Walks Off Life: Prophase

Into the Hollow

There was no security in the Earth System. The Domain and The Offense planets have barricaded their own sides with high ego until the walls they had built together had come down. This was true for the case of ECCOS, Earths Communication Center Operating Satellite, a satellite mapped in the center of the Earth System that was responsible for all input and output communication information across the six planets. 

ECCOS had shut down since there were no need of interplanetary "hello" between Domia, Mercatia, Pioneer, Virens and Evolvo anymore. They sent intelligence through their own orbiting drones. The vessel scraps, the nuclear experiments, the dead bodies, were all thrown to Cassus, since it's just a barren, dry planet already wrecked with greenhouse gases in the first place. 

Cassus is too polluted to inhabit that mankind only sends robots to take care of their alloy factories, nuclear plants and toxic chemical dumps. That is how The Offense got the upper hand in the Battle of Sulphur Land, their armies were mostly robots. However, the barren and toxic planet still became home to a group of people. Even machines can perform errors, so a team of trained humans and humanoids were sent to Cassus to take care of the mess in the meanwhile conduct scientific research. 

Cassus was neither a part of Domain or The Offense. In another sense, they were a neutral party that became victims of the Civil War. More than anyone in either sides of this battle, the Cassians hated mankind's arrogance the most. The only solution they see is if an external power interfered and stop the rage. They thought about the Hollow System. A system that consists of 11 planets colonized by their dominant humanoid species, the Hollowan, they were known to survive evolution by brutality. They had not had a diplomatic relation with Earth System, so the Cassians thought it would be the perfect intimidation.

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"Eka nomi Neko, est tomu Earth raet.", My name is Neko, I am from the Earth System.

 As the communications officer of Cassus, he volunteered to speak up in their language when they flew hyperdrive to the main Hollow planet. Neko was of Japan descendant and is fluent in 32 languages, including the Hollowan's, which he learnt from some non-Earth humanoids who had their planets invaded by the Hollowans. The supervisor of Cassus, Ross, in the meanwhile was waiting near their VECO. Looking around, Ross and Neko was thinking they were probably at the headquarters where 'outsiders' were dealt with.

"What is your purpose here, Neko?", it wasn't fluent, but surprisingly the tall Hollowan who stood before Neko asked the question in English. In the room, there were about 15 male and female Hollowans standing around their state-of-the-art computers. Neko subtly observed their physical characteristics. They had different contours on their face, wide foreheads, thin pointed eyebrows, and their prominent pale blue skin and yellow thin hair.

"I have come to ask a favor. My system, six planets in total, is currently in war. They are destroying each other and I am afraid I have no one to turn to."

"Are you committing treason against your kind?"

"I am simply a non-aligned party in this war. I do this behind their knowing for the good of them", Neko started to sweat.

"Neko, I am General Tsaneda, we are the..what you call... foreign affairs bureau in the Hollowan System. I will help you and your beloved home." the tall Hollow curved his lips to what seemed like a smile.

Neko, General Tsaneda and a few other Hollows exited the room. Neko nodded Ross to follow him and they walked side by side after the Hollows to another building. Neko spoke more to General Tsaneda about their respective worlds. They sat across tables and after an hour of explaining the situation, General Tsaneda leaned in and listened to Neko's suggestion.

"Confiscating the weapons might be effective. In both The Offense and Domia, we need to extinguish the military bases. It seems like the two sides engage in battles through their resources at the base. I have discovered there are 18 of them, I have it's location in a map."

"I would probably bring in an army of one hundred. Five battleships would do." General Tsaneda continued in giving ideas.

"Keep in mind, though. General, I want to end this ever-going destruction. I want the war to stop taking lives." Neko says as he looks in the other's eye hoping to be completely understood. After going through a process of signing papers and entering information into the Hollows computers, Neko and Ross left the planet in their VECO while General Tsaneda gathered his men to prepare in a week.

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Betrayal is what the Cassians received.

In the first year, the Hollowans invaded the Earth System and did successfully end the Civil War. They destroyed the military bases and confiscated the weapons. However, the Hollowans would not leave. In that state of post-war, the hundred Hollowans grabbed the opportunity and took over the system.

They assigned these 'generals' as the absolute leaders of each Earth planets. A line of Hollowan officers act as both law enforcers and security keepers. On top of all that, a Master general, honored by the address of Lord, became the dictator of this new totalitarian imperialism. In this case, Lord Tsaneda became the first. The Earth System original politicians were wiped out of their influence, but still maintain their useless rank. Communications, education, media and travel became restricted until half of the population became corrupt. Harsh laws and standards never seen before were introduced that led to several if not hundreds of executions.

The Hollowan Imperialism took away the worldswide liberty and forced the citizens to live in fear. The Earth System had no form of humanity for the next fourteen years.