19th of April, 1996th of NDE. The Void Between Worlds.
The six years since the war broke out between the Federation and the Heleion Dominion, was a speck in the passive existence of the void that stretched across existence. It coldly surrounded, embraced the myriads upon myriads of worlds floating in its bck seas where no sound could be heard. But even though the six years compared to the aeons that passed – in a way – uneventful, it was one of the bloodiest conflicts for the Federation. For the Dominion, it was just another squabble over territories that came with the usual millions of dead.
In the known and chartered systems, peace was a fleeting, vanished at a moment’s notice. And even the multifarious emptiness – often decorated by the floating debris of ravaged, destroyed vessels, stations that once were the home of thousands researching the mysteries of this endless, soundless bck ocean; or by the carcasses of the leviathans of the void who had the blessing of meeting one of the great vessels of the Federation or the Dominion. Or simply meteoroids that sauntered without a care or thought, a few carrying their riches which often painted colorful lines, setting alight the gloom.
Somewhere betwixt the Nerion System of the Grand Myotis Federation and the Iurodon Section of the Dominion of Heleion, two grand vessels floated – one driven by dread and hope they will reach their destination where aid id, the other driven by the thrill of the hunt and the promises of glory and elevation. The first was the grand Auriga Css Voidroamer of the Federation, an oblong vessel with small protrusions – wings – that rotated around with a soft, metallic hum smothered by the oppressive desire for silence of the Void Between Worlds. The other, the Roper Css-VI Voidvessel of the Dominion, belonging to the Bck Rose Order.
A vessel which soared the Void Between Worlds in a vertical position as it resembled its namesake. Two snting obelisks fitted onto each other, welted by gargantuan Golem Constructs within the Void Facilities of the Nidhaullir Institue – a subsidiary of the Bck Roses. It possessed two command centers. One in the lower segment’s center, the other a rge, bulbous disk painted crimson against the raven bck upper hull, further evoking the image of the stationary predators of the Deep Lands of the North. On the sides, fluid metallic appendages rested stiffly, containing not an artillery system but their ft ends covered in magical gss inscribed with thousands upon thousands of runes, all containing the spell to immobilize and pull.
And now the rights turned towards the engines of the Auriga Css Voidship and slowly pulled it towards itself. Within the lower segment of the vessel, located in the spacious room equipped with a detector and a teleportation circle, a group consisting three Skjaldmaeriths, a few Faufnairiths of the Voidfarers flocked around Neveniira, the highest ranked amongst them and a Ryodhaeth versed in spatial and destructive natured spells. A dark elf of exceptional beauty even amongst the Order.
Onyx bck hair trimmed in an elegant, imposing angled bob, with wavy tresses dyed a purple of vibrant berries growing on the luxuriant bushes of North Heleion – her homend. An hourgss body, encased in her stiffly fitting sleek uniform, dark as the bluish bck night sky. Face with a broad forehead and faultlessly tapering, sharp jawline, eyes red as the greatest of wines, a nose straight and contoured without any visible curve or bump, softly arching brows above her eyes lined in an elegant almond frame.
With resounding thuds, Neveniira scaled the short steps leading up to the teleportation circle, from the corner of her eye she watched the phantasmal image of the enemy vessel they were about to board. At the rim closest to a fringe banister, she turned and met the gazes of her fellow Sisters. As per her habit, she grabbed onto her long Kunningrieth Type-III coat’s colr whirling around in the shape of broad vortex edged with liquid metallized adramantyrium and addressed them before they were enveloped in the astral energies folding them into an unseen yer of reality.
“As you all are aware, we shall step into the den of the enemy. Kill if you must but, if possible, capture as many of them as you all can.” With that they all thrusted their fists against their bosoms, and let out a joint cry just as the magicraft artifice built into the vast vessel hummed alive, and spit them across space and time. The cozy surroundings around them faded, and in their pce, they found themselves in the presence of oppressing, clean metallic bluish white walls and blending onto the walls, stacks of crates towered over them.
A blue skinned human let out a gasp, his mouth agape dressed in the sleek uniform of the Federation’s Navy, a lower ranked marine with long hair collected and bundled into a straggling tail. A single-breasted, fully buttoned up coat of lustrous nulyesther with a few creases as he reached for his radio hanging on his belt, the upper part bck as onyx, the lower section, edges and cuffs a vivid and deep indigo blue. From the round neck a pointy colr arose and reached his broad and sharp jawline adorned by rough stubble, folded down with the leaves lower edge touching his shoulders just a few centimeters from the shoulder straps. On the sides of the front, pouch pockets hung, bulging from the meager contents, whilst the nametag and badge fastened to his left bosom.
Eyes, round and expressing his fear and surprise that slowly joined by his lust stirred by the several beauties surrounding him in their leathery and metallic silken uniforms. Neveniira raised her right hand engulfed in swiveling etheric matter slowly taking shape, translucent with a hint of blue and mauve. The urge within the guard to cry slowly subsided, and confusion repced the previous congregation of expressions. His fingers twitched as he tried to resist, and just as he nearly done so, Yar’etzi the merfolk Skjaldmaerith – and close friend of Neveniira – pnted her light blue – bordering on teal – fist into his firm, packed abdomen.
Her right hand on the leather-bound hilt of the sword resting in its sheath. The abyssal bck bangs of Yar’s hung forward whilst the top half secured into a straight, low-hanging ponytail shimmered in a ménge of amber, deep violet, aquamarine and navy blue, resting on the funnel shaped colr’s Dragon-Stand pels. An extension sewn seamlessly onto the stiffened colr’s top edges, resembling the serrated back of dragons. From it, the lone cloak draped over her and the other two Skjaldmaeriths shoulders.
She quickly caught her and lowered him down onto the floor. “Good job. Thorug, Seiko keep an eye on the corridor behind the door. Yar, secure him quickly.” Her friend nodded whilst already procuring two small coils of rope she used to bind the lone guards’ wrists and ankles before she procured a roll of glistening bck sealing tape and tore off a long strip she quickly fastened across his lips and cheeks.
Neveniira turned towards the other two Skjaldmaeriths and squinted a little when the ceiling mp’s white light reflected from the decorative edging of their dolmens. Slim snow silver cords slithering along the smooth, lustrous matte surface on the edges of the colrs, sleeve cuffs, asymmetrical hems and the front yer where they unevenly slither towards the diagonal zipper line, making mild loops with decorative round buttons engraved with various arcane symbols and letters. “Yar, you take the eastern section with Una and Etiklyss. Arrievar yours the north section including the armory with Gyrd and Thorug. Sepurcia you take the southern area with Seiko and Todica.”
A low hush permeated the storage room as Yar’etzi dragged the trussed-up guard through the floor, stopping at the right corner, far from the door. “Good luck Sisters!” The three Skjaldmaeriths lined up before the door, facing their blurred reflections in its smooth surface. Their assigned Faufniriaths lined behind them, their weapons ready and their bosoms all rose in unison as they inhaled the air graced by their perfumed scent. With a hiss, the gate retracted into the wall, and they departed charged at the nearest marines patrolling the section – their expressions full of fear and surprise at the sudden intrusion.
***
Long they walked through the broad corridors of a frigid, rectangur design segmented by the occasional pair of oblique columns protruding from each side. They were just as bnd and cold as the walls, Yar thought to herself before she noticed a Polypian marine of the Federation step out with their so-called assault rifle aimed at her. With loud screams, small, barely visible projectiles left the round, protruding barrel in quick succession and flew towards her like a murder of crows.
Each she sliced into two, then wreathed herself in an aura that faltered the bullets before they could dent her favored uniform. She mopped and mowed looking at the queer creature of a humanoid with pinkish violet skin, hair made of tentacles, appendages and a beak for a mouth veiled by even more tentacles or appendages. Small, slit and vertical eyes and strange folds beneath them that hummed and thrummed as he seemed to breathe. With a bit of power pumped into her legs, she lessened the distance between them with a simple and elegant leap.
Her bde screamed silently through the air, then came the all too familiar and loved lulby of flesh and bone tearing as metal sliced through them. One st death throttle, a screech came from the creature and its inky blood spttered onto her pretty face and uniform, and onto the floor. His head rolled a few times before it stopped near one of the columns, facing its own reflection with hollow eyes. For a moment, she felt her heart beating with excitement and arousal that extended to her lower regions, then as it subsided, she noticed the two subordinates given under her control finish incapacitating the bestial and more human like Federation marines who attacked from the rear.
“Una, just keep watch whilst Etykliss secures them.” She gave the order to the pretty soratanese long and luxuriant snow blonde hair with a braided tail half mimicking hers, her sharp blue eyes turned at her than to the opposing corner. She listened as Etykliss, a solfrith with fair amber and smooth and oily skin, voluminous dark hair intricately bundled into a rose-shaped bun, a few locks hanging on both edges and with ochre yellow highlights matching her shimmering, focused eyes. Her tapering jaw buried into her dress shirt’s vibrant, deep mulberry red colrs bereft of the bowtie and buttoned down.
Aware of the dwindling time they had, the solfrith Faufniriath Etiklyss opted for simple knots, though she still treaded with care evident from the low groans coming from the aging marine whose creases trembled softly as his body reacted to the ropes cutting into his flesh. Her warm golden toned fingers glided on the sleek, even silver surface of the sealing tape, her nails at st found the peeling point and dug relentlessly until the uppermost yer arose with a textile roar before its end attached to the left cheek of the old sailor of the Void. Three times she looped it round and round, before she used her teeth to sever the lengthy strip, then with a gently push guided the filing end to the rest in a perfectly even loop.
“Finished.” It took her no more than five minutes to secure the other two – a stygian with sallow skin and long, forked tail protruding from the back of his pants through a vent, and a gnome with bulbous nose and twin tails of a vibrant pink hair. For a few moments they remained still, hearing faint and muffled noises, but then realized it was just the dripping in the ducts hidden behind the panels of the walls.
“Let’s take them to the nearest room. After we secured the back, we shall guard them until further orders from the Thegrith!” Yar said then pondered for a short while. Her fingers pressed onto the corset like waist accentuating her petite, honed form. “Una, help her. I shall keep watch.” She said with her sword in hand, following after the two after Una heaved the gnome and the old man without effort over her shoulders. Whilst following them she pondered how the others fared, especially Arrievar whom she betted on besting in the number of sying the enemy. Hopefully, this time she pays the first three rounds instead of me.
***
Deep did her axe sunk into the head of the beastkin marine. On the lupine head adorned with silken soft and lustrous yellowish fur, a cavity like the parting sea she witnessed back on Nakashintui let the brain and blood flow like great rivers, bckening the fur and dimming the dark upper segment of her uniform. Even a few blots accompanied by chunks of her long skull spttered onto Arrievar’s jet bck hair done in an asymmetrical bob, melding in with the burgundy red highlights including the tresses guided behind her long, sharp ear.
What a shame. She looked quite adorable. For a moment, she mented the recent loss of her own pet in the passing of the marine whilst she pulled out the double-edged axe from her head. A few more speckles flew onto her pretty face, right onto the deep, burgundy red scale growths sleeping still on the edges. Her lips wide and mildly cushiony curved at the corners as one even stole into her mouth and its metallic taste mingling with another spread a joyous warmth across her. Cinnamon? No. Vanil? Not a chance… it has to be like a mild, caramelized garlic. Though it was not, but simply, the memories from her homend, the colony world of Nakashintui perfumed her sensing.
The pleasant moment broke when a lone miniscule projectile – a bullet – shot right into her left shoulder. “Elevated-Sister! Get down!” Gyrd, the blonde nairenthian yelled from her cover behind a stack of crates in the armory. On its walls, blood and gore cascaded down until halfway, then froze into a bck painting upon a boring silver. Why should I? They should cover before a dragon’s child. Her mother’s words flowed into her mind and a cold bloodlust shadowed her ruby red eyes.
With a tighter grip around the handle, she lifted the shield in the other over her chest and vanished out of existence. A dusky blue human with a prominent, aquiline nose let out a gasp and turned around sensing a mild gust of wind followed by the glint of a tainted bde. For a moment the crammed armory rolled and at st looked upwards at his beautiful killer. Loud thuds followed each of the thick, hardened leathery soles upon the metallic floor, his own dark bluish blood dripping from the thirsting edges, engraved with mesmerizing runes glowing in the dim shade of death. Its coldness was the st thing he felt, and even the two Faufniriaths’ trembled at the sight of their superior.
Still, Thorug the winterborn native of Naireanth amassed her confidence and strength. “Remember Respected Arrievar – leave one alive!” Her near albino white face glistened softly, her a few loose and disorderly tresses staggering onto the sheared side of her head tickled the stubbly temple. Arrievar simply nodded with a sigh, drunken on the pungent smell of the dead just when the st one alive – another young wolfkin marine with fur darker and denser – leapt out with teary eyes, her assault rifle aimed straight at the Dracorith Skjaldmaerith.
Out of all the twenty-seven bullets, all stopped before the bulbous, rge shield ornated in yers with the head of a giant. For a moment the metal lost its stiffness, even seemed to liquidize to the wolfkin who looked and waited for the cold embrace of death. Instead, she felt a bit of pain as the bullets reshaped into small spheres flew into her abdomen and smmed her against the wall. A st groan escaped her long muzzle, and her head hung down, tears flowing into the dense jungle of dark gray fur.
“Secure her quickly.” It took Arrievar a bit of effort, but stopped herself from chopping wolfskin’s head off. I wonder how she can stop the urge. Her thoughts wandered onto the arghyrian Sister of hers, Sepurcia who always managed to find a way to lessen the casualties in battles and missions. Many a times whilst Arrievar was bathed in the blood of her enemies, Sepurcia stood pristine with a calm, genial smile whilst people moaned and groaned around her, sometimes even without ropes or tapes.
***
Sepurcia stood in a demure stance in the center of the leisure-room southwards to their entrance point. The room was permeated by the resonant cacophony of half a dozen Federation Marines who were on their break – and looked quite surprised at the athletically slender, light olive toned Skjaldmaerith and her two companions. Her dense, choppy yered hair of a vibrant birch brown, the verdant green pearls in an almond shored pond, and even her delicate nose with a slim bridge and subtly wider tip drawn in all their attentions. Their surprise quickly shifted into enamored gazes as her pungent, cedar and cherry perfumed scent stole into their nostrils.
The exotic soratanese, Una with her richly bck hair with a low hanging bun penetrated by an ebony bck stick, her mesmerizing, eloquently stretched roundish magenta eyes and delicate, slim nose and wide, soft lips and Todica, a dark dracorith whose glinting abaster scales and short, boyishly cut hair complimented her roughly bewitching face further strengthened the hold of the Skjaldmaerith. But as all good things, the spell came to an end too.
The two Faufniriaths prepared their rich mahogany framed stave rifles aiming at the nearest to them. Purplish and azure etheric tendrils slithered out from their octagonal cuffs edged with liquid mythrinium, and slithered along their soft hands and fingers, connecting to the snting trigger, stopping just at their tips. Then came the release when the argyhirian Skjaldmaerith leapt into action, swinging her smooth surface mace at the abdomen of a young human no older than thirty with undercut hair, who upon feeling the cold metal even through her thick uniform, let out a loud groan as her soles parted ways with the floor for a moment.
Todica shot first, the mana bullet aiming to not take life leaving the heptagonal barrel made no noise thanks to the unseen astral feathers growing from the engraved runes in the metal walls. As it entered the body, a wave traversed across the whole, slender body of the yellow skinned human with double pupils, smothering her groan into a whimper, then into silence as she nded on the cold floor, limbs sprawling in every direction of the compass.
The rest began to stir, and Sepurcia acted quickly. “Una, you are free to shoot any of them.” She yelled out her order and the cold toned bullets mingled with the warm mp shade bathing the quite spacious room. A vast decorated with billiard tables, consoles connected to a few televisions and there even were a few corners with pairs of high and broad bookshelves and sofas. And of course, a cupboard and counter with a coffee machine and a few boxes of sweet and savory delicacies like Zsukók óylog (chocote fudge sculpted into small spheres with cherry in the middle) or ?trepet (cooked pork fat with a bit of seasoning in small cubicle form).
When the st fell, Sepurcia could not help and hastily stepped between or over the groaning, unconscious marines and opened up one of the boxes. Her emerald eyes glistened with a deep lust towards the dark balls that seemed to be covered in snowfkes – coconut in reality – and took out a few. “Taste these. These are majestic, trust me Sisters.” She threw a pair to Todica and Una who eyed them a bit unsure. But quickly took one into their mouth and their moans joined the collective of the rooms when the chilled chocote fudge melted and the sweet cherries joined in as soon as their teeth smashed the juicy fruit freed from its hard and small seed.
She had no need to ask, their faces told everything and she quickly stuffed her own mouth with the sweets. Then opened up one after the another as she inspected their contents. “These should st us for a bit if things take too long.” Then she spped her hands together and procured three roles of silver sealing tape. She threw two at Todica and Una. “Let’s secure them quickly.”
“Shouldn’t one of us keep watch?” Sepurcia shook her head. “No need. In this area, there are no more left of them. The rest will or probably already are sealed off.” She answered whilst her own roll of sealing tape screamed loudly as it was ripped wide open. She kneeled down and attached the open end onto the ankles of a short gnome whom she almost sent to her makes when her mace connected to his balding head. In the end, she wrapped his whole hands into a mutton, and wrapped the tape around his mouth and eyes. Need to be a bit more frugal. She thought as she moved to a nearby bulky, ursine beastkin marine.
With an apologetic look as, the adhesive tched onto the fur covered muzzle, she looked up and watched proudly as the two nearly finished binding the others. Quite efficiently as she commented within herself, as the two followed her advice to wrap only four times, as the tape proved sturdy enough even against the Federation’s folk. It even seemed to dry their mana reserves, even though as far as they knew, the Federation’s people possessed no arcane points. This ck of arcane points was the leading theory why their magic was limited to the alteration of their body, of their “self” – so to speak – amongst the greater minds of the Heleion Dominion.
In a few seconds, all seven of the marines within the leisure-room were secured, lined up against the long stretching window reaching from floor to ceiling. The stars beyond their back and reflections. “Una!” As soon her name left Sepurcia’s mildly thick lips with well-rounded, symmetrical sides, Una turned at her with an expectant gaze. “Keep watch over them. We will be back soon.” She nodded and proudly hit her shapely, ft bosom that almost led to her name tag fall off.
Her gaze focused on their backs until the door slid closed on them. Feeling the bow-tied cravat’s yoke around her neck, she released the knot and tucked it inside her left waist pocket, then adjusted her elven parka’s double notched-pel’s slipping up to her chin unevenly as it sprouted from the oblong, boat-shaped neckline. As the silken button-concealment of her dress shirt – reddish blue just like the mulberries of her home world – she let out a slight hiss filled with the pleasure of soft, refined silk brushing the tip and slowly pushed the buttons through their furtive holes. Only thanks to the softened draucr corset-vest, they did not spring at the silken lined inner walls, just pyfully opened a slit, a peak at her soft, fair throat.
With this releasing ceremony, she began to walk back and forth before the still dreaming captives whose muffled moans were like the gentle whisper of the spring wind. A sigh escaped her as she felt the surge of excitement and finally, the thought manifested in her head. On an alien vessel. Just like Selindrae the Bold during her encounter with the Crimson Sun. Una allowed a mild smirk to adorn her face.
Author's Note:
And another one. The longest of the three I pnned for this month. And the one I wanted to be shorter, but as I finished outlining the characters, I realized it won't be if I give a segment to each including the Federation POVs in the next.
On a worldbuilding note: Skjaldmaeriors were changed into Skjaldmaeriths. Initially to signal how the Voidfarer's became the second rgest branch of the Bck Roses [and all other Orders] I wanted to give them their own unique/special forces ranks that somewhat matched with the aforementioned one and the other. Now the other reason is me being forgetful and not finding the notes where I wrote down their uniforms, their history, etc. I do remember it was Skjaldmae something, but my reflex was to go with the -rith suffix which means elf. In this case the word's meaning should be Elven Shield Maiden which I kinda like so in the future it will extend to chapters [and If I stop being zy, will correct it in past chapters].
Simirly, Federation terminoligies may change here. A lot of stuff was made without much thought in regards of them. Like their ship terminology comes from astrology, that will probably stay, the human race of the Federation will have a proper name, simirly all the other's will change in the future. The one thing probably that remains in my mind, is that they are based on Star Trek's Federation, at least their Void Navy stuff.
Anyhow, that is enough rambling for today. Thank you for reading this chapter, hope you all enjoyed it so far. Take care until tomorrow's chapter folks!
Twitter || Bluesky || Pixiv || Deviantart
