If we reach 10 comments, . You have five hours from the time this chapter is posted. If we reach the goal, the next chapter will be posted in eight hours.(Valid comments must include information about what you like or dislike about the story, what you would like to see about the story, or any questions you may have about the story, as the devil is in the details.)
-----------------------------
If there are spelling mistakes, please let me know.
Leave a comment; support is always appreciated.
I remind you to leave your ideas or what you would like to see.
-------------------------------
02.08.906.M38
-------------------------------
POV of Cultist
While I was standing in line, waiting to comply with the orders issued by the planet's new government, someone suddenly grabbed me with force and tore me away from the column of people, dragging me into a narrow alley.
"Come, quickly… it's a trap," he whispered. I recognized the voice immediately. One of our own.
"What's happening? Why do you say it's a trap?" I asked as I followed him, glancing over my shoulder to make sure no one was watching us.
"Anyone suspected of following our Prince is being sent to a specific building. No one has come out of there. They're being eliminated," he said, stopping at a corner and nervously checking both directions. "The followers of the Corpse Emperor know about us. I don't know how, but if they find you, they'll kill you."
"And the others?" I asked, leaning out as well to keep watch.
"Many dead. Many walked straight into the trap. Some tried to get closer to see what was happening, thinking we could exploit the chaos… share the pleasures, the excess… but it was pointless." His voice trembled slightly before he broke into a run.
I followed as fast as I could. We crossed an intersection and kept moving at full speed through the corridors of the hive.
"And our leader?" I asked, my pulse racing. "Did they capture him?"
"No. Not yet," he replied without slowing down. "He suspected something when control changed. He went into hiding before the purges began. But now we must hide and wait. There is no other option."
I nodded, and we continued through the labyrinthine corridors of the hive, avoiding patrols. It was well known that the new rulers had begun purging the gangs in the lower levels. For days they had been killing anyone found outside the assigned zones after the deadline.
At last, we reached the mid–upper levels and slipped into one of the group's safe houses. From there, we descended through a hidden tunnel leading to our refuge.
We moved quickly, but as we ventured deeper into the tunnels, a thick, delicious fragrance began to fill the air. I felt saliva gather in my mouth, my tongue unconsciously passing over my lips.
The sensation intensified with every step. When we reached the door, we knocked rapidly. A small viewing slit opened, and an eye examined us. Instantly, a series of locks and chains were undone, and we were let inside.
The refuge was half empty. A large part of our group had fallen into the new government's trap.
"How did they know exactly who we were?" I asked, looking at the cultist who had saved me.
"I don't know," he replied, wiping his forearm across his damp mouth. "They only asked one question. Just one. And then they killed them. I don't understand how, with so little, they could know we weren't followers of their false emperor."
"Do not worry," our leader's voice suddenly echoed.
I turned my head. Before him, three dancers moved with hypnotic grace, their bodies tracing impossible shapes as he consumed an obscene quantity of substances. His eyes were glassy, filled with lust, and his tongue slowly slid across his lips.
"This is only a temporary setback," he said with a twisted smile. "We have survived worse hunts. We only need to endure."
He ignited one of the artifacts our Prince had gifted him. Something began to burn within it, and the atmosphere grew even thicker, more enveloping, more pleasurable.
"When things calm down, everything will be fine again," he continued, gesturing toward the many prisoners we had secured. "We have enough resources to survive for a long time."
I felt the hunger return—intense, impossible to ignore.
It did not take long for us to prepare a banquet using our reserves. The air filled with dense, intoxicating aromas as we surrendered to the pleasures our Prince had granted us, trying—if only for a moment—to forget the hunt unfolding outside.
I was savoring that excess when an explosion shook the refuge. The door blasted inward with a sharp, violent crash. I barely had time to turn before a group stormed into the room; I had no chance to react. Something struck me hard, and I felt blood running down my forehead as the world dissolved into a whirl of noise, screams, and blinding lights.
-----------------------------------
POV of Settler
Everything was so strange. From one moment to the next, everything changed. It was already strange enough to have those blue xenos trying to convince us with their dogma, but now another kind of rulers of space had arrived.
The Terran Dominion. They were humans who proclaimed themselves masters of the stars, and now they ruled our world because the governor had handed over power, and we were annexed into the Dominion—although no one knew where the governor was anymore.
On the first day they injected things into my arm. It hurt for a while, but for some reason all the pains in my body disappeared shortly after. The difficulty breathing was gone within a few days, and I felt as if I had been born again.
But I was very worried about what would happen next, because I had worked incredibly hard to get my last job. I had gone door to door just to be accepted into a factory moving boxes, and now all work had stopped by order of the new governor. I had no idea what was going to happen. The food they gave us helped, but work is more important than having food for a few months.
So the days passed as I stayed at home waiting for work to resume, but eventually the news came that the factory where I worked had been permanently shut down for failing to meet the environmental requirements of the new rules imposed by the government. And just like that, I was completely unemployed—like almost the entire planet. Whenever I talked with my neighbors, everyone said the same thing: all the factories had closed because none of them met the environmental standards.
No one had a job, and just thinking about it made my stomach hurt. I remembered when I had to endure on a single nutrient bar every two or three days.
Then I was summoned by the Ministry of Expansion.
I didn't know what I had done to be called. Thinking that maybe I was going to be accused of something, I presented myself at their office, which was located in the middle sector of the hive. There were many people waiting outside the building, just like me. Everyone looked nervous.
I didn't wait long before they let me in, and I was attended by one of these Terrans. He wore a suit that looked very expensive and a golden badge shaped like a wolf on his chest.
"Name and profession," the Terran said without looking at me, while working on a machine.
"Dru… Drusus… I just worked moving boxes," I said with my head lowered.
"Can you read?" the Terran asked.
"No…" I replied.
"Immediate family?" the Terran asked as a mechanical sound was heard.
"No… parents died in an accident at a factory," I answered.
"Good. By order of the Lord Regent, representing the interests of our Emperor Arcturus Mengsk, you have been selected, Drusus, to be part of a group that will colonize uninhabited planets in the name of the Dominion. By the magnanimity of the Lord Regent, you will be allowed to choose which planet you will be sent to," the Terran said, lifting his gaze to me for the first time.
"You're sending me to another planet?" I asked nervously.
"Affirmative. I will begin reading those with the greatest benefits," the Terran said, but I interrupted him.
"Benefits?" I asked, raising my hand slightly.
"The State grants you shares in factories or extraction companies, providing you with economic benefits simply for participating in colonization. These can cover a large portion of your expenses. Benefits depend on the estimated difficulty of life on the planet," the Terran explained.
"New Tarsonis. Mining world. No atmosphere, and none is planned—oxygen mandatory. Estimated population: one hundred thousand. Mining extraction of precursor components essential to adamantium. You will receive shares in the mining company, participation in hydroponic farms, and participation in future internal consumer goods enterprises," the Terran said, looking at me with little interest.
"Would I have to wear an oxygen mask all day?" I asked.
"Unless you want to die, yes," the Terran replied.
"Isn't there another one?" I asked.
"I will ignore the next nine, as they are similar. Miramar World. Agricultural world. Has an atmosphere. Average temperature: twenty-three degrees Celsius. Ninety percent of the world is covered by water. Macrofauna has already been eliminated. Estimated population: one hundred million. You will receive shares in agricultural companies of all kinds. That is all for now."
"That sounds very good," I said after thinking for a moment.
"That one, then?" the Terran asked.
"Yes, I think so," I replied.
Suddenly the machine began to make noise and produced a sheet of paper.
"With that, go to the hive's starport. You leave today. You have five hours—prepare your things," the Terran said, ordering me out.
I was surprised by how abrupt everything was, but I prepared what little I had: some clothes I had managed to buy by saving several wages, the clothing the Terrans had given me, the food they themselves provided, and a few items related to the God-Emperor. Beyond that, I had nothing of value—except my bed, and I didn't know if I could take it.
So I only took what was light, hoping I wouldn't regret not taking more.
With everything I owned on me, I arrived at the spaceport. It was full of ships transporting large groups of people toward colossal vessels that easily blocked out the sun.
I waited my turn until they called Miramar, the world I was assigned to. I boarded the ship, which was packed with people, and we were taken to a larger vessel where we were quickly organized inside a vast hall with very little space—though for some reason the air felt much better than that of the hive.
For a long time we stayed there staring at the ceiling of the ship. I had heard that this journey could take a long time. Someone said they had a relative who traveled between planets as crew, and that those journeys lasted weeks or months. So I assumed we would be there for a very long time.
While we were talking, we heard Miramar again. We all looked toward the speakers, and it seemed we had arrived.
Our group moved toward the transport ships, and we began our descent to the new planet. As we went down, I could see the bright green of the land and the emerald-blue water of the ocean.
When we disembarked, almost all of us did the same thing—we took our first breath, enjoying how clean the air was, with that faint salty touch to it.
Several members of the colony's security forces were waiting for us. They were troopers, protecting workers from the Ministry of Expansion, who began handing out a kind of bracelet that displayed information.
"Here you go… all your personal life information will be stored here—birthdays, contacts, medical appointments, work schedules, and every order issued by the governor."
They placed the device on my arm immediately.
"Colonist 000023453, Drusus. Move to your left, walk three hundred meters, turn right, then walk six hundred meters to reach your government-assigned residence… for Arcturus," the device said, displaying a map I was supposed to follow.
I began navigating using the device, walking and following its directions until I reached a massive building that seemed to stretch up into the clouds.
"Enter the building in front of you and use the elevator to go to floor fourteen," the device said, showing me the symbol.
I went in and pressed a glowing button. The doors opened, I pressed the same symbol, and the doors closed. I felt something carrying me upward.
After a moment, the doors opened and I stepped out into a long hallway lined with many doors. The device on my arm showed me the way.
"Please bring your personal welfare unit close to the lock," the device said, and the moment I did, I heard the door unlock.
Inside, I found a very spacious home. It felt strange to think this place had about ten times more space than what I had before. There were so many rooms that I couldn't understand how they expected this to be just for me—until I assumed I would probably have to share it with others, which seemed the most logical explanation.
I kept looking around. In one room there was a large bed and furniture. In another, what looked like a bathroom—although I had never seen one so large or filled with so many things I didn't know the purpose of.
While exploring, I found a device that emitted cold. When I opened it, it was full of food. I scratched my head at the sight of it and stored the food they had given me inside, figuring there had to be a reason for it.
Then I stood by the window, looking at the landscape.
"So… what do I do now?" I said, unsure.
"Available actions for colonist," the device on my arm said. "Schedule appointment at genetic clinic to arrange genetic modification… attend local agency of the Ministry of Education to begin mandatory education and training… job search to finance personal leisure."
Once again, a map appeared showing possible locations, and I started moving. I went down the elevator and followed the device's directions until I reached what looked like a medical center, where a group of people was waiting outside.
Once inside, I waited in a short line until another Terran, with a machine in front of him, received me.
"Please bring your arm with your personal welfare unit here," the Terran said, pointing at the machine.
I obeyed, and several mechanical sounds followed.
"Drusus… genetic modification, correct? Or do you have another condition due to genetic issues?" the Terran asked.
"Genetic modification… although I have no idea why," I replied.
"Oh… it's because you have a very large genetic deviation from the Terran genome, which leads you to be classified as a mutant… but here we can fix that. Here you can be normal. With the genetic change you'll be stronger, more energetic, and once your genome is corrected and your body stops performing inefficient processes, you'll be able to contribute like never before to the greatness of the Dominion," the Terran said, raising his fist.
I raised my fist as well.
"It's the other one," the Terran said, looking at my raised arm, and I lowered it immediately.
"Good, Drusus… you're available now. We have open slots at the moment, but if you decide to wait, I can't guarantee it will be as fast," the Terran said, checking his machine.
"Yes, I have time," I replied.
"Good. Then please go to that room over there and you'll be attended shortly," the Terran said. I obeyed.
I sat down to wait, and it didn't take long before they called me. They drew blood and made a small incision, then a group of doctors began talking among themselves while observing an image that looked like a ladder, pointing at different sections several times until they agreed on something. They all nodded.
Finally, a machine prepared an injection and applied it to my arm.
"Come back every week. We'll need to inject you again. The process lasts eight weeks," a doctor said, and my arm device added the reminders as soon as everything was finished.
After that, I went to the Ministry of Education, and it was similar. I brought my arm close, they assigned me class schedules to attend a school, and then they gave me study material along with a personal study agenda.
Finally, I started looking for work, thinking it would be just as difficult as back home—but I was hired at the very first place I applied.
My job was to raise a species of mollusk cultivated in one of the planet's marine farms. I only had to put on a diving suit and make sure the water quality was optimal for their survival and that there were enough nutrients in their ecosystem.
As soon as I was hired, the device on my arm displayed numbers that were explained to me. The first part was my salary, the second my expenses, and the rest was the amount available to spend. After paying for electricity, water, and housing, I had around five hundred credits left—although I was told that company shares would start paying out soon, and then I would receive more and be able to live comfortably.
-----------------------------
If there are spelling mistakes, please let me know.
Leave a comment; support is always appreciated.
I remind you to leave your ideas or what you would like to see.
-------------------------------