AE16 The Story of Iriisii Dovahkiin

 AE16 Jean Claude breaks the silence with a question no one else dares ask.

     Jean Claude: "Pray tell, my Lady, what does he want?"

     Iriisii: "Me. He wants me to place myself under his complete control, to bring his power and influence into our Existence. For he is so different that he cannot do so on his own, but using one like me to channel that power through."

     Jean Claude: "Now it makes sense, all that we have spoken of comes together. He is running out of time to put you under his complete control. For if you ascend too far upward, you will move beyond even his ability to reach. And with you standing guard against him, he will never have another opportunity to bring us under his sway."

     Iriisii nods to Jean Claude, "You see clearly now. I will then leave it to you to speak of what you know to the High Council, and I pray you all choose wisely."

     Jean Claude nods his head to her, "I also hope we choose wisely. I 'Call' for an 'Accord' to be debated and voted upon by this body. We will adjourn to the 'Undercroft' until we decide our future course of action. Please stay, if we should require any further information..."

     Iriisii: "Of course, we still have time. I will be here should you have any further questions."

     As the Vampire High Council leaves for the Undercroft for the 'Accord', Rigmor askes Iriisii something that is plaguing her mind.

     Rigmor: "If you move beyond his ability to reach, what about the rest of us? Would he not then try for one of us?"

     Iriisii: "He would try, but not successfully. I would never allow him to lay a tendril on any of you. I am powerful enough right now to hold him to a standstill. With any of you merged with me, he is 'dead meat'. When the Arcane towers are complete and the whole of the untapped power of the Dream Lands and its peoples comes to me as its Imperatrex, I alone would be able to reach him anywhere he tries to hide and show him the error of his intentions. Even so I expect him to try, but through his minions, for he still cannot come through in his own form. Almost I wish he would try it, dire as it would be."

     Rigmor: "Why do you think that?"

     Iriisii: "To nearly all who know of him through the writings that exist, still see him as nothing but a story, an allegorical use of words to convey thoughtless terror. If he were to somehow find a way to make his physical presence known in our Existence, the irrefutable proof of him would consolidate nearly all of the 'fence sitters' to declare for us. Pretty much only those that already belong to him would stay his, the rest would flock to our side."

     Rigmor: "If that were to happen, what could you get away with doing to him?"

     Iriisii: "That is a good question. I am not certain there would be any limits."

     Rigmor: "Why is that? There are limits on everything else you interact with?"

     Desidarius: "Because he is not of our Existence, and so not a part of the Great Balance. The power that is the 'Balance' does not extend to him, that is in part why he must act through a proxy to cast his influence here in even the smallest degree."

     Rigmor: "Then how does he intend to channel his power through into this Existence?"

     Desidarius looks toward Iriisii.

     Iriisii: "Tell her, she needs to know."

     Desidarius: "He intends to merge himself with Iriisii, get her with child, then become the 'child' while it is still within her. Thus when the 'child' is born, he will be born into this Existence, as a child of it. He would then be free to work his will as he wishes. He would still need to channel his power through her, at least until his physical form could be mutated to withstand it. It is still not known how that could work. Perhaps that is one thing he hopes to gain from this experiment with the Wamphyri and the Dahleks."

     Rigmor: "What? Mutate his own new body?"

     Desidarius: "More likely use an already mutagen strengthened body as the 'father' for his new form. Much easier to control what mutations breed true and far less trouble."

     Rigmor: "No! That is just too horrible to consider. I mean, it would never work would it?"

     Desidarius: "Some time ago, I would have agreed with you. But the situation with Eliza shows that a path exists. The question is can he find the elements he needs to pull it off."

     Rigmor: "My love, what do you think about his chances?"

     Iriisii: "Honestly, I do not know. I want to say not good at all, but I have no way to know what he has already accomplished and what else remains. All I can do is move ahead and trust in our abilities to deal with him when the time comes. There is far too much now to worry about than what if this or that concerning 'him'."

     Morpheus: "I agree, for what it is worth. There are places out there beyond any we have previously known that need our help. For try as they might, as many heroes as they bring up to fight injustice, terrors, and all manner of depravity. They are only able to hold their own. The suffering continues unabated, the peoples still cry out for help. And one in particular, the parallel between it and your Nirn is astonishing. There are differences, yes, but overall, not many. What bothers me most is if it is in balance with Nirn..."

     Iriisii: "Then Akatosh's Golden Age for Nirn may be the catalyst for why this world you speak of cannot pull itself out of the mire?"

     Morpheus: "Precisely."

     Iriisii: "And if this is indeed so, what can I do about that? If it balances Nirn has it spent the last thousand years experiencing a 'Golden Age' while Nirn suffered?"

     Morpheus: "Now that you mention it, no. It too has had immense suffering, growing each time it would break out across the lands, even as it too was as Nirn, created later than the rest of those around it. It was created by a pair of gods, one demonic, one angelic, as a place to escape from the unending battles between the others. They were responsible for the children that came forth from them and populated this world, at least until the others saw it and the battles shifted to it. The things that have happened there, and those still to come defy description. Whether that world will survive or not, no one has the faintest idea, or even if the conflict growing on it may spill over and spread."

     Iriisii sighs, "Another and another, I am convinced there will be no end to them until the very 'End of Times' itself."

     Rigmor puts an arm around Iriisii's shoulders.

     Rigmor: "You know you do not have to face this alone. We are all here to help you bear this burden."

     Iriisii: "I know, this is why I am able to keep going, knowing that I have all of you with me. Tell me Morpheus what it is that should interest me so much about this world beyond any of the others?"

     Morpheus: "The hero currently neck deep in trouble is a great deal like you. As you carry the 'Blood' of Kthanid in you, she carries the 'Blood' of the demonic God that created her world in her as well."

     Iriisii looks up at Morpheus, some strange thought dawning on her.

     Iriisii: "Then she too is Aasimar?"

     Morpheus: "I do not know if that is what they call it, but I would say the name means nothing, it is that you both carry the 'Blood' of your 'Gods' directly in your veins. She has had to make hard, difficult decisions, just as you have. And often enough without good information to work with. Where her destiny is taking her, I have no idea, neither does she for that matter. But I do know this, she could be a force like you if she survives. For if she manages to defeat the Demonic side in the battles to come, it will only inflame the Angelic to go after her. For they will only see the 'Blood' of her 'Mother' within her and that will be enough to condemn her in their eyes."

     Iriisii: "Does she choose a side in this conflict?"

     Morpheus: "The side she has chosen is that of the 'World' she lives on and the people that share it with her. She does not judge the people she meets, but rather tries to help as she can whether she agrees with their lives or not."

     Rigmor: "Sounds like someone we all know and love, does it not? Someone whom it sounds like needs our help to intervene and maybe knock some sense into some Aetherial heads while we are at it."

     Desidarius: "I like the way you think, sister, sometimes even Demons and Angelics need to be taught there are more important things to do than beat each other over the head."

     Byrsael: "I never thought to ever say this but, I am in complete agreement with you there."

     Desidarius: "See, we have more in common than just falling in love with Iriisii. Just be careful who you mention that to, I have a reputation to uphold."

     Byrsael: "Do not worry about it, I will not say anything to anyone outside this room about it."

     Desidarius: "Thank you, and if I can ever return the favor, you only need to ask."

     Byrsael nods her head in acceptance.

     Iriisii: "We will look into this place later, for now we have a lot on our plates just dealing with this mess. Let us not get ahead of ourselves. But Morpheus, keep me informed as to how she is doing, if possible I could send help to her, at least until I am able to lend a hand myself. Oh, and just what do they call this world?"

     Morpheus: "Sanctuary, they call it, Sanctuary."

     Iriisii: "Rigmor, do you not have a wedding to plan? I know this is something I will not be able to keep you from getting your hands involved."

     Rigmor: "Your mother is putting together details right now, it seems Shai-Hulu'ud has been keeping her informed of your activities. He has promised her all of his contacts starting with Demetrius. And I thought I heard Flinx's name mentioned as well."

     Iriisii: "Is it too late to run and hide somewhere, I think the Temple of Shadows has some empty monastic cells down in the deep parts of it? Serana, would you mind it so much if we just disappeared somewhere, I think I could convince the Abbot to marry us without all the fanfare this is otherwise going to get."

     Rigmor giggling, "Oh no, you are not going anywhere. Your goose is really cooked good this time. The guest list could fill up the entire Great Library at Lost Carcosa and invitations would still keep flowing out of the windows. Anybody who is anybody is going to be there. Who is going to officiate over this, nobody has said a word about it, not even your mother, both of them in fact."

     Iriisii: "Wait, you mean the 'Mother of the Cosmos' is working with Alessia on this? Lucifer! Is there any way you can get me..."

     Lucifer: "My hands are tied in this, and no one is going to risk angering your mother by helping you disappear. You might as well make the best of this, anyway I understand someone by the name of Elihal is on the way. When he heard the news he packed his entire shop and staff. They are being transported over to the Krang to set up."

     Serana: "Elihal! Dear one, if you can find a way to escape, I would love for just the two of us to get away. I adore his creations, but this is going to be too much."

     Rigmor: "Oh, by the Nine! Elihal is doing the clothing, this is going to make his reputation go beyond anything imaginable. But where is he going to get the materials?"

     Lucifer: "Shai-Hulu'ud said he had that covered, his people are scouring everywhere imaginable to get only the best."

     Iriisii: "I wonder if the Librarian would know somewhere?"

     Rigmor: "Oh no, you are not skipping out on this. All of Existence is going to be watching, and with 'virtual front row seats' for everyone. This is going to be..."

     Dettlaff: "...the perfect time for an enemy to strike."

     Iriisii: "Finally, a breath of sanity."

     Tricia: "Forgive me for butting in, but can anyone tell me what these 'virtual front row seats' means? I mean from what you are saying this entire world will not handle even the smallest amount of the guest list."

     Rigmor: "I do not understand the physics involved, you would have to ask someone who could explain it. As I was told when we first tried it, it is a virtual connection shared between all who wish to participate. They are folded within space/time in layers, such that each participant sees what is going on as if they were in the 'front row'. The point of view can be changed, but that is where it is most advantageous to put it. This way no one feels slighted by someone else having a better view. All views are equal. They said there is no practical limit to how many can be stacked this way. It is merely the amount of power required to do it, and we have much, much more than we will ever need now."

     Tricia: "Amazing, simply amazing."

     Rigmor: "I know, I just see that it works, and that is good enough for me. Hey, you and Jean Claude are engaged, why don't you join the ceremony? You will never have a better opportunity at a grand spectacle than this will be."

     Tricia: "That is what I am worried about, if Jean Claude gets wind of the possibility, he will definitely ask. I am not one for all the pomp and posturing, give me a simple wedding with just a few guests. But what concerns me is the possibility of enemies striking during the ceremony."

     Iriisii: "Ordinarily, I would agree with you. But with my Krang in orbit, and the forces I have ready within as well as how many more I can pull through it. They would have to be utterly stupid to try anything. They would get their heads handed to them, with virtually the entirety of Existence watching. But..."

     Dettlaff: "What are you thinking? If their goal would be more 'smoke and mirrors' than an actual assault. A misdirection of some kind, meant to embarrass us, maybe using a political maneuver of some kind?"

     Iriisii: "You are getting to where you can almost read my mind, that is exactly what I am thinking. But it would have to be more political and local at that. Something Hawkins would have to cook up as a deception to draw eyes away from something else."

     Tricia: "Of course! He has to be running scared by now, knowing he cannot face you head on. He is looking to escape, not just from us but from those who pull his strings. But to do that he needs all eyes on something else, not on him. And if something upsets the ceremony in any way, that is exactly what would happen. The question would be if it could give him enough time to get away. We need to talk to Jameson and see if he might have any idea of what Hawkins might have up his sleeve."

     Iriisii sets up a comm channel to the Krang and requests to speak with Jameson. Once he is seated in front of a virtual screen, Iriisii lays out what their thinking is on Hawkins reaction to current plans.

     Jameson: "I think you are right on the money. I know there is someone else in the shadows that he is scared shitless of. I have never seen who this person is, but I have seen little signs of their presence."

     Iriisii: "Tell me more."

     Jameson: "Sometimes I thought I heard a 'crackling' sound, not close but as if some distance away. I have also caught glints of slivers of red crystal in the carpeting, and once embedded in the arm of the chair I was sitting in while in front of his desk. My hand and fingers would sometimes wander close to it and I would swear I felt like it was trying to reach out and grab me."

     Iriisii goes silent for a few seconds before continuing.

     Iriisii: "Did Hawkins ever give any indication he knew you saw any of this?"

     Jameson: "No, I never take my eyes off of him when he is in the room. My senses always go on alert at those times."

     Iriisii: "You are a very lucky man, Jameson. Had he known anything of what you have told me, you would never have left his office alive."

     Jameson: "You know who this person is then?"

     Iriisii: "If it is who I think, 'she' is the operative word here, and she is nothing but a pawn trying to stay alive in a bloody pool filled with hungry sharks. I have met her once before, or one like unto what she is. It is remotely possible there is more than one."

     Jameson: "Who?"

     Iriisii: "I call her, the 'Red Woman'. She was likely a woman once, before the 'Red Lyrium' took her over. Now it just slowly consumes her, until the time comes when she is no more and the 'Red Lyrium' is all that is left. What 'Red Lyrium' is? Where does it came from? Your guess is as good as mine. But I do know that it corrupts all that it touches, until one day the corruption is all that is left. It is said to confer power to its 'host', but the more they use it, the faster they are corrupted."

     Jameson: "What can be done about it?"

     Iriisii: "It is not indestructible. It can be burned out with the kind of power I wield. That was how I survived its attack against me. I fed it power until it burned with it, then kept feeding it more and more. It finally succumbed and burned away what was trying to take hold within me, and the 'Red Woman' took the full brunt of my blast. She was shattered into nothing but shards, that broke down into powder that the breeze scattered across the landscape. All I heard was the whisper of her weeping soul as it was lamenting, hoping it was cleansed of the 'Red Lyrium', and that it was not damned forevermore."

     Jameson swallows hard and shakes his head.

     Iriisii: "You have good instincts, they served you well and kept you alive. May they continue to do so. Should you remember anything else, no matter what it is, pass it to Reaper and tell him to send it to me right away."

     Jameson: "I will, and thank you for taking me and mine in. you will not regret it."

     Iriisii smiles and nods her head to him before closing the virtual screen.

     Tricia: "Yes, he is a good man. You did a noble thing saving him and his like you did. I am glad you did it and glad to have met you."

     Iriisii: "You will go far up the ladder, just keep your wits about you and trust in yourself."

     Dettlaff: "Ok, we now have confirmation that Hawkins is running scared, which makes him even more dangerous. We need to find this 'Red Woman' and try to determine who is the one behind her, all while trying to defuse this situation with the God of this area who has abrogated his duties. Anything I have left out?"

     Iriisii: "Just keep an open mind, any of this could change at a moments notice. There has been no sighting of those possessed corpses looking for me has there?"

     Dettlaff: "You are right, it has been a while. Not likely they have stopped, more likely they are looking for a more advantageous time and position. Like the wedding ceremony?"

     Iriisii: "Nothing wrong with your logic, just, everyone stay on your toes. Harlequin, you need to know about them. They are possessed corpses. What is possessing them is up for debate, but make no mistake, they are fast, intelligent, and dangerous. I am certain you will know them by their odor, even freshly dead you will not mistake it. It is acrid, toxic, and over time will destroy the possessed body. They use a ranged spitting attack, do not get hit by that liquid, I cannot stress that enough. I do not know if you would be immune to its possession and I do not want to take the chance. If you run across one, do not hesitate, destroy it. Fire is best, lightning is also good, anything else that can completely destroy it can be used. Anything else, use your best judgment, I will back you up whatever you decide."

     The Harlequin bow with clenched fist over their hearts, rise up and disperse to take up posts throughout the upper castle. All of them with the renewed sense of being tied to a deity that cares for them, about them, and will utilize them to their maximum talents. She trusts them to use their discretion and will stand behind them as they execute her orders. This is what they have sought for as long as they have existed. And now that they have found her, they will stand between her and hell itself to keep her safe.

     Iriisii: "Well I guess it is time I faced my mothers, Serana, you can stay hidden if you want for a while longer."

     Serana: "I will go with you, if you can face them, so can I."

     

     They approach the chamber Alessia and the 'Mother of the Cosmos' are occupied with planning out the wedding and walk in.

     Iriisii: "I hope I am not intruding."

     Alessia looks up and goes to Iriisii, embracing her, steps back to look her over with tears in her eyes.

     Alessia: "You could never intrude on me, my daughter. It is so good to see you like I have so wanted to for far too long."

     Iriisii: "I understand, mother. None of what happened was your fault in any way, you had no way to know what was happening, why it was occurring. And I certainly did not know either, but I understand now why it had to be that way. I hold no animosity to anyone for it."

     Mother of the Cosmos: "You have turned out far better than I had any reason to expect. I and my sister, both of us, are so proud of you. And we think of you as ours as well."

     Iriisii: "Good, then I have at least a few less things to worry about. What plans have been made so far, if it is okay to tell me."

     Alessia: "I do not know where you found Elihal, but he can create clothing for me anytime. I have never seen anything better, why, even Dibella is fascinated at what he can do. And I understand the materials Shai-Hulu'ud has found puts everything else he has worked with to shame. He says he has the measurements for you and Serana, so it will be some time before he will need for you to try his creations on to see if anything needs altering, so I would suggest using some of the space here and talk to some of the neutral governments. Then they can see for themselves that the things the Merican's say about what went on here are wrong. The more of them you can sway to your side the less room the Mericans have to move against you. If you can force this Hawkins to a stalemate, it will be just as good as an outright victory."

     Iriisii: "I see, he does not have total control of the government, just a very few at the top are his slaves. The longer a pressured stalemate goes on, the more likely something will slip and what he is doing will come out. When it does the whole country will turn against him and the hunt will be on. He will have to use his escape route to keep his hide intact. And it is likely the Krang can trace him wherever he goes, thus we have bargaining power with whoever comes into power, depending on how bad they want him. That just leaves this narcissistic God who cannot seem to see anything but his own face."

     Alessia: "You need to be certain of the reason why it is happening. It is not even a rare occurrence for this to happen, you need to see the whole picture here before making any judgments. Which means unfortunately you will have to storm the gates to find anything out. If that means complete destruction of his servants then so be it. They have no souls, thus if he somehow keeps his position he only needs to create more, as reprehensible as I find it.

     Also you did very well with taking 'Lucifer' from him and making him the replacement leader for the Angelic forces. The more I see of what went on, the less I think this 'God' is going to keep his position. You will need to think about a replacement, see if there is one here anywhere that could step up."

     Alessia thinks for a few more seconds then realizes the 'Mother of the Cosmos' is looking at her with a smile on her face.

     Alessia: "I am sorry if I have overstepped myself here."

     Mother of the Cosmos: "Nonsense, you see this very clearly for so short a time you have been here. Now I see where Iriisii gets her decision making skills from, you taught her so well that they stayed with her all of her mortal life and have even carried over into her immortal life. Those were what attracted me to her in the first place. Her ability to think fast on her feet, and leap to correct decisions with less information than would be desired in most any situation. Also she knows she will sometimes make a mistake, but she is willing to accept the consequences of her mistakes and keep moving forward without second guessing everything. You made her into what Existence needed and did so before the 'point of no return' was reached. She has pushed back that line enough that we can breathe again, while we take stock of where we need to go from here. Existence owes you a debt it can never repay, but perhaps Iriisii herself at the very end will set that debt aside for the good of everything."

     Alessia looks to Iriisii with questions running across her face.

     Alessia: "Do you know what she is speaking of?"

     Iriisii considers a few moments, then looks at the 'Mother of the Cosmos', who nods her head. Iriisii then tells Alessia of the dream she had since she has been here. As she finishes, Alessia grabs a chair and sits.

      Alessia: "That is even more than I can comprehend right now, Existence recreated, new life reseeded everywhere, and the history of how it all came to be, waiting to be discovered and understood, what happened, how it all came about, who did it, and what they overcame to do it. At the least it is a story of hope, faith, and belief. I hope Shai-Hulu'ud has a digital recording of Demetrius providing a running commentary of the whole thing from start to finish. He is the only one I can think of that could do justice to that monumental a job."

     Iriisii: "Well at least for now I know where I need to begin, I will arrange a meeting with the 'Heads of State' of the non-aligned countries. Somehow I suspect it will be better to speak with all of them at once rather than one at a time."

     Alessia: "You suspect some may have been unduly influenced by this 'Hawkins' person?"

     Iriisii: "Outright forced coercion is more to the point. By whatever process he used to take over the Merican government. If it is what I think, I can easily detect it myself, then bring it to where the others can see it for themselves. When they see the evidence in front of their eyes, their response will be interesting to see. Once the 'lines' are drawn and all know where they stand. I believe my opponents reaction will prove to be enlightening."

     Alessia: "In what way?"

     Iriisii: "I suspect he will attempt to escape and save his sorry hide. What remains is how far will he go to cover that attempt."

     Alessia: "You mean start a war, then try to 'run' while everyone's attention is on the fighting?"

     Iriisii: "Yes, only I expect we will not be the only ones he will be 'running' from."

     Alessia: "So he will be 'running' from those he is working for as well, which says he does not believe they can win in a head-to-head battle with you. Or also that they have plans in the offing that he thinks he will be the 'scapegoat' for, possibly both at the same time. That would make more sense from their viewpoint, more smoke and mirrors."

     Iriisii: "Indeed and I think they very well know the power levels of those of us directly involved. If they are still going through with this, they will require high level assistance. It will be to our safety to invest in some extra protection ourselves."

     Alessia: "What do you have in mind?"

     Iriisii: "First, move Mithrandir to the Krang, no, that would scream out what we suspect. We are just going to have to employ some misdirection about this. I will make sure he is guarded by my best. I will send for my Kinja acolytes, they can whisk him to safety before anyone could think to grab or do anything to him. Also anyone else who could be used against me as leverage will need special guards. I know just who to use, although they will need 'glamor' to hide their true appearances."

     Alessia: "Who did you have in mind then?"

     Iriisii: "I will send for a contingent of 'Yautja', backed by 'Nightgaunts'. Nodens has been training some to use in situations such as this. Now I need to go see Tricia and let her approach Jean Claude about this. Since this place belongs to the Vampire High Council, I do not want it to seem I am just moving in and taking over. And I have a lot of explaining to do with Serana. I really need to make this up to her, after all she has had to endure to this point.

     I need to take her somewhere we can be alone, or with others when we wish it to be. Some place quiet, serene, calmly beautiful. Ah yes, I know just the place, and sorry I can say nothing of where it is. If Rigmor even thinks I have that place in mind, she would move the heavens and the hells to 'drop by unexpectedly'. I am sure under the right circumstances it would be a wonderful experience, but not on a 'honeymoon'. You could drop a whisper or two that I am considering taking Serana to the 'Night Forest' in the 'Dreamlands', no, better to just say you heard me talking about it with someone else."

     Alessia: "Just where are you going to take her, someone needs to know in case we need to contact you?"

     Iriisii: "The Shire, I have a hobbit home there, one I dug out of the hillside and built inside it myself. Just the right size for the two of us for a private visit. And the neighbors will give us as much privacy as we need."

     Alessia: "The Shire? I do not know of that place."

     Mother of the Cosmos, grinning from ear to ear, "I do know of it, and I can say no other place I know of could be better for you and Serana to share time together. It will heal the both of you of much you have weighing on you, and it will be worth all of the time the two of you have had to wait for this moment."

     Iriisii: "Thank you, just remembering about it, brings so many good memories. I hope the neighbors are ready for a party. I know! But this I must keep to myself. It will let me keep a promise I made to my steward who takes care of the place for me, for he told me how much everyone there loves a good party. And I intend for this one to be the best they have ever had."

     Mother of the Cosmos: "There you go, you have already shed a good many pounds of worry from your shoulders. And you are just beginning to get things ready for the trip in your mind. Now go, you have much to do, and plenty of people to help."

     Iriisii corners Tricia and explains what she needs her to do, why to do it this way, who needs to be brought here. As she listens to all of it and processes it in her mind, she cannot help but think of how far down the rabbit hole they would be if Iriisii had not come to show them how to find their way out. She knows what Jean Claude will say when he hears everything, so she grabs the Castle Steward and begins by involving the Leader of the country the Castle inhabits. He in turn is excited to have a major role in gathering a coalition of countries to stand against the Merican, Hawkins, who has just had himself given emergency powers in running the Merican country.

     Security is so tight even a snowflake falling anywhere on the Castle grounds is noticed. The vampires note the presence of a number of entities, even if their eyes cannot pierce their cloaking. Tricia made certain they understood these were Iriisii's special security detail, and would work to protect everyone inside the Castle. She also told them they suspected a few of these dignitaries had been corrupted by Hawkins and that they would be flushed out. If they could be saved, then they would be, if they could not they would be destroyed. But the aim was for all of this to take place in sight of the remaining dignitaries, so they would understand the gravity of the situation they were in.

     Either join with Iriisii, the 'Vampires', the 'Were', and the 'Fae', or hope Hawkins people were not waiting on their return to infect them. The Vampire High Council took it in quickly, calculated what the probable result would be, and granted Iriisii their whole support. It was still strange to hear the occasional clicking here and there, as well as the fluttering. But knowing these were the ones Iriisii declared her best if things turned dicey, no one was going to say anything if she trusted them with the security of her own mates and children. As a gesture of solidarity, Jean Claude volunteered to chair the meeting, to show his and the High Council's support for her, and maintain neutrality among the different countries leaders. For all of the leaders knew there was certainly no love lost between Jean Claude and Hawkins, how far and how fast Jean Claude had moved up since Iriisii showed up to side with him, and they all knew a winning team when they saw one, and wanted in on this team.

     Over the course of a few days, the leaders dribbled in and Iriisii personally greeted them. One to show her gratitude for their coming, and two to find signs of infection among them and their people they brought with them. None of the leaders themselves were infected, but a handful of advisors were. Iriisii silently tagged everyone within the groups that had an infected person with them. They were watched closely by her security, followed everywhere, and anyone coming into contact with them were additionally scanned. To her relief no attempts were made to spread the infection further. It seems this was to be a surveillance run for them and further infections were likely set for on their return to their home countries. She had counted a total of seventy-four non-aligned countries participating in this meeting, with another twenty-three sitting out on the fence, half of those supposedly allies to Hawkins.

     Then she thought about what if some were not infected but coerced or willingly working for Hawkins. She asked Reaper to send over her Minidrags and let them sense emotions of the dignitaries and their people. The reactions were varied, some seemed perfectly clean, others were a mixed bag. It seems some among the aides were willingly working for Hawkins but not many at all, the rest of them either coerced or clean. She thought about informing the Leaders that she knew were clean and asking to question the aides, but thought that would get attention, better to do it all at once. Just be ready to segregate them and keep them separate while sorting them out.

     All while this is occupying her, the wedding plans are proceeding apace. The dresses for Iriisii and Serana are almost ready for fitting, while Elihal declares them to be his finest work. He sometimes looks at them and wonders if after this it will be time to put the scissors, needle, and thread down for he feels there is no way he could do better than these two wedding gowns. But then he shakes his head, there will always be other challenges, and staff to train as these current ones go out on their own. Truth be told, Shai-Hulu'ud has already been talking to him about broadening his horizons. That there is already intense interest from other Realms for him to try his hands at making his creations for. Bah, enough of that moldering, he still has to finish this job before he can think of anything else.

     The meeting of the non-aligned countries is about to start, the seating has been carefully arranged to place the ones known to have infected among them where they can easily be separated from everyone else. All eyes are on Jean Claude as he takes up a singular gavel used to initiate High Council gatherings. The candle and torch light gleams off of the skull somehow attached to a long leg bone. He taps it on the tabletop, and announces to the gathering.

     Jean Claude: "I would like to welcome you all for coming on such short notice, but I am aware as you all are of the nature of current events and how they impact every one of us in some way or another. Everyone is looking for answers as well as who is causing these problems and what do they wish to gain from it all. I hope you will find what is brought out in this gathering will prove as interesting and enlightening as I found it. As well as answering a great many questions and concerns that I had. I would like to introduce to you the one who brought all of this to my eyes and my attention. Who has proven capable of dealing with these things we have seen and much more we have not seen, that is still hidden and needs to be brought out into the light of day. Will you welcome Iriisii Dovahkiin, the Dragon of War."

     To say the dignitaries were shocked when they recognized her from her concerts, was a vast understatement.

     Iriisii: "I would start off by saying, yes, you have seen me in my performances. What better way to have reason to visit the cities and countries that I have so far. To meet the people and gain a sense of what troubles them as well as I can try and give them a small respite from those troubles. And it has on the whole been quite successful in allowing me to move about, as well as keeping Psy-Ops at bay. And, yes, I have discovered quite a bit of what is happening in the shadows, out of sight of most of the people.

     Before I go on about that, I should tell you all that I have successfully forged alliances between the 'Vampires', the 'Were', and the 'Fae' to meet the threat that looms over the horizon. But they are not the only ones who have suffered and would suffer even more when it comes, if it is not stopped. As I am sure rumors and stories have abounded as to who and what I am. For now let us just say that my home is very far away. And that I had no idea of what was going on here. Others however did, and they managed to find a way to draw me here from where I was. This they did because they felt I could deal with it where they could not. And so it falls to me to do whatever I must to end this threat. For it would begin here and spread until it consumed all of Existence itself. It would take far too long to explain the metaphysics of Existence.

     Just try and imagine all that you can see through your telescopes, of the billions of galaxies, each containing billions of stars. Then multiply that by 'infinity', and you start to gain sight of all that I work to save. I do this by finding allies, building an army the likes of which has never been seen before, to fight an enemy no one has ever seen before. I do not ask you to join me in my fight, I would ask of you to help me fight for your world, your countries, your cities, your people. Those I know of that are a part of the enemy that we both must face lies at the very top of the Merican Government. It is not all of them by any means, right now, it is Hawkins and his Psy-Ops, even among them there are some who would come to our side if they knew the truth. He has control of the Joint Chiefs, and the heads of the CIA and FBI.

     There are others behind him, pulling his strings, ready to sacrifice him on the altar of expediency. Just as he would escape if he could get away. I personally have no interest in him, it is the ones behind him that I want. For he is a tool and I want the ones using that tool. That is not saying that he has not done a great deal to answer for, he has. But it is not for me to render judgment on him for that, instead it is for you and the other people of this world to do that. For when the time comes for me to leave, if I can leave this world better for my having come here, better for all who live upon it, then I am satisfied. As to what the trouble is that you face, it is already among you. Hiding its ugly face, but it cannot hide from me! SHIELDS!"

     And shields abruptly form around the known infected.

     Iriisii: "These immobilized by the shields are already infected, likely when you returned home the same fate awaited you. We will get to them in a moment, SIEZE THE TRAITORS!"

     This time, Iriisii's security detail drop their cloaking and grab hold of the uninfected working for Hawkins, holding them securely.

     Iriisii: "Do not be alarmed by my security. The ones they hold are directly working for Hawkins. Most were and still are being coerced through threats to family to gain their cooperation. But the ones left are working for him because they believe him and his words. To the ones being coerced, if you would show your true selves by helping me get your families and loved ones out of his grasp. When he no longer has a hold over you, then I will bargain with the leaders for your lives. Understand it would mean leaving here and coming with me when I leave, likely never to return in your lifetimes. But you would be free, to learn what is out there, and what part you can play to helping it return to balance. Otherwise if you were lucky, you would spend the rest of your lives in a dark oubliette, forgotten by all, until you passed from life, from memory, from history itself, as if you had never existed. Think on it, and when it is time to decide, take your fate into your own hands. That is all that can ever be asked of any of us. I chose to follow this path long ago in my mortal youth, and I do not regret it. For as it has cost me much, it has rewarded me far more. Now watch and I will remove the leeches infecting those I have separated from the rest of you. Those only recently infected will recover over time, the rest if they are too far gone. Well, they will rather die than live without the leech."

     Iriisii goes to each one, dropping a temporal fog around them, slowing their bodies down, until they mimic death. The leeches cannot speed up the bodily functions and believe death of the host to be imminent. The others watch as the bodies slowly contort and movement below the skin and muscle can be seen, moving toward the throat as the easiest means of exit. Then they begin to see the leeches emerge, some having been joined longer than others are physically larger. But all make there way out, only to find themselves isolated from any other possible host to infect. The dignitaries and their uninfected aides watch with horror on their faces as they realize this could have and likely would be them had Iriisii not intervened. As the last of them leave their host. They are gathered together into a separately partitioned and shielded area. Iriisii then directs Reaper to incinerate the leeches.

     Iriisii: "As you have just witnessed, this is what Hawkins, and more specifically those behind him intend for all the people of this world. Why, you may ask? Reaper, playback the video segment of the appearance of the Wamphyri at the 'Circus of the Damned'."

     A virtual screen appears and the playback begins. It is then that the cold, hard truth becomes apparent to everyone as to how low a human being can go to allow his fellows to be turned into the monsters that the Wamphyri are.

     Iriisii: "You see what these, now freed, would have become. Totally psychopathic, no regret, no remorse, no inhibitions against behaviors that any civilized world would abhor. And what is worse, is if these would infect a God. Think on the power of a God in the hands of those on the screen, and you see why I fight. Why I draw to me all those who would stand with me against such a tide of destruction. Why I would scorch a world to a cinder to stop the spread of these things. And then to find a way to live with myself afterward. For such is the price I have to pay for battling these things, their fight is over, I have to go on."

     Her words take root in everyone present, the possibilities of what could have been, now halted if but for a time, and now that warning has been given as to their own vulnerability. Their reactions start out different as they each process this revelation, but then they join together as they realize there is someone willing to take up the fight against these unholy abominations.

     One by one they look to her and ask, "What can we do to help you stop them? For it is our world, our people, friends, family, sons, daughters, mothers, fathers that are at risk. What can we do to help you fight?"

     Iriisii: "You have already started by asking that question. I will not send you back into the wolves den without aid, without protections, without a plan and knowledge of what will come. But I look upon these poor unfortunate souls, whose only fault was to become infected with these leeches. I will take them with me and see if there is some way to restore them to who they once were, help them deal with the knowledge of what they did while under control from those parasites, shut fast the open door to those wants and desires that they have been subjected to. I can keep them frozen in time, so that they do not lose any more of their lives while I search for an answer to free them from the imprisonment of what the leeches did to them to turn them. And for those that I cannot find an answer for, I can see to it that they gain a new life, free from the shackles of the old one, in the Great Beyond.

     Now we must address those who betrayed you to Hawkins, without the excuse of infection from the Wamphyri. Most I feel will have done so because of intimidation, threats against their family, threats to infect them as these others were infected. They should be shown mercy, for only the strongest of us can hold to our convictions in the face of such. But for those who willingly aided Hawkins, who did not need threats or intimidation, but sought out gain for themselves. They are the true monsters among you, for if freed they will seek others to take whatever offer that they can get. And it starts all over again. I say it stops! Here! Now! What must be decided for those is what punishment is appropriate? They will be your own people, and so I leave that decision to you to make. If you wish for me to carry it out, I will consider it. But let me say this, those who decide whether or not to take a life in punishment, must be ready to be the one to wield the sword. Now we must weed out the ones that can be salvaged from those that cannot."

     Iriisii goes to each of those remaining in turn. She does not listen to their protests, their reasoning, their excuses, or in the end their begging. Instead she looks deep within their memories, to see what occurred when they made the decision that they did. She found six who willingly took Hawkins offer and did as he bid them. Those she caused the shielding to turn a red color, the rest simply did not change.

     Iriisii: "Those whose shielding has turned red, I declare guilty. I searched their memories to find when they turned and what the circumstances were. To those whom they work for, I will give you time to decide their fates. The rest did so out of extreme coercion. To them I will get their families and loved ones who are still under threat, out from Hawkins reach. Soon enough he and his will not be able to touch them. Any you should feel you cannot take back with you, I will make a place for them and theirs with me. I will now leave it to you to decide."

     It does not take long to deliberate the decisions that need to be made. One designated to speak for all steps forward.

     President Chinet: "I speak for all of my fellows in these matters before us. First, we would say that we accept your position and the path you would take. We understand that one day you will leave us and so we must be ready to deal with what comes our way on that day. To that end, we proclaim that we will follow you. We ask only that you show us what we must do to assist you, and we will do so. We ask that once the matters that brought you here are settled to your satisfaction, that you ensure we are on the path you wish for us to tread before you leave.

     As to those you proclaim guilty, your words to us carry great weight, but are fair and morally just. And so we will take responsibility for their fates, each to the one they betrayed. The others we feel would be safer with you, as we have no idea how entrenched Hawkins forces are in our countries. They deserve a chance at a life where they are not constantly looking over their shoulders for a knife in the dark or a bullet from a high window. We will do our utmost to find a way to see where his people hide among us and see them sent back. It is our most fervent desire that this meets with your approval."

     Iriisii: "Indeed it does, Mr. President. I would like to thank all of you for lending the grace of your presence to this proceeding. And know that I will make good on my promise to see that you have help and protection when you return home and begin to clean out your countries of the odorous stench of Hawkins people. Jean Claude, I return the floor to you and thank you for your indulgence of me."

     Jean Claude: "Not at all, your efforts continue to bear great fruit in the ongoing situation. Things have not looked this good in quite some time. And now with any luck we may have just tipped the scales in our favor."

                                                                               *

     Iriisii: "We start out this 'Night At The Opera' with a song about a secret agent who makes a mistake. And to perform this song for you is the man who made it a hit years go. Will you help me welcome to this stage, Johnny Rivera!"

     A spotlight shines down on him and his band. As he raised his hand and waves, a guitar strap around his neck. He begins the opening riff to his song as the stage goes dark. As the song begins, a smartly dressed man walks from the shadows into light from a street pole. He stays on the edge of the light looking at each person that walks by. Suddenly Desidarius strides toward him wearing a long, red dress. Her form exudes a sultry aura, her dusky skin well hidden by the night, only the red dress reflecting light shows him exactly where she is.

     Her eyes slowly look upward at his face and a small smile makes its way across her lips as she asks him a question about a place on this street. As he answers, pointing out the right direction, she looks at him from the corner of her eyes before thanking him and walking away. He looks at the back of her figure swaying back and forth, but oh so gently. His mind wanders in the direction any man's mind would before his directs himself to take control back. A wrong word slipping to the wrong person and he would be a dead man.

      The scene shifts to a gaming casino on the Riviera, he sits at a Baccarat table playing cards. Desidarius walks up and stands beside him, he becomes aware of her when he sniffs her personal scent mixed with a delicate perfume. He has seen her here several times but he would always keep his distance. He looks up and sees her smiling at him. A casino attendant makes a move to escort her away when he motions him to let her stay.

      Another scene shifts to a dark, dirty, stinking alleyway in Bombay. The man is lying on the slimy, muddy floor of the alley, holding his hand against a bloody gut wound. He tries to rise up but cannot seem to find the strength. He looks down the alley at his assailant, Desidarius looks back at him, the light from the main street reflecting off of her face. She raises the stiletto in her hand and licks the blood from the blade. Then she smiles at him and taking her other hand kisses it. With a wink of her dark eyes, she blows him a kiss, turns, and vanishes into the light of the busy street. He tries one more time to rise to his feet and falls, this time for the last time as he bleeds out from the expert wound she gave him from the darkness.

      The last refrain from the song echoes with his dead body lying in that alley, a victim of the wrong word uttered in the hearing of the wrong person.

      Iriisii: "Well if it had to happen at least it was a beautiful woman that did it to him."