1st of Morning Star, 7E 5/January 1, 2168
Imperial City, Cyrodiil, Tamriel
Nirn, Nirn Collective, Dragon Cluster
Ge'Vaudan steadied his breathing, his eyes closed to keep the tears back, and walked up onto the hastily-constructed wooden platform. He looked back toward the statue of the Avatar of Akatosh in what had been the Temple of the One. Taking a deep breath, he finished his journey to the podium and looked out over the crowd. Practically every resident of the City was there, along with scribes for every branch of the Black Horse Courier and a number of the news providers for the Citadel races.
"Citizens of the Empire, as well as those who are watching across the galaxy. It is with a heavy heart that, on this day when new life is to be celebrated, I bring news of death and destruction. A week ago, a collection of cowardly pirates and slavers attacked a world we share with the humans.
He blinked back a new set of tears. "Many of our children and friends were taken with the intent to be put into a life of servitude or worse. By retreating to the Terminus Systems, these fiends believe that they have escaped justice.
The Emperor looked up, his eyes dry and full of fire, and bled the Thu'um into his words, deepening his voice and causing it to echo slightly. "However, they were sloppy and revealed their true masters. They will be the ones to taste the wrath of the Dragon! With the aid of our human allies, the Batarian Hegemony, like the sload of Thras, will cease to exist! Gerahgron Dovah ahst hein rut!"
The audience echoed his pronouncement in at least half a dozen languages. "Anger the Dragon at your peril!"
With a mirthless smile, he turned and walked off the stage, his mind returning to the events of the night after the attack, when he was alone.
26th of Evening Star, 7E 4
Emperor's Quarters, White-Gold Tower
The Emperor locked the door and then cast every spell for privacy he knew. What he was about to perform was for meant for only one other set of eyes to see and one other set of ears to hear.
He reached into a drawer and pulled out a number of candles that he set in a circle on the floor. Then he slid his hand into his satchel and withdrew a skull with four eye sockets and needle-shaped teeth. One bone after another followed it into the circle until an entire batarian skeleton was assembled within the ring of candles. After that came a batarian heart and a heap of batarian skin and muscle. Finally, he scattered a few nightshade flowers around the effigy.
The preparations complete, he used a shaped fire spell to light the candles, conjured a bound dagger, and stabbed the center of the skeleton's ribcage. "Sweet Mother, sweet Mother, send your child unto me, for the sins of the unworthy must be baptized in blood and fear." He repeated the chant twice more and then knelt down to wait. Minutes passed, stretching to nearly half an hour before he saw a projection appear before him. "I have a contract for you."
The imperial nodded. "As the Night Mother knew. Whose life is to be extinguished? Whose soul is to be sent to the Dread Father?"
Dovahkaaz produced a magelight viewer from his satchel. Activating it revealed the faces of three batarians. "The Triumvirate. These monsters are the ones who direct the Batarian Hegemony, controlling its government, economy, and military." A fourth image was pulled into view. "Their 'Emperor.' He is a figurehead, but he is the one who determines what policies of the Triumvirate become law. All four must be eliminated. You have one week before the Legion arrives. Your payment will be ten thousand gold for each target, with an additional ten thousand if there is no evidence of your presence, left in the usual place. A further bonus will be provided for every slave-master slain when the opportunity presents itself."
"They will join Sithis in the Void very soon."
"I'm sure. Go."
His gut still roiled with that decision. It sickened the Emperor to call upon the services of the assassins of the Dark Brotherhood, especially as his predecessor had supposedly wiped them out. However, the Night Mother's corpse had never been found; until it was located and destroyed, the Brotherhood would never truly disappear.
With a sigh, he pushed that thought out of his head. The Empire was going to war, and its Emperor would lead the charge.
January 1, 2168
Arcturus Station, Arcturus, Arcturus Stream
"Hurry it up, marines! We leave in the hour!"
"Yes, sir!"
As he slung his duffel bag over his back, Lieutenant Commander David Anderson could hardly believe it; the Batarian Hegemony, scum of the galaxy and funders of most of the pirates and slavers across space, was about to be destroyed by the combined forces of the Systems Alliance and the Empire of the Dragon. A part of him hoped that he could work with Dragon Knight Reegar, again. He enjoyed the quarian's company.
"We ready? Follow me!" Captain Renault turned on her heel and walked away.
Anderson and a few other soldiers noted the place she was leading them to. "Captain, isn't this where Kilimanjaro is docked?"
"Very observant. Yes, we'll be joining the marine complement of Kilimanjaro, as we have the most experience fighting alongside Imperial forces."
Omega, Sahrabarik System, Omega Nebula
The lips of the old, scarred krogan battlemaster watching the news feed cracked open in a broad grin. "Oh, I am not missing this." He walked back to the apartment he had rented and packed his gear, checking his old Claymore shotgun before placing it in the mass effect field at the small of his back and walking to the nearest star-dock that held a rogue former-Imperial ship. "Hey, how much to get to Nirn?"
The breton dockworker, not looking up from his work, waved him off. "Not going there. Sorry."
Urdnot Wrex narrowed his eyes and used his biotics to pick up the man and pin his arms to his sides. "I wasn't asking whether you were going to Nirn. I asked how much I would need to pay you to get me there."
Serrice, Thessia
Parnitha System, Athena Nebula
Seira, the head of the Justicar Order stared at the Justicar kneeling in front of her, confused by what had just been said. "Say that again, Samara."
Samara kept her head bowed. "I wish to join in the war against the batarians, for I would be helping the just against the unjust." She raised her gaze. "I know that the Code does not mention full-scale war, so I sought your guidance."
Seira smiled and laid her hand on Samara's shoulder. "Arise, Justicar. The Code demands that we punish the unjust. If entering this war appears to be the best way to appease that demand, and it does not otherwise conflict with the Code, then you are free to participate. Help the dragon punish the unjust."
Samara bowed her head. "Thank you."
3rd of Morning Star, 7E 5/January 3, 2168
Dovrosuleyksejun
Talos, Nirn Collective, Dragon Cluster
Kal finished his checks and stood up. "Alright, 'Archer.' You should be good to go. Still not a hundred percent sure that this'll work, as I'm not the most tech-minded guy around."
The female khajiit glanced over her shoulder. "Just tell me what to do."
"Well, the first step is to turn on your omni-tool."
She moved her right hand over her left wrist, and the holographic interface sprang to life.
"There should be a sort of shield-shaped picture somewhere on there. Do you see it?"
"You mean the one with the 'X' over it?"
"Yep, that's the one. Tap it once."
She did and a blue field of energy shimmered into view for a split second. "Did it work?"
"I…I think it did. I have a quick test I can do to test it. It may hurt."
"Glacial Archer," as she had named herself, laughed. "I can take it."
"Alright, then." He drew his fist back and punched her in the chest, hard and fast as he could. The newly-installed kinetic barrier rippled around the point of impact before fading back to invisibility. Nursing his bruised knuckles, Kal chuckled. "Well, it works. You're the first Imperial warrior to integrate a kinetic barrier generator into your armor. Now, be warned: this isn't a high-grade barrier, so you won't be able to soak up too many hits before it fails."
"Got it."
"Well done, Reegar." Everyone turned toward the door as the Emperor walked in. "Perhaps we should invest in our own research on the subject." He looked around. "If any of you have affairs you need to get in order, this is your last chance to do so. Otherwise, grab your weapons and report to your transports."
December 30, 2167
Khar'shan City, Khar'shan
Harsa System, Kite's Nest
As he held a modified Widow sniper rifle on target, unseen in the shadows, Thane Krios thought back to how he had ended up here.
July 29, 2164/29th of Sun's Height, 7E 1
Tayseri Ward, Citadel
Widow, Serpent Nebula
Drell were a rare species, and an even rarer sight on the Citadel. Thanks to his training, Thane Krios wove through the crowd, as noticed as a shadow at the corner of one's eye. His target was dead, and he would have a night's rest before returning home to Irikha and Kolyat.
Then someone collided with him, knocking him to the ground, and continued on without even offering an apology.
Thane picked himself up and straightened his jacket. As he did, he noticed a folded piece of paper sticking out of his pocket. Its contents were a black ink handprint and, in Imperial Common, the words, "We know."
He stuffed the paper back into his pocket and hurried to a different safe-house than he had planned.
When he arrived, he checked with both eyes and ears for anything amiss. There. A subtle creak of synthetic leather an untrained ear would have missed. Thane backed away from the door and was about to leave when a purple cloud appeared in front of him. A gravelly male voice issued forth from it. "I am not here as an enemy, Mr. Krios; were that the case, you would already be dead. I merely wish to discuss a proposal with you. In private."
Every instinct in the drell's body screamed at him to run, but the uniqueness of the situation made him pause in curiosity. He had never dealt with someone from the Empire before, nor was he a well-known figure.
He checked his emotions and took rapid-transit to one of his other safe-houses in Kithoi Ward. This one was clear, so he locked all possible entryways and went to bed.
He awoke to the presence of someone else in the room. Standing next to his bed was an argonian wearing black and red hooded robes and a ring bearing the same black hand sigil as the note. "You wish to speak with me. Well, here I am."
"You are a very hard man to find, Mr. Krios, but none can evade the watchful gaze of our unholy matron. My name is Vissir. I am a Messenger of the Dark Brotherhood."
"I have never heard of them."
The lizard smiled. "Of course. But then, that is one of the goals of an assassin, is it not? To be unseen and unheard. Anonymous. That is the Brotherhood. We are a guild of assassins spread throughout the Empire…and now the Citadel."
"And now you wish to recruit me."
Vissir nodded. "It is the Night Mother's will that I ask for you to join us. You will be paid regularly, better than you currently are, and you will be able to have your own life outside of the Brotherhood."
The possibility of being able to both better provide for and spend more time with his family caught Thane's attention. "I will have to think about this."
Another nod. "I expected nothing less." From within his robe, he drew a viciously-curved black metal dagger. "Here on the Citadel is an asari woman named Nassana Dantius. If you decide to accept the Night Mother's offer, plunge this blade into her heart. When the deed is done, I will find you, again."
Having investigated further and found out just how vile Nassana was, he had followed through with the 'contract,' and Vissir had indeed visited Thane in his safe-house shortly thereafter. The drell had been given an address, which turned out to point to the end of a maze of alleyways, and an unusual passcode for what Vissir had called the "Citadel Sanctuary" where the Brotherhood was headquartered on the station.
When he arrived, he found a door with a square bottom and round top bearing a skull sigil that had a red marking on the forehead. He knocked on it and a voice issued forth. "What…is life's greatest lie?" The voice was a hoarse whisper that was nearly a hiss.
Taken aback, Thane took a moment to remember the passcode. He coughed and cleared his throat. "Peace, my brother."
"Welcome…home." The door swung open.
He walked in, and a sharp gonging signaled the closure of the entryway. Wariness growing with every step, Thane followed the passage until it emptied into a large chamber that had a larger version of the skull sigil decorating the back wall. Gathered around a table at the center was a collection of about a dozen individuals from at least half a dozen Imperial species…and one turian.
Said turian was standing on the other side of the table and saw the drell arrive. He rapped his talons against the table in front of a snake-like alien wearing a spiked hood that matched the colors of its scales. "Lin, our new brother arrives."
The snake turned, revealing that the spiked hood was not a headdress, but a part of its body. "Greetings, Thane Krios." She, as the voice sounded, bobbed her head. "I am Sissrelin, Leader of this Sanctuary of the Dark Brotherhood. It is my honor to welcome you to our family. Come, let me introduce you to your new brothers and sisters."
After a couple of years of running with the Brotherhood, Sissrelin had come to him with the contract he was currently performing.
"Krios, a word."
Thane set down the rifle he had been performing maintenance on and followed the lamia to her chamber. As he stood before her, he gripped his lip in his teeth; he could count on one hand the number of times she had directly spoken to him, as it was mostly the other members of the family who sent the contracts his way. "What is it you need to speak to me about?"
Sissrelin coiled around her specialized chair and sat down. "The Brotherhood has received one of its greatest contracts, ever. The Listener, himself, has asked for the greatest assassins from each Sanctuary to perform this contract. You and Lilander will be my contributions."
"Me, ma'am? I am your newest member; I cannot possibly be one of your greatest."
"You are a rising star in the Brotherhood, with a dozen successful contracts to your name. This is not including the service you did for the Illuminated Primacy in your first decades or the freelance work in between. I believe in you." She slithered forward and hugged him. "Go with the Night Mother's embrace."
At that moment, Thane spied his target. The slaver lord, Gherol Orlak, who was the economist of the Triumvirate. Having observed the batarian for two days, along with Lilander's interrogations of the local populace, the drell had learned a fatal habit of the lord. Twice every week, Orlak would leave his home and tour his warehouses to check on his stock.
Thane adjusted his grip on the rifle and centered the scope on his target's head. "Lilander, I need strong Chameleon and Muffle spells."
From behind and to the side, he felt the magic weaving through the air. Zooming in and using his biotics to strengthen his arms, he led his target and caressed the trigger.