- 7/5/2025
We're thrilled to introduce "The Barbarian War" by author u/Hewholooksskyward to our channel, the prequal to 'Barbarians'. We've collaborated to adapt his captivating stories for our channel, and we eagerly anticipate sharing them with you.
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00:00The Barbarian War, Chapters 1, 2, and 3, The Long Shadow of Peace
00:04Chapter 1
00:07Oh, and so it gives me great pride to introduce Chief Healer Rikrit,
00:12to dedicate the Tetrarchy's newest addition to the fleet,
00:16the hospital ship Florence Nightingale.
00:19The crowd erupted into applause as she stepped forward,
00:23accepting the proffered bottle of champagne from the Prime Minister,
00:26before taking position in front of the exposed section of the ship's hull.
00:30The rest of the vessel hung in space, ready for launch,
00:34but the ancient human custom necessitated a spot that could be reached.
00:38Rikrit faced the crowd and solemnly intoned,
00:42May the Creator bless this ship, and all who sail in her,
00:46before raising the bottle and smashing it against the metal structure.
00:50Cheers and applause filled the space once more,
00:52as she smiled and posed for the cameras alongside Leandra Singh.
00:56From the wings, Nasat beamed with pride,
00:59pointing out his mate to their children, Taichist and Chechla.
01:02They watched with wide-eyed curiosity as their mother played her part like a professional,
01:07until they were spotted by the reporters in the crowd.
01:11Colonel Nasat!
01:12Does this continued shipbuilding mean you expect renewed hostility with the Konheim?
01:16Do you feel the Tetrarchy military has expanded too far?
01:21Is this a provocation for war?
01:24Ten years of practice kept him from sighing and rolling his eyes.
01:27Instead, he glanced over at the Prime Minister,
01:30who gave him the barest of nods.
01:32Bowing to the inevitable, he spoke softly to the twins,
01:35entrusting them to the human who stood at his side,
01:38before stepping out onto the stage and taking his place alongside the other honored guests,
01:43as a hush fell over the crowd.
01:46First, let me say that this ceremony has little to do with me,
01:50Nasat said with a gentle smile.
01:52I am simply here to support my brilliant and talented wife,
01:56without whose hard work and dedication this ship,
01:58and her sister vessels, would not exist.
02:01He took her hand as they shared a brief smile.
02:05Speaking as someone whose life was saved by her medical skills,
02:08I can only say that I am gratified that these ships exist,
02:11and pray they will never be needed.
02:13Unfortunately, the more fervent journalists in the room were not so easily mollified.
02:20Colonel Nasat, do you favor renewed hostilities with the Konheim?
02:24He turned to face the Speaker.
02:26I favor the security and safety of our worlds.
02:29But if I am given a choice,
02:31I would much prefer to see that take place on the field of diplomacy,
02:34as opposed to the battlefield.
02:35War should always be the last resort,
02:39that irrevocable step taken only when all other options have been exhausted.
02:43The other reporters began shouting out their own questions,
02:47only for the Prime Minister to step forward.
02:49I'm afraid that's all the time we have,
02:52she said with a smile,
02:53as the junior functionaries guided them out of the room,
02:56the din disappearing behind them as the door slid shut.
02:59Dear Creator, I hate those things,
03:03Nasat sighed as he and Rikret leaned on each other for support.
03:07Oh, I don't know, Leandra chuckled.
03:10You're actually getting quite good at it.
03:12Only because you forced us into this,
03:15Rikret snapped,
03:16her features suddenly softening as the twins came bounding up to meet them.
03:21Mother.
03:22Father!
03:23They shouted with glee,
03:24prancing all around them with the energy all young children seemed to share.
03:28You said we could go on the ship,
03:30Tychus demanded.
03:32You promised,
03:33his sister whined,
03:35as their keeper finally caught up with them.
03:37Now what have your parents told you about running off?
03:41Sergeant Major Lynn asked pointedly,
03:43giving the adults a wink.
03:45To their credit,
03:46the twins looked suitably chagrined.
03:48We're sorry,
03:50they said in unison,
03:51prompting another chuckle from the Prime Minister.
03:53They didn't actually run that far,
03:56she said in their defense,
03:57kneeling down beside them
03:58and producing two candies from the folds of her gown.
04:02The sweets were quickly snatched up.
04:04Thank you, Auntie Leandra!
04:06they shouted,
04:07as the candies disappeared into their mouths.
04:10Rikret bestowed an old-fashioned look on the other woman.
04:13You will spoil them,
04:15she clucked,
04:15pulling the children in close beside her.
04:18If I didn't know you loved them as much as we do,
04:21I would accuse you of engaging in bribery,
04:24Nassat said with an exasperated smile.
04:27Well, of course I am,
04:29the Prime Minister chuckled.
04:31I am a politician, after all.
04:33Certain standards must be maintained.
04:35The group laughed before she grew serious.
04:38I'm afraid I have to pull you away from your family for a moment,
04:41Leandra informed him,
04:43as Nassat nodded in understanding.
04:46Dear,
04:47could you take the children on that tour?
04:49He asked gently.
04:51It is your brainchild, after all.
04:54Rikret shot the Minister a look before turning to the twins.
04:57Come along,
04:58she said briskly.
04:59We'll meet up with your father later.
05:02The children eagerly bounded forward,
05:04as their mother hurried after them,
05:06begging them to slow down.
05:09Nassat glanced at Lin,
05:10who shrugged,
05:11before turning his attention back to sing.
05:13So,
05:14what is it you wish to discuss?
05:16Leandra found a comfortable chair and sat down.
05:19I take it you notice the tone of the reporter's questions?
05:22She asked.
05:23I did,
05:25he said quietly.
05:26I assume there has been some recent development?
05:29Yes and no,
05:30she replied.
05:31Apparently they got wind of the latest speech from the new Diaksh.
05:35It seems he has been dialing up his rhetoric as of late.
05:38Many believe it is nothing more than saber-rattling,
05:41but I am less than convinced.
05:44He stared skeptically back at her.
05:46Prime Minister,
05:47it has been ten years.
05:48Ten years of hard-earned peace.
05:50Why would he risk jeopardizing that now?
05:53It's like I told you at the beginning.
05:55The war was little more than a setback in the greater scheme of things,
05:59she said quietly.
06:01Yes,
06:01we hurt them,
06:02but far less than they hurt us.
06:04We've had minimal contact with the Konheim since then,
06:07and being completely honest,
06:09I was perfectly happy with that state of affairs.
06:12We needed that time,
06:12Nassat,
06:13to build a capable fleet.
06:14But despite all the ships we've constructed,
06:17ten years isn't enough time to create the military we'll need,
06:20if the worst were to happen.
06:22Granted,
06:23we've greatly expanded the Navy and Army,
06:25and the recruits we turn out now are properly trained,
06:29unlike what you and the others experienced.
06:31But a decade simply isn't enough time to create the traditions,
06:34the wealth of experience a military needs to fall back on,
06:37if the shit hits the fan.
06:40Perhaps if we detached some of those ships and sent them to keep a closer eye on the Konheim,
06:45Nassat suggested,
06:46that would go a long way to allay people's fears.
06:50You have no idea how much I wish I could,
06:53Leandra sighed.
06:54And if we'd done so at the beginning,
06:56we could have gotten away with it.
06:58But now,
06:59it would be seen as a provocation,
07:01and at this moment in time that is something we dare not risk.
07:05Nassat grimaced.
07:06We did not have the ships available to monitor them then.
07:10Trust me,
07:11no one knows that better than I do,
07:13she said unhappily.
07:14We were lucky enough as it was to get them to agree to a ceasefire.
07:18If I'd pushed them any harder,
07:19Jiage would have absolutely balked,
07:21which would have meant fighting it out to the bitter end.
07:24Now,
07:24perhaps we could have still managed to pull it out,
07:27but the numbers at the time were not encouraging.
07:29She sighed,
07:31leaning back in her chair.
07:32I made the best bargain I could,
07:34Nassat,
07:34but that does not mean it was a good one.
07:37In the world of diplomacy,
07:38if you're not dealing from a position of strength,
07:40then you're just not dealing.
07:42For the first time,
07:43Sergeant Major Lynn spoke up.
07:45I always said it was another damn treaty of Versailles.
07:49Maybe not quite that bad,
07:51but close,
07:52Leandra admitted.
07:53At least we didn't slap them with the punitive damages
07:56the Allies insisted on at Versailles.
07:58Again,
07:59because we didn't have the means to enforce it then.
08:02As it was,
08:03I had to show the other ministers the door just to get it approved.
08:06Their replacements were much more.
08:09Pliable?
08:10Nassat suggested.
08:12I was going to say pragmatic,
08:14she said tartly.
08:15Lynn snorted derisively at that.
08:18There's a growing number of individuals from the old Triumvirate
08:21that are unhappy with your decision to force out the old guard,
08:25Prime Minister.
08:26Nassat said carefully.
08:28Many of them see it as nothing more than a coup,
08:30perpetrated by humans.
08:32And they're not entirely wrong,
08:34Leandra said grimly,
08:36but it was necessary.
08:38I just hope that decision does not prove to be our undoing
08:41in the fullness of time,
08:44Nassat said with some disquiet.
08:46As do I,
08:48the Prime Minister agreed.
08:49But it's like the old saying,
08:51it's hard to remember your job was to drain the swamp.
08:54When you're up to your ass in alligators,
08:57he finished for her with a rueful chuckle.
09:01Nassat paused for a moment and cocked his head.
09:03You know,
09:04I've always wondered,
09:05just what is an alligator?
09:06He asked,
09:07as the two humans laughed out loud.
09:09Chapter 2
09:12Diaksh Chugaz Uydan stood upon the ancient world of Dakik,
09:18surveying the windswept terrain.
09:20He had stood in this place once before,
09:22at the beginning of the Grand Crusade,
09:24cheering the great warrior,
09:25Jiaysh Chugaz alongside the other clan leaders.
09:28The warriors of the Konhim were united in purpose that day,
09:32as they prepared to embark on the journey that would finally fulfill the pact.
09:36They would mount their ships and reclaim their ancient lands,
09:39stolen from them by the cowardly Triumvirate,
09:42honoring the promise they had made to their ancestors.
09:45It was as if time had stood still,
09:48witnessing that historic moment.
09:49And then the crusade itself.
09:53One world after another had fallen to their guns,
09:55and he had reveled in the destruction of their enemies.
09:58On Jatudas, on Shosud, on Pseventeen,
10:01they had reaped deeply,
10:02watching the cowards run in terror as they slaughtered them by the millions.
10:06No words could describe the heady moments of those glorious days,
10:10for they had been everything he had long dreamed of, and more.
10:15But slowly the tide began to turn.
10:17It was at Uzaanx where they first met the aliens who called themselves humans.
10:23They were pitiful opponents in the beginning.
10:25During their first battle,
10:27the crude ships sent against them were completely destroyed,
10:30leaving no survivors.
10:31That planet, too, had fallen to the horde.
10:34But there was something in the air,
10:36some sense that this new element was more than it seemed.
10:40The second time they faced the humans at Uzaanx,
10:43the battle had not been so one-sided.
10:45It had still been a tactical victory for the horde,
10:48but in the end, it was the Konhim who were forced to withdraw.
10:52They had inflicted far heavier casualties on the enemy that they had received in return,
10:56but it was obvious even then that these humans were learning.
11:00Learning quickly, in fact.
11:03U-12 had fallen next,
11:05and once again there had been losses,
11:07though they were light in comparison.
11:09But it was at Zaronk where the Great Crusade came to a halt,
11:13smashing against the new human fleet,
11:15facing their warriors on the ground.
11:17Both forces had been left staggered and bleeding,
11:20but there had still been a chance to save the day,
11:23had fate not played a cruel trick.
11:25The flagship Oathkeeper had been destroyed.
11:28The Diaksh presumed lost,
11:30and with no custom in place to rapidly choose a successor,
11:33the crusade ground to a halt,
11:35awaiting orders.
11:36Orders that were not forthcoming.
11:38And when finally the command did come,
11:41it was for their surrender.
11:43He had never imagined defeat,
11:45had never conceived it possible.
11:47None of them had.
11:48The Triumvirate held powerful technology, this was true,
11:51but they were weaklings,
11:53with no stomach for the fight.
11:55The Horde should have plowed right through their worlds
11:57like a blade-threshing grain.
11:59It is what would have happened,
12:01were it not for the humans.
12:03And as the remnants of the Horde slunk back to their homeworlds,
12:06humbled in defeat,
12:08Chugaz began to plan.
12:09Chugaz had chosen exile,
12:13rather than live in ignominy among his own kind.
12:16With the way cleared to select the next Diaksh,
12:19Chugaz had lobbied hard to be named his successor.
12:22It had been an uphill battle,
12:24fought with tooth and claw,
12:26for he had staked the heretical claim
12:28that the ancient ways must change
12:30if they were to fulfill the pact to their ancestors.
12:33Those words had been hard to hear,
12:36for many of his people,
12:37and had they not suffered disaster,
12:39his struggle would have been a futile one.
12:42But when all is lost,
12:43the mob will latch on to anyone
12:45who can show them the way to victory.
12:47He was cut from very different cloth than his predecessor.
12:50Diage had clung to the old ways to the bitter end,
12:54while Chugaz had ruthlessly tossed aside any tradition
12:57that did not offer a clear path to victory.
12:59Diage had won the rank of Diaksh as a warrior,
13:02pitting his skills against any and all that would challenge him,
13:06while Chugaz had worked quietly,
13:08out of the limelight,
13:09forging alliances and mercilessly eliminating his rivals.
13:13Nothing could be allowed to prevent his rise to power
13:15in order for the Konim to claim what was rightfully theirs.
13:19And if that meant the disappearance of those that stood in his way,
13:22so be it.
13:24When he was finally named Diaksh,
13:27Chugaz had gone straight to work,
13:29overhauling the fleet and its tactics.
13:31Clear lines of succession were created
13:33to prevent the disaster that had crippled them
13:35in their most desperate hour from ever happening again.
13:38For ten years he had campaigned hard publicly for change,
13:42slowly winning over even the most reactionary of warriors.
13:45New weapons were tested and put into production,
13:48while the clan wars that had forged the Konim Sol
13:50began to change as well.
13:52In the old days an honorable opponent would often be spared
13:55if he fought bravely.
13:56No longer.
13:57The Konim now fought to win, by any means necessary.
14:01And now, finally, they were ready.
14:04Instead of climbing the hill to the place of skulls,
14:07Chugaz entered a nondescript structure,
14:10nodding at the warriors and clan elders who rose to greet him,
14:13before taking his seat at the head of the long table.
14:17Be seated, he ordered,
14:18as the others made themselves comfortable once more.
14:22The time has come to finish what we began so many years ago,
14:26he informed them.
14:27The old ways that once served us so well do so no longer,
14:31and we have fought to purge their remnants from our civilization.
14:34We will take back what is rightfully ours,
14:37and when we are finished,
14:38our ancient enemies will lie broken at our feet.
14:41And what of the humans?
14:43An elder asked.
14:45Ah, yes, the humans,
14:47Chugaz chuckled,
14:48though there was no mirth in its sound.
14:50They chose to ally themselves with the Triumvirate,
14:53so much so that they are now its dominant race.
14:56They have even gone so far as to rename their government
14:59to reflect this, the Tetrarchy.
15:01They remain the most dangerous element of their society,
15:04commanding the armed forces,
15:06as well as reigning over the ministry itself.
15:09Any plan to defeat the enemy must take this into account,
15:12or else suffer the same fate as our last campaign.
15:15With that in mind,
15:16this is how I intend to address that particular obstacle.
15:20With the touch of a button,
15:22imagery appeared on the screen above him.
15:24He waited in silence as the others watched the simulation he'd had prepared,
15:28carefully noting their expressions.
15:30For those that showed disquiet,
15:32suitable contingencies had been prepared.
15:34As the images faded into black,
15:37Chugaz waited for the others to speak.
15:40This, too, was a test,
15:41and finally one of the younger inclined his head.
15:44An audacious plan, he said at last.
15:47Simple yet effective.
15:48And it should offer us the element of surprise.
15:52Audacious, yes,
15:53one of the older members said gruffly.
15:55But this,
15:56this is not the way of the warrior.
15:58There is no honor to be found in these tactics.
16:01There is even less honor to be found in defeat,
16:04Chugaz said coldly.
16:06Or have you forgotten what happened when we did battle the honorable way?
16:10A shadow passed over the elder's face,
16:12but he stood his ground.
16:14I certainly have not,
16:15and only a fool would make the same attempt twice,
16:17without variance.
16:19He leaned forward,
16:20his eyes boring into the elder's.
16:22I can assure you that I am not a fool.
16:24Are you?
16:25The elder bristled at the accusation.
16:28You will either submit to my authority,
16:30Chugaz continued,
16:31or remain behind.
16:33And there is even less honor to be found
16:35cowering here on the homeworld,
16:37while the true warriors go out to do battle.
16:40The elder snarled,
16:41leaping to his feet,
16:42his blade teleporting into his hand.
16:45You would insult me like this?
16:47He snapped.
16:48I fought at Jiaja's side from first battle to last,
16:51and no one will disrespect my courage,
16:53not even the Diaksh himself.
16:55He stepped clear of the table,
16:57his blade weaving about in front of him.
17:00Face me if you dare.
17:02The expression on Chugaz's face never changed,
17:06not even when he pulled his sidearm
17:08and shot the elder dead from where he sat.
17:10I see there are still those that cling to the old ways,
17:14he said calmly,
17:15returning his weapon to its holster.
17:17If there are any others that feel as he did,
17:19speak now,
17:21for only those who grasp that victory is all that matters
17:23will have a place by my side.
17:25The old ways are dead.
17:27A slight sneer appeared on his face.
17:29Just ask him.
17:31A handful of uneasy glances passed from one elder to another,
17:35until finally one took a deep breath and spoke up.
17:37We are with you, Diaksh,
17:39he said respectfully.
17:40Now, and always.
17:42Good, Chugaz said with a nod.
17:45Gather your warriors,
17:46for the time to strike has come at last.
17:50Chapter 3
17:53Fleet Admiral Helene Fujimoto
17:55gripped the edge of her console tightly
17:57as her flagship came screaming out of the sun,
18:00diving into the gravity well of the nearby planet.
18:03Message to the fleet,
18:04she growled.
18:05Open fire the instant the enemy ships are in range.
18:09Aye, aye, ma'am,
18:10her communications officer responded,
18:12speaking into her mic as she passed the order
18:14to the other vessels.
18:16Her opponent had taken refuge behind the gas giant,
18:19shielding them from view,
18:20but it was only a temporary reprieve.
18:23There was nowhere for them to run to now,
18:25and she grinned fiercely as the fleet closed the gap.
18:28Soon,
18:29very soon,
18:30when they whipped around the sphere's mass,
18:32she'd have them in her sights.
18:34Ten seconds to intercept,
18:35her XO informed her,
18:37as she watched the display intently.
18:39The enemy was good.
18:41Damned good, in fact.
18:42And for the last three hours,
18:44they'd led her on a merry chase,
18:46playing the mouse to her cat,
18:47using every trick in the book to stay out of range of her guns.
18:51But now there were no more tricks to play,
18:53and she relished finishing them off,
18:55once and for all.
18:57Five seconds,
18:58the first officer snapped.
18:59Four,
19:00three,
19:01two,
19:01one.
19:02He paused for a moment,
19:04waiting to confirm contact,
19:06but as the seconds dragged on,
19:07the screen remained agonizingly clear.
19:10Where the hell are they?
19:12She snarled in frustration.
19:14The fleet continued its run,
19:16hugging the planet close
19:17as they raced around its equator,
19:19but somehow,
19:20her quarry had slipped out from her grasp.
19:23Only where could they have possibly gone?
19:25Contact!
19:26the helmsman shouted.
19:28Multiple targets bearing 113 by Mark 072.
19:33Roll ships and fire!
19:35Helene howled,
19:36as the enemy came diving in
19:37from the planet's northern pole,
19:39high above the elliptic.
19:40But her orders came a split second too late,
19:44as the enemy fleet beat her to the punch,
19:47throwing everything they had into her.
19:49Her flagship Zoronk shuddered
19:51as weapons fire tore into her flesh,
19:53and she watched helplessly
19:54as the battlecruiser's rapier and katana
19:56erupted into fireballs.
19:58She recognized belatedly
20:00how the enemy commander
20:01must have pulled off his ambush,
20:03but that knowledge did her little good now.
20:05He had them in his sights,
20:07and despite the fact her fleet
20:08was fighting back as courageously
20:10as anyone could possibly hope for,
20:12it simply wasn't enough.
20:14Reactor is losing containment!
20:16the engineer shouted.
20:17Thirty seconds to overload!
20:20Abandon ship!
20:21Admiral Fujimoto shouted in frustration.
20:24All hands to the escape pods!
20:26And then suddenly everything came to a halt.
20:29The red emergency light
20:31switched back to standard
20:32as the frantic conversations of battle
20:34dwindled and disappeared.
20:36Incoming message, Admiral,
20:39her comm officer said carefully,
20:41not wanting to raise her ire.
20:43Put him through,
20:44she sighed, rising to her feet
20:46as Field Marshal Antima's face
20:48appeared on the screen.
20:50Calling to gloat, Kwasi?
20:52she asked wryly.
20:54Not at all,
20:55the dark-skinned man smiled.
20:57In fact, you almost had me.
20:59Almost being the operative word here,
21:01she chuckled.
21:02There's only one way
21:03you could have made that maneuver.
21:04Just how deep into the atmosphere
21:07did you have to dive
21:08to pull off that aero-gravity assist?
21:11Deeper than I would have preferred,
21:12as it turns out,
21:13Antima grinned.
21:15My engineers are not happy
21:16with me at the moment.
21:18I'll bet,
21:19Helene said dryly.
21:20Still,
21:21well-played,
21:22Marshal Antima.
21:23Likewise,
21:24Admiral Fujimoto,
21:25he replied,
21:26sketching a brief salute.
21:28So,
21:28lessons learned?
21:30You mean besides
21:31not going up against
21:32a seven-times grandmaster?
21:33she smirked,
21:34as Kwasi laughed.
21:36I'm not sure how often
21:37that AGA tactic
21:38would prove useful
21:39in actual combat,
21:40but we should definitely
21:41start drilling the fleet
21:42in its use nonetheless.
21:44Never know when it might
21:44come in handy.
21:46She leaned back in her chair
21:47and shook her head.
21:48Just how long have you been
21:49waiting to spring that
21:50on me, exactly?
21:52Cost you a bottle
21:53of thirty-year-old scotch
21:54to find out,
21:55he replied,
21:56his eyes twinkling
21:57in triumph.
21:58Still,
21:59I must say
21:59how impressed I am
22:00with the fleet.
22:01You've really built
22:02something here,
22:03Helene.
22:04I didn't do it alone,
22:06she demurred,
22:07but I'll admit
22:07to a certain amount
22:08of pride.
22:09Considering we started
22:10with nothing a decade ago,
22:12what we've managed
22:13to accomplish
22:13in that time
22:14borders on the miraculous.
22:17The Admiral got
22:18a wistful look in her eye,
22:19reliving a private moment.
22:21If we'd had these ships,
22:22then-
22:23Don't,
22:24Helene,
22:25Kwasi admonished her.
22:26We all have regrets
22:27from that war.
22:28We did the best we could
22:29with what we had.
22:31Luckily,
22:31it was enough.
22:33Barely,
22:33she shot back.
22:35What is that quote
22:35by Wellington?
22:36It was a near-run thing?
22:38The Admiral sighed.
22:40The Iron Duke
22:41didn't know the half of it.
22:43Antima regarded her
22:44thoughtfully.
22:45Something tells me
22:46you have more on your mind
22:47than getting your ears
22:47pinned back by me.
22:49He probed gently.
22:51You know what it is,
22:53she said darkly.
22:54We've spoken about it
22:55often enough after all.
22:56Now that we have
22:57a real fleet,
22:58we should be using it.
22:59By keeping a close eye
23:01on the Konim worlds.
23:02That's a political decision,
23:04he sighed,
23:05and above both
23:06our pay grades.
23:07Look,
23:08I respect the Prime Minister,
23:10she said carefully,
23:11but in this instance
23:12she's making a mistake.
23:14We have almost no idea
23:15what they're up to,
23:16and you know as well as I do
23:17just how dangerous that is.
23:19She's concerned
23:20we'd be poking a stick
23:21into a hornet's nest,
23:22and honestly,
23:23I think she makes
23:24a good case.
23:25Kwasi gave her
23:26a gentle smile.
23:28They've stayed
23:28on their side of space
23:29for ten years now,
23:30and as long as
23:31they continue to do so,
23:33I'm happy to let
23:34sleeping dogs lie.
23:36You know the thing
23:37about sleeping dogs,
23:39she retorted,
23:39unmoved by his words.
23:41Sooner or later,
23:42they wake up.
23:44Mankind had been
23:45slowly expanding
23:46deeper into space
23:47ever since he first
23:48set foot on Earth's moon.
23:50Mars had been
23:51settled first,
23:51and after centuries
23:53of terraforming
23:53had become almost
23:54as lush and inviting
23:56as the homeworld.
23:57It was many decades
23:58later that humanity's
23:59first exosolar colony
24:01was established,
24:02but as interstellar craft
24:04began exploring
24:05the nearby suns,
24:06man found other worlds
24:08to plant his flag.
24:09By the time they'd
24:10stumbled into the
24:11triumvirate,
24:12there were ten planets
24:13that he called home,
24:14adding an eleventh
24:15not long after.
24:17After meeting
24:17the alien races
24:18that would come
24:19to have such a major
24:20impact on the course
24:21of his society,
24:23man paused,
24:24consolidating his position
24:25as he took stock
24:26of his future.
24:27Making the radical changes
24:29demanded by the triumvirate
24:30had not been easy,
24:32but as a century of effort
24:33drew to a close,
24:34he could say
24:35they'd taken large strides
24:36in maturing as a species.
24:39With the technology
24:40gained from their
24:41alien allies,
24:42the worlds of humanity
24:43prospered.
24:44Marginal holdings
24:45became thriving hubs
24:46of exploration and commerce,
24:48at which point
24:49many a human
24:49gave a profound
24:50sigh of relief.
24:52No longer were all
24:52his eggs in one basket,
24:54and if the worst
24:55were to happen,
24:56mankind would be able
24:57to close ranks
24:58and carry on.
25:00His history,
25:00his culture,
25:01all would survive.
25:02Having one of his
25:03deepest existential fears
25:04laid to rest
25:05was cause for celebration,
25:07even if it often
25:08went unacknowledged.
25:09Even the Konheim War
25:10had not managed
25:11to smother that belief,
25:13though perhaps
25:13that had more to do
25:14with the fact
25:15no human worlds
25:16had been attacked
25:16than anything else.
25:19Persephone in particular
25:20had done well for itself.
25:22It had become self-sufficient
25:23many decades earlier,
25:25and given the pristine
25:26nature of its biosphere,
25:28requiring almost
25:29no alteration,
25:31it had become
25:31one of the most
25:32sought-after destinations
25:34for those individuals
25:35looking for a fresh start.
25:37Its population skyrocketed,
25:39somehow managing
25:39to maintain
25:40the rough-hewn charm
25:41that came with
25:42its recent pioneer past,
25:44and yet finding a way
25:45to weld on
25:46a patina of sophistication
25:47that only increased
25:48its value.
25:49which is why
25:50what happened next
25:51was such a devastating blow.
25:53within the end of the world,
25:55it turns out
25:57a
26:17wall
Recommended
9:48
9:23
1:07
11:53