Once our forces returned to the city, the battle rapidly came to a close. The lack of reinforcements had crippled the alien war machine, with many deciding to surrender rather than die pointlessly. I knocked out the majority of the rest, because I really didn't see any need to kill them. Plus, once the Micronoids were out of their blood, they might be more willing to seek peace.
As the remainder of the Aliens were hunted down, a few detachments of my forces raided the various Temples of Sirius scattered throughout the city. These guys were nut jobs, plain and simple, so bankrupting them was fine with me. Additionally, nobody would object to me doing so, and it provided me with an easy source of cash I could use for other purposes. Not that I needed the cash, of course, but hey - money is money and is good to have. Any cultists I caught were knocked out and carted off for Megapod to sort out. Once every cultist was dealt with and every last valuable item removed from the temple, I used Wyrms to bomb them to kingdom come. I did this to all four Temples, with XCOM's support - they really hated this cult.
As for the Micronoids Colossus, I moved it to my Hubworld, where I quickly constructed a psychic power surpressing prison. Just because I was sparing it didn't Mean it would not go unpunished for its crimes. Here, it would remain until I decided to had served its time. When was notnsomethijg I had put much thought into, but it was going to be a long sentence.
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As the hours passed by, things slowly returned to normal. Mega Primus began to fix itself, with XCOM working to assist them. Rubble was starting to be cleared away, people were starting to exit the Alien shelters, and the various public services buildings returned to normal activity levels. The few refugees my forces had admitted from the city were being cared for right now, though they would eventually be sent home - I wasn't keeping them against their will.
In my hub universe, terraforming of the new world for the aliens' new home continued on, unmolested. It was almost complete, and already it could sustain animal and plant life, if the strange organisms covering it were no hint. Right now, I was just making everything as good as it could be before I let my captives free. Hopefully, they'd like it.
While this was going on, I briefly hacked into the Zudjari network and decided to look into what they had been doing since they'd last arrived on Earth. Not much, in all honesty - they were still looking for a new home, apparently, despite several centuries (maybe even a few millennia) passing since they'd last been at Earth. Apparently, they'd had abysmal luck finding a new home.
Well, time for that to change.
Examining their database on worlds chosencas potential colonization sites, I smiled when I noticed that my own forces were near the one they had been heading to before their return to Earth. Immediately, I gave my flee there orders to set up shop on the planet that was in the Goldilocks zone and start terraforming. First, though, I had to move in a dwarf planet from the edge of that system to utilize as a Moon for this world, otherwise its haywire rotation on its axis would screw over any attempts at colonization. Once that was thine, I moved in terraforming equipment via teleporter gates and watched the magic begin. I was rather glad that both the planet the Zudjari had chosen and the moon I had moved had no life on them, as I didn't want to condemn any species to extinction. Not if I could help it.
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Back on Earth, I decided to start searching for any EXALT cells that I could take down. While EXALT was better than the cult of serious, that wasn't exactly a high bar. Plus, I had a feeling that as soon as I left, they would move in to try and take over. Again.
Luckily for me, Earth's EXALT forces were more technologically inclined than those on Chiron, so I was able to easily determine where the cells were and how to disable them from there. A fair amount of EXALT operatives had just had their bank accounts hacked and were now rather short on funds. I didn't necessarily bankrupt them, as that would be cruel and unnecessary, but I did take enough funds to force them to put any future plans for world domination on the back burner for awhile. Most of this money found its way into the hands of various charities, but I kept a small amount for myself, a portion of which was invested in the A.R.C. The fact that Chiron's resources were now easily accessible to Earth was predicted to cause the company's scores to receive a meteoric rise in value, so I was planning to invest while prices were still low. While I didn't really need the money, I liked having the option of bribing people to be quiet. Plus having money is awesome.
My hacking scheme against EXALT eventually hit a roadblock, though: there was only so many databases I could hack, and some of their communiques were in Hyperwaves. Luckily, I'd obtained both the Hyperwave Decoder and the Transmission Resolver from XCOM, in exchange for more sensor research, so it didn't take me long to get back to disrupting their operations. All over the world, various charities and struggling businesses suddenly found themselves flushed with cash, while my name was put on several stock purchases for various mega-corporations. That way, I'd have some leeway over those organizations beyond force. Stockholding has power!
Eventually, I exhausted all the leads the hyperwaves provided me, so I decided to try using the Transmission Tesolver. As soon as it went online, I noticed on signal that seemed to drown out all of the others, originating from somewhere in the Yucatán Peninsula. Curiosity got the better of me, so I began to examine it.
All I heard was as follows:
'Now, at last, I have found you.'
The everything went black.
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When I came to, the first thing I noticed was how weird the place that I had awakened in was. It resembled the inside of a cloud, but was weirder than that in ways that I can't really describe. I mean, I saw several structures that should be impossible under the laws of physics.
The second thing I noticed was that I felt very light in this location, as it gravity had no effect on me. I considered jumping and seeing if I could float, but eventually vetoed that idea - maybe later, though.
The third thing I noticed was that I wasn't alone here. Some else was here. Something huge. It's body was covered in tentacles, with its head resembling a squid, and it even had wings made of tentacles.
Also, it seemed to have noticed that I was awake.
Initially, all it did was stare at me, something I returned as I tried to avoid antagonizing it. Then, to my surprise, it spoke:
"At last, the new dreamer awakens," it said, in an alien, Legion-esque voice.
"...what?"
"I was referring to you, New One."
"Right...My apologies, but who are you," I asked, trying to make my unease.
"My Name is not something that you would understand."
"Then what are you?" I asked, sounding firm but not demanding.
"Those who met me most recently hav scales me the Great dreamer..."
...OH SHIT...
"...but if you fear that title, you need not: I have no quarrel with you."
...Seriously?
"Really?"
"Indeed, new one. All I desire is to talk with you."
"Why?"
"Because you are different. Your dreams are different. All about you is different , and that has my curiosity.".
"...dreams?"
"Your dreams are who you were, are, and wish to be. A sum of your life and where you wish it to go. This realm takes those dreams and lays them for all to see. My kind call it the kingdom of the dreams, and I can see yours brightly among the rest."
Man, this thing really likes dreams.
"And what are my dreams?"
"...Your ancient dream is that of one who had much to learn, taken from all that you knew and set on a new path..."
...How did it know that?
"...your destined dream sees you having crossed many planes and realms, having grown strong and struck down the one who put you on this path..."
Somehow, I was sweating bullets in what I assumed to be a dream.
"...as for you imminent dream... You are looking for something, arean't you? Strange artifacts, if my examinations are correct."
Okay, time to try and act calm.
"True, but why is that relevant?"
It's respond estunned me silent.
Holdkng it's hand out so that something whisky formed in it, the Dreamer spoke once more:
"Do these artifacts look like this," it said, holding the finished shape in its hands. I took one look at the shape and balked: it looked almost EXACTLY like the artifact that had driven the wildlife of Chiron Berserk. Apparently, my recognition of the Artifact was visible on my face, given the dreamer's response.
"So it seems the dreams are correct... do you want this artifact."
I responded with a resounding yes, despite my efforts to avoid agreeing.
"Very well, then I will make you a deal: if you perform a 'favor' for me, I will give you the device."
"And what must I do for you?"
"Free me from this prison on Earth. Allow me to experience the joys of traveling through the ether. You must know those joys as well as I do.
"...sorry, I don't know what-"
"TAKE ME WITH YOU!" It shouted, catching me off guard.
"...what?!"
"Let me join you on your travels across worlds, realms, and planes, until I find my own path to follow. I can sense you arrived in this plane from another, and I want to know that freedom."
For a moment, I just stared: an Eldritch abomination, a beast that had almost wiped out mankind, was asking me to let it hitchhike? Could I say no to it if I wanted to?
...probably not. At least, not yet.
Sighing, I finally responded.
"Deal."
"Thank you for seeing reason. Now awaken," was its response as it grabbed my head, and then everything went white.
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When my eyes opened again, I was back where I had been when things went black. Idly, o. Tied not even a second had passed since things had gone south. So far nothing had changed...
Spoke too soon: a giant storm was forming over the Yucatán. I sighed at this sight, then called up my forces head toward the storm. Time to fret my new guest.
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AN: Read and Review! This is Flameal15k, signing off!