Interlude: Wrath of the Deep
[REDACTED] - Sphere of the Throne
The station hovering in the blackness of space was surrounded by only the faint flickering of white and blue stars in the void. Stars promising other systems; other galaxies; other places that remained untouched. Unprotected.
Though in a way, they already were by proxy. Perhaps they would know that one day.
Normally, stations such as these were typically used for defense, storage, or even habitation.
Not this one.
This one was something different. Something more…refined.
His Lord demanded no less.
The General stepped into the detailed tiled floor, boots clacking loudly in the absence of sound. Beautiful murals constructed into the floor echoed the ornate construction of the station; an extravagance and beauty one might expect on the Throne World. Were it not for the fact that he knew they were floating in space, one would never know they weren't on solid ground.
He continued along the path, as the stone columns and walls gave way to the integrated vegetation. Pure, hard stone and steel was undesirable and drab; that which was tempered with nature provided a much-needed balance. Green, yellow, and red grass soon encroached the path, with trees, flowers, and even small fowl and creatures roaming around, while the walls were shrouded through holograms to give an illusion of an open space.
It was a perfect illustration of harmony. So many different pieces of life from dozens of worlds, galaxies, and spheres able to coexist – after the necessary modifications, of course. He enjoyed this section of the station; it was calming, especially given the news he was to break.
News he feared would not be taken well.
No…that was something he need not fear. The reaction of the Lord would likely be little more than barely visible annoyance, but what he would do, what he would order to respond to it…It could have significant ramifications. It would make the lives of all involved more complicated. This news was what started conquests.
One could very well be coming soon.
The room soon began transitioning back to the regular architecture of the station, and ahead he saw the door. No guards waited today, a sign of respect – and secrecy. The station was already among the most restricted, and for even the guards to be dismissed meant that the Lord had correctly assumed the news he was bringing was…important, even if he had dared not imply as much.
He entered the room somberly; carefully. The low humming of the holograms running was the only constant sound as they were placed in careful rows throughout the room, each one displaying a world, species, individual, or sphere, connected to the appropriate data file. They changed daily, or even hourly depending on the situation and whim of the Lord. But looking at them was a good insight into his current musings.
A quick glance was enough to confirm his suspicions. Many aliens from the Sphere of the Sovereign, several dozen species, worlds, and individuals from the Milky Way and Andromeda galaxies specifically. Near the center of the room, facing away from the entrance, but in front of a semicircle currently playing a hologram recreation of a battle, stood the elevated throne hewn out of clouded diamond.
Not just a specific battle, but one showcasing a Sovereign Agent. One of T'Leth's, if he was to accurately predict based on the other holograms in the room. Based on what was known on the Agents of T'Leth, he suspected it was focused on a very specific one. The General fell to one knee. "[My Lord,]" he greeted, relieved to be speaking the tongue of his birth once more. Alien languages were brutish, distasteful, and curt. The one of his people was…beautiful; no other word could accurately describe it. Even aliens who heard it were enthralled from the words that flowed like water and were honey to the ears.
"[Rise and approach.]" The answer was expected, and the General rose and approached the right arm of the throne. The Lord wore no battle armor or adornment today, but a simple and tasteful tunic. One designed for status, if not comfort. Unimportant details, as the Lord did not even look to the General, and instead remained focused on the scene in front of him.
A short time passed. "[You bring news.]" It was not a question, and the General wasted no time.
"[The situation on Earth has escalated. We suspect the war will be decided sooner than anticipated.]"
"[Explain.]"
Working with the limited information his people had been able to acquire was not especially easy, but after millennia of doing this, he had been able to put together a short explanation which was largely accurate. He was unhappy that there were clear gaps in his knowledge and details were lacking, but the main pieces of information were clear if one knew what to look for.
In some ways, the previous isolation and secrecy of the Ethereals had actually helped in constructing the true narrative.
"[The Imperator has begun taking direct political control of the Ethereal Collective and devoting his power to conquering Earth. The heart of XCOM was attacked, and it is likely that they will continue to suffer defeats in upcoming battles because of this. The Imperator wishes to end this war quickly and kill T'Leth.]"
The Lord pursed his lips, though seemed mostly amused. "[Optimistic of him. The war will not end so long as T'Leth remains on the planet.]"
"[Indeed,]" a short hesitation, before the General continued. "[There are…indications that this will encourage T'Leth to act. Act with more than his Agents. We must decide on a course of action soon if we hope to influence the outcome. This war will not last indefinitely; either the Imperator or T'Leth will emerge victorious.]"
A dismissive wave of the hand. "[It ultimately does not matter. Both present unique opportunities and challenges. You are suggesting direct intervention?]"
"[Potentially,]" was the careful answer. "[T'Leth is the more immediate threat. The Imperator is more easily utilized. He could be useful in bringing the Sphere of the Sovereign under control. Though there are…concerns.]"
"[Explain.]"
"[We are still unsure of the nature of the entity he has in Paradise station,]" the General answered. "[His usage of it could prove dangerous to other Spheres if it escaped the containment designed for it.]"
"[Incorrect,]" the answer was immediate. "[This Bringer is a creature born of psionics and as such, is a wielder of such power. It threatens no other spheres. It is a non-factor outside of our operations within the one in which it resides.]"
The General had his own reservations, but this was not the time to voice them. "[As you say, my Lord.]"
"[Why have you really come to me?]" As he had expected, the Lord had figured out that there was more important news than the prelude he had provided to gain this meeting. "[These developments are unsurprising and do not change our plans.]"
And here it came. "[There are two developments which can hamper our plans,]" the General swallowed. "[First, the Entity has escaped containment.]"
It was subtle, but the reaction was easily noticeable at this close proximity. A stiffening of the body and spine. An imperceptible tightening of the face, and slow clenching of hands into fists. The eyes smoldered with anger and frustration, and eventually it faded into the mask the Lord preferred to wear. One of calm collection and introspection.
Only one question was asked. "[How?]"
"[A weakness in the Watchers,]" he answered. "[He manipulated them; made promises, gifts, and deals in return for concessions that were so minor as to be imperceptible. Invisible. Investigation continues, but this appears to be no less than three thousand years of plotting. Millions of slight nudges and hairline fractures; alone can do nothing, but together they form a singular shatterpoint.]"
A short pause. "[All involved have been quarantined. They will be dealt with when the investigation is concluded and we have every possible lead.]"
This resulted in a slight nod, but the displeasure was still apparent. "[Typical.]" A frown from the Lord, though more towards the situation than the General. "[We should have expected such. He has become more patient. It is only the containment that was breached, not the Restrictions?]"
That was indeed the good news. "[Yes, my lord. There is nothing indicating that the Restrictions were tampered with, nor did any of the Watchers allow concessions that affected them. There is little chance they were affected or altered.]"
"[Then what he will be able to do will be limited,]" the Lord relaxed slightly. "[Yet he can move through the Spheres freely. I do not trust him to not eventually learn how to break the Restrictions. Reclaiming him is essential.]"
"[I agree,]" the General nodded. "[But I do not believe he will go far.]"
The Lord stroked his chin. "[He will do what he has always done. Follow the Blood. He will find the Sphere of the Sovereign soon. If the Entity makes contact with the any of the Sovereigns, that could be…problematic. The Sovereigns are too arrogant, too shortsighted to understand what they are dealing with. Limited as it is, there is already high risk from the Sphere. It does not need to be compounded.]"
And this tied into the other news which could throw this into question. "[For most Sovereigns, perhaps. Not all of them. The other development is also concerning.]"
"[Why?]"
The General's lips twitched. "[The Sovereign Classemque has found a Gateway. His proxy species has begun researching and excavating it.]"
There was a long silence, broken by the long intake of breath by the Lord who stared straight ahead, his face as stone. Unlike the escape of the Entity, both of them had known it was only a matter of time until something like this happened. "[Does he know what it is?]"
"[As it stands now, no,]" he confirmed. "[It's only a recent discovery. I do not know how he found it, and it could very well have been accidental. The fact that he doesn't know what it is reinforces this.]"
"[What does he think it is?]"
"[Based on how that particular one was designed, he likely believes it to be some kind of transport system. Perhaps a primitive iteration of a Psionosphere-based teleportation technology. Right now he thinks it is Sovereign technology, perhaps based on the Traveler as it bears some resemblance to Adherent architecture.]"
"[He will not hold that theory for long,]" was a short answer. "[Classemque is the most dangerous.]"
On that he was correct, which was what made this more concerning than usual. Out of all the Sovereigns to find something of this magnitude, it had to be the smartest one of them all. T'Leth, Expirant, even the Leviathan were better alternatives because they probably wouldn't be able to figure out what it was, much less how it worked.
"[It will take time for him to learn,]" he pointed out. "[If he is able to understand it at all.]"
"[We do not work within delusions, General,]" the Lord snorted. "[Not now; not here. Time is limited and the Gateway must be destroyed.]"
It was the most obvious solution, and likely the best, but it wouldn't solve the problem long-term. "[Those are your orders?]"
"[Yes. Take whatever you need and destroy that Gateway. Bring several of the researchers back for study and potential integration. Kill everyone else. Let Classemque think he stumbled upon the legacy of another Sovereign.]" The Lord rubbed his chin, thinking. "[It is clear we cannot leave the Gateways unguarded. Install guards and defenses at each one. It may draw attention, but it has clearly become necessary, especially with the Entity now in play, and he will use that knowledge effectively.]"
Logical, and something he agreed with. Already in his mind he was putting together the appropriate amount of forces. Given the skill and intellect he was dealing with in Classemque and his also brilliant proxies, it was almost certainly going to be costly. Manageable, but costly. Necessary to preserve stability and secrecy. "[It will be done within the week.]"
"[Our strategy must change,]" the Lord continued after a pause. "[This Sphere has proved to be unusually troublesome. This will continue happening if not dealt with, and the Entity introduces an uncontrolled variable. Doing the minimum is not acceptable. Prepare it for quarantine within the timeframe of one of the cycles.]"
A grimace formed on the face of the General. That would be a difficult task. There were also other concerns. "[That could be provocative. And the timeframe will cause issues due to the asymmetrical nature of the cycles. It will not remain subtle or unnoticeable.]"
"[I am not concerned about the threat posed,]" was the flat answer. "[It would not be ideal, but one Sovereign at a time can be defeated. I understand this will be a difficult challenge, but I suspect that you desire such other than being confined to the Throne World as a glorified diplomat. You have my permission to use whatever means are necessary for the quarantine.]"
A short nod. Unrestricted resources and manpower would certainly be easier. And his Lord was not wrong. It had been too long since he had undertaken such a…great challenge as this. It had been too long since he had led the conquest and quarantine of a sphere. The Sovereign Ones and the Entity that would likely follow would simply be additional challenges.
"[Our numbers must grow,]" he suggested. "[Species and individuals marked as having potential for the Riders have been identified. Delays have arisen from pushback on-]"
"[Find and recruit them,]" the Lord interrupted lowering his arm back to his side. "[I will handle any fallout on the Throne World. They will not hold back progress for the sake of their already-tainted lines.]"
The General moved to leave, and then paused; a final question appearing in his mind. One which needed express permission to be allowed to carry out. "[If an…opportunity presents itself on Earth…should it be taken?]"
Another pause, this one lingering. "[I leave that to your judgement, General. You know her better than I do.]"
3/19/2017
In the blackness of the ocean, a leviathan stirred. The life forms around him became still and entered into a telepathic shock as he ponderously considered the situation he now found itself in. A rare position for him. Rare, and mildly concerning – though for once it wasn't because the threat was mortal. Normally, the actions and losses of proxies and doomed species would mean nothing to him. His Agents were safe, as were his installations.
But these were not normal times.
Now…he had an…ally.
A word which was amusing in the context of himself; an equivalent of a mouse being allied to a dog. A power disparity which usually made such alliances mere pledges of fealty. But this was not as simple. Despite knowing how outmatched they were, XCOM nonetheless continued to treat him as if he – or they – were equal.
It almost would be arrogant, if it wasn't endearing in a way.
Especially since it had not necessarily been sought out in that way. An alliance was practical for both of them, but the knowledge that XCOM had refused to even consider the possibility of asking him to abandon Earth when the fool Ethereal Sana had come to talk was surprising. As if they were committed beyond convenience.
Ironic. One who shunned proxies now had a species perhaps more genuinely loyal than any hand-crafted slave race.
Which meant that attacks on his…ally…could not go unpunished. When the Traveler had died, he had repaid the Leviathan with the blood of his thralls. Perhaps foolish, perhaps an arrogant retaliation against something more powerful than him, but it was a rare moment of certainty where he knew that what he had done was right.
Their alliance had not been selfless, but there had been mutual respect.
What changes when it is not a Sovereign who holds a similar relationship, but a lesser alien?
Nothing.
More than that, he had been outwitted; subverted by Mosrimor. A Sovereign who was utterly irrelevant and whose plans would never come to fruition. A useful tool of the Imperator; a rare reversal of Sovereign and Alien. Nonetheless, it was intolerable that he had been so…successful in accomplishing the plan of the Traitor Human.
Mistakes.
Underestimation.
Falling into the same traps of arrogance that other Sovereigns fell into must be avoided at all costs. The Imperator was an alien, but a clever alien. The Humans had clever members of their species. Mosrimor in his own way was clever, although his cleverness was more useful as a tool to beings like the Imperator.
To be on a losing side…even by proxy was…distasteful.
Escalation.
Perhaps it was time to use the more unpredictable capabilities of his people more openly. The Imperator was ignorant of certain realities, and perhaps a reminder of who he was dealing with was due. First there must be decisions made.
A telepathic command was sent to his Agents. We will meet.
His command was received and would be obeyed immediately.
The dreamscape they all appeared in was dimly lit and watery, as usual. T'Leth had no desire or time for complexity. Such was unnecessary now. His Agents arrived, scattered across the worlds from installations to residing in the shattered Praesidium. Many faces were grim, some were angry; none were defeated.
All of them knew this was a setback.
All of them knew that something was coming.
T'Leth had no physical avatar this time. His presence was enough.
It was, unsurprisingly, Lavallic ir Nara who spoke first. Or made the first tangible response. Mocking claps rang out in the dreamscape, a sneer on the woman's face as she looked up into the air, eyes sharp as daggers and pointedly starting at the envisioned form of the Sovereign One. "[Well done, well done. I had been under the impression you were powerful, yet in your first demonstration with another of your kind, you are beaten.]"
Crevan pursed his lips and some of the other Agents looked shocked at her words or her native language. "Nara…" he began slowly, trailing off.
There was a reason she was typically kept away from others. She was abrasive, cruel, intolerant, and arrogant. She was also brilliant, and represented something crucial to the future. Her virtues shone brighter than arguably any one else's, but her flaws were in equal radiance. She would have been a powerful, if ineffective Sovereign.
Your tongue is as sharp as expected from your kind. Perhaps that is why you make enemies so easily.
"[We agreed to assist you because you could protect us,]" she hissed. "[That is thrown into question now.]"
Is it?
The air rippled.
You assume I was defeated?
Normally he did not assault her mind with visions and memories, but it was past time the woman was stripped down from her pedestal, as if her fears and terrors were any more or less potent than those faced by this galaxy before; as if what she considered important mattered to this galaxy. Memories of cycles where worlds were destroyed, Sovereigns fought and defeated, genocides and battles where the death counts fell in the tens of millions.
All of which he had played a part in.
Lavallic collapsed to the watery floor and began convulsing. Crevan moved to help her, but was stopped by Fiona who extended an arm, blocking him from moving forward. Face of stone, Crevan watched grimly as the Sovereign addressed him. You overestimate your importance to me, and perhaps it would be prudent to remind your woman that I have learned the most crucial pieces of information already. She is best not speaking of things she has no concept of outside her sheltered and privileged life.
Crevan's face remained stern. "Her frustration is not misplaced. The attack on the Praesidium was a setback."
Everything lost can be replaced. Concern rests in application of resources and personnel. The Imperator and Patricia are more clever and resourceful than anticipated.
"Indeed," the Chronicler nodded. "In retrospect what Patricia did was logical and effective. It is fair to say that Mosrimor will become more involved in this conflict. We must prepare to counter him."
Mosrimor will not show himself personally. He acts through his puppets and nanotechnology. Review for vulnerabilities and pass updates to XCOM and ADVENT.
"We need more people," Harper looked around, with a quick glance at the woman on the ground. "If this war escalates, we will not have enough to be everywhere at once. Be it against one of these Harbingers or one of Mosrimor's puppets. Much less against the other soldiers of the Collective."
"Recruits?" The Chronicler asked, raising an eyebrow. "Do you have people in mind?"
"Not specifics," Harper shook his head. "But I suspect that a number of XCOM soldiers would be willing. I would have suggested to approach Agent Gertrude again, if she was still alive. It might be more reasonable to consider proposing to the Commander to convert XCOM into a more formalized arm of you, T'Leth."
"Out of the question," the Chronicler shook his head. "A degree of separation is necessary, nor would the Commander agree to it, with good reason. No one has reached that level of desperation yet. Recruitment from XCOM though…is more palpable. T'Leth, are there any candidates?"
No.
Harper blinked. "None at all?"
None who I consider compatible. Their loyalties are solidified to the Commander and XCOM. Their roles to play are clear. There are others whose minds I've touched who I will draw to us. Our numbers will swell. Chronicler, the sleepers will rise. It is time for us to learn about the cycle we now inhabit.
"Who?" Fiona looked to Crevan, confused.
"T'Leth is older than our species," the Chronicler said, crossing his arms. "There have been other agents of his long before us. Not all of them are dead. Some of them are responsible for keeping him up to date on the current cycles. Although this is later than usual."
Yes. I suspect much has happened that I am not aware of. Reinforcements on Earth will also be useful.
"We're all ignoring the most important part of this," Fiona interjected, stepping forward with clear frustration on her face. "What are we going to do about it now?"
"Help XCOM rebuild," the Chronicler said. "As a start. Support and supplement their operations until they can do so themselves."
She scowled. "Not good enough. We need to strike back. I can do that."
"Absolutely not," Crevan shook his head adamantly. "That is the last thing needed right now. We need to act based on practicality, not emotion. You are in no position to risk us – and yourself – so brazenly."
"I can do it," she stated, glaring at Crevan. "It doesn't matter if the Imperator's puppet comes after me, I know I can beat her. I fought that creature of the Bringer to a standstill, and compared to that Patricia is nothing."
"Patricia is not who you need to be concerned about!" Crevan shot back, exasperated.
"The Ethereals aren't going to risk themselves now that they have puppets," Fiona noted. "Well, except the Battlemaster. I'm not stupid enough to fight the Imperator by myself, but I can take his armies and avatars."
She had reason for her confidence, but T'Leth was wary of utilizing her too extensively. Especially against such an insignificant threat as an avatar. Patricia had only attacked when the most powerful were gone. It was a subtle, yet important hint that she still feared what could be brought against her.
But she was correct in one instance.
The Imperator had sent Patricia to send a message.
It was time one of his own be sent.
The Imperator had formally declared war on T'Leth by proxy. It was time he learned what that entailed.
There will be retribution. It is owed to XCOM and to punish the Imperator for his arrogance in attacking my ally.
Fiona nodded fiercely. "When do we strike?"
Not you. The air rippled and became charged as the voice rumbled deep into their minds. I will do this myself.
Sydney, New South Wales – Australia, Territory of the Ethereal Collective
3/19/2017 – 11:41 A.M.
For once, Runi'ilias'vitiary though to himself as he stood at his post, today was a very good day. Ever since the events in the China offensive, they had all been privately wondering what was going to happen next. The death of an Elder, even one disavowed by the Battlemaster himself, was a blow, and Humanity had proven themselves unexpectedly strong and skilled.
Events was probably too light of a word for what had happened. Not descriptive enough. Supposedly it had been livestreamed over the Human Internet, and while some of the soldiers grumbled about how they didn't have unrestricted access, Ilias was privately grateful that the Zararch were looking out for them, because if the rumors of what was shown were even partially true…well, no one needed to see that.
And of course, mere days after doubts had started to crop up, the Elders had shown that they were in control, as they always were. The scourge of XCOM had been attacked by the Imperator's Harbinger, which had come as a massive shock to all of them. Patricia Trask had been in the nightmares of most soldiers after stories of her power spread, and to hear such a woman was now on their side was a relief.
Unlike the dread and confusion they'd felt when they'd learned Elder Aegis and Caelior had joined the Humans, now they-now he, felt relief. It was taking longer than maybe expected, but this war was going to turn around. It was just something he could feel. Irrational, but there was a shift taking place, and all he could think of was it's about time.
It had been one of the few times since being stationed to this miserable wasteland that their commander allowed a relaxed celebration of sorts. Optimism instead of tedium ruled the night and morning, and it was all something they needed now. Australia was, in his humble opinion, one of the worst places you could have the misfortune of being stationed on.
It was hot, dirty, and boring. Ilias personally believed that they didn't really need a military force here, or at least not Runianarch. Mutons could do the job just as well, and the Sectopods, Heralds, and Executors that had been brought in didn't care about boredom. While yes, it was important to protect their production plants which had – at long last – replaced the once-sprawling city of Sydney, at this point ADVENT wasn't going to be touching these for a long time.
At the same time, knowing their luck, they would all be sent to Korea.
He blinked slowly.
If given the choice between hot miserable boredom and a death sentence, he would stick to being alive. Besides, some days it wasn't too bad.
He felt the impact of the wind on his armor, even if he couldn't feel it himself. Well, this was a rare day when the sun wasn't blazing, and he was going to enjoy it at least a little. Regulations said otherwise, but it likely didn't matter at all right now. Helmets weren't necessary when he wasn't in a combat zone, and there weren't any civilians around to keep up appearances.
"[The universe smiles upon us today,]" Runi'causta'borelia rumbled, walking up beside him. "[A sign of the coming victory]"
"[It is,]" he answered, savoring the cool wind. "[Soon this will be over.]"
"[Or it could just be a change in seasons,]" Runi'ailand'intha added, taking his place against the entrance as a Muton patrol continued on their way down the street. "[Not that I'm complaining if we're finally going to get off this planet. I don't see why any Human would willingly live here.]"
Their Borelian friend shrugged. "[Because they had no choice?]"
Ailand looked over to what the Humans had called the "Sydney Opera House", the one piece of Human architecture in the city they had deliberately preserved since it was rather unique. "[They probably wouldn't have built that if they weren't here by choice. Even before we came, Humans had boats and aircraft. There is no reason to live here.]"
"[It is clearly the animals,]" Ilias said dryly. A joke they all understood.
The wildlife on this planet – or at least this region of the planet was among the most unpleasant he had ever had the misfortune of ever witnessing. Even in the city there were little rodent-like vermin everywhere, eight-legged insects the size of his hand that caused dangerous rashes (in addition to being just unsettling to look at), and in Sydney alone there had been over a hundred patrols which had at least one member get bit by some kind of venomous snake and had to be treated.
And none of them went into the water. After bodies had started floating back to the shores, and they'd learned what 'box jellyfish' and 'sea snakes' were. It was like everything that lived here was designed to bite, sting, or eat you. Which was to say nothing of the Muton patrols deeper into the continent which had been attacked by crocodiles.
Anything that could seriously injure a Muton was nothing any of them wanted to tangle with.
"[Do you think it will actually rain?]" Ailand mused, looking to the overcast skies. Ilias also looked up. The clouds were not especially dark, which was what would generally indicate rainfall was coming, but just slightly gray. The only difference was that they were thick and stretched as far as he could see, only appearing to slightly break far over the ocean.
So not rain, just overcast. Which was fine, as he didn't really want to stand out in the rain for hours even if it was an objective improvement from the heat. Causta pulled out her tablet and began checking something while he remembered the wind. Lips turned sterner as he thought. No, not rain, but there was more wind than normal. What were those weather events called?
Ah, tornados. That was a proper translation. Definitely not as dangerous compared to the equivalent events on Vitakar, but being caught at ground zero in one was not ideal. "[Do they have tornados in Australia?]" He asked, not really to either of them in particular. "[It's very windy]"
"[Even if they did,]" Ailand gave a shrug. "[We wouldn't be in any danger. If it gets to that point, we'll just be moved into shelters.]"
"[Wait.]" Causta motioned them over. "[Something isn't right. Come here.]"
Both of them walked over to look down at the tablet. Ilias just saw white which he assumed represented the clouds. "[Why do you have it focused on the city?]" He asked. "[It's obviously cloudy here.]"
"[That isn't the city,]" Causta said slowly. "[This is the continent.]"
Both of them blinked. "[The entire continent?]"
"[The entire continent,]" Causta repeated, zooming out and sure enough, the ocean surrounded the massive cloud which blanketed the continent. "[The radar can't see anything on the ground. I've never seen anything like this, even on Vitakar.]"
"[Has Earth had weather events like this before?]" Ailand asked, voice now allowing some worry.
"[Going to send a message to the Zararch so they can perform a Google search,]" Causta said, typing the message itself. "[It's odd. Stuff like this can't just spring spontaneously. Especially this large.]"
"[Or it can, and it's just another charming feature of Earth,]" Ailand pointed out.
"[Go back on the timeline,]" Ilias suggested. "[When did it start?"]
"[One moment,]" before them all Causta began rewinding the radar to early evening the previous night. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary and then clouds had begun appearing. What was especially unnerving was that they didn't just appear and later dissipate sporadically, but all seemed to arise and then join over the span of the entire night until the entire continent was covered in clouds.
It seemed…artificial.
Oddly enough, his first thought was wondering if Humanity had the capability to manipulate the weather. Something that even Vitakar didn't have. Sure, there were plenty of ways to model and predict natural events with near-perfect accuracy, but affecting it was a different story. Theoretically, it was possible, but no one had seen a reason to attempt such a project.
Besides, why wouldn't the Humans have used that well before now?
"[Accelerate it to Sydney-4,]" Ilias said slowly, knowing the Sargon could more easily determine what this was. "[Better safe than sorry.]"
"[Doing it now,]" Causta said. "[I have a bad feeling about this.]"
Then everything froze.
Or at least it seemed to.
Ilias wondered briefly if it was his imagination, but everything around them went silent. The Muton patrols stopped walking, looking around. He couldn't hear anything running or humming; the wind had stopped blowing. A few moments later, he felt something. It wasn't a sound or something that was easily described, but a slow dread began creeping over him; a call of a void he didn't know how to respond to.
He stiffened as words appeared in his mind. Thoughts and symbols that he had never seen or heard before, but understood on a subconscious level. It was infused with something old. There was a weight to them that he felt he was only slightly grasping yet needed to know more of. Without necessarily thinking, he began walking aimlessly – or so it seemed to the outside observer.
Mutons growled, roared, and clutched their heads as it began affecting them too, but was resisted by their conditioning and cybernetics. They were ignored by the Vitakara and Andromedons who remained enthralled in the trance the city had somehow fallen into. Then out across the water, Ilias saw what he knew was the source.
At first, he wondered if it was a ship, a vehicle, or something mechanical. Then he saw it was something living; alive. The creature was covered in black-grey scales that were thicker than concrete walls, reminiscent of a deep-water creature. The tip of it rose out of the water, and continued rising and rising, until the face of the creature was revealed at the 'end' of the torso.
Six eyes glowed blue as it looked down upon the city, hovering in the air. Long-reaching tentacles fell from the body, six primary ones in total which seemed to be as long as the body itself, while smaller ones were dangling from the upper back of the creature. These twitched and lifted as the creature prepared to act.
The defenses wasted no time and began firing, as did the Executors, Heralds, and Sectopods which had been put on alert. The Mutons and some of the soldiers fought off the trance and their weapons joined the fight. Green streaks of plasma, orange trails of fire from missiles and projectiles shot towards the thing hovering over them.
Nothing came even close to hitting it.
Missiles and projectiles were turned back or shattered in midair. Plasma bolts were stopped by psionic barriers appearing and vanishing with the precision of a point defense system. One tentacle raised itself, and glowed with blue and purple fire as it swept down in a wide arc, a wave of psionic energy amplifying the strike which annihilated a vast swath of the city.
That was merely the opening act.
Come.
The command reverberated in the minds of those who lived, this accompanied by a sharp pain. The creature suddenly blasted across the city to hover over a different part. The tentacles spread out and curled, as every building and defense under it cracked and was pulled into a telekinetic grip which shattered buildings into rubble and lifted the Executors into the air with ease.
Go to the Deep; go where you belong.
On an intrinsic level, Ilias knew that he should be running away as fast as possible from the thing which was attacking them, but the words would not allow him. He needed to go to the Deep. He knew where that was. Tentacles of purple flame slammed down, shaking the ground with the force of an earthquake, throwing them all to the ground.
Ilias quickly scrambled to his feet, looking around. He saw the water. The Deep.
He needed to get to it. All of them did.
Through the shaking and simulated earthquakes; through the purple fires which raged around them; through the collapse of the base they had so carefully and effectively built up, they rushed towards the blue, inviting ocean. Some of them tripped and were trampled in the stampede, but that did not stop the rest.
They jumped into the water. It was cold, and the armor weighed him down. Already he felt he would have trouble swimming if that was his goal. But he didn't want to go to the surface.
He needed to go deeper.
It was a mad plunge to reach the deepest part of the ocean. Some succumbed and drowned early on, but the limited oxygen supply of his own helmet allowed him to go deeper. He saw several soldiers ahead of him; in his way; and he grabbed them and threw them back to give himself a boost as he went deeper.
His breath soon became short, but he knew he was almost there. The light of the sun shown into the vast expanse of the ocean that was now filled with bodies; many of which were now floating and bobbing lifelessly. His vision became blacker, and air was being inhaled frantically until there wasn't anything left.
Still he tried to go deeper.
Then he blacked out.
Another body became still in Tasman Sea, and soon all of them sank into the dark and unforgiving void of the deep ocean as the Sovereign ravaged the land above.
To be continued in Chapter 52
A Strangled Paradise