[Inaius] Into the Maelstrom [closed]

Esplandia

Esplandia

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The winds shifted again, bringing a harsh bite with it. Izine pulled her furs closer around her and waited. Over a dozen Frondauri politicians milled about the hillock, wandering aimlessly among the semicircle of starbridges. Guards, wearing the green and black uniform of the Commonwealth Security Force, patrolled the area, or stood silently watching the civilians.

This was a momentous day. Contact with a new species, a spacefaring one, from beyond the Maelstrom. They called themselves the Sekari. It had been weeks since her initial contact with their exploratory vessel, and in that time numerous communications had been sent and received between the commonwealth congress and the representatives of this new species.

How they were to meet the Sekari was a matter of debate until HEL had informed them his sensor probes had found a relatively stable passage that a ship could follow until it reached Khodes. His probe would guide the ship in along the passage, a trip of some weeks at sunlight speeds, and they would meet on the harsh barren surface of the planet. Then they’d relocate to Pendrgost via Starbridge, if the Sekari agreed.

She hoped they did. While there was a habitable atmosphere around the planet, it was not a pleasant place. It was dry and barren, little in the way of plant life, and electrical storms were common across the surface. She’d heard that scouts had found a valley filled with giant statues of Archons, but she had little interest in travelling there. At least not until some sort of vehicle service could be established. It was a long walk otherwise.

Her thoughts were interrupted by Wyllu’s fluttering wings as she gently came to rest next to Izine. “HEL’s eye comes,” she said in her broken Frondauri. She’d gotten good at communicating, but her vocabulary was still quite limited. But Izine knew what she meant. A round sphere came gliding out of the sky, making a booming sound as it broke the atmosphere.

HEL’s sensor dropped near to the ground, rushing a few meters off the barren surface towards them. When it arrived HEL’s voice boomed out of it. “Sekari ship has made orbit. A shuttle will be landing soon with their delegation.”

The politicians and diplomats gathered up. There was a representative from each of the twelve worlds. Pendari, Sundashi, Atharbi, etc. All were represented. Except for Tartari, because much to Izine’s discomfort, she had been chosen to represent her homeworld. Not that she considered it her homeworld. She had left it as a child and never gone back. But her reputation as one of the ‘Three Explorers’ (an absolutely dumb name) had sealed her fate.

She wished Draevin was here, or even Shaifur. But they had other tasks given to them by the Commonwealth. All the politicians looked to her. She realized that they were waiting to follow her lead. Some of them had open disdain that an inexperienced Guardian had been given such a task, but the Security Forces all seemed to look at her in awe.

Despite her lack of experience in diplomatic meetings, she was going to take the lead. She’d faced down the faceless and brokered a semi peace between the light and dark Shyanar. She could do this. A sonic boom rolled through the air and she looked up to see a transport dropping out of the sky. It circled by overhead once before coming to rest on the ground not far from the starbridges.

It was show time. A group of Sekari exited the transport and made their way forward. She studied their form and features. They were bipedal, with arms similar to Frondauri, no horns, and booted feet. Their skin colors were more muted, shades of tan from light to dark. No bright colors among them, unlike the Frondauri. And instead of long pointy ears, there's were small and rounded.

HEL’s sensor bot moved up next to Izine ready to act as a translation device between them. Izine smiled without showing teeth (no need to look aggressive to a possible predator species) and held a hand up in greeting.

“On behalf of the Commonwealth of Twelve-Worlds, I welcome you travelers from distant stars.”
 
Eyleene Kirst took a long hard look at herself in the mirror within her personal quarters aboard the destroyer SAS Purrhais. This was her first assignment as an Imperial diplomat. Was she nervous? Yes, but also very excited to make contact with a previously unknown civilization. And that this assignment should come directly from the Emperor himself? She felt honored to be the one selected for this assignment. Why exactly the Emperor himself would choose a newbie diplomat she had no clue, though perhaps it’d be best not to dwell on it and look forward instead. She had a job to do and she was fully determined to see it through successfully and show her sovereign that she could get stuff done. She splashed some water on her face and smiled at herself in the mirror. “You got this,” she reaffirmed herself. “Nothing too big, it’s just that His Majesty and the whole Sekari Empire is depending upon you to make a good first impression. You’ll do fine!”

Eyleene walked out of the restroom after having washed her hands and moved over to the table within the small kitchen in her quarters. A holo-tablet lay next to a work computer. On the tablet were records of everything they had learned about the Commonwealth in the past few weeks. It was all just some basic information about the Frondauri and the civilization they had built within the 005 Nebula, as well as some basic customs. She scrolled through the information on the tablet as she read through it.

It had been some weeks since contact was first established with these “Frondauri'' from within a nebula once thought to be completely devoid of life. Since then communications between this “Twelve-Worlds Commonwealth” and the Empire have been flying back and forth.

Needless to say she was very concerned regarding the proposed path through the nebula and whether or not the Frondauri AI was correct or leading them into a trap.

“Madam ambassador,” a pleasant female voice came over the comms. It was the First Officer, she assumed.

“Yes?”

“We are approaching the designated meeting planet. Please report to the hangar bay and get ready to head planetside.”

Eyleene threw on her white-and-red jacket and walked out of her quarters before proceeding to the hangar bay. Along the way, she bumped into her secretary, a kalnarri gentleman named Tullius who had an obsession with organizing things “perfectly.” The man could do his job well but Eyleene had always secretly found him annoying outside of work, since work was all he ever seemed interested in.

“Ah, Madam Kirst,” Tullius greeted as he followed beside her.

“Good afternoon, Tullius. I hope everything is well?”

“Indeed. Your shuttle is waiting in the hangar bay to transport you down to the planet where you will meet with the Frondauri. All the necessary safety and operational scans on the shuttle have been completed and they’ve all come back with good results. I’ve arranged for the Knights aboard as well as a platoon of Army Troopers to go down along with yo-”

“I don’t want the Army Troopers coming along,” Eyleene cut him off. “We’re trying to make a friendly first impression, not make ourselves look like something to fear.”

“But Madam Kirst,” Tullius began, “that platoon is necessary for your own personal security.”

“Too many guns and it’ll look like we’re trying to scare them. The Knights can come with me but no one else in terms of security. Understood?”

“Yes, Madam Kirst,” Tullius caved in. “I’ll let the platoon commander know.”

They walked into the Purrhais’ small hangar bay to be greeted by a decently-sized shuttle. The platoon of Army Troopers was already making their way from the hangar. The Knights of Cyrn were waiting by the shuttle, along with some other ambassadorial staff. Eyleene and Tullius climbed aboard the shuttle, followed by the staff and the Knights wearing their yellow plating.

The shuttle lifted off the hangar bay floor and flew out of the destroyer’s side, heading down towards the planet. Tullius and Eyleene were seated across from each other in one of the two small rooms aboard the shuttle.

“Do you think these Frondauri will have very many military personnel present?” Tullius didn’t look up from his holo-tablet.

“It’d only make sense for them to take necessary security precautions. I don’t see why they wouldn’t have military personnel - or at least local police - present.”

“I still think we should have brought that platoon of soldiers with us.”

“Tullius don’t worry about it,” she sighed. “I highly doubt the Frondauri will try to kill us. Besides, the Knights of Cyrn are among the best warriors in the whole of the Empire. They’ll be more than enough in terms of our own security.”

The door to the room opened and one of the shuttle’s pilots peaked in. “Madam Kirst, I’d like to inform you that we will be entering the planet’s atmosphere shortly.”

Eyleene smiled and nodded. “Thank you.”

The shuttle got through the atmosphere with no issue as the Frondauri drone led the shuttle down to the planet’s surface. After touching down, Eyleene and Tullius rose to their feet and walked out of the room and prepared to head outside where there was a large group of what she assumed to be the Frondauri waiting. Tullius and two Cyrn Knights followed her outside. She was surprised how human they appeared, aside from their horns and tails and pointed ears and hoofed feet. Their skin tones were also a salad of reds and greens and grays, among others. One of them - whom she assumed was their lead diplomat - stepped forward with a welcoming smile and her hand raised in a welcome gesture.

“On behalf of the Commonwealth of Twelve-Worlds, I welcome you travelers from distant stars.”

Eyleene put on a similar welcoming smile and extended her hand to shake the Frondauri’s. “Thank you, it is a pleasure to be among the first from beyond the nebula to meet both you and your people. I am Eyleene Kirst, selected as the Sekari Empire’s ambassador to your Commonwealth.”
 
“She will see you now.”

Draevin rose from his knees and placed his hand on the tomb one final time, giving the matriarch that had addressed him a thankful nod, and then descended by the lift to the mother’s chamber.

She was waiting for him, standing before the speaking statue. He bowed to her, not really sure how to address or approach her.

“Step forward,” she said, her voice coming from the statue. “You do not need to worry about ceremony with me.”

“I’m thankful for what you’ve done for Stebner. His tomb is very nice. He’d have liked it.”

“We honor him until he is to be returned to his home.”

Draevin sighed, looking down at his feet. “That’s one of the things I wanted to talk about,” he said. “Stebner had no family, so no one is claiming his body. The commonwealth is arguing over what to do with him. Should he get a state funeral on Pendragost, buried among the heroes of the Twelve Worlds, or should he be returned to Kolonae. The argument has become heated and so for now, he will remain here.”

She bobbed her head. “We will keep him in honor as long as it is needed. He is also a hero to the Shyanar.”

Draevin thanked her. For a few minutes they spoke of Stebner and his death, his sacrifice to destroy the Doom Engine. Which brought them to the second thing Draevin wanted to talk about. “There are still some questions the Commonwealth wants answered. The most pressing, of course, is how the Archon robot was able to control Phytodaemons.”

“The doom engine was completely destroyed,” she said. “I doubt you’ll find any answers there.”

Draevin had made that same protest when he was given the task of returning to Archaeus. “But there’s four other installations,” he said. “Perhaps answers can be found in one of them.”

Khodes

Izine thanked the Sekari Ambassador. She introduced the Frondauri delegation and all exchanged pleasantries. A few innocent questions about each other's homes and customs were asked, nothing serious, just the kind of stuff to open a dialogue.

After a few minutes HEL informed Izine that temperatures were starting to drop as night approached.

“It is time we made our way to Pendragost,” she said, getting everyone’s attention. “We’ll step through the Starbridge to our stopover, before we arrive on the capital.”

The commonwealth had sent the Sekari a dossier on the Starbridges to Sekari, but Izine gave them all a quick refresher course on them just in case. She explained that each arch had a paired archway on another world. And since no paired bridge had been discovered between Khodes and Pendragost there would be one stop.

“You may find the sensation of stepping through the archways unpleasant,” she informed them. “But I assure you the process is perfectly safe. Now, one final thing. Khodes is very cold, but our destination is the opposite. So be ready to remove your winter gear once we step through.”

A few of the Security Force stepped through first, as well as some of the Sekari’s own guards. Then Izine went next, feeling the familiar tingle of the starbridge, and then she was standing under a blazing desert sun. She moved out of the way, shedding her coat and gloves as the rest of the delegation came through.

“Welcome to Sundasha,” she informed them.

They stood in a plaza, ringed by a half circle of five starbridge archways. Beyond the plaza was a marketplace, and towering around them were red cliffs. Houses were built into the cliff faces, and walkways spanned between them, crisscrossing overhead. The sun beat down into the wide valley, and the Frondauri and Sekari removed their winter clothes.

Thousands of native Sundashi stared in amazement at the alien delegation. Izine gave a few factoids about the planet and its local population. “Sundasha was one of the first worlds to be colonized after Pendragost,” she said. “The native population, the Sundashi, have adapted to their harsh environment and can go twice as long without water as other Frondauri races.”

The starbridge to Pendragost was activated and once again Izine led the delegation through. After the crushing heat of Sundasha, the cool temperate weather of Pendragost felt like paradise.

They stepped out onto a grand plaza. A great circle of over two dozen starbridges ringed around them, but the thing that would catch everyone’s eye was the massive tree towering high above them. A city of stone buildings and large trees with buildings built among the branches was completely dwarfed by the massive Drasul tree that was so tall its top branches disappeared into the sky.

“This is the city of Harrukal, and that…” izine said pointing upward into the sky, “...is the Great Drasul which houses the Commonwealth government. Welcome to Pendragost, the capital of the Twelve Worlds.”
 
As the delegation followed the Frondauri through Sundasha and the massive crowd gathered to get a glimpse of herself, her aides, and her security detail, Eyleene put on a warm smile and waved, the light blush in her face barely visible due to her dark skin tone. She wanted to put out a kind and warm image - to give off a positive image of the Empire - though she doubted that the Sundashi could actually see her through the wall of Cyrn Knights flanking her on either side. Tullius didn’t seem bothered by the crowd. Stern and focused on the mission as ever.

The temperate cool of Pendragost was a welcome change to the bitter heat of Sundasha, but Eyleene’s eyes were almost immediately met with the presence of a tree so massive it looked to stretch all the way into space before disappearing.

“By the Gods…” Tullius mumbled, his mandibles widening and jaw dropping in awe of the sheer size of the “Great Drasul.” Eyleene too stood there gawking at the tree for a moment before she snapped out of it, cleared her throat, and composed herself. That tree, she thought, certainly had to be far taller than any building in the whole of the Empire, even taller than the Imperial Palace, Senate, or Citadel. Her curiosity was stirred.

“Never in all my years would I have thought I’d see a tree which has grown to such a size,” she said in amazement before she turned to Izine. “I must ask, and I do apologize if these questions in any way come across as rude: how old is this ‘Great Drasul?’ Did your Commonwealth grow it or is it purely a product of nature?”
 
Izine smiled, seeing the looks of awe on the Sekari’s faces. At least she assumed they were looks of awe. Who was to truly know with these aliens. Still, the leader of the expedition, the female named Eyleene, asked a number of questions about the Drasul.

“This Drasul,” Izine answered, “is nearly six thousand years old. It was planted at the formation of the commonwealth. Drasul trees are native to the world of Horrathus, where the oldest known of trees are nearly twenty years old. Many of those in the wild do not reach the heights of this one here. Special tree wardens watch over its health and growth.”

She lead them across the great plaza beneath the shade of the Drasul’s branches as she continued. “Every commonwealth world that can support them has at least one Drasul like this on it. Though none are as tall as this one. The tree's limbs can support massive infrastructure so they are perfect for Frondauri communities. Cities are built right atop the branches, and many Frondauri can spend their entire lives up among the canopy of a mighty Drasul.”

They didn’t need to walk to the trunk of the tree to be able to climb up to the buildings above. At the far end of the plaza a massive building rose up into the sky, and at the top a great lift waited to carry them to one of the branches.

They took the lift up into the tree, arriving on a platform hanging out from a massive branch. Beyond the platform a great highway was built along the branches topside. The highway was packed with traffic from vehicles, rolling along from the communities on the outer edge of the tree, towards the center where the government buildings were located. A tramway ran right alongside the highway and a tram sat waiting for the Sekari delegation.

Once they were aboard the tram it raced away towards the tree’s center. Views of the plaza and surrounding city could be seen below, as well as sprawling hilly countryside. The tram raced along the curving branch, rising and falling as the branch did, curving around other branches, and even passing through tunnels carved out of branches that rose skyward. At the center of the tree, where the trunk forked into many new trunks and branches, an artificial lake had been built into the hollow formed there, and around it were many large buildings. The largest building, Izine informed the visitors, was the Parliament Hall of the Commonwealth.

As the tram arrived at the parliament halls she gave the Sekari delegation with a smile. “You will soon be meeting the twelve chairman of the commonwealth, our highest officials, and the First Chairman Jazulian. And we can officially began what will hopefully be a long friendship between our peoples.” The tram came to a stop.
 
Helgadae

Twenty Guardians stood around Shaifur as he outlined the plan. They listened intently, a look of fear and reverence mixed across all their faces. He found it strange that these twenty men and women, the most elite fighters in the commonwealth, were listening so closely to the words of a Watcher. But these were strange times they were living in.

“We’ll use these to power up any doors that block our way,” he said, holding up an emergency door battery. “We make our way to this section’s power generators and restore power. Once we’ve restored power, the program keeping HEL’s repair bots out of this section will be lifted and he’ll take over the restoration of operations. Your job is to accompany me in case there are any uninvited guests still lurking in the dark.”

“What’s the chance we’ll run into a faceless?” a nervous looking Atharbi woman asked.

Shaifur gave a wry smile. “HEL can’t be sure there aren’t any left. But this section housed bio research labs so he thinks the chances are low. Still, be on your guard and stay behind the Shyanar.” He nodded to Meddozjem and her dozen hunters. She gave him a knowing nod back. “The Shyanar are immune to whatever the faceless do to convert you to one of them. They’ll go ahead of us. But remember, I promised the Shyanar Mother that I’d watch over her hunters, and they’re more fragile than us. So use your plasma weapons to protect them.”

The Guardians gave each other determined looks, and even a few reassuring pats on the backs. A few cheers and encouraging statements of bravado followed. The things that soldiers do to sike themselves up for battle.

“One final thing,” Shaifur said before they began their journey into the dark section. “The faceless, they’re fast. Faster than you can believe. Be quick and be accurate. If you miss a shot, you might not get a second one.”

They gathered up, readying their weapons. Meddozjem inserted the emergency battery into the door, and with a low hiss it opened into a pitch black hallway.


Pendragost

“Welcome, Sekari from beyond the Maelstrom. I am Jazulian, First Chairman of the Council of Twelve.” He then spoke at length about the Commonwealth and what a momentous day it was for all Frondauri. Izine stood dutifully, trying to look as dignified as she could. Still, she found herself shifting her weight from one leg to the other, and was doing it way too much.

She sighed in relief when Jazulian led them into the Parliament Hall and to the Chambers of the Council of Twelve. Jazulian continued to speak, a job he seemed to relish. He was a Pendari, a man of the upper elites of the capital, and Izine figured he was bred for this kind of thing. His coat was perfectly cut, with large button-clasps, and extremely frilly ruffles.

They arrived at the Council Chambers and Jazulian introduced the other chairman.
“Azo of Tartaradae
Shunaevin of Horrathus
Kubrat of Kolonae
Val Isaldo of Tamaraes
Gruarn of Atasha
Pyno of Harklaedus
Wenthro of Ithycar
Polamana of Atharbus
Hanzi of Abzydae
and Kyullet of Sundasha.”

The chairman for Rhodon was absent, and no one had seen him since the Rhodoni independence movement had seized the Starbridges and sealed off the planet from the commonwealth. Jazulian of course didn’t mention this, merely stating that the last Chairman was absent for political reasons.

There were seats provided for the Sekari, cushioned mushroom chairs. There was also a table with food laid out for them. “The information your empire sent to us about your dietary requirements was used to pick out this spread,” the First Chairmen said. “We have provided some traditional Frondauri fare that should meet those requirements. I suggest you try the spiced fungal-ale.*”

Once everyone was settled in it was time to get down to the real business. Asking questions of the universe beyond the Maelstrom. The most pressing question was of course How many more species were out there, and were there many other nations like the Sekari?

The newcomers, of course, would have their own questions and Izine wondered how the Chairmen would answer them. Despite all the pomp and ceremony, Izine found herself very interested in the whole affair.
 
Eyleene smiled as she and Tullius took their seats with the Frondauri leadership. She looked around with a warm smile. “Thank you all for such a warm welcome,” she thanked them. “It is my hope that this meeting between us will lay the foundations for a relationship of mutual friendship and comradery between the Twelve-Worlds Commonwealth and the Sekari Empire. I am Eyleene Augustina Kirst, selected by my Emperor, Vissarion, third of his name, to be the Sekari Empire’s representative to your Commonwealth and the Frondauri people.”

Her warm smile seemed to fade into a more serious expression before she spoke again. “I know all of you gathered here, as well as the whole of your Commonwealth, must be extremely eager to know of the universe beyond this nebula you call ‘the Maelstrom,’ and perhaps even most of all, for an opportunity to experience it. Its sights, tastes, smells, wonders, mysteries, and many more things of the sort. This curiosity is completely understandable, and if I may be honest with you all, it is relieving to see a people who seem to look to the stars, not out of a desire to conquer and subjugate, but out of an urge to discover and learn more.”

She paused before she continued, “But before the Commonwealth rallies forth to see the universe beyond this nebula, I must warn you all that the galaxy outside your Commonwealth’s house is by no means a utopia. Just as there are wonders, there are terrors. Just as there is benevolence, there is malevolence. Just as there is kindness, there is cruelty. And just as there are those states and peoples out beyond this Maelstrom nebula who will seek you out in a genuine search for a mutually beneficial friendship, there are those will would instead rather manipulate and bend the Commonwealth and Frondauri people to their whims or even destroy both entirely. The Sekari Empire is but a single polity that exists beyond your Commonwealth’s Maelstrom, and there are many more. Few apart from us are tolerant of other species. One state, however, stands out.”

Eyleene pulled out a hologram. What appeared was a sort of avian creature-like symbol within a circle that began to slowly rotate above her hand. Eyleene continued, “the ‘Greater’ Siezon Union. Their state is built upon the barbaric foundations of genocide and the supposed ‘supremacy’ of the human species, that being the species of which I myself am a member. It is their belief that humanity is the only intelligent species in the universe that deserves to exist. A truly barbaric ideology. These barbarians have taken to wiping out any non-human species they can reach in the name of their demented ideas and philosophies. The Sekari Empire is, to say the very least, not on friendly terms with them. There are also the Kalorians, a species of reptilians who rule an empire built off the backs of slaves. These are only but two examples.”

“The galaxy can be a very dangerous and cruel place, my friends. Caution will serve your people well. I do not say this to scare you all, but rather for your own well-being and the well-being of your people and state.” She sat back down to let everything she had just explained sit in for the Frondauri leaders.
 
Izine listened with interest to what the Sekari representative had to say about other nations outside the Maelstrom. The mention of a nation of genocidal barbarians set the council to murmuring. Yet after having bore witness to the Faceless she wasn’t as surprised as she felt she should be.

Councillor Pyno of Harklaedus was the first to speak up with his own questions. “You say these Siezons are the same species as your people,” she asked in the gravelly voice that all the people of Harklaedus had. She peaked at her notes. “Humans, correct? Are there other human nations besides theirs and yours?”

The other councillors murmured approval at the question and Eylenne answered, telling them about other human populated nations as well as others. She expanded on the Kalorians and spoke of other species with names like the Grohl, or Yviiri among many others. The council chimed in from time to time with their own questions. Soon they had a very basic understanding of the species and the political landscape outside the Maelstrom.

Councilor Jazulian took the opportunity to introduce Wyllu to the Sekari. “She is a member of another species that live here within the Maelstrom,” he said. “In fact we had made first contact with them mere days before your people were contacted. Our ambassador, Miss Izine, and a group of explorers had encountered them as they were investigating an incident that had occured with one of our starbridges. Wyllu was appointed as the ambassador of their people by her leader, who they call the Mother.”

Wyllu made a few welcoming chirps in her native tongue and then spoke in her broken Frondauric. “I pleased to meet. Shyanar and Frondauri friends. Maybe Sekari friends too.”

Something wasn’t sitting well with Izine though. The Sekari had told them of possible threats beyond the Maelstrom, and she felt that Eyleene had done so with honest intentions. Yet they were keeping secrets from her and her people. And there was one that she felt they deserved to know about.

“High Chairman,” Izine spoke, addressing her leader. “I would like permission to speak.”

Jazulian gave Izine a quizzical look but it was soon replaced by one of understanding. He knew what she wanted to tell the Sekari of. His expression went through looks of irritation, contemplation, and at last resignation. “You may speak to our guests on the matter, miss Izine. Do not stray from the topic.”

She gave him a respectful bow. She then faced Eyleene and her delegation. “The Maelstrom is not free of its own threats. And recently we uncovered a new one, one that destroyed the ancient species that built the starbridges. We believe them to be extra-dimensional invaders. We call them the faceless.” She then quickly explained her encounter with them on the Tomb and the information about them they’d uncovered. She left out the part about Kruza and how he had escaped through a starbridge to an unknown destination. For now the Sekari didn’t need to know that, but perhaps one day they would be told.
 
Eyleene listened as Izine spoke of these entities she called “the faceless.” Once Izine had concluded her explanation, she nodded and stood up to speak. The notion of invaders from another plane of reality troubled her.

“The fact that these ‘faceless’ are, as you claim, from another dimension troubles me greatly.” She leaned over to Tullius, who whispered something in her ear. “There is no mention of these ‘faceless’ anywhere within Imperial records. I believe that, thus far, these invaders may be contained within Maelstrom space. But if they are powerful enough to wipe out an entire species, they do not pose a threat just to the Frondauri people and the Twelve Worlds Commonwealth, but potentially all of life itself.”

She turned her eyes directly to High Chairman Jazulian, “High Chairman, your government must have a plan of defense in place for this threat, does it not? Have any weaknesses of these faceless creatures been identified?”

“Additionally, on behalf of the Sekari Empire, I would like to offer Imperial military assistance in addressing this threat. If these invaders truly are from another plane of reality, then they have the potential to leave the Maelstrom, at which point they would no longer be solely a Frondauri concern. They have the potential to threaten the outside galaxy and all who live within it."
 
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Archaeus

There were a dozen Skyrres waiting at the top of the tower, along with a number of Shyanar hunters and three Frondauri Guardians. Brydleif was busy chirping orders to her people, and the three Guardians were just standing off to the side giving the flying beasts sidelong glances. But they came to attention as Draevin climbed up the crumbling stairs to the top of the tower.

“Is everything ready?” he asked of the senior Guardian.

“Yes, Protector,” the red-skinned Harklaedi answered. “Most of it was done by our Shyanar friends. They seem quite efficient at what they do.”

Draevin smiled at the comment. “You have no idea. Just stick with Brydleif and her hunters, and you’ll be alright. Remember, the flora and fauna of this world can be quite dangerous.”

He ordered them to saddle up and the three Frondauri gave each other uneasy looks. “Something wrong?” Draevin asked.

“Are we really going to ride these things?” the Harklaedi asked. “I mean, we could have brought an airlift.”

“We don’t know the environmental impact our machines can have on this planet yet, so until then we do as the natives do. And one thing these Skyrres have over an airlift, they know how to combat the native flying critters.”

They still weren’t fully convinced, but they climbed up on the backs of the awaiting beasts. The Shyanar strapped them in and once Brydleif had given the okay, they rose up in the air and headed south out over the forests of tangled brambles.

Pendragost

Jazulian thanked Eyleene for the offer of assistance. “And we will gladly accept it should the need arise. For now though, we are still ascertaining the threat. We would greatly appreciate the assistance of any of your scientists who’d be interested in looking over our data. I think that would be the best plan.”

The talks went on for some time and much was discussed, but eventually they called the meeting to an end. “Tonight your people will enjoy the hospitality of the Commonwealth,” Jazulian said, “and all that our great tree has to offer. Tomorrow you will begin a tour of the Commonwealth beginning with Atasha. Miss Izine will be your guide for that. And once again, it is a real pleasure to welcome you to our worlds.”

Izine led the delegation from the Parliament hall. They boarded another tram that took them up into the upper foliage of the drasul. A large estate had been prepared for their arrival. It was a large house, made of timber and tucked between four forking branches. The walls were covered in a flowering vine, and inside all the comforts that any Frondauri cold dream of. Food would be provided to the guests as well as a full staff to provide for any need they had. And the front of the house overlooked the city below. The branches and leaves had been trimmed back so that the lights of the city could be seen in the gathering gloom of night.

Beyond tall mountains rose up to the sky and already the swirling lights of the Maelstrom were beginning to appear in the sky. Izine settled the delegation into the estate, having them shown to the rooms prepared for them.

“Dinner should be served in a short while,” Izine informed them. “We have done our best to provide sustenance that matches your physiological requirements. When you are ready, please join me in the dining hall.”

As dinner began, and the courses of vegetables, meats, stews, and fungi was brought out, Izine led the way with the meal, explaining what each item was. They all seemed to enjoy the food, though she didn't know if they actually did or if they were being polite. As they ate she asked them questions about the Sekari empire.

"How many worlds are there in the Sekari Empire? And how many different species? What is space travel like?" She was eager to know and hoped she wasn't overwhelming the guests.
 
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Helgadae

Shaifur collapsed into the chair in front of the command consul, sighing in relief at being off his hooves.

“All offline sections have been restored,” HEL informed him. “My repair bots should have everything up and running in a few weeks.”

“I’m just glad we didn’t run into anymore faceless.”

“Yes, it appears the three trapped ones were all there was.”

Shaifur scratched absently at his horn. “It is odd that all three were in the production facilities section.”

HEL didn’t immediately respond. Instead there was a series of soft clicks and buzzes. Sounds that Shaifur had come to associate with the AI extrapolating data. “Best guess, they were attempting to access the crystals when the power was shut down.”

“Doesn’t matter now,” Shaifur admitted. “There’s enough questions without answers for me to worry about as is.”

“Like what?”

“Like where did the starbridge that Kruza disappeared into lead?”

“I can attempt to access archives,” HEL said, and the clicks and whirs returned. He wasn’t gone long at all. “I can find no record of that Starbridge in archives. Either it was deleted or it was never entered into the database.”

That piqued Shaifur’s curiosity, even if it increased his frustration at the sheer number of mysteries he continued to uncover. “Why would that be?” he mused aloud.

“Best guest,” HEL said, “it was classified by the Archon Central Authority.”

They were interrupted by one of the Guardians that had been assigned to Helgadae arriving to report. “Finished my sweep of the ship building facilities,” the big Atharbus said in his gruff voice. “Looks like all the machinery is still in working order. Well, once those bots finish going over them.”

Shaifur thanked him for his report and let him know HEL had provided food in what had turned out to be a mess hall three floors below. The Atharbi’s face lit up at the mention of food and he hurried off to inform the rest of his squad.

“What type of vessels are those half finished ships down there,” Shaifur asked as he started writing up his report.

“Large transports,” HEL answered. “They were to be used in the potential evacuation of Persaphae. Unfortunately they were never finished.”

“Yeah,” Shaifur mumbled, remembering the thousands of skeletons he’d seen on the Tomb. If the ships had been finished perhaps there would have been fewer skeletons. Or perhaps it wouldn’t have mattered anyway. He finished his report and decided he’d take a look at some of the specifications for ships that HEL had in file. Maybe one day soon the first Frondauri interstellar vessel could be launched. Though how they’d get it out of the Maelstrom was a problem that still needed to be solved.
 
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Eyleene smiled as Izine asked her questions. She thought to herself on Izine’s questions for a moment, trying to figure out the best way to explain it all.

“Well, there are over fifty Imperial worlds of significant importance. Major internal trade hubs and population centers. By far the greatest and most important world within the Sekari Empire, however, is the capital world of Cyrn. It’s home to the Imperial City, which itself is home to the Imperial government as well as the Imperial Palace, and with it, the Emperor himself.”

“In terms of species, the Empire is home to a wide variety of different races. I have already mentioned that I am of the human species. The Empire does not control the homeworld of humanity, however. The location of that planet - commonly known as ‘Terra’ or ‘Earth’ - have long ago been lost to Imperial records. My assistant,” she motioned towards Tullius, “is what is known as a kalnari. There are many more.”

“Interplanetary travel within the Sekari Empire is done via our ShockPoint drives which allow our ships to travel at faster-than-light speeds - what we like to call ‘shocking’ - through space to a specific point in the universe. Trips that would otherwise take thousands of years to accomplish with subluminal craft instead take days or hours.”

“Now,” Eyleene continued, “I am greatly interested in your Commonwealth. Did your people build these Starbridges or are they the works of someone else?
 
Archaeus

The monolithic structure of the long dead doom engine had towered high above the bramble thickets. It’s sides too steep for the thick growth to gain purchase. Though cracks and pits, formed from centuries of wear, had become home to numerous flowering plants.

Draevin and his force landed on the crumbling remains of what was once a landing pad. They had to carefully dismount from their Skyrres as there was little room left to land. After the guardians and hunters had unloaded into the dim maw of the entrance, the skyrre handlers rose into the sky and headed away to find a safe place to keep their flying mounts.

Draevin checked over what little information he had found in the watcher archives. This was installation three. It also matched the description that Shaifur had provided him of the other installation. He hoped the layout was similar.

The main shaft to the lower levels was at the center, but no lift came when they used the silver disc. Draevin had expected as much. This installation had not been powered up in a long time. They’d brought the equipment needed and soon repelled the long ways down.

The Shyanar had the worst going. Though they could fly they could only do so over short distances. The Frondauri headed down first and when they passed whatever ledges they could find (be that doorways or even large cracks) the Shyanar would descend to meet them. Draevin carried Brydleif on his back as he descended so that she could relay orders to her hunters.

The climb down took them nearly four hours but eventually the reached the bottom. The lift had fallen long ago and now lay in a twisted pile at the bottom. Mushrooms grew everywhere, and they put off a blue glow that was bright enough for them to see by. They found the entrance into the installation, cleared away what debri had built up in it, and with bio-glow lanterns activated they entered the dark passages.

The place was crumbling and in ruins. Many passageways had caved in and they often had to double back. They marked their passage so they could find their way back. Old computers littered many rooms, but they had long ago rusted away until nothing but earthy mounds remained.

Draevin hadn’t expected to find any working machinery anyway. Centuries had passed since the installation had shut down. Yet here and there he saw signs that something had passed through. There were scrapes, old but not ancient, where something had dragged along the ground. He didn’t need to look at them much to know it was likely the mechanical body of the Arsul robot that Stebner and Shaifur had faced.

He must have come here once, long ago, likely to see if this installation could be reactivated. But even Draevin could tell, whatever machinery had once been here was long gone. Perhaps Arsul had cannibalized all five doom engines, cobbling together machines from each so he could restore one of the installations. That made sense to Draevin. Though he wished Shaifur was here to let him know for sure.

At last they came to a massive open space. The lights from their lanterns couldn’t penetrate the height of the space, but the amount of rusting amber pipes and pistons left was enough for Draevin to know this was once were the machinery that generated the plasma surges had worked to poison the planet.

He checked the radiation level, but it was so low that he concluded the machinery had been dead for a very long time.

They left the machinery behind and climbed a winding stair, then passed into a long hallway. Rooms lined both sides and their lights fell on old tables and things that looked to Draevin like scientific equipment. Had the doom engine installations been more than just massive machines? Had they also been for research? Perhaps that had been their original purpose, before the faceless invasion.

At the end of the hall was a massive door made of the amber metal the Archons were fond of. The door had been torn and twisted off its hinges. Draevin noticed numerous scratch marks. Arsul had come here and tore his way in.

Inside was a large room with row upon row of silver tubes standing upright. The rows stretched away into the distance. The tubes were made out of a material similar to the crystalline buildings of the Archons, but it was semi transparent. He shone his light into one but couldn’t make out what was inside.

“Over here,” one of his guardians called.

He was standing next to a cylinder that had been split and torn open. They shone their lights inside. A glass sphere, three times the size of his head, had been cracked open at the top. Nothing remained inside.

There was at least a hundred other cylinders that had been opened in the same way. Scratch marks matched the description of the claws of the Arsul robot. So he had come here and taken something out. But what?

“We need to open one of these,” he said.

One of his guardians took out a bio-blade and started cutting into an unopened cylinder. It was slow going. The crystalline material was tough, and resisted being cut. But eventually they were through. Draevin reached in and removed the glass sphere. Inside the sphere, in perfect stasis, was a large red-brown seed. He considered smashing the sphere to get it out, but decided they’d leave the seed inside and take it back to the commonwealth for study.

“We’ll open a few more and then head back,'' he said.

He stared with interest at the seed wondering what it was, and just how long it had been here.


Pendragost

“The Starbridges predate our people,” Izine answered. “They were built by a precursor race that we call the Archons. They seem to have near completely replaced space travel for them. We know they had an extensive network of worlds that could be reached by these devices. Some couple thousand worlds. Though few of them are left habitable, and none outside the Maelstrom as far as we know.”

She took a bite of the root stew in front of her. “I suppose you’d like to know how they work,” she continued. “The truth is we don’t know. Not for sure. For a time it was theorized they created subspace tunnels, but recent discoveries have thrown that into question. You see the maelstrom is caused by a subspace collapse, and if that’s the case, the bridges wouldn’t work. So we’re not sure exactly how they create instantaneous travel.”

Izine did go more into detail about how the devices functioned. How they were powered by a control crystal, how the larger bridges needed specific crystals, but the smaller ones could use generic ones that would burn out eventually. And even that a bridge could only connect with a twinned bridge on another world.

She of course left out the information about a second type of bridge the Archons had created just before the faceless invasion. She didn’t know how relevant that information would be, nor how the Sekari would respond. Plus the only evidence they had were ancient recordings, as no newer type bridge had even been discovered. She decided to keep it to herself for now, at least until after Shaifur and the watchers were done studying Helgadae and its archives. Once they knew more, she figured, they could then tell the Sekari more.

“The commonwealth doesn’t know how to build new bridges,” she said. “Though our scientists have long tried. Because the bridges are so important for travel, we can’t take apart a working one to study. And so we use what the Archons built without being able to replicate the devices. Nor truly know how they function.”

She thought for a moment. “Have your people come across anything similar to the Starbridges?” she asked.
 
“There are many precursor civilizations in the wider galaxy of which we are aware. The Kyaal are among the few who still remain, though their empire is but a shadow of what it was long ago,” Eyleene began. “Many more have fallen eons before our time for one reason or another. Though they have, without a doubt, built amazing wonders of technological mastery, we have not known anything comparable to the starbridges built by these Archons you speak of - teleportation devices capable of reaching across such large distances. That these starbridges seem to have largely replaced traditional starships for your Archon predecessors is certainly interesting.”

She took a bite of the food before her and a sip of the fungal ale before she continued. “The Empire has attempted to engineer teleportation technology of our own in the past, though the nature of these projects remains classified. I lack the clearance to know nor share the details beyond that.”

“I am curious about these Archon predecessors of yours. Do any Archons yet live?”
 
Pendragost
Izine had drunk too much ale, and could feel the alcohol going to her head, turning her giddy. So she subtly pushed her cup away and took a few deep breaths, hoping to regain her control. Now was not the time to let her guard down and let slip something better kept secret for now.

She listened to Eyleene’s question and then shook her head sadly. “No,” she answered, “the Archons are long gone. Their presence can still be felt in all their ruins, and their bones buried in the earth. All that remains of them are their ghosts left in their machines.”

She wanted nothing else now but to go to bed, but their dinner was disturbed by one of the staff entering and informing Izine there was a messenger from the High Chairman. She got up and excused herself, leaving the alien delegation to enjoy the meal.

A young Frondauri was waiting in the main hall. She introduced herself and he relayed his message. “The Rhodoni have attacked Horrathus,” he informed her. “They have captured the Starbridge plaza, and the military is on high alert.”

“Are we cutting the Sekari visit short?” she asked.

“The High Chairman would like you to continue with the tour first thing in the morning, but to avoid Horrathus, Ithycar, and Atasha for the time being.”

“Okay,” she nodded. “Our first stop was supposed to be Atasha but we’ll head for Harklaedus instead. We’ll leave in the morning.”

She returned to the guests and let them know they were moving up their departure and that they should all head to bed. She stayed up to make sure they had all been escorted to their rooms. The meal had been cleared away and she decided to get some fresh air first. She stepped out onto the back lawn, feeling the cool evening breeze on her face.

The stars shone brightly in the sky, while the swirling colors of the maelstrom whirled about between them. They seemed more chaotic tonight, the colors shifting and waving, agitated by unseen forces. Perhaps an energy storm was coming. Perhaps it was a good thing they were leaving in the morning.

A whirring sound startled her from her thoughts as the silver sphere of one of HEL’s propes flew across the lawn to her.

“Greetings, Miss Izine,” HEL’s voice spoke from out of the machine.

“Hi HEL,” she greeted him casually.

“I wanted to inform you that my sensors, confirmed by the Watchers, have picked up a large energy discharge from the center of the Maelstrom.”

She glanced up at the sky again. “I had already suspected that. Will it be here before morning?”

“This storm is headed towards Khodes and will likely hit tomorrow.”

“So the Sekari might want to send their ship outside of the Maelstrom. I’ll inform Eyleene.”

“This probe will be leaving for Khodes within the hour and I will relay it to their ship’s commander as well.”

“Thank you, HEL,” she told the probe. She headed back inside to go see if the Sekari diplomat was still up. She’d let her know what was going on and see if she wanted to call the visit short.


Helgadae

Shaifur had finished attaching one of his devices to a small consul when one of HEL’s security bots found him.

“Can I help you with anything, Mister Shaifur?” HEL’s voice asked from the armed robot standing over him. “You left main command in a hurry.”

Shaifur looked up from his work. “Perhaps you can,” he answered. “What is this consul for?”

The robot walked over and gazed at the controls of the computer. “It appears to be the controls for one of the manufacturing lines.”

“Do you know what it manufactures?”

“Negative,” came the quick reply. “I am unable to access it.”

“I know,” Shaifur said, holding up his device so HEL could see the readouts. “It appears this entire consul and the manufacturing line is completely independent of your systems.”

There was a moment of silence. Then he asked Shaifur “Do you know what it manufactures?”

“At first I thought it was bridge crystals,” Shaifur responded. “But that manufacturing line you have complete control of. But…” and he paused, tapping his nose in thought. “It does seem to have limited access to that database. So whatever this line is for has something to do with the starbridges.”

“I will send some diagnostic bots down here,” HEL informed him.

“Thanks,” Shaifur said, but he was already busy plugging another device in. He continued his work, wishing it wasn’t so difficult to wire Frondauri and Archon technology together. And no matter how good he was, the two were barely even compatible.

He was relieved when the diagnostic bots arrived and started plugging in their own devices. He directed them what to do at first, but soon just watched as he realized they understood the tech better than he did. HE would need to ask HEL for any Archon diagnostic devices he might have.

It wasn’t long before the consul was unlocked and powered up fully. At which point Shaifur took over and started reading through the logs and specs on the computer. As he quickly read through the information a big grin of excitement lit up his face.

HEL’s security bot noticed the change in his facial expression because HEL quickly asked, “What is it?”

“Starbridges,” Shaifur said triumphantly. “It manufactures starbridges. The arches, and how they work, it’s all here. By the Archons, this will change everything.”


Archaeus
Dreavin’s expedition returned to Skarradagg. They’d decided to make a stop before returning to Harklaedus with their discovery.

Draevin met with the mother in her chamber once again, to let her know they would be leaving.

“Your Commonwealth sent physicians to check my health,” she said with amusement, her voice coming from the Archon face behind her. “They were quite nice, but they seemed to be confused the whole time.”

“Your physiology is new to them,” he assured her. “They likely don’t know if our medicine can help you yet. It may be a long time before they fully understand the Shyanar enough to help reverse what the radiation has done to them genetically.”

“That was why I endured their probing. For the sake of my children.”

Draevin told her what they had found at the doom engine and she listened intently. “Do you know what these seeds are?” she asked.

“No,” Draevin answered. He had his suspicions, but for the time being he was keeping them to himself. “But if Arsul collected some of them upon his return to Archaeus, then it can’t be anything good. Our scientists will look over them.”

She didn’t respond, and the way she looked at him he felt she knew he was withholding information. But he didn’t flinch at her gaze. When he knew for sure he’d tell her, but for now he’d keep his guesses only to himself.

“We’ve noticed that there seems to be a lot more Azui in the skies.”

“Less radiation,” she said. “Now they don’t worry about the deadly storms.”

“Perhaps the commonwealth can provide manpower to help reduce their numbers.”

She shook her head. “That would be unwise. The Azui are part of the environment. A mass decrease in their numbers could be detrimental.”

Draevin gave her his agreement but told her if things changed, if the Azui became too big a menace, the commonwealth would be glad to give their support. With that done, he bid farewell and left Skarradagg behind as they headed for the starbridge that would take them back to Harklaedus and then to Pendragost.


The Eye of the Maelstrom

Energy had been building up. From time to time a storm was released, out across the chaotic space of the Maelstrom, and the pressure was released. Yet it continued to grow. Space itself was being warped around the churning wound in space-time. Sensors would never be able to penetrate the interior of the eye, but they could read the periodic discharges. Yet even then they wouldn’t know that something big was happening.

And then, at last, after a buildup that had been going on for months, a great energy storm was released. But this was unlike any other storm that had come before. This was not a typical discharge of energy sent flying off in one direction. This was a massive cyclone of energy and it was sent out like a shockwave across the whole Maelstrom, rippling outward from the center. It was a storm unlike any other, and it was to bring destruction with it.
 
“Hello? Dauntless Discovery, come in. Captain, can you hear me?"

Eyleene paced back and forth in the room she was staying in. Miss Izine had told her that a storm was coming - some kind of energy storm inside the nebula. Eyleene was worried it’d cut off FTL travel and communication through the nebula’s opening. Though a small part of her had continued to hang onto hope that she might still be able to maintain contact with the Dauntless Discovery. Now those hopes were dashed.

“By the Aspects,” she murmured to herself as she sat down on the bed, “I hope this is only temporary.” Eyleene set her communicator aside. She looked out the window at the colorful night sky. It was beautiful, what with all the shifting and whirling colors and all. Eyleene took out a small video recording device and began taking footage of the storm. After she had gotten what felt like enough, she turned off the device and stowed it away. Then she climbed into bed and tried to get some sleep before tomorrow's tour of the Commonwealth.
“Word just came in from the Frondauri probe,” the Dauntless Discovery’s first officer reported. “There’s going to be a large storm that’ll hit the contact planet tomorrow. It’ll shut down the FTL opening.”

Captain Alexios stroked his chin. “Can you contact Lady Kirst?”

“Negative,” the first officer replied. “We can’t seem to get a signal through.”

“Alright, pull back from the range of the storm. We’ll return once it dies down and FTL becomes possible again. Prep the shockpoint drive and shock us thirty lightyears clear of the energy discharge’s projected range.”

“Aye captain!”
 
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They gathered in the great plaza beneath the bows of the Drasul. A chill filled the morning. Izine could feel a growing static charge in the atmosphere, but the Sekari seemed not to notice. Perhaps they were not as attuned to the changing energies of the maelstrom.

The strabridges stood off in the distance, a henge of ancient stones standing against the slowly brightening skies. Around the plaza groups of Frondauri prepared to depart Pendragost to other worlds in the commonwealth. Officials moved about checking departure paperwork. Something Izine wouldn’t have to worry about as her group had been pre-cleared. A dozen commonwealth guards formed a semicircle around the group to ward off any curious onlookers should they approach too close.

“While Harklaedus has a breathable atmosphere, the air is permeated by sulfur dioxide,” Izine informed the Sekari. “Any traveling on the planet requires special suits and breathing equipment. However, the starbridges are within an environmentally regulated building so we’ll be perfectly safe. As you’ll see, most cities on Harklaedus are built of interconnected buildings with their own environmental generators. Despite the harsh conditions of the planet, the plant life is rich and diverse, with numerous medicinal applications. Now…”

She was interrupted by an official informing her the bridge was clear and they could make their way to depart. “I’ll finish this on the other side,” she said with a smile.

They started towards the arches, following the official. They’d only taken a few steps towards the starbridges when she heard a commotion up ahead. Looking up she saw a dozen Frondauri had come in through one of the arches. The guards around the area were hollering and had raised their weapons. She wondered what was going on and saw another dozen Frondauri come through. She then noticed that they were all Rhodoni and they were armed.

She turned to the soldiers escorting them. “We need to get out of the plaza…” she started to say. And then plasma weapons were being discharged. She saw a number of the starbridge guards get hit, engulfed in green flames.

Their escort jumped into action, they got in among the Sekari delegation and pushed them into a crouching position, ordering them to run towards the buildings on the edge of plaza. The Sekari’s own military personnel followed their lead. They raced across the plaza, heading towards the cover of the city.

Izine snuck a peak back and saw that more Rhodoni were pouring through the starbridge and taking up positions around the plaza. The bridge guards were being pushed back, and civilians were fleeing in every direction. She turned back and raced with the Sekari delegation to cover.

They made it to the cover of the buildings, racing into a narrow street where they stopped to take a breath. Izine reassured the Sekari that everything was under control, but she doubted her own words. As the ministry guards discussed what they were going to do, Izine crept up to peak around the corner. She saw a mechanized vehicle pass through the archway, followed by another. The Rhodoni had brought armored vehicles. She guessed at least a battalion had already come through and they were moving to secure the other bridges.

“We need to get out of this area, make for safety,” she heard the guard commander say.

She came back to the group. She already had a plan. “We need to get the Sekari to safety, and preferably back to their ship.”

The guard looked at her, shock from the attack clear on his face. “But they’ve taken the starbridges. We’d be shot if we went out there.”

“Those aren’t the only bridges on Pendragost,” she said calmly. “We need to get to the Citadel of the Guardians. There are starbridges to nearly every commonwealth world located in the catacombs. We get the Sekari out of here, and the Guardians can mount a resistance from there.”

The guard commander nodded and gave the order. Izine turned to Eyleene. “I’m sorry our tour has to be cut short, but we’ll get your people out of here,” she promised.

“Commander,” she said, turning back to the guard, “If you could give me a weapon I can take point.”

He hesitated for a second, likely worrying about giving a weapon to a civilian. But then he remembered she was a trained Guardian and he quickly passed her a plasma pistol. She took the lead and headed towards the Citadel at the edge of the city.
 
“I’m sorry but our tour has to be cut short, but we’ll get your people out of here.”

Eyleene nodded as she followed Izine and the Frondauri security team. She and Tullius pulled out their sidearms, as did the Cyrn Knights which made up their own security detail. Eyleene could feel her hair beginning to stand up as they moved through alleyways and corridors, dodging Rhodoni troops as they made their way towards the Citadel of the Guardians.

“Is the air becoming electrified?” She whispered to herself as she glanced at Tullius. “That energy storm…”

“Hey! You!” Someone in the distance called out as the group pulled out of an alleyway. “You Commonwealth shits!” One of the Rhodoni soldiers shouted out to his nearby comrades and turned to open fire on the group. A firefight of plasma and energy bolts flew back and forth. Two Cyrn Knights were put down by the burning plasma, their agonizing screams quickly dying out. Eyleene narrowly dodged a shot of plasma before returning fire with her blaster pistol. The small squad of Rhodoni rebels were all dead - cut down by either Frondauri plasma or energy bolts from Sekari weapons - but no doubt there would be more coming.

“We’ve been found out!” Eyleene exclaimed, sliding another bolt pack into her sidearm. “We need to move, now!”

The ambiance of battle grew and grew around the group as they rushed towards the Citadel. Rhodoni rebels were making a hard push to secure as many starbridges as possible. Commonwealth forces were trying to hold the line and push back. Civilians continued to flee or hide away. It was chaos. All-out war.

“Miss Izine,” Eyleene began, a tone of stern seriousness in her voice. “I do hope your government has a very good explanation for all of this. Why were we not told about the potential for this situation?”

“Rebels!” One of the Commonwealth soldiers cried out before plasma struck his left shoulder. Rhodoni troops were closing in fast.

“My lady!” A Cyrn Knight pulled Eyleene behind a wall. “Stay down!” The Knight popped up from cover to return fire before ducking back behind the wall. Tullius stuck himself out from behind cover to fire back with his blaster before Rhodoni plasma hit him in the arm. As his hand began melting away, he wailed in agony.

They were pinned down as a second Rhodoni force began approaching them from behind. “We’re surrounded,” a Commonwealth soldier reported. “They’ve cut us off!” Eyleene, thinking quickly, ordered one of her Cyrn Knights beside her to let her search her gear. She pulled out two grenades and turned to Izine beside her. “Look away from these grenades when they go off, or they’ll blind you!” She threw one ahead of the security force and another behind. “Flashbangs going out!” The grenades went off, bright flashes of white light blinding the surrounding Rhodoni soldiers. Using this brief window, Eyleene dashed out of cover and ran ahead, shooting the stunned Rhodoni fighters as she went. “Get my assistant up and let’s go!” She ordered two of the Cyrn Knights still standing.

“Come on! This is our chance! Move and shoot!”
 
Izine didn’t have time to answer Eyleene’s accusatory question, as a fire fight broke out between their small party and advancing Rhodoni. If they had already moved into the city that meant they’d secured most of the Starbridges.

The Sekari knights had used a fancy weapon that was tossed, and then blinded and disoriented the Rhodoni. They used the distraction to get moving again, but the city militia were beginning to push back against the rebels. Soon the Rhodoni rebels were dispatched and they had a moment of peace. The Sekari had a few casualties, and Izine counted four of her guards among the dead.

“Let’s keep moving,” she said after a short respite where they caught their breath. As they moved on they passed more and more Pendari militia forces moving up to the fighting or setting up roadblocks and defenses. Izine was waved through when they recognized her, but there was a lot of staring at the Sekari representatives.

The Commonwealth had made a public statement about aliens arriving in the Maelstrom, but many people were skeptical that aliens even existed, so seeing them was a shock to many.

Eventually Izine and the group met up with a band of Guardians that had been dispatched from the Citadel. They’d heard she was fleeing from the fighting with the Sekari and had come out to find them. They’d brought a ground transport and soon the group was speeding away from the fighting towards safety.

“We’ll get you to safety,” Izine assured the delegation. Now was the time where she needed to make as much right as possible, before they returned to their empire and gave an unflattering report. She spoke directly to Eyleene. “I’m sorry I wasn’t forthcoming about this threat, but the truth is this seperatist movement has been in a state of insurrection in one form or another for a few centuries. I guess we just got used to their threats not actually being a threat. Recently they’ve grown bolder, but it was only yesterday that the extent of the threat they posed became known. I was ordered to get you off planet in case of an attack, but the rebels moved too quickly.”

She took a deep breath and then continued. “The council decided the rebels weren’t worth mentioning to you, and I already risked their ire by informing you of the Faceless. I’m sorry I didn’t speak up anyway. The Commonwealth, aside from a few small conflicts, has been at peace for nearly five thousand years. We’re not a warlike people. We try to resolve things in other ways. The fact the Rhodoni rebels chose to attack is something we really didn’t expect. And whatever you choose to say to your superiors, I just wanted a chance to explain.”

The transport arrived at the citadel without further incident. The gray tower stood just beyond the furthest branches of the Drasul’s canopy. The building was smooth and featureless, with its single tower standing far taller than the rest of the city, but even it was still dwarfed by the tree above.

As they arrived at the citadel courtyard the air was already crackling from the approaching storm. Izine led the delegation through the charged air as fast as she could into the building. She could feel a strong tingling, bordering on a burning sensation, from the electricity in the air. She wondered how the Sekari were feeling, especially since they weren’t used to such energy storms.

As they entered the sky lit up in a bright flash, bright even in the daylight, followed by a loud crack. Looking up she saw an energy discharge strike a branch of the Drasul tree. The branch was instantaneously set on fire, and it was also severed. The branch fell down atop the city below with another loud crash.

She’d never seen such an energy discharge on Pendragost. She hurriedly ushered the Sekari inside, grateful they’d made it out of the city. The storm would prove difficult for the militia to secure the city, but hopefully it would drive the Rhodoni to find shelter as well.

They descended the old stairs deep into the catacombs of the citadel. The commonwealth guards had stayed behind in the upper citadel, but now she was escorted by two Guardians, one carrying a crystal. They arrived at a large room with vaulted ceilings held up by numerous pillars. Among the pillars were hundreds of starbridges. They stood silently among the gloom, lit only by dim lights but mostly cast in dark shadows.

The archway to Sundasha was up ahead, and Izine led the group. Since her excursion to the Tomb she’d come to feel dread about all these silent doorways to worlds long dead. She found herself wondering what horrors they would lead to.

“The bridge is a good way into the catacombs,” she said, her voice echoing back a few times before fading to a whisper. Every echo made her shiver in anxiety. She decided not to speak again, and aside from the soft echoes of boots and hooves on stone silence soon returned.

They weren’t far from the Sundasha starbridge when she heard a familiar crackle and hum coming from deep within the gloom. Somewhere, someone had activated a starbridge. The two escorting Guardians heard it, and went into a defensive stance, their eyes peering around trying to locate where the active bridge hum was coming from.

Izine was also fully alert now, and she readied her plasma pistol. The Sekari had noticed their hesitation, and Izine held up a hand, a gesture she hoped they would read as one to keep silent.

She could hear what sounded like panting, quietly echoing among the chamber. Was something alive down here? It couldn’t have been a phytodaemon as they didn’t have lungs to breath, let alone to pant with.

Then she was startled when a voice echoed out of the gloom. “Izine,” it said, her name bouncing back and forth. “I would not have expected you to be here. And that you brought guests. I do not know their kind. What species are they?”

Izine recognized the voice. The last time she’d heard it had been on Archaeus before disappearing through a starbridge right before it was destroyed.

“We have to hurry,” she said as quietly as could, but knowing her voice would echo. “We’re in far more danger than you can imagine.”

She hurried the group on, trying to get them to run. “What’s going on? Who is that?” someone asked. Izine didn’t know if it was a Sekari or one of the other Guardians. She just answered “Hurry.”

Then something lunged out of the darkness. It was a shadow with canine features but massive, and from out of its jaws fire seemed to blaze. The beast struck the Guardian who was carrying the crystal, grabbed him in his jaws, and then bounded away. The Guardian couldn’t even scream as the beast’s jaws crushed him in an instant. It all happened swiftly, and then the beast was gone, blending into the shadows of the catacombs.

“This is fortunate,” the voice spoke again. “I had thought I would need to fight my way into the crystal vault. But you were kind enough to bring one to me.”

There was no point in running towards the bridge. They were stuck down here. “Kruza!” she called out. “Whatever your plan is, it won’t work.”

“It already has,” Kruza answered. “I have a crystal and soon I’ll return to the Tomb, and free my people.”

“They aren’t your people,” she retorted. “The faceless are abominations. You’re a Frondauri.”

He laughed and she could hear that he was close by. “How little you know,” he said.

She took a minute to get her bearings, remembering the location of the Persephae starbridge. It wasn’t far from here, and she realized they were closer to it. She looked at the last remaining Guardian and he shared a knowing and determined look. She then glanced at the Sekari delegation. Their safety, she realized, was no longer paramount. The faceless could not be allowed to escape. Without a word she turned and ran into the dark, the other Guardian following.
 
The silent archway stood before them. Izine and the Guardian came to a stop in front of it. The doorway to the Tomb.

She readied her pistol, watching the shadows around them. The Guardian turned on a bioblade and it’s green flickering blade pushed the shadows back ever so slightly.

The Sekari came rushing up to join them. Izine was thankful for that but also wished they hadn’t. She’s faced Kruza before and she doubted their odds.

Something growled from the shadows and then a dark form leapt between columns in the distance before disappearing again.

“Where did you go, Kruza?” she asked loudly. “Where did that Starbridge back on Archaeus lead to?”

“It lead to answers,” he said, his voice loud as if from nearby. She couldn’t pin down which direction though. “I suppose that’s too cryptic. Ximballa. I went to Ximballa.”

The name of the place triggered deep memories, tales of childhood and the dark places that awaited children who wandered away from their Kell. “And did you find those answers?”

“Would it surprise you if I said ‘No’? At least, not the answers I was looking for.”

And then he strode out of the darkness, as if he’d blended himself in with the shadows. He was different than last she’d seen him. He seemed taller. He wore a large mask covering the top of his head. Only his mouth and jaw were visible. Beside him walked a beast. It seemed to be molded out of charcoal and stone, with streaks of red across its body that danced and moved with what seemed to be firelight.

“What is that?” she asked.

“A coal hound. At least that’s what I’m calling it.” He raised the bridge crystal up in his hand. “Step aside, please. You can’t stop me and it would be futile to try. My people are trapped on the Tomb and I must set them free.”

“And when they’re free? What happens to us? We were your people once before.”

“This plane of existence is an abomination. We will cleanse it.”

The answer was final enough for her. And she was done talking. Hoping to catch him by surprise she fired her pistol as the last word left his lips. But he was fast, and he deftly sidestepped. She fired wildly now.

The coal hound lunged and it was met by weapons fire from the Sekari. It shrugged off the impacts. The Guardian lunged at it with his bioblade. The blade sunk into the beast but it barely registered. The beast bit the Guardian and he howled in pain as his clothes went up in flame.

Kruza dodged each plasma blast and came in close to Izine. He plucked the pistol from her hand, smashed it between his fingers, and tossed the smashed weapon away.

The Sekari weapons proved ineffective against him. His body absorbed the impacts from their blasts. He lifted Izine up, holding her in front of him.

“Cease!” he roared. The Sekari complied, Eyleene giving the command.

Kruza ignored them after that. He walked over to the Starbridge and put the crystal into the slot. A buzz and crackling and the bridge activated. He whistled and the coal hound jumped through and was gone.

“You only have one crystal,” Izine said. “So go and be trapped.”

Kruza’s mouth opened in a vicious smile. “There are other ways off Persephae,” he said. “I did find some answers on Ximballa.”

He then tossed her to the floor and stepped through the archway. And like that he was gone. With a crack the crystal broke in two then burnt out. The bridge went off and a cold silence filled the catacombs.
 
Eyleene paid no mind to the staring Frondauri. She was laser-focused on the situation at hand. She stormed past the onlooking Frondauri civilians and soldiers who all seemed wide-eyed that their government’s announcement about aliens had actually been true. The small band of Cyrn Knights kept up with her, fourteen of them in total. The bodies of the seven fallen had to be left behind, at least for now. Perhaps when all of this was over with, another delegation could be sent from the Empire to retrieve their bodies and lay them to proper rest. But for now? She hoped that the Frondauri would respect their bodies - or whatever remained of them - until then.

Two of the Knights carried Tullius, his exoskeletal arms dangling across the backs of their necks and over their shoulders. His mandibles dangled, numb and limp. He fell from the Knights carrying him, who immediately descended to him so as to provide whatever care they could. Eyleene looked over and rushed to his body. Tullius’ breathing was rapid, almost frantic and now coughing up his deep blue blood. Eyleene shot her head over her shoulder to the others - both the surrounding Frondauri as well as the survivors of her escort.

“Medicae!” She cried. She snapped her fingers over Tullius’ eyes to keep his attention in the hope she could save her page and friend. “Where is Knight Aster!” One of her escorting Knights was the designated medicae. Perhaps Knight Aster could save him.

“My Lady,” another Knight put his hand on Eyleene’s right shoulder. “Knight Aster was among our fallen.”

Tullius’ frantic breathing slowed. Then stopped to a hush. Eyleene shut her eyes and wept in silence. She ran two fingers down his face and across his eyes, closing them.

“May the Universal Soul raise you up and make you one with Him,” she muttered a prayer used in Sekari religion for those who had died. “From the universe, you were born, and to the universe, you shall return. Sleep well, old friend.”

Behind her, a Frondauri transport had arrived, brought by the Frondauri government soldiers. She was pulled away from Tullius’ body by one of her Knights and brought aboard the transport. She was seated across from Lady Izine, with whom she was very unhappy. Lady Izine explained the reality of the rebellion.

“Lady Izine,” Eyleene began in a stern yet calm tone she was barely managing to hold. One could see that she was struggling to stay calm. “I understand that your Commonwealth has spent the entirety of its existence trapped within this nebula and cut off from the rest of the galactic community, but that doesn’t excuse this. When a foreign, diplomatic delegation is sent to you by another state, they must be informed of all potential security risks. Otherwise, things like this will happen. Now seven Cyrn Knights - subjects and servants of His Imperial Majesty - are dead, as well as my page.”

She paused for a moment to collect herself, managing to stay her anger before it exploded. “Speaking of the Emperor, he will be informed of the events which have transpired here today. I can suggest to His Majesty that the Empire assist in crushing this rebellion - as well as Imperial assistance against these Faceless you spoke of - but I don’t know how he’ll respond to this.”

Lady Izine just nodded. “I understand.” Izine secretly blamed Jazulian. He should have told them, she thought to herself. Or at least have let me do it.

The transport pulled up to the Citadel and those onboard were ushered out and inside the building. Eyleene felt an intense burning sensation on her exposed face as the energy storm seemed to intensify in the stars above. Her armor was only barely able to protect the rest of her body from the electrostorm. The surviving Knights seemed to feel the burning too, though their armor too protected them from the worst of it. Eyleene’s helmet assembled itself around her head and she took a moment to collect herself and allow the pain to slowly die down. They were all hurried into the Citadel.

A thunderous crack, a blinding light, the sound of snapping wood, distant faraway screams, and the titanic sound of a crash. Eyleene whirled to see how a tree branch larger than she could have imagined had fallen upon the distant city. It startled her and she took a step back. Then they were all hurried down into the catacombs where many starbridges lay dormant.

It was dark. Eyleene activated her helmet’s night-vision function, as did her Knights.

Then a sound broke the deafening silence. The same sound that was made when the Frondauri activated their bridges. Lady Izine held up her hand. Eyleene repeated the signal, ordering her escorts to remain silent and still.

Panting? Are there dogs down here?

“Izine,” a voice broke the silence, calling out Lady Izine directly. “I would not have expected you to be here. And that you brought guests. I do not know their kind. What species are they?”

Fear overtook Eyleene. For a moment it paralyzed her. Utterly. She tried to say something but it felt like she had to force the words out with every fiber of her being. But it was a fruitless effort.

“We have to hurry,” Lady Izine said. The fear in her whispering voice could not be mistaken. “We’re in far more danger than you can imagine.” Eyleene knew then.

It was those Faceless Izine had spoken of before. A chill shot up her spine. Fear intensified.

“What’s going on? Who is that?” One of the Frondauri asked, only to be snatched in the jaws of a beast that had sprung forth from the shadows. The poor thing didn’t even have time to scream.

The voice spoke again, and Lady Izine replied. A conversation was carried between the two. They seemed to know each other, or at least have known each other in the past. Lady Izine and the other Frondauri rushed off and the Sekari quickly followed.

The conversation continued on between Izine and this “Kruza.” Eyleene readied her weapon, as did the Knights. The shadow beast revealed itself, the “coal hound.”

Izine fired. The coal hound lunged forward and destroyed the other Frondauri before Eyleene gave the order to open fire. The coal hound just shrugged the blaster fire off like it was nothing, much to Eyleene’s horror. Then they directed their blaster fire towards Kruza, much to the same effect. Or rather, complete lack of effect. Kruza lifted Lady Izine up before him.

“Cease!” He howled. Eyleene gave the signal for the Knights to hold their fire. Kruza threw Lady Izine to the ground and disappeared into one of the starbridges.

Eyleene holstered her blaster and rushed over to Lady Izine. “Lady Izine, are you alright? Who in all the hells was that?”
 
Draevin arrived on Pendragost after being detoured through the Guardian’s secret starbridge. He had heard of the attack and knew that his arrival on the capital world was of the highest import. The catacombs which housed the many secret bridges were filled with dozens of guardians. They were busy setting up defenses against assaults from incoming attacks.

“What’s wrong?” Draevin asked another Guardian. “Did the Rhodoni attack from their secret gate?”

His blood went cold when he learned of what had actually transpired. “What of Izine?” he asked.

“She has already left to escort the Sekari to Khodes.”

He considered chasing after her to make sure she arrived safely, but duty made him change his mind. Instead he sought out Kaob to report on his mission.

The Grand Prior was found in his office in the citadel tower. He listened as Draevin gave his report. Draevin though was distracted, seeing the damage to the city beyond, the large branch having crushed thousands of buildings. And fires still rose across the skyline. Aircraft raced through the sky, and he noticed numerous dogfights. The Rhodon rebels had brought combat flyers through their gate. He guessed they had also brought other heavy equipment.

Kaob patiently listened, prodding him back on topic whenever his report drifted off. “So what do you think these seeds are?”

“We won’t know for sure until the Watchers have a chance to analyze them,” Draevin said. “How they’re going to do that if the Rhodoni are also attacking Horrathus—”

“That’s not your concern, Protector,” Koab said firmly. “I asked what you thought they are?”

Draevin nodded, bringing his attention back to his report. “I think they’re Phytodaemons.”


Kaob cocked his head. “We’ve never seen evidence of Phytodaeons coming from seeds.”

“I know. The robot...Arsul...he was able to send them against us, and also sent one through the Harklaedus starbridge. It just seems to fit.”

“So if Phytodaemons do grow from seeds…”

“Then they may lay dormant underground for centuries until something makes them...sprout. For lack of a better word. The Watchers will need to verify.”

A distant explosion could be heard and Draevin looked up in time to see a cloud of fire and black smoke rise up. Kaob at last addressed the conflict. “Pendragost may be lost,” the Grand Prior admitted. “The council has fled to Kolonae, mostly. Two council members are still missing. All starbridges to and from Pendragost have been blocked with orders to destroy if the Rhodoni attempt to break through.”

“How did this happen?”

“We haven’t had a conflict for centuries,” Koab answered. “The Commonwealth was unprepared.”

“What of the citadel and our bridges?”

“We will hold out against these rebels. The Citadel is a fortress. But if it comes to it and we need to retreat, we are ordered to bring the whole place down on top of the catacombs.”

“And Kruza?” Draevin asked, addressing the biggest threat they were facing now.

Kaob gave Draevin a look, one that said he wasn’t going to like what he said. “Izine said he’d found a way to get the faceless off the Tomb. So we will need to send a mission to verify if that is true.”

Draevin picked up on what he was saying. “How many Guardians do you want me to take?”

“As many as you think you’ll need.”


Shaifur finished reading the specs on the starbridges, how they were made and how the Archons utilized him. He was already making mental calculations in his head. They could do so much more with them then the Archons had imagined. He even had the raw data to verify Karpali, the Archon researcher’s, theory that the newer style bridges left a permanent tunnel open.

“The problem,” Shaifur said addressing the disembodied presence of HEL, “was that they used the new gates as if they were the old ones. You see the old ones needed to be twinned. They created a connection that only worked if there was an opposite gate to connect with. The new ones didn’t but they used them in a similar way. But there was no necessity to do so, and twinning only created a permanent subspace link. Because unless you disconnected, they were always on. But if you disconnected them you could, in theory, connect with a different gate as long as the first gate knew the subspace harmonic resonance of another gate. And there was no limit to the number of gates it could connect to.”

“Why do you think there was such a difference between the two models?” HEL asked. Shaifur knew the AI had likely already figured it out, but he was letting Shaifur tell for the Frondauri’s own edification.

“Because the originals were grown. That’s why they’ve lasted so long. The material they’re made from continue to grow and replace damage and wear and tear, so long as the archways aren’t cracked. That’s why none of the newer ones survived. They crumbled to dust centuries ago.”

“They do seem to be made from a similar material as other Frondauri construction, though without as complex a crystalline matrices,” HEL agreed. “So what makes the new ones different?”

Shaifur smiled at HEL for letting him continue. He’d never imagined that when he met an AI it would be so willing to let him stroke his own ego. HEL was an accommodating intelligence. “They are constructed in the same way as an Archon starship. It’s non-organic construction allows for more ‘twinnings’ as the Archons called it. They knew of its potential but had become so used to how the old ones worked that they decided to keep that system out of tradition. And that was their downfall. If they’d used the device to their full capability, they wouldn’t have left open the subspace tunnels for the faceless to get in.”

“So now you can create your own and revolutionize travel in the commonwealth,” HEL said triumphantly.

And this time Shaifur got to tell the AI something he hadn’t figured out. “More than that,” he said. “We can build starbridges that starships can go through. Put one here on HEL and another outside the Maelstrom. We’re no longer trapped. We can begin our own space exploration.”


The cold static air of Khodes bit into their skin. They’d donned their warm furs again as they waited for the Sekari transport to return.

“I’m sorry for what happened on Pendragost,” Izine said, not for the first time. “We should have warned you of all potential risks. The fault lies squarely with me. I went against the Council informing you of the faceless. I should have warned you of Rhodon’s insurrection. I too, didn’t believe they posed a threat, and my hubris cost your people their lives.”

Izine had no doubt the Sekari delegation would return and give a poor accounting of the Frondauri. It was deserved. The first extra-maelstrom lifeforms they’d encountered and they’d gotten some of them killed.

“One day we can only hope to make it up to you,” she said. “I know this won’t bring your people back, but perhaps these tokens of friendship may help the Sekari in their own endeavors.”

She presented Eyleene with two gifts. The first was a plasma branch. It’s staff was made of a dark wood, grown into the shape of a long staff that branched like claws at the ends. Enclosed within the branches were two oval reservoirs which held a green liquid in one and a black liquid in the other. She demonstrated how the weapon worked. By stroking exposed fibers on the shaft the two liquids merged together, creating a powerful blast of plasma. She fired it off into the empty distance of Khodes where it fell to the ground and set it on fire.

Then she had the second gift brought forward. In a large pot of dirt grew a tree. Though small, barely as tall as Izine, it was plain to see this was a sapling of a Drasul.

“If you take care of it in a few centuries you will have a magnificent tree that will rival the one you saw on Pendragost. The council didn’t want me to give you this, as we consider them sacred. But that is exactly why I believe your people should have one. Atonement for our actions, but also a symbol of friendship and of our deepest atonement for those you lost today.”

Both gifts were placed in front of the Sekari delegation. All Izine could hope was that it was enough to show, despite the mistakes they had made, they were honest in wanting to create a bond of friendship. She awaited Eyleene's reply.
 
Eyleene stood there for a moment in silence as the two Frondauri gifts were presented. She glanced back over her shoulder to see the bodies of the Sekari dead being loaded onto her ship. Her page and the fallen Knights. She clenched her fist. She fought the urge to get aggressive, to lash out, and scold the Frondauri for their Commonwealth’s decision that had cost the lives of citizens of the Empire.

She sighed and reigned in her emotions. Her anger and grief. Her disappointment. She turned back to face Izine with a calm face, though showing neither joy nor rage, but merely a neutral and serious expression.

She looked to the drasul tree sapling, which already stood at the height of a person. A smile touched her lips, that the Frondauri would gift them something like this.

“Cyrn cannot be home to this drasul sapling. The planet is far too heavily urbanized; there is no room for this sapling to fully grow. But I am positive we shall find a planet well-suited for it to grow into its fullest size.”

She looked to the plasma branch next. She was impressed by the demonstration of the weapon.

“The Empire has long since struggled to master plasma-based weapons such as these. Should war come to the Empire, this technology may save thousands of Sekari lives.”

Eyleene motioned for two knights to bring the gifts onto the ship. After they took off with the items, Eyleene looked to Izine.

“Lady Izine, despite recent events, I would like to thank you, your government, and your people for the hospitality given to us. Though, and I am very serious when I say this, for the sake of any future friendship between the Commonwealth and the Empire, your government cannot hide such things as they did. Imperial citizens have died here. The Emperor may forgive, but others on Cyrn will not. I do hope something like this will not happen again.”

She crossed her hands behind her back. “I’m sure the Emperor will greatly appreciate these gifts as tokens of friendship, despite the events that have transpired. I do hope to return again one day, and perhaps you may have the opportunity to visit Cyrn and meet-”

“My Lady Kirst!” Another page ran over and knelt on his knee before Eyleene. She recognized the patch on his suit. He worked the comms on her shuttle.

“Speak, page. What is it?”

“My Lady, a transmission from His Highness Prince Soren was transferred to us through the Purrhais. It was of urgent importance.”

“Well, what did it say?” Eyleene was irritated at this interruption.

“The Siezon barbarians have launched a full invasion of Imperial space. His Highness requests that you return to Cyrn as swiftly as possible to assist in coordinating the Empire's defense.”

Eyleene’s eyes went wide and her heart picked up the pace of its beats. “Tell the Purrhais to inform His Highness that I’m on my way back!”

She shot her focus back to Izine, an expression of stern seriousness, dread, and a somewhat noticeable portion of fear was illustrated by her wide eyes and her tone. “I sincerely apologize Lady Izine but I must take my leave. Until the Aspects have us meet again.” She extended her arm outward for a handshake.
 
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