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| Days Gone By | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Nov 1 2011, 05:28 PM (307 Views) | |
| Ares | Nov 1 2011, 05:28 PM Post #1 |
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Former Board Moderator
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-Several light years out from the location of the former heart of the Olympian campaign all those centuries ago, a single hyperspace window opens and the ship that comes through is dark, sleek, and nearly invisible against the backdrop of stars and nebula. Aboard the Scorpion assault fighter, Ares takes his position within the control center's primary interface, the holographic cylinder rising and giving him the readouts he needs. It took him five minutes to determine the entry vector, two to calculate speed and trajectory, and another handful of minutes to plot site to site coordinates into the slipstream engine- "Ahead one quarter thrust, que jump engine charges... everyone hold on to something... " -Ares called out as he widened his stance, and his hand hovered over an engage icon.- "Mark" -and he hit the initiation for slipstream. One instant, they were in the dead of space, the next they were sailing into the sudden grip of a planets atmosphere and gravity, and the pilot worked with Ares to correct their angle, level out, and touch down in the foothills far outside the established city. Their entry was barely a thousand meters up, far below the general 'radar', and once landed they powered down to minimal systems, sheltered in the shadows of half dead trees- -Ares came out of the control chamber and beckoned to Wepwawet, who nodded once curtly and began to follow. Ares looked to the Gryphons at their stations- "Achilles is in command until I return, follow his word as it was my own." -He turned at the last to speak directly at Achilles- "No heroics... you get spotted, you get out... circle for an hour, and come back the same way we just did. The "Horseman" and I will wait under cover if you're not here when we return. If you have to leave and come back, wait only 5 minutes, and leave again, returning on the hour every hour until we rondevous. " -not waiting for acknowledgement, he turned and exited the command level making his way to the aft exit, cycling up his helmet and gripping his collapsed power halberd in one hand. Counting to three with his fingers, he pointed across the expanse of field between the landing site, and the nearest crags, making a jumping motion. Wep nodded once more and braced himself as Ares counted, one, two, and on three, EMDashed them both from the aft of the ship, to the first rocky chasm- -Waiting for Wep to recuperate, the pair began their long walk into the abandoned hills, not going up, instead staying low and wandering through the overgrown meandering crags of the mountain's feet- |
![]() "Nemo me impune lacessit - No one provokes me with impunity.' | |
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| Ares | Nov 4 2011, 08:46 PM Post #2 |
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Former Board Moderator
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-Nearly an hour after infiltration, the "Horseman" and the God of War had managed to make good progress into the crevices and crags of the mountain's foundation. Working mostly from memory, and what few landmarks remained from that long ago time, Ares led them to the location he sought; a fissure hidden deep within the bowls of the mountains, overgrown, and mostly collapsed from time. The archway of Olympian architecture however was still visible, and Ares pointed it out to Wepwawet as they approached- "It was here the heartbeat of the Olympian gods beat, the seat of Zeus' control... within we should find a chamber, the floor of which is a large computer and display. Hopefully, it's still functional after all these years..." -Ares explained, moving up to the archway and feeling along the twisted columns by heart, finding the recessed lever to open the thick stonework doorway. A gust of stale air rushed out rustling leaves and whipping up Wepwawet's cloak- "Be wary, there's no telling what insane traps were left behind by my deranged father..." -As the two entered, Ares' suit tied into the Scorpion ship briefly to register their location for potential recall. Hopefully, they wouldn't need it, and that the rumors of a beast left behind to guard the secrets of the gods were just that, rumors.- -The pair wound down a long hall, and sloping stairwells of carved stone that in their prime, were lustrous marble, carved granite, polished alabaster and gold veined quartz. Wep could easily see how magnificent the architecture used to be, but after centuries of neglect, and the natural tectonic reverberation of the planet, much of it was in unspeakable ruin. Both Ares and Wepwawet came to a dead stop when they passed a molded tattered curtain and entered a vaulted room, and Ares reached to his forearm hitting a few key commands- -From the shoulders of his suit, the breastplate, and thigh guards, the design work that looked to be simply artistic, lit up with power illuminating the room like a dull 40 watt spotlight. On either side of the oblong room there were evenly spaced bowl shaped seats, some covered in mold from broken down velvet covers, some bare to the white granite stone they were carved of. One looked occupied by a full sized body, left behind when the place was abandoned, preserved by the seal of the doors- -Ares pointed to one side, looking around as if he saw things here that were not visible, memory haunting him of all the time he'd spent in this place all those ages past- "over there, by that third seat, should be an interface ... see if you can find it ... " -While the 'Horseman' went to look, Ares approached the body. As he got closer, the light of his suit slowly illuminated it. It was massive, larger even than Ares was, it's musculature visible even after such a state of decay. When he finally got close enough for the light of his suit to light it's face, the sharp intake of his breath was audible over the suit's com- -Wep came upright quickly, his suit rippling with preperation for battle as his dragon helm glanced around quickly for enemies. Seeing none, he glanced at Ares, and the body, coming over to stand behind the now still War God- "What is it?" "Not what... who... " -Ares replied, nearly breathless. He pointed at the large form hap hazzardly draped in one of the massive thrones- "my uncle... Hades... " -Wepwawet's head snapped over to look at the body more closely, his suit sensors kicking in and tendrils expanding from his back- "Step back..." -Ares' gryphon helmed head turned to look at Wep, confusion in his voice- "What are you doing?" -Wepwawet shoved Ares to the side suddenly and jumped backward as the ground between them was sundered by a double headed rusted axe. As Ares rolled to his feet, he looked back while expanding the telescoping haft of his own halberd, and his heart nearly stopped. The axe that had nearly cleaved him in two rose from the shattered screen it had slammed into, and the partially decayed and living rotted arm holding it was connected to the barrel chest of Hades, who's blood red eyes were fixed on him- "Welcome home, Nephew... " |
![]() "Nemo me impune lacessit - No one provokes me with impunity.' | |
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| Ares | Nov 8 2011, 06:38 PM Post #3 |
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Former Board Moderator
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-Ares dodged for the hundredth time since the corpse like Hades had revived and attacked them. Wepwawet used his tendrils to try and ensnare the beast yet again but the dead and rotting flesh sluffed off instead, making it nearly impossible to grapple the monstrosity. Ares' black armor had cracks and fissures along his forearms from where he'd blocked incoming blows, and one of Wepwawet's helmet 'fins' were missing from a near decapitation. As rotted and degraded as his body was, Hades was still giving the both of them a run for all they were worth- "Uncle stop this! The war has been over for centuries there's no reason to stand vigil any longer!" -Ares called, wheeling around behind a fallen column and circling the room along the far wall. He could see Wepwawet's form, tendrils reaching up along the wall to find perch ace and lift him to the second level terrace. He heard more than saw the half rotted giant Unas move to the center of the room, the battered and rusted axe draped casually over one shoulder- "You know... I thought it had been awful quiet for a while... then again, what with all the noise inside my head, thanks to your father" -there was a grunt as he swung the axe, and the pillar Ares had been hiding behind was nearly pulverized, sending up a cloud of dust and debris as he stomped through, snorting and reshouldering the axe as he saw his target wasn't there- "you should know... you probably hear as many voices as I do by now, boy..." "Not voices, uncle... never voices... Just numbers and figures and equations... Always figuring, always calculating, so long as I feed the math I can think on my own... you can too .. I can help you." -the massive Hades moved to follow the sound of the War God's voice, unaware of the Reflex X ropes winding their way about his legs and upper body like spider webbing, subtle and slowly- "Help? For me? Nae, boy.. You know as well as I.. I'm far too gone for any semblance of sanity... your Father saw to that... and then he locked me in here as his watch dog... " -the axe whistled through the air, pulverizing a marble throne and half the amphitheater seats behind it, his reddish eyes narrowed as he peered into the dust filled gloom for his target- "Why not come out and face me directly, Nephew? You never were one for subtle...weren't designed for it..." "No... but I am.." -the demonic voice from above him said, as the final webbing of tendrils locked into position and all of them suddenly pulled tight. Like a cocoon, the fibers locked his arms and legs together and yanked his body up into the air, using a beam high above for a leverage fulcrum as the 'Horseman' jumped down from the terrace to add his body weight to the snare- "This won't hold him forever, Ares..." "We don't need forever..." -came the reply from opposite as Ares came half jogging out from behind a ruined chair, reaching up as his palm flashed with the emitters powering up. There was a ripple of distortion like a pool below the suspended Hades, who struggled and roared.- "Drop him.." -Ares nodded to Wepwawet, who glanced at him, hessitated one second, then drew back his arms and the tendrils, dropping the giant Unas into the ripple. His roar died instantly, and the ripple dissipated as Ares closed his hand- "Quantum cell?" -Wepwawet surmised, and Ares nodded, ejecting a cartridge from his forearm, and glancing over his suit's damage- "How many of those can you keep going?" "As many as I need so long as I have these," -he held up the crystal he added to the one holding Gula in his belt- "Lets see if we can finish what we came here for... and hope my Uncle didn't destroy the component we needed ..." |
![]() "Nemo me impune lacessit - No one provokes me with impunity.' | |
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| Ares | Nov 12 2011, 11:47 AM Post #4 |
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Former Board Moderator
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-As the pair made their way back to the Scorpion fighter, and the pacing Achilles, they encountered no resistance and boarded the ship in stealth. Making their way to the main command section the two briefed Achilles on what had transpired as Ares moved to the control chamber to input an exit coordinate for slipstream to get them off the planet as silent and undetected as their arrival had apparently been- "Fleets are attacking at random seemingly all across this sector. Multiple transponders, suggesting it's a land rush. Apollo's missing, as is his primary fleet and flagship.' -the tactical gryphon said, as Ares ran the final numbers- "That's two primary forces among the Goa'uld missing... with the Titan Empire in negligent hands, Atum missing, and now Apollo in the wind, there's nothing keeping any semblance of stability among the goa'uld. It's anarchy out there.." -Wepwawet proclaimed, taking a seat near one of the gunnery stations. He crossed his arms and looked out the view as the ship left ground and began preparations- "this little excursion seems a waste of time now..." -Ares shook his head slowly fingers dancing over holo-controls and speaking without looking- "no... now it's doubly important. If we can find something out there to remove the Seven, we can reassert the Empire's influence, and gather the remaining domains into some kind of Deliberative council at the very least... The System Lord collective has fallen, their political machinations being their own downfall. If I had my way, we're return to the senate method the Olympian gods designed. Perhaps if everyone felt they had an equal voice this constant in fighting would be reduced to a minimum..." "Senate? Deliberative? What are you talking about?" -Achilles nearly exploded- "The Titan Empire under Atlas' control, without Atum and Apollo in the way, would surely rise to the position of complete domination. You said this voyage was to find a way to depose the Seven and restore Atlas... Have you changed your mind, War God?" -Achilles' hands strayed dangerously close to the swords on his back as he spoke- -Ares stopped hitting buttons and slowly turned to look at the smaller man outside the glowing holo chamber. His eyes were cold, empty as his expression, and his voice, as he replied quietly- "I said I would help free Atlas... I never said I'd restore him to power. I said the Empire was pivotal to the restoration of order, I never said I'd remove the Seven only to hand it over to another mindlessly ambitious tyrant." -As Achilles face grew ever redder with barely contained fury, the ship suddenly lurched into a rift and in the moments of disorientation during and after a jump, Ares had exited the command chamber, and had Achilles off the ground in one gauntleted hand- -Ares eyes flashed briefly- "You've seen it yourself... these last few months.. Atlas was growing ever more erratic, his ego and need to be the victor was destroying everything he touched. Every alliance was falling apart, distension among the Empire's own ranks. The Seven would never have been able to take command without inside influence, and you damn well know it... " -he practically tossed Achilles back into a seat and bore down over him, arms on either side of the chair- "Who helped Wrath take the sphere? Who was it that gave him complete access to the Empire's systems?" -Achilles glared up at Ares' face, his nostrils flaring with rapid breaths, and he nearly spat out- "Pericles... that sniveling bookworm Atlas has had in his back pocket for centuries... He handed them everything they needed..." -Ares slowly stood up straight and nodded his head slowly- "When I was in the alternate reality... much the same had happened there.. only Pericles didn't give the Seven anything... he killed Atlas himself ... so it seems, our own has done much the same in his own fashion. Violence breeds oppression. Oppression breeds retaliation... never forget that... The harder you try and subvert a person to your will, the harder they will strike back when you least expect it." "Oppression ... the Empire has nurtured and inspired and cultivated civilization among the gods for aeons!" -Achilles sprang from his seat lurching at Ares, and a brief flurry of blows ended with Achilles catching an elbow under the jaw and flipping up and backward, crashing against the rail around the central control and falling to hands and knees gasping for breath- -Ares pointed down at him- "That kind of blind faith is the reason we're in this mess you idiot. You think you were doing good things when you attacked the Republic of Kualpush? You annihilated centuries of history, and assaulted a people who's only desire was to bring reason to a society of petty, squabbling brats. You say the Empire brought about civilization, that it nurtured and inspired... Have you looked at all the damage it has done? Have you seen how many races it's nearly destroyed in it's conquest to plant a Titan banner or a statue of Atlas on every habitable world it encounters? All for what?! The vainglory of a sociopath... who's only intention was to bring to heel every goa'uld in existence so they would bow and worship him as the god he truly thought he was..." "He was a god!" -Achilles rasped, pulling up to his feet, glaring at Ares- "He bested you! He bested the Olympians, the System Lords, the Asgard, the Vanir, the Wraith, even the Malcathi!" -Wepwawet cleared his throat- "The Titan wasn't present for the last... " -Achilles rounded on him and would have sprang into attack had Ares not stepped between them and redirected Achilles' zealous attention- "The only reason the Titan can claim all those victories, is because he put everyone else into a position that made them rely on his numbers, his plans, his motives. How many battles would have been avoided, had Selvans the numbers of the Titan Empire behind him? Or Khnum? Where was Atum in all this? Where was Apollo?" "Running like cowards" -Achilles spat- "More like withdrawing from the reality Atlas was creating. A reality that centered not on his empire, but on his achievements, on him... The Titan Empire will continue ... That I can promise. Who's at the helm, the only thing I can assure you of, is that it won't be Atlas any more..." |
![]() "Nemo me impune lacessit - No one provokes me with impunity.' | |
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3:32 AM Jul 11