Post by EmperorMyric on Feb 2, 2022 11:00:31 GMT
Ascendia: Deep space
It had failed. It had all failed.
Outside of the grand chambers servants waited by the elaborate doors, a horde of cleaners, helpers and cooks which were ready to deploy. None dared enter the vaulted threshold for fear of death. Beyond was the rage of the Grand Exemplar, curses and shouting was all that could be heard interspaced with the crashes of priceless furniture and beautiful artworks that he now tore apart with his psionic powers.
The operation at Amritsar had ended in abject failure. Not only had they failed to combat the Blinded Way and retrieve the Eye but they had lost His Hand and a sizable contingent of their own forces. Even the master crafted ship that they were on was riven with scars, entire decks were sealed off and massive damage could be observed all over, especially with the huge hole which punctured the ship.
Everything had failed and now the morale of the crews were at their lowest ebb. They had followed Tyrandis in hunting down the heretics instead of rebuilding their shattered territory and they had even followed his commands in using many of the civilian population for less than savory means. Eosians were a hardy and unquestioning race, but even they had their limits, and now talk that the Grand Exemplar had been abandoned by Eos and that his methods were too far gone began to circulate.
The entire fleet was now on its way back to the few remaining strongholds near the Eye of Eos to repair and resupply, but things looked grim. Had they really brought Eos into this realm? Questions abounded as some whispered that maybe the Blinded Way was correct, maybe it had all been a lie. The Order of the Flame, much diminished in these times, fought desperately to counter these transgressions, crewmen disappeared and soldiers ended up being killed in training accidents. But they were not stupid, the writing was on the wall, and no matter how many they disposed of it merely raised more questions in those that remained.
All the while Tyrandis merely raged in his personal quarters.
With no direction or leadership, the loyalist Eosians were crumbling, falling apart.
—-
The psionic blast tore apart the floating piece that had adorned the art collection for centuries. Crafted by 100 blind monks, the beautiful intricate piece had been made with carved bones of dead saints, preserved perfectly in its own small gravitic field. Now it was cast down, reduced to ash and pieces as it smashed into the floor.
Tyrandis howled again. How could this have failed so badly?
He had been given a holy task, and had succeeded. He had created Eos! Him! Not the Lord Exemplar, HIM. And yet he couldn't even effectively rebuild his people or stop those that knew the truth from escaping. It was all for nothing, with the born god escaping into the Golden Expanse beyond reach Tyrandis felt the universe laughing at him.
If this was so impossible, why had they given this task to him?
Unless…
He roared again as he punched the wall, the shockwave rocking the internal structure and forming a massive dent into the material.
They WANTED him to fail. He was sent here to fail.
He had been lied to. In solving a lie, he himself had fallen victim.
Tyrandis growled as he heard the notification that they were almost at their destination. But he saw there was yet another communication. Turning back to the large holographic display which fuzzed and struggled due to its damage it displayed a message that did not originate in Ancerious. It meant only one thing.
One of his comrades was coming.
Almost immediately Tyrandis recovered himself, a slow feeling of panic setting in. Another Grand Exemplar coming here? Were they here to judge his actions? Take over? A thousand possibilities played out in his mind. No. He would not submit willingly, he still had his pride and his power.
“Let them come”
Aranar System: Outskirts of old Eos Space
The Eosian fleet entered the Aranar system without fanfare or celebration. Only small relief.
The golden glow of the eye, the tear in realspace which had destroyed much of their territory illuminated the fleet and the planet below far more than the system's tiny red dwarf. Aranar itself was once a lush world, filled with such riches and promise, Tyrandis himself had helped lay the first of the nanocrystalline plastic bricks that would make up its greatest cathedral. But it was gone now, destroyed in the ensuing riots and fires of chaos that had followed Eos birth. The once beautiful cities of Aranar now lay in ruins, and while the remaining population had done its best to repair what it could entire sections were left in ruin, whole cities and towns away from the capital were merely haunted graveyards. Of the lush forests and plains that covered Aranar much had been lost, only patches struggled to hold on.
It was on its last legs, with the remaining population desperate to hold on.
The fleet, battered and limping, made its way into the small amount of orbital dockyards that were still functional. Aranar had never been a fleet yard, but its larger than average orbital infrastructure was all that was left to help repair and resupply ships. Vessels stood in line to wait, given timescales of months to even years in order to repair the damages, and even then there was no guarantee of success.
Each loss cut them deeper, they simply didn't have the facilities to build new warships. Many had argued to Tyrandis to use the military fleet to assist in large scale orbital construction efforts, but his vengeance had blinded him. He saw that now as he gazed out of the view port.
The news of the Amritsar gamble being an abject failure was kept from the population below. Tyrandis did not want to have to quell more riots, and those in the orbital docks were forbidden to talk under pain of death. What was released however, was the fact that soon they would not be alone.
Reinforcements were coming, and that alone galvanized the crews and population into action. Morale increased, and Tyrandis knew they had much to prepare for.
Ascendia: Aranar System
Tyrandis had done the best he could to prepare.
With their forces all but reduced to a hallowed husk there was no point in trying to clean up everything to make grand gestures. He merely did what he could and waited, assembling an honor guard of his most trusted commanders and soldiers the Grand Exemplar had no choice but to let the winds of fate and Eos guide him.
Ships were rapidly repaired, dock workers and engineers forced to work to their physical limits in order to fix ships enough to get them battle worthy. It worked on the smaller vessels, but the grander battleships and more would take time, far more time than they had. More resources were stripped away from the planet and he knew that the people had contributed much in these waning days. He would reward them as soon as he was able.
He had lost his High Exemplar commanders to running battles with the Blinded Way. Castris had been killed by Cyllis, while Lastrus had been destroyed on his ship by the Eye itself. He would have wished for their input now. He also wished that they had never split, they needed unity in a time like this. He did not know what Grand Exemplar was being sent, either it would be a blessing, or a curse.
Tyrandis immediately heard the warning alarms go off.
Bringing the holographics up into the center of his now only semi repaired quarters he watched as nearly 300 warships FTLed in system, along with thousands of civilian vessels. They were Eosian, there was no denying. But these vessels looked new, refined, and more powerful. He frowned, watching as the IDs of the ships came in, staring full bore at the main flagship, an Ascendia class, upgraded and built from his own.
Unassailable Conviction.
Tyrandis' eyes widened.
Grand Exemplar Insinia.
This was the worst of all possible outcomes. Insignia hated Tyrandis, both of them barely contained rivals who would gladly burn each other to the ground. Considered a fanatic even within the Eosian Grand Exemplars Insinia was proof that the Consortium had come to truly reclaim its mission. Tyrandis knew there was little now he could do, his forces were battered, and Insinias new warships were likely far beyond his own capabilities. If he had still had His Hand maybe they could have held out, but it was gone.
“My lord we are receiving a communication, it is a summons to the Flagship of Grand Exemplar Insinia. He insists that you meet him and bring him up to speed on events” Shivers went down the Grand Exemplars spine. He could not refuse, and on Insinias own ship he did not have the advantage.
With a heavy heart he steeled himself.
“Assemble my honor guard, I will attend the summons”
Unassailable Conviction: New Eosian Fleet
“And so you have lost virtually everything then Tyrandis”
The voice carried across the massive cathedral like chamber, each geometric shape of the hall perfectly aligned to carry the Grand Exemplars voice, or allow him to hear any whisper. It was golden and filled with brilliant light, all seeming to originate from, and illuminate, the Grand Exemplars extensively storied throne. Elevated above the chamber Insinia looked down onto Tyrandis and his assembled honour guard of crusaders. Both Eosian leaders wore their ornate and powerful ritual armours as a matter of ceremony, but neither were under any illusions that it was both for defense against the other.
The entire hall was full of assembled Exemplars, Crusaders, and various civilian leaders. Each watching as Tyrandis recounted his tale about his expedition. How they had brought Eos into this realm, only for him to charge into the Expanse, and the ensuing chaos of rebellion and galactic conflict. All through it, Insinia seemed to look unimpressed. Below him stood his six High Exemplars, all in resplendent armour in position to mirror Tyrandis own, if he had any remaining.
“Yes. In an effort to try and recover the Great Eye the enemy ambushed us, they wiped out His Hand and profane its frame even now. While they also escaped with the Eye. My forces barely withdrew”
“Then why did you withdraw?”
“Because there was no use in throwing away these last ships and lives I have, I can rebuild and continue my mission”
“You lost a holy relic of the Lord Exemplar to heretics, then lost another to savages. Do you not think those lives and ships were worth throwing away for such holy symbols?” It was a trick question.
“I think that throwing away my remaining capabilities here and jeopardizing my original mission would be far more grave”
“But you already have my dear Tyrandis. You have lost Eos in this… Expanse, and lost both your relics along with a good deal of your forces to heresy. That is, in my experience, total failure.” Tyrandis did not speak up. He merely steeled himself before making a reply.
“I think that you-”
He never got to finish his sentence.
Insinia was fast, extremely fast. He was not as big as Tyrandis, did not have the pure strength, but he had speed and he had misdirection. Tyrandis moved to defend himself as he saw Insinia leap from his throne, golden energy forming around his fists. His Crusader honour guard were already pulling their weapons, but they were too slow. The tell tale thump of kinetic pulses reverberated through the air as Insinias own men and High Exemplars began to tear into them. Tyrandis moved to blow Insinias strike, only to feel pain across his neck.
The visible Grand Exemplar had been a holographic fake.
Tyrandis looked down at his armour, now gushing red with blood as he realized he couldn't breathe. Falling to his knees as his men were slaughtered around him Grand Exemplar Tyrandis looked to his side, Insinia merely standing over him. He always did have a knack for confusing opponents.
“My, my Tyrandis. I never thought I would get to kill you, but here we are. Your failure will be reported to Lord Exemplar Fulmina, and your efforts will be wiped away in the history books. I would say this ends our little chapter in the history books, but then we always knew it would end this way. I will carry on here and correct your failures.”
Tyrandis choked and gurgled as he clutched his ravaged throat and desperately grabbed at Insinia who merely took a step back.
“And next time, brother, wear your damn helmet” He laughed, echoing around the chamber as Tyrandis finally collapsed, red blood contrasting heavily with the pure white floor.
“The traitor is dead! Those who would fail so catastrophically could only do so in the pursuit of their own personal goals! Tyrandis was one such failure and a traitor! We will find Eos here, we will hunt down the rebels and we will punish those who turned from Eos light to follow this filth!” Insinia roared across the hall as cheers and prayers came back in return. He turned to one of his High Exemplars.
“Strip him of his holy armour, return it to Fulmina. Then see he is burned. Clean up this mess”
“Of course my lord”
“And move in. I want everything burned in this system. Leave nothing left”
Aranar System: Old Eos Space
Aranar burned.
The orbital shipyards had been reduced to atoms, even as the remains of Tyrandis fleet formed up and prepared to fight the forces of Insinia came in hard. Gravitic point cannons and long range kinetic impactors tore through the damaged ships of Tyrandis, entire crews who had served with distinction were obliterated in an instant as those vessels in the dockyard undergoing repairs desperately struggled to leave anchor. Many were wiped out before they could escape, torn apart along with the docks. Only a handful of vessels managed to escape and FTL away, watching everything they had built be torn down.
The population of the planet was even more confused.
Not told about the failure of Amristsar they could only stand and watch as golden fire rained down onto them. The remaining cities were wiped from the face of the planet, the few lush forest remnants were blasted away and the handful of remaining seas boiled as Insinia put the planet to the torch.
None of the old order would remain under his watch. Even as more construction and civilian ships FTLed in system the fleet of the new Consortium spread out, identifying key words to terraform and settle.
Insinias orders were clear.
A new age for the Eosians would be constructed here, and Eos himself would be recovered.
It had failed. It had all failed.
Outside of the grand chambers servants waited by the elaborate doors, a horde of cleaners, helpers and cooks which were ready to deploy. None dared enter the vaulted threshold for fear of death. Beyond was the rage of the Grand Exemplar, curses and shouting was all that could be heard interspaced with the crashes of priceless furniture and beautiful artworks that he now tore apart with his psionic powers.
The operation at Amritsar had ended in abject failure. Not only had they failed to combat the Blinded Way and retrieve the Eye but they had lost His Hand and a sizable contingent of their own forces. Even the master crafted ship that they were on was riven with scars, entire decks were sealed off and massive damage could be observed all over, especially with the huge hole which punctured the ship.
Everything had failed and now the morale of the crews were at their lowest ebb. They had followed Tyrandis in hunting down the heretics instead of rebuilding their shattered territory and they had even followed his commands in using many of the civilian population for less than savory means. Eosians were a hardy and unquestioning race, but even they had their limits, and now talk that the Grand Exemplar had been abandoned by Eos and that his methods were too far gone began to circulate.
The entire fleet was now on its way back to the few remaining strongholds near the Eye of Eos to repair and resupply, but things looked grim. Had they really brought Eos into this realm? Questions abounded as some whispered that maybe the Blinded Way was correct, maybe it had all been a lie. The Order of the Flame, much diminished in these times, fought desperately to counter these transgressions, crewmen disappeared and soldiers ended up being killed in training accidents. But they were not stupid, the writing was on the wall, and no matter how many they disposed of it merely raised more questions in those that remained.
All the while Tyrandis merely raged in his personal quarters.
With no direction or leadership, the loyalist Eosians were crumbling, falling apart.
—-
The psionic blast tore apart the floating piece that had adorned the art collection for centuries. Crafted by 100 blind monks, the beautiful intricate piece had been made with carved bones of dead saints, preserved perfectly in its own small gravitic field. Now it was cast down, reduced to ash and pieces as it smashed into the floor.
Tyrandis howled again. How could this have failed so badly?
He had been given a holy task, and had succeeded. He had created Eos! Him! Not the Lord Exemplar, HIM. And yet he couldn't even effectively rebuild his people or stop those that knew the truth from escaping. It was all for nothing, with the born god escaping into the Golden Expanse beyond reach Tyrandis felt the universe laughing at him.
If this was so impossible, why had they given this task to him?
Unless…
He roared again as he punched the wall, the shockwave rocking the internal structure and forming a massive dent into the material.
They WANTED him to fail. He was sent here to fail.
He had been lied to. In solving a lie, he himself had fallen victim.
Tyrandis growled as he heard the notification that they were almost at their destination. But he saw there was yet another communication. Turning back to the large holographic display which fuzzed and struggled due to its damage it displayed a message that did not originate in Ancerious. It meant only one thing.
One of his comrades was coming.
Almost immediately Tyrandis recovered himself, a slow feeling of panic setting in. Another Grand Exemplar coming here? Were they here to judge his actions? Take over? A thousand possibilities played out in his mind. No. He would not submit willingly, he still had his pride and his power.
“Let them come”
Aranar System: Outskirts of old Eos Space
The Eosian fleet entered the Aranar system without fanfare or celebration. Only small relief.
The golden glow of the eye, the tear in realspace which had destroyed much of their territory illuminated the fleet and the planet below far more than the system's tiny red dwarf. Aranar itself was once a lush world, filled with such riches and promise, Tyrandis himself had helped lay the first of the nanocrystalline plastic bricks that would make up its greatest cathedral. But it was gone now, destroyed in the ensuing riots and fires of chaos that had followed Eos birth. The once beautiful cities of Aranar now lay in ruins, and while the remaining population had done its best to repair what it could entire sections were left in ruin, whole cities and towns away from the capital were merely haunted graveyards. Of the lush forests and plains that covered Aranar much had been lost, only patches struggled to hold on.
It was on its last legs, with the remaining population desperate to hold on.
The fleet, battered and limping, made its way into the small amount of orbital dockyards that were still functional. Aranar had never been a fleet yard, but its larger than average orbital infrastructure was all that was left to help repair and resupply ships. Vessels stood in line to wait, given timescales of months to even years in order to repair the damages, and even then there was no guarantee of success.
Each loss cut them deeper, they simply didn't have the facilities to build new warships. Many had argued to Tyrandis to use the military fleet to assist in large scale orbital construction efforts, but his vengeance had blinded him. He saw that now as he gazed out of the view port.
The news of the Amritsar gamble being an abject failure was kept from the population below. Tyrandis did not want to have to quell more riots, and those in the orbital docks were forbidden to talk under pain of death. What was released however, was the fact that soon they would not be alone.
Reinforcements were coming, and that alone galvanized the crews and population into action. Morale increased, and Tyrandis knew they had much to prepare for.
Ascendia: Aranar System
Tyrandis had done the best he could to prepare.
With their forces all but reduced to a hallowed husk there was no point in trying to clean up everything to make grand gestures. He merely did what he could and waited, assembling an honor guard of his most trusted commanders and soldiers the Grand Exemplar had no choice but to let the winds of fate and Eos guide him.
Ships were rapidly repaired, dock workers and engineers forced to work to their physical limits in order to fix ships enough to get them battle worthy. It worked on the smaller vessels, but the grander battleships and more would take time, far more time than they had. More resources were stripped away from the planet and he knew that the people had contributed much in these waning days. He would reward them as soon as he was able.
He had lost his High Exemplar commanders to running battles with the Blinded Way. Castris had been killed by Cyllis, while Lastrus had been destroyed on his ship by the Eye itself. He would have wished for their input now. He also wished that they had never split, they needed unity in a time like this. He did not know what Grand Exemplar was being sent, either it would be a blessing, or a curse.
Tyrandis immediately heard the warning alarms go off.
Bringing the holographics up into the center of his now only semi repaired quarters he watched as nearly 300 warships FTLed in system, along with thousands of civilian vessels. They were Eosian, there was no denying. But these vessels looked new, refined, and more powerful. He frowned, watching as the IDs of the ships came in, staring full bore at the main flagship, an Ascendia class, upgraded and built from his own.
Unassailable Conviction.
Tyrandis' eyes widened.
Grand Exemplar Insinia.
This was the worst of all possible outcomes. Insignia hated Tyrandis, both of them barely contained rivals who would gladly burn each other to the ground. Considered a fanatic even within the Eosian Grand Exemplars Insinia was proof that the Consortium had come to truly reclaim its mission. Tyrandis knew there was little now he could do, his forces were battered, and Insinias new warships were likely far beyond his own capabilities. If he had still had His Hand maybe they could have held out, but it was gone.
“My lord we are receiving a communication, it is a summons to the Flagship of Grand Exemplar Insinia. He insists that you meet him and bring him up to speed on events” Shivers went down the Grand Exemplars spine. He could not refuse, and on Insinias own ship he did not have the advantage.
With a heavy heart he steeled himself.
“Assemble my honor guard, I will attend the summons”
Unassailable Conviction: New Eosian Fleet
“And so you have lost virtually everything then Tyrandis”
The voice carried across the massive cathedral like chamber, each geometric shape of the hall perfectly aligned to carry the Grand Exemplars voice, or allow him to hear any whisper. It was golden and filled with brilliant light, all seeming to originate from, and illuminate, the Grand Exemplars extensively storied throne. Elevated above the chamber Insinia looked down onto Tyrandis and his assembled honour guard of crusaders. Both Eosian leaders wore their ornate and powerful ritual armours as a matter of ceremony, but neither were under any illusions that it was both for defense against the other.
The entire hall was full of assembled Exemplars, Crusaders, and various civilian leaders. Each watching as Tyrandis recounted his tale about his expedition. How they had brought Eos into this realm, only for him to charge into the Expanse, and the ensuing chaos of rebellion and galactic conflict. All through it, Insinia seemed to look unimpressed. Below him stood his six High Exemplars, all in resplendent armour in position to mirror Tyrandis own, if he had any remaining.
“Yes. In an effort to try and recover the Great Eye the enemy ambushed us, they wiped out His Hand and profane its frame even now. While they also escaped with the Eye. My forces barely withdrew”
“Then why did you withdraw?”
“Because there was no use in throwing away these last ships and lives I have, I can rebuild and continue my mission”
“You lost a holy relic of the Lord Exemplar to heretics, then lost another to savages. Do you not think those lives and ships were worth throwing away for such holy symbols?” It was a trick question.
“I think that throwing away my remaining capabilities here and jeopardizing my original mission would be far more grave”
“But you already have my dear Tyrandis. You have lost Eos in this… Expanse, and lost both your relics along with a good deal of your forces to heresy. That is, in my experience, total failure.” Tyrandis did not speak up. He merely steeled himself before making a reply.
“I think that you-”
He never got to finish his sentence.
Insinia was fast, extremely fast. He was not as big as Tyrandis, did not have the pure strength, but he had speed and he had misdirection. Tyrandis moved to defend himself as he saw Insinia leap from his throne, golden energy forming around his fists. His Crusader honour guard were already pulling their weapons, but they were too slow. The tell tale thump of kinetic pulses reverberated through the air as Insinias own men and High Exemplars began to tear into them. Tyrandis moved to blow Insinias strike, only to feel pain across his neck.
The visible Grand Exemplar had been a holographic fake.
Tyrandis looked down at his armour, now gushing red with blood as he realized he couldn't breathe. Falling to his knees as his men were slaughtered around him Grand Exemplar Tyrandis looked to his side, Insinia merely standing over him. He always did have a knack for confusing opponents.
“My, my Tyrandis. I never thought I would get to kill you, but here we are. Your failure will be reported to Lord Exemplar Fulmina, and your efforts will be wiped away in the history books. I would say this ends our little chapter in the history books, but then we always knew it would end this way. I will carry on here and correct your failures.”
Tyrandis choked and gurgled as he clutched his ravaged throat and desperately grabbed at Insinia who merely took a step back.
“And next time, brother, wear your damn helmet” He laughed, echoing around the chamber as Tyrandis finally collapsed, red blood contrasting heavily with the pure white floor.
“The traitor is dead! Those who would fail so catastrophically could only do so in the pursuit of their own personal goals! Tyrandis was one such failure and a traitor! We will find Eos here, we will hunt down the rebels and we will punish those who turned from Eos light to follow this filth!” Insinia roared across the hall as cheers and prayers came back in return. He turned to one of his High Exemplars.
“Strip him of his holy armour, return it to Fulmina. Then see he is burned. Clean up this mess”
“Of course my lord”
“And move in. I want everything burned in this system. Leave nothing left”
Aranar System: Old Eos Space
Aranar burned.
The orbital shipyards had been reduced to atoms, even as the remains of Tyrandis fleet formed up and prepared to fight the forces of Insinia came in hard. Gravitic point cannons and long range kinetic impactors tore through the damaged ships of Tyrandis, entire crews who had served with distinction were obliterated in an instant as those vessels in the dockyard undergoing repairs desperately struggled to leave anchor. Many were wiped out before they could escape, torn apart along with the docks. Only a handful of vessels managed to escape and FTL away, watching everything they had built be torn down.
The population of the planet was even more confused.
Not told about the failure of Amristsar they could only stand and watch as golden fire rained down onto them. The remaining cities were wiped from the face of the planet, the few lush forest remnants were blasted away and the handful of remaining seas boiled as Insinia put the planet to the torch.
None of the old order would remain under his watch. Even as more construction and civilian ships FTLed in system the fleet of the new Consortium spread out, identifying key words to terraform and settle.
Insinias orders were clear.
A new age for the Eosians would be constructed here, and Eos himself would be recovered.