Dreams of Peace and Acts of War

Help with Conference Security

You have proven that you can handle some weird situations, so I want your help with something strange. I need you to work security on one of the most important conferences in the history of mankind. Interested?

I'm glad to hear it. The conference is to discuss terms of peace between humanity and the Rikti Traditionalist faction. You did hear that correctly. One of the factions of Rikti on Earth seeks a peaceful end to the war. They are the far smaller faction, but it is a start. This conference is delicate, to say the least, and someone of your experience will be an excellent asset. Dress well, this is an important time. Your main responsibility is to guard Lady Grey. Once you arrive on site, keep your eyes open for signs of trouble. It'll be up to you to determine if anything seems amiss.

Serpent Drummer hands you a book entitled 'Rikti Factions Vol. 1' to help you catch up, in case you weren't familiar with the Traditionalist and Restructurist factions.

Rikti Factions, Vol 1

This book is an explanation of how the Rikti have become divided since their time on Earth. While there's a great deal of information covered in the book, a series of bookmarks and highlightings help you pick out the important information:

Ever since the end of the First Rikti War, the Rikti on Earth appear to have suffered through disagreements about how best to proceed. These disagreements grew until the Rikti on Earth began to factionalize into two groups: the Traditionalists and the Restructurists.

The Traditionalists believed that wherever they were, they should maintain the norms of Rikti society, with its slow decisions reached through psychic debate and group consensus. The majority of the Traditionalists were from the minority of scientists and engineers who had accompanied the invasion force and had been trapped when the portals were sealed.

The Restructurists felt that the old paradigms wouldn't work in their current situation and were open to creating new ones, centered around the military majority of the invading force. They quickly became focused on advancement through military accomplishment and swelled their ranks with converted humans.

The Traditionalists were terrified of these changes as they saw their society turned upside-down and becoming a military dictatorship. In an attempt to blunt the power of the Restructurists, they've even begun talking to humanity about ending the war. The Restructurists need the continued war to justify their changes, and are unlikely to accept any peace.

It is conjectured that on the Rikti Homeworld, the military is a small minority of Rikti population, and that the Rikti civilian government could have far more power. But, in the war on Earth, the Rikti military and the Restructurists are all anyone knows.

The Lady Grey spoke well of you, and I can see why. The negotiations will continue, thanks to your efforts in coordinating the defense, but the Nemesis Army was not completely unsuccessful. We must now reverse their gains and recover our losses.

On mission failure:

The Lady Grey was teleported away to safety, thankfully. You however... you have let me down on this mission and in doing so brought Nemesis closer to his goal, whatever that might be. Our 'hole' in security has allowed the Prince of Automatons to kidnap the attendees of the peace conference.

This is not a good way to start, Red Tomax.

Rescue Captives from the Nemesis Army

Your admirable defense of the talks will allow them to continue, but the Nemesis Army did make gains, which we must now reverse. They captured 6 of the negotiators before they were fought back. Fortunately, their mole-machine was damaged and had forced them to traverse natural caverns instead of traveling to their rally point more directly. This has delayed them greatly and exposed them to counter-attack. A counter-attack I feel you would be well-suited to lead.

Our own work mapping the tunnels beneath the zone has paid off again, providing us with a direct route for you to intercept the Nemesis Army troop column. Once you get there, your goal will be to liberate the hostages. Most will likely flee, but if any are willing to help, all the better.

Though some of the diplomats and negotiators will be spending some time in the hospital after their ordeal, all will recover, and the negotiations will continue. Unless some sort of devastating attack occurs, we should be able to conclude these negotiations soon.

On mission failure:

Luckily, we were able to teleport General Aarons and C'Kelkah away, but this is a bad sign. The Traditionalists are threatening to pull out of the peace talks if we don't get results on this Nemesis angle soon.

Defend the base!

Rikti Restructurist forces are amassing for an attack against our base. They fear the signing of the peace treaty between us and their rival faction, the Traditionalists. This attack must be held off and actions all over the city have depleted our forces. Red Tomax, can we count on you to defend this base?

Very soon, the peace between the peoples of Earth and one of the two Rikti factions on our world will be signed. But that will not happen if the coming attack is not stopped. Our other agents are trying to counter-attack, but our new Traditionalist allies have promised assistance. Link up with any other troops, and be prepared for any kind of Rikti attack. This will only end once the Raid leader shows himself, and is defeated. Good luck.

Rikti attacks are a constant threat, but they're really throwing everything into this one!

Objective: You have defeated the raid's leader!

Hro'Dtohz: Invincible!

Though defeated, this Restructurist soldier still wanted to have the last word:

"Hero status: Foolish! Accomplishment Duration: Short Lived! Rikti (Homeworld) Leadership: Victory Assurance. Hro'Dtohz Leadership: Unstoppable Power. Hro'Dtohz: Invincible!"

The raid leader passed out after he'd said his peace, and you're left wondering who or what is "Hro'Dtohz"?

Mission Complete: You have defeated the raid and the peace treaty has been signed.

The Traditionalists have signed the peace accord, mostly thanks to your efforts to stop the attack. However, when word reached them that this Hro'Dtohz was now involved, they became very afraid. We are speaking with them about this. While we have made great strides, I fear that the war is far from over.

Defend Portal Corporation

The Traditionalists have shared some important news with us. It seems that the Restructurists have been able to open a tenous portal back to their homeworld. This has been the source of their new troops and supplies. However, a door opens both ways, and they have a plan to use the Portal Corporation gateways to access what they believe is an open gateway back to the Rikti Homeworld, to spread news of the peace. However, it appears we have been outmaneuvered. The Rikti strike from out of nowhere with a renewed ferocity. I had hoped to give you some rest after all of your work, but now I must call on you once more to save Portal Corp from Rikti attack.

We will transport you directly there using our own portals. Reports from the defenders indicate that the Rikti have a new kind of portal that they are using to assault the base. You must close these assault portals to end the attack. Good luck.

You receive a dossier on Hro'Dtohz, the Lord of the Lineage of War.

The Hro'Dtohz file

This dossier has been put together using mostly Rikti sources. The first few are all about the rise and fall of the Rikti homeworld's military caste, called the Lineage of War.

After the initial wars to unify the planet thousands of years ago, the Lineage of War was very small, only rising to prominence during a very few infrequent civil wars and insurrections. Their last big operation was against an alien force called the Battalion about 100 years ago. Since then, their power had been tapering off to its normal ceremonial levels until the start of the war with Earth.

Several files about the Earth war are heavily redacted, probably for security reasons, but the gist of it is that the Lineage of War had a new leader, a young Rikti military genius called Hro'Dtohz. Originally trained as an historian, he was the one the Rikti mental network turned to in their darkest hour, and the one who organized the new military and the war against Earth.

According to the Traditionalist's mental profiles, Hro'Dtohz is certainly a military genius, but is also considered extreme in his thought and action. The translators have some trouble, because there are no terms in the Rikti language to express the qualities they see in the Lord of the Lineage of War. Determination and genius are concepts they understand. But Ambition? Pride? Even the warrior's sense of honor and desire to fight are things you can see shining out of his profile, but which most Rikti could only barely comprehend.

Hro'Dtohz had been trapped on the Rikti Homeworld when the Omega Team sealed the conduit between worlds, but with the news from the Traditionalists that a tenuous gateway has been re-opened, the threat posed by the Lord of the Lineage of War is now all too real.

The Rikti moved within moments after the Traditionalists began their plan. I fear that they anticipated our maneuver. The next logical step would be for them to counter-attack. This has me worried.

Fight back Rikti attacks

Reports are coming in of Rikti attacks both in Paragon City and the Rogue Isles. I am coordinating actions with Levantera and Borea to fight them, but we need all available help.

Good. We are responding to incidents as they arise, but there are attacks everywhere. Speak to Borea, she will set your first target for counter-attack.

Overbrook Dam has seen a lot of trouble over all these years.

Objective: You've defeated the raid's leader. He had some important looking documentation on him.

Captured Information

These documents and data storage devices were in an armored case, and are clearly important. However, it will take the resources back at the Vanguard base to fully translate them.

Mission Complete: You have stopped the Rikti Raids.

These raids were coordinated well. Your actions and the actions of many others prevented a great deal of damage, but I fear that our latest intelligence shows that this was only a diversion for their next true objective. I only hope that the information you found can tell us what that objective might be. I will run this by Mr. Decker, we should know the contents soon.

Strike Wargod Hro'Dtohz

The information you retrieved has been translated by Mr. Decker. It details the timetable for this phase of the Rikti's plan, and gives us an opportunity. Hro'Dtohz himself is going to be inspecting part of the tunnel network. He will be exposed, and could be captured with a quick, surgical strike. You have done much already, I thought it only proper that you undertake this task.

If we can defeat the leader of the Lineage of War now, it would cripple the Rikti's military efforts. We sent ahead a scout team to try and confirm the intelligence, but haven't heard back from them. If you can locate them, they could be of great help to you.

If you can catch Hro'Dtohz by surprise, it could change the shape of the entire conflict.

Objective: You defeated Hro'Dhohz, but he escaped, and is certain to return.

Lord of War: Hro'Dtohz [Arch-Villain] The Supreme Commander of the Rikti Lineage of War, Hro'Dtohz is the one responsible for commanding the vast power of the Rikti Military in the war against Earth. A ruthless tactical genius with his own twisted code of honour, he is set on humanity's extermination or subsumption.

Mission Complete: Even though he escaped, the defeat of Hro'Dtohz will surely upset the Rikti's plans.

'Nothing Else: Makes Sense'

Though he didn't seem like the type to talk much, the Rikti Psi-scout called Lk'Onik had something he wanted to say:

'Longtime Didn't: Trust Humans.
We Thought: Humans Attacked: First.
Was There: First Attack.
Thousands: Dead. Lost: Everything Important.
Looked like: Freedom Phalanx.
Further Attacks: Dozens.
Finally Traced: Point of Origin.
Thought Justification: Protecting Ourselves.
... : ...
Since then, seen: Freedom Phalanx; Seen: Earth-Heroes.
Phalanx = Attackers: Impossible.
My Theory: Praetorians. Nothing Else: Makes Sense.'

You fought the Lord of the Lineage of War and forced him to retreat, defeated. Though he escaped, it is a victory. The Rikti offensive has stalled and though we do not know their true ends, with our new alliances we will have a real chance to defeat whatever stratagem they may pursue. You have done very well indeed.

Now, while the pressure from the Rikti has abated for the moment, we have a short span of tiime to deal with other matters, and there is another who would like your assistance in a more internal matter of great importance. His name is Gaussian.

Gaussian wishes to hold an audience with you.