“As time went on, it was clear we wouldn’t have genuine independence; Olympia would never treat us as equals. The Council continuously forced their own laws on our people, but refused to give us representation within any major governing body. To this day, we still have no say over our destiny. Our people feel precariously balanced between prisoners of war and second-class citizens; obviously, neither is preferable.
“We’ve come to Earth to create an alliance and, together, we can push Olympia out of this area of space.”
Lugh sat back and looked off into the distance. His mind absorbed Vili’s story like a sponge and began rapidly triaging a series of questions in response. “Why does the Olympian public recognize your ‘autonomy,’ but not ours?”
“The research occurring around Earth is being kept secret from the public. They know Earth exists, but they’re being told that you’re still too primitive to develop the technology necessary to detect and communicate with other intelligent civilizations.”
Lugh leaned forward. “Ok, but won’t going to war with them dissolve any sympathy the public has for us or the Aesir?”
“Possibly, but the Council won’t want to admit what they’ve been doing out here. Moreover, going to war with the Aesir won’t be as easy as some in Olympia may think. We have weapons to rival theirs and are positioned to instantly strike vital locations in any conflict with them.
“If Earth joins us, then we’ll have strength in numbers and we’ll be able to build a stronghold out here, where there is very little Olympian presence.”
“Is the location of Earth more valuable to you than its people?” Lugh’s voice was completely back to his signature mix of stern and considerate.
“Not quite. Though, I think both are a tremendous advantage if we are going to face Olympia.”
“How are you going to convince humans to fight in the first place? What do they—we— have to gain or lose in this spat?”
Vili moved to sit down across from Lugh. “Apart from no longer being involuntary subjects in an experiment? Well, for starters, you can prevent the Olympians from destroying your planet. I don’t see why they’d want to keep you around after they finish their observations. At that point you’d just be a liability to them.
“Additionally, my team and I will be able to advance Earth by a millennium over the next year. We’ll help humans forge their own place in the galaxy. If the humans agree to an alliance with us then, once we establish our own small sector of space, we can divide it among our civilizations.
“We’d really only want something toward the edge of the galaxy. If you look at the big picture, we actually wouldn’t be asking for much from the Olympians, especially considering it would be an agreement to prevent war.”
“They would willingly give up territory and planets to avoid a fight with their previous and current subjects?”
“The Olympians wouldn’t need to give up anything except empty, useless space; we would reposition the location of your system and ours—the Asgard system—further out to the edge of the galaxy.”
Lugh stood up in amazement from what Vili had just matter-of-factly said. “You’re able to move entire solar systems?”
Vili smiled. “Yes. And that’s only one of many advances we plan on sharing with Earth, assuming your planet agrees to an alliance.”
Lugh started pacing. “I don’t have the authority to make these decisions one way or another—I’m not sure anyone does—but I guess you’d have to start with the U.N.”
“All in good time. For now, I’m curious as to what we unlocked in your genes. Feel any different? You look much better.”
With those words, Lugh stopped pacing and flexed his hands. I feel good. Really good. “My mind feels…clearer. I can recall manifold details about my life that time had slowly eroded.
“My body feels remarkable. I feel no pain or fatigue—I can’t even imagine what those feel like.” He looked closer at his hands. “My hands—I had a small callous that I peeled off, revealing my second layer of skin. It looks like my top layer is slowly, but noticeably, growing back.”
Vili stood up to take a look. “Yep. Very minor rapid self-repair. Your immune system just jumped millions of years in evolution. And increased intelligence? Well, at least a sharper memory and quicker thinking—should be the result of an increased density of neurons in parts of your brain. In fact, Sigyn might be able to determine which parts and map that to theoretical improvements.”
Lugh looked up at him in amazement, his hands still outstretched and his head shaking. “Wow…I…” He took a deep breath to compose himself. “How do we figure out what else changed?”
Vili gave Lugh a once over. “Have you always had that?” Vili said as he pointed to Lugh’s mid-section.
Lugh’s shirt was still damp with sweat and clinging to his stomach. He noticed eight muscular bumps outlined by his clammy shirt. “No…” Lugh then flexed his arms. “It’s not just more visible, but I think I have more muscle. How is that possible?”
Vili inspected his arms. “Probably your body becoming more efficient at building muscle. You were tossing and turning a lot. Flexing, sweating, and fighting the transformation. You basically just had an intense workout, and this is your body responding.”
“That’s…incredible.”
Vili slapped him on the shoulder and smiled. “Looks like you may have warrior blood!”
Concern flooded Lugh’s body; not fear, but concern. “I’m trained in law, not battle. I’m not sure my mindset is that of a ‘warrior.’”
“I have a feeling you’ll be a quick study—it’s literally in your DNA.”
“Warrior blood…” Lugh said aloud while thinking. “You said there were humans in antiquity with these enhanced bloodlines activated for some time, right? Does that mean some legends of demigods—like Hercules and Achilles—may also have a kernel of truth to them?”
“Possibly. Those are better questions for my team. One of them in particular has spent an inordinate amount of time studying ancient research facilities like the ones on Earth. While we wait for them, let’s run through some basic Aesirian combat drills. I want to get a better sense for how you’ve changed.”
Act II, Chapter 8
Discovered
Location: Pachacamac, Peru
Sigyn furnished Loki with directions as he piloted them in the Linter he stole from the facility in Bandurria. She guided him along the path the Olympians took hours earlier. They listened to communication broadcasts they could pick up from the humans, portraying Earth as crumbling under the knowledge of alien existence.
“Humans seem so emotional and unstable: their societies are rapidly decaying from the very fact that they aren’t alone in the galaxy,” Sigyn said.
“You don’t know the half of it. Basilio’s rambling on the flight to Nazca taught me nearly nothing factual about Earth, but it provided me with volumes on how humans think.”
“…And?” Signy said. Loki sometimes intentionally left interesting ideas unfinished, prompting whoever he was conversing with to ask him to continue. Probably because it’s a chance for others to fuel his ego.
“And humans hold strong, but erratic allegiances. I talked to Basilio for hours and still couldn’t comprehend most decisions he made, from why he is a pilot to why he supports certain government officials. Everything was based on either random events that shouldn’t have anything to do with his decisions or extensions of other, illogical allegiances. I’m not sure what we’ll need to do to get them to agree to an alliance with us.”
Sigyn looked out her window ruefully. And I thought the Aesir could be too emotional. “Can we trust them with advanced tech?”
“Why not? Sure, between my conversation with Basilio and the fact that Earth is falling apart, they may blow themselves up, but who cares? That’s their choice.” Loki glanced over at Sigyn. “You sound like an Olympian speaking about the Aesir.”
Sigyn shot a look of ire in his direction. “The Aesir are no
where near as illogical as these humans appear to be.”
“How is that different from how the Olympians view us? We’re illogical and less sentient in their eyes. They have their fears of rapid technological progression in any species—even their own.”
“Those concerns are exaggerated. The Aesir have been making heaps of ‘artificial’ progress and we haven’t destroyed the galaxy. We have enough self-awareness to be trusted with any technology the Olympians possess.”
Loki smirked. “Definitely. We wouldn’t, you know, use that tech to murder their scientists, take over a secret lab, and start a war.”
Sigyn’s face flushed hot. “Loki, this is different and you know it. The Olympians are unrefined barbarians who tortured and slaughtered our ancestors.”
“‘Are’ or ‘were?’ How long can you stay angry at an entire civilization for something their government decided to do one thousand years ago? The more the Aesir focus on the sins of the past the less we’ll integrate with them, and the less likely they’ll view us as equals,” Loki’s voice was redolent with a concern that surprised Sigyn.
“How can we not focus on that? How can we trust their government to run our society in a just way?” Sigyn forced her mind deeper into the cultural conflict, grasping for additional justifications for their mission. “Even their public is lukewarm to us, at best. Many still view us as ‘Lessers,’ rationalizing their view by pointing to the fact that Aesir are so ‘unevolved’ that we can’t produce fertile offspring when we mix with their ‘superior’ genetics.
“If the Olympians really wanted to build trust with us then they’d allow an Aesirian onto their Council.”
“Come on, you don’t believe that. You—and I’m guessing most of us born after the Fracturing—find this whole situation a little forced. Were the Olympians psychopaths in the past? Sure, but weren’t all civilizations from someone’s perspective? Do you think the Aesir are spotless when it comes to degrading sentient life? We slaughter and torture creatures of ‘lesser’ sentience to advance our own society—how do you think we figured out how to modify genetics so skillfully? Countless animals suffered and died for every small advance we made, not to mention the research we used from the experiments on our deceased ancestors.”
Sigyn didn’t want to continue down this road. She already struggled to stay resolute to the elders’ cause. Small imperfections in the version of history painted by the Aesir had leaked into the foundation of her convictions; she certainly didn’t need Loki turning that leak into a geyser. “We’re getting off topic. I don’t think we can just trust any civilization with advanced tech. We have to weigh the benefits and consequences not only to their society, but the galaxy as a whole.”
“Now I know you’re an Olympian in disguise.”
Sigyn didn’t respond. He’s not worth it.
They continued to fly with the news of Earth’s panic in the background as they neared Pachacamac.
* * *
“The trail ends here, but…” Sigyn was frantically looking at the sea, the shore, and then the sky. “I think one Olympian is still on land and one flew up—possibly out of Earth’s atmosphere.” Concerned, she turned to Loki. “Skadi and her forces should be able to take care of any that leave Earth, right? She should be out there by now.”
“Maybe. I guess we’ll find out if Olympian reinforcements show up,” Loki replied with no hint of concern.
Does he even care about this mission? “Let’s land a few kilometers away from the site. We’ll want to be able to inspect the area a bit to figure out where the Olympian is hiding, but we’ll also need a quick escape route if they spot us.”
“I’ll be sure to keep the engines running,” Loki said, almost sarcastically, as he began his descent.
The Pachacamac site below them was covered by the ruins of a few stone temples and pyramids, built by the local population thousands of years prior. The infertile area was no more than 6 square kilometers in size, with sparse vegetation between the rolling hills of rock and dirt. Weak signs of civilization sprinkled the edge of the compound. Had a primitive race came across this site they would have thought the temples were in the middle of construction, an homage built to the pyramid being birthed from a mountainside: brand new except for soil and rock that obscured its true shape.
Sigyn and Loki sat dazed in the early morning dawn as they descended to a spot behind a hill dotted with enough brush to act as sufficient cover. Sigyn wasn’t sure how much cover they’d need given the shadow of civilization was at least two kilometers away in any direction.
She caught a reflection of herself in the dark cockpit window. The heavy bags under her eyes looked like they were dragging her down to hell. We’ve been fighting, traveling, and hiding for a few days now—we need sleep. She looked at Loki and saw his eyes glazing over. Maybe lack of sleep is why he is being such a prick.
“Loki, we need to rest. We know where at least one Olympian is, and I’ll be able to follow their trail if they move. Why don’t we sleep for a few hours before we approach the site?”
Loki sighed. “I agree.”
“We have good cover here. Kill the engines and put on the auto pilot. Program it to accelerate toward the ocean if anything larger than a child walks within a half of a kilometer of our location.”
“Can do.”
Loki engaged the autopilot and fell asleep almost immediately while Sigyn laid awake. She tried to ignore the Mimir Interpreters tugging at her gut, constantly reminding her of the Olympian’s presence. Her sore throat, heavy limbs, and fluttering eyes were her body demanding she sleep, but her mind wouldn’t stop racing.
Sigyn had noticed Loki was staring at the temple as they were landing. His insatiable hunger for Primordial research sites bordered on suspicious. She recalled speaking to him about it after Vili first asked if they’d volunteer for this mission. Your mind is racing—try meditating. Sigyn shut her eyes and slowly took deep breaths; she wanted the world around her to melt away, but thoughts of Loki wouldn’t dislodge themselves. What is he looking for in these facilities?
She drifted off to sleep, to dream about her conversation with Loki nearly 75 years prior.
* * *
“Can you believe it? Vili and the other ‘saviors’ of the Aesir want us to accompany them on a secret mission to Earth that will take decades to implement!” Loki regaled Sigyn as they ate breakfast at an undisclosed location on Valhalla.
Sigyn was staring at her food, slowly moving it around her plate. The mashed greens and starch covered in meat and sauce reflected the quiet turmoil she felt over the decision she was asked to make.
“Well, you don’t look too excited. Aren’t you at least over-flowing with pride and humility for being called upon by our greatest heroes?” Loki said derisively.
“Of course I am. I just didn’t sleep last night.”
“Do you think you’ll accept?”
“I…don’t know. I want to say ‘yes,’ but…I don’t know…Will you?”
“Hell, yes! An opportunity to explore ancient labs on a planet that’s been closed off for hundreds of years? Once Earth becomes an ally I’ll have endless access to those treasure troves. How could I pass that up? And, well, our whole ‘pursuit for sovereignty’ thing.”
Sigyn looked up at Loki. “Why are you so obsessed with these ancient research facilities? Most of them have been destroyed anyway—they are just a reminder of the death and pain the galaxy endured at the hand of Primordials.”
“Oh Sig. No, no, no,” Loki said shaking his head. “There is much more to them than that. They are still bursting with knowledge and secrets—at least, if you know where to look. You should know what I’m talking about! You love science and all that other crap.”
Sigyn was feeling a bit better; the change in topic had taken her mind off her pending decision. “Yes, but, again, any hitherto unseen research at those facilities has been lost or destroyed. Are you looking for anything in particular?”
“‘Hitherto?
’ It’s words like that that make me want to keep you around,” Loki said with a laugh. “But no, I’m not looking for anything specific…” He looked back down at his food.
Sigyn could sense a slight uneasiness. “Loki, what are you looking for?” She smiled reassuringly and reached out to grab his wrist. “Come on, tell me. Please? I swear I won’t make fun of you—unless you say something crazy.” Sigyn laughed.
Loki looked up and smiled sarcastically. “Yeah I’m looking for a bed of Yao grass.”
Sigyn laughed again. “Ha! With the Book of Thoth buried underneath!”
Loki’s smile broke for a moment, but recovered quickly. “Do people still believe that myth?”
“The Book of Thoth? Other than children? I don’t think so. It was a good bit of war propaganda by the Anunnaki,” Sigyn said, taking a bite of food for the first time.
“Some book that not only contains a way to attach and detach creatures from space-time, but a blueprint for the next step in evolution? Yeah, we can all leave our corporeal forms and live as pure information. That seems more akin to death than anything else.
“It is an interesting thought though—pontificating on the next stage in life’s evolution,” Sigyn said, more to herself than Loki.
“But Sigyn, these are the types of discussions you’ll get to have with humans if you agree to the mission. You’ll be able to preach to them all day long about our scientific advancements and discuss theory with them all you want. You might even gain some insight from a group of beings you’ve never spoken with before.”
Sigyn went back to twirling her food; her mood deflated with the mention of Vili’s offer. “That’s true. I still need to think about it.”
Loki took a big bite of his food and spoke while chewing. “Don’t forget…this mission…also requires working out some theoretical details around…whatever these ‘Chronos Passages’ are—among other strange phenomena. You’ll have access to the most cutting edge Aesirian theories and technology while we prepare.”
The Gods Who Chose Us Page 20