It's your story and you can do whatever you want with it, you're completely free to add or subtract from the Worlds list to your leisure.
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The Wandering ; (Planetary Annihilation Multicross SI.)
- Thread starter Kadaeux
- Start date
- Crossover
It's your story and you can do whatever you want with it, you're completely free to add or subtract from the Worlds list to your leisure.
Chapter 16; In the Black
Kadaeux
Delta Imperator
- Location
- Vortice between realities
Chapter 16;
In the Black
Optimus stood in the observation tower that had been erected for his use, along with the ex-Decepticon Jetfire. There was little light now. They had passed from the Solar System's Oort cloud and were headed for another Sun similar to that of Sol. They watched impassively as construction went underway. Delta had only communicated with them for the last week as Colonel.
They could only watch as the so called Helios was built, changed by a fusion of Sentinel Primes spacebridge technology and the Yautja's own FTL technology. But now they saw the Commander moving below. "Delta Imperator, what is the situation?"
The Commander below turned and looked up at them. ++We are preparing to make the first jump. The Helios is about to be completed. Co-ordinates set for Alpha Centauri A. Then we restore the Allspark.++
"You still intend to travel with the machine?" Optimus said as he looked down at the Autobot ship occupying the landing pad on a aerial factory below. Speaking to Jetfire his concerns rose to the forefront again.
The much older Cybertronian nodded. "I do, I've seen about all there is to see here Prime. It was an honour to meet you and all that, but I want to see new things. And Delta has given charge of me to try rehabilitating those Decepticons that surrendered. There were more than I expected, but less than I hoped."
"They have been conditioned. It is in their nature, and that will be hard to change." Optimus said as he looked towards the structure that was the prison the captured Decepticons resided in. "You know they only surrendered because they recognise one rule of law? That might equals right?"
Jetfire nodded. "Of course they did, with Megatron's toxic leadership style they haven't learned to respect anything else. But here... they don't have that in their favour anymore. They believe might makes right, but here that puts them below everything, including the Yautja enclave. One of the pups decided to pick a fight with one of the Yautja the other day."
Optimus flinched. He'd seen what the plasmacasters could do.
"You've seen what their weapons can do I see." Jetfire chuckled. "He is brutishly direct, but you know that all of this is basically for you, the autobots and Earth right?"
Optimus turned at that in surprise.
"Did he come for tech? Yes. But if he had no morals he could just as easily have negotiated with Megatron. Instead, he's built a Star Harvester, and is taking you to restore the allspark. I've spoken to him off and on over the days, and whenever he's not concentrating on something and his personality comes through strongest. Everything he has done was to protect. He... showed me things..." The memory of the 'movies' still troubled him.
"And once he's helped, what then?" Optimus countered.
"We're leaving this universe."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Star Harvester sat at the bow of my new vessel as we careened across the universe. I could still feel the resources left in the Solar System. The thousands of Jigs in Jupiters atmosphere. Satellites around Earth. I would soon give the command to self-destruct them all. I would not leave behind anything that might make situations worse.
But the Helios was now completed.
++All Hands. Prepare for something.++
The Helios shot forwards and fired the cannons on its surface, hurling the modified spacebridge pillars into space ahead of Io, power arcing and connecting them together before the secondary function, learned from the Predators FTL, snapped into being and a portal opened. And through it flew Helios, and hot on its tail Io itself.
I felt the very moon quake under the crossing, the gravitational flux of the portal providing enough distortion to be felt even on the surface. But that had no significance to me.
Instead I walked, without haste to the Solar Harvester. I was joined shortly by Optimus and Jetfire as I walked up to the device. Optimus looked at it with a degree of fear and reverence. ++The Matrix Shard please Optimus.++
He held out a hand with the shard as in my other I engaged the fabricators which created the arming key. I'd long since disassociated the machines need for the Matrix of Leadership with an arming key of my own design. A single use device. Made so that the harvester could only ever be fired if I had first produced a key to fire it.
I put the shard into the machine as I slotted the arming key into position.
++Engaging the Stellar Harvester.++ I felt a momentary guilt. Thanks to my actions here Sol's skies would be just a little less bright in the future to come.
Energy fields ripped out from it and formed a toroidial vortice of energy that reached out and touched the star. Flux fields twisted and ripped and the very power, very life of the star was drawn down towards the Stellar Harvester. The process was not fast. But the results were immediately noticeable. Optimus and Jetfire fell back from me as solar matter was ripped into the device.
"So this is why they promised never to use it in a system with life." Jetfire said, "This is..."
++Far too dangerous...++ I said, it was one thing to command such power, but to observe it.... that was something else entirely. Any life that this binary system might once have born was about to be stillborn. Strangled in its pre-existence by the power of a machine that served as its god, deciding whether it would live or die.
Fuck microbes.
With a single thought I locked the plans to the Stellar Harvester into the most secure vault in my mind. A place where only the most terrible superweapons would go. I watched as the blood of a star was drawn in and the allspark was growing under the power funnelling into it. Restoring itself. I sensed rather than saw Optimus drop to his knees in reverence.
Days of watching and waiting as the power was drawn. As the light faded. As a sun died.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
++I hope you appreciate the price that was paid for this Optimus.++ I said as I removed the allspark from the machine. The difficulty in analysing it while it was being restored made my decisions clear. I couldn't remain here. There was a single step left to take. ++The Helios will be recharged in twelve terran hours. From there we will jump to Cybertron.++
"I thank you for this Delta Imperator, you have done us a great service and I cannot imagine how I might repay you." He said studying the restored Allspark in his hands.
++When we reach Cybertron, we have to destroy her mistress. This is non-negotiable.++
"As you have explained before, but you make this..."
I held up a hand to forestall him. ++I intend to leave immediately afterwards. I have done enough here to, I hope, create a better future. It is best I take this weapon,++ I indicated the Star Harvester ++away from this universe.++
Jetfire looked a little surprised. "So soon?"
I nodded. ++I have been hasty and unkind. More importantly I am concerned that if I stay I may be inclined to tamper further.++
Optimus nodded. "That may be for the best."
Translation. He thinks i'm a cunt. Well I suppose given what has happened, and what i've done, he has a right to feel that way about it. I strongarmed them into... well just being present when things happened, or even absent entirely. "You don't mean that Optimus, sure he's been brusque, and yet he's put down our enemies."
"I understand that, and in doing so, he trampled over us all. I do believe he means well. But I also believe him when he says if he continues to remain, then he may feel compelled to interfere."
++Well. Let's go kill Quintessa.++
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Another jump proceeded without difficulty. And I saw Cybertron for the first time in person. A bizarre experience.
It was smaller than I thought it would be. It wasn't scattered or hanging by threads like it had been, there had been no disastrous rebuke through a Spacebridge to catastrophically damage the very structure of the planet itself. And yet. It was still dead. Optimus stood next to me, on a very high gantry, looking down on it sadly. Holding the allspark.
"Let's do it."
With one hand held over Optimus the personal teleport cracked and Jetfire followed us down moments later. The surface looked even worse than orbit. This was a planet that had been wracked by war. And yet we had arrived where I thought we would. The entrance to Quintessa's domain. The eerie green light from within spreading around us like a sickly aura. But I could feel her, the strange almost siren call of her presence drawing us in.
Jetfire's drives barked and he dived into cover. Sensing the danger. I didn't.
"And who are you strange one. You're not one of my children." Her voice was seductive in a way only a deceivers voice can be. But she had two major problems when it came to me. I was not Cybertronian, so her subliminal transmissions did nought to turn me, and secondly, I knew she was a deceiving bitch.
But I didn't dare attack her yet. The chances of her spacebridging away was simply too great.
++I am Delta Imperator. Commander of the Progenitors. Master of Io. Destroyer of LV-426, LV-223 and Xenomorph Prime.++ My words were punctuated by holographic demonstrations and I saw it. In the strange mechanical expressions of a transformer there was in fact body language.
Something I could suppress much more easily. She was worried.
Chains ripped out of the walls and grabbed Optimus. And grabbed me.
I allowed it, amused.
"You are dangerous big one." She backhanded me across the face. "Defiant. Prideful. But you will come to understand serving me is in your best interests."
The nanotechnology she had 'scarred' my surface with tried to gain a stronghold. But I was made of progenitor metals. There was nothing for them to find. No pathway to my sapience that they understood. ++I would be happy to serve in exchange for Seeds.++
She grinned. Her mark was there. Struggling. But she was not used to defiance. I doubted she even understood the concept of Defiance. "How curious. You fight it, but now I know what you desire. Very well." She brought forwards a canister of seeds that would have been loaded in their bombers. "I had sent Lockdown to hunt you Optimus. The man he was in contact with wanted the same thing. It amuses me to think that..." She turned back to me.
++Your little toys were amusing for a moment. But not enough.++ I didn't fire the Uber Cannon, allies were too close.
My shoulder plates snapped open and a battery of plasma casters fired. They punched right through her, right through the machinery that would allow her to spacebridge away. And it turned out. Allowed her to levitate. As I shattered the chains with precise plasma caster blasts freeing Optimus and myself she began to scrabble back on her tentacles. "You would sacrifice this world for these? I will see they are..."
She screamed as I picked her up casually.
Optimus had his blade in fist. "Quintessa... a deceiver... I don't need you to restore Cybertron." He held up the allspark and she beamed in greed at it. He marched up to the Altar and put down the allspark. Pressing the sequence that would cause it to unfold to its true size. Quintessa watched as it was restored.
She didn't live long enough to realise as I crushed her in my fist and ground her remains into metal shavings in my palm.
I could see the Allspark firing. I could sense an intelligence within it. Massive. Potentially benevolent. ++Well done Optimus. It is time I went.++
He looked beatific as he saw the planet begin to restore beneath his very feet. "You don't even wish to see the work completed?"
++Of course I do. But this is your triumph. I will not sully it with my presence.++ With a crack I spacebridged back to Io.
Jetfire followed moments later. We spent almost six hours watching the planet, slowly, heal from the great damage done to it by generations of thoughtless war. "So where do we go now?"
++To another Earth. I will not make the mistake of explaining who and what I am again. To tell too much causes nothing but problems, and pain. Where we are going Jetfire, I am simply to be a leader of a machine race. We are going to be larger and more direct with our aid this time. Before the Harvesters come.++
I set the Helios to create the dimension gate to earth in June 2015.
Before the second invasion of the Harvesters. I would, I hoped, with a year of lead time be able to aid them in defending them.
In the Black
Optimus stood in the observation tower that had been erected for his use, along with the ex-Decepticon Jetfire. There was little light now. They had passed from the Solar System's Oort cloud and were headed for another Sun similar to that of Sol. They watched impassively as construction went underway. Delta had only communicated with them for the last week as Colonel.
They could only watch as the so called Helios was built, changed by a fusion of Sentinel Primes spacebridge technology and the Yautja's own FTL technology. But now they saw the Commander moving below. "Delta Imperator, what is the situation?"
The Commander below turned and looked up at them. ++We are preparing to make the first jump. The Helios is about to be completed. Co-ordinates set for Alpha Centauri A. Then we restore the Allspark.++
"You still intend to travel with the machine?" Optimus said as he looked down at the Autobot ship occupying the landing pad on a aerial factory below. Speaking to Jetfire his concerns rose to the forefront again.
The much older Cybertronian nodded. "I do, I've seen about all there is to see here Prime. It was an honour to meet you and all that, but I want to see new things. And Delta has given charge of me to try rehabilitating those Decepticons that surrendered. There were more than I expected, but less than I hoped."
"They have been conditioned. It is in their nature, and that will be hard to change." Optimus said as he looked towards the structure that was the prison the captured Decepticons resided in. "You know they only surrendered because they recognise one rule of law? That might equals right?"
Jetfire nodded. "Of course they did, with Megatron's toxic leadership style they haven't learned to respect anything else. But here... they don't have that in their favour anymore. They believe might makes right, but here that puts them below everything, including the Yautja enclave. One of the pups decided to pick a fight with one of the Yautja the other day."
Optimus flinched. He'd seen what the plasmacasters could do.
"You've seen what their weapons can do I see." Jetfire chuckled. "He is brutishly direct, but you know that all of this is basically for you, the autobots and Earth right?"
Optimus turned at that in surprise.
"Did he come for tech? Yes. But if he had no morals he could just as easily have negotiated with Megatron. Instead, he's built a Star Harvester, and is taking you to restore the allspark. I've spoken to him off and on over the days, and whenever he's not concentrating on something and his personality comes through strongest. Everything he has done was to protect. He... showed me things..." The memory of the 'movies' still troubled him.
"And once he's helped, what then?" Optimus countered.
"We're leaving this universe."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Star Harvester sat at the bow of my new vessel as we careened across the universe. I could still feel the resources left in the Solar System. The thousands of Jigs in Jupiters atmosphere. Satellites around Earth. I would soon give the command to self-destruct them all. I would not leave behind anything that might make situations worse.
But the Helios was now completed.
++All Hands. Prepare for something.++
The Helios shot forwards and fired the cannons on its surface, hurling the modified spacebridge pillars into space ahead of Io, power arcing and connecting them together before the secondary function, learned from the Predators FTL, snapped into being and a portal opened. And through it flew Helios, and hot on its tail Io itself.
I felt the very moon quake under the crossing, the gravitational flux of the portal providing enough distortion to be felt even on the surface. But that had no significance to me.
Instead I walked, without haste to the Solar Harvester. I was joined shortly by Optimus and Jetfire as I walked up to the device. Optimus looked at it with a degree of fear and reverence. ++The Matrix Shard please Optimus.++
He held out a hand with the shard as in my other I engaged the fabricators which created the arming key. I'd long since disassociated the machines need for the Matrix of Leadership with an arming key of my own design. A single use device. Made so that the harvester could only ever be fired if I had first produced a key to fire it.
I put the shard into the machine as I slotted the arming key into position.
++Engaging the Stellar Harvester.++ I felt a momentary guilt. Thanks to my actions here Sol's skies would be just a little less bright in the future to come.
Energy fields ripped out from it and formed a toroidial vortice of energy that reached out and touched the star. Flux fields twisted and ripped and the very power, very life of the star was drawn down towards the Stellar Harvester. The process was not fast. But the results were immediately noticeable. Optimus and Jetfire fell back from me as solar matter was ripped into the device.
"So this is why they promised never to use it in a system with life." Jetfire said, "This is..."
++Far too dangerous...++ I said, it was one thing to command such power, but to observe it.... that was something else entirely. Any life that this binary system might once have born was about to be stillborn. Strangled in its pre-existence by the power of a machine that served as its god, deciding whether it would live or die.
Fuck microbes.
With a single thought I locked the plans to the Stellar Harvester into the most secure vault in my mind. A place where only the most terrible superweapons would go. I watched as the blood of a star was drawn in and the allspark was growing under the power funnelling into it. Restoring itself. I sensed rather than saw Optimus drop to his knees in reverence.
Days of watching and waiting as the power was drawn. As the light faded. As a sun died.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
++I hope you appreciate the price that was paid for this Optimus.++ I said as I removed the allspark from the machine. The difficulty in analysing it while it was being restored made my decisions clear. I couldn't remain here. There was a single step left to take. ++The Helios will be recharged in twelve terran hours. From there we will jump to Cybertron.++
"I thank you for this Delta Imperator, you have done us a great service and I cannot imagine how I might repay you." He said studying the restored Allspark in his hands.
++When we reach Cybertron, we have to destroy her mistress. This is non-negotiable.++
"As you have explained before, but you make this..."
I held up a hand to forestall him. ++I intend to leave immediately afterwards. I have done enough here to, I hope, create a better future. It is best I take this weapon,++ I indicated the Star Harvester ++away from this universe.++
Jetfire looked a little surprised. "So soon?"
I nodded. ++I have been hasty and unkind. More importantly I am concerned that if I stay I may be inclined to tamper further.++
Optimus nodded. "That may be for the best."
Translation. He thinks i'm a cunt. Well I suppose given what has happened, and what i've done, he has a right to feel that way about it. I strongarmed them into... well just being present when things happened, or even absent entirely. "You don't mean that Optimus, sure he's been brusque, and yet he's put down our enemies."
"I understand that, and in doing so, he trampled over us all. I do believe he means well. But I also believe him when he says if he continues to remain, then he may feel compelled to interfere."
++Well. Let's go kill Quintessa.++
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Another jump proceeded without difficulty. And I saw Cybertron for the first time in person. A bizarre experience.
It was smaller than I thought it would be. It wasn't scattered or hanging by threads like it had been, there had been no disastrous rebuke through a Spacebridge to catastrophically damage the very structure of the planet itself. And yet. It was still dead. Optimus stood next to me, on a very high gantry, looking down on it sadly. Holding the allspark.
"Let's do it."
With one hand held over Optimus the personal teleport cracked and Jetfire followed us down moments later. The surface looked even worse than orbit. This was a planet that had been wracked by war. And yet we had arrived where I thought we would. The entrance to Quintessa's domain. The eerie green light from within spreading around us like a sickly aura. But I could feel her, the strange almost siren call of her presence drawing us in.
Jetfire's drives barked and he dived into cover. Sensing the danger. I didn't.
"And who are you strange one. You're not one of my children." Her voice was seductive in a way only a deceivers voice can be. But she had two major problems when it came to me. I was not Cybertronian, so her subliminal transmissions did nought to turn me, and secondly, I knew she was a deceiving bitch.
But I didn't dare attack her yet. The chances of her spacebridging away was simply too great.
++I am Delta Imperator. Commander of the Progenitors. Master of Io. Destroyer of LV-426, LV-223 and Xenomorph Prime.++ My words were punctuated by holographic demonstrations and I saw it. In the strange mechanical expressions of a transformer there was in fact body language.
Something I could suppress much more easily. She was worried.
Chains ripped out of the walls and grabbed Optimus. And grabbed me.
I allowed it, amused.
"You are dangerous big one." She backhanded me across the face. "Defiant. Prideful. But you will come to understand serving me is in your best interests."
The nanotechnology she had 'scarred' my surface with tried to gain a stronghold. But I was made of progenitor metals. There was nothing for them to find. No pathway to my sapience that they understood. ++I would be happy to serve in exchange for Seeds.++
She grinned. Her mark was there. Struggling. But she was not used to defiance. I doubted she even understood the concept of Defiance. "How curious. You fight it, but now I know what you desire. Very well." She brought forwards a canister of seeds that would have been loaded in their bombers. "I had sent Lockdown to hunt you Optimus. The man he was in contact with wanted the same thing. It amuses me to think that..." She turned back to me.
++Your little toys were amusing for a moment. But not enough.++ I didn't fire the Uber Cannon, allies were too close.
My shoulder plates snapped open and a battery of plasma casters fired. They punched right through her, right through the machinery that would allow her to spacebridge away. And it turned out. Allowed her to levitate. As I shattered the chains with precise plasma caster blasts freeing Optimus and myself she began to scrabble back on her tentacles. "You would sacrifice this world for these? I will see they are..."
She screamed as I picked her up casually.
Optimus had his blade in fist. "Quintessa... a deceiver... I don't need you to restore Cybertron." He held up the allspark and she beamed in greed at it. He marched up to the Altar and put down the allspark. Pressing the sequence that would cause it to unfold to its true size. Quintessa watched as it was restored.
She didn't live long enough to realise as I crushed her in my fist and ground her remains into metal shavings in my palm.
I could see the Allspark firing. I could sense an intelligence within it. Massive. Potentially benevolent. ++Well done Optimus. It is time I went.++
He looked beatific as he saw the planet begin to restore beneath his very feet. "You don't even wish to see the work completed?"
++Of course I do. But this is your triumph. I will not sully it with my presence.++ With a crack I spacebridged back to Io.
Jetfire followed moments later. We spent almost six hours watching the planet, slowly, heal from the great damage done to it by generations of thoughtless war. "So where do we go now?"
++To another Earth. I will not make the mistake of explaining who and what I am again. To tell too much causes nothing but problems, and pain. Where we are going Jetfire, I am simply to be a leader of a machine race. We are going to be larger and more direct with our aid this time. Before the Harvesters come.++
I set the Helios to create the dimension gate to earth in June 2015.
Before the second invasion of the Harvesters. I would, I hoped, with a year of lead time be able to aid them in defending them.
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Kadaeux
Delta Imperator
- Location
- Vortice between realities
Author Note; I almost feel like I have to apologise for this chapter. Several times during writing it I had to backtrack, feeling i'd written it into a corner. In the end I decided that, while it may not be my best chapter, it was time to move on. As such, I understand if anyone feels this chapter was lacking something.
Because I certainly do.
Because I certainly do.
Hey, more reason to curb-stomp them. Maybe it'll make things more interesting.
Kadaeux
Delta Imperator
- Location
- Vortice between realities
Technically Resurgence.
For a number of items;
1: Really good shields.
2: Weapons tech is good.
3: 3'000km diameter ship tech that can drill to a planetary core in 24 hours or less.
But, relatively short-term presence there.
Independence day is a franchise i havent seen used before Youve got me pretty excited
- Location
- India
Any fantasy verse next? Maybe Starcraft or warcraft? You need a lot more firepower before you journey to 30k or 40k?
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Ooh! Thanks for the update and keep up the good work!
Also, you shouldn't have minded my comment about skipping some universes. This is your own story so you have to follow your own pacing and style. Visit any universe you want as long as you have fun with it.
Also, you shouldn't have minded my comment about skipping some universes. This is your own story so you have to follow your own pacing and style. Visit any universe you want as long as you have fun with it.
- Location
- Puerto Rico
Don't forget whatever tech the Sphere has, which has to be powerful if the Harvesters are scared of them and hunt them down with extreme prejudice.
I can already see the humans, first they are dealing with this worldwide alien invasion, then suddenly, the bigger alien arrives with the freaking decepticons and honest to gods Predators, proceeds to destroy them to the last troop and then take their stuff and leave. Almost like getting picked on by a bully, and then the bully's older brother comes along, beats up the bully in turn and steals his lunch money. I hope we get to see some reactions
AldariSiradla
Knight of the Fountain Pen
Ah, the recent Independence Day movie...
So you're gonna hunt down that metal floaty ball of tech too?
I recall that that thing had blueprints and schematics for a lot of things...
To a supposed war teased in the end...
Eh, it'll be a short jaunt before moving on.
So you're gonna hunt down that metal floaty ball of tech too?
I recall that that thing had blueprints and schematics for a lot of things...
To a supposed war teased in the end...
Eh, it'll be a short jaunt before moving on.
RoyalTwinFangs
For The Chancellor!
- Location
- Somwhere not here
Can't wait for the battletech part. Not many go there.
Chapter 17; Visitor Moon
Kadaeux
Delta Imperator
- Location
- Vortice between realities
Chapter 17;
Visitor Moon
Its the end of the world as we know it. The lyrics by REM were sun quietly in the background of the observatory, Jimothy was leaning back, waiting for warnings that weren't coming. At least not yet. They were all prepared for the threat from beyond, It was 2015 and the human race had united like never before. Always wary. Always alert that a threat to their existence loitered out there in space, and would one day return.
An alarm went off and the music was killed as everyone became all business. There was no delay as two million kilometres away space opened up. "Holy shit. This is not an alert, let everyone know right now." He said as he dialled in on it. The spatial distortion had ripped open thousands of kilometres in diameter. The first thing through was not very large relatively to the space hole. But behind it followed.
Io?
The moon quite literally shot through the portal as it snapped closed behind the moon. The object that had come through first turned to the back of the moon and a whole lot of objects too small to easily pick up flew back into it. Why was Io here? Why did it have a large number of utterly colossal engines? And yet, it's close orbit was choked with craft.
"The invasion is back on!" He called out as he zoomed his telescope in.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
David looked at the footage they were giving him with a raised eyebrow. "You think they're related to the Harvesters? They don't look anything alike... look at it. There is a much more boxy construction to these ones. And... and they're impressive to say the least. What do the astrophysicists say about... about a copy of Io in orbit with Earth?"
The room was full of people all studying the arrivals. They had been in orbit of the Earth for nearly two days now. Seemingly waiting. "The... new moon... has arrived at an orbital point two million kilometres away. They believe that it should be fairly stable there for now, with an orbital period of approximately.. one year."
"Okay. So has anyone tried to talk to them?" He asked studying the images again.
There were embarrassed looks around the room.
"And if anyone suggests flashing lights on a helicopter again they better have their resume up to date." David turned around. "Well, let's get a squadron of hybrid fighters up there with a transport ship and let's try and make contact." It took almost twelve hours for the mission to ride through the normal channels and get an escort of H-8 Global Defenders.
...
Eighteen of them escorted the transport craft as it lifted off, it was in fact an AWACS specialist vehicle and its gravity drives climbed it into the skies slow and steady. It felt strange seeing another moon in Earth's orbit. It felt far stranger seeing one with plenty of engines on it. He still felt marginally sick at the space travel, but had to admit this craft was far comfier than the Harvester attacker he'd last visited orbit with.
"Lightspeed One, we have craft moving to intercept. Gods help us..."
"Jesus christ..."
David moved up into the cockpit as they magnified the approaching craft. A dozen 'fighters' were charging along with a pair of what could only be called Battleships. The fighters were strange asymmetrical craft. A pair of wings that looked like solar panels, a main body that looked like it could be a cockpit and engine.
The other other pontoon however looked like a massive weapon. The Battleships however, they were definitely warships.
The three utterly massive turrets made that obvious.
David headed over to the communications panel.
"Hi, I'm Director David Levinston of the Earth Space Defence Force. If you could please not kill us that would be great."
They kept coming on when a transmission emerged from the surface. ++I am Delta Imperator; Last of the Progenitors; Approach on the following Vector for safe landing at the Great Hall. Welcome to the Autarch Dawn.++
The voice wasn't human. It was synthesised, broadcast rather than uttered. David realised that as soon as he had spoken. He had also been studying the transmission as it was received. It wasn't being translated as far as he could see, rather it was simply sent as raw data. But there was a strangeness to it. An almost subliminal signal, and it didn't take long to detect that this subliminal signal connected everything he was seeing.
They passed into the orbital influence of the moon, whereupon the fighters and battleships broke away resuming an orbital patrol. They plummeted down towards the planet where they saw aerial maneuvers being performed by fighter craft of immense size. The guidance beams lead them towards a vast hall.
It rose above them with a strange neo-gothic construction. Looking almost like a viking longhouse had fucked a cathedral, and their child had fucked a Cyberpunk 2077 manual and this was the baby of that storied lineage. The same beams lead them into the structure so vast was it. Behind them the doors on it closed with inevitable intensity, before they could even turn around and escape the trap that had been laid.
And yet David saw that the building was relaying their transmissions so that they weren't cut off. Settling down onto the ground, though half the squadron remained airborne, they were buffeted badly when atmosphere poured into the hall with hurricane force winds.
Stormforce winds abated and David looked at the crew. Then shrugging. He moved over and opened the door. Part of the floor clicked and hissed and rose up to create a stairway down to the floor. The room was made as if for giants. As he set foot on the ground, followed by a few members of his staff he could see the scale was even more terrifying. And the hall lead up to a throne where a statue of a man was erected. Not human though, something else.
And then it spoke.
++Welcome to the Great Hall.++ The statue stood up. And it kept going up and up and up. It was massive. Utterly massive. Nearly ninety metres tall, or more. And it looked down at them with a militant benevolence. Like a he was studying his favourite ant farm. And he felt like a particularly small ant.
"Well, uhm thanks for the welcome. I must admit to feeling like i'm at a disadvantage. I've intr... you're Delta Imperator." David said, feeling more than a little worried now.
++Correct. I am Delta Imperator. Last of the Progenitors.++ The machine explained.
"I hope this doesn't sound too presumptuous but... why are you here. With what appears to be Io?" David looked for somewhere to sit. But the floor was as smooth as glass. But Delta Imperator waved a hand and a section of floor rose into the shape of a pretty comfy looking couch. Not looking a gift horse in the mouth he sat down.
A hologram appeared of the Alien Mothership and the City Destroyers. ++You defeated the Harvesters attack on your homeworld. You have likely already guessed that this won't be the end of it.++
David felt worried now.
++I see I have guessed right. And the truth is that you are correct. It is not the end of it. They will return, sooner than later. They have done this to far too many races, too many peoples. And as the last I have chosen to come to Earth and offer alliance against the Harvesters. To prepare Earth.++ The big machine said kneeling down to look down at him.
Subconsciously David looked for a magnifying glass in its hand and the sun shining somewhere.
"You are well informed."
++The wreckage of the mothership and city destroyers is super obvious. Even from two million kilometres away.++
David couldn't help it, he laughed at the notion. Of course it was obvious.
"So what do you want from us in exchange for your aid?" He said, testing the machines willingness to be frank.
++I want direct access to scan their wreckages. Each mothership and her parasites are different, with different technologies. I want to see what these had. And what the next invasion has. In exchange. I will be offering a number of my own technologies for trade. Our reactors, beamed power, nanolathe technology, our electronic hardening as well as direct military assistance. All I request for that is sufficient land on Earth to establish a base where I can build a force to aid you with.++
"If I may, what is a Nanolathe?"
The giants arm erupted. A device emerged and the fighters still hovering prepared to defend their Director, to the death if necessary. And yet, a flood of green energy poured out and he watched as the Eiffel Tower was built in duplicate, not in miniature, but a precise duplicate. It still didn't touch the vaulted ceiling.
And it had been built in under a minute.
++It can be used to produce almost anything.++
The cloud pulled out again and over some minutes erected what could only be an artillery piece. And its size was terrifying to behold. It moved, the turret turning to face a wall where a panel opened and the cannon actually fired.
++It takes work to use. Skill and knowing what you need to do. Our vehicles, aircraft, naval all have their own internal fabricators which produce their ammunition and limited capability to generate their own power. The Nanolathes need only time and extremely detailed blueprints.++
The cloud of green ripped out, and dissolved the structures, David saw this time that they were being drawn back into the intimidating machine in front of him.
"How much land are you looking for?" He asked.
++Two thousand square kilometres of the southern island continent. In an uninhabitable or uninhabited region. We are happy to allow observers from your government to monitor our activities. And access to the intact City Destroyer here.++ It projected an image of the Earth in terrifying detail. David felt that if he got close enough he would be able to see individual structures on the surface. He knew where it would be indicating. Umbutu, and the intact vessel there.++
David felt giddy. A hopeful ally, or at least someone able to equip them to defend themselves. It was almost too good to be true.
"How do we know this isn't a trap? A deceit to stage your own invasion of us?" His superiors would ask the same question, it was only natural so too would he.
++Because in all honesty Director, I have no need of an organic-compatible planet. All I require is sources of metals, of which this system has many. In fact, I will be sending a mission to initiate construction of what we call 'Jigs' into Jupiter's upper atmosphere which will then harvest the Gas Giant's magnetosphere to generate power, which in turn will aid in powering the metal makers on board Converting energy to metal. We can also assist with clearing the debris field if you wish?++
"I'm going to need to speak to my people. If you don't mind that is?" David said worried about giving offence.
++Not at all. I can send an ambassador with a security detail down with you if you would prefer a more direct line of questioning?++
The Nanolathes fired and a quartet of figures stood there. Almost like half-finished people. Their faces were uncannily unnatural. They were simplified, looking almost like a dolls face but without important details. David jumped at their presence. He hadn't expected it to make people. "Uhm, what are those?"
The lead one spoke up. "We are Simulacra. A technology obtained from another race aided in their quest to survive." And now David's mind was stretched just a little bit more. An SR-71 Blackbird of all things had arrived. "This craft was manufactured to conduct covert recon based on transmissions picked up from your world. But unfortunately, we arrived too late to prevent the Harvesters first arrival."
"I'm... if you follow us, that would be appreicated." David felt like taking some aspirin.
The four Simulacra were raised up and entered the SR-71. It's engines roared to life and David climbed back into the transport.
As they lifted and headed for the exit they were buffeted by the atmosphere being withdrawn, followed by the doors opening.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I watched as the craft all left the Hall. It had served it's purpose, but I kind of liked it. The work put into it had paid off. But I watched as they left Io. Jetfire disguised would throw them out, but then they'd never know I had a bodyguard in their midst. They also wouldn't know about the cloaked Predator ship that was headed for the surface.
I hope this pays off. I thought to myself.
Visitor Moon
Its the end of the world as we know it. The lyrics by REM were sun quietly in the background of the observatory, Jimothy was leaning back, waiting for warnings that weren't coming. At least not yet. They were all prepared for the threat from beyond, It was 2015 and the human race had united like never before. Always wary. Always alert that a threat to their existence loitered out there in space, and would one day return.
An alarm went off and the music was killed as everyone became all business. There was no delay as two million kilometres away space opened up. "Holy shit. This is not an alert, let everyone know right now." He said as he dialled in on it. The spatial distortion had ripped open thousands of kilometres in diameter. The first thing through was not very large relatively to the space hole. But behind it followed.
Io?
The moon quite literally shot through the portal as it snapped closed behind the moon. The object that had come through first turned to the back of the moon and a whole lot of objects too small to easily pick up flew back into it. Why was Io here? Why did it have a large number of utterly colossal engines? And yet, it's close orbit was choked with craft.
"The invasion is back on!" He called out as he zoomed his telescope in.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
David looked at the footage they were giving him with a raised eyebrow. "You think they're related to the Harvesters? They don't look anything alike... look at it. There is a much more boxy construction to these ones. And... and they're impressive to say the least. What do the astrophysicists say about... about a copy of Io in orbit with Earth?"
The room was full of people all studying the arrivals. They had been in orbit of the Earth for nearly two days now. Seemingly waiting. "The... new moon... has arrived at an orbital point two million kilometres away. They believe that it should be fairly stable there for now, with an orbital period of approximately.. one year."
"Okay. So has anyone tried to talk to them?" He asked studying the images again.
There were embarrassed looks around the room.
"And if anyone suggests flashing lights on a helicopter again they better have their resume up to date." David turned around. "Well, let's get a squadron of hybrid fighters up there with a transport ship and let's try and make contact." It took almost twelve hours for the mission to ride through the normal channels and get an escort of H-8 Global Defenders.
...
Eighteen of them escorted the transport craft as it lifted off, it was in fact an AWACS specialist vehicle and its gravity drives climbed it into the skies slow and steady. It felt strange seeing another moon in Earth's orbit. It felt far stranger seeing one with plenty of engines on it. He still felt marginally sick at the space travel, but had to admit this craft was far comfier than the Harvester attacker he'd last visited orbit with.
"Lightspeed One, we have craft moving to intercept. Gods help us..."
"Jesus christ..."
David moved up into the cockpit as they magnified the approaching craft. A dozen 'fighters' were charging along with a pair of what could only be called Battleships. The fighters were strange asymmetrical craft. A pair of wings that looked like solar panels, a main body that looked like it could be a cockpit and engine.
The other other pontoon however looked like a massive weapon. The Battleships however, they were definitely warships.
The three utterly massive turrets made that obvious.
David headed over to the communications panel.
"Hi, I'm Director David Levinston of the Earth Space Defence Force. If you could please not kill us that would be great."
They kept coming on when a transmission emerged from the surface. ++I am Delta Imperator; Last of the Progenitors; Approach on the following Vector for safe landing at the Great Hall. Welcome to the Autarch Dawn.++
The voice wasn't human. It was synthesised, broadcast rather than uttered. David realised that as soon as he had spoken. He had also been studying the transmission as it was received. It wasn't being translated as far as he could see, rather it was simply sent as raw data. But there was a strangeness to it. An almost subliminal signal, and it didn't take long to detect that this subliminal signal connected everything he was seeing.
They passed into the orbital influence of the moon, whereupon the fighters and battleships broke away resuming an orbital patrol. They plummeted down towards the planet where they saw aerial maneuvers being performed by fighter craft of immense size. The guidance beams lead them towards a vast hall.
It rose above them with a strange neo-gothic construction. Looking almost like a viking longhouse had fucked a cathedral, and their child had fucked a Cyberpunk 2077 manual and this was the baby of that storied lineage. The same beams lead them into the structure so vast was it. Behind them the doors on it closed with inevitable intensity, before they could even turn around and escape the trap that had been laid.
And yet David saw that the building was relaying their transmissions so that they weren't cut off. Settling down onto the ground, though half the squadron remained airborne, they were buffeted badly when atmosphere poured into the hall with hurricane force winds.
Stormforce winds abated and David looked at the crew. Then shrugging. He moved over and opened the door. Part of the floor clicked and hissed and rose up to create a stairway down to the floor. The room was made as if for giants. As he set foot on the ground, followed by a few members of his staff he could see the scale was even more terrifying. And the hall lead up to a throne where a statue of a man was erected. Not human though, something else.
And then it spoke.
++Welcome to the Great Hall.++ The statue stood up. And it kept going up and up and up. It was massive. Utterly massive. Nearly ninety metres tall, or more. And it looked down at them with a militant benevolence. Like a he was studying his favourite ant farm. And he felt like a particularly small ant.
"Well, uhm thanks for the welcome. I must admit to feeling like i'm at a disadvantage. I've intr... you're Delta Imperator." David said, feeling more than a little worried now.
++Correct. I am Delta Imperator. Last of the Progenitors.++ The machine explained.
"I hope this doesn't sound too presumptuous but... why are you here. With what appears to be Io?" David looked for somewhere to sit. But the floor was as smooth as glass. But Delta Imperator waved a hand and a section of floor rose into the shape of a pretty comfy looking couch. Not looking a gift horse in the mouth he sat down.
A hologram appeared of the Alien Mothership and the City Destroyers. ++You defeated the Harvesters attack on your homeworld. You have likely already guessed that this won't be the end of it.++
David felt worried now.
++I see I have guessed right. And the truth is that you are correct. It is not the end of it. They will return, sooner than later. They have done this to far too many races, too many peoples. And as the last I have chosen to come to Earth and offer alliance against the Harvesters. To prepare Earth.++ The big machine said kneeling down to look down at him.
Subconsciously David looked for a magnifying glass in its hand and the sun shining somewhere.
"You are well informed."
++The wreckage of the mothership and city destroyers is super obvious. Even from two million kilometres away.++
David couldn't help it, he laughed at the notion. Of course it was obvious.
"So what do you want from us in exchange for your aid?" He said, testing the machines willingness to be frank.
++I want direct access to scan their wreckages. Each mothership and her parasites are different, with different technologies. I want to see what these had. And what the next invasion has. In exchange. I will be offering a number of my own technologies for trade. Our reactors, beamed power, nanolathe technology, our electronic hardening as well as direct military assistance. All I request for that is sufficient land on Earth to establish a base where I can build a force to aid you with.++
"If I may, what is a Nanolathe?"
The giants arm erupted. A device emerged and the fighters still hovering prepared to defend their Director, to the death if necessary. And yet, a flood of green energy poured out and he watched as the Eiffel Tower was built in duplicate, not in miniature, but a precise duplicate. It still didn't touch the vaulted ceiling.
And it had been built in under a minute.
++It can be used to produce almost anything.++
The cloud pulled out again and over some minutes erected what could only be an artillery piece. And its size was terrifying to behold. It moved, the turret turning to face a wall where a panel opened and the cannon actually fired.
++It takes work to use. Skill and knowing what you need to do. Our vehicles, aircraft, naval all have their own internal fabricators which produce their ammunition and limited capability to generate their own power. The Nanolathes need only time and extremely detailed blueprints.++
The cloud of green ripped out, and dissolved the structures, David saw this time that they were being drawn back into the intimidating machine in front of him.
"How much land are you looking for?" He asked.
++Two thousand square kilometres of the southern island continent. In an uninhabitable or uninhabited region. We are happy to allow observers from your government to monitor our activities. And access to the intact City Destroyer here.++ It projected an image of the Earth in terrifying detail. David felt that if he got close enough he would be able to see individual structures on the surface. He knew where it would be indicating. Umbutu, and the intact vessel there.++
David felt giddy. A hopeful ally, or at least someone able to equip them to defend themselves. It was almost too good to be true.
"How do we know this isn't a trap? A deceit to stage your own invasion of us?" His superiors would ask the same question, it was only natural so too would he.
++Because in all honesty Director, I have no need of an organic-compatible planet. All I require is sources of metals, of which this system has many. In fact, I will be sending a mission to initiate construction of what we call 'Jigs' into Jupiter's upper atmosphere which will then harvest the Gas Giant's magnetosphere to generate power, which in turn will aid in powering the metal makers on board Converting energy to metal. We can also assist with clearing the debris field if you wish?++
"I'm going to need to speak to my people. If you don't mind that is?" David said worried about giving offence.
++Not at all. I can send an ambassador with a security detail down with you if you would prefer a more direct line of questioning?++
The Nanolathes fired and a quartet of figures stood there. Almost like half-finished people. Their faces were uncannily unnatural. They were simplified, looking almost like a dolls face but without important details. David jumped at their presence. He hadn't expected it to make people. "Uhm, what are those?"
The lead one spoke up. "We are Simulacra. A technology obtained from another race aided in their quest to survive." And now David's mind was stretched just a little bit more. An SR-71 Blackbird of all things had arrived. "This craft was manufactured to conduct covert recon based on transmissions picked up from your world. But unfortunately, we arrived too late to prevent the Harvesters first arrival."
"I'm... if you follow us, that would be appreicated." David felt like taking some aspirin.
The four Simulacra were raised up and entered the SR-71. It's engines roared to life and David climbed back into the transport.
As they lifted and headed for the exit they were buffeted by the atmosphere being withdrawn, followed by the doors opening.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I watched as the craft all left the Hall. It had served it's purpose, but I kind of liked it. The work put into it had paid off. But I watched as they left Io. Jetfire disguised would throw them out, but then they'd never know I had a bodyguard in their midst. They also wouldn't know about the cloaked Predator ship that was headed for the surface.
I hope this pays off. I thought to myself.
Ridli Scott
(Verified acid sweater mutant)
- Location
- The Periphery
It's Cyberpunk 2020 manual.
Kadaeux
Delta Imperator
- Location
- Vortice between realities
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Thanks for the update and keep up the good work.
I'm exited to see what you have in store for us next!
I'm exited to see what you have in store for us next!
Granz Tacz
Swirl Sky Roo
- Location
- Under Stone Steel
Am I kinda questioning why SI gives critical technology for free? won't there is someone stupid enough to mess with programming and causing grey goo?
I.F. Ister
Fortifying The Thread
- Pronouns
- He/They
Bah, if the fleshlings want to do something stupid, let them. Only one free existence save per species per universe
Ryven Razgriz
I need a Gun and I'll let you know 'What's up?'.
- Location
- South East Asia
Wait you're giving them your tech? Better hope those are black-boxed to hell and back.
Or are you only lending manufacturing capabilities to them instead of outright giving them nanolathes... cuz you know, they're Humies.
Or are you only lending manufacturing capabilities to them instead of outright giving them nanolathes... cuz you know, they're Humies.