Hilda
“We can’t get in touch with anyone in orbit,” Commander Ironstorm informed Hilda. “The blackout is planet wide. We’ve been able to access some systems, and reach units outside the estate, but no one has had word from orbit since the attack was launched.”
“What do we know commander?” Hilda asked.
“There is fighting going on throughout the estate,” the commander informed her, and leaned over the old paper maps of the estate that were lay out on one of the tables. “Here, and here,” he said as he pointed to the map. “Bots, and personal forces of Lord Frost have holed themselves up. I have two teams moving to flank them now, but it’s hard to maintain communications, we are using runners right now.”
“How are our losses?” Hilda asked.
“So far they have been light,” Commander Ironstorm told Hilda. “But we have lost three teams here,” he said and pointed to a position on the map. “They have been attacked by something in the dark. Likely a security bot of some sort, several have already been destroyed, but the troops have started to call it the ghost of Stonehill.”
Hilda let out a long sigh, and nodded. “Do what we can to track down this ghost before it can harm more of our people,” she told the commander. “What about the boy?” she asked.
“The boy?” Commander Ironstorm asked.
“Harald Frost, son, and heir of Lord Frost,” Hilda said. “I saw him escape the hall with others. Has he been found yet?”
“No sir,” Commander Ironstorm responded. “I’ll inform you if, and when we find the lad.”
“Very good commander, see that he is not harmed. The boy will make for a valuable hostage.” She looked up from the map. “What about outside the estate? The nearby city, and country must hear all the fighting, and sent reinforcements by now?”
Commander Ironstorm straighted, and cleared his throat. “I’m sorry ser, I thought you understood.”
“Understood?” Hilda asked with a confused tone.
“The whole planet has lost power. We have reports from the city, and we have recieved several local forces as reinforcements but,” he cleared his throat again.
“But commander?” Hilda asked him.
“But ser, the whole planet is under attack.” He said sharply.
“The whole planet?” Hilda asked. “How is that possible? We didn’t deploy enough forces on the ground for that.”
“No ser,” Commander Ironstorm responded. “It appear… Fuck ser, the whole world is at each other throats,” he said, and Hilda could hear the confusion, and shook in his voice. “Locals are killing each other throughout the major settlements. From what we can gather local forces are attempting to put the attacks down, but people are being slaughtered. The only good news is the attacks have created chaos across the world, and so far they think the attacks on Stonehold are part of, and we have nothing to do with it.”
Hilda looked at the commander for a moment. “So local forces are, for the time at least, on our side?”
“Yes ser,” Commander Ironstorm replied.
Hilda nodded. “Get more information about what the fuck is going on throughout the world. Above all we need to reestablishment contact with the fleet, and get reinforcements down here as soon as possible.”
Hilda looked around the hall. There were candles, and small lights set up feeding off generators to give them power. People were moving the dead bodies.
“Commander,” Hilda said before he could leave. “I don’t want anymore children killed.”
“Of course ser,” Ironstorm said, and saluted before he departed.
“Captain,” Hilda said to Atwood beside him. “I want anyone with ties to the bishop arrested. I don’t care how small. We will sort them out later, but if this going as far as I fear, I don’t want to take chances. There is no way the bishop didn’t have support.”
“Of course ser,” Captain Atwood said. “I’ll see to it right away.”
Hilda looked back towards the dead bodies as though her eyes were being pulled as the captain left her presences. She spotted the dead bishop, and the light gleamed off the ring on his finger. She reached down, and pulled the ring off his finger. It was a beautiful piece, gold, but engraved. Simple by most standards, yet larger, and heavier than she expected.
Hilda didn’t know what possessed her, she could almost hear whispers of nothing, and than slide the ring of the dead man onto her own finger. The whispering seemed to stop, and she let out a small chuckle, and shook her head. The dead didn’t need jewelery, nor did he deserve it.
Hilda turned, and stepped back at the appearence of a man in bright colors, as though he were made of light and computer code. She stepped back, and looked around as the figure looked at her and twisted it’s head.
“You cannot restore power,” it said simply.
“Who are you?” Hilda asked, and felt her sidearm in her hand. She looked to her side, and realized no one else were in the room.
The figure twisted back and forth. “I am the Arcan,” he said. “That is all you need know. Anymore would damage you.”
“Fuck me,” Hilda hissed, and looked down at the ring. “Your an Arcan Echo,” she whispered as she stared at the ring. She had read of the old Fabian A.I. which were said to have been gifts from the ancient race of Arcals which had freed them from the jaws of the Skoll.
“If you break the blackout, I cannot stop Isca,” the figure said.
“Isca?” Hilda asked.
“The world mind,” the figure hissed. “If the blackout is not maintained, the world mind will be able to gain access, and no doubt will display every video feed of what happened here. It must be stopped. It must be destroyed.”
Hilda had heard rumors that there were a world mind on Isca. Most worlds held such rumors, but the Fabians had hunted them down during, and after their conquests, and none survived, or so the legends went.
“He was a fool,” the figure said as it looked towards the dead bishop. It’s eyes moved to Hilda. “You are strong. We can work with you.”
“Work with me?” Hilda asked confused, shocked, and almost believing she were in a dream.
“Yes,” it hissed. “The world mind must be stopped. Isca must not be allowed to get away. We must find it before it can reveal what you have done here,” it said.
“What I?” Hilda said and shook here head. “I have done nothing here.”
“They will not see it that way,” the figure said softly. “You killed Lord Frost, and unless you wish for that information to get out, you will find, and destroy the World Mind. It is here, in this compound, and if the blackout is broken, it will have power.”
The figure looked to it’s side, and Hilda saw a member of her security detail enter the hall, and than looked back to where the figure had been, but now gone. She looked down at the ring which glowed.
