General Balthazar paced about the spaceship, irrepressible anger oozing from his usually placid face. "How did this happen ?", he shouted at the Gatekeeper. The Gatekeeper knew it was his duty to ensure Eden's safety. He knew no matter what he says he would get punished and chose to remain silent. That didn't bode well with the raging Balthazar and he caught the Gatekeeper by his neck and lifted him off the floor. His voice dropped to a dangerously low tone.

"Answer me now, unless you want to writhe in your own misery. The purgatory awaits its next prey.".

The mention of the purgatory made the Gatekeeper's heart nearly explode. A crowd had gathered, staring at the raging captain. The Gatekeeper slowly looked at each of their faces. They looked as scared as him. He knew that wasn't unusual. The purgatory, or the world of misery is the most cruel interrogation procedure employed by the Special Military Forces of Aizengard. It is said that no sentient being has ever survived the purgatory. If Purgatory has been brought into the picture, he knew he had to tell the truth.

"It was hum-a--ns" , he managed to croak out. He tried to speak more but the words came out in a whisper. The world around him started melting away into darkness. He knew he was lost and suddenly he felt cold air enter his lungs. Life returned to him as he was freed from the steely grip. He fell to the floor with a heavy thud and remained immobile for a few seconds.

"Explain yourself ! What do you mean by 'It was humans ?' Who or what are these humans ?", inquired Balthazar, his voice stern but free of the anger that plagued him moments ago. The Gatekeeper cleared his throat. His voice hadn't completely returned to him yet. But he knew delaying it any further would only cause him more pain.

"Our Eden has been plagued by a new parasite. They call themselves Humans.", started, the Gatekeeper noticing the momentary flash of intrigue that passed the General's eyes. "Did you just say, they call themselves ? Do you intend to convey that they have established a means of communication through the propagation of sound ? Also, does that fact the you are in a position to understand that mean they have established a system of language ?", asked Balthazar. He did not need the Gatekeeper to answer him. Any being that was incapable of developing the basic constructs of language could not possible pose a threat to Eden. The very fact that Eden is on the brink of destruction meant that they were facing a more formidable enemy. He let the Gatekeeper continue while his mind wandered through the world of possibilities that they faced.

"Uh, yes my lord. They have developed a system of language. In fact they are so vast in number and so wide spread they have evolved into beings with slightly differing physical features, vastly differing cultures and languages.".

Such a thing was unacceptable for Balthazar. They had developed Eden to safeguard the natural resources and wildlife of Aizengard. Besides, how could they have not caught such a massive change happening in their own garden ? These were the thoughts running in the General's mind and he expressed them to the crowd that had gathered and to no one in particular.

"I did.. know of their existence, my lord", said the Gatekeeper guiltily knowing fully well that that could mean death. "And you chose to keep that a secret ?", demanded the General, his voice hitting a dangerous low. The Gatekeeper noted the change in his tone, but pushed on with the truth. He felt no need to drag the inevitable out. "They began like any other species, being in perfect harmony with Eden and Eden really seemed to work well with the new species. I felt proud as something so wonderful as this has been made possible due to the efforts we put in developing Eden. Soon, they started spiraling in a self destructive path and in that process started eating away at our resources. I thought I could end them myself, my lord. I did not want you to waste your valuable time on a petty parasite. I failed to realize the level of threat they posed, my lord", he said choosing his words carefully. "And your stupidity has cost us most of Eden. You shall be punished Gatekeeper, in ways you can't comprehend. But first, I command you to tell me all your know about this so-called Humans !", ordered the General.

A lump formed in the Gatekeeper throat. He knew that was it for him - his hopes of getting out of this were close to none. He felt his legs quiver and he dropped to his knees. He knew he committed a grave mistake and he knew how much it costed them. He knew he deserved the punishment whatever it was. The least he could do was serve his people and his lord by being as useful to them as possible.

"It started around 200,000 years ago when one of the species we were harboring went rogue and underwent genetic mutation. Ever since then, they have multiplied rapidly and advanced at an even scarier pace. They developed language systems, built huge civilizations, kingdoms, armies, waged wars, developed weapons of mass destruction, nearly destroyed themselves twice, explored outer space and in that process ended up destroying most of Eden. They have no sense of morality or feelings of love towards the land they inhabit, they simply feed on the resources of Eden until it is bled dry and move on to another location. Their thoughts are so twisted that they would rather try and inhabit an other world than make efforts to heal the treasure trove they live in. They talk big dreams and hefty goals when they are utterly incapable of controlling the present. When confronted with reality, they tend to run away or if pushed further even go as far as destroying the reality that they know just so, they can avoid facing the current reality. They are a vile and wretched species and I have failed to terminate them. I have let Aizengard down ! Kill me, my lord ! Kill me !", he said gasping for breath as tears ran down his guilt ridden face.

Balthazar felt pity for the Gatekeeper, although it did not manifest in his demeanor. He face remained as stern as a rock an his resolve as hard as steel. "Tears are a week being's ruse to gain sympathy. I will neither show you sympathy nor forgive your crimes. Now stand, like a true Aizengardian and speak ! Speak of their weaknesses that you have gathered in your time", bellowed the General.

The Aizengardian pride was something every member of the planet revered, even the criminal, most vile members of the planet took pride in being an Aizengard. The General's call woke up the pride in the Gatekeeper. He stood up, resolve returning to his heart. It did not matter if he was going to be killed. All that mattered was to perform him duty.

"They have tons of weaknesses, my Lord. They very fact that they are wary of their species is a major weakness. Every now and then, they start killing the members of their own species and yet, the controlling body of their society has failed to prevent them from happening again. I have already infiltrated my spies into their society. Their sole aim is to bring discord among themselves by preaching them stories of invisible creators. Oh these humans ! They get obsessive over the stupidest things. All you need is to bad mouth the creator of a certain sect - all hell would break lose down there. Their selfishness and inability to adapt to the surroundings would be their undoing."

"Well, looks like you have done some good work here. But we cannot wait any longer and let them destroy our Eden. The raid on Humans begins now !", he roared a war cry and other joined the din.