Act 1 Chapter 2

History Returns

The prophetess, known by her family and those close to her just as Louise, stood at the front of the massive cargo train in a deep stone tunnel. Her black and red top and Skirt outlined her well-shaped feminine form elegantly, and also seemed to exude an aura of power to those she approached. Brushing a lock of her pink and red highlighted hair out of her face she turned and looked behind her at the train.

The underground cargo train between the cities of Nexus and Mirage had been built only five years before, and was the most important connection between the two Crystalist cities. It was a total of four sets of tracks on each side to handle the large size of the cargo platforms they used to transfer equipment and resources between the cities. Each cargo platform was almost fifty meters long and twenty meters wide, and could hold hundreds of tons atop them. The tunnel and rails had been one of the more lucrative projects that the Crystalists had undertaken to connect their two cities, and was by far one of the most used.

The three cars behind her own were full to the brim with boxes of mechanical equipment, fish and similar resources. The only incredibly important thing that was on them, was held in Louise's own head; the current progress of the Crystalists first ocean faring dreadnaught, the Dauntless.

Louise did not desire war with any nation of Halkeginia, and hoped those countries far north of them would never find out about them, but she knew that was almost impossible. With the information their spies brought back from Halkeginia every so often it was obvious that if any country found out about them it would be war, and the Crystalists, while technologically far more advanced, still had significantly less numbers. The Dauntless was the first step to fix this problem, a ship so large it could strike targets dozens of kilometers away. With its main guns and many AA positions no sky ship, whether it be Halkeginian or elven, would stand a chance.

Looking back to the control panel before her Louise tapped it and looked over the information. They were now only a couple kilometres from Nexus, a good thing considering the distance between the two cities was almost two thousand kilometers, and even the fastest cargo train took almost a full day to travel from one to the other.

A minor vibrating in her pocket caused Louise to reach down and pulling it out of her pocket. "Yes?"

"Louise, we have a problem." Siesta's calm voice said through the phone, though it currently had a hint of urgency to it.

"How bad can it be?"

"Our probes on the threshold island, they're picking up massive energy spikes, too great to just be a flux. The threshold is charging up for activation!"

Louise's face turned serious. "How long does Legion guess until it activates?"

"Legion says a matter of minutes, exactly seven and dropping."

Louise looked about and noticed the cargo train slowing down as it entered the station, and promptly ran to its edge and jumped off onto the platform. "I just got off the cargo train; I'll be there in five!"

"Alright, but please hurry!" Siesta said before the call dropped off.

Louise closed her phone and slipped it into her pocket as she began ascending the stairs up out of the underground platform. This was one of the few times that the long dress she had become accustomed to wearing in this time of peace had its difficulties, stairs. Just because the front of the dress was higher than the back and showed off a bit of her lower legs, did not make it any easier to run up stairs without almost killing herself.

Atop the stairs was a massive upper platform, full of cranes and lifts to bring equipment to the surface, and beside it, the main gate. Breaking free of the constraints of the underground Louise took a deep breath as the bright sun shone onto her skin and clothing. It could only last for a moment however as Louise turned and gazed upon the city around her, Nexus, the Crystalists capitol. Running up the stairs and through streets Louise ascended the almost pyramid like city as she headed for its highest point, Nexus Prime, the Crystalists command building and head of government.

Seeing her haste not a single person got in her way, and just as many people quickly vacated the streets allowing her to pass, as her showing haste was a rare thing in the city. Well within her expected time frame, Louise finally came up to the deep red main gate of Nexus Prime, and quickly pushing them open and stepped inside. Less than a minute later Louise walked into the Command and Control Center. The CCC was a large circular room with a massive holographic projector in the center that normally showed a map of all of Kania. Surrounding it where a number of large tables with computers, piles of maps, and short bookcases full of compiled information. Standing in front of the holo computer were those who comprised Louise's inner circle. Fouquet the Adamant Earth, who now held the official title of a general, was well loved and respected by the people for her equal treatment of those around her. Siesta, known as the Blue Lotus, was the one who ran and commanded all of the Crystalists information networks and shadow teams. And Faravis, Fouquet's dark elf husband, was one of the single greatest minds on technology and magic in Nexus besides Louise herself.

"We're just waiting for Legion to clear up the video feed." Siesta said with a smile as Louise stepped up beside her.

Louise nodded. "Looks like we'll have to postpone that meeting for a bit then. Legion, please open the video feed, it doesn't need to be absolutely perfect."

"Very well." came Legion's steely tone as the holographic map of Kania was quickly replaced by a rectangular video feed.

The feed opened up and began showing it's video in real time, though it was slightly fuzzy. The Scrin threshold towered above the probe, darkening the ruins of ancient structures around it, and in the thresholds center, a massive glow grew ever brighter. As they looked on the glow in the thresholds center suddenly began flashing and craft after black craft flew out of the threshold at high speed. Many looking extremely similar to Nod carryalls, bombers and venoms. The last venom through the threshold was quickly blown to pieces by the missile following it through. A second later, dozens of bright yellow craft flew through the threshold and began firing upon the Nod craft. Many of these craft looked like Orca's and Firehawks, and a few looked completely unknown. Finally, as the thresholds glow grew brighter still, a massive flying ship, easily the size of a Scrin Mothership, slipped though and the threshold glow dimmed. The massive ship moved slowly, firing off volleys of fire far ahead of it, and as it flew above the probe, the signal cut out, leaving nothing but a blank feed.

Everyone in the room was silent for a moment, until Louise walked up to the control panel. "Legion, reply the video, stop it half a second before the feed cut out.

Obeying her command the video quickly replayed and stopped right at the end, showing the side of the massive ship, and the word 'Kodiak' across its side beside a large golden logo of an eagle, GDI's logo.

Louise swallowed and turned around to everyone else. "I was once told that the greatest GDI commander in history piloted a craft called the Kodiak. During the second and third Tiberium wars he was responsible for many serious nod losses." Louise stated grimly.

"B-But that means-", Fouquet began.

Louise nodded. "We can only assume that Nod forces from Earth evacuated through the threshold, and were followed by GDI forces."

Everyone was quiet for a moment before Siesta smacked her cheeks lightly and stepped forward a bit. "Then we need to help them, if Nod forces are here we need to contact them!"

Louise nodded. "I agree. Legion, can you make a guess as to the Nod ship's heading.

"Long range scanners have found them. " Legion's tone stated. "Original heading was east toward Halkeginia, now appears to be swinging south, toward Kania's north western tip in an attempt to shake attackers."

"Do we have any patrols in that area?" Faravis spoke up as he began looking over the video the probe sent back on a nearby computer.

"Searching . . . . Affirmative. One scout buggy located in northern Kania, heading toward Mirage at cruising speed of 223km; it appears to have been at the River Nile in north eastern Kania."

Siesta suddenly sighed and placed her hand on the bridge of her nose, garnering everyone's attention unconsciously. "That would be Clarity and Emelia."

"What are they doing in the north?" Louise asked curiously.

"I had them checking up on a strange sighting by the Nile River to keep them from sneaking over to Mirage, but it seems they're trying to sneak a peek at the Dauntless anyway."

"Heh, they're still trying that, huh?" Louise muttered. "No matter, this works well. Siesta, can you call them and inform them of the situation?"

Siesta nodded and bolted out of the room, not saying a word nor making a sound as she disappeared. If anyone else was in the room they would have thought she ha disappeared.

"If they were under attack they could have wounded." Fouquet added.

"Yeah you're right. Can you prepare some forces in case of problems and prepare the medical groups to take people in the city."

"I'm on it. I'll even have them prepared to fix people on the move if I have to follow them out." Fouquet stated as she ran off.

"This video might have some clues to it," Faravis suddenly said, not turning his gaze away from his screen. "I'll look over it and see what I can discern."

"Glad to hear it. . . . I'll be in the Tacitus store."

"Going to try to access it again?"

"Yes, there's something I want to check out."