Empyrean Iris Story Collection Vol. 4

White Flag-Ish

The Empyrean was on their side, were that not the case, Adam and his makers would have taken the ship back over in a matter of minutes, but instead they found the empyrean unresponsive to their commands while simultaneously eager to follow along with her more human crew.

The bridge stations had stopped working, unless the construct running it made a decision.Down around the rest of the ship, the makers were unable to access the weapons systems or the equipment. One thing after another kept going wrong for Adham, who now stood in the middle of the mess with a look of incredulity slowly growing into permanency on his face.

Out the bridge doors, down the short hall and into the main atrium of the ship, the SE soldiers now gathered, geared up in their new model SE armor, waiting for instructions. I'm the Ship's hangers, pilots were setting about preparing their fighters for battle, but looking out the front viewscreen, Adam noted, among the corrupted Void ships, plenty of regular vessels as well, running on warp energy rather than recycled void energy.

It seemed as if the constructs would be on both sides of this conflict.

Adam turned to look at Adham, where he stood floundering and ineffectual on the bridge floor. He floated a little lower, releasing control of the Empyrean to her own devices for the moment being.

"I didn't want to have to do this, but you were being unreasonable and I wasn't about to sit back on the sidelines and watch. I want us to work together, I really do, but I need you to understand that I am not yours to order around. I am not your child, I am not your responsibility. Any actions I take here are my own, and as well informed as they can be. I realize I may not have had a few million years to think about it, but to me a few years is time enough to decide that there is no power in this universe that can stop me from protecting my children, do you understand that."

The two men stood at odds.

The first man, and just some guy.

Adham was the perfect representation of what the architect had wanted when he built a human construct. Ageless, placeless, and entirely ambiguous in all ways, Adham looked at Adam, and with a long, deep sigh, he stepped back, "This is an argument i will not win."

"No."

"But I maintain my control over my men." He glanced around at the ship, "I defer to your piloting skills as the Empyrean seems to trust you."

A little spark of warmth spilled through Adam's chest.

Having the Empyrean was like going to a friend's party with a bunch of other people, but the dog still chooses to come sit with you. It was that feeling but about a million more times potent.

He was glad that the Empyrean trusted him because in return he planned to trust her.

It wasn't an agreement they could entirely hash out in the moment as, just then, the comms specialist rose to her feet and turned to look at Adam, "Sir, we have an incoming communication from the central enemy ship."

Adam squinted out the window at the large mass of black metal and jutting edges. Orange light flared along the seams in her body. When the orange light burned iit burned dirty, and had they been in atmosphere, Adam might have imagined thick black smoke billowing out from the engines.

"Sir, It's kazna."

Adam felt the line of his mouth twitch in distaste, but he motioned sunny forward.

She nodded, stepping up the ramp and onto the command platform with him. If he was going to verbally toe to toe with the black general, than he was going to use his greatest weapons as an advantage.

The Saint of Anin, who knew Kazna almost better than anyone else in the universe.

"Patch her through."