Chapter 3

Accessing File: The Gaia Union

The Gaia Union is a stellar power located somewhere in the Milky Way galaxy and is one of the supporting members of the United Stellar Alliance. The Union appears to be similar to the Stellar Alliance with a collection of worlds and cultures under a single banner.

Unlike the Alliance the races of the Union can trace their origins back to Earth. When the Gem Empire tried to colonize the planet, they encountered the planets inhabitants who had a better time fighting off the Grimm then the Gems could. The Gems decided to abduct humans, Faunus, and Mobians to be brought back to their Homeworld in the Diamond Galaxy. While some of the abductees were brought back to the Gem's home planet some managed to escape their cells on the Gem ships and fought back against their captors. However, because of the fighting the ships would crash land on a few planets in a distant part of the Milky Way. The survivors would study the Gem technology and the relics of the previous era brought with them, it helped the inhabitants to advance further than they would have on their ancestral planet and grow without the fear of the Grimm.

Those that survived the crash grew and advanced in the recent centuries, becoming a thriving civilization that eventually took to the stars. While some explored much of the region of space and discovered other worlds inhabited by the descendants of the survivors that also escaped the Gems' control, they tried to reconnect with the other neighboring worlds, others cut off all contact to pursue a policy of isolation or some simply did not develop as fast as the others for one reason or another. When the people of Freleng, the planet that would become the capital of the Gaia Union first entered the space exploration met with the United Stellar Alliance, an alliance of dozens of worlds much like the Union but a larger force in the galaxy that came together for mutual protection from the Gems and other hostile forces and welcomed the Union into the galactic community.

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Accessing File: Eramis

Eramis was an Eliksni born on the planet Riis during an era of peace and prosperity when her people first began to venture out in the stars. During this peaceful time she befriended Variks. However, this peaceful time would end when the Eliksni discovered that they were not the only species in the universe.

On the edge of the Eliksni territory the Eliksni's latest colony met a fleet of Gem ships who laid claim to it. A war was sparked, and soldiers were needed to fight this alien menace. Eramis joined the House of Devils to fight these invaders and from their Eramis' legend began.

She fought with such ferocity that would scare the gods themselves, yet she possessed a rare cunning that was to the highest degree. Able to evade her enemies when cornered and used tactics to steal her enemies' ships and use them against them, earning her the moniker Eramis, The Shipstealer.

After the Gems were driven from Eliksni space the Eliksni themselves would join the United Stellar Alliance. During this time Eramis would meet her wife the artisan Athrys and they had many hatchlings together. Eighty years ago, Eramis and her closest lieutenants planned on usurping control of House Devils from it's Kell Solkis with her as the new Kell. However, Eramis was betrayed by her lieutenant Iliksis, Light Stalker who rated her out to Solkis before her plan was put into motion.

In the attack to capture her Eramis' right two eyes were permanently blinded, and she was sent to the Prison of Elders with her supporters. During her first month in the prison Solkis visited her to gloat that he had her mate and hatchlings killed to serve as an example to any who wished to usurp his rule.

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Accessing File: The Prisoner

In the depths of the Prison of Elders, Eramis is the Kell of No House.

Outside, she was the firebrand of House Devils, the archfiend of the Eliksni's enemies, the Shipstealer.

But here, she has no house. Here, she reigns all on her own.

In the arena, where Eliksni runts, forgotten Gems, idiotic Irkens, and leaderless Cabal challenge her, she rules with a broken Arc spear for a scepter. It's the strongest weapon they'll give her, and she bends it to her will.

No matter how many times the Ether-fat guards try to send her to her death in that arena, she triumphs. She kills their champions; watches the Ether hiss from their masks. Watches their packs break. Watches their Gems shatter. Watches the gel leak out of their suits. She begins to cherish the smell of a good fight. Blood. Sweat. Ether. Fear.

She imagines that one day, a banner will be emblazoned with a broken spear and an inverted crown.

House of Anarchy. House of Riot. House of Eramis.

House of Nothing.

When there is only one Kell, there is no need for houses.

Today, she fights a Centurion of the Cabal's Red Legion. Money changes hands. His pauldrons are scuffed with the memory of battle, and he's been given a War Hammer. He raises it to cheers and peacocks for the crowd.

Eramis tosses her broken spear between her hands, waiting. Two glowing, pinpoint eyes focus on her as the Centurion turns.

He swings the hammer at her, and she rolls out of the way. He swings it again, but she's behind him now and out of his sight line. Like a creature searching for a fly on its back, he struggles to find her. She jams the sparking head of her Arc spear into a notch in his armor and uses the leverage to vault herself onto his shoulder.

He rages like a niirsai beast, all fury and stupidity, and nearly throws her from his shoulders. She tries to pull her spear free, but his giant hand knocks her senseless for a moment. The spear releases at the last minute; she grabs the top. Arc energy bites her palm as she jams the tip of the blade under the edge of his helmet and into his neck.

He screams.

Before he falls, she leaps off and lands on her feet. The crowd never cheers for her. Instead, they whisper.

No prison will hold Eramiskel, they say. Eramiskel is a devil greater than the Devils themselves.

Eramiskel does not know how to lose.

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Xxx

Prison of Elders…

80 years ago

Life in the Prison of Elders was hard and unkind to its inhabitants, whether they be Eliksni or a xeno lifeform. Every day the prisoners must fight to live on, and the slightest bit of hesitation would mean death. Eliksni prisoners were only given enough Ether rations to get them through an entire week and if they prove to be entertaining fighters, they are given a much bigger ration. This was a life that the Shipstealer herself has quickly grown accustomed to.

Eramis sits alone in her cell wearing tan colored armor and tattered Devil red banners. These banners mean nothing to her now. Here in the prison, she has no House to belong to or a House to one day rule. Curse Iliksis and his brood, thanks to him she now rots in this Hell with no hope of escape and with death lurking around every corner.

BANG! BANG!

Someone was banging on her cell door. She approaches the bars separating her from the door and grabs them. Slowly the door opens, and she sees the guards at the side of Solkis. Her former Kell stood before her glaring at her.

"What do you want, my Kell!?" Eramis asks with venom and hatred in her voice as she stared into Solkis' eyes.

Solkis stared back as he now saw a metal plate in his former Baroness' helmet that now blocked her damaged right eyes.

"They are dead." Solkis says.

"What are you talking about?" Eramis asks.

"Your mate and offspring are dead." Solkis clarified catching Eramis' attention. "I had them killed to serve as an example to any who would dare try to usurp my rule."

"No. No! NO!" Eramis said as she took hold of the bars and shook them.

The guards pointed their Shock Rifles at her to get her to stop but Solkis raised one hand to have them stand down.

"You were my greatest warrior and yet you chose to take over my House." Solkis says. "Now you can stay here and fight amongst the lowest filth of the universe."

The door to Eramis' cell begins to close and Solkis walks away.

"Solkis! A thousand Hells await you!" Eramis howled from her cell. "Do you hear me!? A THOUSAND HELLS AWAIT YOU!"

Xxx

Riss-Reborn

Present Day

The memory of that day stops playing in Eramis' head. She looks around to see that she is back on the balcony overlooking the frozen human city and ahead of it is the entity that called her to this back water system. The Black Pyramid, she heard its whispers all the way from Tau Ceti and she brought her followers here. She and her Eliksni were escapees from the Prison of Elders and people who did not wanted to get away from the civil war engulfing their people. They were afraid of the Pyramid and when it revealed an entrance in it, she was the only one brave enough to venture inside it and when she returned, she brought back the Splinter that now gives her power. As the Pyramid sends out Cruxes across the region of this moon Praksis' crews go out to them to get more Splinters from them before they disappear. Speaking of the Technocrat…

Eramis reenters her war room to see him and three other Eliksni standing around a tabke displaying a hologram of the Pyramid. All of them were 12 feet tall but three of them were mostly wearing white. First was Phylaks, the Warrior, her helmet had four horns on it, two on the back going up and one on each side. She has been one of Eramis' most loyal lieutenants and made a name for herself destroying Incursean ships whenever they tried to invade Eliksni space.

Next was Kridis, the Dark Priestess. Her helmet had to horns, one on each side of her head but what stood out the most about it was that on the sides of the respirator were two Splinters. Kridis was born into the House of Devils like Eramis and Phylaks, the three of them had become friends and watched each other's backs whenever danger was near. Kridis was raised on the belief that the Eliksni were meant for a higher purpose and clung on to their collective desire of evolving beyond their current forms.

Then came Praksis, the Technocrat. His helmet was purple and on his back was a rectangular object. Unlike Eramis and her lieutenants he did not come from the House of Devils but rather the House of Wolves. Praksis is a consummate "mad scientist", obsessed with developing new technologies and gathering scientific data with little regard for ethics. During Variks time as a scribe to the House of Wolves he was distrustful of Praksis as he thought he was too young and secretive, while also too self-absorbed in his creations which were his legacy. Praksis' very disregard for ethics was enough to convince Skolas to send him to the Prison of Elders where he was placed in a cell next to Eramis, whom he would later converse with for most of his time in the prison. During the breakout he escaped with Eramis who had convinced him to join her. His inventions had allowed members of House Salvation to utilize the power within the Splinters.

Finally, was Atraks, the Wildcard. Her attire mostly chrome armor and large furs that adorned her shoulders and upper arms. Her helmet had a large amount of blue paint on it and possessed two horns that curved back. She was not born on Riis or any of the colony worlds but rather onboard a Ketch whose members held allegiance to House Devils. She was the youngest member of Eramis' Dark Council and her voice was almost childlike. During the start of the Eliksni's Civil War she joined Eramis after hearing her broadcast messages calling out to any Eliksni who wished not to fight for the unworthy Kells and bright-eyed idealist revolutionaries. Atraks was then instructed by her new Kell to be the voice of reason among the youth of the Eliksni and broadcasted a passionate message saying how she is glad that the social uprising has shown that change must be brought to the Eliksni people and how a soldier like Eramis is the one who can lead their race to a new future.

"The Crux has been acquired and placed within the meeting hall for the rally." Praksis says. "By my calculations, my inventions will make sure that it doesn't disappear from us."

"Excellent Praksis." Eramis says. "Phylaks, you are about to receive your Splinter of Darkness."

"I thank you Eramiskel." Phylaks says as she bows her head.

"And what of Variks and the Terrans my Kell?" Kridis asks the question that was on everyone's mind. "What will we do about them?"

"We must build our forces first. While they do pose a threat to us, we must remember why House Salvation was created in the first place." Eramis explained. "To be the ones who will lead our people to a new tomorrow, not our corrupt Kells who lead from the so called 'ruling' Houses or some welp who has never had to report directly to them. We must not lose sight of the bigger picture or all of this will have been for nothing. And with our growing forces we will kill Variks, these Terrans, and any who would dare oppose us."

The lieutenants all nod in agreement and begin to leave the war room. Eramis presses a few buttons on the table and sends out a transmission.

"To my Eliksni brothers and sisters out amongst the stars and here with me. This is Eramis, Kell of Darkness and ruler of House Salvation. I seek to implore you to abandon your current banners and to join my House. Whether you be from the ruling Houses and their forces or from the Houses that leads the armies of the revolutionaries.

What I am about to reveal to you now is the full extent of how corrupt Craask, Draksis, Skolas, and Solkis, the Kells of Kings, Winter, Wolves, and Devils respectively truly were. When I was a Baroness in the House of Devils, I became one of Solkis' chosen few to know of our leader's greatest secret. They had entered a secret alliance with the leader of the Chimera Sui Generis, the warlord Vilgax himself.

They told him of the on's and goings of the United Stellar Alliance and in exchange he gave them weapons and resources to improve their own Houses. Our leaders are nothing more than traitors to both our race and the Alliance they brought our people into. And to the head of revolutionaries the so-called Kell of House Light. Misraaks, I have heard our people call you the Kell of Kells, the one prophesized by House Rain who would unite the Houses and bring unity to our people. Ha! You may be able to lead a revolution, but can you really lead our people to a new future? You were just a Captain in the House of Wolves taking orders from your Baron. You have never had to report to a Kell before. You do not know how they managed to rule the Houses alongside the Archons and Prime Servitors. For a Kell you are young and untested. You and your revolutionaries should join us, your skills as a Splicer are impressive and like me you know that the ruling Kells are corrupt.

To any who wish to join me, seek out my agents among the stars and they will lead you to me. This is Eramis signing off."

Eramis cuts the transmission and walks toward the exit.

Xxx

Charon's Crossing, Comms Station

Ana and the Exos entered the station to speak with Variks and found him by a window waiting for them.

"Okay Variks. Answers. Now!" Cayde commanded.

"But first you have to tell us how you know about these aliens Cayde." Ana said as she took off her helmet and displayed a stern look.

"I agree." Banshee-44 said in agreement.

"Oh, come on! He's the one that knows what's going on!?" Cayde said as he motioned his arm in Variks direction.

"Yes, but just as much we need to trust him, we also need to trust you." Ana explained

Cayde sighs but relents. "Alright then. Look I'm not from Earth."

"What, so you're an alien?" Banshee asked.

"Yes, but not the sense that your thinking of." Cayde explained. "You see my ancestors are from Earth but over 5,000 years ago an alien race called the Gems came to Earth to colonize it, but they encountered the Grimm and ancient Terrans. Whatever the Grimm are made proved to be hazardous to the Gems and could easily kill them. However, the Gems were surprised by how well the Terrans could fend off the Grimm and abducted some of them and brought them back to their home planet. But some of the captured Terrans broke out and tried to take over the ships which then crashed on a few planets in a remote part of the galaxy. Over the years they studied the Gem technology and began to venture out into the stars. They found each other and created a new government called the Gaia Union."

"So, you're from this Gaia Union then?" Banshee asked. "Why did you come to Earth?"

"I operate as a bounty hunter." Cayde explained. "And since bounty hunting is a complicated profession, I had to make sure that I had every advantage in bringing in my targets 'warm' or 'cold.' But I remembered stories of the Aura and Semblances that our ancestors once had. You see the people of the Gaia Union don't remember how to use that stuff, so I took my ship and came Earth to learn it."

"And you got a little more than what you bargained for." Ana said. "You became a member of Quickdraw McGraw's Statesmen…"

"I'm not an official member since I mostly operate as a mercenary." Cayde interjected.

"And then you got in an accident and became an Exo." Ana said continuing from where Cayde interrupted her.

"Yes, and now can we focus on what's really important." Cayde said as he turned his attention to Variks. "You. Unnatural ice. Eliksni trying to kill you. This moon. Now!"

"Since the breakout at the Prison of Elders Variks has remained in hiding from authorities. They would not understand of why I caused the breakout. With the Civil War about to begin Variks could not risk the corrupt Kells from conscripting the prisoners, they were among the most dangerous individuals in the universe." Variks explained.

"So, you came to Europa to what? Hide from the Alliance?" Cayde said accusingly.

"I will answer for these sins but not until my people are safe from Eramis." Variks said in response.

"Who is Eramis?" Banshee asked.

"A former Baroness from one of the Eliksni's ruling Houses." Cayde explained. "She was a legend out on the battlefield until she tried to usurp power from her Kell and was thrown into the Prison of Elders."

"Variks followed her to Europa to join her. We worked to create a new House for the Eliksni who escaped the prison and for those who did not wish to fight in the Civil War. But that Pyramid called to the Eliksni." Variks said as he pointed to the Black Pyramid outside. "Eramis heard its whispers from Tau Ceti promising her power."

"Wait, are you saying that thing is some sort of living being?" Ana asked.

"Yes. Eramis ventured inside of it and returned with an object she called a Splinter of Darkness." Variks said.

"Darkness?" Cayde asked.

"Yes. From what she learned the Pyramid was from another universe were it was part of a Black Fleet of similar entities. But something brought this one to our universe a thousand years and it stayed here on Europa waiting." Variks explained.

"How did she learn this?" Banshee asked.

"It told her." Variks said as he motioned his staff towards the Pyramid. "With the Splinter she gained control of a power she called Stasis which has allowed her to control ice."

"And here I thought I was done working with ice." Cayde said.

"Eramis had said that the Black Fleet had destroyed our home world's counterpart in its universe." Variks said turning his gaze to the Pyramid. "As a result, the Eliksni of that universe became scavenging nomads trying to survive. While Variks and other Eliksni in House Salvation became distrustful some Eliksni have been granted Splinters and revel in the power that mind-poison brings. Variks had stolen a Splinter and came to the comms station but somehow someone stole it without leaving a trace."

"That's concerning." Ana said with worry in her voice. "Anything else we should know?"

"Yes. Since acquiring Stasis Eramis' goal has become wanting to rule over the Eliksni and conquering the galaxy." Variks explained. "But to accomplice the latter the Pyramid told her of something from Earth that was hidden by the Bray Exoscience team that came to Europa. An artifact with the power to create whatever the user desired."

Banshee's eyes widen as he experiences a memory flash before him. He sees a golden gem and watches it transform into a blacksmiths hammer. The memory ends and he finds himself back in the comms station with the others.

"The Spiral Gem of Creation." Cayde says in realization. "That things here!?"

"Good place to hide an all-powerful artifact." Ana said. "That would explain how my grandfather managed to build all this stuff here. If him or any of his employees could use it, they could create ships that could take them to Europa and build an entire city here."

"Eramis has not yet found the artifact." Variks says. "The Pyramid does not know its location, but it is only a matter of time before she finds it."

"Then we stop her here and now." Ana says as she puts her helmet back on.

"I'm with you Ana." Cayde says as he reloads his hand cannon.

"Me as well." Banshee says as he takes out his sword. "Something about Europa has been gnawing at me. I must have been here before and went through a reboot that made me forget. I will find my answers but not before we take done Eramis."

"Then we are in agreement my friends. Together we will stop Eramis and save the Sol System." Variks says as he turns his attention back to the group.