CHAPTER 1: HATCHING A PLAN

On a far-off, seemingly desolate planet known as Zuron, the brightest minds on the planet met in secrecy as they did every so often. The group of ten sat at a large, circular table with a light illuminating the area, but only enough to see merely the figures of the Zurons that had been assembled. One slowly rose and spoke in a soft, yet eerily powerful voice.

“It is clear why we are here. The planet is in turmoil. Our economy is failing, and natural resources are now becoming unavailable. Civil quarrels and lawlessness are becoming all too common. It is impossible to clean up the mess we have gotten ourselves into, so one option remains. We have to abandon Zuron and find a new home planet. Are there any suggestions?”

“What about the planet Koda, King Kaiza?” a voice out of the darkness questioned.

Another nameless voice added, “That is a good idea. Koda is currently a utopia in its stage of development. It would be a perfect annexation and a tremendous contrast to life here on Zuron.”

An incisive voice added his opinion, “Imbecile! Tell me, how are we going to eliminate the ten billion Kodans that live there? Are you going to kill them all with your bare hands, one by one? And what about the weapons they’ve developed on Koda? Do you think those are just for show? Think about it, the Kodans will blow us away no matter how hard we try due to their numbers and their artillery. That is, assuming we try to annex the planet by force. Because I don’t think we’re going to land on Koda and say, ‘Hi, mighty fine planet you have here. Do you mind if three billion more citizens live here and destroy your economy like they did theirs by amping up the demand for your goods?’ I don’t think Zurons will ever stoop to such lows.”

Chuckles circulated about the table as another voice shot back, “Well, I didn’t hear any ideas from you, Prince Kazuya!”

“Well, that’s because I didn’t offer mine yet. You all were too busy thinking raiding a damn swamped paradise was a good idea.”

“Let’s hear it then! Unless you don’t have one?”

Oh, I have one, all right. And you are all morons for not thinking of it earlier. It’s quite simple, really; we’ll raid a planet that’s also in a slump like we are, except not as severe.”

King Kaiza was getting impatient, “Enough with your ambiguity, Kazuya. Name this planet of yours.”

“Simple,” Kazuya stated, “We’ll raid Earth.”

Chaos erupted in the small conference room, as everyone wanted to know why Kazuya had selected to target Earth as a place for them to live.

“There are a few reasons why Earth makes a suitable target,” Kazuya began, “First of all, the planet is in an overall regression, like we are. Almost a century ago, they had introduced weapons of which the cosmos had never seen. These “nuclear weapons” could annihilate nations, but use of them rapidly diminished when those fools learned of their terrible power. Now, they are a peaceful planet, and they are ripe for the picking.”

Voices chuckled, “That’s right, now they’ve forbidden the use of all weapons!”

“And since that is the case,” Kazuya continued, “once something goes wrong, the population as a whole panics. But also, Earth holds four treasures called the Gemspheres. When the four Gemspheres are gathered, a wish may be granted. Therefore, if we inherit Earth, we also inherit the Gemspheres! We’ll never have any problems due to their magic!”

Kaiza paused and proclaimed, “I do not like this idea, Kazuya.”

Kazuya slammed his fists against the table, “And why the hell not?”

“It is true that Zurons are among the strongest fighters in the universe, but you cannot underestimate Earth. They have some of the smartest fighters in the universe, and brawn does not always beat brain all of the time, you know.”

Kazuya’s anger was rapidly building, “Damn you, you senile old fool! Have you not seen Hayashi fight? He’s loads smarter than any of those two-bit humans! Forget what you say; Hayashi and I will overwhelm that planet. Isn’t that right, brother?”

A slightly higher-pitched voice compared to Kazuya’s replied, “Yes, brother Kazuya. If we face those humans, there will be nothing left!”

“See, Kaiza? It has been decided! Hayashi and I leave for Earth effective immediately!”

As the two silhouettes exited the room, another shadow leaned in towards Kaiza and muttered, “Quite the representatives of Zuron, wouldn’t you say, your majesty?”

“Well,” Kaiza sighed, “I can’t complain about them. They are young and full of Zuron pride, while I am old and can’t ever dream of fighting again. Kazuya is amazingly powerful, while Hayashi is quite strong in his own right. However, Hayashi thinks things through much more thoroughly, while Kazuya is headstrong and reliant on his own abilities. But those humans...”

“Yes, sir? What about them?”

“You can’t count them out. They did create nuclear technology, after all. They are quite bright, and in these past years, who knows what kind of fighters have surfaced?”

“That may be true, but can they beat Kazuya and Hayashi?”

“I can’t say...maybe so, maybe not. But it is out of our hands now; Kazuya and Hayashi are acting in the interest of our planet, but they are also acting for themselves.”

“Your majesty, I was thinking...if humans have great wisdom, and Zurons have great power...wouldn’t it be terrifying if a half-human, half-Zuron fighter existed?”

NEXT: NOT YOUR AVERAGE STUDENT