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Prologue:

Date: February 20, 1232: End of The Great War

Location: Shield World Alethia

The old brown and grey furred Shepherd stood up from his chair, he looked down at the white furred male Fennic and Red furred female Fox both wearing uniforms that were white and blue in color, a single white shirt tucked into blue pants with a red circular emblem with a sun at the center on their left shoulders and black boots that sat at the two stations, each displaying the information and controls in hard-light, in front of him as Helm and Tactics. The room istelf was an octagonal shape with two more stations to the left, one being operations, the other communications and right against the wall being science. The room was well light with lights build into the smooth blue walls. The floor was a white colored steel. He rubbed the back of his head as the viewscreen in front of him showed a mirage of blue, green, and white colors flashing across the screen and at times enveloping the massive spires that rose from the base of the ship.

"ETA Lieftant-Keannador Brennan?" He asked the Fennic, his voice rough.

"Approximately thirty seconds Keannador Quinn." Responded the male Fennic.

"Understood, Leiftant O'Carroll bring the ship to Red Alert, Status One." The old Shepherd responded.

"Yes sir." Responded the Fox.

Keannador Quinn took a deep breath, they were enroute to the Brood Empire's Shieldworld named Alethia to pursue peace talks with a growing faction within the Empire itself. For a while Pelzigan High Command knew that a civil war was brewing within the Brood Empire and now they had one of the two biggest factions reach out to them with an olive branch. They weren't going to let the opportunity for peace pass by them. For more than a hundred years the Pelzigan Republic and Brood Empire were at war with each other. Both sides had settled into a stalemate with neither side making much of a push against each other but rather small border skirmishes. Overwatch had noticed some of the Brood Empires ships leaving defensive positions at the boarder recently and it was believed that they could use that as a way to stage a successful offensive. If this peace treaty could be formed with the faction calling itself Z'ar Shehad or New Empire then it would mean that the Pelzigans would be able to mount an offensive to quickly eliminate the the loyalist factions of the Empire.

"Exiting Mana Jump in five." Reported O'Carrol.

Quinn glanced around the bridge again as the mirage of colors blended themselves to the blackness of space with different colored twinkling stars in the distance, and a massive metal planet to the right of the ship. "Leiftant O'Carroll, transmit the codes to the planet." Quinn ordered.

"yes Keannador." She replied as she waved her right paw through the hard-light projections at her station then began using her index finger to enter in a set of codes. "Transmitted codes sir." Quinn sat back in his chair as an audible ping sounded. O'Carroll examined the new icon that had appeared in front of her flashing a green color. "Codes accepted, entrance is opening." She said.

"Helm, take us in." Quinn ordered. The ship maneuvered itself towards the metal planet where an opening revealed itself, orange and white light shined through and they proceeded towards it. "Any signs of unwanted guests Fenrid O'Brien?" He asked the brown furred Male Ferret at the Sensor Station.

"Negative Keannador." O'Brien responded.

"Very good." Quinn responded to O'Brien. Within a matter of minutes they where through the opening and slowly decended through the clouds of the planet until a vast desert appeared on the viewscreen with a sprawling metropolis at it's center. There was very little talk as they positioned their ship over the city. "Leiftant O'Carroll open communications with the Metropolis." Quinn ordered.

There was a quick reply then the face of a Humanoid Dragon with glistening Gold scales and blue eyes appeared on the viewscreen. "Keannador Arvid Quinn, I am Cuin Meagear Arytiss Di Filkiati. You may call me Cuin Meagear Filkiati, I'm glad to see that you have arrived." He said, his voice deep yet humble.

"Cuin Meagear Filkiati, it is an honor to meet you. Especially in regards to making peace between your faction and the Pelzigan Republic." Quinn responded.

There was a deep chuckle from Filkiati, "I see you have brought the Solas Caomhnoiri as your ship for this meeting, it truly is an honor to see that beautiful warship of yours. I've seen it many times in battle, and must admit that it is something many Loyalists would love to see destroyed." He responded.

Quinn allowed a small smile and nodded to the Dragon. "Thank you Cuin Meagear Filkiati. It is an honor for us to be invited into Alethia. We've done everything in our power to ensure that this meeting would not be interrupted or discovered by the Loyalists. May we come down and discuss this peace treaty of yours?" Quinn asked.

There was a small grunt and then Filkiati nodded. "Beam down when ready Keannador Quinn." He responded.

Quinn bowed his head as the viewscreen flicked back over to show the metropolis' skyscrappers. "Lieftant Kelly, assemble a security team and meet me on pad twelve." He ordered as he made his way towards the lift tucked away in the back left corner of the room. Within a matter of minutes he was in a small circular room with red and blue walls and white metal flooring. Against the back of the room was a station where a Female Rhino wearing a yellow and white uniform stood at moving her fingers through the hard-light projection as she prepared the pad that was slightly elevated at the center of the room for transport. Kelly, a Brown and White furred Wolf wearing a red and white uniform walked into the room with a small sidearm attached to her hip, black armor pieces attached to her shoulders, chest, stomach, and legs along with a Male Tiger and a Male Rhino all wearing the same attire. Usually they'd have rifles slung onto their backs but this was suppose to be a negotiation for a peace treaty, a unification between two different groups. They didn't want to suddenly transport to the meeting hall with rifles aimed. Quinn motioned for the trio to join him on the pad. Once there he nodded the go ahead to the Female Rhino and they where enveloped in blue and green lights then vanished. They appeared inside a large oval room with glistening golden pillars that seemed to be made out of scales with black poking through. The floor was a red marble with the ceiling being a gold color with Draconic words enscribed on it. At the center of the room was a large black colored table, seemed almost like it was made out of Obsidian with chairs seemingly made out of the same material. Seated at it was Cuin Meagear Filkiati, the Gold scaled Humanoid Dragon wearing what appeared to be a black dress uniform with a small insignia on his collar that was of a Metallic Dragons Claw in a mixture of Brass, Bronze, Copper, Gold, and Silver. He had black leather bracers on his forearms and his blue eyes examined the newcomers while a Bronze Humanoid Dragon dressed much of the same as Filkiati seemed to be studying a datapad and then there was a Silver Humanoid Dragon who seemed to be meditating.

"Welcome to the Metropolis Shehadi Union Keannador Quinn." Said Filkiati.

"Pleasure to be here Cuin Meagear Filkiati. May I ask who your friends are?" Quinn responded.

Filkiati gave a small smile and nodded to the Bronze Dragon, "This is Diplomat Di Martivir and the Silver on is Di Aryte, one of the scientists that worked on the Organic Interface project now being used by both us and the Loyalist." Filkiati said.

Quinn bowed to the two Dragons who bowed their heads in return. He then sat down at the table opposite of the three where the Security Team stood by his side. "So, in regards to this peace treaty and alliance, why?" Quinn asked. Filkiati tilted his head in confusion. "Why are you guys suddenly seperating yourselves from the rest of the Brood Empire?"

Filkiati smiled and took a deep breath, "The reason is simple Keannador Quinn. The Brood Empire is beginning to splinter. There are smaller factions that are vying for power and are beginning to challenge those that are bigger. Ours, since the start, has always pushed for peace with your race however our Chrome bretheren refuse to see reason. Another reason is that a vast majority of our OI have shown interest in ending this conflict quickly and are threatening to refuse to assist us if this continues. So, we decided to extend a hand to the Pelzigan Republic in the hopes of strengthening our position and ensuring that we can take control of the other factions so as to ensure that this war ends quickly." He explained.

Quinn glanced at the other two Dragons and nodded in understanding. "Very well, let us talk then Cuin Meagear Filkiati." Quinn said, and with that, they began discussing the peace treaty and alliance. After a full hour, they all agreed to puase for a break and Quinn bowed to Filkiati. "We will be back shortly Cuin Meagear Filkiati. We appreciate your time in this matter and I am certain we can reach an agreement." Quinn said as he and his Security Team got close together. The same blue and green lights enveloped them and they then appeared on the pad onboard the ship.

"Sir?" Lieftant Kelly asked looking at him.

"What is it Lieftant?" Quinn said.

"You did feel that power did you not?" She asked.

Quinn nodded, "I did indeed, he is the Draconic's Cosantoir just as I am the Pelzigans Cosantoir. I believe he is sincere in wanting peace between us and the Z'ar Shehad. There are definitely quite a few things we must discuss further but it looks promising." He said. The Lieftant nodded and motioned for the team to fall out when the lights dimmed red and a Klaxon sounded. Quinn motioned for the team to head out as he brought his wrist up and tapped on it. "This is Keannador Quinn, what is going on?" He asked.

"Sir, get the bridge immediately! We have incoming!" Came Brennan's voice.

"What do you mean?" Quinn asked as he rushed out of the room and towards the lift.

"Exactly that, incoming vessels descending to the surface. Filkiati's forces are taking off to meet them." Brennan responded.

Quinn cursed under his breath, "Very well, bring all weapons systems to bear on the incoming targets. Deploy the drones, Fighters, and Mech's. Take a defensive position over the Metropolis!" He ordered. He entered the lift and felt it shoot him upwards towards the bridge. Within seconds the doors opened and he stepped onto the bridge. On the viewscreen was a tactical layout with dozens of red blips descending rapidly to the surface and several large yellow blips moving to engage. "Status?" He asked.

"Filkiati's forces are about to engage the enemy. We are holding position over the Metropolis sir. Drones are deployed and heading towards the battle while fighters and mech's take up defensive positions around the Metropolis." Responded O'Carroll.

"Very good, keep us on a Defensive Posture. If those vessels break through we will move to intercept and terminate." Quinn ordered. There was a quickly as one of the yellow blips vanished followed by several red blips. Quinn bit his lower lip as he watched the red blips slowly vanish one by one until only three remained. One of the yellow blips vanished leaving one more that soon vanished as well.

"Keannador Quinn, Filkiati's forces are destroyed and enemy vessels are continuing their descent." Said O'Carroll.

"Prepare for engagement." Ordered Quinn.

"Yes Keannador." Responded O'Carroll as she relayed information to all squadrons, then stopped. "Sir!" She shouted as she turned to face him, fear in her eyes. "Mana Bombs detected! They've launched from the Surface!" She exclaimed.

Quinn's eyes widened as Alarms and Klaxons both went off. "Bring up all defensive barriers immediately! All hands, Mana Bombs have been deployed!" He ordered. They watched as blue and red spheres appeared over the horizon and sped towards the area where the Loyalist vessels were coming from, they shot past the Solas Caomhnoiri and then there was a bright green, blue, and white light. The vessel shook as the shockwave hit it sending Quinn to the floor with a grunt. "Report!" He ordered.

"Defensive Barriers are holding Keannador!" Responded the Otter at Tactics.

"Minor damage reported throughout the ship." Came a soft male voice as a blue holographic Male Lion appeared dressed in a nice trench coat, button up shirt, and dress pants.

"Nice of you to finally join us Connor." Quinn said.

The Lion crossed his arms as he floated in front of the Keannador. "I do have a metropolis sized starship to take care of Keannador-Cosantoir." He responded, a small smirk on his face. "I've deployed the repair workers throughout the ship to ensure any damage is repaired."

"Good, Lieftant O'Carroll open a channel to Cuin Meagear Filkiati." Quinn ordered.

There was a short reply then a few seconds later the Dragon appeared on the screen. "I thought you said you weren't followed!" He shouted in anger.

Quinn snarled, "We took every precuation to ensure we weren't!" He responded. "Upon arrival we did an entire In-System Sweep! There were no Draconic Ships near us at all!"

Filkiati examined Quinn, anger in his eyes. "If you weren't followed, then perhaps someone on your ship betrayed you." He said.

Quinn shook his head, "I highly doubt that. Everyone onboard knew what this meant to the Pelzigan Republic. They wouldn't dare risk this!" He responded.

Filkiati shook his head and sighed, "No matter what, it's apparent we've been discovered. We are preparing Alethia for immediate departure. Once we relocate we will release the Solas Caomhnoiri." He said.

Quinn closed his eyes and took a deep breath, then nodded. "Very well." He said. Filkiati bowed his head and the viewscreen returned to showing the Metropolis beneath them.

Quinn sat back in his chair, and closed his eyes. Something wasn't right, he knew Filkiati knew that as well. Usually Draconic warships were extremely tough, and that they wouldn't have just sent a dozen or so ships to handle a place like Alethia. Something else was going on. After a few minutes, another Alarm sounded. "Report?" He ordered.

"We have incoming projectiles Keannador! Oh Gods!" Responded O'Carroll. The viewscreen flicked over to show hundreds of small orange blips descending through the atmosphere. "They're Mana Bombs!" She shouted.

Quinn's jaw dropped as more started to appear. "It's a full blown extermination." He muttered. The viewscreen showed the terrain in front of them with the Tactics display off to the side and they saw dozens of brilliant lights flash in the distance. He knew there was no way they could escape, a Mana Bomb was capable of absorbing any and all Mana from all things, living and dead as well as the Mana that moved throughout the planet, and turn into a violent eruption. "I'm so sorry everyone." He said as O'Carroll looked back at Quinn, tears running down her cheeks as the Solas Caomhnoiri shook violently. The console in front of her exploded violently sending her flying backwards to Quinn's feet with shrapnel pertruding through her chest and face. Her red blood pooling onto the floor. Quinn watched in horror as the viewscreen tilted to the side. The other crew members screamed in pain as they doubled over in pain and eventually collapsed onto the deck dead, their eyes wide with fear. Quinn could feel his own Mana, his own life being sucked out of him when his eyes glowed white. The Solas Caomhnoiri collided with a portion of the Metropolis and the entire ship shook violently as another Mana Bomb dropped ontop of it. The shields flickered around the Solas Caomhnoiri then failed as several spires came toppling down splintering the ship in half as it collided with the rest of the Metropolis. Dozens of power conduits blew outwards, shrapnel lodging itself into Quinn and he let out a pained howl as he fell to the floor. For several more minutes the ship shook, he could hear more and more screams as the crew itself was used to power the bombs, and then silence as blackness filled Quinn's vision.

Quinn opened his eyes, the room was pitch black except a few lights flickering on and off and a fire off in the corner. He slowly sat himself up and groaned in pain. He reached down to his right side and felt a piece of metal pertruding from it. He whinced as he attempted to move then stopped as his strength faded. Connor appeared in front of the old Shephard and knelt next to him. "Keannador-Cosantoir....." Connor said, his voice quiet as his holographic projection flickered.

Quinn looked up at the AI, and gave a weak smile. "I'm sorry Connor." He said. "Where are we?"

Connor's eyes flicked back and forth then stopped and stared at Quinn. "Sensors are not operational sir, I do not know. I'm going to deploy the Repair Workers immediately to try and repair the ship but it will take some time." He said.

Quinn nodded and coughed up a few specs of blood. "Unfortunately Connor, you may be here by yourself for those repairs. I don't think I'll make it." He said. Connor examined Quinn and tilted his face. "I doubt anyone else survived." Quinn explained.

Connor's eyes flickered, then stopped and he shook his head. "Unfortunately, you are correct Keannador-Cosantoir."

Quinn gave a small chuckle followed by coughing and he gasped for air. "Do what you can to save the Solas Caomhnoiri. Then wait, it may be a long time but eventually another Pelzigan crew will come to retrieve the ship. Until then, do what must be done to protect it." He ordered as he coughed up more blood. He could feel his own life force draining from him, could feel the corrupted Mana around him and the ship. He knew that Connor might be waiting for a very long time, but knew that eventually someone would come to retrieve the Solas Caomhnoiri and it's crew.