TUATHA DE DANANN
STARDATE 09.03.25
FIMBULETR
Captain Dagda sat in his command chair like an ancient king of old. He was troubled, not by his current mission, but by the status of his people. Resembling a strange, translucent, goblin-like figure, Captain Dagda possessed withered and torn bat wings which sprang out of his back. To mortal eyes, his form seemed to be constantly shifting and changing, never set permanently on any fixed shape.
The Sidhe had returned after a millennia of being away. And what did they find? Man, not one of the First Races, but a later creation, fighting the same endless wars he has always fought. Has Time taught them nothing? Is this all they were ever Destined for? The Sidhe have been gone for so long, and yet the creatures known as mankind have not changed at all. True, their technology has changed and they now roam the stars. But how little Man himself has changed.
Even the descendants of the Sidhe are disappointments. What have the Butterflies accomplished with their xenophobia? They let no one approach their Home Stars, supposedly for good reason. And the Dark Matter Spirits? What have they accomplished with all their attempts to conquer Life and drain the essence from it? Has anything come from your bitter wars with the Butterflies? Haven’t either of you realized yet that brothers should not fight one another?
Captain Dagda sighed. He closed his eyes, remembering a time when the Sidhe were spread out across the whole universe. Entire galaxies were theirs and they watched over them well. The Invisible Realm was sacred and glorious. And it would be again. Captain Dagda swore it. But it would take time. There were so few Sidhe at present. And these ships they commanded, a fusion of Butterfly technology and Dark Matter Spirit technology, were so archaic and limited.
“Captain, we are approaching Outpost Mag Tuired. Ready to deactivate the Dimensional Phase Device on your command.”
Ah, the mission is complete at last, Captain Dagda thought. Slip past Neo-Invader lines like a ghost and record their fleet formations, shipyard construction, logistics, resources, troops, and points of vulnerability. Then return back to Outpost Mag Tuired so the vital information could be transmitted back to Unity Command on Planetbase. Outpost Mag Tuired was equipped with its own specialized Dimensional Phase Device so it could remain hidden for extended periods of time. The Tuatha de Danann has performed this mission several times now without any problems.
“Bring us back into Real Space.”
The Sidhe Heavy Cruiser slowly materialized out of the black night of space. It was as if a ghost has returned from the realm of the dead. A strange starship, the Tuatha de Danann was a long, crystalline vessel with huge, black, gossamer wings. It resembled more a dark cloud moving across a night sky than a real substantial object.
“Captain Dagda, Outpost Mag Tuired has been destroyed!!”
“What? Give me immediate scans of the vicinity! Search for any Neo-Invaders!”
The Science Officer analyzed his display and then gave his Captain a grim look.
“I’m picking up four Neo-Invader Trappers, six Neo-Invader Hunters, and three Neo-Invader Beholders.”
Ingenious, Captain Dagda thought, as his white eyes squinted. Neo-Invader Trappers to catch us when we rematerialize into Real Space. Neo-Invader Hunters to ensure any resistance would be crushed. And Neo-Invader Beholders to continuously run deep scans of the surrounding area. The Neo-Invaders proved the success of these tactics against Cloaked and Phased starships when they conquered the Home Sector and the Other Sector.
No doubt they discovered Outpost Mag Tuired and destroyed her.
And now, here we are, weary from our journey, right in their arms.
LIKE A FLY CAUGHT IN A SPIDER’S WEB.
