Dynamic Equilibrium
a Bones/Felarya crossover
Chapter 26: The Rumblings of a Revolution
6-30-2014
by Greyman
Disclaimer: Bones and all related characters are the property of 20th Century Fox. Felarya is the creation and property of Karbo, and all associated characters are the property of their respective creators.
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Antonin watched with carefully-masked glee as huge crane arms lowered the last, massive part of an alternator into place. One of many being installed in this freshly blasted-out portion of the Delurans' underground base. Having not known when Exona would affect his rescue, Antonin had been getting anxious. There was a chance these opportunities would be missed. Not so much being there as soon as these new experimental alternators were operational. These huge alternators were the final piece of the Coalition's scheme, but their use came later. Rather, it was who was here to monitor their installation that afforded Antonin the opportunity he'd dreamed of for years…
Antonin leaned over the guard rails of the upper platform, savoring this brief moment to himself. Amazingly, it was serene calm that overtook him as he watched the key to Delurah's liberation get installed, not the giddiness of anticipation.
Amazing that anyone could be calm after spending a few days among predators anxious to be the one to wolf you down, but there you have it, Antonin mused as he watched the engineering crews carry on. A good number on those crews were loyal Coalition agents. Many times, those engineers would look up and surreptitiously nod to him. They knew. Rather than being another means of raking up more riches for themselves, these huge alternators would be the downfall of Delurah's oligarchy. But Negav's liberation had to come first. Be patient a little longer, my friends. We help our allies here first, and then I'll deliver a vengeance centuries in the making…
With a sigh, Antonin stood back up and walked across the upper platform. The calm he enjoyed moments before almost evaporated as he drew closer to the gaggle who were also watching over the installation. In addition to his superior officers here in the underground base, there were also many imperial officials and representatives of major industrial conglomerates. Mostly firms that dealt with weapons and supplying technology for warfare.
But the notable exception, the head of the technological firm that sold these alternators to the Deluran Empire…his father. Despite himself, Antonin couldn't suppress a wicked smirk as he approached. His old man's age was showing. Greying, thinning hair, a hunch one couldn't ignore, leathery mottled skin that seemed to stretch across his face… Despite all his wealth and status, Betran Garrardo was slowly succumbing to the ravages of time. Even an extended stay in Felarya would do him little good. Not that he understood, or cared, about Felarya's natural bounty.
You fools haven't taken the time to figure out what Felarya's really all about, taken the time to appreciate is true riches, Antonin thought vindictively. He absentmindedly ran a hand over his buzzcut. He preferred that haircut because it was so easy to dye it grey, as part of his ploy to feign aging. Having served at this base for forty years, he had to avoid suspicion of any sort, but it was always easier than he dared imagine. Just now, over the last few days, volunteers among the Coalition used a variety of disguises and illusion spells to impersonate him. And all this time, his superiors suspected nothing. Even his father still believed him a loyal servant of the Deluran Empire. So often I rely on the hubris of my fellow Delurans, and so rarely am I disappointed.
Even with faking the appearance of greying hair and creeping wrinkles, there was no mistaking the envious look in his father's eyes. That might have been another reason he resented the idea of him becoming a soldier. All those years wasted acquiring wealth and prestige, but side by side with his son, there'd be no mistaking who looked more forceful.
Antonin didn't hesitate to rub salt in the wound. "Father, I'm glad you decided to join the rest of our guests. I wasn't sure if the…roughness of the journey would dissuade you." Betran made a visible effort to suppress a sneer. When the situation merited it, instead of trekking from a Dimensional Gate, the Deluran leadership arranged for using small portals of their own making for moving personnel and supplies. Granted, that took a lot of power, and larger machines like these alternators had to be moved piece by piece, over the course of months.
But now, the last components were here. Even with the Coalition's timetable moved up, there was still plenty of time. Enough to savor what came next.
"Believe me, son, no way I'd let these idiots mangle our company's experimental alternators," grumbled Betran. "Felarya…this place has got this magic stuff in its very ground, does it? Well, I don't care what it is, so long as these alternators can tap into it and generate limitless power for the Deluran Empire."
Betran looked over the railing, staring down disdainfully at the engineers putting everything in place. If only his father knew that one of the lowly mechanics he looked down upon is who paved the way for these prototypes in the first place. Antonin soon discovered the concept design for these alternators in Anna's bunk, shortly after her run-in with Crisis. After funneling the plans back to Delurah and into his family's company, it proved to be a boon that would finally achieve what he and Exona dreamed of.
Another reason I hope you come home, Anna. No one deserves to benefit from these alternators' true power more than you. Out loud, Antonin pointed out, "Of course, all the fuel cells the Deluran Empire plans to charge with these, exporting energy out of the closed system that is Felarya… That could destabilize this place more than ever. Dramatically change a world some in the Empire still want to colonize."
"Change it in our favor, son," Betran snapped back. "Anything to make this putrid, savage hellhole serve our needs."
"Oh you have no idea…" Antonin blurted out, in a rare moment of candor. Even without the appearance of nepotism, subtly urging his superiors to accept the risk of installing these alternators was no easy task. Of course, once the prospect of a source of cheap, unlimited energy took hold, it had only been a matter of time. Of patience. And Antonin Garrardo was nothing if not patient. "So, I remember father, almost forty years ago, how aghast you were when I said I wanted to join the Empire's Army. You said I would have no way to stand out, that it wasn't the right place through which to bring honor to the Garrardo name. And now, look at our company's creation, here in a base I fought to safeguard…"
"Well, I'm honest enough to admit when I guess wrong," Betran said tersely. "When I first heard about that botched squad mission you went out on, it took a lot of dissuasion to keep me from marching through a Dimensional Gate and dragging you back to Delurah. Looking at this now, it's hard to imagine I once thought that mission gone sour would wreck your head permanently."
"Quite the opposite father, quite the opposite," Antonin said in a singsong voice. As Betran looked back down at the alternators, Antonin scrutinized his gaze. Whatever pride there was in his son, of his forty years of service…it was overshadowed by pride in the prestige this venture would bring his company, and his own insatiable greed. A willingness to poach Felarya and fundamentally screw up its ecology, so long as it gained him an edge back in Delurah. Sorry father, but Felarya's true worth has to be safeguarded. There've been times I dared entertain hope you'd somehow change, but it's always cruelly crushed. Sorry, but you just blew your last chance…
Antonin hardened his gaze, as well as his heart. Turning back to the crowd that had gathered, Antonin could make out similar sentiments at a glance. All his superiors in the military, all the imperials officials and business leaders… That naïve boy who enlisted over forty years ago truly died when his first mission went awry, replaced by a cold, conniving man who could plainly see the depravity lurking in the hearts of these men and women. All thinking of how this new venture could get them ahead of the other, while the miserable, starving masses in Delurah were neglected.
Suddenly, the blasted-out chamber lurched, and a smile crept across Antonin's chiseled face. That rumble heralded how all that was going to change, starting now.
"What in the…tectonic activity? That's never been reported at this site before. What's going on!?" demanded Betran.
It was killing Antonin, trying to keep a straight face. There would be time to gloat later, though. For now, he had to remain patient as always, play the fool yet again. As he feigned surprise and fear along with the rest of the procession, a young, panicked voice eventually blared over the comms. "Sirs! You'll wanna get back up to the command deck right away! Two predators somehow got in into their pretty big heads to take the fight to us!"
Antonin took in all the dumbfounded looks, finding it harder than ever to play along. After the malfeasant negligence and outright stupidity that had gotten plenty of Delurans killed over the years (those that Antonin earmarked for Crisis's snacking were a drop in the bucket, and she had now paid the price anyway), that they still thought no predators would ever try a direct attack was the height of arrogance.
"Sorry father, but duty calls," Antonin said brusquely, after waiting for what he hoped was long enough. Pushing past the gaggle of morons, Antonin marched toward the elevator. Antonin could feel the angry gazes of his superiors on his back, a little mortified that he had regathered his wits before anyone else. Once inside the elevator, Antonin turned and beamed an insufferable smile at all of them as they piled in. Come on in, come on in, into the dridder's web. Keep thinking the greatest threat is out there, not right in here with you…
It took a few minutes for the elevator to reach the floor with the command deck. As the elevator door opened, Antonin pushed past everyone get again and marched down the hallway, still not caring if he seemed too imperious. This was the moment he had waited decades for. He burst through the command deck's main entrance. Every camera, every listening post, every lookout relay in and around their underground base…all those feeds were directed here, among the rows and rows of computer terminals. On top of that, a long stretch of windows that reached from ceiling to floor lined one wall, giving personnel a clear view of the loading bays below. All of their armored vehicles and the like were down in that huge bay, along with reinforced steel doors up in the ceiling that led to the ground above.
Oh, if only I could just open those doors and let my fairy friends flutter on in. Were it so easy. But of course, even if he wanted to take such a simplistic approach, there were firewalls and safety protocols that even the best techno-wizards he recruited couldn't slice through on a moment's notice. No, best to play it safe, and let the real fun happen when his 'superiors' least expected it.
Antonin turned away from the windows and looked to a computer monitor, just as the rest of the procession filed in. Just as he expected. Jade was right above, taking out the sonic cannons that stood on retractable towers. They now hovered a good twenty feet over the giantess, but she effortlessly sped from one to the next. The gentle sunlight that filtered in through the thick canopies made the orange sheen of Jade's eyes all the more eerie. Her stone-shattering jabs, and twisting the pivoting cannons much as one would snap a neck… none of that would do any lasting damage, but it did grab everyone's attention. Though Kai had been the preferred candidate for this diversionary mission, and guarding the base later, Jade would do fine.
Kai was the only one who could resist Exona's bioweapon, Antonin mulled. By the time Kai finally fell prey to a single bit of suggestion, antibodies were right around the corner. And after that beating she gave my Ordenzli…I may have to add yet another name to my list of priority targets.
Meanwhile, other monitors showed what was happening around the base's immediate perimeter: Garnet was darting here and there among the trees, working her magic. The quaking earth made their ground troops and armored vehicles that had mobilized outside back off. Most fire was concentrated on Jade as a result, but the real threat came from Garnet. Not the earth-shattering spells she unleashed along the surface, but rather, right below it…
"Have all units continue focusing their fire on the giantess, drive her back with the naga," Antonin said at length. "Double the security at every emergency entrance along levels two through nine. This may be a diversionary tactic. We can't take the chance that this may be a ploy of those in the Fairy Kingdom, to divert our attention and gain access somehow."
"General Garrardo, you may be a commanding officer at this base, but don't act as if you are the sole decision-maker. Not with a number of admirals and chiefs of staff here," came a gruff voice from behind him.
Antonin couldn't keep a faint smile from crossing his face. Even when facing an incursion on Deluran territory, his superiors would bristle like children at being shown up. "Swift action is a necessity if one hopes to survive on this world," he said simply. "Why not leave the decision-making to those with first-hand experience dealing with predators? Fairies are stealthy and crafty, and can strategize when they want to."
There was much muttering and grumbling, but not much in the way of challenging Antonin's decisions after that. Antonin broke out into a full smile. Nothing he just said was a lie, and these people no doubt saw his precautions as logical, though they loathed admitting it. It would only make what came next even sweeter.
Antonin's eyes swept across the terminals, watching troops take positions among every possible entrance fairies could force themselves through. When the base was first being constructed, its troublesome proximity to the Fairy Kingdom, and the Delurans' general lack of respect for the damage they could cause, led to many casualties before everyone learned to respect their power. In addition to sensors specifically calibrated to pick up fairy activity at any size, there were a host of countermeasures in place, such as forcefields and arcing electrical grids.
In the early days, the ease with which fairies could slip in was a double-edged sword. Though the mounting casualties were galling, it offered numerous opportunities in regards to fairies on his side. Ever since his fellow Delurans wised up, getting them into and out of the base had been excruciatingly difficult. Even for Exona, Imkza and Shandra.
Shandra… For a moment, Antonin let himself feel that deep sense of loss. No matter what doubts Shandra may have had, she was still one of the most loyal comrades he'd ever served with. And despite Malhor's treachery, and the mad scramble to fill the vacancy she left, her wish to see a Felarya where sapient beings were less likely to prey on each other…it started today.
Antonin finally looked back at the gaggle of imperial officials, other military leaders, and industry heads. "Fear not, however. The additional security down here is merely a precaution. All the countermeasures we've erected against fairies over the years…they should hold." Again, nothing was a lie. All their anxieties seemed to be assuaged. Again, exploiting hubris is the key. A little inflation of their egos to lower their guard…
He turned back to the monitors, or rather, some of the personnel manning them. A few more surreptitious nods and eyebrow arching to those in the Coalition, and the next phase was underway. There were considerable barriers to fairy entry into their base, with safeguards to keep would-be saboteurs from bringing them down. But as Exona always said, you work and fight smarter, not harder. The trick wouldn't be to break through those defenses, but to get around them…
By now, Jade had rendered half of the sonic cannons inoperative. However, those still online not only forced her back to Garnet's position, but along with the firepower of the Delurans' ground units, had his two 'zombified' predators in a crossfire. Antonin heard sighs of relief from behind him, even as Garnet still send tremors down into the base. That relief would be short-lived.
Just when it looked like their current predator troubles were over, more chaos erupted on those monitor screens. This time, it was on the monitors displaying camera feeds INSIDE the base! Antonin's esteemed guests gasped and choked on their own terror as they watched fairies speed down the concrete halls, while the units guarding the known entrances were, thus far, unmolested. Blaring klaxons echoed in the command deck, but their warning was far too late. The fairies were here, popping up in places where anti-fairy countermeasures were minimal.
"Thank you, Garnet," Antonin slyly muttered under his breath. Her carefully-focused earth magic was never about shaking the base into oblivion. That was merely to divert attention from Garnet's true aim: surreptitiously cracking open their underground base's concrete walls, and crafting small tunnels that fairies could fly right into.
And they were not alone. They had also shrunk down friendly nekos and Negavians. Friends armed to the teeth, though mostly with non-lethal weaponry like tranq guns, stun guns, gas grenades, firearms with rubber bullets and net launchers. There was no longer any need to have Delurans who'd possibly be unreceptive to the idea of revolution be gobbled up. After today, there would be no doubt about who the people of this base should follow.
Everyone not in on the Coalition's plans watched in shocked silence as the base's rallying defenders were cut down. Those that didn't fall to a tranquilizer dart or stunning hex, a neko would whisk by and blindside. Or a fairy would swoop past at minimum size, then clobber a soldier the instant he or she reverted to human proportions. On every monitor screen, chaos was unfolding.
Against all odds, Antonin had made sure this base would hold off any invaders. It was part of why he had such an esteemed reputation, always finding a way to beat back Felarya's savage hordes. Too bad it was only in preparation for the day he could take the base for himself. And now, the base that had held firm and expanded for forty years was being overrun in a manner of minutes.
Antonin's superiors in the imperial army began shouting orders, as if their cacophony of ill-conceived commands would do any good. Then, monitors started going out one by one. Some cameras were being taken out by the invading force, but not all. Most were going out due to Antonin's loyal comrades in this very command deck. Let these buffoons get a glimpse of the tidal wave coming at them, then kill the feed, heightening the fear and uncertainty more.
However, some had not entirely lost their minds. Antonin was actually taken aback when his father slid up next to him. It was a bigger shock to see not fear etched on his face, but indignation. His eyes slid over the monitors still providing feeds. "Forty years this base has weathered Felarya's savagery. And now fairies just traipse on in, virtually unopposed?"
All these years spent with little contact with his father, mostly because he could no longer stomach the reminder of who sired him. No wonder Antonin forgot the prideful, pugnacious little man was far sharper than anyone would guess. "And I caught glimpses of rather interesting stuff right before some of these screens blanked out. Like some of our OWN troops turning on each other as these fluttering freaks approach, just a couple seconds before the feed went dead," Betran went on. "The screens showing the entry points being guarded… Are some of our own at those points turning too, now that we can't see!? And these flutterbrains and furheads…for creatures hopelessly ignorant of human societies, they're moving through here far too swiftly. As if they KNOW the base's layout!"
So, his father wasn't a sheep in wolf's clothing after all. So much the better. Turning to Betran, Antonin calmly said, "Father, if I didn't know any better, you're accusing some in this base of treason."
"Just ONE person at the moment, son!" roared Betran. "I caught those little nods you gave some of the techs in here. Much as it turns my stomach to even think it, I'm guessing you got some part in this!"
Soft, fearful murmurs erupted behind them, which soon gave way to the sound of weapons being drawn. Antonin sensed, rather than saw, all the guns pointed at his back. His superiors gave commands to seal off the command deck, as well as secure the techs that Betran pointed out. Antonin sighed as he folded his hands behind his back, then said, "Here I was thinking I could keep on exploiting the hubris of my so-called superiors, only to get a tad overconfident myself. And my friends…a couple seconds off, and things start to unravel. These will be valuable lessons in the days ahead."
"You speak as if you'll get a chance to go on with your plans, whatever they are," spat Betran. "My instincts were right all along. Your first mission, it DID addle your brains!"
"Only half-right, father," Antonin replied calmly, his back still to the majority of the visiting party. "That mission was an unwelcome shock, but it was an eye-opener, helped me see more clearly. As for what the rest of you can see, well…"
With one last, quick nod to his comrades, Antonin concentrated. He released a quick burst of magic from his folded hands, blinding the gaggle. That little diversion also gave his friends a chance to break free. Having closed their eyes beforehand, they whirled around to grapple with those who had held them at gunpoint.
Those Antonin tried to blind were quick to recover, however. They bum-rushed him before he could cast any more spells. None of them had a fraction of Booth's finesse or valor, but could easily bring him down with sheer weight of numbers. Too many Delurans were overflowing with hubris, but that didn't mean they couldn't strike swiftly when they had to. Antonin struggled mightily, forcefeeding quite a few knuckle sandwiches, but they kept coming despite bloodied noses and lips. The sounds of shots going wild, ripping into the terminals and making small cracks in the reinforced windows, mixed with the thuds from his punches. Unfortunately, it was a losing battle. It took three people to slam Antonin's back against one terminal and pin him there.
With a trembling hand, Betran picked up a pistol and pressed the barrel against his temple, the metal feeling as cold as he knew his father's heart was. "Game over, son," Betran snarled, newfound venom put into that last word. As if Antonin still cared what this greedy, shriveled thing thought. "You're getting on the comm and calling off your freak friends!"
"You're assuming you have any real leverage," Antonin replied, his voice even, utterly lacking in fear. "While you were all focusing on me, the Coalition has moved on and secured over half the base. You were right, father. The troops ordered to the entry points will be of no help, and I have friends placed in every facet of the base's infrastructure."
"We've still got the ringleader of this freak circus," snapped Betran. The barrel pressed into Antonin's temple even more. "And with the command deck sealed off, that's some leverage we can press!"
"True, the command deck has plenty of anti-fairy measures in place to bar entry," Antonin said, his voice oozing indifference. "Of course, don't you expect the invading fairies to know that? And plan accordingly?"
As Antonin hoped, nervous murmurs erupted around him again. He kept grinning at them, drinking in the fear that was slowly creeping back. So what if he couldn't throw them off, now that he was exposed? Once again, he found himself a hostage far too valuable to kill. And once again, all he had to do was be patient. Something that came easy after waiting forty years for this day.
A sticky, sucky sound from right outside the reinforced windows made several of Antonin's would-be captors look up. Black blobs now stuck to the outside of all of them, and they were giving off a beeping noise. And several dozen meters beyond them, there were several fairies fluttering, carrying Coalition members, mostly nekos looking eager for another rousing hunt. Imkza was leading them. She held Rnokoll close with one arm. With her free hand, Imkza depressed the button on a detonator as she smirked…
There was a cry to shut the blast shields, but it was too late. The explosions didn't shatter the windows outright, but now they were so cracked, no one could see through them anymore. As the besieged Delurans raced to process this turn of events, the fairies hurled the nekos through the windows, or barged through themselves. The sound of glass shattering quickly gave way to cries of pain and fear. Nekos deftly swerved around gunfire, ducking around and leaping over terminals, right before they moved in and tackled their assailants to the floor. Some of the shooters were thwarted by the Coalition members they had accosted moments before. They shoved them aside, giving the nekos and fairies an opening.
Within moments, the tables had completely turned. The ones pinning Antonin down were roughly hoisted off of him. A rather burly admiral was bodily lifted off the floor and slammed onto a nearly terminal by Rnokoll. Antonin knew the gruff Vishmital was beaming underneath that bevor, seeing the Deluran military leaders as just as craven as the superiors he once put up with. Another one, an executive of a munitions company, was now pinned to a terminal by Aya, of all fairies. Her forearm pressed down on the back of his neck, while her other hand grasped both wrists and held firm.
"Don't. Don't make me shrink you to keep you quiet," Aya pleaded as he struggled.
Antonin caught the regret and sorrow in Aya's voice. The dear girl just wasn't meant for a warzone, and Antonin empathized with how she was forced to turn on all her older friends. Earmarking fellow Delurans for death had become disturbingly easy, and Antonin didn't want a creature as innocent as Aya to become the same way. Even the flower that currently adorned her hair looked wilted. He made a mental note to keep Aya out of the fighting from here on out.
Picking himself up off the terminal, Antonin looked around for his father. As expected, Imkza had made a point of subduing his old man personally. She effortlessly held him with one arm crossed over his torso, and now had the pistol he held earlier pressed to his temple. "So, you're the general's father, eh? No wonder he was so eager to get into the Deluran military, if it meant getting away from a slimoid like you."
Antonin stood before them, taking a good long look around the command deck before glaring at his father again. Everywhere one looked, Coalition members had everyone else under wraps. The shocked, mortified looks of those subdued said it all. "At the moment, father, I know it must be painful to admit. But come on, how spectacularly have the tables just turned?" Antonin quipped as he turned to grin at Betran.
"You DARE look so happy, so glib, turning on the Deluran Empire like this!?" Betran cried as he fruitlessly struggled in Imkza's hold, ignoring the gun pressed to his head. Imkza was using the gun for the humiliation factor, no doubt. To show his father that she didn't even need fairy magic to handle such a decrepit creature, but it wasn't really working. "Why, son!? Why turn on the empire you fervently believed in!? Why side with these fairies and nekos, these…FREAKS!? WHY!?"
So Antonin reached over and took Betran's gun from Imkza. As Imkza still held Betran firmly, Antonin waved the barrel just under his chin. "It's more like these…freaks, as you so erroneously put it, have sided with me," he said in a measured, singsong tone. That would get to him, and not just his insouciance. All his life, Betran had to work hard to get others to follow his lead. But now, leadership of disparate factions came naturally for his son. "And I do it for the same reason everyone in the Coalition does. I refuse to be fodder. Not for voracious predators in Felarya, not for the Deluran Empire, and CERTAINLY not for you. I thought it was clear, forty years ago, that I wouldn't walk the path you laid out for me. That I'd forge my own. This is where it led me. And now, I command this base, as I rightfully should."
"What will taking the base get you!?" demanded Betran. "The Empire won't let this go unanswered!"
Antonin chuckled as he leaned closer. "And here I thought you were still sharp for your old age. The question should be, 'Why did you wait to take the base now?' The answer to that is also the reason you still draw breath, father."
The glint of realization flickered in Betran's eyes. "The alternators," he breathed.
Antonin nodded. "The most precious gift you've ever bestowed on me, father. Thanks to you, everything is in place for the Coalition's final act."
Betran snarled back at him. "And that would be?"
Antonin straightened himself. "Think what you will of me, father, but I'm still a Deluran. Conquest is in my blood." Looking to Imkza, he said, "Get him down to the loading bay with the others, but be gentle with him, Imkza. And have everyone in the base not yet with us rounded up and brought there as well. Also, do we not have one more guest to invite in?"
"Working on it, General sir," came the hasty reply of a tech girl who'd been sealed in here with him. One even younger than Anna when she first arrived. With a lurch, the loading door in the base's roof parted ever so slightly. It was enough for the huge end of a blade to slide through, and begin prying the doors open. The Coalition's prisoners gasped and screamed all over again as a huge, blond naga slid down the slope with the lifts. As Paquxa drew closer, careful to avoid crushing any parked vehicles, they could see her solid black eyes and realized it was not Crisis. Unsurprisingly, that hardly assuaged their fear.
"The cannons right under the command deck, working on it…disarmed!" finished the tech. Antonin nodded in approval. Those weapons were in place in case any predator broke through those upper doors and made a beeline for the command deck. Any giant being that dared get close would be reduced to a bloody heap if they pressed on. That easily kept Coalition fairies from enlarging to full size while out there. But now, that formidable firepower was under his control. The entire Deluran Underground Base, at long last, was under his complete control.
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It was nearly an hour before Coalition forces had all those still loyal to the Deluran Empire gathered in the loading bay. Most of them were huddled together directly under the command deck's windows. There were scores and scores of them, soldiers and engineers and maintenance crews. They were allowed to stand, though they were being closely watched by Vishmitals and Coalition Delurans with guns at the ready. It was probably unnecessary, though, given how many of the Coalition fairies were still in plain sight. Some darted here and there at minimum and human size, curiously examining the vehicles in the loading bay, but most hovered around their gaggle of prisoners. And if they didn't dissuade any of them from trying something stupid, Paquxa's massive form loomed over all of them. The slightest twitch that reeked of resistance, Paquxa would sense it in that dimly lit loading bay, and act accordingly.
Antonin was hopeful that none of them tried anything that warranted anything harsh. In fact, the next part of their plan relied on avoiding that. Much hinged on bringing everyone else here into the fold. That was why the base's remaining personnel were allowed to stand. The gaggle that had followed Antonin into the command deck, however…
Those self-important leaders of Deluran society were made to squat on their knees, hands behind their heads. In full view of everyone, but especially the rest of the captives. Those who saw through the Deluran Empire's propaganda, as Anna Demorah had, would relish seeing how the mighty had fallen. Those still loyal to their empire would be aghast at seeing their leaders being humiliated in such a fashion. Either reaction suited their purposes. The gaggle just kept staring the bay floor, trying not to look at the other personnel, and especially not up at Paquxa's huge, stern face.
However, when a reinforced blast door on the bay's side wall slid open, everyone taken captive looked over to it. Antonin strode out with several Isolon Fist renegades and fairies at his side, including Imkza and Aya. He tried to keep his expression even and impassive. No appearance of smugness and gloating could be afforded, though he felt quite satisfied after finally achieving this goal. These humans who were to be brought into the Coalition could not feel as if they were conquered. Rather, a chance to achieve conquest themselves had to be offered…
"To all those gathered here, who have no real clue what's going on…yes, it's true. I, the base's general, have been in collusion with several factions here in Felarya. Not just these sympathetic fairies, but factions from the city of Negav. You'll learn all about them in time," Antonin began. Best to keep things slow, don't give their captives too much to process at once. "The latter factions have allied themselves with me because they're dissatisfied with their leaders. Much as I am with Delurah's. Much as all of you should be, and a good number probably are."
Antonin took a moment to look over the faces of their captives, to gauge their reactions as much as to let his words sink in. Betran braved shooting a nasty glare his way, but Antonin merely smirked and strode on. "Well, right now, considering I've been your commanding officer for many years, doubtless none of you know what to really think. It's my most fervent hope, though, that those gathered here will serve in the Coalition just as loyally as you did when you believed me a loyal servant of the Deluran Empire. In the meantime, I'd like to give the floor to someone else, someone who made all this possible. For many in the Coalition, Exona was the voice of leadership whenever I could not be around. But to the Delurans in the Coalition, and to me, she's something much more special. We call her 'Ordenzli'."
That last bit grabbed their attention for sure.
And so, with baited breath, their captives looked back to the blast door as it slid open again. This time, a solitary figure strode out. Exona walked out proudly, the cold, smooth concrete of the loading bay feeling quite pleasant to her bare feet. She had longed to freely feel that again without worry, and now, this base was hers and Antonin's to run.
But Exona was hardly naked. With her Jeffersonian coat left behind in tattered ruins, she had donned one of the coats Antonin had made for her. It looked much like the Jeffersonians', but had the emblem of Delurah in place of the Jeffersonian insignia. Along with a square opening in the back, covered with a Velcro-fastened flap in the back that went down between her wings.
Underneath it, however, was a barely visible brace meant to hold Exona's mending ribs in place. Unavoidable pain came with each step. Hastily-performed healing spells and illusion casting to cover up the worst of her injuries, especially on her face, had been performed the day after the Giant Tree attack, in preparation for this moment. Such drastic spellwork nearly killed her. It would be many, many days before she would be in peak fighting form again, Exona knew.
But for now, it was enough to be seen as strong and alert to these Delurans. The kind of leader they deserved. The lab coat was part of the approach as well. Not only would the Deluran men find her nakedness…distracting, but the lab coat conveyed a sense of power, authority and purpose to them. The sort of things Delurans craved. And Exona would give that to them.
Exona approached their would-be recruits with her hands clasped behind her back. What she hoped was a soft gaze swept over them, a satisfied but warm smile on her face. "It's been a very long time since I've been able to walk openly in this base," she said at length. "Would you believe a lot of fairies aren't all that curious as to what's in here? They say forbidden citroises look sweeter, but despite all the barriers put in their way, it didn't pique the interest of a lot of fairies. A pity, really." She looked up all around the loading bay, past Paquxa's stony face. "It's nice. Nice and cool, several levels filled with technological innovations, and Paquxa has some elbow room for once. Not something she could say about most of our other hideaways."
She paused for a moment, mostly to see how these Delurans were taking her attempt at small talk. There was a point to be made, they were certain, but were confused as to why she was dragging things out. That was because her main point couldn't be spoken.
"Please, everyone, don't insult your intelligence and mine," Exona said suddenly, softly but firmly. "Don't pretend that you have any real interest in what I have to say. Why should you? I am a fairy, part of a species that's mercilessly preyed on your kind for forty years. All of you have lost family and friends to my kind, people who could use their powers to enlarge other forms of food, but instead choose to eat you humans for some perverse pleasure. Nothing I can say today could convince any of you I have your best interests at heart. So instead, you must be shown."
Exona and Antonin looked up. While they were talking, Imkza had flown up along the side wall. High above that blast door, there was a huge display monitor, similar to what Anna had utilized. She was busy rewiring several components. Eventually, she cried out, "OK, we're ready to roll 'em!" She gave a thumbs-up to some techs back in the command deck. They beamed back at her through the shattered windows as they punched in some commands.
All of a sudden, the monitor sprang to life. Exona turned from their potential recruits, not wanting them to see her devilish grin. That whole time one predator after another came at her back in the Giant Tree, Imkza had used a camera to record everything while their enemies' attention was elsewhere. And here, for the Delurans' viewing pleasure, was proof that Exona could deliver. First came the fight with Aurora, then Kai, then Relina. Relina sent a shiver through the crowd. Exona had figured the Valka Fae didn't consider the Delurans worthy prey, but stories of their fierceness obviously reached this base, regardless.
But it was nothing compared to the reaction to Crisis appearing onscreen. For a Deluran on this base, Crisis was synonymous with terror itself. With death. And seeing Crisis lose all control while wielding a huge sword doubtless raised that fear to new heights. But the feed played on, and then…
Their would-be recruits cried out when the feed showed Exona running Crisis through. Exona snapped her fingers, and the feed paused, the sight of Crisis crumpled with a sword in her gut in freeze-frame. No need to show them what happened after that…
"There. The bane of Delurans here in Felarya, dead," Exona said resolutely. "For forty years, your leaders have promised you glory, promised you could plunder Felarya's vast riches. But in all this time, they never did a thing about the biggest obstacle in your way: Crisis. But Antonin and the Delurans already loyal to him, they attacked Crisis's home, something NO ONE in Felarya has ever dared before. And as you just saw, I personally delivered the coup de grace."
"Think long and hard everyone," Antonin chimed in. "Your other leaders, they were happy to let you be terrorized by Crisis and all her friends, to keep you malleable. But those days are over. We are all Delurans, we live to conquer. But we must conquer our own fears, first and foremost. With Crisis out of the way, and her friends now the ones who are truly afraid, the time to spread out from this base and do that is NOW."
"B-B-B-But what about all the fairies!?" demanded one of the captives. A young woman, a little slip of an engineer in a jumpsuit. Not exactly soldier material, and thus couldn't be expected to master her fears so quickly. The fact that one of the weakest of the lot dared to speak up, however, gave Exona hope. "Especially those psychotic Valke Fae!? There's still more of them than there are of us! Once they get wind that your so-called Ordenzli skewered Crisis, they'll come after us! If your fairies could barge in, what's to stop THEM!?"
Exona chuckled. It was a valid concern, considering how the base was overrun in minutes. However, Exona already had that detail sorted out…
"No hostile fairy will dare come within fifty clicks of this base, my friend," said Exona. "Not so long as you have this."
With that, Exona pulled out a long, glass vial from her coat pocket and tossed it to her. It bounced around a little as the nervous girl struggled to get a grip on it. When she finally did, the Delurans around her leaned forward to look. Inside was some slanted, chalky, turquoise gel, and on it was some crusty growth, yellow-orange from its copious carotenoids.
The engineer stared at the vial for a good, long while before looking up to Exona again. "W-W-W-What is this?"
"A little something the Delurans started, but I finished. Your so-called superiors called it Project SX-122, but shelved it because it was costing too much money and progress was slow. Apparently, creating the ultimate deterrent against predators just wasn't worth the cash," Exona said, a bite to her voice that she hoped carried over to their other prisoners. "Crisis's friends call it Zom-TB, and with good reason. A normal infectious dose will leave most predators open to suggestion for some time, letting Antonin and I control them until immunity is built up. In higher doses, Zom-TB is lethal, especially to fairies at human size. The Coalition's fairies are immune, but if any others come in here looking to take a bite out of you, they won't come out. Alive."
"It's true, my friends. Several dozen harpies are already in Zom-TB's thrall, and have gathered around this base," Antonin added. "You now have a predator army of your own, a means to keep hostile predators away for good. A clear path to the glory our superiors always promised us, but was kept out of reach, stretches before us."
Exona and Antonin could see it in their eyes: temptation. The elimination of Crisis, the promise of a surefire deterrent…slowly but surely, that wall of Deluran conditioning was starting to crack.
"W-W-W-What would you want us to do, as part of this…Coalition thing?" croaked the engineer.
"The same thing your so-called leaders over there said they wanted. Only we'll do it right," replied Exona, again directing snideness at Betran and company. "They promised you a part of a glorious conquest, and it just so happens the Coalition's next objective is a conquest no one in Felarya has dared to even dream of. Whether you're in or not, it's up to all of you."
"Some of you have heard of a city-state called Negav. Again, many in the Coalition come from Negav factions. The Isolon Fist, the Vishmitals, Nekomura's nekos, and even ordinary citizens. People just as sick of the Ps'isol Magiocrats as I was of our fascist oligarchy over there, kneeling before you all." Antonin took a moment to shoot a smug gaze at his father. "We've already got a plan of attack. In a couple of weeks or so, we'll be ready to make our move. Adding hundreds more able-bodied Delurans to our ranks, though, will further tilt the odds in our favor."
Their would-be recruits whispered and murmured among themselves. Exona hoped her anxiety was hidden behind that mask of determined patience. Dr. Brennan spurning her offer had been enough of a disappointment. How could you turn me down, Dr. Brennan? Exona silently wondered as she watched her potential recruits. You're an anthropologist, a historian. This is history in the making! The beginning of the end of the Ps'isol Magiocrats AND the Deluran Empire! You could've been a living witness to it all, and help make it happen! Help forge a just society to your liking!
At length, that engineer spoke up again. "W-W-W-What happens after Negav falls, er, General Garrardo…sir? Something tells me you're not exactly doing this for the glory of the Empire anymore."
"Why should I? Why should any of you?" Antonin asked innocently. "Most of you are here because you had no other choice. Either take part in these ridiculous military ventures that put you at insane risk, or suffer on the cold, merciless streets back on Delurah proper. I didn't understand any of that, growing up in the Garrardo family. It took being hunted by Felarya's predators to open my eyes. After that, I swore to do everything I could to keep those in power in the Empire from doing the same: sacrificing all of you needlessly to satiate their greed."
"After Negav falls…you plan on going after the Deluran Empire itself?" croaked a surprised boy behind the engineer.
"Why shouldn't we?" Again, Antonin asked that innocently, ignoring the startled gasps at his brazen blasphemy. "We are Delurans, we seek the glory of conquest. And our empire has become decrepit, rotting from within. We've all heard the fable of Elotono, who brought down a corrupt dynasty. History repeats itself, and we've already got an Ordenzli who's provided us the means to strike back."
"For instance..." Exona snapped her fingers again. Several fairies at human size converged on all of them. Some cringed, no doubt fearing being shrunken and eaten, but a good number of them stood firm. Another encouraging sign.
Instead of using their magic on their captives, they instead enlarged huge tubs that they placed right in front of them. "Go on, open them," Antonin urged. As expected, it was the female engineer who braved doing so. She gasped as she saw what was inside. Military-grade weaponry, the finest Deluran engineering could provide. And the metal looked pristine, not a hint of corrosion.
"Oh, did I mention our Ordenzli also figured out how to keep our trademark alloy from rusting here? Something else our leaders never wanted to spend money on," Antonin went on. "We've got plenty of places here in Felarya where we manufacture Deluran weapons in-house. Go on, take them. And ask yourself, what do people who provide you weapons truly want? To conquer you, or let you take part in conquest?"
The engineer picked up a semiautomatic rifle and prepped it, impressed by hearing everything click right into place. Exona braced herself. If need be, she could deep freeze the poor girl if she tried anything stupid. But their gamble paid off. She kept her gun aimed downward, and more and more of them came over to take up arms. "What about our families back in Delurah?" the she asked suddenly. "With the base out of contact, everyone back home will get suspicious. And if they suspect treason, our loved ones will be at risk."
"The Coalition extends beyond Felarya. Antonin has agents in place in Delurah, ready to shepherd your loved ones to safety," Exona reassured her.
She hardly seemed reassured, but for the moment, she seemed willing to go along. It was a start. The engineer turned to look at the movers and shakers in the Deluran Empire, still forced down onto their knees. "And what about them? Are they leverage?"
Exona smiled. Judging from the thinness of this girl's face, she was no stranger to not having enough to eat. No doubt from a lifetime of extreme poverty, just like Anna. Her posture had telltale signs of old injuries that were poorly treated, which Felarya's magic had yet to rectify. Resentment at her old masters was already bubbling to the surface. And she wouldn't be alone. This was exactly what Exona was counting on.
"Certainly. I'm not monstrous enough to kill my own father in cold blood, after all," said Antonin. He sounded his usual, amicable self, but Exona could detect the telltale tone of bloodthirstiness. And smiled again. "But they're not leaving this loading bay unscathed. For centuries, people like them sought to blind all of us with propaganda. The phrase 'an eye for an eye' never rang truer."
And with that, Antonin thrust out an outstretched hand. Their would-be recruits gasped as magical light charged up around it. When Antonin fired it off many moments later, it wasn't an explosive burst or a continuous beam. Rather, several streams scattered out, like serpents, and shot toward his father and his peers. Each one struck an eye. At once, the sound and smell of searing flesh was upon them all, mixed with their screams. When Antonin broke off the spell, his victims sagged even lower, crusty, blackened craters in place of where their eyes had been.
"Haul them off to the brig," said Antonin sternly, not even sparing his father one last glance. As for their other captives, unsurprisingly, horror was etched on many of their faces. But Exona could already sense how some of them were impressed. Delurans were taught to worship power. Delurah was like Felarya in some ways; the law of the jungle was all one could follow much of the time. Exona had just exploited that to put herself on top of the pecking order in her world, and now Antonin had in his.
As Exona watched her troops haul their blinded prisoners off, she realized she wasn't entirely satisfied. Again, it was Brennan's absence. On her world, the law of the jungle should've put her on top. She was wealthy, respected and the best in her field. But she spent her life cleaning up messes after the fact, instead of making a better world where senseless murder happened less often. Exona had desperately wanted to bestow that opportunity to Brennan, now that these Delurans were set to remake their own world, but she spat in her face. Exona still couldn't decide if that made her sorrowful, angry, or a little of both.
But as Exona mulled over her failure to win over Dr. Brennan, she neglected to realize not everyone there in the loading deck was enraptured with the idea of their coming conquest…
Aya was also watching their prisoners being escorting away, a distraught look on her face. Then she glanced back up at the huge monitor, where the image of Crisis's crumpled form was still displayed…
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Felarya character credits:
Crisis, Anna Demorah, Vivian, Temi, Léa, Lily, Belletia, Melany, Subeta, Aya, Frerik Mezzus, Alastazia Lesona, Zil, Gramon Baltazhar, Alvar, Anko, Thas Voidfingers, Myreli Seluvine, Ramtov Telekline and Queen Nemyra belong to Karbo
Milly, Isham, Elia, Calina, Lucilya, Yemic, Jissy, Roshan, Ajab, Tina, Joanna, Tan, Pal Sebrit, Palaye, Rajan Dyab and Chol belong to FrenchSnack
Remus vir Patstriker, Xanthe, Ciel, Meringue, Nicholai Vardamis and Batten belong to NickInAmerica
Jora Fenderen, Jade and Tanny belong to Ravana3K
Noxcia, Malika and Relina belong to turboman500
Nikita, Aniya and Yuri Nikalavich belong to Tora044
Katrika and Velvet belong to Zoekin3
Milia Moonleith and Zycra Zordford belong to vaderaz
Seliky Serela and Aurora belong to kikijonson
Helia and Atreus Karminari belong to Heavenless-Star/TheLightLost
Fiona belongs to rcs169
Kai Roga Mayin belongs to JiroKatsu
Garnet belongs to Petite-Emi
Zarynia belongs to AndurilWielder
Exona, Antonin Garrardo, Imkza, Paquxa and Shandra belong to yours truly, Grey-X