Post by EmperorMyric on Dec 16, 2017 18:36:54 GMT
The strange craft approached the Palace undetected. Hovering lightly it climbed the levels until it reached near the top. Finding a outcrop landing pad the craft carefully landed almost too softly. A door opened and the giant form of Emperor Myric stepped out. Returning from his mission, Myric had only taken 15 minutes in real time but had in fact spend over 12 hours away... he would never get used to time travel. He stepped off the craft followed by two heraldic guards. "Back home at last' he said to himself and entered the palace. Coming into the meeting room Droth was waiting in. The Heraldic guards did not follow him; it was not their place to do so, but the Emperor's own quickly assumed their positions and escorted their leader into the palace. Their feet clicked loudly in repetitive rhythms over the glazed flooring of the palace, and it sounded rather like the sound of a train going over ties at a decent clip. Yet when he arrived in the meeting room, Droth was not there to greet him.
The Emperor scanned the room as his Phoenix Guard fanned out. Myric didn’t see Droth anywhere. "Hmmm that’s strange..." It had only been 15 minutes... surely Droth would have waited that long... He was a time manipulator after all... Myric signaled the guards to come with him to Droth’s quarters. The headed down corridors and past amazing views. But as they approached the Emissaries’ wing Myric sensed something was very wrong he couldn’t sense Droth at all...
The guards moved to open the quarters and the Emperor stood ready to enter. With a hand gesture they opened the door and Myric stepped in. The chamber was all at once neat and orderly and utterly unhallowed. It was not like there had been a fight here; no tables where overturned, nor was there any definite disorder to the place. But Droth lay upon the floor in disheveled robes, and a thin pool of dark red emanated from his body. On the walls around him were neatly painted phrases; precisely drawn, with not a single dribble of blood descending from them, and many seemed to be in places unreachable to a painter's hand. They said many things, and while Myric focused on the corpse at his feet, the guards recognized stood in silent horror at them. In bold yet macabrely elegant cursive script stood a single dominating phrase. PRAEPARA NAM CONSEQUATUR SUBREPTIONE.
Myric knelt down over Droths dead body and bowed his head in respect. The Guards secured the room and started observing the transcriptions. Myric stood up and looked at the phrase that dominated the room. He used his knowledge to decipher the phrase. "Ready for unseen consequences..." Myric muttered to himself. One of the guards walked up to Myric
"Sir we cannot detect or find any trace of a killer" Myric turned to the guard. "Droth was assassinated. He was killed..."Myric said scanning the corpse with his mind "By a timecasters staff..." He said slightly surprised. The guard puzzled replied "Tenebrae? They have done this? How?" Myric shook his head. "It was not Tenebrae I’m sure. I have my suspicions... Secure the area and document everything. I want a Holographic copy of the room just how it is. Then clean everything. As I take it Droths body isn’t gone the Flux won’t want it back... We will give him a respectable cremation" Myric said with slight sadness.
"A shame. He seemed a trustworthy person... I’m sure another emissary will be here... I’m sure the Flux won’t leave this open ended"
Abruptly, the intercom rang, and as the Emperor was already occupied with thoughts regarding the body, one of the guards took the call instead. In the background, Myric heard them speak of an unidentified vessel touching down at the same landing pad Myric had stepped off minutes earlier."Sir it seems a craft is touching down on the east level 187 landing pad. It seems to be Flux" Myric nodded and turned to the guards "Two of you with me the rest of you sort out this situation I will deal with the Flux" They all saluted and Myric returned the salute. He walked out and made his way to the landing pad just in time to see figures emerging from the ship.
It was a very different thing from Droth's arrival. He had come with only two guards, and they had left once they had delivered him safely; here, almost a dozen guards flanked the figure trotting briskly out of the ship. He was a smaller man than Droth, which highlighted the size difference between himself and the Emperor that much more; but he moved stiffly, and even as he trotted with notable speed Myric realized that he was relying on a cane to keep him steady.
"Emperor Myric," he said with a curt bow of his head, "it would seem that Droth has died in the line of duty. I would request custody of the culprit immediately." He was an older man, the Emperor realize, though an unusual one at that; his thinning grey hair was bald on the top, but his face lacked the quantity of wrinkles one would expect.
Myric bowed "Greetings..." Myric looked the man in the eyes "Unfortunately we do not have the culprit in custody. Or even have any leads..." Myric said awkwardly. He hoped this meeting didn’t turn sour. "I do have my suspicions but... They won’t point to a definitive answer or one you will like to hear..."
The man frowned, and extended his free hand towards the Emperor in a gesture remarkably like a handshake. "This is the second Heraldic assassinated in so many months. At times like these, I would think closer cooperation would be merited." He held his hand out for a moment before introducing himself as an afterthought. "I am Droth's replacement, Dyxe. I shall be immediately assuming Droth's responsibilities and duties towards you."
The Emperor shook the man’s hand. Being careful with his small hand compared to Myrics massive gauntlet "Greetings Dyxe I am Emperor Myric as you know. And the second assassination? Hmmm seems you are having a problem" Myric said. "As I just made clear I have my suspicions. We have some evidence but not anything massively conclusive." It was strange shaking the man's hand; for all his frailty, the little man's eyes seemed to be the only thing strong about him. "There are only so many capable of doing such a thing, though this bodes poorly for the timecasters if they choose to assassinate diplomats." Once their hands had been released, Dyxe gestured towards the dozen guards surrounding him. "We're escalating our security precautions in the wake of these assassinations. With your permission, I would like to know if there is a place to berth these warriors."
Myric nodded "Of course you may. Though Droths quarters are being cleared we will be cremating the body. A full holographic representation of the room will be made available soon "Myric paused "I do not believe this to be Timecaster originated... After a Timecaster leaves or uses his powers it creates a very small tang of versus energy in the air. Only around for about 20minutes or so. I was in time and I can safely say I detected no such energy at the scene. Though a Temporian staff was used I am adamant it was not them" Myric said assertively.
Dyxe squinted uneasily, and the wrinkles which had seemed earlier to be missing rapidly appeared on his face. "That is true, yes." He began walking towards the palace with the Emperor beside him, and while the Emperor moved slowly to compensate for the little one's old age and size, Dyxe looked almost comical in the way he rapidly pivoted the cane around; he limped with incredible speed, and likely with a degree of pain ever present as well. "True for most, though. The greatest demons have the ability to lay a shroud over their presence. I would not think that any but the best would be foolish enough to do such things." He looked up a considerable ways at Myric as he scuttled along besides him. "How is the prince?"
"I agree demons make such ploys.. I should know..." Myric looked down into the old man’s fiery eyes "Kahalin my son is well. He has excelled on his training and is currently out on command exercises in the outer rim. He is proving a worthy son indeed. One I will always cherish."
"His sister Saffire as well is coping better than expected. She spends much time with her mother these days helping with Empire business. I love them both dearly.”
Dyxe nodded in approval. "Warriors of their echelon are rare things indeed. They have a promising future, Myric. You will be very proud of them in time, beyond the present pride you already have." Dyxe slowed even further as they ascended the stairs, and laughed in a short, sputtering sort of manner as he did so. "I am not so young as I used to be. It is rare for us to have peace and quiet in our lives, and I was just getting used to mine."
Myric Allen: the booming laugh of the Emperor filled the stairwell "Oh Dyxe I fully agree with that statement! I’m starting to think peace and quiet a myths... Especially in this time period."
Dyxe shook his head, even while he agreed with the statement. "That is not what I meant. Emissaries work till they die normally. I was attached to the Cerebian Empire, but recent events gave me the rarest of luxuries: an absence of duty. There have been very, very few," he said as he paused at the top of the stairs, and looked down the long corridor towards Droth's quarters, "of my people who have had that luxury. Then again," he added as he started down the hall again, "there have been very, very few assassinations as well. So my retirement ends."
"Hmmm I guess that makes sense. I am sure everyone in your empire has some. Sort of role... say do you even have civilians?" Myric asked genuinely.
Dyxe licked his lips before he answered his pace unwavering towards the place of the murder. "Not entirely. We are all pieces of a great machine, yes, but most of this machine lies idle. Our armies have not been deployed from your perspective in..." he faded out as he tried to encapsulate the idea. From his army's perspective, they had fought great wars yesterday, and would fight again tomorrow potentially, but yesterday might as well have been tens of thousands of years ago, and tomorrow could be eternity.
"We all have roles, yes, but most have not been called to serve them yet. The Heraldic's manage the Flux's whims, and the Flux prospers under it. We do have traders and merchants as well, but they are few. We mostly keep to ourselves."
"In an eternity? And yet mere seconds ago?" Myric replied. "I don’t know how you people cope with tenses...”
Dyxe nodded. "We speak of the present, and the near present, and the recent present when we speak with our own." He grinned almost sheepishly as he continued. "We adopted your method of time measurement for the sake of communicating more clearly with you. Truth be told," he added as the old man looked up at the Emperor, "I still do not understand how a clock works."
The Emperor boomed with laughter again as they neared the quarters of the Emissary "here we are Dyxe Droths quarters... Now yours, and completely clean. As I said a holo copy of the room is available to you. Your guards will be given their own quarters nearby.
Dyxe looked tired as he turned to face the room. "Thank you Emperor. They won't need too much, I expect. We'll do our best to stay out of your way." He fell silent as he looked at the recently cleaned patches on the floor and walls.
"We are not encouraged to make friends amongst ourselves," Dyxe said heavily, "lest we become changed should they who we know be erased. I cannot say I know Droth, but he has done a remarkable thing in preserving a patch of peace in this otherwise troubled reality."
"Agreed he will be honoured by the Union regardless" Myric said smiling. "I will leave you to view the holo records if you require?"
Dyxe nodded slowly. "I will not be viewing them though. It is not my place, but for the council of five." He turned to the Emperor and bowed again. "Thank you for your kindness to Droth. His reports always spoke highly of you."
Myric nodded "The records are on file to send if need be" Myric went to turn and walk out of the room but stopped. "If I can ask... Droth spoke of factions in the Flux... Which are you?"
Dyxe looked confused at this. "Factions?"
Myric shook his head "Never mind forget I said anything. Good day emissary and it has been a pleasure to meet you." Myric said as he exited the room.
--oOo—
Myric stood towering over Dyxes. Both of them surrounded by honour guard and all of them stood surrounding a plinth deep within the palace. This room was where important people came to be laid to rest. Cremated or bound ready to be interred inside the hall of heros on Earth. Alas Droths fate did not lay in remembarance. It lay in secrecy. Droths deeds would never be known outside of the Flux and the higher echelons of the Union. Myric was in ceremonial armour and His guards flanked him. The long hall leading to the plynth was suddenly filled with a small but honourable procession. Members of the Unions royal guards took one side of the stretcher while Heraldic took the other. Together they walked the hall. Torches blazing and illuminating the purposely dark room. As they approached Myric saluted, and the guards carefully slid the body onto the plynth. The room then looked at Dyxe, and Myric nodded ready for Dyxe to carry out any Flux traditions normally performed.
Dyxe's years seemed that much more augmented by the shadows; the light of the torches flickered and made the creases on his face seem a great deal deeper. The Flux dealt with death in equal parts reverance and non-significance. Death was rarely spoken of among them, for they may often still reencounter the deceased at different points in their lives as they shifted through an infinite number of timelines. Death was a secret, a private thing, among the Flux; but it was revered for the way in which it captured that which time itself seemed incapable of.
Dyxe, with his cane in hand, reached out slowly to grasp one of the torches and held it beside him; its smoke arcing up into the chamber's high vaulted ceiling. The Flux gave no real importance to bodies, and in most cases the ashes would be unceremoniously disposed of after burning. But the Emperor had prized the work of this emissary, and it seemed fitting to leave his remains to the Union. Droth would have appreciated that.
He looked towards the Emperor with quiet eyes, skeptical things, and asked him a question softly. "What do we do with the dead?" It was an earnest question; had Droth been killed in battle, he would have been snatched up via quantum entanglement. His body would have been unceremoniously torn apart at a quantum level, but here...here there was supposed to be ceremony and decorum, and for all his years, Dyxe had little to go off of as to what was meant to be said.
Myric smiled knowing full well the Flux didn’t deal with the dead often enough to know. Myric stepped forward. "Normally if he was a Union citizen there would be a speech celebrating the citizens life and achievements. Then the body would be burned and the ashes scattered at a location of their choosing. But Droth... I think he deserves far more. Dyxe, with your permission i would like to inter Droths ashes into the Hall of Heroes. There will be no plaque or statue, and secrecy will be kept but he will be honoured this way." Myric said with much honour."But i only think it would be right for you to be the one to set his body alight after all you are both Flux origin."
Dyxe's eyes glimmered in the pale light, and he nodded silently. "He would appreciate that honour, Emperor. It is amazing how much can be forgotten, yet matter so dearly in the end." Without pause, the old man lowered the torch to the base of the pyre, and without much further ceremony, smoke began to rapidly fill the chamber; it swirled and curved up among the columns surrounding the pyre and escaped from a small hole in the ceiling, through which the bands of distant stars glimmered. Myric thought for a moment that the new emissary had not understood the notion of a speech at death, but instead he realized that he meant to speak as the body burned.
"Droth's life was forfeited by his desire for an honourable peace, and in honour of his life I task myself again with pursuing that which he bled and died for. His dream is not dead, and will live as long as the stars will, and those who plotted against him shall be punished most severely for their transgression."
Myric and everyone in the chamber bowed their heads in respect. He watched as the flames spread and consumed the body. It was a beautiful sight; cremations so much sadness and yet... so much release for everyone who attended. a final goodbye in respect. Myric had a brief flashback of all those who had died in the Unions wars... but quickly shook the thought from his mind.
--oOo—
"I hope Droth would of found this appropriate" Myric said to Dyxes a while later when the flames had died down a bit.
The Heraldic guards had returned to their chambers by that point; they were warriors more than diplomats, and they did not appreciate the concept of a ceremony as Dyxes did. "I do not know how he wouldn't have appreciated it." Dyxe murmured over the glowing embers. "He was a very forgiving man. Unduly so, most would say." Dyxe leaned heavily upon his cane and looked up towards the hole in the ceiling through which the smoke was wafting out. "Not the sort of emissary the Flux want, but one that they needed. I believe neither of us fully appreciate just what he did in his life."
"Perhaps not but we can honour his memory regardless. He did both our empires proud. He deserves honour for that much. We will let these embers smoulder. Tomorrow the ashes will be collected and placed in a guilded urn. they will then be interred into the Hall underneath the Emissary section. He can rest there for eternity.”
He looked back at the Emperor, and paused there for a moment with the embers backlighting him against the smoke. He was thinking about eternity; it was such a promise to rest anywhere, let alone for eternity. If he was not careful, Dyxe thought to himself as he looked back up at the Emperor, many more of his people would reach eternal rest, and few would have the luxury of entombment in the Hall of Heroes.
"Who do you think did this?" He asked softly, his voice blending with the crackling of wood and embers behind him. "It could not have been the Imperium; if they knew enough to assassinate him, they would have attacked us already, and peace wouldn't even be a fleeting thing."
Dyxe turned back to the dying fire, and sighed. An emissary would work till death, and with his station now being in the Union's Palace, it was likely that one day, he would be burning here. Perhaps the cremation of the emissaries would become a tradition shared by their two people...
"Hmmm I have my suspicions... I could say dissenters from the Union but this is the imperial palace. Security is so tight not even a microbe gets in without us knowing about it... The fact that all data in that room was void for 7 minutes and 46 seconds means whoever did it has excellent technology and also the ability to teleport and time travel... to write that much in that time... Dyxe I think it was someone in the Flux..." The Emperor said the embers casting a glow on his face.
Dyxe twisted slowly, looking back over his shoulder towards the Emperor. Even with his dimunitive build, and even with all the years behind him to bend his back and weaken his body, the flames behind him cast a foul and unkind light.
"We do not kill our own." He stated firmly, as he moved his cane to his side so that he might rely on its rigid nature. "We have never killed our own, and as long as we live that idea will be abhorent to us." He almost scowled in that light, but refrained; the notion of such a deed being done by his fellow Flux was truly insulting, though he in all his years knew that the Emperor had not intended it to be so. Yes, the council of five was not all pleased with his work; the Heraldics felt that he was in danger of allowing the seeds of war to be sowed. But they had been as surprised as he had when the news reached them.
"I know thats exactly what Droth said to me... But he said futures were unfolding and factions were appearing in the Flux... potential futures were unwinding and that serious changes were coming... Besides who else would have that sort of technology..or the knowledge of a Flux emissary being in the Union imperial palace... "Let alone that the Flux even existed..."
"The Followers of Chaw." Dyxe said firmly, as he continued to gaze out at the stars. "We thought we had vanquished them at the Great Confrontation, but it would seem we failed the Khamood-Urr in that regard." He reached into his robe's sleeves and removed a small silver disc, which Myric recognized as a holo-projector. "The gods are as fallible as we are, and both are prone to disappoint those they serve."
"The followers of Chaw? I have never heard of such a people..." Myric looked at the holo projector and thought about the Fluxs Gods... "Gods will always be fallible... No matter their power they are always like us..."
Setting the disc down by the dying embers, a projection rapidly began to fill the room; it was staticky, and filled with ghosts who stood almost in the same spots as the real people in the footage; on the side of the projection scrolled curved text of a variety which was truly unfamiliar to the Emperor.
Gradually, as the scene cleared, it was apparent that it showed the terrible inhabitants of Zel. "Chaw is the most powerful demon we have faced, but he too is fallible."
Myric watched intently. "Everyone is."
Dyxe chuckled horsely, as the words Chaw had spoken replayed even after the screen went black. "Some much more so than others. He killed a Heraldic on Zel, but never understood that the Heraldic share what they see with the Heraldic. He left the cameras running, as it were."
"So he revealed himself... Are you sure this isnt part of his plan?"
Dyxe slowly lowered himself onto one of the benches by the fire pit. "He revealed himself earlier to us, so he need not do so again. He thinks we are like children; his escaping the divine justice the Khamood-Urr was meant to deliver has made him arrogant." Dyxe quietly added that it was not so very different from the Ascendancy's own arrogance, but he continued. "They are spreading a variety of infection in their ships that is of great danger; a danger even to a degree that rivals our fear of the timecasters."
"Wait a minute..." Myric stared intently at the holo recording and played it again... "I know him. I have read reports of him... Shaw Haust.... And that is understood. “Any who win are arrogant about victory" Myric said smiling to himself about his assuredness of victory.
Dyxe looked tired as he sat next to the Emperor; he seemed at most a third as tall as Myric when seated, and likely less. "We fear for our children. It cannot find us, yes...the Khamood-Urr's wisdom is evident now as we are safe from this creature. But the rest of the galaxy is not as blessed as we in that regard." He looked up at the Emperor and balanced his cane on his lap. "Chaw's minions will consume the galaxy searching for us. He seeks revenge, I think, for his defeat at the Great Confrontation. For all who are not unseen, it is a great danger. We have ships hunting his fleets, but they are growing more powerful in spite of our efforts."
"I hope that never comes to pass and the Union will be there to help stop it" Myric thought for a moment still captivated by the name "Shaw..." Myric sat and thought "Timecaster.... Shaw... Oh no..." With sudden realisation Myric stood up. "Sotek... you bastard..." He turned to Dyxe. "I am so sorry emissary but i have to go. I have a problem of upmost importance to attend to. and it cannot wait"
Dyxe looked somewhat off put but the Emperor's sudden private realisation, but nodded. "I think I will remain with the fire for the night. For...ceremony's sake." Ceremony remained a strange word on his tongue, but the Emperor thought highly of it, and it was always wise to learn how one thinks. "I wish you success with your problem, Emperor." He bowed his head for a moment, before turning back to the fire.
"Of course Dyxes I hope to speak soon after this... problem has been resolved. Goodnight dear emissary" Myric bowed respectfally and headed out of the hall. The glowing embers warming the room with a dull orange glow.
The Emperor scanned the room as his Phoenix Guard fanned out. Myric didn’t see Droth anywhere. "Hmmm that’s strange..." It had only been 15 minutes... surely Droth would have waited that long... He was a time manipulator after all... Myric signaled the guards to come with him to Droth’s quarters. The headed down corridors and past amazing views. But as they approached the Emissaries’ wing Myric sensed something was very wrong he couldn’t sense Droth at all...
The guards moved to open the quarters and the Emperor stood ready to enter. With a hand gesture they opened the door and Myric stepped in. The chamber was all at once neat and orderly and utterly unhallowed. It was not like there had been a fight here; no tables where overturned, nor was there any definite disorder to the place. But Droth lay upon the floor in disheveled robes, and a thin pool of dark red emanated from his body. On the walls around him were neatly painted phrases; precisely drawn, with not a single dribble of blood descending from them, and many seemed to be in places unreachable to a painter's hand. They said many things, and while Myric focused on the corpse at his feet, the guards recognized stood in silent horror at them. In bold yet macabrely elegant cursive script stood a single dominating phrase. PRAEPARA NAM CONSEQUATUR SUBREPTIONE.
Myric knelt down over Droths dead body and bowed his head in respect. The Guards secured the room and started observing the transcriptions. Myric stood up and looked at the phrase that dominated the room. He used his knowledge to decipher the phrase. "Ready for unseen consequences..." Myric muttered to himself. One of the guards walked up to Myric
"Sir we cannot detect or find any trace of a killer" Myric turned to the guard. "Droth was assassinated. He was killed..."Myric said scanning the corpse with his mind "By a timecasters staff..." He said slightly surprised. The guard puzzled replied "Tenebrae? They have done this? How?" Myric shook his head. "It was not Tenebrae I’m sure. I have my suspicions... Secure the area and document everything. I want a Holographic copy of the room just how it is. Then clean everything. As I take it Droths body isn’t gone the Flux won’t want it back... We will give him a respectable cremation" Myric said with slight sadness.
"A shame. He seemed a trustworthy person... I’m sure another emissary will be here... I’m sure the Flux won’t leave this open ended"
Abruptly, the intercom rang, and as the Emperor was already occupied with thoughts regarding the body, one of the guards took the call instead. In the background, Myric heard them speak of an unidentified vessel touching down at the same landing pad Myric had stepped off minutes earlier."Sir it seems a craft is touching down on the east level 187 landing pad. It seems to be Flux" Myric nodded and turned to the guards "Two of you with me the rest of you sort out this situation I will deal with the Flux" They all saluted and Myric returned the salute. He walked out and made his way to the landing pad just in time to see figures emerging from the ship.
It was a very different thing from Droth's arrival. He had come with only two guards, and they had left once they had delivered him safely; here, almost a dozen guards flanked the figure trotting briskly out of the ship. He was a smaller man than Droth, which highlighted the size difference between himself and the Emperor that much more; but he moved stiffly, and even as he trotted with notable speed Myric realized that he was relying on a cane to keep him steady.
"Emperor Myric," he said with a curt bow of his head, "it would seem that Droth has died in the line of duty. I would request custody of the culprit immediately." He was an older man, the Emperor realize, though an unusual one at that; his thinning grey hair was bald on the top, but his face lacked the quantity of wrinkles one would expect.
Myric bowed "Greetings..." Myric looked the man in the eyes "Unfortunately we do not have the culprit in custody. Or even have any leads..." Myric said awkwardly. He hoped this meeting didn’t turn sour. "I do have my suspicions but... They won’t point to a definitive answer or one you will like to hear..."
The man frowned, and extended his free hand towards the Emperor in a gesture remarkably like a handshake. "This is the second Heraldic assassinated in so many months. At times like these, I would think closer cooperation would be merited." He held his hand out for a moment before introducing himself as an afterthought. "I am Droth's replacement, Dyxe. I shall be immediately assuming Droth's responsibilities and duties towards you."
The Emperor shook the man’s hand. Being careful with his small hand compared to Myrics massive gauntlet "Greetings Dyxe I am Emperor Myric as you know. And the second assassination? Hmmm seems you are having a problem" Myric said. "As I just made clear I have my suspicions. We have some evidence but not anything massively conclusive." It was strange shaking the man's hand; for all his frailty, the little man's eyes seemed to be the only thing strong about him. "There are only so many capable of doing such a thing, though this bodes poorly for the timecasters if they choose to assassinate diplomats." Once their hands had been released, Dyxe gestured towards the dozen guards surrounding him. "We're escalating our security precautions in the wake of these assassinations. With your permission, I would like to know if there is a place to berth these warriors."
Myric nodded "Of course you may. Though Droths quarters are being cleared we will be cremating the body. A full holographic representation of the room will be made available soon "Myric paused "I do not believe this to be Timecaster originated... After a Timecaster leaves or uses his powers it creates a very small tang of versus energy in the air. Only around for about 20minutes or so. I was in time and I can safely say I detected no such energy at the scene. Though a Temporian staff was used I am adamant it was not them" Myric said assertively.
Dyxe squinted uneasily, and the wrinkles which had seemed earlier to be missing rapidly appeared on his face. "That is true, yes." He began walking towards the palace with the Emperor beside him, and while the Emperor moved slowly to compensate for the little one's old age and size, Dyxe looked almost comical in the way he rapidly pivoted the cane around; he limped with incredible speed, and likely with a degree of pain ever present as well. "True for most, though. The greatest demons have the ability to lay a shroud over their presence. I would not think that any but the best would be foolish enough to do such things." He looked up a considerable ways at Myric as he scuttled along besides him. "How is the prince?"
"I agree demons make such ploys.. I should know..." Myric looked down into the old man’s fiery eyes "Kahalin my son is well. He has excelled on his training and is currently out on command exercises in the outer rim. He is proving a worthy son indeed. One I will always cherish."
"His sister Saffire as well is coping better than expected. She spends much time with her mother these days helping with Empire business. I love them both dearly.”
Dyxe nodded in approval. "Warriors of their echelon are rare things indeed. They have a promising future, Myric. You will be very proud of them in time, beyond the present pride you already have." Dyxe slowed even further as they ascended the stairs, and laughed in a short, sputtering sort of manner as he did so. "I am not so young as I used to be. It is rare for us to have peace and quiet in our lives, and I was just getting used to mine."
Myric Allen: the booming laugh of the Emperor filled the stairwell "Oh Dyxe I fully agree with that statement! I’m starting to think peace and quiet a myths... Especially in this time period."
Dyxe shook his head, even while he agreed with the statement. "That is not what I meant. Emissaries work till they die normally. I was attached to the Cerebian Empire, but recent events gave me the rarest of luxuries: an absence of duty. There have been very, very few," he said as he paused at the top of the stairs, and looked down the long corridor towards Droth's quarters, "of my people who have had that luxury. Then again," he added as he started down the hall again, "there have been very, very few assassinations as well. So my retirement ends."
"Hmmm I guess that makes sense. I am sure everyone in your empire has some. Sort of role... say do you even have civilians?" Myric asked genuinely.
Dyxe licked his lips before he answered his pace unwavering towards the place of the murder. "Not entirely. We are all pieces of a great machine, yes, but most of this machine lies idle. Our armies have not been deployed from your perspective in..." he faded out as he tried to encapsulate the idea. From his army's perspective, they had fought great wars yesterday, and would fight again tomorrow potentially, but yesterday might as well have been tens of thousands of years ago, and tomorrow could be eternity.
"We all have roles, yes, but most have not been called to serve them yet. The Heraldic's manage the Flux's whims, and the Flux prospers under it. We do have traders and merchants as well, but they are few. We mostly keep to ourselves."
"In an eternity? And yet mere seconds ago?" Myric replied. "I don’t know how you people cope with tenses...”
Dyxe nodded. "We speak of the present, and the near present, and the recent present when we speak with our own." He grinned almost sheepishly as he continued. "We adopted your method of time measurement for the sake of communicating more clearly with you. Truth be told," he added as the old man looked up at the Emperor, "I still do not understand how a clock works."
The Emperor boomed with laughter again as they neared the quarters of the Emissary "here we are Dyxe Droths quarters... Now yours, and completely clean. As I said a holo copy of the room is available to you. Your guards will be given their own quarters nearby.
Dyxe looked tired as he turned to face the room. "Thank you Emperor. They won't need too much, I expect. We'll do our best to stay out of your way." He fell silent as he looked at the recently cleaned patches on the floor and walls.
"We are not encouraged to make friends amongst ourselves," Dyxe said heavily, "lest we become changed should they who we know be erased. I cannot say I know Droth, but he has done a remarkable thing in preserving a patch of peace in this otherwise troubled reality."
"Agreed he will be honoured by the Union regardless" Myric said smiling. "I will leave you to view the holo records if you require?"
Dyxe nodded slowly. "I will not be viewing them though. It is not my place, but for the council of five." He turned to the Emperor and bowed again. "Thank you for your kindness to Droth. His reports always spoke highly of you."
Myric nodded "The records are on file to send if need be" Myric went to turn and walk out of the room but stopped. "If I can ask... Droth spoke of factions in the Flux... Which are you?"
Dyxe looked confused at this. "Factions?"
Myric shook his head "Never mind forget I said anything. Good day emissary and it has been a pleasure to meet you." Myric said as he exited the room.
--oOo—
Myric stood towering over Dyxes. Both of them surrounded by honour guard and all of them stood surrounding a plinth deep within the palace. This room was where important people came to be laid to rest. Cremated or bound ready to be interred inside the hall of heros on Earth. Alas Droths fate did not lay in remembarance. It lay in secrecy. Droths deeds would never be known outside of the Flux and the higher echelons of the Union. Myric was in ceremonial armour and His guards flanked him. The long hall leading to the plynth was suddenly filled with a small but honourable procession. Members of the Unions royal guards took one side of the stretcher while Heraldic took the other. Together they walked the hall. Torches blazing and illuminating the purposely dark room. As they approached Myric saluted, and the guards carefully slid the body onto the plynth. The room then looked at Dyxe, and Myric nodded ready for Dyxe to carry out any Flux traditions normally performed.
Dyxe's years seemed that much more augmented by the shadows; the light of the torches flickered and made the creases on his face seem a great deal deeper. The Flux dealt with death in equal parts reverance and non-significance. Death was rarely spoken of among them, for they may often still reencounter the deceased at different points in their lives as they shifted through an infinite number of timelines. Death was a secret, a private thing, among the Flux; but it was revered for the way in which it captured that which time itself seemed incapable of.
Dyxe, with his cane in hand, reached out slowly to grasp one of the torches and held it beside him; its smoke arcing up into the chamber's high vaulted ceiling. The Flux gave no real importance to bodies, and in most cases the ashes would be unceremoniously disposed of after burning. But the Emperor had prized the work of this emissary, and it seemed fitting to leave his remains to the Union. Droth would have appreciated that.
He looked towards the Emperor with quiet eyes, skeptical things, and asked him a question softly. "What do we do with the dead?" It was an earnest question; had Droth been killed in battle, he would have been snatched up via quantum entanglement. His body would have been unceremoniously torn apart at a quantum level, but here...here there was supposed to be ceremony and decorum, and for all his years, Dyxe had little to go off of as to what was meant to be said.
Myric smiled knowing full well the Flux didn’t deal with the dead often enough to know. Myric stepped forward. "Normally if he was a Union citizen there would be a speech celebrating the citizens life and achievements. Then the body would be burned and the ashes scattered at a location of their choosing. But Droth... I think he deserves far more. Dyxe, with your permission i would like to inter Droths ashes into the Hall of Heroes. There will be no plaque or statue, and secrecy will be kept but he will be honoured this way." Myric said with much honour."But i only think it would be right for you to be the one to set his body alight after all you are both Flux origin."
Dyxe's eyes glimmered in the pale light, and he nodded silently. "He would appreciate that honour, Emperor. It is amazing how much can be forgotten, yet matter so dearly in the end." Without pause, the old man lowered the torch to the base of the pyre, and without much further ceremony, smoke began to rapidly fill the chamber; it swirled and curved up among the columns surrounding the pyre and escaped from a small hole in the ceiling, through which the bands of distant stars glimmered. Myric thought for a moment that the new emissary had not understood the notion of a speech at death, but instead he realized that he meant to speak as the body burned.
"Droth's life was forfeited by his desire for an honourable peace, and in honour of his life I task myself again with pursuing that which he bled and died for. His dream is not dead, and will live as long as the stars will, and those who plotted against him shall be punished most severely for their transgression."
Myric and everyone in the chamber bowed their heads in respect. He watched as the flames spread and consumed the body. It was a beautiful sight; cremations so much sadness and yet... so much release for everyone who attended. a final goodbye in respect. Myric had a brief flashback of all those who had died in the Unions wars... but quickly shook the thought from his mind.
--oOo—
"I hope Droth would of found this appropriate" Myric said to Dyxes a while later when the flames had died down a bit.
The Heraldic guards had returned to their chambers by that point; they were warriors more than diplomats, and they did not appreciate the concept of a ceremony as Dyxes did. "I do not know how he wouldn't have appreciated it." Dyxe murmured over the glowing embers. "He was a very forgiving man. Unduly so, most would say." Dyxe leaned heavily upon his cane and looked up towards the hole in the ceiling through which the smoke was wafting out. "Not the sort of emissary the Flux want, but one that they needed. I believe neither of us fully appreciate just what he did in his life."
"Perhaps not but we can honour his memory regardless. He did both our empires proud. He deserves honour for that much. We will let these embers smoulder. Tomorrow the ashes will be collected and placed in a guilded urn. they will then be interred into the Hall underneath the Emissary section. He can rest there for eternity.”
He looked back at the Emperor, and paused there for a moment with the embers backlighting him against the smoke. He was thinking about eternity; it was such a promise to rest anywhere, let alone for eternity. If he was not careful, Dyxe thought to himself as he looked back up at the Emperor, many more of his people would reach eternal rest, and few would have the luxury of entombment in the Hall of Heroes.
"Who do you think did this?" He asked softly, his voice blending with the crackling of wood and embers behind him. "It could not have been the Imperium; if they knew enough to assassinate him, they would have attacked us already, and peace wouldn't even be a fleeting thing."
Dyxe turned back to the dying fire, and sighed. An emissary would work till death, and with his station now being in the Union's Palace, it was likely that one day, he would be burning here. Perhaps the cremation of the emissaries would become a tradition shared by their two people...
"Hmmm I have my suspicions... I could say dissenters from the Union but this is the imperial palace. Security is so tight not even a microbe gets in without us knowing about it... The fact that all data in that room was void for 7 minutes and 46 seconds means whoever did it has excellent technology and also the ability to teleport and time travel... to write that much in that time... Dyxe I think it was someone in the Flux..." The Emperor said the embers casting a glow on his face.
Dyxe twisted slowly, looking back over his shoulder towards the Emperor. Even with his dimunitive build, and even with all the years behind him to bend his back and weaken his body, the flames behind him cast a foul and unkind light.
"We do not kill our own." He stated firmly, as he moved his cane to his side so that he might rely on its rigid nature. "We have never killed our own, and as long as we live that idea will be abhorent to us." He almost scowled in that light, but refrained; the notion of such a deed being done by his fellow Flux was truly insulting, though he in all his years knew that the Emperor had not intended it to be so. Yes, the council of five was not all pleased with his work; the Heraldics felt that he was in danger of allowing the seeds of war to be sowed. But they had been as surprised as he had when the news reached them.
"I know thats exactly what Droth said to me... But he said futures were unfolding and factions were appearing in the Flux... potential futures were unwinding and that serious changes were coming... Besides who else would have that sort of technology..or the knowledge of a Flux emissary being in the Union imperial palace... "Let alone that the Flux even existed..."
"The Followers of Chaw." Dyxe said firmly, as he continued to gaze out at the stars. "We thought we had vanquished them at the Great Confrontation, but it would seem we failed the Khamood-Urr in that regard." He reached into his robe's sleeves and removed a small silver disc, which Myric recognized as a holo-projector. "The gods are as fallible as we are, and both are prone to disappoint those they serve."
"The followers of Chaw? I have never heard of such a people..." Myric looked at the holo projector and thought about the Fluxs Gods... "Gods will always be fallible... No matter their power they are always like us..."
Setting the disc down by the dying embers, a projection rapidly began to fill the room; it was staticky, and filled with ghosts who stood almost in the same spots as the real people in the footage; on the side of the projection scrolled curved text of a variety which was truly unfamiliar to the Emperor.
Gradually, as the scene cleared, it was apparent that it showed the terrible inhabitants of Zel. "Chaw is the most powerful demon we have faced, but he too is fallible."
Myric watched intently. "Everyone is."
Dyxe chuckled horsely, as the words Chaw had spoken replayed even after the screen went black. "Some much more so than others. He killed a Heraldic on Zel, but never understood that the Heraldic share what they see with the Heraldic. He left the cameras running, as it were."
"So he revealed himself... Are you sure this isnt part of his plan?"
Dyxe slowly lowered himself onto one of the benches by the fire pit. "He revealed himself earlier to us, so he need not do so again. He thinks we are like children; his escaping the divine justice the Khamood-Urr was meant to deliver has made him arrogant." Dyxe quietly added that it was not so very different from the Ascendancy's own arrogance, but he continued. "They are spreading a variety of infection in their ships that is of great danger; a danger even to a degree that rivals our fear of the timecasters."
"Wait a minute..." Myric stared intently at the holo recording and played it again... "I know him. I have read reports of him... Shaw Haust.... And that is understood. “Any who win are arrogant about victory" Myric said smiling to himself about his assuredness of victory.
Dyxe looked tired as he sat next to the Emperor; he seemed at most a third as tall as Myric when seated, and likely less. "We fear for our children. It cannot find us, yes...the Khamood-Urr's wisdom is evident now as we are safe from this creature. But the rest of the galaxy is not as blessed as we in that regard." He looked up at the Emperor and balanced his cane on his lap. "Chaw's minions will consume the galaxy searching for us. He seeks revenge, I think, for his defeat at the Great Confrontation. For all who are not unseen, it is a great danger. We have ships hunting his fleets, but they are growing more powerful in spite of our efforts."
"I hope that never comes to pass and the Union will be there to help stop it" Myric thought for a moment still captivated by the name "Shaw..." Myric sat and thought "Timecaster.... Shaw... Oh no..." With sudden realisation Myric stood up. "Sotek... you bastard..." He turned to Dyxe. "I am so sorry emissary but i have to go. I have a problem of upmost importance to attend to. and it cannot wait"
Dyxe looked somewhat off put but the Emperor's sudden private realisation, but nodded. "I think I will remain with the fire for the night. For...ceremony's sake." Ceremony remained a strange word on his tongue, but the Emperor thought highly of it, and it was always wise to learn how one thinks. "I wish you success with your problem, Emperor." He bowed his head for a moment, before turning back to the fire.
"Of course Dyxes I hope to speak soon after this... problem has been resolved. Goodnight dear emissary" Myric bowed respectfally and headed out of the hall. The glowing embers warming the room with a dull orange glow.