---

Date (converted to UNSC standard): 31-OCT-2563 to 07-JAN-2564
Location: Black-rock prison pocket-dimension

---

No light reached the prison cell, or more accurately put, there was no pathway for the light to enter kilometres below surface. The smell of damp and rot breached the air around E'li, but he was use to it as the days passed since his imprisonment. After ' The Night of the Traitor' as the guards put it when throwing the less-than food into his cell, E'li and his fellow Starlight Battalion Sabres were hunted and imprisoned. 'What did my Brother see, what was he thinking?', this was a common thought that he used to pass the time. 'To challenge the Theius, why? There must be more to this, Isa is Kin-Kun (Wise), there must be something he refused to speak'. E'li rested his head back onto the stone wall behind, he could feel it feeding, draining his mana. He was sick of this constant fatigue. His mind now flickered back to escape, a normal thought process would commonly lead to the conclusion 'why even to try'. The prison complex was buried deep within an asteroid formed of black stone cast out into the Way in a pocket dimension far from any stars or galaxies. Few knew of its existence let alone any waybridges that could access it, this was the Theius's own special creation.

As days turned to months E'li's determination to escape grew fuelled from his emotion, betrayal by not just his King, but his Brother as well. Each day he would meditate with what little mana was left forming a Waybridge only as a micro-fracture in the fabric of space, this idea was not to transport himself but use the Waybridge as an extension of himself. He would find his home dimension and send messages through the fracture to any allies he had left.

E'li woke to the doors of his cell being knocked off its iron hinges, the figure standing in the doorway wore a battlesuit adorned in the Starlight Battalion colours. "About time Ki" coughed E'li, he recognised the decorations of his Second Sabre. The Starlight Sabre responded "First-Sabre E'li, it is good to see you again my friend but we haven't much time" the Sabre threw E'li a broad-sword and briskly waved to follow. The pair sprinted down the corridors following the other Starlight Sabres who in turn were also releasing prisoners, many E'li recognised from the Battalion. E'li turned to look at Ki, "You got my message then? How many have come?". "Yes First Sabre, very clever to manipulate the Way like that. To be able to use waymagic within a black stone is quite something, I never thought it possible" pausing, Ki took a more worrying tone "but you broke the Keepers rules." Now chirping up proudly, "The Royal Partian sent twenty Blade teams to recover our men from this hell hole the Theius has created!". A wayrune portal came into sight, the two stepped through.

---

Date (converted to UNSC standard): 10-JAN-2564
Location: Sĭgren dimension - Unknown

---

Since the 'Night of the Traitor' the remaining outcasts of the Starlight Battalion formed a secret stronghold on the outer Eastern arm of the galaxy. Their raid on the pocket dimension prison, unofficially nicknamed 'Black-rock', freed a large proportion of their own men who were now extra eager to get back at the Theius for what he did to them. Many of the noble Royal Battalions refuted their relationship with the Starlight Battalion and ordered by the Theius to destroy them on sight. But there are some Battalions who still respect Isa and are working anomalously to help overthrow the current Theius.

E'li still felt fatigued since his imprisonment as he took a seat in the Parthain operations room. The Starlight Parthian that was speaking was old, but his eyes still retained remnants of his youth. "Sabres listen close, we have had intelligence that the Theius has tracked down Prince Isa's location." The room began to stir, "Within a few months he has forged a one-way bridge to the dimension and in less then forty-eight hours is planing to send a specially crafted Royal-wayship. He will send in his place the agglomeration of the best Sabres from across Battalions to hunt him down". The Parthain pointed to the holographic display extending from an intricately carved green-stone. "We do not have the power to make our own, nor do we know how Prince Isa did it by himself. But we now have an opportunity to sneak our best Blade Company into the Theius's Royal-wayship, this will be lead by Royal Commander Rend. The Company will be hidden in the cargo bay, and when the ship arrives at it's target dimension we will sabotage its power stones and hijack a scout ship giving us a head start to find the Prince." The Parthian then waved on the next speaker, a Sabre Captain who listed out the names on the operation. E'li wasn't on the list, he stood up, "Sabre Captain, why am I not on the list? Do I not have record battle honours?". The Parthian gestured at the Captain to not respond, rising crookedly out of his seat he looked at E'li. "E'li, brother of Isa, you have just been freed from black-rock and are not in a battle-worthy sate." E'li retorted, "It does not matter Parthian, Isa is my blood brother, this is my right!" The old Parthian sighed at the stubbornness of youth, "Very well First Sabre E'li. But, you will have no Blade under your command and must accompany First Sabre Ki's Blade. Do you understand?". E'li bowed, "Yes Parthian." The old man nodded and let the speaker carry on with logistics for the mission. E'li leaned over and nudged Ki with his elbow, "Promoted to First Sabre then? You're stealing all my fun!", Ki jovially whispered back " You're part of my Blade now, better listen to what I say!".

Date (converted to UNSC standard): 12-JAN-2564 to 14-JAN-2564
Location: Sĭgren dimension - Ik'thena orbit to Earth's dimension 210-30,000 ly

---

It was time, the Starlight Sabre Company lead by Commander Rend waited patiently in the Trojan horse. The cargo container shook, lifting slowly through a waybridge from one of Ik'thena's moons into the Royal-Wayship cargo bay. E'li nodded over at Ki, he was nervous. They all were, but twisted Sĭgren customs lock the emotions away behind a mask. The cargo container rumbled one last time, it was in place and the Starlight Sabres were on board without detection. Now it just a game of waiting for the Royal-Wayship to transverse over to the dimension Isa fled to, unknowingly their birth dimension.

Deep banging roared through the ship rattling any untied items, the Waybridge was open, a tear in space spanning hundreds of kilometres long and only one kilometre thick. The ship began it descent into the void. Being within the Way was a feeling all Sĭgren knew, it was a similar feeling to knowing something was slightly different about reality. The trip commenced taking two days to arrive, if not one of the longest journeys any Wayship has commenced.

A wave of calmness spread from the helm of the craft, the Royal-Wayship exited the Way surrounded by a residual lighting storm caused by the static build up in the Way formed during the extensive trip. The Starlight Royal Commander perked up from his slumber, "Sabre Captains enact operation 'Lost Prince'". Within seconds all Sabre platoons formed up listening to their orders over their battlesuit comms. The container doors gently opened letting in the starlight from this dimension, the cargo section of the ship was not closed off and pressurised unlike other sections. Wayren channels within the battlesuits guided the Sabres magic allowing them to fly gracefully into the vacuum around the ship to carry out their mission. Ki's team headed to sabotage the power Stones, softly speaking into his comms, "E'li this is Ki speaking, I want you to stick by me for this and let Second Sabre Ru'ka keep second-in command as you've are weaker from black-rock." E'li looked over to Ki gliding towards the access hatch and nodded, Ki was in command and E'li would respect that. Sabres of Ki's Blade started drawing rune around the door forming a portal to the other side, they wouldn't open the door as it would set off alarms, but they could go through it. 

Inside the pressurised section of the ship the corridors were elaborate but practical forming an arched tunnel in front of them. Drawing their swords the Sabres crept like shadows of a flame along the corridors, luckily the size of the ship meant very little of the other Battalion guards were killed with their throats slit open. Tunnel after tunnel in a intricate network within the heart of the ship they found the power stones and the Grand stone that acted as the heart of the ship and source of major power. The blue stone was cut into a diamond which now hung still in the centre of the ship with support beams extending from it with cleverly designed wayren and stone pathways to channel its power across the extremities of the ship. "This is it, Ki we need take out the structural beams holding it in place if we fracture the stone the raw energy release without focus will rip the ship and more importantly us apart." "E'li!" Ki snapped, "You are not in command, remember that before you speak again. We will destroy the stone as set out by the Parthian and that is final. His word is final!". E'li glared, "This is a mistake and you know it." Ki swung his sword to his side in fustration trying to hide his emotion of anger. "E'li, speak again and I will have you off this mission." E'li shook his head to the side, and followed First Sabre Ki and his Blades as they walked across the beams to the stone.

As Ki's Blade began preparing the runes to disintegrate the stone, rifle fire was heard. One of the Starlight Sabres went limp. "Traitors of the King!", the shout came from now five enemy Blades slowly encompassing Ki's Blade using the walkways that webbed across the heart of the ship. Commanding half the Blade to suppress fire, Ki carried on forming the runes hissing "Nearly there, nearly there! Come on!". "Ki this won't work, trust me friend, please!" E'li shouted into his comms, whilst returning fire. Switching to his broad-sword E'li began to smile, he missed this, maybe a little too much. Gliding across the walkway he danced around the barrage of compressed energy shots fired from the Sĭgren long-rifles. Twisting his blade into rear-guard he cut across the air in an arc and through the enemy in front breaking the battlesuit and knocking him off into the cavity below. He spun into a crouch reaching out his hand with a flick pausing a energy shot mid-air that was aimed at him, it crackled and hissed, releasing it as he darted out of the way. Ki came onto the comms, "It's re-", the energy shot E'li paused hit the runes drawn onto the grand blue stone behind releasing its energy and activating the runes programming. The crack of the Blue stone deafened all in the vast chamber, light of colour unseen spilled out followed by a pulse in the shape of a disc slicing the sides of the Royal-Wayship in half. All Sĭgren in the room were dispersed violently off into random directions as the magic passed through, some even were thrown through the new cracks into the hull now lost to space.

Date (converted to UNSC standard): 14-JAN-2564
Location: Earth's dimension 210-30,000 ly

---

E'li awoke his head hazy from being knocked unconscious by the blast, he had been one of the Sĭgren drawn through the cracks out into the void early-on in the blast. While being unlucky that he was lost moving at a unknown speed in deep space, being pulled through the crack saved him from being literally vaporised by the raw magic released after the initial shock-wave. He closed his eyes and left himself to drift in the blackness lit by foreign stars. "A bit lost are we?", E'li's eyes rapidly flicked open arching his head around to spot the voice that just came out of the blackness. "Who is there, another Sĭgren? Show me yourself at once!".

"Keeper forgive me, I... I did not know it was you." E'li bowed his head, shocked that the whispers of old were true. 'Tales of the Keeper were taught nothing more then folk to scare insolent Sĭgren children to sleep at night' , E'li still found it hard to believe. He slowed his breathing fixating his gaze onto the masked dancer. "Keeper why have you come to me now out of all time? I have broke no ru-". E'li remembered, a rule he broke from the Tales of the Keepers songs told by the priests. Never, ever, extend your mind into the Way without your body. He started to panic, "Keeper the rule I broke, forgive me I was merely looking for a way to escape the Theius's hellish prison!".

The Keeper laughed, a deep laugh that set rumbling the blackness of the void. "Child, I have not come for your repetance of the rule you broke, you will learn that yourself. I have come to you for the sake of your brother, Isa." Beneath the robe a black mist spiralled out into the form of a hand, as it moved a trail of smoke were left in its wake spiriling inwards into the form of Isa. The mist showed the Prince locked in a cage of iron and bone with an old wound infected and bleeding. To the sides of the image horns of Demon Imps and Warriors walked into the centre, followed by a Possessor in the form of a man who sensing something snapped his neck looking into E'li's direction whilst raising his palm. The image distorted then faded, the mist began to dissapate.

E'li stayed silent. The sight of his brother slowly dying in a cage of twisted nightmares began to drive him insane with the 'Mad Kings fever'. His emotions spilled out all at once, sadness, anger, fury, something was crushing him inside. Beneath his helmet his eyes widened an unnatural distance, the red capillaries extended from his pupils. "H-How can this be... Tell me Keeper How can this be?". But the Keeper remained silent, watching, waiting. 

After time in a trance the emotion he felt dulled into a throbbing pain in pace with the primitive drum beat of fury. E'li regained himself looking blankly into the stars, "It is funny Keeper, how we the Sĭgren bottle our emotions like it is something vile and disdainful." He took a deep breath, the air in his battlesuit tasted dry. "I will search him out among that barbaric horde, I will bring him back to his people".

A smile crept across the Keepers face, "That decision is yours and yours alone." The code did state not to interfere with mortal matters, The Keeper grinned. "Isa is being held captive by the Demonic Crusade, beings of the chaos planes. Their home was destroyed, and in return, they destroyed the home of those who opposed them, the Angels. Destabilisation of this galaxy stemmed from Zalgo the fallen and Nozdormu of Time and Space, he who nearly brought about the convergence of all planes alike." The Keeper turned its lonesome mask towards the distant stars, remembering the past-time, though time was a mortal concept. Remembering the Sĭgren warrior was still floating in front, The Keeper reluctantly tilted its head over towards E'li but still kept its mask gazing at the distant stars. The deep voice stired, the Mask now firmly facing the Sĭgren warrior. Hands formed of black mist carving out a rune of old cuneiform script. "Remember this."

The Keeper took its leave into the night, fading into the distant stars that previously captured its gaze. The promise to Isa remained fulfilled.

E'li pondered at the Keepers words, a history he knew nothing about. The dark cuneiform rune began to fade but E'li had memorised it already. He stayed in the void unable to form a bridge, nothing was closer enough. He couldn't alone and with his power build even a bridge from scratch at a planetary-system scale let alone a galactic scale. It came to light that the only reason he could form a micro-waybridge in the prison was that the pocket dimension was located adjacent to a major pre-existing Waybridge that Sĭgren use to transverse their galaxy. It was by chance a rebel Starlight Battalion Sabre picked up his messages.

Lifting his weightless hands, he began to copy the Keepers cuneiform rune from memory using raw magic against the blackness of space. As it took form he channelled more of his power into it, it was a different kind of waymagic. The rune vanished in a puff of black smoke along with E'li who was now being dragged into the Way. E'li opened his eyes, he felt like he was being swept up by a river and forgot how to swim. To describe the Way would be difficult, but his closest analogy is literally that of a grand celestial river that runs around and through many dimensions carrying along anything that lies in its flow. The flow itself crossing this dimension split into billions of smaller streams that weaved around points of gravitational attraction.

Within a split second E'li was spat back out into the dimension. The stars looked faded and his suit began heating up, he was accelerating to terminal velocity into a thick planetary atmosphere.

[END OF THREAD]