Reporting for duty (Keldon, private)

[Gye'ron Val Oriden]

Timestamp: 15th of Cryxatum, Summer of Era XIV PF

Immediately after arriving he rode on the silent rubble strewn roads toward Keldon's office, as directed by a patrol of Falcon Legion militiamen who looked fairly green, more like poorly trained civilians than anything else. If that was all the resistance the Orcish horde had been offered, it was no wonder the entire city had been decimated. Where were the men that were meant to protect the Empire now? The Prime Garrison used to be full of them, idealistic young men. He had been one of them.

Gye'ron dismounted his smokey grey Imperial plainsbred, dressed in full armour and adorned with all the markings of an officer. On his collar were two bars denoting his rank, and on the chest of his armour the two bars were also painted. He pulled off his plumed helmet, revealing his weathered face, a nose that had clearly been broken more than once, and his beard that consisted of small, tight curls that hugged his face - a beard not unsimilar to a Nairu man's.

He knocked on Keldon's office door and stepped in, saluting his uncle and standing firmly to attention the dust from the roads still clinging to his armour and uniform. "Sir, Daekin Gye'ron Val Oriden reporting for duty, sir."

OOC: 1000th post!

[Keldon Elsdragon]

As Gye entered Keldon's eyes locked with him in an irritated manor. Although he gave the man a brief smile. "At ease Daekin." he said pointing towards the chair. "You are just a little **** stirrer arnt you?" he said with a wide smirk. "Well perhaps not you, I am. With your former commander who was rather.... determined to have you remain under his command. It seems he doubts your ability in the imperial army. Is there just cause for concern?" He asked sharply, wanting to know if he should or should not goto bat to have the man remain under his command. "If there is, or isn't then I would like to know what you think would give the man such an impression."

[Gye'ron Val Oriden]

At first Gye'ron had no idea what Keldon was talking about and the confusion was evident on his face as he sat down, and then the more his uncle spoke the more it made sense. Sheng. Sheng had wanted to keep Gye'ron under his control, but was it really about that or did the man truly doubt his ability? He couldn't doubt it that much if he'd not only commissioned Gye'ron as an officer, but then promoted him as well.

He shifted uncomfortably, "Well, he did express concern when I first joined the Imperial Legions. I had previously been a member of the Aelyria Prime Garrison during the end of the reign of Regent Nighthawk and the beginning of the reign of Julos the Mad, and then was transfered to Nexus Prime. While in Nexus Prime I went AWOL. In my estimation the military forces under the command of Sheng Kaldres at the time actively supported Julos because they did nothing to oppose him, and if you weren't opposing him, you were with him and against the rightful Empress of the time, Audrey de Lylles. While it was a blow to my honour to abandon the military it would have been an even worse one to support a tyrannical and false Emperor."

[Keldon Elsdragon]

Keldon quirked a brow when his nephew spoke, so he had left the military and was now trying to be played as a puppet? Interested that this is the second person to fall under the mans command to have the same general story and dilemma. Puppets need puppet masters and he knows who's the others is. "So you abandoned your military under the grounds that the one you were serving was already a traitor and following a illegitimate ruler of the empire, and the legitimate commander-in-chief of the Imperial Army?" he asked leaning against his desk looking to Gye firmly.

He had wished his nephew had told him of such things previously however he was now faced with an interesting situation.

[Gye'ron Val Oriden]

Keldon had put it much more succinctly than Gye'ron had. He also put it in a way that made it sound much more like Sheng was being accused of treason. He simply nodded his head, "Yes sir."

[Keldon Elsdragon]

Keldon leaned back in his chair, his concern seemed to be confirmed. Yet another puppet from the same chain of command and it was likely the other cards would be played soon enough. "So then you need to tell me details Gye'ron, when did you leave service who knew of you leaving? Did anyone leave with you? Did you become formally charged with desertion? I need to know these details and now as we may have a trip ahead of us." he said as he pulled out a quill.

[Gye'ron Val Oriden]

When had it been? It was so long ago, and he had transformed considerably in appearance since then, the ravages of the wilderness having aged his face. Where to start his tale...from the beginning he supposed, from when they first transfered.

"I was part of a transfer of two squads of men who were sent to Nexus Prime, all of us men loyal to the Empire and it's ideals. On the way we were assaulted by a contingent of men who were soldiers from the Prime Garrison, who we managed to defeat but I received a crossbow bolt to my chest. Our journey continued and shortly after arriving in Nexus Prime we were ambushed by a trio that appeared to be dressed in uniform remarkably similar to our own, and if memory serves we were told they were Imperial intelligence. After that confrontation one of our own men turned on me and attacked me...perhaps it's not significant but he was a late commer to the group, claiming to be in our unit."

He tried to think back on when he had left the service...all he recalled was that it was cold and there was snow. "I cannot recall the exact time that I left except for that it was winter when I did, and it was many eras past, patterns even by my mind. As for who knew..."

Did anyone truly know? They must have discovered rather quickly for the mercenary had been on his tail, "They discovered quickly that I had left. I believed my life to be in mortal danger considering the many attacks by men who we were meant to be allied with that were more or less under the command of Sheng Kaldres. It seemed odd to me that loyal soldiers should be sent away in the first place, far from the capital when that would have been where they were most needed."

He scratched at his beard and tried to think back on if there were any other members of the two squadrons left when he had gone, "I think I was the last to leave the service of the two squads that had been transfered. I certainly can't recall any of them being left when I finally made my own escape. And no, no one came with me. As for the charge...well, that is an interesting story." And it wasn't resolved yet either, he still owed Morgan 'The Chain' a favour, "No charge was formally made as far as I know, but they did send a bounty hunter after me charged with killing me or bringing me back. Him and I worked out a deal, in which he took several of my possessions and in turn told them that I was dead. By official records, you aren't speaking to a living man."

[Keldon Elsdragon]

Keldon nodded his head listening making several notes on his piece of paper as he spoke. Nodding at one or two points in his story. "Who told you the group that attacked you where Imperial Intelligence?" he asked firmly.

[Gye'ron Val Oriden]

He frowned slightly, he couldn't recall a face or name, but he knew the rank, gender, and race, "It was a corporal of the Nexus Prime militia, a human female. Her name escapes me...it was so long ago."

[Keldon Elsdragon]

Keldon frowned and sighed, although he made note of what he was told regardless, but he kept going as he wrote. "So you remember no name other then someone who could easily be 1 out of 2000..." he said with another sigh and shrugged. "Do you recall the names of anyone who served with you in those groups or if any of them are alive? If they are there last known locations?" he finished looking to Gye for more answers.

[Gye'ron Val Oriden]

Gye'ron thought back, he did remember a few of them..."Yes, I remember a few of them, but I don't know if any of them are still alive or not. My sergeant was a man named Regnad Cometstreem, my corporal was a man named Thorn Gendre, and there was Private Matty Gawain - the man that kept me alive until my crossbow wound was closed -, and Private Phorkias - man had the oddest lisp - and the man who came late claiming to be a member of our squads was a large Lionoid, Private Tarlon SoulClaw. I don't recall the names of the others."

[Keldon Elsdragon]

Keldon nodded and wrote down some of the information, specifically names. "What legions where those people attached to the last you remember?" he asked writing the last name down leaving some space for notes beside them. "Now do you remember the name of the bounty hunter if he gave it? Or anything that makes him traceable? Or specifically who hired him?" He leaned back into his chair. "Your not dead anymore and it won't take long for records to be updated and eyes to be fixed on you to exploit." he said firmly looking to Gye.

[Gye'ron Val Oriden]

Gye'ron's brow furrowed, "Well, we were all members of the Prime Garrison. The Legions didn't exist anymore at that time, they had disbanded themselves because Regent Nighthawk wasn't paying them, and Julos the Mad never bothered to bring them back together. They rallied around Empress Audrey when she was delivered to us by the Gods. The Prime Garrison was more of a militia, which Sheng Kaldres commanded...apparently he had sway with other local militias as well and the Imperial intelligence. The Prime Garrison was the closest thing to what was left of any 'Imperial' power...the only thing was that it wasn't under the control of the rightful ruler of the Empire."

As for the bounty hunter, Gye'ron wasn't sure he was meant to be revealing this information - in fact he knew he wasn't...but then what was a bounty hunter compared to a Surveyor-General? He rubbed his forehead, "The bounty hunter's name is Morgan The Chain. He has a hawk and lives in Nexus Prime, he just might have a large black Carmelyn Warsteed with him that answers to the name Torek - it used to be mine. He's an older man, white hair and skinny and I recall him wearing a tall hat with a feather in it. He told me that the military had placed a bounty on my head...and I owe him a favour for him letting me live and telling them that I was dead, it was part of our agreement."

[Keldon Elsdragon]

Noddling slowly Keldon started to ponder. Those times were trying times for the empire and it's people. One he would not rather bring back to the surface. But never the less things needed to be recorded and addressed if they were severe enough. From what his nephew was telling him it was not all that great of time for him, and something that could be held over him now and in the future. As he finished writing he looked back to Gye.

"Did you ever find out why these men who where so called under the command of Imperatis Kaldres attack you?" he asked with a raised brow placing down the quill and paying full attention to him.

[Gye'ron Val Oriden]

He thought he might just rather turn himself over for arrest rather than digging up his painful past. The former provincial judicator, Roland Moonstar, had assured him that none of this would ever be a problem. The man had said that Gye'ron would be free of all charges, something about all previous crimes being cleared when Audrey took power.

All he could do was shrug, "I don't know why they attacked us. I know the corporal said that Imperial intelligence had wanted to start a war in Nexus Prime."