[b]Task Force Odin, Expeditionary Fleet Arracus, 28th Expansion Front, Unknown system[/b] Fleet Sovereign Rhone Fredgar looked around the room at his command, men and women he had worked with for a century since the inception of Expeditionary Fleet Arracus, officially designated the 16th Sentinel Fleet. Pride infused him every time he gazed upon the efficiency of his force, the speed with which it advanced through the galaxy, system by system, scanning every detail meticulously so that nothing would be lost. But being the 16th irked him to no avail ever since the first decade of his command had passed: the Dasius dreadnought saw its first action with the 17th Sentinel Fleet, first of the Fleets to receive the new class of ship. From the demonstrations he had seen, the vessel was a marvel, strange, unique, deadly. Unlike its predecessors, the Altar Troop Carrier and the Cantarin battlecruiser, the Dasius did not utilize the distinctive art form design of older vessels. Rather, it resembled a knife, sleek, jagged, ridges running along the splayed back. Veins of blue light ran along the Dasius, in contrast to the red of the Cantarin and the white of the Altar. It did not look like a Sakari vessel yet it was, and he wanted it. All fleets after the 17th had been provided with several of the dreadnoughts and requisitioning dreadnoughts for integration into older fleets had been given priority to the age of the fleet rather than the size or combat record. This Rhone did not agree with. The Dasius vessels should have been provided to fleets such as his, ones that had consistently proven their ability to overcome the odds. Whatever his complaints about the distribution of the Dasius he was glad that the two new atmospheric craft and the troop transport had been given to all fleets. His men were as of yet still accustoming themselves to the Hronathi drop-ship and Orbast flyer, vehicle types that had not commonly been used during the older eras. The Zeuros Troop Transport was a boon however. As large as a small starship, it could ferry several thousand troops at a time to the surface, hidden by some newly developed cloaking technology of which details were not provided to him. The most astounding part of the craft, apart from the fact that it resembled the Dasius in aesthetics, was the inclusion of a time dilator mechanism. Such a thing had never been done before yet those who had flown the craft through combat lauded its capabilities. With it he had won this unknown planet. That thought reminded him of where the fleet currently operated, specifically his task force. While Fleet Sovereign of all ships in Arracus, a large majority of the other task groups operated independently from his supervision. Such was the way if they wanted to cover the galaxy in as fast a way as possible. If the full weight of the group was brought into a single system then the Morval Doctrine would not be completed for millenia upon millenia. Task Force Odin itself had just recently finished operating in this planet, hence the celebrations among the vessels, some even docked together so that the crews could mingle, a rare event as most members of the Volus stayed on their ships for decades without ever setting foot upon earth. Not to say that ships did not have parks with vegetation and small animals to accommodate the biological need for other biological forms. Simply that due to the size of the ships it was impossible for any one crewman to [i]know[/i] the entirety of the crew. One of the bridge crew approached, an Admiral Aspirant by the rank insignia stitched onto his uniform, a silver thread t-shaped symbol resting under eight blue pips. Underneath the chest rank insignia was also a small gold thread pentacle, marking his abilities as a psionic or mage. For whatever reason command had decided not to include those designations on the marking. Bowing to the man in respect for his talents, Rhone intoned, "It is a pleasure to meet you, prodetan. You honor me with your presence." The Aspirant saluted, right arm tucked behind his back while the left rested against the left side of his chest, bowing low. His fellow Sakari's features were different from his own, ear more rounded and skin a darker hue of blue, almost black, irises shining as rubies. His initiation must have taken place in quite different setting. "No need to address me as so, Sovereign Rhone. I am simply Aspirant Lomar Huldn. I came to converse with you over the planet below us." Nodding gravely, Rhone motioned for Lomar to follow him to the data display table, a colored holographic projection that responded to tactile movements or thought connections via the neuro chip. Several others stood around it, managing separate pieces of information necessary for fleet survival, from logistics to the management of the troops still on the planet. With one thought pulse Rhone formulated a view of the planet in front of him and Lomar, displaying the celestial body in all its minutiae, a live transmission formed from the sensor displays across the fleet and assembled by the ship AI programs. Turning back to Lomar, he questioned, "What is it you wish to discuss?" Lomar fidgeted, face betraying his nervousness. Something obviously troubled him yet to a point that he would bring the thought to a Fleet Sovereign. Hopefully the matter pertained to an important decision rather than some petty personal maneuvering. All such as those were immediately expelled from the Dominar Milita and handed over to the Judicatus Corsys. What happened to them no one knew but for the good of all it had to be done. No one ever questioned those decisions. Drawing in a breath, Lomar spoke, "Sovereign Rhone, why do we do this? What is the purpose of cataloging the galaxy and destroying it in the process? What if Morval is wrong?" That last word rang in the small space and all those near ceased speaking, staring at Lomar. Darting glances, he peered behind him as a fellow crew member fainted, turning back to find the barrel of a Fell pistol stuck to his temple. "Heresy," uttered Rhone before pulling the trigger. Energy shot out, consuming Lomar's head, leaving the Sakari's body to fall ungraciously to the floor. All conversation on the bridge ceased, hundreds upon hundreds of eyes looking at him on the balcony of the strategic center. Kicking the corpse off the edge of the terrace, he holstered his pistol before projecting his voice over the speakers, "My friends, that corpse on the floor was a heretic. Where there is one there are others. I place this fleet under Inquisition. Cleanse the planet and purge the records. We shall not bear shame back to our brothers and sisters." A scant hour later, the only remaining object in the void of space in that area was a planet wreathed in fire, shattering into rubble as the memory of the Expeditionary Fleet's failure was cleansed. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [b]Concilan Palace, Allaris, the Orthos System[/b] Marek Sen scanned over the reports coming in from the Tenth Expansion front, troubling in their nature yet fascinating for the same reason. Vermilion robes contrasted with his pale blue skin, billowing out over his thin frame. Smaller than most Sakari, his dark hair was also an oddity as most Sakari had blonde or white hair. Seated around a svet-table with the other twenty-eight members of the Concilan Dominitatus, he was the oldest among them at three hundred years old. An age considered ancient by most other Sakari, Marek prided himself in reaching the age without replacing biological functions for mechanical ones and without gene therapy. A good life he had lived, one hundred years of it on the Concilan. A representative of the oldest, and therefore most centered, principality of the Dominion, Marek nevertheless addressed the needs of the entire Dominion before his own interests. Pursuing self-betterment was promoted heavily but ambition and greed in the face of doing good for others was taboo those who displayed such traits were...rehabilitated. "What are we facing?" called out a voice, Looking up, he located the speaker. Yliss Ruma, one of the younger members of the Concilan. Fitting, considering she represented one of the younger principalities. Her voice was one of the most out-spoken on all matters, offering comment and recommendation on all decisions even where she knew nothing but cursory official information. Albino with pink eyes and silver hair, she stood out wherever she went. Nothing stopped the woman and almost nothing slowed her. "I believe that would best be answered by one with first-hand experience. High Seer, if you would," uttered Elamian Threman, a senior Conciliar much as Marek. The aforementioned High Seer, Al'za Kail, stood from her chair and walked into the middle of the room, svet-table making room for her automatically. "They are completely foreign, both to us and to the galaxy, if not dimension according to our scientists. Resembling biological creatures it surprised us to find they resembled energy beings more than anything else. With only one body to work off of and with no other knowledge of how they work, advances have been slow. A scout ship recovered the corpse while reconnoitering a far area of the galaxy and returned immediately. Given the circumstances, I pardoned their decision. The system the body was found in was dead, planets consumed and star gone. If not for the faint signatures of remaining radiation, our pilots would never have known anything was there. These beings, if the system means anything, will hamper the Morval Doctrine. It is my recommendation we assemble the Golhamnd Fleet and accelerate the development of Project Gideon. Our mission cannot be allowed to fail." All remained pensively silent, tumbling options throughout their heads in light of this revelation and the recommendation. In the corner of the room a shadowy figure stood, stepping out into the light. [url=http://fc04.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2013/177/a/a/sanguinius_by_prohibe-d6as1yl.jpg]Clad in sanguine armor with golden streaks,[/url] the man stood taller than any in the room by several feet. A cloak of pure white flared behind him. Most prominent were the two massive wings extending behind him, pure white feathers gleaming softly. Stopping at the table, he looked at Al'za Kail consideringly. Smiling softly, he nodded. "You shall have your wish, Al'za. I command it." Far above the planet at the Seraphim shipyards, one hundred ships pulled out and hovered above the planet as the High Seer ascended. Receiving her, they turned and disappeared into the distance, pursuing a goal. Morval's goal. Victory.