NationStates Jolt Archive

The Grand Vizier of Gothelrelm gave this address to the civilizations of the universe:

“The Emperor has expressed his wishes for The Empire of The Abyssian Legion to become more involved in politics. It is for this reason that I extend an invitation to all nations to send a leader or representative for a short visit to one of the Empire’s two capital cities, Gothelrelm.

“During this visit, we will discuss matters such as trade agreements, alliances, and anything else that you wish to bring to the table. There will also be a banquet, a secret event, and possibly other events.

“Visitors will be staying in the luxury suites of the Gothelrelm Residence. You will have access to luxury services at all times, including professional love making women.

“Please bring up any concerns with me. This will be a wonderful and exciting event, and a possibility to get to know the high officials of the Empire. Everyone is invited!”

As this was a new territory with possible hostile nations coming to negotiate, Kazecistan decided to show off. One of its dreadnought class SC's jumped in system and awaited further instructions.

ooc: sorry for the short post, I just wanted to 'reserve' a spot as I won't be on for an hour or two.

Incoming Transmission

To: Grand Vizier of Gothelrelm
From: Dinar Jetz, CEO of Gadget Corporation
Subject: Discussive Matters

Gadget Corporation is intrigued by the appearence of this new empire, and would like to take you up on your offer for discussion. While I myself cannot come, I will be sending two of my most trusted advisors, Gygan Fortude and Tricia Aerckyth. They should arrive within the next two days.

Signed,
Dinar Jetz, CEO of Gadget Corporation

End Transmission

"Thank you for your quick responses. The Emperor is most pleased. If anyone does not know where to find us, The Empire of The Abyssian Legion is located on the planet of Palacia in Rundocian System."

Bump

"The banquet has been moved back three days to allow visitors to enjoy the beginning of Abyssia's Fungusday celebrations, the greatest holiday in the Empire."

To: The Grand Vizier of Gotherelm
From: Governor Erinak Luton

We accept your invitation of joining you at the Banquet. I myself shall be arriving.

"This is great! You will have a marvelous time."

OOC: A little bump before I go to sleep. Tomorrow I'll be starting the banquet, and if anyone wants to arrive late they can.

OOC: I wont be starting the banquet today. I'm too busy with Thanksgiving. I'll start it tomorrow. If I'm doing anything wrong, someone please tell me. Anyone can join this.

Palacia’s dense black clouds swirled over the aeroplatform on which the Grand Vizier stood. All the sunlight was blocked out by the clouds, leaving the only light sources to be the guidance lights on the platform, the lamps of the city below, and the brief but frequent flashes of lightning. The Grand Vizier was awaiting his guests.

Seven warships of the Empryian Royal Navy exited warp outside of the deep gravity well of the Solar System. Four Elegence Battlecruisers, two Anvil Super Carriers and a Sublime Heavy Battleship, painted in the deep midnight blue of the Imperial Throne, moved at 150 m/s towards the planet, the cruise-speed of the Emperor's Light, the Sublime class Battleship.

Interceptor squadrons left the hangar bays of the carriers, moving into escort formation. A Broadcast message was sent to the Grand Vizier that the Duke of Hydiphron, had arrived, in proxy of the Emperor of the Empryian Imperial Republic.

The Grand Vizier sends back a message welcoming the Duke of Hydiphron to the Empire. He would appreciate it, though, if you left your big ships in orbit.

The Grand Vizier sends a transmission to all nations planning on attending:

"Once you arrive near Palacia, we will direct your ship to an aeroplatfrom for it to land on. I, the Grand Vizier, will be waiting there for you."

The Planetary Assault Ship appeared above the planet. On board the flight deck General Karl Hareks stood before the communication console. Behind him, on the Imperial Throne sat Lord-Marshall Cetanu Guan'thwei. Needless to say, Hareks was terrified of making a mistake. He opened a comm link with the Emperor on the planet below.

"Greetings Emperor of the Abyssian Legion. I am General Krevers of the Helghan Colonial Force. Lord-Marshall Cetau Guan'thwei wishes to attend your banquet. He will arrive momentarily onboard his dropship with his bodyguards. With your permission of course"

The Grand Vizier received General Hareks's transmission and sent back a message of his own:

"This is wonderful. Of course you may come."

(OOC: The emperor isn't on the aeroplatform.)

ooc: Pardon, but what's your emperor smoaking? He's always delighted about everything.

OOC: If you lived in the hellscape that is Palacia all your life, you would be delighted to have some guests too.

ooc: Alright, let's get this party started! *Begins to sing* "I'm coming out so you better get this party started!"

Ic: Daniel, in full diplomatic robe, bearing her staff, flanked by two lesser diplomats, and escorted by eight guards strode fourth into the place of the banquet- where she then proceeded to quietly await instruction.

ooc: Like how I can get it all in one grammatically correct sentence? Thought so. 'Say a lot with a little'- Concise.

OOC: Woot! I'm in...

IC: The Dropship touched down on the platform and opened its doors. Out stepped Cetanu, flanked by two Rauben Supersoldiers. His face was hidden behind his own personal defence shield, but the cloak would have covered it anyway. He walked towards the awaiting welcoming party.
Now. Let's see what these people are like.

The door of a control bay at the end of the aeroplatform slid open. The Grand Vizier strode out, his superfluous black and red striped robes dragging along the substructure floor of the platform. His head was covered by a golden mask and his black feathered headdress. Two men followed behind the Grand Vizier. Their deathly pale skin contrasted sharply with their black robes.

The Grand Vizier briefly turned back towards the control bay. “Bring us down,” he ordered.

The Grand Vizier turned back to his guests. “Good evening. I hope you are hungry. We are descending to the tower in which we will hold our banquet.”

The aeroplatform began its descent into Gothelrelm. The city slowly enveloped the platform.

Hills rolled across Gothelrelm, with the various buildings sprinkled randomly along them. Vast seas of green serf hovels were punctuated by gigantic orange towers. In the distance, brimstone forge towers and the pillars of smoke they emitted could be seen. The buildings glowed in an ominous manner.

Thousands of excited voices could be heard. “Those are people across town partaking in the Fungusday Festival. Today marks the day that the Divine Mushroom gave birth to The Emperor over 290 years ago.”

The aeroplatform began to hover towards one of the orange towers. On one floor of the tower high above the ground, there was a band of arches that spanned the circumference of the tower. These arches opened into a vast room filled with tables of food and brightly lit by floating lamps. The aeroplatform pulled up to one of these arches.

“Here we are. Watch your step.”

The Grand Vizier and his guests stepped off of the aeroplatform, through the arch, and into the tower.

“Grov, Myrt, see to it that anyone who comes late gets taken here.”

The two pale men nodded and went back up with the aeroplatform.

“Now, let the banquet begin. You can sample any of the food that you want, and if you have any questions, I or one of these knowledgeable men can help you.”

He gestured with his hand toward several other pale, black robed men who were walking around the room, occasionally getting some food. In the center of the room, a group of red robed musicians were performing.

“I will be back with you shortly, I have a quick bit of business that I have to take care of downstairs. Any questions before I leave?”

Daniel, her diplomats, and her guards all began to mill about, sampling food as they passed.

Cetanu and his Guards walked around the room.He had to admit, he admired the Emperor's dress sense. The food however, he would never know, after all he couldn't eat, not without a physical body anyway. He came here for a possible trade agreement not for food. Although it did look so very good...

With Daniel and Cetanu temporarily content, the Grand Vizier slipped down a stairwell and into a chamber below. He pulled a hologram transmitter out of his robes, held it out in his palm in front of him, and turned it on. The device projected an image of a skull. A helmet covered most of the skull, the only part of it visible was the jawbone slightly protruding from the bottom of the helmet. Out of a hole in the back of the helmet emerged an enormous plume of brittle black hair. Suddenly, a blood red light burst forth from the eye sockets of the skull. The Grand Vizier’s breathing quickened and his hands began to tremble.

A booming shockwave of speech resounded from the skull: “What is the meaning of this?!”

The Grand Vizier jumped back, dropping the hologram transmitter and covering his ears. When he spoke, his voice cracked. “Please, not so loud. The guests are upstairs.”

The skull said nothing. This meant that the Grand Vizier’s explanation was unsatisfactory.

“Um,” he continued, “Their ships up there are okay. They wont do anything.”

The skull remained silent.

“The Emperor decreed this himself. You must understand. These meetings are vital to our future success.”

The skull finally spoke: “I am beginning to think that The Emperor is a fool. Has he not heard of what I have done? I need not anyone else’s help. I swear, Morolus, if you screw this up, I will have your head.”

“Do not worry, this can not work in any way except in our favor.”

Upon hearing these words, the hologram skull disappeared into the transmitter. The Grand Vizier was visibly shaken, but he had survived. He took a few minutes to compose himself and headed back up into the main room with his guests.

“Well, I am back, maybe we should get to the business of talking about alliances or trade agreements?”

ooc: Kazecis pride temselves in keen senses of sound and sight...

Ic: "Yes, it woult be good to move ahead." She waited for them to make the next move.

"Yes, let's." Cetanu sat on a nearby chair, his two Rauben guards standing either side. He waited for the Vizier to speak. After all, he din't want to...insulthim now. Oh no...

"Well, as far as trade goes, The Empire has plenty of dirt, grass, water, and algae. This material, as we have found out, is useful for forging various things at a magical forge. We can also get you goods that we have forged. What we would like in return is strong metals for building ships, advanced laser technology, and many other things. Of course, we could forge this, but it takes a lot of time and energy. I am open to any suggestions."

"Well, we can provide the metals, but we do not bother with laser technology. It is far too expensive and power consuming. Bullets and missiles are cheaper. The only energy weapons we use are what the Rauben carry. As for your forged goods... we have no need of them. We would however accept a possible military alliance" said Cetanu and he waited for the Vizier to speak.

"Hmmm, we would like some of your strongest metals then. What do you think we could trade you in return? We can forge weapons such as swords, bows, armor, and various vehicle or ship parts, which are all enchanted to be more durable and lightweight than normal. As for the military alliance, that sounds like a good idea."

~-~-~-~-~To the Hands of the Emperor of the Abyssian Legion~-~-~-~-~
Greetings, Great Emperor. I am Bis Andreya, leader of my people and the Polaris Kel'ariy Caste. On behalf of the Entirety of the Polaris Castes - the honorable Kel'ariy, Nil'kemorya, Ver'ash, P'aedt, Tre'pira, and Mu'hari - I would like to extend open arms of friendship and kindness to your people. Although I am aware of the late reply, I was curious as to the possibility of sending a handful of diplomats to organize potential treaties with your people. They will, of course, be representatives of the Mu’hari Caste, and will be honored to meet your most esteemed leaders, businessmen, or whomever you deem of importance.

May Ory’hara watch over you.

Sincerely,

Bis Andreya
~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

Kazecistan's untimely presence of self during the Ordus Offensive was a sour blow to the otherwise routine extermination of competition. House Ordus of the Dominion wanted to settle the score.

Ordus pockets ran deep and the knowledge they gained showed one of Kazecistan's most treasured dreadnaughts was unescorted and in a newly discovered system, far away from reinforcements on a quick response. Now they would test their initiative.

A single freighter ended a jump into the system. The cargo ship was not of DO design and crewed by a race indigenous to the region. It was on a routine delivery mission. No one would suspect it of carrying the means to destroy a dreadnaught.

((For the record, it isn't carrying a bomb.))

This transmission was sent to Bis Andreya:

"It would be splendid for you to join us. You are not too late."

(OOC: You can just walk in the banquet room in your next post if you want and assume that you landed and were brought down okay. That is unless you have something else in mind and want to RP it.)

(OOC2: I'm not quite sure what you mean, DO. If by "race indigenous to the region", you mean the Rundocian System, then the humans of the system do not use cargo ships as they do not currently trade with other nations. If I'm mistaken, then sorry carry on.)

(OOC2: I'm not quite sure what you mean, DO. If by "race indigenous to the region", you mean the Rundocian System, then the humans of the system do not use cargo ships as they do not currently trade with other nations. If I'm mistaken, then sorry carry on.)

((I assumed that an empire, by the very name, should have at least two or more systems under its belt. But if that is the case, then I will refer to border systems and the cargo ship is passing through this system to get to the next one.))

((I assumed that an empire, by the very name, should have at least two or more systems under its belt. But if that is the case, then I will refer to border systems and the cargo ship is passing through this system to get to the next one.))
(OOC: Okay, sounds great.)

This transmission was sent to Bis Andreya:

"It would be splendid for you to join us. You are not too late."

(OOC: You can just walk in the banquet room in your next post if you want and assume that you landed and were brought down okay. That is unless you have something else in mind and want to RP it.)

(OOC2: I'm not quite sure what you mean, DO. If by "race indigenous to the region", you mean the Rundocian System, then the humans of the system do not use cargo ships as they do not currently trade with other nations. If I'm mistaken, then sorry carry on.)

OOC: I have something a little more spectacular in mind.

IC:

Sleak, Powerful, Beautiful.

Only a few words to describe the awe-inspiring splendor of a Dragon (PIC: http://www.ambrosiasw.com/games/evn/desktoppics/Polaris_Dragon(1600x1200).jpg) as it swims through the black depths of space, the blue-glow from it's "wings" expelling great clouds of wake. As the 50 meter long ship entered the atmosphere of the Abyssian planet, no traces of flames upon the black and purple hide - a feint humming sound could be heard. Not the normal drawl of a hot engine, but a graceful, pleasant, variant twirl that sounded like...singing. That was the best way to describe it: beautiful song. But, the origin of the song was not clear...was it the ship? No, it couldn’t be...perhaps the people inside? But, there were no speakers! No projectors for sound. Perhaps...just perhaps...it was the graceful behemoth that descended onto the airstrip...

The Dragon slowed as it neared the metallic pad, hovering a few meters or so in the air. Then, slowly, it landed with an effort to test the stability of such a structure. Soon, it realized that the pad could deal with its 100 ton bulk, and it settled itself briskly with a relieving, soothing sigh.

With a quivering motion...it’s side suddenly opened.

A thin, blue ramp seemed to melt out from the Dragon’s side, placing itself quietly down on the floor. Above it, where the flank had split, was an archway-like opening. Within the threshold stood three grey-hooded individuals. Each one of them had a cinereal robe, aligned with odd stripes, wiggles, and other rune-like designs. Prominently on the sides of these robes was the same symbol that seemed to grace the front of the Dragon: that strange, purple “eye” like apparatus. The three grey figures, their faces shrouded by the coif of their robes, walked solemnly down the ramp. Each one of the humans was of a different size and form. The one on the far left was about 6'8" tall, his frame obviously thin even under the baggy robes. Whereas the far-right figure was that of a 5'9", broad-shouldered individual with a surprisingly graceful step. The central figure, donned in robes of a slightly greyer color, was of a petite, subtle form. At only 5'6", this individual seemed quite short next to the others.

The shortest one neared the two named Grov and Myrt, who had obviously seen their ship land on the pad. “Hello,” came a husky, delicate voice from beneath the robes. It was obviously that of a woman’s; though it held a certain commanding attitude. The very candor of her speak commanded respect and, perhaps, even reverence. “My name,” she continued, holding out a thin, tan hand from beneath the silver robes, “is Mu'Randa of the Mu'hari. This is Mu’Joleth and Mu’Karu of the Mu’hari Caste.” Upon mention of their names, each of the two Polaris bowed in turn. The plump one was Mu’Joleth, while the tall, thin one was Mu’Karu. Mu’Randa continued, “ We are representatives of the Polaris government and have been invited here by your Emperor. Please, kind souls, could you direct us to the festivities?” she ended with a sweet, amiable tone.

ooc: DO, striking first? A bastardly task, but I shall endure. BTW, it’s quite common to find Kazeci warships alone and far from home during maritime, we don’t have any money left over for exploration and diplomatic vessels after the cost of the navy.

Ic: Daniel spoke in the ever so polite tone of a Kazeci diplomat. "We can offer both energy weapon tech and strong metals. Our government, unfortunately for these negotiations, doesn't have much of an interest in magic. Perhaps you could be of use as an agricultural world? We would simply trade an agreed upon amount of crops for an agreed upon technology or amount of metal? Kazecistan is more interested in trading technologies away than metal."

A board the SC:
"This report is quite interesting, It appears that our government plans to attack DO in retribution for their unprovoked assaults on Kazeci ships. After this diplomatic mission we are to report back to Kazec for inspection and battle drills."
"That's quite interesting sir, but that's not why I'm here."
"Oh,"
"A freighter has entered the system."
"And this is of importance because?"
"I didn't think the ABL were a trading people and it isn't broadcasting a first contact message..."
"I'm sure it's fine."
The crew member wasn't as sure as his commander. He initiated a full scan of the vessel once he got back to the bridge. 'Just in case, besides, what harm could checking do?'

Grov and Myrt could not help but to be amazed at the dragon, which was unlike anything they had ever seen or imagined. Grov stepped forward to Mu'Randa. "Welcome to Gothelrelm. We should quickly shuttle you down to the banquet. Do not worry, your beautiful ship will be safe with us."

Grov and Myrt could not help but to be amazed at the dragon, which was unlike anything they had ever seen or imagined. Grov stepped forward to Mu'Randa. "Welcome to Gothelrelm. We should quickly shuttle you down to the banquet. Do not worry, your beautiful ship will be safe with us."

Mu'Randa shook her head, giving a soft laugh. "No," she said kindly, raising her dainty hand and made a discenting gesture, "you do not need to look after it. In fact, I believe my N'kalut...I am sorry...my ship needs to feed for a moment. There are more of my people onboard. They will take the ship."

With that, Mu'Randa turned her head to the vessel. As though responding to her very whim, the Dragon rose high into the air. Once again, the humming resumed: but it was cheery now. As though someone had lifted something off of the ship's heart. With its chipper mood, the Dragon moved with great haste heavenwards. In a few minutes, it was out of site.

Mu'Randa sighed affectionately, turning once more to Grov and Myrt. Her voice was once again its husky, soft self again.

"Please," Mu'Randa continued, holding out her arm to grip Grov's in a friendly lock, "Mr...oh, I do apollogize, how rude of me. I have not yet learned your names. Please forgive me. I desire to know whom I have the pleasure of speaking too. Please, if you would be so kind, transport my fellows and I to the banquet while we talk."

-+-+- IN SPACE -+-+-

The Dragon, as soon as it entered the cold vacuum of space, shuttered into a cloak. It began to patrol near the planet; nothing more than an enigma. If something ill were to hapen, the great vessel would swoop down in an instant to rescue the diplomats. Or...to fight.

ooc: and I thought Kazeci diplomats kissed up...

ooc: and I thought Kazeci diplomats kissed up...

OOC: Mu'Randa is a master diplomat. To show those who are of a lesser rank kindness and equality has a great influence over them. Plus, she's just being polite... >_<

Ic: Daniel spoke in the ever so polite tone of a Kazeci diplomat. "We can offer both energy weapon tech and strong metals. Our government, unfortunately for these negotiations, doesn't have much of an interest in magic. Perhaps you could be of use as an agricultural world? We would simply trade an agreed upon amount of crops for an agreed upon technology or amount of metal? Kazecistan is more interested in trading technologies away than metal."
"Excellent. We have a large surplus of algae, the staple of our agriculture. Are you interested in that? Unfortunately, we do not have much more than that in the way of nonmagical food growth."

Meanwhile, Grov and Myrt directed Mu'Randa to the shuttle to take them down to the banquet.

"We do not wish to humiliate you by telling our names," Grov said,"I know though that the Grand Vizier will be happy to see you."

((Yay! Polaris, another EV3: Nova NS nation. I prefer the Polaris to any other faction in the Escape Velocity 3: Nova game.))

A board the SC:
"This report is quite interesting, It appears that our government plans to attack DO in retribution for their unprovoked assaults on Kazeci ships. After this diplomatic mission we are to report back to Kazec for inspection and battle drills."
"That's quite interesting sir, but that's not why I'm here."
"Oh,"
"A freighter has entered the system."
"And this is of importance because?"
"I didn't think the ABL were a trading people and it isn't broadcasting a first contact message..."
"I'm sure it's fine."
The crew member wasn't as sure as his commander. He initiated a full scan of the vessel once he got back to the bridge. 'Just in case, besides, what harm could checking do?'

The freighter was almost filled to the bursting point with a metalic ore, usually used in starship construction, nothing volatile. The ship's course would make a pass by the rings of the nearest planet to the staging point, almost where the Polaris Dragon was cloaked and waiting. From there the vessel would assumably head out-system and make the jump to wherever the ship was going.

Mu'Randa laughed her giggly laugh as she loosened her grip from Grov. Instead, she walked between them holding to their shoulders.

"Oh, nonsense," Mu'Randa said cheerfully, rubbing their shoulders affectionately, "you do not have to worry yourselves."

But, Mu'Randa was unable to pry anything more from them on their brief ride to the banquet hall. Instead, Mu'Randa tried to force some idol chit-chat, while Mu’Karu and Mu'Joleth stared at each other intently.

<they do not treat their underlings well>
<that is the pattern in this universe mukaru we cannot think they are all like the polaris>
<i know friend mujoleth but it still pains me>
<true but remember we cannot simply deny the existance of these people because of their cruel ways the polaris were not always kind>
<do not remind me the shard wars still remain heavy in my mind>
<i must say though i did not experience them i feel much empathy for you>
<i can tell idiot>

Mu'Karu and Mu'Joleth chuckled a bit to themselves, causing Mu'Randa to turn arround slightly. They must have been using telepathy, Mu'Randa thought to herself, sighing and turning her attention back to the two servants.

+-+-+-+

Soon, they had reached the banquet hall. Upon reaching the end, Mu'Randa turned around and bowed to Grov and Myrt. "Thank you for your hospitality and company, kind souls," she said softly, raising her head only when Mu'Karu and Mu'Joleth were standing behind her (and closest to the banquet). "May Ory'hara watch over you both."

Slowly, gracefully, Mu'Randa turned around and entered the banquet hall. She surveyed the scene around the assembled peoples, trying to distinguish any familiar faces from the crowd. Although she recognized some insignias, such as the Kazecistan personel, most in the room were unfamiliar. With a dainty step forward, her silver robes ebbing behind her as though pushed by a soft breeze, Mu'Randa pulled back her hood.

Her skin was of a pale tan, complementing her elfin-like chin. Mu'Randa's eyes were of a brown so light they appeared almost golden and cat-like, with gently curling strands of a similar-colored hair cascading over her brow. She looked no older than her mid twenties, a light coating gloss covering her thin lips.

Upon her action, the other two removed their coifs as well. Mu'Karu shared the same chin and eyes as Mu'Randa, though his hair was a stark black like the backdrop of space. It was free-falling long hair, but was straight unlike Mu'Randa. He possessed a strange, jagged tattoo adorning the skin around his right eye. It was purple, with several tallon-like blades edged into the frame. Mu'Karu bore a neutral expression, watching the crowd with a keen eye.

Mu'Joleth was quite different from his companions. His face was round, bulbous, and quite bald. He looked as though he had been raised by wild animals, his blue-green eyes containing a savage twinkle to them. Though Mu'Joleth's skull was berift of hair, his bushy black beard extended almost a foot from his chin. Mu'Joleth crossed his arms, casting a hawk-like eye upon the room. He seemed to be sizing up every single object in the room - even the masonwork of the walls.

Mu'Randa spoke, her nectareous lips letting loose her husky - now loud - voice, "Good day to you all. I was told I would find the Grand Vizier here? Please, will someone point out this man to me?" Mu'Randa's golden eyes continued to rove around the room, looking like an innocent child's.

+-+-+-+-IN SPACE-+-+-+-+

The Dragon began to move slowly, unwilling to actively scan or communicate the freighter above this territory. Basic scans showed no outward signs of volitile equipment, weapons, petrochemicals, or radiation emitting sources. The only "hazardous" materials appeared to be from the engine, electrical, and other ship-functions of the craft. The Dragon would stay in its cocoon, slowly drifting away from the keel.

One of the pale black robed men who happened to be around Mu'Randa pointed her in the direction of the Grand Vizier, who could not be seen behind the representatives of HCF and Kazecistan. The Grand Vizier smiled as Mu'Randa entered his vision, although no one could tell behind his mask.

"Good evening. I am the Grand Vizier of this wonderful city of Gothelrelm. Who might you be?"

Mu'Randa bowed her head slightly, the golden locks shifting around her shoulders and dangling from her head. She looked up again quickly, giving the Vizier a piercing, cat-like stare.

"My name," she said with her diplomatic tongue, "is Mu'Randa of the Mu'Hari Caste. I am here with my escort, Mu'Joleth - my brother - and Mu'Karu. Both of which are also apart of the Mu'Hari Caste. In the name of Bis Andreya, and each of the Polaris Castes - Kel'ariy, Nil'kemorya, Ver'ash, P'aedt, Tre'pira, and Mu'hari - I am pleased and honored to conduct negotiations with your government. May this start a long period of friendship and kindness betwixt our people. In the name of Ory'hara, I greet you with outstretched arms."

Indeed, Mu'Randa opened her arms wide in a hugging gesture as she lowered her face. Mu'Joleth and Mu'Karu both lowered their heads as well. To invoke "in the name of Ory'hara" was a great sign of respect and dignity, one which must be treated as such.

"Grow it however you please, but Kazecistan will want certain foods that are only produced by agriculture. (not replicators or algea) Perhaps you have some extra fertile land? We are willing to import seeds and train your people in the proper care and harvesting of the foods we wish to trade. There would be minimal effort on the part of your nation and it would create jobs for your people." Her voice was very hopeful, she sounded as though she was talking to a well-respected friend. Next on the agenda, weather this panned out of not, were non-aggression pacts and possible alliances.

ooc: The Polaris Castes, you may want to reread the first line of your last post carefully.

ooc: The Polaris Castes, you may want to reread the first line of your last post carefully.

OOC:

0_0

You saw nothing...

Mu'Randa bowed her head slightly, the golden locks shiting around her shoulders and dangling from her head. She looked up again quickly, giving the Vizier a piercing, cat-like stare.

"My name," she said with her diplomatic tongue, "is Mu'Randa of the Mu'Hari Caste. I am here with my escort, Mu'Joleth - my brother - and Mu'Karu. Both of which are also apart of the Mu'Hari Caste. In the name of Bis Andreya, and each of the Polaris Castes - Kel'ariy, Nil'kemorya, Ver'ash, P'aedt, Tre'pira, and Mu'hari - I am pleased and honored to conduct negotiations with your government. May this start a long period of friendship and kindness betwixt our people. In the name of Ory'hara, I greet you with outstretched arms."

Indeed, Mu'Randa opened her arms wide in a hugging gesture as she lowered her face. Mu'Joleth and Mu'Karu both lowered their heads as well. To invoke "in the name of Ory'hara" was a great sign of respect and dignity, one which must be treated as such.
What is she doing? Confused, The Grand Vizier stretched out his arms too.

"Yes, let this be the start of a great friendship between our two peoples. What is it that we should discuss first?"
"Grow it however you please, but Kazecistan will want certain foods that are only produced by agriculture. (not replicators or algea) Perhaps you have some extra fertile land? We are willing to import seeds and train your people in the proper care and harvesting of the foods we wish to trade. There would be minimal effort on the part of your nation and it would create jobs for your people." Her voice was very hopeful, she sounded as though she was talking to a well-respected friend. Next on the agenda, weather this panned out of not, were non-aggression pacts and possible alliances.

The Grand Vizier let out a small chuckle. "Oh, my, that will be quite unnecessary. Our serfs have enough jobs already and to spend more time on them would be ridiculous. We, unfortunately, don't even have enough land to support our own people without the aid of algae cultivation. Our environment is too hostile and the soil is too dusty. I suppose we could send some of our sorcerers to try to magically enchant the land like we had in the past. Land enchanting makes crops thrive where they normally would not. We discontinued land enchanting for purposes of agriculture because it was not worth it, but if it is for a trade agreement, I am sure we can begin testing out this system again. I know you have objections to use of magic, but the plants themselves will be unaltered."

What is she doing? Confused, The Grand Vizier stretched out his arms too.

"Yes, let this be the start of a great friendship between our two peoples. What is it that we should discuss first?"


The Grand Vizier let out a small chuckle. "Oh, my, that will be quite unnecessary. Our serfs have enough jobs already and to spend more time on them would be ridiculous. We, unfortunately, don't even have enough land to support our own people without the aid of algae cultivation. Our environment is too hostile and the soil is too dusty. I suppose we could send some of our sorcerers to try to magically enchant the land like we had in the past. Land enchanting makes crops thrive where they normally would not. We discontinued land enchanting for purposes of agriculture because it was not worth it, but if it is for a trade agreement, I am sure we can begin testing out this system again. I know you have objections to use of magic, but the plants themselves will be unaltered."

Mu'Rhanda lowered her arms, and looked for a vacant seat at the table, as she spoke, "Oh, whatever you wish to speak of. I see you are talking about agricultural production? The Polaris may be able to help you in such maters if you need them." Mu'Rhanda looked intently at the Vizier, hoping for him to show her where to sit.

OOC: Short post, but I have to get to work...

As the Judicator slowly blurred forward towards the system, its shields on due to the chance of an attack from hostile forces. Those under the Autocratic Triumvirate were rather paranoid at the moment, and those aboard the gargantuan craft were no diffrent. These were priests of Zephon, and the entire ship was littered with thousands of his devout followers, carrying about mundane tasks, though all of which wearing identicle, emotionless masks, as a faint song played over the speakers.


"Is that the planet that Darius wished for me to visit?" The dark visitor muttered under his breath as he sat back in his throne located in the center of the massive warship, "It doesn't look very advanced... Perhaps Darius is just trying to keep me away from the system..."


"Oh Great Zephon!" A few of the cultists echoed in unisen, due to the advanced, almost Gestalt-uplink they shared, "He wouldn't dare oppose a god such as yourself!"


"You are correct my children... Nevertheless, this ship won't be able to land, so unfortunately I leave you to your contemplation while my guards and I pay this dustball a visit."


Zephon's voice trailed off gracefully, though in the same mechanized way from behind the mask, which was an almost exact replica of all the others. The only exception being two black orbs jutting from the top and bottom of both eyes. As he made his way to past the room, all of his worshippers came to a halt, as if someone had hit a proverbial "off" switch for each of them. Paying no heed, the self-styled god made his way towards his own craft, a black rectangular obelisk that opened up his approach and closed as he entered.


"Alright... Let us finish this as diplomatically as possible. We don't want the other two to grow too angry." Zephon almost grumbled as he sat back in his seat, surrounded by a half-dozen cultists surrounding him. Without answering, they complied and quickly blasted away from the bottom of the ship, quickly closing in on the palace to attempt a landing...

((Sorry I'm late, been a bit busy))

A lime-green, squid-like creature, complete with six tentacles, two arms, and a mouth surrounded by similar, miniature tentacles, ran through the hallways, followed by a floating, near-transluscent, blue cloud-like being. The two, strange-looking creatures stopped suddenly, coming to a split in the hall. The squid immediately turned to the right, urging his companion to do the same and speaking in blurbling tones.

“Right! He said right!”

The way the cloud-being spoke would be difficult to describe later for any who saw it; as different specks of the blue particles that the being was composed of lit up, a female voice could be heard talking, although it was heard in the mind instead of the ears. ”No, Fortude, I’m fairly sure that the guard said left, not right.”

“He said right! I heard him say right-Oh, look at that.” The Scarilian (the squid) stopped to look at a sign, pointing left, which read ‘Banquet.’ He shrugged, turning back to the cloud. “I guess it is left.” The two turned back and slithered/floated down the hall, bursting through the doors and into the banquet hall. The Scarilian was the first to glance around the large Banquet Hall that was filled with all manner of different races. He immediately went to the first robed figure he saw, just as the guard had told him, and tapped them on the shoulder. “Excuse me, but could you point us-,” He stopped, taking the time to motion to the Cloud-Being that hovered near his shoulder,” in the direction of the Grand Vizier?”

Deep in space Harek grew concerned. Yet he was under strict orders not to interrupt the meeting. He had to make a choice.
_________________________________________________________________

"I am glad you see that the Military Alliance is a possibility." Although he seemed happy, Cetanu was inwardly disappointed.
Swords....pah Have they not even got Gunpowder?
Beside him, one of the Rauben raised a hand to its helmet. It looked to Cetanu, and its deep voice echoed through the hall.
"My Lord. General Harek has an urgent transmission for you."
Cetanu grew angry.
This better be important!
"Excuse us..." Without waiting for an answer, Cetanu left, the sound his light footfalls been easily overcome by the heavy thuds of the Rauben. Outside, Cetanu opened a comm link with Harek.
"What is it?!"
"My Lord, forgive me, but I fear things may not be safe on the planet for much longer. We detected another ship which either cloaked or left. I am inclined to go with the former, as who would leave their ruler abandoned? And there was no obvious signs of Warp Travel or any other means of extreme propulsion."
Cetanu thought over this.
"Very Well Harek. I thank you for your concern..." He turned and walked back to the banquet hall.
"Forgive me for I must go. Urgent matters on my Homeworld. Grand Vizier, tell your Emperor I am glad for a chance for our two nations to be allies. If ever you need military assisstance, just send a transmission. I will also attempt to arrange a transfer of Materials as soon as possible. And as you mentioned that you made swords and bows, perhaps we could teach you our ways of war and give you technological help."
Turning Cetanu left, and headed for his dropship. Once back up on the Assault Vessel, he headed home.
Pathetic fools. They are of no use to us. Not even worth conquering...yet.

The frieghter entered the outer ring of the planet, drifting between the asteroids. Interference from the ring fuzzed most sensors trying to track the ship.

Now within cover of the asteroid field the true purpose of this disception was implimented. The cargo bay doors opened and the ore began to drop out of the vessel into the ring. The particular ore that was being carried worked well in shielding key systems on a space vessel and therefore was hard to penetrate with scanning equipment. Shielded from prying eyes, held within the center of the ore shipment, was a circular object that began to grow.

Eventually the circle was a kilometer in diameter, the energy it began to give off was no longer hidden within the planet's ring of rocks and dust. A massive energy surge signaled the last step in the game as a wormhole swirled within the gate, dozens of fighter class vessels began to pour through into the system at high speed. Only a few minutes before they would be in range of the Kazecistan dreadnaught.

The frieghter entered the outer ring of the planet, drifting between the asteroids. Interference from the ring fuzzed most sensors trying to track the ship.

Now within cover of the asteroid field the true purpose of this disception was implimented. The cargo bay doors opened and the ore began to drop out of the vessel into the ring. The particular ore that was being carried worked well in shielding key systems on a space vessel and therefore was hard to penetrate with scanning equipment. Shielded from prying eyes, held within the center of the ore shipment, was a circular object that began to grow.

Eventually the circle was a kilometer in diameter, the energy it began to give off was no longer hidden within the planet's ring of rocks and dust. A massive energy surge signaled the last step in the game as a wormhole swirled within the gate, dozens of fighter class vessels began to pour out into space.

OOC: I'm going to wait for other nations to post before responding to this. You might have to go head-to-head with a Dragon if you aren't careful...a Dragon with my speciall little properties added on...

Mu'Rhanda lowered her arms, and looked for a vacant seat at the table, as she spoke, "Oh, whatever you wish to speak of. I see you are talking about agricultural production? The Polaris may be able to help you in such maters if you need them." Mu'Rhanda looked intently at the Vizier, hoping for him to show her where to sit.

OOC: Short post, but I have to get to work...
"Hmm, we are going to begin testing new methods of magically enriching soil, but I am sure any advice you can spare could help. We have not changed our agricultural processes for over a thousand years, so I am sure that we are outdated by your people's standards."
-snip-
Grov and Myrt looked on as the obelisk ship closed in on the platform. They readied the shuttle, a cylindrical, mirror surfaced ship that was tapered to points at the top and bottom, and then waited for Zephon to land.
-snip-
"Good Evening," said the robed man. He turned around to see who he was speaking to. "Oh m-..." stuttered the man, stunned by the odd appearance of the two guests. He quickly composed himself. "Welcome to our banquet. The Grand Vizier is over there."

The Grand Vizier quickly took note of the two guests. "Good evening, I am the Grand Vizier of Gothelrelm. It is great that you could join us for this banquet. Who might you be?"
-snip-
I must remember to send him a transmission after this banquet to take Cetanu up on his offer, the Grand Vizier thought. Any tasting of other military technology could only be an advantage.
-snip-
A warning came up on the monitering screens of the Orbit Watch Station in Gothelrelm. A pale faced man in black robes rushed over to check the screen. "Sir, I we have several ships have just come out of nowhere just outside our planet. They have not identified themselves or made evident their intentions."

Another pale man in black robes answered him: "Contact them and ask them who they are and what they want. They may just be more guests warping in for the Grand Vizier, although I'll admit, their sudden appearance is a little too close for comfort."

The subordinate sent the following transmission to the mysterious ships: "Attention. This is the Gothelrelm Orbit Watch Station. Please identify yourselves."

On the Planet:
Daniel spoke again, "We do not mind the products of Magic, we simply do not wish to use it ourselves. Your program would be most acceptable. What technologies are you interested in from us?"

In Space:
The officer had lost the freighter in the rocks, but had not given up looking. Within seconds of the gate, the entire ship was on alert. Battle sirens went off as the PA called out, "Draconic Order fighters in-system! Hostile vectors! All hands to battle stations! Enemy fighters inbound!" It didn't take long for shielding to power up and weapons followed quickly.

A message to all friendlies in the area read: Attention. Our vessel has come under attack by forces of the nation Draconic Order. Kazecistan is not at this time in need of your aid, but we do advise you to be on alert, as these people may attack any one at any time. We apologize for bringing their foul presence to this system.

The ship turned to face the menace, letting lose with its many small Zat cannons. Hopefully its MPS would provide sufficient protection.

ooc: Have you encountered my Magnetic Particle Shielding before? It is- in short- a cloud of small debris spinning randomly and with great force about the vessel. Its main use is smashing into fighters and missiles on intercept vectors with the ship. Quite effective.

The fighters gave no response as they cleared the planet's rings and headed toward the Kazecistan ship.

Suddenly, before they were in range of the dreadnaught's weapons, the DO fighters veered away from the ships in orbit, heading toward the upper atmosphere of the planet. As they broke formation, several corvette sized missiles were revealed within the formations, making bee-lines toward the dreadnaught.

The puddle rippled as several larger ships came through the gate. Nine frigates, two cruisers, a carrier, and a battleship broke into the system. Blazing a path out of the asteroid belt and towards the dreadnaught. Ordus was taking no chances this time.

On the Planet

Mu'Randa, her legs crossed in a simple, modest way, laughed a bit at the Vizier's words. "Oh," she said, smiling broadly so as to show her brilliantly white teeth, "perhaps you are right. But, do not worry. I believe the Tre'pira and Ver'ash castes have long-since mastered the art of soil restoration. I know for a fact that Tre'pira mining operations can restore the natural chemical/biological balance within strip-minned soil within a margin of 98-99%. Likewise, I know that Tre'ar Aeberl - a planet controlled by the Tre'pira caste - was once a mountainous, volcanic region till terraform operations began. It now supports a typical M-Type planetary environment, though most natural life has not progressed beyond a phytoplankton stage. Still, if we were to send them a soil sample I am sure the Tre'pira would be honored to come up with soil-enrichment processes. Oh, in fact," Mu'Randa suddenly sat up a little sharper, pointing a finger directly at the Vizir, "one of my friends, Tre'Fallo, was the head of the terraforming expedition into Tre'ar Aeberl. I'm sure I could persuade him to help your people."

As soon as Mu'Randa saw the GadgetCorp ambassadors, her eyes lit up with a child-like curriosity. She quickly made room, pulling up a seat next to her and beckoning for the strange creatures to sit near her.

Then...she felt it...

Mu'Randa suddenly felt a wave of fear, dread, and anger wash over her. Something was wrong, something was terribly wrong...

...her Dragon. Her Ni'kalo...it was excited about something...

In Space

As soon as the ships began to appear, lauching themselves out of the portal towards the Kazecistani Vessel, the Dragon had been quite irked. It's neural pathways, calibrated to make it about as intelligent as a smart chimpanzie, were alight with rage. This was supposed to be pieceful! This was supposed to be a diplomatic event! No war! No fighting!

The Dragon was about to shed it's cloak and open fire with its awe-inspiring Bio-Relay Laser, when a calming voice seemed to echo through it's neural-net.

<do not fret> came the voice from within the ship's head <please calm down ni'kalo i will not let you go out of control you will be safe>

Ni'kalo calmed down, moving silently behind the rushing fighters. It still remained cloaked; wrapped in a pocket of hyperspace itself. There was no way to notice it, save it's cloaking mechanism be compromised.

+-+-+-+

Onboard the Dragon, a purple and green pod seemed to open up. Slowly, surely, the protective covering over the container melted away as though the walls were made of water. There, seated in an imposing chair, was a man with shoulder-length black hair. The very air around him seemed to be electrified, his pale skin and golden eyes causing him to look like some terrible beast. He was wearing Polaris robes...but they were not of the castes! Mu'hari wear black (save for diplomatic missions), Kel'ariy wear brown, Ver'ash wear dark-green, the P'aedt wear blue, Nil'kemorya wear grey, and the Tre'pira wear white. But...this man...he wore robes of brilliant purple, silver, orange, and teal. They were arranged in patterns, shapes, and a host of other strange symbols.

He was Vell-os, from the stock of the Savior Race. One of the Reborn whose mission it was to protect Mu'Randa and the Polaris at all costs. His robes denoted him as a master: whose powers rivaled that of the greatest Vell-os. He was T1, powerful enough to wrap the ship itself in a psionic shield of static energy if need be.

As the Vell-os sat there, focusing at the translucent hull of the ship, his eyes closed.

+-+-+-+

<hello>

The sound resounded in the Kazecistani officer's head, like the Vell-os was standing right next to the man. Yet...it was in his head. It traveled to the very base of the subconscious mind, unraveling "speech" into ideas. Or, rather, transmitting ideas to the Kazecistani receiver.

Mind-to-mind. Thoughts interpreted as thoughts. Ideas are the universal translators.

<do not scream do not be alarmed i am a friend my name is lyrell and i am resting in a ship not far from the fighters i may yet strike if you so wish it please tell me why these ships attack you and i may come to your aid you do not need to speak simply think aloud and i will hear you>

OOC: If the following was Godmodding (IE: I didn't ask you permission to transmit a thought to your character) then ignore it. Also, I might just shoot the missiles before I help you.

“We have no reply, sir,” announced the OWS subordinate. “We have also just received a transmission that Kazecistan’s vessel is under attack by these ships.”

“Well, this is quite a predicament. Notify the Grand Vizier. I am not sure of his policy for this kind of occurrence.”

The Grand Vizier was listening to Daniel and sampling some a dish made of orange algae when a robed man walked up and whispered the news into the side of his mask. The Grand Vizier nodded and whispered something back, and the robed man walked away.

“Excuse me, Daniel, but there is something you might want to know…”

The Grand Vizier explained the situation to Daniel.

Back at the OWS, the rest of the fleet of the Draconic Order had appeared on the monitoring screen. “Sir, you need to see this. Even more, larger vessels have appeared. Much larger.”

The superior officer walked over to the moniter and saw the ships for himself. “My Spores, this is incredible! This is terrifying! Demand their reasons behind this at once! Meanwhile, I will notify the Grand Vizier.”

“Yes, sir”

The subordinate sent this transmission the Draconic Order ships: “Stand down at once.” The subordinate, not exactly sure what to say next, broke down. “Please don’t hurt us! Please!”

Meanwhile, The Grand Vizier got word of the entry of more ships. This is my worst fears come true, he thought. Oh, no, what should I do?

“I’m sorry,” announced the Grand Vizier, his voice waivering, “I must go now to do some really important stuff.”

The Grand Vizier, attempting to walk as fast as he could while still appearing stately, descended into the stairwell where he burst into a run. He yanked his hologram transmitter and requested his Secretary of the Navy.

“Admiral Wezzel, have you heard about our situation?”

“Yes, my liege-”

“What can we deploy that can stop this?”

“Eleven prototype Longbow class interceptors. Not nearly enough, I am afraid.”

“Oh, please!”

“I am sorry, sir. I am afraid we can do nothing.”

“I’ll have you arrested you incompetent fool!”

The Grand Vizier turned off the hologram transmitter and set it on a nearby desk.

This cannot be. What would he think?

“That you, Morolus, are the incompetent fool here!”

The Grand Vizier’s heart skipped a beat. The transmitter had turned itself on and was projecting an image of the skull with the horned helmet and wild black hair. It stared at him viciously, the blood red burning in his eyes.

“Please, I’m begging you, please!” begged the Grand Vizier.

“You are weak, Morolus!”

“I am sorry, I am sorry!”

“Sorry will not make your enemies flee in terror. You let this one incident go, they will think they can trample all over you. I am tired of you. I must speak to The Emperor.”

“No, no! The Emperor must not be disturbed, not even by the likes of you! You know how important that is.”

“Very well.”

The Grand Vizier, who was sobbing to the floor at this point, looked up. It was highly unusual for the Overlord Deathicus the Plaguebearer to make compromises.

“With this forsaken ‘banquet’, Morolus, you have opened Pandora’s Box.”

“No, Pandora’s Box was opened the day you arrived on Palacia,” stated the Grand Vizier. “If it wasn’t for you, we would still be the innocent, ignorant people who lived in castles and knew nothing of technology.”

“Nevertheless, it is time for damage control, Morolus. You must make an impression upon your guests immediately if you want them to leave with the right taste in their mouth. Make their blood run cold. Draw upon the powers of nightmares.”

“No, I am afraid that you are wrong. These people do not respect gruesome displays of violence.”

“Everyone respects violence, Morolus. Even if they do not like it, it is powerful to them.”

“But it would further worsen relations. And after our failure to respond to these attacks, your kind of power display would look thoroughly pathetic.”

Deathicus said nothing. He knew that the Grand Vizier knew more about the way the minds of the living worked than he did.

“Fine, Morolus. Do it your way. Know that I am incredibly unsatisfied with you, and giving you another chance will torment me.”

“With all due respect, this is a two way relationship. You cannot function without me. That is the only reason why you back down. I provide you with what you want: suffering and death. You provide us with what we want: conquest and power. You must learn to respect my deci-”

“Enough! Do the best you can with the situation. Knowing you, it will not be nearly good enough. After all this is over, we need to have some…discussions.”

The transmitter turned itself off.

The Grand Vizier, frightened once more by this sudden outburst, nodded and headed back upstairs.

A transmission on a wide band was released from the battleship:

<Ulu jal vessels: Stand harl lueth xun naut interfere.>

After translation:

<To all vessels: Stand down and do not interfere.>

The fighters began to circle back to the fleet as golden particle beams lanced out from five of the lead frigates. Striking the shields of the Kazecistan warship.

Zephon's obelisk shimmered for a split second as it neared the ground, releasing a soft red glow before coming to a soft landing, hovering a few feet from the ground silently. It took a few minutes for the craft to open, a large triangular door the released an inclined path to the surface. The first to exit was Zephon's escort of four guards, with no apparent weapons on hand, though it was difficult to see anything beneath the identicle black robes. Zephon himself followed soon after, in similiar dress as his mask slowly shifted to the shuttle.

"Well then... It appears they have provided transportation. I hope that they don't mind us being late." The mechanized voice muttered to his guards, who responded by bowing their heads, "Though I suppose it could not be helped with such short notice on our part..."

OOC: Sorry about leaving and coming back, but my exams have been postponed about two weeks, so I got loads of time.

IC: Harek walked up to Cetanu's chair.
"My Lord. We have just recieved a transmission. Well technically my Lord, we got it while still in orbit, but our coding translators seem to be only functioning at 50% capacity."
"Play it." said Cetanu.

"Attention. Our vessel has come under attack by forces of the nation Draconic Order. Kazecistan is not at this time in need of your aid, but we do advise you to be on alert, as these people may attack any one at any time. We apologize for bringing their foul presence to this system. "

Cetanu thought about it. While he did not really want to get involved, he liked the chance to get an alliance with...well someone, be it this Draconic Order or the Kazecis.
"How long until we can get a dossier on these nations and have part of the armada here, with the Second Army?"
"Within the next 30 minutes my Lord."
"Do it."

26 minutes later, Cetanu had his dossier, had made his choice of possible friend and had turned his ship around along with 1 quarter of the Armada. He didn't wish to cause any fights, not including him anyway. Only to talk...to the Draconic Order.
_________________________________________________________________
After arriving, Cetanu opened a comm-link with the largest Draconic ship.
"I am Lord-Marshall Cetanu of the Helghan Colonial Force. We wish to...know why you have attacked the Kazeci ships.Your hostility has left us, wondering whether we are safe or not. Please explain your reasoning."

About to speak when the Grand Vizier hurridly rushed off, Fortude (the squid) shrugged, deciding that he would tell him when he returned, which wasn't that much later. He slithered over to one of the tables, picking up a small dish filled with some sort of substance, which he supposed was algae, by its texture and appearence. As he tried a piece, the tentacles that made up his mouth* appearing to suck the food like a hose, he noticed the Grand Vizier return from wherever he had gone, and crawled back over to the Abyssian.

"Your majesty, as I was about to say," he said, speaking in the same voice that sounded like someone talking underwater, "I am Gygan Fortude, representative from GadgetCorp, along with my associate," he motioned to the blue cloud, "Aerckyth." The way he pronounced her name, you wouldn't be able to repeat it if you had it burned into your brain. He lowered his voice, saying, "Call her Tricia. It will be much easier for you. She's a Free-Flowing Hydrogen-Based lifeform, and their names are always terribly hard to say. Took me over a hundred years to get it right."

The blue cloud hovered over, transmitting to their minds, "I heard that." It seemed to chuckle with its female-sounding voice. "But yes, feel free to call me Tricia. I'd prefer that to my natural name anyway."



*((Do a google search on "Mind Flayer" to see the type of mouth I'm imagining))

As Zephon and his guards exited the ship, Grov and Myrt greeted them and guided them towards the shuttle. As they neared, the doors of the shuttle slid open, revealing a comfortable interior with cushioned seats along the circumference of the shuttle and a round table with drinks in the center. Once everyone was inside, the shuttle began to descend towards the tower in which the banquet was being held.

There inside the tower, the Grand Vizier was going along as if nothing happened. "Welcome, Gygan Fortude," said the Grand Vizier to the Scarilian. He turned to the blue cloud. "And Tricia. It is great that you could make it. I am sorry I was not here as you arrived. I had some important business to attend to. You must be tired of waiting, so let's get down to business. Are you interested in talks of trade agreements or alliances?"

__________________________________________________________
After arriving, Cetanu opened a comm-link with the largest Draconic ship.
"I am Lord-Marshall Cetanu of the Helghan Colonial Force. We wish to...know why you have attacked the Kazeci ships.Your hostility has left us, wondering whether we are safe or not. Please explain your reasoning."

A transmission from the battleship:

<Whol dossta sreen'aur, drewst dosstan dal lil thalack. Vlos z'klaen z'hren.>

After translation:

<For your safety, remove yourself from the battle. Blood must flow.>

OOC: Um...Just to let The Abyssian Legion and Gadgetcorp know, I was kind of A) Talking to Abyssian Legion and B) Motioned for the Gadgetcorp guys to come over. Just read my last post.

I'll have my next post as soon as Kazecistan posts...got to get his answer first...

ooc: DO, My people on the planet must survive- important characters you know...

BTW, sorry for my low activity, I just have had so little time lately.

Ic: It was common strategy to cut one's losses. In this battle, cutting losses would mean FTLing to safety. If the battle took much longer and the ship still had her jump drives, she would be gone, out of the grasp of her foes.

An interesting thing, that golden ion beams were being used on a ship whose main weapons were golden ion beams. However, it was quite likely that Kazecistan's LIC* cannons were better, despite the similarities in appearances. They lanced out with vengeance, eager to seek retribution on those who would attack Kazecistan. One could feel the ferocity of the Kazeci crew simply through its weapon's fire. Thick, hard beams of raw power slammed into their foes. Something was different. The usual beam continued, but along its length ran pulses of ions, visible to the eye as lumps on the thick beam of energy. They slammed into the targets with added force. Perhaps the new modifications to the fleet would be enough to frighten off their foes?

More ordinance awaited them if they did not disengage.

Torpedoes rushed fourth, each packing enough force to do some serious damage to a cap. ship. They were escorted by a host of smaller missiles, good against not much more than fighters and corvettes, they served as a screen and to ward off any fighters which might attempt to take the torpedoes out. Once in range, Zat cannons of all sizes opened up, their rapid purple streaks wreaking havoc on the shielding of the enemy. Still closer they loomed, hoping to intimidate their prey. Close quarters combat was their specialty and they longed to force their opponents into it.

On the Planet:
Daniel's robes began to beep. After pulling out the comm. pad and looking at it, she became urgent and agitated. "Your world- it is not safe for us. Enemy forces have engaged our ship as we speak. I must go!"

She hurried out with her guards and diplomats, getting beamed aboard their transport in the process. It lifted off with much haste, shooting into the heavens with incredible speed. It was an unidentifiable fireball until after it had gotten out of the atmosphere, a matter of moments after its take off. It sped faster and faster, doing what it could to escape the DO assault. Soon it had jumped. Safety. They played leapfrog with their limited jump capabilities for several hours, finally arriving in Kazeci space.

((Oh...Didn't see it there. Heheh...

Although, the Grand Vizier did leave for a bit to talk to the skull-hologram Deathicus, and he was talking to the GadgetCorp duo just before he left I believe. So...I'm not sure))

OOC: Um...Just to let The Abyssian Legion and Gadgetcorp know, I was kind of A) Talking to Abyssian Legion and B) Motioned for the Gadgetcorp guys to come over. Just read my last post.

I'll have my next post as soon as Kazecistan posts...got to get his answer first...
(OOC: Oh, sorry. There are so many things going on in this thread I must have forgot or skipped over something. This might be a good place to point out that there are no chairs at the banquet. It is considered rude to sit down at an Abyssian event like this banquet, as it shows that whoever is sitting down is bored with the event. Therefore, to avoid this awkward situation, no chairs, benches, etc. were set up.)

The Grand Vizier came back to Mu'Randa. "I am sorry I had to leave so quickly. It was urgent business. I heard you talk about terraforming Palacia, though, and I must say it is an incredible idea! It would be the greatest thing you could do for Palacia if you could persuade Tre'Fallo could terraform it. We would be supportive of your efforts, and will give you a hefty portion of the agricultural profits we would get through terraforming if you could help us out with it. You will have your work cut out for you with Palacia, though, I am afraid. The atmosphere is ruined to the point that it blocks out all sunlight, the soil has turned to dust, and very little water exists outside the oceans. This will restore Palacia to it's former glory and beauty if this works out."

ooc: DO, My people on the planet must survive- important characters you know...

BTW, sorry for my low activity, I just have had so little time lately.

Ic: It was common strategy to cut one's losses. In this battle, cutting losses would mean FTLing to safety. If the battle took much longer and the ship still had her jump drives, she would be gone, out of the grasp of her foes.

An interesting thing, that golden ion beams were being used on a ship whose main weapons were golden ion beams. However, it was quite likely that Kazecistan's LIC* cannons were better, despite the similarities in appearances. They lanced out with vengeance, eager to seek retribution on those who would attack Kazecistan. One could feel the ferocity of the Kazeci crew simply through its weapon's fire. Thick, hard beams of raw power slammed into their foes. Something was different. The usual beam continued, but along its length ran pulses of ions, visible to the eye as lumps on the thick beam of energy. They slammed into the targets with added force. Perhaps the new modifications to the fleet would be enough to frighten off their foes?

More ordinance awaited them if they did not disengage.

Torpedoes rushed fourth, each packing enough force to do some serious damage to a cap. ship. They were escorted by a host of smaller missiles, good against not much more than fighters and corvettes, they served as a screen and to ward off any fighters which might attempt to take the torpedoes out. Once in range, Zat cannons of all sizes opened up, their rapid purple streaks wreaking havoc on the shielding of the enemy. Still closer they loomed, hoping to intimidate their prey. Close quarters combat was their specialty and they longed to force their opponents into it.

On the Planet:
Daniel's robes began to beep. After pulling out the comm. pad and looking at it, she became urgent and agitated. "Your world- it is not safe for us. Enemy forces have engaged our ship as we speak. I must go!"

She hurried out with her guards and diplomats, getting beamed aboard their transport in the process. It lifted off with much haste, shooting into the heavens with incredible speed. It was an unidentifiable fireball until after it had gotten out of the atmosphere, a matter of moments after its take off. It sped faster and faster, doing what it could to escape the DO assault. Soon it had jumped. Safety. They played leapfrog with their limited jump capabilities for several hours, finally arriving in Kazeci space.

OOC: What about Lyrell's inquiry onto your captain?

(OOC: Oh, sorry. There are so many things going on in this thread I must have forgot or skipped over something. This might be a good place to point out that there are no chairs at the banquet. It is considered rude to sit down at an Abyssian event like this banquet, as it shows that whoever is sitting down is bored with the event. Therefore, to avoid this awkward situation, no chairs, benches, etc. were set up.)

The Grand Vizier came back to Mu'Randa. "I am sorry I had to leave so quickly. It was urgent business. I heard you talk about terraforming Palacia, though, and I must say it is an incredible idea! It would be the greatest thing you could do for Palacia if you could persuade Tre'Fallo could terraform it. We would be supportive of your efforts, and will give you a hefty portion of the agricultural profits we would get through terraforming if you could help us out with it. You will have your work cut out for you with Palacia, though, I am afraid. The atmosphere is ruined to the point that it blocks out all sunlight, the soil has turned to dust, and very little water exists outside the oceans. This will restore Palacia to it's former glory and beauty if this works out."

Mu'Randa nodded, her curls swinging across her brow. Her voice was slightly less atherial, less kind, as she talked to the Grand Vizier. Something was paining her deeply, and Mu'Randa was desperately trying to hide it.

"Yes," she said slowly, her smile not quite reaching her troubled eyes, "but we do not need agricultural profits at all. We shall gladly set up, monitor, and administer terraforming on Palacia - once we have collected enough research data, of course - but such an act will take a lot of time, effort, and money. The Polaris are not pushing for a substantial deal, but is there anything you could trade to us?"

Mu'Randa was about to vomit, so severe was the stress on her psyche. "Something is not right..." she thought, desperately weaving her thoughts to prevent her sickness. "What is...what is going on?"

Mu'Randa could not deal with it anymore. Closing her eyes, Mu'Randa shot a weave of thought at Lyrell, whose presence could be felt even on the surface of the planet.

<what is going on lyrell what is happening you are not hurting my precious dragon are you what is going on>

ooc: Sorry, my eyes are tired. I must have missed it. Here you go.

Ic: Kazecis were not unaware of the powers of the psyche, but they weren't particularly used to it either. It took his heart a moment to calm from its frenzied state. He wrinkled his brow as he attempted to 'think' a response. <Our ship is our numbered. We plan to escape via FTL soon. These ships belong to a dangerous foe. They have attacked Kazeci ships on missions like this without warning or provocation before, normally to their own defeat. It appears their convictions have strengthened in recent times. They will win this battle- either through our retreat or death. Should you chose to aid us, know what you are getting into.>

ooc: My guess is DO wants to take out my FTL drives. If he tries, he will succeed, trapping me in system. If so, then I will defiantly want help, but I am totally prepared to take a glorious death, as it will give more cause to the offensive we are planning. Don't expect to turn the tide, just to gain an ally (me) if you fight.

The Grand Vizier was ecstatic. "If you are looking for weapons, such as our specialty swords, bows, and plate armor, we would be great trading partners. These goods are forged in our forging towers by specially trained sorcerers, and are given magical enchantments that make them more durable and lightweight than swords, bows, and armor others could produce. We are also developing prototype energy weapon designs, and could share these with you. If none of this military equipment interests you, I am sure we can trade you our surplus algae crop."

Two frigates lost power and began to disengage as ion beams ripped into their hulls, causing massive system failures. The fighter clouds tried to take out the torpedos while dodging multiple missile strikes, sustaining some casulties. The fighters were helped some by the intervention of three flak frigates. A wave of bombers tried to cripple the engines and weapon systems, a third were destroyed on the first pass.

What happened next was something no race had witnessed. The two cruisers, the carrier, and one of the frigates that held back from the forward force formed around the battleship. Energy spikes followed as the four ships tethered beams to the battleship. Veins of light pulsated along the hull of the vessel from the engines to the bow, where a massive cannon ran through the bulk of the ship. A torent of energy created a storm around the front of the battleship. According to sensor readings, it would take less then a minute to fire.

The remaining functional three beam frigates began targeting the weapon systems on the firing arc facing the battleship, trying to quiet the dreadnaught for its deathblow.

Zephon eyed the inside of the shuttle for a moment before entering and sitting down, keeping one of his guards on either side of him. Only the guards removed their masks to drink, revealing the fact that they were remarkably young, but all of them shared the same ruby-hued eyes. It would prove to be a rather quiet shuttle ride as they eventually stopped at the tower.

As the group made their way to the door, Zephon eyed his guards closely, "So the ship has detected a battle in space..." He said in his monotone robotic voice as he raised his arms nonchalantly, "We should stay out of it then I suppose. I wouldn't want to mar the Judicator."

The guards nodded to Zephon together once more before four guards reattached their masks, which made a slight suction sound as they finished.

"Now please, lead me to this banquet. I would like to see your ruler and any others who have decided to show up."

Cetanu received the transmission.
"<For your safety, remove yourself from the battle. Blood must flow.>"
Hmm. Sounds like a threat.
"Shields up, keep your guard up. And...."
Just then, another transmission came through:
"<Our ship is our numbered. We plan to escape via FTL soon. These ships belong to a dangerous foe. They have attacked Kazeci ships on missions like this without warning or provocation before, normally to their own defeat. It appears their convictions have strengthened in recent times. They will win this battle- either through our retreat or death. Should you chose to aid us, know what you are getting into.>"
Cetanu thought for a few short seconds.
"And if the Kazecis seem to be in trouble, help them out."
Harek replied, "Yes my Lord."

Gygan looked up from his sampler dish, his gaze going to Mu'Randa. Something wasn't feeling right, that much he knew. He was sensing some sort of telepathic or psionic waves being transmitted through the air, and it appeared that this being was the focus point of where those emissions were being sent to. He didn't feel that there was any malice in it though; it felt more like pain, or, rather, sickness. Sickness strong enough that even he was able to feel slight, almost unnoticeable pangs of queasiness. And if he could feel it, as out of the way he was even with his psionic abilities, he had no doubt that Mu'Randa must be feeling truly nauseous. He glanced at his companion, silently (telepathically) asking her, "Are you feeling this...this..."

The cloud seemed to bob for a moment, resembling a nod. "Pain? Uneasiness? Yes, I am. Have you noticed-"

"That it's all focused on her? Yes, I have."

"Indeed. I'm not able to pinpoint the origin of these...For lack of a better word, feelings, but I believe that they're not coming from within this palace. Whatever's sending out these emissons must be fairly powerful, if we can feel it, and probably has an established mental link with her."

Gygan nodded, looking back at Mu'Randa, who seemed to be becoming increasingly worse. "Either way, it appears that our friend over there, whoever she is, is feeling a lot more from this than we are. Probably sick as a Worvanian Durge Fang."

Aerckyth bobbed again in agreement. "You'd probably better get the Vizier away from her before she loses it. And I don’t mean her mind."

With a nod, Gygan hurried over towards the Vizier, trying to use what little he had heard from their conversation to distract him. Publicly, he asked, “I’m terribly sorry for interrupting, sir, but did you mention something about energy weapon prototypes?” Secretly, on the other hand, he sent a short telepathic string to Mu’Randa. ”You seem…Disturbed. Something troubling you?”

As the shuttle slowed down, Myrt got up and beckoned Zephon and his guards to do the same. The shuttle door opened with the banquet room already in front of them.

"I have to stay with the shuttle to manage arrivals and departures, but I will find someone that will lead you to our Grand Vizier. Honrar!" Myrt had yelled out the name of the robed man who was closest to the shuttle, who turned around. "Come take these guests to the Grand Vizier."

As Honrar began leading Zephon and his guards to the Grand Vizier, the shuttle door closed and it began to ascend once again to the platform. Meanwhile, across the room, the Grand Vizier was answering Gygan's question.

"Yes, our energy weapons researchers make up the second largest field on engineering in the empire. They have been creating prototype weapons based on derived schematics that we...acquired. They are quite powerful, I must add. We have not finished fully testing any of them yet, and new projects are begun every day. Our greatest achievement in energy weapons so far is a rotating cannon we have mounted on one of our space exploration vehicles to create a machine we call the Longbow Interceptor. It is our first, and only thusfar, combat aircraft. Our newest and most groundbreaking project is our planetary defense cannon, called the Martel. But, excuse me. I have gone on so long about this. I am just very excited about it."

The Grand Vizier saw Zephon coming from behind Gygan.

"Good evening, welcome to our banquet. May I ask who you represent?"

ooc: I'm sorry, but I can't post for a few days, as this computer has lost my post on this thread for the third time. It simply reloads the page in the middle of my typing. Will post later.

Zephon stood quietly for a second, his robe body tiled to the side a bit, as if he were taking in the conversation involving the energy weapons. The martel cannon caught his interest the most, since it would be most useful to their cause. Though he still had no idea what other resources the planet had, so it was best to remain quiet about such things at present.

"I represent the Autocratic Triumvirate of Nili, primarily within the Zeres System. I am Triumvirate member Zephon, Keeper of Zelleria." The mechanized voice continued as the deep red eyes stared at the Vizier's, as if measuring him up, "I take it you are the Grand Vizier. It is a pleasure to meet you."

Bowing forward slightly to acknowledge the man's status, Zephon outstretched his right hand slowly, revealing a white gloved hand, ending in sharp, possibly bladed fingernails. At this signal, the four guards behind him immediately dropped to their knees and bows to the man in front of them. They were obediant if anything, almost emotionlessly so.

Secretly, on the other hand, he sent a short telepathic string to Mu’Randa. ”You seem…Disturbed. Something troubling you?”

On the Planet

Mu'Randa looked up with surprise, not expecting anyone here to respond with telepathy. She had been so occupied with her own thoughts and dreads, she had barely noticed the Weave that surrounded Gygan and Aerckyth. As though nothing was wrong, Mu'Randa stood to look at Nili. Her yellow eyes were still twinkling, though a shadow seemed to have crossed her features.

<interesting you sensed my thought/speech i am impressed yes i am troubled there is some commotion in orbit i do not want to start a panic but several ships have begun heavy engagement my ship is preparing to engage the agressives i have already informed my two friends here what we are to do please do not tell anyone but your companions if you have severe concerns mearly cast your mind/eye upwards an look for lyrell i dare say you will find him with great ease as he is a vell-os psi master of a much greater calibur than even i>

The message was sent Gygan, though it was quit different from the received one. The words were not based in any language, but were merely strings of ideas and thoughts pressed together into the simplest, easiest to understand string. It did not mater if Gygan spoke the Polaris tongue, as most of Mu'Randa's thoughts were in, for she spoke in basic emotions, feelings, and ideas. But, most importantly, there was a clear dominance of the psionic arts in those words. Weaves of energy could be felt with every morsel of thought/speech projected by Mu'Randa.

+-+-+-+-+

Mu'Randa's two companions, who had been sampling food by the banquet hall, moved closer to their mistress. Mu'Joleth, his face lax and at ease, was actually quite anxious. The news of battle caused his very blood to boil with rage and eagerness. For, as terrible as combat was at diplomatic talks, Mu'Joleth was a fighter at heart. There was nothing else he wanted but to touch the little "tattoo" on his face and join the fray, but he knew he could not. After all, there was no problem on the ground. He would have to wait for such a travesty. Mu'Joleth sighed as he stood a few feet behind Mu'Rhanda, holding an assortment of foodstuffs he had collected from the table.

Mu'Karu, meanwhile, was a few meters away from the pair, seeming to gorge his face with food. As he stood there, sampling a strange yellow spread which tasted strongly of kelp, he turned to one of the black-robed figures from the Abyssian Legion that seemed to frequent the room.

"So," Mu'Karu said in a gruff, low tone, "tell me, what is it like living here? Is life difficult to manage, or are you well cared for?"

Mu'Karu, all the while, was eying Mu'Randa with a warry eye. Already, Lyrell's response had touched his mind and had caused his blood to run cold.

+-+-+-+-+

Mu'Randa bowed a bit to the one named Zephon, speaking with her sweet, elegant voice. "Hello, Zephon, leader of the Cult of Zephon. It is good to finally see the man we have heard much about. I am Mu'Randa of the Polaris, though, I do not believe you know about us. I appologize, but we have visited the Zeres system on more than one occasion. Perhaps this will be a forum for our two nations to form ties of friendship and prosperity." Mu'Randa smiled all the while, though her heart was still heavy. The thought of Lyrell's message quickly forcing an austere humor.

<we shall engage>

Space

Lyrell heard the thoughts of the panicked Kazecistan officer, and was suddenly filled with a passionate furry. He sent a response back so powerful that Lyrell quickly had to lessen its blow (already the strength alone might give the poor man a nosebleed when he received it).

<those filthy cowards we shall stop them if you must flee go to coordinates <239.-224.0092.1984.24.-293> there you will be safe i will summon protection if it is needed though it will not arrive for quite some time may we both fight gloriously today>

Lyrell’s pod began to quiver, as the gash that exposed Lyrell to the air of the ship began to re-seal itself. Already, Lyrell could feel the pricks of the NTNs as they entered his fingers, arms, and side. Nanites began to flow betwixt the ship and Lyrell’s blood. The flood of the microrobots flowed to Lyrell’s brain, and the same befell the Dragon’s neural processor. Within seconds, the consciousness of the Dragon was bound to his own.

<nil’ya nil’farro be alert i am yielding control of the ship to you while i will focus my efforts on strengthening our shields and using my weave for offense are you ready>

Only a foot remained of the slit, as Lyrell’s nose was quickly hooked up to an organic-looking (like all the technology on the ship) breathing device. Lyrell closed his eyes as the cool surge of g-resistant fluid began to fill his compartment; the jelly-like embrace deadening movement and sound. Lyrell would be left to concentrate solely on manipulating his weave: no distractions.

As Lyrell’s pod sealed itself, it was apparent that there were two others onboard the ship. Both were seated in form-fitting cushions that seemed to envelop their bodies. They were wearing grey robes: marks of the Nil'kemorya - or warrior - caste.

<nil’ya you take piolet your skills are greater than mine> Thought the one named Nil’Farro, who began to sink into the cushion a bit as needles penetrated his veins. His nannites too began to flow between the ship, though they reached a different port. Instead, the weapon AI was now merging with Nil’Farro’s mind, every cell of the weapon relays like the skin on Nil’Farro’s hands.

<agreed nil’farro but i get gunner next time> Nil’Ya responded, she too sinking into the cushion. Engines, navigation, and - most importantly - the central eye of the Dragon became her legs, arms, and vision.

The Dragon was ready for battle.

+-+-+-+-+

Normally, when a cloak disengages one of several things happen. Usually it looks like a blanket ripped away from a person, revealing the body beneath. Either that, or some barrier is shattered like a perfect oval of glass. Or the thing simply “appears” out of nowhere. Ships can even “phase” back into view, the bending light causing its form to appear like a mirage.

This was not like those times.

The Dragon once more appeared on sensor-screens of all ships, but not immediately. It was as though the 50 meter ship had hidden itself in a gargantuan cloud, only to slide out of it quickly. There was no pause, no rest: it was ready to fight.

Soaring out with remarkable speed that truly beguiled its size, the Dragon cut a path towards the nearest hostile: the three beam frigates. The Dragon had moved silently in cloak until it was right upon the ships. Before they knew what had happened, it was too late to get the first reaction!

Row after row, column after column, series after series of cellular storage capacitors with a swiveling biological structure discharged linearly into each other. As the rays crossed each other, what resulted was a flow of intense energy in the form of a single, red beam. Simple Ion Cannons could not match the power of the Bio-Relay Laser, as the Dragon began to try to slice through the ships around it. [Pic: http://www.evula.com/survival_guide/graphics/evn-outfits/polaris_laser_turret.jpg]

At the same time, a series of strange purple entities erupted. They moved at great speed, though the distinct feature of a squid-like organism could be seen. Yet, they were not docile space-faring organisms. They were tightly-bound packets of polarons held in a mar-gravity field. Upon touching shields, hull, or other obstacles they would burst into a controlled blast: the highly magnetized, volatile, and concentrated polarons exploding with enough force to rip appart most fighters within one or two shots. These were the Wraithii Cannons: the most common round-based weapon in the Polaris Navy. [Pic: http://www.evula.com/survival_guide/graphics/evn-outfits/polaris_wraithii.jpg] Two Wrathii, each fired from the two Wraithii launchers on the Dragon’s underbelly, were fired at the multi-beam frigates.

What happened next, no one could predict.

+-+-+-+-+

It was like a glob of some cosmic solution simply oozed out of the side of the ship: much like the contents of a lava-lamp separating from each other. But the object that came out was no decoration. It was a stunning, awe-inspiring thing: a blue-grey “dimple” center stretched ten meters forwards. Two translucent, azure, shimmering “wings” jutted from the side. The ship did not seem to adhere to the laws of this universe: for its movements were quite odd. Rather than shifting through the gravity-less space, relying on thrusters and other devices to propel the ship in three-dimensional arcs, the ethereal object moved through vacuum like a fish in water.

It was a Vell-os Dart: a ship created by wrapping the Weave of the Universe upon itself to make a tangible ship. [Pic: http://www.ambrosiasw.com/games/evn/desktoppics/Dart(800x600).jpg] Lyrell was obviously controlling it, which was no hard task for a Vell-os Master, from within the Dragon. As soon as the Dart freed itself from its “mother ship,” it turned towards the larger ships and began to let loose a storm of strange energy.

For any psychics in the area, they would have felt the aura of the beam blast forth from the Dart. It was golden, but not with concentrated-light. It felt like Spring rearing itself from the shroud of winter and melting the chilling snow. Still more interesting was the beam itself, which seemed to resemble hundreds of pressed flower-like patterns cascading in a linear direction. This was the most basic of Vell-os aggressive weapons: the Flower of Spring. [Pic of Flower of Spring: http://www.evula.com/survival_guide/graphics/evn-outfits/vellos_spring.jpg] The Flower of Spring was hardly as powerful as the Bio-Relay laser, but it was still close. The Dart which let loose the cascade of energy began to bob and weave between any point-dense weapons on the ships: attempting to force death upon their weapons.

+-+-+-+-+

Finally, Lyrell let loose his own Vell-os weapon. With a tumultuous blast of Weave rarely felt by even the most powerful and experienced of Psychics, a blinding-white beam burst forth from some point a good three meters from the Dragon. It moved straight towards the Carrier: the rushing energy like an Ion Cannon from the depths of Hell. To all that felt its aura, one would be reminded of death and rebirth; cold and warmth; of the World decaying. It was Autumn, and so the Autumn Petal was named: the strongest weapon any Vell-os could produce by him or herself. [Pic: http://www.evula.com/survival_guide/graphics/evn-outfits/vellos_autumn.jpg ] These had been known to slice even powerful Polaris ships straight down the middle after a few seconds of continuous contact, and to confront one was no laughing matter.

And so the Polaris began to strike. The first strike against an outside enemy in one-thousand, two-hundred and forty-eight years: and one that would not be forgotten.

OOC: FEW!! I’m done. I probably won’t respond until late tomorrow, so chao.

((I'm putting the battle on hold until Kazecistan can post, since this nation gets a response before anyone, even polaris. Although, I'll respond to that interesting attack after I get Kazecistan's response.))

The Grand Vizier witnessed the devotion of Zehpon's followers and Zephon extending his hand. What is with these people and their hand gestures? The Grand Vizier extended out his right hand as well. "Greetings, Zephon. Yes, I am the Grand Vizier, and I welcome you to my lovely city of Gothelrelm. What do you wish to discuss?"

Meanwhile, the robed man Mu'Kara had questioned answered. "My life is wonderful. I get food to eat and water to drink, and I have a very nice job as a barrister downtown. I, like all of my colleages here save Arthius, have been provided a tower like this one to live in. My tower is not far from here. I thank the Divine Mushroom that I am not lowly a serf." The man put down an algae cake he had picked up. "You are here representing the Polaris Castes, right? What is it like on your planet?"

The Grand Vizier witnessed the devotion of Zehpon's followers and Zephon extending his hand. What is with these people and their hand gestures? The Grand Vizier extended out his right hand as well. "Greetings, Zephon. Yes, I am the Grand Vizier, and I welcome you to my lovely city of Gothelrelm. What do you wish to discuss?"

Meanwhile, the robed man Mu'Kara had questioned answered. "My life is wonderful. I get food to eat and water to drink, and I have a very nice job as a barrister downtown. I, like all of my colleages here save Arthius, have been provided a tower like this one to live in. My tower is not far from here. I thank the Divine Mushroom that I am not lowly a serf." The man put down an algae cake he had picked up. "You are here representing the Polaris Castes, right? What is it like on your planet?"

OOC: Until Kaz posts...and he should post a response to Lyrell's "message" to him right afterwards.

IC:

"My planet?" Mu'Karu laughed a bit, spilling a little of the spread on his beard. Reaching for a napkin, he whiped the food off of his face and continued, "Well, for starters, there are many planets under the Polaris' sway. A more appropriate question would be "What is it like in my caste." I am of the Mu'Hari caste. The name...oh...it is hard to translate. I suppose the best version is "Servants of All, Those Shamed Without Purpose", so my life is not as glorious nor as important as those of the other Castes. I, like all of my kin, am properly fed, cared for, and paid for my jobs. In fact, many of the other Castes often look upon me, and most of the Mu'Hari, with a certain degree of awe. My jobs vary depending on what I have been assigned. I have been an ambassador a few times, a spy on several occasions, a diplomat more than once, a bodyguard more times than I can recall, a test piolet, and a host of other jobs that the more essential Castes ask of me."

Mu'Karu paused for a moment, seeming to take a sample of a peculiar looking algae plant. As he munched on it slowly, Mu'Karu quickly pilled-up the new foodstuff onto a plate. He cast a half-glance at Mu'Rhanda as he did so, still keeping an eye on his charge.

"So," he continued, as he began to eat the contents of his plate tentitively, "tell me, are there any women among you? It is hard to tell, for you are all wearing robes."

Mu'Karu wanted to keep the chit-chat brief and cordial, for he too was picking-up the psi-talk transmitted between Lyrell and Mu'Rhanda.

ooc: It's not normal for a Kazeci ship to miss this kind of power for so long. Don't count on it again.

Polaris, you won't receive much response in this post- it all depends on DO's post.

Also, sorry it’s kind of short. You aren’t missing anything, there’s just less words.

Ic: The ship thrust its massive hull fourth into the midst of its foes. As it did so, its SPPT cannons came into range and let loose. Red beams lashed out, creating channels within which the plasma torpedoes could travel to the hull of their target unimpeded by shielding or weapons fire- or so they were designed. These torpedoes created massive localized damage to their targets- very effective at picking off exposed systems like weapons. The hail of purple Zat fire continued, draining the shields with the sheer numbers of blasts. LICs lashed out at regular intervals. The torpedo and missile tubes were reloaded. They were just getting started.

"Sir, there appears to be an organic ship coming to our aid!" Before he could respond, however, a more pressing matter became evident. "Massive power build up between enemy ships! It looks like a weapon!"

ooc: It's not normal for a Kazeci ship to miss this kind of power for so long. Don't count on it again.

Polaris, you won't receive much response in this post- it all depends on DO's post.

Also, sorry it’s kind of short. You aren’t missing anything, there’s just less words.

Ic: The ship thrust its massive hull fourth into the midst of its foes. As it did so, its SPPT cannons came into range and let loose. Red beams lashed out, creating channels within which the plasma torpedoes could travel to the hull of their target unimpeded by shielding or weapons fire- or so they were designed. These torpedoes created massive localized damage to their targets- very effective at picking off exposed systems like weapons. The hail of purple Zat fire continued, draining the shields with the sheer numbers of blasts. LICs lashed out at regular intervals. The torpedo and missile tubes were reloaded. They were just getting started.

"Sir, there appears to be an organic ship coming to our aid!" Before he could respond, however, a more pressing matter became evident. "Massive power build up between enemy ships! It looks like a weapon!"

OOC: If you're still loosing your post thing from before, then write out your post in a word processor then copy and paste it into the posting space. Then, you're OK.

The three strong beam frigates came under fire from the Polaris Dragon and the Kazecistan Dreadnaught. The shields flickered under the bombardment before splintering like glass against mis-hit baseballs. The heavy armor of the ships began taking the brunt of the damage, one had to break off as it was pierced in the side by a heavy ion beam, cutting a deep swath through to the other side.

A wing of fighters intercepted the Autumn Petal in the speed of battle. Completely on accident, they managed to fly right into the beam as they turned for another attack run, dissipating the beam. Two more flights began to let loose a wave of anti-fighter missiles as they targeted the lone Vellos Dart, following with a wall of lazer fire.

The battleship's siege cannon fired.

The void was lit up like a solar flare as the area along and around the torrential beam lanced out at the dreadnaught. The dreadnaught jerked as it was caught in a particle beam tens of times stronger then any that DO had used against it in the past. Hull temperature began to rise steadily. The weapon seemed to have been designed to fight against planetary and battlestation shields, where a whole fleet would need to bear its teeth to do the amount of devestation that the battleship's main weapon was capable of achieving.

OOC: I hope you don't mind, but with everybody going for the Draconic Order, I thought I'd go for Kazecis. If that bothers anybody,I can delete this.

Cetanu would have grinned.
"That looked like an attack to me. But who to aid?" While, the Kazecis were severly damaged, the Draconic ships were being ganged up on.
Well I always was a bit of a bully.
"Attack the Kazecis! All missiles!"
As the Assault vessels turned for the Kazeci ships, hundreds of fighters were let out at once, high caliber explosive bullets erupting from their guns, while the Assault Ships themselves unleashed a barrage of Missiles and cannon shells into the Kazecis.
"Admiral, get me out of here." ordered Cetanu. Sure enough, his flagship turned and entered a Warp Gate, disappearing towards The Colony.
The new commander, Admiral Hoth, continued the attack.
"FIRE ALL WEAPONS! SHIELD UP!"

As the Assault vessels turned for the Kazeci ships, hundreds of fighters were let out at once, high caliber explosive bullets erupting from their guns, while the Assault Ships themselves unleashed a barrage of Missiles and cannon shells into the Kazecis.
"Admiral, get me out of here." ordered Cetanu. Sure enough, his flagship turned and entered a Warp Gate, disappearing towards The Colony.

"Hmm?"

Gygan looked up, noticing the large surge of energies being unleashed from the war ships above. Aerckyth also noticed the slight jump of power, but if she looked up, it was not certain, for she had no head.

"Notice that?"

Gygan nodded, continuing to stare, apparently, at the ceiling fixture. Either a distant supernova occured, a large wormhole just opened up, or there's a battle going on. And with what the other being said earlier, I'd guess it was the latter. Let me send in a call to our ship."
_________________________________________________________________

Behind (one of) the Abyssian moon(s) lay a large, saucer-shaped craft, measuring over two kilometers in width. Emblazoned on its hull was the Gadget Corporation Logo, a large, purple smiley-face inside a widget. Of course, it was printed on the top of the saucer-ship and could not be seen unless you were above it, a bad marketing design.

In the bridge of the large ship, the captain of the vessel, a G109 Helper-model droid, sat in a plush, oversized easychair, playing a game of 3-Dimensional Chess with the ship's onboard Computer AI.

"Check." The droid moved his warship (bishop) into the line of fire with the AI's king, having destroyed its battlecruiser (queen) in the process.

While the holographic display of the AI sat rubbing its chin, a Holovid Screen to their right blinked on, displaying the face of Gygan.

"I've noticed that there seems to be a large amount of energies being released in the nearby area of the sector. Check it out, and report back. Be careful out there."

ooc: TPC, I know.

HCF, The plan was to have my ship die a glorious death, giving cause for further battle. His cannon was plenty. Assume that your weapons were engulfed in the explosion.

DO, I'll be posting the thread for the Kazeci offensive this weekend. Assume several weeks of time elapse. Shall we refer to this here after as 'The Abyssian Incident'?

Ic: But a split second and it was over, but slow motion always seems to take hold of situations like this. The ship's shielding held for the shortest of moments, quickly giving way to the torrent of energy. Despite its armor, super structure, and shielding it took but an instant for the ship to be obliterated. Weather it was a power overload, the ships self destruct mechanism, or even only the beam's power could not be known, but the end was quick. A massive blue wave with tremendous power spread out in a ring from the expanding dome of fire where the ship had once been. Tiny debris littered the system. Had the wave impacted a ship it would likely have destroyed it. As is, it just barely skimmed over the planet's outer atmosphere. All comm. traffic from the vessel was silenced with a finality and the seen was so beautiful it its own right, that even the most heartless would feel. So many lives, ambitions, hopes- all ended in a single blow.

Those affected deepest could take comfort in two things, however: the first that it was a quick death, and the second that it would be avenged.

ooc:
DO, I'll be posting the thread for the Kazeci offensive this weekend. Assume several weeks of time elapse. Shall we refer to this here after as 'The Abyssian Incident'?

Ic: But a split second and it was over, but slow motion always seems to take hold of situations like this. The ship's shielding held for the shortest of moments, quickly giving way to the torrent of energy. Despite its armor, super structure, and shielding it took but an instant for the ship to be obliterated. Weather it was a power overload, the ships self destruct mechanism, or even only the beam's power could not be known, but the end was quick. A massive blue wave with tremendous power spread out in a ring from the expanding dome of fire where the ship had once been. Tiny debris littered the system. Had the wave impacted a ship it would likely have destroyed it. As is, it just barely skimmed over the planet's outer atmosphere. All comm. traffic from the vessel was silenced with a finality and the seen was so beautiful it its own right, that even the most heartless would feel. So many lives, ambitions, hopes- all ended in a single blow.

Those affected deepest could take comfort in two things, however: the first that it was a quick death, and the second that it would be avenged.

((What was the name of the dreadnaught, I think the dreadnaughts name should have something to do with the naming of the incident.))

The shockwave smashed into the two remaining beam frigates. Small fires erupted along the hull, which were then quickly consumed by the subsequent explosions as the vessels were ripped apart. A debri cloud remained afterward as a relic to the passage, the combined parts of three ships.

The DO fleet began to break formation, turning tail and moving out-system to make a jump. The energy coils dissipated as the vessels disengaged from the battleship.

ooc: I didn't name this one Icly as I was out of names, but it would have started with 'Kie' and been finished with some other random syllable which was also capitalized and without a space between.

Ic: Kazecistan, receiving no further response from the SC, assumed its destruction and a new state of war. The rearmament program stepped into full gear as they pushed to complete the upgrades on the last of the Kazeci ships.

OOC: *Sniff* You didn't let me post :(

IC:

Lyrell strained with all of his might, his lone Dart beginning to try to outrun the missiles trained on its small form. Twice it managed to confuse their targeting systems, causing the warheads to spiral out of control and blast into each other. But it did not last for long. Soon, round after round pummeled the unarmed craft: causing its shields to rip apart and the weave that created it dissipated.

Of course, this did not stop Lyrell from simply making another one...though too late as he felt the hot sear of light and heat emanate from the explosion that ripped through the heavens.

Lyrell knew what was happening. He knew the shockwave would let loose a tumult of destruction so that no one could survive. In his desperation, Lyrell dropped the protective Weave Shield he added to the formidable Dragon. Instead, Lyrell concentrated all of his might: every last bit of his energy onto making a small, powerful Dart within the hull of the great Kazecistan vessel. In that split second, he made a decision. Lyrell felt his weave wrap around that of the lone officer onboard the Kazecistan. Desperation; panic. He struggled, tried: could he create a small Dart pod from which to save the man?! Would he have the time or the power?!

As the wave of the explosion rippled across the Dragon, the great machine cried a terrible shriek of pain. Explosions ripped all around its black and green hull: a shower of billions of minute particles and energy slamming against the keel of the ship.

Then, as the dust cleared, the Dragon's Spun Diamond shell had proved its point. Long since had the Shield Organelles gone dry: but its hull had survived the crisis.

Within the belly of the beast, Lyrell was poised: ready. Waiting.

Had he succeeded?

OOC: If he didn't, no hard feelings or anything. I just thought it would be a good thing. Besides, there would be no evidence that the Polaris aided you without at least one survivor >_<

ooc: I didn't name this one Icly as I was out of names, but it would have started with 'Kie' and been finished with some other random syllable which was also capitalized and without a space between.

Ic: Kazecistan, receiving no further response from the SC, assumed its destruction and a new state of war. The rearmament program stepped into full gear as they pushed to complete the upgrades on the last of the Kazeci ships.

((Contact me and we can discuss the battles to come.))

ooc: Now that he lives, I can give him his name ;) (famous character)

Ic: Commander Ferzli lay dazed in the hull of the craft. As he realized that he lived, the torrent of emotions that befell him caused him to pass out. The whole crew gone? His ship gone? His life spared? They all swirled.

As the Vortian Nanosaucer approached the battleground (it's still at a bit of a distance, mind you), it came into contact with some of the outer fringes of the shockwave. As the waves of blue energy smashed against the hull, the craft began to shudder, but the sloping edges of the craft, which caused it to have the appearence of a squashed sphere, assisted in the matter, and the energies simple slid off after several seconds. Not that the shields didn't help too.

By the time it reached the vicinity of the shieldless Dragon, as well as the charred remnants of the Kazeci craft, the shockwave had disappated, and the scraps of metal still lay drifting through space.

Onboard, the G109 Droid, wearing his cliched, French-Style, 18th-Century Captain's hat, paced the length of the bridge, which, fittingly, was located on a track that constantly spun with the revolutions the ship made while moving. If he had been organic, he would have most likely been made sick by now. But, he was a robot, and as such, he was not cursed with such squishy organs.

"Lieutenant," he droned, turning to a nearby officer droid, with multiple badges, all of them displayed upon the electronic card installed on his breastplate, "what ship is that? The big black one."

"Uh...Readings show that the craft is organic...Gathered intelligence suggests that it is a Polaris ship. No previous contact, or at least none recorded, besides the random household appliance sale. Known to be generally without hostilities, and I believe that they have a representative visiting the Abyssians. Master Fortude may have met them."

The G109 nodded, which was harder to do than it sounded, since he had no neck and his head was less than a foot tall. "That would explain his curiosity. I suppose we should hail them."

Attention unknown craft, who we believe we may know of but are not entirely sure that we are sure that we know of the craft of which we are speaking of, which is the one you are...Uh...currently on.

It appears as if your vessel has suffered damages here, no doubt from a explosion that occurred not too long ago. Do not feel the need to explain at the moment. We are simply here to gather information, and assist you if you so need it.

ooc: Sorry for not making it clear, nothing bigger than the mouse you are holding remains of the craft.

Lyrell sighed a breath of sweet release upon the touch of Ferzli's weave against his own. He could see him, now, through his mind's eye enclosed carefully in his dart. To the commander, he would appear to be standing in a small, grey capsule. If the commander ever truly merged with the weave, which would be impossible unless he was a very powerful tellepath, then he would see nothing but space around him.

<it is good you are alive i was terrified i would find nothing>

Lyrell's psychic call rippled over Ferzli, as the Dart that enclosed the surivor moved slowly towards the crippled Dragon.

+-+-+

As for the Dragon, already its shield organelles were beginning to repair themselves. Slowly, a faint static tinge erupted around the ship to signify that a faint shield was re-charging itself once more. The Dragon's hull itself was far too...complicated to scan. There was organic mixed with non-organic mixed with some strange shielding technology that seemed to refract most beams towards it. It was true, one could tell whether the shields were down or not, but only the most advanced and powerful scanners calibrated to the correct frequency could truly see the inner-workings of a Polaris ship.

Lyrell cast his mind's eye over the two soldiers in the ship.

Passed out cold. Lyrell thought, shaking his head and sighing as he did so. The poor warriors. I did not think they had seen many battles before.

A shudder, a thought. The Dragon was trying to speak with him. Already, a message was born throughout the ship.


Attention unknown craft, who we believe we may know of but are not entirely sure that we are sure that we know of the craft of which we are speaking of, which is the one you are...Uh...currently on.

It appears as if your vessel has suffered damages here, no doubt from a explosion that occurred not too long ago. Do not feel the need to explain at the moment. We are simply here to gather information, and assist you if you so need it.

Lyrell nodded, stroking the black and green inner hull of the ship affectionately.

<thank you old friend though mu'randha is going to flay me alive>

A rapid, shallow sound reminiscent of laughter echoed through the empty halls of the ship.

Lyrell closed his eyes, casting his minds' eye out once more as the Dart carrying the sole survivor entered a small hole (recently formed) in the side of the Dragon. Instead of touching a mind, Lyrell felt the dull hammer of a microprocessor.

Damn. Lryell thought, moving his weave towards the ships' communications instead. Its a robot. Wonderful.

Slowly, the Dragon drifted towards the almost 3 km vessel. It paled in size towards the monstrosity: measuring at only 50 meters. Still, this small vessel had aided in the destruction of an entire fleet. Something to remember...something to fear...

+-+-+

The Following Message was transmitted by the Unknown Vessel.

This is the Heavy Gunboat Nil'koiyok of the Polaris Navy. We were on a diplomatic mission when enemy craft engaged and destroyed a fellow delegate's vessel. We responded hastily and aided in the destruction of several frigates before succumbing to a massive explosion of the allied craft. We are currently taking the survivor within our ship. If you would be so kind, I, Lyrell of the Vell-os Order and Temporary Stuart of the Nil'koiyok, would be honored if you were to accompany our ship back down to the planet. We will need certain supplies if we are to repair ourselves completely. May Ory'Hara watch over you.

Lyrell sat back, the words never leaving his mouth. Already switches and buttons were pressing by themselves, preparing the "docking" bay for which the surviving commander might rest.

All he had to do now was wait...

Though Lyrell was troubled.

His actions might have brought war. Terrible bloody war to the Polaris. Though they had survived worse in their past, they had not fought against a hostile outsider for so long...it worried him. Still, the Polaris did not have the Vell-os during the Empire Wars nor the Wraith Conflict. Or, come to think of it, the Wraith for that matter.

Lyrell was lost in thoughts, sitting pensively in his chair.

OOC: Until Kaz posts...and he should post a response to Lyrell's "message" to him right afterwards.

IC:

"My planet?" Mu'Karu laughed a bit, spilling a little of the spread on his beard. Reaching for a napkin, he whiped the food off of his face and continued, "Well, for starters, there are many planets under the Polaris' sway. A more appropriate question would be "What is it like in my caste." I am of the Mu'Hari caste. The name...oh...it is hard to translate. I suppose the best version is "Servants of All, Those Shamed Without Purpose", so my life is not as glorious nor as important as those of the other Castes. I, like all of my kin, am properly fed, cared for, and paid for my jobs. In fact, many of the other Castes often look upon me, and most of the Mu'Hari, with a certain degree of awe. My jobs vary depending on what I have been assigned. I have been an ambassador a few times, a spy on several occasions, a diplomat more than once, a bodyguard more times than I can recall, a test piolet, and a host of other jobs that the more essential Castes ask of me."

Mu'Karu paused for a moment, seeming to take a sample of a peculiar looking algae plant. As he munched on it slowly, Mu'Karu quickly pilled-up the new foodstuff onto a plate. He cast a half-glance at Mu'Rhanda as he did so, still keeping an eye on his charge.

"So," he continued, as he began to eat the contents of his plate tentitively, "tell me, are there any women among you? It is hard to tell, for you are all wearing robes."

Mu'Karu wanted to keep the chit-chat brief and cordial, for he too was picking-up the psi-talk transmitted between Lyrell and Mu'Rhanda.

"No, our women choose to stay at home and assist with chores and the like," replied the robed man. "Besides, their place is not at these banquets with the Grand Vizier. All of us here are men invited by the Grand Vizier himself because our government positions make us knowledgeable about politics."

The robed man, who was trying to hide his discomfort for the topic, picked his algae cake back up and continued eating.

OOC: Okey dokey.

IC: The missile fire had beedn unnecessary. Before they had even impacted on the Kazeci ship it had been blown up by the Draconic Fleet.
What a waste of ammo. thought the Admiral.
"Get the fleet out of here, back to the Colony."
"Yes, sir." Within seconds a warp gate was opened and the fleet returned home.

((OOC: Sorry for not being on. Computer problems))

Zephon nodded over to Mu'randa from behind his mask, betraying little emotion as he stared over at her, measuring her up. Despite what he wanted to believe, he did not know of everything going on in the universe, though he knew vague details of the Polaris, but anything other than that was lost to him. The fact that they seemed to know of him was a bit admirable.

"Only good things I hope..." He said in a calm tone, as his eyes seemed to stop concentrating on her a bit longer before returning to the Vizier, though still talking back at the female, "It is nice to know that knowledge of me reaches beyond Zeres at least. Perhaps someday I can give you a tour of Zelleria or the like."

Though it seemed unnatural to try and hold two conversations at once, Zephon was used to it. It was far more efficient that way, so as he turned his attention back to the Vizier, he finally answered his earlier question.

"Well... I would like to see what your people can offer the Triumvirate. That is why I am here after all. Your beam weaponry for one, interests me. Are there any more things you are interested in trading?"

The G109 nodded as the message entered the ship, replying almost instantaneously.

I'd much need to believe that the honor is ours, if this lone craft destroyed a small fleet of frigates by itself. We would be happy to assist you on the return trip.

As for the materials you require, you may find that we have some supplies you might find useful, designed to work with organic creatures, as our scans indicate your ship is, anyway. Things such as molecular regeneration accelerators or kinetic reanimation processors.

In any case, we are ready to return when you are.

ooc: There was, at one point, a Kazeci Super Cruiser in on the destruction....

"No, our women choose to stay at home and assist with chores and the like," replied the robed man. "Besides, their place is not at these banquets with the Grand Vizier. All of us here are men invited by the Grand Vizier himself because our government positions make us knowledgeable about politics."

The robed man, who was trying to hide his discomfort for the topic, picked his algae cake back up and continued eating.

Mu'Karu laughed tenuously, shaking his massive head from side to side as he continued to speak.

"Well, don't tell that to Mu'Randa," Mu'Karu said with a jovial tone, "she'll make you burst into flames before you had a chance to say "boo." Oh, by the way Mr...oh, by the Bis' ass, I never did catch your name." Mu'Karu continued, waving his hand a bit at the cake the Abyssian noshed on, "What is that called?"

+-+-+-+

Mu'Randa bowed slightly to the masked Zephon, and whispered a sweet, cheerful, "That would be wonderful. Who knows? Perhaps you might visit Kel'ar-y as well and bask in the glory of my homeland. Either way, I am glad you have attended this conference."

Mu'Randa's eyes flickered in a mischievous way, her weave jumping outwards and wrapping itself around Zephon, the following words ebbing into the back of his consciousness.

<so zephon i have heard of your exploits for many years we have observed your race as well as many others from afar i do not quite recall but do you possess psionic powers i know most of your inhabitants do possess some minor arts though most do not reach a t4 rating even those who are stronger have measured a simple t3 with an occasional t2 but it is no matter i hope you can respond to this>

Mu'Randa's expression did not change as she turned towards the Grand Vizier. "Indeed, sir, I have some idea of what we may trade for terraforming service. There was a gas-giant we passed not long ago en-route to this place. Although you have no need for it as of yet, there are certain particles and elements in the atmosphere that the Polaris could use. All we may ask for is permission to construct a single station in orbit. There would be no more than fifty or sixty souls, not counting the small defensive navy. We would, of course, be willing to aid defensively in any situation that threatened this system: after all, an attack on you would mean an attack on us. We would keep the total ships low in number...perhaps a dozen-and-a-half or perhaps two dozen ships in all. Well, what would you say to such a proposition?"

Mu'Randa's smile was broad and kind, her eyes back to their usual diplomatic self. Still, there was a pain in her heart. What was that feeling? Mu'Randa thought silently to herself, recalling the twine at her heart from her Dragon above I hope my little baby's alright.

+-+-+-+

OOC: I'm going to do the space stuff after Kaz. posts his reaction. Oh, and Kaz, I know: the point is I said they aided in the destruction of the frigates. Of course, even without your assistance, the Dragon would have been able to take care of them no sweat...

(OOC: I'm sorry that I have not been able to respond very often. I'm busy with end of the semester stuff, but I'll be able to make a post tomorrow.)

ooc: I know, the post was more for GC than you, PC. (wow I abbreviate a lot)

Also, what do you want from me just yet? My only remaining character is unconscious in your vessel. He'll be that way for a while or until you wake him. He might be violent at first.

“Well,” replied the Grand Vizier to Zephon. “If it is weapons you are interested in, we also have a variety of magically enchanted swords, bows, and armor in addition to our energy weapons. They are enchanted for light weight and durability. Also, if you want, we can trade you our ships with the energy weapons built in. We have two prototype ships which are almost done testing. Our first is the Longbow interceptor, a fast, maneuverable ship with a single mirrored cannon that rotates and can fire quickly. A newer model that we have built is a more powerful ship called the Ballista. It has three such cannons and more powerful shielding. We are to begin large scale production of these craft soon. I believe space craft like these are commonly refered to as ‘fighters’." The Grand Vizier, absorbed in his fantasies of the weapons, stopped for a moment before continuing. "Sorry if I’m talking about this too much. I’m just so excited about these projects. Our Martel cannon, our largest energy weapon, is currently being tested also. While none of our energy weapons are in service in our military right now, we are planning to integrate them in the coming weeks.

“As far as our goods available for trade that are no weapons, our options are more limited. We produce a great surplus of algae food. Aside from that, we do not have a large enough surplus of anything else.”

The Grand Vizier turned back to Mu’Randa with interest. “While you’re proposition sounds tough, I am sure that the Emperor will agree. I will of course have to ask his permission for you to mine the gas of one of his planets, but he will agree I am sure. He has many a day explained to me how he wishes for Palacia to return to the time when it was brimming with life. It is hard for me to express my gratitude toward you for being able to do this for us. You may begin preparations for the terraforming service. Is there anything else you wish to know?”

(OOC: Polaris, do you have msn? I have some ideas about a possible RP of the consequences of attempting a terraforming mission.)

“Well,” replied the Grand Vizier to Zephon. “If it is weapons you are interested in, we also have a variety of magically enchanted swords, bows, and armor in addition to our energy weapons. They are enchanted for light weight and durability. Also, if you want, we can trade you our ships with the energy weapons built in. We have two prototype ships which are almost done testing. Our first is the Longbow interceptor, a fast, maneuverable ship with a single mirrored cannon that rotates and can fire quickly. A newer model that we have built is a more powerful ship called the Ballista. It has three such cannons and more powerful shielding. We are to begin large scale production of these craft soon. I believe space craft like these are commonly refered to as ‘fighters’." The Grand Vizier, absorbed in his fantasies of the weapons, stopped for a moment before continuing. "Sorry if I’m talking about this too much. I’m just so excited about these projects. Our Martel cannon, our largest energy weapon, is currently being tested also. While none of our energy weapons are in service in our military right now, we are planning to integrate them in the coming weeks.

“As far as our goods available for trade that are no weapons, our options are more limited. We produce a great surplus of algae food. Aside from that, we do not have a large enough surplus of anything else.”

The Grand Vizier turned back to Mu’Randa with interest. “While you’re proposition sounds tough, I am sure that the Emperor will agree. I will of course have to ask his permission for you to mine the gas of one of his planets, but he will agree I am sure. He has many a day explained to me how he wishes for Palacia to return to the time when it was brimming with life. It is hard for me to express my gratitude toward you for being able to do this for us. You may begin preparations for the terraforming service. Is there anything else you wish to know?”

(OOC: Polaris, do you have msn? I have some ideas about a possible RP of the consequences of attempting a terraforming mission.)

OOC: Yes, I do. I'll tellegram you the MSN. (Don't share it...I don't like a lot of people knowing it).

ooc: I know, the post was more for GC than you, PC. (wow I abbreviate a lot)

Also, what do you want from me just yet? My only remaining character is unconscious in your vessel. He'll be that way for a while or until you wake him. He might be violent at first.

OOC: Sorry, I didn't realize that. I'll post some time tomorrow...but my responses may be a little short. I've got my first performance of Much Ado About Nothing tomorrow, I've got to work on some last-minute college stuff, then I've got a date this weekend. I'm not going to have a lot of time.

Zephon stared at Mu'randa for a second, as a slight, almost amused glow flushed over his eyes. He was certainly not expecting that from an outsider, "Ah, that would be interesting to say the least. I usually spend most of my time in the Zeres system... But I will have to give Kel'ar-y a visit in the near future then."

Zephon maintained the stare with the woman for another moment as a brief psionic chill seemed to emanate from the mask on his face around him, forming a sort of psionic shield. Though after a few seconds it disappeared, and he refocused his attention on the Vizier.

<I must say that I am actually rather intrigued with this knowledge of other races that you possess. It hadn't dawned on me that other races would have progressed so far into the realm of psionics... Yes, I consider myself an accomplished psionic, though I would rather not divulge too far into the details of that at this time. Most t3s, along with all of those above that, are taken in by the government as soon as they are found out. I could go on about our psionics program, but I wouldn't want to bore you>

"Well Vizier, your Longbow and Ballista intrigue me, as does your Martel Cannon. We would appreciate it if we could have prototypes of all of these, along with your other goods for further use. We can use your algae food products right now however... It is no problem if you feel so proud of your culture and sciences, it is only natural..."

The Grand Vizier was pleased to hear of Zephon’s interest. “We will give you some small samplings of our swords, bows, and armor. I am afraid that we cannot just give you our prototype spacecraft, though. We will be willing to trade for them. We are interested in receiving your strongest metals in exchange for these prototypes. As far as algae food, if you do not wish to trade your metals for it then we also are in need of fast vehicles capable of transporting large amounts of minerals and ores that have been mined.”

The Grand Vizier was pleased to hear of Zephon’s interest. “We will give you some small samplings of our swords, bows, and armor. I am afraid that we cannot just give you our prototype spacecraft, though. We will be willing to trade for them. We are interested in receiving your strongest metals in exchange for these prototypes. As far as algae food, if you do not wish to trade your metals for it then we also are in need of fast vehicles capable of transporting large amounts of minerals and ores that have been mined.”


"Hmm... I'm sure we can give you some of our strongest metals. The researchers of Catharsis are currently working on expanding one of our top metals in use, an artificial alloy not unlike Titanium that is currently being mined on the Valius moons. After being properly synthesized it is almost impossible to cut with any other form of material known to us." He stared at the Vizier for a moment, "But it is rather hard to create and type of sophisticated machinery with it, even though it is fairly light. So we usually use it for armors. I am willing to give you some in exchange for some trade with your algae food products and ships."

Zephon wasn't really sure if the trade would be worth it, but the fighters intrigued him along with the martel cannon. The algae food would probably be used to feed his followers if it is cheap enough, and the weapons would probably give him something to look into for future ventures. Thinking about it for awhile longer, he smiled behind his mask a bit, causing his eyes to let off a low glow.

"We would need to make sure you have the right facilities to mold the metal as you see fit though. Since it can only become remotely meldable at temperatures around absolute zero. We will be willing to create the necessary buildings for you, along with supplying the equipment needed for a small fee. Is this all fine with you?"

OOC: Sorry, I'll post tomorrow. I just had my last performance of Much Ado tonight, so I'm getting home at, like, 1:30 AM. Whew! What a night...

ooc: I know the feeling. (Debate tournaments)

+-+-+-+PLANET+-+-+-+

Mu'Randa turned to the Vizier and spoke to him softly.

"No," Mu'Randa said, shaking her head so her curls cascaded around her slight form, "no, I do not think we will need to know much else. Well, actually, I was wondering if we may take a soil sample home with us."

Turning to Zephon Mu'Randa nodded as she listened to the masked man's explenation of their alloy research.

<I must say that I am actually rather intrigued with this knowledge of other races that you possess. It hadn't dawned on me that other races would have progressed so far into the realm of psionics... Yes, I consider myself an accomplished psionic, though I would rather not divulge too far into the details of that at this time. Most t3s, along with all of those above that, are taken in by the government as soon as they are found out. I could go on about our psionics program, but I wouldn't want to bore you>

<yes we do have much knowledge of other races for we have observed for many thousand of years by the end of this meeting i will divulge the location of polaris space which may explain a number of sudden disapearances of the occassional explorer and yes we have progressed quite far in the relm of psionics which we call weave-casting though most of our skill has come from our vell-os bretheren they have progressed further than any could have hoped for long ago many vell-os chose to leave reality and become <PRIME> beyond the veil but i tattle on too much a vell-os will be joining us soon enough>

And so he would, for Mu'Randa had just recieved a message from a certain friend in space...

"Ah, yes." Mu'Randa continued speaking as though nothing were amiss, "I know of what you speak of. The P'aedt once researched the development of such alloy, though it is easier to mold metal if you fold sub-space and use zero-point fluxuations in the universe to lower the temperature...but, I must degress. Vizier, we will be having company soon in the form of my ship. Is it alright if it were to land? It has been damaged in orbit, and may need to be repaired on the ground?"

+-+-+-+SPACE+-+-+-+

The Dragon was already hovering above the atmosphere of the planet, its shields nearing 15% of its original capaicty. It had only been a few minutes, but in those few minutes the Dragon was once-again ready for battle. Its hull, which had been damaged slightly in the fight, had meshed and woven itself whole once more.

The following message was sent out to the CorpSac Ship

Thank you very much, though we do not need any materials at this time. Perhaps we will upon landing. As soon as I recieve permission from my Master, we will land upon the planet. Again, thank you for your escort. The Polaris and the Vell-os remember kind actions.

Zephon nodded as she explained about the other race, which seemed to have researched the metal quite some time ago. Though these days he would be hardpressed to find any physical armor that was as efficient as shielding, but it was still useful when the shields failed, especially with objects within an atmosphere.

"That was your ship that I was hearing about?" Zephon said rather inquisitively, "If I had known perhaps I could have lended some assistance then. My Capital ship is somewhere around this star system currently. But I suppose its too late now, if you need any assistance, please don't hesitate to ask of the Triumvirate."

Zephon paused for a moment, bringing a nail against his mask as he scratched it, taking in everything suddenly before continuing with the other conversation he was involved in.

<Your people are quite astounding. If you do have any of our explorers or their ships, I would be rather thankful to have either, or perhaps the ship logs? Though if you destroyed them I suppose such a thing couldn't be helped to protect your own secrecy. The races of the Zeres System haven't really looked past their own system untill roughly 1500-2000 years ago. Before that almost everything was based on building weapons to destroy other groups of people. It was a rather violent time, in which billions of sentient beings were exterminated. Though back to the matter at hand, I would be enthralled to know of the location of Polaris Space, if only to sate my curiousity.>

Slowly, Ferzli's eyes opened. Still dazed, he was unable to catch his bearings in this unfamiliar place. He scrambled to a wall, using it to 'cover' his back as he tried to think. He struggled to form words in his frightened and dazed state. "W- where?" Those short utterances were so insufficient, but they were all he had.

Zephon nodded as she explained about the other race, which seemed to have researched the metal quite some time ago. Though these days he would be hardpressed to find any physical armor that was as efficient as shielding, but it was still useful when the shields failed, especially with objects within an atmosphere.

"That was your ship that I was hearing about?" Zephon said rather inquisitively, "If I had known perhaps I could have lended some assistance then. My Capital ship is somewhere around this star system currently. But I suppose its too late now, if you need any assistance, please don't hesitate to ask of the Triumvirate."

Zephon paused for a moment, bringing a nail against his mask as he scratched it, taking in everything suddenly before continuing with the other conversation he was involved in.

<Your people are quite astounding. If you do have any of our explorers or their ships, I would be rather thankful to have either, or perhaps the ship logs? Though if you destroyed them I suppose such a thing couldn't be helped to protect your own secrecy. The races of the Zeres System haven't really looked past their own system until roughly 1500-2000 years ago. Before that almost everything was based on building weapons to destroy other groups of people. It was a rather violent time, in which billions of sentient beings were exterminated. Though back to the matter at hand, I would be enthralled to know of the location of Polaris Space, if only to sate my curiosity.>

<any explorers that entered our system were dealt with in the same manner they were disabled boarded then their ship was destroyed if they have survived they have long since lived among the polaris and their castes most likely the mu'hari however i will check for you although i must warn you it is possible some were killed of the 453 reported exploratory vessels that entered the polaris systems 38 were destroyed utterly and of that only 11 were destroyed by polaris the rest were slaughtered by our once great enemy to the north the wraith as for the civil war that raked your land we know much about it mu'hari spies were already observing your people by that day we must admit though that none of us predicted the rise of yourself or the rise of darius the enforcer for years we believed that the yurka would reign supreme still we have long since hid ourselves from the outside world and your genocide almost 52000 years ago did not help matters when we considered opening communications with your people to end the conflict still we have observed for many years despite our own civil war i must admit the one named zack often struck a chord with our people for you see long long ago a cyborg whose name has long since been lost was set on us by the old empire to destroy us he was part of the company known as mjolner and he destroyed his own programing and weapons in order to protect my people still i prattle on with no purpose i will announce the location of our planet within a few moments as soon as i get approval from the vizier for our plan then we will reveal our territory but i suppose i will tell you now for my people have been keen on beginning relations with your homeland we are located in the remnants of the holpa nebulae or so it has been called location --sectors 58 to 63-- if you recognize these locations then you would realize that the part of the nebula often preached as deceivingly volatile exists there that is of course not true only a few systems within the nebulae are truly irradiated to the point of being dangerous but they can be detected far in advance we have simply covered ourselves with a natural protection from deep penetration scans still i do love to talk in my head do not i i am sure you are bored by such incessant talking tell me a bit about where you are from i mean beyond what your reputation is>

OOC: If you want to see where the Polars Castes are in the galaxy (and you should place your own nation on there too) then go to this thread: http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=457052

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The warm docking bay began to move and shift with a strange, life-like motion. The walls were green and black with a grizzly filament that looked like a mucus membrane. Examination would show that it was, in fact, quite solid and dry. All of the room was bare; save for a single desk made of what appeared to be a fine cherry-like wood with a small device on top of it. The thing that mounted the lectern appeared to be a giant eye-like device with two speaker-like organs growing from either side of it.

-Greetings-

The eye turned a bright blue and flicked online. In the center of the eye was a face resembling that of Lyrel's. It was thin, gaunt, but strangly beautiful: like an elf. His eyes were strangly bare, due mainly to the transmission, as his voice bellowed from the two speakers.

-Greetings Ferzli of Kazecistan, I am Lyrel of the Vell-os of the Polaris Castes. I was the one who spoke to you with mind-text. I apologize I was unable to save your ship, but attempted to the best of my ability. You are the only survivor. I am sorry, but I was only able to project a Dart around your body in the time I had. If I had tried to save more, you and whomever else was in my web would have been killed. We are currently descending to the planet's surface, awaiting our final go-ahead from the Abyssian Legions. If you need anything, simply think it or speak it aloud. The ship will respond. -

After that speech, the monitor died. However, a slight purring vibration was felt throughout the room: like the depths of the ship was cooing affectionately at the man within it's insides. It was a reassuring sound - if unnerving - that made most who heard it feel safe and comfortable.

He sat there, thinking about all the information- the enormity of the situation. This would keep him busy for a while.

Zephon took this all in as he continued looking forward at the Vizier calmly. He was surprised exactly how long they had been watching them, without ever coming in contact with the Zeres System... Or if they did, he doubted they ever became public during most of that time. Regardless, diplomacy with the Vizier, along with this little pisonic chat, were most enjoyable. However, the small psionic grid around him seemed to shift slightly as he felt a distant feeling of anger.

<Mu'Randa, your people are quite interesting to me. To think that your people might know things that most of the scholars in the entirety of the Triumvirate might not know about our history... If you have any knowledge of what happened in the Zeres system roughly one hundred thousand years ago, I'm sure the Triumvirate would appreciate it... Most of the other things you talk of, such as the Yurka reigning supreme, were my views as well once, though after studying them for some time, I have discovered that by and large they don't seem to have much of a drive to dominate us, though since they seem to have such political power over a system they don't inhabit, it really depends on your definition of domination. Darius was a surprise to me as well, but he has manage to keep a long-term civil war from erupting again, so I guess he is doing his job, though I now feel that this might change now that he is fighting a fierce battle at Kaduna... Chances are good that he will die there. When this happens, there will no doubt be another war for the extra seat left over.>

Zephon abruptly stopped and looked over at the ceiling, letting out a mechanized sigh.

<I can tell you that I was born on Zelleria, and something I saw in my life prompted me to take up this cloak. If you wished to see more, I would need to take you into my cult of Zephon. However, I doubt that would be acceptable for you... Everything will be known in a matter of days, depending on whether or not our Emperor Darius dies.>

The Grand Vizier nodded to Mu’Randa. “We will definitely be able to give you a soil sample. The soil around different parts of the planet is dramatically different, so you may want multiple soil samples and I will give you several if that is what you desire.”

The Grand Vizier turned to Zephon. “Yes, that will be most excellent. We have eight prototype Longbows, five prototype Ballistas, and two prototype Martel cannons available to trade you. We will also allow you to build your facilities for producing the metal on our planet.”

The Grand Vizier had no intentions of using the facilities that Zephon would provide in the long term, as he would order his engineers to try to find a way to magically reproduce the metal. This would only be right, the Grand Vizier thought, as Zephon would almost certainly try to reverse engineer our ships.

The Grand Vizier addressed Mu’Randa once more. “Yes, it will be perfectly okay for your ship to land. Grov and Myrt, who are operating the aeroplatform, will be prepared to accommodate it.”

Zephon nodded, crossing his hands as he took the Vizier's words in. He then suddenly came to an agreement as he extended the clawed glove forward, no doubt expecting the Vizier to take it. He would make sure they received enough of the metal that they needed, perhaps with a facility or two to accomodate it.

"Of course. I will have it shipped immediately. I'm glad that we could come to this agreement. I will make sure to put them all to good use." Zephon's mechanized voice sounded almost genile as he answered from behind the mask, "Would you also care for a sort of alliance between our two forces?"

"Yes, very well. An alliance between our people would greatly benefit both of us. I agree. Is there anything else you wish to discuss?"

"Well... As long as I'm here, I suppose you could explain exactly how your magic works." He stated in a voice that was not uninterested, "Ah, and the Algae food products will be retrieved by a government-funded company, everything else will be shipped and retrieved once I return to the ship and make some arrangements."

“Ah, our magic. It was given as a gift to our people by the Divine Mushroom, the most holy being in the universe. Until about 600 years ago, our magic was relatively simple. We only had a few enchantments that could work, and it took very much studying and honing powers to be able to harm others with magic, let alone kill them.

“About 600 years ago, the Overlord Deathicus came to our planet. He taught us on how to hone our magical powers to a new level, achieving powers we had never before imagined to be possible. Lethal magic is now easily attainable through practice. We have made major advancements especially in the magic of fire. Its destructive abilities have a disturbing appeal to our people.

“Deathicus himself is a master of magic. His powers I can not even begin to understand, let alone explain. He is able to do incredible feats of magic that have devastated his past opponents, and he single handedly wiped out all civilizations that existed on Palacia save ours. Fortunately, he rarely uses his powers to their full extent. He now prefers to leave the destruction to his numerous minions, who make up the Legion of Discord, the army of the Empire of the Abyssian Legion.

“Our magical abilities range from being able to move small to medium sized objects with magic resembling that of bolts of lightening, shooting searing blasts of fire to set fire to opponents, summoning balls of fire from the sky, and freezing various things. I will admit that I have attained magical ability second only to the Emperor himself, with my abilities being far beyond what I have described to you.

“But enough about us. If you wish for me to go into further details, just ask. I am interested, do your people possess any magical abilities?”

<alas our knowledge may be few and far between if we are dealing with events of a hundred thousand years ago that was during the time of the great exodus hold on a moment i believe i have enough of a mastery of your language to alter my speech>

The resulting psionic message was quite different. It was in the language of Zephon's head: the language that he himself thought in.

<Thank you, Zephon, for your patience. I was using --MIND/SPEAK-- before, which is a universal translator of sorts. However, I feel that speaking in a host language is always much more desirable. As I was saying, there was a civil war known as the Shard War that nearly brought about the end of our nation. Many documents and datacrystals were destroyed in that war. Still...we were saved. There may be some information about the Zeres system, though I doubt it would be in written form. Mainly from the spoken testimonies of Mu'Hari spies that documented your people for years. Yes, I am sorry to say, but spies from the Mu'Hari caste have lived with many alien races within the last twenty-thousand years. As for your civil war, perhaps we could be of assistance. An outside force that speaks patience and preaches prudence, calmness, and a smooth transition to another leader. Perhaps you should lead the people of the Zeres system, Zephon, have you ever thought of that? If not, then perhaps we can give Darius longer life. The average lifespan for a Mu'hari is anywhere from four-hundred to six-hundred years, depending if he or she wishes to die. In fact, if one wished to use all of the resources, we have the technology to achieve clinical immortality. Most people, however, choose to die. Life gets too booring or mundane, and their old bodies wish only for rest and to discover what lies beyond the veil in the next life. But, I degrees: as for your final request, I do believe such an event might be possible. I can, as the Laws of Ory'Hara state, join another religion while still believing in the one named Ory'Hara. Such an act is called Sha'or, and it has occurred from time to time. There is something about you...I cannot put my finger on it...something...alluring...>

Mu'Randa, listening to the conversation beween Zephon and the Vizier, blushed as she thought these words. She quickly avoided Zephon's eyes as her orbs twisted to the ground.

“Ah, our magic. It was given as a gift to our people by the Divine Mushroom, the most holy being in the universe. Until about 600 years ago, our magic was relatively simple. We only had a few enchantments that could work, and it took very much studying and honing powers to be able to harm others with magic, let alone kill them.

“About 600 years ago, the Overlord Deathicus came to our planet. He taught us on how to hone our magical powers to a new level, achieving powers we had never before imagined to be possible. Lethal magic is now easily attainable through practice. We have made major advancements especially in the magic of fire. Its destructive abilities have a disturbing appeal to our people.

“Deathicus himself is a master of magic. His powers I can not even begin to understand, let alone explain. He is able to do incredible feats of magic that have devastated his past opponents, and he single handedly wiped out all civilizations that existed on Palacia save ours. Fortunately, he rarely uses his powers to their full extent. He now prefers to leave the destruction to his numerous minions, who make up the Legion of Discord, the army of the Empire of the Abyssian Legion.

“Our magical abilities range from being able to move small to medium sized objects with magic resembling that of bolts of lightening, shooting searing blasts of fire to set fire to opponents, summoning balls of fire from the sky, and freezing various things. I will admit that I have attained magical ability second only to the Emperor himself, with my abilities being far beyond what I have described to you.

“But enough about us. If you wish for me to go into further details, just ask. I am interested, do your people possess any magical abilities?”

Mu'Randa smiled a little, unsure if she should speak on the matter. What he was describing was simply weave-casting in the form of energy: affecting the quantum energies that influence thought and the universe and manipulate them into forms of solid, recognizable energy. Mu'Randa decided to speak a little as she said, "Yes, I believe we do have some of this...er...magic you speak of. Vell-os and certain Nil'kemorya can manipulate energies in much of the same way. Yes. Well, if you excuse me both, I must meet my companion. We will need deep-soil samples that cover your levels of earth down to the bedrock foundation, so we may need to wait until a P'aedt task force arrives. If you wish, Lord Zephon, you may follow me to view my ship. Also, we have a survivor onboard from the battle. Does anyone know of the nation of Kazecistan? My companion was able to save one of them in the firefight."

Mu'Randa paused to await a response, though Mu'Karu quickly dashed towards the exit. Mu'Randa's brother moved closer to his kin, raising a hand towards his face. If there was a problem, then he would be ready to respond to it.

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The Dragon's frame began to enter the atmosphere, gathering speed as it plummeted towards the surface. Lyrell was not concerned, the CorpSac ship nearby as a protector unit. Once more, the black and green frame did not catch aflame as it whizzed into the atmosphere. Instead, the graceful giant began to cry out screams of pain and suffering: both mentally and verbally. Indeed, anyone aboard or in the immediate region (including the planet's surface) would feel the pings of anguish.

As it reached four hundred meters from the launchpad, the Dragon began to slow down. Its sides began to heave up and down, like an athlete attempting to catch a breath. In reality, the ship was not breathing but activating a set of heat-sink units to alleviate the heat stored from entering the planet's atmosphere.

Slowly, surely, the craft lowered itself to the landing pad. With a hiss and a clunk it touched the smooth, metallic surface: and waited.

Once Mu'Randa came forth, it would respond. Until then, it was content to wait for its mistress.

<I fear millenia of genetic experimentation has left certain parts of the Triumvirate's races rather unskilled in the areas of Prudence of Temperance, becoming rather power-hungry when the chance for any degree of personal power surfaces. War would be inevitable, even with your help. After over one thousand years of a Triumvirate, it has only become a natural way to look at things. Over the past four hundred years as a member of the Triumvirate, I can honestly say that taking power on my own was actually one of my own focuses untill recently, though in the end I've decided to take a rather slower approach to it. If it were only a physical problem for Darius, I would leap at the chance to accept it, since at this time I am still rather unprepared for the manpower it would take to gain control of Darius' own forces, let alone the numerous other powers that would take the chance to attain his seat. Hes been through hundreds of newer and better bodies over his lifespan, and has actually considered becoming a god within his reach. Despite his cruelty and temper, he has most of the military backing him. I can not risk trying to take over when the soldiers might turn on me. The Yurka wouldn't allow me to take total control in anycase either, as it would mean subverting their own power. So it would be too risky untill the rest of my plans are revealed and I have gathered even more of a following. It is a shame that your nation was almost destroyed at that time period, since all of our history seemed to vanish at around that time period.>

Zephon gave a slight stare at his bodyguards, who slowly rose as a slight psionic impulse flowed off of him towards them. He then stared back at the Vizier and nodded at his explanation of magic. He could see how it could be considered such, and would accept the definition accordingly.

"In the Zeres system, things such as this fire power you speak of are rather common, along with manipulating the other elements and such things as lifting objects from a distance, or speaking mentally." He said calmly, shrugging, "Some of the things our people do are a bit more unique as well, such as briefly looking into the past of an area, or augmenting their bodies. We have an entire area of the government devoted to it. Though most of the more powerful hmm... I believe you would call them maguses, as we did once, are enrolled with the government or frozen for the safety of our people."

<Most of our people are non-religious, and if they decide they would rather die after a certain point, continue living through our own clinical immortality as they are placed in numerous newer bodies, frozen for a certain amount of time, or put to rest and wired up to a type of virtual heaven we leave it up to them. My following is roughly 25% of the entire population, all of which connect at certain intervals of a Zeres year with the help of Zecron crystals, each one crafted with a certain amount of psionic technology. Using this, everyone within the system may connect to a type of massive church to my cult, becoming one in a way. Through this closeness of being, I manage to gain a rather strong foothold in my followers, even the non-psionic ones thanks to certain surgical procedures. I will not divulge most of my teachings, because I would not wish for you to have to join a religion such as that without serious consideration of your own well-being. Besides, such compliments shouldn't be wasted on a man who always wears a mask, don't you think?>

"I suppose I will go have a look." Zephon said as he looked over at the Vizier, "Your people and magic interests me, I would rather enjoy a demonstration. I'll stick around for an example, but for now I think I'll see this strange ship I've been feeling for some time now."

Taking a slight bow, followed by a quick kneel from the rest of his bodyguards, Zephon slowly took a few steps forward, "I'll have my ship try to determine it's location. The reason I am here in fact, is due to the fact that we lack much trade with outsiders. But one of our Science Vessels might have located such a place."

<I see. I am sorry for your loss. The Polaris have had two terrible civil wars in our time, both of which have claimed the lives of millions. The Iusia - sometimes called the Leaf - War, in which millions died in a wave of civil strife propogated over the dispute over a single system. We were fortunate for Iusia and the Nil'kemorya caste. They did an amasing and forever-greatful thing: the systematic conquering of each of the other castes, followed by an unconditional surrender to each in turn. This forced peace on the table. The second, known as the Shard War, was ended by the Second Comming of Ory'Hara...but that is another story in its own right. Perhaps I will tell you of Ory'Hara one day. I have close ties to the Mu'hari caste. If you wish, I could slip in perfect spies amongst the ranks of the military and even the Yurka. Mu'hari used to operate within a dozen or more nations from time to time without inviting the notice of any of them. But, to the point, one-hundred thousand years ago was not a time of destruction but a time of creation. It was in that time our Exodus from the Old Empire began. We traveled to the Stars, led by our leader Kerell Polaris, and barely escaped the Empire. Our only salvation came from the Vell-os, whom sacrificed their freedom for our own. So, when the First Comming of Ory'Hara had the chance, he single-handidly freed the Vell-os and brought the Old Empire to its knees. There are some records remaining from that time, though I am not sure how well they document your own race.>

Mu'Randa turned towards the Vizier, and gave an elegant curtsy. "May Ory'Hara watch over you, Vizier, and may you accept our Government's offer. I will return once my Dragon has been looked at, and we shall discuss this more."

Mu'Randa turned towards the exit, her brother and Mu'Karu following close behind her - though giving Zephon a wide enough birth.

Mu'Randa walked softly towards the landing pad, recalling the particular route she had to take onto the shuttle.

<This connection sounds like what the Vell-os do. Though, I must admit, they have their connection on all the time. It is almost like a hive mind, though only for the sharing of information and experiences. If you tell one Vell-os something, chances are all Vell-os hear it.>

Upon mention of his "looks behind the mask," Mu'Randa blushed again.

<I was only meant you were aluring...I mean your power and history was aluring...to me...in a totally academic and laconic sense. But, it doesn't matter. Er...think nothing of it. Please. We shall be meeting with Lyrell soon, anyway. He is a Vell-os Master, many-times stronger than me. Actually, if I remember correctly, he could easily fight an army of Mu'Randas if he needed to: use their own weave against them.>

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The Dragon was scarred, but those were healing quite fast. The hundred meter keel rested on the platform, its sides continuing to heave to dissapate the heat within it. Grov and Myrt, no mater what their techincal backround was, would not have been able to do much to aid this ship. After all, given the Abyssian's level of technology, most of this was well beyond anything they were capable of manufacturing. It's purple "eye" was fixed forwards, though a swivling biolight within it constantly zoomed around as though it were a little child intaking the wonders of a candy store.

Already, the side of the Dragon had split open. From the three-meter tear a thin platform had descended, grazing the metal of the aeroplatform. A man-shaped figure was resting on it, stroking the side of the ship.

As Mu'Randa approached the hull, she let out a piercing screech.

"WHAT IN THE NAME OF BIS HAVE YOU DONE TO MY BABY?!"

As soon as it heard the voice, the ship began to emit a pinging-screech in the upper-midrange of frequencies (OOC: sounds that humans are most sensitive too). The front of the ship actually bent over to move the purple "eye" so it faced its mistress. Upon viewing her, the ship began to ping affectionately and loudly. The man on the deck slowly turned around and looked at Mu'Randa and Zephon.

It was Lyrell.

Immediately, his psionic force could be felt. The way in which he manipulated the weave around him made all wonder wheather he actually walked or if he simply willed the universe to walk for him. He was a T1 - A Master of the Vell-os Order. His shoulder-length black hair swayed in the strong winds of the aeropad, his golden eyes uncanny and unnerving. His very gaze seemed to move through your soul and pierce the very womb of your conciousness.

"Hello, Zephon." Lyrell said simply, his neutral expression remaining unchanged, "I felt your presence as I entered the atmosphere. Well, I finally meet the man Mu'Randa has talked about for years. You know she was assigned to the Zeres system for sixty eight years? Not a long time for her, but time enough to become saturated with it."

Lyrell pulled a hand out from his robes of brilliant purple, silver, orange, and teal, and placed it before Zephon. The sleeve was arranged in patterns, shapes, and a host of other strange symbols. The very air around him seemed to be electrified, his pale skin contrasting powerfully to his brilliant robes. His weave was already directed at Zephon himself, powerful tendrils of psionic energy cooing and stroking the masked prophet.

Zephon seemed unphased at the creature's ear-splitting scream, focusing completely on Lyrell, feeling the power emanating from the Vell-os Master immediately. As his weave approached, Zephon's eyes once again glowed for a moment as another chill of psionic force rippled away from him, surrounding his body as if to prevent any direct contact. He was a bit taken back by the man's power, and as such didn't know what Lyrell would gleam from what he was attempting to do with his psionic weave. His mask, always protecting his mind from the unwanted intrusion of others, might not even be able to prevent someone like Lyrell from accessing it.

"Lyrell, Vell-os Master. It is an honor to meet you." Zephon paused for a moment as he reached out carefully, grabbing the man's hand as he shook it firmly, "Your... weave is quite powerful. It seems your power was not exaggerated by Mu'Randa... And no, I was not aware she spent sixty eight years in the system. What exactly was she doing?"

Taking a moment to gather his thoughts, he bowed his head before focusing at Mu'Randa once again. Due to the commotion with the dragon, which didn't seem to affed Zephon as overtly as it would normal people, though his bodyguards seemed a bit taken back from the sound. To Zephon it looked rather strange, since riding in a living creature struck him as a little odd.

<I doubt the Muhari would be able to get anywhere in the noble court of Yurka, though the military might be useful. If you can manage to slip enough in, I might be able to have an advantage. However those people would be in danger, and getting in would be difficult right now. I've detected that the Emperor's seat is now vacant, so getting into the highest ring of the military would be difficult with an outsider who has no history. I'm sure its not worth the risk, since I have these things taken care of. Also, I would be pleased to hear of this Ory-Hara.>

"Oh, and just how many Vell-os masters are there in the Polaris Castes?"

The Grand Vizier, after seeing to it that his guests made it out of the room, moved towards one of the robed men and spoke to him. “Thank you for hosting us this evening. I am having a wonderful time, and I think our guests are too. I will need you to get me something to demonstrate my magic on for the magic demonstration. Could you take care of that for me? Thank you.” The robed man hurried off down one of the stairwells in the floor. The Grand Vizier neared another man. “Go to Zellos and tell him to give you the pictures of the Longbow and Ballista. Make sure they are in hologram form. Bring them to me.” The man walked off down another stairwell. This is going good so far, the Vizier thought. They have only seen what I have wanted them to see…

Zephon seemed unphased at the creature's ear-splitting scream, focusing completely on Lyrell, feeling the power emanating from the Vell-os Master immediately. As his weave approached, Zephon's eyes once again glowed for a moment as another chill of psionic force rippled away from him, surrounding his body as if to prevent any direct contact. He was a bit taken back by the man's power, and as such didn't know what Lyrell would gleam from what he was attempting to do with his psionic weave. His mask, always protecting his mind from the unwanted intrusion of others, might not even be able to prevent someone like Lyrell from accessing it.

"Lyrell, Vell-os Master. It is an honor to meet you." Zephon paused for a moment as he reached out carefully, grabbing the man's hand as he shook it firmly, "Your... weave is quite powerful. It seems your power was not exaggerated by Mu'Randa... And no, I was not aware she spent sixty eight years in the system. What exactly was she doing?"

Taking a moment to gather his thoughts, he bowed his head before focusing at Mu'Randa once again. Due to the commotion with the dragon, which didn't seem to affed Zephon as overtly as it would normal people, though his bodyguards seemed a bit taken back from the sound. To Zephon it looked rather strange, since riding in a living creature struck him as a little odd.

<I doubt the Muhari would be able to get anywhere in the noble court of Yurka, though the military might be useful. If you can manage to slip enough in, I might be able to have an advantage. However those people would be in danger, and getting in would be difficult right now. I've detected that the Emperor's seat is now vacant, so getting into the highest ring of the military would be difficult with an outsider who has no history. I'm sure its not worth the risk, since I have these things taken care of. Also, I would be pleased to hear of this Ory-Hara.>

"Oh, and just how many Vell-os masters are there in the Polaris Castes?"

"I thank you," Lyrell continued, his hand buckling a bit under Zephon's strength. Slowly, Lyrell began to ebb his weave away from the masked man. He was powerful, but he was not a nosey man, "And about Mu'Randa, she was simply monitoring the system. Occassionally slipping onto the surface of Catharsis and blending in with the people. Nothing for a matter of national security, mind you, but simply to understand what is going on in the universe. If you were to announce, for example, the invasion of Polaris space or a planned expedition, then we could act accordingly."

Mu'Randa looked a little flustered at Lyrell's comments, her face now a stark scarlet. Lyrell gave her a half-glance and a smirk, before continuing to talk to Zephon.

"Oh, and Vell-os masters are not a common commodity in the universe. At one time, there were dozens...perhaps hundreds if you believe the old tales. Now, there are only nine current masters. The six Krypt-tokh, myself included in their number, Master Vakara, and Master Lyrell the Elder - He Who Met the Two Commings."

Lyrell sighed a bit, shaking his head, "Oh, and as for your suggestion," Lyrell said quickly, causing Mu'Randa's eyes to widen with shock, "you are correct. From what I have heard of the Yurka, they do not appear to be human. However, as we have discovered, Cartherai are ideal for Mu'hari infiltration. Mild psionics, relative human form, the increased strength can simply be passed up to a particularly fit individual. So long as they don't go under the knife or the scanner, they are fine. Still, you must understand, we have not ever tried infiltration in such a way as Mu'Randa here suggested. Nor would the Council approve such an action, I believe. We have only observed from a distance, never to gain intel about the more sensative aspects of your government."

Lyrell motioned behind Zephon, casting his weave out behind him. There appeared a small, blue stool-like aparatus. It seemed to flow like liquid, though it was filled with an azure, sparkling quality. All the while, it glowed a faint aura. Likewise, Lyrell created one for himself and Mu'Randa.

"Sit, sit," Lyrell said, placing his own body firmly down on the stool as he did so. It was quite solid, and seemed to adjust to his body. "I must have borred you with my talking. Please, sit down. I see you wish to know about Ory'hara. Well, that would take quite a while. Tell us a tale from your land first, and I shall tell you of the First Comming of Ory'hara."

Lyrell gazed past Zephon at his followers, his golden eyes washing over them. Those orbs showed a deeper knowledge of things. A sense of the universe's workings that only one who had touched the edge of reality could see and know.

Zephon stared from Mu'Randa to Lyrell before sitting back on the stool slowly, rather impressed at how that was done. He figured it as some type of stationary telekinesis or the like, possibly combined with a few other psionic manifestations. He suspected that their form of psionics was perhaps a bit more evolved then that from the Zeres system, or barring that at least a bit diffrent physically.

"This is rather impressive. How exactly do you do this?" Zephon murmured as he turned his head a bit and looked at his followers, who were staring at Lyrell through their masks, but seeing Zephon, slowly kneeled to the ground calmly, "Hmm as for a tale..."

Zephon thought for a second as he thought of a tale to tell these two foreigners. There were many things tales he knew and were quite familiar with, learning quite a bit during his reign. From the Ashitare hunters of the distant past and their war with the Cartherai, to the 56,000 years of civil war which lead to the genocide of the Zerom and myths surrounding each of these. There were more, some rather uncouth to speak of with foreigners, so he decided to pick something rather interesting in his eyes.

"Ahhh... I think I know what I'll talk about." Zephon finally stated in the same mechanized voice from behind the mask, which still managed to express the exact amount of emotion required of him, "The only tale that comes close to matching yours of Ory'hara would be of a being in our ancient history. It was a time when our Psionic powers, or weaving as it were, was around the height that they are now. It took place roughly one hundred millenia ago, when our people were only concentrating on psionic technology. By that time our sibling race the Ashitare were all but enslaved, though for everyone else the future had never looked brighter. They had created floating islands and other things that we have not been able to reproduce with the same efficiency even now..."

Zephon paused for a moment as a dull red glow emanated from his eyes once again, the cold energy heating up as it reached skyward. Most of the accounts from that time period were rather strange and hard to read due to the diffrent languages, which were mostly destroyed during the long period where no artifacts were found.

"Well some people doubt this person even existed if the stories are true, but he was a Cartherai of immense power. He was called the masked beast, and in his honor my priesthood wears a mask, which would only be apparent if I grew more indepth. Not only was he powerful, but he was also wise, and in less than a year he brought most of the planet under him, letting the smaller ones do as they pleased. None opposed him, since an army that attempted to was completely ripped apart by invisible hands before they could even come close. The few survivors who retreated before the battle began spread the story, and after that his empire was formed. Its hard to contemplate what transpired though, since it was so long ago that we only have a hand full of religious documents..."

Zephon's voice seemed tense, albeit continuously calm as he leaned back, a visualisation forming in his mind of the time from paintings done. They were for the most part of large magnificent cities, which have never been found other than the odd sprinkling of rubble and the like.

"Under his rule, he preached that he knew the complete truth of our race. He said the the Cartherai changed with necessity, but we had a deeper, more sinister purpose." Zephon once again paused for a moment before continuing, keeping his eyes on the two, "He claimed that all Cartherai, along with our less psionically gifted brothers the Ashitare, were inherently destined to eventually cause destruction and death, making us all demons. He spoke of other people among the stars, some who were like us, while others who were equally violent and destructive. Though he promised that he would watch over us, and for some reason this kept his followers in line for millenia before the construction of a massive palace without equal was created. At it's completion he slowly brought it into the atmosphere with a small amount of his followers."

Zephon stopped for awhile, since thats usually where the story ends in most books. Though from a few of the scriptures it seems that something horrible happened once the palace was lifted. However, no remnants had ever been found, so it mostly remained hearsay. Though there were some texts which said diffrently, mainly of other cultures who witnessed it. They all were rather diffrent, but Zephon would state one of his favorite endings.

"After almost a ten thousand rule over the people of Catharsis, he lifted his palace into the sky and a few scriptures say he brought forth an immense cataclysm upon the Cartherai and Ashitare. Following this, there was a ten millenia break in anything historical, and when texts began resurfacing, most of the inhabitants were primitive and without any signs of strong psionic power. It took awhile for it to grow up to what it is now, thanks to genetic research and manipulating the population. The Masked Beast also left numerous books of prophecies before the incident, but most of it is indicipherable."

Zephon finished as he looked back at his followers, who appeared a bit shaken, probably from the surprise twist. It was relatively uncommon knowledge, though quite a few of his followers knew by now. These bodyguards weren't really needed, but he considered this diplomatic meeting good training for them. They were still rather young.

"And thats essentially all that I can say about him."

Zephon stared from Mu'Randa to Lyrell before sitting back on the stool slowly, rather impressed at how that was done. He figured it as some type of stationary telekinesis or the like, possibly combined with a few other psionic manifestations. He suspected that their form of psionics was perhaps a bit more evolved then that from the Zeres system, or barring that at least a bit diffrent physically.

"This is rather impressive. How exactly do you do this?" Zephon murmured as he turned his head a bit and looked at his followers, who were staring at Lyrell through their masks, but seeing Zephon, slowly kneeled to the ground calmly, "Hmm as for a tale..."

Zephon thought for a second as he thought of a tale to tell these two foreigners. There were many things tales he knew and were quite familiar with, learning quite a bit during his reign. From the Ashitare hunters of the distant past and their war with the Cartherai, to the 56,000 years of civil war which lead to the genocide of the Zerom and myths surrounding each of these. There were more, some rather uncouth to speak of with foreigners, so he decided to pick something rather interesting in his eyes.

"Ahhh... I think I know what I'll talk about." Zephon finally stated in the same mechanized voice from behind the mask, which still managed to express the exact amount of emotion required of him, "The only tale that comes close to matching yours of Ory'hara would be of a being in our ancient history. It was a time when our Psionic powers, or weaving as it were, was around the height that they are now. It took place roughly one hundred millenia ago, when our people were only concentrating on psionic technology. By that time our sibling race the Ashitare were all but enslaved, though for everyone else the future had never looked brighter. They had created floating islands and other things that we have not been able to reproduce with the same efficiency even now..."

Zephon paused for a moment as a dull red glow emanated from his eyes once again, the cold energy heating up as it reached skyward. Most of the accounts from that time period were rather strange and hard to read due to the diffrent languages, which were mostly destroyed during the long period where no artifacts were found.

"Well some people doubt this person even existed if the stories are true, but he was a Cartherai of immense power. He was called the masked beast, and in his honor my priesthood wears a mask, which would only be apparent if I grew more indepth. Not only was he powerful, but he was also wise, and in less than a year he brought most of the planet under him, letting the smaller ones do as they pleased. None opposed him, since an army that attempted to was completely ripped apart by invisible hands before they could even come close. The few survivors who retreated before the battle began spread the story, and after that his empire was formed. Its hard to contemplate what transpired though, since it was so long ago that we only have a hand full of religious documents..."

Zephon's voice seemed tense, albeit continuously calm as he leaned back, a visualisation forming in his mind of the time from paintings done. They were for the most part of large magnificent cities, which have never been found other than the odd sprinkling of rubble and the like.

"Under his rule, he preached that he knew the complete truth of our race. He said the the Cartherai changed with necessity, but we had a deeper, more sinister purpose." Zephon once again paused for a moment before continuing, keeping his eyes on the two, "He claimed that all Cartherai, along with our less psionically gifted brothers the Ashitare, were inherently destined to eventually cause destruction and death, making us all demons. He spoke of other people among the stars, some who were like us, while others who were equally violent and destructive. Though he promised that he would watch over us, and for some reason this kept his followers in line for millenia before the construction of a massive palace without equal was created. At it's completion he slowly brought it into the atmosphere with a small amount of his followers."

Zephon stopped for awhile, since thats usually where the story ends in most books. Though from a few of the scriptures it seems that something horrible happened once the palace was lifted. However, no remnants had ever been found, so it mostly remained hearsay. Though there were some texts which said diffrently, mainly of other cultures who witnessed it. They all were rather diffrent, but Zephon would state one of his favorite endings.

"After almost a ten thousand rule over the people of Catharsis, he lifted his palace into the sky and a few scriptures say he brought forth an immense cataclysm upon the Cartherai and Ashitare. Following this, there was a ten millenia break in anything historical, and when texts began resurfacing, most of the inhabitants were primitive and without any signs of strong psionic power. It took awhile for it to grow up to what it is now, thanks to genetic research and manipulating the population. The Masked Beast also left numerous books of prophecies before the incident, but most of it is indicipherable."

Zephon finished as he looked back at his followers, who appeared a bit shaken, probably from the surprise twist. It was relatively uncommon knowledge, though quite a few of his followers knew by now. These bodyguards weren't really needed, but he considered this diplomatic meeting good training for them. They were still rather young.

"And thats essentially all that I can say about him."

"How did I do that?" Lyrell asked rhetorically, thinking for a minute as how to best answer that question. "Well, I suppose the best way to describe it is the phisyical manefestation of the fabric of the universe. Well, I supose that isn't very good either. It's essentially quantnum energy, forced into a physical form. After all, quantnum energy can exist anywhere at all times in any form it wants: it is merely a mater of bending that powerful force to your own will."

As Zephon told his tale, Lyrell looked cold, stern, unmoving. It was as though Lyrell had heard the tale before, or at least seemed to see beyond the tale to some deeper kernel of meaning. His golden eyes never quaked from their target: the holes of Zephon's mask.

"I...see." Lyrell said when the story was over, nodding appreciatevly, "I see. Well, it was a very good story, indeed. Very...interesting. One-hundred thousand years ago. How very interesting. You know, that was around the time of the Polaris Exile. Still, you wish to hear about Ory'Hara...I suppose I shall tell you."

Lyrell closed his eyes, exhaling a sigh as he did so. He was silent for a few minutes, gearing himself to recount a very long, deep tale.

"You must understand what "Ory'Hara" actually translates too." Lyrell continued, opening his golden eyes as he gazed at Zephon, "Ory'Hara has no definitive meaning in the Polaris tongue. Yet, it seems to convey the general idea of his purpose. "He Who Sleeps for the Great Universe." "She That Is Subtle Yet Unrelenting in Strength" "That Which Manefests for the Eternity" On and on and on. There are litterally thousands of translations of Ory'Hara from across all of the castes. His story is a...simple one at first.

Nearly one-hundred thousand years ago Kerell Polaris led a small group of colonists away from the Great Empire to the Galactic Northwest. We had one simple request: to rule through our own self-government and stay away from the evils and tributaries of the Great Empire. So, they struck back at us. A diplomatic team came in with a warship escort, only to be fired on when they did not comply to turn down their weapons. In the heat of that moment, the Great Empire declared war upon our small group of a couple million souls. We would have been whiped from the universe had it not been for the accomplishments of my people, the Vell-os. We supported Kerell Polaris' decision to leave the council, and the reaction to fire upon Imperial Ordinance - due to the violations of the Polaris' soverign rights. But, the members of the Imperial Council shouted-down the Vell-os representatives. And we, by direction of the Krypt-tokh of that age, withdrew from the Imperial Council and declared war upon the Old Empire. Their resources pulled and battles on two fronts, the Old Empire pooled their energies towards the destruction of the Vell-os while they left the Mjolner Assault Force to deal with the Polaris Colonists. Two very important things happened in that time.

First, the Mjolner Assault Force was led by a cyborg whose name has long-since left the books of history. He, or so the legends say, had a weapon which could destroy the Polaris Colonists once and for all. A literally invincible warrior on the battlefield, programed to obey the Empire at all costs. This half-man defiantly sabatouged his own weapon systems, leading to his eventual death, in an effort to save the Polaris. The Mjolner defensive group was destroyed, and the Polaris Colonists were too weak and travel-worn to retaliate against the unprotected Western flank. Therefore, the Polaris were spared...for a time.

Second, the Vell-os made an unconditional surrender to the Old Empire, despite continuous victories against overwhelming opponents. The Krypt-tokh had pushed for a war that lasted sixty-three years, before suddenly urging peace after a week-long telepathic meditation with one annother. The Vell-os surrendered only so long as the Empire agreed not to invade or touch Polaris space for the next sixty-thousand years. The Empire agreed, and the Vell-os became slaves: forced to work for the nefarious Bureau of Internal Affairs to arrest, prosecute, and assassinate political opponents of the Empire."

Lyrell's face turned grey all the while he spoke of the Vell-os' fall. But, when he finished, his cheeks suddenly bore a brighter, rosier quality. His eyes twinkled with a mischevious light - as though he knew some great secret.

"Not many of that time knew the reason for the Vell-os surrendering, but the Krypt-tokh had a keen reason. In their meditation, the Krypt-tokh heard the will of the universe beckon to them. "HE SHALL BE BORN TO FREE THE VELL-OS, LEAD THE PEOPLE OF THE GALAXY TO SALVATION, AND PARTICIPATE IN THE FINAL EVOLUTION OF MAN. SO SHALL BE BORN ORY'HARA." This is, of course, a verbal butchering of what they saw. The thoughts and sensations experienced by the Krypt-tokh have never been replicated: the instructions of the universe too complext to percieve."

"So, we must now travel sixty-three thousand years into the future. The Old Empire had re-established contact with the Polaris, who had advanced much in the interum. The Old Empire was still powerful, but bloated: the Southern Reaches of the Empire had united against them and were fighting a massive war. The Polaris sat back and watched, hoping and praying that the conflict would spare them."

"It was then that he appeared."

"He came from nowhere, a simple man scrounging a living as a ferrier. The First Mu'Randa, the ancestor of the one you see here, took upon his services and brought the fellow back to Polaris Space. He joined the Mu'hari caste, and was thought simply to be another man working for the Polaris cause. It was soon apparent he was something...more. Something better. This all culminated in the Battle of Na'Mjolner: where an Imperial Task Force attempted to sack the unarmed station while the Polaris were destracted with the incited Wraith to the north. A single ship came out to greet the massive Carrier group: nothing more than a gunboat with a single man aboard.

Ory'Hara.

It took twenty-seven minutes, but when a Reenforcement Fleet arrived it fournd every last ship destroyed, save for a single disabled Polaris vessel. The Striker of Ory'Hara.

He had lived and protected the people.

Ory'Hara was soon trained in the arts of the Nil'kemorya, our warrior caste, and soon learnt some Battle-weave training. This was, of course, nothing like the Vell-os taught brant of Weave-casting, but it was effective all the same. Soon, Ory'Hara wsas a champion of our defensive efforts. The Old Empire and the Southern Reminants both launched attacks upon our flanks, only to be repelled by a single man:

Ory'Hara.

Soon, it was apparent that the Polaris had to free their old bretherin to stop the agression against our people. Already, Ory'Hara had discovered the secret of the Wraith's speech, and taught it to our P'aedt scientists. A treaty was signed, followed by a Pact of Friendship, with the Wraith. When he traveled to the Empire's Capitol, he met the Vell-os who now lives today. Lyrell the Elder: the Eldest Living Vell-os. Ory'Hara was able to subdue and capture this powerful Master, bringing him to Mu'hari Haro and removing the slave-tags that covered his neck and back. Ory'Hara alone knew the secret. Ory'Hara alone could free their people. And so, one by one, Lyrell the Elder called out to the Vell-os. Each in turn broke their bonds and fought against their masters. Each in turn was freed.

In a desperate attempt to avoid the oncoming cataclysm, the Vell-os fled towards Polaris Space, half of the Imperial fleet on their tales. There Ory'Hara met them with the most powerful ship ever constructed by the Polaris: the Raven known simply as Chosen of Ory'Hara. In that conflict, not a single Vell-os lost his life. Not a single Polaris ship was destroyed. And not a single Imperial vessel made it from that conflict. It was said that great rifts in the universe swallowed-whole the Fleets of the enemy. It is said that lighting arced across the vacuum of space and brought death upon the Empire. I believe that both of these are true. Ory'Hara had achieved what our race had long-sinced strived to do: he had become a T0. He had become Prime: the Extention and the will of the universe."

"After that, the Empire was significantly weakened. It was the last contact the Polaris ever had with them. All Mu'Hari spies were recalled, all ships left their space forever. Ory'Hara, accompanied with most of my people, simply vanished from the universe. They had become Prime. They had journied beyond the Veil and were born to the title of Godhood."

"Still, that is only the first comming of Ory'Hara. The second comming was much more...interesting. But, I am sorry, I have grown tired of talking. Perhaps we could speak more over a light dinner? I must first speak to Mu'Randa in private. I have grave news for her."

Lyrell smiled sweetly, but his insides churned with what he had to tell her. The Polaris might have to go to war with an outsider. A terrible, terrible war.

OOC: Sorry, I've been late in responding. I was accepted early decision to Vassar the other day. I've been partying and having fun the last few days. I'm kind of in a hurry, so I didn't spell-check this. Sorry if the Spelling Demons have raped this thing.

"Quantum Energy to create matter..." Zephon said slowly, staring Lyrell in the eyes for a second, then turning them to Mu'Randa. All in all, Zephon was amazed at how far they'd come, "Thats quite powerful to create matter at such a small scale."

As Lyrell stared at him as he finished the story, Zephon returned the stare, calmly and without a hint of fear or emotion. It perfectly matched the mechanized, emotionless voice which escaped the mask. There was something in Lyrell's eyes though, that unnerved him, as if he knew something Zephon did not.

Sitting back, he slowly listened about the story of Ory'Hara, but couldn't help comparing it to his own legend. Both were extremely powerful, and destroyed their enemies seemindly without mercy. He mused then, that if the universe had a will, it was as unmerciless and cold as the universe itself seemed to be. To evolve into godhood, without any trace of how it was done...

"This Ory'Hara seems to have been unfathomably powerful. Though was it ever specified why exactly he choose to go into Godhood so suddenly?" He paused and nodded, "Very well, I will wait for the second tale. Unfortunately after the Vizier shows me how his magic is done, and I listen to your story, I have to attend Darius' funeral in the Triumvirate rather soon."

Zephon said no more as he rose from his seat and walked off, his bodyguards following after him. He slowly walked back inside and looked for the Vizier, interested in this demonstration of magic. To see such a thing first hand would be quite interesting to watch. If it really turned out to be beyond the scope of normal psionics, perhaps he could take a few of his mages back for further study...

The Grand Vizier was relieved to see Zephon return. Just as he had left, the Grand Vizier had felt an unexplainable surge of distress. The Grand Vizier often experienced unexplainable feelings of distress, pain, and anger when around Deathicus. These emotions were often used to intimidate those who Deathicus was meeting with. Fortunately, the Grand Vizier’s mask protected him from direct mental attacks by Deathicus.

The Grand Vizier feared that Deathicus had decided to show up. The Grand Vizier was sure that Deathicus had spies here, but maybe he had decided to come himself. A group of sorcerors would have been sent up to check on the situation if Zephon had not showed up as early as he did, because Deathicus had frequent homocidal tendencies and these guests would make a very appealing target. Apparently this was a false alarm. The Grand Vizier had experienced unexplainable feelings at random times before. This must have just been one of those random occurrences.

When Zephon entered the room, the man to whom the Grand Vizier had asked to get the holograms from Zellos was standing next to the Grand Vizier. The man who was supposed to bring the object for demonstration had not yet come back. The Grand Vizier spoke. “Welcome back, Zephon. I hope there were no problems up there. If you have come back to see the magic demonstration, then I am sorry. I sent a sorcerer to get a demonstration object, but he has not—” The man who had been assigned the task of bringing up a demonstration object came up the stairs. “Ah, there you are. What did you…bring.”

The pause in the Grand Vizier’s voice was caused by him seeing the object on which he had to now perform a magic demonstration. The man had brought up, of all things, a serf from the kitchens. The Grand Vizier thought he might bring up a serf, as it was a common practice for members of the nobility to kill serfs during “law enforcement parties.” Understandably, the Grand Vizier was not thrilled. These foreigners didn’t seem to approve of the murder of innocent people. The Grand Vizier had been planning a long show. He would have slowly heated up the object until it combusted. He decided that such a demonstration would be inappropriate for a serf, however. He would make it quick.

“Okay, well, I will now demonstrate the power of fire magic. Please clear the area.”

Several of the robed men quickly moved away from the emaciated serf. The nameless serf was as deathly pale as every other Abyssian, and sported dirty, tattered clothes with burnt edges and festering sores on his limbs. The serf just stood there with quiet acceptance. He did not display any emotions or show any signs of anxiety, for he knew that he was worthless and his death would be inconsequential. It was in fact a very good death for a serf. Instead of slow starvation or an end brought by a painful disease, the serf would die in front of Zephon, an outsider no other serf would get the privelidge to see, and he would die at the hands of the Grand Vizier, an incredible honor.

The Grand Vizier stood stiff. He swallowed and raised his arm towards the serf. He lifted his fingers. Suddenly, the silence that had been brought over the room was shattered by a quick, loud bang. The body of the serf was obscured by the blinding orange light of the fire. A wave of searing heat spread through the room. Crumbs on the floor near the blaze were sucked in, catching on fire before entering the inferno. One robed man, who had not gotten far enough away, was almost sucked into the blaze. He grabbed onto a table to hold on, while his robes were sucked close enough to the fire to ignite. The fire made an intense hissing as it burned, and it crescendoed at the end into a voluminous crack that resounded throughout the room. The Grand Vizier had let his fingers down, and the fire had stopped. All of this had taken place in less than half of a second.

The area that encompassed the blaze could not be seen immediately. A thick wall of smoke burst forth from the area and spread through the room, quickly dissipating. Charred bones of the serf were all that remained. They had been blown about 15 feet from their original location, and layed in a disorganized pile. A revolting smell of burnt flesh premeated the air. The man who had brought the serf up had apparently anticipated this, for he pulled several scent candles out of his robe and lit them with his own magic.

The Grand Vizier, in an attempt to undermine the grimness of his display, started a casual conversation. “Well, there it is. Fire magic. We have been working to perfect it for hundreds of years. It is quite powerful.”

The suspenseful atmosphere was suspended, and the other robed men once again engaged in small talk and tasting of food.

“We have four levels of magical ability,” continued the Grand Vizier. “The first level is the sorcerer. Sorcerors are chosen personally by the lords of various areas, myself included. They are granted towers such as this one, and their duties are usually focused on law enforcement. They keep watch from their towers and signal to other sorcerors on the ground if they see suspicious activity.

“The next level up is the mages. Mages are as powerful as sorcerors, but have shown to have special abilities in certain areas of magic. These men carry out specialized tasks, such as forging materials.

“The next level is the wizard. Wizards have shown a particularly strong affinity for magic, and are inducted into our various academies. There they hone their magical abilities. These men are many times more lethal than a mage. They are given titles and grants of land by the Emperor, to whom they pledge loyalty. They govern the areas which are given to them, and carry out administration duties such as government projects.

“The highest level of magical expertise is the archmage. One becomes an archmage by being recommended by at least four other archmages. An archmage will normally give a recommendation if the wizard has shown significant enough ability. The archmages are part of a council that makes laws, and advises The Emperor. There are only a handful of archmages that exist. I myself am an archmage, as is The Emperor.

“Oh, and one more thing, before I forget. Since you are interested, I got you some drawings of the Longbow and the Ballista fighters.”

The Grand Vizier pulled out the hologram projector out of his robes. It fit nicely into his palm. He pressed a button on the side and it projected an image of the Longbow (http://img382.imageshack.us/img382/6233/longbow3fr.png) fighter. He rotated a dial on the side and it changed to pictures of the Ballista (http://img488.imageshack.us/img488/7344/triship4oh.png). The drawings were mostly to show the shape and size of the ships, as they were only annotated with basic dimensions. Lightning-like appendages extended from the Grand Vizier’s fingertips, lifting the projector out of his hand. The projector then, with the assistance of the lightning, glided to Zephon. The Grand Vizier let Zephon look at the images, hoping his magic demonstration had not spooked him.

Zephon seemed to not even flinch as the serf burst into flames, though in a way he was impressed by the casualness of it all. He'd seen people ignite, but at such extreme speeds, and with such strong force was actually much more than he expected from a planet like this. Obviously these were things to look into.

His bodyguards, on the otherhand, maintained sure footing, however one almost fell forward, falling into the flames before Zephon grabbed him by the neck and lifted him back up. It was almost blatantly obvious to Zephon as the bodyguard let out a terrified gasp that they were still in training. In most cases this would almost promptly force him to return to training, but he was feeling generous after the display.

"That was very impressive Vizier... It was quite fast, and the man barely even flinched." Zephon spoke slowly as his eyes wandered the room, taking a look at the man who almost caught fire, "There is... Much to learn of your people. Perhaps later we can talk of a little trade for some of your poorer people?"

Turning to the hologram, Zephon twirled a finger around it for a moment, as if investigating it. Giving an impressed "hmm" he slowly stared at the Ballista as well. The space fighters would do rather well in the fringes to defend against uprisings. Nodding his head, he slowly turned away and looked over at the Vizier.

"Once again I am impressed..." Zephon said in a congratulatory voice, bowing slightly, "I accept. The metals will be here within the week. I am also mandated now to ask if you would like to come to a diplomatic funeral on our moon, Darius. There will be numerous guards on hand, though if you do not wish to attend I understand."

Turning slightly, Zephon looked at the door and stared at two bodyguards, who quickly made their way out of the room. They were headed outward to prepare the shuttle for his departure.

Lyrell and Mu'Randa had stayed onboard the Dragon for a couple of minutes before shuffling into the display of "Magic" that occured in the hall. Mu'Randa had informed her brother and her companion to stay behind, for Lyrell would be more than enough protection.

As they entered, they saw the serf cook walking into the hall to attend the show. Lyrell was disguised as an old man, or so it seemed. His face was more sunken and sullen than it had ever been before. His eyes were no longer gold but a pale, dull grey. He used Mu'Randa, who had changed aboard the Dragon into the inky-black robe of the Mu'hari Caste, as "support" as he hobbled into the room as an old beggar. He quickly caste a gaze to Zephon as he entered, and sent a single thought-speak transmission.

<not a word>

Mu'Randa and Lyrell both sat down as the Vizier began to explain how he would, "Okay, well, I will now demonstrate the power of fire magic. Please clear the area."

What happened next caused Mu'Randa to gasp with horror.

The serf was literally burned alive, a great flaming vortex enveloping the poor body. She could not believe what her eyes were seeing: an innocent man slaughtered in such a manner. The poor diseased creature was gone in an instant, nothing but bones remaining. Mu'Randa cupped her hands to her face and almost cried, the breath sharp and frantic from her breast.

Lyrell remained cold and distant, as though he did not see the events that transpired before his eyes. He could percieve the mind/soul of the serf ebbing away beyond the Veil, its last faint cry was that of release. Of happiness. Of victory.

Mu'Randa stood up, her eyes reddened slightly, and walked over to the assembled crowd around the fighter designes. As she stood, leaning Lyrell against the wall, she passed a quick message to the Vell-os.

<has the council seen these acts have your vell-os bretheren shown them>

Lyrell did not move, he breathed slowly and surely as though he were asleep.

<yes they have these atrocities are not to be accepted we may pull out of our accord with them unless rhyme or reason is given as to why the man was murdered>

Lyrell began to snore loudly: he was actually asleep. Though, of course, when one sleeps one's mind is most active. His body had slipped into a sleep-mode, while his brain continued to operate actively.

Mu'Randa, viewing the hollogram of the ship in the Viziers hand, sent one last message to Lyrell.

<what should we do lyrell what should i do>

<continue as though nothing happened mu'randa and let us watch this situation further i will give you a signal to question about the slaughter but not yet show him the manta make him interested and intregued by our technology>

Mu'Randa nodded to herself, but quickly ployed it off as a craining of her neck to get the kinks out of it.

As Zephon turned to go, Mu'Randa walked up to the Vizier.

"My oh my," Mu'Randa said with a light, airy voice, "what wonderful ships. They are a bit larger than our own fighters, I must say."

With that Mu'Randa reached deep into her robes and pulled out a strange purple and green slab. It was covered with a vein-like surface, save for a single neon circle in the center with three holes around it. Mu'Randa concentrated as she looked at it, sending the message mentally to the datapad.

<manta fighter combat simulation>

The block began to whir a bit as the three holes suddenly were lit alight. They began to spin around, with dozens of other holes suddenly appearing on the neon surface.

There was a ship moving with incredible speed and agility. As though it were swimming in the ocean, the sharp, distinguished profile of the Polaris Manta whizzed around the contained viewing space. It's "tail" eminated a powerful blue-white light, the slight traces of engine discharge eminant from the appendage. As it moved, a concentrated beam of red energy shot out from its front, shattering a much larger asteroid with a single shot.
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d5/Lord_Gabon/Polaris%20Ships/Manta.jpg
The Manta Firing

On the upper-right corner of the screen blipped a small pannel showing a profile of the ship. It was about ten meters long from the tip of the "claws" to the end of the tail, and it's width was only eight meters or so. Although, the diagram showed it followed a curved design: the result was a relatively large amount of room for a very small ship. There were no technical specs with these images: merely pictures and sounds.

Mu'Randa beamed, or as best as she could, the traumatic events still playing in her mind.

"This is the Manta Fighter, the standard fighter employed by Polaris forces. As you can tell, the weapon fired from its tip is the same employed by my ship during the battle above: though it is a fixed weapon whereas mine could swivel. What do you think?"

Lyrell continued to snore all the while, though he sent one last transmission to Zephon as the Masked One left.

<the polaris council has informed me that they would like to confer with you about the metals you plan to ship to the abyssian legion please contact bis andreya as soon as possible by sending a transmission to the coordinates i described before they will be heard also remember zephon the polaris are here for you if you need them no mater what the history is of your people or what has occured a helping hand can always aid when i see you next i will tell you the story of the second comming may ory'hara watch over you always zephon>

The Grand Vizier gave a little chuckle after Zephon spoke. “It seems that I failed to mention that no one under the level of sorcerer even has magic. They are given magical abilities by the wizard or archmage that appointed them in an ancient ritual. It would be quite funny, though, if the serfs had magic.”

The Grand Vizier paused and saw for the first time that Mu’Randa was in the room. He hoped that she didn’t see the magic demonstration, as her people would seem to be the most offended by the show.

“Well, Zephon, I would like to come to the funeral. I am not sure if I myself would be able to attend, as there are many matters that need to be attended to. If this is the case, would it be acceptable if I sent a trusted representative? Oh, and to answer your earlier question, I can send some sorcerors with you since you are interested in our magic. I should mention, though, that usually only wizards and other archmages can incinerate a body as fast as I did.”

The Grand Vizier studied Zephon as he observed the ships, dreading the talks with Deathicus he now remembered he had to have after the banquet. His thoughts were interrupted by Mu’Randa. As Mu’Randa pulled out a device, the Grand Vizier tipped his head slightly so he could see it better. He was startled when it suddenly projected the image.

The Grand Vizier watched the images of the Manta fighter, wondering about the significance of its energy beam destroying a large rock that seemed to float in mid air. The Grand Vizier wondered if his fighters could do that.

“It seems like an excellent ship,” he said. “Its weapon looks very powerful, being able to blow apart that large of a rock with a single blast. It also looks very stunning visually. It has interesting designs on the outside. What is it made of?”

(OOC: I won't be able to post tomorrow, as I will be too busy. I will be back on Wednesday, though.)

The Grand Vizier gave a little chuckle after Zephon spoke. “It seems that I failed to mention that no one under the level of sorcerer even has magic. They are given magical abilities by the wizard or archmage that appointed them in an ancient ritual. It would be quite funny, though, if the serfs had magic.”

The Grand Vizier paused and saw for the first time that Mu’Randa was in the room. He hoped that she didn’t see the magic demonstration, as her people would seem to be the most offended by the show.

“Well, Zephon, I would like to come to the funeral. I am not sure if I myself would be able to attend, as there are many matters that need to be attended to. If this is the case, would it be acceptable if I sent a trusted representative? Oh, and to answer your earlier question, I can send some sorcerors with you since you are interested in our magic. I should mention, though, that usually only wizards and other archmages can incinerate a body as fast as I did.”

The Grand Vizier studied Zephon as he observed the ships, dreading the talks with Deathicus he now remembered he had to have after the banquet. His thoughts were interrupted by Mu’Randa. As Mu’Randa pulled out a device, the Grand Vizier tipped his head slightly so he could see it better. He was startled when it suddenly projected the image.

The Grand Vizier watched the images of the Manta fighter, wondering about the significance of its energy beam destroying a large rock that seemed to float in mid air. The Grand Vizier wondered if his fighters could do that.

“It seems like an excellent ship,” he said. “Its weapon looks very powerful, being able to blow apart that large of a rock with a single blast. It also looks very stunning visually. It has interesting designs on the outside. What is it made of?”

(OOC: I won't be able to post tomorrow, as I will be too busy. I will be back on Wednesday, though.)

OOC: Okay, well, I'll wait until Nili replies, then mine. I didn't get your Telegram, BTW, just sent you a reply on that.

((Sorry for the wait ^_~))

Zephon turned momentarily, the red haze from his eyes cutting through the air as he heard the Vizier speak. The representatives would be well taken care of, and perhaps after some tests and questioning, his people would be able to learn even more of the magic they cast. Instead of answering verbally, Zephon simply nodded his head at the Vizier, acknowledging all that he said.

"That would be very acceptable. Your representatives will be able to bring as many bodyguards as they wish, within reason of course." Zephon said cooly as he finally exited the room. As he left, he slowly whisked a hand in the air, responding to Lyrell.

<Ahhh... The deal has already been talked about, but I suppose I can inform them of the exact specifics of the metal. This does seem to be a rather distinct world, with a rather strange culture, but still, the act of passing along magic so quickly intrigues me. As a member of the Triumvirate I must act in accordance to the well-being of our people above all others... But since we have talked in such a way... Well shall be seeing you at the funeral I suppose, untill then I must return on the Executioner.>

Walking down the hall, Zephon stopped for a moment and looked at the wall, slowly carving a small niche into it before taking the long route to his ship. Once onboard, the almost 7 kilometer ship seemed to suddenly disappear, fading into the space around it as it slipped back towards the Zeres System.