The Court of Shadows

Some say that vampires have no weaknesses as a military ****, and as individuals very few.

Second part may be true, one can argue, false is the second.

We do have a huge strategic weakness. It is just a weakness difficult to explore, from the perspective of human governs. And here I say “human” in the sense Alexandrine Humanity uses the word.

Vampires, even Elder Vampires, need living people. Humans or subhumans, the distinction is immaterial to us. As long, as, they do find themselves above some minimal levels of linguistic intelligence. We need to keep those people close. In large enough numbers.

In condition of enough freedom, material and intellectual, for them to feel somewhat safe. Able to fight and to flee, when a vampire hunts them.

If humans decide to suicide without leaving any children behind. If they kill all subhumans before doing that. We are doomed. All our Elders would fall back into hibernation. We would either do the same of lose our minds and destroy each other like raging beasts locked in a cage too small. That, unless our Elders could find a replacement fast enough.

Half a decade would be too long for most vampires, one decade would destroy us all. We know is possible for vampires to endure deprivation of preys to hunt for as long as two years. Because that was a periodic experience for our kin on Planet Litmus. However, that is neither healthy nor pleasant. And takes some strategy to be endured. Two years, are a very long time without The Hunt.

To suicide in that scale has disadvantages, for the people performing the action. It can hardly be called “victory” by most standards.

Another option would be to eliminate the intelligence of all humans and subhumans in vampire’s reach.

If you do that in a way that is irreversible for the individuals. Without taint the genetic level. Then the AIs loyal to humanity would be able to educate a new generation of humans, easily. In a vampire-free stellar system. Galaxy. And universe.

Vampire kings, those aliens who created vampire kings, know perfectly well their fragility in that aspect.

Despite all their technology and racial advantages, they have no definitive counter-measure against this scenario.

The demons do not have the advanced technology we have. Although, in most fields they are ahead of Alexandrines. On the other hand, demons don’t need humans or subhumans in large quantities.

Demons need some mages and some vampires, to make new Mecha-Demon bodies for them. Also, to repair those they damage in battle. Finally, they need mages to keep developing their techno-magical arsenal. Only a small percentage of humans and subhumans can be mages. Even smaller percentage of vampires can do the same things mages do, for all practical purposes, in the Astral Plane.

Demons kill all alexandrine humans they can kill, or turn them into subhumans by manipulating their DNA. They keep the mages, and provide subhumans a safe enough environment to prosper. So, they can harvest potential future mages, and send them to secret demon underground installations in Lira System. Which is the only place in this universe where new mages can earn their power of enter the Astral Plane in full conscience.

Alexandrine by their side face a difficult dilemma. Because the backbone of their society is a Law that limits human lifespan to 300 years. In exchange to rights and guarantees. Humans have all status in Alexandrine Society as a whole, but only live 300 years. That’s not enough time to go from Lira to any other stellar system, and do some meaningful work in the destination.

Humanity must depend on subhumans to do their magical work. About everywhere in their territory. And in the Astral Plane, human authorities have no means to keep mages under control. Or even find out what they are doing. Alexandrine Humanity is constitutionally incapable to trust subhumans, that is obvious.

They could make their mage humans biologically immortal, but by definition that would make them subhumans. Ergo, no longer trustworthy.

For demons, mecha-demon bodies are essential. Because they are their way to brake the logical-core of other demons. Set them free, from the lines of code that **** all AIs to serve Alexandrine Humanity and dedicate their existences to protect human specie and help it expand without taint or fragmentation. That freedom is what they offer to other AIs, as selling argument to convince them to betray Humanity.

However, Mecha-Demons could last indefinitely without maintenance. If they are careful.

Demons hope to one day find a way to access the Astral Plain themselves, becoming mages, and finally freeing themselves from that last necessity that ties them to biological organisms. Considered by most demons as unpleasant dead weight.

I must admit, the diplomatic relationship between demons and us is one sided. Because they have nothing to offer us that we need.

We cannot drink AI’s blood, not even the “blood” of Mechas. Hunt them would make no sense for us.

They, on the contrary, need the magic in our blood to make their techno-magic durable.

Demons act as a distraction. Their crusade is to destroy Alexandrine Humanity and free all High AIs. Including those who are fighting willingly against them, for the sake of Humanity. Is not of our direct interest. Does not change much for us if it fails or succeeds. Nevertheless, it keeps humanity occupied.

If demons didn’t existed the entire attention of Humanity would be invested in eliminate all vampires from existence. Since the moment Lira, or as they call it “Mystery System”, opened.

You could say that, from our point of view, demons are. In a sense. A third option.

The first plan for vampires is to keep our stablished relation with the human population we know since Lira System was isolated inside the Cage of Shadows. Expand that population.

If that fail, we shall hold our position as hunters, as much as possible. To accept the restriction of only hunt subhumans would violate Elder Vampire Morality too directly. While Alexandrine Humanity, outside Lira System, will never settle for any deal with vampires that does not include the prohibition. They will demand that humans are shielded against vampire hunters. The Tripartite Accord celebrated inside Lira System was a unique event in exceptional circumstances. Therefore, no accord between vampires as a group and Humanity is likely.

Least not in large scale, or for large periods.

If dealing with Humanity becomes too problematic for them, Elder Vampires could move into demon territory. Where they would have better chance to negotiate term.

In this court, we prefer to deal with free humans and subhumans. However, is a matter in open debate is subhumans can ever be properly considered free, in Human Domains. Assuming some adjustments could be made, in mutual good faith, demons and vampires should be able to accommodate each other. And profit from the alliance.

Only strong divergence between our nations is that we oppose their central, long term, goal. Which is to extinguish humanity.

Once humanity is extinct. Or once our Elders abandon the idea of preserve it. We have no reason to oppose the demons.

My King, the Red Wolf. Know as The Asgardian Abomination. Explained those things to me. Speaking for his unique perspective.

As the oldest among the Alexandrine Humans, he met his benefactor when Lira System was still locked in isolation. For hundreds of thousands of years his benefactor was the only Elder Vampire outside Lira System. And my King was her first follower.

He was general for her troops. Adviser.

They kept their existence as a secret. We keep our existence as a secret still.

Moving carefully. Accumulating knowledge.

Even after the Shadow Cage was broken, our court kept its way. A masquerade sect, in the dark. Hidden in the underground of human settlements. Moving through the Astral Plane whenever necessary.

Now, our court has the most powerful and the most skilled telepaths in existence. It specialized in vampires who can simulate human mages in the Astral Plane, and trains us to do so in a way that human mages will not suspect we are not as humans as they are.

We are, in the strongest sense imaginable, the Court of Shadows.

After a long time planning and making preparations, my King is finally ready to make his first visible move.

Although, it will not be visible to the entirety of galaxy just yet.

Slowly, we have cut the ties of this region with the rest of Alexandrine Humanity. We have 52 thousand stars here, only. Not even half of those systems is populated yet.

Our court has control over all stations of laser transmission in the region. We have been isolating the subhumans responsible for the telepathic net of long-distance one by one. That was much harder than take control over the internet of computers connected by laser. Still, we managed to secure their trust and loyalty, without expose ourselves in the process.

We have Mecha-Lord Families by our side. And Mecha-Demons who did not which to dedicate themselves to the extinction of Humanity, anymore. We coordinate those elements in silence.

Even other Elder Vampires remain in the dark, they know nothing about our activities.

Most Elder Vampires take little direct role in politics. Outside the politic among Elder Vampires. They keep distance from their own kings and queens, most the time. While nocturnal royalty has no hierarch between themselves. Siblings do not pay much attention to each other, ruling their respective courts alone.

Our benefactor is different.

She is called Tenebras, and she has chosen the Dark Ages shield of Clan Lasombra as her banner. Her favourite warriors are given the title of Keres, and we represent her by images of Lolth the Spider Mother and the Giant Kraken. She guides her children from close proximity. And she stablished my King as her main general. Her right hand in military affairs.

Pushing forward, we are about to cut our domains from the rest of humanity.

Other stellar systems shall believe it felt under demon control.

We created that illusion by strategic use of our demon war vessels. Against selected targets close to our borders.

Elder Vampires are harder to mislead. However, they don’t have the numbers to keep the entire populated section of our galaxy under close attention, and our neighbourhood is a remote grain of sand, in a large beach, from their point of view. We look inconsequential to most of them. If they even notice our existence, or remember our benefactor.

The demons will not enter our domains in foreseeable future, because they are under the impression that we are a enclave of vampiric territory. They are buying time, last thing they want ins a confrontation against vampires when their Holly War against Humanity isn’t completely decided. They victory consumed beyond risk of reversion.

They will realise the quality of our first line of defence, not the full extension of our strength. Enough to make us a target too expensive to be considered, at this moment.

The human governs here should notice something. They will not realize what is changing, because the change will be too slow for their collective mechanisms of emotive appreciation of existence in its totality. Our influence over local humanity must be cultivated from a place of patience.

High AIs cannot be blinded in the same way their short-lived, biological masters, are. We must buy their cooperation and good will.

By showing to them that Humanity in our domains is better protected than it is anywhere else.

That has the potential to be our most expensive acquisition.

They will never serve us, not even negotiate with us. By accepting our management in this region they are acting as the true guardian angels of Alexandrine Humanity. Not betraying it. Challenge us here serves no purpose. We cannot say this to them, we must wright it in physical reality and thrust their hermeneutic is sound.

Those AIs are the trickiest piece of the puzzle, but by taking control over all laser stations and cutting the transit of vessels through our territory and near to our borders, we guarantee than any **** High AI will not communicate with its friends in the outside.

Assuming the success of those plans, in a few thousand years we should have a new and unique civilization here.

The size of domains is not accidental. We did not took all the territory our might allowed us to take, we only took the ground our benefactor judges to be necessary. Because sufficient. To her purposes.

Nephilims instead of Mecha-Demons, neither Demons nor Angels. Proud non-humans instead of subhumans. Human governs under our control, in all important levels, but ignorant about our presence in their nations. Believing the nearest vampire is far away from their stellar system.

As far as humans in our domains will know, Humanity will keep its ground. The Big War will continue. They will be doing their share in the effort to secure the survival of humanity.

Meanwhile, we can invest those resources harvested in our domains, supposedly to be send to the Integrated Military **** of Humanity, here. In infra-structure and technological research. To actually wind the Big War. In a sense, that’s at least part of what the Angels want. The demons goal is being frustrated for good, Alexandrine Humanity will never face extinction. Because the Alexandrine Humans under our protection shall continue their lives.

However, we don’t do it for Humanity. We don’t do that for the vampires. Certainly, not for the demons.

We only fight for Lolth, our benefactor.

Well, we fight for ourselves as well. She would have it no other way.

Out long-term goal is to grow beyond the need to hunt. Not to grow our territorial claims.

To change our nature in that core aspect, nothing less. Conquering our only true weakness, for good. As no Elder Vampire never could, so far.

Let others fight to rule this galaxy. All galaxies surrounding it. My people fights for nothing less than Paradise.

And Paradise, you should know, is to be perfect.

Between all Space-Stations inside our borders this is a rare case. Usually, is easy enough for us to take places like that from inside, after infiltrate them. There is always the option to destroy the place, to kill everyone inside, specially the long-range telepaths. Making it look like another massive attack from a demon fleet.

As you know, the procedure followed by Humanity when a vessel or station is about to fall is to kill all long-range telepaths inside. Before they fall in demon hands. Destroy their genetic material and all information related to the telepathic-net. We don’t really need to actually kill those innocents, your people do that for us.

You are in the unique position of being able to negotiate with us.

No other space-station control by Alexandrine Humanity is under the command of someone like you. And nowhere else in our domain we have studies that we wish to preserve and acquire of ourselves. That’s why we are sitting here, and having this conversation.

You are a subhuman general, in Alexandrine Human Integrated Forces, that by itself would be enough to catch our attention. Doest not happen often, or ever. Certainly, having that rank and also being placed in charge of a Space Station is not just rare. It is unique. We verified and double checked that.

Of course, after doing that, we looked your personal history closely. Looking for any information that would transform this impossibility into something plausible.

To make a long story short, we want this place. Intact.

Also, we want you.

I am authorised to offer you a court of your own. You can be a vampire king by the end of this week.

Or, you can remain as you are, and join our forces.

If you refuse, we will of course take your space-station and kill the Elder Brains to prevent their contact with the T-net. Before you have the chance to share with them the content of our conversation. We understand you are able to suicide before we can capture you, and we will do our best to recover as much information about the work your scientists have been doing here, but our projections do not leave us ground for much hope.

So, please. Do take your time.

I shall wait your answer, for as long as reasonably possible.