Major thanks to 2046's
Volumetrics page which I liberally consulted. Oh yeah and I'm still updating through its just a Talkie.
“When we first got wind we’d thought it’d be a rehash of the affair back in the {18)80’s, merely a wider spread of contagion. General sickness and, merciful, delirium followed by disintegration into a fine, gray powder. But the people, if you can still call them people, didn’t so much die this time just…change. The people, the animals, even the plants and trees became cancerous, bloated…vicious. And God help me I think they were still all too aware of it.” Excerpt of Agent John’s debriefing on the “blasted hearth” contagion.
“…had our first encounter just outside the town’s outskirts, an overturned milk truck. One of the Changed crouching on its side holding aloft the driver, neck slashed open, lapping at the blood. Entity was roughly bipedal in a gross human guise but engorged, flabby. Its parched skin brittle and peeling off of its frame, its muscles and skeleton almost rotted. Its swollen mass offered no resistance to my 45. Peacemaker.” Excerpt of Agent Smith’s report on same incident.
Interlude:
Extractum Gladius, bridge-
The Universe, Jor’ock reasoned, was not an all together friendly place. Not only were the Cytherian Ascendancy and the Consortium both diverting increasing resources to help obliterate the Vraen from the face of it but even beneath these colossal war fleets there existed the ravenous threat of the Satyr, the enigmatic Yuggothi, the indomitable Iron-Golems and the fetid horror which was the Brood-Wyrms. The latter having more than once lured an unsuspecting Vraen raider in with a false distress beacon, one of the thousands of permutable demises the Galaxy seemed intent on inflicting upon Jor’ock’s kind.
Knowing all this, all the grisly fates which breathlessly waited to inflict themselves upon the Vraen who ventured into the depths, it stuck in his caw as the most hideously asinine to actually court and facilitate there happening. Almost as strongly as speaking out against it would have been, where his most fortunate fate would be merely be death and his worst to be thrown to the Pit…
Instead, nursing a Cytherian brew, he maintained what he desperately hoped was a respectful distance from an iron-gray behemoth they’d nearly transitioned on top of. For its part, other than intensifying the shield arc facing the Extractum Gladius, the triangular ship hadn’t appeared to notice the near collision. Perhaps indifferent or perhaps coldly calculating the new arrival’s potential threats and weakness, studying them like microbes in drops of water.
Not that the feeling wasn’t mutual, other than the captain the bridge a bustle of activity as drones compiled the unending reams of sensor telemetry and fed it the appropriate stations for review. One of the renovations courtesy of the First-Consul being the integration of a Military-Spec grade scanners into Jor’ock’s beat up freighter.
“Will you look at the power curve of the emanations? Back tracking and running rough assumptions on their energy dissipation efficiency I’d doubt if even a dozen heavy cruisers could match its output.” Tresh, all but inseparable from the bridge such the transition, noted with glee as he scribbled fanatically mathematical formulas with pen and pad.
“Perhaps, but by volumetrics the vessel has over sixty-nine million cubic meters of internal volume. If they could dedicate merely one percent of that to power generation, coolant, distribution, fuel reserves ect it would still be nearly four times the total volume of one of our heavy cruisers.” Slyth more pessimistically cut in.” Not that on an absolute sense it is not an impressive endeavor, the macro construction hurdles alone would prove enlightening, but we need not be carried away either.”
The chief engineer at his own terminal, and had been since before their transition in preparation for their preplanned and immediately needless sweep of the solar system, combing through every facet and minutia of the unknown ship as if to pry its secrets by sheer determination.
“Its power is already known, which is why the First-Consul shall have it.” Thundered the current grim faced and iron shod warrior with the frustration borne of inaction.” What we desire is not these trivialities but troop concentration and densities, command distribution and internal layouts. Things you have steadfastly failed to provide.”
“Their shielding is disrupting, scattering, our sensory beams. Coupled with their thicken hull has made internal probing…problematic.” Tresh justified, no doubt bit of his professional pride at the stake.
“An issue which should have been corrected for, by the Pit!” The armored bully taunted.
His host personality almost certainly culled from a Cytherian, and lacking Slyth’s reptilian grace and wit, the bombastic warrior had been chosen for his martial prowess rather than technical skills or interests. The front and back of his armor bore muted craters and jagged fissure scars from enemy fire while the glyph heavy heralds over his motorized shoulders proclaimed dozens of important victories or battles he’d participated in. Of which, if successful, this one would be the greatest addition yet. If any of them lived, of course.
“Any increase in our signal strength, either by concentrating further our sensory beams or by decreasing the intervening distance would destroy any credibility we have that we’re casually curious.” Jor’ock answered, pausing to knock back a mouthful for courage, the soldier.” As it is if an unknown ship was leering at mine like this I’d have transitioned by now.”
“And it is your responsibility to assure them otherwise Merchant Captain, why we are here in your scrape of a tug instead of a squadron of the First-Consul’s finest.” The warrior spat with obvious disdain, even more than he’d shared for the engineers, turning his ire upon the captain.” And yet you the great trader haven’t been able to open up the barest dialogue. Leaving us at the mercy of their whims.”
The Extractum Gladius having begun cycling transmissions frequencies, interspersed with basic light signals, since they’d transitioned and Jor’ock realized they weren’t going to be immediately vaporized.
“Through no fault of my own I assure you. I’ve tried seven major Trader languages and subset dialects, the Consortium common tongue, old style Cytherian and even the smattering of Satyr I’ve managed to pick up.” The captain quickly protested.” Short of surgically installing Yuggothian scent glands I’m not sure what more I can try. I don’t think they’re from around here.”
“It’s possible there isn’t anyone there to respond.” Slyth raised quizzically.” I’ve just finished my preliminary on their hull composition. Among other novelties the base components Atomic base signature doesn’t match the Galactic standard.”
“Is it possible I am being too subtle, Engineer?” The armored soldier growled in disapproval, servos whining as he turned his bulk to face him.” My only concern for the hull is if a fission charge will cut through if needed. Everything else is of secondary importance.”
“With all due respect, sir, it’s you who don’t understand. Everything, everything formed from this Galaxy’s nucleonic core, has a base radiogenic imprint or mark.” Slyth’s younger assistant called out, defending his master, even as he giddily confirmed the latter’s findings.” If they don’t match they are by definition extra-Galactic. So either they have a stardrive thousands if not millions of times faster than anything we can imagine or they have been traveling for a very long time.”
Which only made the knot in Jor’ock’s stomach grow tighter, the captain draining his mug at the thought, and regret ever harder the chain of events which had lead him to this moment. Only the detachment of marines, and thought of that which lurked inside the Pit, keeping him from flipping them around and transitioning to the safety of dead-space.
“You think it might be an automated ship?” He asked after a beat, pouring more his foaming beverage into his drinking stine, finding his voice.” A ghost ship more or less?”
“There is precedent. Iron-Golem ships operate and self-propagate despite their builders being dead millennia ago. “ Slyth offered.”If the ship was intended as a deep space exploratory unit, an organic crew could have been seen as a liability.”
“A phantom ship? Rubbish and wild speculation.” The warrior bristled a little too forcefully.
One of the glyphs on his left shoulder herald indicating he’d taken part in the defense of Aegl, an industrial factory moon-world which had owed tithe to the First-Consul. Originally a Consortium colony it had possessed design process, schematics and techniques not widely available elsewhere in the Vraen fiefdoms. Allowing the First-Consul to maintain and expand the naval squadrons from which his power descended, so he’d dispatched considerable assets in its defense when an Iron-Golem Core-ship and fleet had descended upon it. Legend spoke of more than half of the First-Consul’s great Starfleet participating at one time or another across the Aegl system and tens of thousands of marines hunkered with scores of more warrior-drones yet could not the moon-world’s fate be changed.
Legions vaster still of solemn, silver-gray behemoths, utterly without feeling or remorse, had descended scouring all from their path. Each one of which a brute able to absorb all but the most hellish of fire in return smash aside the stoutest marine as if he was a mere drone. Yet the besieged had rallied, uniting behind a lowly but ambitious Fourth-Consul of Aegl who orchestrated the last hope of victory. First by strengthen the battle lines, summary execution in the most gruesome way for any who retreated, then by deliberately weakening and allowing to be overrun select segments. Goading, over a period of months, the Iron-Golems towards Aegl’s industrial heartland, bait they couldn’t resist.
Surging towards it like a starving man after a sliver of bread their uncountable masses had engulfed the vast complexes, beginning the arduous task of stripping the machines down and repurposing them into low grade replicas of the Assemblers aboard the Core-ship. And as they did, as the last futile holdouts perished in last stands, the first of the Fourth-Consul’s asteroids, propelled from the systems belt by modified cruisers, plunged from the heavens incinerating everything for tens of square miles. Another inflicted itself upon the Core-ship which, wounded and suddenly beset by multiple heavy cruisers and gunboats, has chosen flight while a third avenging rock made planet fall deep within the Golem controlled territory of the world itself annihilating still further of their numbers.
For it, for salvaging perhaps a useable third of proud Aegl, the Fourth-Consul was awarded status and title on Aviarion itself as overseer of the coveted Skaros holdings and its markets. A position he immediately flocked to, leaving his battered armies to the strenuous months it took to fully cleanse the last Golem from the moon-world. The marines who left there victorious at the campaign’s conclusion being a mere shadow of their former strength.
“ They must be a crew of flesh and blood, surely. It only stands to reason.” The warrior continued, furthering his emphatic objection.” What being would be content to explore vicariously? Through the eyes of a machine?”
“For a civilization which has advanced far enough into a technological event horizon the distinction may be trivially irreverent.” Slyth, voicing one of his pet theories, chose to add doing nothing for the soldier’s temperament.
“Which assumes said civilization wasn’t torn asunder by the resulting societal shearing.” Tresh dubiously scolded, this hardly their first discussion since the voyage begun.” I for one wouldn’t willingly have my brain sliced out and wet-linked to a central depository.”
“And I would love to listen both of yours finer points and refutations however we have a giant, unresponsive starship sitting across from us and I only have enough hard liquor to deal with one.” Jor’ock announced cutting into the building triad.” I suggest we focus our priorities on the saucer-killing death ship. Good? Alright maybe we’re overlooking something, lets start at the front. What has it done since we’ve arrived?”
“Intensified shield power preceded by a general up tick in general power emissions.” Tresh counted off with a check of a taloned finger.” Then there was the auxiliary crafts we detected.”
“Potential auxiliary crafts.” Slyth corrected, enlivening the spirit and moral of the bridge as only he could.” Neither of which appeared to be unduly interested in us, nor could our sensors accurate penetrate their shielding. They might have been probes or even message buoys dispatched for some higher intelligence.”
Which was all they needed, the iron-gray slag out there telling all about them to its friends. Retrieval or detailed study had been strictly impossible, one had departed through the portal network in the asteroid thicket and the other had simply…winked out of existence according to Slyth for parts unknown.
“Fables and phantom ships, is this a ship of neophytes?” Cursed the soldier angrily interrupting the discussion yet again as he pointed a silver gauntlet at the hanging ship outside.” By the Pit that ship has a crew who will bleed just as you or me will, blood which we will shed in tribute and honor of the First-Consul. All that we require of all of you is for that opening, that chance.”
Which would have held more gravitas and decorum hadn’t the bridge consoles began to squawk overriding him with its bleating klaxon. At their posts the drones chirped anxiously to themselves as they worked fervently to redirect and focus the ship’s arrays, feeding the telemetry to Slyth and his assistant whom hungrily poured over the findings. Jor’ock, meanwhile, helped himself to another mug full he felt the jarring tremble of the suited warrior walk up behind him, the finer motors in his suit whining as he leaned over him and placed one metallic hand over his shoulder.
“This will be the last I speak of it, by the Pit what has transpired here?” He demanded.
“ Simple, automatic alarm.” The captain answered with a shudder as his drink tore at his gullet.” Long range scanners detected what it thought was a tiny star being born, which would have been bad if it was true. Seeing as I generally try to stay a few tens of million of kilometers away from them”
“I tire of riddles, speak plainly wretch or I’ll remove your head.” His military companion gently pressured.
“It was a faulty reading, unless they have a tendency to spring up in the orbit of planetary bodies now.” Jor’ock said slowly, ignoring the growing pain in his shoulder, as he began to pour another round.” And give back an obscenely high metallic-ferrous reading.”
“How massive?” The soldier croaked, voice all but a whisper now.
“Impossible for exact figures at this range, but fifteen or sixteen times the current ship’s dimensions.” Slyth clarified with nonchalance of evaluating a burnt circuit.” I should be able to rectify the parameters in good time as the vessel is accelerating rapidly on an intercept vector.”
“You wanted a response, by the Pit that’s a response.” Jor’ock couldn’t help ribbing as he overfilled his tankard.” On the plus side, with any luck by the time it gets here I’ll be plastered enough to agree with whatever addled scheme you have soldier. So cheers!”