Heridian
A Dark Oceans Descent.
Book One.
By
Darryl J. W. Temple.
Copyright © 2021 Darryl J. W. Temple All rights reserved
The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.
No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.
Cover design by: Darryl J. W. Temple
Background image © Pixabay.com, ship and kitbash models © cgTrader.com, robotic arm © Sketchfab.com.
Acknowledgements.
First and foremost, I wish to thank my wife Lisa for the constant support and encouragement during the creation of this book. My thanks also to my family for their help, advice and patience.
CHAPTER 01.
Dead Man Warping.
The dead man's switch felt warm as his hand twitched.
With his other hand the soldier held a metallic, dragon embossed amulet and caressed it with the thumb of his armored glove. He had endured so many years of training, pain and commitment, the result of which led to his current situation.
Slumped against a ruined pillar, the soldier's vision blurred as his life blood trickled down the scar on his battle hardened face. The ancient building shook violently from the battle outside as sparks from exposed cables illuminated his gray armor, causing wisps of smoke to drift and haze. The man was one of many, a Soldier of the Void or SOV, tasked with protecting the jungle world of Echelon, and he was failing.
A breath of air brushed through his shoulder-length brown hair as the man looked towards the light leaking through the small gap in the armored doors of the room. They had slaughtered all in his squad and he knew the invading force, the Heridian menace, were waiting for him on the other side.
'Rids', he said aloud to himself. 'The more I take with me, the better.'
Forcing himself to stand, the soldier staggered towards the light, knowing that death was upon him. He took a last look around the room and smiled. The explosive charges he planted earlier would be enough to destroy the entire complex along with the secret it held. With some luck, the explosion would annihilate the enemy as well.
The communication system in his ear crackled, 'This is Captain… of third company… we are… minutes.'
The voice echoed and faded from his mind, the pain of pulsing blood over shadowed the message and raged in his ears. Heart thumping adrenaline urged the man forward as he disarmed the lock on the doors and staggered from the once hidden facility and into the force of massacre, thirsty to tear him apart.
As he moved forward, he noticed the corpses lay scattered and mutilated in the dirt. The smoke filled daylight rays from the sun above reflected off the crimson armor of the enemy that surrounded him.
Turning slowly, he watched as the Heridian menace circled, their metallic insect-like faces snapping and growling. A rounded, smooth metal pattern crossed over the creatures like an ancient puzzle with lines, dots and splotches. Gears and cogs buzzed and spun externally from their morbid skeleton as minute pistons hammered with each movement.
A calming and serine sensation washed over his being, tranquility infused with an unknown inner power.
He looked to the sky and could see the floating fortress in the distance, the Sky-Station, the place he called home. As he closed his eyes, he remembered his first mission as a trainee, sent out to hunt down one of the indigenous reptile flying monsters that was attacking an outpost. He thought briefly of his first kill many years ago; a Heridian that strayed too close to his team on a recon mission. He recalled meeting the Overlord and the feeling of pride he had in doing so.
The soldier named Arcilous Draethus let the dead man's switch slip from his fingers as he accepted his fate, and the laws of physics abandoned his world. A blinding white light covered the entire area for kilometers, bright pulses of illumination rose into the sky and electricity filled the air with static.
The oxygen in Draethus' lungs felt like fire as he tried to breathe. His mind screamed and never had he felt such pain, death would have been a welcome release. He felt time freeze; every atom and molecule in his body torn apart as the sensation of creation, death and everything in between wash over him.
As quickly as it began, the sensation stopped. His body no longer hurt and the release of pain made his veins tingle.
An explosion caused Draethus to snap out of his thoughts as a mortar shell hit the ground nearby. His vision wasn't returning fast enough, and his mind was still incoherent. He stumbled away from the mortar and could hear the sounds of people screaming. Looking up, he could see blurry figures running in fear, dodging in and out of buildings.
'What happened?' he said to no one in particular, almost hoping someone had an explanation.
Unknown words screamed nearby as someone tried to push passed Draethus. A man bounced off the soldier's armor, cursing as he fell to the ground. The strange man turned with fear in his eyes and pointed at Draethus as if he were a monster, before quickly recovering and running off.
Somewhere nearby, another explosion rocked the ground. It was a war zone and the Heridians, he guessed, would be at the center. Draethus ignored the man in the building and made his way across to the other side of the street.
I need to discover where I am and rejoin the others, he thought.
He ran from building to building, dodging mortar fire, jumping over corpses and avoiding Heridian troops that were engaged in the annihilation of anything biological. He knew that if he could return to the Sky-Station, he would be safe and maybe find some answers.
Draethus looked into the distance and could see the fortress still hovering in the sky, although it looked somewhat different. The towers of the floating city rose into the sky like metal giants, thousands of windows dotted every surface but it seemed larger and more complete than he last remembered.
He pulled his gaze off the distant fortress and focused on the city surrounding him. It burned, buildings reduced to smoldering rock piles, and the scattering of corpses on the blood-soaked ground as if they had fallen from the sky. On closer inspection, he realized that all the corpses shared a common trait; the skull cavity was empty and the brain missing.
Seeing movement in the corner of his eye, Draethus darted behind some rubble as he noticed a Heridian soldier standing over a freshly killed human. The smell of death drifted on the wind and was so familiar to him he hardly noticed the metallic odor. The creature paused as if to savor the moment and in a quick motion ripped open the corpse and pulled out the brain of its victim.
A shiver ran up Draethus' spine as the creature admired the organ, blood oozed through its serrated metal claws.
With growing astonishment he looked on, careful not to alert the creature to his presence. Runes and digital glyphs appeared on the Heridians armor; active for a moment before fading into a slow but predictable pattern. The metal around the back of its head and neck hissed open as it inserted the human brain into the cavity. Closing again, the carapace locked into place. The once pulsing runes now changed into a static illumination of crimson as small objects under the menaces' armor shifted as if accepting its new central core.
The Heridian's behavior transformed. Previously, the enemy soldier seemed almost mindless, acting on instinct. It now moved like it had intelligence and purpose.
Draethus hugged the wall and kept to the shadows. So much of what he witnessed answered the question
s that plagued him for so long. He'd always noticed the different Heridians, the ones that glowed with runes. It also explained the implant imbedded in the neck of every SOV after the discovery of what Heridians do to organic life.
It was a device designed early on during the invasion. One of his comrades would fall dead on the battlefield and before his body hit the ground, a minor explosion would destroy the brain. The implant was a failsafe to stop the Heridians from taking the mind of a soldier. The idea of one of his colleague's consciousness inside one of those beasts was hard to comprehend.
The death of his closest friend on board the space faring vessel, the Dark Claw, during the early stages of the invasion, always angered him the most. Not knowing the full details of his demise escalated the rage.
What he often questioned was how the leadership knew of the impending invasion by the Heridians. SOV had accumulated many secrets during its long nomadic flight into the uncharted darkness of the void. A few hundred years of voyage, fifty years settled on the jungle planet and more unanswered questions.
The ground shook again.
'Damn it, if it's not the Rids I need to watch out for, it's the artillery,' Draethus grumbled under his breath.
Vibrations coursed through his legs. He peered into the street and almost lost his head as a tall bipedal machine strode past his position. Its weapons roared as multiple laser fire burst from long guns attached to the robot. It tore a nearby group of Heridian soldiers to pieces, their corpses split into multiple chunks of metal and fluid. The machine paused as its turrets trained on a target further in the distance. Draethus couldn't see if the shots hit their mark but didn't care. The robot was magnificent.
Again he left his position; staying close to the walls whilst ever vigilant of the enemy, just to get a closer view of the walker. He snuck into a ruin on the robot's right side and used his optical sensors imbedded in his now sealed helmet to run an evaluation. The cockpit of the machine was dimly lit behind thick glass at the front. Long-barreled weapons attached to arms that protruded from its body. The armor was thick, especially around the straight legs, and it walked upright like a human.
'With one of those I could get to the Sky-Station much faster,' he said under his breath as he looked for another vantage point.
The robot continued to move away at a steady pace, but Draethus kept pace and followed the mechanical strider, keeping to the shadows, and avoided detection. The machine had completed its devastation and was heading away from the city.
Must this fighting machine re-fuel or re-arm? Draethus thought, his patience growing weary as his ever throbbing head continued.
The robot's upper torso spun violently around to face the soldier's position, its guns pivoted as a blue fire began venting hot plasma, ready to unleash a payload of death.
It's seen me, but I made no sound! Draethus cursed in his head as he froze in position.
The walkers' legs pivoted on the spot until they were in line with the upper torso. It hunched over and stalked forwards like a natural predator about to consume the newly spotted prey.
Why hasn't it fired? The soldier wondered, frozen in fear and curiosity.
Twin spotlights on either side of the cockpit illuminated Draethus' position, and an immense howl reverberated from the machine. The soldier's legs quivered and shook as he struggled to hold balance. Waves of sonic vibrations pounded through his armor, causing every muscle in his body to falter before he fell onto his back. His body continued to spasm as the sonic vibration ceased.
'This is not an honorable way to die,' Draethus gasped.
The machine strode closer and tilted forward, a god curious what insect lay beneath. It towered over Draethus as the machine's pilot examined him. Thin blue and green lasers probed over the victim's armor, starting with his outline and working inwards. There was a flash of blue light, a result of being scanned and photographed.
Draethus was still in a daze, and the world around him continued to spin. His captor, the walking machine, buzzed to life as claws appeared from under its arms. They clicked and spun at the wrist, then grabbed Draethus from underneath.
He felt like a child's rag doll, helpless and at the mercy of the metal giant. The beast turned and headed towards the jungle in the distance. The world around Draethus faded into darkness as he fought to keep conscious.
'I need to set internal systems to analyze the local language,' he mumbled. 'Voice command, intercept wide spread communications and begin translation sequence. Engage both audio and visual playback.'
He relaxed once the sequence began and gave in to the sleep. The strange language played back through the helmet.
'I will make sense of this madness,' he finished before passing out.
*
The pilot inside the machine sat back in his chair, hidden in the darkness of his cockpit with small lights and display panels glowing around him. The incapacitated soldier was not of this world.
'Is he another of these creatures or something else entirely?' the walker's pilot said to himself. 'He looks human enough.'
He touched the holographic heads up display and selected the required signal frequency. 'This is Echo One to base, please confirm your code.'
Static sounded over his coms unit before a green signal hologram buzzed to life and displayed the secure voice connection.
'Echo One, this is base. Secure code, omega, nemesis, and echo. Do you receive?'
'Code confirmed,' the pilot responded. 'I've intercepted an unidentified human soldier, allegiance unknown and possibly an enemy combatant. Initial scans show he is not of this world, but not like the creatures. Armor design and materials differ from known database. I believe he is of another race and request orders.'
'Understood, Echo One. You are to hold prisoner and await further instruction.'
The pilot adjusted the holographic dial, 'Confirmed, awaiting orders'.
He browsed the control panel that was monitoring his prisoner's life signs, then magnified his display on the soldier's armor.
'Incredible design,' he whispered. 'I'm sure our interrogators at the Sky-Station will extract information. If he is not an enemy, he could prove very useful against whatever creatures destroyed the city.'
The comm system, a hiss of static followed by his orders, interrupted the pilot's musings. 'Echo One, you are to proceed to the Sky-Station with the prisoner. He could hold vital intelligence on this new alien scourge.'
The pilot looked down at his prisoner. A feeling of power swept over his senses. 'Confirmed, base, orders understood'.
The machine trudged onward as marshy ground splashed up and covered the robotic legs. The pilot looked into the visual display from his rear facing camera and saw the destructive events in the distance. He felt helpless, although angry, which caused him to clench his fists and punch the side of the cockpit. His beloved city burned across the skyline. The horizon lit up with flashes as weapons' fire streaked into the sky towards low-flying aircraft, sending them crashing to their death.
'What is your role in all this?' the pilot said aloud, staring out of his cockpit at the armored warrior trapped in his robot's claws. 'If it hadn't been for you, I would still be in the city fighting that mechanical menace and protecting the people.'
The thought of crushing the warrior had tempted him to satisfy his anger; however, his orders were like a damn, cutting off the flow of his free will. He hadn't been disobedient since his young ganger days, and he wasn't about to risk his career now. Maybe he would sit in on the prisoner's interrogation or even conduct it himself. It could be a new skill to gain.
Such an inconvenience, he thought to himself.
The robot was near the end of the path through the jungle. Striding forward, its feet made the nearby vegetation shake as leaves fell from the trees. Approaching, he could see a dust cloud and, as it grew nearer, he saw a squad of armored vehicles racing towards him. He flashed his flood lights in signal, as the vehicles pulled up in formation. The hatch on the lead tan
k, a massive tracked behemoth, opened, and a man emerged signaling the robotic walker to follow. The robot strode onwards, surrounded by the tank escort as the group headed for the Sky-Station.
*
In another section of space, millions of light years away, the dark fleet drifted in a loose formation against a backdrop of blue illumination from a dying star. Hundreds of enormous capital class vessels of various designs waited; a mass of dark fury hungry for war. The lead vessel, the Wing of Vidar, floated at the center and cast a shadow across half the force. A city sized monster, it was the flagship of the Cygnian Pirates.
In an abandoned hallway along an old section of the vessel, unused and forgotten, Xain Raeson looked out the viewing window in awe of the metal gods drifting on currents of radiation.
He refocused on his reflection in the glass, his dark hair messy, and looking into his own hazel colored eyes, wondered how he was so easily trapped.
'Open the door,' said a heavily modulated voice from behind him.
The cold steel muzzle of a pistol pushed into the back of Raeson's head as the unknown assailant repeated the command.
Xain wanted to rip the weapon from the man's hands and beat him with it, not just for threatening his life but to satisfy the anger in himself for letting someone get so close. He pushed the anger down, remaining calm, and looked for a way to overcome his attacker; being in a quiet section of the ship didn't help matters.
'It's taken me a long time to get this close to you,' said the assailant, his voice still muffled through the digital modulator. 'I will finally dispose of you, our greatest traitor.'
The weapon pressed harder into Raeson's skull, and he knew the passionate hatred in the assailant's voice meant he didn't have long to live.
'Who are you calling a traitor?' Raeson replied with a grin. 'You're the one holding the gun.'
A Dark Oceans Descent: (Heridian Saga, Book 1) Page 1
