Bil
Prince of Space
Didn't have a chance over the weekend, but I'll surely get to it tomorrow!
SLYNES - Swirly Lights Yonder, a Never Ending Story
- Thread starter Bil
- Start date
Compaction
In high orbit over the planet Thaej, a great skeletal, mechanical structure was coming together. This elegant, tubular scaffold held within it the product of years of struggle and effort. A long series of flat, horizontal ribs formed the exterior of a long, tapered craft. At its front, a trident holding a complex, shielded apparatus rested, its coils inactive.
Throughout the facility, several clamps released, unheard in the silence of space. The test vessel’s main drives activated, slowly pushing it out of its cradle, gathering speed and rapidly increasing the gap between itself and the planet. In preprogrammed, perfect maneuvers, the vessel aligned itself to a designated vector. Faster and faster it raced, the strange mechanism at its front beginning to flash and spark. Energy arced along the length of the metal coils, before meshing together into a constant, brilliant glow.
Far away in the scaffold, two technicians confirmed their preparation, and activated the charged system.
From the perspective of the vessel, space warped around it, the distant suddenly drawing infinitesimally close, in a mind-breaking, vertigo-inducing Hitchcockian Zoom. The technicians saw the vessel momentarily pause, before suddenly warping tremendously in length and through a flurry of colour, the front accelerating off into the distance a split second before the rear could catch up.
Then, it was gone. The two Hlethans rested in silence, eyes expectantly on the data screens. It was a brief, but tense wait before footage resumed. The display systems suddenly began to display the test vessel again, as it broadcast from a low-density region several light-minutes above the system’s plane.
The two technicians stared at the data feeds for a few more seconds. The first then returned to work, while the second stared for a few more seconds. It was a powerful moment, one which could have triggered a great deal of reactions. This particular individual felt something he had not often felt before- wonder. Amazement at the magnitude of this development. Yes, it was only a contract, but what had been done here had never been done before. Of all of the intelligences in existence, only he and his partner possessed the experience of having triggered such a momentous event. It was... inexplicable.
He would continue to ponder for a great deal of time longer.
In high orbit over the planet Thaej, a great skeletal, mechanical structure was coming together. This elegant, tubular scaffold held within it the product of years of struggle and effort. A long series of flat, horizontal ribs formed the exterior of a long, tapered craft. At its front, a trident holding a complex, shielded apparatus rested, its coils inactive.
Throughout the facility, several clamps released, unheard in the silence of space. The test vessel’s main drives activated, slowly pushing it out of its cradle, gathering speed and rapidly increasing the gap between itself and the planet. In preprogrammed, perfect maneuvers, the vessel aligned itself to a designated vector. Faster and faster it raced, the strange mechanism at its front beginning to flash and spark. Energy arced along the length of the metal coils, before meshing together into a constant, brilliant glow.
Far away in the scaffold, two technicians confirmed their preparation, and activated the charged system.
From the perspective of the vessel, space warped around it, the distant suddenly drawing infinitesimally close, in a mind-breaking, vertigo-inducing Hitchcockian Zoom. The technicians saw the vessel momentarily pause, before suddenly warping tremendously in length and through a flurry of colour, the front accelerating off into the distance a split second before the rear could catch up.
Then, it was gone. The two Hlethans rested in silence, eyes expectantly on the data screens. It was a brief, but tense wait before footage resumed. The display systems suddenly began to display the test vessel again, as it broadcast from a low-density region several light-minutes above the system’s plane.
The two technicians stared at the data feeds for a few more seconds. The first then returned to work, while the second stared for a few more seconds. It was a powerful moment, one which could have triggered a great deal of reactions. This particular individual felt something he had not often felt before- wonder. Amazement at the magnitude of this development. Yes, it was only a contract, but what had been done here had never been done before. Of all of the intelligences in existence, only he and his partner possessed the experience of having triggered such a momentous event. It was... inexplicable.
He would continue to ponder for a great deal of time longer.
The dark shape glided across the surface of the lake. The skies were cloudy, the moons light could not penetrate to the surface. The man in the boat rowed silently towards his destination, nearly invisible to anyone who might be looking in his direction. For that, he was happy.
He reached the other side of the lake, his destination. His trek had taken him nearly a month, but it was finally almost over. The danger was over, at least for now. Climbing out of the small rowboat and hiking up the shore, through the tall, thick vera that grew over most of the open ground in the south, he found what he was looking for.
Kogaga? a whispered voice asked him.
Doga. his reply.
Up stood four figures, hidden just moments ago by the surrounding vera. They were all armed with ancient repeating cordite weapons. Three of the Ivkings in the squad circled around, forming security, while the squad leader who asked the challenge, stepped towards the new arrival in the center of the circle.
You are late. he said gruffly, obviously angry at the new ones tardiness.
The newcomer nodded, annoyed. He was of average height for an Ivking, about seven feet tall. His horns were cut down to nubs, as was customary of the northern tribes, as was his facial hair shaved and his skin there tattooed. At the same time, though, he was portly and weak. One look at him and anyone would know he would never die a warriors death. However, to anyone who saw him now, these features would have been unnoticeable for he wore a large hat and a face scarf, as well as a commoners baggy clothing to help hide him from suspicion. Just take me to the chief. he said, wanting to get this over with as soon as possible. He had no love for the southerners.
As you say, milord. the squad leader replied. He made a rapid twirling gesture with his right arm and the squad fell in, squatting around them. He gave them the order to move out and, together, they headed off towards the village.
The group of five arrived at the village less then an hour later. It was very well defended, large steel walls surrounded the town, with anti-air towers set up at the corners. Machine gun and anti-armor positions were set at regular intervals with firing slits through the walls all in preparation for any possible attack against their home. The squad leader halted the group as they reached the main gate. He reached into the pocket of his uniform and pulled out a slip of paper and passed it through a small hole in the gate. A guard on the other side took it and, a moment later, the gate opened with a loud banging noise. The group headed in.
They headed towards the center of the village, in the direction of the Chiefs hut. When they reached it, the squad leader bowed, all not together quite pleasantly, towards the northerner. The northerner returned his own half-hearted bow and stepped into the chiefs audience chamber as the squad left to report in to their commander.
After about ten minutes of waiting, the Chief entered the room. He wore no shirt or helmet, had a pierced nose and the hare along his neck was braided. He was a mottled color, mostly red with a few white spots here and there. Even for an Ivking, he was impressively large. He bowed with respect to the man in his chamber.
Welcome to my village, ambassador. I do hope you didnt have a hard time getting here? he asked in a polite, deep voice.
The ambassador, after finally ending his month-long journey through enemy lands was not feeling quite as happy as he would otherwise, but bowed back in respect, and removed his hat. Yes, milord. There were a couple of close calls, as is to be expected, but in all it was a fairly uneventful trip.
This is good, I am glad to hear these things. Now, I say the pleasantries are over, we should get right down to business as soon as possible. He still wore a friendly expression on his face, but his tone of voice had changed to show he was serious.
A young female entered the room, carrying a platter with drinks on it. Mead? she offered. The chief nodded, and took a cup. The ambassador, on the other hand, shook his head and waved her away. She left the room at once, bowing and backpedaling at the same time.
Yes, I agree. Anyhow, I assume your forces, and the forces of your fellow tribes will be ready? The chief nodded, not saying a single word. The ambassador nodded in return, and continued. Good. King Delgner and the rest of the northern princes are prepared to launch their forces in three weeks time against the Confederacy. You have no setbacks? No issues to bring up before we commit to the attack that might hamper our efforts? The chief shook his head this time, still not talking. The ambassador stared at him, trying to tell if he was lying. He seemed genuine. Okay then. We must go over the finished plan. Remember, the goal of this campaign is to wipe out the Clans once and for all, we cannot fail here, he leaned in close, going over the strategy.
------
Magnus stared across the river at the Kings land. Next week would mark his twentieth year in Clan Vorochs army. That was longer then anyone else in his brigade, if he hadnt been such an outstanding warrior, he and his clan would be ashamed of him. As it was, he was considered by many to be a true veteran. If everything stayed peaceful, after next week he would finally retire from the line and train new recruits. He hoped someone would be invaded to prevent that.
He held the rank of Master Lance Captain. That meant he was the highest ranking non-noble in the clan. It also meant he had a say in the defenses of clan territory.
Lance Cap, I understand where youre coming from, but I honestly do not believe the enemy will ever attack from that stretch of river. The water gets mighty shallow there in parts. I dont think their boats would be able to get across without getting beached on a sandbar. the young Knight Lieutenant explained.
Magnus sighed. This new officer was giving him such a headache. He couldnt believe how thick someone would have to be to ignore such an obvious weakness in their defense. With all due respect, sir, the enemy is not dumb. Theyre going to know well be defending the most likely crossing points. Theyre going to try to cross somewhere were not expecting and this is certainly a spot we would not be expecting. All Im saying is, put one battalion here to defend it, and mine this stretch of river. If any of them try crossing, well send them to Halvalla before they even knew what hit em. As he talked, the water in the air condensed around the air he exhaled. It was cold along the northern border.
Now it was the KLs turn to sigh. Okay okay fine. But I honestly believe the barbs wont try anything here. But I see how insistent you are, Ill see what I can do. I cant promise anything but Ill see.
Magnus frowned on the inside. New officers were always arrogant, never wanting to take their lance captains advice. But they always learned, those who survived, anyways. Thank you, sir. he said, not letting how he felt show. He raised his right hand to the tip of his right horn, saluting. When the salute was returned he turned around and headed back to his observation bunker further down the line.
He walked in the small, concrete structure. Satellite images were good and all, but nothing could beat reconnoitering the enemy with ones own eyes. Inside the bunker were two other warriors, a lance cap and a senior recruit. Gentlemen, he said in greeting as he headed to the viewport and grabbed a pair of binoculars. He set his L300 magnet powered rifle against the wall and brought the binoculars up to his eyes.
Normally he didnt see much. A few fishermen here or there, maybe a logging truck moving through the forest on the other side of the river. But today there was absolutely no activity. That was even more strange then usual. He looked over his shoulder at the two warriors who were now playing cards in the back of the room. You boys seen anything unusual today? he grunted at them.
Not today, lance captain. the other lance captain said, without looking up from the three cards in his hands.
Magnus stroked his beard, thinking it over. There wasnt anything too out of the ordinary, but at the same time something felt weird. He was used to seeing the same three or four fishing vessels out on the water all day long, but they were gone. There wasnt a distant sound of loggers, either. Just my nerves, he thought, as he brought the binocs up to his eyes again, probably just my nerves
------
Fenric Alexandrochs sat in his office, looking over concerning reports. The documents stated that over the past few months more and more Barbarian infiltrators had been caught by various clan armies. The problem was, none of them would talk, all choosing death over informing.
He scratched his head, he was worried. Sure, the occasional intruder would get picked up, usually somewhere along the northern or southern border. Most of the time it was a lone man scouting a border town to lead a raiding party against, but nothing too serious. Lately, however, infiltrators had been picked up by central clans, and northern spies had been picked up in the south, and vice versa.
The north and south shared no love for each other, Alexandrochs knew that. As leader of the Ivking Confederacy of Clans (the largest such type of nation that existed on Halvalla) he shared no love for neither. What was even more concerning was reports coming back from his own spies stating that the northern barbarian clans were uniting together, as were the southern. He knew he would have to do something about this. When the clans were squabbling amongst themselves it was easy to keep them at bay, but to have two large, organized rivals on either side of his own boarder? That was something that had never happened in the history of the ICC.
He called in the warlord of the various clans. He hated bringing them all together like this, but knew it had to be done. He had to let them know of the impending threat they might be facing.
There were about sixty or so total clans that belonged to the ICC. All their warlords lived in the Alexandrochs clan capital city of Skjormbald, so that Alexandrochs could keep an eye on them and keep them informed. (He was a direct descendant of the first Grand Warlord, Alexandrochs the Fierce.) Now it would be time for him to enter the Chamber of Clans to let the others know what was going on.
As was customary, the various warlords entered the chamber first, with the grand warlord entering last. The room was large, seats arranged in a half circle, each row higher then the one behind it. They all faced in towards a podium, set below all of the seats. This is where Fenric stood.
Hail. he said, speaking into the microphone. The rest of the warlords echoed him back. I summon you all before me today to share some disturbing news. It appears ever more likely that we may soon find ourselves facing a very well, organized enemy, possibly to our north and south.
Gasps ran through the audience, at least among the leaders of the clans who had not heard any of the reports Alexandrochs was speaking of. Many shook their heads, disbelieving. The grand warlord waited for the commotion to quiet down before he continued. Over the past few months, reports from our spies in the north and south have stated the various clans and tribes in these regions seem to finally be unifying. We do not know the extent of their cooperation, or even if these reports are totally honest. What we do know for sure, however, is that barbarian scouts have been found deep in ICC territory. We have even found southern infiltrators in the north, and northerners in the south. These are startling findings indeed.
More shock spread through the audience. More shouts of denial and disbelief. Again, Alexandrochs waited for the crowd to calm down before he continued. As things stand, I believe it would be in the best interest of the Confederacy if all of the clans here would send their armies to the north and south to repel any possible invasion.
Now there was anger. The various warlords were used to handing control of their armies over to the grand warlord during times of war, but peace was different. A warlord without an army was no warlord at all. I will not hand my army over to ICC control unless there is disreputable evidence the barbs are planning something! someone shouted. You selfish bastard, we cant take any risks! someone shouted back. It wouldnt be long before fights broke out.
Silence! Fenric yelled into the mic, at the top of his lungs. The other warlords quieted immediately. Now, listen, and listen well. I am the grand warlord of the ICC. I would not call upon the Clans armies unless I believed there was a true threat to the Confederacy. You will send your warriors where I want them to go, and you will do it without resentment. just as he was finishing, one of his aids ran into the room looking anxious. Alexandrochs looked at him with concern.
Sir, he half panted, half whispered. Sir, it appears we are facing attacks along both our northern, and southern borders.
Alexandrochs stiffened, then turned to the audience. When he finished speaking, there was no doubt hed get all the warriors he needed.
He reached the other side of the lake, his destination. His trek had taken him nearly a month, but it was finally almost over. The danger was over, at least for now. Climbing out of the small rowboat and hiking up the shore, through the tall, thick vera that grew over most of the open ground in the south, he found what he was looking for.
Kogaga? a whispered voice asked him.
Doga. his reply.
Up stood four figures, hidden just moments ago by the surrounding vera. They were all armed with ancient repeating cordite weapons. Three of the Ivkings in the squad circled around, forming security, while the squad leader who asked the challenge, stepped towards the new arrival in the center of the circle.
You are late. he said gruffly, obviously angry at the new ones tardiness.
The newcomer nodded, annoyed. He was of average height for an Ivking, about seven feet tall. His horns were cut down to nubs, as was customary of the northern tribes, as was his facial hair shaved and his skin there tattooed. At the same time, though, he was portly and weak. One look at him and anyone would know he would never die a warriors death. However, to anyone who saw him now, these features would have been unnoticeable for he wore a large hat and a face scarf, as well as a commoners baggy clothing to help hide him from suspicion. Just take me to the chief. he said, wanting to get this over with as soon as possible. He had no love for the southerners.
As you say, milord. the squad leader replied. He made a rapid twirling gesture with his right arm and the squad fell in, squatting around them. He gave them the order to move out and, together, they headed off towards the village.
The group of five arrived at the village less then an hour later. It was very well defended, large steel walls surrounded the town, with anti-air towers set up at the corners. Machine gun and anti-armor positions were set at regular intervals with firing slits through the walls all in preparation for any possible attack against their home. The squad leader halted the group as they reached the main gate. He reached into the pocket of his uniform and pulled out a slip of paper and passed it through a small hole in the gate. A guard on the other side took it and, a moment later, the gate opened with a loud banging noise. The group headed in.
They headed towards the center of the village, in the direction of the Chiefs hut. When they reached it, the squad leader bowed, all not together quite pleasantly, towards the northerner. The northerner returned his own half-hearted bow and stepped into the chiefs audience chamber as the squad left to report in to their commander.
After about ten minutes of waiting, the Chief entered the room. He wore no shirt or helmet, had a pierced nose and the hare along his neck was braided. He was a mottled color, mostly red with a few white spots here and there. Even for an Ivking, he was impressively large. He bowed with respect to the man in his chamber.
Welcome to my village, ambassador. I do hope you didnt have a hard time getting here? he asked in a polite, deep voice.
The ambassador, after finally ending his month-long journey through enemy lands was not feeling quite as happy as he would otherwise, but bowed back in respect, and removed his hat. Yes, milord. There were a couple of close calls, as is to be expected, but in all it was a fairly uneventful trip.
This is good, I am glad to hear these things. Now, I say the pleasantries are over, we should get right down to business as soon as possible. He still wore a friendly expression on his face, but his tone of voice had changed to show he was serious.
A young female entered the room, carrying a platter with drinks on it. Mead? she offered. The chief nodded, and took a cup. The ambassador, on the other hand, shook his head and waved her away. She left the room at once, bowing and backpedaling at the same time.
Yes, I agree. Anyhow, I assume your forces, and the forces of your fellow tribes will be ready? The chief nodded, not saying a single word. The ambassador nodded in return, and continued. Good. King Delgner and the rest of the northern princes are prepared to launch their forces in three weeks time against the Confederacy. You have no setbacks? No issues to bring up before we commit to the attack that might hamper our efforts? The chief shook his head this time, still not talking. The ambassador stared at him, trying to tell if he was lying. He seemed genuine. Okay then. We must go over the finished plan. Remember, the goal of this campaign is to wipe out the Clans once and for all, we cannot fail here, he leaned in close, going over the strategy.
------
Magnus stared across the river at the Kings land. Next week would mark his twentieth year in Clan Vorochs army. That was longer then anyone else in his brigade, if he hadnt been such an outstanding warrior, he and his clan would be ashamed of him. As it was, he was considered by many to be a true veteran. If everything stayed peaceful, after next week he would finally retire from the line and train new recruits. He hoped someone would be invaded to prevent that.
He held the rank of Master Lance Captain. That meant he was the highest ranking non-noble in the clan. It also meant he had a say in the defenses of clan territory.
Lance Cap, I understand where youre coming from, but I honestly do not believe the enemy will ever attack from that stretch of river. The water gets mighty shallow there in parts. I dont think their boats would be able to get across without getting beached on a sandbar. the young Knight Lieutenant explained.
Magnus sighed. This new officer was giving him such a headache. He couldnt believe how thick someone would have to be to ignore such an obvious weakness in their defense. With all due respect, sir, the enemy is not dumb. Theyre going to know well be defending the most likely crossing points. Theyre going to try to cross somewhere were not expecting and this is certainly a spot we would not be expecting. All Im saying is, put one battalion here to defend it, and mine this stretch of river. If any of them try crossing, well send them to Halvalla before they even knew what hit em. As he talked, the water in the air condensed around the air he exhaled. It was cold along the northern border.
Now it was the KLs turn to sigh. Okay okay fine. But I honestly believe the barbs wont try anything here. But I see how insistent you are, Ill see what I can do. I cant promise anything but Ill see.
Magnus frowned on the inside. New officers were always arrogant, never wanting to take their lance captains advice. But they always learned, those who survived, anyways. Thank you, sir. he said, not letting how he felt show. He raised his right hand to the tip of his right horn, saluting. When the salute was returned he turned around and headed back to his observation bunker further down the line.
He walked in the small, concrete structure. Satellite images were good and all, but nothing could beat reconnoitering the enemy with ones own eyes. Inside the bunker were two other warriors, a lance cap and a senior recruit. Gentlemen, he said in greeting as he headed to the viewport and grabbed a pair of binoculars. He set his L300 magnet powered rifle against the wall and brought the binoculars up to his eyes.
Normally he didnt see much. A few fishermen here or there, maybe a logging truck moving through the forest on the other side of the river. But today there was absolutely no activity. That was even more strange then usual. He looked over his shoulder at the two warriors who were now playing cards in the back of the room. You boys seen anything unusual today? he grunted at them.
Not today, lance captain. the other lance captain said, without looking up from the three cards in his hands.
Magnus stroked his beard, thinking it over. There wasnt anything too out of the ordinary, but at the same time something felt weird. He was used to seeing the same three or four fishing vessels out on the water all day long, but they were gone. There wasnt a distant sound of loggers, either. Just my nerves, he thought, as he brought the binocs up to his eyes again, probably just my nerves
------
Fenric Alexandrochs sat in his office, looking over concerning reports. The documents stated that over the past few months more and more Barbarian infiltrators had been caught by various clan armies. The problem was, none of them would talk, all choosing death over informing.
He scratched his head, he was worried. Sure, the occasional intruder would get picked up, usually somewhere along the northern or southern border. Most of the time it was a lone man scouting a border town to lead a raiding party against, but nothing too serious. Lately, however, infiltrators had been picked up by central clans, and northern spies had been picked up in the south, and vice versa.
The north and south shared no love for each other, Alexandrochs knew that. As leader of the Ivking Confederacy of Clans (the largest such type of nation that existed on Halvalla) he shared no love for neither. What was even more concerning was reports coming back from his own spies stating that the northern barbarian clans were uniting together, as were the southern. He knew he would have to do something about this. When the clans were squabbling amongst themselves it was easy to keep them at bay, but to have two large, organized rivals on either side of his own boarder? That was something that had never happened in the history of the ICC.
He called in the warlord of the various clans. He hated bringing them all together like this, but knew it had to be done. He had to let them know of the impending threat they might be facing.
There were about sixty or so total clans that belonged to the ICC. All their warlords lived in the Alexandrochs clan capital city of Skjormbald, so that Alexandrochs could keep an eye on them and keep them informed. (He was a direct descendant of the first Grand Warlord, Alexandrochs the Fierce.) Now it would be time for him to enter the Chamber of Clans to let the others know what was going on.
As was customary, the various warlords entered the chamber first, with the grand warlord entering last. The room was large, seats arranged in a half circle, each row higher then the one behind it. They all faced in towards a podium, set below all of the seats. This is where Fenric stood.
Hail. he said, speaking into the microphone. The rest of the warlords echoed him back. I summon you all before me today to share some disturbing news. It appears ever more likely that we may soon find ourselves facing a very well, organized enemy, possibly to our north and south.
Gasps ran through the audience, at least among the leaders of the clans who had not heard any of the reports Alexandrochs was speaking of. Many shook their heads, disbelieving. The grand warlord waited for the commotion to quiet down before he continued. Over the past few months, reports from our spies in the north and south have stated the various clans and tribes in these regions seem to finally be unifying. We do not know the extent of their cooperation, or even if these reports are totally honest. What we do know for sure, however, is that barbarian scouts have been found deep in ICC territory. We have even found southern infiltrators in the north, and northerners in the south. These are startling findings indeed.
More shock spread through the audience. More shouts of denial and disbelief. Again, Alexandrochs waited for the crowd to calm down before he continued. As things stand, I believe it would be in the best interest of the Confederacy if all of the clans here would send their armies to the north and south to repel any possible invasion.
Now there was anger. The various warlords were used to handing control of their armies over to the grand warlord during times of war, but peace was different. A warlord without an army was no warlord at all. I will not hand my army over to ICC control unless there is disreputable evidence the barbs are planning something! someone shouted. You selfish bastard, we cant take any risks! someone shouted back. It wouldnt be long before fights broke out.
Silence! Fenric yelled into the mic, at the top of his lungs. The other warlords quieted immediately. Now, listen, and listen well. I am the grand warlord of the ICC. I would not call upon the Clans armies unless I believed there was a true threat to the Confederacy. You will send your warriors where I want them to go, and you will do it without resentment. just as he was finishing, one of his aids ran into the room looking anxious. Alexandrochs looked at him with concern.
Sir, he half panted, half whispered. Sir, it appears we are facing attacks along both our northern, and southern borders.
Alexandrochs stiffened, then turned to the audience. When he finished speaking, there was no doubt hed get all the warriors he needed.
Bil
Prince of Space
An interesting tale of cow-viking intrigue! 
I might get the update online later tonight, hopefully. Sorry this is being delayed again, but I hope you all can understand; I just have difficulty piecing the time and energy together, but I promise to get it done soon!
I might get the update online later tonight, hopefully. Sorry this is being delayed again, but I hope you all can understand; I just have difficulty piecing the time and energy together, but I promise to get it done soon!
Indicus had been out tending his livestock when the attack happened. The sounds of exploding artillery was the first clue that something bad was about to begin. The rounds werent landing anywhere close to his field, but the direction of rising smoke let him know they had landed somewhere in our around his home town of Vaarland.
Fear ran through him. He was not ashamed to feel fear, as all Ivkings felt it, but he never brought it up. Soon, however, the sense of fear left him, and was replaced by burning rage. His family was back home in the town, and he was ten miles away, with no chance of getting there soon.
He didnt worry about the Pleemalsha which still grazed on the vera in the field, though a few had lifted their wooly heads up to take a look at the source of the sound, but most had ignored the noise. He raced for his mech wagon and hopped in as quick as he could, starting the machine and setting it into drive. He raced down the dirt road back to Vaarland and glanced at the seat next to his. In it lie a scattergun. It wouldnt do much against armored foes, but by Bos if he didnt try to take a few of them with him before they got him and his family.
As he approached the town, vertplanes hovered overhead, spraying death from the mounted machineguns on their nose at any who dared expose themselves. One of them sighted on Indicus and his mech, opening up with the gun. Bullets sliced through the engine block like a hot knife through butter. The sudden change of speed caused him to fly forward at the same time that a rocket exploded next to his vehicle, sending it rolling off the side of the road and into a ditch.
He awoke about twenty minutes later. His head couldnt hurt worse if someone had hit him there with a sledgehammer. Groggily he checked himself for wounds. He was bleeding out of his forehead, but the rest of his body seemed fine. There were no obvious broken bones or sprains. He fumbled around until he found his scatter gun and a box of 40 shells. He loaded ten into the weapon, kicked the door off of the now upside-down mech, and crawled out.
The sounds of small arms fire echoed all around him. The walls surrounding Vaarland had been blown away in some spots, leaving the town open to a steady stream of infantry and armor. The verts were still flying around, but they were focused on the center of town. My fathers house, Indicus thought to himself. If my family is still alive, theyll be there. Ive got to go help.
He gripped the scattergun hard and headed into the town, through one of the holes the southerners had blown out of the wall. Smoke was thick, and there were many fires burning in what had once been houses. The enemy was no where to be seen, but neither were the Vaarlandians. He was the only soul around, the fighting had moved on.
As he walked quietly down a side street past a couple of houses, he heard the bellow of a female resident from inside a house. He wasnt used to visiting this side of town, and didnt know anyone from here that well, but he knew it was his duty, as Knight Captain in Clan Gortochs army to help any of his peoples needs.
He found the house the screams had originated from. The door was shut, but he could hear the female inside, still yelling cries of help. Without thinking he kicked the door open. A split second later he was greeted by a spray of rifle fire, luckily missing. He returned fire, pumping a shell into the barbarian who stood at the foot of the stairs behind the front door, guarding against unwanted guests.
Get off her! Get your pants on, weve got company! a voice yelled from a room upstairs. Almost immediately afterwards a barb, wielding another assault rifle, came out of the room, also to meet his demise by Indicus scattergun. The final warrior came around the corner as well, clutching at his pants which hung down around his knees with one hand, and pointing a pistol forward with the other. The impact of the pellets hitting his chest sent him flying back into the room.
Indicus ran up the stairs, holding his weapon at the ready, prepared for more barbs to pop up. But, as he entered the room, he found it was unnecessary. What he found there disgusted him. In the corner lay a young female, about the same age as his daughter, who was twelve years old, curled up in the fetal position. It was obvious what had happened to her, as she flinched away and whimpered when he tried to get closer to see if she was okay. Damn the barbs, he thought to himself.
Im not going to hurt you. he said, in a calm, soothing yet still booming voice. She just sniffled in reply, tears poured from her eyes. I cannot stay here, you need to leave. I need to know, are they attacking the warlords house? again, she didnt say anything, just whimpered and nodded. Indicus nodded back. Okay then, get out of here as fast as you can. Head north, bring news of what has happened, we need to stop this.
And with that, he left the house, heading towards the center of town.
------
Kvar squatted in a ditch with the rest of his squad. The machinegun rounds hammered the ground above the ditch, sending frozen dirt and ice raining down on the warriors.
Just a little longer! Boss Gerrik yelled. Hol on tight, it should be coming any minute n- almost as if on queue, a rocket barrage obliterated the ICC machinegun nest. Up an over! he yelled, jumping out of the ditch and leading the charge himself.
Kvar was the only one who stayed behind. He sighted his sniper rifle on the windows of houses visible just above the walls that surrounded the Clan city. He began sighting targets almost immediately. Feds in the windows opened fire on the squad racing towards the breech in the wall below, it was the last mistakes of their lives. Though his weapon may have been less advanced then the mag-rifles of the enemy, it could kill someone just as dead.
Just as the squad made it unscathed into the town, Kvar finished scanning the buildings. No more Clan warriors were dumb enough to show themselves. But firing continued just inside the walls, so he moved up.
His squad was just inside the wall, taking cover behind a one story house with a cellar. The boss nodded to him. Thanks for the cover ou there, Kvar. he looked to the rest of the squad, then motioned around the corner of the house, down the street. Damn feds got the street locked down tight. Theres a destroyer sittin there waiting for us to show ourselves so he can blow us straight to Halvalla, but I dun think he knows were here yet, else this here house would probably be blown to pieces by now. Kvar nodded.
Alright squad, listen up. We goan work our ways through these hear houses, stay off the street as much as possible. We get around behind that destroyer and- but he was cut off as the cellar door beside the squad burst open. An old man holding a pistol popped his head out and started firing away at the squad. Kvar turned and aimed, but before he could get the shot off, Gerriks rifle took his head clean off.
Damn Feds. he said again, and turned to survey the squad. One warrior was laying face up on the frozen ground, a pool of steaming blood forming around his head. Gerrik sighed again. Roth bless his soul. He looked back up at the squad and made some more motions with his hands. The squadies nodded, bashed in a window with their rifles, and climbed through. Right before Kvar jumped in, however, he tossed a grenade down the cellar, just to be sure.
Working through the town of Bos Gift was hard going. The streets and neighborhoods were packed close together, making the blitz they all thought they would have grind to a halt. Yet they still made progress. Throughout the day they fought, house to house, eliminating enemy strong points, but at a dire cost. Over half their squad, six warriors, lay dead by the end of the day. Yet both Kvar and Gerrik lived, and the town was theirs.
That night, as the remaining members of the squad dug in on the south side of town, or dug in as best they could in the frozen soil, Gerrik headed out to check up on his men. He came by Kvars hole last, and hopped down into it.
Good shooting back there, warrior. he said, patting the sniper on the back. Doubt we would have even made it into town if it werent fer your sharpshootin back there. He didnt look at Kvar, but instead looked out in front of the town.
Thanks, boss. You know, that was one tough fight, and it was just the beginning. By Ikol, I hope the Feds keep it up. Sure is fun to kill those bastards.
Gerrik nodded. Yep, I agree with you there. But we got us a long, long road ahead.
------
Sven walked into work late that morning, to be greeted by the buzz of excitement. Everyone was late this morning, so no one cared, and there was only one topic on their minds: barbarian invasion.
He had lived in Skjormbald his whole life, and had never been to the frontier. He wasnt a fighter, he knew he was looked down upon by the big, dumb brutes out there, but at the same time, he didnt care. He could contribute much better to Clan Alexandrochs by being a researcher then by getting himself killed in some far away land. Yet the aspect of war still excited him.
yeah, Vaarland and Bos Gift were just a couple of the cities to be overrun in the first day. he overheard a coworker say to another.
I heard the Gortochs army was all but wiped out. the other coworker added. They way they talked, it sounded like they were watching an exciting sports match.
Sven tried to take his mind off of the current events and focus on his work. He was part of the team trying to develop a more efficient fuel source for rocket engines. It seemed Fenric Alexandrochs had some sort of plan for new rockets, as there were other teams that Sven knew of working to develop quicker engine technology, as well as other space-craft related designs. He didnt know if hed have to change his focus now that there was a war on.
Even though he tried to focus, he was still unable to keep his mind on his work for more then a few minutes at a time. His thoughts kept drifting to the war. By all accounts it sounded concerning, the barbs had made pretty good progress on their first day. The more worrying part, however, was the fact that the north and the south seemed to be working together so well. As far as Sven knew, this was a first.
During the span of his work, he had discovered some new sources of fuel. It appeared the common vera that grew all over the south could actually be turned into a fairly clean, efficient source of fuel, but only for mech wagons and other such machines. It wasnt suited for the demands of a destroyer, let alone a space craft.
For the most part, the work was interesting. It could be tedious at times, which was why he wasnt surprised that his fellow researchers were so busy talking about the war. He just wished it was easier for everyone to focus, the longer it took to get stuff done, the longer theyd have to be here researching. He knew theyd need a breakthrough soon to really get people excited, but for the time being, he was content to let people speculate about the war.
He looked up at the ceiling, thinking about the space above it. He wanted to know what was out there, he wanted to know what might be living out there. But, for the time being, he would have to wait to find out.
Fear ran through him. He was not ashamed to feel fear, as all Ivkings felt it, but he never brought it up. Soon, however, the sense of fear left him, and was replaced by burning rage. His family was back home in the town, and he was ten miles away, with no chance of getting there soon.
He didnt worry about the Pleemalsha which still grazed on the vera in the field, though a few had lifted their wooly heads up to take a look at the source of the sound, but most had ignored the noise. He raced for his mech wagon and hopped in as quick as he could, starting the machine and setting it into drive. He raced down the dirt road back to Vaarland and glanced at the seat next to his. In it lie a scattergun. It wouldnt do much against armored foes, but by Bos if he didnt try to take a few of them with him before they got him and his family.
As he approached the town, vertplanes hovered overhead, spraying death from the mounted machineguns on their nose at any who dared expose themselves. One of them sighted on Indicus and his mech, opening up with the gun. Bullets sliced through the engine block like a hot knife through butter. The sudden change of speed caused him to fly forward at the same time that a rocket exploded next to his vehicle, sending it rolling off the side of the road and into a ditch.
He awoke about twenty minutes later. His head couldnt hurt worse if someone had hit him there with a sledgehammer. Groggily he checked himself for wounds. He was bleeding out of his forehead, but the rest of his body seemed fine. There were no obvious broken bones or sprains. He fumbled around until he found his scatter gun and a box of 40 shells. He loaded ten into the weapon, kicked the door off of the now upside-down mech, and crawled out.
The sounds of small arms fire echoed all around him. The walls surrounding Vaarland had been blown away in some spots, leaving the town open to a steady stream of infantry and armor. The verts were still flying around, but they were focused on the center of town. My fathers house, Indicus thought to himself. If my family is still alive, theyll be there. Ive got to go help.
He gripped the scattergun hard and headed into the town, through one of the holes the southerners had blown out of the wall. Smoke was thick, and there were many fires burning in what had once been houses. The enemy was no where to be seen, but neither were the Vaarlandians. He was the only soul around, the fighting had moved on.
As he walked quietly down a side street past a couple of houses, he heard the bellow of a female resident from inside a house. He wasnt used to visiting this side of town, and didnt know anyone from here that well, but he knew it was his duty, as Knight Captain in Clan Gortochs army to help any of his peoples needs.
He found the house the screams had originated from. The door was shut, but he could hear the female inside, still yelling cries of help. Without thinking he kicked the door open. A split second later he was greeted by a spray of rifle fire, luckily missing. He returned fire, pumping a shell into the barbarian who stood at the foot of the stairs behind the front door, guarding against unwanted guests.
Get off her! Get your pants on, weve got company! a voice yelled from a room upstairs. Almost immediately afterwards a barb, wielding another assault rifle, came out of the room, also to meet his demise by Indicus scattergun. The final warrior came around the corner as well, clutching at his pants which hung down around his knees with one hand, and pointing a pistol forward with the other. The impact of the pellets hitting his chest sent him flying back into the room.
Indicus ran up the stairs, holding his weapon at the ready, prepared for more barbs to pop up. But, as he entered the room, he found it was unnecessary. What he found there disgusted him. In the corner lay a young female, about the same age as his daughter, who was twelve years old, curled up in the fetal position. It was obvious what had happened to her, as she flinched away and whimpered when he tried to get closer to see if she was okay. Damn the barbs, he thought to himself.
Im not going to hurt you. he said, in a calm, soothing yet still booming voice. She just sniffled in reply, tears poured from her eyes. I cannot stay here, you need to leave. I need to know, are they attacking the warlords house? again, she didnt say anything, just whimpered and nodded. Indicus nodded back. Okay then, get out of here as fast as you can. Head north, bring news of what has happened, we need to stop this.
And with that, he left the house, heading towards the center of town.
------
Kvar squatted in a ditch with the rest of his squad. The machinegun rounds hammered the ground above the ditch, sending frozen dirt and ice raining down on the warriors.
Just a little longer! Boss Gerrik yelled. Hol on tight, it should be coming any minute n- almost as if on queue, a rocket barrage obliterated the ICC machinegun nest. Up an over! he yelled, jumping out of the ditch and leading the charge himself.
Kvar was the only one who stayed behind. He sighted his sniper rifle on the windows of houses visible just above the walls that surrounded the Clan city. He began sighting targets almost immediately. Feds in the windows opened fire on the squad racing towards the breech in the wall below, it was the last mistakes of their lives. Though his weapon may have been less advanced then the mag-rifles of the enemy, it could kill someone just as dead.
Just as the squad made it unscathed into the town, Kvar finished scanning the buildings. No more Clan warriors were dumb enough to show themselves. But firing continued just inside the walls, so he moved up.
His squad was just inside the wall, taking cover behind a one story house with a cellar. The boss nodded to him. Thanks for the cover ou there, Kvar. he looked to the rest of the squad, then motioned around the corner of the house, down the street. Damn feds got the street locked down tight. Theres a destroyer sittin there waiting for us to show ourselves so he can blow us straight to Halvalla, but I dun think he knows were here yet, else this here house would probably be blown to pieces by now. Kvar nodded.
Alright squad, listen up. We goan work our ways through these hear houses, stay off the street as much as possible. We get around behind that destroyer and- but he was cut off as the cellar door beside the squad burst open. An old man holding a pistol popped his head out and started firing away at the squad. Kvar turned and aimed, but before he could get the shot off, Gerriks rifle took his head clean off.
Damn Feds. he said again, and turned to survey the squad. One warrior was laying face up on the frozen ground, a pool of steaming blood forming around his head. Gerrik sighed again. Roth bless his soul. He looked back up at the squad and made some more motions with his hands. The squadies nodded, bashed in a window with their rifles, and climbed through. Right before Kvar jumped in, however, he tossed a grenade down the cellar, just to be sure.
Working through the town of Bos Gift was hard going. The streets and neighborhoods were packed close together, making the blitz they all thought they would have grind to a halt. Yet they still made progress. Throughout the day they fought, house to house, eliminating enemy strong points, but at a dire cost. Over half their squad, six warriors, lay dead by the end of the day. Yet both Kvar and Gerrik lived, and the town was theirs.
That night, as the remaining members of the squad dug in on the south side of town, or dug in as best they could in the frozen soil, Gerrik headed out to check up on his men. He came by Kvars hole last, and hopped down into it.
Good shooting back there, warrior. he said, patting the sniper on the back. Doubt we would have even made it into town if it werent fer your sharpshootin back there. He didnt look at Kvar, but instead looked out in front of the town.
Thanks, boss. You know, that was one tough fight, and it was just the beginning. By Ikol, I hope the Feds keep it up. Sure is fun to kill those bastards.
Gerrik nodded. Yep, I agree with you there. But we got us a long, long road ahead.
------
Sven walked into work late that morning, to be greeted by the buzz of excitement. Everyone was late this morning, so no one cared, and there was only one topic on their minds: barbarian invasion.
He had lived in Skjormbald his whole life, and had never been to the frontier. He wasnt a fighter, he knew he was looked down upon by the big, dumb brutes out there, but at the same time, he didnt care. He could contribute much better to Clan Alexandrochs by being a researcher then by getting himself killed in some far away land. Yet the aspect of war still excited him.
yeah, Vaarland and Bos Gift were just a couple of the cities to be overrun in the first day. he overheard a coworker say to another.
I heard the Gortochs army was all but wiped out. the other coworker added. They way they talked, it sounded like they were watching an exciting sports match.
Sven tried to take his mind off of the current events and focus on his work. He was part of the team trying to develop a more efficient fuel source for rocket engines. It seemed Fenric Alexandrochs had some sort of plan for new rockets, as there were other teams that Sven knew of working to develop quicker engine technology, as well as other space-craft related designs. He didnt know if hed have to change his focus now that there was a war on.
Even though he tried to focus, he was still unable to keep his mind on his work for more then a few minutes at a time. His thoughts kept drifting to the war. By all accounts it sounded concerning, the barbs had made pretty good progress on their first day. The more worrying part, however, was the fact that the north and the south seemed to be working together so well. As far as Sven knew, this was a first.
During the span of his work, he had discovered some new sources of fuel. It appeared the common vera that grew all over the south could actually be turned into a fairly clean, efficient source of fuel, but only for mech wagons and other such machines. It wasnt suited for the demands of a destroyer, let alone a space craft.
For the most part, the work was interesting. It could be tedious at times, which was why he wasnt surprised that his fellow researchers were so busy talking about the war. He just wished it was easier for everyone to focus, the longer it took to get stuff done, the longer theyd have to be here researching. He knew theyd need a breakthrough soon to really get people excited, but for the time being, he was content to let people speculate about the war.
He looked up at the ceiling, thinking about the space above it. He wanted to know what was out there, he wanted to know what might be living out there. But, for the time being, he would have to wait to find out.
Bil
Prince of Space
UPDATE ONE
And So It Begins...
And So It Begins...
Much of the galaxy remains silent, as far as anyone can tell, though little by little there have been "noisy" bright pops across the sky, some day to be seen, a few thousand years from now, perhaps by someone who happens to be looking up at the moment. As a few species begin to exert their mastery of science over the fabric of space itself, the galaxy suddenly feels very much smaller. Explorers find dead worlds littering the stars, seeming to have once held countless life forms and resources on many of them, but now being nothing but dull and valueless rock. The evidence of destructive harvesting is plain to see once these worlds are viewed up-close, showing the drained seas, the gouged mining pits, and even in a few places, the scars of war. Still, little evidence remains.
Despite these dark omens, it would seem that habitable worlds do, indeed, exist outside of the homeworlds of the fledgeling starfarers. So far, of the three actively exploring races, only two have found truly habitable systems (and one barely so).
The Geskani exploration fleet encounters the Bu system containing two extremely massive gas giants, one in unimaginably close proximity to its star, the other being quite the opposite. The innermost world is scorched by its parent star, much of its atmosphere being superheated and slowly stripping away in the solar winds; it bears no moons, having lost them to the pull of the sun long ago, had they ever been there to begin with. Many millions of kilometers away, in the outer reaches of the solar system, resides the slightly smaller but far more useful gas giant; its placid blue atmosphere taking up the whole skies of its small grouping of asteroid-like moons. Scattered all about the system are chunks of rock, some useful, others not so much. There are plenty of sites for small bases, but large-scale colonization and exploitation of this system seems impractical. It should be noted that, based on studies of the asteroid bands, there seem to have once been several rocky planets in the system, but they are currently nowhere to be found. The Fallen scientists puzzle over this, unsure of what to make of this relatively pathetic solar system, their morale toward space exploration starting to waver ever so slightly.
Meanwhile, the Satellians have finally put their centuries of slow, progressive development to work and sent out both of their fleets. The first is a near-range exploration mission, hunting the neighboring systems for anything of use, and eventually turning up a star called Jumm Aih that is host to several fairly large gas giants. Sheltered between two of these behemoths is a single small, rocky planet called Ulumm-Bukk with just the faintest hints of ice glinting from under the top soil. The thin atmosphere of almost exclusive nitrogen leaves few effects of erosion on the surface, accompanied by the massive tidal forces exerted on the planet's crust by the neighboring gas giants, resulting in massive mountain ranges all across the rugged little orb. Thanks to its guardian neighbors, Ulumm-Bukk has suffered little in the way of asteroid and comet impacts over the past few billion years. Initial surveys show that this system could support a small population, and might even be an economically viable location for an outpost. Despite their generally mild outlook on things, Satellian society is slightly worn by the historical failings of the scientific community; likely it is now finally sinking in that many lost their lives due to unsafe experiments.
The second expeditionary fleet sent out by the Satellians is actually a long-range mission, seeking to locate signs of intelligent life elsewhere in the cosmos. Not exactly on the look-out for potential colonies (though surely not ignoring them if they ever show up), the crew of this scientific expedition are patiently awaiting to make first contact... some day.
On the opposite end of the galaxy, the Kant have actually found themselves suffering thanks to the exploratory efforts of one eccentric and fairly amoral scientist that nearly caused the extinction of another species. Hardly the best way to make first contact, the Kant are now struggling to repair the damage done to the Parun homeworld, and the expense of the effort is becoming noticable. Nonetheless, the bright side of this tragedy is that they have the makings of an infrastructure already in existance on this world, and the first extrasolar colony of any race has already been founded. As the Kant work to heal the damaged Parun society, their people find themselves becoming a more close-knit civilization as combinations of charity, pity and guilt well up in the individuals of Kant society. Meanwhile, Kant scientists begin to notice certain strange qualities of an ancient artifact once inhabiting a sort of museum, taking note that it isn't of Kant make at all; a fair effort has been started into cracking the mysteries of the object.
In other parts of the galaxy, progress is still made, though no massive exploratory undertakings have been dispatched yet. The Hletho, Nhroaat, Distopterans and Bako Tellians all continue research into faster-than-light propulsion with considerable success, coming ever-closer to traveling the stars freely.
Bako Tellian researches have expanded their scientific understandings, growing ever more advanced as they prepare themselves for the wonders of space flight. Despite possessing the rudimentary knowledge to build their first exploratory fleets, the Bako Tellians have instead opted to perfect the technology even further before risking the endeavor to unproven technology. Their economy is hitting a boom, thanks both to the forward-thinking people looking towards general progression for all Bako Tellians, and the new developments hitting commercial applications from the scientific fields.
The Distopterans finally complete what has been haunting the Queen's dreams of the past few centuries: the first mobile hive is launched into orbit, assembled out of carefully-sculpted biomechanical bits developed over the course of hundreds of years of trial and error. While progress has been slow, the vision of the Queen will soon stretch into the stars.
The Hletho have continued their long, methodical approach to advancement over the past few centuries, assembling numerous spacefaring vehicles and finally completing testing on interstellar vessels. Though they have yet to make that great leap forward, they are getting ever closer to exploring the stars.
Contrary to the progress made elsewhere in the galaxy, the Ivkings have fallen further inward, plunging into what is soon to become a truly devastating world-wide war. As the clans living on the outskirts of the great Confederacy invade the border towns, the great warlords of the Confederation throw their all into defending their land. Dissent among the council builds, though the peril they all face keeps them together, at least for now. The advancement of science has yet to be halted, despite the devastation that has already swept across the northern and southern borders, though it is yet to be foreseen what sacrifices the scientific community will have to make in order for this war to be won in Alexandroch's favor.
The Kekeji are fairly silent in their part of the galaxy, still reeling from the destruction of their homeworld in their all-too-recent global war. Though progress is being made at cementing the future of their species on their new homeworld, they have otherwise advanced little in the ways of making an interstellar presense.
The Nhroaat SsKraed complete construction on a new fleet of interstellar-capable vessels, coming closer to their goals of exploring and settling the cosmos. The final testing of their FTL systems comes to a close with resounding success, and soon they will be traveling the stars.
On the Seipas Yag homeworld, things remain quiet and pastoral. The expanses of staple crops fuel their ever-growing population, and the prosperity that trickles down the lines of commerce is felt by all. A grim horizon is rearing its head, however, as the cities grow larger and larger to house the booming populace, cutting into their ample farmland. Unless measures are taken within the next few decades, starvation will likely become commonplace among the poorer folk.
Lastly, there is little to report of the Amoeba homeworld, other than the fact that the planet is still rather mucky and covered in intelligent slime.
Spoiler AMOEBAS :
Spoiler BAKO TELLIANS :
Spoiler DISTOPTERANS :
Keep 'em coming, and feel free to take a little leeway with this one. It won't necessarily benefit the whole civilization in any way, but the story alone is worth it!
Spoiler GESKANI :
Spoiler HLETHO :
Spoiler IVKINGS :
Spoiler KANT :
Spoiler KEKEJI :
Spoiler NHROAAT SSKRAED :
Spoiler SATELLIANS :
Spoiler SEIPAS YAG :
Spoiler GALACTIC MAP! :
If there are ANY problems AT ALL, PM me and we'll sort it out! Those of you who have explored new systems, I'll be PMing you shortly to let you know the value of the system if you colonize it.
Next set of stories and orders due SUNDAY, OCTOBER 11TH, MIDNIGHT and I'll try to have the next update complete either the following Monday or Tuesday night!
Daftpanzer
canonically ambiguous
Excellent stuff
Megaman_zx
Dark Lord of the Sith
The wait was worth it. 
TaylorFlame
Nuclear Whale
- Joined
- Jan 15, 2008
- Messages
- 435
Where are those missing planets? Its a mystery!
Anonymoose
KING OF MEESE
TaylorFlame
Nuclear Whale
- Joined
- Jan 15, 2008
- Messages
- 435
It's alright. I forgive you. It's hard to control yourself when hunger sets in.
TaylorFlame
Nuclear Whale
- Joined
- Jan 15, 2008
- Messages
- 435
Spoiler The Story of Zuro Part 2 :
Fuschia
A Little Odd
Hilun was cursed. Or, at least, was deemed so by ancient Kant society. The trouble was with his name. It was a giveaway, that his name was so long, consisting of an extra syllable when translated into the Parun method of communicating through the use of vibrations. It told a story, all by itself.
Generally, Kant parents had several children at once, almost never less than three. The rarest of events was the birthing of a single child. Traditionalists among the species still believed those single children to be cursed, bearing the burden of two souls within themselves. Many of the elders still had such children executed at birth, for fear of the problems that might arise if they were to mature to adulthood, let alone be allowed to mature sexually.
Hilun was one of the luckiest of his kind, having been allowed to live, even being allowed the same access to opportunities as those born in larger quantities. He had excelled at his studies, moved past his peers. Hilun challenged the intellect of his elders and was often found to be their equal, if not their better.
At some point, he had found dissatisfaction with traditional Kant mysticism. Hilun could see nothing profound, beautiful, or religious in the rigors of measurement and discovery that were put towards the discovery and catalog of the Kant's inner spark, of their physiology. He became disgusted with the way they obsessed over themselves, in such a way as to elevate their own species to godhood. He wrote a book. In it he extolled the virtues of the unknowable, what could not be found or understood by any means. Hilun put forth the first known unorthodox religion of Kant society.
It was met with pleasant indifference. Hilun would have been satisfied if anything had happened, had it been banned, had it been praised. Instead, it was read by most and ignored by many. Few came to him for further instruction in the ideas of the philosophy, and even fewer came to share his views, his opinions. The idea advanced and flourished, but only within the limited confines of his fellows, his close supporters. Hilun came to worship the unknown itself, attempting to define and catalog it much as the more orthodox Kants attempted to define and catalog themselves.
When Yith discovered the path to the stars, Hilun and his cabal had reached the pinnacle of their power upon Sanctum. They numbered in the dozens, and the elders had finally decided to being acting. Before the atrocities upon the world of the Parun had been committed, Hilun and his followers had been forcibly separated, all chosen for seemingly important missions and sent to separate corners of the world to carry them out. Only Hilun was left, and it was believed that what they know viewed as heresy would end with him.
The elders, however, overreached, attempted to correct things too far. If they had left Hilun to himself, to attempt to rebuild, it was quite possible that nothing would have come of it, that the idea of worshiping something other than one's own species would have been lost upon the Kant.
The elders selected Hilun to lead the first expedition to the Parun home world, to be the second to travel between the stars, the first representative of the Kants to another species. This, of course, was widely agreed upon as a good decision; Hilun's intelligence and motivation would ensure that the job was carried out adequately, and it would remove a dangerous opponent of Kant society from Sanctum, with the intent of never having him return.
It was Hilun who first advised for intervention on behalf of the Parun. He was not fully capable of combat himself, so he did little in the fight against Yith, but it was he who scouted the planet and reunited the disparate remnants of the Parun species and brought them together.
The Parun themselves were not pleasant to Kant sensibilities. Their species had been warlike, fractured, always competing for who could take the most from everyone else. They lived short lives, no more than twenty years, and had not developed complex forms of written communication. They were short, less than half the height of a Parun, amphibious, covered in scales, possessing teeth, claws, and poisonous spines. In short, Hilun realized that the majority of Kants would see the Parun as hideous brutes, so absorbed in the supremacy, the nigh godliness, of the Kant race that they would simply ignore the supposed lesser intelligent species.
There was another side to them, however. While war, destruction, and possession were the main tasks of the short-lived Parun, they were also impressive builders, having constructed a series of roads and fortresses that covered almost the entirety of their relatively small planet, all without the aid of any great technological advancements. From this alone, Hilun saw in them the possibility of redemption.
It was here, then, that Hilun began to become important. It was he who founded the Parun refuges, who brought them together and began to rebuild their race. Just as importantly, it was Hilun who brought to them the technology of the Kant, to do with what they would. Most importantly of all, from the Kant perspective, was how Hilun brought to them the Unknown, the psuedo-religion of worshiping the unknowable that he had developed upon Sanctum. The Parun grasped the religion with a fervor that no Kant had ever possessed, not even Hilun. It was from the Parun that the religion began to spread to the Kant's of that planet, and from that planet back to Sanctum...
Generally, Kant parents had several children at once, almost never less than three. The rarest of events was the birthing of a single child. Traditionalists among the species still believed those single children to be cursed, bearing the burden of two souls within themselves. Many of the elders still had such children executed at birth, for fear of the problems that might arise if they were to mature to adulthood, let alone be allowed to mature sexually.
Hilun was one of the luckiest of his kind, having been allowed to live, even being allowed the same access to opportunities as those born in larger quantities. He had excelled at his studies, moved past his peers. Hilun challenged the intellect of his elders and was often found to be their equal, if not their better.
At some point, he had found dissatisfaction with traditional Kant mysticism. Hilun could see nothing profound, beautiful, or religious in the rigors of measurement and discovery that were put towards the discovery and catalog of the Kant's inner spark, of their physiology. He became disgusted with the way they obsessed over themselves, in such a way as to elevate their own species to godhood. He wrote a book. In it he extolled the virtues of the unknowable, what could not be found or understood by any means. Hilun put forth the first known unorthodox religion of Kant society.
It was met with pleasant indifference. Hilun would have been satisfied if anything had happened, had it been banned, had it been praised. Instead, it was read by most and ignored by many. Few came to him for further instruction in the ideas of the philosophy, and even fewer came to share his views, his opinions. The idea advanced and flourished, but only within the limited confines of his fellows, his close supporters. Hilun came to worship the unknown itself, attempting to define and catalog it much as the more orthodox Kants attempted to define and catalog themselves.
When Yith discovered the path to the stars, Hilun and his cabal had reached the pinnacle of their power upon Sanctum. They numbered in the dozens, and the elders had finally decided to being acting. Before the atrocities upon the world of the Parun had been committed, Hilun and his followers had been forcibly separated, all chosen for seemingly important missions and sent to separate corners of the world to carry them out. Only Hilun was left, and it was believed that what they know viewed as heresy would end with him.
The elders, however, overreached, attempted to correct things too far. If they had left Hilun to himself, to attempt to rebuild, it was quite possible that nothing would have come of it, that the idea of worshiping something other than one's own species would have been lost upon the Kant.
The elders selected Hilun to lead the first expedition to the Parun home world, to be the second to travel between the stars, the first representative of the Kants to another species. This, of course, was widely agreed upon as a good decision; Hilun's intelligence and motivation would ensure that the job was carried out adequately, and it would remove a dangerous opponent of Kant society from Sanctum, with the intent of never having him return.
It was Hilun who first advised for intervention on behalf of the Parun. He was not fully capable of combat himself, so he did little in the fight against Yith, but it was he who scouted the planet and reunited the disparate remnants of the Parun species and brought them together.
The Parun themselves were not pleasant to Kant sensibilities. Their species had been warlike, fractured, always competing for who could take the most from everyone else. They lived short lives, no more than twenty years, and had not developed complex forms of written communication. They were short, less than half the height of a Parun, amphibious, covered in scales, possessing teeth, claws, and poisonous spines. In short, Hilun realized that the majority of Kants would see the Parun as hideous brutes, so absorbed in the supremacy, the nigh godliness, of the Kant race that they would simply ignore the supposed lesser intelligent species.
There was another side to them, however. While war, destruction, and possession were the main tasks of the short-lived Parun, they were also impressive builders, having constructed a series of roads and fortresses that covered almost the entirety of their relatively small planet, all without the aid of any great technological advancements. From this alone, Hilun saw in them the possibility of redemption.
It was here, then, that Hilun began to become important. It was he who founded the Parun refuges, who brought them together and began to rebuild their race. Just as importantly, it was Hilun who brought to them the technology of the Kant, to do with what they would. Most importantly of all, from the Kant perspective, was how Hilun brought to them the Unknown, the psuedo-religion of worshiping the unknowable that he had developed upon Sanctum. The Parun grasped the religion with a fervor that no Kant had ever possessed, not even Hilun. It was from the Parun that the religion began to spread to the Kant's of that planet, and from that planet back to Sanctum...
Vertinari118
Deity
Apologies for my inactivity here Bil. I will pick it up as soon as I have time or make contact with another race.
Megaman_zx
Dark Lord of the Sith
eghhh, too busy, must procrastinate.
Bil
Prince of Space
No problemo!
Megaman_zx
Dark Lord of the Sith
Here's a story, it's not as long as some of the other stories, but it's hard to write about creating a fleet when your race already has the capability of space travel.
Spoiler :
TaylorFlame
Nuclear Whale
- Joined
- Jan 15, 2008
- Messages
- 435
Spoiler The Fallen Rise to Power :
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