The walls of the passages were clearly put together in a hurry, with loose cables and wiring clearly visible in some places and hanging down in others as the Minad passed through them, Vossan and Alavaros flanking him as they walked past various doorways and side passages. The Minad could see others moving out of the way or moving between passages, carrying boxes or repairing various pieces of wiring or machinery. Power flickering from what lights were set up near constantly.
The place was a mess, and insanely well put together if they'd done it in the span of the last few days. He could see the others looking at him as they, mostly the arm he was missing. Most had armor similar to his, but the fact that a mere few of his supposed people wore armor that was exactly like his. In make and design, most had colored theirs in various shades however. He could see every once in a while a holographic projection of sorts pop out of someone's armor, they could talk and even point out things. Each was different, from a man in big boots with a wide brimmed hat and a long coat. To some sort of thirty armed ape.
Eventually they reached a set of large doors, these were well lit and made. Clearly designed to take a beating, as the doors started to slide into the walls Vossan spoke.
"We've already passed what you've told us to the Ancients via our M.I.U's, Imperium couldn't take out the network we keep between ourselves. All the Implants and tech in us is too durable. Something the Imperium rarely invests in. We can't head inside with you though, more work to do."
Alavaros nodded, and as they turned to walk off. "They'll help ya, Karve knows how many need help. We've got to go see if we can broker a ceasefire between us and the Nolian Templar, bastards hate us cause'a the Ancients war but they hate the Imperium and everybody hates Velathurans. So they may listen. As for your M.I.U, they said nothin much can be done till it activates so ya gonna have to wait."
They left as the Minad turned to face the doors, which had fully slid open by now to show him the room and it's occupants.
A room painted in a blue glow with a holographic table, displaying the world and dozens of fleets in orbit around it, thousands of red dots covered the globe and a dozen or so green dots were spattered around it. Standing on the sides of the table and watching him were three other Minad. Each was wearing a suit of armor exactly like his and in a stark white, Each as pale as the rest, with sharpened teeth and glowing eyes, but each was also different.
The first had blue eyes, a much lighter shade then Alavaros. There were patches of bone growing into hardened plates across what skin was visible. They'd formed a sort of half helmet around the mans head. He tapped one of the green dots on the globe and it bloomed into a bright red before turning.
The second had yellow eyes and his skin faintly shimmered and reminded him of scales, though it maintained the pale complexion of every other Minad he'd seen so far. His glare at the Minad as he walked in turned into a look of curiosity that unsettled him.
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The third was...off in a way. His face was unsettling and he sported no truly interesting features aside from a single scar across the forehead that was blackened.
The first spoke as the Minad finally stepped in to face them. " I'm Kelevars." He pointed at the second and then third, introducing them. "That's Sevaris, and that's Larsik. We're quite interested in your story, and you." He frowns as he looks at the Minad.
"We're in pretty dire circumstances, and you've proven yourself able to survive a lot. That is understandable considering what you are. Who you are, we know your name and who you are. It'd be shameful of us to not know the name of one of the only other Ancients left. Varis Thek'rall."
The Minad twitched, as they stared at him, and he finally replied. "Is that my name then? I'm an Ancient? One of the one's alive to remember the fall of...what was it, Alathros? Do I even count as one now?"
Sevaris chuckled as he turned back to the globe, speaking as he overlooked one of the green sites on it. "That's what we tell most of the younger one's, and it is true. However, there is another way in which we designate Ancients. Age. I suppose you wouldn't remember but we Minad grow stronger with age. Our regenerative ability increases, our speed, our strength, our durability. Our people were made by the Makians to consistently evolve. Every day we grow stronger, but only ever so slightly. Of course with every day the rage grows stronger. You obviously don't know what you're capable of yet if a mere three Mauchinian Warriors almost did you in." He growled in frustration suddenly as a holographic figure appeared next to him, a man in a hooded robe that reaches out to the site he was inspecting. The site bloomed red.
"The rage?" While he questioned all of it, that stood out the most. Kelevars turned to answer him.
"It's a sort of...genetic will that the Makians infected our species with, at the end of the Ancients war. When we and the other Descendant species defeated those who sided with them, and the Makians...vanished. It grows with our age and every Minad has to fight against it. Constantly. It only really hits first when one matures but...well only a handful have come back. Those who lose themselves to it begin to rapidly change and evolve. They attack and attempt to kill everyone and everything they can reach in a mindless anger. The older you are the stronger it becomes, but the stronger your will is. Fall behind and it takes hold. Lose yourself and it can take hold. I'd assume you'd have felt it by now. You managed to come back from it once during the Zero incident, but even you can't be rid of it."
Kelevars had turned to stare at him, examining him. Varis gave an answer "I've only felt...extreme anger once or twice. When I saw those...Velathurans?"
They all turned to stare at him now, even the third who had been quiet until now spoke. "You...is that possible? I mean...Amnesia has never really happened to one of us. Usually it'd sort itself out in hours. No Minad has been without the rage since the Ancients war, and that was...Hundreds of thousands of years ago. Before even the oldest of our Ancients had been born."
Varis had no idea what most of this even meant. This was gonna take an age to get through.