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13E1
"Fire is Coming"
In the ancient city of Yevosh, the beating heart of the Akhmanar Empire and the Sebhet Delta region...a cryptic omen circles around by word of tongue in the more secretive societies of Yevosh and Akhmanar as a whole: "Fire is coming." Many believe the fire to be an allegory for the inevitable victory of the Black Sphinx against Akhen-re, and the ultimate annihilation of the secular and distorted reign of what was once Akhen-re's FOURA. They believe this to omen to be foreshadowing a future of rebirth, and the arrival of a familiar face in Yevosh may confirm the Black Sphinx's theory...
DATE: 1500 hrs. - March 1, A.C. 423 | INDIVIDUAL REPORT: Tabuu ankh-ka of Sebek | LOCATION: City of Yevosh, Sebhet Delta Region | Akhmanar Empire
To this end, the Sebhet was almost like a symbol of Akhmanar, like the pyramids which the Ophirics bastardized and fetishized over for much of their existence.
But what happens if it were to stop flowing?
Tabuu-ankh-ka of Sebek often asked himself these deep questions on days like these—days when matters of the Akhmanari state or LPST were better off handled by trusted advisors rather than himself. In the past couple of days, he—and several others of the Black Sphinx—had experienced strange visions, hearing that same cryptic phrase over and over again: "Fire is coming."
It had little to do with the increasingly warmongering attitude of Akhmanar's Ophiric rivals and their paranoia over Manae (which Tabuu decided should just be left alone), but had more to do with the Akhmanari state, instead. How long could their new empire really last? How could they expect to survive when backwards nations like Euphemie and North Ophir dictated whatever they so pleased in Ophir and Mederum? As seen with Utsan and Tangaliro, the Ophirics had the ability to utterly devastate states that would otherwise amount to superpowers. They brought Utsan to her knees and brought about the end of Tangaliro, freeing dozens of states from the Mederune hegemony...including Akhmanar.
With this in mind, Tabuu knew he had to choose his words carefully with negotiating with the Ophirics and their Velezian allies. Their so-called plan for "Ophiric Security" was a coverup for their plans for Mederune and Ophiric domination...but at least he wasn't helpless. At least he had a chance to negotiate...
...or no chance at all.
I've time to worry about this later. He stared out to the city for a moment, the sun painting Yevosh and the Sebhet a beautiful orange as it rose over the horizon. He turned away from the balcony upon hearing a ping behind him, stepping out of the terrace and into his office.
"Zephyr, a word."
Instantly, the computer screen on his desk showed an animation of a white digitalized jackal made up of running white lines of binary, text, and hieroglyphs stepping out from the background, before sitting down and materializing into a full figure: a black jackal, decorated in traditional regalia.
"I presume this message is from the others?"
The jackal nodded. "I shall play it for you."
:: MAX ENCRYPTION ::
:: ZERO ONE TO KA ::
::: AUTHORIZATION CODE MIDNIGHT — MESSAGE AS FOLLOWS :::
>TARGET ARRIVING SOON AT YEVOSH INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT.
REP FROM CYBIT TO MEET HIM AT BAGGAGE CLAIM
FIRE IS COMING.
TRIARCH EXPECTED
WE CONVENE 0000 HOURS MARCH 3RD PRIME
>ZERO ONE OUT.
A smile formed on Tabuu's face. He didn't have to worry about the Euphemians or Aenarans for now—something much bigger was bound for Akhmanar in the next couple of days, and he would be at the front seat of it.
Life in one of Mederune's busiest airports was as lively and as busy as one could expect. The sun was shining, flights coming in from as far as Euphemie and out to places like the Jade Sea isles and Manae. For Horus, it was a breath of fresh air. The bustling, cramped atmosphere of Torch City was gone now, replaced by Yevosh’s laid back aura and the sense of safety in his hometown. Now that he was finally out of that concrete jungle, he could finally focus on matters related to his home..including getting through customs.
The customs agent ahead of him called for the next person to step up to the gate, and Horus dutifully did so, marching over to the gate. Before he could advance, however, he was stopped by a screen prompting him to look into a camera-like device for a moment, briefly shining a light in his eye. Two automated gate doors opened, allowing him to finally step up to the desk and present his passport. “Hello.”
The agent, a young-ish woman who wore a headdress over her head typical of most hardcore Pharaists, raised her head up and took the passport. “Good morning, sir.” Her voice was squeaky and somewhat nasally, much like her demeanor—laid back and relaxed.
“I take it that...uh..thing I passed through, it’s a new addition?” Horus inquired, which elicited a nod from the agent. “Yes, Mister..Horet. It’s some new facial recognition and biometrics technology from CYBIT Robotics. Mainly for travel to and from the Jade Sea region, but it’s being used for international, too.”
“I see.” Horus nodded. “Also, it’s Horus. Horet would be the god.”
“Oh, I accidentally called you Horet?” The agent froze up for a moment, and laughed awkwardly. “Yeah.. I’m kind of a big fan of him as a god—which may seem weird. You look a little like him, at least, what the Solaran statues in some of the ruins depicted him like. I haven’t been to one of those museums in awhile..”
“I get that a lot.” Horus smirked. “Anyways, if you ever wanted a call, by the way, here’s my number. I work for the Historical Records Office...I could even get you a tour of one of the Solaran ruins near Manae and Karena’s Ocean, if you’d like.” Upon saying this, he revealed a business card and slid it under the protective glass screening. “Just let me know...miss…”
“Nefertiti.” The agent smiled. “I know, it sounds like Nefertet, but I’m not related to the Oligarch. He’s busy being old and wrinkly somewhere.”
Before he could go on, she suddenly jolted up. “Oh, how long have we been talking here—sorry! Okay.. where are you coming from, Mister Horus?”
“Torch City, Euphemie.”
“For what reason?” She quickly logged the answers down into a computer.
“Did some work with one of the museums in Torch City,” Horus fibbed, though she was oblivious to his official reasons for being in Euphemie.
“And what is the business of..returning back to Akhmanar?” She seemed to be reading a list of instructions out. “Vacation? Coming home to family? Business? Etc.”
Horus gave a pause. “Family reunion.”
She seemed… unsurprised, or perhaps even doubtful, but logged the answer in anyways. “Any items to declare?”
“Do archaeological tools count? Also, I don’t carry guns.”
More clicking on her keyboard. Nefertiti nodded, stamping his passport, and returning it to him. “Okay, sir. You should be all set.” She have a smile. “Welcome back to Akhmanar.”
He took his passport and bags, giving a charismatic wave and wink to the customs agent as he left. “Thank you. Remember, if you ever wanted a tour… just let me know.”
“Oh.. okay. I will.” Nefertiti unceremoniously turned back to her computer as the man stepped away. Something about his attitude, occupation, and—dare she say it, his appearance—made things seem a little… off. She’d been trained in the past to learn how to detect if someone was lying based upon their body language and even their voice, and had caught a few lies in the past from suspicious tourists from Ophir, but this was something entirely new to her. Someone who could answer all her questions so calmly—and be nice enough to offer her an opportunity to go on an HRO sanctioned tour of her favorite historical sites—was unheard of. Name aside, based upon his appearance… was he-
No. I’m just thinking too hard about him. she dismissed the thoughts and prepared to call for the next person in line, but subconsciously found herself moving over to the business card on her desk.
“Clio, a word.”
Instantly, Nefertiti’s own personalized Ancilla appeared on the small screen by computer, appearing as a digitalized cat sitting on a couch much like her own cat at home. Normally used for assisting with government employees, training new customs agents, or offering an extra hand, she rarely went back to the personalized AI except in dire emergencies, or if she needed to report potential suspects to the proper authorities. Neither was the case now, however..
“Clio, I want you to run this card,” she placed it into a device by the small screen. “And get me information on Horus ankh-kheper of Yevosh, if possible with my clearance level. I don’t want to report him to the authorities...but I want to learn more. Also... bring up a picture of the god Horet. One of the Solaran busts.”
“Wait one.” Clio brought up the image in question onto the computer screen after about two seconds.
She compared the picture of the man in the passport with the bust. Either she was crazy, or it was an almost 1:1 match... as a Pharaist she didn’t believe so much in superstitions as she did in miracles, but this couldn’t have been a coincidence. The resemblance between them was almost too uncanny.
Or, maybe, I am crazy.
“Ma’am, this next action may perhaps result in a breach in privacy, which is prohibited, but I shall make an attempt to request and find this information without this outcome,” Clio nodded. Realizing she had spent enough time already, Nefertiti called out for the next person in line, lest she create a hold up in the line. “Next!"