by Aeon Solo
“Let it come to us,” it said. Viden travelled into the darkness and emerged at Saturn. A wormhole used to instantly transfer the machines through the distance between the two masses lingered within the darkness.
“V, how we do stop this thing?” he enquired, hoping his assistant had an answer.
“Saturn was a star, why not, you know,” she said, but was interrupted.
“Fire it back up?” he commented with a smile.
“Yes!” she yelled happily. “They will be using technology to transfer energy from the star to a storage base, if we destroy this technology or deactivate it, the star will be reborn.”
“Let’s do it then, scan the place and find the target,” he responded.
“Will do,” she said.
Chapter 12
Ragnos burst into the room, the Admirals and Commanders conversed in the command centre.
“Ragnos!” Admiral Val exclaimed, it had been awhile. The room fell quiet upon his entrance. They exchange pleasantries and he enlightened the group of the good news.
“We must launch a galactic wide offensive whilst they are in disarray,” he said eagerly. “Without Anu or Enki, the Draco are vulnerable,” he added. Eyes wandered the room as people looked to one-another for responses.
“I concur,” Admiral Val said proudly, pleased to see an old friend.
“I agree also, for too long the Draco have pushed us back, now is the time we take back our galaxy!” Admiral Sarin said, to the applause of her colleagues. The group settled on a battle plan, the Alliance will launch a counter-offensive to all Draco controlled worlds simultaneously. Ragnos will lead a bulk force to the Zeta-Reticulan system, to take their main stronghold. All Alliance fleets were assembled for this gargantuan military operation. Meanwhile, in-fighting occurred as Draco warriors fought for leadership in the absence of Anu and Enki the Lord Archon.
After a day of preparations, they launched the offensive.
Admiral Val was with Ragnos in a hangar, they were about to leave. “Look at you eh, Admiral, ha-ha, gone up the ranks I see,” Ragnos said.
“Yeah, you could have been too,” he said. Ragnos had his smile diminish. “Well, you’re here now, so let’s do the business, for old times sake,” Admiral Val added, in hopes of bolstering Ragnos’s spirit. “You sure you can handle Aries without me?” Ragnos teased. They approached Ragnos’s ship in the hangar. “I’m an Admiral now, and the last I heard, you were getting your ass handed to you by the Black Sun,” Admiral Val teased.
“And if I remember correct, so did you,” he opened the ship to enter.
“Yes, because of you.”
“Good job I’m on your team then isn’t it,” Ragnos smirked. Admiral Val checked his wrist device and began to leave. “I suppose it is, please don’t get yourself killed, I have a score to settle.”
The Alliance Forces exited hyperspace in all the targeted systems and began an assault.
“Master, the Alliance have launched an offensive against the Draco,” an Archon stated.
“What!” it remarked, enraged.
“Yes, Anu’s former servant is attacking Reticula now,” he responded.
“I’m going in,” the Demiurge said.
“But master, it’s dangerous, if they see you,” the same Archon warned. The Demiurge interrupted him.
“They won’t see me, and if they do, they die,” it answered menacingly. If the Alliance witnessed the Demiurge appear from a portal, they will question the nature of their universe, putting its plan into jeopardy. Hathor’s manipulation was unseen by all but a few.
“Yes master,” it nodded.
Ragnos headed the battle in his ship, destroying Draco settlements with ease. Multiple capitol ships in space began a counter-attack on the Alliance ships. Hundreds of Draco ships were airborne to fight the thousands of Alliance fighters, they were quickly overwhelmed.
Ragnos landed on the ground near to the pyramid, he emerged from his craft and fired upon the Draco guards. He looked up, witnessing the massive conflict above him. Ships exploding, pulses of light rocketed through the atmosphere as ships fought one-another. A conflict last seen on this scale was the great battle for Alpha Draconis itself, a historic last stand.
He strolled towards the pyramid until a unique sound grabbed his attention from behind, he turned slowly to see the cause. A wormhole opened, and the Demiurge emerged. Ragnos lost his breath as he saw the monster appear from nothing. He fired a barrage of blasts from his weapon, all shots deflected off the back of the Demiurge, who turned and faced the legendary warrior.
“Ragnos,” it stated, in its deeply overpowering voice. He trembled slightly.
“Know me?” he replied arrogantly. The monstrosity smirked. “We will take Reticula, you’ve lost, just give in,” he demanded defiantly in the face of adversity.
“Look around human, in fact watch this,” it responded arrogantly. A massive gun transformed on its arm, a massive pulse was fired at a capitol ship, tens of miles away. The ship exploded on impact. Ragnos’s face contorted with anger, he screamed, firing upon the Demiurge once more. Again, the shots did nothing to its completely impenetrable avatar.
“How!” he screamed. It began to encroach toward him. He trembled back whilst he continued to fire upon it.
“I had great hopes for you Ragnos and you just threw it away,” it commented with disdain for the human.
“I could never serve you, no being ever could,” he roared back.
“Was it Kiki who changed you? Or perhaps your daughter changed you?” it grunted. It clutched Ragnos in its massive hand, he squirmed in the air unable to escape. Ragnos was a dedicated warrior and servant of Anu, but he found someone, much like Viden, who saved his soul from the darkness, his one.
“You killed them, you monster!” he muttered as loud as he possibly could.
“Only Kiki,” it remarked with glee. In his last second, he pondered on its response, did his daughter escape the devastation on Bamphia. He squirmed continuously. The Demiurge crushed him in its grip, dropping his lifeless body to the ground. He smashed the ground, blood poured from his mouth.
The Demiurge fired an assortment of weapons at the Alliance ships, single-handily changing the tide of the battle from the shadows. After some time destroying Alliance ships the Demiurge was interrupted by its servant. An Archon entered the simulation via the wormhole, in its true ethereal form, not that of a Draco elder.
“Master,” he said, “We have a breach,” he commented. The Demiurge scanned the atmosphere, the Draco were now overpowering the Alliance offensive after the Demiurge’s interference.
“Fine, I will sort it myself,” it remarked, the two entered the wormhole and returned to Saturn outside of the simulation.
The Draco endured the attack on Reticula, but lost countless systems. The Draco remained in control of about 5% of the galaxy, compared to 60% before. Despite their loss, the Alliance had also suffered major losses in resources after the defeat at Zeta Reticula. The Archon Elohim was dispatched by the Demiurge to command the Draco forces, now Anu and Enki were killed within the simulation.
Over the coming weeks and months, he launched a counter-offensive, taking back all strongholds and then some. The Alliance was falling, the galaxy lay at the feet of the Draco once more.
Ragnos’s offense, although initially a success, failed. The Alliance were eventually pushed back to the Sirius system after months of fighting. Unable to recuperate resources and man power, they prepared to make a final stand against the Draco, led by Admiral Val. They were outgunned, outnumbered and will certainly lose. They cannot let the Draco enslave the galaxy, so they will fight to the death to stop them.
Meanwhile Viden was conjuring up a plan of his own, Viola had identified their target within Saturn. Few war machines guard the objective, the Demiurge hadn’t had an intruder enter his domain before and is ill-prepared against a valiant Viden. Time does not exist in the meta-physical universe as it does in the simulation. Weeks and even
months have passed in what feels like moments to Viden. He was unaware of the situation, unaware of the death of his friend Ragnos.
“V drop me off at this station,” he commanded.
“What! The target is deep within the planet, or soon to be star,” she responded, puzzled by his request.
“You must do it, you are an AI like them, I will distract the Demiurge, giving you free-passage, I hope?” he responded.
“But you’ll die,” she retorted anxiously.
“Maybe, but I must face it V, I need to know the truth,” he said to her.
“No but, what will you breathe!” she said.
“Modify my suit, it won’t take long, besides this place isn’t like the simulation I don’t think there is air, I feel different, when I breathe, I’m not breathing exactly like before, it’s strange,” he tried to reassure her worries. She did as he requested, modifying his suit and armour just in case. She dropped him off at a station orbiting Saturn.
“I hope you know what you’re doing,” she said, as he departed in the ship. He carried a com link, so he could converse with her. She piloted the ship, but using her android body she leapt from the ship to find her target. She drifted through the atmosphere, passing through layers of swirling winds until she landed heavily on a metalloid construction. Her body could withstand the elements effectively, she managed to find an opening in this station.
Viden strolled through a dark, ominous chamber. He scanned his environment intently, searching for one. Lights activated ahead, directing him around a corner, he continued to walk through the corridors. He reached a vast, towering room. There were no colours, just black. He stood before a circular stand. Suddenly a large holographic projection emerged from it.
“Viden Asile,” the menacing voice emitted.
Meanwhile, Admiral Val was preparing a final defence in the Sirius system. Feet scurry uncontrollably through the military facility.
“Admiral, we have 5 fleets and 200 hundred fighters, it won’t be enough!” a captain yelled. He onlooked various holographic screens depicting various resources at his disposal, he smacked the desk in frustration. Various staff looked on defeated at the site of their leader distressed.
“We must try!” he exclaimed to the room, “We cannot bow in the presence of evil,” he continued.
“Sir, Admirals Joan and Hona have declared that their fleets will remain in their home system, they will not join us,” a man exclaimed from a desk nearby.
“Get every ship and able body in the air now! We have to be prepared, let them stay, if we fall the galaxy goes with it, let’s move!” he commanded. They began to set up their defences in anticipation of the coming conflict.
A few hours later a mass of Draco ships emerged from hyperspace and engaged the space defences of the Sirius system. Many ships were lost, but hundreds of fighters entered the atmosphere to combat Alliance fighters and ground forces. After an hour the Draco overwhelmed the space defences and destroyed the network of satellites, the Patsule space station arrived once the satellites had been destroyed. The ominous moon loomed over Sirius A, some of the population did not evacuate the planet, they looked to the atmosphere with horror. The main weapon, which was already prepared to fire, launched a dense rock at the planet. Like it did Earth, scorching the planet’s surface. In an instance, civilisation was wiped away. The meteor tore a massive hole in the planets crust, the shockwave echoed across the entire planet. A thick cloud of rock, soot and scorching temperature demolished all that’s in its path.
The station began to travel towards Sirius B, the Alliance had 30 minutes to prevent it. If it destroyed Sirius B, the last of the Alliance defences would be gone. Their morale was low, suffering substantial losses to their arsenal. They had been pushed back to a large military facility, where they will make a final stand. Admiral Val was told of the destruction of Sirius A and was organising a small task force to attempt to destroy the Patsule space station.
He was in the headquarters of the facility conversing with his colleagues.
“We have to stop that station, its already destroyed Sirius A!” he roared, infuriated by the news.
“But sir, we cannot get out of the atmosphere, we are locked down,” another Admiral yelled.
“We must try!” he pleaded. Eyes scattered across the room, no one seemed to know how to proceed.
“Admiral, the Moab,” a voice said in the crowd. Admiral Val raised his head from his hands.
“Of course, that’s it!” he bellowed, “We will give them a real hail Mary, Slick prepare my ship,” he said to a mechanic nearby. He turned towards the holographic screen to evaluate what assets he had at his disposal.
“I want every fighter we have to drive toward that station with me.”
“But sir, we are vastly outnumbered!” another screamed.
“Yes, but it’s all we have, I’ll take the Moab and detonate it, I need every ship we have to protect me,” he commented.
“But it’s a suicide mission!” the same fearful man exclaimed.
“Would you rather die trying or let them destroy this world too, it’s all we have!” he responded sternly. “Who’s with me?” Val exclaimed, the room fell silent for a few moments.
“I will join you, I will guide you to the station,” a young female, Sirian pilot answered. Admiral Val smiled, her response was shortly followed by more. The room erupted with hope.
“We have kept peace in this galaxy for over ten thousand years, we will be dammed if we fall now!” he roared. He motivated his forces and hundreds of ships; fighters, cargo ships, capitol ships, the lot prepared to embark on this final stand.
Elohim was onboard the Patsule space station directing the Draco forces.
“Charia, I want a task force to attack the base,” he commanded.
“Yes, my lord, how many?” he asked.
“25 fighters, rough them up before we get there, only 15 minutes until we arrive,” he said via the communication link. Charia directed a set of Draco fighters to the base The Alliance forces were prepared to embark, led by Admiral Val.
“Sir, Draco ships inbound,” a technician warned.
“We set off now, move!” he demanded. The array of ships entered the atmosphere.
Charia’s face dropped, a mass of ships approached him quickly. He snuffed a slight laugh of distain at the realisation of his fate. The two sets of ships collided, Charia was blasted out of the sky with his brethren, outmatched 10 to 1.
“My lord, a mass of Alliance ships is forthcoming,” a Draco commander commented to Elohim. He disregarded their efforts.
“Let them come.” His arrogance deceived him.
Chapter 13
The light of the projection revealed two guards. Viden stepped back a moment assuming he would be attacked, taking a defensive position. The hologram faded and a thick, ominous door opened ahead of him. A domineering presence emerged, darker than the dark, its twisted and morose. The Demiurge. It took the same form as the simulation, but its stature was reduced, despite that, its meta-physical form here towered over Viden. Each step it took down the large staircase echoed greatly, the vibrations reverberated through many frequencies. Viden cringed at the ‘noise’.
“Remember Viden, you are not your physical form, you are consciousness, you are everything, become what you need to be.” Sophia’s voice radiated in his head. She was communing with him from a far once more. The Demiurge came closer.
“Guards, find his companion,” it stated. The two machine warriors left the chamber.
“I’ve been awaiting this moment, Enki spoke very highly of you human,” it stated sternly. Viden closed his eyes, he breathed deeply. Focusing within, pleading with himself to remember, to feel it. The Demiurge came ever closer, it slashed a whip-like weapon. The sound forced Viden to open his eyes, he’s blasted back multiple feet by an attack from this weapon. He grasped his suit breathing heavily, hoping the suit wasn’t damaged.
“Enki was a valuable asset for eons! You will
pay for his death!” it roared.
Deep within he heard a voice, his own perhaps. ‘I am everything’ it would say. The Demiurge launched a projectile towards him, he caught it mid-air, he was flabbergasted by his own action.
“Impossible!” the Demiurge yelled. Viden rose to his feet, mouth gaping with disbelief beneath his mask. He unholstered his sword. It shined bright, it wasn’t quite the same as it was in the simulation, it wavered in his grasp.
“It is you,” the Demiurge remarked, slight fear gripping its terrifying tone.
“Now you have achieved true Gnosis,” Sophia commented proudly from afar.
Everything became clear, he understood everything now, remembered all now.
Flashback: Viden was stood mere inches from the ocean of darkness around the haven made by Sophia. She was stood beside him.
“She is there, she is with them, I must get to her, I need to save her,” he urged.
“You will experience terrible loss, I won’t be able to pull you out,” she warned.
“I know, but I can’t live without her,” he replied solemnly.
“I will try and help you on your journey, you resisted them before, I believe you may be the only one who can succeed in this endeavour,” she responded.
“I will try,” he said, he walked backwards into the darkness, looking to her deeply, she passed a supportive gaze. He screamed, his body contorted savagely, she winced at his suffering, feeling it herself, she fell to the ground in tears. He let go of everything, allowing the darkness to take him. She cried for a lifetime, feeling every one of her human losses.
“I have lived countless lifetimes, I’ve been tortured, manipulated and killed, by your Draco. I went through all that knowing the suffering that would ensue, just to have the chance to be here, to rid you from existence!” he snarled, determined and unphased by his opponent, stalking it. The Demiurge quivered slightly, never faced anyone so confident. It launched a rapid assault with a similar weapon of its own.