Friends In High Places

A Sonic the Hedgehog “Alternate Style” Fan-Fic By: V.D. Tarsus"

DISCLAIMER

This fan-fic owes its existence to SEGA of America & Archie Comics. All Characters by either company are © to SEGA of America & Archie Comics. All Characters that have been created by V.D. Tarsus are of his own design thus "Distant Ally" and self created fan-characters are © TarsusGraphics Inc.

WARNING & INFO

This fan-fic though being based on the Archie/SEGA Sonic Universe, is more of a mature nature. With strong themes of war, violence, death and a distinct sexual nature. This Fan-Fic's rating is around a rating of PG-13.

[PART 1 - Links that Bind]

A soldier on some battle field, shot down two robotic guard robots and the enemy soldier they were protecting. The soldier lowered his blaster and holstered it while he looked about him.

Vladimir Meridius Vectrius Vosterev from the planet Feranus was an unusual soldier. Even though he was an exceptional soldier, his true origins were far more important. He was the crowned Prince of the Royal Vosterev Kingdom. Normally a prince would not really take part in the military, he was the exception.

Vladimir found himself being approached by two more enemies. Vladimir let the first one get close enough for him to counter attack the enemy soldier. Vladimir held the first soldier mostly in front of him with his left arm while he pointed a magnum revolver that he had disarmed from his new hostage at the other. Vladimir shot off two rounds, wounding the other soldier fatally. He then pressed the barrel of the magnum to the temple of the hostage and pulled the trigger. A small amount of blood spattered across his combat mask. Vladimir let go of the soldier he had held hostage. The body fell silently to the soft sandy ground. Vladimir wiped the blood from his combat mask with a rag he produced from a pocket over the chest area of his combat uniform.

Vladimir stood up and looked about himself as he placed the revolver into a simple holster attached to his utility belt. Fires raged on around him. Various vehicles had been destroyed and were burning in the sand. A few bodies were close by. Vladimir exhaled a slow sigh of depression. A gut feeling he felt deep with in himself gnawed as it did before through out the course of his life. He thought for a moment to himself.

"Is this all that I am? Is there anything in this universe that can alleviate my suffering soul? Can I see any end to this way of life? I am supposed to be royalty, yet instead of leading my people to better times, I have plunged them into a war that has been on going for the last 5 years." Vladimir sighed again. “Sure I have had the best training at the hands of Lucas Vazzner, its just that I am sick an tired of the same old garbage and this feeling that I am not alone is making me crazy!” The strange reverberation filled his ears within the helmet gear that Vladimir wore.

Once Vladimir had calmed down a bit, he removed his head gear. The head gear hanged loosely around his neck, dangling from a hose connected to a rebreather in his military backpack. His face was different than those of the dead soldiers and the few of his comrades who were in the area.

His Feranusian comrades were almost all feline, Some were foxes and skunks. However he resembled something else. His appearance resembled a squirrel. He however had a set of sharp feline fangs and his tail was slightly smaller than the average squirrel tail. Vladimir was a hybrid of a Feranusian father and a squirrel mother. His ears were that of a squirrel. His color was brown and what little hair could be seen, was red. His eyes were blue. Vladimir sighed again as he turned around looking for something.

***

Somewhere else in the universe, a planet that had been plagued by a mad scientist was just getting back to order. Mobius was now becoming a wonderful world to live in. However, there was something in the air that eluded Princess Sally Alicia Acorn . She could not place it wherever she went through out the liberated world. Sally felt that there was still suffering in the universe but apparently it was nowhere to be found on Mobius.

Sally sat up in bed. It was in the middle of the night. The door to the balcony was wide open. She got out of bed and closed it slowly. She felt the devastatingly cold air fill her lungs while she closed the doors to the balcony. Sally instantly felt a rush of sadness run through her veins while a shiver run over her spine. A tear trickled down her left cheek as she felt that someone was in pain.

***

Back on the distant battle field at the same time, Vladimir knew that the planet he was on was a barren desert world, however his blood was and had always been ice cold as far back as he could remember. He looked to his gloved hands. Vladimir folded his hands and held them close to his stomach. Through the layers of leather, he could feel his fur-covered hands giving off the usual cold aurora that seemed to surround him all the time. Vladimir pulled up the right sleeve of the uniform he was wearing. To him was revealed a burn on his forearm. He could remember that he had burnt himself, but when he did burn him self, he felt no heat, just the cold pain of it.

For this was the average life for every living Feranusian in these dark times.

As quick as the battle had ended, Vladimir found himself in a small metallic room waiting for more orders. However as quick as he received his orders, he was now departing the barren desert world in a small but totally efficient and capable FeranSeeker Fighter craft. Vladimir lifted the craft off the makeshift landing pad while he handled the dual control sticks of the ship. Once he had piloted the craft well beyond the atmosphere, Vladimir pulled his revolver out of the holster. He then emptied out the ammunition from the gun and placed the gun into a small compartment under in his pilot chair. Vladimir cut his way through the dark of space he decided to shoot for a sidetracking course that would bring him close to his world.

Vladimir tapped a few icons on the nava-comp screen in his ship. A harsh computerized voice responded after a few moments “Course Plotted for Feranus Orbit”. The ship then seemed to get faster till the point where all local stars shot past Vladimir’s cockpit windows.

Vladimir fell asleep as he did during most space flights. The deep space  flight  system filled the cockpit with an anesthetic mist mixed with a sleeping agent that would put the occupants to sleep and have an insensitivity to pain for the duration of the flight. However 3 hours into the flight, warning indicators and alarms blaring loudly awakened Vladimir. The computer kept repeating that there had been both a system error and collision with something while in transit to Feranus. Vladimir was quick to access a damage reporting system on the main console next to the manual flight controls. The belly of his FeranSeeker fighter had been apparently struck by some kind of energy weapon, however there was no sign of enemy activity or any other activity in the area at all. The computer then compiled a list of ship systems. The only things that had been damaged were the ship’s Xelo class reactor and the hyper space engine for deep space travel.

Vladimir shook his head in disbelief that this was happening. First off the fact that his FeranSeeker Fighter had been hit by anything that the advanced collision avoidance system had not avoided an object in space was the first thought going through his mind as he punched up the NAVA-COMP. The second thing was that both his ship reactor and Hyper Engine were fried as he poured through the local systems looking for a place to set down to attempt repairs and get his bearings. Eventually a planet caught his attention. It had no name as far as the Feranusian deep space exploration and charting services were concerned. All that he could get from the initial scan was that it was inhabited by some kind of settlements.

Vladimir punched in the coordinates of the planet while he produced more belts out of emergency slots for more safety while he was strapped into the pilot chair. Vladimir finished attaching the additional belts and buckles around his stomach, legs and chest. Soon his FeranSeeker was entering the atmosphere of the planet. A shower of parks poured from a side panel that was immediately followed by a distorted computer response saying that there was a navigational error in the orbital entry course. As quick as the voice stopped, another warning indicator flashed all around Vladimir’s manual controls. “Alert! Angle of insertion critical” was the computer’s almost completely distorted response.

Vladimir grunted as he took hold of the controls and pulled the ship to a good angle of insertion. He then guided the disabled FeranSeeker Fighter down and through thick clouds. He then saw land masses emerge through the thick clouds. Soon all he could see was one particular landmass growing outside of the cockpit. Vladimir was now just a few hundred feet above the land. He was passing over a forested area. As he closed in at 100 feet, a small village of huts came into view with people walking to and fro.

“Great, a welcoming committee of primitives.” Vladimir continued to pilot the ship to where he could land safely.

***

It had been a bright morning. Sally walked to the balcony again and looked outside. She was still feeling a bit down from her experience in the middle of the night, but now she felt slightly different. Sally decided to open the doors and step out onto the wooden balcony of the hut she had been living in for some time in Knothole Village. The morning air was murky with the scent of fog and dew, but the sun had dried the fog away hours ago. Sally looked to the morning sun, however a low high-pitched rumble coming from the sky abruptly distracted her attention. She scanned the sky till a strange yet burning ship passed overhead and disappeared over the tree line heading north of the village. An explosion rocked the land around Knothole village followed by a plume of dark black smoke billowing out over the tree line.

Everyone else in the village, Sonic Hedgehog, Bunnie Rabbot, Antoine D’Coolette, Rotor and so on came rushing out of their huts as Sally started running off in the direction of the smoke. Sally was the first to reach the scene. The ship had crashed but kept moving for some distance, knocking out a few trees and shrubs. Where the ship had come to a stop, the front end was ablaze. A small door located at the back of the ship was then broken open as the rest of the gang showed up onto the scene. A slightly tall, but average looking ground squirrel tumbled out of the door with a couple bags around his back and a series of electronic parts ripped out from inside the ship. At first, he did not see them there. He stood up and looked to his ship, which had now exploded into a ball of red and blue flames.

***

Vladimir felt like cursing the day, however his keen sense picked up. He raised his ears and turned to see who was watching him. Vladimir turned slowly to see them standing there. He had no idea that these few people would become his best friends and even one day one of them would become his wife. Feranusians had always had a keen sense of precognitive senses around them, but his sense was distorted by the situation at hand with his ship in flames. Vladimir then spoke slowly in his native tongue. This caught the group completely off guard. Sally then spoke up.

“Whoa there, do you speak Mobian?” She asked as she stepped closer to the stranger.

“I don’t know what Mobian is, but I speak Feranusian Vostdran just fine, which is probably the same thing. My name is Vladimir Meridius Vectrius Vosterev of the planet Feranus and this,” Vladimir said motioning with his left arm back to the burning pile of junk that was formerly a sophisticated starship. “Is my piece of crap ship that I’ll never be able to repair.”

“I am Princess Sally Alicia Acorn, these are my friends, the Knothole Freedom Fighters,” Sally froze for a moment as if in terror. There was something extremely familiar about Vladimir. Sally shook off the feeling and then spoke up again, “Are you familiar to me? Have we met before?”

“I would not say so, this planet for whatever reason was not included in Feranusian star mapping services. Too far from my kingdom's space travel routes.” Vladimir slowly checked over his equipment and supplies that he had scavenged from the ship.

“What kingdom?” Sonic asked as he stepped a bit closer.

“The Royal Vosterev Kingdom of the world Feranus.” Vladimir looked about him to get an idea of the area. He then started to walk away from the group with his equipment in his bags. "However, the kingdom has been at war with a bunch of human refugees who took it upon themselves to cleanse our world." At that moment, Vladimir's temperament could be felt even by Sally and her friends, especially Sally.

“Wait a minute, did you just say that you were a Vosterev?” Sally asked raising an eyebrow in suspicion.

“Indeed I am a member of the Royal family. However I have not been officially crowned King yet.” Vladimir said while he buckled a bag to a strap on his uniform.

"Are you speaking of the Overlanders!?" Sally asked in amazement.

"If your family was assassinated by your own kind in return for Overlander favor ship, Princess Sally, then your right. The Overlanders came to our world and staked out a small slice of Feranus for them selves. They staged elaborate schemes to over throw the King & Queen of the kingdom. They however underestimated the resolve of the Royal Army." Anger was in his voice, but it was not directed at any one around him.

Sonic ran up to Vladimir and stopped in front of him. Vladimir looked down at Sonic and smirked. Vladimir's height only explained one thing. He was older than those around him.

“Where are you going? Why don’t you stay with us?” Vladimir looked long and hard at Sonic after he had finished talking. Vladimir smiled harshly and complied as he shoved one of his bags into Sonic’s arms.

“Whoa, man! Whats in this thing!?” Sonic muttered almost dropping the bag twice.

“Those are my gadgets and various computer components used for advanced military intelligence gathering. My world has seen years of senseless wars on many fronts and many worlds." Vladimir spoke as he shifted the weight of the other bag around his back.

"Uh, excuse me," Sally noticed that a mask was hiding most of Vladimir's face, so she spoke up. "Could you take that mask off and let us see your true face."

Vladimir sighed as he stopped and slowly removed straps that were keeping the mask in place. He then removed the hose from his rebreather from the base of the mask. A short burst of misty air shot out from both the hose and mask. Slowly with a hissing noise, Vladimir removed the mask. A scattered array of shocked gasps were heard while Vladimir removed his helmet. Once his helmet had released his hair from its depths, his hair was nearly the same as Sally's. His eyes were the same. The only thing that was out of place was fangs showing through his somewhat forced smile.

"You are a ground squirrel!" Sally gasped out.

"Not exactly, my mother was a squirrel, but my father was a Highlander Lynx." Vladimir looked to Sally. "Perhaps this planet has some of my own family history seeing how remarkably similar you look as I do?" Vladimir said as he leisurely pointed to Sally.

"Do you know who your mother was?" Sally asked seeming a bit concerned.

"What kind of son would I be if I did not know her name. Her name was Queen Alison Vosterev." Vladimir looked around him and saw a tree. A particular nut was found in the tree. "As for her maiden name, hmm, what are those nuts called in that tree over there?" He asked.

Everyone looked to the tree Vladimir was indicating with his out stretched finger.

"Those are called acorns." Sonic said as he picked one up and tossed it to Vladimir.

"Hmm, I've seen one of these before on my home world. My mother had once said that she had brought some of them with her when she married my father." Vladimir was now removing his over coat uniform. Underneath was an extensively detailed metallic armor plate. Both on his upper arm and forearm were more armor plates. His legs were also covered in a similar design like his arms. Providing vital protection for seriously critical body parts. On the main chest plate was an embossed design. A bird standing on a mantel. The mantel was undoubtedly Vladimir's family crest. It consisted of a shield of unknown design with several strange curved symbols around a center piece. However the centre piece of the symbol was oddly familiar to most of the Freedom Fighters. It was almost identical to the Royal Acorn Family insignia.

"Uhh, how did you come about getting that crest?" Sally demanded as she stepped a but closer to Vladimir.

"It is my family crest, Sally. After the marriage of my Father to my mother, My father commissioned a new family insignia in honor of his newly wed queen." Vladimir explained as he ran his right hand over the crest.

Vladimir let his hand drop to his side where he had a holstered weapon of some kind. He smelled the air and cringed slightly.

"This world smells of trouble. The stench of man is heavy here." Vladimir spoke as he looked to the sky. Sally and her friends dropped their heads low.

"Indeed, a human scientist Robotnik has been plaguing our world for years now." Sonic said as he straightened out his gaze.

"Good thing I’m here than. My orders from my people are specific. Hunt down the last remaining human scientist that had been supply one of the largest terrorist organizations on Feranus. Robotnik supplied them for some time with illegal weapons." Vladimir shook his head slowly.

"You too have been plagued by Buttnik?" Sonic asked.

"Funny interpretation, Buttnik. Yes, we were only saved by what we had sought to stop years prior to his interference. The Ultra Soldier. I am such a soldier. We are born like everyone else, but every seven years until maturity, we have been medically altered. At age six, I was submitted to extensive gene therapy that nearly wiped all my feline qualities out. I took on my squirrel mother's traits to a percentile of 90%. I however still posses my fangs and my tail is kind of strange for a squirrels, but that’s pretty much it other than my unnatural agility attributed to my feline genes. However, both of my arms just above the elbow joints are prosthetic limbs with a special technology that overlays my robotic arms with living tissue based on my dna. At the age of 15...well thats actually a personal...m-matter." Vladimir smiled at the response of blank stares. "Basically speaking in lay man terms, I am stronger, faster, more agile than any one of my comrades." Vladimir slowly wiped his nose.

"You poor thing! Your part machine suga?" Bunny said as she held out her metallic hand for his. Vladimir took Bunnie's hand and smirked.

"Nothing like this however. My Ultra components are my tools. I would not have it any other way. My muscles are laced with control systems that regulate my unique body. And of course, if I am cut, I still bleed and it still is painful." Vladimir looked at Bunnie's arm and legs. "Whatever happened to you?" He asked.

"This is the robotsization process, invented originally by Sonic's Uncle, Sir Charles Hedgehog. Robotnik however used this technology to almost completely whip out all of Mobotropolis and all the people of Mobius." Sally said as she again lowered her head.

"The only thing that I guess would compare to robotisizing on my world would be the Ultras, like my self, however I have my free will and I am a living creature who uses his special traits as tools to serve our King & Queen in times of war." Vladimir commented as he released Bunny's hand.

"Why? What is so different." Asked Sally.

"Robotnik was using cybernetic systems. This system however was different than the rumored robotisizing going on here. Those who were made into cyborgs could not be saved. It has been a hard time for my comrades and myself. Now that I have cornered him to this Mobius, I would like to join your team of 'Freedom Fighters' to make Robotnik pay for his evil doings on Feranus." Vladimir said as he removed a fair sized 8 inch dagger from one of the holsters on his utility belt. He handed it to Sally. "Take this dagger, as long as you want it, I’ll stay here on this planet with you and your friends. I'd never leave without, for it belonged to my mother and it is all the evidence I have left of her love for me and my father." Sally took the dagger and nearly dropped it.

"What are these words on here around the same crest?" She asked holding out the handle of the dagger.

"Those words are Feran. They say Acorn. I suppose that’s where I have memory of acorns, but hey it was a long time ago when my mother gave that dagger to me." Vladimir was suddenly quit, he did not seem to want to elaborate on any thing else as he picked up his bagged and motioned for Sonic to follow him.

The rest of the group followed Vladimir and Sonic. Sally stood in the same spot as she looked over the knife. She then called for Sonic to come over.

"Sonic, I must go to my father and mother. There are things I wish to discuss with them. Make sure that Vladimir is extended all the hospitality that we have and give him the empty room under mine." Sally said as she wrapped the dagger in a piece of cloth.

"Um, ok Sal, No problem. Are you going to be long?" Sonic asked.

"I hope not. Now I must go, seya later, Sonic." Sally said as she started to walk off into the woods away from Knothole village.

It did not take long for Sally to get to Mobotropolis and find her way to Acorn Castle. The city had been under extensive repair since the fall of Robotnik, but a foreboding staleness to the air was disturbing her. She had finally reached with in the castle, the throne room where her father and mother were. The King and Queen of Mobius.

 "Ah, Sally. What brings you here today? Everything alright in Knothole?" Maximillian Acorn asked as he shifted his wheel chair. He had a slight smile on his face while Alicia sat in her throne just behind her husband.

"No, someone has just arrived daddy. A stranger from a different planet." Sally said as she stepped closer to her parents.

"Who? Who has the technology for such a feat? Space travel is still unknown even to us." Alicia asked getting up from her throne to greet her daughter.

"He claims to be something called an Feranusian Ultra...Soldier." Sally said again as she took her mothers hand and together the two stepped closer to her father.

"They are a dead race! How is it that one, even an Ultra Soldier is here!?" Max demanded, while his expression went from slightly happy to some what angry.

"He crashed his ship near Knothole, father. He seemed nice enough to talk to us and when he removed his helmet, he looked a lot like me. Half Squirrel, half chipmunk, however he claims to also be part feline. He has feline whiskers but almost everything else is a squirrel. However, other than his appearance, that is not why I have come today. I have something to show you, Father." Sally said holding the clothed dagger out.

"What is this?" Max asked taking it from Sally's hands.

"He gave me a dagger as a promise to help fight Robotnik. He said that it belonged to his mother who was a squirrel and as long as I have it, he will never leave without it." Sally said as she helped her father unfold the cloth.

"Oh my god! You said his mother gave this to him!?" Sally's father demanded as he held the dagger's handle close so he could look at the design.

"Yes, I did." Sally said once again. Alicia took the dagger from Max to examine it closer.

"This dagger was my twin sister’s dagger given to her by our father. If this is his dagger, than this stranger is an heir to the Feranusian Royal Vosterev throne and is your cousin!" Alicia said handing the knife back to Sally.

"Cousin!? Wow!" Gasped sally as she took the dagger back and clothed it up again.

"Yes, thats right. Your mother's twin sister had fallen in love with a Feranusian. My father the King before me, had condemned her for it, because she was still a subject of the Kingdom of Acorn, but when Meridius Vosterev introduced him self as King of the Royal Vosterev Kingdom of the world of Feranus, the tension was lifted. Your aunt and Uncle through marriage were married here, but they left for their new life together on Feranus." Max rubbed his chin for a moment. "You said he is an Ultra Soldier?" He asked again.

"Yes." Sally replied.

"He is the one that Meridius had promised to send here to help with our enemies. But as I can recall, his dear son 'Vladimir' was suppose to have been sent as a child to be officially betrothed to you years ago. Better late than never I suppose." Max said slowly.

"You mean that Vladimir and myself were chosen for a royal arranged marriage?" Sally asked a little perplexed.

"Yes, but there must have been some kind of trouble on Feranus for him to be sent now as an adolescent Ultra, he is not even a mature soldier yet." Max said as he continued to still rub his chin in deep thought.

"He said that his planet had come under some sort of political attack by Robotnik years ago, but more than that he has not elaborated. He seemed to be hiding things deep with in his soul."

"Yes, Meridius had warned us about a human scientist, but the technology Robotnik had offered initially to us was all to tempting, so in an attempt to save their own skins from Robotnik, The Vosterev Kingdom closed itself off from us and denied any assistance other than the promise of an Ultra. Their actions enraged us here, but I knew that as long as your mother's sister Alison was there, she would influence the reluctant Feranusians and her own husband to do more than they promised. She sent her own flesh and blood, the heir of Vosterev Royal throne, Prince Vladimir Meridius Vectrius Vosterev." Max sat back in the wheel chair. "Originally, just a simple Ultra was going to be sent, but the time line for that Ultra's existence was not until 20 years from now. Alison kept a secret line of communication with me and Alicia. She promised that she would send someone as soon as possible. She one day then introduced us to Vladimir, a 5 year old at the time. In two years from that introduction, Vladimir had received the first stages of the Ultra project.”

“I can still remember how brave my dear twin sister had been. The gene therapy had worked, but it blended the DNA of her squirrel traits almost to the point where Vladimir had no feline characteristics left other than his fangs. As he grew into the world around him, the young Feranusians around him made his life a living joke. Alison could no longer protect her precious prince as he grew into his 15th year. Eventually, Vladimir out classed even Alison in strength, agility and even intelligence. He was soon the one who was calling the shots among his friends. When Vladimir was six years old, Meridius had found out that Alison had given up their own only child to the Ultra Project, eventually. Meridius had lost his temper for a short time and hit Alison a few times in retaliation. However he soon asked for her forgiveness, because he loved her. 5 months after that, Meridius was apparently assassinated. Vladimir grew to the of 15 when we lost all contact with Alison." Alicia said still standing behind Max. Alicia sighed in remembrance of her beloved twin sister. She knew now that she had been killed.

"What are you saying that he can do?" Sally asked, still holding Alicia's hand close.

"I'm afraid to admit it, but there is a strong chance that Vladimir is 10 or even 20 times stronger than even Sonic. Your Aunt Alison had been sending memos and other things on his progress throughout the years. Now at the age of 19, Vladimir has seen 1023 different combat missions and has been decorated as a hero of the mysterious Royal Vosterev Vanguard. However, as the Feranusian military was concerned, your cousin was not worthy of anything above Colonel in the Feranusian army. He has killed more than 10,000 enemies of the Union and Feranus." Max slowly finished rubbing his chin. "Sally, extend all the hospitality you and the Knothole Freedom Fighters have to your cousin. Once he is a member of the Freedom Fighters, combined with the speed of Sonic will put an end to Robotnik once and for all." Max said as he smiled slowly.

"Yes Daddy I will." Sally said as she hugged her mother and then her father.

"Keep well, Sally. We will always be here for you and the Freedom Fighters. One more thing, tell your cousin we would like to have meeting with our nefew." Alicia said as she went back to her throne.

"Ok, I will, farewell for now."

***

Back in Knothole village, Vladimir had been given some time to set up his room under Sally's. He had made enough room on some of the work benches for some computer equipment and various gadgets and gizmos. One such gizmo were several desk lamps connected to a universal energy reactor. The UE-Reactor was designed to work for a life time with out replacing batteries for a life time.

Vladimir was now powering up the desk lamps. The light was an eerie blueish white light, but it gave enough illumination the areas that were being utilized by a desk lamp. Vladimir had one more desk lamp converted into an overhead light source to light the majority of the room. Vladimir then set the UE-Reactor down on the floor to one side of the room. He then made sure there was enough power lines for the lamps.

Quietly, Sally slipped into the room with a few of the others and Sonic. Vladimir was pulling out what seemed to be a battery from the UE-Reactor and placed it into armor plating pad around his left forearm. A small powering up whine could be heard. Soon the sound was gone. Vladimir held his forearm somewhat close to his face.

"Michael, are you online?" He said as he waited for a response.

"Yes, Master Vladimir. The new power module you installed into my memory bank seems to be working at 100% proficiency." Michael's voice was just as monotone as Nicole's, but his had a futile servant tone with responding with Master.

"Michael, what planet is this?" Vladimir asked.

"One moment, please. Processing Universal information. Master Vladimir, loading your mothers recorded files from archived information. This is your mother's home world, Mobius. Distance from Mobius to Feranus, approximately 12 light years." Michael explained in detail.

"That would explain why this planet was not on the ships massive NAVA-Comp relays and archives. It was further away than most of the worlds we already know of such as the volcanic wastes of Polaris Prime or the technology ridden planet of Nugauntalus" Vladimir commented to himself.

"Yes, Master Vladimir. The Royal Vosterev Kingdom in the last 100 years has not noticed Mobius. However, your father did come here. He eventually found your mother living here and the two fell in love. According to my records, that is." Michael was known to throw in tid bits of info as it suited the situation.

"Thats enough, Michael. Power down now, please." Vladimir asked as he walked to one of the desks.

"Yes, Master Vladimir. Shall I ask you question first?" Michael said.

"Sure, Michael."

"Over the years, I have been wittiness to your maturity. Your mother designed me to be your aid and friend. You have reached her home world and now I have fulfilled a parameter of my original programming. Commencing Prerecorded message from Queen Alison Vosterev." Vladimir's eyes became wide for a moment as he looked to a hologram forming above the blue lens of Michael's main display. A still image of Queen Alison formed. It then started to move as if it were a movie.

"My dear Son, Vladimir. You are now viewing this message because you have finally arrived on my home world, Mobius. I wish I could be there with you, but you are now unfortunate enough to know the hard cold truth. I know that your life thus far has been of hardship and pain. I'll always be at your side, In life and in death.

"My son, info has been kept from you for a reason, so now I have the honor of telling you that you are the true heir to the Feranusian throne. Seek out my sister on Mobius, she is Queen Alicia Acorn, wife of King Maximillion Acorn. King of Mobius. There you will find the only family you have left. However, remember that you are a prince of Feranus. Never forget your beginnings and for the sake of the future, learn all that you can from my side of the family here on Mobius. Alicia and her husband King Maximillion Acorn have promised me that they will cherish you as a full member of both the Royal families of Acorn and Vosterev.

"As for Robotnik, your father and I reluctantly closed our Kingdom off to worlds around us to prevent any chance of Robotnik invading. You were not suppose to have been sent, it was your father's doing that another was to be sent. However not for many years yet. I choose to give you up to the Ultra Project, so don't hate me for putting you though all the suffering especially after the first phase where you had became more in appearance like myself. Your destiny was never on the five of the war torn planets including our own. It was Mobius from the start. Hunt down Robotnik and end his evil ways for the sake of all that is good in the universe. I'm sorry you had to grow up with out your father, even if you are seeing this message than I am gone as well. Never forget who you are and what your raw abilities are capable of. Remember that I'll always love you, long after I am gone."

The hologram faded back into Michael's lens. Vladimir stood in the silence of the room he then then wiped tears from his eyes. His ears then perked up to the sound of the floor creaking. He turned to see his new friends gathered by the door.

"Vladimir, my father and mother just told me that you are my cousin through marriage. They want to see you as soon as you can afford the time." Sally said walking closer to Vladimir. She extended her hand out to Vladimir at her side. Vladimir smiled as the tears in his eyes dried up a bit. He took Sally's hand and the two walked out of the hut together. The others followed them as the walked around the village. Sally took great pride in showing her newly discovered cousin the things that all the Freedom Fighters had accomplished in Knothole Village.

They passed the various huts which each of them had an explanation. Then they passed the garden with the various crops in them.

"Here, Vladimir. Have you ever had a carrot?" Sally asked pulling a carrot from the patch.

"No, what is it?" Vladimir asked.

"Eat the orange part of it, leave the green top." Sally said as she handed the carrot to Vladimir. She wiped off the dirt that was still on the carrot and gave it to Vladimir.

Vladimir bit into the carrot. He made a noise of surprise as he chews and swallowed it. he then bit down the carrot again. and finished it faster than anyone ever had in Knothole.

"Holy smokes, Suga! You ate that there carrot faster than I would have!" Bunny gasped as she walked up to Vladimir and Sally.

"That was surprisingly good. All I have been used to are those nasty rations in the military." Vladimir said as he handed the green top back to Sally who threw it among a neat compost pile.

"Rations?" Asked Sally as she walked back to Vladimir from the compost pile.

"Rations are already made food packets for the use of Soldiers who are in the field. For the most part they are the most vile tasting stuff in the universe, but they help if your hungry and in the field. Plus even though they taste just rancid, they have nutrients and vitamins that we would not normally get anywhere else in the field or on some mission where long length of time is a factor." Vladimir said as he sighed a bit.

The group continued to walk around the Knothole village. Soon the limited tour was back at the hut that it started from. Vladimir most of all admired the irrigation system that had been built to provide water to both the gardens and each of the huts. What the village lacked in over all was electricity, but even with out it, Sonic, Sally and their friends seemed to be doing just fine.

The day had become late and Vladimir found himself sitting among his new friends around a communal camp fire. Sally was admiring the way the light from the fire was reflecting in Vladimir's armor plating. It almost seemed that the there was no armor there, but fire engulfing Vladimir. The others were talking amongst them selves while Sonic was obviously enjoying a chilly dog. Vladimir was staring into the flames that engulfed the logs in the fire. He then sat back and soaked in the heat of the fire.

Sally looked over to him again as he sat back. The crest on his chest plate lighting up in a brilliant blaze of fire induced light. Small arcs of light slowly weaved their way across the crest and the entire chest plate itself was set ablaze in the light.

Set at Vladimir's feet was some food. Vladimir had not yet given into his hunger, even though it was there none the less. He then sat up and crossed his legs as he reached down and picked up a chilly dog Sonic had got for him. He examined the chilly dog for a moment.

"Hey Vlad, you eat it, not admire it, even though it is a work of fine art." Sonic commented as he was now working on his fourth chilly dog. Vladimir scoffed and then started to eat it.

At first, Vladimir was not to impressed with it and then he smiled as he wiped off his chin. he finished it slower than Sonic would have. Sally smiled as she watched Vladimir eat the chilly dog.

“How did you like the chilly dog, Vlad?” Sonic asked as he scarfed down his fourth chilly dog.

"Hmm, that was not too bad, just don't call me Vlad again. I only let my mother call me that." Vladimir commented as he picked up a glass of water to wash down the food.

“Oh, I'm sorry, Vladimir. Want another chilly dog?” Sonic said looking over to Vladimir.

“I'm good for now Sonic. Thanks for the chilly dog anyway.”

"Now then, Vladimir. Would you like the grand history of this planet or just go to sleep." Sally asked sitting up from her leisured rest on the grass.

"Nothing is more important than sleep, however in this case, I need to know all the details that I can handle of the history of this planet and more importantly, Robotnik in particular." Vladimir said slowly.

Into the night, Sally and Sonic and with the help of Bunny and Antoine, the history of the planet was unveiled to Vladimir. He seemed somewhat disinterested in the history of the planet, for his real reason to be on the planet was Robotnik. Alas, he was told the details of how Ivo Robotnik had come to power as the minister of science and technology and the inevitable date that he took over, casting King Acorn to the void. Also to a degree, Sir Charles Hedgehog was mentioned in relation to his invention, the Roboticizer. All was discussed till they came to the present time where Robotnik had been defeated once before, but there were rumors of him existing else where. Vladimir sat quitly and then spoke up.

"Well to predict the future tactics of Robotnik, I must speak to you of my own history with him, He as I said before was the key figure in backing a terrorist group."

Vladimir went into detail of the operation that the “Confederacy of Separatist Nationalists”, but the most important part of the history was how the Feranusians of the time prevented him from enacting a roboticizing operation on their world by systematically hunting down all the CSN terrorist cells connected with Robotnik before he could get any of the parts to Feranus to make the first Feranus based roboticizer.

"He tried to invade?" Sally asked.

"Yes, however he never set foot on the planet. I guess he was stuck on Mobius because none of the CSNs smugglers were able to leave the planet with out being detected. Hundreds tried and were subsequently shot down leaving Feranusian orbit by the Royal Navy's GDP system." Vladimir said as he scratched behind his right ear.

“GDP?” Sally asked looking at Vladimir with curiosity.

“Global Defense Platform. Its a large series of orbiting space stations designed to monitor all traffic coming and going from the Kingdom and determine if any passing by ships and transports are smugglers or people who are in violation of royal law.”

It was now late into the night. So everyone started to put things away. Bunnie  doused the fire with a bucket of water near by. Vladimir walked back to the hut alone. He was pondering some things in his head as he got into the hut. The lights were dimmed, however they slightly picked up some level of lighting as the motion sensor detected him there.

Vladimir sat down in a chair around the centre table. He sighed as he let his head down on the table and went to sleep.

To Be Continued