Battle Across The Omniverse

Jayr POV - Earth, Georgia, Mert County, Lone Oak Farm - 2010

After having lunch we separated into groups again, but this time they were slightly different from the groups we made this morning.

Lori, Carol, and Sofya remained in the family house with the kids, keeping them occupied by home-schooling them and making them play.

Dale and Morgan started to see what was wrong with the solar panels, solar batteries, and the electric system in general and then worked on fixing everything they could to make it run again.

Ruben, Alamast, Miranda, and Morales continued to take care of the few walkers' corpses remaining by burning them on the makeshift pyre and once they were done, they would move on to help the others.

Daryl went to explore the farm's extensive area on his own to make sure that there weren't any other walkers hidden somewhere or other nasty surprises.

Then there is the group composed of Rick, Shane, Andrea, T-Dog, and Glenn who moved toward the back area of the farm to fix the collapsed part of the steel fence enclosing the whole farm, they will also try to reinforce it using the veneer logs I prepared this morning that while it may not be pretty to look at it should at least be effective and last until we have the time to find a better solution.

Meanwhile, I went back to the Cargo Truck and used the radio to contact Dr. Jenner back at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention to not only inform him of the successful conquest of the Lone Oak Farm but also to get an update on the situation on their side and on the progress in the creation of the still unnamed Virophage who will cure the Wildfire Virus.

Before discussing the most important topic, Dr. Jenner informs me that everything is fine on their side, Jim is making sure that everything works as intended while Jacqui took control of the situation by managing the day-to-day operations, like cleaning, scavaging for resources, and taking care of security liabilities like the dead bodies, the tanks, and the other weapons left just outside the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's building. 

Dr. Jenner also told me that Jacqui is now forcing him to go through some rest periods reminding him that to fully focus on the research he must always be in his best mental state and that if he overworks himself and makes mistakes he won't be able to help anyone which is something that I totally agree with.

Then Dr. Jenner moves on and informs me of the progress he made and the problems he has encountered during the study of the Wildfire Virus and the creation of the unnamed Virophage, and in response, I continue to give him subtle hints here and there along with a few useful suggestions to make sure that Dr. Jenner progress with as few setbacks as possible while also ensuring that everything proceeds as closely as possible as I envisioned making it easier to fix everything in case there is a critical error in the finished product.

After contacting Dr. Jenner and getting an update on their group's well-being and the state of the research, I get out of the Cargo Truck and move toward Rick's group to help them with fixing and reinforcing the fence. 

Arriving at the location where the fence collapsed under the combined force and sheer weight of the walker horde, I see that Rick and the others have already done quite a bit, moreover, Ruben, Alamast, Miranda, and Morales are also already here helping them.

The crooked and bent fences are already up again and at the moment, they started to dig the ground for the veneer logs that will reinforce the fences while T-Dog, Shane, and Glenn are trying to straighten the fences as much as possible.

Without wasting any more time, I quickly join them and start to help, and then with a joint effort, we are able to finish fixing and reinforcing the fence before the sky starts to turn dark.

At this point, since we have taken care of all the major issues of the farm, we decided that it was time to relax a little since the group has been almost constantly under pressure since we left the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. 

This is especially so considering that we drove through the desolate highways most of the day, faced two walker horde at a distance of a few hours one from the other, slept in a barn, and the next day worked to clean the aftermath of the battle and fix the most pressing issues in the farm after barely recovering from yesterday's fatigue.

It is clear that Rick and the other are in need of some downtime, after all, they are only human and there is only so much that they can endure.

So for the rest of the afternoon, the group passes time relaxing around the family house, Morgan, Rick, and Shane are teaching Andrea, Carl, and Duane how to shoot with a gun while Carol, Amy, and Sophia are watching with interest while calmly chatting.

Dale, T-Dog, Glenn, and Ruben are playing with a set of chess that we have found in one of the cars on the jam-packed highway while Daryl broods from the distance while taking care of his crossbow.

The Morales Family is quietly spending time together with Almast and Sofya as the adults play and entertain the kids, Eliza, Louiz, Ana, and Stepan.

Meanwhile, I simply sit on the stairs of the family house's entrance enjoying this peaceful sight while I focus most of my consciousness on my Digimon Incarnation as I spend some time playing with my kids watching as Kharna blows up her first moon with her Dragon Breath only for Galen using his Spiral Cosmo to restore it back in pristine state a few second later while Seiji is making the perfect imitation of Pikachu by letting out a bit of air from his tummy and a 100,000-volt thunderbolt into the sky before happily clapping his hands and laugh.

Like that time peacefully passes, the sky turns dark and the women step into the family house to prepare dinner while the men prepare a big table outside so that we can eat under the starlit sky because Dale and Morgan still haven't completely fixed the solar panels.

After dinner, considering the camp-like atmosphere we decide to start telling some campfire stories since there is no other form of entertainment.

Dale starts with a classic fable of the Ant and the Grasshopper, which basically describes how a hungry grasshopper begs for food from an ant when winter comes and is refused teaching the moral lessons about the virtues of hard work and planning for the future.

Then Shane tries to scare the kids with another classic narrating the story of the Hook-Handed Killer, an urban legend that talks about a killer with a pirate-like hook for a hand attacking a couple in a parked car another classic, and something that the kids had already heard. 

At this point, I decide to step forward and say, "Now I'll tell you a story that you may find interesting. This story has a bit of everything, and while some part of it may seem downright scary or horrible remember that it is a work of fiction." while thinking, 'At least it is so in this universe...'

Seeing everyone focusing on me, I smile a little before I start my narration by saying in a somber tone, "It is the 41st Millennium." which instantly makes Glenn mutter, "Oh God...!" 

Hearing that, I smirk a little before I continue, "Humanity has created an interstellar civilization spanning the galaxy. Through sheer determination and the application of advanced technology, the ancient dream of a new home among the stars has become a reality. It was that tenacity and vision which first led mankind to reach out into the void and which ultimately built a star-spanning culture." 

Indeed, I decided to narrate the story of Warhammer 40.000, one of the darkest and most insane universes ever created, one of the few I hope to never set foot no matter how powerful I actually become, in fact, if I ever become the winner of the Battle Across the Omniverse and ruler of this Omniverse, I'll make sure to purge that universe, purge everything with no hesitation.

While reconfirming my decision about that particular universe, I continue with the story which has already captivated everyone by its introduction, "But the civilization that was once defined by progress and hope has been lost, consumed in the fire air of eternal war and a never-ending struggle for survival. For the power that mankind harnessed to travel the stars nearly caused its extinction and represents a threat to all life in the universe." 

Like that, I continue my narration starting at the very beginning, "Just as humanity seemed to gaze into the abyss, a new leader rose among them. This man, the Emperor of Mankind, was the only one who truly understood the threat and how to fight it. To save all that he loved, the Emperor sacrificed himself and accepted eternal imprisonment in his own flesh. Now, humanity must fight a battle on all fronts. They struggle not only to preserve their Empire and keep their Emperor alive but to save their very souls." 

"Humanity's settlement of the galaxy began over 40,000 years ago, when mankind was still restricted to its birth world of terror, then known as Earth. It was during the long span of the so-called Age of Terror, which ended in the 15th millennium AD, that humanity dared to reach out into the void. To prove themselves extraordinary and accept the challenge of the unknown, human explorers pierced the Earth's atmosphere. After establishing themselves in low orbit, they soon went further and first set foot upon their world's moon, Luna." 

"But only one destination had it ever truly fired the imagination, Mars, the red planet. Mars was the first world to be made livable for humanity through the process of terraforming, transforming its dead, crimson sands into a veritable paradise of greenfields worlds, deep oceans, and blue skies." 

"The effort was led by powerful Terran corporations, whose visionary ideals led them to use all the money and power at their disposal to spread humanity beyond its fragile cradle. By harnessing their competitive spirit, heard, and desired to attain the common good, these Titans of industry were able to join together to develop radical new technologies at the edge of human capabilities. It was these innovations that transformed a lifeless desert world into a verdant oasis in only a few lifetimes. Such an accomplishment left the cartels and their masters emboldened to do more."

"Having seen that it was now possible to reshape one world, they worked together to open up new vistas all across the Solar System. To feed this desire for expansion, it was not long before the Martian colony became a nexus for rapid scientific advancement and daredevil research. This dedication to the pursuit of knowledge would define the culture of the red planet for centuries to come. With the capacity to reshape a dead world into a garden planet now at hand, humanity spent centuries claiming the worlds of the Sol system as its own. Settlements soon stretched from the mines that extracted the mineral riches of Mercury to the great shipyards that circled the gas giants of the outer system." 

At this point, the kids are completely captured by the story as they exclaim in wonder and awe listening to the accomplishment that the humanity in that universe was able to reach, and they aren't the only ones as the adults too seem interested.

So, after a brief pause to let the information sink in, I continue, "But it was near the end of the Age of Terror, in the 15th millennium, that humanity at last moved beyond the boundaries of its home system into the unknown interstellar void beyond. This period became known as the stellar exodus, and at the start of a new era, the age of technology. Billions of people sought to carve new homes in the image of Earth from this stellar wilderness and prove their own metal on the new frontier."

"The development of the Long March generation ships, so all because of the distances they could travel and the time it took to do so, made it possible to reach worlds hundreds of light years from terror. But extra-solar colonization was never that easy. Because the colonists' starships were restricted to relativistic sub-light velocities, travel times to the new worlds could stretch over 10 generations. This meant that each journey was always a one-way trip." 

"Even when the original colonists' descendants finally arrived at their destinations, unforeseen problems could quickly threaten the colony's survival. On some planets, the settlers became the prey of vicious predators. On others, an unbreathable atmosphere or extreme weather may travel outside of domed habitats, making it nearly impossible to survive with the technology at hand. But no matter the obstacles, the colonists persevered and faced these hardships willingly. They learned to work together to ensure that everyone prospered." 

"Over the centuries, human perseverance ensured that their settlements spread across the void from terror-like points of light in a dark endless ocean. At the same time, the lack of easy interstellar travel or communication forced each settlement to be as self-sufficient as possible. It was not long before they developed their own traditions and culture."

"What had begun with one world was soon replicated in hundreds of new colonies during the age of technology. In time, humanity finally answered the age-old question of whether it was alone in the universe. It wasn't, and the aliens were often the enemy. Intelligent but less advanced alien life was discovered on scores of worlds, though the natives often saw the human colonists as invaders." 

"But even this possibility had been planned for by the engineers of terror. Drawing on the experience of prior colonies, the long march settlers had been supplied with databases and fabricators that allowed them to craft nearly any item. This included towering suits of powered armor to build and defend their colonies. The pilots of these combat walkers could arm them when necessary with military-grade weapons." 

"The suits soon proved their worth. Few natural predators or hostile alien warriors were able to overcome them. These hybrids of humans and machines soon became a common sight in many of the early Terrant colonies. They were called knights by the settlers after the ancient Armored cavalry. But what came next was an unexpected leap, even by the standards of a people used to constant innovation. Though few reliable records remain, it was at the dawn of the 18th millennium that humanity made the greatest scientific breakthrough in its history, faster than light space flight."

"Despite millennia of research, the laws of physics had proven frustratingly rigid. Nothing in the universe could travel faster than light. It seemed as if humanity's many worlds might be lonely outposts forever, denied the commerce and communication a true interstellar civilization required. But the solution came from something no scientists could have predicted, the discovery of a whole new universe. This dimension, named the Immaterium, but better known as the Warp, was a reality that ran parallel to the physical universe at every point, but followed none of its rules."

"Reality had no meaning in the depths of the Warp. The Immaterium was not defined by solid matter but was instead a seething ocean of pure psychic energy. It was nothing less than raw emotion given physical form. Within the Warp, the impossible was the only true constant. Cause did not proceed effect. Time could move faster or slower than in what came to be called real space. But most importantly, the speed of light was no longer a hard limit upon those who dared the Warp's flowing currents of energy. The key was the Mandeville point. This was the name given to a location in real space where the warp overlapped with it to create a stable interface where Starship could safely enter or exit the Warp."

"Outfitted with a technology known as Warp Drive, the vessel could translate from real space into the Warp through a Mandeville point. It then traveled through the twisting streams of the Immaterium to its destination and reemerged into reality through another Mandeville point. Because the Warp obeys none of the physical laws of distance or time, the vessel reappeared in a new position several light years from the starting point." 

"But it was precisely because the true nature of the Warp was unknowable, and so at odds with reality, that it proved incredibly dangerous. In the early days of Warp travel, journeys were usually undertaken in short jumps of four or five light years. Vessels that attempted longer jumps could be cast off course by thousands of light years or even destroyed outright. Worst was the bizarre nature of time in the Warp, as some starships arrived centuries after or even before they had originally planned." 

"The Warp was also often plagued by violent distortions akin to storms and squalls. These could cut entire regions of the galaxy off from travel and communication. Then came the discovery that something malevolent lived within the Warp. Many early explorers were lost to its maddening depths shortly after reporting the onset of terrifying hallucinations and visions."

"Other phenomena were encountered that might once have been considered supernatural by believers in ancient superstitions. But humanity would not be deterred and was unwilling to forsake the extraordinary possibilities offered by traversing the psychic dimension. Human scientists continued their research and ultimately developed the device known as a Geller field. Just as a Mandeville point provides an interface between real space and the warp, the Geller field projects a mobile bubble of reality that can protect a starship as it moves through the warp. It operated much like a film of oil surrounding a stone in a raging stream."

"While humanity can now safely enter the warp and use it for interstellar travel, navigating it for any real distance still proved all but impossible. Any attempts to directly probe the unreal geography of the warp always drove a Starship pilot to madness, their mind shattered by the immaterium's sheer incompatibility with reality." 

"The solution was another unexpected discovery, the human navigator gene. This gene was an expression in the physical universe of the ability to manipulate the energy of the warp. It allowed its bearer to stare into the depths of the Immaterium without going insane."

"Further selection for the gene led to the birth of the first human psychics or Psykers. They could wield the mental energy of the warp directly to manifest seemingly impossible effects in real space. The bearers of the navigator gene also developed a literal third eye in the middle of their foreheads. Through it, they could read the ebb and flow of the warp so accurately, that they could lead a starship safely through its hazards. But every gateway swings both ways."

"Any who dared to peer into a navigator's warp eye were as likely to go insane as if they had looked into the Immaterium itself. Despite the dangers, there were those who welcomed the chance to be the cornerstones of a new interstellar society but to be a navigator carried with it both responsibilities and hazards. The navigator gene was recessive. This meant the intermarriage of existing navigators was necessary to ensure the survival of the gene in the human population. Additionally, those born with the navigator gene sometimes suffered from further mutations beyond the development of their third eye."

"These changes often proved hideously debilitating. To deal with such issues, the individuals who carried the navigator gene in its stable form banded together into families. These clans soon arranged marriages between their bloodlines as carefully as any ancient breeder of thoroughbreds. Yet such restraints ultimately proved their worth. By the 19th millennium, the navigator's abilities had become indispensable to mankind's continued expansion."

"They proceeded to establish a new nobility whose houses earned enormous prestige and wealth. With navigators aboard, human starships could finally make planned, accurate jumps through the warp that crossed 100 of light years at a time. With such a reach, the savants of Earth and Mars were able to retrace the likely courses taken by the Long March generation ships centuries before. Those lonely outposts were soon reunited with their homeworld and each other. As the 19th millennium came to its close, no human planet needed to fear isolation."

"It was at last possible for the once scattered colonies of mankind to trade and communicate with each other. A star-spanning human civilization interconnected by ties of commerce, knowledge, and a common culture was born. Riding the currents of the warp, humanity could look beyond the horizon of the next star. The entire galaxy was now open to exploration and settlement. This new era would be remembered as the apex of human civilization, The dawn of mankind's golden age."

At this point, much to the disappointment of the kids and some of the adults who were very invested in the narration, I conclude the story with that before we decide to retire for the night with part of the group, mostly women and kids, going back to the family house to rest in the comfort of the freshly cleaned rooms.

Meanwhile, the rest of the group will use one of the barns converted into employee dormitories as shelter which isn't that much worse in comfort compared to the family house if one doesn't mind sharing his/her space with other people. 

As soon as we reach the employee dormitory, we walk into the locker room and start to undress, then we head into the communal shower to take advantage of the operational water system to shower and wash off the sweat, dust, grime, and more importantly the walkers' smell from our bodies. 

After the very much-needed shower, we all chose our favorite bunk beds and lay on them where we discuss a little our plans for tomorrow before falling asleep.

Glenn POV - Earth, Georgia, Mert County - 2010

Sitting in the backseat of Carol's Chekoree with a map in my hands meanwhile, Andrea is sitting in front casually looking at the road ahead and Shane is sitting beside her focusing on driving. 

I once again look at the map to confirm, once more, the location of our destination before I say, "I checked again and the closest town to the farm is the one a few miles away south of the farm, it is marked by a pink point on the map so it should be a very small town which means that it is very likely that the number of walkers present here should be more than manageable..."

In response, Shane chuckles and says, "Heh, got it. We should arrive in a few minutes at most. The road ahead is clear, so I can speed up." followed by Andrea who comments, "I just hope that everything goes well this time. My last supply run wasn't exactly a pleasant experience."

In response, Shane reassured her, "Don't worry about it. Just keep your eyes open and be ready for anything and it will all be fine."

At this point, I look outside the window and ask, "What do you guys think about the idea of contacting other people? Isn't it a little too soon." to which Shane replies, "It is indeed too soon to tell them about the possible cure and the farm. But meeting other people is a risk we have to run if we want to know more about what there is around us. I have no doubt that we will encounter hostile people sooner or later, so it is better to learn as much as possible when we can."

Like that, we continue to calmly discuss this topic and many more random ones until we finally see in the distance our destination, a very small and apparently deserted town.