This is a CNS Special Report brought to you this day in 816AS
Today Rheinland News, a subsidiary of CNS News, received a disturbing message which sheds new light on the mystery of Das Wilde. This transmission came from deep within the Omega systems. As we decode this transmission it will be re-broadcast to you.
An image appears of a disheveled man who looks like he has not slept in years. He speaks directly to the camera in a hoarse whisper.
*It* is in something that is a mix between sleep and hibernation. *It* needs to go into a state of deep meditation to contact its superiors telepathically. Ive noticed that *It* can easily communicate telepathically over short distances but doing it over an entire system drains his energy. For communicating across the system *It* usually just uses my voice and standard comm systems. Communication over longer distances needs to directed at one being. After such communication it needs to rest and for a short time I am in command of my own body again. This is such a time. *It* is a Nomad, and *It* owns me.
I was born on Planet Stuttgart to a loving mutter and vater. I loved them, and I still do, but I left my home on Stuttgart to join the Rheinland Military. I had dreams of glory and getting to see the galaxy. Heh, I have had my eyes opened to the horrors of the galaxy.
At the Military Academy I was trained as a fighter pilot. Immediately after I finished my year of training I was assigned to the Northern Fleet as a member of the fighter wing. At first I was glad because some of my friends in the Class of 800AS were stationed on the Battleship Fenrir with me. The RNC BS-Fenrir was the Flagship of the Northern Fleet and we were all proud to be serving on her. But then my friends started acting weirdvery weird. First one, then more of my friends started to withdraw from our clique and they started to spend more and more time alone. They acted like they didnt need us, like they were too good for us. It was very odd and very creepy, especially since we spent almost every free minute together at the Academy.
Four days after we were deployed I was ordered into a special briefing with my commanding officer at a very odd hour. I reported to the briefing room and immediately noticed that I was the only fighter pilot in there. Oh, and my COs eyes were glowing a deep purple, as were the eyes of the two military guards that were standing behind me. A creature that seemed to be made of light entered the room and immediately I felt a feeling of dread. Spinning around I tried to flee but the guards moved with superhuman strength and speed. They grabbed me and forced my face against the wall as the thing moved over to me. All my strength and speed training was worth nothing as the guards held me there and the thing made contact with me.
I could not stop *It*.
I blacked out in terror but I still know what happened. The guards released me and I tried to move my arms. My brain ordered my arms to move but they didnt move. My brain ordered my legs to run away but they wouldnt move either. And my EYES!! AH!! They BURNED! I wanted to cry, to beg to know what was going on, to run away, to do SOMETHING but my body didnt respond.
A mix of images and sounds reverberated through my head. I needed some major painkillers.
*** <Visions of humans doing different activities> Welcome to the world of the primitives, they call themselves -Human-. <A Nomad enters a human and starts moving him around> Control this body, <Beings shrouded in darkness issues commands> follow the Ancient Ones' Directives, <Nomads killing humans> purge the Infestation, <a feeling of peace> and all will be well *** it sounded like many voices, only I was seeing images inside my head.
*** <A group of Nomads> For the Whole*** the one in me “replied.”
*** <Nomads and Human ships fighting> With these -humans- as our puppets <Nomad ships victorious> we shall wipe them from our home and keep ourselves pure for <A large formation of ships more alien then the Nomads' ships moves into Sirius> when the Ancient Ones Return ***
*** <A Nomad glows brighter> We shall succeed ***
*** <Nomad departs the group and enters a human> Now Go and learn all the skills you will need to act as this -human- and how to control it ***
*It* moved me back to my quarters where *It* began to practice controlling me. I found myself jumping, doing sit-ups, and shooting at targets with my sidearm blaster.
An announcement came over the intercom: “All Personal, this is Admiral Heinrich, we are moving the fleet into Sigma 13 to attack Kusari. As you know, Kusari has made major raids against us in an alliance with the traitorous Bertonians. We will show them the full might of the Fatherland. I want all pilots on full alert and all ships are to go to Rot Status. Hail GottKanzler!”
My mind finally shut down, overwhelmed by the terror that my life had become.
When my mind started processing events again I realized that my squad of six Valkyries was out patrolling Sigma 13. *It* had obviously been practicing as it now controlled MY limbs easily and skillfully. Also, *It* was flying my ship better then I could. All was peaceful when suddenly the main body of the Northern Fleet was attacked. ***<Our ships streaked in toward the fleet> All ships return *** They needed us but unfortunately when we got there our fighters were outclassed, our pilots were not skilled enough, and our capital ships were under constant fire and unable to provide support.
*** AAAHHHH ****
My head EXPLODED with pain and I felt as if I was being ripped to shreds as outside my cockpit I saw one of my wingmen’s ship turn into a fireball. *** <darkness and pain> *** emanated from the creatures. these things must be linked, when one feels something they all feel it.
AH!! I could still think, maybe there was hope for me still.
*It* skillfully held my ship in formation with the squad leader’s ship as he vectored in on a Blood Dragon. Lead fired his Firekiss guns and stripped the Dragon of his shields. *** <Weapons fire from my ship lanced out and vaporized the Dragon ship> *** *It* fired my ship's guns and raked fire from the tip to the tail of the Dragon’s ship, which crumpled and exploded. I hope the Dragon punched out in time.
More and more of our Valkyries were exploding as the cruiser escort began to collapse. Lead's engine was hit and he lost control, only to slam into Fenrir's shield. I didn't see an escape pod. I mourned the loss of a comrade but rejoiced at a Creature's death as well.
The battle was over before it begun as the fighter support was shredded and the cruisers began to succumb to hostile fire. Fenrir and Jormungand began to move toward the New Berlin Jump Hole where they could receive reinforcements from Rheinland space.
I had managed to learn how to suppress the initial shock of feeling the pain of each of these creatures as they died but then a tremendous wave of pain hit me as the Reactor Core of the RNC BS-Jormungand was breached and the 2186 Men, Women, and Creatures aboard that ship were vaporized. *** <Nomads withering and dying in agony> ***
The mental wave of anguish knocked all the Creatures senseless. The barely controlled order that our ships had maintained was gone and it was each pilot for himself. At least *It* was in such pain that I could move myself again. But maybe that wasn't a good thing as *It* was a better pilot then me and there were two Dragons vectoring in to kill me. I took control of my body back and flew into the gas clouds to escape the Blood Dragons. Dodging and weaving through pockets of explosive gas I lost the Dragons and turned toward the Frankfurt Jump Hole. Maybe if I could get home to Rheinland someone could remove this THING from me and I could have MY life back. Fenrir was just coming into view when the the 2310 Men, Women, and Creatures on board RNC BS-Fenrir died as a large fireball replaced the once proud battleship.
The pain from those deaths almost caused me to black out, and *It* shuddered and went into a comatose state. With Fenrir gone the Blood Dragons started hunting for individual pilots, like me. Faced with the choice of certain death at the hands of the four Blood Dragons coming to get me or hoping that *It* wouldn't wake up until I could escape I fled into the gas clouds and hid.
*It* was in shock for almost 45 Standard Minutes, and for that time I owned myself again. I used the time to write a letter to mein mutter und vater telling them that I was fine, and despite the news reports I survived and that I loved them. I didn’t want them to worry. I dodged the Dragons as much as possible and hoped that this was all a dream, but I knew better. *It* woke up.
After awakening *It* effortlessly regaining control of my body and turned my ship toward New Berlin. As *It* was flying I started to weep in my mind, because that was the only thing left of me. If I cannot resist *It* when I knew what was coming what chance of ever seeing my mutter or vater again did I have? I was doomed to a life of being this creature’s instrument and watching as it used me for its goals, whatever those might be.
Once back on New Berlin I was debriefed, although I never spoke a word. *It* impersonated me very well. I was told that four fighter pilots survived the Blood Dragon attack, and only one gunboat had managed to limp away. They made a mockery of us and the rest of Rheinland.
*** <a system that is green with lots of rocks. A square station comes into view with a Liberty Cruiser orbiting above it. A women (President Jacobi) is seen boarding a shuttle bound for the station. She is escorted by guards...with glowing eyes> We need her ***
*** <Rheinland ships heading for Liberty space> Go and ensure that she is taken***
Rheinland Command sent two wings of fighters, so 12 fighters in all, plus 2 gunboats. With the war against Kusari in full swing that is all that could be spared. We were escorted through the minefield in Zone 21 by a Liberty fleet that was already under Nomad control. We entered the system known as Alaska. Our combined force proceeded to LSF Fairbanks and had just arrived when the Order pilots arrived. [color-#ffffff]*** The Liberty and Rheinland ships blowing up Order ships> ***.
The Creatures used OUR ships to engage the enemy ships and started pouring plasma into the Order fighters. Ships disintegrated as escape pods shot out of dying ships.
*** <Tractor beams lanced out from Nomad-controlled ships and pulled in the escape pods in> Capture them <Nomads joined with the captured enemy pilots> We need new bodies ***
And then suddenly! *** PAIN!! A man in a brown jacket was standing over me holding a blaster, a plasma bolt lanced toward me>PAIN! and then nothing ***
Ahhh!! The pain!! the most powerful among them was gone, the lack of presence from that Creature left a gaping lack of wholeness in their community.
*** <The cruiser exploded into a fiery ball of death> Make it happen ***
Our fighters swarmed the cruiser as it lumbered toward the JumpGate to the New York system. Dodging its return fire *It* fired MY torpedoes which ruptured the cruiser's hull; spilling oxygen, metal, and humans into the void of space.
*** <A ship was swarmed by all our fighters who poured enough firepower into it to destroy a battleship class vessel. As the pilot vaporized we knew he is the one who shot the Old One who was using the Rheinland Chancellor> He needs to die ***
All ships vectored in on his ship but as his shields disintegrated the last remaining cruiser cut between us and our prey. Plasma pierced the darkness between the cruiser and the ships blocking the JumpGate. Secondary guns targeted Nomad-controlled fighters.
*** <A shot comes from the cruiser straight toward me, shields gone!PAIN!! *** The Valkyrie fighter beside me vaporises as the cruiser's shot crushes the ship and turns it into a fireball. An ally disappeared but our return fire devastated the cruiser's hull; slagging guns and vaporizing bulkheads. Three Liberty heavy fighters formed up and made a torpedo run cracking open the cruiser's reactor. Rolling sheets of flame incinerated the ship from the inside out. *** the community is pleased ***
We turned our attention toward the fighter that carried the Slayer as he escaped through the New York JumpGate. *** <red rage> he must die ***.
*** <Our ships formed up around the station and searched for survivors> ***
*** <Our ships getting repairs and upgrades at Oder Shipyard> Go ***
The five Rheinland fighters that remained after the battle in Alaska formed up on the gunboat and turned toward home. The Order had suffered heavy casualties, losing three cruisers and a large number of fighters but the combined Nomad, Rheinland, and Liberty fleets had taken losses as well, almost all ships were scarred in some way. My ship had lost a Firekiss gun from the port wing but my ship was still combat-ready. Part of me wished that I had died there and then the nightmare would have been over for me, but maybe it was better this way, maybe someone would discover my terror and would remove this THING from me. The Community had lost many valuable members, including an Old One to the vile -humans-. But they were intent on pressing on and sterilizing this space so when the Ancient Ones Return they will find their home clean.
The Zoners at Freeport 2 were not very receptive to *It*s demands and closed their docking ports so they could not resupply. Fortunately for the Zoners the aliens did not have the firepower to take down the base's shield so they simply harassed the trading trading vessels in the area. *** <The Freeport shatters under combined Nomad and Rheinland battleship firepower> For now they are nothing but when we have the forces we will cleanse them ***
*It* then proceeded to Oder Shipyard to resupply and rearm my ship.
*** <The bulkhead in front of me exploded and blaster fire lanced out into the ship. AHH!! My arm was gone! Blaster fire was returned and several of the enemy raiders were hit as I fell but more quickly came to take their place> Help! -human- vermin are attacking us! ***
*** <A flotilla of ships came through the JumpGate and set upon these new attackers> We are coming, Community will be preserved ***
The forces that were assembled were less then half of the forces shown though, but the Creatures proceeded anyway. And when they came through the JumpGate there were no more friendly forces, at least no intact ships. A cruiser was slowly rotating as fires raged through the interior. And there were full fleets of fighters and bombers escorting Assault Cruisers, that I noted with dismay, were configured for disgorging marines onto capital class ships.
"Nomads, you will surrender at once and leave the humans you have captured."
*** <Our ships tearing the new groups fighters apart> Community will be preserved ***
Then...Nothingness, no Community, alone
so alone
*** <A Nomad changes colors franticly, looks for someone, anyone> THIS CANNOT BE!! OLD ONES!! PLEASE ANSWER!! ***
Nothing
*** <The Nomad shimmers and collapses> NO!! ***
A Target!! Firekiss guns lit up the space between my ship and it, and the Valkyrie disintegrated. Another target, and another Valkyrie got lit up by my guns and is gone, and another one follows right behind it. ENEMIES!!!
*** Elders!! Friends!! ***
Wa Wa Wa Wa!! Shields were gone and hull was cracking...
Auto-Eject Initiated
My body and *It* drifted in the escape pod, stars slowly drifting by the small viewports. Occasionally there were flashes of light and blurs of ships.
Then the stars stopped spinning and morphed into lines as I got pulled into the belly of a Prison Liner that showed up.
"We're going to Mannheim Station where we can play with you and the little squishy thing inside you."
/ Yes, of course, all your thoughts are known to The Community \
Well if you're so smart why don't you get out of here?
/ The Community does not wish it. \
What? You know, I can feel your thoughts too, the Community is gone, you can't feel them anymore, so why don't you GET OUT OF ME?!?!
/ You know nothing -human- so stay quiet \
YOU attacked me, YOU got me into this mess, YOU have taken over MY body and now YOU refuse to get ME out of YOUR battle! Get out of ME!!!
/ This cannot be done, The Community wishes for me to use your body \
SO?? I want MY body back! What right does your community have to MY body?
/ -Humans- are The Infestation, you spread throughout the Ancient Ones home, you must be purged. If is only fitting that you be used to wipe each other out. \
You BASTARD! Get OUT of MY body! GET OUT OF MY HEAD!
/ I told you, I cannot. Deal with it -human-, I am stuck with you \
***<PAIN!!! AHHH!> Ancient Ones!! Elders!! Please Help! ***
Ahh, excellent leered Dr. Hergescheimer.
We figured that around 3 years had passed since we were captured. This Dr. Hergescheimer was just the latest in a constant stream of scientists who was experimenting on us. Pain was now the constant feeling in our lives. Test after test after test, why couldn't they just remove *It* from me so I could go home? I wanted to see mein mutter und vater again...
/ they are probably dead by now, wiped out by The Community \
The Community is gone, they got vaporized by the Order pilot who escaped you in Alaska. It's all your fault that The Community was destroyed, if you would have gotten him there your precious Elder Ones would have not left you, maybe the Ancient Ones would have come back. But they saw your failure.
/ NO!! SHUT UP!! \
AHH! I screamed. *It* knew how to hurt me if I disobeyed *It*.
Oh, am I hurting the poor Nomad scum? sneered Dr. Hergescheimer. Shut up you alien!
Ahhh, I'm sorry, just get us out of here.
Others will learn more from you my dual friends, but now try I am off to bigger and better stations in life. Goodbye! And with that Dr. Hergescheimer departed just like all the others, to be replaced by some other bright and eager scientist who just wanted glory and didn't give a d*mn about me.
And so it went for the next eleven years, self inflated scientists who couldn't care less about the humans they were experimenting on. Guards who would first start out in fear of us but within a month were calloused and sloppy. No official Rheinland Military detachment would act so! This further reinforced my belief that this was a shadow group of the Rheinland infrastructure.
And then the guards started fearing us again.
/ Ah, how interesting... -human- it seems we will soon be free to continue Purification \
***<Station in flames, Nomads were destroying Rheinland Military ships, and I was in a ship fleeing the station> We will get you out ***
"I wish to rejoin Community, and no -human- will stop me." *It* used my mouth for the first time in years.
huh? You think that they are going to let you out just cause you asked? Say please next time.
**PAIN!**
/ Silence -human- for you do not know all that I now know. Light will rescue and I will Purge these -humans- using your body. If you do not co-operate then I will give your parent's location to Community and you will see them again as part of Community. \
no don't!! I beg of you. I'll be good.
/ I thought you might see it my way \
The years in isolation from Community had changed *it*, and me. Humans cannot fully understand what it is like to be alone, not when compared to what this thing went through. *It* had perfect communion with beings like him, and they knew each other's thoughts and will, and suddenly all that was ripped away from *It*. Before *It* had no sense of self-will, and now *It* was close to being self-willed.
For that matter, I have changed as well, I now pity *It* instead of fearing this creature. I share more then a body with *It*, I share feelings and emotions. Our personality has blended. While we do not help each other's goals, or even agree with each other most of the time, we are more one being then two now.
"-Human- did you hear me?"
"I heard you, but no Nomad scum will trick me."
*It* wandered over to the door and looked out the little hole they provided.
"Someday -human-, I will use you to destroy your own kind."
(Eyes flash purple)
"OOOHHHH!! I'm so scared" the guard bravely uttered, but there was a tremble in his voice.
"Light will Control you."
"You are making no sense, better let the EggHeads deal with you"
An explosion rocked the station waking *It* and me up as we were tossed out of bed.
***Community***
*It* shuddered with excitement. / My time is Now -human-, now I will Purge the rest of your vile Infestation from my home \
NO!!! I will not let you destroy AAAHHHHH
*It* knew all the pressure points of the human psyche and exercised this knowledge gladly.
Men with guns in Rheinland Navy uniforms ran up to our cell. I was relieved to see them restoring order, and maybe helping me get free of this thing. And then their eyes flashed purple.
***We have come for Community members here***
***Let us escape***
The Wilde blasted the doors and *It* stepped through, a free...thing...once more.
As we ran down the hallway *It* stopped before a closet door and felt curious. *It* reached out my hand and opened the door to find the one guard that this thing had promised to kill.
"This -human- is one that We require for a new weapon. He comes with Us."
***We know, Hurry***
***<Us running down the hall into the hanger>***
***<A Wrath>***
***Yours***
We throw the -human- guard into the cargo bay and climb into the cockpit to prepare for departure.
As we fly out of the hanger we sense many RM ships approaching.
"Listen up squishy brains, surrender now and we will let you live"
***NEVER***
"AH!!! my HEAD!! Very well squishies, have it your way"
The Rheinland fleet moved in to attack and destroy us...