The vast hall interior of the spaceship, known as the Elysium, loomed with an air of grandeur and an uling sterility, as if it had been polished to within an inch of its existence.
Gleamiallic walls rose imperiously, smooth surfaces refleg the overhead lights, which flickered occasionally as if even they questioheir own purpose.
Enormous windows lined one side, a panoramic view of the inky abyss of space—a magnifit void littered with stars and the occasional distant p, resembling a celestial dusting of sugar on a bck cake.
For ohe hall’s window didn’t face the blue p.
At the heart of this spacecraft's moal chamber stood Senior Fleet Admiral Thaddeus Voss, an imposing figure whose forty years had not oched lines of wisdom upon his weathered face but also gifted him with a well-honed sense of edic timing.
“I’m cooked,” he muttered. Dressed in a crisp navy uniform replete with insignia that screamed authority, he sported an expression that was equal parts ptive and bemused, as if he were stantly repying a bad joke in his mind.
“I’m so fucked, this is so bad, I’m dead, super dead, to the bone, simmering bone broth,” he looked pale. “I want to drink bone broth before I go.”
Why did the hall not face the world of hermere at this particur time? Well…
With a disgruntled hum that made the void seem to twitch, a spaceship ed into view—a sleek, metallic beast, all angles and arrogance.
The ship exuded an air of entitlement, as if it were the universe’s most exclusive diniablishment and they were merely the underdressed tourists sent to beg for a table.
Its sudden appearance had dras from the gathered crowd a floor below, a collective inhation that echoed off the walls, punctuated by the soft hiss of air vents trying tain posure.
This ship heralded the arrival of one of the Ten Overlords—the elite who scrutinized not just resources but the very essence of their existence. As if summoned by fate, or perhaps an overzealous ic joke, he was here to analyze, audit, and judge.
Thaddeus, a mere flicker amongst titans, watched with dread, the kind that only came from knowing the futility of resistance.
"This is not another day, another audit. This is…" he thought, a wry smile creeping onto his lips. “Nothing says ‘thank you for your service’ like a visit from an Overlord.”
His inner ic stepped forward, reminding him that they’d soon be ying their hopes and dreams at the feet of ay likely more ed with paperwork thas. The universe might be grand, but bureaucracy was even grander.
As the ship settled iraightened, ready to face judgment, all while feigning ahusiasm he did not feel.
From the ship that had just ed ience, a bridge of artificial atmosphere materialized, shimmering like a mirage in a desert of stars. It ected the sleek vessel to the grand hall, where tall windows flung open like the arms of a long-awaited lover.
The door of the spaceship glided apart with a whisper that threateo shatter the solemnity of the moment.
A figure emerged, floating dowmospheric bridge as if gravity were merely a suggestion.
She was a vision of the future, ed in a cape that seemed woven from midnight itself, each fold glistening with tiny steltions—a subtle tribute to the universe she anded.
Her skin glowed ahereal silver uhe hall’s illumination, her eyes like swirling gaxies danced with mischief as they settled on Thaddeus Voss. Her hair, a casg waterfall of iridest strands, floated about her like curious tendrils seeking truth in the mundane.
Behirode ae of elite space guards, armor that was both practical and absurdly orheir vislinted ominously, and one could almost hear the melodramatic orchestration atuating their march—if only orchestras could be programmed on and like a well-trained pet.
Thaddeus couldn’t help but feel slightly underwhelmed by his own attire—futuristic, decorated, and appropriate as a senior fleet admiral, yes, but pared to her? Scoff.
He had anticipated a visitor, but perhaps not one so resple. “Ah, I see the universe has decided to send its ambassador of fabulousness,” he deadpanned in his mind.
If he wasn’t sent for this mission, maybe he’d never have met this figure.
As the proached, the air charged with arision. The guards positiohemselves with the precision of a well-rehearsed daheir presence a stark remihat here, beauty was just as deadly as it was enting.
“Admiral Thaddeus Voss, I’ve heard of your lifelong achievements.”
Her voice was a curious blend—deep and resonant, yet undeniably feminine and mature as she addressed Thaddeus. Her expression? A mastercss in unreadability, ft yet adorned with rexed eyebrows that suggested she might be sidering how best to roast him for dinner.
“Lady Mahkato,” Thaddeus bowed low, putting on his best show of deference. “It’s an honor to host you in this project.”
“Hmm,” Mahkato replied, her gaze sweeping the room like a hawk. “Where’s Marquis Blitzen’s son?”
Thaddeus kept it simple, though his mind was anything but. “He’s... on business down otlement on nd.”
The senior fleet admiral khat it was unheard of for someone of Rudolf’s station to an audieh one of the Ten Overlords. Even if the Marquis’ son hailed from the illustrious Seven Heavens, protocol clearly dictated that he should drop everything for Lady Mahkato.
Mahkato’s eyes narrowed, a warning light fshing across her features. “Tell me what business?”
Here we go, Thaddeus thought grimly, readying himself for what felt like a ceremonial execution. What kind ent affairs could possibly eclipse her presence?
“We…” Thaddeus hesitated, grimag as if brag for impact, his words crawling at a snail's pace.
ZZZZZNNNGGG—!
“Sir! A message from Admiral Rudolf’s ship! Ah—the crew… they’re requesting a video meeting now!”
A crew member burst in, fresh from the chaos, waving the portable unication device like a fg of surrehe s flickered to life, and what it revealed was so absurd that even Mahkato’s eye seemed to twitch.
The figure at the ter of the s loomed ominously—dubbed Apex Two in the dots—his nguid posture betraying an air of zy superiority, looking down at Rudolf Blitzen, Thaddeus’ Junior Admiral, with bdes pressed against his neck.
“Good afternoon, Admiral,” the notorious tyrant of hermere began, clearly relishing the moment. “I trust you’ve heard about me.”
“But this marks our first official meeting, so allow me to extend the courtesy of an introdu,” he smirked, his charm ced with menace. “I am Caliburn Pendragon.”
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