The Uli Rouge

[Craines]

The air was tense and solid on board the Kusari Science Vessel Hakobune. The ship had been dispatched to the solar system right outside of Kyushu; no naturally occurring jump holes could be found, and the thick nebulae which surrounded it smothered the rays of light from the single star in the center. There were six planets circling Star 1.564.26h.98, each one showing signs of once having liquid water, an atmosphere, and magnetic fields. However, each had a catastrophic disaster which caused the atmosphere to dissipate. The solar system, called 'Ophelia', had only recently gained notice, and so, the Hakobune had been sent to investigate.

Of course, the new system was not the reason for the tension. No, the Hakobune had been sent to newly discovered systems before. The tension spawned from the cargo and research that the Hakobune was carrying. It was a missile, but it was unlike any other previously developed; it was the Terraforming Ballistic Missile Drone, codenamed 'Deius Prime', and it was the pinnacle achievement, culminating from 40 years of research, 51 billion credits worth of grants, and near limitless materials. In short, it was the product of one man's lifetime. That man's name was Doctor Dishaoi Hiia, and he currently paced back and forth on the bridge.

The Hakobune slowed down, now orbiting the planet Adelai. The two moons of Adelai, Galamae and Hiramae, were in a slow orbit around the planet, one with a horizontal axis, the other with a vertical. Dr. Hiia made a note that the two would eventually collide, but that this did not appear to have happened yet. His reverie was cut short by the captain, who requested permission to launch the Deius Prime. "Begin the sequence, and let us hope that we have the luck of our ancestors," Hiia replied. The captain nodded to the first officer. The launch bay was cleared of personnel, and the countdown began. 5...4...3...2...1...

The bay doors opened wide, releasing the Deius Prime rocket. At first, it drifted down, tugged on slightly by the gravitational pull of Adelai. Then, the entry thrusters ignited, propelling the object into the planet's path. Everyone held their breath. The rocket continued on, the thrusters a deep blue, slowly shifting into a light white... and then, they cut off. The rocket was in the gravity of Adelai, and began on a crash course with the surface. The collective breath of the crew was still deep in their lungs; the hard part wasn't over yet.

And then...

"Launch complete. Deius Prime has landed on the planet Adelai. Awaiting clearance to begin Initialization," the computer chimed. There were many cheers, the crew pleased that the missile hadn't shattered after hitting the planet's surface. Dr. Hiia, however, did not breathe with delight. He had seen this happen three times before; it was what happened next which would decide whether or not he would return to Kusari space in pride.

The captain typed in the codes, and the computer chimed that it was ready to begin. Dr. Hiia typed in his code, and the computer chimed again. The computer screen now showed a loading screen, the word INITIALIZATION flashing above it. Hiia knew that on the planet, the Deius Prime was lifting itself off the surface, the six mechanical legs raising it into an upright position level with the ground. The computer chimed a third time. A third code was put in. A new loading bar was shown on the screen. "IMMUNIZATION AND INDUCTION" was now flashing, and this time, Dr. Hiia knew it would work. It had to!

On the surface of Adelai, the Deius Prime was releasing a small mixture of carefully selected chemicals. Terraforming gases, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, hydrogen, and uranium-192 were all dispersed into a vicinity outside of the missile. Then, alien organisms were exposed to this limited atmosphere. If the planet would bear life, this initial mix would force it to. The aliens began to reproduce rapidly, the uranium-192 providing the perfect growth medium. The computer chimed a forth time. Dr. Hiia sighed. It had worked.

The second part of the experiment, however, would take a little more time. A subspace signal was sent to the Kusari Academy of Scientific Thought and Research, requesting the Plasma Conduit Energizer. This device would, when properly placed on Adelai, super-heat the iron-3 molecules that made up the core of the planet. This would, of course, generate the magnetic fields once more, and more terraforming techniques could be exercised. Hiia knew that the battle was only half over, and that re-energizing the core would be the hardest part of the experiment, but he allowed himself a temporary respite. He had made history, giving life to a barren planet that had been deemed impossible to terraform. This would be a monumental event in history.

The captain looked at Hiia, smiling. Suddenly, though, the captain changed. It was a subtle thing, entirely impossible to tell the difference, but Hiia knew that there was something amiss. The captain opened his mouth, and in his voice, began to speak to Hiia. But it was not the captain who spoke.

"Fool! Infidel! You force me to come here, to this system once barren of life, after I was in Omicron Theta? You! How dare you! You brought life here, HERE, of all places? Why? I demand to know!" Hiia could not answer; he was to stunned to form words or even open his mouth. The captain continued on. "Idiot, idiot, idiot. I have lived well over ten thousand eons, have seen more information than even the most powerful of computers could hope to begin to store, have jumped from body to body learning that which each knows. I have driven men mad with my whisperings, entering their minds and telling them of the most horrible secrets, forever dooming them to suicidal thoughts.

"I have just recently encountered something of such import that I must divert my attention to it, the C'Tan people of this galaxy, and you have the audacity to draw me away? I will not kill you, Hiia. No, that would be to easy. I shall let you live, and you will never tell anyone of this. Sadly, the Captain here won't return to his body - I devoured his conscience. He'll appear to be in comatose, but it is a vegetative state. I advise jettisoning him. But remember, Hiia, I will always be watching you. And you will one day know what I have in store for you. Until then, have fun with the experiment. Oh, a word of advice. Check to make sure the conduit is aligned with the magnetic conductor correctly, or the reactor could go critical and fracture the planet in twain." And with that, the captain fell over, his eyes lulling into the back of his head. Hiia slumped to the ground, his mind racing with thoughts.


===


Meanwhile, at the Uli Rouge, Fiona welcomed her friends to the Villa. She had been sad that not everyone could attend, but saw many familiar faces. Ringing a crystal bell, she summoned her guests to the dining room. She recognized Jay, Rick, Reggie, and Julius Kane. However, he had a man next to him that she was not familiar with. She peered at deSicev, and on the screen words appeared:

PHANTOM GUARD COULD NOT CONVINCE TO LEAVE WANTED TWO BUT WAS MOLLIFIED BY ONE DO NOT FEAR SECURITY IS TIGHT ENOUGH TO DEAL WITH THEM BOTH WITHIN TWO SECONDS OF HOSTILITIES.

Well, what should she have had expected?

Sitting down at the table, each guest with a plate of food specially prepared especially for the consumer, Fiona smiled. "Welcome, friends, to the Uli Rouge. It's not as big as the Veranda, mind, but I think it'll do. Let's hope we don't deal with any of my, um, unsavory family members this time, okay? Good! Alright, introductions, introductions... well, we have deSicev, my little sphere thingy who talks, plays chess, and is super-intelligent, or something like that... we have Mr. Richard Walters, my butler. He hails from Bretonia, but I assure you, he's trustworthy. Oh, who else, who else... um, Julius, who's your friend?"

The man looked at his employer, and spoke in a strangely detached voice. "Call me the Doctor, please. I do believe that should suffice, no?"

Underneath his hood and mask, Julius cursed. He had met the entity called 'the Doctor' before, when he (or was it a she? The Doctor claimed to have no gender) had inhabited the body of Jaina Relion. They had ended their conversation with an offer still drifting about. The offer had loosely been that in exchange for Julius's knowledge of the C'Tan, the Doctor would give Julius whatever knowledge he craved. Fiona, of course, didn't know this and smiled at the eccentric guard.

"Of course, Doctor, of course. Tell me, does everyone like their food? Oh my! I forgot. Mr. Walters, could you be a darling and get the food I had imported for Fnordie? It took a lot out of him to get past those defenses of deSicev's!"

"Of course, madam, if you wish. Shall I get the bovine or the marine fillet?"

"Both! Spoil the little pup, if just for this night. Well! Now, we're all settled in. Everyone's good now? Good! Let's eat!"

And so, the dinner party began.

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