Post by Solvani Imperium on Apr 16, 2014 11:05:37 GMT
Rahza Teia shifted his focus from the pale blue orb of his own eye's reflection in the porthole to the greyish-white sphere of the planet below.
He blinked to close the nictitating membranes over his eyes, but it did not make the planet look any more inviting. Bo'ra Qor was a frozen waste as far as Rahza and most Solvani were concerned, but there was no doubting its strategic significance. Located at a nexus of warp points from D'Kali, Goetian, and Master System space, it was an access point to the rest of the quadrant. That was why countless D'Kali warriors and even more of the Automaton's droids had fought over the planet for so long. It was why Lord Xova had told him his slain lieutenant, Urix, was now feasting with the D'Kali god of war while his family sung Urix's praises back on Kalisa.
The landing at Bo'ra Qor had not been planned when Rahza Teia was given his orders as the Intendant's Legate to the settlement talks above the Central Core. His ship was only supposed to make a brief refueling stop at the orbital refueling stations above the planet, but when the D'Kali broke the Siege of the planet, Lord Xova himself invited a delegate from their Solvani allies to join the victory celebrations. Rahza Teia felt he would be paying for the last three days of feasting all the way to the Central Core. The D'Kali took their celebratory consumption of toxic substances very seriously - and Rahza was not about to give offense on his first diplomatic assignment.
Rahza stretched his neck where the environmental armor he had been wearing on the planet had been fitted improperly. There were obvious disadvantages to a Solvani wearing retrofitted D'Kali equipment, especially given the extra limbs and different body sizes of the two species. Being on the barren, frozen surface of Bo'ra Qor had brought the need for better Solvani ground combat and environmental equipment into sharp relief. The galaxy was a dangerous place, and not every planet was forested, temperate, and breathable like Solva. If a battle were called for on a Solvani colony, Rahza Teia wanted to be sure it did not turn out like Bo'ra Qor.
Experiencing the sheer vastness of the carnage had been unsettling. It had been many cycles since war on that scale had darkened Solva. It was said that the scraps of the destroyed droids was enough to build a dozen Heavy Cruisers. After seeing the shattered metal frames lying around the central structures in piles, Rahza Teia could believe it. And for every thirty, or forty, or fifty duralloy shells (who could count them all?), there was a colorful D'Kali corpse among the piles, in stark contrast to the grey of the machines. It was difficult to decide what was more macabre: the black oil draining from the lifeless droids, or the scarlet blood of the slain D'Kali congealing even as it left their bodies. In the stillness of death under the red glow of the Boratis sun, blood and oil looked the same.
Rahza Teia leaned back into the custom-grown jump chair, slipping into meditation and bringing his focus to the task ahead. His vessel broke orbit and began to boost towards the warp gate that led to Shy'elme, home of the Master System. The war is over, and we won. Now I must win the peace.
He blinked to close the nictitating membranes over his eyes, but it did not make the planet look any more inviting. Bo'ra Qor was a frozen waste as far as Rahza and most Solvani were concerned, but there was no doubting its strategic significance. Located at a nexus of warp points from D'Kali, Goetian, and Master System space, it was an access point to the rest of the quadrant. That was why countless D'Kali warriors and even more of the Automaton's droids had fought over the planet for so long. It was why Lord Xova had told him his slain lieutenant, Urix, was now feasting with the D'Kali god of war while his family sung Urix's praises back on Kalisa.
The landing at Bo'ra Qor had not been planned when Rahza Teia was given his orders as the Intendant's Legate to the settlement talks above the Central Core. His ship was only supposed to make a brief refueling stop at the orbital refueling stations above the planet, but when the D'Kali broke the Siege of the planet, Lord Xova himself invited a delegate from their Solvani allies to join the victory celebrations. Rahza Teia felt he would be paying for the last three days of feasting all the way to the Central Core. The D'Kali took their celebratory consumption of toxic substances very seriously - and Rahza was not about to give offense on his first diplomatic assignment.
Rahza stretched his neck where the environmental armor he had been wearing on the planet had been fitted improperly. There were obvious disadvantages to a Solvani wearing retrofitted D'Kali equipment, especially given the extra limbs and different body sizes of the two species. Being on the barren, frozen surface of Bo'ra Qor had brought the need for better Solvani ground combat and environmental equipment into sharp relief. The galaxy was a dangerous place, and not every planet was forested, temperate, and breathable like Solva. If a battle were called for on a Solvani colony, Rahza Teia wanted to be sure it did not turn out like Bo'ra Qor.
Experiencing the sheer vastness of the carnage had been unsettling. It had been many cycles since war on that scale had darkened Solva. It was said that the scraps of the destroyed droids was enough to build a dozen Heavy Cruisers. After seeing the shattered metal frames lying around the central structures in piles, Rahza Teia could believe it. And for every thirty, or forty, or fifty duralloy shells (who could count them all?), there was a colorful D'Kali corpse among the piles, in stark contrast to the grey of the machines. It was difficult to decide what was more macabre: the black oil draining from the lifeless droids, or the scarlet blood of the slain D'Kali congealing even as it left their bodies. In the stillness of death under the red glow of the Boratis sun, blood and oil looked the same.
Rahza Teia leaned back into the custom-grown jump chair, slipping into meditation and bringing his focus to the task ahead. His vessel broke orbit and began to boost towards the warp gate that led to Shy'elme, home of the Master System. The war is over, and we won. Now I must win the peace.