NationStates Jolt Archive

OOC: Fleets, no. Characters, yes. Minor fleets from allies or people I've RPed with a lot, ask first.

http://i14.tinypic.com/4qqtilu.png: The blue worlds are those liberated by Jallin. The red ones are those controlled by the Kingdom of the Sovereign.

IC: Aboard the Maledictum, star system Seneschal.

"This is the cruiser Maledictum. Requesting permission to dock at Starbase Blessed of the Sovereign."

The transmitter crackled. "Please transmit identification code."

"Faraclas."

"That code is incorrect. Please transmit new code."

Sashiar swore. "Fa-ra-clas. I am Servant-Admiral Sashiar, and I will not be forestalled by your petty codes."

"Of course, Servant-Admiral. You are admitted. Please lower shields and weaponry, and allow the starbase to guide you in."

Sashiar nodded. "It is done, Starbase Commander. Please guide us in."

The ship moved swiftly in, controlled by AI, docking with the station easily. It had been almost a week in transit, and vital supplies were running low. Sashiar had suggested that they stop and resupply, and requisition whatever they could from the starbase. Jallin had been hesitant, but there were few other ways to refuel, or repair the faster-than-light jump drives.

Doors hissed open. "Take back ship control, AI Indent."

The AI conformed that ship control was indeed taken back. Sashiar smiled with relief. Good. They could go get what they needed, and leave without being under the risk of AI subversion.

He walked with Jallin down to the exit of the ship. The first one. The blast door swept open, and, outside, an entire troop of men waited, in inky-black armour, weapons readied.

"Servant-Admiral Sashiar, Tyrant Golheas has called for your arrest, on the crime of high treason. You are hereby stripped of your rank, your command, and your power granted to you by the Sovereign. I am Station Commander Elias Wood, and by the authority granted to me by Tyrant Golheas, I am hereby commandeering the Maledictum, and retaking the Guide where he may not be subverted by you. Do you have anything to say before your arrest?"

Sashiar grinned. "Only one thing. How in all of the hells do you expect to stop me?"

Elias's face remained impassive behind the carapace. "With this."

A cube of light flickered and expanded, blue light rushing through the hallway. Sashiar swore. "Damnit! How dare you block me from the Sovereign's power?"

"I do not dare, Sashiar. I have seen your meteoric rise through the ranks, when I was a captain with you. It was not your military genius that gave you your rank, let me assure you. Only your power. And now it is gone.. I feel it is time to mete out some of what those lesser than you have felt at your wrath."

Sashiar raised his hands, and red lightning flickered at his fingertips. His face was screwed up in a mask of concentration, but nothing more came.

"You are powerful, aren't you? I can't even sense my power through this damned shield."

Sashiar screwed up his face more, and still - nothing.

Elias smiled. "Just come with me, Sashiar. You will answer for your crimes."

Jallin spoke. "What about me? Am I to be.. resigned to the tortures you people have given me so often?"

"You are the Guide. I know what not tortures you have been coerced with, but under my jurisdiction, you will have all the luxury your position benefits."

Jallin's face tightened. "Die."

"What do you intend to do, Gui-"

Jallin simply gestured. He had done it before. And the torture, all the torture he now remembered - there was much he would do to escape that. White fire screamed up the corridor, engulfing Elias and his men in sheer, undulating power, melting their armour, melting them, melting the walls, leaving nothing but puddles of metal behind, and a twisted and malformed wall.

"How- how did you do that? He had us blocked!"

"I would correct that. He had you blocked. Not me. And now.. I think I have a better idea than resupplying. We will take this station. And from here, we will topple the Kingdom of the Sovereign, and restore the Starfederation."

Sashiar chuckled. "Against all the might Golheas can muster, one station? And perhaps the world below? We could never win. He would send the entire fleet, and we would die."

"They would meet the same fate I have meted out here. Trust me, Sashiar. Golheas cannot win. I will not allow him to surrender. For him, and all his ilk, the only option is death."

Uneasily, Sashiar agreed with him. With the death of Elias - one of the few who had known of Sashiar's defection, the station capitulated easily enough. Each sorcerer-priest was given the same option. Freedom or death. Many chose death. Others, however, renewed their links to the Sovereign, under the command of Sashiar.

At Jallin's order, the station was renamed. Seneschal of Freedom, he called it.



The world was next. The temple complex in the capital city was taken by Jallin and a few picked men, the capitulation of the priests made easy. The city itself, though, horrified Jallin. Children wandered the streets without parents, parents looking for their children, people had been sacrificed wantonly, and, as Sashiar reminded him, the runebane still existed - although not here.

Though no Servants wandered the streets in Seneschal, no istfari beasts, the poverty and woe that was splayed across the streets so viscerally was horrifying in its own right.

Sashiar looked out over the city, and murmured something. Jallin's senses, sharper each day, caught what he said.

"We were young, then, and righteous. We wanted peace and prosperity, freedom from dangers which seemed so terrible then. How did it ever come to this?"

{OoC: I hope you don't mind a character arriving now. If so, I shall delete the post. If you wondering what to do I was thinking perhaps pick him up on the way to the temple, he looks pretty odd, clean and stepping with a spring in his step. Oh, and I made a few assumptions on what was happening, hope their fine.}

{Ic}: The Captain sat at the control panel with his feet up on the control panel. He was reading a data pad while the ship continued its flight. Technically he could activate the Time-Jump and be there instantaneously but he liked to travel around a bit first, since his experience with Time-Jumping always left him off corse. He knew he shouldn’t have any issues with it since it was brand new but he had never trusted the company that made the devices anyway. He looked at the green button, purposefully placed at the top of the control panel so he couldn’t accidentally hit it. He sighed and began playing with the instrument panel. He figured he would test it worked by going to some random coordinates. He looked around and waited for someone to tell him his logic was flawed and wasting time was not something he should be doing when the Emperor had a Hostile Irony Gun. He didn’t hear a voice and smiled, pressing the button. Time was bent, and the Ship he was in arrived at the very same moment it left, so at one moment in time, there where two Ships, and two Captains.

He loved that idea.

-=-=-

The Ship appeared inside an alleyway. He looked at the two coordinates before him, one was the place he had told the ship to go and the other was the destination. They matched, with an error degree of around about 1e-20, 000,000. He found the number acceptable and opened the door to the ship, turning to see it had become a backdoor entrance to the building it was nestled against. He found it odd for a moment the Perception Filter was working before he remembered the ship had a new body. He smiled, ~She will like that~ he thought as he began to wander off down the alleyway towards the street with his hands in his pockets.

As he came to the street he was surprised with what he saw. Originally he had been expecting to be coming out on the streets of a bustling town or city, people thronging through the streets. Instead he found a desolated street. Children walked down, several crying, while adults walked among them, looking into their faces with a hope in their eyes which each time was shattered.

“Odd...this isn’t what this place was like last time.” The Captain said, squinting slightly down the street. He wandered to a nearby child and squatted before the little thing. “Hello, do you know what happened here?” he asked her “Or do you know where I can find anyone who did?” The little girl looked at him with blue eyes, and he felt a slight urge of anger. “Tell you what, you hungry? You want something to eat?” The girl nodded slightly and he reached into his pocket and pulled out a bar of some sort in silver rapping with odd characters written all over it. He ripped the wrapping and tore off a chunk, which looked like chocolate with a texture more like caramel. He offered it to her and she took it, before he stood and looked around.

“You know mummy is?” the little girl said softly. He looked down and shook his head.

“No sorry, but…” he paused, looking down the street. “I have every intention of finding her. Come on Sweetie.” He held out his hand, which she took gingerly holding the odd piece of food to her mouth. The Captain began to walk down the streets. “Tell me, where abouts is the centre of this place nowadays?” he asked her.

“The Place with all the scary men who take the people away.” She said and pointed in the direction of the Temple Complex.

“Then that’s where we’re going.” He said with an edge of decisiveness in his voice. And with a little girl in tow, he began walking down the streets towards the temple with one hand in his pocket.

OOC: S'all good. Although, if you want a bit of background on what's happened so far, and have a bit of time to blow, there's an entire thread leading up to this [url=http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=515382[/url.

IC: "I know, damn you! I know I can't just kill them. It doesn't mean I don't want to. She was born here!"

"She?". Sashiar was inquisitive. The man had once been the terror of entire worlds - purging anyone that stood in his way, slaughtering with impunity, simply because he deemed it necessary. His own crews had been afraid to speak to him. Jallin found the change in his personality, from what he had heard of him suspicious.

"Sonya. There is only one she."

"Ah."

"Now, how do I know these sorcerer-priests will be loyal to me? What if you decide to rebel against me?"

Sashiar spread his palms helplessly. "Jallin, I saw what you did to Elias. No-one, bar no-one, should have been able to do what you did. Either you're the most powerful sorcerer-priest ever born, or you're some sort of god yourself. I don't know. There's a lot of things that changed my perspectives on.. well, what we've done, since I conquered Incognitia. You'd be surprised how easy it is to order the destruction of a world - and how much harder it is to actually witness such a thing being done. What we do is repugnant to many, not only civilians, but also those who serve the Sovereign. However, their faith that it is for the greater good keeps them on the path. The sorcerer-priests would be the basis of my rise to power, if I chose to rise. If you want, remove them entirely. Put normal people back in power. I'm just used to the idea that the Sovereign is the basis for power. It didn't do me much good in the fleet, let me tell you."

"Hm. I wish I had someone.. someone who wasn't a damned priest. Someone I could trust."

"Find someone, then. I'm not going to order you around. Give me a fleet, and I'll crush your enemy so decisively that he'll never dare raise weapon against you again. I understand numbers, not people. Not morals."

Jallin grunted. "Fine. Seneschal is more-or-less self-sufficient nowadays, from what I've grasped. Bar jump fuel, which has to be imported from a nebula refinery, but.. food and manufacturing shouldn't be a problem."

He turned. "Now, you've gathered the priests as I asked?"

"Yes."

"Good. I'll go address them. They may not be the best people I have for running a planet, but they're feared here, and, more importantly, they fear me."

"With good reason."

"Yes. There is that. Then again, you may have noticed I dislike murder. Especially that of children."

Jallin ignored Sashiar's last answer, and opened the door. It took him a minute to find the courtyard, and, when he did, he simply walked through the crowd - the priests moving to allot him a path, and stood in the centre of them.

"Listen. Here's what's going to happen. Firstly, no more sacrifices, if I haven't made that abundantly clear. Secondly, you are no longer priests. I can't stop you connecting with your "Sovereign", but you don't serve him any longer. You serve me. Firstly, and only, you serve me."

An angry murmur arose from the priests. Jallin merely waited for a few seconds, and it died down. "Thirdly, the people of this planet need the infrastructure revitalized. Use your authority, wherever it exists, to get manufacturing, mining, and agriculture back up to scratch. I can't run a rebellion against the Tyrant without resources of my own. If you people can't accomplish this - and accomplish it without violence or threats, I'll dispose of you, and find someone who can."

One priest stepped forward, braver than the others. "Surely you can't expect us to abandon our sacred oa-"

Jallin didn't even bother turning around. The top half of the priest's body sloughed off the bottom half, both collapsing, and blood gushing out. He left, sickened by himself. It was easy to kill - far too easy. He'd done a lot of it these days, as well. A thought, and enough anger, and someone lay dead. Hopefully the priests would accomplish his orders. Once the Tyrant heard that he'd started a rebellion.. Sashiar told him that he had a month at most, because the Tyrant was away. A month, to prepare a world to battle an empire.


Outside, a priest looked around, his red robes torn slightly by the attack on the temple by Jallin and Sashiar.

He noticed the Captain almost immediately. The man stood out. Even though most people nearby knew what had happened - one couldn't stop news filtering out over the 'nets, after all, they were still cowed by the sight of a priest, not knowing if what had happened was real, or merely a trick, to test their loyalty.

Perhaps the man was an off-world traveller. He restrained his immediate urge to capture the man, and strode up to talk with him. "Greetings. I am Dunn. A-a- servant in this place.". The words "Servant of the Sovereign" stuck in his throat. He would not risk his life by saying them.

"Tell me, what is your business here?"

OOC: Mind if I join, HT? Not with fleets, unless you tell me otherwise. =P

IC: The incident on Thussa, along with the videos showing the last stand of the soldiers they had sent there, showed that this "Starfederation" the Imperium was allied to was not as benevolent as they had been brought to see. But, the sacrifice of those soldiers had only revealed part of what the Terran Imperium now knew. ONI had managed to get some people in, briefly, and with great cost, and get the information they needed to finally get the picture at last.

And the Emperor was horrified. Nathan gripped the sides of his chair as he gazed at the last bit of data an ONI agent managed to send before the feed cut out; the implication not lost on Avarei. Rubbing his temple, he proceeded to think about this. So, the Starfederation was not only something as vile as Chaos, but it was now experiencing a rebellion. Due to the fact they were officially allied, he could not send a fleet nor do anything officially. He was not pushed to rebel against the Galactic Empire just yet. But he had to do something. The lives of countless millions stood in the balance. Letting out a breath of frustration, he pressed a key. The Forerunner A.I., Eternal Summer, appeared. "Yes, Emperor?"

"Get me Fleet Admiral Carlyle."

**********************************************************

Four hours later.....

High Commander Clarkson stood on the balcony overseeing an expedition of two hundred men. A small taskforce, yes, but it was the most they could send and keep their print on this rebellion they were being sent to aid. Next to him was the commander, Colonel James Galante. A tough, hardcore Marine, he was chosen to lead this mission as he had a penchant for granting his enemies no mercy when they deserved it and in fighting the Sovereign and his forces, there could be no quarter given. That much they knew from Thussa. "....You will need to move quickly and get to that planet ASAP. We don't know how long it will be until the Sovereign finally learns of this rebellion but we must hold it up for as long as possible, do our very best to see that this Sovereign is defeated." The Colonel nodded.

"And the stock of weapons and technology?"

"A gift to the rebels. It's a risk, we know, but they need some kind of edge. Maybe that will do it. I wish we could spare some ODST's and some Spartans, but both are busy either protecting the Imperium, preparing for war, or already off fighting in the Colonial Civil War." James chuckled.

"No offense to them, sir, but I think my Marines can do a better job than them." The High Commander smiled.

"Of course, Colonel. The blessing of the Imperium, and the Emperor goes with you. May God watch over you. Dismissed." He turned and walked away, as the Colonel moved to watch over his soldiers. They were gearing up and preparing for battle. Talking to each other, making jokes, being themselves, doing what they could to imprint their buddies in their minds and themselves on their friends, as they all knew some of them wouldn't be coming home alive. Crates were being moved to the Pelicans, which blasted off towards the TIS Cloud. A prowler, it was their main option of getting to the planet without being noticed. It could only hold two hundred soldiers, with its crew members and the massive amount of technology they were bringing with them. He wished he had more soldiers, but it would have to do.

"Alright, let's start moving out boys and girls, we have a job to do!" They all roared in reply and started to hustle out.

***********************************************************

Six hours later....

A flash appeared in the space around Seneschal. The Cloud appeared, and activated its active camouflage. Captain Horvis sat in his command chair, reading the planet and what was in orbit. James stood next to him. "What do we have, Captain?" Horvis sighed.

"Not much I am afraid. They have a single cruiser in orbit, and a starbase with which it is resupplying. That is all in space. Much is to be desired. If we can send ships, that might help..." The Colonel cut him off from that thought.

"What of the planet?"

"Loads of devastation. I am tracking lots of that strange energy tracings all over the place. It looks like things have calmed down; whoever has taken over doesn't like sacrifices." James nodded in satisfaction. The sticking point was if the rebellion was going to do the same as the Sovereign and wanted its power, or was against it entirely. Fortunately, it was the latter.

"Open a channel to the planet and get a hold of the people down there. I will prepare the men."

"Aye sir." James walked out and Horvis began to talk. Hidden still, they sent a message. They didn't want to risk getting blown out of the space they were in.

"Seneschal, this is Captain Horvis of the TIS Cloud. I request permission to dock with your starbase and to speak with your commander.

OOC: S'all good. Although, if you want a bit of background on what's happened so far, and have a bit of time to blow, there's an entire thread leading up to this [url=http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=515382[/url]

Outside, a priest looked around, his red robes torn slightly by the attack on the temple by Jallin and Sashiar.

He noticed the Captain almost immediately. The man stood out. Even though most people nearby knew what had happened - one couldn't stop news filtering out over the 'nets, after all, they were still cowed by the sight of a priest, not knowing if what had happened was real, or merely a trick, to test their loyalty.

Perhaps the man was an off-world traveller. He restrained his immediate urge to capture the man, and strode up to talk with him. "Greetings. I am Dunn. A-a- servant in this place.". The words "Servant of the Sovereign" stuck in his throat. He would not risk his life by saying them.

"Tell me, what is your business here?"

"Geetings Dunn," The Captain said, looking over the Priests Shoulder at the temple rather then Directly at the man. "I am the Captain, just The Captain, nothing else." he looked at the man and paused, looking him up and down. "What happened to you, someone decide to give you their old uniform...anyway. I am here to find out a few things. The first," he turned and gestured to the city behind him, before turning his head back. "What the hell have you people been doing here? This place looks like its been hit with one of the Hostile Irony Guns. Second, I wanna see the guy in charge, and I want to see him now!"

Their was a Flourish, and then the Captain had a small device which looked like a large version of a laser pointer was pointing at the mans head. The Captain paused as the Priest tensed, looked at the Laser Pointer and smiled.

"Harmless, Sadly." He said, a sudden smile on his face. "Trouble with having so many things in your pockets, you can get mixed up. So, lets go to who's in charge eh? You can explain the sorry state this place is in on the way." he stepped past him before gesturing to the door. "After you."

OOC: Note that I'm RPing with Telros a bit further on that I'm RPing with Akavari, you guys. The old liquid time has to come in, so it might get a tad disorientating.

"And? They are in Seneschal?"

"Yes, my lord. They have taken Seneschal. Insofar as I can tell, there is no resistance to their rule."

Golheas shook his head. "Foolish, foolish little Sashiar. Once the most-feared of the Kingdom's generals. But to pit his power against mine is most idiotic. I will annihilate him. I will not even need a ship."

He looked over at his aide - Jonathan, he was called. One of the less-powerful sorcerer-priests who served him. And one of the most loyal. He had power of his own, but loyalty was a prize that should never be tossed away lightly.

"My lord, there is one thing.."

"Yes?"

"We have received footage of the attack Elias led on Sashiar. It only just came in over the farcaster webs."

"And? Jonathan, please, show me."

The video was without sound - but much could be deduced. Golheas watched in interest as Elias let the blue cube flicker, which, in theory, should have disabled Sashiar absolutely. And then the camera was overwhelmed by white fire, shorting it out.

For the first time since he had assumed his service to the Sovereign, he felt fear. "Jonathan. What is this? How did.. Sashiar do what he did?"

"It was not Sashiar, my lord. Or, if it was, he has enough power to break through such a shield, and still have as much power as you yourself would have."

"The Guide.". It was not a question.

Jonathan nodded. "That is my assumption, my lord. Shall we glass Seneschal."

Golheas sputtered. "No! We cannot risk losing the Guide! He must be captured alive and unharmed. I want Seneschal besieged. Faster-than-light-inhibitors around the third orbit. No-one gets in, no-one gets out. From there, we can conduct an effective ground war against the planet. Seneschal will lose its population, Jonathan. Every man, woman, and child on that world will be dedicated to the Sovereign's service in their death."



Seneschal, Jallin's Complex. Former temple-complex.

Setting up a new military was remarkably easy. He was now the High Commander of the forces, and Sashiar was the First Admiral. Not that they needed much more. Seneschal only had a hundred million people living on it, an eightieth of the Kingdom's population. Less than an eightieth of its production. The starbase had already been rigged to produce gunships and fighters, but nothing larger than that. Perhaps thirty fighters and ten gunships a day. By his calculations, the Kingdom could do the same in corvettes and frigates.

Fifty men and women - thirty engineers, twenty former soldiers of the Starfederation, was all he had found in a day. A small cache of weapons in the temple-complex, as well as the major planetary defense gun underneath it, was all he had. In fact, he didn't even have control over the planet, apart from de facto control, that was. It was slowly changing, but he doubted he'd have the entire planet under his thumb before Golheas crushed him. He had been a member of the Starfederation's LMF, the army, before, and they had been good. Now, they were the same - just ten times as big, and with fanaticism to back up their actions. Golheas could easily bring as many men as Seneschal had citizens. Thus, although the militia was growing quickly, men with rigged-up fusion blasters were no match for power-armoured marines. Each city needed anti-air guns, and there were none. Luckily, Seneschal's cities were all close together, so a landing on the other side of the planet would be unlikely.

What could he do against the might of the Sovereign? Personally.. he had just wanted to walk in, kill Golheas, and leave. The whole idea of rebelling was foolishness. No way he could win. Perhaps he could just leave Seneschal to fortify itself, and liberate another border world.. keep attacking minor worlds until none of them could be taken without major effort.

With one cruiser? The whole idea was laughable. He knew the Kingdom had over a thousand.

"Message coming through, High Commander."

"Thank you, General."

General. He almost chuckled. She had been a lieutenant in the military before it had been disbanded, so he'd made her a general. It was foolishness. Idiocy.

"Seneschal, this is Captain Horvis of the TIS Cloud. I request permission to dock with your starbase and to speak with your commander.

He leaned over, and spoke into the makeshift radio they had. The message was sent to the starbase, and amplified from there.

"This is High Commander Jallin, of.. well, those rebelling against the Sovereign, and Tyrant Golheas. We haven't really got a name yet. I am on the major temple-complex in the capital city. There'll be some serious energy readings underneath it - like nothing else on the planet. The starbase is occupied producing everything it can for our defense. So land nearby, and I'll speak with you. No violence will be offered to you, I can assure you of that."

{OoC: Bump, because I am sure my post wasn't there before.}

"The city has been... liberated. I chose to live and serve in my own way, rather than stay faithful and die. The Gui-.. Jallin will explain all. For he has forbidden the first name. I do not advise that you threaten me, though. For all my oaths, I still have enough power to reduce you to ash in my little finger."

The temple-complex was vast, easily large enough to house tens of thousands of people. Weaponry and knowledge was stored within it, anything deemed heretical had been destroyed.

They walked down corridors without meeting people, for the priests were numbered in the hundreds, and their servants had been turned out, given work in the defense of the planet. It was almost twenty minutes of walking, when the priest finally turned and stopped. Two guardsmen, each in blue-and-green jerkins, both holding lethal-looking rifles, stood in front of a doorway.

"Well, Captain, I am a mere priest, not privy to the matters of the Gu- To Jallin and Sashiar's deliberations, and I cannot take you further than this. If you can convince those two to let you past, that your questions are of enough importance to them, then you shall pass. I have no further power in this place."

With that, he turned to leave. The two guards eyed the Captain curiously. After a moment, one spoke. "I heard all that. Tell me, Captain, who are you, and why do you want to see Jallin?"

"Incoming reply, sir."

"Let us see it, Lieutenant. Time to see if we help or flee like madmen."

"This is High Commander Jallin, of.. well, those rebelling against the Sovereign, and Tyrant Golheas. We haven't really got a name yet. I am on the major temple-complex in the capital city. There'll be some serious energy readings underneath it - like nothing else on the planet. The starbase is occupied producing everything it can for our defense. So land nearby, and I'll speak with you. No violence will be offered to you, I can assure you of that."


Horvis sighed. Everything sounded good so far. Turning to the bridge crew, he nodded. "Deactivate the active camouflage, inform the Colonel of the landing, and get us to that planet." They nodded and proceeded to do as he said.

A small, frigate-size ship appeared, wavering into existence. Engines flared as it pushed itself towards the planet. The shields flared as the ship made it's way through the atmosphere. Following the transmission, the ship made its way close to the place Jallin had sent the transmission from, and fixed itself in the air. A gravity lift appeared and sent the Captain, the Colonel, and a five-man squad of Marines down. They prepared to start heading to the city, and to speak with this High Commander.

"Where did that ship come from, Sashiar? You're supposed to be in charge of the space defenses."

"No idea, Jallin."

"No-". Jallin stopped himself, and took a deep breath. It wasn't a ship of the Sovereign, and that mattered. They had little in the way of sensors on the planet, and he'd never even considered the possibility of someone sneaking it. There could be people landing in cloaked shuttles as he spoke!

No, no. Best not to think of it. He couldn't do anything about it now, but the planet was being improved when it came to these things. If that ship had come much closer, they would have caught it. Possibly.

"Leave, Sashiar. I will speak to them alone."

He straightened his shirt, and looked resolutely in the doorway. In but a few minutes, the Telrosians were there.

"Gentlemen, how are you? What do you wish to speak to me about today?"

After two Warthogs and a Mongoose had been deployed, they drove quickly to the city, wanting to finish this as quickly as possible and get underway. They needed to get the weapons and materials set up soon. So, when they parked in the city, they got out and headed for the main building. Once inside, they proceeded quickly. Many of the workers gave them weird looks and whispered as they passed but they were ignored. It was obvious they were on some sort of mission and they would not be denied. And if any had read up on the nations allied to the Sovereign, they would realize they were from the Terran Imperium, allied to the being they were rebelling against.

The question then was, why?

Finally, they came to the door, where Jallin greeted them. James nodded, a hand coming up to salute, followed by his soldiers and the Captain. Only two were with them, as the remaining three were guarding the vehicles. The two took up position beside the door. Closing it behind him, they sat down and James began to speak. "We are fine. We are here because our Emperor has given us a vital mission to complete, a mission to aid you. Now, I do not know how informed you are but, in case you don't know, we are from the Terran Imperium. We are currently in the Galactic Empire alliance, which forces us to be allied to the Sovereign. Note we did this out of political and military necessity, not choice. The Emperor has always sought to aid those against such beings, as we have encountered horrible beings such as him. Not as powerful...but equally horrible. Before we knew of the GE and your Sovereign, we had sent scout teams out to explore our borders and a bit beyond. We came across a planet, you might know of it: Thussa." There was a pause as he closed his eyes for a moment.

"We found that the "priests" that served the Sovereign had brought their troops and began slaughtering people. in some sort of ritual. The Captain of that ship responded, sending down several ODST teams. What happened after I'd rather not share, but it's suffice to say we did not get any word back from them aside from a desperate last message. I imagine that they fought to the end."

A mournful pause.

"Anyways, we have found out about your situation but could do nothing. Aside from open war against the Sovereign, a difficult thought as it is, it would also invite attacks by the rest of the GE. And the thought of the Sith and the Chronosians massacring our people is just too much.

Until now.

Due to this rebellion, we are able to send aid; limited yes, but aid nonetheless. I have two hundred highly-trained Marines, veterans of the Katarian War. We have also brought an innumerable treasure of armor, weapons, technology and a certain type of material we call "instant concrete". Bases, bunkers and defenses can be constructed within hours. We have come to offer our aid; if we can, the Emperor will send more, but unless he deems it right, we are all that we can spare."

Jallin nodded. "I admire your Emperor. He is not afraid to do the right thing. I fear only shame and the desire for revenge has driven me this far. I am not a man of uncompromising righteousness, as much as I wish I had been.'

He turned. "Sashiar has spoken to me of Thussa. Thussa, you may as well know, was one among hundreds. The deaths of so many feed the Sovereign, and weaken the wall between his place, and our universe. I imagine, had you faced such a force elsewhere, you would not have lost. Nevertheless. Any help we can gain is a boon. If we face the Kingdom's forces alone, thousands of capital ships and millions of soldiers will stand against us, and that is a conservative estimate."

He sighed, and tapped a display. A holographic map sprung up in the middle of the room, showing twenty systems, and thousands upon thousands of tiny dots, almost all of them red, a scarce few blue.

"The numbers cannot be stopped. Even were other worlds to revolt alongside with us, the forces arrayed against us are impossibly large. And, I fear we will not be able to hold the Kingdom off for an attack, let alone such a campaign as they must plan on waging. Although my plans are ill-formed, I must tell you now: I must leave Seneschal, and levy rebellions on other worlds. And once Golheas knows I have left, he will have no qualms in turning this world into a ball of radioactive glass, as a message to others who would dare defy him. Seneschal will serve only as a delaying effort - as a distraction, to buy time so that hope may be brought to other worlds. If you cannot accept this, you may take your marines. I will not condemn brave men to die when I am not to do so myself."

His hands trembled. The workload had been immense, organising an entire world's defenses, but it kept his mind off.. other things.

A man ran into the room. "Jallin! Sir!"

"Calm down. What is it? Does it warrant interrupting this meeting?"

He turned to James. "My apologies. Excuse me a moment."

"Yessir. There's a few people in Inna who sent us a message. Dissidents, I think. There are over three thousand capital ships, and two Dreadnoughts in high orbit over Innasar, and an innumerable number of transports and gunships. This message says they just jumped."

"And how old is the message?"

"Well, assuming they sent it by tightbeam, maybe six hours old."

"And if they sent it ultratight? They would, you know. I doubt they wanted the fleet to pick it up."

"Maybe sixteen hours."

Jallin swore. "The fleet can be here in under twenty-four. It's good that we knew this, at least."

He dismissed the man with a nearly imperceptible hand signal. "Well then, Captain James. Any help you can render in six hours would be most welcome. I advise you leave, though. Telrosian marines can be explained as dissidents, as can Telrosian weapons. Ships of your Navy, however, would no doubt condemn your own worlds to the hands of those Thussa was given into. Leave within the hour, if you will."

It had been a few days. Hardly enough to prepare for a full-scale planetary invasion. "It appears, then, we will be defending the world to the last, Captain."

For the first time, a smile broke his face. "I only hope Golheas comes down to meet me. I would love to see the look on his face when I kill him."

The Colonel chuckled as Jallin honestly revealed what he was. "Few men can honestly and truthfully declare themselves 'righteous' and 'honorable'. Many of those who say they are 'righteous' are mostly manipulating assholes or blind sheep. Trust me, revenge is a good trait to have in certain cases. This would be one of them. Besides, I can respect a man who is honest with himself." He listened as Jallin spoke again, of Thussa and of what they faced. James closed his eyes, sending a silent prayer to the souls who had given their lives on that rock.

"Yes....that is possible. Though, if what they faced is what we are fighting against, I doubt a small group such as them could have won without knowing about them in advance. But anyways, yes, it does seem you face a lot of opposition. But of course, when fighting a tyrannical regime, it always is that unbalanced. I think fate likes to see last stands." When the map appeared, he glanced at it; his eyes narrowing upon seeing the thousands of worlds still under the iron grip of the Sovereign. He gazed at it, stroking his chin as Jallin spoke again.

"The numbers cannot be stopped. Even were other worlds to revolt alongside with us, the forces arrayed against us are impossibly large. And, I fear we will not be able to hold the Kingdom off for an attack, let alone such a campaign as they must plan on waging. Although my plans are ill-formed, I must tell you now: I must leave Seneschal, and levy rebellions on other worlds. And once Golheas knows I have left, he will have no qualms in turning this world into a ball of radioactive glass, as a message to others who would dare defy him. Seneschal will serve only as a delaying effort - as a distraction, to buy time so that hope may be brought to other worlds. If you cannot accept this, you may take your marines. I will not condemn brave men to die when I am not to do so myself."

James barked out a grim laugh. "The Emperor told us as much; ONI has sacrificed much to give us what they could on the Sovereigns plans for this and we knew that whatever planet they attacked, they would slaughter down to the last man, woman, and child. We came here willingly, knowing we would die, High Commander. So, we know our fate and besides, our brothers who fought in the war against the Covenant died in droves, in the thousands. How can we honor their memory if we cannot be willing to sacrifice our lives, for as just a cause, with two hundred soldiers? Do not worry about us, Jallin, we will do our duty till the end."

When the messenger burst in, James glanced at him. Seeing his expression, he knew a particularly bad piece of news was about to arrive. When Jallin apologized, he waved it off and listened. He closed his eyes and chuckled darkly. It was as he figured, they had arrived just in time.


He dismissed the man with a nearly imperceptible hand signal. "Well then, Captain James. Any help you can render in six hours would be most welcome. I advise you leave, though. Telrosian marines can be explained as dissidents, as can Telrosian weapons. Ships of your Navy, however, would no doubt condemn your own worlds to the hands of those Thussa was given into. Leave within the hour, if you will."

Jame's mouth twitched. "I am not the Captain; that would be Horvis, to the right of me. I am the leader of the force I have brought here. I will be staying till the end, Jallin. As for what help I can give, in six hours, that is a lot. With the insta-crete we brought, the weapon emplacements, weaponry and armor, we can equip your soldiers with armor exactly like ours, shields and all, and weapons. We can set up chokepoints, minefields, and bunkers. We can make this a hellhole to fight in, a zone of death, if you will. I will have my men get to work on it immediately." He nodded at one of the soldiers behind him, who nodded in turn and walked out, hand on his helmet as he transmitted orders to the rest of the force. Turning to Horvis, James face was set in stone.

"It has been an honor, Captain, to have worked with you. Drop off all the equipment, vehicles, etc etc, and then go home, and report to the Emperor what we have found out and what will transpire. A last transmission will probably be sent, like those on Thussa sent, but it would be best to prepare him for the worst." Horvis nodded, his face bleak but resolute.

"It has been an honor as well, Colonel. Give 'em hell and show them that Terran soldiers fight to the end."

"Aye, Captain, that's what we do best." The Captain saluted, which James reciprocated. Horvis turned and left, in time for James to hear Jallin say that they would defend the world to the last. James cocked his head to one side. "What, does the Sovereign give breaks before he slaughters everyone?"

The holomap changed.

http://i9.tinypic.com/6c8d2d3

"Here is a map of Seneschal. It's an almost perfectly flat world - the Starfederation terraformed it fairly thoroughly, it was made for flat, rolling plains. Each shielded fort we have is displayed, as well as the troop complement. Each fort was built to be the same by the Kingdom of the Sovereign, and each can hold ten thousand men. We have a total of forty thousand militiamen and women, as well as a few former professional soldiers manning these forts. I imagine we'll be outnumbered ten-to-one, at least in the first wave.

Two blue lines came up on the 'map, and Jallin gestured. "There are our two defense zones. Defense Zone One, or DZ1, is the area in which we have the most anti-space guns and planetary defense weapons. Provided that the defense isn't saturated with over six hundred thousand drop-pods at any one time, we can guarantee an eighty-five percent kill ratio. In the rest of the planet, it's only eighteen. As you can see, the eastern continent is undermanned, and underdefended. We've left skeleton garrisons, with orders to overload the forts' fusion generators when they're falling."

He took a breath. "The second blue line includes this fort. The main defensive guns are under this very complex, and so we'll be able to stop any and all landings here. Although we've projected we'll lose the eastern continent in the first two hours, and the islands in sixteen, the western continent should take four days to overwhelm - and, at a stretch, we can hold this fort for a week and a half."

"Perhaps Sashiar should com-"

He was interrupted by Sashiar walking back in. "Jallin-"

"I know. We're soon to be under attack."

"Ah. These are the Telrosians?"

"Yes."

He turned back to the Telrosians. "This is former Servant-Admiral Sashiar. The third most powerful sorcerer-priest ever to serve the Sovereign. Although, like you, he finds the methods used by those above him reprehensible. He is one of a hundred sorcerer-priests we have on this world."

"Sashiar, how many Cardinals and sorcerer-priests are we likely to be facing?"

"Golheas wants you, Jallin. He can't take you alive without Cardinals. Perhaps five hundred Cardinals, and ten times as many sorcerer-priests."

"Wonderful. How many can you handle?"

"Cardinals? Ten, maybe twenty, at a stretch. Three or four times as many sorcerer-priests."

"I hadn't counted on that. Against normal weaponry, we stand a chance, but if Golheas just stands back and conjures horrors into our forts, we'll fall within a day. Is there anything we can do to kill them."

Sashiar nodded. "Actually, that blue box Elias used.. we've found a few. Although they're permanent, and only extend for about fifty metres around the person."

"How many of them?", Jallin asked eagerly.

"About two hundred."

Jallin looked at James speculatively. "You brought two hundred marines, did you not? Battle-hardened men who have seen the sorts of horrors that were brought to life on Thussa?"

Without waiting for a reply, he gave life to his idea. "Sashiar will give you these.. blue boxes. They'll, so far as I can understand, make you immune to the powers of the Cardinals and sorcerer-priests. If your men would care to be given the task of killing them, they'll do better than my own people, who have had the fear of the priests beaten into their minds since birth. And.. about the fortification efforts. I fear we must only fortify this place. If we spread our efforts out, we will lose."

Another aide walked in. "Message for you, sir. Tagged Tyrant Golheas."

"I see. Another distraction, I'm sorry to say. Play the message."

A nearby viewscreen sprang to life, and the decrepit, ancient face of Tyrant Golheas appeared upon it. Hard to believe that he was only forty. The Sovereign took life. He did not give it.

"Greetings, Guide. Let the Sovereign's light shine upon you on this day. You are destined to serve him, willing or not. You have already brought the Mind and Soul into this world. Indeed, I venerate you as his greatest servant."

His tone was slightly mocking, yet the rasp in his voice made it hard to discern.

"Seneschal is a pitiful world, and it cannot hope to succeed against me. I bring the might of the Sovereign himself, blessed with the endless fury of a thousand storms, more men than you can even fathom. Should you give yourself up, I will spare your world. Should you not... I will destroy it so thouroughly that not even the shadow of a memory shall remain. Even the traitor Sashiar I would forgive, should he come crawling back. Think on this, Jallin. The lives of all who live on Seneschal are in your hands."

The message ended. Jallin raised one eyebrow. "Charming. And they say common courtesy is dead."

Sashiar, on the other hand, had gone grey. "He-he could see me", he croaked.

"What?"

"N-nevermind. I thought-thought that.. no, no. Ignore me. Prepare for the battle ahead."

James gazed at the map, eyes washing over the various forts and the information about each, the Defense Zones and the planetary defenses. He managed to keep a grimace off his face. This was going to be a tough one, alright. He hadn't seen a situation this bad since the battle on Reach, in the archives. Stroking his chin, he listened carefully and nodded when Jallin finished speaking. "Well, I suppose I can reinforce Defense Zone one with automated rocket and machine gun turrets, and some men with Jackhammers, but it's all I can do. The materials I brought were for ground, not air. Although, I have some Warthogs with railguns, machine guns and rocket pods which could provide a mobile defense, give us some extra time.

I cannot do anything about the islands or the eastern continent. I don't have the manpower or the materials to do so. So, they will fall as planned. However, as for Defense Zone Two, I can fortify this place with bunkers, trenches, mines, the works. I have only enough for one area, but I can make this place into a fortress. Even with inexperienced troops, expert ground works can make all the difference, even if its just for a couple seconds." When the rebel Admiral walked in, James turned and looked at him, getting an estimate of the man just from his eyes, speech and how he moved. When Jallin introduced him, he bowed his head in respect. At the mention of sorcerer-priests, James winced. More magic? Well, he should have been expecting it, if the last transmissions from Thussa told him anything, this was it. Magic was something he hated; it went against the natural order of things and his own grain. But, war doesn't give you everything you wanted. When he heard the number of the magic-users that would be brought, he rubbed his temples.

He was about to bring up the problem of his normal soldiers, albeit veteran ones, fighting magic-users after Jallin was speaking of blue boxes when the High Commander turned back to him.

"You brought two hundred marines, did you not? Battle-hardened men who have seen the sorts of horrors that were brought to life on Thussa?"

James opened his mouth to speak but Jallin kept going.

"Sashiar will give you these.. blue boxes. They'll, so far as I can understand, make you immune to the powers of the Cardinals and sorcerer-priests. If your men would care to be given the task of killing them, they'll do better than my own people, who have had the fear of the priests beaten into their minds since birth. And.. about the fortification efforts. I fear we must only fortify this place. If we spread our efforts out, we will lose."

James felt relief going through his body. Good, they had something to keep those powers off of them. "Yes, they are, Jallin. They were briefed on the creatures and even went into simulations against them. The boxes are perfect; my soldiers are some of the best but they can't fight magic with normal weapons, especially on the scale I'm hearing. We will fortify this place only then; we will make it into a killing zone the like which hasn't been seen in over two hundred years. We've faced the Flood, Jallin, a race of beings far worse than anything your Sovereign can do or produce. Some horrors here will be nothing to what they have done."

An aide walked in, to inform them about the message from the Tyrant. The Colonel's eyes narrowed; probably to gloat and be all melodramatic. All of them were the same; arrogant and egotistical.

"Greetings, Guide. Let the Sovereign's light shine upon you on this day. You are destined to serve him, willing or not. You have already brought the Mind and Soul into this world. Indeed, I venerate you as his greatest servant.

Seneschal is a pitiful world, and it cannot hope to succeed against me. I bring the might of the Sovereign himself, blessed with the endless fury of a thousand storms, more men than you can even fathom. Should you give yourself up, I will spare your world. Should you not... I will destroy it so thoroughly that not even the shadow of a memory shall remain. Even the traitor Sashiar I would forgive, should he come crawling back. Think on this, Jallin. The lives of all who live on Seneschal are in your hands."

One of the Terrans behind James shook his head. "Goddamned power hippie. I'd say he wins an Oscar, don't you?" The other nodded.

"Yeah, I almost threw up from that performance." James gave them a glare, before returning to Jallin.

"Well, I must say Jallin, with all I have heard about the Tyrant.....I expected him to be taller." The soldiers behind him struggled to keep their snickering quiet as James gazed carefully at Sashiar who was unnerved.

"The Sovereign could see you? He's supposed to the god the rest of this nation worships, Admiral, of COURSE he can see you." He made a mental note to keep an eye on Sashiar.

"Well, Jallin, unless there is anything else, I better go start preparing for the coming battle."

Sashiar winced. "Jallin, I think that message.. I don't know. He did something to it. I could feel someone watching me. I can't describe it, but-"

Jallin interrupted him. "Admiral, I doubt you're needed here. There's no fleet for you to organise, and if Golheas is capable of watching you, then you're better off outside the war room. I mean no offense, Sashiar, but it may be safer this way."

Sashiar nodded grudgingly, and left.

"He is afraid. Then again, I doubt he ever wanted to be forced into a corner like this. Golheas could reduce him to ashes with the slightest wave of his little finger, despite all Sashiar's power, or so he tells me. When you've spent your life being the best, that sort of thing can be unnerving, or so I understand."

He chuckled. "I wouldn't know. I've never been especially good at anything in particular."

"Then again, Sashiar chose to be where he is today. Golheas is little more than a shell of his former self. I met the man once before he was.. transformed. He was pleasant. An idealist, to say the least. A tad ineffectual in government, but not a bad sort of man. Power corrupts, they say, though - and the power of the Sovereign corrupts forcibly."

Suddenly, he grinned. "I can't tell you how good it's to be among reasonably ordinary people again, James. Ten years ago, I was taken from my life - a life of petty smuggling and the occasional bit of bounty hunting, admittedly, and given over to the hands of those who decided that torture would be the best way of making me love their Sovereign. Ever since then, the only people I've met are fanatical priests, or those who shit themselves every time they hear the word 'Sovereign.'. If I die here, at least I'll die among people who aren't afraid to have a laugh."

He looked around. "Well, then. I'd say that's more than enough briefing. Talk to people outside - they'll tell you what we need to hold this place, and how it can be achieved. I'm thinking of placing your marines in two-men squads, along with eighteen of my own militia per squad, evenly around the walls, so we're able to hold off any major attack. At least at first. We've only got light artillery, along with some heavy AA, so dealing with heavy armour could turn out to be a bit of a problem. However, we only have so much time. Shall we?"

James nodded. He understood perfectly; the Admirals and Generals who survived the Covenant War still shuddered uncontrollably whenever the thought of the Gravemind entered their mind. Those who had met the being were still taking therapy for it, forever scarred. "I understand, Jallin. It comes with dealing with beings of this kind. Some can take it; most cannot." The Colonel paused as Jallin spoke, a smile on his face.

"I can't tell you how good it's to be among reasonably ordinary people again, James. Ten years ago, I was taken from my life - a life of petty smuggling and the occasional bit of bounty hunting, admittedly, and given over to the hands of those who decided that torture would be the best way of making me love their Sovereign. Ever since then, the only people I've met are fanatical priests, or those who shit themselves every time they hear the word 'Sovereign.'. If I die here, at least I'll die among people who aren't afraid to have a laugh."


James laughed out loud, as snickers from the soldiers behind him echoed with it. "If we are 'ordinary' people in your eyes, you need to get out more." His tone was slightly teasing, not meaning to be biting or anything. "I am honored you consider us so, and it is my pleasure to give you a chance to know those who aren't corrupted or cowed by fear, before the attack comes." He bowed his head. Jallin spoke of people he could talk to for setting up the defenses and of what they had in that department. James rubbed his chin.

"Well, we brought a good host of vehicles with us. Mobile, light anti-vehicle and infantry LRV's, some scout vehicles and a couple tanks, if that helps us. We also have plenty of our Lotus anti-tank mines, perfect for ripping through heavy armor. Anyways, I shall go speak to those people, if there isn't anything else." Saluting, he walked out, the soldiers behind him. Putting on his helmet, he keyed open the com.

"Sergeant Colkrin, status" A gruff voice sounded, distorted by the speakers slightly.

"Well, all the Marines are on the ground and should be entering the city anytime now. I am finishing up getting the convoy of vehicles and supplies ready and should be at the city in half an hour. Oh, and the Cloud has left as well."

"Make it to the city in twenty minutes.

"Aye aye, sir. However, I did send the soldiers and some of the vehicles by Pelican, as the Captain decided to lend those to us. Well, more like the pilots threatened him with violence if they didn't let them stay. They seem to be rather attached to us." James could detect the remorseful tone in the Sergeant's voice; a rare occurrence.

"Do they know-"

"Yessir. I told them m'self, but they were determined to aid us. Said that if we were to fight a battle, they would need their trusted Pelicans to do so." James sighed.

"Very well. Just get over here, Sergeant"

"Understood. Colkrin out."

James saw one of the soldiers outside of the building and walked over to him.

"Excuse me, but the High Commander said to talk to one of you about where to best place defenses here. Mind telling me where you need what?"

OOC: You don't mind if I skip ahead a bit, do you?

"Essentially.."

The explanation took some time. It would be hours before the fortifications were complete. However, in essence, the fort could only be entered two ways. Each entrance was heavily guarded, and new fortifications had sprung up around it, concrete walls and traps prepared to ensure that any incursion would be paid for dearly. Nine thousand men, as well as two hundred marines, sat safe within these walls. A hundred sorcerer-priests - none of them of any great ability, for Seneschal was a pitiful backwater station, hardly worthy of relevance. Nevertheless, it would be paid for in blood.

The temple-complex itself had slid open, on vast, unimaginably long rails, and, from the hole had extended a massive planetary defense gun, large enough to down a frigate in one hit. Almost thirty years old, a lack of maintenance had left it able to fire only half as often as it formerly had been able to.

Jallin strode up and down the new defenses, ensuring that things were well. Within a few hours, though, they were finished. Within a few hours, a call took him back inside the temple-complex - a complex that had been fortified as well. The planetary defense gun would have to be held for as long as possible.

"Sir, there are multiple contacts on radar."

"How many?"

"Over one thousand major ones. We're having trouble distinguishing the numbers of gunships and transports."

The fleet of the Sovereign. It could be none other. And they were heading in fast. Klaxons sounded throughout the fort - throughout every fort, calling people back to their positions. A single ring of concrete lay outside the fort, autoturrets sitting there, ensuring that no enemy would be able to enter easily. And, inside, down long killing-ground corridors, the troops waited. For them, it was the ten thousand of them, ten thousand militiamen who had seen guns before, or perhaps used them once or twice, versus the most brutal, vicious, and ruthless killers the Kingdom of the Sovereign had to offer, in armour so powerful their gunshots would glance off like arrows.

The fear was palpable in the first line of defenses. Men sat nervously, clutching lasguns and plasma rifles, mere carbon-fiber armour to protect half of them, the brief mood of rebellion that had gripped them flowing away like water from a sieve.

They couldn't win. They never could have hoped to win. Why die here, why lose their lives for a cause that was worth nothing? Why? Why them? Why couldn't they just live their lives in peace?

"You can feel him.", Sashiar said.

"I can?"

"It was not a question. You can feel the fear gripping your heart, the depression and the hopelessness setting in. That is him. He does not have the power to send us mad, or force us into betrayal, but.. the Sovereign knows fear well. As does he.

"Why do you not stop it?"

Sashiar chuckled grimly. "Then he would feel me. And seek me out. Perhaps he would summon a few Servants to hunt me down, and bring my ravaged corpse back to him. They were made for that, you know? Force-users, Chaos-worshippers, savants and magicians of any kinds, and psykers.. I could no more harm a Servant than I could tear this building apart with my bare hands."

Jallin chuckled, and, opening his desk, threw Sashiar a pistol. "I've seen a Servant before, Sashiar. I was captured by one, when.. well, when it all began. And trust me. I can kill one. Not then, but now. Now, I can kill one."

The pinpricks of light in the sky grew brighter. The space battle between the forces of Seneschal and the fleet of the Sovereign had hardly been worthy of the name. What Seneschal had deployed in fighters, the Sovereign had deployed in cruisers.

The cruiser Maledictum, though, took the only course it could, plowing a fiery course into the sky, engines disabled, descending like a fallen angel to where it would land - nearby Jallin's fort. They would not dare annihilate it from orbit, and so it would be useful for a time longer.

"The station is downed. At least, our main radar is out."

"So soon?"

"One defensive station against a fleet, Jallin. What chance did they stand?"

Jallin merely nodded. "Sashiar, go to the first end. I will go to the second end."

Through the hallways, people teemed. Each fort on the world was packed to the brim with fleeing refugees from the cities, preparing for the assaults. Although they would be no use in an attack, and would only eat supplies, they would not serve as sacrifices, so that the Sovereign's depredations would not be inflicted upon this world as well. For now, at least.

"Send James and half his men to my end, Sashiar. The other half will go to yours. I suspect our sorcerer-priests will be more use in boosting morale, and making sure this damned fear you're feeling doesn't spread inside the fort, than fighting outside it."

Above, the drop-pods cascaded from the sky like fiery raindrops, innumerable and frightful.

Battle raged, and Jallin's men fought with grim determination - yet the outcome could never have been in doubt. Fusion-powered armour versus what might as well have been pop-guns, outlying base after outlying base quietly isolated and taken within minutes. They were methodical, Jallin would give them that. Each base was surrounded, jammed, and then taken, whether by ordinary tanks, or by istfari. It did not matter. Not really.

Sashiar looked over at Jallin.

"Two more, Guide. What is your plan?"

Jallin laughed humourlessly.

"I never really had one. To waylay Golheas here, to kill him - that was my intention. Once that was accomplished, I could begin the reconstruction of the Starfederation."

Sashiar's smile never faded, and held a warmth that overshadowed his fears.

"Guide, I am curious. What do you know of our people?"

"Is this really the time for a history lesson?"

"I would like to think so. Two thousand years ago, our ancestors warred against the Chronosians. For their pains, their fleets were wiped out. Only the fear of the grand alliances we held kept the Chronosian invasion in check, and, to many, it seemed, it would not be for long."

Jallin sighed.

"Tacscreen says they're going to be on us in about three minutes. Better make this quick. And besides, everyone knows the story of the exodus."

"Perhaps. But you do not know it as I do. Many of us fled, forming many new nations in this region of space. The reasons so many fled were irrelevant; rather, we each formed nations, corporations - groups, rather, and were divided, and thus useless, for millenia. No real attempt was made to conquer this poor region of space, merely because it provided a convenient buffer for many great powers."

"Until the Starfederation rose, and we were united in prosperity."

Sashiar laughed.

"Even now, even with all you have seen, you presume. You believe the Starfederation existed for its own sake. It did not. We forged it into existence. We forged it for the purpose of breaking it. For the Sovereign will break all bonds in his coming."

"You're a fanatic. I keep forgetting."

"Nevertheless. Let me tell you something, Jallin. Since the Starfederation rose, there has been a single, unitary navy capable of dominating the region. Before that, whenever the Sovereign tried to gain a foothold through violence, other powers would counter his gains. Through division, these worlds could not be taken. Once we owned the Starfederation... Jallin, how many sophonts do you presume have been killed by the Kingdom of the Sovereign since its inauguration?"

"Millions? Billions, even? Hell, I don't know. I know of those extermination campaigns launched against innocent alien worlds."

"One point zero three seven trillion sophonts. Mainly pre-industrial. With every death, the fabric of reality grows thinner. With every death, the Sovereign's world and ours move to collide."

"And I suppose you're going to tell me to stop the killing?"

Sashiar laughed.

"Not at all. But you should know that the Sovereign was first almost brought into the worlds - and defeated, here. On Seneschal. The world was named such for its fierce defence against my god. It has always warded the systems of mankind, always kept us safe from the glory and horror that is the Sovereign. Here, however, the fabric of reality is the weakest."

Sashiar concentrated briefly, closing his eyes. The air shivered in front of Jallin, hints of red flickering in the corner of his eyes, a strange, low hissing, sounding in his ears.

"You see, Guide? Even I can bring forth the tiniest part of the Sovereign, here. That is why I must know of your plan. Because, if you were to kill Golheas here, on Seneschal..."

Sashiar's voice trailed off.

"Oh? You don't want your god summoned into the world, Sashiar? Shame on you! Shame!", Jallin mocked him, a sneer crossing his face.

Sashiar sighed, and then steeled himself.

"Perhaps. Yet I dream of nothing but fire, these days, and death. The Sovereign that spoke to me with honeyed words of glory and prosperity no longer needs to seduce his servants. He can merely put them to the flame if they resist him."

Jallin shivered, in spite of himself.

"What do you propose we do, then?"

A klaxon wailed, and was cut off, suddenly. Misty shapes sped through the corridors, tearing apart flesh and bone as they moved. Jallin concentrated, and found he could not effect them, and, indeed, as he tried to stop them, they grew faster.

Sashiar's face grew white.

"What is it?", Jallin demanded.

"They are.. gashes. In reality. The Sovereign's world touches ours."

"I cannot close them."

Sashiar chuckled, but it was a dull sound, full of fear.

"Of course you cannot. Each use of your power merely strengthens them."

Bodies were torn apart, bone nothing more than a flurry of shrapnel accompanied by a spray of fine red mist.

Jallin looked up at the sky. Even from where he was, kilometres underground, he could feel him. Golheas.




He closed his eyes, and found himself on a ship. He was alone. He smiled, and blinked. Sashiar appeared beside him, looking around the room with terror.

"He's here", Sashiar hissed.

"I know. I'm going to kill him."

With that, Jallin set off, moving at a terrific pace. A door was flung open, and another, and, as he moved, he came closer, and closer to that immense source of power. Finally, he stopped. It was on the other side of a wall. The door was most likely on the other side.

He smashed his fist into the wall, blinding white light accompanying it, searing metal into vapor, swept aside by unconscious power.

Inside was not the throne room he had expected. Rather, on a small cot, lay an old man. His face was ravaged as though he had lived for a thousand years, and his breathing was like sandpaper on metal. His eyes flickered open, and dimly registered Jallin.

It was not the evil he had come to face, he reflected.

"Tyrant Golheas."

"Y-yyess?", the old man replied, a hint of kindliness creeping into his voice.

"I have.."

His voice trailed off. It seemed impossible to harm the old man. Not when he was so weak.

"I have come to end your reign of terror."

Golheas shuddered, his body contorting on the bed. For a moment, Jallin thought it was fear, or anger, and then, he realised, the old man was laughing.

"Come to.. to end my reign of terror, eh? If it's my life you want, boy, you're welcome to it. I fear, though, the Sovereign has a stronger claim."

Jallin approached him, and swept out a pistol.

Golheas shook his head, and the pistol fell to dust.

"I'm sorry.. Guide. But.. he won't let you.. kill me. I know I've.. tried."

Jallin smiled.

"He can't stop me."

He drew on the Sovereign's own powers, argent fire lighting up his form, red flecks running across his eyes. Power enough to crush the tiny ship he was on - to obliterate the forces that fought below. Power enough to crack open the worlds below like an egg, to drink of the molten life inside.

He focused it all on Golheas, missing the Tyrant's last words.

"He.. doesn't.. want to."

Sashiar screamed at him, yet the words were inconsequential compared to the sheer glory flowing through his veins. The fire of the Sovereign moved to the Tyrant, and, in a single, inevitable lick, wiped his form from existence.

The Mind and the Soul of the Sovereign had been banished from the world. Jallin felt the power drain away from him, yet it did not matter. He had won. Won.

And, for the first time, he heard Sashiar's words.

"I pray to you, my god. My Sovereign. I beseech you for life in the coming day, I offer my service freely, in hopes for your blessing. I am yours, body, mind, and soul."

Jallin looked down at him.

"What are you saying?"

Eyes burning with fear stared back at him.

"You fool. You brought him in to this world."