Thursday, October 30th, 2030. Sector Two-Eight Two-Nine, of the Vega Star-System, Planet Zuun's Northern Arboreal Mining and Research Colonies…..
Mar Londo stood at the stone cliffs-edge of his research facility in silence.
The building loomed over him from behind with a steel menace that would've made him flinch if every inch of it wasn't under his control. A cage at his command, holding and subduing beasts of his greatest fears.
And wildest dreams.
Ahead of him, the world of Zuun as it was remained.
Untapped potential surrounded by the smell of a nearing war effort. Sapping resources. Endless forestry and cave systems holding the rarest of gems and supercharged resources. It was only recently that Zuun was made a homeworld.
Tamaranean's, Kryptonian's, Daxamites and Ookaran's of old had stopped at Zuun for resources to mine and take back to their home for centuries. Overtime, colonies and ports were made.
And now, they were growing into cities.
The Vega-Star System was well aware of Zuun's potential.
And when beings saw a planet with potential the only thing that could follow was war. A fight for access and ascension.
Mar wanted to win the fight. He wanted to be king of his home. He had the key to unlocking his goal. And the means to broaden it. He was reminded of such a thing as he gazed out at the wilds of Zuun.
Endless woodland with glow-green leaf trees. Massive herbal-blooms he could smell from a mile away. Mineral rich ravines that spun like snakes through the forested undergrowth. Deserts of diamonds sparkling all the way from the south.
Zuun was a gem in a dark dimension full of seekers of light.
His gem. A gem that would one day be fiercely guarded by a dweller of the dark. His beast in the shadows.
Something roared inside of his research facility.
Mar grinned.
"He is awake."
Mar turned on his heels and re-entered his research facility with haste.
As he stepped through the dark-metal corridors of his facility, his long white lab coat fluttered. His spotless boots click-clacked in an excited rhythym. His mind was focused to a bladed point.
He passed testing labs where fellow researchers sat over microscopes and under spinning glass vials of glowing fluids.
He typed pass codes and walked through gateways and traveled down elevators.
Processing stations grounded down materials and showcased holograms reading off the complex dna sequences of animals and genetic ancestors dating back to entirely different planets.
It was beautiful.
Everything was functioning. Everyone was focusing. Every bit of his dream was being made real.
His journey came to a close as he reached a dungeon bunker and facing a massive metal door.
"Welcome back, Dr Londo."
Mar turned and met eyes with his assistant. Lea. She was a native Zunnian— which meant she was a genetic mash-up of many races of the Vega Star-System and beyond. She had brown skin and a long lanky build. Her hair was naturally curly black with a red tint but she had it gelled down and tied into a braid at the back of her head. Her dark amber eyes watched him with a similar level of excitement.
"It's good to be back." Mar placed a hand on the print reader and felt the burn of the in depth scan before the lock clicked and the door slid open with the hiss of new oxygen entering the air tight space.
What lay before them was a room full of data readers, containment tubes holding Zuunian species in amber fluid, working geneticists, scientists and behaviorists seated behind screens and the main event.
A massive glass wall stood at the end of the room gazing into a forest enclosure. Mounted blasters were stationed at the cieling along with automated tranq rifles and revolving doors housing contained bovine and equine creatures native to Zuun's forests.
As Mar entered, the team of individuals stood and saluted.
Mar nodded to them all, "Continue your work everyone. We've reached a milestone on this day. And we're almost at an end."
They all got back to work as Mar approached the glass. He looked down at the forest below. Promptly, he raised a hand to the glass and touched it.
Commands and panel sequences glowed as the glass became a screen. He pushed apart his pointer and thumb, causing the portion of the glass he looked through to zoom in until he could see the forest grounds.
"Drop in dinner." Mar said.
One of the individuals seated at the control panels behind him got to work.
Inside the enclosure, one of the ceiling doors opened and out fell a antlered creature.
It's fall was softened by the canopy.
Quickly, it recovered and attempted to take off only for a dark shape to pounce on the creature and kill it swiftly.
Under the light of the split open canopy, Mar could see the specimen in all its predatory glory.
He was covered in a light sheen of dark grey fur. His rippling back muscles caused the strands to bristle as he wrestled the dying animal. He had a mane of long dreaded hair that was streaked with white on one side.
As he stood over the dead animal, he turned and looked straight into the glass where Mar gazed.
His eyes were wolf-gold and slitted like a feline. His nose was thick— doggish, and his extended canines were pinked by blood. Due to his thickened side burns and muscled stature, he looked much older than his actual age of seventeen.
Based on his experiences many would say he was.
Mar needed him to be.
He smiled proudly, "Hello son."
Lea purred, "Oh you've grown into exactly what we'd hoped for."
Mar nodded, "You've been a great mother, Lea."
"And you've been a wonderful father. This planet will be ours. Completely."
"Our gift to him. Take it with force, Brin, because they're coming. Sooner than we expected."