Cold Hospitality

Antarctica, 1100 hours
Jan 20th - OE 102

Nobody had ever invaded one of the poles before. They'd never had to, admittedly. But the force currently bearing down on DARC bore all the hallmarks of an invasion. Three dozen mobile weapons and an assortment of other support craft had landed in Antarctica, setting up a base camp on one of the larger glaciers seemingly at random.

Five hours after their arrival, a transmission would be sent to the Directory Arctic Research Center.
True to his message, within half an hour five Mobile Weapons were on an approach course. Leading them was the Canis Altarf, with four Bergelmirs in a defensive formation around it. All five would stop just outside weapon range of the base, waiting for a formal confirmation before going into the site itself. After all, such a practice was only polite.

DARC hadn't been idle during the five hours before Xander's message. The numerous turrets were primed on the direction of Alkahest's camp, and their Huckebeins were prepared for launch if the force proved to be a threat to them. This state lasted until the message was given, after which the readiness of the research station was reduced.


Perhaps it was strange that a research station was so heavily armed, but here in the middle of nowhere DAMON incursions were a daily occurrence. And while on the outside things calmed down, the insides of the facilities only got more hectic.


"Send the mooks away from sight, hide the Angeli, don't let them see them. Use the names your bodies used to have, if you don't have one or don't remember it grab one from random lists on the internet. Vapen, I want you to be our delegation to receive our esteemed guests. Be on your best behavior or I'll ground you for a week for every slip up." Huvud ordered his underlings through the loudspeakers.


Xander could've at least announced of his visit days before instead of hours, but no. That would clearly be too civil for the human CEO.


Huvud hated surprises like this. Still, even Vapen should be able to pass for a human for long enough as long as their guests did not tarry. Their secret should be safe.


"And absolutely no killing or threats unless I explicitly allow you to!" There was a need to be specific with the rabble he was stuck with.


At least if Viggen was here she could have helped him keep the rest of the Ruina in check. But he could curse his circumstances later, there was diplomacy to be done. It might even go well for once.



Xander and his bodyguards didn't have to wait long until a lone Huckebein approached them. "James Brown, head of security here. I am your escort and guide for your stay here at DARC. Please, follow me." Vapen greeted them.

All four Bergelmirs spread out when the lone machine approached, as if anticipating some sort of attack. Curiously for bodyguards however, none of them seem concerned about defending their 'commander'.

"A pleasure, Mr. Brown. I hope you don't mind if I keep my bodyguards close by. While I trust you would not pose a danger to me..."

His usual smirk vanished, and was replaced by a frown. Something had clearly rattled him - this was not a side of Xander that was allowed to see the public eye under most circumstances. It was barely visible to the private eye, for that matter, but recent revelations had given him a new perception of the universe.

"Powerful forces are at work here."

Vapen nodded. "Of course, of course. You are all welcome." The Huckebein gestured once more for them to follow him and turned back towards DARC. They were lead past the automated defense line, the numerous turrets, whether they were flak or more long ranged artillery ones both keeping their attention on the perimeter - and Xander's camp - instead of the entourage being escorted by Vapen.

Past the line and before them, the Directory Antarctic Research Center spread out. But the DARC wasn't a cluster of separate buildings, oh no. Each and every building was connected to one another, whether it was by a shared wall, tunnels or walkways, forming a single expansive building complex. It was clear that there had been additions to the complex over time as the center had grown. There also were clear signs that it spead underground as well.

The hangar doors on the largest building at the center of it all opened as Vapen guided them to it. It was the main hangar, but despite the vast amount of space there wasn't much there. The only things inside was a strangely padded, almost bloated Tausendfuessler, as well as a pair of modified Huckebeins. There were no visible turrets, nor were there any easy to see hatches where dangers might spring from.

While there were several doors leading away from the hangar, Vapen led Xander and his guards to one at the back. On the other side of the door there was a singular corridor leading further in. Huvud was there ready to greet Xander with a nod and a friendly smile. "Good afternoon Mr. Digby, can I call you Xander? Allow me to welcome you to the Directory Arctic Research Center, or as we fondly call it: DARC!"

All four Bergelmirs landed around the Canis in a square of sorts, as if trying to shield it with their bodies even while empty. The pilots remained within, seemingly gazing silently upon the facility and its machines - but occasional burts of nervous radio chatter echoed between them and out into the arctic wasteland. This place unsetteled them, as it did Xander. But he paid it no mind.

For here lay salvation.

Xander inclined his head slightly in a nod of his own once he was clear of the Canis, his cane kept close under his arm. There were no attempts to even pretend to use it, and he kept the base pointed at the ground in the same way a man would carry a rifle. But he had not come here to wage war on the Directory, or on DARC. Instead he seemed to fear some beast leaping out of a shadow, or behind a corner he could not watch.

Where the Vaura have scorched the land, and the stars have been wiped from the skies.

There are many Vaura present on earth as well.

Recent events had convinced him that the threat could be anywhere, but he kept his visible expressions of fear to simply glancing at hiding spots when he was able. That was what the bodyguards were paid to handle, but having men trained for it was no excuse to neglect personal safety.

"Mr. Persson. I wish I could share the positive sentiment, but we are living in dark times. Likely to get significantly darker if we do not choose our actions carefully. And the Arctic appears to hold the salvation I seek - buried deep within the ice. But that is something to discuss... inside."

His face returned to its usual corporate smile, and he stepped forward before offering to shake Karl's hand.

Huvud gave Xander's cane a pointed stare with a raised eyebrow but said nothing, accepting Xander's handshake with a 'corporate smile' of his own, firmly shaking his hand. "Indeed we are Mr. Digby, indeed we are. Everyone here at DARC believes in our goal wholeheartedly. We will of course do our best to aid you as much as we can. But I agree, let us discuss it more inside the confines of my office."

"But before that..." Huvud looked to the side where Vapen's hands were shaking minutely, though his face was doing a valiant battle at being seemingly calm. Huvud sighed at his head of security, but the sigh was neither annoyed nor exasperated. It was a kindly one that conveyed sympathy at the other man. "Go, James. You have rest of the day off. Go mourn in peace."

"But-"

"James. I'll be fine, don't worry."

"...as you say. Thank you, Karl. Esteemed guests, have a pleasant stay." With a stiff nod that was half a bow James left the gentlemen behind, disappearing to the corridor ahead of them.

Huvud watched him go with a smile. "A good man, takes his duties a bit too seriously." Then his smile dropped. "We lost two pilots few days ago to DAMONs, if you were wondering. The unit we lent to Directory has left quite the hole in our defenses I'm afraid. But come! Let us not dampen the fine day we're having with our sorrows just yet. Shall we go then?"

"I... see. You have my sympathies. Should any further incursions arrive before my work is done, you can be assured we will do our best to assist."

Xander slowly nodded, his gaze following James as the man left. He could not shake the feeling that something was off, but at this point it was background noise to the dozen other dangers haunting his thoughts.

"But yes, inside sounds better. My body is not as used to the cold as it used to be." He forced a smile, and would begin to follow Huvud if he went inside, waiting a moment before pushing the conversation forward. Infiltration was not a subject currently worth discussing - if the man had found anything, he would have said.

"In the interests of honesty, I'm going to be frank with you. Three days ago, I had an encounter with our supposed creator - And found him wanting. But more importantly, I gained information regarding a tremendous power source beneath the Antarctic ice. While we won't know for certain what it is until preliminary excavations are complete... I believe it to be a weapon."

"Down here DAMON incursions are a near daily occurrence, your camp will likely face trouble from them during your stay here. But I thank you nonetheless." With a nod, Huvud began to guide Xander further inside the facility. Though the small passed several corridors that separated from the one they were traversing through, the path Huvud led the entourage through was a simple straight line, ascending with a slight slope.

He hummed in response to Xander's revelation. "Really, humans were not a natural process of evolution? An interesting claim, and one I would be interested to hear more of. But I suspect the latter is the more pressing matter of the two, no?" The straight hallway finally came to an end at a pair of large grey metal doors.

As Huvud stepped towards them the doors opened quickly with no fanfare, gesturing Xander and his guards to follow him inside. The room behind the doors was large, though mostly dominated by the desk facing them. There were numerous screens in the corners of the room, as well as the walls to the left and right of the lavish chair behind the desk. The desk itself had various communication devices on it...as well as a penguin plushie.

There was a small aquarium to the left, with several goldfishes swimming inside it, staring at Huvud and his guests with wide eyes.

"Unfortunately due to your unannounced visit I have no chairs for your guards prepared. But to business then. What more can you tell me of the power source that you suspect to be a weapon that is seemingly slumbering beneath this beautiful land?"

"Not just humanity - this entire world is supposedly his. A claim that I am having trouble believing, but his other statements talked of things I could... corroborate. Dragon gods supposedly built to prevent the end of days, and mysterious readings in isolated sites on and around the planet. Adding those together with a name... gave us what we needed."

Xander's eyes lingered on the plush penguin when they entered, but he continued his speech without so much as a pause. It almost seemed rehearsed, as if he'd been waiting for a fitting audience to tell his story. Once they were safely inside he reached into his coat, pulling out a laminated piece of ancient fabric and placing it on the desk for them both to see.

While the sketch was heavily aged, the image was unmistakable - the head of a dragon, composed of raw crystal right down to the eyes.

"El Millenium. That's the term he used, ones we thought referred to some sort of structure or object until now. Preliminary scans of the power source showed it to be alive, but dormant. And most importantly:"

"It is a weapon. One our 'god' discarded because it did not answer when he beckoned. And if he does not want it..."

Xander began to smile again. But this was no corporate greeting. It was the smile of a madman, of someone on the brink of an event that would shape the world - or break it.

"Then I see no reason not to make it mine."

Huvud was silent for a while, just tapping his desk with one finger in a steady rhythm. Tap. Tap. Tap. "I think..." He finally spoke. "That you would have fit well in here, had your path taken you to different places. I thank you for your honesty."

He gave Xander an amused grin. "It is only fair that I offer something in return, a secret for a secret if you will. Would you be interested in a tour of the facility, including the main thing we are researching here? That is kept secret to all but the highest echelons of Directory?" There was a fervor to his eyes now, eerily similar to Xander's mad smile. "As it is the only place where I can not bring guests to willy nilly without the unanimous agreement of us leaders here, it would take a day or two to arrange, but it could certainly be arranged if you are interested. With proper precautions it is not a dangerous secret to behold but it is a spectacular one!"

"Make your arrangements. Once excavations are complete I would be honoured to witness your own research. As long as you aren't offended by the possibility of my future designs being influenced by them, of course."

Xander relaxed, his smile becoming more... normal as he regarded the offer. It was certainly a chance to expand his knowledge, but he could not allow himself to be distracted at such a crucial time. Dalliances with alien technology could be postponed until the world was saved. Or in this case, until his objective was complete.

"Returning to the subject at hand... I would suggest preparing what defences you have. While I don't plan on being some sort of prohpet of doom, hostile forces have infiltrated what I previously considered to be perfect security measures repeatedly. Unless you enjoy being threatened in your own office, having some sort of weapon on hand at all times may be wise."

He tapped his own cane against the aquarium as if to illustrate that point, sparing a glance for the fish inside.

The fish scattered away from where the cane knocked on the aquarium. They seemed like normal fishes. "Truly? That is certainly worrisome. I can not imagine the stress such events would cause on you." Huvud shuddered with understanding. "I will consider how I can best secure myself against hostile infiltration, much as I loathe to arm this office with weapons."

There was a moment of silence as Huvud considered the human near him, and what would be the most efficient course of action here.

"Are you sure you can not make time tomorrow? The infiltrations have clearly left their marks on you, you're stressed close to the point of breaking." Altruism, sympathy and pity alone would not do with this man, Huvud knew. "It is not just out of the goodness of my heart and wanting to show our research that I offer this. It would be wise to unwind before the crucial moments in the excavation, not just for your sake but for ours as well. There are many things buried under the ice here, both terrible and great. The consequences of even a single mistake, no matter how small would be dire. Especially with something like the weapon you describe."

"Every single one of us, no matter how great, has a breaking point." Huvud finished with closed eyes.

"I hit my breaking point two days ago, Karl. But I am not a broken man. It was the moment I realized a fundamental truth - the world is broken. It was almost refreshing to understand. Face to face with.. myself, practically. An individual who slammed the door shut on my previous plans, but at the same time gave me the keys to... this."

Xander lets out a short but somewhat crazed laugh, shaking his head. Taking a break from his operations was what had gotten him into this mess - taking another would only invite greater catastrohpe.

"No breaks. Not until it's done. The last time I took a break during an operation, I came back to a rogue Giant - to say nothing of the other events happening in the world."