Heleion Archives

19^th of September, 1459^th of NDE. Near the Maw of Faufnorh.

            The angular, snow silvery hull of the medium sized voidvessel, a flottirion repurposed, evolved into travel in the chaotic realm of the Void Between Worlds glistened in the dim violet and utter blackness of the section where the great Maw of Faufnorh swirled and swallowed like a beast of ceaseless hunger. Yet even knowing of this danger, a large piece of rock, pristine white and refined silver in hue floated still far from its unseen pull with a moderate mining station built atop it with the typical elven asymmetrical layout combined with perfect angularity.

And the flottirion slowly descended down to the rocky acre stretching far and wide, heading into the stretching hangar of the station’s east wing before it landed with loud metallic howl upon the metallic floor of snow silvery and black tiles before a buzzing signaled the banishment of the suffocating nature of the Void Between Worlds while a husky and rhythmic hissing of the place filled with air caressing the lungs before the metallic bellow of the flottirion’s ramp like gate at its sides opened down revealing the vast interior fit for at least twenty.

Yet there was only four within its magically expanded space draped in dark, sleek uniforms almost matching except for one, their leader. “Start with the hangar. Check for any survivors or signs of corsairs.” Urano Gaukdattur, the half-soratanese, half-naurdian Ryoadhaeth gave out her orders as the generated air breezed through her dense and silky bob style hair with wispy layers and swept bangs shimmering in a snow white hue while her athletic form towering over the others was draped in the long, double breasted Kunningrieth Type-III coat with the leathery leaves of the collar extending into a silken leathery cloak over the smooth, plate like pleated shoulder broads curving down at the front, sleeves and back.

Her three assigned Faufnisriarhs saluted and without saying a word followed her command and slipped into the dim shadows of the desolate looking hangar with not a singular vessel parked down besides theirs. All three wore the issued Faufnishiath Type-IV coat – an altered parka with elven style of asymmetrical angularity – with the same pleated, plate-broad shoulders sharply curving at the thresholds whilst from the oval neckline a thick, starched wall of high grade soft appearing leather walls arose with the left side slanted inwards a bit more slightly whilst spiraling to the other side, both tips pressed down with the left winged tip mildly pressing onto the other, revealing the leather threshold while the inner aughierna lining shimmer inside the relatively wide space where the aughierna satin dress shirts equally high, folded down triangular collars fill up the space even with their stylish neckties.

Their coats’ squeals echoed through the empty hangar, bereft of corpses while still left with the signs of bloody struggle. Scratched marks on the walls left by clashing blades; dented holes a few inches deep left by the impact of mana bullets; crates smashed yet their shattered pieces amiss whilst their glowing, enchanted eyes revealed the lingering etheric mist of death left by the soul passing from the body, pulled into the astral realm of the Gods. Mist of many different colors, a few that matched the data of the stations personnel and ones that were alien – the invaders.

Namely left by the corsairs of the Soarers of the Void – a small conglomerate of scoundrels formed two centuries ago by former workers of the colonies who had enough of their work conditions off- Heleion and rose up against the various Hosts of Heleion who spread across the sector of the Void Between Worlds laid claim to many of the celestial bodies fit for life. Or well fit enough to establish mining colonies to extract the alien minerals. Minerals that in a few cases proved better than Heleion’s leading to further upgrades on Void Vessels, the uniforms, gear and weapons of most of the larger Hosts like the Black Roses and Snow-Scaled Host of the Draunneth Dominion.

Whilst the Hosts grew in strength, the Soarers who in their early days acted more as a movement for the workers slowly changed after their victory in the hostage situation, they created on the Phlegias-III – a smaller celestial world near Heleion – their peaceful efforts quickly proved ineffective and by the next few uprising, they practically declared war on every host and the upper echelons of society. A war still costly to them even though quite a few of the Hosts’ members joined besides the workers.

Under the second generation of leaders, they slowly shifted into the territories of assassins first when they began to murder state officials; then into kidnappers taking the children of nobles and high governmental figures on vacation on some of the more pleasant celestial worlds and at last into piracy when they began to take over smaller Voidvessels first designed for transportation, then altered for combat too, leading to their numbers skyrocketing and leading to new reforms to stem the flowing of workers into their ranks.

After the reforms leading to workers not willing to abandon their families to wage a war that for all intents and purposes, the Soarers were losing, it did not took long for criminal elements to deepen, leading to them become as greed and avaricious as their former bosses in a way. Just maybe a tad bit more bloodthirsty and disorganized after death of half their leading council when the war neared its end.

At least that was what Odeta, the sole naurdian Faufnisriarh of the group remembered from the lessons of the Black Rose Void Academy hovering above the moon of Heleion.

The soft leathery squeaks of her pleated and pouched breeches, the short double breasted Faufnishiath Type-IV coat – an elven styled parka – echoed and mingled with the others as her small, expressive almond framed eyes of a birch red hue was engulfed by a translucent arcane mist revealing the source of the black marks stretching from the ground onto the walls. Her chiseled chin buried into the coat’s heightened and spiraling collar’s pressed out tips, with the right tip hung over the other.

“Seems like this one exploded recently.” As she turned back to Urano, her long snow brown hair reaching down to her waist, parted fully backwards rustled on the fine, sheer texture of her dragonid leather coat. “This one too!” Yevgen the pallid yellow orc Revered-Sister of theirs whose coat was piped and adorned with shoulder straps bearing three metallic claw pins of snow silver added in as she stared at the opposing black mark reaching up towards the ceiling. Her doe cherry red eyes glaring high up whilst her long, silky and tousled dark bluish hair cascaded into the air behind her.

“Anything on your end?” Urano turned towards Mairemar the saurith Sister of theirs who silently shook her head, swooshing the voluminous, dense cherry pink mane of hers with pure white ends and framing her fair peach complexioned visage adorned with finely contoured eyes brimming with a verdure green shade of spring foliage while her wide, stout lips glossed naturally as she folded over the veiling panel over the coat’s placket and zipped it open revealing the reddish purple collars of their issued Aughierna dress shirt with a polished metallic sheen.

Urano looked pensive as Odeta turned back opening up her coat’s collar and loosening the necktie and letting the soft but stiff leaves spread in the wide space of the coat’s neck lined with the same arcane satin they replaced aetherna with a few centuries ago. With their long Katashnikov Type-57s lowered, the dim metallic stocks still pushing into their shoulders, they waited for the orders.

“For now let’s cover ground. Yevgen, stay here I want to be absolutely sure no one steals our vessel. Mairemar you go check the infirmary in this section. Odeta, you go and check the security area whilst I go through the logs of the commanding thegrith here.” Though Yevgen’s face which lost its brutish, primal features for more elvish frowned a bit to be posted for guard duty, she remained silent and nodded along with the others as she walked back and sat down into one of the sofas retracted from the walls.

“Let’s hope all we find are survivors!” Mairemar said with her usual cheerful tone as they stopped before the wide gate that slid open before them, revealing the ravaged corridor. “Let’s hope so.” Urano added as they stepped inside, the two Faufnisriarh tightening their grips on the handles of their magicraft weapons.

**

As she made her way through the straight hallway of metallic large panels shimmering sporadically under the flickering light of the glowstones, the squeaking of Odeta’s issued coat echoed through the palpably silent corridor, mingling with the soft thuds of her steps created by the slat sole of her knee-high tight boots impacting ever so gently the smooth, gleaming surface.

The ceiling itself consisted of a rectangular center stretching to left and right where it slanted down into smaller, angular corners before the raven black wall reached down to the floor. Around her slender, statuesque form various appliances, papers and even broken weapons laid telling the story of the battle which unfolded possibly days ago. The lack of corpses or even blood chilled Odeta out as the attached torch’s silvery white light shone across before her, banishing the dim shadows occasionally parted by the dying light, signaling the Golem-Engine reaching its end.

Then at the center of the security area she stopped and looked at the singular tree planted in the center, the earthy in which it blossomed out to almost reach the angular ceiling whilst its lush deep amber and golden foliage stretched over her enticing form. Odeta lowered her Katushnikov capable of releasing a barrage of medium grade mana bullets infused with a variance of elements as she kneeled down and noticed a black mark – dried blood belonging to one of the workers mixed with motes of ivory bone fragments in the earth.

Her eyes once more lit up and she felt the lingering draught of death, though for the time being she could only conclude that it must have been by a mana bullet and not by one of the smaller horrors of the Void Between Worlds. The raven black, leathery scaled stock of the gun pushed once more into her shoulders, her coat remaining creaseless as she straightened her posture whilst pondering whether to check the cells, the armory or the Mirage Mirror room. In the end she chose the latter knowing the golem-engine slowly nearing its end.

Odeta quickly ascended the short set of stairs leading into the small, dim room lit only by the mirror-screens numbering at least fifteen, five for each segment of the mining station – mining one of the base metals used in the creation of aughierna satin – and pulled the chair near to the table, placing her rapid mana gun with its barrel staring up at the ceiling.

Click followed after click as she swapped from the base screen, and at once the bland wallpaper of a green hill and blue sky faded into the dim areas of the station. In the center she watched as Urano stopped for a moment leaning over the Chief Excavators’ table whilst her coat was zipped open as she reached in for her cigarette. Even from the screen she could see the faint reflection of Uranos’ hands on the snow silver surface of the dress shirts’ front as she pulled the packet out from the left inner pocket. The crimson red filter wedged between her softly gleaming lips and were lit by the spark conjured above her index’s tip.

Strangely, she felt enamored by the sight, not sensing the trap woven into the screen before her gluing all her sensory senses including her hearing that lived through the illusion of Urano’s soft voice, the soft moaning of leather, the soft whisper of the zipper pulled down and the rustling of the dress shirts’ collar with a smoothness and sheen comparable to the highest grade of galvanized metals like adramantyrium. Yet it was still clearly textile in nature and appearance evident from the creaseless flowing as they moved around.

For a moment, the illusion strengthened, gained a seemingly faux consciousness as it showed Urano staring at the invisible Watcher’s Eye hovering silently in the corner, winked once with her left eye clearly aimed at Odeta whose cheeks reddened and felt a warmness spreading her nether area when Urano pulled down her coat’s zipper further towards the hem flailing just above her boot’s ankles.

“Wow!” She exclaimed as her attention focused on her superiors’ tantalizing form slowly revealed as she began to unbutton her dress shirt revealing the serpentine owl tattooed over her shapely bosom. “Wow exactly!” Then came the voice behind and as she turned around, she saw in the darkness the gorgeous beauty of light brownish complexion with thick, prominent silken brows before her fist planted itself into Odeta’s left cheek knocking her out and down from the chair.

“I take care of this one sis.”   She said as she grabbed onto Odeta’s boot clad ankles and dragged her down the stairs.

**

Half an hour later Odeta slowly awoke to the aching of her cheek and jaw paired with the tightening feeling of the snow silvery sealing tape pressing onto her fair, unblemished cheeks and wide and plump pinkish lips with a gloss beget of the Black Rose concoction. “MMhnph nn phhm Nnnm Hmmmph!” Her muffled groans echoed through the cell area in tandem with the squeaking of her leathery outer attire and the sealing tape circling around her chests when she reflexively tried to move around. Though as she tried to exert more of her sapped power, she felt the weight of another, namely the still asleep Yevgen, as her eyes also followed the tape on her chest reaching beyond before curving. Though in hopes of awakening her Revered-Sister she continued, which led to the two almost tumbling onto their sides, but in the last minute the wheezing Odeta stopped and buried her head into her opened collars when she heard noises from beyond the door.

For the time being, she tried to awaken the orc who emitted muffled, soft snores by tickling her palms as their bound wrists pressed against each other behind their backs. Though at best she could only get out a few muffled boar-like chuckles as she heaved a defeated sigh and tried looking for any appliance in the barred cell. The soft satin lining of her dress shirt soothed her a bit as she used up the last of her mana to sharpen her sight a bit more, though once more she had to realize that her captor or captors made sure she would not get free.

Though the enemy may have the element of surprise, Odeta believed that at least Urano who fought through the whole Great War would come and free them, so she simply sighed into the wide gag gleaming in the dark and leaned further onto Yevgen, while her secured legs stretched before her towards the thick metallic bars engraved with stiffening runes.

Then her head lurched up and with hopeful eyes stared as the door opened. Though to her horror, it was not the savior she expected, but her captors wearing their uniforms whilst dragging the naked and bound forms of the two into the narrow corridor on the other side. “Seems this one’s awake.”

“Told you one hit won’t be enough.” The two women were nearly, perfectly identical in features. Light brown skin where the only differences were the layout of scars blemishing the near-perfect smoothness; their thick, prominent brows above their matching roundish eyes of golden blue shimmering in the dark by the sight enhancing spell; triangularly contoured faces framed by the differing hairstyles. One who knocked her out and wearing Urano’s uniform strangely sported a probably not naturally straight, moderately long hairstyle with bangs of multiple locks creating an illusion of dimension whilst the other in the Faufnisriarh uniform had her natural curves of her deep brownish hair of voluminous proportions.

“Well it was enough for securing her and making sure she behaves it seems.” At that Odeta tried to lunge like an aggravated pet, though the tight bindings and the weight of Yevgen kept her in place making the two chuckle. “Cute, but I’m more into orcs.” Said her captor as she turned to Urano as they placed the two back to back then produced the large roll of sealing tape from their pockets and wrapped it around their torso swiftly.

“Though can I ask you something?” Odeta raised her left eyebrow feeling puzzled when her captor turned at her looking a bit pensive. “Did you suspect corsairs when you arrived or that wasn’t yet clear? Just nod by the way.”

For a moment Odeta’s thought of answering with a firm nod, but then she turned defiantly away, making her captor pout. “I’ll make it worthwhile for you.” She added with a gloating expression which made Odeta both puzzled and tempted. In the end she nodded once.

“Told you so! There was no point in cleaning up. We should have just raised them.” She yelled at her twin who was finishing wrapping the tape by severing the strip from the roll with her teeth. “Oh excuse me. Since when are you an expert in necromancy.”

“I read the tomes of Daemerios.” Her captor retorted as she straightened her posture and the borrowed – stolen – uniform nicely adorning, accentuating her wiry, slender form. “That doesn’t mean you could control them perfectly. I bet you they would have gorged on us.”

“Whatever. Thanks by the way.” The two walked out continuing their banter, though as Odeta angrily groaned at them, her captor turned around and threw a knife before her feet, just outside the cell. “Good luck. And just as a bonus, I think you all have around an hour before the Golem-Engine kicks the bucket.” A vicious, enticing smile curved onto her full lips covered in dim violet matte lipstick as she leaned a bit closer while whispering.

“I’m rooting for you.” She said as her eyes wandered over Odeta’s head, even beyond Yevgen whose lap was weighted with a small crate with expanded space filled with the precious metal, one of the main bases of aughierna satin. After the two left, the squeaking of tape and leather filled the space of the cells as Odeta’s struggled to get free vainly whilst the piece of meteorite housing the station creeped ever towards the Maw of Faufnorh…

Footnote:

And another one. And the first official story set in the Void Between Worlds if we don't count the Hour of Specter stories last parts on the Void Station.

A bit of a time leap compared to the previous stories. I want the world to take its time with the exploration and settlement of nearby planets, celestial bodies. But also not fully sure yet on what changes it shall bring. I toyed with the idea of making it like Star Trek where Heleion unites and the various military organizations are branches of the overall, unified Host of Heleion, but I kind of discarded that idea and still plan to have a sort of cold war with the space race just expanding the borders of it.

Another smaller change is in regards of the uniforms. On the Black Rose side they found a better alternative to aetherna satin, though they still shall use it with a few Raven Eye agents preferring it over the new alien material, plus on the commercial side it became cheaper. Probably. Dragonid Leather is still dragonid leather in name, though it did get upgraded with an additional material different from what is used for their dress shirts/blouses.

A bigger change is the new faction, a sort of workers rising up then becoming a congregation of scum. And as promised months ago, some of the races from the previous iteration, and a few others shall be [re]introduced including the halflings but that is still a bit away.

Regarding the september story, I finally finished the sixth chapter of it and shall move on to the last. The fight between two agents. Hopefully I manage to finish it by the end of the week, so I can start working on ideas for october where I mostly plan or wish to be more precise to write short stories like this. Maybe a bit more scenario based for spooktober.

Anyhow, one more story remains for the next week, the Chronicles one. Thank you for reading and take care folks!

Links: Twitter || Patreon || Deviantart || Pixiv