Well, it's been a while with this fic, but I finally managed to get a new chapter done. Starting with this chapter, the story diverts completely from the books, and the plot will be completely original. Expect big space battles and other exciting conflicts in the chapters to come. The end is still a long way to come, so you can be certain a lot is yet to happen to the coolest vampire in the HP fandom :)
Chapter 16
Even after two weeks, Earth was buzzing like a hive about the Lantrisi fleet in orbit, and the contact their leaders had made. The promised technology and the requests made by the visitors only fueled the debates in the non-magical world, while the magical world remained for the most part, ignorant of the excitement.
"I hope you have a good reason for calling me, Prime Minister. I am a very busy individual." Hermione was irritated that her duties as Harry's second greatly cut into her study time.
"I would not bother you for trivial matters, I assure you. The public has been clamoring for days, demanding a public appearance by your people. Would you be willing to appear in a press conference?" The man asked.
"I suppose it would be acceptable. When and where?" She sighed.
"Tomorrow at noon. You can come here and I'll arrange for transport for you." The man's face relaxed a bit when she accepted.
"Until tomorrow, then." With that, she walked to the floo and threw a small packet of powder into it, turning the fire green.
The next day, practically the whole world was watching with baited breath the announced press conference where they would finally see what their visitors were like.
The reporters started to mutter when the Prime Minister of the UK walked in with a young girl and headed for the rest of the dignitaries.
"Ladies and gentlemen, please allow me to introduce the guest you have all been waiting to see. This is Hermione Granger, the representative of the Lantrisi Collective, whose ships are currently present in our solar system." A lot of people were shocked and confused, especially all of Hermione's friends and relatives.
"I am sure you have many questions, and I will strive to answer all of them. I will start with the reason for the Collective's presence in this sector. This region of space is rich in certain types of rare ores that we use in various devices, and we are establishing a mining operation here. We are also building a shipyard on Luna to best utilize the influx of resources from the mining." Hermione began.
"Our telescopes noticed dozens of ships around the system. What exactly do you need that much military presence for?" The reporter she pointed out stood up and asked his question.
"The interstellar civilizations in this region were considered unlikely to permit our presence here, so we felt it prudent to arrive with sufficient military force. Already, our construction ships are busy deploying defensive structures all over this solar system while our battleships are busy patrolling. We expect to begin mining operations within the month." Hermione replied.
"What exactly is your intention with Earth?" Another reporter asked.
"Earth has no resources we cannot obtain just as easily elsewhere, and we are willing to compensate the people of Earth for our use of your solar system as a staging area." Hermione replied.
"What about your request for people to join your people? How does that work exactly?" The questions continued.
"Anyone below thirty can undergo the process to become one of our people. We are only asking for volunteers, of course. As for how the change…" Hermione's words were drowned by a deafening bang. The curtain behind Hermione was suddenly splattered with blood and Hermione's blue dress was stained with blood as she collapsed.
The room erupted in pandemonium as the people began screaming and shouting.
"This is a new dress damn it." Hermione pulled herself to her feet, shocking the room into silence. It was obvious after all that the shot went right through her heart.
"Are you alright?" The Prime Minister asked with concern as she stood up.
"I'll be fine. My second heart is still working fine." Hermione said curtly as a flash of light announced the arrival of two soldiers armed with Decimator rifles and wearing combat armor.
"Get this damn blood cleaned before somebody touches it. The sniper is long gone by now." Hermione snapped, and one of the guards pulled a pencil sized device that emitted a faint blue light that completely erased all blood traces.
"Look at this. My dress has a huge hole in it." Hermione grumbled, and everyone's attention was drawn to the hole that looked like it was made by a large caliber sniper round. Beneath it, her skin had already closed, leaving no trace of the wound.
"Milady, Lord Storm-eye insists you return to the flagship immediately." One of the soldiers spoke.
"He's just a big worrywart, but I guess I better. Next time somebody tries to assassinate me or anyone else from the Collective for that matter, I would like to point out that we have over thirty ships capable of orbital bombardment." Hermione hissed the last part and vanished in a flash of light.
Harry was not about to let this assault just slide, but on the other hand, did not want to create unnecessary hostility on Earth. So, he used his ship to target the largest stockpiles of nuclear missiles and used the displacer on his flagship to gather a sizable chunk somewhere midway between Earth and the Moon where he detonated them.
The people of Earth stared in shocked awe at the new sun that suddenly burst into the sky.
Mere minutes later, every communication satellite received the same broadcast, sent all over the world.
"People of Earth, I am Lord Storm-eye. The explosion you witnessed moments ago was a big part of your world's nuclear arsenal. The next time you attack one of my own, you will experience first-hand the full fury of the Lantrisi Collective. Despite this unprovoked attack, our cooperation with your world will continue. My people are not your enemy, and I hope that in time, you will realize this fact and come to fully enjoy the many benefits we can bring you." The message was brief, but effective.
As the governments of Earth tried to figure out just who the hell attempted the assassination, light years from Earth the leaders of the Darkiin Alliance were busy with matters of state.
"Your continued failures paint a bad picture of your competence, Lord Voldemort." A gorilla-like humanoid with four arms sneered at the serpentine man.
"Bad information is often the downfall of even the greatest leaders, Lord Astkar. My unfortunate banishment for thirteen years was an inconvenient delay, but one I managed to work around and resume my operations in full. I was poised to strike a killing blow when that damn boy emerged out of nowhere." Voldemort growled.
"There is more happening on Earth than meets the eye, my friends. I have analyzed the tactics and methods used by this Phoenix Army that opposed you, and the evidence points to a simple fact. The man that organized them is well trained and very experienced in all forms of warfare." An alien that looked like a humanoid cobra hissed.
"My lords, a thousand pardons, but the scout ship from the Karhis system has returned." One of the attendants, belonging to the same race as the last lord rushed in and handed him a device.
"Let us see what our observers learned of Earth." The snake man hissed contently, only to freeze in shock at the sight of a mass of unknown ships that were apparently busy deploying stationary fortifications.
"I don't recognize this ship design. This is not a race we've encountered before."
"It has to be Potter. I have already informed you about our duel. It seems my spell sent him a bit farther from Earth." Voldemort mused.
"The question remains, how powerful are these ships? Can we beat them, and if so, how much is it going to cost us?" A massive insectoid figure over 10 feet tall chattered from its position. The translator on its chest translated the sounds into a female voice.
"We require more information. We need to discover who they are, what do they want, and how strong they are. We cannot afford a major conflict considering our upcoming campaign against the Rakool Empire." The snake man pointed out.
"Lord Saarsh is correct. I will contact my agents on Earth before Potter decides to dispose of them. Perhaps they will be able to provide us with some information." Voldemort said and the other lords continued with other topics.
"What do you think?" On the other side of the Sol system sat another observation ship. Two birdlike aliens sat behind the controls, their short, sharp beaks clicking in their language.
"These ships are difficult to detect, so getting a good sensor reading from this distance is difficult."
"Do you think they are allies of the Darkiin?"
"Since they are fortifying the system from all sides, I doubt it. We should contact the homeworld and get more instructions." The captain of the ship concluded.
An hour later, a reply came, telling them to contact the new force in Sol and learn as much as they could.
"Alright. Disengage the cloak and approach the system. Wait until we're contacted." The captain instructed his pilot.
The nearest Lantrisi ship approached them only minutes later, and at that range, the captain's feathers ruffled in fear. The ship was just an ordinary frigate judging from its size and weapons systems, yet it was still more powerful than their strongest capitol ships.
"Greetings from the Rakool Empire, friends. We are here with peaceful intentions, merely curious about your sudden presence in what was considered a primitive system." The captain began once communication was established.
"Please follow us. Lord Storm-eye has instructed us that he wishes to speak with potential allies in person." The ship captain replied.
"Remain close to our ship. It is for your own safety, as we have recently deployed a minefield in this region."
A bit nervous, the Rakool captain did as he was told and moved his scout ship as close as he could to the frigate.
The man's eyes widened further and further the deeper they went into the system and he continued to read the reports from his sensors. One thing was certain. Whoever these people were, he would give his strongest recommendation to his superiors to avoid antagonizing them at all cost.
"You are free to dock at Lord Storm-eye's flagship. I am transmitting you the coordinates now." The frigate captain informed him and veered away, going back to the region where they first met.
The Rakool captain followed the coordinates, and was simply shocked at the size of the ship he was heading to.
Harry had transferred from the Valiant Spirit onto the Eve of Destruction, a Koraash class carrier that was the largest and most powerful ship in the Collective.
When the Rakool ship entered the hangar, they found a welcome guard already present, and when the captain and his pilot stepped down the access ramp of the ship, they were given a salute from the two rows of soldiers arranged on both sides. At the opposite end of the line of men, Harry stood, watching his new guests with interest.
The captured Darkiin ship had plenty of information about the Rakool, and he was glad for the chance to establish contact with them. An alliance with them would only help his goals, as they shared a common enemy, and other than the mineral wealth, the Collective had no interest in the Darkiin territory and other assets.
"Welcome to the Eve of Destruction. I am Lord Storm-eye. On behalf of the Lantrisi Collective, I welcome you." Harry greeted them.
The Rakool introduced themselves, but their names, even with the translator sounded like a collection of clicks, squawks and chirps.
"Please, follow me. I daresay we have much to discuss." Harry grinned.
In the month that followed, Harry established an alliance with the Rakool, and was already gearing up for the first major offensive against the Darkiin.
On Earth, the Phoenix Army and the Ministry managed to round up the last remaining Death Eaters, and the magical world was once again at peace.
On the Muggle side, the Lantrisi had kept their word and had delivered plans and prototypes of a number of technologies like fusion reactors, high capacity batteries, electrical engines that were even better than internal combustion engines, as well as a massive amount of medicines and other chemicals that could be used in a wide range of fields from medicine to agriculture.
A lot of large corporations protested about the fact that the designs were delivered on a global scale, preventing any single group a monopoly over the new technology, but they had no choice but to accept this fact.
Hermione had finally given up on completing her Hogwarts education, as the time required was simply impossible when the rest of her duties were factored in. With the end of the conflict in the magical world, her primary duties shifted to the oversight of the distribution of the new technology to the various countries of Earth, as well as the upcoming integration of the first volunteers for Harry's clan.
"Welcome, everyone. I am certain that all of you have thought long and hard before coming here, so I will get right to the point. How do you join the Collective?" Hermione stood before the fifty volunteers that were the chosen to form the primary hierarchy of Harry's clan. From them, the interlink would branch out, eventually encompassing many thousands of individuals. At first sight, you'd be hard pressed to find a more miserable bunch. All of them suffered from a terminal disease, be it cancer, leukemia or AIDS, and even with the advanced medicines the Lantrisi provided, their condition was too advanced to cure.
However, their eyes still held strength and a will to live, which was the main reason for them being here.
"To put it in the most basic terms, Lantrisi are vampires." Hermione's words were followed by a lot of muttering from the assembled group.
"I thought vampires were all goth and such nonsense." One man spoke up.
"I won't say that such individuals don't exist in the Collective, but as a whole, we are not like that. Most Lantrisi are actually rather upbeat, if not a bit hedonistic. Also, our replication technology provides us with all the blood we need, so a Lantrisi that has actually used his fangs is an exception nowadays." Hermione grinned, accentuating the pair of incredibly long, thin fangs.
"So, how exactly do we become Lantrisi?" A bald woman asked.
"Lantrisi blood contains elements that when introduced in non-Lantrisi blood act as a virus, introducing genetic changes and releasing chemicals that stimulate the growth of new cells as well as increase the decay of old cells. Basically, your whole body is rebuilt over a period of two days. This is a very stressful process, so the body needs to be flexible enough to adapt to the changes.
For larger groups, we have also developed nanites that introduce the changing elements with greater control so that a proper hierarchy can be established quickly." Hermione paused for a moment.
"All Lantrisi are connected to each other, like a psychic computer network. All our combined knowledge is stored in this massive psychic energy field. This also makes us immune to telepaths. To read the mind of a single Lantrisi is to experience the full extent of the Collective." Hermione grinned.
"What about government?"
"A good question. The Collective is divided into seven clans, each ruled by a Lord. The Council of Lords decide on matters that affect the whole Collective, but on lesser matters, the clans are independent. Each clan serves a specific function in the Collective. The Deathhand, Moon-Howl and Blood-Fist clans are the military clans. They are the most numerous, and their members are spread through all branches of our military forces. The Storm-Hammer clan are the engineers of the Collective, and they operate the many factories, shipyards and other production facilities throughout the Collective.
The Dark-Scar clan are the administrators. They oversee the logistics and bureaucratic duties of the entire Collective. The Red-Eye clan are the researchers of the Collective. They conduct all studies into new technologies. The division is not absolute, of course. You can find members of each clan in practically all duties available.
Now, finally is the Storm-Eye clan, which is newly established, and other than myself, you will be the first members to join it. Our duty in the Collective will be to serve as the magical branch. It will be our duty to develop useful magic for the Collective, as well as utilize it. The Chapter Immaterial of the Order of Death will maintain their role to develop magic for the use in combat, assassination, infiltration and sabotage. Our role will be to provide the less martial uses of magical aid." All volunteers had been briefed on magic, so they took the last announcement in stride.
"One last question. What engines do you use on your ships, and how fast do they go?" One man asked with a grin.
"Our ships utilize a subspace induction drive and they are the fastest known propulsion method currently known. They are capable of moving a ship from the core of the galaxy to the edge in three years. However, I am told that our scientists are currently working on a new propulsion system that will allow us to reach any point in the galaxy in a matter of weeks, if not days." Hermione grinned.
"Now, I suggest we proceed. All your further questions will be answered once you begin your basic training." With that, she bent down and pressed a button on a metal canister sitting next to her.
The smooth walls flipped open, and the canister released a thick red mist that consisted of a large amount of nanites already encoded with the necessary instructions.
Once the people began to collapse, groups of Lantrisi moved in, securing them to the floor with thick belts tied to long metal spikes they nailed right into the concrete floor of the room.
"The foundation of the clan has been laid, Harry." Hermione reported as she observed the people before her begin to trash around as the changes began inside their bodies.
"You've done well, my dear. Words cannot express how proud I am of you. I want you to oversee their training while I organize the upcoming attacks. Think you can handle it?" Harry replied quickly.
"Just go and kick ass. I can handle things down here." Hermione grinned lightly as a chuckle echoed in her mind for a few seconds.