[centre][b]Liasion's Suite The Chamber Ot-Skodat [/b][/centre] Tiani was slowly roused by a soft tapping on his forehead, as if a stalk of wheat was swaying before her. She turned over in her bed, pulling the sheets with her, but the wheat simply continued to tap gently against the nape of her neck. Reaching out, she pushed it away and tried to focus on the pervasive warmth surrounding her for the last few minutes before she had to set out for the day. That wheat had no reason to wake [i]her[/i] up. "Imperial-Liaison-Truerank Tiani, we are enjoying of a paper-ink communications from the Vaugemyrs." Tiani's eyes flicked open and she glowered at the servant standing before her, a folded piece of paper clutched in its hands. Pulling her sheets up her body, Tiani freed one hand and held it out to the servant. With precise motions, the Ot-Skodat placed the paper into her outstretched palm and bowed deeply. "We are of collection-discussion-assembly already, Imperial-Liaison-Truerank." The Ot-Skodat added, "And now are of waitings for your attending." It took Tiani a moment to translate, but once she had she sagged back into her bed. "Go back to the Suite and tell them I'll be there soon." She sighed, "I'll just get changed and head out there." "I am of ordered to-" "[i]Out.[/i]" The servant seemed to consider its options for a moment, before bowing again and scurrying out. Tiani frowned at that. The Ot-Skodat rarely ever used outward displays of respect. Why this one? As she worked through the dress uniform required for her position - and showering the moon with praise that she didn't need to wear High Fashion out here - she managed to scan through the letter from the Vaugemyr. They had - apparently - declared for Ecruir and started an invasion of the Province of Avalia, which was all well and good but they also wanted [i]her[/i] to help them in that process. Gritting her teeth she pulled on her gloves, snatched up the letter and stepped out of her suite. By the time she reached the Vyalviur Suite she was regretting not spending ten minutes trying to wrestle her hair into some semblance of order, but there were few enough Yllendyr on this level of the Chamber that no-one would notice. She hoped, anyway. Stepping into the room, dozens of semi-insectile faces swung towards her curiously as she ran a hand through her hair and seated herself at the head of the table. "First things first." She began, "Where's everyone else?" "They are of approaching." One Ot-Skodat explained, "We were having contacts with much urgency, but with such distancing as we were having...delays..." "Fine." Tiani sighed, before recognition hit her, "Why are you that servant?" "Not of servant-truerank, but of servant-role." The Ot-Skodat replied with a click clicking of its antennae, "I am of Five-Lines Deep-Sight, the replacings of Blue-Shell Ever-Bright. I am of pleasure to become acquainted, Imperial-Liaison-Truerank Tiani." "You- Fine. Whatever. Eluir, wonderful, sit down, I need someone who can talk properly here. Have you heard?" "I was told that Vaugemyr's done something, but nothing more." Eluir replied, glancing around the table, "Why?" Tiani slid the letter across the table, and he gingerly picked it up and unfolded it. For a moment he seemed to relax, then his features tightened. "Oh." "Yes, 'oh' indeed." Tiani replied, "How's the reorganisation coming together?" "We have four distinct Auxilia Legions. I wouldn't quite call them [i]cohesive[/i], however." "Is this being of issues?" Nine-Eyes asked, "We are not within obligations to be of aiding to Vaugemyrs." "If we don't, then we risk looking non-committal to Ecruir." Tiani sighed, "We have to at least [i]try[/i] to help the dragons out. Which leads us back into the question - what do we have available to us?" "We are of completing the formations of our dozen-eight-thousand." Half-Arm began, "They are having a stability in the Outerself which is of encouragement, and in the two-dozen-six-thousand we are of equal readiness. Of consternation, however, are these forces of Nok-Torrak where the organising are of problems. We can be detaching a Legion-Auxilia, but it is of...not-arrayment?" "Disarray." Tiani corrected, "Eluir?" "The bug has it." The Yllendyr shrugged, "Best case we've got a hundred thousand men to push in there, and I'd feel safer keeping half of that as a reserve until we can get them ordered properly and bring up a third Auxilia Legion. To compound that, we don't really have the logistical tail for a deep strike. We can posture and threaten a few settlements to the east, but if they really want to focus on the dragons we can't really stop them." "We have been of preparation for this." Five-Lines noted, "While we are not having a landed system in place, we are having the Kol-Kurak in flight to be providing a portioning of the logisticals." "Which is useful, but doesn't help out overall position. Unless we can get a proper logistical corps in place, we aren't participating in this conflict without Avalia's consent." "They don't know that, though." Tiani added, "Eluir, Half-Arm, I want that first Legion across the border before this month is done, with a reserve to back them up. Five-Lines, you've got two months to get a logistical corps up and running, and I expect it done in one. Nine-Eyes, come with me. We'll need to pen a response to Vaugemyr to explain our position to them, and I'll need a messenger with a pair of Kol-Kurak ready to relay it once I'm done. Any questions?" There was a brief moment of silence. "Wonderful." She concluded, "Meeting adjourned." For some reason, saying that didn't make the gnawing sickness in her stomach ease any. [hr] [centre][b]Barracks 019 Nok-Kurrot Ot-Skodat[/b][/centre] The Outerself was abuzz with trepidation and excitement, a constant gnawing, tingling sensation at the back of her mind as Bright-Eyes Deep-Self prepared to leave the outskirts of the Nok-Kurrot behind. She could already feel the hive's Outerself recoiling slightly from her mind, the Auxilia-Outerself tightening as those within it prepared themselves for what was about to happen. There was to be a war. The Kol-Korok stamped nearby, no doubt sensing the tension in the air. Ot-Skodat lined the grooves in their wing-cases, already looking packed beyond belief, but Bright-Eyes knew that so many more could and would be fit on. It wasn't as if the Kol-Korok were going to collapse underneath the weight - Bright-Eyes had seen those creatures survive cave-ins and continue working within the week. The Shapers had done an excellent job with them. The Outerself pushed her forwards, towards a cluster of Ot-Skodat and a single, pale Yllendyr. The other Ot-Skodat extended their greetings as she arrived, brushing against her memories and self, but the Yllendyr remained distant - it was almost creepy, their blankness. Even still, it turned as she arrived and nodded to itself before turning back to the Kol-Korak. One of the boarding-ladders was clearing, and the clump of Ot-Skodat around them was thickening as more and more prepared to board. "Remember, by the numbers." The elf ordered, "And stay alert. The Avalians have flyers, and if they suspect we're gunning for them they might end up ambushing us." Bright-Eyes flexed her antennae in silent assent, reaching around to tap the rifle slung over her shoulder. She didn't know why the elf thought to explain this to her; the Auxilia-Outerself was buzzing with reminders. Half-Arm had joined it a few days ago, and that had helped to shape it in the appropriate direction - between the Outerself and word-of-mouth she had a fair grasp of their plan and how little anybody involved liked it. March east until they came to a defensible position, fortify it and then start raiding and hope that something happened. That the Avalians had flyers was incredibly worrying, of course. The ability to directly engage with the Kol-Kurak could quite easily turn the tide of any series of skirmishes against the Ot-Skodat, and the added manoeuvrability could prove equally devastating against the twenty thousand soft-shells who were marching with them. It was a concern which had been floating around the Outerself ever since Half-Arm had arrived, and although a number of potential counters had been suggested most were infeasible - and [i]none[/i] had been tested. The clump was moving now, heading towards the boarding-ladder and filing up one by one. They were off to war, and all certainty was out of the window. The Outerself hummed with energy. It had never been so alive.