RUL: NEW BEGINNINGS...(CONTINUED)

By Sirion

20th Nov 2006

Chp. 1 (continued): "Wars are ended with war..."

The cool autumn light of Sol filtered through in great even patterns between the huge white marble columns that supported the roof of the palace.
The Temple of Iel was a a grand place to hold military conferences, regardless of actual comfort. It had been first erected nearly one thousand years before when the gods walked among man. All that was ancient history though, thought Viclin darkly, as he made his way down the hall.

The first order of bussiness would be to find out the whole cause of this mess.
His heavily scarred arms crossed, he stopped, and motioned towards the guards to open the door. They responded mechanically. The doors slid open with the sound of great stone slabs of monolithic work, grinding against ageless cobblestone flooring.

Viclin entered, menacing as ever, and stood before a massive table, long, made of marble so fine not one of the torch flames about was neglected for a surface to shine upon.

The table was lined with figures of a nationalities. Some of dark, and bronze skins; others of white, and caucasion, and still more. Each was clearly of a diffrent age, and creed but all bordered on the side of old.

Viclin eyed them with contempt. Even as his superiors sat, some of great reknown in battle, he would not tolerate interupptions. A robed man, looking much the part of ceasar, had ceasar lived a thousand years, stood, and gestured with frail hands towards a seat opposite his own, at the table.

About the chamber was the muffled echos of coughs, and whispers, and the lashing about of flame in torch holder. A clincking of armor told Viclin that the guards where uneasy.

Viclin nodded his head, trying to remain firm. Suddenly the robed man spoke out.
"General Viclin, if you would..." The general lashed out, knocking the chair to the floor violently. "What is the meaning of this!" he roared viscously. "Well um, you see..."

"No, I dont see, please fill me in your MAJESTY!" Viclin retorted mockengly.
"ENOUGH!" shouted a gruff man at the end of the table. This caused everyone to turn their heads in shock. Viclin shot the man an angry glare as he did towards everyone below him.

The gruff, dark haired man stood suddenly, with a mechanical jerk, moving with the same mannerisms as the guards, and slammed both hands down, palms flat on the marble surface.

"The emperor might not stand up for himself, but I will NOT tolerate such disrespect to the likes of my father!" he spoke sternly, with a touch of rage.

Viclin could not help but focus on the mans razor stuble. The man had had little more then minutes to shave, and carry on personal duties; almost as bad as Viclin had it himself during the war, and he respected THAT.

This brought a slight grin to his battle wary face. "So general Panzar. How longs it been on the front for you ehh?" replied Viclin, now feeling a little on the social side.
Things where starting to get interesting...

Panzar looked exasperated at how quickly someone could change stance; undecided would probably fit his expression better.

He hung his head for a second, a low, half-hearted laugh falling through the thin shade of hair formed fron his hanging head. Then he looked up, nodded his head sideways, as people often do in agreement, and said "eh, itd good."

There was a pause, where for a moment Viclin was'nt sure who or what to shoot, or perhaps to just sit down. But his mind quickly changed when the sound of potential, a entire troop of soldiers was heard near by; he would not be pulling a weapon on any body today.

After every body was settled, all eyes where on Viclin. "hhhm, well, I've never been much of the socialist, but seeing I AM the center of attention, I thought I might ask what happened two days ago during the initial assualt?"

This time Viclin was the one being glared at; that is, by a some twenty odd pairs of eyes. The emperor spoke up just then, "we where under the assumption, YOU could tell US what happened at that point in time."

There was a confusing moment, when it became clear to each person in the room that no one seemed to actually know what DID happen.

Panzar cleared his throut in a exagerated manner, till all eyes where on him.
"If I might add..." he said towards the emperor. "Go ahead son..."
"Thank you..." "As of today, two days passed, my researchers have swiftly came to one possible conclusion to the accident that occured at aproximatly 3:24 AM SLSP."
He paused, no doubt for effect.

"What they found was this. A ship of unknown origins, larger then our entire fleet appeared from thin air so to speak, cut half of our said fleet into ribbons, and vanished almost as quickly as it had appeared."

Most where wide eyed now, and leaning in their seats, straining to hear Panzar.
"Those who had a chance to react attacked with their best weaponry."
"Even our fission cannons did little against it..."

A small gasp exscaped, like the cavernous stone arches of the ceiling above had suddenly lost their breath.

"In addistion, trace amounts of both modified saturated uranium, and large quantities of a prevoisy unknown isotope of hydrogen where found..."

Each person, except that is for, Viclin, and the Emperor, hung on each word, but none came after that.

Then in one swift clamoring, the hall went up in a roar of whispers, and talk, shouts, and laughter, as each man struggled to both speak his mind, and listen all the same.

"Please, please listen my council!" the Emperor shouted, until the noise resided.
Softly he spoke. "At this time we are tracing the energy trails of this ship."
"Yes all these things are amazing, but let us not get to hasty here."
"What we are dealing with is something we have never fought before, something more powerful probably then all the fleets of Sillion combine."
"Now, for starters does anyone have any questions?"
That was it, and the whole hall was alive with the rantings of men.
However the combine threats of Panzar arresting the noise makers, and the soft spoken pleas of the Emperor soon silence the lot.

"Excuse me, I have a question..." The all turned towrds the perpestrator of the temporal silence. It was Viclin of coarse. "Yes?" the emperor inquired.
"Should you find this ship, what then?" "Um, ehh..." "And whats about the dreg up rising?" "We..." "And finnaly, just becuase we where nearly elimanated, doesn't mean the war is'nt over..." "Yes, well all those are good questions, but even now we are struggling to revise our plans, with pressure from all sides." the emperor spewed out.

This was answered with a sudden, and as usual, violent shake. Dust stirred, and fell from the cracked stone ceailing...

(to be continued)...