[center][h3]Outpost 12, Common Deck of the Honōnoransu[/h3][/center] As Guthan, Aradna, and Archtepin stepped into the other ship the increased gravity of the other environment was immediately noticed. Exerting a force almost twice as much as that of the Sakari home-world it presented only a minor inconvenience due to the implants received by all C'ran military personnel, namely the synthetic muscle and cermaite bone bonding techniques. Such invasive procedures allowed C'ran personnel to withstand much greater strains than any normal person would be able to support and with much longer endurance. In front of them were three of these 'Abh', seemingly a young man, a young woman, and a significantly older man. Each wore uniforms of white and gold trim, patches attached to their shoulders, indicative of some rank or award as of yet unknown. All sported blue hair of some shade and pointed ears with skin a much lighter color than that of most Sakari. A most interesting species indeed. The wonders that they could add to the Great Record would be amazing indeed. Even as he was commencing to step through, a psychic message pinged off his brain. Accepting it he pursed his lips at the turn of events with Task Force Odin. If it were to be noticed by these here then some excuse would have to be made. Hopefully they would believe it. Returning the bows of the three in respect of their traditions, the three Sakari stood quietly as this 'Imperial Princess' spoke her piece. By her words the Abh seemed to be subjected to constant attacks, most likely by the Romans only. A telling detail that would be useful later. Bowing his head slightly to Laidach, Guthan stated, "It is my honor to meet you, Laidach Na'brel, and you as well Baron Socal and Ensign Danroc. I am Fleet Sovereign Guthan Erebus, leader of Expeditionary Fleet Dorgar. My companions are Cosmoseer Aradna Erebus and High Chaplain Archtepin. Why we are here can be answered as simply as this: exploration. Space is a vast gulf of darkness and we journey forth to bring light. We had no reason to fire upon you nor have we ever in most cases of first contact between the Holy Dominion of C'ran and another species. As such, I extend a hand of greeting as a representative of the Dominion." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [center][h3]Deep Space[/h3][/center] [i]Encryption established, psycho-link activated[/i] [b]///Organon:[/b] What is the problem? [b]///Merchant Marine 031-450B:[/b] Convoy attacked by unknown forces, no time to respond to attack effectively [b]///Organon:[/b] Reason for conducting non anti-space travel? [b]///Merchant Marine 031-450B:[/b] Carrying precious cargo between planets easily disturbed by fluctuations caused due to anti-space system [b]///Organon:[/b] Registration and event logged? [b]///Merchant Marine 031-450B:[/b] Yes [b]///Organon:[/b] Further action report? [b]///Merchant Marine 031-450B:[/b] One bandit vessel crippled, seemingly on its own. Crew extracted and taken for questioning [b]///Organon:[/b] Nature of species and vessel? [b]///Merchant Marine 031-450B:[/b] Species resembles four-legged equine creatures of various planets visited. Exhibit unnatural intelligence and magical affinity. On-station mage used to subdue. Ships powered by acne sources, small in size compared to C'ran military vessels. Weaponry magical in nature [b]///Organon:[/b] Log information into Great Record and extract species information for categorization. Destroy crippled ships and finish transport [b]///Merchant Marine 031-450B:[/b]Roger ------------ [b]///Organon:[/b] New civilization encounterd, psychic ping placed by crew of Merchant Marine 031-450B. Tasking unit to coordinates [b]///Task Force Kontakt:[/b] Mission conditions? [b]///Organon:[/b] Peaceful contact, low combat status [b]///Task Force Kontakt:[/b] Deployment strength? [b]///Organon:[/b] Four ships [b]///Task Force Kontakt:[/b] Class? [b]///Organon:[/b] Three Altar, one Cantarin [b]///Task Force Kontakt:[/b] Organizing to travel. [i]Link closed[/i] [center][b]Siastraplinicorn Interdiction Vessel Asteroid Pens[/b][/center] Dropping out of anti-space, the four C'ran ships gazed upon the asteroid complex. Vessels teemed among the floating objects, moving in and out of the buildings implanted into the chunks of rock. The appearance of four large ships caused panic among the assembled Siastrapilanicorns, believing they were about to die. A psycho-message, able to be translated by any sufficiently intelligent sentient being, broadcasted from the Cantarin battle cruiser, "We bring greetings from the Holy Dominion of C'ran. Do not be alarmed by the appearance of our ships, we wish only to establish contact." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [center][h3]Dullahan Keep[/h3][/center] Waking groggily, Alik shook his head. Memory was fuzzy, denying him access to events that seemed so gravely important. What were they? Looking around, he noticed the alien surroundings and alien creatures. Definitely not Sakari. Panic gripped him slowly. He was a Sakari magus. There was no need for him to panic, now was there? Surely he would be valuable enough to be kept alive. Whatever information his mind contained urgently needed to be returned to Morval. Something told him that. Soreness and exhaustion fought him as he brought himself into a sitting position, common signs of overexertion of mana reserves. He certainly had been doing something strenuous. Spotting a doctor- hopefully- rushing by, he flagged down the Roa'marii before spilling out, "Where am I, why am I in a bed and injured, Whoareyou and whatspecies do youbelongto, whatishappening, oh Light! What the hell happened?" ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [center][h3]The Dark Zone[/h3][/center] Morval glanced over at Al'za and Jagar, both sitting on seats behind the piloting seat of the ship. Despite not having touched the command console or established a link with the VI of the vessel for centuries Morval still knew how to pilot the craft. Skills such as that were never forgotten, especially by one such as he who could recall events almost at will. A scant twenty meters, the vessel featured some of the most advanced technology available to the Dominion of C'ran. Looking out through the view port into the swirling chaos of the Fell Plane, Morval reached out to the ambient energy present, tapping into a source of power far outstripping that of any fabricated construct. Rushing into him was raw, unadulterated power, threatening to consume him upon losing control. The threat to his life was well worth the experience: his senses, already sharpened to unnatural keenness, perceived even more. Raging fires and titanic icebergs shifted through his body, now simply a vessel for the mad experience of chaotic wonder. Clamping down on the opening which he had made, Morval deactivated the Fell Transport, opening a gate to the physical dimension. The exit made an impression. Leaving the safety of the Fell Plane, the three Sakari were subjected to the full magical and psychic might of the region. In the depths of the Dark Zone, they three sought the source of an immense magical and psychic signature, crawling slowly behind the burgeoning mass of the Aeon Brood. None expected such strength. A crash sounded from behind. Jagar lay on the ground, eyes rolled into his head, silver hair and robes spread over the floor in the rush of his fall. Al'za muttered gibberish feverishly, grasping and screaming at figments of hallucination, terrorized by a force that even he could not picture. As to himself, Morval struggled. For once in his life after ascension, he encountered an obstacle. Pounding resonances of psychic and arcane energy washed over him, threatening to lacerate his consciousness to blankness. Awed by the sheer power of entering the region, Morval reached to the Fell Plane and once again drew in the energy. Drawing in the chaotic morass, he screamed. The two resounding tides crashed against each others, screeching to unfathomable depths, wracking his body for control. Ebbs and flows brought the swirls of pain through to him clearly, accentuating each individual sting of horror. Morval collapsed crying as he released the Fell, smote by the wrath of the encounter of such aberrant energies. Dragging his body to the view port, he glanced out to behold a sight not seen by any living eye. In the distance lay a massive [i]emptiness[/i]. Not in the sense that there was nothing there, no, much worse than that: it simply didn't exist. Reality warped around the massive being, devouring spatial and dimensional barriers as it advanced. Locking eyes caused eruptions of psychic resonance to erupt, screams countless in number filling his mind. Nothing left. Doom. Hopelessness. Nothing. Visions of empty worlds, splintered and devoid of presence filled his sight, visions of countless dying, converted into the aberrant arcana which faced him. Extending past the pain, Morval touched the creature with a psychic gesture. Echoing back, the scream crescendoed, breaking his mind for a moment. Grimacing, he repeated the action, each time suffering the same drastic effect. Eventually a response came. His response. A parroting of the message sent, warped beyond understanding yet clearly apparent in meaning. Drastically closer, Morval watched as celestial tendrils extended from the emptiness. Closing the distance, they hovered around the tiny vessel, gently probing nearer and nearer, exerting a force that overcome the guidance of the ship. An opening, if it could be called that, formulated in the massive emptiness of space, a gateway into chaos unimagined, outstripping that of the Fell Plane. As Morval and his two broken companions passed under the maw one word became clear among all others. [i]Hellstar[/i]. A whimper came from his parted lips, the last sound before all experience broke down. The Hellstar would decide his fate now and he, a self-made god, was powerless to escape.