Fiction:War of Ages/Prologue

"This universe has grown far out of control. Much like the roots of a weed left to fester underground. It is time to uproot this universe; and start anew."

The is said to be the most catastrophic conflict in Gigaquadrantic history, with countless lives lost on all fronts and across numerous dimensions. How it began, however, remains unknown to those in the present day - save for a select few.

Echoes in the Dark
Date: 18,183 BC

A sound echoed through the universe. A calling - a resonance that channelled its way through the First Gigaquadrant that fell silent to all but one who were expecting it. The one who did, however, had waited for this very moment for years long beyond counting. It was the cause of a beacon - a monolithic structure that was planted on the Human homeworld of Earth - upon the very touch of it by a human, woke this beacon up and threw its call to the stars. How fast it went, or how far it reached is not known, but one structure, in the bleak and quiet Tuuros Galaxy, heard its call. In the distant reaches of this galaxy, far into territories uncharted, laid a ship. The culture was long lost to time, and it was of such stature and size that gazing upon it was to be driven insane by its surreal enormity. The blackness of its design meant that it went unnoticed in the Tuuros Galaxy for aeons upon aeons. It remained in its place, dormant, though now, the signal of that monolith had reached it.

There was no support systems active on the ship; one who would have travelled through there would have needed the necessary equipment to brave the cold void of space - save for the control chamber. No amount of technological advancement in the universe could have deciphered the codes sealing these doors, nor break them down. They were engraved with ancient glyphs, of the language of this lost race. And on the inside, was a series of panels in a cross-shaped room. There was a circular platform in the middle, hosting nothing on top of it, though it contained something within. The monolith's signal unlocked this containment. It was in fact, a basin filled with a gelatinous blackened liquid - draining further down, revealing a lone figure that was apparently in stasis within it.

It flicked its eyes open - four of them, and it took its first breath since it underwent its sleep. It was a long, drawn out breath as it reached out of its sleeping position, climbing its way out of the basin, without clothing. The skin of the creature was fragmented and cracked, unusual for its kind, but its breaths ignited an infernal quality in these openings of its skin - each breath created a light in its body, as its blood starting flowing once more, carrying a similar infernal light with it. Its first steps were weak, though it quickly regained its composure as it walked over to one of the panels that had just rebooted itself upon this being awakening.

The being in question was named Zhuleshxi - a survivor of the race.

Zhuleshxi approached the panel, and planting his peculiar-shaped hand on it, a reddened light surged through the ship, illuminating the control room and the rest of the monstrous vessel in a sinister glow. Next to his hand, appeared a smaller bulb of light - certainly artificial and holographic in quality, and appeared to move on its own will as it paced the panel's surface. It was the vessel's artificial intelligence, having awaited Zhuleshxi's awakening for many years.


 * AI - Salutations, master. I see the stasis sleep was one hundred percent successful.
 * Zhuleshxi - That beacon...which one was activated?
 * AI - Beacon two-zero-nine-four-nine. A planet from the Plazith Rim - civilisation has evolved on this planet in the last thirty millennia or so.
 * Zhuleshxi - Thirty thousand years? For how long was I asleep?
 * AI - One billion, four hundred and seventy nine million, nine hundred and sixty three thousand, six hundred and thirty four years, eight months, fourteen days, six hours and twenty eight minutes.

Zhuleshxi stood up straight, somewhat perturbed that his sleep had gone on for such a long time.


 * Zhuleshxi - Activate all beacons. Survey this Gigaquadrant.
 * AI - It will be done.

The panels on the controls started filling with data; every beacon throughout the First Gigaquadrant collected information around it, sending its scanners through the stars, classifying and categorising endless amounts of data to be sent back to Zhuleshxi's ship.


 * Zhuleshxi - What is the status of Tuuros Galaxy?
 * AI - Civilisation flourishes. Seventeen thousand five hundred and thirty one sapient species are currently spacefaring.
 * Zhuleshxi - Andromeda...Plazith Rim...Borealis, and Tigris.
 * AI - Similar results. Tens of thousands of species are sapient and spacefaring in each one.
 * Zhuleshxi - ...I sleep for this long, and find that the Gigaquadrant is overflowing with primitive lifeforms. It was expected, but nonetheless aggravating.

Zhulesxhi walked over to a stasis tube - containing a perfectly sterile suit of armour - his own suit of armour that he placed there moments before his sleep. Donning it, it was typical of the Zhulultu style; omnious, segmented and black. Upon doing so, he issued a command to his artificial intelligence;


 * Zhulesxhi - Issue an observational scan across Tuuros. Select species viable for assimilation.
 * AI - Of Seventeen thousand five hundred and thirty one, eight are viable for assimilation.
 * Zhulesxhi - Only eight?
 * AI - Two hundred and eighty seven applicable for a successful invasion. Six thousand four hundred and five for intimidatory invasion.
 * Zhuleshxi - Ten thousand eight hundred and thirty one sapient species only viable for extermination. I would almost deem it unethical if were not for their lack of common sense.
 * AI - Do wish to set course for the remainder of these systems?
 * Zhuleshxi - Yes. Run simulations on the Decimation Array.
 * AI - Quantity?
 * Zhulesxhi - Five million.
 * AI - Five million simulations run. Four million, nine hundred and ninety nine thousand, nine hundred and ninety seven successful.
 * Zhuleshxi - Activate.