Non-Canon [Closed] The Dawn (CU: SII)

Andrew

Andrew

The Ancient One
Staff member
Part I

Ascension Star Citadel
Nibus Cloud Nexus

Arakan straightened his Caeyorian uniform, the dress whites had a much formal arrangement to the white and grey paneled duty uniform that most were used to wearing, gold fringed rope epaulets crowned in crafted tribal-etched niranium armored pieces that framed the stature into something more brooding. The Imperial insignia of the Eitan Ysi was clipped to the mandarin-style collar that hugged the form of his neck, in perfect alignment of the gold zipped that ran the entire length of the jacket. Short buzzed blue hair with platinum angled stripe that followed in a backward arch from just above his right eye. Arakan had not been seen in years, save for glimpses in passing, and recently rumors of his activity had surfaced in association with the ascension of Teal Lunari as the new Xyr'Aest. The elder brother of Caecyan had a reputation, and it was not the kind that had people asking him questions about where he had been all those years. Many questioned, quietly what is return meant for Caecyan and Sin that had maintained the Eitans in his and Ji's absence, but he had yet to do anything save to put on a military uniform and sit in on a few unimportant meetings that had made more than one of the Admirals stammer as he stared them down with his cold icy gaze.

Arakan was the name he had taken when they had crossed the threshold into this new universe, unlike many of their kind he was unsatisfied of any notion that he had any relation to his well-known counterpart on this side of the portal, and he had made it clear that who he was and what he was capable was going to remain a matter of their national security. He entered the conference room and the lights dimmed, the volumetric projections of the other members of the Imperial Bloc appeared one by one; Sin and Caecyan Eitan, Severce and Sorin Eitan, Teal Lunari and her Aide Uathotho, Ethan and Angelica Orinas as well as Cassius Wraithen who had recently left New Eden to join their ranks, a collaborator and one that had brought them relevant intelligence.

Traditionally, this kind of meeting would be called by the Xyr, the one with the most power. It was Arakan however that had brought them all to this minute of coordination. He brushed his fingers idly through the sides of his short trimmed goatee before he looked down at the g-pad that confirmed the communications system had synced and encrypted the signal, “My apology for the short notice and abruptness of this meeting, but at the request of the Xyr'Aest it has been decided best that I bring a strategic plan forwards to ensure our victory over the Craethel and the continued establishment of the Caeyorian nation in this universe as well as our unification, and integration of Norian kind in this OA. We face opposition on many fronts, and it has become obvious that some nations are more interested in foolish courses of action, rather than keeping their promises to fight the Craethel and keep this universe in the hands of Unya – where it rightfully belongs,” his words were issued with confidence, and an understanding of the established mission goals.

“Go on please, Xal,” Teal said as she observed the rest of the Bloc, she could not help but wonder what they thought of her decision to bring him back to the table with them all. She glanced towards Uathotho briefly and gave a slight nod and then returned her attention to Arakan.

Arakan lowered his head in respect, “Thank you, Xyr. At this time, I will not seek the leadership over the Eitans, I believe Caecyan and Sin have that under control. Rather I will be reinstating my leadership of our military forces and will accept the Xyr's offer to be Xal'Sae of the Military Sphere,” he revealed where he had been placed, rather the only thing he would of accepted anyway, not that he would openly reveal the Xyr had a single weakness, he was a patriot after all who had the title twice himself in their history. “My military advisors and I have established two priority objectives that will undergo immediate redistribution and redeployment of our forces. The first is the Craethel stronghold at Ayem'vu, and the second will be a full incursion and annex of New Eden, thanks to the information provided to us by Cassius upon his defection, we believe we can liberate the Norian population there with little to no known-Cli'cha deaths.” This had been planned, these targets were precise and followed the logic of what had already been successful since the cross-over.

Caecyan chimed in, he nodded supportive of his brother's motion but had his own questions to ask. “What shall our process be with these two young men in our care? I mean an attack on New Eden will end the humanitarian aide both Lorenz and Noria are receiving...” he waited for either the Xyr or Xal to answer his query. His image distorted ever so slightly as the transmission carried across a long range.

“Excellent question, we will pick up where New Eden has left off...Who better to rebuild Norian worlds, than other Norians?” Teal replied, her question didn't need an answer, rather it filled the point. “This is when we step up, reach out and make our people strong again. We bring the two siblings and the son of Cheol into the Bloc and we coexist, and become one nation should they understand the sanity we can restore on their worlds and put them back in this fight. The rest will work itself out in time,” Teal said, the edges of her lips lifted ever so slightly, proud of her own contribution to this discussion.

Ethan Orinas cleared his throat, the Paecifican monarch wouldn't let an opportunity like this to go to waste, “I suggest, we handle this matter with intensive focus and care. My dear peers, we are looking at a people, a universe which had nearly decimated itself before our arrival. While I am all for this unification of our kind, ridiculous obstructions, substitutions and compromises that have been forced upon these poor Norians must be reversed as we move forward. That means they will have to abandon this foolish notion of species equality!” he scoffed, dramatic in disgust of his own mention of it.

A wry smile crossed Caecyan's face, he glanced briefly towards Ethan and then towards the Xyr, “These people carry the regret of a generation born in war, born in desperation. I believe entirely in the young sibling leaders in this case. They will not hesitate to step in a direction which will be better for all Norian-kind.” The young leader had energy, there was no question of that, and he was willing to put his own reputation on the line to help these young leaders that had been thrown into power as their universe crumbled around them.
Teal pursed her lips briefly, a thoughtful look rested on her face as she considered the words of the two leaders. “Caecyan, we have entrusted you will the care of these young people and will continue to trust your direction and the hope that a true sense of what they still exist under the pains these crises have laid on them. Ethan, I likewise share your concern and therefore I ask that the new Xal'Sae devote a portion of our Yaducath Intelligence bandwidth to the continued monitor, firewall and protective measures of our counterparts and their people. We are all one species, all one and we will see a day where all Norians live again in harmony under a banner, under an Imperial rule guided by tradition and culture as we have so bold sworn our oath to uphold.” The new Xyr made sure her place in all of it was firm, it would give the others the strength and confidence to follow her lead.

Arakan was in agreement with the Xyr's position on the matter, he also supported his brother. “The YIA will have their hands in the matter, I am confident then we are all in agreement on the two action items we have identified, so that I may begin a redeployment strategy to accommodate for these new fronts. “ He reached for the controls at the table, “If any of you feel the need to reach out individually, you know how to reach me,” he stated as he tapped the button which caused the volumetric transmissions from the other leaders to end, one after the other they disappeared.
 
Part II

Dock One: CIS TianLong, Caeyorian War Dragon
Ascension Star Citadel
Nibus Cloud Nexus

Ji closed her eyes as she melted against Arakan's form, her right hand braced warmly upon his right cheek. “You...take care of yourself out there. I will be waiting for you, waiting to be held in your arms again.” She pulled herself against him tighter, her almond-shaped apertures closed as she breathed in his scent. She lifted herself up on her toes and brought her lips to his, and kissed him slowly as if to memorize the feeling of his lips upon hers. The faint tendrils of blue energy that shifted from lip to lip seemed to embrace them within an ambient brilliance. Like diamonds, her eyes caught the light when her lids fluttered back open to look deep within him.

Arakan braced his beloved as she pushed against him, he kissed her back with enduring passion and appreciation. “I will return to you, victory empowering my very steps and the might of my dragon burning within my soul for you,” he whispered back to her as his hands sculpted the slender frame that he knew full well was the vessel of everything. Most men would have been drunk with the knowledge he had, yet for him, it was no different than any other romance. It was time to go, and yet he continued to embrace her tightly. Together they worried for each other, even though they were far from the mortal coil and never truly were apart. “I have to go now...You know how to find me,” he said as his hands slid over hers to gently pull them from his form. He squeezed her hands in his and then took a deep breath and looked towards the airlock. “See you soon, my sweet flower...” he left her side and headed through the airlock after a brief look back in her direction.

Energized hull plating shifted, and the illuminated form of the Mighty Tianlong made itself visible in the dock. Raw Chrystalis quintessence burned in the space of the nearly organic winged presence of the vessel. It was not a ship at all, the magnificent space-faring being was older than the eldest of the Leviathan and was one of the first mythical creations of Unya herself. Scale-like plating fell into place which seemed to solidify it's writhing, serpent-like form and demonic-like wings that appeared to burn space itself. The interior spaces of the ship had a similar, yet stabilized shift to them, the calm whale-like echos cooed through the dimly lit, accommodating interiors that melded a world of luxury and function like nothing else. Tianlong was old, wise, and extremely powerful. One of the greatest of the Celestial Chrystalis Dragons, she was Unya's greatest warrior and would protect Arakan on his journey to lead their troops. White banners displaying the insignia of the Imperial Ysi framed the chamber of the bridge, Arakan was in his throne-like command chair in the center of it all, his very thoughts connected to the dragon.

In a brilliant trail of light, Tianlong flashed out of the spacedock and into open space. It's massive maw opened, sending out disruptions that sounded like a roar over subspace itself. Energy tore from within the great ancient being and opened a portal, and in a quick serpent-like movement disappeared into the depths of slipstream itself. Tendrils and Wings set back from its body it flowed through the tempest of energy and space-time headed towards its destination. As it moved through the slipstream it's tendrils absorbed tremendous amounts of energy from the plasma streams themselves, one of the magnificent beings many ways to tap the universe of Unya's creation for its power.
 
Part III

CIS Xyterix, War Phoenix
Command Flag Ship, Caeyorian 2nd Imperial Fleet
Command: Curunir Nightbane
Location: Veil Homestead System, New Eden
Orders: Take The Veil Homestead | Objective Status: Failed

The flames poured from the ventilation system, from the ripped overloaded consoles as radiation levels began to spoke from plasma fires that burned out of control. The entire ship vibrated with each concussive blast, the faint cries of soldiers dying played as the harmony to the deep bass tones of the explosions. The vaulted ceiling of the bridge had collapsed, niranium beams rested over the spark-throwing mess. The smoke made him choke, amidst the dead bodies in the middle of destruction Curunir's young form stood at the tactical station, his fingers danced through the controls as he focused through the smouldering air, trying to make out the distorted projections on the overlay. The young, adolescent prodigy was the only one left alive, his captain's chair toppled but his broken ship still fired its turrets, which rattled through the ship nearly as loud as the explosions from the impacts.

The remains of War Falcons, of the two other War Phoenixes that had joined them, were in ruin along with the fleets of New Eden to which they had arrived to already broken, chunks of their hulls bashed against barely functional shield barriers as the Xyterix's failing engines pushed and pushed through the madness trying to bring it's navigational computers back online to calculate a desperate jump to FTL. The enemy, that which had already taken the capital of New Eden before they had even arrived to take it themselves, matched nothing they had ever encountered, but the presence of Craethel hulks that joined them gave a disturbing message, their enemy was no longer alone. Whoever they were, whatever they were, their ships were small, but they shredded their foes into debris, in minutes the fleet had been reduced to nearly nothing. Curunir's gold, clock-like pupils gazed towards the screen as more of their remaining ships were reduced to nothing, the enemy was like bullets through space, spinning like grinders that tore everything in their path. Desperation, frustration, another explosion and the flicker of the lights were followed by blackness, the Xyterix stopped and drifted through space powerless. Tears streamed down the young main's soot-stained face.

The controls were no longer functioning, all but the main projection had ceased. Curunir watched as the Xyterix crew launched their escape pods, shooting stars that zipped out from their broken ship only to be fed to these vessels which gave no mercy and then ground them to tiny explosions which detonated across the nebulous clouds of space. New Eden spun in the distance, it's once paradise surface is overgrown with machinery and the green glow of dropships and Craethel and other strongholds which now covered the entire surface. Curunir beat his fists down on the console, nothing worked and even the cries and moans of the injured members of his crew which had not fled had gone silent. “I have failed you Xyr...” he said quietly, he tried to activate auto destruct but even that had failed, he watched as the swarms of enemy ships moved in around his ship, helpless and defeated.

The lead enemy ship, it's claw-like talons were part of a much much larger version of the smaller craft which had torn their fleet to bits closed and hovered before the Xyterix. The eerie green glowing light from the monstrosity of a ship was nearly blinding and made Curunir have to shield his eyes and face before he turned away from the screen. A voice, an omnipresence filled the bridge with a mechanical but feminine undertone, “Norian, your surrender is not required or requested. Please state your designation. What is your name?” Curunir turned, a volumetric image had appeared on the bridge. A woman, she had to be at least seven feet in height that had pale white skin and a crystallized crust-like armor that seemed like a second skin over her own. She had inky dark violet hair and strange almost-blind grey eyes that seemed to stare right through him. Her hands had long claws that glowed a violet hue in the darkness, and had a wet appearance like they were coated with something, it glistened and refracted the light in a very strange way. “I..” Curunir swallowed the smoke saturated air, “I am Curunir Nightbane, Captain of the Xyterix War Phoenix.” The young man stared at a woman, a creature that he could only see as death itself, which had come to reap his last breath.

“Curunir Nightbane, you belong to me. We are boarding your ship. There is no escape.” the image of the woman faded and left him back to the smoke-filled darkness of the bridge. Curunir let out a breath as he tried to collect his thoughts. He had a choice, he could stand there and wait for them to come, or he could fight. Neither option had a bright answer for his future, this was a scenario that ended with his capture or his death. He looked down and gritted his teeth as he considered his next course of action. The ship rattled, the sound of airlocks being forced rang through the decks. The sound of screams returned as gunfire sounded in the decks below. “Fuck...” he cursed, he tore his blade from its holster and a low hum resounded as the femtomechanical build sequence initiated. Two globe-like drones detached from his belt and drifted into the air as his blade powered up. The blade's katana-like structure finalized just as the sound of armored boots could be heard in the central corridor headed towards the bridge. The clock centers of his pupils illuminated as he looked towards the door, as the two drones took an orbital path around his body, and he extended his chronometric field outwards and began to focus and prepare for what expected to be a losing battle.

“Hold your ground, Curunir. I am coming.” Cururnir looked around, who the hell had said that? The voice it sounded familiar, but he couldn't quite make it out. The armored doors of the bridge began to buckle, and he held his ready stance, his field shimmered as it grew in intensity along with his focus. The bending and breaking of mechanical systems, of the metal gears and supports in the door's inner mechanics were like thunder as the Craethel soldiers began to tear through it, but it was quiet compared to the sound of his own heartbeat in his ears. He clutched the grip of his blade and tried to position himself to be able to strike as the first soldier made it through the door. The glow of red eyes of the Craethel power armor, it was all he needed to see. A step forwards, a spin, the drones whirled faster in their orbital pattern and he slashed his sword down on a sharp angle, which tore through the first soldier's chest plate, the field deflected the blaster shots of the soldiers in formation behind them which pegged into the walls of the bridge.
Curunir backflipped, the two drones went in the other direction scalar emissions busted from the drones which scorched and blew holes in some of the armors, but still the Craethel pushed forwards. The woman that had appeared in the projection was behind them, a massive blade weapon gripped in her right hand as the other motions the soldiers forwards. Battlerifles sprayed rounds towards the young man, the shield had managed to hold most of them back, the others left bloodied singe marks on his white uniform as they had been dulled when they passed through. Back again, more steps back and he was quickly losing ground on the command platform as they pushed into the bridge, with this woman, this creature behind them which seemed to hold a presence enough to cause him to feel sick on his insides. “I will not be taken alive,” he said, as he took another slash towards the lead soldier which toppled the Craethel giant, but the others just continued forwards not phased by their fallen.

The Craethel parted, which allowed the female to move forwards. Her blade's tip dragged against the deck plating which sent sparks flying as she walked towards him. Curunir, held his stance, blade at the ready for another strike and he had no problem sacrificing himself if that was what it took. The young man stared the woman down, his eyes narrowed and the glow of his field intensified as the two drones swung back and hovered over his shoulders. A smile crept onto the woman's face, “Sweet boy, put down your sword. Death has come to you. You'll die by the Syx's Liege in sacrifice for her maker,” her voice made his ears ring, but he didn't move even as she stepped forwards just beyond the reach of his blade. Every muscle in Curunir's body felt like it was on fire, adrenaline rushed and he prepared for what would be his last stand.

Another explosion, not on the ship though was nearly deafening. Curunir turned around just in time to see the bright flash rip across the main projection. The massive ship which the woman had come from was torn from its place in space, pieces of its hull were blasted in every direction. He turned back around, only to see a shocked look on the woman's face as she gasped, and watch her Warship be destroyed. “What the hell?.ATTEND!” she barked orders as the Craethel closed around her which now blocked Curunir from reaching her, the boy just held his blade and stared in her direction. A roar tore through subspace, it's echo rattled through the hull of the ship as Tianlong passed through the broken hull of the ship and swept over the Xyterix. Whirls of energy formed quickly on the bridge, the Caeyorian soldiers materialized around Curunir which caused the formation of the Craethel and the woman to back up.

The roar of the Chrystalis Dragon sounded again as it moved through space, the soldiers aimed their battle rifles towards the Craethel as they held formation around Curunir. “Well now...Sorry for interrupting, but this ship belongs to us,” The woman turned around, only to look towards the form of Arakan who along with a small dispatch of soldiers had materialized behind them. “I've seen a lot of Craethel in my time, but you're something new. Care to share?” The Xal'Sae aimed his rifle towards the woman and smirked. It was a standoff and he was not willing to budge an inch, he called out to Curunir, “You alright, lad?” His finger tensed against the trigger, he waited and wanted to see what this woman would do next.

“F...fine...” Curunir responded, a breath of relief left him, he thought for sure he was about to be dead. He waited to see what would happen next when he heard a sigh of frustration and annoyance come from the woman. “I am Syx, and I will see you soon,” she said, and with a flash, she was gone along with the formation of Craethel soldiers. Curunir looked to Arakan and gave a slight nod, “Thank you, Sir. I thought I was a dead man.” He lowered his blade and the field around him dissipated before the two drones reattached to his belt. Arakan smiled, “You fought well, let's get out of here before they come back. Sadly, the Xyterix can't be saved.” Arakan gave a signal and in a whirl of energy, they were onboard Tianlong. The massive Chrystalis Dragon whipped its tail through space which smashed into the Xyterix, and shattered the already failing War Phoenix into a blast of Debris. The War Dragon then projected a portal and disappeared into slipstream just ahead of the incoming barrage of enemy ships.
 
Part IV

Aacalan's Rift

The breach had expanded, torn space laid waste for lightyears now was a tear in creation itself. A hole in the wall from which the hordes poured unchecked, the tempest of destruction itself, the harbinger of extinction. Craethel Hulks emerged from the super-heated threads of plasmatic discharge, like giants smashing their fists on the ground during battle. From the massive Titan hulks to the smaller escorts they formed the bulk of an ever-expanding armada. The Craethel were no longer alone, Syx's Kaerahi joined them, clouds of the same vessels that had torn the Caeyorian fleet down at New Eden flowed in formations with the hulks, the first of their allies and the endowed children of the first Espra of Morggho had come to ensure their victory. For light-years, the scourge had populated itself with resolve. If the Kaerahi had not been enough, there was plenty more to come. War had come to Chrystalis and it's opening symphony was the discordance of mounting chaos. Suddenly the Craethel Hulks were dwarfed, Spire-like Ch'yiquan Leviathans pushed from the surging nexus, they spanned several lengths of the already nearly unfathomable size of the hulks, they were only the chariots for the Equanu Colonial Fortress, the planet-like sphere that housed billions in a mobile, system killing command structure. A sickness, a vile and terrible wind of destruction had befallen the universe, and this was the beginning of the greatest struggle to ever touch the soils of the populated worlds, or tear through the cold expanses of space.

The presence of the Equanu shifted the very tide of the universe itself, the weapon had already been powered up, the sphere pulsed and shock-waves tore outwards from the epicenter of the Armada. The wave would catch the leading edge of the Masamune wave that had been unleashed by Tetsuya on the universe and tugged it back inwards towards itself like a bull roped by the horns. It tore the wave into streams that all flowed inwards back towards the Equanu and it's waiting for collector arrays that would collect its power as raw fuel. Ruptures tore along the streams as the wave's function was placed in reverse, rifts of dark matter bled into space as the manubrium between the void and realspace was breached once again. Worlds were torn from the systems closest to Equanu and were smashed like toys, the very foundations of Chrysalis's creation cracked and breached, as they absorbed the energy from what had once been the salvation of billions to now serving the nightmare of their Dark Lord.

The newly arrived forces numbered in the billions began to disperse and form fleets, the arms of the horde moved outwards to prey upon the peoples of the Unvorsum as they sought to trash the entirety of Unya's creations. Nothing would ever be the same again, the universe was plunged into chaos, into a war that made the previous incursions from beyond appear petty and simple. It would not be long before entire worlds would feel the oppression of their new Masters. Not long before trillions would perish, trying to hold back a force that wanted nothing more than their extinction.
 
Part V

Krytos Nebula, Corsignus Major
Caeyorian 3rd Imperial War Fleet
Forward Line: USC-Caeyorian Spacial Border Sector

The nebula served as a dead zone for the USC and Craethel sensors, a looming cloud of swirling gas and volatile debris that was pron to intense electrostatic activity between the colliding gas flows from the stellar nursery deep in its heart. A beautiful, strategic place for a strike to be launched. For months they had skirmished along the borders, and when the 2nd Fleet had been destroyed, the Caeyorians made it look like they had bugged out, to be redeployed to accommodate the thinning of their fleet, rather than redeployment the bulk of their ships had slipped unnoticed into the nebula to await the right moment. The target was the Krytos Supply Depot and the Craethel Border Control Base that was in control of this section of the border, the closest forward point of the line within striking distance to Ayem'vu. The arrival of Tianlong in the nebula marked the beginning of the operation, the mighty Chrystalis War Dragon moved into formation with the rest of the fleet.

Curunir stood opposite of Arakan, a volumetric projection of the target system and their objectives before them. “It is unlikely they will expect us, after the blow to our fleet at New Eden, they will expect us to play it safe for a while. It may be risky, but so long as we execute it with as few losses as possible it will put us one step ahead from where we were, and open a hole in their defenses for Vaepora and her fleet to strike their forces at Ayem'vu,” Arakan explained his plan to Curunir, running the simulation of their attack on the depot and control base again for him to have a visualization of the plan. Curunir examined the projection, the young man motioned towards a group of cargo ships, “That cargo group, is carrying shielded cargo. Whatever it is, they seem to be very interested in protecting it, which is why they've moved their destroyers from the normal patrol pattern. We should try and secure whatever it is they are carrying. It could be a weapon or a critical piece of technology,” Curunir stated, then had the projection zoom in on the small formation of ships.

Arakan nodded and said, “You're going to command Tianlong, so that will be up to you. I will be taking a small team to the Control Base, We're going to try and capture one of these bastards intact so we can dissect it and understand what makes them tick, at least get a good look at whatever is under that armor.” To date, no one had seen what the Craethel were, it was nothing but speculation, when scanned the suit blocked the scans even when it appeared they were subdued and their recall devices always activated before one could be reclaimed from the battlefield.

“Me? ... Command Tianlong?” Curunir questioned, his eyes widened as Arakan nodded. Some excitement caught within him as he considered this honor, even if the task was daunting and perhaps a step or two out of his league. “Aye, Xal'Sae, I will do my best to make you proud. The War Dragon's low growl-like vibrations echoed through its interiors as Arakan sent their tactical plan to the rest of the fleet. “Well lad, take the chair. I will see you on the other side,” Arakan stated as he headed towards the lift capsule. Curunr looked towards the throne-like command chair, then glanced around briefly to the bridge crew who were obviously focused on the fact that Arakan had just left a child in command. Curunir closed his eyes a moment to rid himself of anxiety and walked over to the chair and lowered himself into it.

The second Curunir's bottom touched down in the chair, the connection formed. The neural bond between the ancient War Dragon and its commander was passed from Arakan to Curunir. The feeling was euphoric, powerful in ways that Curunir could barely understand. The deep soothing voice of the ancient being sounded in his mind like a wise sage, and in moments he was brought to understand the living vessel and its systems along with everything from the locations of his crew to the status of the mission. Wide-eyed the young man, gained an understanding of things very quickly, the crew were the tools of the ship itself, it's caretakers and accessories, not the conventional meld between even Leviathan and it's occupants. “Contact the rest of the fleet, let's get everyone ready to move out,” Curunir ordered, and the communications officer complied as the fleet finalized it's positioning in the nebula.
 
Part VI
Krytos Craethel Control Base - Corsignus Major
Caeyorian Marine Team S-2
Command: Xal'Sae Arakan Eitan

Six plus Arakan were all that was assigned to the mission, they had the element of surprise. The fleet was in full engagement and Tianlong was keeping the station defenses and Craethel busy with its constant portal-flash attacks. Black insertion gear, helped keep them hidden in the dimly lit interior of the station, it wouldn't be long before the USC and the Craethel noticed their presence, so they had to move quickly and try to avoid getting pinned down. According to their intelligence, the Craethel had high-security areas where they congregated, many had speculated that there was a possibility they removed the suits only in those areas, nothing suggested even the USC soldiers had seen one, at least none of the defectors had indicated it. In tight formation, several of the soldiers would move forwards while others scanned behind them. Arakan reached for the massive blade-device on his belt and flicked it forwards in the air where it hovered. He spread his hands apart and the eight blade structures activated and separated into a fan-like pattern in front of him then swung back in an orbital arch around him, the soft glow of their power sources hued a light blue in the darkness. The legendary blades were related to the forged Legacies of Godsmourn and the Bow carried by Kendra Orinas. They were known as the blades of Yuurei, forged by the master smith of the Espra himself under the order of Unya, and they were controlled via a telepathic link with their chosen host, a weapon of immense power which demanded skill and focus, something Yuurei had seen in Arakan before his capture.

A chamber laid ahead, several Craethel and USC soldiers were positioned at stations devoted to what they assumed was some kind of engineering complex. At the junction, Arakan lifted his hand and the company stopped, a clank of metal and the humm of a phasic charge emitted from the blades as they and he phased to translucence. Arakan moved forwards, into the chamber with a leap, his right hand moved through the air and in a whirl the blades flowed in an orbital pattern outwards from his body, cleaving through two of the USC soldiers and sending sparks flying across the torn plates of one of the Craethel armors, the rest of the team moved into formation, the pulses of battle rifles resounded through the chamber. The Crathael immediately began to fire back, the team took up position behind consoles and pillars in the structure as they continued their attack.

As his men continued the exchange with the remaining soldiers, Arakan hopped over the edge of one of the control stations, he began to filter through what little he could access in the system. “Arakan to Curunir, I need your help over here....help me to hack the controls for their internal security doors, I want them all open,” he issued over the comm as he pulled a device from his belt and clamped it into one of the memory ports of the terminal to establish an uplink to Tianlong. “On it, Sir...I just need a few minutes.” Curunir replied, and then went silent as he went to work to hack the controls. Arakan looked around, as expected any of the Craethel that fell were either immediately trans-positioned out of the chamber, or their self destruct mechanisms had vaporized them. More USC soldiers poured into the Chamber, and Arakan knew he had to buy the young prodigy sometime, so he leaped back down into battle, his blades whirling through the air, to help take down enemy soldiers. A Craethel soldier began to close on him, he swept the blades forwards and closed his fist, their internal power-plants burned with furious vehemence, which projected a high scalar field between them which caused explosive sparks to spray over the surface of the armored giant.

Two of his six Marines had fallen, the others clung to formation around him as they continued to fire, his blades whipped through the air between them, cleaving and shredding as the soldiers continued to pour into the chamber. “Got it, Internal Security doors are open, I'll see what other systems I can get into, but we have our hands full out here too. Tianlong Out.” Curunir responded, the soldiers pressed forwards and pushed through the final wave of soldiers, Arakan moved with them through the newly opened security doors towards their target destination. The enemy had an advantage here, it was their Base and he had to factor that in as they made careful inches forwards, as soldiers made sure junctions and corridors were clear before each dash forwards. The sweeping gleam of their targeting sights caught the polished surface of bulkheads as they began to move through sections that were very obviously built for the giant-like forms of the Craethel.

The intensity of opposition as they pushed through, more and more Craethel were deployed. The vicious spray of their Gatling type weapons tore down the corridors. Arakan used the fields projected by his blades to try and provide as much cover for his men as they returned fire. Every few steps, he sent the eight blades in a pulse out in front of them, to knock the Craethel back from their positions to hopefully give his men cleaner shots. Already their surroundings seemed alien, the walls were covered with what appeared to be a network of energy conduits which appeared to enhance the Craethel, working an accessory system to their already superior armor and capability. Like giants, Arakan intended to continue to topple them until he reached their objective.
 
At the corridor junction, Arakan and his team would hear the sound of a repetitive clicking noise followed by a bird-like call that echoed. Help had arrived and in force, an entire team of Marines accompanied the Admiral and had pushed in from the other side of the base. Both barrels of her QP-780s were smoking still with the exhaustive heat of repetitive discharge. “Yaah'boss....we got ya....” The slender figured violet haired Norian female said as they merged their formations. The long trench coat of her uniform jacket washed up on her ankles as she rushed to keep up with his much faster strides.

She waited for new orders, the blastic pulses of her pistols sent energized pulses that flashed down the corridor ahead of them. Artemesia Eitan had made her entrance, and what an entrance it was, there was a trail of bodies in the direction she had come in. Outside of the station, the Amagoshen War Phoenix and her fleet joined Arakan and Curunir's forces in full force against the enemy. As she walked tiny niranium contraptions jumped out of her pocket, the micro-mines began replicating and activating their active camouflage as they were left behind and set to trigger on enemy proximity.
 
Arakan motioned for his men to hold formation as the Admiral and her team joined them, "Whatever is at the end of this corridor, they're not wanting us to get to it," he said as another Craethel armor fell beneath the shredding grind of his blades. He could see the corridor opened up into another chamber ahead, there were dozens of armors guarding the door. "Bottlenecked, not the best of positions. We're going to have to push." He broke into a run forwards and motioned Arte to follow as he passed the two soldiers that had point. He leaped through the opening to the chamber and swung his blades in a sweeping circular motion, the orbital paths of the blades had them cross each other in their paths at the forward-most soldiers. The chamber was filled with tank-like structures beside strange alcove conduits that held the Craethel Armors. There was something moving in the tanks that he just couldn't make out.

The Craethel Armors that were active held their formations and more detached from their conduits, "Arte, see if you can get a beacon on one of those inactive units. I want scans of everything." This was it, their chance to learn what these things were, and hopefully, learn easier ways to put them down. Arakan and the Marines were in the thick of it, hopefully, they would be able to buy time for Artemesia to get what they needed.
 
Artemesia made a running dash around Arakan and the Marines, as her boots hit the deck plating the transferred energy from her heels was mixing with the output from the suit's power source, like a gun going off the energy was converted, a flash of hot violet sparks trailed through the air after her as she shifted from one position to the next in motion, her form would disappear briefly between steps, a dance motivated twisting jump in the air followed by the depression of the twin triggers. She fired from the moment her boots left the dec until she landed on the platform beside one of the alcoves. She holstered one of her QP-780s and took out her scanner. She didn't have time to analyze the data, that could be done later. Every few seconds she looked over her shoulder and fired a shot at the closest Craethel Armor. "Almost!" she yelled to Arakan.


She put the scanner away and slapped the transponder onto the inactive Craethel Armor. "YEAAAAHBOSS! Just need the Amagoshen to grab 'er." She pulled her second QP-780 and switched to heavy-fire mode, the pulses increased in size but decreased in frequency as she landed hits on more of the enemy. She took a running leap off the platform, another burst and she disappeared in midair and reappeared next to Arakan. "I hope you got a plan to get us out of here." She said to Arakan as she watched the transponder activate and transposition the inactive Craethel Armor. "Shit, I don't think they can get the tank." She took aim and fired a single round at one of the tanks, she wanted to see what was inside of it.
 
"Arakan to Tianlong. The Amagoshen has the package. We're ready for extraction," Sorin said over the commlink, just after the last Craethel fell at his feet. Out of the two teams of marines, only two soldiers remained other than himself and Artemesia. "Set the explosives, we need to get out of here," he ordered, the two soldiers set into motion, they had to take the charges from the packs of their fallen comrades. While they set to work, Arakan looked around the chamber, most of the Craethel Armors they had put down had already recalled or dissolved, he couldn't help but wonder what they would find in the one they had managed to retrieve. He walked towards Artemesia the broken glass crunched beneath his armored footfalls.

Arakan looked at the fluid from the tank she had blasted open, there was nothing there but some kind of blue colored goo that he had never seen before, "We should try and take a sample of this back with us." he said, his blades drifted back into a fan-like position just behind and above him as he leaned down and dipped his gloved finger into the goo. The slimy substance poured from the surface of his glove and slurped back to the ground. "Looks appetizing...." he commented sarcastically as he pulled a sample vile from his belt kit and began to string fingerfuls of the substance into the vile.

The subspace echoes of Tianlong could be heard through the base's structure as the War Dragon was piloted closer, ready to pull them out. "Good to be in the field again, Arte?" he asked as the soldiers set the explosives on the columns that circled the tank structures at the center of the chamber.
 
Artemesia shook her head as Arakan spoke. He had learned the art of small talk, finally, this was an improvement from the last time they served together. “It looks like something you would have tried to pass off at soup,” she walked up behind him and stared down as he put the goo into the container. “I take that back, that looks more appetizing than the concoction you tried to pass as soup. I remember your cooking, boy.” Her crystalline hues set beneath her lashes briefly and then she turned her attention to the two remaining marines. “Hurry up boys, or you'll be walking home,” she took a step back, the glass from the tank crunched beneath the heel of her boot.


“I'd rather be just about anywhere else.” Artemesia loved deployment, but the Craethel and the hells they had unleashed were enough to turn even the most battle-hardened woman to the bottle. “I, at least, got to come to bother you. It looks like you got things here. Look me up for a bottle of cacelle later if you're not too busy polishing the royal scepter.” She winked and took a step back. The Amagoshen's transposition array grabbed the Admiral up and returned her to her ship.
 
Arakan muttered, “There was nothing wrong with my soup.” He stood up and turned around, she was gone. Who signed her orders anyway? A common question he found himself asking after every encounter. “I think we're done here, go ahead young man,” he said over the command moved in closer to the two Marines that were left. In a flash, he could hear the song-like call of Tianlong all around himself, home at last. He rushed out of the transposition chamber and headed towards the bridge through the labyrinth of moving corridors.

“Thanks for the recall, Curunir,” he said as he entered the bridge. The fleet was still engaged with the Craethel, what has left of them anyway. Their plan had worked. Arakan stepped over to one of the terminals and brought up the controls for the remote detonation sequence for the explosives they had left behind on the Craethel Control Base. He said to Curunir, “Have Tianlong ready to portal the second the explosion happens, take us right through it and she will do the rest.” He tapped the detonation command and looked to the projection.

The explosives in the Craethel Control Base detonated, a series of explosions tore through the station and just as the shockwaves rippled outwards, the massive War Dragon Tianlong rushed towards it, the maw of the ancient space-dweller opened and a pulse of energy surged within. The dimensional portal tore open space at the center of the explosion and Tianlong blinked through its opening, for a moment the War Dragon was literally inside of the station, it's armored scales smashed through the interior of the base, and then it appeared on the other side. A massive explosion emitted from where the portal had been and base blew apart sending debris in almost every direction.

They had successfully captured a Craethel Armor and collected whatever the goo in the tanks was, he held the vile up to the light and wondered what they would discover about their enemy. The realization then hit, he didn't have the Craethel at all, Artemesia did, it had been taken to the Amagoshen. “Curunir, tell the fleet to finish up and tell everyone to rendezvous at Hellespawn. Hopefully, Admiral Artemesia will be there to join us...” He couldn't help but wonder if the entire thing was something black booked by the Xyr.
 
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