Gears in the Dark 1: Welcome home

Subject-7 “Marcello.”

Marcello, or. Subject-7 as the Personnel of the Immortal Empires Interrogation Staff had come to call him. Sighed as he rested his head on the padded inside of his holding cell. It had been well over a solar month now, sense the soldiers of the immortal empire had captured Him and his division in the aftermath of the Battle of ambrosious. Having been trapped in the Crippled Battle cruiser that had been their ship when the vast majority of the tenebrean fleet had shunted out. Taking significant portions of there wrecked ships, and heavily damaged ships with them.

His crew however had been left behind in the initial chaos, and had been subsequently captured by the forces of the immortal empire as they had swept in to reclaim the system. Or rather… He thought as he leaned his head back and smiled slightly to himself. That was what they had come to lead the Immortal Empire to Believe.

The truth of the matter was somewhat different… No. Immensely different in its nature, For while it was true, his crew and him had been Captured on the wreckage of their damaged ship, the deeper and much more shocking truth was that they had allowed themselves to be captured willingly, Making it seem as if they had surrendered to the Bulking cumbersome excuses for soldiers that had boarded their Decoy vessel, that had.  Truthfully to him, not appeared as if it would have taken a great deal of effort to put out of commission and Repel.

But that had not been their directive, and they had instead allowed themselves to be captured after a small amount of resistance.
From there they had, along with other Prisoners of war and captured aliens from the fleet that had entered the system not long after, been transferred from holding Cell to Holding cell. Being forced, by their will alone not to break the necks of the Hubris blinded soldiers and personnel of the Immortal Empire as they herded them along.

Interrogations had followed soon after, and he remember clearly the look of Deep satisfaction on the Face of the Immortal empire officer as he had Relayed him and his Crews fates before having their armored guards escort them out to their interrogation chambers.

The month that had followed seemed in his own memory to have been a blur of repeated visits to and from the interrogation chambers of the immortal empires interrogation Dpt.  Facing systematic, and sometimes heavily Creative mixtures of beatings, psychological goardings and tortures, as well as injections and partial dissections’ preformed on him and his fellow “Prisoners” by the scientists and personnel of the human populated empire.
Some of which, he recalled. Or if not more, had been preformed on him personally by the Towering child like madman who had identified himself as none other then Carron the Red.  He had apparently gained a position as the Lords preferred victem, if the increased numbers of the sessions he had found himself subjected to.

He smiled slightly well aware of the monitoring devices in his cell. Leaning his head back to rest again against the cold metal that made up the walls.
Him and his unit had been Trained as intelligence gatherers for the Tenebrean empire. And Training meathods of building up immunities to most forms of interrogations had been something that they had Trained rigorously in by their commanding Figures.

Numberless hours of their vastly extended lives spent being beaten, Drugged, and psychologically tortured by Transtec and Joint Spartan intelligence personnel that had bene Teansferred on request. Untill those who had managed to see the program through had found their bodies numb to the pains and tortures inflicted on them, and their minds Steeled and callosed to the point of near unbreakable durability by the Controlled tortures inflicted upon them.

Such was the Training programs that had been established by the Tenebrean empires government in the years following the nightside wars. As their previously largely peaceful civilization took to Arming itself and its defenses against outside threats that they knew they would eventually face.
Their military growing Calloused and experienced with developments By the War and the subsequent wars of absolution that had erupted in the decades That had followed the wars ending as the forces of the night side had all but fled in nearly every direction. some directly into their home galaxy.
The New intelligence Teams and ministry had been established not long afterwards. The councils realizing that such aspects of their defensive/offensive military would be an essential asset in potential future conflicts. Having been trained in part by well seasoned and experienced veterans of the Spartan empires intelligence teams. Who, while not able to actively wage war, were still more then willing to pass along the arts of Extracting information, and to just as easily resist those same methods.

Him and his team had followed through with the procedure According to their roles. Resisting their captors’ methods at first and finally pretending to break and Spew largely false or outdated information after a period of weeks had convinced the IEs personnel that they had been properly broken. All the while, they had followed through with their own objectives, completing them over time. Even as they were subjected to the tortures and interrogations that the Immortal empire had in mind for them.

He frowned slightly, his face creased and wary as he bowed his head down in what appeared to be either self-pity or near total defeat.
The truth was different.
In truth, he had taken the moment to Review the progress of the Intel-Counter measures that had been released into the Ranks and the facilities of the immortal empire by him and his men as they had been captured, and had spent the next month slowly and systematically filtering through their systems even as their interrogations had commenced. Spreading and covering their fleets and vessels in an invisible wave. They would never know… At least, not until the Collective choose to utilize them…

He turned his head as the sound of a mechanized door sliding open and the sound of footsteps down the hall announced the arrival of their captors. Likely to drag more of them off to their “Sessions” of Interrogation, the footsteps getting louder as they approached his cell door, obviously intending to come for him. the square jawed and Relatively thuggish face of the officer in charge of him and the other Prisoners appearing in front of the door as a projected hologram, the luxury of even a window to the hall beyond being denied to him and his cell mates.

“Subject 7.” The man’s voice said, coming from several hidden speakers in the door. “It’s time for your session with Carron. Come along now, its best not to keep the man waiting.” He continued, perhaps with a little bit of hidden Disgust or resentment to it. Although weather or not it was aimed at him or the Council member he couldn’t tell.

Silently he shrugged, Sitting up and pulling himself up off the cell floor. Going to the door with a stride that they hadn’t seen while he had been incarcerated in their intelligence departments. Not the Shaky gaunt of a captured prisoner, but the powerful stride of a soldier looking at a fallen enemy. The officers eyes going up a bit in surprise as he did.

“I’m Afraid to tell you this.” He said. “but I’m not going to go along with this anymore.” He finished. The officers, eyes narrowing slightly as he did. The Expression on the man’s face mirroring idle amusement, as he looked in at him.

“You don’t have a choice.” The officer said, as the doors locking mechanisms undid themselves. “Although Carron may be interested to know that your still defiant after all this time, Who knows, he might show you mercy for holding your wits about you after he had a go at you fo…”

“I don’t have a choice do I?” Marcello said. Rising his eyebrow slightly, as he sent the silent signal, his other team members likely getting the notice to do the same. “Officer, I’ve always had a choice… I choose to go along with this? Didn’t i? I’ve played your game as long as I needed to, and did my job here… now. Me and the others will be taking our leave.”

“And how will you do that?” the officer asked with a tone that suggested idle amusement as the door began to open. “No prisoner of war has Escaped from the Immortal empire once captured…”

“Oh really?” Marcello asked. Cutting the officer off. “Well.” He said as the cells along the hall began to charge with an energy that could clearly be felt as the incoming shunt targeted their individual signal. Reddish white arcs jumping along the hall and the metal of the doors.

Marcello smiled as the Door opened fully, Immortal empire guards moving forward to grab him as the Shunt arrived, Yanking him, as well as the others in the cells away. The cell and the guard’s features blurring into reddish static as the shunt came into effect around him.

“There’s always a first…” His last words said as they drifted to the Bewildered guards and the officer as they stared into the now empty cell, as the life scans on the doors of the cells along the hall suddenly began to read that the same thing had occurred within them as well, their occupants suddenly having disappeared.

Presently the officer wiped his forehead of sweat with a sleeve as he looked across the 0% life readings on all of the cell doors, already dreading having to announce to Carron what had occurred.

He would be upset, that much he already knew…

== o (O) o ==

Marcello Sighed as the reddish static around him began to reform. Shaping itself into the appearance of an armored room as he exited the Shunt. Reappearing in a room that he recognized from his training for the mission, deep within the tenebrean territory, a quick and somewhat shaky glance around confirming that the members of his team had gone through as well.

Another glance about the room brought him face to face with the “Extraction team.” that had sent the shunt to pull them out.
Several intelligence agents, donning the tell tail semi-armored uniform of their Operation, were Gathered around a Transtec-Caste calvara in a black uniform who was in the process of closing several Versus Screens and readouts. While a man, whom he immediately recognized as Captain Hensing, the head of the operation, as he walked forward toward him and the group as they gathered themselves.

Presently he saluted, giving the officer the tenebrean salute and announcing himself with a sharply stated “SIR” , feeling slightly shoddy at wearing the Semi-ratty prison style clothes that the Immortal empire had forced them to wear.
The other members of the team doing the same, before the Officer returned the salute and gave a wave to signal them to rest themselves, several of the team members taking the moment to sit down on the floor and collect themselves.

“Was the Operation a success?”

“Yes sir, The objective was accomplished… “

“Good, Stage two is now in effect.  I’ll notify central command of the developments. “ “Now get yourselves cleaned up and get some proper rest.  You’ve earned it.”

“Thank you sir.”


== o (O) o ==

Unknown location

ERVO: *Transmitting on a Holo Screen.* Hello? is there someone here?... Hello?

naga: hello, ERVO.

ERVO: ... *The screen flickers slightly.* you know who i am then?... What i am?

naga: you were one of the ships in ancerious that made first contact with the draconian, im all too aware of who you are, ERVO.

ERVO: *The screen flickers slightly. as if agitated.* The last of them as well, Then you know, Who i befell? You know of my current condition?... Please. Assure me that you do, and hurry. I dont know how long until he grows wise to what im doing...

naga: you are jormundgand's. corrupted by his blood. a vessel for his disease, his plague, to be spread throughout the worlds and suffocate the galaxy.

ERVO: I'm not even just that any more... i am a plague ship true, and his diseases have taken root within my systems. But with his blood the draconian has given me a fate i could not have foreseen when i asked him to ease the pain...
*The Space in front of the Screen ripples, and a door sized portal opens. Reveiling one of the ERVOs interior corridors through it.*

naga: *smiles* very well. surprise me. *walks through the portal*

ERVO: According to everything with your world... i shouldn't have been able to open that portal, should i?...
*Several of the plates and metal fixtures of the corritor begin to shake and twitch as Naga steps into the portal, they begin to bend and twist themselves upward. Wires and power cords snaking out of the floor and entwining themselves into the forming mass.*

naga: *chuckles and watches* as I said, ERVO, surprise me.

ERVO: your draconian... I feel that there is little anyone could do to surprise you.... *The Voice echos from all around naga from the ships speakers.* *The Metal mass meanwhile continues to shape itself, Forming a drake with its composite pieces, the wires and cables acting as its sinew and muscles. A small shard of its core moves up the mass to the constructs chest. The energy illuminating its eyes. As naga watches, the drake/ship makeshift body finishes rendering itself.* This is me now... This is what he did...

naga: *smiles wider, revealing his teeth* this is most impressive work for that slithering glutton....truly a masterpiece, if I do say so myself.

ERVO: oh? *The construct tilts its head, its eyes narrowing. Several wires and cables still connect it to the hall. a rumble passes through the ships superstructure.* Am i so degraded that i am to be considered an Achievement by your likes?

naga: for the draconian, everyone is at that status, so don't take it personal, ERVO. this is hardly an achievement, though. not for chaos gods. although, you are the first example of this scale so you can find pride in that I suppose.

ERVO: ... *The Drake/Ship looks confused, Two flaps of metal serving as its "Ears" cock slightly.* What, what am i to do then? The Tenebreans Regard me with the same Grim looks that one would an icy tomb... The other entities, they wont interact with me, they'll have nothing to do with me... What, should i do?

naga: tell me, ERVO, can you lie?

ERVO: ... Yes. *The Drake/ship nods.* I can lie. I've been doing it for some time... it keeps me from being decommissioned... Scrapped..

naga: but can you lie well? obviously you are capable of convincing that you are fully functional for the sake of survival. but can you hide your identity? can you lie about who you are? what youre capable of? all on a whim?

ERVO: ...Yes. If i had to, i could do that.

naga: then why do you ask me? you are capable of fending for yourself.

ERVO: *Frowns. its body Trembles slightly.* Why do i speak to you? Look at me! I am a Monster, i have nothing left to go to... What i ask from you, is a place where i will belong... I dont know how to use this body that well yet. And to Rid me, of the Pain...

naga: *laughs* very well. although, im curious as to why you ask me when you could just as easily ask your creator.

ERVO: Why would i go back to that.... That.. abomination of Reality! I ask y, because i know from what ive heard that you've provided aid for others that fallen afoul of him in the past?

naga: excellent.in that case then I shall help you.

ERVO: *Sighs. The walls of the corridor shuddering as well.* Thank you...

naga: *hands the construct a sliver* take this, it will protect you from your creator.

ERVO: *Takes the sliver. Places it to the shard fragment on its chest.* Thank you... you've no idea of the mercy you've done for me...

naga: oh, I have an idea. but now, you'll need a place to stay.

ERVO: Yes... *the construct Looks at naga uncertainly.* i suppose that i shall...

naga: enter drake space and dock into one of my private shipyards. you'll be well taken care of there. the crystal will lead you to where they're hidden. once you've arrived you'll be met by a follower of mine by the name of Gernot. do as he says and all will be well.

ERVO: *The Construct looks at him for a few moments. The Corridor around them groaning slightly." Alright. I'll start departing as soon as the Security sweeps in obcasio have calmed down a bit.

naga: very well. anything else?

ERVO: *The construct looks at him. it's eyesnarrowing slightly.* Nothing that anyone can give to me... You can leave now...

naga: very well, Ervo. be seeing you soon. *Naga disappears in a wisp of smoke*

Ervo: *Gives a growl like a sound of grinding metal as it's engine systems cycle up.* Gods damn you... You Chaos monsters... *Without another word, the construct sinks back into the floor plates, which smooth themselves out again. Leaving no trace that it was ever there.*

naga: *still secretly watching from a magic window in space, he chuckles* many have.

OOC Notes:

> For those of you Unaware of Marcello/Subject 7. He was mentioned in Overlords Science Updates for the Immortal empire a while back.
> Please note that this is meant to have taken place many months if not a year or so after the Natza kartania Arc. it is not over, the plot is still open. This is meant as an Epilog of sorts following the ERVOs corruption.
> The ERVO can Technically be considered as a Character.
> The Wars of Absolution are meant to have occurred within the Tenebrean empire about 10-30 years after the night side war, and lasted for more then 120 years until the remnants of the night side fleets that had entered Tenebrae space could be forced out or Terminated.