Choir of Angels (Angelii/Firemane)

[Kaida Taldir]

[member="Sahal Jai Azal"],[member="Elincia Alanis"]


Presumably if Tarissa were here, the conversation would be going very differently. The natives would be told in no uncertain terms that it was their fate to submit to the majesty of the Great Goddess Ashira and the Star Queen!


"We have travelled from very far to visit Her Majesty's people and the journey was not without its perils. These weapons are for our own protection. We have advanced technology that should be of interest to your people," Selene replied smoothly.


"As for what we seek, a treaty of friendship and a trade agreement with the realm of Multan. Our armies have crushed the Xioquo and ended their reign of terror. We can offer your people not only technology, but protection. To show our good will and as a sign of respect, we have brought gifts for Her Majesty," at that she discreetly gestured towards her servant Elincia. The Eldorai had brought valuables and baubles for the local Qadiri ruler.


Meanwhile, Kaida was being silent and stoic, as usual. However, the young woman staring at them did not go unnoticed. The Angelii could feel that she was a Sciian. It put her on edge. "Keep an eye on that one," she said quietly to Askari, speaking in Eldarai.

 

[Elincia Alanis]

So the diplomacy continued, Elincia's attention drifted towards the crowd that was watching them with curious eyes once again. She, as well, understood something weird was going on, especially with the one girl standing a little back from the crowd, even though most of the people were like glued together, as everyone was trying to see what was going on in front of them and there was a little chaos, around the girl was interestingly empty. And she didn't like the way she was looking. Her whole attention was now on this girl, looking at her, trying to understand what was wrong with her. So concentrated that she didn't hear what was happening at the background, thus she couldn't hear she was supposed to bring the gifts.

So when the attention suddenly turned to her, as everyone looked like they were waiting for something, she was caught a bit clueless. "Uhh... wha..." But, thankfully, secret gestures saved the day as the diplomat lady quickly pointed at the gifts. "Yeah, gifts!.." Whoops. She could sense the cold glares coming very soon. So without wasting time, Elincia backed out to bring the gifts, and took the boxes filled with all kinds of jewelry and shinies,which she couldn't see herself wearing, from one of their vehicles. They looked so adult! Anyway, luckily they weren't hers so she moved forward with the fancy looking boxes, probably was met by the other side's servants, who took the boxes from her hands. Giving a quick nod to the "Her Majesty", she returned back to her original position.

Maybe "a quick nod" was not so respectful for a servant, but she has never been a servant before so she wouldn't know that.

[member="Kaida Taldir"] [member="Sahal Jai Azal"]

 

[Sahal Jai Azal]

[member="Kaida Taldir"] [member="Elincia Alanis"]

At first there was a tense moment, but then one of the Queen’s attendants opened the box and examined it. They spoke in their own language, occasionally holding up the items for the inspection of the advisor and the Queen.

“They are politely accepting the jewellery, but they are interested in the technology,” Sahal whispered.

Finally, the advisor stepped forward. “Your gifts have been accepted by Her Excellency. However, we desire some further gesture of your sincerity. The city of Surani has preyed on our merchants and has just recently begun a most vicious and unprovoked war on Multani Empire. If you were to provide assistance to our army now marching to war…. Of course, our glorious arms would overpower the foul and treacherous Surani, but the appearance of your powerful weapons could assist in ensuring they never question our hegemony again.”

In other words, Multan wanted some offworlder technology and soldiers in their battle.

The Queen still had not said anything, but gazed at the visitors serenely.

The woman to the side though, she was smiling a bit. Whether at the discussion or at some inner joke. She was especially looking at Elincia.

 

[Kaida Taldir]

[member="Sahal Jai Azal"], [member="Elincia Alanis"]


The gruff soldier did not have a problem with wars of conquest per se. Angelii were not Jedi. They were trained to be soldiers, not angst about whether killing someone in battle was okay. However, she could not help feel suspicious. So far the Multani had offered little beyond platitudes and she did not relish the idea of getting involved in someone else's war on a whim. They might make enemies of people who could be better allies - or vassals.


Finally, she did not like the natives much. This might also be due to some subconscious culturalism on her part. "If they want our help to beat an enemy they cannot defeat themselves, they must be more forthcoming. And Eldorai soldiers would not serve under foreign command," she said coolly, speaking in Eldarai so that only Sahal and her fellow Eldorai could understand her.


"We're not their mercenaries. Or supplicants seeking their favour. Ask them more about their conflict with Surani, their enemy's strength and the state of their own forces." A frown creased her features. "Word it more politely, I suppose," she added as an afterthought.


((Pete, you can write Selene this round))

 

[Elincia Alanis]

Fortunately, the quick nod was enough and they didn't say something about it. Well, that was close! Anyway, returning to her original position, she started to examine the crowd once again, looking out for any possible threat. The girl that looked very suspicious was still there, and she was directly looking at her with a creepy smile on her face, a face like she was plotting something. Like, what the kark was her problem? She returned the look with a frown and they looked at each other for some time. No, it wasn't the love at first sight. It was creepy even for Elincia standards. Now, she was sure there was something weird going on here, and it wasn't the politics. Anyway, diplomacy going on at the background which she wasn't paying that much attention, her head made a slight turn to the ice lady, not to cause that much suspicion. "There is a girl in the crowd looking at me like she wants to kark me. She is smiling very weird." She said in a low voice, speaking in Eldorai. Maybe not a good wording, but it was Elincia, what did you expect? "She has been watching us for quite some time. Like, spying on us. Should we do something about it?"

[member="Kaida Taldir"] [member="Sahal Jai Azal"]

 

[Sahal Jai Azal]

[member="Elincia Alanis"] [member="Kaida Taldir"]

Selene Tarai was an experienced negotiator. She was good at turning demands and blunt requests into polite ‘propositions’ or ‘invitations’. She nodded to Sahal that she was ready.
“Your Majesty, the Surani truly must be lower than the earth if they wish to attack you. Whilst we are more than happy to discuss this matter we wish to know more information. Are you able to provide us with more details of their forces and yours?”

“Perhaps you had best come inside and we can discuss this more,” the advisor said a little disappointed at not getting blanket acceptance.

At least they wouldn’t be standing around as much.

As they headed inside Selene moved beside Elincia. “Do nothing yet. The wrong move could be seen as hostile. I have noticed her too. Watch her, but do not let her get behind us or alone with you. There is something off about this whole situation….”

She looked to Kaida. “I wonder if we should see what the Surani have to say after we hear the Multan side of the story?”

 

[Kaida Taldir]

[member="Elincia Alanis"], [member="Sahal Jai Azal"]


Kaida had been scrutinising the palace guards, expression as unreadable as stone. Their armour was far to ostentatious for her tastes. Meanwhile, conversation proceeded as Selene smoothed things over and the Qadiri adviser invited them inside for further talks.


At least they would not have to stand outside anymore. "Thus ends round one. I suppose now they shall poison or bribe us. Perhaps send slave girls to our rooms," Askari commented. "Their armour is too gaudy to be practical."


Kaida nodded curtly, glancing to Selene. "Send two on the pretext of scouting the enemy's positions. I can spare Askari. She can take the Qadiri...Sahal," she corrected herself. "Your machine can do the translating for us."

 

[Elincia Alanis]

More diplomatic talks! Finally at some point the opposite team decided it would be the best if they continued the talks inside. Finally! Since when diplomatic talks were made in front of the crowd anyway, that's not how the politics worked. And besides, that would maybe solve their creepy stalker problem. When the diplomat lady walked towards her and talked, Elincia sighed. "Well I can just spear her right here and finish our creep. But let's play pacifists." With that, they would move inside. Meanwhile they moved, Elincia searched for the girl in the crowd. When they came eye to eye once again, the girl smiled with an "I am evil" face and winked, then disappeared into the crowd.

Elincia moved faster and caught up with the Seraph. Probably the diplomat lady was close to them as well. She should have just speared the creepy girl in the face when she had the chance. "She's gone. Disappeared into the crowd." She said, then sighed. Well, this was almost what she wanted. She loved adventure. But mystery, no. And creepy mystery, double no.

[member="Kaida Taldir"] [member="Sahal Jai Azal"]

 

[Drystan Talroth]

Gunship Soaring Wing
Orbiting Multan

Someone of a much higher rank than Drystan had deemed it wise to provide the diplomatic delegation with a means of rapid egress should the historically warlike Qadiri prove to be less than hospitable to the sudden arrival of the Eldorai group. It made sense from a tactical standpoint, not that anyone had asked a mere apprentice for his strategic assessment, but he could certainly see the value in it all. One could also see how the technologically weak Qadiri might be dissuaded from violent action if they were aware of the presence of a heavily armed death bird in the sky.

Which explained why a gunship was slowly circling the city, far away enough as to not be immediately threatening, but close enough that they could be at the delegation's location within a minute. The back hatch was open, allowing Drystan and the small squad of Firemane regulars-two women and another male-to breathe the arid desert air instead of the filtered, recirculated oxygen the ship's systems provided. They were all relatively new to Firemane, only the pilot had been with the company for more than a year, though given the long lives of their people, they all had some level of experience. Indeed, they had spent a good chunk of the journey getting to know one another, discussion what they had been doing before the meteor that had destroyed their homeworld.

As they turned to bank over the city once more, he heard the pilot talking through his headset to someone below, stating "Soaring Wing stands ready to transport scouts if needed. Gunship Falcon's Beak can relieve us on overwatch."

Drystan turned and strode down the deck, leaning into the cockpit. "We're getting something to do, huh?" He asked the pilot, who laughed softly.

"We're about to find out.."


[member="Kaida Taldir"][member="Elincia Alanis"][member="Sahal Jai Azal"] et al

 

[Sahal Jai Azal]

[member="Kaida Taldir"] [member="Drystan Talroth"] [member="Elincia Alanis"]

Selene nodded in understanding. “I will make your excuses, Host Leader. Sahal, go with her and assist in any way she wishes.”

Pausing, she reached up to her ear where a new message was coming in.

“Excellent, a second gunship is in place,” she told Kaida. She activated the microphone. “Soaring Wing, this is Tarai, come in to land. We have a scouting mission for you.”

Elincia’s words did not cause her much concern. “Patience, young Angelii, be on your guard and be ready if anything happens. She might well return.”

Heading inside, they were led to a large room with lovely views over the jungles and hills around them. As it was quite warm each guest would have a slave to fan them, though the Eldorai with their temperature controlled armour barely needed that.

“Keep an eye out,” she said softly to Kaida. This was the most vulnerable moment, especially when drinks were being served, as happened now.

 

[Kaida Taldir]

[member="Sahal Jai Azal"], [member="Elincia Alanis"], [member="Drystan Talroth"]


"Yes, your Ladyship," Vaena Askari spoke obediently, saluting in the Eldorai style: Right hand placed over her heart. As a Host Leader, she was equal to a Lieutenant. "I'd say I envy you, Lady Seraph, but I'm eager to pass on tea time with the decadent royals."


Kaida gave her a look that was the expression of stone. "Be on your guard and stay in contact. Don't let their intrigues ensnare you. And don't you dare me look bad," she grunted. She sort of cared, though she didn't like showing it much!


"I'd have to work to achieve that, ma'am. Come on, Sahal. Our ride has blazed through the sky with soaring wings." The raven-haired Angelii was fond of incredibly lame puns, and nodded towards the Qadiri warrior woman. Her tone was commanding, but more personable. Though a fierce Eldorai patriot, she was more of a maternalist. With Sahal in tow, she headed towards where the Soaring Wing would land. It seemed Firemane had showed up to help.


Meanwhile, Kaida had gone inside along with the Countess Tarai. Here there was a large chamber that gave them a brilliant view of the beautiful jungle and hills. One could have described it as picturesque, but Kaida was more focused on the fact that it could easily become a death trap. Her imposing phrik armour gleamed in the bright light.


A very pretty, scantily clad slave girl fanned her, though the Seraph hardly needed that due to her temperature controlled suit and did not react. She saw the collar slung around the girl's neck and perceived scars even cosmetics could not hide. Her jaw tightened at the sickening sight, but outwardly she maintained her composure. What this place needed was Eldorai control to impose civilisation. Selene's remark earned a curt nod. "The drinks should be sampled first," she stated bluntly in Eldarai.

 

[Elincia Alanis]

"Well, if you end up with something in your face I am not going to take responsibility. But I'll be there to tell you 'I told you.' " She said, half pissed at her ignorance but as a joke. Still, it was her trial and she didn't want to make her escape ticket angry. Anyway, right now things seemed to return to the normal, the creepy girl was gone, they were heading inside, there would be food and drinks. This whole journey left her stomach rumbling anyway. She would've liked to go scouting with the rest of the group, sounded like more adventure, apparently the... what was their name, Flamehair.... uhh no... Firem... yeah Firemane sent some help, but of course as a punishment she would need to listen more politics. The thought made her roll her eyes. But of course, the beautiful view soon made the thoughts fly away as they arrived to a chamber of sorts. At least she could look around meanwhile dying inside!

So she would take a seat alongside the diplomat. Then, several slaves of the Qadiri would enter the chambers to fan their guests. Well, being Elincia, she winked and smiled at the one fanning her, after all, she looked pretty cute with... that outfit. There was no response from the girl as she continued to fan. Probably that was normal, since she totally ignored the fact that they were slaves and probably they were forced to serve. No one said Elincia was that considerate. "And here I thought I was the cryomancer." Puns. Annoyed by her ignorance, she returned to the scene. Other servants started to bring the drinks and then some interesting things started to happen as the ice lady wanted the drinks to be sampled. "Distrust is probably one of the things that you should keep to yourself in a diplomatic mission. But who am I to judge, I hate politics." She murmured in a low voice, mostly talking to herself since she had nothing better to do at this point. No matter what, this mission was getting more and more interesting each second. Elincia watched what was about to happen next. Hopefully she would get to spear something soon!

[member="Kaida Taldir"] [member="Sahal Jai Azal"] [member="Drystan Talroth"]

 

[Drystan Talroth]

“Soaring Wing, this is Tarai, come in to land. We have a scouting mission for you.”

The pilot gave an affirmation, glancing over her shoulder at her passengers. "Grab something."

Drystan and the others had just enough time to grab one of the many straps situated along the walls of the passenger bay before the pilot banked hard, turning their leisurely orbit of the city into a shallow dive straight for the landing pad that had been pre-designated as the place to go if needed. The Eldorai, and Firemane by extension, were big on pre-planning as much as possible, and so while the old saying that no plan ever survived contact with the enemy held true, the Firemane squad had, in conjunction with the gunship pilots, planned out everything they could think of, from what happened if the delegation needed a quick exfiltration, up to the possibility of a hostile populace.

The engines were loud, but not deafening, as the gunship flared for a landing, coming to a hover with the bottom of the ramp a foot or two above the ground. Even as they landed, another of the Firemane gunships had taken up their circular route over the city. Just in case.

Drystan jumped down from the ramp, placing his right hand to his heart in a salute. "Ladies," He nodded politely, the rest of the team disembarking just long enough to make sure they hadn't been followed from inside the palace. Civil visit or not, the Qadiri were not known for their manners. "It would be our Honor to convey you to your destination. Please." He extended an arm and stepped aside, giving them access to the interior of the gunship.

[member="Sahal Jai Azal"][member="Kaida Taldir"][member="Elincia Alanis"]

 

[Sahal Jai Azal]

[member="Drystan Talroth"] [member="Elincia Alanis"] [member="Kaida Taldir"]

Selene smiled slightly. “Who indeed, Wing Leader. Clearly you take after your leader when it comes to diplomatic skill. Still, you are correct, we must be circumspect in our distrust…normally. But we must make a point.”

“And if I end up with something metallic in your face you might not take responsibility, but your sisters will hold you responsible. I would therefore endeavour to protect me as a means of protecting yourself….”

When the cup was offered she took it, smiled at the Vizier.
“You can understand our hesitation. The environment is unfamiliar to us. Would it offend you to have this tested?”
“By all means. Girl!” the Vizier ordered to the nearest slave.
Eyes not leaving the Vizier, Selene passed the drink to the slave. The poor girl took it gingerly, looking around for a pause, but then with resignation she raised it towards her lips.
“Stop,” Selene ordered. The slave almost dropped the cup, but looked on, frightened. “We look very poorly on deceit. If this poor girl perishes from what is in this cup she will be avenged.” The Countess’ gaze swept the room. “Drink,” she ordered the girl.
There were some nervous looks from the court, but no one moved to stop her. The slave drunk, and seemed to tense…then relaxed.
“Excellent. Now we can get down to business.”

Outside, Sahal and Askari approached the landed gunship and clambered aboard.
“Thank you,” the Qadiri said. She did not like flying much, even now, and so was rather more fixated on this than the male Eldorai.
It would be a 30 minute flight to Surani, after which the real fun would begin.

 

[Kaida Taldir]

[member="Sahal Jai Azal"], [member="Elincia Alanis"], [member="Drystan Talroth"]


As if to confirm Selene's words, Kaida shot Elincia a frosty look of the 'do as she says or you'll regret it a lot' variety. Elincia would know it very well and could probably sense that the Seraph was in a foul mood in general. "You'll be held responsibe if you fail in your duties and punished accordingly."


However, drinks were offered. Kaida felt like forcing the Vizier to drink her cup, but that would not have been politic. A girl could dream though. The Vizier wore an ornate silk gown loaded with gems and had lovely fingernails that never got dirt on them. Fortunately, it seemed the slave survived sampling the drink. Still, Kaida barely touched her cup beyond sipping it a bit. The last thing she wanted was to have the liquor make her forget herself.


"You may take the girl with you, Lady. As I said, our glorious army will subdue the foul and treacherous Surani. They have offended us many times, attacking our trade caravans and stealing our subjects to sell them into slavery. In this very moment, they conspire with our enemies against Her Majesty," the Vizier began, launching into a tirade about real or imagined grievances.


"Your aid would expedite our victory and build a strong friendship between our noble people. The Multani are a civilised people. There has been disorder in Khajwar for far too long. You will, of course, be greatly rewarded," at that she snapped her fingers and suddenly more slaves appeared. Two carried a chest that was filled with gold, silver and gems, others precious silks.


Unsurprisingly, Kaida looked unimpressed. The Seraph was already not thrilled about the Eldorai's and Firemane's alliance with Shâhbanu Semiramis, whom she considered duplicitous and dishonourable. Sooner or later, the Eldorai would have to take direct control and impose change. "Tell them I want to inspect their army first," she said laconically.


xxx

Meanwhile, the Soaring Wings had landed, and the two elf warrior women boarded. Askari returned the salute of the Firemane Eldorai soldier, after a brief moment of hesitation. She was young for an Eldorai, but had been born in a time when conservative orthodoxy held sway. So it was still a bit difficult for her to acknowledge a man as another soldier.


It was a sign of how much times had changed. Questions of whether males were suited to military operations, or whether their presence would be a distraction for female combat troops had come up before the Exodus. More and more males were pressing to enter service, and most fields had been opened to them. This was partly because the Exodus had demanded such a high tribute in blood that excluding them was impractical, even though critics said that males' undue aggression and lack of self-control made them unsuitable! This one is not at all satirising certain debates about gender roles. The main exception to the new spirit of the age were the Angelii.


"Good. Our destination is Surani. We're on a recon and fact-finding mission. Contact with the natives is expected. Let's try not to set the place abalze, shall we?" she replied as the Gunship lifted off into the bright blue sky. "I'm Host Leader Askari. You are with the Order of Fire, soldier?" she could sense that he was a Sciian, and Firemane had its own Force-using arm. She also noted the, in her somewhat culturally biased eyes, bizarre tattoos. Men, she thought to herself.


She gave Sahal an encouraging look, seeing that the Qadiri was uncomfortable with flying. Her superior might turn up her nose at the idea of native auxiliaries, but Vaena felt they were better off integrating than wholly segregating them. We're children of the same Heavenly Mother. We're their older sisters.Though millennia separated them, the same blood flowed through their veins.

 

[Elincia Alanis]

Her joke soon turned out to be one of those "Pranks gone wrong" videos in Holotube. Well, all of her jokes were received as a compilation of all those videos around these people but of course, everyone had different sense of humor, and Angelii, hmm, let's say they were just too professional for jokes. What really made her face drop suddenly were the ice glares that she received from the ice lady, which clearly said "If you don't shut up now I'll send you to the tigers naked.", or Elincia had such big imagination since she looked very pissed off. Nonetheless, she didn't want to face her wrath right now, already had many things to deal with. Well, you can clearly make a point with a spear to the face if you don't trust them, she thought. But of course made an attempt to keep the snark at low levels. Think about the tigers, Elincia. They are not very fun. "Yeah, I suppose you are right. And uhh.. I was just joking about the 'not protecting you' part." Normally she didn't like to step back, but she was used to making exceptions.

Anyway, the plot thickened, one of the slaves tried the drink and it turned out they were just fine. Elincia decided to drink the liquor fully because she was thirsty. Yeah, she didn't need complex thinking to do something. Besides, they were fine, right? They tasted fine, that was for sure, as she put the empty glass back to the table. Then more talks happened. Before her brain shut down to keep the uninteresting stuff away, she heard something about taking a girl, something Surani, and they were offended about stuff. Then her brain decided it was enough info for the day and closed itself to further voices until she heard the word "reward". The Vizier seemed so annoying with all the "Help us and we'll help you" kark, and Elincia was the one to talk. But to give the Vizier credit, the so called reward was shiny enough for her taste. Then reality kicked in and she realized she was probably forbidden from these stuff, which made her roll her eyes out of annoyance and sigh.

[member="Kaida Taldir"] [member="Sahal Jai Azal"] [member="Drystan Talroth"]

 

[Drystan Talroth]

Along with the other three Firemane troopers, he jumped back aboard the gunship and, as soon as they had secured themselves in seats or on straps, the pilot took them up in a cloud of dust and engine heat. Within moments, they had banked towards their destination, Surani. The ship's gravity dampeners kicked in, making the high-pressure acceleration of the craft nothing more than a slight lurch to the occupants.

The two passengers were both Sciian, he could feel it. He simply nodded when the pale-haired female surmised his role. "I am, Host Leader. Drystan Talroth, Initiate. My team and I," He indicated the other three, who all nodded politely, "Will serve you well on your mission." He glanced at the other woman, a Qadiri, who seemed completely unhappy to be aboard. He couldn't blame her, thinking back to his own sister, who had never been at all comfortable with flying. Indeed, even as their world had burned down around them, their mother and father had been forced to all but drag her aboard the evacuation ship.

He noticed her interest in his tattoos, realizing that with the wind blowing around the interior of the ship, the lines along his collarbone, as well as his wrists would be easily visible. Of course what he had forgotten, but was, in hindsight, obviously visible, were the red, claw-mark-like streaks of red down his facial features. Yes indeed, during his time among the Vashyada, he had undeniably "gone native," adopting many of the customs and cultural trails of his year-long home. Each of the permanent tattoos bore a meaning, whether literal or spiritual, but the warpaint on his face was applied before a mission, and washed off at the end. The tribe he had lived among had acknowledged him as one of their warriors, and even when he returned to his more "civilized" people, he bore the paint with pride.

The gunship sped towards their destination. The pilot called back after a few moments, "Five minutes to destination."

[member="Sahal Jai Azal"][member="Kaida Taldir"][member="Elincia Alanis"]

 

[Sahal Jai Azal]

[member="Kaida Taldir"] [member="Elincia Alanis"] [member="Drystan Talroth"]

The message was conveyed a little more diplomatically.
The Vizier nodded. “So you wish to inspect our proud and noble army? So be it! Nawab, take our visitors to inspect the 6th Grand Division. I think you will agree that it is the best force on this continent!”

Selene meanwhile glanced at Elincia. “I hope so, Wing Leader Alanis. It would be most unfortunate for your Seraph administer a battlefield execution. It wouldn’t please me, as I would already be dead, but we both know Seraph Taldir is more than prepared to do such a thing. So stick with me and we can go places together.”

The chests of treasure were presented. Selene gestured and with her Sciia made the chests open. She glanced at them. Gold, silver, gems, silks.

“Your generosity does you credit, Majesty. Take them to our quarters.” She snapped her fingers. “Girl, come along,” she ordered the slave sternly. The Qadiri fell into line quickly.

XXX

The 6th Grand Division was a much more impressive name than it probably deserved. The term ‘Grand Division’ would make one instantly think of a vast host. When they arrived, Selene looked at the courtyard.
“Ah, this must be one unit of many I’m guessing?” she asked.
“No, Mistress, this is the 6th Grand Division,” the slave said timidly.
“Ah….” Selene was not a professional soldier, but calling less than 1000 warriors a ‘Grand Division’ seemed a little…exaggerated.

And what warriors. Each of the warriors lined up wore brightly coloured tunics and turbans, many yellow, others white, blue or green. They carried firelock muskets and scimitars. Their uniforms would stand out though, make it impossible to hide, and looked rather too bulky for swift marches.

The officers were dressed in elaborate uniforms draped with emblems and symbols of rank. When one of them called the unit to attention the soldiers were sloppy in their drill and thoroughly dispirited.
One of the officers was looking disapprovingly at Kaida too….

XXX

On board the gunship Sahal too was looking at the male. The Qadiri used male soldiers, but she was surprised to see an Eldorai in the role.
Still, she smiled at him.
“I am Sahal. I will be your translator. We must be careful.”

As they came in towards Surani they could see it was in uproar. Soldiers and civilians had seen the gunship coming and there was chaos.
Several muskets banged, but the range too long and the lead slugs too underpowered to even scratch the gunship.

“Give me the…loud voice machine…” Sahal asked quickly. She didn’t know the exact term for the machine…sue her! “I will calm them and tell them we wish to talk.”

 

[Kaida Taldir]

[member="Sahal Jai Azal"], [member="Drystan Talroth"], [member="Elincia Alanis"]


There was a a deep scowl on Kaida's frosty face. Her cold eyes were piercing, like cutting knives when she beheld the pompously named Grand Division. "This...dance troupe are your best soldiers? They're dressed for a parade, not war. They cannot march, they cannot find cover. How many of them have ever fired a shot?" she exclaimed, her tone caustic.


One of the officers, the one who looked most disapprovingly at Kaida, said something. The protocol droid hastened to translate - and to smooth over any ruffled feathers in the process, lest the situation escalate. "The Bashar says that only cowards hide in battle. The Multani are as brave as lions. They're not peasants who dress in rags."


"Has this idiot ever commanded a single squad in combat? What are their tactics? Advance forward in a slow, straight line and hope you don't all get killed? Do the officers wear that idiotic glitter in combat? Tell me, do you even pay your soldiers or pocket their salaries for your own purse?"


There was a bit of back and forth. The officer was getting rather angry and excitable. "The Grand Bashar says that it is beneath the station of commanders to bloody themselves. Everyone of her soldiers does their duty, or they are harshly punished."


Kaida did not respond to that, but gestured towards one of the absurdly dressed warriors. "You there, show me your rifle." Utterly ignoring the officer, she inspected the weapon. "Load it." She waited for a moment or two while the soldier went through the motions, then just grabbed it. "No, you don't pack the powder by ramming the ball down. This is basic training. Don't they teach you lot anything here?"


"The Bashar says that this fool will be most punished most severely, and most adamantly declares that you have no right to command her men. You are to cease your snide insinuations and leave..." in this moment Kaida simply swung the musquet and rammed it into the officer's face. As the Bashar staggered, she clubbed her back and kicked her in the stomach, so the officer fell to the ground. The Diplomatic Corps had good reason not to like the Seraph.


"You're not a commander. You're a buffoon. In my unit, you'd be hanged. As an officer, you've got a responsibility to your soldiers. This 'division' is a reflection of the dishonourable, decadent, incompetent fools in command of it," Kaida spat, her words dripping with contempt.


xxx


Meanwhile, things were going better aboard the Soaring Wings Gunship. For just a moment, Vaena had wondered how her boss was doing. She liked Kaida well enough, but knew she was rather prickly. By now, their Gunship had arrived at Surani. Unsurprisingly, their arrival caused quite a ruckus.


The natives were thrown into an uproar when the strange, mechanical monstrosity suddenly showed up. The raven-haired Angelii had been very young when the Eldorai first made contact with the outside Galaxy. Pirates and slavers had descended from the heavens to rape, pillage and enslave. She'd been spared from their depravity, but knew friends who'd been taken...and some had never been seen again.


Thus, unlike many of her fellow Eldorai, she did not feel contempt or disgust for the natives. Once, the Eldorai had been in their shoes. Now it was their duty to guide and take care of their younger siblings. She stayed calm when the muskets banged. They were too far away and the slugs could not even scratch the paint of the gunship. In the far distance, she could see soldiers riding on strange animals she'd been told were called elephants.


"Here, take it. Tell them we come in peace, and whatever else is appropriate," she nodded towards Sahal and passed the device to her. 'Loud voice machine' caused her lips to break into a wry smile. They had not brought any gifts, but they could improvise!


"Hold our position, but don't return fire unless I give the order. They cannot hurt the gunship. We were in the same shoes once," she spoke to the pilot and Drystan, who seemed fond of the Vashyada judging by his tattoos. Vaena's appreciation of the locals did not go so far to manifest a desire to go native. Still, it was an indicator that he was not a hothead if he'd been accepted by them, which was good for this mission.

 

[Elincia Alanis]

"Oh I know. I was thrown under the tigers without any preparation on my first day. So believe me, I know." She said about the ice lady, still remembered that day and how she almost died. And no, she didn't want to see her administer a battlefield execution, especially on herself. Then added, with a wink without thinking that much about the previous statement. "And you know where I want to go first..." She said, not ashamed at all because it would only be embarrassing if you wanted it to be! But of course, the annoying voice of the Vizier was heard once again as someone named Nawab, well the parents probably hated their child, was supposed to show them the army that the Vizier talked about a lot, with a new addition to the party! 6th Grand Division, so that must be one big army, Elincia thought. Maybe they were about to see something cool at last. How did she know about all this if she wasn't listening anything at all, you asked? Well, it seemed that Elincia had some kind of attention no matter how she didn't show it. Or she got oh-shinied whenever she heard the word 'army' or 'reward'. Yeah, that was a bit more accurate.

Anyway, they would pass through some corridors left and right, and finally arrive to the scene where... okay, what? WHAT? Was that the army the Vizier couldn't stop talking about? She hardly could conceal a full laugh "I think I saw a dance video on Holotube with people dressed like this." It was getting more difficult to conceal the laugh. "Holy kark look at them. The shiny... I can't, I can't... pffhhaha" Then it finally broke to a laugh and she laughed like a few seconds, then tried to talk, needless to say it was difficult. "Oh my... Oh I can't... okay.... okay... Alright I am good now." Finally managed to stop herself. Then her attention turned towards the ice lady, who was arguing with one of the officers. If only she had popcorn. Well, she could feel something was coming up, as she knew ice lady that much. Alright, wait... Oh wait... Kark, did ice lady just kicked the officer in the stomach? Holy... YES, SHE DID?!? YES, FINALLY! Just about to jump into the situation herself, her hand ready to create an ice spear, she remembered the diplomat lady. Dammit... Ughh... Violenceblocked, that wasn't very fair now, was it? Dammit... Okay, about that payment, she needed something a little bit extra now. Finally she spoke.

"Suggest you to stay behind me... No metal objects to the face." She said, then took a defensive stance. Her hand was itching to just create a spear and start throwing around. Maybe recreate the choreography in that dance video? That would be fun!

[member="Kaida Taldir"] [member="Sahal Jai Azal"] [member="Drystan Talroth"]