When Fialkov announced that he was to spar with Varvatos Vex, Krel nearly fell on his face. Sparring was Aja's thing, not his! As if it wasn't enough that she hadn't even shown up in the first place.

Vex stood across from him with a murderous grin plastered to his face. The prince knew he was doomed.

"Varvatos will show you a glorious death!" The commander bellowed with menacing pleasure. Fialkov shook his head.

"Varvatos, again with the death..." The king mumbled, mildly annoyed. Vex drew his serrator, turning it into a spear and whirling it around over his head. Stiff with fear, Krel turned his serrator into a spear as well, knowing it wouldn't do him any good. If he was lucky he'd come out of this with a broken limb.

"Begin!" Fialkov instructed. Vex swung his serrator at the prince, and he dodged. Better start than I expected, he thought as he continued to evade the commander's blows. It didn't last, however, as he got distracted for a fraction of a second and suddenly found himself seeing spots as he was pounded down onto the ground.

"You do know this is just for show, right?" He whispered as Vex pushed his face into the ground and glared at him. The commander just laughed. Tired of being pinned, Krel tensed every muscle in his body and launched himself upwards, knocking Vex, who hadn't expected that, off of him.

"You struck Varvatos! Glorious!" Vex cried. "Now he will repay you with the most memorable pummeling!" With that, he again lunged for the prince. Krel wasn't about to let himself get pinned again, so with a brisk, forceful wingstroke, he launched up into the air and landed a few yards away, successfully averting the commander.

"Ha!" He said triumphantly. Vex grinned even wider.

"So that's how you want to play this game? Varvatos accepts this challenge!"

Krel watched as the commander opened the beetle-like shell on his back, unfolding his insect-like wings. He wasn't a very graceful flier, but that didn't matter.

Opting for escape, the prince took off straight up into the air. It would take longer for Vex to ascend. Momentarily out of danger, he took a second to glance off at the city stretching into the horizon. He wondered what Aja was doing.

Vex suddenly body slammed him with such force that he almost dropped out of the air. He caught himself, but didn't stay put. He settled into a smooth, fast glide in wide circles around the commander. Vex's wings weren't as efficient as a royal's, so he couldn't fly very fast. Krel knew he had the aerial advantage.

Serrator at the ready, the prince decided to risk making a move. He dove towards Vex, not entirely sure what he was doing since he didn't intend to actually hurt him. The buzzing of the commander's loud wings got closer as he advanced, sounding more dangerous than they actually were.

He hesitated at the critical last second, and Vex was able to counter him with a hefty punch to the boy's chest. Krel fell limply to the ground, the wind completely knocked out of him. He was barely able to maintain a hold on his serrator. He landed in a heap of wings and limbs, gasping for air as Vex casually landed and strode over to him, folding his wings and covering them with his beetle shell. He was sure the commander was going to finish him, but then--

"Vex! Might you allow me to spar with my son?"

The king strode over, halting the action. Krel heaved himself up off the ground, awkwardly folding his wings and silently thinking that any work his father had done to straighten them up had been useless. Vex stepped aside with a bow, handing the king his serrator.

"I sparred with my father at my coronation, as he sparred with his father before me. This is a great honor, Krel." Said Fialkov, assuming a fighting stance. Krel braced for attack, already tired of sparring but remaining resilient.

"Some family," He mumbled to himself.

"One day, you'll be able to best me in a duel. You might as well start trying!" Fialkov said as he twirled the serrator-spear in his upper right hand. Krel put his serrator up defensively, but the fight never ensued.

Laser fire suddenly pelted the protective dome over the stadium, and a collective gasp spread through the crowd. Several ships were flying around above them.

"Those are Morando's strikers!" Coranda exclaimed. Fialkov became tense as the enemy fleet advanced.

"How did they get past the shields?!" He exclaimed, halfway between frightened and furious. Lieutenant Zadra, who had been standing by, took on a defensive position near the royals, her dragon-like wings spread out, as if to shield them.

"There must be a traitor in our midst!" She said seriously, glancing around at the damage being done to her surroundings. Fialkov huffed, unsure of how to approach this critical situation.

"Get everyone into the shelter!" He ordered the guards, then he turned to Krel.

"Take Zadra and Vex and go find your sister." He said. Krel shook his head.

"I'm not leaving you!" He protested. Fialkov put a hand on his shoulder.

"You're not leaving us, you're following orders. Now go find Aja. She needs you now." He said sternly. Krel took a shaky breath and followed Zadra and Vex. He didn't want to leave his parents, but he knew Aja was vulnerable out there.

~~~

Aja didn't know what was happening. Well, she knew the city was most definitely under attack, but she couldn't figure out by who or why. She ran through the streets, Luug right at her heels. She gripped the edges of her cloak, pulling the garment tightly against her back to secure her lame wing, which still wanted to flail outwards. Her hood fell off, but that was the last thing she was worried about.

"Mama?! Mama, where are you?!"

The frightened cry of a small child reached her ears. She looked around frantically, her eyes landing on a young girl who was wandering by herself. A building crumbled dangerously close to her.

"Look out!" The princess shouted, leaping to save the child from the falling debris. Her cloak flew off as she spread both wings, cocooning herself and the young girl within them to protect her.

The dust cleared, and Aja's serrator shield pushed up through the pile of rubble. Her and the child were shaken, but safe.

"Daravos!" A woman cried with relief, fluttering down and landing lightly on butterfly-like wings a few feet away from them. The little girl ran to her mother, spanning her small wings, which greatly resembled the woman's. The two embraced for a moment.

"Thank you," The woman said to Aja gratefully.

"Less thanking; more running!" Aja replied, ushering the two to safety. Debris continued to fall, and the princess felt a small twinge of sadness in her core as she watched her home being destroyed. To her relief, Luug was still keeping pace with her as she ran. She was startled when a small ship landed right in front of her.

"Get in! Quickly!" Vex shouted urgently, opening the door of the ship. Aja jumped up into the passenger seat, awkwardly shuffling with her lame wing.

"Luug!" She called, and the dog buzzed in. Vex seemed slightly annoyed of the animal, but didn't object and took the ship into the air.

~~~

Zadra saw Vex's ship fly by towards the palace, and she saw the princess was with him. It was time to go. Krel was in her ship with her, which increased her anxiety when a few strikers started advancing on them. They were pelting them with laser fire, and evading them was a struggle. She tried their own blasters, but they were quickly taken out.

"Kleb!" She cursed.

"I'm on it!" Krel said quickly, moving to check the underside of the ship.

"What?! Why?! Oh, because you're trying to get yourself killed!" Zadra snapped back sarcastically. Krel poked his head out of the bottom of the ship to inspect the damage, the wind ruffling his spiked hair.

"Okay, not so bad." He concluded. He started working to fix it.

"Prince Krel!" Zadra urged him anxiously.

"Okay, yeah, it's bad." Krel admitted, hastily repairing the damaged blasters. Time was of the essence. The strikers were getting too close.

"My liege!" Zadra pressed. Krel felt the pressure. He did not work well under pressure. This was torture. He finally got the blasters working and pulled himself back into the safety of the ship.

"There!" He announced. Zadra fired at the strikers and successfully got them off their tail. Krel stared at the damaged buildings and rising smoke columns. His wings tightened against his back uncomfortably. This was his home. His home was being demolished.

Zadra guided the ship to the palace, where they quickly regrouped with the king and queen and Aja and Vex. Krel was relieved to see that his sister was alright, but they were far from safe. The siblings embraced their parents, but the floor beneath them shook and caused them to lose their balance.

"Krel, are you scared?" Aja asked, looking her brother in the eyes.

"I am now the king in waiting!" Krel said firmly, sitting up straight. He paused. "I am terrified."

"Don't be afraid, my children." Said Fialkov. He knelt down and wrapped his children in his large wings. "We'll get through this. Together. We just have to remain a family."

"My liege, you need to get off the planet!" Zadra urged. "You're not safe here." Vex put a hand on the king's shoulder.

"Akiridion-5 needs it's rulers. You have to escape and live. Please." He pressed. Fialkov looked down at his children.

"Okay." He decided. "To the Mothership, quickly!" He ushered his wife and children in the direction of the ship he spoke of. Vex and Zadra were on the alert.

Suddenly, the window shattered. A red holographic ramp extended down into the palace,  enemy soldiers marching down it. A masked figure led them, four sharp, metallic dragon-like wings spread out menacingly. A few yards had appeared to protect the king and queen, and they readied their weapons. Coranda scowled aggressively at the four-winged man, as if to say "get away from my family".

"Soldiers! Stop what you're doing! This is high treason!" She warned. The man walked casually out to the front, deactivating his mask.

"Ah, but to them, obeying you is high treason." Said general Val Morando slyly. He grinned evilly as he folded his four dragon wings with a metallic shing. Krel and Aja subconsciously shifted closer to each other.

"I have returned from exile to claim what is rightfully mine!" Morando announced, his aggressive tone causing the royal children to flinch. Fialkov turned his serrator into a sword. Krel was secretly surprised, as he hadn't seen the weapon on his father's belt this whole time.

"Surrender, and you will live." Morando said. Coranda leaned closer to her husband.

"We can't trust him." She whispered.

"I wasn't planning on it." Fialkov responded.

Morando scowled. "Well?!" He demanded. It was now or never.

"We will never surrender to you!" Coranda yelled defiantly, raising her serrator-spear. Morando growled angrily, narrowing his four eyes.

"Zadra, get Aja and Krel to the Mothership!" Fialkov ordered, preparing for a fight. The lieutenant began to usher the two siblings towards the ship, but they resisted.

"For Akiridion!" The king and queen shouted in unison, rushing into battle with the few gathered guards. Their wings were spread out, a sign of aggression and authority. Morando pointed at them. He looked so calm it was chilling.

"Fire."

The laser fire was too overwhelming, and the king and queen dropped all too soon. Their children stared on, horrified. They tried to rush to their parents, but Zadra held them back.

"Papa! Mama!" Krel screamed, eyes wide. Aja couldn't make a sound due to the shock of the situation. Vex hurried to the king's side as Zadra continued to force the royal children towards safety.

"Vex, my old friend...will you stand with me...this last time...?" Fialkov forced out as he gripped the collar of the commander's uniform.

"I will." Said Vex, holding his friend up as he began to disintegrate in his arms.

"Vex...protect my children...take them away from here...keep them safe..." The king said as he disappeared completely.

"No!" Vex said mournfully, gathering the king and queen's cores. He ran to where Zadra and the royal children were, standing on a large circle platform. Morando pursued him, but he put up a shield right in the nick of time.

"Vex, you fool!" Morando shouted, irritated. Vex handed Aja her parents' cores, which she clutched close to her chest. The platform began to rise. Laserfire pelted the shield, weakening it with every hit. It eventually was destroyed, but fortunately, they were almost where they needed to be. Zadra looked around, analyzing the situation. Some of Morando's soldiers had started to open their wings and ascend. It wouldn't be long before they hurt the royal children.

"I'm going to hold them off." She said firmly.

"But that's suicide!" Krel protested. Zadra simply opened her wings and tipped off the platform.

"No, wait!" Aja shouted two seconds too late. Vex decided right then that they couldn't wait for the platform. He grabbed the children in his arms and opened his wings, ascending into the Mothership much quicker than the platform had been rising. The action took Aja by surprise, and she yelped as her feet came off the ground. The commander set them down once they were inside the ship, hastily jumping into the pilot seat and starting the engine. Luug buzzed up into the ship a second before the door closed, yapping furiously.

Krel secured himself into a seat, but Aja activated her hoverboard and zoomed down the hall.

"I'll be right back!" She announced.

"Unless we explode!" Vex yelled.

"Yes, yes, unless we explode!" Aja acknowledged a bit disrespectfully. She took her parents cores to a special room with two pods. She turned on the machine they were attached to.

"Mother!" She said urgently.

"Yes, princess Aja?" The ship's AI responded.

Aja hastily held up her parents cores before placing them into the pods.

"The king and queen!" She said. "Here, take them!"

Mother rattled off a bunch of technical procedures as she began the regeneration process. Aja sighed as the pods began to glow orange.

Vex piloted the ship through the planet's atmosphere, which was rather rough since they were being chased by strikers pelting them with laserfire. Krel was sure they were going to die.

~~~

Morando growled as he watched the Mothership escape. He clenched his fists.

"Catch them!"

A/N:
Wow! Over 2k words! But I got the story to where I wanted this chapter to end, so I hope you like!

Again, I love reading comments, so please tell me what you think!

We're getting closer to where some important characters can be introduced!