Fiona closed the transmitter that had sent her resignation to the Kusari High Command. She looked around the Uli Rouge, and sighed. The guests had all left. The defenses were down. High above her, the battleship Ska Feshir was readying the Gravitational Impactor to flatten the mountain. A tear fell across her cheek, and she wiped it away. To her surprise, a hand fell across her shoulder.
"Don't worry, Mom. Niece. Whatever. Don't worry about it. You've done the right thing, I think. I understand, and I'm sorry that this is the way it has to be. But it is the right thing. Sylvia will live on, so Artificer won't be angry. He only wishes that he had seen you with his own eyes."
"Jessica... I wish you weren't here. It would make life so much easier. Really, it would. But you're right. Sylvia will live on. And that, honey, is all that really matters. Care to take a final tour of the house with me?"
The two women walked, hand in hand, with deSicev not to far behind them. The transmission had been sent to the Feshir, and the power of a star was charging up, ready to produce a selective gravitational field around the Uli Rouge. The result would be the unbridled power of a supernova within a confined space.
At the Veranda, Sylvia had sensed something was wrong. While Reggie and Mr. Simon were talking, she slipped out of the house and began to run to the gate around the Rouge. She found it, surprisingly, no longer locked. She opened a hole in the mountain and began to run up to the Atrium, to get into the manor without having to run up the mountain proper. The shaft closed only inches behind her, and so no one noticed it. She looked into a viewer at the house, and stopped moving. She had a view from the gatehouse camera, and it was pointed upwards. A great green cube had enveloped the mountain, and a red light was swirling high above it. She knew what was happening, and ran even faster.
Fiona and Jessica were at the guest room when Sylvia burst out of the secret panel, crashing into her sister/aunt. "Mom!" she screamed, tears running down her face. "Mommy! We're going to die, Mommy! We're going to die!"
"Sylvia!" Fiona yelled, "why did you come back! No! Get away from here!"
"It is too late," an ancient voice said. They three girls looked around to see the embodiment of the Doctor. He was appearing to them each in their minds, but still, it seemed real. "The Impactor will demolish the mountain. The containment field has been set up. There is but a single thing to do, and that is to die. A pity. You all were such interesting people... a wonderful family. Adieu, friends. I'll be seeing you all again shortly."
Fiona walked forwards, embraced her daughter, and kissed Sylvia on the head. Jessica wrapped her arms around both of them, and the three cried.
There was a monumental sound, and the green cube filled up with red light. Clouds swirled around the dark night sky, circling the cube. It was a thousand times worse than the Planet Scar, and a million times as bright. As suddenly as it began, the light ended. The cube withdrew. And the Uli Rouge mountain, basement, and villa had been destroyed.
The twelve legged figure was picked up by a shuttle from the Feshir, and the battleship engaged in 299,700,000 meters per second, only 92,458 meters per second slower than light. Nothing could catch it. The Ska Feshir and the Ska Jaktar were no longer in the Sirius system - they had withdrawn, for there was no point in their being there any longer. The deLuna family was dead.
Richard Walters looked at the remains of his old charge, and peered at it in the same apathetic way as usual. He was sad to know that the woman he had served for so long had died, but he knew that it was by her own devising. He boarded the Hakobune with three very strange, very smart, and very different people, and the ship began off to a place called Foundation.
What had once been a kilometer high peak was now a perfectly flat plateau, almost circular, and over two kilometers in diameter.
At the very center, another raised area had been constructed, 50 meters in diameter.
And, in the center of this second small plateau stood three obelisks. One slightly larger and taller than the other two, was inscribed with two words. "Fiona", and "Agape".
The other two obelisks were also simply inscribed: "Sylvia", and "Jessica".
No other names or sentiments were needed.
Reggie looked one last time at the three obelisks. His gaze was drawn to the top of the taller, center obelisk.
"I am so very sorry, my love!" he muttered to himself.
He turned and looked out over the larger plateau. His agro-bots were already tilling the soil. By next spring, this entire area would be green and verdant again.. Four equal segments.. divided by in a cruciform.
Here, life would begin anew. Coffee, tobacco, mint, and the Discordian sacrament Kallisti Gold would grow here. The air would be alive with the pungent aromas of the growing crops. It was the only thing that Reggie could think of to do with this space. His life had been horribly, immutably changed by what had happened here. He would never live down the guilt he felt at the loss of his beloved companion Fiona and her kin.
But, he would continue. Yes, the Jaktaran remnants had withdrawn, and were apparently no longer a threat. But, there were other goals to accomplish here in Sirius. Mankind was still in need of guidance and illumination. He could not lay down his responsibilites due to his own personal grief and guilt. He owed that to the three beautiful spirits who still laid claim to this plateau.
Reggie turned south, towards the Veranda, and began walking.
All was quiet aboard the bridge of the Oblivion. Once more, the black doom-bringer sat in high orbit over Gran Canaria. However, the only occupant of this bridge was Dark Star himself. Having barely escaped the destruction of the "Shaking Mountain," Dark Star was pensive. All that time had passed, and yet for some reason Julius could not get that encounter out of his head. It seemed that every time he had met with the deLuna family, it had ended badly. Whether he was the cause of it, or perhaps a family curse, would never be answered now. With that line dead and wasted, any experiments were null and void. A single screen revealed the grave markers sat on the ground, showing the vast expanse of flat that used to be a mountain. No doubt the Zoners on this planet had pitched a fit, considering all the strange things that happened on this planet. Dark Star gave a small wry smile. It was doubtful they actually knew what had happened, or even cared. Things beyond even Dark Star's kin, with talk of Elder Gods and Demons... What was a simple mass-murderer to do?
A presence was felt on the bridge, and Dark Star was not alone. The fleeting smile that had crossed his face returned again.
"I was wondering when you would show up, Doctor."
Expecting me? Have I become so predictable?
"It would seem so." Dark Star turned to face the image of the faceless figure. It was a conglomeration of every face Dark Star had ever seen, and each human he had killed. A strange shape, indeed.
"You mentioned earlier, when we met before the events down there, that you wanted knowledge of the C'Tan."
I remember that. What choice have you made?
"I have an offer for you."
An offer? Interesting... So tell me, idiot dealer, what is it you desire?
Dark Star strode up to the illusion, drawing uncomfortably close to the Gods' image. "You have the power to unlock the strength of the mind, no?" The image stood impassive, staring Dark Star in the face. His killing and the tinkering of the C'Tan surgeons seemed to have broken his grip on reality, and some part of the Doctor's nature appealed to that. After all, the Doctor was the Spirit of Insanity, among other things.
"Grant me the abilities my full mental potential, and I shall tell you all I know about the C'Tan."
Everything?
"As much as I know..."
Should I ask why, mortal?
"Let us just say there is a certain someone I wish to surprises... Then destroy utterly." Dark Stars' eyes glinted with that unholy light. The Doctor's thoughts turned to C'Thulu.
*What a strange being, this Dark Star is. C'Thulu, are you meddling in my affairs again?*
This is the real true story of rock and roll; it was not about anything more then, how to live your life, as a gangster, in sartorial splendor, and turning the world into a place where normality would never return again...- Malcolm McLaren
Willow's boots flared for one, long burn, blowing him backwards off the mountain.
"What in HELL!?" Sahaquiel, what in the name of Samael is going ON!?
The thoughtless presence in his mind-the Doctor had withdrawn some seconds ago, and his inner defenses had restored his Guardian to his touch-assured him he would be out of danger shortly.
And, in the nick of time, his mental interfaces returned to normal, and he regained control of all his toys. The nano-sword-unusually silent throughout this little adventure-leapt into its Special Routine Six, wherein it seeps onto the back and forms a large pair of white wings, angular sheets of ivory; it carried out it's construct sequence, and that kept him in air, probably saving him from injury, permanent or otherwise.
And just in time, for that was when the mountain behind him imploded.
He slid out of the sky and impacted with a heavy thud into the side of a hill, some ten kilometers off.
Where the hell were you?[/i}
[i]That intruder was holding me down. I'm back. Mustn't lose my host, now, can I?
The wings faded, and Willow plopped down into the green, grassy knoll, dropping his gun with a sigh.
"This mission is a complete failure." Tapping his earpiece, he was delighted to find that it worked once more. "Fantasia, this is Willow. Get me the hell off this rock. Cancel the dreadnaughts, and get everybody out of here now."
"Roger that, Willow. Sending down a shuttle now. What the hell happened."
"I have absolutely no idea."
"Great. Looks like those monsters in orbit are heading out. The weird one with the big gun buzzed us, and the Phantoms took a brief look-see, but nobody started shooting."
"Thank god. It'll be hell getting out of here, you know, now that everybody's watching this system."
"Even worse, some super-virus hijacked our system; everything died. The dreadnaughts were never even coming; looks like the battlegroup got the same treatment. The cloak died. We had to send that kid Eddie down with your bombs."
"How horrible. Willow out."
WHAT the hell is going on here?
Those were the Jaktarians that fragged the mountain. Looks like they were the last of them; they won't show up any more. That presence that nailed your mind was a meta-god; I know what he looks like now, and if he ever shows up again, he'll regret it. Azriel knows him, and he owes me a few favors. And Gabriel and Uriel owe HIM a few favors. Unfortunately, things are off lately. I'm getting little trmors; they sound like that last time C'Thulu showed up.
Let's stay out of his way, then. C'thulu is something I wouldn't want any of us to mess with; Too well connected.
Indeed. I've already called the other survivors and warned them. They'll keep their eyes open.
Quote:Quick comment - we thought that Panzer was the Leader, Swift. -Agmen