In the quiet solitude, disturbed only by the droaning of the reactor cores, I sat and waited patiently. I knew they would be searching for some fracture in our inpenetrable fortress. Drawing up to the control console to inspect the surrounding environment, I began looking for any signs of activity, a faded silouette, a brief radar return or the wrenching sound through the headset as a comrades helmet collapsed, and their comgear failed from penetrating their skull and subsequent brain tissue, until there was only silence. The control console interface appeared quiet except for subtle movements of our teams squad as it encroached upon the infidels headquarters.  Bright green shadows representing the elite quarter of a little-known group of rebels bent on returning the cosmos to order. Every so often I got lucky and would relay the intruders coordinates to the front line, then watch as my teammates surrounded and neutralized the aggressor.

The {FRAGGERS HALL}, a collection of knights, mercenaries and soldiers whose days in combat have left them little else but the battle field for a home and a desire to seek comfort in conflict.

The Tridian Wars of So'loth Prim lasted for generations and with each new life born in war there was forged a great evil. It would be this evil that ignited thousands of wars that swept rampantly through the cosmos and consumed everything in it's wake. An evil that churned up from the bowels of dark suns long dead, soldiers without valor or honor.

Mercenaries of Ganth, HunMithra, Zelt and worlds unknown filtered through the ranks under banners whose meaning held little concern. Only the possibility of wealth gained by emerging victorious remained steadfast in the remnants of their souls and the empty reminder that to attain such wealth meant the next great conquest could be the undoing of a lifetime's bloodshed.  They were the outcasts who found each other and banded together to present a formidable opponent. When the Me'sarian battle groups began appearing on outlying colonies, they saw the advantage in establishing a mutually beneficial treaty with the mercenaries. It was a mistake the Siridian Councel would face since it was the Me'sarn Overlord who wanted to inevitably conquer and rule from the celestial temple.  Barbarity and cowardice best describe the worst of the Me'sarn armies. When crushing through a small outpost they did unimaginable things to those who's fate placed them in their way. But as our forces drew within striking distance they would abandon the scorched remains and hypergate away. 

These hit and run tactics began taking their toll on the outer rim systems and it was finally decided that the genecide of the entire Me'sarn race was the only option to stop both their raids and their military support of the mercenaries. Many treaties were signed and many commitees were formed to outline the largest strategic defense initiative known since the time of the First Triad. A war was to be waged that would forever mark our small part of the universe and leave us at peace.  Incredible technology was brought into existence and many men were given the test, for not all were meant to bear the burden of knighthood.

Siridian Knights and Soldiers of the Nova Fleet found common enemies abundant upon the discovery of stellar travel. Eventually under one standard, that of the Cosmic Alliance, interstellar war erupted.  The outlying galaxies began to discover potential benefits of conquering our peoples and making slaves of all. The extermination of our culture and millions of others would leave our worlds to lie in ruin had it not been for the Siridian Knights of Fraggers Hall.  I, Quantum, fought beside these great men of valor, honor, spirit and cunning. On Vesea's moons, before the outbreak of the Wrendaren Plague, my weapon tore through the enemies flesh aside warriors whose names are now known as members of the elite squad which I will tell you about.

Of those I can recall this moment in time, those who proudly stood against the unyielding metal of Me'sars Overload and continue to fight and defend the peace, I will in good ernest now relay to you in the common tongue.

The Siridian Order
KNIGHTS of  FRAGGERS HALL

Bones. Amidst those of greater stature, engraved his name in history's journal as one of few who survived the 3rd Epoch of Gant, where his cellular structure was altered by biovast compounds that would forever leave him immaciated. His altered frame serves only to enhance his aggression as he is able to avoid most tactical installations and maneuver for devastating assaults.  This ability also served him before the Second Triad of So'loth Prim began in 5612. Indulging in carnal behavior he was intruded apon by Me'sarn guards. When the dust settled, I am told he ordered the chef to cook the hearts of 3 of the slain guards so those remaining could eat them before they were to retire to the de-molecularizer chamber, an unpleasant way to die. This story and others have carried forward many times to include interesting variations, such as the Bath-Hune Bat that Boneman was supposed to have caught by the feet, climbed aboard and rode it home from a battle field, 62 light-years away. Of course it's important to remember that the Bath-Hune Bat is 72 feet long with a wingspan of 298 feet,on average.

Volar the Incandescent. Who was savagely torn apart by Throgs. His glowing entrails were then used as illumination for a subsequent battle where a legion of o'Tasp cut down innocent women and children of many races all for the sake of miniscule traces of Chromium-412, a highly volatile isotope used in the production of vortex generators.

Alchemist of the Illuminati.  Severed the head of Osan Ur in the temple of Kell during a brief altercation where Osan accused Alchemist of invoking the code of infusion, which had been banned after the disappearance of star cluster M-242 in the Sil star system. In retort, Alchemist picked up a Forthian Blade of Light and cleanly separated Osan's head from his shoulders.  It was later revealed that Alchemist had indeed invoked the code of infusion, whereby the discovery of the 18th plane of reality was brought into being.  A librarian, Invoker, Catalyst for the Spacial Code of Honor and afficianado of portal transportation.  He became famous when, visiting the O'la'n successor to the throne of Vesea, for no apparent reason began chanting.  Several seconds after his chanting was noticed, the O'la'n successor burst into flames and vaporized before he had a chance to stand up.

Coyote (The Hunter). Trained as a death squad team member, a proud defender of the Siridian Order, Coyote discovered the secret agenda of Roule Penth, First Chancellor and member of the high councel to the Siridian Order.  Roule Penth had decided to stress the alliance to the breaking point using subversive means whereby he could attain a high seat in the councel. Offering the councel a brilliant solution that would almost instantly reunify the Siridian Order was merely a ruse to get the warrior caste off-world embroiled in a senseless struggle. Roules' plan did not take into account the tanacity of Coyote nor the loyalty in Coyotes' veins. For Roules' plan to work no less that 6 representatives of different planes would be assasinated to ensure the perception of the outside threat.  Coyote, an honorable noble from the House of the Wolf, knew it was a devious plot to overthrow the Siridian Order and since only the Vi`tal (death squad) were allowed close to Roule Penth it was an easy choice, righteousness of the Siridian Order must prevail.  At the afternoon gathering in Midst Temple, Coyote revealed his knowledge of the plan to the councel. In desperate retaliation Roule Penth offered his own version whereby Coyote himself was implicated as the conspirator and in vain bravado challenged Coyote to Masters Combat in the center of the temple.  Masters Combat is seldom used anymore except by warriors who understand it's meaning, only one fighter will emerge, the other will meet their end as a traitor. The fight lasted 12 seconds. Roule Penth was a treacherous man when behind your back, but a terrible fighter.  As his ribcage collapsed he was able to utter one last statement to Coyote, and those words have never been shared with anyone.

Scooter.  Exploits abound when you take to traveling alongside this soldier.  Once a Vortex Generator engineer, before the Tridian Wars broke out, Scooter was the designer of the Silf Lens.  When interstellar travel was conceived, a vehicle was required to tranport civilians and soldiers. The star drive of the first prototype shattered like broken glass when it attempted to project the vortex into normal space.  Scooter analysed the properties of spacial integration and redesigned the entire star drive, along with conceiving the method by which temporal convection effectively froze the drive. He discovered that as soon as the encapsulated vortex emitters contacted with the event horizon of the vortex the resulting resonant vibration established itself within the core and cascaded throughout the entire drive.  The resonant vibrations turned out to be stable gravity waves and the first step towards a quantum singularity drive was born. This won him the Telierien Peace Prize. Border wars brought him into the fray more than once and his expertise became appreciated by the Siridian Order, whereapon he was offered a chair among the Fraggers Hall.

Grizzly.  Formulated the first Echo-shielding composite used almost everywhere. His fondness for blood-letting finds it's origin in the depths of Zelt's twelfth moon, Oozgarn. As a security inspector for Nova Fleet, he would travel to outworld colonies and determine strategic threats on the borders. A contingent of Laryian Pleasure Women were accompanying him to Oozgarn when they were attacked.  It is said the sight he bore witness to turned his eyes to ice and his weapons to the hand of death.  When his last mistress had been struck down his soul filled with anger and pain, swelling so deep within him that when he had finished, none of the invaders were discernable from the creatures they had been, and his weapons all but molten plas-steel. On that day, I am told, the avenger of cruelty grew from a silent man and forever would those who rose their hands to the Siridian Order of Fraggers Hall find no peace within his sight.

Hammer.  As a young man, he began inside the Iris Temple of She'ar where were forged the weapons of war.  Adept at this art, he pursued further knowledge among the worlds of So'loth Prim.  His abilities became famous and drew great interest from the Siridian Order, even before the collapse during the First Triad began. Though he had no particular orientation he favored the Siridians' Order and the distaste for chaos proliferated by the Triad. Of note, the Triad occured when the three rulers of the temporal expanse gathered to reorient the galactic order, which was seen as a barbaric act since this realignment was fatal to all living things contained therein.  The Siridian Order was merely a celestial temple of Knights and the governing body that kept order in place, ensuring the peaceful coexistance of the thousands of colonies who joined them, and it was the Knights who opposed the Triad. Calling upon Hammers' services, they requested a weapon of immense power to keep the temporal continuum in harmony and the three rulers subdued. Hammer was given access to resources he cannot even discuss in the temple forum, from which he forged a great and terrible weapon that did as the Siridian Order requested.  Stored away deep within a celestial body unknown to all but the High Councel, it is revealed to it's new members only when the triad emerges from the singularity prison to which they were banished. Now a member of the Siridian Knights of Fraggers Hall he serves to protect it's secrets as well as the citizens of it's great continuum.

Birdlegs.  There is mention in old texts of a race of beings that existed on several worlds strewn about the cosmos known as 'Elves'. Tall, thin beings who possessed great stealth and agility. Perhaps long ago on an aged world these beings took to the stars to search for their origins and deposited colonies as they went, further proliferating their existence in the galaxy.  Tales of generations of these beings living great lengths of time and eventually merging into the known galaxies finds some grounds in truth as the councel has revealed in it's oldest libraries. Today this race is said to be the progenitors of the Vair, from which it is believed Birdlegs was fostered, as his stealth and agility in combat are only matched by those with whom he shares the honor of being an ancestor of.  Stories of speed in combat are endless as it is easy to witness on the battlefield. In an honorable test, Boneman and Birdlegs decided they would try to catch and ride a Bath-Hune Bat. They traveled to Forloth where the bat sought it's favorite prey, Throgs.  Boneman was able to grasp one by a leg but was unable to secure a position atop as a rider, whereas Birdlegs scrambled up both legs of another bat and rode it from Ulas canyon to Baentak at the edge of the Paz forest. Perhaps this is where he derived his name, as ruler of winged creatures. In combat he would run past the enemies front line and continue into their depths long before the enemy was aware.  Either for reconnaissance or to strike deep into the heart of their camp.  He excels at infiltration.

Skullface.  Another victim of the Third Epoch of Gant, his facial tissue has been tightened tremendously leaving the impression of a thinly clad skull.  Forced into exile after a political debacle in which Skullface threatened the Vice Chancellor Urthor, swearing the V.C. had been coerced by outworlders looking to invade or at least subjegate the planets peoples.  Skullface boarded the first transport to the inner circle, an outpost of the Siridian Order. Afraid his people were being sold out he asked if the the councel would investigate where he knew he could not.  When corroborating news of the Vice Chancellor's deceit and treachery returned it had already become apparent to his people on Velick 5. A large fleet of Me'sarn cruisers appeared in normal space just outside the L4 lagrange point between Gingpoc and it's second moon. Though the Me'sarn were driven back a large part of Gingpoc suffered tremendous damage. A small squad of Vi'tal were sent to return the Vice Chancellor to the court at the inner circle. Vice Chancellor Urthor plead not-guilty when he was caught.  Since it had been Skullface that had brought this treachery to the surface and helped to avoid the catastrophic destruction of Gingpoc, he was given the honor of disposing of Urthor (no longer Vice Chancellor) by whatever means necessary.  If you are curious as to what method he selected, it is best you ask him yourself as I cannot bear to put into words what I was told.

It is of these honorable warriors I have had stories to tell, though there are others I have of yet to discover their tales to share.  Many are the days when Me'sars Overlord tried to conquer the civilized areas of our inhabited space, seeking only to ravage and kill without thought. Me'sarn warriors and many other clans have joined on their sides.  It is our task to rid this plaque upon our worlds and restore peace.

My oath

So I swear as a Knight of Fraggers Hall
I shall not yield should our banner fall
nor declare with thine last breath defeat
or succumb to fear, doing so retreat

So stand I with you in battle true
knowing always, what we must do
Protect and honor the celestial lights
as a member of The Siridian Knights

In war and in peace, your humble servant.

Quantum

Copyright GEF 1999