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(6.20) Difference of Opinions
(6.20) Difference of Opinions
Memorial of Fallen Warriors
Orbital Memorial Station 'The Fallen'
Expansion Rim World of Azgard
August 15th, 1937
The sounds of the music filled the chamber with a style and softness not common among any Azgardian warrior. The difference between Warlord Ansfrid and Warlord Fiolla stretched more than two millennia. Before last December, Warlord Ansfrid never thought that the situation would ever change. The Council of Warlords only met twice a year to discuss mundane issues. The rest of the time, the Warlords of the Council would return to their respected homeworlds. Being an elected Warlord had some responsibilities but not many. This left Warlord Ansfrid plenty of time to enjoy pursuing his cultured hobbies. Warlord Ansfrid walked slowly up to a large window that over looked the dead world below. The music continued to echo the chamber as he sipped from a glass of wine. He looked down with great sorrow at the view below his window.
He hated coming here. The only time he ever had to come here was during the Day of Remembrance. The rest of the time, he tried to avoid this place. This place reminded him of why Azgard had to avoid become drawn in to the affairs of the Galaxy at all cost. His legacy would be an Azgard that was both strong and independent from the Galaxy. His House’s legacy was the defensive perimeter that protected Azgard and her worlds from countless intruders. Now Warlord Fiolla Heartman was threatening his House’s legacy and his own hopes. No one ever considered that the Warlord of Azgard would ever return. The Council of Warlords had passed a number of laws that built their own power base. However no one ever considered the return so no laws were passed to limit the Warlord of Azgard’s powers. In fact some laws passed actually counted on the seat remaining empty.
When the last Warlord of Azgard died, there was no clear transition of power. This left the Council in a very difficult situation. The head of the government had been removed and no one could pass the genetic tests to lay claim to the position. This left the Council latterly headless. While they were without a head, they were not without heart. There were worlds that had to be rebuilt and the culture had to be saved. The Council acted as best as it could to secure the boarders while the Sith slowly rose to power in the Galaxy. There were times when the thought of invasion filled the debates. The Houses did everything that they could to prepare for the invasion that was so deeply feared. However, there was no invasion. In fact for the next hundred years, it was like the Galaxy had forgotten about Azgard. So the Council acted on their good fortune to ensure that Azgard would not vanish in to the night.
For the next few centuries, warriors were trained, ships built and weapons of war stockpiled. The Council acted on the last order given to them by the last Warlord of Azgard. To be prepared for when the Republic and the Jedi call upon them once more. By the end of the third century after the fall of the Republic, Azgard was ready with nearly hundreds of millions of fully trained warriors sleeping. They were sleeping till the call was given. Once the goal was reached, the Council made the decision that had never been made before. They ordered the Genetic Birthing Centers closed. It was a practical decision, as the realm could not sustain the resources that were needed to continue to run the centers. Nor could the realm sustain the high demand of such a large military. If Azgard were to maintain its seclusion, it would have to cut its military. Not five years after the Birthing Centers were ordered closed, over half of the currently active warriors were ordered to the carbonite centers. This was a choice that didn’t sit well with the warrior caste.
When Azgad moved to occupy a large number of systems directly around their homeworld, Azgard had to accept the demands of supporting these worlds. The problem was a mathematical one. Without the Republic to ship in millions of tons of supplies a day and to share the burden of the large warrior population, there simply was not enough to go around. The fears shifted from invasion to civil war as the Warrior Caste refused to cut its numbers in half. Even though it was their own caste that demanded this drastic action. It was the first time in their history that the entire Warrior Caste was at odds with its self. The entire caste met on the Station of Fallen Warriors to discuss the issue. They talked for an entire year over the issue. There was no room for compromise; the math simply didn’t support that. The under lining issue was that in fifty years, the resources of their realm would be depleted and the entire culture would vanish. By the end of the yearlong debate, tens of millions of warriors reported to the carbonite centers for long-term storage. It would be the first time in Azgardian written history that the Warrior Caste would number less than any other individual caste.
Warlord Ansfrid turned and walked away from the window. He walked along the ornate fireplace. He paused as he came to a large picture. It was of a strong man with red hair and board build. He leaned heavily on a large ax. The man in the picture was Warlord Kjell, the last Warlord to sit on the Council that was not elected. Warlord Ansfrid kept the picture as a reminder of what the Council used to be. It was his own House that brought the best gift to the Azgardian culture. House Mercer brought Democracy to Azgard as an attempt to minimize the advantages that the other houses had in stronger warriors. The idea spread like wild fire and before anyone realized it, the system had taken hold. It didn’t take long for the concepts of the trails to become a thing of the past. Soon House Mercer was making gains on hundreds of years of losses. Warlord Kjell had resisted the change in government and in culture with every bit of his heart. He fought against the new rules and argued that they would lead Azgard down a path that it could not survive. It was House Mercer once more that silenced Warlord Kjell. Though not the end that any Warlord would ever had expected. House Mercer backed a challenger for Warlord Kjell’s seat. Before Kjell even realized what was happening, he had lost the election.
Before that election, elected seats were only used to fill seats that had become vacant due to the passing of the resident Warlord. Warlord Kjell’s loss sent a shock wave through the entire Warrior Caste. Normally a Warlord can be assured that as long as he could defend his place in combat, than he would remain in place. Warlord Kjell lost his place as a result of an election that the Warlord failed to even take part in. It would be the last time that any one would sit on the Council that was not voted in by the majority of the entire House. Not just the Warrior Caste could vote now, but all castes within a House could vote on who spoke on their behalf. The times had truly changed within Azgard. Warlord Ansfrid took another sip of his wine as he turned from the picture of Warlord Kjell. He walked across the room as the music continued to play. Azgard had become stronger under the Council’s leadership. Though there was still one throw back to the days of old. That would be a constant thorn in the Council’s side. The Religious Caste!
As the Warrior Caste slowly lost their influence, the Religious Caste grew stronger. Even though the Council was passing laws to secure their own powers and privileges, there was nothing they could do to touch the Religious Caste. They were part of the old checks and balances of the Government. Whenever a law was passed that threatened the Religious Caste’s place in the Culture or their voice with the Government, they rebelled forcefully against it. Warlord Ansfrid stopped at the coffee table and looked down at the dagger in a case. He could still see the blood on the weapon. The dagger was an artifact that dated back to the fifth century after the fall of the Republic. The event was well known and a moment in Azgardian history that even he was not proud of. It was the Temple and Council Crisis. The Council had just passed a law that prohibited the Religious Caste from taking a political stance on any issue. The law was directly aimed at cutting the Religious Caste off at the knees. And they would not stand for it.
Publicly they used their own channels and the media to condemn the new law. The public took the Religious Caste’s side as they normally did. The Council over reacted to the situation and demanded that the leaders of the Caste be brought before the Council. The wording of the order as so forceful that the Warriors sent to retrieve the leaders mistook the order. The leaders of the Religious Caste were murdered within their own temples. When the word spread, the public out cry was so intense that all but two Warlords on the Council stepped down. But that didn’t silence the crisis. The Religious Caste moved to assassinate the Warlords as well as the men responsible for the murders. The next week turned in to a bloodbath on both sides. Finally, peace was achieved and both Religious Caste and the Council of Warlords set down and worked out their differences. It was learned by the Council that it would be easier to remove a Warlord of Azgard than to take on the Religious Caste. It would be the last time the Council would make any moves on the Religious Caste.
Time passed and safely behind their defensive wall, the Azgardian Council of Warlords watched the fall of civilization within the Galaxy. Horror filled their hearts as world turned on world and cruelty continued to spread like wide fire. Entire worlds would be put to the same fires that destroyed Azgard. The fear that gripped the hearts of the Warlords who set on the Council also spread to the common civilians of the realm. It was not long till the Council insured that Azgard would remain free from the wars that raged. To ensure that Azgard would never be drawn in to any wars, stringent laws were passed to prevent anyone to force Azgard in to an outside war. As the wars outside continued to spread, the Realm had fully recovered from the horrors of the Azgard/Republic war. Commerce spread across the Realm as new areas of the Azgardian economy were explored. At the forefront of this new commerce was House Mercy. Where they had failed as a Warrior House, they excelled as a House centered on commerce. Warlord Ansfrid and his family had become one of the most wealthiest of the Realm.
Nothing was out of his reach till December when ‘she’ returned. Fiolla Heartman was the last hire to the Throne of Azgard. Her genetic markers were a near prefect match for the dissidents of the Hammer. Warlord Ansfrid never imaged that the Council would have accepted her so easily. She came to the Realm at the worse possible moment for the Council of Warlords. Already there was a popular movement to return to the ‘Old Ways’ and a general disapproval of the Council of Warlords. Warlord Ansfrid knew that the Religious Caste was behind the movement, though he had not uncovered any links between the movement and the Religious Caste. He just knew that the two were linked. A month before Fiolla Heartman and her friends breached the Defensive Line, there were massive protests on every Realm world. The main claim against the Council was the lack of any real governance that the Council does and the high cost to maintain it. As the Council of Warlords was continuing to deal with the protests, word came of Fiolla Heartman’s return spread.
If the Council of Warlords ever considered the real possibility of a dissidents’ return, the Law of Warlord would have been changed to prevent their return to power. So when Fiolla Heartman did return, all she had to was to prove her genetic signature. Once more, no one in the Council thought she would pass it. She did pass the first test, and the divides in the Council started to form. He had never seen the Council so divided before and he had to stop her at all costs. Warlord Ansfrid used ever bit of his political might to set the stage for her defeat during her Trail of the Hammer. He knew that he could not trust the other Warlords to help him stop her nor could he himself stop her. He had to use less respected ways. With every bit of his planning, still she bested his plans. After the Trail of the Hammer he hoped that he could rally the Council against her. Sadly, none of them had the courage to stand up to her directly. However they each did agree to not support her insane ideas of taking Azgard to war or worse yet to join that new Republic.
She did have her supporters though. The Religious Caste saw her return as a sign from the Gods. The movement saw her as their means to limiting the authority of the Council of Warlords. Because of the romance of who and what she is, the commoners love her. Never before had Warlord Ansfrid ever seen such a real and capable threat to the Council of Warlords and the structure of order they had created. She had near limitless powers over Azgard and the Realm of Azgard. With the Religious Caste behind her, her influence was far reaching. If only the Council could unit against her, than they could stop her. They could protect the structure of the Realm once and for all. But they wont, some see her as a way to bridge the rift between the Council and the commoners.
'Weak minded fools. All of them' he thought cruelly of those who supported her and saw more in her than what was really there. He had briefly considered a military coup against her. However, the Black Dragons were awoken before he could rally enough troops to oppose her rule. With each of her speeches, it became clear to him. ‘Warlord Fiolla Heartman meant to bring about the death of a democratic Azgard’ he thought as he looked around his chamber. All that he was, all that Azgard had become was seen in the artwork along the walls. “Not if I can help it,” he said as he took another sip of wine.
She wanted to awaken the warriors that were secured in the Resting Place. It had been the centerpiece of every speech she had given. However, she needed every member of the Council of Warlords to unlock the codex. Without the Codex, she could not awaken the warriors. Keeping Azgard from war now took on a whole new meaning for the Council of Warlords. With each one of them elected, each member stood to loss their places on the Council at the hands of warriors created long before the new order had been set up. The balance of power could be over turned literally over night. While the other Warlords might see hope in her, they all share one common goal. Remain on the Council, and Warlord Ansfrid had been able to build a loss unity centered on that goal. It was not a prefect solution to his problem called Fiolla Heartman, but he would take what he could for the moment.
And thanks to a surprising turn of events just a few months ago, Warlord Fiolla might become a distant memory. A smile crept across his face as he just finally had the chance to realize his goal of controlling the entire Council of Warlords. He would go down in history as the only Azgardian to unseat the Warlord of Azgard with nothing but words. 'Warlord Fiolla's raise will not only spell the end of her era, it would also spell the end of the Religious Caste as well for supporting her' he thought with glee. He took another sip of his wine. It was then he heard the knock on the door. He checked his watch and nodded that she was ten minutes late, again. He allowed her to wait for her to knock three more times before speaking. “Come in please” he said very pleasantly. He watched as the door hissed open and he smiled “Warlord Fiolla. I am so pleased you could grant me your time on such short notice,” he said. His pleasant tone was completely fake.
Talon looked around the room out of habit. She knew he wouldn't be stupid enough to attempt to assassinate her. Though she welcomed the idea of an assassination over these political games that she was being subjected to. There was nothing about him that she neither trusted nor respected. “Your message made it clear that we speak before the Council's meeting tomorrow morning.” She stepped in to the chamber and the door closed behind her. “I could only assume that your invitation meant that our meeting was mandatory.” This place that they called the Realm of Azgard had become as alien to her as any other world she had visited. These Free Birth, so called warriors who now call themselves Azgardians lack honor and respect. These two principles were the cornerstone of what it meant to be an Azgardian Warrior. These ‘people,’ she could not even bring herself to call them warriors, lacked them. “You wanted me here, here I am. Speak your mind,” she commanded.
“As always young Warlord” he said looking at the young leader. To him, she was still a child. She lacked the experience needed to rule their people. She lacked the kind of experience that he had taken his entire life building. She could never be the kind of leader he was. “Always Warlord, straight to the point. The debate over your use of the Black Dragons has stirred the pot rather nicely. Your rash actions in using them could very well drag us all in to a war that no one wants to be a part of.”
Talon nodded, “They are my bodyguard units, I do not have to seek any permission as to where or when I send them. They have not seen combat in over two thousand years, I wanted to test their metal against a worthy enemy. Senni and myself were very pleased with the blood on their weapons when they returned. The Council of Warlords should be pleased by their courage and valor,” Talon explained. She didn’t bother to hide her intention nor allowed the Council to question her use of the unit. In fact the debates that he mentioned took place outside of the Council’s chambers as she refused them to even discuss the use of the unit. She cited it as being outside of their authority.
“Yes Warlord, I am aware of your position on this issue and I am sure you are aware that the Council of Warlords are not happy about it,” he explained. Warlord Fiolla had out smarted most of them and their anger showed in the closed debates that followed. There was little the Council of Warlords could do regarding the issue and it set a dangerous precedent. The Black Dragons only answered to the Warlord of Azgard and she was free to use them how she wished. Something he will have to change if his next plan failed to work. For now, all the Council of Warlords could do is further tie her hands in pointless debates over procedures.
“Warlord Ansfrid, I know that this is not the reason why you asked to speak with me. We have had this conversation over and over again.” She said as she started to make her way to the large window. “Please cut to the chase for I have to prepare my next speech to the Free Births.” There was clearly distain in her voice as the words free birth slipped from her lips. She didn’t even bother to look at him when she said it. Everything she hated about what the Council had turned in to, she blamed on him and his dishonorable House. Her heart cried once more as she looked down on the world that she once called home. She looked down at what should have been a lush and green world with deep blue seas. Instead she saw only the death of her world and possibly her own people.
The statement floored him. His mind raised a number of red flags as she goaded him in to a mistake. All she needed was a reason to challenge him to a duel and she could legally kill him. She was a far superior fighter than he was. “As you know Warlord, the use of terms like Free Birth and True Born are forbidden,” he reminded her. He knew that she knew this law and willfully refused to accept it or follow it.
“Does it make your blood boil to know that you are not my equal? Do you want to prove your skill against mine?” she said as she willing tried to goad him in to standing up for his own character.
“My blood does not boil over the use of words, Warlord,” he explained keeping his voice level and his tone respectful. These were dangerous waters he was navigating now.
She turned from the window and walked towards him. “Your blood doesn’t boil because you have never tasted the blood of your foe. This is why you should never lead our people,” she said directly challenging his right to lead. All he need do was answer the challenge and she would have the duel that would end all these political games. The very games she hated.
He took a step back from her path as she walked forward. He took a breath, “Yes Warlord, you are correct. Under the system of the past, I would never lead. My body is not as strong as yours. I am not a highly skilled warrior like you are. I was elected under the laws of Azgard,” he explained very respectfully. He had no choice but to speak the truth to her. He hated it, but anything else could have been seen as answering her challenge. ‘This has to stop, before she trips me up’ he thought. “Do you remember Chancellor Murl's visit?” He said making a point to keep his voice level. “You refused to speak with him just before he departed our space.” He had to change the topic of the conversation and it was time to get his plan under way. “He and I had a chance to speak. We spoke only as men sharing a drink or two. Well I did the drinking, but he did do allot of the talking. He spoke very highly of you.”
“I remember. He and I have little in common these days. I had nothing to speak with him about nor cared to hear anything he had to say.” She explained. There was a time that she called him brother. Now, she didn’t trust the man. Before she had been willing to give up her life for him. Now, she didn’t even recognize the man who held the same name. She was confused by this topic, that visit was months ago. “You bring this up now, for what reason?” She found out through the Religious Caste that he had met with Daz weeks ago. There had to be a reason why he was bringing it up now.
“I was waiting for just the right moment to share something with you,” he said as he turned and walked to his desk. “Chancellor Murl is going to make a good leader of the Republic. He understands the importance of allies and has tasted the burn of betrayal of friends.” He looked down at the desk and the item he had for her. “See Daz is a good leader. He understands the importance of strong allies who could offer him what he needs. I explained how Azgard will never join the war you have been pushing for. I explained how you were weak and lacked the ability to swing the Council of Warlords to go to war against the Reich.” The statement clearly struck a nerve with Warlord Fiolla. “We talked long in to the night during his final night here. As we spoke I learned a great deal about him. I found that once we were alone, he become more open to other possibilities.” He picked up the item and slipped it in to his pocket. He then turned to watch her reaction to his statement. He could read her anger easily in her eyes. He smiled as he enjoyed every moment of this.
“You see, you don’t understand how to lead, Warlord.” It was his turn to goad her. “We talked of the technology gap between Azgard and, well just about everyone else. I suggested that maybe Azgard could help the Republic in other ways instead of going to war.” He slowly walked towards her. Her renewed grip on her sword hilt did not go unnoticed. The signal told him to dial it back a bit, less he wants to end his hopes and life right here and right now. “He seemed to really like this, um, compromise” he had to say in basic, as the word has no meaning in Azgardian. “He loosened up quite a bit as we talked. Before I knew it, we were talking about a world where colonies of Bothans lived and worshiped him as some overlord. Of course he had to explain to me the reasons why they worshiped him. He explained about the Crusade and their goal to ruin him. He talked about a secret cloning base on this very world.” He stopped just short of her, “he told me of, you Warlord” he said as his smile grew to a grin. “Before you strike me dead, you should hear me out.” It was clear that she was shocked in to silence. It was the first time he ever saw her so eager to listen instead of speaking. “I normally look in to members of the Council. Pulling records and checking data and things like that. I have been doing it for nearly twenty years. So checking or shall I say confirming the facts that Chancellor Murl told me, on you would not seem out of place. What I found was very interesting. Chancellor Murl told me the truth about you, how you are a clone.”
Fiolla didn’t flinch at the insult. She knew that if he had planned to out her, he would have done so on the floor of the Council’s chamber. “Okay, so what is it that you want.” She knew this game also.
He raised up his hands, “Oh no Warlord Fiolla. I do not want anything from you. In fact, I gave my word to Chancellor Murl that I would not use this information against you. I wanted you to know that I know the truth. I know about how you are only a copy of the real Fiolla Heartman. He told me of how she died a hero’s death. He also told me of the troubles he has had with you in the recent past. Most troubling even more, was he told me of your, shall we say, your genetic programming to assassinate him.”
Talon was in raged over the level of betrayal that Daz has done. While her face was as blank as possible, her mind raced with the number of ways that she would end his life. ‘Why Daz’ she thought as she listened to the betrayal unfolding, ‘why do this to me.’ She knew that if she opened her mouth, she would make this whole situation even worse. She thought she was making ground with her plans to bring Azgard in to the war to unit the Galaxy. Now everything seems to out of her reach. She just stood there gripping her sword waiting for him to finish.
“Once I found this information out, I had to check it. While Fiolla’s body was not recovered it was assumed that she did die. I guess it is possible that she could have survived as well.” Warlord Ansfrid explained, “I asked for a number of genetic tests to be run. I was looking for a specific marker. As Chancellor Murl explained, a bar code.” He said with a grin. He had her now. There was nothing she could do to him. Nor could she dare to stop his plans to remove her from power without risking her own life. The look in her eyes told him that she was just where he wanted her. “Once I found what I was looking for. The rest, well sort of fell in to place.” He paused to give her a chance to catch up. “Everything will remain the same. Continue to fight and argue for Azgard to join the war. We both know that you will fail. I shall keep my word to Chancellor Murl, this information will not be used against you.” He stepped forward in confidence, “Before, I was worried that you would just murder me if I attempted to directly oppose you.”
“And you still might. However, if you do, know this. The test I asked for will come to light and everyone will know that you are nothing more than a copy of the original. Your role as Warlord will end, your life as you know it will come to an end. Our lives have become interwoven. As long as I remain alive and well, the results of that test will remain hidden away and you can go on pretending to be someone you are not!”
Talon looked deep in to his eyes. She wanted to cut the man down with every bit of her being. To end this game of politics before it grew beyond her own means of control. But she was wiser than that. She needed help. She had to seek advice from the one source that never failed her. She had to talk with Master Visst. She pulled her short blade as she moved forward with such speed that Warlord Ansfrid didn’t even realize her actions. It was only when a small droplet of his blood ran down the width of the blade that he realized how fast she had moved. She pressed the edge up against his throat and let her anger become clearly visible. He tried to speak but stopped when he realized doing so would cause his jaw to cut his own throat. “Lets make one thing clear. While of body I may be only a copy. Heart and soul, I am all Fiolla Heartman. I am known as Talon. If you think that I will sit idly by while you and the other Free Birth trash ruin what is left of our great culture, you have made a grave miscalculation. I would sooner die before I allowed this joke of a Council ruin Azgard any further. Play your games of pretending to be warriors while more focused on hording wealth and power. You have made your move. I have made mine. Be careful where you tread Warlord Ansfrid. For you are treading where legends walk!”
She ripped the blade from his next giving him a chance to breath once more and step backwards from her. She smiled at the horror on his face. She doubted that the man never once had a near death experience. She could see the horror and terror in his eye as well as on his face. He even dropped his glass of wine. Talon watched him stumble back in to a chair as he held his throat. “Thank you for this meeting Warlord Ansfrid. I am glad that we now know full well where we both stand on these issues.” Talon’s voice was back under her control as she turned to walk for the door. She returned her blade back under her coat as she walked for the door. “Please remember these words Warlord Ansfrid. I give you my word. Before Azgard goes to war, your life will be over. Not because of this meeting. I had decided this along time ago.” She said as she paused just before the door. “You and your kind are a cancer upon our culture. I just feel the need to let you know what I have been thinking about for months now.” She added than walked through the door without saying another word.
Her two black dragon guards joined her as she turned and left the area. She opened up a comlink and Senni appeared in hologram, “Senni, it is far too dangerous for me to leave Azgard now. However, I must speak face to face with Master Visst. Please seek him out and ask him to return with you. Make haste, my friend.” Talon waited for Senni to reply before closing the link. ‘What do I do about Daz, now?’ she questioned as she walked away from Warlord Ansfrid’s quarters.
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