Rise {FT | Closed}

[Telros]

Sinclair nodded. "Yes sir. We are just running diagnostics and ensuring all systems are go and taking on the last of the supplies and troops. That should be finished in about two minutes."

[Arizona Nova]

Kemel nodded. "Excellent," he said. "Before we get underway, though, I wish to visit engineering. As critical as our command crew here is," he said, motioning broadly to the deep bridge, "We go nowhere and do nothing without our engineers. Carry on, bridge."

Leaving the bridge, he stepped onto the tram running down the length of the Tiberius. A massive ship, easily reaching five kilometers in length, its insides were criss-crossed by trams such as this which wound through it like a circulatory system; her computers even had multiple routines for daily routes in peacetime, wartime, and for battle conditions. The deep bridge, buried deep in the heart of the vessel, was about equidistant from the stem as the stern, so at least the journey would be relatively short. Into the low-lighted tunnels sped Kemel's tram, and within a minute it reached the bow end of the vessel, taking a straight shot, as it were, into the aft.

Disembarking, he stepped into the massive bays of engineering. The main engines propelling the Tiberius were enormous; as large as some battleships themselves, and needed a crew, both human and automated, to oversee effectively. Walking briskly toward the command office, he lightly rapped the doorway of the administrative enslosure, a durasteel wall containing a promenade, ringed with windows, which overlooked a dropoff into a vast chasm. The chasm was straddled by the primary STL firing chambers, which were enormous skeletal frameworks generated fields which contained the engine exhaust, as it passed out of the engineering section out the vast nozzles at the aft of the ship. Seemingly clamped to the outside of this framework, but leading outside, fully enclosed, were the FTL motivators, which were in truth hardly larger in circumference than a single frame of what they rested upon, but were heavily armored and sealed to protect the engineering section from radiation. All through the air of this sweltering place buzzed craft bearing crew, along with robotic drones, all visible as tiny fly-shadows flitting in the ambient red glow of the place.

. : ooc : . EDIT: Pics for the more visually inclined, to give an idea of the scale of this place; this is not ST Engineering, by a long shot.
http://anikari.zioncreation.com/MockupTibEngine.png
http://anikari.zioncreation.com/MockupTibEngine2.png
http://anikari.zioncreation.com/Blueprint.png

[Telros]

When Kemel announced his intention to go to engineering and check on the crew down there, Sinclair nodded and saluted. "Of course, your Majesty. I will inform you when we are ready to move out." Reisha also saluted and then left, heading to the Battalions quarters to get her soldiers set up and debriefed. As Kemel left the bridge, Sinclair turned and gazed at the tactical display, continuing to familiarize herself with the technology and setup. It was a good thing that they would be allies after this battle, else the Dominion would have had a good look into Anikari technology. Granted, it was six hundred years old, but it was still comparative to Dominion technology now, which said a lot.

As Kemel arrived in engineering, he would find a hive of activity, with Anikari engineers bustling to and fro, patching any holes or damage left and repairing it to full capacity, refueling the engines and ensuring the FTL drive worked. Many worked at their stations, tapping away at the holographic keys in front of them. In the administrative office, Chief Engineer Haley Adams sat looking at the reports coming in in engineering and started when she heard the rap on her door. "Jenkins, so help me, if this is about the FTL drive again, I will box your-" She opened the door to see Kemel standing there. A blush crossed her face and she coughed, letting him in. "Sorry about that, sir, I've been barraged by my people and didn't know you were coming."

[Arizona Nova]

Kemel smiled, and waved off her apology. "Perfectly alright, Chief, Adams is it?" He stepped into the office, tracing a slow walk to the main promenade which lay beyond.

"This really is an astounding vessel," he mused. "It was still in good shape even before your crew came aboard and spruced it up - it certainly looks better than ever, right about now - but for six hundred years buried beneath the landscape of Ondataru VIII no less..." he let the point hang in mid air.

Having come to the overlook windows, he rested himself upon the handrail, and gazed out at the vast canyon which yawned before him. "Astonishing, isn't it," he said, half-turning back toward Chief Adams. "Baldur was showing me the ins and outs of the ship while we were on route to Telros, and this was one of the first places we visited. My jaw nearly literally dropped," he said with a laugh. "To see something like this, on the scale of a natural formation, but knowing it was made and maintained by human hands... it's at once something to be proud of and humbled by. I can see why my great ancestor, Anandil, worked in super-scale engineering before becoming king; even something mundane can be wondrous and fearful at these scales."

Suddenly, his pocket began to beep insistently. Reaching down, he pulled out the datapad, and pondered it for a moment, then said, "My apologies, Chief Adams, but I guess I'm going to have to cut this visit short." Grasping her hand within his, he gave a firm handshake, and bid her: "God and Anikar be with you, Chief," and swept back out of the room, as unobtrusively as he came.

-=Deep Bridge of the Tiberius

“A message came for you sir,” said Artemis dubiously, as Kemel stepped onto the bridge.

“From who?” asked Kemel curiously.

She looked from Mars, to Baldur, then said, with a sigh, “from the Ersatzregie.”

Kemel visibly tensed at the mention of that name, and asked stiffly,. “Now they’re in a mood for talking? How very august of them.”

“To hell with them,” groused Mars. “They’ve clearly proven their intent.”

“Perhaps,” said Baldur, grasping his chin. “Yet we know nothing of their motives; why they have been so intent on your line, Kemel, is something that’d be worth knowing.”

“There are other mysteries too,” said Artemis. “I’ve been pinging random sensor buoyies in the old Empire, and been seeing very unusual activity, specifically in the area of the Imperial Core. They’re not trying so hard to hide anymore; in some places it certainly looks like they’re assembling small fleets.”

“A dialog with them, as distasteful as that may seem to you, Kemel, could yield valuable answers to us.”

“Wait, a dialog…” said Kemel. “What is in this message?”

Baldur sighed. “They wish to meet with you on Varanar.”

“They?” said Kemel incredously.

“The Conclave of the Ersatzregie,” said Baldur. “Its very leadership. All parties unarmed of course.”

“How could we ever trust them to keep their word?” said Kemel exasperatedly. “Varanar? Where’s that?”

“It’s a system in the Outworlds,” said Mars. “Formerly named Quantus. Where Arizona Nova and Arenumberg had their first contact, and laid the foundation of the Sornei Empire to come.”

“Which is another important matter,” said Artemis. “I’ve been paging regional shipping manifests for the past century for the Perseus Arm, and Varanar has figured; not prominently at any rate, but enough to make a difference. It seems to have retained at least a little of the old glimmer of Arizona Novanian and Sornei civilization, and independently dealt with regional powers much larger than it on a somewhat equal footing. Getting their support is going to be vital to reconstituting your empire, and it won’t be a task that merely showing up with a sword will manage.”

“If they’ve remained as active as the flighty damsel says,” said Mars darkly, “They’ve also no doubt trafficked with the Ersatzregie as well.”

“So we’re being lead into a trap,” said Kemel.

“Not necessarily,” said Artemis with some annoyance. “At the very least the Varanari have not publically shown their support for the Ersatzregie, even now. I’ve just started browsing old newsfeeds as well,” she said, drifting off, “And from a cursory glance, I’m not too sure that they’ve ever been seen to really openly support anyone – asides from themselves. Some Arenumbergian publications are particularly deleterious where Varanar is concerned.”

“So they’re fetishists of neutrality,” scoffed Mars. “There are few things I despise in this galaxy more than that kind of behavior. Loyal enemies and despicable foes alike, one knows where they stand, but their sort is as infirm as quicksand. Must we deal with them?”

“Whether we do so now or not is irrelevant,” said Baldur gravely. “We will eventually, and doing so earlier instead of later will serve us better in the long run.”

“All this still brings us back to the principal matter,” said Kemel. “That of the Ersatzregie.”

“Obviously if they want to meet in person,” said Baldur. “They have to have some plan in mind for us. They have all the advantages of intelligence here; we have comparatively little. Our goals are fairly transparent; theirs are not. What do they need to know of us? What could they possibly gain through face-to-face dialog that they could not over distance messaging?”

“So there is obviously bait on this hook,” said Kemel. “Why bite?”

“Well, some of the traditional reasons,” said Artemis. “Face-to-face interaction will betray characteristics; one’s courage, fortitude, and determination. They will want to read you – indeed, all of us I imagine – and test your mettle. Determine if you are, in fact, worth worrying about as a foe.”

“That seems uselessly elaborate,” said Kemel.

“The Ersatzregie seems to fancy uselessly elaborate plots,” tutted Artemis. “As long as we try and keep that to our advantage, we’ll be able to come out on top.”

“So what’s your plan then?”

“To call their bluff,” said Baldur. “And come armored of course. That wasn’t forbidden.”

“That’s just tempting them to show up in power armor with integral ‘reactive defense’ systems that just happen to be able to level a city block,” said Kemel exasperatedly.

“So we don’t mention we’re coming armored,” said Baldur with equal impatience. “When you’re the one showing up in power armor they’ll be put off base, regardless of the fairness of doing so. If they come in something just as good, then we’ll be on equal footing; if they don’t, then we can intimidate them. Don’t act like our fleet isn’t going to be overflowing with some of the best armor of the Sornei era either,” he said, anticipating Kemel’s next protest. “Our holds are bursting with it.”

“Alright, so we have all that then,” said Kemel defensively. “We’re still offering ourselves as a worm on a hook.”

“Yet you forget that the fish is also deadly vulnerable,” said Baldur. “His head is, after all, drawing in all around you. We park some insurance in the gravity well of Varanar’s moon, and make sure the head doesn’t bite down so eagerly.”

“This is asking for trouble,” said Kemel.

“For my part, I agree with the king,” said Mars. “Yet you two’ve always been more adept at these frivolous stratagems then I. I will play along, if he agrees to go forward with your little game.”

“Well, Kemel?” asked Artemis, fixing Kemel intently with her deep, uncanny eyes. “Shall we try this?”

“Yes,” he said. “Yet it is mad.”

“That’s what we’re counting on,” said Baldur. “I doubt the Ersatzregie seriously expect us to accept. It will probably come as something of a shock to them when you do, so the key is to keep that ball rolling. The more we can upset them, the greater a chance that they will make a fatal mistake, and swing wide, allowing us to zero in.”

“If you say so,” said Kemel. “Notify Fleet Command, and tell our Telrosian retainers to prepare for launch. Do we have any vessels with inhibitors installed?”

“If there isn’t some tactical widget that hasn’t been installed on the Tiberius by now, then I am numskull,” guffawed Mars.

[Arizona Nova]

-=High orbit around the first moon of the Principality of Varanar, one month later

Skirting up to the very boundary of Varanar’s sensor nets at lightspeeds, the main fleet doused their power while the Tiberius steamed ahead, throwing out active sweeps and generally doing everything it could to preoccupy the grid on Varanar while the rest took up their position in the moon’s gravity shadow. Upon sending out their greetings to the Varanari government, they received a cheerful greeting in response, one which noted that they were the first of the two parties to arrive at the conference. Kemel thought that strange, but decided to seize upon it as a golden opportunity to open a dialog with the rulers of Varanar – from what he could surmise, an oligarchy of dukes, with grand lineages – and titles to match – stretching all the way back to the Sornei era.

“Greetings, lords, and lady” said Kemel. “I am very pleased to be making your august acquaintances,” he said, with a bow.

The four nodded approvingly. An old man standing at the lead of them spoke first. “And we yours, young man. Let us introduce ourselves. I am Grand Duke Verdegris, and the other old man to my left is Grand Duke Denalion, and the intimidating fellow to my right is Grand Duke Harrison, and the lovely young lady is our newly ascended Grand Duchess Altraia.”

“Verdegris,” said Altraia with some exasperation. “You’ve gone and introduced us all again. It’s most impolite.”

“My apologies,” chuckled Verdegris. “I’m so used to introducing my various attendants to all yours, I tend to forget the proper form for when we’re all standing together before the heads of other states. My apologies, dear Altraia.”

“Regardless,” said Duke Harrison officiously, “I think it would be meet to discuss the reason for this young Lord Kemel’s visit to our world.”

“Oh hold your horses, Harrison,” said Verdegris. “Let the poor lad catch his breath,” he said, giving Kemel an apprising eye.

“No, that is why I’ve called this meeting with you,” said Kemel firmly. “I’m sure you all know by now why I’m here.”

“If you insist,” said Verdegris slyly. “And yes, we are aware of just who it is you’re meeting. You know you’re all but giving them an axe too; your head is on the chopping block.”

“I take it you’re not the biggest fan of the Ersatzregie either,” said Kemel.

Denalion’s face took on a pained expression. “For heaven’s sakes, son…”

“Oh come off it,” scoffed Verdegris, glaring at Denalion. “Saying their name isn’t going to call down thunder and lightning on you.”

Kemel said nothing, but gave a small nod. Unless this was a very elaborate act, they were not colluding with the Ersatzregie, and if anything, they feared those devils as much as he did.

Verdegris seemed to read the import of Kemel’s observation, and continued: “Yes, so we are a bit jumpy where those ghoulish fellows are concerned. All the more reason to find out why you’re bringing their Conclave here.”

“Who told you it was the Conclave?” demanded Kemel.

“We have our sources,” said Altraia, fixing him with a hard, but impassive stare.

“The point is, you’re making a very high stakes gamble here. I’ve personally nothing against gambling; a great part of my fortune rests on casinos, in fact, but those establishments tend not to leave dead bodies in their wake when things go amiss,” said Verdegris. “Well, most of the time anyway. They certainly haven’t lead to decimated worlds, or exploded stars, both things I’m fairly certain the Ersatzregie has dabbled in.”

“Truth be told, we didn’t find out who you were bringing until you were two weeks out from Telros,” said Harrison. “I for one was not pleased at all when I found out, and mark my words, if you lot so much as blow up a building on Varanar…”

“Harrison, there is no need to be so melodramatic,” said Verdegris. “But he has a point. Whether you survive the encounter with them or not, I don’t doubt something is going to get demolished along the way. By all rights, I should send the lot of you down to the projects; might as well spark some ‘urban renewal’ if all that is bound to happen.”

“Varanar will not be harmed,” said Kemel firmly. “You saw my vessel incoming; it will be our insurance against the Ersatzregie.”

“Five kilometers, stem to stern,” said Verdegris. “One of the Elissa class; a beautiful and powerful prize to be sure. Yet you’ve no idea what the Ersatzregie will be packing.”

“Do you know?” Kemel challenged Verdegris.

“Normally, I’d charge for such information,” he retorted. “For you, I’ll make an exception. How good is your history, boy?”

“It’s gotten me this far,” said Kemel. “What’s the riddle?”

“A great ship is like a great sword,” said Verdegris. “We name them, prize them, keep them clean, entrust our lives to their strength. Your Tiberius is a great ship to be sure; less sung of, yes, but only because it has been less tested than its peers; an elegant longsword, still fresh in its scabbard. Yet what the Ersatzregie wields is a sword that, while newer-forged, has been far more battle-tested, and drawn an ocean of blood; it is as a great, dreadful claymore, and I do not doubt it will shatter your blade.”

“A claymore to a longsword,” said Kemel. “Not an Elissa class then. The Fist of the Empress? That’s impossible; it was destroyed at Carvinia. The ancestors of my people at Rhuckh are drawn from the remnants of her crew.”

“Ha, not the Fist, boy; had they that, they would have made all old Arizona Nova bend knee ages ago. I speak of the Kaltarak, the vessel whose forging helped spark the Sornei Civil War in the first place.”

“That is a great ship,” said Kemel. “Greater indeed than the Tiberius. Even so, its greatest guns are the same caliber as the Tiberius’s; the Kaltarak simply has more of them.”

“Then you’d best hope size truly doesn’t matter, then,” said Verdegris.

Kemel’s datapad lit up; it had received a signal from the Tiberius. The Ersatzregie was here.

“It’s time,” said Kemel.

“Oh well,” said Verdegris. “It was nice meeting you all the same. Hopefully you’ll be in good enough shape after this that we can do so again some time.”

“I intend to be,” said Kemel determinedly.

“Remember your promise,” warned Harrison. “Not a scratch upon Varanar.”

“Not a scratch, lords and lady,” said Kemel, nodding to Altraia. “Where is the meeting place?”

“The Talon Dome,” said Verdegris. “A little ways north of here. It is an old elven temple, built during the original elven settlements, which we’ve since converted into the administrative center for this part of the continent. There are meeting rooms available. At least if you knock that over, we’ll have an excuse to put up something with modern plumbing and wiring.”

-=The Talon Dome, Varanar

The dome stood prominently within a great square; a seemingly contradictory combination of the aesthetics of classical architecture with that of the soaring aspect of gothic. From its base to its top, it was tubular in shape; no squat box rested at its foundation to support the weight of the dome. It was less a building, than a gigantic shell, surmounted by soaring minarrettes.

Yet, standing as it was, it looked rather naked to Kemel as he approached its shadow; empty alcoves hinted that, when it was first built, it was intended to be surrounded by trees and have trees incorporated into its design, to be less a dome and more an island in a sea of green. The growth of human cities around it, though, had cut away that aspect, leaving the dome and its towers jutting out of the landscape like white bones instead, stark reminders of the lost past.

His delegation, consisting of himself, Artemis, Mars, Baldur, Jormungand, and by request, Verdegris, passed through the doors of the pointed, elaborately worked arch of the dome’s main entrance, and into the old temple. Passing newer additions; offices constructed after the building of the dome, the group came to the end of the hallway and to the central rotunda of the dome.

Looking up, Kemel could see scenes of elven history from time out of mind painted upon the ceiling; legends more remote and lost than even ancient Anikari history. He wondered if the obscuring additions had been built to shut out the scenes playing out overhead; they would be constant reminders of the shoulders upon which all the current greats of Varanar stood.

The tramp and distinctive size of Kemel’s armor drew many stares as he walked toward the center of the dome, as he looked upon its ceiling.

“The board room I’ve selected should be in the hallway to the left,” said Verdegris, pointing to a hallway that was placed at an obtuse angle to the main entry hall.

“Here it is,” said Verdegris, as the group drew near to an unassuming wooden door. Nondescript text on the glazed glass announced “Executive Board Room,” a plain sounding place for a meeting upon which the fate of this sector depended.

The door opened with a slight creak belying its age, and walking in Kemel caught sight of the Ersatzregie delegation. Of the four, two of them were seated, and one in the back had turned the back of his chair to face the door.

Pfft, typical, Kemel thought to himself.

The two standing on the right of the figure sitting away from the door, were clad in long, black robes, which draped down onto the floor, their faces obscured by great hoods. They clucked disapprovingly at Kemel.

“And here I thought we agreed, no armaments, and in you come tramping with that ancient old suit of power armor,” said the one closest.

“There isn’t a gun or blade on it,” said Kemel, leaving it at that.

“Well,” said man the seated to the left of the central figure, who was himself clad in a piece of martial leather armor, “It’s still terribly impolite of you. What says ‘I don’t trust you’ more than wearing some powered armor to a diplomatic summit?” He fiddled with the pins and boards signifying his rank; obviously something immense. “It’s starting us off on the wrong foot, I should say.”

“Enough already,” said Mars. “You’ve summoned us here for a reason. Let us get down to it.”

“If you insist,” said a demure voice, floating up from the turned chair. “It doesn’t matter to me if he’s in power armor or same stark naked.”

The chair turned around, revealing a man in a toga, crowned by a laurel wreath. He looked down a prominent nose at Kemel with beady eyes.

Kemel heard a gasp from behind him, and did a slight turn to look at his retinue. Mars’s face was pale with barely suppressed rage and disbelief, while Artemis and Baldur had recoiled somewhat, their faces masks of horror.

The seated man laughed aloud. “Mars! Artemis! And good old Baldur! What a pleasant surprise to see you all here!” he said, his face nearly splitting with mirth. “It has been too long. How is Athena doing? Well I hope?”

“Never speak that name again!” growled Mars. “You, you traitorous scum! How dare you… how dare…”

“Mars, ever the gifted orator,” said the seated man wryly. “Yet the young man here hasn’t been introduced to me!” He got up, and slowly paced over to where Kemel was standing, looking up at him with a smile. “I don’t know if you know who I am, friend, but my name is Julius,” he said, extending his hand.

“Don’t touch him!” said Baldur to Kemel.

“How rude,” said Julius, giving Baldur a warning glare.

“Kemel, I’d figured the Ersatzregie delegation would be dangerous, but this…”

“I know who it is,” said Kemel, looking down upon Julius appraisingly. “He’s the digisape who attacked Anikar, and drove her mad, and helped decimate Arizona Prime.”

Julius took on a pained expression. “Oh do we really need to dig up those old tales? It was a thousand years ago, and they all seemed like good ideas at the time.”

“Monster!” bellowed Mars. “There is more blood on your hands than almost any murderer since time immemorial, you rampant scum!”

“I tried to ask Fate to have some restraint, but you know how she is,” he said wistfully, shrugging his right shoulder.

“Loathe as I am to say it,” said Kemel, “He is right, and it is irrelevant. But I AM interested in knowing just what on the Devil’s black void you’re doing here, now.”

“Oh,” said Julius, perking right back up as he addressed Kemel. “Well, after the fight with Monopoly, Fate decided to go skipping off somewhere to plot some more. My heart wasn’t really in it, though, so I ended up leaving her service. I bounced around the subsystems of ships for a while, picking up and modifying subroutines here and there. I remember there was this one Otagian merchant vessel I managed to set up so it would be locked into maneuvering in a big circle, permanently. I got into such shenanigans!”

“Get to the point,” warned Baldur.

“Fine,” said Julius, somewhat hurt. “Well, surely enough, I ended up back around here about eight centuries ago or so. There wasn’t much happening on old Arizona Prime, of course; just the constant scrabble of the robotic drones infesting the whole place; really boring company, if you ask me. So I started poking around the asteroid belt, and sooner or later I found that people were living on the things. Not just any people either! Arizona Novanian Black Operations, though by then Arizona Nova was Ilë Sornë etc. etc. They were just going about their business, plotting and puppeteering, as per usual. I’d met some of them before the business with Anikar, really stand up folks, once you get to know them.”

The man on the left snorted derisively, and Julius gave him a sour look before continuing.

“So yes, I was there for the latter half of the Sornei era, anyway. Watched as those tricksy Nobuseri wrecked up the orbital stargates, and as Anikar managed to yet again worm her way back into power, somehow more overpowered than ever. Then I watched as the whole bloody affair imploded in on itself during the Civil War. What a ghastly affair!”

He began to pace up and down the room. “So you all know the background… the state collapses, the Second Treaty of Unification is repudiated, but then, something magical happened. Anikar left. I only got the news probably a couple years after the fact, but still; you can’t expect these sorts of news items to travel very fast these days, right? But I was still overjoyed all the same. Finally, a chance for the Anikari people to strike out on their own…”

“What do you mean, strike out on their own?” demanded Kemel.

“Isn’t it obvious?” asked Julius. “Your civilization has always been hunched in her shadow, cronies to the machinations of one of the most arrogant, self-absorbed minds in history. You think I don’t know her? Boy, I spent a few months poking around her grey matter as I tried to merge her consciousness with an embryonic digisape mainframe. I literally knew her inside and out!”

He stopped, and fixed Kemel with an intent stare, resting his hand on his chin. “I saw her for what she was, Kemel; a megalomaniac of the first order. I’m sure your history has put me down as someone who was trying to usurp her power, but that was never my goal. I simply intended to negate her influence. Her goals were selfish, through and through, and she could never be allowed to succeed. The destruction of Arizona Prime was simply another badly thought out attempt at doing the same.”

“Yet,” he continued, “Though she was gone, her influence remained. Imagine my horror and disgust when I began to absorb reports that not only was a heretical form of worship of her emerging within the lapsed state of Rhuckh, but the royal family she had adopted had survived as well.”

“That royal family is my family,” said Kemel heatedly. “You’ve been harassing – killing us – for ages now!”

“Hold your peace,” said Julius, stretching his palm toward Kemel. “And try and see this from my viewpoint. For all I knew, your entire line was mere meat puppets for her will; mortal vessels imbued with her mind, much as the embryonic mainframe had been. That is partly why I summoned you here today; it could never hurt to check and see if that’s in fact the case.”

“Really?” asked Kemel. “What’s the verdict then?”

“Too soon to tell,” said Julius, eyeing Kemel. “Anikar also certainly had an overriding love of bulky power armor, so that’s not exactly a point in your favor.”

“Don’t listen to him, Kemel,” urged Artemis, “He’s a proven rampant. There have been few worse than he!”

“I’m hurt, Artemis,” he said sadly. “I thought we were here to negotiate, and not merely call names.”

“Enough of this stupid banter!” barked the man on the left. “We’re not here so you can make verabal shenanigans, digisape.”

“Pengrave,” warned Julius, gritting his teeth.

“We’ve a mission here, and a purpose, and I tire of this back and forth. Boy,” he addressed Kemel. “I have something to tell you.”

Kemel turned, and faced this Pengrave. “Yes?”

“Kemel,” he said gravely. “I am your father.”

Silence reigned in the room. “W-what?” asked Kemel incredulously.

“No dumbass,” laughed the man. “Thank God, I’ve never actually been to Rhuckh in person. But now that I’ve got your full attention, I think it’s high time I introduced myself,” he said, motioning to himself. “My name is Arthur Pengrave, and I am the Commander of Black Operations, formerly of Arizona Nova, formerly of Ilë Sornë, etc. etc.”

Kemel blinked, and said, “A pleasure, Mr. Pengrave.”

“You’re obviously wondering why it seems I’ve thrown in with this lunatic here,” he said, motioning at Julius contemptuously, “And been so intent on killing you. The answer is a hell of a lot simpler than you think, so I’ll give it to you straight: why not? Since day one of our operations that’s basically been our number two guideline, and it’s been how I’ve run ship from zero A.C.E. to the present.”

“Zero… that would make you…”

“Yeah sure whatever,” said Arthur, with a dismissive wave. “Instead of letting you sputter about my age or ask about what the number one guideline is, it’s this: protect the Arizona Novanian polity from all threats, foreign and domestic. In two thousand years, while the nation we protect has been piling up mountains of laws and elaborate treaties, these two guidelines is what Black Operations has and continues to act upon, even after being absorbed by the malevolent German-speaking massive conspiracy now opposing you.”

“How is trying to murder me protecting the state?” demanded Kemel.

“It’s complicated, kid,” said Arthur dismissively. “You act as if our sole purpose has been to hound you constantly. In truth, I’ve just had two rookies sitting on the assignment for the past few centuries. They’re doing a shitty job, to tell you the truth. No, you need to look a bit farther afield to see where we’ve really been working.”

“The Felsen Belt, assembling a warfleet, you mean?” retorted Kemel.

“Oh, so that old bastard sape Kertai did show you all that then,” crowed Arthur. “Don’t look so surprised. The rookies, to their credit, did manage to connect those dots in advance of this meeting. Now, would it surprise you to know that the big scary warfleet you saw in Felsen was recently here, above this very planet?”

Arthur nodded, and continued: “Yes, hanging in orbit right above this very city. Yet, we weren’t burning villages or bombing orphans or anything, if you’d believe it. In fact, we were annihilating the Kareemi pirates, after they basically demanded the Grand Dukes bend over and take it while they raped and pillaged the planet.”

“That’s not all though,” he said, beginning to pace himself, now. “I can’t count on my two hands the number of times we’ve interceded to save some ungrateful, ignorant, superstitious hellhole from certain destruction. Not just pirates either; all kinds of scum and lifeforms, from your slaver to your genocidal xenoform; we’ve met and killed them all.”

Now standing on the head of the table, he leaned down and looked Kemel straight in the eye, his expression steely. “So in the grand scheme of things, boy, don’t take it so damn personally if we’ve tried to kill you a few times. Your life is the least you owe us.”

“Pengrave!” shouted Julius, his face red. “Enough of the ‘you can’t handle the truth!’ shtick! You accuse me of theatrics…”

“Well look at what you’re wearing, you clown,” scoffed Arthur.

“Fool, if I told you once I told you a thousand times…” he paused, and looked at Kemel. “So yes, he neglects to mention a few other things we’ve done," his eyes glinting malevolently. "You know why the fleet collapsed, Kemel, bringing about the ruin of Ilë Sornë? Everyone began to run out of fuel, and all that? Who do you think closed the refineries? Misdirected the ships, issuing confusing orders?”

“Wait, what…” started Kemel.

“What are you doing, imbecile,” growled Arthur.

“Just giving him the whole truth,” said Julius. “It’s a bit disingenuous, the way you’re going about it. There is so much more,” he said, turning to address Kemel again. “You really have no idea how deep this rabbit hole goals.”

“What my insane friend means to imply,” said Arthur tersely, “Is that we’ve got our fingers in many pies, and many puppets on strings, going all the way back to the founding of this nation, over two-thousand years ago. We’ve never lost steam since.”

“There is no hope of victory,” said Julius. “Even if the Kaltarak wasn’t poised to make a jump into this system, on my mark.”

Kemel bit down on his teeth to pen in an exclamation. “So you’re threatening me at a diplomatic summit,” he said steadily. “Somehow, not a surprise.”

“Au contraire,” said Julius. “Besides, you’re the one who came here in power armor, and brought your own coreship to the party. You can’t blame me for having a sound insurance policy as well.”

“What do you want?” asked Kemel, his voice flat and hostile.

“I want you to come back with us,” said Julius. “Like I said, we need to figure some things out about you.”

Kemel rolled his eyes. “You’re kidding me. You’re prepared to blackmail me with military force after trying to kill me, and expect me to come with you peacefully?”

“You see, I never thought of it as a choice, in your case,” said Julius with a wicked gleam in his eye. “The bit of Anikar that endures with you, your ancestors, and all your potential progeny cannot be suffered to endure. It must be removed; whether from you… or along with you.”

“You will do no such thing,” snarled Grand Duke Verdegris. “You are both guests on my soil, and I will not suffer having anyone kidnapped on my watch.”

“Ah, Verdegris,” said Julius. “Please, please don’t act like you of all people don’t owe me any favors.”

“Stow it, madman,” said Verdegris. “My point stands. You do this thing at your own peril.”

“Then we won’t take him here,” said Julius acidly. “Your pompous ideas of Varanari jurisdiction ends at the void, however. Now please, do get back with the rest and let the important people talk.”

“I think your open contempt is proof enough of your intent,” said Kemel. “I will not go with you, willingly, and if you open fire on me here or in space, I will make you regret it.”

“I’m sure you will,” said Julius angrily, “Damned scion of Anikar! I have lived since your farthest ancestors were being saved by Admiral Kelt from the Shivans, and I will go on until the very stars themselves gutter and go out. You will be removed!”

“We were getting on so well,” said Arthur, getting up, as the Ersatzregie delegation slowly, cautiously drew near the group. “You had to go and ruin it, digisape.”

“Run!” yelled Artemis.

Scooping up Artemis’s and Mars’s avatars, Kemel and the rest barreled back out of the room into the hallways of the Talon Dome. Verdegris split off from the group right away.

“I will alert the Home Guard!” he yelled back after them. “You, get back to your ship as soon as you can, I’m sure the Ersatzregie is on its way!”

“You’ll regret this old man!” cursed Julius after Verdegris’s retreating back.

Kemel, clutching Artemis and Mars, sprinted with Jormungand and Baldur to the exit, and burst out into the sunlight and tumult of the square.

“I have a clear signal,” said Artemis. “The Tiberius has been alerted, along with the main fleet. They are deploying patrols and arranging a rendezvous at this point,” she said, projecting a map from one of her fingertips, pointing in the general direction of the rendezvous.

The crowds parted before Kemel as he pounded along on the pavement, Baldur and Jormungand hot on his heels, with the Ersatzregie not far behind. A dart whizzed past Kemel’s ear, narrowly missing grazing him.

“Deploy your helmet!” gasped Artemis. Obliging, Kemel popped up the metal shield and visor, which encircled his head immediately.

“I think this suit has hardware for holding a digisape,” said Artemis. “Yes, it’s the right model; hold on.”

Her form began to blur and liquefy as it lost its normal appearance, as the mass of nanites composing her avatar broke apart and flowed into the suit. A few moments later, Artemis’s voice echoes inside Kemel’s helmet: “There we go. Projecting the street map onto your HUD, along with everyone else’s relative position.”

“Does this thing have jump jets or something?” asked Kemel.

“Everything but,” said Artemis sadly. “Duck into this building coming up on your right and go out the west entrance, it will save us some time.”

Past a number of extremely confused tenants and onlookers, Kemel and his retinue dashed, disappearing as quickly as they came. On Artemis’s instructions he weaved in and out of buildings, raising Cain but at the same time losing his pursuers a little bit more with each shortcut. By the time he got to the rendezvous point, they were no longer visible.

“A shuttle is on the spoke, ETA five seconds,” said Artemis. “Good job, my lord.”

“It was quite a jog,” said Kemel, panting.

“Overall. You did well; I think the revelations that came out today might have drove a lesser person crazy. You managed to evade the Ersatzregie traps, though, and possibly earned a strong ally to your cause in the process. Ah, there is the shuttle.”

The “shuttle,” in truth a slightly refinished Cinder Block dropship, came just short of crashing full on into the square as it slammed into the ground flat, its back hatches bursting open, to reveal a crew beckoning wildly for the retinue to get on board. Obliging, the three of them clambered onto the old craft, and the doors just as quickly crashed back together and locked, and with a mighty roar the vessel’s nose went vertical and it shot once more into the sky.

[Arizona Nova]

. : ooc : . {Battle Music}

-=ANSS Tiberius, high orbit of Varanar

“What’s our status?” said Kemel, as he jogged onto the deep bridge.

Coalescing from a cloud of nanites flowing out of a nearby conduit, Artemis answered, “Operational readiness, but the Kaltarak is just about on top of us.”

“No stand-off?” scoffed Mars. “Julius is a bit confident today.”

“Too confident,” said Kemel coolly. “Doesn’t he know we have FTLi? He won’t be able to cruise back out, if he needs to.”

“He’s not counting on having to run,” said Baldur. “You’ve gotten him angry. He’s throwing it all in on this one.”

“I think it’s time we put down our full house, then,” said Kemel. “Get me engineering status and fire control on the phone, and get our sleeper fleet into position. We’ll be hammer, and they’ll be the anvil, and between the two of us, we will conquer him.”

“Engineering reports green across the board,” said Artemis.


-=The Kaltarak

Julius stormed forward with his retinue, including Arthur, to the deep bridge at the heart of the Kaltarak, his foul mood wrote upon his face.

“Must you always be such an ass,” asked Arthur in exasperation.

“Must you?” hissed Julius in response. “With your braggadocio and your sailor-cursing…”

“It serves a purpose, and old habits die hard. One doesn’t try to infiltrate the Central Facehuggerian navy and not come out of it with some, let me tell you.”

“Leave your moldy stories,” rasped Julius as they turned the corner into the deep bridge. “Where are they?” he asked the ensign.

“Oh don’t act like you can’t and haven’t looked yourself,” tutted Arthur.

Ignoring him, Julius looked to the ensign, who said: “About a planet-side quadrant away, in terms of orbit. They’re not attempting to break.”

“Get the guns online,” said Julius. “I want that ship destroyed.”

“Destroyed?” said Arthur, frowning. “That vessel is property of the Arizona Novanian government. I want it captured.”

“Arthur!” hissed Julius, bringing up his pointer finger to the man’s face. “I have a chance – now, personally, not through your idiot lackeys – to finish this once and for all, to ensure a free destiny for your ungrateful race. Stop trying to sabotage me!”

“It doesn’t change the fact that the ship is not only a prime military asset but an architectural and cultural treasure,” said Arthur, standing his ground. “Only six ever built. I’m not going to reduce it to a debris field because of your vendetta.”

“You think ion cannons are going to do anything but annoy it then?” asked Julius in exasperation. “It’ll have to be a boarding fight, and it’ll be as internally messy as anything I’d do to its exterior. Either way, you’d be getting a wreck!”

-=ANSS Tiberius

As he watched the looming, dark shape of the Kaltarak swing into view, Kemel coolly hovered his hand over the link with the shadowed fleet.

“Their batteries are leveling sir,” said Artemis, somewhat nervously.

“Just a little more…” he said. “Now, fire up the FTLi!”

The generators port and starboard of the ship hummed to life.

-=Kaltarak

“Sir,” intoned one of the ensigns, “The Tiberius has begun generating an inhibitor field! We won’t be able to engage our hyperfold drives or our standard drives.”

Julius smirked, and shook his head. “The fool, where does he come off thinking we’re the ones being trapped? He’s outgunned and out-shipped on a three-to-one ratio…” Suddenly, his face took on a pallor. “Start active sweeps of Varanar’s moon; all possible frequencies!”

-=ANSS Tiberius

“He’s pinging the moon, sir!” said Artemis.

“All batteries, open fire!” said Captain Sinclair.

-=Kaltarak

The vessel shuddered under the Tiberius’s furious opening volley.

“Report!” snarled Julius.

“Shields holding at eight-five percent sir…”

“Damn him,” breathed Julius. “He’ll fare no be-“

“Sir!” cut off the ensign, “Multiple contacts flaring up in the gravity shadow of Varanar’s moon! Over seventy count!”

“NO!” Julius screamed, shaking with rage as the realization dawned on him. “Damn him, God damn him! WE’RE THE ONES IN THE TRAP!”

-=ANSS Tiberius

The answering salvo of the fell Kaltarak was, however, all the stronger.

“Shields holding at sixty percent,” said Baldur. “We need to get those guns disabled now, we’re not going to hold out long against that!”

“Engineering!” said Jessica steadily. “Roll the ship ninety degrees, and prepare to dive under the bow of the Kaltarak. Fire control, give me everything you've got, but work on taking out their heavy energy weapons while you throw every ion and disruptor we have at those main guns!”

“Sir, that’s a very provocative gesture,” warned Baldur. “They might get desperate.”

“That’s what I’m counting on,” said Jessica. “We need to even the odds, and distract them long enough for the boarding craft to arrive. Besides, I don’t need all twenty of those couched MAC turrets firing on us all at once; I think cutting the number they can use down to ten while keeping all eight of ours firing is a pretty good step in that direction.”

-=Kaltarak

“They’re rolling under us sir!” said the ensign. “They’ve basically taken half our guns off the plate without even firing a shot!”

“Then roll with them!” barked Julius.

“It’s no use,” said Arthur, as he cradled his chin. “Their ship is a third the size and a third the mass of ours. We roll ninety, and they just lure us into a circle-strafe that ends with us completely fucked up and them with nary a scratch. There’s your damned three-to-one ratio right out the window, and that’s not even accounting for the seventy ships rapidly bearing down on us!”

As Julius continued to sputter, trying desperately to dig up some stratagem to use, Arthur continued: “It’s no damn use, Julius. Ignoring the fact that the Kaltarak was designed to tank engagements with a supporting fleet, instead of solo operations like this, to make matters worse he has a ship that can outmaneuver us, enough collective, live-fire combat experience between Artemis, Mars, Baldur and Jormungand and whoever else from Telros to fight just about anyone, and then all the tactics and worst-case scenarios we predicted right at his fingertips, and what should be our support fleet bearing down on us as we speak. This fight was over before it even begun.”

Julius’s eyes flashed as he turned on Arthur. “Whose side are you on, anyway?”

“My country’s,” said Arthur stubbornly. “I’ve only suffered you because, early on, you were able to unlock some of our oldest secrets with that digisape brain of yours. Now, you’re just playing Captain Ahab as the Goddam white whale is preparing to blow this ship wide open. I think your usefulness is just about run out.”

“That digisape brain of mine,” said Julius, a deranged smile cracking his face. “It IS handy, isn’t it.”

“You bastard,” said Arthur as the realization of Julius’s rampancy hit him, all too late.

“Don’t worry, Pengrave,” said Julius, as his avatar began to dissolve, and slide into the ship’s main network. “I’m cutting life support, but I won’t vent the oxygen right away. It’s so much more satisfying to see you miserable creatures squirm and gasp first, anyway.”

“Isolate comms!” shouted Arthur to the deck crew.

Quickly, physical charges rigged to command override isolated the communications circuitry from the rest of the ship’s network.

“Open a channel to the Tiberius!” instructed Arthur.

A long beep signified the acceptance of the call. “Lord Kemelzar!” said Arthur. “I’m personally prepared to discuss terms with you, but it appears my digisape friend has mutinied, and grabbed control of the rest of the ship. Life support is failing, so if you’d hurry, I’d be obliged.”

A long crackle of static followed, as one of the Kaltarak’s deck guns turned and fired at the main communications array, vaporizing it.

-=ANSS Tiberius

“Julius has seized control of the Kaltarak then?” asked Kemel.

“It looks like,” said Artemis. “Seeing as he’s taking life support offline, I’ve no doubt he’s working on taking down the inertial dampeners as well. Once he’s done that, the ship will be able to make much tighter turns than it could before.”

“But it’ll smash everyone inside against a wall,” said Jessica darkly.

“More or less,” said Artemis sadly. “And probably destroy the internal infrastructure of the ship, in time.”

“Why didn’t we make ships designed to operate independently in the first place?” Kemel asked, puzzled.

“Because your forefathers rather wisely surmised that creating a permanent digisape underclass tasked with dying for their country, while simultaneously giving them all the guns, would be a foolish endeavor,” said Baldur sagely.

“Fair enough,” said Kemel.

Jessica ordered, “Fire control! Concentrate everything we’ve got on their engines; let’s not give Julius the ability to start jerking the Kaltarak around.”

-=Kaltarak

Julius was wasting far too many cycles on the matter of the inertial dampeners. The vessel’s designers had wisely surmised that the best survival of the ship and crew depended on their continuous and invisible functioning, beyond the control of anyone on ship to shut down, only monitor. Its maintenance pathways – the digital ones anyway – were arcane and convoluted, and of course all the source documents were back at home ports, and not kept on ship.

He was coordinating the guns much better than the clumsy human controllers had, though, and the Tiberius was beginning to take a proper beating; but then, a concerted strike by them took down the shields around his engines.

How did they know I was going for the dampeners? he thought to himself. Dammit, it must be those other tools with Kemel.

He did not have time to dwell upon the impending loss of propulsion as the first volleys of the approaching enemy fleet impacted all over his hull; missiles that began to stretch the load of his remaining shields to their limit. He turned the heretofore useless top guns and began taking crack shots at the approaching vessels, for they all had made on slight miscalculation: approaching in the sights of that top deck. Kemel and his goons may have been a naturals at command of one ship, but fleet command was apparently not their forte.

-=ANSS Tiberius

“Dammit!” said Baldur. “We didn’t get instructions to the fleet in time to take cover with us. Julius is using the ten top guns to open fire on them!”

“They’ll hold together,” insisted Kemel. “Have we gotten his engines down yet?”

Jessica reported, “Firing now, forward top quarter.”

Kemel watch as the hind quarters of the Kaltarak erupted in geysers of orange plasma and tons of debris as the lethal MAC shells ripped into the engines; the ship’s smooth course suddenly yawed at an unhealthy angle. Julius was going nowhere.

“Alright, all batteries conduct a Phase One Salvo: get those shields down, boarders to your stations!” ordered Jessica.

MAC fire began to lance up and down the Kaltarak, tons of white-hot shell smashing into the energy barriers coating the monstrous ship with rippling, coruscating impacts.

-=Kaltarak

Julius watched with growing apprehension as the shields slowly drained under the merciless combined bombardment of the enemy fleet. He had scored a few casualties among the smaller vessels already but no definite sinkings, and with the onset of fighter-bombers stinging at his smaller turrets his weapon systems were themselves slowly being overwhelmed by the sheer multitude of targets now swarming.

From the deep bridge, Arthur spoke up, “Julius, this is insane. We’ve been outmaneuvered, now outgunned, and we’re bereft of propulsion, before you’d even cracked open the protective data casing on the dampeners. Whether you like it or not, you’ve been outsmarted.”

He began to pace up the deck, and continued, “A good Black Operative knows inevitability when he sees it, Julius. He knows well enough that trying to oppose it will only get him killed and his people helplessly exposed, and he shifts his attention elsewhere.”

Sitting down on the command chair, he sighed and shook his head. “Julius, you know I’m only hardest on the operatives who had shown the most promise.”

Julius rose to that, and responded over the ship’s intercom: “You think I joined you to serve you, human? You’re more deluded than I thought.”

“You wouldn’t believe how many of my best operatives have said that,” said Arthur wistfully. “But think about it. I’m the first person probably in the past few centuries that didn’t immediately judge you for your crimes, and what are you doing now but trying to kill me. You’re really only proving them right, and adding ‘betrayed Black Operations’ to the litany of skullduggery you’ve committed.”

“Stop trying to distract me!” yelled Julius. “It’s a moot point anyway, Arthur, for my next volley is going to bring down the shields on the Tiberius and leave it naked before my gu-”

Suddenly, the Kaltarak rocked violently.

“What just happened?” snarled Julius.

“Well from the looks of it,” said Arthur as a console unfolded from his command chair, “Our shields just went down and the bottom ten were simultaneously decommissioned.”

“Impossible!” said Julius, “Unless… no! Damn you Arthur! They blinked down their FTLi momentarily while you were distracting me with your banter, and fired off a salvo of Mjolnirs! I could have called in support…”

Julius stopped addressing the intercom as he raged and fumed within the ship’s systems.

“Do you think I wouldn’t have found a way to wave them off already, Julius?” said Arthur. “We have boarders incoming,” he continued. “Point defense is already being chewed up by their fighter screen, with the shields down. It’s well and truly over. Julius?”

The digisape refused to respond. He was in a black rage as he hurriedly began to pack his arrays for transmission; he wasn’t going to be captured here. The loss of this ship was going to hurt, yes, but there were other fastnesses to retreat to. This wasn’t over, not by a long shot.

Julius located the communication relay pods. Forcing himself into the restricted confines of the pod’s data storage, he prepared himself for relay directly to Arizona Prime. It was time to put his various techniques for subversion up to the test there, and to try and take control of the robotic swarms infesting the planet. That was the only trustworthy recourse; no waffling meatbags in between him and his mission, just the unerring loyalty of the swarm. The pod rocketed out into the void, looking for the perimeter of the Tiberius’s FTLi as some subroutines of his covered his escape, keeping down the barrage of fire on the enemy.

[Telros]

Jessica watched as the Kaltarak's shields finally collapsed under their fire, leaving the ship defenseless before their guns and fighter squadrons. Keeping an eye on the tactical screen, she spoke. "All fighter squadrons are to initiate a full attack on the Kaltarak's point defense guns; we will need all the soldiers we can get on that ship if we are to undo what Julius did. Fire control, ready a wave of Mjolnir's and fire them on Artemis' signal."

The fighters responded to their commands and began to bombard Julius' ship, a series of explosions washing over the ship as bits of metal were sent outwards as impromptu shrapnel. Artemis, using Julius' distraction to fluctuate the FTLi field and the Mjolnir's were launched and collided with the enemy ship to great effect, wiping out ten of their main guns. Sinclair smiled viciously; this gave them the upper hand and prevented the destruction of the Tiberius. "Good work, Artemis. Have all fighters continue destroying what remains of the point defense system. Comms, get me Lt. Colonel Sorel."

"Aye, ma'am. She is on the horn."

Sinclair nodded. "You up for some sight-seeing aboard the Kaltarak, Sorel?"

The raspy voice of Reisha could be heard from the comms. "Of course, Captain. The boys and girls have been dressing for our little play date. Anything we need to know?"

"There are bound to be defenses put into place by Julius to stop us from aiding the crew and stopping his rampage, so be careful. Your mission is twofold: Your primary goal is to reroute power to the life support system and get it working again. Until it's operational, we are running on borrowed time. Your other goal is to find a computer to serve as a beachhead for one of the digisapes, so they can assist you in your task. Finally, once both of those are secured, you are to go to the bridge and take Arthur Pengrave into custody. We'll let the Emperor handle him."

"Understood, Captain. We won't let you down."

Sinclair smiled. "I know you won't, Reisha. May the Three Spirits and Anikar watch over you."

"And over you as well." She ended the modified saying before cutting off the comm. Jessica turned to Kemel.

"It's all in her hands now. All we can do is wait."

******************
In Hangar Bay Eighteen, the entire "Anikar Battalion" was suiting up and preparing for battle. Power suits were put on and checked to ensure they were running at full capacity. Guns were collected, ammo inserted and everything double-checked. Squads reported to their leaders and prepared for combat. Reisha stood in front of a boarding craft, watching all of this. Her second-in-command, Lieutenant Jorez, walked up and saluted. "All personnel are accounted for and the first wave are ready to go. Captain Sinclair says she wants us to get going ASAP." Reisha nodded, putting on her helmet.

"I know, Lieutenant. I just wanted a look at everyone one last time, since not everyone is going to return from this op." Jorez nodded solemnly. It was a dirty fact of combat; even on the most simple operations they undertook, someone was always committed to the long history of Battalion members who died in service of their nation. He turned and gazed at the eighty soldiers in front of him.

"Atennnnn-shun!" They all stood up straight, feet locking together and guns held at the ready. Reisha looked at them all and then say three words:

"Let's get started."

They all let out a whoop and entered the boarding craft, with a total of twelve craft being filled with Dominion soldiers and they lifted off, their doors closing and their shielding raised. The pilot cleared them all with hangar control and the doors opened. "Alright, everyone. Hold on to your panties; it's gonna get rough." He flicked a switch and activated the engines, shooting out from the hangar, the other craft following in unison. Immediately, they could see the space in front of them filled with fire, metal, and explosions as the Tiberius worked to eliminate the last of the Kaltarak's defenses. The sound of metal bouncing off the shields could be heard and was almost like rain. "We are about to hit the hull, so get prepared. Activating Antimatter Boarding Cannon."

The boarding craft deployed a single cannon, which powered up a dark-blue ball and fired it at the ship's hull. A series of dark blue splashes would follow,as the hull they were about to hit was weakened significantly by the blasts. The window in front of them was covered as the blast shields were deployed. "Brace for impact!. All twelve ships slammed into the hull, piercing it with the forward angular front of the ships. With the afterburners deployed just before, they were able to punch quite a bit into the ship. Immediately, they opened the doors and exited, the soldiers taking point quickly looking around. Reisha got out and immediately keyed her comm. All eighty soldiers keyed theirs back, indicating a successful boarding.

"Colonel, this is Lieutenant Smith. Second wave is prepared and boarding the craft now. We will be launching in two minutes."

"Understood, Lieutenant. Get here as soon as you can." She turned to the soldiers around her. "Move out. Squads 1 thru 6 are to find a computer console as soon as possible, 7 thru 12 will look for any system they can find to reroute to life support. Keep your eyes peeled!" A chorus of ayes sounded on the comm and they began to move out. Each soldier moved professionally, showing decades of combat as they cleared the first hallway. Something didn't feel right and they all knew it. It was too quiet and too empty. As the point man cleared the next corner, suddenly gunfire rang out and the soldier's shields failed and a hail of bullet swept into his armor, pinning him to the wall behind him. His monitor flashed and went red, showing he was dead. Reisha pushed past the grief that clawed at her and continued the mission.

"Hostiles ahead! Engage, Anikari Battalion!" They all clambered up to the walls before the corner. Two soldiers primed EMP grenades and lobbed them down the hall and quickly retreated and gunfire lashed after them. Two sizzling explosions occurred later before they all had to cover their helmets as five inhumanly-loud shrieks were briefly heard. They waited a couple seconds and then turned the corner to see five robot bodies on the ground. Carefully, they walked up and looked at them. One of the tech specialists knelt and scanned one of them with a handheld device.

"They appear to be drones, nothing special. I read no technology that indicates anything resembling high A.I. activity. We'd better keep our eyes peeled." Reisha nodded and motioned for them to keep moving as she activated her comm.

"All teams, do you copy?"

All but one gave an all clear, with the final being filled with gunfire. "Read you loud and clear, Colonel.....*buzz* Pinned by lots of robot drone things. We have some of the crew with us; trapped in a storage room. Orders?"

"They are hostages of Julius. Try to find a good place for them to stay and continue with your mission."

"Understood, ma'am." The roar of gunfire ended as the channel cut out.

"All squads, be informed that there are robotic drones in the ship, move cautiously." A chorus of acknowledgments followed and she continued on. They finally came to a large room that held a large computer, mostly for moving loads, but it would suit their needs. They proceeded to head towards it when the walls and floor suddenly revealed a lot of turrets. "Shit shit SHIT! Break and find cover!" They immediately scattered, but it wasn't fast enough as the computer-run guns opened fire, sending plenty of metal death throughout their ranks. Six HUD's flat-lined as four bodies fell to the floor, some sans a few limbs, and poured our their lifesblood to the floor. The remaining soldiers opened fire, blasting apart the turrets one by one. The guns blazed lines of fire that stabbed into the cover they used, the boxes and crates that had littered the room after being knocked over during the battle. The soldiers took cover and fought back as best they could. The tech specialists hurled small disc-shaped devices that latched onto the turrets and then exploded a few seconds later. After a tense minute of combat, they destroyed all the turrets. Reisha knelt by a soldier who had taken a burst in her chest. Coughing up blood, she did her best to not scream as a medic tended to her.

"How are you, Private?" The soldier opened one eye and gazed at her.

"Fine...ma'am. Hurts like....a bitch though. GRAGH!" She twitched as the medic pulled out one of the bullets. He turned to the Colonel.

"She'll be fine, ma'am. The armor did what it was designed to do and the gel will keep her from bleeding out. I'm more worried about the squad. You and I are the only ones left, sans the tech specialists."

"That's not true, Private." They both looked up to a squad of seven standing there. "Sorry we got here so late, Colonel. We had to make more holes in the hull." The squad leader gazed at the six bodies placed in a corner. "I see the defenses were as robust as feared." Reisha nodded.

"Yes, but we need to keep mov-"

"All squads, this is Squad Leader Four. Keep your eyes peeled, the ship has wall and floor turrets that can ambush you. We just lost half the squad to one group of them."

"Understood, Squad Leader Four. This is Squad Leader Three, we have found a computer and have opened it for the digisapes to enter. We have contacted Tiberius and one should be coming shortly. Colonel, if you are getting this, proceed with the life support problem. We will hold this position until reinforcements arrive."

Reisha tapped her helmet. "Understood, Three. Good work. All squads, sit rep." All squads reported taking heavy casualties, for their squads being three or more, when encountering the defenses guns. A couple had been attacked by robotic drones but had fended them off. Reinforcement squads reported in and were closing in on their locations. "Very well. Keep pushing forward people; we have to restore life support; this crew doesn't have very long." She turned to the newly reinforced squad. "Leave the medic here with two guards. The rest come with us." Nodding, they followed here as they went deeper into the ship. From that point on, it became a rough run and stop game, where they moved into the ship, fought a group of turrets or robots, sometimes even both, and had to battle them before continuing on. It was not long before they ran out of EMP grenades or had to watch their ammo usage. They scrounged from the dead, a time-honored practice that had no dishonor to it, and fought on. It wasn't long until they began to see progress, when they ran into heavier and larger turrets. Not only were they more obvious but they fired energy blasts rather than bullets. Unfortunately, one group ran into them unprepared and was completely annihilated, and the casualties caused by narrow hallways and lack of cover were enormous. It took until the fourth wave of reinforcements to get to a power station, and that was leaving behind around seventy-two soldiers dead, and over forty wounded. Reisha, having combined all her remaining squads into one force, stood outside the door to the power station. She was looking with a camera given to her by a tech specialist to see the defenses of the station.

It wasn't pretty. They had four squads of Shriekers, as they named them, and a full complement of revealed but obviously heavy cannons. She turned to the soldiers and they all knew what she was about to say. This attack was going to be needed, but with no EMP grenades and very few explosive disks left, it was going to be an all out assault. "On my mark, our remaining disks will be thrown to take out as many turrets as we can. As we do so, Squads 14, 15, and 16 will make a charge at the Shriekers, take down as many as you can. All soldiers wielding particle rifles are to aim at the turrets only. Everyone else will fire from positions here. Understand?" They all nodded and moved into their positions. As she watched the group, she waited a few moments and then said. "Mark."

The specialists shot out from the edge and threw their disks, and six impacts left six guns destroyed and several of the drones on the ground. The squads named by Reisha then charged the robots, blasting away with their guns. Several went down as spiky rounds slammed into their bodies, ruining their functions. The remaining robots rallied and let loose their guns into the horde of bodies charging them, as well as the remaining turrets. As the fire sliced through them and coated the floor with gore, the rest of the group opened fire, the solid blue beams of the particle rifles slicing down the hall to destroy the turrets. Reisha fired as fast as she could, trying to save as many of the squads she doomed to die as she could. When the last turret was destroyed and the last Shrieker deactivated. She looked up to find only twelve remaining, and most of them wounded. The other twenty-four were either dead or dying on the floor of this damned hallway. She cursed Julius with the worst fate the Spirits could provide and wished Anikar had been able to actually destroy him. Too many had died due to that rampant A.I.

She motioned for the medics and tech specialists to move up and the remaining soldiers secured the room. One of the techies went up to a computer and began to get to work, his fingers tapping away at the keys. Lines of code ran down the screen as he manipulated menu after menu. Finally, after a couple minutes of concerted effort, a loud beeping noise was heard and the power generators hummed loudly as they activated. Then the vents hissed as the carbon dioxide was vented and fresh air was flushed into the ship. The soldiers cheered and yelled in triumph, many cursing Julius for having dared try to stop them, as Reisha contacted the bridge. "Captain, this is Sorel. We have the life support back online. The crew is safe. Once the dead and wounded have been accounted for, we will be moving to the bridge. Any further orders?"

[Arizona Nova]

-=ANSS Tiberius

“Last wave of boarders is aboard the Kaltarak, sir. Reporting only automated defenders,” said Mars as he monitored the tactical chatter.

“How is the atmosphere in there?” asked Kemel urgently.

“Getting sparse due to isolated hull breaches,” said Mars. “Techs are reporting in now. Julius isn’t on ship!”

“What?” asked Kemel incredulously, twisting around in his command chair. “Why is it still firing on us then?”

“He left some subroutines to carry on in his absence,” said Mars darkly. “Likely other booby traps that will take time and effort to disarm.”

“Then where has that maniac gone?” demanded Kemel.

“Not sure,” said Mars. “He could have ejected one of his cores, beamed out on a distress call; he’s been very creative with his escapes in the past.”

“Damn him. Leave the beggar be; we need to get more boarding parties on board the Kaltarak and into her systems to defuse the traps then.”

“Sir,” said Mars with some indignant trepidation. “With all due respect, we need to make capture of Julius our first priority.”

“Mars,” said Kemel, facing the irate digisape, “You said yourself he often makes clever escapes. We’ve already lost sight of the trail; what use can now be served groping blindly after him?”

“What use?” asked Mars, his face reddening. “A peerless war criminal will be brought to justice!”

“And how do you know that, once taking him in, he will stay contained?” asked Kemel darkly. “Indeed, this may be his game; first to lure us away from the true prize, the Kaltarak and her crew, to allow him to exact some devilry upon it, and then to be taken into the waiting arms, however armored, of his principal foes, to wreak more havoc upon them there.”

“Just as much, he could be fleeing to some fastness to rouse a mighty force against us!” argued Mars.

“You heard how he argued with his fellows on Varanar,” contended Kemel. “And you saw the message Pengrave sent. His allies are more contentious than we know, and the key to cutting Julius off from further succor on the part of the Ersatzregie is on that ship. It must be taken, and its crew must be saved.”

Mars shook his head. “I see your point,” he groused. “Strategically it makes sense. Yet I am loathe to let this murderer, this maniac, go his way freely.”

“We’ve caught him off-balance,” continued Kemel, “yet so are we. Though we risk giving him the same breathing room, we must consolidate our own position before going after him further. Now, who among you digisapes is up to some virtual boarding action?”

They all visibly seemed to pale at the thought. Baldur spoke first: “It will not be easy, nor safe, my lord. Julius, for all his madness, is an ingenius, vindictive, and diseased mind. Even walking in his footsteps is hazardous for us.”

“All the same, it must be done,” said Kemel insistently. “We need Pengrave alive.”

“I will go,” said Jormungand, stepping up. “I’ve coordinate millions of major subroutines simultaneously when I commanded the factory-carriers which bear my name. This will be less strenuous, if much more risky.”

“All the same, don’t let your guard down,” said Kemel. “And thank you.”

[Telros]

With the digisape getting into the systems, it would make the journey to the bridge much easier, but Reisha expected it to still be a bloody slog since it was bound to be a critical area, which meant even more dead. However, it had to be done, and with the fifth wave of reinforcements joining them, the medics and most of the techies dragging the wounded and dead off to the boarding ships to be taken care of on the Tiberius, they would be able to move out. They rested for a moment, with the lighter wounded patching themselves up and they all checked their ammo, grenades, and equipment before sounding off. Reisha nodded. "Alright, this is the final push people. We don't stop until we hit the bridge. Let's move out!" With sounds of acknowledgment, the group moved on. Eighty soldiers once more, they were wise to the defenses of the ships and the limitations of the hallways. They would have to move slowly, a luxury not afforded when the life support was still shutdown.

The journey to the bridge was a slow and tense one, with scattered battles with drones and the constant ambushes with the defense guns. They still lost people but it was reduced to one or two people due to their caution. They had brought an abundance of EMP grenades and explosive disks, allowing them to blast apart the defenses. Those on the bridge would hear gunfire as if far off and slowly coming closer and closer to them, as the Dominion soldiers fought on with grim determination. The final battle outside of the bridge was one of the loudest and longest in the entire ship. The defense turrets fired continuously, and the deaths of the Shriekers hurt the crews ears with each of their death cries. They also could hear when a soldier went down as a cry or gurgle was heard, followed by a thump. This was on for several minutes until finally a large series of explosions racked the hall and then it was silent. The whispers of orders could be heard, and then feet stomping to the door. There was a moment and then the door pinged, as its lock was overridden, and five soldiers rushed in, guns aimed at everyone. Reisha walked in, her armor splattered with blood, some of it her own as a few bullet holes could be seen and she had a limp. She aimed a pistol at Arthur and spoke curtly.

"Drop your weapons and put your hands behind your back."

Arthur raised an eyebrow. "That's hardly a way to greet me."

A click was heard as she cocked the gun. "Many of my troops died saving your asses and getting here. I don't give two shits on your hurt pride. Either the gun drops and your hands go behind or you go down with two in the head. Make your choice."

A few moments passed, then a gun hit the deck and Arthur put his hands behind his head. Reisha motioned and two soldiers quickly cuffed him and began hauling him away, as the rest of the soldiers kept an eye on the crew. Opening her comm, she contacted the ship. "Tiberius, this is Sorel. We've reached the bridge and apprehended Pengrave. We are on enroute back to the ship. Please have medical care and body bags ready; we have a lot of people that need to be taken care of." Jerking her head, the remainder of the group began to leave, collecting their dead and wounded and heading back to the boarding craft. This mission was over, and nearly one hundred and twenty-six Anikari were dead, with eighty wounded. It had been a costly boarding, but they had done what was required of them.

[Arizona Nova]

-=Brig, ANSS Tiberius

Kemel stepped off the elevator into the center of the brig. Located amidships, up in the Tiberius’s mountainous, rambling conning tower, it was a panopticon, large though not vast, enough presumably to incarcerate an enemy battalion, but not solely a squad nor up to a legion. Now, it was empty, except for one cell, whose shields glowed and hummed. Kemel walked over.

“Fine job, boy,” said Arthur Pengrave, as he stared at the floor. “Now I owe you.”

“Don’t mention it,” said Kemel. “Is it true?”

“What?” said Pengrave, looking up.

“About Ilë Sornë,” he said. “About the civil war.”

“Yes,” said Arthur, meeting Kemel’s gaze head-on.

“Why?” asked Kemel, his hands betraying a slight tremble.

“We went over this,” said Arthur with a sigh. “Why not?”

“It’s monstrous,” said Kemel. “And it’s not just something your ancestors did to my ancestors; you personally are responsible for all that’s happened, for the collapse of Ilë Sornë and Arizona Nova both.”

Arthur shook his head. “You speak from ignorance, young man,” he said, his voice taking on a slightly pained tone. “Ilë Sornë was great, yes; but it was dieing. It was complacent, confident only in its size to lend it strength, unwilling and unable to do anything more than be attacked, and that’s what was happening.” He gave him a hard stare, his jaw set. “It had to end. It had to end, for all of us.”

“Then why destroy Arizona Nova?” asked Kemel, his voice shaking.

“It’s what we controlled,” said Arthur, looking down in shame. “The Red Helm of Arenumberg was firmly entrenched in their own neck of the woods; we couldn’t have pulled the rug out from under them even if we grasped it in both hands. There was no other way.”

“I can’t overlook this,” said Kemel. “Personally or ethically.”

“I never expected you to,” said Arthur, his voice hard.

“And all the same, it’s obvious that I need you,” said Kemel, with a sigh.

“And we,” said Arthur, “Needed you as well.”

“What?” said Kemel, “What do you mean?”

“If I’d ever really wanted you dead,” said Arthur quietly, “Or your family gone, there never would have been a line of Anandil. He wouldn’t have lived to set down on Rhuckh. No, that was all Julius’s bullshit. But, I also needed him. You both had something I needed. Legitimacy, and the power to build. You, by right of your heritage, and him because he knew the ins and outs of everything in old Arizona Nova. Any door, any ship, he could unlock. So I tried to do both; I fulfilled the minimum requirements of Julius’s demands to hunt you.”

He stopped, letting Kemel take in the revelation, the continued. “Like I said, put two rookies that couldn’t find a cat in a pet store and lock them into the assignment, and I was off. Julius was uncovering bits and pieces of history for me while they bumbled about like some caricature cinematic villain, looking for your family, getting lucky once in a blue moon.”

“What could he have unlocked for you,” said Kemel, his voice cold and unimpressed, “That would have been worth all that?”

Arthur blinked, and sighed. “No point in holding it back now, I guess. You know he and Fate helped obliterate the old homeworld, Arizona Prime. What you don’t know is that, if anyone was going to defeat the infestation of robotic drones she left, it was him. That was our hope; that Julius would get the homeworld back, for us to rebuild from. Instant legitimacy.”

“I just don’t know what to say,” said Kemel.

“Nobody does. Nobody,” said Arthur. “Because nobody knows what we – what I know.” He looked Kemel straight in the eyes, his own now flickering as a thousand horrors played back before them. “Up til a few months ago, you’d never left the safety of your homeworld. I’ve been criss-crossing this galaxy for more than two-thousands of years now. You’ve never seen a Central Facehuggerian concentration camp, or seen the horrors of their torture chambers, never glimpsed even into the fringes of the minds of a Mekantan, watched worlds put to flame over trifles, their people beaten, enslaved, raped, tortured,” he stopped, shaking his head in bewilderment. “If you knew what I knew, seen what I’d seen, what we did would not only look as bad as it does otherwise, it’d look like it was the right thing to do. Someone has to make the hard choices to protect us from what’s out there. I don’t regret anything I have done.”

“I told you I wasn’t your father,” he said, changing the subject, “And it’s true. But I knew him, Kemel.” He pulled a picture out of his pocket, and Kemel gazed at a face not too dissimilar from his own, and gasped in astonishment. “He was one of our finest agents,” continued Arthur. “Loyal to the end, even as people that by all rights should have been working under him put a bullet in his brain. He gave his life to save you from them. I don’t think he did it just out of loyalty, though,” he said wistfully. “I think he really did love you, and your Anandili mother. I miss him.”

Kemel sank to his knees, stunned in disbelief. “You’re-“ he began.

“I wouldn’t lie about that,” said Arthur, cutting him off. “Least of all, to you.”

“What am I supposed to do?” he asked in stunned disbelief.

“Execute me,” said Arthur. “Capital punishment for my crimes. Let justice be served. Set the record straight.”

“What?” asked Kemel increduolously.

“Human minds are only supposed to live about one-hundred years tops, Kemel,” said Arthur, fatigue creeping into his voice. “They didn’t evolve for this, for going on forever like I have. I’ve had enough, Kemel; I’ve seen enough, done enough, and I can’t do anymore.”

“But the Ersatzregie… and the Black Operations…” protested Kemel.

“…Are already aware of what’s going on,” said Arthur. “You reveal some of the things I’ve told you, and pronounce judgement upon me. They’ll know I’ve told you that, and that I’ve transferred my authority to you.”

“I’m going to die anyway,” said Arthur. “The immortality treatments are periodical, and administered by the Circle Commission. When I can’t get them – like when I’m imprisoned, for example – I start aging normally. It’d be merciful to just get it over with quickly, then make me linger.”

As Kemel sat in paralyzed thought, Arthur spoke up once more. “Everyone wins, Kemel. Justice is served, I can finally rest without being hounded by nightmares or my own paranoia, and your reign is rung in on a clarion note.”

“Always trying to put a silver lining on things for us,” breathed Kemel venomously. “I’ll decide later how I’m going to deal with you. For now, though, I have many things I will need to see to soon. We’ll talk again.”

Standing up, he left Arthur to his tormented thoughts… perhaps the worst punishment, in truth, he could give him.

[Telros]

As Kemel was heading to the tram, he would hear beep sound from his comm, indicating that someone was trying to reach him. When he activated the comm, he would hear Sinclair's coming out. "Your Majesty, Lt. Colonel Sorel has requested your presence in Hangar Bay Eight. She said it was important." Kemel gazed at the comm, his mind wondering what she could want. He brushed it aside; her people had bled for his cause today, answering her call was the least he could do. He tapped the comm.

"I'll be right down."

"Acknowledged; I'll inform her of your arrival."

Kemel stepped aboard the tram and after a couple minute ride, stepped out to see an awe-inspiring sight. The entire Battalion, wounded and healthy soldiers all stood, or laid in their stretchers, saluting the Emperor of Arizona Nova. Kemel, getting his brains back after such a sight, managed to speak. "At ease." The entire force went to their at ease stance, hands behind their backs, and eyes forward. He walked up to Reisha, who acknowledged him with a nod. "You called for my presence, Colonel?" Reisha nodded and then glanced at one of the soldiers off the side. The sergeant nodded and bellowed out his orders.

"Battalllllion! Atten-shun!" They all stood at attention as best they could.

"Kneel!" Every single one who could kneel before Kemel and as one yelled "WE PLEDGE OURSELVES TO THE SERVICE OF THE EMPEROR KEMELZAR!" As one they knelt in front of him and waited for his response to this action.

[Arizona Nova]

For a moment, Kemel stood, rooted in his spot. It had been a day fraught with dreadful revelations and deadly surprises, and this unexpected act - one of fealty - came as a complete shock.

"Battalion," he said. "Are you sure of this? I would be loathe to deprive the Dominion of such a fighting force as yours."

"We have already informed the First of our decision," said Lt. Sorel. "He has obliged us."

"I accept, then," said Kemel. "On one condition, however. You will no longer be known as the Anikari Battalion, but the Telrosian Guard, in honor of your nation of origin. People of Anikar you may be, but you were forged in the crucible of Telros."

"I accept your conditions, sir!" said Lt. Sorel, with a salute.

-=Conclusion: Arizona Prime, The Imperial Core

Through the night sky of Arizona Prime streaked something that looked like a falling star; but unlike those things, it did not light up momentarily, and then vanish. It traced a flight all the way to the ground, prompting the local defense grid of the robotic drones there into action. Swiftly and silently they skittered toward the impact site, and surrounded it; some kind of robotic pod, they quickly surmised. A scout variant cautiously ambled down toward it. Suddenly, part of its plating popped out like a cork, and from it a silvery stream issued – nanites. The drones were unperturbed; they had defenses to resist this, and it would be all too simple a matter to dispatch one, lone pod of these things. The nanites swarmed over the scout, which suddenly stumbled and fell. Before the rest of his unit could react, they too began to twitch spasmodically. After a few moments, they all fell down. Then, the scout regained its feet, and out from him flowed the nanites, which began to take the shape of a man – Julius. The drone regarded him, no longer as a hostile, but as master.

Julius smiled.

-=Fin=-