I must admit, I hadn't expected to write this. However, recent events convinced me otherwise. In fact, it is because of a recent event that this was even conceived. See, this story is true. Well, mostly true. Well, a little bit is true. I'll put the true part in italics. The picture to the furthest right is the actual cloud a few moments before the event happened. The other two just look cool and I think add a little more to the idea of the story. Shall we begin?
It was just like any other day. Well, almost like any other day. Well, it started like any ordinary day. I spent the morning sleeping in and watching TV. I didn't like sleeping in, but I had no real choice in the matter. Then, after the show I was watching ended, I went outside to the hammock in my backyard. It was tied between two trees, so it was rather shady.
As I climbed in, I glanced at the clouds that were resting on the horizon. The formation was unlike any I had seen in a long time. It seemed like they were a fortress, no, that's not right. The cloud looked like it was made for being inhabited. It seemed like it was a building constructed by an advanced civilization that existed in the beauty of the sky.
I started at the cloud, studying the marvelous beauty when I saw a little black speck. It was shaped like a bird or a plane, but it seemed too far off to be real. It zoomed around the cloud at what I assumed was unbelievably fast. Since there was an airport nearby, it didn't seem uncommon for a plane to be overhead. However, it seemed to fly in and around the cloud. I followed it with my eye, occasionally losing sight of it due to the brightness of the white clouds.
Ideas began to run through my head. Was it an alien? No, that's ridiculous. Maybe the Blackbird being tested. That seemed ridiculous too. Perhaps it was a new type of plane that the government was testing. Or, this seemed most plausible, it was a local pilot, flying around the behemoth cloud. I had already dismissed the idea of a kite or a bird. No bird or kite could be that big, fly that high, and move that fast. Well, it seemed to move slow to me, but since it was flying so high in the sky, it had to be moving fast. It also couldn't be a fly or insect flying around in front of me because it was moving too slow, too gracefully and not jerky enough to be any insect I've ever known.
Then, a different idea popped in my head. What if whatever is in that thing knows I'm seeing it. Maybe they know I'm looking at it and are wondering what to do. The black thing started to move out of my view. It started to fly where the branches of my tree were covering it up.
I stood up out of the hammock and around the tree, holding the black speck in my sight. I moved further around the tree. Suddenly, my eyes started to hurt. It was like coming out of a dark room into the sunlight. But I was in the shade still. My eyesight started to dim and then went black. I quickly leaned against a picnic table right next to me, my eyesight returning fast. I looked at where the black speck was, but I didn't see it. I kept studying the sky.
I returned to the hammock, still looking at the cloud and sky, looking for that small plane-like speck. I spent several minutes walking around my yard, trying to get a better view to see it, but to no avail.
New thoughts began to rush my head. A cloaking device? Not likely. Perhaps it flew away. It couldn't have traveled fast enough to evade me completely. Maybe it was hiding in the cloud. It couldn't stay in there forever. What if it was coming here, to talk to me? I walked inside, still lost in thought. What could have happened to it? I decided to go back outside again.
By this time, the clouds were slightly misshapen. And by this, I mean new clouds were flying in and the pillar on top seemed like it was collapsing into the main section of the cloud. I still couldn't see the black speck and I still had no clue as to what it could have been.
Then, it happened. I saw it again. It was flying. . . towards me. It was flying TOWARDS me. It gradually became bigger and bigger. I took a step back, then another. Suddenly, it stopped moving. It was at least 100 times bigger. Then again, it hardly increased in size, seeing how small it appeared to be to begin with.
A smaller black object fell out the bottom and started to glide towards me. I stood where I was, unafraid and ready for anything. Well, actually, I was paralyzed by fear and uncertainty, but that is beside the point. I stood my ground as the black object landed in my backyard.
It was about as big as a large truck, not quite semi-truck large. It was entirely black and was spherical. Well, except for the fact that there were corners. More like a dodecahedron. Cubed.
From the side facing me a hatch opened. Like the outside, what I could see of the inside was also black. A figure in a white gown that was adorned in frills and patterns stepped out, looked around, took a deep breath, sighed, and looked at me. He looked human, except he towered over me a good foot or two. He was twig-like. I could only imagine how he could fit in the spaceship comfortably.
He looked at me and said, "Ah, yes. You are the one." I looked back at him blankly.
He continued, "We have been studying you and you are perfect."
"Perfect for what?" I asked.
"Perfect for everything we need. Perfect for our society. Perfect for our future."
"Then who are 'we?'" I asked passively.
"My family and I. And the current government of our civilization. Oh, and most of our world and its inhabitants. Don't worry, though. We all agree unanimously that you are the one." I stood there, thinking this over. Then, I asked a very important question.
"Why me?"
He smiled as if he wanted me to say that and answered, "Because you are the only one who can save us. From your day-to-day activities, we have gathered all the information we need. You know enough to save us. We know that you care enough to save us, and we know that you possess the right skills to save us."
"Wait. From the way you say 'save us', it is almost like I am your only salvation."
"Good. I was hoping to convey that message. Without you, we will perish. Now, if you will go inside my starship, I can more fully explain who my people are. However, it is your choice." He started to walk into the ship.
"Wait!" I yelled. He paused and turned around. "You must promise me that you will leave the door open." His face twisted in thought and indecision.
"I can do that, but you will not be able to experience the whole effect. However, later, if you want, I will close it. And I am sure that you will want it closed." He walked into the spaceship. I remained motionless for a moment. Curiosity got the better of me, so I dashed into the spaceship. What was only a few steps for him was a good run for me.
As I entered the spaceship, all was black. I could see the entrance open behind me. Good, I thought, the alien kept his promise. I saw him leaning over what looked like a control panel and muttering an indecipherable message. He looked up, straightened his figure, and smiled.
"You might have noticed earlier that I said starship instead of spaceship. You will see in a moment why that is so. Please come over here." I walked over next to him and the ground from underneath me rose a foot. He started to move his long, spider-like fingers across a panel with strange letters on it. I watched, amazed at how fast his fingers moved. Then, he started to murmur words that cannot be put into English text. They were truly alien words.
A ball of light appeared over the panel and gently began its ascent to the top of the starship. He stopped, looked at it, and smiled.
"Now, this is when the wonders start." The ball of light gently touched the ceiling, and it exploded across the hull. The light moved across the hull like water, revealing in its wake thousands of little lights of all colors. It moved clear around the ship, avoiding the opening, clear down to under my feet. I was surrounded by lights.
"Don't worry, they don't hurt," he said.
"What are they?" I questioned.
"They are stars and planets. But mostly stars. We are too far away to see the planets."
"Where are we in the system?"
"We aren't in your system. But we can go there. Say the name of it. Wait, say it in my language." He said the name of it. I repeated it to the best of my ability. A small, girlish laugh echoed as the view shifted, obviously laughing at my pronunciation of the word. We were moving across space at such a speed, it made my head spin. Then, we were there. This was the Milky Way in front of me.
"Can we go to where we are? How far can we zoom in?"
"Yes, we may. She is now reading your language, so she will respond to your words. Go ahead and tell it where to go."
"Solar System." The view whirled and spinned and showed Sol and the eight planets around it.
"Terra." It once again shifted and zoomed in to the third planet from Sol.
"America."
The child-like voice said, "Do you wish to see your current location?"
"Yes, that would be nice," I said. The voice laughed and zoomed in to our location. I could see the starship. I looked up and saw the sky, the clouds, and the bigger black spaceship.
"All right, then. I must admit, this has to be the most amazing sight I have ever seen. However, you still haven't explained yourself," I said.
"Well, let's take a look at my galaxy, then." He spoke some alien words and the view began to shake. We flew, twirled, and turned. It made me so dizzy I almost tipped over. Then, we were outside of a galaxy. The Andromeda galaxy, from what I recognized.
"What about your world? Can we see it?" I asked.
"Yes, I suppose. Now you will see why we need you," he said. One word in the alien language, and we flew towards the center of the galaxy. As we approached a small cluster of stars, we focused on just one. Well, two to be exact. We flew closer to it and four planets began to appear. We zoomed in to the third one from their sun. It was large compared to the others, and relatively close to the sun. We went close to it, and then I saw it. I saw the planet in full. It radiated with a red glow and looked like it was falling apart. Several cracks flowed across the planet.
"That is my planet. In your language, it would be known as Upsilon Andromedae d. However, we prefer the name Mother Sky. But, that is not where my civilization lives." He uttered a few words and the view moved around the giant planet and to a very large moon.
"Welcome to my home, Uberwelt. Let me show you the place of my birth, Acropolis." The view moved to show a small town literally suspended in the sky, high above the surface. The buildings were gleaming white and pristine.
"Ah, my home. Well, what my home was a few years ago. This was what it was before the planet became corrupted. Let us view it now." We fast-forwarded in time, months passing in seconds. Then, we stopped.
"This is present day Acropolis, recently renamed Necropolis. It has been abandoned. Only the dead live here now." His voice faded at the end of the last sentence. The city was torn apart, the buildings a dark gray. I looked over at the door. Something was supposed to be there, but it was blocked.
"Will you please close the door?" I asked. He gave a weak smile and pressed one button. The opening was covered from bottom to top by black. A new image appeared there. I looked over and gasped in horror at what I saw. Where the door used to be was a mass grave, only partially buried. That sight should never be described.
"What happened? Who did this? Why are they doing this?" I blurted out.
He sighed, "First, a great war is occurring. Second, my own people. Third, it is because of the planet. As I said earlier, the planet is corrupting. It is slowly disintegrating. At first, we had no idea why. Then, we found a secret band of prominent people who did it. They had been working for years to try to take control of Uberwelt secretly, slowly taking control of government after government. But then, they found they couldn't go any further, so they began to corrupt the planet, the Mother Sky. They figured that they could cause a war and panic, thus allowing them to seize control of the entire solar system. However, what they did not anticipate was the many different factions that also tried to seize control. Also, the corrupted planet caused massive shifts in our orbit and causing major natural disasters. Soon, the world dissolved into chaos. Luckily, a few of us managed to escape to seek out one who could end this."
"But how can I end this?" I asked, confused.
"On Earth, you have no real power, but here, you have control of the very forces that make up our world. We, my people, can't because we were born here. We choose you because you possess the virtues needed to end this. We beg of you, help us. If you do not help us, no one else can. Our planet, our civilization, our entire system will be destroyed."
I blinked twice and then said, "Okay. I'll help you."
It was just like any other day. Well, almost like any other day. Well, it started like any ordinary day. I spent the morning sleeping in and watching TV. I didn't like sleeping in, but I had no real choice in the matter. Then, after the show I was watching ended, I went outside to the hammock in my backyard. It was tied between two trees, so it was rather shady.
As I climbed in, I glanced at the clouds that were resting on the horizon. The formation was unlike any I had seen in a long time. It seemed like they were a fortress, no, that's not right. The cloud looked like it was made for being inhabited. It seemed like it was a building constructed by an advanced civilization that existed in the beauty of the sky.
I started at the cloud, studying the marvelous beauty when I saw a little black speck. It was shaped like a bird or a plane, but it seemed too far off to be real. It zoomed around the cloud at what I assumed was unbelievably fast. Since there was an airport nearby, it didn't seem uncommon for a plane to be overhead. However, it seemed to fly in and around the cloud. I followed it with my eye, occasionally losing sight of it due to the brightness of the white clouds.
Ideas began to run through my head. Was it an alien? No, that's ridiculous. Maybe the Blackbird being tested. That seemed ridiculous too. Perhaps it was a new type of plane that the government was testing. Or, this seemed most plausible, it was a local pilot, flying around the behemoth cloud. I had already dismissed the idea of a kite or a bird. No bird or kite could be that big, fly that high, and move that fast. Well, it seemed to move slow to me, but since it was flying so high in the sky, it had to be moving fast. It also couldn't be a fly or insect flying around in front of me because it was moving too slow, too gracefully and not jerky enough to be any insect I've ever known.
Then, a different idea popped in my head. What if whatever is in that thing knows I'm seeing it. Maybe they know I'm looking at it and are wondering what to do. The black thing started to move out of my view. It started to fly where the branches of my tree were covering it up.
I stood up out of the hammock and around the tree, holding the black speck in my sight. I moved further around the tree. Suddenly, my eyes started to hurt. It was like coming out of a dark room into the sunlight. But I was in the shade still. My eyesight started to dim and then went black. I quickly leaned against a picnic table right next to me, my eyesight returning fast. I looked at where the black speck was, but I didn't see it. I kept studying the sky.
I returned to the hammock, still looking at the cloud and sky, looking for that small plane-like speck. I spent several minutes walking around my yard, trying to get a better view to see it, but to no avail.
New thoughts began to rush my head. A cloaking device? Not likely. Perhaps it flew away. It couldn't have traveled fast enough to evade me completely. Maybe it was hiding in the cloud. It couldn't stay in there forever. What if it was coming here, to talk to me? I walked inside, still lost in thought. What could have happened to it? I decided to go back outside again.
By this time, the clouds were slightly misshapen. And by this, I mean new clouds were flying in and the pillar on top seemed like it was collapsing into the main section of the cloud. I still couldn't see the black speck and I still had no clue as to what it could have been.
Then, it happened. I saw it again. It was flying. . . towards me. It was flying TOWARDS me. It gradually became bigger and bigger. I took a step back, then another. Suddenly, it stopped moving. It was at least 100 times bigger. Then again, it hardly increased in size, seeing how small it appeared to be to begin with.
A smaller black object fell out the bottom and started to glide towards me. I stood where I was, unafraid and ready for anything. Well, actually, I was paralyzed by fear and uncertainty, but that is beside the point. I stood my ground as the black object landed in my backyard.
It was about as big as a large truck, not quite semi-truck large. It was entirely black and was spherical. Well, except for the fact that there were corners. More like a dodecahedron. Cubed.
From the side facing me a hatch opened. Like the outside, what I could see of the inside was also black. A figure in a white gown that was adorned in frills and patterns stepped out, looked around, took a deep breath, sighed, and looked at me. He looked human, except he towered over me a good foot or two. He was twig-like. I could only imagine how he could fit in the spaceship comfortably.
He looked at me and said, "Ah, yes. You are the one." I looked back at him blankly.
He continued, "We have been studying you and you are perfect."
"Perfect for what?" I asked.
"Perfect for everything we need. Perfect for our society. Perfect for our future."
"Then who are 'we?'" I asked passively.
"My family and I. And the current government of our civilization. Oh, and most of our world and its inhabitants. Don't worry, though. We all agree unanimously that you are the one." I stood there, thinking this over. Then, I asked a very important question.
"Why me?"
He smiled as if he wanted me to say that and answered, "Because you are the only one who can save us. From your day-to-day activities, we have gathered all the information we need. You know enough to save us. We know that you care enough to save us, and we know that you possess the right skills to save us."
"Wait. From the way you say 'save us', it is almost like I am your only salvation."
"Good. I was hoping to convey that message. Without you, we will perish. Now, if you will go inside my starship, I can more fully explain who my people are. However, it is your choice." He started to walk into the ship.
"Wait!" I yelled. He paused and turned around. "You must promise me that you will leave the door open." His face twisted in thought and indecision.
"I can do that, but you will not be able to experience the whole effect. However, later, if you want, I will close it. And I am sure that you will want it closed." He walked into the spaceship. I remained motionless for a moment. Curiosity got the better of me, so I dashed into the spaceship. What was only a few steps for him was a good run for me.
As I entered the spaceship, all was black. I could see the entrance open behind me. Good, I thought, the alien kept his promise. I saw him leaning over what looked like a control panel and muttering an indecipherable message. He looked up, straightened his figure, and smiled.
"You might have noticed earlier that I said starship instead of spaceship. You will see in a moment why that is so. Please come over here." I walked over next to him and the ground from underneath me rose a foot. He started to move his long, spider-like fingers across a panel with strange letters on it. I watched, amazed at how fast his fingers moved. Then, he started to murmur words that cannot be put into English text. They were truly alien words.
A ball of light appeared over the panel and gently began its ascent to the top of the starship. He stopped, looked at it, and smiled.
"Now, this is when the wonders start." The ball of light gently touched the ceiling, and it exploded across the hull. The light moved across the hull like water, revealing in its wake thousands of little lights of all colors. It moved clear around the ship, avoiding the opening, clear down to under my feet. I was surrounded by lights.
"Don't worry, they don't hurt," he said.
"What are they?" I questioned.
"They are stars and planets. But mostly stars. We are too far away to see the planets."
"Where are we in the system?"
"We aren't in your system. But we can go there. Say the name of it. Wait, say it in my language." He said the name of it. I repeated it to the best of my ability. A small, girlish laugh echoed as the view shifted, obviously laughing at my pronunciation of the word. We were moving across space at such a speed, it made my head spin. Then, we were there. This was the Milky Way in front of me.
"Can we go to where we are? How far can we zoom in?"
"Yes, we may. She is now reading your language, so she will respond to your words. Go ahead and tell it where to go."
"Solar System." The view whirled and spinned and showed Sol and the eight planets around it.
"Terra." It once again shifted and zoomed in to the third planet from Sol.
"America."
The child-like voice said, "Do you wish to see your current location?"
"Yes, that would be nice," I said. The voice laughed and zoomed in to our location. I could see the starship. I looked up and saw the sky, the clouds, and the bigger black spaceship.
"All right, then. I must admit, this has to be the most amazing sight I have ever seen. However, you still haven't explained yourself," I said.
"Well, let's take a look at my galaxy, then." He spoke some alien words and the view began to shake. We flew, twirled, and turned. It made me so dizzy I almost tipped over. Then, we were outside of a galaxy. The Andromeda galaxy, from what I recognized.
"What about your world? Can we see it?" I asked.
"Yes, I suppose. Now you will see why we need you," he said. One word in the alien language, and we flew towards the center of the galaxy. As we approached a small cluster of stars, we focused on just one. Well, two to be exact. We flew closer to it and four planets began to appear. We zoomed in to the third one from their sun. It was large compared to the others, and relatively close to the sun. We went close to it, and then I saw it. I saw the planet in full. It radiated with a red glow and looked like it was falling apart. Several cracks flowed across the planet.
"That is my planet. In your language, it would be known as Upsilon Andromedae d. However, we prefer the name Mother Sky. But, that is not where my civilization lives." He uttered a few words and the view moved around the giant planet and to a very large moon.
"Welcome to my home, Uberwelt. Let me show you the place of my birth, Acropolis." The view moved to show a small town literally suspended in the sky, high above the surface. The buildings were gleaming white and pristine.
"Ah, my home. Well, what my home was a few years ago. This was what it was before the planet became corrupted. Let us view it now." We fast-forwarded in time, months passing in seconds. Then, we stopped.
"This is present day Acropolis, recently renamed Necropolis. It has been abandoned. Only the dead live here now." His voice faded at the end of the last sentence. The city was torn apart, the buildings a dark gray. I looked over at the door. Something was supposed to be there, but it was blocked.
"Will you please close the door?" I asked. He gave a weak smile and pressed one button. The opening was covered from bottom to top by black. A new image appeared there. I looked over and gasped in horror at what I saw. Where the door used to be was a mass grave, only partially buried. That sight should never be described.
"What happened? Who did this? Why are they doing this?" I blurted out.
He sighed, "First, a great war is occurring. Second, my own people. Third, it is because of the planet. As I said earlier, the planet is corrupting. It is slowly disintegrating. At first, we had no idea why. Then, we found a secret band of prominent people who did it. They had been working for years to try to take control of Uberwelt secretly, slowly taking control of government after government. But then, they found they couldn't go any further, so they began to corrupt the planet, the Mother Sky. They figured that they could cause a war and panic, thus allowing them to seize control of the entire solar system. However, what they did not anticipate was the many different factions that also tried to seize control. Also, the corrupted planet caused massive shifts in our orbit and causing major natural disasters. Soon, the world dissolved into chaos. Luckily, a few of us managed to escape to seek out one who could end this."
"But how can I end this?" I asked, confused.
"On Earth, you have no real power, but here, you have control of the very forces that make up our world. We, my people, can't because we were born here. We choose you because you possess the virtues needed to end this. We beg of you, help us. If you do not help us, no one else can. Our planet, our civilization, our entire system will be destroyed."
I blinked twice and then said, "Okay. I'll help you."
End of Part I
The leader of the Sanguine Lustris clan, named Princeps, was standing on the opposite end of the ravine. In between us was miles and miles of broken ground with molten rock and boiling water spilling through. The only light came not from the sky, but from the pulsating veins of the Grote Dier. The above planet was growing darker by the minute. From across the canyon, Princeps began to shout.
"Now you will see the power of the Grote Dier! It is ready to conquer once again!"
"You fool!" I shouted, my voice hoarse. "It doesn't understand loyalty. It has no concept of mercy. You will be devoured along with the rest of us! You will not be saved!"
"No, you are the fool, my dear boy," he said with a smile on his lips. "If the Grote Dier decides it is best that I die, then I accept my fate. The Grote Dier is my god! All hail the Grote Dier!"
It was pointless to communicate any further. He was a fanatic. His mind was diseased with the Grote Dier. There was only one thing to do. Destroy him and then the Grote Dier. I just hoped that I wasn't too late.
Only days earlier, I was heading out to the planet Mother Sky. Before we left, we flew into the bigger black spaceship, but we remained in the smaller starship. In the few hours it took us to fly to the planet, he was able to fill me in on all the details of what was happening. He told me of the most prominent factions that were fighting for control of Uberwelt. He brought up a brief summary of each and a picture of the leader and the uniforms or their soldiers and leaders.
"Purgatio Gentis, Latin for Purging of the Nation. Second largest group. Believe they are a superior race, created by evolution and given a divine appointment to cleanse the nation of the inferior beings. They took the corruption of the planet as a sign that now was the time for The Cleansing. They were extremely hostile and dangerous. Will not take prisoners. Cannot be reasoned with.
"Les D'affaires Opportunistes, French for The Business Opportunists. The largest group, mainly due to their extensive wealth. A combination of prewar mafias, they believe that war is a business opportunity. Will do anything to keep the war going. Mostly mercenaries, but also manufactures weapons. Extremely dangerous. Can be reasoned with, but will use underhanded tactics.
"Finis Fatis, Latin for The End of the Fates. Fourth largest group. Believe that the only way the planet will heal is to destroy all civilization, including themselves. Their mission is to eradicate all life and then prevent life from starting ever again. They take no prisoner and will fight until either side is completely dead. Extremely dangerous. Do not engage in direct combat.
"Sanguine Lustris, Latin for Blood Lust. Third largest group. Behind the corruption of the planet. Reason unknown. Method used unknown. Extremely dangerous and radical. Avoid at ALL costs. Only the highest in their order seem to understand the reasons behind their faction. Do not engage in combat. Will not lay down arms. Seem to be unable to feel pain. Will brutally destroy anyone or anything that gets in their way. If you are attacked, heaven help you."
I shivered after the last one. It seemed that only death and destruction awaited me at Uberwelt.
"What faction do you belong to?" I asked.
"A very small, yet powerful faction known simply as Salvator. Two of the factions listed above simply have many followers, but are not necessarily very powerful. I apologize, I should have clarified. The key players are Salvator, Les D'affairs Opportunists, Sanguine Lustris, and the Old Regime. The Old Regime is a coalition of what is left of the old governments. They're simply trying to restore order. We are very good allies, as they see us with similar goals." He gave a small smile, as if he's hiding something.
"Now you will see the power of the Grote Dier! It is ready to conquer once again!"
"You fool!" I shouted, my voice hoarse. "It doesn't understand loyalty. It has no concept of mercy. You will be devoured along with the rest of us! You will not be saved!"
"No, you are the fool, my dear boy," he said with a smile on his lips. "If the Grote Dier decides it is best that I die, then I accept my fate. The Grote Dier is my god! All hail the Grote Dier!"
It was pointless to communicate any further. He was a fanatic. His mind was diseased with the Grote Dier. There was only one thing to do. Destroy him and then the Grote Dier. I just hoped that I wasn't too late.
Only days earlier, I was heading out to the planet Mother Sky. Before we left, we flew into the bigger black spaceship, but we remained in the smaller starship. In the few hours it took us to fly to the planet, he was able to fill me in on all the details of what was happening. He told me of the most prominent factions that were fighting for control of Uberwelt. He brought up a brief summary of each and a picture of the leader and the uniforms or their soldiers and leaders.
"Purgatio Gentis, Latin for Purging of the Nation. Second largest group. Believe they are a superior race, created by evolution and given a divine appointment to cleanse the nation of the inferior beings. They took the corruption of the planet as a sign that now was the time for The Cleansing. They were extremely hostile and dangerous. Will not take prisoners. Cannot be reasoned with.
"Les D'affaires Opportunistes, French for The Business Opportunists. The largest group, mainly due to their extensive wealth. A combination of prewar mafias, they believe that war is a business opportunity. Will do anything to keep the war going. Mostly mercenaries, but also manufactures weapons. Extremely dangerous. Can be reasoned with, but will use underhanded tactics.
"Finis Fatis, Latin for The End of the Fates. Fourth largest group. Believe that the only way the planet will heal is to destroy all civilization, including themselves. Their mission is to eradicate all life and then prevent life from starting ever again. They take no prisoner and will fight until either side is completely dead. Extremely dangerous. Do not engage in direct combat.
"Sanguine Lustris, Latin for Blood Lust. Third largest group. Behind the corruption of the planet. Reason unknown. Method used unknown. Extremely dangerous and radical. Avoid at ALL costs. Only the highest in their order seem to understand the reasons behind their faction. Do not engage in combat. Will not lay down arms. Seem to be unable to feel pain. Will brutally destroy anyone or anything that gets in their way. If you are attacked, heaven help you."
I shivered after the last one. It seemed that only death and destruction awaited me at Uberwelt.
"What faction do you belong to?" I asked.
"A very small, yet powerful faction known simply as Salvator. Two of the factions listed above simply have many followers, but are not necessarily very powerful. I apologize, I should have clarified. The key players are Salvator, Les D'affairs Opportunists, Sanguine Lustris, and the Old Regime. The Old Regime is a coalition of what is left of the old governments. They're simply trying to restore order. We are very good allies, as they see us with similar goals." He gave a small smile, as if he's hiding something.
started 7/23/12