Queen Valerie La Guin's regal visage stayed perfectly neutral during the outburst. Completely unreadable.

As servants rushed forward to clean up the spilled wine, her eyes fell upon her young niece. She regarded her before she spoke, "You may apologize..." The Queen's eyes shifted to the middle-aged noblewoman "...Baroness Kotta."

"Your Majesty, please forgive me. I meant no offense b--" The noble began before she was cut off.

"If you do not mean offense, then do not give it," The Queen said carefully. "You have long been a valued advisor to me, Baroness, but you let other matters cloud your judgement in this. I charge you to think upon it."

Baroness Kotta bowed her head obediently, "Yes, your Majesty."

Baroness Kotta looked up at the still standing redhead "Princess Meara, I humbly ask that you forgive my ill-considered words. It was not my place to presume with regards to Brunhildr. You are her Knight and, thus, her care is subject to no judgement but your own." An apology as required, but, perhaps, not the one expected.

Queen Valerie's eyes turned back to Meara and watched her expectantly.

OOC: I love it. Meara has probably made an enemy, but that's not going to be a problem is it? Nah.

Also has anyone picked up on the connection yet?

---

"You know exactly who I am," the woman said. And she was right.

The moment Brun heard her voice, he knew. It was a voice he had heard perhaps more than any other. She had been his companion when it had been just the two of them.

Euryleia.

"I've always been here. Ever since you built me. Okay, sure, this is new. But it must be because you kept your promise. You always said you'd get me the best. Now, look at me."

A holo-display of Euryleia's current status appeared in the air beside them.

"High-Efficiency Myoelectric Motivation Coils, Reinforced Neocore Pulse Conduits. The works," she said proudly. "I'm looking good."

She leaned down to give Brun a full view. As she did so, she traced the fingers of her hand along the bottom of the ribs on his left side. He could feel the line she was tracing, hot, even through his clothing. "Don't you think so?"

OOC: Brun, feel free to give Euryleia's human avatar a physical description of her features. I left that intentionally vague for you to fill in. She has purposely picked a form that is designed to 100% do it for Brun as far as the ladies go.

---

Gwydion's words seemed to reinvigorate Iliza somewhat. She nodded in acceptance and understanding. She was still carrying a heavy burden, but the load had been lightened somewhat. Gwydion saw a playful twitch to her mouth when she locked eyes with him and asked, "Oh Nurse? I don't suppose you give sponge baths?"

 ---

Outside the room, Irina bit down on her lip to keep from squealing. She would have denied it, of course, just as she would have denied the shuffle step she began moments later while quietly chanting, " 'Liza's Back...'Liza's Back... ". Her dance ended scarcely a dozen seconds later as she caught wind of herself and winced. Iliza wasn't the only one who needed a shower.

---

Gwydion's judgement had proven correct. Iliza was a major asset to his work. Not only was she a morale boost to the people they helped, but she sped up operations immensely. She was incredibly well-organized and she seemed to know more about her people than anyone else. She was able to match personnel with assignments with remarkable success. She had a mind for coordination and logistics that made Gwydion feel that she had missed out on a successful career as a superlative Quartermaster.

Iliza and Gwydion worked hand in hand, sometimes literally, especially on some of the more difficult days. She'd squeeze his hand when she needed strength or when she was scared. Gwydion learned breathing exercises that helped her when she felt overwhelmed. Some days were easier for her than others, but she was trying. She was fighting for recovery as best she could. And even though she had some setbacks now and again, she was slowly winning that fight.

OOC: Gwydion, can you roll Household for me, please? So we can gauge how well you've been able to bring Avaluna's resources together for the Refugee effort? I think recruiting Iliza will give you a +2 bonus on the roll.
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:52, Tue 18 July 2023.

Well.

That was not the resolution Meara nor Freyr were expecting, but both of them were grateful for it in their own way.  Freyr became notably less tense, and Meara, the naive young woman she was, took the apology as earnest - at least at the moment.  Her rage cooled, and she sat back down in her seat, taking a deep breath to calm herself.  It was another moment of silence, this one almost long enough to be awkward, before the princess lifted her gaze again, revealing her face to have the smile it had before.

"I accept your apology, Baroness, and apologize for my outburst in turn," she finally said before turning to Queen Valerie and giving her a thankful bow of her head.  The young princess' eyes said it all.  Auntie Val, you're so cooooooooooooool~

Meanwhile, Freyr takes a mental note to alter her physical notes about potential enemies for Meara and add Baroness Katta to the list, as well as the time, date, and reason.  It has only been a year, but those notes are already extensive.  At least this is only the tenth one from a tea party!

Ah, what's one more enemy on the list?  Meara's young, she's got a long way to go to get that list of enemies!  Besides, the fact that lots of nobles hate her means she's doing something right.

The unexpected shift caught Gwydion off-guard: his eyes went wide, his brain shut down, and the sound he made when trying to respond was something in between choking and giggling. After a few attempts at speech, he just smiled like a lovestruck idiot and nodded vigorously. The brain Iliza had reached was no longer in service.

---

As he had said, Gwydion was much happier doing his work with Iliza by his side, if slightly less efficient what with stealing glances and daydreaming about her so often. Still, he was focused enough to make sure her people were well-attended-to. The foundations were being laid out, but there was still so much work to be done, and the constant threat of Emergent strikes or further acts of sabotage were not lost on him.

[12:44, Today: Gwydion rolled 1 using 4 Fudge dice with rolls of 0, 1, 1, -1.  Household +1, Iliza +2.
Total: +4

I think that looks pretty good! :D]

She was right.  Brun did know who she was.  Just surprised...and tired...and...

Euryleia

He reflexively reached for that tracing hand with his left.  His right went ever so gently to her face.  He hoped there would truly be something there not just shimmering holo-light.  Hope was really too soft a word for the desperate, manic wish.

Brun never looked away from heras she brought up the status display.  He knew all that information.  He drank in the form of her, precisely as he never knew he had imagined.  The blonde swordswoman braids keeping her hair back.  Sharp features.  Eyes too blue.  He couldn't look away and didn't really want to try, "Of course, my lady.  After all you've done for me,  how could I not?"  The pride in her tone had brought a smile to his face, "You have no idea how happy makes me to hear you approve."

Some small thought occured to him about just how this new avatar had come about...  But the rest of Brun's mind quickly knocked that thought out, tied it up, and locked it far away.  How didn't matter.  She was really here....

OOC: I would like to self-compel Euryleia is my Everything; he doesn't want to question anything about this.  His wish came true.  He's won.  Maybe he was dreaming, maybe he was dying, maybe the amazing Euryleia did it all herself, maybe something else....  NAH.  Doesn't matter.

"Let us press on to our important business," The Queen said as though nothing untoward had occurred at all. "As you are all aware, Emergent raids are a constant concern and we lose sisters in battle every day. Though Venus is responsible for the most elite warriors in the Solar System, the Emergent are endless. We need more warriors to defend our borders and home. To that end, we must train more young women in our martial traditions. I propose we expand our candidate pool to young women of non-noble blood. This will prove a controversial decision, as we have seen today. In order to convince our sisters of the wisdom of this decision, we need a proof of concept."

The Queen turned her attention to Meara's handmaiden, "Lady Freyr, you have done an exemplary job training my niece. Princess Meara is a fine young knight and we all look forward to seeing what she will accomplish. I wish you to do the same with other young women of promise. You will return to Chonaill where you will take up the training of squires of your choosing from among the common people. Raise them to be fine warriors and others will see the truth. In time the strength of Venus will be bolstered tenfold."

OOC: Auntie Val is stealing Freyr! Why?!

---

Euryleia was solid, real, warm. She smiled as Brun touched her. She placed her left hand over the hand resting on her cheek.

"Of course I approve, but you're hardly finished. I have no armor, no weapons. We'll need those to have a little fun." She gave him a devilish wink."Say, when is our oath ceremony?"

When...when...when...when...when...

It all fell into place in that moment. Whether it was his exhaustion, his elation, or a quirk of fate beyond his understanding, he knew. That was it! He knew how to solve the G.R.A.I.L riddle. The coordinates weren't where the G.R.A.I.L was, they were when... the G.R.A.I.L was. Or rather when... it would be. He had to tell someone.

Euryleia must have noticed Brun's distraction. "Oh, you poor thing. You're exhausted. You don't have to start right now. No, definitely not. I know what you need." She stepped forward and, despite the confines, straddled him in his command seat. "You need what every good little Venusian boy needs. A big strong woman to take care of you." Euryleia reached up and, careful of his neurohelm, pulled Brun's face into her bosom. She was as soft as he imagined. She smelled of lilacs and a hint of ozone. Her finger tips trailed around the back of his neck and played with the hair protruding from beneath his helm. "Mmmm. That feels good. That's it my brave knight. I'm right here. I'm right here." She started giggling suddenly. "Your breath tickles, Sir Brun."

OOC: Take that Fate Point, Brun! In fact, take two, provided you're so into Euryleia that you forget to tell everyone you have figured something out that could save humanity. You can do it in the morning, right?

---

"You've done good work, my boy. This moves up the timetable by four months and it's entirely doable." John Arthur looked up from the report on his datapad, the pride evident upon his face.

"Now then, I hear you finally named your ar---" the King began to segue.

"Sire, there's been another engagement," the voice of MerLN, the King's chief adviser cut through the conversation. A moment later a holo-projection of a wizened old man appeared.

"Same creature as before, MerLN," the King asked.

"We have positive confirmation directly from Sir Bors. There is no doubt," MerLN waved a hand, and another holo appeared. It was a holo-image feed taken by an armour. It was combat footage of an Emergent form that Gwydion had not encountered before. Wings, claws, a massive head reminiscent of the Wyrmgates. It took a few moments for Gwydion to appreciate the scale of the creature. It was gargantuan. "Classification: MerGN-D(ragon)."

"Shit..." the King said in a weary tone.

MerLN cleared his throat. The Emergent had no throat, of course, but it was one of many affectations that made it easy to forget that he wasn't human. He continued on, "Sire, this engagement was worse than the last. Seven knights were lost. Armour unrecoverable."

John Arthur closed his eyes. He breathed slowly before he asked, "Nearly two full Lances. Who?"

"Dame Alymere, Sir Degore, Dame Kay, Sir Lucan, Sir Morholt, Sir 05-R1C, & Dame Segwicke. Sir Bors is alive, but he has lost an arm and a leg. He will need prosthetic replacements."

King Arthur was quiet a long moment before he asked,"Current position of the creature?"

"Unknown."

"Unknown?! It's nearly the size of a Wyrmgate and you're telling me you don't know where it is? Seven of my knights are dead, MerLN. They deserve better than 'Unknown'."

Gwydion rarely heard his Uncle swear and though Gwydion knew the King dealt with life and death daily, he always behaved with aplomb and casual confidence even in dire circumstances. That he seemed so agitated said much about the situation.

The elderly advisor continued on, "Sire, there is more. This particular creature is confirmed to be--"

"I know, MerLN! I know," the King said testily.

MerLN shot a glance at Gwydion. "Ah, yes. I see..."

"MerLN, bring us to full alert. All personnel. Notify all traffic that this thing is out there. Double patrols, but make sure they understand that they are not to engage the creature if sighted. Report and observe. Now, please, give us the room." the King dictated to his advisor.

MerLN nodded and blinked away.

John Arthur took a seat in a nearby chair. He motioned for Gwydion to do the same. "Gwydion, my boy, have a seat. It's time I tell you a story I should have told you years ago. It's time I told you the story of how I got your father killed."

OOC: Gwydion, that's a standard success. The refugee effort will proceed in the background, but you've done a great job laying it foundations.

Both Meara and Freyr were completely surprised by Queen Valerie's casually dropping the idea of Freyr instructing an army of commoner armour pilots.  Before Freyr could even respond, Meara started to protest, but her voice died before she could finish the thought.

"But I need Freyr!  She's the best instructor ever..."

Meara very clearly wanted to keep her around, and not just because Freyr was so helpful to her in her daily life.  To Meara, Freyr was the older sister she never had, whom she could look up to as an example (and who could help pull her out of trouble).  The fight against the Emergent at Callisto made that quite evident, as she would not have survived without Freyr's support.

But at the same time, she knew that a plan like the one Auntie Val was suggesting had the best chance of success with someone like Freyr instructing.  Meara was naive, not selfish.

That didn't mean she had to like it, though, and so Meara gave Freyr's sleeve a tiny tug.  For her part, Freyr knew what was best for everyone present.

"Your Royal Majesty, I would be honored to instruct the first generation of such knights," she said with incredibly honesty, "My only worry is leaving Princess Meara without a handmaiden."

Meara wanted to cry, so she stopped herself with the tried and true method of putting a sweet pastry in her mouth instead.

The back and forth between Arthur and MerLN put a sudden halt to Gwydion's good mood, the bottom dropped out of his stomach as the news came in. A massive Emergent, seven Knights dead, one lost and possibly dying. And no idea where to even start looking for them. One of his legs twitched before he could stop it, every instinct pulling him toward his own Armour to begin the search immediately. That wouldn't do any good without a location to begin. The potential for crossing this MerGN-D also meant he'd need as much information on it as would be available for analysis, since his technique depended on a perfect defense.

And then the King sat him down with words that turned his blood to ice. The sheer shock on top of shock had him still as a stone once he was seated, eyes wide.

Brun tried to hold onto the thought....  It was important...  Right?  They had been wrong before...  Probably wrong again...  It can wait.  Tomorrow.

Brun sank into Euryleia's embrace feeling safe and loved and whole for the first time in....possibly his whole life.  Grinning foolishly, he shifted only enough to ask, "Could you...get the door?  My hands are full..."

OOC: I'll take two please.  And Brun folds.

"Then it is decided. Lady Freyr, you will have the time you need to set your affairs in order and select your replacement." The Queen said as she acknowledged the handmaiden's concerns. She shot a sympathetic look toward Meara and then turned to other business.

The rest of the lunch went by without incident. At least, Meara assumed it did. Words were used, she was sure of that. What words, well, that was harder to recall. As the Queen dismissed them all Meara could think was Is Freyr really leaving?

OOC: Why?!?

---

Brun heard the cockpit close.

"I think this is the part where I'm supposed to ask if that's a disruption foil in your flight suit, but we both know where this is going..." Euryleia pulled Brun's head back and kissed him hard.

---

She lay in his lap afterward. They were both covered in sweat and that was the closest they had to clothing. Well, Brun still had his neurohelm on, but she'd stripped him and then herself of every other stitch.

"And here I thought fighting at your side was fun...that was just as exciting and felt much better." Euryleia laughed, light and airy.

Euryleia had pulled up a live feed of the mural and altar using her external cameras. She watched the people with interest. The gathered throng were going about their business as usual. "I don't think they heard you squeal. Too bad. I'll have to try harder next time."

"You know what I like? Toes," she said suddenly. She held out her foot and wiggled the digits. "Never had them before. They make feet more interesting don't you think?"

A blaring alarm suddenly cut through the chamber.

"We're at Full Alert," Euryleia said as she sat upright. "You're being summoned to a war council." She looked back at Brun, "So much for the afterglow."

OOC: My girlfriend is 18 meters tall and capable of war crimes.

---

The King spoke slowly. He seemed to a reliving his memories as he told the tale.

"Geraint was the best of us. I don't say that out of sentiment. It's true. He was better than me. And though L4-NC3-L07 will never admit it, Geraint was better than him too. But he wasn't just a peerless warrior, he was a good man. The kind of friend that every man wishes he could be. When he and my sister Enid fell in love, well, I think I may have been happier than the two of them. I could think of no better husband for my sister. The day you were born, Gwydion, was the happiest day of his life. He took one look at you kiddo and he was a changed man. He refused to fight after that. He said his place was with you and your mother. He and I quarreled. I told him that we were in a fight for our very survival as a species. How could he keep his family safe in the face of that? I told him he was a fool. We didn't speak for four years.

"Then the time came. We were preparing to retake Earth. Poised to reopen the Wyrmgates and launch our assault directly upon MerGN-A's central data stacks. I went to Geraint and laid out our plan. I told him that I needed him now more than ever. He asked me what difference one knight would make among hundreds. I accused him of going soft. I knew it would sting his pride. It did. So much so that he relented. He said goodbye to you and your mother while I waited. I don't know what he said to you, but it would be the last time you ever saw him."

"The Emergent defense of Earth was like nothing you've ever seen. When MerGN-A realized what was happening she tried to destroy the Azure Wyrmgate. It would prevent further reinforcements and cut off Earth from any outside aid. The Dragons were some of her chief weapons of terror. Gargantuan combat forms, that could only be taken down by massed concentrations of knights and only then at great loss. The foremost among these was MerGN-D-ER404. We called him Ember-Rend. Plasma projectors as hot as the sun, claws which cut through armor as if it weren't there. Ember-Rend was the last of those great beasts and it was he that MerGN-A sent for the gate. The struggle was desperate. Many were lost. I was trapped in the jaws of the beast. The End and the Death had come for me. But, suddenly, Geraint was there. He freed me from the beast and it turned it's attention to him. That bought enough time for me and a handful of other knights to strike a fell blow to the beast. It fell lifeless in the void. But not before it claimed one final life. Your father's. I had traded Geraint's life for my own. We won the day. We freed Earth. I still wonder if we paid too high a price. "

Tears streamed down John Arthur's face. Gwydion had never seen him cry before.

"So there it is. The story of how you were deprived of your father's love. I have tried to do my best in his stead, though I am a poor substitute and I know it. Now, my sins and the beast that killed him have come to call once more. You see, I have no doubt that the beast which fell upon Bors and the others is Ember-Rend, The End and the Death, the King of Dragons."

OOC: Story time with Uncle John was a bit of a downer, yeah? Also, I promised no more WoTs for a bit right? Have a Fate point because I accidentally lied.
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:37, Wed 19 July 2023.

Brun was happy to listen.  He had lived so long with mostly one-sided conversation.  Now she was sharing surprising thoughts and idea.  Such wonderful ideas...

He nodded happily to the idea that she could try harder next time.  Toes really did make feet more interesting.  He had never considered them at all before.  He flexed them experimentally near hers.  He was much slower to catch up to the meaning of the alarm, smiling curiously even as Euryleia explained.  Like she was still discussing toes....

Then it hit.  Brun's eyes went wide as she looked at him,  "War council?  Full alert?  But....  We're...you're not ready!". He reached for whatever clothing close by for each, "How much time do we have before the council at least?  A shower seems right...  Dress uniforms!  Do you have....".

He paused as reality started to intrude.  A hand went to her, offering what clothing he managed to nab.  The other hand settled on the neurohelm.  His smile cracked....slid, "You can't come with me...  Can you? Does this end if I take this off?". If.  Not when.  If he takes the helm off does the spell break....

Once again, Meara was coping with cookies while Freyr set about getting both of their affairs in order (the less exciting kind of affairs, like, ugh, adulting).  The coping had been going on since they got back from the lunch, and if Meara wasn't someone with such an active metabolism, Freyr might have commented about potentially ruining her figure.  But no, Meara was one of those people who had a frustratingly adaptable metabolism that kept her figure just right and processed       all that extra sugar and starch from the baked goods without any harm to her health.

They both worked in silence, with most of Freyr's work actually being compiling a list of handmaiden candidates for Meara to peruse - none of them would ever be a proper replacement for Freyr, but if such a person was available, Queen Valerie would have been able to choose them instead.  There was a dire shortage of options that were both capable of the job and potentially capable of the job specifically in terms of Meara herself, especially in the upper echelons of nobility that a retainer of someone of Meara's status would have.  Freyr had given up on archnobles and mednobles and was digging through laynobles, as she was unable to choose a commoner for such a position (and not for lack of trying, but she wouldn't subject someone to the ridicule they'd receive in that position as a commoner dealing with nobility).

Unless John Arthur had any ideas, or was able to grant a title to a commoner (she knew he was more than willing, but she also knew he needed a reason that would at least be begrudgingly accepted by the current nobility), she was stuck with an incredibly tiny list of people Meara didn't even know.

Meanwhile, Meara was trying to mentally come to terms with everything.  Just after (mostly) recovering from the horrible battle, she was going to lose her emotional support pillows (and the rest of Freyr as well, who is just as important as her soft, warm chest), and she probably still had to do stuff out here as well.  Especially that G.R.A.I.L. thing.  She vaguely remembered it was something important to do with terraforming, but she also still was adamant it had to do with gerbils.  Her mind refused to give up on that, and she had no idea why she couldn't stop thinking of cute, fuzzy, silly gerbils.

Gerbils~

As Uncle John told Gwydion about those long gone days, the prince visualized each scene in his mind as vividly as if he was there. From the sounds of it he actually had been for some, but he didn't remember much from that time. The fight against the dragons was half romanticized in his mind's eye, and half brutal reality of war against the Emergent. The moment of his father's death... blank. No heroic or gruesome imagery came to mind, just the crushing weight of knowledge.

When his uncle had finished, Gwydion took a moment to process before moving to hug him. His voice wasn't particularly steady, but still held his usual stubborn conviction behind it.

"You didn't kill him, uncle. My father did what was necessary and right, and MerGN-A took him from us. The only thing that's changed is that now my enemy has a face. I know he loved us, and he wouldn't want you to blame yourself for doing what needed to be done, and I don't either. I love you, Uncle John. I'm here for you. We'll avenge him together." The words were practically automatic, falling right out of him almost out of reflex. His mind was still on MerGN-D-ER404, the beast called Ember Rend. Tactical scenarios played out one after the other, as often happened when Gwydion's mind turned to the fight. Without a true understanding of the creature's limits, none of them ended with Gwydion in one piece.

Please don't blame yourself when the same happens to me.

[Fate Point accepted! FP total is back to 5.]

Freyr knew that this day would come. Meara was a woman grown even if her sheltered upbringing gave her a more child-like exuberance and outlook when compared to knights her own age. Freyr couldn't have stayed with her forever, no matter how fond of her she had become.

Freyr couldn't be prouder of the woman Meara had become. She often likened her dear charge to a boulder rolling down hill. It often took Meara a while to get moving, but once she did, may the stars have mercy on anything that got in her way. The young heiress of Chonaill did nothing by half measures.  She was a red-headed comet and wherever she blazed the universe benefited. Well, once the fires were doused.

But, the fact that this separation had come so soon after Meara had been forced to truly confront the brutal realities of war was a concern. That, Freyr felt she needed to address with Meara. She had been putting it off to delay the inevitable. There was only so many times she could pack the same suitcase before Meara noticed...

An alert rang out on each of their datapads.

"Princess, Avaluna has gone to full alert. We are requested to join the War Council."

OOC: How many pairs of socks do you have?!

---

Euryleia sat on Brun's lap once more and answered his most salient question, "Yes and no. When you take off your neurohelm, I'll still be here. But as a hard-light hologram. I'm using your neurohelm to fill in the rest of the details. Smell, taste, texture, warmth. Normally, your helm allows me to feel your input. Now, I'm letting you feel me too. I don't know why this is happening, but I am grateful. I just...feel...like this is how we're meant to be. A Knight and His Lady. Partners. She kissed him again.

Euryleia stood suddenly. She was once again clad as Brun had first seen her. "Now, Get your fine ass moving. You only have an hour and you definitely need a shower. I am not going to be known as the Armour with the slovenly Knight."

When Brun stood up to put his clothes back on, Euryleia drapped herself across the command chair, feet hanging over one side, "While you're gone I'm going to peruse the armory manifest. Warheads are a girl's best friend..."

OOC: Excuse me, Quartermaster, do these come in high yield?

---

It was clear that Gwydion's words had an effect on his Uncle. The King returned Gwydion's hug fiercely.

"Thank you, my boy."

He held the hug a few moments longer.

"Come now. We need to summon our banners. Too many lives have been lost today. It is our duty to see that there are no more.

OOC: Well, I've had just enough time...

Thankful for the distraction, Meara jumped up and brushed the crumbs from her top before wordlessly grabbing her belt with her sword and pistol, buckling it on, and hurrying after Freyr, who also grabbed her personal arms as they left the room.  The two of them kept pace, with Meara ensuring she went slow enough for Freyr to keep up.

If there was anything Meara was better at than Freyr, it was acrobatics and speed.  Also eating copious amounts of sweets without getting fat, which was a both blessing and a curse in Meara's mind.

"If you have to go out and fight, will you be alright?  Are you ready to fight again?" Freyr asked, knowing the answer but wanting to hear it from Meara's mouth.

For her part, Meara had a determined gaze as they hurried to the War Council.  "I will do all I can to save as many people as possible, but I do not plan on dying anytime soon, if that is your concern."

Freyr felt a surge of pride at Meara's response.  "That is all I needed to hear."


OOC: Never enough!

As larger than life as he was to the rest of the system, John Arthur was just a person like anyone else, and he could hurt in more ways than bleeding. He needed hugs just like everyone else. Gwydion was able to push the concern away when it seemed his uncle was feeling better about his role in the past, and took to his feet in preparation for the next steps.

"Uncle, what's our plan? We've missed the fight and don't know where to look for the creature. Jumping into Dyrnwyn won't help unless we have somewhere to go and some strategy to wield. And yes, I did finally name my Armour. I like it."
This message was last edited by the player at 15:38, Thu 20 July 2023.

Brun melted with relief as soon as she explained that whatever this was seemed to be stable.  It also, possible, answered the question of whether this was delusion or dream...but it could just be a very elaborate dream...  Doesn't matter!  It's a good dream...or...whatever...  He returned the kiss fiercely, joyously.

He was, he had to confess, a bit sad at the sudden return of her uniform.  Possibly a bit jealous that she didn't have to go through the clumsy act of getting dressed in the small space, "I'm not sure why its happening either...  but yes, this feels how it should be.   Should always have been."  He struggled back into uniform, but took whatever chances were available to make sure Euryleia got a good show out of it, should she be interested.

He fumbled with the buttons, "Oh, yes!  Absolutely...  Peruse away...  We, you, have options now.  The best of options.  I can't wait to see what strikes your fancy..."  He waved a hand over a touchpad, keying in a few file names, "Not that you couldn't find them, but these are the final armor plate designs.  Your new...outfit, I suppose?"  He went for one more kiss before giving up the helmet, "Look over it...  Tell me what you think.  I'll be back...  lots to discuss...  And news from the war council, of course..."  As usually lately, there was so much time and so little to think about.  No, the other way around.  He doffed the helm quickly, checking to make sure Euryleia still existed.  Assuming she did, he sighed happily and exited the hatch.
______________________________________

Brun descended the pilot's gantry quickly, with a crazed spring in his step.  To the first Avalunan technician he came across on his way down, he paused, "Mister....  Avram...  Yes.  Avram.  The neurocore test was successful!  My lady is back online.  Thank you for you and your team's efforts."

The sullen Edge Knight not been this happily polite to the team since work had begun.  Usually acting like they were in the way or not understanding something about his Lady.  Avram gave back a nervous smile, "Glad to hear it, sir?"

Brun was almost beaming, "Very glad!"  He glanced up at Euryleia's, mostly the cockpit area, "I've... left the diagnostics running... subroutine updates...  But, I have to go.  A council was called.  Just...leave everything running and don't touch anything till I get back."  He patted the man on the shoulder, then turned to sprint off to the armoury bunkroom he'd been using.  He paused suddenly, "Oh!  The armour plates...  We should get started on those...  If they're ready.  What with an emergency...maybe.  Thanks again."  Then he was gone.

Avram scratched his head, watching Sir Brun go, "That guy's been alone in space for a looooong time."   He started pulling up information on the dataslate, "Gerold!  Marta!  He says start in on the armour pieces...  where are we at?"

Euryleia carried on the conversation while Brun dressed. He felt a sharp pinch on his backside "Mmmm. Just as firm as I thought. Now, quit your teasing, otherwise I'll change my mind and lock the hatch.

"I'll certainly need my Disruption Foils. I can't be a proper swordswoman without them." Euryleia looked over the plans for her armor plates when Brun pointed them out. "Oooh! You've given me filigree like a proper Venusian armour. But, so sharp. Traditional, but with flair. You know me so well."

"And be a good boy while you're gone." she said just as Brun exited the cockpit hatch, adding seductively, "You know what good boys get."

---

As Brun left Avram and his team behind, he passed by the shrine and mural outside the armor bay. As always the attendees acknowledged him. Many bowed and curtsied as he passed. Among those lighting candles Brun noticed a very familiar face. Rose.

---

The War Council was held in CAMELOT Command and presided over by the King and Queen. It opened with sombre news.

"This morning seven of our number fell in battle: Alymere, Degore, Kay, Lucan, Morholt, 05-R1C, & Segwicke. Bors is fighting for his life."

A mumur went through the crowd. These were formidable knights, all.

"We will mourn them. We will avenge them. But we must not do so in haste. This," the King said as the combat footage that Gwydion had seen earlier played before the assembled knights. "is the foe that bested them. It will be the ruin of us all if we are not careful. Classification: MerGN-D(ragon). We thought we'd killed them all. Apparently we were wrong. They have more firepower than an orbital fort and just as much armor. And this one is loose in our realm."

It was apparent that Arthur's veteran knights knew exactly how formidable a foe was before them, though the younger knights were eager to test themselves against it. Arthur anticipated this.

"Let me be very clear. To take on this beast like it were any other combat form is suicide. The cost in life would be staggering. But neither are we going to let it prey upon good people and knights unopposed. Based upon the location of it's last attack we believe it to be somewhere, here, between Earth and Venus. We are doubling local patrols, here and on Venus. Those not on patrol are on standby. When the creature rears it's ugly head, we'll be ready. The plan is to use its size and the fact that it is operating alone against it. We will engage from extreme range using Darklance equipped siege platforms."

Another murmur went up. Darklances had been used by MerGN-A during her rise as a devastating weapon of mass destruction. The Earth still bore tremendous scars from their use, as did Luna itself.

A Darklance was an electromagnetic launcher that accelerated projectiles to extreme speeds. When fired from orbit onto a terrestrial target, the result was catastrophic. Their use in space, however, was generally limited. The vast distances and mobility of targets meant that the unguided projectile was easily avoided. Massed fire, however, might prove effective if they could pin a target in place. The problem was they weren't common weapons, and they had been priority targets of humanity's resistance.

"These are our current battle plans. As you can see it's simple. Locate. Encircle. Avoid. Obliterate. If we execute properly, we can annihilate the beast without another lost. But this plan requires coordination and that we find it before it is able to link up with other Emergent forces. Stars help us if it does. Any questions?"

Brun was moving quickly, straightening his outfit to crispness.  He'd been tired and overworked, but had been managing to keep his appearance together.  Old habits die hard.  Today though, he had reasons to want to look good.  Wanted to.  As he passed back through the Armour Bay, with a skip in his step, he smiled up at his Lady.  The mural attendees snapped his attention back around.  The smile faded off.  He bowed his head, quietly acknowledging them in return.  But, he was headed for the war council and didn't have...  Right.  War Council.  When he headed off again, the skip had left his step too.  Focus up.

Rose?  Rose, who?
_______________________________________________

Arthur's report at the council had Brun's full attention.  The fallen knights.  The scans of the MerGN-D(ragon)...  The return of Darklances?  This was...a very different fight...  Images of Euryleia after the last battle flashed through his mind.  His heart skipped.  But, he also knew his Lady would not sit idly by...  He had preparations to make.  Of course he had questions, but Arthur's offer was likely rhetorical.  Research and analysis would likely provide the answers that Euryleia would need first.

Brun took a steadying breath and took a moment to look over the rest of the gathered knights and nobles.  Trying to get a sense of how everyone else is taking this news...

Meara's heart fell upon the news she heard upon entering the room, as did Freyr's.  More loss.  More deaths.  More good people gone.  If Meara had received such news before the tournament on Callisto, she quite likely would have broken into a crying mess.

Not now, though.  She could still hear the people talk about her.  The Fury.  Angel of Vengeance.  She recalled the moment Mimi was reunited with her parents.  The relief on everyone's faces.  The endless thanks.  So many tears.

Clenching her hands into tight fists, she listened to the plan.  Even she knew of Darklances and dragons, but until recently she had only thought of them as challenges to overcome in heroic battle.  Now, though, she can understand the hesitation on everyone's faces, and the conflicted thoughts about employing Emergent weaponry for any purpose.

To her, however, what mattered most is ensuring everyone lived, and if that meant using the Darklances, so be it.

With a burning fire behind her eyes, she asked the only question on her mind.

"What would you have me do, Your Majesty?"

Even in this moment, however, a certain thought squeezed through everything else.

Why is he cute even when he's serious and sad?!  No fair, Auntie Val!

The prince listened quietly as his uncle explained the situation to the others. He'd already had plenty on his mind, and was having some difficulty focusing on the matter at hand. He picked up the plan itself, though: harass the creature and get it to hold still long enough to be obliterated by planetary-scale railguns. Even having seen the video feed, having heard the tales of Earth's battle involving these creatures, turning the Darklances upon it seemed like overkill.

When the time came for questions, several jumbled through Gwydion's mind. He grasped onto one to try and get his train of thought settled.

"How many of these Darklances do we have available to us?" He worried about the window of opportunity, but didn't want to voice the concerns in his thoughts, only the questions. Disheartening the others would do no one any good.

Brun surveyed the gathered War Council with a discerning eye. Dozens of knights were present in the command center of CAMELOT fortress, the heart of Avaluna's martial power. This had to be a gathering of nearly every knight present on Avaluna. There were faces missing, of course, chief among them the listed dead. Alymere and Lucan had been two of the first to welcome him to Avaluna. They had been comrades all too briefly.

As the briefing progressed, Brun got the impression that some of the younger knights seemed to feel that the threat was exaggerated. Meanwhile, the veterans, those who had fought with the King through the Liberation believed his optimism was unfounded. There would be more blood. No matter how well laid the trap, it would be inevitable.

John Arthur locked eyes with Meara and said gently, "I would have you think of your weeping mother. Your heartbroken aunt. The comrades and companions you would leave behind." he let those words sink in. "The only glory to be found here is when all of us toast to victory together. Exercise caution. Stick to the plan. That goes for all of you."

"Twelve. Certainly not as many as we'd hope, but it will be enough," the King said to Gwydion.
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:02, Fri 21 July 2023.

The Edge Knight...  No...  One of the newest Knights of Avaluna became concerned by what he saw amongst his peers.  The disquiet of the veterans put the danger of this Emergent beast into sharper focus.  Being so veteran, he had to assume that this would not translate into hesitation when the time came....  No, Brun decided that more trouble would come from the younger knights.  He himself had a recent taste of "glory" and was in no rush to take his Lady back into the fray, but...  some of these might just give in to vainglory and make an attempt before the time was right.

But which ones....  Not Gwydion or Meara, surely.  Gwydion was too level and loyal.  Meara had seemed to take the aftermath of Callisto very hard.  No, The Fury did not seem to be in any rush either...  Who would bear watching?

Mark Result +4.  Overcome?  To try and make some guesses as to what young knights might be stupid enough to try for all the glories.

23:03, Today: Brun rolled 2 using 4 Fudge dice with rolls of -1, 1, 1, 1.  Mark +2.

Twelve. At least one of them would have to hit the target, which could move much faster than a city planetside. This plan would require either holding Ember Rend still or tricking it into position at the right moment. Gwydion sent a request MerLN to download as much data on MerGN-D and Ember Rend specifically as was possible for analysis and comparison to his own Armour's specs. He'd need to run some simulations, do some training, and make sure Dyrnwyn was at absolute peak performance, or else he might end up meeting his father sooner than anyone wanted.

This was going to cut into his time with Iliza, and possibly his time overseeing the refugee situation. Still, it also represented the survival of humanity itself, and that was vital. He'd have to talk with her about it, not just to reassure her that he wasn't pulling away, but also to ask her help unburdening himself of these tense feelings the creature put upon him. His history with it.

As Brun examined the Knights at the meeting, he might become surprised at Gwydion's own reaction to all this: he seethed with a combination of barely contained rage and abject terror. There was a lot going on in the young prince. It was uncharacteristic of someone otherwise so often genial and optimistic.

Two Knights, Sir Osenain and Sir Tor, would be a problem, Brun suspected. He could see their eagerness. The embers of ambition and vainglory burning in their eyes despite the warnings. He'd seen the look before. In the eyes of his sisters Sigrid and Lærke before they had let their ambitions lead them all to death and worse in the Wreck...

Speaking of family, it seemed that his sisters weren't the only family ghosts haunting this War Council. He spotted his mother, Baroness Yodil Kotta, sitting amongst the Venusian contingent. She wore the same imperious scowl Brun remembered from his childhood. And judging by the venom in her eyes, she had noticed him too.

OOC: I'm going to compel I Will Survive on Brun. His mother is mad he had the audacity to live where his sisters died. She's sure to cause trouble, even if it's not readily apparent.

---

MerLN was already ahead of Gwydion. As the prince went to send his request, he found he already had access to the data he desired.

As if on cue his Uncle spoke, "You should all have your patrol assignments within the hour. Each patrol will be responsible for scouring a pre-determined sector for our foe. In order to maximize our potential search area, patrols will be comprised of a single lance formation--four knights--led by a Lance-Commander," the King continued with his briefing. "Should you locate the foe you are to report in and the rest of the taskforce will converge on your position."

The briefing went into precise detail. The King had not exaggerated the need for careful coordination. With the battle plan laid out and nearly all business handled, the King concluded the War Council. The Knights began to disperse.

"Sir Brun, a word," the King requested before Brun could depart. "How soon can your armour be ready? I would have you lead one of the patrols if possible. Needless to say, we'll have to delay your Oath Ceremony until this crisis is passed."

With the council adjourned, Gwydion thanked MerLN with a grim smile and went to look for Meara. It had been a while since they were able to spend any time together, and the prince was glad to be able to be anywhere except right here, right now. He'd noticed her taking things seriously, which was always a little worrying.