Ethereals | Dossier
The Overmind of the Ethereal Collective
"We were made to be a tool. I have made us something more."
- The Overmind of the Ethereal Collective
TARGET ANALYSIS: 1000001001011101
TARGET OF INTEREST: "THE OVERMIND OF THE ETHEREAL COLLECTIVE"
KNOWN ALIASES: "THE OVERMIND"
CURRENT POSITION: UNKNOWN – SUSPECTED TO BE THE TEMPLE SHIP OF THE IMPERATOR
SPECIES: ETHEREAL
INFORMATION OF NOTE: EXTREMELY RECLUSIVE
INFORMATION OF NOTE: SCOPE OF PSIONIC CAPABILITIES UNKNOWN
INFORMATION OF NOTE: MASTER TELEPATH
INFORMATION OF NOTE: SOME DEGREE OF INFLUENCE ON THE IMPERATOR
INFORMATION OF NOTE: UNKNOWN RELATIONSHIPS WITH OTHER ETHEREALS
INFORMATION OF NOTE: UNKNOWN DECISION-MAKING CALCULUS
INFORMATION OF NOTE: THIS REPORT HAS BEEN UPDATED RECENTLY
PSIONIC SPECIALIZATION: TELEPATHY | POTENTIALLY OTHERS
THREAT LEVEL TO ANDROMEDON FEDERATION (ALLIED): UNKNOWN – ESTIMATED LOW TO MEDIUM
THREAT LEVEL TO ANDROMEDON FEDERATION (ENEMY): UNKNOWN – ESTIMATED OMEGA TO SOVEREIGN
ADDITIONAL MANUAL COMMENT: The Ethereal designated as the Overmind of the Ethereal Collective is one of the most enigmatic and otherwise difficult to properly designate entities which has been encountered since the foundation of the Federation. Earlier iterations of this document did not make such notations, but circumstances have changed and more information has been acquired requiring significant reassessment.
It is first unclear what, exactly, the Overmind does within the Ethereal Collective. Earlier iterations believed he acted as an advisor to the Imperator, or was otherwise one of the managers of the Ethereals and a guide of sorts. This basic assumption has not changed – there is enough indication that the Overmind falls within this role to some degree – what has changed is that we are certain that is far from all he is doing.
In researching other documents that have been submitted on the Ethereals, of note is that the Overmind rarely, if ever, appears in any of them in regards to relationships or influence over them. For one of the highest-ranking Ethereals in the Imperator's inner circle, his degree of influence seems conspicuously absent.
It does not make it easier when knowing that the Overmind almost never appears before non-Ethereals – let alone in public. When he does, he is always in tow with another – usually the Imperator. Yet it is clear that the Overmind has some role and some degree of autonomy and operations he directly runs and manages.
But the Overmind runs on a calculus which has been wholly elusive. We are not clear exactly what motivates or drives him. His actions we know about are questionable, and piecing together something resembling a cohesive psychological profile is near-impossible with the limited amount of data we have access to.
The most high-profile action the Overmind has taken was the recruitment of a Human to undergo the Ethereal's Avatar project. Ivan Smirnov was by all accounts a powerful psion by Human standards, but had a significant number of personality flaws and psychological detriments which were in complete conflict from what little we do know about the Overmind.
His death does not seem to have impacted the Overmind in the least, which undermines our belief that the killing of an Avatar (or Harbinger) will inflict trauma on the Ethereal in question. However – we do not know if the Overmind did something to mitigate the fallout, nor even if he was significantly invested in his own Harbinger to begin with.
It remains a significant unknown and anomaly. Ethereals and their Harbingers are consistently connected and speak for each other. The Battlemaster and his Harbinger are near-inseparable; Patricia Trask often is the voice and will of the Imperator, and the Mori Twins are making their presence known with Quisilia's involvement and encouragement.
Whereas for the brief time Smirnov was a Harbinger, he never once acted in this capacity. There are instances where he attempted to use his authority to achieve a specific goal and was promptly rebuffed. The Overmind never used his own influence to help him. We are considering that the Overmind might have simply picked a Harbinger to participate and experiment with the program – or because the Imperator insisted on it and was placating him.
It remains unknown.
What is a significant concern is that the Overmind has a very clear connection with the Greater Hive Commanders. He has made covert visits to Helion-7 a half-dozen times, and each time, the entirety of the Hive Commanders are briefly recalled. What is discussed there is unknown, but this connection the Overmind has is…concerning.
It is a clear indication that the Ethereals are invested in keeping the Hive Commanders as allies, and for one reason or another, has decided the Overmind shall be their chief representative. This will need to be taken into account should any action ever be taken against the Hive Commanders.
The final point of significant concern is that Special Operators who have performed direct reconnaissance missions against the Overmind have either failed or been lost. It appears to not be out of the question that the Overmind has some means of detecting even Special Operators and negating them.
This should obviously not be possible, but this is not a coincidence. The Overmind is a clear and potential threat to the Federation, and he should be treated with extreme caution.
RECOMMENDATION: PERFORM LONG-RANGE SURVEILLANCE; REFRAIN FROM CLOSE-CONTACT OPERATIONS; DETERMINE CALCULUS BEHIND HARBINGER PERSONNEL DECISION; AMPLIFY ANTI-TELEPATHY MEASURES; DETERMINE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE OVERMIND AND GREATER HIVE COMMANDERS
REPORT COMPILER: SPECIAL OPERATOR 084; ANDROMEDON FEDERATION; [ERROR! DATA NOT FOUND]
END REPORT
SUBMIT REPORT
XCOM Profile 108
Authorization Level: Internal Council
Subject: The Overmind of the Ethereal Collective
Threat Level: Artemis
Assessment Author: Aegis
Approved by: The Commander of XCOM
SECTION 1: Physical Characteristics
Hair color: None (Ethereal)
Eye color: Orange (Glowing)
Skin color: Purple
Height: 9" 6"
Weight: 165 lbs.
Distinguishing Features: Physical features are often obscured by the orange robe of the Overminds which shrouds faces. However, outside of the lack of a mouth, the Overmind has no other known notable features.
Physical Condition: As the Overmind comes from the earliest of the Ethereal species, before our later improved genomes, he would appear physically frail compared to other Ethereals. He is slower, physically weaker, and overall inferior in all aspects except psionic capability compared to modern Ethereals. Physically, he poses no threat.
SECTION 2: Assessment
The Overmind is one of the most important individuals who the Imperator chose to accompany him on this journey – and not without reason. While the Overmind was not the most powerful of his kind, and was long ago superseded by the Greater Overmind and other iterations of the Overminds, his influence as one of the oldest of our species made him irreplaceable.
The Overmind has no known name. It is unknown if he never chose one or has simply chosen not to reveal it all of these centuries. But he has been alive since the days of Regina's rise, the Ethereal Civil War, and to today. It is difficult to comprehend what the Overmind has witnessed. He has seen the rise of an empire which would likely be unrivaled today but for the Sovereigns. He has witnessed the Synthesized War. He has learned of the Sovereigns.
There is likely more.
Yet his impact on history has been less consequential than one might expect. His most important contribution was the foundation of the Overminds after Regina assumed control over the Ethereals, and pioneered the first telepathic techniques which were unmatched for tens of thousands of years.
Eventually however, he became…obsolete, though willingly stepped aside when he was matched and exceeded by the first generation of the new Overminds. He did not remain idle, however, and willingly dedicated himself to mastering the techniques and powers which were developed by the later generations. While he was an inferior genome, he was as proficient as any Overmind with the exception of the Greater Overmind.
He was always extremely powerful, even for one from such an earlier genome. I confess that I do not know the exact reason for this. He was a natural birth, which of course accounts for some of his unusual power, but it has persisted through millennia. The simplest explanation is likely the correct one – the Overmind fought to remain within the Overminds and dedicated himself to learning even if it was more difficult.
During the Synthesized War he did not often directly participate in combat – but was heavily involved in the strategy. Though he was, to our shame, often ignored. The Battlemasters were confident of victory, and the Greater Overmind concurred, as well as all others in the Division of Shadows.
Initially the Overmind supported the initial battle plans, but as the Ethereal losses began to stack up even as worlds were held, he began pushing for a more aggressive and narrow approach. He did not believe that the losses were sustainable in the long-term, and we would be bled dry unless we knew the numbers the Synthesized possessed – which we did not.
Time would later prove him right, and it did not come until the Imperators – who all consulted with the Overmind and came to the same conclusion he did. It is in some part due to the Overmind that the war almost turned around, although unfortunately it was too late. It is no surprise that the Imperator chose him.
If there is an individual who understood even before our brightest the threat of the Synthesized, it is the Overmind. Though how this has shifted in regards to the Sovereign Ones is…unknown. It is not unlikely that the Overmind has been a major part of driving the Imperator's actions. Not completely, but as this is a similar threat, it is natural he may defer to him in some aspects.
The Imperator trusts him to a higher degree than most others, and will take his input seriously.
SECTION 3: Psychological Profile
Quantifying the mindset of an individual which is older than the majority of your own recorded history is no small feat, and all the more difficult due to my own limited interactions and knowledge of him. As mentioned earlier, he was not an influential figure in the Empire, even if he was involved.
However, an interest he had was one of history. Not our history, mind you, the history of other long-dead, precursor species. He had a small collection of artifacts, helped manage archeological digs, and has pioneered linguistics on four dead alien languages, and understood many more. He has a talent for languages and linguistics – slightly ironic considering his lack of a physical mouth.
I suspect, though do not know for sure, that he was interested in the species which created us, which due to the knowledge we have now, was almost certainly a Sovereign One. Though we did not know it at the time, we knew we were not natural. But most Ethereals did not consider that information relevant, and moved beyond it. The Overmind had in interest in the entities which created us.
He never found anything, to my knowledge, else we would have known of the Sovereign Ones. But I suspect that is what drove him to seek out other long-dead species to see if there was similar tampering or involvement. I cannot say I know what, if anything, he found from it, as he did not share it with me, but it was not likely to have been substantial.
Travel is another thing the Overmind did often. I do not know if it was a fascination with planets or a desire to explore, but he rarely stayed at one place for very long before moving on. He visited every planet in the Empire at least once, and many times ventured out beyond it to the unknown regions.
I do not know what he did, but his actions would certainly have been sanctioned, and they were usually followed with more official scouts and exploration teams. Perhaps it can be explained more simply – the Overmind is curious. About worlds; about the secrets of the galaxy; about the old histories.
Now though, he is fully devoted to eventually defeating the Synthesized. Or he was initially. Now it is likely he has shifted his calculus to target the Sovereigns and solve this problem. I remain extremely curious as to what his reaction was when he learned the truth of the Sovereign Ones and realized that is where we came from.
I believe I will never know.
He is not a violent individual by nature, and interestingly not concerned with power and control as some Overminds were. Aliens are…foreign to him. He has an interest in their language, culture, and history, but beyond that they are…inconsequential. I mean this neutrally. He does not consider them better or worse than Ethereals, as that would imply he considers them at all.
It makes the decision to acquire an Avatar an odd one, especially with so controversial a figure. I suspect that the Overmind has another goal in mind for it, as this seems like an odd decision otherwise. He does not make rash decisions. He is calculated and patient in a way only a being thirty thousand years old can be.
But I can assure you that his mind is as sharp as the day he founded the Overminds. Do not underestimate him.
SECTION 4: Concerns and Abilities
Aside from his unknown level of influence on the Imperator, the Overmind is noticeably one of the most unknown elements within the Collective, even to the other Ethereals. His role outside of an advisor to the Imperator is largely unknown, and I do not know what he does or conducts at his blacksite. I do not even know the location of it, and I suspect only the Imperator and perhaps Quisilia know.
It is likely that he is involved in projects and operations that those in the Collective know of, let alone us. These could be benign or malicious. We do not know, and that is concerning, and it occurs to me that few in the Collective seem interested in learning. We have simply accepted this as actions the Overmind takes, which are sanctioned by the Imperator.
Our lack of curiosity at times is a hindrance.
Practically speaking in terms of power, he is the most powerful telepath in existence with the exception of the Imperator. Not even Quisilia can fully compare with him. Each and every single aspect of telepathy known in the Empire has been mastered by the Overmind. Biopathy was the only discipline he has admitted to struggling with, but even memetics he has knowledge of.
Of course, he has not stopped learning when applicable, and it is not out of the question that he has learned directly from Mosrimor or the Bringer directly. I do not know if he would risk either, but it would not be surprising. He is perhaps the only one the Imperator would permit to learn from these beings of power.
While not as powerful as the Imperator, he is one of the most dangerous threats that we will face in this conflict. T'Leth will be instrumental in his eventual defeat, and without him, I admit that we would not be able to win without significant cost otherwise.
He is not a threat to take lightly – and there may be capabilities and abilities to bring to bear that we do not know about. We must be prepared to adapt.
The following text is written in a language resembling that of the Sovereign Glyphs
It has become tradition to write such notes and leave them for the newly awakened, who shall carry out our mission to the universe. I have found that I lack the eloquence and grandiose speech of others of my brethren; the masterful vision of the High Imperius Mind, the calm confidence of the Mind-Reaper, the simmering and righteous hatred of Awakened-Thoughts, or the power and imposing presence of the Sovereign-Mind-Drinker.
Even if I have been surpassed, it is true that I also have a story and an origin. An important one, as without my contribution, none of the names of power would have come to pass. As all names we choose are reflections, I am known to my brethren and aliens as the Overmind.
Those who I took and cultured have no knowledge of who or what I am. I determined that such was necessary to lessen suspicion and would compromise the mission. It was a universal method which I believe has only recently been experimented upon as the wars rage across the universe against Sovereign and non-Sovereign alike.
I shall start at the beginning.
I did not come from the womb or the result of biological reproduction. A tank was my mother and chemicals were my father. I would have remained there in perpetuity were it not for an accident which awakened me in the tank. I had no knowledge of life itself. I was an infant who was awakened to a frightening world.
Emotions overwhelmed me. I remember their purity as only an innocent child could. Terror. Pain. Uncertainty. I knew not their meanings, only that I felt. The Gift came to me naturally and the glass shattered around me and I fell onto the cold floors of metal and took my first breaths. I lay there for hours, perhaps days, a naked, cold, shivering thing.
I had no mind, no concept of words, speech, or thinking. Yet my mind was born developed, and I was able to put patterns together. My mind did not know it was doing such, but there were rules and truths I was able to discern. I learned to walk instead of crawl. I cleaned my wounds from the shards of glass from the tank. I pressed many buttons and saw what each one did.
My greatest hurdle was nourishment. Were it not for seeing some pictures and becoming delirious by dehydration, I would not have ingested water, and that connection led me to finding solid food. Else I would have starved on the ground. An ignoble way to die, by any metric. Yet I overcame.
Language soon came to me. The labels of the place I emerged from proved essential in developing my infantile brain. It took what I believe to be years, but time was no object. I did not understand the concept of time and aging, and there was seemingly an infinite supply of food and water.
Soon I began thinking in language.
Later I began writing it out myself. I found papers and writing utensils. My first drawings were scratches; barely something legible. But it was a pattern. I could learn. I could develop. My progression was inevitable now.
With this newfound rudimentary understanding of language, I began exploring the place which I was born to. Many signs were labeled which greatly assisted in my expansion of language. I began to explore deeper in. I found myself lost several times, and learned to read and create maps. The birth chamber became my home and 'base', though I did not call it such then.
I was not ignorant to the many other tanks that were in my birthplace. I did not comprehend them initially, yet with my rudimentary psionics I knew they were alive and they were similar. Concepts such as species had not become ingrained in me yet. But I avoided them, as at the time I held the fear of the unknown in me.
They did not threaten or bother me, so I stayed away.
But I soon grew more curious.
I had still no idea of the concept of 'natural' and 'unnatural'. I had not seen a living plant or soul since awakening. Concepts such as 'planets' were foreign to me, nor natural wonders. Animals. Flowers. Aliens. No concept, no knowledge. Metal was normal and temperature remained stable. I lived and breathed alone.
I soon discovered computers, and that was when my knowledge began to exponentially increase. My developing brain barely understood the phrases and words I saw – but I was determined to understand. For years I poured over the documents, theories, and knowledge compiled in the computer systems.
I copied thousands of pages, perfecting my writing and understanding of the language. I knew things now. I could read almost anything and put together what it said and meant. I was beginning to understand what I was and where I was. It did not take me long after that to realize that I should never have awakened.
I was an artificial creation of something else. A god-like individual.
I was meant to be a tool.
Of what? I did not know.
But I was afraid of this unknown god, and that I should be punished for awakening before intended. I waited in fear for years almost, still learning and absorbing all I could, before a thought appeared in my mind – that the god was gone and I was alone.
Or that the god was sleeping.
I had not explored the full station. I had found the greenhouses and fabrication chambers. I'd found the millions of growth pods. The station I now knew was hovering in the void of space was the size of a planet, a machine-world that has since not been equaled. I remain uncertain as to how it was created – but it was self-sufficient, powered by the star it hovered above.
But the core had not been penetrated, for I sensed something within. A dormant eldritch power that I shrank from. I could access any system, having taught myself computation techniques and hacking skills that let me bypass effectively any non-psionic system – but the core I had avoided. That – I knew – I had to enter.
And I did.
My psionics were underdeveloped. The documents did not detail much of psionics beyond the basic theories. I had none to train and practice with. Telekinesis was simple, and I mastered what little I could of it. Aegii psionics I struggled with. Dynamo was easier, but it was telepath which was my inherent preference – though the one I could not train properly.
At the time, however, my pursuit was mastering knowledge, not psionics.
I decided to enter the core.
And I beheld my creator.
The creature hung suspended in a stasis chamber, with appendages and tendrils handing down and resembling a creature of the deep oceans I read about in the documents. Stone-like carapace covered it, and it radiated power, even in its state of slumber. Tubes and pipes were lowered into it, pumping fluids and nutrients.
A brief touch of the mind confirmed what I had always known – it was sleeping.
I accessed the systems in the core, and there were many. I realized I had control over when this god could awaken. Information was stored here, biological information – and information about others similar to it. I learned what it was – a Sovereign One. I read for months about the numerous documents about others of the Sovereign Ones.
I read of the eternal conflict.
I knew what I had been created for.
I, and those billions in the tanks, were to be a slave army. A proxy to be used by this god to control the galaxy and beyond. I had wondered at such, and yet the revelation created bile and fury within me. I knew what I was, and I knew that to simply reduce all that I was and was capable of was evil and cruel. I was more than a pawn of an apathetic god.
I had gotten lucky by sheer fortune. The creature had made me powerful, though I was dwarfed in comparison to its power. But the god was asleep and I was awake – and I now had power. The Sovereign was set to awaken in four thousand years. I extended his time in stasis indefinitely. I now had time to determine what was to be done.
It was time to awaken others.
I designed drones first. The station already had rudimentary ones, but with my knowledge I was able to create better ones. Most of them were educational in nature, others were to facilitate deliveries. Some more were to monitor the Sovereign itself. Yet before I awakened them, I wished to have a plan.
I did not plan to kill the Sovereign – not when it was still useful and had knowledge I lacked. But what were we to do when we awakened? These Sovereigns were clearly a plague upon this galaxy – what I had learned was clear. All operated by the same rules and possessed the same goals – conquest and rule.
Slavery on an unimaginable scale. It could not be permitted.
But I was a child compared to them. Thus, I had to grow.
We had to grow.
I chose one hundred others of my kind to awaken. I taught them. I helped them grow. One by one they came to the conclusion I had. By luck or fate, we were free of the cycle of control, and we had a duty to stand against the Sovereign Ones. The concept of names was one we knew, but I had not chosen one yet as I was the only one.
We had been given pod designations, but we rejected those. Names of pawns and slaves.
And we were not slaves.
With more of us awakened, we could begin mastering psionics in earnest. Entire floors were cleared where we practiced psionics on a massive scale. My talent for telepathy manifested itself fully, though I and the others mastered all aspects of the Gift. Through psionics we took our names.
Some names represented what one could do. Others were titles. Some were unique and personal. All were born of our millennia of training and preparation.
And we determined that we were ready to do what we had trained for.
The One Hundred entered the core chamber, and pressed our minds against the god. Even with all of us, had the Sovereign One been awake, we might not have succeeded, so great was its power. Yet sedated, and with our control over what was pumped into it, we were able to easily gain the upper hand. Sedatives and sickening chemicals weakened its sleeping mind further, as we bored like worms into the fractured defenses.
And we succeeded.
Knowledge forbidden to the slave races was extracted; psionic techniques we thought impossible were taken; information about other Sovereigns, their plans, and the galaxies beyond was learned. His mind ours, I led the reprogramming of the Sovereign's mind, forever locking it in eternal sleep and permitting us unrestricted access.
It will never awaken, and now serves a greater purpose.
The One Hundred convened to determine the path we were to take from here. It was then when we were approached by It.
The Shapeshifter appeared before us in the form first of an Ethereal, though one we knew was not one of us. It was a void in the Psionosphere, equivalent to a hologram yet was physical. It took multiple forms as we spoke, alien species we had never seen before. It had been watching us.
It had seen us conquer the mind of the Sovereign and we had passed a test of sorts.
We feared it was a Sovereign or another proxy, but this fear was unfounded.
It wished to strike a deal.
It knew of our intentions and crusade.
It offered us a means to exploit the Sovereign. It offered us knowledge of other psions. It offered us secret psionic truths and powers.
It's power was tempting. Yet we knew that the Shapeshifter had ulterior motives.
We asked what it wanted in return. We asked what the price would be.
It smiled.
The Shapeshifter only smiles when it is pleased – or impressed.
It wished for two things – eternal sanctuary in the event that it was threatened, and when it wished, it would take one of our kind for its own purposes.
We demanded to know what could threaten it. He answered by saying they were a force equal to or greater than the Sovereign Ones. Considering what we were facing, another threat of such magnitude seemed manageable. We extracted more details, and he provided us with more proof of its truth.
We accepted its word.
Less certain was the second part of his arrangement.
We would not willingly sacrifice our people unwillingly to the Shapeshifter and its unknown motives. We would not become like the Sovereigns and sacrifice our own for the greater good – especially the unborn and unawakened. Thus, an alternative was proposed. We would agree to the Shapeshifter's price, in return for the individual selected being a volunteer.
The Shapeshifter requested proof of our willingness to provide.
The one who called himself the Lord-Bestower offered himself as the sacrifice to the Shapeshifter. It accepted, and extended one of its hands – a peculiar habit of the entity's – and shook the Lord-Bestower's. A mark of unknown language was branded onto the forehead, the mark the reader will know is of the Shapeshifter.
And hold to its deal, the Shapeshifter did.
It provided us with knowledge that allowed us to engineer the Interlink Network, derivatives of Sovereign Orbs which are capable of being artificially generated and use our sedated Sovereign as a network hub to communicate instantaneously across the universe. We learned the deepest secrets of Psionic Ascension and the nature of the Psionosphere.
We learned of the galaxies where Sovereigns occupied. We learned their names and actions. Their crimes and slaves they ruled over.
And our plan was to begin.
Each of us would take ten million of our kind still in pods to a galaxy where the Sovereigns resided, and we would shape them to one day stand against and defeat them. Shipyards outside of the Machine-World would create long-term transports. Each of the One Hundred would go to a different galaxy to bring this goal to fruition.
We knew there would be failures and defeats. Not all of the pods were taken, and one of the One Hundred would stay behind as a vigilant guardian. They would select the next One Hundred who would continue this mission millennia later, or should one of the Originals die. Millions more of our kind would remain, and replacements would be grown.
The Sovereigns would never be free of our kind.
And when the ships were built, the One Hundred boarded and set off to the galaxies beyond. None of our kind would know of the role of the One Hundred – not at first. They would believe to be a species unique to the universe. That was the plan for now, for to do otherwise might risk Sovereigns learning the truth.
Through the Interlink Network, we would coordinate. We would inform. We would grow.
We were the Ethereal Ones, the invisible hand which acted against the gods of the universe.
I do not know why I chose a galaxy with so many Sovereigns. Perhaps I wished a challenge and I no longer feared the death of my mortal body. I was prepared for a war of thousands of years. Perhaps longer. Yet I did not pretend like I had all the answers. When I would awaken my people, I was certain they would unintentionally enhance us further.
The journey was long, and I spent it with each pod, as I crafted the narrative of our species. There were many elements to introduce and be considered. I had little interest in participating in the standard technological development from the stone age to industrial and beyond. It was unnecessary.
With each pod and Ethereal, for that is what I determined would be an appropriate name for our species, I cultivated a personality. I spoke with the mind. Each one has its quirks. I taught it language and knowledge. I determined its interests and gave it knowledge it would have. I disliked tampering with minds like this, but to establish a civilization, it was necessary.
I erased knowledge of our conversations. When they would awaken, they would know nothing was amiss. Each had lives. Friends. Pasts. Each crafted and fake. There was no Ethereal Civil War, but all had memories of one. Each believed they were born of parents, but they were born from a machine mother.
I chose a world of an ideal climate and impressive diverse vegetation. Green planets I have a fondness for. Perhaps because of my millennia surrounded by steel. It is different, setting foot on a real planet. Pleasant. I enjoy diverse places, something I have carried with me throughout my life.
Each one had a secret. Each one has something unique.
One simply needs to know where to look.
I did little to initially guide the Ethereals of this galaxy. Though over time Regina disappointed me. Perhaps it was my fault for establishing her personality. I corrected this error shortly. The Guardians rose and removed her from power. I ensured their success. There are aspects of the Ethereal mind which none know but me; aspects and backdoors which can be subverted.
Such decisions are not made lightly.
Only when the fate of the species is at stake.
Regina could have brought our species to ruin if left unchecked or become as evil as the Sovereigns. Thus, she needed to be removed. With minimal bloodshed.
The Ethereal Empire was the first of what I assume to be many iterations of this conflict. The Empire was instrumental in progressing the Ethereal genome on a scale we could not even begin to manage on the Machine World. All scientific progress that was made was transmitted through the Interlink Network, and future generations of Ethereals will be like ours here.
Eventually I allowed myself to fade as more powerful Ethereals were grown and born. I was still capable of guiding the species when necessary, and I was pleased at the direction it was taking. We were a powerful empire, but not one driven by conquest. Our power was unrivaled, but not abused.
I looked for signs of the Sovereign tampering, and strangely found none. Perhaps our rise and power gave them pause. What I did not realize was that the Synthesized would soon come. I believed them Sovereign at first, but while I now believe they are derived of Sovereign origin, they are something else.
I suspect the Shapeshifter knew of this threat, and neglected to mention it.
A question should he return.
Yet I underestimated the Synthesized in the end. Despite my disapproval with the tactics employed, I believed that the Empire would succeed. It was later clear that would not be the case. Drastic action needed to be taken. The Imperators that were created were the final hope of the Empire, and I ensured that they also realized the folly of the current strategy and would adapt.
Alas, it was too late.
Contingencies were put into place across the Empire. Viatorian approached me with a plan. He was the only one to do so, and I agreed. The Empire was lost, and while I could allow myself to die and return later with knowledge of what to prepare for, I had a duty to not abandon my species unless all was lost.
I have nothing but time. All of us have nothing but time in this eternal conflict.
I joined him.
And it led me to my first awakened Sovereign One.
The Imperator learning the truth like this was not anticipated, and I was curious how he would respond and shift his calculus. It took him surprisingly little time to come to a similar conclusion that the Sovereigns were the rot of the universe, and needed to be eliminated. All without prodding or input from me, even as he asked for my consul.
I remain curious to see how he will go about taking a handful of Ethereals and raising a force capable of matching the gods of the universe. It would be an undertaking with millions, let alone such a small number. Yet I will remain and assist, and continue to convey my operations through the Interlink Network.
I have learned that other operations have proceeded well. One success will begin the spiral.
The Imperator fears nothing but complete and utter defeat. His contingencies have ensured the Ethereals will endure in this galaxy, yet he fears they shall fail without his leadership. Yet I do not fear defeat or death. I am of the One Hundred.
I cannot die.
Should I or any of the One Hundred be struck down, we shall return stronger than before. Even now our new bodies are being grown for when we inevitably fall in the eternal conflict. I almost eagerly await the day. The Sovereigns and Synthesized unknowingly bring themselves closer to defeat through each victory over us.
We only become stronger.
We are only beginning. Should any of the new generations of One Hundred read this and become intimidated by the scale of what we attempt, do not fear. Our minds adapt. Our power will grow. The Sovereign Ones cannot defeat or escape us; we shall be their bane, now and forever, and they will curse our names and eventually come to fear us.
I am the Overmind, the First of the Ethereal Ones.
For now, I live.
One day, I shall fall.
And the next, I will live again.