Alright here's the first chapter of Empire Beneficiary.


"Planet G6-42 in quadrant two, galaxy seven is no longer under our control. Our link has been severed, we are at risk of losing the entire planet."

The top Advisors were clustered at the Central Citadel at their homeworld of Vericon, a planet that was in another galaxy from Earth. The central citadel dominated the entire landscape of the completely industrialized planet, stretching as far as 12,000 kilometres into the atmosphere.

Vericon's once natural beauty had been spoiled once the Advisors had developed machinery capable of exploiting a planet of its resources. After that, Vericon had been turned into a mechanized hub of activity. The surface had been left so badly scarred that the only way for the Advisors to live was to construct towering structures. They had started a new life, in the sky.

While their machinery had literally destroyed most of their planet, it had provided them with advanced technology. Using that as a weapon, the Advisors began conquering other worlds, depleting them of their resources. The resources would then be used for the conquest of other worlds. It hadn't taken long for the Advisors to form a vast galactic empire, enslaving others on conquered worlds and transferring them to wherever they were most needed.

A group of such servants were working in the central citadel, performing their strenuous labour. The building's masters conversed to one another through telepathy in the Central Chamber. The room was a large circular chasm, with holographic display panels giving constant readings on the status of every operation, everything from power levels in the central citadel to updates on the condition of every planet under Combine control.

The enormous life-forms occupying the room closely resembled large slugs. They featured a bloated, circular body and light green skin. Grav- thrusters mounted on their gray suits allowed them to hover at the top of the chamber as they continued conversing.

"Rumours have begun to spread; several battalions already suspect that our strength is failing. We must re-occupy the planet."

"Perhaps your attention has drifted," A second Advisor said with an exasperation that managed to be heard even through telepathy. "We cannot reinforce the local garrison. The portal failed to form, they are on their own."

"That is precisely the problem." A loud voice boomed into the minds of the others. A colossal Advisor emerged from the dark areas of the room, the life-form was ancient for its kind. The creature had seen a millennia pass in its lifetime, including the rise of the Combine Empire.

This Advisor was easily five times larger than its normal fully-grown counterparts. It was the Alpha of its kin, and the ruler of the Empire.

"The assistance of our contact would allow us to re-occupy G6-42."

"With respect Alpha, I do not believe that such a step is necessary. In the grand perspective, the loss of the planet is insignificant compared to the expansion of the Empire," another Advisor conversed through telepathy.

"True, but this incident is already close to sparking revolt among the other planets. I will not let this empire, which has stood for over a hundred years, collapse because of inferior species. We will reoccupy the planet. Now!" The Alpha's telepathic voice was loud enough to make the other Advisors submit to his will.

"None of you are old enough to remember," The Alpha continued, "but there was a time when our species was enslaved to another. I will not let history repeat itself, the empire must be kept intact; if we are to remain strong."

"Unfortunately our contact has disappeared, his location is unknown."

"Then we will have to find him." The Alpha responded, "Probe the continuum for the entity, I will not let this opportunity pass by."

"By your will Alpha, but it will take time" the remaining Advisors responded.

Twelve years later

"Always aim for the centre of mass!" Barney barked, straining to be heard above the dozen or more pulse rifles. Rebel recruits adjusted their aim on the small cardboard cut-outs before firing again.

With a few battalions worth of Combine still occupying the planet, military service had become a mandatory requirement for between ten and fifty. To that end, Barney and a few others had been selected to train a new generation of troops. Makeshift training facilities had been haphazardly constructed out of old warehouses. Weapons training, physical endurance, and melee combat were prime focuses in Barney's new training program.

Since no citizen, of those still alive, had had any military training, Barney had been forced to rely on his own training as a security guard, as well as tricks he had learned through personal combat experience, to create an entirely new program.

"Cease fire!" Barney ordered with a wave of his hand.

The young recruits obeyed instantly, their fingers leaving the trigger of their rifles. They turned to face Barney simultaneously, the butt of their rifles slamming on the ground as their hands gripped the barrel of their weapons. "Sir!" The recruits shouted in unison.

Barney couldn't help but smile as he ran a hand through his slightly grey streaked hair. They'd come a long way in the two years since they'd started. "Training is over for today recruits. Dismissed."

The young trainees, each one only twelve years old, marched out of the brightly illuminated warehouse and toward the nearby residential district. Barney was about to head back home himself when a familiar sight flickered in his peripheral vision, "Kate," Barney called out to the mass of exiting recruits, "Come here."

A twelve year old girl with short cut brown hair and green eyes marched away from the others toward Barney, her downcast eyes giving away the fact that she knew what this was about. "What are you doing here?" Barney asked when she was only three feet away.

"I'm training," she simply stated.

"I'm aware." Barney replied as he circled around her, "I'm also aware that a certain mother of yours has specifically instructed me that you are not to be trained, correct?"

"Correct."

"So let me ask you once more, why are you here?"

"I want to fight the Combine, and defend my people."

"I see." Barney paused before he looked down at her, "take me to your father."

"Why?" Kate asked, a flicker of surprise crossing her face.

"Do friends need excuses to see one another?" Barney asked evasively.

"Normal friends, no. You, yes."

"You take after your mother for too many things," Barney said with a small smile, "C'mon."

"How did you know I was here?"

"Didn't your mother give you her cube necklace when you were eight?"

"Yes," Kate said with genuine puzzlement, "But you haven't answered my question."

"Haven't I?"

Kate led Barney toward the waiting residential district, the cluster of salvaged one story homes was a temporary base of operations.. But in the twelve years since the destruction of the Borealis, this "temporary" refuge had become the central hub of all outgoing rebel strike teams. The base was officially designated as Carsile Arsenal, but its codename was 'Eagle Point.'

The layout was designed so that a reinforced concrete bunker sat in the middle. Around the U-shaped bunker were clusters of houses, each one inhabited by a soldier's family. The fifty kilometre square shaped settlement was enclosed by a large ten metre tall steel wall, held in place by various support beams. Watchtowers were placed every two hundred feet, small square shaped buildings were built underneath the towers on the inside of the wall. The structures garrisoned up to fifty rebels at a time, allowing for a quick reaction force in the event of a large assault.

Large blast doors started to open when Barney and Kate were two hundred metres away, steam could be seen escaping from large vents as hydraulic pumps forced the heavy doors apart. A squad of rebels stood outside the gate with another platoon up on the wall above. Their weapons were lowered but the weapons were held in their hands, ready to fire without hesitation. Barney handed over his ID card when prompted without complaint. A rebel took the card and swiped it through a nearby keypad, waiting as the system processed the information

Barney had no problems with all the extra security, particularly since Combine stealth troops had penetrated this base's defences four years ago. Only the quick response forces had managed to put the platoon of camouflaged troops down before they sabotaged any critical systems.

That incident had sparked plans for increased security, ranging from more garrisoned troops, to ID systems, to the steel wall; all of which had taken nearly four years to complete. Barney considered the wall to be a marvel of engineering, mainly because it had taken a number of months to find the material necessary to create steel and even longer to move the heavy metallic frames into a wall configuration. But although it was a great achievement, it was also a reminder to everyone that the Combine still occupied this planet. The 'mopping up' action had taken twelve years already and it showed no signs of ending anytime soon.

"Identity confirmed, sir." The rebel said as he handed Barney's ID back with a quick salute.

Barney nodded with a small grin; the rebels garrisoned at Carsile Arsenal were veterans of more than twenty engagements. They were the elite strike teams of the resistance and the only ones who behaved like trained military soldiers, in addition to Barney's trainees.

"So where's your father?" Barney asked Kate as the two continued moving into Carsile.

"Over at the lab most likely," she responded.

It took fifteen minutes of walking before the lab was in sight. The building was positioned next to the bunker, it featured a hardened steel exterior with an even tougher blast door entrance. It looked small on the outside, only about the size of a large shed. But that was because the rest of the structure was excavated underground. Doctors Kliener and Magnusson had designed the place from scratch, but even though they had divided up the work Magnusson considered the structure to be his.

As Barney and Kate passed through an array of scanners, everything from finger-print to retina, Barney remembered that this deceivingly small looking structure had taken nearly as long to build as the steel wall. Magnusson had once remarked that his lab was the only thing that prevented the rebels from becoming a bunch of militaristic drones, a remark that Barney had countered by telling Magnusson that their 'army of drones' were the only thing preventing the Combine from assaulting his lab.

A lift cart continued to carry its two occupants into the depths below, the only source of illumination being bright floodlights. After five minutes of listening to the constant sound of a turbine generator Barney was instantly attracted to the sounds of distant conversation. He strained his ears to pick up the words:

"I still think it should be calibrated with a rotating modulation."

"Proposing the same flawed strategy over and over won't change my position Kliener." A voice that could only belong to Magnusson spoke with exasperation.

"You haven't even looked at my calculations," Kliener responded with equal exasperation.

"I don't need to Kliener, I know a flawed idea when I hear one."

Kliener's response was cut off when the lift cart came to a grinding halt some thirty metres away from the pair of bickering scientists. "Hey doc," Barney called out his familiar greeting. As he and Kate moved closer Barney looked at Issac Kliener, he'd still never gotten used to the fact that Kliener looked almost the same as he did twelve years ago. The exceptions being a few more lines around his wrinkled face and a new prescription to counter his deteriorating vision.

"Do you know where my Dad is?" Kate asked Kliener somewhat abruptly.

"I believe he's in Sector H," Kliener responded, apparently unfazed by the sudden query.

"I asked to speak with her father," Barney said by way of explanation.

"I see," Kliener said before turning towards Kate, "What have you done now Kate?"

"I've just been my usual self."

"O Fie, I'd hate to think what you've been up to," Kliener cried, referring to her knack for causing trouble.

"I'm shocked that you'd even consider such a thing, doc."

"I'm sure you are," Kliener responded with a laugh before returning to his work.

Barney bade goodbye to Issac before following Kate as she led him toward Sector H. If Barney didn't still remember taking the lift cart down here he could have sworn that the lab was built on the surface. Tile floors, fluorescent lighting, and concrete reinforced walls made the place feel as though it were built right next to the bunker above. Of course, the absence of windows reminded people exactly where they were.

The lab was mainly manned by those who were either too old or too badly injured to fight the Combine in the field. Though there were a few exceptions to this rule, some people would demonstrate skills that were essential to scientific advancement and they would be transferred to a designated field with the lab. Such was the case with the person Barney planned on meeting.

Kate led the way through a maze of blast doors and numerous security barriers, so much so that by the time Barney got to the door outside Sector H, he wasn't in a very good mood.

After Kate slammed her hand down on a finger-print scanner, with more force than necessary, the metallic barrier blockading entrance to their destination raised up into the ceiling above. Barney noticed a black label pasted to the wall on his right. It read:

Sector H: Prototype Weapons Design and Testing

Barney glanced around the inside of Sector H, it featured a collection of firing ranges where veteran rebels test-fired the new weapons at bulls eye symbols. A wide range of benches were placed near firing ranges, each one filled with prototype weapons ready for testing. The opposite side of the room was filled with workbenches, each one was occupied by someone assembling new prototypes, or making adjustment on existing ones.

"Dad!" Kate almost yelled as she ran toward a man in a traditional white lab coat who was giving orders to a few people who were adjusting weapons.

Those orders almost drowned in his throat when his daughter slammed into his side with enough force to make him sway in place while he tried to regain his balance. "Try giving me more warning next time Kate," he said while he pried Kate from his body and gave her a proper hug.

Barney walked over to Kate's father and shook his friend's already outstretched hand, "Good to see you Gordon." The only difference in Gordon's appearance was that he had shaved off his moustache, and that his regular outfit seemed to be the lab-coat rather than an HEV suit.

"Barney, I haven't seen you in a few weeks," Gordon responded.

"That's probably because you're either working down here, deployed against the Combine, or you're spending time with your family. Speaking of which how is Alyx anyway?"

"She's fine, that's about as much as anyone can say these days." Gordon replied, his thoughts drifting to the Combine.

"Don't worry about the Combine, we've liberated enough people. Their territory is continuing to shrink, it won't be long before everything is ours again."

There was a short pause before Gordon said "Why are you here anyway Barney? I get the feeling that this isn't just a social visit."

"Well, your daughter was at training today." Barney said matter-of-factly.

"So?"

Barney's mouth almost fell open in shock, "I was under the impression that Alyx didn't want Kate to be training."

"True, Alyx doesn't. But I do."

At this point both Kate and Barney were completely shocked. Kate was the only one brave enough to break the lingering silence, "You do?"

Gordon grinned at his daughter before he said, "Yes, I do. The Combine may have lost most of the major cities but they still have more than enough forces to deal with us. Everybody is needed, everyone."

Barney raised an eyebrow at his old friend, "I always thought it would be the other way around."

Gordon laughed and said, "So did I Barney, so did I."


Advisor K-34 made its way toward the Central Chamber of the Alpha, it had been twelve years since he had ordered a search for the Eldritch entity. In that time, local insurrections had cropped up on more than thirty planets. All of them had been quelled but the incidents had served to highly agitate the Alpha.

K-34 was heading to the Alpha with the location of the Eldritch entity, information that he hoped would calm the Alpha down. At least enough where he would stop sending out angry vibes through telepathy.

34 had barley just ascended to the Central Chamber when a loud voce boomed inside his head, "Why are you disturbing me?!"

"I bring you news of the entity's location, Alpha."

"Indeed…..the translocator coordinates?"

"Universe two, galaxy three, quadrant two, sector five, at 18 mark 27 mark 6."

"You may go."

"At your command, Alpha," 34 responded telepathically before descending back to its assigned position.

The Alpha keyed in the coordinates and then proceeded toward an immense teleportation system. It was the pride and joy of the Combine Empire, the translocator. The device had been designed with the ability to teleport life-forms onto different galaxies and even entirely different universes.

Of course, the catch was that it was a one-way trip, once the translocation was complete there was no way of coming back. The difference this time was that the entity's abilities would allow the Alpha to be transported back to Vericon.

Rings of light engulfed the Alpha's massive bulk, before his molecules were transmitted toward a new location. The Alpha was slightly startled to look around and see nothing but a black void, the only exception being a suited figure walking toward him.

"What are…..you…doing here." The entity spoke with nothing short of amused curiosity.

"We need your help." The Alpha stated through a telepathic link.


So what did you think?

I tried to keep the identity of Kate's father a mystery for a little while, but I'm guessing that most, if not all, of you figured out that it was Gordon as soon as I described Kate.