SJE/Session57
SESSION 57 - HEART OF DARKNESS
26 Ascending Air
Following the utter defeat of the Imperial garrison in Solaria Minor, Ravitsu takes over Sesus Nalwah's headquarters and has his office rearranged. Whether it's a cunning psychological ploy to unsettle Sesus and remind who's in charge now or the instinct of a Lunar who needs to mark his territory is open to debate....
The circle begins an attempt to indoctrinate Sesus Nalwah, turn him to their side. At first, he will only confirm his name, rank and serial number. Orchid is unimpressed: "Do you really think we're interested in such tedious details?"
"My family," Nalwah adds. Will ransom me."
Brand looks up from rummaging through Nalwah's desk. "This," he drily observes. "Is the family that let you get posted here, in the arse-end of nowhere?" He goes back to rummaging.
Orchid breaks the uncomfortable silence. "Indulge me, Sesus Nalwah, what kind of ransom would your family offer?"
"20 bars of jade is normal. Or an exchange of prisoners."
Orchid waes her hand dismissively. "Oh, don't bother. We don't need it, anyway."
This puzzles Nalwah: "But how will you fund your war against the Realm?"
"What in Creation," Orchid giggles. "Makes you think we're at war with you?"
"You attacked us!"
"You simply happened to be in our way."
"And," Brand looks up again. "The Realm's a long way off. Out of sight, out of mind."
Ravitsu, not for the first time, feels the need to get to the point. "To be honest, we're more interested in this Abyssal Princess that's in Solaria Magna."
Nalwah, however, professes ignorance of her existence, insisting that these are lies to ensnare him: "If she were real, I would send a report... Wait for orders. She would be dealt with."
"Did you even get a reply to these?" Brand has unearthed a series of requests for transfer. One every month for the last year. He tosses them down on the desktop, one by one. "Ignored, ignored, ignored, ignored... You're on your own here, aren't you?"
It seems that Sesus Nalwah really is that ignorant and isolated. The circle drags him along with them as they return to Mugs to collect the Captain. Shizu uses the water flowing freely from Nalwah's brow in his agitation to sponge dried beer from the Captain's face and beard as he wakes from his drunken stupor at the table ("Our heroic general!" - Orchid).
As the sun rises, the cure for the Dawn Service, the circle walks to the cathedral, Sesus Nalwah still in tow. Inside, Orchid's Whiteshirts have lined up along the central aisle as an honour-guard, each maintaining a stiff-armed salute as the Exalts march down the aisle to the alter, before which thrones have been placed for them, facing the congregation.
Orchid delivers another ranting sermon, though she does not froth quite as much as she did the previous day at Mugs. She dwells on the need for action, stressing teamwork (that is, doing what Orchid says) once more, and on the need to prove oneself worthy. The Unconquered Sun's love is not given it is earned...
Afterwards, Orchid pauses for breath, smiling sweetly. "And now," she twinkles. "Our glorious Captain Ibrahim will explain his battle plans..."
The sudden attention breaks into the Captain's daydream. He's become used to ignoring Orchid's lengthier rants and has got pretty good at nodding or shaking his head in the gaps, but this caught him by surprise. "Huh... Oh.. Er... I will stride to victory across a carpet of your dead!"
"Er, no," Brand leans across to whisper. "Try the other plan!"
"Ah, yes," The Captain rallies. "We'll, er, scout the terrain, fortify the city, forment rebellion in the capital, lure the Realm garrison out to be destroyed between our forces. Or something. They don't like it up 'em!" he demonstrates his closing remarks with graphic gestures that rather unsettle the more sensitive worshippers.
After the sermon, the local rebel leaders remain behind for further discussion. Brand takes on the challenge of firing them up a bit. "How long have you lot been at this revolution lark, then?"
"Since the time of our fathers' fathers' fathers."
"And in all that time, how long have you actually been free?"
"Well, there was this 15 minutes, just after-"
"So you've done nothing!" Brand cuts him off mid-sentence. "You're all bloody bone idle and useless!"
"We're not idle!"
Brand singles out the lone objector in the crowd: "How much blood have you spilt for Solaria, then?"
"Oh, quite a lot," the poor fellow manages as his neighbours melt away, leaving him at the centre of a widening empty circle. "At least an armful..."
Brand prowls up and down in front of the cowed revolutionaries. "You do realise you're all going to have to DO something? Right?"
"Oh, well, it's all different now, see." The revolutionary recovers his confidence a little. "It's the Time Of Prophecy! The shining ones have returned to lead us!"
Ravitsu has had enough. "That's it! I'm going to teach you lot how to be soldiers! You need to learn how to use a sword."
"We could," One rebel leader suggests, eyeing the solitary figure of the Popular Front of Solaria. "Practice on each other..."
26 Ascending Air-1 Resplendent Air
Alana and her tiger warriors head off to scout the land between the cities, hunting out spies and seeking out resistance cells to join the cause.
Ravitsu & Captain spend several days drilling their troops, teaching them the basics of military formation, drill and hand-to-hand fighting. By the end, they're still a rabble, dooming at least for now the Captain's dream of complex counter-marching manoeuvres, but at least they're a bit more organised than they were. They've even, thanks to Brand's tireless work at the forge, got at least a spear and a shield each. Once the immediate requirements for weapons are filled, Brand turns his ingenuity and craft to making protective charms for the troops. He feels they will be sorely needed to protect them from the dark magic they are sure to face.
Orchid has been teaching her Whiteshirts some of the principles of war that she dimly remembers from her First Age incarnation. She begins with the looting of the defeated enemy, encouraging them to equip themselves with the weapons of the fallen Imperial troops. She finishes with a stratagem she dimly recalls - "the tusks of the mammoth". Ravitsu is rather amused by the fact that Orchid is teaching her troops to fight like barbarians while he, a Lunar, is teaching his to fight like civilised soldiers. His good humour, though, is dampened by his awareness that they stand little chance in a pitched battle against the Imperial troops. The numbers might be similar - 500 Solarian Irregulars to face about 600 Imperial troops- but the gap in equipment, experience and training is enormous.
Orchid, after Ravitsu reminds her, sends an Infallible Messenger to the Green Lady, a supposed Sidereal expert in the ways of Deathlords and the Underworld, to ask for her advice in dealing with the Princess.
Meanwhile, Shizu rides to Solaria Magna, hoping to make contact with the resistance there and scout the city. She makes a sketch map of strategic points like gatehouses, stables, pubs, and churches. As she makes her survey, she keeps having the uncomfortable feeling that someone is walking over her grave, the same uncomfortable feeling that troubled her when she visited Orchid's house while the Abyssal guests were in residence, or the nascent Shadowland beneath Gem.
She hears a lot of gossip about the Princess - generally referred to as "You-Know-Who"- and talk of omens that point to the Time of Prophecy. Recent days have apparently seen the birth of at least one three-headed calf, an epidemic of stillbirths, the gold flaking away from the statue of the Unconquered Sun at the cathedral...
Eventually, she manages to link up with a revolutionary cell in the back room of Reg's Shop. About a dozen veterans of the revolution have gathered here for the 97th meeting of the Solarian People's Freedom Front. Challenged at the door for her credentials, Shizu causes a stir as she shows her caste mark.
"The chair recognises the saviour foretold by the Time Of Prophecy. Could we have your name for the minutes?"
"I am the thief who steals power from the unworthy!"
"Erm, how are you spelling that?"
Shizu sighs. "Who's in charge here?"
"Erm.. me?" Reg cautiously raises a hand.
"Right. What have you been doing to free Solaria, then?"
"Oh, all our plans have been minuted," Reg is on familiar ground. "We're going to capture the governor's wife and demand a complete withdrawal of the Realm garrison!"
Shizu has a sinking feeling that this may not be an entirely novel plan. "Did that work any of the other times you did it?" She speculatively enquires.
"Erm, a bit... Well, no," Reg admits. "To be honest, we think she quite likes it. Sometimes, we have to bribe the Palace Guard to take her back..."
"Please tell me you at least have weapons stockpiled."
"A mighty arsenal!"
Shizu looks askance.
"Well, bricks. Some of them are in socks."
"But no actual sharp pointy things?" Shizu sighs again. "How about combat training?"
"Well, we've set up a health and safety review steering committee."
Shizu is struck dumb. The assembly appears to take her silence for approval. "O, glorious herald of the Time Of Prophecy. Have you come to lead us to the Golden Age?"
Shizu is encouraged by this first sign of zeal. "Yes, there's this great evil we should be facing!"
"That bloody Popular Front of Solaria-"
"Not him! The Princess. The evil woman at the Governor's Palace!"
"Oh. You-Know-Who."
"Do you have any spies in the palace?"
"Not as such, but we're hoping to infiltrate their supply lines."
"Are there any other groups I can talk to?"
"Oh, just the splittists and backsliders..."
Shizu despairs as the conversation veers down the familiar Solarian path of infighting and recrimination. She makes her excuses and looks for someone, anyone who's more useful than this lot. At the cathedral, she brings the good news of the rebellion in Solaria Minor to the High Priest of the Unconquered Sun. She asks him to spread the word to the local resistance groups and to tell them to prepare for action, in the vain hope that he might actually have some useful contacts.
After this, Shiz, steeling her nerve against the chilly dread that is stronger here than anywhere else in Solaria, sneaks into the Palace. Slipping into a shadowy corner of the Governor's audience chamber, she eavesdrops on a conference between the Governor - Mnemon Daiwa - and his advisors, who have just received word of the uprising in Solaria Minor. The Governor's council, General Ledaal Takei foremost among them, are all for sending the troops out to teach these "supposed Anathema" a good, sharp lesson. "They don't like it up 'em!" The general opines, clearly having studied the same military manuals as Captain Ibrahim. Mnemon Daiwai concurs but, as a pale page-boy in black silk summons him to his private quarters, he tells the council that he will make his final decision after a short recess.
Shizu shadows him as he walks to his private chambers. Her sneakiness is rewarded with a brief glimpse of the Princess - a petite woman, very pale, dressed all in black, with a head-dress in the shape of a bird's head and a cape of black feathers. She leans in close to the Governor, shading him with her black silk parasol, decorated with tinkling bells and charms, and whispers confidentially to him.
On his return to the audience chamber, Mnemon Daiwa, to his advisors' fury, decides against taking the offensive. Instead the garrison is to remain in Solaria Magna "to ensure that there is no dissent in our streets." Shizu slips away to bring this news to her circle-mates.
2 Resplendent Air
After Shizu gets back to Solaria Minor and shares her news with the circle, she sets about doing a little training of her own. She picks out half a dozen promising candidates from the ranks of the Irregulars and begins to instruct them in the deadly art of the ninja. Progress is slow, but promising…
In the afternoon, Orchid receives an Infallible Messenger. Sadly, it is not the much-hoped-for communication from the Green Lady, but a message from Cathak Bella:
"Dear Orchid, wish y'all were here for our hunting tour of the south. We're having a wonderful time. Cathak Boone done found a big ol' pride of lions for us to hunt."
Orchid is unsure exactly what to say in reply. As she admits to Rav, even if what she suspects is true and the Cathak cousins are about to hunt the King-Of-The-Desert, telling either party about it is hardly going to change matters. If anything, it would only make Boone or the King more eager to hunt each other. She settles on a vague warning:
"Dear Bella, so pleasant to hear from you. One fears that these lions may be rather out of Boone's league. Why not join us in Solaria, where we're having a lovely revolution? Alana is here, and I'm sure she would be simply overcome with emotion to see you again. Yours, Orchid."
After this, Orchird goes back to work on brainwashing Sesus Nalwah. His Inviolable Dragon Spirit, however, keeps his anti-Anathema prejudices in place no matter how much Orchid, Ravitsu and Brand try to persuade him that there are other evils against which they should unite. His men largely follow his lead and remain loyal to the Realm. Orchid sulks abominably when Ravitsu forbids her to execute even a few of them to encourage the others to see where their best interests lie.
As night falls, something feels very... wrong. Brand studies the stars from the roof of the barracks. There is no direct effect that he can point to, but a palpable sense of menace and doom radiates from Solaria Magna. He consults with Ravitsu, Orchid and Shizu - the Captain is otherwise occupied, holding a passing out parade for the Irregulars in the street outside Mugs - and decide that the time for training and preparation has come to and end.
Unfortunately, the Solarian Irregulars are in no fit state to go to war. The Captain meant it quite literally when he called it a "passing-out parade", and the local Solarian home-brew kicks like a mule. Captain Ibrahim might be able to fight when he's this smashed - to be honest, he fights like that more often than not - but the troops are able to do little more than lie about in a drunken stupor. Epic hangovers surely await them.
The circle reluctantly decides to leave them at Solaria Minor and march out with only the Whiteshirts for now. As the final preparations are made, Brand & Orchid take one last astrological survey and are horrified to see the stars apparently going out one by one over Solaria Magna.
Incensed, Orchid drags Sesus Nalwah to the rooftop to show him: "There! You see that!" she rants. "That's what you've refused to help us face. If this country falls into a Shadowland, I'm holding you responsible!" As much as she would like to harangue him further, she has to go. Pausing only to send an Infallible Messenger to Alana with an update on the situation, she summons a whirlwind to carry the circle and her Whiteshirts, and they head for Solaria Magna.
3 Resplendent Air
Arriving near Solaria Magna underneath a starless sky, Brand's Spirit-Detecting Glance reveals hordes of ghosts on and around the city walls. An aura of darkness, black as midnight even though dawn is approaching, surrounds the city. Within, the whole landscape seems grey and colourless. This is bad mojo.
It's Ravitsu who spots the rider. Some distance out from the city walls, riding a black horse and clad in a cape of black feathers, the Princess is completing a great circuit around Solaria Magna. In her wake the grey, colourless gloom intensifies.
Orchid pushes her whirlwind to the limit, racing to catch the Princess as the first rays of sunlight glimmer in the east. The Captain flares his anima to discourage the swarms of ghosts, the golden light glinting of his golden smashfist and making the dawn light seem stronger than it really is in this unnatural dusk.
The pursuit takes to the streets of the city, swooping and winding through the avenues and alleyways. Imperial soldiers, patrolling the streets, fall back as the circle, blazing with the Captain's light, pursues the Princess into the heart of her dark power. The reflected sunlight falls upon the dark rider for the first time, just as she charges through the open palace gates...
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