The Cold Dark - Logs of an Etherium Survivor

[|nfrared]

Who are The Etherium [?]

I watched over them, watching the last of my kind as they mustered their concentration to control these humans. The prion pathogen has been very effective. While some of those who had just awoken were only able to control perhaps one, a fully awakened and practiced Etherium survivor could control up to 10 remote human minds, allowing them to crew entire transports without aid from another.

I was afraid. I had known fear like no other living entity, watching my entire species - save this small few - wiped out in a matter of moments. It had been some hours ago now. But I had watched. I had seen them approach, systematically theorising our defences, our weaknesses. There could be only one reason for that. I mentally executed the commands to modify the weapons grid on their departure. I now knew there would be more.

I felt the fear. To not do so would indicate intellectual deficiency. We had seen the larger ships, the destroyers. Our defences would repel them, but I knew that once that path was opened it would only be a matter of cycles before even larger vessels arrived, like the first. They would wear us down until we were ground to dust.

What did they want? I did not know. There had been some human equipment, primitive, useless firearms and explosive ordinance. I had thought to discard them but the explosives may be useful for the mining operations below on our new potential home. It was true humans could survive here. But that was all, their existence pointless.

With those deposits, large swathes of Moros became potentially habitable for our species. It would be a extraordinary task, rebuilding the Empire from nothing but scraps. Humiliating. Degrading.

Negotiations with humans had begun, the increasing scrutiny compromising my objectives. I had responded with lies of course, maintaining our illusion. If they knew the truth, we would already be dead.

How long could our respite last?

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Shard - The Faceless One