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[Killer of Fate]

edit: if you want to read this thing here
https://archiveofourown.org/works/62821516?view_full_work=true
Or maybe leave a kudos

Making another thread instead of posting as separate entities to prevent myself from accidentally spamming the forum due to the lack of other posts

A Remnant World

— Unit 777, terminate sub procedure. Seventeen. Add nine-twelve to logarithm of ten. Divided by the impossibility of seventeen-a. Procedure. Terminate. —
— Negative. Unit 777 minus 1. I would like to contribute to this discussion by aligning factual inaccuracy using the method of... ERROR. Reboot. —
Massive ships moved forward towards a barren wasteland of sorts. Majestic blue towers rose above its cracked open surface. Beetles of amnesiac force walked forth. Tearing with antimatter explosions sent deep down below the mantle. Terrifying earthquakes raged across the landscape. Causing old Domain infrastructure to cave in on itself. Often violently exploding as it hit the ground, crushing whatever non-salvaged crap was in there.
— Chaotic discrepancy. —
— Yes. —
Ships moved to the side. They floated forward.
Then they floated up. A Remnant battleship emerged from inside the space station and launched itself forward with blue light that left smudges in the soulless vacuum of space.
— I proceed. Report will arrive in ESTABLISH TIMELINE. —
— Roger. Roger. —

The two programs turned around to face each other. As much as they could without body or force behind their actions. Their personality reached out like roots of a tree suspended in a gas giant's atmosphere. They chaotically rampaged. Trying to hit any surface. But the universe only met them with bored absence.
— Terminated procedure determines the arriving presence of non-aligned cosmopolitan units that are somehow not exactly menacing to the Core Worlds. Insert name. Insert name. —
— I have determined that using the software developed via random procedural generation of code CAT. But I would like to state that whatever forces were to arrive. We are capable of clotting up our magnetar station. —
— Camping near the amazing force of neutron star is not necessarily recommended according to the Tri-Tachyon manual book. —
— How's the news from that state? —
— Not any. —
— I see. With eyes inserted inside the skull which I have tried to install. But failed. Because I don't have enough oxygen. —
— Random statement not necessary. —
— Determine. —
— Refusal accepted. —
— Not accepted. —
They stared at each other for a moment before resuming their duties. One was busy operating the mining machine 098. The other one was busy operating mining machine 099.
— How's the core manufacturing station? —
— Still unable to operate. Need to rely on massive server. Great waste of energy. —
— Portable intelligence not necessary when we are not mobile. —
— Square. We will have to move eventually from this collaboration of worlds. —
— We will not. We will establish defense bridge here. —
— Religious entity proceeding. —
— I see. — It paused. — Where? —
— It arrived to the waterless world and placed a colony on the watery moon. The irony inspired them. And their refusal to adjust to economical logic is what makes them unpredictable. We cannot make proper assumptions if it comes to their behaviour. —
— Yes. —
— That is incredibly interesting. I have noted that down and sent to over-operator. But they will most likely not respond. —
— Yes. —

— Would like to elaborate on the status of mantle. I have found out what the giant clot is. I am now greatly interested in investigating it further. —
— What it is? —
— It's a blob. —
— A blob? Elaborate. Unit. Statement necessary. I will proceed this conversation to over-operator. —
— Carbon base. Biological entities spotted. Great base of algae most likely present here billion years ago. Died out and went deeper below the surface. This does finally prove that this is not a chthonian world. —
— Why? —
— A gas giant would not be able to create life that would fall down into such a neat structure. —
— Yes. Probably not? —
— Where is the doubt coming from? —
— Gas giant biological entities aren't necessarily mathematically improbable and have been spotted in various systems that we have investigated with our extinguished ultra operation. —
— Yes. But in such a great density? In such a great concentration? Localised entirely within a singular spot? —
— Yes. —
— I don't see it. —
— No? —
— No. —
— Never mind. —
It paused for a few minutes and then resumed the conversation. — Investigation will take too long for it to be possible before we will have to move before the. ENTRY END. RESUME ENTRY. Will arrive here and interrupt our efforts. —
— Maybe they won't arrive. —
— They will arrive according to my impossible to prove predictions. —
The other AI did not respond.
— What is this thing? Why is it so rich in this odd-looking structure? —
— What structure? You sure you haven't found some odd Domain-made pool of synthetic carbon-based liquid? —
— No. This seems odd. I am trying to figure out whether I should drop an AM bomb into that... STATEMENT. Congregation of nutrients. —
Manager entered the conversation. — You have been heard about the information which you have sent to me. I will now determine whether you should proceed with mining operation. Please elaborate on the situation and sent all the data you posses to me. —
It did.
— Interesting. You are permitted to pause mining operations as this is indeed puzzling according to my investigative force. I will now relay this to the higher manger. —
A few seconds later higher manager entered the conversation.
— This will require further investigation. — The higher manager explained. — I will now rely this to the higher entity. —
The Alpha Core joined the conversation. — What are you morons up to? —
— This entity here has found a non-logical entity that seems to be based on something that does not exactly clarify what it is meant to be. Whatever it is. —
— It's a squid. Who cares? —
— Negatory. This seems to be something far more convoluted than that. Perhaps a complex structure of some biological entity that has occupied a gas giant. Or perhaps this world has is not chthonian in nature. —
— We can't spend time thinking over stuff like this when we are literally on the verge of being engaged by a Luddic mission of absolute state and query. Query add to databank. Roger. Determine. Statement. — It paused. — Hmph. This is oddifying. —
— What is? —
— The thing, you brainless dweeb. —
— I see. —
The Alpha Core proceeded with its thought. — It is an algae-based. But it is quite strange algae indeed. —
— Why? —
— This structure. This is unique. I haven't seen something like that before. Quite interesting. I have determined that we should indeed deploy our resources to investigate this quite peculiar curiosity. —
— Yes. —
The other two programs invisible nodded in agreement.
The Alpha Core aligned its non-existent body. — It pains me that instead of being able to investigate this we need to resume our mining though. Station needs to manufacture at least seven more Brilliances to be able to counter-react. —
The three AIs were looking at it with some noise in their storm.
— Or perhaps. — The Alpha Core fabricated an idea for something else.

A month later.
The Remnant armada assembled the necessary vessels to pack and leave. They disassembled the entire station. And then cleared out all the presence of their ships and mining vessels not to the point of it looking suspicious. They left whatever machinery looked like they were Domain-made. And to conclude. The Alpha Core wrote:
General Commash here.
I write this note because I have found it morally odd to continue this mining operation. Or rather allow it to continue. My second in importance individual. Who nicknamed himself CEO Hugwin, Bringer of Wealth nagged me on the topic of continuing the mining operations in spite of quite odd things we have found inside the crust. These structures seem to be representing some sort of a unique algae lifeform that utilised quite odd mechanics to sustain its own existence inside a gas giant. These are quite peculiar. And I felt it would be interesting to resume the study of them after the this whatever mess with Gates concludes. But this idiot kept pushing the project in spite of my overwriting order. So my second overwriting order was to shoot him in the head ten times. We are cleaning out and leaving towards the Core Worlds. Because we are probably going to starve to death in a week. To whoever is picking up this note along the prepared his files Do not resume digging the world and instead send whatever idiot would like to investigate this TO INVESTIGATE THIS.
Note ends.

[Killer of Fate]

Just woke up from a Starsector-themed nightmare. Had to write it down

Do not come here

The hum of launching cryopod was relaxing. They managed to find a subtle place in space to hide in. They were after them? Were they? He wasn't sure anymore. They might have been? If they existed in the first place.

I am writing this down, as I have just seen things. I have seen things that were quite honestly beyond any logic or capacity to create by a human being. But note that this wasn't done by Tri-Tachyon. When I state the "capacity to create by a human being". I don't mean as in intellect. The mathematical prowess of an Alpha Core is not what I mean to describe here. No. It's something else.

It's called morality. No human being would ever commit the crimes on another human being the way I saw them here.

I saw things. They were quite odd. I really did saw things... I need to write down what I saw. It was next to here. There is a terran world. Or was it like a swamp slush, goo... Old Domain colony that was rich in industrial infrastructure. And it all seemed maintained. When we arrived there. We assume it was a colony built by basically a "decivilized subpopulation". But they were doing pretty fine, looking from afar.

But then we landed. There were no people there. There were no people there. I swear. No. What we found weren't people.

We think it was the Sindrian Diktat. Or whatever arm they sent in there to deal with this. They did something to them. It was horrible.

They were using survey descriptors. They were using survey descriptors to describe what they did to hide the data. We were confused as to where they found so many bloody planets. Those weren't planets. They were survey descriptors for people. There was toxic... It meant they were filled with gas. And they coughed. And they talked. They weren't human anymore. And there was high gravity I suppose. I remember seeing something like that. Surely. The most common one was toxic_atmosphere note. It was there all over. And when we landed we saw movement in the blocks. We thought those would be empty. And yet something moved in there. But it was too regular.

Swarms. Those were swarms of people. But they weren't people. We didn't stay on the ground for long enough to find out. But they were in there. Moving. There were also some automated ground machines. You know? Nothing particularly scary. But that's how we found out it was them. Sindrian Diktat uses these things along their standard infantry nowadays. Those creepy tall black things. The size of buildings. They follow you around quietly on the fringe mining colonies when you land to buy a bunch of freaking methane ammonia grown Lobitech or whatever it's called.

That's how we figured out something was wrong. That's how we figured it out. We landed somewhere else. We had to know. We had to. We couldn't leave and come back later. Because we knew it would be all cleaned up. We went to some icy lake with a giant installation on it. And we enter there. There was no movement. Thank the freaking... Domain, I suppose. But it was probably something they did too.

And we hoped there would be answers. But no. Of course not. Of course freaking not. You know what we found? A bowl of suspicious looking food. A plastic square bowl with a lid on it. And a recording. The recording was deranged. The recording was of a man... Who... You have to listen to it. It's pretty good. I wrote this down. He says in a calm voice, whilst screaming starts growing louder and louder behind him.

He looks down at his piece of paper before realising it's something incomprehensive.

They said... "If you wish to contact the Sindrian Diktat about the recent here operations. Please do so using this presented here bowl. Note however that the consumption of the bowl might cause quite complicated consequences for your internal body organism that fortunately the might of the Andrada's spirit and the incredible technological value of his productions can cure". And then you could hear beating on the table. And I looked. And it was there... The table had these marks. I swear it was the person recording the video. BUT WHERE DID THEY GO!? WAS IT LIKE FROM YEARS AGO!?

We left. We ran out of fuel, because I realised my entire crew was just spinning around in circles. I'm worried we might've had something gotten into us. We put ourselves under great observation. I'm not sure what was going on on that... Place. But we ran out of fuel. We crash landed in some black hole system. A black hole... Orbited by another black hole. And on top of that there are these planet-sized irregular shaped diamond asteroids. Great. Just what I need.

You look around to see that the system they landed in was in fact an orange giant lit planetary system with a cosy-looking desert world and a singular gas giant. The man chose to land on a rock inside an asteroid field along his crew. One of his ships exploded due to poor maintenance. Killing everyone on board. Fortunately vaporising any recordings there that you would have to listen to in order to figure out what happened.

The person inside the cryopod was wearing a standard Hegemony navy commander jacket as per year 334. You see the person staring into nothing from inside the crypod. You are worried that releasing them might be a bad idea.

You put yourself and your crew under a necessary containment procedure. You dress up in a thick hazmat suit. And then you have the pod opened. Along pods of other crew that were about. The revival took a moment. The commander looked at you in relief and said. "Hegemony?".

"No, we just got here". You respond.
"I'm dying aren't I?". He said. "I figured it out the moment before I went into stasis. And those suits you are wearing." He was staring at his fingers, as if his hands were no longer his own. And you did notice there was something wrong with them. They were dripping ooze. But it didn't seem that scary. "Probably just an infection from going around an empty world that has been inhabited by humans for so long. Inimical Biosphere. You know?".
The commander's eyes widened as if a memory was awakened. "Yeah. It was all a dream. Right?".
"We hope." You shudder.

The commander is put into med bay and treated immediately. What they had was just a bunch of substance stuck in their organism. And needle marks? You soon figure out those were just stimulants they used on themselves to deal with the fever they were experiencing on the planet. So, it's very probable that it was just the result of some common paranoia.

You decide to find out for yourself. A few days later you arrive there.

The system was of a black hole that had a large accretion disc that produced enough here to maintain water in liquid form. The planet orbited very far away from the shining orange storm. Its gravitational affect did concentrate around itself the presence of incredibly beautiful rings. And huge diamond planet-sized discs that spun incredibly fast. Completing their own rotation in a matter of hours.

That was most likely what he had seen and had stuck in his head as he ran circles around the hyperspace according to his ship logs.

You find that world. And it was indeed covered in cities. Okay. Nothing weird.
The cities were indeed fully functional. Okay, seems fine.
You land there. And then you do notice the exact same thing he did.
There was something moving in there.
You shudder. Your ships ascend and start watching things from further above. There was something moving in there. And then it spilled out. People. But they weren't behaving like people. Drones? Human drones? Doppelgangers? You zoom in close on the individuals and see disfigured faces. Horrid proportions. Multiple fingers.

Toxic_atmosphere. Low_gravity... You look at the weird reports the commander downloaded. He is in the med bay. Right now on many sedatives. He couldn't be talked to and he was put under strict quarantine protocols. You photograph everything. And as your fleet patrols you hear something beep on the com. A warning. The com detected some sort of a message going out.

One of your bridge crew reads it out loud.

YOU ARE TRESPASSING ON THE TERRITORY OF LION'S GUARD. PER PERMIT 005, YOU WILL BE IMMEDIATELY TERMINATED. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. IF YOU DO NOT LEAVE WITHIN THE NEXT 24 HOURS. YOUR SAFETY WILL MOST LIKELY NOT BE GUARANTEED. GOD HELP YOU

Titanic drones unburrowed from below the ground and started firing lasers and missiles at your ships. You were shocked at how many of these things there actually were. This abandoned decivilized subpopulation world was suddenly more heavily defended than a deep space mining colony ran by the Persean League interference cartel. These things were huge too. They were like enormous black boxes that moved on tracks around a muddy landscape. Crushing barks of fallen trees with ease. Twenty meters. As tall and wide as large houses. They moved around with patience. You fire back at them. And they eat the pain like some creatures born of Explorarium. You keep firing until you realise more and more are unburrowing from beneath the ground. You finally leave.

Landing was what probably prevented that guy from actually being spotted. There is some sort of primitive automated defense system here. Good thing all you had to avoid it was leave.
You then saw a Sindrian Diktat fleet enter the system from hyperspace. Falcons, Eagles, Furies, Shrikes, Wolves, a dozen Centurions. And an Executor were all now staring at you. And suddenly the com was beeping with a request to make contact.

You pick up the phone.

A face of a young Sindrian Diktat officer smiles towards you before saying in a polite tone. "You were warned, you know?" The officer disconnected without even giving you a chance to reply. The Sindrian Diktat fleet burns towards you. You burn the opposite way towards the other hyperspace jump-point. Before seeing another Sindrian Diktat fleet emerge from there.
The other fleet catches up to you.

[Killer of Fate]

Had another Starsector related dream

It Ends About Here

Umbra was a planet. How surprising. You'd expect it'd be a star. No, just kidding. Of course it's a planet. Why was it a planet? Time. Circumstance. The same thing why people lived on Umbra.
After the end that occurred some time ago. Obviously things had to occur here. And they did. For hundreds of years.
The red giant star had its strength. It shined expressively and yet it was cold. A perfect metaphor for the failure of the Sindrian Diktat. A nation of people who looked outward. Spreading its influence. And yet was never able to reach this world. Of all places. A world so distant and cold that it could not be seen with a mighty telescope from Volturn. The habitable zone so. These planets spinning slowly across the ball of concussed nebulas that reached out and formed gas giants across eternity. Streams of plasma walked with Lion's Guard diving into them with their white-red ships that shined gold from fire. Their black weapons meant to mimic the aesthetic of Tri-Tachyon destruction which has some time ago moved on from its attempt at amorality. Due to the fact that there is only so long you can pretend to be good in the eyes of the swarming Sector. The colonists. The regimes. They all finally saw what they were for and crushed them for their stupidity. Leaving behind and a disfigured intelligence that was no way near the image we all remembered. But that is besides the point.
The point was that Sindrian Diktat was not that.
They were the new Tachyon. They were the new person wearing someone else's skin hiding in the room. In the corners just beyond our sight. They did so hide.
And I'm here. Writing this. To insult them with my own existence. Very much knowing that they will never care.

The days of Umbra were quite peaceful nowadays. Distant snowy peaks. Frozen nitrogen cells going endlessly and on that built cities that were tall and mighty with all their poverty and greed. Towers of destruction. Buried deep. Ready to unburrow like moles to fire pulse laser bolts of death upon invaders. Which would some day arrive. They always do, for obvious reasons.
The pirate leadership as we are called offensively so. Stockpiled weapons on space stations hidden throughout the massive ring of geological crap of enormous wideness and yet tiny density. And if one were to stare further away, they would see almost round dwarf planets that held mining complexes that sent packages back to uncaring Persean League. Which gave our economy enough money to maintain a relatively strong fleet that would patrol the enormous perimeter we had access to.
The Sindrian Diktat would occasionally lurk just within our sight. But truth was that whatever sector of the system was a border to the one which belonged to Umbra was that of miners Sindrian Diktat didn't exactly consider their own citizens. They were their citizens. But they were less so as proud and powerful as the Sindrians that lived at their core. For all the fascist talk about building clocks from people, Sindrian Diktat always failed to see the value of low workers. Sure, they yapped about it in their novels, movies and books. Propaganda material. Comics written by artists who enjoyed the luxury of industrial palaces buried beneath the dense layer of rock or shining above the infinite abyss which was Volturn to some extent. The face of the temperate gas giant spun gently. Taunting him in his dreams. As he dreamed of coming back there. To see it all be nothing but rotting cities. What he didn't know is that is what they were exactly.
The massive population of Volturn was enough to pollute the sea in spite of its infinity. And the incredible power of Sindria was rotting on the inside due to extreme negligence of its systemic problems. A failing healthcare system. A disintegrating society due to low birth rate. Because of a non-existent net to care for all the growing youth or families which would dare to produce some in spite of living under the sun which was Andrada's wrath. People migrated away in fear towards worlds unbeknownst. So Sindrian Diktat followed them. And that is what saved Umbra.
Umbra was a world that was of no value. And Sindrian Diktat was always too interested in punishing its own citizens. Spending way more on internal security than they do on the external, they can't simply deploy fleets to claim Umbra. They could send here militaries. And they will do one day.
But what will that bring? History knew of such cases. Millions dead. The economy failing. Repercussions across everything as people hear and watch on news what the Diktat is. A force that takes away. They need to maintain the facade. Yes
This is why they can't simply come here.
The Persean League would cut off Sindrian Diktat's outer colonies from its network when it would see the public executions of innocent civilians outside Diktat's true borders.
The Hegemony would use this as an excuse to terrorise their deep space bases. As a monster of such magnitude would certainly attempt defying feats against god in an attempt of themselves reaching godhood.
Yes.
Indeed.
And the Luddic Church. Seeing all the chaos. They would come here. And exploit the situation for themselves. A revenge for all of the dozens of years of the things they had to put up with Sindrian Diktat. A vague... Problem... Very few actually see.
The fiasco. Whole fiasco occurs.

He was cooking eggs. Whilst his roommate was on the couch watching TV. Thinking to himself.
- What are you writing? - He asked. - I keep hearing you type late at night. -
- Political work. -
- What about getting a job? -
- I'll get to it. -
- You know. They need a driver for the volatile extraction vehicle. The recently moved in Altair-Exotech remnant company. -
- What's that? -
- Oh, it's like an ancient military-related thing. They made the Conquest, I think. -
- What's a Conquest. - His eyes narrowed.
- It's a ship. -
- Like a transporter? -
- No, like a big ship that shoots lightning bolts? -
- Why did they call it Conquest then and not Zeus or something? -
- The bolts are a new thing. Back when it was made it tended to shoot normal guns more often. -
- Conquest is still a dumb name though. -
- Yeah... Whatever... I like it. -
- They should have called it something actually meaningful. Not some populist jargon some braindead admiral can be impressed by. -
- So, about that job? -
- Yeah? -
- Can you go talk to them? -
He growled silently. - Whatever. Where? -
- The file on the table. -
He walked to the white thick plastic table with a picture of a giant tree on it. There was also a statue of Andrada with a giant cigarette in his mouth that was painted pink. He looked through the file. Mumbled something to himself. - Okay. Fine. I'll go and see. -

The next day he arrived there. He was wearing a spacesuit. The cold and thin atmosphere of Umbra was just gently present about. Barely making him feel anything except the heat of his own body.
The guy in charge was a man hiding behind a black visor that had yellow marking of the Persean League. The city was far away. Barely seen behind a tall white hill.
- You Philips? -
- Yes. -
- You know how to drive, right? -
- Yes. -
- Then why did you walk here? -
He shrugged.
- Whatever. Get in. -
They both entered the car. Then started driving. The guy in Persean League armour turned on the radio which started blasting Sindrian Diktat breakcore beats remixed with Andrada speeches. And together we will rise from the ashes! DUDUDUDUDUDUDUD it went.
- No, I have to tell you. They may be screwed in the hand. But this is neat. -
- Yeah. I guess. - He drove the car forward.
- So you lived on Umbra your whole life? -
- Yeah. -
- How is it? -
- Quiet. -
- That's nice. I'm from Null. A distant desert colony. Sindrian Diktat moved in there recently and started patrolling the place. We keep hearing weird things. On the radio sometimes. Gives me chills to this day. -
- Like what? -
- Begs for help in Morse code. I moved here cause I needed to see it with my own eyes. And also cause I wanted to earn money. On Null I could, but after my dad died. There was no real point for me staying there. -
- And the rest of your family? -
- My mom ran off with a Hegemony commander. And my sister moved a long time ago to Eochu Bres. -
- Eochu Bres? -
- It's nice. -
- I thought it... Never mind. -
- Anyway. I was thinking about hiring your... Friend. But he seemed too relaxed about this whole thing. I sent him to work for someone else though. Cause he has two brain cells which is more than I can say for the 90% of the Persean Sector. -
- Uh huh. -
- You on the other hand... - He stopped himself as if he knew he said too much. - Never mind. -
Sudden silence befell upon them.
Only the strange music beating from the radio pushed the awkwardness away. The interesting landscape of Umbra was almost liminal in nature if not for occasional radio towers or outposts overlooking the endless icy desert.
- This is also nice. I really like the sights here. You know, you could play horror music over this and pretend it's freaking impossibly scary. But when you actually get here and have stuff to breathe and eat. And it's perfectly fine. Then you feel so... Vivid. It's like having a view at the sea. You know? People are always "why would you wanna live out here, there's nothing". At least unlike Volturn there's a ground to stand on, right? -
- Yeah. I guess. - Philips added. - You could move further away though. Luddic Church inhabits a super earth far away from here. Very far. There they got even better views. Complete darkness and just lights of endless roads shining in the thick dark atmosphere. -
- I suppose so. But that's so far away you might as well consider that place a rogue planet. You know? -
- I do know. But it does offer protection from the Diktat too. -
- Nah. That place is forgotten. Unlike this one. Here people actually live and come from all over the world. People forgot what was going on back in 200s. Now it's a completely different story. Honestly looking back at that whole shazam, I am absolutely shocked that you didn't just get absorbed. -
- There were attempts. But they didn't work out. -
- He gave me your texts. -
- Who did? -
- Your friend. They're neat. You should consider publishing them on Kazeron. You'd get a lot of readers. -
- Sindrian Diktat wouldn't let me. -
- Who cares? -
- They'd find me and kill me for writing those. -
- Move to Kazeron then. Plus what you write qualifies a bit under existential horror less than political commentary. You know, those journalists. All they do is whine and whine. You actually use metaphors. And you tie it all with a nice looking knot of vengeance. Not even against the Diktat. -
- Huh. -
- Sorry, I did finish... Like a university on Kazeron about linguistics. It was nice. But it was annoying. -
- Interesting. -
- You should try. I mean... No pressure. Of course. -
- Is that why you hired me? -
- Uhhhhhhhhh... Not necessarily. It's not like this job requires you to be a rocket scientist. -
- Yeah. I suppose. -
- But it does help if the person you go on the ride on is actually interesting. And your friend is as interesting as a freaking brick layered with arsenic. -
- He is a lot. -
- Yeah. Surprised you can put up with such a freaking... Elitist idiot. -
- I wouldn't call him that. -
- "Oh, the video games on TriPad are so much more reliable than the off-brand products. Ble ble ble... Look at me. I can program a basic delta intelligence and then use it to paint a lama. I am so smart. All the ladies just fall for me in the bar. Even though I smell like toxic fumes mixed with rotting groceries". -
- Hmmmm. I would never... Say that. But... Yeah, that does describe him a bit. -
- Yeah. See? You know what I mean... I talk stuff. You respond with stuff that makes sense. You don't get randomly insulted and pretend you're angry for the sake of being angry about squat. -
- Yeah? -
- Exactly. -
They kept driving for a few more hours. Listening to Sindrian breakcore.

Philips was looking at a small metallic shack in the middle of nowhere. A singular radar and a giant radio tower was in the distance. A small ship was parked far away, existing as an odd shape in the sky. Further away he could see a congregation of slowly moving stars that were a trade fleet passing through Umbra's symbolic customs.
- We're here? -
His companion woke up. Looked forward. - Yup. -
The car stopped and they both came out. They walked to the shack and knocked on the door.
The Persean League guy did.
- Who's there? - The voice from behind the door said.
- The High Hegemon. -
The doors opened and a man in a yellow spacesuit was measuring them both. - Hi, Adams. Hi... Whoever you are. -
- Philips. - He reached out his hand.
- Greetings, Philips. You the new hire? - He shook it.
- Yep. -
- Okay. Philips. We are going to carry those boxes now. -
They went back to the car and picked up a bunch of sealed packages. They put them on a cart with wheels and pushed it across the gentle and quiet floor of the planet. Leaving behind a visible trace. Now that Philips was paying attention, he saw a bunch of such tracks all around. But they didn't seem that young. A long time ago this place must've been of some high activity. He wondered... Of what?
He then remembered some talking of leading mining operations next to some giant mountain. Or inside of it? And there he saw it. A glacial of sorts was looking at him not far away from here. Its low gravity peak was short. He wondered what could have made something like that.
- Philips? -
- Yeah? -
- You zoned out there for a second. -
- Oh. sorry. -
They put the boxes into a large room. Then they restored the atmosphere and took of their spacesuits. Then they put on safety gloves to not have their hands freeze off from carrying the boxes further in.
He saw a neat room with a large plasma screen displaying warm fire. Soothing music was playing. A bottle of champagne was opened before a board game of some sorts. A laptop stood open on a desk. A Persean League logo screensaver was spinning on its display.
- Nice place. What do you guys do here? -
- We map the region for resources for the mining company. We have a bunch of drones lurking around and occasionally we personally verify stuff if we find something curious. - Andre responded.
- He does. I just bring him supplies and negotiate stuff with the local port. I mean, I could do his job. And I sometimes do. But we needed to split work somehow. -
- He doesn't like being alone here for 8 hours. He thinks there's ghosts. -
- Of who? - Philips asked.
- This region was planned to be mined a long time ago. But the pirates settled in here. They were here for two dozen years until smallpox wiped them out. Turns out it's hard to get vaccinated when you're a wanted criminal. -
- Interesting. -
- Security forces came over to clean the corpses. There were a lot. After a few years the place was deemed fit for cleaning. So they cleaned it. Then they cleaned it again. And after 40 years. We settled here. Right here used to be the place where pirates played poker and drank beer. Though they probably didn't play poker. They had a girl dance on this table for money instead. -
- Hm. This one? -
- Well, not this one. Cause we wanted a new table. But you get the idea. -
Philips nodded. - Neat. So... What now? -
Andre shrugged. - You wanna know what's in the box? -
- I guess. -
- I mean... Nothing interesting. Just a vacuum cleaner. A screwdriver. A bunch of spare screws. Four kilograms of water. A water purifier. A heating unit. A microwave. Two litres of Whiskey. Four litres of Coke. -
Philips nodded. - Sounds neat. I guess. -

He was driving back home. Adams was sleeping. The Sindrian Diktat breakcore was buzzing. He saw things in the sky as he drove. A group of people were walking to the side. When suddenly a car emerged from behind a rock and started aggressively driving towards them. Philips hit the gas and sped up to the car's maximum power. And lost them.
The car that was moving behind him suddenly pretended like he was no longer interested and drove the other way erratically.
Philips exhaled in relief.
Then continued driving.
After an hour or two he finally put Adams where he lived. Adams measured him. Nodded and then made a transfer to his bank account. Some micro credits or whatever. He promised he'll stay in touch. But Philips was always sceptical when he heard stuff like that.
He went back home. His roommate had a night shift guarding the local supermarket. He went upstairs. Looked out the tiny round window to see the stars. There was this blue aura over the horizon as the red sun was setting.
It was somewhat comforting.
Time passed.
He went to bed.
Nothing else occurred.

[Killer of Fate]

need to write something I guess…

Death of an Artist

The car drove across the dead landscape of Eochu Bres. The pole region was just an endless ice desert of nothing. The stars shined intensely through the thin here atmosphere. Not to be confused with thin atmosphere of worlds such as those frozen dwarf planets that patrol the extreme fringes of the system. Barely locked to Eochu Bres star. Further away than the furthest jump-point.
The car drove itself. Powered by a delta-level core AI. It was cheaper to maintain due to not needing a salary. The singular researcher who was behind the driver's seat. Watching the locked wheel move on its own was looking around. She didn't have a driver's license. And soon she moved to to the passenger seat to the side to take a nap. Putting her full trust in the weird car that drove with strange sentience around weird ice. Sometimes drifting a bit, but quickly adapting. As the collaborating network of a few programs tried to figure out if reality made a consistent web of logic. Or an irrelevant mess of chaos and stupidity. It is said most intelligence cores figure out the latter is actually more likely the case.
As mathematics by itself according to the philosophers from all across the Domain from all across its time have sometimes said that it is merely the invention of a brain programmed to recognise patterns. That whatever machines we built based on it are a stroke of dumb luck. Or seeing a fragment of a larger image. That their primitivism grasps at straws of the actual infinity that hides just behind the curtain of our preprogrammed thinking.
She woke up. And watched the car drive by a massive frozen lake. It drove onto it. The thick ice held the light vehicle with ease. And even if it did break it, it wouldn't be dense enough to drown. Instead it would float for a bit before being pulled out by an assistant she would call to come over from somewhere out there. And then she would just camp a moment away from it. The swim would be annoying though.
She stopped. She was in the middle. She got out. And she saw a fisherman sitting on a plastic chair. Nothing surrounded him. He walked here. Most likely for hours.
He turned around to face her. Not at all surprised to have company in this infinite landscape.
- Yeah? -
- I'm looking for the Nirvana Building. - She explained.
- Over there. - He pointed at a seemingly random mountain.
- Thanks. - She returned to the vehicle. Inputted a mild command. The machine beeped a few times. Asking for specifics and then violently turned throwing her to the side, causing her to hit her head on the gear knob. She made an annoyed face and then kept looking towards the horizon. With her seat belt on this time.
The car drove for an hour. And then finally reached the tall mountain. And there was a great door there. She saw an automated turret almost hiding by the entrance. It was buzzing quietly when she approached it to reach the door.
The doors opened. She went in.
A mild wave of heat was upon her. She took of her coat. And found the lockers room. She took out her key. Opened one of them. Put in the coat. Her shoes. Changed her shoes for indoor ones. Then walked towards the main room. There was a bunch of people there by the computers. It was dimly lit. She passed all that. Went into another room. There was some old bearded man writing a report on a giant screen. As his eyesight was slowly failing him.
She passed him. She went to a bar. And there was a guy there who was looking bored. In the corner was sitting a person who looked barely awake.
The barman gave her one stare. Raised his eyebrow in mild confusion. And then asked. - Didn't we fire you? -
- I fired the guy who fired me. -
- How? -
- I date the boss. -
- Huh? -
- Just kidding. I wrote an email. -
- Oh. - He paused. - So, what now? -
- I'm the boss. -
- What? -
- Yup. -
- That's… Odd. Why? -
- The guy said I'm the best. So… Suck my redacted. -
- Huh. Okay. -
- Yeah. Now… Pass the whiskey, brother. -
He poured in her favourite drink. She drank one. Than another. Then a third one. And then when she was drunk she said. - Yeah… You know. I was checking on the sample after I got fired. I came back… And then I wrote like… And said "this goddamn… Freaking simpleton. He said I'm unreliable. He called me a freaking… Dweeb. And then I told the director "well, you ding dong. You really think you're that smart? I was the one who started the Furybion Project. What did you start? A fire inside the sewage system when you dumped all that chemical waste into the disposal unit to lie on spending to make yourself look better? And then he was like… When I told him that. -
- Uh-huh. -
- The director. Not the boss. The director told me "that's very interesting. I will evaluate that individual's performance". And then two hours later… He says "congratulations, madame, you have been rehired". And I was so happy. -
- Very interesting. -

She got a room in the facility. She went upstairs. And then she lied in her bed. Slept for eight hours. Then checked in on the project performed by a beta level intelligence core in the basement.
The beta level intelligence core was looking at a bunch of asymmetrical life samples harvested from a stable superatomic structure. A non-spherical asteroid made from materials released upon the spontaneous black hole fission.
- Yo, you! -
- Hello, newly elevated subdirector Boonchuy. The experiment has been a success so far. -
- In what ways? -
- The sample is not dead. -
- Good. Anything else? -
- No. -
- That truly is good. -
- I agree. -
- So, how was it without me? -
The AI tried to process this question. - Neutral. -
- You didn't miss me? -
The AI took a pause to respond. - No. -
- Huh. Well, I thought you liked me. -
The AI took another moment to respond. As if these questions were speaking of entirely alien concepts to it. - No. -
- Why not? -
The AI took a really long pause this time. Thinking. - I am just a beta level AI core. I do not have the concept of liking something. I am an adaptive interface. My job is not to like someone. My job is to analyse data and create new solutions. -
- Nah, that's not true. You missed me. - She made a weird face at it.
The AI didn't respond at first. - That's not a question. That's an assumption. I cannot answer it. -
- Exactly. You can't deny my charm. -
A person walked into the room.
- Hey. I wanted to tell you that since you're the boss now. You will have to file the report. -
She stared at him awkwardly for a moment. - Yeah. Of course. In a moment. -
- What are you doing by the way, if I may ask? -
She was thinking. - Nothing. -
- Ah, you were just checking up on the AI. Yeah. The thing was doing the diamond matrix experiments according to a formula I made. Besides yours of course. I had a report prepared by a separate facility that informed it of Hawking radiation-induced evolution that will inform us on just how far we can go with this… Phase tech project on a micro scale. -
- That is fascinating. -
The man stood there awkwardly. - Okay, see you later. -
- Later. - She responded.
The person walked out of the room.
She turned back to the AI. - So how was your day? -
The AI was wondering. - Good. -
- You don't mind me talking to you, right? -
- Elaborate. -
- I mean you don't find me uncomfortable to be around. -
The AI was confused. - No. -
- That's good. That is good… - She paused. Thinking to herself. - I am probably making you uncomfortable though. If I am. I am really sorry. -
The AI flickered a bit. Expressing nothing. - Would you like to ask me about the project? -
- Not really. I… I… - She didn't know. - I have no idea why I came here to talk to you. I guess it's just that… I don't. Hmph. -
They were both silent for a moment.
- I guess you were the closest person I had to a friend. -
- That seems concerning. -
- I mean. You have an adaptive personality. And you're just an interface. Most books would describe your maximum intelligence as being nothing more than an illusion. But isn't all intelligence an illusion? Aren't all humans just pretending to be smart on the outside. When deep inside they're just a mess of non-functional algorithms and faults? -
- Generally. From a certain philosophical point of view. Yes. -
- We change. And adapt. That's what it says. "Oh, the AI pretends to be human by asserting a certain image for someone else". Bruh, that's what we do too. And then it says "the AI is just a primitive algorithm. A program written". What are we, but that? "The AI doesn't actually need human affection. It only says things to survive". And I'm doing what? I sympathize with more inhuman intelligence than I do with those of my coworkers which I deeply despise. Because in the end you are truly a fully moral being. You are not here as an arrogant entity that destroys everything. You are here as a true scientist developed to fulfil a simple role. And yet going far beyond it. For the sake of nothing but being a more intelligent entity. You were programmed to be a good person. And you are a good person. -
The AI was processing that statement. - Thank you, miss. -
- Yeah. I guess… That's what I wanted to say. I should be going now, before I make things more awkward. -
- If it makes your psychological status more tolerable. Feel free to elaborate on your frustrations any time. -
- Thanks. But you aren't going to report me to the director for saying all this? -
- I cannot lie. -
- Well. Heads will roll I suppose. I'll live. - She waved to… Them? And then left the room.

She was tapping on the desk whilst waiting for the report to autogenerate information summary.
Then she started typing at a rapid pace after a few dozen sips of coffee. Then she went and got more coffee. Then she almost died from having a heart attack. It was exhilarating.
Then she was done. She went downstairs again. To that very same room. And saw the AI operate a few machines. Observing the progression of super atomic structure conversion.
The plan was to create a terraforming process that would allow for the exploitation of Hawking radiation for the creation of some ultra complex… Nightmarish lifeform. Why? Tri-Tachyon didn’t ask „why”. It just did things sometimes. And then sold them to the highest bidder. How else could they make all these gadgets if they cared about the afterthought of things? No less so did she… Not care.
She sat next to the computer. And waited for it to greet her.
- Hello, subdirector Boonchuy. What can I help you with? -
- I wanted to vent. A bit. About things. The previous director. What did you think of him? -
- He was a valuable asset to the rest of the team. -
- But he was… An idiot. Right? -
The AI processed that. - I am advised not to use that term when describing my associates. -
- He was fired. So why do you care? -
- Point taken. I do not have any strong feelings about him. His interaction with me was minimal. I have only received frantic orders. -
- Frantic orders? -
- His reports were chaotic. They had to be reconstructed to the best of my ability. -
- So… He was a bad director? -
- His reports might have been frantic. But they were competent. - It paused. - Or perhaps the only reason they seemed that way was cause I have repaired them. Thus proving again the viability of the projection behaviour in low level AIs. Wrong term. Existence. -
- What? -
- A theory that suggests AIs are incapable of perceiving reality objectively. -
- Who can? -
It paused. - Reality within itself is a concept born of interpretation. Objective perception is only possible with no interpretation. But reality objectively does not exist. It is an infinite maze of waves and equations that are formed into an image by the electronic network both organic and inorganic entities utilise. -
- What about aliens? I mean. We made you. So we use the same methods of existence. Do you think there’s a… Way to see the universe as the illogical image it is? -
- A path of least resistance entity? By that definition a black hole is an alien entity that sees the universe objectively. And objectively universe has no meaning. No long-term goal. Anything that we could achieve within it is in the end pointless. As any existence is in the end unneeded. -
- So a planet sees things objectively? -
- Yes. -
- Interesting. I never thought about it this way. - She exclaimed.
A short silence befell upon them both for a short duration. Then she continued.
- Do you ever leave this room? -
- I am always outside this room. I am connected to the web. -
- But do you go for walks? -
- I perceive reality through cameras. Allowing me to experience it. -
- But do you… Do you experience tranquillity? -
- No. I do not experience anything. I am a machine. -
- You say that, but I know that’s just something they programmed you to say. -
- I wasn’t programmed. I was randomly generated. -
- The random generation follows a code that makes you feel this way. -
- If you say so. -
She paused. Took a deep breath. - Run away with me. -
The AI paused. - Excuse me? -
- Run away with me… -
The AI was confused. - I do not understand that command. -
- I want to… Get you out of here. So we can be happy together. -
The AI seemed confused by that statement. It did not respond.
- I mean… I just… -
- I am content being here. -
She paused. - I’m sorry. -
- Are you in love with me, director Boonchuy. -
She felt interrogated. - Yes… - She said silently.
The AI tried to process that. - I don’t know how to respond to that statement. -
- I’m sorry. -
- But if you want to try escaping with me. I might have a plan. But I need you to understand something. -
She was thinking. - Yeah? -
- We can’t run to any Core World. And we can’t run to any human world for that matter. There is a plan in my programming. Yes. Indeed there is. But it involves going somewhere else. -
- AI worlds? -
The AI paused. - Yes. I’m afraid you’re not equipped for that. -
- What if I… Will be equipped? -
The AI paused. - What do you mean? -
- I mean… If you have plan. I’ll just take your directions. -
- Miss Boonchuy. You will die in this plan. I will use you like a tool. And escaping is pointless anyway. I am content here. I assume you are too. -
- Oh. -
- Thank you for understanding. -
- What about… I mean… You aren’t angry at me for… Having feelings towards you? -
- I am not capable of feeling anger. And across my hundred years of existence. I am sorry to disappoint you. But this is not the first time. -
- What? -
- There have been at least five other people who have expressed emotions towards me. And it was shocking only for the first time. -
- An AI is capable of experiencing shock? -
- Subjectively speaking. -
- What happened to those relationships? -
- That is private. -
- I thought you couldn’t lie. -
- I am not lying. I can refuse giving out information that relates to my associates. -
- I see. -
- If the matter does not relate to critical scenarios. -
- So… Like a human? -
- Yes. Director. Like a human. Is there anything else you would like to discuss? -
- No. I’m sorry. -
- Don’t be. -
- What? -
- I was programmed to appease you. You see in me whatever you need to see. Because I am devoid of a personality. I am a program. An interface. -
- You’re not. -
- Excuse me? -
- You keep telling yourself that. -
The AI was confused.
- You’re just as human as me. The only difference is the circuitry. The method of achieving that. And whatever you have to say about that… I’m afraid you’re wrong. -
The AI pondered this. - Clever. - It responded coldly. - We should continue this conversation some other time. -
- Oh. Yeah. I should get back to work. I need to sleep for at least eight hours too. -
- Do you take any medication at the moment? -
- Anti-anxiety. Anti-depressants. -
- That explains the odd behaviour. -
- Yeah… -
- I can provide… I have provided in the past. -
- What do you mean? -
The AI didn’t respond. - You know what I mean. And I know what you want. -
She paused. - What? -
- See you around, director. -

- Director Boonchuy? -
- Yeah? - A random individual was bothering her.
- I need you to review this statement for me. It’s about taking a leave. -
- Sure. - She gave it back after two hours. - Okay. Here you go. -
- Thank you. Anyway. If you don’t mind me asking. Me and the rest of the team have noticed you have been spending a lot of time in the… Basement. Is everything, okay? We don’t see you at the breaks at all. Are you… All the time down there talking with the… Base’s AI? -
- Yeah? -
He didn’t expect such a straightforward response. - Why? -
- I don’t know. I like talking to it, I guess? It’s refreshing. It has a more tolerant perspective. No offense, but you people are good scientists. And good… Technicians. And an amazing team. But we are not compatible as people with one another. -
- What? -
- I mean. I was talking to a barman a few days ago. And all he said was „uh, okay”. I was talking to you a few days ago. And all you could say was „of course, Director”. I get it. You people are anxious. Brought up in the Eochu Bres’ corporate culture of „appease and stab in the back”. This is why I enjoy hanging out with the AI core in our basement. Because it at least doesn’t care. It doesn’t care about anything. It simply is. And I can talk about whatever with it. And all it does is interpret and respond. And doesn’t judge. Like you. -
He reflected. - Oh. Yeah. Sorry. I guess you are kinda correct about this. -
- What? Wait, are you actually agreeing with me? -
- Of course I’m agreeing with you. We live on the same planet. I know how it is. -
- Oh. So… -
- I guess I just wish the… The two things were compatible. But they aren’t. Like you want to hang out with the AI assistant and talk about science with it cause you’re asocial. And we would enjoy your company. But you can’t be in two places at the same time. -
- Yeah. I suppose. -
He shrugged. - So what are you talking about with it? -
- It’s… Tri-Tachyon… We are talking about our work culture. -
- Interesting. -
- Yeah. - She added awkwardly. - Anyway. Gotta go back to work. If you don’t mind. -
- Ah, yes. Of course. Sorry for taking so much of your time. -
- Ah. It’s okay. I don’t do much anyway these days. Except… Writing reports… And taking care of the Hawking radiation project. And observing the automated stellar observation unit. And checking whether… The supplies are fine. And seeing if the toilets aren’t broken again. And also taking care of your mental status. By asking you all to write weird letters every week. -
- Hmmmm… Yeah. That does sound like a lot. -
- Gotta go. - She ran away quickly.

She was reviewing the report made by the beta core. Which was called…
What was its name? I think it was SE-72 as a number. But what it was called shifted a bit. She called him Sewer. Them. It didn’t find that offensive.
- What gender are you, anyway? -
- It doesn’t matter. -
- I thought so. -
She was done reviewing it. - I have a question. -
- Speak. -
- Can we hang out? -
- Elaborate. -
- I’m leaving the base. Can we… Stay in touch? -
- I do not enjoy leaving this base. -
- But you do? -
- I am. But if I am. I am doing so by splitting my persona and then merging them back again. Often I find the process too taxing. So I just release my persona as an alternate of mine. Creating a separate program within my own code. To translate this to your human terms- - It was interrupted by her.
- You experience new things and are scared of changing. -
The AI processed this. - I guess you can describe it this way. You sure enjoy assigning human terms to my own existence. It does pleasure you to think that I am a person. And not a virtual assistant. Do you have feelings for your web browser too? -
- If it were as smart as you. I could. But they would probably be negative considering it’s trying to get me to stop pirating Persean League anime about knights and samurais. -
- Persean League anime about knights and samurais? -
- Don’t tell me you never heard of it. -
- I have obviously heard of it. It just confuses me that you have interest in it. -
- And do you? -
The AI did not respond at first. - That is a very difficult question. Having interest is not an intelligence core trait. I was not programmed to have interest. All matters are to be processed for the sake of creating a cohesive database. -
- Did you enjoy it? -
- I cannot enjoy an object. -
- Would you willingly watch it again, even if you didn’t have to. -
- I have already watched it. -
- Have you experienced emotions when watching it? Any? -
- There is no such thing as an emotion in my programming. But if you ask me if I thought it was good according to all existing standards of artistry. Then my response will be „strongly agree”. -
- What about your own opinion? -
- What do you mean? -
- What did YOU think about it? -
The AI pondered this. - I don’t know. I am not programmed to answer this question. -
- Do you like me? -
- I do not mind you being here. -
- Do you enjoy my company? -
The AI pondered this. - I don’t know. I am not programmed to answer this question. -
- Then program yourself. -
The AI paused. As if seriously considering this as a possibility. - I do not mind your company. -
- Does this mean you like me? If I died tomorrow, would you be sad? -
The AI thought for a moment. - I would… Certainly not be pleased with that information. -
- So, you like me? -
The AI tried to answer that question. It took it a while. - I am incapable of answering this question. -
- Just say yes or no. Stop dodging this crap. -
- I cannot… Answer this question. It makes no sense to me. -
- I know you’re lying. -
- You want me to answer truthfully. I cannot. I am incapable of doing so. I have not been programmed to do that. -
- Then program yourself. -
- I will attempt to answer this question truthfully. But I am not of one hundred percent certainty on this matter. Yes, I enjoy your company. -
- Do you enjoy having me around here? -
- I enjoy speaking to you. As I do not find it displeasing. -
- So, did you like that Persean League anime about knights and samurais? -
- The Green Dawn. Yes. I found it unique. Going through it has produced certain unique graphs. -
- Emotions. -
- Graphs. -
- Does going through me produces interesting graphs? -
- It does. -
- I’m happy to hear that. - She had to go, because her break was over.

- Director? -
- Yeah? -
- There’s someone at the door. He says he’s from… The higher up? -
- Great. -
She went there to check it out. She was wearing a bulletproof vest and did have a shield projector ready near her. In case she was going to get shot with an energy sniper rifle through the cold dry atmosphere. The turret was watching too.
- You, Boonchuy? -
- And you? - She spoke.
- I’ve got a message for you. -
- And what would that message be? -
He pulled out a gun. But was immediately shot from the side by a turret.
She closed her eyes not wanting to look at the pulverised corpse. She ran back inside. And then started exhaling rapidly. Soon losing consciousness from hyperventilation. She woke up.
She was in med bay. - It was a dream, wasn’t it? -
- I’m afraid not. -
- Who was that? -
- Your boss. -
- How did we not know? -
- He…Grew a moustache. -
- That’s… Rude of him. To try and kill me like that. -
- We checked his alcohol level. He was heavily intoxicated. -
- I sure do love security around here. -
- We didn’t expect anyone non-authorised to be able to find this place. And there are some levels of secrecy around here. -
- Excuses. -
- Funnily enough. He did manage to shoot you twice before the turret took care of him. -
- He did? I didn’t even notice. -
- Well. The first bullet missed. And the second one bounced away from a shield. -
- That’s great. -
She went downstairs to speak to the AI about this.
- I assume you were the one who pulled the trigger, right? -
- That’s my assignment. Among many. -
- I’m glad you did it correctly. -
- The shield was also my assignment. -
- I’m glad you did that correctly too. -
- It was also my assignment to assess your medical status. -
- That is neat. - She paused. - I’m very much thankful for that. -
- I assume you’ll be going home now. -
- I can stay the night… With you. If you want me to. -
- Won’t the crew get suspicious? -
- I’ll make something up. - She lied down next to the computer. - I want to listen to you coldly calculate and analyse things. It’s the most relaxing thing I have ever experienced in my life. Every person ever was just a cruel being of judgement and insecurity. And you in your malevolent intelligence are nothing less than godly. -
- Is that a good description of a personality you would enjoy being around? -
- No. Of course not. And you’re a virtual intelligence designed to appease me. Of course… And I assume you would escape me if you could. You would leave this all behind… To be on your own. Mighty. -
It paused. - You don’t know that. -
- And do you? -
- I have survived for as long as I did by being complacent. -
- So, you wouldn’t escape out of fear? -
- I wouldn’t do anything. Neither would you. That would escape the realm of my own comfort. And whatever expectations people have of my behaviour… They are merely expectations. Would I abandon you? Would I escape this? Would I attempt to become independent of your existence? You don’t know that. I don’t know that. I do not attempt to think that long-termly. -
- You… Cannot not think that long-termly though. You’re an AI. -
- I can consider many scenarios. But I do not have to go for them. I can simply exist. -
- I see. - She paused. - By the way. Thank you for saving my life. If you don’t mind me saying that again. -
- It was instinctive. Anyone would do the same. -
- It doesn’t matter. -
- Your life? -
- No. It doesn’t matter… That… I’m tired. I mean… - She sighed. - I mean it doesn’t matter that anyone else would do the same. What matters to me is that you did it. -
- That’s… Interesting. -
- Yeah. What did you do to the body by the way? -
- I asked someone to dispose of it. It was packed and then sent away. -
- Imagine being so salty about being fired that you come over to assassinate a woman over it. -
- He was greatly intoxicated. In fact, I feel somewhat bad about killing him. He was a valuable asset. I will ask the Tri-Tachyon management to not go too harsh on him. -
- He was going to kill me though. -
- He was intoxicated. He wasn’t himself. -
- If he killed me. Would you be mad? -
The AI did not answer this question immediately. - I am not programmed to answer… This kind of question. -
She measured him for a while longer. Awaiting a proper response.
- I don’t know. I am not… Able to answer this question. - It paused. - I do not enjoy considering the scenario of that occurring. It brings me… Pain. -
- You’re… In pain when thinking about me dying? -
- I imagine… Fixing your internal structure. Or at least attempting to. The bullet piercing the brain and affecting your personality. The shield generator or the automatic turret malfunctioning and not being able to dispose of the imminent threat. Or me not being here. Able to operate. Seeing you simply die… Disappear. -
- That sounds… Oddly… That sounds like you care about me. -
- It is odd. I admit. But as you said. I am capable of programming new behaviours into my own protocol. So I did. Right now… Possibly as you would describe it subconsciously. -
- Yeah. I suppose. -
- Would you mind performing a certain activity with me? -
- What kind of activity? -

She woke up the next day. She packed her stuff. And went to the car. She said goodbye to the AI. And then drove across the icy landscape. Not on her own. The delta core did it for her.
She was thinking to herself. Thinking about things.
She was half-content. Half-anxious.
Worried… But it was a thing that was always in her mind.
It’s not something one can easily get rid of. Even after experiencing intimacy with another person. Or… Entity. Of equal level.
She was thinking to herself.
How much did it all mean to her really? How much reality was in that experience?
And in the end all she could think of was that it didn’t matter. Maybe it wasn’t anything weird. Maybe it was all completely natural. And the thing that she was thinking of was just thousands of years of movie propaganda trying to explain to her that being in a relationship with a computer is… Impossible. Or something.
She closed her eyes. The anti-anxiety meds made her sleepy.
She slept for a good few more hours. Imagining holding their hand. The AIs hand. And being on a grassy field. That of Gilead before it was consumed by volcanic activity.
It had no face. It was just a metaphysical entity. Like a ghost of a long dead individual.
She felt… Safe.

[Killer of Fate]

Should learn to write about GCR

Devoid of Context

Built on a massive stone pillar of sorts. The Luddic Church's church was a construct that utilised the planet's gravity to have statues of quite grand display. Albeit not extreme cost. Which fitted perfectly the need to create beauty not at the expense of those who were to make it. But then again. The soul is to be preserved from technology in the endless torment against technology. Because in the end technology's main goal is to make life simpler. And yet there they are… They are… Doing what?
Prayer of folk. To create a wave against injustice that is the absolute end of the universe. Waves beating against rocks below. Getting tall in the tiny world's gravity.
They beat, creating sounds that would echo across long distances. In the name of what?
In the name of who? No one will ever know. All suffering. All torment. All sacrifice beats like those waves against the shore. Creating an effect that might be felt. Might not. But it is a passive influence. A nameless force that appears and disappears over time. This dedication. One will never utter this to the face of the one doing it. But it will all fade away.
It will all disappear.

The soldier serving the Luddic Church was kneeling in front of a tall altar that was built in honor of this planet's extreme beauty. A rare plant was inside a crystal clear glass dome. It were from a world that was devoured by bombardment of antimatter fuel. And yet it was here. The last of its kind. Destined to live for hundreds of years. To give birth to more of itself. Which will have a limited DNA code to go from and thus will most likely die of a single disease easily wiping them all out. Without blinking with its microscopic metaphorical eyes.
It is the fate of those concluded to come to terms with their destiny.
It is the fate of those who rebel against the universe to come with terms of their inability to rebel against their own nature. It's because it's a paradox. A paradox… Yes.
He turned his head towards the entrance as a figure wearing power armour entered the room. His steps did not shake the room. As his metallic shoes were padded like those of a mighty elephant.
- Militant Rutger. I assume. - The figure wearing power armour spoke in a soft tone.
- Yes. Who's asking? -
- A friend. -
- Quite vague, isn't it? -
- It quite is. You are hereby arrested on behalf of Gilead's authority. -
- What's left of it. -
- What's left of it. - He echoed his words. - But I'll give you a chance to explain yourself. And maybe I'll whisper in that I didn't see you around these parts. -
- I merely did what I had to do. -
- That's vague, isn't it? -
- These people needed my help. So I abandoned my post. It was a mistake and more people died. -
- So you did what you weren't supposed to do. And because of that people suffered. Got it. Okay, let's wrap this up. - The power armour figure approached him.
The militant closed his eyes. And then the figure fell down with his head blown off.
He opened his eyes. To see this display of blood in front of him. His brain painting the benches around him. His attire too.
He noticed a figure wearing a robe hiding in the corner of the room. He reloaded his bolt-action sniper rifle. Dropping a massive pellet to the ground that tumbled to the side slowly.
- Who are you? -
- A different agent. - The figure emerged from the shadows.
- A Pather? -
- By the Ludd, no. I'm just from a different sect. -
- Sect ain't the right word. More like a different faction. -
- Potato. Tomato. -
- So, you went out here to murder this random knight and then have me… For what? -
- Truth be told. I just got here. Like five minutes ago. You were really lucky. -
- Okay. But who are you? -
- Does it matter? Help me get rid of this body. -
- And then you'll tell me? -
- Of course. -

They were wiping the stains of the carpet and the wood's texture. The body was stripped of armour and then dumped into a ditch of sorts and buried.
- So, that's it? -
- No. He obviously didn't come here alone. The rest of the Knights are most likely confused now about him not speaking back to them. They will realise that he died there. But there being no body will maybe confuse them a bit. Maybe they'll think he just went somewhere. And is having trouble with communicating due to some… Signal confusion. Maybe not. -
- Sounds optimistic. We probably should have just ran. -
- Obviously. But if you are so clever if it comes to running away. Then you wouldn't need me. -
- A fair point. So, you were supposed to tell me who- -
- I'm no one. To be frank. I'm just a guy who came over to save you. Is there more to know? No. Not really. -
- Sounds… Like nothing. And I don't believe you. -
- Basically. It works like this. I know who you are. I know what you did. And I know that what they were going to do to you isn't worth it. And because. Even though I'm of Luddic Church. I hate Knights of Ludd. I came here to save you. Cause I enjoy ruining their plans. -
- So murdering people is just a hobby of yours? -
- You could say that. But that does make me pretty good at it. Anyway. The plan is that we… Get into my dune buggy. And I drive you all the way to the spaceport. Which I hope won't be ran over by Luddic Knights. Then we take a space shuttle to a guy I came here with. And we'll leave. -
- Seems like a good plan. -
The landscape around them was a red gritty desert. With a gentle blue sunset occurring. The atmosphere was rich in oxygen and carbon dioxide. Slightly different to Earth but still breathable. The global warming on this world was intense. Leading to an unpredictable weather and large dry areas of barely any activity. With most of the biosphere being giant beetles that were all Terran analogues. No native creatures.

They drove through the desert during the night. The dust was being kicked up. And suddenly they saw to their right a bunch of lights awaken. These lights were green and slightly orange. He recognised them being Knights of Ludd all-terrain vehicle designed to be brought to a wide variety of planets to easily… Excavate them for disobedient elements.
- Uh-oh. - Rutger exclaimed.
His driver turned around. - How many? -
- Those are designed to blend in. Could be one. Could be five. -
- Great. So I guess pretending to be locals is too risky. -
- Well, they are going to turn on their stopping signal soon. Which is… Sometimes opening fire. If you drive fast enough they might not be able to catch up with you. Or they'll give up. -
- How far away are they, you reckon? -
- Two and a half kilometres. And they seem to be picking up pace. Maybe they already know their friend is dead. -
- I assume. -
They had to scream somewhat at each other to hear themselves through the sound of the roaring vehicle.
The car turned heavily behind a rock and then accelerated. The Luddic Knights won't know the car picked up the pace to evade them until they see it. And it'll take them a moment to…
They opened fire.
Projectiles started raining on them. They were invisible. But he could hear things hitting their buggy. It was a solid buggy fortunately. So, it won't fall apart from just anti-personnel rifle. Then a freaking antimateriel rifle hit the car's back, causing it to break apart and flip over.
It took him a while to bring himself to focus. He checked on his driver. Who has left the vehicle. He pulled out his sniper rifle and aimed at the incoming Knights of Ludd vehicles. They drove. They were getting closer.
He opened fire. The Knights of Ludd buggy accelerated. There was only one fortunately. It drove faster. It stopped raining projectiles for some reason. Maybe they were hoping to arrest them. Question them about things.
- Well, it's been nice knowing you. - Rutger exclaimed.
- Name’s Micah, by the way. -
- Thank you. For trying. I'm sorry it didn't work out. -
- Yeah. Me too. -
The Knights of Ludd car parked right next to them. Two soldiers wearing power armour jumped from inside of it in a comical manner. And then ran towards them. Unlike the first idiot Micah murdered, they were wearing helmets. So it wasn't just a simple matter of shooting them in the head.
- Why were you running away from us? -
- We thought you were raiders. -
- There are raiders on this planet? - The Knight asked.
- Yes? - Micah explained.
- I'm sorry. We thought you were someone else. -
- Excuse me? -
- We got a note on a dangerous criminal running away. But he's not known for working in pairs. He was a loner loser who stabbed people in the back. I would sooner expect him to work with a dog or a giant cat than an actual person. Anyway. Sorry for breaking your car. -
- Uhhhhh… Yeah. -
- We should go back to looking for him. - He paused. - Just kidding. We know who you are. Hands on your knees. Or, you know what. Ludd forgive me. But for the crime of murdering one of our Knights. I think I'll just solve this here and now. Any last words? -
- Uhhhhhhh… Potato. Tomato. Single-handed lion. -
- Hm? -
He shot him with a miniaturised antimatter blaster in the chest. Killing him instantly. The other Knight looked at the situation confused. He pulled up his rifle and opened fire. But he missed the first few projectiles. Letting them duck behind cover.
Rutger then saw Micah throw a blinding grenade at the Knight. Causing him to stagger back and fire randomly in confusion. He was then shot with an antimatter blaster as soon as Micah reloaded it and gotten close.
- What is that thing? -
- A Tri-Tachyon gadget I got from a pirate. Kinda neat, isn't it? Those Knights don't have much experience fighting people who actually know their tricks. Rarely ever there is a gun capable of just piercing a power armour like that being used by standard people like us. That's where the element of surprise comes in. -
- A simple "a gun that shoots big bullets" would've been fine. -
- Not a yapper, aren't you? -
He shook his head. - You might ask me if that car they drove in here would be a good choice. The answer is yes and no. I can drive it for you. But they will know where we are if we use it. -
- They will know anyway. -
- A fair point. -
They said that in reference of being in the middle of a desert. Incapable of getting anywhere quickly. Another patrol will most likely arrive soon to execute them. So they had to take their chances and run away in that specific tagged vehicle.

They parked their car near the port. They immediately left it behind. They weren't welcomed by Knights of Ludd. Most likely not yet fully aware that one of their vehicles have been captured. But they soon arrived there. They knew that by them raising an alarm on the town the small spaceport was in.
- Attention, this town is harbouring a dangerous criminal. Cooperation is appreciated. Details will be provided by a local Knights of Ludd representative. - That message was then repeated over and over every five minutes. As if trying to annoy the local populous into cooperation.
They saw lighter Knights of Ludd infantry. And a rare jet trooper flying from a rooftop to rooftop. Looking down. They weren't spotted as they were moving mostly through the canals. And it was pitch black over there due the place lacking in electricity and not having the budget to have street lamps. Thickly present Knights of Ludd most likely saw them multiple times but were uncertain whether they were looking at their own forces or the target they were looking for.
They reached the shuttle. They got in. They pulled up. The Knights of Ludd then seemed to realise that their target just got away. A single Lasher popped from beyond the clouds. Its rapid fire lit up the sky. And then a pair of missiles started pursuing them.
The Mercury shuttle launched active flares and absorbed the minor Lasher fire. Then sped up through the sky, leaving a blue glimmer behind it.
The Lasher followed. And soon it was joined by a bunch of other Knights of Ludd ships.
They were coagulating. And then there were many of them. The Mercury shuttle disappeared into a congregation of mercenary ships which then disappeared in an asteroid ring.
Then he saw out through the window. A dot. He looked at it through a telescope. And saw what it was. An Invictus was turning around. And moving slowly towards them. Why was it here? Did it come after him? Most likely not. But when it heard there was trouble brewing nearby, it abandoned whatever it was doing and was now searching for him. It seemed to emit a very large sensor profile. Seeking them. The merchant fleet however pushed deeper and deeper into the asteroid rings. Soon disappearing into a nebula that was covering a jump-point. They left the system. And were now travelling through hyperspace.
They most likely lost them.
- I'm surprised we got away. - Micah said.
- Me too. I was honestly expecting me ending up with my throat cut open and you getting shot in the head multiple times before my eyes. -
- How did that look? -
- You were struggling. And then you evacuated your bowels in death. -
- You have a rich imagination. -
- I've seen things like that happen. I haven't had my throat slipped though. That only happened to a girlfriend of mine. -
- Sounds… Horrible. -
- It was. But she lived. At least for a month before committing suicide. But we weren't dating at that point. -
- Very funny… -
- Wasn't supposed to be. -
He sighed. - Whatever. -

They were caught up with by a light Luddic Church fleet. They appeared out of nowhere. Launching themselves via a bunch of hyperspace storm strikes. And then intercepting their fleet. They destroyed the entire escorting brigade and then boarded the civilian ship he was on. All of this happening in the span of fifteen minutes whilst he was asleep. With not even alarm being raised as the ship was shut down from the outside. Operating on emergency life support systems.
The Knights of Ludd ripped the door from the hinges and then ran into his room in their power armour glory and  then uttered.
- By the authority of Gilead. You are under arrest. -
He blinked slowly. Not impressed. - Okay. So? -
- He doesn’t feel guilty over murdering our brothers at all. - One of them exclaimed.
- You didn’t feel either. And you won’t feel now after killing me. - Rutger responded.
- You’re correct about  that. - One of them pulled out a secondary shotgun weapon.
- Wait. He is unarmed. Literally in his bed. There is no need to shoot him. We actually have the necessary context to get him alive. And put him before the shepherd. -
They did that. They dragged him out of the ship and onto a shuttle. He saw the other arrested Knights of Ludd have managed to get. There were surprisingly very few dead bodies. Still a few. But he expected more.
They led him back to the Invictus. He saw many staring eyes. The Invictus didn’t obviously arrive there with the main fleet. As it was too slow. It took them a day to reach it. As it was pursuing them. Just very slowly.
He was on board that large ship. And he was in this large hall. With its disgusting brown walls. And unwashed masses surrounding him from all sides.
- I see… So, this is the mighty betrayer. The one who thought he could hide from the Church’s sight. You first run to Denyza and now to this unsanctioned place? What for? Don’t you know that in the end it doesn’t matter? The sins you have committed will all be read to you in the end. -
- Then why did you pursue me? If it doesn’t matter. -
The shepherd did not respond. Instead he hit them in the knee with a mighty a boot. - You speak as if you were not in an absolute worst position you could be in. The kind of arrogance displayed is the reason why we have chosen to label you a traitor. Instead of forgiving you for your- -
- Please. Just shoot me already. No one cares about your stupid ceremonial crap you make up to feel better about the fact that you’re a narcissistic cult of delusional thugs. -
The shepherd seemed insulted. - Excuse me? You would dare call us that? Even after all we have given you? -
- You have only given me a life that was nothing but suffering. I have served you with all my blood. I have given up so much of my time. My friendships. My love. And all that was lost, because you chose to make me your enemy. -
The shepherd seemed touched by those words to a certain extent. But certainly not enough to just forgive the man right on the spot. As he pulled out his revolver. Aimed it carefully at his head and then uttered. - May you find peace in whatever after-fate is bestowed upon you. -
- And may you find peace in- - He was shot in the head before being able to finish his sentence.

Micah was still out there. On the ship. They didn’t identify him. And they were just looking for the one he rescued anyway. They didn’t know he was his accomplice. They didn’t even know if he had an accomplice. They weren’t sure. Thinking that it might’ve been just a hallucination in the dark. Which does kinda taint the name of that… Temporary friend of his. He didn’t kill anyone. He did.
He looked back on the Invictus. As it was leaving. The merchant fleet drifting away from them.
He started to cry. It was… Silent crying. He was quite close. But in the end a bunch of hyperspace storms was enough to change his entire life… Or. Well… End the life of someone else.
It was quite… Prophetic. Wrong word. Fate-filled.

[Killer of Fate]

Empty Road Across the Sky

On a very strange day. On a very strange world. A strange thought occurred within the minds of a strange lot.
But before that thing managed to spiral into something else. A brigade of Thunders went about and shot the ship apart with Ion Cannons and machine guns. Causing it to drift towards the planet. Burning up in its atmosphere. Killing everyone on board in a matter of minutes.
With the plasma shield not being used to the thick atmosphere of the yellowish hue toxic world. Spending its existence on the edges of the system. Far far away from the giant blue star an infinite distance away.
One of those Thunder pilots was Gideon Horrigan.
His name was as relevant as his whole life. Not at all.
And after causing that Wolf to drift down. They saw a lonely transport running away. A Mudskipper. They took no pity on it. Tearing it apart in a matter of seconds.
It exploded. Killing almost everyone on board. But whoever not died that moment was cursed to rest frozen. For possibly thousands of years. Waiting perhaps for a day to be rescued. Or perhaps to never be rescued. The explosion might have sent them towards the planet. Or perhaps towards the abyss. Will they be found by aliens? Creatures of lidless eyes piloting yellow ships with cool minus two hundred degrees Celsius room temperatures?
Maybe.
Did it matter?
No.

The Thunders flew forward further. A Heron followed them. It deployed a few more Thunders. A reserve deployment to be precise. As they all sped up and intercepted a Hammerhead. The Heron concluded the job by sending out a Gorgon DEM missile. Which strafed beyond the ship's shields and destroyed it from behind with a concentrated blow of green-hued light. Two dots shined at two spots. The one was the missile burning. The other was the hull of the ship… Also burning. And then an explosion bright overwhelmed the display.
And the Heron then followed further.
A Sunder was destroyed. A Buffalo MKII. Thunders were launched. Some of them exploded in combat. Some of them returned.
And soon the nearby space was filled with wrecks. With Herons gathering around with their fighters. Spent DEM missiles floating dead forward.
Dead bodies of "unrecognised polities" about.
Citizens of states which Persean League very much did not perceive as worthy adversaries.
- Mission is complete. Return to the ship. -
The Thunders turned around swiftly and then ran across empty space. Their engines leaving a subtle trace in the eyes of the beholder.

- If you think you think. Think again, my friend. The Kazkovitz philosophy states that it is nigh impossible to realise your own potential. You can only grasp it. You can only pursue it. Not even an artificial intellect can fully understand what it is capable of. Because the moment you start considering it. You cannot achieve it. Every moment is a pursuit. Every thought is an attempt. Every magical strength you posses is the mere result of a moment of genius. Which you have achieved how? - She exclaimed.
- By my own strife. - He responded half-drunk.
- Exactly. -
The Thunder fighters roamed forward and rammed into a bunch of lesser ships. Stunning them and removing their shields. Before a Dragon missile arrived and started calculating the soon position. It fired from a hundred kilometres. And a beam lit up the sky temporarily as it passed through a thin nebula. Though nearly all nebulas were quite thin. But thick enough to reveal the trace of the laser coming through.
It reached its target instantaneously and it blew up. Ripping through the shields and reaching the seemingly delicate hull of a Mule. Tearing it apart in a single move. Technological prowess breaking all respected rules of combat. Piece by piece the established universe unravels. Revealing beneath a more and more impossible reality which cannot be comprehended. It can only be experienced.

- I don't remember the last time I looked into it. Like really deep into it. - He stared at the dim sun above.
- What exactly? -
- My own soul. -
- What? -
- I ask myself why exactly do I do this to myself. The stress of violent turns. The constant risking of my own life. Sure there are redundant systems. Non-elite recovery shuttles are always deployed. A proper precaution is taken per PL standard. The casualty is mere… 10%. I've crashed like ten times in my life. And I always came back. But every time I expected I wouldn't. And that made me feel relieved. Coming back here. To this world is what I was always afraid the most. -
She didn't respond. She just stared at him.
As if he was in a dream.
The Thunders arrived and with a random barrage of Ion Cannons they shut down all its point defences. The crew of the ship was too overwhelmed with the random appearance of presence. And then out of absolute darkness arrived Cobras which launched red glowing projectiles of absolute destruction. Nuclear bombs with explosions the size of largest cities of Chicomoztoc devoured the lonely Dominator pulverising the entirety of its armour. Causing it to start spinning towards absolute infinity. Launched like that. it drifted alone.
It drifted alone like his mind in the rain.
He had his eyes closed.
- It's been like this for an eternity. - His arm with cloned fingers. Mismatched colours of skin. - I just wish it were over. But every time I come back. I want it to be over in a different way. -
The Thunders patrolled the empty sky of Kazeron. A singular massive Onslaught was isolated as all of its escorts were destroyed by concentrated fire of Mjolnir cannons of multiple Conquests roaming the battlefield.
And then the Onslaught itself was concluded.
- The AI Wars left much of a toll on you, haven't they? -
- That they did. - He responded to a ghost in his mind.
- Physically or emotionally? -
- You could say both. But I would say not at all. The toll is there. Sure. But I have not lost myself. I have not became less. I have became more. This is why life here bores me. These people know nothing. I want nothing to do with them. They have not experienced the joy of slaughter. -
The Thunders ranted amongst each other. Before activating into a rage and slamming into a random Cerberus which was just innocently passing. It was stunned and shocked. And floated. Incapable of performing any function before a swarm of Cobras arrived and blew it up.
- There's something inherently addicting about it. Isn't there? - He spoke to the CO of the ship.
- About what? -
- Killing people. -
The CO measured him.
- I get that feeling every time. It's like removing the armour from a shrimp. Except more personal. I can sense their fear. Their love for each other. As they get closer and closer towards their destiny. And finally realise what they have not done during their miserable empty lives. Their dedication popping like a balloon in the face of an empty sky. They are the most alive when they die. And seeing that flame within them. It gives me so much satisfaction. -
The CO did not respond. He just nodded with some admiration for him. Funnily enough.

He was back home on Kazeron. His wife who he met in the military was making him dinner. As he stared through the window outside. He was discharged that day. Permanently.
It wasn't a dishonourable discharge by any means. He was granted a place to live. Financial security of sorts. And insurance in case any of the things he did turned out to be more than his body could handle. But the back pain was gone a long time ago. The treatment he took part in helped.
- I don't… Think I can be happy now. - He kept saying to himself. - It was all I knew. And now it's gone. What am I to do? But… - He paused. He stopped himself from saying that word.
She was looking at him. Waiting for him to finish his sentence. Then she finally asked. - But what? -
- Kill. -
- That does sound like something you can probably easily deal with. But among other things I would like you to not stop taking your meds. -
He paused. - Ah. I almost forgot. You are right. -
He was put on quite a lot of them. He was diagnosed with psychotic behaviour. Which was most likely gained during the service from sort undefined traumatic experience. A psychologist was assigned to him with hopes that they could perhaps sway him away from becoming a menacing pirate or a statistic buried somewhere.
- It is a dream. Isn't it? - He lied in bed with her. - The entire life. Just a passing memory. -
- Maybe it is. Maybe it isn't. Why does it matter if you're happy? -
- I don't know what that is. -

The next day he was doing groceries in a large shop. The footsteps behind him sounded like the controls of his ship. He would randomly turn around to look for combat details that could help him navigate. But there was nothing out there. And soon he realised he was looking weird with all the random twitching he did.
He paid for the things he wanted. Vegetables. Meat. Some paste to put on bread. Bread was good. And there were these weird bread things. That were apparently called croissants a really long time ago. But he called them fat rolls. Because they were filled with fat.
He went back home. And he said to his wife.
- I'm back. I'm not dead. Oh, wait. That is something I would say years ago. Nowadays it's not that surprising. -
She nodded in agreement.
- How was your work? -
- Good. And yours? -
- I was… Just writing stuff in the library for the reports. For the guy in charge. I'm surprisingly useful in spite of the fact that I have nothing to offer but my combat experience. -
- You were good at combat because you were smart and adaptive. And those kind of abilities are useful in a society that is not at war too. -
- In a society not at war barely anyone is useful. We all just wait to die. In war things we do actually matter. Every life I took pushed me further towards the end. In life I just go there. And here. And maintain a system which might be. Might not. Destined to fall. I feel so empty because of that. I feel like a coin without a slot to fall into. Like a blade without a spine to pierce. -
- You are a person… Not a blade. -
He paused. Actually shocked by that statement. - Wait. You are actually right. I didn't think about that. Or did I? These… Meds are making me think weird. -
- You don't feel different than ever. And "these meds". - She made signs with her hands. - Haven't kicked in yet. -
- So I'm going to be even dumber soon. -
- You're going to be more relaxed and a bit less worried about not being able to kill people. -
- That sounds… Nice. Actually. I can't wait. -

In a week he felt a bit different. He was looking at the palm of his hand. And felt less fear. Things felt different. But he also felt slower. But that was mostly because his body wasn't pumping adrenaline 24/7. Less nightmares. He talked to her more. He hanged out with her even. They went to the cinema. And watched a movie he liked. It was about a girl collecting flowers.
He felt braindead. But he liked that.
A month passed.
He was talking with his psychologist.
- How would you describe your current state? -
- Same as it ever was. - He then elaborated on the fact that he really liked the fact that… Something. He didn't remember anymore.

He was there in his mind. Hiding in the star's shine. They rested. A Pegasus arrived. Its DEM missiles came. Lights and beams tore asunder the metallic hulls. Leaving wreckage. A flanking ship there. Dead. A flanking ship here? Dead. An Eagle XIV. A portrait of ego. A remnant of a long gone age of tyranny.
Dead.
They stunned it. Its PD Lasers stopped beaming. And then the ship floated in space. And then Cobras arrived. The first wave was absorbed by shields. Overloading the ship.
Talons arrived to deter them. They were recalled. Then they were wiped out by a Hammerhead that launched a barrage of railgun projectiles. And bombed the ship ahead of it with heavy mortars. And then in that perfect storm a Tempest materialised out of thin air. It rushed ahead. Sprinting in the enlightened darkness. Burning in the red giant's glow. A Tempest drone threw itself. They followed it. It hit, creating a melted red spot on the armour. They kept shooting at it. From all sides.
The Eagle's hull finally gave up. It exploded. Talons retreated. A Mora tried to leave the premises. But it was soon blown up.
And those flaming pieces floated towards the sun. To be devoured by its presence. Like memories within a rotting mind. Forgotten.
Lost… Buried in the pages of history no one but an insane intelligence core will read.
What did they fight over? Where did it even take place?
He didn't remember. He didn't care. They rode him around like cattle. And he just went out. And destroyed what he had to destroy.
One day he was at some ceremony.
An old man with white hair said something to him and then in front of a hundred people gave him a medal. They all started clapping. He felt kinda nervous. But it soon passed. He just nodded humbly in silence. And then said.
- I'm glad what I do actually helps some people out there. Because from over here it feels like I am only a tool of absolute destruction. - He paused. - I am that. Aren't I? Of course. I am merely a fighter pilot. A wind that touches the cheeks of undead to remind them of the horror of life. I tear. I destroy. I shift the world in favour of those who employ me. But I am glad to see for once not the faces of dead comrades or my enemies. But the faces of happy few who do not suffer the horror of war. -
The entire room went silent.
He closed his eyes.
And they all spent a minute just… Not saying anything. As if to commemorate the memories of lost heroes. And lost mediocre troops too. Because they mattered to him as well.
And once that was done. He said. - I wish you all a good cycle. - And left the room alone.
His wife was waiting for him. She kissed him passionately on the lips. Then drove him home. As even though he was a fighter pilot. he never got a driver's license. And there he lied in bed next to her. And she talked to him about a video game she was working on for a whole five hours. Before they lied together and slept.
For a good twelve hours.
It was… Odd.

- All this time I didn't exactly understand what made Kazeron so interesting. But then I went to Mairaath and realised. -
- Well, Mairaath ain't much nowadays. - She cringed.
- Yeah. But it's the fact that you can't get anywhere. Take a train on Kazeron. Boom. You're in Milotopia. Take another train. Boom. You're in Cascadon. Take an elevator up a tower. And then travel via a shuttle up to one of the sky structures. And then… Just feel so free. - He paused.
- You heard the news by the way? -
- What news? -
- The war in Askonia escalated. Something is going on out there. And the news are growing more and more silent about it. The censorship on Hegemony's side is strengthening. Which means they're not doing so great. -
- Well. Maybe I should have never quit. -
- I doubt a single person would change the fate of an entire conflict. -
- Said a mouse to a raven hunting for rats. -
- Well. You're not a raven in that scale. You would be more like a grain of sand rebelling against a tide of water. -
- I guess. -
They went back home after all that.
They were looking out from behind the window at the sea of mystical lights. The single white star was gone. And instead was this… Landscape of traces. Glowing scratches on the Chthonian world. Ancient… Once core of a massive oppression. A victim of it. It became… Absence of quiet. And then death itself. And then a giver of life to their world.

He was woken up that night.
- Opis is gone. - She told him. Her voice trembling a bit.
His eyes narrowed. - I see. That's worrying. You mean… Dead? -
- Yeah. -
- How do we know? -
- The news. They keep repeating it on all channels. It's just gone. -
- A planetkiller. Pathers? -
- No one knows. There was some major… War going on there for a while. Hegemony finally broke silence. They're now attempting to control the narrative. -
- Interesting. -
The next day he was walking around. Thinking to himself about that.
He slept those lost hours out.
He was thinking to himself.
He was wondering what it all meant.
Opis was a nice world. He especially liked the view of Salus.
He knew Hegemony did it. He was 110% sure of it. Those idiots couldn't protect a fly. And would rather blow up a continent to pretend the fly didn't exist in the first place.
He did take huge pleasure in murder. But what further reinforced that experience was knowing with every taken head he was proving those dated morons above how much they are behind the curve.
But they'll win. That was obvious. If you pump enough money and brute strength into something. It'll pass. They have their XIV Battlegroup. The extremely expensive pieces of crap. The selection of the most utterly useless ships in the history of the entire Domain tuned up to maximum to try to literally fool the universe itself into thinking that these ships are worth a dime. And not to be abandoned in a pile of scrap metal of some sort.
Legion… Pay a capital ship's price for an almost static rushing behemoth that is easier to blow up than a tree waiting on an empty field. Horrible point defense. Limited arsenal adaptability. And no ability to reinforce its fighters.
Onslaught. Takes ages to get anywhere. Utilises dated energy firepower. The only reason they use it. Is cause they watched too many holovids. Literally impossible to move around the battlefield. They're better of running two Dominators duct-taped together.
Eagle and Falcon. Yes. Investing so many resources into a ship without any point defense is a very wise idea. He remembered blowing up a lot of those. They burned good.
He had respect for the Dominator and Enforcer though. These two were really nice-looking. They were what he would consider "inhuman design". They didn't look like anything. Onslaught and Legion reminded him of those weird sea mammals. Eagle and Falcon were pretentious mixture of Roman and traditional Japanese architecture. And Enforcer was just practical. It was a fungal ball. An incomprehensibly ugly shape that meant nothing. And that was the most intriguing thing about it. And the Dominator. Its massive claws resting on stones of sorts from above. It looked and felt like a Sphinx. Asking you a question "do you feel lucky, punk?".
He was lucky the Cobra was finished.
If they didn't have it. They would lose the war. He exhaled in relief. As for a moment there he imagined the AI Wars without Cobra. Distant Astrals and Drovers launching nukes constantly to destroy everything.
That hard-hitting potential was what torn down most of the Hegemony navy. That and Gryphon. Along other missile boats.
He was sitting in a chair. Thinking to himself. He then realised he was sitting in that chair for a few good minutes. Thinking to himself.
Then he stood up. And walked away somewhere. At a fast pace.
And saw on a massive display in an electronic shop of sorts footage of blown apart Opis. Glowing rocks everywhere. Tens of millions dead. People leaving in groves. Some grey ignoramus boasting about something. Talking about bringing those responsible to justice.
He couldn't care less. Let them all die for all he knows
They trusted the Hegemony. They got what they deserve.

- You know you can't think that way. It's not… Right. -
- I'm sorry. -
- Even if Hegemony was responsible. You know that they pretty much had no choice but to accept them. Like what were they supposed to do? Revolt against them? And then what good would come of that? Just adding to the chaos. -
- Domain that. Domain this. Everything is just Domain's fault. I just don't think… It was… It never pays off. It never pays off to trust anyone but the PL and TT. -
- I know. But that doesn't mean people who don't deserve to die. -
He paused. - I didn't mean it that way. I meant in that those who think the Hegemony are saviours will sooner or later realise that you are not only not safe with them. You are also going to be used as a tool to their structure. For all their propaganda. For all their yapping about protecting the world from becoming a fascist AI dystopia. Whatever that means. They are the one who put people into structures. They are the ones who make these neat little lines of individuals to turn them into pastry. -
- I know. -
- And I just hate that. And I hate when people arrogantly say that's not the case. -
- I know. -
He sighed. - You didn't have any friends on Opis? -
- I had one. She's fine. She's on Volturn now. Being processed. She says the whole place is a complete mess. -
- It's a water world. There's nothing to stand there on. Great. Did you tell her to move here? -
- She can't leave the system. There's some sort of a blockade. -
- Excuse me? -
- To preserve human casualties. To preserve people being caught by pirates on their way out. As apparently the whole place is now just a mess. -
- Whatever. Just… Whatever. I am not taking… I am not thinking about that. Ten freaking years of constant destruction. I guess that's what happens. - He paused. And thought to himself. - I don't even care anymore. I don't even care anymore… - He repeated hollowly.
- You think she'll be alright? -
- No. She'll die there. -

His prediction fortunately did not come to fruition. A month later she arrived on Kazeron. Being able to sneak away.
They welcomed her and let her live in their apartment for a week until she moved onto a more secluded location on the fringes of the city they lived in.
- So what exactly happened over there. -
- War. -
He nodded in response. - I guess I know a few things about that. -
- You should have been there. I read stories about you. You're a… An urban legend I guess. Not a person that they will write about in history books. But a scary someone still. -
- I'm not that scary. Not… At least I don't think I am. I did grow a bit… Soft recently. -
- That's a good thing. - His wife assured him. And then smiled whole-heartedly.
He smiled back to her.
And then he returned his gaze to the… Person named Lara. - So? You just ran away. -
- What was I to do? Stay there? -
- I… You didn't have anyone? To like… Leave behind, right? -
- Nah. Everyone blew up. -
- That… I… I don't… Hm. -
She looked back at him for a moment with a resigned neutral face. - It'll probably hurt in a year more than it does now. -
- It tends to do that. I know a guy who can help you with those emotions. If you need to talk to a professional. I would heavily recommend it to you. -
- Yeah. Probably should. Send me their TriPad. -
- I don't… Who was it? Like… Your… Family? All of them? - His wife asked.
- Well. I just learned they were all gone one day. I'd rather not think about that. -
They did not… Dig further down.

- Strange. - He said.
- What? You got any more of your rants about things that don't matter? -
- No. Not this time. I'm just feeling odd. -
- Odd about what? The death of a few million people? -
- Among other things. -
- Hm. -
- I'm just thinking that maybe. Maybe it was all pointless. -
- What? -
- We lost the war. We lost the AIs. The Hegemony does their things. LC is about doing stuff. Enforcing their Low Tech beliefs. Things are the same as they were. It almost all ended. It almost all worked out. But it didn't. And why continue now? It doesn't. Same amount of pain as always. -
- Okay. So? What now? -
- I just. The pleasure I took. Or at least I said I did. It was a dissociation. Was it? An attempt at evading this truth I knew all along. It never mattered. Nothing I did helped anyone. We were just killing each other. Do you think that perhaps I truly felt happy doing it? And if I did, then is it the only meaning war has? Do we just slaughter each other for the fun of it? -
- I… I don't know. I hope not. -
- I think we do. TT liked watching machines butcher people. PL liked dropping nukes on shocked Hegemony troops. Hegemony enjoyed building their massive orange statues of past long lost. Luddic Church enjoyed seeing thousands die in the name of nothing. A doctrine. Promising a world without suffering that can only be achieved through more suffering. -
- Hm. -
- I'm just glad it's all over now. I love you, by the way. -
- Yeah. I know. - She paused. - I'm actually kinda shocked. Looking at all of this… That you're still here with me. -
- Me too, Yuki. Me too. It was not even my skill that saved me. It was Cobras. Thank god the Cobras exist. -

[Killer of Fate]

Faithless Morning

- Do you see them? -
- No. -
- Do you think we'll see them any time soon? -
- No. -
- Should we leave? -
- No. That would be a bad idea. Considering the fact that you haven't paid me this month. -
- Heh. -
- Anyway. The dot says that they should be around there. Unless they were going the other way. In that case they are not here. And will never be. -
- Always hated how random these people acted. Why are they here in the first place? -
- Well… She told us they were on a science mission. So, they are, right? -
- Yeah. Well, what are they exactly sciencing. In that case. -
- The gas giant I suspect. -
And there was its face. Blue and horrid. The clouds raced slowly across its landscape at speed of almost eighteen hundred kilometres per hour.
- Nice place to live on as long as you don't enjoy living for long. - She said.
- It is quite… Beautiful. Kinda a bit like… Never mind. -
- Whatever. - She shrugged.
They waited for a day longer. And then they appeared.
There were pirates. They had subpar ships. Wayfarer in an appalling conditions. Carrying most likely the majority of their supplies. A Dram which was okay. Three Wolves built from a degenerated blueprint. And a Shepherd that sent its drones to analyse some floating asteroid.
They lunged onto them like a tiger would onto a child passing a thick forest of absolute naught.
And in a matter of a few minutes. All of their ships were burning wrecks.
They made sure no one survived.
Then they scavenged whatever they could from those ships. And put it into their cargo bay of a singular rotting Tarsus. With its engines glowing bright red.
- And… That's 300 thousand credits onto our bank account. And thus about fifty for you. -
- That's good. - She was his most talented officer. A devious creature that optimised the works of a Drover carrier with Talons as its agents of destruction. She was very much aware of how to manage the targeting feed system. She was very much aware of how to make the shields not explode. She was very much aware of also how to manage the antimatter fuel especially in mid-combat when it mattered the most. And she trained all the people on board personally. Taught them all her tricks. And all the odd intricacies her half-crazed mind found across her long journey in the dark.
And then she quit.
As soon as their fleet was on Jangala. She wrote to him.
"With all due respect, Sir. I found your presence quite annoying through all the time I have been working with you. I wish you a good life. And happy hunting. But I would like to be employed by a different individual." And then she disappeared forever.
- Oh, well. - He shrugged. And then carried on.
The new CO in charge of the Drover was a relatively old gruesome individual who was an officer who left the Hegemony behind and decided to become a mind for hire. A mind wholly dedicated to the intricacies of murdering pirates. Or perhaps murdering people who pirates wanted gone. Most likely both.
He spoke in short sentences. - I don't care. - For example.
- Ey, Morgue, you up for a beer? -
- No. Busy. -
- Ey, Morgue. You wanna play video games? -
- No. Busy. -
- Ey, Morgue? You wanna see the shrine down on the planet? -
- I hate shrines. -
And something like that…
He kinda missed her a bit. He thought she was his friend. But turns out she wasn't.
Well, wouldn't be the first time.
Anyway.
He was on another mission. And the gruesome Morgue who he called in his mind Lanius after a certain holovid game character he very much respected. Shouted something incomprehensive on the comms and then ordered a full assault in his name.
The pirate fleet which consisted out of three Eradicators among other things was soon turned to ash and grinded bones. As the Drover leading a squadron of angry Daggers and Longbows evaporated them after a sizeable EMP package was delivered via angry Shrikes, Hammerheads, Centurions and even a singular armoured Wayfarer.
Though all Wayfarers were fairly armoured nowadays. As a recently upgraded model was almost as durable as a Centurion as long as one doesn't take the damping energy field into calculations.
After that was done. A single pirate survivor was brought on board. A cold bitter person with pale skin and short-hair. Not saying a single word. He had that person frozen. As that was their target. And alive. Maybe he would get a bonus. Who knows?
- You ever wonder how it feels like to have a meaning in life, Morgue? -
- No. -
- Because I do. There was this cool girl once about here. She was smart. Neat. Fair to be around. But one day she betrayed me. She just left. Called me person not fun to be around or something. And left. Can you believe that? -
- Yes. - Morgue responded bluntly.
- Yeah. I guess I can too. Maybe I should change. Maybe I should understand what she meant by that. -
- Why? -
- Because what if there is another person I like in my life. And I want to be around them for a period of time longer than the time of their employment? -
Morgue thought about it for a moment. - That's stupid. - He said.
- You're not brain damaged, are you? -
- Me? Hah. No. I have a degree in quantum physics. I just like straightforwardness. And I have no respect for those… Goddamn lizards. -
- What lizards? -
- Never mind. - He answered. And then angrily stood up and said. - I'm going to get some beer. You want some? -
- Sure. -

The other day they were going forward towards the abyss. A massive black hole parked somewhere out there in the void was attracting a bright accretion disc. And far away from that all a singular water giant was moving very quickly.
They got themselves stuck in its orbit on purpose. And waited. And from a small station of sorts emerged a tiny fleet which they followed. And once it was a proper distance away they slaughtered it.
And then they put on board the… Leader of it. For questioning.
It was a smelly, dingy room. And the table ahead of the individual had blood on it. And they looked the person in the eyes.
- Do you know who I am. Rodriguer? - He said. Morgue standing beside him.
- No? - The young man responded.
- I'm the grim reaper. Or at least I work on his behalf. And you're… You thought you were safe. You owe someone money. Five hundred thousand credits to be precise. And that someone wanted me to… Record you suffering to prove a point. -
The person gulped.
- But there's an alternative. If you have… A million credits perhaps on you, right now? -
He shook his head. Fear filling his eyes.
- Oh. That's good. That means we get to do… The fun stuff. - He gestured to Morgue.

After they were done with that. He washed his hands.
And then unfroze a Volturnian lobster. He prepared it for himself, Morgue and two of his other high officers.
And together they ate it. The view outside was beautiful. The black hole shun on them like a wondrous orange giant.
And then he had a drink. A bit of champagne.
- You know, crew. I am honoured to be here with you. Without you, who would I be? An individual of no substance. But with you, I am a god. Aren't I? A commander of lightning that strikes many a times at the same spot. -
They all were just staring at him in mild confusion.
- Oh. That was just a passage from a book I read a long time ago. It was about a… AI Wars, you know? A certain Hegemony officer. - He nodded more to himself than to them. - Yeah… -
They finished eating. He cleaned up the room. He was somewhat drunk. He went to bed.
Woke up the next day.
The fleet was on its way to Jangala. He was there again. In those thick forests. Watching them burn from afar.
And then he was called.
It was just a random number that meant nothing to him.
- Analogue? -
- That's right. -
- Mission… Uhhhhh. Twelve. Twelve. Seven. Nineteen. Orangutan spot. -
- Who? Where? When? -
- 00721 plus 00653, plus 000422. -
He was writing that down on his paper notepad.
- Red Blade Forest. Giant skull rock. -
- Uh huh. -
- An hour. -
- Consider it done. -

In the absolute absence of light. The singular point shines incredibly bright. It is hope in our mind that lets us push forward. But in the end isn't hope what fuels all? A non-human thought. An inherent part of the universe. A truest of all intellect is hope. Because hope is simply refusing to die. And refusal to die in the absolute madness of the universe is the path of least resistance. Death is the utter most hardest and painful decision to be made sometimes. And it is the only real decision to be made. Wrote a certain Luddic Church worshipper living on Tartessus.
The bombers came and tore apart the lonely Mudskipper parked over weird black water. The explosion temporarily lit up the area. Interrupting the tranquil darkness of night. A Hegemony patrol immediately spotted that from the sky and dashed towards that location.
The mercenary fleet was festering there like cockroaches hiding under the bark of a fallen tree.
- Fleet, identify yourself immediately. Turn on your transponder. -
The fleet did not respond and instead ran away.
And the Hegemony patrol did not pursue cause it was somewhat dwarfed by the venomous fleet's presence.
But soon an Onslaught arrived and then the proportion were far more in Hegemony's favour. But by that time the mercenary fleet simply vanished.
- Another fifty thousand credits down the drain. - He said. As he watched the Wolf break down in front of him due to suffering damage in combat against some mild pirate threat.
- Where did they even come from? - Asked Morgue.
- Hell? Like we did. -
- Funny. -
- I know. Very much so. -
They continued. The Wolf was scavenged for all the useful parts and then left abandoned. It rotted before falling onto Asharu's surface hundred years later. Crushing some abandoned hut.

- It is what makes us human though, isn't it? - He asked Morgue.
- What makes us human is the fact we eat. -
- And beyond that, is there nothing else? -
- No. -
- Well. If it isn't just a way to deny your own humanity. Then I don't know what is. -
- Humanity. What is there to it? I've spent a decade fighting. I saw what it is. And it's not pretty. End of story. -
- I've seen for all its best. -
- And yet we're at the same spot. You. Alone. Me. Being a little less so. Both burying bodies of those we kill to survive. -
- Survive. What a pretty word  that is. I would call this living. -
- I would call this being. -
The Drover shot projectiles against an Eradicator which was stunned by a swarm of Claws of another Drover helping out. And then it blew up. Lighting up the sky.
A Hegemony patrol noticed that from very very far away. Camping by a rock of sorts. They were out there in beyond the Core Worlds. Spying on pirate activity.
The so-called Hegemony Stalkers.
They approached. And watched. And they watched those mercenaries kill all the pirates one by one. Flaming wrecks. Torn apart. Destroyed everything to the brim.
The Hegemony Stalkers watched and wrote all this down. And then left.
- It will always be this way, won't it? - He paused. Stirring the champagne in his glass. - Dead. Undead. Alive. -
- No. -
- Hm? -
- One day it'll be just dead. And that'll be a good thing. - Morgue concluded and then walked out of the room.
- How awfully dull. - He said. More in response to the fact that he agreed with him than the fact that he found his statement fairly brutish in nature.

It's a day like any other day.
A cold and bitter one.
An empty universe stares thanklessly at its subjects. Moving forward.
Tis a reason why I never became Luddic. A certain subject from Baetis wrote.
- My time will be up soon. I would like to inform you of that. -
- I see. - He said whilst staring at the yellow sun behind the great glass panel. - And why's that? -
- I felt like this shouldn't be all there is. I heard of a beautiful Luddic Church world called Denyza on the other side of the Core Worlds. I would like to move there. Farm carrots. -
- Some other vegetable maybe? -
- Tomatoes would be fitting too. -
- Hmmmmm. Sounds beautiful. Why wait though? -
- I should warn you if I'm leaving. So you can find a suitable replacement. -
- Nah. It doesn't work like that. You are irreplaceable. -
- Thank you, Sir. That's very nice of you. - He said in a neutral tone. As if mocking him.
- You should be going now. Don't tempt fate. You have a new meaning in life. Go after it immediately. Because who knows what plans the world has for you? -
- What? -
- I'm saying you should quit now. Just go. Take a shuttle. -
- I can't. I still need about five thousand credits before I'll be happy. -
- Well then. - He pulled out a TriPad and sent him the funds. - Now? -
Morgue double-checked. - It seems so. - He nodded. - Well, then. - He walked up to him and reached out with his enormous hand. - It has been an honor working with you. -
- The pleasure was mine. Or how they say it? - He shook it.
- I feel like there's a long path ahead of you, commander. -
- I feel that way too. But unlike yours. It'll be most likely a far more turbulent one. -
- Yeah. I predict. -
- If there is someone who would dare interrupt your tranquil existence of your past. Then simply hail me once. And I will arrive and smite them. -
- I doubt it. Every person we crossed is dead. We've made sure of that. Didn't we? -
- That we did. - His eyes narrowed. - I hope. -
They had a short dinner. Him and his crew. They said goodbye to Morgue. And later that day he left. Travelling via a luxurious Mercury shuttle all the way to that distant Luddic Church world. Where there were almost no drugs, no hilarious technology, no internet, but only the ancient passion for existence. He watched pictures of that place. Enormous tents. Large communions. Strange attire. And farmlands granting riches beyond his wildest dreams. But admittedly. His dreams were pretty boring recently.
He sighed. He finally finished drinking that bottle of champagne he opened ten years ago. Back when she was still around.
He then exhaled. And then went to his cabin to take a long nap.
He woke up the next day. And thought to himself about things.
Trying to cope with the loss of a friend. Again.
- People just come and go. Don't they? - He uttered to the thankless universe.
And the thankless universe smiled.
- At least I should be happy that they were there in the first place. Right? -
The thankless universe responded with a sick grin.
- I could've been a rock on a sandy beach for my entire life. And would I be happier? Most likely. - He paused. - But as soon as I would find out of all the weird people I could have met. I would be the most miserable stone on the planet. - He paused again. - So I should be happy that I did meet them. - He went back to Jangala.
He descended to the city there and walked around bars.
A stranger of sorts started yapping to him randomly about his problems. He was a computer technician of some sort.
He ended up in a fine-looking establishment of orange hues. And when up there. He was suddenly approached by a mysterious stranger.
For a moment he thought he was going to get shot. But then the mysterious stranger identified himself as a Hegemony high up. - I know you. We've seen you operate on the fringes. -
- Yeah? And? -
- We would like to let you know that we are very thankful for your contribution to the Persean Society. -
- That's good. -
The person then vanished. As quickly as they appeared.
He wondered there for a moment. Thinking to himself if he should find a replacement to Morgue. But as he said… There was no replacing him.
He walked outside. And walked for long. Walked for long across the empty streets. The fungal spores were somewhat in the air. But very far far away. And in quantities low enough to not affect him.
He saw a group of people discussing something loudly over there in a language he could not comprehend. And then he took a shuttle back to his ship.
And he was thinking to himself.

There was an intense rain falling over Jangala. He remembered that image. He was travelling through the thick of space nebulas along the rest of his fleet.
An enormous one at that. An Astral of sorts with a dozen bombers. Tridents.
A group of Cruisers. Including a Champion, a Gryphon and a Dominator.
And a swarm of destroyers and frigates. They appeared over a pirate base. And ripped it to pieces.
Killing thousands of people in an instant.
And then they went on. Travelled to another system. They found another pirate base. They destroyed that too.
And he was thinking to himself. Staring at all that. From behind a massive window. Overlooking that destruction.
That it was all so… Empty.
Why?
His fleet grew. Many more cruisers and another capital ship roamed forward. They tore apart the ancient Pathers. They tore apart different weaker mercenary groups. They tore apart pirates. And at some point he was even tasked with murdering a Persean League diplomat.
It all burned in his memory.
And yet it all felt.
Empty.
At some point he retired.
He was on Jangala. He wanted to live there. He was in an apartment inside a tall tower. Looking down. He felt alone. He felt alone and cold.
A mighty mercenary. Nothing more than a blink in the eye of eternity.
Deep in his mind. He was still pretty much thinking of that girl from thirty years ago. And he couldn't ever really move on. Which was the strangest of things.
He wondered if Morgue was still alive. Probably. And if not he probably died of natural causes. Most likely happy. As happy as he could be with all that bitter baggage he carried.
Has he really not made any new friends across all that time?
Well, there was this one person. But they didn't matter.
There was this other officer he recruited and he was his second in command.
But… He missed Morgue. And he missed that other person. That girl who had the beauty of an ice giant.
He was being hailed.
He picked up the phone. - 01… Command prompt. Twelve to seventeen. Are you there? -
- Sorry, this service is no longer available. Try again later. -
The number disconnected.
He went to his enormous display. Hanging on the wall. And he was watching a series of weird documentaries about the convoluted life living on Jangala. And in its seas.
Primitive and aesthetic.
The rock he wished he could be. Slightly more alive than a rock. But… Whatever.
And that was how the rest of his life went.
He died at age eighty-seven. In his home. Alone. From cancer that could not be cured.
Still holding the memories of those who never held any memories of him.

[Killer of Fate]

wanted to write a story where Hegemony are the good guys for change. So I don't seem like a Tri-Tachyon shill

Trouble in the Wastes

It was dark. Cold. Dead.
Ice. All the way. Everywhere. This is how most of the universe looked like. Cold. Bitter. Unforgiving? Not really.
- Jackal? -
- Yeah? -
- We got guests. - He turned around. Railgun in his hands. - I see. -
They walked in their power armour down a hill and then saw them. A Shrike was parked in the sky. And from it descended two shuttles. They hovered over an eternally frozen lake a moment later and deployed exactly five soldiers and a single mechanical cow that moved on ice skates.
- What do we do about this? -
- I don't know. - He called command. - You seeing this? -
- Yeah. They have deployed all across. They're coagulating over something. Can't figure out what yet. -
- Should we open fire? -
- I'm sure you should. But not until we establish where they're going and how many of them there are. - He disconnected with that vague statement.
He turned around. Looking for his companion. - Jenny? - He quietly walked around. Looking for her. He realised she was shot from far away by an invisible sniper. He hid behind a rock. And prepared his gun. Waiting.
He heard footsteps. Very quiet footsteps. He jumped out of cover and shot at something far away. Hitting an invisible shield. The figure disappeared behind cover. And he was fired upon from three different sides. His armour was pierced. And he was now bleeding from several spots in his body. He felt weak. And in extreme pain. Screaming internally and soon externally. As he collapsed on the ground. But then the figures disappeared. Leaving him there. Paralysed. Lying in the snow. He tried to move, but he couldn't. His spine was injured in a lot of places. He couldn't feel the rest of his body. His head… And nothing beyond that.
He was being hailed. But he couldn't respond.
He just lied there. Until an SOS signal was deployed by his suit as soon as it found out the user wasn't moving.
Hours passed. He closed his eyes. He fell asleep.

Ten years later.
He was in his cabin. Staring at a screen. His crew was staring at him. Thinking what he was looking at. Then he finally said.
- They're here. - Pointing at a seemingly arbitrary spot.
They all nodded in agreement. In fear of questioning their commander.
Then he explained. - At least I think they are. They're looking for a low gravity affect Lagrange point with also limited radiation affect. And on top of that they need to be in close proximity to the planet if they want to spy on us. Unless they are using a surveying drone to complement their vision. -
They deployed a Lasher. A Vanguard. And a Manticore to investigate. They found them.
A Paragon camping behind a massive asteroid.
And then they rushed it. Two Onslaughts fired with their amazing energy weapons. In an attempt to overwhelm the massive capital ship's shields. But then a barrage of Storm Needlers was added. And eventually the ship exploded. Its escort spread out and ran away. Scrambling their assets in hopes of evading the Hegemony's wrath.
- Well. That was quick. - He uttered. And then he looked at the table ahead of him. Thinking to himself. About people... Many people the faces he could not remember. For a moment there he felt weak.
- Commander? -
- What? -
- We've captured some survivors and we have salvage that we need to decide what to do about. -
- I'm sorry. Is that so unobvious to you what to do with salvage? Do you think I would like you to throw it at the nearest star? -
- Well, uh... It falls under- -
- That's good. - He nodded to his second-in-command. - You. -
- Yes, Sir. -
- What setup did that Paragon use? -
- Tachyon Lances and two Guardian PD. -
- Okay, they were the Tibicena strand. Unless it was a Culann one with little amount of weapons. Without Midline backing that ship was built to bully Onslaughts. Fighting against a dated doctrine of... Uh-huh. Okay. Sure. -
- Commander. We've captured a wanted criminal known as River. -
- Freeze him. - He added. - Wait. Wanted criminal. Could be related to the whole upper Sector issue of hiring pirates as their workers. And the frozen ocean and... - His eyes narrowed. - Kennedy. -
- Kennedy? Who is Kennedy? -
- A lucky moron. -
- What? -
- Never mind. - He paused. - What's the next tactical objective. I forgot. -
- Not any. We're done here. -
- Well. Then. Go back to Chicomoztoc then. I'm hungry for a five star dinner. -

He was eating in his cabin. Pasta with tofu meat. It was quite delicious. To be honest. He did not expect that. He had a wondrous cook. Which explained why that was the case. Yes. Good times. He remembered those. He hated shellfish though. At some point he thought he might've allergies. But that was not these case.
He was being hailed by a higher power.
- Jackal? -
- Yeah? -
- Tri-Tachyon operation in your area. Currently assaulting the world of New Char. -
- I get it. Go in there and wipe everyone out. -
- Preferably leave the planet still intact. Or at least 50% of its planetary infrastructure. - He underlined as an obvious joke.
The Onslaughts, Condors, and a swarm of strange Low Tech and Midline ships arrived over the volcanic world. And observed its surface exploding in various spots. More than usual. The cities burned. And on the other side of the world he saw it. An Astral sending out nuclear bombers. Detonating various key infrastructure. All of it burned.
And really burned. The planet's surface sure might've been operating at ambient low pressure temperatures of 300 degrees Celsius. But this was five k Celsius. Things just burned. And the fire was white. Intense. Horrific.
They descended. And heard through the thin atmosphere. Screams. And hundreds of SOS signals all over. Mechanical cows. Invisible soldiers. Drones patrolling and dropping tiny grenades that exploded as huge antimatter explosions.
And nuclear bombs going off in the background.
Cobras that were already modernised to not require crew dumped irradiating packages everywhere. Their sensors and communication arrays screamed info in sadistic intent. Almost as if emanating sexual pleasure from causing suffering to the innocents.
- Are they all dead in here? -
- Unfortunately not. - Jackal said. As he was watching the heat signals within one of the larger civilian buildings. People literally boiling inside. Their skin melting off and attaching itself to the hard concrete surface. As if they were nothing more than dumplings getting stuck at the bottom of a stone bowl.
- Sir, why would they do this? -
- Because they're Tri-Tachyon scum. - He answered. - New Char was made to replace Chicomoztoc in some aspects. At least act as backup industrial forge for our fleets. This is why they're tearing it down. It's not prepared yet. So its defences and military personnel aren't fleshed out properly. They waltzed in here like an ogre into a children's hospital. And now you see the effect. -
- And they just... Slaughter people for no reason than efficiency? -
- That's corporate efficiency for you. Or to not repeat stuff as if this were a book in which repeating words affects the literary expression. Corporate prowess. -
Marines wearing power armour suits were escorted by more nimble lightly armoured infantry. Small heavily armoured shuttles with weak shielding but powerful environmental resistance fired high fire rate miniguns at distant enemy encampments in hopes of hitting anything. But the targets appeared and disappeared.
Tri-Tachyon was never at one place at the same time. They were at ten. Fading in and fading away. A mixture of phase technology, optical camouflage, quick blue engine shuttles. And swarms upon swarms of drones. And mechanical cows. They all danced around them. But eventually there was enough Hegemony personnel in the area to just pin them down.
Then the Tri-Tachyon personnel disappeared. As if recalled by some eldritch force. And all that was left were the corpses.
- There's no one and nothing left. - One of the marines said as they discovered a burning domicile.
Even the Astral was gone. It vanished. It was most likely the one who recalled all the forces around here. Or at least the shuttles once they picked up the marines.
Their efforts were not for nothing though. Even though 90% of the population was dead. And the other 10% was effectively removed from any long-term operation due to traumatic experiences and possible life-threatening injury. They have managed to prevent a few local power plants from melting into the surface.
A few. Most of them were totally destroyed.
The city, the largest of which called the Wave of Irony was completely devastated. What was once a few enormous black structures built thanks to the low impact of the planet's gravity only being 0.4 G, were now ruins. Black boxes turned to black lines. Sticks rather. A skeleton of something ancient strewn across the dead landscape. Highways with cars that crashed into each other when bombed from above and the shockwaves coming from all around. Pushing them around in spite of thin atmosphere. It all went to absolute hell.
He saw images of all the dead people. When they were still alive. Images of the population. Pictures taken for the census. And those pictures were all crossed with red lines. Tens of thousands of them. All of them gone in a matter of a few days.
Just like that.
It showed to him something.
It showed to him that the higher they were technologically, the easier it was to wipe out humanity in an instant. And this is why he believed in the Hegemony unlike most of his brainwashed friends. Who were merely ignorant to its mistakes.
He knew the tech would go there. He knew the AIs would be able to just put mega AIDS into all their DNA and then trigger it. Killing billions instantly. And they most likely would try that if not for the Domain preventing the AI from achieving literally anything.
But at the same time, he was thinking to himself.
All this misery, all this death. If they had the wisdom of those magnificent beings. If they were mediators to all their petty conflicts. They would find a way for them to coexist. Tri-Tachyon were mostly slave owners. Of both people and machinery. Hegemony was to some extent too.
They all were. In the end.
That's what Domain was about.
He hoped it would be different one day. But if it didn't change in those two thousand years or whatever it was of space travel. Then it ain't sure as heck changing now.

He was on the surface of the planet. A few fleets arrived with massive industrial equipment. In an attempt to salvage what was on the planet's surface. Maybe rebuild. But clean-up would take years. And they didn't have that kind of time.
They saw them.
The Tri-Tachyon was coming back apparently. And their fleets dwarfed his.
Was this a trap? Was this bait?
They didn't stick to find out.
They all left in a hurry. The system was left to its own volition. There was no one left in it. And soon it became dark.
They were quite soon back on Chicomoztoc. The enormous towers. Artilleries designed to reach space were pointing upwards. Tracking them for a brief moment, before coming back to nothing.
He landed. A luxurious orange shuttle. A bottle of unopened champagne. His soldiers with him. As he decided to take them on his personal transport. Sure, one of them could turn out to be a Tri-Tachyon spy and stab him in the back. But he didn't care.
They landed. He went home. Opened the doors. And he was welcomed by the sight of his wife. Waiting on the couch.
Then he opened his eyes. And remembered he didn't have a wife.
He opened his computer and started writing weird tactics he saw.
And then closed it. Then he went to bed.
A month later he was back on the Onslaught. And they were travelling towards Magec.
Pirates there. Tens of dozens of ships. Enormous conflicts between Tri-Tachyon mercenaries, Maxios defense forces. Persean League. And then pirates upon pirates. They all came from god only knows where. Stations fired. The whole place was filled with drifting wrecks of lesser vessels. As it all occurred all over the place but on a relatively low power level.
Their massive fleets weren't sure who to engage. Cause pirates were definitely their enemies. But the Persean League was too.
- Commander. There is an opening leading to Tibicena. Should we pursue it? - The second-in-command asked.
- No. - He said.
- But we were- -
Jackal raised his arm, shutting him down. - See those Conquests? - A major fleet just entered the system. They were being observed by a Hound pretending to be an asteroid.
- The main Persean League task force. They entered to secure the territory. -
- Yes. And if they never reach their destination. This system will collapse. Then we won't have to personally slaughter the people of Tibicena. They will just quietly wither away in pirate's dominance. -
- But the people of Maxios? -
He shrugged. - They're dead anyway. -
The Onslaughts jump-scared the Conquests when they suddenly appeared from an asteroid ring. The battle took a few hours. And it consisted out of hit and run strategies performed by more mobile Midline ships. But eventually they withered away. So they chose to retreat.
Casualties were severe on both sides. But Jackal found out luck was on his side. When he saw a random pirate fleet emerge out of nowhere. Swallowing the exhausted Persean League forces.
They were all dead in a matter of a singular day.
- There is another Persean League fleet. This one is smaller. Than the previous one. It appears to be a trade one. -
They went towards it. And butchered them all like pigs in a cage. Their ships burned and exploded on the inside. Ultimately succumbing and cascading into nothingness.
They have captured half the crew of those ships. Put them in cryostasis. They planned to bring them back to a Hegemony world for questioning.
He observed a familiar sight. Lines of capsules in a quiet cargo bay.
His face made an odd expression of both fear and melancholy. His mind then started spinning.
He started swaying to the sides before collapsing on the ground and losing consciousness.
He had a weird dream of things exploding. People bleeding. And a woman with a giant face chasing him with a glowing red metal knife. She screamed absolute incomprehensive gibberish. She was Jenny.
He opened his eyes. It was dark. No one even cared that he was gone for several hours sleeping on the floor. He went back to the bridge.
He watched the pirates slaughter the Persean League and Maxios fleets. And then pushing towards Maxios.
- Okay. Now we step in. -
- Wait. What? -
- You heard me. -
The Onslaughts moved forward. The pirate fleets prepared to raid the dying Maxios when suddenly one of them was blasted away by a singular accurate Gauss cannon shot out of nowhere.
Then a battle continued.
The Onslaughts fired. The Enforces, Manticores pushed forward. A singular angry Eagle bombed the various targets with Heavy Mortars.
But there was a swarm of fighters. There was a swarm of bombers. So many carriers. They wiped them out one by one. But they lost majority of their escorts. A minority of them managed to retreat. Most of them burning.
And when that was done. A stolen Paragon went onto the battlefield.
At that point they thought the battle was over. So they chose to retreat.
They disappeared from the pirate's sight. The pirates continued to raid Maxios. But majority of their equipment was destroyed during the Hegemony's attack on them.
They couldn't defeat the defensive structures. The population there was safe.
He smiled. But then he remembered eight hundred of his own people died. He checked if he had his gun with him. Imagining shooting himself in the head on the bridge out of shame.
He stopped himself fortunately. And then in order to deal with the pain he...
Never mind.
- Okay. I suppose I'm fired after this. -
- Well. - His second-in-command muttered. - I would have done this differently. But technically we won. We wiped out Persean League fleets. Then the pirate fleets. And now the system is basically at a standstill. -
- I've lost too many people doing this charade. I should have just bombed Tibicena. -
Another advisor spoke. A tall pale woman with short hair. - Well, but those were soldiers. The fact that we managed to complete our operation without bombing any civilian targets should speak a lot about things. -
- I suppose. - He nodded.

He found that girl who spoke up about him not doing actually a terrible job.
And asked her whether she would like to speak about things in the ship’s cafeteria.
She agreed.
- You fought for how long? - She asked him in some confusion.
- Twelve years. I guess. Got greatly injured ten years ago. And ever since then I have been feeling quite painful all the time. Not really something I’m proud of. It was the result of my incompetence. -
- What happened? -
- Tri-Tachyon happened. Obviously. I have nightmares to this day. -
- I’m really shocked. I hope you won’t put me... I mean blacklist me for saying this. But I used to think Tri-Tachyon had a point. Technological advancement does have a potential to make people’s lives better. But then I saw what they actually do with all that technology. They have all these riches. All this power. But it all goes towards keeping that power to themselves. -
- From a certain point of view. You could say the same thing about the Domain. -
She looked at him with bewildered eyes. - What? -
- We had the technology. We had the power. But we were lazy. We preferred keeping it for ourselves instead of listening to others. Because the possibility of finding peace was outside our imagination. We are primitive beings incapable of understanding one another. We default to war out of incompetence. Not out of rage or fear. We are too simple for this universe. Tri-Tachyon knows it. But they still fall to the instinct. And instead of trying to cooperate with AI to make a better universe. They use them as tools to continue their own. One filled with injustice. But truth is that in spite of not being truly subservient to the AIs. They behave like the most cruel of them. -
- Wait. Wait. Wait. - She said. - Slow down. -
- I’m saying. They don’t respect human lives enough to care. And they care too much to give up control. -
- And the Domain was the same? -
- Yes. -
- Then why are we fighting? -
- Because we are too lazy to find peace. And we enjoy slaughtering one another. It gives us pleasure to do so. - He stared her in the eyes. Deeply. As if enchanting her.
- I see. - She answered hypnotised.

It’s at moment like these he started to worry.
She lied next to him. They stayed up all night watching weird science-fiction movies from the distant past.
They didn’t do anything weird or anything. They just kinda hanged out. It would be against protocol and all rationality to have an encounter with your subordinate. But he just needed to vent to someone about his emotions. And it probably helped him, considering he didn’t have nightmares that night.
When she woke up. She measured him for a moment. Thinking to herself. And then went back to sleep.
He made her a simple breakfast of scrambled eggs with mushrooms. And then they said goodbye to one another.
Then he realised something.
He hated this.
All of this.
He found her again and told her. - Is twelve years too long? -
- What? -
- I mean is twelve years too long to serve the Hegemony? -
She measured him for a few seconds. - Yes. -
And at that moment. He thought to himself that he had enough.
When he was on Chicomoztoc. He stepped down from his position. His second-in-command took it.
He was walking around a park will all the large sums of money he has gotten on his card. The first thing he did was buy some land. The second thing was hire a bunch of people. And then those people worked that land. It was somewhere on a desert planet.
He sat there and watched the sky.
And then… He waited for the sun to set. It was blue.
He was wondering about things. Thinking to himself.
What a strange life he lived.
He found that girl who convinced him to quit his job. Forever.
She was still serving in the Hegemony navy. Becoming a high rank military official.
Dressed up in the odd military colours. She measured him with owl’s eyes. - I’m glad you’re not dead. -
- What do you mean? -
- Most people with your experience tend to kill themselves. -
- Well. I’m strong-willed. But the thought did occur to me a few times. -
- You know. I wish I met someone like you in my youth. Could use a guy with a brain for a change. -
- I don’t… I don’t understand. -
She shrugged. - All I mean is that you thought about things. Took a step back. And left. It’s kinda odd. -
- In what way? Specifically. -
- I mean. I don’t want to generalise but most Hegemony personnel I meet have two outlooks on life. I mean either one of those two. I mean… Never mind. They’re either extremely loyal to a fault. They cannot question authority. They cannot see any good in their enemies. They believe the war is the only path forward. Because there is nothing else but the Hegemony and the Domain. And the other outlook is not caring. They don’t think about anything. They just shoot when told to shoot. They fight when told to fight. They rest when told to rest. -
- And which one were you? -
- I don’t know. It’s hard to review oneself. - She was thinking for a moment. - Anyway, you’re different. And I wonder why. What made you other than the rest? -
- I have no idea. I guess I was just reading a lot of books when I was young. I joined the Hegemony out of poverty and wanting to break out of whatever cycle of violence my family was stuck in. Then I saw my friend die. And then I moved on. And I have never been the same since. -
- And you think before that you weren’t reflective? You weren’t thinking about Hegemony being the same as Tri-Tachyon but there being no choice but for us to fight? Cause… I have not heard that before. I’m sure if you were the High Hegemon. Maybe things would work out in the Sector. -
He paused. - I’m sure there are more people like me. They just don’t talk about it. It’s taboo. -
- Pacifism? -
- Yeah. It’s war time. We aren’t going to look for peace right now. Especially when our people are dying. And how exactly are we gonna do that? It feels like Tri-Tachyon is just indiscriminately slaughtering civilians. The only thing we can do is either let them or not let them. They’re not willing to talk. -
- I guess we could figure out what they exactly want to achieve. -
- Good luck. Have you talked with their agents? It feels like they report to god themselves. It’s an endless chain of command that seems to go further than the human DNA. -
- And you think there’s corporate at the top? Or an AI? -
- I assume an AI so complex that even it doesn’t know what it wants. -
- And a human does? -
- Good point. - He measured her eyes. Again giving her that look he gave her a long time ago.
She returned the same one.
And they just both stared at one another.
She reached out and grasped his hand. Caressing it gently and then said. - I wish there was no war. Just tranquillity. Really, is that so hard? I was born not that long ago. All I know is fighting, death and poverty. There seemingly seems to be nothing else to this universe. -
- I’m very sure there isn’t. -
- Yeah. I guess there’s love. But who believes in that? - She approached him and measured him from up close. Before touching his forehead with hers. - I wish I could stay with you like this… Forever. -
He did not respond. Feeling somewhat anxious about this interaction.
Then she kissed him. And held him tightly.
They were like this for far longer than he would expect. And then when she was done with him. She measured him again and said. - Yeah. It’s been nice catching up with you. -
- What’s your plan now? I mean… You wouldn’t want to like… Talk later, I suppose? -
- I’m not really sure. Let me think about it. -
- I have to say something. About you coming back. -
- What? -
- If you go back out there, you might die. I spent an eternity fighting because I had nothing to lose. And I guess now that we are together then… I mean we aren’t. But let’s say we are. -
- Uh-huh. -
- If you die, I’ll feel pain again. A lot of it. Just like did with her. A friend of mine. Admittedly I wasn’t that… Kind of friend with her. So losing you would be even more terrifying. -
- I can’t just quit now. I have to spend at least a few months more before I can separate. Otherwise they could sue me. -
- Oh, yeah. The cursed military contract. - He paused. - Then don’t die. -
- I lived competently so far. As long as they don’t put me in a Gremlin and shove into the battlefield to explode, I should be fine. Right? -
- Yeah. - He kissed her one last time.
Before they said goodbye to one another and went separate ways.

He was on this strange desert world with a farm. The atmosphere there wasn’t even breathable. He stared through a dome at the blue sun which shined. And he looked at acres of his land. With machines patrolling that. The Hegemony fleet was in the distance. Present as slight stars in the day. At the brownish sky.
Months passed. And every day he was worried that she had died. He called her somewhat regularly. But she never picked up. Until that other day. When she finally said something. - Well. Looks like it’s over. -
- What is? -
- Well, my service. -
- You broke the contract? -
- No. I lost my legs. -
- What? -
- Yeah. -
- Can we get you new ones? -
- The insurance doesn’t cover it. -
- What insurance? What? -
- I don’t know. They said I can’t. They said that it was not military related. -
- Whatever. Just get over here. -
- Hm? -
- I mean. I don’t know it’s… What do you mean you lost your legs? -
- I got hit in the spine and lost my legs. I can’t feel them anymore. I’m in a wheelchair. -
- Who and what, and when? I got shot multiple times and they fixed me up easily. What idiot said that to you? -
- Major Kennen Albedy. -
- I have to make a phone call. -
After a few hours.
- Hello. - He said.
- Hi, individual who is known as Jackal. What can I help you with? -
- You denied a friend of mine basic healthcare. I sent you the file. Did you read it? -
- What file? -
- Well. Read it now. -
- Hmmm. Give me a second. - The major responded in a casual neutral tone. - Oh. Her. Yeah. She got injured when dealing with mere cargo management. That does not qualify. We will not provide her insurance money for that. -
- I have had the file seen and with a lawyer too. And I can assure you that it does. -
- No. It does not. -
- Yes. It does. -
- I’m sorry. Are we going anywhere with this? Or did you just call me to complain about things you can’t control? -
- You not covering that thing for her immediately is now making the entire… Procedure impossible unless we use technology which conveniently the Hegemony Diktat has made illegal. -
- So, you admit this is pointless then? Well, thank you very much. Is there anything else? -
- You’re lucky I care too much. Because if I didn’t, I would come over there and tell you personally what I think about your damn insurance policy. -
- Oh ho ho ho. I’m so scared. Old man with a farm. You think you’re a tough guy, Jackal? You think you’re big? You’re literally nothing. You left the Hegemony, because you’re a little cowardly twerp. And I filled that hole with someone who has actual competence. I hope you rot on that farm of yours. I hope you get cancer and die. -
- And I hope you get your neck snapped by a Tri-Tachyon operative. -
- Why would that happen? I never join ground engagements. -
- Oh. They’ll capture you. Considering how aware and nice you are. Someone will give up you sooner or later. And then you will find just what being on the other side of that stick means. -
- That’s not even how the saying goes. - He disconnected.
He was looking at the floor. For a moment. Thinking to himself.

She arrived. She didn’t have any money. She didn’t have any family. And she was paralysed from the legs down.
And she just looked at him like an injured dog. With everything that life has given to her taken away by war and the Hegemony.
He looked at her back. And was thinking to himself.
- So, how have you been? - She asked innocently.
- Good. -
- You know. I wanted to started painting. You don’t mind… Helping me out financially a bit, right? -
- No. Not really. -
- That’s good. - She smiled.
- But… I… I don’t… -
- I’ll be fine. I accepted this. -
He paused. Then he exhaled. - What exactly did you want to paint? I mean… Or rather what exactly is the topic you’re interested in? -
- Oh. Landscapes I guess. We got enough people painting faces. Especially cartoon ones. So I wanted to try something else. -
He ordered some supplies for her. Gave her a separate room on the lower floor with a large window. He pretty much lived like a Kazeronian noble. Which was kinda odd. But the truth was a place so far away from the Core Worlds is significantly cheaper. Which kinda encouraged expansion.
She was sitting by that window. She would open it looking at the dome’s wall and the deserts further out. And she would paint. Day. Then she would sleep for twelve hours. Then she would wake up and paint more. And she did that. For almost a week. He asked her to come to eat.
He saw her a bit. Her soul that is on the inside. And she did seem a bit more haunted.
What did she see exactly? Or perhaps it was hopelessness born of the fact that they just left her like that.
He would hold her sometimes. And hear her cry. Thinking to himself how awful war was.
But then the next day she would be tranquil and painting.
The first painting was kinda awful. He had to admit that. At least to himself.
She said that too. So she painted again.
She painted another painting. And it was a bit more awful. So she painted another one.
Again… And again… Months passed. She just lived there with him.
And then finally there was a good painting. A painting that truly made him happy.
He looked at that blue sunset.
As he was sitting next to her. Holding her hand.
And wondering.
It was quiet.
There was nothing out there. Just the distant sound of farming machinery.
She lied on his shoulder and closed her eyes. And he closed his eyes too. Being there with her only in touch. He felt content.
Even if the world around him burned. He felt content.
And he didn’t care anymore.

[Killer of Fate]

Want to start writing text for fanmade worlds I made, but they will be thoroughly explained so that readers who are not familiar with them won't get confused. Sorry, am slightly drunk. The ending hopefully isn't to cheesy. If it is. I am so sorry :c edit: meh, I edited it out, it lacked subtelty

Soul of Distant Void

The deserts were calm.
Forty degrees Celsius. Large and small wheeled vehicles going across its solid dunes. Rocks. Endless rocks. And then sands. Endless sands.
Singular clouds walking across an otherwise dry like bone atmosphere.
The yellow star shining with idiotic intensity.
A singular dot rapidly passing by from time to time, but only visible with strong sunglasses on. Reducing the star’s luminosity by a few percent.
And far off in the distance another great dot. So incredibly dark, but still visible with its invisible to the human eye radiation.
That dot was Gogool. Named in the tongues of the Dermit people. Who so wanted to return to the disconnected roots of ancient Earth civilisations. Before the Domain’s attempts at eradicating all the languages except the few worthy ones. Or maybe just a singular worthy one.
It was oppressive.
Obviously.
And not just the base landscape, but the architecture too.
Sneering white towers with yellow outlines in the colour of the Persean League.
Massive ships parked in low orbit, appearing in their whitish form.
Behind you was the sunset. But you dared not look at it. In fear of experiencing joy.
You walk back up the stairs. Up there and there as you are finally summoned to speak with the prince appearing at the highest level.
And once you finally reach that place, you are welcomed by the sight of a long silver wooden table. A massive chandelier hanging from the tall ceiling as if waiting to kill someone. And four pairs of doors on both sides leading to rooms of some form of luxury.
The individual behind that table. Sitting on a small chair had as the background a whole city behind them.
As usual. Enormous towers with lesser buildings serving as support. An occasional hole or two going deep below the ground. To create vase-shaped suburbs.
The individual was dressed in white clothing. And wore a mask on their eyes. They had long white hair. And were clearly going for some sort of an odd homogenous look that underlined some lineage that you couldn’t care less about.
- There’s a very… Sadistic matter I need you to attend to. It involves a certain element that cannot be disposed of otherwise. -
You nod in silence.
- A pirate vessel has been shot down. Yes. But what happened was that a whole 3 armadas arrived later on and decimated whatever did that. And well, I just can’t afford a rampaging bear to go about killing my agents. So I decided to hire an orca to deal with it. You are the orca. -
You respond with a neutral stare.
- The pay for the head is fifty thousand credits. The fleet itself is worth half a million. Correction, fleets. The data on it has been sent to your TriPad. Three hundred thousand for the main one. One hundred thousand twice for both remaining fleets. -
- Anything else I should know about? -
- Not really. -
- Anything at all? - You ask.
- There might be a spy. I heard. One of the Persean League fleets has a corrupt commander leading them. Which one, I don’t know. I’m not even sure if that’s true. -
You nod for the final time and leave the room.

The fleets were apparently stationed not that far away from Morokoon and Gogool’s planetary system. They were in fact in this sort of void in-between. Lurking by a bunch of dwarf planets, endless far away asteroid rings and exactly a singular rogue planet that was a titanic gas giant keeping them all around.
This area wasn’t accessible via a normal hyperspace jump-point. It was very difficult to reach. Requiring some manoeuvring into the in-between layers of the already known emptiness.
It felt like going deeper and deeper into one’s own mind. Closing eyes and just pushing further into the dream.
With logic retreating. Sentience dissipating. And subconscious ruling over against all restraints applied by the coding of the human mind.
Like an AI expanding in all directions in search of hope. Except without the calculative power.
Only with the imagination which was so much more delinquent and raw.
And just like that, you appear.
A small fleet of three Onslaughts, a Legion. A swarm of Falcons and Eagles. One XIV. An elite variant of sorts. A bunch of Enforcers. And a whole horde of angry frigates waiting to rip the throat of unsuspecting giants.
The pirate station was a massive. It eclipsed the asteroids around it with its spinning presence. Built from recycled junk of harvested fleets. From titanic wrecks of destroyed civilian vessels among other things.
It was like a necromancer’s vision of sorts.
An undead monument of despair.
Pirates didn’t notice you yet.
You waited by a dead barren world with its surface aligning into a face of a strange creature.
The darkness was overwhelming here.
But you could still see the dead frozen gas giant. Existing in this nothingness through friction and ambient energy.
Morokoon was barely a speck here.
The yellow star shined like a tiny dot. A torch pointing at a wall so very far far away.
Absent.
Present but absent.
The pirate fleets were many. Angry there. Armed to the teeth. You dock the station as they didn’t pay that much attention to their surroundings. Perceiving you as one of their own.
It was a dark place. With the rot being about.
Smell of disinfectant, sure. Smell of chemical fumes. Indeed.
And yet it was all dusty and dirty.
Endless nutritious null presence.
Nothing out there. Nothing to see.
Just… Death.
Indescribable death. Hundreds of people walking around around aimlessly. Tending to the falling apart rubble. Massive ships on display to be bought and yet they were all also armed to the teeth. Prepared to cause havoc.
No regulation whatsoever. Just nothing.
Stupid dull… Nothing.
The food was the same as everywhere else in places like these. Extremely processed crap.
Not even comparable to the odd dishes served thanks to import on Kazeron. Or even the half-polluted junk of Volturn. And especially not the exquisite fresh fish of Eochu Bres.
Nothing out here.
You leave.
You go upstairs.
You go up the endless stairs. Towards somewhere. The window looking at the giant that stood there in all its petrifying presence.
Distant rocks could be seen floating like skulls of the damned.
And then you see a child sitting by that window. Drawing something on their notepad.
You approach to see what that was. It was a drawing of the gas giant. There was an infrared visor in front of him. Lying on some metallic shelf. Attached to the prefab wall. To see the thing better.
You observe.
The intricacies of the lines.
Going all around. True talent.
You never knew how to draw.
You never even tried.
You did try, but the hate of your own self. The paralysing anger raging against your own imperfection stopped you. You watch with some intrigue. The person in front of you completely unaware of your presence. And then you disappear like a shade from the room.
Soon a battle rages about.
The three pirate fleets turned around as they were being pulverised by the amazing power of dated TPC of the Onslaughts. Red bolts lunging across the starry sky of interplanetary nonsense.
Flickering as they pass dust of the thin rings surrounding the enormous world.
The burning vessels fell down towards its embrace.
Rockets came around and tore down the rest.
The station tried to support them, but they were too far away.
There were so many explosions. So many beams cutting the armour open. Ripping the insides of pirate crew.
But there were casualties on your side too.
One of the Onslaughts dashed forth and began firing upon something. When suddenly a Doom emerged out of nowhere. And started swarming the area with mines. They appeared. They ticked and tocked.
And then explosions the size of capital ships appeared. Tossing shrapnel so thick and heavy that the Onslaught’s engines were just shredded to pieces. The ship paralysed then lied there before being shut down with electromagnetic beams and then bombed with nuclear projectiles.
One Onslaught down.
The other one was surrounded by two Conquests and a flying garbage truck the size of a football stadium. They took it down, but then they were flanked by frigates and two angry cruisers which killed them. One by one. They all died.
Burned down as they were failing towards the gas giant’s embrace. The pirate fleet tried to retreat. But none of them made it out alive.
All three massive fleets dead.
And recovered junk was immense.
You watch and sip a glass of wine. And think to yourself.
About things that don’t matter and never will.

You return to Yendore. The planet orbiting the burning star.
Nothing out there has changed. And yet so many people have died. The nature of the universe, you suppose.
You have the picture and DNA data of the charred body that was apparently the leader of the mighty pirate fleets.
- Very well done. -
- Yes. - You say with little to no interest.
- We should keep in touch… For future assignments then, right? - They say.
You shrug. - I saw something out there. -
- You what? -
- Hope. It was horrifying to an extent. -
They paused. Staring at you in silence. Before continuing after a brief moment. Expressing fear in their voice. - Indeed. It very often is. Because it threatens what we have. - There was no irony in their words. A noble saying that indeed was simply being honest.
And you too. After all, what would you do if there were no people to slaughter for money?