Post by Holly Dae Valiare on Dec 8, 2017 13:26:53 GMT -5
[Heavy Weighted PL: 28,394]
[Thread PL:113,575]
[Heavy Weighted Permanent PL:312,331]
[ Permanent PL:1,249,325]
A storm raged outside. The wind howled and the hail slammed against the building. Bris was known as the world of ice, although a storm like this wasn't that common. Lumis Dae Valiare was waiting outside a door, waiting for negotiations to conclude. Holly was currently discussing housing for the refugees from Earth. Many of them were now homeless as a result of the atrocities that invading aliens had committed.
The door opened, and Holly walked out into the hallway. She was sometimes hard to read, since she carried herself confidently. Her back was straight and there wasn't any indication that she was agitated. Lumis caught up to her, pacing himself so that he was walking right beside her.
“I take that the negotiations were successful. It seems that we have a bit of fortune on our side.”
“If we were fortunate, then we wouldn’t be in this position to begin with. Still, things were in our favor this time around. The native population had also taken casualties from a recent attack. Earth isn’t the only planet to have taken heavy losses. They couldn't say no even if they wanted to. They need all the help they can get right now.”
Lumis looked over at his sister, grinning over at her. Her younger brother was the more expressive of the two of them. Holly has to be more formal due to her position as head of the Valiare family. By contrast, her brother was a little more laid back and blunt, although he still carried a degree of dignity with him.
“They’re all much stronger than the average human. We appear to be slight stronger than that if one just senses our power. Once they used their toys and saw your true strength, they caved in rather quickly, didn't they?"
“Lumis, you're making me look like the head of a mafia. I wouldn't do something as barbaric as try and intimate someone in the middle of peaceful negotiations.”
“Did they use those scouters to read your power?”
“They wanted to see.how strong I was, so one of them used theirs. Are you implying that I rely on my power to make successful deals?”
“I’m saying that it doesn't hurt your chances. These things work out better when one group is in In a position of strength over another.”
Holly resisted the urge to roll her eyes, opting instead to look ahead and avoid eye contact with her brother. She had a level head and an air of confidence about her that made negotiating things a talent of hers. Even when others didn't know her true strength, she managed to reach at least a favorable compromise most of the time.
Yet her brother did have a point. Even when people didn't know how powerful she was, most people from Earth knew that she was the head of the Valiare family. Her true negotiation skills would be put to the test when she had to discuss terms with brings more powerful than her. There were other things to focus on at the moment though.
“Give me the final damage report on Earth. I need to know exactly how much rebuilding we’ll have to do.”
Lumis’s smile faded from his face when she brought that up. They passed by a Kold Demon in the hallway, which gave them a passing glance before heading off on its business.
“Earth itself miraculously survived. The northern area has been left completely uninhabitable, South City was completely wiped out as expected. What’s less expected is that a temple suddenly appeared in the spot where it used to be.”
Holly’s narrowed, scowling as soon as her brother told her about the temple. It shed some light on some unpleasant questions.
“So that explains why he hasn't left the planet. He plans on making himself at home on Earth. He isn't bothering to hide his energy signature. The fact that he built a monument dedicating his destruction to a city of innocent people speaks more for his arrogance that I could ever put into words.”
“Since he doesn't appear to be leaving anytime soon, we’re going to have to stick things out here the long term. They aren't going to be happy about it, but…”
Holly cut her brother off though, her voice rising above his. She had been expecting her brother to go with that route, although that was not what she had in mind.
“I’m going back to Earth to negotiate things. He’s going to leave Earth one way or another, but he won't leave if we do nothing.”
It took Holly 5 seconds to realize that her heels were the only pair of shoes she could hear. She stopped, turning her head to look over her shoulder. Her brother was standing in the middle of the corridor. He was staring at her like there was something grotesque growing out from her skull. Then his face cracked up into a nervous grin.
“Okay, I get it now. I didn't think you had a sense of humor. You're so stiff even when you're telling a joke. Going back to Earth with that monster still milling about. Heh…”
Lumis let out a couple of chuckles while Holly just stared at him. Her face remained the same though, which caused his good humor to evaporate pretty quickly. Even before she opened her mouth, he knew the gist of what she was going to say to him.
“I’m not joking Lumine. I’m the hei to the throne now. Rinako gave her life defending the Earth. It would be an insult to her memory if I hid like a coward and hoped things will turn out fine. Aa Rinako’s successor I must lead by example I don't intend on fighting him directly, but I will do everything within my power to make sure the people of Earth live on Earth. I can't do that from this planet.”
Holly turned her head back around and walked forward, turning a corner and leaving her brother's line of vision. He was shocked by everything she had just said. So stunned that he couldn't move his body. He willed himself to move, taking off down the corridor as fast as he could go.
“Holly! Wait up! HOLLY!”
Lumis caught up with her, walking behind her as she moves through the hallway. Holly was headstrong and brave, but he never thought she would take a risk like the one she was going to partake in.
“Holly, listen to me. There are strong people there that can take care of that monster. They fought off that large invasion force, and they’ll do the same thing for that threat. You can sense what's happening on Earth, so there's no need to risk your life for this!”
“There's no guarantee that those beings will be able to get rid of that creature, or even want to. Earth is our home. It’s unacceptable to live on another world cowering in fear and hoping things get better. It’s dangerous, but to make significant change, you have to accept the inherent risk in each action you take.”
“Holly, I don't want to lose you. Mother and father are already dead. If I lost you too, I…. I…..”
Holly stopped, turning around to find her brother looking at her with a forlorn expression on his face. Her lip trembling, she walked towards her brother and gently hugged him. She held him there for a moment, comforting him as much as she could.
“Nothing will happen to me, I promise. I know how much it hurts. The sadness of their passing is overwhelming. But I’ll always be there for you. You’re my precious little brother, you mean the world to me.”
Holly pulled back, smiling sadly at her younger brother. His eyes were watering, but he was trying his hardest not to cry.
“Lumis, you don't have to come to the conference if you don't want to. You should go relax until you feel better.”
Lumis shook his head, taking a handkerchief out of his pocket and patted his eyes with it. A proper nobel was always prepared, and carried things that made them presentable should something threatened their image.
“No, I’m fine. I just need a moment to collect myself. I’ll see you at the conference.”
Lumis turned and walked the other way. If he hadn’t been so focused on not sobbing in his sisters presence, he would have noticed that she was watching him walk away. Her lips trembled, the rising sorrow within her threatening to make her break down.
<I’m so sorry Lumis. I didn't want to do it, but they left me no choice. I had to get rid of them. I know you’ve suffered so, as have I. I pray every day for your happiness and well being, and for you to never find out the truth.>
Holly closed her eyes, letting out a choked sob. She had done horrible things to get to where she was today. It was all for the sake of Earth as a whole. She felt the guilt rising up in her again, as it always did when Lumis missed their parents. Holly focused on suppressing it, bottling her.feelings once again. She opened her eyes, striding down the hallway towards the entrance of the palace.
<Everything I’ve done has led up to this. Soon I will become the Queen of Earth, and I’ll be able to guide everyone towards the path we must take. I will protect Earth and the people on it, no matter what. My actions and sacrifices won't be in vain.>
Holly told this to herself as she walked through the halls of the palace. It was supposed to make her feel better. Instead it was a comfort colder than the icy world of Bris.
Thirty Minutes Later
A fair number of Earthling adults who evacuated Earth with Holly had been gathered in the great hall of the palace. Most of them were waiting around, casting nervous glances at the Kold Demons that were overseeing things. They had every right to.be weary, given the circumstances. Holly walked up the steps at the far end so that everyone could get a good view of her. She then addressed everyone in the room, her voice reverberating in the large, open space.
“As Queen Rinako’s successor, I, Holly Dae Valiare, am doing everything in my power to keep you safe. We’ve all been through a horrible ordeal, but I have some good news. Earth has not been destroyed. I will be going back there with a team to survey the damage. In the meantime, the Kolds have agree to provide shelter for us until I determine Earth safe enough to travel back to. It doesn't make up for what we lost, but we have to start with what we have and do everything we can. I will now take questions.”
A lot of hands shot up, a chorus of voices rising up from the crowd. Holly was not surprised that there would be this many questions. They knew barely anything about their current situation other than the bare bones of information that they had. Holly pointed to a bald middle aged man. The other voices died down as this person spoke.
“You made a broadcast of the giant tree and the attack on South city. What condition are both places in? How many people made it out alive?’
Lumis entered the room as the question was asked, standing right beside Holly. The head of the Valiare family had been expecting this question, so she answered it in a heartbeat.
“The exact number of casualties are unknown. Everything we know right now comes from probes that the Kolds have allowed us to use. We evacuated as many people as we could, although the sheer scale of the damage in the north makes it difficult to make any accurate assessment right now. There were so many evacuees that we’ve had to spread them out all over this planet. We still have yet to make a headcount of everyone.”
People whispered to each other. Holly could see the worried look on many of their faces. Some likely had people close to them who were caught up in one of the hot zones of combat. The next person Holly pointed to was a thin brunette in her early twenties.
“We all heard Queen Rinako talking to us in our minds. It still feels like a weird dream, but we’re here. We haven't heard any word from her. Does that mean that she… did she…”
Holly nodded solemnly at the young woman. The whispering among the crowd had died down. Now they all knew for certain: Queen Rinako was no more. The woman bowed her head hurriedly.
“Forgive me your highness, we haven't been addressing you properly.”
“There's nothing to forgive. Even if you had know, you haven't offended me in the slightest. Considering the circumstances, everyone has been very cooperative.”
Holly briefly smiled at the older woman, who was relieved to see that the Queen had taken in well. The next person to speak out was a Kitsune who appeared to be in his twenties. Although it was hard to tell how old his race was.
“Queen Rinako told us that we had to come here to avoid the war between two Saiyan factions. Was Earth nothing more for them a place to settle their problems?”
Angry muttering rippled through the crowd. Now they had gotten to the main crux of the matter. They were on Bris to flee from a tribe fight between the Saiyans. Holly took a deep breath. This was going to take some explaining.
“This is what I know based on the information I have. A strong being attacked South City by itself. One of the Saiyan factions took advantage of that and planted a biological weapon that could suck the energy out from the planet. The other Saiyan faction fought them, and managed to destroy the weapon before it destroyed Earth entirely.”
“That’s…”
Before the Kitsune could finish that thought, a loud snort turned their attention to one of the Kolds in the room. He was scowling over at Holly.
“You’re making it sound like that there is a good and a bad Saiyan faction when both of them are just as bad. The supposedly peaceful Saiyan Alliance invaded our planet without provocation. They’re all a bunch of filthy barbaric monkeys that destroy everything around them.”
An old woman with grey hair spoke out from the crowd next.
“That thing is right! The Saiyans invaded Earth once before, and have constantly stirred up trouble! This time they’re gone too far! When we get Earth back, I say we ought to punish them for their crimes, then ban Saiyans from ever coming to Earth again!”
Like a match lighting the fuse to a stick of dynamite , the woman's comment caused the room to explode. Cries of outrage erupted from both the Earthings and Kold Demons, all with the same sentiment towards the Saiyans.
“Murderers!”
“Monsters!”
“Warmongering Barbarians!"
“Shit throwing monkeys!”
“I bet they eat the shit they don't throw at others!”
“Deport them from Earth!”
“They should all be imprisoned for war crimes!”
“We need to build giant walls around our cities to keep them out!”
“You goddamn idiot, how the hell are walls going to keep the Saiyans out?!”
The arguing got more and more intense, every person there voicing their grievances against the Saiyan race. One voice cried out louder then all of them though, and it carried the most weight behind it.
“EVERYONE CALM DOWN! THIS ARGUING WILL GET US NOWHERE! WE’LL TALK ABOUT WHAT TO DO ABOUT THE SAIYANS WHEN THE TIME IS RIGHT! WE NEED TO FOCUS ON OUR IMMEDIATE FUTURE!”
Holly's voice caused all the out cries to settle down. Everyone turned to see the Magi holding both of her hands in the air, gesturing for the crowd to settle down.
“I know feelings are running high right now, but we can't let our emotions cloud rational thought. I will be personally leading the task force that will assess the damage done to Earth. I’m leaving my brother Lumis in charge while I’m gone. Despite his young age, he's quite the capable leader. We will persevere through this and get back on Earth. That is my promise to your as Queen of the Earth"
One Hour Later
Holly and Lumis had managed to calm the crowd down and assign them to living quarters. Holly and Lumis made their way towards one of the landing zone where the ships were kept.
“Holly, why did you leave out some things? You didn't tell them that south city was destroyed.”
“Emotions are high enough without telling everyone that we only managed to get a few survivors from a city before it got wiped off the face of the Earth. Tensions are high enough as it is.”
Lumis couldn't argue with that. Things certainly had gotten a bit out of hand. Although after everything that had transpired, this much resentment towards the Saiyans was to be expected.
“They do bring up a point though. What are we going to do about the Saiyans? This can't just be swept under the rug.”
Holly thought about how she was going to answer this question. In truth, she honestly had no answer to it right now. Although she did know one thing.
“I’m not going to be as lenient as my predecessor was. Rinako had a gentle heart, bless her soul. However that proved to be the wrong way to treat the Saiyans. I’m going to take a different approach to dealing with them.”
Holly and Lumis entered the landing zone, walking over to a single space pod. Holly actually intended on going alone, despite what she said to the crowd of people earlier. The sheer power of the forces she would be dealing made bringing more people meaningless. It would just risk life that didn’t have to be risked. Holly opened the pod, placing her hand on top slipped one leg inside.
“Be careful, okay Holly?”
Holly looked back at Lumis, patting his shoulder a couple of times while giving him a soft smile.
“That’s the plan little brother. Getting Earth back successfully while being as careful as possible.”
Holly got into the pod and activated it, setting in the coordinates to head to Earth. The pod shot up into the air and into space, Lumis watching it go. He only left once it had completely vanished from sight. He had his tasks he had to perform, and Holly had her own she had to complete. The work of the two Valiare siblings had begun.
[WC=3,200]
Traveling to Earth. I will be taking PL for this thread.
Bonuses: Heavy weighted clothing
