The Malfean War, Celestial Group IC

[horus42]

The three of you have been brought before the Grand Admiral of the Solar Empire, Zhao Kaifeng, to be tasked with an important mission. You stand on the bridge of his Flagship, the Unconquered Sun, a vessel so massive and powerful that it's powered by a minor Stellar Intelligence crafted from a White Dwarf Star.

The Admiral himself looks out the windows at the planet below, not acknowledging your presence yet. As he turns, you all see him for the first time. He's a Pantoran, a human-like race with deep blue skin, highlighted by streaks of yellow on the angular nose and cheeks. He's fairly slight, but he's known as a brilliant tactician, and is one of the most respected Eclipse Castes in the galaxy.

"They tell me that you three are up and comers, that you've shown remarkable courage and and insightful tactics throughout the course of the War so far." His voice is slightly accented, and while sharp, is not quite harsh. "I have need of men like you. An entire Arm of the galaxy has fallen, and we need to take it back. It's been cut off from the Grand Celestial Mountain, so don't look for help there. The entire population of that Arm, trillions of people... Have been enslaved by the second most fearsome of the Stellar Intelligences, second only to Malfeas himself. I need the three of you, and the clones under your command, to kill Mardukth."

[Mechanix]

The tall, armored figure of the Mask of Radiance stands to attention, his face unreadable, his species unidentifiable; to all eyes, he looks as much machine as man. He listens to his order of mission, acknowledging it with a nod, seemingly unworried by the colossal nature of the endeavour. This is his duty. He shall not abscond. Already, he thinks of how to perform the task - you cannot very well slay a Stellar Intelligence sword in hand.

"This shall be done. Before proceeding, sir, I have a few questions. The population Mardukth has enslaved - are they brainwashed, under mind-control, or simply forced to obey his oders?" This would be a deciding factor in knowing how to deal with them. "As well, what do we know of the specific strength and weaknesses of Mardukth and his armies?"

[horus42]

The Admiral nods approvingly. "A fair question. The people are under mind-control, Mardukth holds them in thrall through the Manse network, which is why we had Sidereals cut that Arm off from the rest of the Mountain."

He takes a few steps forward before he continues. "As for his strength, Mardukth is possibly the most powerful of the SIs, though whether he's stronger than Malfeas remains to be seen. His armies are unwavering in their loyalty, and therein lies their weakness. Mardukth doesn't value individual lives. He'll throw away countless warriors to achieve simple objectives. If it weren't for the truly massive numbers on his side, he could have been defeated long ago."

[Qwertystop]

The glowing strands of Weave-of-Starlight quiver for a moment in thought, and a mesh cage of starmetal wrapping a nugget of iron, itself woven through by a string of jade, is lifted to the edge by the current. An abstracted image forms in the cloud's center:
Many people. A star above, its rays touching the heads of each. The image splits into two identical ones. In one, a blade cuts the star, which vanishes, and the people disperse. In the other, when it vanishes, they charge the sword.
OOC:

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Do I need to roll Linguistics to make my point clear (saying it in a spoiler), or do I just say it here, or do I leave it to hoping people understand?
If I say what I mean:

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When Mardukth is defeated, what happens to the people?

[Ronnoc]

Narsha, clad in his dress uniform, stood at parade rest as he listened to the Admirals orders. Listened but wasn't certain he believed. Killing one of the Stellar Intelligences? The titanic AI's dwarfed every other of humanities achievement, their influence transcended the virtual space of the mountain and in a very real since was embedded in the nature of physical reality. The implication of killing one...

"Admiral do we have plans in place to contain the repercussions of killing Mardukth? The risk to civilian lives, beyond even those he has enthralled seems untenable. I want to see the Yozi's defeated as much as any exalt, more even then most, but if the opportunity presents itself do we have permission to attempt to reinstate the loyalties of Mardukth or his constituent run-times?"

Even as the words left his mouth Narsha regretted them. Mardukth was a traitor who had enslaved billions of lives, the benefits of his rehabilitation seemed slight in the face of the risks. Furthermore it probably wasn't wise to seem to eager to reacquire the SIs in front of one of the most decorated Admirals in the deliberative.

Falling back on his training Narsha focused on the cadence of his breathing and placed a mask of cool neutrality over his features and emotions.

[horus42]

Admiral Zhao sighs as he begins to pace in front of the group. ""Honestly? Even the most knowledgeable Twilights don't know what will happen to the people when Mardukth is killed. Some theorize that his hold over them will be broken, and they can continue to live as they did before. Others... think his death will drive them mad." He stops in his tracks and glances over to Narsha as he speaks.

"Reprogramming him is a valid option, and one I'd prefer, in fact. If we could regain his loyalty, it could very well turn the tide of the War. The Deliberative, however, wants to make an example of him. Your official orders are to kill Mardukth." He glances from side to side, before he continues. "But off the record, if you can find another way to stop him, take the chance."

[Mechanix]

"It is always good to refrain from needless destruction," Mask agrees in a calm voice. "If we may avoid the slaying of a being of such cosmic intelligence, we will be better for it. However, we must not let hubris lead us to commit the same mistake again, and foster a wolf in our midst."

Images of the destruction of his homeworld by the Principle of Hierarchy go through his mind, but he represses them. He must not be brought by emotions to rash action. Mardukth is a being of considerable power, and putting him in thrall again would serve all the Empire.

"Where will we begin our operations?"

[Qwertystop]

The tangle of artifacts bobs in a nod.

Another set of images, in sequence. First, three figures charging through a mob to a figure with a crown. Then, the same set going around the mob and backstabbing the leader.

[horus42]

"You'll begin operations on the planet Vostok. The people who live there were very distrustful of the Manse network and refused to allow Manses to be built on their world. As such, they are still in possession of their free will. Mardukth is moving his fleet in on the planet as we speak, but it's the closest you'll get to friendly territory during your mission."

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And Qwertystop, I forgot to mention earlier but you don't have to make a linguistics roll to be understood. Just put the meaning of the images in a spoiler box after you describe them.

[Mechanix]

"Very well. I have no more questions." The rest of the information - what Vostok looked like, what their objectives would be once there - could be filled in on the way to the planet.

Turning his head to the picture display of the Sidereal cloud - surely one of the strangest species he had ever seen - and said: "Stealth might be our best course of action in order to attain Mardukth himself; we do not have the troops to face his armies head-on. However, it seems that we should first focus on reclaiming peripheral worlds by sabotaging the Manse network. We need to break his grasp on the galactic arm if we are to achieve victory. In numbers, he has power."

[Ronnoc]

Sabotage would seem infinitely more feasible than stealth. If secure quarters can be arranged I would like to begin summoning some low-tier spirit constructs to update our intelligence on Mardukth and possibly begin laying the groundwork for covert operations."

[Qwertystop]

Another nod, and a rough image of an elemental.