When Worlds Collide:
Isthus' Revenge (Book 2)

Chapter 1:
New Beginning

The world had stopped spinning. The four lay motionless in the leaves of a secluded wooded area. The first to move was Terry. He sat up and rubbed his head. "I should have known that was going to happen," he moaned. With his tail swaying uneasily, he patted himself down, just to make sure everything was still with him.

Satisfied that he was, indeed, in one piece he checked the other three that were with him. He first checked on the human female, Shivana. She still had a pulse, but was out cold. "At least she's okay," he muttered. "She deserves a five minute rest." He moved over to the other human, a young male by the name of Vu. Vu was much taller than Shivana, and he was sprawled out, snoring. "And...I'll just let him be. Best not to awaken that buzzsaw." He passed over Vu and went to the last person who had joined them.

She lay there in the grass, right in the sun. Her orange fur seemed to even look warmer in the sun. Every so often, a little spine would jut out of the gobs of orange fur. Her head was full of 'em; she had a full hairdo of spines. She looked peaceful asleep like that. Her expression was soft, slightly happy. He smiled, leaned over, and kissed the hedgevixen. "Time to get up Mallory," he whispered.
Her eyes fluttered open. "Hmm?" she muttered. She looked up and saw her guy. "Hey Terry!" She reached up, wrapped her arms around his neck, and gave him a kiss. "How ya doing?"
"I'm doing fine," he said. "Looks like we got to Earth safely."
She smiled. "What about Vu and Shivana?"
"They got here fine too. Let's let them rest for five minutes before we move out."
"Yeah." She sat up and stretched. The birds chirped overhead. "I guess this is welcome home for you, Terry."
He squeezed his amulet. His outer appearance, that of an anthro wolf, disappeared, revealing the facade of a human. He brushed his blond hair out of his face and sighed. "I guess."

*******

"The fastest ships we have are the Scythe class light cruisers," Sven told Tobias. A few of the people who had to deal with the current crisis had gathered in the war room, which should have been decommissioned after the fall of the Raiders. Amongst them were Tobias, a human better known throughout the land as Lone Wolf, Crash, the head of a small elite group that protected Tobias, Sven, a military advisor, Larcris, his boss, Mink and Dane Ulrich, the co-commanders of a rebel unit known as the Viper Sting. "We can outfit a small number of them to get you to Earth and keep it defended until the rest of the fleet can get there."
Tobias nodded. "Sounds like a plan. What's their cargo capacity?"
"Each can hold up to 25 ship personnel and 150 troops, along with enough supplies to make the trip and survive on Earth for four months."
"And when would the main fleet be getting to Earth."
"About three and a half months after you guys arrive."
"Okay. How many can you spare?"
"We can spare four."
"Great!" He smiled and leaned back against the chair he was sitting in. "All we have to do is find some spare armies and we can load up."
"The other rebel units have volunteered to join you on your crusade," Mink said. "As will most of the viper sting."
Tobias blinked. "What do you mean most?"
"There are still some Raider fractions that need to be eliminated," Dane told him. "I will be staying with a small detachment of Viper Sting members to remove them. I will be joining you guys when the main fleet arrives."
He nodded. "That's the best course of action." He looked to Sven. "I want at least one detachment of United Pack Domain troops in the fleet. Mink will help you pick out the best rebel soldiers." He thought for a second. "Also, I want some battle technology engineers on the flag ship with me. I get the feeling that we'll be needing to design some new weapons."
"Understood," Sven said. "We'll be ready by tomorrow."
"Good." Tobias stood up. "Everyone get some sleep tonight. And tell your people to be prepared and that we'll be heading off tomorrow."
"Aye."
"Earth will not fall to Isthus. I promise you that."

*******

"Ensign, range," Isthus barked from his seat on the bridge of the command ship Plague. Almost immediately, four crew members winced and looked at the one, lone ensign sitting at the helm controls of the ship. Her orange and black striped tail flicked uneasily. "Uh..." she said as she checked the scanners. "We still have 15 light years to go," she said. "At our present speed, and provided we don't-"
"Cut the technical crap," Isthus growled. "How long until we reached the Cursed One's home world?"
"We'll get there on time, about a week from now."
Isthus sighed. "It's a long wait."
"But it will be worth it sir," she said, hoping her words would calm him down. He fell silent. She started to shrink with every passing moment he didn't respond. It was a relief when he started to laugh.
"Yes, ensign. You do raise a point. Thank you."
The computer beeped. "Change of shift," it said. A few moment passed before the relief crew appeared on the bridge to take over. The helmsman got up and surrendered her seat to a fellow crew member and started to leave.
"Oh, ensign," Isthus said. She turned and looked at him. "Thank you for that. I really needed it."
She smiled. "Anytime, sir." She bowed her head and took off."

Her name was Julia. She was one of the many Raider troops who had been waiting in orbit since the arrival of Lone Wolf escaped from Fortress Xeon. She was a tigress, a tall one who bore the natural slim body every tiger of her people seemed to have. She was lightly built, but could easily throw any male who made an extra nasty pass at her. She also never thought they'd have to leave home. It was really depressing for her to have left the only planet she knew as home.
"Hey, Julia!" a male voice called from behind her. She stopped and turned around to see a fox, who was dressed in a dirty engineer's uniform, run up to her. "How ya doing?"
She smiled. "Hey Allen," she said half heartedly. "I just got off shift."
He chuckled. "I hear Isthus was in his mood again."
"Yeah." She started to walk. Allen moved to keep up with her. "He's getting extra spastic over this whole move against the Human World." She sighed. "I just hope we don't have any problems.
"C'mon," Allen assured her. "The nearest Pack ships are 35 light years in the opposite direction. By the time they reach the Human World, we'd have settled in enough to defend ourselves indefinitely."
"I'm not worried about that. I'm just worried that there will be resistance on the planet."
"Of course there is going to be resistance. But I doubt that their warriors can even hold a candle to ours."
She smiled. "I guess you're right."
He stood up straight, puffing his chest up. "Of course I'm right. I'm an engineer." She elbowed him in the chest and laughed. "So, what are you doing now?"
"Eh...I'm going to go hit the bar and then the sack. I need a drink and a nap."
"Oh. I was hoping you'd be up for lunch."
"Maybe later," she said. "That would honestly be nice."
He smiled. "When can I check up on you?"
"Ah....how about you head over to my quarters in two and a half hours?"
"Sounds fine with me. See ya then." And with that, he raced down the hall. She stood there and smiled.
"Allen, what will I do with you?"

The bar was at its usual capacity. The survivors of the last shift had all gathered and were having a quick drink to ease the fear of Isthus away. She sighed and walked right up to the bar. The barkeep, an aging rat, came up to her. "Good day to you Mrs. Julia," he said. "What be your desire?"
"Eh...my usual," she muttered.
He smiled. "Of course." He pulled a bottle of beer from under the bar and set it down in front of her. "I heard you made Isthus' day," he said as he opened it for her.
"Yeah." She took the bottle. "It seems that if I can give him an encouraging word every once and a while, I won't be as stressed as I usually am."
"Don't worry. Isthus doesn't mean it. I bet, deep down, he's a very nice guy."
"I'm sure he is." She took a healthy draft from the bottle. "Too bad he doesn't show it often."

*******

Tobias awoke the next morning with a stretch. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and looked around. Laying next to him in the bed was a lovely young skunkette, Samantha. He smiled and gently combed her blue hair out of her face. "You are the most beautiful sight in the world," he said. He leaned over and kissed her cheek gently. She stirred awake. "Wake up beautiful."
She stirred awake and looked up at him. Without saying a word, she smiled, wrapped her arms around him, and gave him a very tender kiss. "How is my darling husband this morning?" she cooed.
"Your husband is doing absolutely fine this morning," he whispered. "How is my beautiful wife?"
She giggled. "Your beautiful wife is doing fine."
He smiled and stroked her sides. "You ready to go?"
"Yeah." She kissed his nose. "I'll go anywhere with you."
There was a knock at the door.
"That's probably Kaitlyn and Swift," she said.
He looked over to the door. "It's open."
The door open and Crash walked in. "Hey boss." The 5'11" gray wolf saw the two and laughed. "Can't you at least wait until we get on board to do that? I swear, every time you two go at it, we end up being late."
"Shut up Crash," Tobias said. "I was just enjoying this moment. What do you need?"
"Sven sent me to tell you guys that the Scythes were ready and we can take off whenever you want."
"All right. You tell them we'll be down there in five minutes."
"Five minutes? Damn, you work fast." A pillow was quickly chucked in his direction. "I'm only joking. I'm sure you're a very thorough lover." A second pillow was thrown. "Okay, okay, I'm going." He stepped out, quickly shutting the door before something else went flying in his direction.

Tobias and Samantha walked right up towards the fleet of ships hand in hand. It took a few moments for everyone to see them and fall into ranks. Tobias stepped up to the Elite Guard - Crash, Psycho (an arctic wolf), Hack (a panther), Wrench (a fox), and Bomber (a rat) - and smiled. "Are we ready to go?"
"Yes we are boss," Hack said. "We've got all the supplies loaded. The troops await your words."
"Good. Where are they?"
"Over there," Psycho pointed. Tobias looked and saw and horde of troops.
"Great. Where's my milk crate?"
"Right here," Crash said, handing him a box. He took it and placed it in front of the entire group. He stood up on it and looked them over.
"I know that you all volunteered to go on this expedition," he started. "But I do hope you know that we will not be coming back for anywhere from a year to three. Once we start off, we will not turn back for anything. If any of you do not wish to leave this planet, please say so now." Nobody said anything. They all remained silent. "Good. Now, allow me to re-introduce myself. I am Tobias "Lone Wolf" Zakhary. I am the commander for this expedition. However, I do not wish to be treated with the respect the position gains. I am one of you guys. I am your friend, not your boss. You will not use the word sir around me. Have I made myself clear?"
The group let go of a healthy "Aye."
He smiled. "Okay. I trust you guys all know what ships you will be on. Please file onto your appropriate cruiser. We take off in ten minutes." He got off the crate. Everyone broke for their ships. He stepped up to Crash. "Where's Swift and Kaitlyn?"
"They're on board our ship, the Wolf Claw," he said pointing at the large vehicle behind him. "Kaitlyn said she was going to meet you in your quarters once we leave the atmosphere. Swift is waiting for us on the bridge."
"Good. Gentlemen, shall we?"

The bridge of the ship was spacious. The different stations made him feel like he was on the set of a scifi show. The crew attending the controls stood at attention as soon as he entered. He chuckled. "No formalities around me, please," he said, dismissing it all with a wave of his hand. Crash led him down to three chairs that sat in the middle of it all. Swift, who was sitting in one of the chairs, stood up. "Hello Tobias," she said with a smile. "Fancy meeting you here."
He smiled and gave her a hug. "How are you?" he asked.
"Fine. Congrats on the marriage. Sorry I couldn't tell you that before."
"Thank you. And don't knock it." He smiled and sat down in the center of the three chairs. "Well, what are we waiting for. Who's has the controls to the communications array?"
"Right here," one of the crewmen said.
"Find Sven and Larcris and hook us up with them." A few moments passed before the main screen that dominated the front wall lit up with Sven and Larcris' faces. "Good day to you gentlemen. The Earth Defense Force is ready for launch."
"Good," Sven said. "You guys are cleared for launch."
"I really wish you would come along with the main force, guys."
"We can't," Larcris said. "The four ships are in good hands with you guys. We'll join you with the main fleet."
"All right. See you guys in a year, I guess."
"We'll keep in touch to monitor your progress," Sven said. "You'll be hearing from us often enough."
"All right. Wolf Claw out." The screen died. He looked around the deck. Everyone was looking at him, waiting for his words. He smiled and stood up. "Ladies and gentlemen, we are undertaking one of the greatest tasks in the history of both our people. No matter what happens, you all are heroes. Feel proud of yourselves." He looked to the helmsman. "Send word to the other ships. Take us up and out of the atmosphere."

Sven, Larcris, and Dane watched safely from the control towers as the four Scythe class light cruisers lifted off the ground. The ground rumbled as they rose above the buildings and turned towards the east. Their engines flared up and they all streaked into the sky. "There they go," Sven said. "Our last chance to defeat Isthus."
"Don't worry," Larcris responded. "The prophesy said that Isthus would be defeated. You know that."
He smiled. "I guess you're right. We have other things to deal with here." He looked at Dane. "D, how quickly do you think we can finish off the remnants of the Raiders on planet?"
He chuckled. "We know where they are, right?" he asked.
"Yes we do."
"Well, if we keep hammering all of them at once, we can take off by the end of the week."
"Good. Let's hit it."

*******

Vu and Shivana woke up shortly after their arrival. The four sat around the big, rectangular box that would become their base as soon as they found the right spot for it. "So we're back on Earth?" Vu asked.
"That's what it appears," Terry responded. "We've landed safely and with everything in tact."
"So what do we do now?" Shivana asked.
"First we should figure out where we are." He pushed a button on the box. A screen flipped up on the top. He pushed a few more buttons and a map appeared. "Vu, Shivana, you've lived on this planet for most of your lives. Where are we?"
Vu looked at the map. "It appears we're right back where this whole thing began. We're in New York City."
"Figures," he moaned. "Lots of people?"
"Yes. But believe me, some of them make you and Mallory seem normal." He looked around. "I'd say we're close to where Tobias used to live. We can try to find his home."
"No, not a good idea." He looked around. "Where are we exactly?"
"Eh..." He looked around. "I'd say Jerome Reservoir."
"Vu," Shivana said. "Isn't Bronx Science nearby?"
"It is." He smiled. "They're all stoned off their asses anyway. We could hijack a minor building and set up a temporary encampment there."
Mallory smiled. "Okay. Sounds good."
"Yes," Terry said. He stood up. "Shivana, you lead the way. Vu, you help me carry the base. It'll help us move quicker."
"Aye." They hoisted the box onto their shoulders and the entire group started to move.

They found an out of the way lab just inside the property line of the school. It was empty, and appeared to have been empty for some time. They had no problems taking it over and establishing a temporary encampment. "Great," Terry said. "We've got somewhere to work out of."
"Good," Vu said. "Our priority should be finding a place to establish this base."
"It has to be somewhere Isthus won't be able to get to," Mallory said. "Don't forget what he did to Bleu Mesa when he found us."
Terry nodded his agreement. "That thing is capable of being submersed in the sea, right? Where's the nearest big body of water?"
Shivana looked at Vu. "Coney Island has a beach that leads right into the Atlantic," she said.
"Yeah, but there are too many people there." He thought for a moment. "Orchard Beach?"
"Eh...do you really trust it?"
"We may not have a choice. Not many people head there."
"Sounds good to me," Mallory said.
"What's so bad about Orchard Beach?" Terry asked.
"It's got more pollution per grain of sand then the sands next to a toxic waste dump."
Terry's face paled. "Seriously."
"No, I'm joking. But it's not the best of places to be."
"Okay. I say we go there anyway and establish the base in the waters far off of it."
"How long does the base take to set up?" Mallory asked.
"To establish the command center module, it takes approximately ten hours," Shivana said. "Once we get down there, we can create other modules to complete the base."
"Okay. How long will it take us to get there on foot?"
"On foot?" Vu asked. "I'd say about two days. If we can catch a bus, then it will be twenty minutes."
"Damn," Terry said. "We can't run the risk of a bus. But that's two days we're going to waste." He sat down to think. "There has to be something we can do."
"There may be something," Shivana said. "We might just be able to trick the people on the bus."
Terry looked at her. "Explain."

The bus rolled to a stop in front of the four. The door opened to let them on. Almost immediately, Terry and Mallory got weird looks from the bus driver. "What the-?"
"We're going to a costume party," Terry assured him, paying his fare. "Don't ask questions, okay?"
"Stop it Terry," Mallory said, paying her fare as well. "Sorry, sir. He's always crabby like this."
"Okay," the bus driver said. "No problem." Vu and Shivana came on next, carrying a big cardboard box. "What's with the package?"
"You wouldn't believe what people can buy here," Vu said, putting two fares into the collection box. "This was a real steal."
"Yeah," Shivana said. "Hope you don't mind us bringing it aboard."
"Nope. No problem at all." The four headed into the back as the bus driver shut the door.

*******

There was a knocking at Julia's door. She groaned and rolled onto her back. "Who is it?"
"It's Allen," a voice answered. "Ya decent?"
She sighed and sat up. "Does it matter? You've seen me nude before."
"It doesn't, but I just wanna know. Ya decent?" She got up and put a shirt and sweatpants on. She went over to the door and opened it up. "Good morning Julia. How was your night?"
She sighed. "It was short. I didn't get to sleep until three hours ago."
"Ah." He handed her a cup. "Here's your morning coffee."
She took it with a smile. "Thank you." She kissed his cheek. "Consider that your tip." He turned redder than his fur. "Now, you gonna stand there like an idiot or are you coming in?"
"Oh, I'm coming in." She smiled and let him pass, shutting the door behind him.
"So what brings you around here, Allen? You usually meet me en route to the bridge."
He pulled a small CD from his jacket. "I got some new designs I want you to go over for me."
She smiled. "Allen, you know I'm no engineer."
"Yeah, but you are a battle field tech. These are the personal armor designs you told me to redo."
"Oh." She took the disk and went over to her computer panel. She slipped it in. "Computer, read disk and display." The screen lit up with the designs. She went over it slowly, analyzing each and every part of it. "There's a little glitch in the left and right arms. If they're not careful, the elbow joints will lock up."
He nodded. "I had that feeling. Anything else?"
"Yeah. I suggest you put the layer of fireproofing below the anti-bullet layer. The bullet bouncers can heat up and catch fire quickly."
"Hmm. Okay." He took the disk. "Thank you." He started to leave. "You think you're available for lunch today?"
"Nah. I gotta go visit the doctor. Tomorrow, okay?"
He smiled. "Of course. Take care Julia." He stepped out, sliding the door shut behind him.
She sighed and held herself. "Allen, you're sweet. I don't know what I would do without you." She looked out her window at the inky blackness of space and sighed. She was a long way from home and very homesick.