Tun Kai Poh
Hero
Time And Time And Time Again
"It was unfortunate, but conflict has always been a series of tragedies. Our duty is simply to try to mitigate the worst of them," Tabitha nods, "We appreciate the sentiment, regardless. What were your ships doing in the area anyway? And what sort of protocols were they operating under to engage so aggressively? WHY were they engaging so aggressively?"
Caspian sips his coffee in silence, his cold blue eyes watching Mabika intently.
"This is a complicated matter," Mabika replies. She chooses her next words slowly and deliberately. "What I am about to tell you is intended for your confidence only, and cannot leave this room. The ships were deployed from DS11 Gloria to rendezvous with the Shirline at Lighthouse Station, to serve as as an escort. However, while en route, they experienced...anticausal phenomena. From what transmissions we received before their destruction, they had somehow become caught in a closed timelike curve associated with a Free Company mech carried on board, a HORUS LICH frame with limited temporal distortion abilities. We are still trying to discover at which point the mech joined the fleet, and how it came to have orders from Baronic Unified Command originating from the year 5021. Lord Grundin can only surmise that whatever happened, effect preceded cause."
Tabitha remembers, with sudden clarity, the bizarre transmission from the Eternal Cosmonaut just before it self-destructed: <TABITHA, IT WILL BE AN HONOUR. UNTIL OUR NEXT WALTZ.>
HORUS Lich by Tom Parkinson-Morgan
As the noblewoman continues to converse with Tabitha and Caspian, re-iterating the need to keep this information confidential, Caspian senses Mabika's motives and priorities. She could be bought if she believed she could gain an edge for her beloved Baronies...even if it went outside of the normal chain of command.
"It was unfortunate, but conflict has always been a series of tragedies. Our duty is simply to try to mitigate the worst of them," Tabitha nods, "We appreciate the sentiment, regardless. What were your ships doing in the area anyway? And what sort of protocols were they operating under to engage so aggressively? WHY were they engaging so aggressively?"
Caspian sips his coffee in silence, his cold blue eyes watching Mabika intently.
"This is a complicated matter," Mabika replies. She chooses her next words slowly and deliberately. "What I am about to tell you is intended for your confidence only, and cannot leave this room. The ships were deployed from DS11 Gloria to rendezvous with the Shirline at Lighthouse Station, to serve as as an escort. However, while en route, they experienced...anticausal phenomena. From what transmissions we received before their destruction, they had somehow become caught in a closed timelike curve associated with a Free Company mech carried on board, a HORUS LICH frame with limited temporal distortion abilities. We are still trying to discover at which point the mech joined the fleet, and how it came to have orders from Baronic Unified Command originating from the year 5021. Lord Grundin can only surmise that whatever happened, effect preceded cause."
Tabitha remembers, with sudden clarity, the bizarre transmission from the Eternal Cosmonaut just before it self-destructed: <TABITHA, IT WILL BE AN HONOUR. UNTIL OUR NEXT WALTZ.>
HORUS Lich by Tom Parkinson-Morgan
As the noblewoman continues to converse with Tabitha and Caspian, re-iterating the need to keep this information confidential, Caspian senses Mabika's motives and priorities. She could be bought if she believed she could gain an edge for her beloved Baronies...even if it went outside of the normal chain of command.
