Last hours of the Aegis II

The transmission was decrypted and what he read pleased him, alien writing translated to his own gave him an idea of just how little they have changed, yet somehow they have done him a great favour.

The details that were decoded on screen with the font coloured in red. A personal choice from a self-declared military commander who scrutinized the way others lived under his command, he would see everyone who followed did so with his ideology in place. The fixation of red was a small but subtle, he wanted his men accustomed to seeing blood, its colour to the point of fixation. He had fused all those who are the first to die infused with cybernetics, encouraging them from afar to fight on and be lost in the valhalla of violence.

Those that charged would so so with no hesitation, with no choice save the one given to them.

His choice at the expense of their lives.

He established the fanaticism, the culture and direction of their fates. Their god, one of great cunning and of death. He stood on top of the stairs in darkness surrounding, his only light was the red wording from the screen and the equally red illustration of the so-called Aegis. He was not entirely by himself. He was more than several times taller than any of his underlings, his frame was broad and developed with muscles across his tyrant skin. A cold and cunning creature, he was death to all those that were weak, useless or just cowards.

Someone had questioned him not too long ago and he brought that one up with him to where he stood. The lesser pirate made the comment 'maybe' and 'shouldn't' so he brought him with him, by the tip of his tail. pierced into that coward's head for all who assembled in the bleak halls within his warship to be given their fates as decreed by their god. The example of the corpse hung for display was an action where dialogue was needed with a message clear.

There is to be no shouldn't or maybe. Only strength and nothing else.

The Commander turned round after examining the intel given, and stared at his underlings, the lesser pirates who were nothing without him. On cue the tail forked open destroying the creature's head and identity leaving just a headless bag of flesh tumbling down the long steps. The Commander had no need for steps, he had wings but he always did enjoy the theatrical which was why he had the steps in place so all can see why he is their Commander, and god.

His eyes stared at the masses, was there any challengers? Good. Their silence was the submission he wanted as he now chose to walk down the steps, all eyes were on him, he would never walk up to something he had no intention to give the idea there was something higher then him, but if given the chance he will take a walk down the stairs.

In this case the steps were made to support his large footing while taking the view of the eyes that revered, respected and knew better than to anger him but never would he be on the same footing as them. There are no equals. The countless dead of the past should had clarified that to them that no can ever oppose him, his tail draped across the stairway, the metal end clattering on the long steps. Privately the Commander would confess that while no one can ever kill him, there was a time where it was... close. From the metal tipped that now forked out when desired, to the "armour" covering his chest he was not entirely invulnerable. His scars were given, now covered or behind metal. What was given he will pay back unkindly.

'Commander' Begged a lesser pirate, like so many he was evolved, if not by cybernetics then by genes, twisting their once more natural humonaid figure into a evolution more fitting for his wars and campaign. Claws with weapons inside, close range fanatics that when not firing afar would come up close grasp and tear the victim apart with burning plasma.

They were variants some with swords grown on them, the better models became elites and worth keeping, the experience of the strong was needed. Many of the races here had merged over generations, genes spliced, tampered and even regrow, even the quantity needed to have some quality about it.

The Commander simply snarled at the lesser, a cue to explain why it chose to spoke first and not second. The lesser bowed and added further. 'Let us raid the target when they go to their supply base, we can track their flight' Carefully choosing any word that saying anything other than shouldn't or maybe.

The stare was enough to shut the lesser up, while choosing to forget that he actually considered what was said, but these type of humans were not like the Galactic Federation, they had a reputation of destroying relics once found. Then he let his tail react like a whip, the metal tip of it forked open again and just stopped before the lesser's face, who flinched briefly but didn't step back. The tail withdrew and the amused face of the Commander became serious once more.

'It's too important to leave this in the hands of those creatures. They send their ship into the system that was ours, and past the ruins of our once great world, they will pay for that...'

He opened his hand a mimicry of a world was hologrammed on his hand, the alien writing was yet to be translated and still had "Oormine II" written. It was the viewing of the world, not the word that the pirates had recognized.

'Yet they have done the impossible' Said the Commander with begrudging respect, but it was to only underline how significant this was discovery was. 'A world full of nuclear dust storms and tremors that can even shake the planet itself...and those stumbling creatures had managed to search and find something.' He knew what that something was of course, the others simply didn't need to, the intel he kept for himself gave the planned ambush the advantage. The creatures, humans were docked, still unearthing, learning blindly, when he knew what it was they stumbled upon! The agent did his work well, now it was left to see if the other can do hers because the opportunity was at it's finest, now was the time to make the move.

He expressed a long smile, but it was a smile with a pretence of sincerity with a sneering delivery in his words. 'I will thank them for that as well'

AN: I had some problems with this chapter, firstly I had to do a re-write with the original script becoming corrupted. Second I've been halted by life and work so there was a lot of rewriting as I try to get back on track with this, then I had issues with pacing. Anyway the update is here, expect a very big chapter next.