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[Command fleet 35 – Former Union]
[Deep Space]
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...
They stood on the deck of the flagship with glances of confusion. In the relative “near” distance was a ship unlike anything they had ever seen. A true behemoth.
Thousands of levels stared back at them, millions of windows- thick reflective glass, and metallic frames. It was a colossal vessel, that dwarfed even the largest of their fleet carriers. It shadowed over them, with a size and intensity that made skin crawl- in a manner akin to gas giant being placed beside a habitable world.
Despite all of this, it seemingly possessed no weapon beyond the powers of intimidation. The massive craft was visible to a degree through the ranged scan- which picked up a slightly more adequate depiction of the many intricacies of the vessel. There were numerous launching pads on its structure- hundreds of open bays were rowed along gargantuan flanks- but there were no cannons- no weapon arrays. Nothing that would make the ship more inherently dangerous than a giant asteroid.
All it seemed to have beyond these hangars were massive dish structures, and towers- all flashing with lights in the dark of the void. A puzzling and intimidating sight- as it was clearly not made by the Union, or matching of anything on record from personal fleets of the inner-systems.
Even in the vast expanse of the galaxy- a ship such as this could not have been kept a secret.
Sxiuill had come to power through dominance and guile. She wasn't the largest Gemynd in stature, nor record of service- but her telepathic field was unmatched by a large majority of the others within the cluster. By the most basic, and primal instinct, she had assumed command.
The stature and rank of the new order was partly based in flesh. Those who had, and could maintain a strong host body, were by far better off than those who had simple flesh, of a weaker race.
Sxiuill had not fallen for that trap. When she saw what she wanted, she took it. She had wanted a Rullah buck- and relished in his struggles- his rage. He died only when she allowed it, and his corpse was now hers. His life was hers. All she failed to possess was his mind- which had been devoured with the echoes of silence, patience and grace.
Ecstasy could not begin to describe what she had felt in those hours.
Then he died- but only after he broke. That realization of no escape- no means to endure, no help to receive. Delicious.
She had claimed her rank from then on with pure violence. It was the only thing Gemynd really understood- be it subtle or obvious; a mental shove- or a decapitation. She had done both, more than enough of both. Her enemies were gone- just like the arguments over her dominance.
The strongest would rule- it was the most obvious lesson in life.
Utilizing the most powerful of carrier and Mercurial-array vessels, the lesson had become a practiced art as her fleet ruled the skies between worlds- a dense swarming orb of death. In combat she had forced the lesser of the cluster to bend towards her will, commanding with absolute strength over the other minds in hive- driving complicated formations of which other species could not compete. They had burned- died in vain- or worse.
Her fleet had grown dramatically over the last quarter cycle, if that was any indication.
There were other fleets, and the will of the collective as a whole was still her commanding guidance. In that mass- of billions, the Gemynd had a purpose. That was what had triggered this, she supposed. It wasn't that far of a stretch to assume a group- even as vast and spread as the Gemynd had become, would one day have enough.
That they would one day wake up and realize that their psychic links had slowly willed them into positions like pieces on a board; one great subconscious push for change.
There would be more change soon enough. The Rullah and Fringe species had mobilized- retreating in the face of total disaster and switching sides. Her sources were still among them- though in deep cover, and far beyond reach. It was unfortunate, but that would be a longer campaign than the Union itself.
Of the True Union- the inner systems were Gemynd- the Galactic species of representative worlds all but contained to their own planets- with no means of leaving. Their futures would be grim- as new hosts and soldiers would certainly be required to bring the lines of the Consumption back in check. For now though, those were secondary to the current Gemynd prerogative.
The collective continued to grow in influence- as the remaining Union fleets and their crews were taken in for... re-purposing. Through the assistance of the large AI array fleets which had been confiscated from the inner systems- the logic was sound: Why bother training and farming the growth of new hosts- when there were still so many of them left in the void- ripe for the plucking?
Oh how the Gastruca had begged once they realized their error- once they realized that the trained pets and tools still had a will and mind of their own... it brought a tremor of excitement to Sxiuill's true body- tingling nerves throughout the larger frame which housed it.
They would run, they could hide, but they had no way to win. One by one, the Gemynd would pluck them from the Galaxy, and take them for their own.
All that left was the Rullah.
The great warriors and their allies- those of the fringes and Trader's Guild had formed an alliance before much could be done. Perhaps it had been planned, in the chance of some other form of war- she couldn't be certain. Gemynd had never been successful in their integration of such societies- too much relied on information that was not housed within Union records, or simple customs and discrete motions of trust. There were simply too few openings, and too many potential dangers. There was only so much someone could pull from the mind as it was consumed- even someone with the influence of Sxiuill.
Perhaps this was non-union origin then? A Trader's Guild... weapon? It was unlikely, but considering the options were limited, Sxiuill was hard-pressed to find another reasonable answer.
“Leader.” Her bridge command communicated with hesitation- a sensation of awkward uncertainty tainting his thoughts. “Leader- they're broadcasting a message, all likely channels.”
“Play it then.”
The vessel HUD screen condensed and then expanded- reassessing for the footage quality. A video transmission- though the footage was simply an emblem, and the Audio was broadcasting in multiple languages simultaneously.
“Select for Galactic Standard.” The thought broadcast to every Gemynd within range- as she displayed her dominance.
“On your command Sxiuill.”
The Audio selection cut, and garbled, as the feed prioritized. The sound amplified and filled the room- in such a way that Sxiuill could recognize the deep- yet artifical flow of a voice, as it cut through the seemingly unorganized sound.
“-ake peace with your souls. We did not forgive your crimes. The Ghosts of the brave will be avenged, and by our wrath we will return the favor... Make peace with your souls. We did not forgive-”
Sxiuill sat back in her command seat, as she listened to the message repeat. It was unnerving, but provided no valuable information. Whoever they were, the vessel claimed no side- and were yet to mobilize any visible weapons, content to sit as her fleet made a slow advance in formation- spreading into an interception net for the potential threat of fighter ships.
Choosing to speak aloud, she felt the gruff voice creep from her host's throat. “Return a message- demand identification and surrender. Issue the order under the command of the Union, see if that phases this charade.”
As the message sent out, Sxiuill felt the cold creep of fear. She couldn't place it, not exactly, but something had been overlooked. This tactic had worked to mostly avoid bloodshed for vessels not up to date with current events- though most had opted to flee, before being hunted down.
The massive ship that loomed before them though- did nothing. The only proof that Sxiuill could infer there was even action aboard it, was that the broadcast had ceased repeating, leaving only the image on her bridge HUD.
“Sxiuill- AI arrays have ceased responding- diverting from intended trajectories.”
“Leader- we have more reports- forming on a spherical parameter- further commands are being ignored.”
The HUD screen flicked to black- as the transmission cut to another feed. It's glow flicked into life, causing Sxiuill's host eyes to cringe from the sudden contrast that now faced them. A strange looking alien- of which she was not familiar- wearing some light form of clothing that brought nothing of an impression to her mind.