A/N So I plan on being a bit of a scumlord and posting this story in multiple fandoms as this is supposed to be a big set up for multiple different crossovers. This draws heavy inspiration from Princess Alexandria and her monumental Original Character Christy Taylor in her series Not Myself, 500 Miles, and Adrift which recently got separated into its different fandoms. Can't pimp her stories enough.
A/N 2 While this story technically starts off in the Pitch Black/CoR/Riddick universe it isn't in the canon universe and many gaps have been filled with inspiration from abraxis. abraxis wrote an awesome story in 2004-2005 but hasn't written a piece of comparable size since then. Their story has a robust history and its like an interesting mashup of Riddick and Firefly with political machinations akin to Game of Thrones or some spy movie.
A/N 3! I know I'm dragging on but this is my first story and I'm trying to get all of this out there instead of spread out over multiple chapters. I'm not the best at conveying ideas and I'm trying to work on "show, not tell" when it comes to my writing but it is inevitable that I will need to interject something or another to further explain some complicated concept.
I have decided to have numbered brackets that correspond to info at the bottom of the page instead of me interrupting the flow and having a whole paragraph of world building dumped in the middle of a conversation.
So if you are still here, you are probably the type of person that will FEED ME with reviews.
Super Soldiers, and accidental Interdimensional Travel
Furya has done well for itself by staying off the radar of the big corporations that control most of the universe's businesses, and enforce the interplanetary laws of the land. Furya is a small colony that was established early on in humanity's interstellar career, it's very much a frontier planet. Being a small colony on the fringes of the budding frontier gave Furya certain qualities attractive to those from various dangerous walks of life, from soldiers to criminals to less ethical but well meaning intellectual types.
While these are hardy types of people, Furya is not a forgiving planet. The colonists, due to harsh conditions, having few scruples, and virtually no outside governmental intervention lead to these industrious pioneers using the technology at had to adapt themselves to the environment instead of struggling to adapt their planet to suit themselves.
The use of gene manipulation was a commonplace practice for farmers and their livestock. So they already had everything they would need, and if you really think about it, it's just a life saving medical procedure. Though that's not even mentioning that there already are creatures bioengineered by corporations for use in the security & enforcement sector.
Creatures like the Hellhound™ [1] are perfect examples of human ingenuity, the Slam Security Network created an armored mammal that solves the previously unavoidable disadvantage of such a creature overheating because of extended strenuous activity by creating selective blood flow through their scaled plates, like a biological heat sink. They redesigned the "hair-raising" threat posture with the added ability of raising the scales to aid heat ventilation without the need to sweat. So when a Hellhound is in the middle of a taxing activity such as pursuit or combat it's scales raise and turn red/orange from increased blood flow [2], and this extra heat venting allows for extra muscle mass and increased function. The Hellhounds™ also have vice-like jaws, serrated claws, and a secondary set of fangs that can envenomate and subdue their prey with a paralytic.
While gene therapy and manipulation technology like CRISPR had been used on humans for centuries, it was only on individuals with genetic disorders, never on an entire population. Even though it wasn't a monumental leap technologically it wasn't an easy task, the process started off slow. It was done completely consensually, because the settlers were the type of people to saw off an arm to survive. The first step was adjusting the settler's circadian rhythm to make the population more diurnal ( more active in the early morning and twilight hours, cats, bats, foxes, and many desert animals are diurnal) and prone to take cat-naps throughout the day to conserve energy in the heat. The strategically minded saw this as smart as they'd've [3] had to train themselves to do so anyway. Changes to the population were gradual and persisted over the generations so as to ensure everything was done safely.
The colonial geneticists also added in random bits of genetic information in order to create a more diverse gene pool, they even guided the population toward a more golden skin tone as a way to erase racial lines, and build a more cohesive ethnic group. Once they were satisfied with their subtle "biohacking" as it were, they realized they'd turned themselves into what on most other planets would be considered near death-resistant powerhouses. They had more efficient lungs, muscle function, and vascular systems, more adaptive metabolisms, stronger instincts, and sharper senses. After a few generations the facts surrounding the gene manipulation became less common knowledge. You would learn about if you took an intensive history course or certain medical courses but in general the info stopped being a part of the day-to-day conversation. This relative obscurity was a good thing because it's easier to say that the entire population looks like a bunch of mercs because of mandatory military service rather than unsanctioned mass gene manipulation.
For a long time the life of a Furyan settler was oddly reminiscent of someone trying to survive on the wagon trail going east, and it's amidst this turmoil that Pyrrha arose.
Pyrrha was strapped down in an observation chamber, ready to become the perfect soldier and a valuable member of a team. As she was being sedated, she pondered how she had gotten to this point in her life. Her mother gave her an especially fitting name, as it means "red like fire" just like the vibrant red of her hair and eyes. Her full name is Pyrrha Victoria Morrígan her name is rich in warrior history, named after Pyrrhus and the coined term "Pyrrhic Victory" as well as Morrígan a trinity goddess of war.
With a name like that, Pyrrha grew up with a constant reminder of her culture and the responsibility of each able-bodied individual. Even as a kid it didn't escape Pyrrha's understanding that she lived in a warrior culture. Having that pressure didn't bother her, in fact she thrived because of her competitive and active nature. By the time she was ten years old Pyrrha was confident she could take on the average adult offworlder. At fourteen she hit a gargantuan growth spurt and decided that powerlifting would be her next venture into human optimization. With her large frame and genetically enhanced physiology, she was well on her way to beating Old World records ( there stopped being centralized record keeping for that type of thing ages ago).
Pyrrha was a little different growing up, because she showed signs that she might be psionic there were others within the outpost so she wouldn't've been treated like an outcast. [4]For a long time growing up Pyrrha's parents assumed she just had heavily developed instincts because of how aware she was of her surroundings for such a young age, which is a common enough trait amongst the settlers. As Pyrrha got older it became more and more evident that it wasn't just strong instincts. It wasn't until a few months after her 17th birthday that her powers became undeniably apparent.
It was approaching midday and Pyrrha was wrapping up her morning weight training and preparing to sleep for a few hours to be rested for her evening watch, when she was struck by blinding pain in her head. It felt like a spear was being driven through her skull and the violent prodding was unnerving and just when she was about to scream… It stopped… The sensation of the assault leaving as quickly as it came left her on edge. Pyrrha was about to call for her mother when there was a sudden explosion outside the outpost. Pyrrha didn't waste a second on indecisiveness and rushed outside to see 20 raiders flooding out of their ship like the opening of a sluice gate at high tide.
The audacity of the marauders infuriated her and she let out a war cry as she rushed into the melee. There were two raiders close to her, a man and a woman, Pyrrha didn't think about stopping her charge, she just shouldered into him, ducked his guard, extended her arm across his chest, slid behind him and leaned back putting him in a blood choke.[5] He was out in seconds, she let his unconscious body crumple to the ground for a psychological effect on the woman. While Pyrrha was dealing with the man, the woman hadn't accomplished much except draw her weapon, which was just a stunner.
Pyrrha realized that it was very likely that she was a recruit and was only given a stunner. Thinking fast she said, "You're a recruit right? Why don't you drop to the ground with your hands behind your head and neither of us gets hurt. Ok?" As Pyrrha said this she alse lowered her hands in an effort to appear less threatening.
The woman nodded and put her hands behind her back and Pyrrha got a bad feeling and not taking any chances, decided the deal was off and tackled the woman, rendering her unconscious at the moment of impact with Furya Firma. Pyrrha checked the woman for weapons and found the pistol in her belt she was reaching for. "Figures."
The skirmish had spread out a bit since Pyrrha's last observation, leaving the ship visibly undefended. Seeing this as an opportunity to gain the upper hand while the pirates were occupied and sprinted toward the open cabin bay. As her boots barraged the ramp, the ship's interior came into view. Scouring the cabin and cockpit for any way to quickly disable the ship, she decided that the fastest way would be to remove a power node.
Once at the bottom of the ramp Pyrrha let her dominance be known by holding up the power node and bellowing, "SURRENDER!"
As it turned out, it's not a good idea to have the attention of that many raiders at one time. One of the raiders thinking he could call her bluff, aimed his rifle her direction, assuming she would back down. Pyrrha got that bad feeling again but ignored it because she wasn't going to be challenged. She looked the man in the eyes as she slammed the power node into the ground with her awesome strength. The moment the power node cracked, so did her ribs as a bullet tore through her liver and gallbladder. As Pyrrha fell to her knees, she felt like she was being consumed by heat, and just before consciousness left her, she exploded.
When Pyrrha woke up, it felt like she'd been buried in rubble, "What happened? How long have I been out?" Her mother tried to stop her from sitting up.
Her mother realized that Pyrrha wasn't going to rest until she got a report of what happened. "You've been out for a week, we kept you sedated. Nobody else got seriously injured, the raiders got stomped and are being transported offworld."
"Was I dreaming or did it really happen?" Pyrrha wasn't certain she wanted the answer but felt it was probably better to know.
"Honey, for a long time your father and I suspect that you were special. There's no reason to worry about it, we just need to find someone that can help you control it."
"Ok, but that doesn't answer my question. What happened after I was shot? I felt like I was standing too close to a furnace, and then I erupted in flames."
"Well that's basically what happened, your father saw you get shot and as you fell to your knees you were slowly covered in flames and then everything in a 10 meter radius spontaneously combusted."
As she was healing Pyrrha had a lot of time to think. Before now, she didn't know what she wanted to do with her life but her experience with the raiders made her realize that everything about is built to protect. With this epiphany in mind Pyrrha set about training her newfound abilities until she had a manageable level of control and wouldn't combust if she got a paper cut. She'd even started utilizing her fire while training, that focused mindset and practice exponentially busted her control and by her eighteenth birthday she felt that she was ready for the next stage of her life.
To a Furyan the idea of the Galactic Forces is foreign, yet intriguing. The GF is a lot like an intergalactic peacekeeping corps but they usually aren't politically or martially involved in a planet's government. On space stations and hub planets they are basically a volunteer police force/militia, ready to act at a moment's notice. Which is a good thing because they're highly trained and highly paid, so they aren't bought by criminals. While most planets without a standing military accept the GF's involvement, Furya is not one of those planets. Growing up you hear stories of the Galactic Forces and their Hellhounds™ but it isn't until you visit a hub planet that you realize how integrated the 'hounds are into the Forces. Hellhounds™ basically replace every K9 unit and more.
There are Knights that are big and tough that are bred to have undying loyalty to their handlers, these type of hounds are used in SWAT raids. Blood-Hounds are used as bomb and contraband sniffers. Wardens are made for being a watchful eye, they're what you would use for prisoner and VIP escorts, they're a sheriff's companion. Another type called Lawbringers are bred to be a part of a squad, or a pack, and they go on patrols and are built to track and are used for man hunts, like police chases, robberies, and escapes. Hellhounds™ are integral to the functioning of the police branch of the Forces.
In the Special Forces there are TIGR teams [6] (Threat Identification, and Grunt Rescue) that play a more offensive and comprehensive role of being an assault team and the first line of defense in an ambush when in a squad. A TIGR team isn't just a handler and a hound, they act as a single combat unit, they fight together on the front lines to protect one another. TIGR handlers are only the best of the best but even then they need to go through a process to become the optimum fighting machine. The process is called project NEMEAN and involves heavy genetic modification to make the handler a capable partner to a Hellhound.
This is important information to know because when Pyrrha joined the forces, she had her skills put to the test and was assigned as a handler of a TIGR. Since she had been trained to be a competent warrior her whole life they fast tracked her through boot camp and threw Pyrrha into courses teaching firearms, first aid, and how to bond with and train her hound, these courses lasted about 20 weeks.
And that's how Pyrrha ended up in this chamber, project NEMEAN[7]requires that she be put in a medically induced coma as the changes are applied.
-(#1 When I was explaining the concept of Hellhounds to a friend, I really confused him. This story started of as a fan fic in the Chronicles of Riddick universe and quickly evolved into something else so I probably didn't take enough time to explain hellhounds. They're 100% bioengineered and the wiki says they're a combination of wolf and reptile DNA but for the sake of this story they're Felines like Tigers, Pumas, Lions, and Jaguars. Just look up "Riddick Hellhound" or better yet watch the movie.)-
-(#2 it also serves as a secondary threat response since bright colored animals are seen as dangerous because evolutionarily it says "there must be a reason they aren't worried about being spotted by predators." An example of this is the Poison Dart Frog. But bright colors are also appealing to mates because of similar reasons, it says "they're strong and healthy enough to devote energy to be brightly colored." You could also extend this to make up, jewelry, and clothes in humans. (Sorry if that's too much info to dump, I watched a lot of animal planet growing up)
-(#3 I'm from Texas, I use contractions like "they'd've", sue me (please don't, I'm poor). I try to write like I talk, seems more natural that way)-
-(#4 psionics are like the mutants in the X-Men universe but limited to telepathic, empathic, telekinetic, manipulation of energy like pyrokinesis, or precognition or visions other places. Many psionics have more than one ability. Most people are born psionic but certain people, mostly hyper pilots, develop it later in life. This has led to speculation that conscious exposure to dense hyper fields alters the mind or that whatever it is that allows hyper pilots to remain completely conscious within hyper is a psionic ability. If so, that would make being resistant to hyper the most common psionic ability by far at about 5% of the population. You can think of psionics like force sensitives in Star Wars except where a jedi can do a whole bunch of crazy stuff, a psionic can only do a few.)-
-(#5 /vYC7bHIzuqE )-
-(#6 TIGRs are like Special Forces, SEALs, and Halo Spartans)-
-(#7 Think of project NEMEAN like the super soldier project in Captain America or the Spartans in Halo. But the idea is to create a soldier with the physical capabilities to fight along side a hellhound, and to do that they augment the subject's with Hellhound DNA. The goal is a soldier with increased strength and stamina and having scale armor plates to protect vital organs and increase the effectiveness of body armor. Pyrrha isn't the only subject, the process has been implemented for about a decade.)- I'm leaving this here in case I don't get around to explaining it in dialogue. I'm really bad at dialogue, there hasn't been a single instance of talking (yet, I'm working on it).