Fiction:Profane Rebirth

Contact
A single cruiser in the Draconid style swiftly approached the world of Krnoff, a small mining colony on the barest edge of the Imperium's territory. The sun was rising over the colony, a sparse structure supporting only a few hundred souls. As it dispatched a lander to the surface, it signalled the colony with an Imperial recognition code, and was given landing clearance in an instant. Compared to the refined splendour of the lander, the colony was drab and bleak. A mass of grey walls and boxy structures punctuated by the occasional reinforced viewing port, with the occasional walkway interspersed between them. The lander shone in bright, clean metalwork, clearly designed to impress. As it came in to dock, a small crowd appeared around it, hoping to glimpse whoever had come to visit their small colony. A hush fell over the crowd as the lander's doors opened, and a golden-scaled Draconis strode purposefully out and into view. Dressed in an advanced suit of armour, comprised of a body glove with attached plates, while also wearing the long velvet cloak and mantle typical of Draconid high society, he cut a figure of sophistication and pride. Raising his arms to the crowd, a light blinked green on his lapel as every loudspeaker on the colony sparked to life.

"People of Krnoff, hear me! I have come to offer you a great gift; a rebirth, if you will. I can give you a new life, a better life. A life at the peak of physical and mental perfection. To be everything you can aspire to, and more! No longer will your potential be wasted on this drab mine, as you burn away the precious hours of your life in mundane repetition. Instead, you will enjoy all the privileges of a new social order, living out your every fantasy. The opportunities are limitless, bound only by your imagination, and all you have to do is come with me now. Take my hand, and be reborn into a brighter future!"

For a moment, the crowd stood in stunned silence, processing what they had heard. Unfazed, the Draconis spoke up again.

"Barely a year ago, I was far from the proud man you see before you. At the edge of society, a Houseless vermin on whom none would waste a breath. I was given a chance to start anew, to be reborn and to relive my life the way I saw fit. I was taken up from the desperation of the streets streets and brought to the lap of luxury, such that now I walk amongst you with all the pride of the Highlord himself! I have come to dozens of worlds, and met hundreds like me. The weak, the crippled, the downtrodden and depressed. They all took a chance, and now they stand alongside me, to offer this chance to others! Behold, those whom society has cast out, reborn into the image of power!"

At this, a dozen more aliens joined him. Draconis, Zazane, Radeons and other less known aliens, each the ideal of their race. This sight was enough to alleviate any doubts the population had left. One by one, the people came forward to pledge themselves to this rebirth. Each was welcomed warmly, and embraced as family, before being led aboard the lander. At first, it was simply those at the bottom of the rungs, the maintenance workers and cleaners. Then came the sick and disabled from medical, who agreed in the hopes of finding treatment and cure. Before long, the flood gates opened, and a full quarter of the colonists volunteered. Satisfied that those who would come willingly had done so, the Draconis and his fellows boarded the lander again and departed.

Those that stayed returned to their work slightly disheartened that they had been abandoned so easily. Before any had a chance to return to their normal lives, however, the colony was rocked by thunderous impacts. Pods dropped from the sky, embedding themselves in the ground before opening up. From inside, a red fog poured out, spreading like wildfire throughout the colony. Any caught inside it froze in place, paralysed completely. Electronics were scrambled, shorting out communications and frying cameras. Panic spread throughout as more and more fell victim to the fog. A lonely sensor cluster beyond the colony limits recorded the final moments of the Krnoff colony: a small fleet of landers, much alike the one that came before, set down on the outskirts and disembarked dozens of aliens in hazmat gear. They began to systematically and silently scour the colony, collecting the bodies of those frozen by the cloud. The entire operation took little more than an hour, and the colony was empty.