Creştinii câţi nu dorm, cu spaimă cheamă
Pe maica lui Hristos şi-aprind grăbit
Tămâie şi usturoi pe-un vas de aramă
Ea singură-n căscioară, biata mamă
Stă chip înmărmurit…
- George Coșbuc, Strigoii.
Think of the earth as a living organism that is being attacked by billions of bacteria whose numbers double every forty years. Either the host dies, or the virus dies, or both die.
- Gore Vidal.
A (mis) interpretation:
Classification: Daemon.
Order: Bloodthirster.
Family: Vampir.
Sub-family: Strigoi.
Genus: Strigosus.
Species: Atra Strigosus Pestis.
Host: Executive Officer Caine Johnson - Nostradamus Commercial Vehicle; Jovian Trade Federation.
Age: 33 yrs - AD1979.
Infection category: Class 3 (No.211114).
Source: кости дьявол (Devil Bones) S-type asteroid (discovered AD1897) - destroyed AD1986.
The Jovian Trade Federation is a powerful commerce guild and trade cartel established in the early 20th century. It comprises several trade groups, including the Asteroid Mining Colonies, the Saturn United Mining Group with the Rothchild Corporation as primary stakeholder. It has its own commercial trade fleet as well as private military, the 1st Jovian Expeditionary Fleet. Major trade routes are controlled by them. Its primary trades comprise mineral ores and Helium-3, obtain from Jupiter and its four major moons, Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto as well as Saturn and its surrounding satellites. Their trade monopoly on these highly sought after resources make them politically powerful, wealthy and highly influential amongst both the governments of Terra and Mars. When the Great War breaks out, the Jovian Trade Federation serves as the primary source of raw materials for both belligerents in the war. The only concerns they face are occasional supply route mercenaries and space pirates attacks. Mineral ores and Helium-3 supplies are both refined and processed on orbital refinery stations.
In 1939, the Asteroid Mining Colonies declare secession from the federation upon the Zeon Uprising due to the Free Trade Zone dispute which results in military intervention and subsequent annexation of its central government on Ceres. The asteroid belts mining rights are then given exclusively to the Jovian Trade Federation.
Over the next few decades, while various political and societal issues plague the Sol System, the Jovian Trade Federation remains relatively insulated and apolitical, even when the Rothchild Corporation splintered into various proxy conglomerates after the N.O.M. Legion assault on Rothchild City, Luna on 1944.
1979. The Jovian commercial spacecraft, Nostradamus, is en route back to Ganymede. It is towing the Omega Refinery Station, which is processing 20 million tonnes of mineral ores mined from the asteroids. Shortly after departure, the on board computer picks up a mysterious transmission, possibly a distress signal and alerts the crew. They discover the signal comes from an asteroid called the Devil Bones. The asteroid, discovered by Siberian astronomer, Vladimir Albitsky of Imperial Eurasia in 1897, is called the Devil Bones, due to its shape and the superstition attaches to it by the populations of the colonies. They avoid it until the took over of mining control rights by the Federation. Captain Dakota order the ship to the Devil Bones, despite protest from Chief Engineer, Focker that they are not a rescue vessel. Dakota reminds Focker that they are contractual obliged to investigate any potential distress signal or their shares would be forfeited. They arrives and lands on the asteroid on a shuttle. Dakota, together with Executive Officer Johnson and Navigator Lamprecht head out to investigate. They discover the signal comes from a derelict spacecraft of unknown origin. Inside they find a shrivelled, waxen looking humanoid within what is suspected to be a form of hibernation pod. The cover of the pod has been smashed and there is a trinity symbol painted on it. The humanoid's head has been severed and there is an object which looks like a stake embedded into its chest. On Nostradamus, Warrant Officer Ridley determines that the transmission is not a distress signal but a warning. She tries to contact the three but communication lines start to be overwhelmed with white noise and statics. Within the derelict ship, Johnson stumbles upon a massive chamber containing hundreds of egg-like pods. As he inspects one of the pods, ectoplasmic like substance envelops Johnson and seep through his helmet. Dakota and Lamprecht carry an unconscious Johnson back to the shuttle and return to Nostradamus. Ridley refuse to allow them inside, citing quarantine regulations but Science Officer Abu violates protocol by overriding Ridley's lock and letting them in. Dakota and Abu put Johnson into the Med Bay and try to remove Johnson's helmet but is unable to, sealing tight. Despite Ridley's protest and under instigation by Abu, Dakota orders Nostradamus to resume its course back to Ganymede and enters FTL.
Johnson is brought to the Jovian Science and Research Development Centre (JSRDC), attend by several personals there as well as representatives from the Newel Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Medicae analysis and results show that Johnson's body is physically mutating at cellular level within his suit and helmet. His body is covered like a cocoon with numerous big, long worm like organisms which are simultaneously digesting Johnson's disintegrating fleshes and organs while secreting viscous liquids. Horizontal transfer of genetic materials and DNA are detected.
While the medicae team collates the data from the results to determine the next step, security alarm begins to sound from the quarantine section. As the team looks at the vid-vox, horrific scene unfolds before them. A creature wearing an astronaut suit and helmet with ID tag clearly shows the name, "Johnson" are slaughtering all the medicae personals there. A lock down is activated to contain the creature. The Jovian Internal Security are deployed and evacuates everyone in the centre before engaging the creature, killing it in the process. Twelve medicae personals and three security guards are killed. Two medicae personals are severely injured which later develop the same symptoms as the late Johnson.
The remains of the creature is brought back to a Jovian Newel military base, Outpost 31. JSRDC's leading biologist Dr. Brimley performs autopsy on the creature. Its head is reduced to nothing but skin covering the skull, which is human like yet possessing a predatory feature with sharp canine teeth. Both arms and legs, torso have been elongated, with odd looking protruding bones at the joints, particularly both arms which have three elbows. The elongated fingers have talons like nails. On each palm there is a sharp stinger like object which could retract and extract. The internal organs are curiously human like but with slight mutation. And there is still a slight presence of cellular activity, meaning it is not entirely dead.
He presents his result at an emergency meeting on the incident with representatives from the JTF. Dr. Brimley reports that the creature is formerly Johnson. The ectoplasma from the egg pod manifest into an unidentified living organism which he termed as "long worm" has infected Johnson. The "long worn" serves as a vector, which sole purpose is to pass on an unknown virus to a living host. It would die shortly after. The viruses would break down and digest the cellular structure while simultaneously metamorphosis through mutation the infected host into a new life form. Each of the mutated creature contains the larvae of the "long worm" in a gland within its palm and cavity of its sharp teeth. Humans whom survive an attack and injure by it would undergo metamorphosis and turn into an egg pod, thus continuing the lifecycle. The creature could survive harsh environments, UV spectrum and even in the vacuum of space. If there is no suitable host or target nearby, the creature would goes into hibernation for indefinite period. There is a limited amount of intelligence possess by the creature but ultimately its sole purpose is to consume, propagate and eliminate any living lifeform. His team has interviewed the asteroid colonies nearby Devil Bones. They did not respond to any questions but the elder ones mention only one word, from each different colonies, Strigoi. Dr. Brimley looks up the word but could not find any until one of his research team members bribes an Ecclesiarchy of Mars librarian and access to the highly inaccessible Inlicitus Bibliotheca, a library which contains thousands of banned ancient tomes and scrolls. Based on the compiled information, Dr. Brimley is advised by appointed anthropologists that Strigoi is an ancient Terra word for the undead, and is related to the vampir species. According to the ancient texts of the oldest vampir clan, the virus is supposedly created by the plague god Nurgleth as retaliation against the blood god, Camazotz. Supposedly, Nurgleth sent a group of Chaos-tainted planetesimals approximately 10 billion years ago through a warp rift approximately during the primordial period which formed protoplanets, but Camazoztz caused it to collide amongst each other, resulting in the emergence of the asteroids. Nurgleth then tainted Luna, formed after the collision between Terra and a planet called Theia 4.5 billion years ago. When Ambrogio, the Vampir All-Father, drinks from the blood of Selene, the moonlight goddess, the Strigoi strain is subsequently passed to Ambrogio and his kindred. The virus has no adverse effect on a vampir but remain dormant in the cavities of the canine teeth.
An expedition to the derelict spaceship by his team reveals that it is an ancient escape vehicle with self contain life support system. The humanoid is a dead vampir killed by an unknown assailant during its hibernation sleep. According to historians, at the end of their six thousand years old reign during the Dark Ages on Terra, the last of the vampir clan members escape en mass into the dark void of space to escape The Great Purge. Recordings obtained from the derelict ship are given to anthropologists and they decipher the ancient language. According to their findings, the dead vampir envisioned to restore the glory of its species back to its height of power during the pre-Dark Ages. The egg pods are results of genetic experimentations and engineering, resulting in a mutated strain of the original virus naturally occurring within each vampir. The vampir intends to use these egg pods as a form of biological weapon of mass destruction and unleash it upon Terra to wipe out the Terra population via an epidemic through common and propagated outbreak. It is not known why the ship crashed on the Devil Bones, and who is responsible for its death nor the signal emission from it. Dr. Brimley warns that based on his calculation, he projects that if a Strigoi reached civilised area, the entire Jovian sector population would be infected within 27,000 hours from first contact. Dr, Brimley named the Strigoi, Atra Strigosus Pestis. The remain of the creature and the infected survivors are given mercy killing in a molecular acid chamber. All incidences are to too be kept highly confidential to prevent panics amongst stockholders and mining colonists.
1986. A mining colony, Hadley's Hope has been established on Devil Bones. An engineer on routine inspection on the electro-magnetic catapult arms on one of the docks are infected upon contacting with an egg pod. The infection spreads throughout the entire base. Their last communication are two weeks ago. The Federation sends a company of military troops to investigate. They are wiped by the Strigois to the last two men whom activates the military ship's lance cannon, which destroys the entire asteroid.
A Strigoi survives and escapes into the shuttle together with them. Exiting FTL on Callisto, the ship does not respond to traffic control and crashes onto the space port. Cleaning and re-construction crews are the first to be infected. The epidemic spreads from the ground zero of the spaceport and throughout all outposts on the moon. The Jovian Trade Federation declares Callisto to be lost and a quarantined zone. Military incursion onto Callisto to reclaim back the moon never return. The Federation suffers further losses when another Strigoi epidemic outbreak occurs on Io. Probes sent for reconnaissance mission sent back images of mega swarms, millions of egg pods, and terraformation of both moons' surfaces by the Strigois through the building of their nests. A mist of yellow greenish tinge now covers the entire atmosphere of both moons.
1987. The Jovian Trade Federation begins Operation Evenfall, which denotes the "beginning of evening or twilight". The Jovian military established T.O.T.E.M. (Tactical Operation Task Exterminator Module) Group, utilizing the THUG Suit, a form of power armour suit which is remote controlled by human through neural sync. It would mark the beginning of a clandestine but long and brutal war against the mutated vampir species.
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EVENFALL is a new original line released by ThreeA. Previously called T.O.T.E.M., the line is envisioned along the theme of sci-fi horror ala Alien or The Thing, I think. The first preview of this line were two years ago, which were a prototype THUG suit, designed with the idea as a armour suit with a pilot inside, something like a Ma.K suit but is recently ret-conned (as always) as an independent, remote controlled suit and the Strigoi, the subject and figure in hand. The Strigoi was offered as a single or a 2-pack, and a Commander variant with white astro suit. The 2-pack offer comes with a secondary Strigoi with torn astronaut suit, which to me makes more sense for such figure but I just don't want to waste my limited fund for that. No QC concerns nor issue (why have I become such a paranoid when it comes to ThreeA's stuffs on quality?). Comes with an Ashley Wood illustrated booklet, containing tantalizing bits of info on the Strigoi. Reminds me of the cocooning sequence in the deleted scene from Ridley Scott's 1979 Alien. Now, I am looking forward the 1/6th scale THUG suit, if it were to be released at all. Majority of infos on the mis-interpretation comes from Wiki, inspired by the booklet, supernatural folklore, sci-fi horror and the horrific Black Death pandemic.
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