Josephus Kumal


"Praeter. You have just received an emergency data package from COLCOM. Would you like me to play the transmission?"

To greater human society Josephus Kumal was a ghost. Only a handful of the most privy individuals knew him as Coalition Praeter. An agent outside of the law, working for an agency that did not exist.

He had been selected for his lack of family relations. Undying loyalty to the Coalition. And an obsessive compulsive drive to win. Josephus was a literal sleeper agent. Only activated during times of existential threat to greater humanity.

"Yes Anubis. Is this real?"

"With respect Praeter. But you know protocol. Every mission you receive is... real".

Kumal spent most of his time on ice, with his brain plugged into a quantum computer. During his forced slumber the Praetor performed thousands of reconnaissance missions, conducted hundreds of assassinations, and died more times than he cared to remember. All in preparation for the moment his skills may be needed. Yet the Praeter had never really fired his weapon in real life. In fact he had never performed a single mission in real life. And most importantly, he did not actually know this. Virtual reality and actual reality had long since fused as one in his mind.

COLCOM had deemed this forced isolation and simulation training as a necessary evil. The Praetor Division was also the only military branch with access to Cthulhu technology.

The Cthulhu were an alien race that had threatened humanity a century prior. Millions of servicemen had participated in that war. Yet none of them remembered it. They had had there memories swiped in the greatest cover-up in human history. The Cthulhu had come. Destroyed a distant colony. then been utterly vanquished by the Coalition Star Navy. Now, besides top secret records and a literal handful of senior government officials, military commanders and scientists. It was as if they had never existed. The destroyed colony had been rationalized away as a rebellion that had been over-zealously put down. Which ironically led to so much out-rage; an Outer Planets Alliance had formed in open rebellion to Coalition oppression.

For all intense and purposes the Cthulhu had been a superior race. But without access or understand of the protomolecule; they were unable to create there own Ring network. There kind had been colonizing the galaxy the hard way. At sub light speeds.

Further, quantity and not quality had won the day for humanity. But to many it was far too close of a call. In addition Cthulhu advanced technology terrified government officials. Greater humanity was not ready for wide spread inter-dimensional technology.

The CSN did incorporate some technology into its ranks. Such as Kumal's Black-Widow class Stealth Frigate. With his being named after an Egyptian god of mummification. Anubis.

Outfitted with Cthulhu stealth technology; its defining characteristic was a inter-dimensional drive. The drive allowed him to travel in-between two different dimensions for extended periods of time. Effectively rendering his vessel undetectable, untouchable but still physically present in its parent dimension.

It was the perfect stealth technology.

The ship itself could theoretically house dozens of passengers. But that function was for prisoners or other wanted and captured individuals. Not for crewmen.

The Anubis was plugged directly into Josephus's brain during transit. And if needed it could operate independently. Thanks to a powerful A.I cyber warfare suit. One that would normally control a massive Battle-Carrier.


Josephus opened his eyes and sat up. According to on board time he had been on ice for precisely 150 days, 9 hours and 34.2 minutes. Unsurprising. That was the same time he had always woken up too.

Or was it.

'I am awake for real this time it seems.' Wondered Kumal.

Ironically his constant simulation training had taught him to trust his instincts. And these same skills allowed him beat protocol. And be acutely aware, even if he could not prove it. Save for killing himself. That he was dealing with a real world situation.


"To clarify you have full operational discretion. Good luck Praetor. Humanity is counting on you."

The briefing hologram ended and reverted back to the beginning of the transmission.

"Anubis. ETA at the Shanxi Ring?"

"1 hours."

"And Shanxi actual?"

"Approximately 4 hours. 3 hours if you get strapped in..."

"Is the Navy sending any assets?"

"Affirmative. Naval Task Group 137 is in the slow zone on a course to police the negative side of Shanxi's wormhole. Of course they are unaware of our presence. ETA 29 hours."

"Will I be a lone ranger?"

"Negative. The Shinigami under Praetor Roberta Draper will arrive shortly after us. ETA 4 hours minimum. She has already requested we share intel..."

Josephus strapped himself into his command chair. Foam encapsulated him, giving buoyancy in preparation for high G manoeuvres. As his mind connected to the ship. Every system felt like an extension of his own body. Kumal willed the ship to push an easy 50G's.

The slow zone was a place void of space and time. It was an limitless expanse that ships had to transit through after exiting a system and entering a new system. For the Ring network, it was a grand terminus station of cosmic proportions. However the term 'slow zone' was a bit of a misnomer.

While all vessels couldn't travel faster than a single G. The slow-zone did connect star systems that were otherwise thousands of light years separated in real space. The furthest human colony was only a few days of slow zone travel away. Yet in real space this translated to thousands of light years.

Another advantage of the Black Widow class enjoyed was it's ability to cross the slow zone at well over 1G while a inter-dimensional drive was activated. A tactical and strategic advantage COLCOM was glad it did not have to learn from the Cthulhu.

Josephus Kumal closed his eyes and went over his mission perimeters approximately 33 more times. When he arrived in Shanxi, he would be ready.