Apophis finally emerged aboveground again.
Thick clouds filled the skies, the first signs of the nuclear winter that was to come. Soon, almost all the flora and fauna on the planet which had survived the bombing would die, either from residual radiation or from a lack of sunlight and warmth.
Apophis consulted his political menu.
Stellar year: 7099
Galactic Sector: Distant Suburb (Difficulty: Novice)
Stellar Faction: United Federation of Planets
Planet: Era (Biome: Dead World)
Continent: Teressa
It was time for Apophis to join the Federation camp which had been established on the planet. He had to do so quickly if he wanted to make the most EXP possible.
He knew from his old life that the Federation troops would invade the planet's main urban centers before long, and he needed to join before then. Fortunately, the ruins of Tyo were not very far from his current location.
Upon arriving, Apophis saw an impressive sight! Each entrance to the city was guarded by a 10-meter high mecha, as well as many Federation soldiers. Each of these was equipped with standardized war armor with a laser rifle linked to an optical helmet. It would allow any soldier to identify targets and see system information in the same way that players could through their menus.
The atmosphere was very heavy, as the city was filled with corpses, a reminder of the siege of Tyo and the nuclear strike that had followed.
As Apophis approached the militarized zone, the Federation soldiers watched him intently. After all, every player was a potential enemy, even if Admiral Azerof wanted to add these Eternals to his army!
But before any trouble could start up, an officer met Apophis and escorted him to the base commander.
This commander was a peculiar man, quite different from the rest of the army.
[Colonel Ralfot] [Elite] [Sniper] [Level: 50] [Rank: B]
This was no ordinary NPC, but bore ascension power!
Ascension power was extremely rare among the general population of the galaxy. Only 1% of the NPCs could hope to exceed rank D, and be considered part of the superior tiers of existence!
So meeting a B-rank human was like finding a rare pearl.
But Apophis's surprise was nothing compared to Colonel Ralfot's reaction to seeing Apophis!
A Zetark! How could this be possible?! They'd been extinct for a millennium! Moreover, hadn't all their intel claimed that the Eternals were made up of 100% humans?
Ralfot quickly understood the magnitude of this information! He immediately passed it on to his superior, who sent the information, in turn, to Admiral Azerof.
***
A FEW HOURS LATER
Apophis was tempted to be irritated by the fact that no one would seriously talk with him about joining the Federation for hours, but he knew that they would be surely sending information of him up the chain of command, and so he remained patient until he received an invitation to board the Federation flagship.
Colonel Ralfot and another ascended human then escorted him to the office of Admiral Azerof.
For his part, Admiral Azerof couldn't believe what 'he' saw, either!
To human supremacists, the Zetark were like demigods, and worthy of respect! It was only thanks to the Zetark that humanity had achieved space travel in the first place!
Apophis knew Azerof's lore perfectly from his old life and used this to his advantage. "It's an honor to meet you, Admiral Azerof!"
Admiral Azerof was a veteran career man in the military, and so thought it reasonable that someone might know who he was. Suspicious, he said, "Who are you, and why did your people invade this protectorate of the Federation?"
Apophis answered, "We didn't invade this world. We come from another dimension. Our teleportation portal deposited us on Era. We had no choice in the matter."
Admiral Azerof was very skeptical. Another dimension? A teleportation portal? These ideas were totally beyond his realm of expertise!
Apophis carefully closed his eyes and stopped talking, as though he were meditating. Then, after about twenty seconds, he said, "Know, Admiral, that your fidelity towards the ideals of the ancient Empire is to be applauded! Your faith will lead you to your goal: the Imperium of Humanity!"
Admiral Azerof was filled with shock! Not another soul knew that he was a human supremacist! After all, the Supremacists were considered a terrorist organization within the Federation! Anyone proved to be a member, in fact, could be shot!
Yet, this Eternal who was a Zetark had just spoken openly about the Imperium of Humanity. He knew! He knew everything!
Apophis noticed Admiral Azerof's state of disturbance and pressed forward. "Know that my people, the Eternals, are ready to support this sacred mission. But only if you help us in return!"
Admiral Azerof replied, "Help? What exactly would this consist of?"
"Use your influence with the Chancellor and the Senate of the Federation. Grant this planet to my people and appoint me regent. Also, grant my people the resources they'll need to rebuild it."
.
This was far better than in Apophis's old life! Back then, after losing the war against the Federation, the player survivors had the choice of either serving a prison sentence for their crimes or joining the Federal military for a year. This time around, Apophis had not only avoided the humiliation of being forcibly integrated into the Federation, but could also get the planet for himself!
Admiral Azerof thought about this offer for a few moments. "I accept. Of course, considering that Tyo was a protectorate of the Federation and that your people caused their genocide, there is no chance that even I can convince the Federation to hear your claims as things stand. We must first re-establish order on the planet and create a scapegoat for these unfortunate events."
Apophis replied, "I think we can pass off the Tyotting massacre as the result of an Orc strike. The border of the Orc Empire is only a few light years away from this planet, after all. This would even be an excellent pretext for war against them! As for restoring order on the planet, let me take care of it. Appoint me as the head of the Federation's Eternals division. I know exactly where we can nip the rebellious opposition in the bud."
Admiral Azerof said, "Very well. All Eternals who join our ranks will fall under your command!"
If only Admiral Azerof knew the consequences of these agreements, he would have regretted every action which had brought him to this point!
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