The Nature of Managed Democracy (6)

***INCOMING MESSAGE FROM SUPER EARTH***

Major Order Victory

With the surrender of both Colia and Leirn to the one true Federation of Super Earth, freedom now reigns righteously upon two more planets in the undemocratic galaxy. With both planets secured, operations to construct Permacura and C.O.B Genetics factories on both respective worlds may begin in earnest. Thanks to the incredible displays of diplomacy made by the Super Earth Armed Forces and the Truth Enforcers, Operation Fields of Prosperity will one day bare the fruits of its labour, as decreed by the will of Lady Liberty. Surplus stims and supplies generated by these factories will be provided to the Helldiver Corps to aid them in their honourable duties. All helldiver stim carrying capacities have been increased by 1. All resupply pod cooldowns have been reduced by 30 seconds.

Memory transcription subject: Captain Kalsim, Krakotl Alliance Command

Date [Super Earth Standard Time]: October 12, 2136

The ship jostled ominously as we cruised through hyperspace on our way to the predator homeworld. All around me, the ship's crew worked tirelessly to keep the vessel running. A mix of Federation species, mostly Krakotl with a sprinkle of Farsuls and other species raced around the bridge, performing basic maintenance on the ship's systems to ensure nothing went wrong.

No one intended to make any mistakes. This was our chance to finally neutralise the humans once and for all.

The Krakotl Alliance Fleet was an intimidating collection of around 50 000 ships, comprised of vessels from several Fedeation species. Many members of the Galactic Federation had wanted to contribute to humanity's destruction.

Most of the vanguard was composed of Krakotl. As one of the most aggressive races in the Federation, it was only right that we led the charge against the monsters. Behind us were a mix of Farsul, Harchen, Tillfish, Mazic, Yulpa and several other ships of varying make.

Captain Sovlin's speech at the summit had evidently rattled some people. The footage he had shown of the predators using fire against us...it was unthinkable. That they would take such a pure symbol of protection and turn it into a weapon of predatory horror was enough make many species call for their extinction. The Takkan doctor next to me was clearly no exception.

"It is truly a shame they can only die once," Zarn spoke with an almost wistful tone. "I would love to watch them burn over and over again."

"Hey, look on the bright side doc," my second-in-command Jala jested. "There's probably billions of them down on that rock, there'll be enough for all of us to enjoy."

"Yes, quite so," the Takkan muttered darkly. "I wonder how much blood is in their bodies. How long would it take for their blood to boil?"

"Both of you, quiet," I interjected. "I need room to think."

I thought back to the details that the Kolshian scientist had dropped back on Aafa, the one that concerned the strange drives the predators used. Supposedly, the predators possessed drives that allowed them to warp anywhere and anytime, whenever they so Inatala-damned pleased.

This horrifying fact was one of the key reasons my government had decided to order this mission. While many others, the Kolshians included, elected to abstain from any actions, fearing retribution from the predators if our mission went awry, I and the rest of the Krakotl Alliance had agreed on one thing.

They were too dangerous to be left alive.

A race of flesh eating monsters that could appear at all corners of the galaxy with no prior warning and with no way to stop them would cause levels of devastation that not even the Arxur Dominion were capable of.

Additionally, four Federation races had already been lost to the predators. The weak and defenceless Venlil were reportedly the first to go, their pitiful biologies no match for the evolutionary apexes that were the humans.

The Gojids had put up a fight but without Federation reinforcements, they fell in little time. Their captain Sovlin, was stationed in this fleet somewhere behind us. He had volunteered immediately following the Krakotl Alliance's announcement of their plan to destroy the predators, clearly itching for a taste of vengeance against the humans.

And last of all, contact with both Colia and Leirn had just been lost. While we didn't know for sure what had happened to them, many of us had concluded that they too, had fallen to the humans' conquest.

They needed to be destroyed.

For the greater good of the galaxy, the humans could not be allowed to exist and that was why I stood at the head of the largest extermination fleet to have been fielded in centuries. There were enough anti-matter bombs on board ours and others' ships to decimate several planets thrice over and I intended to use all of them to ensure that humanity would be wiped out.

Suddenly, the alarms blared as a panicked voice echoed over the priority FTL line. Through the panicked squawking on the other side, we heard the voice urge us to immediately drop out of hyperspace.

Many of the technicians looked around confused, unsure of what to do. I had to make a decision.

"Drop us out of hyperspace now!" I barked at the navigations officer.

With some fumbling at the controls, the ship jolted heavily as it exited out of FTL warp early, clearly not happy with such a sudden jump back into real-space.

After regaining my senses from the unpleasant sensation, I looked out the viewport and saw nothing. Frustrated with the unnecessary interruption, I keyed the priority intercom and was about to question why we had stopped when I noticed something off.

In fact, the fact that there was nothing outside the viewport was precisely what was wrong.

This deep in space, we should have been able to see the glow of the stars among the backdrop of the cosmos. And yet, as I gazed out the reinforced window, my eyes were met with nothing but an all-consuming void.

"What in Inatala's name are we looking at," I demanded into the microphone.

"We don't know captain," came the voice from the other side, laced with uncertainty. "It seems to just be a massive wall of nothingness."

"Well why have we stopped then, a few lightyears of void shouldn't be a problem for our hyperdrives," I added impatiently.

"That's the thing sir, some of the vanguard unit flew right into the void before they could jump out of hyperspace. We've lost all contact with them and nothing's coming back out. We tried shooting at it with missiles but this...thing, whatever it is, it just absorbs everything we throw at it."

I tapped my talons in frustration, pondering what to do.

"Send out an emergency request on all channels," I told a nearby comms officer. "Tell all members of our fleet to drop out of hyperspace immediately."

As their talons went to work with the communications equipment, I returned my focus back to the wall of darkness before me.

"Could this be some kind of trickery from the predators?" Zarn suggested. "Perhaps a last line of defence against our attack. A wild predator is more likely to lash out when cornered after all."

"We could try going through it," Jala spoke lackadaisically.

"Did you not hear what they had just said?" snapped Zarn. "All ships who entered that thing have stopped responding. If this is some sort of trap devised by those creatures, the last thing we should do is walk right into it."

"Hey, I'm all out of ideas here, I just want to kill some predators."

As the two officers continued bickering with one another, I turned to the navigations technician.

"How long will it take to go around it," I asked.

"It's several lightyears across," he replied tentatively. "Going around would take at least a day, maybe two if nothing else forces us out."

I stepped back and weighed my options. On one wing, going around would delay our mission considerably and perhaps give the humans time to attack another planet, time we couldn't afford. On the other wing, going through the void meant almost certain death. If this really was a trap set up by the predators, then its lethality was of no doubt.

It seemed we had only one option.

"Plot an alternative course, we're going around it," I ordered the navigations officer, before turning to address a communications officer.

"Tell all other fleet members that we're going around it and to follow our lead. Our mission will be delayed by a few days but the predators' homeworld isn't going anywhere. Their extermination remains inevitable."

As the ship turned and entered hyperspace once more, I couldn't help but wonder what had happened to the vanguard that had disappeared into the void. If they truly had met their ends in that infinite expanse of darkness, then I prayed to Inatala that their souls would find piece.

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