A/N Hi guys. It's been a long time, hasn't it? Seven years since I finished this story. However, upon reading it over I've found some writing that doesn't meet my current standards for myself as well as plotholes. So, I've recently gone back and edited the entire story and posted the newly edited version on my AO3 account. As of today, June 30th, my version is also going to be the new version. I promise that nothing storywise has changed, but think of it as the same story with a cleaner bit of polish.

To any of my new readers, firstly, welcome. Secondly, the whole first paragraph is irrelevant! Enjoy!

Today is a day of endings. There will be no new beginnings, because once this day is done, everything will be gone.

Smoke filled the usually clear, acrid air on Planet Fastoon. Clouds of black painted over an almost always blue sky. Screams ripped through the air. Buildings went up in flames or tumbled down in destruction. No one had seen it coming. This day had seemed as ordinary as any other. Until giant footfalls had startled the people. The members of the Center for Advanced Lombax research had been shaken. Their Elder Councilman had also been a Four Bolt Magistrate for the Praetorian Guard and he had been messaged that Fastoon was under attack.

The sand-coloured Lombax had left the Center without a word, knowing that the other councilmembers would understand he was needed elsewhere. Behind him another Lombax councilmember had chosen to follow.

The Praetorian Guard had collected outside the Court of Azimuth and they all could only stare in wonder at the mechs that were tearing their way through the city. A group of officers were huddled together, debating a plan of action.

"What's going on?!" the General asked as he tore his way towards the officers, demanding a debriefing.

"General Azimuth, sir!" The highest ranking officer, a colonel, gave him a quick salute. The General saluted him back, irritated that the other soldier felt the urge to adhere to such an insignificant protocol when there was critical information to be relayed. At ease, the colonel explained, "we have reason to believe that the one behind this attack may be Percival Tachyon."

"The Cragmite?" the other Lombax from the Council asked. His green eyes were narrowed, heavy with an accusation, but he was silent as he turned to his fellow councilmember. The Elder Councilman did nothing more than blink back in surprise.

That wasn't possible. He must have misheard or perhaps the colonel was mistaken. "There's no way that can be right! What proof do you have?" Before the colonel could respond the sand-coloured Lombax's eyes focused on the mechs. He'd wanted to analyze their enemy and formulate an attack strategy but instead he was horrified by the familiarity of the machinery. "Those are our designs!"

"How did the Cragmite get our designs, Alister?" the other councilmember demanded angrily. Despite asking, the general was sure he had his suspicions of what the answer could be, and did not grant him a response. The Elder Councilman could only glare at him, letting him know now was not the time for accusations.

The general felt a heavy weight in his gut as he scanned the horizon and found one mech that towered above the rest. "How do you know that's Tachyon?" the general asked, despite the fact he was sure he could come to the same conclusion.

"We saw him in the mech leading the attack. The rest of the army is made up of Drophyds. The mechs are too strong and much too large to handle on foot. General, we ask if we should prepare the air force so we can have aerial support. We're also trying to get ground units ready with heavy artillery. Should we continue?" the colonel asked.

The sand coloured Lombax could only stare at the destruction playing out before him. He could barely believe what was going on in front of him, so much so that thinking of retaliation was a far thought from his mind. He was too focused on memories of confidential conversations, of blueprints traded in secret and discussions leading into the early hours of the morning on their improvements.

"General Azimuth! I know this is alarming, but, please, we need you to focus. If you're going to freeze up then how do you not expect the soldiers to do the same?" the colonel insisted. His tail was starting to lash in frustration with his superior.

Insulted by the comment, Azimuth shook his head, returning himself to the situation at hand and did as he was asked. "Right. Get the fighter ships ready and prepare the artillery. Any ground units in the area should help evacuate citizens. They'll likely be useless against those mechs."

"Evacuate them to where?" a different officer asked.

"The Court of Azimuth," the other councilmember stated. "Have them take shelter there until we know if we can hold off the army."

The colonel nodded, understanding his orders and commanding the rest of the officers what their assignments would be so they could relay them to their soldiers.

The General watched the soldiers uneasily as they ran off to do as they were commanded. If Tachyon was using Lombax technology that even the Praetorian Guard hadn't been given yet, then what were their chances? Concentrating the people into the Court would only make them easier to find. "Kaden, do we really want them all gathered in one area? Wouldn't that make an easier target for Tachyon?" Azimuth asked.

"You've forgotten that we have the Dimensionator there. If for whatever reason Tachyon's forces manage to take down the Praetorian Guard then we could defend ourselves by moving to another dimension. I know it's a drastic suggestion, but Tachyon will likely want to wipe us all out and we'd be safest somewhere he couldn't go, rather than just flee the planet and cause problems for the rest of the galaxy."

"Kill the Lombaxes? Why would Tachyon want to wipe us out? He's been working with us!" Azimuth insisted.

"Alister, don't you realize? He's been using us! Using you," Kaden corrected.

"But why is he even doing this? What has he got against us?" Alister asked naively. He truly could not understand. What could the Cragmite have to gain from attacking them? He knew it was no secret that the Lombaxes had vanquished the Cragmites in the Great War, using a device that they had developed called the Dimensionator. They had sent the Cragmites to another dimension to protect the inhabitants of this one and stopped the bloodshed of the Great War once and for all. Years later trillium miners had discovered a Cragmite on the Kreeli Comet. Feeling sorry for the last Cragmite left in the galaxy they had decided to bring the creature back to Fastoon and raise it themselves. Yes, some were wary of the Cragmite, but as a society, the Lombaxes had generally accepted the creature, hadn't they? They had raised him and taken care of him when instead they could have killed him. Why would he want to attack them?

"He's a Cragmite, Alister! They've never had reasons for the destruction they've caused. Why do you think we got rid of them all of those years ago? And, enlighten me, how did he get our designs? Those are the plans we were supposed to be working on this month. How did he get the schematics and build them himself?" Kaden demanded. His green eyes were locked furiously on the other councilmember.

"But he promised he was going to help us repair the galaxy. He shared his ideas with us. He said that we could make Polaris what it once was before the Great War." Alister was horrified as a realization dawned on him. Kaden was right. The Cragmite had used him, had used their technology and now was going to use the very machinery that was supposed to protect them to destroy them. How had he been so foolish?

Kaden looked astonished and irritated as Alister finally confessed to what he had done. Alister flinched as he knew full well his friend had warned him not to give the Cragmite an inch. Kaden had every right to be angry with him. "So you gave him our secrets! You gave a Cragmite technology that we wouldn't even show our own Praetorian Guard?! And you didn't wonder what he would use it for?"

"He was supposed to build them with us. He was going to look over the schematics, modify them and return them to us to build. He wasn't supposed to create them himself." And yet he had. The sounds of the destruction that had seemed like nothing but background noise were now burning far too loud in Alister's ears. All of that chaos. It was his fault! He was the reason that his people were under attack. That his people were dying.

Screams of citizens pierced the air and Alister had to force himself not to cover his ears and block them out. He and Kaden turned to watch as people began flooding into the Court. The look of horror and fear on the Lombaxes' faces engraved their way into Alister's mind. He was to blame for all of this terror.

Fighter ships made their way into the air and the sounds of heavy weaponry could be heard. The Praetorian Guard had begun taking defensive maneuvers. But the Drophyd mechs opened to reveal rocket launchers which they fired at the air ships. The ships all dodged out of the way but the rockets changed direction to hit the ships in the back. Seeker ammo, Alister realized. It was the seeker ammo that the Center for Advanced Lombax Research had been working on, designed to tail a ship until the rocket ran out of fuel. Then it would explode wherever it was in an attempt to cause collateral damage. His brown eyes were focused on what they could see of the battle from the distance they stood at. It still hurt to think that he was solely responsible for this decimation.

"He's in the city," Kaden noted. His eyes widened as he muttered, barely audible, "my family." Before Alister could even react the yellow-furred Lombax kicked on a pair of hoverboots and launched his way toward the devastation.

"Kaden!" Was he insane? Was he really going to race into a battlefield where completely armoured soldiers using heavy artillery were being picked off one by one? He would get himself killed! The sand-coloured Lombax kicked on his own hoverboots and dashed to catch up with his friend. Kaden had always been the better hoverbooter, it wouldn't be easy to reach him now that he had gotten a head start.

"Don't you dare try to stop me Alister! They need me!" Kaden insisted. His wife and son must have been at home in the very city being attacked now. Alister knew that they meant the universe to him and he wouldn't let anything happen to them. That didn't mean that Alister was willing to sit by and let his friend die when his soldiers could just as easily protect them.

"Kaden if you go back then they will kill you! Just wait in the Court and let the Guard evacuate them from your home," Alister suggested.

"You really expect me sit and wait inside the Court while my family is possibly dead?! Besides, I trust myself more than your soldiers!" Kaden spat as he sped up.

Alister finally allowed himself to stop, taking in heavy gulps of air as he tried to catch his breath. Kaden was too far ahead of him, there was no chance to catch him and he was out of earshot, so he couldn't be reasoned with. Once his breathing stabilized he let out a sigh, processing how insulted and hurt he felt. Kaden was his closest and truest friend. They had known each other as children and had grown up together. Yes, Alister realized that now that Kaden had a family, he came second to them, but the sting of his words still felt like a knife twisting in his gut. He wanted his friend safe, and Alister knew that his friend could throw himself into danger too quickly. There was a very real chance that Kaden could get himself killed.

He didn't know what he would do if he lost Kaden.