Salena pushed those thoughts from her mind. Security was superb. Plain-clothed soldiers and police stalked the crowd, armed troops lines the streets, and several sections worth of destriers and men-at-arms were posted on duty and waited in reserve. It seemed almost as if they made up half the crowd. Thousands of people and machines watched the crowds for disturbance, irregularities, and facial recognition software to alert security officials if anyone showed up without an invitation. Cameras covered every inch of the procession, the plaza, and the interior of the Ark. Though Alos resisted the idea of wiring cameras inside the sacred structure, he eventually relented, realizing a few drilled holes in the ship's hull were better than some catastrophic explosion that might result from an attack.
Alos, and the Azuren has a whole, are very pragmatic which makes them dangerous, but also predictable. Everything would go smoothly, Salena repeated herself.
Magnus shifted next to her, clearly anxious and eager. Salena didn't remember feeling that jittery on her wedding day. Then again, she had been older than Magnus and she had selected Richard Teton herself. Haakon had already been dead long before Peter had decided how she could be of the best political use to him. Instead, she chose what was most politically empowering for herself. Her marriage to the Teton house leader had granted her unrivaled political power and wealth.
It took her a few seconds to realize Richard had said something to her, but she had been lost in the noise of the crowd and her own thoughts. She hadn't noticed. She asked him to repeat himself.
“The Azuren,” he said. “They worry me. I didn't think there would be so many here.”
Salena reflexively looked over at them as they watched the crowds with extreme scrutiny. Suddenly she had a suspicion that they may have deployed their own security measures, though she doubted that's what occupied Richard's concerned. Azuren were tough, but not invincible. Alos would be wise to worry about his own hide. Some may hate the Teton-Stens, but the Azuren were certainly a close second.
She nodded at her husband. “Don't worry about them. They'll stay out of the war.”
“How does it look on the cameras? If every shot of us you they see the Azuren in the back pulling the strings. I don't like it,” he said, though he leaned back in his spot and ended the exchange.
A sudden cheer rose up from the crowds, probably partially inspired by the plain-clothed police officers whose job it was to do just that. Magnus' head perked up when he saw the cars carrying the Mason family, their security and noble vassals.
“Are you ready, my son?” Salena asked him.
He nodded. “I remember what I have to do if that's what you mean.”
That'll do for now, she thought.
The Mason convoy rolled closer, slowly covering the distance to the Ark. Small Mason flags fluttered from their positions at each corner of the car. Dozens of armed troopers wearing Mason uniforms kept pace with the vehicle. The Masons themselves were clearly visible inside; the window glass was clear, but definitely bullet proof.
Salena felt the weariness return after her long debate with Duke Frederick about his desire to have an open roofed vehicle. He wanted the crowds to wave at him, apparently accustomed to such conditions on Aarhus. However, here, that was living in a fantasy world. The situation on Magdeborg made the Masons a target.
Salena smiled at the image. Cassandra had been correct. The young Mason woman would be a fitting addition to House Teton-Sten. Though both parents had made a stink over the dropping of the name Mason. Teton-Mason did not adequately describe the power balance and Sten-Mason had drawn laughs even from the parents. Eventually, the flow of Teton-Sten wealth in their coffers would make any complaints moot. Salena noted, to her satisfaction, that the Commonwealth throne would remain with the Teton-Stens and away from potential Mason usurpers.
The car stopped on the street just before the steps leading up to the Arkship. The crowd was waving Mason flags and cheering for their nobility. Initially, Salena blushed in irritation that they were not waving her house's flags, but considered the possibility that a large number of Mason subjects had turned out for the occasion. They would wave their flags for now, but House Mason was on the way out politically. Kendra had no siblings, and their line effectively ended with her. That meant Magnus would inherit the Aarhus Duchy.
Plain-clothed agents, both Teton-Sten and Mason observed the crowds, carefully watching for any trouble spots. It wouldn't take much to cripple the heads of two major houses. Just some idiot with a handgun or flechette could paralyze Commonwealth politics. The danger increased the longer and closer the Masons were with the Teton-Stens. What Salena feared most was the desperateness of the resistance. When humans became trapped in a corner, their thinking changed. They became irrational. Suicide bombings were rare, but not unheard of. Not even the thick skin of the Azuren would save them from such a blast. Better to finish the ceremony quickly and send the Duke and his wife on their way sans daughter.
First to emerge from the vehicle was Duke Frederick Mason. His large girth seemed to pause as he attempted to maneuver it out of the door. A roar went up from the crowd and he waved in a regal fashion. His wife followed him, waved gently with reserve and then stepped aside
At least they had the sense to recognize that today is not about them, Salena thought.
Finally, Kendra appeared, wearing a dress in the colors of her house. Wearing pure white had been a tradition long done away with, part of some ancient religion the Azuren had crushed millennium ago, in favor of a political message. Today she wore purple, tomorrow, blue and gold.
The Mason parents flanked their daughter as they climbed the stairs of the Ark. The Duke was puffing heavily, unaccustomed to such strenuous activity. Guards and agents surrounded the family, though Salena figured they would be edited out when it came time to publish the wedding for the population. Best not to appear paranoid for historical record.
The bodyguards parted when the Mason family stopped two steps below the Teton-Stens. The crowd began to quiet and the wireless mic picked up Salena's words. “Duke Mason, we honor you with the privilege of accepting your blood with ours. You have served my family and the Commonwealth with distinction. We hope that tradition of service as our vassals will continue. Will you renew your vassalage to House Teton-Sten?”
Mason took a deep breath. “We do.”
“Then it is so renewed. Will you join us in the Arkship?”
He nodded, preferring to catch his breath rather than wasting words.
Alos and his Azuren associates formed up in front of them. At an invisible signal, the Azuren marched in step into the Ark.
The interiors of the Arkships differed greatly from that of a even the most primitive of human ships. Most of the interior had been cleared out, creating vaulting ceilings with angular protrusions from the walls to support the hull to serve as a temple. Interestingly, the decks and hulls were plated and the bolts were still clearly visible despite the existence of modern sealing techniques. Apparently the Azuren had decided to keep the historical aspects of the ship intact. It was, after all, a relic, a discovery modified for modern purposes, but kept austere in its looks.
Hundreds of rows of simple wood benches lined in rows faced a dais towards what would have been the cockpit of the ship. Salena often wondered what the cockpit would have looked like, whether it actually contained the necessary electronics and equipment to fly the vessel or if it had been stripped out and studied by Azuren scientists. Above the dais hung a stylized version of the Azuren sigil, a series of complex lines and calligraphy whose meaning had been long lost to history. Perhaps it still meant something to the Azuren.
The Azuren led the small procession of royalty down the aisle, passing ranks of nobles, some beaming brightly at their lords and ladies, while others showed outright contempt. Commonwealth security would be taking note, she was sure.
The Azuren formed a semi-circle along the outer rim of the dais, inviting the royals to stand in its center. Other humans, wearing
white robes, stood outside the dais holding candles and other religious symbols. They were the Averi whose honored ranks Isarla would soon join.
The Azuren themselves watched quietly, clutching their holy books, ancient relics made of leather and paper. Typically, human priests presided over these types of ceremonies, but this one was being handled by Supreme Legate Alos himself, indicating a special interest, or a special concern, for the humans under his direction.
At another unseen cue, the group began its chanting, a low ominous sound that tore through the Arkship and sent shivers down her spine. It felt more like a funeral than a wedding. It was in a language she was unfamiliar with. She'd only heard bits and piece of it at Azuren ceremonies, but they often spoke the odd language to one another when not wanting to be over heard by their ignorant human charges. Humans rarely learned the language, and only those trusted completely – or brainwashed completely – by the Azuren were taught. As best as she knew, the language had never been fully deciphered. Maybe those Starfield Theorists types had identified a few phrases here and there.
As the group continued its mournful chants, Salena took a few moments to glance at the other humans on the dais Magnus was shifting nervously, casting shy glances at Kendra who stood just across from him. She smiled awkwardly in return. Like school children again, she thought. Magnus is the second most powerful individual in the Commonwealth and Kendra will soon be the third. Show some authority!
Magnus' jitters were almost amusing. From a man who'd seen combat, killed other men and women in battle, the behavior was unusual. This should have been no problem for him. Archdukes did not show weakness. They were never unsure or unprepared. They were confident in their actions, whether they knew what they were doing or stumbling blindly. They were nearly divine; they could do no wrong.
Most of the rows in the Arkship were filled now. The forward-most were occupied by the nobility and their vassals, then came media elements, then finally important non-nobles: military commanders, industry leaders and powerful assistants that ran the administrative offices for nobility here on Magdeborg.
Finally, Alos stepped forward onto the golden center of the dais. He brushed back his robes, revealing a sword strapped to his belt, another Amrahn relic. He withdrew a white leather bound book, opened it to a preselected page and began a series of Azuren prayers.
The Legend Killer
15 April, 23,423
Arkship of Amrah's Power, Magdeborg, Magdeborg Commonwealth
______________
LK watched the ceremony with a sort of detached anger. The Azuren prattled on about their religion, their superiority and purpose in guiding the human race towards enlightenment. The fat Masons stood calmly by, waiting for their chance to be the most powerful family in the Commonwealth. The Teton-Stens stood opposite them, waiting to cement their control of the Commonwealth and keep the Azuren from interfering any further in their governing. And LK waited patiently, to destroy all of it.
I wonder if Salena realizes she's only setting the stage for her own downfall. The Masons are traitorous bastards, murderers, power hungry thieves.
LK closed his eyes as his blood boiled. They will pay for their crimes.
Apparently, the resistance trooper next to him noticed his sudden discomfort and raising blood pressure and sent a silent signal to him asking if there was a problem. The powered armor suits kept tracked of vital signs and the commanders kept tabs on stress levels and other factors that might affect a soldier in battle based on coded signals sent from each suit on his command. The message appeared in LK's visor and he looked left, then right, mimicking shaking his head with his eyeballs.
He forced himself to settle back down and released more muscle relaxant into his system. Maybe the long wait had finally gotten to him; they'd been here, latched to the Arkship's hull for three days. The mission commander, some low-level Sørensen crony, ordered them to remain asleep for the duration of the wait, minus one rotating lookout. LK had disobeyed orders and stayed awake, sleeping only when he wanted to do so. It was no difficult task fooling the suit's sleep inducers. After all, he'd helped design the suit itself.
The suits were some of the most advanced infantry power armor in the human arsenal designed by a combined Mason-Harding Corporation team. LK had done a lot of the research and vetting of the team members, making sure they weren't doing anything they shouldn't have done in their spare time. When bored, he hacked the research files and read up on the suit's capabilities beyond the simple stuff he was allowed access to. It was a sneak suit with advanced mimetic armor, automatic weapons and a variety of hand-to-hand combat weapons.
Three days ago, he commanded a raid on a Mason supply depot to procure a dozen of the suits. He still had all the necessary access codes memorized. LK fudged some of the records to make it appear as though nothing had gone wrong. His help in that regard gave him the authority to ignore orders barked by some Sørensen. He was here for his own reasons, not because he felt any sort of loyalty to the Sørensen cause. This was a temporary alliance of mutual interest.
Reinforced mimetic armor protected the wearer from most small arms fire, while allowing him to blend into this surroundings as the resistance fighters had been doing for the last several days. A complex electronics system allowed for non-verbal and non-physical conversation through eye blinks and minute muscle movements. Internal systems regulated the suit's temperature and monitored vital signs. It also allowed nutrients, painkillers and other drugs to be administered intravenously for long deployment such as this one.
He switched his sensors so he could watch the proceedings below, his attention particularly focused on the Duke. The fat Mason had been there personally at his interrogation many years prior. They'd accused him of hacking the research files, which was true, and of sending the material to rival firms, which was not. House Mason had actually done a proficient job in LK's interrogation-resistance training. So well, in fact, that the interrogation went on for weeks without yielding any sort of actionable result. Maybe the interrogation's length bothered the Duke and he began to do it just for his own enjoyment, but even that must have eventually grown old for him, for LK showed very little reaction to the various torture techniques. Even after they'd pulled out his finger nails, his hair, and teeth and threatened to do the same to his eyes and his testicles, LK remained in a fog of calm, as if in some sort of out-of-body experience. Perhaps he'd tapped into a Starfield Theorist experience that had been talked about, but since such phenomenon generally could not be explained by a mathematical formula, had been discredited as superstitious nonsense. Every mind could be released from its pain and suffering, some Theorists believed, but try as he might, LK could never leave that room, physically or mentally. He felt like he was still there now.
It didn't take too much longer for Duke Frederick to figure out that LK's family did not have the same kind of defensive training, intelligence training or Theorist training. After several days of attempting to use their suffering to elicit a confession, they'd had enough. Mason ordered them executed in front of LK, using all sorts of knives, needles and other selected blades. LK's shouts did not end their tortuous killings. His threats, screams, and curses fell on deaf ears.
They asked the Azuren for permission to index his mind. They agreed, permitting the procedure as soon as possible. LK has trouble remembering how, but the Theorists had managed to slip in a team and escorted him out of the Aarhus Duchy.
Now LK had decades of hate and an assortment of automatic weapons, high-powered lasers and expensive military equipment to make a very harsh point. He didn't forget the Masons and he didn't forget the Azuren.
The mission commander was sending updates to his team now which flashed on his visor and drew him back to the present. The presence of additional, unexpected Azuren worried him, but LK pushed that thought aside. As a Starfield Theorist, he should have been pleased at the opportunity to kill an Azuren, to kill several was like a gift from some deity, if he'd believed in one. But
today, he shed his Theorist identity. Today he was John Hamper, the man who lost his family to those bastards masquerading about as nobles and. Today he would avenge the deaths of the only people who had ever truly mattered to him. Though they were gone, he'd begun to see them in Anna and the girl. They were like surrogate protectorates, a chance to save them as he'd failed to save the people they'd come to represent. A sort of second chance.
He would hurt those who'd hurt him. Today would be a good day.
He listened intently to the big Azuren begin his blessings.
“Thus begins the union of those two great Houses, Teton-Sten and Mason. Amrah herself smiles upon this union in her own house,” Alos spoke, his voice echoing through the ship. He raised his arms, taking in the House of Amrah.
Salena watched his charade go on a little longer. She seemed bored. At least he could sympathize with her in that regard. Soon she would be dead as would her son Magnus who had managed to survive several attempts on his life. The fool Richard Teton would die as well. It seemed only the daughter, Casandra, would be a sad waste of a good resource. By all accounts she was bright, capable and one of the few with Sten blood not touched by some form of madness. Her name doomed her.
Schism of Blood and Stone (The Starfield Theory Book 1) Page 47
