134. War

War.

This word has become all too common for decades within the Nexus, the Internet of the Tek Domain, where the Architek was omnipresent. It was not remarkably different from the Sylvestre Domain, where his counterpart, the Great Mother, reigned absolute.

How could it not be?

It was the first war of the Everlasting Garden, one of proportions never imagined before the formation of their unique nation where opposites existed in harmony and became one.

It was not a surprise the Harvester had attacked both, and they did so with extreme malice and the goal of killing them all.

The Sylvester Domain had been affected most directly by moon-wide earthquakes and catastrophes of never-before-seen proportion that, if not for the All-Mother, would have killed millions. Furthermore, without the All-Father, all would have died by the direct explosion of the vessel or the alteration of Pandora's orbit.

As for the Tek Domain, the advent of peace and destruction of virtually all mortal problems from disease, corruption, and famine had led to a sense of comfort and safety within the Sol System that the surprise attack had shattered in thousands of fragments.

Even the actions of the All-Father and his son did not bring back the same sentiments. Videos and images of their acts spread within every corner of the Nexus, showing that they were protected but only with their presence, and that was something that settled wrongly in the hearts of many.

It was not due to insecurity that the people felt this way but out of inadequacy. What was their purpose? Did they deserve such protection from such extraordinary beings so far above the realm of mortals? What could they do to protect what they hold precious and their way of life?

Here, as well, there had been damage. The arrival of twelve planet-sized structures from wormholes had grievous consequences in the star system that, while dampened, would have led to the death of all by the simple disturbance in gravity that, like a domino effect, will have cataclysmic consequences.

Information was factual, and faking or altering it was equal to one of the highest crimes; some may be left unsaid, but that was a different matter.

As such, all understood the true magnitude of what happened and with exactitude who had attacked them, who had tempted to destroy them all. And that in every detail, from their fire powers, tactics, and biology.

Even if in both Domains there was little to no injured and even less so dead, the Harvester threat was understood viscerally by all, and ever since then, steps were taken toward their thorough eradication. The arrival of the Coalition had only promoted this further.

This war was new in all matters of warfare, from scales and methods of fighting.

Creating endless armies of unspecialized troops was not the way to go and was not one that the All-Father or All-Mother approved either. Playing in the strongest field of an enemy was foolish, and this was why they made specialized units with adequate adaptation.

First was the Invictus, composed of the Homo Invictum, each of them an army of their own. Their number was small but growing, which would never stop, for they were truly immortal and did not possess revival fatigue. A condition where repeated death and resurrection will damage a person's Engramic Matrix beyond healing.

But their greatest strength was not their physical prowess, incredible speed, or even their resilience to the embrace of death. No, it was their versatility. There was no limitation on what one could do to their bodies as long as it had the primary goal of increasing killing efficiency.

Their ability to revive and be deployable through Drones and extensive inventory combined made them the ideal suicide bomber and many more. They were the epitome of powers, the rams, the hammers of the Everlasting Garden; their role was to bring destruction, and they were excellent at it.

The one to lead them was Akwey, but not only as the ex-Na'vi was not one to ignore the opinions and guidance of others, and in the end, Eywa and Liam led it all. By their graces, their life was eternal, one of the Body and the other of the Mind.

Second was the Conventus, a group exclusively composed of Na'vi and Tulkun. However, it was not an act of discrimination toward Humans. The latter lacked the Psionic quality to join, and if one were to be proof of the contrary. Joining was on merit, and if merit there was, then so be it.

It was not any Na'vi or Tulkun accepted within, and it was only the ones with the most potent Psionic potential. This led to the former forming a third of the force even with their lower population and philosophy of peace; they were uniquely more inclined to this energy than the Na'vi.

Specialized Tek Armors were designed for the whales, creating miniature space fortresses capable of warping through spaces in short bursts, reviving the fallen, detecting Harvester Psionic, and many more. Their purposes were vast and multiple.

But that wasn't their primary function. Their goal with the Na'vi was to become shining beacons, to channel the grand will of Eywa and make it a reality, and they did this not only by their natural inclination and training.

There was a great assistance of various technology, biological and cybernetic augmentation, and, most importantly, the Rose of Jericho. A delicate crystalline technology that transformed what would be relatively harmless Psionic weapons into Psionic rays of death.

The one to lead them was the All-Mother herself; it was her that they called, and their hierarchy worked through this. This structure led to Kiri becoming among the highest-ranking members; she was the most potent Psionic alive aside from Eywa. Not even an ancient Leviathan could rival her.

Third and last was the Laternarius, led by the All-Father and his son, the Princep, a title Miles chose after many less-than-adequate ones. In comparison to the previous, the focus was not on a scant few tasks, and it was far larger.

It encompassed the gears for the war roll from research, manufacturing, food, strategy, bureaucracy, and resource management. And to do so in the most efficient way, the most prominent historical figure that had led to the grandest development in Humankind.

Be the one brought from the grave, be a scientist, conqueror, diplomat, soldier, slave, philosopher, artist, writer, explorer, and beyond, it didn't matter. What mattered was what they could bring to Humanity and the war.

The All-Father was many things, but all-knowing he was not, and bringing as much assistance as possible was his obligation. Of course, not all were of great use, but any number of people had his or her worth in some ways, as insignificant as it may be.

With this trifecta of power, the Everlasting Gardens came to the full compliance of the Coalition. Time had shown them that the beast of warm flowers and cold metal had progressively swallowed them.

It had been nothing at first, an exchange of technology here and there to test the water. The result had changed the fate of trillions in short years, whether through regenerative therapy bringing the dead to life or hard light shields capable of protecting the planet from harm.

Then, more Tek replaced what was used or mixed with what was becoming omnipresent and necessary in every technology article. The generosity of the All-Father led to him becoming an integral part of their existence at every layer, from personal to societal.

They had no chance of winning.

Not even the refusal of such powerful assets would have changed the fate of the Coalition. It had been sealed from the beginning, too late from the first contact, like a cancerous tumor unseen by all the Architek had spread, contaminating everything on his path.

It was a bloodless conquest brought down on them by their ignorance and arrogance. All understood this fact, but the diary was fair. They were free to exist with their rules and cultures but on the condition that what was vowed was respected.

The threat was not empty, and the leading factions of species thinking themselves above were exterminated by not only the Everlasting Garden but others of the civilizations, and this a number of times.

Refusing to fulfill the quotas requested for unsatisfactory reasons was viewed as what it was: high treason and met with destruction. But the trials were fair and responsible, and only those responsible were punished accordingly by the Senate.

It was violent, uncaring, authoritarian, and ruthless, but it had resulted in substantial changes in the war against the Harvester, positive changes for the Coalition. No more were unlucky errors, corruption for inane benefits, or willful incompetence.

The sharpened blade of the Guillotine was behind the necks of all, and the executioner ready to cut the ropes had signs of inadequacy from personal choices that took into consideration the smaller number of people.

The results took the form of the war turning in and on itself, and in a short time, the Harvester began to suffer repeated defeat. Alas, they were no monolithic species.

"Oh dear, this is an unseen but unpleasant development." a young woman with fair skin and curly brown hair said, the Alpha Specimen Implant glowing softly behind her white blouse.

"Quite true, Dr Skłodowska-Curie. This does cause worry about the bottleneck of their potential, if there is one at all." a young man beside her with a chevron mustache said with a slight German accent, his own Specimen Implant of similar grade glowing.

"Those bugs were not to remain stagnant for eternity." Another soon followed after the two European scientists, his voice deep, harsh, and full of authority, but neither reacted to any extent to their fellow equals.

"Father had predicted this as well, Temüjin. I didn't think this would happen this early." Miles said, tapping his gauntleted fingers over his armchair, a pensive expansion over his face as he observed many screens simultaneously

On them were Harvester Motherships. The focus was the shield that remained solid under the hail of weapons made to destroy them and then fighting back, forcing a retreat of their force. And this many times over.

"That's an unfortunate truth, but we must not overlook that they are not unique in their ability to progress. Of machines and humans, we are not behind in our potential to adapt and surpass their existence." a young man with slicked-back hair said, observing the new design of the Harvester. Spaceships made to do as their kind namesake had deviated for a more warlike approach that grew in that department further as time passed.

Oh, how much he hated war, but there was no running away; he had accepted coming back to the world of the living to ward off a threat that would end Humanity.

"I agree with Dr Turring." The first, Dr. Skłodowska-Curie or Marie by her first name, said, the worry still on her features.

Fascinating as the scientific discoveries and technological development were, the horror of what they were for displeased her immensely, but like all others, she had come back with her husband to fight for Humankind and satisfy her endless curiosity.

"I will go and see this new shield," Liam announced, appearing in the vast room where, in a mere instant, hundreds showed varying signs of respect, from kneeling to bowing and more. No matter who the individual was, except for Miles, who smiled.

The next instant, a swirling white wormhole formed close to one of the Harvester Motherships, and the vessel in question zoomed in. And what exited was everything but human, yet it bore a similar body type to its male variant.

It was a titanic creature with a height of nearly thirty meters (~94ft). Its body of metallic black wood pulsed an intense blue and purple.

Its face lacked a nose, mouth, or eyes and instead had a brilliant blue and purple lozenge pulsing to the rhythm of the rest of the body. On its head were two recurved horns forming a simple yet elegant crown where a small metallic lozenge formed.

From its back grew a massive ring of black wood lit with the harmony of blue and purple, and inside spun thousands of hexagonal particles forming a depthless abyss that devoured all who would dare gaze at it for too long.

This was the All-Father or one of his mightiest puppet bodies, for he couldn't present and wouldn't present himself outside of his controlled space. His nature as a Homo Deus impedes him from existing within an area too far out of his influence.

But this limitation didn't exist for such things he was doing, and with a thought, the man of roots shot at incredible speed to the shield as its body became a miniature star bombarded by green plasma bolts the size of cities.

"Let's the spectacle begin," Liam said with gusto, a slight grin forming as he controlled his puppet, not even bothering to dodge the energy eaten by the raw Element to be turned into more Element, growing the puppet.

'Tasty.' he thought at the same time; a puppet it might be, but it was still a part of his body, and he felt everything through it. Cold fusion energy had a particular taste he found quite unique, spicy, and sweet with the right level of other flavors inapplicable to human or three-dimensional beings.