by Aeon Solo
“I’ve lost everyone.” Unphased by his apparent achievement in the Archons eyes.
“I hate you; I hate my life!” he screeched a moment later, the pain of a thousand lifetimes.
“It’s that hate, that will, that will make you the greatest human in the galaxy, at my side,” he responded proudly.
Again a few moments passed without conversation.
“Why don’t you just kill me?” he pondered, surprised the Archon hadn’t killed him given the circumstances.
“You are fulfilling your destiny Krai,” the Archon responded.
“A destiny of suffering!” he snarled back. He slumped to the ground almost, completely defeated in mind.
“You defeated Monstah and my guards. You stood up to me, that takes courage that no one else had, not even Monstah. Courage that will serve you well in the war to come,” he explained calmly. “I’ve learnt a great deal from you, with our combined strength we will finish what my master started, and you, you will be by my side. We can destroy the Alliance, make them pay for killing the woman you loved,” he explained proudly.
“Your master?” Viden questioned, confused. “Anu?” he asked.
“Yes,” the Archon responded vaguely. This was a ruse, he and Anu are subservient to one.
Nothing could have gone better for the Archon’s plan. He has Viden at the tip of his fingers, but most importantly on his side now the Alliance caused the death of Mara. Monstah was a necessary loss for the Archon, that beast had served his purpose.
“If I join you then there are rules, I will not engage in the destruction or domination of innocent people,” Viden said firmly, hoping he could influence the Archon for the better. The Archon smirked beneath his guise.
“Very well,” he replied, pleased.
“And you aren’t eating people anymore!” Viden remarked firmly again. With the Alliance fleet destroyed and Mara’s death he had nothing, he had lost his heart, everything he loved had been destroyed by both sides of this galactic war.
“Of course,” the Archon retorted, whilst he grabbed the mask of Anu-Krai beside him. He offered it to Viden, who analysed his helmet in the Archon’s hand.
“Welcome back Anu-Krai.”
Volume two
Galactic Conquest
Chapter 1
People flurried throughout a control room.
“Commander Sampson!” a woman exclaimed, desperate for her supervisor to approach her.
“What happened?” he enquired.
“The fleet! It’s gone!” she said, pointing to her hologram of where the fleet once was.
“What do you mean gone? Twenty-two ships don’t just disappear!” he yelled, two other men scuttled over from behind.
“Sir, the fleet has been destroyed,” one said, horror visible in his eyes. They all glanced at one another in disbelief at the situation.
“I must meet with the other Admirals immediately. I will send a scout to that location,” he said with haste as he left the control room. The three glanced at one another once more and returned to their duties.
Commander Sampson was from the former nation of Japan, countries had been disbanded for thousands of years prior. The Earth was labelled in sectors, no borders when the world is one.
The commander entered a control room where holographic projections of various Admirals of the Alliance Forces were awaiting his counsel. The Admiral’s wore navy blue, Commander’s, a silky white. A great contrast to the general dark attire of his inferiors. Admirals and Commanders were practically equal ranking.
“You wished to see us commander, be quick,” one said frankly to the visibly distressed Sampson.
“A beacon was activated, a fleet was sent to the location, the fleet was then destroyed within an hour.” The words hit the atmosphere with great power as the room became silent for a moment. Gasps and sighs radiated whilst the Admirals looked at each other for support.
“I believe the Draco may have returned,” he added.
“That’s impossible, we pushed them back to Draconis and wiped out their entire system!” an Admiral exclaimed.
“Yes, but no other force has the means or reason to destroy an entire fleet!” the commander responded in an elevate tone.
“Are you sure of this?” another Admiral asked.
“No, I will send a scout to the system, hopefully they can identify the culprits and return to us safely,” the commander responded.
“Send another fleet,” the first Admiral said grimly.
“I will not commit another fleet to death, Admiral Tomkins, not until I have full knowledge of the situation!” Commander Sampson barked in kind, matching the ferocity of the Admiral’s tone. Admiral Tomkins grunted with disdain at the commander, he was the most arrogant of the military leaders.
“I will oversee the situation, good day,” he stated. The holograms faded away, leaving the commander alone in the room. He inhaled deeply, acutely concerned.
A young woman, mixed-race, Asian and Caucasian, was leaning against a spherical ship with music radiating from a headset. She chewed gum and gyrated her body to the beat of the sound. Commander Sampson approached her.
“I have an important task for you,” he said to her. She jerked off the ship removing the headset.
“And what would that be?” she responded bluntly. Commander Sampson activated a hologram of the location where the fleet was destroyed.
“A fleet was sent here after a beacon was activated. Their signal is dead, and we must assume the worst,” he said. “I need you to scout the area and report to me, only me!” He turned to walk away but halted suddenly.
“And Regina, stay safe, this is a very dangerous and important mission,” he said nervously.
“I’m sure I can handle myself,” she replied, smiling confidently.
“You’re just like her,” he said, recalling memories of his deceased wife.
Regina received a notification in a portable device showing the location in space of the fleet. She analysed the device for a moment, spat out the gum into a bin nearby and watched her father return to the massive construction of the military headquarters. She entered her ship and plotted a course to Agarta.
Her father was very protective of her since her mother died. He had tried ever so hard to keep her close, but she was one of finest pilots in the Alliance and the only person he could truly trust.
Sometime later she emerged from hyperspace above Agarta, music blasting in the ship. She analysed the scattered remains of the fleet, her normally relaxed persona stunned at the sight. She franticly scanned the area for hostiles. She entered the atmosphere of Agarta to investigate further, when a pulse of energy rocked her ship affecting the controls. The music shut off and was replaced by various warnings radiating from the ships AI system. She struggled to control the ship and after some time landed heavily in Kinana, in a dense woodland. Her ships inertia modifier protected her body from the G-force.
She sent a quantumly entangled distress signal to her father, in the hope she would soon receive assistance. She got out of the damaged ship displeased, scanning the atmosphere for the weapon that shot her down. She evaluated the damage and prepared to fix the ship.
“Ah shit,” she exclaimed, whilst kicking the ship. It would take some time before she could be airborne without external assistance. She had the AI evaluate the damage. It dispatched an android to begin the repairs needed. She examined the area, blaster in hand for protection. A large triangular ship, deep black, zoomed over her. Relatively low in altitude, it landed before a palace far in the distance. She followed the ship through the dense woodland, running after it, it took her fifteen minutes to find it.
The Mikasa landed by the palace of Kinana, where its leader was stationed, the Archon exited, and approached the gate. Five guards stood before him on the other side, weapons poised to attack. He laughed arrogantly at the quivering men, he blasted through the gate with his fist and dispatched the men with ease. He walked up a staircase and opened the
palace door. He entered a large room decorated with ancient stonework, from the original settlers from Bamphia. The King of Kinana leapt from his throne deep into the room.
“What are you!?” he exclaimed with horror. Multiple guards amassed around the Archon, ready to pounce to protect their king.
“I am god, and you will submit to me or die!” he said frankly to the petrified humans.
“Never!” the King screamed, confident his guards would overwhelm the Archon. The fifteen guards began an assault on the Archon who, within a minute, killed all of them horrifically. He paced toward the gobsmacked king and clutched his throat, he squealed as he squirmed in the air.
“Submit or die,” the Archon snarled. The king gasped for air, struggling to respond.
“Ok, yes I submit!” he said with intense difficulty, hoping the Archon will release his overpowered grip. He fell to the ground scratching for air.
“Good, you saved us both time and resources,” the Archon replied.
“A representative of mine will arrive soon, we have a galaxy to take,” he remarked confidently. He left the demoralized king on the ground grasping his neck. The king glared intently at the Archon with pure hatred as he exited the palace.
Regina concealed herself in the woodland, the Mikasa in sight, she watched the Archon enter the ship and return to Naprador. She recognised the mask and appendages from her time in school.
“Draco,” she murmured under her breath. She rushed back to her ship.
“Regina,” the AI said, “The fault in the control system has been fixed, the ship is operational, however there is some risk of complete system failure.”
“We have to return to Earth now. Is the hyperdrive operational?” she asked urgently.
“Yes,” the AI responded.
“Then let’s go now!” she said, agitated. The ship raised from the ground, rocketing through the atmosphere, in a flash of light the ship entered hyperspace on its return to Earth.
The Archon, who was still aboard the Mikasa, received a transmission from Charia.
“My lord, a small vessel entered Agarta from hyperspace and we fired upon it.”
“Destroyed?” the Archon asked inquisitively.
“No, disabled, it crashed somewhere in Kinana, but our scope lost track of it a moment ago. We believe it escaped to hyperspace before we could destroy it.” A few moments passed without response from the Archon whilst he appraised the situation.
“Ok, ensure our weapons are primed, the Alliance will return soon.” The transmission ended, and the Archon returned to his pyramid in Naprador.
Regina exited hyperspace above Earth, passing through the space security measures. She landed by the military headquarters. Upon landing, her father rushed over to her.
“Are you alright? I received a distress signal,” he said anxiously, whilst hugging her tight.
“I’m fine,” she remarked, displeased with the hug. “Come on, get off!” she said sternly. She disliked the public show of affection. He laughed in response, shaking his head slightly.
“Father I saw them. I saw the Draco,” she said profoundly.
Commander Sampson’s smile faded instantly upon confirming his theory. “Then fate of the Alliance is in jeopardy.”
Chapter 2
An obsidian door opened and Anu-Krai emerged from the corridor.
“Ah Krai, come I have good news,” the Archon said, his voice radiating through the chamber. The Knight approached the Archon to receive the information.
“I did as you suggested and the king of Kinana surrendered, after I gave him a little talking to, of course,” he said gleefully.
“Good,” a smirk smeared across the Knights covered face. “Now we can focus on the Alliance.”
“Yes, a scout from the Alliance scoured the planet and despite it being fired upon it escaped. I have ordered Charia to prepare for another assault,” the Archon said as he completed his sentence. He walked over to Anu-Krai grasping his shoulder, he gestured for them to leave the throne room together.
“I have a gift for you.” They left the pyramid and piloted the Mikasa. They made passage to a moon around a nearby planet using a small hyperspace route. The craft entered, what appeared to be a crater on its surface, the crater bed opened allowing passage deep into the planetoid.
“What is this place?” Anu-Krai enquired, shocked by the scene.
“A base,” the Archon answered.
They landed on a large open platform where they were greeted by numerous Draco.
They exited the Mikasa to the subservient bows of the Draco labourers.
“My lord, project Aurora is now complete, and we are making significant progress on Black Manta,” one of them stated to the Archon.
“Good, you serve me well Tej,” the Archon responded. They all stood and guided the Archon deeper into the facility, taking him and the Knight to project Aurora. They entered a control room with a thick glass window showing a deep-purple triangular craft. Anu-Krai was amazed by the site.
“My lord, Aurora,” Tej described, gesturing to the craft before them. The Archon entered the hangar, encouraging Anu-Krai to follow.
“This is my gift for you,” the Archon announced. Anu-Krai glided his hand over the surface of the craft.
“A gift? For me?” he pondered, his voice modifier unable to suppress his delight.
“Yes, if we are to take back this galaxy you need a ship. I will show you inside,” the Archon said.
They entered the craft. It was quite like the Mikasa but with modifications to suit a human pilot. It was smaller at thirty-five feet on all sides, a deep-purple colouration, like his mask. They went to the cockpit.
“I have designed this craft like my own, but with specific modifications to suit you as a human,” the Archon described. “It interfaces with your mind. I’ve tailored it specifically to your individual frequency, so manoeuvring the craft will become fairly simple.” Anu-Krai seated himself in the chair and a navigational chart emerged in front of him with two weapon modules, a handprint either side. He evaluated the apparatus around him.
“This navigational chart can be used for plotting travels through hyperspace, the two modules beside you are for integrating your consciousness with the ship.” The Knight looked up to the Archon behind him with a masked expression of bewilderment, the Archon sensed it.
“Viola,” the Archon blurted.
“Yes, Lord Archon,” a pleasant female voice responded, Anu-Krai’s eyes darted around the craft stunned by the voice.
“It’s an AI, artificial intelligence system. I gave it the name, it will assist you in your operation of the craft, a personal assistant if you will,” the Archon commented.
“Hello?” Anu-Krai enquired hesitantly, hoping to commune with the AI system.
“Hello, Krai,” Viola responded. A grin radiated his face whilst he engaged in conversation with the AI.
“This is amazing,” he said to the Archon, thrilled that he had his own personal ship to operate.
“Viola can help you with navigation and operation of the craft, it has full access to the motherboard of the ship, it has various known hyperspace routes and co-ordinates in the navigation chart,” the Archon explained further.
“Give it a try, you will have to remove your gloves for you to link with the craft,” he requested. Anu-Krai removed his gloves and mask, placing his hands on the modules. A riveting sensation radiated through his body as his mind connected with the ship, he took a deep breath.
“Do you feel it?” the Archon enquired.
“Yes, this is…something else,” Anu-Krai responded, slightly nervous. He manoeuvred the craft out of the hangar, through a long tunnel which opened, leading them out of the crater down a similar passage to the one which they had used to enter the station.
“Woah,” he said, laughing, filled with delight. He piloted them out of the crater and into the thin atmosphere of the moon.
“Good,” the Archon said. “This ship is equipped wit
h weapons for when the time is right, ask Viola to activate the weapon system,” the Archon requested.
“Viola, activate the weapon system,” he stated aloud to the AI assistant.
“Activating weapon systems,” the AI responded. In an instant the cockpit window was modified by holographic targeting icons.
“You can move the target icons with your fingers on the panels,” the Archon remarked once more. Anu-Krai manoeuvred his right forefinger in different directions and the targeting icon followed his commands. Like a mouse on a touch pad.
“To fire manually tap your finger, on the right is the primary blaster, on the left is a heavy impact anti-matter missile, do it,” the Archon said. The Knight followed his instruction, tapping his finger, firing pulses of energy from the craft into empty space. He couldn’t help but smile from his eyes at the site. He had dreamed of such things. Dreaming of leaving Agarta, it was all he dreamt and more. The darkness of space, glints of the stars, danced across the abyss. “Viola can access the weapons system too if needs be, it can also pilot the craft.”
He fired the secondary weapon and a heavy impact anti-matter missile was released, cascading through empty space, for an eternity.
“This is incredible,” the Knight commented, “I don’t know what to say, thank you.” He was so thankful for this gift.
“Plot a course for Agarta,” the Archon requested, hoping the Knight had listened well to his tutorial.
“Viola, take us back to Agarta,” he said.
“Yes, activating hyperdrive now,” Viola responded, the ships hyperdrive engine roared to life and they zoomed through hyperspace, arriving above Agarta within moments.
“How is this possible!?” the Knight said joyfully.
“You don’t know the half of it. Looks like you’ve got a decent understanding of it so far, now take us back to Patsule,” the Archon replied. They travelled back to the space station where the Archon communed with his lead scientists whilst Anu-Krai continued to practice in his new-found spaceship.