From the moment they stepped off the platform and into the Grand Canterlot Station, the group had been the center of attention. Everywhere the party looked there was a flurry of sound and motion as ponies of all shapes and shades gawked at the bizarre entourage making its way toward Canterlot proper. The streets of Canterlot were in full swing as they made their way through the shining city, it’s large buildings made from brilliant white stone that reflected the Sun's light like a mirror. Groups of ponies in a variety of outfits flitted in and out of expensive shops selling a variety of wares, loud conversations echoed in the air about the recent news and the juicy new gossip. For the Elements, save for Twilight and to a lesser degree Rarity, it was the kind of controlled chaos that would make Discord cackle with glee. For Cyrell it was familiar and inviting.
He recalled similar experiences when traveling around the City, especially during holidays like the Dawning or events like the Faction Rallies. While the Light might have granted Guardians paracausal power and abilities, it had not stopped them from being human. For those who were less familiar with the denizens of the Tower this would be a shock, but people like Amanda Holiday knew better. Guardians were still people, no matter how outrageous their armor was.
His thoughts faded as he watched his escorts begin carving a path through the large crowds that had gathered to greet them. Cyrell ch Jules as he saw the ponies of this impressive city doing their best to grab the six mares attention. Yet another familiar thing in this strange alien world he found himself.
Not one to dawdle, he swiftly made his way next to the group of friends and as one they marched toward the castle. Only stopping for the large carriages that ruled the streets of this lavish capital. The streets bent and twist every which way, slowly ascending up towards the mountain peak and the Castle built atop it.
Cyrell had his eyes locked onto the objective, when he suddenly felt something nudge his arm. A glance revealed that Rainbow Dash had taken position in the air next to him, a grin spreading across her face.
“If you think this is impressive, you should see Cloudsdale! The most important Pegasus city in all of Equestria!” She wrapped a hoof around the back of Cyrell’s neck before waving her other hoof up towards the early afternoon sky. “I mean, I’m sure you’ve seen Cloudsdale but it’s totally different walking on a cloud than flying” she continued.
Cyrell had to give the prismatic mare that he hadn’t really been paying too much attention to the city itself, mostly because he was preoccupied with the… other revelations at the time. Still perhaps if they were lucky he could indulge her.
“The mission first my friend, then you can show me as many wonders as you like” he replied, ruffling her mane a bit as she chuckled. Rainbow quickly changed positions, darting right in front of Cyrell but maintaining while also keeping pace with the group as they continued toward the Castle Gate.
“You bet, I’ll introduce you to the other Wonderbolts! We can even go to the museum and I can show you all the awesome stuff they have on display, like the original jacket worn by Commander Hurricane during the founding of the ‘Bolts” Rainbow gushed as she and Cyrell followed the others further toward their destination. Cyrell had to admire the mare's glee for this group of games flying pegasi, it reminded him of the groups of lightless citizens that were obsessed with the Iron Lords. Perhaps he should indulge his pegasus friend a bit and give some history himself, trust goes both ways afterall.
“The way you speak of these Wonderbolts is very similar to how I’ve heard some people refer to a group from my world, called the Iron Lords” Cyrell paused networks, gauging the Rainbow’s reaction as she seemed to halt midair before zooming in close to him.
“Iron Lords? That’s a pretty cool name, what do they do? C’mon don’t leave me floating!” Rainbow pressed her eyes somehow growing larger as she trembled with excitement.
How do their eyes get so large.. and sparkle like that? Cyrell thought briefly. He mentally shrugged it off though, probably Magic or something. “The Iron Lords were the first of the Risen to band together to defend Humanity. They created a set of laws called the Iron Decree to help unite the Risen together and put an end to the endless wars the Warlords had been perpetuating”. Cyrell explained. Cyrell had learned a lot of this from Selene shortly after his initial resurrection, as they had even the long journey toward the Last City. All Guardians learn the history of the Dark Age and how it eventually paved the way for the construction of the Last City.
Rainbow was now completely in geek out mode, her grin had practically split her face as she once again floated over towards. Trellis side. “Okay, they sound awesome. But I need details! Like what’d they do exactly? You gotta tell me” she said, before putting a good to her chin and humming. She crossed her eyes and stuck out her tongue as well before slapping her forehooves together with a small clop. Her vibrant eyes met Cyrells helmeted gaze before she smirked at him and said “How about this big guy, you tell me about these Iron Lords and I’ll tell you all about the Wonderbolts” she exclaimed.
Trellis nodded his head, which was all the prompting Rainbow needed to begin.
“Okay, so the ‘Bolts are the premier flying group in all of Equestria” as she spoke she flew ahead of Cyrell score continuing, “They are the fastest, the most talented and most experienced flyers you’ll find. Anywhere!”
Cyrell had to stifle a chuckle as he watched the mare zip and zoom as she punctuated the qualities of the famed fliers. It was just like his first time asking Amanda about ship upgrades.
I think those two would get along nicely, he thought to himself. Selene briefly materialized just to see what was happening, before rolling her eye and disappearing again. Rainbow never noticed as she continued healing more and more praise upon the Wonderbolts, before Cyrell decided to redirect the conversation to what they did exactly.
“I think you’ve described these Wonderbolts skills well enough Rainbow” he said “Why don’t you tell me more about what exactly you all do”?
“Oh, uh right hehe!” Came Rainbows’ reply as she sheepishly rubbed the back of her head with a hoof. “Okay so, on top of performing the most incredible flying stunts and shows in existence, we also are still technically part of the Royal Army as well” Rainbow had gotten back into her groove flying ahead of the Titan as they walked. “Way back during the founding of Equestria, that was more or less all the bolts did, being made up of the first pegasus warriors to join Equestria. Over time they proved themselves to every pony like when Commander Hurricane got his nickname by leading the ‘Bolts in calming an unexpected, uh, hurricane.” Rainbow fumbled a bit with the last bit but quickly resumed
Recovered her bravado as Cyrell raised a hand to her. Rainbow tilted her head at the gesture “What’s up big guy?” She asked.
Cyrell lowered his hand, his eyes briefly checking on their progress. The Castle was still a fair distance away. “Well” he began, “I’m just a little confused. I thought you controlled the weather here” he asked.
Rainbow clonked a hoof to her forehead l, “oh duh, sorry dude I forgot you're still new to all this” she bagolo her head and continued “back then the weather was still wing affected by latent chaos Magic from Discord. That’s also why Ponyville has more weather ponies than normal, since they have to deal with storms from the Everfree on occasion as well”. Cyrell nodded, that made a lot of sense given their previous talks about the forest and Spirit of Disharmony.
Suddenly Fluttershy piped up, having been listening along to the two as they had walked and flew. “Oh but he doesn’t do that sort of thing anymore of course, like we mentioned on the way back to Ponyville. He even helps sometimes with the storms! He’s a real sweetheart when you get to know him” she added as a smile spread across her face. Applejack and Rarity briefly shared a smug look with one another before shaking their heads and chuckling to themselves. What she had said was true, but those same storms Discord did help with were also usually ones that affected a certain mare he had come to fancy. Though said mare didn’t seem to realize it just yet.
“Anyway the ‘Bolts may mostly do Flight Demonstrations and Air Shows now, but since we never were fully removed from the military we still have ranks and run combat drills to make sure that if Equestria ever needs us, we’ll be ready!” Rainbow pumped a hoof in teen air to accent her excitement. “Plus Commander Hurricane was just one of the most awesome WonderBolt to exist! There’s still Firefly who helped to save camping ponies during a raging forest fire or Silver Squall who led a detachment of Wonderbolts to save Van Hoover and its port during a surprise winter storm!” Rainbow was doing loops and corkscrews as she listed the feats of Wonderbolts past, a large smile plastered across her muzzle. Though it took a slight cocky tinge as she added in “Plus I am the only pony to do the Sonic Rainboom! Just so ya know.” She smirked. Eventually she managed to regain control of herself, after the first few playful snickers started to arise from her friends.
Cyrell chuckled as well, amused and impressed by both the pegasus mares clear admiration for her organization and the impressive feats she had proclaimed. Deciding he ought to start his end of the agreement, he cleared his throat, grabbing the attention of all the equines in their group, though Twilight and Candace only allowed their ears to turn, as they led the group forward.
Cyrell began to speak, “These Wonderbolts are certainly something then, I hope you will find my tales of the Iron Lords as interesting” there was a hint of smugness to Cyrell’s voice, afterall he himself and earned the title of Iron Lord while aiding in the Siva Crisis alongside many others. Lord Saladin had told many of the stories he would soon be retelling himself during that campaign. It had given Cyrell a new perspective on just how important it was to teach Guardians the importance of utilizing their gifts for good. A lesson he believed should extend to the use of Darkness as well.
“As you know, myself and other Guardians are revived by our Ghosts to defend Humanity and the Traveler. But what has been made abundantly clear since that time is that the Light itself is not exclusive to just the righteous or honorable” he paused for a moment, taking in the faces of his traveling companions. While Cyrell certainly believed most Guardians were doing everything for the good of the Last City and Humanity, he knew that not all Risen were heroic in nature. Cytan was a tyrant who cared only for power, The Ghost Hunter was a maniac who fell from grace and became a cruel murderer of innocent ghosts, Shin Malfur fell to the Dark and was willing to kill in its name. He had even had to deal with fallen Guardians himself, mostly while aiding the Drifter when Gambit was still relatively new.
Twilight was the first to speak up, “So just like how our magic can be used for anything the wielded desires, your Light can be used to do evil things as well?” She asked the question with trepidation. Clearly she was afraid of insulting the large man. With a heavy sigh Cyrell nodded and continued.
“For a time Guardians were known simply as the Risen, back when they and the ghosts were just starting to appear. It wasn’t long before they began to go by a new name though… Warlords. Some were kind, like Lord Shaxx, and would air the lightless people under their care like the greater kings and nobles of our ancient past. But others were cruel and vile, using their lightless civilians as laborers or even as living shields. The Iron Lords themselves were all Warlords for a time before they started to notice how much chaos and bloodshed the constant warring was reeking on our people. They banded together and made a home on a large mountain much like this one, which they called Felwinter’s Peak, and there they crafted the Iron Decree. A set of laws for how the various Risen were to act and treat one another and the lightless people around them to stem the tide of suffering and war and begin rebuilding our once great civilization” another pause as the Titan recalled the far off look Saladin had when recalling his past companions and deeds. The man was haunted by not only the Dark Age but the battles and defeats that followed at the hands of aliens and Warmind alike.
Cyrell lifted his head as he heard Cadence speak up, “so these Iron Lords wanted to try and untie and form… what exactly? An army?” The pink Princess asked, her head tilted to one side.
“Yes” came the Titans answer, “they believed that with the right tools and planning that we could begin to retake all that we lost… if only they knew just what was waiting beyond our homeworld” Cyrell suppressed a shudder ras images of the Hellmouth and Dreadnought flashed in his mind. He continued on, after shaking the images away, “But they also aided in the creation and defense of the Last City. While they dreamt of restoring our people to the heights of the Golden Age, they did not forget to protect them as they were then.”
The group of mares walked along for a moment in silence before Fluttershy’s head seemed to bolt up, her eyes wide as she looked to Cyrell. No words left her though, but it was clear she had thought of something distressing, which Applejack was quick to pick up on. “What’s the matter ‘Shy” she asked, quickly moving to be beside her friend. Fluttershy looked between Applejack and Cyrell. Eventually she managed to ask in a shaking voice, “What happened to them?”.
That was all she had to say. Cyrell had to commend her attention to detail. Even the mare being addressed had yet to notice how he mentioned the Iron Lords in almost exclusively the past tense. Rainbow’s ignorance was further highlighted as she rapidly looked between Cyrell and Fluttershy, her Ruby eyes filled with questions left unspoken and soon to be answered.
“They died.” Cyrell felt he needed to ‘rip the bandaid off’ as the ancient saying went, Bette they know ahead of time so the details weren’t muddled with further questions or sympathies. The effect was immediate, with Rainbow slowly coming to land, trotting next to him with her ears pinned back. “But you have those little ghost dudes right?” She asked, “wouldn’t they just bring them back”? Silence reigned for a minute or two, as the seven ponies mulled over this new revelation. Cyrell began to speak again.
“They had heard rumors of wondrous Golden Age technology that could build anything, from weapons and armor to ships and even entire cities.” He explained, Selene materializing as he lifted his right hand. A hologram appeared above her displaying a grange broken triangle shape. “They called it SIVA, Golden age nanomachines that could be instructed to do almost anything.” He turned his helmet to each mare, giving each a firm look. “It was the perfect bait for the would-be reclaimers of humanity’s lost empire. Apparently Rasputin, an advanced AI designed to defend Humanity from threats from within and without the system, had lured them into a trap to destroy them.” He said watching as the gates rapidly began to draw nearer and nearer with each step. Soon they would make their way into the castle proper.
“But why?!” Came the unified response, the group halting briefly in confusion. Cyrell halted his progress and turned around to face them. “Part of it…” he began “ was out of fear, because he did not understand the Iron Lords given their Paracausal nature. The other was because of Felwinter himself, but that's another story altogether. Suffice to say they had some previous history that caused the Warmind to further panic. So it used SIVA to kill the Iron Lords and their Ghosts, resulting in their Final Deaths” he finished.
The group felt a new blanket of sadness settle over them, their sorrow now directed to this group of heros that had been slain in cold blood. Luckily Cyrell had planned for just that. Even with as little time as they had together he could tell they were unaccustomed to the loss and pain that he and Humanity were all too familiar with. He took a breath and spoke again.
“But all is not lost, because the Iron Lords also still exist today,” this caused the downcast eyes of his companions to shoot up in confusion.
“But you just said that- '' Rainbow began before the Titans hand raised up to silence her. Her mouth stayed open for a moment before Pinkie Pie raised a hoof up to close it for her. A short giggle was her only reaction to Rainbow's sideways glance that had followed the party pony.
“The original group was mostly destroyed, save for Lord Saladin and Lady Efrideet.” He said, “But new Iron Lords have risen since under their watchful gaze. I myself… am one of them.” He slowly pulled a small chain out of a pouch on his side, an emblem of two wolves howling on either side of a large tree dangling from it. Rainbow races forward for a closer look, marveling at the trinkets. “I earned this for completing the training to become an Iron Lord when an alien species we call the Fallen tried to use SIVA themselves. Thankfully we managed to prevent the worst and now the SIVA Crisis is but a memory” He said.
“So awesome! So does that mean…?” Her question hung in the air as Cyrell rolled his eyes, a hearty chuckle managing to escape as he simply replied.
“Lord Cyrell at your service Wonderbolt Rainbow Dash” the large warrior giving a mock bow to the prismatic mare before him, as she and her friends began to laugh. Cyrell happily resumed walking alongside the group as they continued to talk about both the Wonderbolts and Iron Lords though now with more levity and joy. They barely noticed the clinking of the iron gates as they entered the grounds of Canterlot Castle.
Cadence and Twilight lead the group as they navigate the vaulted halls of Canterlot Castle. Cyrell frank in the splendor as best he could with how quickly they were going now, mostly at Twilight's insistence. Unlike the rest of the City, the Castle was built with Marble and Ivory, making it stand out even amongst the rest of Canterlots gleaming streets and architecture. Large curtains draped and framed the impressive stained glass Windows of the Hall of Harmony, the main entry way towards the central Throne Room and where the accomplishments of Equestria’s greatest heros were forever honored for generations to learn and admire.
Pinkie Pie is more than happy to point out the multiple instances of her and her friends exploits, with Twilight providing insight on the more obscure pieces. Further in they went, passing by grand paintings and pillars, until finally they stood before a massive set of golden doors. The doors had the emblem of the Two Sisters expertly presented as a relief upon its grand surface. Surrounding it were more relics of other ponies, living and playing under the two sisters' watchful eyes, stretching all the way down to the scarlet red carpet that covered almost every inch of floor within the castle.
Cyrell was briefly reminded of his time on the Leviathan, exploring and fighting through its expansive halls as Emperor Calus had watched. His spoils from that time still remained in his vault, reminders of a time before things had changed. He looked up in time for Cadence and Twilight to approach him, the former was as calm and collected as always while the latter seemed to exude nervous energy. Cadence took the lead.
“Now I know you might be nervous, but We can assure you that both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna are very kind ponies, I’m sure they’ll be more than open to helping once they are brought up to speed about your situation” the older Princess said, looking out of her periphery as Twilight gulped nervously. A kick bump from Cadence set her right though, “Remember to Breath Twilight. Everything is going to be fine.” She said, a comforting smile aimed at her sister in law that Twilight happily reciprocated.
“She’s right” Twilight followed up, “I’ve known Princess Celestia since I was a filly, and Luna has been my friend for a while now, they are you kind ponies that will no doubt be eager to help!” She said, a determined smile on her muzzle. The rest of the girls were quick to validate Twilight as well.
Cyrell nodded, replying “You don’t need to worry, this ain’t my first run-in with Royalty and I have technically met with Princess Luna already” he said, his latter statement shocking the group around him. He continued, “She came to me in a dream and… we talked. About many things. The pressure for warriors and the feats of defending one's people from a universe that seems hellbent to destroy them” he paused for a moment, recalling the refreshing conversation. Most Guardians avoided such topics because they wanted to avoid looking ungrateful or weak. Ow more than ever, as the ever watchful eye of the Praxic Order had begun to make itself known more and more since Eramis’s defeat.
“Well that’s good” Cadence said, “That should make things much easier then, let’s not keep them waiting!” She swiftly turned to one of the two gold clad guards and gave a nod, the two soldiers stamping their weapons on the ground as the grand door to Equestria’s seat of power opened in to allow the party entry.
The Throne Room was as immaculate as the rest of the castle had been, the same brilliant stone work accented with golds, oranges and blues. The pillars in this room that lead all the way into the large domed roof high above them were covered in finely detailed statues that emerged and blended back into the towering marble from the bottom to the top. Silken tapestries emblazoned with stylized depictions of the Sun and Moon covered the pristine white walls, held aloft on finely crafted golden rings perfectly blending into the stonework. In the back of the room a large waterfall fell behind the twin thrones, the water pooling in a large basin before flowing around the dias and over the sides onto the main floor, where trenches covered in stained glass carried it away elsewhere. Similar stained glass covered large swathes of the wall, depicting ancient victories of the Two Sisters, and of their reuniting thanks to the new Bearers of Harmony.
Upon the dias sat the two Diarchs, each upon a magnificent throne that reflected their otherworldly charge. Celestia’s throne was made of marble and gold, a large yellow pillow beneath her to provide comfort for hours and hours of Court proceedings. A stylized sun served as the backrest, predominately made of gold with bright polished brass accenting it. Luna’s throne was made of obsidian and polished silver, a rich royal blue pillow beneath her. Her backrest displayed an obsidian circle with a crescent of polished silver depicting her moon. The two sat with demure smiles upon their faces, their eyes following the group as they approached the edge of the dias.
Once the group had gotten close enough, the rest of the bearers split off to the side, after bowing briefly to the princesses. Cadence spread her wings and took her place beside Celestia, giving a small nod to her Aunt and receiving one in kind. Twilight remained beside Cyrell, who bent his upper body, his right arm across his chest, before rising up again. Selene materialized over his left shoulder and did her best to perform a bow as well in respect.
Silence reigned over the room for a time as Twilight looked from the alien to her fellow princesses. From Cyrell’s position it seemed as if Celestia was attempting to see past his helmets featureless facade. Her eyes were curious, calculating but with a hint of warmth underneath. A brief glance to Luna revealed that she was far more relaxed. Their time together had more than solidified her opinion of Cyrell and the same was true for him. Noticing the Titan looking to her, she stood and bowed her head toward him, her smile widening.
Luna would be the one to break the oppressive silence, saying “It is good to see you again Titan Cyrell, I hope your journey was pleasant”
Celestia’s eyes shot toward her sister, her brow slightly raised before her expression returned to its unassuming pleasant smile. Clearly the younger sister had not kept her elder sister in the loop when it came to her clandestine meeting with their guest.
“I wasn’t aware you had gone to see our new guest sister, I wish you had told me and we could have gone together. Unless of course you were afraid I’d embarrass you” Celestia snarked, her smile and eyes glinting mischievously as her sister rolled her eyes in exasperation.
“I merely wished to speak candidly with him in a neutral space, it isn’t my fault you lack the abilities to walk in the land of dreams'' Luna shot back, her own snarky grin forming as she mentioned her ability to dream walk.
Celestia huffed, rolling her eyes before returning her gaze to Cyrell. “Well since you are already familiar with my sister, allow me to introduce myself. I am Princess Celestia, Co-Ruler of Equestria and Herald of the Sun. Twilight and her friends have told me a great deal about you and your plight, and Cadence has had similarly positive remarks” as she spoke, Celestia stood and began to walk down from the dias to stand before Cyrell and Selene.
It occurred to Cyrell just how much taller the two sisters were from any other equestrian he had encountered so far. Luna’s head was able to reach his chest, but her sister was nearly eye to eye with him! Cyrell waited in silence for the Princess to resume speaking. If his encounters with Mara Sov had taught him anything, it’s that powerful rulers typically like to test their guests' patience. Selene followed his lead, remaining as still as she could above his shoulder. The two weren’t sure if their gesture of trust was noticed by the Diarchs, but they felt it necessary to show that they had nothing to hide. They still didn’t know if the princesses could harm Selene, so revealing her was possibly a risk.
“That being said,” Celestia continued, “I wanted to hear it all from you directly. I’ve found that is much easier to gauge a creature's intent by looking them in the eye” she said with a twinkle in her own eye. It wasn’t a threat, but it was clear the solar princess wanted to be absolutely sure he was telling her the truth. Cyrell was more than happy to oblige, and began to recount all that he had to her. Celestia for her part remained as stoic as she had when they had entered, her eyes seeming to peer into his despite not having seen his face. The rest of the group shuffled nervously, glancing between the two and each other as Celestia and Cyrell spoke. Questions were asked and answers given, before finally Cyrell had told her everything.
Celestia was quiet for a moment, her magenta eyes almost glowing as she stared at the human. But slowly Cyrell saw them soften, as she softly said, “Your people have suffered not unlike our own, and I would be remiss to not help a lost warrior return to the home he adores.” A hardness came to her eyes and tone suddenly as she added “I don’t know if I trust this Darkness, such entities are often more than happy to twist and corrupt those who allow them entry…” both she and Luna shared a look, before Celestia returned her attention to Cyrell. “But I have no doubt my sister would have been able to tell if you had such an issue, so for now I’m willing to let it be. But you must promise me you will only use it to power your machine.” Her words held a finality to them, there was no room for argument.
“I was reborn in the Light, and will always fight for it and Humanity. The Darkness may try to lead some Guardians astray, but I will never allow myself to forget what I was brought back to do. You have my word that it will be used as nothing more than a tool.” Cyrell said, his own tone matching Celestia’s. The two shared another moment before the solar princess smiled widely, and poked the Titans helmet with a hoof.
“Boop! Come now my large friend, no need to be all serious” she smirked. Immediately the tense air seemed to rush out as a friendly atmosphere took its place. The rest of the gathered ponies visibly relaxed as both the princesses and Cyrell chuckled together.
“If you think he’s bad you should meet Commander Zavala! I’m pretty sure he doesn’t even know what a vacation is with how much of a workaholic he is” Selene laughed as she spoke, Cyrell joining in, with the rest of the assembled ponies adding their own guffaws as they embraced the newfound levity surrounding them. Soon they were talking about all kinds of topics as Cyrell and Selene questioned the elder princesses about the nature of the world they now found themselves in and it’s more esoteric history. The two sisters were happy to oblige as the bearers gathered around them to listen in as well.
After a while the seven mares decided to retire, The elements eager to get some sleep and Cadence eager to see her husband and daughter. Soon Celestia and Luna were all that remained with Cyrell and they began to discuss what they could do to aid in his quest, namely in helping to source areas that may yield the best results for creating motes of Light and Dark. “I can have my mages take a look at recent problem areas, I’m sure the creatures of the Everfree are more than eager to avoid you at this point if what Twilight told me is anything to go by” Celestia said, Luna nodding along with her sister. “We will have our assistant Raven Inkwell write up a list of ponies we will need to aid you, in the meantime you are welcome to stay here until we can find somewhere to determine the best starting point for getting you home.” Luna added.
“That should work well, so long as the big guy here has something he can unleash the Light on, the rest should be easy!” Selene chirped.
Eventually the princesses had to take their leave to finish their duties, and Cyrell was more than happy to seek out a warm bed. He needed to rest for the trials that were to come. Though he couldn’t shake the feeling that things might not be as easy as Selene had made it out.
Suriks gazed out to the blue and green glimmering planet that his ship had arrived at. While at first glance it had seemed to be Earth to his subordinates, Suriks could tell something was wrong. He had been to the human homeworld during his time with the House of Devils. This world was similar but he knew it was certainly NOT Earth. The continents were wrong, the deserts in the wrong places. And not a single speck of the Once Great Machine were anywhere to be found.
Something had gone horribly wrong and it made him furious.
He unclenched his upper fist, allowing the dreg he had strangled in his anger to fall limply to the ground. More would pay for this error in time but for now he wanted answers. With a guttural growl pervading every syllable he spoke to the bridge crew, “I want our splicers checking every last part of the engines so they can tell me exactly what went wrong.” He growled. The crew were quick to bow to the towering Eliksni, rushing to do as he commanded out of fear of joining the miserable dreg that lay cold and lifeless at his feet.
Turning to another group of vandals, Suriks commanded, “Send a few skiffs down there, see if there is anything worth scavenging or using to restock our supplies. There is no sense letting an opportunity to bolster ourselves while we wait for those blundering fools to give me their report. Be quick.” The Vandals quickly bowed to their Kell and made haste for the hangar, eager to put as much distance between themselves and Suriks as possible.
Suriks returned his gaze to the right la et before him. While this feat had certainly soured his mood and had no doubt made him look like a fool, he couldn’t deny the usefulness of such a detour in preparing his forces for the battle to come. When the time came for them to march upon the so-called “Last City”, the human wretches there would be ill prepared for the fury and power House Salvation would unleash. Not even their Guardians would be able to save them this time.
The Darkness had chosen the Eliksni to carry out its will and seek revenge for their abandonment, and they were all too eager to please their new benefactor and date their bloodlust. Suriks eyes watched multiple skiffs as they made for the planet's surface, a grin spreading across his jagged maw at the thought of the coming conquest.
“I will be in my chambers, send for me when they make they have scoured the planets surface” he rumbled, stalking through the bridge entrance and through the winding halls of the Ketch toward his abode. Around him he could hear the hiss of pressurized air and ether being carried throughout the large vessel. His large form caused the floor to rumble lightly with each step his massive form took. Other members of House Salvation were quick to make room for him, a sign of the fear and respect he had instilled in them through his conquests over the years.
A growl escaped his maw, thinking of the blow this mishap might have on that control. The last thing he needed was for some upstart to try and divide his army before their conquest had even begun! He would need to plan a way to make this work in his favor, and if those fools rocketing toward the planet were wise then they would ensure that he could do just that. Otherwise they would find themselves short of a pair of arms for their failure.
Eventually he managed to find his way into his private chambers, large banners of his new House hung up on the walls. At one time they would have been the sugli and colors of the House of Devils, his and Eramis’s original House, but that was a very long time ago. Beyond that the room was fairly sparse, serving almost exclusively as a place for him to rest between battles. His bed is made of stolen rags, carpets and other bedding from Earth. Mostly from when they had first arrived in the system many, many years ago and had plenty to scavenge.
He slowly eased himself down, ready to rest and try to put an end to the headache he was forming before it could get worse. His mind wandered as he thought of their recent losses, and of older wounds dealt by the monsters that the humans called ‘Guardians’. They had been blessed with terrible power, power that the Once Great Machine had never given to them. And why? What made those lanky little things so worthy of it?!
Fury seized his mind as he thought of the struggles his people had endured since the Whirlwind, how they suffered defeat after defeat at the hands of these Guardians. How they had been abandoned.
He cracked his primary eyes open and saw in a small metal table the answer to everything. Angular in shape, his Splinter hummed softly as it floated in a special containment field he had the splicers make for him. He hoped they would finish the new modifications to his gauntlet soon, and it would allow him to more safely use the wondrous power the Dark had gifted them. It had done so freely, asking only loyalty in return, far more than the Once Great Machine had done for them.
His secondary eyes opened as he gazed longingly at the artifact, feeling it draw him into itself. Whispers filled the room as he meditates on the device, watching as it flowed a muted blue. This was the key to everything, this was what would make his people great again.
This was the tool they would use to destroy everything that had wronged them, starting with the Humans and their beloved “Traveller”. He grimes as he thought to himself.
It’s only a matter of time now.