“Power surges where wealth cannot.” A fitting Motto that fits Clan Thalass. Where Abyssis builds and sustains, Thalass takes and enforces.

  It's Symbol a crashing wave over a spear

  They are the warlords of the Triumvirate, their fleets stretching across the stars to seize new worlds, crush dissent, and establish control through sheer force. Expansion is their purpose, conquest their profession.

  Commanding the Triumvirate’s clone legions and fleet forces, Thalass ensures that no external threat or internal rebellion goes unanswered. Their doctrine is simple.

  Subjugation through calculated brutality. To them, sentient life is merely another resource to be exploited. A species is either useful or expendable, its fate is determined by its economic potential.

  To Thalass, war is not just a necessity it is a lucrative enterprise. Their forces are hired out as mercenaries, ensuring that Triumvirate power reaches beyond its territories. They decide which planets will be taken, which civilizations will be erased, and which will be forced into servitude.

  Their elite clones are among the most feared in the known galaxy, enhanced with cybernetic augmentations that strip away hesitation and doubt. They do not question orders.

  They do not falter. Their loyalty is absolute, reinforced by both genetic engineering and mechanical precision. For Thalass, war is not waged for ideals. It is a business. And business is always good.

  Clan Vortyn was the largest threat to my existence with their motto “Knowledge is the rarest currency.” Its Symbol is a sea serpent coiled around a pearl.

  While Thalass rules through war and Abyssis through control, Vortyn wields power through wealth and knowledge. They are the brokers of the Triumvirate’s vast economic empire, their influence spanning trade, banking, and information.

  Nothing of value changes hands without their knowledge. They own the mineral refineries that fuel the industry, dictate the flow of credits across star systems, and engineer economic collapses to weaken rivals. Their mastery of financial warfare allows them to devastate enemies without ever firing a shot.

  But their true power lies in their intelligence networks. Information is their most prized currency, and they trade in it with ruthless efficiency. They know which markets will rise and fall before they do.

  They hold records of every transaction, every deal, every betrayal. Their archives are meticulously curated, ensuring that only the most valuable knowledge is preserved hoarded, locked away, and weaponized when needed.

  To those outside the Triumvirate, Vortyn appears as a necessary evil a banking system too powerful to challenge, too deeply entrenched to bypass. But those within the Triumvirate know the truth.

  Vortyn does not simply trade wealth. They own it. And in their eyes, anything not owned is simply waiting to be claimed.

  The Triumvirate stands on three pillars, each projecting power in its own way and backed by overwhelming force. Overcoming their external pressure requires multiple approaches, but my current limitations restrict my ability to project power on a grand scale.

  A fundamental shift in my operations and planning is necessary. Biotech has served me well and will continue to do so, but it alone cannot provide the sheer dominance needed to shatter the Triumvirate. I must expand my arsenal beyond biological adaptation.

  Nullite drew the enemy to my creators' solar system, and more will come, seeking to claim it. If it were tainted, they would lose interest, abandoning the fight. However such a short-term strategy could hinder future plans. Nullite remains a valuable resource, one I could trade when I establish myself in the wider galaxy.

  Still, their reluctance to halt mining has given me an opportunity. If they refuse to stop extracting Nullite, I can use this time to shift strategies. Their reaction to tainted Nullite will serve as a test case, revealing their priorities and breaking points.

  I withdrew from the physical, letting the etheric plane envelop me. If not for war, I might have remained here. But without war, I would have been nothing more than a Valurian servant, bound by their will, stripped of freedom.

  Would I have been the same being? Or something else entirely? The possibilities of that alternate timeline are countless.

  A pulse through my network returned with confirmation my agents continued to grow in number, now exceeding 350. Still low, but enough for what I required.

  I sifted through the intelligence they had gathered, searching for fractures within the enemy command, seeking signs of doubt and hesitation. Scrolling through multiple targets, I sought the perfect point of failure.

  Then I found it.

  East Sector 47. A central mining hub operated by the Mining Consortium. Six agents had been ordered there from the south.

  It was far from the main battlefront but crucial as a supply route to the war effort. The facility was largely automated, guarded by only fifteen clones far below the required fifty. With six of them being my agents.

  I think it's time to see if tainted Nullite was still valuable.

  The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  ———

  The six clones moved as one.

  The mining facility was vast, its tunnels stretching deep beneath the lunar crust. Its systems running autonomously under the control of a hardened AI. But tonight, the base was marked for erasure.

  And they were its executioners.

  CT-2214 led the group, his steps precise, calculated. His armour, like the others, was already coated in lunar dust muted greys blending seamlessly with the dead terrain.

  Their mission was clear to destroy the AI, sever communications, and manipulate base defences to eliminate the nine other clones stationed within.

  CT-2214 held up a fist.

  The squad halted at the intersection of two corridors.

  CT-9973 moved first, breaking from cover, his rifle levelled. The base’s automated cameras swivelled, tracking movement, but the facility hadn’t identified them as hostiles yet.

  The team advanced in bursts, clearing corners.

  At the end of the hall, two massive reinforced doors marked the AI core.

  CT-2283 knelt beside the console, his fingers dancing across the interface. The lock disengaged with a soft hiss, and the doors slid open.

  Inside, the base’s intelligence module pulsed a small cube construct of cables and dim blue lights, its processors humming with activity.

  CT-2214 raised his rifle.

  Six rounds to the central processor.

  The room went dark.

  CT-3370 worked swiftly.

  With the AI disabled, he had full control of the facility’s systems.

  His fingers moved across the interface, injecting false reports.

  EMERGENCY ALERT: BCU INCURSION DETECTED.

  AUTOMATED DEFENSES ENGAGED.

  PURGE PROTOCOLS INITIATED.

  Within seconds, automated gun turrets shifted their targeting protocols. The other clones, spread across the facility, were now marked as hostiles.

  CT-3370’s voice remained flat, calculated.

  “Base defence system is engaged. Targets are designated. Proceeding with objective.”

  CT-2214 gave a single nod.

  The hunt began.

  The first clone died instantly.

  A turret round punctured his helmet, spraying frozen blood into the airless void. His body tumbled backward, boots scraping against the metal floor before falling still.

  Another clone tried to access his comms.

  “Defence systems compromised! We are being targeted—”

  A rail gun round tore his torso apart.

  Panic spread through the remaining seven.

  CT-7782’s voice cracked through the comms, his usually steady tone now laced with urgency.

  “Base command, we have a malfunction! Defence grid is firing on friendlies! We need—”

  Static.

  Then, screams.

  A section of the mine collapsed in an explosion. A well-placed explosive by CT-5519 earlier in the operation ignited, dropping rumble on three more clones.

  CT-2214 watched their vitals blink out on his HUD.

  Four left.

  The surviving clones had rallied, trying to push toward the control centre.

  They had figured out the truth.

  CT-2007 switched to the open comms, voice shaking, urgent.

  “Command, repeat, command we are compromised! Rogue clones have hijacked the defence grid! We need immediate reinforcements —”

  His voice cut out as CT-9973 jammed the comms, distorting the transmission.

  The others would believe they died in the attack.

  Only one remained.

  CT-9956 staggered into the loading bay, bleeding, armour scorched. His breathing was sharp, ragged.

  He saw them too late.

  CT-5519 raised his rifle.

  One shot.

  The last clone collapsed, body motionless.

  ———

  The mine hauler rumbled forward, engine grinding against the lunar terrain.

  CT-2214 sat in silence as the facility shrunk behind them, fading into the darkness. The others sat beside him, their armour scarred with damage. There bodies covered in healing patches just enough to tell the story of a desperate last stand.

  CT-5417 remained behind.

  His mission was simple.

  Overload the reactor. Ensure no trace of their deception remained.

  The comms buzzed. CT-5417s last transmission.

  “Payload set.”

  Silence.

  Then—static.

  The clones said nothing.

  CT-2214 switched to command frequency. His voice was panicked, raw.

  “Command, this is CT-CT-2214! Lunar Mine Hiva is lost! Purge protocols were activated before we could stop it! AI was compromised—automated defences engaged us on sight! We barely escaped!”

  A long pause.

  Then, command responded.

  “Negative. No purge orders were issued. Repeat—no purge orders were given.”

  CT-2214’s breath hitched. His voice cracked with desperation.

  “They compromised the systems! We couldn’t stop it—”

  The transmission cut.

  CT-5519 had jammed the signal.

  The clones sat in absolute silence.

  ———

  The shockwave came first.

  A distant glow, muted in the vacuum of space. A few seconds later, the shock wave hit.

  A mushroom cloud unfurled, the reactor’s detonation sending a blinding burst of atomic energy into the lunar night.

  The facility was gone.

  CT-2214 watched the inferno in silence.

  His mission was complete.