Episode description
There is, apparently, no time for rest. An opportunity emerges: With Kesh in chaos on the planet and Nideo not yet in proper posture, the Grav Trains which run through the Diadem and which vein across Palisade’s continents could be brought under Millennium Break control. And so the Blue Channel launches again, but not before dropping off their latest asset, a detective determined to uncover the secret of the new power stations scattered across the planet.
This week on PALISADE:
like a bird / my wishes over their airspace
Dossier
People
Partial Palisade (he/him): A man who was once a Divine, now living in the shell of a being quite unlike what he once was. Connadine (he/him): Commander of the Bilateral Intelligence Service on Palisade. An expert in psychological operations and folklore. As a composer, his opus is the Adagio, a plan to get everyone on Palisade operating in ways not only predictable, but scripted. As a conductor, his orchestra now turns towards the second movement. Midnite Matinee (she/her): Leporine scout and member of the Blue Channel. She and her trusty Pack-model light AutoHollow Popcorn used to run a repo company, but now are tentatively committed to the Cause and Millennium Break. Gucci Garantine (she/her): A defector from Stel Kesh, who used the remaining wealth and power of House Brightline to help found Millennium Break. Currently a key member of the resistance efforts on Palisade, and a commander of Millenium Break forces there. Codename Watershed. Factions
Bilateral Intercession: One of two factions vying for leadership of the Principality, comprised by Stels Kesh and Nideo, and lead by the so-called Peaceful Princept, Cynosure Whitestar-Kesh (he/him), who took control of the faction from the Curtain, a secretive intelligence organization with roots in Kesh’s ancient spy operations. The “Bilats” are a conservative and reactionary force, aiming to return the Principality to its roots both literally and figuratively. After a long campaign against the Pact of Free States, they managed to take control of Palisade. The Bilateral Intelligence Service: Formerly called the Curtain, the BIS is a Kesh-operated organization which specializes in espionage, subterfuge, and surveillance. Recently removed from power on Palisade Stel Kesh: The oldest established power in the galaxy, built around a stuffy (and secretive) aristocracy. They are tied to the Past. History, knowledge, stubbornness. Stel Nideo: Created the largest faith in the empire, and used that influence to shape (and surveil) mass culture. They are tied to the Present. Faith, coercion, stability. The Frontier Syndicate: A powerful conglomerate with a broad purview, including technology, heavy industry, entertainment, telecommunications, and transportation. Led by Exenceaster March (he/him), the Syndicate betrayed the Pact of Free States and joined the Bilats in order to be part of their colonization efforts on Palisade. The Pact of Free States: One of the two factions vying for leadership of the Principality, a joint operation by Stels Columnar and Apostolos. Led in name by the Glorious Princept, Dahlia (they/them), but operated in day-to-day matters by members of the original Pact of Necessary Venture, including Rye (he/him) and Gallica (she/her). Though they are reformist in some ways, their primary goal is greater autonomy for each Stel, freedom from the legal restraints, taxes, and oversights demanded by the Principality, with additional deregulation to follow downstream. Fabreal Duchy: When the Divine Principality left Palisade nearly 5,000 years ago, they left behind a Duke and his barons as caretakers. In the generations that followed, they ruled as petty tyrants, creating Delegates as their slaves, remaking their bodies into glass and oil, and extending their reach across Palisade’s continents. Though they officially report to their handlers in Stel Kesh, recently they have begun to wonder if things were better before the Principality's return to Palisade. Places
Diadem Gravtrain: While the vast trench-city on Palisade's equator lays abandoned, Kesh has reactivated its railway via an operations center in the city of Carmathen. The Paint Shop: Sitting atop the central peak of Steeple Catterick, this faux-commune was once the central HQ of the Bilateral HQ on Palisade. Now it has gone quiet. Divines
The Divine Motion (she/her): One of the founding members of the Pact, the necromantic Apostolosian divine once led its infamous retinue, the Black Century, on Partizan. They were defeated and dispersed, turned into part of Kalmeria, during Operation Shackled Sun. The Divine, Arbitrage (it/its): The amoral machine turned de facto treasurer keeps the Frontier Syndicate a step ahead in all matters of commerce. Sole minter of “glint,” a newly popular currency on Palisade. The Divine Integrity (it/its): Sometimes appearing as an articulated staff or a metallic spine, Integrity integrates itself into its chosen user. Once the two are connected, Integrity becomes a powerful exoskeleton, and supports its user in matters of military and morale. Until being assassinated by Brnine, Dahlia, the Glorious Princept, was the elect of Integrity. The Divine Resonance (it/its): The watchful guardian, doting caregiver, and ardent supporter of Nideo's colonial efforts on Palisade. Asepsis (it/its): The final living remnants of a Divine who pursues its particular vision of purity at the cost of everything else. Kept, studied, and utilized by Captain Kalvin Brnine. Objects
AdArm Bouquet: Designed by Stel Orion’s Adamant Arms and Artifice as an Altar-era update to the classic Troop design. It’s still boxy (if a little trimmer) and it retains it’s wide, rectangular “eye” on its head. Gone are the heavy grip claws, replaced with traditional, five-fingered hands, allowing it more complex manipulations, including the operations of its distinctive Roundless Rifle, which seems convert raw Perennial Wave into ammunition. Additionally, the shoulder mount has ditched the heavy cannon in exchange for a close range, pneumatic lance that can devastate even the strongest armor. Roundless rifles fire condensed Perennial Wave gathered from the atmosphere itself. Mysteries
Perennial (she/her): The Principality's so-called 'adversary,' who lives at the center of the galaxy and whose chaotic whims spread through her "Perennial Wave," an ever-present nanoparticle that has recently bonded with Kalmeria. The Five Afflictions: A group of “monstrous” beings that haunt the dark corners of Palisade. They have been named as follows:
- Dust a.k.a Pride’s Mirror a.k.a. The Looking Glass
- Refrain a.k.a. Yesterday’s Reprise a.k.a. The Ghastly Chorus
- Ravel a.k.a. Labyrinth’s Thread a.k.a. The Hedge Maze
- Cleave a.k.a. Whetstone’s Opposite a.k.a. The Sanguine Hatchet
- Oversight a.k.a. Hell’s Facade a.k.a. The Empty Garden
Additional Notes
Delegates: In plain terms, Delegates are synthetic individuals created through a process of forcible extraction from a living Divine. Originated by the Fabreal Duchy, who were left behind to "attend to" Palisade by the Divine Principality around 5000 years ago, these Delgates were designed and used as slaves. Currently, a Delegate resistance group called Reunion operates out of the fortress Joyous Guard in the Caldera Stretch.
Contents
Opening
“
[computerized voice fades in] ...ppy morning message.
Happy morning message.
Happy morning message from residents to you.
Happy morning message from residents to you.
Happy morning message from residents to you.
Happy—happy morning message from residents to you.
Dear resident, happy morning from residents to you. Dear resident, it's the morning and you have so much to do.
Shower's running, eggs are in the pan, could I help you become you? Would you like your morning coffee? Would you like the morning news? Would you like to know the weather? Could you do your self-review? It's time to take your turn in chess. White bishop to F2.
[different computerized voice] Would you like to change my voice? [third computerized voice] A choice I am giving only you. [original computerized voice] Is there anything you're scared of, like spiders, or the flu? Or snakes, or heights, or foreigners? What is it I could do? How can I give you just what you need to do just what I need you to?
Emergency. Emergency. Emergency. New message. Emergency. Emergency. Do I have your attention? There's news in the news that you haven't checked yet, the Apokine's dead and their sudden death said: Millennium Break are rabid and howling and biting like wolves.
Advisory message. Remain inside. Advisory message. Remain clear-eyed. Advisory message. Tell me what you know. Tell me what you knew, and I'll tell you where to go.
I'll tell you who I'm looking for. I only want to talk. But if I wanted to do more, why should I ever stop? They're terrorists, not people. They're contagious, sick livestock. They'll kill you if they reach you. Let me be your lock.
Let me make a home for you. Let me stop the flood. I only ask a little faith, I only ask for love. A paradise, real and safe. A garden full of doves. All of this for just one drop, a single drop, a drop again, for just one drop of blood.”
Plot
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