The Great Adventure (Closed--attn Eridani Imperium)

[New Dornalia]

Keldavidir, Eridani Imperium

The Great Adventure, by Alejandra Suarez

“It’s been said that cameras tend to add at least ten pounds to their subject. In the case of Milena and Ivana Sekulovich, with all the gear they have on….it adds a marginal bit of difference, really. Like myself and my colleague Connie, we’re laden down with plenty of gear. Even the use of portable telestorage buffer units doesn’t make much of a difference. This is roughing it, on the hunt. As my dad always said, “Mija--sometimes, you gotta work to get what you want.’ And well, pops, I’m working a double shift to get what I want today.

And what I wanted was a story on that up and coming DornTube star, Ivana Sekulovich. Nice lady. Has a determined ‘wild woman’ sort of persona in all her videos. Reviews tools and outdoor gear and hunting blasters with the same sort of conviction and fervor that seizes someone….

Alejandra stopped, her cat ears and tail twitching as she was pondering what was to happen next in her writings. She had so far spouted a litany of interesting pseudo-intellectual language to describe her subjects, who were right now taking a break for a few moments in the interior and filming themselves a bit.

Ivana and Milena Sekulovich were their names. They were a pair of twins, both of them young women in their twenties. They had wolves' ears and tails. Well, one of their tails was visible. The other was inside of a suit of power armor--a T-51ZE1 series model. It would resemble the old T-51 in terms of general outlines, but at the same time, it looked a bit more form fitting and less bulky, with plates which seemed less clunky than in the past. It was colored in Yugoslav M89 pattern camouflage--pretty much a traditional color for the Serbian Forest Sisters or "Bonks" as they were more often known--and had a modified helmet which was currently off as the lady spoke into the other Bonk's camera. The other Bonk was wearing her own BDUs, and holding a small holocamera to record her sister. Ivana was greeting her audience in the usual style, proclaiming, "Hello and woof woof to all my homies! This is Ivana Huntalot, and we are filming from the Eridani Imperium. Currently..."

"Piece of work, isn't she?"

Alejandra turned around, seeing the fourth Dornalian in the squad. Connie Oosthuizen stood tall, and had her 40MW Plasma Rifle--a common civilian plasgun made in Siristad County--shouldered. She had the rifle colored in a sort of mottled brown and green camo, mostly to cut down on glare. She seemed bemused at the two Bonks.

Alejandra herself could only reply, with a smirk, "Yeah. I mean, she's not a bad person, thankfully. She seems awfully fond of that camera though."

Connie said, shaking her head, "Indeed." Shrugging, she added, "Well, to each their own. Besides, we're on the hunt of a life time. I think if that would be something to record, then that would be something to record."

"No kidding," Alejandra said, getting up off the rock she was sitting upon, dusting herself off slightly.

Connie looked at the small tablet, and noted Alejandra was writing her story down. Alejandra said, raising an eyebrow, "Ah. I see you noticed the piece."

"A bit," Connie said. With a smirk, she added, "I mean, for fuck's sake, you've only spoken into it six times, to revise it."

"Yeah. I guess I got writer's block, y'know? I mean, I have these notes down, but well....somehow it isn't coming together right now."

Connie then said, patting her companion on the back, "I wouldn't worry, Al. The words will come. Eventually." Looking at Ivana flashing a peace sign into the camera, Connie added wryly, "I mean, with material like that...."

"Point taken, my good friend. Point taken." Alejandra then said, coughing, "Right. Let's focus on the job at hand. The one we came here for last night."

"Dragon hunt?"

To Connie's question, Alejandra said simply, "Dragon hunt. Now, let's see what our guide's up to." Walking by the Sekulovich sisters, Alejandra said, "Anyone seen Agnar?"

Milena pointed to Agnar, who was coming up their way....

[The Eridani Imperium]

Agnar Lightningfoot, the guide of this hunt, came up the forest path, returning from his latest effort to track the dragon they were hunting.

His green eyes studied the group, as his elven ears listened intently for the telltale sound of a beast approaching. Agnar's light brown hair quivered as the breeze blew softly around his tall frame.

Agnar was nearly 400 years old, having lived through the second half of the Unification Wars, and fought in the Terminus Rebellions. After the Rebellions, Agnar moved to Bronzehelm, having seen enough of the world.

But when these Dornalians came to him to be their guide, he couldn't resist.

Agnar smiled, then summarized their situation. "We're coming up on the foot of the Blasted Fells, where the caves are the most common. We'll stick to the edge of the Grahtwood, so the dragon can't see us. After all, how can they fly though these trees?" The Kadrian chuckled, gesturing at the 15-meter tall pines around them. "I did find scorch marks nearby, so we're in a dragon hunting ground. The roost should be a few hours from here. At minimum."

Agnar's armor was light, compared to the others. He wore an armored vest and greaves over a black shirt and pine-green pants.

Agnar's axe hung ever-present at his side, a perfect example of "modern" Kadrian weaponry. The titanium-alloy haft had a black handle of leather, which had the strange quality of molding to the user's hand. The steel head of the axe seemed to be dull, but projected a energy blade to become extremely sharp. The bow on his back possessed some of the same qualities, being a elegant curve of metal with a leather grip and scope attached.

[New Dornalia]

"Scorch marks?"

Connie's question seemed somewhat quaint. After all, the Dornalians involved had at least heard of Big Game Magazine's editor, Timothy Fujitani, and his legendary hunt for an Eastern Dragon wreaking havoc on a Japanese city. That was eons ago, and one of the great "fish stories" of the times. Still was, really. Since then, people didn't really hunt the Eastern Dragons. Too docile, too powerful, and too psychokinetic. The PKE measurements on each one were astronomical, and the midichlorian counts even higher. No wonder why the Dornies of the pre-Apocalypse times saw them as divine.

At any rate, they didn't leave scorch marks like the ones Agnar was referring to. For her part, Ivana pointed to a large--very large, by the looks of it--scorch mark, and the Dornies raised their eyebrows. The Bonk then said simply, echoing Connie:

"Scorch marks."

"Biggest damn ones I've ever seen," Milena said, filming them. Alejandra for her part scribbled a bit into her PADD using a stylus, and taking in the scene. She wondered--just for a fleeting second--if her rifle was enough.

Connie herself sniffed the air a bit, and looked about in a fit of caution. She was, like many Orderpeople, one with the Force. Now, she could suss out the gribbly they were hunting. The creature was...well, the jury was out on intelligence, but her gut told her that like most quarry she had hunted over the years, it'd be a fighter. The scorch mark told that much.

Still, Agnar had indicated the dragon was several hours walk from here. The old guide seemed to know what was up. And his plan made sense to everyone there. Alejandra had covered her ancestral AR-10 with greenish canvas for a reason. And, the Sekulovich sisters grew silent for a reason too. Milena had the camera rolling, but as they carefully navigated the edge of the Grahtwood, everyone seemed especially uneasy. What would happen now?

[The Eridani Imperium]

As they wandered silently through the Grahtwood, Agnar recalled all he knew of the Keldavidri Dragons, the beast they were hunting for.

According to modern Kadrian scientists, the Keldavidri Dragons were immense creatures, with a body length of 30 feet and a total wingspan of 40 feet. They can live up to an estimated 70 years, and weight 2 tons. Despite their resemblance to the mythical beasts of Earth legend, the Keldavidri Dragons are brutes, only living for their next meal and offspring.

The Dragons of Keldavidr were once thought to be legend until the end of the First Age of Stengarde, about 7,000 Kadrian-years ago. In that distant age, a Keldavidri Dragon had ravaged the city of Stengarde, ending its dominion over the ancient Kadrians, and marking the beginning of the Second Age of Ebonheart.

The Dragons were hunted for nearly 4,000 years, as the Kadrians tried to gain control of their ecosystem, and nearly succeeded before realizing what they were doing to the planet. A Bronzehelm hunter's journal from the First Age of Strife served as the best record of a dragon hunt the Kadrians had. But Agnar had a sneaking suspicion that this hunt would go into the record books...

The Kadrian was pulled out of his thoughts by a flash of brown out the corner of his eye. Holding up his hand for complete silence and stillness, Agnar went to investigate.

When Agnar confirmed that the dragon wasn't sneaking up on them, he approached the area where he had seen the brown, and entered a clearing with a stream, the trickling barely audible to the Dornies, but loud and clear to Agnar.

Of course, the thing that concerned Agnar the most was the state of the clearing: well traversed, by a dragon. It still meant that the dragon's roost was a few hours away, but that was the maximum distance now.

They could stumble across the dragon's lair in less than three minutes if they were terribly unlucky.

"Shit. Iston and Aurwen protect us." Agnar muttered, waving the Dornies over.

[New Dornalia]

The concern from their guide caused no small amount of concern among the Dornalians as they moved over to the side of Agnar. There had been a brief movement, but it was barely noticed, the creature gone before they could do anything.

Ivana's eyes seemed to grow to the size of dinner plates, in a subtle sort of alarm at the whole occasion. Looking down, she was glad her power armor protected her person. The Bonk put her helmet back on, and pulled out her tomahawk with nervous anticipation. Milena checked her weapon--it had a full magazine and was ready to go--and seemed calmer than the others.

Alejandra, for her part, looked around. She squatted down, resting on her haunches and keeping her feet flat to the ground as she looked back and forth, the air thick with tension. The story was writing itself, it seemed. The next few lines of her story were popping into her head, and she cursed herself for not being able to write anything more at this current moment than a simple "Dornalian crew and their guide have meeting engagement with giant monster. Atmosphere tense. DornTube Star and sister look concerned, even vulnerable."

Alejandra looked over at Connie, who saw the clearing that Agnar did. The spoor was...well, at this point, there wasn't much point in sussing out signs and spoor. Not when a clearing was flattened out by a dragon, in the most blindingly obvious of manners. Alejandra put away her tablet and kept her rifle close.

She could hear Connie ask Agnar, quietly, "The creature is close, then?"

[The Eridani Imperium]

Agnar nodded, replying quietly. "Most of the flattening here is recent: an hour old at the most. Not only that, but the stream is not running its usual course: Note how the route it takes through the clearing is mostly undefined. if it was left undisturbed, the stream would have distinct banks, and run a steady course."

The Kadrian knelt, brushing away the disrupted vegetation to reveal deep grooves, stained with blood. "One can never be sure if their interpretations are right, but I believe our quarry's been dragging a lot of dead animals through here, which could mean they have a guest."

"We might need to take on two dragons at once."

Agnar left that thought hanging, as he inspected the nearby tree for clues as to where the dragon's lair was.

[New Dornalia]

Connie leaned down a bit. The streambed was indeed more than a little messed up. Milena soon joined her, and they began to look--however futilely--for spoor. There wouldn't be much, aside from the grooves and blood. Milena said simply, "What I wouldn't give for a bloodhound. Or a working dog."

Connie looked at her companion, and shook her head in amusement. Milena raised an eyebrow and asked, "Excuse me?"

"Well, you are a Bonk, yeah? I mean.....you have the ears, the tail...."

Milena frowned, and knelt down, not wanting to dignify the Afrikaner's inadvertent insult. Sadly, in a gag straight out of an old pre-Apocalypse TV show, Milena sniffed the air around the lakebed. The pungent odor of dead animal perked her senses up, and she moved down a bit further. She gestured to her sister to follow, muttering something in Serbian. She then let out a simple, "Goddamnit," to Connie's amusement.

Alejandra for her part walked over, scribbling some notes, and asked, "What's up?"

Milena said, looking up at Alejandra, "I've got the trail of blood. Lots of dead animals, yeah, but the key part is that it looks like..."

Milena gestured towards a direction, close to where Agnar was but slightly off, as she said, "....the dead animal trail goes this way. I've got the scent. Presumably, whatever's dragged the carcasses that made it took a particular direction and left a trail."

"One we can follow." Alejandra said with a nod, putting two and two together.

Ivana nodded, and before long the Dornies walked over to where Agnar was. As they did so, Milena and Ivana occasionally stopped, looked down, and sniffed the air again, before moving onwards. Still, strange sight aside, Alejandra was more worried about the fact that there would be two of these bastards now. Hopefully, the armor she had under her clothing would hold up...

[The Eridani Imperium]

After an hour-long trek, they came to a rather impressive cave at the foot of the Blasted Fells, the pungent smell of dead animals leading them there.

The grey granite rock formations leered at the group, as Agnar came as close as he dared to the cave mouth, making sure the dragons weren't lying in wait. When they weren't there, Agnar regrouped with the Dornies.

"I'm pretty sure they're down there doing something. We have two way we can raid this, to use an old Kadrian term. We can wait until they emerge and have all this space to work with, or we can enter and get the drop on em. Which do you guys want?"

[New Dornalia]

Ivana and the others looked at each other, and she said, "Ideas?"

Alejandra looked about, declaring, "We take them outside, we can have space to manuever, take cover. Agnar's got a point. But, at the same time, it means that any wrong move may cause them to evade us and send us on a wild goose chase. We go into the hole, it'll be difficult, and we won't have much room to make mistakes. On the other hand, they won't either."

Ivana pointed out, "True. Then again these things are huge. And we'd be fighting on their turf." Milling over the question a bit, she then produced a simple, "Better to be out here, set up an ambush, and take out both of them, one after the other."

Milena, for her part, agreed. She added, "Indeed. Our weapons generally might not be too good in close quarters. Save for Ivana's weapons, we've mostly got armaments suited for long range shooting. Me with the Viper DMR, Ivana with the Cobra Assault Cannon...."

Connie nodded.

"No kidding."

Ivana then said to Agnar, "We'll keep it outside. We will find positions suitable for an ambush, and await the creatures. Once this occurs, we will spring our trap."

[The Eridani Imperium]

"Alright then. There's a nice flat spot above the cave mouth. From what I'm hearing from down there, we'll be waiting a while."

Agnar guided them to the spot, showing them a little-used zig-zagging path up the granite face.

Once they reached the flat area, it became obvious what it was: a meeting spot, dating back to the end of the First Age of Strife. A statue of Aurwen, the Lady of Spring, was at the back of the area, her stone gaze resting on the Grahtwood, forever waiting for a glimpse of Iston, the Lord of Winter.

Agnar smiled at this sight, and helped the Dornies make camp. All they could do now was prepare, and wait.

[New Dornalia]

The Dornalians set up their gear in short order, setting up tents, portable cookers, and other camping gear. From each Dornalian's rucksack came a bedroll with a sleeping bag, and a small item which resembled a folded up bundle of metal bars and canvas. A quick wave in the air however revealed the bundle for what it was--a portable tent that quickly expanded. As each Dornalian put their tent on the ground, stakes drove themselves into the ground to provide a secure shelter.

Alejandra had time to write a little more than just notes, setting up a small camp chair which seemed to resemble a small stool. Technology made camping easier, but sometimes, an old fashioned item with a design used by backpackers, explorers, and shoguns alike did the trick. She looked around, and began summarizing the day so far.

We've made camp now, in a flat patch of earth near a statue. Our quarry is in a cave complex nearby. Ivana figures we can ambush the creatures, and set up killing positions outside the entrance to meet them as they exit. Agnar, our guide, meanwhile figures given what he knows, the creatures will be down there for a while. Two dragons for us to hunt, Agnar figures. And given that the Sisters Sekulovic--or is it Sekulovich?--tracked the trail of dead animals to their lair in concert with Agnar's own tracking abilities, Agnar's assessment isn't wrong.

Still, as I sit here, things seem quiet. The Sisters Sekulovich are recording more video footage of themselves clowning around a fire. Connie, meanwhile, is keeping her head on a swivel. Old hunters' trick, I guess. Connie said the last time she didn't do it, a bear came into her camp and nearly killed someone because some idiot didn't lock up the stasis cabinet where all the hot dogs were kept. Then again, Connie also said that in New Hokkaido, ranchers would do that with their dogs too. Cattle are valuable out there, and well, rustlers tend to find plenty of opportunities to ply their trade. She's from New Hokkaido, so I trust her judgment.

As she said all that, Alejandra looked down around the small fire the campers had set up. There was a pot on it--a small Dutch Oven, likely from the Sekulovich Sisters--which Milena was attending to. She could be seen stirring something in there. Judging by the smell, it was a meal of baked beans, with some sort of alcohol in there for an extra flavor kick. Alejandra looked up, carrying her tablet over and walking to the fire.

Milena looked up and saw Alejandra coming. Sure enough, Milena confirmed for the neko that the dish was, "This is baked beans. Got the recipe from an old friend. He used whiskey, I use slivovitz. Plum brandy, like what momma used to make. Also put in meatballs--brought those in that transporter buffer over there to go into the beans along with the other ingredients. Good stuff." Holding up a flask, she said, "Want some?"

Alejandra took a quick swig, nodding in agreement that it was good. Milena then turned to Agnar, and asked, "You want any of this?"

[The Eridani Imperium]

"Plum brandy, hmm?"

Agnar nodded, and took the flask, taking a swig.

He held it for a second, letting the taste sink in. Agnar then smiled, swallowing.

"Tastes like the ale we make from the laufsbladlogr. Um, that didn't quite translate, I assume? The closest term I can think of to describe it is the Green-Sap trees. We take the sap, boil it, and add a few things to the mix, and we get a green-yellow drink. Tastes like this. I swear."

[New Dornalia]

Milena nodded, adding with a smile, "I'd like to give it a try sometime. Green-Sap Ale sounds like it'd be up my alley." She then gestured to the beans, asking Agnar, "Wanna try some beans? Made some for the group. Figured I'd step up and get some victuals going."

After Agnar took an action either way, Alejandra nodded and said, "I'd like to try some of those." Pausing, Alejandra added as if to justify her request, "I am feeling a bit peckish myself." To that, Milena nodded and poured out a small plate of beans, passing it to Alejandra without much of a word. Alejandra began to nibble on the food. For her part, Alejandra pronounced the beans as "good" and seemed rather pleased with them.

As that occurred, Alejandra put her plate to the side and asked, "Mind if I bring some food for Connie?" Gesturing over to the elf standing guard, she said, "Could use some food likely."

Spooning out another plate, Milena said simply, "Knock yourself out, man." As Alejandra got up to deliver the food, Milena turned to Agnar and asked, "So, how long've you been hunting dragons?"

[The Eridani Imperium]

"About 50 years. Long enough to be considered an expert, but compared to some other hunters, a very small part of my life."

Agnar ate some of the beans. "After the Terminus Rebellions, I needed something else to do. A lot of Kadrians needed something else to do actually. And dragon hunting was my thing."

At the mention of the Terminus Rebellions, Agnar stared at the Grahtwood, thinking.

"It wasn't easy, watching the Last Emperor fall. Not when his dream was within our grasp."

[New Dornalia]

MIlena raised an eyebrow, her attention seized by the hints of a past filled with battle and warfighting.

"Last Emperor, Rebellions?"

Alejandra caught that part as she wandered back to the fire as she got her food back, and said with a curious look, "What and the what now?"

"Agnar mentioned something about fighting in a war." As Milena poured herself some beans onto a plate and ate a few with a spoon, she then continued with a simple shrug, "Terminus Rebellions I think he called 'em."

Now, Alejandra was curious. Looking at Milena and Agnar, she then said, "Was it a civil war? The Rebellions?" To that, Milena said with a shrug and a gesture with her head towards their guide, "Ask Agnar. That's his department."

Turning to Agnar, Alejandra seemed eager to learn more. After all, nevermind the history and the tales of past wars--Dornalians did love a good war story, and Alejandra was no exception--but any campfire needed stories. And right now, Agnar's story would do nicely.

[The Eridani Imperium]

Agnar smiled. "Very well. You remember Nidavellir? The region you crossed to get to the Vallhallan Expanse and Keldavidr?"

Whatever the Dornies' response was, Agnar continued. "That whole region erupted into rebellion about 200 years ago. I know that seems like a long time ago, but we Kadrians live long lives and have longer memories. It took us a century to reach Ilos, the final rebel stronghold."

Agnar looked up into the sky. "The Imperial Fleets blockaded the planet, holding off the rebels as the Imperial Army conducted raids into the cave systems of Ilos, mopping up rebel forces."

"That was before we realized Ilos wasn't just a rebel stronghold. It was their capital. The mastermind behind the Rebellions was a race we called the Vemadri, and this was their homeworld."

"With that realization, our original orders - to capture Ilos - were scrapped. Our new orders was to wipe out every trace of the rebels on Ilos, make it so that their names would be wiped from the Kadrian histories."

"I was assigned to the front lines as part of a city-buster squad, my task was to guide the squad to the center of one of the biggest cities on Ilos, and help them mark it for orbital destruction."

"The man in charge of our squad was a serious man, and his name was Grimnir. He was a good leader, and brought our squad through some of the nastiest fighting of our lives. By the time we got to the city center, our city was the last standing. One mission standing between us and the end of the war."

Agnar looked back down at the Dornies. "Alas, it was not to be, because the gods had other plans for us. We got bogged down in a firefight, and most of the squad was killed. It was just Grimnir and me left. Then the shuttle came."

"At the time, our leader was Emperor Arngrim Silveraxe III, the Last Emperor of Kadria, and the first Emperor of the Eridani. It was he who stepped out of the shuttle, and marked the city."

"Arngrim hustled Grimnir and me into the shuttle, yelling at the pilot to take off. I pleaded with the Emperor to let me sacrifice myself, and he said the words I will never forget."

"In the end, it falls to me."

"With that, he sent us off. When that city went, the Last Emperor went with it, ending the Battle of Ilos, and the Terminus Rebellions."

Agnar fell silent.

[New Dornalia]

The two paused, and raised their eyebrows. What was expected to be a war story became a strange mixture of heroic self-sacrifice and warfare which seemed to degenerate into genocide. Agnar didn't seem particularly proud of his time there, judging by his tone and the sudden silence. Then again, it was understandable. What total war tacticians would discuss as vernichtungskrieg--a war of annihilation--had dire consequences for the people actually experiencing it.

An awkward silence filled the air for a few moments. Alejandra noted this into her memory--she would need to find a way to tactfully write about this later on. No way to tell how people would take it from either Dornalia or the Imperium.

Then again--as her writer's instinct told her--how did the historians or the nabobs at the State Department explain the not-so-heroic wars the Dornalians fought years ago? There was an entire branch of her family that fought in Nova Louisiana, for instance. Great grandpa didn't talk much of it, but his squadmate "Unkie Joe" always discussed how he used to be the one to lead the charges, to put Tentaculan Rebel forces to the torch, before he turned on the Daedra. And her own cousin's father survived the Christmas War long time ago. Everyone--even the neighbors--thought it was a good thing the Ssi-Ruuk had been put to the sword. At the same time though, was it worth it? Even her own family were Silverados. Her illustrious ancestor, Garza, had lopped off many heads in service to the Gata tribals of the Mojave.

She then perished the thoughts, and consumed more of her beans. Breaking the awkward silence, Alejandra then asked, "What's on Ilos now?"

[The Eridani Imperium]

Agnar looked at them, his eyes haunted.

"Smoldering ruins and bones under a sunless sky. Ilos is a monument to all of our sins."

[New Dornalia]

More awkward silence filled the air now, as Alejandra got the gist of the situation. A few nibbles later, Alejandra then changed the subject. Quickly.

"So. Anyway. Dragon hunting. You picked that up after the war, and got to hunting."

Milena nodded, glad the subject was changed from genocide. Milena also continued looking over at Agnar as she asked, "Was that something your family always had done? Or did you just pick it up on your own?"

[The Eridani Imperium]

I'm the first in my family to go dragon hunting. As for how I got into it, now, that one's a funny story. There's an expression in Kadrian military banter: I'd rather be slaying dragons. We usually say it when we're bored out of our minds, because slaying dragons is exciting, right?"

Agnar chuckled. "So, after the Rebellions, Grimnir and I are being debriefed, and the guys in charge are taking a long-ass time to get to the point. So, I mutter to Grimnir that I'd rather be slaying dragons, and he gets this look of glee on his face, and he tells me that I can go right ahead with that plan. He'd even support me financially."

"As it turns out, Grimnir wasn't kidding. The person who directed you to me? Most likely Grimnir."

[New Dornalia]

Milena nodded at that last part, knowing who Agnar was talking about.

"Sounds about right. I was referred to Grimnir, and then he referred me to you." Continuing to eat a little bit, Milena continued with a nod, "He spoke well enough of you to get our curiosity going. And well, his advice wasn't wrong."

Alejandra nodded, agreeing with Milena in regards to her assessment. As she did so, Ivana popped into the meeting. Before she sat down she stood still for a moment, and the back of her suit opened up. Stepping out, Ivana revealed herself to be wearing short shorts and a camo jacket. The armor closed up, and Ivana removed the small power cell at the back, placing it on a belt loop for later. Milena promptly fixed a plate of beans, and Ivana ate as Alejandra filled her in with a simple, "We've been shootin' the breeze with Agnar, here. Basically, talking about dragon hunting, so on. From what I understand, he's in this line of work now because of a local expression interpreted quite literally."

"What woudl that be?" Ivana asked curiously.

"I'd rather be slaying dragons. Said that when he was in the army. Someone then decided to sponsor him--the guy Milena talked to--and basically dared him to do it."

Ivana then let out a somewhat moonfaced and absent minded, "Cooool."

"I know, right?" Alejandra said that with a laugh, as she also added, "I can get behind that. Lots of things happened due to bets, dares, and challenges. Like those guys who one-upped each other, formed the first Mechasport tournaments."

[The Eridani Imperium]

Agnar inspected his axe, making sure the energy emitter was working.

"Ok, I have to ask: Mechasports? We've had some crazy boat races here, but I don't think I've heard of Mechasports."

[New Dornalia]

Ivana and company turned to Connie, who wandered in to relieve Milena of pot-stirring duty with a simple, "Your turn."

Milena nodded, picking up her Viper DMR and nodding before Connie sat down and began stirring the pot. Having heard the last part, Connie then said:

"Someone tried to tell you about mechasport, eh? Well, mechasport is one of these big organized sports we have in the Republic. Generally it's played between groups of people--some directly owned by big companies, others composed of independent racers using their own machines sponsored by big firms--using giant mechanical suits. Kinda like Ivana's, but much bigger and much more elaborate." Pausing, Connie then added, "Depending on the competition, each 'mech' or 'mecha' or 'giant robot' as we call the giant mechanical suits in Dornieland could either be a large, hulking monstrosity the size of one of those trees--" Connie gestured to one of the trees nearby--"or even as large as the dragons we're hunting."

Pulling out her PDA, she showed an image of an unusual metal figure, with boxes on its shoulders, a long snoutlike body and nose with backwards-facing legs like a chickens, and a pair of arm like appendages with weapons on them. However, the metallic form would be painted in all red, with an unusual crest on it. Connie said, as she showed the image, "Okay, this here is an example of one of the mechs. This one is a Timberwolf--well, a copy thereof made by the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries corporation. Fairly stout, capable of carrying plenty of weapons. This one belongs to one potent group of Mechasportsmen. Team Spoor. A privateer team, as they call them--teams owned and operated independently from the big factories. She's been on a big winning streak recently. Anyway, there's many different types than this one. Ones that are smaller, more the size of armored vehicles than giants. Then there's those that can turn into planes and fly."

Ivana then added, "What Connie also forgot to mention is that the type of competition varies. Some of these involve traversing rough terrain or obstacle courses as part of a race. Some of them involve an attempt to establish the fastest lap time while fighting off other competitiors. Some of them involve moving from one group of target to the next as quickly as possible, with the goal being to shoot the targets as accurately and efficiently as possible." Grinning a bit at the last part, she added, "And, some involve just sheer combat."

Alejandra nodded. She said nothing though--she wasn't that big of a fan of Mechasports. Ivana and Connie would pick up the slack though, with Connie finishing with, "It's good fun. People turn up to see these matches, and to see all the various mechs go at it--both stock and modified for better comeptitiveness. Hell, even the military shows up, runs a few teams, and sees what designs work the best and what don't. Some lucky competitors even get selected to submit a prototype for military testing."

Ivana added, "Isn't that how Hyundai got that big Tactical Mecha Contract a while back? One of their MEKA units kept winning, so the brass calls them to submit supplies?"

"FUck if I know," Connie said. "All I know is that there's a ton of rewards, and a lot of risk. I mean, bad things can happen. Like that one time with the meatball factory."

Ivana shook her head.

"All those frozen meatballs, man. SIlverio Johanson of the Ford Performance team tripped and fell during a time attack...and some poor meatpackers' plant was down below."

Putting her hand over her heart, Connie said simply. "They shall be missed, those meatballs. Fortunately, Ford paid for the damages."

[The Eridani Imperium]

Agnar smiled. "You know, if you Dornies asked around. I'm pretty sure you'd find some Kadrians who would be crazy enough to participate, even build their own machines. In fact, your chances would be twice as high if you asked around the boat race crowd."

Agnar pulled out his datapad and pulled up a picture of a Kadrian longship: remarkably like a Viking longship, but with a steel hull, and oval shields. Said shields were painted with a unfamiliar symbol, the same symbol on the sail.

"We race these boats on the Waking Sea, near the Stengarde coastline. Literally, we pick two points on the Coast, put our ships in at one spot, and race to the other. Of course, it's not that easy. We always schedule these things during a storm, so we have to watch out for waves that can sink the boat. Of course, there have been a few races where the winners were decided by virtue of managing to not get sunk, like the Storm of 820. As if that wasn't fun enough, The crew of each ship can board any other ship, in the fashion of a old Kadrian raid. In the Massacre of 973, the crew of the Stormkeeper managed to hijack every other boat in the race, and towed them to the finish line as one big convoy. We also don't define what a boat can and cannot be, so we've had a couple winners cross the finish line in dinghies."

[New Dornalia]

The Dornalians laughed, in a tone which seemed very approving and entertained by the prospect of a boat race turned into warfare.

Alejandra leaned back a bit and then leaned forward. She said simply, "I've seen boat races before in college...but never any like that. Saw a really big boat race down in a place called Boston. Basically, really sedate race with teams of rowers going down the Charles River in boats shaped like dragons, sponsored by guys like the local merchants' society and the Order of the Vanguards's Boston Temple."

Ivana looked over at the longship, and raised an eyebrow.

"Neat. Looks like a type of ship that used to exist back on Earth SSR, long ago. If its anything like those, it's going to be fast, and likely going to be quite lethal."

Connie smirked and laughed, going, "One of the more obvious statements of the day." Pausing, she then asked, "Say. What's the symbol on the boat and the shields?"