Poetry line - “What is harder to fight than feelings? Which feeling fights back the hardest?”

Location: elsewhere on Ephangi 

Date: Eripme Calendar year 3,047/ Spring season day 122/ 33rd hour

As the Lluks did his best to consider all that had transpired to this point with an objective mindset so far that justice and truth would provide the determination for his decisions here today and not personal vendetta or emotion, the remembrance of a subtly spreading sickness rushed his forethought. A curse it was being called by the commoners, its relation to an outlawed ritualistic technique known of the past involving blood magic was taking on the strongest narrative carried by those who whispered about its reappearance. 

“Hex art” Lluks thought to himself. Hex Arts were techniques beyond the realms of the normal and more typical abilities of the Ephangians be they Raikosi or Vasz. To his understanding, these genes were not unique to any particular Ephangians, but they were only active in some. Much mystery still surrounded them, but those who did possess them in an active state were typically seen as dangerous and ostracized if they were not able to control the signs of their.. conditions. He looked at his own gauntleted hands, but in his mind they were bare flesh, blood and bone. These same hands… He pushed the thought away and refocused on the present. 

He had assumed it impossible for any Ephangian to willingly unleash such diabolical powers against their kin weather by magic or science, but such were the ways of the wicked that he did not feel the need to understand them. The thoughts of why and how such beings acted were alien to him and would remain as such as he held no desire to comprehend the mind of the dishonored nor the heretic. His job was to root out those who sought to harm da Eripme and obliterate them and so here he was. 

Regardless of what the sickness was or if it was a tool used by the rebels in any way, the crimes committed by not only bringing aggressive foreign agency onto the world, but spilling the blood of Eripme citizens and those of the greater Ephangi alike would not be tolerated. The actions of those who followed their cause would not be forgiven and had led to the consequences they would now experience. 

The rebels had prepared for their last stand at its start and it had gone as well as they could’ve hoped. They were situated on the tundra of Zyrull. Though not incredibly cold in galactic terms, it was certainly colder than most Ephangian ecosystems giving it a more isolated environment. The rebels had used this to their advantage in addition to being well armed, trained and able to blend in with crowds based off of their overall diverse ethnic group. That and the fact the heretical group had effectively conspired with foreign parties off world, used terrorist tactics, espionage and deceit as their main weapons of choice made it difficult for the forces of the EXPG to launch a full scale assault as they dealt with more confrontational fronts across the stars. 

Regardless, this insurrection had gone too far and so it was determined by the Council of Holy Dominion that the issue be prioritized and dealt with as swiftly as possible before any more major widespread damage could be done to the internal workings of the empire or its people. The honor fell upon Lluks and for the rebels that had been terrible news. What the EXPG had failed to do in the 27 months prior because of how thinly spread they were and how well entrenched the Antipme had been, the Daemonarchai needed but weeks. A small strike force of himself and 50 of his best troops had tracked down and blitzed the opposition forcing them to the world and cornering them. Once they were aware, it was too late.

As the leader of these certain rebels and his surviving captains were brought before Lluks, they did not cry like children or beg for their lives. They had arrived with their heads held high in the bright day starlight as if to say it would be an honor to die for the cause they believed in and they held no regrets. Overhead a growing flock of rabid winged creatures began to converge and become a murder, further behind them what was left of the rebel forces watched on in suspense as they were cornered and subdued by the super elite forces who had assailed them. Known as the *Antipme, they had been of various races, but this leader of this splinter was and the majority of his personal *code(unit/squad/fam) were Ephangian. At least that is how it had seemed. It did not matter. Either way they would find no mercy here.

‘So.. You’re going to execute us out here like trash then? Ha, figures. *Raikosi or *Vasz, you imperial types are all the same.’ His eyes were stealy and focused, his body tense and still resistant to the fate that he knew was coming.

‘Well if you’re gonna kill us do it! What the fu-

‘Why disgrace yourself?’ The voice was dark, but noble. Fierce, but seemed genuinely inquisitive.

‘Wha-, why what!? Why are we rebels? Why have we been fighting you with everything we have across our star system?’ The rebel leader scoffed before continuing, ‘How ignorant are you nam? We do it for our families and our dreams *kapola! Da Eripme boasts of creating a great dynasty that spans the stars, but… It takes much more than it offers and what it gives in return..’ 

From behind him some of his captains chimed in 

‘You daemon!’ ‘Monster!’ ‘Facist!’ They all spoke their minds and what they said they said with bitter tongued voices and pain in their hearts and had it not been for Lluks explicit command to leave them be for the moment, they would have been executed on the spot for their behavior by his subordinates. 

The *Archai sat there for a moment and listened to their shouts of anger and hatred, his face hidden behind the *Opmem war mask. The rebels, or rather, the Antipme in this case had been fighting against the Eripme for what seemed like as soon as it had begun. At first they had only been Ephangian of course, but as the empire spread intergalactic, so too did its enemies. Cultures were assimilated and others totally erased. Planets and cities and livelihoods changed in ways sometimes too fast for the local populace to accommodate or other times too drastic for immigrants as they shifted to new places, their homes and birthplaces now unsustainable or perhaps altogether destroyed. 

In the end if not handled correctly this would lead to unrest that would destabilize the growing empire. Thus, it made sense that the Antipme spread its clutches into those cultures just as much as the grand opposition whom they claimed moral superiority to. Taking advantage of the growing number of those willing to fight for the restoration of whatever traditions and past they felt had been crushed by this new arrival of intergalactic might. It was a wonder the discord was held at bay so well with so many alien worlds that now had sworn social, political and economic allegiance to Da Eripme. 

‘I know you know my history, *Archai. You know my deeds and what i've done. I will never be a pirate again, nor will I ever be an EXPG mutt again. You ask me why disgrace myself? Dats rich nam ha ha, I figure I could ask you the same ting. Disgrace. Honor. Justice. Revenge. It’s all vision nam. Its all just what we see, but sight is greater than to see. Sight is not what we see, but a path beyond from what’s seen. No matter what we do or how much we explain, nam always see tings how dey want to see dem yea? Because anyone can see, but not many have sight’ Said the rebel leader, his feathery antennacles draped down his back like thick ropes.

‘Captured and subdued. Your judgment in the hands of your enemies, what do you see now?’ 

The leader stared directly at Lluks as if he had never seen anything in his life which had deserved his attention more than the *Archai in that moment and for the first time Lluks noticed the Vaszian did not have eyes, the band wrapped around his face hidden previously by his *kamem mask. 

‘Id see strength. Pride and honor. A life in its prime perhaps. A heart and soul of conviction, albeit conflicted.. A pure judge of character’ His face hardened and even though he did not have eyes, Lluks felt the pressure of his gaze as if it pressed against the front of his mind right behind his eyes. The rebel continued

‘Likewise id see death. I'd see oblivion. I'd see ignorance. I think i'd even see fear, but as it is.. I see nothing. Yet, ill tell you even now like this staring blind into the eyes of my executioner.. I still have sight. Seeing is believing, but da ting is if you don’t believe in the world around you there is nothing there to see anyways…’ 

He was Nobu, Jazai of the Razor Wind Isles and had once held a reputation of redemption and strength after having been a part of a life of crime. However, he had conspired and led terrorist attacks that saw over a thousand confirmed deaths, surely with countless others across a half dozen worlds over the last 27 months and none more so than Epahngi itself. Many had been political leaders, media personnel and scientists of various natures as well as innocent bystanders and warriors. From the Antipme’s point of view they had to do what was necessary to beat an empire which on paper they could never dream of defeating. Yet from those loyal or those who at least wanted to avoid violence it seemed whoever stood in the way of the Antipmes goals, they were at stake. The oppressor or the terrorist? The great unifier or the revolutionary. What was the difference and who was to say? 

‘A shame then. And here I thought you reformed after hearing of your deeds in service to our world. It would seem even I can misjudge’

Jazai chuckled as he looked back off into the distance, ‘It would seem…’