The pilot of the freighter, Jarl, proved to be nonhostile once the Guardians bona fides were established. He shipped water to a ecologically damaged world, Ornivus 4, and was willing to bargain with the Guardians. In return for our help on another world, he promised water and a new shuttle for the Odyssey. The Guardians agreed.
The problem faced by the natives were a family of encroaching aliens. These 'dragon', around six in number, were eating the natives. Little was known about where the dragons came from or how intelligent they were. The Guardians were to defeat, persuade, or otherwise convince the dragons to stop. The planet itself had no real weapons or warriors, as a civil war had crippled their culture. A defense shield was in place, so the Guardians, after some discussion, decided to bring down shuttle instead of the Odyssey.
Crocodile, Desist, and Entropy visited the freighter. They established that the atmosphere was safe for terrans and close approximations thereof. The gravity difference was noticeable, though not crippling. The three Guardians advised a gradual change of gravity and temperature on the Odyssey to acclimate the Guardians. As the ships traveled toward the beleaguered planet, they shared information on space, pirates, planets, and other data of interest. The Guardians described the recent battles, including the one with the Pan dimensional hyperslime from Osiris 7. They talked about setting up a memorial on the Odyssey to commemorate Sindar's sacrifice, but soon realized building a memorial for every time Sindar died would bankrupt the Guardians within three months. Furthermore, erecting even small statues would blanket 75% of the earth's surface by 1997.
While journeying to the planet, Sindar rematerialized on Jars' ship. Before long, he was reunited with the Guardians. The journey continued. At last the ships reached the planet. The Guardians assembled some defenses on the Odyssey to protect it from intrusion, then took the shuttle down. They talked to the native leaders about the problem and what had been done so far. They then journeyed with a guide to an outpost that had been attacked before. Quiasar carried the wagon, Guardians, and guides on his force platform to save time. The Guardians used the remaining daylight to investigate the habitation and prepare for battle. As most of the village was underground, the Guardians decided to keep a patrol topside to look out for attacks.
Entropy set up watches, trying to pair those comfortable with night patrol with daytime personnel. Sindar was excluded from watch as he was not sufficiently trustworthy. During the second watch, with DD and WL standing guard, a whirring noise was heard. DD sounded the alarm then flew out to meet the intruders. One dragon landed in the herd pens, the others attacked DD as he attempted to communicate. The natives fled as the cry "Guardians gather" echoed throughout the land. DD joined the rest of the Guardians as the three dragons attacked.
The Guardians split up, with the bulk of the team attacking Ringnet. Despite his ability to restore his armor, he weakened rapidly. Doctor Desist mind controlled Ice Age into leaving, but the dragon in the herdpen came to help his family. Quiasar, fighting Fang, bravely leaped onto his back and attempted to drive his weapon (spear) into his body. Fang tossed him off, and Quiasar jumped up again. Quiasar attempted to negotiate with Fang and ended up being mind controlled into helping. That fact was not readily apparent, as Fang was the only one to get the point. The lance never came near Entropy, and Desist easily broke the spell.
Ringnet was knocked out and Ice Age returned. Fang was taken out and Digger was hurt badly and downed. Ringnet revived. The two conscious dragons left, tracked by Desist and Entropy. The remaining Guardians attempted the restrain the captives. They piled a gigantic pile of sand on the dragons, pinning their wings. They then waited. After the dragons regained consciousness, Crocodile and Quiasar played out a dialogue to intimidate them. Crocodile in particular made sure he had Fang's ear. Desist and Entropy watched the fleeing dragons as they stopped, then waited. Eventually the two big dragons came. With Desist's universal translator, they heard the message. If the Guardians did not attack, the dragons would talk.
When the dragons arrived, a long diplomatic session began. Quiasar proposed a division of territory, with the natives providing the dragons with food. The dragons agreed to a truce period in which the Guardians would talk to the planet's leaders. Relocation was never discussed, no were any threats leveled. The Guardians released their prisoners and the dragons left. Both Crocodile and Entropy warned Quiasar that his treaty couldn't work. The dragons would cause to great a strain on resources for the planet and people to bear. Quiasar, however, persevered with an enthusiasm that stunned his teammates.
Quiasar called a planetary council, gathered the members from throughout the world, and rammed through his peace proposal. He insisted that the councilors talk to the dragons head to head. At the end of the truce period, he rounded them up and took them to meet the dragons. Even before the meeting started, problems began. Desist took Quiasar aside and warned him that the treaty wouldn't hold. The dragons would still eat people. The meeting itself went badly. The councilors remained split and the dragons were stubborn. Despite Quiasar's unbelievable dedication and special effects, the talks broke down. The councilors fled and the battle began again.
Quiasar was struck, starting the fight. Sindar went down almost immediately. The Guardians had put so much effort into peace that they had never discussed battle plans, a rather careless oversight. Entropy and White Leopard teamed up on Digger, downing him quickly. Fang mind controlled Crocodile, who methodically shot at Quiasar and Shadow Knight. Desist mind controlled the dragon father, Clause, and had him order his family to leave. Most did so. The Guardians attacked Clause, but accomplished surprisingly little. The family soon returned, and Entropy was hit hard. Desist controlled both parents and repeated his strategy. The dragons left, leaving the downed Digger.
A heated discussion broke out about tactics. Entropy, Quiasar, and White Leopard favored attempting to exile or further negotiate with the dragons, while the rest chose killing Digger. Sindar used his gravity abilities on his helpless captive, taking it high in the atmosphere, where it could be dropped. Digger revived before Sindar had completed his fatal intentions and a battle broke out. The rest of the Guardians heard Sindar's guarantee that he would kill the dragon, then silence...
It could have happened that way, but it didn't. Entropy was able to keep the debate going long enough for a warning to come from Desist. The dragons were headed back. Surprisingly, the debate raged on for another minute, showing the group's current lack of unity. Entropy, despite major verbal opposition, managed to get the Guardians in formation.
White Leopard and Quiasar went in front. Their job was to remain standing while the dragons pounded at them. SK and Entropy would flank. Crocodile and Sindar would fire at a safe distance. Desist would use hit and run tactics, concentrating on keeping fallen dragons down. Entropy listed the priority dragons, with Fang being #1. Until Fang was down, Entropy asked that universal translators remain off. While Crocodile remained very proud of his Guardian killer rifle, Entropy insisted on him switching weapons. Crocodile took the WAR BLASTER, and Entropy returned to his rifle.
The plan suffered a severe blow when the annoyed dragons concentrated on DD. He went down seconds after assuring the team he was in fine shape. The Guardians retaliated, knocking down all the young dragons, but failed to down IceAge. Unfortunately, while no one could wake Desist, the young dragons revived. Quiasar remained safe, but WL had her armor smashed faster than she could renew it. When Digger forced Sindar to retreat, the Guardians faced defeat.
It was Shadow Knight that saved the day. He drove Excalibur into a weak point of Clause, felling him. That massive blow turned the battle around. Sindar returned and Crocodile was able to revive Desist. Before long, WL had recovered and only Fang and IceAge were still fighting. Digger revived and attempted to surprise SK, only to be foiled by the cunning Sindar. Sindar, unable to harm Fang or IP, had wisely hung back and watched the stunned dragons. As Digger charged, a burst of flame sent him back to sleep. The fight was interrupted by hailstones landing in the area. The Guardians quickly realized that Jarl's ice delivery had gone astray.
The Guardians retreated into the compound and waited. While resting, they decided to issue their ultimatum now. The dragons had taken cover nearby. The Guardians went out when the storm was over and told the dragons their options. The dragons agreed to abide by treaty. Peace was established. The Guardians said goodbye to the people of the planet. Jarl gave the Guardians water and a new fancy shuttle, complete with instruction manual. The people gave the Guardians gifts, along with some cryptic instructions.
