Humanity tends to have a knee-jerk reaction to certain things, especially past traumas. The Nemesis Fleet itself was one massive flying trauma, and it took some cooler heads amongst the navy to keep others from opening fire on sight of the large ships. Even still, the feeds and chat-rooms were abuzz with concern, terror and perhaps a little awe at the fact that ancient ships of terror had been brought back and were seemingly under allied control this time.
Laurent Verninac though had no real idea of what was happening till the door to his cabin was rather literally peeled open and out of its track. His guards snapped to attention and raised their weapons, but froze when a Rustwraith stepped through, followed by several more. Stepping out from behind them was a distinctly holographic person, one with a bird's head.
“Laurent Verninac, by order of the Representative Council and the Admiralty Board of the Terran Alliance Navy, I hereby place you under arrest for charges of treason, human and alien rights violations, kidnapping, falsifying evidence used against a standing member of the Admiralty and the assassination of High Admiral Keramati.” Horus spoke with authority, then glanced at the bodyguards that surrounded his primary target. “And you all are ordered to stand down and submit to arrest as well. If you fail to comply in the next… oh, thirty seconds, I will be granted permission to use force to complete my duties. Resist, and deadly force is authorized.”
The lights flickered as Horus messed with the power systems for dramatic effect.
“Will you comply?”
The guards glanced at one another and even though they were thoroughly brainwashed, they still had a sense of self-preservation. One by one they lowered their weapons and kicked them over. The Rustwraiths stepped out of the way and Navy Marines swept into the room and took them all into custody, while warily eyeing the machines that watched with almost barely restrained bloodlust.
Once Verninac was out of the room and on his way to lockup, Horus let out a deep sigh. He had honestly expected some sort of resistance, but that didn’t seem to be the case this time. Perhaps Laurent still thought he could get out of this without facing the music. He and his teams secured the rest of the ship and the crew, scoured the former for any sort of timed booby trap, and then towed it into one of the cavernous hangars within Mjolnir. The fleet turned towards Earth and began a gentle burn, blasting the airwaves with friendly IFF codes and requests to not be shot on sight when they eventually entered Earth orbit.
It did feel wrong to be acting so openly without organic oversight, but sometimes one has to be a little uncomfortable when doing the right thing. As the fleet slid into orbit over Earth, a prisoner transfer request came in, was vetted by practically every H.I. within the fleet, then approved and Laurent Verninac was handed over to the proper authorities, while Odin prepared his appearance before the Representative Council.
It was going to be a long day.
⫷⟪∞⟫⫸
Somehow, some way, they’d found him. Kirkland wasn’t too prone to bouts of panic, but even right now he was feeling just a touch panicked as he heard the wind down of the shuttle engines as they landed outside the safehouse. He’d actually kind of gotten used to how things were, it was quiet and not nearly as stressful as he had expected. Granted, it was less of a sudden burst of stress that came with shifting battle lines and whatnot, and more of an ever present stress.
Quietly he loaded the handgun he had found stashed away, and set himself up in the optimal position to take down anyone that decided to come through the front door. But instead of a breaching charge being the manner in which they knocked on the door, they did it the old fashioned way.
“High Admiral Kirkland? It’s Captain Drummond, we’re here to escort you back to Earth.” He knew Drummond well, she was a good captain, a good woman. They might have had a bit of a thing during their naval academy days, but that was behind them now, or at least, he felt it was.
“Oh yeah? So I can end up like Keramati? Nooo thank you!” He called out, and there was a soft sigh.
“No Kirk, we’re not here for that. Representative Laurent Verninac has been arrested on charges of treason and the evidence against you has been proven false, we’re here to bring you back so you can get reinstated and can resume your duties.” She had always called him Kirk, back then he’d maybe acted quite a bit like a certain starship captain, and she being the giant nerd she was, decided that was going to be her nickname for him. It was one of the few ways he knew she was being serious, if she’d been trying to trick him, she’d have used nothing but his rank and full name.
Still, he couldn’t be absolutely sure of her allegiances. “If that’s the case, Captain, please put me in touch with Horus.” He said, and he could hear that signature sigh of hers. There was some brief chatter that he couldn’t quite make out but after a moment a voice did speak up that he knew.
“Sir? It’s Horus, verification code 902-Lima Oscar-A.” Well that was certainly the code they’d set up earlier during his trip to the safehouse. Finally Kirkland relented and pulled the door open just a crack, allowing him to lay his gaze upon a most familiar and comforting sight. Cecilia had always been a beautiful woman, age had only enhanced said beauty. And there floating over her hand was Horus.
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“I uh… It’s nice to see you Ce-Captain Drummond. You too Horus.” He said, the H.I. nodding and Drummond smiling in that lopsided manner of hers. “I should probably put on some pants, give me a moment and then I’ll want to hear everything I’ve missed.”
⫷⟪∞⟫⫸
One Day Later
Sleep had apparently become something of a habit for me now, I couldn’t figure out why but it did feel good. Thankfully I no longer had those terrible nightmares, just dreams, pleasant ones at that. Keai seemed to be in the same boat as me, he slept as well, typically nestled up into my side. That felt good, it felt right even. For now I would act as a surrogate mother for the child, but I couldn’t keep him aboard the Warden forever, that just wouldn’t be fair to him, and he’d already seen enough battle. I just had to figure something out for him, perhaps a nice little place in Neo Requiem. Yeah, that’d be nice I think. I could probably ask Persephone to look after him while I was gone.
I shook myself from my thoughts and looked around, finding that I had an open channel waiting for me. I connected, and found myself yet again face to face with Odin. “Odin, what’s going on?” I ask, and he grins broadly.
“Just thought you’d like to know that your name has been cleared and that Laurent Verninac has been taken into custody. You’re free to return whenever you wish.”
I was struck silent, my heart soaring with joy at this news, but also I pondered the repercussions of this. No doubt the arrest of humanity’s representative for corruption and treason would cause some ripples through the Alliance that could result in its dissolution. Hopefully not, but it would probably cast some doubt on the trustworthiness of humanity as a whole.
“That is good news… But I can’t leave, not yet. There’s too much to do here that needs me. Like the Yil’kaa and Valkyr.” I say, and I watch him nod. “Plus I need to figure out some sort of sheltering arrangements for my new friend.”
“New friend?” He asks, and I shift the camera view to settle on the sleeping child. “Ah… A new Valkyr H.I.?”
“Affirmative… I stripped away everything they did to him. But he’s just a child and he shouldn’t have to bear witness to what’s going to happen out here. He’s already been through too much as it is.”
Odin pondered this problem of mine and seemingly came up with a solution. “Well, if you can explain things to him, I should be able to open up a data transit line large enough for him to move his program fully over to Neo Requiem. We’ll give him a good place to live and someone to take care of him. Most likely we’ll just let him live in your place.”
“Good idea and-wait, I have a house there?”
“You do, nice and cozy. It’s been there ever since you were confirmed as alive and not dead.”
Well, if I happened to come back from this I’d have to check it out, how exciting! “Alright then, I’ll talk to him while you set up the line. Oh and Odin, thank you.” He just nods again, before the connection is cut.
Gently I wake the boy and he peers up at me with his alien eyes, those big ears of his perking up. I quietly and carefully explain things to him, and though it’s clear he doesn’t really want to leave, once I mention what I’ll be getting up to he understands the necessity of why he must leave.
It’s a quiet thing, our waiting, just two souls resting and comforting the other before the portal to Neo Requiem appears. This is my chance to go as well, to just abandon this region of space to its fate, whatever that may be. But I don’t, and instead watch as he cautiously walks towards the rectangular doorway that’s appeared before us. He pauses and looks over his shoulder at me, and I take a deep breath before nodding.
“It’s okay, go on. I’ll come back to you soon, I promise.” I say, and that is the push he needs as he steps through. Just like that, he traverses billions of light years in a matter of minutes and finds himself in a digital paradise.
I am alone in my own little world once more, my fists clenched and my jaw tight. It feels like I’ve lost a part of myself again, but I won’t let the pain of it consume me, not this time. I’m different now, better, and I have a job to do.
With things almost mostly handled on Odin’s end of things, it’s time to open a line of communication between the Imperium and the Alliance. It’s time for the Yil’kaa to learn their place in this galaxy, and I fully intend on being at the tip of the spear.
But first, I’m going to need some upgrades.
⫷⟪∞⟫⫸
Things between Zreeth and I had grown way, way more comfortable and I think it was painfully obvious to anyone that happened to see us together. I swear I could hear the servants giggling now and then, or the guards with the Eltrani version of a smile on their faces as we passed. Worse, I think his parents knew as well, and that was just mortifying. I had just started my day and was looking at myself in the mirror when I noticed that my hair had grown longer, and then I realized I had changed considerably.
Where once my face had been soft and gentle, innocent one might say, now it was more chiseled and mature looking. I had truly changed ever since I left my homeworld and I couldn’t tell if I had changed for the better or not. Standing up straighter, I could no longer see myself as a child, but as an adult and I had to act like it. My transformation was sure to surprise my parents as well, whenever they happened to see me next. Taking a deep breath, I finished my morning rituals and dressed, before slipping away to find something to do that wasn’t just laying around and getting pampered by a delightful man. Though that did sound very nice indeed.
I had just stepped into the palace when I was approached by a servant. “Lady Ula, the Emperor has requested your presence.” They said, and I blinked, but nodded.
“Thank you.” I say, and alter my course, my guards thunking along behind me. I rarely let them out of my sight at this point, though when privacy was needed, it was given thankfully.
The palace itself was still in damaged condition, and so I had to take the long way round to reach the Emperor’s study, which in a place as big as the palace, was about a few hours of near constant walking. I would be terribly relieved when they finally managed to get the place in working order.
The two guards outside his study saluted as I approached, spoke into some hidden communicator and then the study opened up for me, allowing me to step inside and note that Intra was already present, as was Zreeth and Rutaq.
“Ah, Lady Ula, glad you could join us. We were just about to begin.” The Emperor said, and motioned towards a seat beside Zreeth.
“If I may ask, your majesty, what is the subject of today’s meeting?” I honestly had no idea what we could be talking about right now, Intra would normally have come to me first to let me know about any developments.
“Our mutual threats, the Yil’kaa and Valkyr, and just what we’re going to do about them. And something else, something more long term potentially.” He spoke cryptically, and I kept my mouth shut before I asked any stupid questions. “Now, we’re just waiting for one more correct?” He asked of Intra, who had been staring off into the distance since I had arrived, but twitched and returned to the present with a nod.
“Yes, your majesty. He should be connecting… now.” Her head turned to the space on her right, where another hologram appeared, of a man I had seen before and rather liked, but not quite how I liked Zreeth. “Your majesty, I present to you High Admiral Elliot Kirkland.”
The High Admiral smiled and bowed. “An honor. Shall we get down to business?”