Immortal Paths

OOC: This is all strictly meta, an alternate universe plot regarding Cody's disappearance and the return of Lars to the Boukun verse.

If you need a friend,
don't look to a stranger,
You know in the end,
I'll always be there.

And when you're in doubt,
and when you're in danger,
Take a look all around,
and I'll be there.

What she knew, deep down, was that the man who was holding her hand had been her hero over three hundred years before. Here, now, in the Hell that she had descended into, Lars was once again the only person who came to rescue her. Cody was covered with blood, with filth and her hair matted, naked under his flak jacket…but when he picked her up in his arms to carry her out of the underground prison, walking past rotting corpses chained to walls, she saw something there, in his eyes, that was so familiar. He had to see the same emotion reflected back in her gaze, though he knew that she didn’t know who she was, not really, not anymore. Love was a powerful anchor, when adrift in a stormy sea of uncertainty and pain, and the two long separated lovers grabbed it, and clung to it, like a lifeline. It was all either of them had left.
( Read more... )

It had rained nearly all night, and Cody Jean had worried that it would keep raining on her wedding day. She wasn't superstitious, per se, but she was aware of how that might complicate everything from arrivals to security. However, as she rose from her bed, and opened the rich, damask curtains, she saw the sun break through, and it kept on through the morning. Everything outside smelled and looked fresh, clean and new. She sat alone, on her balcony, and ate a light breakfast, before beginning the crazy day ahead.

Cody had her large screen monitor on, as she prepared for her wedding, which would be followed by a formal coronation. There would be a break, after that, so that guests and the bridal party could change into their clothing for the fabulous ball, which would take place in the Grand Ballroom of the Palace. The guest list was very precise, and detailed, with a large number of dignitaries from neighboring planets, as well as those farther away, who had ties to the Empire or who Hsu wanted to do business with. A few people would be attending who were not so friendly, and they would be managed with great caution and care. Above the capitol city, there was a large squadron of ships, as well as a Star Cruiser, that were watching out for any uninvited hostiles. They would NOT repeat the disaster of the Festival, not on this most important day.
( Read more... )

I decided to put all the fashion and decor photos in one post, so that it didn't drive me nuts trying to do all of the HTML links. I'm not good at that, so please bear with me, and enjoy these pics to have a vision in your head of the wedding and royal ball.

All of the women have two dresses. One is for the wedding/coronation and the other is for the ball. There will be some people up to no good, but not the massacre of the Festival thread. All are welcome to come, even if they were thought to have "died" or have been absent.

Okay...fashion, first. Clickable thumbnails, for those with dial up?
( Read more... )

OOC: From here.

When Catryna was placed under arrest following the Festival massacre, she thought she would be held befitting her rank. In other words, that she would be confined to her private chamber with perhaps one attendant and probably guards outside her door. She would have had the chance, perhaps to contact her own people, or at least Daemon, although when she had tried the latter, there was nothing but silence. So, it came to a shock to the ex-princess when she found herself in one of the ordinary ten-by-ten cells so many prisoners of the Hsu regime had called home. It was dirty, and even though she had a cell to herself, there was no privacy, and there was disgusting graffiti all over the walls left by previous occupants that she tried not to dwell on what their fates might have been.

( Read more... )

OOC: Inspired by this article.. Somewhat meta, before his trip with Roma.

Cody was standing with King Richard on the observation balcony, looking out over what was jokingly called "The People's Square". Down below, there was a crowd of about five hundred females, all young, all bare breasted. They held up signs to protest the small number of female candidates being selected for elite positions in the Air Corps, security guard or special forces, as well as the lack of female professors at the University. Fortunately, whoever had planned the event chose their protesters well, because they were the young, pretty ladies of the planet. There were no old ladies, sagging and wrinkled.

They proudly held up signs, demanding change. One of them said "Shame on MacDonald! Hire me!". Cody was both amused and disturbed by some pretty girls with signs that said, "Hi, Lars! I'll Train Under YOU!" and "Jesperson for ME!". One very pretty girl was using her sign to somewhat cover herself, showing a shyness that reflected her very young age. Cody narrowed her eyes, and turned to her bodyguard, who had joined them.
( Read more... )

“The way I see it, you really won the Intergalactic lottery of life, and you should be far less grumpy.” Roma popped the remainder of the sticky bun into her mouth, then licked her fingers with a ‘pop’ as her lips sucked the sugar and cinnamon off.

The man on the bed groaned, his fuzzy brain all fogged up by alcohol and what he was beginning to suspect was drugs. Lying there, face down on the plush, white comforter, he tried to remember how events had gone in the last twenty four hours, the events that had led him to this place, with this woman and in this kind of mess.

It had started with a banana, a blaster and that body…oh, that killer body…

*****

“You suck.” Roma came up on the practice field, behind him, and spoke while biting into a very yellow banana.
( Read more... )

The floor to ceiling windows in the Grand Ballroom showed the dark rain pouring on the red carpet that had, just hours before, hosted Intergalactic press and celebs, an eclectic mix of artists, musicians and social scions, human and otherwise. Cody had arrived with barely enough time to walk the carpet, which was on purpose, so she would not have time to talk to more than one or two reporters, and those were hand chosen because they were managed by the Emperor's standards.

"Ambassador Lane! You look stunning! Who are you wearing, tonight?" Nancy was a tall, cool blonde, not petite like Hsu's usual taste, but her white blonde hair made her attractive enough for him, and he was always friendly...as much as he ever was to the press...granting her premier access to personal interviews, events and probably more, not that it bothered Cody. Nancy was a nice woman.

Cody posed, her legs looking a mile long with the slit up to her thigh and the fierce strappy, bejewelled, gladiator sandals with five inch heels. Lars shadowed behind her, looking sharp in a tux, with an earpiece in place. Lots of ladies, and men, were checking the handsome security man out. He was now titled, with lands, and the eligible women of society were licking their chops, hoping to marry into the inner circle.
( Read more... )

They had been back on Britannia for some time now, but not a lot had been resolved after that rather contentious meeting with Emperor Hsu Danmei. If anything things had become even less certain. King Richard was still in regular communication, his obvious interest in the crown -- via Augusta or not -- annoying and disruptive. The fact that he had the backing of the Emperor did little to help soothe matters. Boukun was far more powerful, militarily speaking, and the empire could not be ignored. Now there was the added situation on Tabar. There was nothing through official channels, of course, but Prince Daniel's unhappiness was a badly kept secret. And just that day there had been an unoffical communique from the pleausre moon hinting at a possible diplomatic relationship in the future. It admitted nothing, but it was definitely feeling out the situation. And then, on top of all that was the still answered question of who had sanctioned the Festival attack that had wiped out the royal families of Britannia, leaving Augusta the unenviable task of choosing their new King or Queen.

Nasir was still unaware of Gus' intentions of proclaiming him the new ruler. It was true that in a life, long ago in Syria, he had been a minor noble equivalent to a knight, but that was so long ago that it meant nothing to him. He had no interest in ruling, so much so, the thought had never crossed his mind. As far as Nasir was concerned, his role in life, and one that he welcomed and lived for, was the protection of his Lady....and through that of Britannia whose people meant so much to the gentle Augusta. He was happy to be her lover and security chief.

He took the position seriously. First task was to overhaul all the security personnel, and it had been disappointing to find it riddled with spies loyal to either Hsu or Aetius. So, he had started recruiting. It was a fact that most would be mercenaries and by default hardly anymore trustworthy, but Britannia could afford to pay them well for their loyalty. Already there had been interest, and Nasir was very pleased to have heard from Stelios Lakiotis, saying he would bring his small group who were looking for a place to settle. The Spartan's reputation was solid and so was his word.

He had also been researching through hundreds and thousands of records, searching for names on the unclaimed bodies for regeneration. It had taken many nights and a lot of coffee, but slowly he had gathered the names he had been looking for. They would have to be trained and familiarized with modern tech, of course, but Nasir knew that with these men (and woman), he could absolutely trust them in the security corps.

( A Merrie Picspam )

Roma Lane was a very, very pretty child, from birth. She had been three weeks overdue, but Cody never voiced that, because she didn’t want people doing the math as to when the baby was conceived. Hsu had been very surprised that she had gotten pregnant, or wanted to bear a child, again. In fact, had the child not been fathered by Daniel, Cody Jean might have actually considered terminating the pregnancy, because she was not really interested in being a mother, again, and because they were dealing with so much, regarding the acquisition of power. But Cody knew that this was a Hsu child, and that was precious, even sacred, though she was not telling either Hsu male why she had to keep the child, despite her vow to never have kids, again.
( Read more... )

OOC: Shortly after this

The ship was heading on its way to Britannia, and it was quiet in the crew area. Cas had taken over piloting duties as Del rested and Tea was also fast asleep. Stelios had been awake for a while, mulling over something. He wasn't one for deep thinking, prefering action, but he was worried now they had all talked about settling down. He just wasn't sure how well Cas would deal with it, even with Alexa at his side. And there were other concerns.

He noticed that Alexa was also awake and decided that they really needed to talk, and right now was the best time, with Cas otherwise engaged. He stood up and came over to her, bending to whisper in her ear. "Hey, Lexa, I was going to fix a coffee, do you want one?"

It wasn't only her father and brother that had Danika's spirit restless. Her family was troubled, and that troubled her greatly. They might not be aware of it, but she had always watched over them, even in those early years when her father grieved so hard and her brother was so lost.

Now she felt a turmoil nearly as bad as then and was distressed to find that it was because the two men she loved so much were at such daggerpoints with each other. It always hurt her when they fought, but it had never felt this bad before. She always wanted to heal their rifts, even if James often told her that she was too naive. Well, she was. She had died as an infant, never able to grow up and experience the world as she should have, but she had learned by watching. So throughout three hundred years of fights, she had done just that. Now, she could not just watch as they threatened to tear everything apart. So she had visited them both in order to try and get both men to at least talk.

Such a fight would also produce collateral casualties, and it was her niece that concerned Danika the most. She had known, of course, Roma's parentage from her birth, and had watched over her, appearing to the young child many times as she had to Daniel in his childhood. For a child that no one seemed to have time for, being her imaginary friend was something young Roma had spent hours enjoying. It had been a long time since she had visited her, however, as Roma grew out of those childish fantasies.

But it distressed Danika to sense how fragile her niece truly was, and yet no one seemed to see it but her and James. So, for the first time in years, Danika visited her.

She walked across Roma's dreamscape where the bridge between the two worlds was strongest. "Hello Roma. Do you remember me?" she said when she stood in front of her.

He slept comfortably on his back, his lover’s head pillowed on his chest.

He slept spooned up against his lover’s back, arm casually flung over his hip.

( In his dream, he was on Earth )

This is BULLSHIT!

I've been the "Sexiest Woman in Boukun" three years in a row! Now that...that...bitch? Hell no!

Do something! *throws the magazine down on the table*

"You could send your rival to live with seven dwarfs, for a while." Alex chuckled, sprawling in his chair.

"Shut UP!"

( Read more... )

( WHO signed these...guys? )

OOC: Takes place shortly after Hsu and Cody talk here (still in progress) and Andy's illness.

Because of the security emergency caused by Andy MacDonald's heart attack and the reshuffling that had to be done during a time of heightened security concerns, it was a couple of days before Hsu had the time to call Baron du Pont to a private meeting.

They had been friends for a very long time. Indeed, since Snowman died, he counted their friendship as one of his oldest and continuous ones. The man was steadfastly loyal to him, and Hsu had never doubted that in him. However, friends could still have faults, and one of Alexandre's, as Hsu saw it, was the man's enduring hatred for the female sex. Most of the time it was of no consequence. The man had been badly used and betrayed by the first woman he had loved, and that had tainted his view of all of them. Hsu could understand that, and if he had the capacity to love like that, and had been betrayed in the same way, he conceded that he might well feel the same.

All that did not excuse the way du Pont had behaved towards Cody in that meeting, nor in some of the other looks or comments that he had made about her that had come to Hsu's notice. The man was entitled to his opinion, of course, but even unintentionally, those opinions could do harm to not only Ambassador Lane but himself and the empire as well. He needed to make that message clear to du Pont, friend or not.

It was early evening, the last rays of the sun just losing their heat in the private garden just off Hsu's apartments, where he had called Alexandre to meet him. He was shirtless, dressed in loose, lightweight pants as he moved steadily and gracefully through the sword kata as he did most evenings. It was a way of keeping in shape as well as relaxing.

He sensed Alexandre arrive but continued to the end of the routine. Only when he had did Alfred announce him. "Baron Alexandre du Pont, Your Majesty." That alone set the formal tone for the meeting. As Alfred retired, Hsu wiped off the sweat with a towel.

"Thank you for coming, Alexandre." Nothing had been mentioned as to the meaning behind this meeting, and he waited for his friend to approach.

It was Day Three in the time that the Palace insiders would forever refer to as 'The Imprisonment of MacDonald'. Time seemed to move slowly, for all involved, because even though Andy was feared by many (and disliked by more than a few), his absence was felt strongly. Lars was a strong stand in, but the two men had always worked best as a team, and Andy had been on Boukun since the beginning, so he was stronger with the knowledge of people and customs, which Lars was getting up to speed on. There were some old guard types, Boukunian local officials, who only dealt with Andy MacDonald, and they viewed Lars with suspicion, because of the recent events and attacks.

Cherry had been caring for her lover, and she mixed sensual coaxing with stern commanding, when it came to his forced sick leave. First, Doctor Evers had come, who was a no nonsense sort of woman. Kayla Evers had ordered that Andy had to 'detox' for two weeks, so that the meds and other treatments would repair damage, and he could become healthier. Detox meant no alcohol, no smoking, no animal fat, no salt, no cow dairy...and no sex. In fact, nothing that could cause his blood pressure to rise too much for at least a week. Then, he would start a regimine of cardio, relaxation and gradually add more foods, but still cut way down on the fats. Cherry had assured both the doctor and Hsu that she would personally ensure MacDonald's compliance with the orders, as well as his having his regular physicals.
( Read more... )

I'm planning my wedding, and am distracted by a shiny meme...

SIX NAMES YOU GO BY:
1. Cody Jean
2. Cody
3. Mother
4. The Royal Whore
5. Ambassador Lane
6. Snookims

THREE THINGS YOU ARE WEARING RIGHT NOW:
1. leather and lace thong
2. silk cami
3. stilettos (well...you asked!)

Oh, and my new engagement ring.

THREE THINGS YOU WANT VERY BADLY AT THE MOMENT
1. A wedding planner
2. Sex with Hsu
3. pie

THREE THINGS YOU DID LAST NIGHT
1. Looked at wedding gowns
2. Watched a movie
3. Went to check on Andy!

FOUR PEOPLE YOU LAST TALKED TO ON THE PHONE:
1. Hsu
2. Andy
3. Lars
4. Cherry

THREE THINGS YOU ARE GOING TO DO TOMORROW:
1. Attend the arts awards on Tabar
2. See dress designers
3. Meet with the delegation from Tertara 7

FOUR OF YOUR FAVOURITE DRINKS:
1. Coffee
2. Iced Tea
3. Lemonade
4. Milk

THREE THINGS THAT MADE YOU SMILE TODAY:
1. Hsu, at breakfast
2. Thinking about the wedding
3. Realizing I felt better.

OOC: Happens a couple of days after Cherry's confrontation with Daniel and Daniel's meeting with Ash, Hart and Justine.

Andy was feeling more and more run down. It just never seemed to end. There was the massacre, the Britannia succession, Daniel's temper tantrums, and Hsu's wedding, not to mention interrogations and everyday security matters. Some days...no, most days, now...he felt that everything was crumbling around him, and there seemed to be little he could do to stop it. The Hsu family was falling to pieces, and the more Hsu tried to stop it from happening, the worse it seemed to get. He worked for Hsu, he was one hundred percent loyal to his boss and would never say one word against him. He had long viewed Cody like the little sister he'd never had, had mourned her 'death' silently then watched as she complicated an already complex relationship with both Hsu men. Daniel he had always seen as totally spoiled, taking advantage of his privilege in being able to emotionally blackmail Hsu. This latest fight between father and son was more serious than he felt Hsu was willing to see, and even others from what he had seen. He had been keeping an eye on Daniel's reorganization of his security. That hadn't been unexpected, but he was beginning to see signs that more was happening. Security codes on Tabar were changing without his authorization, and when questioned Maxil just offered poor excuses...or more increasingly, ignored him. That resulted in him sending Lars over to Tabar to find out exactly what Daniel was playing at. He could not afford the time away from Danikas with everything else going on.

It was all eating at him. Andy stuck to his job, keeping his opinions to himself as he had always done. It was important to him to remain neutral when it came to family matters, or do his best to do so. His neutrality went so far as insisting on plausible deniability...even if he suspected one of Hsu's inner circle of doing something unwise, as long as it wouldn't directly or adversely impact Hsu, he just didn't want to know about it. For example, he had long suspected that there was something more than friendship between Cody and Lars, but he was firm in not wanting to know anything about it, because if he did, he would have to report it to Hsu, and he couldn't do that to friends. The result of all this was, he just swallowed down one problem after another, bottling it in and keeping such information to himself. And now with everything happening, he wasn't sure how much room there was left.

( Read more... )

OOC: Happens concurrently with THIS

A different time and Athenea would have been chaffing to enjoy what Tabar had to offer, even if it meant risking being spotted. But it wasn't, and she was relieved at all the secrecy surrounding their presence. Her ordeal with Kronos and Belit had pretty much shattered her emotionally, and to some extent mentally She was paranoid that Kronos would find her, and that nothing would stop him from taking her again. Prince Daniel had appointed a bare handful of his most discreet hotel staff for maid and room service, and even then it had taken Ath a few days to not completely freak out when one of them showed up. Even now, unless Ash was with her, she was a wreck just curling up on the bed, wrapped in one of his shirts, his scent helping to keep her mind from returning her to Belit's 'court. Many times in her long life, Ath had let (or manipulated) men looking after her. This time Ash had rescued her from that horror, looked after her without her asking, and for the first time she relied on him and gratefully too. Everytime she closed her eyes she was back at Belit's mercy, or she saw Kronos smiling at her, and if it hadn't been for Ash being there with her, she knew she would break completely.

She hadn't, yet, been able to tell him what she had gone through. The gang rapes, as bad as they were, weren't even the worst that she was subjected to. She was no stranger to rape, often telling others -- and convincing herself -- that it was an occupational hazard. After Belit's men were done with her for the night as they slept off their excesses, Belit would take her. Nothing his men could do to her could match that monster's brutality. He loved to see how many inventive ways he could kill her and how much she could take before she did. His favourite way had been to choke her, especially with a metal pipe, crushing her windpipe.

That he had shaved her beautiful hair off was a minor issue considering everything else, or it should be. It would grow back. Ath tried to convince herself of that, but the truth was every glance in a mirror, every time she went to brush her hand against her head was a very real reminder of what she had gone through. When Ash brought the wigs, she had nearly cried and she actually gave him one of the few smiles she had found. They were lovely, made her beautiful again, and yet... she found herself only wearing them when Ash was around.

OOC: Happens sometime after the massacre, and after Daniel's interview regarding Justine.

Cherry had grown more and more concerned about Andy MacDonald, following their date that turned into a battle. The debriefing had been fine, with the couple having a laugh about how the quiet they wanted turned into chaos. The Emperor did seem pleased with her, not just with the continuing, unwavering loyalty she showed the Empire, but with her spirited defense of her lover. The warlord clearly valued fire and fighting bravely, and Cherry was happy to please, though that was not her main motivation.
( Read more... )