In Case of Emergency... IV! (Open, Read First Post!)

[New Dornalia]

New Monterrey

The local police were inclined to keep an eye on the gentleman who just appeared from the pod in the crater, and began to motion to keep the now-forming crowd--curious as to what happened in their neighborhood--back slightly. Now, the crowd and the police could be seen murmuring amongst themselves as they wondered just who or what the figure was that stepped out of the pod and graced their presence with an unusual candy apple smell and not much left to the imagination.

The crowd came to include Sensei McMurty. McMurty dashed away from her handlers, who called for her to come back. Dazed as she was, the Sensei pushed her way through the crowd and looked upon the confrontation within the crater. The Sensei would have dashed into the crater, but one of the policemen raised his hand and said simply, "Can't let you in, ma'am. There's an active investigation here." McMurty turned and saw a squad of policemen frowning at her with arms crossed, and said back at them annoyed, "I've got a vested interest in this scenario, damnit! Now give me five minutes!" The policemen nodded, and after a few awkward seconds, one of them said, "Five minutes. That's it. Then you're coming with us."

Sensei McMurty then turned and looked at the confrontation below. She closed her eyes at that point. The Sensei was still dazed and somewhat weak from the initial encounter, but she could sense something important going on down below.

For her part, Detective Kournikova got to be the one to field the reply by the man inside the pod. After all, the feds were taking their time in coming--and by the feds, Kournikova knew all the feds would be coming. DOT Collision Investigation Teams, ICBA, hell, even the military given that aliens were likely involved that slipped through their nets. Even if it wasn't ideal, Kournikova knew it all depended on her to react.

As such, Kournikova put her hand on her hip in what looked like an unusually flirty pose--although in reality it was to position her hand for an easy crossdraw for her very compact yet very effective phaser. Assuming this guy could even fall due to phaser blasts. It looked like he could, but well, given the unusual, theatrical manner of his entrance, he might have a few more tricks in mind for Kournikova and company. Kournikova then held eye contact with the gentleman, with a firm gaze that let him know that she had some questions to ask of him.

Detective Kournikova then introduced herself.

"Afternoon. I'm Detective Svetlana Kournikova, New Monterrey Sheriff's Department Bureau of Investigations. Welcome to the Colonial Republic of Earth."

She then, in a mood which didn't feel particularly tolerant of any tomfoolery, "I'd just like to ask you a few questions, sir, if you don't mind. Name, place of origin--and whether you require any medical assistance as of this time." Kournikova then added, noticing the pod was in fact gone, "Also, just what brings you to the Republic."

[Sunset]

Mokastana...

Band saw or drill bit, the process of accessing the interior of the object had been a long one. They had been retrieved from the surface without incident, as had the debris, and then secured back aboard ship after a successful recovery of the surface team. That is to say, one had been secured aboard ship. When dealing with the absolute unknown isolation and containment was the most responsible path forward and, as the objects had been recovered from the airless surface of a barren rock, it was decided that one capsule would be examined first while the other would be tethered outside the ship. Wrapped under a reflective blanket to protect it from radiation the second was kept safe while the first was moved into a make-do laboratory aboard FEM Oxomo.

There the examination began in earnest. With ten months ahead of them they had nothing but time and so every ounce of caution was used and re-used. First the laboratory was isolated, scrubbed, and then that too was isolated and scrubbed. Then came a careful examination via remote, the little tracked robot circling around the object and recording every detail it could for what seemed to be days without end.

That was enough to determine the basics; The exact dimensions of the pod, the presence of a semi-translucent outer shell around an inner portion that appeared to be filled with a swirling purple liquid. The object appeared to be completely undamaged beyond this; Not even a chip or a scar from its time on the surface. Low-level electrical activity could be detected in the outer shell and there was a slight electro-magnetic field that did not directly correlate to the electrical activity. Atomic spectroscopy revealed the shell's elemental composition, though here was cause for excitement.

Where the primary element was silicon - explaining the glass-like outer shell - the secondary elements more resembled that of a living being than a mechanical structure. Further testing was scheduled but this was interrupted by the chance application of a sonogram and the unexpected results; Far from being solid, the interior was filled with a low-density fluid and there was the faint shadow of something that might just be a person inside. Additional tests were inconclusive as to the exact disposition of the occupant, but it was enough to propel the decision to open the capsule.

Or try.

In the end, it took nearly a day of careful work with a drill normally used for hard rock deep-space assays to punch through the incredibly durable shell. Immediately the purple liquid began to vent but this was expected and a sample taken and the hole stopped up with a prepared plug. Through this a camera was inserted, along with a sonic probe, and the interior contents mapped in detail. Meanwhile the interior fluid proved to be of familiar form; An aerogel with an extremely low volume composed of bubbles around a neutral gas but with the walls containing various nano-level machines and particles.

This had provided insulation to the being inside, which was determined to be a humanoid of medium stature. The skin was lizard-like and while it lacked both a nose and ears, these were replaced with a thick crest that ran to the brow and then split into three segments, one of which ran over the head and then down the back to disappear at the base of the spine while the others ran over the temples and then down, vanishing into the skin just above the neck. The overall appearance was feminine, but as with all things alien this was assumed to be deceptive.

That left the question of whether to open the capsule completely or finish the line of experiments; The being inside seemed to be resting comfortably with an extremely slow but notable pulse and respiration.

----

OOC: Up Next:

Gaian Ascendancy
Dornie!

[Macisikan]

Near Station 5, Vi Hipi System, RFSEM – 43 days post-incident
“Second Lieutenant Trinya Falk, please state your purpose,” the voc simply repeated the request in those flat, synthetic tones; it did tilt its head though, and its fellows had stepped back and turned away. Organics are more comfortable when they can identify the individual they are talking to, the synth’s whispered in what passed for its mind.

Around them the ship hummed as it was brought in. Inside the voc’s minds, a counter was ticking down – the time until they reached the station.

---

Lab 72, Station 5, Vi Hipi System, RFSEM – 43 days post-incident
The vatgrown had backed away quickly as the pod opened; as with its counterpart, it too had donned glove and helmet. At the sight of the thing in the pod, it felt unease for the first time in its brief existence. The feeling subsided as the line of sight was broken by another voc.

“Please identify yourself, your purpose, and state your affiliation,” the android said, planting itself firmly between the unknown biological and the vatgrown. Around the capsule, other androids waited silently and patiently. Up in the control room, a murmured order was given to prepare to terminate this… whatever it was, should it prove hostile.

Unnecessary; as per standing orders, neither the unknown biological or Second Lieutenant Falk had any idea how close to death they were even now.

[Caer Lleon]

Background Fluff, skip down to the event

The water fell.

Hills, the color of sweet cream, received their share. Each a beauty in its own right, and yet they stood a pair, a tribute to any landscape. (If they were not enough, then there was strawberry to accompany, with eternal apologies to Robert Herrick)

The water fell further, or ran in streams and rivulets, down flat a flat plain, gravity taking each drop as though it were the water's guide, tracing a path. Not merely the hills, but over ridges and valley, through red forests and...

But she was in no mood for poetry.

Let her imagine it was the touch of a lover, then. One whose touch was everywhere, whose fingers knew her more intimately than she knew herself, from her hair, down her closed eyes, over slender shoulders and proud breasts that shake with every breath... let her own hand move, then, to hold some of the water there, as the rest moves down... down over her waist and hips, the rise and fall of her ass before she presses against the wall, her hands exploring more... where a maiden should not go, and some would say had no right to go, but what did it matter? Men had called her beautiful. Could she not think the same? Could she not act on her own to do what no man had yet done? It harmed none... and there was no one to do it now.

At that thought, a face crossed her mind, and she dropped her hands in despair, the water growing cooler as her mood changed and she once more began to clean herself.

It was not that she missed Henry. He had been several years her senior, and never truly been of interest to her as man or mate. Or, indeed, husband. Her feeling had been more one of acceptance. Or acquiescence.

But she missed the certainty of marriage. And not merely marriage, but of what it meant would be done to her. Four more years, and they would have been married, and she would have known some release besides that which came from her own actions. Her maidenhood wore on her. Fools that the priest had been, at confession, to say that a woman is a passive victim of men's lusts; that she was mistaken. Her own lust was real, and strong, and... and she should not be alone.

That had been exactly eight years ago, when she had received the news, while in this very suite, sitting with her nurse. There had been a terrible accident. The Merlin, and how she hated that name, and how she hated to hear it even in the old stories now. The Merlin, that was meant to bring Caer Lleon and its people to the stars, and had instead brought a fragment of a star to Caer Lleon. The Merlin, that had killed her.

A miracle, they had called it, that she had not been there with King-and-Emperor, and Princes and Presidents and the entire rest of her family, with so many of her friends, and her Henry (for he had been hers; she had been promised to him at birth, and as the time grew nearer he had put aside other women, declaring the promise of her more than enough)... a miracle... that she had had her first courses, and panicked (though officially she had been ill, bless the Round Table) and needed care.

A miracle, for had she left when she had planned, she might have witnessed the first use of the Merlin Engine, and died like all the rest.

What miracle could be so unwelcome?

Golden tears ran from golden eyes that opened for the first time since entering the shower. She was a woman now, and she was alone, and she was Queen. Queen-and-Empress Constanta Aurelia, not that she ever used her latin names. She considered herself Arianell, victim of fate. No suitors had come calling, even once she had become a woman. They expected her, perhaps, to choose her own husband, to rule alongside her. But then, they also held her in Camelot, for she was the most precious jewel of the world, and no one dared put her at risk, for with her death, the millennial reign of her family would come to an end.

She did not mourn her family. It had been eight years, and she had cried all she could bear for them. She did not mourn her friends, for the same reason. But she did mourn Henry, today for he had been her birthright, his body had been her promise as hers had been to him. She would have been wedded, bedded, and perhaps even had children. To lose all that, and gain the crown? That was worth mourning.

Thread post begins here

Ariannell Constanta Aurelia Pendragon, known to her people as 'The Fair', sat in her suite in a pensive mood. She had dressed, following her ruined shower. The blue that was her birthright, coupled with the purple that was her station. All that there was of her was the string around her neck and it precious beads, each worth more to her than her entire world. She should go down to the Great Hall of the Round Table, just to be seen on the television, even if the memorial ceremony was not for hours, and the MRTs were still flying in. She could hear her father and her uncle urging her to do her duty. And she would, in time. But she did not want her people to see the tears that still dripped from her shining eyes.

Today, of all days, she needed to be strong. Her advisers had told her that, and she believed them, because they had lost people too, and yet they were strong. And being a woman was no excuse for weakness. Not today. She could cry tomorrow, publicly or privately, and shed a tear or two tonight. But her people needed their queen, and they were all she had.

And then there was a call. She wouldn't have answered it, but the name that appeared in her eye's mind was the Observatory at Nimue's Point, and Arianell could think of no reason why the astronomers would call her. Curiousity warred with apathy in her soul, and won a resounding victory. The Queen reached up and pressed her ring finger gently against the piercing above her left eye. "Salve, Doctor Kusanagi..." Her blood ran cold at Doctor Tristan Kusanagi's frantic report.

==

In a way, it was another miracle. The moors of southern Avalon were lightly inhabited, with the major population centers having moved west centuries ago, to larger cities such as Londin or Tunwik. That was why the Merlin Project had been based here; Though its major facilities were in the deserts of the new world, and the wastes of the holy lands, but it was here that it was brought together, so the dignitaries could see it. More fool them, perhaps.

But it was still a miracle. The Queen's Lances had managed to clear the area of what people still lived at the Starfall site an hour or so before the impact crossed the atmosphere, visible from Caer Efrog in the new world, all the way to the Holy City in the east. Anywhere else in the inhabited stretches of Avalon, and hundreds could have died. The knights, then, stood ready. They had dismounted their speeders and their servants had dressed them for battle. Each wore a uniquely painted armor, save for sparkling bands of gold, with their helmets framed as a variety of different mythological animals. It was decorative, but the design was utilitarian, and any who thought otherwise would learn quickly following an energy lance.

Well, it was mostly utilitarian. Arianell had her own personal set. It was her right as Queen, even though she had never been knighted, and practically a requirement for safe use of the speeders. But her tinkers (at her orders) had put together something that could not be confused with their armor, anyway. Male or female, her knights wore much the same shape, even if the body-glove underneath was tight to them. Ariannell's armor not only was more richly embossed, and uniquely purple and blue, but it also fit to her body, giving her a more imposing, and clearly delineated, bust than she even had, and making fitting her somewhat distressing for the poor teenage boys responsible for helping her into it. Still, it was comfortable, she looked good in it, and she was unlikely to ever see combat. Not that she couldn't defend herself.

Standing at the back, between her personal guards, Ariannell could only watch through the eyes of her soldiers ,cursing the day she had been born short. A potential alien encounter, and here she was, unable to see it firsthand! But oh, their calculations were wrong. And their Queen would be much closer than desired.

Two of the pods hit the star-burnt land roughly around the point the observatory had predicted, and the blastwave was more than calibrated for by the armor. But the third was not following predicted models. It struck the blackened earth less than thirty meters from Ariannell's position, and the earth gave way beneath it. The queen found herself falling backwards, unable to quickly engage her thrusters and instead falling, falling, falling into the new crater...

[Preutania]

The guards and inmates stared in quiet awe at the creature before them. Elegant but strange with more than a hint of danger to it, asleep—possibly—it stood a testament of life beyond our current understanding and knowledge.

The professor analyzed the creature before him. Although a physicist by study, the biology of such a creature was not beyond his realm of interest. In fact the last time an extra-terrestrial—or extra-dimensional—it was never decided what it was—had touched down, Aki was one of the first government researchers sent to make sense of what had occurred then too. That situation ended tragically: the alien died due to earth diseases but not before infecting and killing dozens with its own.

The situation was not lost on him that it could happen again. In the haste of this operation, the situation dictated immediate response, which meant forgoing traditional hazmat protection. In the best situation he realized he would find himself cordoned, sealed off, and under quarantine for the next few weeks. In the worst he would be dead or dying of some horrible disease. But such was the risk of scientific observation in the field.

What immediately required attention, and that of his colleagues, was what its intentions were. The craft it came in seemed to be no more than the bare minimum it would seem it would need to carry it. It came with seemingly no weapons, and no hostile moves were made yet. Yet, the look of the creature lent itself a certain amount of fear. Maws, tentacles, and monovision the like were the realm of gorgons, cyclopses, monsters.

The inmates must have thought the same for they all quietly and slowly eased back without taking their eye off the strange creature, as did the guards who kept their arms ready although not raised. No one seemed to risk sudden movements. Even the helicopter that had been flying overheard had eased off with the first rays of light emanating from the pod the moment the inmate had stumbled and was now a much more comfortable distance away.

Except the female inmate. Too shocked to move, she stared stupidly at her hand as if wondering what her hand had wrought.

It was not forgotten by the Man in the Sweater that the alien appeared female and somewhat humanoid and the person who touched the creature was also female and that perhaps some adaptive transference somehow imparted from the woman to the creature. There were so many more questions than answers and he wanted no more than to get a sampling from it.

The only person not in awe of the creature in some way was the Man in the Suit. Stoically, calmly he radioed in a command for a fighter-bomber armed with two canisters of napalm that had been waiting on standby to take off. In 10 minutes the jet would be at their location, ready to drop its deadly cargo of liquid fire. The creature would either awake or it would not, but if its intentions were even slightly hostile, they might not make it out, but he quietly assured the creature in his thoughts neither would it. Such was the risk of scientific observation in the field.

Perhaps in folly, perhaps in wisdom, all of them there, the “professor” and his colleagues, the guards, and the inmates did what they all silently and tacitly thought the best, most virtuous action: they waited for it to make a move.

[United World Order]

Hanger One, Airbase.

The robot that retracted it's hand tool put it's hands to it's side and stopped moving as the operator had put in a command to shut the robot down temporarily. The feed was now being played back to the scientists as kept a safe distance on the platform from the now opened capsule its self, even after all of that purple goo was extracted. There was definitely some sort of creature inside and had amphibian features that have only been seen in fiction work. Something else also inhabited the capsule and was last seen underneath the body and had been caught briefly opening it's eye and rushing the camera, cutting the feed. It was currently unknown to the scientists whether the bigger life form was even alive, but it did know that the smaller and more evasive one is likely to be hostile. Two Grenadiers were called up to the platform as to provide extra security and possibly being used for neutralizing the likely threat. The two scientists were also lightly armed with pistols while the Grenadiers in the hanger were heavily armed and armored themselves.

Peter looked some what baffled at what was discovered and was glad that it was another alien creature as his career would definitely be looking up now. "We need to find a way to extract those creatures from the capsule." Peter said to the Lieutenant as they relayed instructions to the other scientists and technicians that wandered about the hanger.

[Sunset]

Gaian Ascendancy...

It was an odd thing - a thing that had never happened before. Well, not precisely 'never', but as per the rules it had only happened infrequently and to such an extent as to qualify for all purposes as 'never'.

The first kith put their hand on the capsule, intent to pick it up and toss it back and forth, and instead of a black shadow remaining on the surface for a half-instant before the pod began the sequence that would end with its opening there remained a white shade. It was the hand of a ghost made manifest and - just at the moment when the nanny looked at the other - "That depends." - it came to a complete stop. Not a slow drift but an absolute and sudden stop, hovering in the air as naturally as if it had appeared in that very state.

Beside it the second did the same, coming to a halt just as it left the eager hands of a would-be playmate. Then both began to spin along their upright axis, unlikely to harm anyone but faster and faster until their liquid contents were a horizontal blur. One being slightly higher than the other, they moved towards the other at a crawl until one nearly touched the other. With their first direction of rotation established they began to spin together in the opposite. At first this was a slow dance but faster and faster until they were a solid blur and the risk to anyone attempting to intervene extreme.

A charge began to build in the air around them, purple lightning crackling between the two; Something was bound to happen shortly...

[Sunset]

New Dornalia...

"What? Who?"

For a moment the man looked around, taking in both his surroundings and the woman who stood in front of him. The wreckage of the Kentucky Fried Panda seemed of significant interest, as did the half of the pod that still remained. In fact - and altogether ignoring his own questions - he bent over to put a hand on the smooth surface, an odd look painted across his dramatic visage and coincidentally favoring her with a full moon, "Fascinating! Well, it seems my captivity is over - and at long last! I daresay that was an excessive term of imprisonment and if I were able, I would write the most stern letter to their superiors," he finished, gesturing with a single finger.

"Now, you," he turned around and ran his eyes up and down her body in harsh appraisal, "You asked who I am? And where I came from? Well, Miss - I do hope it's Miss - Kournikova, I," he bowed, took her spare hand, and ran his lips across her fingers in a gesture outdated but still charming, "Am Doctor Stephen Ambrose! Genius, inventor, billionaire, and man-about-town. And," he looked down - though her fingers remained in his delicate grasp, "Quite naked. An inexcusable situation, I'm sure you agree!"

"Now, as you state that you are a detective..." His eyes went to the crowd gathered on the edge of the ruined building, though not a trace of blush rose to his cheeks, "Perhaps you would utilize your no-doubt considerable expertise to locate some appropriate apparel? A fine linen suit, eggshell white, and with both suspenders and patent leather shoes? A mint julep would be in order as well or even - you did mention Earth - some fine Kentucky whiskey?"

His eyes fell on something and he stepped away and past to kneel, toss aside the broken remains of a ceiling panel, and retrieve a napkin dispenser. Blowing out the first smoldering paper product, he tossed it away and then took another to carefully spread it out and place it across his dignity.

"At which point I would be more than willing to tell you - and these fine people," he gestured expansively with the other arm, "The story of my - the great Doctor Stephen Ambrose, doubtless you've heard of me - my escape, exile, capture, and imprisonment! An imprisonment that was to last," his voice rose and he stuck his finger in the air to coincidentally lose his covering, "A million years!"

----

Next Up:

Macisikan
Caer Lleon
Preutania
United World Order

[Sunset]

Macisikan...

"My purpose?" She repeated the words, "That's a pretty expansive question. Maybe you mean my purpose for being here?" She crossed her arms and pointed through them to the pod and then the shuttle around her. "Let's go with... I don't know. For the record - I don't know my purpose in being here," she said, her tone as even as she could manage.

"But if you're looking for the long version and since we have the time, I'll explain further. I'm an explorer with the Republic of Sunset's Exploration Command - and so yes, a military officer. I've been off active duty for a while now though; My mom's been bugging me to settle down and give her some grand-kids. So my partner - Lae - and I decided to settle down for a while and put out a couple kids. Maybe not the best way to go about it, but Mom... She's pushy, in a nice way. Anyway, they found a network of caves under our habitat and since we're explorers with a bit of a reputation, Lae and I were asked - again, Mom's pushy - to check them out. Make sure they're safe."

"Which is where we get to you guys. I'm kinda guessing you aren't responsible, given the lack of purple in your color scheme, but here's what happened. Lae and I were exploring these caves and they are pretty standard stuff. I've seen a lot of caves and after your tenth mineral curtain laced with a dozen colors you get a little jaded. But what we did find was a pair of these," she patted the pod with one hand, "Sitting there like they belonged. Strange, yes, but as I said - I've got a bit of a reputation as an explorer. I've seen a lot of formerly-weird stuff."

"Well, we got closer and then one of them - open like this - reached out with this shadowy black arm and scooped Lae up! Before I could even get a chance to engage it," she felt for her waist where something was missing from her hip and then looked to the two empty sockets on her shoulders, "Well, I tried, but he was already inside. I didn't want to risk hurting him, so I started looking for a way in."

"Which was... Stupid, now that I think about it. I should have called for backup. But I was desperate, so I started poking around it and the other one, looking for something. I thought they were organic at first, but after a bit... I don't know why, but I took my glove off and touched the other one. It opened up just like the other one had closed and, again, stupid - I got inside and it fill up with this purple stuff. Next thing I know, I'm here, you're here, and Lae isn't here."

====

Whatever it was, it didn't seem to do a whole lot and it definitely didn't acknowledge the questions put to it. Or did it? An array of different sensors were pointed at it and on one of these there was an intermittent flicker of electrical activity across the interior of the orb. This was at an extremely low level - nothing dangerous - but slow and consistent with what could be remarked as a fractal pattern. The pseudo-eye on the danging tendril continued to move as well and others joined it, peering this way and that and as they did the electrical activity increased in proportion.

Another interesting fact revealed itself as well. While the interior of the capsule had been filled with the purple aero-foam, this had now been exchanged with that of the station but a subtle intermittent stream of gas was observed issuing from a fold in the thin muscle tissue; It was breathing. Analysis of this gas revealed that it, and thus the being's interior, was mostly hydrogen with a sizable percentage of helium and traces of methane along with minor traces of other gases. As it continued to inhale and exhale, its buoyancy also changed and the sphere was definitely sinking towards the floor of the pod.

----
Next Up:

Caer Lleon
Preutania
United World Order

[Sunset]

Caer Lleon...

Star-burnt earth lay atop thick black loam like the crust of a bread and so it was that Ariannell the Fair found herself tumbling down not a rocky cliff but a soft
incline scattered with thick clumps of soil held to the earth by thin tangles of deep roots. The object itself was not large and thus the crater was not deep and she only fell a handful of turns before coming to rest with her back against the object she had half-glimpsed on her way down.

In the back of her mind there was something wrong with it. Even a ship - an advanced ship - subject to such an uncontrolled entry should show signs of the same and indeed as the three had crashed to earth they had been surrounded by a thin trail of fire and smoke. Instead what lay at her back was fresh and new, unblemished and smooth as glass, even through the muffled touch of her armor.

If the fall had hurt her, she did not feel it and as her knights crowded to the edge of the crater and the bravest began the descent to see to his Queen, she pushed herself to her feet. Unconsciously she put out a hand to steady herself while she looked up, her gaze locking with his just as he looked past her, alarm spreading across his weather-scarred features, "My Queen!"

Turning again she saw what he saw - an outline below the surface of the object in the shape of her hand that was rapidly filling with brilliant orange light - and so distracted her heel caught on some root or twist and she fell again. Landing with a 'thump' on her backside, she opened her eyes just as some strangle magenta fluid that filled the interior of the object rushed away via invisible pores into the exterior to leave behind an ominous darkness. Lines matching the orange of her left-behind hand print raced through the structure and became hard, the previously unbroken skin retreating to meet them.

This left her staring at a doorway, the shouts behind her ignored as she watched the shadow within fade away. Within was something strange and different, a hunched-over shape barely too large for the door. Four arms capped with twin sickle claws curled around a torso lean with muscle and standing loosely atop legs that looked broken backwards yet straining with power. A canine muzzle was edged with fangs and a crest of spines ran down its back to merge into a curling tail.

For a moment it was still, harmless, and then the muscles under the cheek stirred and the razor-rimmed maw turned and her hand fell unconsciously to the sword across her back...

----
Next Up:

Preutania
United World Order

[Gaian Ascendancy]

As soon as the capsules started to act all too sentient, Sune (the raven maned nanny,) quipped back to Peii. (Tha' lavender nanny looker.) "Ya 'had' to say that." ... "Oh bite me!" ... "Later?" ... "SUNE!"

The kiths (thankfully) were fixated on their twin toys, suddenly floating of their own accord. The Forran kith Letii quips... "- Ohhhh... there's some kind of bioforms inside. -" ...that All'ah, with sewn in arm attachment, quips... "~ Could be a metaphysical matrix? ~" ...as the twin encapsulations began their unknown 'dance'. As they did so, Peii warbled out... "Uhhh... could ye reasons for my energon credit allotment please come over here?" ...on seeing the two units begin to interact. Sune meanwhile quips, looking up at the sky, one filled with two seeable sets of sky-traffic tubes that laced across the sky, nevermind one atmospheric hazed sight of planetary rings, orbital space docks, and more than a few Fold flashes that indicated star traffic that was 'more' than busy from Plan Beta operations, alone, made for her such quip: "How did that stuff get past the Grid?"

As soon as the spinning iotas began to suddenly discharge some form of energon static (or more,) Peii snapped... "I think we got bigger problems!" ...making Sune more than notice!

And as if to make it all even 'more' responsible lookin', from off the the left around the corner comes... "What the blazes...!?" ...as two more Nannies, and a Kith-Center Administrator pop into sight, along an entire separate Class (three actually,) of kiths! Sune snaps off with bade hand... "No wait...!" ...as Peii 'really' snaps terse... "Get back from them now!!" ...with... "Wooow!" ...the original recess kiths glower amazed. Such Peii starts off her ancient Angel God command voice... "I SAID GET BACK..." ...such at 'that' point, the discharges become 'more' than dire enough!

* !!TWIN SLAM!! *

...as are the sudden slams of twin iotas of a Valkyrium Axe, and an Angel God Keystaff! Their sudden impacts both throw kiths all about comically, as much as they outright act as lightning rods, all but snap absorbing the discharges coming off the capsules. All such they so, as Sune and Peii recover their shock and dismay, to snap Net-mined minds up to their upper left... "Oh thank goddesses..." ...ala Peii, as the impact authors snap flight drop from on yonder above, as a Commander each of the Valkyrium Order, and Angel God elder same, arrive. Peii... "Commander Tresta. Commander Yorna." ...ala reverse introduction, ala old loyalties. (Tis a long story between each of the Twin Orders. Anywho...)

The Valkyrium blond curly haired Yorna lands near a unilateral playset, as Tresta lands simply... "Commander Peii." ...whit... "Nanny will do. And we can presume..." ... "Aye. Command knows." ...such Sune in hearing alone, gulps at. Given how freakishly expedient and efficient the Hikari energon driven Network was, tis was not a simple assertion that just 'that' planetary Command was 'all' that was mentioned of.

On such, the Administrator comes up... "Sorry..." ...Tresta looks over with her long sweeping black locks... "Administrator Taiilos. Honor noted. However..." ...the nominal auburn haired cyform-human civilian admin nodding. "Indeed noted." ...as Yorna then is seen wiping a hand over a section of the playset, a holo-console popping up. "Re-task local unit for security activity." ...proving 'how' unilateral an apparatus the plaything was. The Glassian kith hops over with... "Wow. How many are coming?"

"Enough." ...Yorna simply responds, before looking to her upper right... "We have visual."

"- We see it as well. -" ...comes in on high cyber-electro echo, as a pair of Droid Kushan Assh'ligh Class Light Attack Corvettes, swoop in, before one of them literally morphs into a Quad armed and legged format, taking station high above the spinning capsules. The second, hovers off to the side, above the Kith-Center, and drops twin squad set of droid combat units, the pearlaescent white hulled units, otherwise as standard looking as such, start taking up guard positions around the area. All such, starts also denoting other approaching craft, of various types, and similar of citizen souls in the area, as interest begins to further rise.

As does kith as kith does interest to bother care of their own well beings. (Not exactly a nominal recess session for the lot here.)

The Droid vessel directly above, calls out... "- Should we begin a scan? -"

"Nay." ...Tresta remarked, observing the 'scenery'... "We don't know how they will react. Whatever 'they' that they are." ...as she sees several more Valkyrium and Angel Gods of the local security zone arrive, as well as several Steel Angels on escort of teleport arriving Med-Techs that all too readily arrived to scan-check the kiths, all making for a busy scene, in such few moments. Tresta however orders... "Begin checking the wreckage, such may be their clues of origin." ... ": - Yes Commander. - :" ...one of the Synthetic Droid units vocalized, the units shifting attention to the 'litter'.

Nanny Peii then remarked, as the capsules began to coalesce in some format, the discharges becoming enough for ascended sight to look away from some... "How'd they get past the Defense Grid?" ...as eyes then look up at a shading sight of a VSD-II entering local security station keeping, such Tresta remarking... "We're not sure they actually did, or did a 'bypass'. We're correlating off Arrays for unusual particles. As all stands..." ...at the sight that had more than a few kiths that were checked over, just gather around in cooing fashion. Sune just remarks over... "Should we move them away. The charges?"

": - No requirement. - :" ...comes the 'first' of such high sources, as Tresta (Peii too... heck 'all' the elders about so teardrop in seeing,) reacts to seeing a sudden holo projection of... "H-high Commander Ifurita...!" ...the 2064KHD quality image of Councilor Ifurita Mizuhara imparts. ": - Noted. The kiths more than seem fine, as all scans stand. - :"

"Hope so." ...Nanny Peii remarks, as the Avian kith then remarks... "~ H-hey! I see movement! ~" ...setting more than a few elders on edge. It also set off... "Cool!" ...a lot of the kiths about to come closer unto! (Like a tyke wave of cute comedy.) Peii just blanches... "Don't you kiths have any sense!!"

": - We're ascended, but are 'we' even? - :" ...Ifurita notes, before 'looking' to her left, as...

[Caer Lleon]

It was only a moment later, after she had drawn Caliburn, that Arianell realized she couldn't actually defend herself. But the movement of arm across shoulder had drawn its attention, and now that it was free the beast was working its way through its prison, its eyes tracing her with a kind of hunger she had never expected to see directed at herself. "S-stay back." Perhaps she could reason with it. "I am Arianell Constanta Aurelia Pendragon. This is my land and my people. We welcome you as a friend, should you prove friendly, but we will not hesitate to defend ourselves..." Even as she said that, she was getting diagnostics from her suit that left her more and more nervous.

Code: Select all

CUSTOM ARMOR UNIT SP3-101 'SAPPHIRE' INTERNAL DIAGNOSTICS SYSTEM:

Wings not present.

Thrusters unaligned.

With a nervous glance through the eyes of one of her people, she saw the white feathers of her wingset resting on a tuft of loam between her and escape. But the monster, which was now stretching to its full height and peering around at the crater, would almost certainly pursue if she fled. In desperation, she tried to invoke Caliburn. The ancient power sealed within turned and tossed at her touch, but it would no more answer her than it had any of her ancestors. "...k-knights... to me..." It was a whisper, a mere echo of the command she had meant it to be. Oh, they were on their way, but their more elaborate and defensive suits would probably not take a tumble even through the loam as well as she had, and there were still two more capsules up there that could not be left unobserved...

She had thought, hoped, she would be the first of her people to greet life from beyond Terra Sancta. But now it seemed more likely that she would be the first of her people to be eaten by life from beyond Terra Sancta. And the last of her line to rule the Empire. After 1600 years. "I... I repeat..." Now she said the words in Latin. If it was a demon from Hell, it would no doubt understand that. But all her speaking did was draw its eyes back to her, and those four mighty arms came to face her, and those great fangs were bared, revealing a leering tongue. "A... A... Ah..." She held Caliburn before her, and between her and the monster, more to do something than from any great hope.

She was going to die. She was going to die here, without heir, and her empire would collapse. No doubt they'd make her a saint when the fighting stopped. The Martyred Virgin of Caer Lleon... She closed her eyes tight, and managed a command. "Attack! My... My hand in marriage and riches beyond worth to any who slay the beast!" If one of her women managed to do it, well... she'd cross that bridge when she came to it. If she came to it.

A hundred voices were raised, and she could hear her lances engage their thrusters and charge. They did not need the reward, but they had needed her command. They charged to the attack, flew to the attack, energy firing from their palms and swords drawn. She would be saved!

And then the creature appeared behind her and lifted her off the ground as though she, her armor and Caliburn were all made of air. One hand tightened around her neck, while two more held her between it and her knights, and the fourth pushed a sickled claw forward, breaking her armor (the circuits whirring and dying as her heart's glove was damaged) and piercing the soft skin of her left breast, hard enough to draw blood, but not yet hard enough to reach her heart. The knights stopped their attack.

(May edit in more after a talk with Sunset)

[Mokastana]

“It seems to be alive? How is that possible?”

Deputy Situations Director Helen Null inquired to the Scientist who gave her the news. It seemed that breaking into the “Egg", as the team had been affectionately referring to it as, had created more questions than answers. Not only was this seemingly a life supporting capsule of some kind, it had kept something alive for at least a year and a half, probably much longer given the layers of dust present when it was first discovered. Logging off from her computer, she unbuckled from her desk and pushed off towards the scientist. Both floated down the length of the cargo hold, as artificial gravity was still a pipe dream, away from the “offices” in the front towards the egg in the back. Up ahead, two others were going over the sonogram. results, baffled and curious. Helen rotated herself so that everyone's feet pointed in the same direction and began asking questions.

“Quito, Keiran tells me you think this thing is alive. How can that be?”

Dr. Quito, one of the Bureau's leading experts in known biology, looked up from his documents and towards the human like creature that was his boss. Yes, Helen looked human at a glance, but those cat ears and tail stood out once you noticed them. Still, Neko biology wasn't that different from human, but it had taken some effort for him to view a Neko as a commanding officer, and not simply an evolutionary quark. Given how few Nekos lived in the Federation, Quito often wondered how this one became such a high ranking black ops officer.

“How? I haven't the faintest idea,” he said finally answering the original question, “but it's breathing, shallow, almost unnoticeable breaths and the same with a heart beat, or whatever the subjects equivalent of a heart is. The spectrometer is analyzing the gas in the aerogel now. Hopefully we can figure out what it exhales and inhales. It may not be functionally cognitive, but biologically speaking, it seems like it is alive.”

“That's, certainly interesting. What else can we tell about its biology?”

“Lizard like, at least in appearance, we’re trying to get close enough to it to sonogram it's biology, but the instruments are delicate and the aerogel is not.”

Quito started to get into a very detailed explanation of the problem before the other scientist cut him off.

“Deputy Director Null, remember how the shell of the casing seemed almost biological in nature, despite being silicon based? Well, we've searched this thing all over, and it seems like there is no mechanical mechanism to activate or open it.”

“Yes, we’ve gone over this, what's your point?”

“Well, I've been going over my data for the last month. We noticed a mild reaction to heat, regardless of heat level applied, but a reaction all the same. I think this may have been designed to interact with biological life. In what way I'm not sure, but this, this might be the key to opening it.”

“Very well, we have two weeks to put together a request for supplies from Earth. Organize your research proposals and anything you want shipped up to us. As you know, we're two months out from the rendezvous, so plan ahead accordingly. Keep up the sonogram testing, and, please, let me know when we know what atmosphere it needs."

“Do you think we'll be able to wake it?”

“In a few months, once we've gotten all the passive data we can out of it. We’re going to try.”

With that Helen turned away from her scientists and looked back towards the Egg, giving it a cautious look before pushing off back towards her computer.

[Sunset]

Preutania...

There wasn't long to wait. After a few moments - the longest seconds that some of them had ever endured - there was a stir in the creature's dress. The tail, if that was what it truly was, began to move, slowly twisting this way and that as thought it was trying to swim. A shudder went through the arms as though it was a cat just waking up from a nap where the dream had been a mouse and then that single eye opened, a single thin slice of nightmare orange before it shot wide. For an equally long time it lay there silent but then there was a glow, a radiance inside the gems set in the shoulders and breast of its corset.

It did not sit up; Perhaps it had no spine to speak of. Instead there was a movement in the air and it began to float until the body clearly meant for the cold depths of an unknown ocean was upright as if it was a man. Those limbless arms fell to its side and then the eye looked from one to another before settling on the woman who stood closest. A paddle-hand moved to cover the gem on its chest and the other just tucked behind it and it bowed, though not in the stiff manner of those with internal supports.

Instead it was a smooth curl and the dangle of tendrils on its chin moved, "Kon doth yitsap marqu, du fon then whi zoth."

----
Next Up:

United World Order
Gaian Ascendancy
Caer Lleon
Mokastana

[Sunset]

United World Order...

It wasn't two creatures; It was one creature and it was pissed. Claws followed the remains of the camera through the hole and where the band saw had taken hours to create even that tiny triangle those same claws gripped the edge of the capsule and began to tear away at it, short curls of whatever it was made from spiraling up into tight ringlets that fell to the platform. Each moment that passed they grew more frantic but they were not alone.

The tiny hole was not the only way out and whatever was inside was intent on making its own. Black claws scratched against unknown plastic and it was clear that it had twisted itself around until all four limbs could make contact though that one hand continued to enlarge the first hole in a frenzy. A chunk fell away and then another and another and then the entire arm emerged to reach around and press itself flat against the surface.

It only remained for an instant and when it lifted a dark shadow remained behind, followed by a brilliant orange outline of something that looked like a hand but not like the hand that had been there. This was filled in with orange but still the claws scraped against the outside and out, enlarging the first hole and seeking to create more. Lines of neon shot through the space between one shell and the next and where these lay the capsule began to retreat, a scything claw crossing this gap to tear away a long shard of material.

The lines of neon formed an outline and between these the shell melted away before their eyes to leave only air between those outside and the savage within...

----
Next Up:

Gaian Ascendancy
Caer Lleon
Mokastana

[Macisikan]

Aboard the neutered patrol boat.

There was a long pause. Then, “thank you for your cooperation. We are docking now,” there was a quiet thump and a hiss, and then a hatch slid open.

The high voc walked to the hatch and then stood next to it, one arm out in a classic after you gesture. “Lieutenant Falk, please exit the craft. A supervisor has been dispatched to discuss this matter further.” Although the androids didn’t do body language, something seemed to heavily imply that she had the option of walking or being carried, but she was going with them.

She was escorted out; the vatgrown leading the way, the high voc behind her. Should she attempt to ask them anything, the ‘droid would just say “Please hold your questions until we reach our destination” – the vatgrown simply ignored her, unless she touched it, at which point it halted. It would then say something in what sounded like Russian (but to a Russian speaker sounded like nonsense); the tone was unmistakably hostile. Vatgrown didn’t like being touched as a rule.

The hallways she was escorted down were empty, featureless, and well, though not painfully, lit; after several minutes of walking, she was led into a room; a fairly nondescript man was seated behind a table. He wore a black uniform; silvery-white piping on the cuffs and collar and rank pips. He glanced up as she entered, and gestured to the chair in front of him. The vatgrown took up a position behind him.

“Lieutenant Falk,” the man said without preamble. “I am Agent Heptuay Savin, in service to the Serene Majesty. Now, initial questioning indicates that you are not familiar with us, so let me read you in; you appeared in this pod, along with a considerable amount of debris and another pod, near Nunherdellen in the S-11 02-04 System approximately 43 days ago. Analysis indicates that your arrival was not intentional, but due to a faulty FTL exit. Fortunately, or unfortunately, for you, His Serene Majesty’s Fleet Anchorage of Nower registered the arrival and dispatched a craft to salvage the debris and pods. I say fortunate, because within four months, you, the other pod, and the debris, were all going to spiral down into the gas giant,” he leaned forward. “I say unfortunate because we like our privacy, and you are an uninvited and unwelcome guest.” The atmosphere in the room seemed to darken, before he leaned back.

“A few years ago you wouldn’t be enjoying yourself very much now, but new Premier, new methods. So I have instructions” he bit the word out “to see how we can send you home. Alive. And unharmed,” something about his tone said he very much objected to that, but had been overruled.

“Therefore we need to know where your nation is, so we can send you back. Before we do that though, two things; first, as you surmised earlier, we had nothing to do with this; we do not like visitors, do not want you here, and would not have brought you here. Second, you enquired about your husband; unless he is the unknown nonhuman biological from the other pod, we do not have him. Now,” he summoned a hologram of the galaxy over the desk; a blue bulb of light appeared. “This is Dornalia,” Savin indicated it. “Otherwise known as the Colonial Republic of Earth. And this point here is the Sol system. If you advise us of where the Sunset Republic is in relation to them, we will return you to your home,” he looked back at her, a veneer of distaste in his eyes. “The sooner, the better,” he added.

---

Down in the Lab

LAB SYSTEMS LOG: Assess that unknown lifeform’s respiratory needs are not compatible with standard N2/O2 mix. Exhalation of waste products H2, He2, CH4 in that order. Instruction is to preserve lifeform unless hostile or countermanded; assessing options... optimal course of action; atmospheric cycling (N2/O2 mix to be replaced with H2/He2/CH4). Lifeform shows no sign of distress at 1atm of pressure; adjust pressure depending on if distress is shown. Command confirmation received. All personnel are in environmental suits. Commencing cycling.

Several things happened. First, half the equipment switched off; although everything was flame-retardant regardless, and there was nothing that could give off a spark, there was no point taking a risk when hydrogen and methane were about to be introduced. Second, from the base of the walls, there was a hiss as vents began to suck out the N2/O2 mix. Above, other vents began to cycle in new gas; first, an N2 mix, with increasing portions of the other gases. Within a minute the atmosphere had been cycled completely, smoothly and efficiently and without incident, which is when the equipment reactivated. At the moment the balance was the same as the creature’s exhalations. The temperature did not change, though at least one of the vocs was now even more focused on the skin of the creature to see if there were any signs of damage to the skin.

[New Dornalia]

New Dornalia...
[...]"Now, you," he turned around and ran his eyes up and down her body in harsh appraisal, "You asked who I am? And where I came from? Well, Miss - I do hope it's Miss - Kournikova, I," he bowed, took her spare hand, and ran his lips across her fingers in a gesture outdated but still charming, "Am Doctor Stephen Ambrose! Genius, inventor, billionaire, and man-about-town. And," he looked down - though her fingers remained in his delicate grasp, "Quite naked. An inexcusable situation, I'm sure you agree!"

"Now, as you state that you are a detective..." His eyes went to the crowd gathered on the edge of the ruined building, though not a trace of blush rose to his cheeks, "Perhaps you would utilize your no-doubt considerable expertise to locate some appropriate apparel? A fine linen suit, eggshell white, and with both suspenders and patent leather shoes? A mint julep would be in order as well or even - you did mention Earth - some fine Kentucky whiskey?"

His eyes fell on something and he stepped away and past to kneel, toss aside the broken remains of a ceiling panel, and retrieve a napkin dispenser. Blowing out the first smoldering paper product, he tossed it away and then took another to carefully spread it out and place it across his dignity.

"At which point I would be more than willing to tell you - and these fine people," he gestured expansively with the other arm, "The story of my - the great Doctor Stephen Ambrose, doubtless you've heard of me - my escape, exile, capture, and imprisonment! An imprisonment that was to last," his voice rose and he stuck his finger in the air to coincidentally lose his covering, "A million years!"

Detective Kournikova had expected a strange alien of some sort when that pod came to ground. After all, something that caused so much of a ruckus for the people of this town had to have some sort of purpose, even if it was invasion. Right?

As it turned out, what came out of that pod was even stranger than she could have possibly imagined. It wasn't an alien, or any ordinary naked guy with a strange apple scent. Nope. And oddest of all, the drink order wasn't the oddest part. Such beverages would easily be found even out here on the border between the Republic and Elsewhere. No, it was the fact that the individual in front of her was a man claiming to be a legendary eccentric scientist and putting in a drink order for fine Kentucky bourbon or even a Mint Julep.

Kournikova had a vague notion of who Ambrose was--like most Dorns, she was aware Ambrose was some sort of mad scientist on the lam whose SEXYE virus was the envy--and the hot tool, if it really needed to be said--of every plastic surgeon from Beverly Hills to the Upper Habs. Kournikova had seen all the late night infomercials on the TV, with that eminent plastic surgeon Dr. Hagop Manouchian of Burbank, CA flogging SEXYE and boasting that "it was the real thing, just as Dr. Ambrose would have wanted." Now, Ambrose was seemingly here in the flesh, in more ways than one.

Part of Kournikova was more than a little star struck. THE Dr. Ambrose? In her neck of the woods? Another part however--and the one which governed at the moment--really wanted to have her questions answered. To that end, Kournikova nodded and said, "Excuse me, Doctor." and pulled out her phone.

"Yeah. This is Kournikova."

Looking at Dr. Ambrose in front of her, she then said, "I've got a gentleman here claiming to be one Dr. Stephen Ambrose. Yeah, the SEXYE guy. He's requesting--get this--an eggshell white linen suit with suspenders and patent leather shoes, along with a mint julep or Kentucky whiskey at minimum." WIncing, she then said, annoyed at whoever was speaking to her, "No, this isn't a joke. No, I'm not being cute. No, I'm not asking him out to the Triple Crown Grengaback Races. No, the gentleman is a scientist, and not a Southern-accented juris doctor. You want proof? Okay. One sec."

Kournikova tapped a few settings on her phone, and then held it flat as a holographic projection of a gentleman behind a desk looked around, muttering, "Dear Jesus." He then noticed Dr. Ambrose, his eyes widening with a simple, "I can see why he'd make a clothing request, Detective. And would need a drink."

"Yeah. Anyway, boss, make sure a containment crew comes down here before the feds do, with the things he requested. Kournikova out."

Hanging up, Kournikova said to the good Doctor, holstering her phone and crossing her arms, "Okay, Doc, here's the situation. As you can see, I just called my boss. We can provide you with your requested whiskey and choice of clothing. Of course, we will need to take you in, mostly to ask you some questions." Smiling, she then added, in a surprisingly reassuring tone, "As you have explained, you've got quite a story to tell, and well, it'd be well within everyones' interest to document it as thoroughly as possible."

As all this occurred, McMurty sensed that Ambrose was a significant man in his own right. Whilst Kournikova--perhaps acting out of an enforced skepticism engendered by law enforcement work--was asking questions, McMurty seemed inclined to trust Ambrose was who he said he was. And this was even without actually hearing him speak. Then again, when you were an expert Orderman, you could pay attention to things like this.

Of course, on cue, another black NIssan vehicle--this one a rather large SUV--pulled up to the edge of the crater. Out of it came another group of agents similarly dressed to Kournikova, two of whom approached Ambrose. One of them came with a garment bag marked "Zhang's Fine Suits" and what looked like a tent pole, and the other came with what looked like...a mint julep. One of them put the tent pole down, wrapping Ambrose and company inside an opaque field of some sort, and the man said, "Dr. Ambrose, I've just erected a Privacy Field. Please take possession of the suit/clothing and beverage, and when ready please follow us to the vehicle."

[Sunset]

Caer Lleon...

For an eternal moment it held her life in its claws - one heartbeat and then two - before it reared back and hurled her up the cliff and over the heads of her waiting knights. Men in silver and gold leapt to catch her or throw themselves between her and the ground while it took the half-scarce moment to turn and run. First it scampered behind the momentary shelter of the capsule as one or two blasts chased it and then it dropped to all fours, the spare set of arms between grabbing at here and there to propel it up the opposite cliff at enormous speed.

Cresting the top of the crater, it sank low to the ground, it's speed increasing as it turned the scorched land to its advantage - but it had another trick to play. Skin of white and gray faded to mottled black and coal, the six strange limbs now spread spider-like as it raced for the closest patch of cover...

----
To-Do:

Gaian Ascendancy
Mokastana
Macisikan
New Dornalia

[Sunset]

Mokastana...

To adopt the cliche phrase 'in more ways than one', the analysis of the aerogel bore interesting results. Structural deconstruction of the foam revealed a certain symmetry with the functioning of the lungs with each bubble roughly replicating the action of the alveoli. The exact method by which the required gases were recycled and replaced wasn't altogether clear, but far from being a simple glycerin matrix the aerogel was already proving far more complex. This also provided the answer to the inhabitant's respiratory needs.

Calling it 'Earth-like' would not do justice to the great diversity of life in the galaxy, but it was a close enough answer. Several of the majority elements had different proportions but the overall mix was the same; Possibly indicating that whatever was inside utilized the same oxygen/carbon dioxide cycle. There were traces of other elements but none of these were toxic, nor were they present in sufficient quantity to indicate their use as a primary respiratory gas unless the species was remarkably energy efficient. It was a possibility that could not be immediately discarded, but...

There were also nanites - micrites, properly.

That triggered a mild emergency as a whole new layer of containment protocols were put into place, but this was not as unnecessary as might be predicted. Dissection of multiple samples yielded both interesting results and another rabbit hole; Some carried small pieces of tissue with them...

Past all this - and despite many a creepy late-night moment - neither the capsule nor its inhabitant stirred.

----
To-Do:

Gaian Ascendancy
Macisikan
New Dornalia

[United World Order]

United World Order...

It wasn't two creatures; It was one creature and it was pissed. Claws followed the remains of the camera through the hole and where the band saw had taken hours to create even that tiny triangle those same claws gripped the edge of the capsule and began to tear away at it, short curls of whatever it was made from spiraling up into tight ringlets that fell to the platform. Each moment that passed they grew more frantic but they were not alone.

The tiny hole was not the only way out and whatever was inside was intent on making its own. Black claws scratched against unknown plastic and it was clear that it had twisted itself around until all four limbs could make contact though that one hand continued to enlarge the first hole in a frenzy. A chunk fell away and then another and another and then the entire arm emerged to reach around and press itself flat against the surface.

It only remained for an instant and when it lifted a dark shadow remained behind, followed by a brilliant orange outline of something that looked like a hand but not like the hand that had been there. This was filled in with orange but still the claws scraped against the outside and out, enlarging the first hole and seeking to create more. Lines of neon shot through the space between one shell and the next and where these lay the capsule began to retreat, a scything claw crossing this gap to tear away a long shard of material.

The lines of neon formed an outline and between these the shell melted away before their eyes to leave only air between those outside and the savage within...

The two armed Grenadiers stepped forward as the creature began tearing up it's capsule, the robot could evidently not be saved as it was tipped over by the sheer force that the creature was exerting to escape. Peter and the Lieutenant moved back away from it. Communication began picking up as the threat of the creature inside the capsule was vocalized, several more Grenadiers made their way up the platform as reinforcements. Peter withdrew his small pistol that he kept for personal protection which was looking to be used as the creature broke free from it's temporary prison. A stare down began as the two Grenadiers aimed their rifles at the creature, additional Grenadiers were approaching from the stair way as they took took aim at the creature when they could. If the creature was to attack them then it would die on the spot, hopefully.

[Caer Lleon]

Even without her heart's glove, her armor could handle the fall. Its inertics kicked in, stabilizing the young Queen, ensuring she landed safely, if heavily, in the arms of one of her knights. Dazed and somewhat confused, Arianell didn't protest as a cape was hung around her to cover her bared breast or as she was led back to the column of speeders. What was a concern was that Caliburn was not, in fact, in her hand. This would have been cause for general panic, but it was found the sword remained where it had fallen in the crater. As no one but the Pendragon could lift it, it was deemed secure.

Indeed, an impromptu security conference led to the crater being selected as a staging point. The other capsules, untouched by the magic hand of the Pendragon, remained inert; but the fear was that that they may not remain so for long. Other lances, both on Avalon and on the continent, were alerted, but it would take time for reinforcements to arrive and so the militia of Wessex were called up. They would form the first line of response.

Commander Launcelot of the Imperial Scholasta would, in a later press-briefing, summarize the initial response as "Secure, Search and Subdue."

Secure: Secure the Queen, the Capsules and the Area. Establish a series of concentric rings to ensure the beast did not either return for reinforcements from the other capsules or for the Queen's life; furthermore, with the help of mobilized militia and reinforcing lances ensure that the beast did not leave the Star-Burnt lands for the populated districts of the east. Thus, a lance of knights would ride from the ashen lands between the Isle of the Tor and the ruins of the Port at Wedmore, and the Wessex Company would patrol the burnt lands of Summer's Set, from the Mausoleum of Yeovil to the Dorset Wastes. The fierce Exmoor Channel that separated southern Anglia's burnt lands from those of the Isles of Lyonesse would be patrolled by the Queen's own Cornish Knights, but it was not thought likely the beast would head west.

Search: Search the opened capsule for clues as to its origins and its prisoner, and search the Star-Burnt lands for the creature. Niamh, a scholar from the Merlin School who had initially accompanied the royal party, was given charge of the first duty. Three of the remaining lances took this role. The ashen, dusty land and its loamy soil would make detection difficult, and while ambient radiation was no longer a significant danger (even to the now-unarmored queen) it would interfere with their tracking devices. Had the beast made its way past the Isle of Glastonbury, from the Starbunt lands and into the lands of the Waste, then the job was already lost. But it was not thought there had been time for such an adventure, no matter how fast the creature roamed. Its legs would never outrun a speeder or the Wessex Company to the south, and the passage across the Glass Lake would be noted even if it could reach that far to the northeast.

Subdue: Find the beast and, if possible, take it prisoner. It had proven its reasoning abilities both by taking the Queen hostage and by deliberately taking cover. It was possible, though unlikely, that it was confused and afraid and would, once captured, be able to be reasoned with. Of course, it was possible that there was no reasoning with it, and in that case the knights would be obliged to destroy it. But as of yet it had killed no one, and only acted for self-preservation. With the Queen's (slightly dazed) assent, it was deemed appropriate to behave with Chivalry and Honor.


===Capsule Crater===

Niamh Sihde was the best the University of Merlin (more properly, the Academy of Merlinus Ambrosianus at Ynys Witrin) could offer. This meant nothing, though. Much of the senior staff (as well as its junior staff, its students, its buildings, its library and its football team) had gone up in smoke and ashes at Sun Fall. What was left of the school was its astronomy division, based primarily out of the Observatory at Nimue's Point and now part of the Royal College at Oxford. Niamh held seniority because of the death of nearly twenty million people, including most of the astronomy team at Oxford.

One of nature's teaching professors, it had been a rude awakening eight years before to find out that not only was she the Dean of the Astronomy Department, but she was also Dean of every other Department, along with ArchChancellor, Bursar and Chief Librarian. That some of these titles now existed only on paper did not help. Nor did it help that she was the first woman ever to hold some of them.

She was here primarily because most of TSPI's writers on first contact came from the New World, at the deCamp-Hubbard School of Xenotheory in Gran California, and there had not been time to fly them here. Even the leading researcher in the field, Howard II P.L. (Professor of Trans-Cultural Communications at Nova Anglia Public University-Arkham College), the inventor of the Zann Tone Player she had in her backpack, would not have had the time to fly from his summer house.

And now they didn't want her to try to communicate with an alien intelligence, they wanted her to study its ship. She didn't know how to tell these mad people that all she could tell them, standing there inside the capsule, was that it was a machine of some sort. "The Queen touched it, and it opened?" She ran her finger over the wires and surfaces within, not expecting any results. "Unless you have a record, then that information doesn't help. We all know strange things happen around those of the blood." Niamh touched her own brow. Her own eyes were only slightly tinted with yellow, a far cry from the radiant gold that shone from the Queen's gaze. "...we could test it with another capsule."

"Negative, Professor." The largest and most physically imposing of the knights spoke. With his cape around the dazed queen, he should have lost some of his stature. But now the immense wings of his armor were fully visible, the technosorcery of them occasionally causing them to flap in a wind that wasn't there. "Focus on what you have in front of you. I want to know when you have something."

"Well, it would be easier if I could send for someone from the college with my tools," and if that someone she sent for knew something about engineering and machines in general.

"Negative. The Round Table has given its orders. No civilian is to be informed as to this incident until we are sure the subject is contained. Or it becomes necessary to inform the public so as to make sure of their safety. It is your job to help us determine this." He then dismissed her from his mind, a finger touching the carving of his helmet. "Launcelot here. Report." He wandered off into privacy, returning to his native French.

Niamh knew something of astro-transit, of course. The moon-missions of Roanoke-Augusta were required study. To survive atmospheric transit, this machine had to be sturdy. But she, they, had all seen it, smoking as it fell through air. The Selene rockets, on their return, had all been burnt severely. But this capsule was clean. Untouched. Well, expert or not, she could give them some information, if she had some information. "You. Knight." She pointed randomly One of the knights guarding the Queen looked up. "Go and look at the other pods. Do not approach them. Inform me if they are still damaged." That knight looked to the others, who shrugged, and then jumped out of the crater. This one had behaved oddly, even before its nature as a prison was known. She had absolute faith in the calculations of her staff, and two of the three pods had indeed landed where they had been expected. That this one had been off was either an outlier, or a miscalculation. The latter was evidence of a need for retraining.

The former was a concern. They had counted out three pods, but could there be more? Piercing through the atmosphere, releasing more of those creatures on landing. What of debris? What if these had only been visible at all because something had gone wrong? TSPI could be facing a crisis.

[Senkaku]

I didn't realize you were still doing these, Sunset! Guess I'll jump in, haven't written any FT in a while.

---

Tai Fong Lim Shipping Group Hydrodrome (AKA "Kampong 4/K4 Arena")
Kampong 4
Surciel City
Abadian Sea
Penglai
Surciel Electorate

---

"And Doña Iparaguirre retakes the lead heading into the Final Turn!", the announcer thundered over the roar of the crowd. The speakers mounted on the huge floating platforms that surrounded the hydrofoil course were powerful enough to throw off mist and whitewash as they throbbed with her excited shout, but even they were soon drowned out by the hoarse screaming and cheering of tens of thousands of voices.

As the hydros came rushing around the bend, the platforms rocked slightly as people surged to their feet, and a cacophony of ship's horns joined in, making the course sound like some massive, bizarre aviary for strange mechanical birds.

Anders Wu was one of the thousands of people screaming themselves hoarse, though he couldn't even hear himself over the whine of the hydros' jet engines and the general din of the crowd. He could just see Doña Iparaguirre's jet-black hydro with the help of his zoom lenses, maintaining a narrow lead as the two dozen remaining craft slalomed at the speed of sound between buoys, mobile obstacle drones, and the burning wreckage of hydros that had gone down earlier in the race. Blue flames rippled behind the black hydro's jets- it was going full bore, slicing the water and sending up colossal fans of spray every time it turned. Vaguely, over the incredible, overwhelming noise, Anders heard some bangs, then noticed the fireworks and flares- not coming from barges near the stands, but rather from some of the buoys and obstacle drones, exploding all around and above the hydros in blossoms and checkerboards of multicolored flame.

One of the hydros a little behind the front pack flamed out unspectacularly, getting jostled and plowing nosefirst into the turquoise sea before disappearing in a plume of spray, but the crowd's volume reached new pitch and intensity as the leaders began jostling in the last few seconds, heading towards the huge floating arch that marked the finish line. Anders held his breath, not taking his eyes off of the black hydro- first Johnny Krilov's deep blue vehicle slammed into an obstacle drone and exploded in a spectacular fireball, then Camila Lee's neon pink hydro tapped Amadeo Gahar's bright green one and the entire leading pack seemed to vanish behind the explosion as both broke up while continuing to fly forward.

For a moment, Anders' eyes widened- but then, flames licking and peeling back from its sides, Elia Iparaguirre's hydro came roaring out of the smoke, now nearly a hundred meters ahead of the other leaders, and blasted across the finish line, the sonic boom rattling Anders' teeth.

The crowd was still cheering, and the surviving hydros still roaring across the line, when he noticed his phone was buzzing. With a frown, he glanced down- I hate being on call! This better not be work, Alma said I'd probably be alright...

Alma Harcourt

Something came up- we need you to come in. Sorry to have to call you in on race day. :/

Anders ground his teeth and looked up, at the perfect, sunny azure sky. Goddamnit.

It's fine. I'm at the K4 arena, I'll grab a hong2 and be there in 10

---

---

Public Safety Bureau Headquarters
Kampong 2

---

"Okay, what are we looking at?", Anders asked with a sigh as Alma smiled a little guiltily at him. The door clicked shut behind him, and a few other people glanced up from their consoles. The office's air-conditioning was, as usual, far too intense- Anders was grateful he'd had a little to drink at the races, since he hadn't had time to go change out of a tank top and shorts.

"Sorry again to call you in on race day, Port Authority said everything was supposed to be quiet." She hugged her sweater a little tighter and snapped her finger, calling up a hologram.

Anders frowned and squinted at the hologram, tapping his temple to try and get his lenses to re-focus and give him some feedback. "So what are we looking at? Some sort of satellite breakup, or...?"

Alma shrugged and shook her head. "No- Port Authority records show nothing at the origin point of the debris cloud, and there was some sensor feedback that makes it look like some kind of superluminal drive popped them out there."

"It is debris, though?"

"Yeah, it's all in an unpowered descent. Most of it's actually going to splash down not far from the K4 hydro arena, actually, a couple miles west of Koh Prada." She waved her hand, pulling up a live satellite image of the impact zone. "Port Authority has alerted those villages floating there, and sent some tug-skimmers in case they need help. We're estimating splashdown in about an hour, and the water's only about fifty or sixty feet deep there, so the boss wants you to take point on the response team."

"We sending in divers?"

"Yeah, the Action Department has some frogmen and a very scary-looking armed skimmer- you're technically in charge of them too, but Serena insisted you go along with one of those boring Investigation Department hovers and a couple detectives and forensic divers." She rolled her eyes. "And I get to sit my ass down here and answer any questions that come up about the telemetry. Or something, I guess."

Anders crossed his arms, hugging them tighter as the bone-chilling cold of the AC continued to wear on him. "Alright. I'll have my AI pull everyone together in the vehicle bay in a couple minutes, but I'd better go change before I freeze to death."

"What, you don't think a 'Viva Elia' tank and short shorts are suitable attire for police operations?"

"You're just mad that I wear it better," Anders called back with a smile as he walked off.

---

---

Impact site
Kampong 4

---

"Alright, Alma, you've got all the camera feeds- what are we looking at?", Anders shouted as the hovercraft bounced over the waves, towards the huge column of steam rising towards the horizon.

In his ear, Alma cleared her throat slightly. "Isn't the hover's console-"

"I'm in Number Six, remember? It's still fried, Priya hasn't been able to get to it yet. What are we looking at?"

"Got some decent stills from a Defense Force imaging satellite and a high-altitude aerostat- two of these funny purple-ish capsule things, and a bunch of smaller pieces. Serena says the capsules are to be your priority, apparently some Defense Force analyst thought they had some passing resemblance to the kind of escape pods that the Kelinese have for their officers stationed on capital ships."

---

Anders yawned inside his mask, peering around and wincing slightly at the damage that the two pods had smashed through the massive coral platforms and fans that rose from the sea floor. One had partially collapsed a large, flat-topped, mushroom-shaped formation, which it was now partly buried under, while the other had smashed along the top of one of the coral canyons and come to rest in a mound of sand, directly against one of the massive brain coral domes rising from the sea bed. The two craft were separated only a hundred meters or so, and Anders grabbed his propulsion-assist drone and tapped its side, jetting over closer to the one they were raising first.

"These definitely look like they could be capable of having life-support systems inside, they're pretty similar to re-entry pods," someone said over the laser link.

"Just finish hooking it up, please," Anders said. "Are we about ready up on the surface?"

The Action Group skimmer pilot's voice crackled slightly in his ear. "Yes, sir- just got word from the Koh Prada police station that they've cleared the beach for us, the SEPOC team from Kampong 2 is on site."

Already? Anders shook his head- he wasn't terribly surprised, given what he'd seen in the work he'd done with and for the League Supreme Executive. He squinted down at the first pod, through a cloud of confused little turquoise fish. "Alright then- are we all hooked down there, or what?"

"Should be all set, sir," a voice said, and a moment later the divers down by the pod moved away from it slightly and looked up, offering thumbs-ups. "Gravity foils are all locked in, harness is secure."

"Alright, surface, you're good to go. Get that thing back to Koh Prada. We'll open that one up first and leave a couple of drones here to keep an eye on this one till we get back to it."

---

---

West Beach
Koh Prada

---

Oddly enough, the purple pod didn't seem remotely out of place among the palm trees and white sand of Koh Prada's western shore. As the afternoon wore towards evening, the western sky and the puffy cumulus clouds scattered across it were beginning to turn flame-orange, spectacularly backlighting the distant, looming skyscrapers of Kampongs 2 and 3. While ordinary buildings might simply be black silhouettes against such intense brightness, though, Surciel's towers still flared a hundred brilliant colors with their neon signs and fluorescent paint.

Anders yawned and ran his fingers through his damp brown hair as he watched two of the SEPOC officers pull on welding masks and sparkling silver gloves. They all turned away as the two black-clad spooks fired up their torches, each like a tiny star- Anders could feel the heat against his back as if someone had opened an oven right behind him,and Koh Prada's white sands suddenly were almost unbearable to look at. There were a few brief crackles and some hissing, and then the light died and they all turned around, a few members of the Action Group switching the safeties off their assault rifles.

The end of the capsule had been deftly sliced off with a few quick cuts, its edges still glowing white where the torches had melted it like butter, and the two cutters backed off as Anders and the lead SEPOC officer, a tall blond woman who he vaguely remembered from some inter-agency meeting but whose name he couldn't recall, stepped forward to peer inside.

[Sunset]

Macisikan...

"Unknown nonhuman biological, huh? Somewhere around here," she held her hand over her head, "Artiodactyl legs, prehensile feet, large reproductive organ? I mean - really large."

Agent Savin shook his head, his gaze as icy cold as the grave, "No."

Trinya slumped back into her seat with a sigh, "And I don't suppose you'll tell me who or what was in the other pod? Probably not. Well," she leaned over the table to study the image, "Can't say I've ever heard of Dornalia, but Sol is Sol - Ever been there? Not as interesting as you might think. Or," she eyed the dull-looking agent quickly, "Maybe too exciting for you. You don't seem the party type. But here you go," she held out her hand in an 'L' shape and for a moment the hologram went blurry as another galaxy appeared over the top of it and then shifted to match.

Various bright dots appeared in and among the stars, "Here's Ares - that's our home system. But if you want to get rid of me quickly, you're in luck - Dornalia is very close to Notch," she indicated a cluster of stars similarly situated along the Vela Spur, "And from there I can get a ride home. I don't think you'd want to take me that far, since Falk's Gambit is..."

"Here," she pointed to somewhere approximately off the edge of the table, "In the Canis Major Extra-Galactic Segment. So we'll call Notch 'home', for your purposes..."

====

It seemed... Okay. Nominal? Maybe even 'good'. Within a minute or so the orb had filled out completely and had begun to float upward, the eye-tendrils now looking around with what could easily be described as increasing curiosity. Its breathing became more pronounced and this in turn led to propulsion and then to the orb exiting the pod to float above it, spinning slowly around as it took in the entirety of its surroundings. Its pace was best described as 'tedious' but this worked in its favor as it first circled above the pod and then descended to float in front of one of the vocs.

After a moment there was a single large breath and the chemical sensors went off; Along with the usual gases there were significant traces of a complex molecule, composed of the trace atmospheric gases it had been exhaling earlier. These began to decay almost immediately, losing their coherence only a few meters from the floating orb to join the mixture. Meanwhile the various eye-stalks stared at the voc intently, as though they expected a result - or an answer.

----
To-Do:

Gaian Ascendancy
New Dornalia
United World Order
Caer Lleon
Senkaku

[Sunset]

Gaian Ascendancy...

The arrival of the two seemed to be a signal of sorts or at least a trigger; The two capsules continued to rotate around each other faster and faster, but as suddenly as a light switch they also started to tumble end over end, their orbits now describing a blurred purple torus. Waves of space-time began to radiate outward from this, passing over kith and other alike to at once age them towards death and then reverse towards birth before snapping back to whatever semblance of 'normal' this place possessed.

Within a few seconds a space appeared in the middle, dark lightning flashing around and then forming a halo around the opening. Whatever was there was both there and not-there, a hole of nothing that led in turn to something or somewhere. Out of this a dark gas poured, flowing back along the crackling lines of lightning to first surround the capsules and then spread out until it filled the space they traveled through, both disturbed and displaced by their furious rotation but also held to that orbit by the not-object in the center.

From this black halo a tendril reached out, crawling through the air until it reached the two. Then it was joined by another and they both rose up, each end taking on the form of a person or perhaps something else though it was from the something-nothing in the center of the spinning pair that their voices came, "We told you before; Come Back When You Have Something New."

These words were directed at the pair and they were the only ones who heard; An instant later the insubstantial tendrils began to retreat, flowing back towards the cloud while the object in the center began to grow larger...

----
To-Do:

New Dornalia
United World Order
Caer Lleon
Senkaku

[Sunset]

New Dornalia...

"A most thoughtful gesture," Stephen nodded in reply, taking first the suit and then the drink before taking a sip of the second and handing it back to the bearer. "Most thoughtful, though I assure you," he gave Detective Kournikova a wink, "A fine specimen of manhood such as myself has no issues of modesty. One must let the buyer inspect the merchandise..."

The man who held the drink nearly spilled it but recovered enough to choke down his bile before turning away and coughing. Behind him Ambrose began to dress, pulling on first underwear then socks, trousers, and then tucking the provided shirt into his waistband before cinching down the leather belt around his bony waist. The jacket followed and for a good minute he fussed with the provided bow tie, his fingers moving through complex and unnatural gyrations until he tore it from his throat and tucked it into a pocket before unbuttoning the top button of his shirt, an action which instantly cut ten years off his apparent age, "Drat that Miss Nineteen - one of her duties you see. But that is a story we shall return to shortly!"

Patting his chest, he reached into the inner pocket of the jacket and drew out a comb to pass it through his tangle of hair, "Ah, Zhang's - always the small details! And let us see;" Returning the tines to their place, he drew out a razor and, stepping up to the vehicle, began to rapidly dispose of his stubble using the mirrored window and again cutting a half-dozen years off his age.

"Perfect, perfect," he tossed the edge to one of the men, who passed it to the nearest garbage receptacle where it was then retrieved by a superstitious gloved hand, "Now, let us be on our way! My good man," he put out his hand for the drink and took a sip, waiting while the door was opened, "Detective? After you, of course," he offered with a slight bow.

As soon as she was seated, he slid in after her, putting one arm across the seat behind her while holding the glass up so that not the slightest drop would not grace his throat. The vehicle began to move and as it sped towards their unknown destination he graced his fellow travelers with nattering conversation about whatever they might pass; At least until the moment when a familiar colorful sign came into view alongside the road.

"Ah! Stop here, if you would," he asked, leaning forward to tap the driver on the shoulder and point in the direction of the approaching building. "Normally I wouldn't indulge in such commodity refreshment but my former captors were rather reluctant to meet my needs and I must admit to feeling a bit peckish. Ah, yes - thank you, a number four, extra tomato, no onion, gluten free bun," he recited, demonstrating the lie of his previous statement.

As things often were, there were several cars ahead of them in the Happy-Happy Drive-Through and this gave him further opportunity to entertain his hosts with prattle, "As I was saying earlier - Miss Nineteen. An excellent laboratory assistant and a damn fine looking woman - though I'll admit I designed her myself - at least until the moment she turned on me. That's where it all went wrong, you see... Ah;" The driver handed the meals to the side with the man up front turning to pass over a bag in the shape of the Great Deceiver, "Excellent. Normally I wouldn't indulge - an unspecified heart condition brought on by a hasty encounter with a fire ax - but it has been quite a long last few hundred thousand years."

A napkin was tucked into his collar and another spread across his lap and the rest of the trip went by silently except for the obnoxious rattling shluuurp of the driver sucking at the bottom of his shake. By the time they reached the precinct the last of his fries were disappearing between ancient lips - though he had offered some to Svetlana as a matter of course - and he wiped his hands thoroughly though this forced the driver to wait, simmering in the summer heat. Again he reached into the inside pocket and a pair of designer sunglasses appeared and he flipped them open to set them astride his nose, "No - you can't beat Zhang's. Not for service, ever!"

The normal course of action would have been to escort the Doctor to one of the interrogation rooms adjacent to the cell block but Stephen, as always, had other plans in mind. As soon as the four entered the elevator he pressed the cancel button and then the top-most number, turning to lean his body against the panel with a wink to Detective Kournikova, "The height of rudeness, I assure you."

This put the two in the position of having to go through an old man of seemingly pleasant disposition and thus it was only a moment later when the doors opened to deposit them on the upper-most floor. Steering them through the hallways as if by guided missile, they found themselves on the internal side of a pair of double-doors that he brushed open to reveal a small rooftop garden.

"Perfect," he declared, throwing his arms wide and turning around to bow deeply, "Once again the taxpayer dollar at work. A fine place for a story, wouldn't you agree? Summon your scribes, unless they prefer to remain ensconced in their little cubicle watching that dratted camera - and ask them to fetch me another drink on the way. I'm sure your Captain has some fine examples of the distiller's arts tucked away for a special occasion..."

Turning, he tossed off a cheeky salute in the direction of the security camera dangling off the side of the building before finding a seat in the shade, the windows of the Captain's office at his back and one knee crossed over the other. He had unbuttoned his jacket and now rested with his empty glass in one hand as if a replacement was not only expected but the natural consequence of its empty state and a hand tucked under one strap of his suspenders.

"Now, as I'm sure you've all be waiting for, I should properly introduce myself. Doctor Stephen Ambrose, President of Ambrose Industries, noted genius, wealthy inventor, the creator of SEXYE, and numerous other accomplishments both greater and lesser. My ego," he smiled, nodding towards the three individuals who had just come out onto the patio under a full head of glower and steam, "Knows few bounds. But our story and your questions start some time previously, if I don't miss my mark."

A tumbler of harsh brown liquor replaced the first and he nodded his thanks to the bearer, "Now, some details I will skip for the purposes of brevity but rest assured they do not involve us. To spin the yarn correctly; This is a story of betrayal, escape, capture, and slavery... A million years in the past!"

----
To-Do:

United World Order
Caer Lleon
Senkaku