AN: I read through Veni, Vidi, Vici multiple times, and realized that I didn't have much of a plot for it. At the same time, I had the simple problem of writer's block/laziness regarding 'The Reclaimer Effect,' so I decided to shell this little chapter out.

Rise of the Terran Empire: CH1 (Prologue)

Terra was one of many. There were literally hundreds of thousands- if not millions- of worlds out in the galaxy that had humans living on it. These humans didn't evolve there- they were seeded by an ancient race known as the Progenitors. The Progenitors fell more than ten thousand years ago, with little left of their civilization. The few outposts containing Progenitor technology were left to rot, and most of them would fade into nothingness in the time that would pass.

Facility AT-402 was just another of these Progenitor outposts, left to its fate. The caretaker of the facility, a Progenitor-created artificial intelligence, lay dormant within the abandoned underground structure. AT-402 was small by Progenitor standards, though it was actually the size of Manhattan, with multiple levels. In fact, it reached seven hundred meters in terms of depth, with labs, construction lines, and multiple storage facilities.

Located on one of Terra's smaller continents, AT-402 was the last bastion of Progenitor presence on the planet.

The caretaker knew nothing of how his masters had disappeared, seemingly without a trace. The last one thousand years of Progenitor history was wiped from his records, and with it most of the advanced technologies the Progenitors had perfected during their millions of years as the premier interstellar superpower. The more 'basic' technologies (which were hundreds of years more advanced than those of 21st Century Earth…at the very least) were still in the databanks, but it would seem that the data would never actually be used.

Facility AT-402 was just another lifeless structure, meant to be lost to time.

Emphasis on the word 'meant.'

The five teenagers continued down the path, two girls and three boys. The chatter between them was rather frivolous, pointless gossip that teenagers and young adults seemed to love indulging in. One of the members of the group strayed a bit behind, still participating in the conversation, but not really putting his mind into it. He felt strangely foreboding today, as if he knew something terrible was about to happen. The grey clouds that promised rain only amplified this feeling. The five were headed to a small beach house, owned by one of them.

For a brief moment of time, he felt compelled to stop and listen, and did so, telling his friends that he would only be awhile. The growl of thunder began booming in the air, and yet he did not seem to mind. Turning to look at the vast ocean north of the vacation island he was at, the boy smiled fleetingly, before his instincts, which had served him well in the past, screamed 'danger.' He wanted to move, to jump out of the way, but his body stayed frozen, rooted to the spot as if someone had cast a spell on him.

Then the lightning struck. Instead of the usual color, the bolt was light blue in color. It was a numerical improbability, nigh impossible in its own rights. Improbable, though, did not mean impossible. Had this gone on like it would- should- have, the boy's brief life would have ended right then and there.

Then again, it was fate always had been a fickle mistress.

Unknown Location
Unknown Date

Imagine the sound of an entire army marching across a field that could amplify the sound a hundredfold, all the while firing their weapons. That sound was nothing compared to the pounding that was going on in my head.

"What the hell did I drink last night?" the question popped into my battered mind almost immediately.

I opened my eyes, and instantly regretted it. The shining white light assaulted my vision, causing me to squint and squirm a bit, before blinking repeatedly, trying my damnedest to adjust my senses.

After a whole minute of excessive blinking, I shifted myself, realizing I was on a soft bed.

The room I was in was also unfamiliar…

As my addled brain came to the foregone conclusion that this was not my room, or any room I knew for that matter, panic began to set in.

The more rational part of my mind that had seen me through lots of tense situations immediately began the mental slapping that brought logical thought back to my brain. Of course, this was after a few seconds of almost hyperventilating.

I scanned the room once more, realizing that it was so…clinical. It was bare, with no decorations. The walls were seemingly metallic, and only a few pieces of furniture could be spotted. There was a small desk, a cushioned office chair, this bed- that was it.

Oh, and the lights…the bright shining lights that nearly blinded me.

As I took in what little I knew of the surroundings, another part of my mind began searching for a way out, but there was just one small problem with that- there wasn't a door in sight.

Damn it.

The Caretaker watched with interest as the being that had awoken him from his slumber rose from the bed that had been in the room where he was placed after appearing at one of the teleportation device's drop-off point. The fact that he was unconscious when he arrived meant that the Caretaker was not able to question him. And considering that the past eleven thousand years of history was missing from the databanks, the Caretaker had a whole ton of questions.

The most important of which was the simple 'how did you get Progenitor DNA into your body?'

That, it seemed, would not be a problem now…

I had been searching for anything that would signal a door for the past thirty or so minutes (at least I think it was thirty or so minutes), and had found nothing for all my efforts.

The walls were seemingly seamless. I say 'seemingly' because one section of the wall- one that I had inspected- suddenly slid downwards, retracting to form an open hallway.

"What the…" my muttered comment was interrupted by a voice that sounded…mechanical. It was disconcerting, especially when you added 'woke up in strange room' and 'retracting walls' into the equation. Hell, it was a minor miracle that I wasn't in a full-blown panic by now.

"Greetings, Inheritor. I am Construct-100592884, Caretaker of Facility AT-402. I have several inquiries that I would like to make," it/he (sounded male, so he seemed for fitting than she) stated.

I stood in shocked silence for a moment, before recovering, though I had to stop myself from gaping like a fish for a moment.

"Wait, wait. Where am I?" I immediately demanded, a little freaked out by this whole ordeal.

"You are in Progenitor Facility AT-402, located on the Progenitor seed world G1S-0004, designation Terra," the 'Construct/Caretaker' replied.

A whirlwind of questions overtook my mind, starting with 'what's a Progenitor' to 'Terra? What's that?' and 'who the hell are you?'

Just then, a hologram of a male…human (?) in some form of…futuristic armor (?) appeared.

"It appears," he stated, "that we both have questions. We have much to discuss, Inheritor…"

AN: So, there it is, the first 'chapter' to the (hopefully) more interesting 'Rise of the Terran Empire.' Veni, Vidi, Vici is now officially cancelled, though this will replace it. Be advised that I will be working on 'The Reclaimer Effect' more than on 'Rise of the Terran Empire,' though I probably will update it soon.

Review if you want to. I won't dangle another chapter for you to get reviews (I'm petty and egotistical, but not that petty and egotistical), but it does help put a smile on my face.

Anyway, thanks for reading!