“Petro 1 online!” Victor said to no one in particular as he stared at the small refineries in the new cavern. He watched as his larger hauler drones continued to fill the large hoppers as the machine chugged away at turning raw petroleum into naphtha. From there he would convert it into the polymers he needed.
Checking his tablet he left the cavern and walked to Manufacturing to check in on his auto factories. He couldn’t expect to keep using his jump jets to get around. Something would eventually go wrong with them in the field and he would be stuck Emperor only knows how far away from home base.
The factories churned out pre-fabricated parts, as they were completed, drones took them to their proper storage location until he was ready to finish construction. In a few days or so everything would be ready for the nano-forge to finish construction of his personal shuttle.
“Thank the Emperor that I was able to make those connections with Imperial Logistics.” He thought, something like this is highly illegal for non-citizens to own. The added weaponry was also highly illegal, even for a Citizen.
He continued his morning inspections, it calmed him, like his routine in the guard of checking on his men and equipment. Heading back up the shaft he stopped by the meat labs. Peering into the inspection window he saw the dishes that was to be his primary protein resource were currently being grown inside.
Looking over to the progress bar it showed the first of this batch to be ready in fifty two hours. He turned and walked over to Hydro 1 for inspection. He knew he had a few more weeks before it bore fruit, quite literally. But it was much larger, and would supply far more of his, and now Pan’s food source.
The last couple of days had been nice. Once she understood he was not a cultivator, or even from this world she had endless questions. Some about him, but mostly about his wondrous machines. The idea that she could cook without fire, or let a machine clean the dishes, the clothing, or even the Habitat was near divine level power in her eyes.
Well, this was all he was getting accomplished for now, Petro 2 wouldn’t have a space available until tomorrow. He’d have the Nano-Forge start spitting out refineries in the morning and have the hauler drones move them there before setup for the natural gas. He tapped a few more times on his tablet before turning around and heading for the Hab.
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Pan was sure she had died and gone to the heavens, yes, those Ox-Kin must have killed her and this was her afterlife. She must have lived a good life, for she had magical devices that now allowed her to live in luxury. Not to mention a strong and powerful man to spend her time with. She hadn’t quite figured out how to bed him yet, he didn’t seem to catch on to subtile hints, perhaps that was from his life in his army with an Emperor?
She finished pulling out one of those fabulous ‘Pizzas’ from the fireless ‘oven’ and placed it on the glass top ‘stove’ that also cooked without fire. She was learning the language Victor used to explain his magical devices. She did love his accent, it seemed so regal.
She heard the outer door slam and looked over to see Victor coming into the ‘Habitat’. He closed the door behind him and turned to see what she was up to. “I think you may be addicted to those.” He said as he looked over to pizza pan.
Pan picked up the pizza cutter, an amazing wheeled knife and started to work making the slices that would allow for easier consumption. “I have never had anything so complex before. It seems to have all the flavors at once!” She stated as she finished and ran her finger over the cutter to get the sauce before walking over to Victor to offer him to taste it. Maybe that will give him the hint.
Victor looked a bit surprised before licking the sauce from her fingers, she turned and sauntered away, dropping the cutter in the sink before sucking the remainder off her fingers and pulling a few plates out of the cupboards. She waved Victor to the table, another amazing piece of furniture that seemed to be without flaw as she brought two plates over before turning around and reaching into the ‘fridge’ to get out two beers.
She struggled to twist the sharp metal tops off so she gave them to Victor, who seemed to be able to twist a mountain top off if he willed it. He removed them and sat them in the center of the table as he watched her sit. “So, how did your… what do you call them? Oh yes, ‘equipment inspections’ go?”
Victor set down his slice of pizza that he had brought up to blow on to cool. “Not bad, I got the refineries up and running for Petroleum 1. That means I can make more things like this.” He pointed to the salt and pepper shakers. “That’s not glass, like you would expect here, that is a type of clear plastic called acrylic.”
Pan marveled, not just at the fact he could make clear things like glass, but that he could make them in such abundance as to create frivolous things like the salt and pepper shakers.
Victor continued, “The auto factories are hard at work creating the parts for a shuttle craft. This is a small aircraft usually meant to carry up to six people long distances across a planetary surface. After the parts are completed, some of which will need the plastics from Petro 1 that just came online this morning I will use the Nano-Forge to complete the construction.”
Pan chewed her pizza as she thought about what he said. “So with this ‘shuttle’ we could visit anywhere we wanted, anywhere in the world?”
Victor nodded, “Yes, a world is a very big place, and I have no idea how far away this Celestial City is. I need a way to get there, and if necessary, get away from there. I may be stuck in magical not-china, but I doubt there is very much here that can get through even a shuttle crafts’ shields.”
As if that sparked something in his head he reached for his tablet and had it display a hologram above it. Pan stopped eating as she saw it was a globe with water and land, and the land to the west seemed to go around the globe and were not displayed, he had outlined the centermost area in red.
“This is the Celestial Empire as near as I can tell from orbit. There is a continuous wall all the way around it anyways, which is what I have been told. We are here.” He gestured and a little flag appeared. “Now, can you give me some idea of where the major cities are?”
Pan slid her chair over, “Well, everyone knows where the Celestial City is located, she pointed to a location.” Victor nodded and did that pinching thing he did with the tablet that seemed to bring everything in much closer. She stared in amazement, there was the city, from above, li upon li of it.
Victor reversed his pinching motion and brought it back to the overhead view of the Empire, “Ok, assuming Mei gets my communicator to the Empress, we have a destination. According to the ping she is still a few weeks out from the city, which gives me time to plan. If the Empress is human, she may be like me and have technology at her disposal, as well as plenty of subjects with magic.”
Victor sighed, “I hope I don’t have to travel there. With any luck the Empress will simply want me gone and tell me if she knows a way back to Terra, if that is where she is really from she will tell me via communicator and I can be on my way.”
This got all of Pan’s attention. She knew he was trying to get back to where he came from, but this time it really hit her that he would leave. She had to ask, “Victor, if she does just give you the magical spell or send you a magical object to get home, what will happen to me?”
Victor finished chewing his pizza and taking a deep swallow before answering, “I don’t know for sure yet. There are a few problems with bringing you with me. Your ears are not human, and anything not human in the Empire is Xenos. Which would be bad for you, really bad.”
He then took a pull of his beer before setting it down, “You also don’t speak our language, and I doubt you ever would without gene-mod translation. Which is something I don’t have the SBC’s for, and finally, I’m a soldier in the Imperial Guard, which means I cannot fraternize until my discharge from the corp.”
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Pan looked down at her plate, her vision started to blur, she stopped herself, she didn’t want to start crying again like the first day she met him. “So you will leave me here because going with you would be dangerous or deadly to me? You truly come from a dark place Victor.”
Victor looked over to her before putting a large calloused hand on her shoulder, “My galaxy is a brutal one, mankind stands alone against an uncaring universe that would like nothing more than for us to all to meet our end. The Emperor protects, and with his legions he keeps the light of Humanity going. I am part of that legion, and I have sworn a duty to keep all of mankind from being wiped out.”
Victor then sighed, “That being said, I cannot see being able to bring you back with me safely, my people simply will not understand. However, before I go I will setup everything here to ensure that you will be able to live out your life here in comfort and safety.”
Pan dabbed at her eyes with her napkin, “You will leave behind all these fabulous items for me, someone you only met a few days ago?”
Victor nodded, he could use the Nano-Forge to build another hab, gather most of the raw materials his drones had mined and smelted into his Dimensional Storage and still probably come out ahead. “Yes, everything but the Nano-Forge and Nano-Foundry, well, and some of the raw materials, I’ll need those after I retire. Of course, if the way back is easy enough, I can come back for you after my time is up with the Corp and established on a colony world or asteroid somewhere.”
He then picked up another slice of pizza, “Of course, this conversation means nothing if the Empress has no idea how to get me back. If she does not, well, then I guess I will be stuck here forever.” He said as he took a huge bite out of his pizza.
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“Where did they all come from?” Xiang shouted to Mei as they bounced from tree branch to tree branch making their escape far faster than the instinctual bear-kin could run through the dense underbrush of the forest.
Mei clutched the amulet tightly as she concentrated on escape. “I don’t know, but they seemed to know we were there. If not for their smell we would have met the same fate as our wagon and ox.”
Now they were on foot, and they had lost the cart full of supplies. They were at least a day away from the nearest village they could use a calling stone from. This meant staying at a farm house or small hovel they found along the way for the night.
The instinctuals would not stop coming once they had their scent, and the two of them were no match for the eight that she counted. “We have to keep moving and hope that we find somewhere to rest for the night or horses to extend our lead.”
Xiang nodded as they focused on escape. Behind them the bear-kin roared as they tore through the underbrush after their prey.
After finding a small spring, they crossed halfway and headed upstream a few li. They then continued traveling southwest towards their destination. As luck would have it they found a small farming collective.
The family matriarch welcomed them in, bowing deeply. “We welcome you into our modest home, oh powerful cultivators.”
Mei kept her face placid as she and Xiang entered the small farmstead. It astonished Mei how some of these backwater peasants lived. While clean enough, it was small, cramped, and hot. The matriarch of the family was up there in age, and had herself a prominent place on the kang, to which one of her many prodigy kept stoked.
“We will only be here for the night. As I told you earlier, instinctuals are prowling in the forest to the northwest and in great numbers. We must get to the nearest town to call for more Imperial presence here to cull them.”
The matriarch nodded as she used her cane to climb back onto her mountain of pillows and stuffings. “Forgive this old lady mighty cultivators, but my bones ache and I must sit back down again. The village of Weishun is a few hours travel to the east, it has a small number of the Jade Consortium make their home there to trade goods all over the Empire. They would have a calling stone.
Xiang sniffed as she turned to Mei, “The Jade Consortium cares more for wealth than the defense of our lands. They will not deal with the instinctuals, but maybe we can call out for more aid before continuing our journey.”
Mei nodded, “Very well matriarch, we will leave for Weishun in the morning, we require food and a place to rest for the evening.”
The matriarch gestured to a woman who seemed as if she were a younger version of the goat-kin elder. “Allow me to serve you mighty cultivators.” The lady said as she bowed deeply and lead them to a not too stable table with a few chairs in even worse condition.
After they ate their fill and drank the quite good beer the younger male brought to them, grinning stupidly at the two tiger-kin and bowing deeply he left. Mei looked over to Xiang, “I believe you have an admirer.”
Xiang waved her away, “He is but a mortal, and if he somehow got what he wanted, during the throes of passion he would either be injured or killed. Now your Victor on the other hand, he would not suffer such a fate.” She stated as she grinned to her sect sister.
Mei sighed, this again? “You know as well as I do that Victor is not mine. He did intrust me with this item to take to the Empress, but that does not mean he wishes to make me one of his mistresses.”
Xiang sat back in the rickety chair, “Oh, I don’t know. He placed his hands on you already, perhaps he will put more on you when you next meet.”
Mei blushed, “You are horrible Xiang, come on, we must rest for the morning will be coming early.”
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Shihan cursed quietly as she placed the calling stone back in her desk drawer. “Damn that Mei and Xiang! And damn those stupid turtles of Bear-Kin filth!” They had but one job, eliminate the two cultivators and take the jeweled amulet. Nothing more!
She sighed and ran her hands through her graying hair, the betrayer would not take the news of this lightly. If this hidden master was as powerful as he was reported, and he joined forces with the Empress, this rebellion was lost.
There was nothing else for it, she would need to reach out to her contacts to once more track down and eliminate the two cultivators that had become a thorn in her side. She drank from her lukewarm tea before gathering her thoughts.
Other reports were coming back promising, the northeastern portion of the Empire was firmly in the hands of the rebellion. Imperial forces and their damnable iron legion were defeated at Ho-Jiang. That will sting the Empress, for her forces haven’t felt loss in millennia.
Oh, it wasn’t a complete victory, the iron legion showed they were not to be underestimated, even though outflanked, outmaneuvered, and outnumbered, they still did serious damage to the rebel army. But that legion no longer existed, fighting to the last man rather than admit to defeat.
She reached into the lower drawer of her desk and with a slight bit of chi revealed the hidden compartment within. She pulled out another calling stone, this one darker than the one she received the report from Mei from earlier.
With another small amount of instinctive chi she activated the stone. A strangely gravely voice answered on the other end. “What have you to report Shihan?” It asked.
Shihan had never met who was on the other end of the stone, for all she knew it was the betrayer herself, but she doubted it. This rebellion had been in the works for decades, and spread across the Celestial Empire so deep even if it failed, it would never be completely removed.
“The Bear-Kin failed at their task. They have even lost the scent of their prey. Other means must be brought to bare against these two cultivators. The object they carry must not reach the Empress.”
The voice on the other end said nothing, as though taking in what she said. “That is unfortunate, perhaps you should have taken the object yourself and disposed of it. No, that would not have worked, the Iron Paw sect would have been suspicious and this hidden master may have come looking for it and uncovered the truth.”
The voice continued, “Even the destruction of the jewel will only delay this hidden master from contacting the Empress, do we have any idea of his location now?”
Shihan shook her head, even though she knew that the figure on the other side could not see it, “No, I fear even the rooster-kin we sent in the general area he flew to on wings of fire could find no trace of him. There is nothing but mountains and beyond that the Great Wall. I doubt even this hidden master could pass it.”
She continued, “There was however, a group of Ox-Kin instinctives slain at the base of the mountain range, I believe them to be part of Lao’s brood. They were all cut in half, as though they were charging something and a giant wheat scythe cut them all down. Strangely there was no blood, the wounds were cauterized as though they were subjected to intense heat.”
The voice was silent a bit longer before continuing, “That would be in line with the hidden masters known fire talents. Perhaps he is leaving the Empire via the Great Wall in that area. You said he had foreign features, perhaps he can leave this prison of an Empire at will? Oh how the great betrayer would love to know the means by which one could do that!”
Shihan said nothing, noting that this was not in fact the betrayer speaking to her, but some underling. The voice continued, “Very well, we will send another contingent to deal with these two cultivators, but perhaps we should take their amulet for the betrayer. Surely there is something we have that he wants?”
Shihan did speak up now, “He stated to Mei in her report that he was looking for a way home, which does seem to imply he has breached the wall somehow, but does not know how to get back. I do not know if that means he his trapped like us, or if he simply needs directions.
The voice spoke back. “The betrayer took with her vast quantities of knowledge from the Imperial Palace, perhaps in it is the knowledge he needs, and we can trade it for him to not join sides with the Empress. Yes, this is a sound plan, we will use this amulet to our advantage!”
The calling stone went black once more, indicating the call was completed. Shihan did not know if they could turn this hidden master to their side, but she did not wish to see this Victor Cane join sides with the Empress. She already had many powerful cultivators on her side, some far stronger than herself.
She would wait in hiding until she was needed, until then, she had the minutia of paperwork it takes to keep a small region under the control of a sect to complete. With any luck, once the rebellion defeats the Empress there will be no more paperwork.