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The Anomaly - Rodent - 05-30-2010
Chapter 11- The Alliance
A few weeks had passed, with no response from Jean. Ansel paced his quarters restlessly, the money-making machine, the Adeline, humming in his ears as it did yet another round of high-risk high-profit shipping.
Maybe I was wrong.... was the first thought. Hardly possible, I had computed it perfectly, it had all gone according to my thinking, the chances of it being a coincidence are...rather minimal. Maybe he's thinking about it, maybe he's not sure about my intentions, that is possible. We'll have to see.
He switched on the light and began to study a document he had bought recently. It explained in detail, ship drive systems. Sleep was not something he was worried about, it could be catched up on later.
Hmm, I will have to consult with Andie about this, but I think with some subtle re-formatting of the computer systems and engine retrofitting, I could get more performance out of the Adeline's engines. Jump drives...hmm, the components for those kind of things are very hard to come by, and they are unstable by nature, I'll see what I can do about it...
He was so deep in his musings that he didn't notice his datapad vibrate several times, then finally go still. Exhausted, he went to sleep, it was only after waking up that he checked his datapad.
There was a message, from an unknown source. He read it intently. It was as follows-
Mr Xavier.
I do not know why you accuse me , but I might be interested in your offer. I do have a plethora of skills that may be useful to you, for a generous fee of course. Please meet me on Re-union station, Orkney.
Yours
Jean-Paul Ribery
He smiled. He was not wrong after all, the man was clever enough to subtly word his message to the point of it being no more than trivia.
As soon as the Adeline was done with it's current path, he would go to Reunion. It was going well, and soon it would be time to put things to the test.
The Anomaly - Rodent - 06-03-2010
Chapter 12- The Team
The meeting room was well-lit, un-adorned except for a round table at the center and a holo-vid screen tacked to the wall at one end. Three men were currently present, two were sitting, while one was standing, apparently explaining things to the other two. Ansel continued speaking with rigor, about his plans, and his motives. Convincing the other two men had posed no difficulty, once the hindrance of conscience and morality had been passed, they were all too willing to assist.
For the past few weeks, as the Adeline continued it's routine rounds of smuggling, Ansel would take the other two to this meeting room, and hash out plans, to which the other two added insights and advice, as best as they could. Each man had his sphere of capabilities, in which he excelled, much beyond other men of this time.
It's time for the test he suddenly said.
Jean and Andie looked up, surprised somewhat. What do you mean? Andie said.
Let's see if we have what it takes to change the world Ansel replied, his words an enigma begging to be cracked.
What sort of...test do you have in mind Ansel? Jean said. Although he never attested to the fact that he had caused the explosions back on Marne, he had made it obvious with his skill in weaponry, of all kinds. He had an addiction for them, and often, when they were on Marne, he would go and get some or the other Trinket.
You'll see. For now, just take note of what I need from you. You, Andie, try to patch up a long range transmitter controller. Jean, I need at least four pairs of high power sniper rifles.I'll need them modified a little.
Andie just nodded. It was not currently his area of expertise, but he could easily learn, they were the gifted, after all.
You cannot have anything good in mind with this Ansel. Oui, I could do that. But what about you? What will you do? Jean said.
Ansel smiled a little, a cold one.
I shall go herd the cattle friend. he said, and swiftly left the room, leaving the two men to their own devices, for now.
What needed to be done, had to be done.
The Anomaly - Rodent - 06-12-2010
Chapter 13- The Setting
The City of Clermont-Ferrand is a quiet and picturesque town, set against a mountain range, the valley had long before been filled in with human habitation, and now little traces of nature remained. There was still a trace of natural beauty about the place, the kind of town that might go for centuries, unnoticed, peaceful in it's oblivion and lack of the grandeur and charm of bigger cities.
The peace had been disturbed however, temporarily. Police Hover-craft were flying in and round the myriad skyscrapers, and the whole City was lit up against the falling sun. It was a rare sight for the small city, and thus, it was hyped up to grandiose scales, even if the event in question was rather small.
In the middle of the city was a fairly large park, where crowds were assembling since the start of the morning. Dressed in their best, with expectant eyes for a good time, they had come and taken seats, since the garden had been rigged for the occasion. It was to be a fairly good day, a little talk, and then a lot of eating in the banquet that had been prepared.
The speech came first though, and they had to wait for the "Chief attraction". His arrival was...pompous to say the least. Many Police hovercraft first went in, and cleared the area, then came in a luxurious ride, obviously a rare sight in these regions and thus instantly recognized. They glided and set themselves in a space set aside as "Parking" and from there, many Police teams jumped out of their cars, and hurried to escort the person in the Luxurious Limousine.
The Person in question was Duke Etienne Desnoyers, A minor Duke considering the huge Gallic Aristocratic structure, but a huge celebrity in this town. He came out regally, dressed comfortably in a Suit, and walked behind the myriad guards that had been arranged for him.
They soon reached the Dias, and the crowds stood up for the Duke. After a few fitting words by the Mayor, the duke came up and began to speak.
Citoyens and Citoyennes of this glorious Town! he began. The Crowd gave forth an exuberant cheer in return.
Far away, many pairs of eyes watched the Duke's movements, and wiped the sweat off their foreheads. It was time.
The Anomaly - Rodent - 08-31-2010
Chapter 13- The Setting
Against the Park were several hotels, all cordoned and sealed off before the Duke's arrival. It could have been a perfect defense, but it needs one weak link to break the chain. A Police officer of medium rank had been bribed beforehand and he was creating holes, gaps in the defense through which several young men and women sneaked through into different buildings surrounding.
Pierre Blanchard ran quickly along the deserted Building Corridors, stopping briefly to look into each room and more importantly, it's window. In his right hand was a Black Briefcase, he tried not to look at that. Jogging almost to the end of the hall, he repeated the process with another room, and found what he was looking for. The Window was open of course, a safety precaution. What was important was that beyond the window, the view to where Etienne was giving his speech was perfect for what he needed.
He got into radio contact with his peers, the response was more or less the same. They had found what they needed, or in the process of finding it. He grunted sourly, and wiped perspiration off his forehead. Nervous did not even begin to describe his emotional state, but his mind was firm. In the background, a man's persuasive voice urged him on to do something for Great Gallia.......
Shaking his head, he opened the Briefcase. Inside were the parts of what would be a makeshift Sniper Rifle. Very Old fashioned, but a shot to the head is still a shot to the head. Hands Trembling, he tried to recall how to assemble it. It was surprisingly simple to do, and soon he had a weapon of destruction in his hands. He made radio contact again, everyone was in position......
The plan was simple. From Different buildings, each sniper was to shoot a different target, all of some importance, throw a grenade to cause confusion, and make a run for it. A small Shuttle waited for them in a wood nearby. They all had black Suits on, designed to protect them against stray laser and gun shots. Pierre sighed deeply, he was to shoot the Duke.
Shuffling to the window, he quickly put the drapes back on, and put the Sniper Rifle through them so that only the barrel and the scope was visible. He began to take aim.......
***
Not all of the Guards arranged were amateurs. A few were from the Duke's personal guard, well trained....very well trained. Tells something about the gap between the Aristocracy and the masses. They looked sharply around them, taking in every detail, and one of them noticed a drape being drawn in the nearby building.....
Bleu-One, I saw something. Drape being drawn in building northwest of Hummer.
Oui Bleu-Six, Four already reported in seeing a drape drawn at a different location, get into the building fast and investigate.
Understood.
A keen eye would have noticed select people from the Guard walking off speedily, shoving their way through the crowds to their destination. Sadly, no one was noticing.
***
Pierre cursed as the Duke fidgeted once again to another position on the Dais, and began re-adjusting his sights. Can't the Damn man stay still?. They had orders to all shoot at the same time, for obvious reasons, Most of them had their targets locked, but they did not have moving targets.
He could dimly hear the Duke's voice, saying something about the Greatness of Gallia, and laughed under his breath.I have seen the truth He thought bitterly. It took him a fair while to adjust his sights again, only a little recalibration remained and then he could finally get it over with.....Just a little more.....
The Door cracked open.
All he could do was curse as a Black man quickly took hold of him and threw him to the ground, pinning his hands behind his back. He could dimly hear demands to know what he was doing here, but he could no longer hear. Dimly floating into his minds were curses over the Radio as his companions were also seized. He pressed the button near his left hand to send an emergency transmission that all had gone wrong.
Adeline
Andie was monitoring all frequencies, and he could not have missed the emergency transmission when it came. He didn't. He looked at his comrades sitting, and actually had the gall to smile.
Ansel gave the tiniest of nods in return, directed at Jean-Paul. Jean moved over to the transmission control and sent a brief, concentrated, coded transmission back.
All the cards had been dealt.
The Anomaly - Rodent - 02-08-2011
[font=Comic Sans Ms]Chapter 14- A new turn of events
Ansel sat in his room aboard the Adeline, rubbing his forehead tiredly. A few months had passed since that assassination plot, it had been successful, but the impact was minimal. A Coded Transmission sent by Jean had detonated the bombs strapped to the snipers' bodies, and nothing within a five mile radius had survived. But the Gallic media had downplayed it, using it as additional material to throw at the Council's PR.
He would have to make longer plans, gain more strength and power and money before he could take any strong actions. In this pursuit a chance conversation with a person on Reunion had proved handy.
He was strange, wearing a gas mask and sitting a little apart from the main gathering in the bar. Ansel's curiosity had been sparked, and he started up a conversation with the man. The details did not matter, but he managed to find out that the person was from a group called the Outcasts, and that they were named so because of their dependancy on a drug callled Cardamine, which he was inhaling through his mask.
A powerful Drug. Ansel had not heard of it in Gallia, meaning that no one had tried to distribute it there yet. A business opportunity, plain as the sun of Orkney. He had already Directed a communication at the Outcasts, hoping for a positive response.
If all went to plan, soon he would be making a long journey with the Adeline, To Sirius.
The Anomaly - Rodent - 02-10-2011
[font=Comic Sans Ms]Chapter 15- New Allies, New Challenges
Malta was not a pretty planet, from a distance, or up close. But it was not looks that the Captain of the Ship,Adeline was concerned with. He was looking at the small cube before him, and at the coordinates etched out in 3D. Casa Xavier. A Good way to start off.
Soon, The Lumbering L'Ane was docked on Malta. Ansel took the hazmat suit necessary for his protection against immediate addiction to Cardamine, and took the local transport to his Casa. It was good to feel that finally some progress was being made along his plans. He carefully reviewed the events that had lead to this.
Some careful talking with the Outcast bigwig had earned him a chance to prove his worth. Some buttering up of the appropriate people, namely some Lord Sable of the Legion, a prominent Brigand group, and Joel Orsini of the Corse. Buttering up the first sickened him, all the formality and deference and respect given to such an...inferior person. But Joel Orsini had been coolly informal and business-like. That sort of person, Ansel liked, and could deal with. He would have a few more talks with Joel in the future....
With these two men supporting his case, The Outcast Leader, Jameson had been persuaded. He was now the proud owner of some Maltese Soil, and a Cardamine plantation, and probably the first Gallic owner of such a property. It was an advantage that could not be underestimated. However, there were still some things to be done.
He needed to arrange labor to work the Plantations, apparently the manual work required on them could not be done by machines, and so human hands were required. He also needed a Manager to manage his property, since visiting Malta on a continuous basis was not in his plans. And menial things like Fertilizers, imports and the like...
Labor could be arranged. He knew a person who would know how to arrange it. Still in transit, he typed out a transmission to Joel Orsini....
Monsieur Orsini. I suppose you have heard of my success in obtaining what I wanted. However, I need a favor of you. I need Four thousand humans to work my little piece of land, and for it, I'm sure we can work out some compensation, Oui?
Ansel Xavier
Satisfied, he leaned back, watching the plains roll by. Soon, they were at their destination. Ansel jumped back, and saw his Villa in the centre of it all. Getting in quickly, he went to the roof, to take in his first view of what pure industry and wits could accomplish...
It was breahtaking. Plains of Orange, all around, waving in the calm evening breeze. For a moment, Ansel forgot everything and just leaned back, taking in the view.
The Domino effect had just begun.
The Anomaly - Rodent - 02-17-2011
[font=Comic Sans Ms]Chapter 16-Profiteering
The lush plains were filled with crop. Men, of various origins, slaved in the fields. Crates were being packed, and loaded into transport-ready containers, to be transported to a nearby spaceport, where the buyers awaited. It was the usual hive of activity around a farm, A Cardamine farm.
Sanchos Riviera spurred the men on brutally. Supervision was something he excelled in, and sympathy something he lacked. It had been a few weeks since a strange man with a strange accent had contacted him over short-wave communications, and asked him to take over this job. Now, Sanchos was already doing well as a supervisor of about five different landowners, but the payment offered to him by this queer man was staggering. He signed up at once.
And now this Casa was producing as much as any self-respecting plantation would, rather, more than any self respecting plantation. It's owner had spared no expense in slaves, fertilizers,water...whatever he had asked for. The goods kept rolling in, and he put them to good use.
The containers were all loaded, and the hover-trucks glided away swiftly. Sanchos, pleased as any man at a job well done, went in to make a communication.
***
It was quiet aboard the Adeline. Ship was on auto-pilot, built specially by Jean for reducing the need of crew members, and most of the remaining crew was asleep. The captain's cabin however, was shining with light. And inside, Ansel rubbed sleepy eyes as he pored over figures and diagrams. He had been investigating possible ways of improving the Adeline's construction with Sirian technology, which he was picking up via the Outcasts.
Then the transmission came in.
Senor, Casa's fully operational. We've shipped off the first shipment to buyers.
Sanchos
There was no reaction. Ansel had picked the best man for the job. And he had stretched his resources and his will, bringing in all that was needed for it to work. Orsini had helped him shave the costs a bit, but his reserves had been burnt through. This would help, he would begin marketing the Cardamine, and his expenses would be covered manifold.
Money is power. Information is Power. Contacts are power. Ships are power. But the real power lies within a man's mind.
The Anomaly - Rodent - 07-26-2012
Chapter 17- Meetings.
Nearly a year has passed since I made arrangements for a trip to Sirius, to better assess the new domain the Council opened. It is a fairly vast area of space...riddled with chaos, war, and all the base nature of humanity on full display. A ship acquired from Henry Holiday, complete with neutral identifications permitted me to a mute observer...for now.
Travelling through the houses and Omegas into the Omicron Edge Worlds, on the outskirts of Sirius, was time consuming...but not entirely without reward. Out in this frontier, an actual alien race actually inhabits. While I had heard sketchy records of a war in 800 AS instigated by said aliens, I did not realise they still existed. I vowed to find out more. Curiosity, at least, is a perfectly human trait.
Nomads, or Slomon K'Hara, as is their proper name. Ships constructed out of organic matter...supposed mode of communication is telepathy. That was the precious little available on public access. That is not sufficient. I must risk direct contact.
The aliens hold heavy sway over a system known as Omicron Iota, it seems. I'll attempt to find some means of contact. If the creatures are intelligent, communication with them should be...interesting.
The Anomaly - Rodent - 08-06-2012
Chapter 18- Malta, Again.
I've met with a representative of the Cult. He styles himself Three Winds, but his real name is Thomas, as I was told.
What he would tell me of the K'Hara was interesting...if unconfirmed. He claims that he died was was born again, by the mercy of these aliens, but now lives on a poisoned planet. I find that hard to believe...however, scanning his ship for lifesigns certainly showed a few anomalies that can't be explained.
As I suspected, the Nomads are a form of hive-mind entity, but with surprising amounts of individuality than is usually expected in such a construct...Harbinger is the name of the entity styled as their leader, although there was mention of lesser nodes, as they call it. Three Winds believes that the Nomads will settle at removal of human presence from the Sirius sector, as they consider the place their own. Gallia however, being a star cluster different, should not be threatened. Perhaps. What follows is more important, however.
Three Winds believes that the gift of hive-mind consciousness can be extended to humans as well...apparently, the Cult has achieved limited success in this regard already. I'll have to see that to believe it...but if it proves true, then I might finally have the tools I sought to...redeem the human race from it's follies.
A hive-mind human consciousness would resolve all our petty conflicts in between ourselves...It'd be like a hand attacking another. If we can figure out a way to retain individuality yet retain the cohesiveness of a whole mind...then it just might be Utopia.
All these are hypotheses, however. I need to find out whether this all might even be possible. I'd be a fool if I did not acknowledge that the Nomads may have their own, separate agendas...but perhaps an understanding can be reached. I'll be heading to my Casa on Malta. Representatives of the Cult will meet me there...to teach me and expand my understanding, or so they would think. Communicating with the Nomads will be important to my goals, whatever the costs....
The cost shall be paid.
The Anomaly - Rodent - 08-17-2012
Chapter 19- Ascension.
The cult delays, procrastinates. I've been on my Casa for several weeks now, and besides some casual and perfunctory visits, there has been precious little. It's oddly quiet and calm. I began having second thoughts about this entire ordeal, but one day...they arrived.
They were four, robed in flowing black. Perhaps that is the mark of their status. One of them strode forward and said simply..."Come." That was all that was said. My attempts at conversation were stalled by answers like "Patience." and "All shall be answered."
If there's something I've never dealt with well, it's waiting. The trip was fairly long, about five hours before we landed on an obscure strip of land. The view was....pleasant. Orange plantations stretched as far as the eye could see, the sharp stalks swaying and whispering in a light breeze. Approaching sunset lit the grasses in a sheet of fire...
I didn't know I had a poetic side. But most...important, was the structure in the midst of all this. A pyramid, black as night, yet still shimmering somehow...it jarred the eyes to look at it. A beam of light shot into the sky from it's summit, piercing the clouds to some unknown destination. It was not a structure I had ever seen before, and it made me vaguely uncomfortable...and I was headed there.
There were more robed figures like the ones I was with, and as we passed, every single one of them stopped their tasks, and fell in line behind us. They were planning something, and I had no idea why. Winding corridors eventually lead to a massive central chamber. I'd hazard a guess that it was the source of the beam of light I mentioned earlier...
In the middle, rising from a multi-colored floor, was a pedestal. It was raised maybe twenty, or thirty feet above the floor, with a staircase to climb up. At it's summit stood two figures. I looked around...everyone else had stopped and were watching. There was only one way to go...
I ascended the steps slowly, each step bringing new thoughts. Still, the climb ended far too quickly, and I was face to face with the two figures. A man and a woman. They whispered in unison.
"The Divines would...commune with you."
I blinked, trying to process that. The Nomads wanted to talk to me? Surprising...and what I wanted. There was no turning back now. The man brought forth a goblet filled with a purple substance. I recognized it...Liquid Cardamine. I took it from him...and slowly drank it.
Nothing happened for a few seconds...then the world started swaying. Men rising from the floor, sinking back into it. Jean Paul clawing his eyes out in horror at something only he could see...the visions came, one after another. I collapsed on the floor....
And then, I communed.