by Aeon Solo
“Oh, yeah, then how will you get out of here.” She shot the soil beside his foot, he twisted back instantly. “Crazy bitch!” he yelled.
“I’ll show you crazy, ass!” she moaned.
They walked for hours, they didn’t speak, she followed him. They eventually came across the ruins of Artsul.
“Stop!” he yelled to her, she turned, surprised by his sudden outburst. He walked through the ruins before them, debris littered the outskirts of the kingdom. He knelt and retrieved an imperial helmet which had survived.
“What was this place?” she asked.
“It’s Artsul, my home, well it was my home before I was taken,” he explained.
“What happened?” she enquired sympathetically, intrigued by his history.
“Monstah!” he snarled. “We attacked Artsul and because they wouldn’t surrender to my master, Monstah who was one of them, detonated an explosive device. I lost my entire family that day,” he explained, his demeanour deflated whilst he recollected the battle of Artsul.
“I’m sorry,” she responded, sympathetic to his suffering. She placed her hand over his shoulder.
“It was my fault. I shouldn’t have followed the Lord Archon.” he walked away for some time alone to think. He was overwhelmed with grief and guilt upon seeing his former home once more. His mind had been a warzone itself since the battle, since conception really.
She watched him for a few moments. He found where his true home once was, it was so close to the blast that was vaporised. A mere shadow-like apparition stained the surface. He crouched for a moment, sensing the pain in the air. Regina followed, standing beside him.
“This was where I lived, yet now it’s completely gone, wiped away in an instant,” he said.
They continued to walk through Artsul until they reached the forest. Most of it was destroyed. After 45 minutes of walking they reached the tree he marked as a child. He placed his hand over it and smiled whilst he recollected positive memories of his childhood. His mask covering his true emotion from Regina.
“There’s a clearing here,” she said, “How long till we find civilisation?” she enquired.
“About that, Naprador, the main kingdom is a three-day walk from here,” he responded.
“Three days!” she shouted.
“Yes, and there’s more,” he said. Before he could finish, a terrifying roar emanated from deep in the forest ahead. She winced with surprise.
“What the hell was that,” she asked, terrified by the animalistic screech.
“That’s a Bordon, the Draco hunt them sometimes for sport, we must stay alert if we are going to survive,” he warned.
They travelled through the clearing and approached the dense woodland, leaving the remains of Artsul behind.
“We need food and water, we haven’t found any for hours,” she exclaimed, worried about their situation. Anu-Krai unveiled his survival kit and retrieved two sachets.
“Here,” he said, offering a sachet to her. “This contains enough nutrients and a formula of water which will sustain us for days.” She analysed the sachet and consumed its contents. She was thankful but didn’t show it. He walked into the treeline removing his mask, so he could consume the sachet. She followed him quickly but missed his face, the guise returned to its place.
“Why do you wear that mask?” she enquired, with a puzzled expression. He thought deeply about her question, somewhat unsure himself on how to respond. Why did he wear it?
“I don’t know,” he replied. “We must be extra vigilant from here on in,” he added, the voice modifier unable to suppress his anxiety, she nodded with the same apprehension. They continued through the dense woodland.
“What about you?” he asked, “What’s your story?”
“I’m from Earth,” she answered.
“Earth!” he blurted, “I’ve heard of that place.”
There were legends and myths that spread throughout Agarta, and he learned of Earth in the book he found.
“It’s one of the core worlds now, by the looks of it your world could have been seeded by mine, your human species included,” she responded.
“Yes, I’ve heard that,” he said joyfully. “What, what’s it like?” he asked inquisitively.
She smiled sensing his excitement. “It’s an amazing world, but we also had a Draco infestation. Our ancestors were manipulated for thousands of years by Anu and our world was held captive and used as a pawn in the past galactic war,” she described.
“Like mine,” he said solemnly.
“Yes, unfortunately,” she said, glancing at him beside her.
“My name is Regina.” He nodded slightly, with a smile unbeknownst to her.
“What happened? How did you get rid of them?” he asked.
“Fortunately, there were other lifeforms spread across the galaxy, the Alliance, they helped us be free of Anu,” she explained.
“Wait,” he said firmly, “There’s something nearby.”
The air was thick with the stench of decaying flesh. Nearby a Heelitore lay dead, deformed and contorted.
“Uff,” she grunted, clenching her face, trying to prevent the smell from penetrating her nose. “Did it, do that?” she asked anxiously.
“Yes,” he answered, “That’s the work of a Bordon.”
He observed the mess before them, his face distorting at the sight. They continued to walk, only this time, extra vigilant. Branches cracked nearby, he scanned the environment explicitly, searching for the monster which hunted them. He was barged to the ground from the side, a gargantuan creature emerged from obscurity. He fell heavily to the ground; the creature snapped Regina’s arm and threw her multiple feet away. He grabbed his sword from the ground, the creature pounced at Regina. She was stuck in agony on the ground unable to escape. She closed her eyes accepting her fate. A fiery blade impaled the creature, she opened her eyes suddenly to witness the creatures mouth gaped wide with the blade protruding out, centimetres from her face. It smacked the ground lifelessly beside her. She tried to hide the pain; she was in agony. Face red and dripping.
“Are you alright?” the Knight crouched next to her evaluating, her wound. “That’s pretty bad. These creatures have venom in their bite which can kill within hours,” he described, whilst continuing to evaluate the wound. He emptied his survival kit.
“I have a Nano healing solution, it will heal the wound and neutralise the toxin in minutes,” he explained. She continued to cry in agony. He injected the solution into her arm and the nanobots worked their magic fixing the wound before their eyes. They both observed her body restore to normal, joy radiating from both their eyes.
“Wow, I feel great, better than normal actually,” she said joyfully.
“Yes, it does that, but we need to be careful. He had us that time, I only had one of those, if we get caught like that again we’ll die,” he warned gravely. He offered his hand to aid to her feet, she accepted, and they continued their journey.
Nightfall arrived, and they set up a little camp to sleep for the night.
“We better hope one of those things don’t find us in the night,” she said.
“They sleep at night and hunt in the day, so we should be fine,” he responded, settling her worries. They prepared to sleep. He removed his mask to do so comfortably, she glanced over to him seeing his unmasked silhouette in the darkness. She was intrigued by him, a human on the over side of the war. Perplexed about why, about how this planet was unknown to the Alliance. Perplexed too by the fact he helped her, didn’t have too. Could have easily let her die, or worse, kill her when she’s vulnerable.
The next day Anu-Krai woke first, he evaluated the area ensuring there were no dangers nearby.
“Hey,” she said in a rough voice, squinting in the sunlight.
“Oh, hello,” he said awkwardly. “Two days left to Naprador,” he said.
“What happens when we get there? I can’t see your leaders giving me mercy,” she asked.
“And the
Alliance would if the situation was reversed?” he replied harshly. She didn’t respond and prepared for the walk ahead. He watched her intently.
“Why do you serve them, they are evil, they destroy entire planets?” she announced abruptly.
“The last I saw, it was the Alliance who created a black hole which destroyed two solar systems and it was the Alliance who fired upon my people and killed the woman I… cared for!” He screamed ferociously, infuriated by the acts the Alliance had done. By his loss, Mara, the only thing he had left. She didn’t really know how to respond.
“The Draco are by no means good, but how I can I choose between two evils. I am changing the Draco, the Archon listens to me I could make him good,” he said with hope. She scoffed at his words.
“They will never change!” she snarled at him, “They will never listen to a human!” she screamed.
“He has, he listened to me at Kinana. He gave me a ship and control of his forces, he trusts me!” he yelled back.
“They have destroyed two of our fleets! If they continue, they will seize control and enslave the entire galaxy!” she screamed. Her anger morphed to fear. “They will torture me if we survive this.”
She was sitting on the ground, head squeezed in thought.
“No, I will ensure they don’t. He’ll listen to me, I promise!” he responded firmly, but with sympathy. “Trust me, I’ll help you.”
He removed his mask, so she could see his genuine emotion. She looked up surprised by his actions. His mask in one arm, his other extended to guide her to her feet. He stared deep into her eyes whilst she contemplated her next move. She smiled slightly, gripping his hand, he responded in kind.
“I’ll help you,” he said again. They continued their journey and he re-attached his mask. He changed a setting, so he could see in infrared vision. It allowed a better chance to spot any Bordon’s lurking in the woodland. After a while he spotted two of them deep in the brush.
“Stop,” he said, “Two of them, over there, can you see?” he added.
“No,” she said quietly.
“They’re about 500 metres away, prepare your weapon,” he said. He gripped the blaster he found, which remained in the holster. He was prepared to fire when the moment came. The two parties came ever closer, the Bordon’s smelled the two humans and began to sprint toward them.
“Straight ahead, here they come!” he yelled. She aimed and fired multiple shots at the rummaging bushes. Two creatures leapt out toward them, both motionless, landing heavily in the dirt. She executed both creatures as they jumped. He glanced at her, surprised, but grateful for her skill with the blaster.
“Not bad, that’s not too bad at all,” he said with a smile beneath the mask. An arrogant grin radiated across her face and they continued their journey. “Well, they don’t call me the Ball Buster for nothing,” she smirked.
“Well played.”
The scent of death aired profusely in the atmosphere. Along the trail, a Bordon lay dead with a thick chunk of its flesh removed.
“What could have done that?’ she asked, both intrigued and terrified by the sight.
“We have a greater problem, there is only one creature in this world that could do that to a Bordon.”
A solemn look flashed across their faces as their situation became worse. They conversed as they continued, getting to understand one-another’s personality and perspective for being on either side of this galactic war.
Chapter 4
As Anu-Krai and Regina continued their journey, the second battle concluded, again with the utter destruction of the Alliance fleet. The Archon returned to the Patsule space station. He arrived and was greeted by a few Draco labourers and scientists.
“My lord, the rail gun was a major success,” one said to him as they walked through the station.
“Yes, good work Professor, but I am here to be updated on Black Manta,” he responded firmly as they conversed in their language.
“Of course, you will be pleased with our progress. I believe it is now ready,” he replied gleefully, to the gratification of the Archon.
They entered the chamber where it was housed, a dense window separated the control room from the chamber. The Archon entered this chamber. A large pod sitting before him, an opaque mist covered its transparent frame, but a broad figure lay within. He manipulated the controls and the pod opened with a thick mist, of what looked like steam. Once it passed, the figure emerged and woke. It leapt out of the pod suddenly, crouching on the ground covered in a thick fluid. It breathed deeply, its first breaths, the Lord Archon stepped back.
“What happened?” it remarked firmly in the Archon’s language as it stood strong, observing its body.
“The Alliance used the weapon,” he answered.
“And Draconis?” it asked firmly.
“Destroyed,” he answered. “What happened?” he enquired, unknowing of the events after he had departed Draconis during the final galactic battle.
“Hathor,” it grunted with distain; its winged appendages expanded as it stepped forward.
“Welcome back, Anu,” the Archon said.
Anu prepared himself, applying his battle garments, which were laid by the Archon on a desk in the chamber. The two strolled through the ship, Anu receiving admiration from his Draco brothers, who practically worshiped him.
“What did our master say?” the Archon asked.
“He is displeased with our loss, but…” Anu struggled to get the words out. “He is pleased with your efforts.” The Archon was ecstatic by the news.
“Good, the time has come to go back on the offensive.”
They approached the Mikasa in the ship bay.
“Ah yes, my ship,” Anu said, manoeuvring his hand over the surface. “You treated it well,” he said to the Archon. They entered the ship. Anu went to the panel which housed his various weapons, again he admired the artefacts in his hands.
“Where are we?” he asked, surprised that the Archon escaped and evaded capture.
“We have control of a human-populated planet with help from my human companion,” he responded.
“A human!” Anu roared at him. “Never trust a human, you know this! After last time,” he said firmly, greatly displeased by the news.
“He is of great use to us, he’s not like the others. I could not have taken the planet so swiftly without him. We have withstood two Alliance fleets in past few weeks,” he responded in kind, matching the ferocity of Anu’s tone as two metaphorically fought the alpha position.
“I know he would very much like to meet you, he leads a band of Knights in your honour, with my manipulation of course,” the Archon continued.
“I want to see this human then,” Anu said sternly. They rocketed through hyperspace to Agarta.
They entered the pyramid and the Archon conversed with a guard.
“I haven’t seen Krai since the battle, has he been here?” the Archon enquired.
“No, my lord, no one has seen him,” he responded. The Archon pondered for a moment, almost worried for the Knights safety. He analysed his personal quarters, it was empty. He picked up a relic the Knight had placed beside his bed. It was so quiet, the large bed filled most of his room. it was fairly small. The isolation tank sat beside it. A wardrobe with his clothes and additional armour was present.
“Where are you?” he murmured anxiously.
The Archon then made his way to the ship bay beside the pyramid. Anu-Krai’s ship was not present. He glanced back up to the atmosphere, more and more he feared for his human counterpart.
Flashback: A young boy was thrown to the ground heavily by a domineering presence.
“The human,” Monstah remarked maliciously. The Lord Archon was sitting on his throne observing the boy. The boy raised his head and gave a look of disgust to both beasts in the room.
“Come to me,” the Archon enquired. The boy stood to his feet and stumbled toward the Archon.
“I know what you are!” the boy shouted.
“You’re an alien. An extra-terrestrial from another world!” he responded. The Archon laughed menacingly and stood up from the throne.
“No, my young human, I created you, I am your god,” he stated with a wretched grin. The Archon began to approach him. The boy stepped back and into Monstah. He fell forward but grabbed a dagger in Monstah’s belt whilst he did. This dagger, like a sword in his small hand.
“Yes, that fire, that spirit,” the Archon remarked with glee. The boy attempted to attack Monstah, but the beast grabbed the arm with ease twisting it greatly. The boy cried out in agony and dropped the blade which clanged off the cold ground. The noise reverberated through the throne room.
“Argh! Monsters!” the boy screamed.
“So courageous,” the Archon said. The boy looked up gravely at the gargantuan Draco elder ahead of him, expecting to be killed.
“You would make a valiant Knight.”
In the meantime, Regina was trying to convince Anu-Krai to join the Alliance.
“Come with me to Earth, you can help us defeat the Draco,” she said. The Knight turned away as he considered her offer for a moment.
“I can’t, not after what they did, how can you continue to serve their will,” he responded with an elevated tone.
“You have to let that go! I’m sorry for your loss but you cannot let the actions of a few characterise all of us, we want peace, freedom!” she yelled back, he was still turned. She was right, he struggled in thought, grasping his face.
“We can’t defeat them though, what do you want us to do!” he yelled back. She held his hand in hers and he calmed down from her gesture.
“We have to try. They will enslave everyone as they did on Earth in the past.” She smiled kindly to him. “I know you have a good heart,” she added.
