The Brink of Life

Harvey the Blue · Post by **Harvey the Blue** » Thu Jun 26, 2003 12:19 pm

Reposting it here because 1) I like it 2) no one will ever find it in the ruins of the OAM 3) because I added a chapter and am thinking of adding more and 4) because Jadie wants me to.Forward:Ever since the decline of Menelmacar after its elections, I began to spin ideas about a glorious liberation of the country. Micron armies, lead by my infamous SaiÂ’Kar, would come in to save the day, and all would be glorious as people would dance on the streets paved in gold. Of course, things did not exactly work out that way when it came time to actually take the country back. Truth be told, the Menelmacari revolution was an incredibly messy period in that countryÂ’s history, and in the history of micronationalism as a whole. People look back at the actions of people on both sides of the line with disgust and annoyance. To make things worse, months after those lines have been drawn; we still refuse to cross them. No matter how many times people call for a Â“unified Menelmacar,Â” it appears that it is just a pipe dream lost to impossibility.This story is fictional, but it is based on the events that took place before, during, and after the coup. The story was started with no ending in mind, letting events take their course as they would. Things did not end up quite how I would have liked, but that is the way things go. The entire viewpoint is blatantly slanted to support the revolutionaries and it would be both foolish and incredibly stupid of me to deny this. You can consider this slant my not-so-subtle revenge for every nation under the sun becoming self-righteous and proclaiming their desire to see my countrymen and I burn in PRHfire. If they want to condemn me for my actions, then I will condemn them for their inactivity and general hatred and spite. But alas, that is not the focus I wish to dwell onThis story was originally designed as beginning part of the final chapter of the life story of SaiÂ’Kar LumÂ’Eth, my Micron character that I have been developing for years. Unlike most of the stories involving her, this one has functional historical basis. So even if you do not care about SaiÂ’Kar and the Microns, you should be able to get something out of this.What is the moral of the story? To follow your heart and do what you believe you must, even if it is unpopular or hazardous. In the beginning of the story, the rebels know they must Â“liberateÂ” their country from ArchetypeÂ’s iron fist. The situation and the characters change, and yet they try to keep focus on what must be done.Update to Forward:This forward (and a lot of the story) was written over my spring break. I did not know it at the time, but the plotline I started here would eventually lead to Jadie and I being together and me returning to Shireroth as a citizen. Chapter 5, the Battle of Cimmeria, is infamous in Jadie and my lives as it is how we really "met". Interesting, I would say, to have it be part of the story.Brief history of the events before this story beganMenelmacar will probably go down in microhistory as one of the most war-torn nations disputed nations in the history of the hobby. Our story begins five days before the infamous "Jasonia Day coup" where six "patriots" took over the forums using Sirithil's EzOp powers. Before the coup, Archetype had been Elentaran for several months and the general consensus seemed to be a decline in that nation. What began as an attempt to (illegally) save the nation sparked into a cold war that is still continuing over 4 months later.The main cast (fictionalized to fit the story, but tied to real events):Jason Steffke: an infamous figure from the times before Menelmacar, Jason was president of the Flying Islands of Jasonia before its fall. He was known as a diplomat and an empath, as well as a fire magi. Jason was killed by Lord Diga in an effort to save the planet; a memory that Bill Dusch does not let go of easily.Sai'Kar Lum'Eth: Micron princess and spokesperson for their race. Sai'Kar is a bit naive and quick to anger sometimes, but never backs down from what she believes is right and has done great things in her time. Sai'Kar is trained as a healer but also has some other very powerful abilities. Before our story begins, Sai'Kar has just won a major victory by securing Ptia's indendence from Menelmacar. For this act, she was branded as a traitor and fugitive.Sirithil nos Feanor: elven female (hey, it is fiction) ex-leader of Menelmacar. Sirithil is still a citizen there but has lost all real power. She is a powerful sorceress who can command many spells with devistatating results. Her speciality is Chain Lightning.Bill Dusch: a former Jasonian that has wound up in Menelmacar. Bill, along with Sirithil and Sai'Kar, founded the first Church of Soloralism to be seen in the modern world. Bill is a paladin with sword skills that seem too good to be true for his young age. Bill managed to remove Eplidos from the Imperium, and like Sai'Kar, is on the run from the government.Mari Greenwood: female elf imployed by Archetype's government. Mari feels that her elven ways of life are being slowly exterminated has founded the "Menelmacar Elvish Traditionalists" (M.E.T) as an attempt to bring her people together. Mari is a pacifist and would not think of entering combat.Jadie: a half-cat half-elven girl who lives in Menelmacar running a consuling service. Jadie is a supporter of the M.E.T. but has no real solid gripes with Archetype.Phillip Locke: male human also imployed in Menelmacar. Unlike Mari, however, Locke is resentful of the government and has formed SLAM, a group on the verge of being rebellious. The government is currently thinking of banning SLAM, much to Locke's anger."Harvey the Blue: a mysterious figure not heard of on Micras. Who is he? What does he want with Menelmacar? Answers to these questions form the basis of the beginning of the story.Archetype: elected Elentaran of Menelmacar in the last election and sybol of the country, Archetype is known to be a "psion" and seems to possess poweful frightening abilities. Several of his psionic friends surround him at all times. His dealings with some of our heroes makes him a bit unpopular in their eyes... Harvey SteffkeJadie's Lesser HalfSaves the worldProud bearer of the Shirerothian Silver Sword Award and Imperial StarEdited by: Harvey the Blue at: 6/26/03 1:58 pm

Harvey the Blue · Post by **Harvey the Blue** » Thu Jun 26, 2003 12:21 pm

Part 1: Ptia MemoriesPtia was quiet tonight, much as it had been the past several weeks. The cityÂ’s position on the small island between the loyal and helpful human lands of Elpidos to the west and the spiteful and dominating Collective Unconscious to the east reflected the Micron peopleÂ’s latest internal crisis. To choose between helping their friends and doing what they believed was correct in the minds of the rest of the worldÂ… such decisions were never easy to make. Unfortunately, the problems were not all within the city walls. Times were tough, and the species had scattered to the four corners of Micras in search of truth, honor, and answers. All of these commodities were becoming scarce in the current world as things slipped closer and closer to darkness. Prophets had been talking about the end of the world for ages. Rumors of the Apocollapse were everywhere. The Microns tried to ignore such ramblings, knowing that any epic battle would end in her side being victorious. There was always death and destruction to deal with, but they were a race equipped to meet the challenges that faced them. They had proven it before, having saved the world several times before. But the current crisis shed a different light on end of the world: not an epic struggle, but a gradual dwindling of life until all was lost.Like the four horseman of the apocalypse in other myths, destruction seemed to manifest itself in odd forms. Had SaiÂ’Kar been a believer in such silliness, she would have been able to identify such a horseman. That said, it was tough not to associate a particular organization with evil. An organization that had killed many of her friends and laid waste to several populated cities.Anarchy21.SaiÂ’Kar never understood how humans could resort to such deplorable behavior. War for the gain or defense of a nation was one thing, and even fascism had a logical, if deplorable and twisted, reasoning to it. But to kill and destroy massively at random seemed to defy all natural laws. What good does death of innocents bring to anyone? What possible gain can they get from it? Do they derive some pleasure from the suffering of their own kind?She shook her head. It was for the philosophers and political analysts to figure it all out. For SaiÂ’Kar, it was all about action. Apart from dispatching her top undercover agents to most major governments and overseeing the establishment of a sophisticated code intercepting and descrambling system, the Microns had also finished working on something special: 500 Star Aeons.The first Star Aeon, constructed by top Micron engineers with the help of FIoJ officers, SSPC and AtlanTech industries, and some still classified projects based on temporal power sources, had been designed back as far as the Dark One campaign. The first Star Aeon, known then as Â“Project Aeon,Â” had flown over Treesia and then later in Kranda, and had been fully battle tested against the Ragnorok while fighting to save Airosamente a day before the revival of ancient Audentior. The project ran into a major snag when their top aerospace engineer had been killed in the Restoration of the Chrono, but the Microns had managed to pull the project together without too much trouble after the campaign ended and finally got all the bugs out of the systems. Designed as the absolute pinnacle of fast fighter technology, the Star Aeon was ready to act against any threat.Or so the theory went. There was a minor flaw, as any decent military commander could explain. In practice, even the mightiest weapon is useless against an unseen foe, such as Anarchy 21. Until the time when their base was discovered, the fighters would sit unused in PtiaÂ’s massive docking bays. Silently they waited, packed closely together, much like the Micron people themselves. They waited and watched for the right time to act.SaiÂ’Kar often came down to this bay to look out over the fleet, and tonight was little exception. Looking over the majestic ships packed within the cavernous hangar bay triggered mixed emotions within her. On one hand, they reflected the recovery of mighty Micron science, a great omen for her species. If they could build something like that, certainly all other crises would fall before them. However, the ships also brought forth a feeling of sadness. The AeonÂ’s brainchild, Jason Steffke, spoke several times about how the AeonÂ’s would look soaring in the sky, as majestic as a metallic cloud and as deadly as the most powerful storm, and he had been right down to the last detail. But Jason would never be allowed to see them. SaiÂ’Kar recalled with vivid clarity the moment when DigaÂ’s forces had attempted to destroy the Existence Core of the universe. Minions of darkness had flooded the only safe place in the entire universe, and everyone was scrambling to protect the balance of the Quintessences Jason had lead a charge that forced Diga out, giving the rest of the group time to seal entrance to the Core, but the Empath got too close to DigaÂ’s portal and tumbled after him. SaiÂ’Kar LumÂ’Eth and the paladin Bill Dusch had attempted to rescue Jason and pull him inside just before the seal was complete, but Diga unleashed his most powerful weapon against the hapless warrior: Fate of Nonexistence. Jason had been instantly deleted from the present, and had SaiÂ’Kar and the other essences of Chrono not finally destroyed Diga and Fate, he would be gone from the past as well. Although Fate was eventually defeated, there was no power on this world that could bring the blue one back. JasonÂ’s life would remain a sacrifice for the galaxy, a costly but necessary price to end the secret and mysterious war that few back on Micras were even aware had occurred.Â“You are up late.Â” came a voice from behind SaiÂ’Kar. She instantly snapped back to the present and whirled around, seeing exactly who she expected. Â“I have interesting news for you. I know you do not like being bothered when you are here, but since you were upÂ…Â” TarÂ’Mul trailed off.SaiÂ’Kar glanced over to him. TarÂ’Mul looked like he had not slept in days, which might have been true. Or perhaps the events of the past weeks were just weighing as heavily on him as they did on her. The legal battle to free Ptia from ArchetypeÂ’s Menelmacari control. The latest deaths of their allies. The years of war and conflict they had to participate in ever since waking up in this strange human world.Â“What is it?Â” She asked. She did not realize how tired her voice sounded until that moment. Yes, she had definitely been affected too.TarÂ’Mul glanced at his printout, Â“Baracao has been hit nowÂ… same method of attack as that on Nova Roma. It looks like Thomas Hubert was there when it happened. Not a lot of damage to the country, but to the citizensÂ…Â” again, he let the sentence fall flat.SaiÂ’Kar lowered her eyes at the news. Thomas HubertÂ… a despised national terrorist that actually turned out to be a worthwhile ally and a decent guy in the end. Jason always had hoped that he would redeem himself in the end, and sure enough, Thomas did. It was a shame neither of them were around anymore. No, it was more then a shame. It was deliberate. Intentional somehow. Fate the entity was dead, but destiny was still playing games with them.Anger swelled in her voice. Â“First Scott Siskind and now Thomas HubertÂ… how long is this going to last?Â” she asked furiously.TarÂ’Mul looked away. ScottÂ’s death in the Nova Roma attack had been that first major crippling blow to morale. Scott had been fighting with them ever since the beginning and was a constant source of interesting information and ideas. His loss should not have been in vain, but his death just appeared to be so random.Â“ThereÂ… is something else here as well. Our code scramblers picked this up, but I think it was intended for us anyway. You should probably read it yourself.Â” TarÂ’Mul reported. He handed SaiÂ’Kar the paper, sighed, and walked out of the hanger bay, stumbling on the perfectly clear metal catwalk, staggering like a man in desperate need of sleep.SaiÂ’Kar stared forward and was meet by the cold stares of 500 war machines. Did she really want to know what was on the paper? Did she really even care? SaiÂ’Kar decided that if TarÂ’Mul wanted to bring it to her attention, it was probably a good idea to read the printout, as it probably contained some important information that she would need to know sooner or later. She read it slowly, just to make sure she understood it correctly:Â“Princess SaiÂ’Kar,I have heard of the plight of your people against MenelmacarÂ’s current government. A friend of mine has recently contacted me with a course of action to turn the tables in our favor. Therefore, I request your presence at the following location in three days. That would be this Sunday, February 16th. This meeting is declared top secret. Tell no one about it and bring no one. Travel with as much stealth as you can. If you have a working Star Aeon yet, bring that.See you soon,Harvey the BlueÂ”Below that, TarÂ’Mul had written in his scrawled handwriting:Â“I checked the coordinates. They point to a town named Epoli in Audentior. The location is some sort of bunker that was used during the previous Audentior and Jasonian ages. I also looked up this Â“Harvey the BlueÂ” and we have no data on this person. It is disturbing that he knows the name and capabilities of the Star Aeon, as these files have not yet been released.I would advice you not go, but it is your decision.Â”SaiÂ’Kar read it again, and again. Something about the message seemed out-of-place to her. But she had already made up her mind about what to do. No doubt TarÂ’Mul already knew as well. With these kinds of things, SaiÂ’KarÂ’s mind was easily made up.She briskly walked out of the hanger bay, checking her chrono. 1 AM local time. That was no good. She would normally read from her collection of tomes borrowed from the Ptia library system before going to bed, but tonight as not one of those nights. She needed her sleep, as tomorrow would be a busy day. There were many things to set up. After all, this city did not run itself. Someone would have to take care of her duties while she was in Audentior. Harvey SteffkeJadie's Lesser HalfSaves the worldProud bearer of the Shirerothian Silver Sword Award and Imperial Star

Harvey the Blue · Post by **Harvey the Blue** » Thu Jun 26, 2003 12:23 pm

Part 2: RumorsÂ“They are just rumors, right? It is not possible that he is the same man, is it?Â” an elven woman asked intently.The other figure shrugged the light bouncing from his silvery armor as he did so. The silver armor forged directly from MithanielÂ’s forge. Â“I knew Jason for many years, and we fought alongside each other for a long time. I also watched him die at FateÂ’s hand. You yourself said that it would be impossible for him to return to this world. Impossible! Not even the gods can counteract Fate, or otherwise they would have never needed me, and you, to fight him.Â”The elven woman looked annoyed. Her eyebrows dropped as she said, Â“Yes, I am aware of what I said! But even I do not know everything! We masters of time and space have our limits, you know.Â”The paladin smiled at her. Â“That was not what you told us when we first ran into you. You wanted us to think that you alone could stand against the combined might of the worldÂ’s evil. IsnÂ’t that right, Sirithil?Â” he asked with a grin.Sirithil nos Feanor smiled back. Â“Never mind that. I could still do it if I wanted to! But Jason always had some strange connection with the Fates. To be honest, none of us really know what his role in all this is. Was his end really to happen before the Restoration of the Chrono?Â”The paladin shrugged and looked away. Â“IÂ… I donÂ’t know. I guess so, since he is dead and all. And he was not the only one. Erika and Awaldock were killed soon after him, and later PiaÂ’Sur and more recently Scott and Hubert. Death seems to be our reward for our good deeds.Â” He said in a very pronounced voice.The elf suddenly became aware of all the allies and friends she had lost over the ages. She once thought that a mortal like Bill could never manage to comprehend her vast feelings of loss. But something in his tone of voice told a different story. It was not the immediate grief that was associated with bad news, nor bitterness that would turn to anger. Rather, it was a sadness that seemed to reflect a deep scar that might never heal. She had heard that tone of voice beforeÂ… from SaiÂ’Kar. And Sirithil knew the PRH that poor Micron had been through. It would be a terrible shame to lose Bill to the sadness as well.But Bill Dusch, Paladin of Mithaniel, was not so easily broken. He stood back up straight and announced to the world, Â“Never mind that through. The Gods do work in mysterious ways. If you would have told me ten years ago that I was an integral part of the weapon of that a God used to seal away darkness, I would have laughed in your face. But my sword here, the Einlanzer, tells me something else. I stand here as the Killer of Evil, half of the essence of Pure Good. And with or without my other half, I will stand tall in any hour, light or dark.Â”He realized what he was saying and turned to Sirithil, letting some of the power leave his voice as he addressed his friend. Â“I do not know what the Gods have planned or the extent of their power. All I know is that I get a very weird feeling from this message from Â‘Harvey the Blue.Â’ I will, of course, be going.Â”Sirithil nodded. Â“As will I. Arrangements have already been made. And I expect we will see most of the others there as well. Phillip Locke has been itching for a fight with Archetype for almost a month and will no doubt jump to any opportunity that arises. Mari Greenwood and Jadie Mathematician are both leaders of the M.E.T and seem to be at the ends of their patience as well. And then there is Princess SaiÂ’KarÂ… I am sure her annoyance with Archetype will convince her to show up. Should be a full crowd.Â”Bill thought it over. Himself, Sirithil, SaiÂ’Kar, Locke, Mari, and JadieÂ… six were meeting. Seven if this Â“Harvey the BlueÂ” was going to be there. All of these people were willing to take drastic, maybe even illegal, action to save their home of Menelmacar.Â“Yes, well we will have much more to talk about when the date comes. In the meantime, there are things to attend to. I will see you there, Sirithil, true Queen of the Stars.Â” Bill said pleasantly. Sirithil responded, and the communication ended as SirithilÂ’s figure faded out of existence in a flash of light.Bill Dusch sighed. Things never went as he planned. Yes, they had saved the universe from Fate. Sure, they had bought more time for the present. But there were always new challenges and ever-present losses. Scott had been almost a mentor to him. And JasonÂ… he replayed the scene as Fate destroyed him, as he rushed forward to meet his almost certain doom but was pulled back by SaiÂ’Kar just as the seal to the Existence Core closed. He should have resisted. His life was almost meaningless. With the loss of JasoniaÂ’s leader, the nation was finally destroyed and the population vulnerable. The Fates did what they could, but the despair was great. Many of them had fled to foreign lands. Bill fled to Elpidos. Had he not been contacted by Sirithil and begun to work on the Menelmacar Project, he probably would have joined his friends in falling in the line of duty.But his life took another path. He did join up with Sirithil at Menelmacar. He finally got a chance to work alongside the much-esteemed SaiÂ’Kar and became good friends with her. He met many new people and saw the redemption of others towards the side of good. His life had meaning.And yet, he had his duties as a paladin. He had goals to accomplish, even if they were not popular. Bill never let public opinion stand in front of his duties. Because of this, he was the most mocked and ridiculed person on the face of Micras. But this was nothing new. It had happened before Jasonia. Why would it not happen afterward?After Archetype Â“took overÂ” for Sirithil, the whole nation went downhill. Sirithil had lost all power and with that loss of power came problems for every non-Yellowist in the nation. Bill and SaiÂ’Kar had fought harsh battles, legal and otherwise, to free Ptia and Elpidos from the new government. Despite all odds, both attempts succeeded. His lands were free from the oppressor. Ever since then, the Â“old guardÂ” of the nation had been scattered into the four winds. The new cruel Micras seemingly cared little about the progress of old, focusing only on repeating a tragic history.But this letter held possibility. Someone out there was willing to finally gather the remaining Menelmacari that cared about the roots of the nation and organize them. Bill had no idea what was going to happen at that meeting, but he liked to hope he had an idea on who would be there.RumorsÂ… his analysts saying that the letter matched JasonÂ’s writing style exactly. The unconfirmed guess that the original broadcast had come from Kajar in old Jasonia. The sightings of a mysterious cloaked figure in Audentior and Freenesia. His imagination, and that of the rest of the world, was certainly getting the better of him. Bill tried to push it from his thoughts. His expectations were certainly getting too high. This Harvey was probably just a rebel with a plan that would never work.StillÂ… even if there was a chance, no matter how unlikely, Bill knew he had to take it. Not only for his own safety, but for the safety of Menelmacar. And maybe, just maybe, the safety of a friend that he thought was long dead. Harvey SteffkeJadie's Lesser HalfSaves the worldProud bearer of the Shirerothian Silver Sword Award and Imperial Star

Harvey the Blue · Post by **Harvey the Blue** » Thu Jun 26, 2003 12:26 pm

Part 3: Council of SecrecyMari Greenwood was not entirely sure what to expect, but whatever happened it was probably worth the trip. Archetype and his minions had been causing her trouble for many months now. Between losing her job over denying a Yellowist citizenship and having to struggle to keep the Menelmacari Elvish Traditionalists out of the fire, Mari was just about spent. Something needed to be done, and if she read her initiation right, this was going to be it.Across from Mari sat Sirithil the high elf, clad in an elven common outfit. Sirithil often insisted on dressing up, even for no apparent occasion, but she decided that the attention it attracted was not desirable on this particular outing. She looked nervous and uncomfortable and had trouble sitting still.Â“What is the problem Sirithil? Are you afraid of flying?Â” Mari asked jokingly.Sirithil looked at Mari with power and a smile. Â“Me? Afraid of flying? Never! I love to fly! Especially without the plane!Â”Mari gave her a half smile. Â“Then what is the problem? It is unfitting for an apparently high-powered sorceress to look nervous.Â” She said.Â“It has nothing to do with the aircraft. I just cannot shake the feeling that we are walking into something totally unexpected. This could be a setup. And why Audentior? Last I heard, that place was collapsing under its own weight.Â” Sirithil tried to explain.Â“YouÂ’re paranoid.Â” Mari said with a wave of her hand, dismissing the questions.Â“Perhaps I am paranoid. But you should be paranoid too. Last I heard, WarVoid was trying to pass a law to outlaw your precious M.E.T.Â” Sirithil countered.Mari shrugged. Â“That would be the nail in the coffin for me if he did that. I get the feeling that a lot of people are getting fed up with him about now.Â” Mari looked over to her right. Â“Sirithil, you should be more like that one there.Â”A few seats over from Mari Greenwood, the half-elf half-cat Jadie laid, curled into a ball smaller then should have been possible. She was apparently sleeping soundly despite the conversation and occasional air turbulence.Sirithil gave a sideways look and said, Â“I never understood how Jadie can do it. Here we are, flying off to meet some unknown psycho and leaving Menelmacar behind for three days, and she is taking the opportunity to catch up on sleep. ShouldnÂ’t she be worried about the fate of M.E.T too? I thought she was an important member there?Â”Â“I just a normal member in the M.E.T.. But worrying never helped anyone. And I am not really tired. This flight is just pretty boring. You two should relax and enjoy the trip.Â” Jadie answered without lifting her head or opening her eyes.Â“I rest my case.Â” Mari said, satisfied. She leaned her head back and closed her eyes as well.Epoli Town, as it turned out, was barely large enough to need an airport. Unlike the high-energy Audente towns of Airosamente and Apolytown, Epoli was on the fringe of technology. Most of the buildings were not above two stories. Mari could not but feel like she had flown back in time during the flight, and everything around her seemed to give proof to this strange feeling.Bill and SaiÂ’Kar met the elves outside the airport. Â“Hail, Sirithil! And Mari, and Jadie! Good to see that you all made it here!Â”Â“Good afternoon, you two. How did you manage to get here before us?Â” Mari asked.SaiÂ’Kar answered, Â“We took my Aeon. I did not even bother to register it with the airport. It is landed invisibly out back behind the hospital.Â”Everyone started walking through the town with Bill as a guide. Â“Epoli, as you can tell, is not exactly cutting edge. In fact, probably the only reason the town is still here is because of its excellent hospital services. It was said that there was a great plague in ancient times, and the entire populations of some towns were killed off. Epoli survived by developing radical new ways to fight the plague, and this continued to the present, forming the backbone of Audente medical history.Â” He rambled.Â“Bill, how do you know so much about this town? Have you been here before?Â” Mari asked.Bill shook his head. Â“Nope. I never really used to travel all that much before. But the Jasonian archive had a vast amount of material about this place. It is kind of the job of the Paladin to know stuff.Â” He said with a grin.Sirithil looked exasperated. Â“Listen Bill, the medical history of Audentior is interesting and all, but what are we doing here?Â” she asked.Â“Part of the reason Epoli was covered in the archives was the fact that this has always been an important town politically. Back twenty-five years or so, there was a massive cold war between the Ultimate Civilization Republic and the Greek Civilization Kingdom. It looked like there was going to be a massive full-scale war across Micras, but a group known as the Emperors, based right here in Epoli, ended the cold war by forcing a peace treaty. Many years later, Jason Steffke and John Sager met here to form the Automatic for the People political party, which caused major upheaval in Audentior.Â” Bill explained.He continued on, Â“So, you see, this town is kind of an unofficial rebel headquarters. When there are major changes to occur in the world, they sometimes start in this town. The Audente government tried to stop this by creating an underground bunker to monitor rebel activity, but in an ironic twist of fate that bunker was actually used to further cause massive change.Â”Â“That bunker is our destination. It is called the Underground Command Center. And we are here.Â” Bill finished as he stopped in front of a two-story house in bad need of repair.Mari laughed. Â“What, this is it?Â” she said, scoffing.Bill gave her a stern look. Â“I suppose you were expecting a big sign on it that says Â‘Secret Military Base! Rebels of Menelmacar welcome!Â’ Come onÂ… anyway, letÂ’s head on in.Â”The troop filed through the front door, which, surprisingly, was unlocked. Â“Hey there!Â” Bill called out.Â“In the basement. Come on down! I got everything set up already!Â” A voice said back to them. Bill held his breath. Could it have beenÂ…?Everyone filed through the narrow hallways of the house, stepping over various broken pottery and pieces of furniture and trying to hold their noses to avoid the stench. Whoever designed this place certainly did a good job of making it an undesirable place to search around. Finally, they found the basement, which was a ladder heading down rather then stairs. As they climbed down, the freshness of cleaner air overwhelmed them, which was welcome indeed.Bill, who was still leading, saw him first. Â“Hey there. Wow, you all made it!Â” Phillip Locke said.Â“Hey Locke. Where isÂ…ummÂ… Harvey?Â” Bill asked with disappointment.Locke shrugged. Â“Dunno. He said he would be running late and for us to start without him.Sirithil looked angry. Â“Locke, what is this?! You cannot expect us to have a meeting in a house where everyone can just walk in! What if we were followed? This is totally insecure.Â”Locke put out his hands defensively. Â“Hey, I did not design this place or choose for it to be our meeting location, all right? I think it is more secure then you think. Come with me.Â” He walked down the hallway a small bit and gestured into a room. Two men sat there and were surrounded by monitors. Â“Every section of the house is monitored here. All the possible entrance ways, including the roof, are covered. Plus there are several cameras within town complete with sound recording, including the local police station and meeting square. So we will know if anything is going on and all that jazz.Â” He said, and turned around. Â“And look back! The ladder is gone. Anyone walking into that room will see just an unused closet. Pretty sneaky, huh?Â” He smiled, clearly enjoying the technology. Mari rolled her eyes. Â“I think it would be a good idea to get down to business.Â”Phillip gave a mocking bow. Â“Quite. Follow me.Â”Locke led them to a large room dominated by a massive table and containing several catwalks. On one wall hung outdated maps of Audentior, Paramount, Jasonia, Shireroth, Norfolk, and other ex-Apollo nations. Another wall was covered almost entirely by a large black panel screen that was currently deactivated. The far wall had a plaque that read Â“Mara Sara: trophy of the Hubert Wars.Â”Jadie giggled. Â“What is all this stuff? It looks like an old fashioned war room from a cheap movie!Â”Bill laughed and said, Â“ThatÂ… is pretty much what it is. Jason designed this thing on almost no budget while at Audentior.Â”Â“Oh, enough all ready! Locke, you said you were ready?Â” Mari asked impatiently.Phillip looked at her, Â“Mmm, yeah. Everyone take a seat.Â”And so the six filed into the room and clustered at one end of the large table. Locke kept standing and stood in front of the black paneled screen, waiting. Finally, everyone was ready. Â“All right people. What we are going to talk about here is certainly going to illegal as far as MenelmacarÂ’s current laws go. The actions decided at this meeting might get any or all of us classified as traitors and will classify us, at the best case, as lawbreakers. Et cetra, et cetra, and all that jazz. So if any of you have a problem with this, you should leave now. This is going to be your last and only chance to get out of this as an innocent.Â”As Locke expected, no one moved. He continued on after a few seconds.Â“I have been contacted by an outsider that all of us know only as Â‘Harvey the Blue.Â’ He detailed to me a plan, as many of you are no doubt expecting, for us to finally take back our home country of Menelmacar and oust the corrupt and unjust Archetype. He came to me with a very specific list of things we would need. SaiÂ’Kar, your Aeon fighter. Sirithil, your administrative codes for the capitalÂ’s core. Bill, your hold sword Einlanzer. Mari, the membership lists of the M.E.T. Jadie, your contacts in Shireroth and Delvenus. And myself, with the loyalty of the SLAM movement. Together, with our combined resources, we have the power and the strength to take back our country.Â”Mari began to speak up, but Phillip silenced her. Â“Please Mari, there will be time for questions and comments. I need to outline the plan first.Â” Mari seemed to concede, and Locke continued on. He turned around and activated the wall panel, which flashed to life and showed a crude but easy to understand map. Â“This is a map of Caras Menelmacar, our capital city. The administrative core is here. The capitol building, where Archetype works and lives, is here, close by.Â” Phillip gestured to both locations.Phillip took a deep breath, and then began. Â“What I propose that we do is to transport Sirithil nos Feanor, the true Queen of the Stars, to this location near the administrative core. Sirithil has been given permanent hard-wired access to the core. Those passwords can never be changed and no one else knows them. Therefore, Sirithil still has access to the core and can gain control of it. With her in the core, the nation is ours. We would have access to every weapon, door security lock, and file in the country.Â”The map shifted to zoom in on the two important buildings. Â“We know that Archetype knows of this weakness in the countryÂ’s design. He probably never plans for Sirithil to use it, but keeps the area guarded none-the-less. My SLAM agents report that an entire legion of troops is kept in this area alone. Furthermore, top agents SolarWinds and BananaSherder are known to be in charge of security there. I know we have all heard the horror stories about these Â“psionsÂ” but I have not been able to evaluate their powers. Still, they will probably make dangerous foes.Â”The map disappeared and pictures of the Aeon and three humanoids appeared. Locke continued. Â“The Micron people have generously offered us the use of this Star Aeon. Its sophisticated cloaking mechanism will enable us to approach the core. However, there are still numerous problems once we get there. The plan calls for two agents to follow Sirithil into the core and to protect her during the takeover. One is you, Bill. Â‘HarveyÂ’ recommended you for your superior combat skills and extreme zeal. The other is an operative known only as Â‘Loki.Â’ He was recommended as a top weapon and explosive expert to take care of any loose ends. Because of the sensitivity of this matter, his identity will not be revealed at this time.Â”The screen returned to the original map city mode. Â“In the meantime, SaiÂ’Kar and Jadie will gather foreign support. The Micron fleet will be flying in to secure the area until control can be resumed. Jadie will attempt to gain Shirerothian intervention. Based on the KaiserÂ’s opinion of Archetype, this will not be hard. Finally, Mari and I will be leading the M.E.T. and SLAM through the streets to keep order and reassure the population.Â” Several arrows outlining routes appeared on-screen. It then went blank.Locke looked at the group, who seemed to be deep in thought. Â“SoÂ… that is it. Sirithil flies in to gain control of the core. Bill and Loki protect her. Jadie and SaiÂ’Kar activate our alliances and Mari and I keep control of the city until the core is ours. All that jazz and we win. ThatÂ… is the plan. Yes, Mari. You can speak now.Â”Mari stood up. Â“Why do we need to do this? Can we not just wait for elections and reinstate Sirithil peacefully?Â”Sirithil shook her head. Â“That would never work. Check the immigration studies. The Collective Unconsciousness has been flooding us with citizens for months! Virtually no one is willing to take a government job, but when it comes to the polls, they all show up.Â”Â“Plus there is the fact that the Elpiferno and Micron populations have been denied while the Yellowists get pushed through.Â” SaiÂ’Kar added with a scowl.Locke shook his head. Â“Quite. Do not forget the fact that the M.E.T. and SLAM are on the verge of being banned. No, regaining control peacefully is impossible. Archetype set things his way too efficiently. We have one trump card, and we need to use it while we still are organized. Otherwise, Menelmacar is doomed.Â”Â“LOCKE!Â” a voice rang from the control room.Locke jumped up and ran out of the room, followed closely by the other rebels. He quickly got to the control room, where the technicians there were frantic. Â“What, what is it?!Â”Â“We have an intruder!Â” one of them stated, alarmed. Â“He somehow got by the perimeter scans. He is in some passage we do not have monitored.Â”Sirithil lowered her eyebrows. Â“You said you had the whole place covered!Â”Locke scowled back. Â“Yes, I know. I thought we did. Where is he now?Â” he said to the technician.Â“He isÂ… right behind us!Â”Everyone turned around abruptly. A secret door had opened in the wall, and there stood the mysterious Â‘Harvey the BlueÂ’ that everyone had been waiting for.Harvey the BlueÂ… who looked striking similar to the fallen Jason Steffke. Harvey SteffkeJadie's Lesser HalfSaves the worldProud bearer of the Shirerothian Silver Sword Award and Imperial Star

Harvey the Blue · Post by **Harvey the Blue** » Thu Jun 26, 2003 12:29 pm

Part 4: RevivalBill Dusch just stared forward. His eyes had to be playing tricks on him. Jason Steffke was dead. He died several years ago. Diga wiped him out completely. He was DEAD! Gone forever! This had to be some trick of his imagination. He just desired to see his friend again so greatly that his eyes deceived him.And yetÂ… There he stood, as alive as he had been during the Restoration of the Chrono. His hair was still blue and unfashionably wild and long. His cloak was still worn loose and flapped in the mostly nonexistent breeze with a life of its own as Jason stood proud and took the stance of someone that had once ruled the known world. His PSI rod, the Oracle, still hung within easy reach of his right hand. The Ruby Sphere was still clasped around his neck and hung into his cloak. Bill felt his own armor. The Tremblebolt was there hanging from his own neck, much like JasonÂ’s Ruby Sphere. Two stonesÂ… the stones of Fates that were born to protect the world. Bill still wore his. JasonÂ’s had vanished when he hit the ground.JasonÂ’s mouth formed a half smile, one that Bill had seen a thousand times. Â“I am sorry about the delay. I hope that I am notÂ… interrupting anything.Â” He said, his voice far too calm.Locke threw up his arms. Â“Man! You scared us to death and all that jazz! CanÂ’t you just come through the door like any normal person!?Â” he said as the fear visibly left his body.Jason shrugged. Â“It is my command center! I built these secret passageways for a reason. And besides, the ladder was down. How were you expecting me to get in?Â”Locke curled his lips. Â“MmmmÂ… quite. Good point. Well never mind that. We have a plan to finish. Harvey, if you will. All right, everyone back in the room.Â” And he walked off. Mari and Jadie followed.SaiÂ’Kar smiled at him. Â“I knew you had more fight then THAT left in you. Welcome back to the real world.Â” She said as she walked by. Sirithil shook her head and followed.But Bill just stood there. He hadnÂ’t moved since he spun around. Â“Hey, are you all right, Bill?Â”Bill shook his head. Â“You are deadÂ… I saw Fate kill you! I saw him!Â” he exclaimed, eyes wide open.Jason looked down. He softly said. Â“YeahÂ… I know. That sucked. Come on, I will explain it to you.Â” And Jason followed the rest of them into the room.Â“Â’That sucked?!Â’ Is that all you have to say? Mithaniel, man! You die and reappear years later! I want an answer!Â” Bill yelled after him.Jason popped his head around the corner of the room. Â“They get in here! I am about to explain everything!Â”Bill grudgingly followed after him. Everyone was seated and murmured amongst themselves. Locke had taken a seat, but Jadie was on the table, yawning softly and fighting to keep her head up. Bill took his seat.Jason looked around to everyone in the group. He then addressed them. Â“I am sorry to have to meet you all like this, but coming back to life is a pretty messy thing, as I am quickly finding out. Everyone is quick to say Â‘Oh, he was a good guyÂ’ when you die, but if you come back, they are even more bitter then they were when you alive the first time.Â”Jason laughed, and was met by blank faces. He frowned. Â“Oh, never mind. I guess that is a personal problem. Anyway, as you all guessed from Bill blurting it out, I am in fact Jason Steffke. I was killed by Diga a few years ago. I did not hide out since then or anythingÂ… I really died.Â”Â“The afterlife is a weird place. SaiÂ’Kar and I found some old texts on it years ago, but they did not really prepare me for what I found there. I would love to tell you more about it, by I think my memory was altered to make me forget that part. You see, SaiÂ’Kar and I also found out that a soul may be sent back to Micras if there is dire need and that person lived an especially well-guided life. Apparently I fit both criteria, because here I am.Â”Jason stared outward, almost as if he was in a trance. Â“I returned to Micras kind of like I was waking up from a nice long nap. I was fully clothed as you see me now and was in the last place I expected to be: Freenesia. I was totally disoriented and tried to get in touch with one of you, and found Locke first. He helped me hide out and got me a place to stay, but he also filled me in on the state of the world. Specifically about Menelmacar.Â”Jason turned to face Sirithil. Â“I had only heard about Menelmacar onceÂ… during the Dimensional World war when you came back to help us, Sirithil. I got the impression that Menelmacar was going to be founded in the far future, far after I would have normally died. But I woke up to find that Menelmacar was a real country right now. And it was in dire need of some outside help.Â”Jason faced the group as a whole again. Â“There have been many times I have been confronted with destiny. I ignore it. I much prefer to believe that the future is what we make of it. I like to think that we can control our own destiny. But here was something that I could not in any reasonable way deny. Sirithil had come back in time to save my world. I was sent back to Micras to save hers.Â”He spun around, gesturing to the room. Â“The rest, as they say, is history. Locke helped me construct the plan and told me of the top anti-Archetype operatives. You guys. I see some great old faces here, but also some new people too. That is goodÂ… the old guard could use some new blood.Â” Jadie giggled. Â“MmmÂ… this table is too hard.Â” She had before jumping into SirithilÂ’s lap. The high elf gave a gesture of helplessness as the cat-elf curled up again. Â“Is there anything I need to know right now? I just need to get Shireroth, right?Â”Â“That is pretty much it, yeah.Â” Jason said meekly.Â“Okay then. Wake me when you need me. Or maybe not.Â” Jadie announced and she put down her head and went to sleep, purring on the high elfÂ’s lap. Sirithil began to say something, but stopped. Mari laughed.Â“Cute. Just like my cat. OkayÂ… so, the plan. Oh, Locke, did you tell them the plan yet?Â” Locke nodded yes. Â“OhÂ… okay. Sorry, still trying to get caught up. So what do you think?Â” Jason asked with a strange about of haste.Â“Now hold on a darn minute here!Â” Bill exclaimed as he jumped up. Â“We worked FOREVER trying to revive you! We found all these ancient recipesÂ… one wanted the tears of a unicorn. It took months to find, and I had to tell stories for hours to get the thing to cry! Another wanted a feather from a phoenix. I still have burns from that! And we cannot forget the heart of a dragon! WarVoid was NOT happy about that! But none of these things worked to bring you back! What the heck?!Â”Jason stood calm until Bill ran himself out of breath. He then said Â“All rightÂ… I do not know much about ancient methods to restore life. What I do know is that my body was destroyed by Diga completely. What survived was my soulÂ… and it survived inside of Pure Good. The weapon that we used to fight evil so long ago. You probably thought that not even the gods could bring me back if Diga destroyed me, and that was true. But Diga did not really destroy me. My soul escaped, and the gods eventually found it and used it to send me back.Â”Fire suddenly enveloped Jason. He stood motionless and continued on. Â“You see, I am not really Jason anymoreÂ… well, not totally. I am not even sure if I am human! I seem to be the living incarnation of the Fate of Fire.Â”The fire vanished. Jason shrugged. Â“But never mind that. It is a cheap trick really. So what do you think about the plan?Â”Mari, who had been very quiet, piped up. Â“I thinkÂ… that we can do it. But I will need to pray to Tunare about it. The elf goddess has not failed me yet and certainly will not now.Â”Locke nodded to her. Â“Good idea. I have some prayers of my own to send out before this begins.Â” He replied.Â“And I have a certain Â‘wandering fleetÂ’ to call back.Â” Sirithil said with a wicked gin.Bill stopped looking stern. Â“All right, of course I am in. It feels good to be back in the fight. What will you do Jason?Â” he asked.Â“Coordination of the final plans. When we act, I will go with Locke. I heard that there are some people using empathy for nasty purposesÂ… well, they will just have to see how it is supposed to be done.Â” He announced with a challenging tone of voice. Bill laughed in approval.Locke looked at some charts, and then turned back around. Â“Okay, timing will be tight. Quite tight! Sirithil needs to have that core under her control at 4 PM. The fleets and foreign aid should get there a few minutes before. SLAP and M.E.T. will go on patrol at 4 sharp. The AeonÂ’s flight needs to leave here with plenty of timeÂ… so it will depart at 4 AM. That gives you guys twelve hours to move and all that jazz. All of us should leave here no later then tomorrow.Â”Everyone nodded and traded contact information. Jadie approached Jason. Â“SoÂ… where are you off to?Â”Jason was packing up his things and did not bother to turn around. Â“Off to Shireroth for tomorrow. I know some people there that will love to know that I am alive. Why?Â”Jadie squealed. Â“Shireroth? That is where I am going! We can go together!Â”Jason turned around and looked at her. The red-colored cat-elf seemed much more awake now. Almost bubbly even. She was certainly an interesting character and Jason did not know her. He decided that it would be best to meet the new members of the team before the mission began.Â“As you wish.Â” Harvey SteffkeJadie's Lesser HalfSaves the worldProud bearer of the Shirerothian Silver Sword Award and Imperial Star

Harvey the Blue · Post by **Harvey the Blue** » Thu Jun 26, 2003 12:30 pm

Part 5: The Battle of CimmeriaThe flight from Epoli to Shirekeep was a lot less boring then the previous had been. Jason piloted his own gold-colored Epoch fighter for the task and Jadie probably could not have slept had she wanted to. The Epoch flew low over the sloping hills of Shireroth. Extremely low. Jadie could have leaned far out and touched the brush as it swept by.Â“Is it honestly necessary to fly this low?!Â” Jadie asked, half terrified and half thrilled.Jason laughed. Â“No, not really. But it makes me feel more alive. Do not worryÂ… I designed this craft, after all!Â”Jadie did not respond, because at that moment Jason pulled the Epoch up sharp to avoid a power line. Â“ErrrÂ… maybe this is a bit too low. No use dying twice. Not this soon at least!Â” Jason decided and lifted off to a safer altitude.Shirekeep was as lively as it ever was. That said, it was not as packed as Caras Menelmacar or Airosamente, but there was enough bustle to make the place have that normal Â‘city feelÂ’ to it. Jason touched his Epoch fighter down on a helipad and spent the next half hour explaining that yes, Jasonia was dead and no, he just looked like a celebrity and was really just a visiting diplomat. The airport control eventually let them go, but neither of the visitors could tell if they really bought the story. Jadie vanished shortly after touchdown to head into the actual keep after waving a frantic goodbye. Jason shook his head as he wandered off towards the industrial part of town. He still did not know about that girlÂ…Shirekeep was an ancient city whose origin stretched back into the past hundreds of years. The home of nobles, revolutionaries, artists, militants and a number of other odd groups, an outsider might think that the city had been on the verge of bloody rebellion over its entire history. But an insider, such as Jason, knew that the Shirerothian identity was strong. They stuck together, even if it was not in their best interest, to defend themselves and their lands from any threat. An outsider might try to capitalize on their apparent diversity to ease in an attack, but many such foolish conquerors do not realize the folly in their ways until it is far too late.It was this very unity that Jason needed to take advantage of right now. Although Shireroth had sworn off the Apollo sector many times, his people were still allies, if not in name then in spirit. The additional fact that nearly the entire government disliked Archetype personally only gave strength to this unspoken bond. Jason had a crisis on his hands right now, but he also had the friends to deal with it.Jason stopped outside of a gun and explosive shop, a common sight on the streets of Shirekeep. He checked his information. Yes, this was certainly the right place. Jason walked in casually.The shopÂ’s contents, like any good store in Shirekeep, could have equipped a small army with the weaponry, ammunition, and explosives for days. A rugged-looking man stood behind the counter, clad in something that looked like a cross between the Shirerothian official armyÂ’s uniform and stitched-together clothes. Jason noticed a Boomist Assault Rifle on the wall with interest and approached it.Â“That is just a model there.Â” A rough voice came. Â“The real deal is held up in the keep on backorder. Those are too strong to keep lying around.Â”Jason nodded. Â“I see. As I thought.Â”The man looked at him questioningly. Â“Can I help you with something?Â” he asked suspiciously.Â“Oh, I just need to take a look at the merchandise.Â” Jason replied as if he was not paying attention.Â“Well, it is all around you. Take a look.Â” The man gestured to the room in general.Jason turned to look straight at the man. Â“NoÂ… I mean the special merchandise,Â” he said with an intense stare. Somehow, Jason got the feeling that he had seen him some other time.The man looked sideways for a moment, and then pressed a small button on his counter. Â“Matt, take over for me for a few minutes.Â” He then looked up at Jason. Â“RightÂ…. Follow me then.Â”The man opened up a door in the counter and walked into a back room. Jason followed him, relieved that his information had been correct. They traveled for a minute through several hallways until they reached a door. The man fiddled with some keys for a moment and had to shake the knob a few times to get it to open. It appeared to Jason that no one had been in this room for quite some time. They entered, and the man flicked on the lights.JasonÂ’s eyes opened with awe. He had thought the storeÂ’s weaponry had been impressive, but the contents of this room put it to shame. Sleek handguns, high-powered advanced explosives, shockwave plate armor, an anti-aircraft missile launcher, and a genuine Boomist Assault Rifle with all the upgrades and modification packs.The man waited for a moment. Â“ItÂ’s all here, as you requested, Â‘Harvey the Blue.Â’ The very finest of every Shirerothian weapon and armor we ever designed. I have enough to equip one man with enough firepower to do pretty much any job. I trust that you approve?Â”Jason nodded. Â“Very niceÂ… just what I expected from Shireroth. But the contract also called for one more thing: the man that knows how to use all this and would be able to do so. I was told that the operative Â‘LokiÂ’ would be here as well.Â”The man nodded, Â“Right. YouÂ’re looking at him. Pleased to meet you.Â”Jason finally recalled where he had seen this guy from. Â“What?! YouÂ… youÂ’re Loki! Geez, man! You are the one that I fought with against Audentior for freedom when Bill was threatening us all!Â” Jason said with surprise.Loki nodded, Â“Yes, I remember that fight. But I do not recall youÂ… only some of my own people and a few of those Jasonians.Â”Jason sighed, and pushed back the hood of his cloak, revealing his blue hair. Loki lowered his eyebrows, and then shot them up. Â“WhÂ… WHAT?! Jason?! You are behind all this? They said that you were dead!!Â”Jason shrugged. Â“They say a lot of things. It is a weird world we live in. But it is good to see an old friend again. However, my time right now is short. I, and you, for that matter, have a flight to catch very soon. I trust that you are going to be able to do the job?Â”Â“Of course!Â” Loki exclaimed.Â“Good. The mission leaves at 4 AM from Epoli Town in Audentior. You should probably get there around 6 PM Tuesday night. That is tomorrow night. Here is the contact information for Epoli.Â” Jason handed Loki a sealed envelope, which he took and put in his coat pocket. They then retraced their steps back to the storeÂ’s front room.Jason nodded to Loki, Â“All right thenÂ… your payment will be delivered here when you return. I am sure you will be worth every credit. Now I must be offÂ… good luck out there.Â”Â“No need to worry about me, Mr. Steffke. I will do my job. You take care.Â” Loki said, a hint of emotion almost forming in his voice.Â“I will. Good bye, old friend.Â” Jason said as he walked out the door.Shirekeep was winding down for the night, and Jason could tell that the streets were less crowded now the second he walked out the door. Moments later, a caravan of seven or so trucks passed by him heading deeper into town. As Jason walked back to the airport, several more groups of trucks passed him by. Jason found this very strange in an odd sort of way, but could not grasp it.It only took a few seconds for realization to come, and it came in the form of a large explosion on the other side of the street. Jason dove for cover near a bus and was pelted with debris, thankfully not full force. Screams rose up all around him and dust clouds filled the area.Jason got to his feet and brushed himself off. He looked over towards the explosion site and saw that a newspaper office had once stood there. He coughed and ran down the street. Finally he got to a point where the dust was not so thick, and pulled out his cell phone.Â“I have to call someoneÂ… I should report this terrorist activity.Â” He thought to himself.The ground shook, and another explosion sounded in the distance. And another. And another. Jason looked around, paranoid. Something was not right here. This was obviously not a rogue terrorist attack.He broke into a run and ran towards the keep, dialing furiously. All the numbers for the important Shirerothian officials were off limits to him. Loki had not given him his number, and the rest of his team was still in Audentior and could not possibly help. There was only one person for him to call.Jadie.Jason quickly dialed while on the run. Â“Hey, Harvey! WhatÂ’s up? I thought you had already left. Hey, did you feel that shaking? Must have been an earthquake. Pretty weird, huh?Â” Jadie said excitedly.Â“Jadie! Shireroth is being bombed! We are under attack!Â” Jason yelled.Â“WHAT?! Oh my God! Are you serious?!Â” came the frantic reply.Jason looked around. Fires were beginning to spread. Â“Yeah, pretty sure. That shaking was bombs going off. The city is starting to burn. Take a look outside!Â”There was a slight pause in the conversation. Then, Â“OH MY GOD! YouÂ’re right! WhatÂ’s going on?! Who is doing this? WHY?! Harvey!Â” she squealed, the fear already in her voice.There was another explosion nearby. Jason rolled to the ground. He took a few bruises, but grabbed his phone, got back up, and kept running. Â“Dunno. No time. We have to figure out a defense for the city!Â”Â“Where are you?Â” Jadie asked.Â“Running down Lukedu StreetÂ… about a half mile from the keep.Â” He answered.Â“All rightÂ… I will tell the guards to let you in. Hurry up! AndÂ… be careful.Â” Harvey SteffkeJadie's Lesser HalfSaves the worldProud bearer of the Shirerothian Silver Sword Award and Imperial Star

Harvey the Blue · Post by **Harvey the Blue** » Thu Jun 26, 2003 12:31 pm

Part 5 continuedJason, Jadie, and a few actual military units stood around in ShirekeepÂ’s war room, looking at a tactical map of the situation. The commander on duty, Gryphon Avocatio, gave them a briefing.Â“All right, here is the situation. Throughout the day, trucks have been entering the city under various shipping companies. It turns out that that those companies do not exist. We believe the trucks to be carrying men and supplies for this attack. Now they control most of the city.Â”Gryphon continued, Â“Most of our military is with the Kaiser for an exercise down in Musica. We have suspected an attack for quite some time and wanted to be ready. Sadly, it seems they caught us at the worst possible moment. All we have right now is our local militia, plus whatever citizens that might take it upon themselves to lend a hand.Â”The commander pointed to the tactical map. Â“We can see the enemy clustered here, in the north and eastern sections of town, by the river crossing from the Duchy of GoldShire. They are systematically destroying key city improvements. Most of the cityÂ’s power grid has been disabled. The normal phone grid has gone down as well, but we called in a few satellites to service our satellite phone network. We suspect that their next target will be a large ammo dump hereÂ” He pointed to a building on the far east of town. Â“We also are tracking their movement around the outer edge and towards the keep. Everyone is in full advance.Â”He tightened his lips. Â“We are not entirely positive on this yet, but we believe that the enemy army was sent from Anarchy21. I am sure you have all heard about what has happened to Nova Roma and Baracao, and I am not going to hide that fact from you. Nova Roma was completely destroyed and BaracaoÂ’s government collapsed for almost a week. However, thanks to the actions of Sir Harvey and Lady Jadie, we have a head start on our defense. So letÂ’s make it count.Â”Â“Our strategy will be to defend the keep at all cost, but in the meantime deflect any attacks on key buildings. We have a powerful defense mechanism here in the keep, but with ErosDarkstar, the leading security official, away on leave, it will take a few hours to activate. So you will be fighting until then.Â”An aid passed out some printouts, the ink still drying on them. Â“These are your defense assignments. New ones will be patched in through radio. Good luck.Â” He saluted the group, who saluted back.Jason took a look at his assignment. He was defending that ammo dump, just as he suspected. He turned to leave. Â“Hey Harvey! Look! We got the same assignment! Looks like we will be working together again!Â” Jadie announced from behind him.Jason looked the elf-cat over. She had hastily put on some body armor over her good Shirerothian clothes and had a fairly ghastly looking sword hanging by her belt. Jason had never pictured her as a soldierÂ…He nodded. Â“Right, let us go.Â”The Shirerothian Warbird-class transport lifted off from the military airport five minutes later. On board, besides the crew, stood Jason, Jadie, and eighteen Shirerothian militia soldiers, all geared for battle and hanging on to the side handles for dear life. Around them, several other transports, each equally full, lifted off for different sections of the city. DioÂ–class fighters roared up from behind and flew escort as the Shirerothian forces moved out.Jason glanced out the open-side of the transport as they flew above the city. Already he could see the Anarchy21 troops unloading heavy weaponry. Anti-personnel and siege tanks were being prepared, and mobile missile launchers set up to roll. Thankfully, nothing major was ready yet. Scattered gunfire came out of the city towards them, but Shirerothian Warbirds were built far tougher then that.The transport set down in a fenced in area near the docks. A Shirerothian patrol boat, only half manned, overlooked the area from the river. A large four-story building took up a lot of the middle area, and the transport landed on the roof. Immediately the militia jumped down and began unloading equipment. Jason and Jadie stood by for orders.Â“All right you two!Â” the pilot announced. Â“Jason has command and Jadie has radio. That gunboat is under your control as well. You are to stay here and defend this area until relieved. Command wants regular updates! Stay sharp, and good luck!Â”Both Jason and Jadie gave a salute and jumped off just as the transport lifted off. Jason surveyed the area. The crates in the courtyard were probably full of dangerous explosives, but there was no time to move them now.Jason ordered the men to set up their turrets in defensible positions and found a good place with reasonable cover to use as a command post. But he did not have to wait long. Fire opened up on his position from the street and nearby windows. Shirerothian firepower was quick and fierce to return, and after a few minutes the bullets stopped. Jason was suspicious. He found an experienced militia warrior. Â“They are going to try something elseÂ… something stronger. I need to know what is going on down there. What are my options for recon?Â” he asked.The soldier said. Â“Limited. You could ask Command for a fly-by, but they probably have other concerns. Other then sending someone down there, we are fighting blind.Â”A shell came out of the chaotic mess of buildings and impacted on a nearby building. It was a miss, but it was obviously gunning for him. Jason ran over to his own missile battery. Â“They have a siege tank down there! It will not take them long to get their bearings right.Â”The operator looked at him. Â“I copy, commander, but without information of our own we will be shooting build. We do not even know where that came from!Â”Jason looked around, frustrated. Â“Harvey!Â” Jadie yelled to him. He ran over to her. Â“I think I have an answer for you. Cupid!Â”Immediately, a small white bear with wings and a short sword appeared next to Jadie. Â“Hey Cupid, there is a tank down there. I need you to tell me where it is!Â” she said to it.Â“Kupo!!Â” it answered and flew off. After a brief pause, it came back. Â“Kupo! Ku kupo!Â” it announced to Jadie.Jadie walked over to the missile station. Â“Target is about 220 feet from us, behind that house there. Watch the windÂ… it is coming from the south today.Â”The operator gave her a quizzical look. Â“UhhÂ… right! Yes, commander! Readjusting barrelsÂ… firing!Â”The missile took off with a deafening roar and soared off into the city. After a few tense seconds, an explosion followed shortly by a second rang through the streets. Everyone gave a cheer.Â“Nice work, Jadie!Â” Jason said with a smile. He then turned back to watching the courtyard. Anarchy21 troops had managed to break a fence to the west but had not actually gotten anyone in yet. But something seemed wrongÂ…Â“A grenade!Â” Jason mentally yelled to himself. He could sense it, but not see it. There was not time to get it out of there, no time to get out of the building. He reached out with his mind, found it, and tossed it straight up. The explosion in the air caught everyone by surprise, but the explosives were untouched.Â“I want double cover on that hole in the fence! We need some sharpshooters watching it, or this whole place will go up in flames.Â”Â“Hey Jason! Command just informed us that a whole bunch of troops are heading our way, and a lot more tanks.Â” Jadie screamed over the fire.Â“Argh! We have twenty guys and we are sitting on an explosive heap! We cannot possibly defend this entire place ourselves!Â” he screamed. Â“All rightÂ… tell the gunship to start lobbing into the city down the main street. We need to slow them down.Â”Â“Right!Â” Jadie replied with a salute.Jason spun around, furious. This was not looking good at all. And then he noticed something in the distance. Black shapes, flying low to the ground.Â“ENEMY AIRCRAFT! Missiles! Missiles!Â” he yelled, running over to the battery. The operator looked at Jason, looked behind him, and yelped.Â“ButÂ… Commander! We cannot turn the battery around!Â” he said with panic.Jason stared out as the black shapes grew larger. They were definitely transports of non-Shirerothian design. Each had a tank hanging from the bottomÂ… tanks that were being used by Anarchy21.Â“Jadie! Tell Command to get some Dios on the move. There are probably others coming in. IÂ… am going to try something unorthodox.Â” He yelled.Once again, Jason stretched outÂ… feeling the minds of the passengers aboard. Most were emotionless; ready to die if need be, just like good drone soldiers. But the pilots were afraidÂ… of something. Some sort of weakness! Yes! A weakness in the transport!Gunfire opened up from a nearby building, and bullets rained down around the oblivious Jason. Jadie yelped and dove at him, knocking him down behind cover. Abruptly, Jason snapped out of it and returned to the battle to find lead flying around him.Â“What the heck were you doing just standing there?!Â” she yelled, furious.Â“Yikes! WhoaÂ… never mind that. I got their weakness.Â” Jason replied. He waited until his troops forced the enemy to dive for cover, and then got up. The Black shapes were almost upon him, the gun barrels of the tanks shining in the setting sun. He raised his hand high, collecting heat from his surroundings, and let loose a fireball into the underside of the transport. Right where the armor plating was weakest and a fuel pipe was mostly unprotected.The explosion in the sky was spectacular, taking out two nearby transports with shrapnel and fire. Jason pushed his attack, pounding fire into two more until the entire group was in disarray. The activity exhausted him, but when he was done, there was nothing but dust in the eastern skies.Jason let out a sigh and his troops cheered his efforts, but Jadie broke the temporary good turn of events with an announcement. Â“HARVEY! The siege tanks are almost here, and they have anti-missile troops around them! Command is sending in a transport to get us out of here!Â”Jason looked over towards the keep, and sure enough, the Warbird was closing recklessly fast, flying through a hail of fire and anti-aircraft attacks. Within a minute, it was on the rooftop. The troops piled as much equipment in as they could.Without warning, five massive missiles lifted up from the city. JasonÂ’s eyes opened wide. He grabbed Jadie, and pulled her in with the last of his men. The Warbird took off with little time to lose. The ammo depot went up in a massive explosion that everyone onboard could feel.Jason sighed. Things were not looking good. Harvey SteffkeJadie's Lesser HalfSaves the worldProud bearer of the Shirerothian Silver Sword Award and Imperial Star

Harvey the Blue · Post by **Harvey the Blue** » Thu Jun 26, 2003 12:32 pm

Part 5 continuedJadie looked down at the besieged city with sadness and watched it burn as they flew over the rooftops. This attack was totally pointless. Why did these Anarchy21 people want to destroy Shireroth? There were already enough problems as isÂ… she did not need these idiots causing more.Jason stood at the other end of the transport. He had one of his hands out and was using some sort of mind power to shield the craft from fire. Jadie was not sure what to make of that, but they were still in the air, so it seemed to be working all right.Â“I donÂ’t care about your honor!Â” Jason yelled at the pilot. Â“We are being overrun! Sound the blasted emergency signal immediately! Any allies we can get right now would greatly increase our chances of not all getting killed!Â”The pilot replied. Â“ItÂ’s not gunna happen, commander. I already contacted ErosDarkstar at the request of Jadie. He will get through to the Kaiser and the Kaiser will soon activate our defense shields. Just hold them off for a little longer.Â”An explosion flashed near the window. Â“I do not think there will be too much longer at this rateÂ… but all right. What is our next objective?Â” Jason asked as he looked out the window at the gunfire aimed straight at his head.Â“Command wants to you to secure another locationÂ… this time it is a building under construction. It is going to be a massive radio tower that will serve the entire region when complete. Millions are already into it and we cannot let it just fall over.Â” The pilot answered.Jason rolled his eyes. Â“PerfectÂ… wonderful. First you put us on an ammo dump and now we are under an unstable tower.Â”The pilot shrugged and landed the Warbird. Â“Hey, I do not choose these commands. It is not too tall yet anyway, so it is not much of a risk to you. But it is fully functional already, just on a shorter range then it will be when completed. Oh, Command would like me to pass on a thanks about those transports. The Dios got a lot of them before they landed. We estimate we wiped out close to a three hundred troops and about twenty tanks. Good work, sir.Â”Â“Nothing to itÂ…Â” Jason answered as he leapt to the ground.Jadie jumped out the other side with her communications equipment. Jason was directing his remaining men with disgust. She found a good spot near the base of the tower and set her things down.Â“This is not goodÂ… we are in a valley in this construction site. The enemy has sight of our entire area from the streets. I do not know how we are going to hold this placeÂ…Â” Jason grumbled.Jadie shrugged and grinned. Â“Just cheer upÂ… as usual, I have a plan.Â” She announced as she approached the tower. Jason looked at her quizzically, and then turned back to organizing the defense.Jadie knew all about this tower. It had made the Shirerothian papers several times in the past month. The architects had taken several interviews and city planners talked about the wonderful things it would do for the town. And there had been lots of pictures, pictures of the outside, the control room, the inner hallways, everything. Jadie felt like she had been here before.And so it was no problem for her to find her way inside the broadcasting room. The cityÂ’s power grid was still down, but generators had been brought in to test the radio towerÂ’s transmission and were still in the room. It was a simple matter to get the thing running.Jadie took a deep breath, flicked on the transmitter and set it to as many stations as she could, and said Â“Attention! This is Lady Jadie of the Shirerothian military. Shirekeep is currently under siege by the terrorist group Anarchy21 and is probably going to fall within a few hours. If anyone can get to the city and can do anything to help, it would be much appreciated! Please help us! Do not let Shireroth become the next ruined country!Â” She then turned off the transmitter and let out a sigh. There was really no way to know who heard that, but there was nothing she could do about it now. She found her way out of the tower and walked right into another battle. JasonÂ’s forces were firing upward at Anarchy21 troops in the street with little success. Everyone was bunkered behind cover. A tank started the approach into the construction site but was destroyed quickly by a missile.Jason turned to her. Â“JADIE! Where were you?! Listen, this is a lost cause. We can hold them here at fifteen minutes, max. And none of us will live. Call Command and tell them to either get us more troops or get us a transport out of here!Â” He then quickly ducked around his pillar, shot of a few fireballs, and ducked back.Jadie surveyed the situation, and it was not good. Jason was rightÂ… they would be overrun any minute. She quickly got on her radio. Â“Command, this is Jadie at the radio tower. Our position is being overrun. We need reinforcements or a transport immediately!Â”There was static for a moment, then the reply came. Â“Copy JadieÂ… we are sending a Warbird to pick you up and br-.Â” And then the line went dead.Â“Command! Command!!Â” Jadie yelled worthlessly. She glanced up at the sky. It was getting dark, but she could see the storm clouds rolling in from the south.Jadie ran back over to Jason. Â“A transport is coming to pick us up, but the line went deadÂ… I hope things are all right over there.Â”Jason closed his eyes momentarily. Â“The keep is fineÂ… it must be something else. Maybe weather messing with the satellite. Never mind. Get your stuff packed up.Â” He said to her.Jadie ran back to her equipment and saw Jason ordering the troops to cluster with him in the command area. Jadie quickly packed up and saw the Warbird coming in low. But so did Anarchy21. With a flash from the streets, a missile lanced out and impacted into the aircraft. All that was left was rapidly falling metal shards. Jadie screamed out.Â“OoohhÂ… not good!Â” Jason said with shock. He turned to Jadie. Â“Well, I got nothing, and our communications are dead. So now what?Â”Jadie looked around. A flimsy fence surrounded the site, but it would slow them down too much to try to go through it. Â“Into the tower.Â” She said finally.Jason eyed the tower. He, like she, could tell it would not stand up to any full attack. But she hoped they would want to take it intact. Â“All rightÂ…Â” Jason answered slowly. Â“Everyone, move out!Â”The troop ran towards the stairs to the control room, Jason taking the close edge to deflect shots. However, some still got by. Counting Jadie and Jason, only twelve made it inside.And there they waitedÂ… watching down the stairs, weapons ready. Jason could feel the army still around them, but none of them apparently knew what to do. This continued for a very nerve-racking half hour. Finally, Jason felt something new in the area and looked up towards the sky. An aircraft, different from both the Shirerothian and Anarchy21 models, flew over the radio tower site, letting loose paratroopers as it flew by.Â“OH!! Everyone, get ready! Take aim!Â” Jason commanded.Jadie squinted into the murk. Â“Wait! No, do not fire yet!Â”Jason whipped around. Â“WHAT?!Â”The paratroopers, still in mid air, fired first. Everyone in the tower ducked for cover, but none of the bullets were directed his way. Screams from the street offered where they were directed, but the big question on everyoneÂ’s mind, except JadieÂ’s, was why.The paratroopers landed and quickly let their chutes fall to the ground, spreading out and covering each other as they approached the tower. Mixed in with their rain of bullets were several green laser blasts that caused their targets to melt into a disgusting puddle of tissues. Anarchy21 agents were hardened, but apparently even that was too much for them, and many fled in panic.JasonÂ’s troops cautiously exited the tower and found themselves in the middle of the dark-clad new arrivals. Â“Jadie?Â” a voice came from within the group.Â“Yes, that is me!Â” Jadie answered.A man with several badges walked out of the mob and approached them. Â“Robert Belci of the Corporate Republic of Kranda at your service, maÂ’am. I brought some of our DesolatersÂ… would have brought in the Kirovs too, but your situation sounded pretty grim and they are not the fastest things in the skies.Â”Jason was surprised for about the tenth time today. Â“Robert Belci?! You are about the last one I expected to be coming to our defense!Â”Belci looked grim. Â“Yes, well, I heard Lady JadieÂ’s transmission here and it sounded like you needed help. Plus, with Anarchy21, there are only two sides: us and them. Any chance to stop them is a fight I am interested in.Â”Jadie was impressed by such a bold statement, and she could tell that Jason was too. She could also tell that Jason had already figured out how Belci knew about their crisis. It was also fairly obvious that Belci did not know that this was THE Jason Steffke, and she decided to keep it that way.Â“Well, I am glad to have you with us Belci. Our ride out of here just got shot down and ground communications are out. We need to get back to the keep.Â” Jason explained.Belci nodded. Â“All rightÂ… I guess you are in command here, sir, so lead us on. What do we need to?Â”Jason looked out at the streets, which were getting darker by the minute. Â“The streets are no doubt full of enemy troops, but I heard that there was an unfinished subway system under the city. It should lead into the keepÂ… we need to find an entrance.Â”Â“RIGHT! You heard him, men! We are charging out on his orders.Â”BelciÂ’s men shouted Â“SIR, YES SIR!Â” Jadie drew her Drow sword slowly, getting used to its feel again. It had been a while since Stone had given it to her, but it would serve her well. Jason seemed to concentrate and create a sword that was pure energy.Everyone prepared themselves mentally, and finally Jason announced. Â“All rightÂ… CHARGE!Â”Jadie sprinted forward, her cat-legs making running easy. She kept pace with Jason and Belci in the front as they charged up the dirt ramp into the street. The surprised Anarchy21 troops could do little before being cleaved soundly by JadieÂ’s blade. Others managed to get a few shots off, easily deflected by Jason, before falling victim as well. BelciÂ’s troops and the Shirerothians alike fought side by side, blowing out windows and watching their back as they charged forward down the street.The troops continued like this for some time, fighting only light resistance, until Jadie announced, Â“There is a subway entrance near here! It is on the next road we will pass, to the right!Â” she yelled breathlessly.The forces turned the corner and found themselves facing a large grouping of the black trucks Jason had seen earlier in the day. They all seemed to be empty. Â“Everyone stay lowÂ… we can go around.Â” Jason commanded.Slowly, the troops crept between the trucks, taking advantage of the cover and the darkness to hopefully avoid being seen. On the other side, Jason spotted a small group of soldiers working on some sort of missile platform. Just beyond them was the entrance.Jason looked at Belci, who nodded and turned to his men. Moments later, green laser blasts came flying out of the trucks and mowed the men down.Jadie rushed forward with the troops to dive into the tunnel. She caught a glimpse down rest of the street and saw a mass of soldiers advancing on them. Â“Look out!Â” she yelled.Bullets flew through the air again as the defenders retreated into the tunnel. BelciÂ’s men flipped on the lights on their guns to lead the way and fire behind them. Jadie tried her best to navigate the dark tunnels and lead the men towards the keep.Silence, like the darkness, surrounded them. BelciÂ’s men kept a few stragglers from getting to close. Jadie trusted her memory and instinctual ability to intuit direction to lead them on the right path. Finally, they reached a blank wall.Jason looked grim. Â“JadieÂ…Â” he said disapprovingly, more then a bit of panic in his voice. Jadie looked miserable.Belci approached them. Â“Well, maybe she is right. Stand back!Â” Jason and Jadie got out of the way, and Belci lobbed a grenade at the wall. A flash and an explosion later revealed some very shocked Shirerothian technicians within the keepÂ’s boiler rooms.Â“Hiya! WeÂ’re back!Â” Jadie announced cheerfully.Jadie looked down from the walls of Shirekeep. Below her, the surge of Anarchy21Â’s army had finally assembled on Lukedu street. Seige cannons pelted the keep and missiles swatted at DioÂ’s that attempted bombing runs. Desolater blasts from BelciÂ’s interesting, if atrocious, weaponry lanced into the force as it moved forward. And, of course, there was the gunfire. Gunfire from troops on the streets and on the walls. From anti-personnel tanks and mobile turrets. From Dios and buildings. The entire area was alive with deadly bullets and the occasional fireball from Jason.The leadership was not optimistic. Â“WellÂ… this is about it. Although Jadie, Jason, and BelciÂ’s efforts have slowed them down considerably, I think we are going to be overrun. We have still not managed to hook up enough power to the shields to get it to function and I doubt the keep will last long enough for us to do so.Â” Gryphon reported to Jadie.Jadie stomped her foot. Â“NO! We will NOT end up like Nova Roma and Baracao! We had time to organize a defense, and we are going to survive!Â”Â“We are outnumbered easily 4 to 1, and Anarchy21Â’s forces are trained military where ours are just militia!Â” the commander yelled. Â“If only the Kaiser were here, he could save usÂ…Â”Jadie turned to Jason, who looked grim but said nothing. A slight rain had started to fall, and with each drop that hit him Jason cringed a little more. Within minutes the scene was full of nothing but mud and blood. Lightning lashed down over the horizon.And without any other warning, a bolt landed right in front of the keep with a tremendous flash that made everyone shield their eyes. When they again could see, they found a man standing there. He was clad in fierce armor and held a sword that seemed to have been forged from the sky itself.Everyone stopped in awe of the mysterious figure. He raised his sword and stared out at Anarchy21Â’s force. Then, he spoke. Â“Help was asked forÂ… and help shall be received. This land shall not fall and by the Stormrider Sword, I will not let it fall today! Storm RidersÂ… ATTACK!Â”He lunged forward, and with that, a hundred men appeared behind him, each armed as impressively well. Bullets concentrated on him but were ignored. Within moments, the mysterious warriors were within the enemy ranks. The tide of the battle had turned, and the keep let loose itÂ’s fury with extreme vigor.Â“Harvey! Harvey, are you there!Â” the voice came on JasonÂ’s light-based phone. He picked up it.Â“Yes, what is it?! This is kind of a bad time!Â” he yelled over the din.Â“It is SaiÂ’Kar! Harvey, I just received word from TarÂ’Mul! Ptia is under attack!Â” the voice screamed.Â“Sealoron Tunak!!!Â” Jason cursed. Â“All rightÂ… on the way.Â” And with that, he dashed towards the stairs without a word to anyone. Ten minutes later, Jason was in the air in his gold Epoch and far from the town when the sky flashed bright blue. Jason turned around in time to see the shields of Shireroth finally come online.The transmission SaiÂ’Kar received was determined not to have come from TarÂ’Mul or Ptia, but from an unknown location in the eastern part of the world. No one could ever prove anything, but many suspected it was a diversionary tactic from Anarchy21. Still, the battle was over before Jason left. The combined might of JasonÂ’s fiery might, JadieÂ’s cunning and knowledge, BelciÂ’s firepower and bravery and StjepanÂ’s powerful soldiers turned the tide of the conflict and saved Shireroth. It would be everywhere on Micras the next day. Â“Anarchy21 attack on Shireroth repelled!Â” the headlines would exclaim. All four of them would be declared heroes.But, on the global level, the battle was far from over. Harvey SteffkeJadie's Lesser HalfSaves the worldProud bearer of the Shirerothian Silver Sword Award and Imperial Star

Harvey the Blue · Post by **Harvey the Blue** » Thu Jun 26, 2003 12:33 pm

Part 6: The LandingFor the first time in many months, Sirithil nÃ¶s Feanor was truly excited. The tension over the elections (which she lost) did not even come close to comparing to this. She had finally found a group of people that were willing to do what was required of them and not what would be popular. It was a long shot and extremely dangerous, but those kinds of missions were always the most fun.The command structure was going to be a bit odd. Although Sirithil was technically the leader of the whole group and Bill was a veteran of many campaigns, both had decided that Loki would be better calling the shots in combat. He was a seasoned commander of ShirerothÂ’s militia, after all. They were not willing to let pride get in the way of this mission. Things were finally shaping up, and the energy was building between them.She could feel it among the camp before they left. Everyone except for Loki and Bill had left hours before, mostly for Menelmacar where the fun would have begun in just over twelve hours. Loki was going over his weaponry and ammo time and time again, making sure every last firecracker was accounted for. Bill had been swinging his sword at the air impatiently, but it was obvious he was too full of energy for his own good.Forcing herself to go to bed early had been painful, but her situation had not been as bad as the rest of her companionÂ’s had been. Elves did not really sleep. She only needed a few hours of restful sitting. But she could hear her companions churning around all Â“night.Â” She hoped they had gotten enough sleep in the end. They would certainly need to be alert for the upcoming day.But, for now, they could afford to relax. The long flight had begun. The Aeon was certainly a fast craft, but the distance that needed to be covered was still very considerable. Everyone had been very worried when twelve hours had been scheduled for them to do their work in, but as it turned out they would only be using two or three of those hours on the ground.The three talked amongst themselves, covering most of the events of the recent days. The major hot topic was obviously the repelled Anarchy21 attack on Shireroth during the previous evening.Bill was grinning like a fool. Â“It is incredible, really. I heard that Anarchy21Â’s death toll is in the thousands. This is sure to be a crushing blow to their attempts to spread chaos throughout the world. I will bet we will not hear from them again too soon!Â” he said, obviously overjoyed.Loki looked upset. Â“It is just a shame that I caught the early flight out of there. I heard that my armory was used by the local militia. Man, if I had been there, they would have had no chance at all!Â” Loki boasted.Bill laughed and said, Â“Yeah, I bet. But what is really incredible is who came to ShirerothÂ’s aide in our moment of need. Jason is always ready for this kind of thing, but Jadie as a soldier? And StjepanÂ’s Storm Riders? And ROBERT BELCI?! I mean, come on! I think we lucked out!Â”Â“Stjepan has always had a good relationship with Shireroth, and Jadie is a lot tougher then she looks. But BelciÂ’s involvement still puzzles me. Could he be a potential ally in the coming fight?Â” Loki speculated.Sirithil snorted. Â“Unlikely. Remember, he is the one that helped Archetype set up his little Â“truthÂ” party in the first place. I think BelciÂ’s loyalties have been decided long ago. He probably just was trying to make a statement, or more likely protect his own interests by damaging Anarchy21.Â”Bill shrugged. Â“Well, whatever his reasoning, there is no doubt that his forces were a big help during the battle. We just got Jason back. It would be a shame for him to be killed again so quickly!Â”Â“Very true. But if only one good thing came of all this, I think it is the fact that ShirerothÂ’s loyalty toward our cause is secure.Â” Sirithil stated. Everyone nodded their heads in agreement. The Aeon continued to tear on through the morning dawn.WarVoid was feeling irritable again for about the fourth day in a row. Too many people had been too whiny the past few weeks, but suddenly it all just went quiet. Locke continued to build his SLAM movement (its ranks now in the hundreds) and the government continued to think about banning them from assembling, but he was not being too vocal about it. Mari had retreated from the streets to the ruined Temple of the Quintessences to pray almost constantly. Even that deplorable Micron Â“princessÂ” SaiÂ’Kar had not been seen around often. Although still considered a fugitive and traitor for forcefully breaking Ptia away from the Imperium when it was at its weakest, so far law officials had not been able to actually catch her. But she was nowhere to be seen these days.There was no real reason for him to be restless. Why couldnÂ’t he just relax and get some work done on this national website project? His security duties had been practically taken over by some specialists Archetype had imported from the Collective Unconsciousness Â– a move he was not particularly happy about but was in little position to question.WarVoid paced. Something was still bugging him. Maybe it was that infernal racket from the partygoers outside. Although it meant going outdoors, he decided to take a walk around the ElentaranÂ’s palace and check up on the local troops (again, a responsibility handled by ArchetypeÂ’s staff). Maybe that would take his mind off ofÂ… whatever. The fresh air would probably do him some good.At approximately 1:30 PM Caras Menelmacar local time, a fighter that, according to the worldwide database of registered aircraft, did not exist landed on the roof of a local insurance firm. No one saw it land, for no one could see the fighter at all. Nor did anyone spot the three figures that emerged from apparently thin air and vanished into a rooftop access hatch that, according to the companyÂ’s records, was bolted and securely locked from both sides.A few office workers saw the three figures, each dressed in business causal clothing, pass through the lobby of the building. One even stopped to get a quick drink of water from a local fountain, but no one cared. They could not care less that all three of them had unusually thick briefcases. Nor did they care that one was apparently elven, that one had a scar on his face, and that one was wearing a headband that had gone out of style almost fifteen years earlier. Caras Menelmacar was a weird multi-cultural and multi-racial city, and even in an insurance firm such sights were not uncommon.Someone would have probably cared if they had known the identities of any one of the three figures. A battle-scarred veteran from the Â“uncivilizedÂ” (or so the local reputation was) lands of Shireroth, a national fugitive for high crimes of attempted forceful secession of major parts of the country, and the disposed Queen of the Stars that was supposed to be in exile within her elven sector manor. If those people that knew of their identities had happened to be local law enforcement, they would have taken an extreme, almost unhealthy interest to the crew and the contents of their briefcases. If they had been ArchetypeÂ’s agents, they would have probably attempted to kill all three of them on the spot.Thankfully, there was something else out of the norm happening in Caras Menelmacar that day. It was a nice break from the usual ho-hum aura that had settled over the city. A few old Apolloists had found their way into town and were conducting Jasonia Day festivities which the local population was happily enjoying.Sirithil smiled to herself. Â“This is quite the cover we have here! Who set this up?Â” she asked.Â“Erm, not me. I do not think this is part of our group. Actually, I did not remember today was Jasonia Day at all until now.Â” Bill replied, scratching his head.Loki shrugged. Â“Well whatever. The cover is great. Just keep on the lookout.Â” He ordered.Sirithil and Bill were carrying Jasonia Day balloons and were talking loudly in the alleyway, pretending to be just two more slightly intoxicated tourists. Meanwhile, Loki opened his briefcase. After making sure that the components of the Boomist Assault Rifle were intact, he found what he was looking for: a remote EMP bomb. He set the trigger and frequency, then buried it halfway into a trash can full of paper plates.His job complete, Loki joined Bill and Sirithil. They joked and laughed and hollered for a bit longer, then strolled casually away from the local power node and a bit closer to the Administrative Core.PathFollower walked swiftly away from WarVoid. Talking to the old-school Apollonian was always a chore for him, and he could not help but feel a bit tainted by him and his pathetic ways, but today he at least found what he was looking for. So, the little devil was feeling uneasy as well. It was not just him then.PathFollower hated when this kind of thing happened. He had trained the psion core, under the leadership of his Master, the esteemed Archetype, to be able to sense trouble in the city and find those responsible quickly. It had worked so well when the Kaiser of Shireroth and that princess character had attempted covert-operation Â“Banana Peel.Â” His training was not lacking in any way.But thisÂ… uneasiness. This feeling that something was going to happen but a complete and total lack of direction as to what. He hated it. He had not spent years of his life prying into the business of other people to feel blind potentially when he needed his skills the most.But in the end his options were nil. He could not arrest people without a reasonÂ… too much of that was going on lately and people were getting annoyed. Besides, he did not have any suspects yet. His psions were already within the city but so far none of them had responded with anything useful. And contacting his Master during his afternoon meditations with the Telepathic Banana was certainly out of the question.All he could do was wait and watch from the towers of Capitol Building. He did not know it, but the three people he was looking for passed right through the center of his gaze far on the streets below. After four more visits to trash cans, the team was ready. Sirithil did not look particularly convinced, however.Â“Are you sure everything is set up right? Those things will be effective inside trash cans, right?Â” she questioned for about the sixth time.Loki looked annoyed. Â“We covered the three local power nodes, the emergency response signals, the broadcasting tower, and the palaceÂ’s main generator. Both it and the Administrative Core will lose power for about two minutes. We need to get as close as we can before the backup generators activate.Â” Bill answered for him.Loki nodded. Â“Right. When those bombs go off, everyone in town will no something is up, but they will be pretty blind to stop it. We still need to be quick though.Â”He stopped suddenly. Â“Erm, this is about as close to the Administrative Core as we can get without being too obvious. We might want to get changed here.Â” He gestured to some bathrooms. Â“Once all PRH breaks loose, they will know who they are gunning for anyway. We might as well be in decent battle clothes instead of these tacky suits.Â”The team parted and met up again a few minutes later. Loki was dressed in a Shirerothian battle uniform that he had modified specifically for this mission to have extra spaces for ammunition. Bill wore his silver armor over his standard clothing that he had taken on every Control of Destiny adventure and should probably have been thrown away years ago. Sirithil came out wearing something that looked like a cross between her normal Elentari gown and a Menelmacar Imperial Army uniform. After the group exchanged quizzical looks at each other, they got out their respective weapons and Loki detonated the bombs.WarVoid had felt a bit better. The Imperial PalaceÂ’s legion was in top-notch condition within the courtyard of the Palace and he had managed to get away from PathFollower without a headache. This would have gone down as the best day he had in the past month if the automatic door that was supposed to take him inside the palace did not remain stubbornly closed, despite his growling, screaming, and a few swipes with his blade.Three screaming lunatics charged up the stairs of the Administrative Core in what would be the only attack on it for all of history. Behind them laid a trail of diverse destruction. One guard laid dead, pumped full of uranium bullets from a Boomist Assault Rifle. Another lay bleeding, his left arm and leg, along with a good deal in between, sliced by an impossibly fine sword. Several others lay as crumpled heaps of what must have been men before lightning magic had hit them.Loki gestured for them to stay back as he adjusted the setting on his Rifle. Bill and Sirithil whipped around as more police rushed to the scene. Sirithil sprayed a blast of pure magic that downed a few of them quickly, but several others managed to get behind cover. Bullets opened up from the low bushes around the Core, but Bill stood in front of Sirithil and allowed his armor to take the worst of it. Seconds later, the bushes had caught fire and the guards came screaming out into the open. They scarcely had time to make too much noise before Bill silenced them with the Einlanzer.Both warriors heard a tremendous explosion behind them and turned to see Loki facing what was once the outer door to the Core, the steaming Boomist Assault Rifle still leveled against it. The three broke positions and ran through.Â“CAMERAS!Â” Sirithil shouted above the din of the panic. Â“THEY ARE HOOKED TO AUTOGUNS WITHIN THE WALLS! I WILL TRY TO GET THEM ALL! LOKI, I WILL NEED YOUR HELP!Â“HOW MUCH TIME?!Â” Bill yelled.Â“ABOUT FOURTY SECONDS!Â” Loki yelled back as he took aim at one of the cameras.Bill was exasperated, Â“JUST BLOW THE DOOR!Â”Â“NO!Â” screamed Sirithil, Â“WE NEED TO HAVE SOME DEFENSE WHILE I GET INTO THE CORE! THE DOORS NEED TO STAY!Â”Â“BILL! COVER US!Â” Loki ordered.Bill nodded and whipped around. He tried to calm himself down. He was a Paladin, after all, and a master of combat. This kind of situation was familiar to him. One hundred to one odds and still managing victory? EasyÂ… well, typical at least.He let his thoughts calm him and managed to stop shaking. When the bullets came at him again, he deflected them effortlessly with his handheld shield and harnessed the power of his devotion into a ball of light, which he rained down upon the unbelievers outside. Being a Paladin was always difficult work, but it did have its rewards that were offered to the faithful.Around him, he heard a great humming as electricity from the backup generators flowed through the building. He heard shots being fired. He also heard Sirithil scream. Â“What? WHAT?!Â” he yelled as he ran back into the inner chambers.Sirithil lay behind a pillar holding her left shoulder. Â“I am all right. Just, one of the autoguns got a shot on me.Â”Loki ventured a peek at the offending gun. Â“HmmÂ… just that one. I got it. BillÂ… do something about her.Â”Bill knelt down at SirithilÂ’s side, his hands in the air and beginning to glow. Â“Yeah. Sirithil, you are a Soloralist, right?Â” she nodded weekly. Â“Then this will be easy. JustÂ… believe.Â” And with that he put his glowing palms on her bloody shoulder. Sirithil yelped and squirmed a bit, but the pain was quickly gone and the wound healed.Another violent explosion signified that Loki had taken out the last gun. He and Bill moved to the blasted doorway to fight off the latest attack while Sirithil entered her codes to open the second door. A pleasant sound signified that it had opened. Bill and Loki rushed back to Sirithil and walked through. But as the door closed, a burning sword jammed itself within the mechanism, forcing it open.Everyone whipped around to see WarVoid standing in the doorway with several dozen of ArchetypeÂ’s personal legion guard behind him. The tall demon dwarfed his minions and his blood red cape flowed in the torn air.Â“I think that is about far enough, humans.Â” He sneered, his voice full of demonic power.Â“I am an ELF, thank you very much! And I see you are a successful sellout WarVoid.Â” Sirithil yelled back.WarVoid shrugged. Â“Hey, the people elected him. If there was a failure, it was with you when you set up the system.Â”Â“It is now 3:49 PM. We only have ten minutes before everyone gets movingÂ…Â” Loki said under as quietly as he could.Bill sighed. Â“All right. I got it. You twoÂ… go on.Â”WarVoid laughed. Loki shot him a glance. Â“Are you sure about this Bill?! He will probably destroy youÂ…Â”Â“Maybe, but if I die now at least I die knowing that some sanity is returning to the world. Hurry up and go!Â” Bill replied, his face beginning to steel.Loki only hesitated for a second. Â“Right. Come on Sirithil.Â” He said as he ran into the Core.Â“CHAIN LIGHTNING!Â” Sirthil screamed, letting loose a myriad of bolts at WarVoid. The demon yelled as the electricity arched off of him and through ArchetypeÂ’s forces, downing many of them and jumping again. Sirithil almost collapsed, but steadied herself. Â“I hope that helped. Bye Bill! Good luck!Â” she yelled back and ran to catch up with Loki inside the Core.WarVoid shook off the last of the lightning and let out a yell. Â“RRRAAHHHHH!!! All right Billy boy! You want to die today?! I will make it quick for you.Â” He gestured to his sword, which flew back to him and allowed the inner door to shut with a metallic clang.Bill was not about to lose any bit of the chain lightning confusion he had left. Running up to WarVoid, he gave a quick thrust that was easily blocked. The demon jumped to the left, and Bill continued right past him into the enemy forces, who were still fighting off the electricity, and cleaved down many of them. WarVoid tried to retaliate with his burning blade, but caught another two soldiers through the necks with it instead. Bill had to parry the next swing, then dove for cover behind a pillar to avoid bullets.Â“It is pretty pathetic for a Paladin to be running away. Get out here!Â” WarVoid taunted.He rushed around the pillar towards Bill, who quickly ducked and let WarVoidÂ’s sword sink deep into the stone. Bill tried to counterattack but WarVoid kicked him squarely in the chest and knocked him down. He then summoned dark energies around him and let a blast of fire and brimstone fly at the hapless Paladin. Bill barely managed to roll out of the brunt of it and was still pretty badly burned on his right side. He used the cover of the soot in the air to get behind another pillar.Â“Stop stalling, Bill! You cannot hide forever!Â” the demon yelled as he attempted to see through the settling soot.But Bill was not hiding. He whipped around the corner suddenly and let a massive blast of light fly outward. It hit the unsuspecting WarVoid right in chest. The blast of pure goodness did the demon no little damage, and he fell flat on his back. Had ArchetypeÂ’s troops not been still covering him that might have been the end of the line for the Infernal. As such, he managed to limp to his feet and scamper away towards the Palace, cursing Bill constantly and calling for backup.PathFollower took one look at the badly hurt and retreating WarVoid from inside the towers Imperial Palace. Finally, he knew what was going on. And it was most displeasing. Something would need to be done. Harvey SteffkeJadie's Lesser HalfSaves the worldProud bearer of the Shirerothian Silver Sword Award and Imperial Star

Shireroth

The Brink of Life

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