':

"Heh! A word I have not heard for a very long time. So they are humane?"

:Not all of them. Some of them we do not know. But they are humane.:

:Stop!: The mental voice was not the Advent's and with the utterance of the command a heavy sense of foreboding once again filled the room. :His power is not for you.:

It took a moment for the assembled throng to realize who the order had been issued to but once they saw it all made perfect sense. Alkard of Shadow had been defeated so his Unit would reject him, and then the Unit would go to whoever claimed it. Guyver's were fine warriors and usually operated under a strict code of conduct but when a Unit was available all semblance of culture, of code and even of civilization was temporarily abandoned. Guyver Units were comparatively rare when their numbers was compared to the demand for them.

"Ssss... You have right of conquest Terran but you have not claimed your prize so it is free to the rest of us..."

"His power is not for you."

The Mangoran who had spoken rose and turned to face the Terran's. The dark purple of her armor seemed to darken as she pulled herself into a ready position, the spines that were native for her species rose, arraying themselves in a traditional challenge pattern. One larger central spine rose and it's tip glistened with poison.

:Who is this?: Sho demanded of his Unit as he stepped forward. He had put Alkard into this position so it was his duty to get the Wesodin Warrior out of it.

:Tallowa of Mangora. She's competent but an opportunist, maybe with Tekki leanings,: his Unit responded, the control medallion glowing slightly. :Her poison is fatal to most races and would usually be fatal to you but... The changes I made are active now and it cannot hurt you.:

"Tallowa, his power is not for you," Sho began again, accompanying his words by visibly charging his head beam.

:Sho, are you sure about this?: The question came from Tetsuro.

:Yes. He hurt me but he does not deserve this,: Sho responded, sending the message to the others. :And if this is what Guyver Unit's are like then it's perhaps time they got re-educated.:

:Not all of us are like that.:

"Your challenge is accepted," Tallowa grinned. The Terran was formidable but if he remained as he was, and didn't call the second stage of his armor then she would win. And in a battle that he had agreed to, his companions would have no recourse for reprisal.

"Yours is not." Fukamachi stood upright, seemingly letting all his powers fade, leaving himself completely vulnerable.

"You are the one challenging me," she snarled at him. "You have not the right to deny my challenge."

"I have no desire to fight you, I just believe that you should show a little more respect."

"For who? The fallen Wesodin..? Please... You should know best, a fallen Host is nothing but an inconvenience to the Unit and as such, the Unit deserves a new, stronger Host. Who's body did you go over to obtain your power?"

Sho raised his hand, three fingers extended to signify numbers. "Three people, but that is not the issue here. I think you should show more respect and if you are not going to then I will allow the Second of the Twenty-One to come forward."

"The what?" Tallowa questioned, not understanding.

Sho didn't understand himself but his Unit was giving him the wordless impression that everything would be okay and he could really do nothing but trust it. Besides which, he could always intervene more physically if required. :That will not be necessary,: came the silent reassurance.

"The One, the Nine, and the Twenty-One," Sho parroted lines he had seemingly heard in a dream. "It is time for the second of the Twenty-One to come forth."

At his last word the other Guyvers who had been approaching Alkard fell back as a red glow surrounded the fallen warrior. Even Tallowa seemed surprised.

"What traps have you left on him?"

"No traps. I just believe you should show more respect," Fukamachi replied blandly.

The red glow surrounding Alkard expanded in a familiar manner, solidifying into the barrier of a Guyver summons. Within the sphere Alkard's body slowly rose and hung for a moment motionless until a ripple appeared in reality and third egg appeared. Aptom had summoned GiganticArmor and until Fukamachi had summoned his, it had been assumed that the Terran made GiganticArmor Egg was the only one in existence but the one that came forth now was yet another. It was red, several shades darker than human blood, similar to the Wesodin's existing armor but like the new forms called forth today it was covered in lines, and these ones were a deep navy blue, arranged in intricate swirls. It broke apart, quickly engulfing the Wesodin's body and healing his wounds in an instant before the protective sphere faded.

"I do not accept your challenge, Tallowa of Mangora, but Alkard of Shadow might."

"What is this?" Tallowa snarled, turning to face the new threat.

"This is the future, Mangoran." It was Alkard who answered her question, driving back the one's who had been gathered around him with a casual wave of his arm. "This is part of the changes that we will have to learn. Do you still desire my Unit?" He asked the question with a quiet note of assurance in his voice.

"I... ah..." Tallowa visibly gulped, her war spines slowly flattening themselves against her body. "No..." She finally whispered backing away.

"There are those here who are strong enough to claim my Unit," Alkard began, his eyes flickering over the Terrans, Tekki and finally to the Advent Representative. "But those who have that power, seemingly have no desire for it. In fact they seem content with the way things are, so this Unit belongs to me still... However... my purpose has changed." With a few quick strides, he moved towards the Terran's. His eyes swept over them, finally locking with GuyWarrior Fukamachi's. "You did this to me?" It was more than just a simple question.

Sho nodded. "I gave it a little encouragement to come forth."

"You have given me extra power..."

"No! I have given you nothing. The power is yours."

Alkard blinked. "Perhaps... But it was you who has unlocked this form and yet, I cannot bring myself to thank you for it because I feel, even after all this, you still have to power to crush me, even in the form you wear now."

"Perhaps."

Alkard dismissed the answer with a shrug, turning towards Mizuki, who still had her oddly sleek armor in position. "My Lady, my life is yours," he said as he sank to one knee.

:Wha...: A ripple of confusion came from her, passing to her companions.

:Oh...: Tetsuro and Aptom shared the surprised syllable while Agito looked on silently. Shizu hid a smile. She had had experience with things like this. Many Zoanoids on Earth had wanted to serve her to gain Agito's favour. Some she had accepted, some she had rejected but for all of them, she had known that they only wanted her for her connection to Makishima. This Alkard of Shadow was only interested in the opening serving Mizuki would give him on Fukamachi.

:Sho?:

:Mm?:

:What do I do?:

:Do you accept his offer?:

:I don't know.:

:Look at him, look at him through your Unit and you will see that he is sincere. It is your choice, Sweetheart.:

"My Lady, you saved me. My life is yours. You are a Healer, and while your Knight protects you, I feel that that cannot be his whole occupation. There will come a time when he must fight and you will be unprotected. I will protect you then. On my life, which belongs to you, I will protect you." He looked up at her, the red glow coming from his eyes seemed almost pleading.

"I... I accept your life," Mizuki said softly.

"My Lady," Alkard said simply as he rose and with that same determined stride moved to stand by her side.

For a moment, silence reigned but before chaos could ensure, the Tekki spoke again continuing his conversation with the Advent's as if nothing had changed.

"Ah... I see their humanity but that still doesn't answer how they will learn."

"How we will learn what?" Tetsuro stepped forward. Now that the distraction caused by Alkard had been dealt with both the Advent's and Tekki had returned their attention to each other with a new ferocity and that meant that they couldn't afford to be distracted either.

"History has a way of being written by the winners, so if I am a villain or hero remains to be seen," the Tekki began, amusement fading as he glared at the Advents, for forcing him to explain. "But if you are humane, then some of my actions may be construed as being unnecessarily vicious. But I am at war and against an opponent such as the Advents one cannot afford mercy, especially since their soldiers do not display that quality."

"Zoanoids?"

"Monomeeth, the soldiers that came before them," the Tekki clarified. "Not as brilliant but still effective."

Tetsuro blinked. The implications with both the Advents and Tekki were not clear and he would need to be careful when responding. "Actions against soldiers in war are sometimes difficult to classify," he said carefully. "We too have history of which we are not proud."

"Heheh!" If a shadow could grin, the Tekki would have been beaming. His previous annoyance at the Advents vanished. "I do not think they are as childish as you believe, Advent."

:You tell so little, they will not forgive if they know the whole truth.:

"You would have to tell them, but in return, I would tell of your true history," the shadow snarled. "And it is a story I am sure they have only the vaguest impressions of and so would appreciate a more in depth summary. Is it worth it?"

The Advent's remained silent but around the room there was quiet speculation. The history of the Advents and the history of the Tekki was something that was the cause for intense speculation. And even if this was the history as told by their enemies, it would still hold greater truth than mere conjecture.

"Hmph!" The Tekki seemed to relax. "I don't think you want everything known, although..." They paused with almost malicious glee. "Now will probably be your last time to tell your side, since now they are here, I doubt they will leave you alone for long. The Terran's, like me, know the truth of the Zoanoids, and unlike me, they have reason to care. And if they are humane as you have stated, then do you truly believe they will let that inhumanity stand unopposed?

"You should surrender now!"

:What!?:

"Well... Surrender would be to them only. In your battle against me, it is to the death but if you surrender to them now, they may offer you some protection and at least your name will be remembered for the future, since I am not interested in them, they will most probably survive me."

:We are Advents. We are the first race of the Universe. And we will not surrender to some mere creation. They cannot fight us alone, so unless you are willing to form an alliance with their accursed form, they, like you are not a threat to our superiority. And you will never form an alliance.:

"Alkanphel is dead."

The statement was simple and spoken without any emotion and while it meant nothing to most of those who were gathered, it spoke volumes to those who knew Alkanphel.

"How do you know that name?" Fukamachi demanded, stepping forward. His eyes blazed through his armor.

"I like the Advents am an Ancient. I'm not as old as some of them but I am older than most of the Advent's now. As such, I remember him. I know he is dead, but I do not blame the one who killed him. Alkanphel died on the day the Advent's betrayed him. And my war began there too."

:You lie.:

"Do I? How?" The Tekki seemed unconcerned at the vehemence shown by the Advents.

:If you were that old we would know about you. We know our history. We know the history of races who have died. And we know that you did not exist when Alkanphel held power.:

"It is true I am not the Artarmon, the race you created Alkanphel to destroy. But I have more than replaced them and whether you remember me or not, I was alive when Alkanphel was your servant."

:You were not. You are the present. You are possibly the future, but you were not the past.:

"I was the past. I will be the future and I am the present because of something in your past."

:We created you?: The Advents seemed unfazed by the apparent riddles the Tekki was speaking in although the rest of the diplomats and even the representative they had sent were lost. The Terrans were following the conversation as best they could but still, some parts would require further thought before they would be understood but of all races present, only the Terrans could follow any of the conversation.

"You did create me, but I do not expect you to remember. I am not against you for that anyway."

"You are from the future?" Tetsuro couldn't help but question.

"Yes, Terran, I am. I am the present and future merged because of the past. Because of the actions of the Advents."

"Present and future merged..? So your present self no longer exists separately from your future self?"

"Very good, Terran. It would have been too easy to kill me if I had allowed what was my present self to exist. I could have protected them, yes, but such an action would have left me open to too many dangers. Far better to eliminate that weakness."

Tetsuro nodded. The Tekki's action potentially threw the time-line into chaos but did, from a military view, make perfect sense and was perfectly logical. "Then you are here to change the future?"

"Your grasp of the obvious is impressive."

"You are speaking in riddles," Tetsuro retorted hotly, to the implication that his understanding was substandard, especially since it followed seeming approval of his previous question. "One always questions what one does not understand."

The Tekki blinked almost surprised at the sudden ferocity in the Terran's tone. After a moment, he gathered himself and bowed slightly towards Tetsuro. "You are correct. I apologize. I do not expect you to understand all and you understand well enough. You will learn more now and you will learn more as time passes. But for now, the Advents have much more they need to learn."

:We already know the truth.:

"You know one truth. As I said, Alkanphel is dead. I would wager that one of these one's killed him, and you are then correct - if they have that much power, they can stand against me. But if they can stand against me, they can stand against you and so facing two of your creations, you will be doomed."

:We did not create you. We did not create them. They are a mistake. They are out of control. Alkanphel was not strong enough to ensure their destruction but that situation has been rectified by the new generation.:

"Alkanphel was strong enough to destroy the first," the Tekki objected mildly.

"Kiara?" The question came from the Terran's. "Zektoll?" came the further question, tinged with amusement.

The Tekki seemed confused. "Ki..ara..? Ze..k..to..ll? I do not know those names."

:They are the future.:

"You have got to be kidding me." This time there was no hiding the amusement in Aptom's voice.

Agito merely shook his head. The Advent's were so much less than he had expected.

"If this is the reaction of the Terran's," the Tekki began slowly, looking between the Advent's Representative and the gathered Terrans. "Then, somehow, I do not think your future is very secure."

:They are not alone.:

The shadow sighed, almost seeming to roll the glowing orbs that were it's eyes. "Since I'm not going to get a straight answer from them," he jerked one hand towards the Advent's Representative as he turned to face the Terrans. "Who are these new ones?"

"They are Zoalords meant to replace Alkanphel," Tetsuro began.

"Segawa, let me," Aptom stepped forward, the red tendrils on his black armor had arranged themselves such that they almost looked like blood. He turned to face the Tekki but gestured towards the Advent's Representative. "I don't know where the Advents are getting their information from. Kiara is dead and Zektoll is an anal retentive Alkanphel wanna be. The biggest question with him is who is going to indulge their desire to kill him first. I thought it was going to be Makishima but I might take a crack at him."

"Hehehehe! I like the description. It sounds like Alkanphel before he grew up."

"Alkanphel at least had a brain," Aptom dismissed the praise.

"This Zektoll doesn't?"

"I'm not even sure Zektoll's got a life."

"What about the others?"

"Six are all that remains of Alkanphel's Twelve."

:We have replaced them. The Circle of Twelve remains.:

"The Circle of Twelve was Alkanphel's."

"Even the Advent's aren't above stealing a good idea."

"And that was a good idea..." The Tekki nodded.

:It may even have worked, if they hadn't existed.:

"But they do exist and not even Alkanphel could change that."

:And he died.:

"I know but as I said before, I blame you for his death, I do not blame them. I simply want two fundamental things."

:What?:

"I want what I have always wanted," the Tekki began, aware now that every being in the audience was hanging on his words. "I want your destruction. You Advents who think you are God. I want your deaths. I am the balance, I am vengeance and I will kill you."

:And the other?: The Advent's seemed unconcerned at the utter hatred in their enemy's voice, nor were they concerned at his proclamation.

"The other? I wish to fix the Guyver's mistake."

:They are all a mistake.:

"No. I don't wish to fix your mistake in their creation. I wish to fix the one mistake they made for themselves. The future has shown that such power shouldn't rest with one being."

:So kill that individual.:

"I do not know that individual. The one I wish to kill is powerful, beyond you, beyond your soldiers, beyond me, and beyond the other Guyvers. And they have many faces. I know one and I would kill that being but I could not be assured of killing the whole, so better for now to let that one be until I know which one is the truth."

:You are too weak?:

The Tekki blinked at the question but strangely they did not seem offended. "I am a Lord but he is the Supreme Being and even the Universe bows to his will. I cannot kill him in the future but I can kill him now, before he comes into his power before he knows of the aberration that he is." The Tekki seemed to smile for moment. "He is... He was made from a set of circumstances I doubt will be repeated and as such is unique but still wrong."

:And so for that, you will destroy time itself?:

"You treat this as if it is a petty squabble. To me, the fight against that being is as important as my battle against you and time has nothing to do with this. It is something that is not unlimited but it is something that is stronger than you think."

:Paradox's have no place to lecture us about the stability of time.:

"Oh yes... I forgot you experimented with that too. That might explain the extreme age of the ships you currently have hiding behind the Third Moon, in direct violation of the Interstellar Meeting Protocols."

"What..?" The question came from several of the Guarding Guyvers.

"We checked there!" The Guyver's who wore the badge of Guards objected, eyes sparking as they turned towards the Tekki.

Several diplomats turned accusingly towards the Advent Representative. "Advent's or not, you know the rules, and you yourself have agreed to abide by this one."

It was simple really. While the Hasiya Spaceport had almost continual traffic, the ships used by the Diplomats attending the Interstellar Meeting were all grounded in a special area that had been put aside for their use. An area that was guarded by an Interspecies Taskforce to ensure that no sabotage or terrorism was engaged in. Further, the space around Hasiya was patrolled regularly, again by ships of mixed species so that none could be accused of favouritism. Such precautions had greatly reduced the number of attacks on innocent Diplomats and had ensured that races who were at war could attend the Interstellar Meeting without fear of ambush while they were in the Meeting System. On their way, and once they left Hasiyan Space though, all bets were off.

:They are not ours,: the Advent's objected mildly.

"We shall see," the Tekki responded before falling silent, blue orbs closing in what seemed to be concentration.

Around the room, several holograms appeared, projections from the darkness of space. The holograms showed the third moon and disappearing behind from every angle it there seemed to be inky black shadows. For a moment nothing happened but then silently, triumphantly, two Advent ships emerged from behind the moon. Around them the inky black smudges followed before disappearing, the stars once again appearing from behind them.

:They are not ours,: the Advent's repeated.

"So you will not mind if I destroy them?"

:They are not ours.:

"They are ours," Makishima stepped forward.

:That's not possible. We would know if you had our ships.:

"Even if they were that old? Look closely Advents, look closely at how old those ships are." The Tekki seemed intent on highlighting the age of the ships his forces had revealed.

:That... That isn't possible...:

"They're old, aren't they?"

There was something more going one here and even though Makishima didn't fully understand it he responded to the Tekki's question.

"Over two million years, Terran time."

:Impossible...:

"So, Advents, what knowledge do they have?"

"Heheh... We were wondering when that would come up," Makishima answered for the Advents. "They know nothing recent, but do know of our creation, and they do hold the records to repeat it."

It was the Tekki's turn to laugh. "I acknowledge my mistake," he said amiably. "These ships are the Terrans and because they do not know the Protocols there should be no punishment. Indeed, they are not a signature race to those agreements." His good humour faded with his next words. "But the fact that you claim these ships is worrying. They serve you?"

"Yes."

"They serve only you?"

"Yes."

"This is... unexpected."

:Give them back!:

"What?" Makishima blinked in surprise at the demand.

:They are ours, give them back.: To the Advent's the request was reasonable.

"No." Makishima's response was brief.

:They are ours.:

"They belong to us now," he almost snarled back at them, the eye plates on his armor glowing.

:They belong to themselves.:

"They chose to follow us," Fukamachi interjected before Makishima could attack. "Ask them and you will see that they are not coerced."

:...: There was no hiding their frustration even when they were silent.

The quiet held while the Advent's diverted their attention towards the ships that were still being displayed on the hologramatic screens.

:What did you do to them?: came the eventual demand.

"We merely offered them an alternative to you betrayal. And when you left our Planet you betrayed them."

:We betrayed no-one.:

"No-one?" Tetsuro frowned. The word was not right. While their ships were alive, did the Advent's truly view them as a sentient being equal to them? "What do you mean 'no-one'?"

"Oh... I'd say leaving them behind counts as betrayal," the Tekki weighed into the argument, only too happy to point out the Advent's shortcomings.

"What do you mean 'no-one'?" Tetsuro asked again. It was important. He didn't know why but there was something important here.

:We betrayed no-one,: the Advent's repeated.

"Then why do your ships insist you betrayed them?"

"What do you think Terran?" The Tekki hissed.

Tetsuro gasped before responding, eyes wide beneath his armor as the realization came to him. "I think I can't believe how long we have been deceived. And now I am wondering why our ships did not tell us."

"That I do not know."

:How dare you?!:

"How dare I what?"

:How dare you tell them?:

"I think they worked it out for themselves," the Tekki countered. "Besides, I wasn't aware that it was a secret." The last was said snidely, with a note of pure insincerity.

:You will pay... Or rather, they will pay.:

"What..? Because we now know who you are?"

"It is not something you could have kept from us forever," Makishima agreed.

:Perhaps not... But you Terrans have secrets as well.:

"No..." Tetsuro whispered as a flash of insight told him exactly what the Advent's were referring to. Agito's words from first contact ghosted around him, seeming now to be a view of the future and the path they would have to take, especially if the Advent's revealed that secret now, in retribution. : 'We'll have to kill the lot of them to keep that secret.': He repeated the words to the others. :Do we want to try to keep that secret now?:

:Yes. ATTACK!: There was no hesitation in Agito's mental command.

MegaSmashers were out of the question but Sho and Agito both leapt with incredible agility, firing their head beams as they closed the distance between themselves and the gathered Zoanoid soldiers. Aptom followed, his GiganticArmor slashing at the Zoanoids even as he closed the distance.

:Zoanoids,: the Advent's mental tone was pleased. :De-transform.: The order was that simple.

"No!" The denial came from Sho, Agito and Aptom as they began ripping through the assembled Zoanoids.

The rest of the diplomats watched the drama, not understanding what was happening and only barely comprehending the violence with which the Terran's were now cutting though the Advent's soldiers.

Sho swung round, cutting through three Zoanoids. He didn't even wait for their bodies to disintegrate before he pushed through them, moving on, cutting through them with as wide a strokes as possible. They had to destroy them all before one of them could transform. While they hadn't really considered it, if the Aliens knew that Zoanoids were humans, were Terrans, there was the possibility that they would not help. Although if the Kyheenan's were anything to judge from then it was only going to be individuals that could help them, rather than a whole race. But even those individuals might turn away if they knew what they were getting into. Or worse, the other races here might decide they could fight the Advent's if they could get human troops and that just couldn't be allowed. They couldn't, they wouldn't understand the issues involved and if everyone was scrambling for human soldiers, then there would be very little chance of the humans surviving this conflict.

But it was too late and there were too many of them. As several of the Zoanoids, under the mental command of the Advent's formed a defensive line, holding back the two GuyWarriors and one GiganticGuyver Warrior at the cost of their lives, a few others slipped away, their Zoaforms almost melting from them as they resumed their human form.

"No..." Tetsuro again uttered the denial but as he looked around he saw that it was already too late. While they had all maintained their Guyver Armor, Imakarum had not maintained his Zoalord transformation, and he was on record as coming from the same Planet they did. And if that wasn't enough proof, enough of the diplomats would have seen them standing untransformed at the perimeter, even if at the time they had been in hiding. It was enough and it was too much.

"What..?" The question came from many of the diplomats and even some of the Guyvers.

:Behold the base form of our soldiers, our Zoanoids, our Terrans.: The Advent's seemed triumphant.

With savage growls the last of the Zoanoids were destroyed before three flashes of light cleaved neatly through the human Zoanoids. The three untransformed humans fell to the ground silently, crimson blood pooling around their bodies before it began to bubble and like their companions they disintegrated. But the damage was done. Every Diplomat had seen the form, and every Diplomat had equated that form with the Terrans.

"You..!" Aptom snarled, turning towards the diminutive being that was the Advent's Representative.

"I... I..." he stuttered at the destruction he had just witnessed. "I did nothing."

"Fukamachi, stop!"

From the side, Sho had been lining up his head beam on the Representative.

"Why?"

"Because," Aptom said, sounding completely reasonable. "As he said, he did nothing and he is directly linked to the Advent's. You cannot hurt them but we can hurt him and they will feel his pain."

Sho snarled, reigning in his anger. "This is not over Advent's." He turned back towards the others. "Mizuki?"

"Yes?"

"Will you help?"

:What? You... You can't be asking me that...:

"Why not?"

There was a ripple of surprise throughout the room. While a select few knew that Guyvers could speak directly to each other, some races refused to believe that so it seemed as if Fukamachi was talking to himself.

"You can't be asking that," Mizuki replied verbally this time.

"He can, Mizuki," Tetsuro assured his sister. It wasn't really like Sho but the Advent's had just potentially brought doom on the entire human species, on the Merrimu Relocation Project and for the moment the Advents were absent so someone had to take the brunt of the anger. Until the responsible party could be punished anything was fair game.

"It's not his fault."

"Mizuki," Sho began forcefully. "I know that." His tone softened, becoming more reasonable as he continued. "And I will hunt down those responsible but for now, he is our only link to them and as such, Aptom is right, he is priceless. Will you help?"

"I'll keep him alive, even if they try to kill him but that is all I am going to do."

"Thank you."

Mizuki nodded as she moved forward. Alkard moved with her, not hindering but in a position to cover her from everyone. He had, it seemed, taken to heart his position of Knight. She placed one delicate hand on the Representative and for an instant she glowed and the glow travelled from her to surround the Representative. After a moment, it faded and she stepped back. "He's safe now," she murmured, moving to Sho and looking into his eyes. :Are you sure about this?:

:It is harsh, Mizuki but I am sure we do not have the luxury of choice. If we are to fight the Advents, we have to use everything.:

:Even if we become inhuman?:

:Questioning captives is not inhuman.:

:Torturing them is.:

Sho stepped forward and embraced her, his larger armored form almost completely engulfing her. :Torturing them is,: he agreed. :And we cannot allow ourselves to sink that low but for now, all we need to do is keep him alive.:

"What are you?" Tallowa found her voice, speaking for most of the gathered diplomats.

"They are Terrans," the Tekki responded. "And they are indeed the same species as the Advent's Soldiers."

:They are 'Out of Control.':

"Only out of your control," Aptom said, flicking the last of the blood from his hands.

:I'll handle this,: Makishima sent the words to the group as he stepped forward. "We are indeed the same species," he started, looking around at the gathered diplomats, not meeting any eyes but making sure that he had their attention. They had lost the ability to deny that fact once the Advent's decided everyone should know but if he spoke now he could perhaps choose the type of information and the depth that was made public. "The Planet Terra is the planet our species was created on so Zoanoids are also Terrans. The Advents created our species millennia ago but then they lost control and were driven off the planet by a combination of rebellion and their own fear and because of that, you have never seen Zoanoids before. Left to it's own devices, our species - Homo sapiens - survived and evolved, discovering in time our genetic inheritance and cursing it. And then recently, our Creators, the Advent's returned. But they did not find a slave race ready to serve them. They found a race that was willing and able to fight them," Agito paused here, sending a mental command to Aptom. :Aptom, dismiss your armor and change into your Zoaform.:

:Why?:

:Because I'm going to need it. Just do it.:

:Grr...: But Aptom complied, dismissing his armor and to the surprise of many diplomats his 'human' features melted away, darkening and hardening into the carapace that formed the outer armor of his sleek black Zoaform.

"They found a race that was willing and able to access their genetic inheritance without help," Makishima continued, gesturing towards Aptom. "And they found a race that was no longer bound to their mental command. They found the work of the one they had left behind, Alkanphel. But while they discovered all that, they also found humans they could bend to their will and thus the force you know as Zoanoids was born. So now our species is split. You have the Advent's mindless slaves, the Zoanoids and you have us, who are both willing and able to crush the Advents."

"So you will kill your own?" The question came from everywhere, some voices horrified, some respectful, some morbidly curious.

"We kill those the Advent's have claimed."

:Makishima, let me,: Sho said moving to stand beside the black Guyver. "The one's the Advent's have claimed are dead to us. They live, they breathe but they are not free. Their minds belong only to the Advents. You have seen this in the one's we just killed. They had no chance to fight us but yet they were compelled to try and that is the power of the Advent's, the so called Creators - to send their creations to certain death."

:They are ours to command.:

"They were their own beings," Sho retorted, shaking his head as he stepped back.

:You killed them.:

"We freed them."

:Whether we command them or not or whether they are free or not is not of concern here. They, those abominations admit that they kill their own. They are a race that is physically advanced but that mentally need our guidance. These Guyvers came here to seek alliances but we would ask if you can trust a race that can kill it's own. If they can kill their own, how easy is killing someone else?:

"Heh!" Imakarum stepped forward again. "And I would ask the assembled races if you can afford not to trust them?"

There was no response to either question although many of the gathered diplomats were speaking quietly amongst themselves. The argument shifted back and forth between the Advents and Terrans.

"I, too, would ask the same question." After a few moments, once it was clear that no immediate stance was going to be taken by the various gathered species, the Tekki spoke. "That was not necessary, Advents," he gave the warning in a cold tone before continuing. "I would ask how you can afford to trust the Advents when for centuries they have been killing you, when for centuries they have been killing races you don't even know about."

"What?" The voice was familiar, Uryal'ng va Kyheen.

"Ah... A Kyheenan," the Tekki's blue eyes sparked, as if something was exactly how he had planned it. "The race next on the Advent list and closer to destruction than I think they know."

"You mean they have destroyed races that have come before us?"

"Yes, Kyheenan, they have." The Tekki was strangely serene. "The Terrans have speculated that they, well at least the Zoanoids, were created to fight in an interstellar war and their speculation is correct. But they were not only created to fight as race that was equal to the Advent's, they were also created to suppress, to destroy those races that came after the Advent's and who might one day threaten Advent superiority. There was once an alliance of such races but they were not advanced enough. I took over their struggle, replacing those who could not continue so that now the Zoanoids fight me and the Zoanoids will now fight the Terrans, who are themselves very capable.

"You must chose though," the Tekki looked around at the surrounding diplomats, making sure in much the same way as Agito had, that they were all listening. "You must choose who you are going to trust and who you are going to support. I desire no alliances, nor do the Advents and the Terran's probably don't need an alliance but will most likely form them for the moment. But despite the fact that alliances are not necessary, your survival is going to depend on your choices. Support the Advents or support the Terrans. Support death, or support the possibility of life. It's your choice..." With his final words, the shadow that was the Tekki wavered and then vanished.

===

The Tekki's leave taking signalled the end of the meeting. Despite the fact that it had been called to discuss the new Zoanoids, it had been an opportunity for the assembled races to listen. And while the Advents and Tekki had spoken frankly, the lack of specifics meant that many races had not been able to follow the conversation, but there were some things which had emerged with crystal clarity.

The fact that Terran's were Zoanoids was one fact that was now irrefutable and it was the one fact for us that shaped what we were to do next. Our anonymity was gone and we had to consider all our options. As the Tekki had said, in the long run we did not require alliances but for the short term we did. While we never signed any formal treaty with a race, we did enter into several almost tenuous verbal agreements, although they were to come later. No-one was quite ready to talk to us in the aftermath of events. However, while no-one was willing to talk, it became clear that they were willing to try to grab humans in a vain attempt to fight the Advents. No race truly understood what they were attempting to do and so we spent the next few months destroying those races who wouldn't listen, who wouldn't stop harassing humans. Eventually the message sank in, especially once the Advent's began attacking those races too in an attempt to prevent the uncontrollable spread of the human genome throughout the universe.

One thing we did learn from the meeting was that the Tekki, while not necessarily being our friend, was not for the moment our enemy. We did eventually discover how he knew so much about Earth and it's history. We discovered that about the same time as we learnt exactly what it meant when he said he wished to kill the Supreme Being, the Guyver's one mistake. But that wasn't to come for quite some time.

For the moment though we chose to leave the Planet Hasiya seeking Advent's and Allies where we could. Besides, the conversation between the Advents and the Tekki had indicated to us that we needed to have a long talk with our ships about the nature of their relationship to the Advents and their new relationship with us.

===