I. Introduction

The experiments with inanimate objects had gone well. Not only did the samples vanish, but they were brought back without any detectable alteration. None suspected that the rules were very different for a biological subject.

The alien artifact was discovered some decades before, in the 1960's. A generation of scientists, entombed in their secret laboratory, tried to decipher the artifacts glyphs and analyze its structure. The research teams determined that the device was a transporter of some kind. The government named it the Fata Morgana.

Russell, a bristly-furred lab rat, was the first and only living subject to be placed in the Fata Morgana. As with his inanimate predecessors, Russell was transported millions of light years from Earth to one of the aliens' planets, later called Morgana IV. But Russell was not alone in his journey. Earth had been transported with him.

Everything within a 2000 kilometer radius of the Fata Morgana: soil, trees, squirrels, ocean, and cities alike was ripped from its home in the Milky Way, rematerializing on Morgana IV. The transplant was far from clean, as billions of kilograms of material crashed into the topography of the alien planet. Over 70% of the human population perished in the cataclysm. Russell was never found.

Morgana Prime was habitable to humans, but barely, and much of the wildlife from Earth was unable to survive the transition. The humans gathered into survivalist camps, struggling to resist the dangers of their new home. Society degenerated rapidly into a primitive, brigand-like culture.

Beyond the borders of the 2000 kilometer radius of Earth that was transported, lay Morgana Prime and its alien technologies and cities. The humans found the alien planet void of animal life save what they had brought with them from Earth. Small factions eventually developed and claimed portions of the planet, and its technology, for their own.

Resources were scarce and conflicts over land and materials became common. The initial difficulties of surviving on the alien world had taken a heavy toll on the populations of the humans. But while humans were few, alien war machines were plentiful.

Research into the alien technologies became of paramount importance. The war machines apparently contained limited intelligence, but efforts to program them were unsuccessful. A telepathic drug, Commune, was developed to allow humans to psychically link with the machines and command them to battle.

A period of warfare ensued as rival factions fought each other with their new weapons. Gradually more powerful alien items were discovered and the technologies warped for military uses. Combat focused on resource deposits needed to build more powerful machines of war.

It was at this time that the aliens appeared. Whether they were the original inhabitants of Morgana Prime or not was unclear. They erupted from subterranean caverns and attacked the humans en masse with claws, teeth, and electrical and acidic missile attacks.

The humans turned their attention to these new, more savage foes. Combating the aliens, however, continued to deplete their limited resources. While one might have expected the common foe to unite humanity, greed and corruption undermined any alliances formed. This precarious state is the present.

Conflicts are again arising between human factions as each struggles to survive. Some enterprising humans are taking advantage of the situation, selling themselves, and the use of their war machines, to the highest bidder. Others loyally and aggressively defend their home faction.

The future of humanity is unclear. But who can think of their species' future when their present survival is threatened?