Wearing Power Armor to a Magic School (159/?)

(Author's Note: Hey everyone! I apologize for the delay, I kind of came back and passed out after the assessment at the hospital haha so this came out a little later than I planned. I'd like to thank everyone for your patience, and I really hope it was alright and meets expectations! :D)

Earth - Atlantic Ocean - Special Administrative Zone under requisition by the United Nations Science Advisory - Institute of Anomalous Studies (IAS) Pilot Research Facility Codename: ATLANTIS II. ECS Holding Facility. Local Time: 2357 Hours.

Captain Calico Li

“Is that a fucking dragon?!”

I was unsure who exactly said that.

But that just about summed up the sentiments of the room in one, admittedly blunt, exclamation.

Two glowing purple eyes regarded the Cadet’s helm from a gnarly, scaled, and leathery snout. Crystals of all types, jagged, irregular, shattered and cracked, all jutted from its purple-hued hide in seemingly random clusters, completing that unmistakable visage of a western fantasy dragon; body, wings, four legs, and tail in full.

There was no doubt about it.

This… was the only honest word you could even use to describe it. 

I looked around the room caught in the grip of history, at stunned faces and dumbfounded expressions, all having either not yet registered or refusing to register both the creature and its reality-defining implications.

Everything, every single moment over the past few decades seemed to have led up to this moment.

First contact.

Live first contact, with a visual feed.

And with a fucking dragon at that.

This wasn’t your archetypal spec-evo hexapod or some planetary fungal hivemind. 

This was as far from any hard science fiction trope as we could’ve gone.

We’d gone so far into the realm of science fiction, that we circled around and now landed firmly into the realm of fantasy. 

I didn't want to believe it.

Nobody did.

But it was there all the same.

“Sig-Int.” I blurted out, turning and then looking eyes onto the on-duty signals intelligence officer. “Confirm visual feed authenticity.” 

“Visual feed authenticity confirmed, sir.” The man acknowledged after only a second’s delay, causing the otherwise shocked crowd to begin the expected whispers and murmurs, all of which were soon shot down by a harsh shushing courtesy of Weir.

I turned to Ivo, urging him on, given that this whole development spawned from his insistence.

=====

Dr. Ivo Mekis

I wasn’t ever one to mince words.

Ever.

But in this instance… the formulation of even the most basic of sentences eluded me.

“I… Cade- mm… tch…” 

All pretenses of knowing, and all advancements made in the field of theoretical xenobiology — the speculation, the proposed models, the literal sea of hypotheses — immediately died at the panning of that camera.

Just one frame from this simple call would come to redefine an entire field — no — several, tens, even hundreds more niche disciplines. 

With a sharp breath, I pushed that intense anachronism to the back of my mind, focusing instead on the pressing matter at hand.

I cleared my throat. “Ahem.”

Then, I began my five-point questionnaire. 

“This dragon—”

“Matriarch Kaelthyr.” The Cadet corrected.

“Amended. Is Matriarch Kaelthyr — by her efforts alone — responsible for the successful initiation, discovery, and handshake, predicating a closed single-channel exoreality entanglement episode?” 

“Yes.”

My eyes glanced at the live datafeeds, or more specifically, at the pertinent data being fed to me on this particular subject matter.

“Using exclusively innate properties?”

“Correct.”

“Understood.” I nodded in acknowledgement. 

There wasn’t more to be said. At least, nothing that would hold much resistance against the now-opened floodgates of the Cadet’s catastrophic announcements.

I just needed to ensure the waters weren’t being siphoned or poisoned, for our sakes.

“Current data concurs with the Cadet’s qualitative assessments.” I turned to address both the Director and Captain. “Though that is the extent of my objective analysis. There is still the matter of this third party—”

“I appreciate your concerns, Dr. Mekis. However, OPSEC is the domain of Command.” The Cadet interjected with a distressing bluntness. “Captain Li, Director Weir. Pilot II Mission Operator formally discloses the emergency use of a third-party agent in the facilitation of this Unscheduled Exoreality Entanglement episode, and all signal transfers henceforth.” 

“Acknowledged.” Came both Weir and Li’s synchronized responses, as Emma continued unabated.

“Mission Operator further acknowledges the risks associated with the use of a third-party communications facilitator. Thus, Pilot II formally invokes General Order 37-a. Does Command acknowledge?”

My eyes narrowed at the automatic prompting of my VI, as it pulled up the precise article and its associated jargon. 

GO-37-a: The immediate reporting of any confirmed existential threat to the Greater United Nations, without contextual mediation, where delay — by action or inaction — risks encroachment of GUN territorial integrity or political sovereignty.

“Command acknowledges field invocation of GO-37a.” Calico nodded succinctly, before the floor seamlessly shifted back to Weir.

“Civil Command acknowledges.” The Director responded succinctly, as the tag-teaming continued through to a visibly impatient Calico.

His nerves, his concerns, clearly rising the moment his eyes landed on the same milestone event we all observed as highlighted in the Cadet’s first-week reports.

A fact that was becoming increasingly apparent, the more visual focus he gave on the shared virtual workspace.

“Can you confirm that this entanglement episode is stable, Cadet?” He asked hurriedly. 

Following which, and after a brief vocal interaction between the Cadet and the dragon, did she finally confirm.

“Yes. She says we have… at least a few hours.”

A collective sigh of relief echoed amongst not just the eager pair, but the entire room, while I stood by patiently; observing the ebb and flow of data transfer while coordinating with the silent heroes of this operation.

“Alright. Then let’s get into this existential threat. Let’s do a Full Action Report. Critical Events, Milestones, Principal findings. Let’s start with the gross infringement of your diplomatic pouch, and—” 

Calico paused uncharacteristically, his eyes growing wide, with Weir’s expression soon coming to match his in incredulity, all initiated from a particular section of the annotated report detailing the events of the ECS’ self-destruction.

“—actual intent to imprison and restrain a diplomatic envoy, assault, coercion, and attempted murder.” 

The room went silent once more, as all eyes landed on Emma’s growing features of discomfort.

“The offending party in question is a member of faculty, and a self-reported ‘member of the privy council’ — Professor Mal’tory.” 

=====

Thalmin

The distances involved, and the foreign nature of Emma’s parlay into the sea of taint, should’ve meant that my participation in this entire endeavor was a foregone and moot point.

I could not cross into the otherwise miasmic aura that had enveloped the cave’s epicenter.

The languages involved and the means of communication should have kept my meddling from this rare line back home.

However… this wasn’t at all the case.

If anything, Emma had ensured that both Kaelthyr and I were kept in this otherwise open loop, courtesy of the booming acoustics of her armor.

…

Though that by no means meant that all was truly transparent, attributable to no malice of her own, but owing only to the fault of her nature.

Those prophetic words from weeks passed rang louder now than ever, the candid observation made in jest and passing observation, now came fully into their own.

“A society of scholars.”

I just did not assume such would be the case for a majority of her conversation.

It was as if I was hearing a completely different person from the onset. Manifesting into existence a bastardized dialect of High Nexian that felt eerily artificial, entirely rehearsed — and given the nature of that initial back and forth… that assumption probably held more water than not.

Each interaction felt lifted from the pages of a ledger, every challenge and call to action — another test of rote dictation. 

And yet, all throughout it, one of the voices she held a martial deference to — this ‘Captain Li’ — was undeniably calling upon the same principles of military discipline I was accustomed to.

I could hear the underlying discipline of the warrior.

And yet… all that was spoken were the words of scholars and bureaucrats.

It was… bizarre, an almost entirely foreign experience.

A military, a force as impressive as earthrealm’s, couldn’t possibly be staffed and filled with bookish men and cerebral scholars could it?

…

Moreover, now that Emma was starting to recount her trials and tribulations with Mal’tory, the presence of another voice, an older woman, began to perplex me.

Her ranks, indeed the rank of the man prior, weren’t martial in nature.

They held the status of scholars.

Yet one of them, this older — admittedly wiser woman — seemed to command the greatest respect.

If this had been a monarchy, if she had held noble blood but was spared the life of the blade, I could’ve somewhat have understood.

Many adjacent realms had placed mere blood over actual martial experience, allowing paper marshals and parade generals into command. It was common, almost frustratingly so.

But this wasn’t such a case.

This woman and the man prior were mere scholars, with no other titles or blood to back their authority. 

They were civilians.

And yet they held authority over those who swore the oath to the blade?

However, as quickly as that thought manifested, did it find itself dying at the foot of the altar of self directed shame.

Why was I reacting so viscerally? Had Emma not made this known time and time again? The anomalous, and almost fantastical notion of a classless society?

How was it then, that I found myself instinctively rejecting that notion, the instance it was on display?

Perhaps I was more Nexian than I thought.

No.

That wasn’t at all the case.

Perhaps… the issue was simply in how truly wrong it felt. How jarring it must be for warriors of the blade to pay deference to those outside of its oaths.

Scholars as they were, they weren’t beholden to the same expectations, truths, and brotherhood. And while wisdom had its place, demanding respect in its own right, such wisdom could not command authority over those in service of a wildly different pursuit.

…

And yet here this ‘Weir’ stood. Higher, taller, and ‘Directing’ the whims of both martial and civil paths.

As incredulous as I was, I could not deny the reality of what faced me.

What’s more, if I allowed myself a moment of contemplation, I began to understand the method amidst the madness.

These scholars — if I were to press the analogy — were not unlike their military counterparts. If anything, they deserved their authority far more than any royal-appointed lacquered commander did. Because just like the military, scholarly endeavors demanded merit above all. Merit to rise the ranks, merit to prove one’s capacity, and merit to serve a greater role and responsibility.

I could see it.

Especially now as this ‘Weir’ demonstrated the makings of a leader, ironically far more noble in ideal than most nobles I’ve met. As in spite of the stakes, stresses, and what was clearly an unprecedented circumstance, she never once raised her voice, placed herself over the task at hand, and most interestingly — even gave otherwise precious time for Emma to tackle these more difficult topics at her own pace.

One could mistake it for a softness unbecoming of a leader.

Uncle certainly would.

But perhaps there was some merit to this foreign method.

=====

Dr. Laura Weir

Outrage didn’t cut it.

Indignancy was a word far too light for this.

Offense too was far too bland of a concept to encapsulate just half of the transgressions Emma had described.

And yet… we were only halfway through her accounts.

At which point, we once more took a step back from the anecdotal and tactical, to the doctrinal and strategic. 

“The long and short of it, Director, is that the Nexus is not just diametrically opposed to our existence; there simply exists no room in their worldview for us to even fit. The basic crux of their state-enforced dogma, the very thing which their interpretation of biology is based on, are the exotic atypical radiation types that dominate their world, and the rest of their satellite and client states. To put it simply, they see life emerging without ‘mana’ as inconceivable. It stands in defiance to this fundamental assumption. We, by our very existence — even discounting for a moment our culture, society, history, and everything else — are a threat to this fundamental assumption. And the Nexus… they don’t just tolerate or ignore what is so obviously antithetical to their logic. They act on it, bending the narrative to their whims, regardless of if it’s just a simple book burning, or the eradication of entire peoples.” 

That latter line sent a chill down my spine, a coldness descending on me that prompted my visage to visibly flinch.

Moreover, I didn’t need to press the Cadet for proof or examples of this.

The annotated reports and VIs were quick to bring up evidence to these ends without much prompting.

“What your young Matriarch says is true, Elder Matriarch…” Another voice suddenly, and rather unexpectedly entered the fray. Though it was spoken, rather unnervingly, without the slightest of movements from its own lips.

“Matriarch Kaelthyr, I politely ask that you let me finish first before—” 

“Can I not speak for your claims, young Matriarch?” The dragon cut Emma off before she could continue. 

Following which, I intervened.

“With respect and mutual understanding, Matriarch Kaelthyr, I will be willing to hear an independent testimony before I proceed with the rest of the Cadet’s debrief.” I offered, playing off what was clearly a demanding personality. Though one which we currently relied on for this open channel of communication.

“With respect and great pleasure, Elder Matriarch.” The dragon began with a raspy, uncomfortably unnatural undertone, one which Emma’s EVI translated to a disturbing degree of… ‘authenticity’. “My kind have seen entities that conquer through fire, and powers that conquer through decay. The Crownlands have chosen a third path. They conquer by permanence. They consume, eat, digest and convert all until reality is their domain. They respect not but the will of the false god. They entertain his whims in perpetuity, dressing an ossified regime in silken robes. They are not a blight nor a cancer, for these revel in expansion and infinite corruption. Yet they expand all the same, ossifying instead of corrupting, crystalizing instead of mutating, until all that remains is a chamber of infinite echoes. Repeating the same songs, playing the same tune, waltzing that infinite waltz into what they hope to be eternity.” 

The dragon finally paused her relentless assaults, her voice croaking, breaking, and even outright shredding at certain points. Finally, and with a pointed glare at Emma’s helmet, using her as an avatar of our rapport, she spoke with a warning so visceral it shook memories of distant dreams back into waking memory. “This is what now threatens your halls, Matriarchs of the void. This is what stands at the foot of your gates. Do with this knowledge as you will. I will allow your envoy to continue unabated.” 

“Thank you, Matriarch Kaelthyr.” I acknowledged, and with that acknowledgement, I bottled within me the warnings of those on the station and my own father. The Nexus… from the word of one of its own denizens, was the greatest threat to any independent sapient civilization by its very existence. This was the case even from Emma’s own reports. 

Though… I could not discount the possibility of anecdotal bias, as I quickly returned the floor to Emma. 

“She doesn’t say it outright.” Emma began through what was temporarily a muted mic. “But it is my working theory that the Nexus eradicated dragon-kind, ma’am.” The Cadet spoke with such frankness and bluntness that it left even the Captain stunned. “The prevailing narrative is that dragons are non-sapient animals. This notion is so prevalent that none have challenged this, not even my most arden of rebellious allies. Furthermore, I have reason to believe that the dragons were at a point, one of the most powerful players in the Nexus. And yet they too were so thoroughly reduced, that the memory of their existence as sapients were erased.” The Cadet paused, taking a deep breath in the process. “This is the sort of polity we are up against, Director. And it’s existed and maintained this… messed up status quo for longer than modern man has even walked the earth.”

It was my turn to take a deep breath, as I steadied myself, turning to the Captain who urged me to continue.

To which I did, circling back to avoid hitting the anecdotal, even if the dragon had pushed the narrative back towards that mindset.

“Back to your assessments, Cadet.” I began. “Modified New Oslo Criteria is a D-10. Do you still stand by that?”

“Yes. But that’s only because they haven’t fulfilled the frankly obtuse criterion to fulfill an E-range categorization — a direct infringement of local sovereignty. With all due respect, I’d like to adhere to the Revised New Frankfurt Criteria, as much as it’s not the standard text that the SocSci department likes to adhere to.”

“Negative on that, Cadet.” I countered, garnering a perplexed look from Emma, before I just as quickly transitioned into my ultimate ‘endgame’. “We’re doing the Parson’s Exo-State Risk Index.” 

Emma’s eyes widened, before she nodded in understanding.

At which point, both education and training kicked in like muscle memory.

“Cat I, Ideological Compromise and Compatibility?” I began.

“I refer to my earlier sentiments, Director. They’re fundamentally diametrically opposed to our existence. But if I were to get into the minutiae of things? The Nexus is a mirror inverse to our values. Economic and Political control go hand in hand. I.e. They’ve managed to entrench not just political legitimacy in the framework of their legal and social systems, but they’ve also managed to turn that entrenchment into something systemically practical. The very economic backbone of their society relies on the inherent abilities found exclusively in the nobility. They’ve built their infrastructure, primary, secondary, tertiary, and even quaternary industries on this divergent path towards technology. So instead of simply holding the means of production on paper and through capital, they quite literally are the means. Society, advanced society, starts and ends at the hands of those in power. Suffice it to say, they’ll find our democratization of science, tech, and industry to be… well, incompatible.” 

“Category I is a 1, then.”

“Correct, Director.”

I nodded, moving on just as swiftly. “Cat II, Ideological Rigidity?”

“I defer to Matriach Kaelthyr and my own reports. The Nexus is built on rigidity. Status Eternia, His Eternal Majesty, and so on and so forth; all aspects of an unassailable ideology that cherishes permanence in perpetuity.” The Cadet paused, before letting out a dark chuckle. “Refer to Case Study files 4 and 17. Ilunor Rularia and Auris Ping respectively. You’ll have a new appreciation for the word Ideological Rigidity.” 

“Category II, 1.” I surmised plainly, garnering a nod from the Cadet. “Right then, Cat III, Negotiability." 

The Cadet paused, as if expecting me to fill in the blanks.

Which I did.

“That’s a 1.” I stated plainly. “Once the mutual sanctity of diplomatic norms are trampled, there exists no room for good faith discussions and negotiations. At least, not within statistical significance. On that note, I’ll mark Cat IV as 1 as well. Hostile intent… is a given.” I announced with a sigh, garnering yet another nod from the cadet.

“Finally… and perhaps the most decisive, Cat V. Trigger Sensitivity.” I leveled my eyes on the Cadet. “What’s the likelihood of escalation from your observations thus far?”

“I want to say that the question doesn’t even apply, Director. Since the Nexians are so proactive on escalating things on their own accord.” The Cadet spoke darkly. “But that’s not professional nor fair. So I digress. All I’ve observed thus far are individual actors, acting outside or tangential to the machinations of the greater state. But from historical records? From what I’ve gathered using tertiary sources? They seem to escalate things the moment you infringe on their mechanisms of control, or ideological axioms. Though… they do seem somewhat tolerant of client state domestic politics, to an extent. So it might be fair to mark this as a 3 or 4, Director.”

“Understood.” I nodded once more, before turning back towards the Captain.

=====

Captain Calico Li

Intent was the foundation to all action, and it was pertinent it was addressed right off the bat.

However, quick to follow was the practical considerations stemming from intent.

And I was eager to take a deep dive into what the Cadet had to offer.

My eyes had been darting across my little corner of AR space, the invisible workstation that followed me on my glasses, that was ideal for these specific eventualities.

My HUD was peppered with tactical assessment reports, unconventional weapons tech, and a myriad of big bold headers surrounding the Nexus’ strategic capabilities.

Suffice it to say, those were the topics that needed to be knocked out first and foremost.

Lest we talk about squad tactics when KKWs were on the table.

“Emma?”

“Yes, Captain Li.”

“I’ve been combing over your strategic threat analysis, and suffice it to say, it’s worrying. Not just because of the Nexus’ capabilities, but how vague those capabilities are.” I began simply, and without judgement. “I understand it’s still early into your mission, and to get intel on strategic threat capacities is a hard enough task as is, so I commend you on what you’ve gotten so far.” 

“Thank you, sir.” The Cadet nodded.

“But I need to know… precisely how credible do you think these weapons are?” I asked, as I began flipping through the virtual report. “City-killers, continent-busters, and even… bag of holding bombs?" 

“Correct.” The Cadet announced so confidently, that the ludicrousness of the concept suddenly felt all too real.

“Is this… exactly what it sounds like?” 

“It surprisingly is, sir.” 

I let out a sharp exhale. “So it’s a dimensional criticality event-causing device, or a sort of singularity bomb, a—”

SIGH.

“It’s a Localized Topological Collapse Device.” Dr. Mekis interjected with a frustrated vigor. “Two hypothetical portal ‘singularities’ inhabiting the same space, causing a rapid but localized destabilization of its immediate surroundings, proportional to the presence of Atypical Exoreality Radiation, and whatever else ridiculousness these ‘mages’ have come up with to modify the initial properties of these ‘bags’.”

“Thank you, Doctor.” I acknowledged the man’s contributions with a respectful nod, but not before regarding the strange blue kobold that was ostensibly the primary source for this particular piece of intel.

“I trust that it’s real, sir.” Came Emma’s affirmation. “The bag of holding bombs, I mean. The fact that there are actual policies put in place to prevent such a thing from happening, implies it's actually a credible threat. What’s more, given how relatively common these things are for the nobility, I believe that these weapons alone are capable of both scaling and stockpiling well.” The Cadet warned with a palpable wariness. “But as for the rest of their strategic arsenal? It’s hard to tell. Most of that intel was gathered from a history class. So it might be propaganda, or it might not. I wouldn’t discount it though, given the existence of the bag of holding bombs.”

“Understood.” I acknowledged, before quickly looking over the next batch of reports. 

“There’s something I want to touch on before we even get to tactical capacity.” I continued with a certain level of unease. “The logistics report you provided painted a rather… concerning image of the Nexus. I know the Nexus is capable of point-to-point instantaneous matter transfer, but the scale at which this is performed is the point I wanted to touch upon.” I paused, once more locking eyes with Emma through the litany of virtual paperwork. “Is it… really that trivial? From your observations over there, just how common would the use of portals be for both military and logistical applications?”

“It’s as mundane as heading to a train station, sir.” Emma replied bluntly.

At which point, I could feel a genuine weight falling on my shoulders.

“While I cannot confirm nor deny the Nexus’ Exo-Atmospheric capabilities. Or rather, it would seem as if they lack it entirely from my current understanding, what they do possess is something that makes any transportation trivial. The usage of portals, in all of its various forms, is both common for transportation and logistics, not to mention military applications. We’re talking anything from tactical deployment, to the potential use of portals as an impossible to stop vector of attack by which anything can be dropped through. Even mana.” Emma made certain to emphasize that latter point. “The fact of the matter is, sir, that it is theoretically possible for the Nexus to dump an influx of Atypical Exoreality Radiation, anywhere they wish. The only caveat being… this’ll also drain their end of things. So it’s a tradeoff, but a strategic threat that can’t be written off.”

This… was a bombshell.

And I was right to have addressed this particular point of contention.

However, due to the utter reality-shattering implications of this whole… revelation, I just couldn’t acknowledge it and move on.

It had to be verified.

“Emma.” I began with a huge inhale. “What you’re claiming here is a completely novel vector of warfare which we currently have limited counters to. I need you to clarify and distinguish between what’s possible, and what’s simply… common there. There has to be limits to this. The footage from your arrival alone shows the sheer effort needed to simply enlarge a portal opened from our end, correct?”

“Yeah, er, yes sir.” The Cadet acknowledged. “Perhaps I was being a bit too hyperbolic, or perhaps I was conflating the sheer ubiquity of portals here for their ease of deployment across the board. Especially when you consider our lack of local mana. But this is something that I just don’t have a definitive answer to. I just thought it would be prudent to inform you of the possibility of something this catastrophic.”

“You were right to do that.” I responded with an affirmative and supportive nod. “The devil is always in the details.” I quickly added. “However, I’m going to need this to be a top priority for you, Emma. We’re going to need more intel on just how these portals are opened, their tactical and strategic applications, as well as…” I paused mid-sentence, just as Emma craned her head towards another figure in the cave.

“Cadet Booker?” Weir spoke first.

“Yes, Director?”

“Who was that other individual you just panned to?”

“Oh.” Emma managed out sheepishly. “That’s the tertiary source and ally in question, Director. I apologize I haven’t yet introduced him to the conversation, it’s just—”

“No, no, that’s quite understandable given the circumstances.” Weir interrupted with a flurry of reassurances. “But… did we see that right? Is he…”

Emma answered these indirect queries with a simple pan of her helmet. At which point, the whole room let out a collective series of gasps, gawks, and the occasional ‘whoah’. 

“Director Weir, Captain Li, Dr. Mekis, this is Prince Thalmin Havenbrock of Havenbrockrealm. One of the members of my peer group at the Academy, and an ardent ally throughout my operations here in the Nexus. I was hoping he could maybe shed some more light on Nexian military capacity, given how Prince Havenbrock is quite knowledgeable in this field in particular.” 

The… wolf in question stepped forward, but remained just far enough away that it took one of Emma’s cameras to optically zoom in, just so we could get a closer look at him.

It was a shame he couldn’t see us.

Though he did seem quick on the uptake to how this interaction would move forward.

“Emma, may I?” He directed his first query to Emma, who promptly nodded in acknowledgement. 

“Command? Permission to formally introduce a local ally into the conference?” Emma asked, this time, with excitement and optimism now returning to her voice.

“Permission granted, Cadet.” Weir nodded in acknowledgement, followed close in tow by the wolf prince’s formal self-introduction.

“Leaders of Earthrealm, Superiors to Cadet Emma Booker, I greet you with all honors afforded to me by my birthright.” The wolf began, as he placed a hand firmly on his shoulder. “I am Prince Thalmin Havenbrock, of Havenbrockrealm. Royal Bearer of the Spoils. Keeper of the Writ. Tracker of Traitors. And Royal Emmissary…” He paused for a moment, as if contemplating his next few words. “...for the Havenbrockian Cause.”