The Stormbreakers: A Stellaris Story
Unnamed Chapter
(Whole Scene Deleted)
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September 11, 2015
Tamihana Nui City, Tapanui, Nithascal Star System, Partogan-Levakian Commonwealth
The hospital receptionist didn’t quite know what to say. The six people standing in front of him were very intimidating. All of them were wearing the uniform of the Commonwealth Green Guard, the most elite military force in the entire Galaxy. Three of them were Partogans, like the receptionist, two were members of the lion-like species known as the Levakians, while the last one was an Assurian, a Partoganoid with thick leathery skin and rock-hard cranial ridges running the length of its elongated skull.
The hapless receptionist wasn’t stunned by the six Green Guards, but by their request.
“Sir!” the receptionist protested. “Those two children only just got out of surgery a few hours ago! It’s not safe to move them!”
The Levakian Green Guard produced a slip of paper from his pocket and passed it to the receptionist.
“I hope this clears up any confusion.” The Levakian said.
The receptionist looked over the paper. The handwriting was refined and elegant, and it quickly became apparent why:
To whom this may concern:
Manako and Makara Ranginui are to be removed from Hakara Tamihana Memorial Hospital immediately. They are to be moved to the Paku Nui Spaceport posthaste for immediate transport to my Flagship.
Signed,
Kendra, Queen of the Commonwealth
The receptionist looked up at the Green Guards and balked. As much as he wanted to prevent the two children being taken away, there was nothing more he could do. His shoulders slumped and the receptionist said:
“Take the elevator to the 15th floor. They’re in the third room on the left.”
…
Up above, the six soldiers calmly and quietly entered the Recovery Ward, where two Partogan children were recovering from brain surgery.
Lying in a pair of hospital beds, two children were somewhere between wakefulness and sleeping. They were twin siblings, which meant they had very similar appearances. The older twin (By a matter of seconds) was a twelve-year-old boy named Manako. He had an athletic body with thick muscular arms and legs. Like his sister, Manako had wide purple eyes and silver hair… or at least, he
would have had silver hair on any other day. Manako was completely bald, and his scalp was stitched back together in multiple places, marking the spot where surgeons had operated on his brain. In the bed next to him, Manako’s twin sister was fast asleep. Even though she was bald and her head stitched together in a patchwork fashion, it was plainly obvious that Makara was incredibly good-looking. When she grew older, Makara would have to fend off hordes of potential suitors. For the moment though, Makara was in deep sleep. She seemed to have sunk into her pillows and was blissfully unaware of everyone around her. Manako looked up at the Green Guard soldiers and raised his arm in a half salute.
“What’s the occasion, fellas?”
…
Escorted by the Green Guards, Manako and Makara were rolled out of the hospital in wheelchairs. The twins didn’t say a word to each other or their escorts throughout the entire trip. From the hospital, they were loaded into armored trucks painted with the green and orange colors of the Commonwealth military. The convoy drove for only a few minutes until they reached the Paku Nui Spaceport. Neither child could walk on their own, so they were carried by the Levakian warriors out of the terminal and into a nearby transport ship.
The flight out of the spaceport was quick and uneventful. Manako and Makara peered out the window silently as the Desert World of Tapanui fell away beneath them. The Green Guards assigned to them had trouble hiding their nervous expression. They already knew the reason they had been summoned to Tapanui, and why the twins were now being flown to the Flagship of the Triple Alliance Navy… and it wasn’t good.
The
TS Mahuika was one of the most famous and powerful warships in the entire Galaxy. This mighty vessel was in the same league as the Ethereal Templeship, the Hiigaran Super-Dreadnaught
Sajuuk, and the now-mothballed Kiith Somtaaw warship
Kuun-Lan. Unlike her contemporaries, the
Mahuika was not designed and built by a single species. The ship had been designed and built as a joint venture between all three members of the Triple Alliance: the Partogan-Levakian Commonwealth, the United States of Assuria, and the Micore Empire. As such, she had weapons and technology from all three civilizations.
Makara saw the
Mahuika first. She pressed both hands to the window and sat up in her seat. She let out an awed gasp at the sight of the great Flagship. Manako put one hand on her shoulder and peered out at the mighty vessel as well. They kept their eyes on it as their transport approached, and only sat down again when the time came to dock.
As soon as their transport landed in the
Mahuika’s hangar bay, the twins were returned to their wheelchairs and pushed down the boarding ramp. Surrounded by Green Guards, Manako and Makara were pushed though the hangar bay so quickly that they didn’t get a chance to look at the Partogan, Levakian, Assurian, or Micore crew members moving and working at a frantic pace. Something was going on.
The twins were taken to a meeting room deep within the Flagship. Several high-ranking members of the Triple Alliance military were present, including a Levakian Admiral and two Micore Omnidroids. As soon as they got the chance, both children finally abandoned their wheelchairs, enjoying the ability to stand on their own. A Partogan Fleet Admiral broke off from the group and ran across the room as soon as the twins were wheeled into it.
“Daddy!” Makara shouted. “What’s going on!?”
Fleet Admiral Rapata Ranginui wrapped his arms around Makara and hugged her as best he could.
“It’s bad, little Maka.” Rapata said, using an affectionate nickname for his daughter. “It’s war!”
“War!?” Manako gasped. “Is it them? You know, the enemy grandma was talking about?”
Rapata nodded at his son.
“Yes.” He said. “It’s the Beast. It’s arrived!”
The doorway to the meeting room opened up again, and a big Levakian with golden fur entered.
“Attention on deck!” He roared. “Announcing the legally elected successor of Miranda the Great: Her Royal Majesty Kendra, Queen of the Commonwealth
, Custodian of the Great Library, Governor of the Royal Academy of Science, Commander-in-Chief of the Green Guard, Overlord of Vania, and President of the Triple Alliance!”
A third wheelchair was pushed into the room. This one, however, was occupied by a very, very,
very old woman. At one-hundred-one years old, Commonwealth Queen Kendra the Great had ruled over Partogan civilization longer than anyone else. Advanced years didn’t seem to hinder the old ruler, however. She sat upright in her wheelchair, hands folded patiently in her lap. She looked around at each of her officers in turn and they bowed their heads in a gesture of loyalty.
The Queen addressed the room.
“I wish I had better news.” She began, “But I’ve just seen confirmation. It’s true. The Beast is here, and the Blorg are gone. The Fathership of the Beast, which Triple Alliance Intelligence has code-named ‘Inari,’ has now settled into a low orbit above the Blorg Homeworld. The planet is being infected as I speak. The Mothership of the Beast has passed the Infection onto the Blorg Navy. From this moment on, all Blorg warships should be considered hostile.”
Terrified murmurs ran all around the room. Officers looked at one another, full of fear and trepidation. Kendra held up her hand, and the room became silent once more. Manako and Makara leaned forward in their seats, watching the Queen intensely. Kendra pointed to one of the officers near the back of the room and said:
“We need to alert the people and put the nation on a war footing at once. Put me on every radio and television in the Commonwealth.”
Several men went to work on their computers quickly, and in a few minutes the intercom began to buzz with the all-too familiar sound of the Emergency Broadcast Signal. An automated voice spoke through the speakers:
“
We interrupt this program. This is a national emergency. Important instructions will follow.
All stations have interrupted their programming at the request of the Royal Government to broadcast a message to the nation.
Standby for a message from the Queen of the Commonwealth.”
One of the officers pointed at Kendra and mouthed the words:
“Three… two… one…”
Queen Kendra spoke in a voice that was surprisingly loud and strong for a woman of her advanced age:
“To my good and loyal subjects, it is with incredible regret I must confirm that the bio-mechanical virus known as the Beast has returned to our Galaxy and is active once more. It is with almost equal regret that I confirm the loss of the entire military of the Blorg Commonality, including the Titan-Class warship
Soulmate. I urge you all to remain vigilant in the coming days and weeks. This is a powerful and dangerous enemy who will show us no quarter or mercy. My government will be distributing instructional home defense and survival e-books within the coming month, and all military reserves will be recalled to active duty in a matter of days.
“The Beast is unlike any enemy we’ve faced before. There are precious few of us left who were alive to witness its full strength and power at the Battle of Naval Base Alpha over seventy-seven years ago. As one of those people, I must remind you: The Beast is powerful, intelligent, virulent and utterly fearless. Any battle against this monster will be unlike any that have come before. Our only hope to survive the coming storm is to stand and fight together, as a Commonwealth, as an Alliance, as a United Front.
“Our Nation stands on the brink of a great conflict. I urge you all to keep your heads held high and most importantly: remain united!”
As the Queen finished her speech, Makara and Manako felt their fear ebb away just a little. They knew their history very well. Both of the Ranginui twins knew that this old woman was called “Queen Kendra the Great” for a very good reason. During the first year of her reign almost eighty-five years ago, Kendra had hunted down and killed an evil time-traveler who had tried to manipulate Partogans and Levakians into a war against each other. Just a few short years later, she had helped the Hiigarans and Republican Taiidan fight off the Beast during its first appearance in the Galaxy. Decades later, when the twins were merely infants, the Galaxy had been torn apart by the Vaygr Wars. While the warlike and nomadic Vaygr rampaged across the Galaxy, Kendra had forged the Triple Alliance, stopping the war from ever reaching Commonwealth space.
Not only had Kendra enjoyed diplomatic and military victories, she was also an accomplished domestic ruler as well. Kendra had reformed the nation in many ways. First, she had reorganized the National Assembly, giving all species an equal voice in government. Then she had ended the “special relationship” between the Church of the Mountain and the Royal Government. These days, Kendra ruled as a true authoritarian monarch, free of the clergy’s influence. Finally, Kendra had seized control of the Absolution Program away from the Church. Debt Slavery was still practiced in the Commonwealth, but the Queen herself now held a monopoly over the entire system.
All told, Kendra Mihaka was a great and powerful ruler, so twin siblings Makara and Manako felt a wave of excitement when she turned her wheelchair, looked at them, smiled from ear to ear, and said:
“Why didn’t anyone tell me that
my grandkids were here!?”
The younger Ranginui twin threw her arms around Queen Kendra and hugged her tightly!
“Grandmother!” Makara squealed, “You came all the way out here to get us!”
“Of course, I did.” Kendra answered. “I’d never forget about my family, even on the first day of a war.”
Manako planted a quick kiss on the old woman’s cheek.
“Thank you, Grandma.” He said. “Is everyone else safe?”
Kendra’s face fell.
“Please don’t panic, children.” She said, “The first battle of this war has only just ended. It will be a long time before we know for certain who is safe and who isn’t. Right now, I’m worried about you. I can see you’ve had your surgeries, so tell me: how do your implants feel?”
Instinctively, Makara and Manako reached up to their heads and touched their surgery scars.
“We feel fine.” Manako said quickly.
“We?” Kendra repeated, “So you’ve already started to use your Gift again?”
Manako and Makara smirked at one another.
“If we say ‘yes,’ will you tell us what these implants are and why you wanted us to get them?”
…
Kendra asked the Ranginui twins to follow her, and she led them into another room where they could talk privately. Makara and Manako left their wheelchairs behind. Walking under their own power, the twins took turns pushing their grandmother’s wheelchair to its destination.
The twins were anxious for answers. For most of their lives, the two of them shared (and enjoyed using) a telepathic connection. Manako and Makara had been able to read each other’s minds at will, as well as being able to look inside the minds of other people. When Queen Kendra heard about this, she said that the twins had “a Gift” and immediately made arrangements for the two of them to have brain surgery. The lead-up to the surgery was so short that neither twin ever learned
why their grandmother had ordered them to go under the knife. Hopefully, they would get their answer right now. While Manako and Makara sat down next to a conference table, Queen Kendra explained herself.
“I know the two of you must have been frightened and confused when all of this happened. I owe you both an explanation: Two years ago, when you came to the Harvest Palace for naming day, you showed me your telepathic abilities. Remember that?”
“Sure!” Makara said excitedly. “It was a lot of fun! Especially the look on your face!”
“Well, I’m sure my face was very fun to look at.” Kendra admitted. “You two blew me away with your skill. In the history of the Galaxy, there are very, very few children who mastered their Gift at such a young age. The Gift is so incredibly rare among Partogans. You might be the first Gifted people in our species since Queen Miranda the Great herself.”
The Ranginui twins felt warm as Kendra gave them a smile that was full of pride. The Queen continued.
“As soon as I knew the two of you were Gifted, I contacted every species we knew have scientific knowledge of the Gift. I signed Research Agreements with the Hiigarans, Taiidan, Vanians, and the Kelt. I also sought knowledge from the Levakians where I could. After a year, my Royal Scientists knew everything there was to know about the Gift.
“You see children, what I wanted was to build a tool that would make your Gift stronger and more powerful. A device called a ‘Psionic Amplifier.’”
The twins became very excited.
“Stronger and more powerful!?” Manako repeated, “So I could be like one of those Kelt Warrior Monks!?”
“And I could be like a Levakian Witch!?” Makara gasped.
“Yes, and yes.” Kendra said. “Eventually, I found a way to make this happen. I ended up purchasing the technology from a country that was just founded a few months ago. The ADVENT Coalition gave us Neural Implant technology. That was the surgery the two of you went through today. Each of you now have fifteen Neural Implants permanently installed in your brains. When they work together, they will function as-“
“Oh, holy Miranda!!” Manako gasped. “
You mean we’ve got Psionic Amplifiers in our heads!?”
Queen Kendra nodded.
“Yes. That’s exactly what I mean.”
She put her hands on the twin’s shoulders.
“Children, I’m too old to fight this war like I did during the Levakian Uprising or the first Beast War. This new war is going to be yours to fight, and I want to give you all of the best tools and weapons possible. As a Queen and as your grandmother it’s my responsibility, my duty, to make sure you and your cousins have the best possible chance to win this fight. I’ll give you everything you need to win this war, but it’ll be your duty to fight.”
Makara shuddered.
“Grandma, do you think this is going to be a really hard war?” she asked.
“Yes.” The Queen answered. “I won’t lie to you: The Beast is a powerful and dangerous enemy. We’re going to suffer a lot of serious defeats before we see our first victory. But kids, I want you to be there on that day. Raise the Commonwealth flag high and show the whole Galaxy how determined we are to survive!”
The Ranginui twins hugged their grandmother one more time and said together:
“We won’t let you down, Grandma.”
Queen Kendra squeezed them back.
“You’re right. I know it.”