\| Divided Paths |/ - Chapt. 3 - Resolute - Biome (IC)

When the ship stopped Fluffy awoke with a start. She pulled a fish bone off her nose and saw that there was a station scanning the ship.

"I have nothing to worry about. If they are lucky enough to detect this thing it'll probably just look like a random program glitch. Now where did I put that pad?"

Captain Annives stood on the bridge of his devourer, the Requiem. Alarms blared across the long wide room but he was unconcerned, though the flashing green lights were giving him a nagging headache. He would need to disable them for the next planet.
"All batteries firing, captain."
"Shields holding."
"Fusion cannon ready and armed sir."
Looking out over the battle was quite satisfying. Three KG-15 Destroyers had accompanied the Requiem back to Ravena, along with a company of Corvettes and two drone legions so, needless to say, attacking a barely spacefaring race was not even a challenge. They had four armed ships, so far as Annives could tell, all holding just a dozen men, scans had shown. The real battle was with the orbital defences. These creatures had installed a kind or satellite grid armed with what appeared to be fission warheads. So far, only one Manaclaw cruiser had its shields breached, everything else was at full efficiency.
"Begin alignment, target the biggest planet side city and fire fusion cannon." Annives ordered, hands clasped behind his back.
"Yes captain." He watched as one of the enemy's ships went up in a spectacular explosion. The wreckage flew in all directions like hornets from a kicked nest. Soon after, one of the orbital satellites was shot down by a destroyed its nuclear payload still attached.
"See if you can hack in and arm those weapons." Annives ordered and within moments one of the officers shouted that the task was complete "have them detonate when they reach the surface. I want as many natives killed as possible."

Just then, one of the destroyers fired its light fusion cannon at the planet. A blast of red light rocketed from the ships prow, leaving a trail of smoke behind it. Though not as strong as the Requiem's heavy fusion cannon, the explosion it caused was visible from their position. The shockwave sent clouds vibrating away from the epicentre. A warm feeling filled Annives at the thought of pleasing his commander. Xiaia had ordered him to conquer five worlds to set up as a foot hold on Ravena, so far he was succeeding. She would be so pleased with him.
"Are we positioned yet?" He asked
"Yes captain, should I fire?" He nodded in response and the green light stopped. The prow of the devourer opened then, the sharp point splitting and retracting back into the hull. This only happened when either the heavy fusion cannon was fired, or the destruction maw was used. Both were equally deadly.

The whole ship vibrated as the cannon powered up, diverting energy from the thrusters to the weapons bay. Targeting the main population centre, the weapon would leave a three hundred mile radius around the impact point completely obliterated. A handy weapon to have, but only useful for planetary bombardment. If used in close quarters, against another ship for instance, both parties would be destroyed.
"Send the main legion down after firing." Annives growled "I want this done quickly."
"Yes captain."

The cannon fired. In the ultimate show of masculine competition, Annives cannon fired a black bolt rather than a red one, near invisible until you saw it against the planet. The bolt shot down and within seconds hit the main population centre. For a moment nothing happened, just a stillness. Then came the explosion. The fireball was a deep blue, spreading out for 1000 miles before dissipating. In its wake, the ground was black and charred, smouldering. There was no doubt that millions, billions even, had died. But not enough.

On command, 1000 raven shuttles spilled out of the docking bays like a cloud of wasps. The other ships did the same, sending their own legions planet side. At that moment, the satellite shot down previously impacted, exploding like four atomic bombs. Measly compared to the Kar'Geualiea's own weaponry but every little helps.
"Drop a desert inducer." Annives commanded and a small black pyramid dropped with the shuttles. It fell faster, powered by thrusters, so hit within minutes.
"Report from Destroyer 2, the dark side of the planet is clear, preparing bombardment." One of the comms techies said.
"Destroyer 1 preparing to fire again."
"Sir, the planet seems to be surrendering. We're receiving a primitive audio signal."
"Play it." Annives said and they did. The translation attempt was inaccurate but you could understand.
"Planet Hoola To the mighty conquerers, graciously, surrender. Kill civilians, please cease, requesting. At mercy we are your."

Annives did not consider it.
"Disregard it. Kill all of them. Burn their world to the ground. I'm going for lunch."

Berem - S/I-XI - 2,750

------ ------ ------

None of the scouts moved. Some extra thermal activity was registered on their HUDs, as well as some electromagnetic frequency disturbance. A transmission from the drone? Perhaps. If so, to whom? The 'pathfinders' as they were sometimes called, silently traded these questions over private COM channels.

In a few moments, a decision was reached, and to test the intent of the machine infront of them, they started a withdrawal back into the wet foliage. The squad leader threw up a hand towards the drone, to signal to it that it was not to follow. If it understand, fine, if not..

The squad leader didn't like complications.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Onboard the Eternal Devotion...


The meal in the mess hall lasted for about eighteen minutes. It consisted of most of the same food; protein and vegetables. One new item did appear, however. Some fatty, sugery thing one could assume was like desert.

Once every cadet had finished, assigned guards took them out of the mess hall, led them through nearly identical silver-and-cobalt corridors, until they reached the low hum and soft blue glow of the Devotion's library. Inside, rows of tall, silver cases cast the sapphire luminosity of their dataslots upon their surroundings. At the end of each case, several datapads awaited use with any of the rectangular information chips. The energy feed sustaining these devices created a pleasant whirr. This worked together to form an ambient, tranquil feeling for the entire room.

In the center of the library, rows of chairs, all made to fit Jorro'kil anatomy, sat infront of a large circular podium, of the same aforementioned colors; cobalt, silver, and slits in the base released a turqoise radiance.

Captain Xavre walked out of the darkness of an unlighted corner to take his place on the podium, and waited for the unprohibited talking between the aliens to cease.

Gradual freedoms. He thought. Gradual freedoms would win them over.

Ariz gradually made his way to Survivor, and stood next to him, looking into the datapad Survivor was looking at as if interested. He cast a quick glance at Xavre as the Captain emerged.

Mr. Big-Shot it waiting to preach, I'll bet, he thought to himself. In the future, I intend to bring him down with me.

"So what is your plan?" he asked Survivor in a very quiet tone.

Survivor casually scrolled through the pad as if he were bored. Beneath he moved his mechanical fingers.

"If I can get my PDA I have a virus that was specifically made to create havoc all along the ship. I just need it updated to this ships tech and someone to upload it to the ships conputers."

He turned his gaze slightly to Ariz.

"While the virus is causing trouble for the crew we fight our way to the hanger and escape."

Ariz nodded, and tapped the pad as if pointing something out.

"Sounds good. We'll need weapons, though. And how do you intend to get to your ship?"

Corena, who had been standing nearby the pair, had been listening intently to the Survivor and Ariz, and she hoped to help them. Attempting to be as low-key as possible, she edged closer to them in a casual manner and began talking under her breath, gazing at the pad. "I believe I can be of assistance here," She began, her eyes quickly glancing up at the other two prisoners and back down to the data pad. "Firstly, I can update the virus and upload it to the ship's network. I have a way of doing this, though I'm afraid I can't reveal how. You will need to trust me, but I can assure you that my methods are effective and efficient."

"Oh, you're so kind." Mischief messaged her playfully. She ignored the AI.

"In terms of weapons, I'm afraid I can't provide anything physical or tangible. What I can give you is large amounts of information stored within the Eternal Devotion's network. After all, knowledge can be a weapon greater than any firearm or ship. I'll find a way to give you the data."

Survivor looked up at the alien that join in the conversation with a deep dark stare before eventually moving his fingers.

"Good but only update the virus do not make a copy for yourself. If you do I will hunt you down. As of my ship I might have a way to find it but weather it will work or not is a toss up. Hopefully though I will find it on my own in the hanger."

Aeltrycus System, Confederate Nations of Ravena Repurposed Territory, formerly of the Ryun-Wreae Federation

"Isn't it beautiful?"

The core of the hypergiant star Aeltrycus had collapsed, resulting in a Type II supernova within the system. The system was formerly a sizeable trading and mining outpost for border Federation worlds, but with the impending arrival of UFIAI forces, the Ryun and Wreae decided to accelerate the aging of the star in order to impede their advance. However, due to the fragmenting of Absolute, the Confederacy was able to retake a large cluster of nearby stars and the system itself, though it was largely useless, as all of the worlds had been vaporized in the supernova. It was thus categorized as neutral territory to better defend it, and the system became a hub for covert trading between empires and less desirable entities. The multicolored light of the supernova inundated a large chamber of the Fist of Iasphen, flooding inwards from a large hardlight window. The inhabitants of the room were protected by advanced radiation and energy shielding present on the Krathunian carrier, and the ship itself was a safe distance away from the supernova. Yet, it was still very much possible to appreciate splendor of the cosmic occurrence.

This is what Silus Koluntus had been doing, his arms folded behind his back, the light of Aeltrycus' corpse reflecting off the surface of his eye and parts of his clothing, specifically that which was armored. However, his mind quickly shifted from admiration to business, and he turned to a metallic table at the center of the room, where a particular Jorro'kil councilor sat. The chamber was silent aside from the reverberations of each step Silus took, echoing quietly. Silus was about two feet away from the Jorro'kil before he glanced back at the supernova behind him and sighed.

"However, as much as I wish I had, I did not bring you here for the view." Silus took a seat opposite the Councilor, sitting with a poised and confident manner. "Recently, we ran into some... Problems. To put it simply, the operation that the Alkisuns funded and supplied on Ekest were a complete and utter failure. To begin with, your men were either killed or captured by local and Covenant authorities. In addition, somehow the Markovans and Liirlith became involved." Silus rubbed the area behind his left eye with a clawed hand momentarily before continuing. "When we became involved with this operation, we expected that it would succeed, not succumb to failure. So, explain to me, Councilor - What happened?"

______________________________

Nvarn's eyes slowly widened with shock, and using his augmentations he ran several identity scans on the prisoner before him. When all came back as positive, he glanced suspiciously to each guard before slowly taking a seat. He simply stared at the prisoner in confusion and wonder for several seconds before speaking. "You're... here?" He inquired, leaning forward in his position. "Explain something to me," He commanded in a firm tone. "Why and how are you here?"

Ariz couldn't keep his tail from swinging a little more vigorously, but he continued looking at the screen as if it was what he was interested in.

"Excellent." he looked at Corena. "If you can include anything we might use to sabotage this vessel, that would be helpful." He cast another glance at Captain Xavre.

"I'd say Mister Big-Shot is waiting to give us another motivational speech. I suppose we should act like we care." The contempt in his voice was very poorly concealed.

 
 
The Councilor looked on the supernova wistfully before making any reply.
 
"Your claims are inaccurate - frivolous, even." He began. "Your funding served its purpose exactly. The results, of which only two were likely, were almost irrelevant; they only needed to happen."
 
He exhaled, nares flaring slightly, and continued. "How long have the Alkisuns under your reign prospered?" He said, and with a suddenness, all his attention was centered on Silus.
 
"The Purist schism, your funding.. all mere details in the long game which I have been playing. For thirty years, I strove to turn undue... conviction atleast to myself. I made mistakes. But I didn't fail. Not permanently. My losses were even negated to an extent." Now he seemed to be wondering off into unrelated topics, the last sentence in a more downcast tone.
 
"What happened?" He said. "Steps. Steps to.." He paused, and looked once more towards the exploding hypergiant. "Blossoming." He finished.
 
"What do you want.. Silus? Tell me. Anything."
 
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
 
 
"The long game." #485C said. He twisted the soft edges of his inward beak, the mouth, to form a smile, as if nothing made him happier.
 
"A Krathunian warrior, hm? I've heard of you.. never seen one in person." He stood up from his chair, and walked up to Nvarn, with an expression that suggested he was scrutinizing the sentinel. The prisoner's eyes twitched up and down, examining his armament. A habit. Perhaps one gained from the scar found on #485C's lower mandible. This Jorro'kil almost looked like he was going to attempt attack, but backed down like a bested animal, returning to his prefab seat.
 
"Very good. But I'd like to know.. why you have graced this facility with your presence?" He said.
 
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
 
 
10,007 S/I-XI
 
Onboard the Yearning Solace
 
23 Years Ago...
 
------ ------
 
I sat complacently atop my bunk, contemplating on the developments thus far, surrounding by the silvery walls which constituted much of the interior of the ship. Interruption came when Commander Vais stepped in. In response I jumped off of my bunk, saluting. He returned the salute, but seemed very relaxed.
 
"How are things progressing, if I may ask? You seemed.. nervous, earlier. Sir." I said.
 
"As expected. Xavez is conversing with the Captain currently. Xavre is admiring the ship's design, as usual."
 
I stifled a laugh at the Srenov's quirks. I would soon be working directly under him, so I thought it best to practice perfect responses. Still, the Commander ignored my claims of his being nervous.
 
"We both know what will be taking place soon, and neither of us can reveal our true loyalties. No matter what happens, you must do your part, and I mine. Follow orders, whoever gives them to you." Vais was about to leave, to do what I was not allowed to know; only that it pertained to the once secret revolution.
 
"The Free Absolute will overcome this. And you will help." He said to me, and departed.
 
I heard gunfire outside.
 
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
 
 
10,030 S/I-XI
 
Onboard the Eternal Devotion
 
23 Years Later..
 
------ ------
 
Captain Xavre J'kol, standing on the podium, spoke through the whispers with a booming voice.
 
"Twenty-three years ago, I was part of a rebellion. Led by one whom I might call a hero, Xavez K'roneques, we become the Jorro'kil Federation. Composed of those who were tired of the uncaring government which we longed to leave, the government which abandoned those of the outer worlds, and thought of little more than their own glory, we set out to differ from them. To create a better empire. But we were pursued, crushed, stomped out by their imperial forces. Today we remain, of all those who have died for our ideal, our freedom. One might almost compare us to the inhabitants of the infamous Drenched City." He paused to survery his audience, making sure he had obtained their attention.
 
"You see, in the ancient history of our race, we had a war, a very large war, which covered the entirety of our home planet. One city was set alight, and it burned as an inferno. It threatened to desolate surrounding lands, fertile lands, so we drenched the city in water and extinguished the fire, at the expense of all life within it. But we are not like it, because we survive."
 
Relevant data scrolled across each of the pads held by the recruits, offering additional information and insight into the events of which the Captain spoke; segments of it "corrected" with Federation beliefs.
 
"Today, you are our new generation. You are a new light for the Federation."

Ariz' eyes narrowed. He wanted to spit at this Jorro'kil. The new generation? What garbage!

What he really means, though Ariz, is that he's so desperate for new recruits that he's willing to do anything to get them. A new light? Faugh! The least he could have done was ask us if we even wanted to help.

Psst if their "Federation" is anything like the Xliveien Federation then there would have to have internal problems. Survivor thought silently to himself. And if there are internal problems that means I have something to exploit.

Avlex sat there grumbling. There is only ONE Federation he serves and it is the Xliveien Federation. He has to get off this ship and he has to do it soon. He can already start to feel like he is going to die in this ship again.

Suflet Călit smiled as the sand crawler slowly approached the restaurant and said, "Sometimes I just wish I could have fought along his side, but never mind that now, it is the time for eating!"

As the sand crawler stopped in front of the three story building, the doors seemed to open on their own. The outside was the same sandy color most other buildings had, but it seemed more elegant than most other buildings in a way. A Nisip walked out with a red carpet following behind him. Another placed a ladder on the side of the sand crawler, despite the vehicle having a ladder embedded in the side of it already.

Suflet Călit gestured to the hatch on the ceiling and said, "After you."

Hissin crouched, and then leaped up, swinging himself up to the roof; the other Markovans followed suite. Terrin sniffed at the ladder, and then agilely leaped to the ground, landing gracefully on his feet. The rest of the Markovans could have easily done the same, but, for the sake of good manners, chose to use the ladder instead. Once assembled, they politely waited for their host to disembark.

Berem

A Kar'Geualiea officer activated the camera embedded in the drones forehead. When he saw the images on the screen before him, he dropped his lunch tray, the mushy substance splattering on the ground. For a moment, he just stared, his eye wide in wonder. Only when the aliens started backing away did he send the video feed to the chief researcher. This was huge, the biggest thing that had happened since discovering the Forlarm thousands of years ago.

The drone itself responded as it was trained too. In backing up, the aliens appeared to be preparing to pounce. Their heighten neural activity seemed to indicate such, as did their stance which, from the records of other avian creatures the drone had encountered, could be beneficial for a quick attack. So when one of them raised it's arm, the drone entered a battle position. It's light receptors became more acute, its muscle strands tightened and it's weaponry, mounted and held, armed.

As the chief researcher viewed the footage before her, she came to but one conclusion, the aliens were hostile. She immediately sent reinforcements for the drone, though they were unlikely to reach the location before the battle was done and the aliens gone. The drone itself was lost, judging by the nature of the aliens apparel and their own weaponry. Despite this, she sent the capture or kill order without hesitation.

Receiving its command, the drone targeted the closest of the aliens, locked onto its central body mass and fired it's tranquilliser.

Present
Vortei

They were perhaps the most ingenious of their species, innovative and exemplary in everything they did. That was why Dohiris had given their own wing of the main industrial complex. It was the northern quarter, the smallest of the five areas, Vortei granted, but sizeable nonetheless. A triangular based pyramid of black bricks and corrugated metal, the northern wing towered over the sprawling four storey complex in the centre of the acting capital. The highest room was a hundred feet up and dyed red rather than black. A lavish abode for just five Kars, though they expected no less. The architects had a certain arrogance about them.

Vortei made his way to the top of the pyramid, flanked by sentinel drones. He passed the great archives housed in the pyramid, all the knowledge possessed by the Kar written on stark white paper. Of course, they could use the internet but they preferred make use of the areas they had been given. Above the archives was what Vortei assumed to be the reactor floor. To his knowledge, three organi reactors were present in the pyramid, giving it more power than even the Genesis up above them.

It was above the reactors that Vortei passed the vaults. The creations were stored in those armoured walls would be either the works in progress or the rejected, designs and prototypes cast out by the Architects. Vortei didn't stay there any longer then was essential. The walls seemed to give a certain horrific tang to the world. The vaults went up for a third of the pyramid, the third remaining taken up by the workshop and the Architects own quarters. Vortei met them in the common room of the workshop.

The five greatest minds of the KGI, designers of everything the empire currently used and perhaps the greatest Kars who had ever lived, were playing a board game. Yrssila, by the looks of it, a six player game where each player took one set if pieces and tried to both protect his king and kill his opponents. There were twenty types of pieces in this particular version and the board spanned 2500 squares, each one 1.5cm by 1.5cm. By the looks of it, the youngest of the architects was winning.

Vortei walked in just as the youngest moved his devourer in and killed one opponents king. To his credit, the loser took his defeat with grace. He was the oldest, though still a child really, not even fifty yet. The rest ranged from around thirty to forty years, none straying higher than forty five.
"Your grace," the youngest said as if beckoning a school friend. "Welcome to our humble abode."
"Thank you." Vortei have a curt not. "I have some urgent matters to discuss with you." As he spoke, one of the five, the one with untrimmed horns and a scruffy outfit, moved three of his pieces against the youngest, taking a dreadnought and his king. The youngest, who had seemed in such a strong position, was eliminated. Vortei was impressed. He hadn't seen a play like that was possible and had not expected it to go so flawlessly.
"Of course, your grace," the scruffy architect said cheerily. The other remaining pair exchanged a wary look and moved their pieces into a pincer move against the scruffy one.

"I would like one of you to accompany Commander Xiaia back to Ravena." Vortei announced in his most regal tone. The architects didn't seem too interested. He noted that the scruffy one was reacting rather well to the onslaught of his opponents, moving five of his pieces around the edge of the board to take the kings unawares. The attacking pair didn't seem to notice, too intent on beating him they couldn't see his close he was to beating them. In the two turns that followed, the scruffy one showed all the necessary weaknesses to make them fully commit to their assaults, while quietly moving his strike teams around the advancing armies. They didn't notice when he took one king and moved a spider drone against the other. In three turns, he won the game.

"You'll go." Vortei said to the scruffy one. "You have a good mind for battle, its time you saw an actual war." The architects all turned to him, eyes blazing. "Be on the Chrysalis in 100 hours. Xiaia will brief you herself." Vortei turned to go, then stopped "What's your name?" The scruffy Kar met his gaze,
"My name is Lon'Vor, grandson of underseer Alletrivis." That thought warmed Vortei's heart, to think that his old friends descendant would be serving as his envoy back in that old galaxy.
"Ah. I thought I recognised you from the funeral. I am sorry for your loss. As I said though, Xiaia will brief you."


Annives

What had once been a bright and vibrant world of colour and laughter was now a wrecked shell, burned and broken. Where forests and jungles once stood, only sand and dead trees remained, their creaking limbs poking out of the growing dunes like grass in snow. Meadows and marshes were no more, just rolling deserts and blackened earth. Even the sky, once crystal white, had taken a reddish hue.

But it was the cities that had been hit the worst. Towering skyscrapers had collapsed into rubble, crushing the small buildings beneath them. Only one in three still remained upright, though they were either heavily damaged, all shattered glass and bent steel, or were heavily leaning. Everything had fallen away from the impact of the devourers heavy ion cannon. The shockwave had pushed the farther buildings diagonal, toppled the ones closer and just shattered the ones in the immediate area.

Walking on the streets, it was hard to imagine that just four weeks ago this had been a peaceful city, full of life and laughter. Now it was littered with hairy six limbed corpses and dotted with craters. Annives assumed the rest of the planet was less heavily damaged as this was the only one it have suffered an ion blast of that magnitude, though he doubted it was inhabitable for anything but Kar's.

There was no water. Across the entire planet, all water had been torn apart into just hydrogen and oxygen, even the ice in the north and the vapour in the air. Hellish for other races, heaven for the Kar'Geualiea. The drying process was what had killed most of the natives, as all the water was physically ripped out of them. Their corpses were thin and broken, like popped balloons. Though, that's what you get for being seventy percent water.

A few prisoners had been taken from the orbital defences, two to be exact. Both male so the species was essentially extinct. Annives planned to gift them to commander Xiaia when she arrived, a new addition to her menagerie. She would appreciate that, hopefully. What she would like more was the command centre Annives had set up planet side. He had commandeered two sky scrapers, one leaning on the other, and converted them into his base. The higher floors had been made into docking bays for fighters and carriers, the lower ones living quarters for the crews of the fleet he had been commissioned. Where the two towers touched was now an open air walkway between them, 500 ft up. Annives personally lived in the second tower, the leaning one, with the other captains and officers.

From his office, he could see the desert inducer he had used, stuck in the ground like a parasol with no fabric. One of the destroyers was constantly guarding it, though to little purpose but Annives' own peace of mind. The deep Wub Wub Wub, the machine made had become rather comforting in his time on this planet.

What had the natives called it? Hoola or something like that. A stupid name. It needed something that showed what it was, not a fancy string of syllables. Best leave the naming to Xiaia, she would be angry otherwise.
"Captain?" One of his lieutenants said when he walked into the office, its crumbling ceiling dropping dust on its head.
"What?" The lieutenant was a small creature, shy and weedy.
"We, um, just received word from back home. Its, um, commander Xiaia. She said that, um, she was bringing one of the, ur, architects with her." Annives shot round, glaring into the lieutenants eye.
"She said what?" He asked in liquid rage
"One of the architects it, um, joining her. Underseer Alletrivis' grandson, she said."
"Vorshet!" Annives cursed and turned back to the shattered window. "Get out of my sight!" The lieutenant had never moved so fast in his life. An architect, here. That meant that Vortei wanted something built, obviously, and the architect was coming to research the environment. Rage built up in Annives. He would not let his conquest be turned into a research lab, he would not.

And then there was the Xiaia issue. This architect would be a genius, of course, and young if the rumours were true. Annives couldn't compete with that, no matter how many civilisations he destroyed. This was meant to be his great triumph, but an architect would turn into a science lesson. Annives grabbed his comms device.

"Captains Vargr and Foraxis, take your destroyers and some corvettes. I want you to take two more planets before the commander arrives. Do not hold back on weaponry."

Konovis Xaryn nearly tripped into his suite in the CryoGen residence facility. The uneven metal frame for the door needed to be smoothed out; he would discuss it with his employers later. He quickly disgarded his cobalt and gold-fringed cloak, a a favorite garment of his. Underneath, he wore the standard black uniform of cryogenists. Throwing the cloak over on a grey, rectangular rack, he cast a glance around his suite's interior. Most of it was turqoise in color, though some highlights of dark grey and other colors were present. The floor transitioned to the walls, and the walls to the ceiling, in flawlessly designed slopes, and the floor was a glossy wood textile with intricate, ornate details "woven" into it. As a unique design feature, the small number of hallways and corners were adorned with pyramidal bases, which were attached to the floor and ceiling. Each pair was connected through long, thin cylinders, fogged from the inside out, as if they were frozen. Reminiscent of Konovis's work environment. He liked the cold. In fact, he had just been out walking through an arboreal park in the cold weather.
 
He passed by a mirror magnetically attached to the wall, a convenient design feature, and examined his artificial eye. Konovis reached up and touched the chrome finish, as if viewing the augment for the first time. He could hear the soft whir of machinery, as the critical components sent electrical messages to organic neurons, from its own artificial neurons, which travelled nearly instantaneously to the occipital lobe in Konovis's brain.The fact that they had surgically connected the eye to his brain did not sicken him, as it might others.
 
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
 
 
Taszun waited impatiently for the proper response to his scan. He was looking for a simple code, confirming the conformity of the attachment on the trade vessel, to extra load protocol and safety parameters.

“What? But I… my leg… no… I am not…” The female Jorro’kil mumbled upon hearing the doctor’s remark, before stopping completely. For a second the Jorro’kil was completely frozen, eyes glazed. Then, ripple went across her face, like a disruption on a display screen. As it swept across her features, it wiped any expression form her face. Then, before the doctor, the one guard or anyone else had time to react Dolos flung its right arm at the doctor, throwing him on the wall and leaped off the examination table, on the floor. The guard had been caught by surprise, and was just starting to reach for he’s gun as Dolos fired a round to he’s chest. The round failed to penetrate the power armour, but packed enough kinetic energy to lift the guard from he’s legs and smash him against the wall.

“Error, conflicting self-image. Multiple hosts detected. Original file contaminated, rebooting the system. Automated protocols active.” The long trip with the hastily extracted cover identity and the sudden and violent change of plans had caused Dolos’ identity systems to get mixed and corrupted. So, instead of a sentient AI Dolos’ body was now taken over by automated emergency programs. They had three basic actions: secure, escape, conceal.

Having knocked down the guard, Dolos moved to the second action and sprinted towards the exit. However, while the Jorro’kil was down, he was not out. Just as Dolos dashed past him, he managed to slam the EMP launch button on he’s armour. Miraculously the old device woke to life, releasing its invisible pulse. Dolos got caught in mid-leap and face-splatted on the floor, sliding for couple of feets. Its loaned face dissolved into a fine dust as the nanobots got knocked out by the EMP.

Unfortunately, launching an EMP inside a space ship has its consequences, albeit this was a weak and old one. The medical bay among with the room directly above and below it got hit by the pulse. Most of their electronics got fried or disabled, along with the lights, leaving the area to complete darkness.

Konovis didn't see who else was looking in the mirror.

Zara smiled. What an interesting sensation to look into a mirror and not see one's own reflection. Then again, in her line of work, that happened quite frequently.

Zara slid a little closer, gloating over her victim. She wouldn't insert the device quite yet. Let him go about his business as usual, let him think that this day in his life was just the same as any other. Besides, he might lead Zara to some interesting bit of information all on his own.
_____________________________________

Ariz cocked his head to one side. Was that some sort of alert coming over the guards communicators? Something about a breakout and a power outage in the medical facility?

Fluffy saw that the station must work with some sort of confirmation code system. She got to work trying to figure out just the code she needed.
"Stupid hunk of junk. The newer models wouldn't have gotten spotted this easily. I knew I should have gone with the better quality option instead of this hunk of junk. More expensive but so worth it.
Oh well. If worse comes to worse I could try doing this the old fashioned way."

Keo was silent and withdrawn ever since he had finished his work on the hydraulic arms. Though he knew he needed allies, the strange force that was Nolwikkan pride kept him away. Though he didn't know why, he figured that contempt for the Terminus Pact kept everyone else away from him, as well.

As Xavre delivered his speech, Keo paid no attention to the pad. He had no interest in it; the information displayed was irrelevant. The only thing that was was the fact that they were supposedly the new weapons of this "federation."

Weapons.

Thousands of thought we through Keo's head about how he could sabotage this, of how he could get revenge.

Hm... soon enough.

Berem - S/I-XI - 2,750

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

With arm and weapon positioned across his chest, the scout whom the drone had targeted first caught the tranquillizer in his exposed left hand. It let go of his weapon. Responding with a grunt of pain, he slung his rifle, crouched, and with a grimace, extracted the knockout agent from the rough, mottled flesh of the back of his hand. The four others opened fire with the ballistic function of their weapons. 7.92 mm rounds tore slim holes in the air, screaming as they approached their robotical target. The jungle echoed with the staccato rattle of gunfire.

One of the scouts collapsed, a sufficient dose of tranquillizer having found its way throughout his body through his own bloodstream.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________


Static infested the guards' COMs for a moment, but subsided; two of them immediately left the library to investigate, while two more stepped closer to the podium, to advise Xavre on the occurrence. They spoke in hushed tones, despite the conversation being transmitted privately from their helmets to a discreet earpiece worn by the Captain. No one could hear them talk. He paid little attention to them, trying to appear as though his focus was entirely diverted on the cadets.

He saw Corena in the crowd, murmuring. She was the one with the AI. The one they had been watching. He would have to do something about her soon, to stop her companion's meddling. Perhaps she and Survivor could be allowed to work on some new discrepancies within the ship.

Meanwhile...

The medic picked himself up off the floor. His armor was heavy, no longer charged and helping to bear its own weight. The artificial nervous system within was dead. Disengaging several of the primary clamps holding the armor together, the chest piece fell to the floor with a clunk, as did the metal shoulder pads, and soon the bulky, square powerpack was disconnected, falling off in the same way the other armor segments did.

Two guards came in the room, and, with helmet flashlights activated, saw Dolos's frame lying on the metal floor, inert. Questions came next.

Lucean stared ahead at Xavre as he gave the speech of them being the "New generation" for them after a war. She honestly didn't understand how the Jorro'kil could be so.... so dense. Serving their federation? For their cause? How could they expect her to do that after the way they had captured her? Lucean remembered it clearly, now...

She had been aboard the ship, heading for a nearby star system to see about the relations with them- perhaps raise trade or, best possible outcome, buy large quantities of area from them. They had to temporarily leave the other ships to land on this planet, but before they could, their ship was captured... literally. An electromagnetic beam- definitely a strong one- pulled them into another ship's landing bay. She must have been knocked out and brought to the Information room, where she had awoken. And that was it... her capture.

What irked Lucean the most, however, was the fact that they could have probably just contacted another race- a small race like her own Neveals would have probably been willing to help them- and just asked. It probably would have made the relations with the crew much better.

The thought nagged her as it had been the entire time. So, while everyone else was busy socializing- probably speaking of their hatred towards the jorro'kil or of ways to kill them, no doubt, Lucean cleared her throat and stepped forward in an attempt to be acknowledged, looking at Xavre as she spoke, keeping a cool smile to her face as she had been doing the entire time, it felt, on the ship.

"With all due respect, sir," she smiled, though the words tasted sour in her mouth, somehow, "Why didn't you just confront other races and ask for help? There are some more peaceful races that would have been willing, I'm sure."

Ariz regarded Lucean as she spoke. They didn't ask because they don't care, he thought. They have no sense of honor.

Silus pondered the question for a while, staring deep into the swirling luminescence and many hues of the husk of Aeltrycus. However, it appeared as though he already knew the answer to the Councilor's question, and was simply laying out the words to be used while explaining it. Eventually his eyes locked back in on the Jorro'kil, the harsh hues of the supernova lighting up his eyes. Silus laid his right hand upon the table and tapped its surface three times, in quick succession, with his armored claw. A Wreae servant, donning polished black metal armor, as if meant to show grandeur, approached the table and handed the Alkisun's leader a glass of deep yellow liquid - the blood of a Jauvelte, a luxury on Sethega.

The machine approached the Councilor, knelt as a sign of respect, and asked, "Sir, would you care for any dri-" The AI cut itself off as Silus inhaled sharply and held a hand up. The Wreae servant scurried away almost fearfully as Silus began to speak.

"An interesting question, Councilor," He began, grinning slightly as he stared at the Jorro'kil. "As you have been witness to, the Alkisuns are quite powerful. Though the organization was originally founded simply on the basis of smuggling goods and creating a profit, we have become something much more. The Alkisuns is not simply a petty criminal corporation, it has become something of an empire, rivaling small and average sized civilizations in several ways. We manufacture our own ships, weaponry, defense systems, and our industries themselves are to be considered a sizeable accomplishment in efficiency and magnitude. We have personnel in each Confederate government and most planets, making sure that everything runs smoothly for us. Our trading encompasses nearly the entirety of this half of Ravena. Entire worlds bow to the Alkisuns." Silus paused, thinking. He took a sip of the Jauvelte blood. "And yet... It is not enough. I vie for control, of course, and the current system is simply not sufficient."

Silus stood, walking to the window with slow, purposeful strides. He gazed into the broken star. "I know what you are planning, Councilor, or at least parts of it. This is an opportunity for myself and the Alkisuns to expand even more rapidly and have more jurisdiction over the galaxy. We can, and will, assist you. You will have, at your disposal, a rather large portion of the Alkisun military, both our personnel, ships, and more. We will also generate and provide funding for your cause through our more peaceful operations. However, in exchange for this, I require a certain authority over your intentions and operations."

"Now," Silus continued, turning back towards the table and seemingly beckoning to someone at the other side of the room with a slightly tilt of the head. "I do not mean to threaten you at all, Councilor. However, keep in mind that, at the moment, your mission is very limited in its power. Should a failure such as the Ekest Incident occur, I will not hesitate to destroy you." At the last word, the metallic table was struck by a melee weapon, a battle-axe, the sound of the impact thundering across the room. The structure crumpled inwards under the armament, the metal being crushed and compacted. The battle-axe was pulled out of the smashed table by a large Krathunian. He wore armor of traditional Krathunian styling, very elaborate in its design, though it did not detract from the defense it provided. He had rather light plate color, with pine-green irises in his eyes and many scars and scratches upon his face. He turned and walked to Silus, standing beside him.

"This is one of my most trusted and valued associates, Relthar Levantus," Silus spoke, gesturing towards the other Krathunian. "He will be directly overseeing Alkisun operations that occur alongside yours. But first, Councilor." Silus walked back to his seat and sat, eyeing the Jorro'kil. "Would you mind further explaining your plans?"

_____________________________

"An investigation," Nvarn stated flatly, observing the prisoner with his augmentations. "It's none of your concern, though I don't doubt that you would have liked a part of its onset." The Krathunian paused as a COMM message appeared on his HUD.

"Sentinel, I need to discuss matters with you. It's urgent. -General Borghild Draluntus"

"I must leave soon, but..." Nvarn paused, thinking over the Prisoner's words from before. He was growing more suspicious by the minute. "What are you up to?"

______________________________

Throughout Xavre's speech, Corena could not help but have nothing but hate and disdain for the Jorro'kil. Imprisonment such as this was her worst nightmare, and to think that she would be "aiding" a cause she was sure had nothing but ruinous intentions sickened her. To Corena, she was not a "new light for the Federation" - she was a slave. Shortly afterwards, however, Mischief suddenly pulled out of the ship's network, filling Corena's HUD with profanity and urgency.

"What just happened?" She asked silently via the HUD connection between the two of them.

"An EMP went off in the ship. I don't know why. It's too risky to be in the network right now." Was the reply from the Wreae. Corena was taken aback by this, and glanced back up at Xavre to see him staring at her. She shivered, or at least the Ryun equivalent of such a thing.

Something was wrong.