Gateways, Aer-ki Jyr [sci fi books to read .TXT] 📗

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March 19, 158397

Megatron Prime 12 System (Galactic Core)

Zatria

Mak’to’ran stood on the surface of the magnificent world of Zatria, feeling his legs mildly crushed under its 5.6g gravity as he sniffed the air of this biome, sensing a mass of plants and a lesser amount of primitive denizens in the humid breath that he released back through his nostrils contently. Not long before this planet had been barren rock and far less massive, then with the Veloqueen’s help they had moved two more nearby planets into collision paths, with the resulting rubble being forced together using Essence techniques that Star Force still had no idea how to reproduce.

The end result was a far more massive planet in a system that had many, most with holes in them after being fed upon by various Megaloids. This deep into the Core it was unlikely that such a wealth of planets wouldn’t have been touched by various races needing to eat something more palpable than the energetic soup within stars, but for a proper headquarters a real planet was preferred, so the Veloqueen had assisted in building one, or at least the foundation of what would thereafter be terraformed by the Jedein.

The horrors that had been wrought on them by some ancient force still angered Mak’to’ran, for it had been far worse than what the V’kit’no’sat had done to the Zak’de’ron in the creation of the Les’i’kron. The Hadarak bore no similarity to their progenitors, nor wielded their massive power in even a mild fashion. That god-like power, however, even in small amounts, was formidable, and it was what gave the Hadarak Wardens the power to create minions, as well as fashion new ones, for the Jedein possessed the power of the lifesprings and could fashion new races at will.

The biome Mak’to’ran now stood in was the result of their work, at Star Force’s direction. There were no predators here, nor lifeforms that were inclined to kill for food. Everything here was in balance and based off the Elarioni Ariel’s work, but the Jedein had far surpassed her groundbreaking accomplishments, including a world brain to direct it all, safely guarded in the bedrock above the magma layer, as well as protected by a V’kit’no’sat city placed directly above its center.

But it was already growing too big to be covered by it, and while all the V’kit’no’sat cities larger than an outpost built within the Core were required to also be space travel capable should evacuation be required, the world brain could not be moved. It grew into the planet’s crust as if it were a plant, but in truth it was a Borg-like extension of a person, soon to become larger than most Megaloids, but one that could never move. The person could, if detached, but the mass imbedded into the ground could not.

It was designed that way by the Jedein after considerable argument with Star Force about putting a person in that eternal prison…until the Jedein said that the world brain would eventually extend itself around the planet and the planet would become its vessel as it drifted through the stars…even possibly one day moving itself via Essence if its orbit decayed, but Star Force had demanded an escape be possible, hence the resulting two part design.

It was far from that now, barely a hatchling learning its way with no one to teach it how to do what it was designed to do, except for the occasional visits by the Jedein to monitor its progress. That rejuvenated race were treated as gods by most of the Megaloids, and they were the reason the monsters in the Galactic Core were now unified into an amicable alliance whereas before they were constantly warring on, and in some cases feeding on, each other.

The Veloqueen had organized a truce between most of them, and ironically the Veloqueen were more powerful than the Jedein, as far as combat and Essence use was concerned. They could kill the Jedein easily if they wished, but they’d never do that to their gods. Everyone revered the Jedein, and the combination of them with the Socani called Star Force had reshaped the balance of the Galactic Core despite large sections of it still being under Hadarak infestation.

This system was a result of that new alliance, with the world brain telepathically marking this planet as off limits to the Megaloids. Some of the other ones were marked technologically, with telepathic transponders indicating they were reserved for the Socani, but the rest had no markings, and as such were available for the Megaloids to feed on when desired.

Who got to eat what and where was something that was mostly ironed out by the Veloqueen, who acted as sheriffs in the Core after sending a significant portion of their population here. They were adamant about protecting the Jedein, though Mak’to’ran knew they were not helpless. Their bodies were hardened against the elements, even against the depths of a small black hole, but not against higher end technological weapons. Whoever had altered them into Hadarak had done so with combat in mind, and the Yeg’gor was a defense that the Jedein did not possess, nor anything like it, but they could use Essence, and had occasionally been required to when they encountered attacks.

But not from the Hadarak. As soon as Jedein entered a system they were able to override control of the minions and cause them to stand down. Dealing with Wardens was a bit more difficult, and required discussion, but the Lurkers were beyond reaching. They immediately attacked the Jedein in suicidal fashion, and had neared killed a few of them before the Veloqueen escorts had intervened.

The only reason the Jedein were not killed instantly was because of their own Essence defenses, some of which were indicative of even greater capabilities, but the Jedein were recently converted from Wardens or newborn, and neither had the Essence use experience of