Night, Falling by Raoul Wu-thien. Well... I didn't receive any flames and actually got a few words of praise so I assume it's safe to write a second chapter....(my last feeble attempt was a piece called "Resurrections" which can be found at http://www.northernnet.com/lhwoods/fiction.htm or at the Commander Sonic Data's mailing list. I have integrated continuities,concepts and characters from David Pistone, Joseph DeLacroix, Aaron Lye, Ryan Huber,Eric Goodwin, Shaun Wolski,Dan Drazen, Holly B-Kraft, Hack Emery, David Gonterman, Adrian Tymes... and quite a few others... Could you kindly slip in an email to ngeowwt@netlink.com.au should you notice a concept, character or idea I have pilfered and I will gladly give due credit... (or put the name in if you notice any one who failed to get due credit...) Copyright ©1996 by Raoul Wu-thien All "Sonic The Hedgehog" characters and related indica © and TM SegaofAmerica, Inc.Used without permission. This document may be freely distributed as long as it is not modified in any way. Comments,suggestions to: ngeowwt@netlink.com.au Timeline: Immediately after Resurrections "Which of you remembers Sonia Hedgehog, sister of King Sonic? Which of you remembers Inhandra Riff, Mecha Sonic, Mighty, the Kitsune, the Guardians, the Gryphons, Case, Gregory, Draftwood Brookshire, WildFyre, Lingo, the Chaotix, the Downunda Freedom Fighters, the Wolf Pack, David Prower or the Eastern nomads? Or even villains like Nack the Weasel, the renegade griffon Grisha, the Dark Force, the Anti-Sonic, Enerjak, the Mecha-Force, Karack or the Ur'thaen Secundus? Can you name the hundreds of other heroes and heroines; many of whom sacrificed their lives and sometimes, their souls, to bring about the defeat of the Dark Triumvirate? <> History has immortalized the greatest of our victorious heroes through the establishment of the Houses; but at the cost of our lesser-known ones. Will their efforts, then, be as dust forgotten?" -Rex Argent, Professor Emeritus of History, New Mobotroplis University, protesting against a Royal Decree to control the History syllabus in the University. Exiled to Barrenrock Isle with 62 other dissidents in 3304, under charges of subversion against Her Majesty Queen Sally Alicia Hedgehog-Acorn. "In the light of legend, King Sonic and Queen Sally appear to us as demi-gods, perfect, noble heroes. It is sometimes hard to remember that they were of Mobian stock, and that they experienced real events which left real traces on a real universe. This, I dedicate then, not to King Sonic or even his Freedom Fighters, but to their heirs, all of us." -King Alexander Prower-Acorn, on the 587th Liberation Day, addressing the Royal Council. Elsewhere in Castle New Hope, while the King was contemplating dark thoughts, and Rebecca J'hosephae... entertained herself with a handsome Royal Guards Lieutenant, two members of the Royal Council were having a heated; and occasionally strident conversation in the Star Chamber. The Star Chamber was a huge room meant for meetings of the Royal Council to determine Mobian affairs of state. It was, as the name implied, shaped like a star. It had 20 points, one point for each of the Houses. At the apex of each point was a door, and each of the Heads of the Houses could only enter through that door and no other. Non Heads of Houses could enter only by invitation. Gene-scanners at each entry point ensured that any unauthorized trespassers would be fried by 2.4 Terawatt ion beams that left neat piles of dust on the floor... But the two people presently in the Chamber were not trespassing. Both were full Royal Council members; both were Heads of Houses and two of the pillars of the New Mobian Monarchy, with full access to the Chamber at any time... And both were plotting treason. Nara Rotor, Matriarch of House Rotor, was a old, fragile-seeming walrus. But often strong men trembled at her gaze, often powerful individuals could not look for long upon that wrinkled, seamed visage without visibly trembling. And with good reason, for her face was half organic, half cybernetic; not a clean, synthskin job indistinguishable from nature but a grotesque web of techno-organic fibres to simulate the appearance of muscle fibre. One baleful, green cybernetic eye(a flawless emerald from the Great Mountains) peered forth from a sunken socket, seeming to look past the flesh and into the heart and soul of any it beheld... Nara knew that she no longer possessed the beauty of a halcyon past. But what she DID possess was power, the power of RotorTech Industries, with it's massive orbital factories, mining colonies on Rocan and Diceve(two mineral-rich planets in the Mobian solar system), contacts within the various alien worlds, ... and the huge private army of cyborgs, techno-mercenaries and thugs that this gargantuan corporation secretly maintained. And everyone who beheld her was visibly reminded of that power, which radiated and imbued her with an aura of palpable menace. The Star Chamber was totally sound-proofed(energy dampening fields prevented any sonic<> vibrations from escaping). A necessary screen since, often, sessions of the Royal Council had brought out passionate arguments and shouted curses. Each of the two Heads in the Chamber had left personal bodyguards outside each private entrance, but had not brought them into the Chamber itself. A token of faith; ironic since neither of them trusted one another as far as they could throw a Death Egg... But as a Eastern Nomad proverb went: "When they are hungry, even the lion and the jackal will lie together in wait for the flesh of the gazelle." And the gazelle before them was Empire. The New Mobian Monarchy. "... what I want to know is, can we be assured that the Chaos Wave Device will NOT be destroyed during your little treasonous party?" Nara's co-conspirator was asking, with some heat. "No. In what we are planning, nothing can be assured. But the bulk of House Echidna's forces will be pinned down in the southern Islands, and the token garrison at Floating Fortress can be overcome by a surprise attack." "But all it takes is one explosive charge; and we could be looking at another Downunda<>. I do not relish ruling a dead continent, nor becoming dead." "My commanders assure me that our forces can take Floating Fortress without any struggle. And we have a...ah, highly placed mole, within the Fortress' command structure who will take steps to ensure the preservation of the Device." "Damn it, Nara, you appear to have thought of everything." "Of course." An old, seamed smile, reminiscent of a beauty long gone. The cybernetic fibers twisted and writhed. A short, harsh laugh from Nara's companion. "What about the... "package" we have ordered." "The files were removed from the Royal Archives 2 weeks ago. I have a working prototype of the original, as well as the upgraded version." "Your plan HAS one flaw. Neo-Knothole." "Do you think me a complete fool? Neo-Knothole's location has already been compromised, and several of my orbital cannons have targeted it." "That's impossible! Neo-Knothole's location is known only to the Royal House!" Nara merely smiled. "There are no secrets that money, and patience, cannot buy or uncover." "History will remember us as the 2nd Dark Triumvirate should we fail." "History is written by the rulers. A position I will have filled by the 600th Liberation Day." * * * * * * * * * * * "In Excelsius Dei... Mechana In The Highest." Darkbringer and Dr. Robotnik stood in a corner of the subterranean chamber. It was filled to overflowing with hooded figures, and in the front of the room a pulpit was set up. Giving a sermon was a tall, thin pig, punctuating statements with little grunts and squeaks. "Where is this?" Robotnik whispered. Darkbringer made a gesture. Immediately, electric pain flared up Robotnik's cybernetic arm. He screamed in agony. Strangely, none of the hooded worshippers reacted. Robotnik writhed in pain. "Where is this, what?" Darkbringer said in a voice that implied the existence of levels of pain hitherto unimagined. "Where... is this... M-mas..ter." Robotnik gasped between clenched teeth. "We are in the headquarters of the outlawed Homo Mechanus cult. They are a group of crazed fanatics who shared your religion, that of machine superiority." "Why are we here?" Robotnik hastily added, "Master." "We are here to... retrieve certain relics the cult has had in its possession for the past 6 centuries. It is these relics that has made the cult a target of the Strosstrupen<>. for so long." Just then, the pig appeared to have finished his ranting diatribe. With a flourish he exclaimed, "Bring forth the sacred Mechas!" Two glass coffins slowly descended from the ceiling. In one coffin was what appeared to be a mechanical rendering of King Sonic! It was clearly mechanical, with metal plates and mechanical joints and limbs, and despite being ridden with dents and burn marks, there was a certain power in its bearing and stance, even as a mechanical corpse. The other, however, was clearly an android meant to represent the human species(still the least populous of the races on Mobius). It had thick brows, a cruel face with prominent contours, and a harsh nose. Its torso was mangled and its left arm was torn off at the shoulder. Like the first corpse, it had burn marks and dents riddling the body, only in greater amount and intensity. Robotnik's eyes flared with recognition of this second corpse. Darkbringer said, "That is our objective." "Why, Master?" "Because, as I said earlier, I require minions and servants to carry out tasks for me in order to begin and succeed in my conquest of this planet!" "But it must be damaged beyond repair! And I lack my tools and ..." Darkbringer cut Robotnik off with a wave. His golden eyes, the only visible facial feature underneath the crimson-enamelled armour, gleamed. "When will you learn..." Darkbringer said in a weary tone. Suddenly, it seemed the two figures were no longer invisible. The assemblage of Homo Mechanians turned as one to gape at the two figures, standing in a corner of the huge room as if having popped out of nowhere. The pig immediately screamed "Slay the defilers!! Death to the organic-loving heretics!!" The crowd surged forward. "...that where I am concerned..." Darkbringer stretched out his armoured arm, which ended in gauntlets shaped as talons rather than hands or paws. Bolts of energy, obsidian in colour, lanced forth to perforate the first rank of onrushing fanatics. "...nothing... " The smell of fried flesh, rank and sickly sweet, filled the air. "... is ... " Hundreds of tiny dimensional voids appeared throughout the chamber. Homo Mechanians were shredded by the flux of energies caused by so many little rifts in the fabric of reality. "....too... " Warriors made out of shadow sprang from the ground. Armed with weapons forged of night, they began hacking and clawing at the now panicked crowd... "...impossible!" A spherical wave of energy, with Darkbringer at the center, exploded outward, consuming every other living being in the shrine apart from Robotnik. The entire chamber was filled with charred corpses and half-melted bones... Darkbringer floated up to the level of the second coffin and smashed it open with one blow of his claws. He reached into the wreckage and pulled forth the android's head. He descended to the floor of the cavern, and casually tossed the head to Robotnik. "Here. A chance for you to do a better job THIS time." Robotnik could only stare into the lifeless, metalic eyes of the android Packbell... * * * * * * * * * * * King Alexander was still staring into the night when a second, uninvited visitor called out his name. "Alex. Brooding is NOT good for your complexion." Once again, the King, every inch composed, answered without deigning to turn. "Mikhail. Is it too much to ask that I be permitted one night of solitary thinking?" Mikhail Prower, younger brother of Alexander Prower-Acorn, was slender, almost foppish. His brown fur was combed into curling locks, and his features were fine, sensitive ones, with sharply intense eyes. Unlike his brooding, stern older brother, he was more light-hearted, almost frivolous and a notorious vixenizer. However, when necessary, he could use his magical powers with devastating effect, the powers that had been handed down in his House since the days of the great Miles "Tails" Prower<>. As Head of House Prower (Alexander, being King, is no longer a pure Prower and as such is barred from learning the Control Sorcery.), he carried out his duties dilligently, and yet somehow always seemed to find time to cultivate the image of a lazy, slothful fox. Mikhail raised his hand and concentrated. His face twisted in a grimace as he released the spell. "Ugghh. I see Rebecca has been here. " King Alexander actually smiled faintly. "Yes..." He was aware of Mikhail's contemptous distaste for the vixen, which was a screen of carefully concealed desire mingled with a genuine fear. "She said she was having some... entertainment... with one of the Royal Guards. Perhaps you would care to join her?.." Mikhail shuddered, not entirely in jest. "Alex, even I wouldn't touch her with a long pole. Her aura is ... uhhh.. if only you could FEEL the perversity her psionic traces radiate..." Alexander sighed, face once again serious. "Mikhail, is there something I can do for you?" "Well, Your Majesty, I've been hearing some weird rumours." "Only a fool listens to rumours." "Only a fool ignores them, " Mikhail responded lightly. This earned him a sharp glance from his brother, reminding him who was monarch and who was subject. "House Rotor has been going through some weird expenditures. My spies report disturbing things... increased weapons budgets, contacts with off-world mercenaries, things heating up in their colonies... It's no secret that Nara Rotor hates your guts for her son's death and she might be considering being Queen Nara Rotor-Acorn..." "I have no child yet. And I do NOT think I will marry that old hag." "She might not wait for a vacancy in the position, if you get what I mean...." King Alexander whirled sharply. "Are you suggesting another armed coup? Like Robotnik?? Or another Great War?" Mikhail shrugged. "No. Even as powerful as House Rotor has become, it is nowhere near strong enough to challenge me. We have the Ur'thaen technology of House Joseph. Rebecca's Strosstrupen have eyes everywhere. Houses Kintobor and Echidna are firmly on our side, which means I have the military and, more importantly, the Chaos Wave Device. We have nothing to fear from her. Any armed uprising on her part would be suicidal for her, and I doubt she's that stupid..." Mikhail shrugged again. This time with a hint of resignation. King Alexander read the message implied in that gesture and responded. "But I agree, Nara has grown too powerful recently." He sighed and began pacing. "I thought that, after Victor's death, I could make amends by letting her have her own way, letting her play her little games, giving her some slack. I see that that was a big mistake. One I shall rectify after Liberation Day...." Mikhail said, "That's all I'm suggesting, my King. Step on her a little firmly. Make that a LOT firmly..." "Very well, then. If that is all...." Mikhail whispered a word. A nimbus of energy coalesced around him, and enveloped him in it. When it faded away, Mikhail was gone with it. The King, once again, lapsed into his dark brooding. After Liberation Day, Nara Rotor.... I will deal with you.... * * * * * * * * * * * Nara Rotor, at that moment, was in her chambers. She much preferred her personal citadel of Rotorion, high in the Great Mountains. It had a more ... comfortable, relaxed air than the stern, authoritarian walls of Castle New Hope... She shook her head angrily. Since when did you become a sentimental old fool she asked herself furiously. Her comm-receiver began buzzing. "Secure transmission incoming on Cyan Channel." "On screen," she ordered. It was Colonel Marak, the commanding officer of House Rotor's army. "Well?" Nara demanded. "Report." "All is in readiness, my Lady. We can strike at our assigned targets with a minimum of casualties. Our... allies.. are one Hyperjump away from Mobius. Some of the colonies, though, may prove troublesome since they can withstand prolonged sieges..." "Cut off the head first. THEN worry about the arms. " "Yes, My Lady." "Well then. Be about your preparations." "Yes, My Lady. Marak out." Nara Rotor sighed. The signal had been encoded using sophisticated algorithms with trillions of possible permutations. Each House used a separate, secure, subspace commnunications channel for such private communiques. Each of these channels was theoretically and practically uncrackable. Goddess knew, her agents had tried often enough without success. She gazed at the holo-vid of her long lost son Victor. Handsome, yet naive, he had reminded many of the original "Boomer" Rotor, first Patriarch of the House Rotor. He had had the mechanical genius, the dedication... and also the naivete. It had been that naivete that had cost him his life all those years ago, and the fault of Alexander Prower-Acorn.... "I will avenge you my son. House Rotor's victory over the Royal House and our conquest of Mobius will be my greatest testimony to your sacrifice!" * * * * * * * * * * * Meanwhile, Rebecca was enjoying herself immensely. Rebecca, Head of House Joseph, was a direct-line descendant from the original Joseph, the Ur'thaen alien who had joined the Freedom Fighters in their cause. However, Joseph had, in creating a new body, accidentally fallen prey to the curse of vampirism. Being a genetic factor, this curse had passed down centuries even to Rebecca. The pale, half-dead body of Lieutenant Prozak was tied to the bed; handcuffed at the arms to the bedpost and his legs, spread out and firmly tied in place with krimskell fibers. Rebecca straddled his waist, gently licking at the wound her fangs had opened at his throat. Like all her ancestors, who had inherited the vampirism, she enjoyed the taste of blood immensely. Unlike her ancestors, however, she did not feel remorse or sadness but enjoyed and revelled in her condition. Not that Lieutenant Prozak minded. His entire consciousness was one solid wave of ecstasy, for the blood-consumption process created an intense mental bond between vampire and victim that often resulted in an incredible feedback of pleasure, both physical and mental. Having sex while actually sucking out a person's blood amplified that pleasure to dizzying heights, as Rebecca had learned. The fact that most of her victims either died of blood loss or neural overload or became gibbering vegetables was of little importance to her. Prozak groaned, and convulsed involuntarily. Rebecca slapped him, hard, and ordered. "Pipe down!" She slowly sucked a mouthful of red blood, and savoured the taste. It was going to be a long night.... * * * * * * * * * * * Robotnik and Darkbringer reappeared in a huge laboratory. It was crammed with scientific technology of both Mobian and alien origin. Every conceivable, and quite a few UN-conceivable form of robotic or genetic machinery was in this room. "Now, Robotnik, there should be enough tools in here to bring Packbell back to us..." Darkbringer said. Robotnik was not listening. He gazed around, moustache quivering in delight. He was utterly enthralled by the technological wonders the lab was brimming with. Already his mind was imagining the newest designs of weaponry and robots he could make... Mental wash of pain. Robotnik fell to his knees, clutching his bald head. "Pay attention. Now, I have gone to great pains to assemble this facility for our purposes. Packbell MUST be fully functional within the next 12 hours, and in a new body, one with greater capabilities than his last, inferior, incarnation." "But Master, 12 hours is far too short a..." His voice died away as Darkbringer turned his face to glare balefully at Robotnik. "12 hours, then. Master." Once again, no mistaking the pure hatred and venom in Robotnik's voice, the anger at being a slave and not the master. Darkbringer vanished. Slowly, Robotnik began to turn to the task at hand. He prised open Packbell's head and delicately extracted the main neural cognitive circuitry from the cranial compartment. With his usual skill and precision in all things robotic, he reached for a tool and began to re-etch certain pathways in the positronic circuits... Night is falling. * * * * * * * * * * * To be continued in "Darkness Descending" Note: I am looking for comments, feedback, reviews, co-collaborators and ideas. Feel free to email me at ngeowwt@netlink.com.au