''THEY'RE IN MY HEAD! THEY'RE IN MY HEAD!''
Russianspy came flashing back into the Iron Manta control room. As he teleported in, he was clutching his face and seemed to be trying to force his hand into his head through his gills. He ran straight into a wall, which seemed to bring some sense back to him.
''They... I can STILL HEAR... them, but THEY ARE QUIETER... now...'' Russian was panting and periodically shouting. ''Everything I tried they were prepared for. I tried opening fire but after just a few shots, every weapon I fired seemed to assimilate into their weird staves, which shot back the same attacks but two or three times as much firepower. Then I heard them. In my head, thousands of voices in thousands of languages.. they... GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT''
He started jamming his hand into his gills again, blood started to snake its way into the water in the control room. Solaris grabbed Russian's arm with one of his tentacles and yanked it away before he did more damage to himself. Solaris nodded to JonathanCrazyJ. The Octo-Mechanic had been silent since his accident, but his presence back in the crew heartened the Orbit Admiral more than he could express.
''Mindreaders'' mumbled Espithel. ''It makes sense, how would they have such advanced wisdom compared to other budding civilizations at the time? By connecting to every thought of every civilization, any scientific breakthrough would be assimilated and they could advance at an incredible rate.''
JonathanCrazyJ was panicking now. He could handle crew-burning explosions, violent mechs and those DAMNED priests, but nothing terrified him like the idea of someone knowing the kind of frequently horrifying thoughts he relished.
He looked around at his beleaguered crew. He looked at Russian's hands, webbed fingers slick with blood still frantically trying to claw into his own skull. He looked at Solaris the mute holding Russian back with his two good tentacles, the other 6 still charred. He looked at Espithel, whose brilliant mind was just as scarred and impossible to fathom as ever. Espithel may not have been injured in this voyage, but he was damaged. JonathanCrazyJ always said that Espi's thoughts were like a pendulum missing a mark. You knew how they started but you never knew how they would end. Oh... wait...
''Open a comms link with the Green Parent Frakkers -''
''- Err sir I'm not sure how much attention you have been paying to briefings, there are actually 3 rival ships, Green Night, Paratus and Battlestar Go Frak Yourself''
''I only concern myself with threats. But fine, just bring them up''
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''Captains. We are backed into a corner. Each of us has attempted initial assaults on the Ancestor fleet and have been met with unstoppable resistance. They know our entire attack strategy even before we do, every time we get near them. But what if, when we get near them, WE don't know our entire strategy. What if we don't even attack? We, of the Iron Manta believe that collectively we can take down these thought-snatching star-lickers. But you have to trust us. This will only work if you do not know the whole plan, not in its entirety... As a token of our trust... Captain ji412jo of the Green Night... take our Artifact. When this is all over, we expect it back, but consider it an insurance policy. If we had more we would share them with teh rest of you.''
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''GN, Paratus and BGFY are all in position ready to beam aboard the enemy ships sir. Out of interest, how did you come up with this idea?''
''Your mind, Espithel. I never know what you are thinking.''
''Usually it's 'could I fit my toe in that' sir. Fascinating things toes, I have always envied yours. I only have 3, and...''
''Ready to beam!'' shouted Admiral CleanOnion, closely echoes by Captains DoctorC and ji412jo.
The following few minutes were frantic. The first thing the BGFY team did was panic and open fire on the ancestor hoard, and they took heavy casualties as their assault was echoed 4 times over back at them. Then... a strange calm. It became an oddly twitchy but still battleground, the Iron Manta crew following on the body-cameras of their one-time enemies, as they safely watched from a lightyear away.
In each ship, Ancestor battalions stood motionless, as the crews of the other ships made no aggressive move towards them. instead, the crews were all creating scores of energy points and quanta generators. Some Ancestors, looking puzzled replicated them and created energy of their own, but they seemed to be unable to turn this strange pacifism strategy against their foes.
''Quanta is approaching fantastic levels, sir...'' Espithel muttered.
''Not yet''
''Care to make an appearance, I'm not sure how much longer until they just use those staves as a beat stick'' crackled DoctorC on the radio ''I wish you'd just told us what you had planned...''
''Couldn't. Not yet.''
''QUANTA MAXED OUT ON ALL 3 FRONTS, AND OUR ON-BOARD WATER PRESSURE CRITICAL SIR''
''Alright'' JonathanCrazyJ said calmly. ''Now.''
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The Iron Manta flashed into proximity, and jettisoned massive steam machines and toxic, vacuum proof jellyfish. Within the Ancestor fleet, the Ancestors were frantically building piles of quanta generators, outpacing the Captains 6 to one. They were concentrating so hard, they were unable to comprehend where these new threats were coming from, as the Steam Machines and Chrysaora started leeching the accrues power, and channeling attacks.
''WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?'' yelled CleanOnion ''Why get us to make these quanta sources and risk our necks if you're just going to destroy them?''
JonathanCrazyJ glanced at the BGFY monitor and saw several of their generators pop into shattered, smoking shards. ''Look again'' he replied.
From the smoke of those generators formed vicious, bloodthirsty nymphs who set upon the Ancestors, who looked bewildered as they could not understand where these things came from. They had boundless energy to use, but none of it was equipped to replicate these attacks. They had only been able to garner half of the plan, and were paying the price of they lack of original thought.
''Lots of quanta down there now'' mused Russianspy. He had recovered, though looked exhausted.
JonathanCrazyJ disconnected his radio. ''The nymph captains have orders to consume all of the generators before turning on the other crews. The machines are programmed to protect artifacts from the carnage.''
He reconnected the radio. ''What did I say? We're right behind you...''
