back to Journal Entry 17, or the Iron Empires index

110 Apex 599

It's 110 Apex 599; or 10 August 12606 AD; or 25 March 2012 AD; or 29 September 2280 AD ... the Terrans are in the rather piratical town known as the Conclave of Chordi, on Aleif. It's sort of like a Somali pirate village -- very law-abiding within the town, very rapacious outside of town. People like everyone to believe their agreements are binding.

The Terrans have arrived aboard the airship Golden Cloud, owned and operated by one of the local outfits:  Captain Joseph Vaz (the outfit leader) and his crew (Aditya, Pranav, Samir, Nikhil, Arnav, Rishi and Rahul). Vaz shows them around town for an hour or so; they stow their gear, get a shower, get some fresh clothes, and have a nice dinner (first shower and good meal in 5 days). They discuss how to bring Princess Angelica and Sir Gawain together with minimal casualties and maximum Princess Satisfaction Factor. She agrees that Gawain doesn't have to know anything.

Radio messages are sent to the Curia Speculatorii, asking them to have Gawain show up in the Unified Corporate Zone, Alcohol Refinery Byfeltz, just after dawn tomorrow (within an hour or so). The Terrans plan to travel by mercenary air transport to within less than 100 kilometers of the refinery, then continue by truck and grav sled to the refinery, and cause an uproar -- just in time for Sir Gawain to arrive and rescue the Princess! A lot of the evening is taken up buying supplies, reviewing maps, hiring the mercenary transports, etc.

Three hours before dawn (i.e., after only a couple hours of sleep) the Terrans board the two aircraft, along with their truck, grav sled, and five suits of Iron. They fly for about two hours at low altitude, and are dropped off in the desert. Loading up into their truck and sled, they proceed for the next 50 kilometers, arriving on a low rise near the Byfeltz refinery just as the sun appears over the horizon.

Sir Gawain contacts the Terrans and informs them that he will be arriving within half an hour, and that his drones are already in the vicinity but have not yet been able to locate the combat.  

With little hesitation, the Terrans sweep down onto the refinery, shooting up the place. They crash through a security gate, and head for the nearest office/residence skyscraper. Security is pretty light -- guards with pistols, mostly -- and within a few minutes the lowest floors of the building are a smoking ruin. Firefight simulators are roaring and stuttering, guards are down, and the Terrans are in control of the lobby. All the normal elevators returned to the lobby, and fire suppression systems are (vainly) trying to extinguish the 100mm smoke round.

A few light attack helicopters, and a combat jet, arrive within ten minutes, followed soon after by a couple of light armored cars. While the Terran's truck is destroyed, they manage to drive off the corporate forces long enough for Sir Gawain to arrive -- "just in the nick of time!"  Sir Gawain spends a few moments valiantly vanquishing the hostile aircraft and several ground targets.

While herding some employees to the sub-basement, Burns finds eight "plutocrat escape pods", along with eight "plutocrat bug-out bags". He takes four of the bags, gives the other four to the employees, drops a few grenades and such into the PEPs, and sends all eight off.

Sir Gawain dismounts dramatically from his VTOL continental* interceptor, strides up to the lobby, and sweeps the Princess off her feet. With a nod of acknowledgement to the Terrans, he carries the Princess to his interceptor and rapidly departs. The Terrans take this as a sign, and leave as well (though most of them have to jog alongside the grav sled).

*Alief really only has one continent, but you get the idea.

Once in the desert, they have only one scary moment -- a corporate attack jet is seen coming in on an attack run. Fortunately, O'Reilly is carrying an Anvil launcher and some of the anti-vehicle rounds for it; "vehicle" includes sub-sonic aircraft for the Index 1 ammunition, and the plane is destroyed!

The Terrans are picked up by their mercenary aircraft, and fly back (via a circuitous route) to Chordi, arriving their before noon. The four bags of plutocrat swag contain:

• bonds, stocks, and other paperwork only valuable on Alief
  

• artwork and personal effects

• some gems and jewelry

• four pistols (one in each)

• gold and silver coins (2 kg gold each bag)

• plutocrat garments

The locals in Chordi can fence the bonds for the Terrans; a quick sale will produce the equivalent of 20 kg value in gold, minus their 50% fee. So the final value of the goods taken from the plutocrats is about 18 kg of gold. A plane is hired (by the Curia Speculatorii, again) to fly the Terrans back to Hanzhou overnight. 

111 Apex 599

The Terrans arrive at a remote airfield, outside the city of Hanzhou, and are whisked into the towers of the Inner City under cover. After a quick debriefing by the Curia, they fall into a well-deserved sleep in their new quarters.

In the evening, they arise for a while, to look over their equipment and valuables, and affirm that they'll meet the Emperor tomorrow.

112 Apex 599

Emperor Huan Ken, Duke Hawksmoor, and several members of the Curia meet with the Terrans. They're congratulated on successfully keeping Sir Gawain from starting a war ("Don't worry, the Unified Corporate Zone are a bunch of sissies."). They discuss what to do next. Some new information:

• There are a couple of "natural" portals from the 1952 juncture now opening onto the (future juncture) Earth

• The Empire of Flame is spreading on Earth.

• The Queen of the Darkness Pagoda now has agents on Earth.

• The Emperor can (with the cooperation of the "receiving" Monarch) magically send persons with their garb between pagodas.

The Terrans request that they be sent to the Ice Pagoda on Terra.

That evening, the Terrans are formally enlisted as Thunder Knights, and the Emperor bestows butterfly armor upon them.

113 Apex 599

The Terrans travel to their hidden spaceship, and fetch the "nieces" back to Hanzhou. The nieces are happy to be out of the ship.

114 Apex 599

Emperor Huan Ken and the Terrans (along with plenty of security forces) fly to the Ivory Gate of Dreams, and pass into the Chamber of Wind and Thunder. The Kerrn and the Roman military have made the path to St. Peters', and the area around St. Peters', very safe; but the Emperor is of course able to make the area much safer -- or at least quieter, by suppressing the lightning and thunder.

Once in St. Peters, the Emperor sits (with visible satisfaction) on the Throne, and contacts his sister, Pi Tui the Ice Queen. MacDougall requests a "charge that we might carry into battle against the demons", and the Emperor proclaims a Crusade to liberate the Holy Lands! He bestows a cross and banner upon the Terrans, and gives them (non-magical) surcoats to wear over their Iron. He also casts some spells on them -- these will only work in the Underworld, but might be useful there. The surcoats are white (to represent purity), with this symbol on the front and rear:

Each of the Terrans and the nieces are sent (one at a time) to the Ice Pagoda.

The Ice Pagoda

within the Chamber of Ice

In the audience chamber of the Ice Queen, the Terrans and the Redheads from Pretesh have arrived! The Terrans are in their Iron, the nieces with their luggage slung over their shoulders. After the Terrans have gotten out of their Iron, and gotten nice Ice Saunas, they meet with the Ice Queen again.

Pi Tui advises the Terrans that Li Ting's "Empire of Flame" has conquered Canaan and the Negev on Terra Insula, and he is busy building his new capital on the ruins of Jerusalem. His army has grown greatly in the last several months; his manpower is still limited, but he's got access to lots of money. His army has grown to five mostly-green Anvil battalions, Index 0 or 1, plus a mercenary air squadron at Index 1. One battalion is at the old capital of An Nakhl; one is on the Negev Isthmus, and the other three are the occupation forces in Canaan.

The Resistance, formed around the elderly holy people of the Reform Chesorbyte religion, has been remarkably unsuccessful. They issue statements and propaganda from Misr and Edom.

Agents of Queen Ming (she of the Darkness Pagoda) have been seen in Peking (among other places). The portal from the Darkness Pagoda has probably been open for less than six months.

Two portals at least are open from the 1952 Juncture:  one in Africa, leading to an unknown location; and one in southwest America, leading to a desert somewhere. Pi Tui has sent some of the Jammers to investigate these portals.

After some discussion of plots and plans, the Ice Queen grants the Terrans some useful items (list to come in next episode summary), including the loan of her personal sky bus (painted with a large snowflake on the tail). The Terrans want to either capture or kill Li Ting -- only possible when he's outside of the Fire Pagoda, of course.

onward to Journal Entry 19