LYRADAIN, 7TH SOLARA, 2834 AE
The previous day’s meeting still hung in his mind, giving him a headache. Lord Ealdred of Thalindor sat upon his bed in his chambers, head in his hands. The revelation of yet another possible thread was too much for him. Having just pushed back one enemy was more than enough to wear him out, but the thought of another? The constant mention of "the metal dragon" and "sky chariot" still confused him greatly.
“Just who or what are these people?” he thought out loud, one of his servants taking notice, her pointy cat-like ears twitching. In full maid garb, she walked toward him, holding a tray with a glass of water upon it.
“Here, sir. This should help with your headache. You really shouldn’t overthink it. Don’t you think they would’ve attacked the scouts if they had malicious intentions?” she said, flicking her feline tail.
“You may be correct, Audera, but with everything that’s been going on recently, it would be the right course of action to take a proactive stance. I wish not for another attack upon out city, it being in dire circumstances already.” replied Lord Ealdred, grabbing the glass of water and taking a sip.
“Still, I wonder what exactly this “Metal Dragon” really is… I’ve never heard such strange things outside of Aerinthor’s flying machines.” he muttered, looking at his feline servant. Her fluffy face and small stature somewhat soothing him. Reaching out to pet her head as thanks for the drink, Audera’s ears perked up, her fur standing tall as she rapidly turned her head to the door.
Footsteps could be heard running down the corridor before stopping shy of the room’s door. Multiple loud knocks could be heard above squabbling between a group of what sounded like four people.
“Audera, could you attend to our guests while I get dressed?” he asked, standing up.
“Of course-nya. I’ll see why they request your presence.” she replied.
Lord Ealdred disappeared behind a curtain, changing into his regular attire, donning robes adorned with various emblems and symbols. His tall figure and grey beard gave him a look of final authority, like the king of which he serves. Being the leader of the city, he stands out from the other common folk, wearing shirts, tunics, dresses, and other clothing.
“Audera! I’m ready! Mind telling me who was at the door?” he bellowed.
“It was a few of the council members. They all seemed to wish to ask for you approval with something.” she replied, walking toward Ealdred while holding his staff.
“I thought it may have been. Well, I do suppose we left the meeting on a bit of an inconclusive note. We should really get back to discussing what we should do.” he said, while taking the staff from Audera.
“Very good, sir. I wish you luck in the meeting-nya!” she said, Lord Ealdred leaving the room and her behind.
…
THE COUNCIL MEETING CHAMBERS
“So what do you propose we do!? Let them walk all over us? How would the king even react to the mere notion of such a thing happening!?” one of the councillors said.
“The Metallic Falcon is nothing of any known ally. We may have to tread carefully when it comes to this new appearance. Though I should warn against angering whomever is in control of such a beast.” said another, in stark opposition to the first councillor’s notions.
“Enough!” shouted the Lord, sat upon his throne at the end of the table. “We should be weary of this new unknown. We know not the intentions of these visitors from the skies, so we should take a proactive stance. I propose we see if they send envoys, as it could be a country of which we have no relation with. Any ally against the Veridians would be a boon to our nation’s wellbeing.”
“I agree, though we should be careful. As you said, we know nothing of what their true intentions are. Should they have attacked, we would have already known. It is possible that it was but a single scout.” said another, the rest of the room humming in agreement.
“Then so be it. We shall welcome these newcomers and try to persuade them to ally with us against the Veridians” the Lord said in finality. His words met with a unanimous “Hear Hear”.
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Temple Prime, Sarajevo
Lieutenant Victor Thorn emerged from a heavy double-door, sighing. Never had he had such a tense meeting in his life. For the first time, he had been called upon personally by General Anton Slavik himself to stand before the Brotherhood’s Inner Circle. All leaders were present at this meeting.
The leader of the Black Hand, General Anton Slavik maintained the majority of what remained of the Brotherhood after the war. Having decided to take actions to secure a better future for the Brotherhood, he and the inner circle thought it would be the best course of action to establish diplomatic ties to the neighbouring country of Thalindor.
The Brotherhood’s food and medical supplies were quickly being depleted, along with other raw resources of which were needed for the construction of equipment and other various things. CABAL headed the cybernetics research and development efforts, of which proved quite fruitful during the war. Cyborgs were the main heavy unit of the Brotherhood, being bulky, well armed, and completely subservient.
Thinking of how to approach things going forward, Victor walked back to his quarters. The dim corridors added to his nervousness, thoughts rushed through his head as the walked. Thinking about the consequences of not being able to establish a good trade offer or any kind of relationship at all with this new nation.
Making it back to his quarters, he kitted up in standard issue combat armour, though modified to signify his status as a Lieutenant. The armour adorned with the iconic scorpion’s tail insignia of the Brotherhood, along with the mark of the Black Hand. He sat down on his chair, running a finger across the scar on his left cheek as he thought of how to introduce himself when he arrived.
“Lieutenant Thorn to the courtyard.” an artificial male voice sounded over the intercom.
Having heard his cue to move, he shot out of his seat and grabbed his helmet. Running down the dark and dingy corridors, he left the barracks into the courtyard. A squad of five elite cadre and two cyborgs stood waiting before a carryall. All but the cyborgs saluted Victor.
“At ease, brothers. Today we take a large step into the unknown. We will be departing for a large coastal city positioned in a country to the south. We sent a scout to survey the area and had deemed it safe to travel. We will be taking this carryall, being escorted by two harpies for extra safety. How these locals will react to our arrival is unknown, so we should exercise caution when disembarking. Are you all ready to go?” Victor spoke, grabbing the attention of other people within the courtyard.
“Yes, sir.” they all said in unison, apart from the cyborgs. The cyborgs simply replied with a short “Affirmative” before everyone boarded the large troop bay of the carryall.
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The engines of the carryall hummed, the interior of the troop bay vibrating. Victor was stood, looking out of the window at the alien landscape below. The sky was clear and cloud free, something he had never seen before. The calm clear water was a stark departure from the algae infested oceans on earth. This truly is a different world.
“Making approach to nearest clearing. Prepare for descent.” the carryall's pilot announced through the intercom. Hearing the announcement, everyone made sure they were seated and buckled in. The two cyborgs, unmoving, stayed seated, staring at Victor. The unblinking mechanical eyes creeped him out. These cyborgs were once as human as the rest of them, but are now nothing more than biological robots made to follow orders. No remnants of humanity remained within them, making them ruthless killing machines.
Victor peered out of the opposite window, seeing a lush green forest illuminated by the bright sun. A clearing was chosen by the pilot, not too far away from Thalindor but far enough away as to not raise suspicion from the locals or scouts.
The carryall touched down gracefully, the VTOL aircraft making light work of it. Having landed, everyone unbuckled. Victor made his way to the rear door, waiting for it to open. Before it opened, he made sure to check everyone was ready to disembark.
The door opened to a flat grassy area. The engines of the carryall spinning down to a stop, leaving the surrounding area quiet.
The sound of birds and wind filled the air as they all stepped out. The Elite Cadre all broke out into different directions to secure the perimeter. The imposing stature of the cyborgs stood beside Victor.
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Seeing the environment shocked the Lieutenant. This was completely alien to him, the environment being so clean and untouched. He knelt down, running his now ungloved hand through the soft but thick grass. He had never seen nor felt anything so uncorrupted before. He was shocked. Not only at the cleanliness of the environment, but at the quietness too.
Birdsong filled the air as the Elite Cadre reformed. “Perimeter clear. Shall we proceed to POI?” one of them asked. “Yes. I’ve finished surveying the area now… Never have I seen anything so strange…” Victor replied, standing back up and brushing off his trousers.
His helmet was left behind in the carryall in favour of his regular red and black beret. He was meant to be going on a diplomatic mission after all. Representing the Brotherhood of Nod well was of the utmost importance to establish good ties with this nation.
As they continued to the city, nobody could believe what they were seeing. Vast greenery everywhere. The forest was thick with trees and bushes, the sound of birdsong and other various exotic creatures filled the air around them.
Victor was in a state of utter bewilderment. "It's unlike anything I've ever seen," he mused aloud, more to himself than anyone else.
Catching onto what he said, one of the Elite Cadre chimed in. “Same, brother. It’s like something right out of a fairy-tale.”
Their journey through the forest continued, the towering trees and the untouched environment still captivating them. But as they drew nearer to the city of Thalindor, the serenity of the forest gave way to a more lived-in landscape. As they neared the tree-line of the forest, they could see some semblance of society. Cultivated fields, basic wooden houses, and well-maintained cobble roads replaced the wilderness.
Seeing buildings off in the distance, the Elite Cadre all made sure to ready their rifles, surveying their surroundings for any potential threats. It was then that something caught their attention. One of the Elite Cadre spotted a robed figure lurking in the bushes opposite the road. “Potential combatant ahead. Orders?” One of them said.
Victor's hand instinctively went to his sidearm as he whispered to the cadre, "Hold position and remain alert. Do not fire unless instructed. This may be a local of the city."
Everyone stood to attention, rifles trained on the mysterious figure, the cyborgs readying their minigun arms for combat should the figure be malicious.
As Victor stared at the robed figure, he noticed something peculiar. Though it seemed human enough, it seemed to have traits that set it apart from any human he’d ever seen, even the most disfigured tiberium mutants. Retrieving a pair of binoculars from his side pouch, he zoomed in to the figure.
Looking at the now in-focus figure revealed something he had never seen before… A fluffy humanoid face with rabbit-like features… A set of large bunny ears atop its head, along with a small pom-pom tail to its rear.
Victor stood frozen, processing what he saw. “Sir, are you alright?” one of the cadre asked, rifle still trained on the figure. Victor nodded, lowering his binoculars before stepping ahead onto a twig. The twig cracked, startling the figure. Its ears pointed, the figure standing tall out of the bushes, locking eyes with Victor.
The figure, now fully in view, stood motionless. Victor signalled to the soldiers to lower their weapons, also holstering his pistol. He waved his right hand to show the person they meant no harm. The group slowly walked toward the rabbit humanoid, it visibly shaking. The imposing red and black armour of the soldiers making it almost freeze in place out of fear.
The group stopped meters before the rabbit humanoid, Victor extending his hand in a friendly manner.
"Easy there, we don’t mean you any harm," Victor spoke softly, the rabbit humanoid slightly relaxing but still on edge at the sight of these unknown travellers. It’s eyes darted around at everyone, though its eyes once again locking with Victor’s.
“Can you understand me?” Victor asked. It had crossed his mind that language barriers may be a big issue, as they were in a completely unknown place with unknown languages and populations.
The rabbit humanoid raised an eyebrow before nodding slightly, its ears flopping. It then pointed to itself, then speaking in a soft female voice, “Luna”.
Victor let out a sigh of relief, content with knowing that his fears about a language barrier being an issue was now put at ease.
“Well, Luna, I’m pleased to make your acquaintance. I’m Lieutenant Victor Thorn. We mean to harm to you or anyone.” Victor said with a newfound confidence. He wanted to make a good first impression, especially since he was the first person to make contact with anyone in this new world.
Luna approached cautiously, still shaking slightly. “Wh-Who are you? Why have you come here?” she asked, her soft, curious voice trembling slightly.
“We’re here on a diplomatic mission from a distant land.” Victor explained. “We seek to build friendly relations with the local populace, along with learning about this land and possibly setting up trade relations too.”
Luna stood still, head tilted to the side. “You’re not like them, are you…” She said, looking at each of the soldiers. She took keen interest in the imposing cyborgs. Such height she had never seen in a person before. “If you were from the Veridian Empire, I would be dead by now.” she said, now a lot calmer at that realisation.
Everyone looked at Luna with curiosity in their eyes, well Victor’s eyes anyway, the cadre’s faces obscured by their red visors. The mention of the Veridian Empire made them look at each other in confusion. Victor turned to Luna and asked, “The Veridian Empire? Would you mind telling us about them? Is this place owned by them?”
Luna shuddered at the mere thought of the Veridian Empire having won their siege of Thalindor. “No, not at all. This is the city of Thalindor. We actually came under attack from the Veridian Empire not too long ago, which is why I am stationed outside of the city walls. I’ve been entrusted with keeping an eye on the surrounding area for any signs of Veridian scouts” she explained.
“I see…” Victor said, scratching his head. “So you were attacked by them? Why?” he asked.
Luna let out a sigh. “Well, The Veridian Empire seek nothing more than to expand their kingdom. They conquer and subjugate anyone and anything that gets in the way of their expansion. We have resources and land that they seek to take from us. We’ve always been at war with them, the last time coming too close to our defeat.”
The group nodded in unison before Victor stepped forward. “I see. Well, we have no intentions of angering anyone, so will stay neutral in the matter. Should we have a positive outcome after meeting with your leaders, this may change in your favour.” he said.
Luna’s eyes widened, her tail rapidly swishing side-to-side in excitement. One of the Elite Cadre began to raise their rifle before being stopped by Victor.
“You mean, we might stand a chance against them?” Luna said ecstatically, her voice no longer filled with worry but now with hope and excitement.
“If it is what will secure us a good agreement, it is the least we could do” Victor replied. Luna, now filled with the excitement of a giddy ten year old on Christmas, hurriedly went to grab Victor’s hands.
“Thank you! Thank you!” Tears began welling in here eyes. “You have no idea how hard it’s been for us.” she carried on, now on the verge of crying.
Victor was taken aback by the sudden emotional outburst, not knowing how to process the scene that was unfolding. He knelt down to match the eye-level of the now crying bunny-girl, placing his hand on her shoulder. “Hey, it’s only natural that we help people in need. After all, we value peace above everything else. Even if peace can only be brought through force.” Victor said, consoling Luna. Wiping her eyes, Luna stood back up and regained her composure.
“Well, seeing as you’re here now, how about I take you to the city council? I’m sure they want to know more about the people that have possession of flying metal gryphons.” Luna said, being met with a curious look from Victor.
“Metal gryphon?” Victor chuckled. Luna looked at him, head tilted. “I see you’re aware of our aerial craft. I take it the scout we sent yesterday left a bit of an impression, huh.” he said.
“Y-Yes it did. The whole city has been talking about it. A large red and black metal gryphon with speed so great it puts even our fastest wyverns to shame” Luna replied, the mention of wyverns grabbing the attention of some of the cadre.
"Metal gryphon, huh?" Victor chuckled to himself, the whole ordeal being quite humorous to him. It was quite apparent to him that their advanced technology might appear quite alien to the locals. "We call it a Banshee, one of our main aerial vehicles. The speed you saw is one of its many capabilities. I’ll not bore you with the details but maybe you might get to see one in action one day."
Luna nodded, taking in as much information as she could before stretching her legs. “Well, I guess I’ll be taking the lead. Make sure to follow me if you don’t want to get lost.” she said, being met with a nod from Victor.
The group began to follow Luna as they followed the bumpy cobble road toward the city gates. The soldiers surrounding Victor as they made their way, followed by the two large cyborgs. As they walked, Luna occasionally glanced back at the group, making sure they were still following her. The further they walked, the more curious about them she became.
"I’ve got to say, you look different than anyone I've ever seen. What with the strange armour,” she commented. “And those… What are those?” she asked, pointing at the cyborgs. “Are those people too?”
Victor caught onto her curiosity. “Well, these five are my squad of Elite Cadre. They’re tasked with ensuring my safety while out in the field on missions like these. Though I’m usually more of a lone wolf kinda person. Their loyalty is unwavering, being loyal servants of the Black Hand. And those two large machines are cyborgs, augmented with advanced technology which makes them completely subservient to those which control them. The unquestioning loyalty of these machines makes them perfect soldiers, along with their high resilience and damage output.”
Luna nodded, her ears twitching in fascination of the information Victor just dumped on her. "Advanced technology... Augmentations… Black Hand… Cyborgs… I'm not sure what any of that means, but it sounds super interesting” her curiosity now at an all time high. She had never heard of such things before, but knowing such things exist gave her even more hope as to the future of Thalindor.