13th August
09:35 GMT -6
I fire first, a brilliant beam of super hot ions burning down the tunnel. The drones aren't even in sight yet but the explosion as the beam hits the far side of the tunnel sends vaporised… Whatever these tunnels are made of into the drone swarm. The damage from that combined with the fact that the beam heated and ionised the air that it passed through means that the drone swarm that opens up with its direct fire weapons at me is somewhat less devastating than their factory specifications suggest that they should be.
Lasers lance through the air towards me as the Spherecycle starts flying in an evasive loop. Most are still on target, construct shields absorbing or reflecting about ninety five percent and the rest tracing lines across my body armour. Nothing like powerful enough to hurt me. Charge the gun and fire-.
AGH! Right in the-! Ow! Right in the eyes! Technically a vulnerable spot but not vulnerable enough! My construct barriers fracture, their shards flying at the drone swarm with absolute precision as I fire again and again!
Ping.
This is exactly why we don't do it like this! It's so inefficient! Gods do not fight mindless, soulless drones!
A handful of drones survive and fall back. A few of them are the ones with hyperkinetic launchers who expended their ordnance early. The others… Heavily shielded. Command relays or monitoring drones.
Hm.
Grapple.
The clamp construct flies away from me as the Spherecycle stops evading and accelerates down the tunnel. The drones attempt an evasive flight path but construct tethers move at the speed of ring calculation. A drone that's slightly bulkier than the rest is yanked out of the air and there's a crackle as its motor systems overheat and fry themselves. The Sphere fires her onboard weapons at what's left of the swarm as I drag the captured drones back towards us while simultaneously connecting the ring to Mother Box in order to get control of the thing. If this is a monitor drone it should have a connection to a control room somewhere…
Ping.
Good, thank you. Is it two way or are they just monitoring it while the drone follows a pre-programmed behavioural pattern?
Ping.
Use one of their low-grade encryption systems. I don't want them not understanding this.
Ping.
I generate a construct phone handset. "This is Grayven, who am I talking to?"
There's a brief pause as the Sphere hits another drone with her guns.
"I am General Farrn. And you are the short lived alien insect currently scurrying beneath our planet."
I dismiss the fusion cannon construct with a waggle of my arm. "Point of fact, I'm a New God from Apokolips. New Genesis is the place with the Bugs."
"I will bear that in mind. Please remain where you are so that our next wave can locate you."
Mother Box, any chance we can track his location?
Ping.
"While you're getting them ready, I was wondering if you could answer a few questions for me?"
"I have no idea what a Tortoise is either. I do not perform dissections myself. Though I may condescend to spectate when a specialist goes to work on you."
"Alright, not Tortoises. How would you characterise your relationship with the local alien species?" Boast of your conquests.
"Useful brutes and test subjects, often both together. Is that why you're doing this? Altruism?"
"Sort of. I suppose that I have different ideas about the best way to operate a stellar nation."
"We created these species. We created their gods and their goddess. Their lives and civilisations are our property-."
"I doubt that's how the Citadel sees it."
"Even the new breed Citadelians are exactly what it is convenient to us that they are. And when our fleets reach.. Apokolips, I'll be certain to mention your name when I see to the slaughter of your people's armed forces and the subjugation of the survivors."
"Hah!"
"Laugh all you want. That plasma creature is already being brought down-"
Quick check. Ah, some sort of exotic matter projector. It's causing momentary flares of energy to be emitted from Brimstone's body but doesn't appear to be affecting the techno-seed at all.
"-and the tunnels are being sealed and more powerful weapon systems are being activated. And is that a power ring on your finger?"
"Yes. I wasn't sure whether using it in Vega would summon the Beast to wherever I was or not, so I thought I'd start in a place no one would miss."
"We'll be sure to be careful when we take it from your corpse. Though I will offer you a deal, alien."
"Oh?"
"It might be instructive to have your body to study. I will give you time to kill yourself. If you do that I will guarantee that your offspring will be kept alive indefinitely."
The clamp disappears and the drone drops for a moment before a new one appears to replace it.
"My offspring?"
"The small alien in the rear of your vehicle. The resemblance is obvious."
I hold the phone slightly away from my ear as I look.. back at the expressionless G-Gnome. Huh. Yes, apparently all grey people look alike.
"Does 'keeping him alive indefinitely' indicate that you'll be holding him prisoner, or that he'll be put back together every time you dismantle him?"
"Probably the latter, but it's all that you're getting."
I face front again, pressing the phone back to my ear and patting the G-Gnome lightly on the head with my left hand. "Hard luck, little guy."
"A cold and rational approach. I approve. When we take your brain apart we'll try to work out what allows you to think like that."
"I thought that you Psions had already engineered yourselves to think like me."
"There is always room for improvement. The educational phase of our lives may be essential but it isn't particularly productive."
Ping.
Yes, I spotted the implication, thank you. "You spend a great deal of time on ideological indoctrination?"
"Enough. Every single Psion would gladly cut you to pieces, and every single Psion has the intelligence required to solve the problem you and that plasma thing represent. Enjoy your last few minutes of life, alien."
He hung up. Alright, I'm not going to find anyone who fits the 'not totally evil' category in these tunnels. Mother Box, hush tube to that building we think holds their neonate culture laboratories. Let's take a look at what they look like before the indoctrination takes hold.
Ping.
