34. Diplomatic Interruption

Elkin, as one of the High Researchers of the Dark Coven, was tasked with many things. Her works on biology, technology, and psychics combined into what she did. Still, until relatively recently, compared to her age, she didn't have such a position of importance in her society.

The Khrave had been aimless, lost, unable to find their way in the darkness, their society stagnating as did their culture. Until the Beast, their Lord, came back for them as the ancient prophecies had foretold, it all changed no more where they recluse to the Dark Cradle, no more where they lost, no more where their prayers were unanswered.

The Dark Coven was forged by the Church of the Beast as such belief and piety were of the highest importance and became vital, but there was no blind zealotry. It was against the Five Pillars, the highest form of heresy, one to be healed.

It was to slave oneself to one oneself. It was to stop learning, advancing, and becoming one's own shadows; one of the highest sacrilege thoughts, not a fatality.

Religion was important, but so were science and magic. Forgoing one or pushing down another was also a sin. It was a delicate balance, a common occurrence in their lives. Balance, balance, and controls between all there was.

It had been so little time since their Lord came back, and yet so much was done beyond the comprehension of even Archdeacon Majun, goals hidden yet unhidden in ever-unfolding dark paradoxes for the fate of the galaxy and everything within.

Actions of madness fueled by the highest form of logic and rationality to trespass in the Lord of Changes' domain. There, Yuggoth was taken, and the master of the place of twisted psychic energy was put in his place below the Lord of Magic, and from there, the Great Harvest began.

A plan of many goals, the retrieval of the Keys of the Flask, the creation of Golden Gates across the cosmos to move at celerity above that of even the users of the Labyrinthine Dimension. Then, the most recent, the Ark of Life.

A denomination reflects a set of plans and goals to achieve two primary objectives: the safeguard of life and the spread of the truth to sophonts life forms. It was not a crusade, and the ones desiring to join would, but the ones refusing would be left alone to fend off for themselves.

In all cases, biological and psychic samples were collected and stored to recreate every species that interacted with if it became necessary, such as the Aeldari or the Hrud, a subterranean species able to quicken time by instinctively producing psychic fields.

But this was not the task of Elkin. Her works were on a more interpersonal level. She was to weave the tapestries of understanding between species to absorb them under Lord Hoopa's guiding light and impenetrable aegis against the corrupting whispers and profane influence of the Ruinous Power but also not to make them ignorant of it.

Though not to be mistaken for them to join the Dark Coven, it was a domain of the Khrave uniquely. It was to shape a structure of interaction between species for trade and assistance. Any that broke the strict and concise rules would see the instigators and all supporters be punished heavily.

At this very instant, Elkin was standing on nothingness, around her the void of space. All but a mere trick of the eyes, though it was not a transparent wall letting this be a possibility, it would be a critical failure in the Cruiser's structural integrity. No, it was far more straightforward. It was a personal device projecting life-like psychic illusions in a small bubble around her.

She was gazing at a rocky planet, one comparable in size to a small gas giant yet with an atmosphere survivable by carbon-based lifeforms. Its main characteristic was an omnipresent lush primeval forest only stopped by a singular ocean on which a magnificent city organically grew.

It was equal to large moons in size and was stretching deep, wide, and high from the abyss to the stratosphere, where the beginning of a spaceport could be seen. In fact, it appeared to be more of a gargantuan voidcraft than a sedentary settlement.

That wasn't the only structure, however. On each cardinal point was a massive iridescent gemstone funneling an incredible amount of psychic energy, likely for defense, offense, and maintenance.

Beyond this, it was a most peculiar planet, for it was part of the Aeldari Empire, yet not. This was one of the many worlds where dissidents revolted by the rising decadence and madness chose to live in reclusion from the bulk of their kind. An array of psychic shields using those four crystals as foci designed to hide and protect them from the coming armageddon.

Or so it would if it were not a place of worship of the old ways. It was how it was found: within the confines of this planet existed a cult dedicated to Hoopa, and none could stay hidden from him. It was small and young, but enough to be tracked and collect information to know if going here was a viable plan.

Hoopa wasn't the only 'Old Gods' worshiped here after all. His presence mainly was a grain of sand in a desert compared to Isha the Merciful Mother, Cegorach the Great Harlequin, Kurnous the Lord of the Beasts, and Lileath the Maiden. There was a high chance the cult in his name was founded by followers of the second of the Aeldari Gods listed.

It was why they were here, on this divine revelation that was, in fact, a 'hunch.' It was a godly hunch with a lot of backing, but in the end, nothing absolute, though that went unsaid.

"High Researcher Elkin, we have been located. They demand who we are and what our intention is. Shall we proceed as planned?" A young Khrave asked, and she snapped back to Realspace, her head tilting slightly in curiosity as she smiled charmingly.

"Yes indeed, let's proceed." She said, and her face began to morph, the harsh predatory bat-like structure softening from horrific and demonic to what one might call exceptionally cute in the ways a small, defenseless infant animal would.

The same happened for the surrounding Khraves, a face chosen to resemble a common pet in Aeldari society, the Gyrinx, animals psychically bonding and amplifying their masters. A creature that would have been perfect for the Khrave if not for their tastes.

Though the faces they wore shared a fraction of the psychic cats' features, it was a complex visage meticulously crafted to be good but not too good. It was a delicate balance to avoid an uncanny valley feeling to their audience. Not optimal for diplomacy.

"I'm Autarch Eldrenich. Be advised you are within the controlled space of Altansar. To whom do you hail, foreigners? What is what you seek? Your answer shall dictate how I will proceed onward." A smooth, powerful, and delicate voice resonated, and the holographic image of an Aeldari appeared on the center command board.

His face was calm, curious, and confused, a confusion that grew as Elkin ordered to send back a stream of her, granting both parties imagery of one another.

"Well met Autarch Eldrenich. I'm Elkin, a Khrave and a member of High Researcher within the Dark Coven, and as a representative of the Children of Dawn, I have come to build diplomatic bridges. We have come with peace and discussions in mind." She elegantly said in perfect Aeldari, both in physical mimics and accent. After all, it was in the Aeldari language that Khrave had their language based on.

The former fact didn't go unnoticed but was uncommented, though it opened many questions with less than pleasant answers to the Aeldari Autarch. The same was true for the aesthetic of their technology and fashion, familiar yet utterly alien and… Out of date by hundreds of thousands of cycles.

It was very odd, suspicious even. However, the questions and answers would be given later, with consent or force, depending on how the situation evolved. The former was preferable; they were worryingly advanced and detected far too late, in his opinion.

"Is that so? I have never heard of your kind, nor do our records show signs of your existence. You must be of the Sea of Souls or a hidden realm." Eldrenich announced curtly, an absence of condescending that was somewhat surprising for Elkin as she was used to Eölim's insipid, egotistical rambling. It was also a different situation.

Though there was no kindness or joy either, it was a neutral, if curious, tone on the edge of wariness, but there was unmistakable confidence on the brisk of arrogance. Not that it wasn't unfounded or baseless.

"A most correct assumption, Autarch Eldrenich. The Khrave do not reside in the limits of Realspace thanks to the magnanimity of our Lord in a time when the Silver Legion ran amok." Elkin nodded, a faint smile growing on her artificial short muzzle.

"Interesting, most interesting High Researcher Elkin… Please indulge me. Who is this 'Lord' you speak of?" He asked, his face hardening, the question almost demanding. But she let it slip. He didn't know any better yet. And it was true that they were glaringly strange.

"Words would fail to describe such a being, but our Lord is the origin tied to many of your unworded questions. A fraction of your citizens know him. The Horned One bearer of the Golden Rings who guides the lost souls in the darkness and shows the ways to the misguided." She intoned delightfully, the name of her Lord far too great for her to dare say it.

The Aeldari, on the other side, was perplexed, thinking deeply about what cryptic meaning was behind it. Seemingly concluding, he closed his eyes before communicating telepathically, several micro-movements on his visage showing a short internal conflict.

"I have been informed that your arrival was awaited. By authorities given to me, I accept the Dark Coven's proposal of diplomacy with Altansar. I will immediately send you the necessary instructions to dock your vessel, Children of the Dawn. You have my permission and protection as long as you respect the rules of civilized guests." Eldrenich explained minutely, his relaxed stance not masking that they were only here as long as he authorized them. That much was evident by his tone and body language.

And so the communication became silent as their Cruiser began its atmospheric entry to the marked area following every directive given to its last-minute detail. Yet as they reached the two hundred kilometers mark from the highest wraithbone spire and were going to phase through the shield, everything shook, and alarms blared.

"What is happening?!" Elkin demanded in unease as she stabilized herself with her psychic power and a beat of her wing.

The response she recipients made her hiss with displeasure. They were under attack by Aeldari, but not the one on this planet. Their attackers were from the Labyrinthine Dimension, a small fleet in the middle of bombarding the Lethe Field of their Cruiser with, for the moment, only psychic-based attacks.

It wasn't hard or complex reasoning. It wasn't the people of Altansar attacking them; the connection to Autarch Eldrenich had been hijacked, replaced by one of a distinct nature, and the holographic screens now showed another Aeldari.

His skin was deathly pale, only broken by a golden, highly embellished monocular occluder and the raven black hair on his head. His body was covered in a strange armor set, showing far too much to be of any use, while vials, blades, and firearms of all kinds dangled from his skin.

Thick and colorful fumes bubbled the air, hiding the less evident traits of his figure and the undulating movements behind which the distant echoes of moans and wails could be vaguely heard.

"What matter of lowly Mon'Keigh are you? To dare enter our space and violate the air with your hideous contraption and baleful presence!" The sing-song voice rang in fake outrage from the paler and exceptionally less friendly Aeldari on the screen.

"The irony would be lost on you perverse creature." The High Researcher snarked, and in an act lacking any hesitation, she cut off the canal, cutting the call to psychotic uppity knife-eared degenerate's face. Immediately after, without instructions, others began to work on reconnecting to Altansar.

"How unpleasant. But not unpredicted, our Lord's wisdom knows no bounds." She hissed, her large ears twitching in frustration while her lower arms tightened.

"Unpleasant indeed." High Helmer Ragorth, a muscular male Khrave, heartedly agreed with her words while hundreds of telepathic messages were exchanged among the crewmembers, all enacting the protocol.

Being attacked was, from the beginning, a known variable, barring any hypothetical and likely valid scenarios of the Architect of Fate and his brethren to have their claws insidiously plunged into the Aeldari Empire… The wider expenses of the Aeldari were looking for the Khrave, hunting them even.

The Archdjinni of the Rings clouded the present and future for the Khrave, but it wasn't foolproof, and Aeldari seers' could sense the most impactful action and their ripples—ripples that could be traced to their point of origin.

It wasn't very successful still. The Aeldari didn't know what they were looking for and attacked anything and everything far more viciously than before, this possessing a reason as flimsy as it is to do so.

Communicating with the calmer side of Aeldari society was, as such, putting a red target on their backs for immediate attack. It was a risk, but one worth taking.

"No success connecting back yet?" Ragorth inquired, and the negative response prompted him to look at Elkin. A short telepathic conversation led to a conclusion.

"Then let us not be passive. For our Lord, for the Beast of the Dawn, let us, his children, show what decadence brings to ones who forgo themselves to madness and hubris!" She declared, and the clicks of teeth and hisses demonstrated all agreed with her statement.

*

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