The expanse of time and earth,
When the Yuletide moon is brightest,
We dance amid milk poppies and fields of Helion's glow,
Till the rising of the tide,
When the sands of Time is borne,
To end our wonderous abode,
Won't you come and see?
Where the Fairest lie?
When the Yuletide moon is brightest,
We dance amid milk poppies and fields of Helion's glow,
Till the rising of the tide,
When the sands of Time is borne,
To end our wonderous abode,
Won't you come and see?
Where the Fairest lie?
Los Angeles National Forest Highway, Just East of Mount Gleason
The shadow of Mount Gleason cast a long shadow over the canopy of trees as the California Sun hung in the clouds. Rising as the morning light bathed the forest of rich greens and emeralds in yellow light. A billion shadows crisscrossed the forest floor. A fawn and a buck pranced through the woods to the left of the road. Scampering from the hum of a small convoy heading South in the direction of Los Angeles proper. Four sleek SUV's, two in the front, and two in the back, forming a mechanical vanguard to the long black wax polished limousine in the middle. The light grey, sun bleached, road of the highway wound in sharp turns as it wound through the scenic landscape. The raw vestige of nature, a shadow of the forest which once stretched unbroken from coast to Rockies. From San Diego to Alaska.
The occupants of the Lincoln SUV's were cast in shadow. But from what one could gather they all wore black suits and shades. Shielding their vulnerable pupils from the harsh lances of the fire blazing in the sky. The limousine was the only one which stood apart. The driver wore a typical chauffeur's garb while the occupant, male, wore a white suit. His form leaning back in the plush seating, cigar lit in his right hand, as he sipped from a martini glass. His stomach jutting out enough to reveal himself as an overweight man. A golden chain hung about his neck with the collar of a purple undershirt visible.
"Just think Watson, we're developing this, all of it. Luxury condos, theme park, a mall up in Cedar Springs. Apartment's starting at 5 g's a month. National Forest. More like wasted landscaping opportunity am I right?"
The chauffeur looked in the review mirror briefly, "Yes, sir."
The corpulent man sipped his martini, "Fucking President though. Cutting into our profits. If he keeps that fucking bullshit up we'll have to make sure he loses the next election. Bringing jobs back to America. Bah! Their fucking pigs the lot of them. Just make sure their department store keeps having the cheap shitty comforts they're used too and they'll shut up and bow their heads like they've done for the past thirty years. Ain't that right Watson?"
The chauffeur didn't look in the mirror this time and just nodded his head, "Quite right, Sir."
"Well, remind me Watson to cut the workforce for our stateside companies by 20% to make up for the lost profit." The Chauffeur nodded a third time.
"Oh and Wa-" The Limousine slammed to a stop on skidding tires as the SUV in front did the same. The foremost vehicle of the convoy clipping upwards as it crashed over, its momentum carrying it up to rest with its front tires over the sudden blockage, a tree trunk? A tree had fallen right in the middle of the road suddenly? Black suited men hopped out of the lead vehicle groggily on shaking feat. Watson looked back at his occupant. Seeing his passenger was alright he turned forward, eyes wide, as a tree trunk more than his body lengthwise crashed across the windshield. Crushing the Chauffeur in a splatter of gore. The white suited man screamed and fell out of the limousine in a flurry of corpulent arms grasping at the handle. Hitting the pavement with a grunt he got up to pure chaos.
Looking back a black suited guard holding an MP5 held out a hand. Shouting for him to get back in the limo when nine arrows struck him in a lethal volley. Erupting out of his eye socket, kneecaps, and torso. The man was dead before he hit the ground. Looking about himself his guards were being slaughtered as shadowy figures, armor clad figures, and with thudding noises he saw giant's of men crashing into an SUV that was spewing rounds from a screaming guard firing off his SMG. The SUV flipping over onto its side while a lithe looking figure approached muttering something in a strange language. Shooting her hand out she bathed the vehicle and the guard inside in flames.
The overweight man got up to his knees and fell back across his limo. Metal clad feet stopped nearby. Slowly turning his head in terror, water forming at the corner of his eyes, he saw a man gird in chainmail, great helm, and white tunic and cape bearing a red cross.
"Suffer not the greedy to walk among the pure of heart."
"Wh-wh."
Snick
A meaty head dropped to the pavement with a smack of flesh. A headless white suited body crumpled to the ground.
The lithe sorceress walked up to the crusader looking knight with swinging hips. "I would have preferred to take him alive Gabriel."
The knight removed is helm to reveal his aged face. "I apologize Lady Caladrielle." The Sorceress stooped down and grasped the head by the hair. Picking it off the ground to hand at her side. Oozing crimson blood onto the pavement. "Hmmm, it'll just make interrogation more difficult."
"Necromancy?!" said Gabriel with furrowed brows.
"You cut off his head. I only need his soul for answers. After that, have comfort, I'll be sending him back were he belongs." shot back Caladrielle quickly. The old crusader sighed and turned around to stomp off with ironclad feet.
This massacre would make the news as the latest in horrific gangland violence plaguing Los Angeles county...
500,000 Kilometers away from the Saturn Ice Rings
Hanging in the blackness of the void was an irregularly shaped mass of steel, various metallic alloys, and sensor arrays. Sitting in stationary orbit just outside of Saturn's Rings. Spinning slowly in the bleakness of the void as red and white running lights blinked every few seconds in a preset pattern. The white and gunmetal halls were neatly polished and will let by soft light. Inside, white garbed individuals walked, holding electronic tablets, holo-displays, and nano-optic contact lenses displaying various messages, data, spreadsheets, and other matter of interest. Home to one-hundred and twenty individuals with comfortable habitation blocks, dining galleries, gymnasium, pool, and even a bowling alley for the inhabitants entertainment.
A research facility of science and exploration. Of what, well, one would have but to look in the stasis sealed vaults at the core of the complex. Humans pushing the boundary of knowledge, logic, and understanding of the cosmos. What lay in their vaults were various artifacts and data stacks of treatises on them. To be quite honest this was but a cover for what was really stored here. For all those artifacts were painstakingly reconstructed copies of the real project done in this wayward island of humanity. Something off the books and off the books for much of the rest of the organization these peaceful individuals belonged too.
The Bridge of Orbital 77/B
Red and black uniformed personnel manned consoles, data displays, or stood observing voltaic holo-screens. A woman with short cropped brown hair stood in the center observing various stellar chart readings. For such a small and seemingly remote outpost it's data sensoria's could read stellar traffic from up to a full astronomical unit away. "Captain there it is again." A Sino looking man tapped furiously at his voltaic keyboard to bring up an image with the flick of a finger into the viewing screen above his terminal. Spreading his fingers on his left hand the resolution zoomed in. Displaying a three-dimensional radar screen. A hazy reading winked in and out of existence as it moved through what was surmised to be Saturn's Ice Fields.
"Those Ice fields are prone to ghost readings Voidsman. I've looked at this four times in the past hour. It is nothing. Probably just an asteroid with a mixture of metals on its surface throwing off our sensoria. I have Gavin and McComb out there checking on it. Tapping a small device resting on her ear the Captain spoke. "Tell me you guys found something explaining why we keep picking up ghost readings."
A crackling voice came over her eardrum, "McComb here. Nothing yet, Gavin's checking the fiber optics and Tychoid Data-Feeds now."
The Captain crossed her right arm in impatient annoyance. Her other arm brought up a silver stainless steel coffee mug to her lips. Taking in the rich smell of the Arabica coffee grown in the Hydroponic blocks of the Copernicus Dyson Sphere. Its flavor was comparable to the stuff grown on Earth. Not that she's ever been to Earth. Like everyone else here they were raised in the vast hab-cities of Copernicus. The Cop as they affectionally called it.
The Sinoese Corporal spoke again, "Look there it is again!"
The Captain made to rebuke her subordinated when she squinted at the reading. The Corporal continued speaking with more urgency, "Asteroid's don't start picking up speed like that! It's vectoring in to come off our 220 degree mark at 50,000 kilometers. thirty seconds it'll pa-." They froze at the alarming rate of the velocity of the object increasing. Further, it began to move in an arc. As if it was going to do an elaborate fly by of the station. It was only then that an IFF transponder flickered into view before them. Anastasia. Impossible, that ship was lost decades ago!
"All hands prepare emergency communications. Get Gavin and McComb in here now!"
It was then the bridge communications feeds and sensor arrays suddenly went dark.
Out in the void an object came into visible view as it slowed. A massing elegant ship five kilometers long swung by and the Captain watched in horror as multiple smaller objects rocketed forth. One of which punched through the bridge's reinforced observation windows. The last thing the Captain felt was the explosive trauma of violent decompression and her body spinning off into the bleakness of the void. The impossible coldness of space instantly freezing the water in her body. Her last neurons firing as she witnessed her trajectory of Saturn approaching.
Sensoria Array
"She's really got her panties in a bunch this morning? Or is it evening? Hard to fucking tell out here," mused the twang of McCombs voice as his EVA suited compatriot checked fiber optic bundles for signs of damage. Gavin grunted in affirmation. "Hey, Gav I hear Sarah and Fred are a thing." Silence. McComb moved to turn around, slowly moving in his heavy EVA suit, a red liquid splashed onto his visor. "What the fuck!" Turning slowly he grasped his friend's shoulder and nudged him. His friend turned. Revealing to his horror the frozen swollen form of his friends face. A horrible gash in his forehead weeping blood into the cold vacuum of space as his heart's last beats pumped it out of the gaping wound. Visor shatter by some object. McComb felt warmth in the inner lining of his EVA suit as he turned to make for the hatch. Turning around he met eyes and a grinning mouth. Fangs hanging over the lower lip menacingly as the armored figure looked at him without need of an EVA suit. McComb screamed a silent cry that no one would hear as a glinting blade punched through his visor and into his skull.
Hab Block E
A pair of white lab coat wearing individuals walked down the hallway. Holding hands as they passed by hab-neighbors. Waving or giving verbal greetings. The man was handsome with a close fade haircut, blonde with blue eyes, tall and muscular. Beside him was a pretty blonde with green eyes and athletic form. In their hands they held a binder with blueprints and diagrams. Idly chatting about a vacation planned back at The Cop's resort blocks. Behind them a shorter individual glumly trod. Casting sidelong glances at them both. A scruffy black beard descending lazily down half of his neck. Curly hair and altogether plain faced.
Pausing by a door the curly haired man glumly looked at the couple as he slid a datakey into a hab-door. Turning the key he was cast in shadow. The lights flickering on again after a moment. "That was weird," said the blonde haired woman, "Fred that doesn't normally happen."
For a split second the curly haired man thought he saw the wall next to the pretty blonde suddenly glow a bright red. Before vaporizing in a brilliant display of superheated spalling. The lights in the hallway cut out and tramping feet were heard as the curly haired man saw station security in armored suits rushing down in the direction of the hold punched into the hab-block. A red hot metal object now resting in the middle of the hallway. All that was left of the couple being sizzling superheated flesh and blood spatter. The curly haired man vomited and began to walk backwards. Racing away from the object. Getting towards the end of the hallway were it forked and looked back as station security lowered their weapons. The red glowing door slammed open. Creating a ramp that was cool on the interior. Misty haze covering the entrance. That was when he saw it, at least he thought so, multiple pairs of red.
Then a flame, bluish-purple lit up the hallway. Ending at a hilt held by an armored figure with bright electric green eyes. Red pupils staring at the security. The security team moved to pull their triggers but couldn't as they were ripped from their hands. Their weapons flinging themselves to the ground of their own accord. Multiple objects shot from the boarding pod. Each one striking the security personnel and wreathing them in baleful green hellfire. Their screams as they burned alive in their armored suits. The flaming sword bearing woman marched forward. Followed by other armored figures bearing peculiar crossbows and swords.
The curly haired man fled. Sprinting down the hallway. Past Security fire teams racing in the opposite direction. A hull door began to close and he sprinted. Diving under it as it closed. Gasping he was pulled forth by a Security team member who told him to run. He did, looking back, and looking through the viewport of the hull door he saw the armored woman cutting through the armored forms of the station security like a hot knife through butter. Arms, legs, heads, and bisected torsos. Painting a crimson tapestry along the white walls of the station. Watching in abject horror as she rammed her sword through the reinforced steel bulkhead door. Cutting a hole through it and kicking it out. Coming through amid gunshots bouncing off her armor. She was among the security team on the other side of the door. Reducing them to carved chunks of meat. The armored figures that had accompanied her fanning out down the opposing hallway or coming in behind her.
The station rocked as other objects hit it. Little did the curly haired scientist know. That the station was being boarded from multiple points. The man sprinted and came upon a mess hall gallery. Offering a panoramic view of the station and other galleries, the massive form of Saturn and it's rings in the distance. Looking with mouth a gap he counted half a dozen breaches. Fire from burning atmosphere spewing from the station. He watched as armored figures butchered his colleagues and friends frantically trying to run away. Station security putting up a doomed fight as they were shot by bolts, cut up by melee weapons, or in the case that sickened the man. A head ripped from its shoulders by a pair of gauntlet fists. The man sank to his knees and began to sob.
Looking up he saw a pair of armored, blood spattered feet, he glanced up with jittery jowls. A pair of electric green eyes looked down at him. No malice, no anger, they looked at him as if he were nothing. Just something taking up space. She had butchered is friends and colleagues for simply being in the way. The dispassionate gaze stared at him and without a word marched on. A column of armored figures following. Ignoring him as he sat there crying over the horror he had witnessed.
The armored woman marched onwards. Moving to the center of the station and the vaults. She flicked her wrist and a door opened. Moving down a set of stairs she came to a sealed door. Tramping feet as four armored guards came up to her bearing heavier weapons. Raising them she pulled her fist back. One was picked up his feat. She cut him in two and followed with a hurling motion of her blade. The flaming sword embedding itself in the chest of a second guard. A third was slammed up into the metal ceiling while the fourth was pulled forward with a jerking motion. The blade singing back into her hands as she walked towards the door. Swinging upwards to casually cut open the abdomen of the guard pinned to the ceiling. Ropes of human organs splashed to the gunmetal floor. She brought the struggling man, holding him in an iron gauntlet grip by the neck, she moved to the door and held his face near a scanner. The light blinking from red to green. The door slid open and she flexed. Snapping his brainstem like a twig. His form crashed to the floor.
She moved delicately, cautiously, mouth forming into a happy smile. Fangs revealed she moved to what was floating in stasis in the middle of the room. She moved up to it and reached out with a steel armored hand. Grasping the object which floated there. It's smooth surface etched with flowing script and glyphs. Its dodecagon bronze form held a baleful sapphire glow permeating through the glyphs. She grasped it and let out a sigh of relief.
"My Lord. We have erased the logs of the station and are downloading it's datastacks." said an armored figure next to the smiling woman, armored woman, as she stared longingly at the geometric object held in her grasp.
"Excellent, we leave, once back aboard the Nocte Somnium order starboard batteries to destroy the station."
"Yes, Your Grace."
The elegant dark vessel that had assailed the ship slowly sped away on baleful white engines as it took the last of its smaller boarding pod children back into it's bosom. As it did so two bright white spears of light cut through the blackness of space. Cutting through the station and detonating it's fission reactor. The station spun as it exploded. Debris falling into the immense gravitational pull of the planet Saturn.
October, 2018, Just West of Los Angeles
Tremere Chantry
A white haired, sickly green eyed, eccentric looking man worked on an operating table. A woman sat in the corner. Beautiful with raven dark hair and bright electric green eyes. Standing next to her the hulking frame of Brutus, the Gargoyle, looked about bored. The man working fervently had done so in secret. For his projects no doubt would have earned him a spot on the Red List if the eyes of the Camarilla knew about them. But he had found patronage under the woman looking at his work. Indeed, she looked at his work with keen interest. These artificial beings forged from blood, bone, and flesh. Crafted for a purpose each. As the silver haired man stood back with a triumphant grin the woman stood and moved beside him. "I see your latest creation is a success. But for this next experiment I want you to work on a live subject."
As she finished her brief sentence a pair of Angeloi neonates dragged in a man with curly black hair. "What can you do with him I wonder," mused the raven haired woman.
