Chapter 94 - Revelations

Note : Chapter 97 has been written and added to the queue !

I actually looked if there was a Revelations related starship name and I found the Promised Revelation Covenant Frigate from Halo, but it was a very obscure one. Oh well.

Also, cliffhanger ! It had been a while. Muahhahahahahahah !

Chapter 94

Starborn Mountains, Starfire Valley

Outpost

Sapphiria recovered the drone, and turned towards the two squishies, her grin splitting her face.

"Success!"

The other two whopped, even Paul.

"Yes! Yes yes yes!" Ramina was practically bouncing up and down. "We did it! Take that you bony fuckers!"

Sapphiria couldn't help it, she melted. Seeing squishies happy always had that effect.

Besides, mission success. They'd obliterated the trebuchet and beaten back the attack.

That was going to give them something else to think about.

"Alright!" She clapped her hands. "We still have some work to do. If we don't get the tower operational, it won't matter how much ass we kicked. Let's get to it!"

*****

The Hand stopped.

It was a good thing that they'd erred on the side of caution in what artifacts they should taken when heading out.

They could feel the amulet vibrating against their pale flesh. The whispers of divination, even through the cloak of invisbility they'd surrounded themselves with.

A Hand was meant to be seen, to act. But that didn't mean that discretion wasn't called for sometimes.

They gazed through the undergrowth and folliage. There was definitely an outpost there. A small set of what appeared to be bunkers, the menacing barrels of heavy firearms poking out of their firing slits.

And beyond them, a gigantic cannon, pointed towards the sky.

The Hand could destroy it. Right now. A single spell would do it.

But there was a voice in their mind. Whispering that it would only make things worse.

They watched. There were golems all around. They were supposed to be expensive, even in those more modern times, but the Hand had never been an artificer.

There were two living rebels, one was chatting with the armored artificial abomination, gazing at what seemed to be a kind of metal tower as it was assembled. A bizarre machine was ascending it, gripping the support struts with wheels and melding metal bars together to make it ever taller.

The last one was ministering to the gun and...whispering to it as she stroked it?

The Hand shook themselves, and focused on the ones talking.

"-I know, it's vulnerable to ranged fire, but I don't want to start building a wall around them until I get at least a second gun in there." Said the abomination, her voice startlingly human. Even had emotional inflections and everything. That shocked the Hand. Usually such horrors were monotone. "That'll give me a better idea of how much room the crews need to maneuver in this terrain. We could wall off the whole outpost but that's going to take a while, and a lot of concrete. I'm not producing that much just yet. Plus- Hey! Ramina! What are you doing?!?"

The Hand slinked back into the forest.

She hadn't said it outright, at least not for the artillery, but she had stated she was producing concrete. That required industry, and a lot of raw materials.

Damn it.

They could get closer, but the Hand didn't dare to. Especially not that metal behemoth. Something was badly off about it. The design reminded them of...something. Something they couldn't quite put their fingers on.

At least they didn't seem to care about bombarding the remaining forces guarding the pass. But why?

The Hand froze as it dawned on them.

Because why would you waste perfectly good shields? Attacking that outpost without magic would be suicide. And the rebels could turn their guns on the fortifications whenever they wished.

The Hand had to stop themselves from drawing out their coin and starting a knuckle roll.

They were caught between the anvil and the hammer. Except the hammer was hitting the anvil into submission for now.

What could they possibly do?

*****

Sapphiria disembarked from the snowpiercer under endless cheering.

The entire town had assembled again, anxiously waiting for the result after the barrage had rippled through the town.

That she was back in the snowpiercer without a scratch was enough of an indication of how well it had gone.

She found herself in Kalia's arms before she'd even realized the mage-magistrate was waiting for her.

"Holy Ancestors, I was so worried when I heard you go to rapid fire." Said the young woman as she buried her head in the AI's hair. "What happened?"

"An...unexpected reaction from the other side. One which cost them dearly."

Kalia sighed.

"It's always something with you, isn't it?" She let go of the AI, and stepped back a bit, allowing her to go on the tip of her toes and plant a kiss on her lips. The mage-magistrate melted. "Alright, fine...Let's get to the council room, you can explain it there."

*****

If anyone had thoughts about Kalia putting her girlfriend in Ramina's customary seat by her side, no one word was spoken aloud.

"So you made them retreat?" Said the mage-magistrate. "That's...impressive." She looked over her should at Gregor, who was standing behind her, as usual, and he nodded.

"Very impressive. The Nineteenth isn't easily spooked. And you just...you just destroyed more Bane than we ever did. Even during the retreat."

"I mean, you were trying to get out alive." Sapphiria frowned. "By the way, didn't you have like...military troops or something?"

Gregor shook his head.

"We took off before the front lines reached us. If you can call them front lines. More like a desperate rear guard action by what was left of the army after the fall of the capital. Didn't want to encumber the roads or slow them down. Not that it mattered. By the end of the first week, everything had collapsed, and the Bane were landing all along the coast of lake Milas, overrunning the backlines, and they probably overran whoever was trying to hold the line."

"Damn. Poor bastards."

"They knew the risks. And saved a lot of people. Including us."

Sapphiria nodded. Any squishie lost was one too many. But...

If they had to die, sacrificing themselves to save others was about the best way one could. There could be no higher purpose.

"Can we see the results?" Asked Malry, and Sapphiria nodded.

There were gasps as the hologram appeared above the table. Mostly in shock at the devastation, as they were used to the tech by now. Sapphiria really hoped the other emotion in Ramina's wasn't arousal. She was almost positive the artificer had been about to hump the damned gun before she'd stopped her. She knew some people were into technology, but Ramina was to a point that was almost disturbing. Probably because Sapphiria was some of that technology.

"Holy crap." Whispered Kalia. "You kicked their asses."

"The Hand helped." She blinked. "Wow that felt weird to say. But yeah. Also I can't take the credit for the mid air one. It was an accident." She hadn't expected them to leap over the wall, and just sent it aiming for the closest point she thought she could get away with, without damaging the fortifications.

"The mid air one?" Said the magistrate, and Sapphiria gestured, updating it with the sensor readouts from the drone on the battle, which she'd had time to collate and process on the way back.

Everyone watched as the legionnaires leapt, the net of electricity that met them...and the explosion sending them tumbling everywhere, though many somehow got back on track.

The last bit she left out as she cut the recording. The 'spell' the Hand had used...

That was a particle beam. The Federation could make man portable particle weapons, but they were rare. Rare enough she wasn't able to get one of them for her pod. And she was the daughter of the freaking President. And half of the Federation's most powerful AIs. Plus a few of the squishies too. She had all the connections. She didn't abuse them, but yeah.

"Well." Gregor shook his skull. "That's going to keep them thinking for a while. I know I would rethink my life if I had to charge that through a narrow pass."

"I hope so." Said Kalia. "But they're tough. And they don't give up easily."

"So am I." Sapphiria smiled. "And I'll think of more stuff first."

"I have no doubt." The mage-magistrate looked at the others. "We should probably spread the good news."

"We should." Gregor stood up. "The fastest thing humanity has ever made is the rumor mill. Let's not allow it to run rampant while we hold council."

"Precisely. We will reconvene in the morning."

They moved to leave but Sapphiria held out her hand to stop Kalia.

The mage-magistrate snuck a glance at her, before gesturing for the others to go ahead. They did, trying very hard to look nonchalant, except for Ramina, who outright shot Sapphiria a wink. Because of course she did...

"Something on your mind?" Asked the mage-magistrate.

"Yes." Sapphiria took a deep breath. "You remember when I told you I would tell you the truth?"

"I do." Kalia slowly, carefully took the AI's hand.

"Well...I was thinking of starting now."

"We should probably move to my chambers then." She blushed. "I mean, for the safety, so we're not overheard, not..."

Sapphiria smiled.

"No, no, I get it. Right behind you."

*****

Click click click click, reverse.

The Hand paced back and forth inside their tent endlessly, the coin rolling around their knuckles as they thought.

What now? What could they do?

There was no solution to this. They'd run through the scenarios. They didn't know where the rebels' industry was. And even if they did, there was no way they could destroy it singlehandedly. Not without being brought down.

There was no way troops could stealthily make it down the slopes. At least not in numbers high enough to make any difference.

Plus, hitting their industry would only cause them to use that gun on the defenses and bring them down.

They could wait for reinforcements but...then what? If a relief army came, the rebels would pound the pass into rubble long before they could fight their way through the Nineteenth.

And that was if they didn't build up further. The rebels would only ever get stronger with every passing day.

There was one solution. Let the Nineteenth through. Have them destroy the rebels while they were still weak.

The Hand came to a halt, tightly holding the coin, almost crushing it between their digits.

They remembered. The fire. The legions clashing within the City of Spires.

No. Never. Better the rebels have the damn pass.

Then what? Just wait until they decided to turn their guns onto the defenses?

Hell, the rebels might not be able to stop the Nineteenth. There was only so much that could be done with a cannon that far from the pass. Or even a few of them.

The Hand had already lost plenty during this assault. There wasn't much more they could take.

They closed their eyes.

Ultimately...who was the greater enemy? The rebels were rebels, but the enemy without...

Allowing the enemy within to fester had been what had destroyed the Empire. And it might topple it again, despite the Awakening.

The Hand took a deep breath. There was no military solution to this problem. But they were a Hand of Dominion. The voice of the Throne.

Their remit wasn't leading armies.

It was solving problems. Whatever the solution entailed.

The Hand came out of the tent, and gazed at the valley. At the outpost, its great metal tower sticking out in the starlight, and the distant flickering lights of the rebel settlements.

"Get me a velites. One that can speak." The Hand said to one of their bodyguards.

The soldier smashed their first against their chestplate, and took off.

The Hand simply gazed, at the distant lights. How would the rebels react? How would their superiors?

What even went on behind those innocuous lights, which they thought were surely doomed to annihilation?

The Hand simply gazed at the valley...and sighed.

They would never hear the end of this from the legate, if they survived.

*****

It was a short walk to Kalia's quarters, and Sapphiria sighed as she sat down in front of the dinner table.

"Look, if it's too much, it can wait-" Started the mage-magistrate, and Sapphiria shook her head.

"No, no. I have to do this. I owe that much. Though...you should probably sit down."

"That bad? Come on." The mage-magistrate's smile fell as she saw Sapphiria's expression, and she sat down, once again taking the AI's hand in her own. "Okay. I...I'm as ready as I'll ever be. Hit me." She smiled. "I promise not to scream too loud."

The AI snorted. Somehow, the quip helped, and she relaxed a fraction as the words started tumbling out.

"Do you know the stories of First Landing, about the ancestors coming in great, metal ships?" Kalia nodded, and Sapphiria took a deep breath. "They're true." Kalia jerked like she'd been shot, clearly confused, but she stopped herself from saying something. "But the reason you never found the continent they came from is because they didn't come from the sea. They came from the stars." She swallowed. "Like I did."

There was a pause, as their gazes met, and Sapphiria let it out.

"Kalia. I'm not from this world. I come from the same place your ancestors did. From humanity's true home, among the stars."