Aschen Marine's Story

Mollem nodded and started towards the Golem. "Then perhaps the Empire has prevailed through the deceit and the dissent of rebels. Your loyalties are not unfounded. And you will be rewarded." He said, starting to the door. "We must find Kianna and then we will leave together." He explained as he moved down the hallway.

"As for Whisper... I will see her punished for her treachery." He said, making his way towards the maternity ward.

Whisper hesitated at Aiyanna's orders. The Aschen were on Arastel, Mollem was returning to power. She had her orders, and yet her movements were stayed by the moment of hesitation. She could hear the police mobilizing outside, she knew the Aschen had a Reverence above. She knew too that Mollem would not be quick to forget her actions here today.

"I..." she hesitated again. "I can't do that."

She knelt and retrieved the gun from the floor once more. The Aschen marines raised their rifles at her, but she turned the gun on her own head and closed her eyes.

The woman turned her head away as if to shield her face from him and her grip tightened upon the gun until her knuckles turned white. Cranford began to rise from his desk.

"Don't," Whisper warned.

The older man hesitated, and then lowered himself back into his seat, resting his lower arms along the desk and folding his hands. "Who are you?" he asked, his gaze resting steadily on her face. "Why are you doing this?"

Whisper shook her head. "Forgive me," she uttered. Swallowing back the bile that rose in her throat she squeezed the trigger.

A single gunshot echoed through the hospital.

Freedom.

"Such a shame." Mollem said, as he stepped into the maternity ward, seeing Whisper's splattered brains on the wall.

"She will however live on as her individual organs are harvested and any remaining biomass is placed in the protein bank to feed my people."

He turned to Echo, Aiyanna and Kianna as a pair of Marines fitted him for his robes once more, and knelt slightly. "I worship His Shadow." He said, then he turned to face Aiyanna.

"Let's depart." He said calmly, then he turned to Kianna.

"We will glass the planet upon our departure, to punish these people for their insolence."

Echo stared with wide eyes at Whisper's fallen form. The golem had been far from close to the girl - they'd hardly spoken beyond the necessity of working together in the field - but regardless of that, it was significantly unsettling to see that she had taken her own life. It was the first time Echo had encountered suicide.

"Why did..." he began, but trailed off into silence. He somehow doubted any of these people were wont to give such a question time at present.

His gaze went back to Mollem as he stated his intent to glass the planet, and his heart sank. Death on such a broad scale for the crime of not knowing who they had slighted? It couldn't possibly be right.

His eyes fell to the floor. Perhaps it would have been better if they had completed their mission, if this was the kind of man that was now giving the orders. But he said nothing. He did not have the conviction nor the independence for disobedience or dissent.

Kianna glanced down at the wailing child in her arms before all but shoving it into Aiyanna's arms. Let her deal with it. Maybe she would drop it on its head.

She threw a fiery look at Mollem, but the words behind it didn't reach her lips as she simply swept out of the room ahead of the rest. She paused only to retrieve the gun from one of the unconscious officers in the hall. It was unlikely she would have need of the weapon, but she didn't care to be unarmed at the moment as she checked the safety on it and shoved it into the back of her pants.

Outside the hospital police vehicles were pulling up and officers were taking cover behind the armored vehicles as they trained weapons on the building. There was a crowd gathering as police tried to clear the streets of onlookers - but ever a slave to human nature and curiosity people gathered in throngs regardless of the danger that the ship overhead, or the marines in the hospital presented. Reporters were all vying for the best shot of the hospital with little regard for personal safety.

Aiyanna took the child incredulously before she turned to Mollem and Kianna.

"The Reverence is preparing it's Gravity beam so we can depart." She said, listening as more Police officers were heard closing in on the hospital.

"Come, let's get out of here." She said, starting out of the hospital room, and rounding a corner. Already Aschen soldiers were engaged in firefights with police officials in the Hallways.

"We've secured a route to the roof, where we can be picked up."

--

As Aiyanna moved out, several Marines moved to collect Whisper's body for disposition.

Echo followed the group in silence, with only a momentary backwards glance at where Whisper's body was being lifted before he turned away to stare forwards as he walked, with a thoughtful frown.

Back aboard the the Reverence II 'A Psalm Every Day', the planet of Arastel looked little more than a distant azure oasis as the ship broke atmosphere and entered the wide expanse of space. The crew was already beginning preparations to carry out the Divine Shadow's orders against the planet.

Kianna had yet to don the offered garbs of her station as the Black Hand, choosing instead to stand beside the re-appointed Divine Shadow as she was when they had been found upon the Auroran planet. Or what was to be left of it shortly.

"And just like that, we're going back?" Kianna asked.

There was an edge of anger to her voice.

"To be puppets for the Quorum?" she added. "That's all this is really. Do you think for a moment they intend to just give over the power they've gained in your absence?" she asked.

She sparred a look to Echo who remained nearby. The odd construct she had found upon Terra was growing into a potentially formidable weapon, but she had seen the emotion within him at the hospital. She didn't entirely trust him, but perhaps with time and conditioning such emotions could be... silenced.

Mollem nodded as he looked to the large holographic readout of the planet. Admiral Nagala was preparing to carry out the orders. "I've ordered the AI to charge up the energy projectors. We may want to order the fleet to this planet so they can begin operations."

Nagala paused a moment, then continued.

"If I may, we would be better off taking the planet than glassing it."

Mollem nodded.

"Tell their Government to surrender to the Empire, or be destroyed." He said flatly before he turned to Kianna.

"The people in the Quorum now are the people who supported my leadership and the Empire." Mollem explained. "I trust many of them. They were my failsafe in the event something like this happened, and my Failsafe paid off. The Divine Shadow's rule will prevail even when Challenged."

Silence remained Echo's prerogative for the moment. His eyes betrayed his discomfort, as subdued as it was. He did not understand the hostility towards this world, when it appeared to have committed no crimes. He just wanted to return to the ship he knew, where at least the crew acknowledged him beyond suspicious glares.

He did not want to be party to decisions that could end a world, since he could do nothing about them.

"The same people who put Jarrod Kane into power in the first place," Kianna replied dryly. "The only reason for this is because they didn't get what they wanted out of him."

She shook her head with disgust.

"Not a year ago you could think of nothing else but being rid of this, and you cursed these men that you say you trust. I won't play puppet for the Quorum."

A group of children moved through the crowds of people and Khroniktans towards a small plume of smoke where a relatively short Aryite stood. Being only a foot and eight inches taller than tall Aschen men, he was no where near as intimidating as the rest of the Aryites when it came to size. His simple magi robe was a brilliant and flawless blend of blues, purples, and greens and his cat like feet were covered in simple wrappings. Behind him stood a very large Golem, which just about every other Khroniktan who didn't know who we was stayed away from as if in fear. But the Golem stood still, waiting for a command. Gripped in the right paw of the relatively short Aryite was a staff made of a strange material, a equally strange crystal of Arcanium stabilized on top of it.

"Gather around little ones, gather around, and listen to the epic tale of the defeat of the terrible Dark Emperor!" he cried out in a playful tone that didn't match any of the serious looks of other Aryite faces. However, the tone attracted the children, who all sat around a campfire that glowed with blends of Dark greens and blues. "And do not worry about the big guy behind me, for I have him under control." he said, not needing to gesture to the large Golem behind him.

He cleared his throat, waving his staff over the Arcane Fire. "Now, where to begin...Ah, yes I know." he muttered as the flames grew a little before dying down. Floating puppets representing King Neodin, Sheodin, and Erebuz floated above the fire, locked in combat. "It was the last battle of a long and deadly war, the great and powerful King Neodin and the also greatly powerful Arch-Mage Sheodin fought a tough battle against the deadliest enemy the likes of which the universe had never seen before!" he said. The children were mesmerized by his words and the movements of the puppets.

He told them all he could about the battle, the epic moments, the suspenseful ones, and everything in between. "Things looked bleak for our King and Arch-Mage; the Dark Emperor was closing in for the final blow before the great and mighty king caught a second wind, and charged head first with the most fierce and ferocious battle cry he could, holding in his paws the mighty sword, the Claw of Leolik!" as he said this, a powerless replica hovered above the children's head, and they were all mesmerized, their eyes widening.

"And with that sword and battle cry he struck down the Dark Emperor! Casting him to the ground where he was sealed inside a great and magical block of ice, where he remains to this very day, locked in the underworld." the Aryite, known to many as Pakhavu Golemtamer, finished the story there, the puppets and powerless replica plunging into the arcane fire, snuffing it out in a mesmerizing plume of fire that was harmless to all before it died down to a small flame. The children all looked as if they were hypnotized before clapping and cheering, asking for another story.

Pakhavu chuckled. "I'm afraid the stories will have to wait, little ones, for it is time for me to eat." he said. To the disappointed "Awws" of the children, he chuckled. "Perhaps I will tell you another story later if it will make you happy." he said. "Now run along, and try not to get in the way of the heavy lifters!" he said playfully, shooing the children away as they went off to go and play somewhere else.

As the Aschen ship pulled out of orbit, several flickers of light emanated out in the distance as another Aschen fleet jumped into the system.

The fleet was spearheaded by the command ship, the AHSC Absolution, with the Bloodied spirit not far behind.

One by one the rest of the fleet jumped into the system, several thousand ships strong. And they began to file into position.

Nagala turned to Kianna, and then back to Mollem. "It seems the fleet has arrived. I'll prepare to go to the planet and make contact with their government to facilitate their surrender." She said, inclining her head, as Mollem nodded, turning to Kianna. "They won't because I have a job for you."

He turned to face her, his expression darkening. "Those that disagree with my designs... kill them." He said, folding his arms in his robes. "And when I was rid of it, I knew how miserable it was to be hunted, to have no control. I don't want that anymore. I'm going to seize this Empire and make it strong." Mollem said, and Nagala nodded.

"I worship his shadow." She said, departing from the ship, while Mollem turned to the planet.

"This world... ignorant in their imminent demise. I will make slaves of them, and they will build statues of us." Mollem said. "So long as we direct our conquest away from the Coalition, we will be set loose on these savages with their blessing. In the name of National Security."

"I would like to personally oversee this invasion, actually... What do you say? For old times sake?"

Kianna remained silent for many minute as her anger roiled through her and she mulled the matter over.

Finally she folded her arms over her chest and spoke.

"These people are broken already. They live in fear of their own government. Break the government and the people will follow," Kianna said simply.

Kianna turned and swept away, leaving Mollem to the matters at hand. Even with their superior weaponry, it would likely be hours yet before they broke through the Isirian fleet to reach Arastel. Even when faced with insurmountable odds, it was oft in human nature to defy them anyways. It was a trait she could appreciate, though it would do these people little good.

The serenity of the night would be suddenly interrupted by five very loud bangs on the front door. Two Aschen marines, a CPF Officer, and a single purple robed Divine Confessor waited in the front porch.

Another moment went by and a second series of bangs echoed on the door, and the CPF Officer shouted.

"Occupational Authority!"

He then proceeded to bang on the door again, three loud bangs as the two Marines readied an explosive charge to stick to the door.

The knock at the door came as an unwelcome call. No one ever visited him at this hour. No one ever visited full stop. "Wrong door. You might want the neighbour. I've been complaining about their noise level for weeks. Or it might be the one down the road. I felt a disturbance earlier." He shouted out.

Dayson was not going to ruin his routine. No way in hell was he going to ruin it. It was time to do the washing up. Then time to get his pajama trousers on. Then it was time to go to bed. No where in that routine was there: answer the door to random strangers. It wasn't happening.

"Hope you find who you're looking for, goodnight." With that, Dayson went back to washing his dishes and stacking them to dry in just his boxers.

There was another pause, and then a deafening crack as the door was blown wide open and clean off it's hinges with explosives.

The Marines entered in first, clad in full combat gear and wielding their standard Disruptor rifles, the CPF Patrol officer followed suit, weapons drawn and aimed as the two Marines moved to clear each room of the house.

"Go go go!" The Officer called out, before coming up on the bedroom door.

'Bang' Came once as he kicked the door.

'Bang!' Twice.

And then the third time the door swung open, kicked by the single Aschen Officer, who lit up Dayson's form with a bright blue-white light.

"On the ground scumbag!" The CPF Officer called out, stepping aside as one of the Marines moved in, his weapon drawn.

"Hands where we can see them! Xeno Scum!"

Dayson finished the dishes... the moments silence allowing him to go to his bedroom. They must have moved on. Funny that he didn't have the chaos of people around his place in his head... It was like that girl from earlier. He'd just closed his bedroom door when a deafening crack filled the house and Dayson covered his ears wondering what the hell was going on. Moments later he had a blue-white light shining in his face, showing the man that was just standing there in red boxers, navy pajama bottoms in his hand.

"What on Earth is going on?" Dayson asked. "There's got to be some mistake. I'm a good model citizen." His hands moved so they could see them. Looking down the guns though were scary. "I haven't done anything wrong! What are you talking about? If you just put the guns down I'm sure we can talk about this and sort out who you're looking for."

Because ever the diplomat, Dayson thought his words could talk him out of this obvious mistake, just like his father taught him. And he'd never heard of himself referred to as Xeno before. He had no idea what that meant.

"What's Xeno? Who are they? I'm not Xeno!" He didn't do one thing though. And that was get on the ground. Because surely this was just some mistake. "It's my bedtime... I really should be getting to bed. If you can just describe who you're looking for maybe I can help..."

Dayson's place wasn't the one only being subjected to such measures. Similar shouts rang from other buildings in the neighborhood as the Illumene Police Department worked alongside the Aschen Marines and CPF officers. Lights were flicking on up and down the streets while officers ordered citizens back into their homes who had found their way out onto porches to see what was going on.

Several vehicles were parked alongside the road where a handful of citizens had already been detained and were being prepared for transport.

Not four houses down a police officer was speaking with a woman holding a small dog in her arms that was yapping its head off with its incessant barking.

"Ma'am, please go back inside and close your door," John McKendry told her. "This doesn't concern you or your family."

Once the woman had returned inside he sighed and made his way back down the steps towards the street where his partner was mingling with several other officers.

Flipping his flashlight on he looked at the papers in hand which had a list of names and addresses on them. It was going to be a long night.