The black ship emerges from hyperspace on the dark side of Luna. It is a dodecahedron about half the size of the celestial body. Earth's moon is not uninhabited. It is home to Defense Base Luna, the home base of the Reich Empire Space Force. Ships and satellites float around the moon like bees around a hive. They move between Luna, Earth, and the space station Berlin constantly. They also move through the Luna Jump Gate, which leads them to the Mars colony, Aryan. With all of these eyes around Luna and Earth, it shouldn't be possible for anything larger than a bike to go unnoticed but yet no one can see the massive ship that just appeared. It completely blends in with the darkness of space around it and gives off zero heat traces or energy bleed. Unless someone runs into it or it flies into the light of the sun, it will never be spotted. It syncs with the movement of the moon so that it always remains on the dark side.
Only two beings are on board the strange ship. One is a man who once called Earth home and who is now both more and less than human. At first glance, it would seem like he is encased in combat armor, but in reality, the metal is part of his imposing, muscular body. He is 6'6 with brown skin and eyes that glow blue with machine intelligence. One side of his head is shaved while shimmering red and black dreadlocs hang over the other. His face is the least modified of his entire body. His face is strong and handsome with a neatly trimmed beard and a mouth that is used to smiling and snarling in equal measure. His name has changed. When he lived on this world, he was known as Anubisefe. Now, he wears the name Axel, but to those who call the Dread Dimension home or prison, he is known far and wide as Immortal Black.
The other being in the ship is the reason the ship is so massive. It has to be to comfortably accommodate him. He is one of the Gods of the Dread Dimension and many others. For the last thousand years, by the warped calendar of that place, Axel has called him master. Behind the cyborg warrior are the two burning red orbs that are the eyes of the Great Old One, Cthulhu.
"A lot has changed in the twenty-five thousand years you have been gone," Cthulhu's rumbling voice echoes in Axel's head. Everyone and everything you know is so long dead that it isn't even a memory anymore. Not to mention, someone who looks like you won't exactly be welcomed during this current regime. Here and now, I am your only friend in this entire universe. Why don't we just go back home and forget this retirement nonsense?"
Axel chuckles and continues to look at the scene before him. Time moves differently in the Dread Dimension. There, a thousand years had passed for him. Here it was twenty-five thousand. Honestly, he has no memory of this world beyond fighting in the sands and forests of a place he only learned the name of recently. And he only has Cthulhu's word that this is the world he was born on.
"My only friend in the universe," echoes Axel back to the ancient creature, "Well, shit. I can't really do much worse. You kidnapped me, stripped me of most of my memories, took me apart, crammed me full of tech, and then threw me into nightmare battle after nightmare battle for a thousand years. Where I have watched every other friend I have had, human, alien, robot, demon, or other, die, usually in the most gruesome way imaginable. All in the name of the endless game you and your kind play to entertain yourselves. And as my friend, you are offering me the pleasure of another thousand years of that?"
"Yes, of course, I am," echoes Cthulhu, his rumbling voice cheery, "What kind of friend would I be if I just let you give up all that fun? And for what? So, you can return to a world where everyone with your skin color is considered subhuman at best. Every day you are here, you will have to fight. Why not fight for me instead? I will give you worlds, systems, or galaxies if you wish. The deal was you fight for me for a thousand years and you will be rewarded. Either I would return you to where you came from, or I would make you a knight of my court. No one has ever decided to go back."
When Axel told Cthulhu of his decision, his master bombarded him with attempts to persuade him otherwise. These included giving him a rundown of the miserable existence the sons and daughters of the continent known as Africa have endured over the last two thousand years in particular. Invasion, war, slavery, a scattering to every corner of the world and beyond as a people tolerated but unwanted. The true suffering started with the Nazi victory in 1945 after they dropped the first atomic bomb in Great Britain. After that, there were few willing to stand up to them. The year is now 2345, and their grip on humanity is nearly total. At the same time, they have not achieved their goal of a pure Aryan race, having realized that there is no such thing as a pure white race. What they did was enslave anyone who was clearly nonwhite and diminish their existence to being little more than animals. Then, their scientist made a breakthrough, and the Alabasters were born.
The Alabasters are the dream of the Nazi's realized. A pure white race. Or at least a genetically engineered one. Skin as white as snow, blonde hair, and blue eyes. Stronger, faster, and smarter than any normal human. They are everything, the evil dream given life. Only not all whites can become Alabasters. Only those with the proper genetic markers can survive the treatment to become one. The first of their kind came into behind one hundred and fifty years ago, and now they are the Reich's ruling class. Normal white people still hold more rights than nonwhites, but even they are seen as inferior by the Alabasters, who have taken over the government with the Purest Emperor at their head. The highest position a nonwhite can hope to achieve is an overseer, skilled labour, or a house slave. Those below that, their entire existence is back-breaking labor and abuse.
"I will have to fight every day," says Axel aloud as he turns to look into the glowing red eyes that as overseen the burning of countless worlds, "Just as I did for you, Lord Cthulhu, but the difference is here I have a reason to fight. Billions of them. Not for sport or entertainment but for the lives of my people and all the others are are slaves here simply because they are not white. I am grateful to you for what you have given me but now I am going to use it to break this Reich and then build something better on its ashes."
Cthulhu sighs, "Yes, I figured that would be your answer but I had to try once more. Of the ten thousand of the greatest warriors of that age that I took from this world, you are all that is left. The greatest of them all. The Legend of the Immortal Black will live forever in the Dread Dimension. I will see to that. And I will still bestow this honor on you because you have earned it. From this day forward, I name you a Prince of Cthulhu."
Axel is speechless as he falls to one knee before his master, his head bowed. Being declared a prince of one of the most powerful and terrible beings in existence is not something given or taken lightly. It means that Cthulhu considers him a son. Including Axel, there are only four others to receive the honor. The power Cthulhu gives his princes within the Dread Dimension makes them the equivalent demigods there, and they are the backbone of his armies. Although, one Prince is capable of wiping out armies by themselves.
"Outside of the Dread Dimension, I cannot bestow upon you the power you deserve," continues Cthulhu, "It is far too much for a being to wield in a regular universe and goes against the pact I and my kind have made amongst ourselves. But, neither can I leave you unblessed. So, this will have to do."
From the darkness wrapping the Great Old One like a cloak, a small golden light floats. It stops before Axel, who takes it in his metal hand and looks at it. It is a digi-diamond. The small stone is a piece of strange technology that is both machine and divine. It is capable of holding the knowledge of a world with space to spar. Axel can feel that it is also imbued with Cthulhu's power. He moves his hair to the side and places it into a socket that opens behind his ear. The world spins and then goes dark for a second. When his vision returns, he is still kneeling, but he feels different inside and out. When he looks down at his hands, the metal is gone, and in its place is smooth skin. He touches himself and finds that all his enhancements are gone, and he is dressed in an outfit that includes a fitted white shirt, black pants, and combat boots. It is complete with a black leather trench coat. While he can't see his enhancements. He can still feel them, and his vision is still overlayed by lines of data even though his eyes are now hazel with orange flecks. Then he feels the other presence in his mind.
"Hello, Axel," echoes a deep male voice with an interesting accent. My name is Kaid, and I am your onboard AI. We have melded successfully, and I am fully functional. When you are ready, I am happy to discuss the new abilities that I bring with me."
"Kaid," says Axel out loud, his eyes narrowing at his master, "Why do I feel like this gift is a setup?"
Cthulhu laughs, "Because you are a paranoid little shit. Kaid is yours. Programmed based on your brain waves. He is just a smarter you. His is programmed to be utterly loyal to you and you alone. The is actually an organic metal that feels real but is tougher than your old external armor. It also is capable of shifting, so you can use all your built-in weapons. There is more to the gift but I will let Kaid explain that to you. If you ever come to your senses and want to return, Kaid has a one-way dimensional teleportation feature as well. Now, get off my ship."
Before Axel can say anything, the red eyes disappear, and he finds himself standing in a jungle lit only by the full moon above. Axel chuckles at the abrupt dismissal as he stares up at the moon.
"I will miss you too," says Axel to the night sky.
Then, the quiet night is pierced by a roar, and Axel smiles like a wolf as he realizes that the old asshole dropped him in the middle of something's hunting ground. Some things never change.