Discarding his surprise and fear, Thane braced for his first strike. His laser targeting system painted the ten closest attackers, each highlighted by a rotating crosshair and a single dot that indicated a firing solution.
The legionnaire’s finger hovered over the trigger, no, save the ammo for when they can’t miss. Even at a 100 meter distance there was little doubt the “crusher” slugs would find their target, but Thane didn’t want to settle for anything less than a perfect shot at the moment.
Thrusters 75% cooled, just have to settle for bursts, the distance closed rapidly as beating wing and advanced thrusters brought the opponents together. Thirty-five meters from the nearest insectoid, Thane catapulted at 56 kilometers per hour.
Synthesized metal alloy collided with organic glass carapace.
The collision nearly cancelled out the armor-clad warrior’s momentum, but both bodies were thrown fifteen meters forward from the point they met. Thane lay stunned in his suit; all he knew besides the haze was a flurry of bright lights and the whooshing noises as the other creatures passed overhead.
The titan groaned as it rose to its feet, its former foe lay beneath it, shattered and leaking ichor. The confusion cleared and the Naryyn pilot finally took notice of the warning lights that glowed evilly on his HUD.
A schematic of his armor sprung to life, most areas were tinted orange or yellow with minor damaged, but his lower left torso blinked red and white indicating a breach in hull integrity!
His suit complained as Thane attempted to straighten, the visual scanners in the cranial unit that acted as the armor’s “eyes” swiveled to study the lower torso. Two of the creature’s long rapier claws were imbedded in the motors that allowed for movement in the mid-lower regions.
Suddenly the image was swallowed up by two sets of claws, then the entire suit and Thane with it, toppled backward. Several of the insectoid attackers stood over their prey, ready to dissect the 885th soldier.
Rhys…….
After their brief exchange, the two Iso Naryyn cast aside the hostility of the minutes earlier. Her railgun sat slung over her shoulder, beside her energy staff. “We’ll definitely need to use that before we find safe haven.” Revan pointed out.
Nodding in agreement, Rhys replied. “Yes, melee combat would be healthy to avoid for the time being.” Frankly, out of all High Naryyn technology, the railgun was the only piece she couldn’t appreciate.
Back in the day, Rhys had avoided bows and thrown weapons and relied upon stealth to get within blade distance. Still, the railgun was a high-precision weapon that could easily strike at enemies farther than she could ever strike otherwise. It seemed foolhardy to not carry a ranged weapon in this current conflict.
Revan…….
His afflictions were less noticeable by now, but a jab of protest ran up his spine with every step. “Yeah, I’m near useless right now. Might be able to handle firing from a prone position but walking on my own without breaking my bones again is a doomed venture.”
Rhys gave him a warm amused look. “Well, at least I know you won’t go charging an orc and wasting my effort in reviving you.”
Revan resisted the impulse to shrug and simply stated. “Anyway, thanks for healing me, sevra.”
She cocked an eyebrow, “Isn’t that just minimizing?”
“Thank you, Ahtre’Mehrah,” he amended. Sevra was a non-exclusive term, by calling Rhys a ‘life companion’ Revan was affirming a higher relationship than comradery or friendship.
A series of shrieking calls emanated from the next bend of the trail. “Just when you thought we’d seen the last of them,” Rhys remarked wearily.
Revan sighed; both had hoped that they wouldn’t have to fight. “We’d better check this out; maybe save whoever is in trouble.”
“Sure, let’s risk everything to rescue at best the few people out here in the wilderness while we can’t even defend ourselves adequately.” She muttered sarcastically. Before he could press here, Rhys began moving them again. “Fine, maybe we’ll find the raptors again.”
Full Version: Revan part 2
Upon topping the next rise, both Naryyn gave pause. At least twenty-five of those insect things were crowded around some fifteen meters from their hill.
Neither dared to speak, for fear of revealing themselves took precedence over curiosity. Rhys looked to Revan, “Should we sneak away and wait until they leave or-”
A sickening cracking sound cut her off, both turned to see on of the creatures lift high off the ground. The five hundred pound beast fell back, a metal slug the size of a scrib imbedded in the remains of its chest.
All the others jumped away, revealing the object of interest. The armor’s architecture matched that of High Naryyn manufacture. This specimen was five or six times as large as the typical trooper’s set.
It clawed at the snow around it, trying to gain leverage; its waist area had three spines jammed into it. Most of the creatures kept a respectful distance, but some pounced back onto the soldier, pinning it to the ground.
Suddenly the pile of metal and glass carapace disappeared in a burst of heat and flame. One of the three beasts fell backwards; its glass armor was melted all over, flesh beneath was charred.
Of the remaining, they joined the others evaluating the wounded, but clearly treacherous prey.
“What should we do?” Revan worked his jaw, contemplating. “Once we reveal ourselves those things will bring down Aetherius to get a hold of us.”
“We can’t just let them kill whoever is piloting that suit!” She countered, adopting a determined look.
For a few more moments he said nothing, then Revan relented. “Do you have something in mind?"
Revan......
After setting him down, Rhys unslung her railgun. The five foot long, the energy/projectile hybrid’s barrel and firing mechanism pulsed electric blue.
“You’re absolutely sure you can do this, Rhys?” Naturally, there wasn’t any reason to ask again; she was committed. Rather than reply, Rhys simply crouched beside him, shouldering the weapon and sighted through the holographic scope.
His bond partner became a fountain of certainty and calm; this would either work or would end with them inside the vargukei’s stomachs.
Revan relaxed, laying flat on the hill, and closed his eyes. He released several psychic pings, which would hopefully summon the raptors…… that was if they were nearby.
Rhys.......
The scope flashed as it was activated, and the hulking forms of her targets jumped forward. Her temples throbbed with each of Revan’s calls, it was hard to describe, not like when they spoke telepathically.
That required concentration, if only a small amount, this was a broadcast. There was the possibility that the vargukei would become aware of them because of the psychic signal.
“I bet even non-telepaths could get a headache from this after awhile......” Rhys allowed intuition to guide her, shifting the railgun thirty degrees to the right of the nearest bug.
A javelin of fire lanced from the muzzle, and the air around the target’s head ignited. Luck certainly was on her side, the armored terror stumbled; then its knees gave beneath it.
In response to the sneak attack all the creatures turned toward the incendiary rounds origin. Rhys fired a second time, her target’s elongated head tore apart in the ensuing explosion.
“You see now? Their armor protects them from exterior damage, but hit them between the mandibles and they’re helpless.” She proclaimed smugly.
Revan could only nod, redoubling his efforts to summon aid. Rhys managed to blow another one’s head off, but they were ducking their heads, no longer allowing for a headshot.
Thane.......
When suddenly all the giant insects turned to face some unseen foe, he blinked surprised at the much needed reprieve. Thane paused, touching his middle and index finger to his temples as the nerves thrummed in response to some force beyond his comprehension.
He ignored the strange sensation, his armor groaned and squealed in protest, but he managed to get a good look at the bugs’ backs.
His targeting system selected the retreating forms; Thane noticed the blue explosions that impeded the monsters’ progress. Looks like a sniper with a railgun, I’ve got to remember to thank them.
Furiously hitting the firing control, his shoulder-mounted “Slingshot” anti-armor projectile launcher fired a dozen slugs the length between his elbow and shoulder.
Thane grinned in a satisfied manner, as the dumb-fired projectiles devastated those beasts. Half of the vargukei lay dead or dying on the now crimson smeared snow.
Those that remained were exiting his field of fire; Thane fumed. If only I had shot that first one, then I'd be able to hit those things with my energy mortar! As much as he hated to admit it, his suit was useless now, just deadwieght.
"Really sorry to leave you our here like this." He muttered as he toggled the fusion core's safeties off. A small timer appeared on the every single holoscreen. 3:54......
Sighing, Thane keyed open the hatch and leaped out of the defunct armor. "Hey, come on you ugly-buggy monsters, I'm just an unarmed pilot; don't be shy!" He yelled emptying his sidearm's clip into the remaining beasts. Come on, you know you want to tear me apart......
Neither dared to speak, for fear of revealing themselves took precedence over curiosity. Rhys looked to Revan, “Should we sneak away and wait until they leave or-”
A sickening cracking sound cut her off, both turned to see on of the creatures lift high off the ground. The five hundred pound beast fell back, a metal slug the size of a scrib imbedded in the remains of its chest.
All the others jumped away, revealing the object of interest. The armor’s architecture matched that of High Naryyn manufacture. This specimen was five or six times as large as the typical trooper’s set.
It clawed at the snow around it, trying to gain leverage; its waist area had three spines jammed into it. Most of the creatures kept a respectful distance, but some pounced back onto the soldier, pinning it to the ground.
Suddenly the pile of metal and glass carapace disappeared in a burst of heat and flame. One of the three beasts fell backwards; its glass armor was melted all over, flesh beneath was charred.
Of the remaining, they joined the others evaluating the wounded, but clearly treacherous prey.
“What should we do?” Revan worked his jaw, contemplating. “Once we reveal ourselves those things will bring down Aetherius to get a hold of us.”
“We can’t just let them kill whoever is piloting that suit!” She countered, adopting a determined look.
For a few more moments he said nothing, then Revan relented. “Do you have something in mind?"
Revan......
After setting him down, Rhys unslung her railgun. The five foot long, the energy/projectile hybrid’s barrel and firing mechanism pulsed electric blue.
“You’re absolutely sure you can do this, Rhys?” Naturally, there wasn’t any reason to ask again; she was committed. Rather than reply, Rhys simply crouched beside him, shouldering the weapon and sighted through the holographic scope.
His bond partner became a fountain of certainty and calm; this would either work or would end with them inside the vargukei’s stomachs.
Revan relaxed, laying flat on the hill, and closed his eyes. He released several psychic pings, which would hopefully summon the raptors…… that was if they were nearby.
Rhys.......
The scope flashed as it was activated, and the hulking forms of her targets jumped forward. Her temples throbbed with each of Revan’s calls, it was hard to describe, not like when they spoke telepathically.
That required concentration, if only a small amount, this was a broadcast. There was the possibility that the vargukei would become aware of them because of the psychic signal.
“I bet even non-telepaths could get a headache from this after awhile......” Rhys allowed intuition to guide her, shifting the railgun thirty degrees to the right of the nearest bug.
A javelin of fire lanced from the muzzle, and the air around the target’s head ignited. Luck certainly was on her side, the armored terror stumbled; then its knees gave beneath it.
In response to the sneak attack all the creatures turned toward the incendiary rounds origin. Rhys fired a second time, her target’s elongated head tore apart in the ensuing explosion.
“You see now? Their armor protects them from exterior damage, but hit them between the mandibles and they’re helpless.” She proclaimed smugly.
Revan could only nod, redoubling his efforts to summon aid. Rhys managed to blow another one’s head off, but they were ducking their heads, no longer allowing for a headshot.
Thane.......
When suddenly all the giant insects turned to face some unseen foe, he blinked surprised at the much needed reprieve. Thane paused, touching his middle and index finger to his temples as the nerves thrummed in response to some force beyond his comprehension.
He ignored the strange sensation, his armor groaned and squealed in protest, but he managed to get a good look at the bugs’ backs.
His targeting system selected the retreating forms; Thane noticed the blue explosions that impeded the monsters’ progress. Looks like a sniper with a railgun, I’ve got to remember to thank them.
Furiously hitting the firing control, his shoulder-mounted “Slingshot” anti-armor projectile launcher fired a dozen slugs the length between his elbow and shoulder.
Thane grinned in a satisfied manner, as the dumb-fired projectiles devastated those beasts. Half of the vargukei lay dead or dying on the now crimson smeared snow.
Those that remained were exiting his field of fire; Thane fumed. If only I had shot that first one, then I'd be able to hit those things with my energy mortar! As much as he hated to admit it, his suit was useless now, just deadwieght.
"Really sorry to leave you our here like this." He muttered as he toggled the fusion core's safeties off. A small timer appeared on the every single holoscreen. 3:54......
Sighing, Thane keyed open the hatch and leaped out of the defunct armor. "Hey, come on you ugly-buggy monsters, I'm just an unarmed pilot; don't be shy!" He yelled emptying his sidearm's clip into the remaining beasts. Come on, you know you want to tear me apart......
Thane oughta be careful. Those things can tear ya limb from limb! I have a feeling Rhys will clean the rest up though.
Good work Revan.
Good work Revan.
Sorry for the wait, but we're preping for TAKS Tests so we have to be careful not to get snowballed (very behind on schoolwork). 
----------
The vargukei hesitated with a moment of indecision between the sniper and the loud man. It was long enough for Revan to act on his resources.
Priming an odd, cylinder-shaped explosive he’d plundered from the High Naryyn prison, Revan lobbed the tube at the center of the cluster.
There was a brief cracking sound, and the air filled with shrieks of protest. Those vargukei in the center flailed their limbs madly; they were partially encased in a shell of ice.
Rhys gave a nod of approval as her rifle’s ammo cartridge clicked and fell to the ground. The snow sizzled on contact with the smoldering disc. “Unfortunately, that was my last round.”
Suddenly both felt and heard the approach of the raptor pack. Their bodies blurred against the background as the rushed past. Oblivious to the Naryyn, they scattered and evaluated the larger creatures. Cautiously remaining out of range from those that were not bound by a frozen prison.
Some would leap near, bobbing their heads, then leap back before the lumbering behemoths could strike back. This continued for an unknown period of time, probably three minutes, until either Revan, Rhys, or Thane could grasp their strategy.
Slowly the raptors were herding the vargukei toward the downed battle armor. “Why are they going there?” Revan asked, knowing Rhys would not have an answer.
Thane……
It seemed that the other troopers were doing all they could to keep the vargukei’s attention. And they certainly have the firepower to do that.....
Suddenly a group of squat, bipedal predators appeared.
Thane raised his sidearm, but the hollow click! Reminded him he’d emptied his meager supply of ammo. Darn, I might actually die!
That was something, among their number the 885th held vast reserves of positive attitude. To admit the harsh reality was a rare occurrence except for new volunteers.
Then he realized the creatures were ignoring him, focusing completely on the large bug things. His mission clock chimed, and it dawned on him. I’m still standing beside a nuclear fusion drive that’s set to blow in a matter of seconds.....
Without a trace of grace, Thane ran, well, stumbled, trying hard to get out of the blast zone of his own trap. The grey, scaled form of one of the raptor creatures darted past him agilely.
Suddenly, he was lifted of his feet by an intense wave of heat and expanding gasses. The white snow and orange and red morning sky flashed past his eyes as he tumbled.
Finally after an eternity of blistering flames and dizzying spins, he met the embrace of melted snow, and darkness covered the white blanket.
Rhys....
What happened was a slur of light pressure and stress. First, the chieftain’s hissing voice rattled her mind. “Get down!”
Then, she and Revan had leapt to the side opposite of all the fighting. Something akin to a thunder clap at point-blank rang through the morning air, and then everything was blotted out by radiant red haze that washed over and through them.
A horrible but familiar stench accompanied the air as she took a deep breath. Rhys opened her eyes to find herself in the bedroom a shabby house.
Despite the many years she’d seen or sat in this messy room, these things were just as familiar and comfortable as the elegant, towering spires of the Marhun Kar village.
She threw open the door to the shack, the city of Bravil greeted her. Unbidden, a smile spread across her face. It was the same mud pit she'd left behind nearly a century ago. "Rhys," her heart skipped a beat.
Marching across the bridge was a young man, in his mid-thirties, wearing chainmail armor with the emblem of Bravil proadly displayed on it. The man approached her; they embraced. Tears filled her eyes, and Barrik wiped them away and kissed her paternally on her forehead.
"I've missed you so much, Rhys." He said, she could only nod in responce. Barrik's grin broadened, "Look at you, after all these years, you've one better than I ever could have."
"Yo- you're not real," Rhys replied hoarsely, eyes clenched tightly shut.
"Well, you're half-right." He answered; she could see his expression without looking. Barrik had dropped his grin, and ran his hand through his hair as was his habit. "I'm not a hilucination, but we are right here."
He indicated his point by resting his hand on her head. Rhys opened her eyes, willing to accept what he had to say. "I'm afraid our time together will be quite brief, so I'll summarize what I need to tell you."
They both sat down, legs dangling over the river that acted as Bravil's sewage system.
"On the day that we raided the ruins north of Bravil for bandits, I died. But for some reason, I couldn't enter Aetherius." Barrik began, "I became something of a specter, not a ghost that can harm people, but like a restless spirit. Eventually, I came to the attention of the Deadra, Mephala and Nocturnal."
"The Webspinner saw the reasons surrounding my death, and those who I had influenced during my life. Nocturnal knew more than she told me; anyway, the Deadra knew something was going to happen, something that involved you, Rhys."
The tears had faded, now she simply nodded, prompting for her adoptive father to continue. "Contrary to my original misgivings, neither Deadra asked anything of me, well, technically I'm just a pawn, but I don't look at it that way. They told me that you were involved with some otherwordly conflict that had to do with your........ actual race"
Rhys answered when Barrik went silent. "Yes, I looked like some Dunmer-Imperial half-breed, but the truth was far from it."
The specter nodded satisfied by her answer. "I was sent to you with the purpose of a final act of readying you for what is to come."
She asked, "What do you mean?"
He replied solemnly, "I can't explain it, but let my last words to you be worth something worth more than a monologue." Barrik took her hand, "Whatever those heathen gods have in store, I want you to survive and live out your life as you want to, not what some diety or monarch decides it should or shouldn't be."
They embraced one last time, "Thank you, Father."
Barrik whispered, "Remember, and live happily."
The sky lost color, the building lost texture, and finally the guardsman that had raised her dissappeared. "I won't forget, not a single moment." Rhys swore resolutely before even the white background evaporated.
----------
The vargukei hesitated with a moment of indecision between the sniper and the loud man. It was long enough for Revan to act on his resources.
Priming an odd, cylinder-shaped explosive he’d plundered from the High Naryyn prison, Revan lobbed the tube at the center of the cluster.
There was a brief cracking sound, and the air filled with shrieks of protest. Those vargukei in the center flailed their limbs madly; they were partially encased in a shell of ice.
Rhys gave a nod of approval as her rifle’s ammo cartridge clicked and fell to the ground. The snow sizzled on contact with the smoldering disc. “Unfortunately, that was my last round.”
Suddenly both felt and heard the approach of the raptor pack. Their bodies blurred against the background as the rushed past. Oblivious to the Naryyn, they scattered and evaluated the larger creatures. Cautiously remaining out of range from those that were not bound by a frozen prison.
Some would leap near, bobbing their heads, then leap back before the lumbering behemoths could strike back. This continued for an unknown period of time, probably three minutes, until either Revan, Rhys, or Thane could grasp their strategy.
Slowly the raptors were herding the vargukei toward the downed battle armor. “Why are they going there?” Revan asked, knowing Rhys would not have an answer.
Thane……
It seemed that the other troopers were doing all they could to keep the vargukei’s attention. And they certainly have the firepower to do that.....
Suddenly a group of squat, bipedal predators appeared.
Thane raised his sidearm, but the hollow click! Reminded him he’d emptied his meager supply of ammo. Darn, I might actually die!
That was something, among their number the 885th held vast reserves of positive attitude. To admit the harsh reality was a rare occurrence except for new volunteers.
Then he realized the creatures were ignoring him, focusing completely on the large bug things. His mission clock chimed, and it dawned on him. I’m still standing beside a nuclear fusion drive that’s set to blow in a matter of seconds.....
Without a trace of grace, Thane ran, well, stumbled, trying hard to get out of the blast zone of his own trap. The grey, scaled form of one of the raptor creatures darted past him agilely.
Suddenly, he was lifted of his feet by an intense wave of heat and expanding gasses. The white snow and orange and red morning sky flashed past his eyes as he tumbled.
Finally after an eternity of blistering flames and dizzying spins, he met the embrace of melted snow, and darkness covered the white blanket.
Rhys....
What happened was a slur of light pressure and stress. First, the chieftain’s hissing voice rattled her mind. “Get down!”
Then, she and Revan had leapt to the side opposite of all the fighting. Something akin to a thunder clap at point-blank rang through the morning air, and then everything was blotted out by radiant red haze that washed over and through them.
A horrible but familiar stench accompanied the air as she took a deep breath. Rhys opened her eyes to find herself in the bedroom a shabby house.
Despite the many years she’d seen or sat in this messy room, these things were just as familiar and comfortable as the elegant, towering spires of the Marhun Kar village.
She threw open the door to the shack, the city of Bravil greeted her. Unbidden, a smile spread across her face. It was the same mud pit she'd left behind nearly a century ago. "Rhys," her heart skipped a beat.
Marching across the bridge was a young man, in his mid-thirties, wearing chainmail armor with the emblem of Bravil proadly displayed on it. The man approached her; they embraced. Tears filled her eyes, and Barrik wiped them away and kissed her paternally on her forehead.
"I've missed you so much, Rhys." He said, she could only nod in responce. Barrik's grin broadened, "Look at you, after all these years, you've one better than I ever could have."
"Yo- you're not real," Rhys replied hoarsely, eyes clenched tightly shut.
"Well, you're half-right." He answered; she could see his expression without looking. Barrik had dropped his grin, and ran his hand through his hair as was his habit. "I'm not a hilucination, but we are right here."
He indicated his point by resting his hand on her head. Rhys opened her eyes, willing to accept what he had to say. "I'm afraid our time together will be quite brief, so I'll summarize what I need to tell you."
They both sat down, legs dangling over the river that acted as Bravil's sewage system.
"On the day that we raided the ruins north of Bravil for bandits, I died. But for some reason, I couldn't enter Aetherius." Barrik began, "I became something of a specter, not a ghost that can harm people, but like a restless spirit. Eventually, I came to the attention of the Deadra, Mephala and Nocturnal."
"The Webspinner saw the reasons surrounding my death, and those who I had influenced during my life. Nocturnal knew more than she told me; anyway, the Deadra knew something was going to happen, something that involved you, Rhys."
The tears had faded, now she simply nodded, prompting for her adoptive father to continue. "Contrary to my original misgivings, neither Deadra asked anything of me, well, technically I'm just a pawn, but I don't look at it that way. They told me that you were involved with some otherwordly conflict that had to do with your........ actual race"
Rhys answered when Barrik went silent. "Yes, I looked like some Dunmer-Imperial half-breed, but the truth was far from it."
The specter nodded satisfied by her answer. "I was sent to you with the purpose of a final act of readying you for what is to come."
She asked, "What do you mean?"
He replied solemnly, "I can't explain it, but let my last words to you be worth something worth more than a monologue." Barrik took her hand, "Whatever those heathen gods have in store, I want you to survive and live out your life as you want to, not what some diety or monarch decides it should or shouldn't be."
They embraced one last time, "Thank you, Father."
Barrik whispered, "Remember, and live happily."
The sky lost color, the building lost texture, and finally the guardsman that had raised her dissappeared. "I won't forget, not a single moment." Rhys swore resolutely before even the white background evaporated.
That was quite an interesting "vision". Hopefully we'll understand Barrik's somewhat cryptic message in the coming updates. And hopefully everyone survives that blast as well 
Chapter 18: Banding Together
Slowly, feeling returned to her limbs, feeling of fighting over the past few days pressed upon her tired body. How many times have Revan and I been knocked out, or nearly killed trying to survive?
Rhys opened her eyes, taking note of the Iso Naryyn architecture around her. The cavernous chamber appeared to be an infirmary of some kind; many “beds” like the one she was lying on now were spread about the room. Beside each was a meter tall pedestal, many had Iso Naryyn healers hovering over them, holograms hovered centimeters above the active pedestals.
Further observation was interrupted when a healer appeared by her pedestal, a holographic board appeared that showed her vitals and injuries. The healer finally looked up from the display and nodded warmly. “I don’t see any problems with getting back up; any weakness or nausea should pass quickly.”
Rhys realized that he had answered the first question everyone asked when they regained consciousness. She rose to a sitting position, “How long has it been since we were found?”
The healer looked thoughtfully for a moment. “Almost five and a half hours, the Marhun Kar were located by this frigate shortly after they found the site of the explosion.”
A thought entered her mind, “Frigate? This is a ship?”
“Yes, welcome to the Nomadic Defense a frigate under the cruiser Infinite Sojourn. We launched from Xarmanca forty years ago, and only days ago we located Nirm.”
Incredulously, Rhys asked, “You’ve been flying on this ship for forty years?”
The healer nodded, seeming amused at her surprise. “Correct, every member of the Defense’s crew has lived on this vessel for since its departure. That’s what happens when you volunteer for an expeditionary fleet and then some.”
Rhys was speechless at the idea of serving on one ship continuously for so long, yet the healer appeared content with the prospect. “Do you get paid to do his? What of your family?”
The healer was caught off guard; a look of surprise crossed his face. “Paid? There is no currency to get paid with! When one never has something, then they can’t lose it, we all serve for the good of our brethren, that is payment enough.”
He calmed down and continued, “My family lives on Clethair, like most of the fleet, I do not have a mate to wait for me at home. Those few that do are members of the same fleet, some on different ships, but in this fleet all the same.”
Afterwards the healer gave her a set of new robes, seeing as her old pair was destroyed in the explosion, and pointed Rhys in the direction of someone who’d wanted to speak with her.
Though she hoped it was Revan, Rhys knew that he was not in any better condition than she was. Still she was not as disappointed when she found Darhun wandering about. “Rhys, I’m overjoyed to see you reasonably unharmed!” He greeted her warmly.
Returning his warmth, Rhys replied. “Likewise, my friend, how did you end up here?”
Darhun’s grin broadened, “Clan is the most important thing to our people; I demanded that I be placed on the same ship as my friends and family.”
“The last few hours have been hectic, there have been engagements with the Rogue Fleet, more lands have been devastated by the fighting, and the Rogue Fleet left Vardenfell for Skyrim!”
Rhys blinked, Vardenfell was no longer a battlefield? “What happened?”
Darhun’s smile faded, he shifted his weight uneasily from foot to foot. “I think it would be better to show you; follow me.”
Satith.....
"Revert in two minutes," a metallic voice announced over SHIP-COM. Satith stood silently at the edge of his elevated platform. Everyone, marines, pilots, and even the naval personel were tense, no one knew if they would appear in friendly space or not.
If things went according to plan, then they would make immediate contact with the Dominance, and the combined fleet would movbe to retake the planet and deal with any heretics. 'The best laid plans,' as they say...
"Five..... four..... three.... two...... one!" Beyond the viewport space flashed brightly as the Armet and its entourage came into existance. The sphere of Nirm dominated their viewport, the green-blue world spun serenely despite the turmoil it caused.
"Dominance and Hunter detected, both in orbit of the red moon." Satith shook his head, ship-based artificial constructs were a rarity, normally reserved for installaitions and shipyards of incredible importance.
However, rank certainly had its advantages. The Armet had a single AI at its disposal, and that was something. Construct 853-702 was a "false" AI, only twenty existed, but all the other hundreds were "true" AIs.
"False" and "true" were misleading, at least in Satith's opinion. True AIs were extremely limited, portable and simple, but strictly programmed so they were incapable of accomplishing more then their estimated potential.
False AIs were less restricted, though not devoid of limits, their existance was a doomed one.
Construct 853-702 was directly integrated into the Armet's systems, meaning it could not be removed. The Patriarchs had always been concerned (to the point of near paranoia) of a non-restricted AI going rogue and becoming a threat to the absolute control over the lesser races.
Satith didn't see why it was such a problem, restricting an AI to a single vessel seemed enough to him, but limiting its potential to fulfill its purpose was almost foolhar-
"Admiral? We've hailed the Dominance and repair on both vessels are 89% complete. We are ready to retake the world."
The Construct's report tore him from his brooding, yet Satith nodded and moved to address The others personally.
Slowly, feeling returned to her limbs, feeling of fighting over the past few days pressed upon her tired body. How many times have Revan and I been knocked out, or nearly killed trying to survive?
Rhys opened her eyes, taking note of the Iso Naryyn architecture around her. The cavernous chamber appeared to be an infirmary of some kind; many “beds” like the one she was lying on now were spread about the room. Beside each was a meter tall pedestal, many had Iso Naryyn healers hovering over them, holograms hovered centimeters above the active pedestals.
Further observation was interrupted when a healer appeared by her pedestal, a holographic board appeared that showed her vitals and injuries. The healer finally looked up from the display and nodded warmly. “I don’t see any problems with getting back up; any weakness or nausea should pass quickly.”
Rhys realized that he had answered the first question everyone asked when they regained consciousness. She rose to a sitting position, “How long has it been since we were found?”
The healer looked thoughtfully for a moment. “Almost five and a half hours, the Marhun Kar were located by this frigate shortly after they found the site of the explosion.”
A thought entered her mind, “Frigate? This is a ship?”
“Yes, welcome to the Nomadic Defense a frigate under the cruiser Infinite Sojourn. We launched from Xarmanca forty years ago, and only days ago we located Nirm.”
Incredulously, Rhys asked, “You’ve been flying on this ship for forty years?”
The healer nodded, seeming amused at her surprise. “Correct, every member of the Defense’s crew has lived on this vessel for since its departure. That’s what happens when you volunteer for an expeditionary fleet and then some.”
Rhys was speechless at the idea of serving on one ship continuously for so long, yet the healer appeared content with the prospect. “Do you get paid to do his? What of your family?”
The healer was caught off guard; a look of surprise crossed his face. “Paid? There is no currency to get paid with! When one never has something, then they can’t lose it, we all serve for the good of our brethren, that is payment enough.”
He calmed down and continued, “My family lives on Clethair, like most of the fleet, I do not have a mate to wait for me at home. Those few that do are members of the same fleet, some on different ships, but in this fleet all the same.”
Afterwards the healer gave her a set of new robes, seeing as her old pair was destroyed in the explosion, and pointed Rhys in the direction of someone who’d wanted to speak with her.
Though she hoped it was Revan, Rhys knew that he was not in any better condition than she was. Still she was not as disappointed when she found Darhun wandering about. “Rhys, I’m overjoyed to see you reasonably unharmed!” He greeted her warmly.
Returning his warmth, Rhys replied. “Likewise, my friend, how did you end up here?”
Darhun’s grin broadened, “Clan is the most important thing to our people; I demanded that I be placed on the same ship as my friends and family.”
“The last few hours have been hectic, there have been engagements with the Rogue Fleet, more lands have been devastated by the fighting, and the Rogue Fleet left Vardenfell for Skyrim!”
Rhys blinked, Vardenfell was no longer a battlefield? “What happened?”
Darhun’s smile faded, he shifted his weight uneasily from foot to foot. “I think it would be better to show you; follow me.”
Satith.....
"Revert in two minutes," a metallic voice announced over SHIP-COM. Satith stood silently at the edge of his elevated platform. Everyone, marines, pilots, and even the naval personel were tense, no one knew if they would appear in friendly space or not.
If things went according to plan, then they would make immediate contact with the Dominance, and the combined fleet would movbe to retake the planet and deal with any heretics. 'The best laid plans,' as they say...
"Five..... four..... three.... two...... one!" Beyond the viewport space flashed brightly as the Armet and its entourage came into existance. The sphere of Nirm dominated their viewport, the green-blue world spun serenely despite the turmoil it caused.
"Dominance and Hunter detected, both in orbit of the red moon." Satith shook his head, ship-based artificial constructs were a rarity, normally reserved for installaitions and shipyards of incredible importance.
However, rank certainly had its advantages. The Armet had a single AI at its disposal, and that was something. Construct 853-702 was a "false" AI, only twenty existed, but all the other hundreds were "true" AIs.
"False" and "true" were misleading, at least in Satith's opinion. True AIs were extremely limited, portable and simple, but strictly programmed so they were incapable of accomplishing more then their estimated potential.
False AIs were less restricted, though not devoid of limits, their existance was a doomed one.
Construct 853-702 was directly integrated into the Armet's systems, meaning it could not be removed. The Patriarchs had always been concerned (to the point of near paranoia) of a non-restricted AI going rogue and becoming a threat to the absolute control over the lesser races.
Satith didn't see why it was such a problem, restricting an AI to a single vessel seemed enough to him, but limiting its potential to fulfill its purpose was almost foolhar-
"Admiral? We've hailed the Dominance and repair on both vessels are 89% complete. We are ready to retake the world."
The Construct's report tore him from his brooding, yet Satith nodded and moved to address The others personally.
Duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh. (Darth Vader Empire theme)
The Empire strikes back. Sorry, that's the feeling I got at the end of this update. Quite fascinating interior on that frigate. And the explanation of the AI's was nice as well.
The Empire strikes back. Sorry, that's the feeling I got at the end of this update. Quite fascinating interior on that frigate. And the explanation of the AI's was nice as well.
Empire Strikes Back is rather appropriate, I'm also shooting for something like the counter-invasion of Harvest in Halo.
Well, Nirm won't come out of this unscarred..... Maybe a few broken limbs and some very nasty bruises.
In the troop bays of the High Naryyn cruiser Armet, five hundred and fifty marines stood in orderly rows, decked out in the latest powered battle armor. The room shone with the sky-blue lights of the suits’ power cells.
All were organized by squads, some carried repeaters, others carried railguns, and all sported assault rifles. Unlike the forces they were reinforcing, these soldiers were fresh, rested, and well-supplied.
Five squads detached and took their places on the elevator that would ferry them to the hanger, to their dropships for deployment. As they departed, another five gathered on the next elevator.
No speeches, not today, everyone just needed to follow orders for this theatre. Speeches were for after they won. The glory monologues, their favorite kind.
Norik…..
As the Hunter and Dominance formed up with the new fleet, the holoprojector winked to life. The miniature image resolved into Admiral Satith, at first Norik didn’t pay the admiral any attention.
He watched the cruisers, frigates, and carriers grow as they approached. The Armet lead the fleet, it dwarfed the other ships easily. Its shape was akin to an elongated teardrop. Two fin-shaped outcroppings ran along its lateral sides meeting only at its aft.
The smaller frigates flying around it gave the impression of a swarm of sharks trailing a leviathan. The carriers flew slightly behind, due to their more drastic propulsion-to-mass ratio.
“Envoy, focus on the task at hand not my fleet.” Norik fixed the older Naryyn with the look of menace that caused most officers to quake in their armored shells. The admiral seemed unimpressed with his theatrics.
“As we were discussing earlier, our main objective is to retake the planet; all other objectives are secondary to annihilating the Rogue Fleet.” Satith paused, “These directives came from the councilors themselves.”
Norik clenched a fist at the not so veiled condescension in Adm. Satith’s statement. The lead ships began their descent into Nirm’s atmosphere, their burnished gold hulls glowed as they descended.
Almost instantly a particle beam blasted through a frigate, the ailing vessel tore apart as the extreme pressures of reentry took its toll on its hull. Norik narrowed his eyes as the impact of the frigates crew pounded his brain.
Ankrus......
Satith’s fleet rained fire on the beam’s origins, the Dominance banked thirty degrees to give the enemy the benefit of a broadside. Beside the holopanel used exclusively to provide a tactical map for combat Ankrus stood hunched watching as the Armet’s AI fed data to the Dominance’s navigations and weapons stations.
Two more frigates, symbolized by tiny “x”s, disappeared as they too were blasted out of the sky. Ankrus privately mourned the deaths of his fellow soldiers, but he banished the sorrow.
The Rogues had the upper-hand because, due to standard protocol, every vessel lowered their shields for reentry to save energy. Now, they had to wait until they slowed down to reactivate them.
The Dominance synced with the AI’s targeting solution and fired in unison with the rest of the fleet. Particle beams converged on the supposed enemy position....... fire blossomed below as the Rogue ship paid for its treachery.
The fleet slowed, now inside the planet’s atmosphere. All warships reactivated their precious shields and scanned the local airspace. While his officers worked to find the rest of the Rogues, Ankrus was momentarily distracted by a large object.
As the Dominance swung past the monument he managed to get a better look at it. Its base was located in the middle of a circular city on a lake, from the half-sphere foundation it stretched to almost 300 or so feet high.
It appeared to be constructed completely of stone, and because it was made by a vastly primitive race, Ankrus found it impressive.
The lake around the island was releasing clouds of steam from the partially melted slag that lay immersed in it.
Satith......
The Armet and its attendant flock of carriers and frigates push northward from the city they’d passed on entry. Satith had ordered the Dominance and hunter to hold the city, which he suspected was the capital of this land.
Two flights of dropships departed their battle group and moved to rendezvous with the secondary battle group (Dominance and Hunter). Satith had made his decision partly because he wanted the “holy hand of the council” as far away from the fleet as possible with overstepping his bounds.
Another reason was because if that city was a capital then Satith wanted to make his wishes to stay out of his army’s way so they could do their jobs.
Imperial City.....
Dozens of flying machines landed in every district. All colored a lustrous gold not too different from dwemer architecture. Hatches open and squads of eight heavily armored things march out and form a phalanx of solid armor and weaponry outside their transports.
On Green Emperor Way, five such squads make their way into the Imperial Palace. The Royal Guards are promptly made to stand aside through brute force alone.
The Naryyn troopers keep their eyes on the natives, almost daring them to challenge their superiority. Behind the first wave more dropships land and deposit troops to form a perimeter around the palace entrances.
Among these troops, strides two distinguished individuals, one wears more decorative armor with a radiant red-gold sash lying on his pauldrons, paired with a matching garment draping from his waist to his knees.
The other wears thicker armor than his soldiers, it is a wonder they can move, let alone so fluidly in such heavy armor. This one is obviously the commander, the soldiers move with greater precision and efficiency as these two walk by.
Not a shot was fired, not a life was lost or taken, yet the city was theirs. They could hold it, if anyone challenged them it would be at the attacker’s own expense......
All were organized by squads, some carried repeaters, others carried railguns, and all sported assault rifles. Unlike the forces they were reinforcing, these soldiers were fresh, rested, and well-supplied.
Five squads detached and took their places on the elevator that would ferry them to the hanger, to their dropships for deployment. As they departed, another five gathered on the next elevator.
No speeches, not today, everyone just needed to follow orders for this theatre. Speeches were for after they won. The glory monologues, their favorite kind.
Norik…..
As the Hunter and Dominance formed up with the new fleet, the holoprojector winked to life. The miniature image resolved into Admiral Satith, at first Norik didn’t pay the admiral any attention.
He watched the cruisers, frigates, and carriers grow as they approached. The Armet lead the fleet, it dwarfed the other ships easily. Its shape was akin to an elongated teardrop. Two fin-shaped outcroppings ran along its lateral sides meeting only at its aft.
The smaller frigates flying around it gave the impression of a swarm of sharks trailing a leviathan. The carriers flew slightly behind, due to their more drastic propulsion-to-mass ratio.
“Envoy, focus on the task at hand not my fleet.” Norik fixed the older Naryyn with the look of menace that caused most officers to quake in their armored shells. The admiral seemed unimpressed with his theatrics.
“As we were discussing earlier, our main objective is to retake the planet; all other objectives are secondary to annihilating the Rogue Fleet.” Satith paused, “These directives came from the councilors themselves.”
Norik clenched a fist at the not so veiled condescension in Adm. Satith’s statement. The lead ships began their descent into Nirm’s atmosphere, their burnished gold hulls glowed as they descended.
Almost instantly a particle beam blasted through a frigate, the ailing vessel tore apart as the extreme pressures of reentry took its toll on its hull. Norik narrowed his eyes as the impact of the frigates crew pounded his brain.
Ankrus......
Satith’s fleet rained fire on the beam’s origins, the Dominance banked thirty degrees to give the enemy the benefit of a broadside. Beside the holopanel used exclusively to provide a tactical map for combat Ankrus stood hunched watching as the Armet’s AI fed data to the Dominance’s navigations and weapons stations.
Two more frigates, symbolized by tiny “x”s, disappeared as they too were blasted out of the sky. Ankrus privately mourned the deaths of his fellow soldiers, but he banished the sorrow.
The Rogues had the upper-hand because, due to standard protocol, every vessel lowered their shields for reentry to save energy. Now, they had to wait until they slowed down to reactivate them.
The Dominance synced with the AI’s targeting solution and fired in unison with the rest of the fleet. Particle beams converged on the supposed enemy position....... fire blossomed below as the Rogue ship paid for its treachery.
The fleet slowed, now inside the planet’s atmosphere. All warships reactivated their precious shields and scanned the local airspace. While his officers worked to find the rest of the Rogues, Ankrus was momentarily distracted by a large object.
As the Dominance swung past the monument he managed to get a better look at it. Its base was located in the middle of a circular city on a lake, from the half-sphere foundation it stretched to almost 300 or so feet high.
It appeared to be constructed completely of stone, and because it was made by a vastly primitive race, Ankrus found it impressive.
The lake around the island was releasing clouds of steam from the partially melted slag that lay immersed in it.
Satith......
The Armet and its attendant flock of carriers and frigates push northward from the city they’d passed on entry. Satith had ordered the Dominance and hunter to hold the city, which he suspected was the capital of this land.
Two flights of dropships departed their battle group and moved to rendezvous with the secondary battle group (Dominance and Hunter). Satith had made his decision partly because he wanted the “holy hand of the council” as far away from the fleet as possible with overstepping his bounds.
Another reason was because if that city was a capital then Satith wanted to make his wishes to stay out of his army’s way so they could do their jobs.
Imperial City.....
Dozens of flying machines landed in every district. All colored a lustrous gold not too different from dwemer architecture. Hatches open and squads of eight heavily armored things march out and form a phalanx of solid armor and weaponry outside their transports.
On Green Emperor Way, five such squads make their way into the Imperial Palace. The Royal Guards are promptly made to stand aside through brute force alone.
The Naryyn troopers keep their eyes on the natives, almost daring them to challenge their superiority. Behind the first wave more dropships land and deposit troops to form a perimeter around the palace entrances.
Among these troops, strides two distinguished individuals, one wears more decorative armor with a radiant red-gold sash lying on his pauldrons, paired with a matching garment draping from his waist to his knees.
The other wears thicker armor than his soldiers, it is a wonder they can move, let alone so fluidly in such heavy armor. This one is obviously the commander, the soldiers move with greater precision and efficiency as these two walk by.
Not a shot was fired, not a life was lost or taken, yet the city was theirs. They could hold it, if anyone challenged them it would be at the attacker’s own expense......
And so the invasion begins. Wonderfully described Revan.
Thanks Mallet, I'm still debating how much colateral damage is going to be done to Tamriel. Vardenfell is pretty much razed (Seyda Neen is a bunch of rubble) and the war has moved to the mainland. This is also contemporary with the Oblivion Crisis (if only a few weeks after it's resolved).
Anyway, all I've decided on is that there will be hundred lots of rubble, craters, giants swaths left by crashing capital ships, and a few one-sided (likely) clashes between Naryyn, Honor Guard, and the native populace.
Lots of fun for you, MM
They both strode through the winding corridors with haste. Rhys realized that the architecture was somewhat different to what she’d become accustomed to in her time with the Marhun Kar.
All surfaces were seamless, one couldn’t tell where one panel began or ended. The walls were deep lavender, the floor was a mix of many hues of blue that had a curious affect on one if he or she paused to inspect it.
The dim illumination was courtesy of the violet bands that were located wherever the floor met wall and wall met ceiling. The light was obvious, but it was also illusive at the same time, hard to describe.
It was as like the razor edge between pure light and pure darkness, the point of twilight. No shadows were cast yet there was still light. Finally, Rhys just stopped thinking about it.
Darhun said nothing, an oddity, though he was much like Revan, Darhun was silent in a different way. When Revan was silent he was usually deep in contemplation, or in private thought with himself but Darhun was less introverted.
He spoke his mind more often and to find him quiet, especially among people he knew well, was disconcerting. Darhun stopped beside another pedestal, he activated it swiftly with a practiced hand.
A three-dimensional representation of Nirm rotated in between them. As Rhys watched, Darhun tapped the miniature island of Vardenfell. The image blurred and the island replaced the sphere.
The southern coast faced Rhys, and her eyes widened as the changes in it hit her. Seyda Neen was a cluster of cracked stone and burning wood, in the remains of the paved street were all the villagers.
Many were half-eaten, mud crabs and cliff racers moved about the image picking apart pieces of meat from the dead citizens. Rhys finally turned her gaze to Vivec, to her further horror the great city was in ruins.
The many cantons were half-sunk, many lacked their tops. All sorts of debris and objects bobbed on the surface. Slaughterfish swarmed around the flooded cantons, bones littered the bottom of the lake.
More bodies littered the stairs leading to the Temple of Vivec, but some were those of fallen honor guards. Still, the sight of their fallen foes didn’t compare to the amount of priests and guards.
Impaled by pillars, displayed like trophies were the ordinators, two on every level, one on each side of the stair way. Flocks of cliff racers were perched nearby, pecking uselessly against their armor.
Rhys’ vision blurred as hot tears ran down her face, she’d talked with those people before, gotten to know them. To see them left to be picked apart by animals was devastating.
“They didn’t deserve this…..” She thought through the anguish. “Not a single one of them..... No one knew they were in danger, no one knew they would die....”
Rhys shut her eyes tightly, balling her hands into fists. “They weren’t even buried.” She whispered hoarsely, Rhys shuddered.
She’d felt the Honor Guard’s thoughts, they would not stop short of massacring everyone one Nirm. “But this....” This couldn’t be justified, nothing could justify the mass murder of an entire planet.
Subconsciously, she knew that Darhun was leading her somewhere, but she didn’t open her eyes. Her shuddering grew worse, it felt as though claws were tearing into her brain.
Naryyn were all tied, when one died everyone felt it. When ten die it feels like a bucket of ice cold water was splashed in your face. This was different, this was worse, like everyone who’d died was clawing, desperately trying not to fall into the void and all those grasping fingers were digging into you skull.
Xaries....
“Bring the probe closer,” He asked again. The fiery form of Severin stood on the opposite side of the tactical map display.
The Ascendant crossed his arms, and repeated. “If we move it closer it will certainly be detected.”
Xaries argued, “It’s already closer than anything I could ever have at my disposal, and we need to know what’s happening down there.”
Severin shook the ornate headpiece he had for a head. “You don’t understand commander, that probe is powered by the Hurso itself. You’re sensors may be unable to detect it, but once it gets close enough, the Ascendants and warriors will sense its presence.”
Xaries sighed, this was going nowhere, Norik had landed, he’d seen that. The High Naryyn commander wouldn’t put it past his zealous brother to treat the natives any better than the honor guards.
“What can we do? We’re almost blind, Norik has reinforcements, and the Honor Guards aren’t waiting for us to settle our differences.”
“Do?” Severin echoed, “Isn’t it obvious?” Xaries arched an eyebrow and shook his head. The Ascendant gave a sigh, clutching his “forehead” wearily. “We infiltrate their ranks and broker a truce.”
Xaries appeared unimpressed, “Do you truly believe it will be that simple?”
Severin dimmed his eyes and shook his head, “Of course not. But it is or only viable option, not to mention it is or specialty.”
“How will your troops succeed where your probe failed?” Severin’s armor pieces shuddered in unison and his crackling voice thrummed through Xaries’ mind, not too unlike laughter.
“How did that youngling evade all your soldiers in Valenwood?” Xaries was momentarily caught of guard, in the recent events he’d forgotten about Revan. Before he could reply the portal entrance to the bridge buzzed and a female Iso Naryyn strode through.
Unlike her kin, who wore clothing of infinite blackness, she wore an outfit made from many crisscrossing garments of black and silver. Another distinguishing factor was her vivid raven hair, from the women Xaries had seen it was customary for female hair to be bound into a knot or series of knots, which she wore unbound and flowed to her waist.
This woman exuded charisma and experience, and involuntarily, Xaries stepped out of her way as she approached. Like Rhys, the woman wore a sash to obscure the lower half of her face.
Xaries averted his gaze, the power of her eyes alone was disconcerting. The sudden confusion was replaced by the cool urgency of the situation. The High Naryyn watched as Severin and the woman bowed to one another.
“Greetings Matriarch, unfortunately we have been unable to contact the rest of the Matriarchy, but Lord Arastus has been awaiting contact with you.” The Ascendant greeted her formally, no reverently.
So this is the leader of the Marhun Kar.... Xaries felt a moment of irony, after serving beneath the Patriarchs all his life it was still odd to find a female in absolute command of thousands.
The real-time images from the recon probe were replaced by a life sized hologram of a middle-aged Iso Naryyn in what Xaries could only guess was sapphire armor.
“Matriarch, it is a relief to have located you and your charges. As you already know, we are discussing our next plan of action.” The warrior -Arastus- said.
“The Marhun Kar are grateful for your arrival, and will gladly stand beside you and yours in this conflict.” She replied sincerely. Xaries contemplated how empathetic the Matriarch seemed compared to the brooding councilmen that lead his people.
As if catching his thoughts, the Matriarch turned to him at that moment. “Tell me, Commander, what is your standpoint in this matter?” Xaries felt cornered in an odd way, she was simply asking for his opinion, but she made him feel tense like the council could, but worse.
Xaries did what he felt was best, he told the absolute truth. “The envoy from the council that is among the forces held up in the capital is my brother, ma’am.” He spoke in a frank tone, “However, he is not the same person I called my brother fifty years ago. That man believed in his own way, but now he is a zealot of the council. I hope that if there ever is a later after this, he may finally become what he once was, but right now I do not hold to the same tenets that he does; my troops and I will fight alongside your kin!”
The Matriarch remained silent, studying him intently as if seeing the basic pieces that made the man he was. Then she nodded, but there was something else there, more than mere validation of trust......
Norik.....
The guards had given up blocking their passage and formed a defensive semi-circle around a being that looked disturbingly like High Naryyn. Well, how ironic, this planet has not one but two races that look almost identical to us.
Six armored troopers held their weapons at the ready. The golden-skinned being stepped forward and made what Norik could assume were demands. As was standard protocol when interacting with lesser races that did not speak Naryyn, Norik accessed the alien’s mind.
It was long ago noted by the ancient ones that all sentient races thought in the same “language” and thus they were able to communicate with any intelligent life they came into contact with.
Focusing on the being’s thoughts, Norik replied. “We High Naryyn have no interest in conquering your planet, we are here because our foes are here. Should your subjects cooperate, our time here shall be short.”
Norik narrowed his eyes, “However if you or your lesser get in our way then there will be dire consequences for treachery!” Before the alien could reply, all the Naryyn, troopers, their commander, and envoy marched out back into the city.
All surfaces were seamless, one couldn’t tell where one panel began or ended. The walls were deep lavender, the floor was a mix of many hues of blue that had a curious affect on one if he or she paused to inspect it.
The dim illumination was courtesy of the violet bands that were located wherever the floor met wall and wall met ceiling. The light was obvious, but it was also illusive at the same time, hard to describe.
It was as like the razor edge between pure light and pure darkness, the point of twilight. No shadows were cast yet there was still light. Finally, Rhys just stopped thinking about it.
Darhun said nothing, an oddity, though he was much like Revan, Darhun was silent in a different way. When Revan was silent he was usually deep in contemplation, or in private thought with himself but Darhun was less introverted.
He spoke his mind more often and to find him quiet, especially among people he knew well, was disconcerting. Darhun stopped beside another pedestal, he activated it swiftly with a practiced hand.
A three-dimensional representation of Nirm rotated in between them. As Rhys watched, Darhun tapped the miniature island of Vardenfell. The image blurred and the island replaced the sphere.
The southern coast faced Rhys, and her eyes widened as the changes in it hit her. Seyda Neen was a cluster of cracked stone and burning wood, in the remains of the paved street were all the villagers.
Many were half-eaten, mud crabs and cliff racers moved about the image picking apart pieces of meat from the dead citizens. Rhys finally turned her gaze to Vivec, to her further horror the great city was in ruins.
The many cantons were half-sunk, many lacked their tops. All sorts of debris and objects bobbed on the surface. Slaughterfish swarmed around the flooded cantons, bones littered the bottom of the lake.
More bodies littered the stairs leading to the Temple of Vivec, but some were those of fallen honor guards. Still, the sight of their fallen foes didn’t compare to the amount of priests and guards.
Impaled by pillars, displayed like trophies were the ordinators, two on every level, one on each side of the stair way. Flocks of cliff racers were perched nearby, pecking uselessly against their armor.
Rhys’ vision blurred as hot tears ran down her face, she’d talked with those people before, gotten to know them. To see them left to be picked apart by animals was devastating.
“They didn’t deserve this…..” She thought through the anguish. “Not a single one of them..... No one knew they were in danger, no one knew they would die....”
Rhys shut her eyes tightly, balling her hands into fists. “They weren’t even buried.” She whispered hoarsely, Rhys shuddered.
She’d felt the Honor Guard’s thoughts, they would not stop short of massacring everyone one Nirm. “But this....” This couldn’t be justified, nothing could justify the mass murder of an entire planet.
Subconsciously, she knew that Darhun was leading her somewhere, but she didn’t open her eyes. Her shuddering grew worse, it felt as though claws were tearing into her brain.
Naryyn were all tied, when one died everyone felt it. When ten die it feels like a bucket of ice cold water was splashed in your face. This was different, this was worse, like everyone who’d died was clawing, desperately trying not to fall into the void and all those grasping fingers were digging into you skull.
Xaries....
“Bring the probe closer,” He asked again. The fiery form of Severin stood on the opposite side of the tactical map display.
The Ascendant crossed his arms, and repeated. “If we move it closer it will certainly be detected.”
Xaries argued, “It’s already closer than anything I could ever have at my disposal, and we need to know what’s happening down there.”
Severin shook the ornate headpiece he had for a head. “You don’t understand commander, that probe is powered by the Hurso itself. You’re sensors may be unable to detect it, but once it gets close enough, the Ascendants and warriors will sense its presence.”
Xaries sighed, this was going nowhere, Norik had landed, he’d seen that. The High Naryyn commander wouldn’t put it past his zealous brother to treat the natives any better than the honor guards.
“What can we do? We’re almost blind, Norik has reinforcements, and the Honor Guards aren’t waiting for us to settle our differences.”
“Do?” Severin echoed, “Isn’t it obvious?” Xaries arched an eyebrow and shook his head. The Ascendant gave a sigh, clutching his “forehead” wearily. “We infiltrate their ranks and broker a truce.”
Xaries appeared unimpressed, “Do you truly believe it will be that simple?”
Severin dimmed his eyes and shook his head, “Of course not. But it is or only viable option, not to mention it is or specialty.”
“How will your troops succeed where your probe failed?” Severin’s armor pieces shuddered in unison and his crackling voice thrummed through Xaries’ mind, not too unlike laughter.
“How did that youngling evade all your soldiers in Valenwood?” Xaries was momentarily caught of guard, in the recent events he’d forgotten about Revan. Before he could reply the portal entrance to the bridge buzzed and a female Iso Naryyn strode through.
Unlike her kin, who wore clothing of infinite blackness, she wore an outfit made from many crisscrossing garments of black and silver. Another distinguishing factor was her vivid raven hair, from the women Xaries had seen it was customary for female hair to be bound into a knot or series of knots, which she wore unbound and flowed to her waist.
This woman exuded charisma and experience, and involuntarily, Xaries stepped out of her way as she approached. Like Rhys, the woman wore a sash to obscure the lower half of her face.
Xaries averted his gaze, the power of her eyes alone was disconcerting. The sudden confusion was replaced by the cool urgency of the situation. The High Naryyn watched as Severin and the woman bowed to one another.
“Greetings Matriarch, unfortunately we have been unable to contact the rest of the Matriarchy, but Lord Arastus has been awaiting contact with you.” The Ascendant greeted her formally, no reverently.
So this is the leader of the Marhun Kar.... Xaries felt a moment of irony, after serving beneath the Patriarchs all his life it was still odd to find a female in absolute command of thousands.
The real-time images from the recon probe were replaced by a life sized hologram of a middle-aged Iso Naryyn in what Xaries could only guess was sapphire armor.
“Matriarch, it is a relief to have located you and your charges. As you already know, we are discussing our next plan of action.” The warrior -Arastus- said.
“The Marhun Kar are grateful for your arrival, and will gladly stand beside you and yours in this conflict.” She replied sincerely. Xaries contemplated how empathetic the Matriarch seemed compared to the brooding councilmen that lead his people.
As if catching his thoughts, the Matriarch turned to him at that moment. “Tell me, Commander, what is your standpoint in this matter?” Xaries felt cornered in an odd way, she was simply asking for his opinion, but she made him feel tense like the council could, but worse.
Xaries did what he felt was best, he told the absolute truth. “The envoy from the council that is among the forces held up in the capital is my brother, ma’am.” He spoke in a frank tone, “However, he is not the same person I called my brother fifty years ago. That man believed in his own way, but now he is a zealot of the council. I hope that if there ever is a later after this, he may finally become what he once was, but right now I do not hold to the same tenets that he does; my troops and I will fight alongside your kin!”
The Matriarch remained silent, studying him intently as if seeing the basic pieces that made the man he was. Then she nodded, but there was something else there, more than mere validation of trust......
Norik.....
The guards had given up blocking their passage and formed a defensive semi-circle around a being that looked disturbingly like High Naryyn. Well, how ironic, this planet has not one but two races that look almost identical to us.
Six armored troopers held their weapons at the ready. The golden-skinned being stepped forward and made what Norik could assume were demands. As was standard protocol when interacting with lesser races that did not speak Naryyn, Norik accessed the alien’s mind.
It was long ago noted by the ancient ones that all sentient races thought in the same “language” and thus they were able to communicate with any intelligent life they came into contact with.
Focusing on the being’s thoughts, Norik replied. “We High Naryyn have no interest in conquering your planet, we are here because our foes are here. Should your subjects cooperate, our time here shall be short.”
Norik narrowed his eyes, “However if you or your lesser get in our way then there will be dire consequences for treachery!” Before the alien could reply, all the Naryyn, troopers, their commander, and envoy marched out back into the city.
Norik.....
The guards had given up blocking their passage and formed a defensive semi-circle around a being that looked disturbingly like High Naryyn. Well, how ironic, this planet has not one but two races that look almost identical to us.
Six armored troopers held their weapons at the ready. The golden-skinned being stepped forward and made what Norik could assume were demands. As was standard protocol when interacting with lesser races that did not speak Naryyn, Norik accessed the alien’s mind.
It was long ago noted by the ancient ones that all sentient races thought in the same “language” and thus they were able to communicate with any intelligent life they came into contact with.
Focusing on the being’s thoughts, Norik replied. “We High Naryyn have no interest in conquering your planet, we are here because our foes are here. Should your subjects cooperate, our time here shall be short.”
Norik narrowed his eyes, “However if you or your lesser get in our way then there will be dire consequences for treachery!” Before the alien could reply, all the Naryyn, troopers, their commander, and envoy marched out back into the city.
As their commanders passed all troopers moved to follow. Around the coasts of the lake more dropships landed, depositing soldiers to capture the many ruins that dotted the region.
As the parade of brightly clad beings strode through Talos Plaza many natives gathered to watch fearfully. They generally received a faceless stare or the twitching of a firearm.
No one dared to stand within five feet of the individuals.
Norik looked over the civilians, all were humanoid, but some had scaly skin or furry hides. Curious, normally worlds only allow for one form of species to evolve effectively, not every evolutionary path.
Looking to Ankrus, Norik noticed the officer was gone! Pausing to look around the area, Norik spotted his senior officer conversing in the weird native tongue with one of the spectators.
Norik was about to interrupt the dialog when, thinking better of it, he ordered half of the thirty-plus guards to stay with Ankrus. Taking the others with him, Norik continued along the bridge.
The Dominance and Hunter hovered to the right, fifty feet above the shoreline beneath them. Transports cycled between the ground and the two cruisers’ hanger bays.
Two battalions stood spaced evenly in perfect arrangements, weapons pointed to the sky. Fifteen Swift interceptors swooped down in a flying wing formation from the grey sheet of oppressive clouds.
With a thundering sonic boom, the squadron whooshed out of sight, searching for enemy threats and generally furthering the awe of the natives. Three man fire teams patrolled the roadways, gazing warily at any of the indigenous folk they passed.
Despite the ease of their arrival Norik felt strangely unsatisfied with the situation. Some foreboding feeling just nagged at him that ruined the triumph of the moment.....
Arastus.....
Privately he thanked the Ancient Ones for deigning to guide his forces to allies. High Naryyn, in the flesh, he doesn’t seem particularly haughty or aloof.... Of course having not made contact in eons, it’s natural not to have an accurate portrayal of our brethren.
Arastus was also very pleased to have found the Matriarch of the lost (formerly, anyway) Marhun Kar. Had time been more permitting, he would have spent time discussing what had transpired before now, but time wasn’t a plentiful resource.
“The exultation of our meeting can only be ruined by the circumstances of our present plight.” He spoke to his fellow leaders and Severin. “From what we have seen, the Athryst are set on murdering all life around us including ourselves.”
Xaries and the Matriarch both appeared surprised, the former more so than the latter. “You know of these creatures?” The High Naryyn said, confused.
Severin inclined his head, regarding the commander beside him. “We only have heard from another, Lord Vhas’ description of the raided lands is identical to the remains of the Dunmeri city of Vivec. Fallen opponents held for display on their own weapons.”
Xaries was stunned into silence, but his bitter thoughts were so powerful they were obvious. All those centuries of “servitude”, the councilors were blind to have trusted such foul creatures with so much of our strengths and weaknesses.
Finally, the silence ended, and all parties began discussing possible moves against the Rogue Fleet, and although to a lesser extent, how to broker a truce with the newly arrived High Naryyn armada.
After about three hours of debate, Severin called for another meeting of this purpose tomorrow. After Arastus agreed the remaining leaders conceded, although Arastus was the military leader of his fleet, his Ascendant advisor was very much the decision maker due to his great experience.
Xaries....
As the hologram of Lord Arastus vanished, Severin dismissed them. He and the Matriarch made their way wordlessly through countless hallways, until finally both paused at the sudden chorus of reptilian hissing and clicking claws on metal.
Perhaps against his better judgment, he approached the corner. As he neared the noise quieted to an eerie silence. Xaries continued until he could peer around the turn.....
He came face to snout with a large reptilian predator. The raptor opened its maw, lowering its head and hissing at him. The single purple antenna on its head brightened and stretched to its full length.
Xaries glanced past it any saw the entire room was filled with such creatures. All were staring at him. Unbidden, the commander backed away, the nearest animal maintained the same distance as before, and some of the others were also striding forward.
As the creatures herded him back the way he’d come, they paused. Xaries realized that the Matriarch was beside him, the creatures were ignoring him now. Xaries “heard” muffled sentences and unintelligible chatter.
Finally, the raptors backed down, turning back to their chamber. The Matriarch instructed, “It would be best for you and your troops to avoid this area. They mean no harm, but neither do they accept strangers into their territory.”
“You mean you can understand them?” He asked, finding the concept of understanding such creatures alien.
The Matriarch arched an eyebrow, thoroughly amused. “Such are my clan’s blessings, and do not speak of them like common animals; lest you wish become ill-favored in their graces.”
“I must go, time is short.” She said, dismissing herself. Xaries watched her go. So, there is more diversity amongst us than appearance or allegiance.....
Kartah.....
This isn’t what I had in mind. She thought for the hundredth time since being picked up by the Iso Naryyn frigate. The break, there was no problem she had with that, but the Iso Naryyn were just so..... different.
In the few hours since the contact between them, the two groups didn’t mesh in the way Kartah would have preferred. Both groups maintained a three meter buffer zone whenever possible.
To make matters worse, for the sergeant in particular, it turned out she was the ranking officer of a unit of twenty-three. Kartah knew that the problems wouldn’t end until there was an intervention.
There wasn’t any hostility whatsoever, the problem that neither side tried to bridge the gap. Every so often Kartah would turn to see an Iso Naryyn watching her and an irritating sensation would occasionally assail her head.
Sergeant Kartah had no idea how to approach this problem, she had a hunch that her opposites were used to an ease to communicating and socializing with newcomers, but they hadn’t worked up the motivation to shake their hands yet.
Her subordinates remained in groups at all times, wary of the Iso Naryyn. The standoff was driving Kartah to the edge of her senses. As the CO of her troops she had to be the authority, but she also had to be the one who took responsibility for their well-being.
Unfortunately, these Naryyn weren’t the Marhun Kar, or Revan and Rhys, they seemed to keep their distance, melting away if anyone grew too near. This is like trying to grab solid wax with a plasmathrower blazing on each hand!
The sergeant found herself storming down the corridors, trying in vain to locate the bridge and end this. She found no instructions or diagrams of the ship or any help on part of the being who build and controlled this accursed ship.
Suddenly, Kartah reeled as another –as she would learn later- telepathic massage raked her brain.
Moments later the sergeant was thrown off her feet and slammed into the armored wall.....
You definitely depict the uneasiness between the new alliances very well. Hopefully they begin to sort things out between their differences.
Here's an update to sate everyone's hunger until Friday.
---------
The Sergeant stumbled down the hallway, the shield door slid open and the hanger bay was revealed. Great, I will never find the bridge at this rate! That wasn’t the important thing though, nothing had hit her when she’d been thrown into the wall, aside from the wall.
That meant evasive maneuvers and..... The sun of Nirm was suddenly eclipsed and the familiar burnished gold of synthesized metal appeared. Three dropships flew through the energy shields that kept the bay pressurized.
Kartah stepped back, her immediate guess was that the honor guards had somehow detected the stealth ship and were preparing to board. However the armored figures that came out of the transports were thankfully not twelve foot tall homicides brandishing huge staffs.
Three squads of marines moved fluidly into a perimeter defense maneuver. Against her better judgment, Kartah let the relief of seeing allies that she holstered her rifle and removed her helmet.....
The nearest marine tackled her, and both collided with another wall. Kartah was stunned, partly due to the shock of being knocked down by someone with times five increased strength, but mostly due to being attacked by a friendly.
The marine kept her pinned, normally she could have worked her way out, but the soldier had appropriate leverage. The others formed a “slaughter crescent” an offensive semi-circle where the target was surrounded on a full 180 degree angle.
An individual without a helmet, wearing an orange sash across his shoulders and chest, pushed his way through the formation. The sergeant bristled, only veterans with their psionic abilities bore sashes of rank.
“What the hell is going on?” She growled, the marine wasn’t being treating her gently. The same uncomfortable sensation of mind-to-mind exchange grated her senses; actually it was worse than before, this felt like claws being scrapped across glass.
The psych spoke calmly, as if he didn’t have a bunch of marines pointing rifles at her head right now. “Sergeant, you have been found on a heretic vessel, and your memories of the past few days will be used as evidence at your court-martial.”
Kartah stopped struggling, and then snarled. “My mind is my own, get out!” She fought vainly against the marine, gaining a little space but then being slammed against the bulkhead hard enough to make her bones vibrate from the impact.
The veteran raised an eyebrow, unimpressed with her struggles. “Heretic sympathizers have no rights, Sergeant Kartah, as such you are to be summarily executed.”
He turned to the officer beside him, “Do it.” The marine moved back and the psych waved his gauntlet over Kartah’s breast plate. Kartah suddenly felt like she was bearing this entire ship on her shoulders, and she fell backwards to lie against the bulkhead.
She struggled to rise, but the truth was clear, that psych had disabled her armor and now it was a half ton of dead weight. The marines tightened up the crescent, their assault rifles clicked as the safeties went off.
Cold sweat rolled down her face, it wasn’t just fear, but the temperature control in her armor was also off-line. No.....
The psych moved back, turning to check on the other two squads, the troopers shouldered their rifles. ....This can’t be.....
Every soldier took his/her time aligning their aim, each one a faceless executioner. Kartah gasped for air, fear engulfing her conscience. ......how it ends.....
Suddenly the psych straightened, spinning around as if unable to find something that he knew was around. And every single marine stiffened...... then collapsed under the weight of their own armor.
As if containing something unholy within their depths, the darkened room’s shadows rippled around Kartah. Then Iso Naryyn slowly emerged from the shadows like they were rising from water.
All around the hanger bay troopers fell to the floor as their suits were disabled. The High Naryyn veteran reeled as he realized what was happening, the Iso Naryyn had been there all along, hidden. They were watching how he had deactivated Kartah’s armor so they could do the same with the invaders.
The shield door Kartah had passed through minutes ago opened and her men charged through weapons raised but not firing. A corporal helped Kartah out of her inert armor.
The sergeant thanked him and scooped up her assault rifle, noting how much heavier it felt without enhanced strength. Kartah turned to fix the psychic with a glare, her rifle aimed downward but the notion of blowing the man’s head off wasn’t unappealing.
Kartah glanced to her company, “collect the others, keep an eye on them.”
As her soldiers filed out, a private joked. “Don’t worry ma’am, we’ll use them for target practice if they get too rowdy!”
The sergeant grinned slightly; then she returned his attention to the veteran. “Sergeant, I hope that you don’t intend to do anything unwise with him.” One of the Iso Naryyn cautioned her.
Despite the council, Kartah’s grip on her rifle tightened, and her brain became detached from her body. No matter how much hard she envisioned blowing the psych’s brains out, her rifle couldn’t rise to tale aim.
The psych was silent, watching her with cold eyes that embodied neither malice, nor concern for another being’s suffering. Kartah doubted this man even cared what she did to him, whether it be torture or the same execution he’d nearly done to her.
She stepped closer until her face was only an inch away from his. “I am not a cold-blooded murderer like you,” She whispered. “I can’t order people to be killed just because of what they believe or what I suspect they believe. And these people are not heretics or vermin!”
Kartah slapped the psych as hard as she could, she wanted to do so much more to him, but the sergeant couldn’t do it, not without becoming something that she wasn’t.
With all the dignity she could muster, Kartah turned and walked away as the psych raised a hand to gently touch where she’d slapped him.
Her company was helping the boarders out of their armor, they took care to relieve them of their ammo though. After walking a distance along the pathways of the hanger, Kartha gasped and collapsed, shuddering.
The psychological shock of being mentally violated like she had been finally hit her full-force. As she curled into a fetal position and broke down she was thankful that there was no one close by that could she her like this.
Kartah's skull felt like the metal in it was smoldering hot. Her psionic inhibitors recoiled in response to the recent dose of telepathic exposure. She cradled her head his her hands as the side effects of nueral restriction peaked out.
Finally the pain stopped and her skull throbbed slightly, Kartah was covered in a film of sweat and her body felt worse than it ever had before. Her racing heart slowed down enough for her to catch her breath, and every cell in her body began to stablize.
---------
The Sergeant stumbled down the hallway, the shield door slid open and the hanger bay was revealed. Great, I will never find the bridge at this rate! That wasn’t the important thing though, nothing had hit her when she’d been thrown into the wall, aside from the wall.
That meant evasive maneuvers and..... The sun of Nirm was suddenly eclipsed and the familiar burnished gold of synthesized metal appeared. Three dropships flew through the energy shields that kept the bay pressurized.
Kartah stepped back, her immediate guess was that the honor guards had somehow detected the stealth ship and were preparing to board. However the armored figures that came out of the transports were thankfully not twelve foot tall homicides brandishing huge staffs.
Three squads of marines moved fluidly into a perimeter defense maneuver. Against her better judgment, Kartah let the relief of seeing allies that she holstered her rifle and removed her helmet.....
The nearest marine tackled her, and both collided with another wall. Kartah was stunned, partly due to the shock of being knocked down by someone with times five increased strength, but mostly due to being attacked by a friendly.
The marine kept her pinned, normally she could have worked her way out, but the soldier had appropriate leverage. The others formed a “slaughter crescent” an offensive semi-circle where the target was surrounded on a full 180 degree angle.
An individual without a helmet, wearing an orange sash across his shoulders and chest, pushed his way through the formation. The sergeant bristled, only veterans with their psionic abilities bore sashes of rank.
“What the hell is going on?” She growled, the marine wasn’t being treating her gently. The same uncomfortable sensation of mind-to-mind exchange grated her senses; actually it was worse than before, this felt like claws being scrapped across glass.
The psych spoke calmly, as if he didn’t have a bunch of marines pointing rifles at her head right now. “Sergeant, you have been found on a heretic vessel, and your memories of the past few days will be used as evidence at your court-martial.”
Kartah stopped struggling, and then snarled. “My mind is my own, get out!” She fought vainly against the marine, gaining a little space but then being slammed against the bulkhead hard enough to make her bones vibrate from the impact.
The veteran raised an eyebrow, unimpressed with her struggles. “Heretic sympathizers have no rights, Sergeant Kartah, as such you are to be summarily executed.”
He turned to the officer beside him, “Do it.” The marine moved back and the psych waved his gauntlet over Kartah’s breast plate. Kartah suddenly felt like she was bearing this entire ship on her shoulders, and she fell backwards to lie against the bulkhead.
She struggled to rise, but the truth was clear, that psych had disabled her armor and now it was a half ton of dead weight. The marines tightened up the crescent, their assault rifles clicked as the safeties went off.
Cold sweat rolled down her face, it wasn’t just fear, but the temperature control in her armor was also off-line. No.....
The psych moved back, turning to check on the other two squads, the troopers shouldered their rifles. ....This can’t be.....
Every soldier took his/her time aligning their aim, each one a faceless executioner. Kartah gasped for air, fear engulfing her conscience. ......how it ends.....
Suddenly the psych straightened, spinning around as if unable to find something that he knew was around. And every single marine stiffened...... then collapsed under the weight of their own armor.
As if containing something unholy within their depths, the darkened room’s shadows rippled around Kartah. Then Iso Naryyn slowly emerged from the shadows like they were rising from water.
All around the hanger bay troopers fell to the floor as their suits were disabled. The High Naryyn veteran reeled as he realized what was happening, the Iso Naryyn had been there all along, hidden. They were watching how he had deactivated Kartah’s armor so they could do the same with the invaders.
The shield door Kartah had passed through minutes ago opened and her men charged through weapons raised but not firing. A corporal helped Kartah out of her inert armor.
The sergeant thanked him and scooped up her assault rifle, noting how much heavier it felt without enhanced strength. Kartah turned to fix the psychic with a glare, her rifle aimed downward but the notion of blowing the man’s head off wasn’t unappealing.
Kartah glanced to her company, “collect the others, keep an eye on them.”
As her soldiers filed out, a private joked. “Don’t worry ma’am, we’ll use them for target practice if they get too rowdy!”
The sergeant grinned slightly; then she returned his attention to the veteran. “Sergeant, I hope that you don’t intend to do anything unwise with him.” One of the Iso Naryyn cautioned her.
Despite the council, Kartah’s grip on her rifle tightened, and her brain became detached from her body. No matter how much hard she envisioned blowing the psych’s brains out, her rifle couldn’t rise to tale aim.
The psych was silent, watching her with cold eyes that embodied neither malice, nor concern for another being’s suffering. Kartah doubted this man even cared what she did to him, whether it be torture or the same execution he’d nearly done to her.
She stepped closer until her face was only an inch away from his. “I am not a cold-blooded murderer like you,” She whispered. “I can’t order people to be killed just because of what they believe or what I suspect they believe. And these people are not heretics or vermin!”
Kartah slapped the psych as hard as she could, she wanted to do so much more to him, but the sergeant couldn’t do it, not without becoming something that she wasn’t.
With all the dignity she could muster, Kartah turned and walked away as the psych raised a hand to gently touch where she’d slapped him.
Her company was helping the boarders out of their armor, they took care to relieve them of their ammo though. After walking a distance along the pathways of the hanger, Kartha gasped and collapsed, shuddering.
The psychological shock of being mentally violated like she had been finally hit her full-force. As she curled into a fetal position and broke down she was thankful that there was no one close by that could she her like this.
Kartah's skull felt like the metal in it was smoldering hot. Her psionic inhibitors recoiled in response to the recent dose of telepathic exposure. She cradled her head his her hands as the side effects of nueral restriction peaked out.
Finally the pain stopped and her skull throbbed slightly, Kartah was covered in a film of sweat and her body felt worse than it ever had before. Her racing heart slowed down enough for her to catch her breath, and every cell in her body began to stablize.
And another revelation. So now the High Narynn have their brains piled up with metal? Cool!
(Well, cool until someone takes it a bit too far and turns everyone into Borg. I'm kinda tired of those guys as baddies in Star Trek.)
(Well, cool until someone takes it a bit too far and turns everyone into Borg. I'm kinda tired of those guys as baddies in Star Trek.)
Yeah, it keeps them from using their powers, but has some nasty side-effects. Think of Kartah's position as someone being exposed to an addixtive substance and then going into withdrawl. That's what happens when one is exposed to psychic energy when they're an inhibitor.
By the way to clarify any confusion on the terms for psychics here's a list:
Psionists
Psychs
Psychokinetics (proper term for telekinetics)
Psionics
Just remember the prefix "psy" or "psi" are all similar. Yeah, I find myself musing about the plotlines for Part III and IV..... getting a little ahead of myself. I have trouble resisting the urge to give plot spoilers...... must resist!
Interesting altercation between Kartah and these High Naryyn. Glad to see she survived.
Kartah’s vision slowly returned; an Iso Naryyn woman stood before her. Her sleeveless robes were the finest silver. The woman stood silently, evaluating Kartah as though she were an item of tangible value.
Kartah stared back at the woman; her unbound hair was that same color as her clothing, though with a hint of viridian. Her crimson eyes had an all-knowing look to them, like they could see things that others were blind to.
However, the woman’s eyes looked upon her dispassionately like she believed Kartah was worth little yet still something.
“Your time has yet to come, but when it does, our fates will be intertwined.” The woman spoke as if giving a sermon. “Your life and many more are pivotal in the new covenant, as well as the struggle that must herald its coming.”
An odd smile spread across the prophet-woman’s lips as she bent down to whisper in Kartah’s ear. “Your existance will ensure the survival of the few that gather together. Despite your common upbringing, you are entitled to a rare fate, Kartah of the High Naryyn.”
Before Kartah could begin to form a reply, the woman disappeared, gone like a wraith with the wind. The sergeant stood shakily, still shaken by the event of her implants stabilizing.
“Who are you?” She whispered to empty air, and no answering voice came.
Picked up her assault rifle, Kartah marched back to where her XO and three Iso Naryyn were discussing the recent turn of events. “Ma’am,” The corporal nodded to her as she approached.
No one was worried about saluting or standing at attention at the moment. Besides, that could cause an enemy crosshair to find itself on a superior’s head in a nanosecond.
Kartah returned the nod, “report.”
Her XO shook his head, “According to these guys.” He pointed at the Iso Naryyn standing beside them. “The ship that had those dropships got lucky and caught them with their pants down.”
Their dark-skinned counterparts seemed puzzled at the corporal’s colorful terminology. Kartah asked, “What is the status of that ship?” Everyone stumbled as the frigate banked and rapidly descended.
“Apparently; hunting us. I don’t know why it had to be a destroyer, but they’ve got more firepower than this ship and its fighter contingents.” The second in command muttered as he pulled himself to his feet.
“Do we have anyway to get in the destroyer?” The Master Gunnery Sergeant asked.
“Nothing that we could pilot..... unless you’re willing to take the passenger seat.” Kartah looked at the Iso Naryyn. Sure they were annoying to the point of madness due to their elusiveness, but I think I can place the lives of my men in the hands of these people.
“Alright, uh....” Kartah realized she had no official way to label the Iso Naryyn besides “heretics.” She shook her head, telling herself that complete accuracy didn’t matter. “Captain, we need to take out that ship, or at least nuetralize the threat it poses.”
The Naryyn she’d referred to as captain raised an eyebrow but didn’t bring up the obvious confusion she’d stirred up. “So what do you plan to do Sergeant?”
Kartah couldn’t help but smile slightly, “We are going to board them this time......”
Rhys.....
After an hour, Rhys didn’t know what had taken place leading up to when Darhun brought her with him to meet up with his family. She found herself sipping a cup of lashquire- a tasty concoction that had a rejuvenating quality to it.
Darhun was sitting beside his wife. Iso Naryyn had an intricate take on relationships. In plain terms, matrimony as Rhys had grown up knowing it was not a matter of oaths (which were often broken anyway).
Both Darhun and Sylien told her that courtship often lasted longer than a year. In this way unhappy relationships were less common. Ahtre’Mehrah were bound strictly, both had to take their oaths very seriously.
However, as she and Revan were both brought up amongst races that lived shorter lives, such bonding seemed impractical. Rhys could see that it was real though; Sylien and Darhun were a perfect example.
One of Darhun’s sons, Rayth, sat by the wall eating a loaf of bread marinated with a spicy seasoning. Darhun’s other son, Wayn, was wandering about the ship.
Rhys was still somewhat surprised that Darhun, who looked only a couple years older than Revan, had children at Rhys’ age. Finally, Rhys got up and opened the shield door.
Though the initial shock of the Honor Guard’s brutality was no longer plaguing her thoughts, Rhys still felt sick inside. Revan has to be nearby, and company will do both of us some good.
She closed her eyes and followed the faint pull courtesy of her bond with Revan.
Kartah stared back at the woman; her unbound hair was that same color as her clothing, though with a hint of viridian. Her crimson eyes had an all-knowing look to them, like they could see things that others were blind to.
However, the woman’s eyes looked upon her dispassionately like she believed Kartah was worth little yet still something.
“Your time has yet to come, but when it does, our fates will be intertwined.” The woman spoke as if giving a sermon. “Your life and many more are pivotal in the new covenant, as well as the struggle that must herald its coming.”
An odd smile spread across the prophet-woman’s lips as she bent down to whisper in Kartah’s ear. “Your existance will ensure the survival of the few that gather together. Despite your common upbringing, you are entitled to a rare fate, Kartah of the High Naryyn.”
Before Kartah could begin to form a reply, the woman disappeared, gone like a wraith with the wind. The sergeant stood shakily, still shaken by the event of her implants stabilizing.
“Who are you?” She whispered to empty air, and no answering voice came.
Picked up her assault rifle, Kartah marched back to where her XO and three Iso Naryyn were discussing the recent turn of events. “Ma’am,” The corporal nodded to her as she approached.
No one was worried about saluting or standing at attention at the moment. Besides, that could cause an enemy crosshair to find itself on a superior’s head in a nanosecond.
Kartah returned the nod, “report.”
Her XO shook his head, “According to these guys.” He pointed at the Iso Naryyn standing beside them. “The ship that had those dropships got lucky and caught them with their pants down.”
Their dark-skinned counterparts seemed puzzled at the corporal’s colorful terminology. Kartah asked, “What is the status of that ship?” Everyone stumbled as the frigate banked and rapidly descended.
“Apparently; hunting us. I don’t know why it had to be a destroyer, but they’ve got more firepower than this ship and its fighter contingents.” The second in command muttered as he pulled himself to his feet.
“Do we have anyway to get in the destroyer?” The Master Gunnery Sergeant asked.
“Nothing that we could pilot..... unless you’re willing to take the passenger seat.” Kartah looked at the Iso Naryyn. Sure they were annoying to the point of madness due to their elusiveness, but I think I can place the lives of my men in the hands of these people.
“Alright, uh....” Kartah realized she had no official way to label the Iso Naryyn besides “heretics.” She shook her head, telling herself that complete accuracy didn’t matter. “Captain, we need to take out that ship, or at least nuetralize the threat it poses.”
The Naryyn she’d referred to as captain raised an eyebrow but didn’t bring up the obvious confusion she’d stirred up. “So what do you plan to do Sergeant?”
Kartah couldn’t help but smile slightly, “We are going to board them this time......”
Rhys.....
After an hour, Rhys didn’t know what had taken place leading up to when Darhun brought her with him to meet up with his family. She found herself sipping a cup of lashquire- a tasty concoction that had a rejuvenating quality to it.
Darhun was sitting beside his wife. Iso Naryyn had an intricate take on relationships. In plain terms, matrimony as Rhys had grown up knowing it was not a matter of oaths (which were often broken anyway).
Both Darhun and Sylien told her that courtship often lasted longer than a year. In this way unhappy relationships were less common. Ahtre’Mehrah were bound strictly, both had to take their oaths very seriously.
However, as she and Revan were both brought up amongst races that lived shorter lives, such bonding seemed impractical. Rhys could see that it was real though; Sylien and Darhun were a perfect example.
One of Darhun’s sons, Rayth, sat by the wall eating a loaf of bread marinated with a spicy seasoning. Darhun’s other son, Wayn, was wandering about the ship.
Rhys was still somewhat surprised that Darhun, who looked only a couple years older than Revan, had children at Rhys’ age. Finally, Rhys got up and opened the shield door.
Though the initial shock of the Honor Guard’s brutality was no longer plaguing her thoughts, Rhys still felt sick inside. Revan has to be nearby, and company will do both of us some good.
She closed her eyes and followed the faint pull courtesy of her bond with Revan.
Revan opened his eyes, and beheld the same murky gray that often illustrated the sky in his dreams. Still the knowledge that this was not total reality did not dishearten him from finding out what was going on.
He got up and glanced around the surrounding area. The ground was littered with the bones of the deceased; some had a shape familiar to him while others were completely alien.
As the wind blew past his face, Revan realized that his helmet was missing. Looking down he was relieved to find that the rest of his armor was still on him.
Picking his way through the clutter of bones, spines, and other obstacles, Revan turned to find himself staring down at a beautiful landscape of crystalline spires and the enthralling presence of psychic energy in unimaginable quantity and quality.
He closed his eyes and let the shear majesty of the crystals wash over him. Revan’s temples throbbed in response to the immense source of power around him.
His eyes still shut, Revan moved through the forest of spires, guided by the psychic resonance of the crystals alone. The crystals’ psionic patterns melded together, creating something akin to wading a vast sea of life force.
On some unknown cue, his eyes flashed open, and before him, between two spires, floated a suit of armor. Revan studied the armor closely; it had a metal tint as stark as the sky above him.
Electric-blue veins of energy pathways ran from the backpack to the different limbs, not too unlike those of the High Naryyn armor. The helmet was streamlined, with a clear visor shaped like the one on his own.
Circling around to see its back, Revan noted two curious, vaguely fin-like structures that sprouted from each side of the armor’s backpack, below each shoulder.
The twin structures were about a meter and a half in length. The ends pulsed weakly as psionic energy discharged from them at eight second intervals.
Continuing his circle until he reached his former position at the front of the armor, Revan whispered reverently. “What is this? Who made it?” A faint whisper that could have been the wind reached his ears.
Revan spun, but found no one behind him, then a woman strode out from behind one of the many crystalline stalagmites.
She walked with a grace he’d found rare, even in Rhys. For the oddest reason Revan couldn’t shake the feeling that he knew this person. The woman studied him with her red eyes.
“Revan, yes, you are known to me.” She spoke fluidly, “I know your past, your present..... and your future.” The Iso Naryyn sage paced back and forth in front of him, never taking her eyes off him. The feeling of familiarity intensified.
“Here you must make a choice, and that choice shall affect all your kin.” She paused, and Revan scrutinized her, trying to recognize her. “..... The choice between life……. and death!”
Before Revan could fully comprehend her words, the numerous crystals flashed a brilliant light so pure that it was colorless. A shrill, shrieking ripped at his consciousness.
He sank to his knees, gripping his head in his hands. Suddenly the tone and light dissipated. Revan looked around, all the pillars had disintegrated. And replacing the woman was a creature of gleaming white/silver armor.
It was bipedal, taller than Revan, with broad shoulders and double-jointed legs. The being’s face was bleak, just a smooth surface. It had long, grasping fingers and a thick build.
The –whatever it was- took a step forward, raising an arm so it pointed directly at Revan. Its wrists were bulky for reasons Revan had yet to fathom.
In the blink of an eye, Revan was thrown off his feet, as if something stronger than a vargukei had punched him. He coughed and warm blood filled his mouth.
His torso was numb, Revan couldn’t feel his torso. He managed to spot several fragments of his breastplate blossoming from the center of his chest.
His vision blurred, Revan closed his eyes and strained to focus. Gritting his teeth, he tried to judge the extent of damage to his own body. Then he felt a soft tone at the edge of his perception.
“Rhys,” he breathed, a new strength filled his waning reserves. Struggling to a kneeling position, Revan noticed the armor hovering just beyond arm’s length.
Basic instinct took hold, using the last energy his body had to cling to life, Revan clasped the relic’s surface…… and everything vanished for a moment.
When everything returned, he was no longer lying on the ground dying. Confused, Revan brought his hands up to his face and found himself inside the armor he’d been clutching moments ago.
With that revelation, his mind flooded with the foreign power that had resided in this suit for so many millennia. His wounds were non-existent, and he felt invigorated.
A thudding footfall caught his attention, and Revan saw the thing that had hit, no shot, him charging closer, bringing its weapon to bare again. Just an instant before it fired, he brought his arms into a cross-guard before his chest.
A super-sonic fist pounded him, but Revan only skidded back a couple paces. Throwing his arms to his sides, he tapped into the suit’s… consciousness, for lack of a better word.
The ancient armor became an extension of his body and spirit. Its channeling fins enhanced his ability to focus his will. They flared on his back, and Revan launched off the ground.
He hung suspended by his own psionic powers for a heartbeat, taking in the new ease of the task of levitation. As the drone-thing fired once more, Revan dodged the near-invisible kinetic pulse by a hairsbreadth.
Smiling beneath the grey helm, he swooped down and struck the drone in its chest. With his new command over his psychic powers, Revan channeled his will through the gauntlets of the suit.
The result was a miniature kinetic blast to reinforce his punch. The drone was sent flying, until it dug its grip into the ground and skidded to a halt ten meters away.
Revan strode toward it, his posture now full of confidence borne from his new potential. The drone struggled to its feet; its formerly flawless chest was now splintered where his fists had struck.
“Not so tough now are you?” Revan chuckled, the drone responded loosing a tempest of plasma.
Caught somewhat off-guard, he was engulfed by the flames. Revan spread his arms instinctually, and like in the fight with the High Naryyn warrior he absorbed the plasma into himself.
The flow of super-heated destruction flexed and flowed into his hands. Revan drank deeply of the fresh energy, the drone stopped the stream when it realized its attack was having no effect.
It stood there, confused as its opponent stood clearly unharmed. Revan brought both arms across his chest again, clenching his fists tightly before his shoulders.
Ever muscle and nerve in his body pulsed and clenched as Revan concentrated. The air around the drone distorted, wavering as it came under affect of his counter-attack.
In one instant, Revan released all the energy he had absorbed and what he had from the armor. It lasted only a split second, the drone disintegrated to atoms.
Collapsing from the exertion, Revan laughed, relieved and rejoicing at his new powers. The woman’s voice entered his head again. “You’ve done well, perhaps you can turn the tide of the coming extinction…… with some help.”
As she finished the scene crumbled…..
Revan woke with a start, he found himself lying on a bed in a dimly lit room. "Are you alright?" He turned to find Rhys sitting beside him.
He was breathing hard, and managed. "I feel great, Rhys, I just had-"
"Another vision." She finished for him.
"Ye....yes, I can't begin to discribe what happened." Revan replied after catching his breath. "So, what's happened since the explosion?"
"Well," Rhys started thoughtfully, not pushing the subject of the vision. "That explosion was a shout and a wave for both the Marhun Kar and the search party. Apparently, the Matriarch had the village evacuated and the Iso Naryyn who left Nirm thousands of years ago, they came back and were looking for straglers."
She let the latter piece of information sink in before continuing. "Revan...." Rhys faltered before finding her voice again. "The honor guards, they..... they left Vvardenfell.... after razing Vivec and most of the other cities."
Rhys stopped, visibly shaking, then whispered. "They murdered everyone they found, and displayed the guards and ordinators as... as trophies..."
Revan clenched his fist, the thought of such disregard for life infuriated him. "Then they shall pay for all those deaths a hundred-fold!" He said with conviction.
His anger diminished and he whispered gently to Rhys. "We will honor those that have died; we can do no less." Revan carressed her face, delicately.
Rhys closed her eyes and slowly a smile spread across her face. "Yes, we'll have that chance, but I hope it doesn't happen too soon....."
Revan drew her close and kissed her affectionately. She moved to lie beside him, understanding what Barrik had told her. Rhys knew what she would do when this war was over..... if they lived. If that isn't motivation then what is? She thought to herself.
He got up and glanced around the surrounding area. The ground was littered with the bones of the deceased; some had a shape familiar to him while others were completely alien.
As the wind blew past his face, Revan realized that his helmet was missing. Looking down he was relieved to find that the rest of his armor was still on him.
Picking his way through the clutter of bones, spines, and other obstacles, Revan turned to find himself staring down at a beautiful landscape of crystalline spires and the enthralling presence of psychic energy in unimaginable quantity and quality.
He closed his eyes and let the shear majesty of the crystals wash over him. Revan’s temples throbbed in response to the immense source of power around him.
His eyes still shut, Revan moved through the forest of spires, guided by the psychic resonance of the crystals alone. The crystals’ psionic patterns melded together, creating something akin to wading a vast sea of life force.
On some unknown cue, his eyes flashed open, and before him, between two spires, floated a suit of armor. Revan studied the armor closely; it had a metal tint as stark as the sky above him.
Electric-blue veins of energy pathways ran from the backpack to the different limbs, not too unlike those of the High Naryyn armor. The helmet was streamlined, with a clear visor shaped like the one on his own.
Circling around to see its back, Revan noted two curious, vaguely fin-like structures that sprouted from each side of the armor’s backpack, below each shoulder.
The twin structures were about a meter and a half in length. The ends pulsed weakly as psionic energy discharged from them at eight second intervals.
Continuing his circle until he reached his former position at the front of the armor, Revan whispered reverently. “What is this? Who made it?” A faint whisper that could have been the wind reached his ears.
Revan spun, but found no one behind him, then a woman strode out from behind one of the many crystalline stalagmites.
She walked with a grace he’d found rare, even in Rhys. For the oddest reason Revan couldn’t shake the feeling that he knew this person. The woman studied him with her red eyes.
“Revan, yes, you are known to me.” She spoke fluidly, “I know your past, your present..... and your future.” The Iso Naryyn sage paced back and forth in front of him, never taking her eyes off him. The feeling of familiarity intensified.
“Here you must make a choice, and that choice shall affect all your kin.” She paused, and Revan scrutinized her, trying to recognize her. “..... The choice between life……. and death!”
Before Revan could fully comprehend her words, the numerous crystals flashed a brilliant light so pure that it was colorless. A shrill, shrieking ripped at his consciousness.
He sank to his knees, gripping his head in his hands. Suddenly the tone and light dissipated. Revan looked around, all the pillars had disintegrated. And replacing the woman was a creature of gleaming white/silver armor.
It was bipedal, taller than Revan, with broad shoulders and double-jointed legs. The being’s face was bleak, just a smooth surface. It had long, grasping fingers and a thick build.
The –whatever it was- took a step forward, raising an arm so it pointed directly at Revan. Its wrists were bulky for reasons Revan had yet to fathom.
In the blink of an eye, Revan was thrown off his feet, as if something stronger than a vargukei had punched him. He coughed and warm blood filled his mouth.
His torso was numb, Revan couldn’t feel his torso. He managed to spot several fragments of his breastplate blossoming from the center of his chest.
His vision blurred, Revan closed his eyes and strained to focus. Gritting his teeth, he tried to judge the extent of damage to his own body. Then he felt a soft tone at the edge of his perception.
“Rhys,” he breathed, a new strength filled his waning reserves. Struggling to a kneeling position, Revan noticed the armor hovering just beyond arm’s length.
Basic instinct took hold, using the last energy his body had to cling to life, Revan clasped the relic’s surface…… and everything vanished for a moment.
When everything returned, he was no longer lying on the ground dying. Confused, Revan brought his hands up to his face and found himself inside the armor he’d been clutching moments ago.
With that revelation, his mind flooded with the foreign power that had resided in this suit for so many millennia. His wounds were non-existent, and he felt invigorated.
A thudding footfall caught his attention, and Revan saw the thing that had hit, no shot, him charging closer, bringing its weapon to bare again. Just an instant before it fired, he brought his arms into a cross-guard before his chest.
A super-sonic fist pounded him, but Revan only skidded back a couple paces. Throwing his arms to his sides, he tapped into the suit’s… consciousness, for lack of a better word.
The ancient armor became an extension of his body and spirit. Its channeling fins enhanced his ability to focus his will. They flared on his back, and Revan launched off the ground.
He hung suspended by his own psionic powers for a heartbeat, taking in the new ease of the task of levitation. As the drone-thing fired once more, Revan dodged the near-invisible kinetic pulse by a hairsbreadth.
Smiling beneath the grey helm, he swooped down and struck the drone in its chest. With his new command over his psychic powers, Revan channeled his will through the gauntlets of the suit.
The result was a miniature kinetic blast to reinforce his punch. The drone was sent flying, until it dug its grip into the ground and skidded to a halt ten meters away.
Revan strode toward it, his posture now full of confidence borne from his new potential. The drone struggled to its feet; its formerly flawless chest was now splintered where his fists had struck.
“Not so tough now are you?” Revan chuckled, the drone responded loosing a tempest of plasma.
Caught somewhat off-guard, he was engulfed by the flames. Revan spread his arms instinctually, and like in the fight with the High Naryyn warrior he absorbed the plasma into himself.
The flow of super-heated destruction flexed and flowed into his hands. Revan drank deeply of the fresh energy, the drone stopped the stream when it realized its attack was having no effect.
It stood there, confused as its opponent stood clearly unharmed. Revan brought both arms across his chest again, clenching his fists tightly before his shoulders.
Ever muscle and nerve in his body pulsed and clenched as Revan concentrated. The air around the drone distorted, wavering as it came under affect of his counter-attack.
In one instant, Revan released all the energy he had absorbed and what he had from the armor. It lasted only a split second, the drone disintegrated to atoms.
Collapsing from the exertion, Revan laughed, relieved and rejoicing at his new powers. The woman’s voice entered his head again. “You’ve done well, perhaps you can turn the tide of the coming extinction…… with some help.”
As she finished the scene crumbled…..
Revan woke with a start, he found himself lying on a bed in a dimly lit room. "Are you alright?" He turned to find Rhys sitting beside him.
He was breathing hard, and managed. "I feel great, Rhys, I just had-"
"Another vision." She finished for him.
"Ye....yes, I can't begin to discribe what happened." Revan replied after catching his breath. "So, what's happened since the explosion?"
"Well," Rhys started thoughtfully, not pushing the subject of the vision. "That explosion was a shout and a wave for both the Marhun Kar and the search party. Apparently, the Matriarch had the village evacuated and the Iso Naryyn who left Nirm thousands of years ago, they came back and were looking for straglers."
She let the latter piece of information sink in before continuing. "Revan...." Rhys faltered before finding her voice again. "The honor guards, they..... they left Vvardenfell.... after razing Vivec and most of the other cities."
Rhys stopped, visibly shaking, then whispered. "They murdered everyone they found, and displayed the guards and ordinators as... as trophies..."
Revan clenched his fist, the thought of such disregard for life infuriated him. "Then they shall pay for all those deaths a hundred-fold!" He said with conviction.
His anger diminished and he whispered gently to Rhys. "We will honor those that have died; we can do no less." Revan carressed her face, delicately.
Rhys closed her eyes and slowly a smile spread across her face. "Yes, we'll have that chance, but I hope it doesn't happen too soon....."
Revan drew her close and kissed her affectionately. She moved to lie beside him, understanding what Barrik had told her. Rhys knew what she would do when this war was over..... if they lived. If that isn't motivation then what is? She thought to herself.
Hmm, neat armour. I wonder if it will show up outside the vision as well. Would be awesome.
Unfortunately, not yet, but Revan will get that armor later on...... years after this is over.
Think of the armor as the future..... and the past if you want to.
That vision was pretty cool and wonderfully described. For a drone to be able to use kinectic powers (is that was that punching thing was?) is unique. I certainly hope to see how that vision pans out in the future.
It won't really be relevent until part IV, unfortunately for you all, fortunately for my characters. I'll let it slip that those things are relevant to the Naryyn (not the subspecies) and will play an important role in IV. 
Yes, the punching attack was possible only with telekinetic powers..... or should I say powers that species with psychokinetic powers can radiate. Well, I'll be working on another update...... soon.
Yes, the punching attack was possible only with telekinetic powers..... or should I say powers that species with psychokinetic powers can radiate. Well, I'll be working on another update...... soon.
Back to the High Naryyn.......
-----------
“Enemy located; all forces move to engage.” The Halcyon, a Hvy. Destroyer, pushed forward. Three brilliant flashes of light struck her hull, its shields blazed as the charged particle blasts were halted and dispersed.
Satith stood on the Armet’s bridge, “Full stop hard to starboard!” He diverted his attention from the fighting to watch his crew furiously work their stations.
The Armet spun 180 degrees to give the enemy the benefit of half its firepower. The admiral closed his eyes and marshalling his thoughts before ordering. “Arm torpedo tubes A through F, prepare to fire at 9 o’clock at 110 degrees high. Overcharge port particle cannons by 200% and fire on my mark!”
The three senior officers at the weapons’ stations hunched over their consoles, together they were typing so quickly it sounded akin to the clatter of automatic weapon’s fire.
On the port side, six torpedoes left their tubes. Normally using deep-space weapons like these would be ill-advised as they were not meant to be used in an environment with wind, humidity, airborne fauna, and the like.
Satith, however, wasn’t trying to hit the enemy; the missiles arced, their thrusters losing the clash with Nirm’s gravity. The Rogue vessels noticed the threat and changed priorities to blast the warheads out of the sky.
This meant there were fewer cannons aimed at the High Naryyn ships. The Halcyon and three frigates slipped through the Rogue blockade.
“Mark, overcharge!” The bridge dimmed considerably, there was a noticeable dip as the Armet lost altitude. On the faint holographic tactical map, a smear of volatile energy flew toward the Rogue fleet.
The blast, powered by 78% of the Armet’s primary power, washed over the three target carriers. The sky around the ships shone with every visible color as the shields of the three vessels collapsed beneath the attack.
While the Armet switched to auxiliary power, its bow plunged downward. Satith rooted himself to the floor; everyone else was strapped to their chairs.
Lights all around the bridge steadily grew brightly, and Satith nodded to the officers at navigation. The hull shook, and the engines of the Armet rumbled as the cruiser fought to slow its descent.
The confined view of green fields and ice-capped mountains inched closer and closer. “4000 meters, Admiral, engine thrust at 80%, and our speed is 50 mps and dropping.”
“Maximum burn for fifteen seconds, level out!” The background roar intensified and everyone, Satith included, had difficulty remaining in an erect position as the mighty vessel reversed its plunge and moved to right itself.
As the Armet steadied itself, the metallic voice of its AI chimed in. “Four renegade carriers and eight frigates are down. The Nova Cradle and the Stalker are suffering critical damage and are pulling out. Three of our frigates are down as well; the Halcyon and its escorts are pushing deeper into enemy territory to recon the renegades’ activities.”
Satith turned his attention of the Tac-Map; the Rogues were Retreating back to their territory. “Well, not a bad first engagement, keep me posted.”
He turned to his second-in-command, “Have the rest of the ships link up where the Cradle and Stalker have landed.”
The officer nodded, “Aye, sir.”
Adm. Satith consulted his personal computer pad, the device spoke. “Activity in the North-Central area of the Continent sugge-“
The construct paused, “Ah, yes, activity in Skyrim indicates that the Honor Guards are choosing a spot to use for something. As to what their really up to, one can only surmise.”
Raising an eyebrow, Satith asked. When was this place suddenly called Skyrim?”
The AI replied casually, “Since the natives colonized it, Admiral.”
“How did you get that Intel?”
“The commander of the cruiser Dominance, Commander Ankrus, has been gathering such knowledge from the natives.” Satith recalled the commander, mistakenly; he’d confused the man for the typical pet of the council.
“Send a recommendation for a promotion to Talament Station.” In all honesty, Satith had not even considered the indigenous people to be assets. That was sloppy, they’ve lived here all their lives, that’s the best Intel anyone could ask for!
“Also, tell Ankrus to devote half his telepaths to gaining intelligence; we’d be fools to discard such an advantage.” The small pinpoint of light that was the Armet’s AI construct vanished as it went about its tasks.
With it absent, Satith allowed for a small grin. “We need more commanders like Ankrus; they cover the typical shortfalls of common leading men….”
Kartah…
The Iso Naryyn worked with cohesion that matched some of the best units in the navy, few spoke to one another as they worked, and in which cases they barely breathed their words.
The elegant Iso Naryyn fighters bobbed as their pilots climbed aboard and disengaged them from their berths. They had few sharp angles, every new angle was a flowing change.
As the pilots started them up, purple/white running lights burst to life, and the squadron moved with no obvious propulsion systems.
Kartah wondered how these craft would fare against the Swift interceptors that the enemy would no doubt employ to stop them. Turning back to her troops, she nodded to them, and they dispersed.
All gathered in groups of nine at each available Iso Naryyn dropship. Kartah herself, moved to the lead transport. This one was unique, it held in its embrace a salvaged APC that would play a part in the assault.
Alright, time to pay those things back for murdering Xarkum… However, the recollection of her former friend did not make her feel better in the least.
Kartah looked back at the Naryyn who readied themselves for the coming attack mournfully. Shaking her head, the Sergeant berated herself. What am I thinking of course there will be more casualties, but I’m the only one without armor!
“Sergeant?” One of the Iso Naryyn warriors asked through a familiar but still different armor than those of the Marhun Kar. Their armor was a lighter version, made in just the same fashion for centuries.
These Naryyn however wore had better made sets, less unarmored areas while having the same freedom of movement. “I’m ready, let’s get started.”
-----------
“Enemy located; all forces move to engage.” The Halcyon, a Hvy. Destroyer, pushed forward. Three brilliant flashes of light struck her hull, its shields blazed as the charged particle blasts were halted and dispersed.
Satith stood on the Armet’s bridge, “Full stop hard to starboard!” He diverted his attention from the fighting to watch his crew furiously work their stations.
The Armet spun 180 degrees to give the enemy the benefit of half its firepower. The admiral closed his eyes and marshalling his thoughts before ordering. “Arm torpedo tubes A through F, prepare to fire at 9 o’clock at 110 degrees high. Overcharge port particle cannons by 200% and fire on my mark!”
The three senior officers at the weapons’ stations hunched over their consoles, together they were typing so quickly it sounded akin to the clatter of automatic weapon’s fire.
On the port side, six torpedoes left their tubes. Normally using deep-space weapons like these would be ill-advised as they were not meant to be used in an environment with wind, humidity, airborne fauna, and the like.
Satith, however, wasn’t trying to hit the enemy; the missiles arced, their thrusters losing the clash with Nirm’s gravity. The Rogue vessels noticed the threat and changed priorities to blast the warheads out of the sky.
This meant there were fewer cannons aimed at the High Naryyn ships. The Halcyon and three frigates slipped through the Rogue blockade.
“Mark, overcharge!” The bridge dimmed considerably, there was a noticeable dip as the Armet lost altitude. On the faint holographic tactical map, a smear of volatile energy flew toward the Rogue fleet.
The blast, powered by 78% of the Armet’s primary power, washed over the three target carriers. The sky around the ships shone with every visible color as the shields of the three vessels collapsed beneath the attack.
While the Armet switched to auxiliary power, its bow plunged downward. Satith rooted himself to the floor; everyone else was strapped to their chairs.
Lights all around the bridge steadily grew brightly, and Satith nodded to the officers at navigation. The hull shook, and the engines of the Armet rumbled as the cruiser fought to slow its descent.
The confined view of green fields and ice-capped mountains inched closer and closer. “4000 meters, Admiral, engine thrust at 80%, and our speed is 50 mps and dropping.”
“Maximum burn for fifteen seconds, level out!” The background roar intensified and everyone, Satith included, had difficulty remaining in an erect position as the mighty vessel reversed its plunge and moved to right itself.
As the Armet steadied itself, the metallic voice of its AI chimed in. “Four renegade carriers and eight frigates are down. The Nova Cradle and the Stalker are suffering critical damage and are pulling out. Three of our frigates are down as well; the Halcyon and its escorts are pushing deeper into enemy territory to recon the renegades’ activities.”
Satith turned his attention of the Tac-Map; the Rogues were Retreating back to their territory. “Well, not a bad first engagement, keep me posted.”
He turned to his second-in-command, “Have the rest of the ships link up where the Cradle and Stalker have landed.”
The officer nodded, “Aye, sir.”
Adm. Satith consulted his personal computer pad, the device spoke. “Activity in the North-Central area of the Continent sugge-“
The construct paused, “Ah, yes, activity in Skyrim indicates that the Honor Guards are choosing a spot to use for something. As to what their really up to, one can only surmise.”
Raising an eyebrow, Satith asked. When was this place suddenly called Skyrim?”
The AI replied casually, “Since the natives colonized it, Admiral.”
“How did you get that Intel?”
“The commander of the cruiser Dominance, Commander Ankrus, has been gathering such knowledge from the natives.” Satith recalled the commander, mistakenly; he’d confused the man for the typical pet of the council.
“Send a recommendation for a promotion to Talament Station.” In all honesty, Satith had not even considered the indigenous people to be assets. That was sloppy, they’ve lived here all their lives, that’s the best Intel anyone could ask for!
“Also, tell Ankrus to devote half his telepaths to gaining intelligence; we’d be fools to discard such an advantage.” The small pinpoint of light that was the Armet’s AI construct vanished as it went about its tasks.
With it absent, Satith allowed for a small grin. “We need more commanders like Ankrus; they cover the typical shortfalls of common leading men….”
Kartah…
The Iso Naryyn worked with cohesion that matched some of the best units in the navy, few spoke to one another as they worked, and in which cases they barely breathed their words.
The elegant Iso Naryyn fighters bobbed as their pilots climbed aboard and disengaged them from their berths. They had few sharp angles, every new angle was a flowing change.
As the pilots started them up, purple/white running lights burst to life, and the squadron moved with no obvious propulsion systems.
Kartah wondered how these craft would fare against the Swift interceptors that the enemy would no doubt employ to stop them. Turning back to her troops, she nodded to them, and they dispersed.
All gathered in groups of nine at each available Iso Naryyn dropship. Kartah herself, moved to the lead transport. This one was unique, it held in its embrace a salvaged APC that would play a part in the assault.
Alright, time to pay those things back for murdering Xarkum… However, the recollection of her former friend did not make her feel better in the least.
Kartah looked back at the Naryyn who readied themselves for the coming attack mournfully. Shaking her head, the Sergeant berated herself. What am I thinking of course there will be more casualties, but I’m the only one without armor!
“Sergeant?” One of the Iso Naryyn warriors asked through a familiar but still different armor than those of the Marhun Kar. Their armor was a lighter version, made in just the same fashion for centuries.
These Naryyn however wore had better made sets, less unarmored areas while having the same freedom of movement. “I’m ready, let’s get started.”
I just read this story from part 1 all the way through to this latest post. I must admit that I'm quite captivated, and am very much looking forward to reading more as it comes. The mix of futuristic technology and close quarters fighting is quite creative.
here's a shortie and let's put a face to the enemy.
--------
As Kartah sat down on one of the seats inside the dropship, she noticed the alien forms among them. They were squat, in some cases, hunchback, creatures in complete battle armor.
They were about 5’6, their sinuous limbs looked to weak for melee combat, but their double jointed legs allowed them great mobility. When the aliens moved they were always partially crouched, their movements darting and reminiscent to avian birds of prey.
Each carried either a carbine or what Kartah assumed was a sniper rifle. Their weapons only reinforced their weakness in hand-to-hand combat.
I hope we don’t have to baby-sit these things in the confined spaces of that destroyer…. She thought to herself, the avians sat towards the aft section where there were seats that better suited them.
Once the transport was fully occupied the vessel swayed as if touched by the wind. Then it crawled through the shielding that divided the hanger from the outside.
No going back now Kartah thought as the Iso Naryyn frigate disappeared into the mist that obscured the entire area. The transport split away from the other ships and went on its own scouting path.
Mist….
Five sleek, flying-crescent craft flew through the haze. The only sound in the oppressive depths was the soft thrum of their kinetic drives.
Just out of sight, a mechanical observer watched the fighters as they slid past. It was not detected by their sensors because it was not moving and the abundance of moisture made thermal scanning pointless.
The pilots did not sense its presence because it had no conscience to give it away. The probe, and many like it, gave the whereabouts of the Naryyn to the interceptors on stand by.
Ankrus
Most of the citizens of Tamriel he’d spoken to were sensible enough. Several were nervous, but all that was to be expected, they were still reeling from the shock of having superior beings come down from the very heavens.
Many were perfectly willing to divulge information to Ankrus, and his aide was dutifully spreading the Intel to the rest of the force. A smile came to the commander’s face, once you break through language barriers information becomes easier to obtain.
“Sir,” Ankrus turned to his Lt. Com. “Yes, what is it?”
The officer read the new orders. “Adm. Satith wants have of the veteran psionists to be put into intelligence gathering.”
Commander Ankrus nodded; to the psychs around him he relayed the orders from command. As the veterans dispersed throughout the city, Ankrus allowed himself a moment to take in the vista of the countryside.
Who knows when we’ll get a look of this place again without having a crosshair in the middle of our vision…. He thought solemnly.
Central Skyrim
Renegade ships moved around their new territory like bees at their hive. Ground troops were blasting trenches and laying the land for fortifications to be placed.
Flocks of Swifts and dropships filled the sky, and the snow was patrolled by hundreds of Plys’Iea Warriors. Standing on a platform above all the activity was a giant among giants.
Its head was four and a half feet long as opposed to the normal three feet. From its back nine exo-sensory appendages jutted out, they hung limply, relaxed.
This one was a War Leader, an individual who had slain more creatures than had ever lived or died on this continent. She, yes a female had garnered the most coveted position of her people, allowed her mind to wander back when she had first killed.
It had happened countless years ago, on the homeworld of her people. Before they had unlocked the secret of space travel, they had been simple then, primitive… The War Chief’s sensor appendages lifted and bobbed gently as the wind of now and then blew past her.
There was a time before she’d garnered respect, when she’d been nothing more than a means of reproduction. Something alien had come to their world.
Something not of flesh and blood, it had been clad in gray body armor. At first her people had approached the being tentatively, but when it casually destroyed many brothers and sisters, she and her kind rose up to fight it.
It had taken months, thousands died at the hands of the invader. Thousands of martyrs, none of them even touching the faceless one. Her fists clenched and a blood thirsty roar started in her chest before she separated memory from reality.
Creeping through places made forbidden long ago, she had found the abomination that had murdered her kin. For reasons she had never justified, the being had been unprepared.
Her blood had run smoldering hot with bloodlust; she had found the being without its armor. Clarity faded at this point, she could not remember how she had killed the mass murderer, but it had happened.
The War Chief turned her elongated head skyward, that creature. It had been Naryyn, and from that race came the High and Dark Naryyn.
These children would face the same fate as the warrior in the swamps….
--------
As Kartah sat down on one of the seats inside the dropship, she noticed the alien forms among them. They were squat, in some cases, hunchback, creatures in complete battle armor.
They were about 5’6, their sinuous limbs looked to weak for melee combat, but their double jointed legs allowed them great mobility. When the aliens moved they were always partially crouched, their movements darting and reminiscent to avian birds of prey.
Each carried either a carbine or what Kartah assumed was a sniper rifle. Their weapons only reinforced their weakness in hand-to-hand combat.
I hope we don’t have to baby-sit these things in the confined spaces of that destroyer…. She thought to herself, the avians sat towards the aft section where there were seats that better suited them.
Once the transport was fully occupied the vessel swayed as if touched by the wind. Then it crawled through the shielding that divided the hanger from the outside.
No going back now Kartah thought as the Iso Naryyn frigate disappeared into the mist that obscured the entire area. The transport split away from the other ships and went on its own scouting path.
Mist….
Five sleek, flying-crescent craft flew through the haze. The only sound in the oppressive depths was the soft thrum of their kinetic drives.
Just out of sight, a mechanical observer watched the fighters as they slid past. It was not detected by their sensors because it was not moving and the abundance of moisture made thermal scanning pointless.
The pilots did not sense its presence because it had no conscience to give it away. The probe, and many like it, gave the whereabouts of the Naryyn to the interceptors on stand by.
Ankrus
Most of the citizens of Tamriel he’d spoken to were sensible enough. Several were nervous, but all that was to be expected, they were still reeling from the shock of having superior beings come down from the very heavens.
Many were perfectly willing to divulge information to Ankrus, and his aide was dutifully spreading the Intel to the rest of the force. A smile came to the commander’s face, once you break through language barriers information becomes easier to obtain.
“Sir,” Ankrus turned to his Lt. Com. “Yes, what is it?”
The officer read the new orders. “Adm. Satith wants have of the veteran psionists to be put into intelligence gathering.”
Commander Ankrus nodded; to the psychs around him he relayed the orders from command. As the veterans dispersed throughout the city, Ankrus allowed himself a moment to take in the vista of the countryside.
Who knows when we’ll get a look of this place again without having a crosshair in the middle of our vision…. He thought solemnly.
Central Skyrim
Renegade ships moved around their new territory like bees at their hive. Ground troops were blasting trenches and laying the land for fortifications to be placed.
Flocks of Swifts and dropships filled the sky, and the snow was patrolled by hundreds of Plys’Iea Warriors. Standing on a platform above all the activity was a giant among giants.
Its head was four and a half feet long as opposed to the normal three feet. From its back nine exo-sensory appendages jutted out, they hung limply, relaxed.
This one was a War Leader, an individual who had slain more creatures than had ever lived or died on this continent. She, yes a female had garnered the most coveted position of her people, allowed her mind to wander back when she had first killed.
It had happened countless years ago, on the homeworld of her people. Before they had unlocked the secret of space travel, they had been simple then, primitive… The War Chief’s sensor appendages lifted and bobbed gently as the wind of now and then blew past her.
There was a time before she’d garnered respect, when she’d been nothing more than a means of reproduction. Something alien had come to their world.
Something not of flesh and blood, it had been clad in gray body armor. At first her people had approached the being tentatively, but when it casually destroyed many brothers and sisters, she and her kind rose up to fight it.
It had taken months, thousands died at the hands of the invader. Thousands of martyrs, none of them even touching the faceless one. Her fists clenched and a blood thirsty roar started in her chest before she separated memory from reality.
Creeping through places made forbidden long ago, she had found the abomination that had murdered her kin. For reasons she had never justified, the being had been unprepared.
Her blood had run smoldering hot with bloodlust; she had found the being without its armor. Clarity faded at this point, she could not remember how she had killed the mass murderer, but it had happened.
The War Chief turned her elongated head skyward, that creature. It had been Naryyn, and from that race came the High and Dark Naryyn.
These children would face the same fate as the warrior in the swamps….
That female being at the end was interesting. An honour guard?
Whatever it is, it shows that the Narynn aren't innocent. (No surprise.) It also gives a reason to oppose the descendants. I personally consider hitting someone for what his ancestors did stupid, but it has happened plenty of times in the real world so why not here?
Whatever it is, it shows that the Narynn aren't innocent. (No surprise.) It also gives a reason to oppose the descendants. I personally consider hitting someone for what his ancestors did stupid, but it has happened plenty of times in the real world so why not here?
So it seems the Narynn's enemy is one fuelled by revenge. This can't bode well for them, especially if this War Leader has gotten some experience in killing since the event described in her memory.
Good work in establishing her hate for the Narynn.
Good work in establishing her hate for the Narynn.
I've updated the Archives with a brief summary of known information about the Plys'Iea. Yeah, revenge is bittersweet. I'm not going to name any connections, but the warrior in the War Chief's memories has a deeper connection to what is going on than has been stated already.
The transport swerved again, and like before, Kartah’s head slammed into the shoulder of the Naryyn next to her. How did they find us; this tub doesn’t even produce heat!
The vessel spun, everyone in the troop cabin fought against the force of the multiple gee turn. Though not privy to what the pilot was doing, Kartah could make an accurate guess.
The ship came to rest, and the pilot came stomping out of the cockpit. “We’re going to need another plan, those falcons aren’t going to miss next time and becoming a fireball does not sound appealing.”
Kartah pulled of the safety harness, “The Swifts are too fast to simply avoid, and whatever told them of our whereabouts was able to see through the fog.”
The Iso Naryyn and avian creatures digested this, and Kartah realized that she was the only High Naryyn on this transport. No, I knew that; I just forgot.
The pilot shook his head, “Then we’re out of luck, Most of the weapons on this are not meant for such quick, let alone, armored targets.”
Kartah crossed her arms, So we don’t have the firepower to fight them head on, nor the element of stealth the Iso Naryyn utilize so well…
“Do we know where the other vessels are?” The pilot shook his head.
“Something has to be jamming us because the psychic resonators can’t pick up anything at all.” He muttered, brows furrowed and hands clenched into fists in frustration.
Silence crept in, Kartah saw no one, Naryyn or otherwise, offer a suggestion. Suddenly, her headset which was the only piece of tech she had other than her assault rifle and sidearm, emitted an audible and an icon on an eyepiece flashed yellow.
Replacing the device on her head, Kartah looked to see what was happening. Yellow lights meant a simple hail to establish proper communications.
Kartah however did not answer the hail, those honor guards are probably trying to find our location by hailing us. I can’t risk-
Her thoughts were interrupted by a male voice shouting over the line.
“Come on, pull back!....... 3-17, I said, pul-.” The transmission went up in static and what sounded like explosions. All caution escaped Kartah at that moment.
Without warning the other passengers, she charged toward the lift and jumped down to the ground below. Servos in her armor whined as she hit the ground and rolled.
Following the signal’s source, she looked down the edge of their cliff-side cavern. A sheer drop awaited her if she took another step.
Suddenly the avian creatures were all about the cavern, they made empathetic gestures and whistling chirps. Kartah was bewildered; the creatures’ meanings were completely lost on her.
“High Naryyn forces, this is Master Gunnery Sergeant Kartah of Gamma company; I’m uploading my coordinates now, respond over.” Static bombarded her ears, but a blue light winked on her display, an acknowledgment.
Now the Iso Naryyn were out of the dropship, most taking positions to hold the cavern if necessary. Three minutes clicked past on the eyepiece's timer.....
Another five minutes....
Finally, Kartah’s suit picked up the rumble of a vehicle engine. As it neared, she recognized the distinctive noise: a powered exoskeleton worn by the 815th.
Kartah sighed explosively, she was overjoyed to have heavy armored support, but she would have liked having the conventional armored divisions.
The legionnaire flew out of the mist, skidding across the mossy ground below. It raised its armored hand and waved up to her. “Got you in my sights, ma’am. I’ll wait here.”
The Sergeant nodded and gestured for the Iso Naryyn to follow her. “We have reinforcements now.” She explained as they made their way down the cliff.
The avians nimbly dropped from rocky outcroppings that looked far too flimsy to support something of their size, but not a single one plunged to its death.
One of the Naryyn behind her remarked, “They’re much more lightly built then we are, so what applies to us might not for them.”
Kartah was fascinated enough not to bring up how she hated people getting into her head. Finally, everyone got down and met the legionnaire.
The pilot looked around thirty-two, equivalent to early three hundreds. Rather old to be a volunteer, she mused. He nodded simply, but Kartah reminded herself that this was a man of the ‘85th.
The trooper’s suit sat with its knees folded back in a kneeling position. Kartah observed its blackened armor and pinpoints of half-melted alloy.
Noticing her look, the trooper replied. “My mates and I were on recon when a squadron of interceptors and a dozen artillery batteries opened up on us.”
His face sobered, “We lost Blur and ’37 while escaping the ambush; ’59 and ’26 were caught on the receiving end of another ambush.”
The legionnaire shook his head, sighing. He strode back and forth. “I was separated from the rest of the battalion when the destroyer came out of the mist and gave us a smoldering hot reception.”
The man stopped and locked eyes with Kartah. “I don’t know if the others are alive or dead, or trapped somewhere. Sergeant, the lizards aren’t going to let us go on our way, that destroyer needs to be taken out.”
“That’s where we are disagreed, chief. We need to take that ship and us it as a staging ground for our campaign.”
The legionnaire looked skeptical, “I hear you, sarge, but that’s not going to be easy.”
“Few things worth achieving are, petty officer.” The trooper nodded.
“Alright, ma’am, maybe we’ll find the rest of my mates along the way.”
Adm. Satith...
Twenty-five vessels hovered above the crater that the Nova Shard and the Stalker had chosen to set down in for repairs. Satith stood on top of a bluff looking over the two ships. Technicians and engineers rushed to bring both vessels back online as soon as possible.
Satith turned and marched toward where his warriors sparred with weakened energy weapons. Two or three would be locked in combat for extended durations without landing a single strike on one another or making a defensive error themselves.
Whenever on did land a blow, their energy blade smiply gave off an electrical discharge which was painfull but did not warrant a medic. Abruptly, the admiral and his warriors froze.
According to Intel, this place was known as Vvardnefell, so far none of the locals had bothered their force, but something was amongst them.
The active ships raised in altitude and fanned out without having to be commanded, everyone without inhibitor implants could taste the alien presence around them.
The water nearby churned as if alive, three vessels of unknown material and design broke surface and approached. Their architecture was devoid of sharp angles and the ships-- equal in tonnage to frigates and a hvy. cruiser-- made not a sound.
A energy blade crackled to life on his wrist, and Satith stood defiantly in the face of the oncoming threat. All of his fleet came about to place the new ships in their sights. All troops on the ground also brought their weapons to bear, from the platoons of marines to the legions of 885th legionnaires.
Satith made a gesture to hold fire for the moment, he didn't wish to start a battle if it could be avoided. A light appeared in the middle of the shoreline. A flame of pure silver, then formed black armor pieces. An Ascendant!
The spirit approached, "Your show of restrained force is intimidating, but unnecessary High Naryyn Lord."
Satith lowered his blade slightly, a show of good will. "Dark Naryyn, why is it you are here? Surely you realize that it is our mandate to destroy such as you."
The Ascendant inclined its head, one eye blazing brighter than the other to create a look of feigned confusion. "We are aware of this, the force of Commander Xaries have already met with us and set aside their differences to join forces against the traitors."
The Admiral was caught off-guard by the straight-forward nature by which this Ascendant spoke. "So Xaries did forsake the Council..... Ascendant, it is not an available option to shirk the duty given to us by the Patriarchs."
Satith spoke resolutely, "Leave now, and the lives of your brethren shall be spared this day."
Without a word the Ascnedant faded and the Dark Naryyn ships pulled off. Satith ignored the glances his peers gave him, he had no vandetta against the fallen, but if they entered the crossfire then none would recieve his sympathy.
The vessel spun, everyone in the troop cabin fought against the force of the multiple gee turn. Though not privy to what the pilot was doing, Kartah could make an accurate guess.
The ship came to rest, and the pilot came stomping out of the cockpit. “We’re going to need another plan, those falcons aren’t going to miss next time and becoming a fireball does not sound appealing.”
Kartah pulled of the safety harness, “The Swifts are too fast to simply avoid, and whatever told them of our whereabouts was able to see through the fog.”
The Iso Naryyn and avian creatures digested this, and Kartah realized that she was the only High Naryyn on this transport. No, I knew that; I just forgot.
The pilot shook his head, “Then we’re out of luck, Most of the weapons on this are not meant for such quick, let alone, armored targets.”
Kartah crossed her arms, So we don’t have the firepower to fight them head on, nor the element of stealth the Iso Naryyn utilize so well…
“Do we know where the other vessels are?” The pilot shook his head.
“Something has to be jamming us because the psychic resonators can’t pick up anything at all.” He muttered, brows furrowed and hands clenched into fists in frustration.
Silence crept in, Kartah saw no one, Naryyn or otherwise, offer a suggestion. Suddenly, her headset which was the only piece of tech she had other than her assault rifle and sidearm, emitted an audible and an icon on an eyepiece flashed yellow.
Replacing the device on her head, Kartah looked to see what was happening. Yellow lights meant a simple hail to establish proper communications.
Kartah however did not answer the hail, those honor guards are probably trying to find our location by hailing us. I can’t risk-
Her thoughts were interrupted by a male voice shouting over the line.
“Come on, pull back!....... 3-17, I said, pul-.” The transmission went up in static and what sounded like explosions. All caution escaped Kartah at that moment.
Without warning the other passengers, she charged toward the lift and jumped down to the ground below. Servos in her armor whined as she hit the ground and rolled.
Following the signal’s source, she looked down the edge of their cliff-side cavern. A sheer drop awaited her if she took another step.
Suddenly the avian creatures were all about the cavern, they made empathetic gestures and whistling chirps. Kartah was bewildered; the creatures’ meanings were completely lost on her.
“High Naryyn forces, this is Master Gunnery Sergeant Kartah of Gamma company; I’m uploading my coordinates now, respond over.” Static bombarded her ears, but a blue light winked on her display, an acknowledgment.
Now the Iso Naryyn were out of the dropship, most taking positions to hold the cavern if necessary. Three minutes clicked past on the eyepiece's timer.....
Another five minutes....
Finally, Kartah’s suit picked up the rumble of a vehicle engine. As it neared, she recognized the distinctive noise: a powered exoskeleton worn by the 815th.
Kartah sighed explosively, she was overjoyed to have heavy armored support, but she would have liked having the conventional armored divisions.
The legionnaire flew out of the mist, skidding across the mossy ground below. It raised its armored hand and waved up to her. “Got you in my sights, ma’am. I’ll wait here.”
The Sergeant nodded and gestured for the Iso Naryyn to follow her. “We have reinforcements now.” She explained as they made their way down the cliff.
The avians nimbly dropped from rocky outcroppings that looked far too flimsy to support something of their size, but not a single one plunged to its death.
One of the Naryyn behind her remarked, “They’re much more lightly built then we are, so what applies to us might not for them.”
Kartah was fascinated enough not to bring up how she hated people getting into her head. Finally, everyone got down and met the legionnaire.
The pilot looked around thirty-two, equivalent to early three hundreds. Rather old to be a volunteer, she mused. He nodded simply, but Kartah reminded herself that this was a man of the ‘85th.
The trooper’s suit sat with its knees folded back in a kneeling position. Kartah observed its blackened armor and pinpoints of half-melted alloy.
Noticing her look, the trooper replied. “My mates and I were on recon when a squadron of interceptors and a dozen artillery batteries opened up on us.”
His face sobered, “We lost Blur and ’37 while escaping the ambush; ’59 and ’26 were caught on the receiving end of another ambush.”
The legionnaire shook his head, sighing. He strode back and forth. “I was separated from the rest of the battalion when the destroyer came out of the mist and gave us a smoldering hot reception.”
The man stopped and locked eyes with Kartah. “I don’t know if the others are alive or dead, or trapped somewhere. Sergeant, the lizards aren’t going to let us go on our way, that destroyer needs to be taken out.”
“That’s where we are disagreed, chief. We need to take that ship and us it as a staging ground for our campaign.”
The legionnaire looked skeptical, “I hear you, sarge, but that’s not going to be easy.”
“Few things worth achieving are, petty officer.” The trooper nodded.
“Alright, ma’am, maybe we’ll find the rest of my mates along the way.”
Adm. Satith...
Twenty-five vessels hovered above the crater that the Nova Shard and the Stalker had chosen to set down in for repairs. Satith stood on top of a bluff looking over the two ships. Technicians and engineers rushed to bring both vessels back online as soon as possible.
Satith turned and marched toward where his warriors sparred with weakened energy weapons. Two or three would be locked in combat for extended durations without landing a single strike on one another or making a defensive error themselves.
Whenever on did land a blow, their energy blade smiply gave off an electrical discharge which was painfull but did not warrant a medic. Abruptly, the admiral and his warriors froze.
According to Intel, this place was known as Vvardnefell, so far none of the locals had bothered their force, but something was amongst them.
The active ships raised in altitude and fanned out without having to be commanded, everyone without inhibitor implants could taste the alien presence around them.
The water nearby churned as if alive, three vessels of unknown material and design broke surface and approached. Their architecture was devoid of sharp angles and the ships-- equal in tonnage to frigates and a hvy. cruiser-- made not a sound.
A energy blade crackled to life on his wrist, and Satith stood defiantly in the face of the oncoming threat. All of his fleet came about to place the new ships in their sights. All troops on the ground also brought their weapons to bear, from the platoons of marines to the legions of 885th legionnaires.
Satith made a gesture to hold fire for the moment, he didn't wish to start a battle if it could be avoided. A light appeared in the middle of the shoreline. A flame of pure silver, then formed black armor pieces. An Ascendant!
The spirit approached, "Your show of restrained force is intimidating, but unnecessary High Naryyn Lord."
Satith lowered his blade slightly, a show of good will. "Dark Naryyn, why is it you are here? Surely you realize that it is our mandate to destroy such as you."
The Ascendant inclined its head, one eye blazing brighter than the other to create a look of feigned confusion. "We are aware of this, the force of Commander Xaries have already met with us and set aside their differences to join forces against the traitors."
The Admiral was caught off-guard by the straight-forward nature by which this Ascendant spoke. "So Xaries did forsake the Council..... Ascendant, it is not an available option to shirk the duty given to us by the Patriarchs."
Satith spoke resolutely, "Leave now, and the lives of your brethren shall be spared this day."
Without a word the Ascnedant faded and the Dark Naryyn ships pulled off. Satith ignored the glances his peers gave him, he had no vandetta against the fallen, but if they entered the crossfire then none would recieve his sympathy.
Subject: Renegade Engagements
Priority: Beta
Sender: Mute Testimony
Recipients: All citizens
Date: 17th of the Twelfth Cycle, Third Age (Exaltation)
[Message start]- To all civilized beings listening to this transmission, I speak to you now to shed some light on the events surrounding the rebellion taking place.
The attacks and deaths of millions were perpetrated by the same race that has served as the Honor Guards of the Patriarchs and council members.
Every border world of the empire has been touched by the betrayers.
This is neither a propaganda transmission, nor a smear campaign to dirty our leaders. Even now, I am broadcasting from one of the many battle fronts of the conflict.
This struggle can only be branded as complete xenocide, of more importance than any preceding it, even the Dark Naryyn heretics.
[Message end]
The message was displayed on every holo-screen on every High Naryyn colony. And all listening paused as the neutral voice read the text.
And on hundreds of planets on the edge of their power, millions of marines, pilots, psionists, commanders, admirals, and legionnaires were fighting on colossal war without even knowing its scale…
Xaries…
Just a few kilometers southeast of Adm. Satith’s fleet, another leader of high esteem was working diligently. Xaries felt a cool breeze blow over his face.
He glanced around him, dozens of trained medics and psionists were tending to the many wounded and dying amongst the ruined structures of the city “Ald’Ruhn.”
There were also locals aiding them, offering curious concoctions to the afflicted and manipulating supernatural forces not to different from his own.
“Commander,” Xaries turned to see one of the officers standing uncertainly, headset replacing helmet.
“Yes, corporal?”
“Sir, we’ve gotten reports of some unknown animal attacks recently, maulings and half-eaten corpses mostly, all natives. But we turned up a body being roasted by a campfire without any tenders.” The officer continued grimly.
“At first we thought it was simple cannibalism due to desperation, but the ground is scorched in places. And we keep finding tree-toed claw tracks.”
“Commander!” The com-unit crackled painfully.
“Report,” Xaries replied, momentarily turning away from the officer and the humanitarian workers.
“We have heavy contacts, not Rogues, not locals, no-” The rest was cut off by something sounding like screaming.
Xaries spun back to the officer, “We don’t have time to look for wild animals; redeploy your troops to investigate what happened to the second task force, now!”
The officer snapped to it, yelling new orders to his subordinates. Xaries wanted to accompany them, but he had to remain in the temporary command post for the time being.
Three squads compromising fire team Beta, charged out into a full rush. As the armored troops disappeared their commander sighed. Another issue, just what we needed. Between the Admiral, the honor guards, and the indigenous population, we already have a handful to work out, now this…
Prefabricated automatic outpost defense turrets stood like sentinels in many of the alleyways and plazas of Ald’Ruhn. Everyone of them stood five feet above the ruined buildings.
Groups of three marines moved through the streets, snipers in light combat mesh lay prone or crouched on what was left of the cities rooftops, and everyone of Xaries’ personnel with experience in, or abilities in healing were spread throughout trying to keep the wounded in stable condition.
A single flying creature flew over the ruins, as it glided a single sidearm round rang through the air…… and all one hundred pounds or so of cliff racer fell like a rock.
Revan…
He slept well that night, when he came to Revan left Rhys to sleep. All of us need to rest, but I have things to do. Earlier, a healer had informed him that his armor had been destroyed in the explosion.
I’ve been wearing that same set for eighty years… Losing it was like losing an old friend. It only made him wish for a new one worse.
Clad in common robes, he made his way to the labor center. The area was occupied by other Naryyn, warriors and otherwise. Revan seated himself after collecting several pieces of sapphire alloy, a diverse assortment of tools, black mesh body armor, and a finger-sized fragment of a power crystal.
Spreading out all the materials and instruments, Revan set to work, shutting out all the distractions around him.
Kartah...
A vague silhouete glided through the mist, the Rogue destroyer came into view. Hovering low, only eight meters above the ground, it slid into a seemingly unsuspicious grove. Its thrusters thrummed and died out as it came to a halt.
Floating above the drop-off point, one could surmise that its crew was confused by the absense of any of their fellows. The many particle cannons scanned over the land again and again as if diligence would conjure up the convoy.... or the enemy.
As the armored bulkheads protecting the hanger bay parted, letting out a flight of transports, a large, blurred object detached from the ferns and launched itself through the gap.
Above the destroyer, the Iso Naryyn frigate it had been hunting for materialized. And, due to the sloppy procedures on part of the Plys'Iea, dozens upon dozens of High and Dark Naryyn were able to transfer ships in the brief period of astonishment.
Master Gunnery Sergeant Kartah dropped down into the service corridor just behind her subordinates. Three of her marines were mopping up the maintinance detail that had been unfortunate enough to have been assigned to this particular ship.
"See, they aren't so tough without our armor." One proclaimed.
"Payback all around," Another muttured as he charged down the hallway ahead of them.
"He seems angry."
"That's not anger, that's personal." The third corrected. Kartah grinned and caught up with the armoed troopers. More than half of the fireteams had made it aboard before the destroyer recovered, but a few had been too slow and missed their chance.
Let's keep the jokes coming, we'll need every one we can get before this is over. The Sergeant cocked her rifle and took her position in the center of the formation.
Priority: Beta
Sender: Mute Testimony
Recipients: All citizens
Date: 17th of the Twelfth Cycle, Third Age (Exaltation)
[Message start]- To all civilized beings listening to this transmission, I speak to you now to shed some light on the events surrounding the rebellion taking place.
The attacks and deaths of millions were perpetrated by the same race that has served as the Honor Guards of the Patriarchs and council members.
Every border world of the empire has been touched by the betrayers.
This is neither a propaganda transmission, nor a smear campaign to dirty our leaders. Even now, I am broadcasting from one of the many battle fronts of the conflict.
This struggle can only be branded as complete xenocide, of more importance than any preceding it, even the Dark Naryyn heretics.
[Message end]
The message was displayed on every holo-screen on every High Naryyn colony. And all listening paused as the neutral voice read the text.
And on hundreds of planets on the edge of their power, millions of marines, pilots, psionists, commanders, admirals, and legionnaires were fighting on colossal war without even knowing its scale…
Xaries…
Just a few kilometers southeast of Adm. Satith’s fleet, another leader of high esteem was working diligently. Xaries felt a cool breeze blow over his face.
He glanced around him, dozens of trained medics and psionists were tending to the many wounded and dying amongst the ruined structures of the city “Ald’Ruhn.”
There were also locals aiding them, offering curious concoctions to the afflicted and manipulating supernatural forces not to different from his own.
“Commander,” Xaries turned to see one of the officers standing uncertainly, headset replacing helmet.
“Yes, corporal?”
“Sir, we’ve gotten reports of some unknown animal attacks recently, maulings and half-eaten corpses mostly, all natives. But we turned up a body being roasted by a campfire without any tenders.” The officer continued grimly.
“At first we thought it was simple cannibalism due to desperation, but the ground is scorched in places. And we keep finding tree-toed claw tracks.”
“Commander!” The com-unit crackled painfully.
“Report,” Xaries replied, momentarily turning away from the officer and the humanitarian workers.
“We have heavy contacts, not Rogues, not locals, no-” The rest was cut off by something sounding like screaming.
Xaries spun back to the officer, “We don’t have time to look for wild animals; redeploy your troops to investigate what happened to the second task force, now!”
The officer snapped to it, yelling new orders to his subordinates. Xaries wanted to accompany them, but he had to remain in the temporary command post for the time being.
Three squads compromising fire team Beta, charged out into a full rush. As the armored troops disappeared their commander sighed. Another issue, just what we needed. Between the Admiral, the honor guards, and the indigenous population, we already have a handful to work out, now this…
Prefabricated automatic outpost defense turrets stood like sentinels in many of the alleyways and plazas of Ald’Ruhn. Everyone of them stood five feet above the ruined buildings.
Groups of three marines moved through the streets, snipers in light combat mesh lay prone or crouched on what was left of the cities rooftops, and everyone of Xaries’ personnel with experience in, or abilities in healing were spread throughout trying to keep the wounded in stable condition.
A single flying creature flew over the ruins, as it glided a single sidearm round rang through the air…… and all one hundred pounds or so of cliff racer fell like a rock.
Revan…
He slept well that night, when he came to Revan left Rhys to sleep. All of us need to rest, but I have things to do. Earlier, a healer had informed him that his armor had been destroyed in the explosion.
I’ve been wearing that same set for eighty years… Losing it was like losing an old friend. It only made him wish for a new one worse.
Clad in common robes, he made his way to the labor center. The area was occupied by other Naryyn, warriors and otherwise. Revan seated himself after collecting several pieces of sapphire alloy, a diverse assortment of tools, black mesh body armor, and a finger-sized fragment of a power crystal.
Spreading out all the materials and instruments, Revan set to work, shutting out all the distractions around him.
Kartah...
A vague silhouete glided through the mist, the Rogue destroyer came into view. Hovering low, only eight meters above the ground, it slid into a seemingly unsuspicious grove. Its thrusters thrummed and died out as it came to a halt.
Floating above the drop-off point, one could surmise that its crew was confused by the absense of any of their fellows. The many particle cannons scanned over the land again and again as if diligence would conjure up the convoy.... or the enemy.
As the armored bulkheads protecting the hanger bay parted, letting out a flight of transports, a large, blurred object detached from the ferns and launched itself through the gap.
Above the destroyer, the Iso Naryyn frigate it had been hunting for materialized. And, due to the sloppy procedures on part of the Plys'Iea, dozens upon dozens of High and Dark Naryyn were able to transfer ships in the brief period of astonishment.
Master Gunnery Sergeant Kartah dropped down into the service corridor just behind her subordinates. Three of her marines were mopping up the maintinance detail that had been unfortunate enough to have been assigned to this particular ship.
"See, they aren't so tough without our armor." One proclaimed.
"Payback all around," Another muttured as he charged down the hallway ahead of them.
"He seems angry."
"That's not anger, that's personal." The third corrected. Kartah grinned and caught up with the armoed troopers. More than half of the fireteams had made it aboard before the destroyer recovered, but a few had been too slow and missed their chance.
Let's keep the jokes coming, we'll need every one we can get before this is over. The Sergeant cocked her rifle and took her position in the center of the formation.
Great, now I'm reduced to triple posting, are my recent updates that unremarkable?
Well, I'll try and update on Tuesday, regardless. Hopefully a (somewhat) despearate measure (or two) will make this more interesting.....
Sorry Revan, as I have said earlier I've been busy back here. I have been reading it, just haven't gotten around to commenting for the last couple of updates.
Your quality of writing has been consistent as always.
Your quality of writing has been consistent as always.
Wuh, I forgot to comment? Dang.
Well, you're doing great so far. It has only gotten a bit harder to read due to the countless perspectives you're weaving in. Don't see many stories like that though, so it is a refreshing change.
Well, you're doing great so far. It has only gotten a bit harder to read due to the countless perspectives you're weaving in. Don't see many stories like that though, so it is a refreshing change.
Yeah, that's true. At first I could write a whole update from one person's point of view, now it's pretty much the opposite, I have to use multiple POVs to make an update a certain length...... Anyway, I'll try and work on that, for now, I must rest.
Short one, sorry. I'll probably have time to work on the next on tonight.
--------
Topping the rise, the squad leader held his clenched fist just above his shoulder, hold here. The fireteam came to a halt around him.
Slowly, he brought his right hand back to his heavy repeater. The group kept arm’s lengthy from one another as they advanced cautiously.
He led the half-crescent formation, everyone tried to keep an eye on every direction. They could all feel it, it sent chills down their spines, the carnage was all around them.
They were just outside a collapsed cave entrance, the ground was drenched with Naryyn blood. Dead marines were strewn about, their armor torn and ripped off like it was tinfoil.
The squad leader ordered, “Defensive positions, into that cave.”
All the marines obeyed, forming a phalanx of sorts with their backs to the collapsed ceiling.
“Commander, this is fireteam Beta, we’ve found the target area…… All of fireteam Alpha is KIA near a cave. There’s no sign of what or who attacked them, but I’ll start giving you real-time footage momentarily.” He spoke through his helmet’s mike.
Suddenly, his armor gave a shrill warning tone that nearly made him jump out of his skin. The squad leader turned to see a small flock of giant insectoids coming toward them.
His panic sky-rocketed, he’d seen one of these things back at the prison facility, the only that had saved him was when it chose to eat another marine, giving him time to slam down a pressure door and escape.
There won’t be any running now, His mind told him. Cold sweat broke out despite his suit’s attempts to smother the heat. Training kicked in however, and despite his hysteria, the squad leader joined his troops in the cave.
Two rockets speared forward, knocking an equal number of the huge bug-things out of the air. The monsters landed heavily, but they brought themselves to their feet regardless of the blood flooding from between their armored plating.
Marine sharpshooters put them down, aiming for the newly developed weak points. The remainder of marines opened up on the landing bugs, it only slowed them down.
He turned to the missile troopers, but both were out of ammo and switching to assault rifles.
Oh, hell! Over the thunder of his own repeater and the weapons of his marines, the leader spoke hoarsely. “Commander, are you getting this?”
Xaries…
The fireteam was done for, he’d known that before the first shots had rung out. “Yes, Corporal, I’m seeing what’s happening.” A small screen in front of his right eye played the scene.
“There’s not much I can do that will save you or your men, we’re spread too thin. Fighting is suicide, try and get past them and I’ll see about getting a couple of scouts or APCs to rendezvous with you on the way back.” The words were ashes in his mouth, there really wasn’t much he could do other than promise transport if they got away.
“Ye…. yes, sir we hear you…… Signing off.” Xaries ordered the transports to make way to the rendezvous. “You did the best you could without endangering more lives.” Said a gentle voice.
Surprised to hear a response to his unspoken questions, Xaries spun to see the Matriarch behind him. “Sometimes our best isn’t enough.” He replied.
She nodded gravely, “The worst mistake ever made is one that we learn nothing from.”
“Provided that mistake allows for a second shot.” They both lapsed into silence for awhile. Until an Iso Naryyn messenger appeared and bowed to both.
“Excuse me, your honors, but the Redoran Council has asked for both your presences.” Xaries nodded and the Matriarch fell into step behind them.
"Do you have any idea what the Redoran want?" Xaries asked.
"This is their world, and their people are paying the price for our war just as much as we are."
"That's a valid point, but their warriors can't wage this war. So why do they try? Nevermind."
The Matriarch answered anyway. "You wouldn't fight against an oppressor just because it outmaches you?"
"Yes! But these people are liabilities in this war. They could try and avoid being caught by the hammer and anvil. All their attempts to fight back cost both us and them more lives and it accomplishes nothing!" Xaries replied hotly.
--------
Topping the rise, the squad leader held his clenched fist just above his shoulder, hold here. The fireteam came to a halt around him.
Slowly, he brought his right hand back to his heavy repeater. The group kept arm’s lengthy from one another as they advanced cautiously.
He led the half-crescent formation, everyone tried to keep an eye on every direction. They could all feel it, it sent chills down their spines, the carnage was all around them.
They were just outside a collapsed cave entrance, the ground was drenched with Naryyn blood. Dead marines were strewn about, their armor torn and ripped off like it was tinfoil.
The squad leader ordered, “Defensive positions, into that cave.”
All the marines obeyed, forming a phalanx of sorts with their backs to the collapsed ceiling.
“Commander, this is fireteam Beta, we’ve found the target area…… All of fireteam Alpha is KIA near a cave. There’s no sign of what or who attacked them, but I’ll start giving you real-time footage momentarily.” He spoke through his helmet’s mike.
Suddenly, his armor gave a shrill warning tone that nearly made him jump out of his skin. The squad leader turned to see a small flock of giant insectoids coming toward them.
His panic sky-rocketed, he’d seen one of these things back at the prison facility, the only that had saved him was when it chose to eat another marine, giving him time to slam down a pressure door and escape.
There won’t be any running now, His mind told him. Cold sweat broke out despite his suit’s attempts to smother the heat. Training kicked in however, and despite his hysteria, the squad leader joined his troops in the cave.
Two rockets speared forward, knocking an equal number of the huge bug-things out of the air. The monsters landed heavily, but they brought themselves to their feet regardless of the blood flooding from between their armored plating.
Marine sharpshooters put them down, aiming for the newly developed weak points. The remainder of marines opened up on the landing bugs, it only slowed them down.
He turned to the missile troopers, but both were out of ammo and switching to assault rifles.
Oh, hell! Over the thunder of his own repeater and the weapons of his marines, the leader spoke hoarsely. “Commander, are you getting this?”
Xaries…
The fireteam was done for, he’d known that before the first shots had rung out. “Yes, Corporal, I’m seeing what’s happening.” A small screen in front of his right eye played the scene.
“There’s not much I can do that will save you or your men, we’re spread too thin. Fighting is suicide, try and get past them and I’ll see about getting a couple of scouts or APCs to rendezvous with you on the way back.” The words were ashes in his mouth, there really wasn’t much he could do other than promise transport if they got away.
“Ye…. yes, sir we hear you…… Signing off.” Xaries ordered the transports to make way to the rendezvous. “You did the best you could without endangering more lives.” Said a gentle voice.
Surprised to hear a response to his unspoken questions, Xaries spun to see the Matriarch behind him. “Sometimes our best isn’t enough.” He replied.
She nodded gravely, “The worst mistake ever made is one that we learn nothing from.”
“Provided that mistake allows for a second shot.” They both lapsed into silence for awhile. Until an Iso Naryyn messenger appeared and bowed to both.
“Excuse me, your honors, but the Redoran Council has asked for both your presences.” Xaries nodded and the Matriarch fell into step behind them.
"Do you have any idea what the Redoran want?" Xaries asked.
"This is their world, and their people are paying the price for our war just as much as we are."
"That's a valid point, but their warriors can't wage this war. So why do they try? Nevermind."
The Matriarch answered anyway. "You wouldn't fight against an oppressor just because it outmaches you?"
"Yes! But these people are liabilities in this war. They could try and avoid being caught by the hammer and anvil. All their attempts to fight back cost both us and them more lives and it accomplishes nothing!" Xaries replied hotly.
Ahh futility, such an interesting emotion to work with. Go on when you can, Revan.
Heh, so I've been sort of looking over this, and I gotta say, I have no idea what's going on. Sci Fi Elder Scrolls is it? Seems kind of interesting but I can't seem to figure it out. 
Well, this is contemporary with Oblivion for starters. Thousands of years before the modern races came to be a species of aliens settled on primitive Tamriel..... Nevermind, you can just take a look for the archives of the order info thread that I made. There's a link to it in my signature.
I wouldn't diss the Redoran that fast. Sure, so far Tamrielic magicka has not been shown to match Narynn psychic skills. But every little bit counts and they can come up with some surprises. For example, I wonder what a disintregate armour/weapon spell would do. In my imagination, it is always a blob of acid. It could wreck the tracks of a tank or something. Oh, and don't forget restoration. even if the natives are comparatively worthless in combat, a bunch of healers on the rear lines will be appreciated.
I wonder if common disintegrate spells would work on titanium-like substances well..... Whatever can't harm the High Naryyn can't harm the Plys'Iea either, as they wear the same armor (a problem that will be solved later on).
And on restoration, there have been a few Naryyn healers and medics mentioned. Still, it would be difficult (and a lot of work) from a military prospective to integrate a new race of beings who don't even speak the same tongue as the common fighting men and women (provided all the volunteers even speak more than their own native language) into the war effort (let alone that they lack knowledge of the Naryyn's anatomy). Add to this that Naryyn have what could be considered a group mind. As such, any Naryyn (even lacking extensive experience in healing would be better able to understand the exact nature of a wound than even the races most similar to the Naryyn.
Do you think someone (even with the proper skills) would throw themselves in a foreign environment (explosives and the like) with little protection or understanding of the ever-changing situation (the Naryyn can neither give them radios, nor include them in telepathic communications).
High Naryyn combat armor is designed to function in volcanic, arctic, and other harsh environments (like the vacuum of space) so even an scorching hot fireball, a chilling cloud of frost, or a miniature bolt of lightning would only buy time not stop them.
And on restoration, there have been a few Naryyn healers and medics mentioned. Still, it would be difficult (and a lot of work) from a military prospective to integrate a new race of beings who don't even speak the same tongue as the common fighting men and women (provided all the volunteers even speak more than their own native language) into the war effort (let alone that they lack knowledge of the Naryyn's anatomy). Add to this that Naryyn have what could be considered a group mind. As such, any Naryyn (even lacking extensive experience in healing would be better able to understand the exact nature of a wound than even the races most similar to the Naryyn.
Do you think someone (even with the proper skills) would throw themselves in a foreign environment (explosives and the like) with little protection or understanding of the ever-changing situation (the Naryyn can neither give them radios, nor include them in telepathic communications).
High Naryyn combat armor is designed to function in volcanic, arctic, and other harsh environments (like the vacuum of space) so even an scorching hot fireball, a chilling cloud of frost, or a miniature bolt of lightning would only buy time not stop them.
I started writing all this just awhile ago...... Well, here's about thirty or fourty minute's work (I think)
--------
Lieutenant third class Kyle Thane didn’t care how much the healer tending to him suggested he should let his body recover from its recent trauma.
“Look, I’m a legionnaire, and when a legionnaire wants to do something, no one stops him or her from doing that. And I do not want to lie down and rest.” According to typical 885th bluster, yes, no one ever stopped them from doing whatever they pleased…… At least, if they wanted to avoid misfortune in the chaos of the next battle.
Well, most officers could cross us, but there are exceptions. Thane thought to himself as he got out of his “bed” and dressed in the black robes on a nearby table. How can these people wear black? How can they expect me to wear black?
All the while the Iso Naryyn healer turned and went to help the other wounded; too busy to worry if a High Naryyn fool refused to listen to her.
Shamelessly, Lt. Thane stumbled into the dimly corridor. I do not get it; these guys are so grim and..... dark Kyle shook his head, If the royal-helms up in command got over their prejudice, they’d instantly become bunk mates with the Iso Naryyn I’ve seen.
This thought made him roll his eyes at the prospect. In spite of his stubborn desire not to remain bed-ridden, Thane couldn’t keep his newly regenerated muscle tissue from shaking uncontrollably.
Bloody healer, The lieutenant collapsed against the dark lavender wall, fighting the urge to throw up his morning rations. She probably knew I’d get up and leave if she told me to stay put....
Kartah.....
For ten minutes, the squad rushed through countless hallways only to find no opposition. The lack of contacts, friendly or otherwise, was starting to wear on the group’s senses, Kartah’s included.
“Where is everyone? Has anyone heard anything from the other boarders?” Kartah asked when they finally paused to get their bearings.
“None, Sergeant.”
“I didn’t get any notification of a break for dinner.”
“None of the lizards are here either; like they just vanished.”
Habitually, the sergeant checked to make sure the next round was chambered in her rifle. “Let’s move carefully from now on, the ship can’t be abandoned so we aren’t alone.”
“Ma’am, if I remember correctly, we should be close to the bridge. In fact.....” Said corporal Lash, the most by-the-book of the squad. The corporal led the others to a distinctly more armored pressure door.
“Stay frosty, everyone, this has to be where the cold-blodd-” Kartah as interrupted when the bulkhead opened suddenly and three well-placed, high-velocity railgun spikes exploded on her subordinate’s visors.
Before she could even finish exhaling the first syllable of the last word, a single oddly-dressed alien flew through the open door and delivered a series of well-placed strikes with its fists to the armored marines.
Kartah could not be sure how accurately she could explain what happened, but the honor guard creature had already dispatched her fellow soldiers and had slapped her assault rifle out of her grasp.
One moment she was standing dumb-struck in front of the open bulkhead among the unmoving forms of her squad, the next heartbeat, Kartah slammed into the wall behind her, the creature that had murdered her squad had its large, muscular hand firmly gripping her head.
The sergeant could only see through her right eye, the only part of her face that wasn’t covered by the alien’s scaly hand. She was suspended; the creature holding her was taller than her six-foot-tall marines by a full head.
This was the first time Kartah had seen the unarmored form of her enemy, its scales were grey-white. Her attacker’s partly open jowls were wide enough to engulf both her hands in the backmost part.
The alien wore partly metallic, partly cloth garments of deep green. On its elongated head rested a form of headdress of the former kind. Its animal eyes were rimmed unnaturally by a green ring, in the center, around the diagonal slit that was its pupil was a less noticeable yellow smear.
A pair of flexible spines flared up from somewhere on its back to be visible above its shoulders. The spines had a familiar violet light, the bioluminescent glow that Kartah had seen from the Marhun Kar raptors.
"Hello, my prey, trapped are we?....." The words were barely audible over the burning of her neural implants. The alien’s mouth did not move to pronounce the words yet it spoke them, and Kartah realized it was speaking telepathically… and that was making her implants backfire.
As she arrived to that conclusion, the hunter tilted its head slightly and made what resembled a grimace. "Ah....." Suddenly the searing pain stopped, a long whining tone replaced it then that too was gone.
Darkness took her at last and Kartah went limp in the alien’s grip…
--------
Lieutenant third class Kyle Thane didn’t care how much the healer tending to him suggested he should let his body recover from its recent trauma.
“Look, I’m a legionnaire, and when a legionnaire wants to do something, no one stops him or her from doing that. And I do not want to lie down and rest.” According to typical 885th bluster, yes, no one ever stopped them from doing whatever they pleased…… At least, if they wanted to avoid misfortune in the chaos of the next battle.
Well, most officers could cross us, but there are exceptions. Thane thought to himself as he got out of his “bed” and dressed in the black robes on a nearby table. How can these people wear black? How can they expect me to wear black?
All the while the Iso Naryyn healer turned and went to help the other wounded; too busy to worry if a High Naryyn fool refused to listen to her.
Shamelessly, Lt. Thane stumbled into the dimly corridor. I do not get it; these guys are so grim and..... dark Kyle shook his head, If the royal-helms up in command got over their prejudice, they’d instantly become bunk mates with the Iso Naryyn I’ve seen.
This thought made him roll his eyes at the prospect. In spite of his stubborn desire not to remain bed-ridden, Thane couldn’t keep his newly regenerated muscle tissue from shaking uncontrollably.
Bloody healer, The lieutenant collapsed against the dark lavender wall, fighting the urge to throw up his morning rations. She probably knew I’d get up and leave if she told me to stay put....
Kartah.....
For ten minutes, the squad rushed through countless hallways only to find no opposition. The lack of contacts, friendly or otherwise, was starting to wear on the group’s senses, Kartah’s included.
“Where is everyone? Has anyone heard anything from the other boarders?” Kartah asked when they finally paused to get their bearings.
“None, Sergeant.”
“I didn’t get any notification of a break for dinner.”
“None of the lizards are here either; like they just vanished.”
Habitually, the sergeant checked to make sure the next round was chambered in her rifle. “Let’s move carefully from now on, the ship can’t be abandoned so we aren’t alone.”
“Ma’am, if I remember correctly, we should be close to the bridge. In fact.....” Said corporal Lash, the most by-the-book of the squad. The corporal led the others to a distinctly more armored pressure door.
“Stay frosty, everyone, this has to be where the cold-blodd-” Kartah as interrupted when the bulkhead opened suddenly and three well-placed, high-velocity railgun spikes exploded on her subordinate’s visors.
Before she could even finish exhaling the first syllable of the last word, a single oddly-dressed alien flew through the open door and delivered a series of well-placed strikes with its fists to the armored marines.
Kartah could not be sure how accurately she could explain what happened, but the honor guard creature had already dispatched her fellow soldiers and had slapped her assault rifle out of her grasp.
One moment she was standing dumb-struck in front of the open bulkhead among the unmoving forms of her squad, the next heartbeat, Kartah slammed into the wall behind her, the creature that had murdered her squad had its large, muscular hand firmly gripping her head.
The sergeant could only see through her right eye, the only part of her face that wasn’t covered by the alien’s scaly hand. She was suspended; the creature holding her was taller than her six-foot-tall marines by a full head.
This was the first time Kartah had seen the unarmored form of her enemy, its scales were grey-white. Her attacker’s partly open jowls were wide enough to engulf both her hands in the backmost part.
The alien wore partly metallic, partly cloth garments of deep green. On its elongated head rested a form of headdress of the former kind. Its animal eyes were rimmed unnaturally by a green ring, in the center, around the diagonal slit that was its pupil was a less noticeable yellow smear.
A pair of flexible spines flared up from somewhere on its back to be visible above its shoulders. The spines had a familiar violet light, the bioluminescent glow that Kartah had seen from the Marhun Kar raptors.
"Hello, my prey, trapped are we?....." The words were barely audible over the burning of her neural implants. The alien’s mouth did not move to pronounce the words yet it spoke them, and Kartah realized it was speaking telepathically… and that was making her implants backfire.
As she arrived to that conclusion, the hunter tilted its head slightly and made what resembled a grimace. "Ah....." Suddenly the searing pain stopped, a long whining tone replaced it then that too was gone.
Darkness took her at last and Kartah went limp in the alien’s grip…
Agkh, countered me at every point. Ah well, then just let them do the heavy lifting at camp.
About the last update, things are looking down again. Those Honor guards are fast! It makes me wonder how Revan ever managed to keep up with them near the beginning of the story.
About the last update, things are looking down again. Those Honor guards are fast! It makes me wonder how Revan ever managed to keep up with them near the beginning of the story.
Hey, if needed, the High Naryyn have the legionnaires to lift stuff. Or they could just use the dropships for that.
anyway, that Plys'Iea is an enhanced super-blah,blah, blah. Anyway, the Honor Guards wore the same armor as the High Naryyn; notice that this one wore none at all..... and could communicate telepathically (not an evolved trait of its species). Also, the exo-sensory appendages don't tend to glow purple, but there's a reason why this one does.
Sorry, but it's a short one. Still, we see the return of one well-liked individual.
--------
The Manor District of Ald’Ruhn was the only site in the city which was intact, more or less. Part of the ceiling had been blasted off, but the damage had not been enough to mar the essential nobility of this place.
Xaries was now in more ceremonial attire than his normal combat suit of a ship commander. He was forced to wear the uniform in the middle of a war zone partly because this was a call of politics.
But mostly the reason was the same as why the occasional marine was not in his or her fully-powered armor either: the walkways and floors would crumble beneath them if they were wearing the armor.
Another exception to the district was that the Redoran still dominated it. None of the marines in here were on duty, though the prefabricated barracks were erected outside, their facilities were not enough to accommodate the marine forces.
“Do you think the Redoran see this as a take-over of their society?” Xaries asked suddenly.
“Certain ones do, but others do not. The majority want us to leave them and their realm alone, regardless of our reasons for being here.” The High Naryyn Commander shot her a look, but let his surprise go after a moment.
“We don’t have the right to simply probe them without their conscious knowing. What might not be a violation to us could be to them.”
The Matriarch returned his stare, her crimson eyes glittering slightly. “This comes from the one who feels these people are helpless. But if one truly wants to keep his or her own motives private then they should be more discrete.”
Xaries noticed the tone and could surmise what the Matriarch meant, being what she was. She raised an eyebrow in response, but remained silent.
Still, that was enough to cause the commander to abandon his own thoughts. However, the woman seemed only amused at his embarrassment reaction.
Now entirely aware that the Matriarch would read his thoughts as much as any other, Xaries reinforced his erected barriers. Many of the Redoran guards halted or slowed as they walked by, their expressions hidden beneath their native helmets.
Finally, the trio arrived at the door to the council chamber. Both Xaries and the Matriarch waited patiently and silently for the messenger to return from within.
The person we all thought was dead…
Cold, why is this place so blasted cold? He thought sourly to himself. The much abused armor whined as it aided the figure’s trek across the snowy tundra.
Suddenly, the figure came to a sudden halt, sensing that he was not alone, or in good company.
Some distance away lay a small city, but the presences the figure in combat armor felt were in a different direction. Turning in the direction of the activity, the Naryyn psionist began to move in that direction when he stopped again.
“Seer,” he said plainly, facing the Iso Naryyn woman. “Where have you been off to recently? Churning up more animosity between our races?”
The seer shook her head calmly, “You know better than that, son of Markus.” Marthyn absently wondered how his companion could ignore the cold; his face stung slightly while the rest of his body was relatively comfortable.
The woman, however, wore much less in comparison, yet seemed perfectly fine. “You might have revitalized me, Seer, but do not think for a moment that will earn my servitude.”
“Servitude?” She repeated. “I do not desire an ignorant minion; I am but offering a method of redemption.”
The last word caused the High Naryyn to tighten his grip on the firearm in his hand; however, the woman paid no heed to his reaction.
“What could make up for failing my mission? I couldn’t…… I won’t kill my kin. And I must now pay the price for such weakness in devotion.” Marthyn furrowed
“By accomplishing one of greater importance, of course.” Her casual tone only served to greater fuel his frustration and shame.
“Do not speak of honor as something which can be bought as a commodity!” He roared.
“You don’t even know what I have in store.” The seer replied, oblivious to Marthyn’s emotional outburst.
“Fine, so what do you intend to do?”
A smile spread across her face. “Why, the same goal that your ‘Order’ has so fanatically pursued… Reunion.”
--------
The Manor District of Ald’Ruhn was the only site in the city which was intact, more or less. Part of the ceiling had been blasted off, but the damage had not been enough to mar the essential nobility of this place.
Xaries was now in more ceremonial attire than his normal combat suit of a ship commander. He was forced to wear the uniform in the middle of a war zone partly because this was a call of politics.
But mostly the reason was the same as why the occasional marine was not in his or her fully-powered armor either: the walkways and floors would crumble beneath them if they were wearing the armor.
Another exception to the district was that the Redoran still dominated it. None of the marines in here were on duty, though the prefabricated barracks were erected outside, their facilities were not enough to accommodate the marine forces.
“Do you think the Redoran see this as a take-over of their society?” Xaries asked suddenly.
“Certain ones do, but others do not. The majority want us to leave them and their realm alone, regardless of our reasons for being here.” The High Naryyn Commander shot her a look, but let his surprise go after a moment.
“We don’t have the right to simply probe them without their conscious knowing. What might not be a violation to us could be to them.”
The Matriarch returned his stare, her crimson eyes glittering slightly. “This comes from the one who feels these people are helpless. But if one truly wants to keep his or her own motives private then they should be more discrete.”
Xaries noticed the tone and could surmise what the Matriarch meant, being what she was. She raised an eyebrow in response, but remained silent.
Still, that was enough to cause the commander to abandon his own thoughts. However, the woman seemed only amused at his embarrassment reaction.
Now entirely aware that the Matriarch would read his thoughts as much as any other, Xaries reinforced his erected barriers. Many of the Redoran guards halted or slowed as they walked by, their expressions hidden beneath their native helmets.
Finally, the trio arrived at the door to the council chamber. Both Xaries and the Matriarch waited patiently and silently for the messenger to return from within.
The person we all thought was dead…
Cold, why is this place so blasted cold? He thought sourly to himself. The much abused armor whined as it aided the figure’s trek across the snowy tundra.
Suddenly, the figure came to a sudden halt, sensing that he was not alone, or in good company.
Some distance away lay a small city, but the presences the figure in combat armor felt were in a different direction. Turning in the direction of the activity, the Naryyn psionist began to move in that direction when he stopped again.
“Seer,” he said plainly, facing the Iso Naryyn woman. “Where have you been off to recently? Churning up more animosity between our races?”
The seer shook her head calmly, “You know better than that, son of Markus.” Marthyn absently wondered how his companion could ignore the cold; his face stung slightly while the rest of his body was relatively comfortable.
The woman, however, wore much less in comparison, yet seemed perfectly fine. “You might have revitalized me, Seer, but do not think for a moment that will earn my servitude.”
“Servitude?” She repeated. “I do not desire an ignorant minion; I am but offering a method of redemption.”
The last word caused the High Naryyn to tighten his grip on the firearm in his hand; however, the woman paid no heed to his reaction.
“What could make up for failing my mission? I couldn’t…… I won’t kill my kin. And I must now pay the price for such weakness in devotion.” Marthyn furrowed
“By accomplishing one of greater importance, of course.” Her casual tone only served to greater fuel his frustration and shame.
“Do not speak of honor as something which can be bought as a commodity!” He roared.
“You don’t even know what I have in store.” The seer replied, oblivious to Marthyn’s emotional outburst.
“Fine, so what do you intend to do?”
A smile spread across her face. “Why, the same goal that your ‘Order’ has so fanatically pursued… Reunion.”
Up to your usual standard of execellent story telling, left with quite a cliffhanger too. Anyway keep up the good work.
Oh, persuasion. And Marthyn is back, woohoo! More, please.
Nice to see Marthyn back and with some changes in philosophy as well. Look forward to seeing how things go for him from now on.
This thread has now reached post #200
Looks like a continuation thread is in order. Yes, Marthyn is back, and ready to help kick Plys'Iea boat (feeling giddy at the moment). And if anyone is wondering, the Seer happens to be Nara (she's not really a kid, lol).This is a "lo-fi" version of our main content. To view the full version with more information, formatting and images, please click here.