The Most Ominous Title Possible (SIC, Closed)

[Unilisia]

The Non-Elective Territory of the Abominable Islands
District of Cilea
Unilisia


The view from the tower was breathtaking. As the southern half of the archipelago seemed to unfold into the expanse of the equatorial ocean, and Luna made her way across the night sky, illuminating both the stars and the sea with her white light, the silence on shore was absolutely serene.

On the other side of the viewing port, Enex Staleko thrust deeper into her concubine, tightening her grip behind the human woman's neck and pulling her head back as the Archon's lips spoke into her ear.

"I know you'd like to scream, go ahead..." She whispered, to an immediate response from her captive, "But the only person who can hear you is me, and I, well, I'm not going to stop." Although she could not feel the woman's insides, she knew the serrated artificial appendage adorning her hips and gracing her captives genitalia was sticking her like a pig. The warm wet blood that stained the ottoman below them both dripped to the floor, the only sound aside from the pained cries of the human that served as the Archon's pre-dinner entertainment, and at the same time, her dinner.

Tired from her workout, Enex let her harness fall to the floor messily, the blade clanking on the tile as the woman strode across the room nude, grabbed her black velvet robe, throwing it on and falling down alongside her deceased companion, licking her way across the still warm flesh until she stopped at her throat. In one violent motion the Archon wrenched it open, her jaws biting down and yanking her esophagus open like a lioness. At this moment did the door buzz, and she spoke for it to be opened to the audio-monitor.

She had been expecting Lady Silvier, and had made sure of it that she arrive in the middle of her meal. In this top secret location, they could be absolutely sure of no paparazzi, prying eyes of locals or tourists, or the ever watchful satellites that cluttered near-Earth space.

"Glad to see the trip has left you in good spirits." Enex smiled at her counterparts own grin.

If this is considered too risque, even with my vague text, I'll remove the opening scene and replace it. Wouldn't want to be banned when I'm trying to post a simple little roleplay that has nothing to do with anything sexual after this point, would I? It is only included as a means to display how sadistic this particular character is.

[Kylarnatia]

The Non-Elective Territory of the Abominable Islands, District of Cilea
The Laconic Directorate of Unilisia

"This smile comes from seeing you, my dear."

Silvier spoke almost playfully towards Enex as she entered the chamber, not even having to see it before she realised that blood had been spilt in the room. Many times on the battlefield and in gruelling, testing training meant she was no stranger to the smell of spilt blood. Following Enex to the carcass, who was likely intent on continuing her meal, the Caesar showed little repulse towards what she witnessed. This was partly due to how she had witnessed cannibalism while in the care of the indigenous Black Cobra during her years as heir apparent. However, she was also steadied by the resolving nature that she employed. As the leader of a variety of cultures - from multiple extremes - she had decided to cleanse herself of all cultural judgement. She would keep her mind open to these things, for their sake.

Enex was incredibly interesting to the Caesar, in any case. After all, she was probably very lucky to be received in such a way, by such a person. The Unilisians were known worldwide for their almost impenetrable levels of secrecy. Silvier had always been incredibly curious as to who they were and what they did, why they did it etcetera; now she was able to have some of those questions answered. However she didn't come to Enex's chambers to ask her questions about her people or even witness her feast. No, she had come as part of a request. A request which she understood could potentially change things for the better.

Yet, despite the awesomeness of the request, she had dressed rather casually for the meeting. A crisp white shirt, long blue jeans and snakeskin boots, with an impressive set of diamond jewellery and accessories that could be valued in the millions, and even higher seeing as she had worn them. Standing beside Enex patiently as she waited for her to say the next word, Silvier observed the body more closely. It was clear that the Unilisian dictator had not been particularly kind to her human prey, but strangely she felt no threat to herself or her own life. It felt incredibly ridiculous, in her mind, that Enex would try anything with a full meal already on the table.

That, and she felt there was more to her being present then just as a dinner guest.

[Unilisia]

"I've been meaning to speak to you about an offer you made before, but we don't need to discuss that so hastily."

Striding across the room, illuminated by the moonlight and the small light covering the minibar on the far side, it could be seen that Enex's belt was untied, her robe flowing behind her quite like a cape, the elegant black velvet briefly shining a red-undertone as it graced the light shadow and revealing most of its host, inadequately doing its job, but to nobodies displeasure.

Leaning against the bar and tossing ice in two glasses, Enex summoned a bottle of brandy from the small fridge and poured it over the ice, replacing the bottle, swiftly closing the fridge door with her foot, and shakily handed Silvier her glass. Although her hand was shaking, it was from adrenaline, not nervousness, something she expected Silvier to recognize.

Taking a long draught from her glass, she smiled at the Kylarnatian Caesar.

"Sorry about the mess," she lied, "I was in the middle of my dinner." Glancing down at the clearly visible sexual weapon still on the floor, she turned her eyes back to Silvier quickly. Her eyes narrowed as she took another drink, then she spoke.

"Have you ever eaten the flesh of Earth's lesser humanoid species?"

[Kylarnatia]

Earth's lesser humanoid species. The comment made Silvier chuckle a little. She was proud of how the Archon had come to see the Kylarnatians as a 'better' breed of human being, if not almost unique like Unilisian's themselves. It was certainly helpful when it came to dealing with them in foreign relations, something almost no other state could stake claim to. That all aside, Silvier still had to consider Enex's question. She observed her counterpart while she took hold of her brandy: she was shaking, but Silvier knew there was no way this could be nerves - otherwise, why the hell would she answer the door in such a state?

Her much more severe lack of attire also surprised Silvier, for she knew the Archon's love for tight military outfits. Then again, however, the Caesar was interrupting her during her meal. A meal which she was now being invited to. It would be rude to say no.

"No, I have not. I am no stranger to this sort of thing - having witnessed it in the past - just never fully partaken myself. I wouldn't want to intrude on your meal." Silvier took a quick sip of her brandy, smiling softly at Enex as she did so.

[Unilisia]

"My dear Silvier, I'd never force you to eat something you wouldn't like, but if you're interested, then come and lie down with me, and we can discuss things over dinner."

Enex moved to lie down on the ottoman, on the left of where the concubine lay, freshly slaughtered, chest down, covered by the obviously barbaric skirt barely covering her rear. The sight further down was unseen, but the darkening stains and pulpy pieces of her insides adorning the ottomans end and the floor made it known that she had cut very deep.

Motioning for the Caesar to sit, the Kylarnatian kicked off her boots nonchalantly and lay down, propping herself up with one arm as did her Unilisian counterpart. One hand spinning the ice in her glass, she peered across and smiled.

"So, did you enjoy it?" She pointed at the partly upended rear, and her smile turned to a devious grin. Bemused, Enex ran her finger up the back of the dead woman and then stopped between her legs, swirling a finger and then bringing it up to Silvier's face, poking her nose and leaving a blood stain.

"I had only managed to take a bite, but if you're referring more to the pre-dinner entertainment, I certainly did. After a life time of suffering, I've found a high level of satisfaction in making others feel as terrible as I do." Enex giggled, then sternly pressed her nail against the concubines back, small lacerations forming as she swirled it around in circles, before prying a thin piece of flesh from it. She brought the spiral peel to her lips, sucking it in with an impartial whistle, blushing uncontrollably as she realized it, then looked up at Silvier.

"I'm going to give you your first taste of human flesh, and I'd like to know exactly what you think." Enex looked down at the wound, digging her fingers in, the edges cutting deep, and with a hard yank a thin tendon was pulled from the muscle, a sheen of blood causing it to glisten, and she held it up for the Caesar, inches from her lips.

"You see, my mother was the first of our kind to convince the leading castes that humans were, what's the right word... worthy of our partial admiration. As you know now, Unilisia has transitioned from a malevolent nation where the human race was kept as food and as a labor pool. Ultimately, however, that needed to change. They were emancipated, and made equal to us. I didn't agree then, and I don't agree now, but trying to undo ten years of policy is difficult when your predecessors memory is so strong. Given the fact that she was my mother, and those who assisted me in my political ascension now have much to lose from revoking the humans privileges, I am stuck with the situation.

The butchering industry collapsed almost overnight when we decided to stop using them, which led to food shortages, then violence, and we swiftly had to create the caste system. As you can imagine, Unilisians would not simply stop eating humans, and it was a massive culture shock, but my mothers position was this: "If we make them our servants now, but give them enough rights to be happy, they will worship us as masters for providing them with all that they know. We give them rights, shelter, food, and jobs. A stable nation to live in and prosper, and sure, they are mostly segregated from us, but really, with the state of this world, what else could they want?

While of course, I'm politically untouchable, the ultimate voice of the law, and publicly I endorse our human citizens, I still partake in my natural desire to feast on weaker flesh. They do have their uses. But I am a member of my species, and my culture has taught me to look past such things. A human does not look at a canine as its equal anymore then a Unilisian does a human, but the dog and the human still serve their purposes. Which is why I have to go to places like this..."

She swept her arms around, showcasing the panoramic view of the facility Silvier hadn't seen, and while the Caesar of Kylarnatia looked around, the walls aside from the entrance silently slid open, revealing themselves to be shades for the windows. Given the nature of her private residence, the Caesar had arrived via jet after landing in Umbriae itself, so as to avoid anyone thinking Enex wasn't in her primary residence.

It was a long, tiring, roundabout route meant to maintain the utmost discretion. The Abominable Islands themselves were inhabited by soldier and animals, all of which were meant to maintain security, and extended north of Unilisia's crown jewel in an arc stretching for nearly a thousand miles. Myths said that unicorns lived on the islands, but if they ever had, they didn't now. No, the archipelago was dedicated entirely to secrecy, residences for the richest, most powerful, the elite of the elite of Unilisia's highest political caste.

"Anyway, getting to my point. I don't like humans. But I realize their inherent value, more then just their flesh, and during my reign human nations have proven themselves to me as worthy of respect. Hence, I'd like to ask you if your offer of joining the Imperium still stands. Permanent alliances with powerful entities, even if culturally beyond reproach for the masses, mustn't be avoided by me, when they stand to only enrich the average citizen, not worsen their lives. It will need to remain secret, temporarily, as I'm sure you understand. I'll still need to convince a few hearts and minds on the Council to get unanimous agreement. "

[Kylarnatia]

Silvier stared at the tendon for a brief moment, the blood glistening and dripping slowly. Her eyes focused between Enex and the piece of human flesh, and she could see the satisfaction it gave to the Archon. The two of them laid quite close to one another, and judging by Enex's lack of clothing, Silvier got the feeling that it was a very relaxed - but also close - atmosphere. Therefore, not wanting to waste any more time, Silvier leaned forward and caught the piece of meat between her teeth, prizing it away from Enex's fingers. Letting it dangle from her mouth for a bit, and grinning at the Archon, she then used her tongue to bring the rest of it into her mouth.

She chewed, and chewed, and chewed. It was a weird sensation, that much was for sure, but she was glad that she was trained enough in the ways of a 'poker face' not to show any possible distaste. Sitting back to listen to Enex while she spoke of her mother's influences and the Unilisian's policy towards humans, Silvier made her piece of tendon last for quite some time, almost like a piece of gum. Eventually, she swallowed, but she then felt like her constant chewing had eventually taken away from the experience. She looked at the carcass in the corner of her eye and thought about the possibility of eating more, but then she quickly snapped out of such an idea. It seemed like cannibalism could actually become quite an addicting experience, as Enex herself was a shining example of.

Then, the mood of the conservation changed once again. Silvier was stunned, but again her poker face concealed it, for the most part. A massive grin spread across her face as she sat up more, more intrigued by the discussion. That wasn't to say she hadn't taken interest in what Enex was saying beforehand; Silvier was very much intrigued by the Unilisian race, and wanted to learn all she could about them. Yet the prospect of such a prosperous and unique nation joining with her own? She just couldn't resist.

Digging into the carcass herself, Silvier pulled out her own piece of human meat, but offered it to Enex in the same way she had to her, inches away from her mouth. "If you don't mind me asking, my dear, what has brought you to want to make such an arrangement?"

[Unilisia]

The instinctual reaction to Silvier's gesture was a somewhat violent snap of her jaws at her hand, Enex's front teeth stopping shy of the Caesar's flesh, but enveloping her fingers momentarily, the blood being sucked off along with the meat, and the sharp edges evident as they scraped the woman's soft flesh without harming her. With a satisfied chomp the muscle was eviscerated between her front teeth, somewhat intentionally left in full view of the Caesar. Things such as table manners were very different in the Directorate.

"My closest allies, Lyras and Allanea, while always reliable in times of crisis, are less reliable when it comes to flexible situations; while their military and diplomatic skills are legendary, I can not always expect them to support my smaller endeavors, and since Unilisia and Kylarnatia are already close allies, a relationship my nation also shares with other members of the Imperium, joining it gives the Directorate a firmer position then the one it already rests upon.

There is also the situation in Havaui, which although not a pressing matter, is something Kylarnatia may be interested in." The Archon casually fished another piece of meat from the bodies expanding wound, eating sloppily and awaiting her friends response.

[Kylarnatia]

"Woah there, sweetie. Don't get a taste for me now. That would be...extreme."

The Caesar found it difficult to conceal a short giggle as her fingers were enveloped by Enex's lips. The spectacle was truly a fascinating one. The sensation was also quite satisfying. Receiving her fingers back, Silvier then listened intently once more as Enex explained her reasons. Silvier nodded satisfyingly. "Well, I can assure you that I will always take the best possible care for you and your people. I also promise to keep things strictly between us for now. Just be sure to keep in contact with me when things develop."

Silvier thought for a moment, before continuing, "I've always been fascinated by your people, I will not deny. I'm sure you remember the first time I met you. You were the most beautiful specimen I had ever seen. I've long admired your peoples physiology and culture since then, and I must say it makes me proud to know that you want to associate with me. I guess that not being your typical human being goes some way in explaining our close relationship."

"Havaui? I must admit it is not the top of the administration's list in Telraina, but I do think we can be of some considerable use to you. Of course, direct military intervention would attract too much attention from the region and possibly compromise the entire situation. However, if you were the one to lead the charge while we help keep the supply lines secure and supplies flowing, as well as sabotage the enemies operations, we can certainly get away with it."

As she spoke, Silvier - almost without thinking - pulled another piece of meat from the carcass, which was now due to their picking becoming more and more torn. She offered it to Enex again, but this time in the palm of her hand. There was a pleased grin cast across the Caesar's face as she did so.

[Unilisia]

Enex's eyes widened, giving away her startled thoughts, the Archon feeling that her bite had put Silvier over a certain interpersonal edge that she didn't want her on. Realizing her glance was caught by her friend, her face instinctively tilted into a glare, before fixing itself into a less insulting expression as its owner attempted to control the purveyance of her mood.

The idea of someone else being the guardian of the Unilisian species had momentarily upset her, and she responded by standing, letting SIlvier continue to speak, and yanking the arm out of the socket of the concubine between them. The body, lukewarm at this point, was as still as the air in the room, and she thought maybe she had scared the other women, who continued to speak as Enex casually stepped up the nearest window, biting at the phalanges of the woman's hand while appreciating the view.

Mentioning Havaui, Enex grew more still, cocking her head to the side and turning it, perking her ear to show that she was still listening to the Caesar's suggestion, her face now showing her far more common expression of steel. A flawless glare that left a person wondering if they were talking to a statue. Only when Enex turned to look the Caesar directly in the eyes did she want the woman to feel imposed upon.

"Direct intervention won't be necessary; I've already allocated resources to putting Havaui in its place, it's only a matter of when I give the order. One does not simply fire ballistic missiles at my citizens and expect not to be trampled underfoot by Marines. Premier Kekoa is going to be made an example of."

The Archon turned back to the window, taking another bite from the arm, and then suddenly tossed it at Silvier, the arm thudding on the concubines back to a stop, blood splatting with a sick slap against her skin.

"On second thought, I wonder how much intelligence you've gathered on the situation there. Are you familiar with the country, Silvier?"

[Kylarnatia]

Disappointed that Enex didn't take her offering, Silvier stood with her, not wanting any great distance to develop between them. She didn't release the piece of meat, however, instead rolling it around in her hand as she listened to the Archon speak from the window. Her palm became stained with blood, and as she realised she cursed the outcome. That was, until she realised how it potentially might sweeten the deal. The action had also kept the flesh nice and warm; something else which she'd hope to capture Enex's attention with. Silvier saw this as a chance to bond with the Archon - as strange as it was - in order to make sure their relationship, and thus the relationship of the Imperium and Unilisia during this new stage of relations, was a solid one.

Silvier quickly snapped out of the thought upon Enex's inquiries regarding Havaui. She smiled, and slowly made her way to approach Enex at the window. "Oh, we know bits and pieces - things neither here nor there. We know some things about permanent defence features, population density, societal tensions kept out of the limelight - just small bits really."

She was, of course, underplaying the situation. The Imperium had learnt quite a bit about the despot state after their attacks on Unilisia. Originally started as a venture to assess their potential risk to the Raj, it later grew in to a full blown profiling mission. What Silvier said they knew was only just the beginning. Standing beside Enex, Silvier placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. She then extended her bloodied hand out to her, the piece of meat still gently resting in her palm.

"The Imperium is prepared to provide all it can to assist Unilisia in it's operations. We do understand, however - and we are confident - that you can achieve your objectives pretty successfully on your own. You seem pretty capable of sustaining yourselves by your own means, as I have witnessed here today. Yet all you need to remember is that we are here as your faithful friends and allies, and we always will be. Kylarnatians and Unilisians are unique above all others, I would argue."

[Unilisia]

Looking down at the bloody appendage, Enex tightly wrapped her hand around Silvier's, letting the warm, slippery piece of meat slide into her grasp, then as she brought it to her lips to swallow matched eyes with her.

"A true observation. Though, to be fair, you're somewhat as mysterious as we are. And you look much closer to humanity then us, that's for sure. Enough to wonder what separates you from the rest of the herd, aside from your obvious size difference" To illustrate the point, Enex independently swiveled her ears, a trait not unique to Unilisians alone, but one most hominids could not consciously control like the predatory ancestors of the Unilisians could.

"While I'm not ignorant of your superiority to the ilk, and know of course the advantages Kylarnatian friendship brings Unilisia, my people may not be so forgiving of your appearance, and when this becomes public they may wonder why you are to be considered equal. To me, I see Kylarnatians as my own species once was; building an international empire, one constituent at the time. Only your Imperium, compared to mine, is a multi-national confederation of sorts, where all cultures come together equally and equitably for the benefit of all. Egalitarianism is a hard concept to make Unilisian's understand without showing them results.

How do you suggest we showcase our equality?"

[Kylarnatia]

"Simple. We bring them together and demonstrate it to them."

Silvier's smile at this point was almost infectious. In her excitement, she paced around the room, practically to expend the energy which her excitement had given her. She constantly looked forward as she spoke, occasionally turning on her heel to focus on a different aspect of the chamber. At certain well-timed moments, she looked directly back at Enex, her smile still glistening and devious. This was the time to really make their discourse count, and if there was anything in her repertoire that could help her, it was her advanced articulation.

"What I propose is that we take a small cross-section of our societies - a handful of men and women - and place them together in contained environments. Together, they will have to complete a variety of both analytical and physical challenges. We record the results, and observe their behaviour. My hope - and confident feeling - is that the results will turn out to be positive, and then we can reproduce them to the general public. The other hope is that the test subjects will develop strong relationships with each other because of it, and they can be living proof that our people are meant to get along together."

"I'm confident that they will work because, as you've correctly identified, Kylarnatians are no normal human being. We're something different. We have a greater..." Silvier had to think of the word, "...aptitude for things than normal human beings. The natural conditions in which we grew were quite spectacular, and the near perfect vegetation of the Imperium heartland has kept our society well-sustained for millennia. I mean, I certainly can't imagine a Kylarnatian finding themselves in this sort of state..."

Silvier motioned towards the concubine, picking up the torn off arm, flinging the limb around almost carelessly. She laughed a little, before - looking directly at Enex as she did so - took a bite out of the arm herself. She felt that if it had make Enex more confident about the situation the first time around, there was no harm in doing again. Nobody ever said that diplomacy - or even just making friends - would be a straightforward thing.

"At the very least, we both stand as a strong symbol of how our people can get along, do we not?" Silvier re-approached Enex, still chewing on the meat she'd acquired off the arm.

[Unilisia]

"What a wonderful idea."

The thickly accented voice was much louder then either of the girls, and drowned out Enex's as she finished the exact same words in coincidental unison. The figure stepped into the light from the elevator, the sound of the doors announcing his presence after the fact.

"Greetings, Caesar Silvier. Fancy seeing you here at midnight feeding hour. You've made my dinner cold by distracting my mate, but that's not too big of a deal. I can tell you were having quite the discussion." His articulate, gruff voice had a strangely soothing quality, the kind you'd expect from a gentlemen who'd talked his way into and out of countless situations. Given Aerin had the be the ultimate in all that it was to be a male Unilisian, the reason that he was the Arch-Strategon was a simple one.

He was the best of the best Unilisia had to offer its ruling castes, the kind of man who worked from the poverty-stricken slums of swampy southern Cilea to the heights of Unilisian political power through sheer merit. The fact that he was spouse to the Archon would alone make him the most powerful male in the country, even if he hadn't earned the position through his long military service. But he had, and so he was even more of a demigod to the average citizen. The luxuries afforded to him would ruin a weaker mans integrity, but not him. He was the sane mind of the Directorate, acting as advisor to the deranged mastermind that was Enex. The fact that they shared a bed was at first only a political bargain, not a true relationship, but when put in situations, fate has a way of bringing two people together.

For all her faults, he loved her. And as the sane, ultimate Unilisian male, he had to keep his insane, ultimate Unilisian female mate in check.

"We do." Now slightly leaning against Aerin's muscular figure, Enex at last replied to Silvier. "You happen to be looking at the living manifestation of our species. While it is not us who will be tested, according to tradition, him and I are supposed to be the embodiment of our nation and race. I believe we've achieved that goal."

"Now is a matter of where such an experiment could take place, isn't it?" Aerin added, looking down at his wife and then to Silvier, "Luckily, this island can serve the purpose admirably. You've yet to scratch the surface."

[Kylarnatia]

"I completely agree, Arch-Strategon. In fact, I don't think it'd be too much to have the tests hosted both here and in Kylarnatia, in order to analyse how our people adapt together in changing environments also. After all, if we're prepared to go through so much effort to put our people through such tests, we might as well use all the resources we have at our disposal to create the most rigid set of test results we can."

Silvier smiled as the new face of Aerin, giving him a short but respectful bow of the head as he entered. She remembered little bits about him from the wedding of Lucille and Adriana. She could definitely tell from his appearance and mannerisms alone that he was the undisputed 'alpha male' of his people, and that came as no surprise to Silvier when she took into account that he was the spouse of the Archon. After all, why the hell would she settle for anything less? Furthermore, it seemed as if he was the best suited to deal with Enex's unique personality. Silvier felt much the same way when she considered how she was, in effect, placed in Hyperion's care. The thought made her chuckle.

"I apologise, I simply looked at the two of you and thought of my bodyguard and top general, Hyperion - I trust you remember him from the wedding? Although we in no way share the same relationship as you two do, ours is still close. He has known me since I was a few hours old, and will likely see me all the way to my death bed. I'm not the first monarch he has done that with, and I certainly won't be the last. In many respects, my nation would not be in any way the nation it is now without his continued presence. My people, although devastated when it happens, are prepared to cope with the loss of a Caesar. The loss of Hyperion? Unthinkable."

She stood solemnly for a moment, not saying a word, before realising that saying nothing for too long would only help to create an awkward silence.

"You should speak with him more often, Aerin. I believe the two of you would get along swimmingly, yet alone your combined initiatives on the battlefield would be most devastating for whoever is unlucky enough to be your enemy. He can be a bit stubborn when it comes to being social at first, but your hardened military background means he's more likely to pay interest to you than most other people. Don't you think that the pairing of Aerin and Hyperion would be an interesting one, Enex? The two alpha males of Unilisia and Kylarnatia, standing proud and tall together as they help lead our great armies to victory..."

Silvier almost made some form of dramatic, Shakespearian pose as she delivered her last line, but failed to keep a straight face for long enough. "I know that was a bit on the side of the dramatic, but there's no denying that it sounds good."

[Unilisia]

"The only issue with that, madame, is that when Enex is not running the country, someone else is, and that person is me. I'm sure I'll meet him again in the future though. Send him my regards." Aerin kissed the Caesar's hand, signalling his exit from the girls conversation as he turned and made his way towards his meal. As the sound of his feasting began, Enex walked back to the minibar, only a few feet from Silvier, refreshing her drink and offering the same for the Caesar.

Behind her Aerin was visibly, ferociously wrenching apart the concubines corpse, now dead for over ten minutes and barely warm, but still fresh enough for him to gorge himself on her musculature and tendons like a lion would a zebra. His bare arms and chest were more red then white, his skin stained with dark blood that had begun to coagulate minutes ago.

"We shall see exactly how friendly our people can become. Won't we?" The ominous undertone of her words and the glimmer in her eye revealed a sadistic enjoyment of the idea that caused the entire atmosphere of the room to change, a psychosomatic rise in temperature that they each felt as her pheromones went wild, her mind abuzz with all the possibilities of the experiments to come, the sounds of Aerin devouring a liver providing music for the occasion.

[Kylarnatia]

"We will indeed, Enex. We will indeed."

Six months later
Classified Location, Dense Jungle Marsh
The Ancient Empire of Kylarnatia, Gholgoth

It had been six months since Silvier and Enex had met, and since then no time had been wasted to prepare for the 'trials' which they had discussed. After six months, everything was now in place to begin. In a deep, humid location inside the dense jungles of central Kylarnatia, small enclosed camps were built. Basic but comfortable accommodation blocks built within the very fabric of the jungle were placed alongside massive hexagonal pits, their walls made structurally secure with the trunks of age-old trees and their roots and their ground made cold and dry with stone cut from the mountains in the far north. Trails connected to the camp also led deep into the jungle, to vast clearings where many obstacles were prepared; some living and constantly in motion.

This wasn't the only place that had been prepared for testing either. In the deep chambers of the northern mountains, the top secret facilities usually operated by the COMMAND Project had now been expanded to accommodate new test subjects. Pristine, air-tight cell blocks were designed to keep test subjects isolated while the tests were run. From above in all of these test arenas, and unbeknownst to the test subjects, they were to be observed and monitored by hundreds upon thousands of scientists, physiotherapists, psychologists - all forms of experts interested in the study of species and mankind - and their results were to be recorded and then assessed over and over again, to find the best mean and average. Of course, that was the plan that had been laid out, and there would certainly be no trials without a considerable pool of test subjects.

Silvier had devised three suitable pools of test subjects depending on the tests themselves: normal volunteers from every day civilian life in Kylarnatia, enticed to partake due to government ads which instilled a sense of a free adventure, would be used primarily for the academic and social tests - the ones particularly aimed at testing Kylarnatian and Unilisian's overall mental capacity and their general ability to get along. Select units of the Caesar's Imperial Armed Forces which were on leave were now called up, and they would partake in the physical and tactical challenges, as well as the team-building exercises with their Unilisian counterparts. Finally, doomed convicts - who had been judged as 'unfixable' by the state - would be pitted against a variety of different beasts, even Unilisians themselves, to fight to the death. There was no moral code in these experiments: the Caesar and the Archon wanted to learn everything they could about their people, to judge how compatible they could be made to be.

On top of it all, Silvier had a private chalet constructed for both Enex and herself, to reside in while all the tests were taking place. They would have the option of watching the tests in the jungles live or watching the tests in the mountains by live stream, along with the events held in Unilisia. There was nothing they wouldn't be able to observe throughout the whole affair, and it would certainly be a long one. The Caesar made sure that she and her guest would be well-supplied throughout the event, and that they would be able to enjoy the event in relative comfort. Unknown to her, however, was that they too were being observed on a psychological level to assess their own long term compatibility. Hyperion's idea.

"When will the Archon be arriving?" Silvier asked into a speaker phone, looking out across the near endless view of the camp which the private chalets long, wide windows gave her.

"Soon, my Caesar."

"Good, good."

[Unilisia]

Classified Location, Dense Jungle Marsh
The Ancient Empire of Kylarnatia, Gholgoth

Enex and her entourage were noticeably impressed by the accommodation's that had been made to the marshland. The surrounding area was as untouched of a marsh as one could find anywhere in the pristine wilds of the world, the ones that continued to grow fewer. As she was guided towards the chalet by the host, Enex looked out the long window of the hallway leading to the isolated command room and took in nearly a full birds eye view of the facilities, carved out of the ground using the least wasteful building practices possible. The hexagonal pits reminded her somewhat of ancient Unilisian tombs, lumber and cement mixed for cheap strength.

She grinned at the thought as she stepped into the room, eyes scanning around to discern its occupants and finding only Silvier and Hyperion, further back away from where the Caesar sat staring at the horizon and the panoramic view of the testing grounds.

"What do we get to watch first, my golden friend?" The Unilisian smiled a toothy grin and slowly made her way over to the Caesar, giving her a diplomatic hug as she rose to meet her, then sat down next to her to continue to appreciate the view as she waited for an answer.

[Kylarnatia]

"Well, my dear Enex, seeing as the sun is just rising over this beautiful arena..." Silvier smiled as she gestured out to the environment surrounding the chalet. The sun was indeed just rising, and as it did so the sun rays danced off the tops of the jungle trees and all the other fauna beneath it, creating quite a beautiful sea of reflecting light which brought out the true density as well as fertility of the millennia-old environment.

"...I suggest we awake some of our...tougher subjects and see how they handle a survival situation, hm? We wouldn't be true leaders if we didn't enjoy a little bloodsport in the morning." Although there was a little bit of joking in that, she wasn't lying about the fact that there would be plenty of blood involved. She was referring to her third pool of test subjects: convicts whom, if they died as a result of the tests, would likely not be missed by anyone. They were therefore the perfect sacrifice. There's no guarantee they would die, and if they didn't that would be more desirable from a results perspective, but there was every chance that they would.

"I say we start with your 'tigers'. I know that's not their exact name, but I read in the reports that it's the offhand way to describe them. It seems like in that arena, which if we move into the next room we'll get an overhead view of, there is a Kylarnatian male and a Unilisian female. Sounds like an intriguing start...Shall we go ahead and watch?"

Silvier took Enex eagerly by the hand, a devious smile across her face, as she guided her into the next room. Just like the one they were in, with one side just one long window looking down on the maze of arenas below, there was one long sofa in front of an oakwood table. On it were a variety of assortments and foods for the leaders to snack on while they watched, as well as some of their favourite beverages: for Silvier, a Caffè Marocchino, which on it had been stylised with the Imperial Phoenix in the foam (a neat trick to impress her from one of the barristers on hand, most likely), and for Enex there was Pine Tea with Scotch. Sitting down with her at the sofa, Silvier pointed towards the arena she mentioned.

"That one there. Can you see them? It should begin any minute."

It was like they were at the movies. Sadistic thing was they were preparing to watch their own people potentially get ripped to shreds, and they were excited about it.

[Unilisia]

The Pariahan banshee was a predator rarely seen outside Unilisia. As the national animal, it was an example of Unilisia's unique exotic fauna and was a symbol of Unilisian pride. There were two species, one living in the rugged unusual tundra of Unilisia's northern wastes with an elegant white pelt and graceful, frightening demeanor, and the southern swampy jungle that made up the furthest southern coastline was home to the larger, more muscular, aggressive and domineering species.

As it so happened, a member of the latter species was prowling the arena, the equivalent of one of the large, rarely seen jaguars hidden in the Amazons dark depths in its current environment. At 9 feet long, with claws at least 3 inches, it had the lean, muscular body of a ferret, with shorter fur like a tiger, and its fur was patterned brown and burgundy to match the red clay of southern Unilisia's swampland. Here, it had already rubbed into the ground and matted its fur with dead and dry vegetation and the native mud, to mask its scent, and had annihilated a small colony of hens that had been nesting in the arena. Its hunger piqued, it could smell the Kylarnatian and Unilisian pair and its interest grew when they were forced into its new domain and the air from the rooms holding them dissipated towards its massive nostrils.

The contending humanoids were each convicted criminals, chosen because of their expendable status and general hostile demeanor, and relative sizes. The Unilisian woman, a former privateer named Helena, was 6 foot 8 inches tall, 198 lbs, with long black hair and an utterly infuriated as she was tossed into the arena, screaming in Univae and thrashing around even now minutes after the door had sealed. The Kylarnatian was more calm and composed, a large man by human standards at 7 foot 2 inches tall, very muscular at 243 pounds, and once the magnetic cuffs they were confined in fell off after the two minute waiting period, he was quick to slap her a couple of times with his scarred limbs across her equally life-battered face to calm her down.

Once they were both composed and away from prying eyes, he introduced himself as Theo, said he was a convict to Helena's own admission, and the man with arm tattoo sleeves and the lanky looking woman slipped into the jungle, armed with two of the myriad sharpened four foot poles lining the roughly-assigned paths through the trees. They could hear the rumbling of an animals stomach and moved as silently as possible, the sacks tied to the rope that made up the belts of their rudimentary clothing not helping their stealth, and both were sure whatever was making the sound could hear them.

The reality was that the swamp banshee was snoozing two feet from where they were crouched, slowly inching forward past a tangle of reeds trying their best to be silent. It could smell them in its slumber, knowing they were close, but as an apex predator, its instinct informed it that it needn't worry. This specimen was also 13 years old, which made it better and worse for the two convicted individuals.

On the one hand, it was confident in its own ability to defend itself, and on the other, when it decided to arouse from its dreams of sexing another of its own kind, it would kill them swiftly by devouring their brains.