Arrival of Ambassadors - Xalion [Semi Open/IC]

"I am sorry but I must return to the keltaken embassy, there are some rather dangerous experiments there...something we have been working on to try and kill the invaders the same way we used the necromorphs to kill off near entire colonial worlds. I must retrieve it or get one of my goshwakens, the hope was this place would come under attack and we could release them on the invader forces as sleeper parasites. They will die in soon if not tended to its one of the best shots that we have so far for killing off invaders on a large basis but it still needs to be tested." The keltaken knew he would most likely be shot for even speaking about this to axiom or the colonial but was a risk the keltaken was willing to take, these parasites could be used to kill off invaders quickly the best way keltaken science knew how without using bombs.

After a breath he looked around at the different delegates his tail stiffening protectively ready to shoot forth and use itself as as spear if the need should. Things where not going well so far but the hope was that the humans would understand that this was a nessecary risk. "Now then whatever happens next if you decided to kill me or let me retrieve the parasite, just know that whatever happens was not ment to harm anyone but the invaders. As well...Darthan, should I expire you must call a meeting of the keltaken clergy...your last leader was a shared partner of the empire you are our Queen now, what remains of it at least. More shall be explained once we have time to talk if we have time to talk" he said preparing for whatever shall come looking over his shoulder for the axiom or the colonials to make a move against him

"By God's, now is not the time for your idiotic banter on Keltaken weaponry, how the necromorphs got here is beyond me but the new one are smarter, they do not kill mindlessly and.." he was suddenly stopped a very wounded gosh waken stumbling into the room, he had burns and scars likely from a necromoprh attack. He spoke slowly, "Our Embassy was destroyed by our own creations shortly after you left for this place..our research was destroyed whatever isn't I could not salvage.." he would live but bearly, things where going bad again quickly. "Kill me once the invaders are dead, our research can kill them and I'd gladly risk the lives of you colonials if it ment that the threat of the invaders could be suppressed."

He did his best to try and stabilize the goshwaken the apes where always fast healer so he hoped that this one would as well. "Besides kill me lose a meat shield" he said taking the gosh wakens pistol for his own use while he healed himself. "I suggest that we make a hasty retreat to this palace of yours we can discuss my punishment once the invaders have been killed and the necromorphs dealt with."

"I agree...", said the Ambassador Vasily while loading in another clip of bullets into his rifle. "We shouldn't be wasting time on... arguments. Right now, if a swarm of these monsters find us here while we trashtalk, we might as well all die. Considering that we are in the middle of a shattered wasteland where another reactor could blow up any moment soon... I say, we should get the hella out of here. Even if this 'Underground' sounds scary to... some of you." He was, of course, referring to the Colonials, who seemed to have a rather bad reaction towards the mere mention of the word, "Underground". Perhaps, it was an abandoned place, where untold horrors crawl. Or maybe, it is simply a very creepy place. Who was he to ask right now. He could know why, but only once they get to the place itself.

With that, the commander of the Commonwealth soldiers, Komandir Eskadril'i Alexis Makrovitch, beckoned to the soldiers under his command.
"Load your guns, comrades. Blow the heads off these monsters once they get to our sights. Use silencers as so not to attract unwanted attention. Protect the Ambassador at all times."

As he noticed the group of delegations get larger and larger, Jack began to smile.  He still wasn't sure what each particular delegation was capable of, but he was almost certain that they had the numbers, experience, and firepower to succeed against an army of Necromorphs.  Further, Vertigo Team had arrived.  While Jack and Carter were more than capable of protecting the Ambassador, the iron-soulled Confederate veterans were real professional soldiers.  

As for George, he also smiled as his men arrived.  It had taken a short time, considering all the equipment they were carrying.  He gladly took the weapons they brought, the ones he had left on the ship.  George also noticed their choice of equipment.  He said in a way everyone could hear, "Good thinking, men.  Rocket packs, full of astrolene fuel.  Fire cleanses all, and those necromorphs wont know what hit them.  Let's incinerate those monsters."  He then saluted to Wendelin and said, "And we'll follow you without difficulty."  Although he was prepared to follow whatever orders the Colonials gave, George really hoped the Colonial officer knew what he was doing.  He hoped that Wendelin would think about things like the strengths of each escort, and how they could be best deployed to protect the delegations.  

As for Carter, he also felt confident about their chances.  Despite this, the young agent was unsure what waited in what the Colonials had called the Underground.  He also hoped that the Colonials wouldn't execute the Keltaken Ambassador.  The Confederacy wasn't going to war over a single being, but Carter preferred diplomatic happenings to be as bloodless as possible.  He voiced none of this, however.  Whatever happened would happen.  

Bethany also chose to remain silent, but the unusual emotion of contempt burned in her.  She believed what the Keltaken Ambassador had said about not bringing the necromorphs, but she couldn't see any way that bringing another parasite and declaring said parasite was a good idea.  Her primary focus at this point was following the escorts, and reaching the Hegemonic Palace.  

Bethany listened to and considered carefully the words of her Colonial escorts. From their statements, the Underground was the most sensible path to take. They mentioned trains, and hover-rail was the main form of transport throughout the Confederacy. She knew exactly how much faster trains could carry them to safety.


“We’ll follow you,” said Bethany. “This sounds like the simplest, safest path to real sanctuary.”


Jack and Carter, by contrast, were a bit more apprehensive. For Jack, the move just didn't seem wise. In the work he had done, a huge part of success as well as survival had been the availability of escape routes. In a spectral city so far below, then the only safe direction was up, and only the Colonials knew which direction went up.


The Feldwebel had also mentioned there was definitely something below. If that was the case, then going down was a bad idea. Every survival instinct he had developed was practically shouting that he shouldn’t go that way. But in his mind, he knew that there was no other way. The Keltakens certainly would be lynched if a mob spotted him, though Jack didn't see diplomatic consequences when the Empress and the Empire had both vanished. Still, it wasn't something he wanted to see. And the Necromorphs were a problem. “Alright. I don't like this plan at all. But that’s not my decision to make, and I’ll follow you.”


For Carter, he was afraid for reasons besides tactical. When the Colonial had first mentioned Underground, he had become considerably more alert. Now that he knew something else was down there, the heir to the Confederacy was sweating nervously as his pulse raced. He didn’t fear many things. Carter had accepted long ago he would be shot at and see the worst things when he began working for Intelligence. But there was one thing he had tried to forget, one thing that still gave him nightmares. He closed his eyes, and remembered.


It was five years ago. Carter had been seventeen, and he was infiltrating the Enemies Of Humanity, gaining their trust, learning their procedure, and then stealing their lists of safe houses. It was supposed to be an easy mission. Through an existing operative, he had been smuggled inside the terror group. It was the planet Karlaazen, which the EOH had chosen as a stronghold. After several weeks of infiltration, he had gathered extensive data on their activities. But Intelligence needed more. Names, locations, weapons. These were all catalogued in the mainframe of the base. The control room, however, was housed deep underground, in the caves of the planet. Sometimes the lighting would go out.


Carter had reached the mainframe and copied the data easily enough, but the trip back gave him difficulty. Somewhere on the journey, he had taken a wrong turn. For what felt like hours, he had wandered the tunnels, the caverns became more complex, and the lighting above grew less and less frequent. The deeper he went, the more frequently he saw the bones of people, as well as something else. Piles of rubble, idols to what looked like demons amongst the stones. And then he had spotted the creatures. They were massive, and they wore mantles of orange and black. With their corpse-like skin, sadistic smiles, and black eyes, they seemed like demons. This effect was enhanced drastically, as their horrible visage was lit only by the glow of nearby lava. Eventually, they spotted him. They ended their conversation, and rushed towards Carter. He had been paralysed with fear, and the creatures quickly closed the distance.


One had shoved Carter against the wall, and said in a hate-filled voice, “Confederate scum. Enemy of our kind. Why are you down here?”


“That doesn't matter,” another had said. “He’s guilty as the rest. Let’s kill him.”


“Do that and I skin you alive,” a louder voice said. The two creatures had moved, and Carter caught a glimpse of another one, far larger than the two holding him. He had to look up at the thing. “This boy is obviously no threat to us. And if he was just anyone, I would let you slay him. But this youth belongs to the Enemies Of Humanity. The ones waging war for us. They have no idea we’re here, but if I let you kill this one, you kill more, and there will be consequences for us. No. The boy will return to his traitor friends. When the Enemies of Humanity topple the government, we move in and destroy them. But I will not let you two break our concealment.” He had then moved closer to Carter, so close that the young agent had felt the heat of its breath. Every exhalation felt like a jet of steam. The creature asked, “Boy? How did you arrive here?”


“I got lost,” Carter had answered nervously.


It had smiled sadistically and said, “Very well. Give him a map, and send him on his way.”


Carter had initially relaxed, but his fears were stoked again as he saw one of the things draw a large knife. And then, it had been plunged into his arm, making a series of slow, shallow cuts. They were many curves and circles, all passed through by a line and leading to a final circle. The agent had been mostly quiet, only occasionally grunting as he saw his blood flow out onto the cavern floor. But then it pushed a button on the blade, and it became a triangle of hot, white light. Then it had touched his skin, and Carter screamed as heat seared his arm and smoke rose from his flesh. In seconds, the wounds were cauterised.


Then the creature in charge had said, “Follow that central line. It will take you out of these caverns. And don't come back, or we won't be so merciful. And if you survive your little war with the Confederacy, we’re coming for you next.”


He had been hurled to the ground and left in the darkness. Carter had raced out of the caverns, and arranged a quick departure through the contact that got him inside. Once he was home, he had gone straight to Bethany. She had already begun living on her own, and there was no one else he could ask for help. If Carter had said a word to his mother, Isabel Silva wouldn't have allowed him to go on further missions. And if his father had known, it would have destroyed his parents’ marriage. So he had gone to Bethany, who had been furious. She would have confronted Isabel, but refrained at Carter’s urging. So Bethany paid for surgery to remove the scars and provide skin grafts. When Carter met with Isabel later, his uniform had hidden the bandages, and the Director hadn't asked why he had taken so long to report in. Perhaps the Director forgot about procedure for once. Or more likely, she had simply trusted her son. Whichever it had been, Carter had continued his work in Intelligence, and Bethany remained the only person who knew what had gone wrong on that mission.


“I’m not going down there! I’d rather face every necromorph on Xalion,” Carter said in the present. His voice was shaky, and the undertone of terror should have been obvious. His body shuddered at the prospect of going down, and his left arm hurt like he had been slashed, burned, and repaired only yesterday. Then he caught Bethany’s gaze, forced himself to calm down, and added, “What I meant was, is this really the only way? I’d rather not talk about it, but I don't like tunnels. Or being underground at all. It’s one of the things I’m really afraid of.”


He nearly jumped a foot in the air when Bethany put a hand on his shoulder. She then said in a sympathetic tone, “I think it’s really the only way. Don't worry though. It won't be like last time. You won't be alone, and none of those creatures are here. They’re back in Triangulum. You’re also older, and surrounded by professional soldiers. History won't repeat itself. We’ll go down, we’ll follow the Colonials, and we’ll arrive at the Hegemonic Palace. Everything will be fine.”


The agent considered her words, and understood in his mind that she was right. He eventually exhaled and said in a calm tone, “Of course. You always know what to say, Beth. That’s why you’re the Ambassador.” Now he turned to the Colonials and said, “Alright. I’ll follow you down.” Carter drew his CI-28, loaded a fresh energy cell, and locked it into a vice-like combat grip. “I’m ready. Let’s go.”

The Drathian delegation was mostly silent in their descent down the elevator. They held no objections to entering the underground, but there was a slight hesitance, even in their fearless leader. The leader of the soldiers present, Captain Bisk, was especially nervous. The last thing he wanted was to put the Fylkja in any immediate danger, yet, he knew that to do so was inevitable. The administration of the Fylkirate had been absolutely torn to shreds in the events succeeding the Civil War, and many positions had yet to be filled. A formal ambassador being one of them. While he was sure that this problem was only short term, entire swaths of Drathian policy and the structure of the government were in the middle of reform. The mess would probably take a while to fully sort out. Until then, he knew that he had to protect the Fylkja at all costs.

Once they reached the undercity and stepped out, the Drathians couldn't help but stare at the cement structures with wonder. These were genuine human relics, deserving of a museum. A literal gateway to the past, this undercity, despite the uncanny perfection in which it was left, was still a wonder to behold. Human culture had become a bit of a pop trend in Drathian territories, with the aliens enjoying old pieces of Earth media, and in particular, the literature of ages far past. To be here, though, in a standing testament to the resilience of man, was something on an entirely new level.

"These structures are very crude." Said Bisk, tapping a small button on the console upon the armour at his wrist. The radiant lights mounted on either side of his visor were triggered, with the darkness of the Undercity too much for even the night adapted Drathians to see clearly. "I'm hardly one to speak though, not thirty years ago, my people were using sticks and stones." He took a glance at the rifle in his hands. Sticks and stones indeed. Pretend as he might, Captain Bisk couldn't deny that even with lasers, bullets and steel, their weaponry was just as crude as it was before.

As they proceeded through the darkness, the Captain was beginning to feel more, and more unsafe. Eventually, he asked the Fylkja, apparently carefree in the whole situation, to stay in line with the soldiers at either side. He was unnerved by this place, culturally relevant as it was. By the way his men were moving, Bisk could clearly see that they shared the same unease. The Drathian delegation moved in closer towards the Axiom Knights, who they saw as the most well armed in the party. It was Taka's wish to reestablish ties with the Federated Colonies, so perhaps showing that the Drathians trusted the Knights would be a smart idea both in the short and long run. This did nothing to soothe the Captain, who began to adopt the feeling that he, and everyone else, was being watched by someone. Nay, something. Perhaps there was a reason why the Colonials called this place Die Untervelt. It seemed unnatural, and for some reason, wrong for them to be there.

Silence was the only thing that followed for a few good moments. The Confederate agent turned the corner, and remained there, paralyzed by what he saw.. something moving in the shadows.. The rest of the Confederate delegation was only able to hear a single discharge from his weapon. And as the rest, they heard a loud clatter and thud as the gun and the body of the agent fell to the floor, dead. Something like.. a child's laughter was heard somewhere in the shadows behind the buildings. And the same words. whispered, again, again, and again. Don't hold it against us. Don't hold it against us...


The strange whispers were followed by a scream from one of the Axiom Knights, who simply fell down on the ground, dead, and then from a volunteer, who also dropped dead on the road beneath them..something seemed to be really moving in the shadows behind the buildings, but at this moment, the delegations realized that flashlights or night vision were useless.. because for some reason, that very shadow in the distance seemed to remain an impenetrable shadow no matter of the light thrown upon it. And something.. many things, like figures, seemed to me moving in it.. coming towards them, slowly but surely. One of the Colonials opened fire at whatever was behind the buildings, but he dropped dead only a few mere moments after that. 


"They're here!", one of the volunteers shouted, and if not for the discipline that the Colonial soldiers were forced to follow, the Colonials would have most likely simply ran away, abandoning the foreign delegations they had no love for. But like that, the volunteers quickly intervened, pushing Carter and the Ambassador whose hand he was holding back, while the entire group started to slowly back down. The flashlights were giving them some hope, since even if their light was unable to see anything behind the buildings, they worked normally on the street they were on, and the shadow remained there, outside of the light. Some more of the Colonials simply seemed to drop dead to the ground, without any visible reason for it.. Panic ensured.

"We'll keep those things away.. rush to the train.", the leader of the knights said, stepping forward with some of his men. The others remained behind the volunteers. The Feldwebel looked at the knight for a few moments.. before he quietly agreed. "Run, run!", he told everyone with a scared voice, and at that point, it seemed to turn into a each one from himself sort of thing,where the group simply ran away, following the Colonial officer. They eventually stopped in front of a wooden gate, in an elegant looking building with a blue U letter above the entrance.

And then, several short screams were heard in the distance. And.. silence.