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Post subject: The chains of Izakis
 Posted: Jul 28, 2006 - 09:31 AM
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Storyteller
Joined: Jul 28, 2006
Posts: 3
Location: New Zealand
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Gather young shell breakers and listen to the days of yore, when your ancestors were but babes themselves departing the egg of Ke'Saal...
The great Tarka'Sil lead us forth into the space beyond, though there was no air for us to breathe such as you yourselves found when breaking beyond your shells.
Indeed Tarka'Sil found the space beyond hostile and unwelcoming, with only four of the thirteen stars that make up the capital cluster as willing to support us as Ke'Saal herself has done.
And in the process of discovering those that would be able to support us, many fine officers and troops died as we ran into a network of fortresses placed by the fore runners to defend the arm from external threats, though little did we understand them as their great weapons easily killed our initial scout teams.
Who then can name the Fortresses that remain?
Yes, that's correct little one, Ka'Sogroth and Ke'Koralla as we term them alone retain the fortresses emplaced by the fore runners in their great works.
In most of the systems discovered by the explorers of Tarka'Sil, much work was required to ensure that young shell breakers such as yourselves did not die immediately on exiting the shell.
But one system defied our usage, defended as it was by a fore runner fortress.
Izakis we named this system, largest after Ke'Saal herself, desirable but defended beyond our ability to defeat as Tarka'Sil placed his efforts to bring the other systems up to a level that let little shell breakers like yourselves survive their first breath beyond.
Thus did Izakis represent both our yearnings and our restrictions in one and thus did we work towards obtaining this, the largest world in the capital cluster beyond Ke'Saal.
Much time was spent obtaining the keys to Izakis, and then at the last, when the fortress fell to our people, did the foul abomination that deemed themselves the Ravenous Cycle fall upon our victory, consuming it after the fashion that their name implies. |
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Post subject:
Posted: Jul 28, 2006 - 09:47 AM
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Storyteller
Joined: Jul 28, 2006
Posts: 3
Location: New Zealand
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Tarka'Sil quickly determined that the Cycle had a similar physiology to our own, settling worlds we ourselves found desirable including Izakis.
From Izakis, Cycle fleets spread throughout the capital cluster as their mistress alternated between hunger and satiation, and with her mood we beheld either fragile peace or the slaying of unhatched younglings.
Izakis thus again earned its reputation as the lock on our peoples freedom, only now it was also the sword blade hovering over our necks and tails.
And opposite Izakis dwelt Zyrokin, fair jewel and fortress world where the best of our fleets constantly pitted themselves against the hordes of the Cycle's mistress in defence of our people.
Though Cycle fleets poured forth into the other worlds of the capital cluster, it was Zyrokin that they targetted when their mistress' hunger spoke, and thus it was Zyrokin who suffered for her fickle nature.
The foul mistress of the Cycle eventually offered not just peace, but an alliance against others further down the arm toward galactic centre.
Eager to learn more of those whom the Cycle's mistress would call enemies, Tarka'Sil readily agreed to the alliance, even though the move cost him much support amongst those who had borne the brunt of the hunger of the Cycle's mistress.
With the alliance, the arm opened up to the fleets of Tarka'Sil, who rapidly made contact with as many other Empires as possible to convey both greetings and explore options for improving the situation within our borders.
Sadly, the alliance also allowed the Cycle to place their foul Gates throughout the capital cluster, including on Zyrokin herself to the disgust of the occupants.
To our surprise there were Tarka beyond the Cycle, brothers and sisters of tooth and tail, though not at the last of heart and honour.
For no matter how we approached them, they refused to assist us in our efforts to free ourselves of Izakis' yoke.
Then one of our brother empires fell to the sword of another brother, and with that act our hopes for freedom, honour and heart-weal departed.
Of the remaining empires we knew only that one was ruled by a mistress similar to that of the Cycle, while the other was of a species previously unknown to us.
While debating what to do next, Tarka'Sil was approached by an elder of the Black Swimmers, who offered everything we needed to break free of the bonds of Izakis.
While debating the merits of the offer, word was received that the Cycle's mistress was once again in the depths of hunger and the first thing devoured in her hunger was our alliance with the Cycle.
Within moments a great force of ships arrived through the Cycle's Gate at Zyrokin, and the beleagured defenders were hard pressed to hold them long enough to try and both defend our people and destroy the Gate through which the ships of the Cycle arrived.
In the end they failed at both, and the alliance with the Black Swimmers was sealed in the blood of those who were Zyrokin. |
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Post subject:
Posted: Jul 31, 2006 - 08:04 PM
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Storyteller
Joined: Jul 28, 2006
Posts: 3
Location: New Zealand
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With the fall of Zyrokin morale throughout the capital cluster fell to an all-time low.
Many questioned the ability of Tarka'Sil to lead our people and the newly forged alliance with the Black Swimmers was considered untrustworthy at best.
Tarka'Sil narrowly maintained his role as leader of our people at a great gathering where male after male challenged him over the loss of Zyrokin.
It was during this time that Var'Ril first distinguished himself with spirited defence of Tarka'Sil.
Var'Ril spoke from analysis of the political realities, showing that we were by far the smallest people amongst all that knew us, while placing the Cycle second in the arm with their victory over Zyrokin.
Var'Ril showed us that we had been no better off since first we encountered Izakis and demonstrated that it was only through the wily actions of Tarka'Sil that we had not yet fallen, our eggs food for the mistress of the Cycle.
Unable to refute the works of Tarka'Sil, and discovering that not only Var'Ril stood in his defence, challenge was placed in abeyance by many attending the gathering.
Meanwhile, the Cycle, flush from their victory over Zyrokin, turned to Ke'Dolarra, smaller than Zyrokin but one of now only three remaining worlds inhabited by our people in the capital cluster and the only remaining world between them and Ke'Saal herself.
However, with the focus of the Cycle's inital attacks being Zyrokin, the other gates throughout the cluster had been easily disposed of, thus reducing the Cycle's ability to mount overwhelming attacks with little warning.
Thus what fleet remnants remained in the cluster with the fall of our main defence fleet at Zyrokin were able to reach and hold Ke'Dolarra while new ships were built and moved to reinforce Ke'Dolarra to replace the inevitable losses.
Ship after ship was built and sent to Ke'Dolarra, new technologies and tactics were tested and trialled in combat against the Cycle's fleets and slowly but surely new information and technologies were being absorbed from the Black Swimmers.
Having refined the ability to mine non-habitable star systems, mining fleets were sent forth to scour the systems of the capital cluster.
New technology from the alliance with the Black Swimmers made them invisible to the Cycle while they went about their task.
These ships exhausted the resources of each system, gathering them first upon Ke'Saal then upon the other worlds remaining until the industries of each of our worlds, gorged as younglings upon sweet meats, were able to not only produce enough ships to defend our worlds, but also produce the battle fleet of the newly promoted Var'Ril. |
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