Deus Infernus

The Deus Infernus refers to a phenomenon that occasionally occurs within the Weave Remnant.

## Description

The Deus Infernus is a phenomenon that occurs in some cases where civilisations or species are reduced to a few or a single individuals. The phenomenon manifests in the form of such individuals emitting high amounts of plasma before undergoing a transformation. These individuals begin to mutate, their physical form gaining features reminiscent of burning wood or coal. Metaphysically, these beings have their natural abilities enhanced while gaining several new ones. Those transformed by the phenomena are known as Infernum.

The new abilities depend on how the individual's people were wiped out, with the resulting powers being ones especially effective against whatever had caused the extinction event. For those who had been subject to genocide, the resulting abilities are especially effective against those who had performed the act. If what caused the extinction event was a cosmic phenomenon, then the powers would be effective in stymying or even preventing similar events.

## History

The first encounter the Weave Remnant had with the Deus Infernus occurred during the Tor Crisis and Scattering, where countless civilisations and species were wiped out in the ensuing chaos. Those transformed were among the most fierce defenders for surviving civilisations and societies, and it was with their help that many survived the violence of the era. Due to the impact of phenomenon, it became a subject of interest to multiple parties within the Remnant. During the First Pathfinder War, the Negentropic Union launched multiple investigative teams to seek out the origin of the phenomenon, if there were any.

Through matching reports and archaeological records from extinct civilisations with descriptions of the phenomenon, the possible origin point was traced to a reality beyond the edge of the Remnant within a region close to the Iridescent Web. There, the ruins of a dead civilisation was found and work begun to unravel the mystery behind the phenomenon. The civilisation was Bound and seemed to have never expanded beyond its native universe, with most of its inhabitants erased from existence but with their ruins left largely intact. Whatever had erased the civilisation's inhabitants had also appeared to damage the cosmological workings of the reality, rendering timeline observation ineffective.

Over several decades of study and excavation through countless sites of battle, abandoned megastructures and tombs, the archaeological teams tasked with investigating this dead people were able to build a largely complete picture of what had happened. Among the most valuable pieces of evidence in the investigation were alert system announcements and a series of surviving correspondances between key figures of the civilisation. After translation, the aforementioned media concerning the phenomena were released to the public.

**Emergency Broadcast 1**

*This is the Emergency Alert System of Sector Inus. We have interrupted media broadcasts with this message.*
*If you are receiving this notice, you are in potential danger. Multiple unidentified beings are assaulting the Phenogora, Silumera and Moldus systems. Contact has been attempted but has so far been unsuccessful. Residents within the Inus Sector are advised to seek the nearest shelter or fortified building should the following occur;*

*- A large wormhole appearing on the surface of your system's star*

*- Stone and gem like constructs being sighted in your star system.*

*- A screeching sound without discernable source*

*Take only the absolute essentials and calmly seek shelter. Repeat, take only absolute essentials and calmly seek shelter.*

*Information on these beings is currently scarce and we will update you as progress is made*

Temporal observations place the broadcast as roughly 70 000 BFE in an approximate match to the Weave's dating system. Scattered news reports were found dated to within a few hours of the broadcast.

**Correspondance 1**

From: Admiral 3rd Ice Nebula
To: Chancellor 42nd Bright Star

Warm greetings, Chancellor. Multiple systems have come under attack by an unidentified entities. We have engaged the beings with fleets stationed in the Inus Sector along with reinforcements from surrounding sectors. The attacks have been continuing non-stop for the past week, with new wormholes constantly opening up in sector to reveal more of the entities. The fighting has been contained to the Inus Sector for now, but the possibility for the violence to spread is increasing. Attached to this message is a full report of the events that have transpired thus far.

So far we have almost no information on the beings, outside of the appearance and speculated function of some technological scraps that have been salvaged. While it is not an insignificant force, I request that ten dreadnought fleets from the core sectors be sent to reinforce our forces in Inus, along with diverting any available research teams to the study of the new entities.

From: Chancellor 42nd Bright Star
To: Admiral 3rd Ice Nebula

Your request has been granted, Admiral. The information in your report is alarming, and further considerations have been made to contain the threat. Ten dreadnought fleets are being sent to Inus, with a further twenty heavy cruiser fleets being sent to the sector border as a containment garrison. The Kinvol Institute has spared several research teams for these new entities. The teams are expected to arrive within a week.

Cross analysis with other recovered media and records indicate that 3rd Ice Nebula was promoted in the midst of battle, after his predecessor perished from the immediate destruction of his flagship. Despite most of his time being spent in battle, the admiral fared far better than most of his peers, outlasting all of them to the end.

**Emergency Broadcast 2**

*This is the Emergency Alert System of Sector Inus. We are bringing you an update to the situation. As of this broadcast, the armed forces of the Republic of Maginal are conducting operations against previously unknown entities now labeled as "Golems". The battle for the sector as reached a relative lull; as such, we are taking the opportunity to undertake several actions.*
*Evacuation has been ordered for those able in the affected regions; Phenogora, Silumera, Moldus, Ebdus, Idora. Those being evacuated are to do the following;*

*- Follow all instructions given by the relevant authorities. These include but are not limited to: law enforcement, medical and military personnel. Be aware that personnel are authorised to use lethal force against those who resist instructions.*

*- Carry only the essentials and nothing else. Less bulk is needed to fit as many on the transport shuttles as possible. Any other needs will be met by ships waiting in orbit.*

*The Maginal Republic has moved to a war footing. As of today, enlistment has been expanded and production is being shifted to military needs. Prepare for an increase in price for nonessential goods.*

*All Maginal citizens above the age of 60 are eligible for enlistment. You may join at any recruitment centre with red sign. Enlistment comes with multiple benefits to those who join in the fight, including but not limited to;*

*- Free full body reconstruction and augmentation*

*- Priority in queue for certain services, including transport and delivery*

*- Greater allotment of computational substrate for personal use*

*Join today. Fight for your nation.*

The broadcast is dated to approximately two months after the first emergency alert. Cross analysis of the Golem craft and recovered data indicate that the first wave of Golem ships were probing fleets designed to gauge the capabilities of the native inhabitants before the first true harvester fleets arrived.

**Correspondance 2**

From: Admiral 3rd Nebula
To: Chancellor 42nd Bright Star

Warm greetings once again, Chancellor. At the present time, we have managed to secure several routes out of the Inus Sector. I have attached another full report to this message describing the most recent events in detail. Civilians are being evacuated at an extremely high rate as of the time of this writing. We are expected to evacuate almost all of the surviving civilian population within three weeks, assuming that our transports maintain capacity. Footage from worlds and habitats lost to the Golems have indicated that the beings do not spare surrendering military personnel or civilians. When such locations were retaken, none of the remains of the slain were found. My researchers have hypothesized that they are harvesting us of some resource, but at the present time we are not certain.

My researchers have reported some new findings on salvaged scraps of Golem technology. Golem technology appears to be running off a form of embercite (a rare type of solid we use for ex-nihilo energy generation) albeit with far greater output and other exotic properties not present in our analogues. The researchers have decided to expedite research through merging their minds into a gestalt intelligence. Research speed should increase appropriately from this point on.

Outside of the evacuation and research, reconnaisance drones have observed that the rate of new incursions has been decreasing. I fear that the Golems are preparing to surge our defences and target the routes of our civilian transports. A heavier surveillace presence is required if we are to respond in time to a new offensive. Recently secured shipyards in the Inus Sector are churning out reconnaisance carriers, but it will take time for the numbers to reach total coverage of the sector. Targeted attacks by the Golems has also heavily disrupted our communication networks and infrastructure.

As such, I will need to request three more reconnaisance groups and eighty transmitter relays for the Inus Sector, alongside another reinforcement of seven cruiser fleets.

From: Chancellor 42nd Bright Star
To: Admiral 3rd Ice Nebula

Thank you for your service, Admiral. Again, your request is granted. This situation is highly irregular and requires our full investment of resources and attention. The findings of your research team is troubling. If the harvesting hypothesis is indeed correct, the next question would be what resource they are after and our response to their motives. If the Golems see us nothing more than a resource to be harvested, then I am afraid that negotiations, and thus an end to hostilities is impossible. In such an event the only recourse would be fight until either all the invading forces are dead, or we are rendered extinct.

The containment zone will also see further reinforcement, with a further fifteen dreadnought fleets and their escort groups. Stars be with you.

This particular correspondance would be the prelude to the Inus Breakout that followed six months after, in which Golem forces broke through the containment zone to multiple sectors. The time needed to harvest the Maginals would slow down the Golem forces enough for the galactic civilisation to pool its resources into measures to slow down the latter.

**Emergency Broadcast 3**

*This is the Emergency Alert System of the Maginal. If you are receiving this broadcast, you are in potential danger. The Golem forces in the Inus Sector have broken out of the containment zone. Repeat, the Golem forces in the Inus Sector have breached containment. Multiple neighbouring sectors are being assaulted by Golems at the time of this broadcast.*
*Sectors next to Inus, such as Lagrusus, Monda, Udo and Colgusa have been authorised to evacuate all civilians from the regions. If you are a civilian in the regions undergoing evacuation, follow the instructions below;*

*- Pack only essential supplies. Mobile habitats and ships will have further needs met.*

*- Look for and follow a series of glowing green signs. These indicate evacuation routes to the transports waiting on the ground and in spaceports.*

*- Listen to all instructions from relevant personnel. These include military, police and medical staff. All three are authorised to use lethal force against those do not comply with orders.*

*For all civilians in imminent danger, the Maginal government gives the following instructions;*

*Hide and retreat from Golems if possible. Do not engage unless absolutely necessary. If you must engage, do not allow your body to be retrieved intact if you believe death to be imminent. Kinetic weapons are ineffective against Golems. Directed energy weapons have shown some effect against lesser Golem morphs. Prioritise your own survival.*

*The Maginal Republic has moved to a total war footing. Nonessential manufacturing has been diverted towards military use. Be aware of shortages in certain goods.*

**Correspondance 3**

From: Admiral 3rd Ice Nebula
To: Chancellor 42nd Bright Star

Greetings, Chancellor. The war has taken a decidedly worse turn. The Golems have managed a breakout in multiple locations of the containment zone, while most of our forces have suffered heavy losses. As usual, a detailed report has been attached to my message.

My research team has made some disturbing discoveries. Outside of unlocking some of the more exotic properties of Golem embercite, we have found that the substance is sentient and intelligent. Attempts to communicate with it have been successful, and yielded horrifying results. After multiple extended interviews, we have found that every piece of embercite either consists of or has a consciousness trapped in it. Several pieces have the minds of Maginal citizens. Attempts to move consciousness back into other substrates have been unsuccessful. Damaging or destroying shards have resulted in the release of a previously unseen form of energy, sulfoil, that was nonetheless speculated to exist for a few decades by researchers. In light of this discovery, the harvest hypothesis has been given merit.

During the battles prior to the breakout, we have managed to salvage an intact harvesting device used by the Golems. My researchers have sent an application to have testing done on the machine in order to study its workings and the process that it uses to harvest the minds of its victims. Insights gained from its study may very well help reverse the condition of victims. I believe it is imperative to have a working understanding of the device and its principles as quickly as possible and thus would request for the application to be given priority.

The breakout zones are located at the borders of Lagrusus, Udo, Colgusa and Udo. The golems have so far slowed down to harvest the civilians instead of further penetration into our territory, which may be one of the few remotely positive aspects of this situation. I have moved the bulk of the forces in Inus to the neighbouring sectors to further slow the Golem advance. Nevertheless, the Golems have taken comparatively fewer losses than we have despite the rough parity of current numbers. Our forces are both heavily outgunned and more fragile than those of our enemies. The forces that broke out of the cordon are mostly ones we have not seen before, thus we suspect that the initial force was made largely for probing our capabilities than for any serious fighting. The technological disparity, while evident before, is all the more obvious now.

I would heavily advise a scorched earth strategy at this juncture, given the enemy's tactics. I believe it necessary that the Golems be denied further power by harvesting our people. Given the ease with which the Golems broke through our cordon, I do not believe it possible to do much more than delay our enemies for the forseeable future, if ever. It is high time we implement more radical measures while we have the means and time to do so. I would go as far as to say that we need to rethink how our population lives. I propose that we accelerate existing production of mobile habitats and megastructures capable of sustaining life long term and start building new ones, alongside moving at least thirty percent of our population to these mobile centres in the next decade. Having at least a greater portion of our people lead a nomadic lifestyle via mobile habitat will help ensure that the Maginal Republic survives this conflict.

From: Chancellor 42nd Bright Star
To: Admiral 3rd Nebula

Greetings, Admiral. The situation you described is indeed extremely alarming. What you propose, however, equally drastic measures and thus must be discussed with the entire senate. In lieu of your own presence in the senate, I suggest you have a trusted subordinate as a representative to argue your case, in person or remotely. In light of the recent findings, I have called an emergency meeting with the senate that will take place in the next three days. In the meantime, we are diverting all available military resources to the theatres in conflict and moving to a state of total war.

**Senate Verdict 1**

 In light of recent findings on enemy motives and the breakthrough of Golems in the Inus Sector, this meeting has been called and a consensus has been reached. Sixty eight have voted for thirty percent of the Maginal Republic's population to be moved to mobile platforms. Thirty two have voted against. The motion has passed. It has been deemed of vital importance that our civilian population is kept out of reach from the Golems, both in order to preserve our strength and to deny the Golems more power from their harvest. For the next decade, the Maginal Republic will accelerate the construction of existing mobile megastructures and habitats, modify existing habitats and megastructures where feasible and create a fleet of such structures for each sector. In addition, a mass relocation of sections of our population will commence, with priority given to the technically skilled and those with useful abilities. Infrastructure and habitats that cannot be made mobile will be fortified with greater defenses to slow down the Golem advance. This strategy will be evaluated and updated as the situation progresses.

Ice Nebula's scorched earth strategy bought vital time for the Maginal Republic. For almost a decade, the Republic suffered a substantially lesser rate of losses through a series of evacuations and retreats. The Golem advance slowed to a crawl as they were baited towards heavily fortified megastructures that became grinding battles of attrition. As more and more Maginal infrastructure was made mobile, the ability for the Maginal population to avoid being harvested also increased. Maginal scientists were making headway into reverse engineering some Golem technology, albeit with hiccups as the Golems heavily black-boxed many of their devices. Efforts into reversing the crystallisation of Maginal souls was still unssuccesful, however, with approaches rapidly running out. Notably, Maginal was able to reverse engineer several parts of Golem embercite, implementing it in their own devices.

However, the Golems were not still in their development either. After seven years of this state of affairs, the Golems made gradual changes to their strategy as their understanding of Maginal's people increased. The time was more than enough for the Golems to gain a thorough understanding of the Maginal people and create custom-made infiltrators and scouts. With a steady stream of information, the Golems built their forces up in strategic locations over the next two years to stage a more successful offensive.

**Emergency Broadcast 4**

 Attention! All citizens of the Maginal Republic! We have interrupted your regular broadcasts with an emergency alert. The Maginal Republic has declared martial law. The Golems have managed to breach our lines into our core sectors. All civilians that have been fitted with combat augmentations must proceed to your designated battlestations and support military personnel. Those that cannot fight are to proceed to the designated evacuation centres for transport.
The 2nd Migration Fleet has sent multiple evacuation groups to the affected locations. Evacuees are to follow all instructions given by the relevant authorities. Take only essential items, do not risk being left behind.

If you believe death is imminent, activate your self destruct implants. Do not let the Golems harvest you. Being captured will result in a fate worse than death.

With the defensive lines broken, the Maginal hastened the transition of their civilisation to a more mobile state. Drawing away forces from other fronts to shore up the Maginal core regions, battlefields elsewhere also experienced Golem breakthroughs from the thinned lines. During the chaos of the breakthrough, Golem harvest fleets took the opportunity to spread throughout and beyond the galaxy while the Maginal were preoccupied. It was not until several years later that this encirclement became apparent to the Maginal leaders. As the lines reformed, new strategies were implemented in oter to slow the Golem advance.

**Media Announcement 1**

 With the recent breakthrough by the Golems into the Maginal core sectors, the Senate has decided to accelerate our civilisation's transition to a mobile existence. Priority has further shifted to heavy industry in order to manufacture more mobile habitats and retrofit existing megastructures with transportation technology. All Maginal citizens are expected to contribute to this effort. More details of what citizens can do will come in future announcements.
Our forces have been engaged in a fighting withdrawal as they form new lines to stall the Golem threat. New developments on the war will be updated as they come in.

After a decade of fighting, it became clear to the Maginal that it was no longer feasible to have their civilisation remain in the galaxy. The rapid spread of Golem ships running unchecked had opened several horrifying realities. Encirclement became a very real probability, and backup strategies had to be enacted. It was then that the Senate decided on one of their arranged contingenices; to scatter their civilisation throughout the local cluster while their forces slowed the Golem advance. By this time, breakthroughs in reverse engineering of Golem artifacts had allowed the Maginal to crack some of the techniques involved in Golem embercite production and manipulation. It was after these breakthroughs that new strategic weapons began development in a further attempt to bridge the military gap between the Maginal and the Golems.

**Senate Address Excerpt**

 It is with great sadness that we must announce the migration of our civilisation from this galaxy. For the forseeable future, we must abandon our home to the Golems. To not do so imperils our species to the harvest fleets running unchecked in our galaxy. In the distant future, when the long night is over and the Golem fleets are finally driven back, we will look upon this time as another saga in our history. For now, however, all we can do is endure and outlast this threat. Glory to Maginal.

Migration fleets of habitats and megastructures left their galaxy for others in the local cluster, all the while leaving a trail of production facilities and heavily fortified stations to ensure that the Maginal military could continue their fighting withdrawal. While the Maginal began their migration, the Golems had a head start in their spread and harvested lesser civilisations virtually unopposed. With Golem fleets in other galaxies approaching critical mass, the Maginal had to constantly be on the move. The first strategic weapons made from reverse engineered Golem technology was approaching the prototype stage, all while Maginal fleets did their utmost to retain their strength through the attrition of constant holding actions.

**Correspondance 4**

 From: Admiral 3rd Ice Nebula
To: Chancellor 42nd Bright Star

The situation has taken a decidedly worse turn over the past few years. As outlined in the attached report, our migration fleets are hounded by pursuing Golem swarms, while our own rate of losses are almost unsustainable. We have little to no ability to cut down on the expanding Golem fleets, while they give no time nor space to grow our own forces and logistics. In summary, our forces have stagnated in their overall strength while those of the Golems have kept growing. The circumstances have a real probability of becoming untenable for our peoples' survival. Whatever wunderwaffe our researchers are working on must be brought into service at all haste in light of the current state of our species.

What we need right now is time in order to recoup our losses and expand our logistics. In order to buy that time, our strategists have determined the best course of action is to cull the Golem fleets through a decisive battle that will force them to rebuild their forces. For this, we require more resources and manpower that will have to be diverted from civilian industries. We will also require two of the strategic weapon prototypes that have been completed. I propose a temporary diverting of needed industries and the fielding of the completed strategic weapons for the purpose of buying our species time.

I understand that our migration fleets are strained as is, but our military is approaching breaking point. If our current predicament persists, we may have to abandon an entire migration fleet to the Golems. I await the Senate's response.

From: Chancellor 42nd Bright Star
To: Admiral 3rd Ice Nebula

After much discussion between the Senate and I, your proposal has been accepted. A notice has been sent out to relevant industry leaders to focus more resources into military to prepare for the upcoming battle. While these measures will be unpopular, our people have shown that they are willing to bear such sacrifices for the goal of survival. For the next three years, you will receive an increased allocation of industrial output to your forces in preparation for the battle. We pray for your victory.

**Media Announcement 2**

 This is a notice to all Maginal citizens. In preparation for a major military operation, more industrial output has been diverted to the military for the next three years. As such, there will be a shortage in certain goods. Thank you for your understanding.

In the three years that followed, the Maginal Republic drew a host of Golem fleets in a chase, baiting them to a series of fortified defences reinforced with multiple fleets. The battle, known as the Tenebrous Gambit, saw the heavy losses on both sides, though with much greater ones on the Golem fleets. The battle lasted for several months, drawing in additional reinforcements from both Maginal and the Golems, and the usage of strategic weapons by both sides. When the defences were finally ground down by the Golems, the main Maginal forces had made their retreat. The losses inflicted by Maginal bought a vital respite in the war, as in the folowing decade of relatively low-intensity conflict the republic expanded its industry and logistics. Research and development continued, and the second wave of strategic weapons were nearing completion. During this time major breakthroughs would be made in soul related technologies from prior embercite expertise, culminating in the most powerful weapon that the Maginal would come to field in the near future. This period would come to an end when the Golems suddenly retreated from most of the fronts they were engaging in.

What followed was a sudden attack by the Golems directly on one of the major migration fleets. The sheer weight of the combined Golem fleet quickly overwhelmed the defences and bypassed the Maginal fleets before the latter could come to the defence of the migration fleet. While rebuidling their forces, the Golems had sent listening posts and disposable drones to gather information during the lull in the war. Over time, the Golems had learnt of the possible routes of the Maginal and planned their offensives accordingly. This rapid offensive was repeated on multiple migration fleets, forcing the Maginal to place their own fleets closer to those of the migrations' and considerably reducing the effectiveness of their stalling actions. Notable was the fact the Golems targeted the most industrially active migration fleets for harvest and destruction, as well as killing important leaders in targeted killins.

**Correspondance 5**

 From: Admiral 3rd Ice Nebula
To: Chancellor 42nd Bright Star

Greetings, Chancellor. The situation is grim, as you have seen from the multitude of reports. The recent catastrophic offensives from the Golems have seen the loss of a significant portion of our population. Alongside these losses in population is the destruction of a large fraction of our industrial base, as the Golems have specifically targeted our industrial centres. This loss will be impossible to recover from in the short and medium term. Extinction has once again become a real probability if we do not change our tactics. These losses are already leading to a cascade effect, where the more fleets we lose the more Golem forces are freed up to engage our other fleets. If we do not stem the tide now, then we will become extinct in short order.

Given the situation, I am requesting permission to use the majority of our stock of strategic weapons. This will show our hand to the Golems, but we are at a point of desperation. It is vital that we repel these forces to give us room for our migration fleets to combine into a more defendable whole.

From: Chancellor 42nd Bright Star
To: Admiral 3rd Ice Nebula

Permission has been granted. Use the weapons as you see fit. Do whatever you must to give us a better chance of survival.

Ice Nebula hit the Golem fleets with a barrage of strategic weapons in order to repel the enemy forces. Buying vital time for the Maginal to consolidate the remaining fleets into larger ones, much of the Golem forces were still intact and continued their assault. A few of the remaining fleets sacrificed themselves to draw away Golem forces so that the others could safely consolidate. This respite was short lived,however, and when the Golems had finished mopping up the last stragglers they turned their focus towards the now consolidated migration fleets. Under assault from all sides, the Maginal Republic rushed to complete their last strategic prototypes.

**Meeting excerpt**

 Admiral 3rd Ice Nebula: Chancellor, I will not mince my words. Extinction is imminent. If our research and development teams have any final cards to play, now would be the time to do so.
Chancellor 42nd Bright Star: There is a prototype that our researchers have been working on and will be a in a potentially usable state with some preparation. However, it has been deemed to be far too dangerous to use at this time.

Admiral 3rd Ice Nebula: Describe the prototype to me, Chancellor.

Chancellor 42nd Bright Star: The prototype weapon is less a technological device and more an artifical phenomenon we have created. It is partially reverse engineered Golem harvest mechanisms and the ways Golem morphs can enhance themselves through absorbing embercite. When specific conditions are met, a designated target will gain immensely powerful abilities. From preliminary data, such abilities would have the power and magnitude to end entire intergalactic civilisations.

Admiral 3rd Ice Nebula: And the conditions?

Chancellor 42nd Bright Star:...Mass death. The phenomenon is fueled by souls.

Admiral 3rd Ice Nebula: So all we have left is a suicide vest. Do we truly have no other options?

Chancellor 42nd Bright Star: Nothing left. The remaining stockpiles of our other strategic weapons are not nearly enough to even buy time. All the hidden fleets we sent to disperse around the universe were found within hours of their departure. Single individuals lasted only a few days before detection.

Admiral 3rd Ice Nebula: Any more caveats to our prototype?

Chancellor 42nd Bright Star: You would accept its use so easily?

Admiral 3rd Ice Nebula: It's hopeless. Everyone not blinded by propaganda know we have nothing left. Caveats?

Chancellor 42nd Bright Star: Once the phenomenon is unleashed we'll be unable to control it. However, we can make the phenomenon more specific, even grant it decision-making capabilities and basic sentience to ensure it follows protocol. Do you have anything in mind?

Admiral 3rd Ice Nebula: Have it only activate when a civilisation is reduced to a few or even a single individual.

Chancellor 42nd Bright Star: I see. I suppose we now search for candidates?

Admiral 3rd Ice Nebula: Yes. Such an action must be kept to utmost secrecy. We'll need to distribute our remaining strategic weapons throughout our fleets to be activated when the time comes. The public is to only be told that they will be contributing to a grand effort to take down the Golems through a secret weapon.

Chancellor 42nd Bright Star: I understand. It is an honour to serve our people with you.

Admiral 3rd Ice Nebula: Same to you. I'll take my leave and make preparations.

In the short period after this, the Chancellor and Admiral created and finalised their plan. A candidate was then selected among the Maginal population; 12th Ignited Comet, a veteran and survivor of from the very beginning of the conflict. Comet displayed deep loyalty to the Maginal Republic and was psychologically evaluated to be the most unlikely to oppose the plan. Most importantly, Ignited Comet had no dependents or kin left to make them deviate from their mission.

**Secret Letter**

 To: 12th Ignited Comet
If you are reading this, then you have been escorted into a secure space by secret service operatives and have chosen to participate in a covert operation. This letter contains details that are not to be shared outside this space.

Extinction is certain for our people. Nothing we have will change this fact. All that we can do is make the Golems' victory worthless.

The operation you will be tasked with will take place after all but you are dead. In two weeks, all the strategic weapons remaining in our fleets will be detonated. Prior to this, you will be placed in a secure location away from the fleets in a stealth vessel. After you have received the message of our extinction, you will receive a sudden influx of information within your cyberbrain and a significant enhancement in power. This is expected, and will prepare you for your mission in as short a timeframe as possible.

Your mission is to destroy the Golems as a civilisation. There will be no more mission assignments afterwards, and even if there were they will be largely meaningless. For whatever cold comfort you may have left, you will be free to chase your own goals and ambitions, as empty these words may be due to current circumstances.

If you have any unsettled affairs and/or any words left unsaid, now is the time to attend to them. It is an honour, soldier.

**Last Farewells**

 42nd Bright Star here. In final hours of my, and my people's lives, I find myself needing to put my thoughts to record. In these moments I find that I am... calm. I always thought that in this war I would have gone down kicking and screaming, not quietly waiting for the end to come. In any case, I might as well not leave anything unsaid. I can't quite wax poetic like some of my peers in the Senate, but whatever. These are my thoughts, and they'll be as scrappy as I want.
I find myself wondering if we could have done anything to avoid coming to this point. We were always outmatched, but for a time it seemed like there was a possibility of stemming the tide. This is best we can do, maybe. Dwelling on these possibilities always left a sense of regret, but hindsight is easy, unlike foresight. Whatever mistakes and successes we made will be mostly meaningless in the next few hours. All that's left is to drag everything else to hell.

To this day, we have still not ascertained the full motives of the Golems, or even managed to truly communicate with them. I would have liked to converse with our adversary, if they weren't so intent on stuffing my soul into a crystal, heh. Genocidal rocks, the lot of them. Respect where respect is due though, they were comepetent and trounced us throughly.

To any being who is reading this, I suppose I have some words for you. If you are by some miracle a descendant of our Republic, I wish with all I have that you and your people are safe and secure. To know that there are descendants of my people would bring great warmth to my heart, but such things are not for me to divine.

If you are a Golem, and have somehow either survived our agent's mission or have been spared, I hope that you have become a kinder people. For all my hate toward your kind, I know full well that two wrongs don't make a right. One can wish that our current grudges will lie buried and discarded.

If you are neither, then I hope that your people are well, traveler. You are welcome to study and take anything left of our ruins. They won't be of any use to us when all is said and done, after all.

12th Ignited Comet, if you chance upon this record I can only hope that you have found peace after your mission. The burden you carry is somethng no one should bear. Go out and explore the multiverse. It is my wish that whatever your path you will move beyond your grief. Rediscover your sense of wonder, joy and passion and leave our graves behind. The only other thing I request of you is that you'll tell the story of our people, so that others might remember us.

I offered the 1st Admiral Ice Nebula to record his own thoughts, but he has refused. Whatever he has on his mind will be taken to the grave. Alas, but such things are his own choices. This is 42nd Bright Star,

Farewell.

A few hours after the Chancellor's recording, the strategic weapons detonated within the migration fleets, and Ignited Comet became the first Infernum. With the adjusted phenomenon that the Maginal released, Ignited Comet came into their power rapidly before setting out on their mission. The destruction laid upon the Maginal's universe and those adjacent to it were evidence enough that if the First Infernum didn't wipe out the Golems, then they certainly pushed the latter to the brink. The Golems released numerous superweapons, including some that were identified to have damaged the cosmology of the Maginal's universe. The ultimate fate of Ignited Comet and the Golems are unknown, but what little scraps of evidence could be found within the ruins may indicate that they may still persist to the current day.

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