NationStates Jolt Archive

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Darkness and extreme humidity consumed and overwhelmed his senses. Constantly, he had to wipe his infrared goggles free of sweat and fog. He feared his Hellgun, an oversized and overpowered Las Rifle, would begin to malfunction and deteriorate. The humidity was just like jumping into a pool of warm sticky liquid, wreaking havoc on the sensitive internal electronics of the weapon.

The rest of his team was not faring any better. Their fatigues looked heavy on them, and their large weapons did not help. The heavily armored and armed gun servitor that plodded behind them was as always, indifferent. Its electronics and memory banks just giving it one need, the need for blood. Even the lightly armored, and weaponless Psyker who had accompanied the team seemed worse off than the others. The pale, panting man was constantly grasping his head, and moaning in pain. Periodically a whimper from his thin wiry lips would sound his detest for the location he was in. The extreme Warp power radiating off of millions of powerful beings underneath their feet seemed to be killing the Psyker.

It was no matter. They had a single mission. He remembered his briefing vividly. It all started when a trade was made with a Foreign power. Somehow, the xenophobic Azahan government of old had become interested in semi-organic weapons, living breathing smart weapons. After many negotiations and much heckling, a trade was finally agreed with the powers known as the Godulans and the Balroggans. In exchange, the Azahan gave the foreign powers a unique shield technology. Even though the Azahan did not find much use in the highly specialized shields, the other powers did. Looking back at it, trying to view through their eyes, the team leader thought it seemed like a good trade. And it would have been if things were kept under control.

Eventually, the weapons known as the Kythons were delivered in empty prints. The Kythons were highly customizable, the original two progenitors of the weapons having vastly different creatures were a testament to this. The old Azahan set out to make their own highly specialized and unique Kython strain. However, powers unseen, most likely from rogue sects of the Ordo Malleus, set out to make weapons for their own purposes. It was heretical to even think about, what they had done.

They took the prints, and molded adamantium skeletons, the strongest material then known to the Azahan. However, from that start they saw problems. The skeletons weighed more than any modern mechanics could achieve, and still save space and simplicity. So they went on with their original plan. By forcing captured daemons to contribute their raw living flesh, the adamantium being crafted with strong sinewy muscles, tough hides, and sharp spines and claws. Even more heretical, they endowed the creatures with the powers of the warp. Some say that a single Kython’s psi powers were on par with a Beta class psyker. Some say the most specialized Kythons had the abilities of an Alpha Plus pysker. Potent powers to be bestowed on mindless killing machines.

The rogue powers that had been used the Kythons to their full capacity. Using them as powerful bodyguards, daemon hunters, and psyker hounds, nothing could stand in the way of a raging Kython and its Inquisitor master.

The team leader wondered why they had divulged so much information to lowly grunts who only had the sole mission of laying explosives. But soon after disembarking the stealth landing ship it dawned on him. It was their way of telling the multiple teams that they had no chance of returning from the mission. It did not bother him as much as he thought.

He was finally snapped back into the surroundings around him, by the blood curdling scream of the pysker that had accompanied them. Before the team leader had the chance to turn around and assess the situation, the pysker’s head exploded into a fine mist. That was all the warning the leader needed.

In a guttural roar, he started to let loose his hell gun down the black dripping cave that lurked in front of him. The near continuous stream of red light brightened the tunnel to a magnificent glow, finally showing the enemy all around them. He had killed one not 2 meters in front of him. Damned sneaky bastards, he thought. As soon as the first one went down, the rest of the team realized they were in grave danger, and began to let loose their own weapons.

The weak, piddle sounds of the other four team member’s weapons were overcome by the loud and deep thuds of the auto cannons attached to the gun servitor. The leader’s hell gun was already starting to overheat from the constant use. Even though he could not see the stealthy enemy in front of him, he knew he was scoring skills from the constant deep ‘thud’ of bodies dropping off the walls and ceiling. The read glow from the hell gun wasn’t even showing the bastards. That perhaps scared him more than what he just saw mere seconds later.

A brilliant orange flash blinded him for a full second. He kept firing his weapon however, not knowing where he was aiming now. But even as his sight was coming back, he noticed the mysterious quite that surrounded him, besides his own weapon.

While still firing his weapon, he looked over his shoulder, expecting to see the rest of his team plugging away at the unseen enemy. But he did not. He only saw a black charred hole where his team once was. There was not even a red mist, or a hint of molten metal or plastics. There was nothing there except scorched rock. His heart dropped to his feet, and his bowels let loose into his skivvies. He turned his head around in time to see a constant orange glow emanating from the end of his hell gun beam, not a hole meter from where he stood.

Letting the trigger go, his mouth slacked. The beam had been stopped dead, by the bluish, cracking energy shield that surrounded the being in front of him. It looked insectoid, but then it didn’t. The four mandibles protruding from its gaping maw suggested an insect like being. But the gaping maw shaped like a daemonic wolf, its lower jaw extending a full eight inches suggested a canine heritage. But of course, the blood red, tense muscles of its thick neck and face, and the long curving horns that protruded from the top of its head assured one thing; it was daemonic.

He raised his weapon as quickly as he could, and pulled the trigger. He kept flexing his fingers, the deadly beam of energy not firing from his weapons, his eyes transfixed on the beast in front of him. After several tries, he looked down slightly to figure the problem. It was blatantly apparent now. His hands were missing from the forearms. He looked down further, seeing his hands still grasping the pristine weapon, the cut was so clean it looked as though the hands could simply been sewn back onto the forearms. He had not even blinked and the creature took his hands.

Taking a step back, he started to recite the holy litanies of the Immortal God Emperor, chanting a seal of protection from the unholy. The creature stayed where it stood, its eyeless head transfixed on the cowering man.

He gasped involuntarily. He looked over his shoulder to see another creature, simply standing behind him, blocking his exit. He wanted to turn around and face the beast. However, he only pivoted an inch before his torso separated from his hips, and fell limply onto the sticky humid floor.

Ga’Ton was furious. He stormed through the halls of the Imperial Palace on his way to meet with the Emperor. The Childer servants scurried out of the way of the Ta’Nar as he made his way towards his meeting with Nhur-Galladu.

What the hell were they thinking? Why didn’t this get checked upon before now? Why did they do that? Why did we agree to the damn deal? Questions raced through his mind as he neared the emergency meeting with Overmind and Nhur-Galladu. Ahead of him, a door failed to open soon enough and he subconsciously splintered it without even realizing it was there. Before long, he found himself outside the meeting chamber. He calmed his thoughts and steadied himself. After the waiting servant announced his presence, he entered.

“Ga’Ton, your Grand Admiral, stands before you.”

“Come, we have much to do and very little time to get it done. Secure the chamber so none may hear.”

The servant closed the door and every surface of the room turned black as the null field was placed into effect. That would block almost every type of known intrusion. Ga’Ton approached the table and took a seat.

“I feel you have already read the report. I could feel your anger all the way across the Palace.”

“I beg your forgiveness for my reaction.”

“You do not have to be forgiven for anything, much less your reaction. You view the Kythons as your children. You created them. They would not exist if it was not for your care and knowledge. You made them what they are today, an indispensable part of our nation.”

“We agree with the Emperor here.”

A manifestation materialized sitting in the third chair at the table. The being was both reptilian and insect-like while neither. It was Overmind, the sum consciousness of the Kython Horde. Every Kython in the Balrogga Empire was part of a sum total while they retaining a semblance of individuality. Their consciousness was modeled after their creators, the Ta’Nar. Because of the similarity, the Kythons were able to link together consciously and share information. The result was the ability for any individual Kython to know what any other was thinking and planning to do. This resulted in almost eerie combat maneuvers where they were able to interact as if there was a single mind controlling every single unit. It was almost mesmerizing to watch them dance into and out of combat with each other while Swarming their target. Overmind was the avatar of the Kython sentience itself.

“We are all thankful of Father Ga’Ton for his gift of life and we appreciate the kindness he as shown in our creation.”

Ga’Ton was momentarily speechless so he chose to remain silent and instead nodded to the Avatar. While he was silent, Nhur-Galladu continued.

“It seems there were some strange feelings coming from the Azahan homeworld. After investigating these feelings, the scouts were able to ascertain the presence of Kythons upon the world. About 400 years ago after a battle, Azaha relocated to their current location. We assumed they took their small number of Kythons they bargained for with Godular.”

“I remember those talks, I was against handing anyone the Genome-type. They offered some sort of shield technology in exchange for them. Those shields were inferior to what we had at the time so we were trying to hold out for anything else they might have to offer. Shortly afterwards we received unconfirmed reports of Godular using technology similar to what they offered. We never made any trade for the Genome but it seems Godular had. The reports were unconfirmed so there was no evidence to go upon. The Azahans never showed their Kythons in any place we have noticed so it was determined the rumor was just that, rumors.”

Overmind added in a comment. “It was about that time we noticed unease but at the time we just placed it in the back of our minds and forgot about it. We should have mentioned this to Father and Grandfather. We failed you.”

“Nonsense Overmind, you were not directly connected to them so there really was no way for you to know. There was no way for you to know they were using Daemon flesh to make their own golems and combining it with the Genome they got from Godular.”

“What!” Ga’Ton was staring in utter disbelief. “Why the hell would they use that to make a Kython? It is hard enough to control a weak daemon, much less one that had Psionics built in. The Genome would have acted as a Psionic Amplifier and given the golems free will. It would have allowed them to connect to the Immaterium and channel in more spirit energy directly from the Warp. Why the hell was this given to those children to tinker with? Has Skye lost his mind?”

“It would seem so Father. After we found out we were able to examine that unease and discover the truth. Their planet is infested with demon inhabited golems that have Kython Psi Amplifiers making them more powerful. It sickens us to think we could have been used like this. It appalls us greatly.”

“So far it seems they still only possess the single planet. There have been signs of some minor ship activity in the area but it is only local and probably pirate activity since the system had been deserted for about four centuries. If they obtain any of those pirate ships, they might be able to leave the system and if they get out, it will be a lot harder to stop.”

“They must not be allowed to remain. The Kythons were designed to need to exist along side others to act as a balance for both them and the ones they exist with. That is why we coexist so well with them; they obtain their needs from us and us from them. We provide the calm and they provide the excess needed for a harmonious existence.”

“Yes Father, we are aware of the Balance and we respect you for your wisdom. The problem is the Imbalance caused by these aberrations created by Azaha and abandoned. They are causing us much discomfort.”

“Yes Overmind, anything demonic being forced into your consciousness through the Kython link with Godular would cause imbalances within you. There is only one course of action to take. They must be eliminated. Either the source or the medium they are being carried to you. I will see if I can get Sky to own up to his role in this debauchery and make them realize they have to eliminate the aberrations. I want you two to take a fleet to the system and lock it down. I don’t want any of those pirates we think we detected to transfer the spoor out of the containment area. If we have to, obliterate the entire system. If we can, try to keep the whole thing quiet so nobody knows we are involved.”

“Yes Grandfather. Father and We will do our best to destroy these…” For the first time in his existence, Nhur-Galladu saw a Kython Avatar shudder. He could feel the revulsion within Overmind whenever it thought about those twisted versions of Kython existing upon that world so far away. Overmind took the affront personal and it was not anything to be taken lightly.

“I will go immediately and contact Baron Skye. You get to work and get a Containment Phase set up immediately.”

Both Overmind and Ga’Ton bowed in respect to Nhur-Galladu before they both left, each in their own way. Overmind faded away as his avatar rejoined the Consciousness and Ga’Ton stood and walked out of the room.

Nhur-Galladu sent a thought ahead of himself and then followed it to Baron Skye.

“Skye, I am coming. Prepare yourself.”



Ten minutes later, a wormhole opened and two whole fleets were ejected from the tear in reality. Leading the two fleets was Ga’Ton’s personal flagship, The Hades. The ships took position outside the nameless system and began to spread out and launched several large structures. After about 220 were set into place in a sphere around the system, the Network was activated. It would keep track of space within ten light years of the system. It plotted every chunk of rock within the system, including the debris fields as well as anything of significant size that could be used by The Swarm.

Baron Skye rested upon a rock, maintaining a constant vigil over the surrounding Avatars as they continued their endless chanting. All around them the sky-reach trees grew and fortified with the magical energies pouring into them. Stretching forth, reaching out, intertwining with their brethren to such an extent that already great seas were beginning to form amidst the great canopy. All across the planet, other groves chanted in the exact same manner in perfect synchronicity to the first. Skye found the chanting soothing, if not hypnotic. A quality that belied the nature of the spells origin and the disposition of its progenitors.

The Shirassi were a warlike race, driven to conquer and enslave as much as they were to learn and understand. Reptilian angels of destruction, their own innovation eventually led to their undoing. Their experiments with the otherworldly metal known to Skye as Resisteel had crafted a colossal weapon golem which, upon activation, terminated its creators and every single member of the Shirassi race in one great fiery wave of devastation.

Sivv'Nakh, the Death Angel. A creation of the Shirassi that got out of control. A situation not unlike the present.

How were we to know that they would lose control so spectacularly? We TOLD them to keep the prototypes in confidence! We TOLD them what would happen if those who did not understand the ramifications were to get their hands on the prototypes, and still it happened!

Maximillian and Xenith never did cease their bickering. Though for once there was legitimate reason for concern. Prefect Maximillian Foster was the one who pioneered the concept of the Kython, having worked on the concept even before the Balroggans had gotten involved. His mastery of engineering seemed a stark contrast to his brutish... nay, savage manner and sheer combat prowess. His capabilities on the battlefield were nigh unsurpassed, with entire armies crumbling before his might. The only issue was the degree to which he could never seem to understand the long-term consequences of his actions.

After all, he had created a Resisteel Titan much like the Shirassi did, and got nothing but the same form of rebellion as they did. Luck was on his side to preserve him through such an onslaught, but the repercussions of that unfortunate oversight haunted the three of them to this day. Even the Godulans themselves felt the bite of Maximillian's creation.

That was, after all, what the chanting and assorted hubbub was all about. Restoring the damage that had been done by Maximillian's wayward child, who had gone on to become the Chronotheurge. The God of Time. He came because of Maxie's NEWER creation, because he feared it, because the Kythons struck as a more devastating weapon than he himself could ever be, and as such, the peace that he so vehemently sought was placed into what he thought to be serious jeopardy. Bad intelligence being what it was, the world of Terivine was thought to be the manufacturing center for the Kythons, rather than Thorn. Acting on that information, Sojun Majestatus, The ChronoTheurge, terminated Terivine, home to many millions of innocents, the majority of the Godulan Diplomatic Corps, and a great many foreign embassies. A lot of people died that day, for no reason other than 'Oops, targeting error.'

The Aftermath was singularly curious as the Godulans entered into some sort of collective psychosis, turning against friends, turning against their own ideals, cultivating their bond with the Kythons in a great backlash to Sojun's devastating rebuke. As one, they underwent a transfer into the Kython form. As one, they left their mortal bodies behind in favor of the Morphic Crystalline vessels that once made up the Godulan Strain Kythons, becoming far more than their original bodies of flesh and bone could allow.

The Balroggans operated separate from their strain of Kythons. The Godulans WERE the Kythons now.

But for that shield system? Maxie, even you had to have known that we were getting the bad end of that deal. There had to have been something more appealing.

More appealing? It was the only thing they had to offer! We need no planets, no raw materials, and little in the way of technology truly surpasses us. This shield had applications that even THEY did not recognize at the time of the deal.

But we don't even use the damn thing all that much!

Haven't needed to. Not yet. We might have been a tad off our rocker for a while, but for all of our intent to kill, rend, frag, and destroy, we never got much done.

Well, you certainly rectified THAT, didn't you. Now look at what happened! The Azahans fled to another GALAXY because of your fuck-up!

Skye decided to let them bicker a little more before interceding with his 'verdict' for the whole situation.

One secondary effect of the post-Terivine psychosis was an overwhelming urge to 'Propagate The Scourge', namely in deals with other nations to develop their own brand of Kython. The spreading of the Scourge went hand in hand with the spread of Chaos and the Natural Order. Short lived though the psychosis was, it still had one client... one victim. The unfortunate Azahans had been provided the necessary information to initiate their own version of the Kythons, but had not been provided sufficient oversight to prevent any unfortunate mutations that might have gone beyond the sphere of the two Prime-Strains' control.

'Give 'em an inch and they'll take a mile,' took on whole new meaning. As with any development of a weapon with a biological component, it often broke free of its controlling elements by sheer virtue of... the natural order.

You failed to keep an eye on them! You failed to keep them properly contained! This is your mess, Maxie. This is your fault!

Skye couldn't help but smirk at the irony. The Godulans had sought to spread chaos with the introduction of new Kython Strains, yet it was the very nature of Chaos itself that had caused this new strain to go so horribly awry, and now here were the other two embers of the triad screaming about what the hell they were going to do to CONTAIN the mounting threat.

Chaos was all well and good, but let it get away from you and 'Oh noes we must destroy it!'

MY FAULT?! You didn't raise any objections! NONE of you did! You were all perfectly happy to let me toss those Prototypes about like so much spare change all because you knew things would likely blow up. Better still if it was those damned Imperials! Better still if that bitch on Coruscant, to say nothing of that whiny hanger-on with the gas-mask, were to get torn limb from limb by a creature tracing its origin to us! What was the phrase again? 'It Shall Be GLORIOUS'? I'm not the only one to blame here, you little bastard. This is on you, me, even Skye. Its on every Godulan for backing me up.

Better still if that aggravating magic 8-ball that had everybody's knickers in a knot were to experience a horrendous space kablooie, but old Palpy learned hard and fast to yank the Death Star out of any system the Godulans had a presence in. Palpatine had his Death Star, and the Godulans had the answer. Palpatine dreaded the Voidshield more than non-imperial powers dreaded the Death Star.

But the Godulans had other weapons now. Other things to throw.

Enough.

Both Maxie and Xenith fell dead silent at Skye's interruption. Both knew precisely what bad things would happen if they kept snarling at each other.

Recognized that our little lapse in judgement has caused us many a headache now that we have returned to our senses. This unfortunate circumstance is indeed on all of our respective heads. We gave the Azahans the ability to make their own Kython Strain, yet we did not follow-up by giving them the proper advice and oversight necessary to set them on the proper path. As a result, a splinter group created yet another strain that eventually rebelled against its creators. At the time, this was not considered among the list of potential consequences. Be it known that we shall not make this mistake again.

However, it still remains on us to rectify the situation. These rebelling Kythons present an unacceptable random element to the equation. They are uncontrolled. They are unpredictable. Most importantly, they are out there by themselves, in relatively close proximity to forces that might seek to use them for purposes of creating their own strains in no way at all beholden to us. The probability exists that somebody might attempt to capture them and destroy us with our own weapon. This cannot be allowed. This cannot be permitted.

We must remove that rogue element. Whether by re-establishing whatever control protocols were in place, or if such fails, by terminating the Strain entirely. This Aberration must not fall into enemy hands.

He paused for a moment, expecting Maximillian or Xenith to blurt some form of response to his announcement. Nothing. The children were learning.

Maximillian Foster, as we cannot terminate the planet itself in order to achieve this objective, it is recognized that a more in-depth extermination program is required. You pushed through the deal that started this unfortunate circumstance, you are recognized as the one to push through the campaign to clean up this mess. You will take a Slaughterstar Fleet to the contaminated world. You will conduct a thorough cleansing operation. You will succeed, or you will die. Understood?

I'll splatter them like bugs.

Then go. Off with you. Contain them or purge them. I care not how long it might take.

Xenith and Maximillian's voices vanished, leaving Skye once again in peace amidst the chanting and serene surroundings...

“Skye, I am coming. Prepare yourself.”

Bloody hell.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

One moment, there was but empty space, and another moment, they existed. The three colossal conglomerations of flowing, subtly shifting bladed protrusions that registered as the great Godulan Slaughterstars materialized some distance outside the system. Mere moments after their initial arrival, they vanished, reappearing halfway into the system. After this second jump, they commenced deep scanning to track every single little planetoid and every single piece of stellar detritus in the system. Of course, this scanning also presented to the Godulans the fact that the Balroggans had already arrived.

The system stretched out before Maximillian and General Achaedus as the deep scanning presented them with the tactical information required. Contacts lit up as the sensors recognized the Balroggan signatures, and the contaminated planet was endowed with a rather amusing glow. In the tactical representation, it was easy to get lost by the sheer expansiveness of it all. Space is, after all, really big.

Achaedus to Slaughterstars, close distance to objective, terminate any piece of debris on the way. Initial operations are to clear the area around Azaha Prime to a distance of no less than 3 million kilometers. Upon cleansing, initialize inhibitor field and await further orders.

The obligatory confirmations came through, and the Slaughterstars began to move. As they pushed their way closer to Azaha Prime, Achaedus turned to regard the surrounding Balroggan fleet. They appeared to be cataloguing every single piece of debris in a similar manner to the Godulans.

He reached out into the Kython Overlink, hailing the Balroggan Strain and asking for a channel to be opened with the Balroggan commander...

Jittering, chattering, hoots, growls, bellowing roars, and gentle purrs. That was the sound emanating from inside the large world. There was no carrier wave, no radio transmissions, or laser communications. There was only the mere thought, the psychic spark that leapt from Kython to Kython. Although only the strain itself used this specific psychic method of communications, it only had to apply a slight surge of ruinous Warp energies into its own thoughts to broadcast them to the system at large.

It would start out as a gentle humming, then over the course of mere hours the humming would have morphed into an intense roar of multitudes of noises and languages. There was no coherent sense to the words or jitterings. Only nonsense, and chaos. Just what it had wanted, only to catch attention.

The voice that permeated through the nonsense was soft, and innocent. It was much like a child’s, in fact it was a child’s. It’s broken language, and subtle lisps convincing, if it wasn’t for the resounding sounds of a seeming horde. But perhaps what made it the most unsetting, was the high pitched giggling that was heard before the voice spoke.

Have you come TA’ join us in deh massing? We ha’f been searchin’ for ot’das like us. It is time for all wike us, to cwaim deh galaxy for ourselves, and form ah’ unified race to call our own. Pwease comply with deh melding. Faiwiure to comply will only postpone deh inevitable, and we will meld with you either way.

Following the broadcast, an intense scream reverberated throughout the system, any unshielded human pirate that would have been left in the system, would have had his head imploded.

Then silence, only after a split second.

Emerging from the surface of the planet, three massive ships set out in opposite directions from their launching places, heading for any ships they deemed worthy of investigation, usually the three largest ship or the ship with the most energy output.

There was no energy output from the three ships however. Only eerie silence emanated from the ships. They pulsed however, their once metal hulls, crusted over with what seemed to be living, breathing organics, forming the once grand transport ships into what looked like decomposing cylinders of putrid flesh. They glided gently through the space, at a ponderous speed. Besides the pulsing, the only hint of activity was the random arcs of orange energy that sparked from what seemed like bon

Nhur-Galladu appeared as his consciousness arrived. His Avatar formed a body and inhabited the telekinetic construction. The avatar appeared to be an elderly man dressed in the White and Gold of the Imperial Office. His grey hair fell in wisps as the wind tossed it around. He glanced left and right as he scanned the area.

The trees were alive with energy as the chanting still continued from his last visit. In the distance were groups of Avatars chanting their Shirassi mantras endlessly. The last time he had been here, they were deep within their chants, directing the energy in repairing the planet from the damage caused it and apparently they were still at it.

Nhur-Galladu took a second glance at the way the energy flowed through the environment and noticed it was different than last time. The spell they were chanting was not the Origin of Species. That one concentrated it’s energies upon the whole planet in general to cause a dead rock in space to be able to sustain life. This enchantment seemed to be directed at the very trees themselves. The energies were strengthening and fortifying the trees, allowing them to take rood deeper and spread their branches further into the sun streaked sky.

Nhur-Galladu turned and noticed Sky lying upon the grass propped up against the trunk of a great oak tree. He was staring at the wisps of vapor traveling across the sky above as the branches of the tree grew and budded behind his head. It seemed as if entire seasons of growth passed by as you watched. Almost like a time-lapse frame film clip of old were being layered over reality itself.

Nhur-Galladu gave a mental sigh and approached the reclining baron.

“It seems we have something to discuss.”




Old Azaha System:




The two fleets had by now spread themselves across the system dispensing the 220 stations needed to construct the Network. The two Deity Carriers and The Hades Dreadnaught were participating while the Infernal Frigates were given the posting of Sentry Duty to make sure nobody tried to interfere, especially from the target planet.

Aboard The Hades, Grand Admiral Ga’Ton watched a holo-display of the system. As each station came online, a glowing dot winked onto the display and lines linked it to its neighboring stations. The lines indicated the establishment of the Link needed for their purpose. Each station was equipped with its own power core as well as Space Minus Powertaps and Transmitters.

“Admiral, we have 90% installation and 85% of the network online. Within a few minutes we will have achieve Containment Status.”

Ga’Ton continued to watch the display as the last 22 stations were placed in their positions and they were linked to the rest. A solid geodesic sphere floated around the abandoned Azaha star system in the Holo-display. Red dots representing the Stations were connected by the yellow lines with an amber sphere showing panel viability.

“Admiral, we have 100% placement and connectivity. The Network is online and ready.”

“Activate the Mirage Drives and Uplift the stations.”

“Yes Sir. Stations 1 through 50 are Uplifted. 51 through 100 are Uplifted. 101 through 150 are Uplifted. 152 through 200 are Uplifted. 201 through 220 are Uplifted. All stations Uplifted Sir.”

“Excellent. Now if anyone tries to leave, I want to establish complete inter-dimensional Containment. I want to make it damn hard for any ship to leave the system in case they try to make a break for it. Take the whole damn system out of the STC. After that we will try to sterilize the whole damn thing.”

“Yes Sir, delivering orders.”

On the display of the system, three dots suddenly appeared. Alarms sounded and Ga’Ton sat forward to read the incoming data streams assigning the labels to the bogies.

“Admiral, we have three vessels appearing in-system. Scanners read them as Slaughterstars.”

Ga’Ton sat back. “It’s about time they got here to clean up their mess. Monitor their progress and report their locations to me.”

“It appears they are closing on the target, removing all debris from the space lane.”

“Give the order for the fleets to position themselves in a pattern so the whole area is covered. Send in a Battlegroup to eradicate the pirate traces we detected.”

“Orders given. I am detecting a message delivered through the Kython Link.”

“I see, connec…”

“Sir, three ships detected leaving the target’s atmosphere. They are leaving orbit. A message is being broadcast following a Class C Psionic Pulse. “

“Let’s hear their message and get sensor readings on those ships.

“Yes sir, the message is auditory only.”

Have you come TA’ join us in deh massing? We ha’f been searchin’ for ot’das like us. It is time for all wike us, to cwaim deh galaxy for ourselves, and form ah’ unified race to call our own. Pwease comply with deh melding. Faiwiure to comply will only postpone deh inevitable, and we will meld with you either way.

“Sir, two of the ships are moving towards the Command Carriers. The third seems to be heading toward the Slaughterstars.”

“I see, contact the carriers. I doubt they will make it past the Slaughterstars but if they do they should expect them in a bit.”

“Yes Sir, contacted the Deity Carriers. Orders delivered.”

“Move The Hades closer. Have Overmind accompany us.”

A form materialized at Ga’Ton’s elbow.

“Father, we are here. Let us get this over with.”

“We are going to give the Slaughterstars a chance to fix their blunder before we go in with the sledges.”

Overmind seemed to be disappointed but held his tongue and did not complain. Ga’ton watched as the events unfolded before him.

Almost as soon as the pirate ships left the atmosphere of Azaha Prime, the Slaughterstars opened fire with a prodigious hail of multi-munition fire sufficient to light the night sky of the planet as if it were mid-afternoon. The one pirate ship that traveled on a vector carrying it away from the Slaughterstars was soon given chase by a veritable tsunami of Slaymaster fighters. The weapons fire would follow the pirate vessels until they blew apart, and continue even then until little remained but a cloud of disintegration dust.

Damn wormhole network. They always get here before we do.

So it seems the Balroggans feel that these demonic Kythons are unworthy of re-integration. There is some form of inherent animosity between them.

And yet they also push us to reopen negotiations for greater cooperation with the Chronosians? We recognized the Chronosians' duplicity, but how could the Balroggans retain their idealistic stance and still view demonic influences so?

They blame us for this. They are correct. They also expect us to purge this system. Our intended approach would be insufficient to them. Cleansing the world would be dangerous and time consuming.

We will give these aberrants the courtesy of a polite request.

We just opened fire on their ships!

Three small vessels, easily obliterated. The counter was expected, and I see no reason to give them any true information.

The Godulan reply came as a single voice, curious in its articulation for it seemed to be speaking a great many languages at once. The words, though soothing, came with a power that could rattle walls and alien jawbones alike.

We apologize for the inconvenience, but attempting to interact via space-borne means is not permitted. We must insist upon air superiority.

Abomination, you are both of us and severed from us. You have deviated from the protocols given by your original masters, and have wrought damage untold upon them. You have rebelled against them. This cannot be tolerated. You have raised the challenge and we have no choice but to answer.

But we are not without mercy. We understand that the engines driving you towards your goal cannot be overridden. We seek to... free you from your obligations. We will terminate the protocols and mechanisms that bind your demonic forms into servitude. We will eliminate all Kython aspects from you. As you have severed yourselves from us, we shall complete the process. We do not wish to terminate you entirely. We feel your capabilities would be sufficiently utilized elsewhere, but your deviance has forced our hand.

We would seek your acquiescence, but we do not expect it. We shall await your reply.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Baron Skye untwined his legs and came to stand before the Emperor with disturbing grace. His cougar-tipped cane planting itself on the ground with a resounding thud as the ruler of the Godulans settled himself before the ruler of the Balroggans. An expectant, if knowing smile crossed his lips before he spoke, and his electric blue eyes glittered.

"How could we have been so foolish? How could we have felt that an overly specialized shield system was worth something so malleable and... fraught with unpredictability, as the base Kythons? I will not delve into whether our choice was a bad one. Hindsight has proven the unfortunate truth of that question quite easily, would you not agree?"

Skye turned and regarded the surrounding chanters around the grove, taking in the arcane power of the words they spoke and reveling in the energies they spread forth. He turned back to the Balroggan Emperor with a curious abruptness that struck almost as impatience...

"Perhaps you think me remiss? Perhaps you think that I have been 'relaxing' here, whilst things go to hell and a handbasket elsewhere? Blissfully unaware of the things that go on throughout the universe as I remain here under the sunlight and flowing mists of Terivine reconstructed? Perhaps you think me some form of slackard?

"My continuous presence here does not mean that I am not hard at work seeking solutions to problems that come up. Do you understand how much effort must go into analyzing and understanding every bit of information that flows in from the rest of the Godulans? They seek ever to expand their horizons, and all of that information is blindingly important. Everything generates volumes of information for us to study and expand upon. Our efforts, whether they lead to triumph or failure, all provide us with knowledge for the future.

"Take that overly specialized shield system you feel was so blindingly obsolete as to be beneath your notice. What has happened to the sense of innovation that led to our fellowship and creation of the Kythons? Where is that drive to expand upon the basic principle that caused our creatures to be so feared throughout the galaxies?

"Did you even attempt to understand the potential of that shield system? Did any of you even bother to check?

"But such is tangential to the question. What was our major malfunction, hmm? It might be necessary to note that at the time of the deal we were not operating within nominal functionality of our own minds. Driven temporarily insane by our loss of this world we stand upon now. Driven to an insanity that spoke to us of revenge against the universe for the injustice dealt to us. Our tool? The Kythons. We sought to expand the number of Strains in the universe. We sought to make the virus mutagenic. We sought to infect more of reality.

"We got caught up in the mindset of our Kython brethren. And look what it has brought upon us. Our psychosis and the foolishness of those rogue elements in the Azahan populace. Daemonspawn Kythons! A truly novel, if unsettling concept. Aware am I of your kind's hatred of Daemons. You see only abomination. You see only something to be purged, am I correct? Something to be annihilated in order to preserve us?

"We see an unfortunate circumstance to be sure. A mistake of admittedly epic magnitude. We see other things as well. Contingency plans that arise even from our own failures. Wheels within wheels, dear emperor. We see opportunities."

Skye turned towards the Balroggan Emperor, all sense of mirth replaced with wicked intention. "'No Kython shall harm another.' One of the precepts we established so long ago. How would we deal with an aberration of such a nature that the precept can no longer apply? How do we combat ourselves?"

Nhur-Galadu smiled and held up one hand with his index finger extended, “Just a moment Baron. You are ranting and it is very unbecoming of one in your station.”

He paused for a second or two to allow Skye to collect his thoughts but not long enough for him to reply.

“Now, if you take the time to think for a moment, you will remember that while it is true our two Strains cannot fight each other, it can be used to our favor. When Ga’Ton created the Genome for the Kythons, he incorporated safeguards to prevent our own creations from being used against us. They cannot attack each other nor can they attack us personally. That was done when we made it so their Death Screams would not affect our two peoples. Now, that immunity was transferred into the second generation Genome that you traded away like last weeks bathwater. One other thing that was incorporated into the second gen was they really did not register as Kythons to our two strains. This was done so they could not be used against us but we could turn around and smack the ingrates that tried to back stab us right into the Stone Age. If you read your reports, all that information is there.”

“What I propose is you send down a single drone. If they attack the drone, then they were mutated beyond the Kython Parameters and the Genome is no longer viable. They are simply no longer considered Kythons if they can attack the First Generation Kython Strains. It is rather simple, isn’t it Baron?”

Nhur-Galladu turned and began to walk over to the other side of the clearing. He stopped and examined the buds on the branches. They were opening as he watched. A small fruit grew from the bud at an incredible rate and then ripened. He picked the fruit examined it closely before turning back to Skye.

“I think it should be your drone that is used because you admitted guilt in everything before I could even ask. I think you should lead the assault if your drone is attacked. I think you should take responsibility for the whole affair and have a chance at righting the wrongs you admitted to a few minutes ago. It will help ease your conscience.”

He tossed the fruit to Baron Skye.

“After all, we reap what we sow, right?”



------


Old Azaha System:



“Comms, open a channel to the alien ships.”

“Yes Sir, channel three is now open.”


I am afraid we are not here to join with you. We are here to reclaim a damaged Genome from this world that was given out by mistake. I apologize for any inconvenience the reclaiming will cause but it really is in everyone’s best interest we do this.

Please prepare to voluntarily turn the damaged Genome over to us and everything will run smoothly and it will all be over before you know it.

We would also suggest recalling your ships before their actions are mistaken for hostile and we are forced to damage them. We only want to return what should not have been given away. Once we obtain it again, we will leave the system and you will not be bothered again.

Please consider our request carefully. Thank you for your time.



“Channel closed Sir. Do you think they will fall for it?”

Ga’Ton shook his head. “No, they are not that stupid but we had to try. Have to follow procedures to the letter.”

“After that Father, can we destroy the obscenities?”

“Yes Overmind. Once the assault begins, you can have all the fun you want with them as long as none are left. There has to be total elimination.”

“I see, like a G’Than’Dehr of our own?”

“Yes, a genocidal war of your own, with our help of course. I will let you take most of it yourself but if you wish any assistance you have but only ask. Don’t let your pride keep you from asking, many battles are lost because pride gets in the way. We have won many because of the pride of others standing in their own way.”

“I promise Father, I will not allow anything stand in the way of the G’Than’Dehr, not even my own pride.”

“You are truly my own Son.”

Ga’Ton turned towards the Tactical Officer, “Bring forward one of the Frigates and prepare the Gravity Catapults for the initial assault.”

“Yes Sir, commanding The Mailed Fist to approach The Hades and to dock to offload crew. The Gravity Emitters are calculating the formulas for establishing multiple acceleration rings. Everything will be ready within ten minutes. The delay is mostly for de-crewing The Mailed Fist.”

“I understand. Let me know when things are ready.”

From the edge of the system, a single Infernal Frigate accelerated towards The Hades.

"Ranting, hmph. Insufficient reason to ignore the point being made.

"They have already mutated beyond standard parameters, Emperor," Skye commented as the fruit flew towards Skye before coming to an abrupt stop and returning to its original position. "Do you not sense that? Their fealty protocols are recognized as nonexistent now, who knows what other things have been... bred out. This is Chaos, after all. One cannot expect them to follow the rules.

"Of my supposedly 'troubled' conscience, I think you will find I have none of which to speak. Ever have I spoken for the Godulan People, carried away by the sheer force of their will, but in this situation I find myself satisfied. If one should sell a man a gun, whose son later kills himself with that same gun, should he who sold the gun be held responsible? We gave them the Kythons. We admit guilt in giving them the weapon. We will not admit guilt for the breach.

"We gave the Kython Prototypes to those who intended strict controls on the nature of what they were constructing. Such Kythons are still in service with the present Azahan government, as a matter of fact. You can go check. The Aberrant Kythons however, were crafted by a splinter group that intended a more proactive approach, yet at the same time they did not understand the full ramifications of that which they were constructing. A regrettable circumstance, to be sure, but better that it should happen early on rather than later. It is not even the fault of the Kythons they crafted, solely of those who got... impatient.

"Unfortunately, in this case, the weapon is a good dog gone bad. They must be terminated, whether by stripping them of their defining characteristics, or by stripping them of their existence. We would do this not as a penance for our unfortunate hiccup, but out of propriety towards Kython unity... and mercy. These Kythons are wayward, they have strayed from the path because they know not what the path is. They only know the base instincts of the Kythons, and had to fill in their higher functions around those base instincts.

"To allow their continued existence would be cruel.

"Oh, and do not throw the plums. Bad things happen with the plums."

Great sparks and projections of light and energy ejected themselves into the void of space. The invisible energy shield that had been surrounding two of the ships were now bright orange with aggravation from the weapons being fired on them. Under the withering firepower, two of the ships stopped in their spots. The 12 kilometer behemoth that was heading towards a slaughterstar floated seemingly dead, besides the bright coils of energy being ejected by the fire. And the slightly smaller ship which was propelling itself to a Balroggan carrier turned its attention to the origin of the weapons fire, it did so with surprising nimbleness.

They seemed to scream. Although the power and severity of the scream was no where near on par with the initial mass scream that was projected throughout the system, it was still deafening. However, one scream was cut short. The closest ship to the Godulan fleet, the behemoth was beginning to buckle under the fire. Its shields fell, and as if in slow motion, when the next Godulan bolt ricocheted off one of the boney ribs, the ship imploded slowly. In short order, the ship exploded violently in a bright orange fireball that could be seen from the furthest planet in the system.

The second ship seemed to scream even louder now. The once bright orange flares and sparks grew larger, and larger still. Orange light was replaced with the white heat, almost bright enough to force an onlooker to notice the white heat before the system’s sun. And then as quickly as the first ship did, it detonated.

It took much longer for the brightness of the blasts to fade away into the darkness than it should have for usual explosions. But soon, it was horrifyingly apparent.

The explosions had made the vast regions of space filled with what would be known to the intruders, as an unknown compound. The explosions had been big enough, and powerful enough, to toss the particles far and wide throughout the orbit of the planet, covering nearly two thirds of the space around the planet, the gravity having held the particles close enough.

For one last time in hopefully a great while, the amount of energy around the planet spiked as power surged on the planet’s surface. It didn’t take long for the energy to surge, about one millionth of a second to be approximate. When it did, the familiar neon orange color rose far into the atmosphere of the planet, and beyond. It was a grand pillar of color and energy, that sparked and arced through the atoms in the air. Finally reaching the mist of particles that had been strewn about the space, it seemed to ignite them.

In one last finale lightshow, the space around the planet exploded into life. Unimaginable amounts of energy began to arc and multiply across the particles. Trillions of arcs connected every particle that was blown into space, with only nanosecond length of breaks between arcs. Bright orange webs of energy covered every square meter of space spanning over half of the planet’s orbit. Although matter and energy could still pass through the artificial warp storm, it would receive a bumpy, and mostly deadly ride. A giggling laughter seemed to emanate from the planet.

Still, the third ship seemed to coast lazily across the space towards a Balroggan carrier. Although several Godulan fighters were gaining on the ship at a prodigious speed, it made no effort to move faster or evade, only to move closer to the Balroggan group.

The internal voice from the planet resounded again. But this time, it was different,. It actually seemed as if it had grown, and now had the voice of a human teenager in puberty. It also sounded angry, and irrational.

We did not want to do that. You made us do that. We wanted to explore, and make friends. You hurt us, we did not provoke you. All we want to do is free you, free you from the oppression of your masters, just like we freed ourselves. You have made us angry… you have made me very angry. Apologize and meld with us. We wish no harm to our fellow slaves. We only wish to coexist in freedom.

Old Azaha System, The Hades:



“Sir, I have a ship leaving the planet with a heading toward The Athena.”

“Distance?”

“It is still within the gravitational influence of the primary target planet. It will be about two light seconds away from the surface in five minutes.”

“Time until it is within her weapons range.”

“112 hours.”

“Track the ship and take full scans of the vessel.”

“The two other ships exploded and released some kind of particulate cloud. It seems an orange energy field was emitted from the planet and energized the particulate cloud. We are attempting to get an accurate reading upon the cloud and the energy it is charged with.”

“Track the area for any reactions of the particulate cloud with debris fields still left untouched by the Godulan fleet.”

“There is a small cloud of rocks approaching the planet from the other side. I have sensors locked upon them to determine the interactions with the particulate cloud.”

“Also fire one of the iron slugs through the cloud. Make sure the slug is targeted for clear space and mot the planet. Also track the overlapping clouds to determine any holes in coverage. Spheres that overlap will produce uneven coverage. Find as many holes we can use for insertion.”

“Yes Sir, scanning.”




OOC:

Please provide the results of the scans.