6200 - Book 2 - Dark Pasts - 2 - Chapter 1

Chapter 1 -

Theban Cluster - Anastasia Sector - Aquitania System

Privately Registered Frigate Forlorn Hope

October 31st, 19:38 CST

“Is that supposed to be a Halloween costume,” Jon asked.

“No it’s just me feeling and looking like shit,” Barr told him disgruntled and tired.

“Oh, well maybe if you hadn’t have hid yourself away in your cabin for the last seven months.”

“Yeah well I needed some beauty sleep,” Barr replied with a faint smile.

“Well it seems to have failed,” Joe said dryly.

“Leave him alone you two,” Giselle interrupted coming in behind Barr a few minutes later.

“He’s been ill and not feeling himself at all,” she chastised them.

“Sick, he was sick. Oy get him away before he contaminates us all,” Aehgr whined.

“Oh should have let us know, I would have sent a get well card,” Ernie said.

“Judas priest,” Jason said rubbing a hand across tired eyes.

“Look I’m alright it was nothing contagious just not feeling well both physically and spiritually,” Barr replied tiredly.

“Since when did you get spirituality?” Jon asked.

“When the woman I loved OD-ed on nanno-drugs and my own daughter tried to kill me,” he replied through gritted teeth.

“Whoa, whoa everyone just chill,” Jason said from the command seat.

“Just making conversation,” Jon told him.

“Here’s what I think of your making conversation,” Barr told him with a lewd gesture.

“Sorry to interrupt Captain,” the ship’s AI Damocles said quietly and interrupted the increasing tension.

“What is it Damocles?” Barr asked.

“I have a message from Commander Conroy,” he informed them.

“Put it up on the screen,” Barr ordered.

The holographic screen at the front of the bridge rezzed to life showing Theban Cluster OFI Commander Windsor Conroy wearing a mono-film duty suit and sitting behind his desk.

“Hey guys I got another job for you, so you can stop hauling Mono-Crystallanium and Palladium back and forth between the Theban Cluster and the Tantalan Hive Mind,” Windsor told them with a small smile.

“Bought time,” Jon grumped.

“No kidding,” Joe added.

“What exactly are you wanting us to do now Wyndsor?” Jason asked suspiciously.

“It’s fairly simple, I need you to recover a couple of items for a friend of OFI.”

“What exactly are these items?” Barr asked leaning forward.

“Two twenty-five foot statues of Buddha, one made of Mono-Crystallianium and the other made of Palladium.”

Jason let out a low whistle. “They must be worth a small fortune,” he commented.

“More like a medium to large size fortune,” Wyndsor said showing his teeth in a smile.

“If someone could get that much Mono-C and Palladium in one spot they’d be able to make a pretty powerful computer system,” Giselle commented.

“Yeah that’s one of the reasons we need you to recover it,” Conroy told them.

“So who has it and where can we find it?” Jason asked.

“Well it just so happens that I have that data right here on my E-PADD,” Conroy told them with a small smile.

“Kind of figured you would,” Barr muttered.

“Okay originally the Budhas were carved from a single huge chunk of ore for each one, they were gifted to the Neo-Nepal Lamasery in 5472 by the Crown Prince of the Hegeran Hegemony after things settled down in the Austral Boreal section of space. The statues were stolen about two and a half weeks ago and at the time they couldn‘t figure out who had taken them,” Conroy paused scrolling down on the E-PADD.

“How in the hell does someone steal two somethings that big without anyone noticing,” Joe commented.

“Hell how would you steal one without anyone noticing,” Jon muttered.

“Oh, I bet they just left a horrible mess,” Aehgr whined.

“Uh,” Conroy was thrown off beat for a second. “Well we did some digging and it turns out the statues were stolen by a faction of the Chinese Red Army working out of the Chino Communistic Bloc,” Conroy told him.

“Wait I thought the Red Army was destroyed in the 22nd Century,” Barr said.

“They were, this isn’t actually that Red Army, it’s a gang of self-styled Chinese that think they represent the true spirit of the Chinese people,” Conroy explained his tone dryer than a desert.

“Great, so it’s a bunch of fruit loops with delusions of grandeur,” Jon said.

“Well, actually it’s a large well organized criminal enterprise with pockets and cells throughout the galaxy, they’re also well equipped and funded,” Conroy explained.

“And you want us take them out,” Jon said an almost gleeful tone in his voice.

“No, I want you to recover the Budhas and return them to the lamasery,” Conroy told them. “Nothing more, nothing less, of course if you get a chance to kill this man go right ahead.”

A picture of a short man of oriental descent wearing a light green uniform with too much red and gold braid appeared on the screen.

“And just who is that?” Jason asked.

“General Chou Min Hu, one of the upper echelon of the New Red Chinese Army,” Conroy told him.

“How so now we get to be bag boys for you,” Barr muttered.

“Only if you want to get paid,” Conroy answered.

“Ya know Conroy I should have let the cops arrest you that one time on Corvalis,” Jason said in disgust.

“Ah, sorry buddy I didn’t mean to be such a jerk but I have a job to do and the whole Conroy Naval family would be so disappointed in me if I didn’t do my job,” Wyndsor explained smiling and sitting back in his desk chair.

“We don’t care about your family problems,” Jason told him bluntly.

“You wound me friend,” Wyndsor said.

“Just send us the bloody information,” Barr interrupted.

“Sending it on its way,” he informed them.

“Data received and receipted,” Damocles confirmed.

“Talk to you guys later,” Wyndsor said and logged off.

“I ever tell you how much I hate your friend,” Barr told Jason.

Jason looked at his wrist chrono for a second and then back up at Barr. “Not in the last seven months or so.”

“Ah good I just wanted to make sure I wasn’t repeating myself too often,” Barr told him.

“Who’s up for a beer, I’m up for a beer,” Jon said getting up and leaving the bridge.

“Sounds like a good enough idea,” Joe said following Jon.

“I guess the mess hall is as good a place as any to review the data that Wyndsor sent,” Barr said as he and Jason left the bridge trailed by Ernie and Aehgr.

“I hope they cleaned the glasses properly,” the short Eld commented to Ernie.

“I’m sure they did,” Ernie said reassuringly and then paused in the hallway. “I can teach you this cool new drinking song I learned at a Darby’s in the Pasadena System not too long ago,” he said happily.

“Ah, that’s alright, singing causes me to break out in hives because of all the extra germs you inhale while singing,” Aehgr told him.

“Oh it’ll be alright,” Ernie said patting him on the shoulder and then watched as Aehgr used a wet nap to wipe off the shoulder of his pure white mono-film duty suit.

Behind them Giselle just shook her head as the bridge door closed behind them and she was left alone with the ship’s AI Damocles.

“Okay Damocles let’s finish that game of monopoly,” she told him and the holo-projector over the plotting table at the front of the bridge came to life projecting a perfect replica of a monopoly board.

Quisling Quarantine Zone - Planet QQZ-239 - Former Planet Of Bluebird

Privately Registered Vessel - Annabella Lasiodora

November 1st 02:53 CST

“Are you sure it’s safe doing this?” Angela Covado asked the head of her scientific team.

“Don’t worry Angie, with the protective suit’s the Quislings will never even know that we are here, that and the ship’s newly installed stealth systems will keep us off their sensors as well,” Daniel Cockrum explained patting her on the shoulder.

Angela wasn’t too sure about that but still followed him into the frigate’s locker room where the rest of the Scientific team and ship’s crew had already changed into the special suits.

Angela pulled her suit out of the locker and looked it over, the base content of the material was a specially designed all silver metallic nanno-rubber that would mimic the appearance of a Quisling with built in miniaturized systems that would dampen her heat signature to that of the Quislings. Other systems included an electronic pulse generator that would mimic the electromagnetics that the Quislings put off.

The suit also included a ceramo-plast helmet that was very formfitting and mostly mimicked the facial features of a Quisling but included environmental and communication systems that would allow the team to communicate and gather data.

It took quite a bit of tugging and pulling for Angela to get the suit on but after she had closed the magnetic seal and analgesics built into the inner layer kicked in she barely felt it at all.

After putting the helmet on there was a moment of panic as the nannites that it extruded filled her mouth, nose, and ears allowing for a self-contained, breathing, and hearing system that would protect her head from injury.

“Alright crew back to your stations and scientific team members to your drop pods,” Dr. Cockrum ordered over the comm system.

Angela wasn’t really sure who was who since the only difference one could tell between the members was which ones were male and which ones were female even the face shields of the helmets they had on had turned an opaque silver.

Angela didn’t need to know who was who as she traipsed into the modified shuttle bay along with the other eleven members of the scientific team as they each climbed into their assigned drop pods.

The ship would make a low pass over the planet‘s capitol city, at one time the planet had been known as Bluebird but after the Quisling war and the creation of the Quisling Quarantine Zone it had been labeled QQZ-239.

The scientific teams job was to catalogue and observe the various types of Quislings and determine whether or not they still posed a threat to the galaxy at large. The expidition had been secretly funded not by the Coalition council but by the Coronet Triumvirate who controlled the huge space station as well as the Hyperspace Gate Nexus that allowed quick single day travel between most systems and the center of the Milky Way Galaxy.

“This is your captain speaking we’ll be over the former city of Ribelstein in just five minutes so make sure all your gear is stowed,” former Fleet Lt. Commander Morgana Kelvin told the team over the comm system.

After a few more minutes Angela felt her drop pod moving and knew that the overhead crane arm was moving it in position to be ejected out the shuttle bays open door.

“Alright ladies and gentlemen we are above the drop point and away you go,” Captain Kelvin told the scientific team over the comms.

Angela’s stomach rode up her throat and the vomit was absorbed by the nannites making up her breathing tube as she fell downwards towards the city.

It took several seconds for the pod to impact with the ground inside the bounds of the city proper.

“Alright folks if you need us the ship will be landing on the outside of the city on full stealth mode,” the Captain told them.

“Thank you Captain Kelvin, we’ll keep you informed as to our status,” Dr. Cockrum replied.

“Alright Doc, see you on the flip side, Annabella Lasiodora out.”

“Alright team as soon as you get your pod hatches open we’ll form up and start our survey,” Dr. Cockrum tordered his team and was answered by a chorus of yes sirs and yeahs.

“Okay then, let’s get started,” he told them and pulled on the explosive bolt hatch release causing the hatch to go flying across the small clearing to clang against a dilapidated groundskeepers hut.

Cockrum climbed out of his pod and did a quick head count. “Come on then let’s get out of here before a welcoming committee shows up to see what caused all the racket,” he ordered the others.

The twelve of them quickly gathered their gear and rushed as quickly as they could manage out of the small park they had landed in.

The scientific team split up so they could more easily cover as much area as possible in as short a period of time as possible.

Dr. Angela Covado’s area of coverage was to be the former governmental portion of the city and her primary target would be the planetary parliament building.

Angela relied on the HUD sensors that were being painted directly on her retina by low powered lasers built into the inner skin of the helmet.

Angela was able to mimic the graceful liquidness of the Quislings she did encounter easily enough, she‘d won several dance competitions putting herself through college. Most of those she encountered were standard Quisling drones but a mixture of centurions, medusae, and Rabids could be seen among them. When encountering these she slowed her pace to mimic their unhurried ones until she was out of sight.

Angela finally made her way to the Parliament building and was heading around to the a little known auxiliary entrance when she felt the ground fall out from under her and then was sliding down a steep chute that she only got glimpses of as a silver shaft then she found herself tumbling in free fall and then her head impacted with something solid and she lost consciousness.

Castellan League Space

Handretara System - Several Hundred Thousand Kilometers From Handretara III

November 1st, 6200 C.E. - 10:22 CST

Hood contemplated the map of the Handretara system that floated in the Holo-Tank on the bridge of her monitor and mused that if things progressed this rapidly the New Black Council would be able to conquer the entire Castellan League in another four Earth years and have the troops necessary to start making their incursions back into the more populated sectors of the Galaxy.

It had taken a little less than seven months for the Gnosis to subdue and turn the Castellan, Ambakaro, and Enliach systems into living breathing bio-organic systems by turning the technology that the Castellan League had relied upon against them.

The newly awakened bio-organic machinery had then turned the populations of those star systems into living components of themselves.

The Gnosis would also be making out quite well in every star system that the Black Council invaded since none of the member star nations would require the vessels used by those systems and as such the Gnosis could add those vessels and their crews to their numbers.

Even though the Gnosis were quite mad and blood thirsty, plus the fact that they didn’t trust any purely organic organism made them rather dangerous but for the time being they were being held on a tight leash with the promise of increasing their numbers exponentially.

As Hood mused a servo arm lowered a fresh cup of tea and some biscuits onto a small fold out table connected to her command chair’s arm.

Yes things were going quite well, the Tantalans were due to start their first planetary assault within in the next couple of days and the Gnosis had already absorbed the system’s defense force ships into themselves.

The last major obstacle before assaulting the only inhabited planet in the system would be taking out the orbital defense systems and the space stations that surrounded the planet.

In the shadows of her cowl Hood’s mouth curved into an unpleasant smile.

UNSF Space

Sol System - Earth - New York City - New York

November 2nd, 6200 C.E. - 08:00 CST

“This is Jane Marlenroe and I’m currently standing outside the brand new Elysium Fields Fetish shop that is just about to open,” the perfectly coiffed reporter said into her wireless microphone as the AI controlled TV camera swooped and zoomed away from her face to show the front of the shop where a line extended off camera.

“This NYC branch of the popular Fetish chain will be the first of it’s kind in human controlled space to sell the new Pleasure Drones sold by Tantalan Pleasure Products the company created by the new Tantalan Hive Mind Star Nation to help bolster their current economic instability,” the reporter told her listening audience.

“And now we’ll go back to the studio with Andrew Kincaid and Dr. Abraham Bauman who’ll give us the low down on these new fetish items.”

“Thanks Jane,” the anchor said as the picture zoomed out to show the main studio of the New York Broadcasting System building.

The scene showed the rugged profile of Andrew Kincaid host of the popular morning talk show Live From New York seated in another chair across the small table was a rather distinguished looking older man with iron gray hair and thick rimmed glasses wearing a tweed suit.

As usual Kincaid was wearing his usual fair of gray mono-film duty suit with a suit jacket and pants worn over it.

“With me today ladies and gentlemen is the leading scientist in nanno-viral research and development from Empire State University and a member of the UNSF CDC based out of Georgia Dr. Abraham Bauman,” Kincaid said smiling with huge overly white teeth at the holo-cameras.

“How are you today Dr. Bauman?” Kincaid asked turning his blocky white teeth towards the scientist.

“Excellent Andrew,” the Doctor replied in a deep baritone voice the lights shining off of his gray leonine mane of hair.

“So Doctor as I understand it you are the pre-eminent human expert on nanno-viral technology and you work hand in hand with the CDC to develop new types of nannites and ways to stop any new and dangerous viruses that come along.”

“Well I wouldn’t say I’m the preeminent human expert but probably one of a dozen top experts in the UNSF and yes I do work hand in hand with the CDC,” Baumann told him.

“So what is your opinion on the Tantalans and their nanno-virus,” Kincaid asked.

“Well from what we’ve been able to understand of the Nanno-Virus it is an off-shoot or mutation of the Quisling nanno-virus developed by the Neo-Prussian Empire in the 6100s. From what tests show the virus takes over the assimilated individuals mental and physical processes coating them with a non-removable nanno-sheath that is color coded depending on their niche in Tantalan society, the virus also creates a quantum-space flux transceiver that keeps the unit in touch with the Hive Mind no matter where they are, in either normal space or hyperspace,” Baumann explained.

“That’s very interesting doctor, and what is your opinion on these Tantalan Pleasure drones,” Kincaid asked his next question.

“Well as with all new products that may cause a threat to the general populace the UNSF CDC as well as it’s counterparts in other human and non-human controlled space has studied and tested these new Pleasure Drones extensively and have determined that they pose no threat either physical, viral, or nanno-viral,” Dr. Baumann said answering his question.

“Then your overall opinion is that the Pleasure Drones are completely safe,” Kincaid asked.

“Well from an infectious stand point yes but from a mental stability stand point and whether or not they are ethically healthy that’s up to the lawmakers, religions, and people to decide,” Baumann replied.

“Thank you for your information and opinion Doctor,” Kincaid said smiling again. “And now back to Jane Marlenroe outside the Elysium Fields Fetish Shop.”

The screen faded back to the outside of the Fetish Shop and then the camera swiveled to the female reporter.

“Thanks Andrew, well as you can see folks Elysium Fields has finally opened and the first customer is leaving the shop with his pleasure drone,” the reporter said over the holo-vid.

The camera swiveled from the reporter and showed a man in his thirties leading a metallic cream skinned Tantalan Pleasure Drone, it had long red hair in dual braids down over its back and had deep blue eyes.

“Sir, sir can I ask you a question,” the reporter called out as the man came near her.

“Yeah, what do you want?” the man asked with a small smile.

“I was just curious about your reasons for purchasing a Pleasure Drone I see that you have a wedding ring on your finger,” Marlenroe commented.

“Yes I am married and here comes my wife now,” the man said motioning to a brunette woman leading a male pleasure drone to where the reporter and man where standing.

“What’s going on dear?” the woman asked her husband as she walked up.

“This reporter was asking me why I would buy a pleasure drone,” the man told his wife.

“Oh, I’ll answer,” she told her husband and then turned to the reporter. “My husband and I are what you would call on the adventurous side and like to do things as a group,” the woman told Jane running a finger down the collar of the reporter’s jacket.

“That’s very interesting to hear,” the reporter told her. Marlenroe turned back to the camera. “Well folks you’ve heard it straight from the man or woman as it were on the street.”

After the camera cut off the brunette looked Jane straight in the eye. “How would you like to join us in some extra-curricular activity,” she asked in a sultry voice.

Jane gulped nervously. “Sorry but I’m not really into that type of thing,” she told the woman.

“Too bad, you’re kind of cute,” the woman told her a small pink tongue flicking out and licking her lips slowly and then turning and grabbing the shoulder of her pleasure drone and walking away.

Jane gave a slight shiver and then waited while the small AI driven camera looped around and then perched on the small recharging port located on the shoulder of her jacket.

Independent Systems League - Fountain System

Planet Godhead - Church of the Multi-Spatial God - Main Temple/Pyramid

November 2nd 1 2E - 08:30 CST

The church of the multi-spatial god had grown exponentially over the last eleven months; they had purchased more land and several dozen smaller zigarut/stepped pyramids now dotted the landscape around it and a bustling city had grown up around it with homes businesses and schools now available for the matte black skinned worshippers of the Multi-Spatial God.

All around the main temple humongous holo-vid projectors had been erected and sweet musical tones tolled out from the temple as the time for morning worship arrived.

As one the worshippers stopped what they were doing and went to their knees their eyes finding the nearest floating holographic projection as it switched to a view of the dais that sat at the peak of the pyramid.

A podium had been set up at the front of the dais and a throne at the rear as the worshippers watched a somewhat androgynous completely silver figure with black hair strode onto the dais and sat in the throne followed by six of the chosen who were he/she/its personal guards and servants.

A few seconds later the figure of High Priest Samcar strode onto the stage and took his place behind the podium.

“Let us start worshippers of the one true god,” Samcar shouted over the enhanced sound system.

“Our father, our lord, our master, our god,” Samcar said and the city reverberated with the sound of millions of people repeating the benediction.

Morning prayer only lasted half an hour but throughout the small city that had grown up around the Church’s main temple each and every inhabitant worshipped their god with out reservation.

Independent Systems League - Fountain System

Planet Godhead - Church of the Multi-Spatial God - Main Temple/Pyramid - Avatar Chamber

November 2nd 1 2E - 09:05 CST

The living avatar of the multi-spatial god lounged in front of the black pool of writhing fluid that was the actual true form of the god and acknowledged its high priest as he entered and abased himself before the figure.

“What news do you bring us?” the Androgynous figure asked its voice sounding strange as if a man and woman were attempting to speak at the same time.

“My father, my lord, my master, my god, I bring you new numbers for upcoming converts,” Samcar said still abasing himself.

“And what are those numbers.”

“2,317 converts are awaiting midday worship to embrace you.”

“And news from Siecar?”

“The High Priestess informs me that they are currently in a system called Handretara and the Gnosis have completed assimilation of three other systems and the Tantalans are due to start their assault tomorrow,” he told his god.

“How soon will the church have a chance to start spreading the word of the Multi-Spatial God,” the Avatar questioned.

“From what Hood has told the council the church will have its opportunity after the Tantalans have completed this system and two others,” Samcar informed he/she/it.

“Good, keep me informed.”

“Yes my father, my lord, my master, my god,” Samcar said standing up from his abasement and leaving the chamber.

Skurmvald Republic - Skur System

Planet Skur - Skur Central GMA Hospital

November 2nd 1 2E - 11:17 CST

“Doctor the number of patients showing up is getting out of hand, we don’t have enough rooms or beds for them,” GMA Nurse Nozgril Orklvert told the hospital’s director.

“Start sending them to outlying hospitals,” Talrgin Shelvertr ordered not looking up from the holo-screen of his computer system.

“Yes Doctor,” the Nurse said and left.

Talrgin pinched the bridge of his almost non-existant nose and then fell into a wracking fit of coughing and covering his mouth with his hand.

Looking down he saw green flecked blood mixed with slime like coating that covered his skin. Now I’ve caught whatever it is, he thought tiredly as he continued to sift through the thousands of reports that had been coming from all across just the Skur system.

“What is causing this,” he muttered out loud as the system made a pinging sound. Clicking on an Icon that had popped up in one corner the system let him know that millions of more reports had come in from various other Skurmvald Republic systems; it seemed the entire republic was coming down with whatever was causing this.

Tantalan Hive Mind - ACS-001 System

World ACW-001 - Imperial Palace

November 2nd 1 2E - 13:34 CST

[Query - Imperial Unit 13-0-0-0: How fares our forces with the Black Council]

[Reply - Hive Mind: Imperial Unit 6-0-0-0 reports that all forces are poised to invade and start assimilation of the first of the three systems promised by Hood]

[Query - Imperial Unit 13-0-0-0: What is Imperial Unit 6-0-0-0 plan of attack]

[Reply - Hive Mind: Imperial Unit 6-0-0-0 states that her plan is to initially seed the planet with assimilation mines, followed by catch balls and then forces composed of Military Units followed by Standard Drone units to capture any injured personnel]

[Query - Hive Mind: Should I tell Imperial Unit 6-0-0-0 proceed with the planned attack]

[Reply - Imperial Unit 13-0-0-0: Yes have Imperial Unit 6-0-0-0 proceed with current plan of attack]

[Concurrence Achieved - and reply sent]

[Query - Imperial Unit 13-0-0-0: Any other matters that require additional cognizance of the Hive Mind]

[Reply - Hive Mind: None at this time]

[Query - Hive Mind: Do you require an update on the current status of Siren Units]

[Reply - Imperial Unit 13-0-0-0: Yes what is the current status of Siren Units]

[Reply - Tantalan Hive Mind: All Non-Bordello assigned Siren Units have sold out completely]

[Query - Imperial Unit 13-0-0-0: Is the demand still high]

[Reply - Hive Mind: Demand for Siren Units are extremely high]

[Suggestion - Imperial Unit 13-0-0-0: Possibly start recruiting street people and missable criminal elements]

[Reply - Hive Mind: Suggestion being taken under advisement]

The Tantalan Emperor sat in the throne room light glinting off of his golden body from the high placed windows as he communed with the Hive Mind. The plans of the Hive Mind and its components were going well.

UNSF - Catamount Sector - Caulfield System - Moon Caulfield IVC

Fullfilment Achievement Life Center For Recreational Activity

November 2nd 1 2E - 15:51 CST

Sakron sat in the control center for the Fullfilment Achievement Life Center for Recreational Activity and if his featureless smooth face would have had lips they would have been quirked in a small smile at the Neo-Prussian Emperor’s play on words.

Turning his attention back to the dozens of holo-screens at the front of the room he watched as the guests of the facility exercised and pampered themselves throughout the upper portions of the facility.

“Sikros how many Seeders do we have now?” Sakron asked.

“1,312 Seeders have now been conditioned,” Sikros replied to his King.

“Good, how is our Queen Savelle doing.”

“She is well Sire and says that soon the council forces may be large enough to allow the assault of more than one system at a time,” Sikros told him.

“That is good, inform me the moment our people are able to start bringing more of our race out of nanno-seed containment,” Sakron ordered.

“Yes Milord I’ll inform you immediately,” Sikros told him and went back to watching the screens and directing the Genetic Slaves that ran the facility.

“Savtrella I’m activating the seeding program in Suite 338F, the target’s name is Daniel Colane full seeding should be complete in approximately half an hour so make sure you are present for the imprinting,” Sikros said into the consoles comm unit.

“Yes Sir, I’ll take the secondary access tunnel to that point and await the seeding,” Savtrella replied back.

Sakron sat in his command chair and contemplated his hands as the Seeder program continued. If all went well they would have enough seeders soon to not only revive the remaining members of the Falcra race but to create entirely new ones as well.

Independent Systems League - Halliburton System - Halliburton

Seven Sin’s Tower - Pride’s Office

November 2nd 1 2E - 18:08 CST

“How goes things,” Pride asked her cool blue eyes never leaving her Sister Wrath’s red ones.

“The Gnosis have taken over the core systems of the Castellan League for their purposes and soon the Tantalans will start their invasion of the next three systems,” Wrath told her.

“Good, keep me informed then,” Pride told her sister and shut off the comm unit.

“Well sisters hopefully soon we’ll have the extra troops we’ll need to move in force into the criminal underworld of every star nation,” Pride told her other five sisters arranged around the small table in her office.

Greed, Gluttony, Vanity, and Jealousy Looked at their oldest sister and nodded in agreement.

Pride’s porcelain like lips curved into a smile of not happiness but maybe more of hunger.

Castellan League Space

Handretara System - Several Hundred Thousand Kilometers From Handretara III

November 2nd 1 2E - 20:45 CST

Vikil’s quite mad and diseased mind waited in anticipation, he felt the smallest of the newest Gnosis brethren nuzzled up against his hull taking on nutrients and the missiles that would allow them to assimilate other vessels into their fold.

The Gnosis fleet had already taken over every ship and crew in the Handretara system and he was impatient to move on to the next, as part of their deal to act as a vanguard and as the initial point of a spear that would be thrown into the meat grinder once they made their move on the star nations of the galaxy.

Things had been well for the Gnosis their number had increased by twenty fold already and with another twenty systems to go their number would increase ever more.

Castellan League Space

Handretara System - Several Hundred Thousand Kilometers From Handretara III

November 2nd 1 2E - 23:02 CST

Admiral Kvathr sat on his flag bridge and contemplated the view screen before him, on it floated the planet of Handretara III the side bars next to the image of planet showing estimated population and estimated power consumption used by the planet.

The symbiote that controlled the human Kvathr was emotionless but down in the core of the human Kvathr where the tendrils of the Symbiote dug deep and manipulated his mental status hate and anger seethed. The symbiote fed off this sustaining itself and using it to control its host.

Hood had already told the Evarans that they would not be getting their alotment of systems for quite sometime and even the emotionless Symbiotes were becoming somewhat impatient and annoyed by this fact.

Kvathr twitched in his seat as a spike of the purest hate filtered from his host.

“Orders Admiral,” one of the bridge crew asked.

“Stay on this course if they require our help they can ask for it,” Kvathr told him.

“Yes Admiral,” the crewman replied and went back to his sensor console.

Castellan League Space

Handretara System - Several Hundred Thousand Kilometers From Handretara III

November 3rd 1 2E - 01:19 CST

Counselor Casssandra like Admiral Kvathr sat on the bridge of her flagship and contemplated the object that she held in her hands. The item looked like a harmless circlet and had been delivered by an automated shuttle from Hood’s flagship.

From the information that Hood had provided with the circlet it would allow the Sssisssvarisss to create an army of expendables without endangering even a single one of their own people.

If her reptilian lips had been capable of smiling she would have been at that moment.

Quisling Quarantine Zone - Planet QQZ-239 - Former Planet Of Bluebird

Privately Registered Vessel - Annabella Lasiodora

November 3rd 02:53 CST

Dr. Angela Covado groaned as she sat up and put her hand against the side of her helmet and found something disconcerting, a huge chunk of it had broken away and now left her skin exposed to the atmosphere.

Dammit, well this isn’t going to do me any good then, she thought to herself and released the magnetic suction that was holding it in place over her head. A yank pulled the helmet over her head and drug the slender tube of formed nannites out of her nose and throat with a sucking sound.

“Gaugh,” she spat out the sound it echoed slightly off the walls of the cavern she found herself in.

“Now where the hell am I,” she muttered her voice sounding rough and scratchy as if she hadn’t used it for several days.

“Oh, I guess I haven’t been using it for a couple of days,” she muttered again looking at the chrono that extruded from the arm of silver insulation suit.

“Why hasn’t anyone tried to contact me yet,” she continued to mutter.

Her thoughts were interrupted by sweet sibilant sound that echoed through the chamber and pierced her thought process.

“Beautiful,” she breathed out as the long tone finally trailed off.

“Do you think so,” a female voice asked her.

Dr. Covado slewed her view around the cave noticing for the first time that the entire cave she was in was covered and draped in a soft silvery substance that was the same shade and hue as the suit she was wearing.

After the quick look around her eyes finally settled on a beautiful woman sitting on a throne like chair on a raised mound. Both mound and chair were made of the same silvery substance as the rest of the cavern.

The woman was also clothed from toe to neck in a suit exactly like the one Angela was wearing.

“Excuse me?” She said surprised to find another human being still alive on Bluebird.

“I asked if you really thought it was beautiful,” the woman asked.

“Well yes, it’s probably the most beautiful think I’ve ever heard,” she told her.

“Would you like to hear more.”

“Yes I would,” Angela found herself saying.

“Then come closer my dear and I shall sing you a song of beauty and sadness,” the woman told her beckoning with one silver clad hand.

“Yes I would like to hear that, I would definitely like to hear that and how you have managed to survive all these years on a planet infested with Quislings,” Angela said and strode down the embankment of slightly spongy silvery material.

“I shall tell you all.”

“Come and sit,” the woman told her.

“Okay,” Angela said and made her way up to the dais and stood before the woman. She seemed somehow familiar, she had a blonde hair that trailed down her back and she had a heart shaped face with full lips and a pixie like nose.

“You’re Ariel Monroe the singer and song writer, they thought you died during the Quisling War,” Angela finally blurted out when things clicked into place.

“Yes, I was at one time,” the woman told her.

“What are you doing here,” Angela asked.

“I will tell you all, please sit,” the woman told her.

“Uhm, why,” Angela asked.

“You’ll be much more comfortable and I won’t have to crane my neck downwards,” she said with a small smile.

Angela walked up the last couple of silvery steps to the throne and Ariel Monroe helped her up into her lap. Angela had forgotten that Ariel was part Fantan and stood a little over eight feet tall.

“Now little one let me tell you a little tale of beauty and sadness,” Monroe said in her beautiful voice and then leaned over to kiss Angela on the forehead and then sat back leaving a silvery set of lips on the woman’s skin.

“I’m interesting in hearing it,” Angela said in a sort of trance her voice somewhat distant.

“Here is how it starts then,” Ariel started her story.

Chino Communistic Bloc - Qin Ling System - Shi Huang Ti

Red Chinese Army Encampment - Continent Of Chin-Lo-Ki - Qi-Rin Mountain Range

November 5th 15:29 CST

“General Chou Min,” the metallic blue skinned Nobility Unit greeted.

“TNU-33-75-82,” General Chou Min Hu greeted somberly.

“Are the statues here then,” the Tantalan asked.

“Yes they are under those tarps over on that side of the clearing,” Chou Min told the Tantalan leading him out of the forest camouflage patterned tent into the clearing and motioning with one blunt fingered hand at two large objects under two tarps of the same camouflage pattern.

“And the pleasure, labor, and technician drones,” the general asked.

“Ten Pleasure Drones, and one hundred labor and technician drones are currently on our ship in orbit,” the unit replied.

“Good are you ready to make the trade then,” Chou Min asked.

“Certainly,” TNU-33 answered.

The general shouted at several men in OD green uniforms and spat out a series of rapid fire orders in Mandarin Chinese.

The men dropped the dice and cards from the game of Tendril they were playing and snapped to attention and then raced over to the tarp covered objects and yanked them free and they slithered loose to reveal two gleaming statues.

Both of them were of a reclining budha, not of the stylized western Buddha of a fat happy man but of a slender Chinese in robes his hands palms pressed together and in a lotus position.

Once the tarps were free of the two objects the Tantalan walked forward to inspect them closely and then turned towards one of the metallic green military units that had accompanied it to the surface.

The two Tantalans stood perfectly still for several seconds facing each other their glowing eyes shining slightly brighter.

After the several seconds ended TNU-33 turned to the general. “The units you requested are on their way to the surface now.”

“I take it the merchandise was satisfactory then,” Chou Min stated.

“Yes, extremely so, the materials seem to be of even higher quality than we had hoped,” the Tantalan told him.

“Good I’m glad we could provide you with what you needed,” Chou Min replied.

“Was there any problems in obtaining it?”

“No, I lost a few men in the process but that is all.”

“Unfortunate, I assume you left no proof of your identity behind?”

“Certainly, we took great care in removing all evidence of who we are,” Chou Min said puffing up as if insulted.

“Good.”

Above them a sonic boom rent the atmosphere as the dropship containing the agreed upon units started to descend to the clearing.

“Do you have your vehicles ready to transport the units?”

“Certainly,” Chou Min answered and waited as the dropship settled with a thunk to the clearing floor.

Several Drone and Military units lead the agreed upon 110 Tantalan units down the dropships boarding ramp.

Center Of The Milky-Way Galaxy - Coronet - Visitor Dock 398

Epsilon Sector - Cory’s Pub

November 10th 08:52 CST

It had taken the crew of the ship nine days to traverse the Aquitania System and find one that actually had a hyperspace gate that would take them to Coronet so that they could then spend another day in transit to the Chino Communist Bloc, Barr had thought it would probably be a good idea for them to actually stop at the Coronet itself and restock as well as getting a few minor repairs taken care of and check on mail and other back channels.

Barr was currently with Jon and Joe checking on some information that one of his contacts had sent him a hint about.

“So you’re informant hangs out in a place like this?” Jon had asked incuriously.

“Yeah,” Barr answered straightening his tie and shifting the briefcase in his hand slightly.

“Why would an informant hang out in place like this,” Joe muttered looking around.

“Not all informants are seedy, unwashed, unshaven, smelly toads,” Barr told him out of the corner of his mouth. “Now shut up and let me do the talking.”

The other two just nodded and shifted slightly uncomfortable in the suits that Barr had bought for them.

“If you guys would stop throwing out the suits I buy you this would make things easier because then I could just get some tailor made for you instead off of the rack stuff,” Barr growled at them.

Barr saw who he was looking for; a tall thin gentleman with silvering hair had a his back to the rest of the room and was sipping a manhattan. Barr motioned for the other two to spread out and mingle with the crowd.

Stepping up to the counter Barr tapped the man sitting next to the drinker and gave him a bland but menacing look until he moved.

“Place is pretty packed today,” Barr commented setting his briefcase next to the other man’s as he sat on the stool.

“Yup, Masters Armaments stock just tripled in value so everyone is celebrating,” the thin man replied.

“I’ll have a screw driver please,” Barr said to the bartender who had wandered down his way as he wiped down the counter.

The bartender nodded turned away and punched something into the auto-mixer and then set a small napkin and the Vodka and Orange juice concoction down in front of Barr.

Barr didn’t say another word as he sipped at the drink trying not to grimace at the vitriol flavor of the Vodka, obviously the bar’s auto-mixer needed a tune-up, or they just used lighter fluid instead of the potato based alcohol that was supposed to go in the drink.

By the time Barr had finished his drink the silver haired man was gone, Barr paid his tab and picked his briefcase up leaving the pub with Joe and Jon trailing after.

Back on the ship Barr summoned everyone back to the small conference room and opened the briefcase, sifting through the various chip folios that had the names of various companies and dates on them he finally found what he was looking for.

As the others sat waiting around the conference table Barr finally slid a moly-chip into the table’s reader and then activated the player.

The lights in the room dimmed and the holo-vid at the front warmed up showing a jungle scene.

There was no sound but as they watched the camera managed to pan back and forth across an encampment that had camo netting covering a few mounds as well as several vehicles and camouflage tents.

The camera appeared to be hidden on the chest of whoever was carrying it, most likely in a button or pin.

The camera continued to pan and the team saw first General Hu and then a group of Tantalans led by a nobility unit the two figures discussed something and Hu snapped a order and made a gesture and a couple of soldiers ran over and removed the camouflage netting from two large statues.

The air pressure had to have dropped in the room at the sight of the two shining statues, both were exquisitely carved and very detailed as well as reflecting the light from the overhead sun even through the thick jungle canopy.

The camera panned back showing the Tantalan and Hu speaking again and then the Tantalan turned to another of its kind and then a few minutes later a drop ship landed in the clearing and quite a few Tantalans of various types were led down the ramp and then the two statues of Buddha were loaded on the dropship.

“Damn, so they aren’t in the Chino System anymore,” Jon muttered after the footage had ended.

“How are we supposed to know where they have gone?” Aehgr whined.

“We could always ask,” Ernie said brightly.

“That is the stupidest…,” Joe trailed off seeing the thoughtful look on Barr’s face.

“Actually that isn’t a half bad idea; Conroy wants us to pay a little visit to the General anyway,” Barr said looking up.

“Yeah but what are the chances of him actually knowing where the Buddha’s are going,” Jason asked.

“Pretty good I would say,” Barr replied. “People like Hu like to keep tidbits of information in case they need to use them as leverage in the future.”

“Huh, there is that,” Jon said.

“So we’re still going to the Chino System,” Jason asked.

“Yeah, go ahead and set a course and lets be on our way,” Barr ordered.

The group broke up with Barr, Jon, and Jason heading for the bridge, Ernie turned on a movie to watch while Aehgr went to his room to clean and Joe went back to the medical bay to check some things.

Neo-Prussian Empire - Imperial Sector - New Hamburg

New Hamburg City - Imperial Palace

November 10th 13:52 CST

“So how long have you been dating this mysterious woman,” one of the court reporters asked of the young Emperor of the Neo-Prussian Empire.

“The young lady in question and I have been dating for the last seven months or so,” the Emperor replied with a smile turning his charm up to high; it was a trait he had obviously inherited from his father.

“Can you tell us who she is?” Another reporter asked.

“I can’t tell you her exact identity but she does come from a well to do family and to protect her families interests she does not wish for her identity to be known,” the Emperor told them soberly.

“Why is that your Highness?”

“The young lady that I am dating suffers from NRS and was badly burned not to long ago and she doesn’t wish for her family to have to suffer for her disfigurement,” he told them.

“Is that why she is always wearing a nanno-tex suit and rebreather your highness?”

“Yes the suit is to protect her still healing body from germs and bacteria and the rebreather cleanses the air she breaths in cutting down even more on the chance of infection.”

“What about the other twelve women who also wear black nanno-tex and follow her around as if they were her bodyguards?”

“Those women are also suffers of NRS and were also badly burned in the same accident as my Fiance, she felt responsible for them and so has paid for their medical treatment and suits as well and they have become so close that they refer to themselves jokingly as the Thirteen Sisters,” the Emperor said with a small sad smile.

“Can we at least get a name to call your new Fiance?”

“You can refer to her as Sister I; that is what she has decided her new identity shall be,” he answered their question.

“So are there plans for a wedding in the future?”

“Yes, we have been considering this and a few other things as well that may come as a surprise to the entire empire as well as the galaxy at large,” Nathan told them mysteriously.

“Is there anything you can tell us about this surprise,” one of the reporters asked eagerly sniffing out a story.

“At this time no, Sister Superior and I are still discussing the details but it will be nothing detrimental and will actual help the Imperial Community at large,” Nathan answered and then the smile left his face. “That’s all I can tell you for now and I have other duties to attend to,” he told them turning away.

The reporters knew better than to start pestering the Emperor with questions once he’d said he was done, the last reporter that had done so had disappeared and not been heard from ever again.

Neo-Prussian Empire - Imperial Sector - New Hamburg

New Hamburg City - Imperial Palace

November 10th 14:37 CST

“How did the press conference go your majesty,” the Minister of propoganda asked as the Emperor entered the room.

“It went very well and it seems our plans are going along nicely as well,” Nathan told the man.

“That’s good to hear,” the Secretary of Security said from his position by the small fire burning on the den’s hearth; while New Hamburg wasn’t exactly a cold planet it did suffer from the occasional rough winter and at the moment one of those winter storms was howling and banging against the heavy masonry of the Imperial palace.

Nathan sat down in a large chair by the fireplace and crossed his legs. “Come her my love, if we are going to talk about your future you might as well come over here and sit down,” he ordered her.

“Yes love,” Sister Superior I said and sat in his lap and snuggled up against him.

In the past seven months the AI that was placed in her had been refined and even upgraded several times and when necessary Sister Superior I actually believed that she was Duchess Freschia Von Brauhausen, it had also amused Nathan that the AI had reprogrammed the Black Pariah’s Vocal cords so that she sounded exactly like the person she had once been.

Oddly enough for some reason had started feeling some affection for her and even now he ran his hand lightly down her nanno-tex clad side and she giggled and wiggled at the ticklish touch and she pressed her respirator covered face against his shoulder.

“A little bit more of that later love,” Nathan whispered to her.

“How much longer before the Holy Writ is complete and we can start building the first Cathedral?” The Emperor asked.

“We still need to get into that slowly your highness and set the Sister up as head of the church,” the Security Secretary told him.

“Yes once you two are officially married she’ll have the credentials that will allow you to actually create the Imperial Church and put the Holy Writ into practice,” the Secretary Of Propoganda told him.

“Set a date for the wedding for one year from now,” the Emperor ordered.

“Yes sire,” the minister of propoganda said and bowed himself out of the room.

“How is the curriculum for the new colleges coming along,” Nathan asked the Secretary of Security.

“All three colleges are coming along well, we’ll be ready to fold the Imperial Medical college and the Imperial Military Academy into them once the Church has actually been created,” the man told him.

“Good, now here is what else I want to be done with the Church…

Castellan League Space

Handretara System - Several Hundred Thousand Kilometers From Handretara III

November 11th, 6200 C.E. - 07:02 CST

The Tantalans invasion wasn’t very loud to start with but sure did end up being so, most of the planet’s military forces were shattered, their equipment destroyed but oddly enough the invaders had avoided killing as many of the personnel as possible.

Instead they had large round balls that split into four sections and seemed to have some sort of cloth that trailed between them and then wrap and capture without doing harm.

Castellan League Space

Handretara System - Several Hundred Thousand Kilometers From Handretara III

November 11th, 6200 C.E. - 19:25 CST [12+ Hours After Invasion]

Lancer Jarkis Deglas Rorets lay on the slight ridge in the valley not to far from the wreckage of his burning two and a half ton hover cargo truck that had been carrying supplies for the 118th Infantry corps.

Looking up at the sky Jarkis thought about how he had gotten there, he was only twenty-four years old and had joined the Castellan League Army to see the galaxy and it’s wonders and to earn some extra cash for school, luckily once leaving basic and STC [specialty training course] he had been re-assigned to his home planet of Handretara III. But now finding himself with part of his pelvis and his left kidney vaporized by an invader’s Particle beam he wondered why he had even joined the military.

Sensing movement he raised his head and twinged in pain as the movement pulled at his wound and saw dozens, no hundreds of metallic cream colored invaders moving in trios across the field where his column of vehicles had been attacked, occasionally a trio would stop and crouch down and one of them would remove something from a pack that one of the others carried.

Jarkis let his head drop back to the ground and winced as it jostled the egg sized lump on the back of his head and wonder what the Invaders were doing, he thought they may be of the drone caste but he hadn’t been paying much attention during the short briefings about the color differences in the invaders.

After about fifteen minutes a trio of cream colored drones hove into view and stopped staring down at him, he struggled to rise but pain shot through him and two of the drones crouched down and held him by the arm and legs so that he couldn’t move while the third quickly stripped away his composite armor and duty suit leaving him naked, the one stripping him [a female it appeared] was very gentle about the process being careful not to jostle his wounds.

After stripping him the female drone pulled what looked like a thin cream colored sleeping bag from one of the packs on the other two drones and moved down towards his feet and passed a finger along one side and a magnetic seam unsealed and he watched as she slowly pulled it up his legs, and he felt the material cool at first and then it quickly warmed as it tightened around his feet and legs pinning them together and then the drone slowly slid it further up and it tightened around his chest and shoulders pinning his arms to his sides and then the drone pulled the last of it over his head and it tightened over his face and he was able to see through a cream colored haze out of what appeared to be two eye lenses, he felt the drone run it’s finger down his back giving him oddly enough a pleasurable thrill as she resealed the magnetic seam and then he saw her pull two cylinders from the pack as well, one she moved towards his face and he felt the material ripple as it passed through and into his mouth and quickly expanded filling his oral cavity and he felt it expand up through his nasal passages and down into his throat. Panicking he tried to struggle but there was no give and his legs were pinned together and his arms pinned to his sides.

The drone then took the smaller cylinder and it disappeared from view behind his head and he felt a slight stinging sensation in the back of his neck and then sensed that he was no longer alone in his own head.

“Greetings Jarkis Deglas Rorets, you were seriously injured during the recent fight, and for this we apologize, we do not wish to harm or kill humanity but make it a part of ourselves, a part of the Tantalan Hive Mind.”

“Soon you will be part of the hive mind yourself once your wounds have healed, the Quantum Space Flux transceiver will be absorbed into the base of your brain stem making you a complete unit of the Hive Mind and the Creche Bag which is currently working to heal your wounds will finish bonding with your skin and your limbs will be released and you will be allowed to join the other Military Units to finish assimilating Newly Assimilated Creche World 10,001,” at these statements Jarkis field of vision cleared and he could now see through clear green lenses and realized that he would soon become the same as those that had attacked his convoy, “Now rest easy TMU-13-68-48-95.”

After that Jarkis felt the Creche Bags TNV laden composition start to bond with his skin and within twenty-four a new Tantalan Military Unit stood from the ground received a weapon and equipment from a nearby transport and was loaded aboard to capture and assimilate the town of Ferrer’s Harp where a person once known as Jarkis Deglas Rorets had been born.

Castellan League Space - Handretara System - Handretera III/ACW-10,001

Continent Of Glit - Ungar State - Town Of Ferrer’s Harp

November 12th, 6200 C.E. - 19:25 CST [36+ Hours After Invasion]

For the town of Ferrer’s Harp the Tantalan’s sent locally assimilated Military Units to take it over and both the Hive Mind and Hood watched with some interest as they entered the small town.

The group of units was approximately company size and was led by TMU-13-68-48-95 who in its former life had been born in the mid-sized town.



Entering the town and walking down the street TMU-13-68-48-95 pulled an assimilation sphere off of his equipment harness and pitched it at a female townsperson who was attempting to run away from the invaders and kept walking.

Behind the Tantalan unit the sphere separated into four parts and spread out a sheet of nanno-tissue unfurling and with it’s small counter-grav engines the sphere tracked on the woman and enveloped her in the off-white material completely covering and smothering her in it and a few minutes later she rose as a green military unit and was armed and equipped by a truck being operated by tan drone units.

ACW-10,001 was fully assimilated within seventy-two hours of the first Tantalans entering Ferrer’s Harp and it only took another three weeks to assimilate all the personnel aboard the space stations and various colonies throughout the system.

When the assimilation was done the Tantalans brought in huge cargo ships full of portable crèches and unloaded the planets and systems new populace of various types of Tantalans and then loaded the entire old population of the Handretera III; save for children; aboard the cargo ships, each and every citizen of the former Castellan League world had now been converted into Green Military Units.

Castellan League Space - ACS-10,001 - ACW-10,000-3

The Monitor Black Moor - ACW-10,000-3 High Orbit

December 1st, 6200 C.E. - 20:08 CST [Post Invasion]

“Well done,” Hood said to the image of the Tantalan commander a metallic blue Nobility unit that now looked at her from the holo-vid screen.

“How well something is done is of no consequence, only efficiency and the fact that we have now found homes for more of the Hive Mind’s units,” the Tantalan told her. “We are however still seeking suitable worlds to further spread the Hive Mind.”

“Maybe you should negotiate with the other factions since I doubt any of them will really want to lay claim to the planets that they will soon be culling of their populations, you may even be able to pick up millions if not billions of children to add to the Hive Mind as well since the others consider them of no use,” Hood suggested with a small smile.

The Blue Nobility Unit seemed to pause for a second. “The Hive Mind has received and noted your suggestion, it will undergo further analysis at a later date,” the creature told Hood.

“Always glad to help,” She said with another small smile and sipped her tea waving the holo-vid off with her other gloved hand.

The other members of the galactic community didn’t even know that the Castellan League even existed and as long as they stayed ignorant of that information and if anything went disastrously wrong to the point where Hood’s allied forces were decimated she’d be able to rebuild them from the isolated section of space.

“All in all a good backup plan,” she said with a chuckle to the quiet bridge around her.