Chapter 4-11

## Mikael

Following the departure of Takeshi from the Swordcourt after Tieken had tried to arrange a sparring match, Tieken enlists his son with the job of irking Takeshi into a fight.

Three days later, on May 18th, Mikael awakes to a loud racket after the arrival of a massive war machine into the Palace walls. It is sputtering to life. Upon leaving the castle and investigating, Mikael meets with Eugen and asks if he has any cool technology to give away. Eugen ponders, then admits he does have prototype ATRAP devices that could potentially capture sprites and to meet up with him at his workshop at night.

When arriving at the workshop, it turns out Eugen was unable to stop the Empress from ordering the prototype's to the junkyard. He prepares a map and has Mikael retrieve it himself.

Later that night, Mikael successfully ambushes the wagon carrying the devices in the junkyard and gazes upon their glory. Unfortunately he is ambushed by scrappers carrying Sortech weaponry far more advanced than his. Dimo is killed after Mikael tries to call their bluff. Then he has his head bagged and is brought to the Palace as a criminal caught in the act of stealing confidential technology.

Eugen comes to Mikael as he's tired in his cell and confronts him about the entire experience. Then he admits that it was a set up, and that after Mikael had asked about the technology he'd purposefully delayed their meeting so he could meet up with an associate. They had it planned for him to get caught in the crime and arrested, then executed.

The following morning Mikael is trialed. He is found guilty by the Tribune at a vote of 4-2 and told he'd be executed at sunfall. Again, he's imprisoned in a cell to wait for his demise, only hoping that Tieken would save him.

Tiemoko drops by, taunting him that she'd won the bet and that he is stuck in a cell. She drops the keys to his cell out of reach out of cruelty. Within hours Mikael is hauled off to the galleys, noose around his neck, only to be saved by a furious Tieken last minute. The father storms in - led by Tiemoko - and kills one of the soldiers attempting to hang him. He is overwhelmed by rage caused by the attempted murder of his son.

Tieken finds who is responsible thanks to what Eugen told Mikael: General Cicero of the Tribune. Tieken intimidates the general into cooperation and orders him to entrap Eugen and have him deported to Oriah. Additionally, Tieken has Cicero organize all the dirt on himself he can: or he'd do it personally. Tiemoko is put in charge of overseeing Cicero and his duties.

Before the night was over, Tieken admitted to Mikael that Cicero's ultimate purpose was to bring Tiemoko into power as the first and only heir of the Empress after she and her daughter die at war. Then, Mikael is excused.

The next morning, May 20th, Mikael finds Tiemoko after she's captured Eugen. They talk for a while, and Mikael reveals that she is in fact the daughter of Empress Mayus. Seemingly unperturbed, Tiemoko tells Mikael to leave.

### Characters

* Mikael
* Tieken Orredo
* Tiemoko Orredo
* Eugen Namely
* General Cicero Vangelis
* Thea Sadao
* Caelin Tol Mayus
* Dimo

### Times

* May 18th, 335
* May 19th, 335
* May 20th, 335