RP/MM 1619 Tharkad Turn 43. [Complete].

[GraeGor]

While Star Colonel Icaza seemed slightly annoyed that the Star Colonel apparently ignored his comrade's rank, Star Captain Reinhardt merely smiled thinly and answered before his Clan-born comrade could mention it.

"Star Colonel, perhaps you failed to noticed that I too am a warrior. I was told you that you were as well, however I do not see an actual rank on your uniform. Tell me, have your exploits above Coventry resulted in your demotion, should I no longer refer to you as Star Colonel?" He said this matter-of-factly, his face showing benign disinterest, although the veiled jab was not lost on Star Colonel Icaza. Deciding they had said all that was required to be said to the Adder, Star Colonel Icaza turned back to the Kommandant-General.

"I did not fail to notice, I am simply not here to see you. And my exploits at Coventry were and are justified by my victory in the Trial of Grievance over the FWL Admiral, who is now Bondsman to Clan Star Adder."

"And you are correct, I am no longer a Star Colonel, so being called by that rank would be inappropriate. Instead you may address me as urKhan Steiner. The title is new, having recently been voted into existence by the Star Adder Clan Council. I am but one of three such urKhans within my Clan, with each urKhan essentially controling one of the three Protectorates; Truscott, Star and Steiner, that now comprise the Star Adder Commonwealth States."

"Only the whole Warrior Council, Loremaster, saKhan, Khan and Paladin Conclave of Clan Star Adder outrank me."

"Kommandant-General, are we to assume that the Archon will be seeing us as a single group, or will there be a chance to speak with him in private? The ilKhan's instructions to me were quite clear that I must endeavor to have a private audience if at all possible."

Tharkad.


   "My aide will have final arrangements Star Colonel Icaza. He should be present shortly. He was rather keen on speaking with you I will also be present but it will be as an observer/advisor. With respect Star Colonel Steiner the Archon will see you after he speaks with Star Colonel Icaza and the Free Worlds Ambassador. You were not expected. The Archon will speak with you but you will need to be paitent. "

"Patience I have, and waiting I am accustomed to. Shall I retake the seat I had previously, or do you have one situated more closely to where I shall be meeting with the Archon?"

[Daemonknight]

Star Colonel Icaza sneered at the explaination.

"You will still be Star Colonel Charlie to me, Adder." With that, the Falcon officer turned his back to the Adder warrior as if he was not actually there, and waited somewhat impatiently for the General's aide. Star Captain Reinhardt was doing his level best to suppress a smirk at the same time.

[chaosxtreme]

"Well now what do we have here. Greetings Star Colonel the Free Worlds League as always is prepared to do with those Clans who possess and display honor."

"Can someone tell me what this meshug poodle is doing among a gathering of honorable men?"

"I don't suppose you have brought the "FWLS Adders Folly" along? Turn it over in neutral territory because your to cowardly to dare show your face at Coventry again. Yes? I mean after the hiding General Singh gave you and yours there I can not blame you."

"Bragging about your victory over Lord Admiral Regal I see. Perhaps I can find another octogenarian for you to face while your here? Prove your still virile to those few worlds that have whored themselves out to your so called military strength."

"Once again Star Colonel Icaza I apologize to you and the General for the delay. No offense was intended. Further I apologize that such circumstances have forced you to be in the same hall as this thing. Though I admire your warrior fortitude in enduring it for the sake of your mission."

[Daemonknight]

Star Colonel Icaza was somewhat suprised to notice the FWL Ambassador had walked in during his exchange with the Adder Star Colonel. However, he recovered quickly.

"Greetings to you aswell, Ambassador." How much longer must i tolerate these filthy freebirths? Why did I ever accept the ilKhan's mission he thought to himself. Because you are a Jade Falcon officer, and you do what you are told, thats why, another part of him said.

"Well now that all are present, perhaps we can get things moving." He gave Star Colonel Steiner one last look of contempt, and once more returned to waiting for the General's promised aide.

[Deathrider6]

Tharkad


  Kommandant Dieter Handelmann-Bitburg silpped into the room. "Gentlemen the Archon  will see you now..starting with Star Colonel Icaza and General Russell. Star Colonel Steiner you will be seen last. These meetings are semi-formal so there will be a stenographer,myself and Robert's guard detail. I will come for you when it is your turn." He turned and motion General Russell and Star Colonel Icaza to follow him.

[Daemonknight]

Star Colonel Icaza and Star Captain Reinhardt followed the Kommandant, although the Star Colonel made it clear to the elementals accompanying them that they would wait outside the room unless offered entry by the Archon. As that seemed unlikly, they were not to admit anyone entrance unless they were a Lyran, or were escorted by a Lyran soldier.(Icaza glanced at the Adder in the room as he gave them their orders).

[GraeGor]

[ooc: sorry for the delay in relying back, had to get some sleep for tonight]

Star Colonel Icaza sneered at the explaination.

"You will still be Star Colonel Charlie to me, Adder." With that, the Falcon officer turned his back to the Adder warrior as if he was not actually there, and waited somewhat impatiently for the General's aide. Star Captain Reinhardt was doing his level best to suppress a smirk at the same time.

"Your opinion is duly noted and ignored, since it is contradicted by the fact that I am no longer a Star Colonel."

"Well now what do we have here. Greetings Star Colonel the Free Worlds League as always is prepared to do with those Clans who possess and display honor."

"Can someone tell me what this meshug poodle is doing among a gathering of honorable men?"

"I don't suppose you have brought the "FWLS Adders Folly" along? Turn it over in neutral territory because your to cowardly to dare show your face at Coventry again. Yes? I mean after the hiding General Singh gave you and yours there I can not blame you."

"Bragging about your victory over Lord Admiral Regal I see. Perhaps I can find another octogenarian for you to face while your here? Prove your still virile to those few worlds that have whored themselves out to your so called military strength."

"I know of no such vessel by that name. And by defeating the former Admiral, now a bondsman to my Clan, I have proven that my right to void the Trial for the Mjolinir was and is the correct decision. To continue arguing otherwise only serves to prove your lack of knowledge on the Clans."

"Once again Star Colonel Icaza I apologize to you and the General for the delay. No offense was intended. Further I apologize that such circumstances have forced you to be in the same hall as this thing. Though I admire your warrior fortitude in enduring it for the sake of your mission."

"Unlike your Nation which calls for a Truce, proposes a Trial to determine placement of a Truce line, and still launches invasions. An honorable Military and Realm would act in good faith and await the outcome."

"Of course an honorable leader would have continued negotiating with the Clan that they had initiated such talks with in the first place. An honorable leader would have made a counter-proposal instead sulking and pouting like a child who did not get his way. An honorable leader would not have crawled behind the back of the aggrieved Nation in order to have someone else enforce their offered Truce when their first suggestion was denied."

"If my presence so offends you, then good. You and your, what was the term I heard, ah yes, you and your Leech Worlds League will be seeing more of myself and my Clan in the future."

"Well now that all are present, perhaps we can get things moving." He gave Star Colonel Steiner one last look of contempt, and once more returned to waiting for the General's promised aide.

The Star Adder urKhan ignores the Jade Falcon.



As before, he finds an open chair and seats himself upon it to wait, for one does not fight the Winds of Fate, one accepts them and flows with them until They direct other actions.

[Daemonknight]

Star Captain Reinhardt turn to Star Colonel Icaza.

"I wonder how it is that Star Colonel Steiner is so well versed in honorable leadership, having so little honor or leadership qualities himself?" Star Colonel Icaza only smiled as he walked out of the room with the Kommandant.

[chaosxtreme]

Ambassador Disreali Martinez smiled at the face Star Colonel Charlie Steiner made as Star Colonel Icaza took his leave of the room.

"Originally, I thought not but now. Meh, I do believe I am going to like that man."


"Run fast little horse thief, We in the Free Worlds League know how to deal with your lot, and we shall be dealing with you very shortly."

[Dave Baughman]

Elsewhere...

General of the Armies Nondi Steiner stirred from her brief reverie as the medical orderly entered her dimly lit room.

"Hello, corporal," the General said, "I take it that it is time for my latest treatment?" she inquired in a dry and tired voice.

The enlisted man snapped to attention, "Jawohl, herr General. This should allow you to rest comfortably," he said, nodding to the tray in his hand, which contained a single syringe and a vial of clear liquid.

"I don't recognize you from the regular staff, corporal. Were you assigned here recently?"

"Ja, herr General. I was attached from the 8th Donegal Guards medical staff earlier this week."

Steiner nodded, leaning forward against the pillow she held against her chest, "Ah, that explains it. Very well, corporal, let us get this over with."

The orderly laid his tray down on the bedstand and began charging his syringe from the bottle, but he never completed the action. Instead, he froze as the hiss of a laser beam sizzled through the air. Even as smoke rose from the hole in Steiner's pillow, blood spread over the orderly's white uniform tunic as his heartblood drained through the hole in his chest.

"Ja, herr corporal, I may be a dying old woman, but I still recognize an Arc Royal accent. Keep your poison, just lie down and die like the schwinehund you are."

Steiner had little time to gloat, as the two armed men burst into her quarters.

"Lang lebe der Märtyrer!"

The rest was drowned out in the roar of automatic weapons fire.



The Archon's Throne Room

Even as Archon Kelswa's agents began to move into a protective posture around their charge, the alert on their ear buds was overridden by the shrill sound of Tharkad's air raid alarms. From an adjoining room, a naval officer appeared with troubling news:

"Mein Archon," he announced, "space traffic control reports multiple military JumpShips entering the star system. We have tenatively identified them as Arc Royal registered vessels and they are not answering our challenges. I recommend you relocate to the secure command center, sir."



OOC: Anyone who has forces in Tharkad, please roll initiative.

Association of Tharkad Martyrs
[blockquote]Rolled 2d6 : 6, 1, total 7[/blockquote]

[Daemonknight]

Star Colonel Icaza had spent a lifetime in warzones between Tharkad and the Kerensky Cluster. He did not need the naval officer's report to know what was happening. At the first sound of automatic fire, he had turn his back to Archon Kelswa-Steiner and pulled his service pistol. Reinhardt managed to make a long, thin vibroblade materialize from his uniform, although none seemed to notice this feat.

"Perhaps we should have our discussion elsewhere Archon. Star Commander! No living man passes you unless you are ordered otherwise by myself, Star Captain Reinhardt, or the Archon himself, quiaff?"

The point of black-armored elemental bodyguards pushed their way backwards to the doors to the Archon's chambers, gently but foricbly moving aside the guards who normally stand guard. The largest of the bunch turned halfway into the room while his point placed themselves infront of the door, blocking any view into or out of the room.

"Aff, Star Colonel. You, Lyran warriors." The Star Commander indicated the Lyran bodyguards. "Go with your Archon. We shall hold the honor of rearguard. Load missiles, Inferno rounds." Without another word, the Jade Falcon elementals turned to face down whatever threats might materialize, their auto-loaders chugging as the small, unstable missiles were loaded into their backpack launchers.

Star Colonel Reinhardt turned to face the Archon.
"Archon Robert, perhaps it is time we leave. Those warriors will sell their lives dearly, and should buy us time to escape from this area. Once we are clear of their probable target, it would perhaps be prudent to recall any forces in your area that might be able to assist. I would also relay any message you might have for the ilKhan." Reinhardt sounded less a clan warrior, and more the Lyran intelligence operative he had once been.

[Deathrider6]

[blockquote]Rolled 2d6 : 5, 2, total 7[/blockquote]

[Deathrider6]

Tharkad


  LCAF Forces- 4th Royal Guards RCT 43FPGround,6 Aero, 1st Naval Fleet.   (53.5 FP)



   Colonel Craig Lowell was in the Comms building when the message came through he reacted quickly and opened a comm channel. "All forces stand to prepare for combat. Repel the invaders!." All LCAF forces went to alert.

[GraeGor]

Georgia grumbles, "Damn."

Her first officer responds, "And what are our plans now Captain?"

"If they come near us, we fight back. Though if by some miracle they ignore us, we let all them," she says with a gesture indicating outside, "beat each other senseless and hope that the urKhan can return in one piece. Then we get the hell out of here."


SACS[blockquote]Rolled 2d6 : 3, 1, total 4[/blockquote]

[Deathrider6]

LCAF (skye)[blockquote]Rolled 2d6 : 4, 1, total 5[/blockquote]