Chapter 242 - Refugees

(Dock 53, Mollen’s Rest Station, Star’s Reach system)

There were three space stations in orbit of Star’s Reach. There were plenty more orbital platforms, but only a few of them were manned. Most of those were little more than maintenance hubs for crews maintaining the defense satellites and weapon platforms. But there were only three proper space stations.

The first was Hephaestus Station, the primary shipyards and orbital factories that had been built early on after we had taken control of the system. If anyone bothered to ask me which the most important of the three stations was, I would immediately point them to Hephaestus. It was, after all, the key to everything else that happened here. It was the core of the system’s growing industry. Sure, there were factories growing on the surface, but they wouldn’t have existed without Hephaestus building the parts they needed to set up.

Second, and the one that most people would think to be of the greatest importance, was Blackstone Station. That station was the headquarters for the Black Star Navy not just in Star’s Reach, but in the entire galaxy. More than that, it was also the core of the system’s defense, should it come to that. The station was completely military, with the only civilians allowed on board being either family, or those who had been specially vetted to serve in the support roles.

Third, and finally, there was Mollen’s Rest, the civilian station. By the time I had gotten around to approving the plans, it had already been named by my people, so there wasn’t much I could do about it. This was the administrative center for the Star’s Reach colony, and the primary headquarters for the Black Star Company as a whole. Needless to say, most of those who didn’t think that Blackstone was the most important structure in the system focused their attention on the Rest.

Since refugees were a civilian matter, rather than a military one, System Control had directed the refugee ships to the civilian station. If the ships had been defectors from the military rather than civilians, it would have been a different matter, but they weren’t, so it wasn’t. But that did bring up the very pertinent question of why these refugees showed up here.

Even if the entire Ihm Imperium was going up in flames, there should have been other ports that people would have chosen when fleeing for their lives from the insane Empress and her followers. Star’s Reach was moderately famous, sure, because we had been in the news a good bit over the last few years, but it wasn’t like we were a common port of call, either. Most people who came here were looking to get something they couldn’t get through other means, or they were looking to skirt a few laws. Refugees went to the bigger nations, the ones that had experience helping refugees.

But not these ones. No, they had apparently dialed straight from the Ihm Imperium to Star’s Reach, given the data we got from the gateway. At least they didn’t have tagalongs, like some of the refugees that had tried to make it to Confederate space. There was one group that had been chased by an Ihm navy destroyer through the Desolace gateway. That was a messy affair all the way around, and put the Confederates on high alert.

Our new guests had four ships. Well, depending on how you defined ‘ship’. They were all over the place, really. An in-system passenger shuttle, an armed merchantman, a heavy freighter, and a mining vessel that had a jury-rigged connector so it could haul a cargo container. They were all old models, and the merchantman, the only ship with conventional weapons, looked as though it had been through hell. The engineering team viewing the screens were of the opinion that the thing was only being held together by sheer force of will.

There were seven hundred Ihm on the four ships. Seven hundred people on ships that were designed to carry no more than forty. The people-hauler was the one with the highest rated passenger loadout, being designed for twenty-five passengers. The freighter was rated for five, and the merchantman for nine. The little mining craft was designed for a crew of one.

I shook my head as I looked at the merchantman which had just docked. It was named the Frivolous Enterprise, and was an Imperial civilian ship from before the last war. The class was supposed to be solid and reliable, able to keep going through anything, provided you kept up on the maintenance. That it survived was clearly a firefight to get here said there was more to those stories than just marketing. That it had gotten here without exploding, leaking radiation, or any one of a few other dozen ways it could have ended up killing its crew and ninety-one passengers was a testament to the crew’s skill.

As the Frivolous Enterprise powered down, there was a screeching, grinding noise. Slowly, the cargo bay doors started to swing open. Then, they caught with a sound of metal wrenching against metal and the scream of tortured gears. The scream rose to a crescendo, and then suddenly went silent, just as the door began to fall forward, crashing to the deck with a horrific bang as the thing literally fell off the hull!

Frowning, I couldn’t help but mutter to Raven, who was standing beside me. “These people are impressive, I’ll give them that. Looking at the damage alone, I can’t imagine how they possibly survived, much less got through the gateway.”

The lead Ihm off the ship at least had the good grace to look embarrassed, if not ashamed, at the state of her craft. Seeing me standing out in front of onlookers examining her ship, she walked up and offered a low bow in the traditional Ihm style. I noticed that the rest of the Ihm aboard remained on the ship, watching on intently, but not stepping foot off the ship. “Lord of the Black Star Clan, I am Captain Sirzah Dhas of the Ikkae Liberation Front, and Ship Master of the Frivolous Venture. My crew and I ask for Sanctuary amongst your clan, and for protection to be offered to those we shepherded here.”

Raven whispered in my ear. “The Ikkae Liberation Front is a separatist movement originating on the planet Ikkae III. Stated goals are the ending of the monarchy, the abolishment of the caste system, and putting power in the hands of the workers. They first appeared shortly after the start of the last Ihm-Terran war, leading to concerns amongst the Ihm military that they were sponsored by the Terran Empire. Whether they currently have ties to the Empire is unknown.”

I nodded curtly, before looking back to the captain. “Ship Master, why do you come to my domain, seeking shelter, in a ship that has been through fire and battle, leading others that are packed overfull of civilians? I would know what trouble you flee before answering your question, as I have a duty to my people, first and foremost, as I’m sure you understand.”

Sirzah remained bowing. “The Empress has gone mad with envy and pride, tearing open the sky in her quest to prove how ‘superior’ the Ruling Caste is. Every day, the rift in space grows larger, and foul creatures from that realm have begun manifesting in the worlds closest to the rift. The Ikkae system is only a light year from the rift, the closest Gateway to the Eye of Despair. The Warrior Caste fights amongst itself, while the Merchant Caste begins getting ever more bold in the ways they flaunt their power and influence.”

She paused, and then said, “The servants of the Mad Empress are different, somehow. Rulers that have never shown psy power before now wield it as though it were second nature to them. Their Warriors grow huge and hulking, sometimes becoming misshapen as if they were the product of some flawed breeding. And there are creatures on the world that I have never seen before.”

“For years, we have tried to free the people of Ikkae from the Ruling caste’s oppression, but now horrors run through the nest cities, ravaging those in the undernests. The Rulers do nothing to stop it. Worse, if we try and defend ourselves, they send in their misshapen ones and burn out nests as a lesson to others. I have seen camera drones following the monsters around, filming what happens.”

I nodded slowly. “That explains plenty about why you chose to gather all you could and leave, Captain. However, it does not tell me why you came to me.”

The Ihm paused and took a breath. “We have heard about the exploits of the Black Star Company, and the Black Star Navy. When the former Warleader denounced the Admiralty’s decisions following the Second Battle of Coldana, it sent shock waves through the Imperium. When she disappeared, it was widely thought that she had been taken and silenced by the Empress. Then, we heard that she had joined the Black Star Navy, and had fought and won honors despite being exiled from the Imperium, it was a second blow, especially to the Ruling caste.”

“The Ikkae Liberation Front is all but spent. We had grown to number over six thousand active fighters, trained and ready, but most of our people and weapons that we have been stockpiling in preparation for our eventual fight we were forced to use against the horrors hunting the undernests. Now, we number only thirty. The rest died defending the tunnels, or buying time for us to take the ships we used for smuggling weapons and load them up with as many of the surviving families of our people that we could fit. The four ships you see are the only ones that survived out of the ten we launched.”

“My crews and I are wanted criminals in the Imperium. Some of us have open warrants in other areas, as well, because of our business. We don’t want to risk being placed in a Confederate jail, or an Imperial slave camp. We’d rather stick with those we rescued, and rebuild, so that we have a chance to take back Ikkae, and the rest of the Imperium. Failing that, we want to survive, so at least something of the Ihm will live through this untainted by the Empress’s madness.”

I nodded slowly. “And you had heard that Star’s Reach and the Black Star Company did not care who you are or what you may have done, so long as you follow the rules within our domain. Very well, then. I can agree to giving you Sanctuary, and allowing your group to become residents of Star’s Reach. But you will all need to undergo testing, to prove that you have not been corrupted by the energies of the chaotic space.”

Sirzah started to interject, but I cut her off. “Believe me when I say that I have information on the realm the Empress forced her way into that you do not. I know the dangers of that realm better than you, and I won’t have any of that corruption on my world. The quarantine and testing is non-negotiable. If you dislike it, you can get back on your ship and fly elsewhere.”

The Captain didn’t like it, that much was obvious, but she didn’t have to. With resignation, she nodded her head, once. I nodded in return. “Good. Then, you have a choice before you. You and yours can either become transient residents in one of the settlements on the surface of Star’s Reach, which would give you the fewest restrictions, but the bare minimum of aid from the Company beyond ensuring that your basic nutritional needs are met. Or, you could become citizens of Star’s Reach, binding yourselves to the Black Star Company. You would have more restrictions on what you can do, but you would also have the Black Star company helping you rebuild.”

I paused to let her process those two options, and said, “But I’ll warn you, the Black Star Company isn’t looking to create regime change in different star polities for fun. We only engage in such things when we’re attacked. This also means that we may restrict people from traveling certain places if they look like they are going to cause trouble that will affect the Company. So, if you are dead set on revenge, then you will want to be transients. If, however, you want to have a place to rebuild your community, well, citizenship has responsibilities attached to it, but it also has rights and privileges.”

I looked from her, to the people on the ship, still watching our conversation, and back to her. “But I’m sure you don’t want to make this decision alone. Return to your ship, Captain. You have one week while the engineers do a ‘structural review’ to make your decision. Of course, the sooner a decision is made, the sooner we can start unloading those passengers and finding proper accommodations for them. Wouldn’t want to drop citizens-to-be in a tent city, and giving transients a taste of citizen life only to rip it away would be cruel. So, take all the time you need, but not too much of it. I’ll be waiting for your decision.”

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Be sure to read my published works!

Frozen Soul series (Sci-Fi Supervillain story):
Frozen Soul - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071R125QT
Tales of the Void Traveler - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06ZZ52G37
Memoirs of a Supervillain - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07R9NWS8J

Rules-Free VRMMO Life (Dark Fantasy GameLit):
Volume 1 - Tutorial
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071VPRNDB

Omnibus 1 - Volumes 1-4

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0774T354X

Into the Black (Sci-Fi GameLit):
Book I - Game Start https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071LT5WGL
Omnibus I - Books 1-4 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B077X2KR7Y

City of Champions Online (Superhero GameLit):
Issue I - Origin Stories https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075SHXQS1

Lewd Dungeon (Dungeon Core GameLit):
Book 1 - Welcome to the Apocalypse https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BB34DHF
Omnibus 1 - Books 1-4 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FBPF6HR

SCI Stories (Dark Supervillain story):
Book 1 - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07RL93VQN

Winterborn (Dark Fantasy LitRPG):
Book 1 - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B082S3S3K8

The Kalipshae Affair (A First Contact Short Story): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0739V6R6T

Chapter 241 - Testing

(Psy Power Training Grounds, Soldier’s Dawn Black Star Marine Corps Base, Star’s Reach)

BANG!

Soldier’s Dawn was the name the Black Star Marines had elected to call their new base and training facility located over the access point to the Enrichment Center. The name had been chosen by a poll of the Marines and their families. After discarding names like Basey McBaseface from the preliminaries, Soldier’s Dawn won in the second round of polls, narrowly beating out Bastard’s Rise (despite the fact that the surrounding area was rather flat, with no rises anywhere nearby).

The Base was home of the Sixth Company of the Black Star Marines. After the Battle of the Rift, General Khan decided that a restructuring was needed. The main companies of the Corps remained the same, but the shipboard detachments to the varies Navy ships were reorganized into Fifth Company, instead of just being uncategorized parts of the Corps.

Sixth Company was the training and reserve company, based on Star’s Reach. This was where new recruits would be trained up, and where reserves would be stationed until they were needed, as well as being a primary defense force for the planet itself. With the rate that people kept joining up with Black Star, we’d probably need to go with a seventh company before long.

That wasn’t the reason I was on the training grounds, of course. I needed to train my abilities in someplace nice and isolated, and you couldn’t get more isolated than the Psy Power Training Grounds. As a rule, Black Star didn’t place too much emphasis on psy powers, either in the Navy or the Marines.

BANG!

This wasn’t an issue of neglect, but of practicality. Simply put, most psy powers were not that useful in group combat, or were made redundant by technology. Fireballs, lightning bolts, healing, body enhancement, and even mindlinking were all useful things for an individual, sure. No one argued that there weren’t uses for psy powers.

However, there were weapons that were more destructive, and didn’t fatigue the user as quickly. There were nanite medpacks that could heal better than most healing Psy, and armor enhancements that could do as well or better than body enhancement Psy. And the mindlink? A tactical HUD and battle network did it better, without the invasiveness of someone’s thoughts echoing in your head.

It was the old adage of using the right tool for the right job. Most times, the technological tools the Marines had were better for the task at hand. Certainly, the Navy did not get much use out of psy powers. The number of individuals in Known Space that could affect individuals or ships at the distances space combat took place at was effectively zero.

BANG!

Well, it had been zero. The recent changes had called that number into question. The question of whether the Empress or myself could use psy powers on a tactical level in space combat was still open. We were, after all, getting used to our new abilities. And the knowledge that there were other groups in undiscovered space made the possibility of finding individuals who could do that much more likely.

Even if that wasn’t the case, the Black Star Company was not one to go leaving useful tools on the table. Even if there were better tools for the job, the Company ran on the idea of ‘better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it’. Sure, there weren’t many situations where a fireball would be better than a flamethrower, or a grenade, but there might be, so those who had the ability were trained, so they had the options.

That was why the Training Grounds existed. Of course, it wasn’t limited to the Marines. Anyone in the Navy, or in the other areas of the Black Star Company, who had the Talent was allowed to use the grounds. Actually, the ‘civilians’ in the Company got the most use out of the grounds, since they had jobs where psy powers would make a more tangible difference.

Today, however, the grounds were empty, because, frankly, I didn’t know the limits of my powers yet, and I was still working on controlling some of the more… chaotic powers that had become available to me. Raven, Cali, and Jaynie were the only ones allowed on the field with me, though Shearah, Sheila, Carissa, and Sana were all in a nearby bunker. After all, the ones on the field with me were the ones that could come back, even if they caught a temporary case of being dead, either because they were just inhabiting a shell, like Raven, or because they were Nomads, like me and the girls. I wasn’t taking chances here.

BANG!

At the moment, we were doing a fairly non-destructive test. Shielding abilities were relatively common amongst psy users. However, they were rarely good for more than one or two hits before they broke down. Great for an ‘oh shit’ button when you realized that you were suddenly in need of cover, or if you saw that someone had lobbed a grenade at your feet, but not great for keeping you alive in a gunfight over open ground. Or in the open air.

That was important, because the geniuses I had working for me had just come out with a new armor set for people who needed protection, but weren’t getting the full suite of upgrades that were being rolled out for the Marines, the Degurechaff Airborne Assault Armor. Like the Marines’ new Mark X Tactical Power Armor, the Degurechaff Armor was designed for increased defense and assault capability. However, while the Mark X was bigger, heavier, and boasted more combat boosting potential to go with the augmentations the Marines wearing it would receive, it was limited in terms of mobility, stuck on the ground unless the Marine used a specially designed jump pack to make short powered leaps.

The Degurechaff Armor, however, was a completely different beast entirely. Closer to the Front Line Master Suit the Empire used for their Imperial Marines in design, it was 5% larger than the older suit, using the increased mass to elevate the enhancements in the suit to true power armor status, giving increased strength, speed, reaction time, and agility, while at the same time slightly increasing the defensive properties. But the true focal point of the armor was the Flight Module, allowing the wearer to maintain powered flight for far longer than the jump packs of current Marine armor would allow.

BANG!

Of course, flying in the air made one a target, where speed and maneuverability were life. But predictive algorithms and volume of fire could still take out even a skilled pilot in even a fighter craft. Except that even interceptors had shields, to shrug off grazing blows. Shield systems there simply wasn’t room for in a man-sized suit of armor. Anyone in the Degurechaff armor was relying wholly on their own abilities to keep from getting taken down by typical anti-vehicle weapons.

So, while it was certainly an unprecedented system, and the creator, Doctor Adelheid von Schugel, was undoubtedly a genius, it wasn’t practical for rank and file military concerns. Fortunately for the half-mad scientist, I had happened to be looking into getting some new armor. Being able to fly was, well, definitely something I was interested in.

Which, in the end, is why I was here, now, letting Jaynie shoot me with ever-increasing calibers of weaponry, all while dividing my energy between flying and maintaining a psychic shield to keep the attacks from getting through. The systems in the armor were impressive, without doubt, but I was concerned with reliability and durability. It didn’t matter if a watch was so precise that its finely honed clockwork was perfect down to the millisecond if it was so delicate that the slightest jostle would send it out of alignment and cause the whole thing to fail. We were, literally, stress testing things, to see if I could use the armor in combat situations.

BANG!

Type-95 Degurechaff Airborne Assault Armor
Type	Power Armor	Rank	Super Rare
Made by the Black Star Company, the Type-95 is an experimental prototype armor model designed to be a trans-atmospheric assault armor for shock troops entering behind enemy lines. The Type-95 is designed for ship-to-ship, ship-to-ground, and ground-to-ship operations in three dimensions. Environmental seals allow the wearer to operate in hard vacuum or underwater to depths of 9000 meters. This also provides complete HAZMAT protection for as long as the dimensional air supply lasts (approximately 336 hours). Integrated nutrition and water supplies using dimensional space to keep the wearer alive for up to 672 hours. The same technology also allows for waste reclamation and disposal without compromising suit integrity. Psy-conductive wiring extends throughout the armor, allowing the user to better use abilities based on PP. +100 to all Physical Attributes +20% Reaction speed 150 Physical Armor, 150 Energy Armor +40% Physical Resistance +40% Energy Resistance Power Supply – Runs on dimensional storage batteries, 1008 hour duration. Life Support – Offers full HAZMAT support for 336 hours, basic nutrition for 672 hours, and environmental conditioning for 1008 hours. Stealth Suite – Polychromatic coating gives wearer passive +20 effective rank with Stealth. When, combined with stealth settings allows the wearer to enter full stealth mode for up to 20 minutes. 1 minute recharge time. Psy-conduction – All Psy Powers are 10% more effective, cost 10% less to use. Flight Systems – Allows wearer to fly at speeds up to (CHA+WIS) m/s. Speed reduced in water. Requires 25 PP per minute to maintain flight. Prototype: Actual results and tolerances may vary depending on conditions. Damage to armor may cause unknown conditions.

The stats of the armor were impressive, on paper. All told, it was a solid improvement over the FLMS I had been wearing any time I was going out on actual missions. However, that was all on paper. In experiments, it looked good, but there were power fluctuations and sensor drains that the team were still trying to fix as testing continued.

This, combined with the heavy PP requirements for actual flight meant that the number of people who could use the suit at all were not especially high, not in a combat environment. Sure, it was just under half my PP regen, as it stood now, and running that at the same time as trying to keep a psychic shield up wouldn’t drain me too badly. Worst case, I could probably keep flying for a few hours while under attack. The more PP I used to attack, however, the shorter my stamina for combat would become. And I was a fairly powerful psy user. Other people, who didn’t have my level of regeneration, would be struggling to fly and maintain a shield, much less fight at the same time.

BANG!

However, it made me the perfect one to test the tolerances the armor needed to perform under. The fact that I was a Nomad, and wouldn’t die even if I was killed, simply made it more logical. I had to keep telling myself that as I watched Jayne lining up another shot, this time with a shoulder-mounted anti-armor weapon.

She was clearly enjoying this more than a little. I was going to have to punish her when we got done with this. Still, the increases to my power were noticeable. We had just moved through the anti-vehicle weaponry, after all. I’ll admit that Jaynie wasn’t the only one interested in seeing what I could withstand now.

Jaynie aimed with the launcher. My enhanced senses could see her trigger finger tighten, the weapon glowing red in my HUD, signifying the threat it was. She started to pull the trigger, and I braced myself for impact…

Nothing.

I looked at my HUD, and was surprised to see the weapon flashing green. Friendly weapon. Jaynie looked just as surprised as I was. As one, we both turned to look at Raven, the only one who could have stopped the test.

Raven looked unapologetic. “Sorry to interrupt your fun, but there is a priority message from System Command. Refugees from the Ihm Imperium are coming through the Gateway.”

I sighed. “Well, guess the testing is over for today. Raven, approve the Type-95 to move to a production model. I’ll keep the prototype for my own until it is ready.”

"As you wish, Sir."

Previous Chapter                                       Table of Contents                                     Next Chapter



Be sure to read my published works!

Frozen Soul series (Sci-Fi Supervillain story):
Frozen Soul - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071R125QT
Tales of the Void Traveler - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06ZZ52G37
Memoirs of a Supervillain - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07R9NWS8J

Rules-Free VRMMO Life (Dark Fantasy GameLit):
Volume 1 - Tutorial
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071VPRNDB

Omnibus 1 - Volumes 1-4

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0774T354X

Into the Black (Sci-Fi GameLit):
Book I - Game Start https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071LT5WGL
Omnibus I - Books 1-4 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B077X2KR7Y

City of Champions Online (Superhero GameLit):
Issue I - Origin Stories https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075SHXQS1

Lewd Dungeon (Dungeon Core GameLit):
Book 1 - Welcome to the Apocalypse https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BB34DHF
Omnibus 1 - Books 1-4 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FBPF6HR

SCI Stories (Dark Supervillain story):
Book 1 - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07RL93VQN

Winterborn (Dark Fantasy LitRPG):
Book 1 - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B082S3S3K8

The Kalipshae Affair (A First Contact Short Story): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0739V6R6T

Prologue - Trade Chat

 

(NERV Game Site – Official DAtS Offline Forums)

Number5Alive, Golddigger, BurtBacharach, CrazyCelt, Blaze, DoYouEvenLyft?, MarcoPolo, MightMakesRight, l33tpally, Bennie, SEA-TAC_Sweetie, Requiesce-in-Pace, MacD, HaveGunsWillTravel, TheDespoiler, Guardian, GunKitty, Chummer, Inquisitor, Lizard, RedFox, SemiSolidSnake, ElfMama, Not_the_Face!, Anonymous3, Anonymous4, Anonymous7, Anonymous9, AggregatorOfSorrows, M.Mollen, WhiskeyTangoFoxtrot, DigDug, BigGunn, Dolcett, Starwatcher, Backlog, DarkAvariel, Knocker, Hullu_Kapteeni, GrimDark, BloodForTheBloodGod, Queen’s_Bitch, BackDat@55Up, DoYouEvenDPS?, MajorTom, Parca, and DarkAngel are in the chat.

DigDug: What the hell are these starburst patterns showing up all over the place?

Anonymous7: What starburst patterns?

DigDug: I’m seeing them show up more and more all over the Empire. Some kind of weird eight-pointed star with a black circle in the middle.

Inquisitor: Such heresy!

BloodForTheBloodGod: BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD! SKULLS FOR THE SKULL THRONE!

Dolcett: I’ve seen the ones you’re talking about, Dig. Not quite the same as what Inquisitor and BFTBG are on about, but definitely similar.

MacD: Well sure, that’s the link to the real world, but where is it coming from in game? I mean, there hasn’t been anything like that so far, right up until that shit at Sol happened.

Guardian: Well…

Parca: Heh.

DoYouEvenDPS?: Wait. Are you saying that you guys knew something about this?

BackDat@55Up: And you didn’t tell us?

M.Mollen: And why should they?

Number5Alive: So, you’ve just been hoarding secrets like this? Not cool, man!

Anonymous3: Seriously! If we had known about this stuff, we could have prepared for it! I lost a year’s progression, in game, because the clan I was working for got wiped out on Pluto!

l33tpally: Yeah, I mean you gotta share that stuff with the rest of us, man?

M.Mollen: No, I really don’t.

l33tpally: WHAT?

M.Mollen: Did I stutter? No, I don’t have to share anything with you. And you don’t have to share anything with me. The fact that, sometimes, I CHOOSE to share things I learn with others means that I’m a great guy, not that I have any obligation to do so.

Anonymous4: And how is that fair?

M.Mollen: Consider it part of my rewards for not sitting on my ass and waiting for things to happen. I didn’t do anything that the rest of you couldn’t have done. You just didn’t try.

Lizard: Hey, Mollen, don’t listen to those haters. They’re just jealous that you did things first, and didn’t give them cheat codes and walkthroughs to follow behind.

M.Mollen: Thank you, Lizard.

Lizard: But, like, if you were feeling generous, do you have any inside knowledge on what is going on in the Imperium? This place has been getting… strange, lately.

M.Mollen: Ah, yes, I guess it would be, since the Imperium’s Empress went and did something colossally stupid.

SEA-TAC_Sweetie: What does the light show in the Imperium have to do with this?

GrimDark: Ugh. That level of ignorance hurts, Sweetie.

Inquisitor: Now, now. Better to be in ignorance of Chaos than fall prey to it.

TheDespoiler: The Eye’s opening was the scream of a newborn Goddess, born of the Ihm, and made in their image, and She will rule them forever. Their souls belong to the Dark Goddess newest of the Three turned Four, and none shall change that.

GrimDark: Damn it to the abyss. That means…

Inquisitor: Yes, there are more out there.

GrimDark: Gunkitty, you make custom weapons, right? Have you made a bolter before?

Gunkitty: Sure. Any specific pattern in mind?

GrimDark: Can you get a Mark II Cawl?

Gunkitty: Yeah, want the custom ‘skin’?

GrimDark: Indeed.

Gunkitty: No problem.

DarkAvariel: I’ll take a Condemnor version, if you can.

Gunkitty: Not a problem, Sister.

l33tpally: What in the HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?

M.Mollen: They are referencing the ‘inspiration’ for some of the recent events, pally.

DarkAngel: Speaking of which, I wonder why we’re only hearing about these things now.

M.Mollen: Because the other Three haven’t been able to reach out to any of the people in Known Space.

Anonymous7: But if they’re gods, they should be able to do anything, right?

BloodForTheBloodGod: Their power is everywhere the Warp is, but they need hands in the Materium to carry out their works.

M.Mollen: There’s plenty of reasons why things are different, and why they are continuing to be different. But the primary one is the fact that there was no Dark Age of Technology.

Inquisitor: I see. It begins to make sense, now.

Backlog: If it is making sense to you, can you clue us in? Because I’m seriously not getting it.

Inquisitor: In the game, the Dark Age of Technology included a massive human diaspora, where they spread across the entire galaxy.

GrimDark: Without the exodus, humanity was not exposed directly to the Ruinous Powers.

Lizard: So, how much do we actually know about these Four? Can I just go buy a game sourcebook to read up on them?

M.Mollen: No. Real-world lawyers would come down hard if something like that happened. As for what we know? That’s fairly limited. But suspect? That we can do.

Lizard: Fine, what is known about this Dark Goddess, and how can I get out from under this whole mess? The Imperium is going nuts with this new religious fervor sweeping through the higher castes.

TheDespoiler: I was there, in Chaos’s realm, when She awoke. And I heard the words She spoke. She is born of pride, and the fool Empress has played her part, bringing the Ihm into Her service. There is no hope to resist. Embrace the Eightfold Path.

Knocker: Wait, you were actually there, in Chaotic Space? How the hell did you get there? The Chaos Brigade was no where close to the rifts when they were open!

M.Mollen: You act like ripping a hole in the universe that will spread across a sector is the only way to access that realm.

Knocker: It isn’t?

M.Mollen: If you had been exploring, you would know the answer already, but no, there are ways to access Chaotic space, and other places. But such things are likely to be considered ‘Lost Tech’.

Anonymous3: If they’re Lost, how do you know this?

M.Mollen: Because what is Lost can be found. And sometimes it is Lost not because it does not work, but because people in high positions thought there were other ways to go.

DarkAngel: Think VHS vs. Betamax, and you get the idea.

M.Mollen: Exactly. Or Laserdisc vs. DVD. At any rate, TheDespoiler was there, because I outfitted his ships in return for test data, allowing him to be there.

Golddigger: Damn, just how many pies do you have your fingers in, Mollen?

M.Mollen: More than you could possibly know.

Previous Chapter                                       Table of Contents                                     Next Chapter



Be sure to read my published works!

Frozen Soul series (Sci-Fi Supervillain story):
Frozen Soul - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071R125QT
Tales of the Void Traveler - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06ZZ52G37
Memoirs of a Supervillain - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07R9NWS8J

Rules-Free VRMMO Life (Dark Fantasy GameLit):
Volume 1 - Tutorial
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071VPRNDB

Omnibus 1 - Volumes 1-4

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0774T354X

Into the Black (Sci-Fi GameLit):
Book I - Game Start https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071LT5WGL
Omnibus I - Books 1-4 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B077X2KR7Y

City of Champions Online (Superhero GameLit):
Issue I - Origin Stories https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075SHXQS1

Lewd Dungeon (Dungeon Core GameLit):
Book 1 - Welcome to the Apocalypse https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BB34DHF
Omnibus 1 - Books 1-4 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FBPF6HR

SCI Stories (Dark Supervillain story):
Book 1 - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07RL93VQN

Winterborn (Dark Fantasy LitRPG):
Book 1 - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B082S3S3K8

The Kalipshae Affair (A First Contact Short Story): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0739V6R6T

Epilogue - Patch Notes 24.X

Epilogue – Patch Notes 24.X

(Virtual Room in NERV HQ)

“Damn it, this is happening too soon!”

“We haven’t had time to prep for phase six yet!”

“We were supposed to have another six months to prep for this!”

“We were scheduled to be going into phase three now!”

“Fuck, what will this do to phase four prep?”

Isaac Hayes, lead programmer and chief game-master for Dreams Amongst the Stars, shook his head as he listened to his subordinates bemoaning their fate. He had known from the moment that the Rifts appeared in Sol and Coldana that their schedules were going to get thrown out the window, but by this much? With the rifts closed, it should have been a couple years, in game, for things to settle before things got anywhere close to this point.

Unfortunately, they had underestimated the Ihm. Their pride, especially when getting shown up by people who rejected their caste structure and superiority, had driven them to try something stupid. And, as normally happened when stupidity reigns at the highest levels of government, chaos reigned.

Frankly, the whole situation made him want to just throw up his hands and say, “Fuck it!” After all, at this point there was little that they could do. The systems in place were already moving, and events were picking up speed so quickly that there was no way to stop this train without derailing the whole thing.

But that wouldn’t solve their problems. He conjured a bullhorn, and had it make a loud siren sound, cutting through the chatter. As all eyes turned on him, he tossed the bullhorn to the side, and it disappeared into the ones and zeroes it was made of.

“All right. This complicates things, sure. We weren’t ready for mass exploration of the rest of the galaxy, or the fact that any of the dark gods would be active so soon. Nothing we can do about that. Thankfully, it isn’t something that will just pop up tomorrow. We have time to work on this.”

He held up his hand to stop further questioning. “Known Space is in the Orion spur of the Sagittarius Arm. Any exploration by the major powers will be limited to the Sagittarius Arm at most until they figure out where more of the Gateway addresses lead. And they don’t have a listing for those addresses, so no one is firing off blind.”

“But what about Black Star?”

Isaac looked over to the guy who spoke up. “Nuevo Edo and Star’s Reach are in the Norma Arm. So far, they’ve been sending their Starhunters through the arm, starting from their bases and expanding outward. The threat of finding the X’thari homeworld and encouraging the swarm to descend upon one of their worlds because they got tracked back is keeping those efforts, and the ones the Nuevo Edoans are starting to put together, small scale, and close to home. They’re no worry.”

He looked back at the group. “Like I said, the current players are no worry. They’re looking in the wrong place. The Three are in the Perseus, Scutum-Cruz, and Outer Arms, respectively. And the storehouses where information about them could be found, without actually meeting their worshipers, are not in realspace.”

“The Chaos Brigade made contact with the Fourth shortly after the Eye opened.”

Isaac nodded. “Yes, I saw the logs, same as you. They met the Fourth, and were given a quest. And, before anyone says anything, I know they went straight to Black Star to talk things through. However, they’re just three ships, and they don’t know what they’re looking for, not really. They’re just guessing, and hoping that something works out. Because of the time dilation, even if they knew where to look, it would take them quite some time, real world time, to find what they’re looking for.”

He took a breath, and said, “I would estimate that we still have six or seven months, real time, before things come to a head. Cancel the invasion plans for the Three, that will buy us some time. We can build the threat with the Fourth starting to make plays in the game world, screwing with people. Max, how’s prep for phase three and four looking?”

“Well, we’re going to have to throw out any plans that involved the Ihm. That was going to be the first big event we introduced for them, since they’ve been having it quiet this whole time.”

“Ihm has an event they can deal with already. See if you can fold the caste war into the demon war. That will make everyone think we had this planned from the start.”

“We have a problem with Phase Four. The Chimera event is solidly on its way, but political winds have been shifting. It might undercut some of the impact if they are no longer kill on sight when it starts up.”

Isaac smirked. “Sounds like a problem that our favorite chimera will need to deal with. Speaking of which, what is the status of the tech needed for the phase four plot?”

“Not good. The Imperial Civil War and the Jagloth exterminatus made people really hesitate before they went to go poking new and untested technologies with sticks. The tech to defend against the dark ships hasn’t been developed like we were hoping. The Jagloth facility was lost, naturally, as were a couple facilities in the Empire, casualties of the war. The other major repository found so far is in the hands of Black Star, and they haven’t shared with the public.”

“Right, maybe we’ll need to give him a bit of a nudge, to start getting the tech out there.”

“Shadowgate already tried to make contact with him, and that ended spectacularly badly for them. He still hasn’t done anything with the tech, partly because of the Sol situation.”

“Damn. Ok, here’s what we’ll do…”

Previous Chapter                                       Table of Contents                                     Next Chapter



Be sure to read my published works!

Frozen Soul series (Sci-Fi Supervillain story):
Frozen Soul - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071R125QT
Tales of the Void Traveler - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06ZZ52G37
Memoirs of a Supervillain - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07R9NWS8J

Rules-Free VRMMO Life (Dark Fantasy GameLit):
Volume 1 - Tutorial
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071VPRNDB

Omnibus 1 - Volumes 1-4

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0774T354X

Into the Black (Sci-Fi GameLit):
Book I - Game Start https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071LT5WGL
Omnibus I - Books 1-4 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B077X2KR7Y

City of Champions Online (Superhero GameLit):
Issue I - Origin Stories https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075SHXQS1

Lewd Dungeon (Dungeon Core GameLit):
Book 1 - Welcome to the Apocalypse https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BB34DHF
Omnibus 1 - Books 1-4 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FBPF6HR

SCI Stories (Dark Supervillain story):
Book 1 - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07RL93VQN

Winterborn (Dark Fantasy LitRPG):
Book 1 - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B082S3S3K8

The Kalipshae Affair (A First Contact Short Story): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0739V6R6T

Chapter 240 - Looking for Answers

(Bridge, Chaos Brigade dreadnought Vengeful Spirit, Star’s Reach System)

Warmaster Abaddon Horusson, leader of the Chaos Brigade, looked on in approval and no small amount of envy at the sight that greeted him as his Vengeful Spirit passed through the Gateway, and into Star’s Reach. He was the sole master and commander of a small flotilla of purpose-built warships, not mere converted merchantmen designed for piracy and commerce raiding. That put him in the top 1% of Nomads in all of this game, and he knew it. But there was always a new star to strive for.

A Black Star, in this case. For the leader of the Black Stars had, through various circumstances and no small degree of luck, become the single most powerful Nomad in the game. Well, depending on how you viewed such things. There were others who had higher levels, or were more skilled in certain fields, and in a straight fight, one-on-one, the Warmaster had no doubt that he could defeat Mollen, especially when it came to a melee.

But when it came to the size of one’s fleet? The ability to project power as an organization? There were few, even amongst the Locals of the game world, who compared to the Black Star. His fleet, spread across no less than four systems at any time, was easily enough to take down most threats. And, if they gathered, then even the great star nations would have a pause at the thought of fighting them.

Truly, he was impressed with all the Black Star had done in his time within the game world. And, while he did not value such things as highly as military might, he also could not help but be impressed with the funding the Black Star had achieved, quickly spinning up new businesses to take advantage of holes in the market. He had no problem seeing why many in the Nomad community were envious in the extreme when they thought of the Black Star.

“Warmaster! The Blackstone Station is hailing us!”

Abaddon nodded. That was to be expected. He already saw how two of the Black Star Navy’s cruisers were maneuvering to ‘coincidentally’ have targeting solutions on his ship, should this come to blows. “Open communications. Tell them that I would speak with their Master. In private.”

(Private Meeting Room, Blackstone Station, Star’s Reach orbit)

I watched as Abaddon thundered into the room, clad in his ceremonial (but very functional) power armor. According to the discrete scans that were taken when he entered the station, he had gone all in on living up to the source material he was imitating. His body was filled with augments that had increased his size dramatically. His armor was in black, lined with gold, and bearing the sign of the eightfold path as well as the ancient symbol of the sixteenth of the twenty legions. The scans told me that it was, without a doubt top of the line, crafted in an uncanny resemblance to his namesake’s armor.

For weapons, he had a power claw upon his right hand, with a massive twin-barreled gun mounted on the wrist. A sword, large even for his impressive size, was sheathed at his waist. All his weapons were powerful enough to cause untold damage if he chose to go on a rampage through my station.

But I knew he wouldn’t do that. He may have been a roleplayer chasing after his dreams, but he wasn’t an idiot. The Chaos Brigade was strong, as Nomad organizations went, but he would not be the one to start a fight with my Black Star Company, not unless he felt pushed to the point where he had no choice. Even if he could kill me, that would only be a temporary setback for me. We both knew his organization wouldn’t survive the counterattack.

Which wasn’t to say that I had any plans of pushing things to that point. So far, I had worked to avoid coming into conflict with any Nomads or Nomad-run organizations. PvP was wasteful, and just ended up wrecking everyone’s fun, especially once people started getting hurt feelings about things. The few times I had acted against other Nomads, it was usually as a response to something they had done, like trying to claim jump in my system, and I’d used technicalities to shut down that entire threat, hard. I had no problem defending myself, but I wasn’t going to be the one to start troubles.

I nodded to Abaddon, and motioned to a specially reinforced chair sitting across from me, designed to take the weight of someone in power armor. “Ah, Abaddon, I hope you are enjoying the Vengeful Spirit? My workers thought creating a custom skin job like that, to go with the advanced capabilities such a ship normally has, was quite a treat, I assure you. We have a lot of good people here, and they enjoy getting interesting ideas to branch out into.”

The Warmaster chuckled as he sat down, and said, “Yes, the Vengeful Spirit is a fine ship, and has proven herself in battle twice now, though I’d doubt you’d have heard of the battles, since they mainly involved a bit of action against mercenary groups in the border lands between the Ihm and the Free Worlds. With her, along with the Eternity of Pain and the Herald of Fear, we’ve started making a bit of a name for ourselves in certain sectors. And I’ll have you know that the Hellwarp Drive works just as your people said it would.”

“That’s good, that’s good. I’ll admit that the possibilities provided by the Hellwarp Drive were fascinating to look over. There ability to bypass tarpits and other traps or hazards in space is no small thing, after all. But the unreliability of the navigation, especially without an astronomicon, and the potential time dilation effects make it a niche technology, rather than something to develop in earnest, as are some other drive systems we’ve been prototyping.”

I paused, and then said, “So, what did you come in for, Abaddon? I somehow doubt it was just to see me. You don’t strike me as the type, and I don’t swing that way, after all. I mean, what brings the Chaos Brigade to my door, all the way over in another arm of the galaxy, while the Ihm have opened up a rift into Chaotic Space? Seems like that would be much more interesting to you and yours.”

Abaddon leaned forward, massive hulk that he was, and said, “That is because I have found what I was looking for.” My eyes went wide, but before I could speak, he nodded, and continued, a smile on his face. “The Ihm did more than rip apart the fabric of the universe, and open a rift into the warp, Mollen. That was the tipping point, to the birth of a new god!”

I couldn’t help but frown at that. “Damn it. I knew that they had ripped a hole in the world, everyone got the notification when that happened. But a new god? Please tell me I’m not going to have to worry about the Imperium being overrun with lizards screaming for blood and gathering skulls for a throne.”

Abaddon laughed, shaking his head. “As much as that would please me, it seems that none of the ones we know about from our world are here. I don’t think we’ll see any of the Four, unless something major happens.”

I couldn’t help but laugh in return. “I guess lawyers scare even the Dark Gods, when it comes down to it.” When Abaddon finished laughing at my quip, I looked over to him, and said, “So, if it wasn’t one of the ones from our world, what did you find?”

“A new god, as I said, proclaiming herself one of Three, now Four. She proclaimed herself to be Baxanke, born of the Ihm and their pride. I did not look upon her myself, but spoke with her in the moment she was born. She said that there were three others, in other parts of the galaxy, that embodied Envy, Gluttony, and Wrath.”

I leaned back in my chair, musing about that. “I see. Four cardinal sins, which have a way of warping someone’s personality if they get too close or dive too deeply into them. But all four are linked to more positive traits, and can have their good points. Yes, I can see how that would be a good way to have it play out. I don’t suppose this Baxanke told you who these other three were, did she?”

Abaddon chuckled, shaking his head. “As if any of the Ruinous Powers, even in another world, would be so giving, and for no return? Perhaps if I had sworn myself to her, I could have gotten the information, but I am not looking for one above all, but Chaos Undivided. As it was, I think I amused her enough with my pride and stubbornness, that she set me a test, instead of trying to force things.”

“That would make sense. Corruptors and manipulators don’t force people to submit. That’s not their style. They may tempt and coerce, but not beat someone down and force the issue. No doubt, this Baxanke wanted you to come to her, in time. Anyone who submits to the goddess of Pride on first meeting probably isn’t the kind of person who would rise high in her favor. So long as you didn’t insult her, I can see a Pride goddess giving you time to work your way back to her.”

“And that brings me to why I’m here. Baxanke didn’t tell me who the others of the Three were, but she did give me several clues as to how to find them. First, she said that all three were established, but had not contacted people in Known Space. Second, they would not speak to me until I called their names. Third, if I wanted to find their names, I would have to seek out the ‘Abyss, unseen and unknown by your races, in the heart of the heart of the stars’. Unfortunately, I’m not sure what that meant.”

Ah, that explained a few things. “So, you came to me, because you figured that, with my resources, I would have some insight into what that means? I’m not an expert on all things related to the universe, you know, and while I have some people who are working on many different fields, Chaotic Space is a very new field of study.”

Abaddon shrugged. “You’re the one who ‘discovered’ the Hellspace Drive. You’re the one who predicted the rifts before they happened, even knowing where they would emerge into real space. You, out of everyone in this world, should have some ideas about where to find these three, or the ‘heart of the heart of the stars’, no?”

I nodded slowly. “Well, obviously consider that even gods lie, or at the very least tell the truth in such a way that it becomes a lie. The gods of chaos and corruption are even more likely to do so. If we’re talking about an abyss at the heart of the heart of the stars, then the first answer that comes to mind would be the super-massive black hole at the center of the galaxy.”

Abaddon frowned. “And, either through the Warp or with ‘normal’ hyperspace drives, the trip would be a long and dangerous one. And if Gateways have been found closer to the galactic core, no one has announced them to the world.” He looked pointedly at me.

I shrugged, and said, “I have ships out, scouting for new worlds to explore, and testing the Gateways we have addresses for, but the process is slow. We may have destroyed the Harvester, but that does not mean that we’ve ended the threat of the X’thari. Their homeworld, such as it is, must be out there still.”

“Still, your chaos goddess has given us the answer to something we had been considering for some time. For there to be three chaos gods active and worshipped out in the galaxy, in places we haven’t contacted, then there must be civilizations out there that we have not yet met. Which means that expeditions into the far corners of the galaxy may end up kicking over an anthill, and presenting new threats to the rest of us.”

Abaddon grinned. “On the other hand, if one of those civilizations worships one of the three, then they will know the name, right?”

I nodded. “Exactly. However, it could be safer going to a supermassive black hole. At least you know how that will kill you.” Leaning back in my chair, I said, “I can increase the number of scout ships, but there’s only so much I can do in that regard. Not from a production standpoint, mind you, but from a personnel standpoint. It takes a special type to crew a scout ship, flying into unknown danger and knowing that help is lifetimes away if you get into trouble. Having that kind of person, with the skills required to pull off the task and return with the data is even rarer.”

I considered for a moment, and then said, “Still, it isn’t like there is nothing I can do for you. Let me look through my reports, and see if we don’t have a Gateway address leading somewhere closer to the Core. That would cut significant time off your journey, one way or another.”

“And the price for this help? I know you won’t be doing this for free.”

“That is simple. I want the data you recover. All of it. Hellspace navigation, reports on civilizations you find, locations of ancient ruins, all of it. And I want you to make your first jump to the core from the Amazon system, not here. If something comes following you back, I would like to have some warning, after all.”

Abaddon chuckled. “For all that? I want more than just the gate address. I want weapons to outfit my ships with.”

“You have the advanced kinetics already. But I will also throw in the Dragonbreath torpedoes, which should be able to fit the launchers you already have, and black box machines to allow you to make more in the field. For obvious reasons, I refuse to sell Starbolts to anyone, until there are already competitors in that field.”

The Warmaster nodded. “Then, I accept.”

Previous Chapter                                       Table of Contents                                     Next Chapter



Be sure to read my published works!

Frozen Soul series (Sci-Fi Supervillain story):
Frozen Soul - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071R125QT
Tales of the Void Traveler - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06ZZ52G37
Memoirs of a Supervillain - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07R9NWS8J

Rules-Free VRMMO Life (Dark Fantasy GameLit):
Volume 1 - Tutorial
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071VPRNDB

Omnibus 1 - Volumes 1-4

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0774T354X

Into the Black (Sci-Fi GameLit):
Book I - Game Start https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071LT5WGL
Omnibus I - Books 1-4 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B077X2KR7Y

City of Champions Online (Superhero GameLit):
Issue I - Origin Stories https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075SHXQS1

Lewd Dungeon (Dungeon Core GameLit):
Book 1 - Welcome to the Apocalypse https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BB34DHF
Omnibus 1 - Books 1-4 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FBPF6HR

SCI Stories (Dark Supervillain story):
Book 1 - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07RL93VQN

Winterborn (Dark Fantasy LitRPG):
Book 1 - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B082S3S3K8

The Kalipshae Affair (A First Contact Short Story): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0739V6R6T