STGOD 4 Game Thread

[SirNitram]

Once the hookup to the immobile Construct was made, the display lit up. Starting out in what was known as the Delta Quadrant, a single red blip pulsed quietly.

"000-001." Spoke the Programmer reverently.

Then the screen began to show more. Red dots spread like wildfire across the Galaxy; dozens, then hundreds, leaping towards the thousands or higher as it blazed in all directions through the Galactic Disc, coming towards Known Space.

"The realms of the Overseer."

"I see, thank you. Would it be possible for you to tell us how many war-ships the overseer controls?"

"You lack the security clearance for that data." The Programmer replied. "I cannot reveal this data you ask for. It would be decidedly unwise to reveal such to someone who just attacked me, no?"

[Straha]

"You lack the security clearance for that data." The Programmer replied. "I cannot reveal this data you ask for. It would be decidedly unwise to reveal such to someone who just attacked me, no?"

"I understand. Unless you have anything further to say, or unless the ousters wish to ask more questions I think our time here is done."

----------

In space Admiral Santiago stopped thinking. Opening his eyes he turned to the com station.

"Open a tight beam channel to all the command ships in the fleet. Now."

"Channel open sir."

"Ladies and Gentlemen, we have some disturbing news about the size of the overseer's, as we now know his name, teritory. We do, however, have a map of his supposed teritory. As it is I am going to start a long term raid on the overseer's teritory, we will be limited only by our supplies. I would prefer that some of you join me in this attack, though I understand if your nations are hestiant to do such a thing. We will be leaving as soon as the last of the company of our marines left in the facility are extracted along with the remains of our lost soldiers, and after we have sent any salvaged material from the machine back to safer ground. We will be leaving as soon as that is over, this will be your only chance to join us for now. That is all."

EDIT: Formatted to make it easier to read.

[Thirdfain]

Temesvar
Realm of the Blood King

Desan su Candaris and Michi su Hadriel disembarked seperately from their co-worker, Gazin su Miitgar. All of them were professionals of the highest calling, and could be relied upon to complete their duties. While the shot itself had been fired by a man named Binat, whose body doubtless now lay frozen in some Monacoran evidence vault, these three had had an equal part in the death of Raistlin Majere, though of course their rolls had all been far less covert.

Yin su Jhalar was the newest member of the team. Fresh from the training facilities in Elysium, his field experience was minimal, and so, he had been dispached to perform the easiest part of the job. It was expected that under the tutelage of the other three Blackeyes agents, he would rise to the occaision. If he survived this difficult job, he would be well prepared for anything the future might hold for him.

High over Temesvar, on an orbiting trade station, the three agent prepared to do their work.

[Stormbringer]

[AINS Repulse]

Ladies and Gentlemen, we have some disturbing news about the size of the overseer's, as we now know his name, teritory. We do, however, have a map of his supposed teritory. As it is I am going to start a long term raid on the overseer's teritory, we will be limited only by our supplies. I would prefer that some of you join me in this attack, though I understand if your nations are hestiant to do such a thing. We will be leaving as soon as the last of the company of our marines left in the facility are extracted along with the remains of our lost soldiers, and after we have sent any salvaged material from the machine back to safer ground. We will be leaving as soon as that is over, this will be your only chance to join us for now. That is all."

"Admiral Santiago, I am afraid that we are not able to conduct any deep penetration raid. Our ships were not deployed with that in mind nor do I have the authority to order them on this mission. If you will allow time for our governments to confer then perhaps things can be made ready. But until then I must follow my orders."

[Straha]

"Admiral Santiago, I am afraid that we are not able to conduct any deep penetration raid. Our ships were not deployed with that in mind nor do I have the authority to order them on this mission. If you will allow time for our governments to confer then perhaps things can be made ready. But until then I must follow my orders."

"You've got as much time as it takes for the ground stompers to get what they want out of that labyrinth. We don't want to give the overseer any more time than we have to."

[Stormbringer]

"You've got as much time as it takes for the ground stompers to get what they want out of that labyrinth. We don't want to give the overseer any more time than we have to."

"Very well, I fear I must obey my orders then. I wish you well."


OOC: Don't you think you're being a bit rash?

[Straha]

"You've got as much time as it takes for the ground stompers to get what they want out of that labyrinth. We don't want to give the overseer any more time than we have to."

"Very well, I fear I must obey my orders then. I wish you well."


OOC: Don't you think you're being a bit rash?

"Thank you. Glad to have you come with us this far."

OOC: Trying to develop the Admiral a tad more. And yes, very much so

[speaker-to-trolls]

From: The Sovereighn Confederacy of Itsil.
To: The United Protectorates.

After careful examination of the report given to us by the Scourge of Foolishness, we, the government of the confederacy, believe it would be prudent for us to become more involved in the politics of the wider galaxy. For this reason, we believe that our two nations should set up embassies within each others borders, and an exchange of important information should take place, as we are fairly behind in galactic affairs.

[Dahak]

"Ladies and Gentlemen, we have some disturbing news about the size of the overseer's, as we now know his name, teritory. We do, however, have a map of his supposed teritory. As it is I am going to start a long term raid on the overseer's teritory, we will be limited only by our supplies. I would prefer that some of you join me in this attack, though I understand if your nations are hestiant to do such a thing. We will be leaving as soon as the last of the company of our marines left in the facility are extracted along with the remains of our lost soldiers, and after we have sent any salvaged material from the machine back to safer ground. We will be leaving as soon as that is over, this will be your only chance to join us for now. That is all."

Reply from Rear Admiral Eklund, HIMS Dominance

"We are afraid to have to decline your request. We are not prepared for such a long-range deployment. We wish you luck. Eklund out."

[Darksider]

In space Admiral Santiago stopped thinking. Opening his eyes he turned to the com station.

"Open a tight beam channel to all the command ships in the fleet. Now."

"Channel open sir."

"Ladies and Gentlemen, we have some disturbing news about the size of the overseer's, as we now know his name, teritory. We do, however, have a map of his supposed teritory. As it is I am going to start a long term raid on the overseer's teritory, we will be limited only by our supplies. I would prefer that some of you join me in this attack, though I understand if your nations are hestiant to do such a thing. We will be leaving as soon as the last of the company of our marines left in the facility are extracted along with the remains of our lost soldiers, and after we have sent any salvaged material from the machine back to safer ground. We will be leaving as soon as that is over, this will be your only chance to join us for now. That is all."

EDIT: Formatted to make it easier to read.

Admiral Conner responded to the message
"We don't have the supplies for a long range deployment like that, and, from what our scans show, neither do you. Don't be rash admiral santiago, there is no need to attack the machines directly yet, wait a few days and form a larger tastk force. Rushing in with what you have now will only get people killed."

He turned to his comms officer
"Open a channel to the Hajr fleet"

"Channel open"

"Do you have any idea as to how these rust buckets managed to replicate a fully functional cluster?"

[Straha]

Admiral Conner responded to the message
"We don't have the supplies for a long range deployment like that, and, from what our scans show, neither do you. Don't be rash admiral santiago, there is no need to attack the machines directly yet, wait a few days and form a larger tastk force. Rushing in with what you have now will only get people killed."

"We have a year and a half of supplies, which we would share if worst comes to worst. As for not going, if we don't go now we risk allowing them to attack us again, if we do go we can damage them and maybe stop some of their fleets from hitting us."

[Pablo Sanchez]

Aber-Toril

Alexander had closed all but a few portals on the planet, greatly reducing the probability of the mages' return. His counterparts on other former Arcanist worlds were doing the same; he had been informed that Ravenloft was entirely clean of entry and exit points, and that the program was proceeding apace on the worlds of the other signatories to the Treaty of Temesvar.

Meanwhile, the manor of Basil on Aber-Toril was being constructed, and in only a few weeks they would be able to move out of their prefabricated housing.

Elanie's progress had been good. She had mastered the arts of mind control and teleportation, though physical transmutation was more difficult for her. The ability to become a cloud of insects, a dense black fog, or a flock of bats evaded her. It was one of the more difficult skills, because it required the abandonment of her original conception of her body. It might take weeks for her to even begin to control that power.


Estevan
Monacoran Space

Basil continued to wait. His moment of action would come soon enough. He was patient.

[Alyrium Denryle]

"You lack the security clearance for that data." The Programmer replied. "I cannot reveal this data you ask for. It would be decidedly unwise to reveal such to someone who just attacked me, no?"

"I understand. Unless you have anything further to say, or unless the ousters wish to ask more questions I think our time here is done."

----------

In space Admiral Santiago stopped thinking. Opening his eyes he turned to the com station.

"Open a tight beam channel to all the command ships in the fleet. Now."

"Channel open sir."

"Ladies and Gentlemen, we have some disturbing news about the size of the overseer's, as we now know his name, teritory. We do, however, have a map of his supposed teritory. As it is I am going to start a long term raid on the overseer's teritory, we will be limited only by our supplies. I would prefer that some of you join me in this attack, though I understand if your nations are hestiant to do such a thing. We will be leaving as soon as the last of the company of our marines left in the facility are extracted along with the remains of our lost soldiers, and after we have sent any salvaged material from the machine back to safer ground. We will be leaving as soon as that is over, this will be your only chance to join us for now. That is all."

EDIT: Formatted to make it easier to read.

"I do not have the authority to order my fleet on such a mission, and as such will not be accompnying you"

[Straha]

"Now lets see, I didnt order that done, I hgaveorders against it. So we are faced with a bi of a quandary. Either yu are still lying, or someone disobeyed my orders"

"Sir, Spike has hit plateau."

"Right. Well, if you must lie like that, we'll have to treat you harshly."

With those last words Karsus was once again pumped full of more sedatives. Then his bonds were released, and he was loaded onto the transport which had brought him here.

Three Hours later, Estevan System


Three bodies were pulled off of the transports on gurneys, and pushed towards three seperate waiting convoys. Around them represenitives of practically every news organization and hundreds of civilians stood in a throng. The news of Karsus arriving had been "accidently" leaked out, and everyone who wanted to see the butcher had come to see him. The spectacle didn't last long though, within a minute the Karsi were being driven along different routes to the high-security criminal prison about fifty miles away from the little spaceport. The prison itself had cleared out a wing for Karsus, and the standard guard compliment in the prison had been suplemented by thirty specially trained soldiers. Karsus would be kept here for weeks to come, in "protective custody," until the higher ups decided what to do with him.

[Darksider]

Admiral Conner responded to the message
"We don't have the supplies for a long range deployment like that, and, from what our scans show, neither do you. Don't be rash admiral santiago, there is no need to attack the machines directly yet, wait a few days and form a larger tastk force. Rushing in with what you have now will only get people killed."

"We have a year and a half of supplies, which we would share if worst comes to worst. As for not going, if we don't go now we risk allowing them to attack us again, if we do go we can damage them and maybe stop some of their fleets from hitting us."

"Transmit the attack coordinates to my ship. I will ask the emperor to authorize a long term fleet deployment."

[Thirdfain]

Aber-Toril

Elanie sat in the middle of a forest, a mile outside of the temporary estate she had been "living" and studying in for the last few weeks. She strongly suspected that her room was bugged, so she would leave the premises for an hour a night, wandering through the empty forests, gazing upon the abandoned Arcanist structures. She had taken pains to make sure she wasn't being followed. She thought it likely that she was being monitored on long-distance sensors, or by probes tracking her motion from outside of eyesight, but she was sure that no sentient watcher, human or otherwise, observed her on her walks. She would practice the divination-protection mantras, relying on her Blackeyes training to provide what she hoped would be some degree of defense against any metaphysical attempts to monitor her.

Having assured herself of her relative privacy, she closed her eyes and concentrated. Her mind reached back, stretching through memory's spiral. An image, a collection of vivid memories, filled her consciousness. Three years ago...

The blue Hudson sky was blackening into a dark indigo as the world's far-off golden sun sunk beneath the horizon, painting the evening clouds with a hellish pallet of reds, oranges, and yellows. Beneath it, on a broad veranda stretching behind an expansive mansion, a couple sat, enjoying an expensive meal. The larger of the two was a truly impressive man, broadshouldered and muscularly obese- Councilman Frederick, leader of

"I hear, Lady Sandra, that Hudson is so like earth that even her sunsets are like a mirror of the Homeworld's own. But I imagine, your business must have taken you to the mother-world in the past."

Elanie smiled, her full lips giving her smile more appeal and elegance than her lined, middle-aged face might usually project. She had, of course, never been on Mother Terra.

"Your world has much in common with Terra, Councilman. Under your leadership, I see it becoming, as Terra, a hub- With the assistance of the Ackerson Corporation, Hudson would be the premier trading station in the Rimwards territories. In time, Councilman, I could see it becoming the center of a frontier nation to rival the Asgard Empire in splendour. With you, Frederick, at it's fore."

Councilman Frederick was the force which had turned Hudson into the thriving border-world it was today, and he was known for his level-headed leadership. His corpulent body and round, florid face hid a discerning mind which had forged a four-system trade alliance that could, with only a little foreign assistance, become a true force in the region, and perhaps eventually across Known Space. It was perhaps due to this success that the great man was allowing greed to cloud his judgement.

"Ah, Lady Sandra, you flatter me. But please, do not insult my intelligence. I've done some digging. Ackerson's connections to the Basque conglomorate are... worrying. I am loathe to allow the claws of a foreign concern to sink so far into my world's flesh."

Elanie ran a finely veined hand through her abundent, elaborately coiffed blonde mane, acting slightly put-off at the councilman's directness.

"I believe, Councilman, that together, we could come to an agreement which both of our concerns would find beneficial. Of course, I would be forced to stay on Hudson for a while, to iron out the details and ensure that both of our needs are met."

Once again, that smile blossomed across her face. Frederick hid it well, but Elanie knew he was hooked- perhaps in more ways than one.

"But, my lady- would it not keep you from your duties with the Corporation? Surely, an urbane woman such as yourself would have no interest in staying on such a rude world as my own."

Elanie's teeth gleamed in the setting sun. Those who knew her true nature would have seen only a skull's grin, harbinger of what lay in Councilman Frederick's future.

"Oh, no, Councilman. I assure you, it will be my pleasure."


Elanie's eyes fluttered open. She was back on Temesvar, and the removal of Hudson's only leader who may have been able to turn the Hajr's rapid conquest of that chained world into a bloody battle to the last was years in the past, her identity as Lady Sandra but one set of ideals and memories she had adapted.

Ideals, memories- and forms.

Elanie held her hand up to her face. Her milky skin was now tanned, her sleekly muscled fingers now slim and elegant, tipped with laquered nails. She reached to her head, and felt the mass of lovely blond curls where her austere red cornrows had been only moments before. She felt a sensation in her chest she had not felt in months- but it was oddly muted and slowed- the frentic pace of a living Ouster's pulse replaced by Lady Sandra's stately, weak human life-force, that of a woman who had lived longer than any Ouster.

Where Elanie su Madrighala had sat only minutes before, now sat one who even detailed scans would reveal as being a heavily rejuved human woman in her late fifties. What had taken, three years ago, advanced surgery and genemodification to effect, had taken her only minutes.

With a gasp of air and a small metaphysical shudder, Elanie let the memories and form slide from her like discarded clothing. When her eyes opened once more, she felt the strength flood back through her limbs. The rattle of her beaded cornrows filled her ears, and she knew she was as before, undisguised.

"Concept of body, by the Breathstealer!"

She laughed, then, at the trick she had mastered under her guardian's nose. This would come in useful.

Mind awash with new ideas, Elanie turned and began the walk home.

-/ooc- I figure that having assumed so many different disguses and lives in the past, Elanie would find it far more easy to change form when remaining human than she would when becoming a bat or wolf. She'll try to hide this ability from her trainers, if only so she has at least one advantage in a world were she's more or less in the dark.

[Pablo Sanchez]

Estevan
Monacoran Space

The news report came in, Basil's target had been transferred to the maximum security prison on Estevan, precisely as he had predicted. It was the only facility in Monacoran space that had both the security necessary and the remoteness undoubtedly desired to contain a dangerous criminal like Karsus. Now it became a matter of entering the prison, killing him, and exiting. All without being spotted. Basil had worked under far more difficult conditions before.

He had already scouted the layout of the prison from without; as a vampire he could make the beasts of the earth and creatures of the sky his thralls. He saw what they saw, and the avian servants had given him a fine view of the exterior. It was a standard prison, large and boxy. The main wall was a fortified duracrete barrier, undoubtedly reinforced, with towers every hundred yards and a small army of guards. On the outside of this barrer was a tall electrified fence, and another within. It was easy so far, he could penetrate those without detection or difficulty.

The inside was no more difficult. Moving within the outer wall without being spotted, Basil's eyes penetrated the prison as if it were air, and he carefully catalogued the movements of the guards over the course of several days. By the third day of observation, his plan had taken shape.

He checked out of his hotel, placed his various baggage in a rented locker at the city spaceport, and stole a car. He drove it to within five kilometers of the prison and there he abandoned it. His only equipment was a katana in a dark black sheath and a quartet of throwing knives across his chest. He was dressed in the traditional blacks with the cowl of his cloak drawn up across his face to hide it. He made for the prison on foot, running the five kilometers in about six minutes without sweating or becoming short of breath.

Basil now walked casually across the open 'killing zone' that lay nearly 300 meters outside the fence. It was a dark night and he made himself one with it, invisible to unaided human eye. To infrared sensors he was similarly unremarkable, for he made his body slip to the temperature of the world around him. There were benefits to being undead. At the first fence he lept over easily, landing lightly on the other side. There were pressure sensors here, but in the same way that his movements left no tracks he walked over the earth without disturbing it. The main wall he climbed as a spider climbs, and he came down on the other side, defeated the second fence, and was within the prison yard. It was every bit as easy as the previous two times.

Now he mounted the roof of the building itself as he had done with the main wall, and he moved to the box that supplied the air conditioning for the entire complex. He was unaware, as yet, which cell block had been reserved for the containment of Karsus, but it would not be difficult to discover once he was within. Basil became as a black mist and crept into the ventilation system. Had it been a specially built facility, the Monacorans would have undoubtedly had filters of some sort installed on this entrance to prevent an attack by poison gas, but this was but a maximum security prison, not a true fortress.

He slipped out of a duct and reformed himself in a small janitorial closet directly across the hall from the security center. There was no camera here and the light was off, though the hall was watched and well lit. He looked through the wall and door and waited until the guard came past on his rounds. As he walked between the two doors with which Basil had his concern, the Prince injected into his mind the suggestion that he enter the closet. The guard stopped and stepped inside, closing the door behind him. As the man reached for the light, Basil seized him by the throat and stared into his eyes. The man froze.

"Your name?" he asked.

"Rick O'Donnel," the man answered from within his trance.

Basil kept staring. "The procedure for entrance into the security room?"

"P-password is Pyrenees, and identify yourself," the man stuttered.

"Sleep."

At Basil's command the man lost consciousness, and the vampire let him slip gently to the floor. He reformed himself into the image of the fat little man, the sword being invisible itself. He left the closet and crossed to the door to the security room. Basil felt the electrical current coursing through the wall and frame, and knew that it could not be forced lest the entire facility be alerted. He knocked with his left hand on the door.

"Pyrenees. Open the door, it's O'Donnel," he declared loudly.

They checked the camera to confirm him, and a man crossed the floor to throw open the barrier. The door recessed into the wall with the smooth puff of hydraulics and Basil stood face to face with a gruff Monacoran soldier.

"What is it, O'Donnel? This isn't in the procedure," the soldier said. He was apparently a sergeant in rank, his name badge read 'Garrison.'

Basil said nothing and leaned slightly past the door frame. There were seven men, eight counting his friend Garrison. Two were against the other wall with their rifles, the other five monitoring video screens. There was an alarm on the console next to the one in the middle. It was not difficult.

"What're you looking at?" Garrison asked irritably, the behavior of the civilian guard was quite unorthodox.

Basil ended the charade then, letting his disguise disappear as he whipped the sword out of the sheath and up through the man's chin. The blade was black like the infinity of empty space, and more deadly than any other that the Prince had ever owned. Garrison's head fell apart in two pieces and the vampire exploded into the room before the blood could spurt--on his way he triggered the door to close. In less than a second he had crossed the room to the two men with their guns, sending a knife whizzing into the alarm button and disabling it as leapt. Monacoran soldiers both, the guards were highly trained and expert. Thus, they had very nearly slipped off the safeties by the time they were defeated. The one on the right was cut through the throat, the one on the left entirely decapitated. Basil turned to the men at the consoles, who had now had just enough time to realize that they were in danger and that the alarm was now useless.

The first two did not have time to get to their feet before they died, the third was only just rising when Basil stabbed him through the back of the head. The seventh man to die had begun to turn and his head was sliced apart at the level of his eyebrows. The final man managed to catch a glimpse of Basil before the vampire delicately swung the very point of the blade through his eyes, lightly scarring the bridge of his nose and blinding him quite permanently.

In this same motion Basil sheathed his sword and grabbed the soldier by the throat. The man had clapped his hands to his eyes and was now screaming, though not nearly loudly enough for anyone to hear. Basil lifted him a foot from the ground with one hand and put the power of command into his voice.

"Silence!"

The man's shrieks quieted to a frightened moaning.

"Where is Karsus?" Basil asked.

"Oh God, my eyes, my fucking eyes," the man moaned.

"Karsus!" Basil commanded again, squeezing slightly.

The soldier twitched, "Cell Block C. You cut out my eyes, you fucker."

Basil smiled like a wolf, "Indeed. How many guards are in that cell block?"

"I don't know," Basil squeezed again, "maybe twenty."

"Does Karsus have air conditioning in his cell?" Basil demanded.

"Yeah..."

"Are the lights extinguished at this hour?"

"God, yes. My fucking eyes," the soldier moaned again.

Basil sneered, "What did you see?"

The soldier began shuddering, he was going into shock and would soon faint, "Black... a man in black, a black sword. God help me..."

"If He existed I would have been forced to kill Him by now," Basil said with a chuckle.

With his right hand he struck a fearsome blow on the soldier's temple, knocking him cold. He dropped the limp body. The wounds were nonfatal, but he would have nothing to tell anyone. Perhaps they could even give him new eyes. Perhaps not. Basil's sword was an evil weapon that cleaved every aspect of those whom it had injured--body, mind, and soul. More likely than not, even the most delicate and perfect artificial eyes would give him no sight; that part of his mind and soul that related to his vision had been poisoned and surely as the orbs themselves had been sliced.

The vent leading back into the ventilation system was directly above him, Basil became the mist again and rose up into it. This time he guided himself down into the very cell in which Karsus slept. Before reforming, he curled around the lone camera that monitored the room and manifested a finger of his will, the device cracked and was destroyed. Basil then reformed and seated himself on the little metal chair provided. He stared the figure in the bed for some time.

Karsus rolled over and looked at him, "Well?"

"Well," Basil replied, "here we are."

"Yes. Shall I cast a spell or call for the guards, Basil?" the mage asked.

"You would not be able to finish the first syllable 'ere I cut you to bits, mage," Basil declared.

"I know. You'd better get going, then. I just never thought it would end in a place like this," Karsus said.

Basil stood and drew his sword, "I always knew that when I finally slew you and finished my revenge that your life's work of ten thousand years would be sundered, your country disgraced and driven from our universe, and your very name spoken as a curse upon the lips of whole nations. As Tamerlane said of Bajazeth's humiliation, 'it is my will, I will have it so.'"

"The machines beat us, leech, not you," Karsus said defiantly.

Basil said nothing, he merely stabbed the arcane mage through the heart. He sheathed his sword and seated himself again, waiting for the mage to fully expire. When all life had disappeared from the body and he was entirely certain of the death of his hated enemy, Basil stood again and dipped his right hand in the pool of blood that collected beneath the mattress. Then he pressed his right against the glass screen that served as the door of the cell, leaving the clear red imprint of his hand. No agency in any nation had collected his fingerprints, there was no danger of discovery through this act. This was but his calling card, the method by which the well-informed had always known his works of assassination. Basil the Red-Handed was his name.

He flowed up into the vent again, and this time he was gone. In a few minutes, the patrol of the Monacoran guards would find the corpse, and the massacre in the security room would be discovered. But no earthly conception could explain how it had been done. Whatever suspicions might arise would find no purchase in physical proof.

[Stormbringer]

[AINS Repulse, Former Mechaniod System]

It seemed that nothing was going to talk the insane Monarocan Admiral out of his suidical big for vengeance. All that was left to do was notify the Monies that one of their admirals had gone loony. The matter was well and truly out of his hands.

"Good luck and good hunting. Stryborn out."

With that the Repulse cut it's comms channel to the former Jardian warship.

"Get the Admiralty on the ansible. No doubt they'll want to know that one of the Monacoran's flag officers has flipped his lid."

"And get the squadrons ready for transit. As soon as we can be done with this rock, the better."

* * *

Shortly there after the ships of the Asgard fleet were ready for their transition to hyperspace. They would depart as soon as the Mechanoid presence had been cleasned by a good, solid orbital bombardment.

[Stormbringer]

[Asgard Imperial Intelligence, Anonymous Conference Room]

"So Mister Kenyion, you claim to have divined the entire secret plans of the conspirators? A task that the rest of those assigned to this mess have conspicously failed to do, I might add."

"Regardless of what others might or might not have achieved, I know what I've got. It all tracks once you put all the details together. It's not a perfect picture but all the peices fit, sir. There's no other explanation."

"You do realize what this means. And what'll happen if you're wrong?"

"Yes, sir I do."

"Good, because I'm going to pass this up the chain. If your theory is correct and the conspirators found outside help from that direction, well heaven help us."

[Thirdfain]

Chambers of the Speaker
Eketrina
Hudson System

The Speaker was suspended in her opulent grav-bed, stretched out to all of her radiation-tanned six feet, her short red hair unbraided and divested of it's ceremonial beads fanning out like a downy halo about her head.
Sayus, asleep, was curled into a ball next to her.

She enjoyed times like these, the brief moments late in the Third Shift when she could just hang in comfortable warmth, ensconsed in the grav-bed's fabulously expensive waves, surrounded in a cloud of her and Sayus' mutual sweat. She was free, for an hour or so out of the trishift Ouster day, to just think, to meditate on her dreams, and the information which had come to her ears. Like a spider in her web, the pulled in tidbits of juicy information over the course of the day. This was her chance to digest- and digest she did, in particular the words she had recieved from Estevan and the Inevitable Ascendence. Those juicy tidbits floated through her head, mingling, like potassium and water in the depths of her skull- and like those two reactive metals, they prompted an explosion.

Shaken from her revery, the Speaker launched herself from the bead, and, still naked, thumbed her platinum-inlaid communicator.

"Bondwoman Ambassador Aleksandra su Jhalar! I must speak with you. Immediatly."

[Stormbringer]

[Munin Navel Base, Valhalla System]

Several Battle Fleets had been assembled along with four augmented Battle Cruiser Squadrons. The massive array of capital ships was the largest of it kind sinde the Floater Wars. They were beinging readied in as near total secrecy as possible, which in the Asgard Empire meant very quitely indeed.

The plans had arranged shortly before. The target would simply be attacked with out warning and with out a chance for mercy. It was to be a hard, swift strike. A long draw out conflict was in no one's best interest and so, this.

All was nearly in readiness.

[Stormbringer]

To: All Friendly Nations
From: Asgard Foreign Office
Re: Formal Investment

There will be ceremony in two weeks time marking the formal investment of the Lord Stonebow as the formal Fief-Lord of the LK 242 System. There will be the formal investment ceremony held in the Grand Hall of the Imperial Palace followed by a informal reception later on the Palace's West Gardens.

All friendly nations are welcome to send a representative. Please RSVP so that proper arrangements can be made.

[Straha]

Far Point, Monacoran Military Command Headquarters

"...To summarise, my prince, the ships would have weapons just strong enough to knock out freighters and similar ships in one blast. Shielding would be moderate, similar hull integrity. They would be fast, and would have the two FTL drives. Sensors would be above average similar with the cloak, and the major downside would be the slower than light drives and the living conditions. We'd be able to pump out dozens a year at this readiness, and if pushed up to full militarization we'd have the potential to pump out up to two hundred a year."

The Prince closed his eyes for a minute.
"Raeder, what would the remaining ship-building potential be, assuming we continue the Ares project?"

"We'd be able to a full Jar-tech fleet roughly every year, and if we went to full militarization, two a year. Army transport production would meet standards, and Ares production would meet whatever rate the Marines could produce them with."

"Good, good job Admiral. I'll let you know what whether we give the approval later. Priest, what do you want?"

The Priest, the commanding Admiral of the Navy named so because he had been the high priest of the Navy before moving to the command branch, stood up.

"My Prince, bad news. Admiral Santiago reports sucess, and he says they have a map of the Siliconoid teritory."

Suddenly the holo-projector came to life, the map which Santiago had found coming into existance in front of them.

"My Prince, it gets worse the Ad.."

"Shut it. With human a production rates, how many ships do these things probably have?"

"Thousands sir, maybe tens of thousands."

"FUCK! Get Andorra on the line now, tell the Prince there that parliment is to know that we have a reason to go to full war footing now, we'll release it in closed session with them. Now, what's this worse news?"

"Santiago is going on another one of his mad-men chases, he's going on a long term mission to cut a swath through the Siliconoid planets."

"Right, you can't stop him now, in a week contact him again and tell him to come back here or his ass will be subject to spontaneous decompression. Raeder, prepare the Jardanian shipyards for full production capacity, you might get your plan after all."

The prince stormed out of the room, stopping to talk to an aide just outside the door.

"Get every nation that agreed to help us fight the Siliconoids here tommorow. Tell them that it's URGENT, if they can't make it it's their problem. Also tell the Ousters and Krytosian that I want to see their delegation seperatley as well. Go get it done!"

As he continued to his office he was once again interupted, it was turning out to be one of those days, by General Fedayn.

"I TOLD YOU! I told you we should of guarded Karsus with Spec Ops. He's dead now, DEAD! What are we going to do about it?"

The Prince stared silently.

"Fedayn we've bigger things to worry about, go in there talk to the Priest. He'll tell you what we've got to deal with, and then you'll see why a lone wizard with a bloated ego doesn't matter any more. Then get to my office in five minutes, we've got work ahead of us."

[Stormbringer]

TO: Monacoran Command
FROM: Asgard Foreign Officer
RE: Meeting

You requested a meeting? We presume this is regarding your AWOL Admiral and his crusade?

[Straha]

TO: Monacoran Command
FROM: Asgard Foreign Officer
RE: Meeting

You requested a meeting? We presume this is regarding your AWOL Admiral and his crusade?

It involves that, more will be explained after you arrive.