Fiction:Tantummodo Mortem/Mass Armageddon

The Mass Armageddon is the event in which reality in the universe cracked, as spacetime became unstable and began to rip apart. Caused during the when  used the 's Time Secrets - locked codes and patterns of spacetime which were deadly and unstable - to make himself a god, causing indirect annihilation of everything. And somehow, Zargoth was involved, and he seemed to be after his comeback...

A Lost Servant
Kolossus, who at the time was overseeing Dominion operations, was completely caught off guard when...


 * ??? - I see you're busy with something.
 *  - ...Huh?

Kolossus turned to see his old master, Zargoth. He wasn't really sure what to think.


 * Zargoth - Yes, I am alive.

Kolossus narrowed his eyes, in visible anger.


 * Kolossus - How did you survive?
 * Zargoth - Volzara never destroyed me. She just destroyed enough of me that broke any connection I ever had with her.
 * Kolossus - Why are you here? To taunt me? To break me any further than I already am?

As Kolossus continued to be infuriated, Zargoth remained the same, expressionless being as usual.


 * Zargoth - I am not here to taunt you. I suspect you will want very little to do with me. You shall no longer be my servant, though I am still a superior ranking to you in the Dominion.
 * Kolossus - Grrrr. Why would I want to be with a master who only fails me. Look at me. This is your fault!

Zargoth made what was almost a sigh.


 * Zargoth - You are weaker than before. It is not me who made you weaker than before, it is Mac. But that is not why I am here. I am here to make you an offer, for old time's sake.
 * Kolossus - And what can you offer to the corpse that stands before you?
 * Zargoth - Bitter, are we? What do you think I can offer you? I can offer you your power back, of course. I can offer you Antagonar. I can offer you help, in exchange only for your silence.
 * Kolossus - Your help has only led me toward pain...So...much...pain!

Kolossus shook his head and groaned.


 * Kolossus - But...Antagonar?

Antagonar then appeared right next to Zargoth.


 * Zargoth - Technically, I could make Antagonar a lower rank than you, in which case he could be your servant. I've yet to officially give him a rank.
 * Kolossus - If he was even lower ranking than me, he'd be little more than a soldier...I am as high ranking as one of Shu'wokerama's pet servants.
 * Zargoth - And that is a problem?
 * Kolossus - It is when Theruskrayathos wants your head on a pike. But it doesn't matter. Antagonar could be of use to me.

Zargoth nodded, and Antagonar approached Kolossus.


 * Kolossus - I hope this does not turn into a trick.
 * Zargoth - I am aware that the Dominion so far has viewed me, and yourself, as a failure. And that generally our greatest attempts at pulling off a successful plot have mostly been foiled. Theruskrayathos' patience with me is dwindling. I have something that I ought to tell you, and while you may gain no faith from me if I do, you will regret it if you do not hear it from me.
 * Kolossus - I am all ears. Or at least, what is left of them.
 * Zargoth - The plan, which was supposedly a failure, was in fact a success.

Kolossus crushed the chair he was sitting on.


 * Kolossus - Turning me into this mortal husk was a success?!
 * Zargoth - That was not. That was an unfortunate byproduct of what was in fact a success. If you can think back and remember my plan, you will notice it is flawed and my motives were irrational. That is because they were lies. My plan was to cut my ties with Volzara, and to fade into obscurity. I am currently the Dominion's best kept secret.
 * Kolossus - So you knew this would happen...yet you allowed them to kill me!
 * Zargoth - There was to be no evidence of me being alive, or being in any way successful.
 * Kolossus - I want to strangle you so much. I don't see how this is a victory. So what if the link with Volzara is broken?
 * Zargoth - I have no restrictions? She cannot interfere with my involvement with the Dominion? The list goes on.

Zargoth waited for Kolossus to respond, and he said nothing. Zargoth continued.


 * Zargoth - I am asking very little of you, Kolossus.
 * Kolossus - And that is?
 * Zargoth - Merely, to speak of this to no one. To acknowledge that I am alive, but to let no one know. Not even other members of the Dominion. The people who are meant to know of my active status are already aware.
 * Kolossus - Hmpf. So be it.
 * Zargoth - You will get a little compensation that you deserve later. I will not tell of you my plan, but you will expect it. And it is bigger than anything the Deathmarch have pulled off in any recent time.
 * Kolossus - I can expect it, yes. Defeat, just like always, with you coming up with excuses as of why it was actually a success.
 * Zargoth - Prepare for something else. Because that is not what is coming.
 * Kolossus - I will believe it when I see it.
 * Zargoth - Understandable. Anyway, all the old ways in which to communicate with me still work. Let me know if you have any questions, or are in need of help. Until then, you can just wait until my plan succeeds.
 * Kolossus - I doubt I will, but so be it.

The Events leading to Doom
During the, - a fat crimelord  and enemy of the  - had recreated the brain of the late  as an AI and then absorbed it himself. This AI had all of Zaarkhun's memories, including those which Zaarkhun had learned in the mind of the leader Zargoth - the 'Time Secrets', spacetime patterns and sequences locked away by codes. When arrested, Billig told the PCA of the Secrets, and was then warned by the Vyro'Narza that he had exposed the universe to a certain doom.

And shortly after, formerly deceased Loron Gratz'kaoz led a army of  to destroy, kill  and  and become the greatest Loron who ever lived, beginning Da Blak Kroozade. However, on his way, he decided first to bring himself beyond a typical Loron, to become godly. He had learnt from his master of the Time Secrets, and as Billig had exposed the secrets' vulnerability to being learnt by mortals, was able to become godly. Gratz'kaoz was eventually defeated, and the imprisoned Billig was released but forced to work in the PCA's research labs on his project the "Anti-Secrets" - Secrets which could be used against the spacetime cracks caused by the Secrets.

But who knew what Zargoth was up to? And how long did they have before the Secrets just destroyed the universe? And would Billig side with the PCA for long? This was much bigger than a threat. It concerned the entire universe. And action needed to be taken.

Doom Reigns
Mere weeks had gone since Gratz'kaoz had first used the Secrets. And the effect of them was spreading everywhere, across the entire universe, now popping up in random spaces. Cracks in spacetime were not visible, though when examined through special equipment, they appeared almost like a piece of 3D glass was cracked.

Spacetime rifts popped up everywhere. And with them, came spacetime anomalies. Volcanic worlds turned back to the ice age. Old and future armies popped up from nowhere. Comets that weren't supposed to land until a few million years in time began to land. Stars became supernovas seemingly prematurely.

Nothing was clear, nothing predictable. The only thing certain was that this was not looking good. While it mostly appeared around Borealis at first, it was about to spread across the universe. Who knew how long before it spread beyond that? And who knew how much longer the universe had left?

PCA scientists could only observe, and pray to find a cure. Billig seemed to have something in mind, however. But even he wasn't sure whether he could save everyone.

And somewhere out there, Zargoth was observing everything. But being an emotionless god, there was no grin on his face, or satisfaction that everything was going perfectly...

Apalos Scouting
The first rift to appear in the was approximately three hundred parsecs from territories claimed by the  for dyson swarms, and around two AU from a blue giant star. A small group of scouts were dispatched to investigate from a safe distance. The following is a report produced by Apalos.

"Report on the pseudometric phenomena observed at 2.24 Apalos Time Units, translated for sapient conceptualisation. Full technical details are available upon request. ·Five Apalos scouts were sent to investigate a pseudometric disturbance in the approximate vicinity of Nebula PR-P376P6-H9V36. Passive scans showed presence of closed timelike curves with a mean proper loop four-distance on the order of [109, 10-10] seconds (thirty-two years into the future and three centimetres in diameter), and black holes with a mean mass on the order of 1027 kilograms. Active scans appeared to trigger fluctuations resulting in net addition of curves and destructive temporal interference of black hole wavefunctions, suggesting a deeper inner structure on the order of 0.1 seconds in size, approximately 1030 times larger than typical hyperspatial structures. ·Attempts to directly probe the inner structure by sending in a scout protected using our highest-level defences resulted in the destruction of the scout via rapid expansion of the disturbance to the nearby star and superposition of timelike curves, resulting in the occurance of a supernova that would otherwise have not happened for another ten million years, along with mild subspace compression within the vicinity of the disturbance itself. ·It is expected that, in order to neutralise any rifts within the vincinity of, Apalos will have to draw from its own resources up to 1.5 Time Units in the past. The existence of these temporal disturbances will make such a task significantly easier."

Knowing that the Polar Crystal Alliance of the Borealis Galaxy had experienced similar spacetime phenomena, Apalos decided to contact their council, to discuss a report from their scout drones.


 * Apalos - Greetings, Polar Crystal Alliance.
 * Valzaria - Greetings from the Borealis Galaxy. We have read your report, and can positively draw several comparisons to the spacetime 'cracks' that have appeared in our galaxy, since the Gratz'kaoz incident.
 * Xeron - Not even his death managed to slow down these cracks. It's the Zargoth rage all over again...
 * Valzaria - It actually seems more deadly than that. Anyway, your reports stated that you had devised ways in which to combat the rifts. Can you explain in further detail?
 * Apalos - It involves some complicated metric engineering. Specifically, it requires you to make use of the second approximation of the fundamental Chronoscopic equation.
 * Valzaria - I...see. Our scientists would be willing to help you in this area of research, having a background in the subject. It also worries me that the spacetime cracks have spread to galaxies. Do you have any other reports of similar phenomena, for example, in other galaxies or deep space?
 * Apalos - We have detected three in intergalactic space, almost precisely along the path between Borealis and Andromeda. A few have appeared within the space around Andromeda itself, leading to speculation that said galaxy may be a target.
 * Xeron - That's worrying. I shall warn them immediately, unless you are planning a universe-wide warning?
 * Apalos - We are sending warnings to all major civilisations and alliances. As for smaller civilisations, if any disturbances appear close enough to them for them to be affected, there will be nothing that a warning can do for them.
 * Valzaria - Excellent. We should probably open up a lab, perhaps in the Milky Way, of scientists doing research into countering this universal threat. Unless you have anything more to discuss, then this conversation is closed?
 * Apalos - No, I have nothing more to discuss. We will open the lab immediately in one of our bishop rings. Goodbye.

Zaarkhun's Tomb
After recieving the Apalos report, the PCA decided they would have to be reshuffling their research projects. Several scientists would be shifted to research on Apalos' ideas of closing the rifts, while others would remain as they were. Billig was approached to consult his opinion.


 * Billig - Y'know, I do think you're makin' a mistake 'ere. What Apalos is doin' ain't solvin' no problem in the long run. Sure it'll make things easier in the short term, but I seriously would reconisder what you're doin'.
 * Xeron - What do you suggest then, smart guy? Shoo out all our allies?
 * Billig - What I suggest is either you pull them scientists back...or otherwise, you give me a properly trained team an' I'll speed the research up a little bit with this idea I had.
 * Semirian - We can't get scientists out of nowhere for you, Wranploer. Hyperborea's team is already the best we have.
 * Xeron - What's this idea about?
 * Billig - One of me research teams from the Wranploer remnants recently sent me a message. 'E said that 'alf way through 'is project 'e realised 'e'd done similar research before, on one of Zaarkhun's top secret projects, eh? Course 'e 'ad no idea at the time it was anythin' on the scale of this. But 'e said that a lot of research could already be done for us, assumin' I'm right an' 'e left all of it in 'is tomb.
 * Valzaria - Tomb?
 * Billig - You really think a rich, mastermind crimelord like Zaarkhun would just be buried in a normal cemetary? Zaarkhun left everythin', 'is will, 'is body, an' some of 'is most secret work in the Zaarkhun Tomb.
 * Semirian - Zaarkhun has a tomb? I imagined his body had been obliterated along with the rest of Vijaha.
 * Xeron - That's a good thing. It meant less idiots were around to get in the way of the planetary bombardment.
 * Billig - You serious?...'Ow else would I make that AI, eh?
 * Semirian - How am I supposed to know? As far as I have experienced, you could have well taken his brain out of his body and left it to be destroyed.
 * Billig - Zaarkhun paid people way too much to 'ave 'is body buried away in 'is rich tomb, an' 'ave 'is body mummified, for any of that to 'appen. Anyways, that's not the point. The point is, I need a budget increase, permission an' a spaceship to get there.
 * Xeron - Not without an escort. I'm sure the Chief Major will be more than glad to take part of this expedition.
 * Billig - Escort, eh? I'm not gonna die out there, not with Gyjak. If you'd give me permission to fetch her, anyways. I need no escort.
 * Xeron - I'm not doing this for your protection.

Billig growled slightly.


 * Xeron - But yes, you can get your pet Loktan if you want.
 * Billig - You're seriously thinkin' I'll let the universe break apart? It's bad fer business, I told ya. But fine. We'll also need to hire the Guild of Shadowzs, an' they ain't cheap.
 * Semirian - Money is not a problem for us.
 * Billig - That's good, eh? Because the mercenary business is like being addicted to drugs; you become more reliant on 'em, you pay 'em more, you lose cash quicker than you'd expect. Get me in a spaceship with Genrai Nal, Gyjak an' the bitch and her police, an' I'll speed this research up a lot. If I'm right, that is.
 * Valzaria - "If" you're right?
 * Billig - I can't be certain having only ever been there once, can I?
 * Semirian - You'll get your resources. Now go and get this done.

Without even a "right away", "will do" or a "goodbye", Billig walked out, preparing to leave.

The shuttle, with the small team, including UNOC, landed on a desert planet, going to a rocky mountain. There was a pitch black cave on the side of this mountain, just big enough for the shuttle to land.


 * Genrai Nal - The tomb is located here. But only those with specific access may enter. Billig is no longer one of those people, but fortunately, I am.
 * Dalverat - You go ahead, then. Does this place have any defenses we should worry about?
 * Genrai Nal - Unless any have been installed since I last entered - which I doubt - there are none. However, the Tomb does not take likely to thieves. It will trust you, though, since you are with me.
 * Xerkea - Ohohoho, the thief doesn't want anything stolen? What an hypocrite.

They accessed a huge door, twice the size of Vailisa, which opened slowly, and what they saw ahead of them was shining bright gold and jewellery. Gold coins stacked on gold coins, bars of diamond and all the rare expensive minerals of Borealis all together in this room.


 * Xerkea - Pff. How's all that wealth helping ya? Oh wait, it isn't.
 * Dalverat - Concentrate, Xerkea.
 * Billig - Admit it, you're impressed all the same.
 * Xerkea - It's a waste of money, keeping it all here to not be used.

Billig sighed at Xerkea's consistent tunnel vision.


 * Billig - It's not a waste. The point of this all is demonstration. It's demonstrating the masses of wealth that this man amassed throughout 'is lifetime. It's a crimeboss thing, no petty cop bitch like yerself would undastand that, eh?
 * Xerkea - Demonstration of how much of a greedy bastard you can be. You don't take this money to the afterlife.
 * Dalverat - Enough, you two. In the end of time, none of your coins have any significance.
 * Billig - Bleh. Keep walkin'.

And they did, through mountains of gold, passing several starship components, starfighters, more piles of gold, and even some pictures. There was a picture of his mother hung up on one wall, right next to a picture of the planet he was born. On the other side, they saw other pictures hung up. News articles. Zaarkhun's many accomplishments.

Xerkea showed no interest in any of the articles, but Dalverat flew over to them to inspect them. And just after walking past some of his pro-anarchy propaganda banners, they finally arrived at a huge console, and a hologram appeared of Falrik Zaarkhun.


 * Falrik Zaarkhun - Well, congratulations. You have found my tomb and accessed it, and are now in the middle of all the accomplishments I made during my life. I'm likely regretting not achieving more, or maybe regretting some mistakes I made, up there in whatever afterlife - if there is one - but no matter.
 * Billig - See that? That AI has a partial understandin' of 'ow Zaarkhun thought. I based me own AI offa that, eh?
 * Dalverat - Good, good. Now get to work.

Falrik Zaarkhun's hologram peered over to Dalverat, and sneered.


 * Falrik Zaarkhun - I detect you seem to show curiosity. What is it of which you are searching for in my tomb?
 * Dalverat - I'm looking around since there's nothing else to do here other than watch Fat-guy and Blockhead-woman bicker.
 * Xerkea - Hey!
 * Falrik Zaarkhun - ...You are welcome to appreciate what is here, but if you are searching for nothing in particular, then you have made a very long journey out here to find this place only to search for nothing. I will assume now that you are lying.
 * Dalverat - And what of so much interest do you have here, then?
 * Falrik Zaarkhun - The tomb holds my body, my wealth, my will various achievements, and secret projects that were either unfinished or abandoned.
 * Dalverat - Money is not relevant to me. Neither are your achievements, as you were our enemy...but your will, perhaps it'd be interesting to see that.

Another hologram appeared next to Zaarkhun. A visual image of Zaarkhun's will, and Dalverat immediately flew over to the hologram to read it, interested. It declared that, under normal circumstances, the entire Borealis Consortium Network would be left to Volim, if he were still alive. If not, then it would go to whoever could claim it. The Guild of Shadows and several of Zaarkhun's agents were given instructions on how to carry on, while others - including Billig - were freed from service.


 * Billig - Strange, ain't it? Even in death, Zaarkhun is still hirin' people to do 'is dirty work, eh?
 * Genrai Nal - Watch your tongue. I am practically free of him.
 * Xerkea - Yeah. Get rid of one and another shows up. I've heard from Vekaron about Torrent's return.

Aside from a final message to Zaarkhun's workers - that they were to act on their own, and never ask 'what would Zaarkhun do', there was a request that all his secret projects would be kept in the tomb, and could only be continued by anyone worthy enough to; and he declared that he trusted anyone who had been able to access the tomb must be worthy. Among these projects...were the Time Secrets.


 * Billig - Well, I share one thing in common with the old man: I love it when I'm right, eh?

While they talked, a huge stomp was heard outside, and a stench began entering the cave. However, nothing of unusual was visible. Genrai Nal instantly drew his blades, knowing something was up.


 * Genrai Nal - There is clearly presence here.
 * Dalverat - What was that?
 * Thr'aloy - Ew. BILLIG MAN DID YOO JUS FART
 * Xerkea - Huh. Must be thieves who followed us here. Just get these Secrets already.

Falrik Zaarkhun's hologram quickly switched to his aggressive pose, as he clenched his fist in typical fashion.


 * Falrik Zaarkhun - Annihilate them!

Several of the golden statues, which had been thought to merely be that - statues - now began to move. They all 'awoke', and drew weapons, aiming at them.


 * Xerkea - Grrr. The defenses are aiming at us now.

Tentacle-like tendrils entered the cave and appeared to "look" around at the piles of gold, as if they were searching for something. None of them were close to the team, though.


 * ??? - Use...any...do you have...any?

Falrik Zaarkhun's hologram pointed towards the tentacles in the background.


 * Falrik Zaarkhun - Destroy it.

The golden, and in some cases platinum, defense droids all turned around and fired. They were as agile as athletes, and their weapons far more deadly than even the richest PMCs could afford.


 * Genrai Nal - These droids are a testament to the stubbornness of Zaarkhun. The ultimate, most perfect battle droids ever created in the criminal underworld - or Borealis at all - and he plates them with gold, burns the designs and keeps them purely to himself.
 * Billig - I doubt they'll be a problem anymore, but let's try an' get these Secrets, eh?

Despite their power, none of the weapons did any visible damage to the tentacles. However, the cave was hit by an amalgamation of screams which echoed through it. Dalverat and Xerkea were forced to close their ears.


 * Xerkea - Hurry up, will you?!
 * Falrik Zaarkhun - Whoever wishes to defile this tomb...
 * Billig - Zaarkhun, I'll 'elp ya if you give me all the secret project information on the Time Secrets to download.
 * Falrik Zaarkhun - Time Secrets? Those were a highly classified project...they were shut down due to how clearly instable they were. By studying them, you are putting the-
 * Billig - Entire universe at risk, I know, mate! I'm tryna SAVE this damn universe!
 * Falrik Zaarkhun - Oh...you wish to search for the Anti-Secrets? Ah, I made a great deal of progress with them. In fact, I two of them fully scripted and ready for use.
 * ??? - Are you useful?

One tentacle hit a pile of gold, causing it to dissolve.


 * ??? - ...No.
 * Genrai Nal - If we indeed have what we came for, then I suggest you use the teleporter to get out of here. In the mean time, I must stay and protect the tomb.
 * Xerkea - Huh. Suit yourself.
 * Genrai Nal - You will thank me if you ever need to use it again.

In one side of the room, a teleporter - made of solid platinum - appeared, ready to take them to any destination they wanted.


 * ??? - No use...useless legacy. No genetic material anywhere.
 * Billig - Huh. I 'eard Zaarkhun stole one of these from the Seagon scientists, eh? Let's 'ope the Kormacvar perfected this.
 * Xerkea - I still want to know what that is!              Dalverat - Just move already.

They all hopped into the teleporter, and in time, got back to the council.

The group all arrived in the PCA council room, where they described the list of events, and Billig presented them with a data chip of information he'd downloaded regarding the Anti-Secrets.


 * Semirian - Anti-Secrets, hm?
 * Billig - Secrets that can be used against the effects of Secrets. Zaarkhun said 'e'd fully worked out a couple of these, before 'e decided to bury them for good. They were in case of an emergency. You know what the man was like, 'e didn't make a plan B, he made a plan A-Z an' more. 'Course I'd figure 'e'd be scared someone used 'em an' had 'is back up. So he worked two of the Secrets out so we don't have to, eh?
 * Xeron - That's good and all. Now, when can you get these two running?
 * Billig - Well, since you robbed some of me best scientists, it'll take a bit longer, eh? But there's no worries. From lookin' at it, what 'e left were instructions, not actual scripts.
 * 'Valzaria - We didn't rob you of anything. We already said we have our best scientists working on your project.
 * Semirian - Get to work. We cannot waste anymore time than we already have.
 * Billig - You're makin' this harder fer me to actually work with you. Bearin' in mind I'm only doin' this to guarentee a future...fer me family.
 * Xerkea - Of course you are. The brain-in-a-jar father of many ugly children. Now move.

Billig growled fiercely at Xerkea, though he chose to ignore what she said.

Soul Burn
The day had been uneventful and average, with little to no divergences of schedule for those that resided under the multiple suns that shined their light upon this world; a colonial territory that belonged under the registration and authorization of the Andromedan Galactic Common, a world shared by the primary and secondary species of the organization with uncommon quarrel and collective prosperity. Soldiers were stationed across the capital city of this planet, a result of the recent influx of reports detailing recent acts of vandalism, arson, and terrorism within the member races and protectorates, involving particular organizations such as the Khaxvis Resurgence and Stratocracy of Karnagtah and other, less-concerning groups that may and may not have been affiliated with them.

The raise in security and patrol forces across the capital was little more than additional precaution, civilians continued their lives freely as they pleased without outside interference from the military, constructed of Guardians of many species, so long as they kept to the established laws and rules set up by the organization's Highlords. However, the rather moderate tranquility that veiled this world was soon to be ripped away and torn to pieces as one of the triplet suns parted below the horizon.

At the center of the commercial district of the capital, glass and debris flew in every and all directions without any particular aim. Within moments, alien blood flooded the streets and buildings leaned onto their sides, preparing to topple and collapse from the sudden damage that had been inflicted upon them. The sounds of roaring and screaming filled the air as eyes looked upon a peculiar, sudden scar that was inflicted against the ground; a crater of significant scale. At its center, a quad of individuals stood poised and stanced, their positions varying between one another depending on their focus, which was definitely not shared between them. Dying embers surrounded them and steam erupted from their footsteps. They wore mixed expressions.

One of the figures was a tall Kicathian figure, clad in highly advanced technology. Every breath he took however, a fiery red light shone through the seams of his augmentations. Behind his eyes, the same fiery light appeared. His clothing was lavish, but of a similar colour to his body. Another one of the figures wore nothing but leg pieces, evident scarring and indications of incineration marked across the entirety of his torso. He wore a wide, contorted smile on his face as he licked his knife-like jaws, glaring in the direction of the Kicath. He himself was Kicath-like in stature, but more Zazane in detail and aesthetic, as if he had inherited traits from the two.

Behind the Zazane was a Radeon in tarnished white armor, covered in scars from head to toe. His eyes, or lack thereof, were covered by a blindfold, but it was obvious that of all the individuals, he showed the most emotion, visibly distressed and annoyed. Another figure, a Zazane of bizarre colouration, stood with blades within her hands, sheathed in writing blue and red energy. Her breating firm and regular, each breath prompted the rise and fall of her well-endowed chest. She stood as a giant amongst three members of the group, her eyeless head pointing directly towards the Kicath.

Radeon - What in the cycle...

The Kicathian augment stood up, and looked around. Surveying the landscape and the architecture within the distance, his brief, slight expression indicated that he had arrived in a place unfamiliar and surreal to himself.

Kicath - ''Rather... interesting.'' Radeon - ''Ugh... looks strange. Not gritty enough to be real. Did you bring crack into the ship again?'' Zazane - ''Focus, anonymous man! Now is no time to be admiring your surroundings when they won't be here for much longer.'' Female Zazane - You know, not every planet in Andromeda is a shithole. Radeon - ''The architure looks... familiar.'' Female Zazane - Perhaps you boys should focus on the fucking demon Kicath staring at us! Kicath - Regardless.

The female Zazane's words met the cybernetic Kicath's skin. A demonic flame breathed through his synthetic flesh. The Zazane male stepped forward, guns in hand as his eyes narrowed towards the Kicathian shadow that stood before them. His smile grew only wider as he approached, his eyes shifting in their colour; nothingness black clouded bloody red.

Kicath - I see that I am not the only demon that arrived here. Zazane - ''Amusing, I was about to say the same thing. Then again, how do I know you're as genuine as you say you are?''

The Radeon, on the other hand, remained still and analyctic of his surroundings, shifting his head to examine his environment. He felt urged and provoked by this place with its magnificent architecture that could be identified in the distance, evoking his sense of memory of the past and an emotion that had long since absent; hope.

Radeon - ''Not an Imperium world. Not a hellhole like Alkhuse. Then what is it?''

The Kicathian monster turned towards the Zazane aberration. The former's aura was burning hot, and his eyes became ringed with flame. It appeared to be something of a challenge, maybe a taunt, towards the shifting of colours within the Zazane's eyes, providing the Zazane's claim with evidence to his inquiry.

Kicath - Aesthetics should be enough. Zazane - It doesn't take aesthetics to make one a demon, otherwise you'd class my Zazane friend here as a fiendish over-mistress because she is ugly as shit. Female Zazane - Well fuck you too. Kicath - ''Class me by name. Class me by appearance. There is no mask here.'' Zazane - Then I can pound your face directly without a problem.

Not long after the explosions has occured, aliens of shapes and varieties circled and rallied around the crater as it burned and the smoke cleared from view, with the militia equipped with energy weapons and clas in ceramic armour of semi-decorative design. They were joined by buggies armed with gatling weapons mounted upon their rears and hovering in the sky were VTOLs that surrounded the four peculiar and destructive beings that took refuge within the impact site.

Kicath - ''Perhaps we can discuss this later. Company is in our midst.'' Zazane - ''Fuck them. If you were there on Alkhuse, you'd see I have zero fucks to give.'' Kicath - ''Indeed. I was there.'' PDF Officer - ''Unidentified citizens. You are all found in suspicion of terrorist activity. Come cleanly and you will be detained without any harm done towards your persons.''

The Radeon felt the presence of the militia as they surrounded the group. Sheathing his blade, he raised his arm as if to attempt to stall the aliens. The Kicath's attention diverted towards the officer, a brief pause following in which they exchanged glares between one another. Like the Radeon, the Kicath raised his arm before hurling a respectably-sized bolt of enigmatic energy towards one of the VTOLs.

Radeon - ''Wait! We are not your enemies!''

The VTOL swerved in an attempt to evade the blast that was sent its way, although its exterior and a portion of its interior was incinerated by the energy that coursed through it, sending the craft on a guaranteed descent towards the ground and impacting against it, creating an audible and highly visible explosion almost immediately afterward. The Zazane spread out his arms as the soldiers were distracted and began firing, sending bullets erupting through the flesh, organs and bones of the soldiers as the rounds were engulfed in a demonic blaze.

After dispatching a significant number of officers, who died slowly with gaping holes and wounds within their bodies created by the explosive bullet rounds, the Zazane threw his arms in the Kicath's direction and aimed his weaponry at him. The Kicath, as a response to the taunt, sent demonic energy pouring into his own forearms as if in preparation to fight while surrounding VTOLs fired rockets and particle cannons on the group while soldiers mounted the gun emplacements upon their buggies and opened fire.

Zazane - For those of you who aren't me, you may wish to seek shelter. Radeon - Goddammit... Female Zazane - You're insane. Zazane - Thanks, precious.

The particle beams and rockets struck the Kicath square on, creating explosions around him and picking up masses of dirt and dust. Once the air around the Kicath settled and cleared, allowing the soldiers to get a good view of the monster's visage, the Kicath sent a trail of Essence beneath the ground before it ascended from the soil in the form of fiery, metaphysical tendrils, tackling and smacking away soldiers and vehicles. Infantry panicked, some opened fire while others attempted to make their escape from the site in fear only to be crushed in their vehicles by the tentacles.

The Zazane spread his wings and placed away his guns, drawing an extensively long blade of Kicathian design within an instant from the back of his belt and glared towards the militia. He rushed forward, enduring the blasts and attacks that the military presence offers before returning his own wrath, consisting of wide, devastating slashes. The female Zazane bolted from the scene, trampling several PDF soldiers beneath her feet and crushing their limbs, spines, bodies, or skulls. The Radeon threw open his hands, attempting to slow the PDF's speed of deployment but attempting to evade resulting casualty as much as possible.

Kicath - Hmph.

The Kicath approached one of the buggies that were attempting to escape before grabbing ahold of it with his left set of claws. He raised it into the air and allowed it to escape his grasp, sending it on a crash course with a nearby skyscraper. Soldiers continued firing towards the four superpowered adversaries with little to no luck, with corpses and blood quickly increasing in number with every passing second. However, several soldiers successfully managed to escape out of pure luck and opportunity. Soldiers were beheaded by the Zazane's jaws, their limbs dismembered by his bare hands with little to no contributing effort on his part.

Kicath - Suitable decorum. Zazane - ''Hah, if we are somewhere else, it's certainly not much of an improvement. The same bothersome insects that think they can get in my way.'' Radeon - ''Goddammit! You don't even know who they are!'' Zazane - And?

The Kicath's eyes gazed towards a tall-standing building close to his left before shifting back towards the deformed-looking Zazane that grinned in his direction, clenching his fists repeatedly and cracking the bones throughout his knuckles and fingers with each clench. The Kicath's palm conjoured a metaphysical blade constructed of Essence which tore its way through the skyscraper, the sounds of its structural skeleton bending and crumbling could be heard. Emerging from the wider streets, several large tanks clad within large slabs of heavy plating and equipped with twin-particle emitters surrounded the group, their swivel-mounted turrets pointing towards each member.

PDF Soldier - Oh fuck no! Zazane - That's adorable, now why don't you hit me with it? Radeon - You're nuts.

Perched within the port of one of the tanks, albeit a heavier, modified version of the standard design, was a rather grizzled Val'kar whose eyes were drawn to the group with a scowl across his face. He smoked a large, blazing cigar between his rotted teeth as he saw the Kicath let out a faint smile and gestured his hands. What was intact of the skyscraper's upper half tore its way through the concrete equivalent as it bolted towards the Zazane, ignoring and dismissing the tanks as if they were mere insects attempting to confront giants.

Kicath - Pleasant trip.

The Zazane threw out his arms, grasping ahold of the skyscraper as it pressurized against him, forcing his feet deep into the ground where he was standing. His smile grew wider, dripping with saliva as he chuckled. His resistance was impressive, but what become resistant soon became an offensive; he swivelled his torso around, still grasping the tip of the skyscraper before his claws disconnected from the material, launching the massive chunk of debris towards the tanks as a means to dispose of them. The tanks aimed and fired at both the debris and the Zazane, their firepower strong enough to incinerate buildings on touch.

Zazane - I'll give you credit, anonymous man, you're entertaining. Kicath - Then you will find this extravagant. Zazane - I am easily pleased. Radeon - ''He's crazy! Like you!''

The debris was obliterated into smaller chunks that were incapable of dealing harm against the militia through their powered armour and kinetic barriers, with the final shot being taken by the Val'kar commander's own tank as it rolled forward, his narrowed eyes darting over the landscape to observe his adversaries. The cigarette rolled into his mouth and he chewed it without paying even a single wince.

Kicath - That thing over there is rather annoying. Zazane - I'll race you for it. Tank Commander - Who do you freaks think you are, tearing up this proud city and slughtering my men!? Kicath - A freak indeed.

Stretching out his Essence-charged arms, the Kicath glared towards the vehicle-confined military commaner as the tank found itself approaching the former at an increasing speed, although it was not an action dictated by the commander's physical influence; telekinesis was at play on the Kicath's part. The tank's treads screeched along the ground horrendously, carving deep grooves into the charred earth as it attempted to resist the invisible rope that the Kicath pulled with open palms.

Tank Commander - Oh you're psychics eh!

As the tank was pulled ever closer by invisible hands, it stopped suddenly. Behind the tank, the Zazane's claws had dug themselves into the material armour of the tank as if they had pierced through mere paper, with the Zazane's grin as wide as ever. The Kicath still held his metaphysical grip over the tank, struggling to force it forward as the Zazane's sheer strength provided immense difficulty. The Radeon found himself tired and panted as his telekinetic barriers began to fade.

Kicath - ''Hmph. Do not make this hard for myself.'' Tank Commander - Light these spoonbenders up! Radeon - ''Attack the Kicath! You might find it strange, but the Zazane is actually a decent person. He doesn't want to kill you!'' Zazane - Oh, I so totally do.

The Kicath's concentration faded the instant the Radeon made reference to him, his head shifting towards the rough-looking Radeon with a burning distaste. The tank was launched backwards, in turn launching the Zazane into the air which allowed him to evade the incoming round of fire; the tanks under the command of the Val'kar commmander fired upon the Kicath, bathing him in the warm glow of particle weapons fire.

Kicath - I have little regret on doing this. Radeon - ''Threl'naas! Stop trying to kill everything on sight!''

The Kicath's metal skin became heated gradually as the particle weaponry struck against him, with the charred metal that constructed his frame beginning to absorb and recycle the particle beams, charging the Kicath as his entire form glowed with power. The skybound Zazane glared towards the battle that was commencing, a dagger of ornamental and decorative design manifesting itself within the palm of his hand before launching out his arm, the blade of the dagger descending upon a chain generated of pure white Essence. The dagger's curved blade struck the tank of the commander, digging itself into the chassis.

Kicath - ''Radeon. I've always hated Radeon.''

The mass of energy that the Kicath had harvested from the firepower of the tanks was returned in kind before making an approach towards the grizzled Radeon that stood tired but not cowardly. He unsheathed his blades, directing a snarl towards the Kicath as the Radeon assumed a defensive stance. The tanks that were returned with their particle beams exploded upon contact, shrapnel and debris flying across the battlefield in a frenzy. The tank commander leaped from his vehicle as it was obliterated, he was now at his most vulnerable. From the Kicath's augmented arms, red blades of fire emerged.

Tank Commander - The hell-- Kicath - I'm going to enjoy making you breakfast. Radeon - Come and get it.

The charred tank scraped across the torched soil before ascending towards the heaven, pulled by the force of the Zazane's arm channeling itself into the dagger that had connected to what remained of the vehicle. It approached terminal velocity in terms of speed in its traversal, with the Zazane swinging the chained dagger, thus the tank as well, over his head and around his body multiple times as he gyrated his body midair. His next swing landed the tank forcefully into the ground between the Kicath and the Radeon, causing the former to cease his approach and the latter to leap away. The Zazane was anchored and slammed into the ground, laughing maniacally. The tank's cremated remains were scattered into little more than mere pieces upon his impact, with the Zazane finding himself covered head to toe in charred, twisted flesh and open wounds.

Radeon - Ever heard of the word "collateral damage"? Zazane - I think that's what I call "added bonus".

Straws Pulled at Random
The Val'kar commander pulled a gun of pistol appearance from his holster while he was laid upon the floor. Inserting a clip, he aimed it towards the Zazane, who was approaching the Kicath with that ever-horrific, widening smile that could not have been physically possible without causing an almost-immeasurable amount of pain towards one's face and skull. The commander fired, bullets landing into the torso of the monstrosity. While the other wounds inflicted from the impact has vanished and repaired within a matter of microseconds, these wounds took significantly longer; the Zazane glared towards the commander, who smirked and fired at the Kicath with indiscrimination. The bullets were cartridges that played host to Essence-dampening picomachines; a weapon to be utilized against the demigods of the universe.

However, the commander's smirk vanished as his being was elevated from the ground and raised into the air as the Kicath had not responded positively to being shot at. The Kicath felt mere irritation inside his body as his Essence capabilities started to flaw and lose control, though he kept a reasonable amount of ability behind him. The Radeon sighed, his moral highground surrendering and collapsing beneath him almost humorously.

Radeon - ''On the second thought, ignore what I said. Kill everyone.''

More shots were fired from the commander's gun, reloading another clip into the weapon before unleashing another round of anti-Essence picomachinery cartridges in the Kicath's direction. They could both feel the Essence signature losing its influence, yet it didn't stop the augment from using it.

Tank Commander - Fucking spoonbenders, I'll kill you all! Kicath - Shut up already.

The Kicath's hand slowly began to clench, causing the Val'kar to scream as he felt his body begin to ignite. A fire was initiating beneath his flesh, its potency increasing as the seconds past. Steam began to trail from his flesh as he was slowly being processed into incineration. Suddenly, he dropped to the ground. The Zazane had slammed a fist against the side of the Kicathian monster's face, slamming the Essence-blessed blade into the monster's flesh as he made his attack. It was lodged into the Kicath's cheek, burning away at the dark essence that empowered him. The Kicath turned its attention towards the more immediate adversary, his concentration on the Val'kar commander lost.

Kicath - That hurt. Zazane - You going to cry about it or are you going to make me regret it?

The Kicath's eyes burst as demonic flames erupted from the sockets. Grabbing ahold of the Zazane's shoulders, he clenched down hard, digging his talon-like nails into the flesh and dark Essence being channelled into them. As the Zazane felt pain rush through his body, he grinned widely. His eyes once again became clouded and consumed by black, hollow emptiness as he screamed loudly, something that the surrounding company had never witnessed from him. However, it was not long before he threw his head forward, slamming his abominable crest against the Kicath's face and head. A shockwave followed the impact, kicking up debris as the Kicath let go and was knocked back, slammed into the ground with a hard crack.

The commander gasped for breath, writhing in agony as he stumbled to his feet with a struggle. He saw as the Kicath took a moment to stand as the Zazane was incapacitated before it dissipated in black and dark orange fire, leaving burning footsteps where he once stood that scorched the earth. The Zazane stepped back, gasping as the commander was doing as his shoulders dripped with melted flesh and leaking Essence. His smile hadn't left his face, although he was evidently hurt according to those around him. Black blood spat from his boiling wounds while he chuckled, leaning his head back and bellowing with laughter.

Zazane - ''Hahaha! Did you see that, guys?!''

From the rooftops of the now-ruined district, the female Zazane watched the battle as it subsided. Her attention was distracted from the male Zazane as she saw that reinforcements were arriving upon the scene; more PDF forces, armed to the teeth in specialized armour, anti-Essence weaponry and powerful machines of war. The Zazane male looked towards the reinforcements and dropped to his knees, chuckling and laughing while his body twitched and spasmed. He wheezed for breath, but kept his iconic, twisted grin.

Tank Commander - You're in for it now you little shits. Zazane - ''Quendor... get out of here. Find the prostitute, I'll be fine.'' Tank Commander - Your pink Zazane friend...left you...to die! Zazane - ''Heheh... not a big surprise.''

Several PDF soldiers marched towards the Zazane and the Radeon, armed with rifles and high-voltage, nerve-killing stun batons. However, the Zazane showed his persistance as he leaped forward and swung his claws at the PDF officers, incapacitating or killing several of them by ripping through their armour and tearing their flesh, aiming for their helmets and faces. The Radeon attempted to hold off soldiers as well, launching weakened kinetic repulsion blasts and swinging one of his blades, however he was knocked down and assaulted with multiple rounds of electricity from soldiers as they flanked him. Behind the Zazane, soldiers fired Essence-dampening rounds into his back, while in front soldiers in power armour charged and attempted to knock him down.

The Zazane twitched more as he continued swinging his claws, digging into the armour yet unable to strike at their flesh as he became disorientated and struggled to stand on his own two feet. One of the heavy soldiers reached out, grabbing ahold of the Zazane and planting a firm headbutt against his crest, snapping the Zazane's neck as his head was thrown backwards. The Zazane took several steps back as his head could see behind itself, his balance being lost quickly. However, before he could hit the ground, he lunged forward one last time and headbutted his crest against the soldier, exploding their armour and throwing them across the battlefield, before collapsing to the ground. His wings drooped as motion was lost, though he still panted heavily.

Soldier - Had enough, terrorist? Tank Commander - Just manacle him and bring him to the garrison. Soldier - Understood sir. Zazane - ''Why don't you... get behind me, get down on your knees... and kiss the contents of my dark, shit-stained anus! Haha!''

As the Zazane was hoisted from the ground, one of the soldiers slammed a stun baton into his stomach, delivering a highly-potent electric shock coursing through his body. Shortly after, he found himself thrown into the back of an awaiting enforcement van alongside his Radeon accomplice, where they were subjected to their limbs and joints becoming trapped inside specialized chains and cuffs to severely restrict their movement, their bodies injected with multiple serums. The Zazane female had escaped capture, as did the Kicath, thus the odds of the carnage ceasing had been rendered to a hopeless naught...

Interrogation
Kithanan gradually regained consciousness. Still groggy from being knocked out. There was little way of telling how long he had been unconscious, he woke up strapped to a leather chair, he still felt weak however; whatever weakened him before was still having some kind of effect on him. Beyond his chair the room was featureless and grey, a mirror was opposite him while a heavy metal door was seen to the side. He was all alone in this room, with little sign of company. But there were people nearby; he could not see them, he could not hear them, but he somehow still knew they were there. The signatures were faint, barely noticeable, clearly the machines still working to suppress him.

Kithanan - ''Urgh... Haven't felt this numb since I fucked that Val'kar...or was it several Val'kar? ...No, it was definitely an orgy of some kind...perhaps a few Draconis there as well... Where the fuck am I?''

Kithanan attempted to move, although he found that his muscles and joints were strapped securely to the chair with no possible chance of release on his part within his current state. The straps pressed into his flesh due to the strength of the grip, with some traces of blood dripping down the straps where they had pierced his skin. A hologram materialised in front of him, a Ryketian wearing the officers' uniform of one of the Guardians of light. She were her hair in a ponytail that dangled behind her head, her feet were straight and her hands were behind her back.

Rykeian - Your new home, alien.

The hologram slowly walked up to Kithanan, a slight if somewhat smug smile cracking on her face. Kithanan's eyes observed the Rytekian woman, looking her up and down with a curious expression which shortly turned to amusement. A chuckle made its way past his grinning lips as he gave her another glance, getting a good observation of her natural "assets" that struck out to his view most.

Kithanan - I guess you're the maid, huh. Ryketian - ''The name's Tanna'Vithana. And you?'' Kithanan - ''Kithanan, although you may call me "sir" or "lord" or "master". Preferably while on your knees.'' Vithanan - ''Yeah...that'll happen. Now I'd like to know...why did you and your psychic friends trash a perfectly good CBD the other day?'' Kithanan - I trashed a lot of things the other day, you're gonna have to explain to me what the hell "CBD" means otherwise I'm going to assume you're saying I caught a disease. Vithana - ''"Central Business District." You know, the place in the centre of a city where all big businesses are located? You killed a lot of people and terrorised a lot more with your little light-show and I want to know why.''

Vithana's smile had disappeared, within moments she had realised how difficult Kithanan was going to be merely from the way he looked at her and his rather stubbourn responses. Vithana's hologram slapped Kithanan across the face with a firm hand, but it felt as solid as if she were actually there. Kithanan reeled from the slap and leaned his torso forward as much as the straps would allow him, which wasn't much although he was straining both himself and the leather straps that held him by doing so. His tongue passed over his serrated jaws as he smiled.

Vithana - ''If I wanted to endure condescension I would speak to my in-laws. And what exactly do you mean we brought you there?'' Kithanan - ''Don't take me for an idiot, I know it was you who teleported me and the others here. If you wanted a piece of me, you should have just asked, there's enough of me to go around without you having to strap me against a chair in leather. Unless that's your sorta thing.''

Vithana - ''Not towards sociopathic shits like you. You're saying the portal wasn't your doing and it was not our doing...''

Vithana turned around and rubbed the bridge of her nose with her fingertips, sighing audiable in frustration.

Vithana - ''Again however...why did you tear up a perfectly prosperous CBD?-- You know what? Different question. That Kicath...thing you were fighting, do you two have issues with each other?'' Kithanan - ''I dunno, why don't you ask him? He knows more about why he wanted to kill me than I do, although I wouldn't mind having another go at it.'' Vithana - because...gah-- right now we don't know where he is.

Kithanan leaned his head back and laughed, bellowing throughout the room as if he found the situation at hand genuinely hilarious to him. After a few brief moments, his laughter became quieter although he still had an amused and humoured tone in his dark voice.

Kithanan - ''Oh you're so fucked! Well, not yet anyway, although once I get out of these straps I could change that for you.'' Vithana - ''I'm sure even you can work out I am a hologram. I could be halfway across the galaxy for all you know.''

Vithana stepped closer and leaned to the side of Kithanan's head, a sly smile spreading across her face.

Kithanan - ''But you aren't, are you? You're behind the glass with the rest of the freak show.'' Vithana - ''Oh, I'm one of the freak show? Remember who lifted up a tank without the need for power armour or a strength-enhancing body glove.'' Kithanan - ''Well ain't you got a pretty mouth on you. How about you stop trying to intimidate me and either tell me why and how I'm here or get down on your knees so I can serve you fresh, hot dinner.'' Vithana - ''I want to know what that Kicath freak is, where he's going and I want to know how I can stop him. You're here because from your actions you are a certified walking disaster area along with him and possibly that Zazane. So basically you're here because you're too dangerous for normal society.'' Kithanan - ''...You're not the Imperium, are you? If you were, you would already know who I am. You'll have your questions answered but just tell me this; what is the current date and who do you work for?'' Vithana - ID.219505 and if you can't tell, I'm a major of the Guardians of Light. Kithanan - And we're in Andromeda, correct? Vithana - Of course.

Vithana leaned backand folded her arms, her eyebrow lifted as she looked at him.

Vithana - ''And what makes you think being an Imperial would make me know who you were? What are you one of those erm...Kodathargo people?''

Kithanan remained quiet for a moment, his grin disappearing for a brief few minutes. For once, it appeared as if he was engaged in thought, genuinely enthralled with the situation. His eyes looked towards Vithana once again.

Kithanan - ...I don't come from around here. Vithana - Is that why you've been talking shit to me? Kithanan - ''Oh, that. I talk shit to everybody, don't take it so personally sugar tits. But... I don't belong here, I don't come from here.'' Vithana - ''I guessed. So tell me, who is the Kicath?'' Kithanan - ''I don't know him. At least, not personally. He has a reputation, though, especially within the Corporation and the Syndicate after that spree of murders.'' Vithana - ''We have a lot of corporations here, so you'd need to be more specific. Although though the fact he tried killing an army with some strange power of his did give me the hint he is some kind of mass-murderer.'' Kithanan - I'm talking about the Corporation and the Syndicate that forms between now and ID.219605. Vithana - So the man's a murderer, you realise he could withstand the Yrsalimarus rounds we gave him while you almost collapsed. Kithanan - Make no mistake, bitch, it won't happen a second time, I assure you.

With that, the straps that held Kithanan down snapped audibly. Blood spat from the wounds inflicted upon his muscles and joints as he rushed forward from his seat, black energy emanating from his hand as he wrapped it around the ultra-realistic hologram's neck. Vithana did not struggle, she merely grinned smugly as she let Kithanan's hand wrap itself around her neck, she even let off a small cackle of her own, her features sharpening with the sinister feeling she was right.

Vithana - ''What, you think you can choke me to death? I don't have lungs like this, genius!''

Kithanan's eyes became obscured and clouded once more with impossible blackness as his hand tightened; Vithana could feel a very strange, very threatening feeling as Kithanan's hand grew tighter. While her holographic form did not have lungs to suffocate... her physical form did. Kithanan cackled, more energy leaking from his hand. Vithana felt it, she began to squirm, the stimulus returning to the Hologram and Kithanan saw as she was now panicking, barely uttering "security!" between her gasping breaths. Kithanan leaned in, his eyes of emptiness glaring into hers as the latter seemed to be losing life, draining away from her with every second. His voice suddenly became more sinister, a dissonant echo accompanied a deeper version of his normal tone.

Kithanan - ''You challenge powers you have no idea of. Now, I believe it is my turn to answer questions, do you not think? Or do you not value that esophagus of yours?'' Vithana - Wha--What do--you want?

Emerging from the wall were two spherical drones that hovered towards Kithanan, they remained there, threateningly poised ot strike but hovered there almost waiting for the command.

Kithanan - ''You're going to tell me how I came here, to this time. I was unaware that the AGC would become so advanced as to develop time travel technology if that is what you used.'' Vithana - ''I--I don't--Know. S-some kind of--S-spacetime r-rift. It came--out of nowhere. I s-swear the Commonwealth d-did not do=-do this--gah--Intentionally!'' Kithanan - ''Don't you lie. You're not in the position for lying.'' Vithana - ''I swear b-by my Ancestors Kith--anan. I--I don't know where--the rift came from!'' Kithanan - Tell me, Tanna'Vithana...are your superiors watching right now?

Vithana shakingly nodded, the drones hovered a little closer.

Kithanan - ''Any family or friends? Children to raise, husbands to feed?'' Vithana - Th-that's...classified. Kithanan - ''I'm going to take that as a no, Vithana! That means you're worthless to people thus not good enough to keep around!''

Vithana shook her head, now reduced to tears as she struggled to escape Kithanan's grip. Kithanan spoke with a teasing tone, enjoying every moment he had of inflicting pain upon the woman.

Vithana - Please...I'm only following protocol! Kithanan - ''I'll ask again; any friends or family that are close to you? Any children, spouses, siblings that you take care of?''

Vithana nodded shyly, almost trying to hide it behind her suffering.

Kithanan - Details, Vithana, I want details. Vithana - ''I--I can't s-say! I'm only following protocol you must understand!''

Kithanan's grip tightened once more, his teeth pressurizing against sets as he effortlessly began to lift Vithana higher, provoking her further. Vithana struggled to speak as tears rolled down her cheeks.

Kithanan - ''Did you want to be a general, Vithana? Did you want to put your family and friends at risk by challenging me?'' Vithana - P-please no more, just let me go! Kithanan - Answer me, goddammit! Vithana - If I tell you...W-would you--l-let me go? Kithanan - ''Maybe, maybe not. What chance are you going to take? The one that can save your life and give you a chance to warn your family about a murderous Kicath demigod or the one where you die and I know everybody you care about?'' Vithana - You wouldn't dare! Kithanan - ''I don't know, would I? You're the judge. I don't mind killing you here and now, doesn't make a difference to me. Thing is, if you don't answer me you'll die nonetheless.''

Soldiers armed with shock rifles burst into the room, at that moment, the drones jabbed him with shock poles. Disconnected from the major, there was little risk of her being electrocuted, the marines joined, shocking him with their own weapons. Kithanan dropped Vithana and roared, spreading his wings to throw off his assailants. Vithana proceeded to watch as a massacre of blood took place before her very eyes; what was once a confined chamber was now becoming a bloodbath at a shocking pace as soldiers were torn apart, dismembered and decapitated. Once Kithanan was done, he stepped in front of Vithana and glared down at her. as the hologram lay on the floor, mimicking her present position as she struggled to recover.

Kithanan - ...Go home, tell your friends and family that you love them, warn them to stay inside or move away, take temporary leave I don't care what your excuse is.

Vithana spent several minutes gasping, she had watched the entire scene in horror and nwo saw Kithanan stand over her, that feeling of insignificance washing over her as she did.

Vithana - You're not--leaving this station! Kithanan - ''Don't try and stop me. I let you go for a reason, don't make me think twice otherwise you'll end up like the rest of the stains.''

Vithana disabled the hologram and stood up, scowling at Kithanan though the mirror before running out of the room in disgust, pacing furiously to another section of the station as it was set into lockdown. He merely glanced back with a horrific smile, as if looking though the two-way mirror and into the darkened room she was hiding in. But not only did he decipher the mirror's purpose, his eyes locked onto her and trailed her as if he knew exactly where she was in the room.

The Swarm Comes
The had hundreds of outposts and research sites scattered across the Plazith Rim, remote locations either serving as listening posts, frontier research stations that probed the depths of the fabric of the universe desiring its understanding. Today however, one unlucky outpost was about to witness a nasty surprise.

Evron-Ceti was a binary system a few light-years from the Crab Nebula. While originally the observation post was maintained by client members of the, the Shellis-Alcanti agreement allowed for an influx of Royal Academy students into Shellious research posts. For the past three years this particular post had been operated by professor Serrimisal Actakana, a female Sankana dressed in the white jumpsuit of one of the academy's field scholars. One afternoon she was looking over reports when alarms sounded, sensors had picked up a spacetime rift forming on the planet's surface. The planet had little in the way of life, much of it was covered in scrub on rocky islands that jutted from alkaline seas. But there was life here, a pre-agricultural species that were able to drink the alkaline waters of the planet's oceans and consume dozens of varieties of seaborne plankton.

The spacetime disturbance opened out near one of the villages and within a few minutes bizarre chitinous creatures poured from it. Their armour was a sandy brown to match the dirt they scurried over, the swarm covering the village in a cloud of dust that radiated from them, far faster than they could swarm our, covering the planet's surface within minutes in a cloud of glittering dust.

More advanced sensors indicated the planet was undergoing a period of erosion not possible though natural means,s tripping mountains, scrubland and plains of features, the seas themselves began to drain. Serrimisal was unconcerned, her focus was drawn more to the fact the cloud had begun to rise above the planet's troposphere and into orbit, the cloud spreading as high up as the station. Seeing this, Serrimisal activated the shutters to protect the station, the dust hammered away at the station's EM shielding and at the defensive shielding, it was then that she realised this was no mere cloud of dust.

The dust continued to eat away at the shielding, some of it breaching and swarming the hull. Instead of swallowing the station, the dust made its way inside, flooding the decks, some of it assembling itself into insectoid creatures of silver and gold camouflage on their chitinous armour.

Serrimisal ran as fast as she could, flapping her wings to blow the dust away, she had forced open a cabinet containing an airburst shotgun. She held it tightly as she sprinted for one of the escape pods but that was when she was at her most vulnerable; out of nowhere a chitinous leg smacked her in the bak and sent her crashing ot the floor. Pumping the shotgun she fired at the attacker, it reeled back, a large metallic insectoid with two large wiry wings but something was different. She looked up to see a bird-like beak accompanied by clacking mandibles. Two armoured arms reached out and grabbed her, puling her close, the mandibles chattering causing her to panic, writing about in the insectoid's grip.

Serrimisal - ''G-get off. Let go now. Demand you!'' Creature - ''You...you are of the quota. You will join. Or you will die.'' Serrimisal - ''Urgh. Join waht. I not join under threat!'' Creature - ''You will join. For safety. For extension. You will join as one.'' Serrimisal - ''N-no! Will not!'' Creature - JOIIIN!

The dust swirled around the two, seeping from the creature's body as it covered Serrimisal. She felt a burning pain, a sense of numbness, she squawked as the creature held her tightly, her body dissolving away into the dust. She was reduced to a kernel, a lump of material that fit inside the creature's armoured palm. A cavity in the creature's chest opened up, dissolving away as though it were made of wet sand before the creature placed the kernel inside, chattering happily. They did this to a few other personnel before they began to consume the station.

The planet below suffered worse, it began to shrink as it was gradually aten away, becoming a thick cloud of dust that seeped into the mantle. In orbit the dust was assembling something; hundreds of cocoons, thousands maybe, the dust climbing from the planet's surface and arranging itself to form these structures with now sat hovering over the equator a gradually shrinking planet. It could be days if not weeks before the planet was devoured entirely, a pre-spaceflight species snuffed out in the space of a few hours.

To Right the Wrongs of the Past
??? - ''So that is the period. The Antecedent.''

A lonely radiant figure stared into the flaming orange sky of a devastated world from atop a demonic, claw-like crag, her heavenly radiance all the more bright set against the planet's hellish landscape. An eternal being which had long since abandoned the concepts of age and time, she was neverless brought to this particular period, compelled to investigate a particular chain of events that had transpired in this turbulent time. The extrauniversal stranger narrowed her eyes as they trekked through the charred rocks, blackened bones and dunes of ash: something among this ocean of chaos interested her, and shewanted to know what it was precisely. With a wave of her silvery hands, she descended onto one of the planet's many ruined cities, all while remaining in a meditative, half-lucid trance, as if while her body remained in this particular place and in this particular time, her mind was still anchored to a realm beyond our own, separated by thousands of parsecs and trillions of years. The figure stepped on the cracked asphalt, not caring about the pain her exposed body felt, and took a sample of the rock in her palm. A shadow of surprise appeared on her stoic face.

??? - ''Yes. It was there. That galaxy, that period. The Antecedent started there,'' - the being said, strangely speaking of the world she saw as of a distant place. Her eyes closed, and with barely moving lips she uttered a sacred tantrum in an strange tongue so alike and yet so unlike the languages of the modern Gigaquadrant, - ''Taikanum-nar-shaius. Brothers and sisters, come.'' Her call was answered with a melodic chant, and more ghostly figures appeared standing at her side. The largest of these figures, engulfed in blood red light, spoke telepathically to the one that called him in a severe and cold tone.

??? - ''So that is true, Auspex. It all began there.'' Auspex - ''Indeed, Regnant. That is where it all started. That is the Antecedent which repercussions shake our time. Many timelines intertwined in that period, past and future. I believe that the reason for that was a rip in the fabric of reality... An anomaly caused by malignant entities.'' Regnant - ''Very well. You, Aedifix and Oculus shall take care of that then. You know the Law. Observe the past, gather data about the anomalies... - Regnant's voice seemed even more devoid of feelings than usual - but do not interfere with our... ancestors.'' Aedifix - But... we can change this. - although it was still evident that the third being's telepathical voice belonged to an advanced being, it also seemed to be more distressed and youthful and those of his comrades - ''destroying these anomalies is within our power. I suggest eliminating the-'' Regnant - ''The consequences will be most dire, Aedifix. I hope you understand that.'' Aedifix - ''Of... of course.''

Who were these creatures? Where and when did they come from? What goal or purpose they seek to achieve in our universe?

Nobody knew.

Leave Borealis, and Never Return
Out in the Borealis Galaxy, in deep space, a time anomaly appeared, this one taking the form of a black hole. The dangerous temporal energy it would emit would wreck havoc to space around it, and it would grow...though didn't seem to care. A silver appeared, floating around, almost the same size as the hole itself, vaccuuming energy. This was brought to the attention of ...


 * The Mechanic - Hey, hey, silver Planet Fortress dudes! Hey, how y'all doing here? Just popping in to give you a little reminder that the black hole you're harvesting there, ain't the safe sort. I'm just reminding you that you are quite possibly endangering the galaxy you inhbait just by looking at it.

To the Mechanic appeared a screen which appeared as nothing but static. Through it, a voice spoke, much more eloquent than any Junction drone.


 * Alfabusium - Well, if it's not the leader of the Grox. Why are you here? Finders keepers, sir, so leave this area.
 * The Mechanic - As I stated, I'm here to let you know you're putting the entire galaxy in danger. And I'm here to ask you kindly to stop.
 * Alfabusium - How rude. All we want is to harvest some energy. Is that asking too much now?
 * The Mechanic - I...thought beings of such a high state of power would understand this. I don't have to explain to you why the energy is dangerous now, do I?
 * Alfabusium - You should know higher beings such as me have no regard for your mass of stars. I will harvest the energy if I want. You cannot order me around.
 * The Mechanic - He-he-hey...urm...don't cha think that's a little...urm...selfish?

Alfabusium let out a hearty laugh.


 * Alfabusium - It is, indeed. And I don't care. Leave.


 * ??? - I hardly think it's your job, Alfabusium, to tell the Mechanic to leave. That's my job. Oh, it's also my job to tell YOU to leave as well!
 * Alfabusium - ...Excuse me?

Displaying now on screen in transmission format, appeared, looking more evil and confident than ever, and laughing, mockingly. He had now become godlike, in the exact same way that Gratz'kaoz had before. And right behind him was an enormous fleet of ships from the, all clearly pointing squarely at the Junction, seeming bloodthirsty.


 * Zelfron - The Dominion has claimed ownership of all these time anomalies, as need I remind you, that we directly control them. Leave.

Alfabusium's screen changed into a blackened static, and his voice changed into a boomic, electronic tone.


 * Alfabusium -  aligned. Initiate protocol. Prepare for suppression.

Zelfron laughed more, as the fleet grew in numbers. He then also grew in size. While, unlike Gratz'kaoz, his appearance hadn't changed significantly as a result of his new godly power, clearly his position had.


 * Zelfron - DECLARING WAR ON US? THAT'S CUTE. HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO DIE? AND BECOME HISTORY?
 * Alfabusium - The Junction does not die. You will become part of us.

The Junction fleet prepared to engage Zelfron's fleet. However, suddenly, forces began teleporting inside Alfabusium's spaceship and attacking it. Leading it was a shadowed being with flaring red eyes, with an avian build. Launching powerful blasts of energy around, he destroyed entire armies of synths, and in a matter of a few minutes, he had littered a mountain of corpses on his path.

And then, the being stood at the top, and let out a roar, thirsting for battle.


 * Arberkul - Death...made me...ANGRY!

Zelfron's laugh was even more menacing. The godliness had affect him too; he was like a chessmaster, orchestrating his new weapons of war and clearly abusing his power.


 * Zelfron - YOU SEE, BUGS? WE DO NOT BECOME PART OF YOU, YOU BECOME PART OF US. PART OF THE LOST IN TIME!!!!
 * Alfabusium - Infrastructure damaged. Repairs. Retreat. Retreat. Retreat.
 * Zelfron - NO. DO NOT REPAIR. YOU WILL FADE INTO OBSCURITY. AND MAYBE AN ANOMALY IN TIME WILL BRING YOU BACK. ME AND ARBKERUL, WE HAVE BOTH RETURNED FROM THE DEAD...AND BOY IS IT FUN.

Alfabusium's fleet teleported away from sight. Arberkul returned to Zelfron's ship, appearing by his side.


 * Arberkul - Cowards run away! I am not satiated!

Zelfron laughed maniacally, once more, spat, and turned to Arberkul.


 * Zelfron - They are part of our experiment now. We shall see how cruel or kind time will be to them. See if they shall be remembered. We shall attack them with our fleet that forced them to flee. Need I remind you who it was who destroyed the rest of their territories?
 * Arberkul - It was the masters...and we will destroy what remains of them ourselves!
 * Zelfron - YES! WE SHALL! AND THEY WILL FADE TO OBSCURITY...AND THEN OUR OTHER MASTERS SHALL JUDGE THEM. THE TIMES!

Around an hour later, The Mechanic picked up a signal. The Dominion fleet was heading straight for the Junction's territory. As much as he didn't trust them, the Mechanic was fully aware of what the galaxy would lose if they were destroyed, and definitely did not want that scenario to come about. But he knew the Junction could not take this on alone. So he contacted them...


 * The Mechanic - You guys seen that fleet heading straight for ya?
 * Alfabusium - Are you here to mock me, Caretaker? The old enemy has returned, and we are in danger, for the first time in a while.
 * The Mechanic - No, I'm not mocking anyone. I'm concerned as well. But hey, you want to be safe here, right?
 * Alfabusium - This is not our only territory, though it is our most important.
 * The Mechanic - Well...we're not interested in a Dominion fleet destroying our galaxy either, really. We should fight them together.
 * Alfabusium - Relying on outsiders for help...disgusting.
 * The Mechanic - Well, don't see it that way. See it as getting a chance to get revenge on the old enemy.
 * Alfabusium - I suppose. We do have a mutual objective, after all. And our fleets combined would be next to unstoppable.

It wasn't an alliance, nor was it really friendship. But it was a start. And it was at least enough to deal with Zelfron and Arberkul's fleets.

Combined, their fleets were monsters. The Grox' giant armadas, the Alvino ships, and the Junction Planet Fortresses combined were almost unstoppable. The Junction' mastery of Dark energy, and the Grox' mastery of Essence, and their combined mastery of technology beyond the comprehension of anyone else in Borealis made them a formidable force. The Dominion, no matter how powerful, were in for a hell of a fight...

Shots fired, quite literally. The monstrous combined fleets took on the massive horde that was the Dominion fleet. Any normal space battle between fleets of Borealis was suddenly dwarfed by the chaos that was this one. Beams of light fired from both sides, explosions everywhere. In the space between them, there was now only debris, rubble, and more destruction. Nothing said 'no-go zone' like this battlefield over a Junction world. And Zelfron himself had not seen this coming.


 * Zelfron - Since when did they join forces? And how long have they been allies for?
 * Arbkerul - They are not...I was informed they were not!

Zelfron turned to Arberkul, clearly frustrated.


 * Zelfron - Did time make you blind as it made you dead? The fleets are working TOGETHER.

Arberkul hid his frustration. While inferior, it was clear that Zelfron was not technically his master.


 * Arberkul - It may be a temporal alliance. But they are not allies.

He was about to say, "did time make you stupid and illogical" in response, though refrained from saying it. Zelfron was aware that he would say it in one possible future, but the decision to refrain from saying it made Zelfron somewhat forgive him.


 * Zelfron - You might need to leave this ship. I will go out and fight.

Zelfron was then off, leaving Arberkul behind on his capital ship, which despite its shielding technology, was going down fast.

Charging head strong into the Grox and Junction fleet, the godlike Zelfron cruhsed almost everything in his path. While the larger cruisers would not go down to him easily, he could easily smash the smaller ones in mere seconds. Either by spearing through them, or just picking them up, telepathically, and crushing them.

But it wouldn't last for long. An Essence blast from a Grox ship slowed him in time. Before he could react, to speed himself up, a Junction ship clamped down, locking the space around him, using Dark energy. A few blasts from their ships more, and it seemed to destroy Zelfron.

The immediate response was a Dominion retreat. Any ship not yet decimated would now know not to return to Borealis.


 * The Mechanic - That was some fancy shooting, Junction. Nice one.
 * Alfabusium - Enemy defeated. Assimilate remains. Repair dama...sorry, what did you say?
 * The Mechanic - Well, I said, nice one. Couldn't have done it better myself.

Alfabusium paused. He didn't want to admit he felt somewhat flattered by the compliment, nor was he really used to social interaction. So he continued:


 * Alfabusium - Everything is complete here. You may now leave our territory.
 * The Mechanic - Yeah. You're free to use all the energy you took from the time anomaly, but I'm sorry to say that we had to freeze that location in a quarantine, until we figure out how to stop the anomaly.
 * Alfabusium - So be it. We are not interested in facing the old enemy again, either.
 * The Mechanic - I guess that's all. Unless, do you think Zelfron really died?
 * Alfabusium - If he did not, we will assimilate him.

Return of the Congregation
At a normal day, a ship just returned from an adventure in the future finds herself involved in the second contact with a returning Congregation ship! Shaking Rambo Nation to it's core now that it's enemy from the Tigris War seemingly has returned!

Story coming soon, will be written doing or after the conclusion of the Legacy of the Qudrants.

Future's tense
A Legacy future of the The Civilisation

''They said it could never be done in an expanding universe. That life would perish with all of matter, that the universe would expand forever lifeless and empty.''

''A mere human once contemplated whether consciousness will be an eternal property of the universe. He found that certain types of computation could be achieved in a collapsing universe. As it collapsed into an infinite moar, minds could achieve ever faster computations, shrinking an infinite sequence of steps into ever smaller finite volumes. Consciousness could exist without limit. But all the physical indications pointed to an expanding universe. The universe would never achieve it's grand moment of realisation.

''Within the unknown between existence and non-existence, bad dreams lurked. But nihilism was itself a only a concept, and every system of thought is self-limiting. The universe expanded, life adapted and intelligence progressed. It is a law of nature that systems reach critical points of complexity, enough to render another environment within itself. One such system were the replicators, which possessed the ability to evolve all possible sequences within an environment, leading the emergents such as living organisms that could live in other possible environments. These organisms too given sufficient time could emerge into ever greater complexities, some evolving universal language, capable of embodying all possible words. But language created a whole new environment with mind, capable of rendering all possible ideas. The ideas allowed for the existence of technology, the ability to change all possible environments. Emergence continued even on from there, on world after world, even meeting on occasion forming endosymbiotic alliances. Knowledge progress continued on, beyond even consciousness itself. As matter itself dwindled while the universe grew old, the emergent knowledge creators harnessed the very expansion of the universe: dark energy, using it to compute unbounded sequences of steps. Finally intelligence grasped control of all forces, and the universe woke up to it's grand moment.

''But understanding itself was not without limit. There would always be flaws of uncertainty in nature, but this was not a problem as limits defined the very structure of being. But one flaw stood out from the rest: it was growing like a cancer, squashing every postulate and refutation ever conceived with temporal fallacy.

On-board the Bishop Ring designated by the Apalos as a research station, a message was intercepted from the AI Netspace. A rather diminutive looking being with goggles for eyes hesitantly answered the call for the director, and seemed to yelp. "I... It's subroutine avatar of the Heterogeneousness." The Heterogeneousness was an Emergent Intelligence that appeared in The Civilisation's infrastructure, that has chosen to use a star's magnetic fields to house minds, with the goal of creating a new kind of being that was made up of every intelligent species in the universe in order to intuitively grasp every kind of problem solving. Commander Jazzaroth's avatar coalesced out of the plasma soup of the star's surface, the acoustic chatter of a million sentients seem to grasp out for his Grimbolsaurian form, wanting it back, the star sighed. But he knew he was needed by his old friends and life. Through hyperspatial beaming, his avatar was already on the Bishop Ring. The recipient seemed to want to bow before the Technoospheric Lord. "Thank you, Wheskel Grimboly", and the nervous looking man seemed to relax presented by a humanoid form. "It has come for the Onuris council to convene again, the Grox Meta-Emperor has an important message from the future."

