I often see stories where Falmart is confronted with a civilization with superior technology but still human. I wonder what would happen to beings that no one can really understand. The Celestials, beings who created the Omniverse by fracturing the First Firmament seem suitable to me. How the gods of Falmart and particularly Hardy, will react to Cosmic gods? As for Pina or Molt, unlike the JSDF, they can do nothing at all that can influence the Celestials. They can neither fight, negotiate, flee, or even submit. Only hope.

Now, The story begin.

-O-

An unnamed place on the edge of the universe.

Some would call it a spaceship, others a stellar base or an artificial planetoid. None of these terms would be appropriate. The closest human word would be "sphere of Dyson" It is a world made of metals and substances unknown to humanity, surrounding a huge source of energy which not only powers this place but also helps to fuel a network of artificial construction scattered across space-time, created by intelligences capable of creating universes. There, a being whose thought goes beyond anything that a human being can understand is ... learning.

His name is AMIEK and he is part of the Celestial host. He is still young, barely 10 million years old and has not yet found a [function / usefulness] within the Host. Although he is [born / created / put into function] with all the knowledge of his people, he is a [unfinished / child]. As part of his development, he must experiment, learn, meditate in this gigantic [workshop / school] in order to become [adult / confirmed]. Only then can he leave the Sphere-world and see the real cosmos for himself.

However, although the Celestials have a spirit inaccessible to human thought, similarities do exist. From a human point of view, Amiek is bored. This "school", his learning, are [redundant / boring] He would like to [do something / act] rather than [meditate / study].

If he had a choice he would like to study…. Earth. This planet had taken on a crucial importance in the eyes of the Celestials these last years. The human race had far exceeded all expectations. The manipulations of the Celestials had created a race which, despite a level of pre-stellar technology, had several times surprised the Celestials. Ashema's "The Listener" experience with humans had even changed their perception of them.

Yes, Amiek was [fascinated / interested] in humans.

However, he would not have the opportunity to meet them before long. His learning was far from over and the sphere in which he was evolving would not let him out until he was ready, before millions of years. He [would like / want to] explore now.

Today, his desire will be granted because his education will be disrupted by a phenomenon that even the Celestials could not have foreseen.

SADERANS POV

Legate Godasen was really not happy to be here. He was a mage, not a soldier, and he preferred to pursue his research and stay with his family than to lead the Emperor's conquests. However, he had little choice. When the Gate had started to form, it was he who was responsible for strengthening it with his disciples and therefore, as he was most likely to understand his own work, it was he who was also responsible for carrying out the armies of the Saderan Empire to the "New World".

He didn't know what to expect from this new world. Sometimes he imagined enchanted forests populated by creatures never seen, other times, he imagined plains and rivers, or mountains in strange colors, and sometimes, he imagined the beyond, a ghostly world with lights of all kinds….

But the new world was strange. He was in a place…. Unimaginable. He didn't know how to describe, he didn't know which word to use.

The ground looked like a mixture of stone and metal but seemed alive at the same time, like flesh. For a moment, he thought he was inside a gigantic living creature, but made of metal. He rejected this absurd idea because it was so crazy, but nothing here made sense.

Crystal towers that seemed to contain lightning connected the ground and the sky…. Or the floor and the ceiling? If it was in any construction then only the gods could build such a place, but which one? The priests of Falmart clearly described each of the kingdoms of the gods.

The kingdom of Wareharun was supposed to be a gigantic forest populated by unknown creatures.

Endless games and arena fights adorning an eternal banquet awaited the brave who fell to the glory of Emroy while the city of Zufmuut sparkled with gold and light and an endless library was the domain of La and Elange .

Hardy's kingdom was the only unknown. Some imagined a kind of paradise where souls merge in eternal bliss and others thought it was just an endless row of shelves where Hardy stored souls like jars of jam.

But the place where he was now was far too different from anything he could imagine and unlike any of the divine realms of which the priests spoke. All this metal could have made one think of the forges of Duncan but then where were the forges themselves…. and the blacksmiths?

Was it the domain of an unknown god? Or…. Of a demon?

The appearance of the Gate was seen as a good omen. If it was open, it was proof that the gods believed that the time had come for the empire to expand…. What riches awaited the brave who dared to embark on the adventure? What beautiful exotic slaves to bring back to Sadera market? What fabulous cities to loot and conquer? Their return would be triumphant and everyone would remember them as the heroes who had conquered the "new world".

But how could one conquer such a place? Who would like to live there? Where were those who built all of this?

Godasen would have without hesitation left his place as Legate and all the glory and privileges that go with it to be released from obligations and stay with his family.

His heart no longer burned with the fire of his youth and he preferred the comfort of his palate to the glory of the battlefields. An opinion that Count Colt, whom he had known recently, fully shared.

"Legate, do you think it is wise to go further? It would be better to turn around and send scouts," asked the Count to Godasen.

"And what scouts could explore such a place? I don't think we can find specialists in this kind of… ground."

Although he had known Colt for a short time, only a few weeks since he had been appointed to assist him, the Count had turned out to be a wise and capable man. Much more than he would have found in a typical general of the empire, as would have been the case with Senator / General Podawan who had, for a time, been tipped to lead the expedition.

"It would be even crazier to advance entire legions here."

"I am of your opinion, but the Emperor has been very clear: he will not tolerate any delay, and certainly not weeks."

"So, what do we do? I'm not even sure that our men will agree to advance in this…. This place."

"Who would blame them? This place does not look like fertile land or beautiful exotic women and weak barbarians with gold jewelry that they had been promised. They have no choice, and neither do we. We have enough food for 12 days. In two days we'll finish setting up camp. Then we will walk straight ahead for 5 days. If we have not found anything of interest, we will turn around and report our discoveries, or rather our lack of discovery, to the Senate and the Emperor."

"12 days ? If the troops don't get a reason to stay quickly, they will mutiny. This place to inspire fear"

"Indeed, that also worries me, but men fear the ax of the executioner who waits for Sadera more than the unknown before them. On another subject, I wonder what the half-humans who built ... this place look like. Once we defeat them, their knowledge will surely be of great use to Sadera."

"Legat, we don't even know if it was half-humans or humans who built this place. As far as I know, this is the kingdom of the gods…. Or demons. Forgive my cowardice, but if I were the commander-in-chief, I would turn back and send scouts to explore. It's foolhardy madness to go on like this."

"I will forgive this insult because the fact is that you are right. But as I said before, the Emperor and the Senate do not offer us this luxury. Everyone in the Senate knows your position on slavery and on half-humans. Many believe that you should be tried for insanity and replaced by someone more…. In accordance with imperial policy. Do not give them pretexts like "cowardice", "desertion", "betrayal" to oust you."

"I know that, and that's why I agreed to come here. Winning military honors will help protect my position and, by extension, my city."

"From you to me, I share your opinion on slavery, even if my position does not allow me to repeal it on my lands. However, your…. Affection for half-humans seems to me…. Strange".

Colt laughed lightly before answering.

"You should get to know them a little better. I have been around them long enough to know that once educated, they are as intelligent as any human. But I don't know many humans who are willing to admit it."

Before the discussion could continue, two horsemen escorting a Goblin came to the Legate. After making the regulatory salute, except the Goblin whose mind did not understand this kind of concept, they waited for permission to speak.

"Centurion Vibius Em Caelius to report my Legate. Goblins and several other helf-human species, including Orcs and Trolls refuse to move forward. They are afraid".

This surprised the Legate. One of the few qualities he recognized for creatures as vile as the Orcs or the Goblins was their courage. They were little more than talkative animals, but they were not cowards and never hesitated to fight. They weren't suicidal but they were always the last to leave the battlefield. In this at least we could trust them. This was why they were generally used on the front line. Some said that in fact, they were just too stupid to be afraid of something… .. until they faced it. An opinion that Godasen fully shared.

The Goblin was Roak, the head of the Goblin mercenaries hired on this expedition, which only made sense to the Goblins, because Godasen saw nothing different from his fellows.

Roak, who did not understand respect for the military hierarchy (or in fact only understood respect by force) spoke without waiting for Godasen to give him permission.

"We will not move forward. Kingdom of the gods. No right to be here. Sacred land. Leave now".

Roak had just done what no Goblin had ever done before: he had surprised Godasen.

"Kingdom of the gods? Sacred land? What are you telling ? Green skins never worshiped any god. You don't even pay tribute to Emroy or Hardy."

"Emroy very powerful warrior, Hardy only a stupid woman. But no gods. Here Sacred Land. Home of the Great Elders. Leave now…. Or stay forever."

"What are you talking about?"

"I don't know how, I don't know why, I don't really understand, but…. Know. To have known when arrived. Leave now."

It was the first time that Godasen had been afraid of a half human, since he had seen two ogres fighting in the great arena of Sadera when he was a child (one of the two ogres had eaten the other, which is common in ogre battles), but the fear in Roak's voice, from a Goblin, was extremely disturbing. Another would have simply executed Roak to set an example for the others, but the Legate did not think that the method would be effective on Goblins. Anyway, before he could make a decision, a shadow fell on him. The shadow of a giant.

AMIEK POV

Amiek was [surprised / intrigued]. His learning was now interrupted by an [improbable / unexpected] phenomenon. An interdimensional Gate had opened in sector 606-G of the [Ship/Dyson sphere], located so far in the universe that even the light of the stars had not yet reached it.

Who had been able to penetrate the very heart of a building protected by the Celestials? Why?

Most of the creatures were [Species 8472 / Homo sapiens / Humans], however, they appeared to be different from those on planet Earth.

He couldn't deny that strangers to this complex were now walking through its center.

How?

Of course, he had located the interdimensional Gate, but the Dyson Sphere was designed to prevent any phenomenon of this type from occurring there, precautions against certain advanced life form which could move in interdimensional space.

In any case, the logic to follow was clear and ordered that the samples be taken and the infection purged. However, Amiek had a choice as to the method.

Samples would be collected and stored while waiting for Celestials [Confirmed / Specialized / adults], such as Jemiah the analyzer or Ziran the tester and others, to carry out their own tasks on the samples. Amiek would only do simple preliminary studies.

He raised his arm, preparing to teleport the life forms to various storage units where they would be kept in stasis until they were studied.

SADERAN POV

Nobody dared to move. All eyes were on the giant in white and black armor 600 meters high who watched them.

The Saderan believed they were ready for anything. Against any other creature, they would have charged the enemy by shouting "for the glory of Sadera" ... but none here was crazy enough to believe that he could do anything against this giant. Many more fell on their knees and began to pray. The truth was clear to them now: the gods had opened the Gate to their domain and now one of them had come to welcome them. However, he did not know which one. Inwardly, they thought it was surely Emroy himself, come to greet them and reward them for their courage, even if the giant looked nothing like the statues of Sadera showing Emroy in richly decorated ebony armor and holding a flaming sword. .

It was when the giant raised his arm above them ... That the Goblins, Orcs, Trolls and Ogres were panicked. Unconsciously they knew they were in great danger. It was knowledge rooted in them more deeply than instinct. Where did this knowledge come from, they themselves did not know, but…. They knew.

They wanted to flee, unfortunately for them, being at the forefront of the invasion prevented them from fleeing because human soldiers stood in their way between them and the Gate. There was only one solution: to force your way. No problem ! None of these half-humans had any sense of loyalty to the Saderans…. Nor to anyone else.

The legionaries' surprise was very short. With professionalism born from several years of battles, they defended themselves and counterattacked.

In this kind of moment, there is often a moron who cracks under pressure or fear and makes a huge mistake.

This time was no exception, and the voice of Viscount Herm Fule Maio was heard.

"THE GODS DO NOT TOLERATE THE PRESENCE OF THESE LOWER HALF HUMANS ! EMROY TESTS OUR VALUE ! DESTROY THESE WASTE !"

This "idea" quickly made its way among the legions that began to attack all of the demi humans, including those who had not rebelled against them at all like the Elves and the Volraden mercenaries. Of course, they had no intention of being slaughtered like cattle (even if the Saderan legionaries saw no difference between cattle and half-humans).

Very quickly all non-human races fought the legionaries to survive. The battle would be brief. Humans were three times more numerous than all half-humans.

However, not all legionaries were staunch supporters of "Emroy." Many had entered the army for good pay, to feed their families, for adventure or because they could not find work elsewhere…. But certainly not to die to the glory of Emroy or any other god. They wanted life and were not at all willing to give it up.

Consequently, an old ancestral instinct suggesting a "strategic retreat" started in their brains… .. They turned on their heels and tried to flee, panicked.

It was not that simple, however. The fugitives could not move freely amidst the crowd of other soldiers, more than half of whom were still undecided on what to do.

Viscount Herm was ecstatic, completely swept away by a curious mixture of fear and megalomania. He had come here to conquer glory. Now he was in front of Emroy himself so what way to conquer glory than to fight?

Deep down, Herm didn't really believe the giant was Emroy, but fear had taken hold of him and his mind had concluded that the gods had opened the portal to allow the most deserving Saderan warriors to come to them. . This idea was much more attractive than to think that the giant was going to crush them like ants.

It was the way his mind reacted to this situation that completely overwhelmed him.

Herm sank into his madness:

"EMROY HATES COWARDS AND TRAITORS ! KILL THOSE WHO ARE TRYING TO FLEE !"

From there, the self-destructive killing quickly won the whole army.

AMIEK POV

Again Amiek was surprised. When he had raised his arm to teleport the small life forms below him into biostasis fields, he expected the creatures to try to flee or attack him ... Instead, they chose to fight with each other.

He stopped the teleport procedure. It could wait a little longer. For now, behavioral analysis of creatures was more important than biological collection. He could always retrieve corpses later, revive them and make a preliminary assessment of their nature at that time.

The Celestial opened all his perceptions and discreetly probed the spirit of life forms at his feet. A simple observation, a psychic vivisection procedure was inappropriate for the moment. It was better to give free rein to the [nature / instinct] of these beings.

What he saw in their minds continued to [surprise / arouse his curiosity]. Of course, having access to the knowledge of the Celestials, Amiek understood, theoretically, what he saw in their minds. In short, it was an invading army that came to [conquer / colonize] a world without having first [observed / explored / analyzed] it. They had come through the interdimensional threshold that he had detected when it appeared earlier, and now his presence caused fear in these creatures while others confused him with one of their [god / more advanced entity] a being called "Emroy", who would reward them for their bravery by eliminating the "half-humans". Fear, hatred, greed, racism, thirst for blood and many other things.

Although unusual, the phenomenon was not unknown to the Celestials. Amiek had carefully studied the [databases / archives] dealing with other life forms and there were all kinds of possible reactions depending on the species when they met Celestials. The more [primitive / young] often worshiped them, the more advanced, more aware of the potential danger that the Celestials represented for them, generally tried to fight them, or to emigrate to other planets.

Others fought among themselves, in the illusory hope of winning their favor as it was now.

What was curious was this strange mixture of various species belonging to different worlds, which were gathered here. Some of these races, like the Volradens of the planet Volrad, referenced here as [half human / wolf-man] had long mastered space travel. So why were they showing a lower level of technology here than their species?

Without being as advanced as the Volraden, humans on planet Earth also were more advanced than these "legionaries" as they called themselves after what he saw in their minds. Neither of the two races had yet emerged from their solar systems.

Conversely, [the Grelking / Gobelins] were listed as "stagnant species", they had never visited space and therefore should not be able to be here.

In any case, these races, by their technological level and their respective localization in the universe, should not have met before very long, however they were now gathered here.

Obviously [a mystery / power] was at work.

Amiek was starting to feel [fascination / excitement]. Feelings he was not used to. However, he decided to end his observation. Although very interesting, the sample collection was now more important and [undamaged / living] specimens would be more valuable than [repaired / resuscitated] specimens. He began teleporting, and immediately, in a halo of blue light, many Saderans and half-humans began to disappear.

SADERAN POV

Roak was dead, like most Goblin mercenaries. Those who were still alive were buried under the corpses of their fellows, unable to move.

Curiously their death was more their fact than that of the Saderans. The Goblins were so terrified that he literally threw himself on the steel wall of legionary troops, unable to get around them. They smashed their bones against armor, impaled themselves on swords or spears. They did not even try to fight but to flee. Even with a blade in their stomachs they had not drawn their swords to fight, their minds completely focused on the concept of flight and not of survival. And they were relieved. Relieved that death allows them to escape the giant white monster.

At least they thought so.

It had not quelled collective madness, far from it.

Godasen and Colt had tried to bring order to the ranks but without success, it was beyond their control now. Fortunately, they had chosen their personal guard well. In Colt's case, these were the Volraden half-humans (Wolf Men) whom he had long employed and whose respect and loyalty he had won, notably by treating their people with the same laws as humans. Italica.

Godasen also had men loyal to him, but for other reasons. He believed more in the power of money and common interests. His guards were mercenaries whom he had always paid more than what others would have paid to betray him.

In both cases, these men were loyal to their employers, not to the empire, not even to the gods.

This offered them slight protection. This saved them from being dragged into the carnage…. At least for the moment. He knew it wouldn't last. The real danger was not the madness of the military, but the intentions of the white titan.

Seeing some of them disappear in a blue halo did not stop the killing. The legionaries who believed that the giant was Emroy thought that he was simply welcoming the brave men who drew his intention to offer them a sumptuous reward in the pantheon of heroes. Instead of terrifying them, it made them fight even more fanatically. Conversely, those who had no desire to go after Emroy's afterlife and preferred Hardy's afterlife with their families were the more motivated to flee.

"Legate…. I think it would be better for you to leave. Go back through the Gate, forbid anyone from coming here and if you don't hear quickly, destroy it."

Godasen weighed the pros and cons of this suggestion for a few moments. He knew that Colt was right, but to appear before the emperor and the senate to speak about a foolish world, a giant in black and white armor and legions gone mad, who killed each other, without bringing anything of value was not an enviable position.

Many in the Senate had invested a large part of their personal fortunes in this conquest. Now they were hoping for a return on investment and woe betide whoever told them it was a failure. Yes, woe to this man. These people were the type to "kill the messenger."

Godasen had no desire to be this messenger. He was untouchable as a Legate ... As long as he was a Legate. He would surely lose this protection after this failure and his status in the nobility of Sadera was not high enough to protect him.

That said, after thinking about it briefly, it was better to die later, possibly, than an apparently certain death in the next few minutes. The legate decided to rely on caution.

" Good. But you? What are you planning to do?"

"I'm going to stay here and try to save as many people as possible. If we both leave, there will be no authority left to try to bring order."

"Very good. I salute your courage and your integrity. If you never come back. Do you have a final wish that I could perhaps grant you posthumously?"

"I have 3 daughters, the youngest of whom, Myui, should succeed me since the eldest and the second are already linked by other commitments. If you could make sure she received a good education to run my city, and maintain equality as much as possible between humans and half-humans…."

Godasen thought for a moment. He meant something like "yes of course you can count on me" but he and the Count knew it was not that simple. Things did not work that way. Godasen would certainly fall into disgrace and many powerful people would blame him for the failure of the campaign and the explanations would have no importance. Perhaps the best service he could give Colt's daughter and the people of Italica would be to stay away from them.

"I can't promise anything. I would do what I could according to my position at the moment. This is the best I can promise ..."

"I understand" Colt replied in a bitter, disillusioned tone.

"However I am not dead yet. I intend to come back alive and maybe tonight we will console ourselves around a table with a good wine."

"So I'll open the bottle I brought to celebrate the end of the campaign. I didn't think I would open it so quickly though."

This project disappeared at the same time as Colt disappeared in turn in a halo of blue light. Without the master mage Godasen or any of the guards being able to do anything.

It was the drop that made the vase overflow. The nerves of the Legate, already damaged by the general slaughter, gave way and Godasen officially ordered the retreat before rushing to the Gate on his horse.

This attitude was not worthy of a Legate, but Godasen was above all a magician, not a warrior. He never wanted to take part in any battle and he didn't have enough nerves to endure more. He had given orders to withdraw his troops, so much the better for those who managed to flee and too bad for the others, especially for those crazy enough to want to stay willingly. He couldn't do anything more anyway.

The flight of the Legate completed the general Chaos. The army was in disarray and torn between those who sought to fight at all costs and those who sought to flee at all costs.

AMIEK POV

The collection was over. Amiek had a representative sample of each race, each specific genetic trait and each "unusual" individual he could find in this [army / infection / diaspora].

No protocol now dictated his conduct. Of course he had considered simply purging life forms by initiating a sterilization procedure.

Raising the heat a few tens of thousands of degrees would be enough to erase all traces of life. However, the opportunity to observe living creatures first-hand was unique. He had never left the sphere before.

In fact, this whole situation was unique, and he decided that an observation to the end would be more [profitable / interesting]. He wondered what would happen when the life forms had completed their self-destructive work.

Celestial waited for an hour, until only about 10% of the army remained. About 30% had managed to escape, 60% were dead or dying and the survivors were there before him, to worship him and wait for some kind of reward ...

So there was nothing more interesting to watch and all that remained was to decide what to do with these creatures.

However, Amiek did not want to make the decision to purge.

Technically he was [too young / inexperienced] to have the right to make decisions of this nature, which is why he was not allowed to leave the world sphere. Except that this time, it was these creatures who had found a way to enter.

He made the easiest decision: he simply teleported the survivors with the other samples. The process of treating their wounds in passing when they were reintegrated into the biostasis fields.

Now that the [battle / self-destruction / madness] was over, Amiek watched the Gate. Of course he already knew that it was an interdimensional type phenomenon but that would not explain the presence of these creatures. The world sphere was isolated by multi-dimensional fields with variable frequency precisely to prevent the few races which mastered the inter-dimensional journeys from entering here.

With a gesture he activated all kinds of tools around him which began the analysis procedures of the Gate. He would consult the results in a few hours, when he would have [transmitted / made known / informed] the situation to the other Celestials located elsewhere in the universe and that he would have finished listing and classifying the various [samples / life forms] collected earlier.

To continued...