Chapter 27: Bursting from a cocoon
"Get up!"
"Go away!"
"Get up or going to miss it!"
"We're here, already!" Whatever little sleep the child had evaporated. The observers' deck was flooded with people of all races. The people were all eager to see what was very well going to be their new home, and the Gutitias were not left behind.
Since it was early morning, many were in their nightgowns, just out to catch a glimpse. The sun was just right showing the sunrise. From that distance, they could see the sun as it shone over the vast horizon.
However, that was not what drew their attention. Overlooking the huge yellow-gold sun, a bright planet was in view. Unlike many that had the familiar tint of blue, this one had a green tint. For those who didn't know, a green tint indicated a high mana concentration, which usually led to magical species.
The green men in their company knew of this, and many had a high affinity for magic. Humans, in general, were not so magical. Other species such as the elves were like the children of magic, extremely high affinity to magic.
However, when it came to humanity, never say never. Their greatest disadvantage was that their species evolved from a low mana planet. While this might seem a disadvantage to most, the human spirit prevailed. They became the first race to build a purely technological civilization without external interference. Luckily, their planet was on the fringes, and no one expected an evolved species in such a low mana area.
Sooner or later, the numbers of the human race built up too much, they couldn't stay on the planet. In came the colony planets. Humanity surged across the small space in the galaxy, expanding out into the more mana concentrated areas. Magic had been nothing more than a concept.
What they didn't know was that due to the low mana concentration, they could only feel the effects every few millennia. This was due to mana shifts in the galaxy, an occasion that was well researched but continued to baffle many. In these moments, humanity had a glimpse of what magic was, but just a glimpse.
Development after development happened, and humanity finally touched base with other races. Tall green men, short green men, other humanoid figures, other more grotesque. There were magical creatures, physical creatures, and intelligent creatures.
It took a lot of infighting and development. Lots of lives were lost, but soon, humanity established itself as a dominant force. They had many advantages as much as there were disadvantages, but they grew in size and force. A real elite race.
Magic soon permeated their classes and many developed affinities for elements. Famous families were known to practice skills and techniques that cultivated elemental power. Like trickle-down economics, the information and knowledge then permeated the general public.
Unfortunately, not just anyone could become a mage, or more specifically, a super. One needed Magical Talent, a latent potential to awaken an ability. As time went by, new civilizations were born. The more Technological civilizations called these beings Supers, while Magical civilizations called then mages. At the galactic level, they used the terms interchangeably.
There were many determinants of how one got magical talent or elemental affinity. A complicated universe it was, and many factors came into play, including but not limited to the section of the galaxy you were in. This was a major determinant especially for those who did not have powerful backgrounds to sponsor their development.
In the quadrant they were in, the Swong solar system was rich in mana. This was one of the reasons they chose this place as a budding ground for their civilization. Even deep in the space around the region, the concentration did not wane at all. While mana concentration affected a region in the universe, mana usually concentrated around stars and planet, rarely felt deep in space. This was a testament to the level of mana in the solar system.
Cyrus and his people had gotten the lay of the land. This was the official story. To elicit the Tlas family support, the Swong family had sold off a continent of their main planet to them. This was also a show that the Swong family willingly submitted to the Tlas family. To allow a foreign power this kind of access to their headquarters, the Swong family declared that they were subordinates and this was a means of the Tlas family garrisoning in their area.
However, the Tlas family had not been so keen on developing the continent yet, but things had changed. Not many knew why, but even the guys on the ground had their speculations. They believed that the Tlas family wanted to first suppress the shepherds before any work can be done. Now that they were in amicable terms with each other, nothing was standing in their way.
Sir Anyang had prepared a flurry of celebrations to welcome the new arrivals. Each of the people coming not only served as incredible assets but for him personally, this was an endorsement of his performance.
The young man felt that he had served faithfully, and now he was receiving his just reward. A pat on the back. Ser Bor was showing up personally.
This was also not a surprise. Many knew Ser Bor was personally invested in this development, and that's why he had come. It was also a way of showing face to the Swong family. Papa Junior was also present on the ground, part of the VIPs that were going to launch the project.
Some very unlikely invitees were also in the base, having been invited to watch the spaceship land. This was the first time such a thing was happening in this continent, and the natives had been invited.
Mama Menza cast a glance at Chege. In her opinion, none of this would have happened if not for the strange being. He didn't behave like a god, but if he was not one of their gods who had come to rescue them at such a crucial time, he had to be related to them somehow. She didn't believe that Chege's arrival had been a coincidence, religious people tend not to. In her heart, she thanked the gods.
With her were Chege and his pets, they were the ones that convinced Chege to attend the meeting. There was also Kassam and Kiel. Since Chege could now speak in both human and mayi common tongue, Oyoo's relevance diminished, so she wasn't able to tag along.
This was not some random selection. Mama Menza was the spiritual leader, and while the military leader remained behind to watch over the community, she came as a representative of the whole tribe. Kassam and Kiel were the next leaders, no doubt about that. They too came to witness this as a recognition of their status.
Despite these being the only one invited, it didn't mean that the information had been kept a secret. Everyone knew about the impending arrival. There were mixed feelings among the people. Many were scared that more of these little monsters would spell doom for them, while others felt that it was time for peace.
Some tents had been erected overlooking the landing zone, and this was where the spectators were gathered. It was set in such a way that those that came would join up with those that were there, and the welcome ceremony would commence.
The new arrivals would live in the spaceship, so there was no unpacking just yet. This was also one of the reasons why the spaceship was landing.
Most spaceships in modern times had been built for space. They were constructed in the space docks orbiting the engineering planets, and for most of their functional life, they never entered any planet's atmosphere.
However, this gigantic spaceship was different. Built to haul cargo and human laborers, it is constructed for single-use. They were the first elements while setting up a base of operations on a new planet. It carried huge machines that would fast-track development activities on the planet and ample room for the laborers to live.
Needless to say, such machinery was extremely huge and just as expensive. It was not something that average powers could afford, and not even the Tlas family could purchase one so easily. For this project, they were pulling all the stops.
It looked like a tiny dot at first, only, it was expanding. Chege waited with bated breath as the huge machinery broke through the atmosphere heading right to them. As the thing got nearer, many among the mayi were spooked, and those around the shelter quickly ran in, only daring to peek outside. It felt as though the entire sky was coming down. The thing had changed noon to dusk, totally eclipsing the sun.
This was one of the hidden advantages of those that used this kind of transportation. The fear factor it induced especially to lower civilizations was a bonus. That being said, even those that had seen such a megastructure floating and touching down, and with the full knowledge that this thing was manufactured, was always a magnificent sight. The grandeur of the human race was in full display.
The clouds parted, and the machinery finally touched down. spanning over 2 miles wide, 4 miles long and 100 stories high, the monstrous structure dwarfed all except the peaks of the mountain range. Part of the ship was across the wall, but given the massive size, it added to the structure of the base.
What followed the arrival was a busy couple of days as the new arrivals settled down and began the work. All things considered, this was a very smooth settlement. The Tlas family proved to have competent people in all spheres of development.
Some of the new arrivals worked in the inter-species diplomacy department. They were tasked with interacting with the mayi people and forming lasting relationships. This was the dawn of a new era. The moment diplomats get involved, it means that the aggressors take you seriously enough to want to talk. Talks were held as the mayi negotiated how much of their planet they were willing to share with the humans.
With things going as planned, there was no other reason not to mine the stolline ores. The humans present knew the need for secrecy, and even if they didn't keep the secret, by the time someone powerful enough to contend for the ore learned of this, they had already dug in, the precarious part had passed.
"Have you thought about what we talked about?" Ser Bor asked his guest. He was seated in his office, which was still a part of the spaceship. He eyed the big lug in his office, waiting for his response.
"I have," Chege replied.
"And ..."
"I am very interested in your offer. Not just me though, 2 others are willing to come in this adventure." Chege alluded to Kassam and Kiel. While the 2 had responsibilities at home, they couldn't deny that they were extremely curious about what lies beyond, as were so many others.
One of the most effective tools for recruiting new soldiers was the promise of knowing. People were generally curious, and they needed to know what lies beyond their 5 senses. As such, many advanced civilizations could easily take advantage and recruit cannon fodder among the lower civilizations. Every once in a while, someone came up who was brilliant, but these were the minority.
"Are they aware of the terms?"
"Yes."
"And they still want to join."
"Yes."
"Then they too are welcome. The airship will be leaving for orbit 2 days hence, don't be late."
Chege walked away happy. Like a kid, he felt as though he had just won a lottery. To not only secure his passage to an elite military school but also have his friends come with, this was more that he had hoped for.
Behind him though, another was smirking. From the footages during the invasion to the training between Carzola, Chege and his 2 lackeys, Ser Bor knew he was getting 3 treasures at the price of 1. He couldn't wait to see what they would become.
— New chapter is coming soon — Write a review
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone