Encrypted Message to EEF High Command Regarding the Great Migration

To those it may concern,

As you may have no-doubt noticed through long distance scans, there has been movement in E-strain space. Particularly, the E-strain tribes seek to transverse the Arc of Midas and spread through the rest of space.

The numbers this migration fleet brings to bear are staggering, but this is not our only concern. Fate calculates that if the E-strain gain access to the now-sentient stars, the result would be catastrophic. Fate, sadly, has been silent as to why.

I would love to be of more direct help, but unfortunately the Unity is occupied. The Migration Fleet writ large must transverse the Arc of Midas in order to threaten civilized space, as planar instability and gravity wells prevent other vectors from being utilized effectively. However, the E-strain has begun lobbing asteroids seeded with eggs through the impassible terrain with great aplomb. Much of our resources are devoted to abrogating the need for purges outside of E-strain space.

There is happy news though! Your old friends, the Iron Republic, not only have a station in the Arc of Midas, they also have a number of systems surrounding said Arc on the E-strain side of space. We hope you will be able to work with them and that you will catch the recording of my briefing to those assembled.

We are looking forward to being on the same side of conflict as you once again.

Prime

The office of Colony General Malthus was far underground.
It was in a bunker so deep in the ground that no conventional could even hope to hit it, nor most WMDs (except of course an ill-timed blackhole bomb).
Since rising to the rank of Colony General at the end of the Goblin Genocide, he had moved from one bunker to another. Rising to the surface only for feeding from a slew of happy and healthy donors from around the Colony of Chooru, he would do most of his tedious paperwork during the day.
As long as he fed regularly and plentifully, Malthus needed no sleep, no food, no air. He was at his core the perfect spacefarer. Yet his work on Refuge, steering this once-abandoned colony of humanity through an uncertain future, was far from complete.
But when he saw the correspondence detailing the impressive forces arrayed at the calling of these Estain Manslayers of the Great Migration.

He quickly activated his Nanotransponder and beamed an encrypted communication deep into Unity Space.

The ball of Nanomachines turned into Prime's preferred representation.
The Colony General was gaunt and pale, with well groomed hair and perfect white teeth.
His blue dress uniform with green trim, and a gold epaulette, was without flaw.

And he had a commanding voice, which said, "Greetings Prime of Unity. You are not the first I have heard of bearing the voice of the Unity Concensus. I remember both a Metatron Prime, and an Avatar of Unity which offered us greetings and aid against the Estrain while hiding dark machinations. What assurances does the EEF have that this is not just a way to create death, or power some horrible sort of energy source. Like those blasted Unity Hellscapes which crashed near two of our planetary colonies half a year ago?"

General Malthus received a reply rather quickly. The encryption was immaculate. There was no visual component to speak of at all, and behind Prime's precise speech there was a soft layer of white noise.

"General Malthus. You have me at a bit of a disadvantage. You know quite a bit of me, yet I know little of you. This is a pity, as you are canny.

Regarding your concerns, they are valid. Our history speaks for itself. Consequently, my word alone would be insufficient.

Let me offer you logic as an alternative. Considering my present access to the Iron Republic and the Unity, I have many low-risk opportunities for harvesting massive quantities of shadow-energy. It would be abhorrently illogical, in light of this, for me to engineer what may well be the victory of one of my greatest foes for the chance to harvest the fruits of the battle.

I would however be very interested to investigate these Hellscapes which crashed in your space. I have been looking for these rouge stations to track down elements of the Unity which have gone particularly dark."

Colony General Malthus turned off the Nanite display, and listened to the audio. Listening closely.
Small vibrations in the voice spoke of hope for some result, as yet unknown.
No outright deception, the old vampire decided grimly.

"I am sorry to report that we must finish our preliminary radiation and contaminant quarantine before we can allow your ships and people access to the EEF Offworld Colonies near the Draco Constellation where the Unity Hellscapes have crashed. This will take at least 2.5 Months, so we appreciate your patience during this difficult time.
However this grim news of the Estrain Great Migration Fleet, moves me to make some direct action. How bady tapped are your information connections? How much of what I tell you is calculated to reach the enemy from your end?

Until I have that information, I can advise you of the following. I will be moving in a handfull of Interplanetary Gunships to test the defenses, with additional forces prepared to engage.

If you are genuinely interested in stopping this Estrain Migration, I have some questions starting with have your Concensus deployed any K'ias Sanguine Lords to the battlefield?"

The old vampire once again received an audio reply. Attempting to discern information from a voice which had gone through layers of filtration was maddening, and the occasional static burst made interpretation of vocal nuance nearly impossible. Had he been lied to about Unity technology? He had expected something more impressive, somehow.

Malthus's instincts were honed from a great many years of experience, however, and he could tell that Prime was under some great strain.

"This communication is as secure as I can make it. Which is to say, it is quite secure.

Would that your allies or subbordinates had your cautious nature. The blithe acceptance of actors in the operational theater makes me wish it was a trap. Unity assets are presently spread thin across the boarders of E-strain space. While the bulk of their force is pressing the Arc of Midas, they have launched trillions of asteroids through the boundary. Most do not make it through, but those that do must be anticipated and obliterated. Sanguine Lords are in reserve.

To commit Unity assets to the Arc beyond the support we have given is to ensure that the E-strain infect Iron Republic planets. It would be a bloodbath. I have committed two generals to the cause. That should be sufficient.

The security of this line, though, is irrelevant. I am not the one with whom you must speak on matters of troop disposition. There is a meeting of minds in an Iron Republic station at Midas, if you wish to coordinate. One of your subordinates, if subordinate he is, is already there.

Regarding the Hellscapes, we will speak further once the conflict is concluded."

"Mssr. Prime,
I will share a bit that only a handfull of people know about me.
I was once a very successful EEF Interrogator, during an unhappy period of our history here on Refuge commonly called the Goblin Genocide. Witless Earthers, people no different at the time than I had been, attempted to wipe out the peaceful Olgogs only because they were alien to us. Most concepts of human rights were not afforded the enemy, and the enemy and our own people suffered for it. I was trained in many techniques to assess the truth of a person's statements, and some were gruesome but effective.
A sad time, and a time I see many parrallels with our current predicament.

I know full well of the meeting between my Field Marshall, the rogue Sector General Stark and your TRILAT agents. I also do not forget that it was the Unity which jettisoned its Estrain infestation over the city of Dumbar during the Border Wars.

So even though you may be unaware of any tactical significance of this Great Migration, I am concerned one of your Unity Cyborg-Hunters is involved in some nefarious way. All I ask is that if my EEF Soldiers run into any working with the Great Migration, we have your personal permission on behalf of the concensus to use deadly force.
I'd rather not have any questions of treaty breaching or diplomatic entanglements after the fact.

I will leave the diplomatic rangling with your subordinates to Field Marshal Strykker for now.
Thank you for your time,

We will speak again soon"

Reaching into his desk, Colony General Malthus with drew a gift he had hoped to never have to use. It was a locket that held a vial of Djinni Blood from a Djinni Storm Lord. He opened the locket and popped its rubber cap. Malthus upended it into his mouth, feeding on it as only a true vampire could feed.

It was a close to the raw power of creation as a person could bottle, and it filled Malthus, boosting his natural affinity for the Leyas tenfold. There was a flash of shapeshifting Leyas, as Malthus split in two. Creating a copy of oneself was one of the more technical and skillful uses of Shapeshifting an Adept could accomplish, and with the added power of the Storm Lord's potent blood, Malthus had been successful.

The second copy was under his control, and their minds were linked, but it would keep him safe on his current journey.

The second Malthus silently saluted the first and walked up towards the lift that would bring him to the surface, and from there the hangar bay.

It was time to visit the Arc of Midas.