Elfish Eyes

Eric Jones

"How about in a bit after I get to a point where a 'Fred and Astra' touch is needed in explaining things to your analogs?" I request, nodding towards the rather....odd elven couple before me, "I did do quiet a bit of....study to do right by my son."

I gesture towards the elfin bo....no....the elfin man in question.

Damn them, those fell fairies! I've lost years of seeing him growing up, because of that tricked Author... According to Crossroads Man (still under contract so couldn't act directly), all for some kind of....Shadow War recruiting drive?! Makes me feel all the better for having paid those Dark Elven bastards back with a barrage of the ship's energy weaponry for having stolen him (and the other parent's children ).

Yes, much...

Oh, can say that the barrage was needed in order to cover our retreat, but....

....

Well, I smile fondly over at him (saying so much that can't be said by words alone....something only a few human beings not linked by love to elfin children ever know) before turning back to our....guests.

Frankly, if it wasn't for the signs I recognize on theses elves (a special breed as it were), then I'd let Fred and Astra tackle it whilst I steer this shuttlecraft BACK to the spaceport at the Elfin Nataion.

Back to the obviously almost insanely worried parents back there. However, there is this small problem, listener.

No, it is NOT the fact that I'm hesitating on going back for fear of getting thrown into the brig for grabbing this shuttlecraft without ANY paperwork (just TAKING it without any permission). No, I'm covered and good on that, mate. This problem with our guests falls into the realm of Champion/Celestrial business....and a lot of leeway is given by my superiors when that comes up!

Frankly, mate, the Military gets rather...nervous around actually meeting personifications of the underworkings of reality.

Works for me, anyway. Not that I am getting my a thrill at my CO's expense. Rather, I'm thanking God that I don't have to try to tap the JAG for defense for Court Martial......

Okay, see the blank look and I'll explain what is up here. First, the "problem" I keep referring to here.

Now, some resources I tapped whilst researching on the best ways of raising my elfin son in a right and proper elfin life was....interesting. Not the Military resources, the Terra Prime stuff. Rather than drown you with the details, I'll just sum it up with some side stuff I came across. The stuff that deals with Fey types of Elves in general. Dark elves in particular. This article on the Net tells a bit about what I mean:

http://www. pantheon.org /articles/e/elf. html

Now, the stuff about Dark Elves in THIS case being ugly? Utterly false! These elves before me are NOT that. However, the give away here is the eyes. See, ordinary elves have exotic eye coloration as well as the more normal "human" kind. The Fey elves (like those elfin Champions of our clan known as Ia'adoire & Lueoth) are the only ones to have amber (golden) eyes. Amber irises and only amber. Kind of a signature to tell the apart from the run of the mill elf. Kind of goes with the "Light" business, you see. Now, again with the eyes we have the Dark Elves. Oy, not saying they have very DARK irises. No, not that. They have no irises visible! That is, I mean their entire eyes are like pools of liquid shadow! Much akin to what you 'd see on a shark!

As an aside, Dark Elves have something of personalities like sharks. All business and deadly, their present culture a dark parody of normal elfin culture. They laugh and dance, but they'll do it to celebrate another persons pain and such. Believe you get the picture.....

Now, with this Celestrial business, the Military has as a precaution preprogrammed alert protocol within each and every spaceship to automatically scan and alert the pilots within if they should pick up such a passenger by mistake.

......

Frankly, I don't know WHY they have added such features to their fleet, but they have. As I've heard in scuttlebutt there had been some kind of "incident" on some parallel Terra the Millitary/Alliance Intel folks had trouble with them. Rumor had it that a team of Intel folks had been following leads on some kind of secret project those assholes in the Company had running....somewhere out there. Had been a false lead in the end, but whatever the encounter on that parallel Terra....it had been ugly and then some! Wild rumors or not, my sources say the Military folks nearly had their asses handed to them on a plate!

Can't confirm or deny it, though. Don't know enough (nor want to know) to do that!

Well, guess what gave off a scream whilst I was piloting the spaceship (the large brand kind)? That signal, but the thing that only saved these two elves, who have the blackest eyes I've ever seen from what I believe came from their final transformation phase (re: 24811).

Usually happens that way, certain facial features hanging on to the last. Kind of symbolic, somehow. Not a mage so can't say. Tried to understand what Jarlath told me, once, about that but.....I'll stick to my Engineering any old day!

Well, only thing that had stopped me from beaming them off the ship (and into space, wide spread) was that the readings weren't....quiet right. Like they were....almost but not quiet there.....

In other words, these are what I'd call proto-Dark Elves. From what I gather from what Fred 8 has told me after I took him aside (a bit after the ship got put into auto pilot, folks) it means that IF Eddie and friends hadn't interrupted, their Dark Elfin "guide" would have escorted them down the garden path, as it were. Oh, with the right torture (customized for "recruiting"), the proto-Dark Elves would have promised anything to end the pain (sort of like what the Demons did with Fred 8 and that "Thoabath" crap). The transformation would have been completed and they'd laughed, danced and all that as promised...all awhile what was left of the good inside slowly getting....assimilated and corrupted. Something akin to a cancer would have been injected into their souls, twisting them into dark parodies of their former selves.

Fred 8 doesn't remember it all, but enough to make my skin crawl.....

Makes me thankful that they'd had no earthly idea on how to actually crack my child's will. They are of a different mindset indeed from your average elf! Immune, by effect....

Author's Note: Read this character bios of one of the elves in question to get an idea of what Eric's referring to here:

http://www. geocities.com /rule179/ CharacterBios/ SoliktrilJones. htm#Jones

Not wanting to "ruin the package" they'd resorted to mental torture....and failed miserably. However, being too stubborn, they'd kept at it all that time while Underhill. Years their calendar (some places even going slower or faster than other places) while only minutes Terra Prime side....

.....

Makes me want to drop a nuke on them for that....but Ti'mma (their leader under adversity) lead them to freedom and jailbreak.....

Well, anyway, I actually DO tell them who I and the other are....and answer many more questions they have!

Elves, proto-Dark Elves or whatever, don't like to be taken lightly so I didn't short them by skimping on details (in as far as I could without violating my security grant, anyway).

Believe they STILL think all this (shuttlecraft and et al) is some kind of super wizardry. Understandable, considering their upbringing and that....and new race.

Shocked them plenty, anyway. Kept them somewhat docile long enough for them to not try to make escapes and all before I could get to them and speak!

See, I don't want them to run! Bad idea, mates! See, the Hell crew will probably still want their meat. These two are too far transformed to return to humanity (and I can damn well tell they don't want to go anyway).

But what can I do?! I've no idea on how to contact the only Entities who can help in the long term. Short term, Military heavy units (standard in port forces) and guards will work for now, but.....

One thing at a time, Eric!

Will go to Church here soon after this to thank God that Dr. Vincent had the presence of mind to call a mayday to ME (always am prepared....with a communicator or whatever). Would have been....ugly after they'd gotten swarmed over by the angry Dark Elves.

Bullets, bolts of lightning, and big toaster headed gorillas aside, Dark Elves are a tenacious lot who'll do that if they feel they must do it to defeat you!

Now, as to HOW they got here and all that, on Terra Prime, remains to be seen. Will have to ask a Rule or Agent when I get a chance....

Later. Right now....

Well, while we're jawing, all the other elves have re-united with their parents and I'll bet that Rules and Agents are asking Questions (Champion Questions) as we speak. Right now, though, I'm dealing with a situation that needs ME and the other Champions here and now.

My son, bless him, has stood back to let me handle it....

Now, with Fred and Astra (analog "relatives" of these elves....we get confirmed) they....now believe me. Hard, but they believe me even WITH their Fey sense of truth telling....

But now, for the other side to tell tales.

1. After hugging each other and shivering in reaction over the VERY close call they had, they finally get around to introducing themselves!

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