In the darkening hours just before dusk a light breeze stirred the multi colored leaves of the gardens of the Celestial Palace. The light wind carried the soft cries of the brightly colored ornamental birds and flying lizards that both provided additional beauty and a
natural defense against invading insects for the collections of rare and beautiful flora that made up its paths and grottoes.
The Empress Nyrisia was taking her nightly stroll through the gardens, the solitude and soft sounds a balm after the chaos of the day's business of the Celestial Courts. The sun was just beginning to paint the horizon in hues of red and gold as the regal woman
of dark hair only occasionally streaked with gray and delicate features creased by fine lines of experience and stress, strolled casually through the ferns and flowers surrounding her. This was her time to unwind, letting the cares and worries of the many meetings and committees she had attended that day wash from her weary mind. She paid little attention to the hum of the pair of security drones hovering high over-head, so used to their near constant presence on these walks that they faded into the background. She was mildly annoyed however, to round a corner only to find a stern looking man with dark brown hair trimmed in a neat military fade and piercing eyes waiting at the clearing created by the next crossroads in the path ahead. This particular juncture held a small fountain that they often used when discussing things they didn't want overheard. The man was her oldest child and the Heir Apparent of the realm. A frown crossed her face only to be softened into a small smile. She knew he would not have intruded on this stroll without purpose. The stern set of his features hid the depths of caring and compassion she herself had nurtured in him.
"Your Grace," Prince Dathar said by way of greeting.
"Don't 'Your Grace' me here at this hour. I have had about enough of that for a day.
Dathar rolled his eyes, "yes mother."
The Empress snorted at his dry
response. "What was so urgent and delicate that you ambushed me here with it?"
Dathar coughed lightly, "I don't know that it is delicate, but it seemed best not to sit on the information. The cover of the fountain isn't necessary so we could continue walking if you prefer."
"My feet are weary from a busy day, so need or not, I will take the opportunity to sit."
He nodded and waived her to the bench by the fountain but chose to remain standing himself.
"Out with it then," she glowered.
"We have had a couple of disturbing
occurrences amongst the nursery worlds in the outer territories."
"What kind of occurrences?"
"The kind where two entire worlds
in the last 5 released from incubation were found empty," he said in a grim tone. "With no trace of how or why. The only thing they seem to have in common is that both were single species planets inhabited solely by humans."
"I could see why that would be worrisome, it leaves one to wonder the fate of the inhabitants. None of the prospective answers are going to sit well in counsel. What did you have in mind to address the situation?"
"I would like to assemble a joint task force to investigate. I have a list of ships and a trio of seed worlds to stake out. I brought it to you here because for this to happen it must involve someone within the Planetary Colonial Commission"
"You have my blessing, of course dear boy, let's keep this close to the vest until we know more. This could cause untold problems if it becomes known and we don't have actionable Intel."
****
Within hours the ships conscripted
for the task force assembled in a system on the edge of the Wilds. TheCelestial dreadnaught designate Dauntless a massive ship whose thick hulls and bristling weapons could menace entire planetary fleets, was tasked as the command ship of the task force, giving out orders to the Royal heavy cruisers Justice and Vengeance. The Heavy Cruisers sleek prows were the dread of pirates and smugglers throughout the galaxy, their armaments and squadrons of fighters and bombers a tangible threat to the
numerous predators they preyed on the interstellar commerce lanes. Each of the
three were given charge of a trio of corvettes and a complement of smaller ships to serve as scouts. The Vengeance and its crew were particular experts on raiders and pirates being the pride of the anti-pirate strike force in service of the Royal Navy.
Each flotilla was given a target to stake out and orders for observation only. The elite veterans in the Vengeance's compliment were intending to treat this mission just like any other counter ambush they had conducted. Captain Gray took his heavy cruiser into a small system with only a single inhabited planet orbiting the bright yellow sun labeled simply as Sol, as stealthily as possible taking great care to mask their ion trails as they crept up on the quiet little system. The authorization codes they had been given by the commander of the Dauntless let them cruise smoothly through the Incubation Induction Disruptor field without incident. AS they passed through the outer planetary bodies, he ordered a corvette into each of the frigid atmospheres of the 7th and 8th planets he took the third with him into the upper Ionosphere of the gas giant that was fifth from the yellow sun. The long range scanners lit up the man's scarred face as he checked the readings. The sophisticated equipment easily picked up the various signals on multiple bandwidths emanating from the little orb that held a civilized populace third out from the young star.
He dispatched several three man
scout ships, their ;seek forms making their way to the asteroid belt to take up strategic monitoring positions, giving the flotilla multiple observation angles on their charge. In addition, one small craft hardly big enough to be considered a life pod. dispatched from one of the corvettes made its way towards the third planet and its eight billion inhabitants.
The flotilla did not have to wait long. A scant 4 days after their arrival they were beginning to think that they would be settling in for a long and tedious campaign, when they were shaken from their slackening anticipation by blaring alarms which reported the failure
of the incubation disruptor field.
The disruption resulted in a wave of astral energy that echoed through the vast distances of the void to far flung systems. This unprecedented wave of astral energy reached into the aether and manna wells of the nearby ley lines echoing throughout the galaxy. Several unfortunates who were in nearer systems were thrown violently back from the astral realm and would take weeks to recover. It even reached as far as star
system wherein the Celestial palace lay and in that same system a small monastery on the moon of a neighboring gas giant.
Deep beneath the palace in a nearly
forgotten vault is a 3 meter tall block of stone as black as night. This large rectangle, nearly a meter and a half on each of the sides. It was so deeply black that it seemed to absorb every stray photon of light that touched its surface, leaving it to look like a solid chunk of shadow sitting in the dimly
lit vault. One would have to touch the surface to even be aware of the star
shaped symbol decorating each side of the block. As the ripple passed through it a crack appeared that blazed forth with a blinding flash of light as if returning to the world all the light it had absorbed. The light bled away from the crack and into channels of runes revealed by the blazing light that fade back into the stone without leaving a trace on its surface. The wall that it faced and the priceless tapestry it held were not spared the fury of that light. It had burned an inverse of its message into the wall and left the tapestry in tatters. The wisps of smoke triggering silent alarms deep in a forgotten
system that now blinked quietly at a sleepy attendant who didn't even look up from his data pad before pressing the button to silence the alarm.
Above in the palace proper, the Empress awakens with a gasp. Covered in cold sweat, she was all but shaking from the vision that had disturbed her sleep and burned itself into her memory. Fire and blood were coming. She sent a summons for the Small Counsel to meet and rose to dress. The future of the galaxy would not wait for dawns light and neither would she. She shuddered again at the glimpses her Gift had sent her of what was to come.
*****
The monastery on the nearby moon was tucked into a mountainside, partially carved out of the cliffs of black and white granite. Its studious inhabitants going about their business as the sun rose over the curve of the gas giant. A single tower stood out from the walls of the monastery proper, an edifice created as a watchtower. A watchtower that
stood watch not over the passes leading to and from the monastery but the artifact within its walls. The acolyte who was tasked with watching it had dosed off and had to wipe sleepiness from his unbelieving eyes for several moments before his waking mind registered what it was he beheld. In a near
panic he pulled the cord in the vestibule to his left, his eyes never leaving the pulsing light in the star shaped gem that dominated the cover of the book of prophecy.
In the courtyard below confused eyes turned to that tower and the bell that had never rung in the long history of the monastery. A few individuals there however turned alarmed and knowing stares at the tower opposite that held the book and the coming strife it
foretold. Darkness would soon descend and the tides of blood would wash over the galaxy. Each thought may the Eternal Flame illuminate the path to salvation.
*****
The wave of disruption heralded an invading fleet. Soon hundreds of ships descended on the planet designated as TerraSol to those observing but referred to simply as Earth by its unsuspecting inhabitants. The scout ships in the asteroid belt did not dare signal the flotilla and could only watch in silence as the full fleet of ships dropped out of H-space and made their way into near planetary orbit. A fleet that openly declared themselves as members of the outlawed cult of zealots known as the Phoenix Theocracy. This was more than the task force could safely challenge. The handful would be no match for the large fleet that had come upon the
unsuspecting world.
Amidst the chaos, the small ship which had stationed itself close to the planet's single moon, managed to slip unnoticed to the surface. Little did the occupant know the dance of destiny they were about to be caught up in.
*****
In the darkest depths of the Forbidden Zone wrapped in wards and shields to keep everything inside from the rest of the galaxy, a dark presence stirs. A dark heart, stilled for eons begins a slow but steady beat. It pumps the sludge of long dead blood through veins and arteries long collapsed from disuse through desiccated tissues and
into a dark and twisted mind. Eyes that long to see every light in the universe extinguished, opened on a darkness that could never be deep enough, and a long
unused voice rasped out a phrase of coming triumph. "The Void Star rises."