Work Text:
DropShip Argo
17 February 3073
In orbit
Solaris VII
The corridors of the Argo's Beta Pod Section 6 were as well lit as ever, the walls lined with real wood paneling, sourced from half a dozen different worlds and worked into beautiful carved pieces of multi-hued art. Rich browns, blacks and purples swirled and knotted in intricate patterns.
Patterns that, in places, now looked like someone had taken God's own power chisel to them. Long, angry, jagged parallel lines. The scratches continued in some spots onto the metal plating of the walls.
But even that was not what disturbed Savannah Cameron the most. What concerned her deeply was the fireteam of armed marine guards, all of Elemental or half-Elemental stock, toting the heaviest weapons they could have possibly drawn from the armory short of explosives. Two of them carried Zeus heavy rifles - their extended magazines full to the brim with fat, massive 12mm rounds. One hefted a Thunderstroke II gauss rifle, and another one of the immense 4-gauge Clan automatic shotguns that only an Elemental of her size could handle. The last carried - or more accurately, wore - a Dragonsbane portable pulse laser on his shoulders and cradled a gauss SMG in his hands.
The five marines noticed their lupine visaged commander walking towards them, and snapped off salutes.
"Commander Caruso," said Aslaug, the seniormost of the quintet. She was young, only 19, a native of the Ghost Bear Dominion.
"Mind telling me what the hell's going on, Aslaug? I get back onboard after a couple weeks, and Samuel tells me I need to head to Beta Pod immediately. I get here and you're all standing around loaded for bear."
At Savannah's choice of phrase, an awkward, sullen, almost embarrassed set of eye contacts rolled through the five marines.
"Well, ahh, that's kinda a good phrase to use, ma'am."
"Do tell."
"Well, y'know the conference they were having on Arc-Royal?"
"Yeah. Victor's conference to figure out..." Savannah trailed off as she saw the looks on the marines faces. "... What happened? Last I heard it'd just started."
"There was a bombing. The Wobbies. Lot of big names were there and... One of the dead was the Ghost Bear Khan. We just found out three days ago. The Dominion sent an HPG message."
Savannah felt her stomach drop out and vanish from her body, leaving a deep and gnawing pit. Oh fuck... Astrid...
"Where is she?"
"In her quarters. What's left of them anyway. She's been quiet the past day or so, though."
With a nod, Savannah stepped past the marines, into the small hallway that branched off the main corridor. As she approached Astrid's quarters, she saw that the doorframe itself had been bent, the door twisted partly and shoved into the recess in the bulkhead that it would normally have slid into.
"Astrid?" Savannah asked, peering around the battered door.
Inside, the massive ursine woman's quarters were a mess. Paintings askew, plants tipped over, chairs flipped upside down. And claw marks. One wall had a ghost bear sized fist indent in it.
And at the center of it all sat Astrid. She was sitting on her knees, wearing the ceremonial uniform of her Clan, and staring at the holovid screen on the wall opposite. Her snow white fur was almost as pristine as ever, but her long cyan hair was disheveled. She made no move at the sound of Savannah's voice, only a growl of acknowledgement, accompanied by the briefest of looks back in Savannah's direction, before her gaze fell on the screen once more.
On the screen, a Ghost Bear warrior in full dress uniform was speaking to a crowded hall. He was tall, handsome, with blonde hair. Savannah guessed he was about half her age, maybe a little more. Certainly Bloodnamed, and if the cape was an indication, he'd survived the ritual hunt that Clan Ghost Bear put its best through.
"... am Star Colonel Jehan MacKenzie, and I stand before you to inform you that the rumours you may have heard are true. Khan Jorgenssen is dead," said the Ghost Bear on the screen.
Savannah watched the proceeding in silence. Watched this Jehan verbally spar, as Clan warriors often did, with someone younger and cockier than he. Listened as the full list of names were read, several of them slamming into her like gutpunches. Maeve. Rhonda. The saKhan of Wolf-in-Exile and a Star Colonel from Jade Falcon, the daughter of Aidan Pryde - Savannah made a mental note to check on Remus and Melissa next. Officers from every House, Clan, famous merc command - except her own, which made Savannah at once relieved and somehow embarrassed - and smaller nation had been killed.
And then the recording looped, and played again. And each time Jehan spoke the words, calling for an Annihilation of the Word of Blake, Astrid's fists clenched tighter. There was blood on the deck.
"Astrid..."
"Savannah?" the immense woman whispered, as though just now registering her friend and commanding officer's presence.
"How many times?" Savannah asked simply.
That brought the ursine up short; Astrid blinked as though snapping out of a trance. "What?"
"How many times have you watched it?"
"Uhm... Truthfully, I do not know."
"Yeah, I'll bet. Come on, get up off the floor."
Astrid started to rise, only to be unexpectedly embraced, a sound of surprise emanating from her lips.
"I'm sorry about it," Savannah reassured her.
"There was nothing—"
"I know, but still."
Savannah released the larger woman, and sat down with her on the remains of the room's couch.
"I beg surkai for the damage I have done to the ship," Astrid eventually said, almost meekly.
"Don't worry about it. Easy enough to replace it all," Savannah lied. It wouldn't be, and she knew Astrid knew that, but it wouldn't do any good to dwell on it now. Savannah paused. "So. What now?" she asked, gesturing to the holovid screen.
Astrid looked directly at Savannah. "Now the Great Bear will be unleashed on the Word, as is the case in any Annihilation. We will avenge our Khan," she said matter-of-factly.
Savannah took this in. She watched the loop in full once more, silently noting the reactions of all in the room. And afterwards, she spoke again:
"For the Ghost Bears said
That their late Khan's head
Must be paid for with worlds five-score."
Astrid blinked. "What?"
"Paraphrasing an old poet," Savannah responded.
Astrid looked at once weary and understanding. "I have read my Kipling, Savannah."
"Good. Then you know what I'm getting at."
Astrid sighed. "Aff. With all that the Blakists have already done... we Ghost Bears will not hold back. You are worried we will go too far."
"Warriors like that Jehan? Maybe. Warriors like, oh, ninety percent of everyone else in that room? Most likely," Savannah said, before hesitating slightly. "Which is why I'm authorizing indefinite leave for you to return to your Clan. I'm doing so for every Totem Warrior representing an active Spheroid Clan."
Astrid seemed taken off guard at first, but then nodded. "You wish for us to act as moderators of the violence our Clans might unleash."
"Pretty much, yeah. It's part of what you Totem Warriors were made for, so it makes sense to me."
"Aff. It does. I suppose, then, that I ought to be off, quiaff?"
"Aff," Savannah replied, using the Clan term. "I'll get an HPG message sent off, let the Dominion know you're on the way," she spoke as she stood.
Astrid stood as well, and hugged Savannah again, giving her friend and commander a kiss on the lips at the end, before moving to the door.
She stopped, and turned slightly. "I will come back alive. I expect all of the Fusiliers to do the same," she said, grinning a grin full of teeth.
"We'll try our best."
"Good."
And with that, she was off. Savannah took another look around the destroyed quarters, thanking her ancestors she'd had everything in the quarters inventoried. Then she walked over to the wall, and pressed the intercom button. "Bridge, Commander."
"Go ahead, ma'am." said the voice of one of the bridge crew.
"Send a secure HPG message to Alshain. Tell them, 'the totem is returning, to the grave of the hundred dead.' They'll get it."
"Aye, aye, ma'am."
Savannah walked out of the quarters, took a final glance at the evidence of Astrid's earlier rage, and went to find the maintenance crew.