---CONTINUING TRANSMISSION---

---THE GRIP OF AVARICE, PT III---

C.N.S. VIGILANCE
CANTICLE SYSTEM, NOVA-VERSE
0913 HOURS, MAY 15, 3961 A.D.

What a day, he thought to himself.

Mike just barely managed to keep his head on straight with the recent whirlwind of activity. Colosseum Station – hell, the Colosseum System had effectively winked out of existence. It was all he, the station's inhabitants, and the other Imperial Forces present could do to get their sorry asses in gear and get out of Dodge. This threw his match into a limbo, of sorts, but in retrospect, it was probably for best – between his life at the University and his life in the Empire, the only thing he felt like doing was finding a good chair and taking a long, long nap in it.

The Star of Moscow had safely left the station as well – at least there was the matter of Leon and Sergei's meeting that was still scheduled to be met. The new station, Threshold, was where all the activity seemed to be converging in the Nova-verse, now.

Mike was in the middle of making his approach to the station when his communicator loudly demanded his attention. Oh, what now? I've got enough things to worry about, he mentally muttered.

“This is Brigadier Chief Commander Michael Evan Thompson,” the wolf replied. “Identify yourself.”
“Sir, this is Warrant Officer Clark Jameson of CPI with an update on your current location.”
CPI? It was rare that the Institute ever contacted Imperials directly – it had to be important. “Go ahead, Jameson.”
“We've detected the origin of a small, localized Nexus Storm between the Nova-verse and the Real World.”
What? He said WHAT? Mike thought to himself, mortified. “Yes, and...?” he inquired, worried, but trying not to indicate he was.
“It seems that someone aboard a small experimental pod in the not-too-distant future attempted to use a prototype drive of sorts – probably the first attempt at genuine space travel. We're not sure of all the details, but from what we can determine, its occupant was sucked across time and dimensions to the Game Universe.”
“Cite your references, Warrant Officer,” Mike stated, adamantly, “you know a claim like this requires confirmation from at least 2 sources.”
“Yes sir. Of course, we detected the telltale trans-dimensional energy spike associated with the event. Our own operatives in-system also witnessed the event. But, there's also a third source of confirmation, sir...”

Michael blinked. Three sources? Two was standard, and typically more than enough for logging. A third source was seen as unnecessary, and typically redundant.

“What's the third source, Jameson?”
“The ASW Website, sir. Seems they've been logging our adventures as to where we've been.”

Mike shrunk back in his chair, ashamed at what he heard – he was one of those people who was making note of their travels. Who knows what sort of repercussions that could have for his comrades if Akasi knew exactly where they were? More importantly...

“I see. Is that all, soldier?” Mike asked, nervous, but again, keeping his feelings hidden as best he could.
“Just one note from Ambassador Williams, BCC. You have orders to return to the Oblivion at once, and have military leave until the next Black Artifact decides to show itself. Afterwards, make contact with any and all people aboard Threshold Station the Empire deems to be of interest – certainly this recent arrival will be among those at the top of this list. We will dispatch an Agent immediately in the hopes of keeping the new arrival out of Akai's grasp.”
Whew, he thought to himself, relieved. “Acknowledged. BCC out.”

As he terminated the link, Mike couldn't believe what he'd just listened to. As long as Akasi had access to the ASW site, he and the others' every move could be watched and appropriately countered. How else could the mission on Huron gone so hideously wrong – there were few casualties, but Akasi managed to get his work done and shipped elsewhere, which was just as bad as an actual mission failure.

He needed to rectify the situation as soon as possible – there was no telling how much intel Akasi had already gleaned from the site.

C.N.S. OBLIVION
CANTICLE SYSTEM, NOVA-VERSE
1308 HOURS, MAY 15, 3961 A.D.

A lone Imperial Trooper walked up to a console aboard the mighty Oblivion, taking out a small key card on his person and inserting it into the computer. He let out a sharp sigh, readying himself for the routine he'd done a thousand times.

“Audio log, begin. This is Staff Sergeant Peter Hernandez of the Imperial 3092nd Division, Imperial Specialist, Serial Number 8540241.

“Approximately 5 days ago, I, along with Commander, Bowser, and several other high-ranking Imperial Officials, disembarked the Oblivion to the Home of Light system, located in a remote region of the Nova-verse.

“We had been informed by Captain Tobias Maylithiar of the possibility that one of the Black Artifacts was in possession by his government, calling themselves the Disciples of Amaunator, or the Dawnlord, as their deity was referred to.

“The particular Artifact in question was the Gauntlets of Desire – a pair of metal wrist guards that were said to cause its targets to become overwhelmed with material lust, without any heed as to what the consequences may entail.

“We disembarked the battlecruiser aboard Maylithiar's ship, the Levaetain, after entering an Inter-Dimensional Time Gate that had been created by the Oblivion – the sooner we recovered Satan's fell armor, the better.

“When we reached our destination, we were greeted somewhat...coldly. It was clear that Tobias' superiors were not pleased with his arrival, and even less thrilled at our presence. I swear, we were on the verge of open hostilities with the Disciples just by being in that system!

“Thankfully, Tobias managed to explain our mission as best he could – and they granted us permission to dock at their station, some 6000 clicks across. Big, but certainly not the biggest I'd ever seen, nor Commander, apparently. In fact, our supreme leader almost seemed...I don't know, unfazed by its size. Lord knows that there's stations just as large or larger still in Imperial and Renegade Space, but the fact he was so lukewarm in his emotions made me somewhat uneasy.

“Upon arrival, we found ourselves in a nearly-deserted station, though with some justification, as we were later told by Tobias – the Disciples didn't want us gaining any technology or knowledge that they feared we might obtain – in my opinion, that was perfectly normal behavior for any government. After all, it would be a costly mistake to potentially give away one's military secrets.

“I was rather uneasy about the whole operation – from the moment Tobias' superior contacted us, I had a gut feeling that this mission was going to be anything but routine. It was rather unnerving to walk through halls that were practically devoid of any inhabitants – it reminded me of my time I had aboard Council Station, a few years back, when the most I ever saw was the odd worker drone to shuttle cargo here and there.

“Eventually, we reached a pair of massive steel doors, flanked by a couple guards. I scanned Bowser's mind, briefly – he was clearly unimpressed by the whole theatrical aspect. Frankly, I had to agree – it was eerily reminiscent of the way Akasi's bases were laid out, to give a sense of hopelessness for slaves or prisoners. Although, admittedly, it's not like the Empire isn't guilty of Yule-log-sized doors, either.

“Anyway, we were given an audience with the Abbots – there isn't any direct Imperial equivalent, but the best estimate pegs them to be roughly the same as an Imperial Councilor – the only higher official, we were told, was their leader, or the 'Righteous Potentate' as he was called. Again, no direct equivalent, but likely the same as the Grand Councilor.

“The meeting was...interesting, to say the least. At first, we only met with one Abbot, but after Commander explained our situation, we were led to another chamber to meet the rest. It didn't take long for Tobias' leaders to express their disdain for having us here – indeed, they noted it bordered on heresy – at the same time, they also acknowledged that our claims could not be ignored, either. Commander went into great detail about what one could expect from the Gauntlets – possession, the ability to overpower the target with material desire, and so on.

“Prior to our meeting with the Abbots, Maylithiar had told us that the Righteous Potentate had discovered the Gauntlets on one of the Disciple's colonies in the midst of his travels. The mayor who possessed the Gauntlets had worked those under him to exhaustion as they continuously mined the planet for some valuable mineral. Only after a considerable mental struggle and what they consider the aid of their deity, did the Potentate wrest the Gauntlets from the mayor's possession. From that day forth, the Potentate used the Gauntlets to instead dissuade this sort of action from ever happening again.

“The problem I immediately saw, however, is that it was still a form of influencing individuals. His actions may have been noble, but the Righteous Potentate may have only done exactly what the Gauntlets were meant to do – cause its victims to desire something, though it may not have necessarily been valuable. It is my firm opinion that the Potentate had fallen to the Gauntlets' wickedness before he even realized it.

“It was in the midst of our meeting with the Abbots that we received a bit more persuasive aid – St. Augustine himself made a personal appearance to back our claims. Whatever doubts the Abbots had about our mission, and most certainly our beliefs, must have been dissolved in that moment. Augustine had also confirmed what Commander and the rest of us had suspected – the Potentate was already being controlled by the very force he sought to prevent from happening again. No small wonder, then, that the Abbots immediately agreed to aid us in retrieving the Gauntlets.

“Once we reached the Potentate's chambers, Tobias and the Abbots attempted to convince the old man that his actions were only bringing about his downfall, but it was to no avail. He had long, white hair, reflecting his age, and was dressed in white, flowing robes and a golden belt about his waist. Sadly, the Gauntlets, with their talon-like finger guards and jet-black coloration, tarnished the image of this otherwise-virtuous leader...in more ways than one.

“What I now saw was no man, but a demon. He may have been human, once...but his own desires to prevent the events of the past had only quickened his own descent into evil. The Potentate fought off the demon's corruption as best he could, but in the end, the Legions had won out – he was now under the influence of some vile spawn of Satan, himself.

“Just how powerful the Potentate was, I will never know – the demon possessing him, however, was able to ward off the combined efforts of all seven of the Abbots' divine energy...and, in fact, was winning. I shudder to think of the kind of power that the Boots might have granted Corbin, had my comrade not pleaded to us to kill him before it was too late.

“Just before it seemed that he was about to kill seven of the most powerful men the Disciples had, Tobias struck from behind with his greatsword, and pierced the leader's body. With a brilliant flash, the blade had ended the life of the demon...but, regrettably, that of the leader, as well. He slumped to the ground as Tobias withdrew his blade, clearly shaken by what he had just done.

“A little while later, we had joined with Tobias and the Abbots to retrieve the Gauntlets of Desire from them. I am glad that we may have found new allies in the Disciples – yet I cannot help but feel the incredible pain Tobias himself must feel. It would be the same as if I had to execute Commander himself, were he possessed by a demon. Like Tobias had stated, I don't know if I'd ever be able to look at myself the same way if such an event transpired.

“With the Gauntlets now in our possession, we have secured them, along with the Boots, aboard the Oblivion for transport to a more secure location. The final resting place is, of course, well beyond what my security clearance would permit. Regardless, we now have two of the seven Black Artifacts, and two keys that keep the Dark Prince locked up like he deserves.

“We have no leads for the next piece as of yet – without a clear destination in mind, it would be far too taxing on resources to search each and every possible universe for the remaining five Artifacts. To this end, we have been granted some time for military leave to pursue whatever we fancy until the next Artifact is made clear.

“I've been looking forward to this for so long – it's been forever since I last saw my wife and daughter. What a joy it will be to see their bright, shining faces once again.

This is Staff Sergeant Peter Hernandez, of the Imperial 3092nd Division, signing off.”

With that, the trooper stopped the recording, and sent it off to his superiors to be logged with the rest of the crew. I've missed you, Irene, he thought to himself. When I get back to Antares Prime, you, Molly, and I are going to have a nice, relaxing stay on the beach back home.

POTENTATE'S CHAMBERS
SPACE STATION CHURCH, HOME OF LIGHT SYSTEM, NOVA-VERSE
1423 HOURS, MAY 15, 3961 A.D.

The dank, steel confines of the once-proud leader of the Disciples was completely empty, save for what furnishings had existed previously. There was little to suggest that this room would be used again.

All the more perfect for the blackened figure who now stood above the pool of blood that marked where the Potentate had fallen. Syringe in hand, he drew some of the crimson puddle before depositing it in a vial.

“This is The Harvester,” he stated into his communicator. “The second vial is now filled.”
“Excellent work, Harvester,” the familiar voice of Nar Akasi replied. “Return to me at once – I have your next assignment already planned for you.”
“With pleasure, Lord Akasi,” the Harvester answered.

Soon after terminating the link, he vanished in an explosion of pure darkness. Only the echoes of the dead could be heard amongst the chilling silence that now pervaded the room.

---END TRANSMISSION---

---

NOTES N' STUFF:

Holy crap, an update! XP

Remember how I said I'd break the 4th wall a while back? Well, here it is. =P

I decided to try the "audio log" way of writing this time around - it worked rather well for summarizing what happened in the collab between myself and the other writer.

Additionally, in case you're confused about switching scenes between Colosseum Station and this new one, well, here's what happened in a nutshell:

The RPG I posted these stories in slowed down to an absolute snail's pace - it got to the point that we eventually just decided to go ahead and start a new "bar," as they're called. So, apologies for the sudden shift in stations.

Tobias Maylithiar and The Disciples are © their owner
Threshold Station © its creator
Bowser © Nintendo
Nova-verse © Ambrosia Software
The Empire and all characters w/in ©  warlordmike Me