Equilibrium of Terror: Part 1

by Eddie R. Hicks

  “And what made you get up one day and say, ‘the galaxy sucks I want to change it’?” Danyal was aware of the Celestial Order and their goals. But what he couldn’t figure out was why people suddenly switched sides and supported that group, a group that revolved around people claiming to hear voices or have dreams telling them to do things.

  “My visit to the temple on Aervounis. I met Patriarch Dalhakei. He helped me open up my eyes to the truth.”

  “Just like that?”

  “Yep, anyone who meets with Fahia or Dalhakei personally walks away with a clearer head, and believes in our case.”

  “I’m sure there would be some that would disagree even after meeting them.”

  “It’s rare, very rare. And when it does happen, well you know.”

  “No, I don’t.”

  “Well you see, we can’t have people who aren’t willing to work with us know who we are so...”

  “Airlock?”

  “Something like that,” Parcisei said “Our associates are hated by those within the empire and union after all.”

  Danyal grunted then returned to his sightseeing out the window. “I’ll try not to talk shit about your people then.”

  “You’ll convert to the cause, same with Noylarlie. Fahia and Dalhakei way of convincing people takes a few days in some cases. Noylarlie just needs a few more sessions. I hope.”

  Muro, Taxah, Uelcovis system

  Noylarlie entered a familiar bathing area in Hasiv’s manor. As she remembered it was in the tub of this very same room both she and her sister Phylarlie were deflowered, one of Hasiv’s friends offered to acquire anything they wanted with his standing in the empire, provided he could bathe and copulate with them at the same time.

  Not her fondest achievements, but the riches that man gave them made every other girl in the manor including Hasiv’s harem jealous of them for years to come. Another trip down memory lane wasn’t the reason Noylarlie came in here however, no, she needed to meditate away from everyone else, away from the other minds and sounds that could distract her. With the Crimson Arrow gone, she lost that setting, the battleships Yominv had her on weren’t good enough for her to slip into those deep trances too much noise in the background. She needed silence, she needed her thoughts to leave her body in the form of astral projection and take her back into Aether space.

  She filled the tub with its ice-cold water, and entered, carefully floating her body on the surface of it in an attempt to simulate the comforts of weightlessness in space. It wasn’t working. She then used her telekinesis powers to remove her clothing. Much better. There was nothing else on her body, just waves of cold water splashing on her blue skin and cybernetics while the gem hovered above her. Several minutes later, her mind calmed and it felt as if she was one with the water, much like how she felt being one with space during her meditations aboard the Crimson Arrow. Little by little, she felt her out of body experience intensify and her mind, senses and vision return to aether space.

  The answers to her questions must be found.

  Imperial Palace, Paryo, Uemaesce system

  Y’lin’s mind relaxed as her telepathic thoughts connected to the Hashmedai psionic network. Shipboard psionics and her advisors with psionics all joined in, giving their leader an update across the empire and the campaign in Sol.

  “Ask Admiral Yominv, what is the status of the downfall of the human race?” her telepathic thoughts echoed.

  “He reports that our forces are still forming a stronghold around the wormhole while they wait for the Leviathan to arrive,” one psionic mind reported.

  “The Leviathan? That project had better be worth it,” Y’lin said.

  “He claims it will, but the major push will not happen for a few more days.”

  “Why?”

  “He claims there a special holiday coming up, something called Christmas. He wants the invasion to start then.”

  Y’lin’s mouth twisted at the additional information and approved of the idea. Conquest day was a special holiday to the Hashmedai, and twice it had been marred by a violent attack. Putting the humans through a similar situation, and making them feel all the pain and sadness she had to endure would be quite satisfying. If the Hashmedai had to suffer like that, others should too.

  “According to the data our operatives have uncovered,” said another psionic through thought transmission. “It would appear Jazz and Veloshira have indeed vanished and Jazz attempted to fake the assassination of the human president.”

  “Of course he would,” Y’lin said. “Have Veloshira’s family captured and executed.”

  “They left Paryo to go on vacation across the empire.”

  “Then find out which transport they boarded and deal with them. Also, contact the Assassins’ Guild. I want them to place a kill order on Jazz and Veloshira.”

  “Jazz and Veloshira? Assassinate our own assassins?”

  Y’lin thought about that question, and decided to reconsider. The guild was low on bodies as it was, hence why non-psionics could become members. “I take that back, just Jazz, bring me his head. Ideally after you’ve dealt with Veloshira family, so that she can weep, knowing her inaction brought this upon herself.” There was silence, though she could partly sense that they understood what needed to be done. “That is all for now, carry out your tasks.”

  Kroshka and her mother clashed repeatedly since the conflict between Earth and the empire reignited, as well the news of the forced bonding. By way of protests, Kroshka had spent the last several days dressing more like a human, wearing the apparel from Earth she brought back, as well as requesting tailors to make modifications to some of her existing clothes, making them have a human-like style rather than Hashmedai. Her makeup and hairstyles also continued to appear Earth like, which ended up becoming the subject of a heated debate at the dinner table.

  Kroshka consumed her meal while her hair was styled with long braided pig tails. She spoke English the entire time, much to the annoyance of her mother and Eeladen, both of whom were unfamiliar with the alien language. Kroshka even openly flirted with one of the male servants who came to pick up her plate, in English of course, drawing rage fueled glares from everyone else at the dinner table. Childish behavior? Absolutely, and Kroshka went out of her way to amplify it anyway she could. When the bonding ceremony starts, everyone there would know full well that she, a member of the imperial family, opposed the war, opposed the bonding, and had a strong emotional attachment to humanity.

  Eeladen escorted her back to her chambers after the dinner and the hour long screaming fight between Kroshka and Y’lin because of her appearance and actions at the table. As the doors opened, his hand grappled her skinny arm, pulling her toward him. He brushed his hands through her hair.

  “We are to be mates soon,” he said. “Why not let me in?”

  Kroshka said nothing nor did she move. She was quite surprised at how bold he had become. It was a move she would later regret as his face pushed in closer toward hers. She gazed at him with a disgusted look and pushed him away before his mouth could get any closer. She entered her room shutting and locking the door behind her then sighed upon realizing his scent was on her from close encounter. A quick bathing session was in order before heading to sleep. She dropped her body into the large and elegantly designed tub, sat back, then groaned.

  Noylarlie, Kroshka, and Eeladen. They were supposed to be a team of sorts, a group that was going to secretly keep an eye on the order’s activity here on Paryo. Eeladen’s personality had, however, changed over the last two months, becoming more loyal to Y’lin and less to her. His recent move can attest to that, this bonding, he wants in it for his own needs, to satisfy his personal gain and to satisfy his cock. Then there’s Noylarlie, off partaking in war games. Kroshka had never felt so alone in her life. Enough of this negativity, she thought and forced her body to relax for a few minutes. Her pendant with the mysterious red gem on it began to glisten as it rested on the floor nearby, casting its dim red au
ra along the floors, walls, and ceiling.

  The bathing chamber vanished from Kroshka’s vision.

  Her body and mind were no longer in normal space and time.

  Aether space

  Both Noylarlie and Kroshka’s minds were plunged deep into the realm of aether space far outside of normal space. Noylarlie saw nothing but white light as she felt the sensation of her body fall into what seemed like an endless void, an invisible force guided her to down toward a safe landing.

  When the descent ended, Noylarlie arose standing on a floating piece of land, hovering in what looked like a nebula of swirly purple and blue colored gasses. She saw other floating land masses ahead of her, below her and above her. Some were just as small as the one she stood on, while others were massive, large enough for a small city to be placed on them.

  “The Noylarlie wishes to step into our existence.” The voice echoed in Noylarlie’s head.

  “As does the Kroshka,” said a second voice.

  “Kroshka?” Noylarlie said, then turned around,

  The princess of the Hashmedai Empire stood wearing a white strapless skater dress, with a translucent cape attached to the back. Noylarlie quickly noticed she was wearing something similar, only it was black and leather, and her cybernetics were gone, yet she still felt the presence of her psionics powers.

  “What are you doing here?” Kroshka asked.

  “I was meditating, trying to see if I could reach someone out here,” Noylarlie said.

  “You’ve been to aether space as well?”

  “By accident.”

  “That last voice you heard was Emelia,” said Kroshka. “Her voice in the past always calmed me by reminding me of the importance of keeping your eyes to the stars, allowing your mind to merge with the universe itself.”

  Kroshka joined Noylarlie as she stared out into the void separating their floating isle from the rest of them. The last time Noylarlie was here, she was in an area full of water, where she encountered her mother. If Noylarlie was going to encounter someone to answer her questions it would be her mother, now if only she knew how to get to that ocean like area.

  “You said you had the gem since you were a child, right?” Noylarlie asked her.

  “Yes, as the years went on I learned how to come here. My mother Y’lin was not very successful, her mind is cloudy. The death of my father and now my brother creates too much chaos in her mind. She’ll never be able to enter.”

  “My mind isn’t all together these days, what makes me special?”

  “Your psionic upgrades, combined with the fact you are an Archmage perhaps,” Kroshka said. “Or perhaps you have a close attachment to someone here.”

  “My mother.”

  Noylarlie felt Kroshka’s hand wrap around hers. “Let us seek her out then.”

  Avian like wings sported out from Kroshka’s back, they dazzled and shimmered brightly much like her dress. Noylarlie’s response to the unexpected action caused her to jerk backwards and yell. “What the fuck!”

  “It’s not real,” Kroshka said. “But I find the presence of them helps me focus as we travel across.”

  Kroshka’s wings began to flap and she began to rise up above the floating isle, her hands pulling Noylarlie upwards with her. Noylarlie looked up, knowing what she was doing was scientifically impossible. Wings appearing out of nowhere on her back? And simply flapping them causing her to fly? But yet, it’s happening, and ahead of them, the island floated in this nebula like expanse. Noylarlie let go of her hand, and allowed her psionics to do the rest, making her body float with telekinesis.

  Kroshka’s flight led her past dozens of floating structures, many more than Noylarlie thought existed with her limited sight. A ribbon of amber gasses stretched upwards, Kroshka changed direction, following their path. Noylarlie kept up and saw a ball of bright light. It grew larger and more brilliant as they flew closer toward it, forcing Noylarlie to shield her eyes from its intensity as they ended up flying directly inside.

  The nebula was no more. Instead a blue sky with white clouds surrounded them. Below was another floating landmass with fresh green grass and large trees blowing in the wind. There were three other similar islands, some of them even had small rivers as their water contents poured off into the bottomless void below. In the middle of that spectacular view, was a fortress of some sort with a purple crystalline appearance. It was built by some kind of intelligence, judging by the balconies around the top layer, and some kind of entrance located in the central part of it.

  “What is this?” Noylarlie asked.

  “One of many places where the elder Lyonria exist,” said Kroshka. “The Amethyst Citadel.”

  “Lyonria?” It was a word she heard mentioned in the past, but couldn’t quite remember anything else.

  “I believe they are of the same species as Nivrui Aviuheart and Emelia.”

  “The goddesses,” Noylarlie mumbled to herself. If Nivrui Aviuheart and Emelia are of a certain species, then it’s safe to assume the Radiance gods are as well. “Kroshka you know what this means right?”

  “Mmm?”

  “This proves that the Radiance gods are aliens,” Noylarlie said. “It’s just they exist in a plane of existence that none of us from normal space fully understand. So, they called them gods and left it as that.” They landed on the floating mass below them, Noylarlie smiling as her eyes sized up the Amethyst Citadel. “How long have you known about all this?”

  “Aether space is large and not easy for me to enter,” said Kroshka. “I admit most of this was discovered after my return from Earth, I had much to think about after my brother’s death.” She then asked, “Would you like to enter the citadel?”

  “Seriously?” she asked.

  Kroshka’s wings began to move again, lifting her body into the air. Noylarlie once again followed behind her newly acquired tour guide into this strange realm. The flight from the island to the Amethyst Citadel took twenty minutes, long enough for Noylarlie to think about what she’d learned.

  The order thought they were getting their instructions from the true voice of the gods via some of those red gems. Instructions that her mother revealed were really the voice of the goddesses, goddesses who were Lyonrian. The Celestial Order was being controlled by an alien species for some reason. Hannah and the celestial ascension project, two parts to a puzzle but she couldn’t seem to find where to stick them. But, much like the Amethyst Citadel they were approaching, she was getting closer.

  They arrived at the top layer of the Amethyst Citadel. It was an opened atrium full of alien plant life, and a crystal-like walkway leading down into the central chambers of this alien built fort. As they came to land inside the atrium, Noylarlie could get a closer look at the people that walked around.

  Many of them sat, resting next to trees engaged in a social activity. The clothing they wore glowed in an assortment of colors ranging from purple, to red to orange. A smaller crowd walked toward a ramp leading to the lower levels. Several others stood wearing some form of armor which appeared as a web of blue lights covering the wearer. The armor-clad beings held onto long staff like objects that emitted ripples of purple plasma.

  “These are the Lyonria then?” Noylarlie asked Kroshka. She nodded in confirmation to her question. “They look like humans, or Linl.”

  “The Lyonria predates Linl and humans,” Kroshka said. “I am uncertain if they played a role in the evolution of those two races.”

  “So, there are three races that all look the same.”

  “It depends, lesser Lyonria have advanced genetic manipulation augmenting their bodies. They can change their appearance at any time.”

  “Lesser Lyonria,” Another name to keep track of, wonderful. “Where do they exist?”

  “I don’t know, I’ve only seen the elders here.”

  They walked toward a ramp leading downwards into a maze of narrow corridors, some of them leading into rooms with devices that she could only envision being a computer, all of th
em blocked by a force field. Not even her psionics could penetrate the barrier. Noylarlie hissed briefly, frustrated that they came all this way and there was no sign of her mother or any other connections to the order.

  Noylarlie extended her hand toward the entrance to another room, testing to see if a barrier protected it. It did. Kroshka’s hand held onto Noylarlie’s as she shook her head.

  Perhaps she knows something, Noylarlie thought. “So Kroshka, are you familiar with the term celestial accession?

  Before Kroshka could reply a blinding burst of light flashed. As it dissipated, Noylarlie found herself naked, staring up at the ceiling. She was back in Hasiv’s manor, still floating in the tub. The link between her mind and aether space was cut, quite possibly on purpose.

  “Fuck.”

  Port Shala, Morutrin Prime, Morutrin System

  “Looks like we just missed them.”

  Parcisei’s searches throughout the city led them to a sparsely packed starport landing pad, sans the Dark Star. Danyal chuckled while he quickly checked on the status of the ad he posted on the knowledge network.

  No replies, figures. “Great,” he said to himself.

  A Linl maintenance worker for the landing pad walked past them. Parcisei’s gaze was fixed on him as he ran after him yelling “Hey there!” The worker stopped to face Parcisei. “Quick question. I’m looking for a ship, I need to know the direction it went after leaving orbit.”

  “That’s not exactly information I can easily get,” said the worker.

  Parcisei held his credit chit up so that the display of his account balance could be clearly read by the worker. “Are you sure about that?”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Titan, Sol system

  Titan was home to the third colony founded by the UNE, the first two being Earth’s moon and Mars. Titan being the only moon in the solar system with an atmosphere and the only planetary body with rivers made it a top choice for explorers and the like to travel to due to its familiar landscape and overall uniqueness. Titan had one small city and half a dozen UNE bases throughout the moon all with a small detachment of marines and parked Solaris fighters, in case of a Hashmedai attack.