6 Billion A.D./Messenger of Destruction

Tentative Synopsis: In his despair Rigel becomes the tool of the enemy, as the Order pushes the League to the brink.

Rigel Later

After having lived for thousands of years, Rigel had become quite powerful. Still, he did have some weaknesses.

Rigel now thought of himself as part of a higher class. No longer was he timid about his immortality.

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Vespa sighed a breath of relief.

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Rigel steeled himself for what he was to do next.

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As enemy ships cruised by -- the enemy now being the League, his former allies -- Rigel deftly maneuvered through their ranks. Nine thousand years of experience, plus an insider's knowledge of the driving forces behind the enemy -- these enabled Rigel to push through fast.

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The enemy fired, in seemingly every direction, yet without landing a hit. Instead, Rigel managed to avoid even a scratch in his ship's paint.

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Vespa had, despite the frustrations, hacked together a functional rig. Her Splunks now reproduced -- in silico and in vitro and now in vivo -- within animal cells. The tissues showed clearly the signs and symptoms of the pandemic. Now all she had to do was convince her allies. In short, her work had only just begun.

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8.2

My ship was captured by an Order [drifter]. It pulled me into its bay...

...

... The robed man said... “Why?” I asked. Why does the Order do it? It’s hard to understand. We’re not monsters. “But you wreak such destruction.” The universe is such a fragile thing. It’s alive. I looked up, what do you mean?. This is not the first time, there’s been countless cycles. And each time it must be protected. Protected from what? Sentient life, of course, desperately wanting to live at all cost, to change everything only to eventually disappear. Should we really compare the selfish needs of one race to Infinity. “But to destroy, throw the galaxy into a dark age.” We do what must be done. What if you did stop it, stop the collapse. You know you would kill the universe. I replied, but it’s inevitable right? Nothing is inevitable. It can be stopped. It’s always within reach, one galaxy can poison everything. “So you’re saviors” I said mockingly. No we do what must be done.

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I don’t care about you’re miserable manifesto. I just want to destroy something, I said. Then we will let you.

8.3

The... ... ...

8.4

As one world after another fell, my face was the last thing they saw. To go from a hero, someone that was celebrated, to a monster made the affair exceptionally terrible. It felt good at first, but now it was becoming unbearable. Could I just leave and wander the ashes? Haven't I done enough (damage) for one lifetime. Would the Order even let me leave. They would probably kill me. But I guess that is what I deserve anyway...

...

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Surprisingly they let me leave, even providing a small ship. I guess there was nothing left for me to do; my tenure had expired. The remaining free worlds were largely insignificant. All the great alliances were broken. All the great races were planet bound, only a small fraction of the population remained. It would be centuries before the galaxy would start to recover. The Order had done its job...

...

8.5

The...

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