Fiction:The Second Cycle

Chapter 1: Awakening
Five figures stood in a part-circle, surrounding a softly glowing dais. Ghostly images flashed across the surface in three dimensions, shifting and magnifying at a gesture. The cold stone of the chamber echoed deep voices. Cool ozone and the faint tang of incense perfumed the air, but tasted like ash. The mood was grim, but slowly the wheels of thought began to turn.

The subject was a Fordan colony world, within the second sphere. Contact had been lost with the primary settlement, an occurrence thought impossible as communication was maintained through the Void. A ship was dispatched to investigate, arriving the next Fordan rotation. What the group saw on the dais was a projection of surface scans of the major population centers. What they didn’t see was the population. It was as if the people had never existed; buildings and public works stood empty. Trace energy readings danced in the lower atmosphere, and abnormal seismic activity indicated a significant Void translation event. This was what troubled the counsel: no such event had been registered.

Each of the Fordanta held the rank of Marshal, the first of a new brood sired in the years after the return from the Void. Though each was young in years they were old in experience, their minds honed by countless battles and quenched in the blood of foe and kin alike. Their leader, who counted in his lineage the great Blademaster himself, was the last survivor in his generation who could make that claim. Such was the way of the Empire- the potential of each generation measured, assessed and refined by the uncaring reality of life. For many this meant a life of satisfied subservience, their brilliance un-needed but their contribution still valued. For those who sought a warrior’s life, it frequently meant an insignificant death on a swiftly forgotten battlefield. No matter the pursuit, those who survived then thrived, pushing the boundaries their ancestors reached. This sacrifice had its roots in the ancient Fordanta; the lethality of their home ensuring that only the fittest survived. Between their large broods and high mutability, they were ensured to survive even the direst threats.

What new threats the Empire might face was never far from thought, more so now than ever. A plan came together to dispatch recon teams to the planet’s surface, to search for clues as to what happened. Units and resources were allocated to translate planetside, search patterns established and contact protocols set in place. The Marshals hoped for a swift answer, though none expected to like it when it came.