Gunhild wasn’t forming a unit, rather she has always had one. The B-Team, a name kept ironically despite the fact that they are the most elite infantry unit within the Federation as of now. Currently they lack a home garrison to hang out in so they just follow her to various destinations.

Rennyn has his squadron, they call themselves the Starbeasts.

Also you have learned pandem theory but nothing that will allow you to open a rift yet that would corrupt your mana.

The mech you’re requesting is a feasible concept though mana storage or generation technology would need to be improved.

The building materials are selling at a slower rate now, but we have managed to sell another $500,000,000 worth of materials.

 VSEC has been deployed to Zenaka to begin the takeover of the planet. As advisor I am programmed to give a brief strategical assessment. I recommend mechanized assault forces, as the Zenakans do not have that level of technology and are not prepared to counter it. Yes you technically already did this, but my programming still tells me to give you a pop up about it.

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?> Ending task…
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Zenakan natives are resistant though spread out. While some are not even targets as Vloz sympathizers, many are arming themselves for the second invasion of their world but can likely be ignored as time convinces them it is not worth the effort.

Attempts to recruit crew for the new fleet have begun. Though with things as they are, morale is low and few people are signing up. Many friendly Zenakan’s have expressed interest even if they lack the education necessary to crew one of our ships. Training in process.

Eleazor and Echo Seven are still most likely in transit. Though they have left comm and scanner range, so they could also be dead and we just don’t know it yet.

Demon candidates for Grassy Gnoll have been processed and initial phases of the operation have begun.

The outsider is still being repaired, driving it through an ocean and crashing it into a city then letting it get eaten alive by the River has done immense damage to it. The actual bigger problem has been getting its pieces to the shipyards for repair. Moncayo does not have direct access for a ship that large, there is a transport tunnel that leads to the shipyards beneath this floating plate we’re on, but they generally don’t actually enter the city’s bubble. We’re still moving chunks over. The ship is practically destroyed but due to the unique abilities it has we figure its worth repairing the original ship even if it would be easier at this point to build a new ship of equivalent size.

Hydroshield progress has become a cylinder of falling water…which is amusing. I don’t know how often an attack would come from directly above but have you ever watched a cat try to escape a water fountain? In order to test the ability to track a highly mobile target, no one wanted to run all over an obstacle course. So they just clipped it to Yoshai and watched him go.

Kaylen doesn’t seem superbly pleased to meet you or Larazja, notably Vasia is away setting up a new research facility at least. Though I suppose to her credit she’s doing her best to stick to her own mantra of trying to convince people to work together despite ideological differences and just mutters to herself about it. Progress I suppose? She does seem to really like Eden though. Granted everyone likes Eden.

For now the knights are playing it slow in the demon kingdom, partially because we’re still working on the Setal thing so making any big plays right now might be dangerous. That and demon civilization is dangerous for them. The Vloz’Khress are somewhat influential in the middle planes politics but in the demon realms their council is one of the major alliances. In the demon kingdom various domains are rather heavily respected, unlike in Shetou where anyone just does whatever they want, so at the very least keeping out of the Vloz alliance’s territory has yielded some level of safety. Though this is still Kharla we’re talking about, and she can be erratic.

Though from a grassroots perspective, there are several demon classes that might be considered a little ‘oppressed’. Succubi like Setal conveniently being one of them, so in setting her up to be the demon lord we actually can find some traction with them. Typically succubi are not very high ranked and are more of possessions, it’s been that way for thousands of years just because of their specific abilities. Setal is actually one of the very few in history to achieve a greater demon status. Admittedly she cheated but it’s still noteworthy to the way their politics work.

Selah is a pretty modern pandem scholar, though is a specialist in binding more planar theory and understanding or any type of engineering. Her current plans are to cannibalize the celestial order, which she’s working on, and preaching the good word. She feels people will just be drawn to the new Order of The Fate once they realize its members can cast heal. Really only Sarnai can do it, but its still interesting.

Vairatoa is a little bland in the personality department, though he is an elemental so that makes sense. We’ve been trying to teach him to do things other than ‘set everything on fire’ as a combat option since that’s his go-to strategy.

The Maker alien has made many monsters in response to previous affairs but it doesn’t really make more of itself very readily. Bill has discerned this is because they generally don’t try to do it until the end of their lifespan so that their descendants can inherit their territories.

Mahuea is tentative about binding with anyone, power aside he is aware of the effects of pandem corruption. It has a unique effect on elementals, particularly ones as powerful as himself. Mana corruption makes mana based lifeforms, like elementals, a little ill. Vairatoa is largely ‘taking one for the team’ when he bound with Alexander. It also can erode their form, which is why Vairatoa really needs the suit. With something like Mahuea, dispersing apart with even small bursts could do a lot of damage. More like a solar flare than a crackle or pop from the campfire. This is also why he can’t bind with the already corrupted Vairatoa. Also pleas of haste don’t move creatures like him who operate on a much different time scale.

Though it is interesting that Mahuea is aware of the Phantoms through Alexander’s work, but doesn’t consider them anything to be cautious of. They don’t regard him as being in need of eradication so he extends the same courtesy to them. His kind qualifies as ‘not Kanika’s enemy’ twofold. The first being that they are immortals and the second being that they just sit around minding their own business and have never given dragons any trouble. He states that the Phantoms are just small pieces on the growing galactic scale we are becoming aware of, struggling for their own right to live. They were the piece used by Arkaric to bring galactic chaos, but he’s doing other things as well using other pieces. Building more of his androids with an exiled exerlus consensus, creating a doomsday weapon with the help of the jesai, cutting off galactic travel and communication allying with the galaxy’s most feared pirate fleet, collapsing stars in key locations with an empire near the galactic core, and so on. To Mahuea, the phantoms are just caught up in the temptations of opportunity. Galactic chaos gave them an opening to come out of hiding, in this state it is hard to bring all of Sol’s guns down to bear on them. Though it was not their plan nor even remotely within their capability without Arkaric. They had actually been infiltrating things to keep things in a constant equilibrium so no one would find them and just waiting things out, a perk of their immortality. As such he is actually critical of Kaylen’s work. While this opening will allow the Phantoms to finally rebuild themselves, they too will be victims of Arkaric’s endless chaos once they do manage to establish themselves again unless Kanika negotiates a deal with Arkaric. However, they still regard Kanika as their leader, not Arkaric. So they are still just pieces in his machinations instead of direct servants of his plans.

I suppose an ancient creature like him is more adept at focusing on the big things but he seems to have issues acknowledging the smaller aspects that are an immediate problem. Such as the Phantoms planning to murder us.

Reika and her forces have headed to Zenaka to lead the war effort. They’ll be there for a little while. Despite the technological advantages of VSEC, rooting out whole countries takes a bit of time and invasion. It should be easier than fighting the Vloz though.

 

You use little star in a sealed and warded box. We cannot see inside of it, but if we open it then it’ll immediately escape. We also can’t measure into a warded box. As long as it remains in the box, we cannot determine if the spell remains active or not…what was the point of any of that?

 

I’d review my financial records if it wasn’t blown up by aliens and horribly inconsequential to the fact that I am now a giant snake lady.

Also I’m a drow purebred, my hair has always been white. So I kind of just assumed my fur was like that for a similar reason. Though yes we aren’t aesthetically lacking, granted we’re based on the previously standing blueprints.

Which noodle did you want to impregnate? They’re all noodles as we went over.

Also no I don’t need to be physically pregnant. The ichor is my womb, and you are all my children…some adopted. Though its worth remembering, I cannot be disobeyed should I enforce my will. So wash your cat bowl when you’re done eating and if I have to tell you again you’ll carry it into the dishwasher yourself, muahahah…I need to work on my evil laugh more. Though, your thoughts on how to use the succubus power is lacking in imagination. She is also now of my swarm…and we specialize in parasitic infection. I’ll let you think on that. Just when you thought we were all out of warcrimes, the ichor comes up with new and exciting possibilities! I will remind you…I specialize in parasitic infection. Which means so does Setal.

Also yes, drow men are not particularly large or masculine by the standards of other races. Some of the women are a bit sleek due to being lazy butt mages but you’ll notice all Sarghess women are huge compared to other races.

More accurately Vasia took it out of the enchanted cell that kept the shade catatonic so it didn’t just walk out through a wall and didn’t bother maintaining the spell while dragging it over. Less intentional torture, more ‘too lazy not to torture’. Vasia doesn’t believe in anesthesia, takes too long to apply. It’s just an extra couple of minutes but…she ain’t got time for that.

Uh…I was a waitress as I said. Moved to the frontier in hopes of a better job. I guess nowadays I’m the queen of my little swarm which is a pretty cushy job. Rich people keep bringing me food and I just have to sit around and play with my children. I’d ask for a projector so I could watch tv but the aethernet is blown up. Maybe I should take up a hobby beyond dressing up my drones.

As for roles, I don’t think I have much input on the matter. Though it might be fun to get out more often, granted that seems dangerous these days. I used to dream of being rich but rich is relative right now and what you can buy with it is limited lately. Also now my prospects are a bit different. I’m sure you’ve noticed but many people are losing their dreams and ambitions as civilization crumbles. What good is a golden palace if there’s no power, plumbing, or anything on the holovision. What good is a sports car when the roads are ruins? People have seen their hope eroded…part of why we had that brigade of therapists. Anything I might have once wanted is gone now, for me more than most. There is no ‘return to normal’. I’m a monster, but social implications aside my sense of taste is pretty much gone. It is merely a sense of nutrition. I no longer need clothes since I’m resistant to temperature changes and spend a lot of my day in the ichor lake, so not much point in wearing things that’ll be at most slightly itchy. The farms burn, the buildings fall, the water boils, but what Arkaric really destroyed was hope. Without knowing what he did, all you see is senseless destruction and endless chaos. Knowing what he’s doing is somehow even worse, to know its not random and it will not pass. We’re chasing the Phantoms but they’re just one of thousands of pawns he moved across the galaxy, his influence so endless that civilization ending apocalypses are merely an email away for him. Now most of us just can only hope to survive. Sure VSEC soldiers can aspire to get a promotion, maybe drive the big tank. Vasia has the power to alter things on a galactic scale so she still has the agency needed to feel ambition. But by the millions our eyes grow dull and our dreams rot. Not that its been all bad…less desire to have ‘more stuff’ has made people a bit better at working together and brought many together to help one another. Until the next farm burns at least. Wait what were we talking about?

Wait why am I testing removing myself from the synapse? Just walk over there and do it yourself. Though perhaps it would be better to ask Eerihild to do it.

As for the soul thing, I don’t think we can convince the ichor to do a PR stunt. You could connect to Kaisa again though and I bet it’d get the ‘on’ signal to go back into full war production, which is when it uses it’s souls to make things. I’m sure nothing will go wrong with that idea. The drones already chew on every life form they can find if they get out of the synapse range.

Also no I don’t want to go swimming looking for more Phantoms. I’m in the lake all day in hopes they don’t find me as it is.

I’m just a waitress I am not the right person to discuss philosophical evil with. Though I feel like I get Kanika’s point. Solians lose every objective measurement you can make when compared to dragons like her…or to creatures like me. They’re a pack of wolves eating her children, she feels nothing for their continued existence. Even if you aren’t the exact one that did it…what does it matter? Humanoids are fated to go extinct or be domesticated as far as she is concerned. They attempted to kill everyone who wasn’t like themselves. The fact that Kanika hasn’t done the same yet shows a level of restraint you do not give her credit for.

It’s an argument the phantoms have made…and now that I’m no longer a drow I kind of get it. What is a gnoll to me? A potential threat, meal, or pet perhaps. Though under nothing short of a delusion could you consider them an equal life form to me. Nothing they can ever be is as valuable as beings like myself, Azilath, or half the Phantoms. The potential of their lives is dwarfed by the near infinite potential of mine, if you draw the line of sapience just behind humanoids then what if I draw it just behind myself? I could eradicate them all if I wanted to. I don’t need to negotiate my existence to an animal, I could just end theirs if they piss me off enough to hate them more than I want to dress you up in holiday sweaters. Speaking of which sit still this will be adorable…

Immortality is a funny thing like that. No matter how you achieve it, once you do the potential of your life becomes greater than that of entire races. You now have all the time you need to achieve all that can ever be achieved. Losing thousands of years of work is like knocking your pen off the table. A brief momentary annoyance. The death of an immortal is a tragedy unmatched by the lesser races. What does an orc care when a bee dies heroically protecting its colony? When entire species go extinct due to harvesting their natural habitat? That is the glimpse of the difference in scale. To be honest, I don’t reaaaally care about Cassir dying. As much as I liked her, she was always fated to be but a momentary creature in this galaxy. My pet dog. You, Vasia, Renjala, myself…we might roam these stars until eternity. What does a human matter to us?

Why are you looking at me like that? Ooh hold on I have a hat to go with the sweater for you.

I still think Si Yeon is suspicious.

Also yes we have found more of Illdath’s people here and there. They’re a broken army with no leader, so it’s just been a matter of putting them down. Hasn’t really been news worthy. Few people died while hunting sure but, they were insignificant. Why are you looking at me like that?

Ironically the least tech savvy people are the best for making floating city’s on any level of efficiency. Open some strategic Kari rifts, tah dah. So…that’s the order’s job otherwise it’ll cost a hundred times more to do it and a lot of fuel.

I don’t know how you’re still bewildered by Vasia’s incredible ego that grants her impossible arrogance. You know all those cats that curiosity killed? They turned into shades. They don’t really have fear until it is taught to them. Exme is a reporter who hung out on a planet being invaded by Valdir and kept taking notes to write a story with even after her equipment was damaged. Shades just don’t really…understand mortality. If anything death is a curiosity to them. This is like being mystified that a revenant is always pissed off for no reason. The actual spirit revenant like Vidarius, not the group of ninja women.

Grinhys is off to explore a planet with a serial number. We should probably name the colony, the locals refer to that planet is Hiekaekus though. It’s the name of their old god of fertility. Likely brought on by the fact that their color morphs are determined at birth through mana absorption. So those born under an eruption from the planet tended to be…blessed. Actually maybe its not named after the god and it is the god.

Establishing Setal as demon lord should be…fun. Though she has her own drone legion so she should be fine hopefully…I’m just trying to comprehend if demon lord outranks me…again. Why do all my children outrank me? I expect spectacular mother’s day gifts.

Also we can’t digest the siwa warforged things really…I guess Craylin could harvest their essentia but who knows.

Kaylen’s general stance hasn’t really changed on the ‘taking all comers’ idea, at least for now. Despite clearly not being enthusiastic about some of our members, she is convinced that the Phantoms need to be dealt with. I never studied history much but apparently Kanika’s name invokes a reaction. Though as Renjala learned from Mahuea, they’re not the biggest problem, yet to Kaylen they are. Kanika was the dragon that almost destroyed the rising and sent all of humanoid-kind into an age of never ending torment. Fated to be nothing more than animals living in a world ruled by higher species.

That being said the Revenants are still invited, even if they haven’t really accepted the invitation. They’re a bit less willing to bend on certain matters than Kaylen is. Probably why they’ll always be just annoying pests on the side of everyone’s business.

The attempt to find essentia in the river would involve opening the river back up, though it does appear to be a really bad idea. Due to the nature of the planar laws changing so erratically, the vestiges of essentia in the area that Craylin can sense are actually toxic to her. We discovered this by a drone going into convulsions and literally falling apart after trying to harvest some.

We’ve done some further upgrading to the Nomad’s impromptu flotilla to house more people. It was originally just a trophy case and a used ship lot for them but it seems to be necessary to house all of these refugees now.

Allison can head up efforts to re-infiltrate the underworld. She’ll need a ship and some boys though. I sent her some of Nomad’s extra pirates we’ve been collecting. Since she doesn’t really need agents for this kind of work. Though Dunchek points out he was a fair and legitimate businessman. We’re still not sure Shetou’s idea of legitimate business matches ours.

The Moncayo black market is just trading rations really. Many of the VSEC soldiers have figured out they have more food than the refugees and can trade it for things. Not our best look, though it hasn’t stopped our old friend from capitalizing. Ohalyn’s still around and with her plaza gone she’s returned to just finding pretty folk to whore out for whatever people are trading these days. Scavenged materials from the war pop up here and there as well, those who found a dead soldier’s gun have a lot of leeway in setting up their own gangs within the refugee population. Laura King’s been sitting cushy and retired so she’s not really helping much.

The problem is that this is all happening erratically and naturally forming. There is no central gang that is running all of this like when Laura, Kyven, or Zhuan were around. So Michael and Dunchek can root out some smaller gangs here and there but then more and more appear. As the housing situation gets corrected its likely to take a downturn though and we’ll see what remains of it in the end. Also half of the gang problems can be solved with food, but food is scarce for the refugees compared to those who are still properly employed.

When it comes to Vanjin, pretty much everyone needs her to hunt every other member of the Phantoms. We could turn her loose as an assassin I suppose, just put up some fake bounty boards for her to claim from. I suppose they wouldn’t be fake but I can’t imagine too many people are dumb enough to go for it.