~ STORY NARRATION~Back at the Corvus Facility, a sleek craft which appeared to be made for speed touched down in the main hangar. The craft had weapons and technology unlike anything ever seen by most Andalites. Its black hull seemed ominous, but the color of its skin did nothing to rival the color of the soul within.Iksilon sighed as his transport touched down at the Corvus facility. Of course he’d gotten word mere hours after the facility had been raided. Odd, that. The raid, not the fact that he’d received word of it so quickly. Of course, the Corvus facility was one of Sector Seven’s more open operations, or at least one of the better-known ones. That didn’t change the fact that it was supposed to be a secret from nearly everyone.
That oaf, Kyran. How could he screw up one of the easiest assignments in S.S.? This was the last straw…he’d be dealt with, and Iksilon had half a mind to take care of the idiot himself.
He descended from his transport behind his escort of personal guards…some of his most-trusted confidants. Of course he wouldn’t trust them with his life…he wouldn’t trust that to anyone but himself, but they had shown remarkable loyalty in the past. Kyran wasn’t even there to greet him. The fool was truly ignorant.
Two guards saluted as Iksilon walked past into the dome proper. Most of his fellow male Andalites looked at him with at least mild disdain. Iksilon was small for a male, in fact, he was often mistaken for a petite female from a distance. That didn’t bother him. Oh it used to, back when he was younger. Most of the males were much larger and more physically imposing in the Academy, but Iksilon thanked fate for that now. It had trained him to use his mind instead of his body to achieve his goals. Why fight, when you could manipulate someone else to do it for you, or better yet, manipulate your enemy into doing what you wanted without any fighting at all? And now…now he was perhaps the most powerful Andalite alive.
So many Andalites were blinded by the propaganda, they were easy to manipulate, and even easier to predict. Iksilon’s predecessor had been responsible for the inception of the anti-Yeerk propaganda campaign…it had been the saving grace of that particular being’s career. Iksilon admitted to himself that the propaganda had been a wonderful idea. That hadn’t stopped Iksilon’s predecessor from experiencing an unfortunate accident at the shipyards, but Iksilon had actually felt something akin to regret at ending the male’s life.
He trotted up the path to the main facility, his four guards flanking his rear on either side, and stepped into the large central foyer. The facility looked benign, as well it should. What better way to hide secrets than by disguising them with simple facades? He trotted to the central elevator, a few security staff passing by him on their way to various duties. He smiled. It wasn’t pretty. They all underestimated him, to a person. That was one of his greatest advantages in life. Simple facades.
He and his body-guards stepped onto the central lift and descended to the first basement level. They stepped into the hallway and crossed, entering the central control room for the facility with its large holographic displays. There was Kyran, standing near the front. His main eyes darted up at the sound of the door, and he frowned at Iksilon, turning his attention back to the two individuals he was talking to. Iksilon knew Kyran’s type. Large, imposing, using their size and musculature to attempt intimidation. The young male to which he was speaking looked somewhat flustered. A good actor, Nirdran was. He’d bristled at being stationed on Corvus, and Iksilon understood his frustrations, but Nirdran was and always had been much more competent than Kyran. He would be the one to inherit control of the facility.
Iksilon and his guards trotted up to Kyran and Nirdran. Iksilon stretched and just as Kyran turned his main eyes on him, Iksilon threw all of his weight into a backhand to Kyran’s cheek. The impact left his left hand stinging. Kyran’s eyes widened in shock, and then flared in outrage…certainly not from any sort of pain that Iksilon might’ve been able to inflict, but from pure anger at the backhand’s audacity. Iksilon’s guards merely raised their weapons, and Kyran’s posture relaxed a bit, though his flaring breathing slits betrayed his anger. Nirdran merely watched on, now impassive.
<You’re a fool Kyran. An idiot. How did you ever earn the rank of War Prince?> He stared at Kyran’s face, utterly calm. <Don’t bother answering, it was a rhetorical question.>
Some of those in the facility looked on, stunned. Others merely glanced at the confrontation and went on about their business. In the military, Iksilon’s rank was merely Prince Lieutenant, but those in Sector Seven knew that Iksilon truly outranked Kyran, though even those didn’t know by how much.
<<The Alpha-Lord will hear of this…your death will->>
<<Will he, Kyran? Will he? I would be more concerned about my own standing with the Alpha-Lord were I you.>> Iksilon’s smile made Kyran take a step back. <<I happen to know the Alpha-Lord personally, Kyran…and he is very,
very displeased with your performance.>>
<<My performance?! I have done nothing but->>
<Nothing, Kyran?> Iksilon changed to open thought-speech so the rest of the operations room could hear. <You have all but ruined my facility.>
<I…>
<You are responsible for what happened here, just as much as those who perpetrated this attack.>
Iksilon could see the rage growing hotter in Kyran’s eyes. So much rage…no one embroiled by that much emotion should ever be put in a position of power. <I assure you, Prince Lieutenant, that we are doing everything we can to ascertain what happened.> He couldn’t even keep the edge of anger from intruding upon his tone. What a joke of a Prince.
<And how did they get in?> Iksilon kept his main eyes glued on Kyran…intense, yet calm.
<We…believe that it was the service pad.> Kyran shifted his eyes back and forth.
<<It
was the service entrance, Lord Commander.>> Nirdran never indicated that he was speaking at all, though his words were directed at Iksilon alone. Indeed, a good actor.
<The service entrance is to be locked down whenever it is not in use, Kyran.>
<They gained entry and proceeded to the service level. There were multiple groups…three groups of at least six apiece.> Kyran’s gaze grew sure again. He was gaining confidence as he went.
<<There were three groups, Lord Commander…but I would be surprised if any one of the groups consisted of more than two or three members.>> Nirdran appeared to be looking down at the floor. Yes, there was a lot of potential in that one.
<All of the assailants were Hork-Bajir Imperials. They had a decent plan, I’ll give them that, but they still only managed to free five of their kind from captivity. We still possess the others.> Kyran’s posture straightened, pride coming through his tone of thought, as if he had been the one to keep the raiders from freeing any more of the prisoners.
<<They were Hork-Bajir, Lord Commander, but they were all outfitted with ARC projectors and modified ASARs. Every captive freed was originally apprehended from the Yeerk Rebellion attack. The captives that remain were all apprehended at other times.>>
<They hacked the central computer and knocked out power. I will not be held accountable for Nirdran’s incompetence. He was the one in charge of the control room. If he’d been competent, he would’ve been able to stop the computer hack. Without that, the Imperial raid would’ve fallen apart. I plan on discharging the Command Warrior and am recommending full disciplinary action.>
Nirdran’s main eyes tightened at that. A good actor, but not perfect. <<The hack happened nearly instantaneously, Lord Commander. They uploaded a virus with a mutable spectral wave-form. It was incredibly precise, locking each and every door that wasn’t being used by the raiders. They disconnected the singularity chamber immediately thereafter, and disconnected the secondary computer power supply. The entire facility was frozen.>>
<The Imperials blundered around the facility. They freed the human hosts, surely as a distraction, though the hosts followed them.> Kyran’s face twisted with distaste at that. Ah yes…the propaganda at work. <They even went through supply rooms and the weapons labs before they found the Yeerk holding cells. The secondary security systems helped cut them short. They used explosives and incendiary to cover their escape. We lost only one life. The rest of our personnel are accounted for.> By the time Kyran was finished with his account, he was dripping with confidence . He thought the footing firmly beneath his hooves once again.
<<Their attacks were precise and coordinated. They knew exactly where to cut through the floor, and every room they visited had a purpose. They took large quantities of human supplement and Kandrona generators as well as the Yeerk mineral supplement. They recovered all of the weapons and personal possessions confiscated from the Rebellion humans, and armed them before making egress. They used non-lethal options on our Warriors. And the female, Efaen, has not been found. It is my opinion that she fled with the Rebels.>> Nirdran was still looking at the floor, the perfect image of a chastised Warrior…the perfect image, were it not for the anger in his eyes over Kyran’s utter incompetence.
Iksilon nodded, glancing around the room once before returning his intense gaze to Kyran. <So then…a group of Hork-Bajir armed with modified Andalite technology landed at a hangar that was supposed to be secure. They proceeded directly to the vertical shaft leading to the service level and split off into three targeted teams two or three strong. With obvious knowledge, foresight, and planning, they attached floor-cutters in the two exact places where they would be necessary. They uploaded a specifically-targeted spectral virus and then cut power to the facility, locking it down. They proceeded to free the human hosts, procure human feed supplement, kandrona generators, and Yeerk mineral supplement, not to mention only those weapons and possessions confiscated from the very humans they freed. Then entered the Yeerk holding cells and freed
only those Yeerks apprehended from the so-called Yeerk Rebellion, leaving the rest, and then escaped along with one of your personnel whom you seem to have conveniently forgotten about. Is that about right?>
Each fact presented looked as though it wielded a physical blow to Kyran, his confidence crumbling into impotent blustering. Of course he’d known some of the facts…he’d merely spun them to make himself look better, but he truly hadn’t seen the rest. An idiot truly worthy of the name.
<Where is Efaen-Purinial-Serfit?> Iksilon’s gaze remained calm, steady and intense, on Kyran’s main eyes.
Kyran’s eyes widened in true shock as he looked around, searching the room as if it would hold an answer. <I…I do not consider her one of my personnel. I am not responsible for her. She probably ran off in the confusion and got herself killed.>
Iksilon remained silent, staring, for a good, long time before finally speaking again. <Kyran-Mefil-Exton, I formally strip you of your command of the Corvus facility and advance Nirdran-Facil-Kerorat to the position of Corvus facility Commander with a promotion to the rank of Prince-Lieutenant, effective immediately.>
<WHAT?! You can’t…YOU CAN’T DO THAT!> Kyran leapt forward with sudden ferocity, aiming a tail-strike at Iksilon’s neck. Iksilon flowed around Kyran’s attack, taking great satisfaction in the look of incredulity on Kyran’s face, before striking his own tail sideways in a quick swipe that lopped off half of Kyran’s tail, blade included.
The War Prince screamed with shame and anguish mere moments before two stun bolts caught him in the chest, dropping him in a crumpled, bleeding heap, his dismembered tail twitching on the floor next to him.
Nirdran looked up, dropping his chastised act completely. He smiled briefly at seeing Kyran publicly shamed, and then met Iksilon’s calm gaze. <<Lord Commander, I thank you for the opportunity, but I must request a transfer. My talents would be put to better use elsewhere…>>
<<You will stay and assume command of the Corvus Facility, Lord Lieutenant. I sense your frustrations…be assured that in the near future, your position will become critically important. I promise that once this comes to pass, you will become a very influential Andalite.>>
Iksilon gestured at Kyran’s unconscious form, glancing at two of his personal body-guards. <Bring him.>
He turned and started walking toward the central lift again before pausing and turning his main eyes back on the new Corvus Facility commander. <<And Nirdran, if you ever second-guess me again…>> Iksilon smiled darkly, and Nirdran’s eyes widened in fear with just a glimmer of understanding. So…he’d figured it out. A great deal of potential indeed.
The two guards he’d glanced at had stowed their weapons and morphed
goralm. They picked up Kyran’s limp form and carried it to the lift behind Iksilon and his other two body-guards. They rode up to the second level and entered the office which used to belong to Kyran. Nirdran would be moving in soon, but there were still a few things to resolve. Mainly, Kyran was still alive.
