Hopping Coasts
On this night, the Dreamer leads us to the jewel of Castrovel, to the mighty city-state of Qabarat -- the pinnacle of Lashuntan power in the Pact Worlds. We zoom in to the industrial district, past half-built skyscrapers and warehouses, where a hovercar is gliding to a stop...
Idryll stepped out of the car, and straightened his tie. A greasy dockworker stepped out from the shadows, scanning him from head to toe, followed by a deferential nod. He was led down an alley and through a service corridor, to an elevator bay covered in dust. Idryll pressed the only button, and waited. And waited...
Idryll: "Next time, bring the elevator up before I get here."
The dockworker choked an affirmative, and the elevator pinged, revealing a glossy modern interior and a row of cushioned seats. Idryll entered the elevator alone, neglecting to sit, and scanned his ID card. A number of advanced options flashed on the infopad, and but he selected the main lobby floor, and examined his nails while the elevator car sank deep into the earth.
He exited into the new headquarters for Project 9 -- a seven-story, subterranean fortress buried below the unofficial capital of Castrovel. The lobby was circular, about 200 yards in diameter, and was as tall as the structure itself, exposing seven floors of glass and metal balconies. It was his pride and joy, and the result of millions of credits and man hours. No longer would Project 9 hide in Ukulam, on the edge of scarcity and disaster. With Unari gone, it was an easy sell -- the Black Formians had risen again, and they were laying waste to everything they could get their hands on.
An agent walked up from the entry desk, holding a datapad in his hands.
Agent: "Sir?"
Idryll: "Status." Idryll took off across the campus, headed towards the suite of elevators opposite his entrypoint. The agent -- he could never remember their names -- rattled off information from his datapad, staying just a step behind. Agent: "The latest Warchiefs are progressing, although Chamas continues to struggle. Dr. Pencile is confident in his containment procedure."
Idryll: "Stress test it anyway. His little breakouts are getting expensive." Expensive was putting it lightly. The three times Chamas has escaped confinement, he'd ruined the entire ward, and often did significant damage to the lobby. Only Annwen was capable of containing him, but even that familial bond was faltering. Constant radiation and sonic amplifiers seemed to do the trick, but it made Chamas difficult to recondition... It would pay off in the end, or he would be excommunicated -- Idryll didn't care which, as long as they could replicate his mysterious power. The agent kept rattling on numbers and figures, with Idryll half listening, before something caught his attention. Agent: "--and the Starfinder Society is getting suspiscious."
Idryll: "Repeat that first bit."
Agent: "Luwazi Elsebo has returned, sir. And she's already identified two of our plants. She's also put out an APB for Lockette Endrinmaster, but our sources indicate she knows the Android is on Orikolai."
Idryll: "Still no movement from Atticus McCallow?"
Agent: "No, sir."
Idryll: "What about the rest of our opponents? The priority list."
Agent: "Nicholas Carter has been spotted on Aballon, and Vaughn Blackblood still refuses to do business with us. Valentina Terris has been... Well, everywhere, sir. Every planet on the Pact Worlds, the Veskarium, and nearly every official colony." Idryll forced himself not to scowl. Moving headquarters had tilted his eyes down, and everything else had kept moving without him. He didn't like it. They reached the other set of elevators, and Idryll swiped his badge. The agent didn't have clearance to enter the seventh floor, so Idryll waited. Idryll: "Is that all?"
Agent: "One more thing, sir. Alexander Marcus sent a communication request, to be fulfilled at your leisure."
Idryll: "My leisure?"
Agent: "That's what it said, sir."
Idryll: "That's bureaucrat for right now, you idiot. Next time, put anything involving House Marcus at the top." The agent saluted in response, and Idryll stepped into the elevator, letting the doors close behind him. It was a wealth of work, running this organization... But he was going to build it back up, one step at a time. Until Project 9 was the greatest power in the known worlds.
Idryll: "Status." Idryll took off across the campus, headed towards the suite of elevators opposite his entrypoint. The agent -- he could never remember their names -- rattled off information from his datapad, staying just a step behind. Agent: "The latest Warchiefs are progressing, although Chamas continues to struggle. Dr. Pencile is confident in his containment procedure."
Idryll: "Stress test it anyway. His little breakouts are getting expensive." Expensive was putting it lightly. The three times Chamas has escaped confinement, he'd ruined the entire ward, and often did significant damage to the lobby. Only Annwen was capable of containing him, but even that familial bond was faltering. Constant radiation and sonic amplifiers seemed to do the trick, but it made Chamas difficult to recondition... It would pay off in the end, or he would be excommunicated -- Idryll didn't care which, as long as they could replicate his mysterious power. The agent kept rattling on numbers and figures, with Idryll half listening, before something caught his attention. Agent: "--and the Starfinder Society is getting suspiscious."
Idryll: "Repeat that first bit."
Agent: "Luwazi Elsebo has returned, sir. And she's already identified two of our plants. She's also put out an APB for Lockette Endrinmaster, but our sources indicate she knows the Android is on Orikolai."
Idryll: "Still no movement from Atticus McCallow?"
Agent: "No, sir."
Idryll: "What about the rest of our opponents? The priority list."
Agent: "Nicholas Carter has been spotted on Aballon, and Vaughn Blackblood still refuses to do business with us. Valentina Terris has been... Well, everywhere, sir. Every planet on the Pact Worlds, the Veskarium, and nearly every official colony." Idryll forced himself not to scowl. Moving headquarters had tilted his eyes down, and everything else had kept moving without him. He didn't like it. They reached the other set of elevators, and Idryll swiped his badge. The agent didn't have clearance to enter the seventh floor, so Idryll waited. Idryll: "Is that all?"
Agent: "One more thing, sir. Alexander Marcus sent a communication request, to be fulfilled at your leisure."
Idryll: "My leisure?"
Agent: "That's what it said, sir."
Idryll: "That's bureaucrat for right now, you idiot. Next time, put anything involving House Marcus at the top." The agent saluted in response, and Idryll stepped into the elevator, letting the doors close behind him. It was a wealth of work, running this organization... But he was going to build it back up, one step at a time. Until Project 9 was the greatest power in the known worlds.
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