Ghosts of Lyarra

by Damian Shishkin

  The human world had become a major hub and a key economic cog in the Imperial wheel. As a whole, the planetary system was rich with resources and Terra Sol herself had rebounded wonderfully from the near destruction levied upon it by the Husk. Its natural wonders sparked a tourism enterprise that matched the throne world Havyiin, but in the aftermath of the Husk attack, the humans had made defense of their newfound riches a priority and now stood as the most heavily defended and secure system in the Imperial fold. Now in these times of impending change, their wealth and riches became looked upon as undeserved as many began to whisper contentions of Terra Sol’s inclusion in the Empire itself in an attempt to render those riches up for grabs!

  Spending two years in orbit of the human’s planet, Lyxia had a newfound respect and admiration for this young race. Their resolve was equal to the battle mentality of her Paxyn brethren; a never-give-up attitude that echoed in every aspect of their daily lives. It was true they had lost their way before the invasion, but as the dust settled from a failed annihilation they once more found themselves the heart of the Spartan warriors of lore as if to honor the being that gave his all to save them; Aen.

  Aen; his very name still sent shockwaves through her soul. How he had managed to impact her so deeply in such a short time still amazed her, but in his death he had torn her asunder. His death had left a wake so large, it rippled through the very fabric of the Empire and rocked it to the core. But was he dead; and if he wasn’t, where was he? Why hadn’t he come back for her, and why he chose to stay away for so long were the questions that haunted her. It was a struggle some days to act like nothing had happened and today seemed to be harder than most.

  As the buzzer went off, the chamber activated and the view from her podium in the Council, formed. Her station was about the half way up point of a four storey coliseum style building that gave a wonderful view around her. Almost directly across from her was the podium for Terra Sol and she could look fondly at her friend, Council Sara Foster. She could tell the human was in a similar mood to hers by the troubled look on her face. Below, the floor of the Council was vacant, and would be until the arrival of the Empress who stood as chairperson and mediator of all Council proceedings. Even before stepping on the holo-pad, Lyxia could feel the weight of the growing tension in the room. No matter how bad this day would become, she knew this was the only way to support the Empress who had helped her so much through life. If it was a day for change, she had some serious decisions to make and Lyxia desperately hoped that the day would be uneventful. But in the back of her mind, she felt the signs of danger and that feeling had always been right in the past.

  —

  Geneva, Switzerland; Earth Council Headquarters

  It was not the greatest of days for a Council meeting, but in this day and age there rarely was a good day for one. Sara Foster readied herself for yet another day of political attacks from the old guard of the Council. No matter how much Earth had proved itself in recent years, there were those on the Council that would never accept them as equals and it was a fight that had finally begun to wear her down. After five long years at the helm of Earth, Sara was more tired than she could ever remember.

  Taking a deep breath she looked outside the holo-chamber window to the breathtaking view across the Swiss landscape. With the fresh mountain air and the picturesque city, it was one of the few saving graces to her sanity these days to look upon what they had worked so hard to save. Of the original Earth government, Sara was the last one still in office and that was because the Empress had refused her resignation on more than one occasion. So as she prepared for the next few hours of unrest, she knew she wouldn’t back down from any physical or political threats from any of the other worlds on the Council. Earth had now become a fortress, and unbeknownst to the rest of the Empire, they were well underway in building their own fleet of star ships!

  As of now, to enter the system, a ship had to pass through three layers of security. The first was a routine patrol of a Lyarran frigate on the designated entry point to the system. After passing scans and security checks, the visitor would move on to the Jupiter rendezvous point; the first human space station that operated the outer PA cannon ring. These plasma accelerator cannons were four times the size of any mounted to a Lyarran vessel and stood as the first deterrent for any foul-intentioned stranger. One shot from these would gut most cruiser class ships from stem to stern and leave it a burning hulk in space.

  Next was the Mars ship yard and docking station; the furthest into the Sol system a large ship could travel. Here, they would offload their cargo and crew aboard a fleet of transport shuttles that would make the final trek into Earth orbit and land at one of the three functional land based space ports after they had cleared the orbital PA cannon ring. The once annoying and over intrusive screening of the old TSA agency looked like a walk in the park as Earth held the tightest security in the Empire. There was a general consensus in the human population that they would never again be caught unaware of an attack that would devastate the planet like the Husk did. To date, there were a few identification issues, small smuggling rings busted, and one confrontation with an unregistered vessel that eventually was turned away at the Jupiter ring. Other than test firing the cannons, their fury had not been loosed upon anyone as of yet, but today may be the first.

  Early this morning, Sara had gotten word that a small vessel had entered the system and slipped past the Lyarran guard. While this wasn’t an uncommon event - she silently cursed their lazy efforts in security - it was the description given of the intruder by an outbound ship that truly disturbed her. It was conical in shape, reminiscent of a pine cone; a Husk ship! While it lacked the size of its predecessor - scanners showing it to be one tenth the size of the marauder that rocked the Earth five years ago - it was still a threat and if it turned out to be a Husk vessel then Sara was going to use it as a live demonstration to those who had hinted threats to Earth as a reason not to fuck with her planet!

  So with her data pad in hand, she stood upon the now powered holo-link and let herself get whisked across the cosmos to the Grand Council Chambers on Havyiin. Most times she would not wear an earpiece that connected her with the Space Naval Securities Office, but this was one of those unique, one of a kind scenarios. It always made her feel small in comparison with the other races; her five foot six frame was slight when up against the towering races that made up the Empire. Sara took the time to look about the room; she was one of the first stations to come online, but was soon followed by one after the other as podium after podium first lit then began to display their constituents. She was also caught off guard as to how many Councillors were there in person; a rarity for most of these functions! Glancing across the room to where she knew to find Lyxia’s station, her heart warmed fondly when it too lit and her new friend appeared. Other than the J’Karins - who had begun to be no shows at the recent sessions - friends were at a premium in these days and she was glad that Lyxia and her mighty ship were amongst her group of them!

  The lights dimmed slightly and a soft pipe instrument sang to notify all of the arrival of the chair of the Council; the Empress Iana. As she strolled in, it was in a way unlike any of the times Sara had witnessed before. She was always accompanied by the towering J’Karin Bryx - her long-time bodyguard - but this time she was alone. Sara wondered if this would be an opening that the whispers in the shadows might be waiting for.

  There was no secret in the unrest that had followed the battle with the Husk on Earth. Losing Aen was tragic enough for Sara; he being what remained of her father after a genetic experiment transformed him; but it also left the planet feeling vulnerable. Aen had saved them and without his aide the results of the conflict would have been much different. But Aen’s life had sent ripples through the galaxy, and there were those that blamed his loss solely on the Empress and thus granting a foothold to those who wished to push her from her seat upon the Throne of Light. Once whispers in the shadows had become a dull roar, and Sar
a feared once the Empress was out of the way the Earth may be the next target!

  She was confident they could hold off most attackers, but doubted they would stand tall against the Imperial Fleet as a whole; at least for now. She needed to stall those who may target them for a little bit longer; at least until the secret she was hiding in the inner solar system was complete! As humanity controlled the traffic inwards from Mars, it was quite easy to hide things in between Venus and Mercury, but the sheer size of this last project made that as difficult as could be. Sara only hoped that ‘the shit didn’t hit the fan’ now and that all eyes remained where they were; on the one who sat upon the throne.

  She heard the Empress clear her throat and begin the proceedings. She also felt the weight of the suppressed anger in the room push down upon that in the center. There was an odd feeling in the air and Sara was sure that this meeting would be the beginning of something much greater than just another day at the office!

  —

  Lyarran Throne World Havyiin;

  Empress’ Chambers in the Grand Council

  “What do you mean I have to go out there alone?” Iana screamed. “Have you not felt the anger they rain down upon me each meeting? I would be helpless!”

  “That is the appearance we must project to those in the shadows.” Bryx growled. “We are backed into a corner Empress, and the only one to offer help is the last one I wanted to accept it from.”

  “You are too harsh on him!” she said, calming down slightly. “After all he has been through, it is a wonder he chooses to help us at all. And with all that he has become, it would have taken so little for him to simply disappear and let the Empire self-destruct as I fear it is heading towards.”

  “But how can we trust someone who doesn’t remember who he is?” Bryx protested.

  “Memories don’t define a being, they only help guide them along the path of life.” She replied. “His mind protects him from the unheralded trauma he sustained in both his creation and demise. There isn’t a single being amongst the Empire that could endure what he has and remain standing. If he has offered his hand to help, I will take it.”

  “I must protest once more to the course of this plan!” he grumbled in vain.

  Iana smiled nervously as she noticed the buzzer go off, that signaled the start of the Council session. There were only a few more moments until the show would start, so to speak. She knew the plan, and though she didn’t fully understand the fine details of it, she knew her part and how to play it. It was difficult to put her life in Aen’s hands, but there was little else she could do. Whether or not she wanted it, the storm was coming and Aen was the sole one offering shelter from it. He was more powerful than she could imagine and he had truly realized every aspect of his power. Of course, she would have felt more comfortable if he had his memories back as she had connected with him during his awakening on Terra Sol.

  It was nearly time to start and she reached out to embrace her friend. With luck, she would see him when all this was near its conclusion; if not, she would see him in the afterlife!

  “Goodbye old friend.” She had tears falling down her cheeks. “Disappear and I will see you on the other side.”

  “It was my honor to serve you all this time.” Bryx said softly; breaking the embrace and heading to the secret exit in her chamber.

  “The honor was mine, Bryx. The honor was all mine.”

  Iana watched as he left through the doorway and it shut behind him. The last bastion of her former life had now gone. She was alone, though she knew Aen was not too far. It was hard for a predator to become prey, but she knew this was the only way to win this very lopsided fight. Wiping her eyes and cheeks, she made her way to the entrance, to the political citadel. She took a moment to gather her breath and calm her beating heart before letting the door open and walked, as majestically as always, into the den of lions.

  —

  Lyarran Throne World Havyiin;

  Grand Council Chamber

  It was a startling sight; the Goddess of Light without her ever present shadow. To most in the room it was a shock, but to her it was a sign. For ages she had waited for the day when it was her upon the Throne of Light; ages that seemed to be never ending until now. For her whole life she was told of how this creature took her family’s place on the throne; for her whole life she schemed and lied to get to the position to take it back. Through the years she had watched and waited and then a child’s tale came true and everything changed.

  In this very room he had appeared - Aen, the Harbinger of the prophecies - and the entire vision that was the Lyarran Empire was shaken to the core. She saw what he was; not the weapon the others believed him to be, but like Iana she saw a ‘one of a kind’ creature with more power than can be controlled. But unlike her Empress, she saw that he could be used and manipulated to reach her goal or at least he could have been until he died in a flash! She was angry; everything she thought was coming together, looked to crumble before her eyes, but before she could get depressed it happened!

  There was a backlash over Iana’s involvement in the Terra Sol matter, and even more so in her lack of securing the Harbinger for Imperial means. From the Guild, to Fleet Com, to the Council and the everyday citizen, Iana’s luster diminished and cracks began to show in her previously flawless image. She had been waiting for something to happen; and while this wasn’t what she had planned, this was easily used for her benefit. In the shadows she had lurked for so long, she nurtured the seeds of decent and helped them grow a voice. What was once a whisper - so quiet and rarely heard - began to be spoken aloud for any and all to listen.

  Then she had to pull the trigger to turn the zealot assassins of the Guild against their master. What was thought to be the hardest part of her plan turned out to be one of the easiest. The Forgotten were the social outcasts of the Imperial ranks; those whose skills were unmatched in the art of war and stealth, but were unable to adhere to the strict rules and codes of the mighty Ifierin. Once she thought them to be undying in their loyalty to the Empress, with a few prods and pokes she found them anything but. The cult of the Forgotten turned out to be easily swayed by thoughts of change and the ability to carry out their culling of the herd at their leisure. Once turned on their master, there was only one obstacle remaining; Bryx.

  J`Karin`s were fierce warriors, but Bryx was off the charts when it came to skill in battle and defence of the Empress. She had seen with her own eyes him training with the Forgotten and besting more than ten of them at a time. There was little doubt that by Iana`s side he would never fail in keeping her safe from any and all threats. So despite being as ready as ever, she was still stuck with getting around the greatest threat there was.

  But now Iana was alone; standing before the Grand Council with no one by her side. No longer did she look mighty and unbeatable; now she was vulnerable and weak. Her heart raced in excitement, but she kept her mind closed and made her outward appearance unchanged. It was too soon to step from the shadows and reveal herself, no matter how tempting it was. No, she had to see the plan through to fruition. Getting ahead of schedule would mean mistakes and mistakes would lead to her failure and failure meant death. With no children and no other relatives, the family line to the throne ended with her if she screwed up now; and to be this close to not succeed would be the greatest failure of all.

  —

  Temple of the Divine Light; Guild World Ryas

  Aen faced little in opposition as he walked casually into the main chambers of the Temple inhabited by the Forgotten, and what opposition he did encounter was dispatched with the greatest of ease. There was little time to waste in dealing with the assassins he came across; the Council was due to go into session in a matter of moments and time was of the essence.

  This was one of the more intricate parts of his plan; the one that held the most timing of any other part and left little room for error. The lead up to this had held true to form thus far; Iana had played her part beautifully by keeping a low
profile and the J’Karin had done his disappearing act. Along with him convincing his government to skip this session of the Council, it gave the perfect alibi for the giant’s absence. But now it fell to his shoulders and the chaos that would ensue from his actions. It was the part that was the hardest to convince the Empress and her guardian of, but it was more than necessary to preserve the Empire for the long run. To fight one hiding in the shadows, you had to crawl in after them yourself.

  As he rounded the last corner and came into sight of the secretive chamber, another assassin sprang out at him; this time seemingly materializing from nowhere. But Aen wasn’t taken off guard, he simply altered the creature’s gravitational mass and halted its jump in mid-air before igniting its very cells and burning it in ashes. As the remnants fell to the ground, Aen counted to himself; six. His guide had told him there were seven life signs in this part of the temple; there was one more waiting to attack somewhere nearby.

  There was no escape as he had shut the doors to this sector and barred them with more gravity than the whole planet could muster against it. Alarms and communication had been cut off from the EMP he had set off as he arrived; shorting out any and all electronic devices within a five hundred kilometer range. The inhabitants of the temple were trapped inside with a monster they could not defeat, but Aen still stayed on guard despite it.

  He didn’t have to wait long to come across the last of the Guild assassins as he opened the doors to the inner sanctum of the Forgotten. Though it had looked like a dead end in the passage, Aen knew there was a door there and threw a gravity wave that blew the doors right off their hinges. As the rock and timber fell, his last opponent stood waiting for him at the center of the enormous room. He took a second to admire his surroundings; it was a multifaceted room of about five thousand square feet with ornamented weapons and ancient scrolls adorning the walls. He had found the home of his prey!