AN: text = normal speech, text = whispers, speech over communications, and muffled words, text = etherial voices, text = refers to Information Data Logs
"Weak is the mind too small for doubt." - Imperial Technocratic Office motto
Edge of Illiad system, Segmentum Ultima, 布拉沃区 (Bravo Sector,) 银河系东部 (Eastern Galactic Expanse)
Victor was standing on the bridge of the Dominion, accompanied by farseers Caennyl and Elathana. It took an unreasonable amount of persuading to convince them to accompany the battlegroup back to Earth, but in the end, they relented, if only so they wouldn't have to listen to the admiral asking them. Currently, Elathana was sitting on a free seat, much to the chagrin of the officer assigned there, and Caennyl was standing beside Victor, eyes firmly on his expression. Victor's brow was furrowed, and his lips were pursed. The entirety of the battlegroup was currently moving toward the star, but they had to get permission from the citadel before they could translate into the other reality.
"Something wrong?" He asked.
"Indeed," Victor replied, tone grim. "The citadel isn't responding to our hails." He turned to the comms officer. "Try it one more time."
"Aye, sir," the officer replied as they faced their console. "Illiad citadel, this is the ITS Dominion, the battlegroup is requesting permission to translate through the Riftjumper gate, do you copy? Over."
Nothing. Not even the sound of static.
"No luck, sir."
Victor sighed. "Bring the Dominion in for docking."
"Sir?"
"Bring us in for docking, something's wrong, they couldn't handle it, and now it's up to us to fix their mess for them."
As the titan prepared for docking, the tension in the bridge was palpable. Caennyl, not used to seeing the human this on edge, spoke up.
"Do you suspect foul play?"
The admiral looked at him. "It's far too early to draw any conclusions, but anything's on the table for now."
A few minutes later, the Dominion was connected to a docking tunnel, the titan stuttering slightly which almost caused Elathana to fall from her seat. Victor, meanwhile, materialized his armor and rifle, and made for the door, with both farseers following.
"Don't," he began. "I have no idea what might be waiting for us, and we apes should head in first." He faced an officer. "Lock down the ship. No one goes in or out unless I say so."
The officer nodded before Victor left the bridge, fully armored and armed, and headed to the nearest airlock. It took him a couple of minutes to find it. Still, he eventually reached an airlock where thirteen other Punitive Corps soldiers and the last remnants of the Phantom Reavers, numbering ten from the original number of six hundred and thirty, and one terrified technician. Understandable, considering how many armed and dangerous men were in his presence.
"Open it," the admiral told him. "Once we're through, seal it. No one comes in or out without my word, understood?"
The technician nodded before hitting a panel that opened the airlock with a hiss. Victor and the Punitive Corps soldiers took point as they entered the citadel, as the Phantom Reavers brought up the rear.
The citadel was pitch black, to the point where even their night vision wasn't working, and they had to rely on thermal vision to move around successfully. The place was running on emergency power, considering the red lights that were present, and everyone was grateful that the life support systems were still operational. The group of twenty-four moved akin to a well-lubricated machine, each segment moved with its perfect stride. After a few more minutes of searching, they eventually reached the main hangar bay and spotted numerous heat signatures. Victor signaled for the group to stop, which they did, and readied their weapons.
"Who's there?" He called out. "Identify yourselves!"
"Victor?" Imperial Research Overseer Robin asked back. "Is that you?"
The group lowered their weapons, and Victor realized that she was wearing a thermal visor.
"Robin? What's going on here?"
The overseer sighed exasperatingly. "I have no idea, but I'll take you all to where the others are."
She then led the pair through the darkened hangar bay to another bay with some makeshift lighting where around sixty other people, a mixture of scientists and security staff were huddled up, each one armed with a rifle, pistol, or improvised melee weapon. Containers were set up as makeshift barricades or sleeping arrangements, and the outlines of various spacecraft in the dark made an ominous backdrop.
"We've been holding out for a week and a half, here," Robin explained, fatigue present in her voice. "All of us are too scared to venture out into the darkness, and we keep hearing things."
Thoroughly uninterested, Victor scanned the room and made a disapproving noise. "There are supposed to be two hundred and twenty of you. Where are the others?"
Robin frowned. "I... I don't know, we were all working on something else near here, I can't remember what when we heard screaming. At first, I thought that someone messed up an experiment or something, but then more screams and shouts sounded out, along with the alarm blaring to life. I looked outside and damn near saw the entire citadel's security contingent racing toward the Shroud research area. The amount of gunfire and screams I heard caused me to gather my group and our guards and head to another, more secure location."
There was indeed an alarm sounding out, a loud droning sound occasionally breaking the silence.
"And where is this Shroud research area?"
She pointed to an airlock-like entrance with two guards standing beside it and purple mist flowing through the bottom. It bore an unsettling resemblance to the smoke Victor saw emanating from the holoprojector of his family photo.
"Through there, no one's been in or out, though, because anyone who did never came back."
Victor looked over at the Phantom Reavers, the survivors of the defense of Asheria, their expressions tired and nervous. Dirt and grime covered their faces, and they looked like they hadn't slept for a week. Almost all of them were helmetless, save for three, and their armor suits were damaged, but they were still somewhat fine, physically at least.
"You ten," he began. "Get in there and see what's going on."
The Reavers looked at each other with worry before hesitantly approaching the airlock. It then cycled, allowing the group to enter into the research area, the fog spilling out into the main bay.
"Do you think they can handle what's on the other side?" Robin asked.
"Nope."
Victor's sentiment was confirmed when not even five minutes later, gunshots and screams erupted from beyond the airlock, causing the two guards stationed there to recoil somewhat in terror, then silence. More gunshots. Screams. Then silence. Victor sighed and checked the ammunition of his rifle.
"Can you at least tell me what happened before?"
"I... I can't remember much, I heard some people talking about psionic emulators, and how 'the Shroud will no longer keep its secrets,' but other than that..."
The admiral sighed again before he and the other Punitive Corps soldiers headed for the airlock.
"Cycle it," he demanded. "We're heading through."
The guards, not wanting to annoy the already upset admiral further, stepped aside as Victor hit the button to cycle the airlock before he and the thirteen Punitive Corps soldiers entered the research area.
The inside of the research area was the same as the rest of the citadel; dark, silent, and ominous. Even though no one in the group could feel fear, such mental structures were removed long ago, they had to admit that the environment made each one of them uneasy. Not on a mental level, but on a primal level, like being here was anathema to their very existence. Odd bangs and noises further added to the unnerving environment, as well as the blueish-purple fog that clung to the ground, reflecting the glow from what little light was present. It seemed to be coming from everywhere; through gaps in doors, out of the ventilation system, even flowing out of the mouths of the dead. Speaking of which, whatever occurred in the bowels of the citadel, was completely devastating. The bodies of scientists and security officers were scattered around the hallways. Some were mauled, some were shot, others were charred, and some even experienced wild mutations. Even the citadel's AI systems had failed.
Victor got down on a knee by the bullet-ridden corpse of a scientist lying face down and flipped it over, revealing that they had six eyes on their face, two normal eyes, and four eyes with yellow scleras. He leaned back slightly, out of fascination more than anything, and looked at a Punitive Corps soldier.
"You, document everything," he said to them as a pair of soldiers broke down the door to a laboratory. As he got up to move further down the hallway, he could hear the snap of the soldiers taking pictures of the corpses, and their mutations. If it wasn't for the macabre quality of everything, it would've been a great opportunity to gather data.
"Hey," one of the soldiers began. "Do you think this stuff's toxic?" They gestured to the fog.
Another soldier took out a device that measured the air for harmful substances, which indicated that the air was clean.
"It's clean," they said.
"What even is this stuff, anyway?"
"Some kind of aerosolized hallucinogen?"
The other soldier scoffed. "Yeah, like drugs can cause unexplainable mutations in your body. Besides, the air is clean."
"Who knows what the lab coats were cooking up in here."
"Dare you to absorb your helmet?"
"Both of you, shut up," Victor hissed. He was looking at a painfully familiar logo that was sprayed on the wall with either red paint or blood; seven arrows coming out of a circle. He looked at the documenting soldier. "Take a photo of this, now."
"What the fuck is that?" A soldier asked. "Some form of terror group?"
"No, it's deeper than that," Victor replied, tone uneasy. "I've seen this before, on a medical worker. It was carved into her flesh."
"So this is a cult?" It wasn't out of the ordinary, with the Technocracy's rampant suppression of religion and spiritualism, there was bound to be someone who took too much of a drug or something and claimed that a higher being was communicating with them. Such individuals were usually shunned and reported to the Planetary Guard who disposed of them.
"Most likely, let's keep moving." The team proceeded down the hallway, checking each room they came across. They found various research notes about the Shroud, how it's a source of immense energy, and the documentation of entities that dwell within it. The text had devolved from orderly, professional notes to mad ramblings and unintelligible scribbles. Every room had either the symbol that the team saw in the hallway or a new one. It was a blue flame or feather that had a disc in the center of it. Below the symbol was a series of words.
我想知道 (I want to know,) 他对我们微笑 (He smiles upon us,) or 低语者 (The Whisperer.)
Everywhere they went was documented, as these chambers of forsaken lives and misguided fools provided a truly abundant amount of scientific value at the cost of the scientists and security staff, finding the remains of the Phantom Reavers who were sent in before them, their bodies mauled and burnt. The team was exploring what was once a pristine, sterile science lab and searching for any data when one of them heard a wet thumping sound.
"Hey, does anyone hear that?" They asked.
"Hear what?" Victor asked back, confused.
Another wet thump sounded.
"That."
"Now I do, c'mon," the admiral said as he led the team out of the room. They followed the sound for a while until they found the source; a scientist was banging their head against the walls, and judging by the amount of blood, they were at it for some time now. Victor shouldered his rifle and slowly approached the scientist.
"Hey, baseliner," he began. "We're part... We're the rescue party and you need medical help. Please allow us to-"
The scientist turned and charged him with surprising speed, screaming and crying all the while. Victor grabbed the mutated scientist by the neck and right shoulder, and he could now see that their face had five additional eyes, similar to those he found on the corpse, while a mass of blue tentacles replaced their right arm. His lab coat also had the seven-arrowed symbol in the center of it. The admiral shoved the scientist back and shot them with his rifle, detonating their head. It was then that the group noticed more figures coming out of the fog and rooms, all mutated in every conceivable way. Some had tentacles, others had additional eyes where they were meant to be none, others sprouted feathers, while some were even ablaze with blue and purple flames that didn't seem to hurt them. The only consistent thing about all of them was the seven-starred symbol or the blue flame symbol on their shoulders.
The team opened fire at once, cutting down the mutated scientists in droves. There were even mutated security staff in the mix, their weapons melded to their hands, firing out small fireballs instead of bullets. After half an hour of firing into the masses, the group noticed that there was no one left.
"I think we got them all," Victor said as a few members of the squad reloaded their weapons. "Let's continue."
The squad moved through the complex, weapons at the ready, passing more mutilated and mutated remains of scientists and security officers.
"I feel weird," a squad member said. "Like a part of myself is being siphoned away."
"Oh, shut your mouth," another squad member shot back. "I feel it too, doesn't mean you need to announce it for all to hear."
They moved past holding cells, each containing a mutated scientist. They were all slamming into the nanite-reinforced glass in a vain attempt to attack the squad, their eyes filled with both regret and rage. By normal Technocracy guidelines, they should've been disposed of, but seeing as they posed no threat to anyone, the squad left them be. Eventually, they came across what appeared to be the main research lab, a tall, spacious room filled with the most advanced conventional and esoteric scientific equipment available. Victor broke down the door and found a device that appeared to be a psionic emulator that Robin had mentioned, a spinning circle with a purple light in the center casting an unnerving glow. Bodies of horribly mutated scientists surrounded the device, their facial features twisted in agony.
As he went to shut the device off, Victor felt a painfully familiar presence nearby.
No, no no no, he thought to himself. Not now, not now...
He desperately scanned the room with his rifle, ready to shoot anything that moved. Sure enough, some of the pink mist began to collect and glow, forming something out of it. What followed was almost incomprehensible to Victor's augmented mind. A pink humanoid entity with a crescent-shaped moon for a head appeared out of the mist. The same being who he'd met in his dreams.
"We meet yet again, mortal. Always a pleasure to-" The thing's words were cut off by Victor unloading an entire magazine of his rifle into the form, dispelling it. Hyperventilating now, he desperately tried to reload, but his shaking hands fumbled and dropped his replacement magazine, and when he reached for it, it slid into the grasp of the entity that had reformed itself a few feet away and effortlessly crushed it.
"Now that's no way to treat a friend," it said in disapproval akin to a parent lecturing a child. Victor's augments instantly recognized the very image of the being as a danger to his sanity, and so blurred the figure so he could look at it. "You should feel honored to see me in real space, I know I'm honored to see you."
"We are not 'friends,' monstrosity," Victor spat back. "Did you cause this madness?"
"Oh my dear mortal, you give me too much credit! As much as would like to admit that I have done all this, I merely planted the seeds of madness into a select few minds of your fellow humans and simply sat back as they tore each other apart."
"A simple 'yes' would've sufficed."
The entity chuckled. "But I did not do this," it bent down and picked up the corpse of a scientist. "They did."
"Put them down."
The entity threw the corpse at a squad member who was sent through a wall. Victor could his body vibrating uncontrollably. It was like his body, his mind, and his very soul if such a thing exists was changing, mutating in the presence of the entity, all the while his nanites desperately tried to keep his mind and body stable, increasing his dissociation level.
"It's adorable that your kind thinks they could comprehend the Immaterium, a realm of power so beyond you that if you were able to contemplate it, you would go mad."
"Yes, because that's all it is! A vast place of nothing, except for energy resources to be exploited! And I will not be-" Victor's ranting was interrupted by the entity punching the side of his head, sending him flying into a wall. He and the squad proceeded to fire at the entity, which once again vanished and only reappeared after they had emptied their weapons.
"So bold in your ignorance, yet unwavering in determination. Don't you realize that we have an audience watching us?" The entity asked as they lifted an arm upwards, but Victor did not follow.
He kept his eyes on the entity and did not look up despite the pounding in his head. He did not look up even as his armor's proximity sensors screamed in his ear that something massive was near him. He did not look up even as one of the squad did so, yelled, and began firing at the ceiling before falling to the ground, lifeless.
"You lie, that's all you do! Nothing is watching us, we are surrounded by a layer of neutronium, which is surrounded by the nothingness of space! You and you alone caused this madness!" He yelled as the sensors screamed into his ears, pleading with him to move away. He faced a squad member. "Shut off the emulator, now!"
The squad member began to move towards the emulator as the entity spoke again.
"Once again, I am amazed by your persistence," it spoke teasingly. "But no matter, you will eventually give in, it's only a matter of when."
"SHUT IT OFF!"
The squad member slammed their fist on the screen, and immediately the mist as well as the entity dissipated, leaving the squad surrounded by the corpses of the scientists and their sole casualty. Victor collapsed on the ground in a kneeling position, placed his head in his arms, and screamed. He didn't care if the others were looking at him weirdly, they all had an encounter with something that obliterated their worldview, and it especially impacted Victor, who often fell back on rationality to persevere through all hardships.
Sighing, the next highest-ranking squad member stabbed the mentally broken Victor in the thigh with a syringe containing an influx of nanites, which instantly restored his mental state.
"Thank you," he said, tone still shaky. "We should get out of here." The rest of the squad made for the exit before giving a reply.
"What about the dead, sir?" A squad member asked cautiously.
"Space them. All of them."
Robin had been pacing back and forth in worry. Victor had been gone for five hours now, and the periodic sound of gunfire didn't exactly help her nerves either. Everyone was worried, whether they admitted it or not, and the dim lights of the hangar bay provided little comfort. But, after another hour of waiting, Victor and his group emerged from the airlock as everyone crowded around them, eager to hear their report.
"Well?" She asked. "What the fuck happened in there?"
Victor's brow furrowed, as if deep in thought or how to best word his response.
"...gas leak. A gas leak caused the majority of the personnel to go mad and butcher each other. We've spaced the gas and bodies, and it should be safe to return."
This answer caused everyone to erupt in outrage, even the Punitive Corps soldiers looked at the admiral in disbelief, puzzled as to why he would lie to everyone. Robin's incredulity and anger boiled over.
"A gas leak?!" She screeched out. "Are you fucking kidding me, Williams?!"
Victor replied by dragging her ranting figure off into the darkness and sitting her down on a crate. Before she could express her anger even further, he placed a hand over her mouth.
"Don't talk, just listen," he said with uncharacteristic nervousness. "What I am about to tell you is to be known by me, yourself, and the Imperial Science Department, understood?"
Despite her disbelief and outrage, she ultimately relented and nodded her head. Victor then looked back at the scientists hounding the Punitive Corps for answers before beginning.
"Whatever the Shroud is, it is far beyond the capabilities of our current scientific techniques. By activating the psionic emulator, you unintentionally allowed a hostile entity from the Shroud to manipulate the minds of some of the personnel. Are you following?"
Robin nodded.
"I have no idea how the emulators work, but continuous exposure to pure, unfiltered Shroud energy is detrimental to one's health," Victor continued as he brought out the picture of the scientist with six eyes, and felt Robin trying to look away. "See? This was one such victim."
He showed her the pictures of the symbols on both the walls and on the scientists. "I've seen this one before," he pointed to the seven-arrowed circle. "It was on one of the victims of Shrouded Mind Disorder on the Dominion, but this..." he pointed to the blue flame symbol with a disc. "I've never seen this one before. I have no idea if this is representative of a deity, a personal creation, or the product of madness."
"But... But why would you show me this?" Robin asked. "And why lie to everyone?"
Victor sighed. "I... wanted you to convince the Imperial Science Department to create a dedicated psionics division, whose sole goal is to understand what the Shroud is and how to best use it to benefit humanity. As for the lying..." He looked back and saw the scientists trying to relax. "I didn't want panic to spread."
He then turned and addressed the group.
"Everyone listen up!" All turned and faced the admiral. "All of you are to head for the Dominion. We are leaving the citadel and telling any replenishments to be careful since we've had a recent gas leak that has since been fixed. Besides, you lot deserve a break anyway."
Without a single word, everyone took what they could and followed Victor and the Punitive Corps soldiers back to the Dominion and left this place, for a month at least.
Victor stepped onto the bridge, the doors opening with a small hiss. The first thing he did was contact Julie and the Absolution, as he forgot to tell her that he was boarding the citadel for a "gas leak." Farseers Caennyl and Elathana were still as neutral as ever, not caring for Victor's physical or mental state, although Elathana did react somewhat to his unsettled demeanor. Both of them also expressed discomfort as he was wearing a psionic inhibitor, as the last thing he wanted was for both of them to know that he'd encountered an entity of the Shroud. Ordering the comms officer to contact the Absolution, he was met by the relieved and angry voice of Julie.
"Where the hell were you?!" She yelled through the comms. "I've been trying to contact you for seven hours now and was met with nothing but the two antiques telling me that 'the human has left'!"
The admiral looked back at the farseers sheepishly, their glares indicating they heard their conversation. Choosing his words very carefully, Victor continued.
"Please refrain from referring to our honored guests as 'antiques,'" he looked back and saw both farseers rolling their eyes. "Also, the citadel had an emergency I needed to help with."
"And what would be so important that it would require your presence instead of a squad of soldiers? Without informing me, no less?"
"They had a gas leak, which caused almost all of them to go mad and kill each other, I have the survivors on board now."
If Julie didn't believe the words her fellow admiral was saying, she didn't show it. "Did you at least fix it?"
"Yes."
"So let's get going then, Venus is for us."
"Agreed," Victor said before turning off the communications. He faced the two farseers. "Ready to see what it's like in my universe?" He asked them with a smile.
"Should we be?" Caennyl asked back.
"Well, given the state of your universe, consider this as a 'vacation' of sorts. I, myself, am using this time to prepare for a marriage ceremony between the Imperator's son and the daughter of the leader of our ally."
Elathana raised an eyebrow. "The priorities of humans will always puzzle me, how can you focus on such formalities in the middle of a crisis?"
"You might find this surprising, but my universe isn't locked in constant warfare. Shocker, I know. And when you're at relative peace, you find the time to enjoy the little things in life, not that you would understand."
The farseer remained silent, knowing full well that arguing with the admiral was a waste of breath. She instead looked at the construct with curiosity, secretly wondering what would lie beyond.
Sirius system, 25/03/2545
"This is the Sirius Anchorage hailing the ITS Dominion, please respond, how copy?" A traffic control officer asked through the Dominion's comms.
The Sirius system was the second star system humanity claimed by humanity, after Alpha Centauri, and the second colony on an alien world outside of 新北京 (New Beijing,) an industrial world. Sirius III, also known as 新西安 (New Xi'an,) was an agri-world and supplied the vast majority of food for the early Technocracy before a dedicated sector for raw materials was created. Now, almost the entirety of the continental planet's surface is covered by either croplands or space reserved for animal husbandry.
"Copy Sirius, I read you loud and clear," Victor replied. "It's good to be back."
"Likewise, admiral. Please maintain a holding pattern around Sirius A until your replacement arrives, then you may enjoy the festivities."
"Copy, maintaining the holding pattern."
"One more thing, admiral. We're detecting psionic traces aboard the Dominion. Do you require assistance?"
Victor looked back at the farseers, who were clutching their heads in discomfort. "Negative, Sirius. What's the estimated time of arrival for my replacement?"
"Right about-" The officer's voice was interrupted by a proximity sensor linked to the hyperlane station that monitored the Sol-Sirius hyperlane. "-Now."
As he waited for the replacement battlegroup to arrive, he looked back at the farseers.
"Are you two alright?"
"I'll be fine," Caennyl got out through gritted teeth.
Elathana seemed to be less affected but was still uncomfortable. "I've had worse."
Satisfied with their answers, Victor returned to the windows and peered out into the cosmos. Despite his position which involved near-constant focus, he couldn't help but feel attracted to the black expanse, broken by the faint shimmering of distant star systems, all of them either belonging to the Technocracy or her allies. His mind drifted back to the books he read that detailed 21st-century space exploration and how the pre-unification organization known as NASA would've killed an unimaginable amount of people for a glimpse of the Technocracy's technology.
As he wandered in his thoughts, he noticed that the light coming from Sirius A was beginning to dim. He smiled at that, knowing that meant that the replacement battlegroup had arrived. He looked up, and sure enough, another fleet of ships was entering the orbit of the star, their neutronium frames and armor reflecting little light off them.
"This is Admiral Song of the ITS Deliverance, hailing the Sirius anchorage and the Xi'an Battlegroup," Admiral Song, Victor's friend and occasional rival, said through the Dominion's comms. "How copy?"
"Received, Deliverance," the traffic officer replied. "Maintain orbit until the Xi'an Battlegroup breaks orbit."
"Copy. Hailing ITS Dominion, do you copy?"
"I copy," Victor replied. "Sure is nice to hear your voice, Zhang."
"Likewise, Mr. Columbus."
"'Mr. Columbus'? That's what you're calling me now?" Victor asked, embarrassed. He could hear Julie laughing through the comms as well.
"Not just me, almost all of the admiralty have nicknamed you that. You should feel honored!"
"Trust me, I do," Victor groaned. "Anyways, what's up with you? Anything exciting to report?"
"Nothing much, a local border skirmish occurred between some backwater empires, but nothing too major. The most it'll threaten us is if it spills over into an empire that's allied with us and forces us to join by proxy. You?"
Victor let out a long whistle. "Oh boy, the universe where I came from is fun."
"Oh, great. I know from your experience that 'fun' means conflict. Just great."
"Yeah, well, Julie and I are off to Venus. Have fun!"
"Motherfu-" Was all Song said before Victor shut off the communications with a laugh. As the battlegroup approached the hyperlane station and charged their hyperdrives, Victor thought about both how he would spend his two days of relaxation and how he would deal with the Shroud and his findings.
Sol system outskirts
Victor never got used to hyperlane jumps. The sensation of the ship accelerating from near-zero to faster than light wasn't something that a human being got used to, no matter how much time they had on a starship, civilian or military. Luckily, it wasn't a very long jump to the Sol system, as the 'lane was traveled in less than two minutes. The admiral never visited Sol often, besides to travel through it, and much less Earth herself. The most he had spent on any planet in the system was on Mars, where he, Julie, and a hundred and eighteen others graduated from the Imperial Academy of Warfare after they completed their nanite infusion process. He even made a speech standing on the planet's terraformed surface, which is used to inspire millions of new additions to the armed forces daily. It was ironic - he was a human who had seen the light of countless stars and visited numerous alien worlds for both peaceful and hostile reasons, yet never visited the cradle of humanity, not even to attend his brother's funeral service with his parents, since the mines on his homeworld needed to run at all times. He understood why and held no ill thoughts toward the Technocracy for doing so, but it still left a bad taste in his mouth.
In a sense, he was as much a stranger to Sol and Venus as the two farseers were.
After around fifteen more minutes of propelling themselves through the void of space, they finally reached the orbit of Venus and were immediately hailed by the "surface."
"Xi'an Battlegroup, we're detecting you on our sensors," the voice of a man on the other side began. Tapping on a screen was heard. "You are led by Admirals Victor Williams and Jirana Amriali, correct?"
"Correct," Victor replied.
"Please recite your ID number for verification."
"IPN#237413."
"Identity verified. Thank you, admiral. Your partner has also been successfully verified. A shuttle will pick up them first, and then you and your guests. Have a nice stay."
Victor, Caennyl, and Elathana then made their way to the hangar bay to wait for the arriving shuttle.
"Word of advice for the both of you," he said to both farseers. "I've never actually been to Venus before, but I heard it's a great place."
The farseers looked at each other in exasperation.
"Oh, great," Caennyl began. "So not only are being led around by a human, we're being led around by a human who has no idea about where we're going."
"Relax, this will be a fun time for all parties involved."
"That remains to be seen."
Victor smirked at that, preferring to show rather than tell. A few minutes later, a Sparrow transport docked in the bay, and a pilot wearing a purple and gold flight suit stepped out and bowed slightly at the admiral. He returned the gesture.
"Admiral, sir," the pilot began. "We're ready for your departure. The Imperator spared no expense for the both of you."
"Really? Why's that?"
"He didn't tell me, sir. Not high enough on the ladder to know." The pilot glanced at the two farseers. "Are these two your guests?"
"Indeed they are. Treat them with the utmost respect."
"Well then, shall the honored guests board first?"
Victor gestured for the farseers to enter first as a form of courtesy, which they did, but not before side-eyeing the admiral thoroughly. After he had entered, he spotted Julie sitting in her seat and decided to sit beside her, the farseers sitting two rows back. As the pilot began his preflight checks, both admirals felt discomfort in separate parts of their bodies; Victor on his upper back, Julie on her upper thigh. Both of them dismissed it, not wanting to let a mild inconvenience ruin their trip. With a slight shudder, the shuttle took off and headed for Venus.
"So," the pilot asked. "Neither of you have been to Venus, correct?"
"Nope," Victor replied.
"Nuh-uh," Julie replied as well.
"Well, the two of you are going to love it. There are plenty of things to do; hang gliding, glider racing, science tours, even surface tours if you can reserve a spot, although with your ranks, I bet it'll be a piece of cake."
"I heard that this used to be a scientific outpost, no?" Victor asked.
"Correct, sir. Venus, specifically Aprodite's Expanse, was the hub of a scientific venture during the Era of Consolidation but was gradually remade into a tourist attraction. Scientific studies still occur, but mostly in smaller outposts and on the surface."
"Will our accommodations be away from the general public? My two guests, well, let's just say they don't like being near other people."
"Of course, sir. Like I said, the Imperator spared no expense for the two of you. You'll be staying in a floating resort exclusive for those attending the marriage ceremony, each having their private rooms."
"What'll happen with our fleet?"
"Specialists will pilot them towards the citadel for maintenance."
Victor breathed a sigh of relief. He then turned to address the farseers.
"When we land, from what I've heard, it's going to smell a bit weird, so be prepared for that."
Caennyl scoffed. "I tolerated your presence for this long, I think I can handle some weird-smelling air."
"Just don't say I didn't warn you."
Sometime later, the shuttle approached a building of Aprodite's Expanse, a private bay far from the general public that was reserved for the admirals, generals, and other attendees of the marriage along with their guests.
"欢迎来到阿芙罗狄蒂的广阔之地。 要看到理性的回报，只需看看你的周围. (Welcome to Aphrodite's Expanse. To see the rewards of rationality, simply look around you.)"
An automated announcement greeted the group of four as they were shown around by a security officer, who wore a black uniform with gold stripes. Each was given a respiration mask to wear when outside as although the air is breathable at this altitude, there are still chemicals present that could damage their lungs. They were given a brief history lesson on Aphrodite's Expanse. During the Era of Consolidation, the Imperial Asiatic Technocracy had a profound interest in space exploration, specifically the moon and Venus, although for vastly different reasons. The Technocracy wanted both minerals and scientific research, which the moon could provide the former, and Venus provided the latter.
Originally, Aphrodite's Expanse was named Outpost VS-3234 and consisted of a small floating outpost with a supporting zeppelin, which had rocket technology to allow for the six-man crew to return to Earth. This continued up until the discovery of the hyperdrive, which along with the discovery of anomalies and new alien worlds, the role Venus played in scientific research gradually became diminished. As such, the now Interstellar Solar Technocracy deemed the planet a tourist destination along with the moon as the first entries in the "因幸福而进步 (Progress Through Happiness)" program, which aimed to improve the morale of the population after the disaster of the Ulysses Program and to incentivize them into supporting space exploration. The program still runs today, except this time aimed primarily towards the armed forces; the Imperial Planetary Guard and Imperial Punitive Corps members, although some civilians can benefit.
They passed through old propaganda posters that read "下一站：金星！ (Next stop: Venus!)," "头在云端？ 立即申请金星科学团队的职位！(Head in the clouds? Apply for a position on the Venus scientific team today!)," and "星星就在我们触手可及的地方，我们需要的只是一点点推动！(The stars are within our reach, all we need is a little push!)" Although the Technocracy uses much less propaganda than in the past, these posters are still works of art in their own right.
Elathana and Caennyl wore translating earpieces to understand what was being said. Even they had to admit that humans advancing this quickly in such a short timeframe was impressive for such a primitive race.
"...which is why we rely on floatation devices rather than power-intensive propulsion methods," the security officer finished as two more joined them. The three officers then looked at Victor. "Apologies, admiral, but we've received word that you are to be escorted to your room immediately."
"Why?" He asked, confused.
"Imperator's orders, admiral. Said that he had a message for your eyes only and that you were free to leave after you read it, but he told us to make sure you did read it."
The admiral shot a look of reassurance at Julie and the farseers before being led to his room.
Julie, meanwhile, led the farseers to a private promenade that was empty except for the three of them and two Planetary Guard members, in their black and gold uniforms and respirators, their Thunderstorm rifles at the ready. The Hesukari admiral leaned forward and placed her arms on the railing, looking down at the swirling Venusian clouds below. Elathana, on the other hand, leaned against the railing instead and stared at the yellow Venusian sky with Caennyl looking down through the glass floor at the clouds below. All three of them wore their respirators as they were outside, much to the annoyance of the farseers. Ignoring their frustrations, Julie saw multiple Technocracy zeppelins floating in the distance. Taking the form of the ones used in the 20th century, many would consider the Technocracy eccentric for employing such primitive aircraft, although they're surprisingly effective at operating on planets where the ground is either extremely hostile or non-existent, like gas giants or Venus in this case.
The thumping of rotor blades caused all three of them to look up and see a Manticore helicopter departing the resort and heading towards a more densely populated area. While Julie didn't think much of it, the farseers' expressions turned into sneers beneath their respirators.
"The more I experience what humans label as their 'culture,' the more I'm amazed by the amount of contradictions present," Caennyl said disapprovingly, his voice muffled by the respirator.
"If you're referring to the use of rotor-bladed aircraft where more advanced methods exist, then I agree," Julie replied. "But it's cheap, effective, and easily usable, so why not?"
Elathana faced her. "Doesn't it get tiring, young one? Being around humans, I mean."
"Nah. I mean I get it, if humanity's first response to alien life was to slaughter everything present, like humanity in your universe, then yes, I'd agree with your sentiment. However, this universe's humanity has treated my kind with nothing but respect, so I'd appreciate it if you showed a little more respect in kind, especially since you were saved by one."
The farseer threw up her arms. "Fair. I admit that this planet has a form of wonder to it."
Caennyl scoffed. "These clouds remind me of the thoughts of humans; chaotic, volatile, and dangerous."
Julie couldn't help but smile a little at that while ignoring Caennyl. She looked around at the resort and the other floating buildings that made up the Venusian settlement and spotted large amounts of tourists in the distance, the sound of their voices echoing through the noise of the storms below them. She also saw numerous anti-air and anti-space defensive systems in the form of flak cannons and missile launchers. While outsiders might be irked at the thought of military defenses at a resort complex, the Technocracy is also a martial society; every citizen is drilled in the matter of war and is required to read The New Art of War at least once in both childhood and maturity. Julie herself could recite the current version from cover to cover.
The sound of a whoop caused the three of them to look to the right and they saw a human in a hang glider swoop up and land on the promenade. They then demanifested their hang glider and helmet, and Julie realized it was one of her fellow initiates from her time at the Imperial Academy of Warfare, General Ziu He.
"Whoo!' He exclaimed. "Winds are strong today! A pleasure to see you again, Julie!"
"Likewise, general," Julie replied. "You're here for the marriage too?"
"You know it, wouldn't miss it for anything! I placed my second-in-command in charge and finally gave them a chance to prove themselves." The general glanced at the two glaring farseers. "Are these two your guests?"
"Correct, please don't talk to them, since they don't like to be around others."
Ziu shrugged. "So long as they behave themselves, I see no reason for confrontation. Besides, I won't be in your hair for long, see you in two days!" The general said before leaping off of the edge, materializing his hang glider, and gliding out of sight.
Julie looked on as drop pods shot down from floating scientific facilities to the surface below. It was most likely supplies for the surface science complexes, and some poor scientists needed to don a bulky atmospheric suit and endure the storms to retrieve them. She thought back to the three guards who took Victor away and what message would necessitate a personal escort.
"So can any of you tell me what the Imperator wants me to read?" Victor asked as he was escorted through the resort.
"Like I said, admiral," the security officer who gave them the initial tour replied. "It's for your eyes only."
The admiral sighed. He had come to realize that they were members of the Home Guard, the mixture of the Imperial Planetary Guard and Imperial Punitive Corps that answered directly to the Imperator himself and had full authority to arrest, summon, and order anyone around. They're also, thankfully, rarely deployed outside of Sol, except to be stationed on megastructures and sent on secret missions.
"So, you three are Home Guard, correct?"
"Correct."
"That means you can arrest me at any time?"
"Correct."
With that cheerful fact, the four walked until they reached a door labeled 01-343. The head officer gestured to Victor towards a hand scanner. He placed his hand on it and the door opened to an expansive and decadent room, completed with gold trim, exotic plants, and holo-paintings of both human and alien in origin. It was far bigger than the one on the Dominion, and it disgusted him. Despite his rank, and unlike other admirals, he preferred a minimalist style of living space. In hindsight, he should've expected that a city named after an ancient goddess of love would have such accommodations.
"The Imperator's message is on the main table, let us know when you're done so you can leave."
Without another word, the door closed and Victor was left to his thoughts. He'd spotted a single sheet of paper on the main dining table and looked at it curiously. Almost nothing was written on paper anymore, save for important and confidential documents that couldn't risk compromise, and everyone preferred the simplicity of sending a message to an individual's holographic computer. Whatever the Imperator wanted Victor to see must've been important. He picked it up and read the contents:
Admiral Victor Williams,
First off, allow me to congratulate you for your continued vigilance during your exploration of the mirror universe. You've helped the Technocracy and her allies to identify and combat individuals with Shrouded Mind Disorder, and while we've yet to find a cure, the number of individuals afflicted is on a slow, but gradual, decrease across the galaxy. However, please refrain from describing the afflicted as the "damned" or other unscientific terms, according to the Dangerous Thought Protection Act of 2067.
Second, I realized you've brought over two visitors from the mirror universe, and I'm eager to make their acquaintance. Please, when you and Admiral Conner head for Earth, bring them along. It's a great opportunity to teach them the superiority of our ways and to eliminate any trace of Dangerous Thought that they may have.
Third, it is with great sadness that I acknowledge that the mirror universe is much more hostile than hoped. As such, I have commissioned two dozen new battlegroups to be made, as well as sixteen divisions of Punitive Corps soldiers to be formed, named the 1st-16th Expeditionary Corps respectively, each numbering two million members. I want you to share all data gathered with them so that we may be prepared for anything that could occur.
Lastly, I would like you to give a speech to motivate the populace about the mirror universe to boost their enthusiasm and to further justify funds into expanding into the said universe. Don't be concerned, as the first human to set foot in another universe, you'll inspire countless people to make the step themselves!
I'll see you at the marriage.
- Imperator Adrian Yang XIV
Victor sighed and looked out of the window, the sickly yellow Venusian clouds providing little comfort to his racing mind. He quickly shoved those thoughts deep into his unconscious, not wanting to let them ruin what would most likely be the only two days of relaxation in a long while.
"Guards," he called out. "I'm finished reading."
As soon as he finished the sentence, the three officers entered his room. "Do you understand what is being asked of you?"
"I do."
"Are you aware that insufficiently fulfilling an Imperial Order is considered high treason?"
"I am."
"Good." The lead officer extended his hand. "Give me the note." The admiral handed the note over to the officer.
"Excellent. Have a nice stay, admiral." With that, the three turned on their heels and left Victor in his extravagant room to collect his thoughts. Sighing, the first place he decided to pay a visit to was the resort's gene clinic for a routine check-up, since the last thing he wanted was to be less than physically perfect for his speech on the capital world of humanity.
Said gene clinic was located not far from the residences, most likely to allow for ease of access in case of emergency. Calming sterile white walls surrounded Victor as he was nearly clothless to allow the medical worker to analyze his body. Although developed in the late 2200s, gene therapy was instrumental in preserving the health of all Technocracy citizens through all stages of life development. Sure, nanites may resist and heal the vast majority of diseases and injuries, but for those who weren't infused with nanites, or who weren't infused to such a degree, they were a lifesaver. Even if an individual was infused with nanites to the level of the Punitive Corps, it helped as a backup.
As the medical worker finished their scan, they bore a confused and concerned expression.
"Is there a problem?" Victor asked.
"Umm... possibly," the medical worker replied. "Your vitals are all healthy, and you're not fighting any diseases. However... how do I say this... did you have any bodily modifications done lately?"
"...no?"
"Well... unless your nanites are malfunctioning, which they aren't, this shouldn't be there."
"What shouldn't be there?"
"...this." The medical worker showed him a picture of his upper back. Victor's eyes went wide as he saw what was there. It was the same blue flame symbol with a disc in the middle of it.
"...sir? Are you okay?"
All Victor said in response was a simple "...shit."
Julie's room, Aphrodite's Expanse, 11:22 pm Earth time
Unlike Victor, Julie was beyond ecstatic to receive a room bigger than her quarters on the Absolution and squealed like a teenage girl when she saw it, quickly running in and lying back down on the soft bed. After sending the farseers to their rooms and enduring complaints about "human living styles," she needed this. The room was even larger than the hotel room she stayed in when she visited Mithra, a form of coming-of-age ceremony in Hesukari culture that required one to return to their homeland when they reached the human year of twenty-one. Originally, this was one's home village, but later evolved into a city, a nation-state, and now in an era of galactic colonization, it became the homeworld of the Hesukari people.
Sighing, she moved her arms up and down and her legs side-to-side as if she was making a snow angel; something that her kind and humans had in common, especially on worlds with an arctic climate. With the largest smile on her face, she headed to the bathroom, which was as large as her quarters on the Absolution, for a nice relaxing shower. Julie had taken her shirt off and was taking off her pants when she noticed something on her upper leg.
Confused, she took a closer look and saw that it was a form of tattoo. One that she knew had not been there before. It was completely purple, in the form of a mixture of the male and female sex symbol with crescents integrated within. Seeing as nothing else had happened, she took a photograph of the tattoo to show a medical worker when she saw one and finally took that shower.
Information Data Logs
Scientists: The core of Technocracy tradition and culture, these men, women, and aliens are at the forefront of scientific advancements and discoveries, sharing them with the Technocracy and their home empires, advancing both nations. As all citizens of the Technocracy are conscripted for five years in the Planetary Guard, all scientists are trained soldiers as well which gives them valuable weapons training and survival skills for use in hostile alien environments, or even on colonized worlds where an unforeseen incident would occur. The scientists of the Technocracy are loyal to the state to almost a near-fanatical degree and are more than willing to sacrifice life, limb, and mind in the pursuit of knowledge, including those deemed "forbidden" or "heretical" by other, less educated societies. They also act as "evangelists" of sorts, enlightening primitive races on the benefits of progress and rationality since one of the core goals of the Technocracy is to further the scientific process of all sentient individuals, and if a society proves to resistant? Military intervention.
Psionic Emulator: In the fervent pursuit of progress, there are bound to be mistakes. One such mistake is the devices known as psionic emulators. The core concept is simple; as psions have not been discovered in humanity, someone had the idea to create a machine that could generate mental waves similar to those found in psions and could theoretically generate a connection with the shroud. Only one such device was made, and it was sent to the Illiad citadel for testing. When activated, it generated a portal directly to the Shroud, causing unknown amounts of energy and entities to flood through into real space and almost dooming the entire citadel. Thankfully, it was shut down, the program discontinued, and the Technocracy continues to search for psions in humanity's midst. However, there are whispers within the higher echelons of the scientific community that say the Technocracy plans on weaponizing the emulators against humanity's foes.
Venus: Venus, or 晨星, is the second planet in the Sol system, and is the first official non-lunar colony ever made by humanity. First visited by the USSR from 1961 to 1984 with their Venera program, Venus was the target of numerous scientific expeditions well before the formation of the Technocracy. It was during the Era of Consolidation when the Sol system became easily accessible for humanity, and in turn, the planets within. Mars, the subject of colonization for uncountable amounts of time, was found to be not viable for early colonization by humanity. Although the red planet was habitable, it would require extensive terraforming processes, and the technology for it was not available to humanity at the time. Instead, the moon was fully industrialized, the minerals fueling Earth's industries, and Venus became the target for a prolonged scientific expedition made of six people. A ship in orbit deployed a floating platform, named Outpost VS-3234, and a zeppelin with a rocket pod to allow for their return to Earth. Over time, more and more floating platforms were deployed to Venus and the size of the crew increased along with extending the time spent from six months to indefinitely to allow for a more consistent stream of scientific information. Surface bases were even developed, specializing in engineering research that complemented the biological research being conducted in the floating platforms above. As humanity expanded via the hyperdrive, and alien worlds and systems were discovered, the value of Venus as a scientific hub gradually decreased, along with the moon as a mining operation. Seeing this, and the reluctance of humanity to pursue space exploration, the Technocracy started the 因幸福而进步 or the Progress Through Happiness program, aimed to encourage space exploration with luxury vacation destinations, the first entries into this program were the moon and Venus. Overnight, floating research complexes became resorts and hotels, laboratories became luxury suites and surface stations became the starting points for tours of the surface. Scientific studies still occur but at a much lower level than before. Various activities, such as hang gliding and glider racing, are popular pastimes for tourists, who number in the millions each month. Although the atmosphere is technically breathable, corrosive fumes necessitate the usage of respiration masks for continuous exterior excursions.
Sirius: The second star system claimed by humanity after Alpha Centauri, Sirius is a dual-star system of twin blue stars around two hyperlane jumps from Sol, making it a prime colonization target for the burgeoning Technocracy. The first construction ship graced the system in the year 2233, with the first colony on Sirius III, now known as Xin Xi'an, following three years later. In the beginning, things were difficult for the colonists; high mountain ranges, dense woodlands, and hostile fauna made for rough early years and coupled with the fact that the Technocracy wasn't as fluent in colonization techniques compared to today, it was a wonder that it even succeeded at all. Today, however, it is a thriving agri-world that feeds uncountable amounts of citizens across the Technocracy, pioneering new farming methods used in other agri-worlds and even beyond in other empires. An orbital ring acts both as a defense and a weather manipulation complex to allow for perfect growing conditions year-round.
Neutronium: The densest artificially made material in the galaxy, neutronium was developed by humanity in the year 2344 and has replaced durasteel in the creation of armor for warships, armored divisions, and personal exoarmor, as well as construction material for buildings and starbases. Using a classified mixture of alloys, exotic gasses, and rare crystals, neutronium has the strongest mass-per-area ratio of any metal alloy combination that came before it. Up until the discovery of this dense material, durasteel was the staple of all armor, from personal to warships, but it had a problem. Exposure to concentrated heat sources turned even the thickest ship armor to slag in a matter of seconds, and as projectile weapons evolved through the galaxy, a fast enough round could punch straight through. Neutronium, however, is all but invincible to most projectile weapons, but concentrated heat sources, like lasers, are still a problem. Based on simulations, a Bastille-model exoarmor made from neutronium can sustain approximately twenty boltgun rounds from a standard model before catastrophic structural failure, and thirty for normal human models, but it's not like this will become relevant, right?
...right?
Mars: Mars, or 火星 and the Red Planet, is the fourth planet in the Sol system and the third planet within the Sol system to be colonized. A historical target for colonization, Mars was no stranger to human exploration, with many pre-unification space agencies sending various expeditions, excursions, probes, and robots to the planet to find water, life, either fossilized or living, and resources for exploitation. Some were successful, like NASA's Mars Rovers, and some were failures, like the Mars Climate Orbiter. It was only when a manned expedition made it to the red planet during the Era of Consolidation that true scientific data could be sent back to Earth. Although Mars could be theoretically habitable and colonizable, it would take a massive amount of resources and technology the Technocracy didn't have at the time, so the Technocracy prioritized the other planets, like Venus and the moon. In the year 2388, when terraforming had been developed, Mars was a "test run" of sorts. Orbital lasers, named Archangels, were aimed at the poles that melted the ice and released both water and steam into the atmosphere, and began to heat the red planet, converting it into a sterile world. Colonists then landed on the surface and finished the terraforming process, converting the planet into a more suitable continental world. Today, in the 26th Century, Mars is the Sol system's premier fortress world, possessing some of the best military academies and the strongest garrison force in the galaxy, with the belief that any invader will waste their time invading the planet, allowing for reinforcements to intercept. The majority of recruits and conscripts, either from the Imperial Planetary Guard or the Imperial Punitive Corps, will spend the majority of their training days on the red planet, which results in slightly better results compared to other fortress worlds. It also supplies the Sol citadel with logistical support to better maintain any battlegroups docked there for maintenance or upgrades. While tourists are allowed on Mars, they are confined to 15 percent of the planet made up primarily of museums, shooting ranges, and weapon stores to not disturb sensitive military secrets and operations.
Jetstream-class Zeppelin: Although zeppelins and airships haven't been widely used since the 20th century, these glorified bags of air found new life in the Technocracy in the form of usage in hostile or non-existent ground environments where other conventional methods prove either inefficient or too costly. Around twice as long as the Hindenberg, the infamous disaster that ended the era of airships, the Jetstream-class Zeppelins act as a floating weapons platform, capable of mounting air-to-air, air-to-ground, or air-to-space missiles, autocannons with explosive rounds, railguns, various sized bombs, firebombs, Synth-X nerve gas bombs, or micro missile launchers for ground support, and flak cannons and point defense lasers for protection against of attack aircraft and missiles, respectively. The zeppelins are also used as a carrier for Banshee fighters and Wraith hunter-killer drones and as a scouting craft, replacing the weapons for high-zoom cameras and stealth equipment. Neutronium armor plates defend the central body from attacks, adding another layer of defense to an otherwise glorified balloon.
Home Guard: Of all the types of divisions, units, and battalions present in the Technocracy, there are some whose very names give off an aura of respect. For example, the Phantom Reavers are the secret police force and spec-ops division of the Imperial Planetary Guard, whose operations outside the law and in ally and enemy territory give off an aura of dread. The Crimson Harvesters, a Punitive Corps division composed of psychopaths and violent criminals that are used by the Technocracy to "send a message" give off a feeling of overwhelming fear. Then there is the Home Guard, whose very utterance invokes a sense of duty and honor throughout the Technocracy, for the Home Guard are the men and women who defend the Imperator/Imperatrix themselves and the Sol system, as well as megastructures and execute classified missions. They answer solely to the Imperator/Imperatrix, have the discretion to arrest anyone for any reason, and are given the top-of-the-shelf equipment and weapons to support them. They can be sent to protect foreign dignitaries, secure embassies in areas experiencing social unrest, and arrest any dignitaries of a hostile foreign nation. However, unlike other divisions, the Home Guard is primarily a defensive group and is not expected to take part in offensive wars or even leave the Sol system unless to defend a megastructure or a colony that has a member of the dynastic family residing on it.