House Tiasidh: Council of Lords
Shai of House Tiasidh stood at ease before the council, or at least he assumed he did, he could not see much as a spotlight shone into his eyes and whoever sat in the shadows before him was hidden. He did not even feel tempted to activate one of his skills with which he could easily have filtered out the incoming light and seen perfectly, but that was asking for death. A swirl of any energy would be detected and seen as a hostile action; his death would follow soon after. The Lords remained unknown and attempting to unmask them would not be tolerated.
He stood, hearing the swish of robes and the sounds of whispered conversation, and did not move, not a muscle twitched. A few minutes passed, and he remained in position, not fidgeting, just staring straight ahead. He felt it as a faint wave of energy enveloped him and penetrated his body as if he had no defences. He used every bit of discipline he had to remain still as required even as every instinct screamed at him to reject the foreign energy, instincts that ignored the reality that no matter how hard he fought, the power would remain.
He felt it leave, dissipating as it did, and a feeling of dread overcame him as Chiarl Dugar, House Patriarch and Progenitor entered. He felt himself under scrutiny again, but this time he could not identify the energy, he could feel it, feel its effects, but it evaded his perception beyond that. Of course, he knew what it was, Aether, the energy only the Progenitors used. He felt it flowing through him, leaving his internal energies roiling, shifting them out of balance. He felt each of his cores probed along with his soul. The other investigation had been almost cursory in comparison. He did not know what the Patriarch searched for, he just prayed he was not found guilty of wrongdoing or as wanting in his eyes, that could have deadly consequences.
“You have done well, Shai. Your early training and advancement in the Maelstrom have strengthened you.” The voice came from behind him, but Shai was well trained enough that he did not turn but answered while facing the hidden council, his expression neutral even as he rejoiced in the praise.
“Thank you, Pater.” Shai almost swallowed as he said the honorific, it was the first time he had used it, the first time he had ever stood directly in the presence of the feared patriarch.
“The Akashic Library favours you.” He moved into Shai’s vision coming to stand in front of Shai before sinking into a chair that was illuminated as he sat down. The light shining in Shai’s face turned off, his vision slowly coming back as he blinked. The rest of the council was gone, or at least hidden behind the wall the Patriarch stood in front of. He sank to one knee, head down and palms to the floor, making the traditional obeisance to the patriarch.
“Rise and be at ease.”
Shai stood, coming to a parade rest facing the patriarch.
“The war is about to enter a new phase. The uneasy peace is about to be broken.” He paused to pick up a document cube which he placed before him and waved Shai forward to retrieve it. “Your new orders, we need you to infiltrate into a world in the Greater Mileu. On one side it will be safer than in many places as they are only recently integrated into mana and do not even have a magistrate yet. On the other hand, it is under the Lottery Protocols, if you are uncertain what those are there is a detailed list of what you can and cannot address when on the planet.”
He leaned back and watched as Shai retrieved the cube and returned to parade rest before continuing, “You will be guarding someone being prepared as a weapon for the Potentates. The planet is a failed gambit, and the potential weapon recently encountered one of our stations within the Crucible. Infiltration will not require disguise; they are a seeded planet and you will be amongst humans. This indicates two extra potential dangers to you. The first, he wields Aether. He is weaker than you for now, but he will grow as he returns to the Crucible and you will not be in the Maelstrom to speed your growth as the Crucible speeds his. The second, and perhaps more meaningful personal danger, he is a paragon, unrealised at this point but with the rapid evolutionary advancements we can expect to see in The Crucible and the unspoken bonuses being a Paragon brings, that is a potential he will soon reach. If you do not have sufficient Soul shielding, speak to your mission controller when you leave, and additional shielding devices will be supplied.”
Shai bowed, indicating his acknowledgement. The light on the Patriarch dimmed as he did so and he immediately sank to his knee again, knowing that even if he could not see the Patriarch, he was being observed. The lights came back on, and he was in a small room, not even large enough for him to spread his arms. The large council chamber was gone. Now alone, he extended his senses and could detect the fleeting wisps of space mana dissipating. He had been teleported, a large expense for something so minor, and he wondered what was coming next. A door slid open in the featureless wall in front of him, leading into a busy office in which uniformed soldiers manned consoles and viewscreens showed battles occurring in different locations. A tense atmosphere permeated the room, but it was silent, no sound escaping from the groups at the different screens, even though it could be seen that orders were being given.
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Two soldiers came up to him, dropping to their knees in the formal salute when not in the field, “Captain Shai of House Tiasidh, please come with us.” Shai waved his hand and the two rose, leading the way through the command centre and to a meeting room on the side. The door manifested and slid open, and Shai entered, sinking into the formal salute when he saw who was seated there, Colonel Brae, also of House Tiasidh, and his father.
The door slid shut behind him, leaving him alone in the room. His father rose, walking over to him, lifting him before giving him a rough hug. He returned to his seat. “It's good to see you Shai, but that is the only breach of decorum today. You have not yet had a chance to review your orders, you will have three days to prepare, but this meeting is about one thing, how strong is your soul defence?”
Shai looked at his father, at the Colonel, “It has reached Tier 4, I remained unharmed by the Soul entities within the Maelstrom”
His father frowned, consulting a list before him and Shai felt a brief Psi spike. “I have authorised the release of a Soul shield to you, it should be good for any number of soul strikes below Tier 10, but its utility will degrade from more powerful strikes” He looked into Shai’s eyes, “Do not discount the abilities of a Paragon, there is a reason they are hunted and why the Progenitors only come from them.” He could be seen concentrating on his communication device and looking up. “You are dismissed, Captain.” Shai rose and turned to leave, his father’s voice coming from behind him as he did so, “Do try to get home to see your mother before you leave, you may be gone for a long while and not able to communicate.”
Inner Council, Elder’s Sanctum
Inner Elder Mok’Olib’Fre’Paed’Portiend passed his gaze across the being in front of him. Not many could make his nervous, but in front of the Emissary from the Principalities he felt absolute fear. He remembered his elevation to Inner Elder as he had stepped through the dimensional Gate to the Nexus thinking he had finally done it, that he was one of the Powers in the Galaxy, only to find he was still an ant and that the Inner Council were just pawns for beings far more powerful than they. He tried not to show his fear, he would remain deferential, but he had his power base even if his personal power did not measure up to that of his guest, he was the leader of the Inner Elders of the Greater Mileu, and that dod carry some weight in some Halls.
“Emissary Kleinhos, you are always welcome, though I do wish you had let me know in advance so preparations could have been made to ensure your comfort during your visit.”
A puff of gas escaped the mask the emissary wore, one that would not have looked out of place in a Kabuki play, albeit this one was fully sealed. “I will not be long, I just come to pass on a warning so you may take appropriate measures.”
The Inner Elders's four eyes narrowed as he leaned his bulk back into his chair. “Warning? We have not detected any activity near our spheres of influence from the Progenitors or their Masters.”
“Their plans seem to have been long in the making, we do not yet have the details beyond the basics our spies have ferreted out. We fear they may have managed to get an Aether user and potential paragon into the crucible. We are not certain which race is affected, though I do not need to emphasise how dangerous this could be to us, do I?”
A cold shiver ran up the Inner elder’s tail, curling it downwards and causing spikes to rise in a reflexive defence. “No need, emissary, the danger is clear.” He visibly forced himself to calm down, his tail relaxing, the spikes withdrawing. “We will investigate, find the candidate, and take appropriate action.” He stopped, then quickly added when he saw what appeared to be dissatisfaction in the stance of the Emissary, “The paragon will be subdued when found and their core removed and sent to the Principalities.” He could almost see the disapproval evaporating from the Emissary, He wondered, as he had in the past, why the Principality took such a harsh line against the paragons, while the Progenitors embraced them and their power. He was conducting the research, but he had to step carefully, the Principality would not hesitate to destroy him if they thought he entertained any rebellious thoughts or even hinted at questioning their edicts.
He was formulating his response when the emissary turned, its masked face no longer facing him. “I will let you know if anything more is needed, Elder.” His voice dropped an octave, all the more sinister for the Emissary not facing him, “Do not forget, the Greater Mileu are not the only ones who serve us, do not disappoint!” Another puff of gas escaped its mask as it dissolved away, and an acrid stench reached his nose. He knew the threat was real, but he had no way to break their power.
He summoned in his spymaster, the small quadruped sliding its boneless way in under his door. He had tried chiding it, tried to get it to arrive in larger form and to knock as everyone else did, but it enjoyed its games.
He threw a memory crystal in its direction, not even bothering to aim and watched as the expected pseudopod flickered out. “Examine it, analyse it, let me know if it gives you any insights. It is a meeting I just had with the honoured emissary.”
It looked at the cube, rotating it in its hand as it was examined. “Anything interesting?”
He nodded, “A kill order with core retrieval on an unknown paragon. He almost seemed fearful, threatening the entire Mileu if we did not do what they wanted. They seem fearful, we need to find out what the paragons possess that scares them. The ability to wield Aether cannot be all of it, not for them to feel their multidimensional Empire is threatened.”
“Interesting indeed, I’ll analyse and see if there is anything. What to do about this paragon, find and kill?”
The inner elder leaned back, “No, find and watch. If they fear it, perhaps we can use him as a weapon of our own!”