Cyberstan's first asylum seeker

Red Marshall Karlsen, concept art by Jama Jurabaev

Part 1

While the battle of Nexus Umbra was commencing, Officer Lirael and her crew were watching from safety, in the edge of Anarchy's Cradle aka Ubanea system.

When the chance arose and even the rear ships of the Super Earth's Hammer of Justice Armada got engaged and preoccupied, Lirael's shuttle emerged from the shadows and FTL jumped away from the sector.

Its precious cargo was successfully salvaged away from Super Earth's reach.

Second Leutenant Rhea: "Where to, Lirael?"

Marjorie Lirael from the cockpit holding the rudder and staring to the void stoically: "Cyberstan."

Second Leutenant Rhea: "You can't be serious"

Lirael: "There's nowhere else to go, we will seek refuge there, no other option"

Afterburners fired up as they evade detection in the Xzar sector from Super Earth spaceport radars.

Upon reaching Andromeda sector, under Automaton control, Lirael switches on an SOS signal in hope for not being intercepted by the bot space fighter drones.

It didn't take long until the first interceptor formation appeared in the radar.

Shortly after the radio flared in speaking binary.

After a while the interceptors switched to human language in order to be understood.

Automaton frequency: "[Indistict initial sounds] You. Have. Reached. Cyberstan Collective. Reduce speed and surrender, oR. you. WiLL. Be. Destroyed."

Lirael: "Greetings subjects of Cyberstan. This is Crimson Voyager-11. We seek asylum. We are eager to cooperate. Confirm if received"

Automaton drone after pausing for several seconds: "Message received. Proceed. To. Escort formation. No. Sudden. Movements. Be. Advised."

The formation forced escorted them all the way to Aurora Bay, where they all landed via Automaton FTL super-structure warp dive from the nearest major spaceport.

Second Leutenant Rico gazing up supefied: "This is surreal, the megastructures and fortresses are out of this world"

The other two crew members shook their heads to the brutalistic however majestic mega-structtures floating in the orbit of Aurora Bay.

The mega facility within the gargantuan spaceport opened its bay door like a mouth, red light sliding out of it.

As they hover to the bay, a squad of Commissars awaits them. Commissar Kai one of them.

Cyborg Commissar Kai: "Greetings Anarchists. To what do we owe this unexpected occassion?"

Lirael shocked by his new look: "Greetings Sergeant Kai, you have changed quite a lot since last time"

Commissar Kai: "It's Commissar Kai now, Marjorie, go on."

Lirael: "We are seeking asylum from Cyberstan...Also we have something that is yours, Crimson Echo, previously known as Red Echo-09, the device your superiors left at Vanguard Outpost-07 in 2184."

Commissar Kai's as his red eyes glimmered in greed: "I see, follow me."

Rhea after walking for several minutes: "Where are they taking us?"

Lirael: "No idea, just cooperate"

Part 2

The door opens to a wide copper brown and monotonous coloured room, a mix of a command room and also a surgical room. It must be the Cyborg side of the facility, surgical instruments and belts could be seen at the corner of the room.

Red Marshall Karlsen: "Welcome to the Cyberstan Collective, Marjorie, the years have been kind."

Lirael responding unconvinced at Karlsen's grotescue new cyborg appearance:
"Same for you Marshall Karlsen"

Red Marshall Karlsen: "We can see a great battle in Draupnir and Ubanea occured recently, why aren't you there fighting?"

Lirael trying to feign calmness: "We couldn't let the precious piece of equipment Crimson Echo fall into enemy hands, besides that it is originally yours. Plus Nexus Umbra and possibly Ubanea have fallen to Super Earth, thus we seek asylum here and permission to operate the device from here against Super Earth."

Red Marshall Karlsen in a patronising manner: "And what makes you think that we are going to let you do that? What does Cyberstan gain?"

Lirael, trying not to break character: "Cyberstan gets our loyalty for the time being."

Red Marshall Karlsen: "For the time being? I'm afraid that it would have to be longer than that, the party does not tolerate transactional loyalty"

Lirael: "Sure, we will serve Cyberstan."

Red Marshall Karlsen: "Great news! But first you would have to prove your loyalty. You need accept the Collective in your body and mind."

Lirael as two Automaton Commissars escort her to another room: "But...but we brought you your device back, isn't that enough?"

Two big Cyborg brutes slowly manhandle Rico, Red Captain Yurco being one of them, mumbling "You will be first of your kind comrade, a prodigy."

Lirael looking behind as the bots progressively push her with their bodies as they walk holding their guns: "He has PTSD, please spare him"

Red Marshall Karlsen: "Oh it will be painless, the Party promises"

Karlsen and Kai turned their heards towards Rhea, who was frozen in shock and shaking in fear in the thought that she will be next.

Karlsen extending his arm towards the surgical chair to the far end of the command room:
"Please comrade don't be afraid, have a seat."

Rhea snaps: "I am NOT your comrade."

Karlsen approaches her calmly with his sidearm slowly pointing at her:
"What are you then?"

The screams of Lirael are coming out of the other room, escalating the situation.

Concept Art by Instagram user bebop.nemesis

Rhea tries to run to her, Commissar Kai stops her with his cybernetic enhanced arms, whilst she hopelessly tries to wrestle him for a second or two. Due to her being human, female, and in a broken mental state, she is brought to her knees.

Commissar Kai: "Answer to Marshall Karlsen, WHAT are you?

She raises her head up looking at Kai with tears in her eyes: "A free citizen."

Karlsen who was already aiming at the side of her head, pulls the trigger and shoots her in the temple from a close distance. Blood splatters to the floor as her souless body drops down like a ragdoll. A blood pool slowly starts to form around her pierced skull.

Karlsen to Automaton Commissars rushing back to the command room: "Throw her body in the bio-processors, and clean this bloody mess immediately." 

Automaton Commissar: "Aknowledged. Initiating recycling protocol"

Part 3

A few hours pass by, Lirael is waking up from the brutal operation. A chip and SD card has bveen installed in her frontal lobe.

Her soulless eyes abruptly open up, not a single blink in ten minutes. She is lobotomized, docile, agreeable and with the facial expression of a ghoul, only a small part of her personality remains intact.

Astra Noctis, created by artist 24kenv

Red Marshall Karlsen: "Status?"

Marjorie: "Status 0"

Red Marshall Karlsen: "How do you feel Marjorie?"

Marjorie: "Indeed that's my name, Marjorie...Marjorie Red. I feel great comrade Karlsen."

Karlsen: "Splendid, that's good to hear 'Marjorie Red'. Welcome to the party, Chief Communications Secretary."

Marjorie: "Thank you, what about the others?"

Karlsen: "Oh the others...Comrade Rico is fully uploaded to the singularity and his body joined the Cyborg ranks as a berserker, due to his previous mental history, he's doing fine, I assure you that."

Marjorie: "And Rhea?"

Karlsen: "Comrade Rhea is no longer with us in any form, her body didn't make it to Cyborg transition or Automaton transcedence, due to implications."

Marjorie with zero emotion: "Aknowledged."

Karlsen: "Your first task is to rollback Crimson Echo to factory settings, refurbish it back to Red Echo-09 and remove any Anarchy mods. Feel free to make any upgrades necessary that do not lead to the vision of Socialism. Proceed whenever you are ready."

Marjorie: "Roger that, comrade, I'm ready to serve the collective."

Media sources: 1. Cyborg man by Jama Jurabaev, 2. Cyber-pshychosis by bebop.nemesis, 3. Astra Noctis, by Kenva