With Thiva standing unhelmeted next to the non-Ascendant bridge crew, the physical difference between regular Karrakanians and Rhea's descendants like her is obvious. It's the difference between 'human with some reptilian characteristics' and 'actual reptilian alien'. She has a nose while they have nose ridges, her eyes are a little different… I suppose they must have told Athyns that he had an alien forebear.
"Do you have any physical evidence that you could show to me within a reasonable time span?"
So, Sparta is a typical example of the Ascendants, then. Makes them not half-bad looking, then. Unfortunately, there's not going to be time to fool around...
Thiva takes a moment to master herself. "I.. do not. I was young when New Cronus left, and the destruction was so widespread that I… Doubt that anything survives."
I frown. "You don't know?"
Like I said, it's probably been
some time.
"Sparta recovered me from the planet after the town where I lived was frozen. I was a little girl, and I don't think there were any other survivors. We couldn't live on the planet now."
"Would you go back if you had the tools to restore it?"
Because, you know, the Maltusians can offer that. Might be a
nice carrot to persuade the Ascendancy to stand down.
"That's-. We-."
A few of the bridge crew look mildly puzzled at the question. Thiva-.
Probably confused at why the pink-skinned God is asking all these
weird questions...
"Wait, how old are you?"
"Seventeen."
...And what does that
mean by the standards of your race? I mean, Arisia Raab is forty-odd years old by her people's count, but is a
teenager on her world.
"Ah-. I know any number of competent adolescents-."
"Karrakanians are adults at fifteen."
Okay,
good reference point. Physically
and mentally, I assume?
Some races hit one milestone before the other.
"Right, but they're not usually given ship command at that age. Who..?" I look around the other Karrakanians, but there aren't any obvious signs of high rank. "Has seniority here?"
None of them answer, a few awkwardly dropping their gaze.
Probably embarrassment at his questioning of her right to command.
"You." I point to one with a slightly nicer cuirass than the others. "What is your rank?"
"Steersman. I'm not one of the Ascendant."
Well, given you probably aren't decorated with tron lines, OL wasn't about to
assume...
"Only the Ascendant have officer rank?"
The steersman looks at Thiva for… Direction? Permission? She nods.
...So all the purestrain Karrakanians defer to the Ascendant? Some aspect of their divinity, I'm guessing.
"Our divinity grants us insight that others lack."
Theocracy. No, deiocratic oligarchy. Authority comes from their relationship to Rhea, who… Apparently made quite a positive impression on their society, despite everything that happened. Or the current ruling coterie just made that the official line.
The former has nasty implications, that don't align well with a narrative of 'polite visitor'. The latter suggests Sparta is behind the new order.
They all seem rational, though. I can't imagine soldiers from Earth being this… Polite, to someone who forced their ship to surrender.
"And the New God technology? Where did that come from?"
Probably part of their code of honour. Doing as ordered by another God means surviving to live another day, while resisting would get you
dead... Would be my guess...
"New..? God? You mean the Ascendant?"
I take the sword out of subspace once more.
Because if that tech ain't from the Fourth World planets, there's quite the case of convergent evolution going on, even if it's
only their tech..
"I recognise the technology. The people of the planet Apokolips and the planet New Genesis use similar designs. Rhea wouldn't have been familiar with it, so either your people developed it independently or you copied it from them. And while I could understand a civilisation borne of a titan developing similar technology, it's too similar."
I pause.
...I'm guessing it doesn't help that Thiva seems to be somewhat
low on the totem pole, even if she
is commanding a major craft.
"You're looking blank. The upgrades you've made since leaving Karrakan?"
"We implemented those at Sparta's behest. She designed them."
Ah, there we go. A lead! Now, where did
she get the tech?
"Do you have the evidence to prove that to a disinterested party? Because that may not be impossible it is pretty unlikely. I mean…"
I take a hologram generator out of subspace and project images of Canis, Scott Free and Grayven.
The evidence is pretty damning, really. But it could be a completely innocent coincidence...
"See the armour layout? The tron lines? How they glow?"
Thiva hesitates, but-. Ah. I've told her something that can't be incorporated into her current worldview, and she's trying to come up with any reason to ignore or reject it.
Probably going to settle on 'So they are similar to us? Or we to them? What does it matter?'
"Yes, I… See the similarity. But there are only so many ways to design armour."
"The workshop where Sparta came up with these designs. Is it on this ship?"
Oh, that would be too
easy, wouldn't it?
"No."
"How about the boom tube generator?"
"You mean the wormhole device? No."
...That's not an
incorrect description of the mechanics, I suppose...
"Does your current surrender agreement cover telling me where they are?"
"No."
Well,
feck. Looks like he'll have to take the matter to Sparta, then. Ideally
after beating her into surrender.
Obviously I could compel her, but the Geneva Conventions prohibit the use of mind control on prisoners. And I'd feel a bit bad about it without an imminent threat.
"Fair enough. Is this ship's drive still under power?"
Or did OL do too
much damage in his little test-firing? Also, OL? These guys aren't exactly likely to have even
heard of the Geneva Conventions.. No-one would know but you... But the fact you're deciding
otherwise says a lot.
Thiva and the steersman both look at the bridge's control systems. The steersman appears to reach a conclusion, but hesitates to report it before his mistress can.
Read The Auguries.
"Yes. Slowly and clumsily. Though I will have to remain on board to operate the divine technology."
...Well, there's a
proper little conundrum. Can OL trust you to continue playing
nice, or will some part of your honour code give you permission to 'escape' your surrender? Or is it more chivalric, with your word binding you to do as ordered by your captor, within reason?
"Then please do so. Also, render aid to any escape pods that you can. I'm going to return to New Cronus to try and negotiate a truce. I'm convinced that Sparta has been keeping pertinent information from you, and it appears that the closest place I can investigate further is wherever she is. I assume that she has a way to contact you to confirm my version of events?"
"Yes, she will be able to communicate with me."
Hopefully it won't involve
too much angry shouting at Thiva for surrendering.
"Then you have your directions. Carry on. Hellwraith, keep an eye on them."
I fly towards the nearest airlock, the location… Something about them surrendering to me made it… Easy to tell where things are on the ship. And its approximate state of repair. To sure whether I'm piggybacking on Thiva's New God abilities due to me dominating her, or if I'm sufficiently New God-like to do it on my own. I'd guess the latter, but I don't have the evidence.
Definitely a bit of both, perhaps. Until you release them from your bondage (of the 'captured but unrestrained prisoner' sort,) you're basically linked to them by metaphysical ties... Well, that's the most logical Narrative Combat explanation...
I do need to go home for a day or so to check up on things. I'll have Canis take a look at a few samples. Maybe… Not suggest that he visit. Though I think he would find my spiritual growth interesting.
That, or amusing.
...Yes, let's not give Canis
any reason to be near
these folks. Scot might be the better choice...
Flying out of the airlock I see that the cruisers are tractoring their crippled companions into the area of space they've established control over. They don't appear to be making any move to board and liberate the battleship, though if they have really deployed all of their Ascendants then they may not be able to.
Probably recognising the change of flags, so to speak. Unless OL gets beat down by an Ascendant, they're recognising that the Battleship and its crew are now non-combatants.
Wait. I didn't feel the battleship getting shot, and we're… Definitely within the field of fire on the gun Theia was occupying. Why didn't she shoot?
Concerning. I angle my body and fly towards it at top speed.
...Let's hope it's
just that she felt OL gain control of it.
...Yeah, that's not creepy at all, nosiree...