Chapter 843
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Chapter 843
When Anton drew closer to the ship, he felt a fluctuation of energy from within it- but not a worrying one. While it was possible that they were charging up weapons to attack, the most obvious consequence was a thin field of energy extending beyond the ship and reaching towards him. Even if it was an unfamiliar style, it was still nearly impossible to mistake what it was for.
Anton reached out a small tendril of his energy, attempting to transmit sound to the ship. Hello, lone vessel, can you understand me?
It took a moment, but he heard a response. A womans voice was transmitted to Anton through the connection. We understand you, traveler. We go by the designation the Astral Spear, may we be informed of your name?
Anton Krantz, sect head of the Order of One Hundred Stars, and member of the Lower Realms Alliance.
With a thorough answer like that, he was seeking more information, and he got his response. The Astral Spear flies under the banner of the Shining Cooperative.
That was something at least. In all my travels, I have not yet come across the Shining Cooperative, Anton said. Which system do you hail from?
We are not confined to a single system, the woman replied. Your Lower Realms Alliance is new to us as well. Where is it located?
Anton wished he could just answer things straightforwardly, but trust with new groups continued to be difficult, especially when they kept finding new reasons. However, he could still give some information. We have members over quite a large territory, but we are mostly concentrated some hundreds of lightyears to the southwest, by our reckoning.
That was specific enough information to answer the question, while being vague enough that it really didnt tell them anything of use. If they were capable of visiting thousands of systems in a short time, it wouldnt make a difference whether or not they knew about the general location of the Alliance. And if they werent, it wouldnt tell them too much.
The next response took a significant amount of time. That is a great distance away. What brings you this far out?
Exploration, Anton said simply. And there was more information he could give that should provide a useful reaction. Due to troublesome invasions from the upper realms, we have found ourselves needing to uncover a large territory to properly plan against their intrusions.
Indeed, came the womans voice. The Trigold Cluster is an extremely problematic neighbor. Anton could detect her sincerity, and her distaste for the Trigold Cluster. If only that was enough. But alas, it was not. Like Ekict, this Shining Cooperative could be putting up a friendly front while despising all outsiders. If so, they would be a problem.
Ah yes, Anton continued. I forgot to ask. I have heard the name of your ship and your group, but what about yourself?
It was actually a relatively big ask to bring this Shining Cooperative to something similar to a neutral, halfway point. Depending on the arrangement of their territory, they would have to go a hundred lightyears or more- with the Lower Realms Alliance going about a hundred and fifty or a hundred and seventy-five lightyears from their furthest permanent outposts, depending on which location was chosen and only considering straight line distances and not actual travel requirements.
Anton was open to allowing for more time or a location closer to the Shining Cooperative, but Kybele seemed determined to work something out. We dont seem to have any of those systems in question listed, Kybele said. Can you list the largest stars nearby?
So their sensors or telescopes or the like were somewhat limited. Anton understood that, and it wasnt unreasonable. But could he list the largest stars nearby the destinations he listed? What did they take him for? Of course he could. He knew so many stars.
It helped that Anton could simply point towards the stars he intended, lining himself up relative to the Astral Spear so that they could more accurately pinpoint his movements along with his words and general directions.
Eventually, they came to an agreement on the location, though Kybele had to take Antons words that appropriate systems were available. Hopefully, he wasnt pushing their travel abilities too far- but he assured them that the Lower Realms Alliance would remain available for a significant time just in case. If nothing else, they might not have precisely the same length years. Though that was actually something they could smooth out considering they both knew the length of a normal cycle of the Tides of the Worlds. It wasnt an exact duration, but it would get them within ten percent at most.
I hope that our alliances can mutually prosper in the future, Anton said when things were coming to a close. Now then, I do intend to continue traveling north. If you would like to suggest a route that would cause a minimum amount of disturbance to your people, I am open to various options. There was more than one way to go around a cloud of occupied systems. Even if the galactic plane felt flat, Anton could have explored just as far from Ceretos in the vertical directions as he was now. Their little slice of the lower realms covered a vast area, but the known regions of the upper realms beyond were also merely a small sample of the actual galaxy.
It took Kybele some time to come up with a suggestion for Anton. Most likely because she was hesitant to draw an exact line for the edge of their territory. This should be sufficient, she said finally. Word will be sent ahead, so should you encounter any more of our ships they will be prepared for your presence.
Anton nodded and resolved himself to move slowly. He didnt know what sort of communication speed this group had, and he also didnt want them to know how fast he could actually move regardless. That included when he wasnt moving through a string of bound systems. It would be better for them to wholly underestimate his individual mobility.
Regardless of all of the secrecy, Anton had a good impression of the Shining Cooperative. Perhaps that would change, if he came next to any of their systems- there was quite a lot he might learn without actually getting near any of their planets, and he wasnt certain where exactly the proposed route would take him. But he did plan to stick with it, because it was only polite after asking. If he simply planned to go where he pleased, he wouldnt have asked at all.
It is unfortunate that we could not speak more comfortably, Anton said. But I wouldnt invite me inside your ship either. Nor would he have wanted to go inside. Though he seriously doubted they would be able to entrap him, underestimating new formations from unknown people was a great way to get killed.
It is indeed a shame, Kybele replied. But at least we were able to hear about another group actually standing up to the upper realms. Not just individual systems struggling with their limited resources to resist a perpetual cycle.
Anton nodded- she should at least be able to detect that much, despite the distance between them. He wondered how long they had been functioning as a group. Was it a similar time? It seemed unlikely they were any more recent than the Lower Realms Alliance, as they would only have had a couple centuries of recovery and expansion. So most likely they had been functional before the short cycle as well- but beyond that, Anton didnt know. And while it was an important detail, it was also not one he was comfortable asking at the moment.
Anton certainly hadnt expected this at the beginning of his day- being generous, since he couldnt have proper days when between systems and he also didnt sleep while traveling through space. And the various negotiations had taken quite a long time, so it might have actually been several days. But regardless of the actual time and what he called it, Anton was pleasantly surprised. And he hoped to maintain that pleasantness. But he was still going to properly warn Poriza and Inistra the second he was between systems and away from this group. Because they were the most isolated pieces at the moment, except for perhaps Akrys which was in a very different direction, more or less safely nestled against the border with the upper realms.
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Chapter 843
When Anton drew closer to the ship, he felt a fluctuation of energy from within it- but not a worrying one. While it was possible that they were charging up weapons to attack, the most obvious consequence was a thin field of energy extending beyond the ship and reaching towards him. Even if it was an unfamiliar style, it was still nearly impossible to mistake what it was for.
Anton reached out a small tendril of his energy, attempting to transmit sound to the ship. Hello, lone vessel, can you understand me?
It took a moment, but he heard a response. A womans voice was transmitted to Anton through the connection. We understand you, traveler. We go by the designation the Astral Spear, may we be informed of your name?
Anton Krantz, sect head of the Order of One Hundred Stars, and member of the Lower Realms Alliance.
With a thorough answer like that, he was seeking more information, and he got his response. The Astral Spear flies under the banner of the Shining Cooperative.
That was something at least. In all my travels, I have not yet come across the Shining Cooperative, Anton said. Which system do you hail from?
We are not confined to a single system, the woman replied. Your Lower Realms Alliance is new to us as well. Where is it located?
Anton wished he could just answer things straightforwardly, but trust with new groups continued to be difficult, especially when they kept finding new reasons. However, he could still give some information. We have members over quite a large territory, but we are mostly concentrated some hundreds of lightyears to the southwest, by our reckoning.
That was specific enough information to answer the question, while being vague enough that it really didnt tell them anything of use. If they were capable of visiting thousands of systems in a short time, it wouldnt make a difference whether or not they knew about the general location of the Alliance. And if they werent, it wouldnt tell them too much.
The next response took a significant amount of time. That is a great distance away. What brings you this far out?
Exploration, Anton said simply. And there was more information he could give that should provide a useful reaction. Due to troublesome invasions from the upper realms, we have found ourselves needing to uncover a large territory to properly plan against their intrusions.
Indeed, came the womans voice. The Trigold Cluster is an extremely problematic neighbor. Anton could detect her sincerity, and her distaste for the Trigold Cluster. If only that was enough. But alas, it was not. Like Ekict, this Shining Cooperative could be putting up a friendly front while despising all outsiders. If so, they would be a problem.
Ah yes, Anton continued. I forgot to ask. I have heard the name of your ship and your group, but what about yourself?
It was actually a relatively big ask to bring this Shining Cooperative to something similar to a neutral, halfway point. Depending on the arrangement of their territory, they would have to go a hundred lightyears or more- with the Lower Realms Alliance going about a hundred and fifty or a hundred and seventy-five lightyears from their furthest permanent outposts, depending on which location was chosen and only considering straight line distances and not actual travel requirements.
Anton was open to allowing for more time or a location closer to the Shining Cooperative, but Kybele seemed determined to work something out. We dont seem to have any of those systems in question listed, Kybele said. Can you list the largest stars nearby?
So their sensors or telescopes or the like were somewhat limited. Anton understood that, and it wasnt unreasonable. But could he list the largest stars nearby the destinations he listed? What did they take him for? Of course he could. He knew so many stars.
It helped that Anton could simply point towards the stars he intended, lining himself up relative to the Astral Spear so that they could more accurately pinpoint his movements along with his words and general directions.
Eventually, they came to an agreement on the location, though Kybele had to take Antons words that appropriate systems were available. Hopefully, he wasnt pushing their travel abilities too far- but he assured them that the Lower Realms Alliance would remain available for a significant time just in case. If nothing else, they might not have precisely the same length years. Though that was actually something they could smooth out considering they both knew the length of a normal cycle of the Tides of the Worlds. It wasnt an exact duration, but it would get them within ten percent at most.
I hope that our alliances can mutually prosper in the future, Anton said when things were coming to a close. Now then, I do intend to continue traveling north. If you would like to suggest a route that would cause a minimum amount of disturbance to your people, I am open to various options. There was more than one way to go around a cloud of occupied systems. Even if the galactic plane felt flat, Anton could have explored just as far from Ceretos in the vertical directions as he was now. Their little slice of the lower realms covered a vast area, but the known regions of the upper realms beyond were also merely a small sample of the actual galaxy.
It took Kybele some time to come up with a suggestion for Anton. Most likely because she was hesitant to draw an exact line for the edge of their territory. This should be sufficient, she said finally. Word will be sent ahead, so should you encounter any more of our ships they will be prepared for your presence.
Anton nodded and resolved himself to move slowly. He didnt know what sort of communication speed this group had, and he also didnt want them to know how fast he could actually move regardless. That included when he wasnt moving through a string of bound systems. It would be better for them to wholly underestimate his individual mobility.
Regardless of all of the secrecy, Anton had a good impression of the Shining Cooperative. Perhaps that would change, if he came next to any of their systems- there was quite a lot he might learn without actually getting near any of their planets, and he wasnt certain where exactly the proposed route would take him. But he did plan to stick with it, because it was only polite after asking. If he simply planned to go where he pleased, he wouldnt have asked at all.
It is unfortunate that we could not speak more comfortably, Anton said. But I wouldnt invite me inside your ship either. Nor would he have wanted to go inside. Though he seriously doubted they would be able to entrap him, underestimating new formations from unknown people was a great way to get killed.
It is indeed a shame, Kybele replied. But at least we were able to hear about another group actually standing up to the upper realms. Not just individual systems struggling with their limited resources to resist a perpetual cycle.
Anton nodded- she should at least be able to detect that much, despite the distance between them. He wondered how long they had been functioning as a group. Was it a similar time? It seemed unlikely they were any more recent than the Lower Realms Alliance, as they would only have had a couple centuries of recovery and expansion. So most likely they had been functional before the short cycle as well- but beyond that, Anton didnt know. And while it was an important detail, it was also not one he was comfortable asking at the moment.
Anton certainly hadnt expected this at the beginning of his day- being generous, since he couldnt have proper days when between systems and he also didnt sleep while traveling through space. And the various negotiations had taken quite a long time, so it might have actually been several days. But regardless of the actual time and what he called it, Anton was pleasantly surprised. And he hoped to maintain that pleasantness. But he was still going to properly warn Poriza and Inistra the second he was between systems and away from this group. Because they were the most isolated pieces at the moment, except for perhaps Akrys which was in a very different direction, more or less safely nestled against the border with the upper realms.
Chapter 843When Anton drew closer to the ship, he felt a fluctuation of energy from within it- but not a worrying one. While it was possible that they were charging up weapons to attack, the most obvious consequence was a thin field of energy extending beyond the ship and reaching towards him. Even if it was an unfamiliar style, it was still nearly impossible to mistake what it was for.Anton reached out a small tendril of his energy, attempting to transmit sound to the ship. Hello, lone vessel, can you understand me?It took a moment, but he heard a response. A womans voice was transmitted to Anton through the connection. We understand you, traveler. We go by the designation the Astral Spear, may we be informed of your name?Anton Krantz, sect head of the Order of One Hundred Stars, and member of the Lower Realms Alliance.With a thorough answer like that, he was seeking more information, and he got his response. The Astral Spear flies under the banner of the Shining Cooperative.That was something at least. In all my travels, I have not yet come across the Shining Cooperative, Anton said. Which system do you hail from?We are not confined to a single system, the woman replied. Your Lower Realms Alliance is new to us as well. Where is it located?Anton wished he could just answer things straightforwardly, but trust with new groups continued to be difficult, especially when they kept finding new reasons. However, he could still give some information. We have members over quite a large territory, but we are mostly concentrated some hundreds of lightyears to the southwest, by our reckoning.That was specific enough information to answer the question, while being vague enough that it really didnt tell them anything of use. If they were capable of visiting thousands of systems in a short time, it wouldnt make a difference whether or not they knew about the general location of the Alliance. And if they werent, it wouldnt tell them too much.The next response took a significant amount of time. That is a great distance away. What brings you this far out?Exploration, Anton said simply. And there was more information he could give that should provide a useful reaction. Due to troublesome invasions from the upper realms, we have found ourselves needing to uncover a large territory to properly plan against their intrusions.Indeed, came the womans voice. The Trigold Cluster is an extremely problematic neighbor. Anton could detect her sincerity, and her distaste for the Trigold Cluster. If only that was enough. But alas, it was not. Like Ekict, this Shining Cooperative could be putting up a friendly front while despising all outsiders. If so, they would be a problem.Ah yes, Anton continued. I forgot to ask. I have heard the name of your ship and your group, but what about yourself?It was actually a relatively big ask to bring this Shining Cooperative to something similar to a neutral, halfway point. Depending on the arrangement of their territory, they would have to go a hundred lightyears or more- with the Lower Realms Alliance going about a hundred and fifty or a hundred and seventy-five lightyears from their furthest permanent outposts, depending on which location was chosen and only considering straight line distances and not actual travel requirements.Anton was open to allowing for more time or a location closer to the Shining Cooperative, but Kybele seemed determined to work something out. We dont seem to have any of those systems in question listed, Kybele said. Can you list the largest stars nearby?So their sensors or telescopes or the like were somewhat limited. Anton understood that, and it wasnt unreasonable. But could he list the largest stars nearby the destinations he listed? What did they take him for? Of course he could. He knew so many stars.It helped that Anton could simply point towards the stars he intended, lining himself up relative to the Astral Spear so that they could more accurately pinpoint his movements along with his words and general directions.Eventually, they came to an agreement on the location, though Kybele had to take Antons words that appropriate systems were available. Hopefully, he wasnt pushing their travel abilities too far- but he assured them that the Lower Realms Alliance would remain available for a significant time just in case. If nothing else, they might not have precisely the same length years. Though that was actually something they could smooth out considering they both knew the length of a normal cycle of the Tides of the Worlds. It wasnt an exact duration, but it would get them within ten percent at most.I hope that our alliances can mutually prosper in the future, Anton said when things were coming to a close. Now then, I do intend to continue traveling north. If you would like to suggest a route that would cause a minimum amount of disturbance to your people, I am open to various options. There was more than one way to go around a cloud of occupied systems. Even if the galactic plane felt flat, Anton could have explored just as far from Ceretos in the vertical directions as he was now. Their little slice of the lower realms covered a vast area, but the known regions of the upper realms beyond were also merely a small sample of the actual galaxy.It took Kybele some time to come up with a suggestion for Anton. Most likely because she was hesitant to draw an exact line for the edge of their territory. This should be sufficient, she said finally. Word will be sent ahead, so should you encounter any more of our ships they will be prepared for your presence.Anton nodded and resolved himself to move slowly. He didnt know what sort of communication speed this group had, and he also didnt want them to know how fast he could actually move regardless. That included when he wasnt moving through a string of bound systems. It would be better for them to wholly underestimate his individual mobility.Regardless of all of the secrecy, Anton had a good impression of the Shining Cooperative. Perhaps that would change, if he came next to any of their systems- there was quite a lot he might learn without actually getting near any of their planets, and he wasnt certain where exactly the proposed route would take him. But he did plan to stick with it, because it was only polite after asking. If he simply planned to go where he pleased, he wouldnt have asked at all.It is unfortunate that we could not speak more comfortably, Anton said. But I wouldnt invite me inside your ship either. Nor would he have wanted to go inside. Though he seriously doubted they would be able to entrap him, underestimating new formations from unknown people was a great way to get killed.It is indeed a shame, Kybele replied. But at least we were able to hear about another group actually standing up to the upper realms. Not just individual systems struggling with their limited resources to resist a perpetual cycle.Anton nodded- she should at least be able to detect that much, despite the distance between them. He wondered how long they had been functioning as a group. Was it a similar time? It seemed unlikely they were any more recent than the Lower Realms Alliance, as they would only have had a couple centuries of recovery and expansion. So most likely they had been functional before the short cycle as well- but beyond that, Anton didnt know. And while it was an important detail, it was also not one he was comfortable asking at the moment. Anton certainly hadnt expected this at the beginning of his day- being generous, since he couldnt have proper days when between systems and he also didnt sleep while traveling through space. And the various negotiations had taken quite a long time, so it might have actually been several days. But regardless of the actual time and what he called it, Anton was pleasantly surprised. And he hoped to maintain that pleasantness. But he was still going to properly warn Poriza and Inistra the second he was between systems and away from this group. Because they were the most isolated pieces at the moment, except for perhaps Akrys which was in a very different direction, more or less safely nestled against the border with the upper realms.
