CH 18: Unbalanced Equation
=== BABW: A New Movement ===
=== Chapter 18: Unbalanced Equation ===
[ May 14, 2081 – Durham Domed Community, North Carolina, USA ]
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It was a warm afternoon in Durham, as the Sun shone through the filtered blue tint of the overhead environmental barrier. It was going to be a very busy day for a certain pair of assuredly reputable businessmen.
“Ah, Mr. Spencer, how is my favorite clandestine weapons manufacturer?” Nathan Egret said with a warm and devious smile as he vigorously shook his hand. He lead a small group of five through the halls of the otherwise unremarkable front-operation building.
“Come now, Mr. Egret. I bet you say that to all your black market contractors,” Kenneth responded as he directed Spencer and his black suited entourage to the elevator that lead downstairs to the ‘toy room’, as Kenneth called with a disturbing amount of mirth.
“In any case, I heard you all have been making excellent progress on the little… project we have cooked up, right?” Nathan asked as the group of seven continued to traverse the depths in the swiftly descending elevator.
“Oh of course. In fact, I think you will be greatly impressed by the new tools your carpenters will have to build with,” Kenneth replied, chuckling bit to himself as he thought of new personal projects to pursue with the coming revenue.
“Indeed, all of this is to build a new world – our world. We’re just scratching the surface with the potential for this new magical force we have all found. But in order to have the space to build, we have to… oh how can I put this without sounding overly blood-thirsty… clear the lot, don’t you think?”
“I would agree, yes. Any good mansion must have a properly poured and crafted foundation,” Kenneth reasoned as the elevator came to a gradual stop at their destination underground.
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“And here we are gentlemen, the ‘toy room’ as I so lovingly call it,” Kenneth replied, the smile on his face beaming as he was back in his own element.
“You have a very slick looking operation here. Certainly one of the better underground R&D facilities around from what I’ve seen personally,” Nathan replied, as he removed his jacket, revealing a rather snappy white dress shirt covered partially by a maroon-fringed business casual vest.
“You cannot conduct proper research and testing in sub-optimal conditions. The Aero-Style Magic, as I’ve taken to calling it, has ensured optimal atmospheric conditions even at this depth. It also helps us mask our power draw. I mean, we might own the private security forces, but the normal police can still be a nuisance when they want to be,” Kenneth responded as he put on his white lab coat; watching the technicians giving Nathan and his entourage the once over.
“So, you call this place the ‘toy room’, right? Let’s see what fun we can have down here,” Nathan replied, beginning to match Kenneth’s enthusiasm.
The group of seven walked to a display booth with a rather innocuous looking sword and a large dummy dressed in generic military armor.
“Alright for our first demonstration, I will need a volunteer who feels like doing their best samurai impression,” Kenneth asked as he turned to his six compatriots.
“Uh, sure I’ll give a shot,” one of the darkglasses-wearing ‘bodyguards’ replied, as he stepped onto the slightly raised area of the room and picked up the three-foot blade in his right hand. “Yah know, this thing don’t look like it’s any more sharp than a butter knife.”
“Well, just show the others by taking a whack at the dummy, if you don’t mind,” Kenneth replied; eliciting a shrug out of the blade-wielding bodyguard.
The bodyguard took his best swordsman stance, and took a good healthy swing at the dummy. A mixed clang and thud resounded from the dummy as the bodyguard went backwards a few steps; the force from the ricocheting blade causing a temporary loss of balance.
“Yeah that figures…” the bodyguard replied as he shook the numb feeling out of his forearms.
“Good, now press the button you see on the hilt,” Kenneth instructed. The bodyguard complied as he pressed said button, causing strange characters to appear on the back of the blade, and the edge to glow faintly green.
“Alright, now try it again.”
The bodyguard retook his stance, and gave another swift slash. But this time, the blade sliced straight through the dummy’s arm and leg, leaving a green train and faint green glow on all the points of contact along the now half-armed/legged dummy.
“I know it might make you all moan, but that really did feel like a hot knife through butter. I barely felt the blade get pushed back by the armor or whatever this dummy is made of,” the bodyguard said, as he switched the blade off and set it back down on its pedestal.
“Simply astounding, to think that Magic could be capable of this,” Nathan mused quietly as the group moved on.
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“It is simply unreal the enhancements magic gives to our normal weaponry. Bullets that fly with no wind impediment, gel that can dissolve walls without making a single sound, the possibilities are endless.” Nathan continued to muse as he and the rest of his entourage walked to the last demo station of the day.
“Indeed, and that is just with a few weeks’ worth of research. Think of what we can develop when we have years and decades under our belt…” Kenneth added, the glee in his eyes unmistakable to anyone looking at his face at the time.
“Say, I mean all of these enhancements are fine and good, but what happens when we just need raw destructive power?” one of the bodyguards asked, as they were talking amongst themselves about various things related to the demonstrations.
“I am so very glad you asked that question. If you will notice, the last demonstration takes place behind this sub-room created out of double-reinforced blast shields. And we have a good reason for this manner of construction,” Kenneth started, as he directed everyone around to different viewports.
“Due to some obvious safety concerns, the following demonstration takes place in this specially constructed room. As you can see, we have different pillars made out of various construction material inside the room. And in the center of the room, we have a small device we lovingly call the red cherry,” Kenneth continued, as his finger hovered over a button on the room’s control pad labeled “Engage Firing Mechanism”.
“Also I would highly suggest you lower the flash filters on the viewports,” Kenneth added as his finger continued to hover over the ‘virtual’ button.
Everyone slid the translucent black cover over the viewport as instructed.
“FIRE IN THE HOLE!” Kenneth shouted as the other technicians reflexively ducked as the entire area was rocked with quite the impressive boom.
“Mother of God, did that come from that little red spheroid in the room?” Nathan asked, as the smoke was vented out by the fans inside the room.
“Yes my good Mr. Egret, that explosion was generated by that small 10 gram device. And if you look closely, you can see why we had to double-reinforce this room,” Kenneth stated.
Nathan looked inside of room with the others, and was thoroughly impressed by what he saw. Everything in the center of the room appeared to have been blown completely apart or melted down into slag; the devastation largely not letting up until the edge of the 100 sq. meter room was reached.
“This weaponry… It gives me an idea…” Nathan began to think aloud as he asked for a chair to sit and contemplate for a few moments.
“What’s rattling around in that head of yours Mr. Egret?” Kenneth asked as he directed the technicians in cleaning up the room inside.
“I believe that we have to press our advantage as soon as humanly possible. If we wait too long, the official forces and other mercenary groups loyal to the governments of the world could develop potential defensive mechanisms, making our planned operation drag out far too long for our admittedly meager number of volunteers,” Nathan replied as he continued to sort out the puzzle pieces in his head.
“So we strike while the iron is hot, with weaponry they largely have no defense for, and take control in the ensuing chaos?” Kenneth asked, searching for Nathan’s exact thought process.
“That is the gist of it for right now. We will have to come up with a means to hold our power, but I think with an impressive enough display we can get enough time where the public is too busy cowering in abject fear that we can build up,” Nathan replied as he stood up and began to pace, silently plotting things in his head as he did.
Of course, if a single power were to be… overly-dominant, that would be very bad for my business… Kenneth thought as he began to consider his own means and ends.
[ May 18, 2081 – Somewhere on the Astral Plane ]
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“Feniks, can we talk?” Red Blaze called, as she sat on red and gold-fringed cushion in the middle of a temple. The temple in her soulscape was lined with flames ranging from yellow to red, as a giant perch appeared before a curtain of flame.
After a few moments of waiting, the perch suddenly billowed with red and orange flame, as Plama Feniks appeared. She was a phoenix at least ten times as large as Blaze, as she appeared in the soulscape; her body and thighs covered in crimson, burgundy, and maroon feathers, and her wings ranging from sunset orange to a golden yellow. Her head was wreathed in flames, showing the relative health of her master, Red Blaze.
“You called for me, Lyubovnista[1]?” Plama responded, as she preened some of the unignited feathers of her left wing; her voice resounding a small amount through the soulscape.
“I feel like there is something going on, or rather, something major is about to happen. I’ve been picking up a lot of chatter on the black-sites from my old contacts. That combined with the odd… negative feeling I’ve felt when I have been doing general diving just leads me to believe…” Blaze started before she was interrupted.
“That the persons you have concerned yourself with may be moving even faster than you would have anticipated personally?” Plama concluded, as she made a reasoned guess at Blaze’s line of thinking.
“In short, yes. I am quite afraid, honestly, that they are about to blitz us hard and we will not have a means to defend ourselves properly against it. As it stands right now, I am ready to send suggestions to my government contact that they should be preparing for an absolute worst case scenario unless the Society decides to hold their cards a few months longer,” Blaze replied, the consternation of such a thought evident in her face.
“I trust your judgement and ability to see into the unknown, Blaze; as do the others. If this is truly what your mind and heart have concluded, then it is best you begin to prepare the others and whomever you may speak to in the human governments of said worst case,” Plama replied, attempting to reassure her master.
“True. But… I don’t know, part of me thinks they should already know and be planning against such a thing. On the other hoof, it couldn’t hurt to have some outside viewpoints from me, I guess,” Blaze thought aloud; sound as if she needed to convince herself to go through with her thought.
“In any case, I have talked to a cluster of Dreamwalker Sprites in one of the Astral Forests. They say that some humans have been deeply involved in marrying current technology to magic to create powerful weaponry. While it should not be surprising on its face, the fact they have already moved in this manner would bode ill in trying to preserve the current order of things,” Plama reported , sighing as she saw that Blaze was starting to fret a little more.
“I know I should have expected as much, but it’s still disconcerting to actually hear it. And all of the chatter I’ve heard only corroborates it. These rumors of incredibly powerful bombs fueled by raw fire mana are especially troubling. We already have powerful munitions that could be levied against civilian targets, and the Bureaus count amongst them. To think that Fire Mana would enhance those munitions – I can only surmise that every public Pony facility would at least be at risk, if not in immediate danger,” Blaze started to think aloud.
“I would disagree with you in one respect, Lyubovnista. It seems their rhetoric is directed at the various governments and other entities that have supported the Ponies in their works, or at least allowed them to operate unmolested. If I were to make a prediction… the governments of the major powers would be the ones at most risk in the immediate and near-term. While I don’t doubt they would eventually move against Pony-run installations, they wouldn’t do it until they have established control,” Plama argued as she flapped her wings, causing the torches around her to flicker for a few moments.
“You do have a point. Perhaps the Bureaus wouldn’t be in immediate danger, but… well I wouldn’t doubt that any people who have aligned themselves with the SPH may use the banner to conduct operations against us, if could be so presumptive with my predictions,” Blaze continued, as she continued to wrack her brain.
“That I will agree with wholeheartedly, there is no shortage of extremist elements in that nascent movement. However, I will also warn against one other thing: we should not ignore any extreme element that may rise from our own ranks,” Plama agreed and admonished in sequence.
“That, I dunno what we could do about. I would hope the Princesses are keeping their eyes and ears open in that case,” Blaze replied, shrugging her shoulders.
“Also, while we are talking face to face, there is the little matter of the Mythiks, as we’ve come to call them,” Plama started as she began to recount her talks over the last week or so with the various mythical entities and monsters that still took refuge in the Astral Plane.
“Let me guess, more grousing about not being able to come back ‘home’ yet?” Blaze replied, clearly exasperated with the issue.
“Indeed, Blaze. It’s only going to get worse the more mana begins to flow on Earth. Right now Earth is still generally mana-poor. But I’d suspect we only have a year or so before Earth has enough mana to allow most Mythiks to re-manifest fully. Which is to say nothing of those who can survive in a form that does not require mana consumption to maintain,” Plama concluded.
“That’s just what we’d need. A world in chaos due to a war with the SPH, being visited by more not-human creatures. Even if it was their original homeland, most humans would not recognize it as such,” Blaze.
“Another aggravating factor for humanity in general. In any case, there is one last thing I want to talk to you about,” Plama said her tone shifted from a one of neutral reporting to a more… ‘editorial’ one.
“And that would be?” Blaze asked with genuine confusion.
“Your comrade, Blue Vague. Torra-Borous has been confiding in me that he sense something… foreign in Vague’s soul. As if there is some kind of object that is causing his mind strain. The problem is, he cannot discern what the source is, exactly,” Plama explained as she took flight and reduce her size to look at Blaze at a level height.
“That’s a problem indeed. I’ve been noticing him zoning out big time. Especially when the issue of the SPH comes up; something tells me he has anger and frustration pent up and is largely failing to find a release for it or a means to internalize it,” Blaze figured as she thought of the issue some more.
“That sounds fine, but that doesn’t explain this sense of a foreign influence on Vague. But as I stated earlier, Torra cannot pin down what may be causing it, nor a why or a how,” Plama continued, as the volcanic rock shrine continued to glow soft red.
“We may be just as stuck there as we are with the Mythik situation. I hate not being able to do anything about something when I see a problem,” Blaze sighed, as she very much had the look of someone who was frustrated with everything around her. “I guess that’s enough for now, I will definitely see you at a later date, Plama!”
“Hopefully I will have some better news for you when I do see you again,” Feniks concluded as she disappeared in a burst of red and orange light, and the torches of the soulscape dimmed some.
“Always knew how to make an exit,” Blaze chuckled as she disappeared in less dramatic fashion.
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“I wonder what my little Vaguey is up to~” the feminine duplicate of Vague mused, as she stalked through the bushes in the off some distance from the divepool of the waterfall in Vague’s soulscape.
‘She’ balked a bit when catching a glimpse of the giant turtle-like creature Vague was speaking to. “Ugh, Torra-Borous. He’s the only thing besides his friends that is keeping him moored to reality. I’ve got to find some way to deal with him, but without more darkness flowing from Vague’s heart, I’m nowhere near able to bind that thing and take control of my little wave-maker.”
Torra-Borous did not miss the pony with the snake’s-eyes hiding in the bushes but thought not to alarm his master too much.
“In any case, Torra. I just don’t know right now, I’ve been trying to figure out where this sudden bout of depression and anger is coming from. It’s like the world is just aggravating everything I thought I had gotten past those months ago,” Vague complained, the frustration he was feeling starting to eat at all the positive feelings he had been building up over the months since his Conversion.
“To be honest, we didn’t do anything to solve the root causes of those troubles of yours. It would stand to reason that eventually conditions could re-aggravate the psychological injury. The thing is… I get the distinct feeling that there is something beyond just the world that is making you feel this way,” Torra-Borous replied, as he floated on the surface of the divepool.
“I know I… it’s hard. I just want this to be over with, to be done with. I want to move forward. I’m tired of constantly looking back on my past and my… issues with my parents,” Vague stated, as he looked away from Torra in embarrassment.
Oh that’s right, his dear parents are the source of all of this in the end. Now what can I do to take advantage of that… the duplicate Pony contemplated as ‘she’ hid in the bushes behind the two speaking.
“Either way, I’ve been talking to Plama over some of the things she had been researching for Miss Blaze. I’m afraid some bad things are about to go down, and we had best prepare ourselves for it. Especially you, Vague,” Torra stated, as he looked Vague in the eye.
“I guess…” Vague said dejectedly.
“I guess? I GUESS?! What is this ‘I guess?’ garbage?! You need to get over yourself, Vague. You are in no position to let your internal issues act as a fog that blinds you to the wider world. And if you don’t have your head completely in the game, what good are you as an Element of Terra?” Torra shouted, as he was deeply angered by Vague’s sudden passiveness.
“But… I’m… I don’t know. I don’t know if it’s worth it in the end. If we stop this, what stops it from happening again a couple of years later, or a couple of years after that?” Vague pleaded, desperate to get some kind of corroboration on his feelings.
Something he wasn’t getting from the long-tailed turtle-creature of his own creation.
“I am not here to badger or berate you, Master. But you have a gift, and a responsibility to use that properly. I can understand your crisis of faith in this twilight hour of this era. But look at your friends, both old and new. The Princesses you have sworn your loyalty to. The nation of your birth. Despite all that ails this world, they will all work to the bone, and some even to their death, to build a world that would for the benefit of all. But what they need are the tools and the power to make this wish a reality. And you have now become one of the handlers of that power. Do not feel that you are helpless or alone – because you aren’t,” Torra-Borous said, as he dropped his head to look level with Vague who was sitting on the ground in front of him.
“It’s just so hard. I… felt alone when I was with my parents, and then grandpa died only a couple of years after I moved in with him. After that, it was just me and myself and whomever I would meet on the ‘Net. Then a few years ago I find Hana… and…” Vague started, as he cheeks began to turn a bit red despite his blue coat.
“And that is exactly what I am talking about. You don’t have to carry this burden alone. While I am not saying to dump all your issues upon your friends, it is incumbent upon you to talk when you feel like this. Keeping it bottled up is going to lead to nothing but trouble for you, and by extension, the rest of them,” Torra replied, as he smiled with his reptilian beak.
“Um… thanks… I guess I just needed someone else to talk to…” Vague said as he watched Torra recede into the divepool to return to the Astral Plane proper.
“I am here, and I will be here so long as you will me to. We are partners in this venture together, don’t ever forget that, either,” Torra replied, before the flash of blue and navy signaled his departure from the soulscape.
Hrm, it seems like I have more work to do on his heart, if I want to control of this body and access to all of that Power… the duplicate-self thought to itself as it slunk back through the bushes.
[ May 20, 2081 – Isegawa Clinic and Dormitories, St. Louis, USA ]
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It was the early morning in St. Louis, and the Ponies residing in the Isegawa’s Dormitory were known for getting an early start. Though no-pony really predicted just how early a certain red Unicorn would get started.
“So what is she doing in there?” Rainbow Dash asked as she and Golden Storm looked at the ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign that was adhered to the door.
“She said something about talking to one of her contacts with the Feds, so I guess she’s still talking,” Golden Storm said, as his ears only picked up the faint buzz from the sound-proofing spell that Blaze wove along the inside walls and door of her room.
“And how long she’s been talking to, whoever she was talking to,” Rainbow Dash asked, as the other Ponies occasionally peered over to try and glean what the two Pegasi were speaking of.
“Couldn’t have been more than fifteen minutes at most. But even though she isn’t CIA per se anymore, she apparently still has a ‘private contractor’ arrangement, so I doubt she’d tell us what she was talking about until she’s good and ready to,” Golden Storm replied, shrugging afterward.
“Feels like we’re in a mystery book or somethin’,” Rainbow Dash added as they decided to just wait out the fire-engine red Unicorn.
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“This is a pretty bold assessment you are giving me, Miss Blaze,” Agent Jacques stated morosely as he looked over the ‘hoof’-written statements that Red Blaze had sent him while they discussed her findings and analysis.
“That is why I used such qualified language in my written statement. Everything I told you I don’t have absolute, ‘take it to court proof’ of. But I do trust my sources, even though they are far from traditional as far as humans are concerned,” Red Blaze said, still nervous about what she just told and sent to her contact in the American intelligence corps.
“Even with my limited eyes, I’ve seen enough already to know that what is and isn’t legitimate is going to be redefined in a major way. Plus, similar to your report, we have been getting chatter regarding various paramilitary efforts on the part of the Elite in the Domes. But they have covered their tracks damn well. Plus… well… can I confide something in you just as a man to a mare?” Jacques continued before pausing to ask his question.
“Um, I guess we’re more or less equals now, so sure…” Blaze replied, her anxiety creeping up a couple of notches more.
“This is just my personal guess, but I am willing to put money that there are elements in the government itself – not just grunts, but actual officials and deputies – that are more than sympathetic to the cause of this so called Society for the Preservation of Humanity,” Jacques stated with grave tension in his voice.
“Do you think there is some kind of inside job about to go down?” Blaze asked, her mind racing to try and game out all the potential scenarios.
“Honestly, that might not even be necessary. Attrition has caused the military to become undermanned to a grave degree. If this report is right, these weapons may be potent enough to cause what is left of the manned military to crumble. I’m thinking Nazi German Blitz, just hopefully minus the sheer size,” Jacques figured out loud.
“If it could be that bad, then what could we do?” Blaze then asked.
“Not sure myself. If I had to guess what Secretary Richardson and President Aguillar would think, we find some way to preserve the line of secession of the presidency and whatever pieces of the military we think are the most critical. I am not sure how much time we would have to develop any kind of offensive or defensive capabilities given what this magic may or may not be able to do,” Agent Jacques responded, about as despondent as Blaze was anxious. “In any case, I will take this to the Chief of Staff and see if I can get an audience with the President either today or tomorrow. I am pretty sure that whatever we could actually do in an emergency situation would only be effective if we start as soon as possible.”
“I hope everything goes well, then. Red Blaze, signing off…” Blaze concluded as she cut the connection.
“I hope everything goes well, too,” Jacques replied to the static-filled screen as he took both electronic and paper copies of the documents Blaze had sent him and placed them in a plastic folder.
[ May 21, 2081 – Situation Room, Washington, D.C., USA ]
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Agent Jacques did get his meeting after all, ever since handing the folder to Chief of Staff for President Aguillar, getting a legitimate “Oh my God!” out of him, and watching the poor soul run back to the Oval Office as fast as his dress-shoe wearing feet would take him.
“I have been getting intelligence reports for the last few months that there have been discussions in the ranks of the Elites about some kind of show of force against the duly elected governments. But I’ve always treated it as the musings and ramblings of a malcontented minority of a minority. Now it seems like, due to the release of what the Equestrian thamaturges call thaumatic radiation-tau, we may be faced against weaponry we have no ready defense for,” President Aguillar started, Secretary of Defense Richardson, and various other principles sat in on the closed-door meeting.
“Our Defense intel contacts have been telling us similar. They’ve been reporting remarkable build-up of arms within the Dome-aligned militia and contractor groups. The saving grace at this point has been that Society still has no more membership than other separatist and terrorist organizations,” Secy. Richardson stated as he brought up some of the relevant facts and figures on everyone’s smart-pad.
“Yeah, the issue we have to face is if the thaumatic weaponry that my contacts and others have been hinting at is as game changing as I think it is. They may be able to execute their plans with only a few thousand if it is,” Agent Jacques mused as they continued to go through the estimations by the various AI and human analysts.
“Could you give us your estimated guess at what kind of technology gap we could be looking at, in that regard?” Vice President Oberweiss asked, as he sat next to President Aguillar at the ovoid rectangle.
“Well, as I stated to my primary contact, it would be like facing the Blitz a century and a half ago, and we are still working with early Industrial Revolution weaponry. The only way we could win if everything were to stay the same would be through attrition. I am not sure if we have the capacity to win a war of attrition given, no offense to you Secy. Richardson, how poor our numbers are and how poor troop morale is,” Jacques replied.
“None taken. I frankly have no idea how to solve that issue. And if they hit us as hard and as fast as they could, then I would not be surprised if we were to see desertions,” Secy. Richardson added, as he tried to rub the frustration off his face.
President Aguillar continued to try and think through the problems, but wasn’t finding any ways out. “I have the feeling that if it does come to a head like this, they would probably try and contact us in the near future to try and negotiate a deal.”
“Knowing them, any deal would be tantamount to a surrender of political power to them, to restore the ‘natural order’ as they’d see it,” Oberweiss added, his disdain palpable.
“While I wouldn’t be so curt, I fully agree with his sentiment. I cannot imagine that the Society would suddenly want to break bread with people whom they see as class traitors,” Aguillar concluded.
“So where does that leave us. We have a nebulous threat of some type of insurgent force that could be wielding weapons we have no real defense for, aside from potentially limited scope. Then that is combined with the fact that any type of settlement could result in quashing your reform movement before it can really get going,” Agent Jacques wondered aloud before they were all interrupted by a high-pitched beeping.
“PRIORITY ONE MESSAGE, PRIORITY ONE MESSAGE FOR PRESIDENT AGUILLAR,” the monotone voice chirped loudly as a bright red sign flashed on Aguillar’s smart-pad.
“The fact I’m being interrupted during a meeting of principles regarding highly sensitive intelligence should mean this message is actually worth something,” Aguillar groaned as she swiped her gesture code onto the pad to acknowledge and receive the message.
“Prime Minister Heath, it is good to hear from you, though you will have to be quick because I am in a meeting with some of my national security principles,” President Aguillar asked of the gray-haired man on the other end of the metaphorical line.
Prime Minister Heath took a deep breath as he began his statement. “Good, because all of them will be hearing about this in more detail before long. We’ve recently begun to uncover plots by various outfits in London related to that Society for the Preservation of Humanity. We are reasonably confident that manufacturing of the thaumatic arms we’ve discussed before has already begun in various clandestine factories in African and South American territory. We are trying to galvanize our Nigerian and Brazillian partners in law enforcement to act, but I am afraid a lot of them may have been compromised by the SPH.”
“That would only stand to reason, I shudder to think how far their and other Elite-backing organization’s tendrils have reached into our own government and law enforcement operations,” Aguillar mused aloud, as everyone could see the frustration evident in her face.
“In any case, I will attend a briefing in Parliament with our security ministers in the next few minutes, I hope we will be able to jointly discuss these matters with the other major nations before long,” P.M. Heath stated as he made to end his message.
“I do too. Hopefully they will slow walk this enough to where we can create some sort of contingency should we not be able to repel any attack,” Aguillar concluded as the feed cut out.
Agent Jacques sighed loudly as he rubbed his temples to try and stave off a stress-induced migraine. “I think it would not be an exaggeration to say that this is the most critical national and international security issue facing us right now. Especially since that we still have a lot that we don’t know about their plans.”
Gregory Blumenthal, the Secretary of Domestic Intelligence[2] reached a conclusion after quietly considering all that was laid before him and what he had read personally before coming into the meeting. “As far as I can tell, the Society for the Preservation of Humanity is using our cooperation with the aliens as a front to wrest control of the major governments away from the reform movements. We need to lean on our new partners for any assistance they can give us, as well as begin to develop contingency plans should we not be able to adequately defend the capital or our positions against this new threat.”
“I hate to have to involve the Equestrians in our domestic politics, but our hands may be forced,” Aguillar replied, as she rose to adjourn the meeting.
It seems like I have to make a phone call to a certain old friend of mine, but I hate that it would be under these circumstances… Aguillar thought as everyone began to file out of the secure meeting room.
[ May 23, 2081 – Somewhere on the Astral Plane ]
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“I’d like to think of myself as a more or less progressive-type of mind when it comes to the working of Magic. But I think I can safely say I am still not used to this yet,” Richard Edwards mused, as he sat on the cushioned conference chair across from Princess Celestia and Luna, who were in their human guises given it was a dream-scape and not actual flesh-and-blood reality.
“Well, we like to experiment when it comes to magic from time to time, especially my dear Sister. Plus, this is the most secure method of communication we can think of,” Celestia said, giggling a bit to herself as she could sense that Richard was at least appreciating the forms that she and her sister had taken for this little chat.
“I have not really had time to work on a particular human vision of myself, so forgive me for being a little… plain,” Luna said, her pale skin showing the blush in her cheeks a lot more than her normal indigo coat would.
“Oh don’t apologize for that Princess Luna. If you had asked me to take a Pony guise for one of these, I would probably be equally plain, if not worse,” Richard replied, chuckling audibly as he did.
“In any case, you sent us a note through Twilight that you had recently had a rather startling discussion with President Aguillar, correct?” Celestia started, as she began to get to business.
“Startling is a good word for it. While I had my suspicions, I would have never thought anyone to be this resolutely committed to damning the world to a war that could cripple, if not end human civilization,” Richard confirmed, as his own frustration seemed more exaggerated in the dreamscape.
“While I would chide you for being melodramatic, magic being used in warfare is no matter to understate. And the base level of war technology that humanity possesses far exceeds our own. If they were to turn their proverbial guns against us, as it stands at the moment, I doubt we could offer much, if any, resistance,” Luna figured aloud, groaning when she was done.
“The plan we were discussing some time ago may have to start in earnest. In fact, when I return to the world of the wakeful, I have some sizable property in the Cascade Mountains I plan to buy and immediately set to work on,” Richard stated with the utmost urgency.
“Ah yes, project Safe Haven. We originally envisioned it as a home base for the HEA that would be safely squirreled away from any prying eyes, government-sanctioned or not. It seems that we will need it as soon as possible, given the recent proclamations that have turned up in the back-channels,” Celestia said, as looked on with forlorn.
“They have gone from vague proclamations about the need to resist the alien menace to open declarations that the duly elected governments of the major powers are nothing more than Quislings under your thrall. No doubt they are trying to stoke and rile as many… anthrocentrists as they can in order to bolster their numbers for the coming actions against the various state institutions,” Richard added, as he was now pacing around the room created in his dream-scape.
“There is no telling how much time we’d have before they attempt anything in earnest. So we may have to consult them if we need to build an underground facility and quickly,” Luna suggested, with a bit of a knowing look toward her sister.
“Oh dear, you may be right. But there is no telling what they may want as compensation,” Celestia figured, as she knew that they could be a hoof(or at the moment hand)ful to deal with.
Richard rubbed a hand along his chin, as he looked out at the odd sky in the dreamscape. “If you can get them here in say, the next couple of days, I think we’ll be able to work something out.”
“Are you sure you want to try and conduct negotiations with them; they can be rather… odd,” Celestia asked, trying to suss out where Richard’s internal compass was pointing him.
“It couldn’t hurt to talk in any case. I mean I feel like I can talk to you all well enough. And besides, as far as I can tell, we may need to discuss matters with your partners over there at some point and time, anyway,” Richard figured, as he continued looking out at the dream-sky.
“He has a point there, Sister. That would probably fall in nicely with our existing overtures to the major nations,” Luna added.
“So it seems. In that case, I will arrange for a meeting with a reputable clan I know. The last time we had to have major underground work done in Canterlot, they were the ones we called upon,” Celestia replied, sighing at having to contact him again.
[ May 25, 2081 – Cascade Mountains, Oregon, USA ]
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I really shouldn’t be surprised that he is part of the they the Princesses were talking about, and yet, I am… Richard mused to himself as looked at the large bipedal dog-like creature taking a lay of the land.
“It feels good, very good. Very stable and new rock. Feels like volcano range…” the creature said in a gruff, vaguely Italian accent to the philanthropist.
“Yeah, the Cascades are still active volcanoes, though we haven’t had a volcanic eruption since Shasta in I believe 30 plus years, Mister…” Richard added as he, Princess Celestia, and the dog-like creature walked along the mountain path. Said dog-like creature appeared like some renditions of a werewolf from popular culture; even down to the army-green vest he was wearing being frayed at the edges like someone who had recently morphed. The thing that did not make Richard fully think 'werewolf', aside from the fact there weren't any people in Equestria to fulfill the 'were'[4] part of 'werewolf', was the fact the canid creature did not look analogus to a wolf... at least not entirely. He only stood at five feet, not quite as tall as Celestia to her shoulder, so that also meant the base human was either quite short, or a child, or had shrunk due to their transformation. His fur had a silver-gray 'hue', his ears and tail seemed to have black 'tips', and his face was a similar shape to a wolf's but his muzzle was shorter and rounder than what Richard thought a 'wolf' of that size would have.
He looks like a Czech Wolf-dog all in all... the philanthropist thought before the Diamond Dog responded.
“Orogen. This area feels… very stable, low eruption risk. Would make a very good base, could go…” the dog started before asking Celestia to do some calculations for him. When she was done, he resumed speaking. “2 kilometers before hitting unstable bedrock or lava chambers.”
“That should be plenty for a base of operations,” Richard figured as he sat on a large flat rock so he could think more clearly.
“Even considering depth to avoid detection from most types of scanning, 2 kilometers should be plenty,” Celestia concluded, agreeing with that piece of the assessment.
“You have digging machines, yes? That with my family’s natural abilities, job should be done in very good time,” Orogen stated, as he poked through some of the rocks along the path, trying to glean more insight on what was further below the surface.
“You said his ‘family’ were the ones who assisted you with work in your capital, correct Princess,” Richard asked of the white Alicorn.
“To be fair, they did most of the work themselves. Due to a lot of incidents in our past, we have an extensive catacomb and chamber system throughout all of Mt. Canter and the entire Canter Range. We had to do some, cleanup, in those tunnels, and Orogen’s family here ensured that the cleaning was done and the tunnels and chambers were safe for normal use once again,” Celestia replied, her visage suddenly turning very cold and calculating.
Obviously she is choosing not to elaborate on what this cleanup entailed. Fine, that is not relevant at the moment anyway… Richard thought as he resumed thinking about the task at hand.
“Here are some preliminary plans for the base, in terms of what areas we need carved out. Can you give us an estimate on time and cost?”
Orogen and Celestia discussed the blueprint Richard handed them for a short while; the talking very brisk and curt, at least that is how it sounded to Richard as they were speaking in what was the Diamond Dog’s native language.
“Yes. This job is quite doable, not the same scale as the Canter Caves project. Should be done in 21 days, give or take, if Celestia is right,” Orogen said, his tail wagging as he was anticipating what the human might give him as compensation.
“Wow, I was expecting a couple of months; 21 days could be a godsend for us. Now for compensation… since our fiat currency wouldn’t translate well, if at all, to Equestrian; and you all seem like the type who cares more about immediate concerns – I think we can offer raw materials beyond what is needed to do the job,” Richard surmised, as he reached for a bag containing raw diamonds and titanium.
“I smell, titanium. Very precious building material in Equestria, very rare metal. Only the Alpha Branch is allowed to consume titanium,” Orogen replied, as he was positively giddy at the sight of a polished block of pure titanium.
“Wait, you eat this stuff?” Richard asked, thoroughly confused.
“Oh yes, very delicious. Goes straight to bones, lets us dig through rock and ore without much magic. Magic then for breathing and defending against monsters that live earth,” Orogen barked, as he was clearly trying to send a non-verbal signal with his mannerisms that feed him the block of the heavy metal.
Clearly I have a lot to learn about all the creatures that live over there… Richard thought before he resumed speaking. “As a peace offering of sort, you can have this. Eat it, sell it, do what you will…”
With frightening speed, the 5 ft. tall bipedal dog snatched the block out of his hand and began biting through it like a domestic dog would bite through a similarly shaped block of meat.
And clearly I do not want to be on the wrong end of those jaws or those claws… Richard thought as Orogen finished off the titanium block.
“We can get started in… four days. We must take measure to ensure that all of my clan learn your language. But we should be able to start by then,” Orogen concluded, as he continued looking out at the vast range of mountains and interspersed forest.
“Pleasure doing business, Mr. Orogen,” Richard chuckled as he reached out his hand to shake his ts paw.
“Pleasure all mine,” Orogen replied, shaking the human’s hand with a wide and toothed grin.
[ June 1, ????+1 - Undisclosed Location in Equus ]
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“Order, Order, the 97th Annual Meeting of the Hive Queens will re-commence, please rise for the procession of our Hive Queens,” a regal-costumed Changeling shouted, as he banged a gavel that resounded through the underground meeting hall.
From the seven ports carved into the underground meeting hall, eight torches were carried to the central table. Each torch glowed in a different color – representing the different color of each Hive and, by extension, the emotion and state of being each Hive represented. Soon after the torches began their slow migration to the table, a procession of the multi-colored, charcoal black, insect-like Ponies began toward the same circular table. The secretary-at-arms banged the gavel again, as he began to speak again.
“Now re-announcing our collective Highnesses, please remain standing until all eight have been announced,” the older, costumed Changeling began, as the small audience remained standing as requested.
The eight torches were all lit in order of the size of each hive, as the guards began lighting the colored flames – first golden-yellow, then red, violet, blue, true yellow, orange, green, and white.
“Announcing our Eight Queens: Ebullience of the Joy Hive, Tranquility of the Anger Hive, Amoria of the Love Hive, Rozkosas of the Melancholy Hive, Valor of the Fear Hive, Benevicia of the Greed Hive, Chrysalis of the Envy Hive, and Titania the Second of the Hope Hive!”
The small audience applauded politely, before Ebullience spoke. “Thank you all. You may be seated, and we can begin this session of our discussions.”
The collective of about three hundred Changeling dignitaries and various reporters from the other major nations all sat down, as the Queens did the same at the central round-table.
“Isn’t it odd how there are seven hives, but eight Queens?” one of the Pony reporters asked in a Prench accent.
“Queen Titania II is still a minor by Changeling standards. She has not even so much as entered her third instar[3] – therefore her hive is under the receivership of Queen Ebullience until such time arrives,” one of the Melancholy Hive dignitaries replied.
The young changeling Queen sighed, as she looked at and through the silver-white bangs that Ebullience helped style for her, still not having precise control of her Unicorn-like magic.
Mom… please help me… I don’t know what to do when I’m here… Titania thought to herself as her ‘aunt’ began to speak.
Ebullience saw no reason to delay the proceedings, especially given how she was feeling internally while in Chrysalis’s presence.
If I do not get this off of my chest, it will eat at me, and I have to be at my best to keep the Joy Hive running, as large as it is…
“Queen Chrysalis of the Envy Hive - how long long it been since your little… stunt in Equestria?” the Queen of Joy asked, attempting to keep her tone as neutral as possible.
Despite her best efforts, Ebullience could not mask her feeling from a certain crimson-colored Queen that was all but her blood sister. Look at her, she is like a tea-kettle about to boil over. Usually her tone is so warm and loving… and now it’s cold as ice. She’s just begging Chryssi to say the wrong thing.
Said Queen-in-red giggled softly as she looked on at the second youngest of the Queens struggled to find some way to obfuscate the answer to the admittedly painfully simple question.
“Three years, I guess, it’s hard to remember such things,” Chrysalis replied, trying to maintain some sense of control over the situation as she used the best snide tone she could manage.
“Three years ago on April 21st. Which would make it, three years, 1 month, and 9 days ago, give or take for any leap years,” Ebullience replied, her tone retaining it’s evenness.
“I am not sure what the exact number of days passed since then has to do with what happened,” Chrysalis replied, her tone also retaining its snarkiness and snideness.
“That day was the day that almost sent this world is to an unpredictable spiral of chaos, Queen of Envy. And yes, I am counting the day that Discord broke out of his stone imprisonment!” Ebullience snapped back, her tone starting to drift into genuine anger.
“I wouldn’t know how anything would be worse than the very incarnation of Chaos and Disharmony running amok,” Chrysalis replied back.
“At least with Discord we know what the source is. With the crap you almost pulled, there would have been no obvious source for the chaos that would have ensued!” Ebullience replied, clearly annoyed greatly by Chrysalis’s apparent nonchalance at the grave mistake Ebullience felt she had made then.
“Do you really think that I wouldn’t have been able to control Equestria? Those little Ponies practically worship the ground Celestia walks on. And I would have eventually brought Luna to heel if she felt about… doing anything about it,” Chrysalis replied, her confident replies starting to wane a bit as she already saw the fault in that line of thinking.
“No, and you sorely underestimate the depths Luna is willing to sink to, especially given how soon it had been since she was purged of that Parasite’s influence. To lose her Sister to a ‘lesser’ creature - and admit it, the Alicorns are a cut above any one of us - would have driven her into such a rage that 'Quilly would have fed for years!” Ebullience shouted, her rage starting to boil over and become patently obvious to everyone in attendance, Changeling or not.
Oh it’s so good… her anger… her rage… that pure, unadulterated fury she’s outputting. There is simply nothing like it~ Tranquility thought, as it was clear she was off in her own little world, as her entire body glowed with a faint red, flickering hum.
I was afraid of this… but it’s better if everyone involved gets it out of their system now, lest they let it fester for even more years and make it even harder to deal with… Benevicia thought, as she shook her head that was nestled in one of her front hooves.
“And I am telling you, I had absorbed so much Love from that silly little Unicorn Guard Captain that I would have been able to deal with her!” Chrysalis replied, her anger starting to rise to the level Ebullience was already at.
“Counterpoint!” Amoria started, as she raised her hoof to stop the other two from speaking (hopefully). “The amount of Love Energy you had stored, given my estimates of the residual mana from my personal observations in the immediate aftermath, would not have been enough to defeat Luna in battle, given Luna’s level of utter, monstrous rage. In fact, there is a specific reason why you never saw hair nor hide of her during that entire imbroglio.”
“And why is that, pray tell dear sister?!” Chrysalis spat, as she and Ebullience were face to face off to the side of the table.
“Because I was in her personal chamber doing my level best, super-charged by the sheer amount of love that was leaking from that little battery, as I believe you called Shining Armor, to keep her there. To wit, Luna would have likely killed you if she saw what you had done to Celestia. And yes I know that was not an assimilation pod you had her trapped in. I’m just telling you how deep her anger ran in that moment,” Amoria started, before pausing for a moment. “And besides, you are not the most efficient when it comes to using the energy of other emotions. If I had the same amount of Love at my disposal… I could have leveled Canterlot Castle, perhaps the entire city itself, and still had some left over for a few… well more like several extra breeding cycles afterward.”
I… I don’t believe it… the power it would have taken to level Canterlot Castle, with all of it’s anti-magic defenses that I had to spend MONTHS disabling… all of THAT power just to hold Luna in one room? Chrysalis thought to herself as she had a look of disbelief on her face.
“Seems like someling’s eyes were bigger than their plate. There should have been no reason you even use Love as the fuel for the climax of your operation. Once I heard that you had replaced Cadence as the bride-to-be, and threw her in the Crystal Caverns beneath the city, I knew your plan could only end in miserable failure,” Benevicia mused, when Amoria was done speaking. “Your emotion is Envy, dear Chrysalis. ENVY! What would inspire more envy, jealousy, and flat out hatred of another than becoming the new bride, and then flaunting that newfound status in front of the jilted fiancée. You gave Cadence enough time and opportunity to change her jealously to determination to defeat you and reclaim her stallion. Frankly I thought you to be smarter.”
“How… HOW DARE YOU! Who in the Blue Tartarus are YOU to tell me what I am doing right and wrong with the emotion I hold DOMINION over?!” Chrysalis shouted, as she began to stomp toward Benevicia’s seat at the table.
“Oh no… Oh no no no! You are not getting out of this, you hear me Chrysalis!” Ebullience said as she moved to cut Chrysalis off.
The entire gathered crowd began to murmur loudly, wondering why the discussion was starting more to resemble a particularly vicious family argument.
As Chrysalis got halfway from the spot where she and Ebullience were arguing a few minutes prior to the chair where Benevica sat, she was suddenly stopped dead in her tracks by another.
“WHO is in my WAY?!” Chrysalis shouted, her anger causing Tranquility to moan a little bit.
“You say you hold dominion over envy and all attendant secondary feelings, did you not?” the black and more faded-yellow Changeling asked, the white markings on her face resembling the broken skull of a Pony.
“I don’t need this from you too, Valor!” Chrysalis growled, trying her best to project any kind of control over the rapidly degenerating scene.
“Oh but I think you do, little Chryssi. Though your body is clearly that of an adult, unlike our dear ‘junior’ Queen, you still think like a child. Did you mother really scar you so much, that you subconsciously reject being the Queen of Envy? Even though, as Benevicia rightly explained, it would have been so easy to utilize the natural jealousy that can arise from a pair of young lovers, especially as they were transitioning into becoming a married, and theoretically exclusive, couple?” Valor asked, as she stared daggers into the eyes of Chrysalis.
“I… I…” Chrysalis stammered, as she began to back away from the faded-yellow-highlighted Changeling Queen.
“No… you knew. You knew all too well. I know that even at her worst, Confianca would not neglect that,” Valor stated sadly, remembering one of the Queens that were recently laid to rest.
“You… YOU… IF… I…” Chrysalis stammered still, now apoplectic with rage and grief. “IF GALVANICE NEVER MURDERED HER, THEN… THEN…!”
Suddenly the entire proceedings stopped, as they all heard the sniffling and crying of a certain silver-white highlighted, juvenile Queen.
“Momma… Momma…” Titania II began to cry, as Rozkosas moved quickly to try and comfort the barely 11 year old Changeling Queen.
“It’s gonna be okay, we’re here… Auntie Ebullience will make sure your hive is protected until we make you strong enough to run it yourself,” Rozkosas started, trying her best to stop the impending water-works… which the blue highlighted Queen failed with, miserably.
“I WANT MY MOMMA BAACK!” Titania II openly wailed, as she was in a full-blown fit, latching onto Rozkosas as tightly as she could.
Ebullience had about all she could take at that point. The night of when she comforted the traumatized juvenile Queen came flooding back all at once: having to explain sight of her the silver-white ichor that made up the ‘blood’ of the Hope-lings being splayed all over the ground and chamber where she and her assailant fought. The then six-year old nymph clutching the fading form of her mother, as the flame of Galvanice’s life steadily flickered and petered out.
Momma don’t leave me! Please momma don’t leave me!
And worst of all… the perpetrator disappearing before she could be properly apprehended. Then the photographs of a similarly mortally wounded Queen being hoofed to her in haste, and a quick teleport to the border areas around Western Equestria and the eastern Dragon Territory. Witnessing a similar scene… except this daughter of a queen was completely catatonic with shock. There was no weeping, no wailing, not even an acknowledgement of another’s existence - just a blank stare, as if her mind had froze in place the second she saw her mother die before her eyes.
Ebullience quaked as she felt her rage roil in her soul. She wanted to viciously beat down Chrysalis, wanted to make her feel some kind of anguish, some kind of pain, ANYTHING to make her recognize what truly happened that night. She let the golden glow of her magic fill her right-front hoof, and raised it high in the air.
*THWACK*
The sickening thud of the thick, carapace-like skin of Ebullience’s hoof and foreleg and Chrysalis’s cheek meeting each other resounded through the meeting hall, the only other sound being the still crying juvenile Queen, tears streaming from her silver and white eyes down her charcoal black face.
“You… slapped me…” Chrysalis said, her eyes wide… finally brought back to reality. The reality that stood in her face was a furious, golden-yellow and black Changeling Queen, whose hoof was raised again. There was no time to either react or defend.
*THWACK*
“Twice! You… you slapped me TWICE! NOT EVEN MY OWN MOTHER SLAPPED ME LIKE THIS! She never did anything to me like this! None of you… none of you understand… none of you ever understood her!” Chrysalis shouted; her mind shrouded in a haze of grief-borne verbal frenzy and selective memories of her slain mother.
“What does that have to do with anything! What does that have to do with you accusing Queen Galvanice of something as heinous as the murder of your own mother, Queen Confianca?” Ebullience replied, as Benevicia was trying to hold her back from striking Chrysalis anymore.
“NONE OF YOU EVER UNDERSTOOD HER! NONE OF YOU EVER TRIED TO HELP HER! YOU JUST LET HER TEAR HERSELF APART! YOU JUST WATCHED HER DIE INSIDE ALL THOSE YEARS!” Chrysalis shouted, as she ran out of the meeting hall in a full sprint, tears streaming down her eyes as well; her retainers and diplomats chasing after in a thoroughly confused state.
“Momma… please help me…” Titania cried softly, her energy expended as she slowly began to drift off to sleep. Rozkosas could only stroke her mane as she tried her best to comfort the juvenile Queen.
Such is the curse of the Hive of Melancholy. We are the most adept to console someone through their grief… and at the same time, we can’t help but benefit whenever someone falls into the pit-trap that is despair… Rozkosas thought to herself as the pre-teen Queen was now asleep, the tears starting to dry in the thin coat that covered her carapace-like skin.
“We will adjourn the meeting until further notice; it appears that at least two of the Queens are in no condition to continue negotiations. Messages will be sent if and when we are to resume with formal talks,” the sergeant-at-arms stated clearly and concisely, as he banged the gavel to formally adjourn the royal conference.
----- = ----
“Pack everything, recall all of our diplomats. We’re leaving!” Chrysalis shouted inside of her temporary chambers, the area the Envy-lings were staying covered in the greenish-teal banners that matched the color of her highlights and chest bands.
“But Queen, there are still many things we have to discuss with the other hives,” one of her elder advisers told her as she stuffed robes and sashes into her travelling case.
“IT WILL BE A COLD DAY IN THE DEEPEST FIREPIT IN THE FURTHEST DEPTH OF TARTARUS ITSELF BEFORE I SPEAK TO ANY OF THOSE WHORES AGAIN!” Chrysalis shouted, the sheer hatred in her voice causing the aide to feel momentarily nauseous.
“Please, my Queen, we are in no position to isolate ourselves from the rest of the Seven Hives. Our numbers are dangerously low as it is, and I am fairly sure that you would not want to attempt to replenish them yourself…” the aide remarked, concern for his queen growing by the second.
“At least we aren’t like the Hope Hive, they’re down to their last couple of dozen members,” one of the lesser Envy-ling diplomats mused aloud.
Chrysalis let out the most guttural shriek of frustration any could remember hearing her make at the mere mention of the Hope Hive.
“I DON’T EVER WANT TO HEAR THAT PHRASE AGAIN! NEVER, EVER, NEVER, EVER, Never… ev…” Chrysalis began to rant and rave, before suddenly stumbling to the floor, in a clear and obvious daze. Her guards quickly scrambled to clear the bed of her things, and lifted her so she wouldn’t be sprawled out on the floor.
The now laid-out Queen of Envy was on the bed, panting as she was now so disoriented she couldn’t even tell if she was moving, or if the rest of reality was swirling around her.
She suddenly began to remember what she saw that night, that terrifying night as she watched the centerpiece of her entire existence slowly fade away. She could swear her hooves were covered in a green ichor… the blood of her mortally wounded mother seeping out from the gashes in her body. Chrysalis's swore her nose burned again with the smell of the same blood on her hooves, and the blood of another… the blood that had to have been that of her mother's assailant.
The sound of Changeling guards and valets scrambling around her, of old and grizzled retainers openly weeping as the teenaged princess held the body of their dying queen in her hooves. That final admonition that Confianca gave her before her body finally gave out:
“Never forget: I love you, my daughter. And I will always love you!”
[ June 2, 2081 – Washington, D.C. ]
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“Why will you not reconsider, Madame President? All you have to do is rescind your support for this alien threat beset against us, and we can build a new and prosperous world together!” the recording of the S.P.H. point man said, as President Aguillar continued to replay that moment on her compu-pad.
“And they call –this- building a new and prosperous world? Is this all that they have to say in response to a rejection on my part?” Aguillar mused, as she sat in the Situation Room, looking at the increasing amount of red dots appear on a central map; each one representing a new incident reported in the last 48 hours.
“What I’m seeing are incidents against outposts in exurban areas. I am not sure if we have a pattern yet aside from what the perpetrators were wearing,” one of the intelligence analysts said, as they all looked at the map.
“Yes, black non-standard military gear, helmets with opaque visors, and arm bands with a white shield on them,” President Aguillar interrupted, having heard the earlier reports already.
“They seem to be utilizing standard issue arms that we see in most paramilitary organizations; I can only imagine they are trying to send a message of some sort through these provocations. All of the intelligence we have is that they are developing thaumatic arms, but so far no one has noticed anything out of the ordinary,” Vice President Oberwiess added, looking at the video the surveillance drones captured.
“A prelude to something much worse, I can imagine. There is no telling what they may do, should they realize we do not plan to surrender to, admittedly well-funded, terrorists,” Aguillar reasoned aloud, as they continued to monitor report after report
-----
“Alright, Dana, the truth is out there, and I aim to find it…” a scraggly-haired lady, barely over 20 said, as a feminine face tracked her movement across the myriad of monitors she had arranged across her work-station, or ‘The Battlestation’ as she affectionately called it.
“Miss Pamela, do you really intend to sift through all the ‘net traffic for the entire department. The volume alone would make even most AI boggle,” Dana replied, the concern evident in her virtualized face.
“But you aren’t most AI, and they don’t call me ‘Bloodhound’ for nothing; and I have the trail of a dirty little rat-fink in our midst. Those SPH idiots shouldn’t have any idea where our important data centers and equipment are; but even these little courtesy calls are too close to comfort. Someone on the inside is feeding them information, and I wanna know who, what, and why,” the pale-skinned Pamela replied, as she looked her AI assistant and creation with some degree of mirth.
“Despite my reservations about this overall venture, I have found a room with a terminal showing consistently high patterns of traffic,” Dana replied curtly.
“Yeah, a lot of rooms around here have a stupid high traffic rate, I mean it is the CIA’s main research, development, and analysis center,” Pamela responded, sitting cross-legged in her oversized chair, taking advantage of her somewhat petite frame.
“Yes, but should the Secretary of International Intelligence’s office show this high of a data transfer rate?” Dana asked with a bit of a wry tone.
“Oh I see. I wonder just what our wonderful boss could be looking at to require such a crazy amount of data…” Pamela said as she turned one of monitors on to begin cracking the encryption on the datastream.
“Miss Pamela, are you attempting to eavesdrop on the Secretary? You know what the protocol is regarding that, right?” Dana asked, taking a very concerned look.
“Not now, busy figuring out this puzzle. I wanna know what ‘ol Yano is up to,” Pamela chided in her response, as she was completely engrossed in finding the seam in Secretary Yanovich’s protection for his private connection.
After a few tense moments, a little jingle played over one of the speakers, indicating that Pamela was now ‘in’.
“Alright, now let’s see what we’re working with here… hrm, thought it would be a pornographic stream to be honest; this is just a regular video call,” Pamela stated with a disappointed tone, hoping she’d have something to blackmail Yanovich with so she could build an even better ‘Battlestation II’ at her residence.
“Miss Pamela, are you quite done, I am not sure how long you can keep this channel open before Yanovich, or anyone else, notices that you are eavesdropping in on him,” Dana complained, now thoroughly scared for her owner’s safety and continued employment.
“I will be just… hold on now… he’s talking; I wonder what he’s talking about…” Pamela started, before she quieted down and turned down Dana’s speaker’s volume so she could record the conversation.
---
“Do you think they got the message, Leader I?” Secretary Yanovich said, rubbing his temples as he did.
“Oh they received the message, but my question is: Are they smart enough to heed it?” the masked Leader I said, face obscured by a theatrical mask that seemed to convey anger.
“Probably not, they were stupid enough to directly challenge you and your backers,” Yanovich replied, greatly distressed at the continued attempts to devolve power from the those without resources, and therefore no knowledge of how to properly manage them.
“It is quite a pain. And we tried so hard through… other means… to resolve this peacefully. The order has worked so well until now, improving our technology to the point to where a lot of humanity can play for all their lives without having to worry at all about struggling to do anything. And now? They seem to want to throw all of that away, just because a few little horse aliens want to say they are wrong for it,” another man with a mask representing sadness said, turning to look at the first through the well-disguised eyeholes.
“Of course, if the politicians weren’t so inept, the public would see the wonderful environment we are trying to build. And now with the magic that has begun to flood this world, we can properly reconstruct this world into a new paradise for all,” said the lone woman on the three-person panel, her mask representing happiness.
“But what happens when they try and resist. You know they will – I can already hear the hue and cry from the President and the others in other nations when the rebuilding starts in earnest,” Yanovich asked, his anxiety still palpable in his voice.
“That is quite simple. Like our competition in the business world, those would would stand in our path will be cut down without mercy or hesitation. Let the weak and feeble militaries of the world attempt to resist our claim. They will find themselves quite powerless. And those in this world without power… have NOTHING!” Leader I stated with the utmost confidence, pounding his fist onto the table for emphasis.
“Truer words have never been spoken. Aguillar believes herself so powerless she would give away the Earth to these creatures? Who is to say their Princess isn’t talking out of both sides of her mouth. While she speaks kind tones now, who is to say there isn’t a demon hiding beneath that alabaster white coat? No one can say that, so it is better for us to ensure that no one can challenge our superiority,” Yanovich stated with grave resolution, the fire in his eyes burning bright.
“Exceptional words, Mr. Secretary. You will go far in our organization with determination like that. Perhaps, even as far as the new President of the United States, once all is said done?” Leader II said, an usually cheerful tone emerging from his mask of melancholy.
“That would be a wonderful idea, if you all would so graciously allow me that opportunity,” Yanovich replied, with great deference in his voice.
“Keep feeding us the correct information and you will find every door open that you could imagine, Mr. Secretary,” Leader III added.
“Of course, Leader III; whenever I know something, you all will know something,” Yanovich offered.
“That is very good, we will keep in touch,” Leader I concluded as he closed the connection.
---
“Dana… get Jacques on the line, and get him on the line right now…” Pamela said, her body quaking with extreme anxiety, bordering on outright fear.
“Yes ma’am,” Dana replied dutifully, as another monitor opened up with the LOBSTER connection to Agent Jacques’s office.
“Oh good afternoon, Pam. Come across something interesting, I wager,”
“OhmygodYanovichisworkingwiththoseSPHidiotswe’retotallyscrewedwhatarewegoingtodo!” Pamela positively shouted at the screen’s inline microphone, making Jacques recoil a bit with shock before attempting the calm the frenetic tech down.
“Ok ok, let’s start that statement over, but add proper pauses, commas, and periods this time, please.”
Pamela took a couple of breaths, trying to calm herself down enough to be intelligible. “Oh my god! Yanovich is working with those SPH idiots. We’re totally screwed, what are we going to do?!”
“Secretary Yanovich. Secretary Charles Yanovich. As in the guy who basically signs our checks and makes sure we aren’t slumming in the streets Charles Yanovich? HIM!?” Jacques asked with all kinds of confusion in his voice.
“I didn’t want to believe it at first, like it was some kind of double-back super-secret thing he had going on with the SPH. Maybe it’s still that and he’s just a really good actor but… well just look at the recording for ,” Pamela replied as she sent the recording over to Jacques’s terminal.
After a few minutes of waiting and then a few more minutes of watching, Jacques’s confusion turned into anger. “That damn bastard. If we get through this entire situation in one piece, I want words with him personally; he has to know trying to placate people like them is like trying to juggle blowtorches. They don’t care one whit what condition the government outside the Domes are in, just so long as their own little world is preserved.”
“Maybe that’s what they mean by rebuilding. I can’t think they are building all of this stuff up just to execute a coup,” Pamela remarked sheepishly, her usual gung-ho nature replaced by genuine fear of the future.
“That’s my great fear even beyond what they could do to the reformists in the government if their coup is successful: what happens to the rest of the world afterward…” Jacques began, before he stopped to think for a while. “Ok Pamela, do what you need to do to keep tabs on Secy. Yanovich, I have to believe this won’t be the last of his contacts with those three masked people.”
“Okay, just… nevermind… I’ll do the best I can,” Pamela said, trying her best to regain her nerve after the sudden shock.
Jacques cut the feed to Pamela’s work terminal, and opened a new one to a certain red Unicorn staying in St. Louis.
“Red Blaze, are you there?”
Red Blaze, after a few moments pause, popped in. “Yeah I’m here, we were just watching some of the reports of masked and black-armored thugs accosting some police depots. What’s going on?”
“The squid that is the SPH has its reach far and wide. And it may be hooked into the government deeper than I would have cared to guess,” Jacques replied.
“That sounds really bad. Can you give me any details?” Blaze asked, as she made sure to lock the door before Jacques started speaking in earnest.
“Only preliminary ones, but if they can be verified or corroborated, then we’re in it deep already,” Jacques started, as he began to send the footage to Blaze.
***** ===== *****
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shouldn't there be a you between these words and replace is to with into