NationStates Jolt Archive

Ithenril smiled at Kentherin, the commander was sitting in a chair, bound. On either side were two guards, a TMI interrogator was standing behind the tortured commander. “So Kentherin, again, who are your co-conspirators?” Kentherin remained silent. “Very well. Lieutenant…”

Kentherin screamed as a electric probe was rammed into his neck, “My co-conspirators are the people of Thelas, the mages of Thelas….” Ithenril smiled, “Already delusional?”

“No…”

As he said that one word, weapons fire was heard, echoing through the facility. Several black shapes burst through the doors. Behind Ithenril, the guards fired, the energy from their weapons dissipating before they even touched the two armored figures. One of them yelled, “FOR THE EMPIRE!” As he fired, his shots ripping into the two guards, the second soldier razed a hand, a magical shockwave sending Ithenril into the wall.

The shocked elven empress conjured her own spell, yet as she summoned her magic, it fizzled. The mage nodded, “The magic of our people has left you Ithenril. The Icharvita has long been tasked with defending Thelas from foreign subversion. You and your leaders are mere puppets of the C’tan. You do not deserve to live.”

Ithenril opened her mouth, to say something, though as she did, lightning arced through her, magic blasted at her, stripping away her soul, destroying her body. After several seconds, there was nothing left of the Empress. Slowly, the soldier turned to Kentherin, “Your mission is done commander, you yourself have been subverted by the C’tan, I am sorry” The soldier fired, his weapon killing the commander instantly. The two Icharvita turned, leaving the room.

All across Thelas this scene repeated, Icharvita agents, disguised as Tirn, moved through Thelas, killing suspected ‘agents of the enemy’ replacements were set up, and the Icharvita continued to move. Yet… four people disappeared They could not be found, for they were the leaders of the Icharvita, they were the mages of Thelas. Two more were needed, a Son, and a Lord. The Lord of Thelas, and the Son of Empress. They had to found, the council had to be completed.

The Icharvita sank away, melting into the Thelasi population. They would fight, as they always had. They would resist, resist to the last.

Lord Machiril was the leader of the Council of the Icharvita, the plan had been set in motion. The C’tan would react, yet the council would be ready. Thelas must always be protected, even if this means resorting to kin-slaying. Machiril hated being forced to execute his own kin, yet it was neccecary, sometimes a limb must be sacrificed to remove a caner. That is what this was, a cancer, a cancer started by outside forces.

To fight a god… to fight a god… how do we fight a god? Yes… it must be done, it is the only way, it is risky, yet it is the only way would be harness the power of the galaxy itself. That is why were are here, in the middle of no where, surrounded by stars, in the birth-place and the death-bed of stars. Magic is strong here, and we will win.

So the Thelasi thought, yet their plan would be tested. The C’tan could not be fought by normal means, they could easily shut down the fleets of Thelas, and even if the Thelasi had their fleet, it would be useless. The only way to win, would be to fight them with the last weapon… yet still the last piece was missing.

A speech broardcast in numerous places, in reaction to the murder.

“Ladies and Gentlemen of Duat. It appears that recent disorder in Thelas has come to a head with the assassination of the Thelasi empress. As such, I am currently revoking the Thelasi right to hold operational starships of a military grade and weapons of the same,” the Emperor held up a small remote control device, and pressed a button, a small green light on it blinked off, “and I am sending my lieutenant, Asirnoth, to restore order in Thelas, with significant assets, and full viceregal power. To the Thelasi terrorists I say this, ‘you wanted problems? Now you have them.’”

One of the dark eldar manning the listening post deep in the radioactive desert of what used to be Raem perks up, taking note of the latest news concerning the rogue Thelasi empire. The Archon would be very interested in this.

Moments later, the battered listening station is silent once more, the message sent racing along the Ways in the Web towards the Dark City itself.

Ithenril was dead. Thelasi warships, such as they were, drifted in space, all systems dead. The cities of the former protectorate were aflame as seemingly random killings - Kinslayings, even - rippled through what passed for society.

"The balloon just went up," Maglor mused... he and Sirithil were seated on a couch, watching the holonets. "Asirnoth occasionally has... extreme habits, mother."

"I know..." The Elentári sighed. "They've been cursed with centuries of incompetent leadership. They can't be trusted with a military. They wander across the stars and where they go trouble follows. Generally, our people believe they can't be trusted even to govern themselves. But they are Elves nonetheless, and if the Void-Dragon turns his wrath upon the common elf of Thelas, Menelmacari will be outraged." She leaned over, resting her head on Maglor's shoulder, and he in turn put a reassuring arm around her.

Sirithil rose after a moment and went into a side room, composing a message to Mephet'ran.

I understand there has been yet another uprising in Thelas. I applaud your restraint in deactivating rather than destroying their military assets, but I am concerned about the lengths to which your brother will go to restore order. If justice is misplaced, it would be an appalling tragedy; though these traitors and Kinslayers do have to be stopped. If there are massive civilian casualties, my people will be outraged at my continued links with you; I treasure our relationship, because I firmly believe you are good, and can - and have! - rise above your past. Please, try to ensure the brunt of Asirnoth's wrath falls upon those who deserve it, and that those who have committed no crime save to be born in a land ruled by fools do not suffer needlessly.

Yours always,
~Finlaurë

Fëaelenion nos Ancalimë wept. Not outwardly per-se, but inwardly he was weeping in possibly the deepest way imaginable. By now, he’d dropped the elf visage that he’d worn with his murdered fiancée and merely looked like an ill-formed metallic shape. Hunting down these Tirin was difficult, but he knew enough of the world-ship to know where they frequented.

In a single move he slammed a thin blade formed from his hand into one of their bellies, passing through their armour as if it wasn’t even there, filling the unfortunate Thelasi’s blood with tiny fragments of metal, breaking off from him as if they had a life of their own, flowing among the blood, turning the Icharvita’s skin a pale metallic colour, she screamed in agonised pain as the living metal usurped her nervous system and turned her body into her own private hell. Compared to her, her compatriots, their corpses strewn about the room in an orgy of gore and fragments of corpses, were lucky.

Still he wept, and still he killed.

The probe decelerated from hyperspeed barely a stone’s throw away from the Thelasi craftworld. A small object, dispatched from Venus with all haste, appeared ten thousand kilometres away.

“People of Thelas,” Asirnoth said, assorted holograms and flat-screens springing to life as the appropriate transmitters were hijacked, displaying him in Sindarin form, “there is a cancer among you. A vile and contemptible disease in your people. As you are no doubt aware, a terrorist group known as the Icharvita, this group recently murdered Empress Ithenril recently. As such, I am dispatching the agents we have kept hidden until now for such an eventuality, The Centre, to assist in purging this problem. The remnants of the government of Thelas will comply or we will be forced to assume that they are supporters of these terrorists.

To the Thelasi people I say this, bear with us over the coming months. It will be difficult to eliminate all of the Icharvita, but we will see it done. We do not wish to harm you, and dearly cherish your friendship. I give you my word that I shall see justice done in your nation.”

"So, against the stirring beast of Thelas resurged. They killed their own Empress and now the country is in chaos, some kind of secret organization is trying to seize power and place a puppet. It's funny, taking into account that they fight to be released by their Ct'an puppeters just to be ruled from the shadows by someone else", said the ArchDuke of the Sinister House of Aelos, cloaked and hidden in the shadows of a corner, as usual, probably the most feared and ruthless individual in the entire Sindarin Empire, with probably the Everqueen being the exception. If the rumors were true, even Dark Eldar blood ran inside his veins to the blackest heart of his race.

His companion, the Marquise Of the Noble House of Eöl, the House of the Drow, laughed happily as she heard the news, her dark skin almost gleaming under the cloaked light of the hidden room. She moved her head to the side, waving her silvery hair over to dress it a little, and smiled. "And in your letter you said that the Everqueen gave us permission to take care of the situation using our methods?"

"Yes", answered the man nodding slowly from his seat. "Looks like the other stupid Houses had already tried their best regarding Thelas and they have failed miserably. The Everqueen thinks it's time for extreme measures, and we have the freedom to use any resources at our disposal to help to quell the resistance. Please gather your best infiltrators and sabouteurs. I'll gather the headhunters and the assassins, soon the shadows will cover Thelas and we will could strike when, where and how we like"

"Looks like finally our troops are going to have some fun, eh Philantras?. Please send some of your mages, I'm sure that will caught the Thelasi unprepared, I'll force some psionics to join the ranks too. I suppose the mission is to search, hunt and destroy those Icharvitas that caused the trouble in the first place", said the drow with a wink.

"Indeed. The everqueen wants them to dissapear. And I mean dissapear, with no trace, please don't leave the corpses around. It will take us some time to find them, but I suppose that once we start to uncover the cells it will be easy to erase them from the entire country. You now the drill, and I hope that you will accomplish your part of the job. The orders for your people lies inside that scroll, please comply in the right time", finished the Archduke raising from the seat. "That's all, you can go, now. And please don't fail, the will of the Everqueen finally is supporting us".

The drow left with a wry smile, taking the scroll with her...

Days later, Orbit of Thelas....


The shuttles, big yet slender forms with no trace of the current eldar technology of the Aelosian navy, raced through the orbit using advanced dark eldar engines to avoid detection, looking to land over the surface of Thelas' capital city. In the bowels of each ship, a crew of merciless assasins, trained killerhands, mercenaries, sabouteurs, were reading their orders to launch a coordinate and surgeon strike over the unknown Icharvitas. Indeed it was a small army, a suitable force capable of easily overunning entire regiments of organized troops. The ruthless troops in all Aelosia, they finally had the chance to use their heinous methods without any restrictions. Indeed the shadow will cover Thelas' sky as the blood will start to cover the ground, when the poison and the hidden blades would be released on the city.

Dearest Finlaurë,

I have no doubt that this is just another of the many appalling incidents of Thelasi stupidity. I myself do not intend to do anything horrific or cruel to them as punishment for this failure. My days of doing that are long past. I have also explained much of this to my brother, and his understanding of the needs of the situation with regard to humane behaviour are more sophisticated than one would imagine. He has recently begun to come to an understanding of your people like my own, and has assured me that he shall not do anything as excessive as one would expect.

Much like myself he is much aggreived by the effect all this must be having on his nephew, and for that, and he is quite determined to make an example of these kinslaying terrorists. However, he also understands both the political and to a lesser extent, moral, need for clemancy. He has made it clear to me that it is his intent to deprive Thelas of a military, as once more they have proven unable to handle the responsibility, and disolve their numerous intelligence agencies, who are quite frankly, as disloyal as a Dark Eldar. Furthermore, with no clear successor to their leadership, he is also considering annexing the nation (In which case Thelasi payments to Menelmacar will be continued) but at the moment, his major concern is to see that the wrongdoers are punished.

Aric eleanah,
Mephet'ran

The 'Commander', as her agents knew her, was not ammused, she was furious. Ithenril nos Galadriel had been one of the Commander's best friends, they had fought together, and killed together, trusting their lives in the other's abilities, and now, she had betrayed Ithenril, her radicals from her own agency, sworn to protect the Impirial Throne, and to protect the life of the Empress, had killed the Empress. Goddamnit, Theallas will have my head....

She turned, her face invisible under the hooded cloak she wore, her voice masked by a synthisize, "Lienenant, I want you to find out who did this, and I want them brought before me. If you fail me, I will hand you over to the C'tan, is that understood?"
"perfectly mam"
"Good, in the mean time, get me a bounced link (OOC: Untracable) to Emperor Mephet'ran"

She turns to a camera, "Emperor Mephet'ran, I am the Commander of the Icharvita, and I wish to speak to you about a very important matter, involving the death of Empress Ithenril."

The response was curt, angry, and unpleasant sounding, "I am Asirnoth. You will speak with me."

"Very well Lord Asirnoth, I am the Commander of the Icharvita, as I said, I have some enlightening information about my failure to protect Empresss Ithenril, are you interested?"

Her voice is hard, metalic, and her cloak has an enchantment on it to hide her face, behind that, she also wears a black mask.

"Of course I am interested."

"Good... to set some points straight, I never ordered the murder of Ithenril, none of my agents carried it out, in fact, I would be hard pressed to say that it could have been an Icharvita agent, in fact, I am certain that it was not"

"Continue."

"More than that, the Icharvita have a standing order not to commit kin-slaying. Our mission is to protect Thelas, the Empress and the office of the Imperial Throne"

"Your excuses grow annoying, speak quickly, and be to the point.”

"To get to the point, I am at a loss about who ordered the death of Ithenril, all my agents are accounted for, and I would even say that it was a foreign power that ordered the execution.

"I do not believe you."

“More than that, my agents are at a loss as to how this could have happened.... it was some one in the government, and some one who was not an Icharvita agent.” Asirnoth just tuts sceptically.

"I am interested in finding the assassins just as much as you are. Ithenril was a close friend of mine and we served in the Space Forces together, we both were on the same battleship in the Knootoss war"

“My patience grows short...”

"Look, I offer you the help of the Icharvita, it will save you time and money, and men, to let us assist in this operation. We have nothing against the C'tan, in fact, we support continued Thelasi involvement, you have made the Thelasi stronger than ever before, thus we wish to help you, and continue this beneficial relationship"

"Find me these assassins, and bring them to me, alive," he says, "in two days."

"Give me a month, these operations take time, if they are to be carried out correctly"

"Two days. Then I will do it my way." Asirnoth is fully aware his demand is unreasonable, and doesn't much care.

"Alright, but please get those Aelosian assassins off of our worldship before the Tirn decide they are a threat to national security, I don't want another international incident so close after the Amalthea debacle"

"They're nothing to do with me. I suggest you get rid of them yourselves."

"Very well I'll try to get them out of here before they get killed"

The Void-Dragon cuts the connection and the Commander turns off-screen, "Lieutenant, get the assassins of Ithenril in front on me, you have exactly two days"

The Dragon rises, walking over, the claws of his serpentine avatar, something unseen in that transmission, clicking against the floor, He looks over the balcony of his sepulcure at the parade ground below, tens of thousands of troops look back. Soon…

Yes… Soon.

[OOC: Thelas: post to Amalthea next tine you're on or I'll assume victory and move on. I've waited long enough.]

Warlord Garrand pushed his brows together as he punched off the holocomm. "Fucking Elves," he muttered, reaching for his stylus. Opposite his desk, a number of Imperial Generals sat, including a number of Marshals. Garrand leaned forward, levelling a finger at Southron Guard General Zand Talavi. "You," he bgean with a snort as the General locked his eyes on the Warlord. "I want you to call up every Southron Guardsman you can find. Tap reserves if you have to; coordinate with your civil administrators to round up all able bodied males in Near and Far Harad.

His gaze swivells to an Easterling General. "Do likewise in Nova Rhûn. I want every man we have armed and ready for combat ASAP. I want an adequate raiding force armed in ready inside six weeks."

Talavi arched a brow, clasping his hands on his lap. "Isn't there the small issue of not knowing where the Thelasi are? We've never been able to put a finger on their craftorld," he points out, shifting in his seat slightly.

Garrand sighed. "This is true, but I think I just might know someone who does know. I don't know if he'll tell us, but I want to be ready just in case." He shrugged. "Besides, If push comes to shove, we beleive the Thelasi are in the possession of a palantir. This alone makes them incredibly vulnerable to detection given the properties of the Angband Stone." He shrugged. "You never know."

Talavi nods. "True enough, I suppose," he says, reaching for his mug of coffee. "Once we find them, it's only a matter of time," he deduces, lifting the mug to his lips casually.

Next to him, the Easterling nods concurrently, slowly rising to his feet. "Of course," he says with a chuckle. Talavi stands as well. "We'll get on it right away."

Garrand nodded silently and watched the men file out, followed by an entourage of aides and other officers. Leaning back in his chair, he plucks a glass of scoth off his desk and takes a swig. Setting the glass down, he cracks his knuckles and punches the holocomm back up.

To Emperor Mephet'ran:

While relations between our two nations is strained at best, I would nonetheless like to make the attempt to contact you regarding the Thelasi, whose idiocy you are no doubt intimately familiar with. Perhaps you may be interested, in light of recent events, in sharing with us the location of the Thelasi craftworld, so that our armies may desroy it.

Name your price.

Warlord Marcus Garrand
Imperator-General of the Imperial Air Force
http://upl.silentwhisper.net/uplfolders/upload8/edharris1.jpg

Warlord Marcus Garand,

Indeed we are familiar with the most ludicrous and annoying aspects of the Thelasi national character, and seeing them destroyed would be - no great loss to us. Indeed, some of us would consider this an opportunity to gloat. However, I have been recently instructed to only release the location of this planetoid to those I do not believe will harm the Thelasi. Public opinion in certain states dictates the way we handle the Thelasi situation.

That said, I am of the opinion that such public opinion can easily be negated as a factor if the price of this information were to be set at something these people would approve of; for example, fifteen million elf slaves we believe that you currently possess. Obviously the ineptitude of the Thelasi in all things would make them less useful as thralls, however I imagine you are more than capable of rounding up a sufficient number of Thelasi to make up for this individual ineptitude.

- Asirnoth, Chief Lieutenant of Mephet’ran

Garrand taps his chin thoughtfully with his pen as he contemplates his response. He shifts his chair, rocking it back and forth as he mulls over Asirnoth's words. Was it worth it? It was a question he didn't have the authority to answer himself, and he knew it. Perhaps his Lord would simply turn his back on the deal, but nonetheless, he figured Asirnoth would be smart enough to smell a rat had he said yes right away.

After a time, he drops his stylus and reaches over to punch up the holocomm again.

Your offer is... interesting. At the very least, I judge that it bears consideration. Unfortunately, I do not have the authority to broker such a deal for the Five Kingdoms. Lord Melkor is, shall we say, a bit protective of those particular bits of property, and has rarely allowed a Warlord the opportunity to make decisions on their behalf.

I shall put your offer before him and return to you in time with his answer, or perhaps he will choose to contact you himself.

Warlord Marcus Garrand
Imperator-General of the Imperial Air Force
http://upl.silentwhisper.net/uplfolders/upload8/edharris1.jpg

OOC: Melkor, I thought I told you... you decimated the Thelasi fleet.... the Thelasi suffered 100% casualties in the ambush....

No matter what every one else would say, the Thelasi were not as stupid as they were made out to be, preparations were already under way fo another movement of the world-ship. Unlike the ships of the Thelasi fleet, Edenbar was 100% Thelasi made, and as such was imune to the particular device that the C'tan used.

The imobile Thelasi fleet was being moved by massive tugs, and soon, all of the warships were floating so close to the world-ship to alow a man to, in a spacesuit, jump from the ships to the station.

In the worldship, the true Icharvita scrambled, every agent they had was searching for the illusive assassins that had claimed the life of the Empress...

30 hours remaining....

With a colossal pulse in other dimensions, the fleet arrived. No less than thirty thousand kilometres away from the Thelasi world ship, they were ready. Almost a hundred men-at-war, mile after mile of turrets and armour and weapons, sitting in the icy darkness like so many shards of metal, ready to stab the unwary. The fleet was surrounded by thousands upon thousands of scarabs, space-going metallic constructs, scarabs, in wave after wave after wave. In a single fluid movement they were off, carried by the faster-than-light hyper-speed drives, they immediately moved around to the front of the necron fleet, forming a thick wall of objects distorting sensors, and likely, as soon as their small inbuilt gravitic motors could identify such things, impacting and destroying any projectile weapon aimed at the necron ships beyond.

The necron ships meanwhile, began their own electronic warfare, a blanket of static radiating in all directions, on radio to x-rays, and beyond into other faster than light communications, radiating more tachyons than one could ever hope to communicate through. In another instant, a device designed to slightly tweak the laws of physics in a given area, akin to the hyper-speed motivator, an integral part of the necron drive system that allowed a vessel to travel faster than light by altering the laws of physics to those of a strange, or rather, simple, alternate universe of Newtonian physics, activated. This was far easier to understand. For a fraction, a millionth even, of a second, the advanced quantum physics involved in much communications via quantum entanglement became simply irrelevant, unworkable, reducing any such device in the area of the world ship to useless scrap until re-tuned. Manually.

Satisfied that the Thelasi were cut off from all communications, the Void-Dragon ordered the next phase of the assault to begin. Gauss whips, terrifying magnetic weapons that flayed away armour, systems and crew into their component atoms fired, not this time at their full awesome power, but merely low enough to create a massive electrical and optronic surge as they moved, destroying vast swathes of electronic equipment by overload, and causing appalling headaches and nausea to any organic creature in the area. Now they waited for the inevitable response.

“My lord, we are detecting an energy build up in the Thelasi world ship,” said a Necron Lord, turning to the C’tan aboard the Mechanisms of the Gods.
“Displace fourteen cyclonic warheads aboard, keyed to detonate if they are interfered with or if the vessel jumps out of one light year of this ship, then inform the Thelasi of their little gift” ordered Asirnoth quickly, his words rushed.
“I obey,” the necron replied, and a moment later it was done. Such a thing had already been prepared.

Ithenril paced in the room that the Icharvita had allotted her. It was annoying, here, she was the most powerful person in Thelas… yet she could do nothing. Her people were being attacked by her allies and her fiancé was on a killing spree, all because she was too weak to notice the Icharvita agents sneaking up on here. That last part was the one who hurt her the most, Feaelenion, her fiancé was somewhere out there, thinking she was dead.

Ithenril sat back on the bed, wiping a tear out of the corner of one eye, stifling a little sob, she proceeded to think through what she was going to do next. A second later, the door opened, and her guard popped his head in, “Milady is something wrong?” Ithenril looked up at him, “As a matter of fact yes, the C’tan are about to invade my nation, my fiancé thinks I am dead, all because I can’t get out of here!” The agent shook his head, “Milady, our mission is to protect you, even if that means hurting others around you.” Ithenril looked up at the young elf, “Soldier, as the Empress I order you to let me go.”

Again the soldier shook his head, “Milady, I can only take orders from General Theallas.” Ithenril gazed at the elf, “Soldier, Theallas entrusted his command to me, he transferred his command and responsibility, now, that means that I am your superior, now, get me to a broadcasting center, now.” The guard nodded, “Follow me… Commander”

Ithenril walked down the hall-way, stepping into the broadcast room. A Thelasi flag was draped behind the podium, and the cameras began rolling as Ithenril stepped onto the platform.

As she did, people across Thelas cried tears of joy, delighted to see that their Empress was safe, their Empress would continue to try and guide them.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, Elves, Humans, and C’tan, it appears that many have been under the idea that I am dead. In fact, it appears that these rumors are quite baseless, it is more truthful to say that I was whisked away by over-zealous guards, guards who believed, correctly, that my life was in danger. Now that the Necron armies are taking these actions, I have released myself, and now will seek to right these troubles that have engulfed our land.

I have made many mistakes, and for that I am sorry. I only seek to rebuild Thelas, and to rebuild our relations with the international community. Thelas is, and always will be, a power. We will fight, and we will win, yet now is not the time to fight. Now is the time for peace, for rebuilding, for rest.

Ladies and Gentlemen: We will rebuild, we will reconstruct, and we will return, yet for now, I am announcing a practice of non-interference in the international community, thank you, and goodnight.”

Ithenril stepped off of the stage, she turned to the guards, “If you will excuse me, I have a distraught fiancé to find.” Ithenril strode off, out of the warehouse, in one of the seedier areas of Thelas. She had grabbed her staff, and began to look for her Feaelenion.

As one, the massive necron vessels turned. This had been surprised, pleased, and somewhat irritated by this turn of events, and with their (metaphorical) tails between their (metaphorical) legs, they vanished into hyperspeed, generally grumping amongst themselves and hoping that next time they’d get to blow something up.

“Well,” said Asirnoth, “looks like the deal’s off.”

“Yes. I think it’s time to try our little contingency,” replied the large hologram of his master, “I shall prepare the package.”

Mr Garrand,

It appears that the Thelasi situation has changed, and we are no longer able to provide the product in such numbers. However, we would like to table another offer for your consideration. We have a rather famous Thelasi in our possession, one “Theallas” whom I believe your master would find appealing as an ornament for the Thangorodrim. Just a suggestion, the price is of course, negotiable.

Yours,
Asirnoth
Chief Lieutenant of Mephet'ran.