6,143 years from present
Rebellion has consumed the Republic, in the month of Julrine, in year 7712 of the Loe'gin calendar. The Uplifted, exploiting the Plague which decimated our people, chose the years of Recovery to rise against those who are Eternal. Scientists believed the Uplifted engineered the Devastation, a pestilence used to wither Our people, using technology given against those who gave it to them. The Uprising swept through the entirety of the Republic, hundreds of Uplifted-settled worlds joined the Rebellion, swelling their ranks, sweeping across Our already ravaged worlds. In the final Decree, months before the Overthrow, it was decided that seedlings of Our Knowledge shall be planted deep within worlds We still clung to, as an effort to preserve Our Legacy, to guide those who came after, to show them a different, better path. We shall entrust this information to the Gradiyan, numbering around sixty, in whose safekeeping these capsules of Our civilization shall be protected.
One Gradiyan, finding Their way onto the homeworld of the Xel'ti, has located one such capsule, in the possession of the Tanara. They only wait for a proper time to establish contact.
Returning to Xeltana, Braedan bore the scars and bruises of a man defeated, not those from glories and triumphs won on the battlefield. And since his previous stopover nearly a year before, animosity among the Xelanites had grown against humans tenfold; to such an extent, no diacona or medici would openly treat Talia in a public facility, forcing Braedan to enlist his wife's clout. Even then, a medicus was compelled only if the treatment was done in the Courtesan's residence, away from any suspicious eyes and ears, from those that might deem him a human sympathizer.
This distrust went both ways.
Edhen firmly smacked Braedan across his face, her brow furled, “How dare you suggest they were trying to kill you! They retaliated against the CORE, they did not initiate anything.”
Braedan scoffed mockingly, “Damn it, you must have blinders on. Where do you think I got these cuts, scrapes, and bruises from, huh? I sure as s--- didn't get them shaving. And how do you explain Talia? You think she casually knocked herself out for the hell of it? We were there, we saw it! They turned that place into a crater because they wanted to, not because they were defending themselves!”
She disapprovingly crossed her arms, “I might very well ask the same to you. It is not easy, going through the city, hearing the slurs and labels heaped upon humans, with the knowledge that I'm married to one. I have this hatred indirectly thrown my way, through gestures, behaviors, and nuance-laced subtleties. Do not pout to me that you have had it hard!”
“Woman...don't you even compare! You dodged words, boo-f---ing-hoo. I dodged lasers that leveled buildings. There's a difference!” he railed at his wife.
A calm fury about her, Edhen replied, “You do not dare refer to me in that tone again. My people have, and always will, have more honor than yours.”
Sighing softly, nodding his head slowly, Braedan then quietly answers, “That's how it is then. I do what I'm tasked to do, and I'm the one who's blamed.”
“Meus carus, I did not mean it in that manner,” she quickly retracted her words.
Turning his eyes away from her, he responded, “You got to stay here, in relative safety and comfort, protected by your people's reputation. But between us, you weren't asked to kill your own. Hell...I wasn't asked, I volunteered,” Braedan' locked his gaze on his wife, “And behind those beautiful eyes, in spite of what's been said, you still judge me.”
Edhen reached in to take his hand, in an effort to express her feelings, but Braedan shook it off.
He whispered, “I'm going out,” brushing past his wife with a cold shoulder.
“Where?” she asked.
“Kinda self-explanatory,” he said as the front door opened.
Door closing behind him, the normally well-mannered Courtesan gave an uncharacteristic 'Mmmph'. Fists clenched at her side and stamping her foot once, Edhen decided it best to sleep it off than to stay up and worry about it.
Walking into the streets, Braedan strode out to be one with his thoughts. Barren was the city, many of its residents returning to their homes once the business of the day had concluded, with a few stragglers here and there, venturing around like he was, to be alone. Every now and again, Braedan would pass by a small patrol of guardsmen, keeping to himself as they did. During the night, minutes ticked by like seconds; taking note of how everything was still and quiet, it was unnerving to think there was a war taking place. He would get the sense that someone was looking over his shoulder, yet every time he turned to check, his eyes weren't fast enough. The longer he wandered, Braedan started believing maybe Edhen was right, that he was allowing paranoia to govern his actions and thoughts.
As the first glimmers of sunlight peeked over the horizon in the early hours of morning, Braedan found himself within sight of the Residence of the Courtesans, and something else peculiar. The closer he got, Braedan found what looked like a teenage boy, standing in front of the gate in a statuesque kind of way, quiet and motionless. He got to within a few meters of the young being before they spoke.
“Tanara, I see you have returned, I have been waiting some time,” the being calmly said, a hint of happiness in their voice.
Braedan kept his distance, “Excuse me...did you just refer to me as girl?”
The being turned and giggled a little, a grin on their face, “No no, tanara, I refer to you as my people would, to any new race we encounter.”
“Your people?” the mercenary inquired.
The being replied proudly, “Yes. We are the ones who are Eternal.”
Laughing for a moment, Braedan said, “You're good for a laugh, I'll give you that, but you're nothing special next to the crazies I've met”, walking past the being to the gate.
“My people first saw this city when it was a village,” the being spoke from memory, “We uplifted the people of this world, We were here when the Xel'ti and Xel'tor fought for domination, and We have been here to see the Xel'ti transform this place into what exists before you now.”
The human stopped in his tracks.
“Why should I take any of what you say seriously?”
The being grinned, “You are the captain of an alus, but you are not the pilot. There are three more of your race aboard this alus, two of them being female.”
Braedan responded skeptically, “Anyone could know that through casual observation...or stalking.”
“Yes, this is true,” the being astutely replied, ”But could just anyone know, that the simultas you hold, is a piece of Our technology, and that only We can unlock their true meaning.”
Kneeling his head, the mercenary sighed, then commented, “I've seen first-hand what that stuff can do.”
“It may be hard for you to believe”, the being said, words laced with sorrow, “But my people left these capsules in the hope, that those who found them, would use the knowledge for the benefit of all, not for war. In that respect, we were naive.”
Braedan asked questionably, “And...uhh...what presumably would you need my help with?”
The being replied, “By your means of dress, would I be wrong to presume you are a fighter?”
“Of a sort, yes”, the mercenary said, feeling sketchy about where this was going.
“Ah good, I was correct”, the being beamed, a jovial grin on their face, “we can serve each other's purposes then.”
Braedan answered, “How, might I ask?”, again, not liking where this was going.
The being grinned, “You provide me with passage and protection, and I provide the knowledge contained in the capsule you hold.”
They waited eagerly for the mercenary's response, their figurative bouncing with excitement nearly becoming literal.
“Sure”, Braedan said reluctantly.
The being smiled, “Excellent, our journey is beginning.”
“One final thing. Do you have a name, or am I to refer to you as 'We' this whole time?”
The being gasped, “How rude of me, I have not said my name. Apologies. My name, in your tongue, would equate to Braxilaeon Isn Tas Loe'gin Falator.”
Braedan cocked an eyebrow, shaking his head, “Yeah...no, I'm not saying all that. Your name from now on is Brax...yeah, it'll be Brax.”
Moments later, Braedan entered through the gate protecting the Residence of the Courtesans, with Brax tailing him, joyful as a child at the prospect of having a new friend.
“Does this mean we're friends now?” Brax curiously asked.
The mercenary gave him a straightforward answer, “No,” as he continued back to the villa.
“Fair enough,” Brax replied, “a new journey is beginning, how exciting.”
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Gradiyan - guardian, protector
Tanara - the young ones
Diacona - hospital, infirmary
Medicus (pl. medici) - physician, doctor
Meus carus - my dearest
Alus - vessel
Simultas - artifact |
Primicerius
Titanium Core: Borderlands (Updated 26/03/18)
+rep
Frothy Goodness
Originally Posted by Shankbot de Bodemloze
Enjoyed this first update, the endnotes are really helpful. Great piece of dialogue between Brax and Braedan as well.
The Scribbling Scotsman
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