Characteristic

Cost

END

Cost

2

Cost

Cost

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

10

0

17

8

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

6

10

10

10

10

15

15

20

10

20

1

1

1

1

1

10

5

10

April 3, 1998
The Wild Ride
It wasn't that they were being pursued by any enemy fleet, but rather, the pilot of the Fast Transit Frigate "Death's Cold Grip" just liked to test his skills by dodging asteroids in the local system's belt. He was no coward, but he was assigned to the Navy. Well, perhaps he could get transferred to the much vaunted scouts if he could prove his mettle and his courage. No one on the bridge so much as flinched through the skim over the ice rings of the gas giants, and neither did they as they weaved and dodged through the asteroids.

Yet in the Cargo Packet 14, Dod Zondir (pronounced in English Doad Sounder), sat uncomfortably. The gravity compensation was clearly not as responsive as the drive controls, so he was jostled to the left, right, up, and down to varying degrees in innumerable combinations. Of course, he didn't really understand what gravity compensation was or drive controls. He didn't even know that he was many light years away from Thirdrise Pond. But the second priest had told him that the demons had chosen him so that the gods might live.

Perhaps he was in hell. It was dark and slightly dry and slightly cold. He was locked in a metal room. Occasionally a demon would bring him water and dead food. The food didn't even look like food and definitely did not sense like food. It tasted bad, too. It lacked the crunchiness and fibrousness of real food; it didn't pop in his mouth so that he could taste the inner juices; and it did not wriggle around nicely while he chewed. And now he was being shaken about. He felt like throwing up. Dod wondered what he did to deserve to be in hell under the torment of demons.

"Enough of that, pilot," the captain roared on the bridge. "The army is encountering resistence including psionicism, so the cargo is of priority. Take us atmospheric and drop cargo."

"Aye, sir!" the pilot barked back. He despised the captain as a navy lifer, but it was only through him that the pilot would get the transfer. He had to tread the fine line of value to the captain and honor to himself. He turned up and then headed in towards the blue, white, and green third world around the yellow star. As "Death's Cold Grip" appoached planetary orbit, he reversed the thrust and dropped the destroyer into the thin upper atmosphere. The payload officer tapped on his pad as the targeting lights illuminated, dropping the cargo packets in pairs sequentially over target zones 18, 22, 23, 1, 2, 6, 9, 10, and 16.

Suddenly a webbing clamped down on Dod in Cargo Packet 14. In a minute, he felt the worst feeling of his life. It felt as if there was no such thing as ground and his ill-tasting lunch came back to haunt him. He didn't know how hell could be worse, but it was. The entire room began to become warm and it began to get uncomfortably so. Then the world turned completely black as Dod lost consciousness.

April 4, 1998
A World of Gods and Monsters
Dod awakened with a shudder. There were sounds outside, clearly of conflict. But he could see nothing--it was too dark--and could only feel the webbing that held him. Surprisingly, he could sense something, something much stronger than food.

He kicked at the webbing, but could not get out, it was too elastic. Feeling with his hands, Dod eventually found some hard stubs to which the webbing was attached and kicked at one. It was not easy because of the webbing, but the third kick damaged the stud enough to release part of the webbing. In a minute, he kicked off enough of them to wiggle free.

Nearby, he heard alien shouting like nothing on Qliq that he knew. Sure it was a muffled shout, but he knew that it must be close. And he could hear demon shouting as well. Suddenly, he was tossled around in the demon prison as something had surely picked it up. The walls began to slowly converge and Dod knew that he would be crushed shortly. Examining the demon prison, Dod kicked here and there with both feet, but without much success. And yet, the crushing stopped and more shouting occurred.

A wall shuddered and water dripped in. It shuddered again and the wall peeled away.

Light poured into the demon prison and it took a few seconds before Dod could see. Before him, atop a column of water, stood something. An alien god or monster it seemed it must be. It commanded the water to grasp at Dod, but Dod squirmed and evaded the grasp, landing on the light green dry grass that populated this arid land.

A red bolt of energy struck the water god/monster, the source of which was the stick that the demon held pointed at him. The water god/monster fell to the ground, his water splashing about the ground. Seeing Dod, the demon pointed at another alien god/monster standing nearby in red clothing shaking its head as if something were wrong with it.

Dod remembered what the demon commanded him to do each time that it brought him dead food -- walk toward whomever a demon pointed at and then do nothing. If these things were fighting against the demons, then they must be gods, not monsters. The demon clearly was not expecting Dod to kick him. Even more, the demon seemed supremely surprised that Dod kicked him into the demon prison. Dod declared in demon-tongue, "Demons hold no sway over me."

He kicked the demon prison closed and kicked the wall back up and closed. Another alien god, who had astonishingly defeated another demon in one-on-one combat yelled something to Dod in his alien tongue. Yet Dod knew the god had yelled something good to Dod and was not yelling AT Dod. This god went to the one in red and they talked. The water god stood up, gathering the water from the mud commanding the water to squeeze the demon prison just slightly more -- enough to seal it well, but not enough to kill the demon.

The dirt that was mud revealed that there was food. Surely the food looked different than that which he was accustomed to. The food wiggled and walked on multiple legs; they had antennae and exoskeletons and were the right size. Strangely, though, he could not sense the food. But he was hungry and it was not dead, so he bent down and ate some. And surprisingly, it even tasted good.

March 13, 2004

Holding his top hat with the tip of his cane, Dod Zondir pulled his cape back as he stepped into the room. He already knew what was going to happen, so there was no anxiety at all. Frank Franco, the famous movie director sat at his desk, his fingers tapping nervously on the darkly stained oak. He stood up to shake Dod's gloved hand then stuttered slightly, "M-mmister Sounder. I-ii greatly appreciate all that you've done for me. But now that you've caught Mindplay and got him convicted, well, I no longer have a stalker to contend with. My accountants say that I've already kept you on retainer for six months longer than necessary, so I have to let you go."

"Not worry, Mizder Franco," Dod replied. He walked to the large terrarium at the back of the room and caught ten or so ants. "You haff been good bozz. I find another."

As Dod bit down, releasing the tasty juices from the squirming bugs, Mr. Franco handed him three things and said, "I'd like you to have the terrarium, please Dod. And the one at the studio. But here. Here is a severence pay check. I told my accountant that I would see you leave with no less than three month's pay. Here are two business cards. The first is for a stuntwork agency, I'm friends with the VP of Human Resources there and could put in a good word. Some of your skills would let you fit right in there.

"But, I'd like you to consider the second card. When I was working at MGM two years ago, a couple of fellows by the name of Bowman and Gold saved me and my crew once. I hear that they've been looking for talented folk and I think you've definitely got more than most. I hope you consider it. It'll be dangerous work, but so was protecting me from Mindplay. And I know that you have a certain sensibility in you for it."

Dod held the second card for a few minutes, studying it. He finally put it in his pants pocket and replied, "Dank you Mizder Franco, I might look up Mizder Gorld."

Created by Neil Ma; modified by Rob Rogers

Mister Toad is suspected by some to be a meta-Qliq. In addition to the natural Qliq abilities of anti-psionicism, honed by his work as a mindguard to various celebrities and businessmen, he is incredibly fast and strong. In an effort to become a mind and body guard, he has learned a variety of skills that have allowed him to deal with superhuman assailants. He has learned Kung Fu and has adapted it toward his own capabilities.

A Qliq, Dod looks a lot like a frog standing on two legs. He has big bulbous eyes, a large mouth, and slimy-looking skin. He likes to dress stylishly, often wearing a suit or tuxedo.