Chương 25: The project begins
"You must be Cyrus Gutitia, leader of the Gilot team." A green man approached Cyrus in the docking station. It took Cyrus a moment to register that the man was addressing him. All his life, Cyrus had never seen a green man.
As humanity transcended their original planet, so did their technology and curiosity. Science never fell asleep, and never was there a field more researched than the advancement of humans. After humans managed to crack the human genome sequence, breakthroughs in genetic engineering soon followed.
Long story short, there now were various types of humans. There were the originals. These bore the original human races and features, unmodified by science. There were even those that remained undefiled of body, no mods or enhancements of any kind. These were puritans, and very rare to find.
Other races had animal features embedded in their genes. They were referred to as beast folks or beast kins. Some, like the khajiit, were based on human folk tales and famous RPG games, while others like werewolves were the stuff of legends. With enough resources and time, there was little that humans couldn't achieve.
Bear in mind that after space exploration and interaction with other beings, the age of the mage began. Magic became humanity's next great frontier, and up popped several kinds of mages. Some were bolstered by other races' such as the elves while others were naturally born with magic. They employed the use of magic to bolster their technological advancement.
Naturally, many misfortunes occurred during the creation process, and there were formations of mutants and monsters that bore little resemblance to the human race. Many of these races and demi-humans found their planets and started living there, starting other independent races that bore no ties to the human race.
One such researcher wanted to incorporate the plant's ability to manufacture food from sunlight. After many experiments and many grotesque results later, he came up with a serum, but by that time, it was already too late. He had lost all his credibility in the science community, which led him to desperation.
Without much thought to his safety, he injected himself with the serum. Seeing little damage happening to him, he presented his findings to someone from the Tlas family. The higher-ups of the family quickly saw the value of the serum, and they agreed to fund him. He was even given an entire planet for his test subjects to reside in, which led to the birth of a new race, the green men.
Due to their capabilities of photosynthesizing, they were capable of surviving in harsher conditions and had more durability. Their power reserves went deep and chances of awakening magical powers were higher.
The green men were plush green, like leaves. Their hair color ranged from dark purple, like vines to silky white, like ivory. The one before Cyrus was a purple-head. Due to the obvious racial advantages, the green men and other modified humans viewed themselves as an improvement to the human race, especially those that retained most of their human features.
At that time, Cyrus realized he wasn't the only one staring. Having come from a backward planet, everyone present was an original. Few had ever seen such a person, and some kids even started crying from fear. It wasn't just due to the person who had come to him.
Just like any transport hub, the place was crowded. What's more, this was a galactic hub, a planet that attracted all sorts of creatures. There were elves, giants and other kinds of monsters few could describe. Some were slimy, huge. They varied from incredibly attractive to grotesque malformations. This was proving too much for the children to take in.
"Yes I am, and you are?" Cyrus finally snapped out and responded.
"Call me Senior Khal, I will be your guide." Observing the new arrival, Cyrus realized that he was a huge tall man with bulging muscles. The greenness had masked that for a moment, but now that he looked at him, he felt the subtle aura of power he gave off. Cyrus was a man of science, but he could tell this was a soldier, a deadly one at that.
"Where are we going?" He asked as he signaled his people to follow him.
"We are going to the citadel, where we will meet the elder and be briefed on the situation. Your people will also find accommodation and food there," A statement that elicited sighs of relief.
Like their home planet, this new planet, which they came to know as StarLink hub belonged to the Tlas family holding. Therefore they were not thrown by the technology they encountered, although the one they knew did seem a touch lesser compared to what they were seeing.
The buildings were magnificent, and the entire planet was a city. The green men acted as the trees, so the more they were, the fresher the air became. This led to them being extremely obsessed with cleanliness until it became a cult, a sort of identity. Some extremes believed that uncleanness was a defilement of their race.
Naturally, their citadel, which acted as the capital of the entire planet, was not only humongous, but it was unnaturally clean. There were even standards of cleanliness one had to adhere to be allowed to enter the building. I say building but it was more like a massive superstructure. It rose to above 1000 stories. Its breadth and length were 500 and 800 miles respectively. It was a bustling city bigger than any mountain they had seen, and to imagine that it was human-made, such a feat was nothing short of miraculous.
Cyrus was taken to the very top floor. So far up was it that he had to use an airship just to get to it, while the others were taken to the guest residentials in the citadel.
"Well, I am not going to lie, the first few months in there will be the worst." 2 men were conversing when Khal brought Cyrus into the massive building. Expectedly, one was green, but the other looked like an original.
The Tlas family dated their origins way back to when humanity was transcending their planet. In those times, a white person with blue eyes was seen as the epitome of humanity and prime beauty. Over the years, these values had changed, but for the major families, they retained their origins.
This was one of the reasons why many others chose to retain their humanity. If the super-rich didn't want to change, there had to be something there. No one believed that it was just obstinacy preventing them.
Anyway, the blue-eyed man was identified as a Tlas. Cyrus did not know how to react. Everyone on their planet knew who the rulers were, and they submitted knowing just how insurmountable they were. Their wealth and influence across a region where no one could imagine and their pockets were nigh undepletable. Now standing in front of a real Tlas, Cyrus felt small and insignificant.
Don't get me wrong, Cyrus had met several representatives of the Tlas family, but rarely had he met an actual Tlas family member, someone with that surname. Now looking at the man before him, he felt like bowing down.
In this meeting, Cyrus learned the true purpose of this excursion. He failed to understand why an entity as big as the Tlas family would undertake their affairs in such secrecy, especially when it came to the mining of Stolline ores. In his world, mining these ores was a commonplace activity, and everyone knew they belonged to the Tlas family. In the eyes of such a planet, the Tlas family were practically gods.
The green man eyed Cyrus with an air of superiority. Lord Klavi had had many interactions with the Tlas family, as the representative in charge of this hub. As such, he even could talk with the Tlas family Chancellor, Ser Bor's dad. A junior Tlas member may have held a higher status by birth, but Lord Klavi still stood out. Looking at Cyrus, he was inclined to like him, as he tended to like people who knew their place.
Introductions were made, the who's who got to know each other, and those who were told the mission got to know, at the highest level of secrecy. We are not going to draw this out, just know nothing happened out of the ordinary. In 1 month, Cyrus, his people, a lot of green men, other humans, and some creatures, and fierce-looking soldiers were loaded and on their way to the final destination: planet Shepherd.
Ser Bor wasn't worried about causing a commotion by the deployment. Due to the sheer number of people that were involved, had they tried secrecy, it would have only drawn more attention. Still, he did his best to make it look like just another casual movement of forces, something expected of the Tlas family.
He had a lot riding on this mission. It was all on him, a test by his seniors. He needed to show that he was capable of something more than just being a facade, a misdirection. Not that there was any spoken pressure, but he felt it nonetheless. The looks of disdain from dignitaries that held vital positions in the Tlas family were hard to miss, and if he was to take over successfully after his father, he needed to gain their trust.
He smiled as he remembered how all this had begun. He had a lot to thank that mercenary who would send him first-hand footage of life in the shepherd's nest regularly. Indeed it was Carzola who set him on this course, and it was okay with him that he got to have a share of it.
Carzola had taken a team job, something he rarely did, from the Galactic Mercenary Association (GMA). The mission was for protection, and they had requested him specifically to protect the head of the expedition.
The Swong family, well, as at that time, it couldn't be called the Swong family yet since Papa Swong had only made his mark in the Galactic level, but Junior was showing a determination to follow in his father's footsteps.
Papa Swong had been a galactic explorer. He had started his company, HTL Explorers, for this purpose. He, like many others, specialized in going into the deep space and seeking out any new land. Any good find, they could sell the information to the rich, who would then move to take it.
Papa Swong had made his mark by discovering a Star Cluster System. The value of the information did not only skyrocket his company's income but it also catapulted him into the limelight. As mankind continued to explore in the Star Cluster, now named the Swong Star Cluster system, his profile only served to rise.
This was one of the reasons he was determined to grow not just economically but also in terms of status. If he could reach the level of Galactic powerhouses, his family name would form a critical pillar in the new system, maybe even leading to a new Star Cluster system.
Many recognized this as well, and funding came from all sides. Papa Junior had been with his father in many of his escapades, long before they made it big. He was just as passionate as his father, and try as he might, his mother could not dissuade him.
Space exploration, while fun, was extremely dangerous. She feared for her son as much as he had feared for his father. Now that they needed to preserve the family dynasty, he needed to step up to leadership, no blindly go into space yet again. They had people for that now, they needn't do it themselves.
Papa understood his son. The boy felt he needed to prove he was a man if he was to lead. He also had his blood, the same blood that felt the vast emptiness of space calling out to him, telling him to seek out new treasures, lands, and mysteries hidden in its expanse. This was what he lived for. He would rather be out there than have to mingle with these pompous guys who did nothing more than pamper themselves, but he understood the need for this. Now he too had to become a pompous dignitary.
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