The Uli Rouge

[Craines]

You might not want to step there, Willow. Stealth suits are nice, but land mines aren't reliant on sight.

Willow sighed. This was the fifth warning he had received from the strange voice in his head in the last ten minutes, and he hadn't even gotten within 15 kilometers of the mountain that the Uli Rouge was stationed on. Indeed, he hadn't rounded it yet, either, and so the Veranda Incognita was still hidden.

"How many times are you going to warn me about invisible dangers, Voice?"

As many times as I must. Perhaps I'm lying, perhaps I'm not. Perhaps you're just imagining me. Cardamine can do such terrible things to the mind... atrophies it into nothingness. Of course, that usually happens over a period of 60 to 100 years of continual usage... perhaps Fokke'll begin to experience it soon. Then again, maybe not. Who knows? I do. Do you want to know? That much we cannot know! What must be known and what cannot be known often collide, resulting in a catastrophic compromise. I will warn you whenever you reach a real danger, but I shall warn you when you reach a false one as well. It is up to you to decide when to believe me and when not to!

"You really like to talk, don't you? Moron."

Shall I consume your brain, then? No? Then shut up and move. You are in control as much as a flea is in control of the rain. You are insignificant, you are doomed to failure, and you are always going to regret your choices until it is too late. Your precious Don is simply using you to his own vile ends, and that Artificial Quantum Singularity bomb you're counting on? Won't get here in time. Even if it did get here, there are three capital ships in orbit, each belonging to a different faction and here for different reasons. One is the capital ship of Dark Star... the AQS wouldn't have time to open up before it got blown up. The second is a rare ELF capital ship, equipped with cloaking panels collected from the Ska Ralla explosion site.

Willow sighed again. "I'll indulge you." In an utterly bored and exasperated voice, he asked, "Oh mighty Voice, I beseech thee, what is the third capital ship in orbit? Please impart the knowledge unto me, your vessel on this mortal plane, for without it surely I will suffer ignorance."

A swift jolt of searing pain sobered him up.

Do I have you attention now? Good. The third is the Ska Feshir, flag ship of General Artifice, the newest incarnation of the Artificer memetic pattern. You'd be wise to fear it more than the other two: it can do far worse than the AQS Bomb. General Artifice is the military aspect of Artificer, and the Feshir is equipped with a Yrshimi Generator. In other words, for a lesser minded fool such as yourself, it is a ship powered by a sun. What weapons does it have? I don't feel like telling you yet. Get on your way; it'll be interesting to see the pup's expression when he can't effect you. I'll even protect you from bullets, to a point. But harm the inhabitants, and I'll be angry. Death? You'll beg for it. Not even Dark Star has techniques that I do.

"For a disembodied voice, you sure do talk a lot. And insult me a lot. Can't you try to be a little nicer?"

I have not lived ten thousand eons to be nice to you or anyone else. Let the Baker of Chao come find me herself, see what she has done... perhaps that old Dog of hers will come, too... heh, the Nomads freed it back when they ravaged Earth. Go forth; I shall be silent unless danger draws near.

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