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 There's a certain calmness to be found in a marching army.


 


 Order is the rule, and the steadying beat of feet provide a soothing rhythm. The direction matters little to the troops, as long as they get there fast enough to rest, but slow enough so they aren't pushed to the limit. For an invading army, this is gospel truth.


 


 “Sixth island in this campaign.” A voice murmured among the ranks.


 


 A hiss came the reply from his right. “No talking in the ranks!”


 


 The first voice laughed gently, “Oh Nyx, you're only a rule-follower when you think you'll get in trouble.”


 


 Nyx looked at him from the corner of his eye and snapped his pincers together quickly. “So? Is that a bad thing?”


 


 “No. I just want your opinion on something.”


 


 Nyx groaned in the deep recesses of his throat. “What now, Pex? Want to discuss why the sky is blue, or if there's monsters at the bottom of the sea?”


 


 Pex shook his head. “No, I want to talk about something serious.”


 


 Nyx marched along in silence for a minute before responding: “Serious?”


 


 “Yes, serious.” Pex urged. “About this, all this marching and invading, the conquering and attacking.”


 


 Nyx growled softly. “Tread carefully Pex, you speak of treason.”


 


 Pex grunted. “I will tread when I like to tread. Why do we do all of this? Why do we follow the Heart? For what reason?”


 


 Nyx turned to look at Pex, almost tripping up in the process. “Quiet you fool! That's blasphemy. The Heart gives us strength; without it, we are nothing!”


 


 Pex laughed. “Without it, we don't conquer. Without it, we are weak. Just like all the beings we crush underfoot. But is it right?”


 


 Nyx snapped his pincers violently. “Of course it is! The mighty shall subject the weak, that is the teachings of Sidorak.”


 


 Pex shook his head. “Just because he says that doesn't make it right. Might doesn't have to mean we're right. Have you ever thought of a different life, Nyx? Outside of this army?”


 


 “What of? Picking flowers in the field and living in peace with the primitives?”


 


 Pex nodded. “Yes.”


 


 Nyx barked in laughter. “You are weak. You need to draw closer to the Heart. That is not a life, it is an illusion, a form of slavery. They fear us, and for good reason.”


 


 Pex snapped his pincers in frustration. “What if they didn't fear us? What if we could have peace? Wouldn't that be better than this?!”


 


 Nyx shook his head. “You are full of ideas that will never be reality. Better to dwell on now, instead of dead dreams and false hopes, Pex.”


 


 Pex sighed and dropped his head, feet in perfect beat with the horde around them.


 


 Nyx rolled his eyes. “Pex, you are lucky you have me as a friend. The others, they would turn on you for better rations in an instant. These ideas of yours, you need to get rid of them. What we do is because of what we are, and you should take pride in that.”


 


 Pex nodded slowly. “I just dream of a different life.”


 


 “Once we are successful in this campaign, we will have a better life. I know it.” Nyx grunted and snapped his pincers. “Look ahead! The crown jewel! We are almost done!”


 


 Pex looked up and sighed. Another island, another conquest. In the faint distance, a city rose up out of the fog and bleak lighting; spires shot into the skies and chutes adored the towers like crowns on a golden king. There she was...


 


 


 ….Metru-Nui.


 


 


 


 


----------


 Author's Note:


 


 I had a quick idea I wanted to write about, and this was the end production. It isn't supposed to be anything grand, but it was something I felt happy with and liked enough to share.


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Razzy to the rescue:

Nice, short and sharp. I liked the intro - there's nothing quite like factual present-tense openings; they give a story a sort of grandeur.

You didn't introduce the fact that they were Visorak immediately but let it bleed in gently. This was an interesting take on the Visorak in that some of them wish for a life of peace; Rahi designed to kill in several different and efficient ways longing for a bit of peace and quiet. The prose is very economical, save for some rather good imagery concerning Metru Nui at the end, so there's not much of a critique there.

 A deviant being in a conformist military society doesn't have the best chance of survival, but Pex seems to be a very lucky spider. As a bit of a Sidorak fan, I liked how you gave the Visorak view of him  a sort of prophet/philosopher vibe - it corresponds well with the devotion a lot of them had for him (the Web of Shadows novelisation touches on their esteem for him once or twice, as well as making him a proper warrior-king).

 Not a bad story, and a good, thoughtful quick read.  

 

 

 

:flagaus: Straylia Day! :flagaus:

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"Mutiny, Booty and Entropy"  - The Three Vices of the Frostelus

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Razzy to the rescue:

Nice, short and sharp. I liked the intro - there's nothing quite like factual present-tense openings; they give a story a sort of grandeur.

You didn't introduce the fact that they were Visorak immediately but let it bleed in gently. This was an interesting take on the Visorak in that some of them wish for a life of peace; Rahi designed to kill in several different and efficient ways longing for a bit of peace and quiet. The prose is very economical, save for some rather good imagery concerning Metru Nui at the end, so there's not much of a critique there.

 A deviant being in a conformist military society doesn't have the best chance of survival, but Pex seems to be a very lucky spider. As a bit of a Sidorak fan, I liked how you gave the Visorak view of him  a sort of prophet/philosopher vibe - it corresponds well with the devotion a lot of them had for him (the Web of Shadows novelisation touches on their esteem for him once or twice, as well as making him a proper warrior-king).

 Not a bad story, and a good, thoughtful quick read.  

 

 

 

:flagaus: Straylia Day! :flagaus:

 

 

 

 I have always been a fan of introducing characters a bit more slowly than a large information dump at the very beginning. The Visorak are stated to have their own language, and that implies a level of intelligence and free will. I thought it would be interesting for a species that is basically treated as a tool of war to wish for a different life.

 

 I definitely imagined Sidorak to be somewhat of a great, infallible being to the Visorak, or at least most of them.

 

 Thanks for the review!  

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