DISCLAIMER: I own nothing, this story exists purely because I want it to. Additionally credit for the cover image goes to Mythorie over on Deviant Art, your awesome mate
(Smoke machines start up)
Guess who's back
back again
Shady's back
tell a friend
Guess who's back, guess who's back, guess who's back,
guess who's back, guess who's back, guess who's back..
(Stormhawk fan enters from stage right)
HELLO ALL AND WELCOME BACK TO STELLARIS!
Thank you so very much for you patience, honestly, I didn't think I'd be starting this one this soon, but as already discussed over on my Korra story, Awaken and Storm and the Hawk are going no where fast. So since we're considering those two on hold at the moment, I decided to continue the story here.
So yes, here we are with the sequel to Stellaris Book 1: the Fledging, Stellaris Book 2: The Shadow of Cerberus. For those who have not yet read book 1, I recommend you go back and do so now, you'll find it under the Storm Hawk's library of stories, or you can just search under my stories. Since however, this book will have an ever increasing cast from the Mass Effect universe, I decided to make this story an official crossover between Storm Hawks and Mass Effect, with a Stellaris backdrop, and characters from across the Sci-Fy multiverse.
Book two begins roughly a year after the end of book 1, and this chapter will set the scene for our major players and characters. We'll be having many characters from book 1 returning, and even a few new ones making an appearance.
For those needing a recap on what happened last time, here's a quick summary.
Lark Cyclonis, with the aid of Commander Ahsoka Tano Shepard and her crew, raided the slave compound of Lord Repton Corvax, to rescue Piper Peregrine, her friends and nearly 2000 other Telani - along with many others - after they were kidnapped from their home planet of Atmos. Utilising evidence acquired during the raid by Lark, the Citadel Council was able to wrest control of Atmos away from the Hegemony, and give the Telani people their independence. Ahsoka was given the credit for the mission, while Lark, still a student at the Alpha Centauri Prime Academy (ACPA for short), quietly went back to complete her studies, but was also later joined by Piper, Aerrow and Finn who are now enrolled at the ACPA as well. Meanwhile Repton was placed under investigation for treason, but before his trial could take place, was secretly contacted by the Illusive Man, leader of the pro-human terrorist group known as Cerberus. Repton made a deal with the Illusive Man to aid Cerberus' goals in the Hegemony, in exchange for help in wriggling out of the charges held against Repton.
Now a year on, we're about to see where these paths lead, grab your seatbelts people cause its gonna be one WILD ride.
WARNING: THIS STORY WILL CONTAIN THEMES OF VIOLENCE, RACISM AND DEATH, IF YOU DO NOT WISH TO VIEW THESE, PLEASE RETURN TO YOUR PREVIOUS PAGE.
Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls, Dear Readers all, Welcome back, this is... Stellaris: Book 2: The Shadow of Cerberus... enjoy.
Stellaris, book 2: Shadow of Cerberus
Chapter 1: Plots and Plans
Neutral Space, April 3rd, 2278, 10:00 am
The vast expanse of empty space between clusters, was suddenly disrupted as a Gorvan Hegemony Emissary ship dropped out of hyperspace. The ship's pilot was a young man with a pair of large black feathered wings, dark hair, and wearing a Hegemony pilot's uniform. The young man was a Telani, a member of a winged Humanoid species. As the ship began to settle from leaving hyperspace, the young man began shutting down the engines.
"We've arrived at the specified coordinates my Lord," the young Telani stated.
Behind him, stood a large bipedal reptilian – a Gorvan – with dark green scales, and wearing a beige military tunic. "Good, activate our distress beacon," the Gorvan ordered, which the young Telani followed immediately.
Several moments passed, before another, larger ship appeared ahead of them, before a voice filled the cockpit. "Gorvan Emissary ship, we picked up your distress signal, what appears to be your emergency?"
The Gorvan nodded, and the young Telani responded, "Our hyperdrive malfunctioned, we shut it down for safety."
"Are your sublights still working?" the second ship asked.
"Affirmative," the young Telani replied.
"Very well, proceed to docking berth A3, we'll get the problem fixed right away, and if we can't, we'll drop you off at the nearest Starport."
"A3, understood," the young Telani replied, before activating the sublight engines and proceeding towards the larger ship.
They soon arrived and were docked, with both the Gorvan and the Telani leaving via the airlock. They were met by several people of various species in engineer suits, the lead engineer tipped his head to the Gorvan. "Hello sir, we're here to conduct repairs," the Gorvan simply nodded, as he and the Telani stepped aside. As the engineer team passed, the lead engineer spoke again, "The Captain is on deck three and waiting to fill out the necessary paperwork sir."
Another muted nod from the Gorvan, and they were off as soon as the airlock closed. They proceeded through the ship in silence, making their way to deck three. Along the way they passed a minigenre of people, from Humans, Asari, Turians and Salarian, to more uncommon species, such as the insectoid Nilvak and the small mammalians the Fornar. All working on one ship or another, docked at the large mobile Repair Barge.
At last, they reached deck three, where a Human in a grubby uniform, that might once have belonged to the UNE was waiting for them. "Ah, you must be-" he began, but was cut off, as the young Telani suddenly rushed forward, with a powerful pump of his wings, and slammed the man against the bulkhead wall.
"If you value your life, I'd advise you to not spill out names or information idly," the Gorvan stated coldly, with not a hint of remorse at the man's current situation. "Let him go," the Gorvan said to the Telani, who obeyed instantly. "Is everything set up?" the Gorvan asked, gesturing to the door they were all standing next to. The Captain, a little frazzled, just nodded mutely, "Excellent, do make sure your crew completes their work on time, I want to be off as soon as my business here is concluded."
Another nod from the Captain as the Gorvan and Telani entered the room, "Last time I take a job like this," the Captain muttered after the door had closed.
Inside the room was a single chair, designed with tailed species in mind, which the Gorvan proceeded to sit in, before pulling out a small metallic triangle – a Focus – from a breast pocket on his tunic and attaching it to his right temple. Instantly, a blue holographic interface sprang up in front of him, before forming the shape of a desk with a chair behind it. Half seated on the front of the desk, reading a report, was a Human man in his mid to late 40's, with slicked back, dark hair. He glanced up as the hologram finished forming, "Ah, Repton, I trust you found your way to the rendezvous well enough?"
Repton snorted, "Honestly Illusive Man, I don't know how the UNE hasn't caught you yet if this is your level of deception."
The Illusive Man chuckled, "We take precautions to ensure Cerberus remains hidden, we've gotten fairly good at it." He then stood up and marched around the desk to sit in the chair. "Now, to business, I summoned you here because I believe Telvos Tyran is about to conduct a high-profile meeting with the Imperial Court, that will decide the future course of the Hegemony."
Repton's eyes narrowed, "Yes, I've been hearing rumblings myself, what of it?"
"I need you to sit in on the meeting, and report back," the Illusive man responded, "If my predictions for this meeting are correct, we may just get the opportunity we've both been waiting for."
Repton leant forward, "Interesting… but I'm not sure I'll be able, Crispina has been adamant about keeping me out of the Imperial Court after last year."
"She wasn't particularly happy with Telvos' judgement on Master Repton," Black Hawk interjected.
Repton twitched slightly, Black Hawk had been showing increasing signs of independence over the last year, and it was starting to bug him. The young Telani was still loyal, but Repton was nevertheless, concerned. "Correct, she's been watching me like a hawk, just waiting for me to screw up, even after I plead guilty and presented that… 'evidence' you gave me against my peers."
The Illusive Man just smiled, "Don't worry about Crispina, I've made sure she'll be distracted, just make sure you make it to the meeting room before her and all will be well."
Repton sat back again, and placed one leg over the other, his tail swishing languidly behind him, "Very well then, was that all?"
"Not quite," the Illusive Man responded, "I just wanted to confirm the contents we took from your personal storehouses before Telvos got to them."
Repton blinked, after the investigation against him, the crown had confiscated much of his wealth. Cerberus had gotten to the stashes first however, and made off with the most valuable items, the ones Repton would prefer the crown not finding, "What about them?"
The Illusive Man gave him a conspiratorial look, "These are some quite rare materials… surely you didn't mine this stuff all by yourself?"
A toothy grin spread across Repton's face, he'd long since discovered why Cerberus was so interested in Atmos, and wasn't surprised to find, it was the same as his reason, "Wouldn't you like to know."
Another chuckle from the Illusive Man, "Well, I suppose it hardly matters now doesn't it, we're both in this together after all."
"Indeed," Repton replied, standing, "I'll sit in on this meeting, and get you your intel, you just make sure Crispina is off my back." With that, he plucked the Focus from his head, causing the hologram to dissipate, before marching back towards the door, Black Hawk following.
Once they were outside, they ran into the Captain again, who was just coming back, "Ah, sir, my team has finished repairs on your ship, and I have all the necessary paperwork here."
Repton nodded, signed the man's forms, before marching back the way they'd come to their ship. As they boarded, they passed the engineering team who were just leaving, the lead engineer turned to them as they passed. "All good sir, one of the capacitors was fried, very odd, looks like it was caused by weapons fire… but I don't see how that's possible?"
"It's not," Repton replied, "We were never in a combat situation… understand?" Repton gave the engineer a pointed look at the end.
The man got the gist, "Yes sir, of course sir, just my imagination sir."
Repton nodded, and with that, boarded his ship, Black Hawk hot on his heels as the airlock closed behind him. Soon after, they were disconnected from the Repair Barge, and turning away. "Take us back to Bogaton Black Hawk," Repton ordered, as he settled once again in the cockpit's main chair.
"Yes, Master Repton," Black Hawk replied, before spinning up the ship's hyperdrive engines, and sending them on their way.
]|[
Alpha Centauri Prime, ACP Academy April 5th, 11:00 am
The bell signalling the start of second period, rang out across the campus of the ACP Academy, as students left their current classes and moved to their next ones. As they did, the windows of one of the labs in the science building suddenly blew out, releasing a ton of smoke and causing students nearby to scatter in all directions. Two students appeared at the next windows across, opening them and gulping down the sweet fresh air. One was a dark-haired, pale skinned human girl, with violet eyes, the other was a girl with raven blue hair, dark chocolate skin, amber eyes, and a pair of feathered wings, the same colour as her hair.
"Okay," the human girl coughed, "Maybe we don't try running the power through the secondary capacitor."
"Yea," the Telani girl croaked, "Bad idea." They proceeded to get their breathing under control, before the Telani girl spoke again, "Well, let's look at the bright side… things could have been way-" she was cut off as the sprinkler system finally kicked in, and not just in the lab building, but in the next two buildings across from them, as the smoke had been billowed by the wind towards them.
Moments after this, the campus PA system activated, and the irate voice of Principal Torrens rang out across the Academy. "CYCLONIS, PEREGRINE, MY OFFICE, NOOOOOW!"
Lark Cyclonis and Piper Peregrine both sagged over the windowsill, and spoke the same words together, "Damn it."
]|[
Ten minutes later, found them standing in front of Principal Torrens of the ACPA. The man, currently in his late 90's, was rubbing the bridge of his nose with finger and thumb. "This is the fourth incident in the last month!... first you set fire to the engineering lab… then you caused a mass crash throughout the entire IT department… and don't even get me started on that whole mess with the fighter pilot sim!"
With each reminder, Lark and Piper seemed to shrink into themselves, "We're really sorry Professor, we really thought we'd gotten our math right, and that it would work," Piper apologised, wings sagging behind her, head bowed.
Torren's gaze snapped to Lark, who at least had the decency to look contrite, "What exactly, were you two trying to do!?"
Lark shuffled her feet nervously, "We… were testing out some theories on the principles of perpetual energy, through the use of Biotics," Lark replied, doing her level best to avert her gaze from Torren's.
Torren's blinked, momentarily taken aback. "That's an incredibly advanced theory… hell, it's only just been made public… and you two thought you could prove that it worked?" he sounded less angry, and more amazed, and a little impressed.
Lark and Piper both nodded, "Yea… and we screwed up," Lark admitted.
"We've been following all the news on the theory since it was released, and we've done a ton of research on it," Piper explained, perking up here as she activated her focus, displaying a large amount of data that they had both collected, and created themselves through their research. "This little project of ours has been weeks in the making, and we thought we had it all worked out… but we didn't," as Piper finished, her wings sagged again.
Torrens sat back, and let out a sigh, their hearts were in the right place, as always, but it seemed they always tried to bite off more than they could chew.
Reminds me of a certain someone, Torrens thought ruefully.
"Alright," he finally said, catching the two girl's attention, "I can't ignore this, which means I have to exact some form of punishment." Both Lark and Piper tensed at this, "Ordinarily, your repeated destruction of Academy property, would earn you both a boot off the campus." Real fear now entered their eyes, but Torrens pressed on as if he hadn't noticed this, "That said, outside of these incidents, your both exemplary students… distinctions in all of your classes, which is most impressive in your case Miss Peregrine, considering the catching up you had to do."
Piper's face darkened with a blush at this praise. "So instead, I'm giving you both a full month's detention." Both girls opened their mouths to protest, but Torrens shot it down with a hard stare, "And furthermore, I'm revoking your privileges to the labs, IT department, and workshops, for the next year." Looks of shock crossed their faces, but again, Torrens' expression brooked no argument, "Should you prove yourselves to be responsible, I may consider revoking the latter decision early… but only if you can prove you can work responsibly, and don't blow up half the campus… am I clear?"
Lark and Piper exchanged a look, before nodding, "Yes Professor," they said together.
Torrens nodded, and dismissed them.
Outside Piper stretched her wings, while giving a groan, "Well that could have gone better."
"At least we're not expelled… I really thought he was gonna do it for a moment," Lark responded.
Piper shuddered, "Spirits, I'd have hated explaining that to my parents."
Lark snorted, "Speak for yourself," she said, throwing her hands behind her head, "Before you came here, I was a strait-laced student."
Piper gave Lark a conspiratorial look here, "With the minor exception of running off after an international slaver, with a bunch of mercs, who are really the crew for an undercover Council Spectre, all to rescue a bunch of primitives whom you'd only just met, and free an entire race from the bonds of slavery and tyranny."
Lark used Biotics to playfully tweak one of Piper's feathers, "Smart ass," she shot back, a broad smile plastered across her face.
"Juvenile delinquent," Piper returned, also with a broad smile, which set both girls laughing.
"Well, you two are certainly chipper for just having got a dressing down from the Principal." They looked up to see Aerrow Strike and Finn Star, perched on the branches of a campus tree, with Sabine Wren and Ezra Bridger sitting beneath them.
"Heh guys," Piper greeted, smiling, "How long have you all been here?"
Ezra shrugged, "About the same time you went in to see Torrens… couldn't really attend class as you know… on account of it being flooded from a sudden sprinkler rainstorm."
Both Piper and Lark's faces heated at that, "Yea, our bad," Lark admitted, while rubbing the back of her neck.
"What did Torrens do?" Finn asked, while munching on an apple.
Here, Lark and Piper both sagged against the tree with their friends, Piper up on the branches with Aerrow and Finn, Lark down on the ground with Ezra and Sabine. "A month's detention, and no lab, IT or workshop privileges for a year," Lark said despondently.
All four of their friends winced, "Ouch," Aerrow commented.
"Well," Sabine started, "At least you're not expelled."
"Don't jinx it Sab," Ezra replied, which got all six of them laughing.
]|[
Alpha Centauri, Planetary Capital Avalon, San Jociocho Suburbs, April 5th, 12:00 pm
Starling stared out the window of the skycar, as it came into land in front of a medium sized house, in a leafy suburb, on one of the UNE's oldest and most successful colonies. "Alright, we're here," Ren Peregrine said from the front seat, his wife Cecilia sitting next to him, both looked back worriedly at Starling, who continued to sit immobile.
"This is a waste of time," Starling stated monotonously, not bothering to look at either of them.
Ren and Cecilia exchanged a glance, before Cecilia reached back and placed a hand on Starling's leg, "We're just worried about you sweetheart… you've had trouble sleeping ever since you came back… and after what happened to Alica…" Cecilia trailed off, unwilling to voice the fear in her heart.
"I'm fine mom," Starling replied, forcefully, "They're just nightmares, I can handle them."
Now it was Ren's turn to reach back a hand to his eldest daughter, "Starling, its okay to tell us how your really feeling… especially after what you went through… you shouldered a terrible burden for four years, a burden that no one your age should have to bear, and now…"
"I'M FINE!" Starling snapped, finally turning to look at them, "I'm not going to kill myself, what part of that do you not understand!"
Neither parent flinched, this situation had been becoming a progressively more common occurrence over the last year. "Your father and I lost you once Starling," Cecilia said, calmly, "We refuse to lose you again."
Ren nodded, "If not for your sake, then please at least do this for us, for our peace of mind, we'll both feel a lot better if you at least talk to a professional about this, and Dr Ziegler comes highly recommended."
Starling gave a huff, and looked away again, out the window, back towards the house.
I'm fine, they're just nightmares, if I endured four years as a slave, I can endure this, I DON'T NEED TO SEE ANYONE ABOUT THIS!
Her parent's hands on her leg, brought Starling out of her thoughts. She sighed, "Okay, for you, I still feel like this is a waste of time."
Both Ren and Cecilia smiled at that, as they turned to get out of the skycar, after a moment's hesitation, Starling followed them.
They proceeded up a paved pathway through a well-manicured lawn, to the front door of the house. From the trees drifted the noise of the local fauna, and the sound of larger animals could be heard in the distance. As they approached the front porch, Starling noticed a four-legged, black furred creature, about the size of her head, curled up on a chair sitting to one side of the door. It lifted its head to look at them, and Starling instantly realised why it looked familiar, as a feline face was revealed, not unlike the Myotites she'd seen in Repton's compound. This creature though, was clearly just an animal, and it stretched lazily, back arching as it got up, jumped down from the chair, then proceeded through a flap at the bottom of the door.
Just as its tail disappeared through, the door was opened by a human woman in her mid-twenties, with jet black hair and wearing a maid's outfit. "Fareeha, that's rude, aren't you going to greet our guests?" the cat glanced back at the woman, giving her a look which Starling roughly translated as 'Really?' before flicking its tail, and sauntering off into the house. The woman just shook her head at the departing cat, before turning to the Peregrines, "My apologies, the Dr's cat is a little distrustful of strangers… my name is Monica, you must be the Peregrines, it's a pleasure to meet you," as she spoke, she extended her hand.
Ren stepped forwards, and accepted the offered hand, shaking, "Likewise, I'm Ambassador Ren Peregrine, this is my wife Cecilia, and this is our eldest daughter, Starling."
"Heh," Starling responded, non-committal.
Monica continued to smile, despite Starling's response, "I'm sure Dr Ziegler will be very pleased to meet you as well, please, follow me."
They followed Monica through the house, until they came to a conservatory at the back, looking out on a garden filled with bushes and flowers of all kinds. Dr Ziegler was sitting in an armchair, near a coffee table in the centre of the conservatory, with Fareeha curled up in her lap. She was a human woman in her mid to late twenties, with blond hair done up in a ponytail, and wearing a blouse and cardigan, complete with some blue jeans. She looked up from petting Fareeha when they walked in. "Ah, hello there, you must be the Peregrines," she began, her voice sounding strange to Starling's ears. She could understand it well enough, but there was a strange inflection to it she was not familiar with.
Dr Ziegler gently removed Fareeha from her lap, before rising to greet them, "I'm Dr Angela Ziegler, it's a pleasure to finally meet you in person Ambassador Peregrine," she said, shaking Ren's hand.
"Likewise," Ren replied, he then gestured to Cecilia, "This is my wife Cecilia, and this…" he tailed off as they all turned to Starling, but Angela carried on for him.
"Ah, you must be Starling, correct?" Angela asked.
"That's right," Starling said nodding, then tilted her head, "If you don't mind me asking, what's up with your voice?"
Angela blinked, then let out a little giggle, "Ah, noticed that did you," Starling nodded. "Well, to put it simply, English is not the only language humans speak, its simply the most common, so it's the one we chose to use when interacting with other species." Angela held her hand to her chest, "I come from a place called Switzerland, back on Earth, it's a tiny country between the nations of France, Germany and Italy, so the language is a strange mix of the three, and depending on the region of Switzerland, it can be more one than the other two." Angela turned to Monica, "Could you please fetch us some tea Monica."
"Of course, Dr, right away," Monica replied with a bow.
As Monica departed, Angela turned back to Starling, "I happen to come from a region in Switzerland that is closer to Germany than anywhere else, so my accent is closer to German… but enough about me, we're here to discuss you… first, I'd like to note how brave you were, to have gone through all that you did… most your age wouldn't have been able to shoulder such a burden."
Starling blinked, before looking away, "Can we just get this over with please."
Angela nodded, and gestured for Starling to have a seat on the chair next to hers, and for her parents to seat themselves on a nearby mini couch. "Of course," she said, as she sat Fareeha back in her lap again, "Now then… your parents tell me that you've been suffering from nightmares and lack of sleep… how long has that been going on?"
Starling shifted uncomfortably, "I'd say… since we returned to Atmos… maybe a little after that, I did have the occasional nightmare during my captivity too… but they've been getting worse over the last few months."
"I see," Angela replied, "And what do you see in these nightmares… can you recall them?"
Starling shifted again, "I'd rather not."
Angela's eyes narrowed slightly, "Oh?"
Starling looked away, refusing to meet either Angela's gaze, or her parents, "Their about… Bogaton… and what happened there."
Both Ren and Cecilia let out small gasps, but Angela remained impassive, "I see… is Lord Corvax in them?"
"Why does that matter!?" Starling snapped, not liking this route of questions.
"It will help me determine what's wrong," Angela explained, her voice never leaving the soft and gentle tone it had held throughout the meeting.
Starling's blood began to boil, "Nothing is wrong with me, and I'm sick of everyone thinking there is!" Fareeha jumped and hissed at Starling's yell, "And you can shut it too fur ball!" with that, Starling stormed out, heading for the door at the back of the conservatory, and nearly smashing the door with the force she opened it, before running into the garden.
"Starling, wait!" both her parents cried, but it was too late.
"Let her go," Angela stated, having not moved from her spot, her hand gently stroking Fareeha to calm her, "If she doesn't want to talk, we can't force her," she explained, as Monica returned with the tea. "Monica dear, please go and keep an eye on Starling, when she's ready to come back, please bring her in," Angela instructed.
"Yes Dr," Monica replied with another bow, before following Starling.
]|[
Starling continued walking right to the end of the garden, weaving between the bushes and flower beds, till she reached a drop off, that revealed the plains beyond the planetary capital, stretching away into the distance. Her wings twitched, she longed to fly, just for the sake of flying, just to feel the wind rushing through her hair, holding her aloft under her wings. She closed her eyes and pictured what the ground would look like from above, of dancing between the clouds. As suddenly as the images were conjured though, another image came forth, a face, a sneer plastered across it, dried Telani blood reaching up almost to the mouth from further down.
Starling recoiled, instantly remembering why she'd only taken sparing flights since returning, only partaking when she had too. It had been the first thing people had noticed after her return. She, who had always been such an avid flyer, who'd taken such joy in the experience, refused to, unless it was absolutely necessary.
Swearing, Starling flung herself onto the grass, not caring for the dew that still clung to it. "I'm fine… I just… it's a waste of energy, if I don't need to do it, what's the point," she said to herself.
"That sounds like Repton talking… not you."
Starling sat bolt upright, and whirled round, to see Monica standing behind her, "May I?" she asked, indicating the ground next to Starling.
The two stared one another down for a bit, before Starling turned away, "Do what you like."
Monica took that as a yes and came and sat next to Starling on the grass, legs folded beneath her. They sat in silence for some time, before Monica finally spoke, "You know, when Dr Ziegler told me about your appointment, I began researching you on the extranet."
Starling didn't respond at first, but when nothing more was forth coming, she sighed and replied, "And what did you find?"
"A tragic tale of a brave young girl, who shouldered a burden she was never meant to, who was so consumed by fear for her home, her friends, her family, that she was willing to do anything to protect them."
Starling simply sat, staring out at the plains beyond.
"And despite everyone telling you it wasn't your fault, you still blamed yourself for what happened, believing you should have been able to stop it." Here, Monica paused, and Starling glanced to the side, to see the young woman brush her hand across a nearby flower. "And yet… you still have the strength to carry on, to keep going… despite everything you've been through, you still persevere, I admire you for that… I certainly couldn't have done what you did… let alone come out sane."
Starling huffed here, "Sane… bringing me to a place like this doesn't exactly engender confidence that other people see me as 'sane'."
Here Monica laughed, and Starling's head whipped to her, "No one thinks your insane Starling."
Starling felt her ire rise, "Then how do you explain my parents bringing me here, I mean isn't that what you boss does, help insane people!?"
Monica shook her head, "Dr Ziegler's job, is to prevent you from getting to that stage, to try and help you before its too late."
Starling blinked, "But… I thought…"
Monica cut her off, "What you're thinking of is an Asylum, and yes, they do employ Psychiatrists, and they do try to help as many cases as they can get back on their feet, so they can live normal lives again." She paused as her gaze rose to the sky above, "Dr Ziegler however, and others like her, help people before they need to be admitted, her job is to keep you out of places like that." Her gaze now came back to Starling, "Her job, is to help you, in overcoming your inner demons, that you've carried with you since Bogaton, what form that help takes is entirely up to you."
Starling felt her form sag as she listened, and her anger abated, her gaze turned once more to the plains in front of her, before she felt Monica's hand on her shoulder, "I'll stay with you, keep you company, we can talk about whatever you like, or nothing at all, your choice… but when your ready, we should head back inside."
Starling nodded, but did not speak, as she mulled over what she'd just learned.
Her gaze rose to the sky again, once more, Ace's face taunted her, and behind it, she could make out Repton's sneering scaled visage. Her hands clenched, no, I lost four years of my life because of you, I refuse to lose anymore!
With that, she stood, and turned to Monica, "Come on, let's head back in," she said. Monica smiled in response, "Besides, the grass is wet," this time, the young human woman laughed, as they made their way back to the house.
]|[
Planet Bogaton, Imperial Palace, April 6th, 11:00 am
Empress Crispina rushed down the hallways of the palace, damm it, can't believe that stupid tutor held me up all for nothing, I can't embarrass Telvos like this!
As she rounded the last corner, her silk dress, swishing about her, she saw the doors to the meeting room still stood open. Relief filled her as she saw Admiral Jarn welcoming dignitaries from the far corners of the Hegemony. He smiled at her as he saw her approaching, before bowing low, "Your Majesty, perfect timing, I was just about to send some guards to look for you."
Crispina smiled back, and tipped her head in return, "Yes, sorry, Kieran's tutor held me up for some trivial matter, it's taken care of now, I'm just glad I made it to the meeting in time."
Admiral Jarn nodded, "As am I," he nodded inside.
Intrigued, Crispina moved closer to the door, what she saw shocked her. Repton, standing with Telvos, as the Emperor greeted the dignitaries.
She whirled to the Admiral, "What in the gods name is he doing in there!?" she hissed, so as not to cause a scene.
Admiral Jarn shrugged, "I asked the same question to his Majesty… Repton replied that he was merely serving his duty as an Imperial diplomat by assisting the Emperor in this meeting."
Crispina seethed, her mind a whirl with the implications of this, I knew that bastard would try to wheedle his way back into politics eventually, but I didn't think Telvos would ever trust him enough to actually let him!
"I need to get in there," Crispina stated.
Here the Admiral winced, "Your Majesty, I know Telvos changed the rules to allow you and other prominent women of the court to sit in on meetings such as this… but protocol must still be observed…" he trailed off as the Empress turned a withering glare upon him. Gulping, the Admiral glanced back at the line of dignitaries still awaiting their turn, before turning back. "Okay, I can't get you in immediately, and you're going to have to pull your weight too," he said quietly. At Crispina's raised eyebrow he continued, nodding towards the line, "Find Minister Borketh, chances are, you can cajole him into giving you his place in the line… no one behind him will dare challenge the Empress."
Crispina glanced at the line herself, Minister Borketh wasn't hard to find, he was a portly Gorvan, with his massive tail dragging along the ground from nearly base to tip. "That's almost two thirds down the line," Crispina hissed.
"It's the best I can do," Admiral Jarn insisted, "Anywhere else and his Majesty will receive complaints about it, which I will remind you, will only strengthen Repton's position."
Crispina cursed under her breath, knowing he was right. Taking a calming breath, she pulled herself upright, holding herself with all the regal baring due her station, as she spoke loudly enough to be heard by those in line. "Thank you, Admiral, as ever, your assistance is appreciated," Admiral Jarn nodded in response, as she began making her way down the line.
Despite the Patriarchal society of the Hegemony, which usually meant women went unnoticed by the men, the image Crispina cut of a Radiant Empress still drew heads. Most looked to her with respect, and she returned any such gestures. A few gazed at her with lust, and these she scowled at, knowing the palace guards nearby would take note of those few, and ensure they were watched whenever they came into the palace. No one laid a hand on the wife of the Emperor, those that did, quickly lost the hand.
At last, she reached Minister Borketh. He had noticed her approach and bowed low as she reached him. For her part, she put on a radiant smile and gave a small bow in turn. "Minister Borketh," she greeted amicably.
"Your Majesty, it is an honour," Minister Borketh replied in his gravely tone, "To what do I owe the pleasure?"
Crispina put on her best distressed face, "I'm needed by my dear husband's side you see, but according to protocol I can't simply enter ahead of everyone else… I heard you might be amiable to aiding your Empress in this matter." Borketh seemed to consider this, and as he did, Crispina leaned in, speaking quietly, so only he could hear, "I also recently came across a brace of Havulan Pheasants, finest in the Hegemony, I hear they're your favourite."
The reaction was instantaneous, as a small line of drool appeared in the corner of the Minister's mouth. Anyone who knew Minister Borketh, knew he adored his rare delicacies, and would do anything for even a small nibble. Crispina didn't actually have the pheasants in hand, but they'd be easy enough for someone like her to procure.
At last, the Minister caved, and stepped back, using his bulk to displace those behind as he bowed low once more, "But of course, your Majesty, far be it from me to keep our most beloved Empress from her husband."
Crispina smiled sweetly, ignoring the affronted looks of those behind the Minister, she stepped into the line. As she did, she pulled up her communicator while the Minister dealt with a rather unruly peer behind him. "Marketh," she said, as a young Gorvan male appeared as a mini holo before her.
"Yes, your Majesty?" Marketh replied bowing.
"I need you to run an errand for me and place an order for a brace of Havulan Pheasants, for Minister Borketh please," Crispina said simply.
Marketh frowned in confusion for a moment, then put two and two together, "Of course your Majesty, I'll see to it right away." He cut the connection a moment after, and Crispina put the communicator away, just as the line began to move forward. Half an hour later, Crispina entered the meeting room, already crowded with the Hegemony's upper nobility, with the remaining seats starting to be filled by the lower nobility.
Crispina immediately made her way over to her husband, Emperor Telvos Tyran. Gratifyingly, she noticed Repton shrink at her approach, while Telvos turned, smiling. "Crispina my dear, I was beginning to worry," he said, as he took her hands in his and brought his forehead to hers, the limit of affectionate gestures they could display here.
"My apologies Telvos, I was held up by Kieran's tutor, I got here as soon as I was able," Crispina replied.
Telvos waved a hand, "Ah no matter, you're here now, go ahead and take your seat, we'll begin as soon as everyone is here."
Crispina nodded, but before she moved off, she nodded towards Repton and lowered her voice, "Telvos, what is he doing here?"
Telvos glanced at Repton, before sighing, "Since you were not here, he offered to help me in greeting the arriving dignitaries, it is not everyday we have so many of the Hegemony's nobility on Bogaton, after all."
Crispina grasped her husband's hands tighter, "Telvos you cannot trust him, have you forgotten why he was stripped of most of his titles and holdings in the first place!"
Telvos now frowned, "No I had not, but the investigation proved he was more victim in that than perpetrator, we've discussed this before."
"Telvos, I do not believe that for a second, and neither should you, he cannot be trusted, the first chance he gets, he will betray you," Crispina insisted, desperation seeping into her hushed voice.
"And yet he has served faithfully for a full year now, and none of my agents have come across any discrepancies," Telvos replied.
"But," Crispina tried, but Telvos cut her off.
"I will hear no more of this Crispina," he stated imperiously, "I will concede that a year ago your suspicions were validated, but times have changed, and with the nobility growing more and more agitated by the changes I've been implementing in the Hegemony, I need all the allies I can get, even allies like Repton."
Crispina deflated, and finally released her husband's hands, "I understand, my apologies."
Telvos' hand caressed her cheek, "I know you are concerned for me, but I assure you, I know what I' am doing, even if you don't trust Repton, will you at least trust me?"
Crispina glanced at Repton, who was continuing to greet dignitaries as the two of them talked, not seeming to pay any attention to their discussion, but acting for all the world like a true diplomat, serving his Emperor. She then turned back to Telvos, and stepped closer, defying protocol by bringing her lips to his in a light peck, before quickly retreating, "Always my love… just please, be careful… I don't know what I would do if something happened to you." As she spoke, her tail came and briefly entwined with his, as he once again brought their foreheads together.
"I feel the same… you and Kieran are my entire world, and I will do whatever it takes to protect you both," he replied.
Crispina gave a contented sigh at those words, before parting with her husband and turning to take her seat, at Telvos' left-hand side. As she approached the chairs reserved for royalty, she passed Repton along the way, he bowed low to her, "Your Majesty," he greeted with respect. Crispina gave him a stern glare, but said nothing, and continued on to her seat.
Repton watched her pass, inside he was smirking, worked like a charm, my thanks, Illusive Man.
]|[
Once all the dignitaries were seated, the meeting began, the primary item, the Hegemony's waning power compared to the UNE.
"It is a disgrace my Emperor," cried one of the Hegemony's Grand Admirals, "In the last five years alone, the UNE's fleet has nearly tripled in size and strength, while ours continues to crawl forwards like a crippled slave." Murmurs of agreement spread around the room at his words, "If something is not done, soon the UNE fleet alone will be all the Citadel Council needs to keep us in check!"
"And what would you have us do!" cried another dignitary, a noble from one of the border worlds, young and pragmatic, "Our economy has suffered greatly under this constant militant expansion, less and less funds have been diverted towards infrastructure and civil projects, as the military continues to eat up more and more of our yearly budget!" Cries of both agreement and outrage greeted this statement, but the young noble continued unabated, "If we are to regain our position, domestic matters must be seen to first," he stated, "Unemployment is at an all time high, our health and security services, particularly on the colonies, are a disgrace… and as much as the Slaver Guilds like to claim they are holding up our economy, to free up the crown and the military to pursue international issues, they have in fact worsened the situation!"
The cries of outrage grew in intensity, as many nobles, particularly those who dealt in the slave trade, stood, hurling insults at the young noble and the clique of nobles around him.
"SILENCE!" Admiral Jarn roared, on a signal from Telvos.
Telvos nodded in thanks to the Admiral as order was restored, before turning to the young noble, "What are your suggestions?"
The young noble bowed before speaking, "My Emperor, we need to lower military spending, or at the very least freeze it for the time being so that we can focus on the development of our most outlying colonies." Agreement, particularly on the young noble's side of the room began to spread, "Currently, we have dozens of worlds, with untapped mineral and agricultural wealth, worlds that go unutilized, because colonial affairs doesn't have the funds to support development projects."
"Why not leave such things to the Slaver Guilds, they have the capital, and they have the workforce," declared an older noble, belonging to the military faction.
"Here, here!" cried the Grand Admiral from earlier, "The Slaver Guilds have always supported the state in its economic needs, let them handle it, give them leave to settle groups of slaves upon these worlds and set them up as thrall worlds."
A lot of assent greeted this across the room, but the young noble cut across it, "That exact attitude is the problem!"
"Explain," Telvos ordered.
"My Emperor, while the Slaver Guilds have no doubt been a great boon to our Empire, we have come to rely on them too much… more and more jobs are being taken up by slaves, and more and more Gorvans from the lower classes, are being left without jobs." A small uproar of dissent came from the slaver faction, but a stern look from Admiral Jarn silenced them. "In the past, this issue was solved but colonising more worlds, expanding ever outwards… now though, our borders have reached those of our neighbours, the only way we can expand now, is to conquer their worlds, but to do so would bring with it a huge influx of slaves, which would only compound the problem… we could try elevating our own people to leadership positions, but that would mean opening up more seats of nobility… I don't know about you your Majesty, but I feel this room is crowded enough as it is."
A small smattering of laughter went round the room at that, before the young noble continued, "The only way to solve this problem, for good, would be to create new jobs for our own people, and stymie the flow of jobs being taken up by slaves."
Telvos leaned forward here, "Are you suggesting we put regulations on the Slave Guilds?"
A moment of silence passed before the young noble replied, "Yes your Majesty, I' am."
The meeting hall erupted, the slaver faction rising to their feet and howling their disapproval, many in the military faction joining them. In response, the domestic faction rose in opposition, insults being hurled back and forth across the room. Finally, Telvos had enough, and nodded to Admiral Jarn, who picked up a large mallet, and slammed it into a massive metal gong in the centre of the room, the sound overpowering the shouting nobles who all cringed from the noise.
Once the noise from both the dignitaries and the gong had died away, Telvos stood, "I have heard your concerns, and I happen to agree with the domestic faction," he stated with a nod to the young noble and those surrounding him. "For too long now our Empire has obsessed with militant expansion and slavery policies that, while beneficial in the short term, have now become a burden," dissent began growing from the military and slave factions, but the Emperor cut across and silenced them with his next words, "I shall not abandon the long held traditions of this great Empire, but it is clear that change is sorely needed, or we shall be left behind by those who surround us." His eyes roamed around the room, catching everyone's attention, and as they did, the nobles bowed their heads, "The UNE, the Citadel Council, even our own allies are beginning to outstrip us, our fleet, once the most feared and respected force in the Galaxy, is fast becoming a joke… and we can shine and buff it up all we like, but unless we deal with internal problems, it will forever be a shell of what it once was."
As he spoke, the domestic faction seemed to inflate with his words, holding their heads up with pride, meanwhile the military faction looked away in shame, while the slaver faction seethed with resentment.
"We shall begin an audit of the Slaver Guilds, to determine the weight and scope of any regulations," Telvos stated, "Meanwhile, I shall make a tour of our shipyards and military installations, at the end of which, I will determine a fixed budget for the military, which it shall abide by until further notice, no more and no less." The military faction seemed to deflate at the Emperor's words, "And finally, Colonial Affairs will receive priority for any new governmental budgets for the next 10 years, to assist with the development of our outlying colonies… should our investments on such spending be well rewarded, we shall convene again to discuss the results, and continued direction."
Telvos' words received no argument, but if one looked closely, one could see small collections of nobles, particularly from the Slaver Guilds, who stared with resentment at the Emperor for this decision. With no objections forthcoming however, Telvos nodded to Admiral Jarn as he retook his seat.
"Next item, Property disputes," the Admiral called out.
]|[
Alpha Centauri Prime, Planetary Capital Avalon, April 6th, 1:00 pm
"PTSD, what's that?" Piper asked as she sat with Starling, Lark and Dove in their shared apartment just off the campus grounds for the ACPA.
"Post Traumatic Stress Disorder," Lark stated, "And I'm hardly surprised… honestly, I'm more surprised you've been living with it for so long without doing anything about it."
Starling gave a humourless chuckle, "That's what Dr Ziegler said."
Dove shifted next to Starling, "What is this 'Post Traumatic Stress Disorder'?"
"To put it simply," Lark began, "It's a mental disorder, caused by trauma, usually occurring after the fact… it can cause flashbacks, nightmares, varying levels of distress at real or symbolic reminders of the trauma, and can even affect the person physically with pain, sweating, nausea or trembling."
Both Dove and Piper looked to Starling with distress, then Piper voiced the fear they both had in that moment, "Is this what happened to Alica?"
Starling stiffened at those words, but to her surprise Lark shook her head, "PTSD doesn't kill, not directly… but it can cause other mental health problems, such as anxiety, depression, dissociative disorders, self-harm and yes, suicidal feelings." All three of the Telani stiffened at that, and Starling even opened her mouth to protest, but Lark beat her to it, "I doubt that would happen to Starling though."
Now the three of them looked at Lark quizzically, "Why do you say that?" Starling asked.
Here Lark gave a warm smile, "One, your strong, physically and mentally, if you weren't, you'd have come back from Bogaton in much worse shape than you did." Starling blinked at that, not expecting that response, "Two, you have good friends, and family, who've all stood beside you for the last year, that kind of support can go a long way in helping someone who has PTSD." Starling blushed at that, as both Piper and Dove gave her a hug, "Three, you have one of the best Doctors in the UNE helping you overcome this, even I've heard of Dr Ziegler, she's something of a hero among the medical community, and while her talents have made her incredibly wealthy, she doesn't do it for the money, and lives relatively simply for someone in her profession."
"I can attest to that," Starling stated, remembering the nice, but modest house Angela lived in and conducted her business from.
"And four," Lark continued, surprising them, "It wasn't just PTSD that caused Alica to commit suicide." At the confused looks the other three gave her, Lark continued, "Remember, Alica was fully indoctrinated… we still don't understand fully how it works, but what we do know, is fully indoctrinated slaves are next to impossible to rehabilitate… believe me, the UNE has tried, multiple times."
Starling felt a chill run up her spine at that, if Repton hadn't been so impressed by my skills and resistance, I'd have ended up just like Alica… which means I might not be here now, if that had been the case.
"But Starling will get better, right?" Piper asked, breaking Starling from her morbid thoughts.
Lark nodded smiling, "It will take time, something like this can't be healed overnight," she then looked to Starling, "And a lot of it is going to depend on you, and actually wanting to get better… but so long as your willing, and you let Dr Ziegler help you, then you should recover no problem."
Starling returned the smile, "Well, that's why I'm here now," Dove and Piper stared at her confused, while Lark simply tilted her head. "I agreed to start seeing Dr Ziegler for treatment, but that means I need to be in easy travel distance to see her on a semi-regular basis," she waved her hands to the apartment around them, "You guys already had a place here, so me and my parents decided it would be best if I stay with all of you."
Piper beamed, "That's great."
"Yes, it is," Dove added, with a slight suggestive look for Starling thrown in, the two of them had been apart for the last several months, since Dove joined a military exchange program between the Telani Confederacy and the UNE.
Starling blushed again, before getting control of herself once more, "I hope that's not a problem?" she asked Lark.
Lark simply smiled, "Not at all, the more the merrier," she said, "We could even arrange to have a barbeque with the boys, they're in the next apartment over," she said nodding towards one of the walls.
"Wait, what about Sabine?" Piper asked.
"Who?" Starling also asked.
Lark waved it off, "A friend of mine Starling, don't worry about it, we've got more than enough rooms… if we get, intimate," the final word was said with a sly smile that had both Telani sisters blushing, while Dove leaned further into Starling.
"Here, here," Dove said silkily.
"LARK!" both sisters cried indignantly, which got the whole room laughing.
]|[
UNE Vessel Normandy, April 6th, 4:00 pm
Ahsoka Tano Shepard, commander of the Normandy, stepped out of her personal shower, gently drying her lekku, when she noticed an incoming message on her personal computer. Quickly, she got dressed into her usual uniform, before accepting the message, and Admiral Hackett's grim visage filled the screen.
Ahsoka saluted, "Admiral, sir, my apologies, I wasn't expecting a call from command."
"At ease commander," the Admiral said, "And don't worry about it, this only just came through, so there wasn't really time to forewarn you."
Ahsoka nodded as she went to ease, "Understood sir, what's the mission?"
"First off commander, I want to ask you to keep this under wraps, not a soul can know what your doing, not even your crew," Hackett stated.
That began setting off all sorts of alarm bells in Ahsoka's head, but a glance at her screen confirmed the authenticity of the message, so she pushed the matter aside, "Understood sir."
With that, Admiral Hackett began bringing up various pieces of data for Ahsoka to see, and with every piece, Ahsoka liked the assignment less and less.
]|[
Planet Bogaton, Imperial Palace, West Wing, April 6th, 9:00 pm
The meeting had taken many hours, and afterwards had been the traditional banquet to which all had attended, but finally, Repton was free to return to his quarters. Black Hawk was waiting for him when he arrived, and bowed low, "Welcome back master, I've gotten everything prepared."
"No eavesdroppers?" Repton asked.
"Already taken care of, courtesy of our, friends," Black Hawk answered.
Repton nodded, "Good," and entered his apartment. He immediately proceeded to a small closet and passed his hand over a raised segment. There was a beep, and the closet wall slid away to reveal a hidden room and a seat, which Repton proceeded to sit in. Normally they avoided this method of communication, too great a risk of being detected by the palace's security systems. With a little help from the Illusive Man's agents though, today should be safe.
Repton pulled out his focus, and attached it to his head, instantly a holo of the Illusive man's office appeared before him, with the Illusive man waiting in his seat. "Repton, I take it you were successful?" he asked.
"I was, and I have much to report," Repton replied. The Illusive sat forward, waiting with bated breath, "Telvos is freezing military spending, and planning an audit of the Slaver Guilds," Repton began, "He'll be touring military installations personally to determine the frozen budget for the military, his flagship will be departing in a few days."
"And do you know the facilities he'll be touring?" the Illusive Man asked.
Repton nodded, "The first stop is the planet Voron, and the nearby shipyards it supplies… why?"
The Illusive man merely smiled, "Because I may, have just allowed some UNE agents to come across a very, interesting, piece of data regarding those shipyards, to which the Admiralty of the UNE will predictably respond, by sending an operative to confirm its validity… and the closest operative right now to the Voron Shipyards… is one, Ahsoka, Tano, Shepard."
Repton sat confused for a moment, but then the pieces slowly started to come together, and with that realisation a slow smile began to creep across Repton's face, "What do you need me to do?"
And that's a wrap for today folks, please let me know what you thought, as always constructive criticism is welcome.
Finally, welcome back to those who have already read book 1, and welcome in general to new readers. Its great to have you here and I look forward to reading your thoughts on the story in your reviews.
See you all Next Time ; )
