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Subject: "(EXILE) Reunion part 2 of 6 : Resolve"     Previous Topic | Next Topic
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Apr-22-07, 04:11 PM (EDT)
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"(EXILE) Reunion part 2 of 6 : Resolve"
 
   Thursday, June 20, 2374
Zeta Cygni System
Cygnus Sector
1830 hours GST

R-minus 13:17:30:26.00

The Architect-class constructor Frank Lloyd Wright, like her sister ships in the Cianbro Corporation fleet, was designed for the long haul. Not only did she carry the smaller transports and shuttles for moving crews, supplies, and heavy equipment, and the construction labors and security Destroids for use on-site, she needed to provide refining, manufacturing, processing, growing, and living space for a job site's crew for months or even years on end. She was part mobile factory and part office complex, ready to meet the construction needs of an ever-changing galaxy head-on, ably providing the flexibility needed to seize unexpected opportunities and capitalize on them, embodying the spirit of Cianbro's corporate culture that had endured since the 20th century.

As such, the ship contained recreation spaces, workers' dormitories, cafeterias, medical bays, repair depots, engineering and design workshops, and classily appointed executive field offices. One such room on the executive deck was a stately conference room, long and narrow, flanked on its longer edges with wide shuttered viewports, capped on its ends with turbolifts and wall displays. It was made to impress without being ostentatious, an ideal room from which to make presentations to clients, arrange contracts and accounts, and to discuss other serious matters of import for the company.

This evening, it served a more intimate purpose.

The seven daughters of Maximilian and Miria Fallyna Sterling sat around the room's conference table, savoring the meal provided by the starship's catering staff, trading stories and enjoying each other's company. All of them had managed, by various means, to keep in contact with each other over the past decades, but it was rare for all of them to be in the same place at the same time. The masks of their assumed identities were removed, and they'd be damned if they weren't going to take advantage of this opportunity.

Tales were told, gossip was exchanged, sibling banter and military smacktalk flowed like a savory wine among the sisters. Old boyfriends and lovers were brought up, compared, and critiqued. Gripes were vented about the workplace and the galaxy in general. No one was exempt, and nothing was left out. Laughter and tears took equal precedence among them. Even Mylene's pet, Guvava, got in on the fun, mooching food from anybody who was willing.

But as the night pressed on, and the remains of dinner and dessert were cleared away, the conversations slowed. Glances were exchanged between them, and more than once, a gaze lingered at the empty seats at the opposite ends of the conference table. Despite themselves, the Sterling sisters had unconsciously avoided taking those places, feeling it to be an imposition to the two who would have sat there, had they been present.

Their parents, Max and Miria Sterling.

Maia Sterling took a sip of her beer and finally broke the building uncomfortable silence. "OK, girls, I think before we all descend into emo maudlin depression mode, we'd best discuss what we're really here for."

A quiet chuckle circled around the gathered women, their spirits mildly buoyed by Maia's bluntness. Komilia Sterling nodded, a slight smile gracing her face, and saluted her younger sibling with her glass of spring water. "I concur and second this motion. Any objections?"

The rest of her sisters gave her a combined 'yaright?' look that threatened to overwhelm her. Komilia chuckled, her eyes brightening. "I'll take that as a 'no', then. Emi, Xera, it's your show."

Emilia nodded, and tabbed a control near her end of the conference table. Thick shutters slipped down over the viewports, and the lighting became more subdued as Xeralia got out of her seat, holding a data card that she had pulled from her uniform.

"All right. Approximately three weeks ago, galactic time, another Zentraedi deep space probe appeared in Cybertron's local space. As in 2288, its Reflex core and fold drive were nearly depleted. Again, it was transmitting on an old WDF frequency, and its opening instructions were enciphered. The Autobots recovered the probe and alerted the Zentraedi garrison to its arrival. Lord Exedore was on the planet, and I was recalled by fold-shuttle to attend the opening."

"Which wouldn't have happened if I hadn't been on Cybertron at the same time, handling some business for Cianbro," Emilia interjected with a quirked smile.

"Indeed," Xeralia acknowledged with a nod of her head and a smile of her own. "In any case, the probe's message was extracted successfully and we reviewed it. After discussing the matter between Emilia, Lord Exedore, Optimus Prime, and myself, we decided to go into action. Emilia made some arrangements with Cianbro, I returned to the Quelquira-Nuur to prepare the battlegroup for transit, and Lord Exedore forwarded our intentions to the rest of you."

The siblings nodded. This much was known. "So, why gather all of us here?" asked Miranda Sterling. "I mean, if Breetai, Mom, and Dad are coming back, there's much better places for them to do it. Zeta Cee may have been a ghost system the past few decades, but it's hardly off the beaten path."

"We wondered that at first, but the orders Lord Breetai provided were specific. We omitted them from the general summons just in case of enemy interception, until you all could get here." Xeralia idly tapped the data card against the sleeve of her opposite arm as she said this.

Komilia arched an eyebrow and sat up straighter in her chair. "Sounds like you're worried about this becoming more than just a reunion, Xera..."

"Let's just say I wanted to keep any rampant rumors from spreading. Suffice it to say, the actual message should help clarify things."

The eldest sister nodded in acknowledgment. "All right. Let's see it."

Xeralia returned the nod and turned towards the wall display. She activated a panel, inserted the data card into its universal reader, and entered her security clearance codes. The display fuzzed with a burst of audio and visual static, there was a brief display of Zentraedi commcode and cipher information, and then words in Standard appeared across the screen, accompanied by the stentorian voice of Admiral Breetai Kridanik:

Attention:
Domillan Exedore Folmo, Zentraedi High Command;
Group Captain Xeralia Fallyna Sterling, Meltrandi Battlegroup Quevillon.

Xeralia paused the playback for a moment and explained, "Breetai has no way of knowing I've been promoted two levels since we last spoke." The others nodded and made get-on-with-it gestures.

From:
Admiral Breetai Kridanik, Kridanik Fleet.

Effective immediately:

* Suspend current Battlegroup Quevillon patrols and return to Cybertron.
* Resume contact with the children of Maximilian and Miria Fallyna Sterling (list appended).
* Battlegroup Quevillon is to proceed to the Zeta Cygni system, Cygnus sector, under the command of Xeralia Fallyna Sterling.
* Secure Zeta Cygni star system, to the best of your ability, before 0000 hours, July 3, 2374.
* Assume holding positions within the inner radius of the Zeta Cygni Kuiper Belt by 1200 hours, July 4, 2374.
* IMPORTANT: DO NOT APPROACH WITHIN FIVE (5) AU OF ZETA CYGNI PRIMARY.
* Await further instructions from Zentraedi Command.

All hail the WDF/Zentraedi Alliance!

The message finished with more comm and cipher information, and then the display went black. Xeralia removed the data card and turned to face the group.

There was a moment's quiet as each woman considered what they had just heard.

"Well. That was remarkably... succinct," Mylene Sterling said, breaking the silence. "I wonder why they're so insistent about us not getting so close?"

"We wondered that as well." Xeralia stepped away from the far wall, returning to end of the conference table. "Emilia and I discussed the message's contents with the Autobots; the most plausible theory we came up with is that - if indeed the Kridanik Fleet is returning to known space - there is a high possibility of displacement anomalies as the local gravimetric curve undergoes the strain of a 10,000-ship mass spacefold. Add to that a possibility of misfold due to bit errors in translation calculations, as well as a chance of enemy forces pursuing them in the fold wake, I can understand their desire to keep us well out of range of the actual fold jump."

Therèse Sterling made a thoughtful 'hrm' and spoke up. "As you say, that's a plausible theory; but that's still basing it on a lot of 'ifs'. And while I agree that I'd be damn glad to get Mom and Dad home, that's still a pretty big assumption. And it still doesn't address why they'd want to stage a return at Zeta Cygni, instead of along the Galactic Rim or Coreward Frontier."

The battlegroup commander shrugged, looking momentarily sheepish. "Well, it was the best we could come up with that would account for them requesting a full battlegroup at a certain time. Besides, the timing of this message... it's reasonably close to the estimates Dad gave us in his first message."

"This is true," Therèse conceded with a smile and a wave of her free hand. "That doesn't explain why you, though - " (at this she pointed at Emilia) " - felt the need to bring the lead element for an entire damn constructor fleet. That's a little much for a family reunion, isn't it?"

"I was wondering that as well," Maia added. "I mean, sure, we're not entirely subtle either -- but an Ikazuchi has a lot lower profile than an Architect."

At this, Emilia grinned. "Well, look at it this way. If indeed the Kridanik Fleet is returning, that's 10,000 Zentraedi ships... reappearing all at once... after 80 years and more of hard travel. Now, I don't know about you, dear sister, but I figure there's opportunity here. The Zentraedi are not known to be the best repair engineers in the galaxy." Maia chuckled and nodded, while Emilia turned her attention to Xeralia. "No offense."

"None taken," Xeralia dryly replied, though there was a twinkle in her eyes which belied her otherwise stern expression.

"So." Komilia considered her sisters, one at a time, then looked back at the now-blank display. "You think we can pull this off? That's a lot of space to check over and not a lot of time."

Emilia and Xeralia nodded in unison.

"With our combined efforts, split between Xera's battlegroup, my own resource handlers, Maia's 'Mars Division' to fill in the spaces, and your Crusaders to take point and check the gaps, we should be good to go before the first deadline passes," Emilia said.

"Sounds good." With those words, the eldest Sterling got up from her seat, her expression solidifying into one of firm determination. "If anybody's got anything else to add, now the time."

Mylene raised her hand, and grinned. "Well, I figure while you all are playing bloodhound, I might as well make myself useful, and see what I can do about getting a summary whipped up for the returnees. I'm no Derek Bacon, but I think I can put together something appropriate in two weeks."

Maia glanced over at the youngest Sterling with a skeptical look. "Is this going to be made into epic poetry, a tone poem, or a rock opera, Mylene?"

"It can be all of them if you want it to, Maia," Mylene rejoined with a smirk.

Komilia grinned. She could see that her siblings had been refreshed with a new resolve, a new sense of purpose, looking forward to the tasks ahead - for she had the same feelings herself. "Good enough. Ladies? Let's get to work."

And so they did.

"Reunion, Part 2: Resolve" - An Exile Mini-Story by Philip Jeremy Moyer
Reunion Mini-Serial Plotted by Philip J. Moyer
special to the Eyrie Productions Discussion Forum
(c) 2007 Eyrie Productions, Unlimited


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(EXILE) Reunion part 2 of 6 : Resolve [View All] pjmoyermoderator Apr-22-07 TOP
   Reunion Illustration 2 of 8: MAIA Gryphonadmin Apr-22-07 1
      RE: Reunion Illustration 2 of 8: MAIA EW Apr-22-07 3
          RE: Reunion Illustration 2 of 8: MAIA Verbena Apr-22-07 4
   RE: (EXILE) Reunion part 2 of 6 : Resolve O_M Apr-22-07 2
   RE: (EXILE) Reunion part 2 of 6 : Resolve mdg1 Apr-22-07 5
   RE: (EXILE) Reunion part 2 of 6 : Resolve asuffield Apr-23-07 6
      RE: (EXILE) Reunion part 2 of 6 : Resolve Norgarth Apr-23-07 7


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