XENOVAULT: THE KR'ANG HOME PLANET
As the shuttle pierced the shimmering veil of XENOVAULT's atmosphere, a surreal landscape unfolded below—an endless expanse of iridescent jungles glowing in every shade of violet, teal, and emerald. Rivers of liquid light traced glowing paths through the terrain like veins of molten crystal, pulsing softly with the planet's strange, living energy.
Towering flora stretched high into the sky, their translucent leaves catching sunlight and refracting it into spectral rainbows. Massive floating landmasses hovered effortlessly above the surface, tethered to the ground by twisting roots of light that hummed with an ancient, unseen force.
Above, twin moons drifted lazily across the sky, casting a gentle silver glow that mingled with the planet's ambient luminescence. Even the air carried a soft glow, laced with tiny bioluminescent particles that responded to thought and movement, like the planet itself was sentient—watching, welcoming.
XENOVAULT wasn't just beautiful. It was alive, ancient, and incomprehensibly advanced—a living masterpiece suspended between dream and reality.
UPPER TABLE
The Nemesis clothed in his magnificent armor stood still and gazing at the tall gold door which open to the planet council hall.
Beneath the surface of XENOVAULT, buried within a crystalline fortress known as the Upper Table, the High Council gathered—five ancient Kr'ang, each seated upon thrones carved from starlight and sentient stone. The chamber pulsed with a low, rhythmic hum.
At the center stood Nemesis—tall, imposing, draped in dark, iridescent armor. His face was concealed beneath a smooth obsidian mask etched with golden veins that pulsed with data. Shortly, he was permitted to have a seat.
"Cognitive resistance has increased. Subject 17—Steven Patrick—has begun forming unpredictable pathways. A deviation… but one worth observing." Nemesis began.
A flicker of concern passed across a few council members. One of the council, Maerel—leaned forward, her form glowing a tranquil blue.
"We were promised control, Nemesis. Also we are awear that this subject... which claimed to be human turned out to be a vessel with an ancient power in him. If the simulation fractures—if they become aware—it could trigger a breach of consciousness. You risk collapse."
Nemesis sighed slowly, calm and unmoved.
"Chaos is evolution. Only through pressure do the unworthy shatter... and the worthy ascend." He gestured, and a holographic sphere emerged above the chamber, displaying a live feed of The Reaper. Inside, the players fought, argued, and fell—some crying out, others breaking down. Steven stood alone, staring into a mirror that blinked with static.
"For the moment the subject haven't known the extense of his power which give us an edge to find a way to wrap in completely under our control." Another council, Vexari input. "If we managed to blind him and take away his free will completely for ourselves, he may..."
"He may be... the key." The first council, Maerel cut in, her form glowing a tranquil blue.. The sudden statements make Nemesis raised his head and gaze at the speaker.
"The key to what?" He asked. The chamber fell into silence, thick with awe and unease. All the five council all share glance at one another before they all nodded simultaneously.
"Hmmm, perhaps it's time you know the real purpose and reasons for the creation of The Reaper," she said and Nemesis was all attentive. "It all began a very long time ago when our race was nothing but a scavenger and refugee, and we were nearly on the brink of extinction....
A Long Time Ago... The Battle in outer space
The void blazed with fire. Cruisers shattered. Frigates exploded into blue flame. Debris scattered like dying stars, where asteroid fields spun like bone fragments in space. The Kr'ang were being torn apart by the rivalry alien race.
(Speaking in their native language)
"Shields down on the left flank! We're losing the Dread Maw!"
The command deck shook violently. Sparks flew from overloaded consoles. Kr'ang warriors—scaled, brutal, proud—scrambled to hold the line.
"The enemy are cutting through our formation!" growled Warlord T'zhaal, his tusks dripping with purple blood. "They are gaining on us."
On the screen ahead, the enemy ships—sleek, sharp, and merciless—unleashed another synchronized barrage. Energy beams punched through Kr'ang hulls like paper. One of their command cruisers folded in half before disappearing in a silent implosion.
"We must fall back," the Warlord's advisor rasped, clutching his wounded arm.
The Kr'ang ship took a direct hit, ripping through its lower hull. Alarms wailed. Flames burst through the corridor behind them, pulling two crew members into the vacuum.
"We must retreat commander, the ship can't take another hit. We might surfer critical catastrophe if we persisted," someone said leaving Warlord in deep thoughts.
"Set course for the nearest planet," T'zhaal ordered, voice cold with fury.
"It's uninhabited. Landing on the planet might not be very favourable for us."
"But we have no other place," the commander whispered.
With what remained of their fleet—barely a third—the Kr'ang turned and fled into the black. Their enemies didn't pursue.
The planet labeled CF-7D loomed ahead. A withered, desolate planet wrapped in ash clouds and cracked terrain. It might be a colony once, but now a graveyard.
As their ships descended into the dust storms and vanished from galactic sensors, Warlord T'zhaal clenched a clawed fist over his chest.
"Let our enemies celebrate their victory," he growled. "for when we rise again… we will bring extinction."
The sky was a blanket of gray fire.
Ash rained from the clouds like the ashes of forgotten stars, coating the Kr'ang ships as they descended through CF-7D turbulent atmosphere. The landing zone was nothing more than a cracked valley surrounded by dead cliffs and blackened ruins—remnants of a colony that had vanished long before memory.
Warlord T'zhaal stepped onto the ground, his boots sinking slightly into dust and scorched earth. The wind howled across the wasteland, carrying the whispers of a long-dead world.
Behind him, the battered survivors disembarked. Their armor was scorched. Their weapons sparking. Their pride—gutted. But none of them looked back toward the stars they'd been driven from.
"Secure a perimeter," T'zhaal commanded, voice rough. "We build here. No matter what this cursed rock throws at us."
The earth began to shake viciously like the planet hang in balance.
"WHO DARE INTRUDE THE ALMIGHTYMAL'IYANGA!" came a mighty voice, roaring like a thunder and everywhere shake with each statement he made sending fear and terrified the people on the planet.
A dread looking being emerged from the ground like a plate growing out of the ground. The entity roared with great voice piecing the vacuum of space itself before he finally turned his face to the little insignificant being on his world.
"YOU ALL SHALL PERISH!"
MEANWHILE...
Susan, Habib, Amara and Jordan with some other 3 people walked into a dusty warehouse. It was dark inside and the moon light barely shimmer inside. They matched forward while the door was shut. With a snap of his finger, Jordan illuminated the entire place for others to see.
"Hmm," he sighed. "This is it. There's no turning back now. You guys ready?" He asked, looking at their faces for confirmation and they all seemed affirmed about the task. "Ok... I will take that as Yes."
Jordan with the 3 new recruit held each other hands as they began whispering in a strange tone. This practice became really intense when their eyes turned snow white. Things started floating around and breeze started to become heavy.
"This is unexpected," Habib said.
After a minute of their strange chanting, a portal open up beneath them. It was after this everything went back to normal and they also let go of each other hand.
"This is the gate way." Jordan said referring to the blue portal.
"I thought you could open with just a snap of your fingers," Habib input and Jordan chuckled.
"What am I, a motherbox?"
Then they all jump right inside the portal, Jordan be the last before it closed and the warehouse went dark again.