Futuristic Can You Save Me, Brother? - Lore

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Extraterrestrials I Have Known.


A Survivor's Manual to Technology and Weaponry of the Current Era


Gifts and You: A Guide To Limitless Power

 

[Stickdom]

History Of The Invasion

A Star Falls Softly...

Approximately One-Hundred and Fifty Years from the present day, an invasion of the Earth occurred, the same day that The Astronaut underwent his journey through the void. It was a quiet invasion, there was no warning of what was to come, no counter-attack to protect the Earth. It came in the form of a meteor to the public eye, a spectacle that the news media offered as a galactic spectacle to be enjoyed by the whole family on a cloudless night. Astronomers calculated the mass of the meteor and judged it to be of no threat, it would certainly burn up in the atmosphere to the size of a pebble and descend harmlessly into the ocean or some farmer's field, burying itself far into the dirt to blend in with the rest of the minerals there. And it was exactly as they expected, it put on a light show for mere minutes, streaking across the sky to be photographed and documented by scientists through their massive calibrated telescopes, enthusiasts with their expensive cameras and lenses, and families laying on the lawn on a blanket with nothing more than a phone to snap blurry pictures with. And then it was gone. And humanity's absent mind soon forgot about it within a week. But, had they been paying attention, a forest in the heart of Europe began to darken and writhe under the influences of some otherworldly attack.


The Invasion Begins

It began with reports of wolves brazenly attacking the countryside farms and cottages, nothing obscenely out of the ordinary, simply a strain of rabies or perhaps wolf flu that had gotten out of hand. A simple quarantine and preparatory vaccinations in the surrounding area, as well as the hunting of the infected animals, would surely soon put it to rest. Not long after, locals began telling tales of more creatures infected by this disease, squirrels and rabbits swarming on larger animals like horses or cows, and then the horses and cows themselves slaughtering each other. Gentle sheep and goats becoming carnivorous and predatory, small birds such as sparrows and finches feeding on carrion like vultures. The panic was unimaginable, and it spread like wildfire, soon encompassing an entire nation, a continent, then to spread across the world. Armies were called out to fight against animals like some safari gone horribly wrong, but that did not stop the encroaching war. The events only took months to unravel, reports of creatures slain and taken for study suddenly awakening and killing the researchers, a mass of tentacles writhing from its mortal wounds, stitching it back together or detaching to latch themselves onto other hosts. Humans themselves soon joined the army of the dead, though they were disfigured beyond recognition, skin decaying rapidly until only a skeleton encasing rotting organs and eldritch tendrils remained.


Futile Resistance

Nearly a year after the first attacks, another meteor fell, and then another, and another, in the same fashion as the first, though the masses of these vehicles dwarfed the last by far. They devastated large cities with their impact, only to crack open and release creatures of malice and horror from inside. Some took the form of aliens proper, slimy skin and bulbous eyes, and these armed with technology beyond humanities grasp, rays of light that melted structures crafted to stand the tests of nature's wrath, bolts of plasmic energy tore holes in walls impregnable, while fields of energy deflected the best, or worst, of humanity's weapons. One instance of a nuclear rocket being launched at a sector that had been overrun saw the missile penetrate one such shield, only to alter its course and return to destroy the very facility that had launched the attack. But now a new terror was introduced, monsters that could only be described as wraiths and phantoms entered this battle, screeching from a state of invisibility to slash through a victim, or leap from the shadows to enter their body and leave it writhing in agony, devoid of mind or soul, only a shell of blood and bone. Humanity lost hope, all of their efforts were in vain; the limits of their weaponry and technological genius were reached, no sure method of retaliating with any success had been found. The war was lost.


Defeat, But Survival

The race of humans was on the brink of annihilation, 90% of the population had been killed in the attacks, many of them to join the ranks of enemies shortly afterwards. Fifty years of hard fighting with innumerable casualties saw little progress, and so humanity surrendered. They ceased their attacks and began to live life as it was, in bunkers and crevices and wherever else it could take root and simply survive. As they did so, the attacks also appeared less frequent, there were few invasions of hordes undying, they withdrew to centers of prior human achievement, as if they understood they had won and were collecting their spoils of war. Humans were now the minority, and though fifty years had passed, science and technology on their part had all but ceased to develop, with rare few bold enough to venture out into the world outside of their relatively safe havens.


Adaptation

This darkest age saw no hope of redemption, water was contaminated with rot and radiation, land that was once covered in forest now resembled a scorched graveyard of blackened trunks, cities were shattered and buildings now little more than broken glass and twisted steel. And yet, something stirred in many of those who yet lived. Some called it a premonition of power, others played it off as paranoia and insanity, but there was a shift in the human race that began rapidly evolving. Soon, there were reports of people capable of using abilities beyond human comprehension, some lifting objects with their minds, or others communing with ghosts or spirits for information, or still others calling flames from their campfire to dance along their fingers without injury. The source of these abilities was unknown, whether through radioactive mutation or the presence of otherworldly entities, or even the tenacity of the human race to adapt and overcome, but soon they were learned to be harnessed and controlled, and then utilized in counter-attacks against the hordes of invaders that still clung hold of their planet. Those who possessed these traits came to be called Gifted, and they were the wellspring of hope for mankind. Their success on the battlefield brought a range of resources that had not been known since the first meteor, scientists and scavengers were able to obtain the alien technology they captured on raids for study, while inventors and engineers integrated them into human assaults and defenses.


Overcome

While not overwhelmingly successful, the human raids on their alien parasites were not failures. They made no dents in the enemies' numbers, but raids and sorties into enemy territory now stood at least a chance of survival. It was to this world that The Astronaut returned, and thankfully into human-controlled territory, where he was at first greeted with suspicion and raised weapons, he soon explained what had happened. Though how it had been accomplished, neither he or the colony he had found could explain, but his story was accepted as the truth since he offered himself to the cause of freeing humanity. He was shortly a valuable asset, he seemed to have preemptive knowledge of the enemy and their plans, and soon his strategies were winning them not only raids, but full-scale skirmishes. His air of mystery was perpetrated by rumours and legends, never seen in public without wearing his spacesuit and helmet or his keen knowledge of their enemies' tactics and habits, some even ventured to say that he never took them off and that he hid an alien face beneath the shadowed visor, and even after years, he never acted as if he had aged or grown weary in the slightest. But, his tactics were nevertheless efficient, and he was accepted among their leaders in the struggle to regain the Earth.


Newcomer

The world had come into a sort of balance, with alien and human now controlling disproportionate but equally powerful areas of the planet. Gifted lead charges against armies of undead and ravenous hordes. The Astronaut had the authority of a General at his disposal, though not often participating in battles himself, he had concretely proven his prowess and skill in a skirmish. Then, an unexpected ally appeared amidst a tactical assault on a ruined city held by the aliens. At first he seemed inhuman, a trait that was not so uncommon among this world of Gifted and invader, yet as the human advance team watched, what had appeared to be supernatural reflexes and speed had instead been revealed to be what it seemed, an alien with numerous twisting and stretching limbs like an octopus of ages past, drawing just as numerous weapons from his long coat and firing into the ranks of the aliens that had taken hold of the Earth. When he had cleared the path that the humans had been intending to take, though their own plans had involved a grueling uphill battle, this stranger greeted them, and was exactly as they had thought, an alien himself. He offered his feat of attacking the aliens as a token of his allegiance and stated that he wished to see The Astronaut, though how he spoke was uncertain, since the voice echoed in their minds as if it were their own thoughts. He was brought before The Astronaut without any sign of a struggle and the two of them went a distance away to discuss what he had came for. When they returned some hours later, the Astronaut announced that this alien known as a cephaloid was an ally and to be treated as any friend would treat another, and he would do the same to them likewise. His name, unpronounceable and tediously long, was called Zror'imt after a portion of it that was at least recognizable, and further shortened to "Z".


Present Day

Earth Year 2174, One Hundred and Fifty-nine years since the invasion started. The Astronaut still lives and leads, with Z at his side as a personal guard and companion, though fifty more years have since passed from the time of their meeting. The war rages on, humans growing bolder and more advanced, from their Gifted leaders and warriors to the newly-developed mech suits, dubbed Exos or "XOs", forged from scrap materials and salvaged weapons used by those who have no such Gifts. The aliens have harnessed the latent power of the past human race, reactivating generators and power plants to fuel their own devices, while inadvertantly restoring more power to the outlying humans than they realize. Humanity is on the rise, retaking the planet Earth by inches at a time, but slowly and steadily driving back the invaders that changed their history and future forever.