Chapter 10: Holymental and the Herodians

The Herodians’ interest in the human race peaked after their encounter and resilience to the biological weapon attack. With the Taurus constellation falling foul to this same weapon it was apparent there was need for concern. Curiosity had to remain an afterthought though, for Herodian teachings strictly dictated that enemies need to be totally annihilated. Following this convention, the surviving members of the human race in the far reaches of the galaxy were destroyed. The Herodian culture did not want a repeat of history, for they knew that enemies that had not been completely decimated would grow to become a greater danger in the future.

It was only during their quest to wipe out mankind that the true nature of Holymental told its story. This element was previously unknown to the Herodian race and as such their understanding of it was limited. The effects were not physical but more of a mental degradation. In some ways it could be described as having a more radioactive effect. Their proximity to Holymental was a key factor to the overwhelming effect it had on the Herodian physiology. The spiritual waves emanating from the element had a devastating effect on the minds of the Herodians, destroying key areas for brain activity.

After the initial failed attacks by the Herodians, a research plan was formulated to look into the cause and find a counter measure to repel the effect of this new element. There was one simple problem though, not one single member of the Herodian research team could get near enough to the Holymental to carry out any specific tests, even with the latest safety equipment. It was simply impossible to carry out the research.

Holymental’s properties proved to be an essential driving force behind the Herodian’s decision to look into creating a new weapon based on Holymental, a weapon that could have an overpowering effect if used on the Taurus Constellation. The fact of the matter was that this was just a fantasy, seeing as they couldn’t get near the element without major side effects.

The next step for the Herodian researchers was to devise possible solution to approach Holymental. Again they failed in preventing the spiritual waves from undulating out of the element. But in their research they discovered the explosive power within Holymental. If ever there was more of a desire to find out more about this astonishing material, this was it.

The research coincided with the discovery of a distant sector of space, forbidden to humans and seemingly archaic in nature to what they had previously discovered among their earlier encounters with humans . This sector known as the Novus sector lay home to what could only be described as descendents of the human race. The residents of this sector were obviously evolving in ways unseen before and gave the Herodians a unique opportunity to observe the species grow. From the outskirts of space the Herodian observation team lay dormant, watching, analysing and taking note of the changing species, the overall aim to see the species solve the secrets and mysteries of Holymental. The sector consisted of two solar systems with a number of planets within each solar system. Only three planets were inhabited by humans, Cora, Accretia and Bellato, and each of these planets were observed in great detail to gain a better understanding of the cultural differences and behaviours with each of the civilizations. The Herodians had a plan and as they had in the past, watched from the shadows until the time to act was upon them.