(DS RP)

Zaroday stares at the swarm of Advent ships at the edge of the gravity well, among them he spots a Revelation Battlecruiser. In a moment of flashback, deafening screams fill his brain; he drops on his knees to the cold, hard floor and gasps repeatedly. The moment of panic is over, and he rights himself waving away the hands of his crew. Beside him, Bella has gone pale and is swaying gently. Z sits down on his captain’s chair and counts the particles of dust in the armrest of the chair, he feels cold sweat on the back of neck and shudders.

Z recovers and reassures his crew, it wouldn’t do to have their admiral struck dumb by an enemy fleet.

Z analyses his situation on his holoscreen, the TEC fleet is scattered throughout the gravity well and will be ineffective in this position.

In order to survive, Zaroday orders the remaining TEC ships, numbering roughly 250, to gather at the three starbases while the Advent fleet is still forming. 

As the TEC rally at the starbases, the Advent ships advance first to Khali station and then to Shrinagar station in one all consuming wave. With the bulk of TEC forces at Orissa station, the defenders of the two remaining stations are fighting a losing battle.

Four minutes after the Advent fleet arrive, the first of Z’s reinforcements arrive. They are the 6 capital ships and the remaining cruisers, all-in-all roughly 30 ships.

After several minutes the situation on Zaroday’s holoscreen looks like this;

Z grits his teeth and waits while the Advent grind down the TEC forces at Shrinagar and Khali stations. To relieve the tension and to the surprise of the crew, Zaroday orders the communications officer to hail to Advent flagship.

**********

On the bridge of Sethis’s flagship, a Halcyon carrier Tempest, Sethis orders part her fleet to advance on the weakly defended Khali station and the rest to attack Shrinagar. She is given a mental image of the gravity well by one of her scryer’s. The TEC fleet numbers roughly 250 with her fleet numbering 600. The TEC have apparently put aside their differences against a common enemy, not that it’ll do much good against her numerically superior forces.

But it has made my task more difficult especially with their reinforcements in Tripoli, thinks Sethis, if only their divisions were deeper.

Another scryer informs Sethis that enemy reinforcements are arriving.

Good, their finally all here to be slaughtered, thought Sethis in satisfaction.

The enemy fleet arrives but it’s nowhere near the size the local Unity’s Hand operatives have indicated, just 30 ships of a suspected 130.

They must have committed rest earlier in the battle, Sethis thought to herself, it makes no sense to hold them back now.

She is distracted by one of her Weavers, who informs her that a TEC ship is trying to hail them. Curious and amused at the same time, Sethis orders the weaver to respond, the voice of a man fills the bridge through the multi-functional speakers that play TEC and Varsari messages. “So is this the Advent command ship, where is your commander?”

Sethis coldly responds, “Have you come to surrender to the might of the Unity?” She orders her weaver read this man’s thoughts.

“Not quite, I was wondering who you are”

Sethis is taken aback for a moment, “I am Empyrial Reaver-

The voice in a playful tone, “No I didn’t for your name, little girl, I wanted to know what faction you are”.

The tone and the diminutive drives Sethis over the edge, “I shall slay you myself for the Flames of Vengeance!”

“Thank you, just double checking”

 The expression of gratitude throws her off. This is probably the first and only time that an Admiral has thanked his opposite number in the middle of a battle.

Dumbfounded by the strange man Sethis asks, “Why?”

Still using the playful tone the man responds “for later retribution of course, what goes around comes around”

Utterly furious, Sethis turns on the unfortunate weaver tasked to read the man’s thoughts Well, what are his intentions?

The weaver is physically shaking and does not respond.

Answer me!

H-H-His thoughts are hard to read, his mind is twisted-

WHAT IS HE THINKING!

It looked like the weaver was about the faint, the unlucky woman responds He wants to do… indecent acts to your body.

The crew on the bridge are shocked silent, verbally and mentally, for a moment Sethis does not comprehend what her ears have heard. Finally, understanding dawns on her face, then her verbal and mental scream of fury rocks the Advent fleet.

“Well, you shouldn’t read other people’s minds if you don’t like what you find”, with that the man terminates the link.

**********

Back on the Talonclaw, silently chuckling to himself, Z turns off the holoscreen where he was playing a pornovid he borrowed from one of the marines.  

“Bella, remember to remind me to give Sergeant Cole a raise”

“I cannot believe you just did that” the same sentiment is issued through the faces of half the bridge crew with the other half on the verge of laughter.

“Well it worked didn’t it?”

 The communications officer snaps out of his trance and calls out “incoming message from Lieutenant Hailer”

Hailer? Wayakm’s second-in-command? ponders Z

The commander of the reinforcements answers in his message, “I’m acting captain of the Diamond Shield, Commodore Wayakm decided to lead the attack himself.”

Wayakm? The plan depended on timing, placement and luck. Or else it was a suicide attack. Good luck Wayakm, salutes Z, if you survive you’re getting a promotion.  

**********

On board the Cobalt frigate Centauri, Wayakm tries to relax in the ramshackle seat given to him by the captain. Way was not like that strange woman who travelled with Admiral, he didn’t commandeer chairs, no he relied on the charity of the ship’s captain who must be enjoying his superior's discomfort.

While the capital ships and remaining cruisers went directly to the battle, Wayakm and light frigates went in the opposite direction. TRE forces faced two threats from the pirates, through the main route through the star, and a back door entrance that skirted through most of Ethea system. That was why pirates were a major threat, and because the pirate base blocked the only phase lane to the systems only ice planet. While Hailer and his smaller contingent would be making one jump, Wayakm’s detachment would be making six jumps.    

Soon TRE holdings were replaced by militia and pirates. Wayakm’s fleet, made up of only Cobalt’s and Javelis’, chosen for their speed they made their way past the meagre militia and pirates.

On the penultimate jump before the Ethea sun, Way knew the real test lay ahead. Zaroday’s plan was audacious, at first he realised that simply pouring in his reinforcements from Tripoli would result in an even battle that would devastate his fleet and quite possibly result in defeat. He realised that in order to keep most of his forces intact and kill two birds with one stone, he needed to involve a third player.

Wayakm realised that this was the most critical part of the journey, any slip ups and his fleet would be destroyed. He positioned his fleet on the edge of the gravity well, 30 degrees to the right of the phase lane, trying hard to synchronise their jumps Wayakm’s fleet of Cobalt’s and Javelis’ phase jump into the pirate base.

When his ship arrives Way realises he is in luck, the majority of the pirate fleet is docked around the pirate base with the rest of the fleet scattered throughout the gravity well. Sighing in relief that there will be no bloodbath yet, Wayakm orders his fleet to race to the other end of the gravity well.

On the pirate base, the pirates soon realise that they are being attacked. There is no other conceivable action for such a large fleet would arriving in a pirate base. Though it is strange that the fleet is composed of Cobalt’s and Javelis’, the pirates race to their ships to give the invaders a nasty surprise.

There is sporadic fire as Wayakm’s fleet race through the pirate defences. The javelis’ fire off one volley of missles at the nearest targets and continues following the cobalt’s. Soon over 300 pirate vessels are following Way’s 100 ships. In a testament to their disorganisation they leave no ships behind to defend the base, doggedly pursuing Way’s fleet. As the TRE fleet approaches the gravity well Way is unsure if the pirates will follow them to the Ethea star.

In order minimise this possibility Wayakm tries what Z did and sends an all frequency message to all ships “Pirates are just a bunch of lazy SOB’s that sniff each other in their spare time!” The crew around Way stare at him after the last statement and he just shrugs.

Way could almost hear the roar of fury that echoed through the pirate ships, now they really wanted his blood, they’d probably follow him into the Bamntuh black hole now.

The last of Wayakm’s ships enter phase space, Way dreads what he will find at the other end, has Z held out? Will the Advent appear right in front of me and annihilate me?

As Way’s ships enter the gravity well of the Ethea Sun, he sees that the situation isn’t as bad as he feared but is still grim, The Advent has surrounded Khali and Shrinagar stations, gradually overwhelming the surviving TEC ships. At Orissa station, with the arrival of Wayakm’s fleet Zaroday has ordered a general attack on the Advent fleet. The outnumbered TEC ships engage their Advent opponents.

Wayakm himself has ordered his fleet to race to Shrinagar station, not only to relieve the TEC ships there but to get away from the pirates.

Soon, as Z hoped the pirate vessels arrive. At first they are confused by the presence of the Advent, the Advent in turn think the TEC has hired pirates and attack them. Soon the battle becomes a three way struggle with the Advent blocked off from their escape route. The situation looks something like this;     

The Advent know they are in a bad position. Before the pirate intervention it was 600 ships against 280. Now it is 550 against 600. But they fight on grimly, Z’s plan has worked, with pirates fully engaged with the Advent fleet.

DS(Personal)

                                Old Foe In the Dark Part II

"The Serevun Overlord. Only you will be so bold to have a Jarrasul in a covert op mission Primus Kash'Tic," said Vulknor. Not to mention you are very found of titles, a stickler I believe."

Kash'Tic responds, "On the contrary, Lord Vulknor, I'm just giving you proper acknowledgement of respect, Grand Primus."

"Be that as it may, why are you here Kash'Tic?"

"My lord, to ensure you arrive safely and to escort your 'prize' back to our space."

Vulknor's eyes narrows at the screen and speaks, "Why does it seem an air of mockery from you."

Kash'Tic facial expression changes as if he is hurt by the comment, "Oh no my Lord, that is not my intent, please forgive if that is what you thought. Besides, my researchers are ready to begin to go over your 'prize' to learn all we can on the humans, it is the first intact ship that we have come across and are able the access the computer and go through it's data core. Whatever information is there we can begin the next chapter of operations, psychological propaganda."

 
"You still haven't fully explained yourself," said Vulknor.

"Because of the covert op protocol you have been cut off. Right now the humans have engaged in combat with the Advent in the neighboring Kyrene system. The trade ships phase drives are not as efficient with our counterparts, therefore, we are here to bring that ship aboard and head back to our space. During the time going back, my crews can begin their research and hopefully have a full debrief on our findings when we get back to Tr'Vore. Not to mention the longer we sit here, it will increase the chances for us to be discovered by errant ship Grand Primus."

 
"Very well, your excuse is satisfactory. Helm, dock with the Serevun Overlord as quickly as possible," said Vulknor.

The helmsman acknowledges and the Gloval heads to the huge ship where in a matter of minutes, ascends to the huge hanger of the Jarrasul and docks inside. The massive bay doors shut as the four ships begin to head to the edge of the Helon grav well.

Lord Kash'Tic rises from his seat and speaks to the captain of the ship, "Proceed to the coordinates that I placed in navigation, because of the combat operations going on in neighboring Kyrene, we will not jump directly to Esta, will transit the following stars until we know we are not being followed, and then we will jump Esta. Is that understood."

"Very good mi-lord," spoke the Fleet Admiral.

"Oh, and one more thing. Until the duration of Lord Vulknor's stay aboard, the ship designation will change to Vanguard Alpha."
"Yes mi-lord," spoke the Fleet Admiral.

"Now if you will excuse me, I'm off to entertain our guests," spoke Kash'Tic.

 
As Lord Kash'Tic leaves the bridge, the Admiral gives a series of orders. Slowly the small fleet of ships form up and begin synchronous phase jump out of the Helon system.

To Be Continued....

(DS Roleplay /  Trader Space - Petrograd, Ashanti Rim World, 12 Systems out from Galan)

 

Part Twenty Eight of Teir -

 

-Teal

 

 

 

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nq5qf7afWYQ

 


 

 

 

 

Sere-

 

Live Test –
Part Four -

Petrograd, Ashanti Rim World
November 13th, 2287 (11.13.2287.3)


    *
    *
    *

A slim lamp post, half shrouded in distance stood on a vacant corner, casting a dim light. Deep shadows swallowed most of the walls of the nearby buildings as Sere came down the empty street, staggering with the hard click-click of the poles tied to her legs against the stone pavement. A bird jumped up then, a pigeon gray and white against the darkness and vanished into the shadows above with a quick flutter of wings on the empty air.

Startled Sere stopped, with the momentum of her quick though staggering walk threatening to throw her off balance and flat on her face. She thrust a foot out and steadied herself, shaking her head and wanting to laugh at herself.

“So now we are afraid of birds are we?” she half whispered to herself.

T'e Lir had been right.

In the arena her focus had been only on the double, and even the rush of attack and counter had become after a time an almost unconscious thing. A rhythm of flow that the body did seemingly of its own accord.

But out here...

In the streets there were a thousand and one things that distracted, or hindered, or helped. It was almost too easy, relying on the adrenalin, you came to feel almost invincible. Things not possible under other conditions became child's play... dodging bullets, turning out of the way of knives five seconds out from hitting you. Jumping twenty feet in the air and going through locked windows or barricaded steel doors gave you the feeling that you could do anything.

It was a heady feeling that was reckless to heed.

It led from leaping across buildings and through windows to jumping five floors when any other time she would have known it would break her legs to do it.

If she survived this encounter with T'e Lir she would have to remind herself not to forget that, that the adrenalin had a tendency to push your mind into believing it could move beyond your own limits.

But surviving T'e Lir was something she was not sure she could really pull off, no matter how much she wanted it.

She shook her head again and pushed forward slowly, each step reverberating against the poles tied to her legs.

As she moved she looked right and left into the darkness, into the deeper shadows against the building walls as she moved toward the slim lamp post, but saw nothing, heard nothing, only the click-click of her own footsteps on the pavement underneath. Time was running out. In another hour the sun would be up and the gangs would be back on the streets.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nq5qf7afWYQ

In her present condition she still felt she could take them, but that was not what she wanted. They were not her target and she didn't want to have to kill them just to stay alive. Though it might come to that.

Pushing herself faster, almost to the point of losing balance she crossed to the lamp post and then around the corner of the building. She wished she had a cloak, something to hide her suit, the knives at her shoulder, the gun in the holster against her leg, something to make her look less conspicuous, more normal, a young woman out for a morning walk in the empty streets, instead of what she actually appeared, death out and about looking for death. She shook her head again and smiled an uneasy smile... a thousand and one things to hinder you... to distract you...

It all made the arena seem so easy she wanted to laugh.

Yet she had died there enough to say it wasn't so easy. How many times? Over nine days? Two dozen? Or four? Six? Had she died a hundred times already?

In the beginning days it seemed she was dying every time she stepped out onto the floor. Perhaps not quite a hundred. Though what had she paid for it?

Was her eyes now as good as Sere's had been? Were her reflexes slower, her bones more brittle? Her heart a little less stable?

Even if she died, eventually the doubles would reach a point where they would be critically unstable, DNA damage so badly gone so far that whatever 'her' remained would be a vegetable, or a cripple.

Halfway across the front of a dark shadowed building Nadera stepped out from a doorway and came down the steps and threw a cloak over her. She glanced at Sere, raising her head, her white eyes shone in her pale face in the darkness underneath her hood.

“Put the gun away.” She said and smiled. “So, you are still alive. That is good.”

Sere hadn't realized she had pulled the gun, but eased it back then into the holster and stumbled along with Nadera at her side. The woman pulled the hood up over Sere's dark hair as a group of red arm banded youths came around the corner they were approaching.

“Bow your head.” She said in a quick whisper.

The youths were laughing, a raucous sound on the empty air.

The lead boy, blonde with a red painted band across the center of his face skipped and then slowed to a saunter across the street eyeing the women as they continued to move down the sidewalk in the dim light.

"Hey! Where do you think you are going?" His voice was rough, but then slid into almost a sickeningly sweet tone, "Pretty girls out for a morning walk, maybe too early huh?"

The other three grinned as the four of them stopped in front of the women, the lead boy pulled at the thin hair on his chin and then reached behind him and pulled out a knife, the blade gleamed in the thin light.

"Maybe you're all up to no good out and about so early huh?" He grinned, then turned and spit into the street.

"I work at the clinic, we're just going to the clinic." Nadera said in an even voice, looking the thin, red faced boy in the eyes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nq5qf7afWYQ

"And what about this one?" He pointed toward Sere with the blade. Under the cloak her hands tightened into fists, she clenched her teeth and began laying out in her mind how her attack would flow...

First the lead...

She would pull her gun and step in close to him, raising the gun to his forehead...

... and pull the trigger...

Quick, twice...

He would fall straight back, tipping off the edges of his black, narrow boots... back...

His eyes wide and glazing over immediately... his lips only starting to part, but no sound escaping at all...

...then the big one behind him on his left, sweeping her gun hand down...

and shoot him in the knee...

The black pants would explode in a sudden splash of blood splattering out...

He would begin to bend down, turning to his left shattered knee...

And she would step in close against him and raise the gun... pulling the trigger...

...two in the chest...

The motion kicking him back as he moved down and left, he would fall back from her... turning...

turning...

... his eyes wide, his mouth pulling open in the beginning of a scream...

...then the other two...

As their hands came up, knives flashing...

Stepping inside the circle of their arms, she would press the barrel of the gun first to one's chest and pull the trigger and spin...

As the third scrawny, black-greasy-haired boy, fell back...

The fingers of his hand opening slowly and the knife spinning slowly...

back and away...

And smash the butt of the gun straight into the fourth boys face, against the base of the boys slim nose and driving the bone upward... his knife hand moving in toward her would falter and then drop back at his side, his head would fall back, his black hair swaying in the thick air... his eyes half closing as he began to blink at the sudden pain...

Lowering the gun to his chest and pulling the trigger twice...

Bam! Bam!!

*

*

*

Red grinned at Sere, then glanced back at Nadera.

Sere was still carrying her gun in the holster beneath the cloak and three or four knives, though she would have to get out of the cloak first to get to them.

Red smiled at Nadera.

Sere began to count inside her head, feeling the tension rising in her, from beneath the rim of the hood above her lowered eyes she waited for Red to start a quick move, a turn...

... a feint that would indicate...

... it was starting.

One...

Red dropped the blade lower, moving it toward Sere as if to pull back the hood and show her face.

Closer...

Closer...

Sere's muscles ached, wound tight as springs, tightening, tightening...

Aching...

Two...

As the blade moved just under the lip of Sere's hood, hovering, Red began to smile, his lips pulling back in a slow broken toothed grin.

Nadera's hand flashed out and grabbed Red's just above the wrist.

He frowned.

The smile pulling down as his eyebrows lowered and his lips parted, his teeth gritting...

His hand shook for a moment, the muscles tightening, he began to shake his head slowly side to side. The other boys moved closer, hands dropping lower to the knives at their belts, slowly...

The air was suddenly palpable, a thick, cloistering blanket of heat and tension, moments stretching out...

He raised his head and stared into Nadera's eyes, his lips pulling back in a small snarl...

She held his arm and looked at him with calm white eyes...

Three...

Sere started to move her hand down underneath her cloak when the boy tilted his head back suddenly and laughed and dropped the knife hand to his side pulling it away from Nadera's hand...

"We're just going to work, huh? Let us go, you got better things to do than pat down girls on their way to work don't you?"

Red's face froze.

Sere's muscles strained, a band pulled taut and about to break, it was getting ready to happen, in a moment he would start to laugh again and begin a half turn, slow... and then he would strike forward, hard and fast... she was just waiting for him to begin that laugh and start to turn, and then she would kill him.

Red laughed again and began to turn when the big guy on his left slapped a hand against Red's shoulder.

"Hey man, lets just blow it, K? No need to waste two old ladies."

Red kept laughing but stopped the turn.

"Ok, ok," He tipped the point of his knife toward his forehead, then out, in a mock salute and then pushed it into the narrow gap between his pants and his belt.

Nadera smiled and holding Sere's arm stepped around the boys and kept walking.

"Got to be careful getting out so early," Red called, "you never know what your going to run into these days." He laughed and the youths all started forward then, onto the sidewalk and down alongside the lightening shadows against the walls of the buildings.

"You just remember that!" He yelled suddenly sounding very angry and unpredictable, but then he laughed again in that smooth voice.

"Pretty girls..."

Nadera and Sere ignored him

He laughed again and then pushed forward as if he had suddenly forgotten them entirely.

The other youths pushed by Nadera and Sere without stopping, without saying a word, and only after they had passed did Sere realize she had her hand back on the grip of the gun underneath the cloak.

She was shaking...

Her heart pounding like a trip hammer.

Jumpy.

The adrenalin did that too.

It made you act sometimes before you had even finished processing the incoming events around you.

Nadera gave a small, nervous laugh as they continued down the street, the sky beginning to turn from black to a deep gray in slow degrees.

“Don't kill anybody before we get back to the clinic. We don't have cell samples on everyone and doubles aren't cheap to make. I'd hate to have to pay for everyone you might kill between now and getting your jumpy trigger finger off the gun.”

Sere blushed and shook her head, the girl was right of course.

It had come close, but killing them would have solved nothing, she could have disabled them without even using her gun or knives.

But it wasn't what had come immediately into her mind was it?

No...

The first thing she had thought of was killing them.

Another slow block on, they turned the last corner and halfway down the dark street the Med clinic stood, white door set in a gray-white building that seemed almost black in the deep shadows of early morning.

“You didn't break both of them did you?” The girl asked glancing at Sere's legs with a disbelieving look in her eyes.

Sere gave a small laugh then, the first in what seemed like months.

“Don't think so, … maybe. Stupid huh?”

Nadera nodded, but then put her face close to Sere's, “I broke both my arms going through a wall once. It was a long time ago now, haha, but there it is. Still stupid, but we all do it.”

Sere stared at the girl, was she...? What...?

“Long story, I'll tell you sometime, just--”

They came up to the staircase to the white door and Nadera held Sere's elbow as they went slow up the steps and the girl pressed her hand against the chipped paint and the metal underneath her fingers glowed faintly before the door slid back into the wall.

“--Just not right now, huh?” She smiled.

“Ok, sure...” Sere said still very puzzled, but not able to bring herself to continue the thousand questions the girl's admission had brought to mind.

“My God! Are you all assassins?” The thought suddenly crystallized in her mind!

Nadera helped her through the doorway and across the yellowed brown stained floor toward the office door that led back into the examination rooms beyond. The door closed with a click behind them.

“We were the Empress's Guard...” She said, but said no more than that. “Let's get a look at those legs now, huh, be a good girl and no more questions for a bit, huh?” The girl laughed and Sere hugged her as they stumbled back down the hallway to one of the surgical rooms.

“And T'e Lir?” Was she waiting...?

Nadera gave a quirky smile, “T'e Lir won't interfere, if that is what you are thinking. She will wait until you are back in form before she lets you know the game is still playing. Now no more questions.” She said firmly easing Sere back onto a white chair and then straightening and pulling off her cloak and dropping it onto the side counter, then bending down in front of Sere and began loosening the ties that held the poles in place.

*

*

*

(DS RP)

Though the Advent fleet has been battered they are not finished. They return the TEC and pirate fire with their own devastating salvos of lasers and beams. Their anima still holds the edge over their opponents. A pirate corsair goes down after being riddled with bomber beams and 2 TEC cobalts from Wayakm’s fleet explode under withering fire from 5 Destra Crusaders.

On the bridge of Talonclaw, Zaroday sits back and watches the battle unfold as his X.O gives orders to crew. With all his resources committed, Z watches as a critically damaged Cielo crashes into an Iconus Guardian, taking both ships down.

“Order the left flank to assist Wayakm in relieving Shrinagar Station and get the right to push towards Khali Station, it’s time to encircle our enemies.”

The X.O suddenly shouts “alright people, lets make this our finest hour! Push this baby the edge!”

Z hopes the crew doesn’t destroy the ship; it took a lot of trouble and credits to modify this ship.

Next to Z, Bella makes a pathetic attempt at a whistle in excitement she asks, “Is this the finest hour ability? How is it that the ship can suddenly do splash damage? If something special is added to the weapons wouldn’t it have made more sense to add them in the first place?”

“What am I? An engineer?”

As Zaroday says this, the four main lasers of the Talonclaw pulverise a heavily damaged Revelation, causing it to break apart. In return, a Radiance uses a cleansing brilliance attack on a Sova, overwhelming the shields. As the defenceless Sova jettisons escape pods a raft of light laser fire brings it down.

Now, Z thinks to himself, the time for complex plans is gone and only the grim task of killing remains.

**********

On Adruth’s flagship, a Marza called the Rizung’s Revenge; Adruth orders a missile barrage and revels in the carnage around him. Three disciples disappear under a cloud of missles.

Ironic, Adruth thinks to himself in curiosity, that with so much death I feel so free, so alive. I wonder who is worse off, me with compulsion for killing or Z with a compulsion that affects his decisions.

As he thinks to himself a Radiance battleship uses animosity in an attempt to give a nearby Halcyon time to retreat, all the TEC ships around it focus fire on the vessel. As Adruth feels the mental tendril of anger seep through him and his crew, he gives into it and the Radiance is soon overwhelmed by TEC fire. Through the Radiance’s sacrifice, the Halcyon has escaped the trap and angered by its sister ship’s demise, it launches an anima tempest.

As the Marza slowly turns to fire on a Destra, Adruth notices something in the midst of the wreckage of dead ships. Over the intercom he says to his people manning the missile launchers “Anyone who hits that piece of space debris gets a free round of drinks on me”.

Several of the newer crew look confused, one of them says “But sir, that’s not space wreckage it’s an esca-“the man cottons on and feeling faint under the stare of Adruth’s one normal and one bionic eye, and keeps his mouth shut.

The designated target explodes; Adruth feels the compulsion ease and the Rizung’s Revenge returns to the fray.

**********

On her severely damaged flagship Tempest, Sethis orders an anima tempest to avenge the death of the Radiance. The battle is not going her way; the starbases are taking their toll on her fleet and pirates aren’t helping. Though her crew were elite veterans, panic slowly seeps into their minds as the enemy forces complete their encirclement. Sethis swiftly suppresses it and orders the centre and rear elements of the Advent fleet to focus on cutting through the pirate fleet. With the front fighting a holding action against the TEC, the rest of her ships fight the mostly unshielded pirate vessels, causing enormous casualties.

As Sethis curls into her chair, four rogues and a corsair go down to a cleansing brilliance and a Destra. Supported by Domina Subjugators using Suppression and Perseverance, the Advent ships slowly burn through the front ranks of the pirates.

**********

On the Talonclaw, Zaroday analyses the situation, most his ships were fighting a smaller detachment of Advent ships supported by a large group of Iconus Guardians while the majority of the Advent fleet is fighting the pirates. As Z watches, a Jolly Roger battleship is destroyed and a pirate Vulkoras is crippled by Advent fire.

They must be preparing to withdraw, by clearing out their line of retreat. Well it looks like the pirates were a good meat buffer to cushion my own losses.

Nevertheless, the casualties on all sides are heavy. The Advent have lost over 350 ships including 9 capitals, the pirates have lost over 190 ships including 6 capitals while the TEC have lost over 150 ships including 4 capitals.

Pondering this, Zaroday orders half his fleet to engage the Advent holding action and the other half to flank it and it cut off from the main Advent fleet.

**********

On the Tempest, Sethis seethes with rage, knowing that TEC dog was behind this defeat. Her fleet has been broken; she orders a general withdrawal which soon turns into a rout losing more ships.

All ships, fall back to Germinthaea with that curt order she telepathically contacts the High Psintegrat, hoping that her fury would be less than that of the Seer council but knowing that it wouldn’t.

My Lady, I have failed, she starts off woodenly, then tries to justify her defeat the enemy bribed pirates to fight for them.  

Don’t try to rationalize your failure Empyrial Reaver Sethis, weren’t 1000 ships, the personal fleet of the High Psintegrat, sufficient? The sarcasm is evident.

There were pirates-

I granted you 1000 ships, and the 400 that survived Kyrene are still in Germintheas. Did you truly believe it wise to bring only 600 ships to a battle against an unknown quantity of enemy ships over the 400 who had survived the greatest trial we have yet had of our military strength?

With respect, My Lady, we had no idea that the TEC would put aside their differences and pirates-

Would the 400 ships have turned the tide of the battle?

Yes.

 It was humiliating to get lectured by a 12 year old but Sethis knew that she earned it, and the Seer council would no doubt be more critical; they did not take defeat well.

I trusted you with the remnants of our elite Kyrene fleet, reinforced it, and you squandered so many lives on a petty attempt to gain prestige. I cannot guarantee the safety of your career after this blunder. If it were my choice, I would be lenient with your punishment, though you would never command a fleet again. However, it is not for me to decide. It was left unsaid that the Seer council would be seeing to that.

**********

The TEC forces celebrate their victory as the Advent ships break through the pirate fleet and try to retreat back to their territory. The Advent ships that tried to hold the TEC back soon realise they about to be left behind, in a desperate move they race through the TEC ships, during this time the shielding of the Iconus Guardians fail, and most of the ships are destroyed.

With barely 100 ships left, the pirates realise that the TEC have the upper hand with over 250 ships, they try to retreat while being assailed by strikecraft. Z orders Adruth to take 200 ships pursue them back to Cilicia and to take the pirate base.

Z’s holopad informs him that barely 200 Advent ships have escaped the Ethea system. He thinks of the poor woman who faced him. The Advent are so predictable, Z thinks to himself in cold amusement, insult the Unity and tactics go out the metaphorical window, he pauses, was it premature to interrupt the woman before she said her name? Meh.

As the TEC celebrate their victory, Z takes 50 ships back to Tripoli. Already Z almost feels the cogs in his brain formulate a plan, the compulsion, starting to take affect so soon after the battle...  

(DS RP)

A week later the board is reconvened, the members look exhausted with the hard work they done since the last time they’ve met, Wayakm who is absent appears on a holo-conferencing screen. Once again Z starts the meeting.

“So what have we achieved in the last week?”

Jason starts off first, “we have built 30 cobalts, 30 javelis’ and 20 gardas while also refitting the ships damaged in the battle”.

“Good keep it up, Lina?”            

“Basic infrastructure has been developed on the newly acquired planets so they won’t be a drain on the economy. Also the Tondam employees who have chosen to return to Trader Space have been sent back, while many who were once JKS employees have elected to stay”.

“Felix?” this time, Z’s voice is more curious.

The thin, middle aged man responds, “two days ago through sheer luck, Lieutenant Hailer chanced upon a Jikara Navigator entering our star, Hailer’s marines were able to board and detain the vessel. It turns out that the Navagator belongs to the Kris Slavers who have also if anyone has forgotten happen to be the Varsari who were raiding our trade convoys.

While Adruth silently curses, Z nods thoughtfully though he also notices Felix’s facial expression that says there is more he wants say to Z when they are alone.     

“Way?”

“Our forces are about to assault the asteroid called Kulgoa”, Wayakm’s voice sounds small through the speaker.

“Good, Lina I have a task for you”

“Name it” responds the red-haired woman in a tired voice.    

“I want you to organise an Ethea System games, a sports event featuring athletes from the all-over the Ethea system”.

There is shocked silence at this unexpected announcement. This was the last thing the board members were expecting.

Lina has had enough, stands up and shouts “A multi-planetary games? Those take years to organise, and we don’t even control the whole system!”

“Look, most of the sporting infrastructure is already available on Tripoli; all we need are the athletes and some publicity. We’ll just say we’re celebrating our victory and the unification of Ethea, it’ll put peoples’ minds off war and in a good mood, as for not controlling the whole system Rear-Admiral Rizung will remedy that”.

Adruth looks surprised his been chosen to pacify the rest of the system, from the look on his face it looks like his going to have a private talk with Z after the meeting is over.

“And when do you want these games to happen?” the civics officer asks in falsely curious voice.

“Hmm, 4 months?” Z notices Lina’s going to explode again and placates her with “I have faith in your abilities”.

The placation fails with Lina screaming “Then what about developing the planets, these games will divert credits from that!”

“They can manage with basic infrastructure for a few months, and I’m sure they’ll also be excited by the prospect of their athletes winning.”

Lina is about say that people would rather have a better quality of life than watching a sports event when she realises that there is merit in the idea. “You cunning bastard, this is a PR coup, your planning on the games having the same effect as the ancient Olympics, you want to use this to unify the whole system!”

“Quite correct, that’s why you’re a board member.”

Felix however looks concerned about the security of the games; Z silently acknowledges this and indicates him to wait after the meeting.

“Now, any problems Way?”

Wayakm voice sounds amused and uncomfortable at the same, “well the way you avoided having your mind read is becoming TRE legend among the marines, you’ve caused the officers no end of trouble with marines downloading ah… distasteful vid-clips onto their HUD’s”.

Z looks confused for a moment and then laughs saying “Tell the marines to stop the excuses; it won’t work in close range combat, tell them it only worked because the Advent were on the other side of the grav well, considerably weakening their powers to just passive mind reading. In a close quarters combat, their reavers will just blast away the marines with offensive mind attacks, not to mention laser rifles.” Z isn’t sure if this is true, after all he isn’t an Advent, but he assumes it’s the case as he can’t have his marines goofing off on the job.

Wayakm looks mildly relieved as he goes on “thank goodness about that, the practice was spreading to the ship crews, they thought they could avoid a Reverie by doing that”.

Z responds with more laughter “If only the universe were that simple”.

Way salutes and signs out as the last of the militia ships around Kulgoa are destroyed.

“Alright, if there’s nothing else then we’ll adjourn this meeting”.

The rest of the board leave with Adruth indicating he’ll wait outside, until only Z and Felix are left in the board room.

Felix begins the conversation with “Having a multi-planetary games will attract the attention of Unity’s Hand not to mention other groups not happy with us”.

“I know, I was planning on it”.

“You were?” Felix sounds surprised.

“Yeah, I like to make the enemy think I’m doing one thing with one hand while I’m doing something completely different with other”.

Felix doesn’t comment immediately, “so security…”

“Make it as tight as possible, I want their attention not terrorist attacks”

“A hard ask”

“I know, now what did you want to talk to me about?”

“The crew of that Jikara navigator, they had some information you might be interested in”

“Which is…”

Felix comes close and whispers into Z’s ear, “52 days from now…”. Z smiles at this gem of information as it begins to be incorporated into his plans.

**********

As Z leaves the board room, Adruth comes out of the shadows to talk. He does not look happy.

“You think putting me in charge of pacifying the rest of this system will result in minimal casualties?”

“That was just a cover; I have something else for you in mind.”

“This is…” Adruth sounds interested now, whenever his time was diverted doing a special task, the compulsions would ease, doing the task becomes an obsession for him, distracting from his impulses.

Z tells Adruth his plan, the Rear-Admiral looks shocked for once and says “That is bold, stupid, daring, idiotic and completely dependent on timing. One mistake and either of us will be dead, but I’ll go along will it, it sounds interesting”.  

With that Z knows that he has captured Adruth’s full attention. If this plan was impossible then there was a good chance that Adruth Rizung would make it possible. Capturing the planets will just be an afterthought for him now.

More lore maps - New factions, both NPC, both Advent.  (Faction names and info provided by Alpha, if anyone would like to expand upon the information, PM me and we'll work something out.)

Map and faction the first!

http://sites.google.com/site/steelers086/gamefiles/DalibaMytymniniMajabaea.galaxy

This trio of systems is held by the faction that refers to themselves as the Silent Pilgrims.  This currently is the only faction that has the resources and numbers to rival the Flames of Vengeance in the Distant Stars region.

Daliba:
The main star is orbited by 4 companion stars, Alpha and Gamma are yellow, Beta is a pulsar, Delta is blue.
This star cluster has a ring around it called Zbanis Asteroid Ring.  The regions are named after the position they would appear on the face of a clock, the lightest concentrations of asteroids where ships can safely occupy are in the even numbered regions, however, this doesn't mean you can't hide out in the other areas.
The closest planet to the ring is Senaturn a terran (home) class planet, and it's orbited by a volcanic moon called Tirton
Next orbit out is a barren rock class planet called Saah.
On your way further from the star you'll come across the Asteroid Onopix
The deepest planet in the system is a gas dwarf called Edehes, it's orbited by a moon so large it's classified as a dwarf no atmosphere class planet and named Aleoch.

Mytymnini:
The closest planet to the star is Tussel, a volcanic class planet, and it's moon Anpaec apparently is affected by all of the gasses Tussel that it's become toxic to most biological creatures.
Next in line is a desert (home) class planet called Sahun, which has an ice moon named Atael circling it.
Deeper into the system there is a terran class planet called Rnoto.
The 5th planet in the system is a huge swamp planet called Aspip.
The 6th deepest in the system is a savannah planet called Ziladom.
The 7th and 8th deepest planets are both gas giants called Alsi and Ino respectively.

Majabaea:
Majabaea has a cluster of companion stars around it, Alpha, Gamma, Delta, and Epsilon are yellow, Beta is red, and Zeta is Blue.
The planet closest to the cluster is a huge relic class planet called Dapoz.
Second is a turbulent swamp class planet called Nax.
Third is a terran class planet called Asrid.
Fouth away from the cluster is an Ocean class planet called Boli, orbited by a paradise moon called Nahbarra.
Fifth away is a huge savannah class planet called Antihon.
Sixth away is an Ice (home) class planet called Moso, orbited by the ice moon Orup.
The deepest planet is a gas giant class planet called Mizaz.

Map and faction the second!

http://sites.google.com/site/steelers086/gamefiles/AmabiusandIbius.galaxy

This pair of systems is controlled by the Unity's Fist.  Though this is the base of their operations you can frequently find their fleet patrolling other systems.

In Amabius:
The closest planet to the star is a Terran (home) class planet, orbited by an ocean moon called Hotat, and a forest moon called Haas.
The middle orbiting planet is an ice class planet called Ilon, orbited itself by a savannah moon named Asarar, a desert moon named Sacator, and a volcanic moon named Zubet.
The deepest planet in the system is a gas giant class planet called Ruul.  It has an asteroid belt around it, the three thickest regions where the potential for mining resources is high are Oruder, Okeraaz, and Onanruhal.

In Ibius:
Closest to Ibius is a no atmosphere class planet named Enesas.
Next in line is a terran (home) class planet named Lunac with an ice moon called Ebriek in orbit.
3rd in line is a gas giant class planet called Reladael with a volcanic moon up close called Hazel, and two deeper ice moons called Dabramos and Oslab.
The deepest planet in the system is another gas giant class planet called Rsoziel, it's only noteworthy satellites are two asteroid moons Seto and Umahus.

(DS RP)

As his ship emerges from phase space Adruth stares at the militia fleet in grav well of Edessa. The local militia of the three remaining worlds not in TRE control have joined together in a last ditch attempt to remain free. The result is not impressive, 20 cobalts, 18 Javelis’, 11 Kodiaks, 12 Gardas and 6 Krosevs. Adruth almost laughs at their stupidity, they were little better than local pirates. His own fleet consists of 21 Kodiaks, 33 javelis’, 1 Akkan, 1 Dunov and 1 Marza.  

If I were in their position I would have attacked the incoming fleet while they were emerging from phase space, he thinks a mildly disdainful tone, instead they’re so uncoordinated they’re still forming their fleet.

But his mind however is not on the battle; he ponders the scarce information at his disposal and other things related to his task.  

I’ll have to get a few hundred marines and teach them a completely different style of warfare, all in 52 days… impossible, but I can try. And I don’t even have the weapons and equipment to do the job either! Looks like I’ll have to draw up a shopping list for Z.

As the two fleets prepare for battle Adruth opens a communication channel with Hailer on the Dunov Diamond Shield and talks casually “Lieutenant Hailer, bring your Dunov up to the Kodiaks and restore their shields”.

“Yes sir, Rear Admiral” Hailer sounds concerned over his superiors’ indifference to the battle about to begin.

Adruth’s fleet splits into two lines, the Kodiaks backed up by the Dunov using shield restore, form a line to absorb any damage thrown by the militia, meanwhile the Javelis’ backed up by the Akkan using its targeting uplink form a rear rank that pick off the militia ships one by one.

As Adruth’s flagship Rizung’s Revenge approaches the battle Adruth, lost in his thoughts turns to an officer-cadet on a nearby control monitor. “Son, it looks like it’s your lucky day, it’s time to give that officer training some practical experience, you’re in charge”.

The young man looks astonished as does most of the bridge crew. Never noticed by the Rear-Admiral until this day and unwilling to risk his furious half-human half-machine gaze the youth hesitantly takes command of Marza slowly entering the thick of the fighting.

What’s the best way to storm a city with a numerically inferior force? Simple, cut off communications, create uncertainty and attack from multiple points, employing decoys.

“Um… p-prepare a m-missile barrage” Barely into his twenties the youth looks small as tries to run a capital ship containing over 2500 people.

The missiles are offloaded and several militia ships are destroyed. As the last Gardas go down, the temporary commander of the Rizung’s Revenge orders the strikecraft from the capital ships to be launched.

Adruth ignores the questioning looks from several crew members and thinks, the best way is to create uncertainty on a large scale and then slip away in the confusion. I’m so obsessed with this operation that a full scale battle occurring around me doesn’t give me satisfaction.

There were pills to help his condition but Adruth hated them, they dulled his intelligence, better to be a hyper-intelligent killer than an intellectually castrated idiot.

As the militia ships are strafed by fighters and bombers, the militia soon realise the battle is lost and ask for surrender. Several of the crew turn to Adruth expecting him to show no mercy, but he just says absent-mindedly “the kid’s in charge, it’s his decision”.

The cadet looks flustered at being given such a heavy decision. He opts for clemency and accepts their surrender.

Adruth pays no attention as the Akkan colonises Edessa, given that the rebels have been completely crushed it will be going on to colonise Surat and Constantia.

“You did well kid, you’ll be getting a promotion soon”.

“T-thanks commander”, the responds the youth as he slumps into his chair, the rest of the crew silently shakes their heads at the unpredictable nature of the Rear-Admiral.

Adruth considers his next course of action; I’ll have to establish my base of operations on the asteroid of Sylfaen. It’s close to the star and ‘S’ is the next letter after ‘R’ so the niggling sense won’t be too much trouble. Though his fleet has suffered no casualties Adruth doesn’t bother paying attention to his subordinate’s reports. Things are going to get very messy in the next month.               

(Ds / Personal)

    The hoshiko enters the gravity well of the Finley star.  Todd brings Gordon to the bridge of the ship so he can see with his own very eyes that they're not bringing him to some TEC prison camp.

    "Check this out, Gordie." Todd says.
    "Aye, starbases, not very inviting, or encouraging." Gordon replies.
    "Relax, they keep people out, just as easily as they keep people in."
    "Ah know, ah built the first ones."

    The hoshiko lines up between the Angarsk and the Dubovka prepping to jump to Finley 1.  Their drives charge up and navigation gives the green light.  Right as they begin to jump a communication comes through.  For the duration of their jump they hear nothing but static.  Once on the other side they're almost nose to nose with another starbase causing Gordon to jump in surprise.

    "Holy crap, son, warn an old man." Gordon says as the communications are re-established.
    Tim's face appears on the holvid. "Welcome back Todd, you might want to announce your presence to the David's Lions ASAP.  Henry asked them to help pull security detail inside the system until we get this mess all sorted out."
    "Thanks for the head's up.  I'll be bringing someone by to see you after I've had a chance to check in with the bosses." Todd says.
    "The gentleman standing next to you I presume?" Tim asks.
    "Oh, he's anything but a gentleman.  Likes to have sex with goats and bovine..." Todd answers.
    "I hope that's code for bearded and overweight women." Tim says.
    "That's good, but no." Todd says trying to fight back the laughter.
    Gordon spits on the floor at Todd's feet, "I'll be waitin for when we land so ah can kick yer arse."
    "He's as strong as an ox." Todd says pointing to Gordon as he storms off the bridge. "He should be..." Todd continues before yelling out one last insult, "He's had is way with half of 'em in the whole galaxy!"
    "Is that really necessary?" Tim asks while shaking his head.
    "Absolutely.  He only respects you if you can beat him at something.  The guy's a damned genius...  You all think I'm smart, this guy with a migraine and the flu can still make me look like a 3 year old farm boy...  And despite his looks, he's one tough son of a bitch.  The only thing I've got on him is my ability to get under his skin faster then he can get under mine."
    "Makes perfect sense." the hoshiko's captain interrupts. "The David's Lions have been notified and are standing down."
    "Well I'll let you get back to business..." Tim says and cuts the link.

    The hoshiko zips over to the planet and transfers Todd and Gordon to a shuttle to take them down to see Henry.  An hour later, Todd and Gordon are walking in the door of Henry's office.

    "You guys find the bossman?" Todd asks.
    "Nope." says a voice behind him.
    Without turning around Todd continues, "Sorry, I usually get a cold chill whenever you're around."
    "This the guy who's supposed to tell us who we're up against?" Roesh asks.
    "Gordon Bowie, this is Roesh, that's Henry." Todd says.
    "If yer anythin like this runt, just shoot me now and get it over with." Gordon says.
    "I don't think that will be necessary." Henry says.
    "Yeah, unless you jerk my chain." Roesh says.
    "I told him we has some wreckage for him to look at and if he can tell us anything about it, but old habits die hard.  He thinks we're going to make good on his arrest warrant." Todd states.
    "Arrest warrant...  How much we talkin?  I've got a trade station needing to be rebuilt..." Roesh says with a hint of sarcasm.
    "Har, very funny." Gordon says with clear sarcasm.
    Henry stands up and walks over to Gordon, "As strange as this might sound to you, we don't really care about your problems.  We have one that Todd tells us you can help us with, so if you'll agree to it, we'll show you what we have and we'll compensate you for you time."
    "Well, in that case..." Gordon says, "I just might be able to help ye out."
    "Great, if you don't mind, we should head to Fleet Command now where the pieces are being reassembled." Henry says.
    "An where is that lad?" Gordon asks.
    "It's on the fourth moon of the fourth planet...  We're on the first planet." Roesh says.
    "I'm not very fond of the space travel ye know." Gordon states.
    "Well, once we get there and you help us out, we can drop you off wherever you'd like and that'll be it." Henry says.
    "An if I dun wanna go anywhere?" Gordon asks.
    "I'm sure arrangements can be made to get you comfortable housing." Roesh says as he walks away.
    "Let's go..." Todd says before walking away himself.

    The quartet make their way to the shuttle that will take them to Fleet Command.  Once it lift's off, the David's Lions are given a courtesy call announcing their travel plans.  En route, Tim is contacted and is asked to have Casey present.  The four discuss how Todd came to know Gordon and other little tidbits of information from years past during their trip between.

    An hour later, they're touching down at fleet command and the four casually make their way to the building where the dark scout is being rebuilt.  Casey and Tim, having arrived only minutes before greet them as they enter.
    "Tim, Casey, this is Gordon Bowie, a former TEC R&D specialist who is here to provide us with information on this scout." Henry states as soon as he sees them.  He continues, "Gordon, this is Tim Hodgkins, our Fleet Admiral, and Casey Tahira, head of our mining and salvage operations."
    Gordon shakes Tim's hand congratulating him on his success and turns to Casey, "Tahira is it?  What planet do ye have ta have been from to be a lass wantin' ta play in tha dirt all day long?"
    "Easy old man." Todd interrupts. "You're here to talk about this scout, not play with the girls."
    "Nothing wrong with trying to get to know tha locals." Gordon states a a matter of fact.
    "While that may be true, we really need to know anything you can tell us about this ship and who it belongs to since they've managed to hide themselves from us...  Pretty unsettling if they've got serious warships capable of doing the same." Roesh adds.
    "Fine, fine..." Gordon says while pulling out his little glowing data cube.  "Ah need a terminal where ah can connect this wee device."
    "We should have everything you need over here." Tim says while walking over to a booth at the side of the room.
    Inside the little room a holoprojector is displaying a Jikara Navigator as a red wire frame model and green sections representing the pieces scattered about the floor of the main room.
    "You should be able to connect that to the systems in here pretty easily.  It's an unconnected system so you can do whatever you want to it and you can't mess up any of my work elsewhere." Todd says.
    Gordon mutters a few inaudible comments while he takes apart the terminal and adds his core to it.  About a minute later he's sitting down reprogramming the system to work with the device.  In no time at all, the holovid's projection changes from the scout to faces followed by symbols and names.  Todd pulls up the image that shows the emblem on the side of the scout and Gordon narrows down the options of who the ship might belong to.
    "Hmmm.  That's still quite the list." Henry says as he quickly takes in the data being displayed.
    "Yeah, but we might be able to narrow it down some.  Try filtering out all of the clans that are too poor to develop this kind of technology, followed by filtering out those that aren't very aggressive." Todd asks of Gordon.
    The list is severely cut down but several dozen clans still show up prompting Roesh to add in, "Filter out all of those clans known to be actively fighting in other regions too far away to be of any real threat."
    The list drops away dozens of clans leaving a half dozen behind.  "And now we have our hit list." Henry notes.
    "Can we sort this list based on known fighting tactics?" Casey asks.
    "Hmmm, I cannae do tha because ah don't have enough information on them.  These are all very old clans and all but one has been inactive for a very long time."
    "Which one is the active one?" Tim asks.
    "Tha first one.  Gra'leth Clan... Buh they were beaten back to the point of extinction once we learned how to fight them off." Gordon answers.
    "Do you think they could be making a come back here in this region?" Henry asks.
    "Not likely.  All of the research done into them says tha unless they had heavy support from tha other clans, it would take them decades to recover...  In Vasari clans, the weak are pulled back from the fight and are given duties equivalent to a house maid even though they might remain considerably wealthy or influencial." Gordan says and then removes them and 3 others from the list.
    "Why'd you remove the others?" Casey asks.
    "Cause lass, ah dinnae think they're up to the job of doin this.  Mostly assassins and quick to action.  If these scouts have been here for a while, they're taking their time to plan something.  These two though..." Gordon says while walking over to the projector, "The first is the House of Vulkoras, honored for their ruthless aggression by having  a ship named after their house."
    "The Vulkoras Desolator is a good combat ship." Tim sneaks in.
    "The other is the House of Konicek.  Another ruthless aggressor tha does their homework before attacking.  According to data ah've collected over tha years, both houses typically lead first strike invasions, yet have been absent in tha ongoing war." Gordon informs everyone.
    "Maybe their houses fought a war that they ended up losing, like Gra'leth." Henry notes.
    "It's possible, however, there's no information on their whereabouts or of tha happenin.  We know the Vasari are runnin from somethin, we know they're scattered, maybe those houses went another direction lookin for other places, maybe they were held back for a second round, maybe they pissed off someone of influence and were pulled from the starting lineup as punishment.  I dinnae know what the reason is, but I'd wager my life on one of those two." Gordon says.
    "So what do you know about these groups specifically?" Roesh asks.
    Gordon clears his throat preparing for a long speech.  "The House of Vulkoras is a particularly nasty brand ah Vasari.  Member of the Vanguard...  Direct descendants of the Imperial Courts of tha Vasari Emperor.  Typically first in ta every fight, and once they've made their point tha they own you, other clans come in to finish tha job allowing them to move on.  Battle hardened and always looking for a new fight, they gladly move on to tha next opponent hopin' for a challenger to match them in ability.  Once they find tha opponent, they destroy them and proudly parade around tha remains of their society for all other Vasari  to see.  Conquest by force, strength, and intelligence is likely what earned them their ship.  I imagine most clans aspire ta be like them.  The House of Konicek, while not being one of the Vanguards, has a healthy reputation for being quite ruthless in battle as well.  Like Volkoras, they typically lead tha first strike invasions.  Also like Vulkoras, they make their point of neutering their opponents defenses swiftly and then backing off to allow other clans to come in and clean up.  The biggest difference is while Vulkoras goes out looking for it's next conquest, Konicek  pulls back and operates like a secret police and infiltrates other clans looking for traitors and deviants and publicly executes them.  So while they may not be tha most powerful house, they are one of tha most feared considering tha Emperor allows them to operate freely and make tha call on who to execute without needing his direct approval.  They keep tha houses clean."
    "So what you're saying is we should be looking at the possibility that the J'Kar are being set up by one of these two." Tim notes.
    "Ah'm not saying you need to connect those dots, I dinnae trust no Vasari or witch, but ah am sayin that if the scout and the bombing are connected, if it's the House of Konicek, they're hopin you fight the J'Kar so they can come in and eliminate the traitors for workin with ya and then probably take you out in tha process, an if it's the House of Vulkoras, this whole region is going ta be in lots of trouble real soon."

(DS RP)


//stardate: 2.7 years from last jump point. Location Astrysius System - Home planet of Vaha
Captains Log:
    After our successful scouting mission, I have decided that a diplomatic fleet be set up and sent out to the Monta Clan and the Astrysius Advents.  Unfortunately, our main records on the Soner Khal'd have very little in the Diplomacy department.  Our location in Vasari home space meant little use for diplomacy and military.  Lord Vi'kirga has done some preliminary designing and we have developed an envoy vessel that will be capable of the diplomatic missions to come.  The "Emerald Fleet" was developed and contains the following ships -
>>   

     frigates - 10 Navigators
                   20 Skirmishers
                   2 Migrators
     cruisers - 6 Overseers
                   4 Subverters
                   12 Envoys
                   2 Ruiners
     capitals - 1 Skirantra
                   1 Kortul
                   1 Marauder
    We headed to the Monta clan first on our diplomatic journey.  A Recorder has been appointed, and will record all further missions and events.  I will record personal logs at times, but out Recorder will now document the further developments.  



\\Entry A1 : Stardate 2.6 years from last retreat jump.  { Location: Tarkunus Gate System }

Prince Si'V headed the Emerald Fleet to Monta Clan space to negotiate an alliance.  Upon arrival, the Clan Ambassador greeted us and showed us to our quarters.

"We are always glad to have more help from our Vassari Brethren," the Ambassador said.
"Yes," replied Si'V, "It has been a long travel for us, and we look forward to returning the Vassari to its rightful place in the stars."
The Ambassador nodded his approval, "We also would like to unify our people and gain our influence back, but unfortunately the Clans have been vying for power from the beginning of the Exodus.  Perhaps now we can pull the clans together under one banner and grow in power."
"Well we are not focused on just getting our size and strength up," corrected Si'V, "We plan on returning to our home galaxy and reclaim our homes."
The Ambassador stopped and looked amazed at Si'V "Do you think that is even possible?  How would we ever defeat the darkness?  It is impossible!"
"No it is not!" Si'V firmly responded, "we have a means to defeat it in the works, and I will present it to the council tomorrow at our summit."
"I look forward to hearing that explanation." mussed the Ambassador.  "Here we are."
Prince Si'V was showed into the suite and the security detail began sweeping the room.
"I take no chances, you understand, yes?" Si'V said.
The Ambassador replied "Of course, I would be diligent in your position as well."
Upon the all clear given, Si'V and the Ambassador parted and Si'V began reviewing his presentation for tomorrow.

The morning brought a sense of urgency to Si'V, but he refused to be nervous.  The council was convened and breakfast was served, traditional katril eggs with cubed halif sprouts and toasted crensets.  One of the counselors asked Si'V why he has now come forward as the royal leader and not earlier.  Si'V explained the history of the Sonar Khal'd and the origins of the Darkness.  When he said that the experiment had gone viral and began the end of the Vassari universe, all the Counselors stopped and looked at Si'V.
"So YOUR program is the reason for us being driven from our home galaxy?!?" One counselor angerly asked.

"NO!  We all are responsible for this Darkness that consumed our home."  Si'V replied.  "Our program was authorized by the council, and was going to elevate the Vassari to an almost godlike status in the universe.  We would not have to even go fight our battles with this new technological species."

"And now we have to run through the universe like refugees?" another Concealer asked. "With this darkness closing in on us, and these pesky human species blocking our advance, what are we to do now?"
"We go back home," Si'V calmly replies.
Laughter echos through the council halls.  The Ambassador raises his hand, "That is an impossibility right now.  How are we to defeat an enemy that was apparently designed by us to fight better than us?"
"I know it is hard to understand," Si'V pulls his holoprojector out of his vest, "But I have some very important information for you to consider."
Si'V activates the device and the room is bathed in a starmap of the old Vassari Home system.
"Here on our science system, we bonded a space species with our nanite technology and successfully weaponized the creatures.  We phased gated them to an outlying test world to see how well they would lock down the planet.  They very quickly consumed all space platforms and ships, but then used that material to create a phase gate to return home.  This would not have been to large of a problem had they phased back without any problem.  However on the phase jump back, something went wrong with the controller nanites and the creatures resorted back to their swarm nature.  They began to consume all space platforms and ships, creating 'ships' of their own.  We retreated in time and put our home ship into cryostasis jump mode and hoped that the Intemperatitus would remain localized.  We came out of phase just over 2 years ago, and it looks like they have been following us relentlessly.  So now we must find a way to stop them, for all the universe is at stake."
"Thats quite a tall order"  remarked a Counselor.
Si'V replied, "Yes it is, that is why I am here.  Once we have a weakness figured out and weaponized..."
"Wait!" the Ambassador interrupted, "You don't even know how to defeat it yet?"
"No we don't, yet" Si'V realized that this was not going over too well. "But we cannot simply keep running from this fight.  We had control over an entire galaxy, and we lost it.  But that doesn't mean we don't know how to rule an empire.  We simply got lazy.  We wanted technology to be our crutch.  But look at the relics we have found over the thousands of years of conquest.  Technology exists that we can only replicate.  Our phase jump inhibitors are only copies of some unknown races technology.  We cannot assume that we have the upper hand in anything if we cannot understand everything."
"If only we could get back to the ancient archives," the eldest counselor mused.  "Maybe one of the species we assimilated would have a way to defeat this menace."
Si'V stopped for a second and looked at the elder.  "That is a good plan, and will work nicely with our plan of liberation.  This plan will be covered in detail later.  But for now, can we count on the Monta Clan's support in this endeavor?  We need material and personnel to form a fleet sufficient enough to spearhead back into our home galaxy."
The Counselors looked at each other and looked questionably at the Ambassador.  
"I do not think we have the resources to do this right now," replied the Ambassador.  "We are only a small clan within the main Vassari Exodus fleet, and our fight is against the TEC and their continued blockade of our advancement path.  However, if this Intemperatitus can be found to have a weakness, we may be able to funnel some funding to you.  We will need to meet with the high council of the Dark Exodus fleet and you will also need to be incorporated into the fleet, due to your royal background.  I'm sure Fleet Command will be interested in the last of the old royal bloodlines.  We plan on meeting with Command in 8 months, we would be honored for you to join us when we depart."
Si'V looked disappointed, but replied "Yes, I would like to meet with command, but time is working against us.  Is there any way to meet them sooner?"
"No, that is when all the Clan leaders will meet, so no, that is not possible."
"Very well, I will contact you again when we have a confirmed weakness on the darkness. I would hope by that time we will still have enough time to get a fleet together that will be able to get back home."
"Yes, we hope so too."

With that Si'V stood and bowed to the Clan elders and exited the hall.  
"Well that could have gone better," Si'V remarked to Nai'Deen, his newly appointed diplomacy adviser.
"I'm sure they will give us more support once Lord Vi'kirga has finished his testing."  Nai'Deen assured "But in the meantime, we should head to the Advent colony and try to enlist their support.  They seem much more in touch with the degree of the danger the darkness posses."
"I suppose your right Nai'Deen, I just don't understand how our own people don't get the severity of situation."
"Well they have had many centuries to forget what the reason is for their flight.  We all are living like this happened yesterday, but the Exodus fleet has been running for centuries, and when has the Vasari ever moved from tradition quickly?"
"Hrmph, I guess your right again." Si'V grumbled. "well lets get moving then"

Si'V bid goodbye to the Monta Clan and took the Emerald fleet to the Astrysius System.  Maybe he will have better luck with the seers of the human race.

(DS RP)

    After revealing much more information about the likely clans who own the scout, Henry walks off with Gordon to talk about the terms of his payment.  Roesh and the others walk over to the wreckage and mill about the pieces catching up.

    "So where'd you find the boss, Case...?" Todd asks Casey as they walk away from Roesh and Tim.
    "In a town near the woods." she replies.
    "Oh yeah?  He crashes and still manages to go for help."
    "No, actually, keep this between us, but the crash was a diversion."
    "For what?"
    "There's stuff going on that we don't know about.  A lot of stuff."
    "Bullshit.  If you don't want to tell me what happened, then just don't..."
    "I'm not kidding!" Casey says getting a little excited drawing attention to herself.
    Todd shakes his head.  "Okay, so what?  He hides shit from us all of the time."
    "No, this is big...  He's got Keiran on the payroll spying for him."
    "Since when?  And on who?"
    "I don't know since when, but he is now, and he's been spying on Riona and her little band of flunkies since before we showed up."
    "Riona has flunkies?  Now that's funny."
    "No it's not, she tried to have me executed."
    "What?!" Todd says in shock causing the others to look their way again.
    "Yeah, I'm gonna hurt that bitch because of what I had to go through."
    Todd chuckles, "Wha'd you do?"
    "I had to take a bullet...  But that's not the worst part...  Roesh made me get naked and tie myself to a bed."
    Todd's eyes widen with pure excitement and shock, his laughter almost prevents him from talking. "Wha...  What...  Holy crap." He collects himself after Casey punches him in the shoulder. "Hey boss!  I still have soooooooo much to learn from you!" He yells out across the room while bowing at the end.
    Casey goes on the offensive trying to land a few more punches which Todd evades and runs out of the room forcing Casey to chase him down.

    "What's that all about?" Tim asks.
    "No idea." Roesh answers.
    "Kids." Tim says with a slight chuckle.

    Henry and Gordon approach the two and Henry puts his hand on Roesh's shoulder. "So Gordon here has an offer you both need to hear."
    "Aye." Gordon says.  "Ah'll tell ye more about the clans if yeou let me have the pieces yeou collect fer this scout ship."
    "Why do you want the pieces?" Tim asks.
    "It's personal." Gordon answers.
    "You can have them as long as you can ID who it belongs to." Roesh says.
    "Aye, tha is what Henry said as well." Gordon states.
    "I'd rather not be giving up military grade equipment, but it looks like my opinion doesn't really matter." Tim says.
    "I don't want to give it up either..." Henry notes, "but he says the more pieces we recover and bring in, the better chances he has of rebuilding it and finding out who exactly owns it."
    "So Timmy, how did they manage to elude us thus far?" Roesh asks.
    "Engineering says they were using some sort of sensor cloaking or jamming device on us.  They'd move in a partially phased out state making them tough to see even if they were right on you, and they'd time their jumps with other ships to hide their own jumps.  Duty personnel wrote the double signatures off as faulty readings."
    "Do we have that fixed now?" Henry asks.
    "That I do not know, you'd have to ask Todd, provided Casey hasn't killed him yet." Tim answers.
    "She's got a wee bit of a temper now does she?" Gordon asks.
    "Nah, just when Todd is aggravating her." Henry answers.
    "He's got a knack for that." Tim admits.
    "So... Ah get me a place to stay here on this moon, untaxed, you all make sure Ah'm not bothered unless someone is deliverin me some equipment I asked fer, and Ah get this ship." Gordon states causing Roesh and Tim to look at Henry with some confusion.
    "That seems to be the deal, yes." Henry states.
    "Aye, a good deal it is.  Now to tell yeou how I came to get all this clan information and this data cube." Gordon says.  It all started when Ah was workin to build the new Arcovas.  We were desperately behind the Vasari in technology and Ah was givin a game changin device."




*******Approximately 20 years ago*******
***Minoes crew, aboard the mystery ship***



    The dual doors slide slowly open.  The three men can’t see anything in the low light, and because of the lack of air in the ship, they think they hear heavy steps vibrating through the deck plates moving toward their position, all three men pull their pulse assault rifles out and take cover behind various consoles and bulkheads readying for whatever comes through the darkness.  Heavy hard steps can still be felt throughout the engine room, edging closer and closer.  Slowly, a dark form takes shape standing at at least six and a half feet tall.

    “What is it? Can you see it yet?” replies Johnson.
    Stanford peers out and sees green scanning beams from the darkness. “It’s either some kind of repair or security droid.”
    The silver and black automaton then walks to a damaged section of wall and begins to scan it and perform service to the damaged conduit.
    “Repair droid,” sighs Stanford.

    The men slowly start to stand up from their cover when the droid turns facing straight at them.  At its waist and red targeting beams lock on an start to fire at the unsuspecting men.

    “Fuck!  Get down!” screams Stanford.

    Flashes from the arms of the droid streak out and explode on contact with the walls, bulkheads, and screens in engineering, the men dive for cover as debris and sparks scatter all over them due to the lack of gravity.

    “Stanford, Johnson, Corbin! Respond damn it!” yelled Drake.
    “This is Corporal Corbin, we're taking fire from a large security bot sir!  It’s got us pinned down!  High rate of fire, hard to respond with suppression fire commander!”
    “Drake to Minoes, Team Two is taking fire from a security droid in engineering.”
    “Acknowledged. Captain Lan to the bridge.” Responded Seles.

    After what seemed like an eternity, the droid stopped firing it's pulse laser blasters.  Engineering was full of debris floating, bouncing and ricocheting all over the compartment.  Corbin peers from cover to see what's going on...  The droid turns toward his direction and he drops his head behind cover.

    Johnson whispers through his comm link, " What the hell is it doing?"
    Corbin answers back, "Don't know it's just standing there."

    Suddenly the droid begins to fire wildly through out the compartment for a short time and stops again.

    Stanford begins to speak, "It's targeting sensors are overwhelmed, it doesn't know what to shoot at now, this may be the best time to try to take it out."
    "Alright, Johnson, you have the best advantage to take the shot, I'll draw it's fire and you blast that thing." said Corbin.
    Johnson says, "What!?!  That's crazy..."
    "That's an order!" yells Corbin.
    "That's not fair, were the same rank."
    "Yeah, but my birthday is before yours so I outrank you." says Corbin.
    "Suck ass, it's just a week." replies Johnson. But before he can say anything else, Corbin leaps from his cover and the droid begins to lock on to his movement in the debris floating space of the compartment.

    The droids targeting sensors draw a bead on the large mass that is Corbin's body floating towards the ceiling of engineering.  Just as the droid begins to fire. Johnson cuts loose a full auto barrage from his pulse rifle.  The munitions he fires have a small charge in them when upon impact have a devastating effect on the target.  The droid start to reel from the multiple impacts and blast coming from Johnson, the droid staggers back and makes contact with the wall behind him.  Stanford pulls himself up and starts to fire at the droid as well.  The droid is pinned to the wall by the heavy suppression fire from two pulse rifles.  The droid struggles to move forward and begins to return fire at Stanford, who drops down behind his cover as he starts to swear, "Fucking A, what the hell is this thing made of!?!"

    The outer shell of the droid's armor has been blasted away and now they can see the lights of the circuits inside it's chest.  It turns and begins to get a bead on Johnson who started the firefight.  It's targeting sensors compensate for the various objects and debris floating around and it's about to fire.  Suddenly, there is a flash so bright it blinds Johnson.  He raises his arm to block the intensity of the flash.  When he lowers his arm, the droid is against the wall and it's right arm is floating the in opposite direction. Johnson questions, "What the hell?"
    Corbin, who is now upside down on the ceiling thanks to his magnetic boots yells out to Johnson, "Get down!"
    The droid, who is now reeling from the explosion, raises it's other arm to blast Corbin.  Corbin yells out to the droid, "Say hello to my li'tle friend." and fires another HEAT round from his grenade launcher right into the chest of the machine.  A direct hit right into it's chest.  The massive explosion exits out the rear and sides of the droid scattering fragments and shrapnel in every which direction in zero g.
    Drake, yelling through the comm channel, "God dammit, someone answer me or you're all fired!!!"
    "Commander, we're O.K," said Johnson, "Corbin got the kill shot on the security droid sir."
    Before Drake can respond, Sanders voice comes through the comm link, "Download is complete Lieutenant Commander, sir."
    Drake turns to Sanders and says, " Good, disconnect the gear, I do believe we are wearing out our welcome on this ship.  Stanford, you guys need to wrap this up, this ship is going to be playing for keeps, so you need to double time, correction, triple time your ass in gear, is that understood?!"
    Stanford replies, "Understood sir, the download from the engineering computer is just about completed too." At that time the Data Transfer Unit begins to beep.  "Finished sir", Stanford states while beginning the process of disconnecting the various cables from the DTU.
    Johnson wades through the various debris floating around while Corbin turns off his grav boots, pushes himself down from the ceiling and does a 180 degree turn as his feet come into contact with the deck floor and his boots reactivate again.  When Corbin turns around, there is a flash that catches his eye, he thinks to himself, 'what the heck was that?'  He proceeds over to the wall that was partially destroyed in the firefight, and peers inside and sees a gleaming, shimmering cube. He turns and sees Johnson and Stanford getting their gear together and get ready to depart for the shuttle.  He turns back and reaches inside the wall, there is a slight discharge of energy just before he touches the cube.  With enough force, the cube gently comes off the pedestal it was residing on for all these centuries and Corbin slowly brings it through the damaged wall.  As he holds it closer to his face plate to study the gentle swirling colors inside the cube, all hell breaks loose.  Alarms sound throughout the ship.  Flashing blue lights erupt through the inside and outside. Stanford stands and looks at Johnson and he shrugs his shoulders, he looks over to see Corbin, and notices that he is holding a strange glowing cube.

    "What did you do!! What the fuck did you do Corbin!" yelled Stanford.
    "I saw this cube in the wall and I took it out." said Corbin.
    "Fucking A. Corbin, if we get off this ship, and by chance we go on another away mission on another derelict ship, never, ever pull some unknown tech from whatever the fuck it is. Got it?!"
    "Drake to Stanford. What the hell is going on now?!"
    "Sir, Corbin pulled some unknown artifact from a wall and started the light show sir."
    "Corbin?" said Drake.
    "Corbin here sir?"
    "If we survived this, you're fired, is that understood?"
    "Crystal sir."
    "Stanford, give me a sit-rep asap."
    "Stand-by sir." As Corbin stares at a console, he's still not sure what all the symbols mean until he sees a pattern with certain icons at which time he replies back to Drake.
    "I do believe we need to get off the ship, in a big ass hurry sir."

(DS Roleplay / Trader Space - Petrograd, Ashanti Rim World, 12 Systems out from Galan)



Part Thirty Three of Teir -


-Teal



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1ryJDVuZ6k

Sere-




Preparations –

part 2


Petrograd, Ashanti Rim World

November 6th, 2287 (11.6.2287.2)


*

*

*




... Fire...

The white ships turn...

too slowly...

As the black ships come in... flashes of light and bright blue lancing beams strike out in the silence...

turning...

turning...

on fire and burning...

when would it be enough... ?

when...?

when would enough have died that it was not... not worth going on... ?

She spun from the glass of the observation window and regarded the Vaa' Saar before her, her white eyes flashing anger and hurt and hatred.

“Move away! Or I will destroy you!!”

Her voice echoed in the small cabin, a reverberation of sound... reaching out... clutching and crushing the aliens where they stood.

They fell to their knees, putting their scaled hands to their heads and screaming! Blood ran from their lips and eyes and ears.

But the Captains still stood, across the hundred ships they still stood, blood running from their mouths and eyes... but still standing...

Anger swelled in her and she reached out a hand and twisted it, pulling her fingers into a fist and the Captain before her fell to his knees and bent, bones breaking under the scales of his flesh...

while white ships fell,

in the dozens... and dozens of dozens...

Red fire and blue fire flashed silently across the white sky...

when... ?

when would... ?

turning and falling from the sky, wounded winged white doves among hawks, bleeding... falling...

when would it be enough... ?

when... ?

*

*

*



Sere shook herself gently, leaning against the door frame of weathered wood and sagged.

Where had that come--?

"Sere!"

Nadera stepped up behind Sere, catching her as the girl started to fall, supporting Sere's weight against her forearms.

"Are you alright?"

"Just strange memories... I don't remember having them before... perhaps something is wrong with this clone?"

Nadera frowned, but shook her head.

"No..." she bit at her lip and then moved slowly down the steps to a bench against the left side of the stairs, easing Sere back on it slowly and then sitting beside her.

The wind blew slowly.

The sky overcast, gray-black clouds scudding across the thin blue... but no rain.

Not yet.

Only a promise.

"We are all having those memories..." She looked into Sere's eyes and tried to smile, but was only able to pull her lips into a tight line. "They are Teir's memories... The Empress..."

"But why now?" Sere ran a hand along her forehead where a sudden headache flared, rising to a scream inside her brain behind her hand and skin. Nadera bent her head and pressed a hand into her forehead as well at the sudden pain of it.

Slowly it subsided, fading... and then was gone.

"She--" Nadera managed, then stopped, breathing through her mouth to regain her breath, then went on, "She is ... calling us back... to her."

"But she is gone, she is dead."

"Yes, but part of her, part of her resides in all of us now. Each of us carry a small part of her. It is that part that is calling to us."

Sere stared at Nadera as if she couldn't understand.

The words were straightforward enough, yet the meaning eluded her.

"She is calling us back to her... to T'e 'Eth 'Es... home."

Sere pulled away then, "It is a dead world... in the middle of Tech space. How, how can we just go home? We can't...and we can't fight half the galaxy to get there..." She sagged on the bench and felt the breath move out of her and into her... slowly...

"...I have to go on, I have to find these Vaa' Saar..." she said in a whisper.

Nadera turned away, but her eyes not seeing the grass or the wall or the buildings beyond the wall. Inside she knew she had no choice herself,  but Sere was not of the guard, yet, she still had her own mind. She turned back to Sere on the bench then.

Nadera nodded.

"Alright... there is still the mind map, and your operation to 'see'. It will take time, I have made arrangements for you to have transportation to the Distant Stars, there is a contingent of the aliens there and a General who leads them. But after you leave we will be leaving for T'e 'Eth 'Es, we will be leaving here."

Sere stared into the eyes of her friend, who had been her enemy and teacher... and friend.

"I cannot go with you."

Nadera reached out and took Sere's hands in hers.

"It is all right, we all have our own paths to follow. You must go to the Distant Stars, while we must go back, we have to... we are hers..."

"Come, are you strong enough to walk? We need to complete the mind map. It will take several days, neither you or I will see the end of it, but those that come after us will, it will be their decisions, yes? Their lives to live."

Sere gritted her teeth and stood slowly, feeling the weakness in her legs as she tried to stand, but then it passed.

"All right." She said and gave a half-hearted smile. "Why now?"

Nadera turned her head and looked at her as they crossed to the steps slowly and started back into the weathered gray-white building.

"I don't know..." she said slowly, "I don't know why now."

*

*

*



Sere lay on her back on the stone floor of the training room, the programming block gleaming a dull irridescent blue against the far wall.

Nadera knelt at her side and placed her fingertips against Sere's temples and breathed slowly.

"Begin!" She moaned as a wave of pain went through her... choking back the pain... she hissed in a whisper,

"Remember..."

"Remember... what... ?" Sere gasped through aching lips, the pain of the rising memories gripping her...

Not her memories, but someone else's...

Teir's.

Nadera clenched her jaw against the sudden pain and swayed, lightheaded as it passed.

"Ev--" she said in a breathless groan.

"Every... thing..."

*

*

*

Kyrene, Unity's Fist, the Collective's trade contracts, Sethis. The four items for the Seer Council to discuss. Thenos took a deep breath. Even with the comforting presence of the Unity, he was tense. He was going to be the first male to walk into the council chamber of this Consciousness of the Unity in several decades. He had a difficult task. He had to simultaneously defy the Seer Council while gaining their support. He had to be more liberal than the old guard who still resided in these chambers, yet had to appear passably conservative to them.

It's time, sir, the guard, Ulthaer or something, said. Thenos acknowledged this with a nod, and followed the guard the short distance to the doors where he would begin his political life.

The High Psintegrat's throne was empty, yet it had of course been set out as if she were here. A formality, dating back to an unfortunate mistake where the seat had been prepared by people who didn't know that the High Psintegrat was actually coming to the Council in a coffin, having been assassinated by a rival. This, of course, was from before the Advent's return to Trader Space. It seemed political ambition never waned. Viceroy Ungthen would have smiled at this thought, had she not been pre-occupied by the other strange arrangements, including a second, viceroy's throne next to the High Psintegrat's, and especially how the meeting hadn't started, despite all four of the Viceroys being here. There were only four viceroys allowed on the Seer Council. Why was there a fifth throne? And surely the High Psintegrat wouldn't dream of showing herself in a council chamber, causing this delay with proceedings? She would know that she couldn't do that, wouldn't she? After all, everything she knew had been taught to her, directly or indirectly, by the Seer Council. While she had the natural rebellious streak of a child, she would realise the need for her co-operation. It was for the greater good.

The doors to the High Psintegrat's area of the chamber slid open. They had been intelligently designed so that, when closed, they appeared to be part of the curved wall behind the High Psintegrat's chair. All of the doors were designed like that, to allow the Viceroys to walk in, with the brighter light outside briefly all around them, to the shadows of doubt, uncertainty, where psychic communication was impossible, their path from the light of the Unity being sealed away as if it had never existed. The chamber had been chosen by the only male High Psintegrat in Flames history as the new meeting point for the Seer Council, the old one being a normal chamber on Hexis, the desert planet that the Consciousness connected to the stars of Unda, and the capital for the Flames of Vengeance. The reason behind it all was for the High Psintegrat to prevent his enemies, such as the four Viceroys of the Seer Council, communicating with each other during meetings and rallying against him. This chamber, with its strange, mind-affecting structure, was perfect for the task. Of course, it hadn't helped him. Ungthen suspected that he had been killed, or worse, cut off from the Unity and exiled.

Ungthen thought herself fortunate, in that she had one of the two best views of the High Psintegrat's entrance. The areas for each Viceroy and the High Psintegrat were semi-circular, jutting out from the oval room in a formation like the points of a pentagon. Above the five, there was a domed roof. Below, an inverted version of the roof was present, making a curved floor, which was where the scribes would be noting down everything said in the meeting. Finally, from the very centre of the chamber's floor, rose a tower, on which the Preacher of the Unity's Word stood. Another slightly smaller platform could ber raised from the floor between the Preacher and the High Psintegrat's chair. Sethis would be its user for today. However, Ungthen's attention was currently focused entirely on the figure who quickly slid through the door. Then she realised it was just a soldier, one of the High Psintegrat's guards, dressed in that undignified plate-armour, there for a similar formal reason as the decorated throne. Then the soldier spoke.

"Viceroy Garr, Impyrial Templar of the Fleet of Remorseless Condemnation, and representative of the High Psintegrat!" the woman announced.

Garr. The exile. The people's champion. The murderer. The people's hero. Loved by all those that were blind, that lacked the insight of the Seer Council. Surely Jelette hadn't chosen him to represent her?  He had stripped hundreds, no, many thousands of their connection to the Unity. He was a demon. Whatever his achievements from before the event, he should never recover from his exile, yet the people wanted him to fight wars once more. They were tired of the failures at Kyrene. They wanted swift victories over the TEC, but were presented with defeat. They wanted another Tibra, a slaughter of a system, as revenge for Kyrene. They were blind and foolish. How could they expect attacks without counter-attacks? Thenos had found extraordinary luck at Carthage and Tibra. Of course, Carthage was lost, but Thenos had been lucky to find the Tibra system undefended, all of its ships at Carthage. Not tactics, not skill. Luck. Ungthen seethed at this insult. A man? A man whose sole claim to fame was burning an undefended system? This could not continue.

Thenos took his seat. The strange numbness in his head told him that his mind was like a normal human's while he was in this chamber. His mind was confined to his body for now. He surveyed his fellow Council members. Not one of them under sixty, as Thenos had suspected. The old guard, as Teldin tended to put it, despite being in his sixties himself. The Preacher of the Unity's Word suddenly spoke.

"With all members of the Council present, this meeting is now in session. The first item for discussion is the matter of Kyrene. Viceroy Argari, rise."

The Viceroy did indeed stand. Thenos was surprised. He had expected a lengthier introduction to the proceedings. The Viceroy spoke.

"The loss of Kyrene is still a disgrace to the Unity. It is not just the people of the Flames of Vengeance, but all the Advent of Distant Stars who wish for judgement to be dealt to the infidel who killed so many. If we leave this insult unanswered, we will lose the respect of our people, and the other Advent factions of Distant Stars. If we are to strike, we must strike with all haste, or Kyrene shall be eternally lost to us."

This Viceroy seemed interesting. From what Thenos had read of the papers given to him by Jelette, this Viceroy seemed to be the most likely of the four to prove an ally, though Thenos would have to oppose her over this point. In the final weeks of the last High Psintegrat's rule, Argari had wished for an assault on Portage, to strike the enemy before they struck Kyrene, or any other systems. Needless to say, she didn't get her way, and Kyrene fell. Of course, the way it looked to the public was that Kyrene fell because of ludicrous circumstances, including a secret, ancient TEC weapon that vaporised a large portion of Kyrene's fleet, and that the Seer Council hadn't known of the presence of the TEC at Portage until they attacked. Of course, the Council had made sure that it was known that further loss of life could have been avoided if it weren't for the dead High Psintegrat's foolishness. Argari finished her speech, and sat down. Thenos knew that he was next. After the person who brought the topic to the session had spoken, the High Psintegrat, or a representative, would speak next, then the other viceroys, going around the room clockwise.

"Viceroy Argari states that Kyrene must return to Advent hands. Viceroy Garr, rise and speak."

"The High Psintegrat believes that Kyrene was a catastrophic loss," Thenos began on the offensive, with the argument worked out between him and Jelette, Jelette giving her views on what she wanted in the long run, Kyrene to be back in Advent hands with minimum loss of life, and Thenos thinking of a viable way of doing it, "which resulted in a significant loss of military power and prestige. If Kyrene were to return to us, it would represent a significant change in policy. It would truly prove that the days of our previous High Psintegrat had ended, and that we have begun a glorious new age. However, our Lady emphasises that haste is not necessary. It would be better to analyse the enemy's tactics, and wait until they believe we shall not strike back. It could prove unwise to strike straight away, especially as we are yet to make up for the losses at Kyrene. However, given time, the High Psintegrat believes that we shall have a large enough military force to defend our systems, and strike into enemy territory."

Thenos sat. Each of the other Viceroys gave their views on the subject, grudgingly siding with Thenos over Argari, if only because it gave them time, even if they didn't intend to do anything on the matter.

"The second item for discussion," said the Preacher, "is an incident in the Selveria system. A Flames patrol met a Unity's Fist patrol, and after a brief verbal confrontation between the leaders of each patrol, opened fire on one another. The Unity's Fist patrol was lost, and now their Council is demanding payment for a Halycon Carrier, six Destra Crusaders, two Aeria Drone Hosts, four Iconus Guardians, twelve Disciples, and six Illuminators. They claim that if we cannot meet their demands, they will destroy our trade ships until they have the resources. Viceroy Algana, rise and speak."

"We cannot allow the Unity's Fist to humble us in this way. They engaged in hostilities, and lost. We cannot be blamed for defending ourselves. In this way, we must refuse the Unity's Fist their payments, and inform them that any attacks on civilian vessels will be viewed in the same light as an attack on a military vessel."

"Viceroy Algana wishes for the Unity's Fist's demands to be opposed. Viceroy Garr, rise and speak."

"The High Psintegrat does not wish for us to make enemies of the Unity's Fist. On the contrary, our Lady wishes for more cohesion between the factions of the Unity in Distant Stars. We either stand together, or we eventually fall, one by one. To this end, our Lady has suggested that we apologise to the Unity's Fist, but do not officially pay them. However, we will grant them a gift which covers their losses, and also ask if we can co-ordinate our patrols, so that such an incident doesn't occur again."

As the other Viceroys gave their opinions, a debate began. It was agreed that trade ships couldn't come under threat, but the idea of working with the Unity's Fist, and especially paying them, even if not officially, was unpopular. In the end, the only agreement was that the Unity's Fist would be warned that, if a single trade ship was lost to them, the Flames of Vengeance would retaliate. Thenos hadn't expected much better. He'd been surprised that he'd had an overwhelming majority for the first point, though it wasn't necessarily because anyone agreed with him. Of course, Thenos and Jelette doubted that the Unity's Fist would risk war, but it would've been good to make relations better in any case. Of course, Thenos knew that he couldn't win the next topic. None of the other members of the Council would want to keep up trade with the RFT.

"The third item for discussion is the trade agreement between the Daros and Mytivias systems, and the Finley system. Viceroy Garr, rise and speak."

"While the Garran Collective was separated from the Unity, a trade agreement was made with the Roesh Free Traders, who gave us supplies and ship designs, while we established trade routes with them so that they could earn their money back. Through this agreement we also found a useful way to dispose of ships beyond repair, as they were willing to buy them for their scrap value. Of course, all sensitive technology was removed before it was transferred to them. We may find it quite profitable to trade with neutral factions such as the Roesh Free Traders."

"Viceroy Garr is in favour of maintaining trade with the Roesh Free Traders."

The usual proceedings followed. As Thenos had guessed, everyone made the same points. They said that the RFT couldn't be trusted, that they could sell on information on the ships given to them for scrap. Mainly, it was xenophobia. Most Advent disliked dealing with non-Advent. The few traders who did visit far off trade ports often disguised themselves as normal TEC citizens, for fear of being beaten up or murdered. The RFT had been good to Thenos' people; perhaps their heavy-handed approach to racism inhibiting trade had been the source of that. However, Thenos would need to find a good time to inform Roesh of this. A message wouldn't do; Roesh had failed to reply to all of Thenos' recent ones.

"By decision of the Council, Viceroy Garr is to cease communication and trade with the Roesh Free Traders. The final topic of the meeting is the fate of Impyrial Reaver Sethis."

(BTW, as I'm sure you've guessed, this is Alpha with a name change)

(DS Roleplay / Trader Space - Petrograd, Ashanti Rim World, 12 Systems out from Galan)



Part Thirty Five of Teir -
-Teal




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLVCtST0PAA

Sere-

Preparations –
Part 4



Petrograd, Ashanti Rim World
November 14th, 2287 (11.14.2287.1)






Snow fell,
round about the tops of buildings, as if white hats and hair, draping down in soft white sheets, across the shoulders as if white winter coats and misted in falling white in the alleyways and boulevards as if rivutets and streams frozen in midway windings down to the sea.

Cold.

It was cold.

Mist came at each breath, the floors chill against her slippered feet in the common room as she stood at the window wrapped in her own gray robe, hands tucked into the sleeves of her coat and watched the white world outside...

Eleven stood in white robes around the edges of the small gray-white walled room, the wooden shutters against the cold misted glass trembled in the cold thin stir of a breeze that crept through the thin cracks at the corners of the windows where the stone met the wood.

“To see...” Sere whispered.

And Nadera at her left shoulder nodded slow, but said nothing.

The others simply waited.

How long had they waited?

“Since the beginning...” Nadera said low. “there are always twelve of us, always twelve... and now since T'e Lir is gone, we are only eleven. It is why you came here, yes?”

Sere turned and glanced at her friend, her white eyes in her calm face belieing the churning in her stomach.

She tried to smile, but wondered.

Wondered if it was really what she wanted.

Was it?

Was it her fate then? Since she had found the hate and it had led her footsteps here to this world, to this place, to these people?

To find an Advent skilled in the illegal arts that could train her and help her to see.

So that she might find those that had taken Galan.

And make them pay for it with their blood.

Wasn't that why she had come here to begin with?

Her unseen fate, carved by her conscience and set before her as if out of some deep past and prophecy told by children in secret places on the plains of Merado, of a young woman who would find her way...

And become an assassin?

Prophecy...

Prophecy...

Yet prophecy was a thing of Seers, Sere mused.

It was now the end of her second week at the clinic, the mind mapping now done and behind her. There were only traces of the 'dreams' that still haunted her, they were slowly fading...

But were they really?

And prophecy?

It involved little beyond being lost to this world, and lost in the next.

Seers were not people, not really, they were more flesh and blood machines that lived their lives trapped in some version of the future that left no room for them in the present, no room for reasoned thought or emotion, no touch or gesture, or even savoring a morsel of fanfish brazed in yeet butter mattered to them.

Now a bare three days remained before the supply fleet would leave Petrograd for the Distant Stars, and she was left with an uncertainty that brooded over her as if a dark cloud had found her company especially appealing.

 A Seer would give her answers, while her own worrying would not change reality one bit for all the effort she put into it.

Though why now?

Why after all the training and work and focus was she considering not going at all?

A Seer would have that answer as well, but it was more than likely an answer she would not  want to hear.

Seers created futures by imposing certainty. Or so it was said in more learned circles. They saw and lived the future, at least in their minds and were convinced of its events, however biased their version was.

Yet it was that certainty that changed those who came to them and asked their questions.

The Seers were blind and deaf to this world, but questions brought up a string of responses from them. Ask a question, get an answer. It didn't matter that the questioners knew that each Seer you asked would give you a different answer, or if you asked the same question twice you would get a different answer. The questioners came and heard what they hoped, or what they feared, and the world moved about those hopes and fears as if they were stone and steel.

It was not a matter of money or deception with the Seers, though their handlers might be tempted.
But rather a matter of the nature of the Seers themselves...

... imperfect finite humans peering biasedly into an uncertain and infinite future.
And out of the multitude of possibilities, creating what they thought they saw.

Were then Seer's visionaries of the futures?

Or did they create it?

Or merely push the questioner in the direction that they saw, and the questioner then made the future that was told to them?

It was impossible to know of course.

Some saw them as saviors, visionaries of a better world.

There were those of course that believed just the opposite, that a Seer was an abomination that manipulated all of us; trapped in our one world, our one reality, with their webs of lies.

Both groups avoided them at any cost. Except of course when there was no choice.

And now, with barely three days before she was to leave, with a clear mind, her haunted dreams only dimly painful memories...

... and only the 'operation' left...

Nadera had assured her, that it could be done quickly and easily within half a day, though Sere was consumed with frustration of not knowing if she should go through with it or not.

The mapping had left her mind tender, so to speak, and any quick thought left her reeling, and so she had adopted a methodical approach that took each step of a thing and laid it out in all its various consequences before picking up the next.

In addition to the fear of her coming journey, there was the minor anxiety she felt about the coming operation, no matter how easy Nadera said it was, not that she didn't trust her friend. They had both lived and died together so often that there was no questioning that at all.

But still...

Perhaps because she had been 'blind' so much of her life, and had only touched another mind when Teir had ascended to Empress and gathered her people to her. It was more than possible that the haunting dreams, which had been Teir's memories overlaying her own were the direct reason for the anxiety that  she was feeling now.

Was she even sure she wanted the operation at all?

It had all seemed so obviously desirable to want that back after losing the mind touch when Teir had died. But then that had been before the haunted dreams had reduced her to screaming and crying for what had seemed days while undergoing the mind mapping.

Though Nadera had said it was her decision, she did say that all the Guard were linked one to another, and so it was not entirely opening her mind to the whole of the Unity. Or even to the dead Empress. Though they had all felt Teir's presence as strongly as she had herself.

And why was that?

Did all Advent now feel those memories, certainly subdued since they were not all having their minds mapped with rigorous and scrutinizing effort?

Sere was wont to say no to the operation completely.

But was it really what she wanted?

Or was she only afraid?

That seemed a sudden and ludicrous thought, afraid? After dying how many dozens of times?

Facing her own death not daily, but almost as much.

Afraid?

Yet she was, as ridiculous as it was.

She was afraid.

The cold wind rattled the window blinds in their shutters, banging them in clack-clacks against the hard wood frames of the window sills, she moved to the chair in the center of the gray-white room and shifted uneasily as Nadera stepped up close behind her.

All the while wanting to run away and not be here at all, hiding her impatience and the tremors of fear that slipped through her in irregular pulses by humming a nonsensical tune that really was not a true song at all and tapping her slippered toes against the cold tiled floor.

In Petrograd, she had learned, much more slowly than she should have, that propriety was everything. Appearances were what one negotiated with as emotional coin. It was all a game it seemed.

Even Nadera had told her that appearing to be upset was much more horrible for the impression it left on those that saw you, as it was for actually feeling it. It was much more advisable to mask it, and have it appear to others that you were not ruffled at all, no matter the churning in your insides all the while for it.

She would not be overly surprised if Nadera had in fact told her that death was as nothing.
Even though it was common and came often to all of the Guard, it lessened not a whit the pain and anxiety of it. The only fix that Sere had found for that fear at all, was the headlong rush of adrenalin that forced the body and mind into an action even before it was understood.
Only that blind chemical reaction made it possible to commit an action and not care for the outcome.

“It is strange...” she said to herself, hearing the words echo off the stone walls of the small examination room, the exact same one that she had come to the very first day she had come to the clinic. Yet that seemed a thousand years gone now.

“It is strange that I feel this way...” she said aloud, as Nadera laid her hands on her shoulders and smiled.

“No Sere, not so very strange. There are other things at work here, more than simple jitters or haunting dreams, however distasteful they make us all feel, confused or clear. It is also that the cells have reached a point where they are beginning to break down from their original pattern, they are starting to... mutate.”

Sere stopped whistling and tapping her foot.

Nadera was a dear friend.

Sere loved her as a sister.

Yet it was not a comforting thing to hear, that you are decaying, that you are dying by degrees and mutating and there is nothing you can do at all.

It was the same as anyone hearing they had cancer, or leukemia, or dementia. They were words that robbed you of your feeling of control, no matter that we really have so little of it in reality at all. But like the game of appearances, it was a matter of course that we all felt more comfortable when we felt we held some measure of it.

“I see...” Sere said slowly.

She loved Nadera, but not the words of the Seer that had been laid on her ears with the words that she had just heard.

“I thought you wanted to protect me...?” Sere suddenly blurted out defensively. Where had that come from?

Nadera came around the side of the chair and leaned down to look into Sere's eyes.

“I know... I'm sorry... I shouldn't have... sometimes it is better not knowing...”

Sere nodded, though agreeing did not change reality one smidgen. It would have made her feel better to simply hear that it was her nerves that were making her so upset and uncertain and nothing more.

“I could be wrong of course,” Nadera said then and tried to smile, but only managed halfheartedly, “It is probably just your nerves really, you have been through so much.

Sere gave a half smile at her friends try at easing her worry. Though at the same time she felt a deep comfort in the sudden thought that it could be only her nerves. She laughed then unexpectedly, surprising even herself, Nadera gave a sharp stare, her eyes wide with concern.

“Are we then our own Seers? We make our own futures and believe them, whether they are true or not.” Sere said in a light voice, as if it were all silly, really, suddenly not serious at all.

Nadera relaxed and leaned close and patted her friends hands folded neatly in her lap.

“Yes, I think you are right Sere. We do make them, and believe them don't we? All in the name of feeling that we have some measure of control in our own lives.”

But then just as suddenly, it was not silly any more.

Sere turned away then from Nadera's eyes and nervously brushed a hand back through her long black hair, blinking her blue eyes against the thin cold light that came in through the slates of the blinds against the windows, the shutters still rattling with a faint clack-clack whisper from across the room.

“Are you... ready... then... ?” Nadera asked slowly, in a whisper and watched her friend closely.

It was always close to the end that people chose to abandon their efforts.

She  had done as much herself when faced with joining the Guard, and had seen it countless times since, in others. But it was not something easy to voice. It was one thing to confirm a thought if another had it first, provided they could deal with it. She had been in Sere's company so long now after weeks of training that it had seemed she could deal with any of it. In truth though, she was still that young girl that had come to the clinic seeking help with an uncertain mind. She of course was now trained, but that was only the physical. The mental training would take months, if at all. Some never reached it when their last lives came. T'e Lir had been strong, but she was a rarity. Most of them could not.

Could she?

Nadera mused to herself even as she waited for Sere's answer.

She could speak it.

But speaking it did not convince herself.

No, well, there it was, no, she could not. Still. And with little time she doubted she would before her last life.

Without asking again, she reached out and took Sere's hand and gently helped the girl to rise and then hugged her and wanted to cry, pushing her lips into her friends hair and closing her eyes.

“None of us are really ever ready...” she said in a choked whisper that she could hardly get out.

Last steps were last steps, regardless of how simple they seemed. Closer to the end is what they were and people knew that instinctively, in their guts and in their hearts, they felt it and knew it and were afraid because they were so close to the end.

Slowly the two girls turned holding on to one another toward the table that lay against one side of the wall, white cover overlaying it, the drawers with instruments close at hand.

The ten robed figures at the walls stood silent, hands clasped and said nothing.

They had all been through it, each of them. Each of them facing their own doubts, their own fears...

As Nadera and Sere came then to the edge of the table Sere suddenly gripped Nadera's hand tight in her own.

“Please... please... just let me wait for a bit...” Her eyes wide and pleading.

Nadera nodded slow and let go of her.

“Are you hungry then... ?  Perhaps it would be better to get a bite and rest for a bit?”

Sere nodded and the two crossed to the doorway that let out onto the hallway that led down to the kitchen and the smell of oats and kelk eggs...

“And warm yeet milk...” Sere smiled, and Nadera smiled back.

*
*
*


They ate quiety and slowly and sat as the others came in and had breakfast and said hello's and then afterwards said goodbyes as they went back out into the hallways.

The lobby was half full, it was always half full unless a Saturday when the sisters would clean, or be about their own errands. And after breakfast Sere and Nadera walked hand in hand in the streets, out beyond the clinic, even in the cold, even with the white overlaying everything, with them bundled as if Travelers on a distant winter world, where at least Sere could be away from the room and the table that it held, at least for a few hours...

... a few hours...

Until dusk came and the long shadows crept over the spires and tall tops of the buildings and the cold settled into not just the flesh, but into the bones. And then they came back and sat in Sere's room, a small and tidy room with a chair and cabinet and bureau and a small sink against the worn wall, with the tiny coal stove glowing a ruddy red in the corner....

... Reading... stories... it was silly, reading stories, but it passed the time and was pleasant and did not bring up memories or worries and that was the best of it.

It was only when it was late, only when the long hours had passed into the small hours just before morning would come, that exhausted and tired, that Sere remembered her hate and the reason she wanted to go on the supply fleet to the Distant Stars to begin with.

And it was that hate that made her stand slowly in her small room, her bare feet against the cold tiles of the floor and turned her toward the door, her hate that guided her steps as she took Nadera by the hand and guided her back down to the small room, where the ten had assembled themselves again, and laid herself down on the table and gritted her teeth and closed her eyes.

“Do it...” she said through clenched teeth and tried to see nothing in her mind so much as the hate that had started the journey for her to begin with.

Nadera then removed a small needle from a wooden drawer and slowly pressed it to her forehead, driving the slotted needle down and through the thin skin and the bone underneath. She inhaled quickly at the pain and hoped that as tired as she was that it would not cause her to pass out. Then once the plunger was completely depressed she slowly drew blood into the syringe.  And then painfully and very, very carefully withdrew it. As the needle cleared she wanted to throw up, but clenched her teeth and leaned over Sere who had closed her eyes, so that she would not see.

Nadera was exhausted as well, but the process itself was not so complicated, as it was daunting to those who came here, even her, she reminded herself had been barely able to have it done. Gently she placed the needle against Sere's forehead, and then drove the needle down in slow degrees as Sere's eyes suddenly came open and she gasped, then Nadera pressed her thumb over the syringe plunger and down slowly, pushing until the cylinder was completely down and the syringe empty.

Sere gasped and wanted to scream, in a panic of pain she started to rise, but the others held her as Nadera pressed her hand down into Sere's shoulder and pressed her back down onto the table.

"Don't move."Nadera said as she gently pulled the syringe free.

Sere lay there rigid and aching, her eyes as wide as she could open them.

The others stood around her, their white eyes dimmed.

Clarine turned away, though Madra reached out a hand and touched her sisters shoulder and the woman stopped.

“We all face this... whether we want it or not...” Clarine said.

“But we help each other through it.” Madra said in a kind voice.

"It will be alright, I know it hurts, but it will be all right, trust me." Nadera smoothed a hand over her friends face, taking care not to move her fingers over the small wound.

"It just needs time... that's all... just give it some time..." Nadera felt her own pain, and hoped she could get through this, she was exhausted. It was perhaps a foolish thing, to do the procedure now, Lord knew it was risky enough in the daylight with all your senses. Much less now, so late and tired and in pain.

She breathed slow full breaths in and out to calm herself.

"Breathe." she said to Sere.

Slowly her blood mixed with Sere's.

Cell for cell.

Sere could feel it.

Drop by drop.

Sere  felt the chilled wind stir from the window as she stood over the table with the needle between her fingers...

But it was not...

Was not her fingers...

She smiled as she looked down on the girl on the table and smoothed a hand across her cheek and brushed at the tears against her eyes. Still afraid.

Yes.

No.

She was looking at herself.

Herself laying on the table crying and afraid with Nadera's hand against her cheek...

'It is all right...' she thought...

But it was not her thought.

'No, it is mine...' Nadera thought and Sere felt it in her mind, softly resonating, like her own, but different slightly, similar, but different...

'I can see you...' Nadera thought with a smile and on the table Sere blinked the tears out of her eyes and smiled.

'I can see you too...”

'What was there to be afraid of...' Sere wondered as she slowly sat up and saw the thin starlight beyond the shuttered windows that leaked through the slates in lines of light that fell across the floor.

But then she nearly slipped and Madra quickly took her arm and steadied the girl on the edge of the thin hard table.

Nadera turned to the counter and took a medicated tissue and then turned back and gently pressed it against Sere's wound. Then took another and placed it against her own.

Nadera closed her mind for a moment.

The spark in Sere's mind winked out.

She didn't want to say what she had been afraid of. That it could have all gone horribly wrong, if she had been too tired, if Sere had moved too fast as she was applying the needle, a thousand things that could have gone wrong. But saying It would only scare Sere. The experience itself was horrendous enough without having to hear all the could-have-been's as well.

'Just afraid...' Nadera thought and the spark flared a subtle blue in Sere's mind again.

'Just afraid.'

Sere nodded and then slid from the table to the floor.

'I'm tired...' Sere thought and Nadera smiled.

'Me too...'

*
*
*