CHAPTER IX: ASCENT
To my surprise, you humans seemed to be advancing pretty well with your technology. The first colony on the Moon was an impressive achievement for a species that could hardly stop fighting among each other. Don't look at me like that – you know it to be true! The major corporations were competing for space dominance. You already know that. But what you and the rest of humanity did not know was the way they carried out their struggles: espionage, sabotage, nightly incursions, kidnappings and assassination... At that time, I was starting to think that you humans were not so different from demons, in terms of bloodlust and cruelty.
The UAC seemed to be the most eager of these corporations. They were the first to build a space station between the Earth and Mars – about halfway between them. You have heard of that station – I have seen it... No, I haven't been there – I possess far superior magical means of observation (which did not help me beat you!) that enabled me to have a look at that floating piece of metal. The UAC were really excited and could feel their determination (as I felt the greed of their shareholders). The UAC landed on Mars together with another corporation's crew – those two crews were the first to set foot upon Mars. A few weeks later, most of the other corporations sent their crews too, and successfully landed on Mars. Some others simply quit.
It was amusing to watch your race celebrating the reaching of Mars and the proof of "humanity's undying spirit and inspiration." It was pathetic. It only made me think that your overconfidence would be the most powerful weapon that Hell could use against you. Confidence is an asset only when it is moderate and in proportion with your true abilities. Do not frown – you and your race need to learn a few things for the sake of your success and survival. The UAC won the space contest, and had the right to feel superior. They landed on that small planet and left a memorial plaque there.
Since then, the contest was different – the one who could first build a large operating colony on Mars, in those harsh conditions and so far away from Earth would claim everything! But Mars is far away and resources were sparse. The corporations tried to invent technologies that would facilitate profit–making and enable them to achieve the so desired colony...
All these activities grasped Baphomet's attention and He summoned us, the Thirteen, to a council. We gathered in his throne hall and waited in silence. He then spoke to us and initiated our discussion of a subject that had been bothering His mind for a long time – the conquest of Earth. It was apparent that it was of great importance.
If we could claim it, Earth would become our greatest asset ever. Charged with mystical energies that humans could never understand and possessing unique traits, the Earth was to be our ultimate battlefield. The humans, who somehow knew of Hell's existence and constantly preached about its foulness, would fall before our mighty hordes and fuel the infernal war machine. The problem was that because of Earth powerful energy fields, the opening of a Great Portal was very hard. Small portals could be opened, but for a large one we would need to perform a sophisticated ritual. And that ritual had to be performed on a piece of Earth's universe that has been brought to Hell very recently.
The discussion was starting to transform into a bitter argument as we tried to impose our ideas. Baphomet just listened to us with a twisted smile. He then laid out His plan and we all realized how simple and efficient it was. The plan was to wait for you to establish your colonies, invade them and establish our first outpost in your Universe. We would then go on with the preparations for the ritual and when it was finished – the demonic hordes would invade the Earth and put an end to humanity.
A few years later, the UAC made a discovery that set the events in motion. They invented the technology to transform humanity's toxic waste into fuel or (somewhat drinkable) water. Being a monopolist in the field, they were able to swiftly crush all competition. Their way to Mars was open. And a few more years later the first colony on Mars was established. There, UAC's facilities were safe from the prying eyes of spies, or the destructive actions of saboteurs, and the production that brought unprecedented profits began. The colony became more important than even UAC's headquarters on Earth.
It quickly grew in size and population. The original living quarters were expanded with production facilities where the new technology was used to produce the company's enormous profits. A whole city appeared on the surface of Mars, towers rose above it, and tunnels went deep underground. That city had its own power plant, and air purification facility. Its number of inhabitants grew with every new transport that brought more workers and scientists. Marines were also stationed there, keeping order and security. Soon, the new city of Mars became self–sustaining and autonomous. The colony was successful and that drove them to try to establish one on the moons of Mars...
They decided to create a special research complex on Deimos – the buildings they created were crude but still provided for a base where they built a refinery that would transform toxic waste into drinking water. They also built some advanced high–tech buildings where they were to conduct experiments that were unannounced at that time... Everything seemed perfect and the UAC were pleased with their achievements.
Quite a few years later, they built a new colony on Phobos. It was brand new, with the latest technological advancements from Earth and a much better design that made the Deimos base look old and shabby. There they established the greatest child of their technology – the Toxin Refinery that could chemically transform toxic sludge into high–quality fuel that was sought by all other companies for their spaceships. There they built another secret–experiments building that was newer and with a strange improved design. I was already starting to suspect that the humans were about to experiment with something dangerous. Or very intriguing.
The strange buildings on both moons were referred to as "anomalies." Soon I was about to find out what they were doing there.
This is a unique feeling, I can never mistake to for another. And I felt it strongly – the humans were opening dimensional gates. The surprise that appeared among the Thirteen was great. But it was only a matter of time before we could realize that the long sought invasion opportunity may have just presented itself. We knew that together we could divert the gates' flows and set them to destinations of our desire. So we started attempting to take control of the humans' gates and bring one of their entrance points in Hell.
Our efforts made the gates unstable and the humans that were sent through them returned back insane. Some of them exploded on exiting the gate and gave the scientists a shower of blood and flesh. We feared that the gates' instability would make the scientists suspect that someone was interfering with them. We had overestimated them. These scientists did not believe in Hell and they could not imagine that our attempts to control their gates were the cause of the accidents and the instability.
Some time was needed for the Thirteen to attune to the configurations of those primitive Gates, but we were soon ready. We were amused to watch your scientists – between the attempts to understand the reason, and the denial of the existence of accidents that troubled the bureaucrats. Special security measures were taken, and the relatives of the marines that perished in the experiments were warned to remain silent and keep the dark events of Mars secret – at least those relatives who were told that something happened. The strange accidents and the psychoses that gripped the colony personnel that were influenced by the Hellish emanations of the gates, awakened strong fear within all humans involved in that project.
They considered abandoning this project but their curiosity was just too great. They went on, and we went on, feeling that we needed just a little more time to achieve our goal. The hordes of Hell were mobilizing and they all felt that the invasion was imminent...