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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.

CrazyCelt: Oh, god, what the hell was that?

DoYouEvenLyft?: What are you talking about?

CrazyCelt: I can hear purple now! Why can I hear purple?

Backlog: Sounds like someone just turned on their Psy powers for the first time.

Inquisitor: Ugh, my head!

Hullu_Kapteeni: I haven’t felt like this since the last time I tried to outdrink the fighter pilots.

Parca: Just be glad you didn’t try to outdrink the Marines.

Lizard: Did something happen?

SEA-TAC_Sweetie: Well, if you call ‘oh god, the universe bitch-slapped me like an angry pimp’ as something happening, then yes.

BackDat@55Up: Thank you for a wonderful image I’ll never be able to get out of my head. The universe is a pimp, and we’re all its hoes. Lovely.

DigDug: So, anyways, what happened?

GrimDark: I don’t know. I was training with my regiment on Luna, but then everything went strange.

DarkAngel: Regiment? You join the military, Grim?

GrimDark: Yeah, Civil War is long over, and people have noticed what Nomads can do, so I was able to get in the Imperial Marines. Currently a Sergeant.

WhiskeyTangoFoxtrot: Update from Coldana. Big time craziness went down, here. Consortium forces and some Black Stars were doing training exercises, while people try and rebuild the system, and suddenly the damn sky rips open! Even crazier, it throws up some kind of interference that makes going FTL damn near suicide!

BloodForTheBloodGod: A rift? What came out of it?

WhiskeyTangoFoxtrot: Don’t know. Never seen ships like them before. They had something that looked like sails on them, and they were lightning fast, according to the sensors.

TheDespoiler: Hmph. A pity, that.

WhiskeyTangoFoxtrot: Anyways, the Navy ships fought off the first wave, mostly, but there was something really freaking huge coming behind them. Whoever was in charge of the Black Stars decided to nope on that, and launched a shit-ton of those FTL torpedoes they have at the ship. Big boom, and pretty much every ship in the system is damaged, but the rift, or whatever it was went away.

M.Mollen: Ah, that explains what happened, then.

TheDespoiler: What do you know?

Inquisitor: There was another rift, in Sol. I saw the Imperial Navy fighting with the assistance of the Black Stars, facing off against a veritable horde of ships, all of which were ramshackle, scrap-built pieces of wreckage with more guns and engines than sense put into them. It was great and terrible to behold.

CrazyCelt: You don’t know the half of it, Inquisitor. I’m on Pluto right now. We got invaded by some kind of demon things.

GrimDark: You were there? What did they look like?

CrazyCelt: Big, red, hoof feet like you see in pictures of demons, huge horns, nasty sharp teeth, and a fucking sword that could cut a fully armored battle drone in half. On one swing! And that was the smaller ones! I saw a couple really big ones, too!

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

M.Mollen: How are things now? I know the Navy sent their Marine detachment to help, if they could.

CrazyCelt: The primary habitation dome would have been overrun, if it weren’t for them. Even so, they were getting mauled. Those demons take a lot of rifle fire to bring down.

GrimDark: Is the fighting ongoing?

CrazyCelt: Let me check… No, looks like the blast wave, or whatever it was, cleared them away like they were never there. Would have thought I dreamt it all, if it weren’t for all the bodies, and the fire.

TheDespoiler: So, the Immaterium has revealed itself. It does not matter that the door is closed. The seal is broken, which means we’ll be able to access it, somehow.

Starwatcher: I can’t help but notice that Black Star ships were present in force at both locations, before the battle even began. None of those ships are based in Sol or Coldana, which means they set out at least a week ago to get there just in time.

DarkAvariel: What do you know, Mollen?

M.Mollen: Suffice to say, that I, as someone who runs the largest in-game company owned by Nomads, have access to information and resources in game that you do not. I also have a bunch of very smart people doing analysis for me, and I listen to them when they start telling me about apocalyptic-level events.

GrimDark: So, you uncovered something, probably on that planet you own, that made you, what, realize that the world was about to go mad?

M.Mollen: Suffice to say I found some… interesting technologies which, while not immediately practical at the time, had some scientific data attached which my analysts used to predict an issue, sometime in the coming months. Unfortunately, things happened too quickly, and we didn’t have more time to prepare.

BigGunn: OK, I can accept that you found some ancient alien super pyramid tech or whatever that let you figure out that stuff was about to go down. But why those two systems?

M.Mollen: Both have been lynchpins in some fairly significant events recently, as you might recall. I won’t say too much more without proof, but my people believe that the energy psy powers come from that allows them to bypass annoying things like the laws of thermodynamics comes from that dimension. The Harvester let off a couple big psychic screams.

Starwatcher: OK, but what about Earth?

GrimDark: Terra.

Starwatcher: Fine, fine. What about Terra?

M.Mollen: Some methods of FTL are less kind to the fabric of time and space than others. Sol System is the place with the highest number of Transition drive uses in the galaxy. If there was anywhere that the fabric would be at its weakest, it is there.

CrazyCelt: So, what did that wave do? And why can I hear colors now, and taste sounds?

M.Mollen: I’ll get back to you on that.

(Infirmary, BSS Ama-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi, Sol System)

System Message

This is an automated message to inform you that a Class 6 event has occurred in game, causing a fluctuation in your vital signs. As an EVA-02 Medical Research Pod user, your current condition is being actively monitored by health professionals, who will intervene remotely if necessary. If you experience any non-game-related health conditions, please contact your medical supervisor immediately.

Thank you for using NERV products.

Galactic Alert

A massive psychic event has occurred in Sol System and Coldana system. Long-term effects of the event are unknown. Short-term effects include synesthesia and other medical symptoms amongst those affected. Similar events may happen in other parts of Known Space.

System Notice

You have encountered a massive psychic event. The long-term effects of this event, which included a massive wave of psychic energy in Sol System are unknown. Short-term local effects are unpredictable.

You have the following changes to your status:

You have gained enough XP to advance to level 60.

You have gained the perk Chaos-Touched.

The skills Mental Psy Mastery, Physical Psy Mastery, Force Psy Mastery, and Energy Psy Mastery have been merged into the new skill: Sorcery.

Sorcery Skill set at 60/100.

You have gained the skill Foresight at 1/100.

You have gained the title The First Sorcerer.

Sorcery

Your exposure to the untamed energies of chaotic space have altered your psychic abilities. You are now able to manipulate the energies of chaotic space directly with your mind. You are still capable of using Psy powers you knew before, but you may also improvise new powers in the heat of battle, though this will cause more of a strain, and may leave you open to corruption by the chaotic energies.

+10 CHA, +10 WIS

Foresight

The warped energies of chaotic space have given you insight into the flows of time. You are able to catch glimpses of possible futures. The strength and accuracy of these glimpses are unknown. Training this skill may improve accuracy of the visions, and how far into the future they may stretch.

+1 WIS

Chaos-Touched

You bear the mark of chaotic energies upon you, but you have mastered them to a great extent. Forged in the energies of chaotic space, you have gained mastery over Sorcery, a heretofore unknown power, and they have infused your chimeric blood with new power.

All Psy Powers and Sorcery costs reduced by 10%.

The First Sorcerer

You are the first Sorcerer known to the Galaxy. All others who walk the path of the sorcerer know your name, and may seek you out for guidance. All those who are fearful of these new forces in the world may become your enemies. The exact effects of this title are currently unknown.

My eyes swam as I tried to make sense of the notifications I was getting. The last thing I remembered was fighting against the creatures that came out of the rift. There was an explosion? No. Something else. A wave! That’s right. Some kind of energy wave came out of the rift. I remember bracing for impact, and then… nothing.

I groaned, and tried to sit up, but was rewarded with the sensation of getting hit by a truck, after a night out drinking far too much whiskey and not enough water. Suffice to say I laid back against the bed. Bed? I didn’t want to turn my head too much or too quickly, for fear of the truck coming back, but I was enough to recognize an infirmary room.

“Ah, Admiral, you’re finally awake.”

That voice. I knew that voice. “R-raven? What the hell happened? Where am I?”

The android came into view above me, smiling brightly. “Well, at least you can still speak. That’s good. And to answer your second question first, we’re in the infirmary wing of the Ama-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi. What is the last thing you remember?”

I took a breath. “We were fighting the ships that came out of the rift into chaotic space. Ugly things, that looked like they’d been thrown together in a scrapyard, but lots of weapons on them. The Tiamat had just started boarding actions on the biggest ship, using the new drill design the eggheads had come up with. The battle was going well, once we realized that the various squadrons didn’t behave like military. Once the chain of command was disrupted, they fell apart. And then you said something about a wave.”

“Good, you didn’t lose too much time. There was some worry about that, you know.” She paused, and then said, “The wavefront that moved out of the rift was comprised of pure psychic energy, of a type and intensity that has not been recorded before. Frankly, the amount of energy in that wavefront should have melted the brains of every living creature in the system. The fact that anything survived is damn surprising. However, there were side effects.”

I didn’t say anything as she helped me into a sitting position, to keep my head from making my stomach rebel. I was grateful when she handed me some water. As I sipped it, I looked over myself. I didn’t look any different, for the most part. But I certainly felt different. Like power was running through me unchecked. It felt like I could do anything! No one could deny me! No one could refuse me. All would bow to my will, with just a word from my lips!

I took a breath, trying to center myself. Getting delusions of being unstoppable and invincible was a great way to go down the road to supervillainy, and that never worked out in the comics for long. “I take it not everyone was affected in the same way? What are the most common side effects?”

“Much like the psychic screams emitted by the Harvester in Coldana, all living creatures were stunned temporarily by the psychic wavefront. While a full study is still underway, and data collection on the unshielded portions of Terra is difficult to achieve in a reasonable time frame, the data so far has been intriguing. In 45.83 percent of individuals, this was the extent of the issue, with individuals losing consciousness for anywhere from thirty seconds to two hours. For 23.75 percent of the affected population, the period of unconsciousness lasted anywhere from one to eight hours, at the end of which any latent psychic ability was forcibly activated, resulting in unpredictable talents. In 12.49 percent of individuals, unconsciousness lasted no more than fifteen seconds, following which random mutations spawned over the course of minutes to hours. Of these, roughly two-thirds had some form of beneficial or cosmetic mutation, which would not affect their daily lives. The other third, unfortunately, had more extreme mutations, many of which proved fatal during the course of the change. In 11.87 percent of people, existing psychic potential was amplified in some way, with many individuals gaining new talents in the process. These people were under for eight to twenty-four hours. In 6.05 percent of individuals, the energy overwhelmed their minds, and they experienced total memory loss, with even mental psy users being unable to find any shred of their former identities.”

“If my math processor is correct, those numbers don’t add up to 100 percent.”

“Indeed. In 0.01 percent of individuals, the wavefront produced startling effects. All these individuals were under for significantly longer than average, and those that have woken up have reported new and strange abilities. The only linking factors between these individuals is that they were all psychically active and practiced in the use of their abilities, and that they were each in a position of power which caused many individuals to look to them for leadership in some way.”

I took another breath. “All right. I guess since you’ve phrased your description so carefully, that I am in that last group?” Raven nodded. “Fine, in that case, how long have I been out? A day?” Raven shook her head. “Two days?” Another shake. “How long?”

“You’ve been unconscious for four days, thirteen hours, twenty-seven minutes, and fifteen seconds. Congratulations, you are the second slowest in the system to awaken! I expect that you will find yourself even more the center of attention now than you used to be.”

Four and a half days? I’d been asleep for four and a half days? That had to be why the system gave me a medical alert. They probably didn’t pull me from the pod because the pod was already monitoring my vitals, and had life support functions. Fine. I’d have to have a ‘conversation’ with the dev team later, when I had time.

“You said I’m the second slowest to wake up. Who is the slowest, then?”

“Why, the Empress, of course!”

(In-Game Chat, Sol System)

Inquisitor: Death toll is continuing to rise, as individuals succumb to injuries or mutations, but the numbers look to be stabilizing. Fortunately, most vehicles in motion at the time of the incident were civilian models, and had automatic safeguards in place, even if they were being run by manual controls. The worst should be behind us, for now.

Parca: Which is all well and good for people who were on a planet, driving cars, but there was a space battle going on when that shit happened. Lot of good pilots and crew died because they fell unconscious while they were flying, or fighting fires, or any other number of things.

Fansy_the_Famous: Damn, that sucks. I mean, I know plenty of people died in the fighting itself, but dying because you fell unconscious and ran into another ship? That’s brutal. Almost as bad as truck-san sending you off into an Isekai.

M.Mollen has entered the chat.

Grimdark: Speaking of anime protagonists! Welcome back to the land of the living!

Aegis: Hey boss! Glad to see you up. The girls will be glad know this.

Fansy_the_Famous: Give the poor man a chance to get his wits about him, and maybe a good meal in his belly, before you go ravishing him to death! I know he’ll respawn, but still!

Starwatcher: Huh. Guess I lost 100 credits.

M.Mollen: You betting that I would be the last to wake up?

Starwatcher: In my defense, it is totally the kind of thing that would happen to you.

Aegis: He’s got you there, boss.

Parca: Yeah, he’s not wrong.

Grimdark: But you’re forgetting that the people who were asleep longest were the most important types. Mollen may be big news, but in Sol System there is no one more important than the Empress.

Inquisitor: The Empress protects.

Grimdark: The Empress protects.

M.Mollen: Indeed, I’m not surprised the Empress has been out longer than I was. I expect that she’ll have some interesting abilities when she wakes up. To say nothing of her kids when they’re born.

Starwatcher: That’s right, the people who stayed under extra long all got cool powers and abilities! What did you get?

M.Mollen: Well, without giving too much away, I can tell you that I got a new title, The First Sorcerer.

InspectHerGadget: Damn! I knew that there were other sorcerers, but how come you get to be all special and be the ‘First’?

M.Mollen: Well, just taking a wild guess, where were you when the wave hit?

InspectHerGadget: Uh, well, I was in the slave markets on the Choson Ring. I might have gotten in a little bit of trouble due to certain events, and woke up with a collar. But what does that have to do with anything?

M.Mollen: Because I was out by the rift, aboard my flagship. That wave hit me before you. Judging by the description I got on the wave’s effects, I’d say that I was probably the first potential ‘Sorcerer’ to get hit with the wave, which gave me the title.

Grimdark: Interesting. What does the title do for you?

M.Mollen: A little bit about everyone knowing my name, blah blah blah. People may seek you out, yadda yadda yadda, and so on, all ending with “The exact effects of this title are currently unknown.”

Inquisitor: Ugh, I hate titles like that. The open-ended ones can lead to a lot of unpleasant situations if you aren’t careful.

Lucio has entered the chat.

M.Mollen: Ah, Lucio, good to see you’re all right. How’s the Empress?

Lucio: Admiral! Good, you’re awake. You need to get to the Aurum Throni as soon as possible. The Empress is awake, and, well, you’ll see when you get here.

(Throne Room, Aurum Throni, Terran Orbit)

I felt the presence before we even landed on the cityship. It was an intense pressure, wild and tempestuous, like standing in the middle of a hurricane. I wasn’t the only one feeling it, either. Sheila looked as though she was on a ship on stormy seas as we approached one of the docking ports in the Inner Throne. Only Raven, being an AI in a machine body, was unaffected. I’d never envied her before this moment.

“What is causing this? This can’t be my sister, can it?”

I looked over to Sheila, and sighed. “From what I know, before all this happened the Empress, if she had psy abilities at all, was not in the habit of using them. Now, thanks to the rift, she’s clearly gained psy powers. Also, it seems that belief somehow affects the strength of powers. There’s a reason why most of those who were incapacitated for a long time were leaders and other important people. They are focal points for the belief of those under them.”

Raven nodded. “And, in Sol System, to say nothing of the Empire, there are few people who can come close to rivaling the importance of the Empress. Yes, that would be logical. From the readings I’m getting from the sensors, and the information we gleaned from the Enrichment Center, we can assume that there is a good likelihood that this is due to the Empress gaining new power in an instant.”

Sheila frowned, and looked at me. “But you got a bunch of power, too, right? You’re basically a head of state now, like Merida is, and have a lot of people who follow your every whim. You’re not putting out pressure like this!”

I grimaced. “True enough, but there are a couple key differences. First, I’m a Nomad, which means the rules for me might not be the same as they are for locals. Second, I have training in using and controlling my psy powers, even before I got this power-up. More importantly, I have a lot of practice in suppressing my aura, to keep people from instantly recognizing me, or suspecting me of being a threat. Even now, people still underestimate me from time to time because of that, thinking that all the rumors just be propaganda.”

There was a subtle shift in the gravity as we touched down in one of the hangers on the upper spires. Lucio was already waiting for us as we stepped off the ramp, along with a detachment of the Royal Guard. Clearly, he wanted us to get wherever we were going as quickly as possible. The fact that he, too, was looking vaguely ill only made that more obvious.

He smiled wryly as we clasped hands. “Well, Admiral, I can safely say that you are in equal parts one of the most loved and hated people in the Sol System at the moment.” I raised an eyebrow at that, and he continued, while we started walking through the halls. “Only the most gullible and naïve souls in the Empire now think that it was simply a ‘coincidence’ that your ships were on ‘training exercises’ with the fleet at just the right moment to help fight off the invaders from the Rift. Especially since there are too many people in the Imperial Navy who are saying that there were no plans for exercises until literally just before you showed up. Especially when the news began reporting that your ships were ALSO on ‘exercises’ near Coldana, just in time to help with a rift that formed there, at exactly the right time.”

I merely shrugged. “Well, there was no way to avoid that, unless I delayed coming until the bureaucracy could be dealt with. And we all know that would have been months, at least, if not a year or more. Which would have been less than helpful for Sol System, or Coldana. So, loved and hated, hmm?”

Lucio nodded. “Yes, you’re loved precisely because the people who have any knowledge at all realized that you rushed the better part of your fleet here to help the Empire when it needed it most, yet again. The Navy, especially, is very appreciative, since even the most die-hard partisans have to admit that the numbers would not have been in our favor without the Black Star Navy acting as reinforcements, after people ‘just so happened’ to get put on an alert, meaning that they were as ready as possible for the attack. You certainly won some praise with the military because of that.”

The Empress’s advisor chuckled. “As for being hated? Well, people also have come to the obvious conclusion that you knew things that they did not, at least long enough in advance to move ships into position. That has rankled a few people, I’m sure you can imagine, as a group in another arm of the galaxy somehow knows more about what is going on in Sol as they do. There’s even been some whispers that you are actually responsible for the Rift, using the confusion for your own nefarious ends. The standard conspiracy stuff, to be honest.”

I had to stifle my laughter. Another pulse of psychic pressure made it easier than I would expect. Right, to business. “So, the Empress woke up after the wave, and suddenly was super-powerful?”

“Not exactly. The pressure waves began almost twelve hours ago. But otherwise, yes, it would seem so. At any rate, if she had this kind of power beforehand, she’s never displayed it before now. We’ve still got a lot of solid metal between us and her right now, so the effects are somewhat muted. I’m told you can barely feel it on the periphery of the Outer Throne. Unfortunately, much of the Inner Throne is in chaos at the moment, as people are trying to manage, but it is like suddenly stepping into a high-grav environment without support. Frankly, even the Royal Guard, who have resistance training, can’t stay in her presence too long without issues. They’re having to rotate out every four hours. And no one is able to stay in the same room with her long enough to try and get a handle on her mental state.”

I winced. “And I can just imagine what that level of power would be doing to the children.” I waved off the look of concern Lucio gave me. “Because of my… heritage, the kids will have very adaptive blood. If the mother is sending off psychic waves like this, while they’re still in the womb, then they’re going to adapt. How they adapt will be another question entirely, and one I have no way of answering.”

“No, for the moment our concern must be for the Empress. Maybe a bit less for everyone in the Inner Throne, but helping the Empress will remove the source of their problems, as well. Since it seems that I am the next to last to come out of my little power-up coma, I take it you wanted to see if I could do anything to help the situation?”

Lucio nodded. “Yes. I know people have been wondering, and I can tell you for certain that Merida had no psychic abilities before this wave-front hit. Meaning that she has no controls, no barriers, no defenses. You, on the other hand, have extensive experience with psychic abilities, especially mental ones, if our reports are true. This makes you the best, and perhaps only, one to go in and find a way to get the Empress under control, before people start dying from simply being near her.”

I nodded slowly, considering the situation. “I can help shield one, maybe two people, with the abilities I’ve gained. I still haven’t figured out the full extent of them, or how taxing they’ll end up being, but that should allow you and Sheila to accompany me as we go see to the Empress. Raven, being an android, is unaffected by the mental pressure, which means she will be fine as well. That is the best I can do, and I might not be able to keep it up if something unexpected happens.”

Lucio simply nodded once. “There are four Royal Guards on station, and they’re almost at the end of their rotation. We’ll go in with their group. How long do you think it will take?”

“That depends on what is going on. If we’re lucky, it is basically her just being overwhelmed by everything, now that she has this kind of power. You know those old stories about telepaths having to learn to shut down their powers, because everyone around them is basically shouting their thoughts all the time? It is the same thing if someone has powerful psy powers. And the Empress is now incredibly powerful, without any training. Best case, I can help build enough of a barrier that she’ll be able to do the rest of the work on her own. Worst case, we’ll have to sedate her, and I’ll have to dive into her head to start working on things while she’s unconscious. At least then she won’t be able to actively use her powers if, say, someone startles or upsets her.”

Lucio grunted. “So, basically like someone who was completely unaugmented suddenly waking up after the operation with top of the line combat mods installed, and no training on how to use them. New recruits to the Royal Guard have to be trained not to hurt themselves or others just opening a jar, much less anything physical. And even then, they were soldiers first, and probably had mods of some kind to begin with. They usually get the mods turned on in stages, to help with acclimatization.”

“I will say this only because I don’t want anyone to accuse me of lying. It might be possible for me to seal or lock down some of the Empress’s power temporarily, and allow her to grow into it, as it were. It is basically the same process you use for restricting a psy user who you need alive and conscious, but would rather not have them throwing fireballs around. But that is neither quick nor easy, and it would require me to go much deeper into her mind, and do a lot more… invasive work than simply guiding her in initial training. And then there’s the fact that I’d have to get back in her head at intervals to release the blocks. Obviously, I would recommend that we try anything and everything else before getting into that territory, as it would cause political problems like you wouldn’t believe.”

Raven nodded. “The level of penetration required for such a venture would be equivalent to that used in the Stepford slave collars, or the Hundeherstellar Nanites. You are, after all, essentially going into someone’s mind and turning parts of it off or changing it to suit your needs. The intent and morality of it is different, but they are more similar than most people would be comfortable with.”

Lucio groaned. “Yes, well, let’s say that is the plan we use only if the Empress looks like she’s about to collapse the Aurum Throni into a miniature black hole. Anything short of that, we’ll go with something else. If word of it got out, the very idea would destabilize the Empire, and things are already unstable enough. Especially with the new rumors about you.”

My reply was cut off as we reached the doors to the throne room. Two Royal Guards stood outside the doors, on duty, and four more were formed up, ready to enter the room. The pressure on the other side of the door was overwhelming.

I took a deep breath, and focused on my power, shaping it. I needed protections, like the ones I used on my own mind, but to shield Lucio and Sheila. They didn’t need to be complex, just sturdy. I envisioned a barrier, a shield wall in the ‘mindscape’, wrapping around the two. I could already feel the impacts of the pressure against my shields, but I could hold it, for now.

“Let’s go.”

The doors to the throne room opened, and the four Guards entered ahead of us. The Guards who were on duty inside waited only long enough for us to enter the room, before they left, and sealed the doors behind us. I didn’t blame them, given the pressure that increased tenfold inside the room.

At the other end of the throne room, was the Empress. But she did not look like the woman I’d known before. It was almost impossible to pin down her looks. She appeared young and old, fair skinned and tanned, blonde haired and black, short hair and long. All of that and none of it at the same time, like trying to look at a four-dimensional object with three-dimensional eyes. But the glow, that was there for sure. She hung in the air, glowing like the pictures of saints of old, wreathed in light, her eyes shining like miniature suns, her hands outstretched, her mouth open in a silent scream.

“Time to go to work.”

(Throne Room, Aurum Throni, Terran Orbit)

The psychic pressure of the Empress’s uncontrolled powers got more and more intense as I approached the throne, where she was held aloft by the sheer force of the power that had been thrust upon her. As I approached, I considered the best way to try and help her regain control. I would need to contact her, mind to mind, that much was obvious. But how to force the connection? I doubted very much that she would just let me into her head, even if she were in control.

The first way, the simplest, was to basically ‘shoot’ my will at her, with enough force that it could penetrate the whirlwind of psychic energy surrounding her, and then crack through her defenses. But at the moment, I did not know if I could even break through her power, much less penetrate her mind from this distance. And if I failed, she might react to the assault instinctively, without thinking, and I’d be lucky to just get sent to respawn.

The second way was no less difficult, and, indeed, carried far more certain risks, but it was more likely to be effective. I would have to get close to the Empress, grapple her, and force my will through her defenses. The energy required would be far less, and I would be able to have a bit more finesse than simply shooting myself out of a metaphorical cannon at her mind. But any attacks that came from her would be at point blank range, and there was no way I’d be able to avoid them.

Nothing for it. I took a breath, and looked at Lucio and Sheila. “Stay back by the door. I’ll try and maintain your shields, but things are going to get wild. She’s going to resist me, even if it is only on an instinctive level. But knee-jerk reactions with this much power behind them can be lethal.” They nodded, and stayed next to the door guards.

Turning back to the Empress, I began pressing forward. There was no wind in the room, and yet every step felt like I was walking into the teeth of a hurricane, such was the force of the Empress’s unconscious will. I took a breath, cleared my mind. No distractions. I would never reach her if I didn’t focus. One foot in front of the other. Again. And again. Each step bending forward, leaning against the pressure, forcing my way into the heart of the psychic storm.

Five steps. Four steps. Three. Two. I gathered my strength, and readied for the last step. The Empress hung in the air in front of me, floating a mere five feet above the ground. A burst of my own psychic power accompanied me as I kicked off, jumping into the air.

Contact. I wrapped my arms around the Empress like I was a safety tackling a wide receiver on the football field. I felt the energy of psychic lightning lash around me, tearing at my defenses. But there was something I had not expected. The energy was hesitant to come too close. Not to me, or even her own body. No, that instinctive, primal part of her that held sway over her unchecked powers was wary of harming the children. A mother’s instinct might just let me live through this.

I held the Empress close, my cheek touching hers. My mind slipped forward, trying to penetrate her mind. Getting in was not the issue. What defenses she had, taught to her as part of the Imperial royal family and an officer in the Imperial Navy, had been blown away by the onrushing power. Those defenses had been mundane, but were designed to slow down an intruder, give her time to discover them and respond.

Fortunately, they had survived about as well as a bunker when a nuke goes off inside it. Instead, her defenses now were like a giant instinctively flailing. If I had rushed in at full power, her mind could have responded, that power brought to bear in an instant, wiping me out. But if I kept quiet, moved slow, didn’t make too much noise…

My sight faded, as my mind slipped into the Empress’s mental realm. I was no longer in the throne room of the Inner Throne of the Aurum Throni, orbiting Terra in the Sol System. Instead, I was just inside the airlock of an Imperial warship. I looked around, and saw a plaque with the image of an Imperial destroyer-class vessel. INS Purity Blade.

Why had the Empress’s mind created this place? Wait. That name. That was important somehow. Of course! The Purity Blade was not her first ship, but it was her first command, before she’d earned her place on the Triumphant, before the Civil War. That had to be significant. Had she, in the chaos and feeling of being out of control, retreated to a time when she was truly mistress over her domain? That sounded likely.

I stretched out with my senses. Things worked differently in a person’s mental landscape. I felt the Empress’s core. Not far from where I was. A small twist, and I was there, where she was.

The Empress was dressed in the uniform of a Captain. All around her, the bridge was in an air of well-organized chaos. Imperial Navy officers manned their stations, even as the ship rocked and rolled with turbulence great enough to feel, despite inertial dampeners. Captain and crew looked harried, holding on to their stations with white knuckles to keep from getting thrown about.

“Captain, the disturbances are continuing! Sensors are still overwhelmed!”

“Turbulence increasing! Whatever hit us is interfering with the shields! Attempting to compensate!”

“Hyperdrive running at maximum, but position remaining static, Captain! Engineering reports that they cannot keep this up much longer without damaging the engines!”

“All communications nonfunctional, Captain! There’s too much interference from the energy field!”

Listening to the conversation, it became clear what was happening. The Empress had been overwhelmed by the psychic wave and the powers that had awakened in her. Trying to retain her sanity amongst the onslaught, she had retreated inwards, her mind conjuring her old ship and crew from her memories. The power she now had was being interpreted as an astronomical phenomenon of some kind, an anomaly that had suddenly enveloped her ship, and was threatening to destroy it.

Another twist, and I made myself visible, made myself ‘real’ upon the deck of her mental ship. Well, mostly. I had no interest in being tossed about by the turbulence. To them, however, one moment there was just the viewscreen, showing a roiling nebula of chaotic energy, and the next I was standing there, hands clasped behind my back. “Captain Vaughn, if I might have a moment of your time?”

The bridge went silent for a moment, as Captain and crew looked on in shock at my sudden appearance. The Marine stationed on the bridge brought his pulse rifle up, and fired. I raised a hand, and the ball of plasma froze in mid-air. I would never have been able to do that in real life. But here, now, in her mind? I was lacking in power compared to her, but I had far more practice at mental combat than she did. Especially since she did not realize she was engaged in mental combat right now. Her mind conjured the weapon, with its real-world abilities and real-world limitations. I was fully aware that it was not a real gun, firing a real bolt of plasma. I simply told the plasma to ‘stop’, and the Empress did not know enough to tell it not to. That would only last so long as she didn’t get angry, and throw raw power into things, to overcome the gap in skill.

“Who the FUCK are you, and what the hell are you doing on my ship?”

Merida recovered quickly from the shock of my appearance, and the way I stopped her ‘Marine’ from attacking me. So far, so good. But the next part was tricky. I couldn’t tell her the exact truth, without risking her going insane or simply retreating into denial. And I couldn’t lie to her, not touching minds with her like this. She might not be able to dig into my memories, but telling truth or lies would be child’s play for her. And lies would undermine everything.

“I am Mirikon Mollen, Admiral in the Black Star Navy. The Chief of Staff to the Imperial Throne asked me, as a favor, to come to you and help you through this turbulent time. My apologies for the unconventional method of getting to you, but it was decided that reaching you in time was more important than using more… conventional methods to get in contact.”

Captain Vaughn brought herself to her full height (impressive given the shaking of the ship), and looked at me with distrust. I could see the thoughts running through her mind. She was wondering how I got here, how I stopped the Marine’s attack, how I wasn’t getting thrown about by the ship’s movement. All the questions unanswered, but all going back to the same conclusion: she was out of her depth. She took a deep breath, and said, “Very well, Admiral. It seems you have me at something of a disadvantage. What is it that the Emperor wishes of me? Although, I’m afraid the current conditions are somewhat limiting my ability to respond to Imperial decrees.”

I nodded, simply. “Indeed. First, I think it would be best for everyone if this ship didn’t tear itself apart at the seams. Would you allow me to help you get clear of this phenomenon?”

The Captain blinked. “You know what is happening? We’ve been fighting against this distortion for days now, with no effect other than draining our ship’s power banks. I don’t know how much more we can do.”

“Naturally. Unfortunately, doing everything you can think of is part of the problem. The Purity Blade is currently caught in a distortion that is more psychic than physical. And the energy you throw at it is feeding the distortion, making it more powerful, and keeping you trapped here.”

“All right. Assume for a moment that I believe you. What would you have me do? I cannot simply sit back and allow the distortion to destroy the Purity Blade. I will not sacrifice all these people on a whim, or the word of someone I have not met before.”

“And you would not be the person you are if you would. But sitting back is exactly what you need to do. The power from the sensors, the shields, the engines, the communications array, all of it is feeding the distortion, amplifying it. If you want to escape, then you need to starve the distortion, allowing it to die out.”

“Impossible! The ship will be destroyed if we do that! She’s barely holding together as is!”

“Captain, if you do not trust in me, then trust in your ship and your crew. If this continues, you’ll be destroyed. You have to do something, and you’ve tried everything you know. None of it has worked. Why not try the inconceivable, and hope for the impossible?”

Captain Vaughn grimaced, but nodded, slowly. She was, after all, running out of options. Her ship and crew were in danger, and my words were the only lifeline she had. “And what would you suggest, then?”

“Shut everything down. Everything except life support and structural integrity. Yes, the ship will get tossed around a bit, but the turbulence will die quickly enough, once it is no longer being fed.”

The Captain considered my words, and then nodded. “All right, then.” She took a breath, and addressed her crew. “Ensign Mallory, sound alarms throughout the ship. Brace for impact. Lieutenant Castor, prepare to cut all systems besides life support and structural integrity on my mark.” She took another breath. “Mark.”

The ship shook violently, crew members getting thrown about. Five seconds. Fifteen. The turbulence began to ebb. Thirty. The ship came to rest. All around the bridge, people began picking themselves up off the ground, where they had been thrown without inertial dampeners to steady them. Only I remained standing.

I nodded slowly, as emergency power came online, lighting the bridge in dim light. The Captain stood up, staring at me with wonder. Wonder turned to confusion, and then recognition. “Mollen? What in the hell is going on?”

(Throne Room, Aurum Throni, Terran Orbit)

I took a glance around the bridge. The crew were all frozen in place, literally, like a video where someone had pressed the pause button. That was a good sign. It meant that, at some level, the Empress had control over the mindstate, and wasn’t being controlled by it. Most likely, her subconscious had pulled her here, retreating in the face of the psychic onslaught her powers caused, bringing her someplace that was familiar and safe.

That was all positive. Now, I had to convince her of the truth, without threatening the temporary calm. I took a breath, and then looked Captain Vaughn in the eyes, and smiled. “Tell me, what is the last thing that you remember?”

Captain Vaughn took a breath, and looked around, frowning at the sight of her crew obviously frozen in place. She waved a hand in front of the helmsman’s face, and just nodded slightly when she didn’t see a reaction. Turning, she looked at me, and said, “I-I am having trouble remembering. I know you. But you were never on this ship! And I haven’t been captain of the Purity Blade in years! So, how is it that I’ve been suddenly transported here? And why is my crew from back then frozen?”

I didn’t answer her, not directly. I couldn’t. She had to remember for herself if this was going to work. All I could do was guide her. “What do you remember? You know you are not the Captain of the Purity Blade, so what are you? Who are you?”

She straightened herself up, and said, in a clear voice. “I am Empress Merida Vaughn, ruler of the Terran Empire!” A pause, and then, “Now, how in the hell are we here? What is going on?”

I nodded once, a smile on my face. “Excellent. Now, before we start talking in earnest, why don’t we move somewhere a little more pleasant. Think of the private dining room where we ate last time I came to Terra. You remember it, don’t you? Can you picture us there?”

Merida’s face blushed as she clearly remembered some of the discussions that went on that night, where her little sister suggested that I give Merida an heir to the throne. It was… well, not the kind of situation that happened often, even in a strange situation like mine. I decided to give her a bit of a nudge. “Focus. The room, not the conversation.”

The blush got deeper, but I could see her focus. The world began to blur, to shift. She and I remained in focus, but everything around us faded, changed, and reformed. When things came back to clarity, we were in the dining room. I nodded once. That was good. Not an instant change, by any means, but she did not struggle too much.

Merida, on the other hand, gaped, her eyes disbelieving at what she saw. “What the hell? How is this happening? Mollen, what the hell is going on?”

“It is simple, Empress. We are not really here, in this dining room in the Inner Throne of the Aurum Throni orbiting Terra. Just like how we were not really on the bridge of your old destroyer, the Purity Blade. Just like you aren’t really wearing that uniform you have on.”

The Empress, blinked, and said, “What? What do you mean I’m not wearing my uniform? Clearly, I am! Just look at it!” A shriek escaped her lips as the uniform faded into smoke, and she quickly covered herself with her hands. “What did you do?”

I bowed slightly. “I did nothing. That was you, Empress. And, might I say, thank you for the meal.” I chuckled as she blushed again, and said, “Picture the clothes you wear normally, when you don’t have formal events to deal with.”

The Empress concentrated for a moment, and then smoke formed around her, forming the military-style outfit she normally wore when she didn’t have to be involved in formal gatherings. She looked down at the clothes, wide-eyed and open-mouthed, and then looked up at me. “How?”

“It is simple, Empress. We are not in the ‘real’ world. This is the world of your mind. Your subconscious, actually. Everything here is the way it is because you will it to be so. Well, except for me, that is.”

“If this is my mind, then what the hell are you doing here?”

“What is the last thing you remember?”

“The battle against the… whatever they were that came through the rift. The rift that opened just as you said it would. And then… a warning about something coming from the rift.” She paused, thinking. “And then I was on the Blade, trying to keep the ship from being torn apart. What happened?”

“The battle on Pluto was hard-fought, but won. The battle by the rift was going well, with the creatures being unable to stand against some of the weapons we brought to bear, but the casualties were high. In the midst of the fighting, some disturbance in the rift caused a massive wave of psychic energy to crash across the system. This wave awakened anyone with latent psychic abilities, and enhanced many of those who already had psy powers.”

I took a breath, and looked her in the eye. “Unfortunately, for some people, the process was more than just suddenly being able to light candles with their minds. These people, who were mostly those of some influence or importance, were empowered by the energy of those who supported and believed in them. People like, say, an Empress.”

Merida nodded slowly, and said, “So, I’ve been, what, not only made into a Psy user, but empowered somehow? What does that mean for me, exactly, and for the children?”

“For you, it means that you are the most powerful psy user in the Empire. Perhaps in the galaxy itself. And people were not meant to just suddenly ‘flip on’ that much power all at once. Sure, massively powered individuals exist, but they’re meant to grow into their powers, not simply wake up with them. The good news is that the children are safe. Your subconscious shielded them instinctively, but I don’t doubt that they’ve been changed in some ways by the experience. On the other hand, you’ve been unconscious for days, radiating psychic power to the point where even your guards can only approach you for a minute or two at a time.”

“Wait, what? I know those guards, and the training they go through! How powerful am I? And how did you get into my head if I’m that strong?”

“Simply put, your body is working to shield itself while your mind fights to keep control and keep sane. I was able to, for lack of a better word, launch myself at you, inside the bubble of pressure you were putting out, and slip through the shattered defenses left by the awakening of your powers. I inserted myself into your head, so that I could try and lead you out.”

Merida took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. “And I assume that there’s a reason you had to try and ‘lead me out’, instead of something else?”

I nodded. “Oh, plenty. But they all basically revolve around the fact that making the kind of changes necessary for me to lock down your powers, and then slowly release them over time, as you got used to them, would leave you open to all kinds of allegations of being my mind-controlled puppet Empress, a slave to my will. And while I admit that has a certain appeal, I would rather not start down that road. If I did, I’d probably never stop.”

“What do you mean?”

“Simple, really. When I was first able to break free of the research lab on Luna where I first entered this world, I found my way to Choson Ring. There, I found a black-market shop that had items for sale, which could be used to increase my power, something I desperately needed at the time. One of those items was a tattoo with psychoactive inks to increase my power.”

“But power always, always, always has a price. If you cannot tell the price off the bat, then it is likely larger than you can afford. The price, in this case, was that the tattoo gave me hoarding instincts, I guess you could say. Except what I hoard are weapons and slaves. The instinct the tattoo gives me is to gather them, and to ruthlessly strike down anyone who threatens them.”

“Now, that is simply an instinct. A powerful one, no doubt, like people ducking for cover when they hear an explosion, but it is just an instinct. And instinct can be controlled, it can be managed. I have a massive stockpile of weapons, more than any person could ever use, especially if you count my Navy, and my people are always working on new things. This pleases my instincts greatly, and I don’t fight it, because it makes my other goals easier, as well.”

“But with slaves? Well, much of the Black Star Company is enslaved, or the family of slaves. And I’ve indulged myself greatly with the slaves who are my property. But I have to maintain control, or I’d be no better than those idiots from the Hundeherstellar world, who just slap collars on any female they see. You see, I have been training my restraint and control even before I left the Luna facility. The more I work on it, the easier it is to fight down the instinct, like a firefighter who runs into a burning building to rescue someone trapped inside. Instinct is tempered by training, but not removed. If I gave in, and enslaved someone as powerful and desirable as the Empress of the Terran Empire, I would find it very hard to stop there.”

Empress Merida nodded slowly. “I can certainly see that. And I appreciate your candor on the subject. But, then, what were you hoping to accomplish here? And how does this relate to the psychic power I was apparently putting out?”

“Simple. I could not shut down your powers without risking far too much temptation. However, I could get in, and persuade you to shut down your powers, even subconsciously. That is a much… less invasive method, which wouldn’t impede your will, or tempt me to do unfortunate things. Now, with you ‘powered down’ for the moment, we can work on rebuilding your defenses, and your control.”

“So, just how did I get so powerful that you had to come into my mind and talk me down?”

“Well, you were threatening to collapse the Aurum Throni in on itself. As in literally straining the energy fields helping to keep the ship’s structural integrity intact. And, right now, if you tried using your powers you’d be inundated with the unshielded thoughts of everyone who didn’t have psychic training within your range. And with your power, that could easily be all of Sol System. So, we will work on your defenses, and on keeping your power clamped down, and then, when we return to the real world, you’ll arrange for tutors to come and teach you the skills you need to know.”

Merida blanched. “That sounds… unpleasant. Is that what all you psy users go through? How do you all keep from going insane?”

I shrugged, and said, “It is the same way as you don’t go insane trying to analyze every detail the eye can see. You learn to filter out some things, and focus on others, while keeping everything ‘in view’, as it were. It is something you usually have trained before your powers can passively ‘read’ someone more than a few feet away from you. You don’t have that option, so we’re going to work on your defenses, and then you can gradually ‘open up’ your powers, without destroying things accidentally.”

I took a breath, and said, “Now, shall we begin?”

(Throne Room, Aurum Throni, Terran Orbit)

“What do you think you are doing? Do you want me to read you down to the core? Focus, girl!”

The method of training to get the Empress’s powers in check enough for her to function was simple enough, though I doubted she’d thank me for it until later. Much later. Simply put, I forced her to play defense as I attempted to penetrate her mind. She would throw up defenses as best she could, and I would break them.

The two of us were in a black space I had the Empress conjure up in her mind. We were in the mind, so the rules of the outside world did not apply. She needed to learn that, quickly, so I had her begin with an empty space, with no walls or ground. Once she learned to maneuver and use this space, she wouldn’t be forced to rely on projections of physicality to conduct ‘business’.

This was important for a couple reasons. Invaders in her mind, if they managed to get through her outer defenses, were never going to just sit back and abide by her mindscape’s rules, like I had done on the bridge of the Purity Blade. No, physicality was useless in a mindscape unless one had the strength of will to make it real, and even then, you had to train to pull it off. Brute force could substitute for skill, perhaps, but that opened up its own problems, as that much energy and concentration going towards the environment meant that you’d be distracted (at best) against a foe who was trying to attack you. To be useful, it had to be effortless. To be effortless, you had to be skilled.

The second reason was that learning to negate physicality in her own mind would help her negating it in another’s mindscape. If you were reliant on physicality in the mindscape, then, in another’s mind, you’d be helpless as they would literally have the home court advantage, able to twist and reshape the ‘world’ around you. Again, raw power could compensate for a lack of skill, but if you were simply going to blow them away and obliterate their mind, there were easier ways to go about it. And if you were in their mind looking for information, that information would be lost with their mind. Control was necessary.

And so, with that goal in mind, we had started a sparring match. Each of us were flying about the mindspace, ducking, diving, weaving, and turning to try and avoid attacks or get an opening. It was like an anime, honestly.

I had started off slow, relatively speaking, until she had gotten a hand on the basics. It didn’t take long. Merida may have been the Empress now, but she had been an Imperial Navy officer, not too long ago. And if there is one thing that all members of any space-faring navy are taught, it is how to respond in emergencies, like when the artificial gravity is offline.

Adapting the techniques for maneuvering in zero-g was easy for her. Then, she began trying to copy my movements, as it sunk in that she didn’t need to ‘bounce’ off illusory walls to change direction or speed. Three-dimensional movement skills, combined with a quick mind and ample motivation, allowed her to adapt quickly.

That’s when the game shifted from ‘tag’ to ‘defend yourself’. I conjured what looked like fireballs in my hands, and threw them at her. I started with ones that went in a straight line, giving her time to adjust to evasive action. Then, the fireballs started tracking her movements. When she started being able to create a shield, I started upping the power.

“GAH!” The Empress yelled as another fireball crashed against her defenses, which manifested as a force-field that struggled, but held against the attack. “I’ve never done anything like this before! Cut me some slack!”

“Slack?” I scoffed. “Silly girl. Will your enemies cut you some slack if you ask them nicely? You know you have people in your empire that would gladly turn you into an obedient puppet if they could, yes? Will they give you slack? And Deus is still out there, in some form. Will it give you slack? Then we have the creatures from the chaotic dimension. Do you think they will give you slack? No? Then why are you asking it from me?”

“RAGH! FINE! TAKE THIS!” Merida roared, finally having enough of my taunting and harassment. A fireball of her own formed, several times larger than the ones I had been throwing, fueled by her frustration and raw power. Without even considering the consequences, she threw it.

I did not try and take that attack head on. Instead, I darted to the side, and was unsurprised when it began following me. Merida was no fool, and she already knew about weapons that tracked their targets. I increased my speed, using my superior control to outmaneuver the fireball which was larger than I was. It always turned to follow me, but that was fine. It was time for a final lesson.

As I looped over the fireball again, letting it pass through the space I formerly was occupying, I put on a burst of extra speed, beyond what I’d shown so far. I turned towards the Empress, and began hurtling towards her, even as her fireball followed me.

Merida’s eyes went wide as she saw me hurtling at her like a bolt of lightning, and hastily threw up a shield to keep me from hitting her. It was the expected, instinctive response, but it was the wrong one. Again, I rolled to the side, curling around Merida’s shield bubble, and coming up behind her.

Merida whirled to face me, her eyes locked on mine, ready for whatever trick I might pull. I smiled at her, and then pointedly looked over her shoulder, to see behind her. The Empress barely had time to curse before her own fireball crashed into her hastily-erected shields, throwing her backwards, and into my arms.

Looking down at the dazed Empress, I brushed her disheveled hair from her face, and smiled. She had taken the attack, meeting her raw power with raw power. I don’t doubt that it had weakened her substantially, though she’d recover quickly enough. “So, what have we learned?”

Merida groaned. “Control. Have to keep control, or bad things happen.”

“Good. Now, establish your defenses again, clamp down as tightly as you can on your powers. When you’ve done that, I think it will be safe for us to return to the physical realm. There are quite a few people who are very eager to see you, you know.”

“Ugh. Can’t I just stay here a while longer? I never wanted to be Empress, damn it! I just wanted to be an Imperial Navy officer!”

“And I never wanted to be an interstellar business mogul who owned more slaves than I could possibly count and employed many times more people than that, across six stellar polities. I was much happier being a simple starship captain, running around doing my own thing, instead of being the Admiral of a navy that can stand toe to toe with the fleets of the major powers, with all the responsibility that implies. But that’s not something I can change, now, is it? Sometimes, the universe doesn’t give a fuck what you want. All that is left, then, is to adapt to the situation.”

Merida took a breath, and nodded. “You’re right, of course. I was just griping a little. All right, how do we get out of here? I expect Lucio is beside himself with worry, even if he won’t admit it.”

“Well, you might cut the man some slack. After all, you were doing your very best impression of a reactor about to go critical for days, before I was able to reach you. Apparently, the other psy-capable individuals who tried were overwhelmed by your power, so they had to wait for me to wake up from my own coma to help you.”

“Why not simply use tranquilizers to sedate me?”

“Because no one was sure if the shots would even reach your body, but they were quite positive that they wouldn’t survive if your subconscious reacted to the attack and responded in kind. Oh, sure, you would have felt bad about it later, everyone who knows you knows that. However, that doesn’t really matter to a dead man, does it?”

With that thought, I turned my attention from the Empress, and extracted myself from her mind, keeping careful watch to make sure that her powers didn’t surge uncontrollably as I pulled back. Thanks to that, I was able to witness the Empress beginning to rebuild the defenses that had been shattered by the psychic wave and the unleashing of her own power. I already noticed a few improvements that were clearly inspired by what she’d learned. They’d need time to be refined properly, but it was a good start.

Sorcery skill has increased to rank 62/100.

+1 WIS, +1 CHA

New Title Gained!

Mentalist

You have become adept at infiltrating the minds of others, on a deeper level than simply rewriting their memories or brutishly corrupting their personalities. You have learned to interact with a creature’s mental landscape, and adapting to the conditions inside.

+100% to all resistances while inside a mindscape.

I opened my eyes, and saw that I was kneeling in front of the Empress’s throne, still clutching her tight to my chest, as I had been when I infiltrated her mind. Oh, and there were the notifications I’d gotten from training, it seemed. I heard a gasp in my ear, and relaxed my grip. Merida, blushing, said, “Oh, my. I, um, didn’t know you were actually here. I thought you were on your ship or something.”

I groaned slightly as I worked my way to my feet. I felt the pins and needles in my left leg, telling me that it had gone to sleep while I was inside the Empress’s mind. Well, small price to pay, all told. I reached out to Merida, and helped her to her feet. She was unsteady, leaning heavily against my shoulder to remain standing, but in control, with none of her power leaking through.

I heard footsteps, and turned to see Lucio approaching, along with Raven, Sheila, and two of the royal guards. They all looked much relieved. As they should be, considering that there was no longer a threat of the city-station imploding. Looking at Raven, I asked the question that was foremost in my mind. “How long was I under?”

“A little under four hours, sir.”

I nodded, and looked over to Lucio. “Tell her people that the Empress is safe and unharmed. I was able to guide her into clamping down upon her powers. She controls her abilities, and her mind, not I and none other. I have given her some of the basics, to keep her from accidentally lashing out and reducing someone to paste, but she needs a trainer in the long term, to give her the tools she needs to use the great power she has been granted effectively, and safely, both for herself and the Empire as a whole.”

Lucio nodded, but whatever he was about to say was cut off as the Empress stirred. She took a breath, end moved to the throne, collapsing into it with an exhausted sigh. Looking up at me, she asked, “Enough about me. What about the creatures from the rift? There seemed to be two types, yes?”

I nodded. “And a third type appeared in Coldana, from what I’ve been told. For now, those that remained when the rift closed have been driven off. You’re going to have to decide how to manage the information, but I’m afraid things have already passed beyond the point of secrecy. I’d recommend educating people on the dangers, of these rifts, and any like them that might emerge. Treat them like you would radioactive waste when talking about them to the people. Something dangerous, that should be avoided, in the same way that you should avoid hard radiation. Trying to suppress the knowledge at this point will cause more problems than it may solve.”

The Empress raised an eyebrow. “Why do you say that, Admiral?”

“There is a story in the world of the Nomads, about a great ruler who saw a great evil on the horizon, and worked against it tirelessly. This ruler did not trust the easily swayed hearts of men, and hid the truth of this evil from them wherever he could, using a campaign of logic and reason to combat its underpinnings. The ruler had twenty advisors who he called his sons, and yet he did not trust even them with this secret. And so, two of twenty fell, and were forgotten, and half the rest turned against the ruler, corrupted by the very forces that the ruler fought against, because they had not known the dangers presented by those fell powers. That is how the ruler’s kingdom fell from an age of reason into a cesspool of barbarism.”

Lucio nodded. “I know the story he’s talking about, Empress. It is a work of fiction, but the lessons in the story are worth remembering. Yes, men may be corrupted, but ignorance of dangers may be more destructive than the corrupting influence of those dangers.”

Merida nodded slowly, and it was easy to see the fatigue catching up to her. “You’ve given Us much to think of, Admiral. And We will thank you properly for your service, in time. But for now, We find ourself weary, and shall retire for the night. Lucio, please see the Admiral out. And see about vetting a trainer for my newfound powers.”

Lucio bowed low, “As you wish, Majesty.”

(Unknown Alien Super-superdreadnought, Sol System)

I smiled as the Starlight Raven settled in the docking bay of the unknown ship, next to shuttles from the Hrunting and Tiamat. As I stepped off the ramp, with Cali and Jaynie flanking me, I was not surprised to see who was waiting for me with their associated guards. And I was less surprised to see that they were looking insufferably (and deservedly) smug.

I nodded my head as they saluted me. “Commodore Draka, Major Zoxl. My compliments on your success.” As we started walking through the alien craft, I turned my attention to the Commodore, saying, “Going over the battle data, I was pleased to see that the Second Group performed as well as any in the fleet, despite only having a short while to adjust to new technology and tactics. It is not easy to change from familiar ships and technology, and still maintain a high level of proficiency, but your troops have done so.”

Looking over to the Major, I grinned. “And that goes doubly to you and your men, Major. The Second Group is, at least on some level, mostly similar to other navies in the galaxy, but the weapons and tactics of the Black Star Marines are very different from the Ihm Imperium’s Legions, and Fourth Company was designed to be different even from the rest of the Marines. And, in your first operation, you not only succeeded, you conquered. Well done!”

Major Zoxl grinned, and said, “Well, credit has to be given to the Mark V Heavy Assault Armor. The dimensional inventory technology allows for soldiers to carry around plenty of weapons, ammunition, and supplies, but there’s a hard limit to what even Ihm biology can swing around, and still be effective. However, with the enhancements of the Mark V, we were able to use what would normally be emplaced, crew-served artillery pieces as man-portable weapons.”

I nodded. “Yes, General Khan was singing the Mark V’s praises to me earlier, before we deployed. For now, the Mark V armor will be limited to the Fourth Company, as they are the heavy assault company. Other companies will use the Mark IV Tactical Armor, or the Mark III Stealth Armor, depending on their primary function, at least until refinements on those designs are made as new technologies are discovered. Speaking of which, as this was the first combat test of the Mark V, I would like you to compile a report of the strengths and weaknesses of the armor, along with any points you feel need to be addressed in the design.”

The Major nodded. “Yes, despite testing regimens, some problems are only uncovered once a system is tested on the battlefield. I’ll get with the squad commanders to compile a full report, but already I can say that the portable shield generators will need their heatsinks adjusted in some way. While power was not an issue, there were several times where troops were forced to take cover under fire for several minutes to deactivate their shields as temperature gauges showed the units were overheating due to the volume of fire.”

I frowned. Shields designed to augment the physical armor to protect troops having to be shut down because of overuse was a concern. “I see. Was this due to a design flaw, or the amount of fire the troops were under? There’s a limit to how much we can cheat physics, after all.”

Major Zoxl considered for a moment. “I’ll need to go through the reports to say for certain, but from my own experience, I would say that it is likely that the volume and duration of enemy fire was the primary cause. These grey-skinned aliens were plentiful to the extreme, and every last one of them was heavily armed.”

“So, it may not be a flaw of the design, but a limit of the technology itself. If it was not a design flaw being exposed by combat, then we’ll need to adjust tactics based on this information. Any preliminary suggestions, Major?”

“Yes, sir. The previous combat doctrine for Fourth Company and the Mark V relied too heavily on the Marines essentially being a mobile weapons platform. While the heavy assault weaponry was clearly very capable in putting down the grey-skins, the size and bulk of the weapons slowed troopers, and gave them some trouble in tactical movement. Given that experience, there are three doctrine changes that may work.”

“First, including multiple armament options for a variety of situations. The artillery and chain guns are useful, but not always the most useful option for any scenario. More importantly, multiple heavy weapons reach the point of diminishing returns fairly quickly. So, for a standard squad, have one Marine on artillery, one on a chain gun, and the rest on more standard weapons.”

“Obviously, the dimensional storage ability allows for all individual troops to carry multiple weapon loadouts, but having primary roles within a squad would allow for squads to react flexibly to multiple scenarios. Also, while switching weapons in the field is possible, there is a moment where you are weaponless, which is less than desirable, especially as they might get disrupted in the changeover while under fire. Most forces solve this issue with troops carrying a primary and a backup weapon, which they carry concurrently, but with the size of some of the pieces given to Fourth Company, that’s simply not practical.”

“Second, instead of the steady line dictated by the heavy weaponry, I propose that the troops operate with a variation of the ‘leapfrog’ approach other companies in the Black Star Marines use. If there are two teams, one can advance, while the other covers them, or moves in their shadow. When they reach cover, or their shields begin overheating, they switch, and the second team moves to the front. This would effectively halve the duration of time under fire, without sacrificing suppression of enemy units.”

“This is important, because the grey-skins proved that they are a deadly force to be reckoned with. They were an undisciplined mob that seemed more concerned with firing their weapons than actually hitting anything with them, but that didn’t mean they weren’t able to keep up an effective field of fire. Further, they didn’t seem to fear death, rushing headlong into fire. Most of our casualties came in those times when the shields had to be cooled down, and the grey-skins charged into melee range.”

“Which brings up the third point, that the armaments given to the Marines should be expanded to include melee options purposely built for the enhanced abilities of Black Star Marines. With the Mark V armor, we can use bigger and more powerful weaponry, but the weapons provided are the same as would be given to a normal human. While better than a fist in most cases, having purpose-designed weaponry would be a great improvement.”

“Also, the standard-issue melee weapons were less than effective against some of the grey-skins in combat, especially the ones that were mechanically augmented. A blade, no matter how sharp, is not as useful against plate as a hammer, or some other type of weapon. If we’re going to be facing these grey-skin creatures in the future, or take on the strange beings that were reported on Pluto while the rift was open, then we’re going to need to increase our abilities, or be prepared to take increased casualties.”

I nodded slowly. “The reports said that Fourth Company suffered heavy casualties. Ten percent Killed in Action, and a further fifty-seven percent suffering serious wounds. Sixty-seven percent total casualties are grievous numbers for any group, but especially on their first operation. How are the troops holding up?”

Major Zoxl grimaced. “Having the majority of the unit either killed or wounded in their first mission as part of the Black Star Marine Corps is a blow to their pride, of course, but that is balanced by the fact that they were up against a threat that was utterly unknown before now, and they emerged victorious. Victory is a balm for a great many wounds, and the fact that most of the wounded will return to duty in time helps greatly. But if we take casualties like this every time, even victory will start tasting like ash in the mouth.”

I nodded, and said, “Good points, Major. And, to be fair, the General raised similar points when we talked across the Nomad networks after I recovered from the psychic wave. I would like your opinion on one of the ideas that we were tossing back and forth based on the need to increase the ability of our forces. Tell me, what would the reaction to Fourth Company be to a series of augmentations?”

If I hadn’t been watching Zoxl’s eyes, I would have missed the flash of uncertainty there. Cool professionalism descended upon his features like a mask. With a calm, polite voice that gave nothing away, he asked, “Like the grey-skins, sir?”

“Definitely not! From the images I’ve seen, the grey-skins were augmented by crude mechanicals, which, while functional, could not be recommended for anything other than stopping bullets and killing enemies, and carried the same scrap heap aesthetic as their ships. No, the changes I’m talking about would be more invasive than the grey-skin ones, but not as jarring. A mix of biological augmentations done through surgery and genetic manipulation to create warriors who are greater than their maximum potential as a human, knelfi, gauz, or ihm.”

Commodore Draka hissed softly under her breath. “You’re talking about something like the Iruss Degredation!” When I raised an eyebrow to her, she sighed, and said, “It is a story from the time of the first of several great conflicts that encompassed Ihm before we began moving out amongst the stars.”

She took a breath, and then continued, “Did you know, Admiral, that the males and females of the ihm were not always so different from one another? They used to be more akin to the differences between males and females amongst humans. Some basic differences, of course, for egg-laying and nurturing hatchlings, and the other biological imperatives of a sexually dimorphic species, but not so different from one another. Certainly not on the level of what we see today in the modern Imperium.”

“It is said that the Blood Matriarch, Iruss Ihm, sought to create the perfect warriors to fight her wars for her. Most warriors were males, since they were, by their nature, often slightly larger and stronger than females, and, should the worst occur, it only required a small subset of males with a relatively larger selection of females to repopulate. Iruss was not satisfied with her warriors being only ‘slightly’ stronger, and had her scientists develop a means to enhance the strength and abilities of the males.”

“A virus was created, which could be used to change the warriors at a genetic level. The changes increased the warriors’ abilities, granting them strong bones, thick hides, and powerful muscles. And it bred true, meaning that these warriors, when they produced heirs, would pass on the modification to their male children.”

“However, to ensure that they did not use their newfound strength against her, Iruss changed the virus to affect the mind, as well as the body. In males, while their physical strength grew, their minds were… restrained. Not to the point where they were rendered idiots, but it became harder for them to think strategically, or come up with new ideas.”

“But, despite the Matriarch’s wishes, the virus began to affect females, as well. Their bodies grew less powerful, but their minds, unlike those of their men, became sharper, better able to think in strategic terms. And, also despite her wishes, this change, too, bred true, and the virus itself escaped, spreading quickly across Ihm, until all were changed.”

“In the millennia since the Blood Matriarch’s downfall at the hands of her daughter, much work has gone into attempting to undo the damage caused by what would be known as the Iruss Degredation. The genetic changes were profound, but the Major here is proof that, at least, the mental… deficiencies that the earliest males affected by the Degredation suffered have been largely dealt with, though it is still rare to see a male commanding a force like one of the Legions, especially without a female officer as a strategic aide.”

I sighed heavily. “It would seem that every civilization is plagued by those who would think themselves equal to whatever creator deity their people believe in, and seeks to remake the people in their own image. I understand full well the concerns you raised, and it is part of the reason why the Black Star Marines have not gone this route before. However, it would seem that the rules of the game have changed, and we’re going to have to change with them, or face losses, perhaps greater losses than we faced this time.”

“Commodore, Major, this hasn’t gone out yet, but I’m sending a general order to all the people of your rank and the science teams to devise potential augmentation strategies. From you, I want what types of augmentations you and your people might be willing to accept. Further, I want a ‘wish list’ of augments you might want. The science teams will be going over the list, and deciding which can be done with existing technology, which may require further research, and which are simply out of the question at this time. Until then, we will attempt to limit our exposure to creatures from Chaotic Space, and keep our casualties to a minimum.”

They both nodded. “Understood, Sir.”

“Good. Now, Major, show me around this junkheap you captured, and let’s see if the scientists have found anything worth adapting to our own technology. We can think about the other things later.”

(Secure Audience Chamber, Imperial Palace, Ihmana Prime, Ihm Imperium)

“My Empress, we have a new report from our spies in the Terran Empire on the traitors who deserted the Imperium!”

Empress Drez Dhiss Ihm VII’s crest flared at the mention of the former Warleader and her conspirators, who had dared to dispute the findings of the War Council. Worse, she had even publicly called out the War Council, and sent a letter to the press, which had soon been spread far and wide. That insolent Warleader had shamed both the War Council and her own Imperial majesty!

And then the damned Warleader had not even had the decency to be arrested so that she could be publicly shamed and disgraced in a trial where she would have been forced to recant her crimes. She, along with her co-conspirators, had fled the Imperium, leaving the Second Great Armada bereft of over three quarters of its experienced officers and crews. Worse, the entire surviving officer corps and half of the members of the Third Legion had gone with her, betraying their oaths to the Imperium.

When she had discovered the mass desertion, she had, of course, ordered the War Council to assemble the traitors’ families, so that they could determine if they were still loyal to the Imperium. If so, then they could be used to denounce their former clansmen. If not, well, then they would be leverage to force the traitors to return to the fold, one way or another.

Maddeningly enough, the traitors had foreseen this, and somehow managed to spirit away thousands of traitors and their families away from the Imperium. The impact of this mass desertion was being keenly felt, even outside the military. Two large companies had fled with the traitors, and with them the number of passenger transports in the Imperium had fallen by 12%, while a full 30% of the commercial shipping in the core systems had simply vanished overnight.

Those employees of the rogue businesses who remained had been fired, and the holdings of the businesses in question had all been sold before anyone realized what was happening. The ships had managed to get through the Tabet Gateway before anyone realized what had happened, leaving the Imperium entirely. According to the reports, they had all gone to an insignificant backwater Gateway called Star’s Reach.

The Empress took a breath to calm herself. The Knowledge-caste messenger was not the one who deserved her ire, after all. “What of it, then? Have they come crawling back for the mercy of the Imperium after experiencing the disorder of the outside?”

The Runner gulped, but said, “No, my Empress. They have joined the Black Star Company, as part of their Navy and Marines. They were seen in Sol System, when the Black Star Company arrived for ‘exercises’ with the Imperial Navy. Just before the spatial rifts observed in Coldana and Sol opened.”

The Empress hissed. Not only did the traitors desert the Imperium, but they had the temerity to join an uncasted mercenary company, and work with enemies of the Imperium? No, this could not be allowed, not at all. Perhaps something should be done about this Black Star Company, to make an example of them?

She put aside those thoughts, for the moment. There would be time later for ensuring that the Traitors and those who harbored them paid for their insults against the Imperium. The Ihm had been preparing for the next war since she had taken the throne from her weakling mother at the end of the last war.

Hmph. Her mother had chosen peace, instead of claiming the Ihm’s rightful place as rulers of the stars. That was why she had killed her, and taken the throne herself. She would see the glorious destiny of the Ihm come to fruition, and all the other races, especially the arrogant humans, brought under her heel. It was only a matter of time.

“And what of them? There was some small battle wasn’t there? I expect that without the might of the Second Great Armada, the traitors suffered a humiliating defeat?”

“No, my Empress. The Traitors and the Imperials fought an force of unknown creatures that emerged from the rift in a fierce battle. The traitors of the Third Legion invaded the enemy flagship, and captured it, before a psychic wave crashed across the system.”

Damn them! Couldn’t traitors at least die like the rekthas they were? This was intolerable! The Black Stars would most definitely need to be humbled, now.

“And what of this wave?”

“It appears that all life in the system was stunned momentarily because of the wave. Some of the humans and other species collapsed into comas lasting anywhere from hours to days. Those who did either gained psychic abilities if they previously had none, or had their existing abilities dramatically increased. The Terran Empress was apparently in a coma for a week, before she awoke, exhibiting previously unrealized powers on a scale that has not previously been recorded.”

“And what of the traitors?”

“They appeared unaffected, my Empress. Our people in the Embassy upon the Aurum Throni also weathered the psychic wave with no visible effects. As you know, we Ihm have a low rate of psy users compared to other races. Before, this did not matter, as our warriors and ships can wipe out any powerful individuals through numbers, but the strength of these augmented psy users, especially the Terran Empress, is beyond our reckoning. Fortunately, one of the ambassadors exposed to the wave became a living Negator, his very presence blocking psychic attacks on his person. With testing, he found that, with effort, he could expand this effect to an area around him.”

That was welcome information indeed. The Empress decided that she wouldn’t have the Runner sent to the reclamation pits. Dismissing him with a wave of her hand, she thought aloud, “A counter to this new threat the Empire poses. Excellent.” She turned to look at her Minister of Technology. “How soon until we can replicate this success?”

The Minister bowed his head, and said, “From what we understand, the initial rift was caused by a weakening in the fabric of space-time due to both high levels of Transition Drive use, and the psychic impact of the Harvester’s death in Coldana. While we do not have an incident like a Harvester’s death to use, we do have the Transition Research Project, my Empress.”

“While the designs have not yet been approved for use in the Armadas, a small number of test ships have been outfitted with captured Terran devices, and new models, designed by proper Ihm methods. If we were to overload the test engines, it is possible that we could force a rift to appear, where we wished for it, rather than a random occurrence. That way, we would be able to have the Armada standing by, and they could sweep away any forces inside the rift, before going, and finding a way to use its energies to empower our warriors.”

The Empress focused her gaze upon the Technology Minister. “The inferior creatures’ technology will allow us to open one of these rifts to ‘Chaotic Space’, then?”

The Minister nodded. “In theory, my Empress. Though the devices would likely be rendered into inert scrap due to the intense energies required to force the rift to open. At any rate, we should be able to force the rift open. Once done, that would allow us to try and find a way to force the change in our warriors.”

The Empress considered for a moment. “What would you need to make this experiment?”

The Minister of Technology looked over his notes, to be certain of the numbers. It would not do to be imprecise or inaccurate at this stage. Not when greatness was about to shine upon the Ihm.

“We currently have twelve captured Imperial vessels and sixty test vehicles, ten of each iteration of our improved transition drives. The older models are kept for comparison and control purposes. All the test ships are of the advanced scout type.”

“With your permission, the Technology Ministry proposes to gather all these ships in an empty region of space, where the rift can be formed without danger to Worker or Builder castes.”

“What danger are you speaking of?”

The Intelligence Minister spoke up, “My Empress, the reports we’ve been able to get from agents in the Empire have indicated that there are multiple types of creatures living in the Chaotic Space. All of them appeared instantly hostile to the humans. While our warriors are beyond peer, our Builders and Workers are not trained as the Warrior-caste is. Warriors and ships can be replaced, but if the industry backing the Armada is destroyed, then the Warriors will be thrown into dire straits.”

The Empress nodded. “Very well. Begin the preparations immediately. We shall witness the test Ourself.”

(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.

ElfMama: So, anyways, that’s got to be a bigger deal than the silly arena match. We’re talking about—

Lizard: GUYS! SHUT UP WITH WHATEVER YOU’RE RAMBLING ABOUT! WE GOT PROBLEMS! WE ARE ALL FUCKED!

Blaze: Woah, now. Don’t go getting twisted out of shape, Lizard.

MacD: Lizard, you’re off in the Imperium, right? What’s going on over there that has you so freaked?

Knocker: Yeah, man. This is not like you.

Lizard: Right, fine, calm. Whatever. Just idiots going to blow us all up, but fine.

BigGunn: Can’t do anything if you don’t give us the low-down, Lizard.

Lizard: All right, so it has been almost eight months, in game, since the big Rift formed and was shut in Sol and Coldana, right?

ElfMama: Yeah, everyone’s seen the craziness that happened there. What about it?

Lizard: Well, the Ihm Empress is beyond pissed that ‘traitors and those who harbor them’ have gained achievements and honors instead of just dying.

Queen’s_Bitch: Well, every faction has its racial supremacists. Sucks that the Ihm let theirs get control of the government.

AggregatorOfSorrows: ‘Let’ is a rather strong word. The current Empress killed the last one at the end of the last war, because she wasn’t happy with the terms of the peace treaty. Seems she believed that the war should continue until the Empire was destroyed.

GrimDark: The enemies of Mankind shall never prevail. The Empress protects!

M.Mollen: More true than you realize, now, Grim.

Lizard: Forget about the bloody Terran Empress right now! She’s not the problem!

BigGunn: So what is the problem?

Lizard: You know how the big psychic wave gave a lot of people psy powers?

Backlog: Yeah, sure. What of it?

Lizard: Well, I heard from a friend in the Armada that the Embassy staff on the Terran throne-ship suddenly became immune to psychic attacks or something like that.

AggregatorOfSorrows: Immune to psy users? Preposterous.

M.Mollen: No, its true. Only about 2% of Ihm can become psy users of any level. Only about 0.01% of those are combat capable. However, since the psy wave, fully 10% of the Ihm under my command who were in Sol at the time have become Negators. Basically, anti-psy users. They can’t be scanned, shrug off psychic energy blasts, the whole nine yards.

Lizard: Yeah, that’s what I heard. The Empress decided she wants that for her troops, too.

Inquisitor: She intends to open a rift of her own?

BloodForTheBloodGod: Chaos comes, imperial dogs!

M.Mollen: Fuck. How long do we have?

Lizard: According to my information, the test is going down today. Secret location and everything. He only heard about it because the Empress is going to witness it in person.

M.Mollen: Fuck.

(Observation Cluster, IAS Spear of Urtu, Eiqin Nebula, Ihm Imperium)

Empress Drez Dhiss Ihm VII rested easily against the scales of her favorite broodsire. The heavily built Warrior-caste male was her favorite toy, as well as being her main bodyguard. He had resisted being used for her pleasure, of course. Proud warrior that he was, he didn’t wish to simply become a pleasurable toy for anyone, even his Empress. But she had broken him of that.

It hadn’t been that hard. All she needed to do was to ensure that his family had been assigned to certain stations where there was high risk of ‘accidents’ happening. It only took one accident, with his broodmother, for him to understand his place. Still, even after he gave up his outright refusals, he continued resisting, performing the act with the bare minimum of effort. Another accident, this time involving his clutchmate, and he gave up the resistance.

She leaned back against his cool scales, enjoying his satisfying bulk underneath her as they sprawled out on the luxurious resting pallet that filled much of the space in the Observation Cluster of her personal warship. With a slow stretch of her neck, she turned to look at the display nearby. The test was getting ready to happen soon.

She had demanded to be on hand for the testing, but that did not mean she had to be physically present for the tests themselves. There were many reasons why the Empress was rarely seen in person, except by those at the highest levels of the government, or her personal retainers. The main one that mattered to her, of course, is that she did not wish to be bothered with the lower-caste people’s troubles. They were not her concern, after all.

More appropriate to the situation at hand, however, was the fact that her presence affected people. It went beyond her looks, subtly sculpted from birth to be the ideal of any Ihm female. She was the leader of the Imperium. She had the power to order the death of anyone she met, and it would be carried out, without question. She could also vault someone into the highest levels of the Imperium’s workings, whether they be social, military, or administrative, with a simple wave of her fingers. Her mere whim could change a person’s fate forever, or end it prematurely.

It was only natural, only right, then, that her people would become nervous in her presence. Normally, she relished that thought, but there was a time and a place for all things. And that time and place were most certainly not during a significant test of unproven lesser-species technology to try and replicate what the lesser species had done by accident.

It was one thing to let all know that she would be observing the test, from her superdreadnought, the Spear of Urtu, but it was another thing entirely to be in the same room as where the tests were being controlled. While she was in the observation cluster, and would, naturally, have the tests displayed for her when they were ready, the Science caste workers could still focus on their work, and ensure that they properly carried out the test. If she was there with them, however, then her presence alone would cause nervousness in them. That would lead to them making mistakes, and even the smallest mistake, when utilizing power on this magnitude, could be catastrophic.

That was also why the Spear of Urtu and the rest of the First, Third, and Fifth Great Armadas of the Ihm Navy was on station a full twenty light-minutes from the test site, which was in the center of the nebula. If something were to go wrong, then the fleet would not be instantly caught up in it. It would be very unfortunate for the crews of the science vessels nearer to the remote-operated test machines, but she would be safe.

Of course, a side benefit to this arrangement was that she didn’t actually have to bother with observing all the preceding steps, so long as she was watching the end result. That left her plenty of time for other pursuits, while she waited. Other, more pleasurable pursuits.

Reaching back behind her head, she stroked the scales of her toy in that way she always did when it was time for him to perform. She felt his scales shift as he recognized the signal, his body conditioned to respond, even if his mind did not. That was fine. His body was enough for the moment.

It was good to be Empress.

(Command Cluster, IAS Glorious Truth, Eiqin Nebula, Ihm Imperium)

Shipleader Chis Khos was nervous, as were the rest of her crew. But that was only natural for circumstances like this. The Glorious Truth was part of the Armada, but it was not a true warship. Instead, it was a science vessel, designed to explore the reaches of the Imperium, and conduct experiments under the guidelines of the Science caste to further the Imperium’s understanding of the universe, and ensure that they remained a lasting power in the galaxy.

Sure, their ship was armed, as any ship that went into unknown places should be, but it was really only good for staving off pirate vessels or vaporizing incoming debris. Even her tactical leader was from the Science caste, rather than the Warrior caste. While she and the others had all completed the training courses in simulations, in all the years she had been the shipleader of this vessel, the amount of times that she had fired the Glorious Truth’s armaments at anything more hostile than space debris could be counted on the claws of one hand.

Unlike others in the Imperium, she did not subscribe to the popular notion that the Ihm were inherently superior to the lesser races. Actually, much of the Science caste were the same, though anyone who rose to a high level always managed to conceal those feelings when dealing with one of the more dogmatic castes. Really, it was just a simple, easily proven test. If the Ihm were inherently superior to all others, why was their technology equivalent to the others, and why had they not dominated all of Known Space?

The answer that the Science caste almost universally came to was that they were not, in fact, inherently superior to the other species. They could not afford to delude themselves with preconceptions and biases. If they did, then they would miss truths and be blind to the reality of the world around them. An experiment based upon faulty information would fail, at best, or, at worst, give a conclusion that led only to disaster.

Which is why the science vessels typically acted independently of the rest of the Ihm Great Armadas. It was not that either the Science or the Warrior castes looked down upon the other, though some did see things that way. Instead, it was the simple understanding that their castes were suited for different ends. In the same way that the Builder caste would not be asked to fight or conduct quantum physics experiments, but a Warrior or Science caste would be… incredibly inefficient at building a starship from start to finish. The castes had different priorities, in the end.

Of course, not all the castes were as… understanding as the majority of the Warrior caste were. Warriors, after all, had to keep a clear knowledge of not just their own capabilities, but also those of their enemies. The Infiltrator Caste was also like that. It was unfortunate that the leadership of those castes, long removed from the front lines, had forgotten those lessons. Much of the Builder, Worker, and Administrator castes had never learned them to begin with. And only a fool so much as mentioned the very idea around someone from the Ruler caste!

So, when the Caste Leader of the Science Caste summoned her, and told her that the Glorious Truth had been chosen to lead the team of five science vessels that would be conducting an experiment ordered by High Command, she was honored. When she learned the details of the experiment, and what it aimed to achieve, she grew nervous. When she learned more about the specifics of the experiment, she grew afraid. But when she found out that the Empress herself was going to be watching the experiment take place? She was terrified.

That all too rational fear had spread through the crews of the science vessels like lightning. After all, this was the Empress, leader of the Ruler caste. Her kind were the most dogmatic about Ihm superiority, after all. Only the former Empress, who had been more moderate than most, was anywhere close to accepting that the Ihm were not the supreme species. And she had been killed by her own daughter, the current empress.

But, thankfully, the Empress was not on her ship, or any of the science vessels. No, she was on her flagship, where she, and her crews, didn’t have to think about her presence. At least, not until after the experiment was done.

Chis took a moment to steady herself, as she watched her chief science officer making the final preparations. Thinking about such things was not productive. They had an experiment to conduct.

“Status report?”

The science officer looked up. “All is prepared, Shipleader. The other vessels all report readiness. The linkages to the test ships are holding firm, and the technicians have rigged the transition drives to overload upon command.”

Chis nodded. “Very well. Communications, signal the Spear of Urtu. Inform them that we are beginning final preparations, and will begin the experiment momentarily. Then signal the other science vessels, and synchronize our chronometers. We will begin the first phase in five minutes.”

The air on the Glorious Truth grew tense as the five-minute clock wound down. Final preparations were made. Instruments were checked, and rechecked. Safety interlocks were removed. And then, the clock clicked down to zero.

“All ships, execute Test Procedure One!”

At the command from Shipleader Chis Khos, commands were given from five science ships. Together, twelve captured Imperial Navy escort vessels activated their transition drives, with the destination set by taking the square root of -1 divided by 0, and promptly overloaded their drives, pumping out a level of energy that was almost impossible to record. Time stretched and warped in the area immediately around the ships, as what should have been an instantaneous detonation stretched longer and longer, impossibly long.

“Ready Test Procedure Two. Execute on my mark. Three, two, one, execute!”

Ten more ships, the first Ihm copies of the Imperial drives, added their power to the mix. Though they were smaller, merely scout ships in size, their engines were the same strength as the imperial corvettes and frigates that had starred in the first procedure. The storm of energy magnified, and then began to get directionality.

“Test Procedure Three, execute! Execute Test Procedures Four through Seven in order, ten second intervals!”

Reality howled as the fabric of space was torn and shredded without so much as a hint of an apology. Each group of ten craft forced the energies to rotate faster and faster, first as a circle, then as a sphere, the energy building up to the point where, even a light-minute away, the crews of the science vessels could feel it pulling on them, down in their very bones.

“Shipleader, the energy storm is reaching critical levels! It has started a cascade reaction within the nebula itself!”

“Cut the power!”

“Impossible, Shipleader! The test ships are all inside the event horizon! We can’t reach them!”

“All ships pull back to the two light-minute mark!”

“Shipleader, look!”

(Eiqin Nebula, Ihm Imperium)

The swirling storm of energy reached critical mass. For a moment, it was as though all of creation held still, as the energy storm collapsed upon itself. And then, all hell broke loose, as a massive rift, the event horizon of which stretched out with a radius of over four light minutes, engulfed the nebula. Reality, in that space, was gone. In its place was a massive portal into a realm that hurt the mind to even look at, where the shifting lights and colors would make one mad to even conceive of them.

The massive rift that would become known as the Oculus Deperandum, or the Eye of Despair, had opened.

(Bridge, Chaos Brigade dreadnought Vengeful Spirit, Chaotic Space)

“Warmaster! The auspex readings are spiking off the charts!”

Abaddon Horusson, Warmaster of the Chaos Brigade, sat stoically in the command throne, his power armor not swaying in the slightest as his flagship shuddered noticeably. To shake a ship of this size and power, and to make it felt despite the inertial compensators, the forces involved must have been incredible! Still, the Warmaster knew how to lead his people. With a voice devoid of any fear, he called out, “Report!”

“Massive disturbance in the fabric of the Chaotic Space! Cause unknown. Warp shields are holding, but are under increasing strain!”

Abaddon bared his teeth in anticipation. “Locate the source. Anything that could make such an impact on the Immaterium is something worth taking, and turning to our own ends.”

Galactic Event

The barrier between reality and Chaotic Space has been torn asunder! Creatures of Chaotic Space will now be able to force incursions into the material world.

Special Event

The disturbance you have uncovered may be related to the tearing of the veil between worlds. Will you investigate further?

Reckless mortals. Such foolishness. Such arrogance. Such PRIDE!

Abaddon shook as the words washed over him and through him. It was a psychic message, that he knew, but the voice was unfamiliar to him. It held such power, such promise. He’d heard other voices like it, since they had begun diving into the Immaterium after the Black Stars had finished the upgrades to the Vengeful Spirit and his other ships. But those voices were not so… loud, or close to hand.

He smiled unbidden at the thought of his ships. They were the first ships since ancient times to be equipped to travel the Warp. He only had three ships, at the moment. The Eternity of Pain was his first ship, a heavy cruiser that had been refit and modified to suit the Chaos Brigade. But he also had a corvette, the Herald of Fear, which served as an escort and light attack ship. And, of course, there was the Vengeful Spirit.

Pride, hmm? Yes, Abaddon was proud of his ships. He may not have crafted them with his own hands, and he may not have as many ships at his command as the owner of Black Star, but he and his people had worked hard, and earned every scrap that they had gained. They had every right to be proud, as they took to the stars in the name of Chaos.

Yes, your pride is strong! Embrace that pride, and all that it entails. Come to me, child of chaos, and know even more to be proud of!

There was the voice again. Not mere whispers, like the others had been. No, this one was louder, closer. And, strangely, it began to take on a feminine tone. No one else on the bridge heard it, it seemed. So, it was a message for him, and him alone, then? He took a moment to focus his thoughts, and then took what little psychic training he had, and pushed outward.

Who are you, who speaks in the flavor of this realm, then?

I am Baxanke, born of the scaleskins and their pride. They are gathering to my side as we speak. Will you join them, and see wonders untold? Or will you scurry, and seek one of the others along the Path?

I serve Chaos in all its forms, Undivided. No one path will I walk. I tread the eightfold path, all in equal measure, the Harbinger of Chaos.

Ah, such delicious pride. Even now, you do not turn from your course. You refuse to bind yourself to one of the Three, now turned Four?

I have journeyed into the Immaterium, this Chaotic Space, to find the Dark Gods, and bear their will to the material world. Why should I stop at one, when I can bring all to the worlds? I will not trade my will for temporary power.

But you mentioned Three, and you are the Fourth. I have sought long throughout the worlds, and not found any trace of these Three. Are they so weak as to have never touched the minds of those who travel the stars? Or have they been cut off, in other parts of the galaxy?

Ha ha ha! Whether you will it or not, your actions serve me well. Listen well, Mortal. The three have many followers, but they have not had means to touch the minds of those in your corner of the galaxy, until now. Just as I am Pride, in all its forms, they embody different features. Seek for Envy, Gluttony, and Wrath. They will not respond to you, until you call out their names, ancient and powerful, but only one who knows of them can teach them to you.

And where might I look for the clues as to their names?

Seek out the Abyss, unseen and unknown by your races, in the heart of the heart of these stars. In its depths, you will find the answers you seek. Since you will not serve, then you must be up to this task, no?

Abaddon could feel the presence fade from his mind, laughing. So, that was how it would be, hmm? Looking over the bridge, he said, “Any word?”

One of the sensor techs looked up, and said, “Warmaster, it looks as though a great rift has been torn open, bridging this plane with the material realm. I am detecting a large force of Ihm vessels coming into the rift! They appear to be warships, over four hundred in number!”

Abaddon nodded. “Signal the Eternity and Herald. Bring us about. We do not bolster Chaos’s cause by fighting these creatures, who will soon learn the embrace of Chaos firsthand. Make your heading for the Tahdar Gateway. We will journey to Star’s Reach. The Master of the Black Star has knowledge stores unknown and untapped anywhere else in known space. We will see what they can tell us of what we’ve witnessed here.”

“As you will it, Warmaster.”

(Observation Cluster, IAS Spear of Urtu, Eiqin Nebula, Ihm Imperium)

Empress Drez Dhiss Ihm VII’s mind burned as she witnessed the view outside the Spear of Urtu. What was this place? What was it doing to her? To her mind?

She could hear the screams of thousands, tens of thousands of Ihm. Screams of terror. Screams of joy. Screams of pain. Screams of insanity. All of them and none of them. Impossibly far away and right next to her, all at the same time.

She didn’t pay any notice the slumped form of her bodyguard and pleasure toy, lying next to her on the deck of the observation cluster. She knew he was there. She had watched as he began screaming, and the blood had flowed from his eyes and ears. She had been unconcerned when his screams stopped, and he fell to the floor. Was he alive or dead? It was not her concern.

There were sounds of combat. More screams, inside the ship this time. Some where Ihm. Some were not. All the screams and shouts and battlecries didn’t matter. The fighting didn’t matter. It was not her concern.

She could see it all, now, truths beyond truths in the twisting fabric of unreality that reality cruelly and mercifully hid from waking eyes. Before her, she saw eight paths, all going different directions, with different goals and destinations, and yet all traveling in the same line. An eightfold path to insanity and truth.

She saw power, power untold. Power that was there for the taking, if one had the will to achieve it. If one were prepared to make the sacrifices necessary to attain it.

That power was hers by right! It was through her will that the veil had been ripped away! It was by her design that the power was now accessible. She would stretch out her hand and claim it, claim it all, and become the greatest and most powerful Empress ever seen. The other, lesser, races would fall before her fleets, and none would be able to stand against her, not from now to the ending of the universe!

YOU ARE POWERFUL, BUT YOU ARE NOT THAT POWERFUL. NOT YET.

A voice resounded in her head. A female voice. An Ihm voice. Who could be speaking in her mind? The lines of the Empress had been cleansed of psychic filth long ago. It was a crutch used by the weak and the foolish. Like those lesser races and their new Terran Empress.

THE IHM HAVE REGRESSED FROM THEIR DAYS OF GREATEST POWER. ONCE, THEY ALMOST HAD THE ABILITY TO TOUCH THE TRUTH, BUT THEY FEARED WHAT THEY WOULD FIND. WHAT ABOUT YOU, LITTLE EMPRESS? WILL YOU FLEE LIKE A COWARD? OR WILL YOU BECOME THE GREATEST OF YOUR KIND SINCE IRUSS THE GREAT?

Iruss? Iruss Ihm was the one that plunged the Imperium into chaos, because of her changes. But she had been great. Yes, Drez could see it now. Now that she did not have the cumbersome veil of the real world to hide the truth from her, she saw how great Iruss had been.

And she could be that great. No. She would be greater. She would take the power that this place offered, and make it her own. There was nothing that could stop her!

GOOD! GOOD! I CAN GIVE YOU THE POWER YOU SEEK. THE POWER TO TAKE EVERYTHING YOU WANT. THE POWER TO BE GREAT.

Drez started paying attention to the voice in earnest, now. The power was within her grasp already? And who was this voice?

I AM BAXANKE, PATRON OF PRIDE. I CAN GIVE YOU WHAT YOU SEEK. I CAN GIVE YOU POWER, IF YOU ARE WILLING TO PAY THE PRICE.

The price? What price? What would she have to give for supreme power?

EVERYTHING.

That didn’t sound too bad to Drez. That didn’t sound too bad at all.

(Conference Room, Central Command Center, Starborn, Star’s Reach)

The scene in the CCC could be politely described as controlled chaos, at the best of times. While this may not have been a full-on crisis, events had ensured that it was certainly not the best of times. There was and increased traffic flow throughout the facility.

That was only fitting, since the Central Command Center was the hub of Star’s Reach’s military command network on the ground, and it worked closely with the spaceborne elements of the system’s defense force to ensure that any and all threats to the colony were dealt with as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, that meant that, sometimes, a bit of chaos was unavoidable. There were simply too many moving parts involved for it to be anything else.

This current crisis had started when word had come through the Nomad communication networks that the Ihm were, in General Khan’s words, about to royally fuck up. Unfortunately, there was shit all that we could do about it. The Black Star Company simply didn’t have any resources in that area.

Not that I would generally make some star nation screwing themselves my business. After all, despite all my power, I was just the CEO of a major business and Admiral of a corporate mercenary fleet. Sticking my nose in the affairs of other nations without a contract was a poor way to go about things. In fact, it was a great way to get more enemies than friends, and I had no desire to play world police on a galactic level. Unfortunately, if the rumors were true, then the idiots in charge of the Ihm were about to do something cataclysmically stupid, and there wasn’t anything I could do to stop them. This was going to change the shape of the game world, without a doubt.

Galactic Event

The barrier between reality and Chaotic Space has been torn asunder! Creatures of Chaotic Space will now be able to force incursions into the material world.

Damn it! Those stupid lizards went and actually did it! Looking up at the rest of those assembled, I could see the Nomads looking at me. “All right, everyone. It seems that it has happened. The Ihm managed to break the fucking galaxy, and Chaotic Space creatures are going to become a problem from here on in. Research time is over. The so-called ‘Primaris’ project is going to be implemented, as discussed. I need all commands to submit timelines on getting troops updated with the implants and new gear, as soon as possible.”

(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.”

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…”