Chapter 2(AS): Cylosian Dusk
Himminsdag Mountains, Cylosis, Cyrus' Expanse, Ensryn Galaxy, Sixth of August, 1,986,003
"Arne? Where are you." Gyda Skjoldr asked as she looked around the snowswept mountain tops. Surrounded on all sides by rugged peaks, the woman and the soldiers she was leading pushed through the fierce winds blowing wisps of frost and the cold without any concern.
Her visor set itself to thermal tracking mode, false colours displaying a sea of frigid purples, dark blues, and blacks but illuminating whatever heat sources there were. Her voice was firm but not harsh, she was calling to her son, after all, she couldn't be too firm.
"Sorry...I was looking." Arne Skjoldr said, the platinum-haired boy waddling into her line of sight, her H.U.D. marking his outline in green as she turned her head towards him. His boots kicked through heavy snow and his was frame lit up with warm yellows and oranges on her visor before she set the HUD back to visible light so she could see him as he actually was.
Clad in his blue-coloured insulative artificial fur-rimmed jacket, dark blue snow pants and cleated boots. His nose was cherry red from the cold and blue coloured circuit-like tribal marks rimmed the lower side of his eyes with single lines on each cheek. She let out a sigh of relief and kneeled down, laying her left gauntleted hand on his shoulder while he lowered his stuffed dinosaur toy slowly.
"Arne, what did I say about running off?" she said. With a thought, her fighter pilot-like helmet's visor gleamed as the sun struck its polarised lenses. With a mental command, it disassembled and retracted into the rest of her gunmetal, crimson, and Prussian blue armour, along with the claws on her gauntlet. Her right hand found its way to his shoulder as the three-year-old adjusted his shirt and stared at the Dragon and Crow grasping lightning symbol on her chestplate; the symbol of their tribe.
"Not to do it…" He said shyly.
"Good boy. There are a lot of people who want to hurt us, so you need to stay safe. Don't get out of Sylan's sight, okay?" She said, a small smile forming on her lips as their red eyes locked with one another. Her platinum hair; a wild mane of implausible length for what fit into her helmet, gleamed somewhat in the light while her Valkyrie-like countenance studied her son's expression, her marble-toned skin seemingly soft even with the face paint she wore on her cheeks meant to represent crimson claw marks.
"Okay...but what if I f-" A finger was pressed to his lip before finding its way back to hers.
"It's very important for you to do what mommy says for now. We can play later." She said, smirking and standing back up, the knight-like spaulders of her armour rolling with her shoulders as she extended a telescoping weapon stored on her back to its full length and made a quick whistle to get everyone moving, waiting for a dip in the wind's volume so that she could be heard by the procession of troopers behind her with meditative patience.
The Cylosian winds lashed at her long hair for a few moments before Erik emerged, his youthful face framed by the parka he was wearing over his opened helmet. He looked younger than he actually was, and his mid-neck-length platinum hair had been somewhat tousled by the wind. He stashed away his werewolf gun and started moving quickly, his suit's flight pack folding tightly against the rest of his armour.
"Did you find something, honey?" He asked, running up to his wife after breaking cover and planting a kiss on her cheeks. She flushed slightly but pushed him back after returning the gesture.
"There's a ship beneath there alright." She said, pointing to the mountain with an extended digit.
"Well, yeah we knew that. But anything else?" He asked.
"Whatever's in there is much older than most of the pre-Federation ruins here. Based on the geology, I'd say it's a ship that crashed here about one hundred thousand Earth years ago." She said, looking back at Erik as he had a look himself and then turned back to her while Arne tried to stuff interesting-looking rocks into his pockets.
The mountain certainly didn't seem like it was entirely natural, too smooth, too perfect to be the work of natural erosion and geological processes he wagered. The one mountain that stood above all the rest, whose twisting peaks seemed almost to stab the sky itself.
"Think it's worth having a division's worth of scouts poke around the area for a month? Or screwing up your sleep schedule for even longer?" He said, giving a concerned look at her as she nodded gently. She blinked a few times to clear away some weariness as if to confirm his words, but let her suit quickly clear away the sensation of fatigue and seemed to almost shoot awake, inhaling and exhaling.
"I know you've been missing our time together, but this might be worth our while. We can make up once we're done." She said, laying a hand on his cheek and tilting her head.
"I know, but it'd be a shame to come here and only find some beat-up old piece of space junk. Besides, a man can hope for some more time with his wife can't he?" He said, laying his hands on her hips. She responded to the gesture in kind, her hands resting atop his before slowly sliding up to his shoulders and towards his face, the other soldiers around them not paying them too much heed to their actions.
"Well, he can, but if he's just a little bit patient, he'll have exactly what he wants. And if this turns out to be something we can use to win some ongoing fronts well...I'm sure we'll be able to find some way to celebrate hard enough." She said, feathering some fingers across his chin, a wry smirk forming on her face as she looked down at him, tilting her head to the other side and giving him a coy wink.
"Are you gonna do the thing that makes babies?" Arne asked, getting a snort out of Gyda and a laugh out of Erik. Some of the other soldiers who had been nearby and were close enough to overhear Arne's question looked away and a few put their hands over the mouthpieces of their helmets. Sure enough, the comms were filled with attempts to avoid corpsing. Some were more valiant than others based on the giggling that could be heard through the frequencies.
"Not right now, dad's wearing a bit too much for that." Gyda gave him a little grin as she gave her husband a little nudge to his shoulder that he leaned into.
But after stealing a kiss from him, shortly after she had pulled away she noticed Erik's red-eyed gaze turning to his son and then looking back at her, clearly questioning. She had been having this particular argument with him time after time again and she almost seemed to slump as she sighed and started her explanation one last time.
"I didn't feel safe keeping him back home. I'd prefer to keep him in my sight for a small expedition, and he needs to get out more anyway." She said, sighing.
"...I mean, you're the warrior queen, so I'll trust you on that. I just hope we can pull him out of here if we have to do any revolutionary insurgency here. " He said.
"Technically she's just a clan champion. Albeit one of considerable repute. And she's always had impeccable exfiltration capabilities" Sylan said, the synth walking into view while Gyda rolled her eyes as hard as they'd go.
The synth's blue, yellow, and dark purple body was in rough humanoid shape, though it was currently being carried by a number of tentacles holding its primary body upwards, a function meant to increase its mobility as the two yellow-coloured optics of the synth surveyed the landscape. With a somewhat feminine overall shape, Sylan's profile was generally easy to make out as each of the arm's thick and extendable tentacles stepped forward, claws grabbing purchase into the ground.
"Could the both of you stop tripping over yourselves to offer me praise?" She said, shaking her head before making a few hand gestures spotted by the rest of the group, all of whom emerged from their positions and moved silently towards the place she indicated.
"You sure we need to bring the runt?" A man with a skull-faced helmet said, his mass driver gun almost extending the whole length of his body. His armour was somewhat lighter than the others, his bionic right arm pronounced left optic fitted with a scope monocle, and dramatic holo-cloak all serving to make him do the opposite of what you'd expect a sniper to do and stand out at this moment.
The not-quite-human proportions of the armour hinted at his nature as an aquatic creature, the steps he made having a slight added weight from the water within the armour. His snout was somewhat elongated compared to most, and he was the only one Arne had never seen take off his helmet.
"Would be a shame if we had to feed him to some monsters inside eh?" He said, offering to ruffle Arne's hair only for the young lad to clearly get spooked, dashing behind his mother's legs.
"If you scare my boy I'll feed you your gun, Morr." She said scornfully with a withering gaze. Morr flinched at the hard stare
"Mommy…" He whined as Sylan patted him on the shoulder, the dark blue and purple robot urging him to keep up with the group.
"Don't mind Morr, he's just an asshole." She sneered, her helmet reconstructing itself around her face. The last to re-emerge was the wing-like antennae on the sides that marked her as an aero-commando, spreading outwards as if they were reaching for victory. But as the helmet resealed, the red visor of the helmet glowed briefly as it reactivated, an interested coo being heard from Arne who always found the armour construction process interesting.
The red eyepieces of Morr's helmet glowed back before he snorted.
"Mom...what's an asshole?" He hazarded to ask.
"Something you shouldn't call people unless they're very rude," Sylan explained.
"Oh, does she not like Morr?"
"Tch, you kidding me?" Erik said with a chuckle.
"Yeah, yeah, yuck it up," Morr grumbled as he zoomed in on the site with his helmet.
"Can't see shit besides some wildlife. Why bring the whole crew out for something like this and why the hush-hush?" He said, shrugging as he saw feathery hexapods root around the mountain for tubers, shovel-like claws digging up precious food. Olgraps, a small herd of them busy making their lives in the mountainside, their shaggy downy coat ruffling slightly as some shook off accumulated snow.
"Because urgilk[1] Morr; if the archaeologists' guess is even half accurate we're putting a target on this planet the second word gets out about what we've got here," Erik said.
"Like we don't already?" Gyda said with a wry grin.
"Do we have to hike all the goddamn way?" Morr grumbled. Arne wasn't sure why he was complaining, he was wearing the special armour.
"I could throw you," Lydyl said, the psychic deactivating their cloaking field and appearing next to Morr. Her digitigrade boots gripped the rocky surface somewhat while her six-fingered hands flexed their digits. Her helmet lacked the distinctive winglets on Gyda and Erik's, but overall her armour design was similar to that of her companions'.
"Nah, hard pass," Morr said with a snort.
"This is Wyvern to Mountain; do you have an opening?" Gyda asked.
"Starting to really regret letting you call me Mountain, but yes. Bring the kid, he'll be fine." A deep, bassy voice replied.
"Sylan, take Arne, rest of you; high mobility mode." She said, taking stock of the angles needed to make the jumps she was planning and immediately starting with a sprinting long jump that would have taken her clear over a stadium, bouncing immediately back into the air to grab a cliff face one-handed, yank herself up and jump again all in the space of an eyeblink. She didn't activate her flight pack, fearing detection, but she virtually flew all the same.
"Can I open my eyes when you fly?" Arne asked as the synthetic held him tight, wrapping him in manipulator tendrils and firing off her repulsors, driving her into the sky while the rest of the team followed their commander.
In about twelve seconds, they reached the top of the mountain, where a cavern was awaiting them. Arne's face was now covered by an oxygen mask, and the warm clothes he was already wearing were sealed just a bit tighter to keep him warm.
Gyda let her werewolf gun attach to her right arm for greater comfort, looking around in either direction until the warm orange glow of a walking boulder alerted her to a foreign presence.
She raised a hand as the rest of the team arrived and the figure emerged, the light illuminating his figure. An imposing five-meter-tall goliath with a chest bigger than Gyda's entire body with a squat, crushed bucket-like head; his enormous body sheathed in rocklike and crystalline mineral power armour and his right hand encased in a stalagmite-like arm cannon with the left covered by an orb-like power fist that glowed like magma, his steps were seismically noticeable by the sensors in Gyda's boots as she lowered her cannon.
"What do you have for me, Spire?" She asked.
"It's Alimbic alright. Much older than anything in their cluster over in the Tetra galaxy, the mountains formed around it from the molten material created when it impacted. Won't lie, really wishing it was Diamont instead." He sighed.
"Based on the proportions and design, probably a Super-Dreadnought, I estimate about forty-nine point three four kilometres. Likely has an escort fleet also buried with it. But it also seems heavily customised, my guess? It's the craft of a Lord-Proconsul." He said thoughtfully.
"I'm not the biggest progenitor expert, what would that be?" Gyda asked.
"Military-Governor of a border region, with the authority to represent, defend, or expand the Tetrarch Order as they see fit so long as they stay in the graces of their leadership." He replied.
"I'd have expected some kind of planetcraft or combat mega-structure for someone that important," Erik said.
"That's your inner-army boy talking, Erik. A flagship is just whichever ship in the fleet is being used to command. There's a benefit to using a smaller ship to patrol and keeping the big stuff at home." Spire said, looking at the exposed structure more.
"Worst comes to worst, you'll be able to get away without them suspecting you." She said.
"Anything else you can tell?" Erik asked.
"Entrance is shut tight. Star-breakers wouldn't be able to force them open. Not with the shields up." Spire said.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, shields? Like, the door shields?" Morr said.
"Based on my scans now that I'm here...hull shielding," Sylan said.
"Yeah, how are we supposed to crack that? I don't have enough of a boom for precursor starships." Erik said.
"Won't need to, I should be able to handle interfacing with it," Spire said, gesturing them to follow him.
"Are you sure it has to be you...maybe I could try telepathic interaction?" Lydyl proposed, raising her hand only for Spire to shake his head.
"You'd get lost trying to figure out Alimbic psitech. I've cracked into Alimbic security systems before. Just keep an eye out for any responders," he said, turning to lead them to the entrance he had carved out. However, it was almost immediately obvious that the entrance was a solid wall.
"Trying to be funny?" Morr asked.
"The Alimbics were masters of teleportation and subversal manipulation tech. They only used doors as backups or courtesies. But I can get access by making a request to enter." Spire said.
"Just ringing the doorbell huh?" Morr said.
"He means he's going to ping the ship's ." Gyda corrected.
"Will it hurt?" Arne asked.
"Nah, Alimbic teleporters are perfectly safe."
"Says the guy who takes baths in magma." Lydyl snorted.
"Molten obsidian is great for the pores, you just can't handle the heat." He said jokingly as he scanned the ship to let his suit A.I begin communications. In a conversation that took place over the course of less than a nanosecond, the ship A.I determined they were allowed to enter after confirming the presence of a Diamont and engulfed them in translucent green energy to teleport them within the ship.
Interior of the Alimbic "Themata" Type Super-Dreadnought, "Caesarian Lance"
The sensation of space warping and twisting around them until they were suddenly somewhere else was far too brief to be felt, but the sudden change in temperatures was most certainly noticed by Arne.
His pallid skin, deliberately paled through genetic editing in the womb to ensure he could receive precious Vitamin D from Cylosis' daylight, began to flush with the heightened temperature. He wasn't comfortable and there was only so much his smart clothes could do to reduce the sweltering heat he was feeling.
The area they were in was a sterile, metallic colour intermixed with warmer earthy tones from stone objects brought inside. But the ship was unmistakably military in layout, and unlike the Vesper Defense Outpost, it was kept at a considerably balmier temperature. No widespread coolant leaks for one thing. This was impeccably maintained.
It was a long hallway with a number of platforms and a substantial number of screens displaying information none of them could comprehend or read. But a telepathic probe pulsed through the halls and portals that the machinery within made use of began to flare to life once more. There were intruders that needed responses.
The strange mechanoids of the dormant ship soon came to life in response to the presence of intruders, all bearing the Alimbic's trademark of a single cyclopean optic and Lydyl shuddered somewhat as she felt a telepathic signal echo through the ship.
"Stay behind me," Gyda said, pulling her son closer to her. She looked to Spire and nodded as she huddled with the group. The procession of machines soon formed a circle around the small band. No moves were yet made by the machines to prepare weapons, but they hovered, stood, or rolled rather unpleasantly close.
"We would like to indicate that we come in Peace! Please try not to crowd us!" Sylan protested.
"Oh, Crosenii[2] I don't want to die in this zoomerhole." Morr begged of his death goddess.
But the machines suddenly looked upwards and around, stepping away as impossibly lanky and tall figures materialised via the translucent glow of a teleporter and the whooshing sound of air pushed out of the way. Insectile in form with the contours of their armour ending in many sharpened points, their pincered hands split into two fingers each, tapping their pseudo-fingers together as they straightened themselves to a height over twice that of a human.
They lacked necks like the Krikens, and their somewhat teardrop-shaped heads with pointed crests floated above their torso with no known connections. Singular cyclopean glowing eyes studied the group, and the air hummed with potent energies. Though they had the proportions of stick bugs, their great height and the nakedly obvious energies they commanded were enough to garner respect all the same.
The impossible sight of Alimbics, real, living alimbics, was now staring them down and studying them. It was enough to make Arne drop onto his knees while the adults, save for Spire and Gyda, quaked slightly in nervous anticipation. Nobody had seen a living Alimbic since the days of the Roman Empire. Not a single human before them had ever laid eyes on one to their knowledge, and here was a whole ship's worth of them.
There were four, a tetrarchy and a triumvirate, with the four arranged in a line and the three in a triangle apart, making it clear that they were from separate groups.
The tetrachs were red, green, blue, and yellow, while the Triumvirate counted an orange and an august purple one amongst them, flanking those who clad themselves in steely grey.
"-Do you speak for these beings, Diamont?-" The Grey one did not speak so much as let their words be remembered in the minds of the group. Imperious, stern, like a general ordering their troops.
"Can't they speak for themselves?" Spire rumbled.
"-You are one of the Enlightened; these are your charges, are they not?-" The Yellow one said.
"-Though I must question why you are alone here? You refuse our mental probes access.-" The orange one said, tilting their heads farther downwards towards them.
"Because there aren't any. I'm the last as far as I know." He said.
"-...How did they disappear? Do the Cathedrals of Mondreus still stand? Who are you?-" The Green one asked, their telepathic voice filled with...concern.
"I don't know, I woke up to find everyone else gone. All the buildings emptied, all the vehicles vanished." Spire sighed, his glow dimming slightly with sadness.
"He's Spire." Gyda cut in, hoping to satisfy their request for information and silently praying that satisfying their curiosity would outweigh their offence to her speaking out of turn.
"-A nickname?-" The Red one asked, this one more curious than annoyed.
"Yeah, and you don't need to know more than that."
"-And what of your companions whom you allow to speak for you?-" The grey one asked. The responses were curt and virtually instantaneous, though the Alimbic seemed largely disinterested in the words of what they clearly seemed to regard as not worthy of breathing the same air as them. But there was yet one who had not introduced themselves."
The blue one looked down at Arne and offered their hand to him, having picked up on the custom from a cursory telepathic scan. "-I am Elmorni, what is your name little one?-" She said.
"Arne...Skjǫldr, I'm three but mommy says I'm smart for my age." He said, smiling bashfully at her, not quite sure of the proper way to address her.
"-These are my companions, Ygrak, Urim, Mortirk, Deglos, Osith, and Zurvduat.-" She said, gesturing to the Red, Green, Yellow, Purple, Orange, and Grey Alimbic in succession as he nodded, the conversations his parents were having fading into the background.
"-You're a bright one aren't you? I can see such rich colours of thought coming from you.-" She said.
"Daddy says I'm very...precocious." He said, trying to sound out the word to not come off as a fool.
"-I see no lie in that.-" She said with a small, warm mental laugh that almost bounced around in his head, like a memory that couldn't quite be pinned down and detailed.
"Can I ask you a question?" He asked, softly in an almost whisper-like voice, as if he wanted it to be a secret.
"-Of course.-" She said, almost kneeling so that she could be less towering in comparison to him despite her tremendous lanky height.
"Are you a bug?" He asked, resting his chin atop his stuffed animal and looking intently at her.
"-I don't have the mouthparts of one. But I can see the resemblance. Why do you ask?-" He said.
"Because you only have five legs." He said plainly as if the reason was supposed to be the most obvious thing in the world.
"-Ah, that is because we are not your bugs.-" She said, giving him the impression of a motherly figure smiling as he nodded and accepted the response.
"-Now, let me ask you a question, Arne. What do you know of us?-" She asked.
"You're not supposed to be here...you're supposed to be gone." He said, nodding and nibbling a bit at his thumb after pulling off a glove.
"-I gathered that. How long ago was that supposed to be?-" She asked.
"Mrmm... sixty-seven million years...earth years!" He said nodding.
"-And is that the planet where you are from?-" She asked, getting a negative headshake.
"Nuh-uh, Mom says it's not safe to go there because people will hurt me." He said, holding a bit tighter to his stuffed dinosaur.
"-What people?-" She asked, her mental voice sweet and motherly.
"The Federation, Space Pirates, Krikens, or any number of other hostiles will be here soon if word leaks about our discovery here," Gyda said, the words all regaining Arne's attention. Like a bogeyman or a monster under the bed more than anything else to him. He turned his red eyes to his mother as she tried to speak to Zurvduat, tilting his head slightly before looking back at her.
"Those people." He said.
"-Why do you think those people want to hurt you?-" Elmorni asked.
"I don't know...maybe it's because nobody loves them?" Arne said, biting a bit at his thumb as a snort came from several of the people in the room.
"-And why should I care? If what you say is true and the Tetrarchy is gone then I have far greater concerns than the squabblings of primates, lizards, and fish over petty political grievances.-" They said almost scornfully, the disdain evident in their telepathic voice and getting a scowl from Gyda.
"Hey, who do you think you are calling us primates?" Erik said, pointing accusingly at Zurvduat, the tripedal alien's legs twitching as they stared at the digit the way one would glare at a strange dog that just barked at them.
"-Your technology is primitive even with access to what came before you. Your psychic and mystical evolution is even more unformed. You are not in any position to make demands of me as an equal.-" Zurvduat said.
"-Are you not being too harsh to our hosts?-" Ygrak said, turning towards her superior who did not so much as turn their head towards them in acknowledgement.
"-That they happened upon the planet we crashed on does not make them our hosts.-" He said, straightening himself in the process.
"You know, I'm starting to wish you guys were still extinct." Spire rumbled.
"-Is that a threat?-" Deglos said, snapping their head towards him as the mechanoids around Spire unfurled their weapons, Spire shifted his feet and snarled, pushing Arne behind him and interposing himself between the boy and the Alimbics.
"No, just a complaint."
"-Watch your tongue, Spire.-" Osith said coldly, though Spire only narrowed his gaze in response.
"This was a waste of time, come on, let's leave," Gyda said.
"Colonel, are you sure?" Lydyl said.
"I'm with Skjǫldr, these jackasses aren't going to be of any help," Morr said, stopping just short of spitting in his helmet.
"Mom what's a jack-" Arne asked before a somewhat alarmed Erik snapped around to him and placed a shushing finger on his lips.
"Not a word you should say at your age." He said, scooping up Arne and swaddling his son in his arms before looking at Gyda and nodding.
"Are you certain they'll let us out?" Sylan asked.
"-Of course, you are free to leave. You have committed no violence against us. But be assured, you are to remain silent about what you found here. We will be watching.-" Zurvduat said, disdainfully even as some of the other Alimbics looked at him as if he had grown a second head.
"...Alright," Gyda said coldly as she stormed out, the portals snapping to life and warping them back outside.
Himminsdag Mountains, Cylosis, Cyrus' Expanse, Ensryn Galaxy.
"I'd call those some fruitful negotiations," Morr said before Gyda glowered at him with a glare that even through their helmets, Morr could tell was a sign for him to shut up.
"Maybe we should try later?" Lydyl asked.
"No, we need to get going and abandon this planet and get fleet mobile again. If they're not willing to help defend it, I don't want to be anywhere near here when word gets out about what we found. I'll notify EVA planetary command and the ODOCR civilian government about our findings. Hopefully, General Thraksim will see reason and give the order to Evac. And if not he can eat me out with vinegar.." She said, clearly frustrated.
"Eat you o-" Arne said before Gyda realised what she said and flushed a bit beneath her helmet.
"When you're older honey." She said, somewhat flustered.
"The Republics aren't going to be happy about just letting the Alimbics go." Spire said.
"We couldn't stop them if we wanted to," Erik said.
"And I'm guessing your paramilitary outfit isn't prepared to handle full military incursions here?" He asked.
"We don't have the kind of force here to stop a full-scale invasion by the kind of troop movements that would be sent We've fought off incursions before, but people would literally burn every world in this galaxy down to get that ship. We wouldn't last a day against people desperate enough to go all out to take it. We need to get out of here." She said sternly.
"Bottom line is, the Ensryn Volunteer Army is a guerilla force; we're supposed to leave the hardcore stuff to the RRA." She continued.
"Just gonna let them walk?" Lydyl asked.
"Didn't say anything about that. We can still track them. I left something on their ship. We should hopefully be able to give that to the EVA supreme council." Erik said.
"Clever, aren't you?" Gyda smiled.
"I learned from the best." He smirked back as she stepped towards him with a sway in her hips and looked at Arne and then gestured to Sylan to pick him up. Realising what was happening, the others picked up Arne and began to move out.
"Don't fret about us too much we'll catch up. Just need to handle a few...personal things with my husband." Gyda said as she laid her hands on his chest and pushed him to a sufficiently cosy-looking cavern.
Sylux's Logbook Entries
Planets: Ensryn Galaxy: Cyrus' Expanse: Human Habitable: Ensryn Volunteer Army Occupied: Visited: Cylosis (Cyrus' Expanse) (Part 1)
Cylosis (see disambiguation for other planets named "Cylsosis") is a cold world that orbits at a considerable distance from its parent star, Cynar. Roughly Earth mass, the planet was on the outer rim of the old Tetrarch Order of the Alimbics before that civilization's disappearance and remained largely unnoticed by intelligent life until recently. The world was occupied by the Ensryn Volunteer Army paramilitary force to establish a logistical base to harry foreign intrusions into the local space such as the Piratical Confederacy of Dismor, the Kriken Empire, the Galactic Federation and other unwelcome imperial intrusions. The planet is notable for its high geological activity due to more than thirty times the expected quantities of radioactive elements such as Uranium comprising the planet; resulting in a large number of mountain ranges and high quantities of heavy metals pushed to the surface by mantle churn. It is also known for an unusually strong magnetic field and thick ozone layer that filters out virtually all harmful solar radiation, resulting in very little melanin equivalent in most native life forms. Oxygen content and atmosphere density are higher than Earth's while gravity is slightly stronger, but Argon comprises a much larger portion of Cylosis' atmosphere. One of its more distinct features is the natural nuclear reactor lakes in some regions and the rare phenomenon of coexistence between nuclear and chemical-based biologies.
Arne's notes:
A lot of people just think of conventional mountains when they think of Cylosis, but what I always remember of home were the volcanoes. Especially the Pyrostorms they often made, I liked to just sit and watch the bolts of electricity dance through the black clouds of ash. It always felt kind of...relaxing? This might sound weird, insane even to most but they were always beautiful to me, not dangerous. Every time I go back I like to just sit and watch one of the eruptions.
Organizations: Paramilitary: Revolutionary: Omdyn Democratic Omnipragmatist Council Republics Aligned: Ensryn Volunteer Army
The Ensryn Volunteer Army was formed in the Ensryn Galaxy to fight against expansionist efforts by powers considered hostile to the general welfare of the region, though in recent years it has expanded its reach. While locally lead, it enjoys substantial support from the ODOCR and its Intergalactica, and also from sympathizers elsewhere. Primarily organised as a defence militia, a volunteer force able and ready to partake in other conflicts as needed, and an insurgency force, the EVA's most recent activities have involved attempting to aid in the organization of revolts in foreign colonies. The EVA does not discriminate by species, gender, or culture and recruits freely from all promising volunteers.
Arnes notes:
There are criticisms of them to be made, but I'm not going to hear any from the Federation, the Pirates or whatever batch of bootlicks decries them because they got mauled for poking a sleeping Saber-Tyrant[3]. The Stars were not made for chains.
Organizations: State: Federal: Omnist: Intergalactica Affiliated: Omdyn Democratic Omnist Council Republics
The ODOCR originated from the Zardin Galaxy after the Omdyn accords formally unified a number of Omnist governments, movements, organizations, and societies into a single body. Located relatively far from the hubs of Chozo activity, the ODOCR has had somewhat strained relations with the Galactic Federation, the United Engenoid Sovereign Nations, the Hramilndan Domain, and the Vhozon dominated Order of Eternal Justice in recent years due to bitter trade disputes but has remained somewhat cordial in the face of the greater threat posed by the likes of the Space Pirates, Ivasti Star Serenity, the Glathik War-Clans, the Greater Vlakyl Realm, and the Kriken Empire. It considers the Free Omnist Federative Republic of Ugervolt, the Union of Othimarin Omnist Republics, the Popular Republic of Kzarni, and the Omnstt Republic of Avarist as some of its closest allies. The Omdyns are organized as a federal democratic body as directly as possible, with all delegates subject to recall by both their constituents and federal subordinates and the populace being able to enact decisions through petition. Productive activity is heavily automated and synthetics make up the supermajority of the population.
Arne's notes:
I've never really gotten why everyone makes such a big deal about the synths. An organic brain is just a naturally evolved molecular computer and the Federation has its Aurora units managing half of everything now. It does feel more isolating to be the only human face in some places though.
Organizations: Clan: ODOCR Residing: Uskarling: Grendakal
The Grendakal clan is a prominent clan within Uskarling society, living a mostly fleet-based existence like most of the other Uskarling clans. Founded by Grandak, an Ivkarian warrior who agreed to join the ODOCR towards the end of their life, the Grendakal clan prides itself in strong solidarity with itself, a powerful sense of justice, and an eagerness to fight for righteous causes. Grendakal accepts any who take and pass the Harrowing, its chief rite of passage which tests the mind, body, and spirit
Arne's notes:
The Clan's been good to me despite everything, and I like to think I'm good to them.
Combatants: EVA: Organic: Infantry: EVA Militant
Equipped with the LEOIC-337 PPR (Particle Projector Rifle) and JFSG-361 family of modular battle armours, the EVA militant is a solid and effective combatant. They make up for their somewhat weaker shielding and armour with higher mobility systems and low-observability functions that make their suits harder to detect and lock onto. For close quarters, most are fitted with energy bayonets, one for the gun and one for use as a knife or as a backup. Grenades are standard issue and are typically of submunition burst varieties for anti-personnel work, or are shaped blast explosives for use in demolition or against hard targets. Jump jets are standard on EVA militants like virtually all modern combatants.
Arne's notes:
Whatever you can say of them, you couldn't ever fault their spirit.
Individuals: Freelancers: Active: Diamond Rank: Silicoids: Unaffiliated: Spire
Spire is thought to be the sole remaining Diamont, an ancient species of silicon-based lifeforms whose bodies are formed of organic rock that considered themselves peers of the Chozo and Alimbics. Spire travels the cosmos as a freelancer searching for information on the location, or fate, of the rest of his people. Considered one of the best, Spire is highly regarded for their strong moral compass, sense of empathy, efficient working methods, and mastery of archaeology, geology, and investigative abilities. While difficult to get a read on himself, Spire is extremely adept at surprisingly gently getting information out of others. His combat abilities are also regarded as having very few rivals, having been active for a full cosmic year and having only rarely had to retreat from engagements.
Arne's notes:
He's surprisingly soft for a big pile of rocks. And also shockingly cool for someone who regularly dips in lava.
[1] Uskarling term translating to "Friend" or "Comrade".
[2] Death Goddess in the most common Uskarling religion; Zekerul, is believed to be the one who brings death rather than oversees the dead or the cycle of reincarnation.
[3] Local Cylosian Apex Predator, a bipedal hexapod pseudo-chordate with features somewhat resembling Tyrannosaurs covered in thick feathers well known for its pronounced canines which it uses to assist in decapitating prey in singular bites to the neck by severing vertebrates and allowing for a grip and tug motion to pull the head free.