"Man and Machine - Prologue" by William A. Thorn

        ---Prophetic words from one of the United Earth Starship Odyssey's design engineers. Translated from Finnish. Earth, 2258 A.D. (6 years Before the Great Convergence-6 B.G.C.)
 
 

Lord Griton,

        I write to you as a matter of great importance. Two days ago, an object appeared in the sky above my land, from which a group calling themselves Human Beings had spawned forth. These creatures claim the flying object to be their vessel, and that they are peaceful representatives from another realm about the size of Prius; they call their realmEarth.
        They are strangely familiar creatures; their tongue is odd, but nothing my magics cannot decipher. They have much the same features and proportions as those of Dwarves, save for their height rivaling those of Orc men. They seem refined in their dealings, but there is a distinct underlying lowliness about them. They definitely do not have the grace or refinement of our Elven blood.
        What concerns me so, is their station; aside from a hierarchy of command, they seem to regard all as equals - even the women. I have already heard the mummers of these ideas within our populace, and I worry that our great society could suffer from the further presence of these Human Beings.
        Please respond with your thoughts as to what steps we should take next.

With highest regards,
Lord Farkenook

        ---Letter from Magic Lord Farkenook to Magic Lord Griton. Translated from Elven. Prius, 253rd Year of the 15th Dynasty of the Red Sun. (6 B.G.C.)
 
 

   Yes, she's the finest starship we've built yet, and hopefully she'll show those Prius bastards what it means to enslave and kill our crews.

        ---Overheard comment from Kumiko Yoshikawa, Commanding Admiral of the 1st United Earth Starfleet, watching the UES Titan depart spaceport for Prius. Translated from Japanese. Earth, 2261 A.D. (3 B.G.C.)
 
 

   The Human Beings are arriving daily with reinforcements. Lord Saylocke's visions tell us they are building more flying machines to ferry more of them to fight against us. Without some way to prevent their vessels from reaching us, I fear we shall be overwhelmed. Already I ordered the remainder of my army to the front, but there is something more worrisome than casualties. Today I had to order the execution of a dozen Orcs and Dwarves who have been exposed to the Human Beings' ideals. My underlings are interrogating the rest of their families to determine the extent of the taint. I may have to burn that section of the city to save the rest. Even if we fend off the Human Beings, their corruption will leave its black stain upon our lands for generations.
        We must find a way to bridge the gap between our two worlds, the way the Human Beings have done with their machines, and bring the war to their lands. I'll bring my thoughts to the other lords for contemplation. Our magics may not be strong enough separately, but together, in ritual, we may be able to create a gate for our troops enter.
        Our ways shall not be corrupted by the Human Beings' faulty ideals. We shall bring our righteous order to their lands and conquer their cities. They shall learn that with only their place under our rule shall there be ultimate harmony.

        ---Words from Magic Lord Ornachullius' journal, Elven ruler of the Mikareshari Empire. Translated from Elven. Prius, 257th year of the 15th Dynasty of the Red Sun. (2 B.G.C.)
 
 

   Will somebody please explain to me where on God's Earth the Eastern Seaboard has gone?

        ---Recorded from a flight mission of Capt. James H. Montgomery, Naval Flight Officer, United Earth Navy, 3rd Battle Fleet. Translated from English. Earth, 2263 A.D. (1 B.G.C.)
 
 

   Lords, the war goes well for us. The ritual was successful in opening a gate between Earth and Prius, and everyday we make use of the gate to send more troops on our quest to bring harmony to the backward Human Beings. However, we have encountered a potential threat that must be addressed within this council session.
        The gate we have opened has done more than create a bridge between our two worlds; it has pierced a hole between realities. It appears that Earth does not lie within our plane of existence, but in another that mirrors our own. This hole widens every day we use it, and I fear that if we don't close it now, it may be too late to heal the wound we've created in the fabric of existence itself.

        ---Words from a partial transcript of a Magic Lord Council session. Translated from Elven. Prius, 258th Year of the 15th Dynasty of the Red Sun. (1 B.G.C.)
 
 

        If I could meet the man who said, war is hell, I would look him straight in his eyes and tell him, no...it's worse.
        Today was worse than yesterday, which was worse than the day before. We slaughtered thousands of them today; tomorrow, we'll slaughter thousands more. They kept coming; even after we took down their first dozen ranks or so, they kept coming. We sprayed so much depleted uranium out our barrels that even the veteran soldiers began worrying about the effects. There is really nothing harmful about depleted uranium, or so we're told, unless you're unfortunate enough to take a bullet in the gut.
        It's their generals that command so much control over them. Some say it is magic. Did you know the rough translation for their word for general is Magic Lord? I don't know what to call their power over their troops, except maybe the end of my life if I ever see one of them.
        We were combing through what was left of Missouri when we caught up with the remnants of the third infantry; they were sent in to hold off against a push from the north. Most of the men we rescued were rear support, but we caught word of a few who actually saw one of those generals. As the story goes, the Magic Lord was throwing fire around like it was no special thing, and later called down lightning from the sky. Yeah, it sounds silly enough, but if you saw the look in the survivors' eyes, you wouldn't be thinking so. I'll tell you this; those guys don't need to use any magic to control their troops. If I had one of those lords order me to grab a sword and charge full run at a string of men dug in and armed with machine guns, knowing what could happen if I didn't, I may just do as he commands too.

        ---Interview with Sgt. Morgan Davis, United Earth Army, 2nd Mechanized Infantry. Translated from English. Earth-Prius, 2264 A.D. (Year of the Great Convergence-Y.G.C.)
 
 

        The gate has closed upon us, and as Lord Fydon suspected, our two worlds have merged into one. Mourn this day for our beloved Prius is at once here but no longer the same. If there is any solace to be taken from this tragedy, it is that there is no return. With no home to look back to, the greater desire for survival takes over.
        We shall harness this force to strengthen our efforts for harmony.

        ---Words from Magic Lord Ornachullius' journal, Former Elven ruler of the Mikareshari Empire. Translated from Elven. Earth-Prius, Year of the Great Convergence (Y.G.C.)
 
 

   Gentlemen, I have had some tough decisions to make. I have given deliberate thought to all of your opinions but what has influenced me the most is the fact that we're slowly losing this war. Ever since the closing of the magic gate, we have seen a fury from the enemy not unlike an animal backed into a corner. If we are to avoid extermination, we need to reconsider our values.
        Therefore, I have decided to bolster our dwindling forces by recruiting from the growing number of displaced Prius citizens within our lands. There are many who would jump at the chance for a little revenge against their former rulers, but until now, our policies didn't allow any of them in our military forces.
        With the proper training, I am sure the Orcs will make fine soldiers. They are strong and smarter than the Mage Lords give them credit. Many Dwarves we already utilize in our bases as mechanical support. If we can recruit them into full service, we'll be able put them out onto the field with our troops. I know our Engineer Corps is in bad need of their natural mechanical expertise.
        Despite my reservations, we can also recruit from our small but significant number of Elven refugees. Those who we trust can be used as much needed spies and translators. We have built our world on the foundation that all are equal; it is time we showed these other races that we mean it.
        Finally, I have decided that we do not have the moral luxury to limit ourselves at our own survival, which it why I am reopening the technologies the United Earth Council banned decades ago. I have already contacted a handful of corporations capable of taking on the task of catching us up. Hopefully within a few months, we'll have bio and cyber augmented forces ready for service.
        As I see it, we have no other option.

        ---General Howard Grissom, Commander of the United Earth Forces, speaking to members of the United Earth Emergency War Council. Translated from English. Earth-Prius, 6 A.G.C.
 
 

   It's a whole new world out there. Some of it looks familiar, and some it doesn't. All I know is that I'm free and I'm going to find myself a little piece of land far away from all the fighting to call home. I wonder if Mander survived. I really could go for some Mander Ale.

        ---Famous quote from the Dwarven explorer Dunst. Translated from Dwarven. Earth-Prius, 17 A.G.C.
 
 

   The enemy has been defeated and their troops scattered to the winds. Now we must pay the price of dealing with the devil.

        ---Overheard remarks of General Howard Grissom, Commander of the United Earth Forces, commenting about the reccently created World Corporate Alliance and its declaration of international sovereignty. Translated from English. Earth-Prius, 19 A.G.C.
 
 

     I don't care what you say. I'll take running from trolls in the wilderness over running from cyber-zombies in the dark alleys of the cities, anyday. At least with trolls, you know what to expect.

        ---Comment by an unknown traveller. Earth-Prius, 21-25 A.G.C.
 
 

     I can't rightly say if the World Corporate Alliance has a specific agenda for the world. They are too busy fighting amongst themselevs for the power to decide what to do about the rest of us.

        ---Elena Trif, chief representative of the New Earth Federation to the World Corporate Alliance, speaking to the N.E.F. Chief of Staff. Translated from Romanian. Earth-Prius, 28 A.G.C.
 
 

     I have made inital contacts with agents inside the World Corporate Alliance. Hopefully, I'll learn soon wether or not they are willing to an exchange of magic for technology. If we are to fufill harmony once again, I must be willing to accept technology on order to engage the New Earth Federation.

        ---Words from the journal of High Lord Modef, Elven commander of the late Magic Lord Ornachullius' military forces. Translated from Elven. Earth-Prius, 33 A.G.C.
 
 

         Intelligence shows that the World Corporate Alliance is receiving magical aid from an unknown source. If we intend to be able contend with the WCA's global power and provide adequate protection for our citizens, we must do the same.

        ---Declassified memorandom sent to Angelique Jimenez, President of the N.E.F. Translated from Federation Standard English. Earth-Prius 35 A.G.C.
 
 

     I think the Dwarf, Dunst, had the right idea about heading away from all of the craziness and having a drink of good ale. If only it were so easy; if you're not avoiding the Federation recruiters, you are running from corporate privateers. And once you think you have found a place far away from everyone, you bump into a group of fanatics who want to introduce you to "harmony."
        Sometimes I wish I could be like that big bird over there, and stick my head in the ground until it all went away.

    ---Mutab "Jon" Horkenit, Orc guide and big game hunter. Translated from New African Standard. 42 A.G.C.
 

        If you want to work for youself and not sell your soul to anyone, corporate espionage is the way to go. You get big bucks for travelling the world, slipping into corporate states, and running away with their goodies to sell to the highest bidder. Of course, the downside is, if you get caught, it usually means death. But what else do you have to live for?

      ---Dialogue from the hit movie, "Techjacker." Translated from Federation Standard English. Earth-Prius, 85 A.G.C.
 
 

   As you all have learned in your early schooling, Prius, the world of magic, dimensionally collided with Earth, the world of technology. These two separate and dichotic worlds, bridged the dimensional gap between each other and were forced to become one physical body. This is now undisputed, along with the years of anarchy and self-destruction that followed.
        The first school of thought as to the cause of the Great Convergence is that the Humans did it by punching too many holes into the dimensional fabric separating the two worlds, with their starship jumps between Earth and Prius. This cannot be proven yet, despite what fanatics say, because we still don't understand mathematically how the collision happened. The technology used to build Earth's starships has been lost, but we know that those starships somehow warped dimensional time and space in order to travel. Without those secrets, we can't understand how the technology that changed the world worked, nor prove that was the direct cause for the dimensional instability.
        The second school of thought is that the starships were not the direct cause of the Great Convergence, but that the Prius Magic Lords were. Many feel that the rituals created to bridge the two worlds residing in separate dimensions, opened a magical floodgate that drew the worlds together and into a cosmic collision. The convergence of the two worlds, of course, is the reason why magic now flourishes around us. Prius brought its magical properties into the union, allowing many of us to tap into that magic today.
        We'll be talking more about this in this course, as well as talking about how our corporate political system has its influences from both worlds, and how the societies of various states, corporate and non-corporate, were influenced by the Great Convergence. You'll read about which portions of each planet was lost in the merger, and you will be exposed to many ideas and notions each world had of the other before the Great Convergence. We'll also discuss how those ideas affected the various territorial and corporate wars during the following years of anarchy, and learn how that affects our lives today.
        For our next class, read chapters one through five in your textbook, The Way Things Are, and answer and turn in all review questions.

        ---Professor of history Martin Shanquin, Ph.D., SoarTek Community College, SoarTek City, Provincial territory of SoarTek. Earth-Prius, 126 A.G.E.