by T5
Antarctica:
The snow was almost knee-deep, and the wind raged around them. T5 had morphed into a two-person vehicle with caterpillar-tracked wheels. And they rolled along the sterile coast of Queen Maud Land in the northern part of the southernmost continent.
"Nice vacation spot," Naecken said smiling to Zveidi.
"Are you sure you want to do this here?" she said with a disgusted look on her face. "It seems like the most hostile environment you could find on this world."
"Yep. That's the point. If ever we have any opposing forces, they will have a great disadvantage in this weather. Right now it's minus thirty-one degrees Fahrenheit, and it's not getting any warmer. Their troops won't stand a chance if they decided to use them. Heh heh heh."
"Hmm... Should have thought of that. But what of loyal subjects? There are no people here." Zveidi looked out the window where the glaring white glacier stretched on for miles.
"Oh, don't worry yourself about that. There are plenty of research stations from lots of countries here. I'm sure we will persuade them to join in our little project. And the best part is... there are never any armed troops here. It will be like taking candy from a baby."
They laughed and continued their journey toward the Vostok ice-drilling base.
At this time of the year, the Vostok ice-drilling base was full of people doing research on basic ice-flow drift and geothermal statistics. Several universities had sent both professors and students to perform these tasks. Many were funded by different companies that needed the good public relations.
So it was on this crispy morning that the students and drilling crews were suddenly caught unaware by the weird-looking tank that suddenly drove into camp. It fired on the vehicles standing outside the buildings. It seemed careful not to hit anyone else.
The crews scattered in panic, and a general alert was sounded, but that's when the fire-globes came raining down on them. They never got the chance to organize any defense, which after all wouldn't have mattered anyway to the immensely powerful attackers.
Zveidi and Naecken landed in the yard in the middle of the base. The people sought refuge inside the buildings, peering out of the windows.
"Time to make the announcement," Naecken whispered to Zveidi. "Dear people of Vostok base, do not fret. I will not harm anyone that complies with my wishes. So just relax and come out of your little hiding places, so we can talk." He winked at Zveidi, who gave him a thumbs up.
A door opened, and a few elder professors in coveralls and parkas emerged. One of them, an elderly man with a short silvery beard and small eyes, shouted, "Why have you fired on our vehicles? Who are you? What do you want with us?"
"My, my. So many questions for such a little man." The man frowned at this. "We fired on your cars and boats so you wouldn't get any crazy ideas about trying to flee from here. As for who we are, well... we are now your leaders in all things. And you should address me as Lord Naecken and the lovely female behind me as Lady Zveidi." He motioned her to stand beside him.
"Our purpose with you is simple. We will need an army, and you will be the soldiers in that army. Any complaints will be punished by death. Do you understand?"
"Fuck off, shit-head!" a student yelled from a window.
Naecken turned the whole building into a blazing inferno without even blinking an eye, killing three students and two professors.
"Anyone else who wants to tell us what we should do and where?"
The crowd looked on helplessly as the screams inside the inferno soon ended when the supports of the building came crashing down on the victims inside.
An hour after the smoldering embers of the dead were cleared from the wreckage, T5 used the base materials of all the houses and vehicles to construct a base for Naecken. It was dome-shaped and gray. Inside it there were two levels, one huge ground floor where the now-silent students and professors gathered to look up at the balcony where Naecken stood and smiled at them.
"Have no fear, dear future soldiers. Yes, that's what you will become. Rejoice! This is the first day under my reign, and you are here to see it." Murmurs of complaints or straight-out defiance circulated among the captives.
"And as for you having any choice in the matter, well, let's just say: not a chance in Hell. Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!"
T5 walked among them with an extra pair of arms, grabbing three at a time and inserting a chip on the back of the neck with a small gun that looked like something out of a science-fiction show.
"The gift that you're receiving from my esteemed colleague, here, is the insurance that you will do as I say. One of my past incarnations had this done to him by humans, so now I'm just repaying you the favor. And, from what I can remember of that strange future, it seems my plans work out well... heh heh heh."
Naecken was satisfied with how things were going. During the past few days, they had taken base after base, enslaving the people to their needs with T5's help. The neural chip that made the humans controllable and open to their orders was a perfect idea that Naecken had remembered from his past black incarnation.
Now nothing would stop them.
The End