Mo'o 'Ala- The Mighty Primate King

''This is a reiteration of the classic tale of Dragon Ball in a new light. The terrain of the world is now an archipelago, not dissimilar to that of Polynesia, Indonesia, and the Hawai'ian islands.''

Ra Makimaki, the Monkey King
A bright sun shone over a warm beach as a gentle breeze blew through the palm trees' leaves. Except for lush, tropical greenery, clear turquoise waters, and pale white sands, the strip of land was barren, all except for one boy. This boy was none of ordinary blessings. Despite being noticeably young, thin, and short, the boy held quite a bit of power, equal to that of ten ordinary men at just his young age. As attest to his marvels, the boy is now returning to his lone home on his lonely island with a feast fit for himself, an entire giant oyster, both larger and heavier than himself, which he lifts above his head with ease.

Even with his great strength, the boy was not average for another reason. He would never be able to hide amongst a crowd, for he possessed a fifth appendage, a long, black tail, quite like that of the howler monkeys seen quite often on the islands in the archipelago.

It was this boy that would someday become a savior of the entire world, and perhaps even more. For this boy, of no ordinary blessings, has gone down in myths and legends. For he is known by all who have heard of him as Ra Makimaki, the Monkey King.

As Ra continued, carrying his prize back to his small hale(1), he noticed a shift in the air. There was a presence, the feeling that something was about to happen.

"Ho! Is anybody there?" Ra called out, looking behind him. He wasn't met with an answer, so cautiously, he continued back to his home. The hale was little more than a thatch hut made from pili grass and supported by a low wood-frame structure. Inside was only a mud floor and a small grass rug bearing most of Ra's possessions. On it were a few wood awls armed with serrated shark teeth, grass rope, a basalt pestle, a small wood 'Olo(2), and his greatest possession of all, a clear yellow stone with four red stars in it given to him by his late grandfather. Young Ra, after putting down his oyster, sat down cross-legged on the bare ground before the stone.

"Hey, Grandpa, I found a whole oyster today!" Ra said towards the stone, his head bent down and his eyes closed. Ever since the day he died, Ra spoke to the stone of his grandfather, believing there to be some connection in it. It was in these moments that the young boy, all alone, felt that his grandfather was still there, that he wasn't alone.

This peace was soon cut abrupt, however. In the distance, towards the beach, a deafening sound broke the still silence that always blanketed the tiny island of Ra Makimaki. The water could be heard being chopped around as a chugging sound similar to thousands of mini explosions neared the beach.

"I-It was nice talking to you, Grandpa!" Ra exclaimed, grabbing the 'Olo and dashing out of the hut. Through the trees, the cause of the sound could not be seen, yet it all the same could be heard. Ra dashed through the trees, reaching incredible speeds as he dodge one palm trunk after another. He then broke the treeline and was running on soft white sands. The source of the cacophony was soon revealed, as a small, thin, sail-less boat zoomed towards the beach at impossible speeds.

"Wh-What kind of boat is that?!" exclaimed Ra, not believing his eyes. The sea-craft was faster than any canoe or outrigger that his grandfather had shown him, and this one didn't even have a sail. As the craft was rapidly speeding towards the beach, Ra received a better look at it. The boat was shiny and white, clearly not made of wood. It was manned by just one figure, a thin, weak-looking person, who wasn't even rowing the craft, much less being able to row at all. In seconds, the boat was at the shore. The figure that came out was incredibly thin for someone of their height, and a little weird looking. He was more curved, almost slender, with long hair. The figure wore weird clothing: a red cloth that came around their entire torso and arms, blue tough-looking leggings that were separated down the middle, and wood pads under their feet. He took off the wooden pads and rolled up the sleeves of the blue leggings to below his knees before hopping out of the strange boat. He then began wading towards the shore.

"Who are you?!" Ra called out, alarmed. He had not seen another person since his grandfather died. There was no answer. The figure merely took something out of a fold in their robe and looked at it as they continued through the surf.

Ra hesitated. In his entire life, the only person he had ever seen on the island was his grandpa. Other than that, save for the monthly trips they would take to a nearby village on another island via outrigger, Ra was completely deprived of interaction with other people. He had no idea what this stranger wanted, whether he came with good or bad intentions. His grandpa had taught Ra many things, though, and of those things was how to be a warrior. Even without a weapon, the child could fight. And fight he would, for if this person came to take his island, young Ra would do whatever it would take to defend his only home.

"Fine, if you won't talk, then I'll let fists do the talking!" Ra shouted, puffing out his chest. He summoned the courage and pride of the warrior, the way Grandpa had taught him, and lowered his stance, ready to charge. The intruder did not seem to notice and only walked forward, continuing to stare intently at whatever it was they brought out from their robes. Not waiting for a reply, though, Ra charged. The surf splashed around him as he ran faster than anyone could think possible towards this unknown person, foreign to his island. With his head ducked down and his eyes closed, Ra was blind to his surroundings. However, as he neared his target, Ra looked, expecting to see a villain ready to fight back. What he saw instead, however, shocked him. He stopped dead in his tracks, or tried to, and ended up slipping in the waist high warm waters that surrounded the coast of his island.

Before young Ra Makimaki was no highway man or foreign soldier, at least not any that matched what Ra could imagine what one looked like. The figure, both taller and slenderer than Ra, and presumably older, did not look like a man. He had no tattoos marking his passage into manhood, that even Ra had at such a young age. He bore none of the bulk that was to be expected of a wayfarer of the ocean; his arms looked to be as thin as Ra's tail. His body was curvier, with two lumps on his chest where defined pecs should be. It was weird to see how he covered his body in such weird garments, as if they were constricting around him. They looked stiff and hard, restricting movement. The figure's face had softer features, thinner eyebrows, kinder eyes, more pronounced lips. This man, or boy, was no warrior or pirate, at least not a successful one. Yet he came from such a weird boat, now that Ra had an even better look at it. It was too wide to be a canoe, and had no oars. Instead, it had a wheel mounted to the inside of the front and a black box at the end. It was made of no material that Ra had ever seen, with a white outside that shone brighter than the dead corals that washed up onto his beach. There was a band of some transparent substance in the front of it, as if a billion sand crystals were melded into one long, thin one. Yet the boat was not what stole Ra's breath, it was the man. This person perplexed the young child, he had never imagined a person could look like this.

"Where did you come from?" a voice came from the figure. It was much higher, with a lighter tone, and a different accent, than that of Ra's. Yet even though he could hear the figure's words, it was an entire different thing to understand them, in the state that Ra was left in by the figure's mere voice.

"Hello? Can you understand me?" asked the figure again, a little less startled. The boy had appeared out of nowhere, after all.

"Wh-Who are you?" asked Ra, snapping out of his trance. His gaze had fixed upon the mounds on this man's chest, as if they were coconuts or smooth breadfruit.

"Oh, I-I'm Palema'i. I'm sorry to intrude, I thought this island was deserted," came the answer of this stranger.

"It's alright, besides me, no one lives here," replied Ra. Even then, he was still transfixed on just how different this person was.

"Really? How come you're all by yourself?" he asked.

"My grandpa once lived here with me, but he's dead now. I live here alone," said Ra. He felt that he could trust this person, and besides, this was the first person that Ra had spoken to in years. He savored every second of it.

"Oh, I'm sorry.." the figure replied, looking down.

"It's alright, but, I have a question," Ra said to this person.

"Yeah?"

"Why do you look so weird?"

"What do you mean?" asked the figure, shocked.

"You don't look like any person I've ever seen. You're much thinner, and you look softer, and bumpier," Ra told the figure. His isolation had deprived the young Ra of much refinery, including manners and basic social interaction.

"Well, obviously. That's because I'm a girl," replied the figure.

"Wait, you're a g-girl?!" exclaimed Ra. Being sheltered as a child had not only deprived the young boy of certain social skills, he also had never seen a member of the opposite gender before. He had, of course, heard of girls, yet he had never seen one. "Well, duh. Wait, have you never seen a girl before?" asked Palema'i.

"No, the last time that I left this island was many years ago," started Ra. "Back when my grandpa lived with me, we would sometimes leave the island to go to a city close by. I was really young then, and I don't remember it much though."

"So that means you've been pretty much void of social interaction for almost your entire life, huh?" the stranger asked.

"Yeah, you could say that. I've been fine, really. The island is great!" Ra exclaimed. Despite being alone for several years, he could still look upon his years of solitude happily. The boy was so light-hearted in nature, he was as equally light in the head. Ignorance is bliss, after all.

The two youths' conversation was soon interrupted, however, as a great rumbling sound, much more powerful than Palema'i's boat, loomed in the distance. The outline of a gigantic boat could be seen over the horizon, infinitely larger than the small motorboat as if it stood out as an island of its own.

"What is that?!" Ra exclaimed. The boy had been virtually undisturbed on his peaceful island for many years, yet on this one strange, eventful day, he meets not only another human being, who is also of the opposite sex, but he catches sight of a boat that seemed to tower over any monster that could inhabit the ocean.

"That ship, that's a war ship! We need to hide!" Palema'i exclaimed. If even this mysterious city girl who seemed to know everything was afraid, then Ra seemed to have every reason to be afraid as well.

"We can go into my hut! It's very deep in the palm forests!" offered Ra. He began to dash off, yet as he looked back to make sure his new acquaintance was following him, he realized she was around a hundred meters behind him.

"C'mon, what's taking you so long?" Ra called out.

"How did you run that fast? You're a freak!" Palema'i shrieked. Just then, Ra Makimaki's tail, which had been wrapped around his waist as if it were a belt, un-winded and stood out. "Is-Is that a tail?!" she exclaimed.

"What? You don't have one?" Ra asked, puzzled. He hadn't noticed this character's lack of a lower appendage; he had simply assumed it as such a basic part of a human's body. It may have crossed him that perhaps she had it hidden somewhere, but apparently that was not the case.

The rumbling from the beach soon came to halt as the mighty ship docked off shore. The massive boat was over four times as tall as the tallest palm trees, clad mightily in gray steel. Long pipes jetted out of each side menacingly, as if they were prepared to attack at a moment's notice.

"Are you coming or not?!" Ra shouted out one final time. Palema'i stood stuck in her tracks, cowering. Finally, she made up her mind. She started sprinting after Ra, though at a noticeable slower pace.

Ra waited until she reached him before continuing to run, at a slower pace so she could keep up with him, though. However, he was still way faster than the girl.

As they continued running, a small break in the trees signaled the location of Ra's hut. The ramshackle mud and thatch structure stood their unimpressively. As Ra went towards the hut, though, his new friend was less than impressed with the actuality of Ra's home.

"That's it? This is your hut? How are we supposed to hide in this?!" Palema'i exclaimed. The dingy mud hale was nothing to behold, almost unnoticeable if someone wasn't looking for it.

"Maybe they won't spot it. It's a little hard to see from afar," Ra replied.

"I am not going in there.There's gotta be a better place on this tiny island," she retorted back.

"C'mon, if you wanna hide, this is the best place you've got!" Ra said, trying to persuade her. Other than the white beaches, the palm forests that surround the island, and a small rocky hill towards the center, there was nothing else on Ra's island. The only hiding to be done was in plain sight.

"No, I'm going towards the center. There could be some caves or rocks to hide behind," she said.

"No, there isn't! Come back!" Ra shouted at her. But the girl wouldn't listen to him, she simply kept running to the hills. The massive ship could be seen through the small forest, and more urgently, a small dinghy could be seen making its way towards the shore from the ship. On it were four menacing looking men, clad in green armor. These people wore militant masks and looked nothing like Ra's earlier visitor.

Rather than make a break for his hut, though, as he was planning to, he decided to go back after Palema'i. If these people were truly as bad as Palema'i made them seem to be, then Ra didn't want anything bad to happen to her. He rushed up to the hill and in no time found her huddled in a rocky crevice, shielded from sight by just one large boulder.

"So you decided to join me after all?" spat Palema'i.

"Those people are coming onto the island and they'll find you here. Why don't you just fight them?" asked Ra.

"Fight them?" she asked, bewildered. "They have guns, kid. I'm just a girl, I can't fight," she said.

"What's a gun?" Ra asked.

"You're truly hopeless, kid," Palema'i replied back.

"I'll fight them, then. They can't be that strong," said Ra, radiating confidence.

"You? You're just a puny kid!" she exclaimed.

"You saw what I can do. If that's not normal, then I guess they can't do it either, then. I've been trained in Lua(3), after all," replied Ra. Something about this strange tailed youth seemed both menacing and humorous, and relatively powerful. An air of confidence shrouded him, but not to the extent of arrogance. This balance of powers that was Ra Makimaki was not something to be overlooked. Even to Palema'i, who doubted the boy, had some glimmer of hope that he could beat these people.

Whether Ra could defeat these people in battle or not no longer mattered, though, as the sound of oncoming footsteps through the sand signaled the approach of the soldiers. Ra Makimaki braced himself, ready to defend his island from intruders, for real this time.

Out of the trees, the footsteps ended as six soldiers, clad head to toe in green camouflage armor and armed with guns, entered the center of the island.

The Ancient Technique of Lua
Ra Makimaki stared down his opponents, six soldiers of foreign origin bearing arms on his island. According to his new acquaintance Palema'i, these men were evil and to be feared. The boy heeded these warnings, and despite holding no weapons of his own, faced the intruders down, ready to fight.

Instead of gunfire, though, the first exchange between the two parties was of words.

"We mean no harm, native. Turn over the girl and we won't attack," said one of the men.

"Why should I?" asked Ra.

"She is a violator of the Non-Crossing Agreement between our two nations. We merely mean to take her into custody for due process of the law," said the same soldier. As their faces were hidden with masks, Ra could see no sign of emotion from these men. They were staggeringly tall, especially to Ra as he was merely a child.

Ra exchanged a questioning glance with Palema'i, and knew right away that these men were telling the truth. Before he could speak, though, Palema'i butted in. "You soldiers are violating the Native Rights Treaty yourselves, though, docking a ship of war on an un-allied island."

"We're following orders, kid, and you're breaking our laws. I suggest you turn yourself in or else we'll have to hurt you and your friend," said the same soldier again.

"Why are we bargaining with children? Just take the girl already," advised one of the soldiers to his Captain.

"Silence, Sergeant," said the first one. "Are you surrendering or not? The United Haole(4) Nations does not compromise with foreign civilians."

"I don't know what it is you're talking about, but you're not taking anyone away! Now beat it, or else I'll fight you myself," said Ra, interrupting the militants.

"Alright kid, we're through messing around!" shouted the Sergeant. He loaded his gun and fired a round of bullets at the young boy. Ra had only enough time to react to throw his arms up over his face in an attempt to shield himself from this strange device. The impact of the bullets, though, smack into Ra, toppling him over. This happened so fast that at first the soldier thought he had killed the boy. However, the bullets hadn't even pierced the incredibly resilient boy's skin, rather they had merely bounced off his arms.

"Ow, ..what the heck was that?" stammered Ra, pulling himself up off the ground.

"Wh-How did you survive a gunshot at point blank?!" exclaimed the soldier, bewildered. "Well, however you did it, you'll have to do it again!" he said, reloading the gun. He quick-scoped at the boy, yet soon realized that his target was not in his line of sight. Before the soldier could ask where he went, though, he was silenced by a striking blow to the jaw. The soldier was blown off his feet backwards, yet he was caught before he hit the ground by the back of his neck.

Ra Makimaki showed no mercy in fighting his opponent. The martial art of Lua was known to be savage and bone-breaking, and Ra showed just that in his usage of it. He preceded to slam the soldier into the ground face first, with the accompanying sound of neck bones breaking. The hapless soldier was left there, his blood turning the sand red, at the feet of this native boy.

"What kind of monster is he?! Open fire!" commanded the Captain. The five soldiers took aim at the kid and released several rounds from their machine guns, yet this time, the shots took no affect. Ra was like a rock, the bullets like a mere rain. He simply faced the other soldiers while standing at their comrade's corpse.

"Take your friend's body and leave this island forever. I will not warn you twice," he warned.

"The UHN never surrenders," replied the Captain.

"Then you leave me no choice," the young warrior replied. He made no haste as he made his way towards the soldiers as they continued to open fire on him. The first went down with a solid kick to the knee, causing it to bend backwards in a way it wasn't supposed to. A heel to the throat finished him off. Ra made use of his small stature, kicking the next soldier out from under him and meeting his falling figure with a punch with enough force to shatter his skull. One of the soldiers, realizing this was the end, tried to escape into the woods, yet Ra was on him before he could reach the first tree. The soldier tried firing at him again, which was also to no avail. Ra disarmed him with a hook to the shoulder followed by a chop at the side of the neck. He hit a pressure, point, rendering his neck and shoulder useless. The soldier tripped and fell, only to have his neck broken under Ra's punishing foot.

Two more of the invaders were left, and these ones were not cowards like the last. One pulled out a small round object, pulled a pin out of it, and chucked it towards the murderous boy. Ra caught it, but he realized its intended use too late. The grenade exploded, blasting Ra backwards in a cloud of smoke. As the dust settled, it was revealed that Ra was only slightly dazed and got back up to finish his opponents. They tried more grenade, yet Ra easily avoided these ones. One, however, he did not avoid, and sent back to its receiver with a light tap from his tail. It exploded midair, the explosion reaching only the first soldier and knocking back the second. The first soldier lay there, dead, his blood and vitals draining out onto the sand in the mild tropical weather. The other one, the Captain, got back up. Shrapnel from the explosion had pierced his armor in various locations, breaking his skin as blood oozed from his wounds. He brushed dust off his uniform and put his gun down.

"So, you know the ancient fighting technique of your people.. Lua. I've killed a few disciples of the art in the War, but never have I seen any man with your abilities, much less a kid. I know no firearms can hurt you, so why not we settle this with hand-to-hand combat?" the Captain said. He lifted his arms and put up a weak fighting stance. Ra caught the Captain's bluff; there was no way this man could have any intention to fight him with any expectation to win. Yet Ra wasn't the type to over think things, and he put up his stance as well. Out of good humor, Ra let the military Captain have the first swing, a weak right thrust aimed at Ra's head. The boy dodged it easily and shuffled to the side. The militant tried another punch, this time Ra parried the blow. Ra then went on the offensive, lunging out at the Captain's face. He instinctively put up an arm to defend, which proved to be the wrong move. Ra shattered the man's forearm with one hit, leaving the Captain on his knees, crying in pain.

"In a child's match this would be your loss as you're on the ground, and seeing that you fight like one too, I'll let you leave if you promise to never return," Ra said, announcing his victory. The old man was broken and bitter, and with one arm, there was no way he could do what five of his men couldn't do together.

"Th-The UHN never surrenders," he muttered through gritted teeth, facing down.

"What was that?" asked Ra, having already turned his back on his opponent.

"THE UHN NEVER SURRENDERS!" he shouted, a war cry. He pulled out a pocket knife from a holster on his leg with his one good hand and charged Ra. The boy had only to duck to evade the incoming attack. He squeezed between his legs and rolled out the other side. The Captain tripped and fell straight in the sand. He moved no more. Ra went over to his opponent to find that he was no longer breathing. Rolling him over, Ra saw that his knife had plunged deep into his heart, and instant kill. The wound was nearly bloodless, just a trickle from the sides.

Palema'i, still cowering behind the stone as she had after the first shot, slowly peaked out to see the bodies of all six of the soldiers. She had never believed it was truly possible, yet this kid had single-handedly wiped out an entire Haole envoy. However, she didn't have much time to marvel at the kid's incredible fighting abilities. Only six soldiers had been killed, and a whole battleship remained docked in the harbor.

Ra Makimaki stared down at the work of his hands, the corpses of six men. He had never killed a man before, yet his grandpa had shown him how if he had to. He had never imagined the feeling to be quite like this, but he hadn't had many options. Their deaths were a price to pay for invading his home and showing the intent to kill him too. Yet these men, they were really just dogs taking orders; they had fought to the death for something they cared about. They at least deserved to be buried, perhaps not a traditional burial, but at least be put in the ground.

Ra began to dig six holes in the ground, one for each soldier.

"What are you doing?" Palema'i asked him. "We've got to get out of here, more are bound to be on the way."

"They at least deserve to be buried," Ra replied. Having dug the holes deep enough for the soldiers to be buried, Ra began to lay the first one in his grave. He then scooped the dirt back over the hole, forever entombing his body in the ground.

As he proceeded with the the other soldiers, Palema'i grew increasingly impatient. "Just leave them! We have to go!"

"You can go if you want, I'm staying right here," Ra replied.

"You may be able to kill some of them, but you can't fight a ship," Palema'i told him.

"We'll see about that."

On the Haole battleship, the deaths of the first envoy were soon noticed by the ship's officers.

"We have now confirmed the disappearances of each operative's life energy to be their deaths, with all probability to be caused by the two other sources on the island," said one officer.

"I've reevaluated the energy levels for one of the sources. He appears to be a young male native with an energy level of 17. During his presumed skirmish with our envoy, though, his energy level shot up significantly several times, maxing at a level of 103," said another. "What do you plan on doing, Admiral Caeruleum?"

"...Train missiles on the island. Prepare another envoy 13 strong. I will lead this one," said a shadowy figure. Raising from his chair, he stood taller than his subordinates, with high cheek bones, piercing blue eyes, and blond hair.

"Yes, sir. Right away," replied his officers, bowing to him.

"There'll be no obstacle in the way of my goals," said the fierce Admiral, staring intently out the view dock of the battleship's control room. Below him he saw the bow of his ship, decked with artillery and cannons, manned by the nation's top seamen. Beyond that was a small stretch of the crystal blue waters that were famous in this part of the world, lapping gently at the white sand shore with an occasional larger wave. He looked coolly at the tiny island before him; this was one of the islands that were un-mapped, one of the countless infinity of pebbles dotting the mighty seas. This Admiral cared not for this tiny island, or that some native punk had the ability to kill six soldiers of the UHN with ease. This Admiral was famed for his brutality and strength, for he had learned in the ways of his own people's fighting skills and was known far and wide as the strongest fighter in all the Haole's military. Admiral Caeruleum would not be defeated on a rock in the middle of nowhere by some bottom-dwelling native. He would crush all opponents to his will.

The Admiral of the Stormy Seas
Ra had just finished burying the deceased soldiers in the sands of his island when he looked back out to the battleship. He noticed that yet another small boat was coming out from it, this one packed to the brim with men, much more than the last.

"See, kid? That's what I was talking about! C'mon, we've got to go! My boat can outrun them long enough for us to get to the nearest city!" Palema'i told the warrior. Yet Ra was not listening. Something about one of the men on that boat, the one standing tall at its brim, gave him an off-feeling. It was as if he radiated power, and Ra could feel it. He was not like the others at all. Just the sight of him made Ra's hair stand on end. He wasn't sure he could beat this guy.

"Go if you want. I'm facing this guy," the kid said.

"Listen, kid, there's thirteen of them. It's cool that you can do martial arts and all, and maybe you killed a few of them, but that doesn't mean you can take out everyone there! There's an entire Navy of them, you're just a kid in a loincloth. We've got to go!" Palema'i said, trying to persuade him.

"I don't see why you think I'm coming, this is my island. If you're just trying to use me for protection, then you're staying right here, because I'm not going anywhere," Ra replied firmly. The child had made up his mind, he'll face as many men as he had to, but he wasn't running. He wasn't leaving his island, he would defend it.

"You.. You're crazy, kid," Palema'i said.

"The name is Ra, lady. Ra Makimaki," Ra said. He realized that he hadn't told her his name. Now was as good a time as any, he guessed.

"Okay then, Ra.. You'd better know what you're doing.." said Palema'i. Despite bearing witness to Ra's incredible power, she still had no hope that he'd be able to take down these men.

Whether or not Ra was ready didn't matter, as the second envoy had just reached the shore. Staring down the two youths were thirteen highly armored men, with red camouflage rather than green, as if to signal them being a higher rank or special forces. Leading them was a tall man dressed in a standard Navy uniform rather than the full armor get up. His military-cut blond hair stood stiff in the wind as he seemed to look straight through them with piercing blue eyes. Wordlessly, he stepped from the boat onto the sand, his soldiers following them. Wherever he went, the sky seemed to darken, as if he was surrounded by a hue of a cold blue. "You have approximately ten seconds to surrender," the leader said, "but seeing that you've already defied our rule once, I doubt that you'd stop now."

"You're right about that," Ra said. Though he was nervous, he tried to act with an air of confidence amongst his opponent.

"So, you'll be defiant to the end. I'm fine with that," he said. "Men, stand at guard in case they try to escape. I'll deal with the runt alone," he commanded at his soldiers. They formed a ring around them, blocking them from the sea. Their guns were aimed inwards, ready to kill Ra or Palema'i if this battle turned south. "Before I defeat you and haul your indignant corpse back to the capital, I may as well tell you who you're facing. You stand before the great Admiral Caeruleum, the commander of every ship under UHN rule in the world. It was your misfortune to happen to mess with the wrong ship," said the Admiral.

"I don't care who you are, no one is taking me from my home. I'll die first," said Ra.

"That last part is right, boy," said the Admiral. Like that, he stood straight up, as if waiting to be hit. "C'mon boy, I'll let you take the first hit."

Ra took the offer. He charged at the man and attempted to grapple his knee to make him lose his balance. The Admiral easily sidestepped the attack.

"C'mon, is that the best you've got? I've fought with people that know you're technique, Lua. I've defeated them all," he mocked.

"I'm only getting started," Ra said. He charged again, launching himself at the Admiral's face. He went to punch him in the face, yet the Admiral beat him to it. By merely raising his hand into a fist and placing it before him, he effectively slugged Ra in the face with only the boy's own momentum. Ra crumpled down onto the ground, breathing heavily. Ra struggled to stand back up, crushed by the blow. In a traditional spar, Ra would already be defeated for falling. The Admiral showed no signs of being done with the fight, though, so Ra had no choice but to keep fighting. He realized that he was bleeding from his nose and and a gash on his forehead. This had never happened before, and Ra quickly became worried. The chances of him winning this fight dwindle by the minute.

"Do you give up?" sneered the Admiral.

"I won't lose," Ra muttered. He charged again, yet this time the Admiral wasn't playing the defensive. He leaped over the speeding boy and delivered a kick to his back midair, sending the boy crashing down. Caeruleum placed his foot over the boy's heaving body and clamped down.

"Surrender now, or I'll crush your ribs!" he threatened. Ra couldn't give a response, so the Admiral prepared to give the finishing blow.

"Wait!" came a voice. The Admiral turned to see it had been the girl, Palema'i. "W-We surrender! Take us prisoner, just please don't kill him!" Palema'i exclaimed.

The Admiral looked over this girl, another local, yet she was one of the civilized ones. Though poised to kill this whelp, he reasoned that he had no need to have this boy's blood stain his boots. They'd be better rotting in prison camps for the time being than provoking more locals to resist them. The Admiral removed his boot from the kid's near-lifeless body.

"Alright, restrain these whelps and lock them in the hold! Set course for the Mainland, we will dock at Gallia!" commanded the Admiral. Four soldiers immediately detached from the rest of the squadron, two grabbing Ra's limp body and the other two to restrain Palema'i. They were both handcuffed, with a few additional chains for Ra to account for his power even when he was knocked out. Ra was carried off into the small boat and Palema'i was ushered in. The Admiral stepped on last and gave the command to head back to the ship.

As the boat departed towards the massive, looming battleship, Ra regained consciousness just long enough to see his island growing smaller in his eyes as he got farther and farther away. No sound left his bloody lips; he couldn't make even the faintest whisper. All he saw was that he was doing something he had dreamed of doing for a long time: finally leaving the island on a journey. Some dream.

Only a God Can Save You
Ra awoke sitting against a hard, cold surface. His hands and feet were bound in chains, which given time he would probably be able to snap apart, if it were not for the feeling of being a hollow husk. He could barely make out anything beyond him except for that they were not alone. A handful of other figures sat chained to various positions on the walls of a dank cell. Most were hunched over, sleeping. Looking around, Ra saw that one figure next to him was Palema'i. Suddenly, he remembered where he was and what had happened.

They had been taken by the United Haole Nations as prisoners. Ra had been beaten utterly by the Admiral; he had never seen such brute strength.

Ra looked to his left, the side opposite of Palema'i. Sitting hunched over was an adolescent figure, not much older in appearance than Palema'i. This one wasn't asleep, just staring down at nothing, as if viewing a perpetual void. This boy, Ra was certain that he was a boy, had lighter skin like the Haoles, but not quite as light. Dark bags hung under his green eyes. His skin was stretched thin over his gaunt face; he looked to be starved. The boy must have not eaten in weeks.

This pale figure then turned his head towards Ra. Ra could see the hunger in his eyes, and the tortured soul beyond them.

"Can I help you, native?" he spat. Even the Haole prisoners of war had racial prejudices.

"What are you here for? Aren't you one of them?" Ra asked. He didn't know better than to ask questions such as that.

"A Haole? Yeah, I'm from there. Am I white? No, not entirely. I'm a fourth local," he said. "But that's enough to be seen as a monster still." Their was pain in his voice, as if terrible memories were haunting him.

"What did you do?" asked Ra. The boy gave no reply, just sat there, returning to staring blankly at the steel floor before him. Beside him, a light grunt signaled the awakening of Palema'i. She looked like a mess, with baggy eyes and drool creeping down her mouth. Her hair was disheveled and her clothes were torn up here and there.

Before Ra could say anything, he was interrupted by a rude greeting. Blinding white lights shone on from above, disrupting Ra's vision. Before he even had a chance to wonder how there could be light like this indoors, the Admiral appeared from beyond the steel bars of the cell.

"Well, I see you've regained your consciousness, boy. Good, because you're gonna want to get your first sight of the UHN. It'll be your last, as killing UHN soldiers in punishable only by death. I have only postponed your execution. Now rest up, it'll only be a few hours now," he said. With that, he went back up a stair case and shut the porthole that opened to the rest of the ship.

"We'll be entering Maelstrom now," muttered the gaunt boy next to Ra.

"What's that?" Ra asked him.

"It's an eternal storm surrounding the Haole continent. The waves can reach hundreds of feet, the currents threaten to rip any ship apart, and hurricane winds batter from every direction. Only the strongest of ships can cross it, and only the Haoles own them," he replied.

"How do you know so much?" Ra asked.

The boy sat silent once again, before clearing his throat. "Because I grew up there, on the Haole continent. I was raised as one of them."

Before Ra could think of something to say to this kid, the boat took a violent lurch to the right. Everyone was thrown to the side, with one prisoner smashing his head against the wall and falling limp.

"Yep, this is the Maelstrom alright," coughed the boy. However, a contradiction to that statement soon blared over the intercom.

"ENEMY APPROACHING. THIS IS NOT A DRILL, REPEAT THIS IS NOT A DRILL. ALL HANDS ON DECK," came the voice. Red lights began flashing along with a blaring alarm.

"An attack? Who the heck would attack a Haole battleship?!" exclaimed the boy. His question hung awkwardly in the air, unanswered in silence as the alarm and red lights suddenly stopped. The eerie quiet was soon broke with an equally eerie creaking sound. Suddenly, a large, booming sound like metal bending and crashing tore through the eardrums of the prisoners. They were met with the sensation of falling as the cell literally tore out from the side of the ship, giving them the view of the ship on fire. No enemy ship was on sight. However, their was a bright, orange glow that was somehow different than the raging flames bursting from the deck. It emanated from one source and shone brilliantly, almost like some kind of aura.

Their view was soon obstructed as they crashed down into the ocean. Seawater poured in through the iron bars, flooding the cell. The brine stung their eyes as it continued to rise in the cell. Soon the whole chamber would be submerged.

Ra took only a few seconds to react. With some struggling, he snapped his bonds and scurried over to Palema'i as the cell tumbled over end on end. He managed to snap her's as well as the cell was soon half filled. The unlucky prisoners who were at the end of the cell were stuck floating in the water, kept just a foot from the surface by their chains. Ra took one last look as he saw the boy he was talking to. He had found some sort of needle or pick and was digging furiously at the key hole on his cuffs. Just then, the cell tumbled over again, fully flooding it. Ra pulled Palema'i up and grabbed the bars. With one hand he began bending the cell open. He soon ran out of air, and with the last ounce of his strength he broke through the cell.

Luckily Ra was adept enough at swimming to loft himself and Palema'i up to the surface. They both came up sputtering and gasping for air. Ra found a plank of wood from the wreckage and swam to it with Palema'i in tow. Looking up once he had a grasp on the plank, he saw the ship. The battleship was split in half and covered in flames, even spreading the fires somehow onto the ocean. A few life boats had managed to escape, yet they were being picked off by something. Looking closer, he saw a figure surrounded by an orange glow. Ra realized that this must be the same source as the other orange light that they saw before they went below. The figure stood on an outrigger. The form, coated in muscles, paddled the craft with incredible strength, a job usually taking a full team of rowers being accomplished by one man. He made his way to another life raft. He was quickly met with gunfire, yet the bullets didn't seem to affect him. With one mighty blow, he sunk their raft and sent its crew underwater.

Just behind them, Ra heard bubbling and a gasp emerging from the water's surface. The head of the boy who had been next to Ra in the cell had just bobbed up, gasping for air.

"Come over here!" Ra called out. Following his voice, the boy paddled over to the plank to take a break from treading water. The boy, with his eyes shut tight, coughed up the salty water and heaved heavily.

"You made it out!" Ra exclaimed, short of breath himself.

"No thanks to you," muttered the boy. He did, though, forget to mention that it was Ra who bent the jail cell bars out of place.

"Sorry, I thought you had it on your own," Ra told him. "You're safe now, though."

"Safe? We're sitting ducks in the ocean, about a mile away from the strongest storm in the world, waiting to be picked off by some living flame," the boy told Ra. Just as he said that, the outrigger bearing said living flame had turned in the direction of the three survivors. The man piloting it began to make his way towards them at a fast pace.

"Well, I guess it's been nice knowing you," said the boy to Ra and Palema'i.

"Wait, we don't even know your name," Palema'i said.

"The name's Lux. Lux Hakea," he said.

"I'm Ra, and this is Palema'i," Ra said. "Well, Ra, do you believe in God? Because you're about to meet him," Lux said. Upon those words the outrigger came to a stop at the trio's floating plank. Its pilot stood above them at a staggering height, bearing incredible muscles and bathed in an orange glow. Then, as if seeing a mirage, he began to shrink. His form shrunk until he stood at about the height of a teenage boy, bearing the looks of one as well. He was clearly a local, judged by his darker, sun-weathered skin tone. Several tribal tattoos denoting manhood sprawled about his still-muscular arms and chest. The beginnings of a beard began to grow out of his chiseled chin. His eyes were drilled deep in their sockets, with each bearing an iris of gold.

"Who are you?" Lux shakily asked.

The glowing man looked down at these three children, drifting at his feet. Then a smile broke his face, and he began to laugh. "Have I been gone for so long that all mortals have forgotten who I am?" he asked in a booming voice which didn't seem to fit his now youthful body. "Fear not, keiki(5), for I mean no harm. I sensed the presence of humans imprisoned on the ship, so I decided to give these haoles a little lesson on how things are run here on Earth," he said.

"Wait, what do you mean, humans? We're all humans, even the Haoles, right?" asked Palema'i, confused.

"Ah, it seems the knowledge of history has been distorted here; the tale of the Harore has ceased to been told," replied the stranger.

"What's a Harore? Ra asked.

"Patience, young one. All questions will be answered soon. But for now, let me take us to a nearby island," said the man. The orange glow that surrounded his body began to expand, and in a flash of white light the four of them disappeared.

Blinking the light out of their eyes, they soon saw themselves to be somewhere different entirely. Narrow streets and faded, rundown houses filled their view as people milled about, some startled at the sudden appearance of four youths. These people were not Haoles, yet locals, as denoted by being the more "civilized" of the people of the islands.

"Follow me," he said, leading the group down the main street. After taking several turns, they soon found themselves overlooking a beach. "I should first at least tell you my name. My name is Maui, hero of old, who once wrangled the sun to slow the days and killed the evil serpent Tuna."

"How could you be Maui? That's just a native legend. Even if he did exist he'd be several thousand years old," replied Lux.

"I had been fathered by gods and as such I have achieved godhood. I became a deity myself and have returned to the Earth I love to protect it from its destruction," he said. "These Haoles, they don't come from Earth. They were created with Earthen clay like all the others, yet they were breathed life into on a star far away," said Maui. "One that you should know, young child," he said, addressing Ra.

"Huh? Why should I know of this place?" Ra asked, perturbed. He knew nothing of beings beyond Earth, he had lived on the planet his whole life to his knowledge.

"That is a tale for another time, for now I will continue with that of the Haole, or of their ancestral roots, the ancient Harore," Maui started.

"The Harore were an ancient people who were made by the great creator god, Kane. They were made, just as all other people out their living amongst the stars, as precursors to the chosen people, humans. Kane sought a being worthy to inhabit his paradise.

''Kane made the Harore along with another group of people, the Huawhenua, to see what was better, great intelligence or great strength. The Harore created incredible technological marvels, far greater at the peak of their civilization than anything that has appeared on this Earth. Yet with their science they polluted their planet, destroying the landscape and killing the animals that had been released into their world.''

''The Huawhenua were no better, savages that were feared for their cruelty. They killed each other just as excellently as the Harore, and the two groups soon entered into conflict. War after war between the two led to Kane eventually deciding that neither trait, intelligence or strength, was better in such raw proportions. With that he abandoned his creations, letting them eek out the rest of their living in infamy.''

''It wasn't until long after Kane had chosen the perfect beings to inhabit Earth, the true humans, that he turned his eye back onto his former creations. He soon found that in certain groups of his "experiments", these proto-humans, small groups of them had began to cherish life and tried to live peacefully, defecting from their own peers and their flaws. Prominent among them was an insurrection of the Harore. They did not enjoy the wanton wars with their Huawhenua brothers and thew protests against them. They were the most humane, and evidently the most human, of the Harore, researching ways to coexist. Their goal was never seen, though, as persecution by their own people and a great invasion of the Huawhenua led nearly to their deaths. It was then that Kane saw this group of Harore to be fit to at least enjoy a small bit of paradise. He gathered them and the other peace lovers from across the universe and planted them in a special location created by the goddess Pele, where they would not interact or cause trouble with the true humans.''

''This proved to work for a long, long time. Yet this group of Harore, now calling themselves the Haoles, had not been spared any of their kind's flawed ingenuity. They conquered all of the land that the gods had made for them and displaced the other friendly proto-humans. Having taken all of their known world, they searched for others.''

''Around a century ago, an incredulous invention that they called a steam engine. With it they finally built larger and better boats, eventually ones that would be able to cross the Maelstrom that had been created to keep them contained. They reached the true humans and polluted the world with their infamy. The rest, as you know, is history. The Haoles could not be contained."''

"Wait, so you're saying.. my people.. are aliens?" Lux asked, bewildered by the god's tale.

"More or less, but you aren't completely one of them. You're a hybrid. As all proto-humans and humans share the same DNA though they appear in different forms, they all can mate with each other. The result, though, is a creature, trapped between two worlds, being unable to choose one as their home," Maui replied.

"Gee, thanks," Lux remarked.

"Fear not, young one, you're time will come. Do not abandon faith in your lineage, for you will soon play an important part in an oncoming war," Maui told Lux, consoling him. From the look on Lux's face it was apparent that Ra did not like being patronized.

"What war? We have peace right now, and that's the only reason we're surviving," Palema'i said.

"The Haoles have upset even the gods, their wrath will be known through me. I will begin a war to set my people free, and it has been foreseen that you three will play an important part in it. Having rescued you from their cells of confinement, I will now part ways for you to do whatever you see fit to defeat the Haoles," said Maui. His form soon began to flicker and then fade, disappearing without a trace just as he had when he took them to this island.

"I don't know about you, but I think that guy was full of it. Sorry, but I'm backing out of this crazy train," said Lux. He turned to leave, completely disregarding the word of the god Maui.

"Wait! If what Maui said is true, then you have to help! Don't you hate the UHN?" Palema'i called out to him. He stopped dead in his tracks and sighed, clearly perturbed.

"Just because I hate the Haoles doesn't mean I'm any local!" he shouted, turning towards them. Sighing, he added, "And if I'm gonna help, I'll do it my own way. I'm no soldier, I don't work on the front lines. If I'm gonna do anything, them I'm going back behind their borders to work from the inside," he said.

"Hey, that's something, at least. How are you going to get there?" Palema'i asked him. Lux was getting fed up with this meddlesome girl.

"I have my ways, alright? Now go, come up with your plan," he said, turning his back on the group for the final time. He marched off back into the town area, soon out of sight.

"Well, if I'm part of this war myself, I'll be of no use as a soldier, either. You may be able to, but I was wondering, why don't you come with me? I forgot to tell you about why I came to your island in the first place because of the battleship and all. I'm actually on a journey myself right now, looking for five ancient relics, these stones that are scattered across the world, known as the Mo'o(6) 'Ala(7). It's said when all five are gathered together and a certain incantation is spoken, a great Mo'o will appear and grant the summoner one wish. After discovering one of these near my own home and analyzing it, I found it had a peculiar electromagnetic signature, for which I made a radar to locate them. I followed the first signal to your island, Ra," said Palema'i.

"So you want me to help you search for these stones?" Ra asked.

"Yeah, first we're gonna have to stop back at your island to find the Mo'o 'Ala there. I'll take you home, and from there you can decide if you want to come with me! I could use a little extra muscle with the Haoles running around," Palema'i said.

Ra didn't know what to say. After years of longing to see the rest of the world, his wish was suddenly about to come true, manifested in this girl. He felt he had no choice but to say yes, this adventure was everything he had been hoping for. "Of course I want to go! This is gonna be great, I even get to see a real Mo'o!" Ra exclaimed. With that, the two embarked on their journey to find the mythical Mo'o 'Ala and hopefully put a stop to the expansionist greed of the United Haole Nations.

The Babi King and the Quest for the Mo'o 'Ala
The sea stretched out before the maritime duo in all directions. They had been in the water for over a day, trying to make up the distance that they had traveled on the Haole battleship.

Ra didn't like being on this boat. He didn't trust it as he did with most sea craft, for reasons other than the fact that Palema'i had made it appear out of some small pill. He still couldn't understand how that wasn't magic, though Palema'i had carefully explained to him that they were capsules, compressing matter into portable containers, as if that made any more sense. The main problem with the boat was that he didn't feel a connection with it as he usually did on boats. The battleship had also been an exception, yet Ra didn't expect to control a boat larger than his island. Usually when he was on sea craft, whether it be an outrigger or his wooden 'Olo, he felt in tune with it, feeling more in control of the craft than he could logically exert. Yet this boat, with its confusing motor and lack of oars or sails, was again an exception to everything Ra knew.

Suddenly, on the horizon the smallest inkling of a black dot could be seen. It was Ra's first sight of land for a day, and he knew exactly what piece of land this was.

"Look, it's my island!" Ra exclaimed, pointing towards the black speck.

"Yes, and the signal on my radar says that the stone is still there. We should arrive within the hour," Palema'i said.

Arriving on the island, Ra stood on the sands of his island and took a long stretch. He hated being cramped up on that peculiar boat, and it was great to be home, even if it was just for a short while.

"According to the radar, the Mo'o 'Ala should be... this way," she said, pointing off into the palm trees. Ra realized which direction she was headed in, yet he decided not to say anything. It didn't have to be there.

Palema'i soon stood at the clearing in the palms and stopped straight in front of Ra's house. "Huh? It's in here. You didn't say you actually had it, Ra," Palema'i said, perplexed.

"I don't even know what they look like," Ra said, innocently.

"Well, we might as well check," she said. She walked into the hut and immediately found what she was looking for. "Here it is! The four-star ball!" she exclaimed. She walked out of the hut with a small orange sphere in her hand. Too late, Ra realized what it was.

"Hey! Put my grandpa down!" Ra shouted running after Palema'i. Ra had a slight suspicion that the Mo'o 'Ala Palema'i was after was actually his last gift from his grandfather, yet he had no idea that it would actually turn out to be true.

"Huh? Kid, this isn't your grandfather, it's a Mo'o 'Ala! Here, let me prove it," Palema'i said, digging in her bag. From it, she produced another orange sphere, nearly identical to Ra's, except for the fact that this one had two stars.

"See? These are the Mo'o 'Ala, and with yours, we only need three more! Then we can defeat the Haoles."

"Well, okay..." Ra said, reluctantly letting go of his stone. "As long as I get it back afterwards."

"Alright, Ra, you have yourself a deal," she said. She took the four star ball, placing it in her bag, making that one of the last times Ra would see his prized possession. Pulling back out her radar, she then proceeded to hone in to the next signal. "According to this, the nearest Mo'o 'Ala isn't too far from here, its several hundred miles south of here. We can make it before sundown," she said. "C'mon, let's get back in the boat."

"Wait, let me grab something," Ra said, going into his hale. He quickly came back out, bearing a five foot long wood board, his magic 'Olo.

"What's up with the surfboard, kid?" Palema'i asked him.

"It's a magic board that can grow when I want it to. It's just in case I lose my way in the sea," Ra said. Besides, it was an option for him to not have to ride in Palema'i's boat, an option that he would quickly accept. Ra went into the boat with Palema'i and the duo soon were on their way towards the next island, once again leaving the glittering shores of Ra Makimaki's island.

As the sun became increasingly lower in the sky, Ra soon spotted the outline of a far off island looming in the exact direction that they were heading.

"Is that it?" Ra asked.

"It's got to be. It lines up with the map and is the only island in this part for miles," she replied. Palema'i continued to make haste to the island. As they approached, they soon realized how huge the island was. Even from many miles offshore, Ra could see that it was many times bigger than his own. The island was mainly flat, with many tropical trees coating its surface. The lights of fires could be seen here, casting a warm glow into the pinkish sky. Light booming sounds could be heard, as if people were banging drums.

"It looks like someone lives there," Ra noted.

"Hm, that's odd. This island is in the outskirts of its archipelago, most people usually live farther east in this one. It could be a tribe," Palema'i said.

"Well let's go see them! I've met a few tribes before." As they approached the island, the smell of cooking meat and thick incense clouted the air. Docking at their shore, they made out the figures of many wide men and women on the beach, all having a feast. As they noticed the boat, though, their merrymaking took a pause.

"Who goes there?!" came a triumphantly deep voice, with the accent of a native. The voice seemed to have come from a humongous figure looming in the background of the party, with the rest of the party-goers chattering nervously yet excitedly, as if they have seen something like this before.

"We're adventurers on a mission!" Palema'i replied, shouting back into the haze.

The crowd became even more rancorous, a steady flow of glee-filled voices anticipating a sudden event. "Adventurers? Then by all means, come ashore! Join the feast!" said back the booming man.

Stepping on the rough sands of the beach, they soon saw the people by the firelight. These people were not tribal people as Ra had seen before. They were lighter in skin, nowhere near to that of the Haoles or Lux, yet clearly noticeable. They had broader set features and much different tattoos. Another key feature to notice was that they were all huge, both robust and fat at the same time, both men and women. Fattening was a feature found in many tribes that Ra had seen, yet never to this extent. And the tribe chief, he was another story altogether.

He towered above his tribes people, even whilst sitting down, upon a wooden throne of course. His long black hair was put into a ponytail behind his head and his beard went shaggy and free. This chief was some sort of giant among men, with the slurred grin of an intoxicated warthog.

"What are you waiting for? Don't worry, we don't bite!" exclaimed the jolly chief. Clearly he had way too much to drink.

Ra and Palema'i hesitated, unsure of what to do, though reluctantly, they stepped forth. Seemingly too good to be true, they were greeted with open arms. The people, though resembling pigs in stature, were quite a rancorous group, 'awa(8) juice flowing generously from their wood cups. Pork, fish, and rice were served by the plateful, all seasoned with rich spices from faraway lands. Then, the chief himself came to sit at Ra and Palema'i's table.

"Now that I've entertained you, tell me what a pretty little girl like you is doing boating the seas at night?" the sleazy chief said, aimed at Palema'i.

"We're on a quest, your lord," she said, brushing aside his repulsive manner.

"A quest? What could a sweet thing like you be looking for in my domain?" "There are these things called the Mo'o 'Ala, which are scattered around the world. We have two already, and we're looking for three more. One of them is supposed to be on this island. You don't happen to have something that looks like this, would you?" she asked, bringing forth her first Mo'o 'Ala.

"That? We have a pearl just like it, found it on the shore a few years back. Zakar(9)! Go retrieve the pearl from the harta(10) pondok(11)!" he called out to one man, who quickly stood up from his merriment and ran towards what looked to be their village. A few minutes later, he returned bearing a small reed box. He opened it as he presented the box to the chief, revealing the one-star Mo'o 'Ala.

"That's it! I don't know how I can thank you enough, sir, but with this we need only two more___" Palema'i began.

"Hold on for a minute there, girl! I said nothing about simply letting you have the stone. If you're scouring the entire world for these, then they must be quite valuable! I'd say, perhaps, it would be more in our favor for us to keep this one, and the two that you claim to have. You'll stay here as well, as my third wife," said the chief.

"What?! I'll do no such thing!" Palema'i exclaimed.

"Men, carry this one off to the menggemukkan(12) pondok. I don't want to see her again until she is at least twice her current weight," ordered the chief. Zakar and a few other tribes-people stood up and carried her off towards the village, despite her protests and screaming.

"What are you doing with here?!" Ra exclaimed, entering a battle stance.

"It would be best for your health, keiki, if you did not interfere," said one of the men, Zakar.

"Now now, Zakar, be nice with this one. We only want the girl, this one is free to leave," said the chief.

"I'm not going anywhere without my friend! Now you give her back or I'll take her back myself!" Ra challenged.

"Young keiki, it seems that you do not know quite who I am. I am the Babi(13) King, the ali'i(14) of this land! All men quake as I step! I am the strongest man in the world!" exclaimed the Babi King.

"I don't care who you are, but I know I've fought someone way tougher than you!" said Ra. "I won't back down to some bully!"

"Now now, boy, don't get ahead of yourself. You're but a toddler and stand only as high as my knee, how could you ever hope to even fight me?" mocked the Babi King.

"Name your challenge and I'll beat you in it," Ra replied. Just then, the Babi King took a notice to what was in Ra's hand.

"That... board in your hand, where did you get it?" the chief asked, a few levels down from his boisterous voice of a few seconds ago.

"This? This was a gift from my grandfather, Ra Laiki Loloa(15)!" Ra proclaimed.

"You're the grandson of Ra Laiki Loloa?! I heard that man had found a child, but I never expected to see 'im," said the Babi King.

"Wait, my grandfather was a chief?" Ra asked.

"He was the chief of one of the mightiest tribes, until he stepped down, being old and infertile, letting his nephew take the role as chief. He went to live alone on an island, visiting occasionally. Last I saw 'im, he told me that he had found a child. I'm guessing that must've been you," he said.

"Yeah, I guess. Grandpa never told me much about how he got me," Ra replied.

"How is he, the old fellow?" the chief asked.

"He's good I guess, for being dead."

"What?! He's dead?! How?" the chief exclaimed.

"One night I just found him collapsed and bloody, and our island was in a wreck. Someone must've attacked him, but they never came back," was Ra's answer.

"How... unfortunate. It's a sad loss, truly it is," the chief said, bowing his head.

"Does this mean you'll let my friend go?" Ra asked.

"Hm? Oh, I see what you're tryin' to do! Well it won't happen! Unless, of course, you can pass my challenge," he said. The crowd, who had been listening with anticipation, suddenly gasped. This challenge was no ordinary contest.

"What are the stakes?" Ra asked.

"If you win, then I'll return all the Mo'o 'Ala and your friend. But of course, if I win, then they're for keeps," the chief replied.

"You're on."

The Challenges of the Ali'i! Ra's Magic 'Olo
The Babi King and Ra stood on the sand of the beach, a large ring drawn around them in stones. It was dawn now; a night had passed since Ra and Palema'i had first stepped foot onto the island. Palema'i stood behind the chief now, bound by the hands with rope and watched over by a younger girl, a bit younger than Ra's age.

"Certainly, the grandson of the great chief Ra Laiki Loloa, Ra Makimaki, would know the rules of such a hakaka(16)," the Babi King said.

"I'm familiar with the event, as long as we're using the same rules as traditional," came Ra's reply.

"Indeed, whoever is either made to fall on the ground or pushed outside the circle will win the fight," dictated the chief.

"So, are you planning on just talking about it, or are you ready to actually fight?" asked Ra.

"You talk big for such a puny boy. You'll soon see why I am feared in every neighboring island, Ra Makimaki," said the chief. The beast of a man only puffed out his huge chest and barrel of a belly as a stance. His arms were like tree trunks; any direct assault would easily be swatted away. Ra didn't shy away, though. His grandfather had taught him how to fight larger opponents. The bigger they are, the harder they fall.

Ra made a mad dash at the chief's legs, which he was barely the same height as. The chief made no move to dodge or parry, but rather dug his feet into the sand. Ra leaped up and kicked at his right knee. A force that would usually break any man's leg, however, merely rebounded off the chief as if he were the hull of some great ship. The force of impact ran all the way up Ra's spine, rebounding him and nearly sending the boy to defeat as he fell towards the ground.

At the last second, Ra corkscrewed his body like a nene(17)'s shaft and landed feet first on the sand. The sheer strength seemed to radiate off of the Babi King. It was true, he was like no man that Ra had ever faced; perhaps he was even better than Admiral Caeruleum.

"You don't seem as sure of yourself as before, keiki," the chief taunted. Ra took a moment to notice just how massive his opponent was. The chief towered upwards like a pig-crossed-palm tree. His very form blocked out the sun, covering the makeshift arena in a hue of gray.

"I'm just getting warmed up," Ra timidly replied.

"That's good for you, because I haven't even started," boomed the chief. He made his advance. It was as if the ground shook as he walked forward. He made no sharp, quick movements as Ra had; his sheer force spoke volumes of its own. The only one who would have to move fast was Ra.

The chief made a lunge down towards Ra. It was then Ra decided to move.

The boy jumped into the air and landed on the chief's back. Instinctively, the chief's arms flew back too grab the child. Ra was too quick, however. He pushed off and landed behind the Babi King.

A theme was quickly occurring through their battle. Ra was too fast to be hit by the slower, lumbering Babi King. Yet the Babi King was too strong to be affected by any of Ra's numerous hits. Yet even the fastest and most powerful engines burn out, as did both of these figures after several hours of fighting.

"Huff... You put up a good fight, young one... Never have I seen someone with as much stamina as you..." wheezed the Babi King. His frustration in the battle had grown considerably; he was used to fighting other men. They would usually try to grapple him, which is when the chief's great strength would make for a quick victory. Ra was nothing like that at all. His short stature and agile movements made trying to land a strike as hard as catching a greased pig.

"You're not so bad yourself.. Chief.." Ra replied wearily. Avoiding all of the Babi King's powerful hits for several hours had been no easy feat. Ra had to duck, jump out of the way, and somersault to avoid the chief's onslaught, all the while landing futile attacks that had the same effectiveness as a mosquito. As per rules of the tournament, he couldn't fall down, so rolling out of the way was not an option. Either way, the fight would have to end soon, because neither Ra nor the chief could exhilarate themselves for much longer now.

A stirring occurred on the end of the ring opposite of Ra. The chief, tired from futilely striking thin air for three hours, began to muster the last of his strength. His colossal body glowed in the light reflected off of his sweat. Empowering himself, the Babi King charged.

The ground itself trembled as this giant of a man made haste. Ra saw his advance and prepared to dodge. At the Babi King's velocity, there'd be no way for him to stop himself from running out of the ring. This move would determine the outcome of this match.

Ra was in no shape to do the tremendous leaps over or around the Babi King as he had at the beginning of the match. Ra braced himself, ready to dash in between the chief's charging legs.

Ra felt the ground outside of the ring before he could realize what had happened. The chief had duped him; while giving the appearance of making a headlong rush, the Babi King had instead swung to the side, catching Ra with an ankle kick to stomach rather than a dodgeable full body assault. He tried to say something, bewildered that the Babi King had enough speed or energy left to do such a thing, but could only manage to gasp at the air, the wind long knocked out of him.

"Haha... You had me scared there for a while, little one... You nearly brought me to my knees... But as you can see.. this is why I'm the Ali'i of this island," wheezed the tired chief.

The chief had won the first contest. With two more to go, the next challenge would decide whether Ra even had a chance to win back Palema'i and the Mo'o 'Ala.

The next challenge brought them to the waves of the sea. Ra timidly held out his magic red 'olo while the Babi King stood beside him with a massive 'olo of his own, towering twelve feet.

"If you're half as good at surfing as you are at fighting, then this will be an interesting match," the chief boomed.

Ra didn't reply. He simply stared off into the distance at the crashing waves. He felt the cool water surge in and out of the beach and up to his waist. He inhaled the salty spray, calming his body with the familiar scent. The water was truly his element; there was no way he would lose this challenge. He couldn't: more than just his or Palema'i's fate rode on this battle, the fate of the entire world hung in the balance.

"Alright, if you're ready, go. The score will be totaled from the largest waves rode and how long you can hang," said the chief. Ra looked behind him. Up the beach, the rest of the village stood watching, waiting to see the outcome of this contest. Prominent among them were a band of older tribesmen, probably the elders. Thinner than the rest of the tribes people and much baggier, the well-worn elders stood hunched over from their ever-long fight with gravity. One elder stood out amongst the others like an older Babi King, perhaps the well-aged father of the Ali'i. Standing next to the eldest elder was the same girl who had been watching Palema'i from before with an angry look on her face. Beside her again was Palema'i, bound by ropes and left at their feet.

The waves greeted Ra's board with ease. The young boy had always felt most at home in the water. He was so adept in watercraft to the point where it was like a sixth sense. He didn't need to actively pursue his next motion; he subconsciously knew what he was doing. Accepting the surges of the ocean waves, Ra paddled out towards open sea.

Reaching the wave break was a long jaunt from the shore of the island, yet Ra still managed to paddle out there with surprising speed. Sitting on his board, he admired the waves of the island. Nothing like the ones that he had surfed off of his own coast, these were gentler waves, not the ones that would crash and sputter uncontrollably. They were the perfect waves to hold a contest in.

Not long after Ra reached the wave break did the Babi King show up.

"Seeing as I won the last challenge, I'll let you have the first wave," the Babi King told Ra, a hint of haughtiness clearly noticeable in his voice.

"Thank you for the honor, Babi King," Ra replied back, a mocking rebellious tone clear in his voice. As a signal of the Babi King's invitation, Ra noticed a wave forming 100 feet out. It was a medium wave, perfect to start off the contest. Ra paddled out and turned his board around as the wave picked up momentum. As it neared, Ra frantically paddled sideways until he was picked up by the wave. Standing now, Ra rode the wave as it began to barrel in. That was when Ra's board began to glow.

The magic red 'olo of Ra had the power to grow in length whenever Ra willed it. Using this impressive ability, Ra expanded his board to more than the entire length of the tunnel of water. Running down the length of the board, Ra escaped as it clashed inwards, all the while shrinking back to it's usual size. Though Ra couldn't hear it, the crowd on the beach went wild. They could see that the young boy was no amateur.

The surfing contest went on uneventfully. Despite the Babi King's tremendous boasting, he was no king in surfing. After ten waves each, Ra and the chief returned to shore. From the elders' faces, there was a clear winner.

"The challenger keiki is the winner! A third round will take place to decide the true victor of the contest," said the high elder. The next day, the winner would be chosen.

A Final Tourney, 3 Out of 5 Stars
And so it had come that two days had passed since Ra and Palema'i had first entered the island of Babi. The final match of the contest was to take place at noon, where it would be decided whether Ra would go free with Palema'i and the three of the Mo'o 'Ala, or if he'd walk away empty-handed.

The black-tailed boy stood at the base of the hut that the tribes people had lent to him for the last two nights. The sun shone lazily here, much different than the sky of his home island. The dirt here was different, too. It was a brownish-red, as if blood had been spilled and given time to dry. Altogether, the island felt more earthy. Ra's island had felt secluded from the rest of the world; Babi felt more like a part of a continent. It was on the outer rim of the main island chain.

"Good. You're up."

Ra turned to see the young girl from before who had watched over Palema'i. Ra had never had the chance to get a good look at her. Seeing her now, Ra could tell that she was definitely around his age. She had the same lighter skin tone as the other tribes people. Her hair, though, was hazelnut in color, in contrast with the other people's black and dark brown hair color. She wore a red floral pattern mu'umu'u(18), a strange sight considering today wasn't anything of a formal occasion. Still, though, she wore that same spiteful, resentful face.

"You're the girl who's watching my friend, right? What's your name?" Ra asked, an attempt to be kind.

"Don't talk to me. Just follow," she said angrily, motioning for him to follow her. Seeing no other choice, Ra followed her.

The girl led Ra down a sandy path back towards the mouth of the village and the beach. There the rest of the tribes people had already gathered, standing in a half ring around their ali'i, the Babi King.

"Ah, so the sleepy one is finally awake," the Babi King said, trumpeting throughout the still morning air. The village was surprisingly lively for this time in the morning; the sun had just risen moments ago. It was obvious why, though. Everyone was anticipating the final match between Ra and the Babi King.

"So chief, what's the last match?" Ra asked impatiently.

"This, boy, shall be the hardest of the challenges you have faced. For this contest will not just be a bout of physical strength and endurance, but shall also test the coordination of your body and your adherence to rhythmic patterns."

"Well, what is it then?"

"Why, the contest is none other than the hula(19)," said the chief. As he said that, he stepped to the side and demonstrated to a pile on the floor of grass skirts and leis. Ra had heard of hula. He had even seen it be performed on one trip he made to another island with his grandpa. But actually do the hula? No, that was not something Ra had ever done.

"Y-You've gotta be kidding, chief! I've never done the hula!"

"Is that a forfeit, then? I guess you'll have to kiss your little quest goodbye..." taunted the Babi King.

"What? N-No, I won't give up!" Ra protested. The duo of contestants both put on their grass skirts and flower leis. Then, to the tune of an ukulele(20), and with no skill on either side, the two began to hula. The dance began as a contest between who could dance slower and more rhythmic, both trying to mimic what they presumed to be hula. According to the sounds of the audience and the faces of the judges, the Babi King was winning.

"Young keiki, let's make a deal. Seeing as I'm about to win, it's time to raise the stakes. If you manage to beat me, I will throw in the hand of my daughter!" taunted the chief. Ra didn't even have a reply, rather, he just kept dancing. He had no room for distractions.

The dance-off went on for thirty minutes more when the Babi King began to crack. His stamina was shot; perhaps a night of partying was not the best way to prepare for a competition. First came a shortness of breath, followed by wheezing as the chief tried to keep a semblance of rhythm, his face as red as Ra's 'olo. All the while, Ra continued his hula-esque dance. He showed no signs of wear; he was determined to win. It was just then, as his concentration intensified, that it happened.

"The Babi King fell!" exclaimed one of the judges. After a few glances and nods, it was all over.

"We proclaim the challenger, Ra Makimaki, to be the winner of this contest, and thus the victor of all the trials!" announced the head judge.

"Con... Congratulations... Ra Makimaki..." wheezed the Babi King, "You... You have won back... your friend and your stones... along with the hand of my daughter."

"R-Really?! Thank you, chief! We can leave then, right?" Ra asked blindly.

"Well of course... but do you not want to stay for the party?" asked the chief.

"We'd love to, chief!" Palema'i blurted out, suddenly appearing, "But  sadly, we lost enough time here already. We've really got to go."

"Palema'i's right, we still have our quest to fulfill!" Ra exclaimed.

"Hm, alright. Just remember us, and remember to come back!" the chief boomed. As the duo began to leave the island, Ra bumped into the girl from before, the chief's daughter. After glaring at him for a second, she began to smile.

"I didn't think you could actually do it," she said. There was a noticeable blush about her young face.

"Yeah, well I guess I did. So, your dad offered me your hand, but that sounds gross so I think you should keep it," Ra replied stupidly.

"Wait, what?" the girl started.

"Aren't you happy? You get to keep your hand!" Ra told her. At that, he darted towards the beach to catch up with Palema'i, who already had the boat set up, leaving the chief's daughter on the island.

Palema'i was in no mood to chat until they were off the island. Once they were out to open sea, though, Palema'i quickly enveloped Ra in a large hug.

"Holy crap, Ra, thank you!" she exclaimed. "For a second there I actually thought that old fatty would win and I'd have to marry him. He was terrible, but it was all worth it," she said, digging into her bag to produce their three Mo'o 'Ala, "Ta da! We have three now, with only two left to go!"

"That means we have...," started Ra, pausing to count on his fingers, "more than half of 'em!"

"Yep, and only three days into our quest! This is gonna be a cinch!" she exclaimed. And just like that, the duo sped towards the horizon, blissfully unaware of the realities facing them on their journey to retrieve the next two balls.

An Interlude of Light
"Disgusting. Filthy peasants."

Lux Hakea stood at the largest port of Pluribus Unum, the largest state of the United Haole Nations. He stood there, wearing a hoodie to conceal his identity, amidst a sea of people, an endless tide flooding into the "greatest nation on the planet". He was surrounded by immigrants, disillusioned locals growing out of touch to their traditional island life, deciding to settle where it would be "better", in the slums of a nation who viewed them as second class citizens.

It had been ridiculously easy getting back into the UHN, considering the fact that he was a fugitive wanted for the bombing of a harbor and for escaping custody on a UHN battleship. They had probably assumed that he drowned with the rest of them. Lux had simply waited for the next steamer for departure to Pluribus Unum from the island where Maui left them. They weren't asking for passports or anything, just collecting fees. These shippers worked on a slightly illegal trade, the shipment of people into Haole territory. There, they would work in fields or in low wage factory jobs, doing menial tasks that the Haoles themselves wouldn't do. In exchange, the government doesn't deport them. Illegal immigrant labor made up too much of the Haole economy for them to fully crack down on it.

Lux had snuck in through this way, claiming that he was going to work in the factories of eastern Pluribus Unum. However, of course, he had a completely different agenda.

He was going to assassinate the president of the United Haole Nations.

Lux found his way from the port into the sprawling city of Saint Francis. He was roughly 3,000 miles away from his target destination, New Torke City, the capital of the UHN. He considered taking a plane, then quickly decided against it. He would be way more easily recognized at an airport, not to mention that he didn't trust the rickety craft for public transport.

Rather, Lux opted for the next best thing. Searching a parking lot, he found one. A car that some trusting fool left unlocked with the keys in. "My God this is too easy," he thought to himself.

Lux quickly ran up to the car and hopped in. It was an old clunker, probably only good for half the journey. He would ditch it as soon as he found a better option. Suddenly, he heard shouting from outside the car. "Dammit," he thought.

Lux quickly revved up the engine and shot out of the parking lot at full speed, a breath-taking 45 mph. Everything was going well, until he heard the crying noises.

He quickly turned around and looked in the back seat, only to be greeted by the sight of a baby chair, adorned with a plucky, whining baby.

"Holy shit, it's a kid!" he exclaimed. Lux quickly pulled over to the side and rolled down the window. He took the baby in his hands, only making it cry louder. He stopped a man walking on the sidewalk beside him. "Here, take this. Someone's looking for it," he said, handing the startled man the infant. At that, he drove off, dangerously careening through traffic as he made his way towards the freeway.

As much as Lux would like to tell you he had a kickass adventure, made complete with Black Jack and hookers, said merriment did not occur. The simple, tedious, mind-blowingingly long task was just that; it was no grand adventure. The second he was out of the city, the landscape of sprawling desert, broken only by several power lines, the dusty road, and the occasional other car, was all that greeted him.

Lux drove for the rest of the day before getting out of the desert, arriving in a small town in the plains. The car had all but run out of gas, and the incredibly low maintenance the previous owners had given it had started to show. The tires were nearly run through, the engine sputtered, and oil dripped. He would definitely have to get another car, which would be harder there than it had been in Saint Francis.

For the night, though, Lux would simply resign himself to bed. He found amongst the town's few commercial buildings a Motel 4, the dingy kind that had roaches for room service and doors facing the outside. "Perfect," he thought to himself. He proceeded to go up to the front desk of the establishment, manned by a short grubby old man with a greasy face. After asking him for a room and supplying him with the standard fee, to which the old man nasally growled, Lux was handed a faded room key marked with the number "18".

He left the front office and headed down the "hall": a carved out wall on the side of the building where all the doors to the small rooms faced outwards. Lux blindly found his way in the near-complete dark to his room, avoiding numerous cockroaches scurrying in the  night. After struggling with the lock of the door, he pushed it aside to be greeted by the warm, musty air of the dank motel room. The room, with a stained carpet floor, was dimly lit by a table lamp. The walls were crude and unpainted, with the occasional framed generic photo hanging by a nail. There was no bed, just a pullout couch that may or may not be infested with bed bugs. A lone, scratched up coffee table stood in the middle of the room, completing the decor.

The room was horrid. And Lux felt at home.

This hadn't been the first time he was on the run. After the harbor bombing incident, he was the sole member of his group to get away. He managed to stay on the run for two weeks before getting caught halfway across the country in the capital of Hispania. Even before that, he had never been stationary, not since he was a young child. He had joined up with a radical group shortly after his dad died and his mother could no longer support him. Rooms like these became the only home he had. It was something commonplace. There won't always be friends, but there'll always be crappy motels, he had often thought.

Through the thin walls of the motel, Lux could hear into the other rooms. About one room over to the right, there lay a massive snorer. Too bad Lux was a light sleeper. Beyond that, he could hear the sounds of grown men laughing and hollering, probably playing a card game of some sort. To his left, though, he heard the characteristic sound of the moans produced by a man utterly slaying a woman. Their bed rocked and squeaked violently under the thrusts, rattling the wall. Tonight was going to be a long night.

Lux was proved right. Hours after he had drifted into a fidgety sleep, he heard a large rapping at the door of his room. A slurred, drunken, incoherent voice could be heard from outside shouting. Lux lay absolutely still. Slowly, his hand reached towards his bag, pulling out a hand gun. Not his usual weapon of choice, but a better match for this type of encounter. Just in case, he also produced a set of brass knuckles in case there was more than just one drunkard. He didn't want to run out of bullets.

The pounding on his door only grew louder as Lux made his way to the door, pistol ready. He leaned against the back of the door as he checked through the peephole to see what waited for him on the other side. Sadly, the small piece of magnified glass was smudged out on the other side. Lux would have to go in blind.

He quickly unlocked the door and opened it, ducking behind the door as it swung into the room. The startled drunkard fell in onto the trashy welcome mat. Like a wild dog, he stuggled to his feet before pulling out a gun on Lux. In a wild slur, he shouted something unintelligible at him. Lux didn't even have to listen. With just one shot, the drunkard lay on the floor dead. Peeking out from the door, Lux didn't see any other intruders, yet it was best not to chance it. Slinging his backpack carrying all of his belongings over his back, he made a dash out, gun in hand. He could hear more slurred shouts coming from behind and around him; he didn't care. He just ran into the first car he saw, which turned out to be the drunkards' car. It was empty other than the odor of overdrinking and a fat snoozing guy in the back that he quickly took care of with a shot to the head.

Flooring the gas, Lux took off down the road away from the town. He had only had four hours of sleep, though he wasn't complaining. He considered himself lucky to have gotten any rest at all.

Hopefully, he'd have fewer run-ins like this one. He didn't need anymore troubles between him and New Torke City.

An Empire of Red
A large computer screen covered most of the wall of the president's oval office. Normally, the monitor acted as a sort of digital window, playing through gigantic screen-savers of the Haole Maelstom, the towering Album Monument, and the desert sands of western Pluribus Unum. However, today was not normal.

On the screen before the president was a five-way video conference including himself, with the heads of the four governors of the UHN states occupying the screen.

Not a light shone in the office other than that of the brightly lit monitor, illuminating the whole room in an eerie glow.

"We know that Haole foreign relations have reached an all-time low since the Indo-Poly War," said a lady dressed in yellow on the screen, Governor Flavo of Hispania. "If relations do not improve, we can expect another war."

"Our people will not support another war!" exclaimed an aging man on the top left screen, banging his hand down on the table. He was Governor Clematis of Gallia, a renown antiwar politician. "The infrastructure of our own nation should be our highest concern right now. We need to pull out of occuppied lands and make drastic cuts to defense."

"Halt," said the president, the blue-white light of the screen reflecting eerily off of his face and red hair in the darkness. President Rubum was known the world throughout for his fierce attitude and fiery temper. If there was one thing he would have amongst him in his own cabinet, it was not pacifism or insurrection. "No state is making any claims on their stance as of now. We have continued normalcy relations for the past six years, to little result. Lawlessness in our treaty-granted holdings only continues to get worse. The UHN cannot back down from these savages, we will show the world that we are still the superpower."

A silence fell upon the governors upon their president's ominous declaration. Not since the Indo-Poly War had actual talks of another armed conflict risen. Generally the people of the UHN were opposed to war, or any foreign dealings of the sort for that matter.

"Is... Is that an official foreign policy statement, sir?" tentatively asked Clematis.

"I can assure you that. Mark today's date, ladies and gentlemen, for today is the beginning of a new era in UHN history. Today is the day of the start of the war that will bring all lands under our rule."

The silence returned amongst the cabinet, undisturbed this time. War had essentially been declared. They needn't even bother actually declaring it, as there was essentially no formal government to be recognized outside of the UHN. In just one conference, the world had been plunged into war.

Outside the city limits of the capital, a beat down car's engine sputtered out as it reached a vacant lot, as if it had made a journey halfway across the country. As indeed it had, as the vehicle's lone driver was none other than Lux Hakea, stepping out of the dead car. If his plan was to be successful, he would need a different way out.

Digging in his bag, he brought out a black hooded sweatshirt, giving him the extra stealth he would need in the night. He also readied his tools for the assassination. They were nothing large, everything he had had to be able to fit into his sleeves. Finally, he uncovered his mode of transportation. Out of his sack he pulled out what at first appeared to be a medium-sized metal structure with two wheels haphazardly placed. It was only with further inspection that the item turned out to be a foldable bike. For this mission, he'd have to be silent and not call attention to himself, something a capsule would surely do.

Taking to the roads, Lux noticed how unusually quiet the area was. Sure, it was the suburbs, but even these beat down roads usually had some sort of activity at night. Yet there was nothing, not a sound in the distance, and not a light in the windows, save for the occasional glimmer peaking out from behind a set of drapes. Back years ago, prior to his imprisonment, when he lived in this district, he had never known it to be so still. Changes must have had happened since, curfews put into place, laws enforced. It was probably his fault; they never wanted to experience a disaster like the bridge bombing again. Lux had never stopped to think about the impact the bombing had caused on the nation, he simply didn't care. He had done what he had had to do. The lives of simple civilians were inconsequential to his ultimate goal.

Without a sound, Lux made his way down the streets and eventually found himself on the road of the Album Domus, the President's home and office. As custom, guards were outside the building, patrolling the lawns, doors, and even the rooftop. They'd make it a challenge to get in, if Lux was attempting to do this as a five-year-old. The President's Guard was notoriously bad; a trained assassin like himself could easily slip through security.

Ducking into a corridor across from the house, Lux propped his bike up against the wall in the alley. He would probably need it for a quick get away after the deed had been done. Ducking into the shadows cast by a streetlamp, he ran across the road too fast to be seen or noticed, his special boots muffling out all noise. He found a stray patch of sidewalk that cut through the lawn to a corridor on the side of the house that led to the door. The only problem was one of the guards on the roof who kept his flash light shining down on it the whole time.

Digging into a pocket inside his jacket, he produced a small black sphere. Despite its size, it weighed a good twenty pounds, and could expand in size to about the size of a basketball with the touch of a button. Letting it grow, he launched the ball over in the opposite direction from the sidewalk, where it landed with a large thud. All lights immediately turned on that spot, giving Lux the opportunity he needed to sprint to the house. Scaling the wall as their attention was still turned, Lux found his entry point in the kitchen window, which had been left open. Now all he had to do was find the President.

The conference was over. President Rubum still sat in his swirly chair, reclining at the desk of his computer. Twiddling a pencil between his fingers, he thought of the implications that his decree would have. He would have to write a speech, and deliver it before Congress first and then the public, telling them that they were abandoning the plan that they had been abiding by for decades now and hurtling the nation towards seemingly a pointless war. Rubum didn't even know why he had done it. "The job of being a president is so frustrating: people expect you to lead, but when you try to do just that, someone calls you a tyrant," he said aloud to himself, taking a puff of his cigar afterwards.

"I'll show them just what kind of leader I am. I don't need their approval, this is my nation. I decide when we have peace and when we kill people. I don't know why people'd make such a big deal, they're just a bunch of savages. They probably have, like, five guns, and their military bases are probably huts of grass. We pretty much own them already," he declared nonchalantly. Taking a deep sip from his cup of vodka, the President continued to sit there, slowly drifting down in his chair as he grew tired from his day.

It was then that he heard a knock on his door.

"Debra, is that you? Damn girl, I told ya to go home like five hours ago. Unless you came for overtime to get a little hanky panky," he said, his words slurring. Yet who came through the door was not his underage female secretary. It was a light-skinned boy with white hair, dressed in black clothes resembling an assassin's garb. "Who're you?" babbled the President, kneading his eyes to see if he had seen the figure correctly.

"Greetings, Mr. President," said Lux. "I'm sorry I don't have an appointment, but this was urgent."

"Whaddya want? Who let yer yella ass in?"

"I just want a few words, sir," Lux said. Inside the sleeves of his jacket, Lux produced a small razor blade, the size of a door nail. He kept it concealed for the time being. Lux stepped closer to the drunken figure, toying with the blade between his fingers.

"Ya have ten seconds before I call the Guard."

"That's all I need."

Lux brought his foot up to the President's head. With a satisfying thunk, Rubum flew off the chair and onto the ground, grasping his forehead from the impact. Lux wasted no time: he ran to the crumpled figure and stomped his boot down onto his chest. Rubum released a loud yell, surely someone had to have heard it. Leaning in close, Lux took out the razor.

"A haughty, arrogant asshole like you deserves nothing but death," Lux whispered to him. "You've brought recession and corruption with you in your term, and each one of your bloody excesses ruined this nation a little more, while filling your pockets and making the rich ever richer. Someone as prideful as you, who emphasized grandeur, should hope for an equally stunning death, an epic show of triumph and tragedy. But I am robbing that from you." Lux pressed the razor up to the President's neck, who was all but bawling now. "With one movement, all the excess that was your miserable life will be over. And not one person will be there to see it." And with that, Lux slit his throat. The President of the United Haole Nations was dead.

Quick footsteps could be heard down the hall; the Guard was coming. Lux had no time to lose. Kicking the window out of place, Lux dove into the sunrise.

Seven Minutes in Heaven
Starting a war is fun, especially if you're a god. Or more rather, in this case, an Akua(21).

Maui stood perched at the top of a mountain on the island of Oahu, one of the most Haole infested island on the planet Ao other than their home continent. Once a beautiful, rugged tropical paradise, the Haole's influence left a terrible mark on the island. Non-native trees now sprouted everywhere, choking the island's ground and obscuring the view. There was once a time when one could see from one side of the island to the other, but that was no longer the case. Native wildlife was nearly extinct, the corals stressed to death, the beaches filled, and the air smogged. Buildings had sprouted up from nearly every available space, with narrow roads etching between them like asphalt scars.

The Haoles had taken the land that Maui had loved from him, and it was soon to be time to take it back.

But not yet. Wars cannot just start over night, at least by no self-respecting Ali'i. Besides, his people were disorganized. They needed to form ranks; they needed a leader. And that was what Maui had decided to be his role.

Maui took a conch shell and blew into it. The loud, hollow, somber sound rattled throughout the mountains and valleys. It echoed as it made its journey to the cities down below. Silence at first was all that followed this call, before the tiniest sounds of jubilant laughter became present, popping up out of the wilderness. First one voice, then twelve, then many, many more, all answering the call of the conch.

The Menehune(22) had appeared from the brush and soon encircled the Kupua(23). The small brown men, dressed in traditional native attire, all bowed before the god. It had been centuries since the last time an Akua had come straight into the midsts of the mortal world.

"It's great to see your lot again, I'm glad to see that some things remain the same on this island," Maui announced to the short men. "It's time to get rid of these white men. They've brought nothing but destruction to this paradise, and it is time for all people of Ao to unite against them. I want you to spread the word of the call to arms and do all that you can to hamper the Haoles in whatever they do. A war is coming, and I want all the islands to be prepared. Can I count on you?"

"'Ae(24), Akua," they said, jovial faces grinning. This motley bunch, none of them warriors by any nature, were all that Maui had currently to go on to fight the Haole menace. And he loved it. The islands' own true sons would fight against the terrible invaders, and this time, they would win. They had him, Maui. They had a god. He was not even the only thing they had. Somewhere out there, they had an assassin, who by now has probably already stirred up all kinds of trouble amongst the Haoles. Somewhere out there, they had most of the Mo'o 'Ala already gathered. The Mo'o could grant them any wish, thus they had the power of the strongest gods at their disposal. And then, they had the boy with the tail. A monster in his own right. Maui had seen his past, and the latent power he had inside him. He'd seen what he was capable of, and with that kind of power, the entire planet could be destroyed in the process of being saved. They would win, they had to. The fate of Ao was resting on this war.

Maui then took to the air, feeling the warm sun all over him. The people had Maui to thank for the star's shine in the day, yet it seemed many had forgotten him. His many feats in days of old had become nothing more than mere myths in the present day, and even the most spiritual of the humans to this day take all the past truths with a grain of salt. People were truly removed from their creation, but soon that would be no more. He would usher in a period of rebirth and reconnection to the past. All shall know their heroes and gods, and the purity of the paradise will be restored. Flying out away from the island chain, Maui began to search the nearby seas for a certain spot, one that he had left guarded throughout the centuries of his absence. He soon found it, bathed in a pale orange light of godly energy invisible to the human eye. Diving down into the water, Maui entered it, approaching a shallow cave within the area. Swimming through that, he found what he had been looking for on a pedestal, just as Maui had left it.

On that pedestal sat a fishing hook and a long rope braided from hair, two of Maui's archaic tools that he had used to create the Hawai'ian island chain and force the sun to slow down respectively. They were the tools of myths, but the Haoles would soon see them as very real weapons. Taking up his old tools made Maui feel whole again. They gave him power. With them at his disposal, the Haoles would remember their gods.

And angry gods they were.

Live Your Life Like a (King) Kamehameha
"Yuck! Watch where you put your tail! Get off!"

Thus was the exasperated shout of a teenage girl who had been at sea for two days. Palema'i and Ra had not left their speedboat since they had departed the island of the Babi King towards the signal of the next Mo'o 'Ala. Their living space was, thus, understandably cramped. This morning Palema'i awoke to the young Ra lying on top of her with his tail wrapped firmly between her legs.

"Hmuh?" the young boy murmured, just waking from his sleep into the brightness of mid-day.

"I said get off!" Palema'i exclaimed again, this time kicking Ra off of her. The child stumbled off in a dazed half-slumber. Failing to gain balance, he tripped over a seat and fell head first into the warm ocean waters surrounding the boat. "Ra!" Palema'i exclaimed, realizing what she had done.

The boy did not immediately surface, all but disappearing without a trace beneath the surface of the waves. Palema'i sat there, helpless at the starboard side of the boat, waiting for her friend to reappear. Yet as minutes passed, there was still no sign of Ra. Finally, just as she had made up her mind to dive in after him, the young boy reappeared. He was definitely awake after that experience, and even seemed to be glad. That's when Palema'i noticed what was under Ra.

"Pale, meet my new friend!" Ra exclaimed, gesturing to the enormous honu(25) that he was riding on.

"Ra! Where did that thing come from?!" she exclaimed, astonished. The honu was monstrous, being almost half the size of their boat. It was the kind of beast that would be revered as an aūmakua(26). And Ra was riding it like an underwater horse.

"I saw it deep under the boat, and it offered me a ride back up to the surface!" Ra cheerily exclaimed.

"It's true," the turtle said to back up Ra's claim.

Palema'i gasped, not from the assertion of what Ra had said was true (she had believed that; the young boy was so dense as to be incapable of lying), but at something else entirely.

"Y-You can talk?!" she exclaimed, greatly shocked at the shelled reptile's linguistic capabilities.

"Well gee, of course I can talk. I'm a turtle," the reptile offered as a response.

"He said he's lost! A current pulled him away from a reef near his island, so I said we'll help 'im get back!" Ra said.

All of this sudden information overwhelmed Palema'i. A moment prior, she had been truly worried over Ra's safety. Now, she was staring at the elated boy whilst he rode a sacred talking turtle. Not being able to process her surroundings, Palema'i instead chose to lash out.

"RA! Get back in the boat!" she yelled at the boy.

"Huh?" the Ra replied. "But what about the turtle?"

"I don't care about that creepy thing, we're continuing our journey!" she continued.

"No! I said I'll help him, so I will!" he retorted.

"Fine then! Have fun surfing on your own!" Palema'i yelled, throwing Ra's 'olo(2) off the boat in his direction.

"I will!" Ra yelled back, grabbing the red surfboard. Palema'i glared back at him and stuck out her tongue, to which Ra did the same. She then turned the engine back on and motored the boat away, off in search of the next Mo'o 'Ala.

Winds whipped wildly in the young girl's face. Anger boiled in her blood as she realized the extent of what had just happened. She had been essentially babysitting Ra ever since she had met him, and except for one occasion he had only caused her more trouble. Now, he wanted to forsake their journey to scour the entire ocean to help some other freak of nature find a single island amidst a global archipelago.

"Well fine," she muttered to herself, "If he wants to play with his turtle friend, then let him. I have his Mo'o 'Ala, though, so I don't need him at all!"

She continued to follow the signal of the next Mo'o 'Ala. She was a lot closer now, less than a day away. With luck, at her current speed, she'd reach it before night fall.

Dusk had settled and the nearly full moon had risen, bringing choppy waves across the water's surface, when Palema'i finally saw the island where the Mo'o 'Ala was supposed to be. Well, there wasn't much to see, as the island had a diameter of only forty feet. The shadow of a rectangular structure, perhaps a house of some sort, and coconut trees loomed out from the dark on the small island. Despite the incredible lack of room, the radar said that it was exactly right there, and that's where Palema'i would look.

Docking the boat off the coast of the island, she waded through the water to the shore guided only by the light of a flashlight.

Polynesian / Indonesian Words
(1): Hale (hŏ-lā) : Hawai'ian for house or home, generally refers to the huts that they lived in prior to Western contact.

(2):  'Olo  (ō-lō) : ancient Hawai'ian wood surfboard used in ceremonial and recreational practices reserved for the ali'i, or chiefs.

(3): Lua (lu-a) : an ancient Hawai'ian form of martial art and dance, once reserved for only the elites. Now it is restricted to only pure Hawai'ians in an effort to keep the tradition alive. One of the predecessor to hula dancing.

(4): Haole (how-lē) : a term in Hawai'ian meaning "without light, lacking light." It is used in modern day tenses as a derogatory word for white people by locals of the Hawai'ian islands due to the destruction caused by the encounter between Caucasians and Polynesians.

(5): Keiki (kā-kē) : the Hawai'ian word for child (singular) or children (plural).

(6): Mo'o (mō-ō) : an ancient Hawai'ian monster resembling dragons from other cultures. They were said to posses magical or evil powers, including shape shifting, and granting wishes. It is also a term for geckos.

(7):  'Ala  (ŏ-lŏ) : Hawa'ian word for stone or rock

(8):  'Awa  (ŏ-vŏ) : An indigenous Polynesian crop, also known as kava, ava, yaqona, and sakau. The roots are used to produce a drink with sedative and anesthetic properties. The drink is used to relax without disrupting mental clarity, as opposed to regular alcoholic beverages.

(9): Zakar (zah-kar) : Used as a name for a tribes-person on the island of Babi. In reality, it is the Indonesian word for penis.

(10): Harta (har-tah) : the Indonesian word for treasure (noun).

(11): Pondok (pŏn-dŏk) : the Indonesian word for hut

(12): Menggemukkan (mān-gā-muh-kahn) : the Indonesian verb meaning fatten. Fattening was a common ritual used throughout the islands of the southern Pacific on adolescents, particularly females, as a means to prepare them for marriage and to make them more desirable. They would be stripped and secluded within a special hut all day and fed highly fattening foods and received no exercise for several weeks. At the end of the process, they typically emerge many pounds heavier and just in time to be married off.

(13): Babi (bŏ-bē) : the Indonesian word for boar or pig.

(14): Ali'i (ahl-ē-ē) : the Hawai'ian word for chief, though it means more than that. The Ali'i were said to be descended straight from the first chief, and therefore straight from the gods. They took charge as the leader of their people and passed on their power hereditarily. Several chants have been used to trace the lineage of ali'i back to the gods. (15): Laiki Loloa (lī-kē lō-lō-ah) : the Hawai'ian word for long rice, with laiki alone meaning plain rice.

(16): Hakaka (hŏ-kŏ-kŏ) : the Hawai'ian noun for fight or brawl.

(17): Nene (nā-nā) : the state bird of Hawai'i, an endemic species of goose

(18): Mu'umu'u (mu-u-mu-u) : a type of Polynesian dress for formal occasions, generally in a floral print. It is translated to English as a muumuu.

(19): Hula (hu-luh) : a Hawai'ian originated dance style designed to tell stories as an accompaniment to oral tradition. Though originally put down by Christian missionaries upon Hawai'i's discovery for being pagan, the hula later became the center piece to the Hawai'ian cultural movement meant to bring about a return to old Hawai'ian traditions.

(20): Ukulele (oo-koo-lā-lā)  : a four string instrument originating in Hawai'i post-discovery, being essentially a modified guitar.

(21): Akua (ah-koo-ah) : the Hawai'ian term for god or deity.

(22): Menehune  (mā-nā-hoo-nā) : mischievous dwarfs from Hawai'ian mythology. They inhabited the forests and had incredible building skills, and were known to come out at night and build random structures (bridges, huts, etc.). They are nearly never seen by people.

(23): Kupua (koo-poo-ah) : a class of demigods sometimes referred to as "heroic tricksters". They are sometimes described as monsters, often told to be able to appear in different types of bodies. Some are considered to be cruel and sadistic, even cannibalistic. However, there are still many benevolent Kupua. Some are even considered as gods in their own right.

(24): 'Ae (ae) : the Hawai'ian word for yes

(25): Honu (hō-noo) : the Hawai'ian word for turtle, though is specifically used to identify sea turtles alone as they are the only variety of turtles to be native to the islands. They held an importance to Hawai'ians as their shells were used as tools and they were consumed for food. They also held some religious importance, with some honu being revered as gods or aūmakua (family guardians).

(26): Aūmakua (ow-mah-koo-uh) : in Hawai'ian mythology, na aūmakua (plural form) are family gods usually meant to be a deified ancestor. They were worshipped individually by their respective families at locations where they are said to "dwell". They are often manifested as animals, with some of the most common being sharks or owls. The arrival of an aūmakua is said to be an omen of either good or bad news. Harming one is said to bring extremely bad luck.