The year 2330 tossed Earth into chaos. Mass riots, panic, and governmental collapses weakened the human race beyond what anyone could imagine possible. No matter how many technological advances or ships we had, we couldn't comprehend the discovery of Hell.
Years ago, religion was pushed to the wayside for most individuals. Old stories and myths to try and keep some moral compass for young children as they grew. For others it provided a reason to live their lives a certain way. Churches had widely downsized, and the common person went on about their life doing as they pleased within the laws of their governments.
Political wars and economics dictated the directions of most governments during the preceding years to the discovery. The Moon and Mars had been colonized, tensions growing between them and Earth. The founding Earth based governments pushed for more resources and power like inconsolable children. But that all changed practically overnight.
Late in the evening of August 13, 2330, the explorer ship Diversion arrived in Triangulum galaxy (M33). This galaxy had been known to exist for centuries as it is the brightest star in Earth's sky and the farthest galaxy that a human can see with their naked eye from Earth. It happens to also be the second closest galaxy to our own, making it the next logical galaxy to be explored after the Andromeda galaxy. Planets were known to exist around three stars that made up the galaxy, but not much was known about whether they were habitable to us or even others.
Diversion ended its 2.7 million light-year journey without issue. Thanks to LPAE or Light Particle Accelerator Engines, the trip had only taken three months and the crew was ready to dive into their duties of cataloguing everything they could about Triangulum. Far away from home and all the politics, the crew found peace and accomplishment in their mission of discovery.
Excitement spread throughout the ship as images of planets, began to come in from the ship's external cameras and probes that had been launched automatically upon arrival. Several planets were frozen, too far from their stars, while others were just like our Jupiter and Saturn, gas covered or filled with atmospheric storms that would take more exploration to penetrate.
But what stood out the most was a planet just past the edge of the goldilock zone for human habitation, just slightly too close to its star. Lava flows and sulphur springs appeared across its surface that looked similar to a smoldering fire after the flames died. Just like flames extinguish, so did the feed from the probe. What had happened?
Diversion crew members frantically tried to re-establish connection to the probe, wondering what would have caused it too suddenly black out. Many possibilities existed, but most would have left a clue in the data feed from the probe. There was nothing, just an empty data stream.
"ነ፱፪ጮጎፕ ዐዪ ፪ቹ ጋልጮክቹጋ... ነ፱፪ጮጎፕ ዐዪ ፪ቹ ጋልጮክቹጋ..."
Suddenly appeared across all terminals on the ship. An unknown dialect and language to all the linguists on board, but the computer was frantically attempting to decipher the message from the probe.
What was even more strange, this message was being broadcast not just to the ship, but also beyond. Using the ships own relays to broadcast back to home, back to Earth.
"Translation in progress." The computer displayed back to the crew as terminals began to shut off around the ship, their screens flickering and turning red indicating system lock out.
"Translation in progress..."
"Translation in progress..."
"Submit or be damned... Submit or be damned..."
This was the last transmission received from the Diversion. The data stream back to Earth ending, with the gathered data and just one distorted image. A winged creature with horns and tusks smiling back as gothic style ships flew behind him from what appeared to be the surface of the planet covered in lava flows and sulphur.
Three months later Earth was attacked by these same ships, plunging the world into the chaos that would reshape it. The fleets and militaries of the world governments fought the best they could, sometimes working together and other times not, causing significant turmoil and confusion. The moon bases were lost and mars was abandoned as humankind fled back to earth under the assault of the unknown gothic fleet.
Earth stood alone, governments faltered and begged for answers. What were they to do against such an onslaught and unknown enemy? All intelligence gathering efforts, even those of neutral states like the Vatican, were focused on discovering what humankind was up against.
At the United Nations emergency conference, the Vatican felt they had an answer. Based on the image received, the dialect of the text from Diversion, and all other indicators, these were the forces of Hell. What damage had been done to the gothic fleet showed that the crew were all creatures that most would imagine residing in hell. Horned, tusked, winged, red, black, it was all there.
Worst of all they only had one message for humans, submit or be damned.
Pope Deidrick attended the UN conference himself, having been a relatively young Pope at the age of 42 who had served in the military before finding the priesthood. He brought with him the knowledge of the church and all things demonic. With that there was only one message he could deliver.
"We must fight Hell with the wrath of God on our side. Let our forces become Celestial and carry the sword and shield of the Father. Let us smite our demonic foe with the power of God."
Thus, the Celestial Empire came to exist, and Pope Deidrick was chosen as the first Holy Emperor, His Holiness. Amid the chaos and turmoil, humankind had to unite, and he was the only one making any sense of the situation or who had any sort of plan. Afterall if these were the legions of hell that humankind was fighting, who better to know how to defeat them?