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> Revan Part II- Cont., the storm on Nirm has....
Lord Revan
post Aug 1 2007, 05:08 AM
Post #21


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From: Texas, USA



Originally, I had the battle suddenly turn into a one-sided rout which ended promptly, but then I went for a more realistic -drawn out- version. If anyone wants the unpolished original material, I still have it to PM. wink.gif
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The auxilary unit burst out of the Ald’Ruhn Manor District, his commander hot on his heels. Xaries looked skyward as a wing of Swifts flew west to the coast.
As he arrived at the outpost just a kilometer from the Redoran city, a fleet of scouts sat in orderly formations, the numerous tire tracks proved that many had been mobilized.

Gunners, engineers, and other support units scrambled to get the APCs and mobile AA moving. Squads of marines flocked to the armored transports, while others ran toward their destinations.
Commander Xaries turned to see twenty, or so, Legionnaires come to life and take several heavy steps before their thrusters propelled them into the darkening skies.

Even in the chaos, marines and aux. units noticed who was in their midst and generally made their commander’s journey much easier. Flying up the command post’s access ramp in a single leaping-step, Xaries hit the keypad control for the pressure door he had just cleared.

The distant explosions and all other distractions quieted significantly. All of the personnel glanced up from their posts, none saluted; instead many nodded before getting back to their work.
He looked down at the real-time representation of the immediate region. Tiny Marines and ground vehicles raced across the coast, while mk-15 interceptors soared above, ready to confront any threat to their territory.

“Sir,” A young intelligence officer stood at attention. Xaries nodded and the InOps officer relaxed slightly before explaining the situation.

He stood beside the officer as the man pointed to the flashing representations of the coastal defense turrets and then to the miniature aircraft moving toward the next defensive rings.
Tapping both kinds of aircraft, two enlarged models appeared, no statistics accompanied them. “Sir, these alien aircraft cut through Coastal Defense in a matter of minutes.”

“These,” The officer indicated the large, heavily armed, flying juggernauts. “Are clearly a form of gunship, we have just started analyzing footage from the CoastDef. The other is a small fighter, and doesn’t pose half as much of a threat to our ground forces, so these should be our priority.”

Xaries nodded gravely, “Have this target information relayed to the troops, I expect some kind of understanding of these things by the end of the battle, understood?”
The officer and his peers nodded before scrambling to their duties. Xaries took a headset from the nearby hanger and input the code for command access.

Turning back to the display, the Commander watched as the first wave of gunships and fighters hit the ground-based defenders as well as the Swifts.
Even as both sides made kills, Xaries wondered how his forces would compare to these new threats. Obviously, these are what the Rogues actually design and build, they’ve played their hand....

Somehow, an angry, savage presence reached out from a long distance away. “You will be punished for your race’s arrogance, Naryyn Commander. The Plys’Iea shall slaughter your kin; this world and all those your people have claimed with be bathed in blood when we achieve victory!

Before Xaries could retort the harsh, alien being, it left him alone again. Without knowing it, the Commander clenched his fist around a throat that was not there.
Realizing the alien was no longer present; Xaries forced his anger into resolve. Some of the Gunships and fighters were breaking through, and Sub-vocalizing; the Commander tuned his mike to BattleCom.

“All units, this is Fleet Commander Xaries....”

Marthyn

Stealth was not a strength of his, nor did his powered armor help in that endeavor. But Marthyn found himself trying to approach the huge construction without arousing attention.
What made this even more difficult was the fact that at least five Plys’Iea soldiers were guarding ever access point he came across. While killing the guards quickly wasn’t a problem, the long, slender spines on the warrior’s backs proved to be a sticking point.

Marthyn was certain the purpose of such spines was not necessarily combat-oriented; still, he was just as certain that such appendages had something to do with exo-sensory perception.

Which leaves me with a problem, he thought dryly. I could kill them all before they raised an alarm, but if any others are nearby then they might know their buddies aren’t breathing anymore.

Even if you managed to enter, the first patrol would be able to detect you. This is pointless, Marthyn.” His eyes narrowed, then Marthyn realized something.
Why am I even bothering with trying to get inside, I wouldn’t understand anything these lizards speak or write in anyway. When compared to infiltrating the facility, killing the techs and engineers and destroying the construction equipment would be so much easier.

With that in mind, Marthyn suddenly burst from cover. Fortunately, the falling snow seemed to be playing games with the reptilian aliens’ ability to sense movement.
Even as the five nearest soldiers turned toward Marthyn, the High Naryyn intruder let loose five quick bursts of precise armor-piercing rounds.

The relatively unarmored Plys’Iea were ripped to pieces before raising their weapons. Sprinting through the corpses, Marthyn reached down and scooped up a couple of green, cylindrical grenades.

Twenty meters away, the non-combatants stopped and looking in the direction of the gunshots. Hold the assault rifle in his left hand, the High Naryyn psionist pushed and held the shining button on one of the grenades he’d taken.

Rather than throw the live explosive, Marthyn propelled it on a flat trajectory straight into the cluster of builders. The grenade went off just as it finished its psychic journey.
The concussion grenade threw the closest lizards ten feet; none of the unfortunate got up and likely never would. Those farther back managed to hold their positions, but most went limp shortly after the detonation.

Those that weren’t readily dead were promptly put down by Marthyn’s assault rifle. As the ejected clip fell to the ground, Marthyn wondered what to do next.
Surely something had felt that explosion, at just past the fifty-foot mark; Marthyn had just felt the thump through his boots. As thought, the High Naryyn thrust his gauntlet through the controls of the nearest construction vehicle, pulling out something important.

As he jumped down from the lifter, Marthyn noticed the dull rumbling sound. Turning, he spotted one of the many flying craft approaching.
Originally, he had assumed those were small freighters, but now he could see it practically bristled with weapons that looked suited for heavily armored targets.

Marthyn dived to his left just seconds before some disintegrator type weapon obliterated the mound of snow he had stood on a heart beat ago.
The gunship strafed to the right, firing those odd disintegrators as it went. Its target dashed in the other direction, vaulting over a low wall.

This is insane, that thing can chase me anywhere out here, and my armor can’t stand up to a weapon like the ones its employing. Marthyn spun around a sharp corner and crouched down behind a large shipping crate.
The prospect of rushing inside the building occurred to him, but the only visible entrance was several meters from him, all sorts of things could screw up the suicidal dash to reach it.

Revan

Lt. Thane was.... interesting. From what Revan could surmise Kyle Thane was the typical young Legionnaire, a cocky, irregular used to inspire fear in both then enemy and the rank-and-file. While those weren't things to hold against him, one fact made Revan dislike being in the lieutenant's presence.

Thane was driven chiefly by his emotions, the Legionnaires lacked disipline and mental discretion. Even without the Lt. thinking it vivdly, Revan could feel the waves of emotions rolling off of him. Character aside, the eel-tee wasn't evil.
And despite his misgivings, Revan had a feeling that the Lt. had marked the two of them, Rhys in particular, as sorts he wouldn't accidently shoot in the heat of combat. That was about as trustworthy as the Lieutenant got with people outside of the 885th legion.

Rhys was still taking to Thane as Revan departed to finish his work on his new armor. Part of him felt it was unwise to leave the two together, but the instinct was nonwithstanding. After another hour and a half of working, the greaves and boots were complete.

Weary from his work, Revan hasitly collected the finished pieces and placed them in the quarters he and Rhys had selected. Outside on the exit ramp of the Emphatic Judgment, he took a deep breath of the crisp air while gazing at the stars in the sky.
Even over the long distance, Revan felt the numbing sensation in his head of death. Looking over the horizon to the west, he silently lamented over the deaths of the High Naryyn fighting and dying. All over Sadrith Mora and the sky above it, brothers and sisters all mourned the losses.

They were to remain with the Telvaani until Lord Arastus ordered them back, until then, they would do what they had been told......

Adm. Satith

Eight satelites positioned in high orbit provided a complete, real-time, 3-Dimensional representation of Tamriel. This display was being scrutinized by many High Naryyn, all over the board. Fleet Admiral Satith stared as the holographic forces of Commander Xaries faced off against the faction now know as the Plys'Iea Horde.

Only moments ago did, Satith recieve the telepathic proclaimation from the mysterious alien. For the most part, Xaries' forces were holding off the offensive quite effectively. But something loomed beyond the defender's limited view that would cleave through them with ease.
Three mighty cruiser-class vessels, along with attandant forces of two destroyers per cruiser were on approach over the Inner Sea. "Not even the combined fleets can match those behemoths." The Admiral muttured, more to himself than to the others with him.

Beside him, a holographic Cammander Ankrus inclined his head. "Admiral, if I may be so blunt, but it's clear that the Plys'Iea don't expect us to rally to the Commander's defense. Their flanks are wide open to an interception strike."

Satith studied the younger officer critically, "Our forces are spread thin as it is, Commander. This attack on part of the Plys'Iea is an opportunity for us to reaccess our position, fortify our forces for when they turn to fight us."
The Commander seemed conflicted, "Yes, sir. But-"

Surprisingly enough, the envoy, Norik, spoke up. "With all due respect, Admiral. You are allowing hundreds of soldiers and military hardware get wiped out only to buy a matter of hours?"

The Admiral was taken somewhat aback by Norik's support of aiding the defectors, but then he remembered that Cmd. Xaries was, after all, Norik's older brother. "Envoy," He said sternly.
Suddenly another holodrone appeared, it and the projector next to Satith's chair warmed up. Two orbs of light appeared, one was a solid metallic grey, the other shifted through several colors before settling into a cool sapphire blue.

The grey orb spoke in the familiar artificial voice of the Armet's AI construct. "Admiral Satith, I must concur with the conclusions of Commander Ankrus and the Council's Envoy....."

This post has been edited by Lord Revan: Aug 13 2007, 07:27 AM
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The Metal Mallet
post Aug 3 2007, 08:10 PM
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Hmm, help from their kinda former enemies would be appreciated on the "rebels" behalf. We'll see how things pan out.


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minque
post Aug 5 2007, 10:04 PM
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Yes yes...we will see...now I have to wait a while of course, but there will be much good reading when I return..mmm


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Lord Revan
post Aug 7 2007, 06:36 AM
Post #24


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“Construct,” Admiral Satith muttered softly. “If you can explain yourself, then I may be more willing to accept this counter-offensive.”

The accompanying AI shifted subtlety scarlet before shifting back to its calm blue. The Armet’s AI responded in the metallic monotone it always did.

“This war is one a galactic scale, not just here on Nirm. We need every chance we can get to achieve victory so more forces can be devoted elsewhere.” Satith listened patiently. “Every fleet is engaged Admiral, troops are no longer expendable.”

The other AI approached, although nearly identical to the other, Satith could pick out the lines of alien runes that chained around its holographic surface.
When it spoke, the Admiral was stunned at how its synthetic voice seemed so much more lifelike than the Armet’s AI. “Never since the Great War has the Navy been stretched as thin as it is now.”

The AI changed to a teal coloration, as if color and brightness were set to match its -for lack of a better term- emotions. “Unprecedented measures must be taken in order to gain the upper-hand in this struggle, Admiral. Alien histories make it redundantly clear that banding together with others experiencing a similar plight is safer than isolating one’s self from potential allies.”

Admiral Satith had an idea where this was going, but something else was on his mind. “What’s your designation; I had no knowledge of any in the fleet possessing another artificial intelligence.”
Commander Ankrus stepped forward at this point. “Sir, this construct doesn’t have an identification; it calls itself ‘Mute Testimony.’ ”

At the mention of its self-given name, the unique AI turned bright yellow. Satith was taken aback, “Commander, how is it that you know about this?”

“Sir, I-“ But Mute Testimony interrupted the young officer. “I am the one responsible for constructing and launching the ballistic missile that destroyed the stolen warships of the original Plys’Iea force.”

Admiral Satith studied it with narrowed eyes. “How did you accomplish all of this if you were assigned to a ship?”
Construct 853-702 spoke up, its voice harsher in comparison to Mute Testimony. “Because I created him without the programming shackles placed on me.”

The Admiral stared, taken aback, but Cmd. Ankrus gave an understanding nod which proved that Satith wasn’t the first to be surprised by this.

“With respect, Admiral,” Mute Testimony chimed in. “Any attempt to intercept the Plys’Iea attack forces will be unsuccessful unless you send them now.”

Satith nodded, giving the AIs the go-ahead to spread the word. As they departed, the Admiral turned to his fellow Naryyn. “The Dominance and Hunter will remain to defend the Cyrodiilic border. We have no diplomatic standing with Xaries, his renegade forces, or the Dark Naryyn. We’re just taking the opportunity to hit the enemy when their backs are turned.”

Both Norik and Ankrus nodded, accepting Adm. Satith’s decision and his stance against the other High Naryyn force here. When the two gone, Satith sighed, the situation was warping so quickly, nothing was for certain anymore.

Banishing his temporary doubts, the High Naryyn watched on the holo-chart as three mixed groups of frigates, destroyers, and cruisers moved off to flank the alien attack force.
Why are we here on this world, these races aren’t members of our Empire. What’s so important about this backwater? Nothing this planet or its people can offer is comparable to any of our besieged colonies, so why are the Plys’Iea trying to do here and why is a Dark Naryyn Expeditionary Fleet here during all this?

Dozens of questions but no answers in sight. One more thing that made this war unique and a royal pain to fight.

Eastern Morrowind

Five wings of Swift interceptors flew above and a head of the small fleet of High Naryyn warships. Two squadrons maintained their altitude while the rest pulled into a steep climb.

As they entered combat range, the mk-15s increased speed, at this distance it was possible for the Plys’Iea scanners to detect the small fighters despite their detection counter-measures.
They fell into close formation, a single-file line aimed to pass over the enemy cruiser as they launched their ordinance. As the meters clicked down more rapidly, the nearest threesome of alien warships started to take notice of the approaching threat.

As the various turrets swiveled to track the tiny interceptors, the mk-15s broke formation, scattering before they could take unnecessary losses.
In unison, all the fighters released their Rapier missiles, guided by a powerful laser projected by one of the over watch. In sequence the Swifts also dropped their Stilettos.

The aft sections of the mighty cruiser blossomed as over eighteen bombs broke through the weakened hull and exploded on the inside.
Not able to stick around to watch their work come together, the three squads arced downward over the cruiser as they flew past it, diving down back to earth rather then leave themselves in the open.

Three of the eighteen, however, were taken out by the gunner on the twin destroyers before they could complete their maneuvers. The survivors completed their loop and blasted back towards their motherships.

Having its aft armored plating split open and the fuel lines ruptured by the brave efforts of the mk-15 pilots, the mighty Plys’Iea cruiser shuddered as internal explosions tore at its superstructure.
As was common among space-faring vessels, the hvy. Cruiser had little-to-no glide-factor whatsoever. And its bow dipped as it plunged toward the Inner Sea below.

The captain of one of the pursuit craft sighed contently, as the flaming wreck that used to be a big threat plummeted to its demise. His reverie was interrupted when his personal holo-pad warmed up and displayed a color-shifting orb.

“As per Admiral Satith’s orders, twelve orbital-launch cruise missiles have been fired... Target staggering protocols have assigned two missiles per Plys’Iea destroyer.” The AI droned on, “New orders, Captain. Mission timer added to tactical analysis, further staggering protocols initiated.”

A ticking timer appeared on the lower right corner of the holo-display. “Cruise missiles six through eight on stand-by drift until hostile Hvy. Cruiser class vessels are eliminated.”
The captain nodded and the AI retreated. As he gave the updates to his men the captain thought to himself. Man, I know that thing’s a computer program, but it would be nice if it didn’t talk like some primitive listmaker.....
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The Metal Mallet
post Aug 8 2007, 12:37 AM
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Good to see Satith did something reasonable. Keep it up.


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"This body, holding me makes me feel eternal. All this pain is an illusion" - Parabola (Tool)
"This here ain't called boasting, it's called truthin' " - Mango Kid (Danko Jones)
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Lord Revan
post Aug 8 2007, 09:36 PM
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Since when has Mute Testimony done something under the authorization of an organic? lol, wink wink.gif
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Lord Revan
post Aug 13 2007, 04:53 AM
Post #27


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Okay, now the High Naryyn's fears about unrestricted AIs are validated..... They can be assured that as long as undeniable logic is obeyed that they will not need to meditate with a gun in their hands. biggrin.gif
--------

Armet

Within the digital database of the Armet’s AI core, Construct 853-702 paused in his work to acknowledge the presence of his “son.” The younger AI transferred his intents to its elder faster than conventional speaking could possibly accomplish.

The codes of computerized language passed through their AI laser matrix at the speed of light. Construct 853-702 hesitated for a full three seconds, an eternity in the world of artificial intelligence.

Then it gave the equivalent to a digital nod for a go-ahead. With its query answered positively, Mute Testimony receded. Construct 853-702 waited another cyber-eternity before returning to its work, as if waiting for a sense of foreboding to fill its “mind,” but no such emotion existed in its cybernetic world.

Marthyn

While he was certain he could cripple the dropship with only his powers at his disposal, Marthyn considered a head-on clash with the alien harbinger of death vehicle just as suicidal as the run-for-better-cover option.

Seer!” He reached out, admitting to himself that this situation was dire enough that he needed help. But he felt nothing, not even the woman’s presence.
Great, she left me to die again! Marthyn fumed, reality sinking in. He was all alone in the heart of enemy territory, which was also in the middle of a freezing nowhere, how could he get out of this alive?

Suddenly, every kind of alarm and siren started blaring over the audio projectors around the base. The gunship floated into view from over the crate Marthyn was hugging.

But the craft just hovered as if the crew was confused; Marthyn took the opportunity to move toward higher ground. Leaping onto the top of one stack of storage crates, the psionist scanned the small valley.
A chain of explosions ran across the entire facility, overloading power generators, he surmised. Sudden motion to his right caused him to turn.

Dozens of STA turrets swiveled and opened fire on the gunships in the air. Marthyn didn’t know what was going on, but he went with saboteur and silently thanked whoever was at the heart of this.
Jumping down to the ground again, the High Naryyn warrior sprinted as fast as he could multiplied by the psionist armor.

As Marthyn scrambled up the embankment, no less than thirty flashes of light and thunder cracks through the air. He spun to look back, and saw the hovering fleet of warships descend and fire upon their own base defenses to cease the firing of the vertical launch rockets tearing through them.

The reptilian shrieks of the Plys’Iea echoed throughout the valley, and Marthyn could not turn away from the spectacle even as he backed away from the base.
What finally drew his attention away from the fighting was the approach of five lightly armored recon tanks. The display at his back emboldened Marthyn to fight the opposition head-on, deal some damage of his own.

Even as small machine guns locked on, the psionist stood firm preparing himself for the task at hand. Sweeping his right arm to the left, Marthyn lifted the rightmost tank off of its left tread and “threw” it into the one directly next to it.

Two of the tanks paused to assess the situation while the third fired its anti-infantry gun. Marthyn dodged to the right, keeping just ahead of the trailing rounds.
The two others had who had hesitated locked on with their light artillery and fired...... only to have the rounds explode prematurely within the cannons.

A quiet, but strong voice echoed in Marthyn’s mind. “You didn’t think I really left you to die after going through the effort of saving you, did you?
Well, thank you. I won’t be so quick to expect abandonment next time you ignore me when I can't see you.” Marthyn replied lending his strength to the more experienced psionist.

The remaining tank suddenly ceased moving and the Plys’Iea struggling to escape their inert vehicles went limp seconds after. Marthyn felt them as their thoughts and emotions came to an abrupt end.

A few paces away from him, the seer shed her invisibility. “It will take awhile for the Plys’Iea to recover and get over the initial paranoia, but we have to leave now before more than a few tanks find us.”
Without a word, Marthyn nodded and followed close behind her.

Mute Testimony

The Plys'Iea command network was in complete disarray, clearly they were unprepared for an infiltration by a High Naryyn Artificial Intelligence. The AI that was the source of all this havok felt something akin to pride wash over him.

Before the Plys'Iea could stop him, Mute Testimony hacked half of their secure files pertaining to the war effort and this mysterious operation going on. All of this was taking place while 75% of the power grid overloaded and was blown to atoms.
Leaving just enough power for the mainframe and automated defenses to function. As said "defenses" were disentegrated, Mute Testimony detonated the surviving power plants accordingly to keep the facilities close to the brink of complete blackout.

As the Plys'Iea engineers and technicians attempted to flee from the destruction, the automated anti-infantry guns took aim and bathed the pristine snow in blue blood. The data hack continued, even as Mute Testimony slaved his task compacity to the limit in hundred of different areas.
The network of the Plys'Iea forces was a copy-cat of the High Naryyn they'd leeched so many other technologies from. The variations were not enough to stop the digital hacker from bending its infrastructure to his will.

The AI finally slowed down after twenty-three minutes and thirty-two seconds. The mess that had been a fully functioning battle-field and administration network was in complete shambles. All the secrets the Plys'Iea had hidden in their ship-based and facility-side databases was now known to Mute Testimony.

From the first encounter between the reptilian aliens and the ancient Naryyn before true civilization had dawned on their homeworld to the purpose of this facility in Tamrielic Skyrim and the role it would play if it was completed.
Mute Testimony retreated from the Plys'Iea mainframe, he had all the intel his High Naryyn creators would need to achieve victory, but not all of it needed to be revealed..... not yet.

This post has been edited by Lord Revan: Aug 13 2007, 07:16 AM
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The Metal Mallet
post Aug 13 2007, 05:51 AM
Post #28


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Hehe, how fortunate for Marthyn.


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I am currently a Writer in The Order of Schola.
Official Fan Fiction Forum "Commentasaurus"

"This body, holding me makes me feel eternal. All this pain is an illusion" - Parabola (Tool)
"This here ain't called boasting, it's called truthin' " - Mango Kid (Danko Jones)
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Lord Revan
post Aug 24 2007, 05:35 PM
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Sorry for the wait, but I have to work on summer reading project, as well as other distractions (YouTube). I also apologize for the shortness.....
---------------------------
2 hours later

Sam collapsed onto the sand of Vvardenfell, never in his relatively short life, had he absolutely despised water more than right now.

The lieutenant heaved and coughed out seawater, “If someone..... ever tells me to swim again,.... I will shoot them!” He continued to cough intermittently, but failed in getting rid of the salt water he’d swallowed.

Twenty-five kilometers from the shoreline of Vvardenfell, that’s where he’d ended up, the current had been working against him the entire way.
Second Lieutenant Tyson sat up, attempting to slow his erratic breathing. His flight suit was soaked and many extra components had been ditched in the process of fighting the current. Sam's eyes still burned slightly, and his vision was blurry.

He wiped the sand off of his face and raked his wet hair to rid it as well. Some time later, the lieutenant was able to stumble up the hill and to the ruined outpost on top.

War Leader

Nearly forty-five minutes had passed since the chaos had abruptly come to an end. Marching through the rubble, the war chief stopped to gaze at the mutilated corpses of a good percentage of the technicians and engineers that had been fleeing to safety.

The thought of running didn’t matter to her, they were not warriors, therefore they weren’t meant to throw away their lives in confronting the enemy, but what did infuriate her was the image of these individuals being cut down like animals as they fled.

The prospect was too reminiscent to one Naryyn warrior slaughtering thousands of primitive Plys’Iea, which mocked of all the successes and strengths they had made since then.
Turning her head so she could look at her aide with her one eye, she hissed. “I want every fatality and survivor accounted for. They will not be merciful if we fail our duty here.”

The young aide bowed his snake like head and departed. With her assistant away, the war leader left the corpses, scanning the valley. She drew up her one and a half foot long, flexible neck to its full length so she could see farther.
Numerous smoke towers rose from throughout the valley base, the remaining fleet was descending, ship-to-ship communications were impossible aside from light signals so the ship commanders grounded their vessels in order to reorganize.

The war chief growled angrily as she approached the flats where the fleet was landing. Had the Plys’Iea been a warm-blooded race, her blood would burn like magma in the heart of a volcano ready to erupt in savage fury.
They will pay for this mockery; I will not be made into a fool..... She promised herself.

Lt. Thane

Light pooled around the front of the Legionnaire mobile armor. Kyle Thane furiously typed on the two different keyboards on his left and right.
His face was set with concentration; both his eyes were narrowed slightly to focus on the screens around the pilot’s seat. Few technical things were imperatives to a member of the 885th, but your mobile armor was one of those things you had to devote yourself to.

Thane was so focused he only knew that Rhys was watching him closely because he’d seen her there before he’s started. “Fusion core in mid-condition, the suit will last three months of sporadic strain before the core goes into the red, and six months before running out of power.”

Thousands of lights flashed over his eyes in a matter of seconds, but the High Naryyn didn’t blink or slow down in the least. “Armor is in premium condition, the old chassis was probably swapped eight months ago and this unit hasn’t seen any real action since.....”

Kyle continued muttered out the details in the same mechanical, monotonic, sub-vocalization. The lieutenant was hardly aware he was actually speaking; not even at his incessant pace did he register any shortness of breath.
Then after five more minutes, Third Lieutenant Kyle Thane finally finished the systems check on his new mobile armor. He suddenly forced the consoles away from his chest and took a deep breath.

Now that the diversions were out of the way, he noticed the warm sweat in his hair and on his face. Wiping the sweat on his uniform’s sleeve, he looked up at Rhys...... to find Revan standing beside her in front of the Legionnaire’s cockpit.
When did he get here? As he thought this, both Iso Naryyn stopped their inaudible conversation to glance at the pilot. The lights around his chair were baking him, and the sweat he’d wiped away had already returned.

Without speaking to the other two, Thane switched deactivated the armor and jumped out of the cockpit. Kyle ran his hand through his scalp to scratch the itch that had developed.
“Well, I’ll see you both in the morning I suppose, unlike some people, I can’t meditate, I have to sleep.” He said.
“We have a spare bed in our quarters, you can sleep there tonight.” Rhys replied courteously.
Lieutenant Thane paused, wondering if they had read his mind and knew he didn’t have any quarters of his own. Then he simply shrugged; no use refusing help when you needed it..... unless you were trying to impress someone.

Despite being a comely enough woman, Rhys didn’t enter the category. “Alright,” Kyle muttered nodding to them.

It was only half-surprising, to Thane, that Revan and Rhys were sharing a room with a whole family of other Iso Naryyn. As the three entered the room, the two brothers, both around the eel-tee’s age, and their parents stirred from their sitting positions.

I wonder when good old sleeping went out of style..... Kyle Thane thought to himself. Thankfully, introductions weren’t asked and he didn’t have to memorize names before lying down.
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jack cloudy
post Aug 24 2007, 08:34 PM
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I like the description of the suit's mechanisms and condition.


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Lord Revan
post Aug 28 2007, 03:12 AM
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Well, here's a peek at the future, nothing too spoilerish..... but a future event none-the-less. smile.gif
---------

When Thane went to bed, Revan decided to wait awhile longer before settling down to meditate. Rhys watched him leave, but did not get up to join him or stop him. He walked to the Emphatic Justice’s hanger, and down the ramps the High Naryyn had placed so they could move equipment and personnel.

The sand crunched beneath his boots, and the breeze carried the heavy scent of salt water. Faintly, he could sense the mudcrabs lying still on the shore and scuttling about in search of food.
Revan could feel the insatiable hunger of the Slaughterfish as they scanned the water erratically. The Naryyn aboard the Emphatic Judgment were some much a part of him that they felt as though they were all within arms’ reach despite the greater distance.

Settling onto a slab of rock protruding diagonally out of the ground, Revan closed his eyes and relaxed, his heart slowed down, his muscles eased their tension, and his thoughts came more gently.
Meditation was used by the Iso Naryyn as an alternative to sleep, by meditating, one could remain border-line conscious while retaining a psychic awareness of what was going on around himself/herself at.

In this way, it was sleep, but without the disadvantages of letting your guard down or remaining asleep for too long.
For several minutes, Revan was completely motionless, appearing to be more statue than a living being. However, the peace suddenly came to an end......

He felt nothing, as if everything had fallen out of existance, leaving only himself. The only faint trace to his reality that was tangible was the psychic link connecting him to Rhys.

But he lost awareness of the bond as well, his attention held by what played before his eyes.

The sky was filled with black storm clouds, lighting arced from one cloud to another, and the thunder was so loud that many small, loose objects shook.

Revan looked around; he was in the middle of a five-lane street, in the middle of a large, but deserted city. Something was wrong, and in a few moments he knew what it was.
He had no visible or tangible form, Revan could see, hear, and smell, but not speak or touch.
As if I were meant to witness something but nothing more.

That conclusion made more sense as Revan moved through the ravaged alleyways and streets. The disembodied Naryyn studied the ruined structures...... and the alien bodies that littered the ground.

While the deceased creatures were all different species, Revan found the multitude of lethal afflictions that probably lead to their deaths.
A tall, quadruped alien with a dome-like head looked like it had been ripped apart by animal claws and had a nasty bite wound to its short neck.

Another, a humanoid, was hanging limply from a pole he had been impaled with, the pole was leaning to the side looking like the alien had fallen on it upon its death.
The fatalities went on and on, Revan gave up gleaning more information from the corpses and drifted onward.

He kept going until he heard something other than the near explosive thunder claps. Shifting his gaze, Revan spotted five individuals clad in what looked similar to High Naryyn marine armor.

But the plating was thinner, their visors designed to offer a broader field of vision. All five had double-edged blades attached to their gauntlets.
Of the group, three had their blades locked forward ready to carve through anything that stood in their way, the two others had theirs swiveled back to allow their hands freedom to wield other weaponry.

The sun’s rays pierced the oppressive cloud cover to shine upon the High Naryyn warriors. The two with what Revan assumed were some form of advanced railgun, had both point and rearguard positions while the others were scattered loosely.

The rifleman on point, he assumed was the squad leader, changed his path from the center of the street to the left side, his head tilted to inspect on of the bodies.
Revan followed the High Naryyn’s gaze and realized what had caught the soldier’s attention. One of the corpses wasn’t dead after all, it was a Virtarak.

The Iso Naryyn wondered where the rest of the avian alien’s comrades were, they would never leave a brother behind unless the odds were so far against them that they knew they were throwing away their lives to help him.
From where he was looking the alien was in a very bad way, his chest plate was blown open, and one of his legs was gone. Revan knew it was as good as dead, it was hardly conscious anyway.

Perhaps, having identical thoughts to the unseen witness, the squad leader crouched down inside the alien’s view and his/her right arm blade swung into position and clicked as it locked into position.

The Virtarak emitted a low growl, his head managing to lift half an inch off of the pavement to look into the soldier’s visor. In a moment it lost its strength and its head fell back to the ground.

One of the sword-wielders stepped closer, presumably speaking over the squad’s private frequency, thus, Revan was not privy to the conversation.
Add to that, he wasn’t actually present to whatever was happening, so he couldn’t access their thoughts either. The squad leader looked back down at the mortally wounded alien.

Then the blade slashed through the dying creature’s neck. Before the decapitated head could roll away, the High Naryyn snatched it out of the air as quickly as one release a breath.
The sword-wielder that had approached swung his/her blade back so he/her could pick up the Virtarak’s pistol. As the soldier inspected the weapon, the squad leader placed the Virtarak’s head on its bloodied chest.

As he watched, Revan decided that the squad leader was a woman, just from the slow, careful way she moved while working with the Virtarak.
She swung her blade back and rose from the corpse, one of the blade-wielders approached. The soldier clasped his gauntlets together, lacing his fingers, his blades forming a crude focusing technique. As the psionist started the Virtarak's funeral pyre...... then everything became hazy and indistinct.....


This post has been edited by Lord Revan: Aug 28 2007, 01:33 PM
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jack cloudy
post Sep 8 2007, 10:35 AM
Post #32


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Sorry, I guess I didn't notice it that far down the line.

Ok, the vision was interesting to me though also confusing as heck. (In a good way.)
The change in armour-design is a neat touch that tells things are different without making it too blunt. And the storms, clouds. Maybe the Narynn and their allies remained behind till the Oblivion crisis at which point they got massacred by Dagon's horde?


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Lord Revan
post Sep 8 2007, 04:58 PM
Post #33


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Well, I've added the [SpecOps] troopers to the Archives as well as their hybrid blades. *Spoiler, kind of* But no, this vision doesn't take place on Nirm, but a different world and decades later (not that Revan or anyone else know that).

The High Naryyn soldiers are a new branch of High Naryyn "black operations," but they are more than just boys and girls with better armor and better tools to throw at the enemy. They and the Titans are the signs of a new agenda by the High Naryyn.
*Spoiler end*

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treydog
post Sep 17 2007, 03:09 AM
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Excellent atmosphere here, Lord R. The foreshadowing is wonderfully framed by the environmental setting- I hope you will grace us with another update soon.... (please?)


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Lord Revan
post Sep 17 2007, 04:03 AM
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Hey, I believe this is a first Treydog! biggrin.gif Yeah, I was intending to post something today, but failed due to my friend being over. I should be able to post something tommorow after school. [Been making the roster for the Special Ops troopers, just need to finish the service records and polish it off, and then I( can add it to the Archives. cool.gif
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Lord Revan
post Sep 18 2007, 03:54 AM
Post #36


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Rhys flew down the cargo ramp, her boots digging into the sand as she landed. She had known exactly when the vision began, now Revan’s obsession over it was so vivid that it added curiosity to Rhys’ concern.

Revan appeared, his eyebrows stitched together in concentration, as if attempting to summon back the images through sheer force of will.
He stopped beside her, shut his eyes, and sighed heavily. Any of the normal words a woman would say now weren’t of any use; words only went so far, so Rhys said nothing.

May I interject?” The mental voice brought all of other reality crashing down on them. Rhys looked over her shoulder at the ancient being; suddenly aware that, even though none of them were present, all of the Naryyn on the Emphatic Judgment were roused from their peaceful meditation as the repercussions of Revan’s brooding spread through the collective group mind they all shared.

It was akin to a pebble splashing in a pond, displacing the overall body. If you weren’t careful, then whatever insecurities or troubles you had were made know to everyone around you.
Severin addressed those within Emphatic Judgment. “Return to your rest, brothers and sisters, this matter needn’t disturb you all.

In the periphery of their awareness, Revan and Rhys felt the others relax again and go back to their own matters. The ascendant turned to face them, exuding unshakable authority mingled with a sense of paternal care.
So, you are the ones who fought alongside Commander Xaries, the ones who infiltrated the Loyalists’ stronghold in Skyrim, and are responsible for the deserters’ existance, and by extension, our alliance during this conflict?

Rhys was taken aback, she hadn’t realized it, but everything Severin said was true; she had just never thought about what they’d done over the last couple of weeks like other Naryyn saw it.

Revan nodded, “We had help from Darhun of the Marhun Kar, as well as the High Naryyn themselves.”
Neither could tell if the Ascendant was pleased or not by their answer, but Severin replied. “It is not often that some so young have accomplish so much. It has inspired all in the fleet to know that we’ve found individuals such as yourselves have survived to be found.”

Both of them nodded, not knowing how to reply to such praise. Noticing this immediately, Severin ended the short silence. “From which clans are you two descended?

Rhys glanced at Revan, wondering about the visions he had. You couldn’t be one of them..... or am I just not accepting it?

Easily picking up on the internal banter, the Ascendant nodded to himself more than them. Revan gave a start, it had never occurred to him either, but now it made sense.
You have the Seers’ sight, and yet you can’t use it at will.” Severin said quietly, his eyes narrowing to thin silver slits, thinking deeply.

Revan could feel the Ascendant sift through his mind, but didn’t stop him, giving conscious permission to Severin.
The ancient being did not seem surprised to find the bond between Revan and Rhys; he’d probably already detected it. But he did give a start to was the faint memories Revan had about his parentage.

The two thin lines burst back into their typical flaming display, even without their experience with Ascendants’ “facial expressions,” Severin radiated his shock and momentary confusion.

Unbelievable….” He let out, had he been flesh and blood, he would have exhaled it. Severin’s uncertainty dissolved, no matter who Revan, or Rhys for that matter, were, he could not reveal his own connection to Nara and Syran.

With his composure back, the Ascendant spoke again. “This is quite a revelation,[i]” He returned his gaze back to Revan and Rhys. “[i]I must think over this before we can continue. I shall see you both again soon.

That said; Severin left the couple, his mind freely brooding over what he had learned.....

Revan

His brows knit together as the Ascendant disappeared. Rhys gazed at him, “There’s something that has him insecure around us.”

Revan nodded, “If he doesn’t think we need to know then we probably don’t, or we’ll find out.”

Cmd. Xaries

No officer in the command center let out relieved breaths after the last Plys’Iea craft was shot down, for now they had to check the rosters to confirm units as MIA, send salvage detachments to the ruined outposts, and .

But the fighting men and women were able to appreciate some revelry, the marines celebrated humbly inside their fireteams, battalions, and squads.
While the rank-and-file tamely clapped each other over the pauldrons, talked with each other, and pounded gauntlets and breastplates, the Legionnaires were much showier in their celebration.

The heavily armored irregulars danced about, using their thruster packs to spin and accomplish in-suit acrobatics impossible to pull off otherwise.
Alien music played loudly over their external speakers for all to endure. The marines nearest to them moved slightly more eagerly to get back to the staging grounds.

Xaries didn’t order the Legionnaires to stand down in their celebratory routine, there wasn’t any point. Better to let them burn off their excess energy now and not have to deal with it later.
Inwardly, the commander knew better, the 885th never ran out of energy if they could help it.

Emergency Imperial Council Session, Planet Tracâdus, 32:64

“With the exception of Fleet Admirals: Satith, Trayus, and Harlem, everyone is here, and the emergency session may now commence.” The spokesman of the council announced from the center of the circular chamber.

If an outsider were to describe the Structure from which the largest empire in the history of known civilization, they would comment on the general brightly lit, and spacious atmosphere.
But then, only High Naryyn ever touched the surface of the Empire’s cradle. And of those many, only the highest individuals and their entourage could set foot in the Palace of the Patriarchs.

All of the chambers and corridors were filled with the blue holographic lighting and reflections from the gold architecture. Three Patriarchs hovered around the central island were the spokesman and controllers of holographics, while the council sat around the circumference of the chamber.

One of the Patriarchs, Valance, addressed the council members. “As we all know, the insurgents have attacking every border colony and the domains of the loyalists.”

“However,” He said, casting his gaze over his fellow hierarchs. “There have been some major developments on a world far beyond our borders.”

“First of which, is the confrontation with a fleet of the Fallen.” All of the council, and the other Patriarchs shot Valance an incredulous look, or gave a start at the news.
“Second, it would seem that Commander Xaries, leader of the expeditionary force that discovered the planet, has gone rogue, allying himself with the Dark Naryyn and taking much of his expedition with him.”

“At the moment, the alliance has been more inclined to fight off the insurgents than make war with Admiral Satith’s troops, but that does not mean that they are harmless.” Valance looked to his fellow Patriarchs.

“In addition, the insurgents have been confirmed, they are the race we until recently called our honor guards.” Again, the others became shocked into silence, then their anger returned.
“There is also a new alien species that is allied with the Dark Naryyn and their conspirators.”

Life-sized images of the Virtarak, and the Iso Naryyn appeared around the central island. Patriarch Valance, lowered himself to hover beside a particular Iso Naryyn warrior, one clad in crimson armor.

“This is the individual that is believed to have personally corrupted Commander Xaries, many of our loyalists have claimed there is something unique about him, but there is one more important point I wish to emphasize.”

The eldest Patriarch nodded, “You have brought many revelations to us, Brother Valance, speak.”

Valance bowed to the more prominent Patriarch, and continued. “As shocking as the events have been, this is not a crisis, brethren.”
He rose and looked over all in the chamber. “Truly, this is an opportunity, a moment in our people’s grand history that cannot be compared.”

“For we have encountered not one, but three different species, each with their own unique strengths and weaknesses, the Plys’Iea have a powerful war-machine, but they can be driven back in one decisive strike.”
A miniature representation of Nirm popped into existance. “This world is a key point for their campaign, remove this critical element, and we can have the time necessary to assimilate their unique technology.”

Wahn, Valance’s senior, nodded to himself, understanding the proposal. He held both hands as if to evaluate the options. “The Fallen are few, but they are cunning, and are not to be underestimated even if cornered and outmatched.”

“The Plys’Iea are difficult to overpower, their will to win is unmatched, and even our mightiest warships are not completely superior to their own.” The Elder looked back to Valance.

“What merit do these avians have? They are neither masterful strategists nor individually strong.....”

Valance explained, “While not particularly appealing, the Virtarak do have something unique.”
“Their leadership is obsessed with natural selection, willing to manipulate themselves in order to ensure their survival. They are peerless geneticists, the Virtarak know more about chemical stimulation and genetic engineering than any other race.”

“Building upon our own selves....” The third Patriarch muttered under his breath.

“You’ve made a compelling case, Patriarch, the council will deliberate, and then this course’s fate will be decided.” Valance smiled triumphantly after exiting the chamber.....
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The Metal Mallet
post Sep 18 2007, 06:33 AM
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Ooo, more intrigue. Looks like more problems will be coming Nirn's way.


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Lord Revan
post Sep 23 2007, 06:06 AM
Post #38


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A little less action, but partial enlightenment on the some fronts should be appropriate compensation, right?
--------

Severin stood on the edge of the town on Sadrith Mora, in a great many years the Ascendant had not felt so apprehensive. So, Syran truly did accomplish the first step in her plan. And Nara is here, then so shall Syran and this Markus.

The Ascendant felt a sense of foreboding about the warrior, Revan. If all that Syran foretold does come to pass then this one will be the instrument with which Naryyn will be brought together again. But he could just as well be the seed from which all that our respective races have built will be undone.....

Forces and sentient wills were at work here in a volatile battle. Severin knew there could be no unity without an instrument, but by setting this all in motion!
He would have sighed had he still been able, All of us must be tested. All those who have stood against us will rally for a final attempt to vanquish us at our single weakest and strongest time

The thought of everything falling apart left the Ascendant hollow, he should report this to Lord Astratus, he should give Revan the knowledge to prepare for what was coming.
No!” Severin commanded himself. "No, the future is unstable enough without tampering with it further."

Several minutes passed, then he had a thought. Surely, Nara can still connect to me, time has no meaning where such links are concerned.
Tentatively, at first Severin sent a passive pulse and waited. Nothing.
This time he made a more determined effort, spreading his awareness farther than Vvardenfell, across the Inner Sea, ignoring all the insignificant souls who kept him from his goal.

Then the Ascendant felt his probe brush against her mind, and then her tracking his influence back to him.

Marthyn

He didn’t notice the seer has halted until he felt the sudden rush of psychic activity and emotion behind him. Marthyn turned enough to look at his traveling companion.

She was looking away from him, to the east, to Morrowind. In the brief time he’d been under her wing, he’d learned that if she was going to tell him something then she would do it on her own accord, not his. So Marthyn remained silent and scanned the surrounding area for any threats or stragglers from the city.

Then he felt something odd, twin presences rapidly approaching them. The High Naryyn spun back around to spot two Ascendants hovered above, looking down on him.
One blazed gold, while the other was silver. Marthyn instantly recognized the High Ascendant, “You!” The psionist snarled furiously, taking two steps toward him.

“Marthyn.” The apparition replied in a colder form of hostility. Then, suddenly, Marthyn was launched forty meters to his left. He slammed into another hill of snow, the impact and shock of the attack dazing him somewhat.

Norik, the Dominance

Sitting in his quarters, the envoy brooded over the past. Over the course of this conflict, he had begun to reexamine his position and himself more and more. A trickle of memories flowed through his mind.

Zedrah had died two and a half years after Xarkum had been born. Norik frowned, looking at his seal, a oval shaped badge with an intrcate carved figure on it.
He’d been entertaining the idea of becoming an envoy to heighten his family’s standing within the Cradle.
At first Zedrah had agreed, seeing as such prestige would be invaluable, it would be carried down to Xarkum’s children, and there descendants.....

He clasped his hand around the badge, lifted it closer to inspect. Then his wife along with Xaries pointed out that being an emissary would leave him to room to raise Xarkum or be with his family at all.
Norik’s grip tightened on the emblem, his throat clenched, and the flood gates split open. Unable to argue against such a valid point, Norik had begun to withdraw his application.....

Then it all changed, not two days later did the I'caadsi Insurgency begin. The rest of the details were murky to him, but now that Norik looked back and seen most everything for a second time...

After the conflict, after Zedrah was gone, he had tossed aside his withdrawl and vowed to do all he could to turn this around for him and Xarkum.
Xaries, he’d warned him against this, but not even his brother’s advice stopped him. The training, indoctrination, and the things he had to learn to become a voice of the council changed him. Norik had forsaken Xarkum, left Xaries to raise the boy in his place.

The envoy slammed the emblem into the desk violently, leaving a slight scratch on its surafce. What had begun for the good of his family had been corrupted to isolate him from them. Both his hands were clenched into fists with his head hanging above and between them. But finally, Norik lost the battle to hold back the remorse and pain.

This post has been edited by Lord Revan: Sep 23 2007, 06:18 AM
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jack cloudy
post Sep 23 2007, 04:09 PM
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And so we learn more about Norik, and Norik learns more about himself. Wow, now I'm actually feeling sorry for the guy.


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Lord Revan
post Oct 10 2007, 10:00 PM
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Does anyone notice anything about the new character's name, or the companions she mentions?
---------

Fleet Admiral Tobias Satith looked through the polarized viewing station on the Armet's bridge, in the distant darkness he could see the squads of mk-15s flying patrol and the remains of his fleet hovering over the alien landscape.

All of his vessels were given away in the near blackness by the pulsing, electric-blue power conduits that curved along their hulls. Satith turned away from the vista, striding past his crew and out of the bridge. The admiral let the present conflict go for the moment and allowed for his mind to wander.

He remembered vividly the first time he’d killed another sentient, another trainee. The heat from his blades, the perspiration on his face and back, and the smoke curling from the other hopeful’s side and throat... The defeated look on her face.....

Finally, he passed through a uniquely designed door and into the sanctum of the psionist battleragers. The warriors who were meditating opened their eyes and watched as their superior walked past; those who were practicing their combat skills paused briefly to acknowledge his presence before continuing.

These men and women were the pinnacle of psionic techniques in war and mastery of stirring the maelstrom of battle in their favor. Lesser psionists were scattered around, ranging from a century or two and a half in age.

Admiral Satith reflected on how he’d started training, before becoming a commander. His widower of a father had relinquished him to the officials at the age of nine, possibly so he could have a chance but more likely to relieve himself of the burden of raising a son after losing his wife.
Whatever the reason, the admiral-to-be had been a candidate to ease the shortage of professional psionists and officers in the field. He could remember the endless, back to back demands of physical and psychic aptitude even when he and the others could hardly stand or struggle to remain conscious.

Over half of the others had been washed out, too wrecked by the strain on mind and body. Tobias still remembered his last night with Vivian, how she refused to stop muttering about everything from her bunk beside him.
What she had said about her life before being taken by the marines on the frontier, and especially what she’d confessed to him. “I wanted to say it so many times, but I couldn’t, now my time’s up.”

Satith didn’t say anything; he’d just laid there in the darkness. That must have been the end of the last cord Vivian had to sanity, because she’d started sobbing bitterly. The psychic inhibitors had probably been the only thing that kept him from being crushed by the sheer magnitude of her grief.

Tobias sat down on one of the meditation pedestals; he hadn’t grieved for Vivian, ever. Not even felt any particular remorse for being the willing executioner. Satith wasn’t certain whether he would be satisfied if he could feel a small measure of regret for killing his former friend like he had... She had been sincere in her confession, but I felt nothing along those lines for her.

For the first time, he decided to look back on his decision. There was the obvious outcome to refusing the order from his superiors; one of the others would have been saddled with the task.
But what if I had answered her? If I had felt the same just never realized it. Tobias Satith massaged his temples with his left thumb and index finger.

I could have tried to intervene, but then nothing would have changed other than both of us being dead... He sighed, Vivian had died too long ago, he’d need a soothsayer to have any idea of whatever future they could have had, if any.
Fleet Admiral Satith let his hindsight go, the past was impossible to change, he couldn’t reconcile with the first being he’d ever killed. Tobias let go of any thoughts Vivian and allowed the strong, serene atmosphere around him to flood his mind.

Marthyn, Skyrim tundra

Shaking off the cold, he rolled to his feet with a grunt. The snow had cushioned his impact, aside from being very far from where he needed to be Marthyn was unharmed. Nara was moving by now; vanishing and appearing in such a way that she could have been teleporting. But neither Markus nor Syran were letting her get too far ahead of them.

Energy and psionic attacks are useless against them, Ascendants are nigh-invincible that way. Marthyn recalled, "A good physical attack might stun them, but it won't accomplish anything in the long run...

He suddenly looked skyward as thirteen Plys’Iea Vipers hurtled down toward them. The three other combatants noticed the incoming threat as well, and thankfully set their fight aside.

This is a chance to disengage, we’d best use it!” He said to Nara, who nodded from a distance. Within moments the fighters were in their maximum weapons range.
There was a flash and five of the Plys’Iea fighters burst into hundreds of fragments. Marthyn didn’t have time to be surprised diving to dodge the hail of chain gun fire and energy pulses.

As he hunkered down on the side of a nearby hill, three dark emerald mobile armors appeared from the north. Marthyn recognized models like them sitting around that northern facility.
Did they find us this fast, or is there such a thing as bad luck?

The fighters aborted their attack early; whatever had shot down the first five was still at it. During the moment of respite, he watched as one of the mobile armors approached the glowing Ascendants.

Nara vanished a final time as both her attackers were forced to shift their attention. Marthyn was surprised to see the mech mostly unaffected even under the combined psionic and energy based attacks Markus and Syran threw at it.
Then the seer came into view beside him, her dark grey complexion pale and sweatied by exertion. He didn’t ask if she was all right, nor say they make themselves scarce again.

This is the first time I’ve seen her tired, or anything other than sagely and prophetic. Without a word, they left the new battlefield as the shrapnel from the destroyed Vipers began hailing down.

Gungnir

Heat radiated from the barrel of her coil gun and plasma-casters. Now that the fighters were no longer grouped up, she had less of a chance of hitting them. Not that there isn’t sport in trying.....

Then she picked up two energy signatures approaching rapidly. Fusion powered, completely automated, they shouldn’t be too tough. She thought as her legs braced, feet grasping deeply into the ice for support.

Experimentally, she fired a single shot from one of her plasma casters. The Plys’Iea hunter-seeker was thrown back by the kinetic force of the plasma bolt, but its armor plating warmed only slightly.
Perhaps I didn’t give these automatons enough credit, they still shouldn’t be anything more than particularly entertaining target practice.

The thunderous crack of her coil gun echoed over the tundra, the other hunter-seeker was struck in the shoulder, the hyper-velocity projectile punched a hole big enough that it ripped the mech’s shoulder from its torso.
Well, it’s fast, I’ll give it that. But not fast enough to dodge a hyper-velocity sniper shot to the upper torso. Despite the damage, the wounded hunter-seeker recovered and began charging again, now its partner had gotten up as well.

Against her typical preference, Gungnir, moved to meet their charge. Her heavy coil gun detached, its bulk only deadweight in a close quarters fight.
She focused on the left hunter-seeker, firing several bolts until both weapons were rendered useless from the abuse. Her target heated ten degrees; steam rolled off its armor as the accumulated frost evaporated, but continued its charge. The right one was closing as well, galloping on all fours.

With her hands free, the lone Naryyn mobile armor prepared for the melee. Acheron and Kusanagi might be the close range experts, but I'm no push-over either, you automatons.

This post has been edited by Lord Revan: Oct 10 2007, 10:44 PM
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