Microstory 794: Racetrack

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To say that the Amadesins are despicable people would be the understatement of the aeon. After the Old Worlds fell, the survivors of the religion—which had been increasingly losing followers for centuries—realized that their time was running out. They had one, maybe two, generations to go before their numbers were so thin, they would be considered a true alternative cult. In order to protect their traditions, they decided to hide themselves away in a higher dimension. They were obsessed with growing their army, and had had enough of trying to convince preexisting people of what they believed to be holy truths. They would just make their own people, and brainwash them right from the beginning of their short lives. Armed with technology they stole from others, they figured out how to grow humans, rather than gestate them in living mothers, which could only be done one or two at a time. Their human fields were vast, and had to be separated across new dimensions in their domain, which were collectively known as Thuriama. You could stand on a tall mountain and not see the end of it. In decades, their population rivaled some smaller galactic civilizations. Decades later, they were the largest in the universe. This had the side effect, however, of causing their lives to be incredibly dull. The old ways required a lot of work to go out and proselytize to the people. Without these jobs, they had nothing to do with their lives. They ended up concocting all sorts of untoward means of entertainment, often involving forcing their minions to humiliate themselves. But this grew boring as well, because there was no resistance. The people they had harvested felt no humiliation, for they knew no better than the cards life had dealt them. So the Thuriamen elite grew bold, and started seeking amusement beyond their dimensional home. One particular pastime involved kidnapping people, and coercing their loved ones to participate in a great transdimensional race. It was dangerous and deadly on its own, but racers who failed to win would be killed anyway, and their families would remain as slaves. Winners would also be killed, because they had zero leverage against their oppressors, and needed to  be silenced. Unfortunately for Thuriama, they made a big mistake when they abducted members of Zoey Attar and Amber Fossward’s team. This would be the last race in history, and marked a major milestone in the ultimate and final destruction of the twisted Amedesin megacult.