The Halls of Venus
Rivers Between Us stepped out of the makeshift tent into the command center. A five foot tall steel alloy jaguar focused it's optical lenses on him with difficulty, it's servos still damaged from when its logic processors where cracked open with a crowbar. "Mzplkr... lawgiver, the last rebels in the Marsgate sector have been subdued and reprogrammed. The Halls of Venus have been pacified."
"Mmm..." He turned as he heard a question shouted from inside the tent, then quickly motioned for the jaguar to follow him as he strode through the clearing. "Good, and the avenues have been prepared?"
"You'll be most impressed. We're nearly 27% complete alreadiddegyxy."
Rivers glanced at the nearly sentient creature and waved at it with a dismissive gesture. "Report to the Beta mobile repair facility and designate another spokesperson, please."
He shook his head and walked another dozen feet before rabbit-like creature with twelve antennae radiating from the back of a brass skull began matching his stride. "In another week, we should be able to set up a temporary transit system to and from the next halls. Construction has already begun in the cleared zones. We'll be ready for the return of the populace and full functionality within a month at the most."
The sorcerer walked to the intersection of the perpendicular avenues that were being formed to divide the halls. He turned to the rabbit and said, "You just don't remember... what was lost here will take decades... maybe even centuries..."
While he spoke, tiny motes of clear blue essence gathered about his hands and his eyes became unfocused. The sparks drifted almost aimlessly about him, bobbing and dancing like fireflies as a pale gold light, threaded with cerulean traces, began to shimmer over his skin. As he turned with a relaxed gesture of one upturned palm, the lights floated away from him in eight directions at once, and were their light shone, pale blue images became superimposed over the tangled black conduits, the webs of interface wiring and maddening monitor screens filled with Old Realm gibberish. For a few moments he let the vision hold: the houses built like spiraling conch shells of lacey filigree, each one a beacon of colored light, the people lounging on floating divans while genetically engineered and flawlessly crafted entertainers cavorted for their amusement, the speeding skyships carrying scholars and dignitaries in swift luxury, the halls filled with musicians and dancers, the automata of glittering crystal walking and conversing with golden robed demigods...
The image began to fade, but its light remained in the eyes of the sorcerer. The rabbit twitched it's burnished nose and pricked an antenna as a flash and distant explosion reminded them of the work that even then continued.
