NationStates Jolt Archive

Hanger Bay/Storage Facility
The Palace of the Sundered Stars
Luma Via, Solarasvilla

The ship's AI would have given much to know what swirled in the aged Emir's mind this day. Unfortunately, the Steward was not forthcoming with his thoughts. If the AI, called the Keeper of the Codex, had known what the Emir was thinking it would have seen serious trouble on the horizon. As it was, the AI simply carried out its duties just as would any other Servant of the Emirate, controlling the mindless mover drones and repair drones so that the cargo would be loaded smoothly and the ship's armor would be effectively enhanced so that the real job could begin. The drones did not have thoughts, but the Emir, on the other hand...


A designation can be used for more than one node, and given a certain level of population and the limitations of the language, will of necessity be used in that way, mused Suran Al-Habnri. He found that meditating on the messages found in the Flame of Wisdom was better than doing so with regard to his previous thoughts about how low the population of Solarasluma had fallen, a sign of the death of his people. Previously there had been billions of Solaraslumans enjoying the light of the Stars...but that was back in a time when the King reigned and his power reinforced the light. The King was dead. There was only the Steward for the Throne, and that throne was no longer the Throne of Stars, but the Throne of Sundered Stars. So much had changed from one age to the next, and the Emir's lifetime had seen more change than most under the light of the Stars. Death and life had blended and illuminated the universe, as the Flame had prophesied.

Ending his ruminations with a sad shake of his head, the Emir boarded the ship and went to the bridge to ensure that all was in order. It would be, he knew. The Keeper of the Codex had never made a mistake, which was the reason it had gained such a high position in the Emirate. After a few moments, both AI and Emir confirmed their destination and the engine of the ship brightened the air, moving swiftly along the Luma Via and into the lighted darkness.

Chamber of Shade
Guild Security Residence
Dun Brilliana, Solarasvilla

The shadows were suddenly silent as the raised hand, still and hot, interrupted the heated conversation between two of those seated at the Table of Night. The pair ceased immediately upon seeing the raised hand, their eyes downcast, awaiting rebuke. The hand sheathed itself in the shadows once more, and a soft voice broke the silence that the hand had engendered. The mind behind the hand and voice gave instructions to the two that would keep them out of trouble for a time. He wondered idly what they would have done if he had been seen in the light, and suspected that his end would have come quickly had they caught sight of his true form. Fortunately, only one of the Guild was aware of the nature of his being, and he found it advantageous to maintain that state of affairs.

Light faded further in the Chamber of Shade, and the voice behind the hand continued to give instructions to those seated at the Table of Night. As each one received their instructions, they bowed respectfully and left the chamber with dignity. After all was said and done, only one was left seated. She was the most dangerous of their number, prone to secrecy, and her time as a Defender of the Peace in her youth made her suspect. He knew that Sira suspected something, and he also knew that she would wait until she had seen it for herself before searing him dead. Her eyes, dark and cold, seemed to search him out in the shadows. He smiled, and began speaking the words that would lead her into the next world.

Sira Bin Komar silently presided over her own thoughts throughout the Guild meeting, noting the inaccuracy of calling it a meeting, given that all that was ever done was that those seated at the Table of Night received their orders and left once more, often without ever returning. Those who did not return were always the same ones who were given their orders last, she had noticed. She knew that the task she was being given today was intended to be her last. She also knew that she would make sure it was the last task the shadowed Solarasluman would give her.

The Flame of Peace
Defenders of Peace HQ
Ellona Ara, Solarasvilla

Mar15, had he been possessed of eyebrows, would have raised one inquisitively. But as his designation indicated, Mar15 was a high-ranking Artificial Intelligence, charged with keeping watch over the Flame of Peace, so eyebrows were not in evidence. On the rare occasions that a Solarasluman who was not a Defender of the Peace was given a tour of the DoP HeadQuarters, the skilled AI was formally introduced as the Keeper of the Index. At the moment, Mar15 was curious about an abnormality that had been detected in the Index. Analysis of the abnormality had already eliminated the possibility of it being a malignant entry, meant to corrupt the index. Further analysis indicated that it was not an error, either. Thus, more analysis was being done, and Mar15 was confident that he would diagnose the problem accurately through sufficient study, and because the abnormality was not malignant, time was readily available.

The Grand Defender watched the AI carefully. His dreams had warned him not to trust the AI, and he was curious as to why. It was constantly monitored, and no suspicious activity had ever been detected, naturally. That was a requirement for being granted the position of Keeper. Still, the Grand Defender knew that such dreams were given by the Flame of Wisdom, and were ignored at the peril of the one who received them as well as at the peril of many others. Such was the experience of Solarasluman tradition, which existed for a reason.

Communications Centre
SS Stellaranomia (SDF-0)
Luma Via, Solarasvilla

Suran sniffed the air, perceiving an odor where there should be none, and after a few more whiffs ran a scan of the atmospheric conditions. It would not do to have his body react to a strange smell while in conference with other important Solaraslumans. The scan detected nothing, and Fri30 activated a comm unit to speak with the Emir, asking why the scan had been completed. The Emir explained, and Fri30, with the usual AI assumption, put it down to a mental error on the part of the Emir. For once in the AI's extended lifespan, he was incorrect.

The conference was over, and Suran felt drained of energy, despite being accustomed to a fairly high level of activity. He decided to enter the medical pod, just in case there was something impairing his functioning. The pod would find whatever might be lurking in his physiology and eliminate it. After notifying the Keeper of the Codex and instructing the AI to maintain the ship's course, Suran entered the pod and slept.

Stars, sundered and shining, poured forth their light on Suran. He found himself in his room in the Palace, many years ago. He felt small, weak as the Flame of Wisdom danced in his mind. Death is a brilliant beginning, the transfer of energy and matter within the system of our existence into a more expansive environment. Your node spreads its life throughout the universe. The memories flashed, blinded him, and then he woke to a cold dawn aboard an old ship.

Bin Komar Residence
Lunas Occlusina District
Dun Brilliana, Solarasvilla

Sira Bin Komar prepared herself for the next day, using the sanitation chamber to cleanse herself fully after a strenuous set of stretches, strengthening exercises, and endurance activity repetitions. The continuance of her training methods that she had first employed as a Defender of the Peace had, somewhat ironically, served her very well in her service to the Guild which entailed working in opposition to the Defenders. Furthering the irony, as a result of her experience as a DoP, the Guild had found her far more useful than most of its agents. But now, that use was coming to an end. She knew the current assignment was intended to be her last, but even if things went in the opposite direction they intended and she succeeded, it would only help the Guild. Or so they thought. Sira smiled.

The sleeping chamber was well-decorated, and poorly-lit, a rarity in Solarasluman areas. Most liked spare, well-lit rooms, but Sira had always been different. The light was not a comfort to her, but a bane. She could not hide in the light. She could not open her eyes and see into the emptiness of the universe when the hard rays were present. As Sira lowered herself onto the suspended sleeping pad, her body slowly relaxed. She began to breathe ever more gently, and gradually slipped into the darkness of her dreams. He was waiting for her there.