Long, long ago in a galaxy far away I used to play a game called VGA Planets. It was a mult-player, on-line, roll-playing game of space conquest where each player had to build their race’s home planet’s economy and industry then develop space ships, then go and explore and, generally, kick butt to keep other races from over-running them. If you were good, or lucky, or a little of both you could expand your empire.
I wasn’t especially good at it, but I enjoyed it so much I kept playing. At one point, I decided to chronicle a game and create a story from it, posting the story for other players to read as the game progressed.
Earlier this morning on Twitter some of us were discussing the way as kids we used to look forward to Saturday morning and cartoons. That conversation gave me the idea of posting part of that VGA Planets chronicle here each Saturday morning as a bit of fun.
Understand, that this was never slated for publication, it is not polished. It does contain references to and take-offs from most every Sci-Fi series ever made. All characters are fictitious, so if the Romulan commander reminds you of your Aunt Mable, don’t go trying to sue me. I never even met your Aunt Mable. The images used are the artwork of various people I knew at the time and could not possibly remember now. If anyone wants to complain, I’ll delete them.
Ready? Here’s part one:
It was 73 years ago that the work of the Cyborg Collective was first discovered in the Echo Cluster. Entire planets were being stripped of all life by a race unlike any other we’ve known. Similar to insects, they live in a hive-like “collective”, working together with an indomitable determination.
Part of the reason for this unflappable drive is the fact that they share their thoughts, not selectively or casually like some telepathic races, but completely and without interruption. Together they become like neurons in an unbelievably vast brain, acting and reacting as a single organism that spreads out across the galaxy.
They also combine biological and mechanical components to enhance and perfect their abilities. They “assimilate” other biological life forms into their culture by using their victim’s bodies as raw materials to build more of themselves. Once assimilated, the new Cyborg members lose all free will and self determination. They are completely and without exception dominated by the Collective. So much so, that individual members of the species do not have names.
If a captured Cyborg is asked its name, it will respond, “We are Cyborg.” The words “I” and “me” are unknown to them.
For 73 years the Cyborg Queen and her minions have terrorized the Echo Cluster and the many races that inhabit it. No one is exempt. With ever increasing frequency, the Cyborg cubes – monstrous star ships with vast capabilities — have swept in, assimilated entire star systems then disappeared just as quickly, leaving behind barren, lifeless planets.
At first the Echo Clusters natives were helpless, weapons practically ineffective against the fearsome cube ships. The Solar Federation of Planets and the Stormer Empire, already under a peace treaty forged to provide mutual defense against the vicious overtures of the Bird Man Empire, turned their combined forces against the Cyborg.
The Bird Men, hoping to capitalize on the chaos caused by the Cyborg incursions, have stepped up their invasions against us only to find the Cyborg waiting for them at every turn. They too were drawn into the fight against the insidious assimilators, though they refused to join in a pact with the Stormers or The Federation.
Brilliant tacticians, they have done well… at first, landing several impressive blows against the enemy. But drawing the attention of the Cyborg means intensified attacks, and the Bird Man culture – proud to the point of egotism – does not deal well with reeling defeat. It is clear to them now that even their ships and strategy will not win this war. They need an edge.
I rather admire the Bird Men. Not to the point of sympathizing with them of course, but their culture holds many enviable traits. And by drawing more heat from the Cyborg, they give the Stormers and The Solar Federation a little, badly needed breathing space. This is not admitted publicly, of course, but The Brass knows that we can not win this war as it’s going now.
I am grateful to the Bird Men for distracting the Cyborg. And for a while it did seem that they might just succeed where we… well… did not. Perhaps if they had allowed the other races to assist, all acting in concert, it would have worked. But that is not the way Bird Men operate. They consider themselves to be right about everything. Unfortunately, as it turns out, they generally are. I’ve learned to respect them, and try never to under-estimate their capabilities.
Still, the day that young adjutant came knocking on my door at Fleet Head Quarters took even me by surprise.
“Admiral Mann,” said the young officer excitedly as he stepped into my office, “An urgent dispatch from HQ, sir.”
This is nothing new, I get “urgent” dispatches from Head Quarters all the time, but something in the way the adjutant handled this one warned that it was something special.
I took the data pad he handed across the desk, pressed my thumb onto the ID pad and read the words as they scrolled up the screen. It was from one of our covert operatives on Romanoff, home world of the Bird Man people.
The Bird Men had found their edge.
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great stuff, there is not enough fun sci-fi out there today. I think drawing on proven conventions can really provide a window into the past and how sci-fi has evolved over the years.
One thing that you can admire about the cyborgs, TEAMWORK. They go as a unit, for one purpose. Most of their purposes might be a little wrong, like taking over the world or destroying something but you can’t deny the importance of that mentality. Something that we can learn from them. 🙂
Yes, their single-minded devotion to absorb all living things everywhere is highly admirable.