"Ladies and gentlemen, I call this meeting of the most excellent Board of Directors of the BCU to order..." Droned Margrave Aunax Hessen of Mestae and by Rissau.
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Hessen Manor was the historical seat of power for the House of Hessen. They became nobility when they were raised to Grafs and Gräfins in 30 YBP by Ursa Ego-Westerling, Sixth Archduchess of the West after they helped to found the Biotechnological Commission of Umbracrest.
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A decade later, as Umbracrest`s bloody Civil War (25 YBP - 20 YBP) plunged the region into anarchy, the house threatened the Ego-Westerling political faction - which controlled Météore, Wafful, Zweit and By Rissau as absolute monarchs - with biological weapons to raise themselves to Margraves and Margravines.
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Now, two hundred and forty-six years later in the eighty-first year of hope, they had reached even loftier heights.
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The dining hall in Hessen Manor was a rectangular room complete with three large chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. The table was covered in their coat of arms, which bore the motto Innovatio Sine Fine - innovation without end.
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The room was of little importance compared to its occupants, though.
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The Biotechnological Commission of Umbracrest was, as everyone knew, the supreme authority over all biological research within the west of Empyrea. The BCU and the Hessens were inseparable as the Chairman was always the head of the main branch. The BCU had nine main divisions (Bacteriology, Mycology, Protozoology, Phycology, Parasitology, Immunology, Virology, Toxicology, and Xenobiology) each led by a Director.
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The Chairman and his daughter - Aunax and Xuana Hessen - sat at each end of the table, observing the other twelve people. These were Grand-Generals Augereau and Massaena as well as Directors Lydia Strepov (MA), Daren Mycelia (MA), Gerald Z. Protzal (MA), Angela Green (AP), the Adeptus Parasitic, Iman Sio (AP), Lucian Virae (MA), Laura S. Dawn (MA), and the Trainee Adeptus Xenobiological. An honoured guest was also present - Herzog (Duke) Varo De Napton of Brimstun. Each was introduced to the two Narcissian officers.
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"My Lord, myself and Nikolai really must be returning to the camp." Grand-General Massaena began dramatically.
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"No, you will both be staying until I say otherwise. "
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Seebhom Massaena grumbled to himself. He was meant to be preparing the Northwestern Army for a major offensive on one of Cerulea`s Provincial capitals.
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"Now," the Margrave began, rubbing his hands together gleefully, "I have several important things to discuss with you all."
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The table fell silent. Anticipation saturated the air as they waited for Aunax Hessen to speak again.
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His handlebar moustache twitched into life as he spoke, "Firstly, to reward the successful capture of Golgi and Squide,
we are prepared to help our military friends in battle. The Asher viruses and Eastern Haemorrhagic Fever are completely ready for deployment on military or civilian targets."
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Rector Augereau bristled at this. "Absolutely not! Even if we ignore the moral implications of using biological weapons, what about our forces? During the First Coalition War, disease struck down more of Grand-General Valour`s men in the swamps of Vorantis than the enemy!" He snapped.
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Xauna Hessen clamped a hand over her mouth to stop herself from giggling madly at his reaction.
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Her father turned his attention elsewhere. "Adeptus, as you may already know, the Chancellor of the Adept is sympathetic to the Union. Such an action breaks the Code of the Adept, no?" He asked.
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"Yes and no, my lord. The Code of the Adept states that the Adepti and the Chancellor must remain neutral..."
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Hessen glared at him, not liking the reply.
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"Oh please, as if that stopped some of you. The Adeptus Mechanical served his greed to the bitter end, the Adeptus Biomechanical was loyal to Narciss, and the Adeptus Æther to the ÆDF. The Adeptus Genetic was a pawn of the Commissar of Sovia and of my great-grandfather!" He snarled.
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"You will find Vice Chancellor Grogen and you will convince him to break the Academies in Archregion territory away from the Chancellery immediately, no expectations." He told the cowering scholar of Parasitology.
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"Y-yes, sir..."
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"Director Dawn, you promised me results with plants, yet all your department has offered me is wilted flowers. Care to explain why your teams have been unable to isolate the toxin for military and medical use?" He hissed at a thin, gaunt woman in a pure white lab coat. Director Dawn of Toxicology wore gloves to hide her bluish-grey hands (a condition called Agyria caused by silver exposure)
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"The Western grasses aren't poisonous, we need something stronger, but we have no suitable candidates f-"
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"I have sent you a file on a new specimen. Your department will begin testing with Convallaria majalis immediately. Do you understand me?"
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"Yes, Chairman."
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"Excellent! Meeting adjourned, then. Nikolai, Seebhom, Varo and Xuana, stay seated - I'm not quite done with you yet." He said calmly.
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The nine directors got up and left. The atmosphere in the room became tense, full of anxiety and deeply distrustful.
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"What I am about to tell you must not leave this room. It will be announced to the populace later." He murmured, as if frightened of being overheard.
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"I've heard it all before, Chairman. The Ceruleans are in a full-blown panic and the Church of Celestialism is restructuring to reflect this. My new nemesis is one Archdeacon Volare of Aur, he is putting up quite the fight." Drawled Rector Nikolai Augereau, Grand-General of the Western Army Group. As was normal, his arrogance - born from his birth and his wife's immense wealth - was wielded like a club that bashed the high and mighty just as much as the low and humble.
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Except he wouldn't be getting away with it this time.
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Aunax Hessen may have been a slightly stooped older man, but he grew considerably as he advanced on the officer. Then he shrank back down as he changed his mind.
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"That is true, but I was referring to an internal matter, Grand-General, not an external one. An easy mistake to make, I'm sure."
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Augereau was visibly confused but behind him, Xuana understood perfectly. A smile broke across her face. The smile of someone who knew more than she let on.
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"A letter from Archcount-Khagan Urlic was the penultimate piece of my plan, which we have now acquired. My Daughter, Xuana, is to become Grossherzogin of Greater Biogi - made up of Biogi, Squide, Wafful, Dexorine, and Fehler - and upon my death is set to inherit Mestae and By Rissau in addition to Golgi. Everything seems to have fallen into place neatly."
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Aunax Hessen leaned back, his fingers trailing over his moustache, wearing a smirk that warned he was in complete control.
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“Now, as we see it, our little gathering here could yield some favourable results indeed,” he intoned, trying to get under Varo`s skin, “I rather dislike the alliance between the Commisarate and the BCU, for instance."
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“What do you mean by that, Hessen?” Varo De Napton challenged cautiously, and the tension in the room thickened. “Admitting to disliking the government that runs the West in the name of Urlic the Fourth and First is a slippery slope. Men like you are made of lies, schemes and plots...what exactly are you hiding from me, Aunax? Treason?"
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“Treason?” Hessen scoffed, waving a dismissive hand. "Everyone is being accused of that these days. Alliances,
like certain flowers or chemicals, can be… quite poisonous when handled incorrectly.”
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Xuana, perched with elegance at the far end of the long table, toyed thoughtfully with a white, bell-shaped flower pinned to her hair. A twinkle sparkled in her smoky eyes, was it a mischievous glint?
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She leaned forward, her voice soft like silk. “Wouldn’t you agree, Herzog? Some plants offer beauty and danger in equal measure.”
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Varo faltered, following her gaze to the flower. “What games are you playing, Hessen?”
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Aunax’s voice lowered, a predatory glee in his tone. “You see, Herzog, those who challenge me will discover that not all battles are fought on the field. Some victories taste sweeter when they are served at the table.”
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“Are you implying…” Augereau caught himself, glancing back at Xuana, who smiled at him sweetly. The smile seemed mocking now. “Surely, we’re not discussing—”
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“Speaking of tastes, perhaps Herzog Varo would indulge in a toast?” Xuana interjected, not interested in Nikolai`s protests, “It would be quite a shame not to celebrate such... noble lineage.”
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Varo raised a glass, but his hand shook as he looked from Xuana to Hessen. “To the House of De Napton,” he said, forcing the words out. “Long may it prosper in the West."
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“Indeed,” Hessen replied smoothly, lifting his glass. “We should be celebrating those that take risks. All the greats - Seraphina Ego the Wise, Charles Alexander Worce III, Anastasia Narca Romanakov, Alphen and his brother Euphau and many more - all took massive risks,” He leaned closer to Xuana, “Your cunning serves us all well, my dear."
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As their glasses clinked, Xuana’s gaze flicked to Varo, the briefest flicker of something hostile and she was back to to her shy, reclusive self.
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She took a sip.
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In an instant, the tension shifted palpably. Varo’s breath quickened as he replayed the warning from his Sisters in his mind over and over again —had he walked into a viper's nest expecting not to get bitten? These snakes were the most venomous in all of Umbracrest!
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The delicate flower did not seem so delicate anymore, “Are you not curious about what lies within?” Xuana’s voice took on a cloyingly innocent and childish tone, yet it was still full of unsaid threats. “You might be surprised by what something so tiny can do to tip the scales in our favour.”
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“Xuana,” Aunax warned, a flicker of personal tension surfacing. “Do not let sentiment cloud judgment here.”
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But before he could finish his thought, Varo’s face drained of colour, his hand clenched against the table, the glass slipping from his fingers and shattering on the floor. “What have you done?”
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“Why, just a little—,” Xuana shrugged, her tone innocuous, pretence melting away into the air, “Nothing but a surprise from the Lilly of the Valley... just what you might expect from a delightful meeting with rivals, wouldn’t you agree on Herzog De Napton?"
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Varo's breath came out as ragged gasps; eyes darting around, finding no refuge in the curious faces around him. A fish out of water. Outfoxed, outsmarted and out-maneuvered, Varo De Napton was royally screwed, to put it mildly.
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“You’re mad! You can’t—”
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Hessen leaned in, a predator relishing in the hunt. “Did you truly think I would allow you to waltz into MY HOME and dictate the future of my child? A toast to the noble House De Napton? Surely you can't be that foolish?" His voice dripped with mockery. The plans within plans - spawned from the darkest corners of the Chairman`s mind - were on full display as Herzog / Duke Varo crumpled to the ground. His eyes were glassy and lifeless.
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Xuana could only sit and admire the chaos she had caused. She, of course - who else? - had poisoned the Duke.
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Her father's greatest rival lay defeated and forgotten on the floor because of her. Xuana Hessen, as the last reminder of the late Margravine of Mestae and By Rissau that the Chaitmwn had, was always going to be the sole beneficiary of Anuax`s multitude of schemes. The woman had gone from Gräfin to Grossherzogin two decades - such a feat may have taken a more peaceful or passive family four generations to achieve.
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“Why are the prettiest flowers always the deadliest ” Xuana mused, turning her gaze to her father, who nodded in satisfaction.
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"Well done." He said as he swelled with malignant, fatherly pride.
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"Give me one reason not to report this to Commisar-Viceroy Götter of Umbracrest," Massaena asked, his tone was deathly serious for once.
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Xuana walked up to him. "Mister Seebhom, I believe you have it all wrong: Herzog Varo has suffered an unfortunate and unexpected accident. It would be such a great shame if a radiant star within the Grand Army like yourself also had an accident, yes?" She said harshly, the implication not being lost on Grand-General Massaena.
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"Gräfin-"
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"If you can't say Grossherzogin then it translates to Grand Duchess." She corrected.
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"What's your endgame, Hessen?" Augereau said as his eyes narrowed in suspicion.
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"Why, I don't know what you're talking about." Exclaimed Chairman Aunax Hessen, feigning confusion.
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"Really? Having the Kaiserins sent to Skála, arranging the death of Horiato the Elder, and poisoning De Napton was not your doing? I think not: Wafful, Dexorine and Fehler all landed in your lap and I don't believe in coincidences." Intoned Rector Nikolai grandly. His accusations were all true, of course.
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"I won't be stopping until she," he said, pointing over at Xuana, "Is Erzherzogin of Umbracrest. We will be the successors to the House of Ego-Westerling." He replied flatly.
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The two officers exchanged a nervous glance. "Archcount-Khagan Urlic won't like that," Massaena muttered, not entirely convinced of it himself.
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Hessen just grinned. "Oh, but he will. One less crown for him to worry about, fewer duties and responsibilities, fewer Northeastern families usurping Western nobility. By the time this war is over, we will control Umbracrest and the De Naptons will have gone extinct. The Commiserate will be abolished and replaced by an elected premier under the power of the nobility, who have served the West for centuries!"
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Aunax Hessen stopped his excited rant.
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"Gentlemen, remember that you will have the unwavering support of the BCU so long as you hold your tounges. The Ceruleans grossly overestimate the strength of their Order of the Dragoon: take Aur and/or Rumina Province and the Theocratic Confederacy will fold like a cheap chair. Now get back to your camps."
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The two Grand-Generals left the Hessen Manor. Augereau’s hand trembled at his side, while Massaena’s face was a pale mask, contorted by the guilt of bearing witness to a murder he dared not speak of.
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“Father,” Xuana called across the room once they were gone. “Rector Tiberius Rostov will be arriving soon. While undeniably handsome and courteous, I can’t fathom why YOU need him."
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Aunax Hessen turned, his expression indecipherable. “The waters his house swims in are red with blood, my dear. The Rostovs teeter on the brink of both extinction and bankruptcy, their family tree withers and dies. I have lost the late Margrave, but I still have you, and your happiness—” he paused for dramatic effect, “—is now my priority after ensuring your safety."
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“I... I understand,” Xuana replied, glancing away as the gravity of her father’s expectations settled into her chest like lead. “Thank you, Father.”
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“Your children will be Hessen-Rostovs,” he continued, his gaze steady upon hers, probing and searching for agreement. “But this is only the beginning, Xuana. You must prepare yourself to carry forth my legacy when the time comes.”
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“Of course,” she murmured, her heart racing beneath the surface of her calm demeanour. A flicker of uncertainty crossed her mind—what if everything went wrong? What if they got caught? “What if—”
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“Do not doubt.” He snapped, the words sharp as a blade. “Your doubt is a luxury we cannot afford. This plan is vital for both your and his future, and it requires your full commitment.”
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“Yet…” Her voice trailed off, caught between obedience and a yearning for her path. Tired of playing the role of an obedient child. Xuana, it would seem, had schemes of her own.
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Perhaps she was far more dangerous than Aunax Hessen.
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“Yet?” Aunax’s brow furrowed, irritation creeping into his otherwise controlled demeanour. “Do you not see the opportunity laid before you?”
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Xuana swallowed hard, the weight of his expectations pressing down like a leaden cloak. “I see it, but I don't want another chain. No more shackles, no more contracts or alliances or favours or anything!
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Aunax softened slightly. Buried deeply beneath a mountain of lies and threats, a grieving man was fighting to protect all he had left. “The higher you rise, the less autonomy you have. Look at Archcount-Khagan Urlic for instance; too much power and thus too many chains. He is miserable and I suspect he would give it up in a heartbeat rather than bear his heavy burden any longer."
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"What...what should I do?"
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"Be yourself. Tiber needs you. I need someone who can't hurt you. Such an arrangement is mutually satisfactory."
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"Oh? What of mother? Was she just another piece on a board?"
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"She was too good for Empyrea..." He lamented, walking off into the bowels of the large manor.
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The faded memories of Margravine Astrid resurfaced with every step.
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