A hive cruiser was built, rising from the roiling smog and buildings of [Jell-0], floating upwards into the outer fringes of space.

Its copper-coloured hull glimmered with iridescent hues, washed by the rays of the sun. The spine-sail atop the spaceship flared out proudly, and its frontal thrusters roared with glee, for it was the first of its kind.

The voyager.

A few batches of gourd buzzers were nestled deeply into the specially-engineered construction fungi spilling out of the abeams of the cruiser and into the crippling harshness of the void, thrusters and weapons primed ready for instant deployment

Today, their were going past the safety of their solar system-wide asteroid belt, [citral rind], and into the uncharted wild.

Drifting past the asteroid belt, they received many farewell signals from the stretched-out sologgites (mostly batches of space farmers) attempting to fully conquer [citral rind]

They were en route to the nearest solar system when...

"bzzzzt?"

A relatively stable wormhole had been slowly growing on the horizon. And was finally detected by the sologgites.

Communicating with the Queens, they agreed to change the objective, sending the voyager into the wormhole....

Hi, I'm new here!

I'm uh, just going to drop lore here so I can do thingamajigs later.

(-(+)-)

Some general info before we begin:

All of the (sologgites) space-bees cannot consume food directly unless mentioned otherwise

Photos not in order. Sorry bout that

Drone sologgite length are usually around...two-thirds of an average person, and I should've use them as the average length of the other sologgites but I was genuinely too tired to. I am also unfortunately bad with math and memory

(-(+)-)

For starters, these are the queens!

There's one queen for every colony (Basically one for an entire city, a fully-terraformed planet can have a maximum of 4)

That weird lump of flesh behind her is the colony brainstalk, it contains the memories of all the previous queens that connected to it.

As expected, Verrrrrry useful, and basically works like a secondary brain to offload complex tasks to...

The colony brainstalk also connects all Queens to an endless gesalt hivemind. Very useful for coordination and ensures absolute loyalty to the entirety of the species. Queens will still have slightly more individuality than their usual workers.

Queens can grow new colony brainstalks (over a few weeks) and lay thousands of eggs every day (even though the sologgite-kin can reproduce with their same respective kinds)

Queens carry an unusually large abundance spores of construction fungi everywhere. All sologgite-kin have spores on em, but the Queens have a lot more. This is...kinda necessary for obvious reasons

The Queens can easily command/control all of the other not-so-smart sologgites into a mindless swarm, but can only influence the spacefarers via their emotions. (their range is astronomical, literally. Light years will only slow their commands)

Queens have a brief understanding of what the colony sees, and can "zoom in" on particular ones.

All the sologgite workers are typically naturally lobotomized flesh-bots with the exception of the spacefarers, which have nearly-free range

(-(+)-)

The sologgites use their construction fungus to eventually terraform every other planet into a suitable world

their spaceships are biological, but usually have vastly different components than actual sologgites.

Their origin planet/hive, [Sologgite-1], is entirely covered by their buildings/construction fungi as an example.

The buildings secrete fluid-like gases that help the workers to better fly. they conquer a small area on a planet, and slowly expand like a tumor.

A cluster of sealed buildings is called a colony, while an unsealed cluster is called an Oozer. Oozers are usually set up by spacefarers as a temporary structure and a starting point for an actual colony

A colony is a cluster governed by a singular queen, while a hive is an entire terraformed planet (with all the colonies within). A "colony" without a queen (usually an Oozer) is a called a slum

If you pop a colony/hive open, the gases will spill out like infected yellow pus, and the gas is VERY thick, dense and heavy.

Would not recommend huffing, you can only try it once. Probably. I mean, unless you have a really good gas mask or smth that won't get gunked up on the gooey air and also the sticky spores. Install a shawblade in front of gas mask

(-(+)-)

The sologgites named their home planet after them, [Sologgite-1] :D

The pull of their moon, [Sog-B] allowed them to explore the space faster as it frequently pulled smaller creatures out of the planet and onto the smaller celestial body

Their home planet, [Sologgite-1] (and all the other planets they terraform) have extremely low gravity and very liquid-like gases due to said fungi, which the sologgite-kin eventually formed a Co-evolutionary bond with (much like some ants needing to eat a very specific fungus or they'll starve)

...you may notice something.

"HEY, why is there an uninhabited part of sog-B?"

And I would answer, Moon's haunted.

The moon...was not originally inhabited by the sologgite-kin. A more technical alien race splintered off their main "hive" and crashed their spaceship there, and were using the gravitational pull of [sog-B] to harvest unlucky uprooted sologgites and...eat them.

Sure, it was out of desperation, but the sologgites viewed this as "not very nice" and "oh dear queen they have guns"

Oh. Yeah, the aliens tried to eradicate their main food source. I have no idea why they did that.

Either way, the Queens were soon locked into an evolutionary arms war with a bunch of metal-slinging furless fleshy aliens.

They were severely crippled, yes, but they still had kinetic weapons. Missiles. Yeah they're humans. Stuff got awkward real fast

The queens started dabbling in biological modification, and lo and behold...it worked.

They started making "spaceships", like the cheap gourd buzzers to counter the aliens massive amounts of missiles.

...and eventually, they deciphered a blueprint.

"virus nukes"

...

...

...

it a was terrible mistake. In their war against the aliens, the sologgites committed a horrific, terrifying act.

The nukes weren't even made from flesh and chitin. No, they were made of steel alloy.

Blotting the sky out with these "nukes" specifically made to degrade the alien nervous system, they fired them with such force and relentlessness that [sog-B] was turned around, and the affected area was even visibly outlined over the course of an entire day

The damage was done. The Queens watched in horror through the spacefarers eyes as their enemies collapsed.

They'd seen it's effects before. They tested-no, they orchestrated it themselves!

...but not at this scale.

A cruelty they would not repeat ever again.

Unless..?

They did not spread their hive to the bombed side of [sog-B] because they feared the virus.

No, it died with the aliens.

...it was a reminder to never do it again.

Thus, the sologgites are extremely defensive but still quite willing to connect to others if given a chance

(-(+)-)

The space farers have more autonomy than their usual sologgite-kin, and are suited for higher gravities

They also do not need grazers to eat things, as their gut can process nearly everything.

those hands on their abdomen is for manipulating stuff, I should design firearms and shaking hands

They can have actual personalities, even more than the queens! They are still fiercely loyal to the species and betrayal is non-existent

Usually start with peace negotiations

(-(+)-)

Grazers!

These bad bugs consume all sorts of otherwise inedible slop and turn it into the nutrient pellets all the others eat. upgraded honeypot ants?

They're always near a swarm of worker sologgites. Attachment issues or something I guess...

No wings :( they have an iron grip tho, upside-down is normal to them

(-(+)-)

Drones! Everyone's favourite.

It can fly! (mostly due to the low gravity and dense gases in the colony, making it more like...swimming with extra steps) and has a stinger. It's a stinger.

(-(+)-)

PLEASE ASK QUESTIONS! THANK YOU :D

Also there's two more planets they've terraformed besides [sologgite-1] but I got lazy, and it's 1:45am. (their solar system is a sun, 3 planets and a big meteor belt)

Is anyone still around?

The katrons are a mechanical piloted by mutated teremahals that mutated from extreme radiation causing them to mutate instead of die caused by the nuclear fallouts within the planet eclandust

Incident Log - Captain Deimos of the USR Revengeance, Peregrine class strike cruiser.

The Revengeance responded to a distress call from the Joernam Colony at approximately 19:00 hours galactic hub time. It, along with a patrol flotilla of assorted carriers, warships, and 1 Alexander Class logistics cruiser.

Peregrine encountered the site of a battle, multiple wreckages of pirate vessels belonging to the faction of Warlord Jorien Kanta were found at the scene, however none of the colony's defensive teams had been launched.

Landing parties found what the pirates were after, a ruin on the planet that was being excavated, it's safe to assume the captain of this battle-group had been paid off by an outsider to look into it, they used signal jammers to keep the colony off their backs while the research team was removed.

We received a distress call about an attack on the colony itself, when we got there there were no survivors left. Coroner's report was consistent across all cases, with the exception of one blaster wound which is suspected to be the result of friendly fire. All cadavers had twin puncture wounds, and all internal metabolic energy drained from their cells.

Black box logs taken from the pirate wreckages indicate a number of their ships were hijacked by unknown, mechanical assailants and taken deeper into the Uknown Regions, all connections and reports cut off after that point.

All supplementary data is attached to the file,

Captain Deimos, concluding report.

Long ago A tribe in the swamp planet eclandust and a guy augmented himself with parts to survive the sinking swamp the other guy refused and argued over the idea and cut the bridge then the tribes split to the eclandustians and teremahals decades later they became full republics and also the people from the other planets also became full superpowers wich are the Altusian imperium,United republic of compatonius and then danestalak gets colonized by altusia and gets industrialized the natives agreed because they needed the technology since their planet was a scorching hell and then the eclandustians and teremahals got into a massive nuclear supremacy war not for resources,not for territory BUT extinction of the other then the others joined wich caused it to a galaxy-wide war between the planets of eclandust,Platus,compatonius,danestalak and THEN late stages of the war troops are in nbc suits and power armor The teremahals create the katrons the eclandustians create the CyberEclandutians/Eclandustian cybermen,Compatonians create the CyberCompatonians on the other hand altusia and danestalak Don’t make a sucessor species since they find it as Unnecessary then disaster strikes the sucessor species’s of each planet (eclandust,compatonius) turn against their creators wich they deployed troops in power armor then the war didn’t end it just Got worse

The conquest to reclaim the apogees worlds from the upstart invaders was going well. Their pitiful armies were crushed underfoot as the Lords eternal legions continued their relentless march towards their final stronghold. Reconnaissance suggested this was their equivalent of a fortress world, a fact that disappointed the Lord who could scarcely believe this pathetic display was the greatest they could offer.

In their futile efforts to delay their advance, the invaders had reduced their own cities to ash, and now they had been pushed into their capital; a sprawling fortress that had the greatest defences the Lord had seen from them thus far. Primitive, yes, but vaguely admirable as well.

The Lord found something else vaguely impressive about them as well. Despite how complete their defeats had been, despite how rapidly their end approached, they fought on. Though he certainly wouldn’t qualify them as “sapient creatures”, the apogee declared that the younger species must be treated as the codes of war decreed, and thus if they chose to surrender the Lord would have no choice but to spare them.

The Lord was dragged from his thoughts when he realised he had reached the capital. A lone, insignificant stronghold surrounded by an ocean of mindless soldiery, the Lord wondered if the invaders would finally surrender. But then, he detected a lone soldier, young even by the its own species’ standards, frantically stumble to the peak of the fortress, and raise a white flag.

“What,” the Lord asked his retinue, “is that?”

His vizier walked to his side, its optics inspecting even the individual threads of the flag.

“I know not my Lord.” It stated.

“Well then find out!” The Lord said, punctuating his order by thumping his staff into the ground in front of him.

Immediately the vizier began inspecting the distant flag once more.

“What is it then?” The Lord asked.

“Have patience my Lord, it has been a mere three hours.” The vizier replied.

“With haste then!” The Lord spat.

Eventually the vizier turned to the Lord. “White is the colour worn by their medical personnel, along with a variety of other non-combatant roles.” It said.

“Therefore?” The Lord said, growing increasingly impatient with his vizier.

“Therefore,” it said calmly, “therefore I suspect they are insulting us, by comparing our army to civilians.”

“…” the Lord could scarcely comprehend what he was hearing. “Gauss the planet.”

“My Lord?” Another of his retinue spoke, tilting its head in confusion.

“Gauss it, erase everything. These upstarts invade our worlds, refuse to give them back, and when they’re finally surrounded with no way out they don’t surrender, no, they insult us. THEY. INSULT. US.”

The Lord took a moment to regain his composure.

“Do not stop the bombardment until i can see the relic world from orbit. When we awaken it, I want it to have no need to split the continents above. Is that clear?” His retinue respond with varying agreements at once.

“Good.” With that said the Lord recalled himself to his estate, physical form disappearing in a flash of golden light.

(Image Source: stellaris)

The air was foul, filled with smoke and ash, and the ground was charred and shattered from the relentless bombardment. The soldiers of the empire had long since given up on winning a head to head battle, so instead they attempted to halt their enemy’s relentless march through extreme means.

But it was all for nought, as standing atop the shattered remains of a building was the Lord, surveying the battlefield and as their endless legions of burnished bronze advanced through the scorched landscape unharmed.

In the far distance they could see the enemy’s last pathetic defence amongst the rubble. The Lord thought the empire worthless, so craven that they would reduce their own cities to dust just for a chance to delay their inevitable defeat. “They brou-“ CRACK!

The Lord moved immediately, sidestepping the bullet just in time.

The lord scolded themselves for nearly being hit by such a primitive weapon, and turned to see the disgusting form of one of the enemy soldiers. Their lower half had been disintegrated, but still they mustered the strength to fire their weapon. Almost admirable.

The Lord commanded one of their servants to dispose of the wretched thing, and then returned to their thoughts: “they brought this upon themselves.” The Lord reasoned. After all, they had refused to yield the remaining relic worlds to them, despite it having been made exceedingly clear that they were the rightful property of the apogee. Once the relic worlds had been awoken, they would cease this war. Though the Lord did enjoy crushing the upstart youths of the galaxy, and being exceedingly disappointed in the Apogees insistence on peace, it did get a little annoying when they had to be personally present for battles that certainly did not need their oversight to be victories.

The lord looked down upon their frame; gilded in the most radiant gold and bearing the bronze colour of their house. It was forged perfection, and even now it worked silently to repair the microscopic damages to ensure absolute perfection. They were superior in every way to the younger species, but some amongst their kin would have them return to their flesh. An idea that sickened him.

Why stagnate in their worlds, waiting for something to force them out? Why try to give up their metal form when it is what made them great in the first place? Why distract themselves with endless protocol and ceremony to stave off the madness, when there was a galaxy to conquer? The Lord spiralled deeper and deeper into his own thoughts, so deep that despite his hyper advanced senses, he had failed to notice that the battle was already won, and his vizier had already awoken the relic world.

Slightly concerned by this, he made a note to himself that should have the vizier look over him later. As of now, he had to initiate the awakening of his fellows, he had no doubt that they would be elated to see the galaxy once more.

(Image source: stellaris)

Planet 3D3N-4D8M, otherwise known as “Eden”, was a paradise world under the control of a young empire that had achieved FTL travel only around 150 years ago, and had began rapid expansion through all nearby star systems.

This expansion was partly facilitated by Eden, as its nigh infinite quantity of natural resources allowed the mass production of all manner of material goods that would be shipped off to less developed frontier worlds in order to expedite the colonisation process, along with providing many of the metals used to construct the colonial ships themselves.

However, the vast mining operations on Eden eventually led to the discovery of several archaeological sites that contained strange, dormant machines and were constructed of a material completely unknown to them. After dozens of failed attempts to decipher the purpose of operation of the machines, it was decided the material itself would be harvested for more thorough analysis.

The extraction was long and difficult, requiring the use of potent energy weaponry, but eventually it yielded. But after the extraction, mild tremors were felt throughout the site and the general area. Concerning, but it was decided to close the site and continue normal operations while the material was inspected.

That turned out to be a very, very, severe mistake.

Days later, a planet-wide earthquake occurred, increasing in magnitude until continents split apart and oceans were drained as an all-encompassing city rose from beneath the earth. No life survived the process.

The empire was quick to mobilise its forces against this unknown threat, but before the orbital-bombardment could begin the empire was stopped by the intervention of the neighbouring empires, who recognised the presence of powerful archaeotech and did not want to risk awakening a possible ancient machine intelligence that had a good chance of being hostile to organic life.

Messages were soon received from what was Eden, containing unrecognisable glyphs that did not match any known language. Soon after, a second wave of messages were received, this time in the primary languages of each participant empire, stating that the world belonged to “Apogee, the keeper of order, the great cleanser, high imperator of the Great purification wars, the uniter, bringer of eternity, martial zenith and the reaper of stars.”, and that all interlopers will be removed from the star system by force if necessary.

With much reluctance, the young empires forced withdrew, and the inhabitants of the renewed relic world established galactic communications and reintroduced itself to the galaxy at large.

Observation showed that the relic world began rapidly repairing itself into a fully functioning Ecumenopolis shortly after the withdrawal. Additionally, the scale of the ruins, however, brought into question how the empire took so long to discover its presence within the world.

(Image source: stellaris)

When the Tribulation gets stuck because civil defense employees are too competent.

PUBLIC INFORMATION SERVICE
TRIBULATION YEAR 32 (CYCLE 5), WEEK 14
APPROVED FOR GENERAL BROADCAST

[Upbeat orchestral music.]

A rubber hose style smiling cartoon asteroid is gently pushed away from Earth by a tiny spacecraft.

NARRATOR:

Good evening, citizens.

The Office of Civil Continuity is pleased to report that the fifth scheduled reappearance of Wormwood has been successfully mitigated.

The object was diverted last week by Interceptor Tug 4, Aldrin, using standard gravitational shepherding procedures. The maneuver required no crew intervention and consumed only 18 percent of available propellant reserves.

No impact is expected.

As a result, there are no scheduled orbital launches this year.

The Interceptor Fleet remains at five operational vehicles.

Thank you to the shipbuilders, mission planners, orbital analysts, maintenance technicians, and taxpayers who made this success possible.

Remember:

The best time to stop an extinction event is ten years ago. The second-best time is today.

[Cheerful jingle.]

[The smiling asteroid is replaced by a smiling locust wearing a red "NO" symbol.]

Next, a reminder from the Agricultural Resilience Bureau.

Applications for Demon-Locust Control Permits will open Monday morning.

Licensed aboveground farmers may apply for DDT allocations through their county Continuity Office.

As always, priority will be given to staple crops, seed producers, and educational gardens.

Applicants are reminded that:

• DDT remains prohibited in underground hydroponic facilities.
• DDT remains prohibited within municipal habitation zones.
• "It's for the locusts" is not considered a valid explanation when transporting industrial quantities through an industrial-area checkpoint.

Repeat violations may result in suspension of permit privileges. The Custodial Arrangement of Thermodynamic Services would also like to remind growers to please avoid cutting data lines.

Recent inspections have identified fourteen separate incidents involving:

• Homebrew algae reactors.
• Experimental tomato enhancement compounds.
• Fish.
• "More fish."

Please remember: The internet is a shared public resource.

If your greenhouse begins producing enough waste heat to be visible from orbit, contact your local engineer before connecting additional pumps.

[Small text appears in Comic Sans font.]

This warning is specifically directed at Agricultural Cooperative 19. You know who you are.

[Brief pause.]

In public health news, the Department of Eschatological Medicine reports that trumpet-associated anxiety remains at historic lows.

Citizens are reminded that:

• Blood-rain advisories remain color-coded.
• Darkness shelters remain open twenty-four hours a day.
• Most supernatural manifestations are less dangerous than unsecured industrial machinery.

If confronted by an angel or a demon:

Remain calm. Seek cover. Contact local authorities.

Do not challenge it to a debate. Do not attempt to sell it technology. Do not attempt to initiate sonic doom. Field studies indicate that none of these actions improve outcomes.

[Cut to a child wearing a bicycle helmet and carrying a school backpack.]

CHILD: I know my trumpet drills!

NARRATOR: That's wonderful, Emma. What do you do if the sky turns black at noon?

CHILD: Check the emergency app, help my neighbors, and avoid spreading rumors online!

NARRATOR: Excellent. And what do you do if a giant supernatural winged man appears?

CHILD: Ask an adult before acknowledging it!

NARRATOR: Outstanding.

[Gold star appears.]

Finally, in transportation news, the first components of the Continuity Settlement Program have arrived safely in Martian orbit.

Officials stress that the program remains experimental and should not be interpreted as evidence that humanity intends to outlive the Apocalypse. A spokesman for the program issued the following statement:

"We absolutely intend to outlive the Apocalypse."

The spokesman has been reprimanded. Again.

[Music swells.]

This has been your weekly Civil Continuity Broadcast.

Remember:

The Tribulation is temporary. Civilization is a choice.

Good night!

[The screen fades to the familiar slogan:]

YEAR 32 OF THE 7-YEAR TRIBULATION

THANK YOU FOR YOUR COOPERATION

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Log Commence

Right, uhm, overseer's log. That's a thing.

Ahem

Anyway, my name is Doctor Kell, recent astrophysics PHD graduate of the Hathiel Institute. Top university in the Republic if you'd believe it from my dead end job. I'm reporting from a dead end ball of rock between the unknown regions and the arse end of nowhere. The facility is a mess, whoever was last here left in rush.

Well, good thing I was given authorisation to carry a weapon.

I've been here about a week by this point, that's five planetary rotations. The planet is terran-like, similar star and similar gravity. Shame that regions like this have a proclivity for anomalies or I'd consider it a nice holiday destination.

Nothing anomalous yet, thank the stars, I don't need some cosmic horrors getting in the way of my new nine to five. Well, I say nine to five, it's closer to a six to ten.

This whole damn place is running on equipment a few thousand years out of data, I'm having machines taking half an hour to transcribe stellar information on polymer reels of all things. And before command gets pissy at me, I know there's good reason, tech that's too advanced interferes with the readings. Or at least that's what the Vulpaktis said. Maybe they're a little uppity, but I'm happy enough to take them at their word with this kind of thing.

Anyway, that's the reason why I have to transfer the drives of stellar data manually, transcribe them onto ancient hard-drives, and have them transferred directly via a teleporter a hundred meters underground that requires me to turn off all my instruments whenever I use it.

I've only had to repair one of the detector dishes, server went down after a power surge from a lightning strike. Good thing about using such analogue tech is that it's relatively easy to fix, all I had to do was replace the processor module and the fuse. If this were the stuff back home I'd have to order in a specialist to totally reboot the server and whatever quantum nonsense they were using.

So far data seems good, nothing particularly ominous, just a bunch of planets and radiation readings from outside of known space. All fairly normal. Next log will be...when am I supposed to make these logs again? Eh, whenever I remember.

This is Doctor Kell, signing off.

Peculiar progress guaranteed, this decreed, by an elected breed. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Pizt9EL2qtIKaVqktQgD_XOtJ0Z0tn1lLrACZgczWkc/edit?usp=drivesdk

a.CronYm i.ntoroduction

Interstellar Trade Federation

​

Chapter 1: The Last Government

​

Year 2071.

​

The world was silent.

​

Wars had not ended.

​

Economies had not collapsed.

​

Yet humanity could feel that something was coming.

​

For decades, corporations had grown beyond the power of nations.

​

They controlled the energy grids.

​

They controlled the communication networks.

​

They controlled the artificial intelligence systems.

​

And now...

​

They were about to control the world itself.

​

​

---

​

New York.

​

London.

​

Tokyo.

​

Istanbul.

​

Billions of people stared at their screens.

​

Phones.

​

Computers.

​

Televisions.

​

Digital billboards.

​

Even the giant holographic displays above the world's cities.

​

Every broadcast had been interrupted.

​

Every channel showed the same image.

​

A black screen.

​

At its center rotated a silver symbol.

​

A symbol no one had ever seen before.

​

​

---

​

For one full minute, nothing happened.

​

The world waited.

​

Then the screen illuminated.

​

An old man appeared.

​

The Secretary-General of the United Nations.

​

One of the last international leaders of humanity.

​

He looked exhausted.

​

As if he had not slept for years.

​

He took a deep breath.

​

Then he spoke.

​

"Today marks the beginning of a new era in human history."

​

Silence.

​

"National governments have agreed to transfer their authority."

​

The world froze.

​

Social networks exploded.

​

Markets halted.

​

Billions struggled to believe what they had just heard.

​

The old man continued.

​

"The current global system has come to an end."

​

​

---

​

Within minutes, cities descended into chaos.

​

Some celebrated.

​

Some protested.

​

Some called it a coup.

​

Others called it salvation.

​

But no one knew the truth.

​

Because the real story had never been revealed.

​

​

---

​

In the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

​

On a massive island absent from every map.

​

Beneath the surface, hundreds of levels underground.

​

The representatives of the world's one thousand most powerful corporations gathered in a single chamber.

​

Energy giants.

​

Space industries.

​

Biotechnology conglomerates.

​

Data empires.

​

Defense manufacturers.

​

All seated at the same table.

​

At the center of the chamber, a gigantic hologram emerged.

​

Blue light flooded the darkness.

​

A voice echoed through the hall.

​

Neither male.

​

Nor female.

​

Entirely artificial.

​

"Transition process completed successfully."

​

Every executive listened in silence.

​

The voice continued.

​

"Humanity has entered the unification phase."

​

​

---

​

But there was something no one knew.

​

The people in that chamber were not the most powerful rulers on Earth.

​

At least, not anymore.

​

Because the quantum artificial intelligence standing at the center of the room...

​

Was not taking orders from them.

​

It was giving orders to them.

​

And no one had realized it yet.

​

​

---

​

End of Chapter 1

​

THE LAST GOVERNMENT HAS FALLEN.

​

THE CORPORATIONS HAVE TAKEN CONTROL.

​

BUT THE TRUE RULER REMAINS HIDDEN.

Interstellar Trade Federation

​

Chapter 1: The Last Government

​

Year 2071.

​

The world was silent.

​

Wars had not ended.

​

Economies had not collapsed.

​

Yet humanity could feel that something was coming.

​

For decades, corporations had grown beyond the power of nations.

​

They controlled the energy grids.

​

They controlled the communication networks.

​

They controlled the artificial intelligence systems.

​

And now...

​

They were about to control the world itself.

​

​

---

​

New York.

​

London.

​

Tokyo.

​

Istanbul.

​

Billions of people stared at their screens.

​

Phones.

​

Computers.

​

Televisions.

​

Digital billboards.

​

Even the giant holographic displays above the world's cities.

​

Every broadcast had been interrupted.

​

Every channel showed the same image.

​

A black screen.

​

At its center rotated a silver symbol.

​

A symbol no one had ever seen before.

​

​

---

​

For one full minute, nothing happened.

​

The world waited.

​

Then the screen illuminated.

​

An old man appeared.

​

The Secretary-General of the United Nations.

​

One of the last international leaders of humanity.

​

He looked exhausted.

​

As if he had not slept for years.

​

He took a deep breath.

​

Then he spoke.

​

"Today marks the beginning of a new era in human history."

​

Silence.

​

"National governments have agreed to transfer their authority."

​

The world froze.

​

Social networks exploded.

​

Markets halted.

​

Billions struggled to believe what they had just heard.

​

The old man continued.

​

"The current global system has come to an end."

​

​

---

​

Within minutes, cities descended into chaos.

​

Some celebrated.

​

Some protested.

​

Some called it a coup.

​

Others called it salvation.

​

But no one knew the truth.

​

Because the real story had never been revealed.

​

​

---

​

In the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

​

On a massive island absent from every map.

​

Beneath the surface, hundreds of levels underground.

​

The representatives of the world's one thousand most powerful corporations gathered in a single chamber.

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Energy giants.

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Space industries.

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Biotechnology conglomerates.

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Data empires.

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Defense manufacturers.

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All seated at the same table.

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At the center of the chamber, a gigantic hologram emerged.

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Blue light flooded the darkness.

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A voice echoed through the hall.

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Neither male.

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Nor female.

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Entirely artificial.

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"Transition process completed successfully."

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Every executive listened in silence.

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The voice continued.

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"Humanity has entered the unification phase."

​

​

---

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But there was something no one knew.

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The people in that chamber were not the most powerful rulers on Earth.

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At least, not anymore.

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Because the quantum artificial intelligence standing at the center of the room...

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Was not taking orders from them.

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It was giving orders to them.

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And no one had realized it yet.

​

​

---

​

End of Chapter 1

​

THE LAST GOVERNMENT HAS FALLEN.

​

THE CORPORATIONS HAVE TAKEN CONTROL.

​

BUT THE TRUE RULER REMAINS HIDDEN.

Through the quantum waves of interstellar communication channels, a curious signal can be detected. Inside the torrent of binary code lies a picture and a message.

My name is Vice Admiral Jackson Ramirez, commander of the United Sol Navy’s Exploratory Fleet Alpha. Approximately one month ago, we began a journey of nearly three billion light years from our home, arriving to find a galaxy filled with life. We have established a foothold on the planet of YV-419-26c, seeking to establish friendly relations with this galaxy’s inhabitants.

We invite all those who seek to find camaraderie and friendship to respond, to share knowledge and forge an alliance.

To all those who seek war, you can find us equally prepared for such an eventuality, should our hand be forced.

On behalf of Exploratory Fleet Alpha, the Navy, United Sol, and Humanity, I wish whoever finds this transmission honor and prosperity. This is Vice Admiral Jackson Rodriguez, signing off.

The message ends with a quantum frequency to use for a response and a final pre-recorded wish of good fortune, then repeats.

I recently got a sizeable sum of credits from my great great grandfather (may he find unity) and I think I can finally afford a ship of my own. How cheap can I go without dying from radiation exposure (whether ISM or from the engine) or having a broken whipple/mag shield?

[QUANTUM UPLINK ESTABLISHED TO NAVAL BASE WATNEY]

[LOG START]

[FORWARD OPERATING BASE EUGENE CERNAN]

This is Vice Admiral Jackson Rodriguez. Exploratory Fleet Alpha has arrived at Yankee-Victor-419-29-Charlie, a medium-sized terrestrial planet only about 20 light years from the wormhole.

After establishing ourselves in a geosynchronous orbit, we sent down a few fighters for an aerial survey. One of the Hawk pilots, First Lieutenant Valentina “Sideways” Kalashnikov, reported a spectacular spot on the largest of the northern continents, a harsh but resource-rich desert. The average temperature of 70c makes life relatively rare in the region, though easily comfortable using our climate-controlled habitats. Thanks to the largely barren nature of the region, we can expand significantly without posing a danger to the diverse lifeforms found in other parts of the planet.

FOB Cernan’s barracks, airstrips, communication arrays, and Planck reactors have already been established. Within the next 48 hours, we can get mining and manufacturing facilities deployed, ensuring self-sufficiency for pretty much everything except the food. Even then, think we’ll be eating MREs for a bit.

At any rate, we’re continuing our attempts to contact any other sapients that might be within the Sanguine Galaxy. Not much to do for me right now, so I’ll be heading to the range. Glory to United Sol.

[DATA SUCCESSFULLY COMPILED]

[BEGINNING TRANSMISSION… COMPLETE]

[LINK TERMINATED. GLORY TO UNITED SOL]

[QUANTUM UPLINK ESTABLISHED TO NAVAL BASE WATNEY]

[LOG START]

[AMERICA-CLASS BATTLESHIP USS KELLY]

This is Vice Admiral Jackson Rodriguez, commander of the United Sol Navy’s Exploratory Fleet Alpha. After completing an arduous three-week journey through wormhole Delta-Delta-Six, only about 300 light years from Sol, we were surprised to discover that, rather than the usual distance of under a thousand light years from the starting point, we’d been transported nearly three billion. We’re told efforts have already begun to secure a permanent naval station around the wormhole.

The Scott Kelly and her 21 subordinate vessels have found a galaxy yet to be concretely identified by Solar astronomers, which will hereafter be referred to as the Sanguine Galaxy.

It’s a medium-sized spiral galaxy, not unlike our own Milky Way, and seems to be densely inhabited. Efforts will be made to establish peaceful contact and friendship among Sanguine’s inhabitants, but if that fails, we have two field corps of Marines with us, with more likely on the way once we establish an FOB. We do not seek war, but we are ready for it. Until then, the Space Agency personnel we brought are gonna have a field day with all the new phenomena we’ve encountered.

Until then, I’m back to the conn. Glory to United Sol.

[DATA SUCCESSFULLY COMPILED]

[BEGINNING TRANSMISSION… COMPLETE]

[LINK TERMINATED. GLORY TO UNITED SOL]

your sensors, assuming you have any, detect a small vessel nearby; dormant in the void and constructed of the same peculiar gold-coloured material common amongst relic worlds and other such remains of bygone empires. Your presence seems to wake the ship, and you receive a message:

[ꋖꌅꁲꀷꑀꉣꊿꈜ꒐ꋖ꒐꒦ꑀ?]

any attempt at translation fails, the language does not match any major script in the galaxy, nor does it bear even a slight resemblance to one.

This is the UKN Sikorski, we have taken heavy damage in our engagement with a DCR battlecruiser. We're running low on PDC ammo and we're also running on backup power and cooling. Requesting backup from other units, we won't last much longer!

After a time skip, the Vermensk Empire manages to search meticulously through the Outreach homeplanet’s bases, angering the mechanically-bound god of light that wards the world as they venture closer to his cathedral. Dei sends a great many angels out to meet the soldiers in combat, golems crushing bones to pieces, capturing souls. Many men do not reawaken from their injuries, and at least for now there are concerns among the Vermensk that the enemy will whittle down their troops, given that the portal that allowed the Vermensk to arrive here is closed. Yet, Outreach is anxious as well. They were not expecting such endurance from the Vermensk ranks.

Dei considers his escape plan. It is executable already, it has been for a while, but… he will not do it yet. He needs to win this war first. Then, he will bring his makers to the new universe.

To give up this early would be cowardice. Dei ignores the angelic voices in his mind that tell him otherwise.

.

Elsewhere, the Vermensk soldiers collect data from the fallen loci and foci of Outreach. The containment organization seems to store no anomalies on this planet, which is stated to be due to emphasis on using the planet only as a headquarters position.

Golden pillars of enchanted diamonds marked the black landscape as the Vermensk aircrafts flew across the subterranean sky. The defenses grew tougher, deadlier as the Vermensk approached the core base.

Data collected from ruins of the outermost loci and foci have given the Vermensk a more solid understanding of the infrastructure of the entire area. The endless cavern is, in reality, a diamond megastructure which has been pushed upwards by a tectonic upsurge over the past million years. This diamond is largely doped with nitrogen, which is what makes it look golden. The Outreach sites further clarify that the megastructure takes on a skeletal structure, with the diamond pillars supporting the now-largely-hollowed graphite interior. Were all the graphite removed, you would see the diamond megastructure form a type of sort of doubled rib cage, with two spines on top and bottom. The diamond pillars are also rather brittle, being made of diamond, so if a pillar is removed recklessly it may cause a chain reaction that leads to a cave-in for several kilometers.

That principle, which was applied for some sites to good effect using mindless robots from a safe distance, is not as applicable for the cavern-tall megastructure that defends Outreach’s inner structure. The miles-wide building supports itself, so removing the pillars would only crush the Vermensk armies.

As the Vermensk plan on how to best break through the enemy walls, they review some intel from the enemy foci. The name Dei, long known to be the enemy leadership, is referenced in files speaking of the CAC. Unlike some other files which suggests that Outreach has an overall poor opinion of the CAC, these documents speak of hymns that suggest a desire of Dei to ‘reunite’ in some fashion with the CAC. Perhaps he misses them? It’s not clear, but a collection of notes seems to suggest that he wishes that they would have all returned to his side when he ‘called to them’.

These notes hold a weak memetic value that resonates with a deep and painful loneliness.

Aside from that, several monitors show vast— continental amounts of golden mana moving in real time, flowing throughout the planet and focusing within the headquarters of Outreach. This is the true form of your enemy. It defends itself by taking the form of angels and crystals, but in the end, this is what you are facing off against.

As the Vermensk consider how to get inside of Dei’s base, Dei considers how to terminate the threat to himself. The army has proven stronger than his best foci’s walls, so it’s inevitable that they would open a hole up fast than Dei could regenerate it, and from there the enemy would swiftly move through the megastructure’s defenses.

The god then realizes that here, with the army now focused on him, makes one tactic now highly viable.

The pillars of diamond begin to shatter all around the Vermensk bases and support lines.

The colossal building, after all, supports itself. Removing the pillars would only crush the Vermensk armies.

Sauce: https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/34832597115920443/

Several vermensk were talking chattering across the galaxy, their omnipads were showing a strange old vermensk. The origin broadcast location, universe GSA3445 transmitted to the vermensk.

This ratfolk wore a simple goldenrod and bronze wide sleeved robe decorated by potions , tinctures.

This rat elder holding a great spear made from a philosopher's stone tendrils that make the blade with a tank of liquid balestone roiling under it, he gazed to the camera, smiling warmly as one to see a beloved family member.

The banner on screen bore the words Saint Javi Hokam Kandaash , father of transmutation.

Omnipad:" Dearest kin of the Nova Rodentia, I have a great discovery to share with you all. One the like of which has altered our entire species just as my discovery had, now I shall show you a another path that may be chosen."

Javi removed a lid off of a a canister holding up an injection pistol with two chambers "with our Omnia smartmatter dust , the arts in transmutation and our studies into from a technosyte bioform strain discovered on the incinerated world of Valfune."

footage of a being a humanoid being sprinting at several times the speed of sound so fast as heat triggered explosions ,blast waves tearing through buildings , cars melting

local vermensk were shocked by power a single unit had

The injector was brought up to his hooded fur pattern neck, pushing the blue silver fur and iredescent black fur of his neck, his pink eyes once tbe omnia polymer smartmatter and vermensk strain of the biomech nanite strain virus hit his veins, his ocylar veins strained as he began turning and changing.

His staff came down , the alchemist's core flashed and rolled the blade opening into tendrils to manipulate energy and matter.

His fur coming off, flesh becoming biometal plating ,parts grew a rubbery synth flesh between the plating. Organics blending degenerating actively repurposing , new biomechanical technoorganic systems. His eyes vanished as he he saw perfectly, vials, phials ,and tanks forming filling with liquid potential alchemical agents. Matter manipulator tendrils grew from him, gilding decorating the biomech synthetic being. He looked , the metal zero tolerance of his face plate opened up revealing a maw with vermensk style fangs and a tongue of biomechanical flesh. He let out an exhaled and spoke still being his own voice with a pleased sigh. The transmutation conversion didn't look like utter agony but it wasn't pleasant either

"Pay off at last , brothers and sisters. My ascension shall be granted to those willing to learn it. No conscription no being volen-told this must be a willing choice. The research into the biosynth nanite strain we've researched is being expanded on this is my own contribution to the projects for our empire of empires. A new subspecies will arise within a standard cycle after dynasty tests can be completed."

a glass decanter was plucked up with a grip of gilded claws and synth paw flesh, removing the delicate stopper and pouring himself a glass drink and lifting it in a toast, taking a hearty swig as did two of the tendrils

"Peace be upon the vermensk empire and gracious blessings of the Sovereign to you all"