NationStates Jolt Archive

Commonality Space Force Primary Earthbound Construction Yard, Ax-turath, Iluvauromen, Lodoss; 12:57 p.m. UST (Universal Standard Time)

The rumble filled the world with its strength - or at least this plain. The trees and plants here are stressed constantly, but are cared for by the military as best as can be; thus they are healthy but strange, many of the shrubs having more leaves than is normal for their species and type; the trees are gnarled and windswept, for this is a windy place: a powerful katabatic wind sweeps swiftly down over this formerly more fertile plain from the splendid Mt. Victory, tallest mountain in Ax-turath and third tallest in the Commonality, which lies a few miles to the north-east.

The rumble descended in pitch to a thrum, still great in volume but further towards the edge of the hearing range of Humans - but still quite deep inside the range of the Nenyans and Elves that also live in the Commonality.

A high-pitched whistle begins to make itself known, counter to the thrumming rumble, and birds nearby flutter into the air, taking flight in panic - for those who have survived previous launches know what is to come.

Yet the birds return always, and much do those who launch from here mourn for that. Inured even to the klaaxon which warns of the impending launch, now, the birds do not leave before this point ever; only when the whine of the engines of the ship launching reaches a certain point exceptionally uncomfortable do the birds leave.

There, beyond the trees, lies a space where nothing grows, but lies instead fixed soil; the soil ripples slightly, now, as a crack forms and doors rumble open, revealing a massive hangar beneath - and a gaping maw in the Earth. The ground aroundabout is utterly untouched; there are no scorch marks, no signs of the frequent passing of mighty warships.

Lifted from this gaping maw came two ships, small, squat, chunky; they are tugs, overengined and without weapons or defensive grids. Between them they haul a massive weight, although there are no lines or ties to the spherical object they haul upwards.

They rise seemingly effortless into the air, rapidly joined by small, white stars - which are obviously not stars but are in fact fighter escorts - and, accelerating harder and harder to break free of the pull of the Earth, vanish into the deep blue sky.

* * *

Iluvauromeni Earth-Mars Highway; 3:36 p.m. UST

The ships swept through the last propulsive field before the decelleration phase began, en route to a Mars orbit - albeit one that isn't really an orbit at all, but is a fixed relative position following the EMH Martian Exit Point.

The initial first two ships plus the large spherical mass are now joined by several ICEL warships, following the tugs and the mass hauled between them - although technically the tugs do not haul that sphere any more. The sphere, like the ships, are accelerated forwards by propulsive EM fields given out by special accelerative rings deployed between the Earth and Mars, moving on careful orbital paths. These rings are the Earth-Mars Highway, a multi-trillion Relhame project undertaken by the Imperial Space Networking Co-operative (IsnCo).

The ships soar onwards, speeding towards the fourth planet...

Mars Orbital Colony of Cyrnal Ystë, Commonality Mars Space (Economic Exclusion Zone: 2,500 kilometres spherical relative); 07:31 pm UST

Lirinsérë of Great House Aquinall, the chief Noldor House of the Iluvuaromeni Commonality of Everlasting Light, gazed out through the VisiWall as the new Colony was finally powered up; nothing altered, nothing changed from the image that had been before him previously. It was still just a sphere, grey except for the two giant impressions of the Iluvauromeni Space Administration version of the Three Star Sigil: the normal three grey-white stars sat in triangular formation inside a white-edged triangle inside a white-edged circle, all backed with a gentle light blue, but in addition, outside the circle, was a spaceship in the lower left corner, and the blazing yellow Sun in the top right with seven stars arranged in a single line seated at the top left.

But as the Colony powered up, nothing changed. No exterior lights came on, for there were none. Instead, there were satelites-

Ah, there. The satelite lighting system came online as he watched, and he smiled. Now it was ready.

He was in truth aboard one of the new spaceborne 'flitters'; named because they flitted here and flitted there. Not a particuarly fantastic naming scheme, but it worked.

He was eminently glad to be here, however. Soon he would move into his planet-facing quarters - in the so-called Western Quarter of the Colony, where the government would sit - and then his new life would begin.

He was to be the representative of his culture on the Commonality Executive Council; and, had he not once been Head of Great House Aquinall in the past, he would have felt uncomfortable assuming a higher position than he who held the position currently. As it was, it hardly mattered.

Old enough to have seen the terrible acts of the Nenyar (for he did not mistakenly use the term 'Nenyans' except when speaking amongst Humans - and there were none on the flitter, nor would there be any permanently on the Colony for now) against the Dth'gari during the Two Thousand Year War of Conquest, Lirinsérë had lead Great House Aquinall during the middle years of that terrible conflict. He had held the highest office in his House for three hundred and seventy five years; then he had stepped down in favour of a younger man who showed great promise - but had been tragically slain by a stray arrow whilst trying to mediate between the Dth'gari and the Nenyar.

After that incident, regrettably, the efforts for peace ceased - at least, those that were initiated by the Noldor in what was then the Empire of the Eternal Flame did.

Strict isolation had followed, by agreement with both warring parties, and the war had seemed so far away that many of the Noldor around Lirinsérë had come to ignore it. Then the war had ended, and, at a seeming breakneck speed (to the Quendi), the Empire fell - and was replaced by something utterly unexpected.

This new order was rather better than the old; and so Great House Aquinall, seeing the Nenyans and Humans of the EOTED, and then the ICEL that followed very quickly indeed, spreading into space, had requested their own Colony. Others, of course, would be allowed to live their; but it was to be primarily for Great House Aquinall and the Noldor.

Therefore, Lirinsérë, most willing of the eldest of the House, had been selected personally by the Empress to take up the High Lordship. He smiled.

He didn't care one iota for being High Lord; what he cared about was being close to this world - the world the Humans named Mars, but that he knew as Carnil.

The Colony, however, was named in the High Nenya language; therefore it was to be Cyrnal Ystë - which was just as well: for there was already, no doubt, a Carnil Osto - and certainly a Mars City. The Colony would gain a newer name in time - one that would fit its character - he was sure.

He almost shivered with delight - although of course he did not do so - as he felt the very slight thump, and heard the sound of hermetic seals clamping into place. We have arrived, he smiled to himself.

Mars Orbital Colony of Cyrnal Ystë, Commonality Mars Space (Economic Exclusion Zone: 2,500 kilometres spherical relative); 12:55 am UST

Lirinsérë had now been aboard for some time, and he found the design and layout of the Colony utterly charming. He himself had not had a hand in its design; an architectural organisation in Nenya had won the contract to design the internal structure. That meant the designers had been a mixture of Humans, Nenyar, and Quendi; so it reflected everything that was Iluvauromeni, in a sense. There were the sturdy oak doors that the Nenyar preferred, inside 'buildings' (naturally the important doors were of sturdy, high-tensile steel); there was the proliferation of precious stones or imitation of precious stones, adorning archways that were of the elegant, sweeping style preferred by the Dth'gari; and there were many bronze walls, with mirrors beaming light around every room, spreading the glow as equally as possible.

His favourite room was this one, the Palace of Reflection. It was not really a palace, and the amenities were few; a few soft cushions spread about the floor was all. But the room was alternately mirrored and VisiWalled; the VisiWall displays all showed a starscape, whilst the mirrors reflected back the contents of the room - with starscapes often as a background, or reflections leading off to eternity. The floor was adorned with the sign of Great House Aquinall: a great eagle clutching a banner in its right talons, with the banner streaming off to the right, with seven shining stars upon it. The left talons clutched a scroll. The eagle stared straight out of the image; the background was transparent, meaning simply in this case that whatever colour one chose to put behind the symbol of the Great House was the correct one. This room had a vivid red-orange floor, as did many of the rooms; probably the architects were attempting to capture the thought that the Colony would be so near to Mars.

It didn't really work, Lirinsérë decided. The colour wasn't really vivid enough, nor was it actually the correct colour. Perhaps they hadn't intended to have the right colour; merely the implication of the colour...

Lirinsérë had not yet been to the surface. In fact, his ascension to the position of High Lord had not yet even been announced - yet he had already dispatched a communique using the title. This was all absolutely legal.

There would be no ceremony, no pomp. He had been offered the position, and had accepted, and was now in the 'land' which he had High Lordship over; that was that. The People who had arrived already were few; there were some seven hundred aboard the Colony already, however. Many more would be arriving aboard the massive CSS Valiant, tomorrow.

He sighed, and tapped the key to forward his message to anyone who was listening...

* * *

"Greetings, Mars. It is with great honour that I announce that the Mars Orbital Colony of Cyrnal Ystë is now operational, and the first citizens of this new state of the Vilya Elenoston Colonies and the larger Iluvauromeni Commonality of Everlasting Light have already arrived.

"I am Lirinsérë of Great House Aquinall, and I have been appointed High Lord of Cyrnal Ystë by Empress the Supreme Commander Rialla ux-Rihad II, in the name of the People of the ICEL, through the unanimous consent of the Commonality Executive Council. As you can see, I am Noldor. This will primarily be a Noldor Colony, as Vilya Elenosto is primarily Nenyar; although all who are willing to submit to the standard decontamination protocols and Commonality Law are welcome aboard the Orbital.

"The ICEL Space Administration will set up a local legislative government once the population of the Colony reaches five thousand persons. At that time, democratic elections will be held to appoint a government. Until that time, I have full autonomy over the Colony.

"I greet all the nations, dominions, and colonies of Mars warmly. I hope indeed that we may co-operate to the benefit of all in the centuries to come."

~ Lirinsérë, High Lord of Cyrnal Ystë