by Kipjo Ewers
Horus paused for a moment reveling with a smile on his face.
“Villainous patsy, I love it. The progression of language is so tantalizing to my tongue.”
Graves lowered his head quietly clearing his dry throat as the Ancient continued his analysis.
“He takes this angel known as Satan or Lucifer, whatever, who supposedly attempts to wage war against his Creator, cast him and his followers down into a realm called Hell, and then names him the apex predator of evil and everything that goes wrong in the world. He is the first monster you are introduced to as a child, and with your very vivid imaginations, you unwittingly expanded on his lore making him the last creature you pray to never meet when you enter the afterlife and are judged.
The immense fear of this being and this realm of unfathomable horror is what sends you humans running like squealing pigs to your alleged Creator. Blindly surrendering without question your love, devotion, even on a monetary level to a Being, who none of you have ever met or asked through your ‘prayers’ why would He allow such a monstrous creature to roam free much less exist. As opposed to wiping it from existence, especially for having the audacity to challenge its own Creator.
You’ve all even fallen for this prophesied tale of this final battle between this God’s Son and this lowly creature who could not possibly hope to overcome the might of the One Who created it. Where the worthy are taken up to the land of milk and honey while the unworthy are left to remain here and suffer painful torment by this same creature given reign of this planet by your very own ‘Creator’ for a period of seven years until the final battle where good shall prevail over evil.”
Horus chuckled shaking his head in disbelief.
“By creating a villain out of one of his lackeys, your ‘Creator’ has made Himself into the ultimate hero. An incredibly simple plan so effective that it has lasted throughout the centuries, dwarfing every other known religion on this planet.
You are all so fanatically fearful of the ultimate boogeyman, that you have formed mistrust in each other, believing some are even in league with is ‘demon,' to the point that you break off into different factions of the same religion. Creating wars over the same God, believing each of your sides is the just side that will stand victorious beside your Creator in the epic battle to come.
I say to thee again it is the most deviously ingenious plan that even I myself could never have thought of in all my centuries imprisoned.
That is why I intend to duplicate it.”
Cold sweat washed down Grave’s back as he glanced at Dr. Alexander with an oblivious look on his visage.
“As you two already devised, humans are not the only intelligent sentient species in the known universe,” Horus began revealing his plan. “In fact, these other individual species if I remember numbered over thirty thousand. The reason why humans have never come in contact with these species is that the sector Earth resides in is defended by a mighty Empire that is a part of what is known as the Dominion Council. It is a collective of species that work similar to your United Nations to ‘protect’ the peace throughout the universe.”
Horus’s eyes fluttered in disgust as he finished his last sentence.
“What you do not know, is within this mighty empire is a crown prince that openly despises humans, the very species his empire is sworn to protect and would like nothing more than to find a justification to wipe our species off the face of this planet. So that he and his empire can gain control of this world, and the six viable planets similar to Earth within this sector that technically belong to the human race.
So, I secretly sent him the proof that he needed.”
Dr. Alexander staggered while Graves used every ounce of his muscles to keep from doing the same as they both wondered why Horus would do such a thing.
“You see before I transcended to godhood, I had an outstanding talent for reading people and knowing what they would do next. With this skill, I was able to get reasonable prices for my father’s livestock which my eldest brother forcefully took credit for.
And being that we are nearing the final moon cycle in which the Thracian Empire will have control over this sector, thereby within three weeks transferring power over to another governing world under the Council, I am very confident this Prince is terribly desperate.
And if he takes this proof and uses her in the way I know he will use her, he will be coming to play the villain I need him to play.”
Horus turned to each of them displaying a simple, calm smile on his face.
“It wasn’t really that hard to find her, even threw the dimensional portal the half-breed descendant of Amun-Ra sent her through. It also wasn’t that difficult to determine based on the impressive amount of damage she inflicted on this planet during the battle with the other female demi-god that she was capable of surviving the crushing forces of a black hole. Once I knew the general vicinity to search, it just took a little bit of time to pinpoint her location and send a cryptic message to my patsy revealing her proximity.
You see, what this Prince doesn’t know is that I have also been in contact with equally powerful empires outside of the Dominion Council who do not share their views nor their ‘protective hold’ over specific sectors of this universe. Realms that are also looking for any justification to expose the Council for what they truly are and wage war against them.
A war I know how to win.”
Horus walked over to Grave’s whose heart skipped several beats while his stomach wrenched itself into excruciatingly painful knots.
“In order to take my rule of this world, I must introduce it to pain, I must reveal to it true horror. Not from some lowly misbegotten demon throwing a tantrum, but from a real monster who wishes nothing more than to see mankind turned to ash and erased from existence for financial gain.
In the face of annihilation, the people will cry out for a savior.
And with a smile I shall whisper, ‘Never fear, I am here.’
And as their ‘hero,’ I shall use the Rebirth serum to give those that swear their allegiance to me the power that each of them craves. Power that their Jehovah was too selfish to bestow upon them. And through that power, they and countless generations after them will become eternally loyal to me forming the legions of soldiers I will need to crush and annihilate the Dominion Council.
And once the Council is no more, my new allies and I will carve up of the universe amongst ourselves.
And if this ‘God’ has a problem with me taking His plan for mine own, let Him come and take issue with me, if He dares.”
Horus’s savage grin, menacing cackle, and overwhelming presence made Grave’s legs rattle to the point he wanted to collapse. He almost did so as the Ancient placed a forceful hand on his shoulder.
“You shall be my herald boy, delivering my message of salvation. A just and heroic god risen in this world’s time of need to save it. You and your nectar sweet lying tongue shall make the masses enthralled and intoxicated with me.
And for your reward, I shall let you bear witness to my rule and the transformation of this world and the human race into mine own likeness …before I kill you.”
˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜
Several billion light years from Earth’s solar system.
Three massive starships flew at cruising speed to their destination.
The larger of the three flanked by the other two sailed through space with the shape of a sleek surfboard minus its fins with a dull shiny finish belonged to a race known as the Femadorians from Femado. A peaceful species with a somewhat accurate depiction of the mythical grey alien race some scientists, conspiracy theorists, and the one time “abducted” from mankind have thought visited Earth on many occasion.
Femadorians both male and female were hairless beings with large round heads, five fingers and toes, large dark jet-black slant eyes, and tiny ears. If they did not intermingle with other species, their skin type was either a s
late or pinkish grey. Femadorians were physically and anatomically equivalent to the majority of humanoid looking species in the universe, with both male and female possessing a slender muscular physique due to their diet which was ninety-nine percent vegetarian.
Femadorians usually wore little to no clothes due to their planet being unbearably hot and humid. When visiting other worlds, civilians and diplomats wore either a white or sky-blue outfit similar to that of Shaolin monks with open toe Grecian style sandals.
Those that commanded operated or maintained the ships wore a form-fitting shiny midnight colored bodysuit with split toe booties. The outfits varied from the bright neon colored piping that ranged from yellow, red, green, blue, and pink signifying each ship member’s station. Those that were on the bridge of the ship wore blue neon piping on their outfits.
A peaceful race dedicated to the advancement of science, medicine, and the arts, Femadorians were a species that abhorred violence of any kind.
To protect them on the diplomatic voyages, they were paired with Sarians from Sar.
Sarians had the appearance of humanoid foxes with fur covering their entire body varying from red, black, white, orange, blue, and purple. Some trimmed down the hair on their bodies but let the hair on the top of their heads grow out to mimic hairstyles from other species.
Like Earth foxes, Sarians also had long bushy tails. Unlike their primitive Earthly counterparts, Sarian males possessed three tails, while the females had four. Like their Earthly counterparts they had digitigrade hind legs with three toes, and three fingers with a thumb.
Similar to Femadorians, Sarians also abhorred violence, preferring diplomacy over confrontation on any given day. Where they varied was when after all forms of diplomacy failed. Sarians with a combat code similar to Bushido was known for being the fiercest and deadliest combatants in the universe rivaling the likes of the Thracians, Annunaki, and the all but extinct Razcargians.
The reason being was that Sarians strived for one purpose in life. Perfection. Each Sarian both male and female when they came of age were taught to strive for ultimate perfection, so much so that it was rare for a Sarian to make a mistake even in combat.
On this day, the Femadorian vessel containing the Prime Minister of Medicine was accompanied by two Sarian battleships which had the shapes of two dull red swords. Each Sarian ship had a large ring that vertically encircled the body of the vessel in between their stubby dual wings with glowing red lights emitting on the inside of the ring.
Each Sarian crew member’s outfit consisted of a form-fitting blue and white bodysuit with a black fishnet pattern on the torso of the uniform. The arms of the suit ran the length of the wearer’s wrists while the pants stopped at the kneecaps. The remainder of their legs were covered by a black open toe boot allowing their trimmed toe claws zero restriction.
The ships’ diplomatic mission was to bring a device to the planet of Olmaron Seven, the newest members of the Dominion Council, that would help its inhabits who were experiencing the worst drought in their planet’s history by using the power of the sun to create rain clouds around their entire world.
“Admiral Vextora, the ship is detecting an object in our trajectory moving at hyper light speed,” a Sarian crewman announced. “It appears to be extremely small, too small to be a vessel. It will be here in less than two ovules.”
One ovule being equivalent to two Earth minutes drew great concern to Admiral Vextora as she stroked her purple fur chin with sprinkles of silver revealing her age. Unlike the rest of her crew, she wore a long tan trench coat that had a look of leather but simulated cloth as it flared in the back with the style of a London opera coat. A split in the middle of the coat allowing her four fluffy purple and silver tails to hang out. Attached to the shoulders of her jacket were silver emblems of a creature that appeared to be the mixture of a fox and a serpent chasing its own tail into a circle with a blue eight-pointed star gem in the middle signifying her current rank.
Before the Admiral could give the command, the hailing signal from the other two ships sounded within the command deck. The main screen came alive as the communications officer patched in the Captain of the Femadorian vessel wearing golden shoulder boards with Femadorian markings attached to his bodysuit linked together by a thin golden chain across his chest. On the other screen with the Captain of the second Sarian ship wearing a short bomber style version of the Admiral’s coat with the same emblems in gold on the shoulders of the jacket with a red six-pointed star gem.
“Admiral Vextora, I take it you are detecting what we are detecting?” The Sarian Captain asked.
“We are Captain Ashira,” Admiral Vextora nodded. “Captain Obisian, we ask that you reduce your ship’s speed taking up position behind us and raise your defensive shields. It may be nothing due to its size, but we would prefer to take precautionary measures.”
“Understood,” Captain Obisian bowed. “We shall comply.”
In the midst of their conversation, the Prime Minister of Medicine and his family consisting of his mate, daughter and newborn son walked onto the bridge of the ship.
“Is everything well Captain Obisian?”
“We have detected something small entering our course direction, Prime Minister Edovon,” Captain Obisian spoke to him in their native tongue, “We don’t believe it to be life-threatening, but are taking precautionary measures just in …”
Captain Obisian’s sentence was interrupted by a planet-shaking shockwave from an energy blast that torn through the defensive shielding and hull of Admiral Vextora’s ship.
“We’re under attack!” Admiral Vextora howled. “Captain Ashira, prepare to take …!”
Captain Ashira would never hear the Admiral’s order as another powerful blast pierced the defensive shielding ripping a large hole through the Captain’s bridge straight to the rear engine. Captain Ashira’s ship became a thick brick of firecrackers lighting up before becoming a blazing fireball sending shrapnel and dead remains flying everywhere through space pelting the other two remaining vessels.
Another shearing blast came from the tiny assailant tearing through space ripping through the Femadorian vessel’s defensive shielding and burning through the left side of the hull causing incalculable destruction and loss of life sending the massive ship into a damaged drift.
“Captain Ashira’s ship has been destroyed!” Admiral Vextora’s second in command barked. “Captain Obisian’s ship appears to be badly damaged and disabled!”
“Status report on our ship!”
“Shields are down! Communications have been disabled! Damage on all floors with casualties! Almost three-quarters of our stabilizers are offline as well as the secondary engine! Whoever it is knew exactly where to hit us!”
“Our shielding has been known to deflect energy projectiles with strength equivalent to small a sun!” Admiral Vextora snarled. “Only a handful of species in the known universe wields such a power!”
“We have a visual of her!”
Admiral Vextora and her crew stood transfixed at the woman casually floating in space staring back at them wearing a black and red bodysuit with a hood attached covering the majority of her head and face. Red metal bracers and black shin high boots completed her outfit. All that could be seen to identify the assailant were her glowing blue eyes and a golden symbol on the shoulders of her suit.
“The energy she is emitting is distorting facial recognition,” the communications officer announced. “The symbol on her shoulders means freedom, it is a human symbol of the planet known as Earth.”
“That …is a human?” Admiral Vextora asked.
“Admiral, I believe so.”
Admiral Vextora turned to her second in command and knew what he was going to say.
“At our current state, there is no way we’d be able to retaliate and win.”
The Admiral then turned to the rest of her crew as they looked back at her with faces that told her they had already accepted their fate.
“Can you establish communication with Obisian’s ship?” The Admiral asked.
“Attempting every possible way to reestablish communication,” her communications officer announced. “It appears she’s managed to disable his vessel as well.”
“One human capable of pinpointing the weaknesses of two foreign ships? Not likely.” The Admiral growled. “Employee all working stabilizers and engines. Put us in front of the Femadorian ship and open fire! We shall go down buying them enough time to escape! Today we shall embrace the perfect death!”
“As you command Admiral!” Her crew roared in their native tongue.
As commanded Admiral Vextora’s ship began to move via its remaining stabilizers and engines while it unleashed a barrage of energy cannon fire from all of its working guns at a tiny target they had no chance of hitting.
Admiral Vextora initiated a howling war cry which was chimed in with her crew as they braced themselves for the return fire which tore through the main deck of the ship killing everyone instantly. Admiral Vextora’s vessel erupted going the same way Captain Ashira’s battleship went leaving just Captain Obisian’s craft which was savagely buckshot by the shrapnel and remains from both warships that had fallen.
During the onslaught, Captain Obisian was bought enough time to get the Prime Minister and his family to the transporter room. Prime Minister Edovon held his mate’s shaking hand as thick black tears poured from her large eyes.
“We have very little time Adula,” He whispered. “The jump portal is only functional enough to transport the three of you. It will take you to Obadara where you can activate the beacon for aide to come to you.”
“Lie not to me Edovon,” her voice cracked. “You too can come with us.”