NationStates Jolt Archive

A tight-beamed signal from a relay station in the asteroid belt, unencrypted, snaked its way down toward the nation of Thelas, on a common diplomatic channel.

To Her Imperial Majesty Empress Ithenril, of the Thelasi Star Empire Greetings,

I firstly express the salutations and blessings of the Emperor of the Eternal Necrontyr Empire of The C’tan, you are cordially invited to visit, at your convenience, the C’tan homeworld of Duat. Your visit has been much desired for some time, and it is his wish that I make it clear that he would be most pleased by your acceptance.

The emperor regrets however, that disclosing the location of Duat is not possible, because of security concerns, at this time. As such, it would be necessary for us to arrange transport for you, and any other guests you wish to attend. It would be appreciated if your reply could be transmitted in the same way as this message was, directed to its source.

Lapattiel
Personal Secretary to the Emperor

TAG!

A response was quickly sent from the Thelasi,

“It would be my pleasure to visit your world. It is sad that our previous contacts have been minimal, and the contacts that we have had were somewhat hostile. I would like to request that a C’tan ship transport me, as a third party would be somewhat more dangerous, it would be best for the vessel to dock at the Sairi Cuori station.

Signed,
Empress Ithenril”

The necron battleship Reaper of Light – Part the Second appeared from hyperspeed near to the Thelasi space station, it’s excess of kinetic energy and momentum bleeding off into various alternate dimensions. With it were half a dozen escort ships, holding at equidistant points from the battleship, one above, below, behind, in front, port and starboard.

From the protective embrace of the Reaper a small – compared to the double figure kilometre length of the flagship, the ‘shuttle’ itself was two hundred and ten meters long – a shuttle shot forward, headed toward the station, its black surface reflecting the lights of the Thelasi installation as well as the glow from its own windows.

The battleship signalled ahead, “Thelasi station, please permit the shuttle to dock in order to receive Empress Ithenril.”

A cold mechanical voice responded, “C’tan Battleship, message confirmed, docking bay four opened, two Mark Zero fighters will escort the shuttle in.”

As the shuttle moved closer, two small Thelasi fighters, the newest in the fleet, dropped along side, escorting the craft into the gigantic (even compared to the C’tan ship) station. As it landed, a group of Thelasi marines moved onto the platform. Empress Ithenril walked forward, waiting to see who the crew of this ship were.

A ramp emerged from the shuttle. Quite what the Thelasi were expecting was probably something quite different, but what came down were four elves, in sharp black suits, they had, overall, the look of bodyguards, and a man, fairly tall, dressed in a dark suit of his own, though this one was considerably more expensive looking, collarless like the others, but with blue-grey and white elsewhere on him. He had a somewhat middle-eastern look, tanned skin, keen, dark eyes and black hair, which was immaculately styled to flow backward.

He bowed to Ithenril, “Your majesty, I am John Artego, of the Imperial Special Service. If you would like to board now ma’am, we can be getting underway.”

He stepped aside from the ramp and made a sweeping gesture with one hand toward it, indicating that she should board.

Empress Ithenril smiled and nodded, boarding the craft.

John Artego leads her into the shuttle, the inside is well decorated and furnished, with chairs, tables, large windows and so on, and not a trace of anything necron in sight. Ithenril gestures to a chair, "May I sit?"

He doesn't mention the mild amusement he takes at this empress asking him for permission to sit, and says, "You may," as the shuttle leaves the station. The elves that were with him have disappeared elsewhere.
Ithenril sits quietly, "What is you world like?"
John Artego smiles, "I've only just moved there, it's not really 'mine.'"

She looks at him, "What nation are you from? Originally? I didn't know that the C'tan Empire had any humans in it
He sits, "Two billion actually. I've lived there all my life."
"And about five hundred million Quendi, I might add."
She nods, "Amazing... so much that TMI missed"
He smiles, "I'd be surprised if any agents you sent reported back often, the Internal Security Agency is, quite, quite good. Even so, we do have the image of hordes of emotionless killing machines. Though they do exist too..."
She nods again, "My advisors were all telling me about the unstoppable Necron warships..."
"They're wise advisors."
"And the brutal soldiers, from what they said, every citizen of the C'tan was a bloodthirsty pscycomaniac"
He laughs, "Brutal?"
"They compared you to the Dark Eldar of Raem..."
"Then they are advisors who lean heavily on rumours and hearsay for their information."
"That's really all we know about the C'tan Empire"

"Just out of interest, how did you learn this?"
She smiled, "Reports from... orcs"
He sniggers a little, "Your jokes are most amusing your majesty," the view outside the windows disappears.
"But really, how did you learn these false truths?"
"Educated guesses, and reports from Tor Yvresse."
"That explains quite a bit," he says, "I could tell you similar things about the Yvressi."
She nods at that, and he adds, "Of course, which would be true, that's harder for you to say."

"Now, why can I not know of the location of your planet?"
He smiles at that, "Why would you wish it?"
She shrugs, "I was just wondering, trying to figure out how... concerned about your safety you are."
"We are, obsessed by it."

"I see"
"In any case, our fleet is near unstoppable, and our ground forces are emotionless killing machines, that much is true."
She nods, "How much longer till we reach your world?"
"We're taking the scenic route, so, please, tell me about Thelas."
"Well, what do you want to know, Thelas is a large country"

"Thelas has a very poor reputation internationally you know," he says, being rather frank, "I'm wondering how you got it."
"Thank Theallas Noss Dagnir, great military leader, he was not the most candid of characters..."
"I see. And yourself, you became Empress after his death?"
"Somewhat, Theallas was killed by Aliria D'Hyru, as he died he appointed me Empress"
He nods a bit.

"Anything else you want to know?"
"Well, you asked about our armed forces, so it seems only fair to return the question."
"The Thelasi armed forces are, not invincible, but close. Our battle plans rely on a LOT of firepower being focused onto the battlefield, using our grav-ships, then again using the grav-ships to give our soldiers unmatchable mobility."

He smiles a bit at that, suspecting that it may not be all /that/ unmatchable, and stands up, "Fascinating, in any case, we shall be arriving shortly now." Ithenril nods,
"Excellent"

A moment later the view outside the window returns. The ship would have arrived sooner, but it followed a curved course to prevent its destination being extrapolated. He walks over to the window and looks out, expecting her to join him.

Ithenril stands and walks over, peering out the window
The star in the distance looks very much like the sun, in the foreground is a greenish blue planet, with at least one moon, which they are currently headed for. He waits for any comment on the view.
Ithenril smiles, "This almost looks like the Sol system.... amazing. Let me guess, hidden defence guns?"

"We tried to find one very similar. There are no significant defences yet, except a small system around the planet itself."
Ithenril nods, "Hence the reason you could not allow me to know the location"
"Partly," he says, there is a hint of a more suspect motive for a moment but that disappears quickly.
Ithenril nods, "How long till we land?"
He smiles, "Land?"
Ithenril "Land, Dock, whatever"
"We're not going to..."
"What?!"
"You're going direct to the surface," he says jokingly.
Ithenril raises an eyebrow, "And may I be so bold to ask, what does that mean?"
He snaps his fingers, and she disappears, and reappears on a grassy plain, in the middle distance is a colossal pyramid structure, with several spike-like towers soaring far into the sky from its peak.

The C'tan however, is, as a human, about six foot one, dressed in vaguely gandalf-the-whitish robes, and sitting in, of all things, a deck-chair.
Ithenril looks at him, "Who are you? Why am I here, and why are you sitting a deck chair?"
He smiles, "I am what you probably call a yngir. You are here because you have been a very naughty girl, and need correction. And I'm sitting in a deck chair, because it's a nice day."
He leans back a bit, and raises one of his eyebrows at her.
Ithenril looks at him again, "Some how, I have serious doubt about what you say..."
He sniggers at that a little, amused. "Oh, and why do you doubt that?"

"I doubt that they exist, and I doubt that if they exist that they are as evil as the Eldar portray them to be"
He smiles a little. "The first is an untrue assumption on your part. The second, well, on that I commend you for an accurate assessment."
Ithenril looks, "And how do I know that you are one of these beings?"
He ponders, "What proof would you like?"
Ithenril smiles, "Creation of matter from nothing"
He snaps his fingers, and causes Ithenril to entirely hallucinate a brick appearing at her feet, which she can touch, taste, and do whatever with. He could actually create it, but that would take some time, and this is more impressive.
Ithenril nods, "I see... well, it feels real, magically," she picks it up, "And feels real, seems you do exist"
He smiles a little, "Cogito ergo sum," he mutters, and snaps his fingers again, removing the brick, "Now you had best hope your second impression was correct."
Ithenril looks up, "The Eldar are not known for their truthfulness, and the Dark Eldar even less"
Sirithil steps up behind Ithenril, and taps her on the shoulder.
Ithenril swings around, "YOU!"
He makes a tut-tut noise, "A little more respect for the Elentári please."
Sirithil smiles. "Well, how are you, Ithenril?" Siri asks, sitting down in a convenient second chair. Her sword is still on her hip, as she was using it before.

Ithenril looks at him, "She is somewhat blasphemous by calling herself the Elentári, a title I am positive she neither can have, nor has earned" Ithenril shakes her head, "I am sorry Lady Sirithil, I was surprised, and my reaction was one of upbringing"
He laughs a bit, "Well, I've long been called a star-god, so perhaps I should marry her to legitimise that claim," he says, with a trace of perverse humour.
Ithenril smiles, "Many Thelasi would like nothing less than Lady Sirithil getting married"
He promptly grins at Siri.

Sirithil "Simple fact, Ithenril, the title means 'Queen of the Stars'," she says coldly, "And Menelmacar has extra solar colonies. The title is both appropriate and legitimate. Secondly, if Varda wants it back, she's welcome to drop by and ask." Siri, of course, knows that A) this isn't going to happen, and B) Varda's too nice to mind.
He raises an eyebrow, "That was hardly a legitimate proposal Ithenril... Though I can see the appeal," he says with a little wink. Sirithil smiles at that.

Ithenril looks, "It is a term used by one of the Valar, many of my people consider it an act of extreme vanity for you to take that name" she sighs, "But as I said, that remark was born out of the heat of the moment, and on the marriage subject, I won't relate what many Thelasi think of your... tastes"
He chuckles a little, "I'm quite aware of the Valar my dear, anyway..."

"I've met the Valar, Ithenril, I learned many things from them directly. I think I generally have a better idea than you or any other Thelasi, as to what would offend them."

Ithenril was about to say something but shuts her mouth and reconsiders, "Now, why am I here, why are you here, Sirithil, and what now?"

"If you're quite done bickering. I'll start calling her Eätári if you're not careful..."

Ithenril nods, "As I said, why is she here, and why am I here, this is looking less and less like a diplomatic visit"
"I think I'll let my friend He here field that one," Sirithil says.

"Indeed. You're to be my guest for quite some time actually. Sounds so much better than captive, don't you think?" He smiles cruelly for a moment, "Its in your own interest dear..."

Ithenril looks, "Why are you doing this?"

"To ensure once and for all that you don't end up as your predecessor did... As I say, you'll thank us in the end..." the C'tan said.
Ithenril gulps, "You mean Theallas"

"Theallas, yes..."
"Quite so," Siri adds. "I've noticed you've not been... much of an improvement so far. Learning from your mistakes, and those of your predecessor, seems to be a skill in which you are lacking."

"I have no wish of being locked in Mandos for eternity like Fëanor..."

He raises an eyebrow, and looks at Siri for a reaction. She seems quite cool and collected; if the statement angers her, there is no sign. He carries on speaking then, "That's the point you see. You're about as subtle as a pork pie merchant in a synagogue dear. It appears all Thelasi are that way. Never mind, we'll deal with that... in time." He then smiles and ponders proposing to Siri after, for a laugh.

Ithenril looks vaguely offended, "I am still new at this you know"

"Well then, I suggest you get some rest. You have a lot of schooling ahead of you. If you'd like to go with those two," he gestures to a pair of necron lords, somewhat less intimidating than the norm due to the long white and gold robes they wear, "They'll send you to the space station..."

Ithenril nods, "Very well." she turns to follow the necrons,

He watches her go, and then turns to grin at the other elf, "She shows some promise. I think she'll serve our ends well..."
Sirithil nods with a smile. "I think you're right."

He grins, stands up, and kneels, really over-acting, which is very clear from the grin, "Will you marry me then elfy?" Sirithil blinks.
"Um..." More delicate blinks "Say again?"
Mephet'ran laughs a bit, "I couldn't resist that." Ithenril picks up that exchange and bursts out laughing as she walks off
Sirithil giggles, and hugs the C'tan. "You're all kinds of fun."
He chuckles, and watches the Sindarin go, laughing, and hugs back, "I try..."

Evil tag of doom.

OOC: This is confirmation that this WAS RPed over mIRC, and C'tan, I see you kept the part between you and Siri :)

Ithenril was moved shortly after the last encounter They took her away from the planet and imprisoned her in a small room in a space station Meals appeared in a cupboard, and she had other facilities necessary to keep herself reasonably clean, but other than that saw no one for days

Fëaelen walks into the room, opening the door - surprisingly, it opens on a hinge, and is elaborately carved wood in a floral pattern She enters, with Siri in tow. Siri smiles at Ithenril serenely.
Ithenril turns around, "So my wonderful captors have finally seen it fit to grace me with their presence," she says this with a large amount of sarcasm.
Fëaelen takes this seriously, or so it seems, "Yes You should feel gratified that we can make time for you"

Ithenril sighs "As if you couldn’t tell, that was sarcastic although from what I hear C'tan are not graced with good humour"
Fëaelen sits down and grins, "Oh nonsense! I'm renowned for my humour, I'm just more a practical-joke type In this case they may be at your expense. Strangely enough, my victims usually don't find it funny"
Sirithil sits down too and Ithenril shakes her head, "alright, so why have you locked me up, and left me for days on end?"

Fëaelen winks at Siri a bit, and then smiles at Ithenril, "You're not in a position to ask questions I work in whatever way I feel fit"
Ithenril sighs in exasperation, "Alright"
"Good A better question, would be how long have you been here"
"Indeed, how long have I been here?"
"Oooh Very good question indeed!" says Siri, already in on it.
Fëaelen grins at Siri, and then replies, "About fourteen minutes"
Sirithil grins back as Ithenril exclaims "Fourteen minutes? Wait a second here! In our time how long?"
"That's how long you've been gone, in human time measurement"
"How could it have been only minutes?"
Fëaelen smiles, "I take it you're aware of relativistic time distortion?" she doesn't actually, given the foolishness of her nation's actions, but says it anyway.

"Of course, we assumed that the time dilation would effect but not that much"
"It's in reverse here, by a factor of three hundred. You don't need to know how, and wouldn't understand how anyway…”
"Interesting quiet now, what are you going to do to me?"
Fëaelen telepathically prompts Siri "Good cop time I suggest, 'Educate you'"
Sirithil smiles "Educate you," Sirithil says gently.
Fëaelen smiles, "And administer some incentive to behave well in future"

"Educate? About what?"
Fëaelen replies, "How not to be a fool"
Ithenril is getting annoyed by this, "How not to be a fool?!"
Fëaelen says, "Bad Ith" and fires off some pain receptors in the elf, not really enjoying the act of doing so.

Ithenril growls, attempting to throw a ball of energy at Fëaelen, Fëaelen casually mind-fucks Ithenril so that the thoughts necessary to produce such an act of magic seem to escape her recall, and ramps the pain up a little.

Ithenril growls again, forcing herself to calm down

"Now you see… that was fool-ish"
"First off, you detain me on a diplomatic mission against my will, secondly you invade my mind, thirdly, you try and lecture me, and you then call me foolish for getting angry when you start firing off pain receptors in my head?!"
"No, I call you foolish for attacking an opponent you have a snowball's chance in a supernova of defeating"
"I am sorry, if I offended a self-proclaimed God, who seems more and more like Morgoth," says the enraged Thelasi woman.

"Now now, Ithenril, would I associate with a being like that? I thought you had greater faith in me than that," Siri pouts a bit.
Fëaelen smiles calmly, "I've never met the man I'm afraid, and I never claimed to be a god The only people who call me a god these days are the Eldar"

Ithenril looks at the other true elf, "I am sorry I offended you Lady Sirithil, but a servant of Morgoth may fool all but the most observant."

Fëaelen sniggers a little now, "Now you accuse me of serving him? Oh this is good, considering it comes from the heir of Theallas"
"I should note that the C’tan has actively opposed Morgoth on multiple occasions," Siri points out.

"Theallas was tricked into serving Morgoth," Ithenril says quietly

"I seem to remember being the one who first ordered an attack on his forces since his 'unchaining' actually," Fëaelen says over the Thelasi.
Fëaelen stops hurting Ithenril, "Lesson one, try not to call people servants of Morgoth, especially those who generally look down on him" Ithenril nods sullenly.

"It doesn't go down well at all"

Ithenril nods again

"Now, sit down dear"

Sirithil does so and Fëaelen smiles a bit at Siri, and changes the way her 'primal sense of power and authority' works so that she's not affected, only Ithenril.

Ithenril does so too of course.

"Good," she says, leaning back in her chair, "Now, lesson number two about trigger happy Thelasi"
Ithenril sighs, "What about trigger happy Thelasi?"
"They're an annoyance, they make the rest of us look like overeager 'yahoos' and generally interfere with sane military action You must stop declaring war at the drop of a pin"

"I haven't"

Fëaelen sighs, "I speak of your nation, The one you must lead Remember?"
Ithenril sighs, "Listen, I think you have myself and Theallas confused.”
"I doubt that, I'm just ensuring you don't go the same way dear"
Ithenril sighs, "So what will you teach me?"
"We shall be adjusting your attitudes a little, so that you are wise enough to do as we tell you"

"WHAT?!" cries the Thelasi
"Now, now, A little respect please girl"
"RESPECT?! You start talking about changing my attitude, screwing around in my head, and I am supposed to show respect?!"

Fëaelen sniggers a bit, "Oh, who said it'd be quite as brutal as that?"
"Please, Ithenril, try to stay calm We're only trying to help you," interjects the older elf.

Ithenril sighs, calming somewhat, "As it seems that I have no other choice"
Fëaelen smiles a little, "You'll be here for a long time anyway, would you like any little comforts while you're here? A room with a view of the stars perhaps?"

Ithenril sighs again, "A room that is a bit larger, with higher ceilings, and yes, with a view of space"
"Good, I think we can arrange that"
"Thank you"
Ithenril looks at Siri, "I apologise for my rudeness earlier"
Fëaelen smiles at Ithenril, in a particularly irritating manner. "That's all right," Siri says, with a rather less irritating smile.

Fëaelen grins at Siri, "Anything you'd like to say to our little student in the thirty year Thelasi re-education programme?"
"Thirty years?!” says Ithenril that in a whisper of a voice.
"Factor of three hundred, a day becomes three hundred, you're not expected back in Thelas for a month, which is about thirty days, thirty one perhaps."
Ithenril sighs Sirithil blinks, impressed

"Well, it’s not like I will die of age," says the Thelasi.
"That's the beauty of it all, isn't it?" Siri asks, still smiling serenely.
"Sometimes I regret the gifts of our race"

"And what gifts, no you won't age, though last I checked, elves did have a 'Stockholm Syndrome'" the yngir smiles again, in a downright evil manner.
“'Stockholm Syndrome?' Am I missing something"
"Human psychology term dear Referring to the emotional bonding of kinappees to their captors, a survival mechanism"
"Ahh yes, Thelasi have a different term for it learned about it in Thelasi Military Intelligence useful in interrogations"
Fëaelen smiles, "Oh, and don't think about throwing yourself out of an airlock or anything so foolish, it would be pointless"

"If nothing else, I am not a fool. Although you might think differently," says the Thelasi woman, her captors say nothing to that, and she just shakes her head at them.

Fëaelen smiles at Siri, "Oh well, I think that's enough, shall we let Ithenril get some sleep now?"

Ithenril thinks to herself, "I wonder how Theallas is doing"
Fëaelen raises an eyebrow at that, probing her mind as she does so, "What?"
"I didn't say anything."
"Yngir remember, we get to read thoughts."
"Right."
"You often wonder how the dead are then?"
"Well not exactly"

"Explain?" she says, with a very strong compulsion for Ithenril to tell her what she knows
"Sirithil, you may want to be sitting down" she notes that Siri is sitting down, "Theallas is back, you see, when Aliria killed him, his soul did not travel to the Halls of Mandos, to be precise, Theallas sort of did not want to be trapped there for all eternity."

Ithenril takes a breath, "So he chose to remain as a disembodied Fëa in our world He contacted Kentherin, who allowed Theallas to inhabit his body for a time, until we could make, and grow, a clone, which he then inhabited"

Fëaelen raises an eyebrow, "And you say you're not in need of re-education?"
Ithenril smiles, "He was my boss at one point, and saved me from making some very bad decisions, I needed to repay that favour You see, Theallas is back in our plane to repent for his past crimes He wishes to prove himself to the Valar, then die in peace, and re-incarnate like most normal elves."

Sirithil reads this, blinks, and knows one thing and one thing only she doesn't exactly want Theallas reincarnating! Her good-cop routine forgotten, she launches herself at Ithenril, her hands clasping around her neck "You fool !! He's caused enough trouble already!"
Fëaelen does nothing but watch Siri, quite content to let her friend kill Ith if she wants to
Ithenril puts her hand up in a blocking position so that Siri can't strangle her, only to find the C’tan already has its forearm pressing against her throat, "Siri, please calm down Theallas is back to do good please…"

Sirithil glares, and lets go "If I truly wanted you dead I would have drawn my blade," she hisses "And on Theallas, better safe than sorry, I say Let him rot in Mandos, it keeps the rest of us out of the trouble he causes."

Ithenril struggles a little, "Sirithil, Theallas served you for a time, he has changed, anyone who has seen him can tell you that, even Kithail Hyral can see that."
"He has yet to prove himself to me," the Elentári replies, her voice ice-cold and razor-sharp

"Sirithil, if you try and kill him, he will never prove himself" she is starting to notice the loss of air, “Lady Fëaelen, can you let go?"

“Feaelen, that's probably enough," agrees Siri.

"I kind of like my life," Ithenril manages to choke out.

Fëaelen looks at Siri and raises an eyebrow, her hand casually locked around Ithentil's throat, "Sure? Would you like to give her a beating? We've got some nice whips somewhere…" she says jokingly.
Ithenril gulps, "Would you please let go of my neck. It is somewhat hard to attain Oxygen"

"Theallas' actions may yet cost me one of my dearest allies," she hisses "He has murdered, he has betrayed, he has been as bad as my husband ever was I cannot even conceive of a way he can redeem himself in my eyes”

Fëaelen drops Ithenril like the proverbial sack of potatoes, and the elf replies through deep gasps, "You husband is one of the reasons that Theallas does not want to remain in Mandos, and which ally are you talking about?"

"Lavenrunz, what else?"
“Mirbach is mortal, and so are the people of Lavenrunz, they will pass away beyond the world, we have time Sirithil, as we always have, and may I remind you that it was not Theallas that got into that mess but Commander Netari, Theallas was imprisoned in New York and Jersey"

Fëaelen looks at Siri, and gestures to the door
"And who gave Netari the authority to move, exactly?" Siri says, moving towards the door. Fëaelen takes Siri outside, and closes the soundproofed door, as usual, interfering with any magic Ith tries, but before that Ithenril replies provocatively “Theallas, but by that logic, you are responsible for the deaths of the Sindar and Avari!"
Sirithil heard that before the door closed though and she explodes with rage as the door closes, reaching for her sword and moving back towards the door "I'll kill her! This time I mean it!"
Ithenril smiles and sits on her bed, "I found one of Siri's buttons that's for certain," she thinks as Fëaelen stands calmly in the enraged elf's way, "She could be useful to us, wouldn't you prefer to just torture her a litte?"

"Oh… Um… yes… Painfully…" Siri says, sheathing her sword.
Fëaelen smiles a little, "Right, something electrical perhaps?"
Sirithil smiles "Sounds good…"

http://www.angelfire.com/scifi2/iimperium/feasig.JPG
Fëaelen nos Ancalimë (http://www.angaelfire.com/scifi2/iimperium/feaelen1.jpg)
Confederate Spokesquendë for elven affairs, (Secretly also the Ruler of the C'tan Empire, Hidden executive of all states, colonies, holdings, and protectorates therein.)

Months later, the operation was underway on a grand scale. Each night, a shroud class cruiser, re-equipped with Eldar shadow fields, would arrive above Thelas, and whisk away another ten Thelasi, in declining order of power in the military and political orders. Meanwhile, Ithenril, thoroughly obedient, had been returned, with a new companion, or rather fiancé, apparently an elf, whose name was Fëaelenion. Soon the Thelasi would be a thoroughly controlled C'tan puppet state.

Then the true work would begin.