Foundation of All

Xlythar was an isolated planet, far from any of the bustling hyperspace routes that countless humans traveled on every day. Many such planets existed in the galaxy unseen by a single human eye, too isolated to be worth settling on normally. The planet was surrounded by a beautiful set of rings composed of asteroids and ice left over from the planet's formation, their bright hues dominating the skies seen from the planet's surface. Seen by the inhabitants of the planet every day, and viewed as the most natural thing in the world.

And while there existed many planets with intelligent life through the Human galaxy, there were only a select few in a far more special category. For Xlythar was the home to intelligent alien life, unseen by and having never seen a human throughout their whole history. These life forms mimicked the human bipedal form.

But no one would mistake them for a human. Their skin was reflective and refracted light slightly like a prism. They were most similar to the lizards from the human’s homeworld with their prismatic scales and small vestigial tails. They had seven long fingers on each hand that were nimble and dexterous, and were slightly longer lived than humans had been on their home planet. If a human could live to a hundred and twenty without any modern medicine then the people of Xlythar would live to a hundred and fifty.

But despite all these differences, these species were remarkably similar to humans in spirit and temperament. They had the same feelings of loss, hope, and irrationality of any other intelligent species. They had initiated great wars among their kind after their natural world was fully subjugated, bringing great suffering and technological development both.

Medicine, weapons, electronics, all these innovations were created by the Xlytharians as they called themselves. But there was one invention more important, deadlier, more sinister than them all. Worse than all the bombs, poisons, and guns. And that was the invention of the radio. The Xlytharians built their telescopes, their great scientific institutions, and looked to the stars. They peered into the vastness of space and with their middling technology declared that… they must be alone, singular in the universe. The only species chosen by their deity to exist as the pinnacle of intelligence.

They thought that because they detected no radio, that the planets nearby were uninhabited, that there likely was not more. That their isolated pocket of the galaxy represented the greater whole. But some wondered and hoped for contact with other species out beyond their planet so that they could rise together as one people in harmony.

This doomed hope led to them constructing a massive array of powerful radio transmitters shooting messages of peace and unity to spots where they believed that life would be. They continued sending messages and kept their hope. But there was no reply. The radio beams flew through the darkness of space at the speed of light, spreading like ripples in a pool waiting to be detected.

They knew this, and so they waited as the message spread farther and farther. No intelligent life revealed itself. For fifty years, there was no reply. The Xlytharians turned themselves back to their own concerns, like all intelligent species do. They forgot about the messages sent out into the universe and kept improving themselves until their ancestors would proclaim their current technology to be magic. They had another great war amongst themselves in the meantime.

It had been two hundred years since the message had been sent, and all who had been alive when it had been sent were dead. But this day was different, for on this day in a far flung planet, the message was received. An unassuming human colony barely fifty years old exploring a far flung sector, hoping to avoid the complications of living in the more densely crowded areas of the galaxy.

Using their powerful technology, the humans quickly translated the message and located Xlythar using the instructions carried in the message. There was much debate, but eventually it was decided by the humans to send a message to the Immortal Council. The correct, moral choice upon the discovery of an intelligent alien species. Unfortunately the relay station they used to send the message was compromised and another less benevolent group of Immortals received word as well a few weeks later…

Qweltu’lath looked at the screen in front of him in shock. An unidentified alien object. Angular and boxy, unlike any ship a Xlytharian would build! This was the greatest discovery in the history of their people! He had to tell…

There was a second signature. A third. A fourth. Then the edge of the system was absolutely surrounded on all sides by metallic ships. The average people of Xlytharian looked into the skies as the stars began to flicker and wink out one by one in great patches, blocked by the sheer mass of gathering ships entering their solar system.

The governments of Xlythar panicked and prepared their weapons of mass destruction, despite knowing that resistance was hopeless. It was uncertain if they would be able to destroy a single ship, let alone so many that they blotted out whole sections of the sky from stars from a solar system away.

All across the world, the screens of their devices paused their tasks before flickering and changing to the interior of a metallic cockpit of the alien vessel. A smooth faced creature in bright flowing robes stood there, staring into the camera.

“People of Xlythar,” the alien pronounced in the most common language of the Xlytharians in the region the screen was located in, “We are here to evacuate your planet and save as many people as we can in what little time we have left. We are here to help. Those who wish to remain behind will be allowed to do so. But they will die if they do. We are here to help. With our technology we can evacuate you all in two weeks in the best case. Governments of the world, do not resist. We will stop any attempts to harm our ships or the ones among your people who wish to leave with prejudice. This is not a threat, but a promise. We are here to help. There are others coming, who seek to destroy you. We will hold them back as long as we can. May the Shadow watch over your people. This message will repeat. People of Xlythar…”

The rioting began almost immediately. An few hours later the first alien ship landed and began evacuating the Xlytharians and furiously taking samples of the surrounding ecosystem. They didn’t have much time…

Hssssssss. Pshhhaaaaa.

Hsssssss. Pshhhhaaaaaa.

Another day, another year, another millennia breathing through the infernal masks, providing nourishing gas to keep all of his little plagues living and happy inside of him. Cultivating the seething mass of bacteria and viruses in his lungs had always been an inconvenience. Even now Scourge could feel them tickling his flesh. Immortals did not need to breathe, but he did. The living things in his lungs were not as durable or resolute as he was when starved of air.

Yet despite the discomfort, he and his loyal followers suffered willingly for the cause. For the cause he would do anything. Scourge was the leader of the most recent cleansing, given this honor by their leader himself. They would show the young and bright eyed Immortals back at the Den the one true path, the one true Cause. He and his brothers and sisters would descend onto the most recent nest of vermin and root them out so they could not escape to spread again. This was the Human galaxy and while galactic society may be bloated and corrupted like a rotting fruit, it still was fundamentally human. Seeds of greatness buried in all of them, just waiting to sprout when given the right opportunity.

And seeds of greatness needed fertile soil to grow and sufficient room to spread their roots and leaves when they sprouted... They couldn't be allowed to be strangled, torn down by the grasping and scraggly weeds. So he would clear the weeds and provide fertilizer for their growth at the same time. And what was the best fertilizer but ashes and bone. Things that Scourge would be only too happy to provide.

“Siiiiiir,” his second in command said through his own mask, “Approaching… Krrrrshaaaaaa… the so-called Xlytharian system. The Immortal Council and their mortal allies have… come in force. Orderssssss. Sir?”

Scourge tapped his fingers and took another long breath through the nourishing gas of his suit.

Hssssssss. Pshhhhaaaaaa.

“Weeee. Must acccomplish the missssion. First. Arrowhead formation using all our vessels. Punch through to the planet. We can find any remaining survivors… later. For now we must purge the…”

Hssssss. Pssssssshhhhhaaaaa.

“...main nest first. Send the orders. Hss Pshhhaaaaa. Initiate hyperspace jump into the system in thirty minutes at the most. We cannnot afford delay.”

They waited and Scourge tapped his fingers on the metal chair that he could barely feel through his containment suit. Another sacrifice that he made for the cause. And finally it was time. Scourge projected his words to the rest of the fleet, to all of his other loyal brothers and sisters waiting eagerly for battle.

Scourge leaned forward and stared out the front window as if he could see those he was speaking to. He was not one for grandiose speeches. They had all known each other for too long for that, so instead he said only what needed to be said. The truth.

“Another threat soon to be strangled in the cradle. We are the predators in the dark forest of this galaxy. And tonight we will have our meat. For we are Humanity, and we will suffer no other. For our species, for Humanity's future. Go forth brothers and sisters of the cause. Begin the purge.”

The world shifted into blue streaks around thm as they entered hyperspace. Scourge wondered what the Immortal Council had prepared for them this time…

Qweltu’lath watched through the window of the alien ship as they made their way to the edge of the solar system. It had always been his dream to go to space only weeks ago…

The aliens were true to their word and started evacuating the planet as quickly as they could. Qweltu’lath had waited until the last moment, the decision to stay or leave weighing heavily on him. Over thirty percent of the population had chosen to remain behind, either disbelieving the alien’s claims of the oncoming threat or simply unwilling to leave their homes. Qweltu’lath was surprised that it wasn’t more.

But in the end, he had decided to leave. And now he watched as flashes of lights that he knew were exploding ships flashed in the distance like twinkling stars. The so-called Plaguebringers had arrived. The lights grew closer and closer as their transport ship moved to the area where they could safely enter ‘hyperspace’ and escape the battle. Or so claimed the smooth faced aliens piloting the transport.

The ship shook and the aliens' motions became frantic as they drew close to the edge and the enemy ships began firing upon them. The Xlytharians could only huddle in fear as the aliens shouted and manned the ships defenses.

Then suddenly the ship was filled with a high pitched whine and then the stars streaked around them and the rumbling stopped. The aliens relaxed and assured them that they would be safe. Their people would be transported to another galaxy away from the Plaguebringer threat, as refugees. Safe away from the Human galaxy that they had been born into.

Qweltu’lath scratched his scales as he stood silently among the other strangers around him. All he could do was think of the home he had built in the mountains, soon to be destroyed with the rest of the planet. Decades of labor gone in mere weeks. What would happen to their people now with the places of their ancestors soon to be destroyed?

“Last transports are away, sir,” the man said from the console, “Even with the Plaguebringers here, ten percent have chosen to remain behind no matter what we do. Should we force them to go?”

Samir drummed his fingers on the command chair and considered. Then he shook his head.

“No,” he declared, “It would take too long. The Plaguebringers will arrive there in days at most with how quickly they’re pushing forward through our defenses. Begin fortifying the edge of the system for the trap. We’ll catch as many of them as we can.”

“But sir, the planet. Surely we should…”

“No,” Samir said with finality, “They’re already dead. We’ll leave them to their fate. We’ve already saved as many as we could, and all we can do now is do our best so that the trap succeeds.”

The man on the console hesitated for a moment before nodding, “Understood, sir. I’ll relay your orders.”

Scourge looked down at the planet below. It seems that the Immortal Council had managed to evacuate most of the local populace in time for their arrival. But if their home planet remained untouched then the filth would eventually come crawling back to reclaim it. Best to burn it to the ground even if there were not many aliens remaining on it now.

“How many… bombers survived the push?” Scourge asked his second in command.

The man punched at the console for a few seconds before nodding to himself, “Pssssshh shaaaaa. Thirty seven of the initial two hundred. Enough for… this.”

Scourge nodded. “Begin the bombing.”

Scourge watched in satisfaction as the bombers released their antimatter payloads into the atmosphere of the planet, burning the crust of the planet into lava one small section at a time.

Scourge looked to his second as things continued to go smoothly.

“What are the Immortal Council doing? Why are they not attempting to stop us?”

Pssssssshhhh shaaaaaaaa.

“They… have drawn back. Sssssseems to be… trying to block our… retreat after the work is done.”

Something tickled at the back of Scourge’s mind. Something wasn’t right. No matter how futile, the council almost always tried to stop them when they reached the planet itself. What was…

“Sir! Energy signatures in orbit! Theyyyy are coming straight towards our fleet! Hidden in the rings around the planet.”

Before Scourge could react, the first of the hidden antimatter bombs began to explode.

“Evasive maneuvers,” Scourge ordered, “Scatter the fleet.”

Another bomb went off, practically erasing the ship it impacted and damaging three others that were nearby. With how close they were to the planet, the explosions ripped through the planet's atmosphere and scorched the ground below, and sent waves of meteors from the planet's displaced rings raining down onto the devastated planet.

More and more bombs went off, destroying their ships, but finishing the destruction of the planet, even with the bombers having been destroyed in the first wave of attacks. The whole surface of the rock was molten and being bombarded by wave after wave of meteors pushed down out of orbit by the antimatter bombs of the Immortal Council. Scourge had not thought them to be this ruthless...

What an unwelcome surprise.

The Plaguebringer fleet continued to spread out so each bomb now only destroyed a single ship. But they were still being destroyed steadily. And many had been destroyed in the initial barrage.

In the end, the fleet ended up with only a third of their original number and all their bombers eliminated. All through space they could detect the naked bodies of their surviving brothers and sisters emerging from the wreckage, ever so slowly making their way to the nearest ship they could find by piloting themselves with their boiling blood.

“Collect our fellows and begin the push back out,” Scourge ordered, “We must escape before the Immortal Council finishes closing the noose. It seems they have finished our work for us, and they will descend upon us soon with no more moral concerns to shield us from their full bloodlust.”

Scourge waited for the collection and redistribution of his fellows among the fleet's remaining ships. The ships remained gathered around the devastated planet in defensive positions as the far larger Immortal Council fleet probed them, destroying a single ship or two at a time as the surrounding fleet’s numbers only continued to grow.

Over a thousand of the Plaguebringers had been captured by the enemy, the main fleet not able to retrieve them from their destroyed ships in time.

Their fleet was slowly dwindling by the year, the battle between the two forces now spanning over three decades now.

Scourge sighed and turned to his second, removing his mask. He would have no use for it any longer. He let out a wonderfully unencumbered breath for the first time in centuries, basking in it for a moment as plagues he had cultivated in his lungs for millennia began to quickly shrivel and die.

“There is only one method of escape now. Our ships, our fleet, will never break free now, as damaged as they are,” Scourge said heavily, “Only the passage of time will allow some of us to escape, to slip through the cracks of their net. Without the mortals on guard the Immortal fleet will make enough mistakes for some of us to slip through to the nearby systems. I will take responsibility for this failure. We have accomplished the mission yet… we have failed all the same.”

His second stood utterly still for a second before slowly nodding, “Understood. If either of us are captured, I want to say that it was an honor serving as your second of command.”

Scourge nodded gratefully back, “Give the order. Set course for this star system’s sun.”

The Immortal Council’s fleet, bolstered by countless legions of mortal vessels, pushed forward with all haste. The move was unexpected, and the gathered fleet was caught off guard when the Plaguebringer fleet reversed course suddenly and began moving farther into the system rather than pushing steadily outwards as they had for decades. Samir had been confused for hours trying to wrack his brain for what their goal could be. He pondered as the Immortal fleet and its allies harried them and chased after them in full pursuit.

But by the time Samir realized their goal, it was too late. With his fleet of ships still too far away, he could only watch in frustration as the first Plaguebringer ship plunged directly into the massive star in the center of the system. Their ships evaporated, sizzling away like water thrown on a hot pan as soon as they neared the giant ball of plasma. But Samir knew that the Plaguebringers inside would still be in there, floating unconscious and waiting to be ejected again some day in the far future. Ready to devastate the galaxy once more.

The mortals cheered their victory, but Samir knew that this was not a victory yet. The mortals didn’t care if the Plaguebringers in the star would be freed in ten or thirty thousand years. To them they were effectively dead. And so, the mortal fleet would leave to return to their own concerns with the collective threat considered defeated.

Leaving only the small Immortal Council Fleet behind to prepare and hunt for when some of the Plaguebringers trapped in the star inevitably escaped past their net, ready to cause chaos and destruction once again…