Thangred continued fiddling with the electronics inside the console. As he worked, he muttered Dwarven curses to himself. “I worked on this kind of console all the time on the Endeavor!” he grunted. “Why’s this one giving me grief?!”
“Hey, should that green thing be tilted?” asked Twirja. He pointed to a green piece of electronic circuitry.
“…As a matter of fact, no, it shouldn’t,” remarked Thangred. He then turned it to a horizontal position and the console came to life. “The data-linkage, of COURSE! Thanks, Twirja!”
“Any time.” Thangred then typed away at the console and went through file after file until he came to something that was restricted, something called “Project: Veil”
“Damn!” he swore. “I hoped there wasn’t anything secret!”
“Let me try,” offered Endram.
“Enny, with all due respect, there’s no way the computer’s going to recognize your override code,” argued Twirja.
“I think it will. With the Endeavor in the area, it should read on what’s the up-to-date codes since the last update. Given that Dauntless-class vessel computers always check each other, I think it should work.” Endram then typed in a code for the files. A loading screen then popped up. “GAH! COME ON!”
“Loading screens: the bane of all technology lovers,” chuckled Thangred. It took two minutes for the screen to change. Once it did, the new screen read “Access Granted”.
“Perfect!” cheered Endram. “Tenth level code black, my ass!” He typed away and opened up tech specs. As he looked at them, his brow furrowed. “…Thangred, what’s your opinion on this?” Thangred got a look and goggled in horror.
“Pre-made light refraction spells, spell-diffusors made for the outside of a hull, Endram, this is a severe breach of the Dwelga Accords if I ever saw one!”
“A breach of the…” Twirja then realized what the schematics were for. “…Are you telling me…?!”
“I’m getting an arrest warrant for Empria!” snarled Endram as he began a call to Realmfleet.
“My council has heard something about a treaty known as the Dwelga Accords,” Erudsa remarked to Aldarval as they investigated the Sick Bay for use as a potential infirmary.
“Oh, that? That was a treaty signed during the First Age,” explained Aldarval.
“What are the specifics?”
“Well, before all that, I need to explain the history surrounding it.”
“I’m a bit of a history buff. Please, explain.” Aldarval took a deep breath before beginning the story.
“It was during the First Age of Unity when it all started. Back then, when the Goblins were first using the Realmgates, they had constructed machines that could make a ship look invisible, using pre-casted spells and machinery woven throughout the ship’s hull. They weren’t on good terms with the earliest iteration of Realmfleet, the Realm Skyship Federation, as they used to be raiders.”
“Raiders? What would they raid for?”
“All sorts of valuable objects, food, water, money, all that stuff. However, then came the Raider Skirmishes. For a while, both sides used these cloaking devices to attack each other, but the people hated the guerilla tactics used by both sides, so the royal families of all Realms stepped in and forced both the Federation and the Goblin Imperium to talk. Eventually, both sides agreed to end the construction and use of ship-board cloaking devices and signed the Dwelga Accords. The royal families signed the treaty as well. Now, any ship using such a device is to be considered crewed by pirates and everyone will be arrested with a maximum penalty of a life sentence.” Erudsa thought on what Aldarval had said.
“…Harsh, but fair. You know, I think the Gorgons would benefit from signing this treaty. Is there room for my signature?”
“There should be. The Treaty is self-updating, so each signature changes to the current ruler.
“Perfect, then after this mess, I will…” Erudsa was interrupted as Aldarval’s badge chimed.
“What in…?” Aldarval opened her badge and read the notification. Her eyes went wide as she reread it twice over. “…I don’t believe it!” She showed the notification to Erudsa.
“…I thought Realmfleet was bound by the Dwelga Accords!”
“We are. This is us only now fixing an oversight! I can’t believe this! Right under my nose! I let that silver-tongued idiot convince me to not look too deeply into this! Her use of a tenth level code black should have alerted me from day one!”
“What will you do to fix it?” asked the Gorgon Queen.
“At the moment, corner her and place her under arrest!”
“Drows and Shadow Dragons?” Empria asked Arsha as they searched another room near the bridge. “I thought they were extinct.”
“For a while, Dalengor hoped so,” replied Arsha. “That is, until she convinced them to join us as Oyed only saw them as a tool.”
“So, they’re fighting for the Under-realm right now?”
“Yep. …Although, Mordek DID suffer a bit. Don’t get me wrong, it was necessary, but it somehow felt…weird to see a God humbled like that.”
“I must admit, I never thought they were capable of wrong.”
“Well, apparently, they are. From what Mordek said, he wronged my first ancestor, Mortak, as she led a successful slave revolt and became the Queen of the Mid-realm.”
“So, your family was wronged by the Divine Ones?”
“I’m surprised Mortak never mentioned it in her diary, though.” As they searched, they heard footsteps. The whole group turned to see Aldarval, Erudsa, Endram, Twirja, and Thangred approaching them, with Aldarval leveling her wand at Empria.
“Lady Empria Dewlna, you’ve got some explaining to do!” she snarled.
“Admiral, what ARE you talking about?” asked Empria. “And what’s with the wand business? Do you REALLY need to point it at me?”
“Considering that we learned what Project: Veil was, yes!” snarled Endram.
“I can’t believe you!” growled Twirja. “Endram and I lost our arms over a Ones-damned CLOAKING DEVICE?!”
“…You poked your nose into the wrong files, Enny,” grunted Empria.
“The correct form of address is ‘Your Majesty’!”
“Hold on, did I hear that right?!” snarled Bashoon. “Is that why this boat’s invisible?! Realmfleet was constructing a cloaking device?!”
“Empria will explain the story,” hissed Endram as he went behind Empria and grabbed her shoulders.
“…You just lost all the respect I had for you, Endram!” growled Empria.