Anomalies: Detected. Location: Grid Sector 17 - Aurek. Programming Dictates: Immediate Response.
The Manifold's burning eyes snapped open once again, staring through the terrain around them as they focused on a physically distant point. The Omni-drone had been observing the progress of the first major series of glitches (designation "Galactic Alliance") into the Droid God's holy workings, a position that had required them to be far across the Netherworld from where they had sensed this new intrusion. They had watched as these errors within the Great Work had spread out in the desert region surrounding Hypergate Velusia, disregarding their warnings to turn back. The organics were doing what they always did; planting their little banners and imagining themselves to be kings.
But mortals were not worthy of this realm. Only by accepting Omni's gifts could they
become worthy.
Now, more anomalies were entering by a different gate. The Manifold would deliver to them the same warning as the others. Reaching out both physically and spiritually, the drone used their withered, machine-grafted hand to grasp the fabric of Oblivion itself. They were linked to Omni, the master and weaver of this realm, and they could sense the ebb and flow of the energies sustaining this pocket of the Netherworld. One day, when the Great Work was completed, all of reality would be like this: dictated by the will of the Machine Spirit, reduced to the binary code of
is and
is not according to Omni's whim. Chaos would be turned to order, and Oblivion would cover all of creation.
There would be no more pain, disorder, or uncertainty. Only a peaceful, controlled universe, running like clockwork.
But that would not come to pass if servants such as The Manifold failed in their duty to prevent disruptions to the Grand Design. The drone's orange eyes flickered as they
folded space, flinging themself from the sandy wastes around Hypergate Velusia and traveling far into Oblivion's north. Energy shimmered all around them as the islands of the Netherworld raced by, each remaining placid and still while a torrential stream of energy bore The Manifold past them. It was beautiful... but the drone could not appreciate the beauty. They were single-minded in their purpose, their senses and cognitive processes drawn only to the things that would aid or hinder the Droid God's plans.
Most drones retained their personalities after being rewritten to serve Omni. The Manifold had never
had a personality.
The tunnel of techno-Force energy dropped away, and The Manifold hovered out into a new biome. The wilderness around Hypergate Bakura consisted of rolling, lightly-wooded plains and jagged hills of rock and clay; they led east as far as the eye could see, away from the stark volcanic mountains to the west. Closer now, The Manifold could sense that this intrusion of anomalies was at least as serious as the first one. The new series of glitches was building permanent structures, some kind of forward base they no doubt intended to use to continue their unauthorized incursion into Omni's domain. That would not do at all. They would be warned. Then, they would be destroyed.
The drone sensed a powerful presence, strong in the Force, that had strayed from most others. A leader, perhaps?
The withered, corpse-like body of The Manifold, covered in cables and cybernetic grafts, drifted eerily forward, hovering low enough that their dangling feet gently brushed the grass. Emerging from amid the dark greens and browns of the otherworldly vegetation, they moved into sight of
Ingrid L'lerim
and
Velexia just as the Empress's shadows departed. They halted a respectful distance away, then held up a waxy hand, palm out. It was a universal gesture for 'stop'.
"Your Presence: Unauthorized," the Omni-drone told the Empress, their voice flat and unfeeling.
"Glitches: Not Permitted. To Pass: Become Rewritten. Serving Omni: Inevitable. Imperative: Submit."
Then The Manifold waited, watching the two women with their burning, unblinking cybernetic eyes...
