AE6 The Story of Iriisii Dovahkiin

     In the Octagon Military Complex just outside of the national capital city, in its bowels about a thousand feet down, in the office of Psy-Ops Chief of Operations, Del Hawkins, an unpleasant meeting is going on.

     Hawkins: "We have lost the team assigned to look into the 'visitor' matter in St. Lou."

     Red Woman: "Did you have to eliminate them?"

     Hawkins: "I have no idea at this time. I have lost contact with the 'Chaser' as well."

     Red Woman: "Then you need to assume they all have either been captured and/or defected. Either way you need to pack up everything you can and be prepared to leave when instructed to do so."

     Hawkins: "How am I supposed to do that? Do you know how much equipment, personnel, information is involved in this project?"

     Red Woman: "I know far more than you do, obviously. You no longer have a choice, she has already discovered the evidence you have carelessly left in your 'black sites'. They are being raided as I speak."

     Hawkins: "WHAT!? How could you not have told me before now!?"

     Red Woman: "I am not responsible for your shortcomings. Besides she is far more powerful than when we first met. And she has two others with her nearly as powerful as she is, one has the potential to be...unbelievably powerful, a third looks to come into her own power soon. If she brings her Krang into play, your project will be, how does your saying go, 'pushing up daisies' once she gets through with it."

     Hawkins: "Damn it all to hell, there must be something we can do?"

     Red Woman: "All that I can suggest now is to shut it down, take what you can, destroy the rest, and release the test subjects. In the chaos that will follow, make your escape to the alternate site and resume work. I assume your people have the escape craft completed?"

     Hawkins: "I still say it is too big a risk to take to try and move so much so soon."

     Red Woman: "You will have some time, she is becoming interested in another situation brewing that has nothing to do with you, but it could keep her occupied long enough to get the most important of your work moved. Do not fail in this or think of running, even Death will not save you from what will happen to you if you do fail."

     Hawkins: "Why, I can only die once."

     Red Woman: "Do not be so certain of that, or that you know all of what is possible that can be done to you."

     She gets up from the chair she had been seated im. Hawkins can hear the crackling of the red crystals embedded in her skin and flesh as she makes her way to him. As she puts a extended finger just a few inches from his face, he can see the energy jumping from one crystal to another.

     Red Woman: "Do not get any bright ideas to run and hide, or betray us to her. Our reach is very long indeed and we can come for you through the very hard angles of time and space. You would be brought before my master, and you most assuredly would lose your mind before he even noticed you were there."

     She turns and walks away from him, as he watches, she seems to twist and turn, then she is gone. Only the faint echoes of the crackling of the red crystals remaining behind her.

     Later that night, Iriisii is on the top of the 'Circus of the Damned' having completed another sold out show. She just stands looking out over the city, listening to the bustle of the people walking the streets, those things they call 'cars' running back and forth everywhere, and above in the skies, she finally hears the silence she was seeking. Only this silence is too shallow, for out there in the deep spaces she knows the Angelics, wait and watch her. She does not know why they are not down here doing something about the threat she feels looming over everything. Closer at hand, she feels others here all around watching as well. But they gather and pass information along, so someone is receiving it. She wonders how long before this one comes to ask her what she knows of events.

     Jean Claude: "A penny for your thoughts."

     Iriisii: "I am afraid they are too far away to be able to retrieve them now, and I wonder if they even have that much value to them."

     Jean Claude: "I think you sell them short, for they circle around you like a cloud of ravens."

     Then it seems as if serendipity strikes as a large dark raven lands on the stone close to them, pecks at the stone, seeking what she does not know, then looks to her and caws. At first she takes no notice, then she remembers where she last saw this particular raven out of all the others she has seen in her journey. She walks to him and holds out her arm, as he hops up on to it, looking for recognition in her eyes.

     Jean Claude: "Be careful, although they are very intelligent, they are still animals and so are unpredictable."

     Iriisii: "It is perfectly fine, I know this one. He is a very special one. I hold a great deal of respect for his master, and always eagerly await the wisdom of his words."

     Jean Claude gets a strange look across his face as he parses her words for the meaning behind them.

     Iriisii: "'Huginn' is your name is it not? What words of wisdom does your master Wotan have for my ears?"

     Huginn walks up her arm to place his beak next to her ear and passes on the message he was given to deliver to her. Iriisii listens carefully and she becomes thoughtful before speaking to Huginn.

     Iriisii: "Tell Wotan I thank him for his message. It does indeed explain much about some things that have happened recently. I will exercise great caution in how I tread here. If it should please you, carry my blessing back to him, and my praises for your efforts to track me down and give me his words."

     Huginn raises his head and caws out loudly, almost as if he were laughing. He then leaps into the air, flies out into the darkness and vanishes within the shadows.

     Jean Claude: "A most unusual and singular raven."

     Iriisii: "He and his brother serve he who I know as Wotan, Lord of Asgard. I have worked the Forge of Stars with him at my side, even as I threw his boor of a son into a stone wall where he was stuck by his imprint. I wonder if it is still there. I also blooded the sword I forged there in a fight with him against the Frost Giants of Jotunheim. The victory was so sweet, the party lasted for days and nights as each who fought got up and regaled everyone there with their part in the battle."

     Jean Claude: "It sounds as if that battle was one worthy of a song to be written of it."

     Iriisii: "Knowing the minstrels and bards of Asgard, a great many songs were written about that battle. I and another were declared 'Daughters of Asgard' for our parts in the fighting, given permission to call and walk upon the 'Rainbow Bridge'. A great honor, not given to many to have. For the 'Rainbow Bridge' can go anywhere in all of Existence, anywhere you can imagine, it can take you."

     Jean Claude: "Has it taken you anywhere?"

     Iriisii: "Yes, into the very heart of a most dangerous enemy, seeking the lost mind of one of my fellow Gods of Eld. I beheld the remains of their home, the home they abandoned to imprison a most deadly enemy. All that lived within it is now dead, all energy consumed, no light, no heat, no life, only entropy. Dark, stagnant, unchanging, some say that is what will become of the different universes, far, far into the future, when the stars burn out and the deep cold claims all."

     Jean Claude: "What do you say will happen?"

     Iriisii: "I do not know right now. But that may be the time of my greatest doom. When I give my last gift to Existence before I pass through the Final Gate."

     Jean Claude: "And what will that gift be?"

     Iriisii whispers just loud enough for Jean Claude to hear her.

     Iriisii: "Rebirth. When I give back all that I have been given, and leave Existence for the Great Beyond, never to return."

     Jean Claude finds that he can say nothing more to what Iriisii has pronounced as what may very well be her finest hour. He then thinks, 'is it this that she was created and forged to be, to walk the path to that deep and dark future, and then become the very light of a new Creation. Giving all that she is that Existence begins again, and then goes in search of her final reward in the Great Beyond'. And so he goes to wait by the door back into the 'Circus', for Iriisii to come back inside, to rejoin life and light, joy and laughter, love and serenity. After a few more minutes of looking out at the far stars of this universe, seeking for the 'Hellmouth' and of something hidden there that Wotan feels she should look for and find, she turns away and walks back to the door. As he graciously opens it, Iriisii sees a shadow as the light from inside backlights Eliza. She then comes forward to Iriisii.

     Eliza: "Iriisii sad, Eliza hold you."

     Eliza takes Iriisii by the hand and leads her back down, all the way to the lower vaults, where the VIP's stay. They enter Iriisii's room and Eliza gently leads her to her bed, crawls into the bed with her and covers her with her wings.

     Eliza: "Sleep now, dream now, Eliza hold, Eliza protect."

     Iriisii is alone in this dream, all the people she has ever known and will know have gone on before her. She somehow knows this was at her request, that she wished to be the last. Her memories span so many lifetimes that they cannot be counted. Even Shai-Hulu'ud's 'Hall of Remembrance' stands complete, a testament to her life and times, as well as all the others who stood with her. The shell that was built to house it completely engulfs the star that is now giving its last breath of life. She knows everything else is dead and gone.

     What to do now, where to go, it seems so useless for this massive construct, the culmination of so many civilizations that worked on it, constantly adding more and more to it as her story unwound, to no longer amaze and delight the visitors that would come and bear witness to the tales it told. She looks to the almost burnt out star and asks.

     Iriisii: "Would you live again? Would you share the story told here with any who come seeking to know who came before them, what did they face, how did they live and love, what did they do to deserve a place here where they could be remembered?"

     Ta'an-Hulu'ud: "If it be your will, so I will tell your story and the stories of all the others preserved here."

     Iriisii gathers all that she is now, reaches into all the cold dead realms and finds those last shreds of herself lying cold and forgotten. Gathering them into herself, she then reaches into that core of herself and touches the 'Soulfire' that still lives within her. She gives an infinitesimal part to Ta'an-Hulu'ud, and the star blazes back into life once more. And then she looks outward, and thinks, 'yes, it is time'.

     She reaches out her hands into what remains of the Streams of Time, and gathers them together once more. She spreads her hands wide and pulls inward to her all that is what is left of Existence. She then infuses it with the Soulfire she possesses, and flings it out as far as she can push it. Then she sings to it, her song causes it to resonate, to quiver in anticipation of what comes next. As her song strengthens it, empowers it, until it can no longer stay within its bounds.

     She then uses a secret she has kept hidden within herself, a secret she found in the Antithesis Realm. She speaks a Word of Enunciation that she found written for her to find and keep until this new dawning of a new Age. She speaks the 'Word' and the new germ of Existence that she brought into being, her last child, is born in a blaze of glory. She watches to make certain its path is set. She then says farewell to Ta'an-Hulu'ud as she turns and sees the current Aspect of Death waiting for her. She walks up to him and greets her old friend.

     Iriisii: "Hail and well met, Death."

     Death: "Hail and well met, Goddess of the End and the New Beginning."

     Iriisii: "For a short time, yes, but it is time for me to go, I am tired and would find some rest for a while."

     Death: "In good time, yes, there is yet one small event that requires a witness. It will be soon, so let us wait at the Final Gate."

     They make that final walk to the Final Gate. It looks just the same as it did so long ago atop the Fae Sithen, when her display of power and martial prowess brought her to the attention of the 'Ageless Ones' once again, and they led her to the path she has almost finished. As she looks at the writing still adorning the Gate, she thinks back to when she spoke the words written here and the Gate responded to her desire, opening for her to accept all those stranded souls. She touches the words and feels them tremble through her fingers.

     Iriisii: "How? Why?"

     Death: "The Council of the Great Beyond has deemed you worthy above all others. They give to you in return for what you have given to this new Existence. Now is the time come upon us both, open the door that we may take this last journey together."

     She commands the Gate to open, and as the doors open for these, the last two of the old guard, she stops and listens for something she feels is for her ears alone. And then she hears the cry of a newborn baby, the first to be born, then she feels the father lift his daughter, display her to the stars, and asks for her name. She looks to Death, who nods his head, and she sends a name for this child winding its way across the unfathomable expanse.

     Iriisii's Voice: "Forevermore shall this child be named Iriisii Starborn, Blessed Child of the Stars, may she one day find her history in the Hall of Remembrance, and receive her inheritance from those who came before."

     She then calls Snowdevil from his place on her body.

     Iriisii: "Snowdevil, I have one last task for you to perform for me. There is one I have sent my name to, seek her out and live upon her as you have me. Be her Dragon, and teach her to be your Dragonrider. Then when she is ready, bring her here and let her see what awaits her inside the Hall of Remembrance. Once this is done, it will be your choice to stay with her, or pass through the Final Gate and come find me. Stay or follow, do what you feel is best, my friend. Now go."

     She stands and watches at the Gate, until Snowdevil can no longer be seen, then she and Death turn and walk through the Final Gate, its doors close and lock, until that one day in the new future when Iriisii Starborn returns and opens them again.

     Her dream fades as she and Death approach the Great Beyond, the part that is the Iriisii of the Future separates from the Iriisii of the Present, who watches as they walk through to the other side. She gets but a single glimpse of what may await her, and it is so powerful, so wondrous, that tears flow down her face, a desire to continue her walk forward almost overwhelms her, yet for an ancient voice she has heard but once before tells her she must go back. But first to walk with him for a bit, gather herself once more, for she still has so much to do if she is to come back and follow this doom driven path.

     Following the voice, she finds herself walking a faded dirt trail through a forest of ancient growth. Trees the likes of which she has never before seen. They are alive in a way that astounds her, for they welcome her into their midst. And in the center grove of this massive forest stands one tree that dwarfs the others. Instinctively she knows this tree, has walked beneath its branches before, touched its rough hewn bark, smelled the scent from its blooming flowers. Then she knows, this is the source of the 'Crown of First Blooming', this is the tree that was first used to weave it from.

     First Tree: "You now see the truth of the 'Crown' that was given to you and which you have admirably used to restore and renew old powers that had lost their way. Gratitude greater than can be expressed is due to you for this. Sorrow we feel that we had to draw you away from where you were bound, yet you are not ready to accept what lies beyond for you. But rest assured that if you stay the pathway, you will be ready when the time comes. So much you have accomplished, and yet still so much more awaits you. We know this does not engender much hope within you, but the hope you have given so many others and so many more as you go forward, this will give you the strength to keep going. And the 'Crown' itself will, as you need it to, express that hope for you to see, feel, and experience.

     We know the questions that sweep through your mind, the answers will come to you when you are ready and able to understand. So much you have taken on faith, know then that your faith is not misplaced, and will be rewarded both in the present and in the future, both here in your Existence and in the Great Beyond when you pass over there for the last time. One question we can answer for you, for you will soon open the way for this to progress. You know that many are the souls that have passed into the Great Beyond, yet so many more stay and are reborn time and time again. If Existence is to be as you have seen it will be, what then of those souls? The answer is this, you will forge a new path for those souls that are reborn. For when they reach the point where they no longer need be reborn here, you will have given them another way to go forward. The Final Gate will be open to them to take them across, even those Gods left behind will have a path, and those lingering in the place, 'Where the Dead Gods Lie Dreaming' will also not be forgotten. You will be the means of their salvation. When Existence begins anew, it will truly be anew. Only what you leave behind will stay, all else will move forward with you, that the new Existence not be burdened with the past, but can always keep its sight on the future, as did you when you walked forth out of Helgen, without the past in your mind, your eyes seeing only the future. Rest now child, gather your strength, let the aches slip away, renew yourself here, then return when you are ready to leave."

     Iriisii spends her time here, walking with and among the trees. They brush her skin with soft leaves, speak to her through the gentle breezes that drift though their branches. They take from her worries and cares, giving back to her peace and comfort. They teach her their ancient lore so that it will never be lost. She knows not how long she has been here, or how much time outside this place has flowed by, she is content to drink in the warmth of the sun, the coolness of the breezes, the splash of raindrops on her skin. Then she is brought back, jarringly by an argument going on within her.

     Darkstar: "You know it is high time you told her."

     Shivista: "I will decide when that time is!"

     Darkstar: You cannot hold it silent and hidden for much longer, better to get it out in the open now."

     Shivista: "Damn it, you will ruin everything!"

     Darkstar: "No, you will do it all by yourself, or do you want her to feel betrayed?"

     Shivista: "That was uncalled for and you know it."

     Darkstar: "But it is the truth, that you cannot deny."

     Shivista: "But she is so content and serene. How long has it been since she felt like this? And here you are going to spoil it for her."

     Iriisii: "Spoil what for me?"

     Shivista: "There you have gone and done it! Happy now, Darkstar?!"

     Darkstar: "No, I am not, but it needed to be done now, not later."

     Iriisii: "Will someone please tell me what is going on here?"

     A small voice speaks quietly, "It is about me is it not?"

     Iriisii: "Who are you, may I ask?"

     Shivista: "Oh, damn it all, this is Isis, my daughter."

     Iriisii: "Your..., how?, when?"

     Shivista: "I know...its just...I..."

     Shivista collapses, shivering, shuddering. Iriisii wraps her arms around her, "It will be all right, I promise, just let it all out, tell me what happened."

     Shivista: "On board Rassillon's ship, before it was broken up. I still do not know what came over me."

     Iriisii: "I can take it that Isis is yours and Rassillon's?"

     Shivista: "In a manner of speaking, yes."

     Iriisii: "Well, it is kind of obvious that she does not have a physical body, but there must be more to this. There is isn't there?"

     Shivista: "Yes, there is. Isis is to take my place, here, with you."

     Iriisii: "And where are you going?"

     Shivista: "Through the Final Gate, with Rassillon."

     Iriisii: "With..., how? I saw him trapped within the Event Horizon?!"

     Shivista: "You saw his body, his mind and soul had already been taken to safety."

     Iriisii: 'All right, tell me who did it."

     Iriisii hears and feels the chiming of the leaf around her heart.

     She Who Watches All: "I did it. To allow Shivista to follow his soul into the Great Beyond when they were ready to go together. She would not leave you unless there was one to replace her. And so she and Rassillon produced a soul child to become your 'dark side' and keep you in balance."

     Iriisii: "She fell in love with him, didn't she."

     She Who Watches All: "Yes, she did. Against all odds of ever finding love, she found it with him."

     Iriisii: "Then I give you both my blessing and in the Great Beyond, may you find the life you could not find here. I will miss you, so much, but I will not stand in your way of being with your love. I know what it feels like to be away from them and then to be with them again. I will not come between the two of you. I wish the both of you well and luck on your journey together."

     Shivista: "Thank you, I will miss you as well. I will then introduce you to Isis, she has both my heritage and Rassillon's, so she will be of great help to you going forward. She knows what this is all about, and truthfully, she is anxious to get started helping you. She has all of my memories, so she is very familiar with you, and she also shares Rassillon's memories, so she will have much knowledge to pass to you. I..."

     Iriisii: "Shhh, it is all right, I understand, perhaps better than you know. You did what you had to do, to be right with yourself. There was no way you could deny what you felt and continue to live with yourself wrapped in pain from losing him. Had you done so, you would have eventually faded away and you deserve better than that. I expect it is time for you to go, time to begin your new life. Make it yours as you make him yours, and he will make you so happy."

     Shivista looks to 'She Who Watches All', "I am ready."

     She Who Watches All: "So be it my child, come with me and I will take you to the Final Gate, then Death will carry you both across. I am sure at some point in the future, you will meet up with Iriisii again. How long it will be, even I cannot say, but I expect it will come about."

     And then Shivista is gone. In her place Isis steps forward and fills the space left by her mother.

     Isis: "I know it will take some adjustment, but we will manage it. I may not be so precocious as my mother, but I am every bit as dangerous to those who would harm you or Darkstar."

     Iriisii: 'Then there is no time like the present. We have work yet to do, so we had best be about it.'

          Iriisii wakes slowly, feeling the presence of another with her, then she realizes that Eliza is with her, covering her with her wings. At that moment she feels closer to Eliza than she ever has before. Stretching out her senses, she feels that Psy-Ops is near, outside the 'Circus' but nearby, observing most likely, but just in case I should strengthen the wards. I do not want them to know for certain I am awake and walking around just yet. Hmm, they may be looking for Jameson and his people, best to get in touch with Rigmor and arrange to transfer them to the Krang, completely out of Psy-Ops reach. She directs a tightline mental link to Jameson.

     Iriisii: "Jameson."

     Jameson: "Wha..., oh its you, sorry, I was dozing off."

     Iriisii: "Not a problem, I wanted to inform you that Psy-Ops is nosing around outside, I have strengthened the wards around all of us to keep them from seeing us before I am ready."

     Jameson: "What kind of wards are you using? Psy-Ops knows how to go around some of them. They are trained to look for empty spots where there should not be any."

     Iriisii: "Good to know, I can use that to misdirect them, but the ones I use are for cloaking, they merely shift their senses around us, like bending light around. If they do not specifically know what to look for they will never notice, mine use things they expect to see and disregard, thus everything is as they expect and anything else is not observed."

     Jameson: "Sweet, I need to get you to teach that to me sometime. I have been in situations where that could be a game changer."

     Iriisii: "I do not see any reason not to, your training will have given you most of what you need to learn how to create them. But as soon as I see what they intend, I will contact my Krang and get them to transport you and yours aboard. Then you will be completely out of Psy-Ops reach."

     Jameson: "Your Krang is nearby?"

     Iriisii: "Yes, they are just above the ecliptic plane to avoid accidental contact with any satellites or anything else like that. They are also cloaked using a quantum gravitational lens to shift electromagnetic spectrum energy around the space they occupy. The lens exists in quantum space but it can extend its effect into ours, thus light is bent around it and the lens is undetectable. There are other ways to do it as well, but we like to use what is close at hand."

     Jameson: "Thank you for the 'heads up', I will make sure all of mine stay close until you are ready to transfer us, safer for all of us."

     Iriisii: "Remember that if you wish to join with us, I will provide what you will need to make certain they cannot touch you. If you are capable there are things I can teach you that will let you go near anywhere you wish without being seen or sensed. There are some things I am likely to have to get involved in that someone already familiar with the terrain will be most welcome."

     Jameson: "I will keep that in mind. You are sure you can reverse what was done to Liselle?"

     Iriisii: "Yes, the Krang holds the technology needed to dismantle all that was done to her if she should so wish to be free of it all. It will be no trouble to remove it. Even the psychological effects can be dealt with as she sleeps. I also have a few ideas that should help her reacclimate to being free of all that was done, allow her to learn the joys of becoming a true woman again, something that was stolen from her and she thought irrecoverable."

     Jameson: "I thank you on her behalf, since I have had time to learn of her past, what was done to her. It sickens me to think that our government endorsed this to be done to her. It tells me no one will be safe until it is exposed and those responsible punished."

     Iriisii: "They will be, this is my solemn promise to all of you. It will be stopped and exposed. Those victimized will be healed, and those responsible will be held accountable."

     Jameson: "I have never been a man to pray, but seeing what you have done, I am moved to start. Maybe had I done so long past I might not have traveled this path."

     Iriisii: "Worry not of 'might have beens', you cannot change what happened. But you now have control of what happens from now on. If you truly wish to start on that path, I can direct you to those that will hear your prayers and will answer you as they heard me in my youth and answered my prayers. Thus have I learned the power of faith and hope."

     Jameson: "Faith and hope are truly that powerful? I look around and..."

     Iriisii: "They are the two greatest powers in Existence, but they are too often misunderstood and so misused, then when people do not get the results they expect they are abandoned before they can truly show what they are capable of. I can show you the proper way to approach them, the rest is up to you. If you believe in yourself, they will connect to you through that belief, and empower you to handle anything that comes your way. It will take time, but once you learn what they can do, you will know what to ask of them."

     Jameson: "How did you learn of all of this?"

     Iriisii: "My path was one of time, pain, suffering, anguish. They drove me to find a way to deal with it all and stay sane. My path to redemption began with a meeting with an wandering priest in the wilderness of the island continent where I once lived. I was at 'rock bottom' as you would say. I almost cut the throat of my firstborn son having been given the assignment to go to a specific house and kill everyone inside. I did not question the assignment because I was then and had been for years addicted to 'Black Lotus' pollen. It was used to keep me compliant while allowing me to otherwise be able to learn and perform as an assassin."

     Jameson: "What stopped you from completing the assignment?"

     Iriisii: "A chance shaft of moonlight came from behind a cloud in the night sky and shined upon his face. He opened his eyes and I saw my own looking back at me. All that I felt in that moment crashed through the drug's hold on me, and I turned and fell to the floor unable to move. Shivista came forward, took control of our body and got me out of there. We ran until we were completely lost, only then did we feel safe enough to make a campfire and try to rest. The priest came later and sat with me, listened to my story, and my questions about why the Gods allowed things like what happened to me, and what I was forced by the drug to do."

     Jameson: "What did he say?"

     Iriisii: "He explained about how the Gods were concerned about the bigger tapestry as a whole, not the individual threads that make it up. The threads are responsible for seeing to their own problems. If the Gods had to manage all the threads lives, the Tapestry will in the end unravel in chaos, because there would be no one to guide the Tapestry in what it is to become.

     I asked him then how do they help the threads deal with what happens, at least those things that are greater than they can deal with but not great enough for the Gods to intervene. He said they send agents, threads empowered to act and deal with those problems. But that sometimes those threads had to be tempered so they would not shatter and break under the pressure."

     Jameson: "That is why you were made to suffer so much, you were being 'tempered' to be one of these 'agents'?"

     Iriisii: "Yes, but there was a strong chance I could have been the last one, and so I had to be the greatest one they ever forged. Because everything hinged on if I could survive and fix the problems they saw coming. What they did not know was that their problems were being caused by greater problems beyond their sight, and so one that was watching those problems grow, went looking for a solution. She saw what my Gods were doing with me, realized that although she did not have the time to create one for herself, she could take me when my Gods were finished with me, add to me what was needed to step up and deal with these greater problems. And so it has been, now I am even greater than she who took me from my Gods, working to solve ever greater problems."

     Jameson: "Damn, I do not in any way envy you. But is there even an end to all of this?"

     Iriisii: "Once I would have told you I did not know, all I could do was have faith and hope there was an end. But I have been given a glimpse that yes there will be an end to it, and if I am strong enough I will be there to see it."

     Jameson: "How do you feel about it, how it ends?"

     Iriisii: "Faith and Hope, in the end, Faith and Hope reign supreme as I give what comes after, the gift of my Faith and Hope. The first child born will be presented to me. The first newborn child in a newborn Existence. I will see her through the eyes of the newborn stars, and I will give her a name, a destiny, and a legacy to discover. And as for myself, I will cross into the Great Beyond and see what awaits me there."

     Jameson: "If you are satisfied with what happens after all is said and done, then that is all that matters. And if you would have me, I would be honored to help get us from here to there."

     Iriisii: "Then I say, welcome aboard the 'Krang of the Dragonborn', it will be a ride like no other you have ever imagined."

          Later, after sundown, when things really begin moving in the 'Circus' Iriisii goes in search of Jean Claude and Tricia. She comes upon them in their main hall where they receive important visitors. The 'hall' is arguably the single largest room in the 'Circus'. Its ceiling is so high and expansive that 'flying buttresses' were required to be built to support the weight. The walls in between the 'buttresses' are filled with mosaic murals. The intricacy of those murals is a marvel for her to see, the individual pieces are barely able to be seen, yet were placed painstakingly by hand, and the resulting murals display the known history of the preternatural community. She starts to enter the hall and stops when she sees Jean Claude and Tricia formally greeting guests.

     Jean Claude: "Iriisii, please join us, please allow me to introduce some compatriots of Tricia. They too have read the 'tea leaves' of current events and have come to express their concerns. But I digress, may I introduce you to them, the one standing closest to you is Ted Forester, among those he is called to do business, he is known as 'Death'.

     Tricia looks on wondering how and what turning this meeting is going to travel down. Ted cracks a big smile, lighting up his face, and yet Iriisii looks past that and sees the truth underneath. 'Death' is a name that suits him well in the limited way that 'Death' is viewed here. He is a very skilled killer for a mortal, almost as deadly as she was when she walked Nirn's surface. She wonders how he would fare against a rogue dragon with nothing but a blade in hand. He gives her a deep bow, expressing his respect by not taking his eyes off of her. She returns his bow with one of her own, just breaking her knees enough to move or leap quickly in any direction. He reads her positioning and his opinion of her rises greatly, thinking 'and here I thought Tricia was the only one to come close to my level, here is one likely to go beyond. Whoever trained her knows far more than any I have ever encountered. I must tread very carefully indeed, yet I pray Olaf does not take a liking to her, that could be disastrous for us all'.

     Jean Claude: "Next to Ted is John 'Spotted Horse' of the Shona Tribe."

     Spotted Horse approaches her, gently taking her sword hand in his to kiss her knuckles, as this is going on he is reading the calluses, scars, and muscular development of her hand. She knows he is trying to ascertain the strength in them and what weapons she favors. She accommodates him by placing her off hand across his own letting him get a 'feel' of both. He recognizes what she is doing. Her being unafraid of what he could learn of her, tells him there are depths to her abilities that he should fear if they should ever find themselves on opposite sides of a battle.

     Jean Claude: "And lastly there is Olaf Trevorson."

     They stand gazing at each other, looking for strengths and weaknesses in each other. Olaf can almost see the oceans of blood and guts she has left behind in her wake, the resolute strength to face any foe, go to any length to gain victory. Is it her, Isis, or both, that let go a glimpse of her battle against the Kuurii in her first High Duel? As she drank its heart's blood, took a bite of said heart, and raised both heart and head in challenge to the one who placed it there to kill her. He saw the bolt of power, scream down from the heavens, burn the heart to ash, strip all flesh from the head leaving a gleaming skull, and course through her body into the sandy ground leaving her exhausted but unscathed. He then slowly walks to her and goes to his knees, head bowed.

     This frightens Ted more than anything he could have imagined. He wonders what did Olaf see in her to cause this reaction. He quietly looks around to see everyone else's eyes riveted on the two of them, wondering what is happening, what is going to happen, and what is it going to mean for the future.

     Olaf: "Who are you to be able to bring me to my knees before your glory, never have I met anyone who could compare with you."

     Iriisii looks deep within him, past his current demeanor, past his desires and needs which fill her with disgust and loathing at the way he envisions using the women in his life. She looks ever deeper, peeling back layer after layer until she finds the core within, and sees the need for one such as him to exist. She sees what he balances, and knows he must travel with her, serve her, learn from her, in order to be what he could be but for a twisting turn in his youngest years of life that put him on the path he walks. How like and unlike he is, compared to Letho, and yet the possibility exists that here is one who could be as he was for her. It will not be easy, and it will not be quickly done, but he could be one to whom even demons would bend the knee to, for the chance to fight with him, but only if he is willing to follow her in all things can this be done.

     Iriisii: "Who am I? Are you willing to see into me as deeply as I have seen into you? Are you willing to see what I envision when I see what you could be?"

     Olaf: "Yes."

     Iriisii: "Then know that I am 'DOVAH DO KEIN', the 'DRAGON OF WAR'. Look now into the 'MINNE SE DOVAH', the EYES OF THE DRAGON' and see who I see in you and what you could become!"

     Olaf turns his eyes up and looks into her eyes, glowing with the power of her dragonblood. He is taken back to when she first met Letho, watching what transpired, hearing what was said between them, and then he sees what she saw in Letho, and what she has seen in him. He sees all the things Letho did for her, and what he became for her, and how she came to feel about him. She stands with him on the battlefield against the Tsaesci and he sees what Letho did to earn her everlasting respect. He sees the honor she accorded him, and the place he earned in Meridia's Halls, next to Gloriana. He further sees how he has always returned to fight with her in glorious battles against overwhelming odds. And finally she takes him to see the place in Shai-Hulu'ud's Hall of Remembrance, that could be his if he but places himself in her hands. But what clinches his decision is when Isis steps up and shows him that she is also a part of Iriisii, and what she has in store for him should he accept.

     Olaf: "Will you accept my decision to take service with you this day, now and forever more, and not to be parted from you even by 'Death' himself?"

     His words rock everyone in the hall. Even the Harlequin, who know what a 'Vow of Service' like that can mean, wondering what he saw to cause him to make this offer. Even Iriisii takes a pause and gazes into the timestreams to see what the ramifications of this could be. She does not try to analyze the paths, just to get a feel what the end could be like and finds far more than she expected.

     Iriisii: "Olaf Trevorson, Zu'u bel hi wa dii fen, nol nu erei faal end do pah trukke hi fen kos ahst dii side. Mu fen kos faal harbingers do wonders ahrk maare. Ziistmaas pah shiver ahrk quake ol mu wundun naal, ziistmaas faal dilon rise ahst un rot ahrk bel. Ziistmaas un hokoronne mindok faas ol nust luft mu ko grah. Ful dreh faal dovah do kein zaan wa pah wo fen hon."

     (I call you to my will, from now until the end of all things you will be at my side. We will be the Harbingers of wonders and terrors. May all shiver and quake as we go by, may the dead rise at our word and call. May our enemies know fear as they face us in battle. So does the Dragon of War shout to all who will hear.)

     While she speaks her vow to him in Dovahzul, everyone in the hall feels the power in her words, feels the very fabric of reality and space/time shiver with their utterance. The Harlequin as one drop to their knees in respect to the event occurring in their presence. 

     Iriisii motions for Olaf to rise. As he does she grabs the shirt he is wearing and rips it from his chest, exposing the muscled ribs running up and down. She then morphs a hand into a dragon claw, and traces a sigil of a dragon head, jaws apart, preparing to breathe death and destruction, its eyes glowing blood red. Then she presses that sigil into his chest with the dragon claw. Everyone sees the grimace of pain on his face, the sizzle and smell of burning flesh. When she withdraws her claw, the sigil is imprinted into his chest just as it was traced in the air. He gingerly touches it with his fingers, but feels no pain, rather he feels the power inscribed in its image, and feels for a second, what the possibilities are in what it will do with and for him when he learns to use it.

     Iriisii: "I will forge armor and your choice of weapons for you. I will then bind them to you, so that no one may use them but for you. For now you are my 'Dragon of Terror', my 'Dovah do Maar'. You will strike fear in the hearts and souls of our enemies, your destiny entwined with mine, as my mates are, and as those who fight for me and follow me into the very environs of the 'Hells' and the 'Heavens' are. You will have a place in the 'Hall of Remembrance' where your life will be recorded, as do all who stand with me share a place. Welcome, my brother, to Iriisii's Black Dragon Elite, take your place next to me, now and forever."

     Olaf nods his head and moves to her right side, just a half step back and a full step between. Ted is struck dumb by what he has witnessed. Never could he have imagined that this could happen. He fully thought that one day Olaf would go too far and have to be put down. Now he realizes that this is likely the best that could happen for everyone, Olaf will be allowed to grow and expand to his fullest and beyond, but still remain under the control of Iriisii. His depredations controlled and directed against their enemies where he has tried to when possible to direct Olaf, not always successfully. Tricia looks to Ted, as he guesses her question.

     Ted: "I will wait and see how this works out, if she can keep him under control then I see no problem with it."

     Iriisii having seen everything in Olaf's life adds to this.

     Iriisii: "I know what has gone before, I say now those days are done. I have the means to satisfy his needs such that he will not need to seek them elsewhere. I saw what turned him to the path he now walks and I know what it will take to help him find a better path. For now I can offer him a way to slake the deep desires that motivated him to do what he has in the past, until such time as he can turn his direction and become something truly wonderous."

     Tricia: "If it were anyone else, I would say it cannot be done. But I have seen with my own eyes what you can do and so I will believe that in your hands it will be possible."

     Iriisii: "I have done this before, taken one who did things similar to Olaf. He ran afoul of the wrong person, who took offense to his dealings with his daughter. And so he fell from his lofty place, to live, crawling in the streets filled with piss and shit. Many days and times he prayed to Death to take him, yet Death kept staying his hands. I have not asked him why, and truly do not wish to know. I found him lying in the streets, no longer a human being. I heard his cry and it led me to him. I offered him redemption, told him what his price would be, and showed him what he could become. I then showed him my own past, what I once was and what I was then, and where I was going. I then asked if he would come with me along my road, leave his old life behind, and begin a new one. It was not easy for him, his body and soul were broken, but he proved to me he wanted what I offered, was willing to endure any pain, he forced his decrepit body to rise and step toward me with nothing but his will, pushing his fear of failure behind him. And then he underwent his penance. Once it was done, he was no longer who he once was. That one was dead, he became what he had secretly dreamed himself to be in the dreams he hid from himself, never believing it could be possible to be that dream. Because even as I am the Dragon of War, I am also the Dragon of Dreams, and for those few I deem ready, I can make their dreams become reality. I did it for the one called 'Cyprian Wiley', and I will do it again for the one called 'Olaf Trevorson'."

     Jean Claude has been standing still and quiet the entire time this was happening, watching the drama unfold.

     Jean Claude: "I know only what my people have told me of Olaf, the things he has done to those who cross his path and in whatever unfortunate way touch that part of him that responds with the most heinous of deeds. Deeds that in another time would be answered by his torture and execution, but now tolerated by the need to use him against powerful foes. And yet here comes one who sees something within him, something worth salvaging, worth protecting, worth seeing it mature and change the man called Olaf into something else. Something to still engender fear and terror, but only in those that the Dragon of War chooses. 

     Others may not understand what has transpired this day, may not care or even accept this path he now takes up. If so, I say to them, beware the ire of one the Dragon of War has chosen as one of her Dragon Warriors, her elite. As Master of the City of St. Lou, and holder of the High Council of Vampires Seat for North Merica, I concur with the decision of the Dragon of War to take this man into her service, to mold and remake him, into her Dragon Warrior. Let none gainsay what she has done in this place, this day, by my word, forevermore!"

     Iriisii: "In the history of my homeworld, my mother, Alessia, before her rise into godhood, did something like unto what I have just done. His name was Pelinal Whitestrake, and his name is still legend thousands of years after his passing. She did not have the level of control that I have, and so his depredations on the field of battle included not just men, but women and children as well. But for what he was called upon to face in battle, such acts, reprehensible as they were, still were they needed. In the Oblivion realm of Molag Bal, called Coldharbour, I found the imprisoned soul and memory of Pelinal Whitestrake. I relived with him, the most crucial moment that caused him to fall victim to that imprisonment. I changed the outcome of that moment and by doing so allowed his soul to find the 'Venne do Kaan', to find the peace he had spent years searching fruitlessly for. Now he is at peace with himself, and one day, so to, will my 'Dovah do Maar' know the peace that has forever eluded him."

     Eliza calmly walks into the hall, followed by a guard. Ted and Spotted Horse tense up upon spotting her. Olaf sees Iriisii gesture to him to remain still. Eliza walks up to Iriisii and Olaf, as she looks him over, she decides something in her mind, turns to Iriisii and nods her head.

     Eliza: "Olaf, worthy warrior for sister. Take to Antithesis with you."

     She then walks up to Ted and looks carefully at him. Then she looks to Tricia.

     Eliza: "You, better than him. In challenge, you win, he dies."

     Tricia looks to Ted, who looks back at her before glancing at Jean Claude. Eliza then finally looks at Spotted Horse, as he shivers under her gaze.

     Eliza: "Good hunter, Eliza like."

     And then she moves to Iriisii's left side, opposite Olaf.

     Ted: "Who or what is she?"

     Tricia: "You ask that question in peril of an answer."

     Iriisii: "She is my sister, by soul bonding. She possesses a small part of my soul. It was the only way for her to survive her birth. As to what she is, there are no words to describe that, for I have never met another like her anywhere in my travels. As to who she is, she is Eliza. Her father was or is, not sure about that, but let us say 'is' until we know for certain otherwise. He is the first Eternal Champion, and he was once Champion of the Great Balance, as I am now.

     As he was 'first' of the Eternal Champions, now there are many scattered across the planes of Existence. And now I can claim one as my son, as Elric of Melnibone, Aspect of the Eternal Champion is wed to my third daughter Kathea. And his mentor, Arioch, Lord of the Courts of Chaos, is wed to my second daughter Aleytys."

     Tricia: "Who is your first daughter?"

     Iriisii: "She is Kintyra III, now Empress of the Empire of Nirn, as I am Dowager Empress. And if we are done for the nonce, I need to use the hall to send Jameson and his people to my Krang for sanctuary from Psy-Ops. It seems they are nosing around outside looking for them, and I feel it better for now that they not be found here."

     Jean Claude: "Of course, do what you will. They have proven invaluable, and have done as requested for sanctuary, not that I would turn anyone over to that pack of..."

     Iriisii motions to the dark hallway, and Jameson along with his team and Liselle who had been assigned to shadow Jameson, comes out into the main Hall.

     Iriisii: "Are you ready?"

     Jameson: "Yes, we all are."

     Iriisii: "Very well, Liselle, my son Reaper, will see to the beginning of the process to undo what was done to you by Psy-Ops. Also I have commissioned a gift for you upon your recovery, one that I believe will serve you well. I hope it meets with your approval when it is ready."

     Iriisii opens a tight beam comm line to Rigmor via a virtual screen.

     Iriisii: "Rigmor, my love, I am contacting the Fortress Custodian for a door from here to the Krang. I am sending these behind me over for sanctuary. Please show Liselle to Reaper, he is to begin undoing what was done to her by her government."

     Rigmor gets a good look at Liselle.

     Rigmor: "Oh, by all the Gods! Of course, do not worry, it will not take long to reverse all that was done."

     Iriisii: "I also want that when she has recovered, to bring Elihal to the Krang and have him create a new wardrobe for her, spare no expense on the materials. I want it to be his best work yet. Maybe in this way some of what was stolen from her by what was done, can be returned."

     Rigmor: "I will take care of it right away. When do expect us to reveal our presence?"

     Iriisii: "Very soon I think. Psy-Ops is sniffing around as we speak, and when they do not find what they are looking for. I suspect they will look at anything else they can to shoulder the blame rather than admit failure. When the time comes, be ready, it will likely be an action by Psy-Ops that will trigger it."

     Rigmor: "We will be ready, I promise. Take care of yourself."

     Iriisii: "I will and I look forward to..."

     Rigmor grinning: "Save it for when we are alone. Oh, Geralt reports the Fortress is safe, the Aen Elle have been beaten back, the Hunter you sent was very helpful in showing them the error of their ways. He also says he thinks he knows who has brought them back, but needs time to confirm his suspicions. If it is who he believes, he says he will talk to you about it later."

     Iriisii: "Very well, is there anything else?"

     Rigmor: "I have a feeling I should send Dettlaff to you. I cannot say why, just a feeling."

     Iriisii: "I agree then, I have learned to trust your feelings in these matters. The Custodian is ready to open the door now."

     Rigmor: "We are ready here as well."

     Iriisii: "Custodian, go ahead."

     Custodian: "Door opening in five, four, three, two, one."

     All see a white line three feet long that appears from a single point appearing several feet away from Iriisii. The line then rises to a height of seven feet, and the form of an ironwood door banded in arcane steel becomes clear as the door opens to show the interior of the Krang. Rigmor takes advantage and steps through, showing the new visitors that it is safe. She motions for them to pass through, as the last one does so, and before Dettlaff comes through, Rigmor steals the moment by skipping to Iriisii, wrapping her arms around her, and giving her a heated kiss that has the temperature in the Hall rising by more than a few degrees.

     Rigmor: "Miss me?"

     Iriisii: "Ask me again after I have returned that kiss."

     Dettlaff: "All right, you two, go find a room somewhere. This is not private enough for that kind of activity."

     Rigmor turns her head to Dettlaff to mouth off a reply, when Iriisii takes a hand and pulls Rigmor's head back around for another kiss. The words still threaten to escape until she melts into Iriisii's body.

     Once they come up for air Rigmor asks, "Can I stay with you?"

     This prompts Jean Claude to burst out laughing. When he gets himself back under control.

     Jean Claude: "Of course you may stay, my Lady Rigmor. I would not dare separate the two of you now that you have reunited after the events that parted you."

     Rigmor looks up at Jean Claude.

     Iriisii: "Rigmor, this is Jean Claude, Master of the City of St. Lou. Jean Claude, this is Rigmor Ragnarsdottier, of the House of Ragnar, former High Queen of Cyrodiil."

     Jean Claude: "A pleasure and an honor to meet you, My Lady. I assure you, the Lady Iriisii has behaved herself appropriately to her station."

     Rigmor turns to Jean Claude and bows, "I thank you kind sir, for taking such good care of her. When she is alone, all kinds of trouble seems to find her."

     Tricia tries extremely hard to hide and stifle the giggles at this exchange, while Jean Claude ignores them, and Rigmor grins. Then she sees Eliza and skips around Iriisii to wrap her arms around Eliza.

     Rigmor: "Eliza, oh how I have missed you. I want to thank you so much for telling me she still lived after the ship she was on got swallowed by that monster."

     Eliza: "Rigmor family, love family."

     Rigmor: "And I love you as well, sister."

     Ted in his best southern drawl, "May I ask just what kind of a monster it was that swallowed your ship?"

     Iriisii: "The event horizon of a collapsed Galaxar."

     Ted's face goes white as a sheet as he realizes just what she has said.

     Iriisii looks toward Rigmor: "There is something that happened on board before the break up that I need to share with you, but it must wait for a more private moment."

     Rigmor reading the tone of Iriisii's voice, "What was it, you are not..."

     Iriisii: "No, not me this time."

     Rigmor: "Then who?"

     Iriisii: "Later."