Bubblegum Storm- Jade Invasion: Foothold. [Episode 137066]

"Actually, they've got a small store, but they're mostly a huge Dojo."

Sylia blinked. "Really?"

"Yep, and the instructors doing demonstrations were definitely really impressive."

Sylia shrugged. "Well, we can ask Linna to take a look at it later, what's important is if we can adapt those new parts to improve the suits."

"Actually," Mackie responded, "At first glance, it looks like they'd work better in the Moto-Slaves."

---

In the middle of a lake sat a white marble pagoda. At it's center sat a tall muscular white haired man sipping tea from a cup. One of his eyes flickered to one side, and suddenly rose into the air, power crackling about him as he pivoted.

Crouching on one of the walls of the pagoda was a much smaller man. Showing no fear, he calmly held up a jade object, the complex character on it's side visible.

The white haired man's eyes widened a moment before he dropped to one knee bowing his head. He extended one hand, and when the jade box was placed in it, he held it before him and pulled the top off, revealing a folded piece of paper within. Unfolding the paper, he nodded silently as he read the contents. Then his lips twisted into a fierce smile.

"It's time." Rising he returned the letter to it's container, and sealed it again. Picking up a cape of tiger skin, he leaped from the pagoda, easily sprinting atop a silk ribbon tied between the pagoda and the shore. Leaping onto the shore he charged up a hill to the large platform at the top.

"Rally the troops, it's time!" he called to a soldier in Chinese style armor. With a nod the soldier turned, picked up two sticks and began striking the enormous drum beside him.

The Tiger clad man stepped past him and gazed down the hill at the wide plane covered with tents that stretched far into the distance. He grinned as he saw a smattering of the soldiers running toward the huge open area at the base of the hill, where they began to form up, their spears, swords, or bows at the ready.

Then he turned again toward a smaller group striding up the hill from the opposite direction. Their clothing was far less uniform than the soldiers, some dressed in fine robes, some in peasant type clothes, even two who had apparently stepped right from a Buddhist monastery.

"It's time!" He called to the approaching group. He pivoted to the field again. "All is ready, Just a little more and we shall cross the bridge and claim a new world for the Immortal Emperor!"

---

Leon sat on the folding chair doing everything in his power to keep from yawning. It was a loosing battle as the speaker kept droning on and on. 'I'd almost be happy for a rogue boomer incident so I could leave.' he thought to himself. Pushing such thoughts aside, he tried distracting himself from the speech of dedication for the new building about to be constructed, and looked upward, to where the sky was visible from under the tarp overhead. 'It's definitely gonna be some storm.'

As he thought that, suddenly one of the looming gray thunderheads lit up with a clap of thunder. Then like a switch had been thrown, lightning began to explode across the sky overhead, the thunder drowning out the speaker as the wind picked up. 'Here it come.' Leon thought, waiting for the downpour.

Suddenly there was a great running noise, and a moment later the earth shook, knocking Leon out of his chair. As he pulled himself to his feet, he looked about, his gaze stopping as he saw a huge structure of wood and red granite with intricate Chinese carvings right in the center of the cleared space where the building was supposed to go. Charging outside, he looked up and saw it arching upward, vanishing into the stormy sky.

As he looked up through the now pouring rain, he saw a hoard of figures moving on the structure, marching at double time like it's had it's own gravity.

"Hey, is this some sort of hologram?" someone nearby asked.

Leon glanced toward the speaker, then back toward the structure 'The angle's weird, but it looks like a bridge . . . ' And as he watched a huge muscular figure with a tiger skin cape strode off the end where it touched the earth. As the white haired man walked forward, the two columns of marching figures behind him split in two directions. Each of them was dressed in bronze armor, like that worn by the Qin Terra-cotta Warriors. Most carried long Chinese spears, with a few other weapons mixed in.

Taking a breath, Leon reached inside his jacket for his gun. He leveled it at the white haired man who had come to a halt a few feet away and was looking down at him. "AD Police! I want to know who you are and what's going on!"

The man looked at him with a totally calm expression. "I am called Setso. And by the command of The Emperor, we have come to claim this world." As he spoke he raised one hand in front of him, then he suddenly thrust it forward, force exploding from it to shoot forward and slam into a shocked Leon, hurling him backward.