Risen: Shatterverse

An Unpleasant Surprise

Several heads, including my own, snapped around as we looked for the source. It didn't take long to manifest itself.

The eyes appeared first; glowing orbs of malevolent ire that swung this way and that to take our foothold. Each was the size of a beach ball, hanging a good twenty meters above the ground as they regarded us.

"Ha! Stowaways," the voice declared as the rest of the Collector's face appeared, shimmering into view around the eyes. "I'm guessing you used the fleet's attack on my pets as a diversion to establish your beachhead."

By the time the mad god was finished with its observation the rest of the face had finished coming in. So we could see it talking when it continued on after a brief pause.

"The question, of course, is why you decided to land on this world while there were others closer to the ... ah, of course. The less obvious choice becomes the most logical. Well done, well done. I must congratulate Maxwell on his tactics when next I see him."

The voice paused again as the face panned over us once more.

"Now that you're here, I'm curious: what do you hope to accomplish on this world that barely has an atmosphere, little yet any kind of livable conditions? And what madness embraced you that made you think you'd be able to accomplish your purpose without me noticing? After all, this is my universe. Nothing happens here without my ..."

The voice trailed off as the face halted with its eyes focused on the remaining Collectorverse world entities frantically at work.

"What are these creatures?" the voice asked, filled with obvious curiosity. "They have traces of my old friend in them, yet are imbued with bio-energy from my universe. So similar to the energy signatures that I had stored on the spire ... I wonder ..." It paused slightly.

"And what are they doing?" it asked, now obviously wondering out loud.

Korisahnt risked a quick glance over her shoulder at the giant face before returning her attention to her fellow entities.

"Quickly now, my sisters," she urged. "Time grows short."

I glanced over at a thoughtful, yet ready Hannibal. The Carthaginian held his weapon ready yet was hesitating. Was he waiting for the Collector to make a move first?

Thankfully the mad god wasn't known for its patience.

"As much as I want to wait and see ..." the voice began. Then the air all around us was shimmering with some kind of energy field coalescing into being.

"I'm not willing to give you, and these creatures the opportunity to threaten one of my newly-forged worlds." Then, as abruptly as it had appeared, the face was gone. In its place, the energy field strengthened by several orders of magnitude.

"Is it an attack?" Nah'tem wanted to know as we aimed our weapons at the field, which had thickened to a semi-translucent fog. "Or is that bastard just pinning us down so we don't go anywhere while it transports troops in the old fashion way?"

"Your guess is as good as mine, Field General," Hannibal replied, his expression calculating as he himself stared at the field. "Regardless, it would appear we have some time since the Collector's control spire is over a parsec away from here. To transport troops across that distance requires considerable energy ..."

"Or world entities," the n'vorn officer grimly finished for him.

That must've triggered something in the nor'kani officer because, almost as soon as he finished saying that, Nah'tem twisted away from us to sprint towards the center of our beachhead. I stared after him for a moment, wondering if he had lost it or something. Before I could turn to an equally mystified Hannibal to ask him what was going on, Nah'tem's voice was coming over the comms.