Major Obba Tkarro yelled, "Are you calling me a CHEATER? WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK I AM?" He knelt his Borodon suit down and popped the hatches and leaped out. Neon hefted her sniper rifle and strolled off from the machine life, commenting over her shoulder, "Great going, Hawkwing. NOW you did it!" Thistledown laid his vibro-sword on his shoulder and walked nonchalantly over. He didn't want to miss a word. Hawkwing spun around and put a hand on one of her hips and jerked a finger at Obba and said, "I SAID,'You have an UNLIKELY win record that is suspicious!' I never called you a CHEAT! You whiny bastard!" He puffed up and said, " 'WHINY BASTARD!' FINE! I'll admit that if YOU admit that YOU ARE A PISS POOR EXCUSE for a POKER PLAYER! WHINY BITCH!" Thistledown commented, "Hawk--you DID invite me along to that last game to make sure he WASN'T cheating, you know." Hawkwing wheeled on her older brother and glared, while Obba exclaimed, "AH-HA! I KNEW IT! I thought it would be a REAL challenge to beat the most perfect of poker-faces in the universe--a Cyclops in hard shell! You want to know WHY I always beat you in poker? Do ya?" "You must have some kind of human psychic power...or something!" Hawkwing turned back to face him. He laughed and made bunny-ears with his hand on his head and wiggled his fingers. "When you have a losing hand, your ears TWITCH!" She blinked her one eye and looked over at her brother. "They do NOT. Right?" Thistledown started chortling. "He pegged you cold, sister. Sorry!" She dropped her hands to her sides. "My ears TWITCH? Oh for the love of..." Obba said, "NYAHAHAHAH! I think someone here owes me an apology!" 518, in the other Borodon suit, said, "Good luck with THAT, Obba! Getting any female of any species to apologize is like pulling teeth. You guys fight like old marrieds." Obba exploded, "WHAT WAS THAT, WARRANT OFFICER? I DO NOT THINK I HEARD YOU RIGHT!" Hawkwing exclaimed, "WE DO NOT! You have a REAL talent for insult, you,YOU--SCAV!" Neon remarked, "If the Madjulla was going to attack at any time, NOW would be a good time!" Thistledown broke out in laughter, "I could listen to you two all day! It's like a comedy show, or something. In any event, we ARE supposed to guarding the approach to the Four Sisters access room. With all due respect, Major...perhaps mounting back up would be a good thing... oh, now what?" Obba froze, looking down the long hall to where it turned into the chamber. A strange golden light was flickering on the walls like light shining from the ocean. A deep sub-sonic thrumming followed that. Hawkwing swayed as she reached for her long arm on a shelf next to Neon. Neon caught her shoulder and shouted over the deafening silence, "Something seems to be happening!" Obba fell back, "OH YEAH? What was your first clue?" Thistledown said, "I can't raise Rose or Snowflake from in there! They must be resetting the system this time! They never even got close to getting ANY response any of the other tries!" Obba shouted as he grabbed on to his mech and tried to crawl in, "YOU KNOW? I REALLY HATE ANCIENT ARTIFACTS MADE BY MYSTERIOUS ALIEN BASTARDS!" The whole forty mile length of Shalmiraine seemed to echo the tone. The walls started emitting light. Hawkwing shouted, "I REALLY HOPE THIS IS A GOOD THING!" She leaned forward against the strange pressure, and Obba caught her other hand with his. He shouted at her, but she couldn't hear it any more in the thrumming silence. Suddenly the golden light light the whole structure up like a sun and with a crash, the pressure broke like a damn. Waves of fluid probability crashed out of the ancient fortress with the force of tsunamis, the saved up energy of over four millions years expended itself within seconds, leaving the planet Balaam changed forever. --TO BE CONTNUED!--(you betcha!)