Rise in Revolution (Chapter Sixty-Three)
Oct. 16th, 2016 12:04 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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saladloveAre you ready?
Chapter list: https://tanadin.dreamwidth.org/650.html
World map: http://tanadin.deviantart.com/art/Kaldri
Chapter Sixty-Three
Who We Are
Xela’s temporary setup, Sector TZI. April 16, 2272. Time instance 842N.
Xela typed in his name and searched, leaning back and letting it go. Neves silently wondered exactly how much storage space and processing power her laptop must have in order to have as extensive a database as he had heard, but it was finished before he could ponder it long.
“Not a whole lot on you,” Xela admitted, scrolling through the results. “Some legal nonsense. Immunization records, school report cards, government files, that sort of thing. Doesn't look like anything too interesting. I can upload it to your systems, if you’d like.” She saved the search results and continued. “Some people with the same last name have showed up, though, and if I just…” She opened a second search bar and typed something in. “...narrow it down to anything mentioning the Mahuvsian- oh, here’s something.” She opened up the result and scanned it over before explaining.
“This is an article written at the end of the Mahuvsian War. It mentions a Becnal “Quasar” Xevalah, who was an instrumental part of rescuing General-” Xela blinked in surprise, pausing and rereading, before continuing, “-rescuing General Geluu Narsworn of Maladrite- which was a country around the TZI-A4 area- from Kalcian clutches deep in the deserts of Salvek. Without him, the rescue team would have died or been captured and the general would not have been able to return and cement their victory.”
Xela noted the dates, opened up another tab, and pulled up a file on Becnal Xevalah. She scanned through it and nodded, leaning back. “I thought so. He’s your grandfather, Neves. Geluu knew your grandfather and, if this article is anything to go by, they were good friends.”
Neves slowly nodded, the pieces coming together in his head. “I thought he might know one of my family members. He seems to know a lot about lifewardens and said that I looked familiar, but he couldn’t place why.”
“I have a picture,” Xela said helpfully, switching back to the article and scrolling down. She clicked on the image to make it fullscreen, showing a man that looked an awful lot like Neves standing next to Geluu. The scar below the half-elemental’s eye was absent, while the two marks over his mouth were red and seemed barely healed. He looked almost exactly the same as he did now, maybe five years younger, if that. The other man looked like Neves would at fifty- if he aged at all-, with bright blue eyes and brown hair threatening to turn gray. He was standing next to Geluu, smiling, but his eyes were on his friend, a protective light deep within them. Geluu was facing the camera and was waving with his right hand, his left folded behind his back. Both were in unfamiliar uniforms, in different colors.
“Thank you,” Neves managed, voice quiet. “That’s..what I wanted to know.”
“Do you want what I pulled up on you? Most of it’s not that interesting, but-”
“Yeah. Yeah, okay. I’ll look it over later.”
“I’ll include the article about your grandfather.” Xela plugged a cable into her laptop and Neves helpfully held out his left hand, hoping that the connection hadn’t fried itself at some point.
Despite his worries, the files transferred without issue. “Thank you, Xela. I’m going to go talk to Geluu.”
Xela smiled at him. “You do that. I’m glad I could help.”
“Fall, you coming along?”
“No, I was actually hoping that Xela could pull up some information on me, too?” She directed it as a question, glancing at Xela.
“I can do that.”
“I’ll catch up with you. Go talk to Geluu.”
Neves nodded. “Okay. I hope you find something interesting, Fall.”
She smiled. “I hope so.”
With that, Neves left, thoughts of Geluu heavy on his mind.
Inside, Fall sat down next to Xela and watched excitedly as Xela cleared her results and clicked on the search bar. “Name?”
“Akiko Casper.”
“That’s a good name.” Xela typed it into the search bar. “Powerful. Sounds familiar, actually. I w- oh.” She narrowed her eyes at the screen and clicked a link, slowly leaning forward in her seat as she read. Fall couldn’t get a good look past her, so she waited patiently.
Xela leaned back once she was done reading and looked at up Fall with a hollowness to her gaze. “You’re not going to like this.”
Fall took a deep breath. “Tell me.”
“Akiko Casper was a criminal that evaded justice for almost a year through unknown magical means. Wanted for murder, breaking and entering, destruction of government property, and resisting arrest. Wanted worldwide for crimes in multiple countries, finally arrested in Faldric and sentenced to death. The execution date was set for a few days after the invasion.”
Fall shut her eyes as best she could, momentarily blocking input from her mechanical eye. So that’s what I was. A murderer.
“Well, it could have been worse,” Scott reasoned. “You could have killed, like, six people.”
“It was-” Xela glanced at the screen and shut up.
Fall opened her eyes. “Xela?”
“Moving on-”
“Xela. How many.”
“How many?”
“How many.”
“...Twelve. It’s odd, though. The article says that you had used some kind of mysterious magic, and yet your Mainframe profile says that you’re nonmagical.”
“I can see the dead,” Fall offered. “That’s about it, though.”
“Strange.”
Fall nodded, looking down at her hands. So I’ve killed before. She was under no illusion that she quite possibly had while under Mainframe control, but to kill a dozen people before that…
Xela put a hand on her arm. “You’re not that person now. You’re Fall. You’re a Steelwing, although in your case that’s less literal.”
Fall laughed at that, shaking off the darkness that threatened to overwhelm her. “You’re right. A forgotten past doesn’t shape who I am now. The Mainframe wiped my slate clean, and I’m going to make the most of it.” She got to her feet. “Thanks, Xela. That’s...more than I wanted to know.”
Xela nodded, understanding. “Let me know if you need anything, okay?”
“I will.” Fall turned to leave. I will.
~~~
“Geluu! Hold up!”
Geluu slowly turned, raising an eyebrow at Neves as he practically charged at him. The cyborg skidded to a halt, almost running into him, but didn’t even pause before speaking.
“My name is Zallen Xevalah and I’m the grandson of Quasar. That’s why you know about lifewardens. That’s why I look familiar.”
Geluu froze, eyes wide.
Of course. How hadn’t he seen it before? He felt like a pretty big idiot before the implications of that hit him.
Quasar. His best friend. The person he missed the most.
His grandson. A cyborg, his lifewarden powers limited by his metal.
Hadn’t he promised to keep an eye on Quasar’s line? Hadn’t he felt horrible when his daughter vanished, seemingly never to be seen again?
“Xevalah,” he mumbled, resisting the urge to hug Neves tightly.
I found him, Quasar. It just took me a few decades is all. I found him.
“I went to Xela to find out what I could, and-”
“And you know how your grandfather saved my life.”
“You were a general?”
“You’re surprised?”
“Yes!”
“Do I not give off the air of a general?”
“Hell no. More like...like…” Neves searched for the proper comparison but couldn’t find it, waving it off. “Whatever! But that’s a mystery solved!”
“Indeed it is.” Geluu smiled. “I promised Quasar I’d look after his line. I guess I’m fulfilling that.”
“What was he like?”
“Quasar?”
“Yeah. I don’t remember anything about my family, or who I was. Xela couldn’t find anything on me except legal shit, so I figured learning about a relative would be close enough.”
“Well,” Geluu sighed, “he had a temper like fire and a tongue like a blade. He was loyal and never backed down from a fight. He was quick to use his powers but slow to actually kill anyone. The war was hard on him, I’m afraid, but he wouldn’t let it break him. You Doravians are like that- unbreakable even in the hardest of times, aven especially. When I was captured, I heard stories about him not sleeping and constantly devising plans to get me out of there. He led a group though the desert, keeping them alive by drawing lifeforce from what little they could find out there, to reach me. I thought they’d slipped drugs that made me hallucinate into my food when he unlocked the door and grinned at me. I was a dead man, but he brought me back to life. Seemed to be one of his many talents.
“He was sarcastic and a pain in the ass most of the time, but I trusted him with my life. He wouldn’t take shit from anybody and was the first to strike at someone being an asshole.” Geluu flexed his fingers, feeling the usual stiffness in his left arm. “You’re a lot like him, you know. That’s a compliment, at least from me. I don’t know how I didn’t see it sooner. I knew you were familiar. It’s been too long.” He sighed. “Too long.”
“You’re the grandson of a hero, Neves. I hope you’re proud of that, because dammit, you should be.”
Neves slowly nodded. “I am. Thank you for sharing this with me.”
“And thank you for reminding me of Quasar.” Thank you for reminding me of the flame of hope he lit. If he could get me through the Mahuvsian War, then I can get Neves through this damned revolution.
~~~
It was a week after they left that the aven returned.
The sun was setting when the call went out, the word spreading quickly down the streets of TZI and drawing people outside to see the newest additions to the revolution.
Ten seven thousand units landed in the streets, heralding the darkening of the sky by hundreds of aven wings.
Hawk and Goldtalon landed first, the others landing in neat rows behind and around them, on the streets, on the buildings, on every inch of surface area, wings beating on golden skies and excited chattering carrying through the evening air.
Nine beamed proudly as he walked up to the two triumphant aven, Goldtalon towering over Hawk but dipping his head in respect whenever she spoke. “Look at what you’ve done.”
“We know how to fight together,” Hawk said fiercely. “Hundreds of years of human encroachment and conflict have taught us how to work together for the benefit of us all.”
“Gods above,” Tanadin whispered. “I’ve never seen so many aven at once.”
“Neither have I,” Goldtalon admitted, “and I am one.”
“You might not be able to do a lot against the cyborgs, but dammit, we need the numbers and we need the morale.” Nine grinned at them. “Thank you. Thank you, both, for risking so much. How did you get them all out?”
“Security was looking for a revolution. Not a few nonmagical aven. Any that caused trouble, the 30B squad handled ‘em.” Goldtalon clicked his beak.
“30B?”
“Units 7130-β through 7139-β. They’re a fun group. Give ‘em a raise.”
“I don’t pay the Steelwings.”
“Then you can afford to triple their salary.” Goldtalon clacked his beak and flared his wings slightly in the aven equivalent of a smile.
“I’m quadrupling yours.”
“Thanks, Nine. I’ll be sure to spend it on extra lives and titanium feathers.”
"Good usage. Now where the hell is Hazon? I am not organizing all of these aven by myself."
no subject
Date: 2016-10-16 06:48 pm (UTC)Neves slowly nodded, the pieces coming together in his head. “I thought he might know one of my family members. He seems to know a lot about lifewardens and said that I looked familiar, but he couldn’t place why.”
So no Geluu and Neves shipping now due to the fact that Geluu was friends with Neves' grandfather? D:
“I have a picture,” Xela said helpfully, switching back to the article and scrolling down. She clicked on the image to make it fullscreen, showing a man that looked an awful lot like Neves standing next to Geluu. The scar below the half-elemental’s eye was absent, while the two marks over his mouth were red and seemed barely healed. He looked almost exactly the same as he did now, maybe five years younger, if that. The other man looked like Neves would at fifty- if he aged at all-, with bright blue eyes and brown hair threatening to turn gray. He was standing next to Geluu, smiling, but his eyes were on his friend, a protective light deep within them. Geluu was facing the camera and was waving with his right hand, his left folded behind his back. Both were in unfamiliar uniforms, in different colors.
So were Geluu and Neves' grandfather a thing then? This sinks the Gellu and Neves ship further >.<
“Akiko Casper was a criminal that evaded justice for almost a year through unknown magical means. Wanted for murder, breaking and entering, destruction of government property, and resisting arrest. Wanted worldwide for crimes in multiple countries, finally arrested in Faldric and sentenced to death. The execution date was set for a few days after the invasion.”
I made up an out of nowhere backstory for Fall which went like this: She used to be a trapeze artist and acrobat with the best balance but this also made her a deadly assassin and so when she was captured trying to assassinate her sectors 7000 unit the Mainframe took her sense of superb balance away.
And I said to Tanadin that if any part of my theory turned out to be true then I would ban myself from Doritos for a month. Seeing as it seems that Fall used to be some kind of assassin seeing as she killed 12 people, I am very glad that I ate my bag of Doritos last night before I came up with my theory about Fall XD
“...Twelve. It’s odd, though. The article says that you had used some kind of mysterious magic, and yet your Mainframe profile says that you’re nonmagical.”
New theory. Fall was a Ninja who could see the dead, and she used her Ninja skills and information from the dead to evade justice.
“Hell no. More like...like…” Neves searched for the proper comparison but couldn’t find it, waving it off. “Whatever! But that’s a mystery solved!”
“Indeed it is.” Geluu smiled. “I promised Quasar I’d look after his line. I guess I’m fulfilling that.”
Welp there goes that ship, Geluu is now going to look at Neves like a grandson *salutes the sinking ship of Geluu and Neves*
“Gods above,” Tanadin whispered. “I’ve never seen so many aven at once.”
“Neither have I,” Goldtalon admitted, “and I am one.”
Huzzah for the safe return of Hawk and Goldtalon!
Huzzah also for the hundreds of aven that are now part of the revolution!
no subject
Date: 2016-10-16 07:44 pm (UTC)And they were not a thing, they were just good friends and maybe Geluu was being gay but Quasar wasn't.
Not necessarily. He might not.
I N C R E A S E A V E N
no subject
Date: 2016-10-16 07:59 pm (UTC)I N C R E A S E
A V E N !