[b]Somewhere in the Southern Hemisphere[/b]

Oldin sat with her legs crossed, naked from the waist up as she washed her armor in a creek and smoked her last cigarette. This was day one hundred and thirty seven of her self imposed survival test in the *Interstate Wilderness. She had hunted for food for all but the first month, and had gone hungry for more than a few week long stretches. She felt she was in good shape on the whole right now; she was well fed and had clean water, and she had developed a sense for living things around her. Hunting was a breeze when not so much as a sparrow could fly overhead without you knowing. She was still working on differentiating animals, and tuning out the "static" that was insect and plant life. 
Her only complaints were her dwindling-now-gone supply of coffin nails, and the Spire of Earth's two week long ongoing radio silence. 

[b]The Spire of Earth, Spire City[/b]
Auldus Vull, Lord of the Knights, Veleran Hodin, Master of the Ascendants, and a young man who sat in mediation were gathered in the rooftop courtyard of the Spire of Earth. Vull was looking out over the edge of the roof, across the cityscape over the Earth District. They had gathered together to discuss possible new additions to the Human Protectorate. So far every settlement and city-state on the list was requesting to join, on the condition that they did not have to give up their children in the "barbaric" practice of the Hero's Consortium. And so far every one had been sent a letter of refusal.
The last on the list was the city-State of South Haven, which was causing some amount of consternation between the three. 
"They've refused the Choosing every time we've offered protection," Vull repeated his argument, as adamantly as ever. You don't become the Lord of Earth by giving in easily in any confrontation. "Why accept it now? I don't trust that they won't change their mind and refuse to surrender recruits come next Choosing. And they're so far below the **Last Line that we can't spare Heroes to go down there every time we need to remind them of their fealty."

Hoden finally spoke, slowly and apparently with great effort and thought, as if he were intoxicated and having difficulty focusing on the matter at hand. "Let me put this in a soldier's terms for you. If South Haven were to join us, we could leave an outpost there, and it would expand our influence, and present a further line of defense against the Orsim."

"Tempting," Vull brushed Hoden off roughly, "But I know you just want to get closer to those Void slinging barbarians. Want a little look-see. I'm not buying it." 

"It is possible," the young man spoke, his voice echoing and distant, "That they have changed their mind out of fear. Perhaps the Orsim are closing in? It would not be right to leave them to their fate. And whether part of the Protectorate or not, we are sworn to preserve humanity." 

Vull turned to face them again. "Ganging up on me? I can appreciate that tactic in a fight but I don't like it when you two agree on something. A compromise, then." He spoke the word like it tasted greasy and foul, "We'll send a group down to take a look. There's plenty of young Heroes who are eager for adventure. In fact," he pressed on a small screen on the wrist of his armor. A holographic display appeared, reading out esoteric information to him. "I have a Knight out pretty close to there. She wandered below the Last Line and out of communication range. When our fire team hits the Last Line they can put out a short wave comm to try to hail her. Give me a list of who you want to send, and give them orders to meet at the Sky Spire launching bay." He turned back to face his home district, annoyed at being made to do something he didn't want to. 

 

*The Interstate Wilderness is the largely uninhabited space between the city states that make up the Human Protectorate. It is dotted with the occasional hermit, small settlement, or old ruin. But for the most part, it's wild. 

**The Last Line is a line of latitude drawn on the globe that marks the furthest south from Spire City that the Consortium has any control. About twenty miles past the Last Line radio communication back to the City diminishes and eventually disappears.