By Klitch

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters, they all belong to Mainframe Entertainment. I'm not making any money off this, so don't sue me.

 Note: I live in the US and haven't seen the second season of WP/SR, so all of this stuff takes place after "The Blood is Thicker" but before "Uneasy Hangs the Head." It's also extensive Cryos-fic because he's my favorite character and I'm physically incapable of writing fanfic for any other character. Sorry.

Summary: What dark secrets lie in Cryos' past and who is this new being that crashes on Planet Ice?

"Frigeed, you cannot possibly be serious!" Cryos, former king of Planet Ice, shook his head in disbelief.

 "I didn't say that my mind was made up," replied Frigeed, the new Ice king. "Only that Planet Ice might be better off if we quit this Alliance. After all, one planet on its own may be seen as non-threatening. Perhaps the Beast Planet will leave us alone if we are not militant towards them. I'm only thinking of our people, unlike some kings..."

 Cryos's eyes widened, enraged. "If I had known you were such a fool, Frigeed, I would never have made you my successor when I abdicated," he replied frankly. "As the old adage says, united we stand, divided we fall. If Ice quits the Alliance, it will surely fall! Remember, Planets Water and Tek were non-threatening. The Beast Planet destroyed them without a second thought. Ice will be devoured as easily as they were, though we have a chance to prevent it. And I tell you this Frigeed: I will not be here to see my beloved planet fall. If Ice withdraws, I will go into voluntary exile. I will not sit by while you kill us all!"

 "You forget, Cryos," Frigeed stressed the lack of title, "that I am king. I do not need you to run my planet!"

 "No, you do not," Cryos growled, "but most of the populace still opposes my abdication. My opinion is weighed heavily in the minds of our--your--citizens. If I leave like this, then your position as ruler will be, at best, a precarious one."

 "Who are you to--" The palace alarm went off suddenly, cutting Frigeed off. Both king and former king rushed to the nearby comm. "What is it?"

 "Beast drones!" a frantic soldier cried. "They're overrunning--" The transmission ended abruptly.

 "We'll continue our discussion later," Frigeed said as Cryos handed him a blaster.

 "It was an argument," Cryos corrected. "But you're right. We're needed."

 The two rushed through the halls together, Beast drones at their heels. Frigeed skidded to a halt as he recognized more coming at them from in front.

 "We're trapped!" he uttered. "What do we do?"

 "In here!" Cryos dragged the king into a nearby room. They crouched on the floor beside the door, panting.

 "What-what sort of king hides while his people are in danger?" Frigeed gasped out, staring angrily at Cryos.

 "A living one," Cryos muttered bluntly.

 "You just want me to look bad in front of the people!" Frigeed said vehemently.

 "Open your eyes, Frigeed!" Cryos said, exasperated. "I just saved your life!"

 "Such a pity that it was a wasted effort." The two turned to see a figure gliding towards them with predatorial grace.

 "Lamprey!" Cryos gripped his blaster tighter.

 "Calm down, Cryos," Lamprey said. "It's not you that I'm after." She stared at Frigeed.

 The king looked around. "Me?"

 "Do you see anyone else?" Cryos snapped, simultaneously moving between Lamprey and the king.

 "Stand down, Cryos," growled Lamprey. "Or die."

 "We'll see about that." Cryos shot at her. Lamprey dived to one side, sweeping her own gun under Cryos feet. He stumbled, and she rammed him hard.

Cryos's skull hit the wall with an audible crack. He fell to the ground.

 "P-please, st-stay away!" Cryos heard Frigeed stutter. He wanted to help, but his limbs wouldn't respond. The last thing he heard was Frigeed screaming before he was engulfed by darkness.
 

There was darkness for a long time after that. Then voices began to intrude on his solace.

 "Shouldn't he be waking up soon?"

 "Give him time!"

 The first voice Cryos felt no interest in. He wasn't quite sure who it was. Your friend, Graveheart, something in his mind said.

 And the other voice. Zera, his mind whispered. Your daughter, Zera.

 "Z-Zera?" Cryos managed to croak out.

 "Father?" Zera leaned closer to where her father lay in the palace infirmary. Beside her stood Graveheart, leader of the Alliance.

"Are you all right?"

 "What happened?" Cryos's eyes were still half-closed, and his voice was foggy and far away.

 "You have a concussion," Graveheart informed him. "But the nanites healed it, at least partially. The beast drones--"

 "Beast drones?" Cryos repeated foggily. "I-I don't remember..."

 "Memory loss is an occasional side effect of concussions." Frigeed strode over. He gave Cryos an odd look. "What is the last thing you remember?"

 "You and I....arguing...I can't recall what it was about..." Cryos shook his head.

 "We'd better go," Graveheart said, patting Cryos's shoulder. "You need your rest."

 "I'll visit you later," Zera promised, kissing her father's forehead.

Then they all left, and Cryos was alone once more.
 

He didn't stay long in the infirmary. But when he left he was still somewhat unsteady on his legs and could remember very little of what had happened just prior to the Beast drone attack, nor could he remember the attack itself. But his memories did surface in some very confusing dreams.

 Beast drones. Lamprey. Frigeed screaming in terror. But all these visions were fragmented and swirling. It was as if one memory had been etched onto a piece of glass that had been shattered, and now he could see only the pieces, not the whole thing. It bothered him greatly.

 Cryos was limping down the hall when he was met by Graveheart.

 "Cryos! How are you feeling?" Graveheart laid a sympathetic hand on his friend's shoulder.

 "Better than before, but that's none too good," Cryos replied truthfully, and Graveheart chuckled.

 "Do you want me to help you to your chambers?" he asked earnestly. "A nap might help your head."

 Cryos recalled his strange memory-dreams and shook his head.

 "I'm headed to an Alliance meeting," Graveheart continued. "Are you coming, then?"

 "I....I think I will." Cryos headed towards the conference room.

 "Here." Graveheart extended a hand. "Let me help you."

 "I can walk myself, thank you." Cryos strode proudly past Graveheart.

 Graveheart shook his head. He hasn't forgotten how to be a king at least. But I think it would take more than a concussion to do that.

 The meeting started once the two arrived. Cryos listened in silence to the debates on how best to protect the planet cluster. He noticed that Frigeed was taking a very active part in the discussion. This seemed suspicious for some reason.

 "This Alliance must be based on trust," the Ice king was saying. "Our planets must be willing to divulge all secrets to each other, 'else the Alliance is doomed to failure!"

 "There's no way I'm telling you guys any of my secrets!" Femur exclaimed. "I'm not letting you betray me once you've got 'em!"

 "We must learn to act as one," Frigeed said vehemently. "United we stand, divided we fall!"

 That made Cryos start. He vaguely remembered saying something like that in his nearly forgotten argument with the king.

 Blast it all! Why can't I remember? Cryos lowered his eyes, lost in thought. There's something not right about all this.

 "Don't be a fool, Femur!" Jade growled in response to one of Femur's usual opinions about having all weapons handed over to Planet Bone for safekeeping.
 
 

"If I had known you were such a fool, Frigeed, I would never have made you my successor when I abdicated."

 "I do not need you to run my planet..."
 
 

"You cannot possibly be serious!"

 "I didn't say my mind was made up. Only that planet Ice might be better off if we quit this Alliance."

 "Are you all right?" Frigeed stared down at him, and Cryos found the look oddly disturbing.

 "I-I'm fine," Cryos stuttered, feeling a chill wash over him. Something was wrong. Very wrong. "I'm just--not quite recovered from my concussion, that's all...I-I think I'll retire to my chambers and take a nap. To clear my head."

 "Do you want some help getting there?" Graveheart asked with concern.

 "No--no thank you, Graveheart." Cryos got shakily to his feet. "I can make it." He left the room as fast as he could. Once he got inside his chambers, he locked the door and laid down.

 "There is something I'm forgetting," he muttered to himself. "Something big. I know it. And this is the only way to remember." He closed his eyes and let the memories wash over him.
 
 

"Lamprey!"

 "Calm down, Cryos. It's not you I'm after."

 "Me?" Frigeed looked around.

 "Do you see anyone else?"

 "Stand down, Cryos...or die."

 "We'll see about that."

 Then there was pain in his head and weakness in his limbs. He couldn't walk, couldn't think. In the background, Frigeed screamed....

 ....and screamed...

 ....and smiled evilly.
 
 

 "How unfortunate that you remembered." Cryos looked up to face Frigeed.

 No, he thought. Not Frigeed. Lamprey.

 "How did you get in here?" Cryos asked.

 "You forget, I am the king. I have keys to every room in the palace."

 "You are not the king," Cryos said coldly. "You are the dog of the Beast Planet."

 "Harsh words, Cryos," Frigeed/Lamprey said. "I wouldn't have expected them from you."

 "These are harsh times." Cryos looked about frantically for a weapon.

 "You are helpless," the possessed Ice king continued. "This time, you will die."

 "As you've seen, I'm not that easy to kill," Cryos replied, though even as he spoke he stood and backed up.

 "I'm not trying to kill your body," Frigeed/Lamprey said. "I want to kill your mind."

 "Cryos?" Graveheart's voice drifted in from outside. "Stay back!" Cryos called. "Lamprey is here! She has possessed Frigeed!"

 "Not for long," With a wild cry, Lamprey dove from Frigeed's body. The door burst open, allowing Graveheart, Pyrus, Jade, Femur, and Tekla to watch as Lamprey dived into Cryos's body. He fell to the floor in a heap.

 "Cryos!" Graveheart and Tekla ran to him while Jade checked over the unconscious Frigeed.

 "We can do nothing for him," Tekla said, gazing down sadly at Cryos. "I know. Only he can defeat Lamprey now."
 

Inside the innermost recesses of his mind, Cryos faced Lamprey bravely.

 "What a sweet-smelling mind you have, Cryos," whispered Lamprey. "What tempting memories do you have for me?"

 "I have nothing to hide," Cryos said, but his voice shook slightly. His entire mind shuddered as a thought floated by. Cryos pushed it away, but Lamprey had seen some of it.

 "Lilith?" she cooed. "So you do have a secret...about someone named Lilith."

 "You know nothing of her!" Cryos glanced away. Lamprey was growing now, feeding off his guilt and shame even as he shrunk from it.

 "Not until you told me." Lamprey forced a vision into Cryos's mind. A young girl, her blue eyes closed tightly and a flower in her hair, one eye horribly scarred. She was bloody and bruised. A young prince Cryos stood over her, staring down at her in horror. He looked up at something, raised the blaster in his hand, and shot three times. There was a scream, and then the vision disappeared.

 Cryos closed his eyes, shaking his head.

 "No...not Lilith..." he murmured feverishly, barely glancing up at Lamprey as she began to cackle.

 "What would the people of this pathetic planet say if they knew that their dear former king was--is--a murderer? A base killer, like myself?" she asked. "Your soul is stained red with blood, Cryos."

 "I was young!" Cryos defended himself. "I didn't know better! I thought..."

 "You knew what could happen," Lamprey pressed. "You cannot justify your deeds. You are no better than me, Cryos."

 "No!" Cryos argued, but he knew in his heart that she was right.
 

Simultaneously, Cryos's body writhed in convulsions. He had been lying strapped to a bed in the infirmary, unmoving and unspeaking for several minutes.

 "Father!" Zera grabbed his hands. "What's wrong?"

 Tekla glanced at Cryos's vital sign readouts.

 "We're losing him!"

 "Father, no!" Zera cried out. "I need you!"
 

"I need you!" His daughter's voice penetrated the darkness of Cryos's mind. He looked up, opening his eyes.

 "Zera..." he whispered.

 "Would she still care for you if she knew your secret?" Lamprey taunted. "Would she still plead for your pitiful life? You live a lie."

 "Every day," Cryos said, eyes downward again.

"Yes!" Lamprey seized the opportunity. "You are no king! You are a killer brought on high! You spot trickery well, Cryos, for who better than the master of deception? You are no different than I!"

 "Am I?" Cryos's thoughts were broadcast aloud. "Am I truly a base killer, like you?" Suddenly, his head shot up. "No! There is one thing...not the thing that justifies my deeds, not my excuse, but the one thing that separates me from you."

 "And that would be?" Lamprey felt her hold on Cryos slipping.

 "I grieve." Cryos advanced, growing to Lamprey's size. "I feel true remorse. Not guilt, though the Great Glacier knows I've had my fill of that. But I grieve for the ones I killed. I feel true remorse for them. You kill in cold blood, Lamprey. I never truly did so."

 He was staring down at her now. "Flee, Lamprey, while you can," Cryos said, slowly, menacingly. "I am beyond your power."

 "I will have you yet!" Lamprey cried. "I still know your secret!" She began to disappear.

 Tekla, Graveheart, and the others stepped back as Lamprey flew from Cryos's body and out the nearest window. Cryos sat up weakly in bed.

 "Father? Are you all right?" Zera took her father's hand. Cryos patted her weakly.

 "I'm-I'm all right," he weakly assured her. "Just...a little drained, that's all. It was a hard-won battle."

 "But you survived," Tekla said. "I know what a difficult opponent Lamprey is." Her face clouded for a moment as she remembered her own experience with Lamprey.

 "More than you know," Cryos said under his breath. Louder, he said, "I'm a bit drowsy. I need to regain my strength."

 "Of course," Tekla said. "We'll leave you."

 "We're just glad to see you in one piece," Graveheart added as he and the others exited the room.

 Cryos watched them go. Once he was alone, he breathed a shaky sigh. Lamprey had dragged up his most secret and long-hidden memory. Now she had a hold over him, despite his words to the contrary. He dreaded their next meeting. He leaned back and prepared to sleep with hopes that his dreams would not be stained with the blood on his hands.

Note: This takes place about a week after part one.

“Attention! Attention! Ship of unknown type, entering Planet Ice’s atmosphere!” The call resounded through the halls of the Ice palace.

Graveheart and Jade met Cryos just outside the palace. The former Ice king was watching the ship through a pair of high-tech binoculars.

“Is it hostile?” Graveheart asked.

“It is injured,” Cryos said, handing Graveheart the binoculars. “So it is hard to tell. See the smoke coming from the wing? They’ve blown an engine.”

“So we have no way of knowing if it’s hostile or not,” Graveheart muttered, giving the binoculars to Jade.

 “We should be prepared for anything,” she said, one hand straying to her blaster. “This may only be a ruse to get onto the planet without having to clear itself first.”

“Or it may actually be in trouble,” Graveheart countered.

“Frigeed and I have contacted the palace infirmary,” Cryos informed them. “They’ll be ready to deal with any casualties. And the soldiers are on full alert.”

“Good thing, because that thing’s falling fast,” Jade muttered.

“Estimated time to impact?” Graveheart asked.

“Approximately five seconds,” Cryos said bluntly. Moments later, there was a loud crunch as the ship crashed several feet away. It skidded several feet in the snow, flipping onto its back as it did so. It hit a huge snowdrift and slowed to a stop. Steam rose from the wing.

Cryos gave Graveheart a wry look. "As I said...five seconds.”

Graveheart glared at him and hurried over towards the ship with Cryos and Jade on his heels. By the time they reached the ship, it was already surrounded by  soldiers, as well as Pyrus, Tekla, and Femur.

“It’s...totaled,” Pyrus informed them as they arrived. He glanced up at Graveheart. “Do you think anyone survived?”

“I don’t know, Prince,” Graveheart said. He looked over at Cryos and Jade. “Come on. We’ll go check. Carefully.”

There was a huge hole in the side of the ship and another by the wing. The three ducked inside the overturned ship.

All around them, burnt wires sparked and died. The ship was in shambles, and whatever cargo there had been was strewn about the ship.

“See anything?” Graveheart asked Jade and Cryos, who were exploring the corners of the ship.

“Yes,” Jade called back. “A casualty.” She dragged out a charred lump covered in sticky black fluid. Graveheart wrinkled his nose in disgust but nevertheless moved over to investigate. The two Rock dwellers managed to pull the lump out of the ship onto the snow.

“Eew! What is that?” Pyrus walked up to them.

“I think it’s one of the occupants of this ship,” Graveheart said.

“Or it was,” Jade murmured. She pointed to the black substance. “I think that’s blood.”

Graveheart leaned closer. Now that they were in the light, he could vaguely make out a pair of closed eyes and a mouth. Closer inspection revealed six small legs curled up under the body, and two long sectioned arms. There was something around the
wrists.

“Handcuffs,” Jade reported, following Graveheart’s gaze. “A hostage?”

“A criminal.” They turned to see Cryos stepping out of the ship, leading another being.

This one was different from the dead alien. She was tall and humanoid, covered in short brown fur. Her eyes were a golden color, and above each one was a  streak of blue. She had a furry tuft above each eye that resembled the ears of a rabbit, except that these were not ears. In between them were three tufts that stuck up and formed a diamond shape. Her ears were two small pointed ones like those of a newborn kitten. Long white hair with black stripes poured down over her back. She had two
nostrils and human-like lips. A long tail lashed behind her. She wore a torn and tattered gray outfit, and she was cut and bleeding from many spots on her body.

“I am Maya,” she groaned, leaning heavily on Cryos. “Of the Celaurians. I was transporting Krippio there to the Prison Planet when we were shot down.” Her legs suddenly slid out from beneath her and she began to fall. Cryos caught her.

“I’ll get her to the infirmary,” Cryos said. Several soldiers moved forward to assist him, and they dragged Maya off towards the palace.

“A Celaurian?” Graveheart turned to Tekla. “I’ve never heard of them. Have you?”

“Never,” Tekla told him.

“But I’ve heard of the Prison Planet,” Femur broke in. He glanced back towards the palace. “That lady must a’ been an escort. Maybe I’ll go see how she’s doing.”

“You think she’s telling the truth?” Pyrus asked Graveheart.

“I don’t know, Prince,” Graveheart replied. He looked down at the dead alien, Krippio. “I think we should have someone look at this body. I want to be sure that he died in the crash and wasn’t killed in a shipboard mutiny or anything like that. Jade, I
want you to take some soldiers and search the rest of the ship for any other occupants, surviving or otherwise. The rest of us will go see Maya. Right now, she’s the only one who can give us answers of any kind.”

Maya was slowly getting off the infirmary bed when Graveheart and the others entered. Cryos was helping her.

“My head feels like crillia in the summer,” Maya murmured. “Slag! My promotion’s down the drain for sure now! Boss Temro will kill me!”

“Boss?” Graveheart spoke up. “Who do you work for? We’ve never heard of Celaurians.”

“Never heard of...” Maya stared at him. “What sort of backwoods hicks are you? Celauria is the Cerulean Gem of the cosmos!”

“We are somewhat limited in our knowledge of the stars,” Cryos explained. “It is a long story...an ancestral feud which kept us more interested in weaponry than astronomy. Any information you could provide as to how you came to be here would be
appreciated.”

“All right then.” Maya gave him a sly smile. “Well, as I said, I come from Celauria. Our culture is mixed among two groups: the Celaurians and the Kreeshians. While the Celaurians are a mainly beneficent race, the Kreeshians are a race of thieves
and murders. They possess devastating psychic powers, which can drive their victims mad and which they use for torture. We are unable to peacefully co-exist with them, so we try to keep their numbers in check and have managed to isolate them to the
Uncharted Regions. But some escape and attempt to rule us, mentally controlling our rulers and killing dissidents. The Peacekeepers are charged with keeping the Kreeshians in their region of the planet and punishing those who leave. Krippio was a particularly evil being.

"He personally drove a woman mad enough that she killed her entire family. After we caught him, my boss, Temro, decided to send him off to the Prison Planet, where he would rot like the criminal he is. I was given the honor of taking him there. But as we
passed your planet, we were intercepted by a fighter that appeared to be made of null matter. I tried to dodge it, but it hit us and we crashed.”

“A Beast drone,” Graveheart murmured. “That must have been what shot you down.”

“Really?” Maya looked only slightly interested. “Tell me--how is my ship? Can it get me back home?”

“Judging from what I saw, it can’t even get you off Planet Ice,” Cryos said.

“I’m afraid Cryos is right,” Graveheart said. “We may be able to fix it, but it’ll take time. If you’d like, you could probably use one of Planet Ice’s ships.”

“Can they go faster than light speed?” Maya demanded.

“No...” Cryos replied warily.

“Then that’s no good. My homeworld’s light years from here....I’ll just have to wait until my ship is fixed.” Maya turned to Cryos. “You seem to know your way around here. Can you take me to your repair bay or whatever it is you have? I have some
personal effects on my ship that I would like to have back...if I’m going to be staying here for a few days I’m going to need a change of clothes, among other things.”

“As you wish...” Cryos nodded slowly. He was watching her with marked suspicion. Graveheart, seeing this, made a mental note to ask his friend about his thoughts on Maya later, in private.

Cryos led Maya to the repair bay, where her ship was already stationed. Several of Planet Ice’s technicians were eagerly studying it. Maya walked boldly up to one.

“I need to get inside,” she said.

“I’m not authorized...” The technician stopped as Cryos came up to him.

“It’s all right,” the former king assured the worker. “She merely has some things she needs to unload. Wait out here while she gets them.”

“Could you come help me?” Maya asked Cryos. “I may need an extra pair or three of hands.”

“If I must.” Cryos followed her inside the ship.

They came out about ten minutes later. Maya held several pairs of clothes, and Cryos had a white case in his hands. His eyes looked odd, almost blank. Maya smiled sweetly at the technician as she and Cryos walked out of the repair bay towards the
chambers where Maya was to stay.

Graveheart tried to find the time to talk to Cryos, but he had no such luck. Jade had finished examining Krippio, and reported that he had indeed been killed in the crash. However, she claimed that there was something suspicious about the lack of
scars on his wrists despite the tight handcuffs. Graveheart had spent quite a while with her, discussing possible reasons for this. Meanwhile, Femur had been hanging around, trying to find out what he could about Maya. Finally Graveheart decided to call an Alliance meeting to discuss the alien. However, hopes for a private meeting were dashed when Maya followed Cryos into the Conference Room.

“I thought I might hear more about your planets if I listened in,” she said by way of an explanation.

“I’ll join you later,” Cryos said, turning to leave. “I have some business to take care of.”

“But Cryos--” Graveheart started to object.

“I’m sorry, Graveheart, but I really must go. As I said, I’ll join you as soon as I am finished.” He left the room.

“So, tell me about your planets.” Maya smiled seductively at Femur. “I’m sure that your planet is absolutely stunning.”

“The best of ‘em all, babe,” Femur said. “If you’d like, I can take you there...in my private ship.”

“Maybe later.” Maya beamed at him. She turned to face Graveheart. “Now, tell me about your planets.”

“Why don’t you tell us about your planet first?” Jade asked, her eyes narrowing. “Are you hiding something?”

“Like what?’ Maya asked scornfully. “Are you all this distrustful here? I’d be better off joining Krippio’s brethren, it seems. At least they are never wrongly suspicious. Their fears are normally well-grounded, you see, since my people want to destroy them.”

“How do we know that you’re not lying?” Jade pressed.

“I assure you, every word I’ve just said is the truth,” Maya said. “But if you wish for me to talk about my planet, I will. There’s little to say, though. It is a planet of stone cities and grassy forests. We have regular intervals of rain, snow, and sunshine, and we make our own fire. The only predators on Celauria are the Kreeshians. They prey upon the Celaurians and try to keep the numbers in check. Naturally, the Celaurians fight back and try to exterminate the vicious Kreeshians. That is really all there is to
say. We do not have a planet ‘cluster’ like yourselves; Celauria is the only planet in our system.”

“If you want to exterminate the Kreeshians, why were you taking one to prison?” Jade questioned sharply.

“Death was too good for Krippio,” Maya said smoothly. “So he was to rot in prison for all time. The handcuffs on him were to keep his psychic powers in check while I delivered him. Unfortunately, my plans were changed.”

“Well, you’ll be on your way home soon enough,” Graveheart said. “Now, as for our planets...” He began to explain about the feud and the Beast Planet. Halfway through the explanation, Cryos arrived.

“Did you take care of your business?” Graveheart asked politely.

“I finished it,” Cryos said with a nod of his head. Maya smiled to herself and Graveheart went back to explaining.

He was almost finished when an Ice guard ran in. He went straight to Frigeed and whispered to the king.

“What?!” Frigeed jumped up in his chair. “What do you mean, ‘murdered?’”

“J-just that, Your Majesty,” the guard stuttered, glancing at the shocked Alliance members. “I was walking back towards the-the weapons hold to get some ammunition for the training soldiers. I was about to go in when I recalled that the trainer
forgot to tell me the keyword to enter the hold. I told the guards, Fria and Hielo, that I’d be back and left. When I returned, they were both dead!”

“Are-are you sure they were murdered?” Frigeed pressed.

“Most certainly, Your Majesty,” the guard said. “When you see the bodies, you’ll know. Fria had been stabbed multiple times and Hielo had been shot several times in the chest and head. There was also a stab wound between his eyes. Someone killed
them.”

Jade glanced suspiciously at Maya. “There were no murders before you arrived,” she said dangerously. She looked at the guard. “When did you last see the guards alive?”

“About-about twenty minutes ago,” the guard replied.

“You see? It couldn’t have been me.” Maya glared challengingly at Jade. “I’ve been here for the past half hour or so.”

“Maya’s right,” Cryos said. “Someone else must be behind this.”

“And we need to find out who,” Graveheart said. “Were any weapons missing from the hold?”

“I-I’m not sure,” the guard admitted. “The door to the hold was open, but I didn’t have time to take inventory. I told Captain Torren about the murders and he sent me here to inform King Frigeed. He said he would take the inventory. You’ll have to
talk to him.”

“I will,” Frigeed said, moving towards the door.

“We will,” Cryos corrected, standing up. Frigeed nodded at him and the two left the room.

“Well,” Maya said after a few moments of silence. “You do live exciting lives, don’t you?”

Jade’s eyes narrowed as she stared at Maya. “I’ll be watching you,” she vowed as she got up from her chair and left the room.
Maya watched her go, turning her head so that the others couldn’t see the dangerous expression on her face.

Cryos and Frigeed leaned over Captain Torren’s shoulder, staring at the checklist in his hands. He was taking stock of the weapons.
“Here,” Cryos took the list. “Let me see this. You go see to the bodies.”

Captain Torren saluted and walked off.

“I’d better go help him,” Frigeed said.

“No!” Cryos said quickly. “You’d better interview the guard again. He may have left something out in his first explanation.”

“Good idea.” Frigeed scurried off, leaving Cryos alone.

About ten minutes later, Frigeed and Cryos met up again in the weapons hold.

“This makes no sense,” Cryos murmured. “Nothing’s missing!”

“Are you sure?” Frigeed glanced around the hold. “Maybe Captain Torren found something missing and forgot to say. Where is he, anyway?”

“I haven’t seen him,” Cryos said, perusing the list. “Besides, I double checked everything. There’s nothing missing.”

“I don’t understand...” Frigeed murmured.

“Your Majesty!” Another guard ran up to them, panting. “You’d better take a look at this.”

Cryos and Frigeed stood beside a laundry chute. The body of Captain Torren was lying below it.

“This is not good,” Frigeed muttered. “That’s three guards killed within an hour. Something’s wrong here.” He turned to the guard. “Did anyone see him killed? Or at least see anyone near him before he died?”

“No one saw anything,” the guard reported. “And I investigated the whereabouts of the Lady Maya, as you asked. She has been with Prince Pyrus and Graveheart for the past fifteen minutes.”

“I think we’ve already established that she’s innocent,” Frigeed said. “Someone else did this, but I have no clue who.”

“We’d better put the guards on full alert for anyone suspicious,” Cryos suggested.

“We’re missing something,” Frigeed murmured. “We must be! This makes no sense, to kill three guards for no good reason.”

“There must be a reason,” Cryos objected. “And we will uncover it.”

“I still say that this is Maya’s doing!” Jade argued vehemently with Graveheart and Cryos later in the Conference Room.

“Jade, she was nowhere near the weapons hold,” Graveheart reasoned. “It couldn’t be Maya.”

“There were never murders before,” Jade stated. “Until she arrived. There is something wrong about her.”

“Jade...” Graveheart sighed.

“It is late,” Cryos said. “I believe we all need some sleep. We’ll think better in the morning.”

Grudgingly Jade agreed and they went their separate ways.

Cryos woke up in the middle of the night. He glanced around his room, feeling the distinct presence of something.

“Cryos.”

He sat up straight in bed. A voice.

“Cryos. Come to me. Come to me.”

Quite unwillingly, Cryos stood and exited his chambers. The voice urged him on, forcing his legs to walk. He stopped in front of Maya’s door. It swung open.

“Enter.” Cryos walked stiffly inside. Maya awaited him, dressed in the clothes she
had retrieved from her ship. She pointed to a chair in the corner. “Sit.”

Cryos did as she ordered. He found, to his horror, that when he tried to move his limbs wouldn’t respond.

“Maya...” he whispered. “What are you doing?”

“You already know.” Maya snapped her fingers.

Memories came flooding back to Cryos. Inside Maya’s ship, siting on a crate as she prowled around him, ordering him to....to kill the guards by the weapon’s hold and to steal some of the weapons. Maya inside his head as he talked with Frigeed inside the hold, forcing him to lie about the inventory and kill Captain Torren. Cryos’s eyes widened in horror.

“By the Glacier...what have I done?” Cryos whispered. He stared angrily up at Maya. “What have you made me do? What are you?”

“The best way to lie,” Maya said softly, “is to tell the truth. The Celaurians and Kreeshians are at war. A Kreeshian was getting transferred to the Prison  Planet. I just didn’t mention who was who.” She smiled. “I can’t have your friends suspecting me of
murder until I know enough of your secrets to rule this galaxy. I needed weapons, but I couldn’t be missing when the guards were killed. You were the only one who may have been able to sense my true plans. So I got you to do the work for me. And
what work you have done!” Maya laughed. “I ordered you to kill, but that is nothing new to you, is it? I read your memories. This is not the first time you’ve killed.”

“I killed at your behest,” Cryos growled angrily. “as for the other time, that is none of your business.”

“I doesn’t matter. You will kill again.” Maya perched herself on the armrest of the chair. “Your friend, Jade. She is getting too close to the truth. You will kill her for me.”

“Kill Jade? Never!” Cryos claimed.

“You disappoint me, Cryos,” Maya purred. “Or have you forgotten what I did to you last time?” Cryos sat in silence. “Very well. You leave me no choice but to remind you.”

She moved over so that her eyes were level with Cryos’s.

“Breathe,” she ordered softly, and he complied. “Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Good boy. Exhale.”

Cryos breathed as she ordered, unable to resist.

“Inhale,” she intoned. “Exhale. Stop.”

Cryos’s eyes widened. He could not take a breath. Maya smiled at his futile attempts to get air.

“I am your breath,” she murmured. “I am your life. Without me, you cannot breathe, you cannot live. You live only on my charity. Inhale. That’s an obedient slave. Exhale. Stop. I hold your life in my hands. Beg me for your life, pathetic
insect. You can breathe only barely. You must gasp for breath. Beg me to spare your life.”

“I...I will not beg,” Cryos panted. As Maya had ordered, he could only draw the quickest and shallowest of breaths.

“You will!” Maya growled, her influence exerting itself on Cryos’s mind. “Beg me!”

Cryos shook his head, trying to not look at her. She moved his head so that he had to stare her in the eyes.

“Beg me,” she whispered. “Or you will not breathe.”

Cryos tried to resist her again, but he was too light-headed and dizzy from lack of air. Finally, he gave in.

“I....beg you...” he gasped out. “I beg you.”

“Good little bug.” She snapped her fingers and Cryos could breathe freely again. “Now, will you kill Jade as I have asked?”

“Never,” Cryos said stubbornly.

“Don’t make me hurt you,” Maya said in an exasperated tone. “You gave in so much easier last time. I only needed to take control of your mind and you eagerly did my bidding. Why do you resist me now?”

“Jade is my friend,” Cryos said. “And I will not let you use me again. I would rather die.”

“Oh, but you will,” Maya said. “You will die only after you have killed all your friends and family...only after those deeds have driven you mad and you get down on your knees and beg me to kill you. And you will beg. You will plead for me to be
merciful and kill you. But I won’t. That would be too easy. You have pain in you, Cryos, pain from strangers you once killed. It will be worse once I am done.”

“No,” Cryos said defiantly. “I will die before then, because I would sooner die than kill my friends.”

“So noble,” Maya whispered. “Such a brave, loyal Cryos you are. But it won’t do you any good. I controlled you once. I can do it again.”

“You haven’t the power,” Cryos said. “The more I resist, the harder it is for you to control me. Otherwise you wouldn’t bother with your tricks. You would simply force me to do your bidding.”

“It won’t be a problem once I break that spirit of yours,” Maya growled. “No one has ever withstood me for long before I shattered their spirit.” She stared at him oddly. “But I suppose that is another reason why I chose you to do my work. Your
spirit is abnormally strong, Cryos....and I do enjoy a challenge. I eagerly await the day when you crumple at my feet.”

“Then you will wait forever,” Cryos spat.

“So you think,” she murmured. “But everyone has a weakness. I will find yours....and I will use it to destroy you. But for now, I must resort to more....barbaric means.” She settled herself so that she was once more staring into his eyes.

“What is your first memory of pain?” she asked. “What is your strongest memory of pain? Do you remember how it felt?” She dove into his memories, dragging up every remembrance of pain she could find. Cryos squirmed involuntarily as she dug into his mind, reading every thought and remembrance. “These should do.” Maya snapped her fingers.

Cryos gasped, falling back limply into the chair. She had summoned up all the memories of physical pain he had and unleashed them on him all at once. He couldn’t move, couldn’t think. He could barely even draw a breath. He closed his eyes tightly and waited for a death that would be a welcome escape from this torture.

But Maya was not so kind. While he was disoriented, she locked onto his mind and began to work her influence over him. “You will kill Jade for me,” she intoned. “You will kill her. You will murder her. You will kill Jade. You will kill her for me.”

“No...” The word was barely a whisper.

“You will! Now! This very night!” Maya ordered. Cryos laid back limply in the chair. His eyes flashed open.

“I will kill Jade,” he said in a flat, toneless voice.

“Yes!” Maya cried triumphantly. She handed him a blaster. “Now, go to her room. Kill her while she sleeps, and then return to me so I can banish your memory of this night until I need you again.”

“As you wish, mistress.” Cryos stood and bowed to her. Then he turned and left, clasping the blaster tightly.

Jade stirred in her sleep as the door creaked open. Her eyes opened slowly as she heard the sounds of someone entering her room. She heard a blaster cocking.Jade twisted out of bed as a laser shot broke it in two. She reached up and grabbed the hand of her assailant, forcing the gun upwards as she finally focused in on her attacker, fully expecting to see Maya. What she did see surprised her.

“Cryos?” she asked in shock.

Cryos tried to wrestle away from her. He kicked her in the knee, and her grip lessened. He pulled away and narrowed the gun at her again. Before he could  fire, however, Jade body slammed him. He hit the wall hard and sunk to the floor. Jade grabbed him by the shoulders, pinning him to the wall.

“What in the name of Mantel’s crown do you think you’re doing?” she demanded.

“J-Jade?” Cryos whispered painfully. “What--” He shook his head, trying to brush aside the cobwebs in his mind. His eyes narrowed as remembrance came flooding back. “Maya.”

“Maya?” Jade loosened her grip and Cryos slid to the floor.

“She was in my head,” Cryos said quietly. He glanced up at Jade. “She wanted me to kill you. She was the prisoner, the criminal psychic. The Kreeshian. She’s been using me to do her work.”

“I knew there was something wrong with her!” Jade growled. “What did she do to you?”

“Controlled me...” Cryos put a hand to his head. “She dug into my memories... forced me to do what she wanted....I tried to resist, but she was too strong. She nearly suffocated me. She-she wants to take over our galaxy since her own is unavailable. And it was at her behest that-that I killed the three soldiers.”

“You killed them?” Jade said in surprise.

“I don’t remember it...” Cryos admitted. “She’s been blocking my memories. But she gave them back and didn’t plan to block them until after I killed you. The pain seems to have jolted me out of her control.”

“We have to tell Graveheart,” Jade said decisively. “She’s too dangerous to let go free another moment.”

“Yes...” Cryos attempted to get to his feet. Jade held him down with a hand.

“Stay here,” she ordered. “You’re too weak to fight Maya if she tries to control you again.”

Cryos nodded. Suddenly, he flinched. He grabbed his head.

“What’s wrong?” Jade asked worriedly.

“It’s Maya...she’s back,” Cryos groaned. “She’s in my head...trying to exert her influence over me...”

“I’ll put an end to that.” Jade turned to leave. Behind her, Cryos grasped the blaster.

Graveheart was coming down the hall when Jade’s door burst open.

“Jade! What are you--” Jade cut him off.

“No time for explanations! We’ve got to stop--” She broke off with a cry of pain as a laser blast hit her from behind. Graveheart dashed past her to look at her attacker. His mouth dropped open in shock. “Cryos?!”

Cryos stared up at Graveheart, then down at the blaster in his hand. He shot a warning blast at Graveheart, and while the Rock man was busy dodging, he turned and jumped out the window.

Graveheart ran to the window. Cryos hit the ground hard, but rolled to his feet without any visible signs of pain. He ran off into the night.

Graveheart was about to follow when a groan from Jade dragged him back to her side. She was bleeding profusely from the wound in her back.

“It’ll be okay, Jade,” Graveheart assured her with more calm than he felt. “The nanites can heal you.” He ran to the nearest comm to alert the infirmary.

“How long until she’s healed?” Graveheart stood anxiously outside the infirmary with Frigeed.

“Her wounds are bad, but she should be healed in a few hours,” Frigeed reported. “Do you know who did this?”

Graveheart was silent for a moment. He hadn’t told anyone about seeing Cryos and he didn’t plan to. Something had been wrong with Cryos when Graveheart saw him, the Rock man was sure of it. He wasn’t going to get Cryos in trouble until he
knew what was really going on. Unfortunately, only two people seemed to know the answers he was seeking, and one was missing and the other was in the infirmary.

“You can go in and check on Jade if it makes you feel better,” Frigeed told him.

Graveheart nodded in a gesture of thanks. He walked past Frigeed and stood near the healing chamber. Jade lay inside, still unconscious.

“Jade...” Graveheart said softly. “You’d better get healed quickly. I need answers, and I think you’ve got them.”

Jade’s eyes fluttered but did not open. Graveheart sighed and waited.

Cryos tumbled into Maya’s room. Her gaze held him upright in the middle of the room. She snapped her fingers and he suddenly sagged. A mental command forced him to straighten with a grimace of pain. He had torn something in his ankle when
he hit the ground, but he hadn’t felt in until now. Maya had strengthened her hold over him to keep him under control even through intense pain.

“Cryos, Cryos, Cryos,” Maya murmured, pacing around him and enjoying his suffering. “You disappoint me once more. Not only do you manage to let Graveheart see you, you tell Jade everything about my plans. Now I’ll have to kill her myself. And what to do with you, now that you’ve outlived your usefulness?”

“Even if you kill me, you won’t win,” Cryos said defiantly. “Eventually, someone will figure out what you’ve been doing.”

“And then I’ll kill them,” Maya replied. “And I think I’ll have to kill you now, too. I can’t use you anymore, and I certainly can’t have you sitting in my room as my personal toy. I can’t kill you here, though. No, I need a way that will make sure your body is never found.” She looked thoughtful, then smiled suddenly. “I believe I have the perfect idea. Follow me, Cryos.” She carefully exited her room. After a quick check to make sure that the halls were empty, she beckoned for Cryos to follow her. He stumbled out, grimacing with every step as Maya led him through the palace to the door, then outside into the snow.

Back in the infirmary, Jade stirred again. Graveheart towards her. “Jade? Are you all right?”

Jade’s mouth moved, trying to form words. Finally, she managed to whisper out three words.

“Maya...Kreeshian...psychic..” Then she dropped back into unconsciousness.

“Kreeshian?” Suddenly, Graveheart figured it out. Maya had said that Kreeshians had strong psychic powers. If he was right, Jade was saying that Maya was the criminal. And if she was psychic...she had to have been controlling Cryos!

Graveheart leaped up and made a beeline for Maya’s chambers.

The door was wide open. Graveheart entered cautiously, holding up a blaster and preparing to shoot anything suspicious. However, the room was empty.

“Maya?” he called. He moved over to the window and looked out.

The alien was walking out in the snow, heading west, where Graveheart recalled there was a deep chasm leading to a frozen lake. Cryos was following her, limping slightly. Graveheart realized what she was planning and hurried out towards the door.

Maya and Cryos stood before the chasm. Cryos looked down into the darkness, and found that he couldn’t see the bottom. He glanced up at Maya.

“You wouldn’t!” he gasped.

“Of course I would,” she chuckled. “Poor little Cryos. Haven’t you figured it out? There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for power. And that includes sending you to your doom. Now, straighten up.” She snapped her fingers and Cryos stood bolt upright. “Good boy. Now, walk towards the chasm and stop at the edge.” Cryos did as ordered. “Look into it. Look into your own death, Cryos.”

“Someone will stop you, Maya,” Cryos muttered. “My death will gain you nothing but another murder on your hands.”

“If I am ever stopped, which I doubt, it will matter little to you,” Maya said. “You will already be dead. Now, when I snap my fingers, you will jump. Jump to your doom.”

“You are a coward,” Cryos spat at her, trying to get her to relax her focus. “If you had even an ounce of real courage you wouldn’t be trying to kill me. You know that in time I could escape your control. I am stronger than you Maya, and even in
death, I will have won because you will never be able to use me again.”

“How dare you?!” Maya slapped him across the face. “You will pay for that remark, insect!”

“How?” Cryos asked sarcastically. “What are you going to do? Kill me? You were going to do that anyway.”

“You will not feel so defiant when your body is crushed into the ice below,” Maya growled. She raised her fingers and prepared to snap them.

“Stop!” Two laser shots nearly hit her. She turned to see Graveheart running at her. He had his weapons trained on her.

“Halt!” she ordered. “One more step and I order your friend here to jump! All it will take is a snap of my fingers...and I doubt you care to risk your friend’s life by trying to shoot me before I do.”

“We’re at a standoff, Maya,” Graveheart said, his weapon still trained on her. “If you force Cryos to jump, I’ll shoot you.”

“And if you shoot me, I’ll force Cryos to jump,” Maya cackled. “It all depends on who is brave enough to make the first move.”

“Cryos!” Graveheart turned to the former king. “Can’t you fight her?”

“I’ve been trying!” Cryos replied. He closed his eyes, focusing on the normally simple task of taking a few steps backward. Nothing happened.

“You have to escape her control, Cryos!” Graveheart urged, his eyes not leaving Maya. “It’s the only way for me to stop her.”

“Shoot her!” Cryos said. “It doesn’t matter if I fall, as long as she goes with me!”

“What will it be, man of Rock?” Maya taunted. “Are you going to listen to him? Are you willing to kill your friend?”

Graveheart stared at her and then at Cryos, torn.

“Shoot her!” Cryos urged.

“He won’t do it,” Maya laughed. “He can’t kill you! None of them can. Friendship is a weakness, Cryos. It is the weakness that forces your friend to stay his hand because he cannot watch you die.” She took a step towards Graveheart. “You wouldn’t stop me if you knew what I knew. Your friend has a dirty little secret that no one knows except the two of us. A little secret about  young prince and his friend Lilith. If you knew that, you would allow me to kill him. Isn’t that right Cryos?”

“You’re lying,” Graveheart said, though his blaster wavered a bit.

“Ask him, Graveheart,” Maya chuckled. “Ask him what he knows. Then you’ll see.”

Cryos was not listening to her. Maya was so caught up in taunting Graveheart that she had neglected Cryos. He closed his eyes and focused all his energy. He took three steps away from the chasm. “Shoot her, quickly!” he ordered Graveheart.

The Rock man steadied his gun and shot just as Maya prepared to snap her fingers. The shot hit her in the side. She twisted, and in twisting lost her balance. With a shrill scream she plummeted into the darkness below.

Cryos’s head snapped back as if he had been hit by a tank. He collapsed into the snow. “Cryos!” Graveheart ran to him.

“I’m-I’m all right,” he coughed out, one hand on his head. “She’s gone.” He looked up fuzzily at Graveheart. “I can’t feel her anymore.”

“She must be dead,” Graveheart murmured, looking at the chasm.

“I don’t feel her,” Cryos muttered. “But I don’t know if that means she’s dead. We can only hope.”

“We need to get back to the palace,” Graveheart decided. “I want to see if Jade’s all right.” He glanced at Cryos, who looked down guiltily. “Can you walk?”

“I don’t think so,” Cryos mumbled. “I hurt my ankle jumping down from...from Jade’s window. After all the walking I had to do, I’m not sure if I can even stand.”

“Then I’ll help you,” Graveheart decided. He lifted Cryos up and allowed the former king to lean on his shoulder. Then they began the long walk towards the palace.

Several minutes later while they were still trudging through the snow, Cryos spoke.

“Ask me, my friend.”

“Ask you what?” Graveheart was confused.

“The question that’s been written all over your face since we started walking. You want to know what Maya was talking about earlier.”

“You don’t have to tell me,” Graveheart said quickly.

“No.” Cryos sighed. “No, I do have to tell you, because I must tell someone. A burden can only be carried alone for so long. Now, listen to me, and listen well. I have a story for you....”