Prelude II

  In all life there is strife. Strife comes in several shapes and sizes. The most glaring form of strife comes when a species first evolves to the point where they can expand amongst the stars. From that expansion they can adapt to new worlds, new experiences that would never be able to be observed on a single planet. Then invariably space faring races realize the ultimate truth, that they are not alone. From there one can begin to see the true core of a race’s collective consciousness. From those first few interactions strife can be observed and felt.

  No one can quite pin down why strife in sentient races when they first meet often leads to conflict, but it does. There are theories about resource limitations, and perceived loss of resources that might fuel some of the direct animosity. An idea that even though space is seemingly infinite, the number of usable resources is somehow limited. That or that only so many usable resources will be found within a lifetime. Whatever the reason conflict is almost always inevitable, especially for races that are surprisingly similar in history and records. Only when a larger threat that is greater than any one of the races singularly are observed will cohesion be forced. Until such a cohesion point is found, most space faring races will be preoccupied with eliminating one another and realizing the signs of a true threat.

  Thus, when one sworn enemy gains access to multiple samples of unknown alien species, actions must be taken; especially if said alien race can freely travel within space without need of a vessel, and are believed to have create teleportation loops. In most cases, two warring races might even broker a temporary alliance to work together to gain biological samples of such an incredible species.

  The only problem comes with complete ignorance of what it is you are getting.

  In this case two independent operative teams of Endarians and Dwenvarians moved independently of each other, trying to be the first to gain access to the alien samples that their third hated rivals, the humans obtained. Just the discovery of space resistant cell membrane structures would be priceless to identify and study, let alone working on details of a completely new realm of magic, one that could make fighting intergalactic battles a logistical nightmare to contend with. Especially with the idea that ships could move freely across folds in space in seconds, no longer relying on basic point to point traversing mechanisms. No, this was an arms race that they could not lose.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  The only problem was, not all victories are beneficial. Not all successful missions yield positive results. This case, the dual infiltration and extraction missions conducted by both Endarian and Dwenvarian operatives at two different independent research facilities owned by the humans was just such a case.

  “Go, go go.” An Endarian operative says, as she fires destruction phasers down a hallway filled with scientists and guards. Guards who were woefully ill prepared for or trained to deal with the skill and precision forces that were launched upon them. The military had thought the two bases were secure by obscurity, keeping number of personnel who were aware of the facilities low. Making the facility itself a mandatory five-year commitment for both scientists and guards alike. The mission was a complete slaughter. Break in, kill everyone, steal the samples they could, then burn the facility down behind them.

  Ironically enough, it was the burning down of the facilities that was the one true act of mercy conducted by the operatives. That one act of sabotage saved the human sectors from dealing with the aftermath that soon befell both the Endarian and Dwenvarian sectors of space once their samples of the space monsters thawed and came back to life.

  The scientists were not prepared for the rapid growth rates, nor the need to double tap the monsters. A term coined by spatial anomaly Kyle Goldman-X. At least that was the new Kyle Goldman’s official designation, an “-X’ appended to his name to distinguish him from the Kyle Goldman of this universe. Fortunately, or unfortunately notes related to Kyle Goldman-X were kept at yet a third research facility, one that had nothing to do with investigating the spatial rift monsters. Rift monsters that immediately upon awakening from a frozen slumber, struck out against the scientists that were investigating them and produced offspring in the billions aboard their own laboratories. Laboratories that quickly began to go dark as they were overrun by monsters of unknown origins and means.

  This was just the opening act to a crisis that would put the different space faring races of the universe in peril. One that was such a point of contention and conflict that could prove to be massive enough to cause a true cohesion point between three races that would otherwise remain bitterest enemies.

  Unofficially this cohesion point was being called Pandora’s box by humans who were monitoring the situations closely.

  “Get me Goldman-X.” A human-female general said, of course referring to the captive who had become increasingly uncooperative in his most recent rounds of interviews.