Fanfiction: Alive

(UM Mebius Gaiden: Armoured Darkness manga by Uchiyama Mamoru)

The other day I started off writing one thing—focused on a younger Hikari and Fightas, to flesh out their backstory—and when I got stuck in a rut, I decided to have Fightas explain it all to Mebius. But for what reason would they meet?

(Again, UM Mebius Gaiden: Armoured Darkness manga by Uchiyama Mamoru)

This one, for starters.

And yes, I do enjoy writing a lot of Hikari-ish pieces. *blush*

Title: Alive
Date: 12/9/2009
Fandom: Mebius Gaiden manga
Genre: General/Drama
Rating/Warnings:PG for the alcohol and some mild Mebi/Hikari. Ultraman and all related characters (c) Tsuburaya Productions 1966, 2008. Fightas, Melos and all related are the creations of Uchiyama Mamoru. The names 'Lucien Candela', Kenjin, Aisal-Hal and the members of the Aisal-Hal should not be taken as canon.

The characters Nembu and Ethyl were created by U of M787. Thanks for letting me use them, U!
Summary: "We're alive right now, aren't we?" Set after the end of Mebius Gaiden: Armoured Darkness (OVA and manga). Mebius tangles with the dark armour again and Hikari is less than pleased.

The last of the Jackal army fled skywards, beaten, broken and hopefully dissuaded from appearing again. Mebius watched their disappearing backs and prayed fervently that it was so; he had no wish to tangle with their kind again, let alone the vampiric fragments of Armoured Darkness that had almost overcome him. The suit was whole and someone would undoubtedly seal its powers—the Braves Directive? The Universal Sci-Tech Bureau?—but right now, he was a little too tired to care. He needed sleep, and a long stint in the lightchambers didn't sound bad at all. He briefly considered, for the first time in his Garrison career, putting in a claim for hazard pay.

"Mebius." Hikari's voice was low and sharp, insistent. "Are you all right?"

All right? He'd been thrown backward by destructive beams, buried under rubble, slashed, kicked, punched and nearly assimilated. He'd slashed, beamed, flipped and lunged for a few brief hours that seemed to have consumed half his remaining life expectancy. Still, he nodded. Hikari had made it through far worse, almost getting pitched into that black hole. "There's no need to worry. I'm not hurt."

"Who said anything about worrying?" Wounded as he was, Hikari's hand flicked out and he smacked the young fighter in the back of the head nearly hard enough to take him off balance, and a lot harder than the man himself thought he did. His eyes burned with cold fury, and though Mebius had never seen him so visibly angry, there was a sick familiarity about that gaze. He had no way of knowing that the same glare had appeared, many times, behind Tsurugi's helmet. "What were you thinking, honestly? If you do something like that again then by the Sage, I—" Hikari bit the last words down and turned savagely away, limping off to the Medical Room like most everybody else, leaving a confused young man with one more sore spot to account for.

"Mebius, wasn't it?" He turned around, still rubbing his head. Standing at his shoulder was an armoured warrior, eyes glittering with mild amusement behind his visor. It had to be Captain Melos' younger brother...what was his name again? "Fightas. Good grief, you really went and pissed Luc—Hikari off there."

"You know him, Fightas-san?" Mebius replied, surprised.

"That man saved my life." The man obviously meant every word, but it did nothing to lessen Mebius' confusion, and it showed. He sighed. "Get seen to with the Cross, and meet me back here. You do drink, don't you?"

--

Fightas shed his helmet as they passed through the door of the Horn and Helmet and waved at the bartender. "The usual for me, and a Jolokia for my friend here!"

"Ayessssir," whistled the bartender through his baleen, and slung two glass globes through the air to a table right in the corner. One of them was wreathed in acrid smoke; that was the one Fightas pushed towards the hapless fighter, making encouraging noises.

"Er...?"

"Oh, psh. It's just pepper and spices—it'll put the fire right back in you. Of course," he said as Mebius unlidded the globe and took a draught of what felt like a ten-alarm inferno, "they don't name it after them ghost peppers for nothing." Once Mebius had stopped gasping like a goldfish and the other guests of the bar had dried their tears of laughter, he raised his own beverage and added, "It's on me, by the way. Thanks for looking out for my brother and, uh, my niece. They're not the easiest people to relate to."

"It was an honour to fight alongside Captain Melos and Captain Aura." Mebius' voice sounded a little crispy round the edges to his ears. "Captain Aura's father was one of the Twenty-Eight?"

"Cal Kalim," Fightas said without missing a beat. "Good guy, but went to pieces around sharp objects...oh yeah, I knew a few of the Aisal-Hal," he said in response to Mebius' expression of surprise, using the reverent name Ulterra had given to the last twenty-eight men who had faced Jackal alongside Garrison captain Zoffy Kenjin. "Went to school, trained with some of them. When I heard they all died, I felt I should have died with them." Fightas paused to sip his drink, winced slightly and went on. "Which brings us to your blue friend. You heard about the time I tried to fight Seven?"

"I can't say I have," Mebius shook his head and replied; he had been very young indeed when Jackal first threatened the Land of Light, and on the cusp of graduating from school when the villain escaped his black hole prison. He remembered fear, and evacuations, and a whole bunch of worrying—but it had been a very volatile time. Looking back on them now, he realised his mind had settled firmly on remembering the most ordinary things possible about that period.

"Oh, all right. I kept challenging him. He kept on refusing, but Melos finally asked him to do it. My sword, his Slugger. The Slugger won. I died."

"But you're..." Mebius rapidly scoured his brain for an appropriate turn of phrase. "...you're here."

"But I'm still here. Down in SciTech they were working on an energy matrix...reconstitutor, or replicator or something. Medicine's not my strong point. Anyway, I woke up strapped down on a table and some scientist called Lucien staring at me. Not how I woulda chose to come back. We had a nice little debate right there. I chewed him out for making me into a guinea pig, and he...ergh..." Fightas clammed up, sensing he might have said too much. Mebius' curiosity, however, was now aroused, and he pressed on.

"What did he do?"

"...Took a glass rod, smacked me over the knuckles and gave me hell." The image of Hikari rapping Fightas' hands with the lab equipment (and a most disapproving expression) sent Mebius into a gale of laughter and fire flew up his throat quite the wrong way. Fightas' expression told him it served him jolly well right. "Hey, it wasn't funny, trust me. That man's a devil with scientific equipment. Thank the gods he didn't break out the burette..."

"I wonder why he got so angry." Mebius stared down into the half-shot of Jolokia that remained. It stared back, promising that the slight burning in his midsection was going to stay for a long vacation. At least he felt very, very awake.

"What, at me or at you? One of his assistants was the brother of one of the Twenty-Eight. He's been through a buncha wars—I bet he's seen his fair share of death. And...ah, you probably know him better than me. He's tangled with the Armoured Darkness before, right?"

"Yes. Oh," Mebius said, as light dawned. "OH," he said louder as even more light dawned, and uttered a final, tiny horrified "oh" as it all settled in. That armour had taken him in, too.

"If he gave a complete stranger hell for chucking his life away, what do you think he was going to do to his friends, eh? Look, what if I told you he tried yanking Father out of that black hole with just that armour of his on?" Horror suffused Mebius' face. The Arb Gear was definitely nowhere near as strong as the steely suits Melos and his brother wore. No wonder he had come back to the battleground looking the way he did! "He did. You didn't know? By the look on your face, you'd like to smack him upside the head right about now, too."

Mebius' voice rose in volume, and pitch. "I—of course I would! He could have been squashed—Why would he...after all that...!"

"And you were just asking why he got so angry?" Fightas drained his tumbler and signalled to the bartender for another. Mebius hid his embarassment in his drink, knocking back the rest of his beverage. "You wanted them to live, even at the cost of your own life. You know you need strength for their sake. But you know what else Hikari told me? You don't have to be the strongest person in battle, just the one who survives. That's the best all the people around you can hope for. You just want them to survive. They hope the same for you."

"...We're alive, right now." The response was soft, almost too resigned.

"Yeah, we're alive and kicking. It hurts like hell, but it's still a life. So what are you going to do, kid?"

"I don't know." Mebius was drawing several blanks, and decided to defer to experience. "What should I do? He...Hikari might might come after me with a burette." Fightas laughed a short, explosive laugh.

"Anger, like jolokia, cools in three days. Decide what you want to do while you're handling your insides, yes? I should have warned you: you really aren't supposed to chug that stuff like that. You're going to feel like death warmed over in the morning." He did.

After many cold showers and much concentrated thought, he decided he had his solution.

--

"You can't very well stay angry with him forever," said the plump, bespectacled Ultran. There was just a hint of chastisement in his voice.

"I am not angry, Nembu," Hikari replied in a completely deadpan tone, eyes never straying from the image projected in midair as he manhandled his keyboard. "I am merely disappointed."

"You can't very well stay disappointed with him forever, either." Nembu had been assisting Hikari the longest, since his early days with the Universal Science and Technology Bureau, plus he was older than his superior; he had no problems being frank with him. A little too frank for his tastes someimes, Hikari thought crossly. "Oh, yes, you'll be pleased to know the Braves Directive has taken charge of Armoured Darkness. We don't know how many there are left out there, but if we can dissect one...would you like to see it?"

"I would not, thank you." The reply was smooth and quick, almost too quick.Those two words set in motion a furious, unpleasant scrabbling in the back of his mind, exacerbated by recent events. Right now, he did not wish to see the horrendous groaning hunk of metal for a long, long time. "Please give my thanks to the Directive for their prompt action."

"Of course."

"Professor Lucien!" Another one of Hikari's lab assistants ran up, something in her hands. "There's a package from you. From Mebius."

"Huh? Ah, I mean thank you, Ethyl." He pulled loose the knotted cord and unfolded the cloth wrapper. Inside was a bento box, with a distinct smell of curry. Oh, it was from Mebius, all right. A note affixed to the top read: I'm waiting outside. Please come and meet me?

Hikari stared at the package for a while, and then up at his two assistants. He wished they didn't look so very expectant. "Ethyl, isn't this your curry recipe?" he asked, very calmly.

"I, er, helped him a little, professor." She tried to look bashful, but did not succeed.

"Well, there you go. What are you going to do?" Nembu asked.

Hikari paused, and then said very quietly, "Have dinner."

--

Mebius was indeed waiting outside—with another bento—and they ate next to a broken building, watching people pass by and enjoying the warmth and light of the setting Spark more than the grain and meat and spices. Finally Hikari put down his cutlery and sighed. "You have a very strange way of apologising."

"I was a little worried you wouldn't think I meant it. And I do—I'm sorry I made you worry."

"There's no need for that." It looked like he wasn't 'disappointed' any more, after all. "I apologise too. I shouldn't have been so harsh. But your life does not belong to you alone, you know. You knew full well what the Armoured Darkness is capable of. You've seen it. And you still put your life on the line."

"Yes, well, Fightas told me you went into the black hole to save Ultra Father."

Hikari let out an impatient snort. "That man always was an idiot. Look, that was different—"

"How?" Hikari fell silent, unable to find any particularly strong logic. "You could have been lost just as easily as I could. And then what would happen?" Mebius added, almost to himself, He looked up at the sky, newly robbed of light and not yet dark enough to show off its stars. "I'm not willing to see the people close to me die just yet. Not for a long time. I'm not ready."

"Nobody is, are they?" Hikari's gaze suddenly seemed tired and sad and old. "You and I have seen death lots of times, Mebius. There's no hurry to chase it down," he said, putting a hand on his shoulder and squeezing it gently. "Promise me you won't do something so reckless again. Please."

"You know I can't do that," he replied softly. "And neither can you, although I wish you could." He looked over the near-empty streets and the faint lights in windows nearby. The wind carried the sounds of voices, and he suddenly brightened. "But I can do...this." He sprang to his feet and raised one arm high above his head.

"Mebius, what are you—"

"With the heavens as my witness, I, Mebius, swear to live for as long as I can, as well as I can, and keeping as many things safe as I can!" he recited in a clear, strong voice. Hikari simply stared up at him with the most exquisitely dumbfounded look. "How 'bout that?"

There was a brief, terrible silence—and then Hikari started laughing. Mebius hadn't heard it in a while. "Yes, I think it will do." Rather more sedately, he rose from his seat and raised one arm. "And with the heavens as my witness, I, Hikari, swear to live for as long as I can, and as well as I can..." He paused. "...gaining as much knowledge as I can."

"And keeping people safe!"

"And protecting as many sentient beings as I can," he added, before shivering slightly. "Those close to death must live life all the more more strongly. But it's getting cold out, and I think I should protect my health, first."

"...I know something that'll warm you right up!"

"Please tell me it doesn't involve more curry."

"It is not curry. I swear it," Mebius replied vehemently.

The two spent the night sipping Jolokia (Mebius reminded Hikari to go slowly far too many times for comfort), counting the stars and talking of the most ordinary things, the things that happened between the strategies and battles and monsters. And for those brief hours, for two of the countless fighters facing death in every battle, it felt good to just be alive.

Even if Hikari's core temperature didn't go down for two days. [+/-]"...You don't have to be the strongest person in battle, just the one who survives. That's the best all the people around you can hope for..."

The Twin Lions: Amret and Mabret 双獅のアムレトとマブレト

Located in the constellation of Leo, L77 was said to be one of the most beautiful planets in the universe. As we all probably know, lions were very important beasts on L77, and you would have been able to find motifs of them everywhere you looked. The king sat upon a throne of lions; the crimson gem (similar to the Terran ruby, or corundum?) passed down through the royal line was called the 'Eye of The Lion'; and lions were a popular motif in art and craft, especially when it came to objects used by royalty. They were symbols of courage, power, fairness and endurance. Even the swift, intelligent maned dogs kept as pets across the planet were said to be inspired by breeders' perceptions of lions, although with the horns, five-fingered paws and scaly backs there is equal argument that they represent the long or dragon instead, or even concurrently.

Leonids venerated two deities, in the form of—you guessed it—lions. In a rather unusual reversal of the associations of yin and yang, Amret the white lioness was associated with light, activity, justice, solidity, civility, peace, fire and metal; Mabret the black lion was a being of darkness, silence, cunning, fluidity, savagery, war, water and wood. Together they create the universe, and then sleep or wander. When they awaken again they fight for dominance, destroying what came before and creating yet another new world. This world was said to be the seventh, resulting in the number's veneration. Some tellings say that in their last battle, Amret bit out Mabret's eye, the very Eye of The Lion, and Amret's own eye was torn out and became L77 itself. The principle of duality and balance is also given high import; twins amongst Leonids are rare and very often celebrated as blessings from the two lions, Liaret.

Much of L77's culture was lost when the planet was destroyed by the Magma Seijin forces; even today it is not known if there were any further survivors of the incident beyond the then-princes of the monarchy, Leo of Alse and Astra of Alse. What is related here is gleaned from the archives of Levet Arakis, who some refer to as the succeeder of Tucel Shajar. The verse is written in the iambic heptameter popular of that time, a little bit before the ascencion of King Alse Shiraga to the throne.

The cycle turns and things will live and die once more; 'tis law
Set down by forces greater than our Lion King. This world
is bound to seek its own renewal, time and time again
With single life begat by death and death begat by life.

The lions two bear every cycle etch'd within their bones.
Hail Amret, white of pelt and green of eye, of peace and light!
Hail Mabret, black of pelt and red of of eye, or war and night!
Of this world, they are ev'rything and nothing all at once.
They sleep and wander through the fields of stars and suns until
they meet once more, awake, and order then begins its end.

Behold! Fang meets with fang; the strike of claws is met with claws
Upturned are all the worlds around; the struggle does not cease
Until all worlds around are drawn into the fray, and fall.
Such power cannot be withstood by things alive and dead.

Destruction! Ai, destruction! That is all that can exist
and slowly will the seven pillars of the heavens fall.
No light, no dark, no air, no sky, none live and unalive;
the universe returns into the void from which it came.

White Amret licks her wounds; her milk-blood falls like shining pearls
to bear the stars again that roam across the space so bare.
Black Mabret shakes his mane; the tatter'd fur breaks from its bounds
And drifting on his hallow'd breath, the tufts become our roots.
White Amret sneezes sore. Black Mabret merely laughs in jest.
The fight forgotten, black and white in peace and concord lie.

And from this lying comes the gift of sleep and life anew;
The dust of battle settles down and gathers into form.
A brand new world will dawn from all the damage that is wrought
And still the lions sleep, and drift apart within that sleep.

This is the world begat from the twin lions' seventh sleep.
White Amret and her consort, Mabret far apart once more.
The cycle turns and things will live and die once more; 'tis law
The people of the lion's blood will tell the tale once more. [+/-] The Liaret

----

星座レオのなかにあったＬ７７星は、宇宙の最も美しい星の一つと言われていました。
みんながすでにご存知かもしれませんけど、「獅子」という獣はＬ７７に大事に奉られていた。
王は獅子の玉座に座っており 王家に代々伝わってきた真紅の宝玉石（もしは地球の紅玉かコランダムに似ている？）は「獅子の瞳」と呼ばれ　獅子は美術の主なモチーフにもなりました。特に、王家の家具になる物に。
勇気　力　公正　辛抱のシンボルともなりました。
惑星中に飼われていた足速くて賢い鬣のあった犬は、飼育者の「獅子」の認識に影響されて生まれてきたという話もある。
にしても、額のの小さくて鈍い角　五指の手足　うろこ状の物がついた背中をも見れば、その犬は龍（ロン）の象徴であるか　獅子と龍の合わせた象徴である議論もあります。

Ｌ７７星人は獅子の姿をした2人の神を奉りました。陰陽のちょっとした逆転の様に、白いの雌獅子アムレトは光　活力　正義　安固　礼儀　平和　炎　金と関連して、黒い雄獅子マブレトは闇　静寂　狡猾さ　流動　軟性　残虐　戦争　水　木二関連した存在でした。その二匹は万物をつくりあげ寝込みまたは彷徨い、もう一度目を覚めたら　優位を取る為に争い現在の世界を滅び次の世界を築く。現在の世界は第七番の世界と言う為、Ｌ７７にもその数字が崇めている。
ある伝説によると最後の戦いの中ではアムレトに噛み取られたマブレトの目が「獅子の瞳」になり　互いにもぎ取ったアムレトの瞳はＬ７７となりました。
陰陽と平均の理にも重点が置かれている。
ちなみにＬ７７星では、双子はとてもまれで双獅「リアレト」からの祝福とみなされています。

惑星Ｌ７７の大分の文化は　マグマ星人に滅ぼされた時に失われてしまいました。
現在にも災害時の王子　アルスのレオとアルスのアストラ以外の生存者がいるのかいないのかは不明である。
今ここに述べる文章は、トゥセル・シャジャールの継承者とでも言われるレヴェット・アラキスの書庫から集めたものです。
詩はシラガのアルス王が王位を継承した少し前に流行っていた弱強七歩格を使って書かれました。

「循環は回り万物は行きまだは死に―それは掟
我らが獅子の王よりも偉大なる力に定めたもの。この世界は
自らの更改を何度も求める運命にある
一つの命が死から生まれ、死が命から生まれて。

獅子二匹は毎循環を骨に刻み込み背負う。
白毛緑目の和と光のアムレトよ！
黒毛紅目の戦と闇のマブレトよ！
同時にこの世界の全と無である。
眠りまたは星と太陽の野を彷徨い
目が覚めているまままた顔を合わせたら　秩序の終わりが始まる。

見よ！牙は牙にぶつけ；爪の攻撃は同様に爪にぶつけ
周りの世界はひっくり返られ　争いは終わらない
周りの世界の全てが巻き込まれ崩れるまで。
その力は生物も無生物にも耐えられないはず。

破滅！破滅よ！それしか存在せない
やがててんの七柱も崩れる。
光も　闇も　空気も　空も　生物も無生物も無く
森羅万象は生みの無に帰る。

白きアムレトは傷を舐める　その乳血は輝く真珠の様に零れ
空を彷徨う星をまた産む。
黒きマブレトは鬣を揺らす　ボロボロの毛は根が折り
神聖なる息に流され　毛房は我が根になる。
白きアムレトは激しくくしゃみをする。黒きマブレトはただ戯れるように笑う。
争いを忘れ、黒と白は平和と和合に横たわる。

その横たわりから新しく眠りや命という贈り物
戦塵が積もり形を取る。
真新しい世界は破滅から生まれ
そして獅子は眠り、その眠りに離れ離れになる。

今のは、双獅の第七回の眠りから生まれた世界。
白きアムレトとその配偶者マブレトはまた離れてでいる。
循環は回り万物は行きまだは死に―それは掟
獅子の血を引く者達はまた伝説をを伝えてゆく。」 [+/-] リアレト…

Tragedy and Truth on Arb アーブの悲劇と真実

(This article contains spoilers for Hikari Saga 1, and some of Mebius 9.)

Today, dear readers, I would like to tell you a story about a little blue planet in a corner of the universe, one that some call a 'star of miracles'.

Once upon a time, tucked away in a corner of the universe was a little planet with no name. By providence, it grew stable, orbiting a single star. The planet's surface heaved and rolled, producing gorges and mountains both. Volcanoes erupted, covering the whole planet with rich soil. Its atmosphere filled with oxygen and nitrogen and other gases life would find pleasant. Water ran under the soil and over it, carving its own paths. Mists filled the air, shielding it from the harshest radiation of the sun.

By even more providence, life did come to be on that planet. One species found its niche very fast, driving out all other competitors. It was not the physically strongest species, or the swiftest, but the most adaptable: the albes, arthropods with crystalline shells. Albes were omnivorous by nature, consuming anything from plants to predators to carrion. Their shells were fortified both by their food and also minerals extracted from the soil. They lived in colonies somewhat like ants with three clear roles: there were the male soldiers, who ingested poisonous plants to store their compounds within centipede-like fangs, attacking most fiercely as they died; female scouts and workers who collected food and watched for threats; and the queens who ruled and expanded the colonies. And through every colony rang the hive-mind, the deep unity that turned a bunch of albes into a cohesive whole. So numerous were they that the planet shone the very blue of their crystal bodies.

With time came intelligence, language and civilisation; and the albe queens became known as Tenke, the warriors Nalaha and the scouts Yaase. The hive-mind or Taraku became their sole tenet and for the most part, albe society retreated underground, only making the occasional sortie to get food for the colony. The struggles of life went on high above them, and as all other living things went extinct, they turned their diet to carrion and moss and water, and through evolution they lost their legs and much of their flying power. With no predators to disturb them, they grew more sedentary, and turned their faculties to the pursuit of knowledge and mental prowess. They developed telepathy and telekinesis that grew stronger with every generation. Whole castes and sometimes colonies fused over time into single entities, each little mind becoming a part of something greater.

Millennia passed, and the albes' evolution continued as their hunger for knowledge grew stronger. No longer were the groups physically different from one another; the singular intelligence of the Taraku had united them physically and mentally, and they functioned as virtually a single entity. They just knew who did what, without question. The yaases, well-camouflaged in their pointed crystalline shells, would stand guard over the pleasant green earth, waiting and watching for anyone who approached the megacolony. Roving alien visitors were not uncommon by that time. Peaceful visitors, of calm heart and mind, were questioned about the worlds beyond, for the albe could sense their guests' state of mind also. Those who came with the intention to hunt or harm or capture were summarily executed by the nalahas, and their thoughts dragged out of their dying minds. Through all these the albes learned of love and hate, war and peace, villains and heroes, honesty and deceit.

One year, a refugee came to the albes' world. Wounded beyond any help, he died on the beautiful ground and the albes gathered in his memories like stray fish. Shadows tipped them all; shadows with horns and slanted eyes, screeching in eternal hunger. He was the first, but gradually more and more appeared, and the albes came to know them all. Even the occasional predator now had memories of this shadow, and the albe knew fear on a personal level for the first time. In the earth and in their communal mind now lay memories of suffering and vengeance and despair and anger.

The albes were too static now on their world to even think that they could stand against these hungry shadows, but still they hoped and waited. Along with the memory of villains, there were memories of heroes, and many a creature had made known to them a race of silver-skinned giants who had come together to defend the peace of the universe, heading a sort of space garrison. The good respected them. The vicious feared them. It was in this strange race that the albes put their trust, swore allegiance and protection, and prophesised their fate. A race of insects still thinks as insects; if the hero did not appear, then their hope lay in their poison and strong mind and sheer numbers, sleeping and working and multiplying below the soil as they had done for so long. Thus, the prophecy ended:

...But even there will be hope.

From the tenke will come the yaase;
And clad in the armour of light
The nalaha, part of the earth of the albe.

The albe waited for their saviours for millennia more, and gradually the prophecy of Taraku became known as the prophecy of Tsurugi instead. The words changed, and what they believed, too, changed: that from the heavens would come a warrior, and clothing himself in armour of light, he would become one with the earth of Arb.

And that is the end of it, for on Arb, other types of stories begin even now. [+/-] Once upon a time, there was a little planet with no name...

----

（この記事に、ヒカリサーガ１　ウルトラマンメビウス第９話のネタバレが少し含まれています。）

今日は、宇宙の隅っこにある　「奇跡の星」とも言われる小さな青い惑星について語りたいと思います。

昔、宇宙のある隅っこに名もなく小さな惑星がありました。
摂理によって、その惑星が安定し一つの星を周回することになった。
惑星の地盤の沈下と隆起によって山や谷が作られ、火山の噴火で豊かな土壌に包まれてきたり、
大気は酸素や窒素みたいな生命に優しいガスで満ちてきたり、
水は地面や地面の下に流れ自らの道を刻み始めた。
霧がその惑星を覆い太陽の強い放射線を和らげてくれた。

重ねた摂理で、その惑星に命が誕生した。ある一種が適所を早く見つかり、他の競争生物をすべて追い出してしまった。
それは最強でも最速の生物ではなく、最も順応性を持っていた生物　水晶のような甲で体を守る節足動物のアルベでした。
雑食性で、植物も生きた獲物も腐肉を餌にした。強い甲は、獲物や土から取れたミネラルで補強された。
アリのような巣で暮らし、アリのように三階級のアルベがいた。
雄の兵隊アルベは有毒植物を食べその毒をムカデのように牙に溜め、死ぬ際に最も強い攻撃をしてくる癖が付いた。
雌の働きアルベは餌を集め、敵の見張りをし、女王アルベは巣の中心でアルベの数を保ち続けた。
そして、毎巣に数々のアルベを結束したコロニーに変わる強い集団意識があった。
その数が大き過ぎて、惑星はその水晶の体の青に輝いた。

時は流れやがてアルベに知性、言語や文明に覚めた。
女王、兵隊、働きは、テンケ、ナラハ、ヤーセと呼ばれました。
集団意識の「タラク」が唯一の法になり、アルベの社会は地底に潜って食をとる為だけに地上に現れた。
命の争いはその頭の上で続け、他の生物が絶滅になったら自分の食べ物を死肉、ゴケ、水に変わり、進化で足も飛行力を失った。
捕食者の恐れがなくなったアルベたちは知的能力に全力を注ぎ始めた。
テレパシー、テレキネシスを使う様になって、時代が過ぎるほどその能力が強くなった。
巣の一階級、または丸一つの巣が一つの生命体に融合させられて、一つ一つのの小さな意識がもっと大きい存在の一部の力となった。

何万年も過ぎた後に、アルベの進化がもっと進んで、知識を求め続けた。
その頃にはもうアルベたちの中で肉体の区別が出来ない、とも言うより必要がなかった。
タラクの下に統一され、アルベたちはまるで一つの存在として生きてきた。
周りの役目を紛れもなく知っていた。
水晶のような甲羅を擬装にし、ヤーセたちは澄み切った緑の大地に見張りをし、メガ巣に近づくものを待ち続けた。
その時には、異星からの来訪者も少なくはなかった。
他者の心までも感じれるアーブは平和的な者に向こうの世界の事を訊き、
悪事をする為に来たものを早速ナラハ体で捕らえ、死んでゆく頭からその記憶や知識を引きずり出した。
そうしてアルベは愛と憎しみ、戦争と平和、悪人と英雄、真実と詐欺―その全てを学べました。

ある日に、一人の逃亡者がアルベの惑星に着いた。
致命的傷を負い、美しい大地の上でその命が絶えてしまいアルベは彼の記憶を小魚のように集めました。
その記憶が、影に染められた―切れ長の眼で角を持つ、無限の空腹で叫ぶ影に。
彼が最初だったが、やがてその影を知るものがだんだん現れて、アルベはその皆を知ることになってしまった。
捕獲者にもその影を恐れる記憶があり、アルベは初めて肝までに降りる恐怖を味わう事になった。
あの日から、土とその偉大なる意識に、苦しみ　復讐　絶望や憤怒の記憶が存在した。

あの時のアルベは不動過ぎて逃げる道がなく、その飢え続けている影に歯向かえる訳がなかったと悟った。
それでも、彼らは希望を灯し待ち続けた。
敵の記憶とともに、味方の記憶を持っていた。
沢山の生命体から、銀色の巨人の事を知っていました。
その巨人が警備隊みたいな物を設立し、宇宙の平和を守り続けた。
善に尊敬され、悪に恐れていた。
その巨人にアルベたちは信頼を託し、彼らに忠心と防御を誓い　運命を予言した。
所詮アルベは昆虫から進化した生物。もしも救いがなかったら、持っていた毒や強い念力を使い果たすしかなかった。
それに、まだ土の下で眠り生活し繁殖している無数の同胞たちに、生き抜く希望があった。それでタラクの予言の最後の一

説は、こう言った：

「だが希望はまだある
テンケより生まれしヤーセ
光の鎧を纏い
アルベの大地の一つのナラハ」

アルベはそれから何万年も救世主を待ち続け、「タラクの予言」も「ツルギの予言」に変わってしまった。内容は変わり、信

じたものも変わってしまった。
『天空より舞い降りし勇者、光の鎧を纏い　アーブの大地と一つにならん』と言う事に。

それがそれで終わった。なぜなれアーブの大地では、今でも別々の話が始まろうとしている。 [+/-] 昔　名もなき小さな惑星があった…

The 'Races' of Ulterra ウルトラ族の皆

If we move away from the Land of Light to look at Earth for a while, it is not insensible to see that people are different the world over. Some people are adapted to heat, some to cold, some to extreme heights; you have people whose ancestors were fishermen, farmers, warriors and so on; there are those who tolerate certain foods more readily than others such as spices, milk and meat. So it is with the Ultrans. It is not known whether Ulterra's axis was tilted from its sun, but geographical differences alone, along with the 'inherited professions' that remained after the supernova influenced the modern Ultrans that one sees today. The two most famous (visible) races are the Silver Ultrans and the Red Ultrans, who we'll be covering today, but there are still a few others who have their parts to play in the big picture. (We can't ALL be fighters and warriors...)

What follows below is but a general overview of Ulterra's inhabitants—of course there are exceptions to the norm, but this is what forms much of the population that Earth has so far known.

Silver Ultrans
Descended from the Ultra Elder, and the scientists that built the first Spark, Silvers are swifter than they are strong and known for keen thinking even in the heat of battle. They are generally of average build, with convex, almond-shaped compound eyes. With some variation to the rule, they are patterned red-on-silver, with a double curve stretching from shoulder to shoulder down the chest, covering the neck and back; a band of red from mid-back and waist to above the knee; and a cross- or sword-shaped band down each arm. The crest is generally short and compact, fused to the skull.

Red Ultrans
Scarlet-skinned Reds tend to be broad-shouldered and well-muscled, with a pattern of white extending from mid-sternum to the pelvis, branching across the hips and legs.The browline is quite prominent, and the hexagon-shaped eyes are somewhat set into the face, as are the ears. One or more pairs of grooves are set into the skull. Many have tecters, or armour which protects the shoulders and some portion of the chest, and a crystalline Beam Lamp in the centre of the forehead that sometimes serves as an energy level indicator. It is possibly connected to the pineal gland or 'third eye'. Some Reds have detachable crests, and use them as weapons. Their stamina and great strength makes them powerful fighters, and their psychokinetic powers are stronger than all others, giving them a slight advantage when it comes to telepathy or telekinesis...

Shin Ultrans
The Shins' most distinctive features are the high triangular crest (usually with an opening to concentrate energy near the front edge) and the helmet-like structure that forms much of the browline, hairline and nose. Most have a silver ring around the eyes which has been compared to the human double eyelid. They are somewhat chunky, built close to the ground with short, powerful limbs. Their red-on-silver body pattern somewhat resembles the Silvers, but end with three points where the Silver patterns end with only one. Some have simple tecters. Shin Ultrans are known for their ability to control energy more efficiently than many of their brethren, resulting in a plethora of specialised beam weapons at their fingertips, and also their strong empathic abilities. For this reason many are employed in jobs such as bomb disposal, monster wrangling and diplomacy.

Blue Ultrans
The three abovementioned sub-races have red or red-patterned skin, due to the iron-like pigment utetsu; Blues are blue due to the copper-like pigment, udou. They are able to better deal with cold environments and can develop greater stamina than even Reds, but are not quite fighters at heart, instead preferring to turn their energies to construction or other fields that require long-term concentration. This also enables them to liaise better with other entities. They are sturdily built, with the same compound eyes as Silvers and Shins, one or two sets of shallow grooves in the skull as the Reds, low, fixed crests and a groove at each inner corner of the eye. Shoulder tecters are not uncommon. Skin patterns are generally silver lines on two or three shades of blue, ranging from sky blue to nearly black.

White Ultrans
White Ultrans are focused, logical strategists with quick feet as well as quick minds. While a few work with the Space Garrison as messengers or couriers, many become engineers, programmers, accountants or analysts. They are not white so much as a very pale shade of silver. The slightly higher reflective properties of their skin allow them to deal with heat fluctuation better than most of their brethren. While they resemble the Red Ultrans, they are usually slimmer and longer-limbed with less prominent muscles, lack skull grooves and have comparatively paler eyes. Their skin patterns resemble those of the Reds, although they are white or dark grey. [+/-] Silvers and Reds...and Shins, Blues and Whites

With the loss of seasons across the planet, and climate managed by way of the Plasma Spark network, the little evolutionary quirks picked up across Ulterra are now just that—quirks with the source long gone. Nowadays the form is simply dictated by the nature of the energy that composes an Ultran, and it is not uncommon for, say a Red to be born of two Silvers (e.g. Taro). An Ultran, no matter what the colour, is still an Ultran—and s/he is still my hero, and yours and ours.

(ETA 4/7/08 - Edited to clean up the language and also replace 'pituitary' with 'pineal'. Somewhere a scientist is rolling in his grave.)
(ETA 24/8/08 - Fixed a Javascript tag.)
----

光の国からしばらく離れて地球を見れば、世界中の皆が少しずつ違っているのも、不理屈な物ではありませんね。
人が熱、寒さ、高度に耐えられたり、
祖先が漁師、農民、武士などであったり、
辛し、牛乳、肉などの消化が悪かったり…
ウルテラでも、そういう事情なんです。
以前はその惑星の軸が地球のように太陽と斜めていたのが良く分かっていませんけど、地理の差と代々の家業だけでも、現在のウルトラ人に影響を与えました。
私たちが最もよく知っているのがマンのようなシルバー族とセブンのようなレッド族ですけど、そのほかにも違う役を果たす人がいます。
（世界の中の皆も、全員が闘士でいるわけもないし）

下のは簡単の紹介、みたいな物です。
標準から逸脱の場合もありながら、この者たちがこれまで地球で知られている人口の大分になります。

シルバー族

ウルトラ長老と人工太陽プラズマスパークを作り出した科学者の子孫で、
強さより素早さが少し上で戦の真っ最中でも冷静にいられ作戦を練り上げれる。
体格は平凡で、凸面でアーモンド形の複眼を持ちます。
肌は銀色で体の模様は赤く、

常の形は　両肩まで広がる首と背中を覆う双曲線、中背部から膝の辺りまでの帯と腕を走る十字架状か剣状の模様。
とさかは常に低い三日月形なもので、頭骸骨に融合されています。

レッド族
レッドは肩幅が広く肉付きもよく、
赤い皮膚に胸の中部から腰まで走って二つに分ける模様を持っています。
耳と六角の眼は少し頭に引っ込んでいます。
頭にも、一か二対の溝が刻まれています。

肩と胸を覆って守るテクターを纏っていたり、額の中央に結晶構造のビームランプを持つ者も多い。
ビームランプは、「第三番の眼」の松果体に関係があると思われています。

あるレッド族はとさかが取り外せる様になって、それを武器として使えます。
彼らの力と耐久力で強力な戦士の資質があり、念力も強くその分野に小さい利点があります。

シン族

シン族の最も有名な特徴はその高い三角のとさか。
常にそのとさかの先端に穴があり、エネルギー中心点になっています。
もう一つの特徴は額から鼻まで、突き出ている兜のような骨組み。
眼の周りにも、二重瞼にでも例えられた輪状の構造があります。

常に寸胴で短足で、力強い四肢を持つ。
シルバー族のように銀色の肌に赤い模様を持ちますが、

先のところは統一していなく三つ先に割られています。
簡単なテクターを纏っている人も多い。

シン族は、大分の同胞よりもエネルギーの支配が上手く、色んな光線技が使えて共感力も強い。
その為に爆弾処理、怪獣制御、外交関係の仕事に励みます。

ブルー族

鉄のような色素の影響で、上の三族は赤いか赤い模様のある皮膚を持っています。
ブルー族の体には、銅のような色素があって肌の色に影響を与える。
ちなみに寒い環境でも平気で、レッド族よりも高い耐久力を観に付くことが可能ですけれども性格は戦にそう向いていません。

普通なら建築、研究みたいな集中力が必要仕事をします。
そのために異星の生物と向き合える（か、異星の生物に支配されやすい事なんです）。
体が頑丈で、シルバー族と親族のような複眼を持ちレッド族のように頭に位置かに体の溝があります。
とさかは低く固定していて、目頭のところに小さい溝が刻まれています。
肩のテクターは珍しくない。
体の模様は銀色の線で、肌は空色から黒に近い紺色までの青色の二、三段の濃さで染められている。

ホワイト族
ホワイト族は集中力が高く、論理的な頭の持ち主で頭の回りがよく足も速い。
そのため、警備隊の中に配達人として勤めている者はいるけど、
大分は技師、プログラマ、会計士、解説者などとして身を尽くします。
「白」と言うより、とても薄い銀色の肌を持ちます。
その皮膚の高い反射特性のお陰で、同胞より熱の変動に対応できます。
レッド族に似ていますが、よりスマートな体格で肉付きも少なく、頭の溝がなく眼の色も一段薄い。
体の模様は白か、灰色で、レッド族のものに似ています。[+/-] シルバーにレッド…にシン、ブルー、ホワイト

環境がプラズマスパークのネットワークに管理されたウルテラで、
受け継がれてきた進化の特徴は原因が消えた奇癖に過ぎません。
現在は体を構成するエネルギーによって形が決定されて、
シルバーの両親の間にレッドの子が生まれるのも起こり得ないものではない。（例：ウルトラマンタロウ）
それでも、「ウルトラマン」はどんな色をしても「ウルトラマン」で、
我らがヒーローでいる。

The Lost Race 「失われた一族」

(Disclaimer: This article was written before the premiere of Daikessen! Chou Ultra 8 Kyoudai.)

Most if not all primers on 'modern' Ultran history start with this picture:

It is a very puzzling prospect to have buildings like those found in ancient Greece existing side-by-side with technology advanced enough to create an artificial sun—or a network of them. Some say that this is simply a great example of ancient culture being preserved alongside modern development. Others will tell you that sciences advanced far more rapidly than architecture due to the influence of the Radian, the 'missing race' of Ulterra.

It is said that long before the supernova and the age of the Ultra Elder, 'men beyond men' lived amongst the common folk. Their kind was called the Radians, and they were said to hail from 'the Shining Grounds'. Some called them spirits taking human form and visiting the physical plane; others said they were messengers of the gods themselves. 'They are very like men and women', wrote the historian Tucel, 'and they speak man's speech. But there is a light in their eyes not like ours, and a wisdom and strength not like ours. Appear they enrobed in three colours, for they are like the cool light of the moon, the strength of the earth and the speed of the wind. They do not seem to age, merely passing year by year like stones and trees. Blessed are those who encounter them, for the gods smile upon their people.' The technological advances they helped develop pushed Ulterra to new heights, turning it into the flourishing, peaceful utopia it was for many, many millennia.

But one day, very suddenly, the Radians vanished completely.

The last official mention of the race is located within the Quatrefoil Treaty, forged between the major races of Ulterra to jointly develop the piece of land that is today's planetary capital, Ultra Metro. It was thought that after the treaty, the Radians simply became integrated with the rest of society; however, the Radian stronghold was said to be the landmass of Radiane, and while the area is rich in minerals and certain rare types of mosses, there is very little evidence to say it was ever inhabited. If they existed, they must have packed up and left without a trace. Their existence still remains much of a mystery, as two hundred years after the treaty, Ulterra's sun went supernova. In 259-sen-590, a stone tablet was discovered in Radiane portraying a man that looked...rather like a modern Ultran.

Some time later, a recruit from the Space Garrison claimed to have seen a Radian for himself, providing a detailed physical description to go with it. On patrol, Man Daiji had chased the monster Yanakahgi through a wormhole. Sealing it in a quantity of dihydrogen monoxide, he left a means of summons with an inhabitant of that planet, in case it should return. When that summons arrived, he found himself face to face with a Radian man, and they fought the beast together. There was scarce contact shortly after, and Man was only able to learn the other's name: Tiga.

The wormhole's position was noted down and agents from the Space Intelligence Bureau continue to investigate the existence of the Radians on this alternate Earth, learning more about the circumstances of these mysterious comrades. Soon, perhaps, both will meet upon the battlefield, fighting as equals. [+/-] '...There is...wisdom and strength not like ours'

Next time on Ultrandom - a brief introduction to the rest of the current 'races'.

-----

(放棄: この論文は、映画「大決戦！超ウルトラ８兄弟」の初公開前に書かれたものです。)

ウルテラの近代史（？）の文章ならば、全てではなければ大分は、下の映像を使わなくなるまい：

古代ギリシアにでもありそうな建物が、人工太陽はおろか人工太陽のネットワークでも作り上げるほど優れた技術と共に存在する事はなんて困惑をさせるものでしょう。
これは、古代文明がみごとに守られ現在の発達と共に存在できる事の好例と言う人もいます。
他のものによると、建築より科学が遥かに発達したのが、ウルテラの「失われた一族」のレーディアンの影響であります。

太陽の爆発と同時のウルトラ長老の時代の前に、「人を超えた人」が市民と共に暮らしていたと言われます。
その人びとがレーディアンと呼ばれ、出身地は「輝く里」と言われた。
ある者に彼らは人の姿を借りてこの世を歩く霊と見られ、ある者に彼らは神の使いと見なされた。
「彼等は男と女にあんまり変わらぬ」と、歴史者トゥセルは書き残した。「そして彼等は人の言葉を話す。しかし彼等の目には、我々のようなものではない光がおり、われわれの様でもない賢明と力がおります。その体は三色にまとわれる。月の涼しい光、土の頑丈さ、風の速さの様な者だから。歳もとらなさそうに、樹と岩のように年を過ごす。彼等に巡り会える物は幸でおる。彼等に、神々が微笑んでいるから。」
レーディアンが手を加えた技術の発達で、ウルテラは新たな局面に押し上げれて、繁盛し続けたユートピアになりました。

ですが　ある日突然、レーディアンは完全に消えた。

正式なものでレーディアンの最後の表彰は、現在の首都ウルトラ・メトロを一緒に発達するように　ウルテラの原種の中で結ばれた四葉盟約にある。
盟約の後は、レーディアンは社会に溶け込んだと思われましたが、
陸塊レーディアンヌが以前の拠点と言われたのに、そこに鉱物も希な宇宙ゴケが豊富けど住み着かれた証拠があんまりない。
ウルテラから旅立ったら、完全に姿を消したと言えます。
今でも、彼等の存在は謎に包まれています。ちなみに、盟約から数百年後に、光の国の太陽が爆発してしまった。
ウルトラ暦２５万２５９０年に、レーディアンヌで石版が発掘されて、その石の上に描かれたのが…現在のウルトラ族に近い姿をしていた男でした。

それから少しの時間がたったら、宇宙警備隊員一人がレーディアンの人を自分の目で見たと言い、身体的特徴まで話せました。
その男　マン・ダイジは、パトロール中で怪獣ヤナカーギを追い始めて、ワームホールを潜り抜けた。
一酸化二水素の大量に怪獣を封じて、万が一な事に備えてその星の住人に償還道具を託した。償還されたら、目の前にレーディアンの男の一人がいて、彼と共に怪獣を懲らしめた。
その後は接触が少なく、相手の名前だけを知りました：ティガ。

そのワームホールの位置は後で書き留められ、宇宙情報局員はこの別な地球で謎が多い仲間のレーディアンの存在と事情をを調査し続けています。
近いうちに、ウルトラ族とレーディアン族はもう一度戦場で戦士同士として会うかもしれません。[+/-] 「我々のようなものではない…賢明と力がおります」

次のポストで、現在の「原種」をご紹介します。

Den-Kou: The First Six デンコウ：「初六」

Uchuu ni heiwa ga kuru made wa
Chikara wo awaserunda, roku kyoudai

(Until peace comes to the universe
Join your strength, Six Brothers)

-Ultra Roku Kyoudai, Aku Yuu

Many may be surprised to find that the song does not refer to the Six Ultra Brothers that Earth knows so well, much as the Ballad of the Ultra Mother is one of ALL Ultran mothers. Before Ultraman, Seven, Jack, Ace, Zoffy and Taro—in the time of the Emperan occupation, to be exact—there were six stalwart men responsible for leading the resistance forces and finally breaking the invaders' hold over Ulterra. (Yes, an occupation. The Emperans stormed in 30 thousand years ago. Zoffy is 25 thousand years old, but his Star Marks are medals of valour for battling the Emperans. One does the math.) They were the ones who most captured society's hearts, and even today they are known as the Den-Kou Dairin: The First Six Great Brothers, or more commonly, just the First Six; it is they who will be introduced today.

Kenjin Ihaim

The oldest out of the group, responsible for keeping the forces united and focused throughout the whole struggle. A man of considerable charisma, he was 'taller than many and pleasant of appearance'. Possessing the naturally keen mind of the Silver Ultran, Kenjin came up with many of the resistance's attack strategies. Kenjin was married to Danae Quinion and his elder son, Cephis, was one of the resistance's most efficient and daring intelligence agents until his death at the end of a reconnaissance mission. His younger son, Zoffy, took part in numerous sabotage operations before fighting on the frontlines with his father in the final battle. After the war, Kenjin was made the first Commander of the newly formed Space Garrison. He died on the battlefield of Solufer in the Ultran year 250-sen-69 (app. 10 000 BCE). Today his son continues to serve in the Garrison as its Captain, ensuring his memory does not die.

Daiji Daiteki

A descendant of the near-legendary Ultran warrior Daiyou Daijin, Daiji was in all actuality a quiet, easy-going individual used to books as much as battle-arms. He was also renowned for his keen eye, able to down six moving targets with a single bolt of energy. Along with Nakage Maeren, he was responsible for training the fighters within the resistance, turning average Ultrans into primed fighters within the space of months. Possessing above-average upper body strength, his clean, compact style of close-quarters combat has influenced many fighters since. After the war, Daiji was made the Captain of the Space Security Department, a post he holds to this day as he continues to train the next generation of fighters. His son, Man Daiji, was one of the first Ultrans to arrive on Earth.

Nakage Maeren (MAHR-ren)

Feared as much as he was respected, Nakage was a stern man with a brusque manner. While his training methods were Spartan in their brutality, they created fearless warriors for the forces. (If they could survive him, they could survive anyone!) Surprisingly enough, the man had a soft spot for animals, taming the weaker kaijuu the Emperans cut loose from their army and training them to become the forerunners of today's capsule monsters; this earned him the nickname 'Beastmaster' among the six. To this day, he oversees the Garrison's fiercest and most capable warriors under the Braves Directive, and is occasionally called on personally to handle the fiercest of foes. It is said that evildoers who hear the Braves Directive's name begin to know fear; those who hear Nakage's name lose the will to fight. He raised both his children near single-handedly after the death of his wife, Oyumi Shinobu; today his daughter Samar works with the Silver Crusaders' emergency team and his son, Seven (Seban) is part of the Ultra Garrison, although he was initially trained as a planetary observer.

Eien Wolff

Along with his brother Darren, Eien has been long recognised as one of the planet's eminent minds, responsible for several advancements in information technology. When the occupation began, he was forced to build weapons for the Emperans, who planned to expand their empire to other planets. In secret, he and other scientists, including the biochemist Candela Lamben, developed his blueprints further to create the first generation of arm-mounted portable weaponry or APW. When the Emperans found out about such efforts, he was flogged almost to his death and his back fin notched twice in public, as good as branding him as a criminal. He did not expose the rebellion and pressed on with his work. Having trained in swordplay and the arts of the Ultran halberd, ul-reijin, since youth, the scientist wore one of his first creations, the Specium Bracer, into the final battle. Eien currently heads the Space Technology Bureau, while his son Jack serves the Garrison, still armed with one of his father's last personal creations. He has recently been combining forces with Earth-67's Aqua Project in an attempt to bridge the gap between galaxies, even whole universes.

Kusari Lanse

One of the most recognisable of the Six, Kusari was a most incongruous head of intelligence. Short and brash, his efforts kept morale steady during even the darkest of times. When on assignment, however, he had the uncanny ability to infiltrate places deemed previously unreachable. The Emperans lost several guards to the mysterious 'shadow men' that Kusari trained to move swiftly, detect the enemy's intentions and flow and reactions, and fight unarmed. During the final war, however, the Ultran was wounded badly enough that he lost his sight, putting an end to his days of espionage. After the war he married the head of the resistance's female division, Minami Luha, and became one of the Land of Light's most famous diplomats, responsible for forging the Dalwatt-Merane peace treaty. Sadly, both Kusari and Minami were killed after returning from a mission to the Yapool dimension. Their son Ace was raised by one of the Denkou and grew up to enter the Space Garrison. In a way it could be said he continues his father's work.

Ikio Zen

A man with as big a sense of justice as you could expect from an Ultran, Ikio was about the same age as Kenjin and could be said to be the co-leader of the Six. Well-versed in the arts of war and strong as an ox, he led the troops into war along with Daiyou Daijin and had some part in training them as well. He was also involved in the plan to restart the Plasma Spark network at its full capacity, many of the fusion devices having been turned off or destroyed during the initial invasion. His actions enabled the Ultrans to fight with even greater fervour; during the battle itself it is said well over a hundred kaijuu fell at his hands. After the occupation was ended and the Space Garrison was founded, Ikio became its first Captain and married the current Captain of the Silver Crusaders, Koyumi Shinobu. Kusari Lanse trusted him explicitly, and it was he who raised Kusari's son after his death. Currently he holds the post of Commander—many know him thus as the Father of Ultra—and watches over the sons and daughters of men he once fought with in the name of the Land of Light. His own son, Taro, coaches the newer recruits. [+/-] Den-Kou Dairin

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―宇宙に平和が　来るまでは
力を合わせるんだ　六兄弟

ウルトラ六兄弟　（阿久悠）より

この歌は現在地球でよく知られるウルトラ六兄弟を示していない事が知られたら、多くの人が驚くでしょう。そう、「ウルトラの母のバラード」はウルトラの星の母全員の歌のように。
ウルトラマン、ウルトラセブン、ジャック、エース、タロウとゾフィーが生まれた前に―正式に言うと、ウルトラの星がエンペラー星人に占拠された時代に―６人の偉人が抵抗軍を率いて侵略者を追い出せた。
（戦争とも呼ばれていますけど、２万５千歳のゾフィーが３万年前にやってきた侵略者の軍と戦ってスターマークを授けられたとも言われますなので、占拠の可能性も高いと見なす。）
彼等こそが社会の心をつかみ、現在も敬意をこもって「デンコウ・ダイリン」　（初六　大兄弟）か、デンコウのみだけ呼ばれています。
今日は、この六人を紹介します。

ケンジン・イハイム

グループの中で最年長で、抵抗軍の統一と目的を保ち続けた者。
カリスマの持ち主で、「多くの人より背が高い、容姿も良い」と言われました。
シルバー族の切れる頭を生かし、本人が抵抗軍の大分の戦略を練り上げた。
妻のダナエ・クイニオンと息子二人で、エンペラーに立ち向かい続けた。
長男セフィスが偵察任務の後に殺されたまでは、もっとも有能で大胆な工作員の一人と言われる。
次男のゾフィーも幾多の妨害行動に参加し、後に父とともに最後の戦争で最前線で戦いました。
占拠の後はケンジンが宇宙警備隊の最初の大隊長になって、ウルトラ暦２５万６９（西暦１万ＢＣＥ頃）にソルフェルの戦場で命を落とした。
現在はケンジンの息子が宇宙警備隊の隊長として活躍していて、彼の名声は未だに消えていない。

ダイジ・ダイテキ

伝説的の戦士ダイヨウ・ダイジンの子孫で、本当のダイジは物静かでおおらかな人で、武器と同じぐらいに本や書類に慣れた。
視力が他人を上回って、エネルギーの一発で動いている的を六つも打ち落とせる事でかなり有名でした。
ナカゲ・マーレンと共に抵抗軍の戦士の訓練を行い、わずかな数か月内で一般人を戦士にした。
並外れた上半身の強さを持っていて、彼の綺麗で無駄なしの接近戦法がたくさんの戦士に影響を与えた。
今のダイジは、宇宙保安庁の隊長で次なる世代の闘士を磨き続けている。
息子のマン・ダイジは最初に地球を訪れたウルトラ族の一人。

ナカゲ・マーレン

同時尊敬されたように恐れた、愛想が全くない厳しい人である。
訓練法がスパルタっぽくて荒かったとは言え、恐れを知らない兵士を生み出した。
（マーレンの訓練を乗り越えた者は何にも耐えられる！）
案外に動物に弱く、エンペラーが軍から捨てた怪獣を手なづけて、現代のカプセル怪獣の祖先にしました。それが故、デンコウの中で「獣使い」だと言われました。
今は勇士司令部の隊長で、警備隊のもっとも優秀で最強の戦士を率いて、時折最凶の敵は自分で片付けます。
悪者は「勇士司令部」の名を聞けば怖がるなら、「ナカゲ・マーレン」の名を聞けば戦う意志が消える。
妻オユミ・シノブが亡くなった後、独りで二人の子供を育ちました。
現在は長女のサマールは銀十字軍の救急隊に勤めていて、次男のセブン（セバン）は惑星観測員として訓練を受けましたが、今は宇宙警備隊の一員である。

エイエン・ウルフ

兄　ダレンと共に前からウルトラの星で著名な科学者と認められて、情報技術の分野に幾多の進歩が彼のお陰でした。
占拠時代が始まった時、他の惑星にも支配を広げたかったエンペラー星人の使える武器の製造をさせられました。
秘密で生化学者カンデラ・ラムベンと当時の科学者と腕を組んで その設定図を基にして第一世代の腕装備携帯武器（Arm-mounted Portable Weaponry, APW）を作り出した。
その作業をを知ってしまったエンペラー星人が公共の場で鞭打ちでエイエンを半殺しにされ、背びれを二回切り込んだ。それが、咎人の烙印を押すも同然な事。
それでも抵抗軍を裏切れず、APWの開発を続けた。
若い頃から剣術とウルテラの長刀術に長けた為、最初の開発　スペシウムブレーサーを装備し最後の戦場へ向かった。
現在は彼が宇宙科学技術局の局長であり、息子のジャックが宇宙警備隊の隊員で父の最後の手作りAPVを使って平和を守る。最近は「第６７地球」のアクアプロジェクトと手を組んで、銀河や次元の間隙を失くそうとしています。

クサリ・ランセ

六人の中で最も個性を持つと言われた、釣り合わなさそうな情報局長。
背があんまり高くなく口も荒っぽかったが、彼のお陰で暗いときでも抵抗軍の士気が落ちなかった。
とは言え、任務の時はしっかり者で、潜入しかねる場所に次々と潜入しました。
素早く動けたり、敵の気配や隙を読んでしまい素手で戦えるように訓練した「影人」に、エンペラー軍が何人の番人をなくした。
最後の戦闘の傷によって失明して、工作の日々も終わってしまった。
占拠の後は抵抗軍の女性部長　ミナミ・ルハと結婚し、ウルテラで最も有名な外交官になりました。
ダルワット・メラーヌの平和条約みたいな数々の条約が結ばれたのも、彼の努力のお陰でした。
悲しい事にヤプール次元への外交任務の帰りに、事故で死んでしまった。
まだ幼かった息子のエースがデンコウの一人に育てられ、後に宇宙警備隊に入ってある意味で父の仕事を続けています。

イキオ・ゼン

ケンジンと同じぐらいの年で、ウルトラ人の中でも偉大なる正義感を持ちながらケンジンと共にデンコウの同等リーダーだと言われます。
先方に長けて力の持ち主で、ダイヨウ・ダイジンと共に軍の訓練を行い戦場へ導いた。
プラズマスパークの全能力再起動計画に関わっていた。
占拠時代が始まったとき、大分の核融合装置が破壊されたか停止されました。
彼とその者たちのお陰で抵抗軍が力を全力発揮できてエンペラーに攻撃できました。
噂によると百匹以上の怪獣がその手で命を落とした。
占拠の後で宇宙警備隊が設立されたら最初の隊長となり、現在の銀十字軍の隊長コユミ・シノブと結婚しました。
クサリ・ランセに最も信じられた人物であり、彼が死んだ後にその息子を引き取って育ちましたのがイキオでした。
現在は警備隊の大隊長として「ウルトラの父」と呼ばれ、昔　光の国の名において共に戦った者の息子と娘を見守り続けています。
息子のタロウは教官として新しい隊員の教育に励んでいる。 [+/-] デンコウ・ダイリン