The Rise of Coredia: A Tale of Two Coredias
Episode One: Pandora's Box
Chaos reigns in the universe. The Elemental Nations and the Imperial Republic has found themselves joined by a bridge made of stars, connecting two enormous galaxies. Two Coredias, bearing similarities and differences that are at once startling and familiar.
Space and time boils and twists, people and nations long dead has come back to life, and all that is old is new again.
The Jedi Knights and the Military Corps alike struggle to contain the chaos, but hope is on the horizon, for allies old and new, strange and familiar has come to restore order and bring peace to the universe...
Previously:
viewtopic.php?p=32002892#p32002892 - A Tale of Two Coredias Part One
viewtopic.php?p=32122202#p32122202 - A Tale of Two Coredias Part Two
viewtopic.php?p=32126833#p32126833 - Side story starring Coredia and Allanea
viewtopic.php?p=32133595#p32133595 - A Tale of Two Coredias Part Three
viewtopic.php?p=32188059#p32188059 - A Tale of Two Coredias Part Four
viewtopic.php?p=32188078#p32188078 - A Tale of Two Coredias Part Five
viewtopic.php?p=32248707#p32248707 - A Tale of Two Coredias Part Six
viewtopic.php?p=32360035#p32360035 - A Tale of Two Coredias Part Seven
And now, the long-awaited continuation!
Part Eight: Attack of the Swarms II
Ise Sector, Eldritch Alliance, Elemental Nations, Gamma Quadrant, Milky Way Galaxy
The Ise Sector, where Avatar Joshua went to undergo training, came under assault faster and more brutal than the reports of previous Tyranid attacks would suggest. Either the Swarm really wanted the special catch of the day or there was an intelligence directing the Swarm to more cunningly brutal (or brutally cunning) ends. Reports from the front suggested that the latter was a distinct possibility.
The thought of a Swarmlord in the vicinity was at once terrifying and exhilarating to the Coredian military ranks, to say nothing of the usual crop of tyranid synapse creatures. The Elemental Nations' military forces, especially the Secret Corps, are specialized around killing such foes, but the problem, of course, is getting through the hordes of ravenous, acid-filled and scythe-limbed monsters to kill enough of the ruling creatures of the Hive Fleet to reduce them to simple animals that are more easily slain.
Right now, that wasn't the priority. Evacuating the Avatar is, for if he is devoured, the Tyranids can absorb his genetic profile and produce new and more terrifying monstrosities based on what it could learn from him. It's an old tactic used by Coredia itself and it knows well how using the enemy's own attributes can be used against it. Until the Avatar could be evacuated safely by the Sunflare and the evacuation ships are full and ready to depart, the planetary defense forces and whatever reinforcements the Military Corps could scrounge up at sudden notice would have to hold out. But it may not be enough...
The Ise Sector is one of the 'borderlands' of the Elemental Nations, and something of a tripwire. It was a fiercely contested section of space during the Eldritch War until the Treaty of Nox Obscurus settled things to a peaceful if still dangerous present. Now it's under assault by a vicious and deadly Hive Fleet that cares not for things like peace and mercy, only that which tastes good. The brass of the Military Corps decided to designate this particular force as Hive Fleet Charybdis.
Though no longer a transgalactic threat, they are still fatal to any underdeveloped civilization that has yet to reach the stars and still dangerous enough to even a mature power. The Elemental Nations know this and have begun evacuating as many civilized planets as they could, which is not always easy with proud god-kings and haughty masters of castles ruling the underdeveloped planets in the sector.
Even so, the surprising speed of the Tyranid horde means that Vanguard itself is threatened. It's not a particularly civilized planet, as befitting a planet belonging to the Faerie Courts. The Faeries prefers a medieval charm to their lifestyle, but King Oberon is a valued ally to the Elemental Nations and his people have long been the defenders of the border worlds. Even if ancient treaties and pacts didn't bind Coredia to their defense, simple friendship between ancient peoples would be enough for the call to aid to be answered.
When it comes to the Tyranids, though, it matters little except if the fleet could put up enough of a wall of steel and flame to 'convince' them to seek easier prey elsewhere. And if that's not enough, how high the price will be paid before Vanguard's people and biodiversity are evacuated to safer locales.
Lt. Mortimer Deadman of the Secret Corps, the Ghost Master in charge of the defense, strode into the main command center for the planet at Vanguard Palace and took in the assembled dignitaries. King Oberon was seated at his chair, while his fellow Faeries took up seats around him. Avatar Joshua looked small in his own chair, kicking his feet nervously as he watched the news reports on the vidscreen up front. A number of military officials from the Elemental Nations, the ones who were fast enough to assemble here on such short notice, also took their places.
"All right. Let's get this started. At last count, our initial bombardments have taken off a good chunk of Hive Fleet Charybdis. But for all of our firepower, there's still more than enough Tyranids to make landfall at Glepia, Uruk, Delphi and us within the next five days. The problem is that we'd be in the middle of the evacuation when they come. There's simply not enough time to evacuate all three billion inhabitants of the sector, even with the Transport Corps' doing their best to get the ships and portals up and running. And that's not counting the biomass we're trying to account for."
The King and his commanders looked ashen at the news, even though the vidscreens showed the statistics all too clearly. He sighed and asked the question he dreaded to ask. "Can we hold this sector?"
"If you're willing to lose Vanguard and the minor civilizations, we may be able to hold, but even Coredia's forces and denying the Tyranids biomass may not be enough, because this is a sector that's yet to be completely surveyed and the Tyranids might eat a planet we haven't discovered. Regardless, if we don't stop them, the Chocobo Union is next. I believe we can hold there, but we all know the problem of that." Lt. Deadman said soberly.
Several men and women in the room cursed. The Chocobo Union is a magic-rich zone. Several of the commanders shuddered to think what the 'nids could do with magic. They're already powerful psykers! To make matters worse, the Emperor is still dealing with the Niflheim incursion against Lucis. With him out of contact, he doesn't know yet of the incoming swarm.
The King took a deep breath and expelled it. His long elven ears rose and drooped in thought as he tried to consider what to do. "Under the circumstances, we must do what we can. Get as many people out of this sector as we can, then..."
"We have to stop them if we can't hold." Avatar Joshua said firmly. "This is a beautiful place and it aches me to destroy it...but the Tyranids don't care. All they see is lunch."
"The boy is right, sire." Scarlet Pumpernickel, the Marshal Commander of Vanguard and King Oberon's most trusted military advisor said. "Our forces are brave, but these monsters will overwhelm even the bravest."
The King nodded firmly. "If we cannot hold, then we'll do what we must to deny the Tyranids food. Even...even if we must raze the planet to the ground."
There's no denying what it would mean. It would mean murdering millions of innocents and devastating entire planets to prevent them from getting nommed by the Tyranids and used to make more of them for their next conquests. If they aren't stopped here, somehow, then the galaxy at large could face incursions for a long, long time.
Coredians don't like having to face these sort of Catch-22s, but if they can't hold, then they know the grim truth of what they must do. Even if it meant condemning their souls to Hell.
"Then we'd do our very best to ensure that the swarm is squashed beneath our boots." Lt. Deadman nodded.
"When does the Sunflare arrive for the Avatar?" King Oberon asked.
Lt. Deadman frowned at his datapad. "The main fleet, to say nothing of the ship itself, will arrive in about seven days. It would have been twenty four hours at most, but the Event has the local spacetime acting up and our FTL systems aren't what they used to be."
Joshua grimaced at the news. "Two days to hold out. Can we do it?"
"Well, if we can't, we'll all be Tyranid dinner, so let's make sure we do our best, eh?" The King smiled thinly.
City of Insomnia, Kingdom of Lucis, Eos, Chocobo Union
Jedi Padawan Travis Masaki
It took a while, even as the sounds of war raged outside, but we managed to get the gist of what's going. Basically, around the time we got sucked into that wormhole thingy, the Kingdom of Lucis came under sudden attack by their rivals on this world, the Empire of Niflheim and it's likely Coredia's going to raze it to the ground for such sheer gall. Or something. The Emperor's pretty mad, that's for sure. All in all, it was a pretty simple decision to make on what to do. My friends and I didn't even have to think too much about it. We see Coredians, even alternate universe Coredians, we lend a hand.
"Well, your majesties. In light of us having nothing else to do until the blockade gets broken, we Jedi and assorted riff raff are at your service." I said, bowing politely to the monarchs. "Where do you want us?"
"Well, three things." Emperor Onoki said, raising three aged fingers. "First, I want you to take the Prince out of the city and into the wilderness. This sudden invasion is far too fast to be a mere coincidence. It's clear that Emperor Aldercapt has been wanting revenge on us for years and he's gotten help. The line of Caelum must survive. You know this better than anyone what would it mean for a royal family to fall."
I nodded somberly. Keith and I were the only light side Masakis left when Janus returned and took over everything. If both of us had lost, that would have been it for Coredia as we knew it. "Yeah. I know."
"Second, is this." King Regis said, taking off his ring and giving it to me. "Give him this ring and tell him...I'm sorry."
"What?" I exclaimed. "Don't tell me you're about to do some stupid self-sacrifice crap! You tell him yourself!"
"Travis! Decorum!" Reika hissed at me, poking me to settle down.
Regis shook his head. "The Empire wants a target. I'm going to give them one they can't ignore. That should buy you some time to escape."
"What about you, then?" I exclaimed to Onoki.
He only chuckled mirthlessly. "You of all people should know that a shinobi's true strength is not in the light, but the shadows. I shall have words with Aldercapt for this betrayal. Words and a knife to the throat. I'm going to ferret out every dirty little secret from that damned fool of an empire and then decide how best to sanction it. They'll be lucky if I don't burn it all to the ground!"
Jeez. These Coredians are a bloodthirsty lot! They're like us, but they're also not like us, and they seem like they're too damned casual with bombing entire nations that tick them off. I'm not entirely sure we should be allies, but I guess that's something to talk about with Dad...if I see him again.
"And the final thing?" I asked the two monarchs.
"The ring will allow Noctis to awaken his bloodline powers and command the Astrals, powerful kaiju beings that lend aid to the line of Lucis. But he will need the Oracle if he is to awaken the Astrals and she is currently trapped in a mansion in Tenebrae with her brother. But he will need someone skilled enough to challenge the Astrals as he's not quite strong enough yet." King Regis said, giving me a picture of the Oracle and her brother. Okay, got it.
"Damn. Kurama would be so much ideal right now." I grumbled good-naturedly. "So, teach the kid the ropes of being a heroic prince, rescue a beautiful girl and her brother from the evil empire, awaken the giant not-Biju to stomp that empire flat, and save the day."
"And you thought life would be boring." David snarked.
"Shouldn't be a difficult task for a Jedi Shinobi of your caliber." Emperor Onoki smiled. "By the way, when we clear all this furor up, I'd like to offer you training in our elemental arts. If I'm not mistaken in what I sense in you, you have the power of all the elements coursing through your veins, much like our Avatar. Consider that your payments for services rendered here. That and a million ryo for each of the three A-rank missions to be successfully completed, convertible to your credits once we get around to establishing exchange rates."
"Well, when you put it that way...I guess that's an offer I can live with." I grinned, shaking the Emperor and King's hand to cement the deal. "Where's Noctis, anyway?"
"Hmm. Gladios and Ignis, the Prince's retainers, would have probably taken the Regalia when the invasion occured. Look for a sleek black convertible with license plate RHS-113. Also, I...may have installed a flight system in it." Regis said. Who knew a king could look so regal and sheepish at the same time? "And beware of daemons at night. We were going to initiate a project to eliminate the daemon problem, but this...Event may have derailed the investigation for some time."
"Daemons? As in Chaospawn?" I frowned.
"We aren't quite sure yet. We know Starscourge, the disease that creates daemons, is a problem here, but we still need more research on it. Perhaps we'll discover the source in time. Now, the first business is to escape the city and locate the Prince. The King will do his part, and so will I. May the spirits guide you on your journey, young heroes."
"And may the Force be with you."
Chu'unthor, Near the Coredian Sector, Skyriver Galaxy
With the help of the Dornalians, the Yamato managed to limp to the Chu'unthor for much needed repairs. The engineers bemoaned how broken the ship looked ("It'll take months to repair this bucket!") and the passengers and crew were disembarked and debriefed on Coredia's future and many began to cry at finally being saved. What was uncovered was at first awesome (a reborn Galactic Republic, if you could believe it!) but then things grew disturbing, culminating in the Republic's fall at the hands of the terrible Giygas.
There were...rumors. Spacers' tales. Of beings with enormous powers in the Force. The ancient Celestials that created many of the galaxy's wonders, for example. Giygas and his Executioners appear to be such beings. This looming threat would have to be reported to the Jedi Council. For the time being, though, the Last Coredians will need recuperating and young Mark will need a mentor. Apparently, future-Travis saw something in the boy and if a Masaki saw something, then it's important. Somehow.
"I guess we'll need to figure out what to do with you. I'd talk to ol' Daniel, your master's father, but he's currently dealing with the Shivans. And then there's these other Coredians and all our old friends and enemies popping up. It's gonna be a mess for a while."
"I guess...I just wanna rest for now." Mark sighed. "We've been running for so long...but after...I want to see it all and find a way to stop Giygas for good!"
"That's understandable. Let's get you a room, then..."
Jurai, Coredian Sector, Skyriver Galaxy
"The Eighth Fleet reports mission success and are on their way to the rendezvous point for Operation Bug Spray." A young soldier -Michael Haldson- reported to the Emperor.
"Good to hear. That should be the last of the forces assembling. Once we assemble the full fleet, we engage!" Daniel Masaki ordered.
"A few more hours of pai sho, then?" General Akihito Masaki smiled as the soldier saluted and returned to his duties.
"I prefer pazaak, but sure." Daniel Masaki shrugged. "Long enough to see if our old allies are still willing to have another crack at the Shivans. If not, then it's our show."
"Very well. Your move." The old Firebending Master grinned as he waved a hand to the game board.
New Dornalia wrote:“Looks like that wasn’t the case,” Terry said with a smile. “If that’s the case, then things will be alright.” Terry then looked at Jesse and John and asked, unusually enthusiastic, “Can I come? Please?”
Kylie raised an eyebrow and turned to Jesse and John, declaring, “Up to you. Either way, the situation is risky but long story short, you will have plenty to work with to stop the threat.”
Jesse and John shared a look and shrugged. Jesse nodded. "Sure, I don't mind bringing you along. Should be helpful. Now I believe time is of the essence. Shall we get on with taking care of this Madhi?"
To that, Millicent sighed. Clearly, this kid was adapting well to the more paranoid strains of Dornalian life. Multiple defenses, sentry guns, so on. The whole thing reminded her of an old pre-Apocalypse legend involving a boy defeating two determined housebreakers with traps of all sorts. Still, she had to get in somehow.
Pausing, she stood there, and cursed Kiyoshi under her breath.
“What’s…..wrong?” came the reply from the truck.
“Nothing. Just trying to think of how to get his kid to let us in.”
“You...could….always….ask….what he wants.”
MIllicent paused, breathed in and out, and then walked back to the truck. Millicent gestured to her sister, asking, “ID. Please. Drivers’ license and Order card.” The woman complied and soon, after some rummaging in the truck, Millicent was back at the front door. Of course, Millicent knocked on the door again. With an exasperated but clearly forced patient tone, she then said, pulling out some papers from her pocket along with a copy of the IDs:
“Okay, kid. I don’t have time for shenanigans. But, because I like not having my leg caught in a bear trap, I’ll play along. I’m going to slide some ID under the door. Papers, IDs, the whole nine yards. You read those, you know we’re genuine.”
And so, everything went into the manila envelope which was slid under the door. Hopefully, the kid would ease up after all that.
The envelope disappeared and three long minutes passed. Presumably because he's checking out the credentials. Then something beeped and a light turned into a happy green color. "Okay, you can come in!"
The house was comfortably homely, fit for a pair of brothers who take care of themselves. So far, nothing seemed untowards, and the boy the two were assigned to take care of was sitting on the couch playing the latest games on the market.
"Hey there! Welcome to my home! I hope you don't stay too long!" Kiyoshi grinned.
OOC: As the little girl from Poltergeist says:
I'm baaaaaaaack!
I'm using Charlie Foxtrot as my entry point, so it'd be a good idea to reread that thread, but don't worry, I've got a plot to carry forward from here!