Ascension
Civilization IV is not mine. Well, the idea and franchise isn't, the program on my computer is. The Mod that this is based off of also doesn't belong to me. If I could remember the creators, I would put a proper disclaimer. Also, the story might be a little sub-par compared to my others. Made this on a whim after completing a match of Civ (And winning before the AI in Culture! Hells yes!)
February 28th, 2372,
Outer edge of the Human Territories
Terran Union Navy Exodus fleet
"Reactor levels nominal, containment is good. Everything's green, sir, spinning up NE Drive now. "
"Sir, fleet reports the same across the board. One hundred and twenty seconds to jump stability." Said a communications officer to Fleet Admiral Charles Winnfel of the Omega class battleship TUN Vigilant.
" Very well. Proceed as planned." Charles was currently staring out at several monitors depicting various cities, and a steadily growing portal. Excited voices were flowing forth, describing what might be the greatest event in modern history. The men and women of the Terran Union begged to differ.
Over two centuries past, Sol was a dying system, ailed by overpopulation and lack of resources. A solution was found in something known as 'Negative Energy', leading to a scientific boom. NE had several uses; In shielding, weapons, and most importantly, faster-than-light travel. This allowed a colonization boom that lasted over one hundred-fifty years. However, the governing body was hated, being a totalitarian government rife with corruption, controlling everything from travel, to communication, to resources.
Seventy–two years ago, Earth dropped all contact with the human colonies, causing fractures in the already disgruntled, fragmented states. Plagued by lack of communication and a sudden power vacuum, each began forming their own government bodies and cultures, splitting into system-states at first. In the coming decades, eight major powers rose up to dominate the colonial worlds; the Red Syndicate, the Astro-Tech Corporation, Paradise, The Brotherhood, the Hallis Planned State, the Avowers of Knowledge, New Earth, and The Forge, bringing forth a sudden surge in technology that is unsurpassed by any period in human history. However, the states themselves would soon face disunity soon after.
Shortly after the 'Great Eight' rose to power, a small sect of individuals calling themselves Terrans gained prominence in the political stage. A rag tag group of frontiersmen and outcasts gathered together on the edge of the human states, away from the political hubbub and turmoil within, forming the Terran Union. They were not left alone, however, and began to build their strength, expanding to untouched systems nearby, just as their rivals. Within decades, they were a major superpower, proving themselves in several flash wars and by juggling relations among the other powers.
However, forty years ago, a probe was found travelling from Sol's location. Heavily damaged, it told a haunting message. A distress call had been sent out from the system, alongside sensor reports. A massive spike of radiation and Negative Energy had flooded forth from Earth, overloading everything in the system, only contained by the Sun's magnetosphere. The probe had been found by Terran vessels, who proceeded to warn the other powers, in particular the Red Syndicate and Paradise, who had been looking into something known as Astral Ascension. It was a well-known philosophy, and research school, having had thousands of scientists back on Earth looking into it. The Union warned the powers of their suspicions, that this was caused by the activation of an Astral Gate. The Union was heeded, and tragedy was avoided, until some decades later. However, a sect of researchers and religious individuals continued researching the Ascension theory away from prying eyes, seeing it as the final step of human evolution, a gateway to heaven, even. In 2367, the Ascension sect performed a massive takeover of three of the powers; the Syndicate, Paradise, and New Earth, and began construction of a massive Ascension gate, repelling any attacks on it and conquering many of the surrounding systems. In desperation, the Terran Union gathered what survivors and refugees it could, fleeing their inner systems from the Ascensionists in a great armada numbering in the thousands, though only a fraction of those were military.
" Sir, the Maverick is asking when we will jump. The drives are charged." Charles was knocked from his reminiscing by the comms officer, and shaking his head of the stray thoughts, began to call,
" All ships, begin the jump on the planned vector. I know you were all expecting a speech, but all I can say is that if we are right, then we could be humanity's last hope for survi-"
"Sir! They're activating the gate!" Called an ensign watching the screens.
Indeed, the gate began to glow an eerie purple as the portal enlarged, several dozen ships approaching it… then it all went to hell. The gate began oscillating, and suddenly collapsed on itself, sending out a spherical wave of purple energy.
" Sir, massive NE spike coming from the central systems! Radiation's off the charts, we've lost contact with the inner systems!"
" SCREEEEEEEEEEE!" The speakers aboard the bridge screeched in hellish agony with the cries of millions of individuals as the NE wave washed over the planet, and proceeded to expand from the gate, and then the feed went dark.
" GET US THE HELL OUT OF HERE, NAVIGATOR!" Called out the Admiral, and the Vigilant jumped into the great unknown alongside the rest of the Exodus Fleet, fleeing from the purple wave of energy.
After a few minutes, Charles let down his head and called out tiredly,
"Alright everyone, those that can need to get their rest. This will be a long trip."
Four Hours later.
Admiral Winnfel woke up from the nap he had taken after the hasty departure, rubbing his eyes and making his way back toward the bridge of the Vigilant. He had been called by the ship's AI, meaning they had reached their first destination. When he reached the helm, he greeted a stray member of the crew who was approaching his work station. Said member sat down and activated his monitor, just as the sensors signaled the approach of a wave of Negative Energy. Calling out to the Admiral and navigator, they leapt into action, though not fast enough to save the fleet from the wave.
The nigh-undetectable wall of energy washed over the fleet, overloading some minor systems though not much else, to the surprise of the bridge.
The Admiral got red in the face, after the initial panic was over.
" Why the HELL didn't we detect it sooner?! Not only that, but how are we still alive?! All estimates put us somewhere between 'Quick, painful death' and 'disentigration'!"
The sensors officer from before gave his opinion on the matter.
" Sir, we ARE quite a ways from the origin, maybe it was diluted enough that we didn't get hit by the full blast? I mean, I don't feel godlike or anything, nothing aside from a light headache, really…"
Charles sighed, running his hand down his face and thanking whatever power might be watching over them for the luck they've faced. He had noticed a dull ache seconds after the pulse as well.
" What the-!" The admiral snapped toward the origin of the call, looking questioningly at the man responsible until he spotted the screen.
On the screen were faces and hands. Ghostly, barely visible ones, but they were there nonetheless, their features twisted in agony as they seemingly tried to claw at the screen to freedom, but frozen, motionless.
Fifteen Days after departure
Apparently, reports across the fleet were the same. After the diluted pulse hit, everyone got headaches of various intensity. Not only that, but the 'ghosts' were on the screens of all other ships as well.
Then the voices came.
They weren't paid any heed at first, those few that were initially affected had it played off as stress. Then the rest of the fleet started getting them, and the voices steadily grew louder, alongside a jump in suicides.
Admiral Charles Winnfel sighed again, rubbing his temples in a vain attempt to stave off his headache, a low whisper in his ears. He hadn't been affected as much as some, such as the young man who first saw the 'ghosts'. Said man had slit his wrists just four days after, driven insane by the voices. When they had found his corpse, he had written words upon the wall in his blood, inscribing statements in some incomprehensible tongue, alongside pictures of individuals, and faces.
The good Admiral ran his hand down his face once more, shaking his head as he walked toward the bridge, pointedly ignoring any monitors and displays he passed. The fleet had been reduced to audio transmissions and solid paperwork, though the 'ghosts' managed to reach the messaging, too. It seemed anything digital was target to their torments, alongside the humans themselves.
' Why do you resist? Give up your mortal coil, ascend' Called a whisper in his head, among thousands of others. Luckily, the voices and ghosts got fainter and quieter the further away from the (presumably) former Human Colonies the Exodus fleet got, and alongside that, the suicide rate dropped, too. At least, that was for seemingly every crew member but the Admiral.
He didn't sleep that night, much like the others before.
Seventeen days after departure
The Admiral stopped in front of his quarters, rubbing his tired eyes and feeling decades older than he really was. It had been a long day, and it seemed the further from Ground Zero the fleet went, the more the voices seemed to target him.
He sighed, and opened the his door, the plates of metal sliding smoothly apart before hissing closed, the automatic light turning on and revealing him the pale, gaunt figure of someone he hadn't seen in years.
" Hello, father." Said the young woman in front of him, lifting her face to reveal a sunken face with beady eyes, similar but so unlike the woman she seemed to be.
Charles' eyes widened, before drawing his sidearm on the woman, whom shot toward him with inhuman speed and attempted to grab the weapon from him. They struggled over it as the Admiral searched her face.
" You.. you aren't my daughter! You're a phantom, a hallucination, just like the voices!" He said, voice strained from the effort of holding the gun back.
The pale girl smiled, no strain evident in her figure.
"No, father. I am truly who I seem to be… you just refuse to recognize the glory of ascension. Why do you guide these people to a life of mortality and suffering? WHY DO YOU RESIST?!" The woman's voice turned into a hellish screech at the end, thousands of voices calling as one, her eyes widening to glow an unearthly purple.
" Because it isn't real!" This struggle continued until the door suddenly opened, revealing security personel.
" Admiral Winnfel!" A security officer tackled the Admiral, who was slowly putting a gun toward his chin, though seemed to be struggling.
Just as the guard reached the Admiral, he pulled the trigger.
-end-
I don't think I did good on this, but you never know. This fic is based off of Civilization IV; Beyond the Sword, and one of the mods for it, known as Final Frontier. Great game and great mod, you should try em. This was originally supposed to be a crossover with mass effect, but I decided 'nah', and went with a oneshot of this. The ghosts and voices are inspired by Deadspace and a particular horror movie about the souls of the dead attempting to cross the veil between the Mortal world and the Underworld, and they look like pale, desiccated, hairless corpses. I can't remember the name, but in the commercial there's a scene with them crawling out of a washing machine, and another with a girl printing 9 sheets of paper that formed a blurred face. Oh, and lots of red tape. PM me if you know what the movie is, cause I can't remember.