A door chimes but he knows the man who is approaching well before the sensor announces his request to enter the room. He can sense his guest emotions through the door much he way a baker can smell the ingredients in a cake without knowing the recipe. His guest is no anxious or worried. A good sign. He does not tolerate when seekers give in to their base emotions. That is a weakness and worse a lack in faith in the Plan.
“Enter”
His guest steps through the door and approaches where he stands. He does not turn to face his guest, there is no need. He looks out his viewing point and can see what his guest will report. Far below the smeared remains of guards and broken bodies of the faithful of the tribe are littered about the arena floor. At this distance he is spared the grisly details of each remain but he witnessed the violence as it occurred hours before, felt each of their deaths as a small flame being extinguished. He would feel remorse or loss if he knew what those emotions were. He does not.
“Madness and Beast have both escaped our patrols and are now somewhere in the lower facility. We expect they will make for one of the transport facilities and attempt to flee Reform. The other faithful Tribe members from the Arc have been helpful in the search.”
“The ones who have not seen the Error?”
“Have taken the opportunity to rebel further. None have been killed yet but it might be time to let them be culled as the heretics they are.”
Speaker pauses for a moment and looks out the viewing point, this time upwards towards the vastness of space. In the distance small lights can be seen, not from the light of stars, but the soft glow of torch engines burning as ships of the Church maneuver in practice. “It is not quite time for that. They are still lost members of the Tribe and as first do not have guidance of their peers who have found their way home.”
His guest bows his head. “As you say Speaker, so it is.”
The speaker focuses on one of the ships out in the void of space and can feel the emotions of its crew as they go about their drill. Some of their members are old veterans who have manned this ship their entire life. They know it as well as their own souls and are just as attached. Their ether flows with the ship as the blood in their own veins. Others are new, bright spots in the flow. Trained but chaotic puling eddies out into the overall flow of the ship. The veterans and novices ether merge and swirl around as both find equilibrium. Speaker can sense there is more from his guest. If irritation were an emotion he knew he might feel it now that his guest has become disinclined to provide his second piece of news. “There is more you wish to say.”
“The Military ship that was with the Arc has made its way through the storm. They have already met up with the husk of the ship. The casteless have given up trying to scavenge the Arc or battle her protector. We should be cautious as this ship, the one they call Agamemnon, is the same we encountered over ZX-127-3.”
Speaker flows his senses from one ship to another riding each of their ethers from on ship to the next. “Inquisitor, do you fear them?”
“They are unfaithful and the Plan has no place for them.”
“That is a response I expect from a Purger. Do you fear them?”
The inquisitor pauses a moment. Speaker will know his answer before he does, but it is often best to know your answer before you speak it. “I do not but I caution their presence much as a gardener respects the rose for its thorns.”
“This galaxy has been torn asunder by war and flames cycle after cycle. We have lay before the Plan and gathered members of the lost tribe for two hundred thousand cycles. The Originator gave us the Storm when he laid out the Plan as our shelter from the greater Storm. The Daemon’s have finally been weakened and the Crucible constructed and the Key turned. Soon the gateway will be found and the Daemon’s heat shall be laid before us. The Galaxy will know Order and the Plan will be completed. I know these things because they are the Plan. You are an instrument in the Plan. While I respect your caution do not let it drive you from action.”
The Inquisitor bows his head once more. “As you say Speaker, so it is.”
Speaker glides his senses over to the ship known as the Agamemnon. Their ether is unknown and foreign to him but he can see their colours and their chaotic patterns. They do not flow as elegantly as the Faithful of the Tribe but it does flow. The chaos in their current far more pronounced. There would be a beauty to it if he understood beauty. In the midst of the chaos though is a void he cannot sense. “You have encountered these being before. What do you know of the conflux aboard the ship?”
“Very little and it has become more pronounced since we encountered them last. I can send Purgers to them at once and cleanse it if that is your wish.”
Speaker’s senses drifted back to the middle section of the viewing area. He can sense the approaching chaos before it has occurred. “No, the Plan detailed many things but not everything. We cannot Purge what we do not know out of fear for that was the birth of the Daemon. Gather the conflux, perform an Inquisition then respond as the Plan dictates.”
The Inquisitor raises his head, a slight smile at the corner of his lips. “As you say Speaker, so it is.”
The Inquisitor turns to leave the room.
Speaker would feel irritation at the emotion that plays in his Inquisitor but emotions are what make them inquisitive. He is Speaker though and does not know emotion. The sense is lost. He focuses in on a section of Reform. “Have the Purgers take care of Madness and Beast.”
Where Speaker is looking four transport shuttles burst through an opening. Close behind them a small group of fighters chase them, both trading fire with one another. In the distance Speaker can feel the ether of the close Purger ships begin their flow towards the lost Tribe members.
Agamemnon Crew
Citadel Defense Navy Personal
- 7 Command Staff
- Executive Officer – Captain Davidson (Human)
- Communications Specialist 4 – Oleg Karpinsky (Human)
- Engineering Ensign – McLaren (Human)
- 3 Fire Control Technicians
- 2 Engineering Technicians
- 3 SeaBee
- 1 Ship Steward
- 2 Galley Personal
- DECEASED – Crewman – Chloe (Human)
Citadel Marine Corp
- First Sargent Asari Commandos – Lily (Asari)
- 8 Security Officers
- DECEASED – Corporal – Ed (Human)
- First Lieutenant – Cyphon (Xan)
162 Civilians
- 36 Citadel Citizens
- 54 Xans – CAPTURED
- 72 Terrans
Population Losses
Battle of Hell’s Perch
- 234 Civilians
- 3 Biotic Commandos