Disclaimer: I don't own Dragon Age or Star Wars
Dragon Wars: The Force of Others
Episode 37: The battle of Val Royeaux part 1
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…
"The battle for Orlais begins; Loghain Mac Tir and Gaspard De Chalons put their differences aside to lead the rebel alliance. Meanwhile, former governess Celene leads two Knights on a daring mission within the city. But leading the defence is Darth Asher, deadly dark lord of the Sith, what ruthless tactics has…"
"Varic, what are you doing?" Bethany asked as Varric coughed.
"Sorry, I was going for an 'epic narration' kind of voice, who could talk like that?" Varric chuckled.
"Quiet you two, the moment is nearly here," Marian said.
She narrowed her eyes at the city and the mass walking towards it. Irving walked in front of the mages and templars. Another group joined with his, one a group of templars led by Meredith and another a group of mages led by Orsino. Meredith nodded to Irving, and Orsino smiled at his fellow first Enchanter. Irving tapped his staff against the floor, releasing a spark. Yellow glows enveloped the army and the mages whom could repeated Irving's spell. That glow was seen by troopers on the city wall, who focused on the light that the mages gave off.
"Commander," one of the troopers drew a uniformed man to the gate.
He took out his binoculars and looked towards the mass.
"First Enchanter Orsino, and Knight-trooper commander Meredith," he huffed.
"Should I send out speeders?" the captain asked.
"Prepare our perimeter cannons, bring up our heavy gatlings, we'll collect the bodies after wards," the commander said.
"Sir, there has been some disturbances on the streets, some of our security teams aren't reporting in," another trooper said.
"They've been inspired by the ridiculous gathering outside, once we've shown them that their magic can't save them then they'll fall in line, if not deploy the droids to make up for our numbers," the commander explained.
Suddenly, the mages and templars began to run, moving at a sprint speed that was as fast as any horse. The commander widened his eyes, unfamiliar with the Haste spell, or Mass haste as Irving had called his army wide spell. Once it was said magic had no place in wars of men, and Irving was willing to show, just for today why that was true. The army rushed through the grasslands of Orlais, rushing towards the city.
"FIRE!" the Sith commander yelled.
They fired their long range rifles and cannons, sending rockets flying towards the mages. Those mages raised their hands, conjuring walls of mana in front of them that absorbed the blasts. But some bolts got through, ripping through the robes of mages and armour of templars. Meredith pulled her great sword off of her back and used it as a shield against a barrage of blaster bolts. Explosions threw mages and templars off of the grass and ruined the landscape. But despite these losses, the army kept charging forward, shields and speed wavering for but a moment.
"RESERVES FORWARD!" Cullen yelled.
Not all of the mages had been using their magic. Whilst Irving and his command stopped and drank large lyrium potions, Orsino and his circle slammed their hands against the floor, just as they came within view of the city. They combined the power of Earth magic, forming a network of Earthquake spells that amplified one another. And they turned that combination spell on the walls of the city. The commander stumbled as the section of wall he stood on shook. Orsino yelled, pouring more mana into the spell. Irving threw his empty potion vial to the floor and ran his hand over his staff, an action other mages followed. Again they created the combination spell, creating an amplified perfect electric storm. Bolts slammed down on the troopers on the wall, and those not electrocuted fell as the stone beneath them began to crumble. From the cloud skies was a great roar, and the Vinsomer came down from the cover, bringing down a breath of lightning. A trio of troopers looked up at the dragon before a cloaked figure landed in front of them. Each one was slashed by a curved sword.
The new arrival turned, his cloak flapping aside to reveal the heavy grey armour he wore. Alistair wore armour based on the Ferelden design, a furred collar around his shoulders with some gold on his gauntlets and boots. The helmet he wore was based on the maw of a Mabari hound, the same Heraldry was on his heavy shield, which had two dragon heads on the top of it. He slid his sword into the sheath on his shield and drew from his belt the cross guard light sabre.
'It should be you here Daylen, but command, leadership, a crown, it goes to those who often don't ask for it. I've turned aside, let others take command too often, I know now who I'm supposed be, not who I want to be but who I must be,' Alistair thought, strengthening his resolve further as he ignited the white blade.
He raised the blade high as the mages and templars poured into the city.
"WITH ME REBELLION!" he roared.
"WITH ME REBELLION!" Marian yelled.
"WITH ME REBELLION!" yelled Loghain and Gaspard.
Deeproads
Leliana and her group crept across the floor, using small tunnels and bits of high rock to avoid the paths the Venatori were using. She spied one of the robed leaders looking over a holo map of what they had dug so far. Taking out her camera, she wound the device up and captured an image. She used sign language to communicate with the others at a distance. Even Oghren had a basic understanding, treading as lightly as he could. Sten was surprisingly stealthy for a man his size, and that was before the fact he was the most quiet in the party. They wouldn't fight if they could help it, even though Leliana could see several places to sabotage the Tevinter scholars, especially with how they stored their barrels of detonators. If they were to trigger an explosion this deep in the roads then it could be catastrophic for them all.
'Not every battle is a fight,' she reminded herself.
She put her finger to her lips, hushing her squad as they hid in a trench, pushing their backs against the walls and listening to the conversation of the two Venatori mages.
"Two Darkspawn hives, one Thaig, two skirmishes with the Sha-Brytol and sixty men lost and one Nug nest and a whole lot of time wasted," one of the mages said.
"You believe they are keeping us occupied with a token mission?" the other asked.
"I believe that our efforts would serve better in going off world with better equipment, excavating old colony worlds of the ancients, what was so great about Thedas?"
"This," the mage raised his hand, creating a spark of electricity.
The other mage stopped talking and looked at the map, pointing to one of the caverns.
"The Sha-Brytol are protecting this area in particular, and scans confirm that there might be a lyrium font or at least a section that leads into the planet's core," he explained.
"A flow of magma from the planet's core might at least provide some power for the facility, if it is indeed here," the mage shrugged.
"Let's just get this over with, check this tunnel and then confirm or deny whether there is anything of value, the sooner we get back to the surface then the sooner we can return to Tevinter," his colleague stated.
"Get the troops ready, we'll wipe out the Sha-Brytol and end this search."
Leliana rested her head back, staying out of sight, telling her comrades via sign to do the same. Again she reminded herself of an old lesson of the game, an old lesson of Marjolaine's. Though she looked back on those days with hatred and disgust, she knew the intellect in the way her old mentor and lover fought.
'Let your enemies fight each other, let them tire themselves out, waste their resources, let them be the ones to kill each other, and then step over what is left and claim your prize,' she imagined the dark haired bard speaking, imagined her breath on her neck.
She noticed she had tightened her fists, that she had even drawn blood from her palms. Shaking her head, she looked to the imperial troops marching down the tunnel, Venatori archers and mages with them. Leliana took a deep breath to balance herself and brought her hands together into a prayer.
"The righteous stand before the darkness and the maker shall guide their hand," she whispered.
"You know I knew a mage who relied too much on the maker and prayers, she ended up going mad for it!"
Leliana's head snapped up, she saw a blue ghostly figure floating above her. She had red hair tied into a tail and wore red robes.
"Petra," Leliana whispered.
"It is you who must remain righteous before the darkness, guide your own hand," she said before she disappeared.
The bard noticed how her companions looked at her, had she imagined such a thing because of the deep roads, or was the force really guiding her?
Val Royeaux
They galloped across the planes, moving as fast as they could, their speed increased by Haste. Bethany drank another Lyrium potion and as she approached the gates of Orlais, she cast the greatest force spell she ever did. Throwing the wave into the ground, she launched herself, Marian and Varric upwards. Varric was still on his nug, the tough creature landing on a Sith trooper. The story teller fired bolts that pierced the necks of those troopers in front of him. And the nug charged forward, throwing off anyone in its path. Marian was overthrown, but she used wire and hook, latching it onto an Orlesian roof. Swinging through the streets, she landed and drew back her bow, shooting a trooper in his arm. Marian ran forward and jumped at the trooper, knocking him to the floor. She drew her knife and stabbed it into his throat, only for another squadron of troopers to come around the corner.
"Shit," she muttered as they aimed their blasters at him.
A cry came out, and the streets filled with people. The people of the city, whom braved the dragon flying above them, braved the troopers and joined the rebellion in one chaotic moment. They crashed into the troopers, making it impossible for them to aim their rifles.
"GET THE RIOT GEAR FROM THE ARSENAL!" one of the city commanders yelled.
Bethany used force magic again, slowing her fall and rolling across one of the rooftops. Probe droids floated over her and she quickly brought them down with a bolt of lightning and a fire ball. She used a Horror hex on troopers coming towards the people. Then she buffed the new rebels with Valiant aura, their eyes glowed and strength filled their bodies. They rushed towards the terrified troopers and began to tackle and beat them. Fenris and the other rebels began to ride through the gate. But at the last moment, Fenris saw what was cast into the ground.
"STO…" he was barely able to yell before he and his squadron of riders fell victim to a Glyph of Paralysis.
On the rooftop above them, the mage and troopers above them began to fire. Werewolves were burned, riders shot off their mounts. Fenris would have gritted his teeth together, feeling a hole get scorched into his Hart. Marian climbed onto the rooftop with her rope and quickly fired an explosive arrow into the troopers. She drew her knives as she ran at the mage and troopers. The effects of the glyph passed and Fenris fell off of his mount. His arm was burnt from the mage fire, but he still fought through the pain.
"YOU, get me up there," he said to one of the mages, looking towards Marian as she fought the troopers and mage.
The mage grabbed Marian by her neck and began to drain her life with Entropy. The rebel mage slammed his hand into the ground, creating a pillar of ice Fenris balanced on. He threw his sword, impaling the Imperial mage and then jumping to Marian's aid. His lyrium marks glowed and he punched through one trooper's armour. Marian slashed another across the throat, grabbing his blaster and shooting another trooper before he could hit Fenris. He pulled his sword out, feeling a warmth envelop his arm. Bethany finished casting the healing spell and then drank another lyrium potion. She pointed to Varric, who was continuing to gallop across the city walls, the nug he rode crashing through troopers with riot shields. Below him, mages entered the city and began to transform into giant spiders, Brontos and Quillbacks. Swift Runner charged through the streets with shape shifted wolves and his werewolf brethren, Ash Warriors released their armoured Mabari.
"What do you mean no air support is on the way, how difficult can it be to hit a dragon of all things, you, you, get as many men together as you can and get to the North-western gate, the fires can be seen to later," one of the commanders was driven frantic by the chaos of the battles erupting through the city.
Loghain and Gaspard rode their units into the city, dismounting their horses quickly and forming a shield wall with the other warriors. Troopers fired their blasters into the turtle shell formation. But the shields of the warriors glowed with magic. An elf magician hid inside the shield wall, her hands together and chanting to cast an arcane wall spell. Across from her was a circle mage, casting an energetic defence barrier, stacking it with the arcane wall spell. But adding to the effect was the rallying skills of the Champion Chancer De Lion and his experience in creating an everlasting barricade. The troopers blinked in confusion, for a moment it seemed as if shining gold shield warriors appeared alongside the shield wall.
"NOW!" Loghain yelled.
They opened two sections of the wall, Cauthrien and Michel pulled back on the triggers and fired the lyrium dust guns that Dagna had designed. Another section of the wall opened and blasters and crossbow bolts struck the line of troopers. The trooper commander, an Orlesian, drew his sword.
"DRAW BLADES!" he yelled.
The troopers clipped their blasters to their belts and drew out their Vibroswords. Loghain and Gaspard nodded to one another.
"LOOSE!" they roared.
The shield wall opened and stolen blasters fired at the troopers before they could charge. Then it became a melee, which Gaspard and Loghain's first line of men ended in seconds. The dragon flew over their heads and breathed lighting into the streets the imperial troopers filled. One rocket trooper fired a missile, which the dragon knocked off course with its tail, sending it crashing into an imperial bunker.
"Damn it, bring up the Mortars, I don't care if we hit the palace, we need to bring down that thing now," the commander snarled.
"The palace has fighters within it, maybe they can support us," said one of the lieutenants.
"Commander Kershan," a voice sounded over the radio.
The commander and his men grew silent, every bunker soldier did as the commanders and captains listened to the voice echoing through their radios.
"Keep the rebels contained," Darth Asher said.
"M-my lord," the commander trembled, his hand holding the receiver shaking.
"Damage to the city does not matter, form a defence around the palace, none of the ground troops are to get through, is that clear?" he asked.
"It will be done my lord, we'll bunker down, form a perimeter and…"
"Let all the rebels in commander, I want them contained within the city," Asher interrupted the man.
The Sith lord smiled at his apprentice, who huffed in mild annoyance.
"Yes my lord," was the announcement made across the channel.
"Celene will no doubt be attempting her own strike against us, let's capture her first," Asher said.
He drew from his belt a hilt which he extended into a staff. The two dark Jedi began to walk through the corridors of the palace, Sith troopers and red guards moving in groups to cover the entrances. Riot troopers activated their energy shields, forming a wall behind the locked gates. Vivienne and her fellow Knight-enchanters walked past Asher, the Dark lord turning to look at where they were walking.
"Go and head the late empress off Kargon, remember your training and at least try to lead her to me," Asher said.
"Yes master," Kargon said.
Celene grit her teeth together in annoyance, wiping the crap off of her boot. They waded through the sewer again, hearing the boom of battle above them. Panaka kept his rifle at the ready, his fellow guards moving around the former empress. Qui-Gon though could tell that it was not for the sake of protecting her, but watching her. Celene brought men with her, nothing more than that. Some people clung to monarchy in Thedas, others did not, and even before the Sith arrived it was the common people whom suffered because of the great Orlesian 'game'. Panaka carried himself like a guard, but also like a common man just making his way in the world.
"What is the plan?" Obi-Wan asked.
"Ensure that the rebels can take Orlais, after that I can promise nothing else," Qui-Gon said.
"It really is not our place to decide what happens here," Obi-Wan said.
"That does not mean we cannot help these people achieve their full potential," Qui-Gon countered his apprentice's argument.
"But when does the help stop and where else could it lead?" Obi-Wan's question seemed more of a retort.
Briala somewhat understood the context of the conversation, or at least the hidden meanings behind the back and forth of the knight and his squire. She had seen lords offer help to elves with a price, had seen jobs turned into servitude and slavery in all but name. The empire offered help at one point; they tempted nations with technology, with knowledge and discovery.
'We'll show you how, we'll teach you, guide you, but wait, you cannot bear the responsibility of this power, so we will make the decision for you,' the empire didn't even bother to skirt the line though, they just flew right over it at hyper speed.
"What is your game in all this Panaka?" Briala asked, looking at the Guard-captain suspiciously.
"Some of us have remembered that life isn't a game Briala," Panaka retorted.
He stopped for a moment, raising his hand to halt the group. There was an odd sound filling the sewer, some kind of hover pad, a probe droid was rotating its head and scanning some of the tunnels. Panaka let the thing pass and lowered his rifle as he looked towards Celene.
"Life is not a game, to make it so was your undoing and ours, Orlais lost Ferelden because of its own infighting and like Tevinter before it, it could never become what it once was because of that, you never even entertained the idea of unity as a strength did you?" he asked and Celene shook her head.
"Unity can be a weakness too," she said.
"A weakness is only a weakness if one makes it so, awareness of your surroundings, trust in common ground and ultimately careful judgement is all one can give before turning to faith," Qui-Gon explained.
"I gave up on faith the same time as I gave up on supposed nobility doing the right thing…for someone other than themselves," Panaka said.
He raised his rifle and continued onwards. Celene lowered her head for a moment in deep thought, a train that was halted when Briala's fingers brushed against hers. She moved ahead with her love, into a battlefield of their own.
Karnax Shipping Yard
Dorian and the trooper squadron he led ran through the corridors of the station. Fires had spread throughout it, and some of the mages had to use ice spells to put them out. Dorian looked down at both imperial officers and civilians, dead from the effects of the heavy weapons employed by the other imperial fighters. He looked to one of the port observation windows and saw the massacre in full effect. Though there were some good pilots holding their own in the prototype fighters, they fell due to the sheer numbers of the imperials.
"What are you waiting for Pavus, come on lets go," the commander said.
He tightened his grip on his staff and moved ahead with the troopers. When they sliced one of the doors open they were immediately met with blaster fire. Dorian saw a young man fall, heard a woman cry out from within the confines of her helmet as a bolt struck her chest. The rebels set up a rotary cannon and began to fire at the troopers. One of the mages raised a wall of stone from the fade, ethereal rocks appeared in front of his allies to block the blaster fire. But the barrage of fire pierced through, pelting him with bolts.
"ON ME MAGES!" Dorian yelled.
He lined up with the other six mages and shot into the rebels a blast of ice. Then he reared his hand back and released a mana blast with the other mages. The energy rebounded off of the ice crystals, hitting the rebels, many of whom had been trapped by the ice. Then the troopers moved forward, firing their blasters at the fighters. The station shook as they ran further and further in, the explosions outside the station growing more and more frequent as rebel fighters were brought down, or transports were able to ram the other imperial ships. The Dominance was burning, a kamikaze from a transport having disabled it. Green beams ripped through even transports trying to get away.
"Hope will not save them," Dorian heard one of the troopers laugh.
Dorian lifted his staff, conjuring a barrier to block a flurry of blaster fire. A woman dressed in some kind of armour fired her two pistols, nearly hitting the commander if he hadn't moved. He fired back, the shots bouncing off her armour. She kept up the barrage of fire, launching projectiles from her gauntlets. They were tiny, like sparks, but quick and they whistled as they flew, striking the weak points of some of the troopers. Dorian released a blast of fire just as she released a cryogenic gas from her wrist. She ignited the rockets on her jet pack and flew around the squad, throwing grenades at them. The mages however formed protective barriers, blocking the explosion. When the dust settled, the armoured woman was gone.
"A Mandalorian, how in the hell did the rebels afford the services of a Mandalorian?" one of the troopers asked.
"Don't worry about it, we need to carry on, keep going and apprehend the rebels," Dorian said.
He needed haste not just for his survival, but the survival of those pilots too. A plan formed in his mind, a fool's plan, Dorian admitted that often his bravado hid a fool's hope. He knew his nation was filled with corruption, with opportunists stepping on the weak and dealing in blood magic. But he also believed that there was nobility in magic, in Tevinter blood. He believed that regardless of whether Daylen Amell truly was he son of Revka Amell, he did have the blood of a Tevinter mage flowing through him. He knew slavery was a horrific and vile, evil thing that his country still unfortunately practiced before the Sith arrival. But his household slaves were servants, and he believed that they at least were treated better than the serfs of some supposedly civilised nations. Dorian knew that his planet had been a place defined by its old superstitions and traditions, he knew that better than anyone. He imagined the day his father would have tried to change him with blood magic, to fit the view of society and what was expected of him.
But he also believed that there was a noble soul within his father, one who loved him, one whom stood as the best Tevinter had to offer. He believed this because he believed he was that kind of man, more than just his nation, what his nation had to offer and his father's son. Which was why Dorian had a very daring and slightly foolhardy plan.
Unknown Region's Edge
Malavai Quinn looked at Canus as they rode across the planet, their speeder bikes hovering over the water. Certain areas of the planet were infected with nuclear energy, whole rivers of poisonous water, soil that could never grow anything and anything that was lucky enough to live there was mutated, deformed because it grew through this smog of radiation. Even the creatures native to this world were even less visually pleasing. They brought their bikes up to a mound and stopped, it provided a good view over the surrounding region. Ruins indicated a small town or outpost had been here. Malavai imagined the Rakatan society that once resided here, but from what he understood, most of what they had built revolved around the force. Malavai was not force sensitive of course, but his job required him to know it.
As someone at the academy once said to defeat an enemy you must know your enemy, not just their battle tactics but their history, philosophy, and even their art though Quinn was no enthusiast.
He had fought alongside dark Jedi, and he had killed them. It wasn't easy of course; surprise was a major factor, particularly when dealing with the enhanced reaction times of the opponent.
"It is over the horizon ahead," Canus said.
"What exactly is it that we are looking for, how will it serve lord Bariss?" Malavai asked.
"It will not serve lord Bariss at all, in fact it will only further the plans of my true master," Canus said.
"Your true master," Malavai looked at the dark Jedi as they climbed onto their bikes.
"The fact that you are here now, a necessity because of the distrust Bariss has in me is proof of exactly why the Sith empire needs a sharp reform. And the Republic isn't any better, that too needs to experience a massive change, but not the change that its leader has in mind," Canus explained.
"What change exactly does your true master believe in?" Malavai asked.
"First I must show you something," Canus revved the engine of the bike and rushed down the hill.
They moved through a forest, weaving between broken and mutated trees. Once they left the forest Malavai saw another settlement, their target. It was in a better state than the other ruins, the houses seemed like they could offer some shelter from the elements. The pair drove through the street, coming to a halt near a set of statues that shocked Malavai. They stood side by side with one another, both just as tall as the other, though eroded Malavai could see the key features on both. One was human and the other was Rakata. Ordinarily one would portray the other as a slave, but here was proof that some society of Rakatans and humans considered themselves equals.
Canus moved on, riding to an area of the planet where things were darker. Mountains and clouds blocked out the light, even the weather seemed chaotic, shifting between storms of dust and streams of energy. They had to abandon their bikes and continue up a mountain on foot. A somewhat eroded walking path was available, but it was still steep and there were many pot holes to trip on. Malavai followed carefully behind Canus, taking out a scanner. There was benign radiation in this area, but also high levels of metal beneath them. Canus stopped them when they reached the first steep footholds of another mountain. He waved his hand over the wall, clearing away the mass of dirt and stone that had formed over a metallic hatch.
"We have arrived," he said as the hatch creaked.
He pulled the hatch off of its hinges with the force, throwing the object aside. Canus took the first step inside, hitting a metal staircase that creaked against his weight. Without waiting, he grabbed Malavai, trapping his arms with the force before they seemingly flew over the metal railings. The dark Jedi slowly levitated to the floor with the agent, huffing as he looked at the complicated spiral of stairs and railings behind them.
"A death trap if I ever saw one, they built this into the mountain away from their civilisation, one of the few Rakatan worlds to exist without a connection to the Force, its why they had to create a way finder that didn't involve the force," Canus lifted up his cloak, revealing the mechanical compass attached to his belt.
"How did you come upon this?" Malavai asked.
"My true master has a very long life span, as long as our emperor has lived, there's a good chance he has lived just as long," Canus said.
They walked along the cavern, following a path cut into the rock as the cavern hadn't started hollow. There were some wider clearings, but there were no artificial pathways, no railings or overhead lights. It was a straight line so no one could lose their way.
"This world lived without the force, what about the statue?" Quinn asked.
"There were no slaves or servants in this world, Rakatan and human lived in peace with one another, but they still needed to protect themselves, especially from a savage and xenophobic faction of the Rakatan."
"The infinite empire," Quinn hummed, familiar with the history.
"You know the stories then, that the Rakatan seeded life across the cosmos, paving the way to our galaxies. This was a lie," Canus said and Quinn widened his eyes.
"Then what truly happened?" he asked.
Suddenly, Malavai heard an all too familiar hiss, followed by a hum. He could not see the light from the sabre, but he knew it was there, feeling the heat a few inches from his neck. His eyes followed the arm holding the sabre hilt. It was mechanical with wires that looked all too much like arteries running around the key areas of the air. The person holding the sabre had a hunched back, lacked a left arm and was partly covered by a ragged cloak. When the person raised their head, Malavai saw that it wasn't armour the creature was wearing but alloy, its body was metal, gears and grinding parts. The droid's hood partly came loose, revealing that its head was a curved appendage that housed a single glowing eye.
"Intruder noted, human male, possibly thirty-five years of age, threat level minimal," the droid droned, looking Malavai up and down.
Canus reached for his belt, the Sith agent expecting the warrior to slice the droid with a single swing. But instead of drawing his weapon, Canus illuminated the room with the light that came from the holocron he had collected. The room they stood in was like a control centre, computers of a technology Malavai had never seen, some looked primitive, whilst others looked like pyramids, lines of energy glowed across them, their interface methods unknown. Canus levitated the holocron, making sure the droid could see it.
"Access code received, how may I be of assistance?" the droid asked.
"Kindly disengage your weapon, and talk me through the activation process," Canus said.
"Activation of what?" Quinn asked.
"This planet was not just an example of Rakatan and human living together, but also an example of what they could build together, or at least that was what they intended it to be," Canus explained.
"The reach of organic creatures always exceeds its grasp, they were warned, the people who ran this colony, they were warned that the Infinite empire would not allow them to exist, that their experiment itself would fail because of their sheer arrogance. What was done to the atmosphere was but an example of this," the droid continued for Canus, limping around the room.
It had mismatched legs, both different models and one longer than the other.
"I have been patient, though the history of this place fascinates me, my priority is the empire, how will this serve the empire?" Quinn asked.
"It is a weapon, a star ship, dreadnought class, not only capable of being operated by a minimal crew but through a concept called 3D printing it can produce its own additional defences, weapons, and even troops," Canus stated.
"Do you mean droids?"
"An insulting term when used to compare to what the ship produces, we prefer Legionnaires," the robot stated.
"You want to know what my master will bring to the empire Quinn, reformation through rebellion, and this ship is but one of many tools we will use to achieve that reformation," Canus explained.
"This ship, it can't be, a Star Forge!"
"This is the answer to the star forge Quinn, a mobile factory that doesn't corrupt its user, that produces practical weapons at minimal cost, though an accident with its nuclear reactor destroyed the community that tried to build it, my master, centuries ago, used machines to continue the construction in secret. Then over the centuries it has gathered energy from the greatest source of power it had available, the geothermal energy of the planet core," Canus brought the holocron up to the pyramid shaped device.
When it opened, he dropped the holocron inside it, creating a reaction that caused the room to hum. Outside the mountains, the rivers, desert and trees were wiped away as something burst out of the ground. Vette gasped, looking outside of the ship and seeing mounds of dirt and water fall from the hulk that slowly rose to the sky. It was a massive ship, twice the size of the Star destroyers the empire used. Though it looked dirty and junk like in some areas, in others it resembled the Rakatan Star forges, its main bulk being an orb that the nose and wings of the ship extended from.
"This is the Geo-Forge Malavai, the second great weapon of the precursors," Canus opened his hand, bringing the Holocron back to it.
The holocron displayed another star chart, one Malavai wasn't familiar with. Canus pulled his head back, chuckling underneath his helmet.
"Tell me Quinn, would you like to find the precursors third weapon?" he asked.
Deep Roads
The Sha-Brytol maintained a good fight, but they were ultimately outnumbered. Leliana had seen massacres, and understood the value they could have for someone carrying out spy work. When you wanted information, a massacre told you something about the people you were spying on. The success of the rebellion came because of truths, regardless of context, behind the massacres and cruelty committed by the empire. They could turn even the most necessary of cruelties into kindle for the fire that was an indigenous people's outrage against an occupation force. Leliana could hide amongst massacres too, who was left to spy amongst a pile of bodies. They provided good distractions, allowing Leliana and her party to move through wastes under the cover of a battle. Bolts, arrows and fire moved through the caverns, triggering falling rubble and methane explosions.
Through all that chaos, Leliana and her crew acted, slicing throats and suffocating the lone troopers left behind. A Venatori gladiator bashed a Sha-Brytol archer to death with his baton, only for Sten to slowly crush his head. Oghren took a swig of his drink, and then spat it into a fire, setting a light a trooper walking by it. The trooper's partner was quickly hit by an arrow Leliana fired. As she prepared more arrows, an uneasy, queasy feeling ran through her head.
"Are you all right?" Valta asked.
"We're getting closer, I can feel it," Leliana whispered.
Valta threw her axe into the back of a Venatori archer, and promptly rolled with Lieutenant Renn to a Venatori warrior, bringing him down with knife and sword.
"Finally, finally we've made progress, just what are you savages guarding?" the Venatori leader asked one of the Sha-Brytol, stomping on his head and burning his hand with a fire spell.
His fellow mage skewered one of the last Sha-Brytol, looking at the wall their path had led them to.
"Ask him why they mark the walls, confirm our theory about them being directions," the mage said.
"I think he bit his own tongue out," the leader huffed before freezing the dwarf's head.
With a snap of her bow, Leliana put an arrow through the Venatori leader's neck. Just as the man fell to his knees, Sten walked towards the other mage.
"You just can't find the right help…" the mage turned and looked up at the Kossith.
Sten grabbed him by his face and with one slam against the wall, crushed the Venatori's head. He nodded to Leliana, who carefully walked over the bodies of the Venatori and Sha-Brytol.
"Such violence, all for this," she activated her gauntlet, running her hand over the wall.
The entire cavern seemed to hum, as lights shined through the rock. Oghren spat some of his ale out, awestruck.
"Shave my moustache and call me a leprechaun, those are lyrium veins," he said.
"Maybe the energy for these 'precursor vaults' aren't being provided by the magma," Renn suggested.
"But by the lyrium itself," Leliana finished for him, pressing her hand against the wall.
She touched the markings the Venatori assumed was left by the Sha-Brytol. Her interest was increased when more markings appeared, seemingly blinking on the rock. The gauntlet on her arm suddenly began to flicker, and Leliana gasped, her breath ripped out of her throat as her eyes rolled back.
"LELIANA!" Valta yelled.
She could hear herself screaming, but she couldn't feel anything. Leliana could only see, flashes of light and then her reflection. She saw herself embracing Daylen, himself in Grey Warden armour, their clothes not touched by any of the technology the Sith had brought with them. They were sharing a passionate kiss, the feelings were so much like what Leliana had felt between herself and Alistair.
Then there was another flash and this time, Leliana saw her corpse, lying on the ground. There was yet another flash and she saw herself again. She seemed a bit older, wearing leathers and black clothes that included a hood. In that image she tended to a flock of ravens, receiving messages from far and wide. Then came another flash and Leliana slammed a knife into a map, an ill intent of deception and a zealot's goal behind her actions. With another flash Leliana heard herself gasp.
She was presented with an image of herself, wearing the robes of the Divine.
Another flash gave her another new image.
She was not divine, but she had served her purpose, her form of flesh was replaced with lyrium and she faded back into the singular being
"This is how you would like to most see yourself is it?" a voice asked her.
She stumbled forward, looking at herself. Once she served in a Chantry in Lothering, or did she? She was uncertain now, but the robes were thick and brown, not like the dark robes of Kirkwall or the white that came with…was there a mage rebellion?
"My apologies, a person's mind can be taken all over the place after a connection," there was that voice again.
She looked ahead and saw a thick haired elderly man sitting at a Pugh. They were in the Chantry, or at least a place that looked like it.
"The mind can create constructs to better understand the connection process," the old man said.
"What do you mean connection process?" Leliana asked, wondering too if she was really speaking.
"Dependent on the vault, you may have to do more than just unlock it with the key, some require a task, a combination, a series of keys or for some, a certain type of character," the old man explained.
Leliana took a moment to breath, but then remembered the words that had been used. Construct being the key one, but when she put mind and connection together, she realised it wasn't air she was using. The scenery shifted, changing from the Chantry, to the throne room of a castle she could have been in, in another life. The old man changed as well, continually shifting sexes and forms between a human, dwarf, elf and Kossith.
"Impressive, it seems you are not as consumed by the concept of god as your memory suggests," the construct's voice continually changed to, but there was a hint of approval in its many voices.
"You're the vault's security system aren't you?" Leliana asked.
"I was once, my creators built me near this well of lyrium, but something happened they did not expect. My circuitry, my AI, it joined with the consciousnesses present within the lyrium," the construct explained.
"You're a living creature?"
"From a certain point of view!"
"Please, I need to access the…" Leliana stopped when the construct raised its hand.
"I said before, unlocking the door is not enough, you must prove to me Leliana, that you and not your enemies deserve the power that I offer," green energy suddenly surged out of a mark on the construct's hand.
It was like a singularity, lifting Leliana off of the floor and pulling her towards the construct. Once again she screamed, before the light took her again.
Next Episode 38: Battle of Korvis Part 1
Hope everyone enjoyed the chapter