Tales from the Hub

[Flameal15k]

AN: Read the Author's note at the end if you have no idea what is going on.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Fabrication Robot 01 watched as the final touches on the habitation structures were completed. Modules for agriculture, sleeping, food preparation, and simple dwelling were all included. Nearby, Stitch 01 was removing a piles of rubble, ensuring that the future arrivals would have nothing to dampen the views provided by their new homes.

Their commander was...unexpected, to say the least. His presence had reactivated long suppressed routines and programs for building civilian structures, and it seemed he had a hand in creating sentient life before he had arrived here. The fact that he was subservient to the creator was also an interesting tidbit, but of little concern for the Fabricator and the Stitch - both lacked the capacity to think for themselves. They were meant to be war machines, and thus needed no modules or precepts for empathy or introspection.

Thus to ask them what would happen next was pointless - they did not know, nor did they care.

XXXXXXXXXX

Several days after the final habitation unit was complete, those who would dwell within finally arrived. Their forms were extremely varied - some resembled giant insects and birds, others looked like dragons or apes, and those that were the first sentient creations of the Commander were among the oddest, with reptilian bodies covered in feathers, feathery wings, elk-like antlers, porcupine-like venomous spines on their backs, and surprisingly, some sort of natural circular saw on the tips of their tails.

These beings soon settled in and began going about their daily routines. Somehow, resources only native to their universe were now found on the worlds within this micro-universe. The only bit of this information that had relevance to the stitches and fabbers were that they now had schematics on how to build extractors for those resources. The Commander evidently knew now how this was possible, or that these resources even existed, as he never sent them any directives to build these new extractors. Instead, these structures were built on pre-existing orders to assist in the integration of these biological constructs within the framework of this pocket universe, which the Commander referred to as the Hub.

In time, stranger beings would arrive to this universe - creatures mutated to possess super powers, psychic humans, and warrior gods touched by an alien void wielding flesh puppet suits made from a ferocious disease were only some of them. Gods and monsters from Earth and beyond would attempt to exert their influence on this world, some successfully, others failing spectacularly. A great war for the fate of the multiverse would soon be fought, with all creation on the line if the Commander lost.

And here, a great many peoples and cultures would clash as magic and technology were brought into conflict.

This the Stitch and the Fabber knew would happen - a higher machine than them, one that could think for itself and served as an adjutant to the Commander, had said as much. Even if they had no idea how this clash would occur, they could still prepare for it.

Yet preparation only went so far...

XXXXXXXXXXX

AN: Hello, and welcome to my newest story. In case the description is bugging or just didn't show up, I will clarify this now: this is set in the same universe as Conquest in the Name of Advancement and is functionally a side story.

This isn't going to be a continuous story, but rather an anthology following various different plot threads, with said threads being written in chronological order. This one takes place before all of the others. I'm not including this in Conquest because the chapters are somewhat anachronic to the main story and would probably cause headaches.

Additionally, unlike with the RP Far From Home, this is probably going to make a little less sense if you haven't read Conquest. I'll include some details in the author's notes to help bring you up to speed, but that will only go so far.

I'm mostly writing this up so I have something to tide me over until Finals end and I can finish up the current arc of Conquest and get the sidestory RP Far From Home started up, because academic crunch is hard.

Anyway, Read and Review! This is Flameal15k, signing off!

 

[Flameal15k]

The children waited for the last of the rangers to leave, before sneaking onwards. They had a legend to locate.

The quintet were composed of a variety of creatures, one a willosaur, another a clumpy, while the remainder were beings the commander had nurtured into existence. Their kin had been among the first to venture over to the Commander's domain once he had allowed others to settle there. Now, they were searching for hidden secrets within the Hub.

Right now, they wanted to find a new myth among the followers of the commander - what some called a gate to hell.

The Commander's most recent journey to another universe had acquired a material known as E-DNA, which could be used to give living beings (and in some cases machines) superpowers. Supposedly, he had used it to create monsters possessing all kinds of powers that he could use as an army of his own - one to supplement the tide of metal he threw at his enemies.

Rumor had it that he had hidden these beasts away in a pit, where they rested and waited until they were needed in battle once more. Pooled within the pit was E-DNA, ready and waiting to be used to create new horrors.

Most people would want to find such a location for reasons ranging from fame, to money, to the desire for superpowers. These kids, though? They just wanted to see if it was real.

Sadly, though, they were not going to get the chance. As they crested over a hilltop, they found a drone staring at them. A moment later, the machine shot out a flare, telling the wildlife rangers exactly where these children were. Knowing that they were defeated, the children decided to just head back to their campsite, rather than try and weasel their way out of this.

Still, how had the drone noticed them? And why were their drones here? Was a search and rescue effort going on?

XXXXXXXXXXX

Silently, the drone watched the campers return to their 'base'. Only once they were fully gone did it head toward its home.

Slowly, the jungle beneath the machine gave way to more open woodland...and then to a massive pit in the ground. Here, a mixture of buildings, nests, laboratories, factories, and other structures worked tirelessly to study and examine E-DNA, preparing creatures that the Commander could use for further conflicts. The rumors the children had been listening to had been surprisingly accurate.

These warrens were also replete with other structures, though - entertainment rooms, schools, and other useful amenities. Even monsters made for war needed somewhere to rest and relax.

Hopefully, no one would find this place before proper guards could be...produced. Hopefully.

XXXXXXXXXX

AN: Just wanted to get something out for Thanksgiving.

Also, the 'Flesh Pit', the name given to the primary E-DNA creature creation center on the Hub, is located approximately fifteen kilometers East of Providence on Origin. For those participating in Far From Home, you can visit it to try and gain E-DNA derived super powers...assuming the staff assigned will let you.

Anyway, Read and Review! This is Flameal15k, signing off!

 

[Flameal15k]

While others moved into their new homes, Wraith had his attention focused elsewhere. The Specter of Vengeance had other concerns to attend to.


This world reminded him of home. Though it had a strange name, supposedly taken from a god of the underworld in a culture from the Commander's home, it reminded him of Nocturna, for reasons both good and ill.


That was why he was deep within a cave, far from prying eyes.


Before the Darkspore had come, Weraith had been a necro guardian, tending to the membrane that separated the worlds of life and death. He had endured his vigil for many long nights, only abandoning it when the Nocturni Legion had captured his fellows and hunted to near extinction the specters that swelled beyond the membrane. His retreat had exposed him to the E-DNA utilized by Crogenitor Ingto, twisting him into a new type of monster, which had unleashed its fury on the Legion, and then upon the Darkspore.


Now, with both foes defeated, Wraith turned his attention toward this universe's membrane. With a few survivors of his kind to manage the one on Nocturna, the Specter of Vengeance was free to examine this universe's lands beyond death and, if necessary, take steps to keep it in balance with the world of the living. The connection was easiest to access in places that were associated with calm deaths, hence his decision to venture into a mountain cave.


Now at last in a suitable location, Wraith cleared his mind and let his senses wander. It was time to find out what this netherworld was like.


Wraith was not expecting what he found.


The lands of the necrotic were present, alright. Yet they were, bizarrely, empty. Sure, spiritual entities were present, but they were, for lack of better term, shadows of what Wraith had found on Nocturna. No mighty entities that were viewed by natives as gods. No soul eating horrors that were viewed as demons. Even the scattered wandering spirits could not be counted as lost souls, for even lost souls had more substance than these beings.


For a brief moment, one particularly powerful entity in this netherworld deigned to acknowledge Wraith. The Specter of Vengeance tried to inquire as to why the realm was so barren, but the spirit only responded by pointing a something beside Wraith - a sigil given to him by the Commander. Was the supposed savior of the Crogenitors responsible for this?


The spirit answered to the negative. And that was the last thing it did before vanishing, leaving Wriath to question why this realm was so devoid of substance.


XXXXXXXX


The spirit had a name, but it couldn't quite remember it. It did know and remember many other things, though.


The spirit had been shaped by the one known as Commander Flameal15k, created as he had shaped one of the many species in the galaxy he had recently visited. The spirit was meant to be a deity of death, specifically one that guided souls to the afterlife. The spirit knew that it had taken many souls to the next life, where they had been judged and sent to paradise or damnation.


The spirit had slowly felt its connection to the Commander wane as he turned his mind to other interests, but it had carried on its duties nonetheless. It had managed to grow strong enough to sustain itself from the worship of those who it guided into the next world, though the loss of connection to its creator had still weakened it considerably.


Now its creator had returned to, though, and allowed it to expand its reaches into new worlds.


Though nice on paper, this carried consequences - the spirit had been weakened expanding itself, and now only operated on some level of instinct, losing knowledge of many facts it had once remembered.


Now it existed as but a shadow of its former glory, awaiting a chance at rebirth, as did the other gods, monsters, and demons like it.


Of course, that would require additional assistance from the Commander - this world had been designated by an even higher power as his playground, and only if the boy found a way to access the power of the divine could they hope to regain their glory.


.....Which video games let you become a god?


XXXXXXX


AN: And here is the next chapter! This is the only thing I am writing fro my birthday, so enjoy!


Read and Review! This is Flameal15k, signing off!

 

[Flameal15k]

The AI watched as the city awakened. Those who did not work the nightshift prepared for work, children waited for buses to take them to school, while those who had free time enjoyed themselves. Overall, everything one would expect from a normal city.

The only oddity?

Until a week ago, none of these people had been born.

The AI had watched as the Commander had created his trio of subordinates. It, or rather he, had also been the one who ensured that the Commander would have progeny to anchor him to his human morals. This too was an action performed to assist his master in interacting with others - in this case, helping to support his fabricated claim that he lead a federation of sorts (or at least represented one).

Establishing several planet's populations of humans wasn't actually that hard - artificial acceleration of aging could be done to produce adults from embryos in days. But developing a functional society was not so easy. A society needed years to develop traditions and laws so that it could function. These were not things that could be completed over night.

Unless, of course, you could cheat.

The AI had created a hyper realistic simulation, similar to the Earth film known as the Matrix. Within, generations of human minds were born, lived lives, and died. Careful selection filters were put into place, allowing for society to develop without fear of straying too far from the needed parameters. By no means was the simulation a utopia - crimes occurred, people suffered, and some had their hopes and dreams crushed. As time went on, though, it reached acceptable levels. Interactions allowed for the society to go from a poor imitation of most civilizations to one that was impossible to separate from natural development. Multiple simulations developed in parallel, ensuring each world in this hub has humans to populate it.

Once the AI has decided the desired generation had been reached, it began crafting the bodies needed to sustain these minds. Those belonging to nuclear families were handled with special care - though the bodies were technically mindless, the actions taken to ensure proper genetic relations would likely still violate consent laws. Soon, though, all the desired bodies had created, leaving only the implementation of their minds to be completed.

A cataclysmic disaster was introduced to all the simulations, with the populations being told to evacuate. Once all had, they were uploaded into their new bodies and allowed to live true lives.

The AI knew they would hate him for it. But if it achieved the Commander's goals, he could live with it.

XXXXXXXX

AN: Posting from phone, sorry if writing quality is poor. Read and Review! This is Flameal15k , signing off!