Act 3 Scene 5:
(Captain Seleene Star-Caster, furious and armed with an Æther handgun, enters the scene, pointing the weapon at Earl Preen)
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Captain Seleene Star-Caster: You, Preen, have condemned Narciss to mediocrity and submission. The dreams of dominance shattered, and I swear by the skies, I will avenge Earl Bigot's vision with the flames of retribution!
Captain Seleene Star-Caster: It's not too late, Preen. I'll kill you, assume my rightful place as Countess, and unleash the Ætheric Storm upon the ÆDF fleet. Narciss will still taste victory.
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Protagonist: You’re insane! Dooming hundreds of thousands to die in conflict and countless more to æther sickness in the future. What kind of victory is that?
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Captain Seleene Star-Caster: Victory is never without sacrifice. Sacrifice for Narcissian glory, for dominance. This realm deserves to be reshaped under the rule of Narciss.
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Aeroadmiral Noble: You have no right to the title of Countess, and in the absence of an heir or chosen successor, the High-Exarchs would determine the interim ruler until a proper replacement is chosen.
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Captain Seleene Star-Caster: Don't think the ÆDF can save you. The Adapetus Æther is missing or dead. Your allies will be obliterated soon, and no one is coming to help you.
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Captain Seleene Star-Caster: And you, Admiral, meddling in Narcissian affairs? Your reckoning comes sooner than you think.
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Captain Seleene Star-Caster: A false Earl, a usurper. The only fitting end is a bullet.
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(The lights black out, there is a sound effect of gun fire accompanied by a scream)
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(The lights turn back on, Captain Star-Caster falls to the ground, her back is covered in blood)
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(The Adapetus Æther, a withered figure, frail and ghastly, steps forward, revealing the effects of the Æther sickness. He is holding an Æther handgun. Beside him, High-Exarch Onyx holds a gun pointed at Exarchs Worce and Lux, who are now captives)
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Adapetus Æther: Good riddance to the chaos. Perhaps now we can restore order.
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High-Exarch Onyx: Earl Preen, Exarch Cha met his end at the hands of his own underlings. Chalcrystis is now ruled by Stratocrat Gaml.
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(Exarch Worce, a frail and elderly man in dignified robes of office, begins to protest)
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High-Exarch Worce: (reedy voice) I have done nothing wrong! Release me at once!
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High-Exarch Onyx: You are too old, Exarch Worce. Your time has come to retire quietly. Your successor will lead Worcestershire into a new era of fast and efficient administration.
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(High-Exarch Lux is a small middle-aged man with a rather nasty little moustache)
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High-Exarch Lux: (Shouting) Onyx, you useless fool! Release me at once!
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High-Exarch Onyx (Holding the gun steady) You are being held accountable for your unethical experimentation. Prison awaits you, Lux.
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(The two men from earlier appear)
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High-Exarch Onyx: Escort former exarch Worce to his country home, and throw Lux into the brig for the time being.
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(Worce and Lux are taken away by the men, who do not return)
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Adapetus Æther: (Gasps for breath, coughing intermittently) Within the confines of the laboratory, chaos unfolded. The Adapetus Biomechanical, driven by madness, sought to unleash those accursed creatures upon the world. In a desperate act, I wielded an Ætheric Energy Lance, ending her deranged ambitions. (Struggling for breath) However, the toll it took on me was severe, and the Ætheric sickness now courses through my weakened veins, (coughs) a consequence of thwarting the impending catastrophe.
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Adapetus Æther: (Collapses to the ground) Ah, the irony of fate... (coughs weakly) The Ætheric sickness, a relentless executioner of its own architects. My past... filled with the whims of my mentor, the Adapetus Mechanical. (Laughs maniacally) How amusing that I now face the same fate, (gasps for breath) trapped in the cruel jest of destiny. (Laughs again, increasingly erratic) The laughter of cosmic irony echoes through the ages... (Gasps for one final breath and falls silent)
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Protagonist: No... not again...
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Earl Preen: (Smirking) Well, it seems the Adapeti have a knack for leaving this world with a touch of dark humour.
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(The lights fade as the characters leave the stage, and the curtain falls)
ns18.118.4.235da2
