The Cross of Mithras Vol. 1: EOD Operation Welcome to Hell

by Douglas Howell

  Without the intelligence on Golden Hyperion, Task Force ZH-3C could not tailor their training to that of their mission. All the training that they did over that three week time period was based upon blind guess work. Not upon the intelligence collected as required. It would have been the primarily reason why the CCO would have aborted their mission. Without the intelligence, without the proper training, their mission has become a suicidal mission.

  (6)

  “Mr. Ikkry’o, this is Tech Specialist Torrio. Do you know where the Security Storage Room 1-A is?” Torrio said over the intercom.

  “Yes. Why do you ask?”

  “I found something that I think that you should come and see.”

  “What is it?”

  “Like I said… ‘I think that you should come and see it’.”

  “Alright… I come and take a look.”

  A day after they left Roscadia, the new crew of Ultra Class M1 talk about whether or not they should explore the ship. Everyone did, and didn’t wanted to explore it. After all, it is a huge ship that comes from the future. When La’jyn’eu mentioned that nobody has any idea of what is, and isn’t, on board the ship, it changed everybody’s mind.

  Every so once in a while they were reminded that the ship comes from the future. Every thing was decades ahead of their time by at least fifty years. They found high technology, newer far superior weapons, and so on. Torrio said that it probably would take at least a decade to reverse engineer all of that technology. They spent days just trying to figure out how certain things work. Some times they had no idea of how certain things work, let alone what it’s used for.

  But the most strangest thing that they discovered is what they didn’t find. You would expect a ship like that to have some type of scientific experiments on board, but it didn’t. Yes any data would have been sent to the planet that it was in orbit over because of the decree RKM (c) 34 (d), but it does not include any samples and/or specimens. There should have been something left behind but there wasn’t. They did find some type of a alien artifact that was found in the materials lab. But nobody had any idea as to what it is. Where did it come from? Which alien civilization did it belong to? Nobody knows. The only thing that was known about it is that it is not Wol’ga’con and it is 5,000 years old. Why should the EOD find it so important as to analyze it is anybody’s guess.

  In eight days of exploring the ship they only explored no more than one-forth of the ship. They spent part of each day exploring the ship, the next part was spent reviewing their notes, and the rest of the day was spent both eating and sleeping. And on that eight day they picked up the distress call from that freighter with Mynik’ny’nuta on it. And now Torrio found something.

  When La’jyn’eu got to the Security Storage Room 1-A, Torrio along with everybody else was already there waiting outside the room. La’jyn’eu knew that it had to be something serious in order for Torrio to call everybody there.

  “So what did you wanted to show us?” La’jyn’eu asked.

  “There are five different types of Security Rooms numbered one-to-five. Security Rooms with the number one has the largest storage area and five the smallest. There are seven rooms in each level, lettered A-to-G. I have not yet checked the other rooms, which is part of the reason why I asked each of you to come here. The other reason is what is in this room.” Torrio mentioned.

  Torrio then led them into the room. Although a key card would normally be needed, one was found earlier. The room was as large as a warehouse. The room was divided into three different sectors: one for different size items, one for different types of containers, and one for items that either need to be, or is placed into stasis. Everything in that room shared one thing in common with one another, they were unknown alien artifacts. Whether it is technological, the language on the artifacts, non-tech items, etc., nothing suggested who created it. Not one item is of Wol’ga’con origins.

  After three days of analyzing some of the artifacts it was discovered that their ages range from 5,000-to-100,000 years. By the time that they got to Golden Hyperion they learned that the oldest artifact is between 450 thousand to 550 thousand years old.

  The other four type 1 rooms were no different. All the items were of extraterrestrial origins and not of a known alien race in the Milky Way galaxy, nor was any of it Wol’ga’con. La’jyn’eu said that it is not all that surprising since the Wol’ga’cons come from another galaxy and from at least 6-to-7,000 years back in time or more. But since none of the artifacts are of Wol’ga’con origins it is still hard to say just how far back in time.

  But why should the EOD have those artifacts on an Ultra Class ship? Did they steal it? Not likely, the EOD typically will not steal archaeological items. They like items that are of technical value that is higher than theirs. But what nation, or people, don’t like items like that? Sadly, there is only one other possible explanation for those items on that ship – both the EOD and the Wol’ga’cons are in cohorts with each other. The one thing that everybody fears appears to be true. But why? Why should they be allies? Are they even allies? Or does it has something do with Mynik’ny’nuta?

  (7)

  April 2289 Starship DTS, the freighter with Mynik’ny’nuta just arrived at a starbase. When she was on board the freighter she secretly prepared the ship for the cell that she was fixing to create. After her death and the birth of the new cell, the hive used stealth to consume the crew. It then took half the crew and placed a symbiote in them. One fourth of the crew became the “Spreaders,” who’s job is to spread the hive far and wide. The other one-fourth of the hive became skills oriented. This is the first time that the hive use a tactic/strategy such as that.

  La’jyn’eu Ikkry’o had no way of knowing that the starbase even existed. It’s not on the books which reflects on what type of a starbase it is. The crew knew that the starbase existed and they typically try their best to avoid it. And now, after being consumed by the hive, they had no other choice but to go there to carry out the plans of the hive.

  The hive didn’t consumed the starbase. It wanted to spread itself far and wide. And this time around it will no longer target just the strong, but also the weak. If it consumes those who are weak, than it will be in a much stronger position to take down the strong. Nothing could stand in its way.

  La’jyn’eu Ikkry’o could not have known all of that. He did tried his best to severely restrict its growth. He knew that time is of the essence. He was taken advantage of by both Parker and Mynik’ny’nuta and he knew it. But what could he do but nothing. When he died back on his home world, Mynik’ny’nuta had not yet been consumed by the hive. So he could only guess at the skills within her. To challenge her would be to challenge the unknown. And that was a risk that he could not afford to take. A part of him felt like it was part of divine will that she should be there to restart the hive. That the hive would drain the strength of both the EOD and the Necro-Mystics. Or so he’d hoped.

  The hive didn’t perceive the human race as strong because of the Yellowstone eruption. Instead the hive perceived the human race as weaker than weak. Nevertheless, the hive still sent one ship to the Earth. But the ship never made it. The ship was destroyed by a group of humans who encountered the ship. Only two of them survived that dark encounter.

  The Tylkuoply hive found it impossible to find and consume any world protected by the EOD – a hallmark of its secrecy. The Necro-Mystics wasn’t so lucky. Of the thirty Spreaders, none made it to the EOD, half were lost, and only ten made it to the Necro-Mystics home world. The hive wanted to go after their home world because the Necro-Mystics were quite prolific. If the hive could take the Necro-Mystic home world than they would have their foot soldiers and workers.

  The hive knew that taking the Necro-Mystic home world would be a tough fight, but it was confident that it could pull it off. The hive was equally determined as the Necro-Mystics were. But the hive had an advantage – smarts and access to knowledge that nobody in the Milky Way had. But the hive als
o had another strength that the Necro-Mystics didn’t. The Tylkuoply hive gives those whom it consumes the ability to make decisions that fall within the hive desire to protect itself. In short, unlike the Necro-Mystics, the hive doesn’t micro-manage itself.

  The other thirty-five crewmembers with a symbiote in them were too important for the hive to send off without micro-managing their survival. One cell, the first (of the group) to be created, was the hive equivalent to the HIDSO. The next cell would become the equivalent to that of the Pentagon. The third would become the Tylkuoply R&D cell. The Necro-Mystic home world would become the fourth. And so on. Each cell devoted to the long term survival of the hive.

  Ten years later in 2299, the hive was preparing to expand throughout the galaxy. But it didn’t. Instead it decided to consolidate it’s power by connecting all the cells (through technology) into one. Then it wanted to evolve itself into something that would prevent itself from being destroyed by some type of a cure. Perhaps one cell could be lost, but not them all. The same goes for any poisons used on it. It wanted to take advantage of the Darwinian concept of: only the strong will survive. That no matter what is used upon it, some of the cells will still survive.

  The hive realized it’s mistake on the Wol’ga’con home world was that it wanted to consume all. Too fast, too soon, too much. But this time around it would show greater patience. To think more clearly and sharply before it consumes anything. To put it’s massive brain together to figure out how it could consume the whole galaxy if not the whole universe.

  The hive will pay a high price for not seeing the threat that Commodore Parker posed to it. When he realized that Mynik’ny’nuta betrayed him, he told the EOD about her and the Tylkuoply hive. After the EOD created it’s safe guards to protect itself from the hive, the EOD went in search of the hive. They wanted a symbiote and/or a cell intact to learn anything of value from it. But that was easier said than done. They eventually settled on capturing a symbiote. It took them thirty-three years to do it, but they did capture a person with a symbiote in them.

  The EOD had to narrow down where the hive was and they had to start from somewhere. And the first place they had to look was Roscadia. Because Parker knew the system well, and he was the first to know about the hive, the EOD sent him (as a Captain) to Roscadia. But he had to take on a support role for another captain. No revenge for Parker. Someone else will get the chance to strike the blow against the hated Roscadia.

  New Horizon was still stationed at Roscadia along with a support ship. Both New Horizon and Dark Star (the ship that Parker was supporting) was destroyed in the fight. New Horizon support ship was too heavily damaged to stay in the fight and had to retreat. Parker’s orders were crystal clear from that point forward (the order was given to him before he got there): DO NOT DESTROY STARBASE 231 OR THE PROJECT 21 HQ. The EOD knew how much he hated that system and they are not going to let him ruin their objectives in that star system. He had to sit there and do nothing.

  What Parker didn’t know was that the EOD needed a distraction and both he, and the captain of Dark Star was that distraction. The EOD sent in a Infiltration Unit to infiltrate both Starbase 231 and Project 21 HQ looking for information on the hive. When it was over 245 people lost their lives with 3.6 times the number being injured. When the Infiltration Unit was finished, they left and return back to Parker’s ship. Parker’s orders told him to leave and return back to base.

  Parker had to leave the planetary system that he hated so much. He wanted to destroy Starbase 231 and/or Project 21 headquarters and he couldn’t. He wanted a promotion and got none. Over the course of the next five years, the EOD sent Parker on a wild goose chase looking for the Tylkuoply hive. Not once did he got a promotion for all the trouble that he went through, throughout that long time period. He started to realize that what he was doing is worse than the time that he spent in Roscadia. At least with Roscadia he had a home, he could go to a night club, or even see a prostitute. But he could neither do, or even have any of that. His spirit became crushed over that long time period as he slowly started to succumb to his fate. If Parker stayed at Roscadia, learned to do his job, swallow his pride, and did as he was told to do, he would have been promoted out of Roscadia. What’s more, he would have been a lot more happier than what he is.

  At the end of Parker’s wild goose chase, he finally got a lucky break. He found a cell. But not just any cell. He found the science cell. The very cell that was devoted exclusively to R&D. The very cell that was created to give the hive far superior technology. To vastly improve its chances at survival. For whatever reason, Parker made the decision to destroy the cell. He knew that it would be suicidal for him to do it, but he did it anyway. In the end, the cell, Parker and his crew (minus one) was killed in the conflict. It would take fifteen years before anyone in the EOD High Command would learn of the sacrifice of him and his crew.

  Parker was posthumously promoted to the rank of Fleet Captain. The rank that he always loved. He was also posthumously rewarded the EOD highest medal – the Consular Medal of Sacrifice for the Good of the Community. But since he had no family or dependants within the EOD community, all of his benefits was turned over to the EOD community that he was assigned to. They became the only people who will always remember his sacrifice.

  Parker’s sacrifice struck a major blow to the Tylkuoply hive. His death stop the hive from becoming a technological hyper-power. A hyper-power that would have become impossible to stop. But he died a forgotten hero. It would take centuries before his sacrifice would become public knowledge. And only then would he receive his just reward in acknowledgement of his sacrifice.

  Despite any wars that the EOD fought, no matter how hard the fight, no matter what the losses were, no matter what type of defeat, the EOD over next thirty-five years attack and destroyed any cell that it found. The EOD became what General Ydxx’od’omaa became to it – its destroyer. The EOD went so far as to create a new type of ship – the Tylkuoply Hunter-Killer, or THK for short. Each time that any of the new class of ship confronted the hive, the EOD worked out any flaws in the design of the ship. The THK Class kept on hitting the hive harder and harder. The EOD kept the hive in a constant state of being punch-drunk.

  The war that the Tylkuoply hive had with the Necro-Mystics was endless and brutal. Whole worlds were destroyed in the onslaught between the two. The death toll was innumerable. The war sapped the strength of both of them reducing them to a shadow of their former selves. With their enemies seeing a huge weakness within both of them, they attack, which further the collapse of the Tylkuoply hive and the Necro-Mystics. It was the Necro-Mystics who ultimately imploded. But throughout the time period they still remained a huge threat.

  But with the Tylkuoply hive it had a great deal of resiliency. It was more like a profusely bleeding rash that won’t go away. It appeared to have been crushed, and then it springs back to life. Each time around it becomes even more stronger, smarter, harder to kill, longer to crush, something that may win and consume all. It became the personification of the monster Bulnik’no.

  Without the crew of Galactic Prime knowing it, they were about to create a snowball affect on Golden Hyperion. It would come in the form of a famous man and woman, and what they helped to create. It was something that the crew would have to face eventually. Once that snowball gets rolling down that mountain, the avalanche that it will create will engulf the EOD. The only thing that the crew has to do, is to do the impossible – survive.

  (8)

  17 October Starship DTS, early in the morning. Vaistll was in her quarters praying. She did, and she did not believe that that day was cursed, but she didn’t want to take any chances. She was trying her best to remember the purification rituals for the day. Eventually she did remember the rituals, but she realized that she doesn’t have all that she needed. She then heard her doorbell rang. It was Ramirez.

  “Come on in.” She said to him.

  “Ma’am… what are you doing?” He asked.

>   “I was trying to do a purification ritual since today is supposed to be a cursed day.”

  “Ma’am… no offense, but you seriously don’t believe that… do you? I mean we had at least on… um… three occasions had a mission that started on this day. And other than the obvious, nothing really happened. So I wouldn’t call this day a curse.”

  “So why did you come here?”

  “Mad Dawg sent me to inform you that he found something of interest and he wanted to check it out.”

  “So what is it that he found?”

  “He didn’t say. But he had to alter course. Whatever it is, we should be there in about roughly ten hours or so.”

  “Strange.”

  “How’s that ma’am?”

  “I just had this strange feeling that what we went through over the past three weeks would seem trivial in comparison to what we are fixing to go through.”

  “I’m certain that it’s nothing.”

  “Yeah… I sure do hope so.”

  “Don’t worry about it.” Ramirez said with a smile.

  In truth she couldn’t help but to worry. After all that day is suppose to be the day of curses, bad luck, bad omens, Murphy’s Law, etc. How could she not worry? She just couldn’t help it. And then for no reason whatsoever, Mad Dawg popped into her mind.

  Could Mad Dawg have something to do with her feelings? If so, then what? Will he jeopardized their mission? If that’s the case then it would already would be over for them. The whole crew would be lost. They are in a EOD star system after all. Mad Dawg can’t be that… mad.. Could he? God, she wished and hoped that it truly is nothing but her worrying over nothing, like Ramirez said. But still…

  Golden Hyperion