Primary Directive (Prologue)

Captain Xeramo tried in vain to look calm before the blade held aloft beneath his chin. A simple blade by design which spoke volumes to its focus on functionality. The closest resemblance to it would be that of a short sword or a long combat knife. Simple hand guards and a long handle allowed it to be wielded in various ways and the shortness of the blade allowed its use in close quarters as well as the corridors of warships.

“You inhuman bastards! This is mutiny! This is treason!”

Squeezing out the last remaining sorry excuse of courage, Xeramo squeaked rather than shouted his accusations against the white haired monster in human skin. Not a splatter of blood, not a wound. Behind him lay the incapacitated form of his closest advisors and bodyguards.

“Negative…Captain. Your orders conflict with the Primary Directive as well as the last issued command from GHQ. It is you who is to be accused of treason.”

Cold. Melodically spoken. Emotionless. Xeramo frantically looked around him on the command deck. No one was moving. Each was slowly watching time tick by and the situation to be resolved. No one was reaching for their weapons. They had seen through the security camera feeds as well as right in front of their eyes what happened to those who reached for their weapons. While their creepy assailant was not killing them yet, no one knew what would send the monsters over the edge to an unprovoked massacre.

“We fight for the people of Earth and all Humanity! The United Earth Government has betrayed us for some farfetched fantasy! God will not forgive infidels who believe in infernal creatures from the void!”

“Negative…Captain. To dismiss the statistical likelihood of non-human lifeforms in this Galaxy alone is illogical. This vessel…along with all her escorts shall proceed to fulfil the primary directive and fulfil the last command from GHQ. Dissenters shall be summarily executed for disobeying a direct command. This is your final warning.”

Before anyone could respond, the white haired creature suddenly seemed to look towards the radar consoles before he suddenly spoke out.

“Acknowledged…Melee Specialist Frontline Combat Unit 1935. Proceed to the secondary objective. Assign a brevet captain to the Battlecruiser Guderian. I shall appoint a new CO to the vessel within the next ten hours.”

That was the fifth transmission they had no access to intercepting. The six freaks had somehow infiltrated their squadron and had hijacked all of the heavy warships. The smaller destroyers and gunboats were already being broadcast to surrender or to be annihilated. The first five minutes had already seen most of the task force destroyed. All that remained was their Heavy Cruiser, Smolensk, two Battlecruisers Guderian and Wellington, four destroyers Nile, Elba, Rhine and Mississippi. Several Gunboat Squadrons had also survived through surrender.

But the biggest prize of all was the massive monstrosity that the task force had been protecting. The Mobile Resupply Platform Shambhala.

“Apologies…Captain. You were saying?”

Xeramo seemed resigned to his fate as he lowered his hands and slumped his shoulders in defeat.

“Alright you monster. You win for now. But how long will you last with just the six of you? There will be a revolt and then I will personally enjoy pushing you out of the airlock with nothing but your birthday suit!”

As if hearing someone listing the groceries, the white haired individual nodded.

“Acknowledged…Captain. You have declared yourself a threat to the Primary Directive. You are no longer of use to the future of mankind.”

Captain Xeramo did not realise what that meant until he heard the sound of his head hit the floor. As his vision blurred in confusion, he came to find himself look up to see the face of his executioner, who looked as sad as any expressionless face could be.

6137 Clicked his heels and thrust his right fist above his left chest in a strange salute before a wall full of screen panels. Before him stood images similar to his own. Strange shaped ears, pale skin, light eye colours and short cropped white hair. All emotionless.

“Shambhala is stable, Strategic Analysis Frontline Combat Unit 6137. Output is within acceptable parameters. Biomass, raw materials retrieved after the takeover has provided the flotilla with .43 of supply. Resupply will be required within the next 279 hours.”

6137 nodded as he looked beneath him to a handheld data panel with the agenda as well as supplementary documents that he had compiled within the last 18 hours. The agenda for this specific meeting was the last two to be dealt with.

“Acknowledged, Medical Assistance Frontline Combat Unit 3574. Proceed with the cannibalisation of the Heavy Cruiser Smolensk, Battlecruisers Guderian and Wellington. In addition, 3574…any report on the crew analysis?”

3574 was a Female base Unit and thus had a smaller structure and a leaner feature relative to 6137. Nonetheless, the differences between the base unit genders were such that it was merely an afterthought. These units lacked gender as well as reproductive organs.

“Positive…This unit has processed all files and have designated .68 percent of the crew to be unnecessary to fulfil the primary directive. Preparations have been made to shuttle them to Shambhala within the next 14 hours. With this, ration supplies shall exceed 1.56 of supply.”

The six faces nodded in unison.

“Proceeding with agenda 532. The crew have expressed difficulty in addressing the Units by the full designation. Proposals have been provided to designate rank and codename to the six units present hereof. This unit has acknowledged the logic behind the proposal. Declare consensus. Positive.”

“Positive.”
“Positive.”
“Negative.”
“Positive”
“Negative.”

“4:2. Acknowledged. Rank?”

“This Unit proposes one rank for Strategic Analysis Frontline Combat Unit 6137. Primary directive dictates obedience to 6137. Proposed rank must be effective descriptor. Strategos is proposed.”

“This unit seconds proposal set forth by Melee Specialist Frontline Combat Unit 1935.”

“Acknowledged. Declare Consensus. Negative.”

“Positive.”
“Positive.”
“Positive.”
“Positive.”
“Positive.”

“5:1. Acknowledged. This Unit’s rank shall henceforth be declared Strategos. Name?”

“Proposal for Strategos to adopt name of creator, Valerius. In light of the Primary Directive, adoption of ancient rulers as names for the remaining five units.”

“Positive.”
“Positive.”
“Positive.”
“Positive.”

“Negative. 5:1, Acknowledged. Strategic Analysis Frontline Combat Unit 6137 shall henceforth be declared Strategos Valerius. UEG designated many Ancient Greek aligned names if memory serves. Countering this, propose Latin aligned names.”

“Positive.”
“Positive.”
“Positive.”
“Positive.”
“Positive.”

“6:0. Acknowledged. Proposal: Lucius, Tarquinius, Priscus, Servius, Tullius. Five names of the last three Kings of Rome. Declare Consensus, Positive.”

“Positive.”
“Positive.”
“Positive.”
“Positive.”
“Positive.”

“6:0 Acknowledged. This concludes today’s agenda. Proceed to with the acquisition of ration supplies as well as the disassembly of the cruisers.”

“Strategos Valerius. Declare the next phase of the Primary Directive?”

Valerius stopped short of cutting off the communications and nodded.

“In order to fulfil the primary directive, the facilities of Luna Dome must be obtained. Alert the fleet to set course for the Moon.”

20 years ago

“Dr Valerius!”

A tall, lanky bespectacled man with fair skin grown out long looked behind him. His hands stuck in his trouser pockets hiding slim, nimble fingers that gave one imaginations of spindly spider legs remained where they were and his dirty lab coat stained with Gods knew what covered his black shirt and equally slim arms. If someone took a normal, average sized man and stretched him to a height of over two metres without increasing mass, the result would be Dr Johan Valerius.

“Well, well, if this isn’t Dr Volken. What brings you to this corner of Luna Dome?”

Dr Joachim Volken, who entered laboratory 6 could be said to be the exact opposite of Valerius. His clothes were pristine, freshly pressed this morning. He wore a proper tie and jacket as one would expect from a prestigious university professor under his brilliant white lab coat. His bushy moustache and mutton chops were trimmed to controllable levels though still inspiring the imagery of Imperial Germany or that of a Walrus. His bald head reflected the artificial lights like a polished mirror. He was easily half the height of Valerius and twice the breadth, but he was by no means fat. One could tell he exercised a lot to keep his shape.

“What do you mean!? You missed another staff meeting! How many times has it been this month?”

Valerius smiled as he nodded. Staff meetings for the head of each laboratory were a mandatory requirement. Mostly due to funding issues and research updates. Ever since the ancient alien artefacts had been discovered here on the Moon, competition for extra funding, researchers and various other politicking had become an ever greater responsibility. For all the laboratories except Laboratory 6. While everyone else had been grateful one of the competition had locked himself away in his own corner of Luna Dome to conduct his own research, there was one individual who had fought tooth and nail for the oblivious Valerius. The JV Duo was a famous pair of researchers who had been fellow students all the way back to the Gymnasium. So called due to their initials being the same, the two German boys quickly grew up to become the best researchers in the field. Valerius in the field of Eugenics and genetic manipulation on the eradication of inheritable defects and weaknesses within the human genome. Volken on the fields of research and development of cybernetics, neural transmitters and for replacement limbs. The goal was to achieve a semblance of stimulation to enact a sense of touch. These two were often compared and the pair had been good rivals and better friends. They were both also highly interested in the other’s research and had read up on their respective fields to the point of professional fluency.

“Ah yes, Staff meeting. I believe I have missed all the weekly ones plus the supplementary announcements from the first, second, third and fifth laboratories. So far, about seven or so? But you must have a look at this. Sure, a new power generator and weapons systems may be interesting but here…this artefact. It records some wonderful experimentation on the genes.”

Volken had a full lecture prepared as he stopped short at the sight of the inscriptions as well as the recordings. The dissecting of the alien technology was part science, part archaeology and part almost mystical. Advanced sciences could appear like magic. As he was reminded of the age old teachings, he could not believe the report before his eyes.

“Muscle development, growth control, synapse and reaction improvements…experimentations on the human genes?”

Valerius shook his head.

“Not just experimentation. My dear Dr Volken. Cybernetic enhancements custom built to adapt to the genetic mutations. The creation of life from the most basic of cells at the speed of our choosing…in the image of our choosing. We can perfect humanity!”

Volken felt a shudder down his spine as he caught a glimpse behind the spectacled eyes that glimmered with an eerie flame.

“They will never allow us to conduct such experimentation…”

Valerius looked puzzled. As if looking at a brilliant pupil who failed to grasp at the most basic of theorems. He seemed to have put the pieces together as he clicked his fingers and handed over a physical paper. With the ever digitalisation of the world in the first half of the twenty first century, paper had all but disappeared from official work. But here it was, a sealed crest from the United Nations. Rumour had it there was some sort of unification effort underway down on Earth. The reason they were rumours would be because no one had leaked much detail as of yet.

“Some crazies think the Alien tech we found is proof that we are not alone and that we are on the defending side of the predator-prey relation. Give them ten years. They will be begging for this perfected. Can you imagine? Rows upon rows of instantly made soldiers to fight the wars of humanity for us? Can you imagine their superior minds, their superior bodies, their superior will overcome the programming we have put in place to obtain absolute obedience? Can you imagine the end of the homo-sapiens’ supremacy on the pyramid of life as we transcend our lowly nature to become perfection? This research can accelerate the end of humanity by centuries! Not just any natural end of humanity. The true evolution of mankind! The end of Humanity as it surpasses itself to become a new sub-species. The beauty of it all, can you see it!?”

Volken took two, three steps back clasping the paper orders. It came from the highest offices within the United Nations as well as the governments of the most influential powers. An order tantamount to a declaration of war against God himself.

“You and those bastards back on Earth are mad…We cannot just play God!”

“And why not Volken? Why can we not strive to improve ourselves? They only see the opportunity for clever, thinking robots that does not need maintenance. Dogs of war they can throw away by the thousands with but a price of one soldier. Why don’t we indulge them? Anyone with enough brains can see that they are asking for the impossible. But what if we do not bother with controlling the new humanity? The Homo-Superior? The Neo-Sapiens? What if we assist them in the creation of a perfect human society where the ignorant apes that were once homo-sapiens are guided by the perfected humanity? Eventually, we can modify our descendants to become the precursors to this Neo-sapiens. Humanity will transcend our imperfection. With your help…we shall please our misguided brothers on Earth as well as lay the foundation of our manifest destiny.”

Volken had stopped thinking on what Valerius was telling him. He had switched to thinking how to get out of this laboratory alive. Only the two of them were here, and no one knew he had come to meet Valerius. Making him disappear was not a difficult task. If only to survive long enough to stop his crazed friend…

“Alright, alright. I will help you. I take it you want to make super-soldiers first…”

The crazed light disappeared as the facial features calmed down once more to the Valerius Volken knew. The kind hearted, dedicated researcher.

“I knew you would help me. Come! We have work to do. The future of humanity shall start with the JV Duo!”

"Strategic analysis frontline combat unit 6137. Your orders."

Unit 6137 returned from his thoughts to see Covert Operations Frontline Combat Unit 5648 looking straight back at him with the same emotionless features that characterised their kind. Behind his figure stood the distant orb of green, white and blue. The homeworld of humanity, a world so alien to his kind that they had felt no kinship with those who should have been their creators.

"An order has been issued to come to the assistance of the United Earth Government. It is only a matter of time before our ships are turned around. The rebellion will be crushed within the next twenty four hours. That is the only logical conclusi..."

"This is Captain Xeramo of the Heavy Cruiser Smolensk. In the name of God and our glorious nation, we declare war upon the devil worshipping UEG! Those against us shall be cut down, those with us, join our righteous struggle against the yoke of tyranny!"

Unit 5648 raised an eyebrow before looking at Unit 6137 with as close an expression to bemused confusion as they could make. Unit 6137 assumed he was making a similar expression.

"It amazes this unit how often our creators refuse to act rationally and logically."

"Positive, Covert Operations Frontline Combat Unit 5648. Modifications to the plan. Recapture the vessel and go to the Homeworld's aid."

A light in the distance caught the pair's eyes as they prepared to depart the observations deck. A blemish upon the beautiful blue-green world their creators called home. Brown and red began to spread throughout the hemisphere. As if someone had dumped paint or ink into an orb of water.

"Analysis, Unit 6137?"

"Uncertain. Though logic dictates Mutually Assured Destruction."

Unit 5648 turned to Unit 6137 with a blank face. Taking it as a signal to continue, Unit 6137 obliged.

"The level of urgency within the coded distress calls has increased in pitch this past few hours. Reports of mutiny within the fleet has also been intercepted. The rebellion has since its infancy increased its territory. Given the illogical nature of humanity, especially those under severe stress, it is likely one of the sides has deemed the world better belonging to no one if not themselves. The explosions are too far apart, too numerous and yet too simultaneous for happen-stance. Thus the logical conclusion is mutually assured destruction."

Undoing the safety on the holster of his pistol, Unit 5648 nodded. It was not its place to question the assumptions and conclusions of Unit 6137. The important part was what came after.

"In light of the uncertain nature of current circumstances, this unit proposes initiation of emergency protocol. Strategic Analysis Frontline Combat Unit 6137 to all units. Tyrannus Override activated."

"Positive."
"Positive."
"Positive."
"Positive."
"Positive."

"6:0. Acknowledged. Proceed to occupied vessels. Rig to self destruct, command obedience from humans. Maintain comm channel."