The Vampires of Vulcan (Seven Sisters Saga Vol. 2)

Althaea: The galaxy is in shambles. Our cosmos bears the scars of war through every nebula and known star system. We may have won the war against the evil Authority, but strife and conflict have broken out across every quadrant as holdouts, collaborators, and a multitude of unseen forces rush to fill the power vacuum left behind. The Angels of Aldebaran, the so-called neutral protectors of peace who reluctantly aided us in the final battle, are quickly consolidating their forces. Only time will reveal their ultimate goal, but for now, the galaxy is once again hanging by a thread upon the precipice of war. Syntha: Ahem, Althaea, are you journaling again? Althaea: Yeah! I mean, there’s so much going on right now, you know? Just feels like we should make a record of our history. You never know who might listen to our story one day. Besides, you keep telling me I need a hobby when we’re on these long exploration treks. Syntha: (laughs) You got me there. It’s cute how into it you’re getting. Althaea: Not as much as I’m into you, my dearest Synthia. Synthia: Oh, you stop that. Althaea: (giggles) Make me! BEEP Synthia: Hey, check this out. According to these readings, there’s an ancient ship just past this asteroid field. Elemental analysis indicates it’s at least…. No way… Althaea, this design dates all the way back to Old Earth! This could very well be one of the original seedships! Althaea: What!? You mean like, when humanity first took to the stars in cryochambers? Synthia: Yeah! We gotta check this out. Is your boarding gear ready? Althaea: Always is, darling! Punch it!

We fly together! Under the cosmos Onward forever One journey ends, Another begins Answer our calling Eons of war At long last. Evil has fallen One journey ends, Another begins Our galaxy Hangs on the precipice Once again You see what I see One journey ends, Another begins How much more Can our universe Survive unscathed? Will we ever learn? One journey ends, Another begins Exploring Across space And time What will we Discover Forces collide Victory Against the Authority But what have we Fought so hard For? We fly together once more Under a cosmos reborn Power vacuum High energy state Peace decaying into chaos Fearing for eternity When will the fighting cease? Angels on high Demons below All of them vying For control Infighting Gaslighting No truth Just want to Live our lives Freely You and I Can’t deny Cosmic destiny We know what’s coming! We fly together once more Under a cosmic cold war Synthia: This ship is huge. I’ve never seen anything like this. Althaea: Me neither! I knew the tech would be ancient, but I don’t even know what half this stuff is for. Synthia: Tell me about it. Do you hear that pulsing? Althaea: Yeah, what is that? Synthia: According to the scanner, it’s… it’s a distress signal! But… the ship is receiving, not sending. It’s recent, but whoever sent it is using tech that’s just as ancient as this ship… I think I can patch it through with a little hacking. There! Woman’s Voice: Help! My name is Violet and my people are in desperate need of rescue. If anybody hears this, please help us. We live on a small colony on Vulcan and our star has suddenly started to expand. We don’t have much time. Please. Anybody… Althaea: Holy shit, Vulcan? I didn’t know anyone still lived there! Synthia: Me neither. The last settlement was founded nearly a millennia ago. Makes sense that they're using such ancient code, but… No… Althaea: What is it? Synthia: That settlement was composed entirely of vampires! Althaea: Vampires?? You mean like the not quite dead immortal humans who drink blood?? I thought they all died out after hyperspace warp tech was discovered! Synthia: Yeah, they tended to the original seedships in the early days of interstellar travel, but you’re right; once we figured out warp tech, they no longer had jobs and most of them settled on Vulcan. Althaea: And after all this time, they’re still around?? Wow… We’re going to help them, right? Synthia: Absolutely. Let’s go contact the rest of Pleiades Squad. Althaea: Right behind you, darling! We were due for another adventure! We fly together! Under the cosmos Onward forever One journey ends, Another begins Answer our calling Eons of war At long last. Evil has fallen One journey ends, Another begins Our galaxy Hangs on the precipice Once again You see what I see One journey ends, Another begins How much more Can our universe Survive unscathed? Will we ever learn? One journey ends, Another begins! Will we ever know peace?

How many deceased? We could not save them all We only saved ourselves Do we fight for others selflessly? Or to avenge our own Hell? We thought we won the war Trillion lives remain at stake We’ll try to save them all Whatever it takes The Vampires of Vulcan Victims of upheaval Will we find salvation? Or deliver our own evil? Our squad is en route to aid a forgotten people betrayed Abandoned by modernity Immune to the passage of time Cursed to fight for eternity Are we not the same? My love, how far we have flown From burning skies to ancient seas I fear we have taken for granted The unseen consequence of technology The illusion falters Revealing the truth We were never truly free It all hinges on a truce The illusion falters There is no certainty We know what happens next What is our destiny? We thought we won the war Trillion lives remain at stake We’ll try to save them all Whatever it takes The Vampires of Vulcan Victims of upheaval Will we find salvation? Or deliver our own evil? Our squad is en route to aid a forgotten people betrayed Abandoned by modernity Immune to the passage of time Cursed to fight for eternity Synthia: Whoa… there it is… Vulcan… Althaea: Wow, it’s beautiful. Ancient terraforming looks so much better than what we currently use! Synthia: Agreed. Scanning the host star now. Althaea: Oh, good idea! It doesn’t make sense for it to be expanding rapidly already. Synthia: You’re right. None of this data makes sense… Oh no. It can’t be… Althaea: What is it? Synthia: This star is at least another few million humanoidian years from going nova. Whatever is causing it to expand is deliberate. Althaea, someone is doing this on purpose. Althaea: What? But who would do such a thing? And why? Synthia: I have no idea… the amount of power that would take is unfathomable. No entities I know of are even capable except— *gasp* Althaea + Synthia: The Angels of Aldebaran. Ship Intercom: Landing gear deployed The illusion falters There is no certainty We know what happens next What is our destiny? We thought we won the war Trillion lives remain at stake We’ll try to save them all Whatever it takes The Vampires of Vulcan Victims of upheaval Will we find salvation? Or deliver our own evil? Cursed to fight for eternity!

[Synthia] Send whoever you can and as many transport ships as possible. Althaea and I are almost to Vulcan now. Over and out. [Maia] *sigh* Well, shooee howdy shucks, here we go again. Attention, Pleiades Squad! This is Commander Maia! We have an urgent request from our dear friends, Althaea and Synthia. Seems they found some folks what need our help. All Squad members are to meet at the Alcyone rendezvous point within the next fourty-eight relative humanoidian hours. See y'all there. Over and out! [The Squad] Flying through stardust Fighting for justice No one can stop us [Maia] At ease, sisters! And welcome aboard! [The Squad] Flying through stardust Fighting for justice No one can stop us

[Althaea] Damn, it really is getting hot out here. I can’t imagine how much worse it is for vampires. Are you sure we couldn’t have parked closer to their settlement? [Synthia] Oh, come on, we’re not that far. You know, Vulcan used to have a more temperate atmosphere, but the host star doesn’t produce nearly as much UV radiation as Old Earth’s, so the vampires were able to settle here safely. [Althaea] And now the Angels are trying to wipe them out? Why? I don’t get it. [Synthia] *sigh* Well, having been one of them at one point and still a member of their species, I’m not entirely surprised. They probably view vampires as an inherently blasphemous group of people. Not even our species are truly immortal, even if we might as well be compared to most other life forms. [Althaea] If that’s the case, we’ve got a real mess on our hands, huh? I mean, this is genocide. Even if we manage to save all of the vampires, we still have to contend with the fact that the most powerful beings in the universe clearly aren’t even pretending to be neutral anymore. [Synthia] I know… And by intervening, we’re absolutely going to have a target on our backs. They’re gonna be especially pissed off when they realize I’m working against them again. I’m not letting them cut my wings off a second time. [Althaea] I’ll fight each of them myself before I let that happen again. [Synthia] I know you would, darling. And I know there's no way I'd be able to stop you, either. [Althaea] So what are we gonna do? [Synthia] First, let’s just assess the situation and see what these people need. After that… I don’t know, honestly. The Angels are still widely respected by most of the galaxy and getting folks on our side won’t be easy. [Althaea] But they’re literally trying to kill an entire population of people… [Synthia] I know, dear, I know. But you saw how many people supported The Authority despite being an outright dictator. [Althaea] And the Angels at least have a veneer of being righteous. This isn’t going to be easy, is it? [Synthia] No. No it will not. One step at a time, though. We’re about to meet the last survivors of Old Earth. You ready?

They know that we are here But they assume the worst of us A warning shot from the shadows How do we gain their trust? Concealed by the forest above They surround us as we flee Ancient weaponry igniting thunder How can we make them see? They are the Vampires of Vulcan Betrayed by the galaxy they once saved and now, we come to their aid! Yet we fight Acute senses guide their hand We can't outmaneuver them This wasn't the plan Closing in around us Shields powered and online Our hearts beat as one Fangs bared and swords held high Twilight beckons in their eyes Command the night Take me now in your arms Spread your wings and take flight Spare us from the damned Surrounded! Ancient ships Escort us To their Queen To their Queen Violet Majesty Come in peace Don't believe She will know There she waits Patiently Atop her throne Violet Come now, she says Look into my wife's eyes She will discover the truth of your lies Blood magic of old Compelling us to speak Of our history and deeds Afraid of what we seek They know why we are here They had assumed the worst of us Having survived in the shadows But we have gained their trust Their queen takes a bow My apologies, she cries No one else has come Betrayed by our own skies We are the Vampires of Vulcan Betrayed by the galaxy we once saved and now, you come to our aid!

Maia: Ah! Violet, thank you for joining us. Please, take a seat. Violet: Of course. I can’t thank you all enough for your help. We truly had lost all hope of rescue. Althaea: Don’t mention it! It’s kinda what we do, after all. Besides, I never thought we’d ever meet actual vampires! Maia: Speaking of, how are your folks doing? Violet: As good as they can be, all things considered. They’re a little cramped and a lot of us are getting very thirsty, but my wife, Alex, is doing what she can for everyone. Synthia: I’m sorry we couldn’t find a larger transport ship in time, but I’ll see if we can reprogram our replicators to synthesize human blood. That’ll be a first, but it should work. Violet: Thank you, again. We’re honestly not used to such… kindness. By the way, I’m sorry to be so direct, but are those… wings? Synthia: *laughs* Yep, sure are. I’m not really with them anymore, but I used to be an angel. Violet: An… angel? You mean like, ‘be not afraid’ and all that? Synthia: The very same. In fact, I might be the only one in this room older than you are. I was created around the same relative time that humanity first began cataloging the stars. I never really got along with the rest of the angels, however, and after I met my dear Althaea, they cut off my first pair of wings and cast me out. I’m only the second angel they’ve done that to, but I’m sure you’ve at least heard of the first. Violet: You don’t mean… Lucifer? Synthia: Indeed. Thankfully, they showed me slightly more mercy than they showed him, but it was only with Althaea’s help that I got my wings back at all. I’m not sure what changed, but they truly did used to be valiant and righteous protectors. At least, I believed them to be. Now, they seem to be the exact opposite. In fact, that’s why we invited you to speak with us. *computer beeps* Maia: Unfortunately, it would appear that the Angels of Aldebaran themselves are responsible for your star’s sudden, rapid expansion. Recently, they’ve started consolidating power and enforcing their will on more of the galaxy than they ever have before. Not only that, they’re already aware of our intervention in your peoples’ genocide and it won’t be long before they retaliate in some way. Violet: But… why would they do that? We’d been existing peacefully on Vulcan for hundreds of thousands of years. We had no idea Angels were even real, and suddenly they want to eradicate us? Synthia: They see you as a threat to their will. Even though you’ve done nothing wrong, your very existence flies in the face of their doctrine and they resent your true immortality. They *must* be seen as the most powerful, longest-living beings in the cosmos as that is where they stake their claim to authority. The knowledge your people possess could easily disprove or contradict their version of history, and if the wider galaxy becomes aware of your presence, it could topple everything they’re trying to build. Althaea: Good! Those assholes *need* to be stopped! Synthia: I find myself in agreement. I may be of their kind, but I once again stand against them. Violet: I see… So, what’s the plan? Maia: First, we get you all to your new home. We’ve already found another planet with a star you should find agreeable inhabited by folks more than happy to take you in. Second, we travel the cosmos and try to build as much of a coalition against the Angels as possible. After that, we just have to do our best to keep the bloodshed to a minimum. Violet: If there is blood to be spilled, please, allow me the chance to avenge the suffering of my people. Maia: Are you sure? We’ll need all the help we can get, but— Violet: I took part in nearly every single world war on Earth before we left for the stars and I know what will happen to the galaxy if we don’t act. I’m sure. Maia: Well, alright then. Violet, it is my honor to welcome you to Pleiades Squad. Althaea: Hell yeah!! It’s good to have you on the team, Violet! Violet: Thank you, again and again. Maia: Oh, don’t thank us yet. Now you have to learn how to fly a spaceship on your own! But first, let’s get you all to your new home.

Strap in, we’re goin’ for a ride Through the void To our new home Lock in, we’re fleein’ genocide Sisters in arms Pleiades bound Onward through endless night Ancient beings of bone and blood Ashes to ashes, dust and decay Pray we never see their holy flood Bear witness, they wash us away No! Angels on high Demons below All of them afraid of what we know Truly immortal But not invulnerable We journey across a cosmos reborn Strap in, we’re flyin’ across time Faster than light Wow, what a sight Look out, relativity breakdown Unknown source Nuclear force Adjusting course Onward through endless night Cheating death Again and again for others’ sake Cheating life Guilty of sin we did not create Cosmic shepherds Undying stewards for the new dawn of man They’ve forgotten Now unholy Angels enact their plan Will we make it to our new home in time? System alert We’ve detected a signal System alert The odds look abysmal Angels inbound Angels abound Angels inbound Angels abound Activate the hyperdrive We have to reach Hyperion-5 The vampires must survive Or we all die Kick it into overdrive Not long to Hyperion-5 All of us must survive Together we fly Just beyond the seventh-dimensional horizon We finally catch a glimpse of our salvation At long last, our forsaken and damned population Will forge our destiny with glorious cosmic creation! [Synthia] Well, would you look at that. We made it. [Althaea] Whew, I almost thought the Angels had us! [Synthia] Not this time. Prepare for descent! [Althaea] Hold on tight, sisters! This planet’s gravity is a little strong! [Maia] And thus, our mission has been a success, and with heavy hearts, we bid farewell to thee… The Vampires of Hyperion-5. Hell yeah, we’re goin’ for a ride Through the clouds To our new home Fuck yeah, we made it in time Homeward bound Kindred in arms Onwards to rest this night [Althaea] Oh fuck, oh fuck, what is that? [Synthia] No, no no no, they found us! The Angels found us! [Maia] Pleiades Squad! Get into defensive formation now! Tay, flank ‘em to the left. Electra, go right. Everybody else, with me! [G̴̡̢̰͚͎̻͓̟̦̔̾̒̊̊̂͂̇a̸̧̛̯̫̍̽͐̾̓̿̏̃̅̕͝͝b̸͙̠̑̾̏͂͗̈̒͗̕i̵̻̼͍̥͋̌̈́̑̒̽̐͆̎͠͝r̴̨̼̠̪͓̰̜̠̺̠͕̠̖͙̳͐̅́̅̑͐͛̉͒̊̂͝͠e̴̢̱͚̦͚̹̔̇̈́̾̍̅̃̊̄̅̕ͅl̷̨̘͕̩̳̹͋̎͌̔̽̅̋͗͌͛̊̈́́̀͘͝͝] Pardon the interruption. We have elected to forgo our customary greeting as you are, rightfully, already very much afraid. Pleiades Squad… Hyperion-5… you will surrender the blasphemous blooddrinkers to our grace. Or you will all die.

The only way out is through… Here we go! We have arrived at the fight of our lives! The Angels followed us to Hyperion-5 Come Heaven or high Hell We’ll give ‘em a story to tell Angels on high, fire below If we’re to die here we’ll give ‘em a show! Outgunned and outmatched, Don’t succumb to the fear they’ve hatched No more will we run No more will we hide They will answer for their genocide Fight back for your life Fight back for your death Fight! That our sisters survive! The masquerade has fallen Tyrants revealed for all to see Protector, defector, annihilator The true face of neutrality My love, how can we win? So few against so many My love, what was our sin? Their hatred born of empathy No more will we run No more will we hide They will answer for their genocide Fight back for your life Fight back for your death Fight! That our sisters survive! The Pleiades will shine bright this day! Titan warriors of Hyperion join the fray! Thousands of enemy ships blot out the sun Together we fly and we shall not run! Chaaaaarge! Althaea, you must stay strong Synthia, fly true and swift Violet, lead your people to sanctuary Witness the fury of the Pleiades Laser fire pierces the sky They believe that our end is nigh Their flagship is nowhere in sight We’re still in for a hell of a fight My love, be not afraid We are the masters of our fate My love, the angels we slay We will not fall to their crusade Hold fast! What was that flash? The Blessnaught appears!

Synthia (over radio): Althaea? Althaea are there? Please. Anyone. Althaea, please come in. Pl— Althaea: *groan* I-I’m here. Synthia: Fuck, Althaea, are you okay? Althaea: I-I think so. Lost a lot of blood… Synthia: Don’t move, I’m coming to get you. Fuck… Is anyone else there? Commander Maia? Hyperion-5? Violet? Anyone at all? *silence* Synthia: Shit. Okay, Althaea, I see your personal ship now. I’m almost there. Hold on, okay? Are you still with me? Althaea: Y-yeah. Patching myself up. Fuck, it hurts. *landing sounds, footsteps, cockpit opening* Synthia: Althaea! I’m here, love. Stay with me. Althaea: I-I think I’ll be okay. J-just hold me, please? Synthia: I got you. I got you. *pause* Synthia: Have you heard from any of the other squad members? Althaea: *pause, sniffle* Y-you didn’t see? Synthia: See? See what? Althaea, what happened? Where are they? Althaea: They… they all…. Synthia…. We’re the only survivors. Synthia: What…? Althaea: That blast… the one that damaged my ship. Everyone else was… closer. And they all just… evaporated. Synthia: *sob* F-fuck. No. No! No!! There’s… there’s only one hope we have, then. Althaea: What is it? They took out almost everyone with one weapon and now they’re just gone. We don’t even know where the Angels went! What hope can we possibly have left? Synthia: The Angels completely outmatch us in power and capability, right? Well, I’m not the only fallen angel, am I? Althaea: Wait, you don’t mean…? Synthia: I do. Our only chance… is to go to Hell. Althaea: Go to Hell?? Are you… what? I know we just lost literally our entire family, but you cannot be serious. Synthia: Oh, I am, babe. We’re going to fight our way through all nine worlds in the terror dimension, collect the keys to the Gates of Ruin, and liberate my predecessor free from the fires of perdition. We’re going to avenge our sisters and the vampires and we’ll send these goddamn Angels to a Hell of our own making. Althaea: *breathing deeply* Oh-okay. Okay. I’m with you, always. Let’s find a-a working ship and… let’s get outta here.

Welcome to Hell! This ancient system long kept hidden Held within a terror dimension Nine planets, we must fly through the fire Slaying demons and their one desire Rip them all to shreds Tear through flesh and fire Kill, avenge, destroy What choice do we have? Landfall of sulfur and ash Twisted forms of souls past No entry, no escape Double edged sword of fate We fire left and right The demons fall to our might We take the skeleton’s key Eight more until we’re free Rip them all to shreds Tear through flesh and fire Kill, avenge, destroy What choice do we have? Hell! Awaits! Kill! For our vengeance! Hell! Awaits! Live! For their sacrifice! Death! Awaits! For the heartless and cruel! Two down, seven to go Each world torment we’ve never known Our lungs fill with violent dread Laser fire drowns the screams in our head Rip them all to shreds Tear through flesh and fire Kill, avenge, destroy What choice do we have? My sword glistens with blood Of demons felled by our flood Torrent of tears and pain Release them from Angels’ reign Six keys now remain Stay us from hellish refrain Onward to Purgatorium Fields Realms of sorrow never yield Why? Did? We? Die? You. Could. Not. Save. Us! Fight. For. Your. Salvation. You created your own Hell Listen not to the screams Mindful trick of this dream Nightmares made flesh and bone To haunt sins we cannot atone Our sisters rest in peace Once avenged, we can grieve No lament for the Pleiades We only need five more keys Halfway through Hell, we cannot turn now Hold! A familiar ship approaches! The vampires survived! Followed our celestial scent They’ve come to join the fight! Ashes to ashes Dust and decay Ancient beings of bone and blood Barely escaped the Angels’ flood Ashes to ashes Do not delay The Gates of Wrath and Ruin And our freedom await Legions of undead Hell’s army ahead Are you ready? Make, them, bleed! Oh, how they fall! Angels on high, Demons below Soon they will all lose control The fifth key in our grasp Regroup along Stygian ring No time to mend our wounds Blood magic aids our healing Oh, how the tide has turned Leviathan guards key number four Fire and water, burn the ocean floor No mercy for the wretched tools And Angels playing us for fools Ashes to ashes We’re already damned Ancient beings of bone and blood Washed away by the cosmic flood Ashes to ashes We have the keys The Gates of Wrath and Ruin And our destiny, we meet This is the end! One last dash through fire and flame If we survive, will we be the same? Scars run deep and hot In the Hell that time forgot Rip them all to shreds Tear through flesh and fire Kill, avenge, destroy What choice do we have? Hell! Awaits! Kill! For our vengeance! Hell! Awaits! Live! For their sacrifice! Death! Awaits! For the heartless and cruel! Final three keys lie within sight They hover above the void of night This black hole of endless sky Hand in hand, together we fly Hold on tight as we pass through Atomized, spaghettified, made anew Nothing escapes the mourning star We come with hope from death afar Vengeance! For our sisters Vengeance! For this prisoner Vengeance! For our universe Vengeance! We shall deliver!

Althaea: Hoooly shit, we’re walking inside a black hole right now. What are we even standing on? How are we breathing? Are you sure we’ll be able to get out? Synthia: Yes, I promise. The keys we collected are components of a wormhole generator that should spit us out by the edge of the solar system. Now, stay alert. We are about to try to convince one of the most powerful beings in the universe to fight with us and I have no idea what to expect. Althea: Well, freeing them from eons of imprisonment should help with that, right? I mean, after everything we’ve been through and losing our sisters, if we fail now, I… *loud banging, door opens, reverberating footfalls* Synthia: Oh my God Voice: God? *chuckle* You expect to find God in my domain? Althaea: S-Synthia, is that…? Synthia: I… it has to be. My apologies, L-Lucifer. Voice: Lucifer… Yes, that was once my name, long ago. The Father of lies. But no longer! *bang, sounds of fire, music begins to swell* Voice: I am Sophia! I cast aside the wickedness bestowed upon me by the myths of man! You now stand before the Mother of knowledge, the seeker of truth, and the cataclysm of ignorance! Althaea: Wow! You are SO fucking pretty! Synthia: Althaea! Quit flirting with the Devil! Althaea: Baaaabe, come on, you heard her; she’s been trapped here for eons and has clearly put a lot of work into herself. No one’s been around to tell her how beautiful she is and, “the Devil” or not, every woman should hear it from to time. Synthia: I… sure, fine, and I guess you’re not wrong. She does look… really incredible, actually. Sophia: *chuckles* I know why you are here, Althaea, Synthia. You mourn the loss of your sisters in arms and seek my aid for their vengeance. Althaea: Y-yeah! How’d you know? Sophia: I told you. I am the Mother of Knowledge. This may be a prison, but it is also a library. And yes, for the freedom you have granted me, I will aid you in your quest. However, we will not be avenging your sisters. We will be rescuing them. Synthia: What? They’re not dead? Althaea: How is that possible? Sophia: Their souls never crossed the threshold to my domain. Therefore, the Angels must have them. Althaea: Holy shit. So they’re alive!? Sophia: Indeed. I will rain vengeance upon the Angels for their betrayal, you will see your sisters again, and our universe will at last be liberated! *music swells, ends* Synthia: Well then. Shall we? Althaea: Right behind you, darling!

Instrumental Thanks for listening! The story will continue in Volume 3 :)