Book 2: Ch 12: Snowfall pt 1
MagicMan333
Post-apocalyptic Gonzo Journalist
- Location
- Washington
Chapter 12: Snowfall
Liara could hear Wrex grumbling by one of the trucks. She laughed to herself before suppressing a shiver. Maybe she shouldn't be laughing at Wrex. It was bitterly cold and progress had slowed to a crawl since they'd entered what the humans called the "Himalayas". The trip to the ruined city of Samarkand had been quick and relatively luxurious compared to the months of hiking that had come before. The nomad's yurts were warm and there was something to be said for not having to walk several hundred miles.
Once Samarkand had been reached, the caravan had settled in for a few days to rest and gather supplies for the next leg of the journey. The new council, consisting of T'Bayla and her top officers, the tribe's council of elders, and Shepard, spent their time overseeing preparations and trying to find a good path through the mountains. Shepard's experience as a guide failed her as she admitted to having never gone this far north before with a large group, preferring to go through easier terrain further south. However, they still had little idea of how close the Fallen were and the longer they stayed out of the Himalayas, where the Fallen rarely entered due to harsh terrain and the chance of Guardian patrols, the higher the chance they would be found by their pursuers.
The weather was also against them. Summer was beginning to wind down and Shepard's preliminary scouting had revealed that the approaching autumn was going to be a cold one as snow was already beginning to cover the mountain paths. Eventually, after combing through centuries worth of journals and records written by guides, the council decided on a route. And now they were here. On a freezing cold mountain road in the mountains with a steep cliff to the right. The journey had kept a brisk pace at first but deeper into the mountains they'd been forced to slow their progress or risk an avalanche. The bikes, instead of roaring through the passes at top speed, had had their jets turned off and were being pushed gently along the road by their riders. The truck's had had their motors turned off and switched into neutral with several pilgrims pushing them forward, one of the causes of Wrex's grumbling as he had just finished his own turn at pushing a truck. There had been questions as to why they weren't using biotics but Shepard said it was important to hold biotics in reserve in case of emergency.
Out of the corner of her eye, Liara saw a small human child staring at her. He wore a small embroidered skull cap like many others of his tribe and, instead of the environment suits the adults wore during travel, he wore a set of furs over an embroidered longcoat ending at his shins. She gave a shaky smile and waved at him. Liara could admit to a certain nervousness around children, never having any siblings that she knew of and largely spending her early decades by herself reading. But from what she'd seen, the Kazakh children were pre-disposed to respect towards their elders and fascinated with the "good aliens" that had come to walk with them to the City.
The child saw Liara's smile and smiled back. Liara felt charmed until she saw the child look over her shoulder and a look of terror trespass into his eyes. In a flash of instinct, she held her hand out and biotically pulled him to her before throwing the both of them to the ground. A rush of air whipped above them and Liara saw a distortion to the air. Landing on her back, she reached her hand up and channeled her biotics. She felt a weight in the air ahead of her. A flash of blue light and a Fallen vandal appeared. With another flare of her biotics, Liara launched the pirate off the cliff. Liara heard the sound of struggle, but not gunfire, as a shout rang out all down the line.
"Fallen!"
-----
Vrothrir, Devil-Captain, did not pay attention to the cold. All of his focus was fixed upon the road. The scouts had reported back and Novas' hunch was proving to be correct. What had been a surprise was the band of human nomads that were seen traveling with the caravan. It was fortunate that the scouts were not seen. More people meant more eyes. The comm on his belt gave a silent vibration and he picked it off of his belt.
"Who?" Novas said beside him. He repeated the question into the comm and he heard, "Kralkkrin, Devil-Vandal. We've spotted the aliens. They're moving slowly up the road. Where do you want our position?" He relayed Novas' instruction before returning the comm to his belt.
Vrothrir closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened them, Novas was looking at him from the corner of her eyes. "Do you think my judgement is unsound, Devil-Captain?" It was a loaded question, Vrothrir knew, so he chose his words carefully.
"I am", he said "concerned with the possible loss of our target." A deep silence rose between them before Novas answered.
"Your concern is noted, Devil-Captain. Keep your eyes on the road." Vrothrir nodded. It was all he could do. All he could do and survive Novas' wrath. Besides, he thought, he didn't particularly care if the aliens died at this point.
Soon, the small ridge became a hive of silent activity as snipers, dregs, and vandals gathered among them. Across the chasm, a band of stealth vandals used their swords and some climbing equipment to hang onto the side of the cliff.
"Vrothrir," Novas said, "you were stealth vandal once, yes?" Vrothrir felt a dull ache in his lower arms and nodded. "Good" she continued, "take some climbing equipment and join the stealth party. We need someone more capable than a vandal to distract the Light-Stealers." Vrothrir gaped. But swallowed any fear he might have felt at the prospect of fighting Light-Stealers and walked away. A sniper moved in to take his spot next Novas. "Report." Novas said brusquely before he walked out of hearing range. Vrothrir felt a worry in his chest, a worry and a rage. The same two feelings he'd felt since they'd learned what happened to Riksis.
-----
They were in a small bunker somewhere in the Steppes when they got word from the scouts. Signs of the aliens had been found on the way to a ruined human city near the mouth of the Himalayas. This brought a great deal of worry between him and Novas as it would make it difficult to find and catch the caravan safely. Not to mention the Thief-City had begun to send Light-Stealers to patrol it since the Battle of Twilight Gap. He stared at the plans and the records and maps that held what little they knew about the multitude of roads, side paths, and hiding spots that existed in hundreds of miles worth of mountain range. He sighed and turned to talk to…
No, Ysatres was gone. Vrothrir felt rage enter his heart and remembered what the Archon had taught him. He took a deep breath and focused his rage into a fine point. An edge he would use to on these aliens soon enough. He heard something and he snapped back to reality.
"I apologize, Devil-Baroness. What were you saying?"
Novas huffed and said, "What about the air?"
Vrothrir hummed to himself. "It carries risk," he said, "but it would allow us many opportunities. What do we have access to?"
Novas shook her head, "I have no personal ships. The Blades are a purely ground force until the Steppes are conquered. Riksis and Devil-Kell swore that I would be given a small fleet as a reward then."
Vrothrir rubbed his chin, "Devil-Archon knows this project is important. Would he be willing to lend us his ships?"
A few hours after sending a communique to the Cosmodrome, they were still pouring over their maps when a vandal came in looking haggard. Novas turned to look at him.
"Well," she said, "what did the Devil-Archon say?" The vandal stayed silent and Novas glared at him. "Well?"
"Devil Baroness," the vandal said, both sets of hands clasped together, "there's been terrible news from the Cosmodrome."
----
To say Novas had been devastated by the news of Riksis' death would be an insult to her grief. Riksis had not only been a sponsor but a mentor and a father to the Baroness. Vrothrir himself felt pain at the loss of such a wise and faithful eliksni. It was Riksis and Lord Sepiks who had kept the House together when Saint-14 slew the previous Kell. It was Riksis who declared a holy war to take over the Cosmodrome and plunder its riches from the arrogant heathens of the Thief-City. It was Riksis who helped Vrothrir cope with the loss of his loyalist friend and companion. Now, he was gone. And a civil war was already being waged among the priesthood for who would take his place.
A civil war that would not be stopped by the Kell. He had remained silent on the subject of a proper successor to the Archon's position. Or rather, no word had come from the House of Kings had come. Oh, it was an open secret that current Devil-Kell was merely a puppet for the King-Kell. At first, fear kept the Devils from regaining their independence as those who ever spoke openly about the Kell's status as a puppet disappeared to never be heard from again. But, as the House began to encounter victories and plunder under Kings leadership that they had never had under Solkis, especially after he had failed so utterly at Twilight Gap, they began to accept the new state of affairs. But now it seemed they had decided that a divided Devils benefited them. The King-Kell alone knew why.
The Lord-Servitor had also been silent. Likely waiting for one who could truly enter Riksis' role as a true Archon. With Riksis gone, Novas had to act quickly to curry favor with the other major powers of the house or else risk being supplanted by a rival Baron. Which was why he was currently hanging off a cliff waiting for a band of aliens to walk by. Vrothrir knew this was hasty. He knew it was foolish and that Riksis wouldn't have wanted Novas to act like this. Would have counselled caution and waiting for the right moment to strike. But he was dead. Like Ysatres. He heard the sound of steps and rolling tires coming up the road and gave the signal. His own stealth device kicked in and he pulled upwards. It was time to make them bleed. For Riksis and for Ysatres.
****
Okay, this is done. We've got some set up for the next major event in this chapter and an update on the situation in the Devils after Riksis' untimely demise. I don't have much to say except see you next week.
Liara could hear Wrex grumbling by one of the trucks. She laughed to herself before suppressing a shiver. Maybe she shouldn't be laughing at Wrex. It was bitterly cold and progress had slowed to a crawl since they'd entered what the humans called the "Himalayas". The trip to the ruined city of Samarkand had been quick and relatively luxurious compared to the months of hiking that had come before. The nomad's yurts were warm and there was something to be said for not having to walk several hundred miles.
Once Samarkand had been reached, the caravan had settled in for a few days to rest and gather supplies for the next leg of the journey. The new council, consisting of T'Bayla and her top officers, the tribe's council of elders, and Shepard, spent their time overseeing preparations and trying to find a good path through the mountains. Shepard's experience as a guide failed her as she admitted to having never gone this far north before with a large group, preferring to go through easier terrain further south. However, they still had little idea of how close the Fallen were and the longer they stayed out of the Himalayas, where the Fallen rarely entered due to harsh terrain and the chance of Guardian patrols, the higher the chance they would be found by their pursuers.
The weather was also against them. Summer was beginning to wind down and Shepard's preliminary scouting had revealed that the approaching autumn was going to be a cold one as snow was already beginning to cover the mountain paths. Eventually, after combing through centuries worth of journals and records written by guides, the council decided on a route. And now they were here. On a freezing cold mountain road in the mountains with a steep cliff to the right. The journey had kept a brisk pace at first but deeper into the mountains they'd been forced to slow their progress or risk an avalanche. The bikes, instead of roaring through the passes at top speed, had had their jets turned off and were being pushed gently along the road by their riders. The truck's had had their motors turned off and switched into neutral with several pilgrims pushing them forward, one of the causes of Wrex's grumbling as he had just finished his own turn at pushing a truck. There had been questions as to why they weren't using biotics but Shepard said it was important to hold biotics in reserve in case of emergency.
Out of the corner of her eye, Liara saw a small human child staring at her. He wore a small embroidered skull cap like many others of his tribe and, instead of the environment suits the adults wore during travel, he wore a set of furs over an embroidered longcoat ending at his shins. She gave a shaky smile and waved at him. Liara could admit to a certain nervousness around children, never having any siblings that she knew of and largely spending her early decades by herself reading. But from what she'd seen, the Kazakh children were pre-disposed to respect towards their elders and fascinated with the "good aliens" that had come to walk with them to the City.
The child saw Liara's smile and smiled back. Liara felt charmed until she saw the child look over her shoulder and a look of terror trespass into his eyes. In a flash of instinct, she held her hand out and biotically pulled him to her before throwing the both of them to the ground. A rush of air whipped above them and Liara saw a distortion to the air. Landing on her back, she reached her hand up and channeled her biotics. She felt a weight in the air ahead of her. A flash of blue light and a Fallen vandal appeared. With another flare of her biotics, Liara launched the pirate off the cliff. Liara heard the sound of struggle, but not gunfire, as a shout rang out all down the line.
"Fallen!"
-----
Vrothrir, Devil-Captain, did not pay attention to the cold. All of his focus was fixed upon the road. The scouts had reported back and Novas' hunch was proving to be correct. What had been a surprise was the band of human nomads that were seen traveling with the caravan. It was fortunate that the scouts were not seen. More people meant more eyes. The comm on his belt gave a silent vibration and he picked it off of his belt.
"Who?" Novas said beside him. He repeated the question into the comm and he heard, "Kralkkrin, Devil-Vandal. We've spotted the aliens. They're moving slowly up the road. Where do you want our position?" He relayed Novas' instruction before returning the comm to his belt.
Vrothrir closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened them, Novas was looking at him from the corner of her eyes. "Do you think my judgement is unsound, Devil-Captain?" It was a loaded question, Vrothrir knew, so he chose his words carefully.
"I am", he said "concerned with the possible loss of our target." A deep silence rose between them before Novas answered.
"Your concern is noted, Devil-Captain. Keep your eyes on the road." Vrothrir nodded. It was all he could do. All he could do and survive Novas' wrath. Besides, he thought, he didn't particularly care if the aliens died at this point.
Soon, the small ridge became a hive of silent activity as snipers, dregs, and vandals gathered among them. Across the chasm, a band of stealth vandals used their swords and some climbing equipment to hang onto the side of the cliff.
"Vrothrir," Novas said, "you were stealth vandal once, yes?" Vrothrir felt a dull ache in his lower arms and nodded. "Good" she continued, "take some climbing equipment and join the stealth party. We need someone more capable than a vandal to distract the Light-Stealers." Vrothrir gaped. But swallowed any fear he might have felt at the prospect of fighting Light-Stealers and walked away. A sniper moved in to take his spot next Novas. "Report." Novas said brusquely before he walked out of hearing range. Vrothrir felt a worry in his chest, a worry and a rage. The same two feelings he'd felt since they'd learned what happened to Riksis.
-----
They were in a small bunker somewhere in the Steppes when they got word from the scouts. Signs of the aliens had been found on the way to a ruined human city near the mouth of the Himalayas. This brought a great deal of worry between him and Novas as it would make it difficult to find and catch the caravan safely. Not to mention the Thief-City had begun to send Light-Stealers to patrol it since the Battle of Twilight Gap. He stared at the plans and the records and maps that held what little they knew about the multitude of roads, side paths, and hiding spots that existed in hundreds of miles worth of mountain range. He sighed and turned to talk to…
No, Ysatres was gone. Vrothrir felt rage enter his heart and remembered what the Archon had taught him. He took a deep breath and focused his rage into a fine point. An edge he would use to on these aliens soon enough. He heard something and he snapped back to reality.
"I apologize, Devil-Baroness. What were you saying?"
Novas huffed and said, "What about the air?"
Vrothrir hummed to himself. "It carries risk," he said, "but it would allow us many opportunities. What do we have access to?"
Novas shook her head, "I have no personal ships. The Blades are a purely ground force until the Steppes are conquered. Riksis and Devil-Kell swore that I would be given a small fleet as a reward then."
Vrothrir rubbed his chin, "Devil-Archon knows this project is important. Would he be willing to lend us his ships?"
A few hours after sending a communique to the Cosmodrome, they were still pouring over their maps when a vandal came in looking haggard. Novas turned to look at him.
"Well," she said, "what did the Devil-Archon say?" The vandal stayed silent and Novas glared at him. "Well?"
"Devil Baroness," the vandal said, both sets of hands clasped together, "there's been terrible news from the Cosmodrome."
----
To say Novas had been devastated by the news of Riksis' death would be an insult to her grief. Riksis had not only been a sponsor but a mentor and a father to the Baroness. Vrothrir himself felt pain at the loss of such a wise and faithful eliksni. It was Riksis and Lord Sepiks who had kept the House together when Saint-14 slew the previous Kell. It was Riksis who declared a holy war to take over the Cosmodrome and plunder its riches from the arrogant heathens of the Thief-City. It was Riksis who helped Vrothrir cope with the loss of his loyalist friend and companion. Now, he was gone. And a civil war was already being waged among the priesthood for who would take his place.
A civil war that would not be stopped by the Kell. He had remained silent on the subject of a proper successor to the Archon's position. Or rather, no word had come from the House of Kings had come. Oh, it was an open secret that current Devil-Kell was merely a puppet for the King-Kell. At first, fear kept the Devils from regaining their independence as those who ever spoke openly about the Kell's status as a puppet disappeared to never be heard from again. But, as the House began to encounter victories and plunder under Kings leadership that they had never had under Solkis, especially after he had failed so utterly at Twilight Gap, they began to accept the new state of affairs. But now it seemed they had decided that a divided Devils benefited them. The King-Kell alone knew why.
The Lord-Servitor had also been silent. Likely waiting for one who could truly enter Riksis' role as a true Archon. With Riksis gone, Novas had to act quickly to curry favor with the other major powers of the house or else risk being supplanted by a rival Baron. Which was why he was currently hanging off a cliff waiting for a band of aliens to walk by. Vrothrir knew this was hasty. He knew it was foolish and that Riksis wouldn't have wanted Novas to act like this. Would have counselled caution and waiting for the right moment to strike. But he was dead. Like Ysatres. He heard the sound of steps and rolling tires coming up the road and gave the signal. His own stealth device kicked in and he pulled upwards. It was time to make them bleed. For Riksis and for Ysatres.
****
Okay, this is done. We've got some set up for the next major event in this chapter and an update on the situation in the Devils after Riksis' untimely demise. I don't have much to say except see you next week.
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