Aetheral Space

Woosh.

One good thing about Bruno moving around on his own meant that, for Serena, walking was now somewhat optional. Instead, she was free to get a piggy-back ride from him as he rushed down the train tunnel, his purple-crystal feet pitter-pattering against the tracks. She threw her hands up as the wind pelted at her hair.

"Woo!" she yelled. "I can't believe we've never -- ah, I swallowed a bug!"

"This isn't a game!" Bruno shot back. "Something's going on."

They'd been on their way into the shopping district for the afternoon, when there had suddenly been a violent tremor and the train had screeched to a halt. The officials had started evacuating civilians, and the public announcement system was saying something about a state of emergency… but Bruno and Serena were the sort of people who liked to check these things out themselves.

And so they did.

Two more jumps brought them out of the tunnel, and two last jumps brought them out into the sunlight -- or rather, what should have been the sunlight.

A shadow was cast upon the earth. A great five-pointed star, bristling with weapons and perched automatics, floating over Serendipity like a great weight. Security automatics buzzed around it like flies around a carcass.

Anyone in the galaxy would recognise this craft on sight. The very center of the universe. The Supreme terror.

The Sheshanaga. One of the few vessels in the galaxy that could move with complete freedom. The flagship of the Supremacy, the pinnacle of its military technology. The marker around which the world turned.

It hung over Serendipity like a leech awaiting its meal.

As he looked up at the mechanical monstrosity, a trembling Jaime Pierrot stepped forward on trembling legs and placed a trembling hand against the window. The glass was still warm, retaining the sunlight, like the body heat of some awful living thing. He swallowed.

This was impossible. This should have been impossible.

It was true that the Sheshanaga could make jumps without the use of a lightpoint, but even so -- to organise a rapid series of jumps right into the heart of UAP territory, right into the heart of the capitol… this could not have been done on a whim. There had to have been planning involved, a great deal of planning. The Prince should have noticed the web of the galaxy tightening… but it hadn't.

Somehow, the person who had done this… the Supreme… had managed to fool the Prince itself. That, more than anything, sent a shiver down Pierrot's spine.

What is this?

He only remembered he was not alone when he felt the Landgrave's heavy hand upon his shoulder, pulling him away from the window. Both Nebula's had charged into the room to defend their heads of state. Sir Ethel Faust stood between the window and Albert, sword drawn, while Beckett del Brainen had cut to the chase and produced claws of bone from his fingers. Every set of eyes was locked on the intruder in the sky, awaiting the beginning of the assault.

And yet… it never came.

The gargantuan ship just floated there, as if waiting, releasing not a single automatic and firing not a single shot. Around it, the city was going into lockdown, defensive barriers rising up to cover streets and suburbs, skyscrapers sinking downwards to escape the danger zone. The constant flow of traffic had vanished from the skies.

Just by being here, the Sheshanaga had brought the entire world to a halt.

Pierrot's earpiece beeped, and he put a finger to it immediately. Deep tremors were still running through his body, but he couldn't afford to entertain shock right now. He'd been presented with a new board, one the enemy had already started playing on.

Moves had to be made.

"This is Pierrot," he said, still half-dazed, to whoever might have been on the other end. "Report."

Xiurong's voice came back. "Tell me you're seeing this too."

"I'm afraid so," Pierrot said grimly, before tapping another button on his earpiece. "You're on speaker. I'm with the Landgrave and Albert."

"What is this?" Karl growled, still looking up at the vast vessel, his fists clenched. "We didn't see this coming? Nothing was detected?"

"I'm afraid not. As far as we can tell, the Sheshanaga must have executed a rapid series of jumps -- all the way from its original position… right here into our skies. Took them around two hours."

The numbers were put together by the invisible hand in Pierrot's head. "Sixteen jumps in all to cover that kind of distance… and the time they did it in… there's no way their systems are in any good state after that. Even the Sheshanaga can only be pushed so hard."

Albert nodded in agreement. "It's the same reason why lightpoints don't just rapid-fire ships all day -- the damnable burnout. I'd wager they're stuck here for the time being."

"If this is their destination," Karl muttered. "It doesn't matter if they're stuck."

Did it not?

'The Supreme is launching a direct personal attack on Serendipity'. The Prince offered no argument against that, but it still didn't seem to make sense to Pierrot. Why just the Sheshanaga? It was perhaps the most formidable starship in the galaxy, but there was only so much it could do by itself. It needed a fleet to support it, armies to deploy for ground warfare… if this was an invasion, it was a somewhat half-baked one.

"I've received word from the other councillors," Xiurong said. "Bar Abra-Facade and Pandershi, they're heading for the nearest panic rooms. I'll be doing the same -- I'd recommend you do too."

"Not Abra-Facade and Pandershi?" Karl scowled. "Why?"

"I've just been told that Yulia If-Void left Serendipity around half-an-hour ago. She's already on her way home."

"Damnable harlot!" Karl snarled. "She saw this coming and said nothing?!"

"And Pandershi?" Pierrot pressed on, ignoring the Landgrave's fury beside him.

"Still missing. His ship is docked, but his new Nebula has left too now -- we haven't been able to track down either of them."

Pierrot took in a deep breath. "Fine. Very well. Fine. I'll make sure the Landgrave and the Prime Minister get to safety, you prepare for --"

"I speak to those throned in the Seat of Man."

The words echoed across the planet, devouring all other sound in an instant. Their source was obvious: the Sheshanaga itself. The titan of war was being used as a glorified speaker, the air rippling around it from the sheer volume.

No alcove, no alley, no crack in the earth could escape it.

Nothing could escape the words of the Supreme.

"I speak to those throned in the Seat of Man."

The Supreme's voice rang out once again, the windows rattling at every syllable. Besides Pierrot, even the Landgrave had fallen silent, his face somehow paler than usual. It made sense. The warrior had spent the day preparing for war, but…

…this felt like something else.

"We are one people. We are one humanity. The conflict between our nations… the 'cold war' that crawls over the galaxy like frost… it saddens me. I would have it end -- today, here and now, with peace."

"Bullshit…" Karl muttered to himself. Pierrot couldn't find himself disagreeing. What was the Supreme's… what was Hadrien's angle here?

The man who spoke like god spoke further still.

"I have come here, alone, without backup or support… to parlay with you good people. I bring my palace to your doorstep. Should you wish to attack me, I have little recourse. I place my peace in your hands."

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Little recourse? Little shit, more like. Even if Hadrien was alone, the ship he was riding around in was capable of fighting a war by itself. They'd bring it down in the end, sure… but it'd do it's damage while it floated there.

"My doors are open. I will wait."

The noise stopped.

Jaime Pierrot took a deep breath.

"Fuck."

When the meeting resumed, it was done via hologram -- representatives scattered across half-a-dozen sealed safe rooms throughout the Seat of Man, guarded by their Nebulas and layers of additional security.

"It's a trap," Shen Xiurong said seriously, hunched over the table, his face pale. "Without a doubt, it's a trap."

"The, um, the Elders disagree," Misery Locke's flickering image replied. "If this is a chance for peace, they believe we should pursue it. A discoplo… a diplomatic envoy should be sent to the Sehara… Sashana…" He took a breath. "A diplomatic envoy should be sent to the Supreme's ship to negotiate with him."

Xiurong shook his head. "I'll say it again. It's a trap. If we board that ship, I guarantee you right now we're not leaving it. We'd just be handing him hostages."

"Well, in a way, the Supreme's our hostage right now, ain't he?" Gainhill mused, hand on his chin. "It's a scary ship, sure -- but by itself, there's only so much it can do. We lock down his exit route, we disable that baby… hell, we've got the Supreme himself as a bargaining chip."

The Oba of Inganci turned to look at his Maraze counterpart -- they had ended up in the same room following the Shesha's arrival.

"That's easier said than done, my friend," he crossed his arms. "A Supreme is an Aether-user of the highest caliber. Even if we were to bring down his ship, there's a good chance he'd be able to escape and slip into the city. Even if we capture him, the damage would be tremendous."

"How about it, Nebula One?" Gainhill looked up. "You think you could take him?"

Xiurong followed Gainhill's virtual gaze to where his husband stood silently at the back of the room. His face was concealed behind his dragon-helm, but Fei Long gave a single curt nod.

"I could," he said plainly.

"Well, there you go," Gainhill went on, waving a hand. "We send Nebula One up to talk to the fella, and see what happens. If it comes down to it, Fei Long just does what needs doing."

Albert Raise of the Lesser Chain tightened his grip on his cane. "It's not that simple. If this turns into a fight against the Supreme himself… that's war, immediately and without recourse."

"It should be war already," the Landgrave of Brainen growled, his cloak hanging heavy around him. "The bastard has invaded our territory -- and where is Pandershi?! Is he involved in this?!"

Pollyanna Botfly sighed. Her hologram had been enlarged slightly, making her proportions seem almost cartoonish compared to her fellow representatives.

"Who can say, glorp," she threw her hands up. "His Nebula's up and vanished now too, zemzo. The Supreme's a bigger issue anyway, diblie. Even if Nebula One can beat him in a fight… we need to make sure it doesn't turn into a fight at all, polip."

The Landgrave narrowed his eyes. "Easier said than --"

"Ahem."

For the first time in the gathering, in-person or virtual, Agnes von Frostburn opened her mouth. Every pair of eyes turned to look at her. The ice-cold Tsarina of Adrust mostly preferred to listen during these meetings… but that meant it was usually worth hearing her rare words.

Hands clasped in front of her, Agnes smiled thinly.

"It's not easier said than done," she said calmly. "We have a way we can stop this from turning into a fight with the Supreme."

She stepped aside.

"May I formally introduce my new Nebula?"

"Get over here," Pierrot said, voice low, speaking into his earpiece as he lurked in the corner of Albert Raise's panic room. "Bring Vantablack Squad, too. It's all hands on deck."

"The building's locked down, as you well know," the Widow's voice came back. "How exactly are we supposed to get in?"

"No games," Pierrot hissed back, agitated. "That's no obstacle for someone like you. Call me when you're inside." Suppressing the tremor in his hand, he switched his earpiece to another channel. "Koel. Where are you? Do you still have Muzazi?"

"Yeah~" Zep Koel's infuriatingly relaxed voice came back. "I was leading him out when everything started getting crazy. We're in the lobby, but the building's on lockdown, baby. Can't get out, you know?"

Pierrot nodded to himself. Good, good. As long as they were still inside, the lockdown wasn't a problem. In times of emergency, natural disasters and the like, the Seat of Man could serve as one of many shelters for the populace. With everything going on, someone had activated those functions now.

Well… what could you call this situation if not a disaster?

"Get Muzazi to a safe place as well," he demanded. "We can't lose him right after we've got him on board."

As he terminated the call, the hands of Pierrot's mind scrambled, trying to put back together the jigsaw collapsing around him. What was their next move? Did they accelerate and have Muzazi face the Supreme now, sparking the civil war, or did they wait and give diplomacy the day?

What should he do, what should he do, what should he do?!

The Prince gave him nothing.

Was it being interfered with, or was there no need for assistance here? Pierrot didn't know that either. The feeling was like a cold claw in his chest.

Get your resources to hand, Pierrot told himself, steadying his breathing. Get your pieces together.

Only then can you begin to play.

"I'm gonna see if I can get us a private room, Muzazi baby~" Koel winked, sauntering off into the crowd. "Stick around, yeah?"

Muzazi folded his arms as he rested his back against the fountain, his keen eyes fixed on one of the great videograph monitors that hung from the ceiling. On it was displayed a news feed of the Sheshanaga, stationed right above the city. Looking at it on the screen was slightly easier than turning his head to look at it through the window, at any rate.

His arms still crossed, he began to saunter off too. He'd play along with this Pierrot's machinations for the time being, but he'd be damned if he'd serve as lapdog for that pest Koel. He wasn't the sort of person who could be told to just 'stick around'.

There seemed to be some sort of impromptu medical tent set up at the front of the fountain. It wasn't too serious, but a few people had suffered injuries from the initial arrival of the Sheshanaga. Muzazi stopped next to it, narrowing his eyes as he finally looked through the windows before him and beheld the black blot of the Supremacy's flagship.

So. Hadrien was in there, right now. Muzazi had fled halfway across the galaxy, and Hadrien had clawed his way across space to follow. There really was no escape from this, he supposed. Fate was a blade all of its own.

"Hell of a thing, huh?"

Muzazi looked down. One of the medics, a young man with dark hair and one arm, had looked up in the middle of restocking a first aid kit. Muzazi could see the reflection of the dread vessel in his wide eyes.

"It is," Muzazi replied somberly.

The words didn't mean much. At times like this, when the world was spinning wrong, it was natural to want reassurance that you weren't the only one seeing it.

Slowly, the medic nodded -- and kept nodding for a good few seconds too long, eyes still locked on the window.

"My name's Rico," he said vaguely. "Rico Blanco. How about you?"

Muzazi opened his mouth to reply -- then realized that advertising his identity probably wasn't the best idea. He had a rudimentary disguise in the form of a cap and black visor, but still. "Avos," he said after a moment. "Avos Travensi."

Rico nodded again -- this time more forcefully, a jerk towards the window. "Looks like they're sending something up."

It was true -- a black dot was zooming out from the Seat of Man's docks, heading up towards the Sheshanaga. Muzazi took another deep breath, locked in place amidst the crowd, standing on the edge of history.

Something was beginning.

The decision was made.

A preliminary team of two would head up to the Sheshanaga and meet with the Supreme personally. They'd hear what he had to say, ascertain his intentions… and if they were benevolent, the work of diplomacy could proceed from there. If not…

…well, there was a reason the team consisted of two Nebula.

Nebula One, Fei Long.

Nebula Five, Ruth Blaine.

It was cold in the shuttle.

Even with her Pugnant warmth, Ruth couldn't help but shiver. Perhaps it was just that cold, or perhaps it was just how tiny they seemed as their vessel flew up into the maw of the great beast. This was one of the… oh hell, this was the most heavily armed starship in the galaxy. If Dragan wanted it, this shuttle would disappear in a second.

But… Ruth couldn't see him doing that. After all, they'd told him in advance who'd be coming.

This time, I want answers, Dragan. This time, I want to put a stop to this.

Once and for all.

Ruth hugged herself tight as she was pulled up into the belly of the beast.