#Lore24 – Entry #362 – Sci-Fi Month IV #27 – The Darius Legacy
Transcribed From the Personal Recording Implant of Andra Ganim, Chronicler of the Codex Infinitum
AG: “How could Lila Darius develop such a thing as the Advanced TK-Drive without knowing how she came to do so?”
RV: “It is something of the nature of our draconic legacies, tempered by her more chaotic leanings. The thing about we dragons is that we’re all unique, especially in this current state of our evolution; perhaps that was a driving factor in why we did so, a growing sameness that led to weakness as a species? In my case, during my youth, I was described as a prodigy in the arcane studies, and I described it as something of an instinctual understanding. The same is true for Darius and her development of the A-TK. She instinctively knew how to enhance the devices, had unlocked some aspect of her ancient memory through her experiences, and simply plucked that knowledge out of the black box that lies hidden away within her soul. You can’t really explain it otherwise; this incarnation is a fledgling arcanist at best, has studied only history in archaeology in her lifetime, nothing in her record that would indicate she learned advanced physics nor trans-dimensional theory.
One could call her legacy that of remarkable discovery through sheer dumb luck.”
Note: I can see that this particular topic is something of a thorn for Rivalle by the frown she wears and the subtle way her demeanor has shifted from calm neutrality to a simmering anger.
AG: “Did she perhaps steal some of DSM’s, or rather, your, thunder in discovering this method of traversal through the Barrier?”
RV: “It’s not so much that she stole my glory, I would have discovered the secret eventually once I began focusing upon the problem. No, it’s how events unfolded around the discovery that I find particularly irksome. Speaking strictly on a cost analysis level, Darius has cost me a literal fortune, and though in my grand scheme, it is ultimately an insignificant amount, the losses were still mine. And I am, by my nature, quite covetous and rather vindictive. This is not the first time she has seemingly attained great things through luck rather than talent, and likely won’t be the last, unless I do something…drastic, shall we say.”
AG: “For fear of poking the dragon, if you’ll forgive the pun, could you give me some details as to the chain of events leading to this particular slight against you?”
RV: “I suppose so; it was rather bold of you to try to lighten the mood with a joke. This particular chain of events began when I attempted to acquire the Veylani Transport Corporation and employed my best doppelganger agent to see the task done. This situation was really no different than other acquisitions, simply more red tape that was best dealt with via a subtle approach due to various tensions that have grown in the last few decades. It comes waves, the hatred against myself and DSM, and it is currently in a peak period.
Releana Veylani was the target of my operation, a simple replacement until the acquisition was done and VTC’s assets were under my control. At the time there was nothing that I particularly wanted from them, it was simply a matter of my greedy nature at play. As Veylani was on her way to me, Lila’s luck would come into play. The idiot may well have ended this incarnation without even a ripple in the timeline had it not been for that luck. She had rented a ship and traveled into the particular system where the handoff of Veylani was to occur, visiting a draconic ruin, when the subpar maintenance resulted in an explosive engine failure that left her adrift in orbit. My external agents, mercenaries, answered her distress beacon and took her in, thinking to make some amount of additional profit by doing so.
Knowing my particular tastes in pets, the mercenary leader asked of my interest; the moment I saw her image, I knew who she was, for all of the old hatred started to boil up. That was the first thing she cost me in her present form, for the mercenary saw my reaction and raised his opening price to a ridiculous amount. Thinking that fate was finally on my side, I decided to pay it for a chance to study Darius as I had wanted to for so long.
What I did not factor in was the strength of her personality and influence, whether she realized her nature or not at the time. She easily won over Veylani’s loyalty, and that of my personal assistant whom I had sent to oversee the care of Veylani until my agent collected what was required from her and took her place. Though my doppelganger would be successful in this, he did not realize that his psychic probe into Veylani’s mind would awaken her own latent psychic abilities, which were, as I would learn soon enough, remarkably strong.
In short order, Darius had persuaded my assistant to help her and Veylani escape, and the three went on the run, where they would eventually encounter another pair of misfits, a pair of rattenvolk whom she likewise won over. The male of the pair had a contact within DSM that he called for information as to what we knew of their location, which was just as quickly relayed to me, and I sent one of my elite security teams to retrieve my prize. I managed to take the trio that had earned my ire, and for an ever so brief time, would have them well in hand to do with as I would.
Little did I know those space rats would prove more resourceful than I had accounted for. It seemed that my former assistant had arranged for my prizes to be slipped away through a criminal group, and though the three primary targets were already in my clutches at the time, the space rats’ loyalty had been secured. They would not only engineer a plan of rescue, but one that brought them onto my private holding facility. It would have been doomed to failure but for Lila’s continued ability to win loyalty, for she had managed to convince one of my newer commandos to betray me as well. Had I been at my facility at the time, they would not have escaped, but I fear I may have stretched myself too thin and had too many obligations, a flaw I have since corrected.
There is much more, certainly, for Darius and her loyal followers would prove a nuisance for several years, but we don’t have all day, and I suppose we should cover her development of the A-TK and what occurred at the Demon Barrier.”