*
The "Black Rim"
The two men studied each other in calm silence, their shuttles having arrived at the deserted meeting barge. If there was one piece of equipment sacrosanct, it was a Blade's meeting barge. Every fleet had one and every fleet honored the tradition of an honest meeting with no treachery. No House violated the sanctity of the Meeting Barge for to do so would severe any chance of diplomacy or House maneuvering between themselves.
Even so, Barrador could not help but cast his eyes about the barge wondering if a hidden dart or poison laced handle would spell his end. Should his son take over his House and he ally with House Reaver shattering his family's understanding with House Hark, it would prove to be the undoing of everything he and his forefathers worked hard to build.
Would Stannes consider the violating of the Meeting Barge sanctity a price worth it?
He didn't think so but Stannes was old. And old men sometimes acted as if banking their future fortunes on a single throw of the dice.
*
Stannes stared at the man Barrador wondering if House Hark had decided to insult House Stannes by sending an underling family. But then, House Hark was the weaker and Barrador's record well known.
Did House Hark seek to employ the Barrador's military prowess against a greater House like Stannes?
What would be the gamble to House Hark if blame could be laid at the feet of a minor house?
A roll of the dice and Barrador unleashed, he would be hardpressed to leave the meeting barge alive. If his Blade surived against Barrador, Hark could cast blame on the meeting barge violation on the minor house and purge them from his lands as matter of saving face with the other Houses.
The audacity of such a plot would impress even the old man Reaver.
He wondered who would speak first? For to do so would make one beholding to the other and Barrador was merely a minor house. But it was he who sought the meeting.
As it turned out, he simply held out his hand lightly grasping a data crystal.
Barrador frowned but silently and cautiously took it. His hands were gloved and Stannes nodded approvingly at the other's paranoia.
His arm raised showing the minor house lord to a seat and receptacle.
*
Barrador's curiosity at what the data crystal held was overpowering and the Lord Stannes' face gave nothing away.
Turning his attention to the seat and the receptacle, he inserted the crystal and the footage that appeared instantly betrayed it's age.
This was many decades old!
The lights dimmed to allow for better viewing and Barrador recognized the earlier Blade design as the footage showed outside views of the craft. As the recording progressed, the exterior shots changed to the Blade's interior and the Stannes House Seal displayed prominently.
This was a royal craft.
Barrador shifted uncomfortably very aware that he was having a rare glimpse into the goings-on of a Royal House. Such glimpses usually held dire consequences and not given freely.
What Stannes wanted would cost. Of that Barrador had no doubt.
And then the minor house lord reeled in back in shock. For there, in plain view and smiling before whoever was making the recording came Cassius. Cassius Stannes, the eldest son of the Lord standing behind him.
The elder son had disappeared from public notice decades ago and it was generally believed the young Stannes was dead, either through a successful assassination attempt or due to some internal, secret squabble.
The mysteries surrounding any member of the Royal Houses are what their intelligence services lived for and each House held their secrets dear.
The data contained within the crystal was edited. Of that Barrador had no doubt for footage seemed to jump weeks and days forward. Why the vision of the eldest son of Stannes was not edited out concerned Barrador more than the footage of the voyage.
He seemed to determine the recording was of a some exploratory mission for the course projection shown would have taken the Blade far outside Themien Space.
The recording seemed to display the typical activity of an exploratory mission and the stretches of tediousness when he saw that the area outside the Blade recorded visual changes.
Space was turning from it's usual black bottomlessness to purple to... light red..
This occurance was a few months into their voyage and as he thought back to the speeds the old Blade design could safely manage, he knew it was occurance several hundred light years away.
What he also saw was that the Blade pushed it's course even farther and Barrador became interested despite his caution.
Here was an actual account of a voyage far beyond where any Themien had travelled. At least far beyond where any Themien had publicly travelled.
He also saw that the colors outsider were getting brighter than he had ever seen.
He also began to see changes in the crew's appearance and as the footage jumped forward yet more, he saw those changes were not for the better.
He shifted silently as the recording changed from the ship to a planet's landing. A planet who had never been visited by Themiens.
Barrador almost forgot about Stannes standing behind him as he leaned forward at the sight of the planet. Ruins of a fairly advanced civilization were explored and he silently swore at the person who was holding the recorder wishing they had taken more time in looking at certain things that were only peripherially shown.
From what the expedition could tell was that the civilization had died out from some sort of war. Barrador saw the tell-tale signs as scorched buildings, streets and equipment littered the ground.
There was also massive signs of weather damage indicating that whatever fight took place did so many years before.
The expedition recorded several books from the ruins showing that the natives of the planet were reptilian in nature, which accounted for the strange designs of the building and equipment.
He had never met such a species though he knew rumors of such species their outside trading partners had come across. Other races did not concern Themos but the scope of the ruins seen through the footage impressed upon Barrador that the natives had once had a thriving culture large enough to impress even a Themien.
Even so, he put their level of technology a century or two behind Themos in terms of what he saw on the planet. There was no sign that the expedition had found anything in orbit or that the natives were space-faring.
The footage advanced more and he found that there were more members of the expedition planetside investigating to their heart's delight.
Until someone discovered something.
The recorder bounced up and down as the person carrying it ran to where someone was pointing. That someone was Cassius, the apparent leader of the expedition.
As the footage seemed to jump from its recording of the ground to a recording of the air, it soon focussed on something lying far below in the valley.
And when that focus sharpened Barrador drew back in an unnatural fear.
Even upside down, fire-scorched and with it's eight armoured limbs curled inward indicating death, the sheer size of the creature gripped the Barrador man's attention and held it immobile.
It was at this point the footage paused and Barrador almost yelled out at the interruption.
"If I show you the rest of the recording, I want you to know that you will be my man from now on," Lord Stannes started. Before the other could object to where his loyalties lie, the old leader of the Royal House clarified, "I need you not to fail in convincing House Hark of a terrible danger that I feel is coming."
Though Barrador hated to voice his paranoia, he had to ask, "How do I know this is even real?"
It certainly had looked real enough but decption was nothing new to Barrador. Even deception as clever and real-looking as what he was viewing.
"What proof do I have?"
Stannes nodded at the question as if Barrador's remarks were not only expected but approved.
"I give you the only proof I can give." he replied and Barrador thought he heard a temor of sad resignation in his voice.
A movement behind the Lord Stannes pulled Barrador out of the shock experienced from the footage and back into the present. Meeting Barges were supposed to be inviolate.
"What is going on!" he growled out, ready for treachery. There was supposed to be no one but the two of them on the entire meeting barge.
"Forgive my breach of tradition but if you were to come closer, I am sure you will agree with my reason." Lord Stannes said, watching the startled reaction of the other.
There were two people. One pushing an occupied wheel-chair towards them.
"Lord Barrador," Stannes started, "I introduce my son, Cassius."
The man in the wheel-chair became visible as the dim lights brightened and Barrador drew back in horror crying out loud involuntarily.
The "Black Rim"
The two men studied each other in calm silence, their shuttles having arrived at the deserted meeting barge. If there was one piece of equipment sacrosanct, it was a Blade's meeting barge. Every fleet had one and every fleet honored the tradition of an honest meeting with no treachery. No House violated the sanctity of the Meeting Barge for to do so would severe any chance of diplomacy or House maneuvering between themselves.
Even so, Barrador could not help but cast his eyes about the barge wondering if a hidden dart or poison laced handle would spell his end. Should his son take over his House and he ally with House Reaver shattering his family's understanding with House Hark, it would prove to be the undoing of everything he and his forefathers worked hard to build.
Would Stannes consider the violating of the Meeting Barge sanctity a price worth it?
He didn't think so but Stannes was old. And old men sometimes acted as if banking their future fortunes on a single throw of the dice.
*
Stannes stared at the man Barrador wondering if House Hark had decided to insult House Stannes by sending an underling family. But then, House Hark was the weaker and Barrador's record well known.
Did House Hark seek to employ the Barrador's military prowess against a greater House like Stannes?
What would be the gamble to House Hark if blame could be laid at the feet of a minor house?
A roll of the dice and Barrador unleashed, he would be hardpressed to leave the meeting barge alive. If his Blade surived against Barrador, Hark could cast blame on the meeting barge violation on the minor house and purge them from his lands as matter of saving face with the other Houses.
The audacity of such a plot would impress even the old man Reaver.
He wondered who would speak first? For to do so would make one beholding to the other and Barrador was merely a minor house. But it was he who sought the meeting.
As it turned out, he simply held out his hand lightly grasping a data crystal.
Barrador frowned but silently and cautiously took it. His hands were gloved and Stannes nodded approvingly at the other's paranoia.
His arm raised showing the minor house lord to a seat and receptacle.
*
Barrador's curiosity at what the data crystal held was overpowering and the Lord Stannes' face gave nothing away.
Turning his attention to the seat and the receptacle, he inserted the crystal and the footage that appeared instantly betrayed it's age.
This was many decades old!
The lights dimmed to allow for better viewing and Barrador recognized the earlier Blade design as the footage showed outside views of the craft. As the recording progressed, the exterior shots changed to the Blade's interior and the Stannes House Seal displayed prominently.
This was a royal craft.
Barrador shifted uncomfortably very aware that he was having a rare glimpse into the goings-on of a Royal House. Such glimpses usually held dire consequences and not given freely.
What Stannes wanted would cost. Of that Barrador had no doubt.
And then the minor house lord reeled in back in shock. For there, in plain view and smiling before whoever was making the recording came Cassius. Cassius Stannes, the eldest son of the Lord standing behind him.
The elder son had disappeared from public notice decades ago and it was generally believed the young Stannes was dead, either through a successful assassination attempt or due to some internal, secret squabble.
The mysteries surrounding any member of the Royal Houses are what their intelligence services lived for and each House held their secrets dear.
The data contained within the crystal was edited. Of that Barrador had no doubt for footage seemed to jump weeks and days forward. Why the vision of the eldest son of Stannes was not edited out concerned Barrador more than the footage of the voyage.
He seemed to determine the recording was of a some exploratory mission for the course projection shown would have taken the Blade far outside Themien Space.
The recording seemed to display the typical activity of an exploratory mission and the stretches of tediousness when he saw that the area outside the Blade recorded visual changes.
Space was turning from it's usual black bottomlessness to purple to... light red..
This occurance was a few months into their voyage and as he thought back to the speeds the old Blade design could safely manage, he knew it was occurance several hundred light years away.
What he also saw was that the Blade pushed it's course even farther and Barrador became interested despite his caution.
Here was an actual account of a voyage far beyond where any Themien had travelled. At least far beyond where any Themien had publicly travelled.
He also saw that the colors outsider were getting brighter than he had ever seen.
He also began to see changes in the crew's appearance and as the footage jumped forward yet more, he saw those changes were not for the better.
He shifted silently as the recording changed from the ship to a planet's landing. A planet who had never been visited by Themiens.
Barrador almost forgot about Stannes standing behind him as he leaned forward at the sight of the planet. Ruins of a fairly advanced civilization were explored and he silently swore at the person who was holding the recorder wishing they had taken more time in looking at certain things that were only peripherially shown.
From what the expedition could tell was that the civilization had died out from some sort of war. Barrador saw the tell-tale signs as scorched buildings, streets and equipment littered the ground.
There was also massive signs of weather damage indicating that whatever fight took place did so many years before.
The expedition recorded several books from the ruins showing that the natives of the planet were reptilian in nature, which accounted for the strange designs of the building and equipment.
He had never met such a species though he knew rumors of such species their outside trading partners had come across. Other races did not concern Themos but the scope of the ruins seen through the footage impressed upon Barrador that the natives had once had a thriving culture large enough to impress even a Themien.
Even so, he put their level of technology a century or two behind Themos in terms of what he saw on the planet. There was no sign that the expedition had found anything in orbit or that the natives were space-faring.
The footage advanced more and he found that there were more members of the expedition planetside investigating to their heart's delight.
Until someone discovered something.
The recorder bounced up and down as the person carrying it ran to where someone was pointing. That someone was Cassius, the apparent leader of the expedition.
As the footage seemed to jump from its recording of the ground to a recording of the air, it soon focussed on something lying far below in the valley.
And when that focus sharpened Barrador drew back in an unnatural fear.
Even upside down, fire-scorched and with it's eight armoured limbs curled inward indicating death, the sheer size of the creature gripped the Barrador man's attention and held it immobile.
It was at this point the footage paused and Barrador almost yelled out at the interruption.
"If I show you the rest of the recording, I want you to know that you will be my man from now on," Lord Stannes started. Before the other could object to where his loyalties lie, the old leader of the Royal House clarified, "I need you not to fail in convincing House Hark of a terrible danger that I feel is coming."
Though Barrador hated to voice his paranoia, he had to ask, "How do I know this is even real?"
It certainly had looked real enough but decption was nothing new to Barrador. Even deception as clever and real-looking as what he was viewing.
"What proof do I have?"
Stannes nodded at the question as if Barrador's remarks were not only expected but approved.
"I give you the only proof I can give." he replied and Barrador thought he heard a temor of sad resignation in his voice.
A movement behind the Lord Stannes pulled Barrador out of the shock experienced from the footage and back into the present. Meeting Barges were supposed to be inviolate.
"What is going on!" he growled out, ready for treachery. There was supposed to be no one but the two of them on the entire meeting barge.
"Forgive my breach of tradition but if you were to come closer, I am sure you will agree with my reason." Lord Stannes said, watching the startled reaction of the other.
There were two people. One pushing an occupied wheel-chair towards them.
"Lord Barrador," Stannes started, "I introduce my son, Cassius."
The man in the wheel-chair became visible as the dim lights brightened and Barrador drew back in horror crying out loud involuntarily.