Post by EmperorMyric on Dec 16, 2017 18:31:40 GMT
“The demon lives.” The fifth said softly, sending a stir through the council. Stir. It was a mild word for a silent sense of terror. Some may have seen it coming; others may not. Even the council kept secrets from itself. But the abrupt shifting of the room’s occupants indicated a change in tone to their hearts and minds. The demon lives.
“It visited Prime Admiral Dorin,” the fifth continued, the rebreather on its neck bubbling softly. “She identified based on past experiences.”
The first wished, in his mind, to decry it as impossible. The demon had been slain by the Khamood’Urr and the demon Tcha-Sah-Voh in the land beneath the ice, just as the demons had predicted. Dorin had been there, and had seen the deed committed.
“The Followers of Chaw are active in this galaxy,” the second suggested hesitantly. “Perhaps they resurrected the demon. They are skilled creatures, after all-“ It was too heretical to propose that the Khamood-Urr had failed to destroy the demon, though some may have been privately entertaining the notion. The fifth twisted its neck towards the two Heraldic members of the council.
“She was under your protection, yet the demon reached her. Do your guards do nothing?” The Heraldic’s posture remained solid and unyielding.
“…it was anticipated that something was coming, and if that which came were to kill her, we would correct the occurrence by force. The Khamood-Urr was only-“
“Blasphemy!” The second cried, anticipating the words of the Heraldic, and the cry echoed in the silence before the Heraldic resumed speaking.
“…it is not blasphemy to acknowledge the fallibility of the gods. I only wish to point out that demons are fallible too.” The forth concluded, adding to the unease of the scene. “We must alert the people of this occurence-“
“I am not certain this is wise.” The fifth objected. “The Great Confrontation was trying enough on our collective faiths. To find that the demon still walks among us will shake it further.”
“It uses ignorance to its advantage,” the third whispered softly, causing a hush to fall upon the chamber. “Surely it knows that we know. But it does not surely know what we know.”
“Nor do we know what it knows!” The first retorted, and the debate continued.
--oOo—
Droth watched the Ascendancy’s penetration vessel gently lift off the launch pad, tilting in the bright blue sky like a leaf in the wind, before smoothly accelerating without noise towards the black abyss. Aboard it, the Emperor was departing for a time and place far from the present. Droth was grateful to have been able to be of service to the Emperor; his words had prevented a great deal of pain on the part of the Ascendancy, and for this he would have attempted nearly anything to repay the deed. It had been a risky move to present himself as he did, but it seemed to have succeeded in its purpose. He turned-
-and saw he was not alone. At the far side of the room stood a figure in emissary’s robes. In one hand she held a glass prism mounted in rings of steel, and in the other an instrument he had no familiarity with.
“Emissary Droth,” the robed figure stated evenly. Her head was shaved bald to accommodate a helmet, and she had a remarkably light voice which seemed far more birdlike than anything else. “Your work here has been most remarkable.” Droth paused in confusion; it was highly unordinary to be visited in person by other emissaries once assigned to a position. “I am honoured to serve,” he responded, and the bald woman smiled at him. “The Emperor is a great figure. I hope to be here when he-“
“It will be intriguing to witness.” The newcomer murmured in agreement, as she sat the prism down on the table. It glowed palely of its own volition, and he gestured towards it out of curiosity. “Do you come bearing gifts?”
The newcomer laughed softly, yet there was a shrillness to its pitch which gave it a slightly unnatural sensation on his ears. “No, I’m afraid I didn’t. Have you made contact with the Emperor’s son as yet?” Droth shook his head. “No, I have only spoken to the Emperor.”
“It is for the best,” the newcomer replied, as she moved next to him to look out the window. Droth looked her over quizzically as she continued to gaze.
“I take it you came here aboard the guard’s ship?” He asked in an effort to learn more about the reasoning for her arrival. Without looking away from the window, she smiled enigmatically.
“Not that particular one.” She glanced over her shoulder at him with a strangely nostalgic look on her face. It faded as she looked back outside.
“The Followers of Chaw have resurrected the demon,” she added almost absent mindedly. “He assassinated a guard on Zel, and then an emissary. We’ll be stepping up our security in order to prevent further attacks by the cult.”
Droth looked pale as the words left the newcomer’s lips. “The demon lives?” He asked in an instant of ignorance, causing the newcomer to cast a sharp look towards him.
“The demon lives.” She repeated, before closing the curtains and turning back to him.
“You will be commended for your efforts towards preserving the peace and honour between the Emperor and the Ascendancy. You have done much for us, Droth, and we owe you a great deal. You deserve better than that which you receive.”
“Yet you said you brought no gifts-“ Droth began, before the blade lept out of the timecaster’s staff. A look of surprise overcame him as the blood began to trickle out of his mouth, and with wide eyes he began to understand as he gasped softly. The prism was a temporal veil, and she was his replacement. The pain burned through his chest as she lifted, and blood began to pour out of him like a faucet had been turned.
“I’m sorry Droth,” she murmured sincerely, and she held him to her tightly in an incomprehensible embrace as she pressed the blade home. As he died, she was thinking about how she’d need to wash her robes; but first she’d need to paint some of the room red.
--oOo--
“I greet you, Unnatural Domain. This is the Keeper of Deceits,” the voice spoke smoothly as Dheth engaged communications. “Darren commanding. We come baring new instructions. Requesting docking clearance.” At the mentioning of the ship’s name, the computer worked to confirm its identity-for not even the Ascendancy could detect their own ships. Instead, they matched a great many things-time signatures of the crew, memory checks, vocal indications and code phrases all thought silently through the black. Here the Ascendancy’s paranoia was evident; the rituals varied depending on the situation, and a failure to properly execute them was always a fear of a shipmaster.
“Keeper of Deceits, please state the words of order.” No sound came in response, but at the other end, someone-he knew not who, but someone aboard the other vessel-quietly thought them.
It checked out, and Dheth swallowed nervously. There had been no scheduled rendezvouses on their seventy year mission, and only a few months had passed since they had departed Exceion.
“I greet you, Keeper of Deceits. Permission granted. Welcome aboard.”
“It visited Prime Admiral Dorin,” the fifth continued, the rebreather on its neck bubbling softly. “She identified based on past experiences.”
The first wished, in his mind, to decry it as impossible. The demon had been slain by the Khamood’Urr and the demon Tcha-Sah-Voh in the land beneath the ice, just as the demons had predicted. Dorin had been there, and had seen the deed committed.
“The Followers of Chaw are active in this galaxy,” the second suggested hesitantly. “Perhaps they resurrected the demon. They are skilled creatures, after all-“ It was too heretical to propose that the Khamood-Urr had failed to destroy the demon, though some may have been privately entertaining the notion. The fifth twisted its neck towards the two Heraldic members of the council.
“She was under your protection, yet the demon reached her. Do your guards do nothing?” The Heraldic’s posture remained solid and unyielding.
“…it was anticipated that something was coming, and if that which came were to kill her, we would correct the occurrence by force. The Khamood-Urr was only-“
“Blasphemy!” The second cried, anticipating the words of the Heraldic, and the cry echoed in the silence before the Heraldic resumed speaking.
“…it is not blasphemy to acknowledge the fallibility of the gods. I only wish to point out that demons are fallible too.” The forth concluded, adding to the unease of the scene. “We must alert the people of this occurence-“
“I am not certain this is wise.” The fifth objected. “The Great Confrontation was trying enough on our collective faiths. To find that the demon still walks among us will shake it further.”
“It uses ignorance to its advantage,” the third whispered softly, causing a hush to fall upon the chamber. “Surely it knows that we know. But it does not surely know what we know.”
“Nor do we know what it knows!” The first retorted, and the debate continued.
--oOo—
Droth watched the Ascendancy’s penetration vessel gently lift off the launch pad, tilting in the bright blue sky like a leaf in the wind, before smoothly accelerating without noise towards the black abyss. Aboard it, the Emperor was departing for a time and place far from the present. Droth was grateful to have been able to be of service to the Emperor; his words had prevented a great deal of pain on the part of the Ascendancy, and for this he would have attempted nearly anything to repay the deed. It had been a risky move to present himself as he did, but it seemed to have succeeded in its purpose. He turned-
-and saw he was not alone. At the far side of the room stood a figure in emissary’s robes. In one hand she held a glass prism mounted in rings of steel, and in the other an instrument he had no familiarity with.
“Emissary Droth,” the robed figure stated evenly. Her head was shaved bald to accommodate a helmet, and she had a remarkably light voice which seemed far more birdlike than anything else. “Your work here has been most remarkable.” Droth paused in confusion; it was highly unordinary to be visited in person by other emissaries once assigned to a position. “I am honoured to serve,” he responded, and the bald woman smiled at him. “The Emperor is a great figure. I hope to be here when he-“
“It will be intriguing to witness.” The newcomer murmured in agreement, as she sat the prism down on the table. It glowed palely of its own volition, and he gestured towards it out of curiosity. “Do you come bearing gifts?”
The newcomer laughed softly, yet there was a shrillness to its pitch which gave it a slightly unnatural sensation on his ears. “No, I’m afraid I didn’t. Have you made contact with the Emperor’s son as yet?” Droth shook his head. “No, I have only spoken to the Emperor.”
“It is for the best,” the newcomer replied, as she moved next to him to look out the window. Droth looked her over quizzically as she continued to gaze.
“I take it you came here aboard the guard’s ship?” He asked in an effort to learn more about the reasoning for her arrival. Without looking away from the window, she smiled enigmatically.
“Not that particular one.” She glanced over her shoulder at him with a strangely nostalgic look on her face. It faded as she looked back outside.
“The Followers of Chaw have resurrected the demon,” she added almost absent mindedly. “He assassinated a guard on Zel, and then an emissary. We’ll be stepping up our security in order to prevent further attacks by the cult.”
Droth looked pale as the words left the newcomer’s lips. “The demon lives?” He asked in an instant of ignorance, causing the newcomer to cast a sharp look towards him.
“The demon lives.” She repeated, before closing the curtains and turning back to him.
“You will be commended for your efforts towards preserving the peace and honour between the Emperor and the Ascendancy. You have done much for us, Droth, and we owe you a great deal. You deserve better than that which you receive.”
“Yet you said you brought no gifts-“ Droth began, before the blade lept out of the timecaster’s staff. A look of surprise overcame him as the blood began to trickle out of his mouth, and with wide eyes he began to understand as he gasped softly. The prism was a temporal veil, and she was his replacement. The pain burned through his chest as she lifted, and blood began to pour out of him like a faucet had been turned.
“I’m sorry Droth,” she murmured sincerely, and she held him to her tightly in an incomprehensible embrace as she pressed the blade home. As he died, she was thinking about how she’d need to wash her robes; but first she’d need to paint some of the room red.
--oOo--
“I greet you, Unnatural Domain. This is the Keeper of Deceits,” the voice spoke smoothly as Dheth engaged communications. “Darren commanding. We come baring new instructions. Requesting docking clearance.” At the mentioning of the ship’s name, the computer worked to confirm its identity-for not even the Ascendancy could detect their own ships. Instead, they matched a great many things-time signatures of the crew, memory checks, vocal indications and code phrases all thought silently through the black. Here the Ascendancy’s paranoia was evident; the rituals varied depending on the situation, and a failure to properly execute them was always a fear of a shipmaster.
“Keeper of Deceits, please state the words of order.” No sound came in response, but at the other end, someone-he knew not who, but someone aboard the other vessel-quietly thought them.
It checked out, and Dheth swallowed nervously. There had been no scheduled rendezvouses on their seventy year mission, and only a few months had passed since they had departed Exceion.
“I greet you, Keeper of Deceits. Permission granted. Welcome aboard.”