by G. P. Hudson
“Yes, it’s very exciting, but I need your help. How do I get them to talk to us?”
“I do not think you can. They must choose to speak to you. At least this is what my research indicates.”
“Okay, so why haven’t they done so? They saved us from the Erinyie. Why not say hello?”
“Perhaps they intervened to save the Freen.”
“Good point. The Freen seem to serve the Antikitheri. They are most likely under the Antikitheri’s protection.”
“You might have more success using the Freen as an intermediary.”
“Great idea, Miira. Commander, hail the Freen ships. Let’s see who’s in charge now.”
“Sending hail. The Freen are responding. Patching through to your console,” said Henderson.
Another birdlike creature appeared on Jon’s comm. It stared at him silently with those same, creepy black eyes.
“Greetings, I am Admiral Jon Pike, of the United Human Space Force.”
“You are the bringer of darkness,” the new Freen commander said forcefully.
“I’m sorry, I don’t understand what you mean. We are friends.”
“The Erinyie have never taken such a bold action before. Never have they attacked us from within our system. Yet you arrive, and darkness follows. Why?”
“I don’t know. As I said to the previous Freen commander, we are not from this galaxy.”
“The darkness pursues you. It risks much to destroy you.”
“It’s true. The Erinyie have attacked us in our own galaxy. That’s why we’re here. We need help against the Erinyie. We need to speak with the Antikitheri.”
“Only the Antikitheri choose who they speak to. What you want or need is irrelevant.”
“Clearly your people have a relationship with them. Perhaps you can act as an intermediary on our behalf?”
“We serve the Antikitheri. That is all. They command. We obey.”
“How long have you served the Antikitheri?”
“Your question makes no sense. We have always served. Just as the Var have always served the Erinyie.”
“The Var? Are they the race in the black ships that attacked before the Erinyie showed up?”
“Yes. They are the Var. The Var embrace the darkness.”
“We have a race like the Var in our galaxy. They are called Juttari. They serve the Erinyie. They seek to bring darkness to the entire galaxy. We are trying to stop them, but the Erinyie have openly intervened. We cannot fight the Erinyie without the Antikitheri’s help.”
“I sympathize with your plight. The Erinyie are ancient, and powerful. You will not prevail alone.”
“My thoughts exactly. As I said, that’s why we’re here. We need help. Can you at least tell me how we can speak to the Antikitheri? If they hear of our situation, they might agree to help us.”
“Speak and they will hear you. That is all.”
“You mean I don’t need to establish a comm with them?”
“No. Of course not. They are the Antikitheri. They hear all. They see all. Why would one use technology to communicate with the gods?”
“Right. How foolish of me.”
The Freen were no better than the Juttari. They saw the Builders as gods, in the same way the Juttari saw the Erinyie. Jon understood how that could happen. The Builders likely arrived when the Freen were a primitive civilization. How else would the Freen see them? They had probably developed a complex religion around them, too. It made sense. But to Jon, the Antikitheri were nothing more than extremely advanced aliens.
“Thank you for your help,” Jon said to the Freen commander. “I will take your advice and just speak to them.”
The Freen looked back at him without saying anything more.
“Pike out,” said Jon, and terminated the comm. “What do you think?” he said to Miira.
“You must petition them for an audience,” said Miira. “I believe you must supplicate yourself.”
“You want me to beg for their help?”
“The Freen ‘serve’ the Antikitheri. They are not allies. You have sought to contact them to discuss an alliance. Perhaps it is the wrong approach.”
Jon saw where she was going, and he didn’t like it. He couldn’t stomach the idea of licking an alien’s boots. But what choice did he have? His pride would not help him defeat the Erinyie. He decided that it was better to open a dialog with them first. He could always figure the rest out later.
“Okay, I’ll give it a shot,” he said, and then looked up, as if talking to some deity. “My name is Admiral Jon Pike, and I humbly request an audience with the great and powerful Antikitheri.” He waited for a bit, and frowned. Nothing. He looked over at Miira, who had crossed her arms in front of her chest, and had a look on her face that said he wasn’t trying hard enough.
Jon exhaled sharply, and gave it another try. “Oh great Antikitheri, I stand before you-”
“Kneel,” said Miira.
“What?”
“You should kneel.”
“There is no way in hell that I am kneeling.”
“I understand your feelings, Admiral, but kneeling will send the appropriate message.”
“Really?”
“Yes. I think so.”
Jon shook his head in disgust. “The things I do,” he muttered under his breath. He looked around the bridge and caught a few crewmembers’ eyes. They quickly looked away, resuming their duties. How would it look to them if their Admiral got on his knees before an alien race? “This is a first contact situation,” he said aloud, and most of the bridge crew turned to look at him. “We need the Builders’ help. Extraordinary measures need to be taken. Is that understood?”
A chorus of ‘yes, Sirs’ came back in response, but Jon didn’t feel any better about how this would look.
“As you were,” he said. He glanced back at Miira, who towered over him with a concerned look on her face. She doesn’t think I’ll do it, he thought. Under ordinary circumstances she would be right. But I guess these aren’t ordinary circumstances.
As Jon lowered himself down onto his knees, his symbiont growled its protest. Weak, it said with disdain.
Jon tried to ignore the creature, but his own anger was building. This better be worth it, he thought. Once fully in a kneeling position he again addressed the Builders. “Oh great Antikitheri, wondrous builders of the universe. I kneel before you in supplication, in the hope that you will grant me an audience.”
Then there was a sound. It was soft, and jingled like a wind chime. Something large began to take shape. Blue and amorphous, it glistened and swirled in the air above him, like a mystical vortex. Jon started to discern a pair of eyes, staring back at him. They were also blue, very large, and had an intimidating quality about them.
“Speak, human,” a male voice thundered. “Why have you come before us.”
“I have traveled from another galaxy to see you-”
Another form took shape next to the first. It swirled like the first, only this one was an emerald green in color. A pair of fierce looking eyes took shape, and the new form spoke. “We know of your galaxy, and of your planet, human. We watched as it first took shape.”
A third form materialized. This one red. New eyes studied him, although these had a more thoughtful look about them. “He carries the code. It is unmistakable.”
“Yes. I see it now,” said the blue form.
“He is the one,” said the green form. “He is the foreseen.”
“Um, excuse me?” said Jon. “I’m right here. Does someone want to tell me what you’re all talking about?”
“Your arrival was foreseen, before your race even walked your planet,” said the red form.
“My arrival? As in me coming here?”
“Your existence,” said the blue form. “Your birth. Your rise. Your future.”
“Great. Everyone knows my future except me. Wonderful.”
“It is not for you to know, Jon Pike. It is for you to fulfill.”
&n
bsp; Jon had heard enough. He got up off his knees and stood up straight, looking each of the swirling forms in the eye. “Let’s get something straight right now. I’m nobody’s pawn. Nobody dictates my future.”
“Seeing is not dictating,” said the red form. “The future can always be changed, as the Erinyie have already tried to do.”
“You’re referring to their attack in this system? You’re saying they were trying to take me out?”
“Yes,” said the green form. “This attack, and many others. The Erinyie can also ‘see’. Your future does not serve them.”
“But it does serve you, right?”
“Yes.”
Leverage. It’s about bloody time, he thought. “If you can see all that, then you can see that the Erinyie have intervened in our galaxy on the side of our enemy.”
“Yes.”
“Then you can also see why I’m here. We need your aid against the Erinyie. Will you help us?”
“No.”
Chapter 5 5 4
“What? Why not?” said Jon, stunned by the Antikitheri’s answer.
“Hubris,” said the green swirling figure.
“Hubris?” said Jon, confused by the response.
“Hubris is a form of extreme pride and self-confidence,” said AI. “It is commonly seen in ancient literature as behavior that defies, or challenges the deities.”
“Thank you, AI.”
“You’re most welcome, Admiral.”
“So, you guys think you’re gods. Is that it?”
The three swirling figures stared back at Jon in silence.
Jon could barely contain his anger now. He could feel the creature crying out for blood. “You want to know what I think? I think you’ve started to believe your own bullshit. Races like the Freen have worshiped you as gods for so long, that I think you’ve started believing you are gods. The thing is, the Cenobi told us about you and the Erinyie. Like them you were once flesh and blood. The only difference is you forgot that part. You’re this ancient, powerful race, but you forgot that you were once no different than us.”
“Silence!” said the green form, as sparks and what looked like arcing electric current shot out from its swirls. “Do not speak the name Cenobi before us! They are unworthy and unclean. They care only for themselves. Never compare us. How can such an arrogant, primitive beast be the foreseen?”
“He has traveled to this galaxy. He bears the code. This much is clear,” said the red form, in a much calmer tone.
“What is this code you keep talking about?” said Jon.
“He is ignorant, and primitive. He cannot be the foreseen,” said the green form, sparks still flying.
“I know. How about you don’t answer my questions, and you just call me names instead?” Jon said sarcastically.
“Uh, Admiral,” said Miira, her eyes fearful. “Perhaps a more diplomatic approach would yield better results.”
Jon took a deep breath. “You’re right, Miira. I’m sorry.” He turned back to the three Builders. “I apologize for my… um… my arrogance. I don’t know how much your visions have shown you, but my entire life has been spent fighting against alien subjugation. It is not that I am arrogant. It is more of a fierce independence.”
“These are suitable qualities for the foreseen,” said the red form.
“Perhaps,” said the green form, the sparks subsiding.
“The code is a gift,” said the blue form. “As are the gates, and numerous other wonders. Before leaving your galaxy, we left behind fragments of ourselves, what you would call DNA, knowing that the foreseen would possess the very same fragments.”
“Wait a second. You called me the foreseen. Are you saying that I have your DNA?”
“Yes.”
“It’s my symbiont. Isn’t it? It has your DNA. The gift you left behind is the Great Pool on Diakus.”
“He is perceptive,” said the green form. “He may be the foreseen after all.”
“Thanks for noticing,” said Jon, instantly regretting the sarcasm. Thankfully, the Builders didn’t notice.
“You are one with the being inside you,” said the red form. “Its code is your code.”
“And that code came from you?” said Jon.
“Yes. You are also part of us.”
Jon was stunned. It was hard enough for him to swallow the rhetoric around being ‘of the Temple’ which somehow made him Diakan, as well as human. But now, the Builders themselves were saying that they shared the same DNA. He struggled to grasp what it all meant.
“If I am the foreseen, then is it not your destiny to help me? I mean, why go to all the trouble of creating the Great Pool, and having me come all this way, if you aren’t prepared to help? Foreseen or not, I cannot defeat the Erinyie.”
“He speaks true,” said the red Builder.
“Yes, but is he prepared to serve?” said the green Builder.
“The future is in flux. It changes as we speak,” said the blue Builder. “We must take action, before it is lost.”
It was difficult for Jon to wrap his mind around their conversation. They spoke of the future like it was a possession they risked losing. It occurred to him that this future was his real leverage. The green Builder was worried about Jon’s humility, but would he risk the future over it? It certainly sounded like they put a lot of stake in their visions.
The other two weren’t as concerned about his attitude. Two against one. Jon hoped it was enough. Nonetheless, it wouldn’t hurt to play ball with the green Builder for a bit, just to get him onside.
“I beg of you, great Builders. Come back to my galaxy. Help us banish the darkness. Help us defeat the Erinyie.”
The Builders stayed silent for a few moments, and then the green form responded. “We will help you. We will return to your galaxy.”
Chapter 5 6 5
The Great See’er grew increasingly concerned with the fluctuating visions before her. Turbulence had replaced order, and the future had been swept up by a raging torrent. Never, in all her years, had she experienced such confusion. The strings of prophecy had always been easily discernible, even in all their divergences. Yet now, those strings had frayed, leaving the future in tatters.
The only vision with any clarity, was a portent of darkness and destruction. What could bring such a calamity upon them? She had seen Jon Pike’s journey. Had witnessed his successful contact with the Builders. By all accounts, her visions should be clear, and hopeful. Yet her sight only filled her with dread.
She needed clarity. Needed to quiet her racing mind. She gazed about her chamber, and her eyes fell on the Great Pool. She had seen its origins, too. Strange that that vision would be hidden from her until now. She had always seen the Builders. She knew of their great crusade against the Erinyie. Knew that they had left the jump gates. So why hadn’t she known that the Great Pool held fragments of their DNA?
The knowledge shed new light on much. Her visions, and long life. Diakus’s rise to power in the galaxy. Jon Pike’s abilities, and his great destiny. It had all been preordained. The Builders had foreseen it all, and had left behind the means, so that it may all come to pass.
But the Erinyie had foreseen the events as well, and they had added their own influence. They had built up the Juttari, and helped them rise to power. More importantly, they did their part to manipulate the future, and alter the course of events. The Juttari invasion of Earth. The abduction of human children. The creation of the Chaanisar. The Juttari had done it all at the bequest of the Erinyie. All in the name of altering the course of events.
The Erinyie had been driven from this galaxy long ago, and had to work in the shadows. If not, the Antikitheri could return and drive them away once more. So, they worked through the Juttari, with the long-term goal of one day conquering the entire galaxy.
Of course, visions had a way of becoming clearer as time passed. Long ago, the Antikitheri and the Erinyie both foresaw events, but they didn’t know details. So, they did their part to manipulat
e those details. The Erinyie took the direct approach, the Antikitheri a more passive one.
The past was clear, the future in upheaval. It was too much. She felt as if the chamber’s walls were suffocating her. She needed air.
Stepping toward the exit, the giant carved doors bent to her will, and moaned as they slowly swung open. The Great See’er walked past the priceless paintings and sculptures, each depicting scenes from Diakan history, and through another set of doors, out onto the long, Temple bridge.
The powerful mountain winds swirled around her, but they failed to calm her as they had before. She felt more uneasy. Finally, she knew why. Even before the shadow fell over her, she saw the catastrophe that was about occur. At that moment, the only thing she could do was look up, and witness the harbinger of their destruction.
The sky above her had turned black, filled with the impossibly large body of an Erinyie warship. It descended steadily, ignoring the many Diakan warships attacking it, until it came to rest above Mount Tos. Above the Great Temple. Above her. The darkness had come to Diakus, and the See’er knew now that whatever future awaited the galaxy, Diakus wouldn’t be part of it.
As the blinding silver beam shot forth from the Erinyie vessel, the Great See’er knew that the same event was taking place across the planet. Armageddon had come to Diakus.
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