6200 - Book 1 - Beginnings - Chapter 4

Chapter 4 -

Up until recently the race known as the Caterhan were almost a complete mystery, studies of their genome showed an almost 85% match with that of the human genome along with key markers that were found in remains of both Progenitors and Ancient Thebans, it wasn’t until an archeological team unearthed a crashed shuttle craft several years ago [5912 C.E.] on the home planet of the Caterhan [Cahera].

It seems from studies that approximately 800,000 years ago a Progenitor survey vessel made a crash translation from Hyperspace when their hyperspace engine [actual name of engine is untranslatable at the time of this publication] had a catastrophic failure and several shuttles and escape pods managed to leave before the vessel imploded, most of the shuttle craft and escape pods were destroyed in the implosion. However a single shuttle was able to make it to the fourth planet of the system dubbed Cahera during an earlier survey. The shuttle had managed to evacuate close to fifty people but was damaged and crashed into the planets surface killing all but eight of the passengers and these were terribly injured and near death. The crash also had another catastrophic effect that it crashed into the last known village of a nearly extinct race of felinoids and killed most of the village dwellers.

After the smoke had cleared the remaining evacuees managed to make their way out of the wreckage only to be confronted by an unknownsentient species, the felinoids appeared to be more curious than hostile and when they found that the visitors were dying they performed a ritual. During the ritual the Felinoids latent psychic powers came to the fore and the entire remaining village [the logs from the shuttle vary on the number of villagers from a dozen upwards to seventy or so] merged physically with the crash survivors creating a new race.

After the merger the new race came out healthier and more physically fit, while the Caterhan are described as catlike the only actual features they have in common with actual felines is their split pupil eyes that have better visual acuity than a humans. However their movement appears to be more along the lines of those a cat would make as are their mannerisms and attitudes.

Dr. Stanislaw Medloe - Professor of Galactic & Xeno-History Cambridge College

In His Book - A History of the Milky Way Galaxy and its Inhabitants - Vol. XIX 5928

Center of the Milky Way Galaxy - Hyperspace Terminus

Coronet Station - Coalition Main Conference Room

November 10th, 6200 C.E. - 12:00 CST 

As part of its plan to integrate and infiltrate human space the Tantalan Hive Mind sent a representative to the Galactic Coalition and sued for admittance to that august body.

“The floor recognizes the Tantalus Representative TNU-6-68-55-72,” the Minister of Affairs intoned over the intercom system and banged his gavel.

As the last of the Minister of Affairs words resonated through the chamber a female figure clad in only a dark blue metallic nanno-sheath from head to toe her only facial features being a pair of glowing blue eye lenses strode from the shadows and up to the speakers dais.

“The Hive Mind would like to thank the Minister Of Affairs and the Galactic Coalition Council for recognize it as a fully governing body and Star Nation unto itself,” the Nobility Unit that had once been the captain of the pirate vessel Jean Lafayette said in an echoing tone.

“It is the Hive Mind’s wish to join the Galactic Coalition and show that we are not like our less fortunate brethren which you refer to as the Quislings. We only wish to live in peaceful coexistence and to expand slowly and peacefully by allowing any who wish to join the hive mind to do so of their own free will.”

The Hive Mind used it’s puppet to answer and assuage any questions the Coalition had and they soon voted to allow entry of the Tantalus Hive Mind as a member of the Galactic Coalition.

Center of the Milky Way Galaxy - Hyperspace Terminus

Coronet Station - Main Control Center

November 10th, 6200 C.E. - 14:55 CST 

“Have they lost their minds, these Tantalans are just smarter Quislings, give ‘em enough time and they’ll start assimilating whole worlds,” Samantha Masters pushed out angrily.

“Actually that is what they have promised to do,” Master Khol told the youngest member of the stations Triumvirate.

“Yes, but the only planets they said they would assimilate are those already infested with Quislings, and thus eliminating a threat,” Elistra said running a brush through her daughter Edenna’s silvery hair.

“You know what I mean, once they get done with the Quisling Quarantine zone they’ll have thousands of planets under their control and they’ll move on to whoever is the next closest.” Samantha argued.

“Yes they probably will,” Khol agreed with her.

“So now you are agreeing with me,” Samantha said in exasperation.

“I’ve never stated disagreement with your hypothesis,” Master Khol told her. “We must however approach this calmly and with much discipline,” Master Khol said quietly.

“Have you looked at the agreement that the Coalition signed with them?” Samantha asked waving a hardcopy of said document in Master Khol’s direction. “It’s given them permission to assimilate anyone they consider as trespassers or breakers of their laws,” Samantha said practically throwing the sheaf of papers across the room in disgust.

“Well that is the thing that the leaders of the Coalition decided upon unfortunately,” Master Khol nodded. “The Tantalans seem to have picked a most fortuitous time to make their appearance while all the other star nations are pointing fingers at one another,” he said musingly.

“Maybe too fortuitous,” Elistra said still brushing her daughter’s hair.

Theban Cluster - Caruthers Sector - Caruthers World - Caruthers City

Executive Ladies Escort Service

November 11th, 6200 C.E. - 16:00 CST

Executive Ladies Escort Service was a small business and employed only half a dozen girls as well as the Madame. Originally the bordello had been a front for the Neo-Prussian Empire Quisling Handler known as the Madame.

After the destruction of the Quisling War and the death of Klaus Strausfeld the Madame was cut off and had to subsist off the meager earnings of the bordello itself.

Finally Madam Arelia Feldtmeyer had given in and sold the business to a company called Tantalus Pleasure Products.

Up to this point the bordello had basically provided companionship and sexual needs for medium budget personages and businesses.

Former Agent Provocateur Madame Arelia Feldtmeyer was nervous as she gathered the other six girls of Executive Ladies Escort Service in the meeting room in the back that was usually reserved for VIP guests who wanted to entertain their fellow VIPs with girls. As for the girls themselves they were nervous as well. The girls including Arelia were dressed in their working clothes of the thinnest lingerie with light dressing gowns made of diaphanous materials over them.

Finally the door from the front room where Amanda Grant the receptionist was watching the front and the Tantalus Pleasure Products representative stepped into the room he noticed that the women waiting for him were rather on the nervous side.

“No need to be nervous ladies, my name is Tarin Nowell and I’m your TPP representative,” he said introducing himself.

The women visibly relaxed as Tarin smiled. “No one is being fired or let go and as a special gift my employers have okayed me to give you samples of one of our latest products,” Tarin opened the briefcase he had been carrying and pulled out seven plastic boxes and handed them out.

The girls looked at them curiously and Tarin gestured for them to open them up, inside each box was a nanno-injector. The girls looked at them curiously and Tarin gestured again for them to open them.

“Now you may be thinking, what is so great about another nanno-injector,” Tarin said smiling. “Well ladies these use the latest in nanno-technology for your pleasure enhancement, each one has nannites that directly stimulate the pleasure centers of the brain, you just dial it in, inject it and it then heads for those pleasure centers, and you can even set the intensity of the experience, there is even the ability to set a duration if you want it to stop automatically,” Tarin finished explaining.

The girls looked genuinely interested but still hesitated.

Tarin gave a disarming smile, “Well before we actually get started then let me get your names and some information for the survey forms.”

Arelia Feldtmeyer

Shelly Monroe

Parsimony Shellbien

Erica Lowe

Carola Lindquist

Emmy Marlowe

Patricia Watts

Tarin gave the women another smile after he completed the forms. “Okay ladies, the company asked me to have you go ahead and try these out for us. The nanno-injectors are till in the prototype stage and then we’ll need some feedback, so go head and try them and then fill out the rest of the survey cards afterwards.”

The girls looked at Arelia and she just nodded and they fiddled with the injectors for a moment adjusting the settings and then pressed them to their necks and pressed the injection stud.

Arelia waited till the other girls had already started and then went ahead and injected her own once the first moans of pleasure had started from the girls. Placing it against her neck it felt cool and odd for a second and then a flush of warmth suffused her skin as she injected herself.

As the nannites worked Arelia soon found that she was panting and moaning pleasure, first at a slow pace and then her breath quickened as the pleasure rippled and coursed through her body. After a few minutes of the stunning pleasure when it didn’t deactivate she felt something was wrong, through her panting and orgasms she managed to look down and saw that her whole body was vibrating like a taught piano wire. She watched horrified as a gray metallic substance had conformed to her naval, continuing to watch in equal parts horror and pleasure as her lips dilated into a perfect circle. Reaching down Arelia attempted to pull at the metallic gray substance but it wouldn’t move. Feeling at tickle at the back of her throat she started coughing and then watched in even more horror as first a gray metallic fluid flowed out of her mouth and then was followed by a metallic cream colored one.

The pleasure was coursing through Arelia’s body and she no longer cared about the constant coughing, she didn’t feel it as her arms slid behind her back, her hands cupping her buttocks, squeezing and kneading her butt cheeks adding more pleasure as they did so.

Her mouth slowly widened into an O as a metallic gray ring formed around her lips and mouth.

After the nanno-sheaths had completely covered the escorts seven quietly waiting Tantalus Siren Assimilation Units sat without movement. Since the Siren Units were nothing more than sexual playthings to help the Hive Mind infiltrate human society the only instruction they received from the hive mind through their Quantum Flux Space Transceivers were the those need to pleasure their clients and to await other instructions, in the mean time sexual ecstasy was constantly piped through their bodies by the hive mind.

After her transformation a black nanno-sheathed hand lovingly caressed the side of Arelia Feldtmeyer’s now cream colored nanno-sheathed skin and brushed away several hairs from it.

[Welcome Siren Assimilation Units to the hive mind sisters, you are only the first of many of your kind and shall be the test stage of the Tantalus Pleasure Palace Bordellos to be created on this planet and soon many others will be added to the Hive Mind]

Tantalan Infiltration Unit designated as TIU-13-62-19-71 who had disguised himself as the former Tarin Nowell spoke mentally via the Quantum Flux transceivers to the newly created pleasure drones.

With the use of the Quantum Space Flux transceiver that connected him to the hive mind TIU-13-62-19-71 contacted the other Infiltration units waiting close by with more Pleasure Drones converted from prostitutes taken from streets and made his report.

[TIU-13-62-19-71 reporting successful completion of mission, the following units have been added to the hive mind -

TSIU-6-34-91-60

TSIU-6-71-58-80

TSIU-6-130-73-86

TSIU-6-36-66-55

TSIU-6-50-12-129

TSIU-6-56-10-87

TSIU-6-76-13-83

I have completed assimilation and it is time to bring in the other 43 units as well as the construction crews. Once they have completed construction we shall start the business running again]

Reconstruction of the bordello took nearly a week to be completed, as part of the work the larger living quarters of the individual escorts were split into several smaller rooms and done with tasteful comfortable décor. Each room had a simple comfortable bed with a document hanging above each bed stating that the former women had given themselves willingly to become pleasure drones.

At the end of the week the bordello re-opened the Executive Ladies Escort Service sign was replaced by a Tantalus Pleasure Palace sign.

Out in the reception area while the escorts and Madame were turned into pleasure drones the receptionist Amanda Grant was assimilated as an Infiltration Unit.

Across the Theban Cluster this scene was repeated on dozens if not hundreds of worlds.

UNSF - Manhattan Sector - Brooklyn System - Brooklyn IV/Neo-Brooklyn

Ciciliano’s Italian Restaurant

November 11th, 6200 C.E. - 15:00 CST

It was decided by the group that Barr and Jason would do the talking when they finally met Big Don Frescetti, although some preparation had to be done ahead of time and they had to find out the best place and time to approach Frescetti.

Before the meeting they did a bit of shopping and picked some things up, Barr purchased black suits for Ernie, Jon, Joe, and Aehgr while he got himself a dark gray one and Jason bought himself a cream colored suit, needing another vehicle they also purchased a brand new Dodge Charger Sedan.

The SUV with Joe, Aehgr, and Ernie in it was in the lead as they drove to the restaurant, following behind the SUV was the Charger with Jon driving, Barr in the front passenger seat and Jason in the back.

“You realize you look like Hercule Poiroit from Death on the Nile,” Barr told him turning slightly in the seat.

“If one wishes to impress, one must dress the part,” Jason said with a sniff.

“Just don’t get stuck on your self,” Barr growled turning back around.

When they reached Ciciliano’s Jon parked the car in a spot right out front and then got out to open the door for Jason with Barr getting out and surveying the area, Aehgr and Ernie stayed in the SUV and Joe joined the group as they walked into the dimly lit Italian restaurant.

As Joe, Jon, Barr, and Jason entered the restaurant Don and Eugene Frescetti were the only occupants of the dining room if you didn’t count the half dozen or so bodyguards sitting around the room at tables and paying little attention to the food that was in front of them.

“I’m sorry Sirs, the restaurant is closed for a private party,” the owner told them as they entered.

“Mr. Rite isn’t here to eat, he’s here to speak with Mr. Frescetti,” Joe told the owner and pushed past him.

The guards at the various tables started to go for weapons but Don Frescetti waved them still during the commotion at the door.

Joe stayed by the door looking menacing, Jon took up station near the dining room entry and Barr followed Jason to the table standing behind him as he took a seat.

“Mr. Frescetti my name is Mr. Rite,” Jason started off. “It seems we may have a common problem that both of us want resolved.”

“What would that common problem be Mr. Rite,” Frescetti questioned his attention on the plate of lasagna in front of him.

“It’s come to our attention that recent activities of the Gandredi’s have caused much loss of life among your employees,” Rite said with a questioning note.

The elder Frescetti just nodded his head but his son Eugene answered, “Yeah they’ve killed at least two dozen of our delivery drivers and a lot of our other ones have quit.”

“Eugene calmly,” Frescetti admonished his son who got a chagrined look on his face. “How exactly does this concern you and your associates Mr. Rite?” the elder Frescetti asked.

“They have recently impinged on some of our warehousing territory and we really do not appreciate that fact,” Jason explained.

“Oh really, and what exactly do you want me to do about that,” Frescetti asked.

“Nothing, well almost nothing,” Jason amended. “We would like access to one of your delivery trucks and some uniforms; we’ll take care of the problem from there and no one will be the wiser as to what happened.”

Don Frescetti raised and eyebrow, “Will this involve deaths,” he asked. “No never mind I don’t wish to know as long as you take care of the Gandredi’s and they leave us alone I don’t really care. Gentleman I’m not a man of violence but the recent attacks on my employees has left me heartbroken and somewhat ashamed that I don’t have the resources to do something about it.”

“Don’t worry Mr. Frescetti by the time we get done the Gandredi family will be nothing but a foot note in history if even then,” Jason said smiling. “As the bible put it I believe, “I shall leave no stone atop another, to paraphrase.”

Frescetti just nodded, “How do I get in contact with you to get you the uniforms and van?”

Jason handed him a moly-chip, “Just call that number and we’ll come and pick the items up at a location you specify.”

Frescetti fingered the moly-chip, nodded and placed it in the front pocket of his suit coat.

“Good day Mr. Frescetti,” Jason said nodding to the two gentlemen as he stood up and left the restaurant with Barr a few steps behind him.

Jon and Joe fell into step behind them then split off to their vehicles and drove back to the warehouse.

“Oy, I just so dislike black, it’s so hard to keep clean,” Aehgr said running off to put on one of his usual pure white mono-film duty suits.

“It could always be worse, we could have been at a funeral,” Ernie said cheerfully. “Although most have pretty decent food at the wakes,” He added. “That and the flowers there are always pretty flowers at a funeral.”

Barr just shook his head and unknotting his tie took it off, “Okay so we’ll have disguises and transport soon and then we can go from there.”

“What exactly are we going to be doing,” Joe asked.

“Well we’ll play a little wolf in sheep’s clothing,” Barr started and explained the initial part of his plan to the others.

Theban Cluster - Caruthers Sector - Caruthers System - Caruthers World

Theban Cluster Fleet Headquarters - Office of Fleet Intelligence

November 15th, 6200 C.E. - 14:00 CST

Commander Wyndsor Conroy downed another nannite laden stomach suppressant and chugged a glass of water. Ever since that initial report almost nine months ago things had deteriorated even further than he thought they would have. Just about every polity in the galaxy was moving fleets and troops around and the ISL was screaming about the loss of Sonnet to the Evaran Empire.

Wyndsor looked at it this way if the ISL would actually get a decent navy they wouldn’t be continuously losing their members to other star nations. But that wasn’t the only thing upsetting his stomach he had a report on his desk telling him that a new type of Quisling had appeared and was making new inroads into the Theban Cluster through business areas.

“No not Quislings I guess,” Wyndsor mused aloud. “Tantalans and they’ve declared themselves as the Tantalus Hive Mind to a select few polities,” he read aloud from the report.

On the surface the Tantalans didn’t seem to be much of a threat or at least currently an aggressive one. However one of the numerous moly chip stored reports listed every business that they had purchased over the last few months; another report listed all of the known persons that had supposedly willingly become members of the hive mind. Of those numbers of people most of them seemed to be in the sex/fetish industry or even street walking prostitutes. However the Hive Mind had covered itself well with these officially filed certificates that stated the individual in question had willingly given themselves to the Hive Mind. Of those assimilated by the Hive Mind especially those that had been in the former profession of sex they had been turned into these Pleasure Drones that were appearing in Tantalus Pleasure Palace Bordellos across Theban Cluster Space, or were being sold in the Elysium Fields chain of sex/fetish shops to private individuals. The chain of stores itself had expanded explosively after their purchase and an aggressive advertisement campaign. It seemed that the Pleasure Drones were even over taking the sales of Genetic Slave Companion models from the Neo-Prussian Empire. The former humans seemed to be nothing more than the latest and greatest version of the centuries old blow up doll.

Also amid the stacks of reports on his desk was one from various Galactic Medical Association doctors that had examined the Pleasure Drones to make sure that they couldn’t pass on their nanno-virus to customers.

Wyndsor grunted as he stabbed a Galactanet mail account into the hard holography keyboard of his desk terminal and left a message for a friend of his; someone who might be able to do something for him or at least get him some information on what was going on in Hive Space as it was being referred to in the halls of Office Of Fleet Intelligence.

Tantalus Hive Mind - ACS-001 - Somewhere Near the System Yushima Limit

Theban Cluster Government Registered Vessel - Fleet 1

November 17th, 6200 C.E. - 17:28 CST

“Captain something is wrong with the hyperspace inertia rotor cap,” Chief Petty Officer Elain Decairne shouted as the whole of Fleet 1’s mass juddered and shook.

“What’s the problem Chief Decairne,” Captain Dennis Feldtman asked engineering’s senior NCO.

“She’s losing phase sir, and I’m not sure why, the blades keep slipping in and out of the slide,” Decairne tried to explain.

“Where’s Commander Farnham?” the captain asked.

“He’s trying to stabilize the rotor now Sir,” Decairne answered.

“Alright we’ll drop out of hyperspace and see what we can do to fix it,” the captain ordered.

“Aye Sir,” Decairne dropped off the screen.

Feldtman turned from the holo screen to the navigation officer, “Mr. Jascos I need an immediate crash dive from hyperspace,” he ordered.

“Aye Sir, performing immediate crash dive from hyperspace,” Lt. Jascos said confirming the order.

As the vessel left hyperspace normal space bulged outward and then popped like a soap bubble as the vessel breached the Yushima limit between hyperspace and real space. Still traveling at a somewhat high rate of speed the Navigation officer started breaking their momentum with bursts from the bow thrusters and brought the ship to a somewhat gentle stop.

“Astro-Nav any clue as to where we are?” the captain asked.

“Yes, Sir,” the Astro-Nav officer replied putting a view of their current location on the main Holo-Vid for him to see. “We are currently at the edge of the former Neo-Prussian Empire System Bavaria that is now considered part of the Tantalus Hive Mind,” the AstroNav officer informed him.

“Well at least we have landed in a semi-friendly star nation,” the captain muttered and then turned to his comm screen again punching in a number.

“Yes,” The thin face of James Masters said from the small screen.

“Mister Prime Minister it appears we are having difficulties with the Carmine-Yushima drive. We’ve come out of hyperspace in the Tantalus Hive Mind’s main system.” the captain informed the Theban Cluster’s Prime Minister.

“Well keep me informed and make sure to contact the Tantalus authorities letting them know that we are here before they get trigger happy,” the Prime Minister told the captain.

“Yes sir, I’ll have communications do that immediately,” the captain replied and then the Prime Minister popped off the screen.

Just as the Captain was about to order a ship wide check of the hull and systems every Holo-Vid on the ship popped to life showing a golden nanno-sheathed head and shoulders with glowing golden eyes.

“We are the Tantalus Hive Mind and you have trespassed into our territory,” the face told them. “Prepare for assimilation,” the figure said in a calmly unthreatening tone.

“Communications send them a message telling them we are friendly,” the Captain ordered. Feldtman waited a few seconds for a reply but received none from his communications officer.

“Communications I said to send a message…,” Feldtman trailed off as he looked around the bridge most of the crew was staring wide eyed at their Holo-Vids and not moving while a few of the other bridge crew seemed to be slowly struggling against something.

Leaving his command chair Feldtman walked over to Lt. Jascos station and turned his chair around, the officer was staring wide-eyed into nothingness his pupils dilated to the point where only a thin ring of brown could be seen and his respiration had slowed dramatically.

Feldtman was about to reach past him and hit the comm stud when he noticed that Jascos’ lips were moving slowly, bending down he strained to hear what was coming out of the man’s mouth.

“Yes, part of the hive mind I would like to become part of the hive mind, no more responsibility, no sorrow, no worry,” was repeated over and over by the man and when Feldtman looked around the bridge again he could faintly see the movement of the rest of the crew’s lips.

Realizing that the Hive Mind must have tapped into the communications and was sending subliminal messaging through the bridge crews ear-buds he ran in a somewhat calm panic over to the communications station and cut off all outside communications and every Holo-Vid on the bridge cut off but the crew still sat staring into space their lips slowly moving.

Flipping some more switches he opened a comm channel to the marine barracks on the ship. “General Henderson this is Captain Feldtman I need you to send as many marines as you can to guard the Prime Minister and then send teams of however many more you can spare to guard the ships airlocks and auxiliary bays.”

“What’s going on captain, we’ve lost all outside communications down here?” Henderson asked.

“The Tantalans have deemed us trespassers and were sending some sort of subliminal messaging through their transmission, my entire bridge crew is pretty much useless so I’ll have to gather personnel and make my way to the auxiliary bridge,” Feldtman explained.

“Dammit,” Henderson swore. “I’ll get everyone mobilized immediately,” Henderson saluted before dropping off the screen.

The Captain then called the Prime Minister and informed him of what had happened.

“Good luck and god speed captain,” James Masters said quietly after the captain had signed off. Because he knew that the only thing that would get them out of this mess would be direct divine intervention or a drunken poker player’s luck.

Before leaving the bridge he went over the main intercom system, “All personnel this is the Captain, all personnel please remove your ear bugs, the Tantalans are sending subliminal messaging through them.” Shortly after Feldtman signed off from the Prime Minister and put the warning over the intercom he started running down the corridors gathering personnel as he went, and as he moved along the guts of the ship he would come across the occasional crew member that was in the same soporific trance as the bridge crew.

Feldtman almost smacked his nose against the battle plate floor of the corridor as it shook violently; the vessel was over 10 kilometers long so it must have been something massive to cause it shudder and shake like that, “damage control this is the Captain, what’s our status?”

“Captain we appear not to have taken any major damage but the board is showing numerous miniature breaches in the hull that keep vanishing,” the Damage Control Officer told him.

“What do you mean vanish?” Feldtman Asked.

“Just that sir, one second they are there the next they are gone, my best guess would be self sealing breaching pods,” the Damage Control Officer suggested.

“Alright coordinate with the marines and get teams to the areas of the breaches,” the Captain ordered and cut the channel.

Almost to the auxiliary bridge Feldtman had managed to gather enough off duty personnel to crew it when Damage Control commed him.

“What is it damage control?” Feldtman inquired.

“Sir we are registering something strange in the environmental systems, some sort of pathogen or virus,” the Damage Control Officer paused for a second and then continued. “Oh god sir sensors are showing that it’s a nanno-virus, I…,” The Damage Control Officer cut off in a fit of coughing and didn’t come back over the line.

“Damage Control, Damage Control, what’s your status?” Feldtman shouted into the intercom and then felt an itching at the back of his throat and started coughing as did those around him and soon they had nannites leaking from their eyes, nose, mouth, and ears and the last thing Feldtman saw was a light blue metallic substance pouring down over his front.

Tantalus Hive Mind - ACS-001 - ACW-001 - ACW-001 Alpha Ring

November 21st, 6200 C.E. - 05:00 CST

Assimilated Monitor Type-001 pulled into dock at ACW-001’s Alpha Ring and newly created Units of all types streamed from the vessel, most of the light blue TFU-6 and TFU-13 series were returned to the vessel to crew it and the rest were placed in portable crèche boxes for storage including TIU-13-48-19-95 formerly James Masters Prime Minster of the Theban Cluster was now a child of the imperial family and was stored in the main assimilation crèche with the other units awaiting a new planet to populate.

Unknown Region of Space - Edge of the Milky Way Galaxy

Planet Designate BCP-001

November 28th, 6200 C.E. - 12:00 CST

The planet that had been listed in the messages to the various summoned factions as BCP-001 had seen little activity over the last three hundred thousand years but now space around it erupted in activity as the representatives of the seven summoned races fell, dove, or tore their way out of hyperspace and into orbit around the small earth like planet.

The first to arrive was the Gnosis Vaspel, followed by the Tantalan and Evaran Representatives, the Mu Wrath and her entourage, a CDIPA parasite vessel, and finally vessels from the Skurmvald Republic and the Sssisssvarisss Empire the sun’s red-orange light playing across the scale like interlocking armored plates of its hull.

The seven factions kept their hands close to the trigger button as they all waited for their host to make an appearance.

Wrath was sitting on her bridge tapping her fingers lightly on the arm of her captain’s chair while she waited impatiently for the ball to get rolling, she really wasn’t good at waiting and she still wasn’t sure…, her thought was interrupted by the sudden change in her surroundings as she found her self sitting in a large leather chair around a triangular shaped conference table in a rather dark room.

Looking around Wrath saw that the far walls were made of some un-mortared stone blocks about three feet on a side she also saw the other six representatives sitting at the table as well with three per flat side of the table.

Wrath was seated in the middle of her side a golden nanno-skinned figure that she assumed was the Tantalan representative on her right, and a blue skinned, light blue haired female figure in a one piece duty suit sat on her left, on the bottom edge of the table sat the Gnosis representative one of the bio-ship Vaspel’s puppets her eyes, mouth, ears and other orifices covered by shuttered metal linkages, the silver of molecular circuitry tracing where veins had once been making the skin seem somewhat puffy and bloated as eerie multi-colored lights danced at random under the body’s skin. The red Symbiote covered skin of the Evaran representative looked around sharply with pink glowing eyes as he took in his surrounding, and sitting next to him was the Skurmvald representative his slime coated skin leaving dark spots on the military uniform that he wore.

Across the table from her was what she assumed was the Sssisssvariian Empire representative her lightly scaled skin reflecting the subdued lighting of the room, two more seats were on that side as well but remained empty and a final seat sat at the apex of the table also currently empty.

Wrath’s fingers were just starting to rap a tattoo on the table’s surface when a hooded and cloaked individual appeared at the head of the table; there was no puff of smoke, no bending of the air, or a flash of light. One minute the figure wasn’t there the next it was.

“Greetings to all, let me do some introductions so everyone knows who everyone else is, first let me start with the Tantalan Representative her imperial majesty Empress TIU-6-0-0-0, the Seven Deadly Sins Representative Wrath, the Cdipa representative Ailene-67, the Gnosis Representative Vaspel speaking through a proxy, Evaran Representative Imperial Admiral Kvathr, the Skurmvald Representative Skltchnk, and finally the Sssisssvariian Representative Kasssandra

“And who ecsssactly might you be?” Kasssandra asked.

“I hope to be an ally and friend,” The hooded figure said jovially.

“And what exactly do you want from us,” Kvathr asked.

“Oh nothing much just some revenge against those who have destroyed my people.”

“And who exactly are your people?” Wrath found herself asking.

“That is of no concern to any of you,” the figure said quietly with authority. The hooded head swiveled to take them in one at a time. “At one point or another; the Theban Cluster or its allies has humiliated you and taken what was once yours.” The hood paused peering at the Kasssandra, you’re people lost several hundred slave worlds to the mercenary force known as the Ghosts Of War while they worked for the Theban Government.”

“Skltchnk your people were humiliated and practically thrown back into the dark ages when the Ghosts of War also visited your planet and bombed your military and production facilities into dust,” The figure reminded him.

“Imperial Admiral Kvathr your people were stopped from absorbing the Mordecaiian Empire into itself and since then have been stuck taking over dribs and drabs form places like the ISL which you recently added the planet Sonnet to your own empire.”

“Vaspel your race pretty much just hates purely organic creatures and wishes to exterminate them completely at least form your portion of the galaxy, if not the whole and since the rise of humanity from its home world they have reclaimed several of your former bio-planets,” Hood explained.

“Ailene-67 ever since your race of parasites bonded with the people of Tetras III you have been quarantined in the Tetras system and threatened with extermination. You just wish to expand your own people to new systems, and it’s only through my own ability to hide your ship that you were able to make your way to this meeting,” Hood said to the blue haired and skinned Symbiote.

“And my dear Wrath you and your sisters pretty much just want to control every nuance of criminal activity in the known galaxy which you have made very large inroads into,” the hooded figure said with a smile in it’s voice.

“And finally we come to the Tantalus, the Hive Mind wishes to assimilate all of humanity into itself and stop the ravages that have been done to numerous planets and systems throughout the galaxy,” the figure concluded.

“Am I right in all my words,” he asked.

Nods and yeses of varying types wound around the table as the representatives agreed reluctantly with what the hooded figure had said.

“The only thing you really lack is personnel and an agreement among yourselves on how to go about this, if you help one another you’ll be able to easily reach the goals that you set,” the hooded figure told them.

“Now as I see it you first need to figure out who has the rights to what,” The hooded figure said and got the various factions to talking about how they could help one another.

UNSF - Manhattan Sector - Brooklyn System - Brooklyn IV/Neo-Brooklyn

Barr’s Warehouse

November 29th, 6200 C.E. - 14:25 CST

It took nearly two and a half weeks for Frescetti to free up one of his vans and get enough uniform codes for Barr and the others, thankfully in that time period no more of his employees were killed. The group could only guess that the fact that their victims had shown up someplace else than where they had been killed had thrown the Gandredis off balance.

“Wow I get to drive,” Ernie said as Barr handed him the keys to the purple and gray delivery van that was sitting in the warehouse’s loading bay.

“Yes but Aehgr will be your assistant, Jason and I will be in the SUV; Joe and Jon will be in the Charger. From here you are to go to Frescetti’s distribution warehouse and follow the delivery schedule they’ll give you,” Barr told them.

“Oh all that nasty dusty flour and oil, and, and, other baking materials, I just know they’ll get all over my new uniform,” Aehgr said running a finger down the smooth skin of the nanno-sheath that most companies used as uniforms anymore. Since Aehgr had already been in the military, he’d already had one of the nannite created full body sheaths installed in the pores of his skin, and it had only taken the proper codes from Frescetti to reconfigure it to show the flat purple and gray of the Frescetti bakery with the name emblazoned across the back in red and white letters.

“For one thing while it is a uniform Aehgr all you have to do is switch it off and then switch it back on to clean it off,” Jason told him. “Although I wouldn’t suggest doing that in public as you’ll be stark naked,” Jason said with an evil grin. Jason and the others had configured their nanno-sheaths for urban gray camouflage and at a command a full face hood would extrude from the nanno-sheath to cover their faces to hide the team’s identities.

“We’ll be switching off, one of us will be following and the other leading in turns so as to keep you guys in sight,” Barr explained.

The pickup went as scheduled and nothing happened for the next two weeks, the Gandredi’s seemed to be laying low for the time being after Eugene Frescetti’s accusations on public Holo-Vid.

UNSF - Manhattan Sector - Brooklyn System - Brooklyn IV/Neo-Brooklyn

Frescetti Delivery Route

December 13th, 6200 C.E. - 12:05 CST

The other vehicles followed the delivery van as it made its circuitous route through the streets of Neo-Brooklyn. Frescetti was the largest supplier of baked goods in the city and they delivered to every one from small mom and pop shops to the huge megaplex department stores and the shops that serviced the two hundred and fifty story hab-towers where most of the cities inhabitants lived.

Jason and Barr were in the SUV taking the slack position when the Gandredis made their move. Delivery vehicles were easy targets since they spent most of their time on the ground due to the fact that they had to stop so often.

Two black SUV’s cut the delivery truck off as it was making its way to a mom and pop shop in a small quiet neighborhood. One minute Ernie was driving the van sedately the next he had to swerve up on to the sidewalk to avoid colliding with the two vehicles as they raced out of cross alleys to form a V in the middle of the road and block it.

Four men got out of each SUV and pointed Ingram MAC-90s at Ernie and Aehgr motioning them out of the van. “Get out on your knees,” one of the men growled as the two stepped down from the van.

“But the roads so dirty, I’ll get dirt and debris and who knows what else all over my nice clean uniform,” Aehgr said.

“Hi, how are you guys today,” Ernie said. “Would you like to place an order?” He asked getting down on his knees and dragging Aehgr down with him.

“Shut up,” one of the men snarled and cuffed Ernie with the barrel of his machine pistol.

“Go check the back of the van to make sure no one else is in there and then set the charge,” the apparent leader ordered the one who had hit Ernie.

Two blocks ahead of the delivery van in the Charger Joe looked out his window to the side view mirror and saw that two black SUVs had blocked the road causing the Frescetti Delivery van to come to a stop a group of men in dark suits surrounding it.

“They’re making their move,” Joe said motioning to his mirror and then behind them.

“We’ll just have to see about that,” Jon replied. Stomping on the brake Jon threw the vehicle into reverse and mashed down on the accelerator.

Behind the Van Jason and Barr saw that the van had been stopped and that Aehgr and Ernie were on their knees with their hands behind their heads with eight gunsels surrounding them, one of which was heading towards the back of the van.

Barr looked over at Jason as the two used the mental commands to cause the nanno-sheath to flow over their faces hiding their features making them a mottled gray with almost bug eyed black lenses. “How many points am I going to get?” Barr asked.

“I’ll give you fifteen for the guy behind the van if you hit him straight on, if you can pull of something fancy I’ll give you ten more,” Jason told him as Barr accelerated the SUV.

Further up the street Jon accelerated the car backwards and then whipped it around in a tight hundred and eighty degree circle ending up on the sidewalk next to one of the black SUV’s; seconds later he and Joe bailed out as the car rocked to a halt the urban camouflage nanno-sheaths concealing their features.

Jon opened up with his M48 5.56mm assault rifle a far descendent of the old but venerable M-16 series of rifles. His first burst stitched across one guy’s chest and flung him back onto the hood of one of the Mercedes SUV’s and started to slide back down it leaving a trail of blood only to catch on the Mercedes hood ornament.

Two loads of triple-0 buckshot literally cut another man in two as Joe opened fire with his Benelli 8-Gauge. Both of them could see the team’s SUV accelerating down the street and then go into a spin as it first took out the guy investigating the back of the delivery truck and then the two guards holding guns on Aehgr and Ernie.

For the pseudo deliverymen’s part they flung themselves in opposite directions, Aehgr whining about getting dirty and Ernie saying something about how nice looking the oak tree in a city planter looked on the sidewalk as he flung himself behind it.

The SUV came to a nose first stop facing the remaining three men who attempted to bolt but the camouflage-clad androgynous figures climbed from the vehicle and cut them down. Barr made sure that the last three round burst from his H&K MP780 only impacted with the remaining goons knees and dropped him to the ground.

While the others looted the bodies relieving them of weapons, ammo, money, and jewelry Jack walked up to the one he had wounded and bent down.

“Tell Gandredi to leave the Frescettis alone, or there will be larger consequences,” Jack told the man his voice distorted by the nanno-sheaths built in synthesizer. “Any questions?” he asked the sobbing and bleeding man on the ground.

The man started to shake his head in the affirmative but changed his mind and shook it in the negative pain sweat breaking out on his face as he bled into the street.

Jack reached into a pocket on his web belt and pulled a nanno-injector from it and jabbed the Mafioso in the legs, the nannites were programmed with a combined sedative and coagulant so the man wouldn’t bleed out before the authorities showed up.

Aehgr and Ernie climbed back in the delivery van and took off, Jason and Joe with keys in hand took the mobster’s Mercedes SUVs after prying the dead guy off the hood ornament of the one with Barr and Jon following in the SUV and Charger.

The five vehicles split up to make following them harder and to shake any tails they might have possibly picked up. When the team returned to the warehouse they parked the five vehicles haphazardly across the empty main floor. Once out of the vehicles the nanno-sheaths retracted the facial covers and the hexagonal patches of nannites receded back into their pores.

“Never really had much use for nanno-sheaths,” Joe said. “But that effect was down right cool and kind of creepy all at the same time,” he said dipping a hand through the nanno-sheath to a pocket in the mono-film duty suit he was wearing underneath the nanno-sheath and pulled a pack of Marlboro Cigarettes out and lit one.

“Well that was the point,” Barr said pulling on regular street clothes over the nanno-sheath and deactivating it completely and was soon followed by the others. “We want to be a faceless enemy and your average Joe on the street can’t afford military grade nanno-sheaths,” he finished explaining as Aehgr and Ernie were the last to change into normal clothes and deactivate their Frescetti programmed Nanno-Sheaths.

“So what’s our next move?” Jon asked.

“We wait and see what Gandredi does, in the mean time we take over a different route everyday to hopefully keep Gandredi from killing anymore of the Frescetti employees,” Barr told them.

Theban Cluster - Detroit Sector - Maybach System - Maybach III

Ruins of Unknown Origin

December 14th, 6200 C.E. - 16:15 CST

Professors Sierra and Samuel Cardonnes stood with lanterns held up as they examined the glyphs carved into the walls of one of the ruin’s interior chambers.

“Pretty interesting,” Samuel mused touching one of the glyphs with a light finger. “They appear to be a cross between ancient Egyptian and possibly Sumerian?” Samuel said in a questioning tone to his wife.

“Very similar, but somehow more complete, I’m also finding stuff from Mayan, Aztec, and Incan backgrounds over here,” Sierra told him using a brush to dust off a section of wall to get a clearer look.

The two professors of xenon-archeology spent several hours examining the glyphs and then met at the back wall of the chamber.

“Okay from what I can decipher from this set of glyphs,” Sierra pointed to a section of the wall. “It’s saying something about meeting the god of the multi-verse once you have opened the doors to the infinite darkness,” Sierra said with a snort.

Samuel had to smile; both of them followed the tenants of the Church Of The Multi-Spatial God and believed that all gods and forces of the universe were as one. “Well what do you expect from an obviously backwards ancient culture?” Samuel asked his wife.

Sierra hadn’t been really paying that much attention to what her husband had been saying, not out of rudeness but because she was engrossed in the glyphs that were inscribed on the walls of the chamber. “I think I’ve got it,” she said excitedly looking at her husband who stepped closer. “It must actually be a passage to some sort of burial chamber or worship area underneath the ruins,” she explained pushing in and twisting one of the glyphs that had moments before just seemed to be carved into the wall, as she did so a large portion of the back wall side in and to the side.

The two of them looked through the opening in the wall but not even their lanterns could penetrate the darkness of the hidden room.

“Shall we,” Samuel gestured to the darkness and the two of them with lanterns held high stepped into the room only to be sucked into a liquid black darkness like flies trapped in ancient amber.

The two were separated from one another and drifted through the warm liquid blackness, and things seemed to whisper to them as they found they were no longer able to move.

Sierra felt the warm, black liquid eat away her clothes and she started to scream thinking it would eat away her flesh next, as she opened her jaws the blackness rushed into her mouth and filled it and her nostrils and even flowed into her tear ducts and ears.

After a few minutes of struggling vainly she calmed as a voice spoke to her, “I am all and everything, I am the face of the universe, and I know all and see all, worship me for I am the multi-spatial god.”

“Yes,” Sierra thought loudly, “Yes my father, my lord, my master, my god.”

“So it shall be,” the voice said to her. “You shall be reborn as my high priestess and your husband my high priest and your consort. Walk forward my priestess,” the voice of her god ordered.

Sierra obeyed her god and slowly walked up and out of a pool of the deepest midnight black and into a glorious throne room, the walls were sheathed in the rarest of metals and gilded cabinets were arrayed along the walls. As she looked around she saw her consort emerge from the pool next to her, her vision seemed to have a slight purple tinge to it as she examined and her consort.

Sierra and Samuel’s skin had been turned completely matte black and it seemed that the pupils of their eyes had expanded to fill the iris and cornea with complete blackness as well. If one had examined them more closely they would have also seen the soft tissues of their mouth and noses had also taken on the black color as well, their white teeth a bright contrast to their now black gums, even the areas of the body that normally didn’t take to pigmentation well were a deep black such as the palms of the hands and the bottoms of their feet. Their already physically fit bodies had been modified to be the epitome of beauty and strength both now lithely muscular as they moved around the room their muscles bunching and stretching under their black skin.

Finished with their examination of each other the two naked figures knelt and abased themselves before the physical manifestation of their father, lord, master, and god. The black liquid pool had formed a writhing semi-solid column of midnight black from its center.

“You now shall be known as Siecar and Samcar, High Priestess and Priest of the Church Of The Multi-Spatial God,” the words seemed to reverberate from the column and around the room as the sound of their father, lord, master, and god filled them with joy.

“Yes our father, our lord, our master, our god,” both of them answered still abasing themselves before the writhing mass that had made them who they were and was their father, their lord, their master, their god.

“Now summon your compatriots so that they may join you in enlightenment and bask in the glory that is your god,” the column ordered and a comm unit dropped out of the blackness and landed before Siecar.

Grasping the comm unit in her hand she started talking into it and telling the other thirty members of their archeological party to drop everything and come quickly to the chamber that they had originally been in and to enter through the door in the back wall.

The main comm tech for the party answered and told her that the entire team would be there shortly.

It took only half an hour but the other thirty members of the dig were now arrayed around the periphery of the room, all of black skin and eye.

“Now to adorn you in your raiment as my worldly representatives,” the voice commanded.

The thirty two new servants of the being calling itself the Multi-Spatial God abased themselves before their father, lord, master, and god after a short period of time ten of the lower caste members of the new priesthood stood and opened the cabinets arrayed along the walls and started dressing their high priestess and priest.

When the dressing was done the High Priestess had been dressed in a pair of form fitting shorts that barely made it past her thighs, this was covered by a short loin-cloth a couple of inches longer, her tops was very skimpy and resembled a strapless bra or halter top that pushed her breasts up and together revealing quite a bit of black skin, a hint of her areola could be seen at the edges of it, the final garment was diaphanous item with characterizes of both a toga and sari and was draped from her right shoulder down to her left hip, thin sandals with long thin straps wound up her calves. Two lower caste priestesses wound her long hair through and into an ornate tiara, once the dressing was done some sort of fluid was rubbed into her hair turning it a golden hue and her lips, brows, lashes, and finger and toe nails were coated with the same substance turning them a dark gold.

Samcar found that he was dressed similarly save that he wore no top and his brow was adorned by a simple circlet both of their clothes were a deep gold color.

As for the lower cast priests and priestesses they wore the same type of shorts and tops but that was all the same golden hued chemical applied to hair, nails, and lips.

“Now my children it is time to take your god to his proper place,” the voice told them and they once again abased their selves before the black pool.

“Where would you like to go, my father, my lord, my master, my god?” Siecar asked.

“Godhead,” was the single one word that answered her question.

Siecar and Samcar took their seats in the thrones on the low dais at the rear of the room and enough chairs rose from the floor of the temple to accommodate the lower ranking priests and priestesses.

Siecar with the knowledge imparted to her by her father, her lord, her master, her god, flipped the arm of her throne to the side and pressed several glyphs that were hidden there. All around them the huge stepped pyramid groaned and shuddered as it shed it’s rock exterior showing the burnished copper of it’s true outside.

With one final shudder the pyramid shot straight into the atmosphere and left the planet behind and a few minutes later entered hyperspace on a course for Godhead.

UNSF - Manhattan Sector - Brooklyn System - Brooklyn IV/Neo-Brooklyn

Barr’s Warehouse

December 15th, 6200 C.E. - 08:00 CST

After the death of the eight Mafiosos the team continued changing from route to route to help deter the deaths of any more Frescetti employees but things remained quiet for several days. Barr hoped that the Gandredis had gotten the hint and would back off the Frescettis but those hopes were dashed when he answered his comm early that morning.

“Yeah,” Barr said groggily not thinking to check the ID block.

“My son is dead,” Big Don Frescetti said quietly over the comm.

Barr was instantly awake, “what has happened Mr. Frescetti?”

“They put a bomb in his car and when he went to pick up his wife and two children after a school play it detonated killing all four of them,” Frescetti’s voice was filled with molten agony as he relived the death’s of his son, daughter in law, and two grandchildren.

“I’m sorry Mr. Frescetti I didn’t think he would escalate this fast after we took his goons out,” Barr apologized.

“There is no need to apologize, this isn’t your fault. I’ve had a feeling for some time that Gandredi might strike at me through my family,” Frescetti said quietly.

“Once again I am sorry, is there anything we can do for you?” Barr asked.

“Finish it,” and then there was an empty comm tone in Barr’s ear.

“Who was that?” Jason asked handing Barr a cup off coffee; Joe and Jon were behind them sipping their own coffee.

“Frescetti, his son and family were killed in a car bomb last night,” Barr told them quietly.

“Does he want us to back off?” Jon asked.

“No, he said finish it,” Barr said swallowing the first half of the cup without even thinking about it.

“And what are we going to do?” Jason said looking down into his cup.

“We’re going to finish it,” Barr told him. “The bible says an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth but in this case it’ll be mi mano tu cabeza,” Barr said quietly.

“What does that mean?” Ernie asked.

“It means I plan on beating Gandredi himself to death and leave a scorched earth where his house stands.” Barr said equally quietly.

“So we get to kill some people?” Joe asked with a hungry grin.

“Yeah,” Barr replied.

“All right,” Jon and Joe gave each other a high five and left the doorway.

“Are you alright?” Jason asked quietly.

“No,” Barr said his voice cold and strangled but under it dangerous note lingered.

Unknown Area of Space - Planet Designate BCP-001

December 21st, 6200 C.E. - 21:22 CST

“This is preposterous,” Wrath said standing up angrily and slamming her hand against the wooden surface of the conference table.

“What is preposterous my dear Wrath?” the hooded figure asked.

“The fact that that mechanical doll,” Wrath said pointing a finger at the Tantalan Empress Unit TIU-6-0-0-0. “Expects us to give up all sexual trade throughout human dominated space,” Wrath growled.

“This unit is not a mechanical doll it is part of the Hive Mind and is a biologic entity within a nanno-sheath construct,” the Empress spoke the words of the Hive Mind.

“I believe what they requested was the slow withdrawal of your people from that area of criminal activity over the next,” the hooded figure turned to the golden skinned Tantalan.

“From the Theban Cluster within an estimated 10 Earth Years, and possibly even decades longer possibly even as long as a century from now from the other human dominated star nations,” the Empress explained again.

“If I agree to this Lust will be very unhappy with it and Pride would most likely allow her to skin me alive,” Wrath explained in exasperation.

“Your unit’s personal well being is of no concern to the hive mind,” the Empress told the porcelain skinned woman. “For us to join this alliance that is the stipulation that must be followed,” the Tantalan Imperial Unit repeated.

Wrath looked like she was about to reach over and attempt to strangle the golden skinned Tantalan next to her when she was interrupted by the Cdipa representative on her other side. “I realize we have been trying to hash out an agreement for almost two and a half weeks but aren’t we still waiting on two more representatives,” the blue haired symbiotic woman asked nodding to the two empty chairs on the other side of the table.

“Most astute, Ailene-67,” the hooded figure congratulated her. “Yes we are waiting for two more representatives, one of which should be arriving just about now.” the hooded figure said turning his head to one of the empty seats.

As before there was no flash of light or disturbance of air as a black skinned and black eyed figure appeared, the figure literally had hair of gold interwoven in an intricate tiara, the figures nails, lips, eyelashes, and eyebrows were also the same gold, an intricate torc hung around her neck and she wore a diaphanous shift of some sort that combined the aspects of a toga and sari over a golden halter top and loin cloth.

“And just who are you?” the Skurmvald representative Skltchnk burbled wetly.

“I am Siecar,” She intoned imperiously, “Representative of the Multi-Spatial God, our lord, our master, our god.” She intoned doing some sort of half bow and crossing her arms over her chest.

“I thought the Multi-Ssspasssial God wasss jussst a ssscam invented by the Pucksss?” Kasssandra asked.

“The Multi-Spatial God has returned,” the woman said. “Our father, our lord, our master, our god,” the woman repeated the half bow. “The true god has returned to take his rightful place at the head of the universe and to absorb those who would usurp his power and knowledge as well as those that should rightfully be following him,” the woman continued.

“Oh just wonderful a religious nut,” Wrath grumbled sitting in her chair again.

“Ah but a religious nut with her god personally showing her the way,” the hooded figure added. “My dear High Priestess Siecar, just exactly where is the Multi-Spatial God right now?” the hooded figure asked.

“Our Father, Our Lord, Our Master, Our God, is currently residing in his temple on godhead.” the former archeologist informed the group.

“Godhead, that must have been interesting to see,” the Evaran representative mused.

Independent Systems League - Fountain System

Planet Godhead - Alpha Ring - AstroNav Control Center

December 18th, 6200 C.E. - 09:37 CST - Three Days Earlier

“WHAT THE FRIGGIN HELL!” Senior AstroNav Controller Gary Buddmann shouted as the strange shape popped up on his screen.

“What is it Buddmann?” the shift supervisor asked as he unhurriedly approached the usually unflappable AN Controller.

“I’ve got, well I’ve got a pyramid asking for landing clearance at the main Godhead Spaceport,” Buddmann explained swallowing as he read off the request to his supervisor.

“I’m sorry did you say pyramid?” Gene Dartlin asked surprised.

“Yeah as in the bloody pharaohs,” Gary told his boss.

“Bring it up on the main screen,” Gene ordered and watched as Gary typed some commands in and an image of the vessel popped onto the screen.

“Doesn’t look like any pyramid I’ve ever seen,” one of the controllers mumbled.

“That’s because it’s called a step pyramid,” one of the other controllers told him.

The pyramidal shaped vessel was colossal in its proportions being twenty-five kilometers on a side and twenty-five kilometers in height from its base to its peak.

“How the hell is the thing moving through space?” another controller asked.

“Easily enough with reaction less drive systems a vessel can technically be any shape,” Dartlin said. “Shipyards just decided to keep the octagonal hull design that they’ve been using for generations to make it easier on the ship yards rather than change to a different design that and the hexagonal hull is generally considered more efficient,” Gene explained.

“So what should I do?” Buddmann asked.

“Hail them and get the pilot or captain on the screen,” Dartlin ordered setting his coffee cup down on an empty console.

“Unknown vessel this is Godhead Alpha Ring AstroNav control, please state your vessel registry and name,” Buddmann ordered over the radio.

“Godhead AstroNav this is the vessel God’s Chariot, we are requesting permission to land at the Godhead main spaceport,” a male head and shoulders popped onto the screen the skin was all matte black as were the eyes. The hair, eyebrows, eyelashes and lips were tinted a gold color and when the figure spoke it could be seen that the gums, tongue, and interior of the mouth were the same flat black, a small gold circlet was resting on the figure’s brow as well.

“I’m sorry God’s Chariot but your vessel is too large to land at any of the planet’s spaceports, you’ll either have to land at a private field large enough or find an open spot to land,” Buddmann told them.

“We have land on this planet that we have purchased,” the black figure told Buddmann and sent a set of geographic coordinates to the AstroNav Controller.

“Holy shit that’s the tract of land that belongs to the Church of the Multi-Spatial God,” Buddmann said hoarsely as the coordinates popped up on his screen.

“But that land is owned by Sargasso Deeps,” Dartlin told them in surprise.

“The properly now belongs to the New Church Of The Multi-Spatial God, and Our Father, Our Lord, Our Master, Our god.,” The figure told him.

Dartlin leaned over and hit the mute button. “Do they have the proper codes and authorities for that?” He asked Buddmann.

Buddmann tapped in some quick commands and brought up the pertinent data, “Yep seems they purchased it from Sargasso Deeps about a day ago.”

“Alright give them clearance just so we can clear that huge monstrosity out of orbit,” Dartlin growled and picked his coffee back up and walked away.

“Chariot of God you have clearance and authorization to land at the coordinates however you should be warned there are abandoned facilities present at that location.” Buddmann told the black skinned figure and gave him his approach vectors and landing grid.

“The buildings are of no consequence,” The figure stated.

“Hey they’re your buildings,” Buddmann said and shrugged.

Dartlin had Buddmann monitor the huge vessel as it made it’s ponderous way through the atmosphere and then landed right on top of the old Church Of the Multi-Spatial God compound.

“Wow did it just crush flat the whole facility?” Buddmann gulped.

“Ayup,” Dartlin said and walked away without another word still sipping at his coffee.

“I got a bad feeling about this,” Buddmann whispered to himself and then made the sign of the cross.

UNSF - Manhattan Sector - Brooklyn System - Brooklyn IV/Neo-Brooklyn

Barr’s Warehouse

December 19th, 6200 C.E. - 08:00 CST

Barr and the others spent a few days gathering up all the materials they would need and doing research on the Gandredi family.

The task of doing research fell on Jason’s shoulders and Barr saddled him with Aehgr and Ernie, it came down to Jason doing the research, Aehgr dusting the already immaculate shelves of books and Ernie somehow reading books to preschoolers.

Cheerful, sappy books full of bright orange school buses, big red dogs, and other saccharine laden content. Ernie’s cheerful manner just added to that to the point where it seemed the children would need to go see a dentist to make sure they hadn’t gotten cavities from story time.

Joe had fenced the two Mercedes SUVs to one of his contacts on Neo-Brooklyn and had netted them some extra cash, with it they managed to wrangle about fifty kilos of C30 and money enough to bribe various low level officials in the city government.

Barr and Joe went to city hall and used some of their extra cash to bribe a low level bureaucrat into letting them make copies of the floor plans for Gandredi’s Bakery, his home, his sons apartment building and the large “Country Club” style men’s club that he owned on the outskirts of town, as well as several of the families smaller properties both legal and illegal.

Jason’s research netted them a bit more information and they started to formulate a plan for their first attack on Gandredi, the target would be his son’s apartment building where Gandredi’s son and quite a few of his hired gunsels lived.

The plan itself was simple they would procure some Galactic Patrol uniforms and put an interceptor package in the Charger and Joe had a line on a used ambulance. The main part of the plan was to sneak into the apartment building and set explosives and smoke charges and when they went off Ernie would intercept the emergency calls and re-route them to the team, Joe, Jon, and Barr would disguise themselves as Galactic Patrol officers and Ernie, Aehgr, and Jason would pretend to be Galactic Medical Association Medics, they would go in as if they were meant to be there. Once inside the building they’d finish off any thugs not killed by the explosives and kidnap one Anthony Gandredi son of Crime Lord Paolo Gandredi.

Simple yes, complicated not really, would it work possibly.

UNSF - Manhattan Sector - Brooklyn System - Brooklyn IV/Neo-Brooklyn

Apartment Building Owned By Anthony Gandredi

December 23rd, 6200 C.E. - 14:45 CST

It took a couple of days to round up the ingredients they would need for the explosive charges and the smoke bombs that they would need in their plan to infiltrate Anthony Gandredi’s apartment building. Finally on the 23rd Jon and Jason put magnetic decals on the sides of the Charger proclaiming that the vehicle belonged to Neo-Brooklyn Utility Services.

“I don’t know if I’s should really, ya know let you guys wander around free in the apartment building. You knows I could get in trouble especially with Mr. Gandredi not bein here,” the superintendent said standing in the doorway of his basement apartment with Jon and Jason dressed in the slate blue and gray nanno-sheaths and hard hats of NBUS.

“Look pal, the boss sent us down here to check on a power surge that originated from this building,” Joe said doing the bad cop routine glaring at the not so bright super.

“Whoa, whoa, Ned why don’t you go stand over there for a second,” Jason said patting Jon on the shoulder and pushing him a few steps up from the basement entry.

Turning to the man in the doorway he sidled closer, “Look amigo, we got a work order,” Jason said showing him the incredibly fake but convincing work order that Ernie had thrown together. “If we don’t check on this power surge, we get yelled at especially if it happens again and blows out the entire block’s grid,” Jason said using a reasonable tone of voice.

“I dunno,” the super said fidgeting.

“Okay let me put it this way,” Jason said, “does your boss live in this building?”

The man nodded in the affirmative.

“What’s your boss gonna do when he loses power for more than a week and he finds out it happened because you didn’t let us come in and check out the surge problem?” Jason explained.

“He ain’t gonna be too happy with me,” the man said a hang dog expression on his face.

“Okay then just let us into each of the apartments, we check the power panels, run our meters around and we’re all done, take maybe an hour tops,” Jason said smiling as if they were buddies.

“Okay,” the man said, “but I gotta go with you into each apartment.”

“No problem, I wouldn’t expect anything less from a man who seems so dedicated to his work,” Jason said with a smile.

“Uh, so where do we start,” the man asked somewhat confused.

“Well we might as well start right here in your own apartment,” Jason said with a disarming smile.

By the time they had finished all but Anthony Gandredi’s apartment had been mined with explosives, and even Anthony’s had been seeded with a smoke bomb and additional knock out gas bomb. Thankfully for Jason and Jon the superintendent hadn’t been very smart. When he had asked what the small composite boxes with readouts had been that they placed in the power boxes he had believed them when he was told they were remote monitoring devices.

UNSF - Manhattan Sector - Brooklyn System - Brooklyn IV/Neo-Brooklyn

Apartment Building Owned By Anthony Gandredi

December 23rd, 6200 C.E. - 15:32 CST

“Wow that guy was really dumb,” Jon said shutting his car door as he got in.

“Never underestimate stupidity, stupid people can be dangerous under the right circumstances, even more so than smart people because they’ll be acting under instinct rather than intelligence,” Jason lectured.

“Oh, thank you for the insight oh wise swami,” Jon said sarcastically.

“Oh fuck you,” Jason said tossing his helmet in the back seat and starting the car.

Back at the warehouse the others were getting ready for the night’s festivities, Aehgr and Ernie had already changed into the all white mono-film duty suits of the Galactic Medical Association, the suits had a blood red caduceus centered on the back of the outfit, another smaller one was over the right breast with the words GMA Paramedical Unit surrounding it and a nametag on the left. The suits had integral self sterilizing gloves and integral boots with puncture proof soles, a military style tactical vest with pockets for medical supplies in a light gray also with the blood red caduceus was worn over the suit, another uniform was laid out for Jason to put on and the ambulance had already been repainted and stocked as part of the plan.

Barr had changed clothes to that of a Galactic Patrol Officer’s uniform, he had the rank tabs of a captain on the collar of the gray thermal silk button up shirt he was wearing the hem of it was sealed to the waist of his mono-film duty suit with a magnetic seal. The full body mono-film duty suit he was wearing had integral gloves and boots with an extra layer of puncture resistant material and a stripe and the words Road Enforcement were down each leg in highly reflective gray, the stripe ran from just under his armpits to the top of the sole. To finish off the uniform Barr had on a standard Galactic Patrol baseball cap and wore a short length black jacket with gray sleeves over his uniform and a gray tie.

While Barr had captain’s rank while Jon and Joe had sergeants’ stripes on their uniforms, the SUV and Charger had been repainted to mimic GP colors of black and gray and both had police package electronic and equipment systems installed in them.

The plan was to basically set off the explosives and smoke bombs, go in as if rescuing the people as first responders. Then they would go in and finish off any wise guys that hadn’t been taken out and kidnap Anthony Gandredi and pry as much information out of him as they could and then dump him off to daddy.

As plans went it was pretty simple, but one must never forget Mister Murphy.

UNSF - Manhattan Sector - Brooklyn System - Brooklyn IV/Neo-Brooklyn

Several Blocks Away From the Apartment Building Owned By Anthony Gandredi

December 23rd, 6200 C.E. - 22:33 CST

Barr had taken the SUV, while Joe and Jon had gotten the Charger, Ernie, Aehgr, and Jason were in the ambulance with Aehgr behind the wheel, they had each chosen a spot three blocks away from the apartment building so that they could easily converge on it from different directions and not arouse any suspicions. Ernie had also tapped into the buildings comm system to reroute any emergency calls to them.

“Alright gang let’s get our game faces on,” Barr said over the radio. His order was met by affirmatives. “Okay detonating charges, now,” Barr depressed the button on the detonator.

Three blocks away the apartment building of Anthony Gandredi turned into a living hell, first the smoke bombs went off in the electrical panels and then the quarter kilo charges of C30 detonated blowing out the panels cutting off electricity throughout the building and in most cases maiming and killing Gandredi’s men. Gandredi’s men weren’t the only ones to be killed as a few of them had brought hookers home with them.

The first emergency call came in less than three minutes later.

“Galactic Patrol Emergency Switchboard,” Ernie said over the microphone.

“Yes I live in the apartment building at 1238 Tanaga Street and I just heard what sounded like explosions from the building across the street and can see smoke pouring from the windows of every floor,” the caller said excitedly, it was probably the most excitement he had seen in his entire life.

“Thank you sir, I’ve dispatched first response units as we speak, please stay inside your home and out of the way of the police and emergency personnel that will be arriving soon,” Ernie clicked the microphone off and gave Aehgr the thumbs up and then transmitted that they were a go to the other two vehicles.

Lights flashed and sirens blared as the three vehicles converged from separate directions and as was expected Barr acting as a higher ranking officer detailed Joe for traffic and crowd control and then led Jon and the others disguised as paramedics into the building.

Inside the building Barr and the others split up pulling silenced handguns from medical kits and holsters and methodically went from floor to floor finishing off any Mafiosos that had escaped being killed in the explosions.

Barr was standing to one side of the door to Anthony Gandredi’s apartment on the top floor the others arrayed out of a direct line with the door. Jon took a single step back and then brought his foot up and kicked the door in slamming it back against the wall hard enough for the door knob to stick in the plaster.

After kicking the door in the five of them rushed in weapons at the ready and found Gandredi unconscious in his bed, Ernie and Jason quickly unfolded a collapsing grav-gurney, the two of them loaded the unconscious thug onto the gurney strapping him down tight as they did so and then as if in a hurry rushed him down and out of the building into the back of the ambulance and Aehgr rushed them away.

Barr and the other two lingered around the scene until the real GP units started showing up and then with lights and sirens blaring they rushed away from the area as if responding to another call.

Theban Cluster - Caruthers Sector - Caruthers System - Caruthers World - Caruthers City

Unknown Date & Time

“I’m sorry did you just say Jack Sikorsky?” Ethan asked with extreme disbelief.

“Well, yeah, at least that’s what my driver’s license says,” Jack answered with an impish grin.

“How the hell is that possible you’ve been dead for over 3,000 years,” Ethan shouted.

“Near as I can figure it has to do with some progenitor gadget that I found on a planet after we got done saving the galaxy again. There was a bright flash of light and then I found myself here,” Jack paused. “Well not here, actually in my aunt’s house on Mars in Fordtland,” a pained expression crossed his face at the mention of the now destroyed Mars city.

“Then what am I doing here?” Ethan asked.

“Oh you didn’t find some flashy, doohicky thingamabob?” Jack asked surprised.

“No, I’d think I would remember something like that,” Ethan answered confused.

“What is the last thing you remember?” Jack asked.

“I…, I’m really not sure,” Ethan said sounding even more confused and feeling so.

“Okay what was the last thing you did before waking up this morning?” Jack asked.

“I was on a ship,” Ethan said surprised. “I was on the Thermopylae II and she was heavily damaged by another vessel and we were using the last of her power after evacuating the crew to try and take out the other ship by ramming it.”

“Thermopylae II, what the hell happened to the Thermopylae?” Jack asked suddenly agitated.

“Nothing she’s still docked over Thebes and is used basically as a floating museum and the corporate headquarters for OzSoft,” Ethan explained.

“OzSoft?” Jack asked.

“Yeah, it’s a software and AI design company run by Ozymandius Thermopylae,” Ethan explained.

“Oz actually started his own company, amazing,” Jack said with a small chuckle.

“He’s married too,” Ethan told him.

“Married, how does an AI get married?” Jack questioned.

“After their initial stint of service after their creation AI’s have the option of either buying out their contracts out or using the accumulated credits to purchase a body. Which can be anywhere from a basic exoskeleton frame to a BABES series body, if they choose to go with the body their contract is extended the same amount as it originally was,” Ethan explained.

“Who did he marry and what’s a BABES?” Jack asked.

“He actually married the Ancient Theban woman Ahlvierna who was acting as the AI for the Ancient Theban space station that you and your crew found during the first Pan-Galactic War. After going back into stasis to halt the progression of the neurological disease affecting her she opted to have her entire consciousness downloaded to the station’s mainframe. The two of them married about fifteen hundred years ago and both actually use Avatar bodies to interact with one another. They’ve also given birth to several hundred free AI children,” Ethan told him.

“As for BABES it stands for Biological Auto-Nom Body Enhancement System, the bodies are fully biological save for some implanted cybernetics especially in the brain to download a person’s neural engrams. These can be created at any age including newborns in case something catastrophic occurs at birth and the child may die. The body itself actually ages as well but acts as if it had a TET treatment after the body reaches the age of 12 years old,” Ethan explained.

“How do AI’s have children, then?” Ethan asked still confused by everything he was learning, technology seemed to have made great strides since he last walked the galaxy. “And what is TET?”

Ethan sighed this was starting to feel like a class on modern technology rather than trying to find out what was going on. “TET stands for Telomere Enhancement Treatment; do you know what a Telomere is?” Ethan asked.

“Yeah, has something to do with aging,” Jack replied.

“Okay, basically the TET is a life extension therapy that uses a Reo-Virus to introduce a genetically modified organism into the body that causes the Telomere chains to slow down the aging process,” Ethan finished.

“Looks like technology has made some rather large advances since I “Died”,” Jack said crooking two fingers on each and in the air.

“Yeah, and it’s still advancing, nanno-technology has really taken off, in the fields of body enhancement, disease eradication, the ability to repair injuries but it has it’s darker side such as nanno-viruses, nanno-drugs, and nanno-parasites,” Ethan explained soberly.

“Not surprising, better technology means better weapons,” Jack commented.

“Yeah,” Ethan said nodding his head at the comment.

“So you’re a member of the Masters family then,” Jack asked.

“Yeah, I’m also a Lt. Colonel in the Theban Fleet Marine Corps and head of the SOCOM special operations branch on Caruthers World,” Ethan explained.

The next couple of hours were spent explaining to Jack what had occurred since his death.