Trailers
20-09-2007, 04:28
Cold.
The silence of hard vacuum.
The Imperial Shade roused himself from cryo-sleep just as the commandeered civil vessel neared the official Traileric border. Warnings blared in the cabin, but he didn't hear them. Warning lights in some choked xeno tongue flashed, but his eyes saw them not. The air was cold, but the cyberneticly enhanced nerves of his skin barely registered this. A needle punched through his lower back, introducing a cocktail of artificial enzymes to his newly roused body. Within milliseconds the surge of adrenaline caused his eyes to snap open. Tingling pain clawed and raged under his skin as blood flowed afresh through his arteries and veins. He stumbled on dead legs to the far wall of the cramped ship, and punched open the door to the command pod. He fell rather clumsily into the pilots chair and began hitting buttons on the unfamiliar interface.
Attention unidentified starcraft. You are trespassing on Traileric Territory. Power down or alter course now. Failure to comply will be met with lethal force. You have 30 seconds.
A countdown proceeded.
The Shade pressed a few buttons with little luck. Glanced at the timer, then glanced at the monitor which displayed a looming outpost several thousand kilometers away. The timer showed the Traileric numeral for 11 seconds now.
Finally, he managed to open a line.
The Shade grabbed a primitive looking microphone and spoke into it, "This is Talon of the Line TSO-0034318, this is not a secure connection. I have a package in my possession."
At this he simply left the console. At the word "Talon" anything no Traileric captain would open fire without very, very high level authorization. The Shade entered the back of the ship and kicked the decaying, flayed corpse to the side so that he could access the cabins only locker.
One couldn't appear before one's Emperor in the buff after all.
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Traileric Capital System Octavian's Reach, Capital Planet of Primus Trailica, 3 days later
"Stand up Shade, one of your kind need never kneel." Hadriel's voice echoed within the Throne of Worlds.
The creature clad in black skin stood, the red mono-eye whirring and narrowing/widening autonomously.
"Imperator, the tasks that have been set before me have been completed, any witnesses silenced, and extraction has taken place leaving no trail. Jump coordinates for an as of yet unnamed Xeno border world have been acquired. I am told that a detachment was prepared in my absence, and I respectfully request that I may travel with the flagship to see the fruits of my mission." The nameless spy finished his little speech and directed his attention to the Emperor's right hand man, Grand Exarch Pletorus, formerly a mere Angel rank commander of a border patrol Hiveship. Why the Emperor had chosen this one to stand at his side, not even the Shademaster knew, let alone a sole operative.
"Very well, Shadeling, I will see to it that you are aboard the bridge. You may serve as Pletorus's own blade, if you like, for he will lead this expedition." the Emperor said. Pletorus nodded wordlessly to his new attache. The Shade smiled. Six months in hiding, four corpses, and a whole lot of subterfuge was finally paying off.
After the Shade had taken his leave, the Emepror turned to Pletorus. "See to it that the mercenary auxilleries are attached to your fleet. Current deployment plans keep us from committing a very large force to this punitive action, so bolster your lines..Contact the UTF and make the necessary arrangements."
Pletorus nodded, then wordlessly strode out of the great hall.
Far above the capital planet, a pair of Hivegroups were assembling. One hundred and thirty vessels of the line, a mere fraction of one of the most powerful navies in the known universe.
A few hours later, a small vessel from the surface docked with one of the two Hiveships at the front of the formation. A few kilometers away, the Farjump gate cycled on, opening a blazing portal to a far away star..
The silence of hard vacuum.
The Imperial Shade roused himself from cryo-sleep just as the commandeered civil vessel neared the official Traileric border. Warnings blared in the cabin, but he didn't hear them. Warning lights in some choked xeno tongue flashed, but his eyes saw them not. The air was cold, but the cyberneticly enhanced nerves of his skin barely registered this. A needle punched through his lower back, introducing a cocktail of artificial enzymes to his newly roused body. Within milliseconds the surge of adrenaline caused his eyes to snap open. Tingling pain clawed and raged under his skin as blood flowed afresh through his arteries and veins. He stumbled on dead legs to the far wall of the cramped ship, and punched open the door to the command pod. He fell rather clumsily into the pilots chair and began hitting buttons on the unfamiliar interface.
Attention unidentified starcraft. You are trespassing on Traileric Territory. Power down or alter course now. Failure to comply will be met with lethal force. You have 30 seconds.
A countdown proceeded.
The Shade pressed a few buttons with little luck. Glanced at the timer, then glanced at the monitor which displayed a looming outpost several thousand kilometers away. The timer showed the Traileric numeral for 11 seconds now.
Finally, he managed to open a line.
The Shade grabbed a primitive looking microphone and spoke into it, "This is Talon of the Line TSO-0034318, this is not a secure connection. I have a package in my possession."
At this he simply left the console. At the word "Talon" anything no Traileric captain would open fire without very, very high level authorization. The Shade entered the back of the ship and kicked the decaying, flayed corpse to the side so that he could access the cabins only locker.
One couldn't appear before one's Emperor in the buff after all.
==================================================
Traileric Capital System Octavian's Reach, Capital Planet of Primus Trailica, 3 days later
"Stand up Shade, one of your kind need never kneel." Hadriel's voice echoed within the Throne of Worlds.
The creature clad in black skin stood, the red mono-eye whirring and narrowing/widening autonomously.
"Imperator, the tasks that have been set before me have been completed, any witnesses silenced, and extraction has taken place leaving no trail. Jump coordinates for an as of yet unnamed Xeno border world have been acquired. I am told that a detachment was prepared in my absence, and I respectfully request that I may travel with the flagship to see the fruits of my mission." The nameless spy finished his little speech and directed his attention to the Emperor's right hand man, Grand Exarch Pletorus, formerly a mere Angel rank commander of a border patrol Hiveship. Why the Emperor had chosen this one to stand at his side, not even the Shademaster knew, let alone a sole operative.
"Very well, Shadeling, I will see to it that you are aboard the bridge. You may serve as Pletorus's own blade, if you like, for he will lead this expedition." the Emperor said. Pletorus nodded wordlessly to his new attache. The Shade smiled. Six months in hiding, four corpses, and a whole lot of subterfuge was finally paying off.
After the Shade had taken his leave, the Emepror turned to Pletorus. "See to it that the mercenary auxilleries are attached to your fleet. Current deployment plans keep us from committing a very large force to this punitive action, so bolster your lines..Contact the UTF and make the necessary arrangements."
Pletorus nodded, then wordlessly strode out of the great hall.
Far above the capital planet, a pair of Hivegroups were assembling. One hundred and thirty vessels of the line, a mere fraction of one of the most powerful navies in the known universe.
A few hours later, a small vessel from the surface docked with one of the two Hiveships at the front of the formation. A few kilometers away, the Farjump gate cycled on, opening a blazing portal to a far away star..