– by Black Lister

Peace… How long have we mortals enjoyed this beautiful, lasting peace? Peace from the politics abroad, from the reach of the immortal. Years… thousands of years! Never once were we worried about enslavement, enlistment to the workforces, or even death by other than natural causes. Such things were unheard of in our small pleasant cities.

No longer. CONCORD, our long protector and shield, has now lifted the banishment of capsuleers from the soil of our homes. Defilement runs abroad, and our lives are much harder. But we count our blessings. We were claimed by a benevolent corporation who chose to take care of us, and aside from extra work, were are prospering. However, not all worlds are so lucky, and for that we curse CONCORD for their foolishness and ever-growing fear. Yes, fear.

CONCORD fears the thousands corporations, all created, controlled, and manned by immortals. They fear their power; their combined might. CONCORD can say whatever it wants about finances, personnel and grace, but I know… We know… They have finally caved into the capsuleers, offering appeasement. And who’s to say more won’t come later?

Its only planetary interaction now, but what about the next year? Or the next? Or the next? Soon they will even allow their ships to actually enter our planet’s atmosphere. Oh! I’ve seen the damage they can do on other planets without even landing on them. What will happen when their ships are passing over our heads, dealing death and destruction to the citizens unfortunate enough to live there? How long until total war finally engulfs us all?

We are the weak, the abused, the downtrodden; the dregs of the galaxy. Who would care about us, and listen to our pleas? The immortals are a fickle group. One day they can destroy everything you own, and the next shower you with riches untold. Many a night I lay in my bed, my love by my side, and dream of the paradise our Terran ancestors must live in. They have probably eliminated war, hunger, and even death itself! Yes, it must be a paradise.

Every night and day I dream and wonder of the day when the Terrans will return and restore order and justice to this depraved and desperate place. A hundred years? A thousand? A million? The capsuleers probably think the same thing, but the difference between their dreams and ours, is single; we can only dream so many times before we die wishing they were true. They can dream for eternity. They can wait for peace. They can wait for stability. But they won’t. After all, they’re the ones who destroy lives for money, just to better their dark goals and sick ambitions.

They are unbound. We are not so fortunate. One life. One soul. One mind. One inevitable death. That is the cycle of life. But the capsuleers defy nature, zipping from body to body like a parasite, taking one body for themselves, and then when it is of no more use, they switch to another body all ready and waiting for them.

We live, we die. Once only. They live on, they die on. And again and again and again… Each life more empty than the last. Their fulfillment is paid for with our sweat blood and tears. The warm sun above our heads, the cool shade of our trees, the glistening of our oceans, the comfort of rich soil beneath our feet… All with be taken, all will be defiled, all will end. All except the immortals. They will live on through hundreds of generations seeking pleasure, thrills and riches and will find none of it! Feeling these elements of a world you’ve lived on your entire life… a world you helped maintain… That is the only really joy there is.

Not once have the immortals touched their feet to the worlds they control; they have no need. Their agents do all the work. Indeed they even reign like gods, uncaring of things get done as long as their wishes are met. Immortals they may be, but gods they are not! After all… real gods can’t bleed.