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You didn’t become an admiral without learning to deal with the unforeseen. No matter what the guidelines said, that was something Gerrit took to heart. Plans were invaluable, but sometimes you just had to adapt to the things that life threw at you.
In the past six months more strange events had happened to him and the people he was supposed to be leading than the rest of life combined. And yes, they were traveling to unseen lands on the other side of the great ocean, but they had left with orders directly from the emperor himself and carried one of the imperial family with them. It was the biggest expedition of his lifetime and was a huge undertaking even for the empire. By the third storm when the fleet split apart and he was forced to salvage multiple ships to keep floating, the imperial orders had left Gerrit’s priority list. They had crossed the last few hundred miles by the skin of their teeth.
Somehow they made it to land.
And found the mysteries and dangers that lay there.
The shores climate was tropical, like most of the great delta of the empire, but the islands here were torn asunder by great lava flows and tectonic activity that threatened any building they constructed. Still, that on its own wouldn't be an insurmountable obstacle, their crews had multiple skilled engineers and shipwrights among them. The machines and the freak storms were issues that, given time he felt they could have dealt with.
The strange lights that appeared a week in their journey were a completely unknown phenomenon, however. They didn’t appear to be coming from any machines they were familiar with, too erratic and unpredictable for that. He had sent a patrol of experienced scouts to investigate when they first appeared.
They hadn’t returned, so he had sent a larger force led by their only diviner to bring them back.
That was two weeks ago. Gerrit wasn’t a betting man, but he was quite sure they weren’t coming back either. Whatever the strange lights on the cliffs were, they weren’t natural. Two spyglasses had survived the journey and he had personally navigated to a vantage point with one to try to figure out what the lights might be from afar. But the vague shapes on the hills didn’t look like anything he had seen. It looked almost like there were some kind towers and structures there, built out of some pristine, white material. The architectural style didn’t match any tribes he knew of. And perhaps most worryingly, whoever they were, the builders did not appear to be friendly.
Some of his advisors had suggested a massive investigation composed of every healthy individual they had left, to figure out their nature and perhaps as a show of force to the mysterious builders. At this point Gerrit was content to let the secrets on hills remain hidden, but the status patrols he had previously sent was another question. The logical answer was that they were dead due to some dangerous new machine or natural danger, but part of his mind considered the possibility that they could be still alive. Captured? Stuck? And if so, by what? Or perhaps by whom?
Nevertheless he did not expect a show of force to have any positive effects.
Gerrit sighed and got back to the rapport. Most likely his patrols had perished due to some unknown machine and the best course of action was to stay as far away from there as possible. At least the ship repairs were going alright. The flying machines that the scouts called “waterwings” had stopped bothering them for the last few days, which was yet another mystery. Well it was a helpful mystery so he let it be for now.
His eyes scanned over the report, checking the writer first and then the content. Petty Officer Seyka, a bit rebellious at times, but competent when it counted. He had used his emergency powers to get her out of trouble before when the compliance officers complained about her use of a focus. This was not the time for internal division and politics.
Admiral
I have been scouting the waters near Starlight Rise, going as close as I can without setting off the defences. It seems they activate in a perfect circle around the tower and target both humans and machines. I attached a map to the report of the region and the tower. I still think we should launch another expedition instead of turning our tails. Our people could still be out there.
I also must report something strange that happened. When I landed my boat in one of the marches I found one of the large machines, the type our soldiers call Bileguts. It appears as if it clearly saw me, but for some reason it didn’t attack. I don’t know why, but I am grateful that it didn't. I don’t know if I could have gotten away from one of them.
Petty Officer Seyka.
Gerrit put the paper aside and considered things. This wasn’t the first report of machines ignoring their scouts. Since sometime last week, machines - even one made for combat - seemed to have changed their behaviour. If attacked they still fought back, but otherwise they simply watched them, as if they were observing them. Like many things here, he didn’t know what it meant.
Gerrit sighed again, then considered what to do. The ships, the few that they had remaining, were being repaired. But then what? Head back empty handed? Even if they could survive the journey they hadn’t found any of the things they came for. They could try to find the other parts of the fleet, if they had made it. But that might be a fruitless journey across dangerous and unknown lands. Perhaps overseer Bohai or one of the other diviners made it.
The sounds of someone running outside his tent snapped him into focus and he looked up as someone knocked and entered his tent. The scout looked shaken.
“Sir. We spotted a group of flying machines coming this way. They um… appear to have riders on them.”
What? What in the name of the emperor was happening. People riding on flying machines? Well he intended to find out. “When are they arriving, scout?”
“Um. About now, sir.”
How had they avoided their scouts? He left that question for later and stepped into the camp. There he saw a mass of people moving around and grabbing weapons. At the edge of their settlement - the one so optimistically called Fleet’s End - stood a group of 5 winged machines, two of them with a human rider on top. The riders were different in clothing and build, as if they came from different tribes. One of them was a middle aged woman with tanned skin, a well used hammer in hand and an outfit that seemed to fit better in a forge than whatever this occasion was.
The other one was more striking. A one armed man covered with some form of detailed warpaint, holding a sword and wearing armor that Gerrit could best describe as…spiky. He had a few bruises and a bandaged cut on his left leg, as if he had recently been in battle. Gerrit saw him looking out over the dozen or so of his guards that had bows trained on them with an analytical eye, but didn't appear to be as bothered by the situation as Gerrit would have expected.
The woman stepped forward, a bit more wary of the soldiers, but showing a friendly expression. She seemed to focus on him.
“Hey there. Admiral Gerrit, was it? We come in peace. I'm Petra, and that gruffy guy over there is Kotallo.”
He hadn’t expected to perform any peace negotiations today, but Gerrit adapted quickly. He waved to his soldiers to put away their bows and walked to greet their visitors. “Greetings. I am indeed Admiral Gerrit of the Quen empire.” Maybe now he could finally get some answers. They did still outnumber their visitors ten to one, even with their machines. He was sure the marines were calculating battle plans as they spoke.
The woman, Petra tapped her temple and Gerrit noticed a focus sitting there. That was curious. Very curious. And the man, Kotallo appeared to have the same. He heard some hushed voices amid the crowd as others saw that. None of them were ready for the image that projected next however. Most Quen had never even seen projected images, so seeing diviner Alva suddenly standing in front of them caused many startled comments.
“Hi. I'm Alva. Diviner of the Quen, sent on the eastern expedition. I'm busy on an important mission, but you can trust Petra and Kotallo. I'll tell you more soon!” Gerrit hadn’t spoken much to Alva, but her mannerisms seemed to fit what he remembered. More interestingly he noticed that behind Alva was clear sky, as if the message was recorded on one of those flying machines.
He interrupted the chatter that followed, and silenced the remaining Compliance officers with a glare. He wasn’t fully trusting these visitors yet, there was a nonzero chance that they had captured Alva. But evidence leaned to the contrary and he was sure Compliance wouldn't see it that way.
“Well then. Would you follow me into my tent for negotiations?”
“Sure thing.” Petra replied and Kotallo just nodded.
Gerrit looked at one of his captains. “Arrin. Post two soldiers outside my tent and a squad on watching the machines. Have the rest of the marines on high alert and report to me if something happens.” The last two commands were probably unnecessary, he doubted anyone was taking things easy right now.”
“Affirmative, sir.”
And with that he walked into his tent with the visitors, quietly checking his sword as he did. It would be a very strange way to stage an assassination, but it wasn’t unheard of. And Kotallo looked dangerous despite lacking an arm.
As the tent flap closed he looked over them again. They were a strange pair and neither of them seemed like a diplomat. “So. I have a lot of questions, but you two appear competent. Anything I should be aware of first?”
Curiously it was Kotallo who spoke this time. “We know where your lost people are, and are currently attempting a rescue. They have been taken captive by a very powerful individual with technology beyond what you have seen.” He spoke with a soldier's cadence, as if delivering a report.
Gerrit looked over at them and then replied, trying not to let too much emotion show. “You do? Would it not be more logical to report their location to me, since you apparently know my name, rank and location. Why would you risk your life saving a tribe you don't know?”
“You would have to ask Aloy that last question, admiral. But suffice it to say their captors' goals risk damaging a very large area around here. And we got information indicating he was close to achieving them, forcing us to act.”
“So why are you not with your companions then? You look capable enough.”
“We decided someone needs to be here to be able to evacuate the area if needed.”
“In case your mysterious opponent wins?”
“No, as far as I understand it in that case we are all dead.” Kotallo looked stone faced as he spoke. “We are here in case our opponent manages to wake the metal devil he is sitting on.”
“Horus Titan to be precise.” Petra added, as if that made the previous statement less surreal.
Gerrit took a moment to look over them again. “You really believe that's a possibility do you? I can't decide if I want to call you crazy or not. But you came in on flying machines and I've seen a lot of strange things around here.” He sighed, in disbelief that he was taking these barbarians' story seriously. “What should I do?”
“Recall all your scouts and forward posts, and get ready to move south if needed. Unless you have some heavy artillery hidden somewhere, you can't really help in the fighting. Gaia is managing the battle using Hephestus.”
Gerrit was in the middle of processing that statement when he heard shouting outside the tent and a marine came in.
“Admiral, we're getting reports of heavy machine activity along with strange lights and sounds to the northwest.”
“Looks like Gaia started.” Petra commented to no-one in particular.
Gerrit pulled out his spyglass from his pocket and gazed up at the mountaintop. It was swarming with machines, and amid them he saw something moving. Something large. An enormous metallic tentacle tore through the ground and up into air, cutting straight through a Glinthawk.
“By the emperor.” He muttered softly, then raised his voice to command the surrounding troops. “Recall all forward scouts and the western outpost. Get everyone ready to head out. Arrai, send a messenger to the navigators, I want as many possible ships ready to head out in ten minutes. MOVE!”
He nodded to Kotallo who gave an appreciative nod back. Gerrit looked over the marines and compliance officers who looked wary. He found a captain among them and spoke again. “You. See how many ballistas we have and set up a defensive line along Fleets End’s northern border. I wanted the heaviest batteries we have, explosive ammo if we got it”
Petra walked around him and observed. “Won’t do much against the Horus”
“It’s better to have the soldiers do something than to sit waiting for the enemy.”
He saw a hint of a smile on Kotallo's face, the clearest sign of approval he had seen so far.
---
The battle was over before it had reached them and the ballista line sat unattended in the sand.
He had only seen the battle from afar, but he was sure that the sight of the Metal Devil rising up would haunt his nightmare for weeks. But the machine army and the small group of riders on sunwings met everything it threw at them with steel and determination. He had been worried for a second when a pulse of some kind of light emitted from the titan and machine army seemed to power down, flying machines falling from the sky like birds with cut wings, but even that wasn’t enough to stop them.
The titan had been stopped at the edge of the bay.
Now Gerrit looked over the strange woman who landed in his camp. She had striking red hair, a multitude of weapons and gadgets on her and wore armor that clearly incorporated technology of the old ones. She had stumbled into camp, sweaty and injured on a collapsing Sunwing which seemed to fall apart as she stepped off it.
“Hi Geritt.” She sat down on a chair and scarfed down some kind of medicinal herb. “Sorry. I’m usually better at meeting tribal leaders. Did not expect the EMP, hate those things. I need a nap. Avad should be able to explain the situation, he’s great at talking. Can I lay down for a bit?”
Gerrit nodded and told some of his guards to send a medic to her, then went to look for this Avad. There had been a few others with her, including a heavily armored man with a big hammer. His clothes reminded Gerrit of Petra. Same tribe perhaps? He looked approachable enough, so Gerrit walked up and coughed polity.
“Hello. Are you Avad? Aloy told me to speak to him, and get some answers.”
The man held out a hand and replied. “Nah. Name’s Erend.” Gerrit took his hand and got a very firm handshake. “She told you to speak to the boyfriend? Well he is a diplomat. Avad isn’t here, but I can call him.”
A diplomat? That would be useful, he didn’t like being in the dark like this. If they had a diplomat among them, why hadn’t they brought him along though? Gerrit was so distracted with everything that he almost missed the fact that Erend had had his own focus and was tapping on it. He then put it down on a table and Gerrit saw an image projected out from it.
He saw a regally dressed man standing in a richly decorated room. Had he not heard that this Avad was a diplomat he would have guessed imperial, though the colours were gold and red instead of the Quen white and blue. Whatever tribe he was from must be rich, if a diplomat had this room. If this was Avad, that was.
“Greetings, Gerrit. I’m Avad of the Carja.” Well that answered that question. Avad looked around through the focus image and seemed to spot something in the distance, smiling softly. Gerrit looked back and saw Aloy lying down on a bedroll, somehow asleep despite the sounds of soldiers moving in the camp around them.
“Didn’t know I was so well known outside the Quen, it seems like everyone knows my name. I was hoping you could explain some of that”.
“Of course. What did Kotallo and Petra tell you about Gaia?”
---
If Gerrit hadn’t seen a metal devil awaken just an hour ago he was sure he might have dismissed all of Avad’s stories as particularly elaborate tribal superstition. But since he had, he was forced to consider the ideas of Gaia, the Zeniths, Walter and his plan and Nemesis. Hearing Gaia speaking from the focus and seeing a Clawstrider come up and wave at him did also help.
Now then the question was, what in the seven rivers did he do now?
The short term plans were already happening. Alva had stayed with the captured Quen and was organizing a return to Fleet’s End. Apparently their opponent, this Walter, had planned to capture them as slaves for his new colony. It was a crazed plan, made even more shortsighted by the fact that, as Avad and Gaia had pointed out, even if he made it to some other planet, Nemesis would likely find him. The fact that his rocket launch would have decimated the nearby tribes provided explanation on why Aloy and her group were so focused on stopping him. Gerrit had found that there may be good folk, but people rarely did things out of pure altruism.
After they had reunited with the captured, they would need to rebuild their ships and head north. Alva and Bohai had survived and made it to San Francisco and found the data they came for, so after resupplying they should be ready to try to head back to the Great Delta. But Gerrit was becoming less sure if that was what he wanted. He had always known there was some degree of corruption in the empire. It was hard to not to spot the inequality when he went from attending noble feasts to recruiting malnourished sailors. Before these events, the empire had been all he knew however. But now...
He looked over at the valleys beyond, scarred by both lava flows and the great battle that had taken place there. He saw a group of people walking back there, guarded by machines that walked in order. His people; explorers, scouts, soldiers and civilians, people he would have lost without the strangers help.
Erend and Petra sat to the side, looking over a broken piece of armor. Oseram he had been told. A tribe of smiths and traders to the northeast. Kotallo was speaking to one of his lieutenants, seemingly discussing strategies. Many Quen had been wary of him at first, the strange tattoos clearly reminding them of what they had been told of their “barbarian” neighbours. A machine flew overhead, a great stormbird hovering over the soldiers. He saw bows trained on it, but it didn’t attack, simply flying there and watched over them.
Gerrit looked back at Avad over the focus projection. The younger man had picked up some kind of document while Gerrit had been thinking. “Your group is a strange one.”
Avad looked up at him and nodded. “Aloy has a tendency to find outcasts. But I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
“You're no ordinary diplomat are you?”
“Ah”. Avad chuckled softly. “No one told you? No. I suspect Erend might have found it funny to refer to me as Aloy's boyfriend. And she can sometimes forget things when she’s tired. Honestly I prefer meeting people without titles too. I find that meetings often otherwise are too defined by rank.” He put down his paper and stood up, looking straight at Gerrit. “But I am Avad, 14th of the Radiant line. Sun King of the Carja. You may refer to me your radiance or your luminance.” Then he sat down again and smiled. “Or simply Avad. Honestly, Aloy’s boyfriend is a fine title too. I hope my friends and I gave you a good welcome to the forbidden west.”