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RP [YSS Wyvern] [Essia] The Shape of Things to Come

Soban

Convention Veteran
RP Date
Mid YE 40
RP Location
Essia
Essia
Mid YE 40
YSS Wyvern

Aerlia Lei'Shela lay sleeping in her cabin. In her dreams she stood in a burning Separa'Shan village, like the ones she knew from her childhood. The village was completely abandoned. She felt herself floating, drawn to the temple and the golden image of Naga'shun. The idol looked at her and spoke, "Aerlia, I believe in you. Do you believe in me?" It asked.

Aerlia's mind whirled, a maelstrom of disbelief and pure awe. Hellfire and destruction raged and whipped around her, the ethereal screaming of children and adults alike carrying over the sound of splintering beams. Up, up, a sudden force swooped her off her coal-and-chalk tail where it unfurled below her. Where was she? This didn't make sense! Then, the ancient temple, stones long since worn, the symbols carved within near-unrecognisable as she was pulled ever closer. The splitting celestial image shone with a burning light, growing as she approached, just about able to to make out what or who it was as its booming voice spoke. "Wh-" She began, normal Venis protocol long since gone, "Naga'shun! It can't be! Believe?!" The question was an affirmative as much as it was a query, as if she could ever have said no.

The golden image nodded, "You are the first of many. The days of awe are upon us. A nation has invaded my land, a mighty army without number; it has the teeth of a lion, the fangs of a lioness. It has laid waste my vines and ruined my fig trees. It has stripped off their bark and thrown it away, leaving their branches white.The locust shall decend and feast on the fields and crops. Houses will no longer provide any shelter, for they are rotten and filled with bugs. Four things must happen. The Dragon must fight the sparrow for the seven snakes in it's claws. The beginning must be sought to bring the ending. The cat must be hidden, but not taken away. The one who is faithful must become apostate to remain."

There was a pause, and Naga'Shun looked at Aerlia, "Go to my city and find the cities, they must escape the locust so that a seed shall remain. For once the ashes are cold, spring shall arrive. Do you understand?" Naga'Shun asked.

The Separa's amber-orange eyes were like saucers as the god's words fell upon her ears, barely able to comprehend what was happening. It was a riddle, a prophecy, phrases filled with cosmic meaning. As Naga'Shun finished, she felt a divine clarity, as if the message could have even gone unspoken yet still understood. "Go to the city?" The golden figure must have meant Essia, ould find something she needed to retrieve..? Much else was unclear to her - "I think I understand.. I will return to the homeland."

Then Aerlia woke up, she was in her cabin. Unlike other dreams which fade upon waking, the dream was still vivid in her memory like one of her own waking memories. She was on her own ship, the Wyvern, which was sitting on the landing pad at the Star Army's Frontier Starport. It was the largest concentration of Star Army personnel on the planet. The voice of the officer standing watch came over the speakers, "Captain. There is something you need to see. We're picking up a large group of ships approaching Essia. We don't know what they are yet."

Aerlia's lengthy tail flicked its tip in annoyance as she began to come to, blinking her reptilian eyes a few times as she gently levered herself up. Essia? What by the Empress was that dream all about? "Shoi, report on what we know." The Shosa commanded wearily, still composing herself as she slipped free of her sheets and hastily dressed, shrugging on her uniform and perching a cap atop her straight, black hair as she waited. "Get us airborne and prepare to scramble - I've heard nothing about a friendly fleet in the area?"

There was a moment, and she felt the Fuji class move as it took off from the starport. There was a pause as the shoi looked at the information. "They arrived about two ago. Whoever they are, their wanting to get here fast. Their hitting point three five cee into the system. We're getting better resolution now..." The shoi's voice caught and there was a mutter. "Kuso." However, his professionalism returned a moment later. "The signatures are Kuvexian. They will be here within the hour." He reported, slightly unsteady.

Exactly what nobody wanted to hear. Despite her normally cool disposition, Aerlia's face shifted a shade lighter. "..." The Venis' mind raced, they were closer than any fleet she could think of but there was no way they'd even slow the enemy battlegroup.

Running a hand through her lengthy, straight hair the Shosa began to slither through the door to her cabin hastily, up to the Bridge as a few salutes were snapped to her. "We're a Fuji-class. We can hit three point seven five if we hustle."

She began, finally sweeping onto the fairly comprehensive bridge of bleary-eyed officers. "We can reach the planet before they do and try our best to get out in time. Do what we can for evacuation." The officer spoke decisively, gesturing forwards as if to signal to get going. "Get us to the capital."

"Aye, ma'am" The helmsman said, pointing the Wyvern, towards the capital. The flight was short, the two IIS buildings and a smattering of other newer buildings amoung the much more numerous wattle and daub buildings. The starport still hadn't broken into chaos yet. In the sky, the huge spacestation in orbit above Essia hung. A moment of peace before the storm.

The communications officer spoke up, "We're starting to get chatter captain. It's not coordinated, the station is just putting it together now. Their broadcasting an alert that Kuvexians are in the system. The individual ship owners are scrambing."

Aerlia's eyebrow twitched. How annoying, she had thought they would have more time - shit. "Where do the government officals reside?" She barked uncharacteristically, slithering up from her chair towards the viewscreen as if that would help her spot it.

"Hail The Senators and figures of authority that need escort, now. We can't afford them to fall into the Kuvexian hands." The Shosa rumbled, angrily tapping her black-white scales. "Take us down as fast as you can to wherever they need us. We don't have time."

The Wyvern changed course, heading for the temple district. Many of the govermental buildings were there. The communications officer worked frantically, trying to figure out who they needed and where they were. "I'm having to figure all this out manually ma'am. I'm in touch with the high priest's inner circle. Putting him on now."

On the main viewscreen Issus appeared. He was young for a High Priest, he looked like a man who had been and still was a fighter more than the older men who usually were called to the post. Behind him, there was frantic activity. "Captain Lei'Shela, Naga'Shun is faithful. We are assembling priests to depart with you. You'll be able to touch down on the causway leading to the main temple."

"Naga'Shun" The Venus breathed, suddenly recalling parts of her dream in more vivid detail, shaking her head to clear her head and focus on the task at hand. "High Priest, we are en route. Standby, we won't be waiting for stragglers." Aerlia nodded to the helmsman and the communications officer, "Next, quickly!"

"I've managed to get in touch with Erias Apodor. He's a member of the conclave." The communications officer said.

This time it was a voice only transmission. It sounded like an was a older man, "I was having tea when I was interuppeted. What's this about Kuvexians invading. We're a long ways from the front young lady." He said slightly reprovingly, as if it was somehow her fault for interupting his routine. On the screen, there was a map of the capital with dots representing the signal towers and a circle that represented where they thought he was based on triangulation.

"Apodor-sama, this is Shosa Aerlia of the Lei'Shela clan. I'm evacuating everyone I can from Essia on behalf of the Star Army, please stay where you are and ready yourself for a swift departure." It was too long, a sentence she shouldn't have bothered giving but Aerlia knew these oldies liked their formalities, best to give them what they wanted. Perhaps her clan's name would carry some weight, one could only hope.

The Wyvern screamed into a perfect touchdown on the temple grounds. The doors opened to allow the small crowd of Separa'Shan to board. On the screen, the timer ticked down, thirty minutes until the front wave of the Kuvexian ships arrived.

"Departure? Where are we going? If I go somewhere, I need to bring my staff. And notes, I need to get back to my office for my notes." He said and the line went dead.

"He disconnected the line. I've got got two more members of the conclave on. Apparently, they were at a lunch of some sort. Erian Eristicoph and Azerin Azemiops." The communications officer offered.

On the screen, which wobbled slightly as the hand that was holding it was unsteady. There were two older Separa'shan, looking at the screen with concerned looks. Behind them was a full resturaunt. That would have been normal enough, but apparently everyone in the resturaunt was looking at the two members of the Conclave. She was on speakerphone for everyone to hear. Erian wore glasses, and looked rather like a grandma. It was apparently her hands that were holding the commlink. Azerin was younger, perhaps in his fifties and was balding. "Captain, your communications officer told us that we needed to stay put because the Kuvexians were invading. Would you like to elaborate on what exactly is happening and why?" She asked in the careful way that politicians used when trying to use something for their own advantage.

Aerlia swore quietly to herself at the bumbling elder as the line went dead, shaking her head in dismay as her straight black hair waved. Composing herself as two more were flagged up.

Time for a new approach, she decided swiftly, trying to hold the names of all these people fired at her in rapid succession inside her head. "Elders, there is nothing to worry about." She began, noticing the large crowd behind them. She had to choose her words carefully, "We would just like you to meet us on the ship to talk about it at greater lengths. If you comply you'd be at a greater advantage than your colleages in the current situation."

It was a dumb thing to say but she took the gander, these were wily men and they wouldn't do anything without a reward. She wasn't lying either, having them safely aboard would lend them greater voice than their colleages.

As they were talking, two more green dots appeared on the map. They were both on the far side of the city, opposite far sides of the city. The elder who had disconnected was a expanding yellow circle. Where the two elders currently were was close to the center of the city. They both had names attached, so it was easy to guess that it was elders who took the comms officer at his word. As the Wyvern took off again, a least time route was plotted, twenty minutes. Not counting the time they spent on the ground. They were starting to run out of time.

Both of the Separa'Shan on the screen took a moment to consider what she said. There was a flicker of doubt across Azerin's face. Erian smiled broadly. "Certainly captain. which docking bay are you in?" She asked.

The Separa glanced at the map beside her, knowing that she had to inform the people there what was occurring. "I'll have my officer send a location to you - please make haste if you can, others are already en route."

With that, she nodded respectfully and closed the connection, whipping her head to the communications officer. "We need to start bugging out. I need you to handle everyone but the ones who need to talk to me. If they're alone, tell them that to survive they need to come. If not, try once and skip them."

It was a brutal strategy but Aerlia needed to start cutting her losses so that they got out with at least some people. "Helmsman, break the speed restrictions to get us where we need to be. It'll be anarchy in half an hour regardless, someone start getting those we have online to start moving closer together. Reduce the travel time."

Outside the Wyvern, there was a huge boom as they sped past the speed of sound, breaking many windows in the city. On the screen, the time dropped. They screeched to a stop in the middle of the city. The two elders were there with several others. Moments later they were back in the sky. The green dots seemed to be heading in, towards the center of the city. The yellow ring turned into a green dot, meaning they had gotten contact back with that one. The moments ticked down. As the timer hit zero, they managed to pick up the old senator. Two red dots appeared on the map. "Kuvexian gunships approaching." The Tactical officer warned.

Another green dot appeared on the screen, all the way across the city. "We just got a call back from one of the ones who didn't pick up. Their getting ready for pickup." The conn officer said.

"Damnit all." Aerlia muttered, clenching her fists to her sides and flicking her banded tail in frustration. "Take us up, so their weapons don't hit the city when they engage us. We'll dispatch them, collect the VIPs when they're in one spot and then max throttle clear."

This was going to be very tight, the Shosa leaning hard against her console and staring through the screen. "We're Fuji-class, we should be able to hold until then. Battle stations, sound the alert."

The tenor of the ship changed as it went into battle. The two enemy ships fired, however the Fuji dodged out of the way and returned fire, destroying one as the ships passed high above the city. The huge fireball briefly lit up the whole city like a crack of lightening. The rear guns of the remaining Kuvexian gunship tagged the Wyvern, cutting it's shields in half before they twisted out of the way. The two ships twisted and turned, trying to gain an advantage in the fight.

Suddenly fire reached up from below. Slaming into the Kuvexian gunship, the shields flickered and died as three couriers rose from the planet's surface. The gunship hesitated for a moment, not sure about who to confront. That was enough of an opening for the Wyvern's gunner to let loose a barage of fire that punched through the gunship, sending it spiraling into the ground where it exploded on impact.

"Ma'am, the last of the council members are at the meeting point." Communications called out.

However, for a moment, the skies were clear again. "They seem to be mostly focused on the station at the moment, but it looks like our dance with the gunships had caught their attention. We have more gunships approaching, they'll be in weapons range in a minute." The Tactical officer warned, placing a timer on the screen next to a formation of five Kuvexian gunships. On the tactical screen, the couriers who had helped were lit up in yellow. "The couriers belong to the Essia Monitary Exchange. They say they have guns to help."

With the Couriers in tow the Wyvern touched down and quickly grabbed up the remaining councilors. Then the tiny squadron ran for it. There was some fire exchanged with the persuing gunships, but they eventually stopped. Next stop, Yamatai.
 
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