[M] Battle of Nessus: Final Battle of the Asmodean War (Holey & Lobo) IC

[Holeypaladin]

The Emperor thought over the words of the High Seraph. Unlike the CCC, Imperial warships were designed with one one purpose in mind, and were typically only deployed in order to fulfill this purpose. "I see..." he remarked. "Not unlike the exploratory cruisers of the Surian Empire, though quite different than my own warships." He wondered just how much time these Seraphkin spent on their ships. If they essentially lived the majority of their lives on the ship, it would make sense that their ships would be of a more comfortable nature, though in his mind this defeated the purpose of a warship. Instead, these seemed to be much more multirole vessels with weaponry that could potentially be used in war, rather than strictly meant to destroy the enemy as efficiently as possible.

Gunther didn't seem to be pleased with the idea of letting Haven and Celeste into the room while he stayed outside, but after a bit of hyperlink comms between him and the Emperor, he reluctantly agreed to have the Achenarans stand guard outside while the Seraphkin girls stood guard within the room. After all, he could easily destroy the door if necessary in order to provide immediate assistance.

Allowing himself to be dragged in to the room by the eager little Cytherean, Donald III glanced around the room for a comfortable place to sit. While the bed did seem to be quite comfortable, for the time being he picked what seemed to be a type of chair meant to be sat on by winged humanoids. "I'm always hungry, but I'm not sure if we eat the same things," he replied to Irida's question about food, glancing over to Beatrice to see if she could confirm or deny.

He watched as the two younger girls climbed up onto the bed, chuckling at the words of the Cytherean. He laughed somewhat at the suggestion of the innocent young princess, who seemed to think that the mere act of sleeping in the same room was enough to get her pregnant, but rather than explaining the process himself, he instead suggested, "Not quite. Beatrice can probably explain better than I can." He figured it would be quite awkward for a man to explain this to a young girl like Rhea, and figured she'd rather hear it from a girl closer to her own age in appearance.

[lobo]

********

Beatrice realized that the best way to teach the Seraphkin was by showing them exactly how babies are made. The curious Seraphkin were eager to learn, and with the help of the Emperor, they were able to understand that pregnancy did not occur just from sharing a bed with a man. At the same time, their bodies reacted to this in an unfamiliar way, creating a sort of bond between the angelic aliens and the Emperor.

Once he had finished tending to the Cytherean and the Seraphkin girls, the Emperor found himself holding Irida in his lap on her bed, holding her close in his arms. “Alright then…” he remarked, stroking the High Seraph’s wings softly. “Is everyone happy, now?”

Irida, seated comfortably on his lap, was the first to nod her head. “I think we all are,” she responded, causing the rest of the girls to murmur tired agreements of their own.
“Rhea is a very happy!” the youngest Seraphkin chirped, cuddling herself against the Emperor’s side to be sure she got attention as well.

“I’m glad,” the Emperor said, squeezing Rhea closer to him as the young princess expressed her desire for attention. “We still have a lot of preparation before the upcoming battle, however… and the longer we delay, the more time the Asmodeans will have to reinforce their defenses.” As it was, intelligence reports indicated that the Asmodeans would be using the majority of their remaining forces to defend their CPU in the upcoming battle, which would mark the Battle of Nessus as the largest single battle in the entire war.

Rhea’s pleased expression was quickly replaced by one of disappointment as she heard the Emperor’s words. “B-but Oniichan…” she mumbled, poking out her bottom lip to pout at the man.
“Rhea, now is not the time to argue,” Irida chastised her sister gently, even though the High Seraph was secretly disappointed as well. “We should begin discussing strategy, yes?” she suggested, looking to Donald for agreement.

“Indeed…” the Achenaran Emperor responded with a nod to the High Seraph, following up with a gentle kiss. “For that, it would help to know a bit more about your fleet’s combat strengths and weaknesses. I’d like to have Beatrice access your ship’s computers… she’ll need unlimited administrative access to find what she needs, but she can do so faster than any of us, I’m sure.” He stroked Beatrice’s soft hair as he said this. “Also, I’d like to visit your command and control center while she interacts with the Aurora’s mainframe. Shall we head on over?”

Returning his kiss, Irida was able to smile despite being brought back to the reality of their situation. “Yes, I think that’s a good idea,” she agreed, allowing herself to remain on his lap for another few moments before slowly standing up on wobbly legs.

Beatrice, who was huddled comfortably against Emperor Donald’s other side, began to blush as she was complemented by him. “We have to go now?” the Cytherean asked, just as unhappy as Rhea was. “Beatrice wants cuddle time first,” she added, clutching onto the Emperor to prevent him from standing.

“Beatrice can cuddle while she interfaces with the computer,” the Emperor suggested as he picking the Cytherean up and pulling her close as he stood up. “Haven, would you be so kind as to lead the way?” he asked the sleepy-looking guard in order to rouse her from her nap, holding Beatrice close as he began to head towards the slidey door.

The Seraphkin guard was resting at the end of the bed and her eyes fluttered open quickly when she heard him speak. “Yes, Goshujin-sama,” she murmured, gently nudging Celeste in order to wake the other guard as well. The two girls took the lead as everyone exited through the slidey doors, guiding the way to the control center.

Beatrice, holding tightly to the Emperor, allowed the man to carry her from the High Seraph’s room to the command center. “Daddy is going to distract Beatrice,” she mumbled softly, her cheeks turning a light shade of pink as she noticed Rhea watching the two of them.

As he made his way towards the ship’s command and control center, Donald III carried Beatrice in his arms as he admired the luxurious scenery. He noted the suspicious gazes of the crew members, reaching out to stroke Irida’s wings as he whispered, “It seems much of your crew still doesn’t trust me.” He frowned as he realized they were headed towards the front of the ship, where the command and control center would be exposed to direct enemy fire in combat. An inherently flawed design, despite the magnificent view it could offer.

Irida also seemed to note the unpleasant glares from a few of the Seraphkin crew and she nodded to the man as he pointed it out. “They are stuck in old customs that have not been proven entirely true,” she said, speaking aloud so anyone near could hear her. “The more you help us, the more they will trust,” she added, determined to break the old habits of the Seraphkin.

“This is the control center,” Haven announced as they reached the front of the ship, stepping aside to allow Irida and Emperor Donald enter before her. A few Seraphkin, not much older than Rhea, could not resist glancing in his direction, both curious and afraid of having the man inside of the ship’s control center.

Seeing Irida enter the bridge Eden rose from her seat as a sign for the other girls to do the same. “High Seraph,” she greeted, then glanced towards the Emperor. “And Emperor Donald III, welcome to the command center,” she added, dipping her head politely to both.

The Emperor nodded at Irida’s words, understanding that old habits were hard to change. “We’ll just have to teach them through example, then,” he remarked, allowing Haven to lead the way towards the command and control center. He recalled the fact that a command and control center placed at the front of the ship was often referred to as a “bridge,” though the word had fallen to disuse in the Imperium once they began to position their own command and control centers in the core of their ships.

As he reached the Aurora’s bridge, he noted an older looking Seraphkin, if her late teens appearance could be called such, who seemed to be in charge of the younger angel-winged officers. “I take it this is your senior officer?” the Emperor guessed, unsure whether the imposing-looking Seraphkin girl was in charge of the Aurora itself, or the entire fleet. He pulled Beatrice close, still holding the Cytherean in his arms.

Nodding to the Emperor, Irida motioned for Eden to step forward. “This is Eden. She is an Admiral, in charge of the CCC fleet,” the High Seraph introduced. Eden, although a bit skeptical about the Emperor, reached out her hand towards him.

“Pleased to meet you, Your Royal-” she began to speak, but a soft, unfamiliar noise from the girl in Donald’s arms interrupted her. All eyes were now on the man and the Cytherean girl, who was blushing brightly from all the attention.

Turning his attention to Eden, the Emperor gave her a nod. “Likewise,” he said, “We can talk more later… for now, we should begin preparing for the battle. I’ll need to interface Beatrice with your ship’s computer and communication systems in order to coordinate with my own fleet from here.”

Noting one of the younger Seraphkin girls moving away from her station, he took it to mean the girl was offering her position to Beatrice, and set the Cytherean down at the control panel where she could interface with the ship’s mainframe. Locating the seat where he had seen Irida sitting in her previous transmissions, he took the High Seraph’s hand as he sat down in the chair, helping Irida into his lap. “Is this comfortable enough to suit our purposes?” he asked her.

All of the Seraphkin remained silent as each girl seemed to contemplate why the small girl in Donald’s arms made such a sound. However, as he began to explain what needed to be done, their attention returned to their designated stations. Irida had to purse her lips in order to hold back a giggle, knowing exactly what happened to the Cytherean. She watched as Donald set the girl down, then followed him over to her own seat.

It did not occur to her that they would be sharing the seat until he sat first, then pulled her gently onto his lap. The action alone was enough to bring some pink to her cheeks, especially as she gained attention from her crew. She lifted a hand to muffle her soft, startled squeak, quickly nodding her head in response to his question. “Y-Yes… This is perfect…” she whispered, noticing Eden’s look of disapproval.

Eden, although very displeased by the seating arrangements, knew better than to speak against both the High Seraph and the Emperor. However, that did not prevent her from giving the pair a few unhappy glances.

Beatrice accepted her new seat after thanking the angelic alien, her cheeks somehow turning an even brighter shade of pink. “Can Beatrice start now, Daddy?” she asked, waiting for the man to give her permission.

Donald III ignored the look of displeasure from Eden, bouncing Irida a bit as he enjoyed her warmth in his lap. “Good,” he said to her. “There didn’t seem to be any empty seats, and I didn’t want to inconvenience one of your officers by kicking her out of her seat.”

Glancing over to Beatrice, he gave the Cytherean a nod. “Go ahead,” he said to her, transmitting the next thought to her through his hyperlink. “Download every bit of data from the ship’s computer systems and transmit it to a quarantined database in your main CPU on the Purgatory. We’ll analyze it in further detail when we can.” He wasn’t about to pass up this opportunity to obtain as much data as possible from the CCC’s flagship.

With permission to start, Beatrice placed her hands on the ship’s control panel and began to interface with the computer. She did as the Emperor told her, downloading and sending massive amounts of data, both old and new, to a quarantined database on the Purgatory.

“I believe now would be a good time to discuss strategy,” Eden spoke up, breaking the silence that had taken over the control center. Her gaze rarely strayed from the Emperor, not liking that the High Seraph began trusting of him so quickly.

[Holeypaladin]

“Indeed,” the Emperor remarked. He began to simultaneously process the information regarding the tactical capabilities of Seraphkin warships one compartment in his mind contemplated as he held Irida close in his lap.

“Interesting…” he remarked. “It would appear you’ve fully integrated anti-annihilation technology to the point where antimatter based weaponry is practically useless against your ships…” This could be problematic if the Imperium had an armed conflict with someone of similar tech level, as their fighters still relied on antimatter missiles to destroy capital ships. However, new technology was already in the testing phase could circumvent this particular problem in the future.

Not wanting to seem completely clueless to what the Emperor said, Eden gave a slow nod of understanding. “Of course…” she murmured, taking a moment to ponder this new information. It did explain why certain weapons proved to be useless against their fleet. “How do you...know this?” she asked, wondering how Beatrice was transferring this information to the Emperor.

As Eden discussed the Aurora’s technology with the Emperor, Irida was a bit distracted. Her seat on the Emperor’s lap attracted the attention of some younger Seraphkin, who began whispering softly to one another.

“The Imperium uses anti-annihilation technology as a means of antimatter containment,” the Emperor answered Eden’s question, misinterpreting what she was referring to as he kept bouncing Irida in his lap. “We’re working on using it as a defense against antimatter weapons, like you do, but since we still rely on antimatter power sources, we’ve hit a wall.”

With this in mind, he began to look over the Seraphkin power source, which was something the Imperium had worked on to an extent, though it seemed like largely a dead end for weaponized energy generation. “Ah… so that’s how you do it,” he remarked. “What can you tell me about your weapons?” he asked Eden, wanting to hear her input as he continued to review Beatrice’s download data.

Surprised by the Emperor’s response, Eden made sure to take a note of this just in case it proved to be useful in the future. “Have you not considered using something other than antimatter power?” she asked, even though the solution seemed to be too simple to not be considered by the man.

The following question caused the Seraphkin to pause, wondering if it was truly safe to share all of this information with the man. Irida did not seem to be concerned, although Eden suspected there was something happening to distract her. “Weaponized zero point energy. It seems we must have hit the same wall you are currently experiencing, only we were able to overcome it,” she explained, crossing her arms under her breasts, making them bounce. She did not trust the man, but unless the High Seraph told her to withhold information, she would share what was asked.

“We have, in fact,” the Emperor said with a nod, glancing over to the angelic officer’s impressive bouncy breasts. “We’ve developed zero point energy for civilian use, but it lacks the necessary energy output to be used on warships. We’re in the testing phases for a more high-output source of energy, however… which should hopefully solve our problems.”

He noted how the Seraphkin beam weapons worked. “Most forms of armor don’t seem to be useful against your weapons… which explains why your ships rely on heavy shielding and minimal armor. I like the way your shields refract and reflect EMR, however… should make them more effective against Asmodean gamma ray weapons than our own.”

Realizing he was rambling a bit, he shook his head out of his thoughts. “I think I’ve figured out how to use your ships,” he remarked. “While your weapons are less effective against Asmodean ships than our own, your shields provide you near invulnerability against their weapons. What do you say to acting as a shield to our sword?” Much as he loathed placing this beautiful angels in the line of fire, their ships seemed more than capable of enduring anything the Asmodeans threw at them.

Although she was very intrigued by the Emperor’s words, Eden found herself getting lost in the sound of his voice rather than focusing on what he was saying. An unusual warmth started to spread across her cheeks, turning them a light shade of pink. It was very unusual for the Seraphkin to blush so easily, but it seemed he was affecting her in new ways.

“Wha?” she mumbled softly as she caught his final question, starting to nod before she fully processed it. “Sure… I believe that’s a fine idea,” she decided, not considering that it would put the Seraphkin in a dangerous position.

The High Seraph may have turned this down had she not been distracted and embarrassed by the attention of the younger Seraphkin girls. She trusted Eden to make the right decisions, considering the Seraphkin Admiral had more than six hundred years of experience.

Continuing to hold the High Seraph in his lap, the Emperor nodded to Eden, saying, “Excellent. I’ll draft up a large-scale combined fleet strategy, and let you and your girls handle the micro management of the CCC’s fleet. For now, how about taking your panties off and bending over… there?” he asked, pointing to some furniture in the middle of the room.

“Everyone else is welcome to do the same, of course,” he offered the younger officers on the Bridge to do so as he lifted Irida up and positioned her on the furniture herself.