The next few days were spent in relative ease. I did my best not to use black fire or fire dome. I had to make sure no one would ever believe I was Nox. The news would blare about the numerous perils in the multiple galaxies. The devourers, Umbra, the imperialists, the purifiers, the death cult called the purge and also the berserkers that randomly pop up to make the already miserable condition worse. The devourers are those who move from system to system. Once they leave the only thing left is an eerie void with no trace that anything ever exists in that area. No life and no world. Umbra is a terrorist faction that loves to watch the galaxy burn. Because they believe that everything that happens during exigent circumstances is fair. I discovered that the imperialists are a separate category of catastrophe altogether. They believe that everyone must surrender their freedom and resources in exchange for their security. The purifiers kidnapped children and raised them to be merciless killers who wouldn't recognize their own blood. Hence killing everyone and anyone without remorse. They kill coldly, efficiently and happily. They only need to hear the orders then what you will see is rivers of blood and mountains of corpses. The purge is a movement of people who want to eradicate those species who aren't human. The self proclaimed superior race has been tried in court and sent to penal colonies as permanent residents. The most infamous berserkers are the Mangalers.
Several buildings in Hae were blown to smithereens and the Senate declared war. Since this consists of the good guys I volunteered. A formal inquiry about our skill set and actual tests to prove we weren't making stuff up. Then we were relegated towards our designated position. Our first stop was Arcan my home world. I was in disguise but now I looked human. Thankfully no one knew it was me. My last stop was an unusual one. I moved past the crowd to the old library. Being elementals have been abolished for centuries but they still held information about how to manipulate the elements. I managed to access information previously denied by bureaucracy. I was able to download the moves I wasn't able to learn as I speed studied as I circumvented my way through the entire planet. Now I have all the time in the world. I was part of a delegation allowed to roam the planet to keep an eye out for trouble. I would spend my free time reading the ancient text. Today the plaque denoting the building read Fuka military library. I was awed. It used to be a military town with no aesthetics whatsoever it was only functional. It was a bunch of gray cubes and the air felt like it was a manic depressive person. The next town was called Aryan and the locals didn't have any abilities. They were all soldiers. As were the rest of the citizens of this planet. Some things never change. The monarchy was abolished. The military were the official leaders of the planet. They held a planet wide vote to decide the ruler. The locals were of varying ethnicities. All of them were human. When I loved here I stood out like a sour thumb but now people are more accommodating. The new capital city was called Geom which means sword in the country dialect. The place was decorated with the architecture of the earliest refugees. So they were different in shape and sizes. Every single one of them was vividly painted. Each district had unique cuisines and diverse languages. They took things seriously but there was room for humor and levity. One person was curious about my extra curricular activities. I smiled, "I was studying to be a history major so I am trying to get an understanding for my thesis." He walked the other way after wishing me a good day.
Hadea and Astra came with bad news. The berserkers had shown up in the northern sector and demolished the supply ships. They are showing up at random so we were all warned to keep our eyes open. The galactic military core was kind enough to gift me with a single seat fightership. It was shaped like an arrowhead. The outside was obsidian colored and had the latest weapons. As I took a seat I was delighted as I was the time I first flew Lexicon. I understood that this was a loan so I asked around if it was possible to purchase. The answer was a unanimous no. The military doesn't sell the ships. But they can keep me as a pilot after the war so I can use my ship anytime they see fit. I had no intentions so after a brief apology we parted ways. We were ordered to board our ships and head towards the outer ridge of this galaxy. There we were supposed to fight Umbra terrorists strongholds till we breached their blockade and reached their secret lab. I made sure to double check that we are not destroying ships to get to Hypogean. Thankfully it was on the other side of the galaxy. A quick chat with Sas made it abundantly clear that these were unaffiliated terrors. We entered the bridge along with several large destroyer cruisers entered first. We looked like insects in comparison. The view was blurry and uninteresting. The seconds ticked like an eon. I felt a sense of relief as the bridge opened at the other end. The first round of red hot pulse burst out of the surface of the rust colored planet before the last of us got out. Then came fighterships they were chrome colored and looked like they were held together by glue and wishful thinking. Their movements weren't very agile but they made up for it with grit.
The orders came from the bridge. We were ordered to go past the ships to land on the planet surface. The sides of the cruisers opened and more fighterships flew out. They dealt with these menaces while I piloted mine to land. After a few spin and swan dives I managed to lose my tail in a dust storm. I found a demolished spaceship from a bygone era not far away so I landed inside before taking my weapons. My trusty pistols, a rifle, a curved blade, a few charges. I walked out and used seismic waves to assess the area. The lab was a few miles west. I sunk into the earth and bridged the distance in mere moments. The lab had blinking lights and the air smelt of burnt flesh and vomit. The door took several tries to open. The people on the other side had fang mandibles, dreadlocks of varying colors signifying age and clan. They looked more like hunters. I am sure they are the security. A new species came out wearing lab coats. They had brown skinned with stripes. They had curved red horns protruding from either end of their head. Their fangs were slightly elongated. Their black eyes were forward facing and were darting here and there for possible threats. The hunters were growling and using a language that my translator was finding difficult to explain. Finally it gave up and sparks flew before it died out bellowing smoke. I had no choice but to throw it into the trash chute before looking for a possible place to hide.
As I slipped in the alarm went berserk. Angry red light flashed as an earsplitting sound threatened to induce hearing loss. The sound died out but not before a ringing sound made itself comfortable in my ear. The security and the Alliance started fighting. I got out of hiding and fired a few shots. When the threat was neutralized we approached the lab to see the place in flames. The techs were scrambling towards the ships designated to assist in their escape. The main computer was smashed and the information storage unit was missing. We came all this way and had to leave empty handed. I asked the guys outside to place a tracker on the escaping ships before they entered the start bridge. They were too fast so we couldn't get a tracker on them but I was commended for my quick thinking. We boarded the ship and I was taken to the command center where we had to go through endurance tests and sent to train in different squadrons. I was amongst the few that refused to give up. So I was upgraded to special forces. They would train till they were on the brink of passing out. Then keep pushing till help comes barrelling forward. The instructor saw that I am a team player but that I do better a one woman army. So I was sent to be trained so I would be a member of the ghost squadrons. They are a single person army sent to diffuse difficult situations. The point was maximum lethality with minimal effort. My call sign was wraith. I stopped speaking as I wore a mask to cover my identity. This felt like a second skin as I had spent a century hiding my face. I learned sign language and growls to communicate with others.
The first assignment was after a full year of training. Then we were deployed all over. My assignment was a Purist hauler with children freshly stolen from ones being sent off world to be trained with brute force. I boarded the ship as it was about to finish refueling. The loading bay had a few smirking morons proud of their achievement. I casually walked up the ramp and set them on fire. They didn't get to say a word as they incinerated to ashes. Then came drones because the on board AI sensed temperature fluctuations. The bot hovered over the ashes before I used earth manipulation to crush it. As it fell down it managed a short distress signal. The ramp closed as the security doors opened. I smiled as I became invisible. The ones who came out with purple skinned humanoid with spiked headtails. Their eyes were green and looked fluid. They let out a few shrieks before everyone spread out to find the intruder. I slipped past them and entered the corridor to the cargo bay. Behind me the door shut as though it won't allow anyone to pass unless the threat was no longer amongst the living. The next threat was a huge suborder Serpentes. From the marking and girth I would say it was a forty foot hugger. Just my luck. Its diamond shaped head kept darting towards every portal of entry hoping a possible meal would walk in. I had to use fire dome as I made my way towards the crying toddlers. As it burned to ashes I heard a distinct shriek.
I looked up to see a walkway a dozen meter above my head. The woman standing there held a datapad like it was a weapon of mass destruction. She had silver skin with rusted hair and eyes. She ordered me to stand down or she will press a button and the children will disintegrate. I stared at her for five seconds before I climbed the wall and approached her silently. She kept counting while I quietly moved closer. I snatched the pad and smashed her face with it. She tipped over and fell into the container filled with suspicious items. I climbed down and released the kids. Then I told them to stay together while I dealt with the bad people. They dried their tears and stayed still as I dispatched the rest. Then I sent a message to let them know the mission was successful. The kids were returned home. The parents were grateful. I didn't wait for a thanks. I boarded my next transport to head towards an Umbra invasion party circling Ainsley. The ships looked factory made with haste so these floating machines are less likely to have undergone any sort of safety checks for defects. I can use this to my advantage. The plan was to get caught and then I would rip the ship from the inside out. They were wearing all black full body armor and their faces weren't visible either. They used zapper rods to pacify me. Then I pretended to be docile as I was searched before being sent to a cell. I waited till I was satisfied. Then I used metal manipulation and walked out to curb their enthusiasm. The first to block my path was three Iridians. They are slightly shorter but very flexible. Their skin resembled sea moss and they spoke by using clicking sounds. I used fireballs and incinerated them. The next was a bunch of Tooles. They are master manipulators and they are absolutely untrustworthy. After a brief hand to hand grappling contest I walked away with renewed conviction. The last were the Tyrannus. A large green skinned reptilian species with surgical tools for teeth. Once I emptied the magazine into their body I sent a mayday signal and set a few explosives before I sent it crashing into a place where there were no civilizations. Only isolation. I managed to get to my transport as it entered the upper atmosphere. The ship groaned as it shuddered as it tried to adjust to the new atmosphere. After a few kicks the engine started and I managed to get as far as possible as I saw the machine bloom outwards like an awkward looking flower. I can see debris flying all over before the dust settled.