Ghosts of Lyarra

by Damian Shishkin

  “Your death comes in vain, and your Guild betrayed the Empress for no reason. Today you were sent to kill a God and before you die, know that you fall at the hands of Aen.”

  He felt the gasp of surprise, as his whispers were heard and realized before Aen snapped the would-be killer’s neck quickly and letting the body fall to the floor in a heap. Immediately he began to contemplate what the creature had said. The Guild had turned against the Empress and unbeknownst to her they were obviously plotting to take the throne as well; the whispers of the darkness were true. Even from out on the edge of time and space Aen could see the storm building. He knew the puppets, but he would have to look a lot closer to see the puppeteer.

  Leaving no evidence, he lit the corpse ablaze and reduced it to ash within seconds. The killers had done him a favor. Not only had they slipped up and let him know what was happening, but they had also given him an important gift; a ship! His time aboard the Brink had come to a close, and it was time to rejoin the land of the living. Aen walked the lonely halls to the control room and inserted a control chip into the main panel. Within the chip lay a time coded program so that as he departed in the assassin’s ship, all traces of him being aboard the station began to be wiped clean. As he made the jump to the Lyarran system, the station resumed normal automated functions with internal sensors registering a malfunction for the last three years. A malfunction that upon reset would show nothing had ever come aboard including the three dead Forgotten.

  —

  Lyarran Throne World Havyiin, Palace Gardens

  Lyarra shone brightly in the morning sky and warmed the palace gardens giving Havyiin its mid-summer glory that was longed for throughout the Empire. Iana loved the feeling of the warmth on a summer day, basking in her gardens and shirking off some of her daily responsibilities. There was nothing better than strolling through the maze of flowers and trees that lined her palace on Havyiin barefoot, she loved the feeling of the soft grass on her feet. It was a place to regain her composure, the last sane place in an ever growing insane galaxy.

  She felt the wind race through her waist long orange hair and her matching flame-lit eyes were closed to revel in the sensation. Her six-foot seven inch frame was stretched out on the bluish-green grass; her one attempt to enjoy a moment of quiet solitude. Sunlight glistened off her golden skin, and she felt Lyarra’s light nourish her every fibre. But despite the serene setting, Iana couldn’t shake the shadow of gloom that had begun to envelope her as of late.

  Nothing had been what it was since she arrived back home. Before, the Council was peaceful and pleasurable to work with. Fleet Command was gracious in their dealings with her and the Guild had been like family to her. All that had changed since Aen, his life had altered everything! Now the Council was bitter, always bickering about the loss of an asset and a great weapon. Fleet Com simply bypassed the Empress with important decisions and the Guild seemed distant and cold. Other than her protector Bryx, Iana felt alone at the center of the great empire of Lyarra; a feeling she was not reveling in.

  More and more of her daily activities had become a chore rather than enjoyment. After ten thousand joyful years at the helm of the Empire, Iana had come to wonder if the Harbinger had foretold the end of her reign as the cryptic prophecy read. She couldn’t see the outcome of this as the lines of fate and future - once clear to her visions - had become murky and muddled. Aen had done much more than save humanity and she wondered if he hadn’t been the spark that burned the entire Empire to the ground. Soon after arriving home, she had felt the darkness growing on the horizon as the shadows had begun to creep into the light.

  It was bound to have happened; she had been gone for so long that whispers had grown in the dark and become ideas. Iana felt the change in behaviors before most even knew she noticed. The subtle hints of dissension from those who up until now, had been loyal to no end. The storm was on the horizon and loomed large in her future. Iana wondered how long she would wait before it crashed upon her. She had begun to retreat within the palace; cancelling appearances and limiting the ones she was mandated to, as done through holo-links. Her world felt like it was coming apart, yet she was bound to show composure and poise up to the very end!

  All of this because of Aen; his wake left shockwaves that rattled the entire universe to its core. No one had imagined the power of the gods could live in the body of a physical being, but his birth had changed everything. Some wanted the weapon to hold proudly and ward off the threats from the Husk and other menaces out there; others simply wanted to possess such a being as a trophy. As tempting as both those things were; and the thoughts that through him she could retain her crown forever; she wanted nothing but Aen’s happiness and freedom. This is why she had Bryx find him before anyone else could and why she kept him hidden in the one place no one would ever look. The rest of the Empire thought Aen was dead or lost to the outer reaches of nothingness; Iana wanted nothing more than to keep it that way.

  And then there was the matter of the new inclusion to the Empire; Terra Sol or Earth as the humans called it. It was a heated debate if they even were worthy of such an honor, yet Terra Sol was one of the most desirable destinations in the galaxy. It had become a supply line to the outer reaches of the Empire as it was the only Imperial world out in the far reaches. Now it was a central hub for defence, supplies and leisure. Only Havyiin was more sought after as a resort world than Terra Sol; tourism traffic was monumental in the new world’s income and along with some of the riches mining resources stretched throughout the Sol system. Iana wondered if some were thinking about a takeover if Earth wasn’t a part of the Council.

  But Terra Sol would be conquered by no one, not after barely surviving their encounter with the Husk. The defence network was second to none as the PA cannon ring was operational within the year following the attack. Along with an orbital cannon network and a dual docking system; larger ships were ordered to dock at the Mars interlink station and people shuttled or ferried to the planet to run through security. It was the most secured and safe planet in the Empire, save for Havyiin itself! There were even rumors of Terra Sol developing a warship in secret, but their Council - Sara Foster - had shot those rumors down repeatedly when asked. The only ship development they had were luxury cruise liners for sight-seeing the great wonders of the Sol system and Iana was inclined to believe her young protégé.

  Iana was proud of the humans; throughout such destruction they had risen to great heights and overcome near extinction to become a jewel in the Empire. Though some resented them, their Council had stood tall and proud; backing down from no one in the Council sessions. Sara Foster was fierce in her beliefs; Terra Sol would take second seat to no one in her mind! Though Iana wanted to show favor in the meetings to Earth, it was imperative she be neutral throughout all the proceedings. None the less, Terra Sol truly held a soft spot in her heart.

  Maybe that is why she felt the Empire slipping away further each day; staying just out of her outstretched reach. Maybe that was why she had lost faith in the eyes that for so long had looked to her as inspiration. Not everything had soured, but there was a cloud of discontent hanging over everything; a shadow in the grand light of Lyarra.

  She thought of the upcoming Council session and the turmoil that usually came with it. Like the rest of the recent sessions, Iana had resigned herself to appear as usual by holo-link rather than in person despite the pleas from Myril, the High Priestess of the Guild world Ryas. Myril was one of the few that still warmly conferred with Iana since the Terra Sol conflict and constantly assured her that the icy relations to the rest of the Guild would pass in time. Aen was a one in a lifetime creature and losing him was a blame that had to fall on someone’s shoulder. In a time when she felt more imprisoned than empowered, it was nice to have a friend like Myril.

  A rush of wind roused her from her meditations and brought her back to the here and now. The breeze had shifted and made her instantly aware she had company. She kept her eyes shut, not letting on
that she was on to her approaching visitor who had taken such pains to be unseen and unheard. Slowly he closed in on what he thought was an unsuspecting prey, but she knew who and why he was sneaking up on her. For as long as she could remember, her guardian Bryx had conditioned her to be aware of her surroundings; teachings that led to him testing her when she wasn’t prepared. But she was aware, and she knew it was him the second the wind shifted as thousands of years of honing her senses came into play. Iana waited until he was almost right upon her, before she dashed his hopes of catching her off guard.

  “If you weren’t such a heavy breather, you might have been successful, old friend.” She said, unable to keep the smile from her lips.

  “Don’t play coy with me Empress, you had no clue I was here until the wind turned.” He growled in his heavy bass of a voice; unhappy he had come so close to fail now.

  Of course he was right, but Iana wasn’t about to give him the satisfaction of knowing he almost had her beaten. It was hard to be mindful of what was happening around her with her thoughts preoccupied with all of the goings on of late. She knew he picked inopportune moments to test her, but today was not her best of days.

  “As much as you try, something your size is impossible to be stealthy.” She replied.

  “Ouch,” he groaned sarcastically. “Yet another joke about my size. Perhaps I should start commenting on your age then?”

  He was playing with her, but there was also something in the tone of his low voice; something was amiss that he saw fit to get her spirits up before dropping some kind of news on her. They had been together for too long, and that familiarity made him as transparent as water to her.

  “Aside from the fact those comments may land you among the prisons on Dyen, there is something you aren’t telling me; I don’t have to look into you mind to know something is amiss.”

  Bryx hesitated; it was she who had caught him off guard. He opened his mouth to speak, but the words didn’t follow; at least not right as he intended them to.

  “There has been an incident on ‘the Brink’; unauthorized log entries had been tracked for some time and the Guild dispatched a team to investigate.” He said hesitantly.

  “Forgotten?” Iana asked.

  “Three left last week to look into it, but once I heard about it I logged into the mainframe and it shows no logs of arrivals or even crew members being aboard.” Bryx looked concerned. “I thought that was where he still was, but there isn’t a trace of anything biological aboard and the Guild prowler has disappeared.”

  “Troubling development, do you have any way of finding out where he went?”

  “He left no traces; very thorough in covering his tracks.” The giant said nodding his head. “All sensor scans of the station show nothing, not even an anomaly. It is a very odd situation.”

  “More troubling is the fact the Forgotten were dispatched without my consent, old friend.” Iana replied with a hint of fear. “Have things come to that point already that I am to be cast aside so quickly?”

  Bryx didn’t respond right away; instead he looked solemnly at her as he was obviously looking for the right words. There was a reason he had stayed by her side for so long and it wasn’t the fact that of his stature alone. Bryx wasn’t afraid to tell her the truth; a trait she truly needed at times such as these. As he thought, she tried to search his expression for any clues on what he might say, but the ever growling frown that all J’Karin wore on their emotionless faces told her nothing.

  “These are troubling times Empress, and since the Terra Sol incident much has changed in our beloved Empire. The thought of wielding the power of Aen has made some on the Council power mad; the thought of him as a weapon has driven an insatiable lust to find and possess him despite the file saying he is deceased. Aen changed everything; and in doing so he possibly paved the way for that change to sweep over us and wipe clean all we have fought so hard to build.” He said at last.

  “Like a stone thrown into the pond, his mere existence sends ripples through time and space.” Iana spoke aimlessly.

  “You were right to hide him from everyone, but now that he’s out there somewhere I fear what will happen when he is discovered.” Bryx growled.

  “No my dear friend,” Iana said with a wry smile. “He dispatched three of the Forgotten to the afterlife and wiped away their very existence on a Guild controlled station; I fear for the one that stumbles upon him in the hopes of thinking Aen is something to possess.”

  —

  Nammaran; the Lost Planet of the Prophets

  It was odd to enter into orbit of a planet and not see space traffic of any kind, but as Aen slipped into the rotational pull of Nammaran it was as if the planet below was uninhabited. Imperial planets were mostly a hive of activity with trading vessels and docked Fleet ships, but none of that was here. Only the rings of crushed rock and ice that encircled the Earth-sized world broke the nothingness out here.

  Nammaran was a hard place to find, but one he located none the less from the files aboard his stolen ship from the assassins. It was a place he could go for answers and it was a place that no one - not even the one who sent the Forgotten - would think to look for him. From initial scans, the planet was more of a water world than a rocky surface, but there was one continent near the northern pole of the planet. Easily overlooked as lifeless, this was the place the heralded Prophets of the Lyarran Empire called home; this was where they meditated for their visions of the future.

  It took very little to lock into a geo-synchronous orbit over the small, lonely continent and Aen began to ready himself for his decent. During the voyage here, he had donned one of the reflective suits of armor used by the Forgotten and fitted by the ships rudimentary computer. He had found it odd that this ship wasn’t outfitted with a VI like the rest of the Fleet’s vessels; maybe it made the ship able to slip from place to place without being detected. He almost hoped it made his arrival a secret from the beings below, but if reputation served them well they knew he was coming long before he thought of it.

  Turning the reflective surface control of the armor off, Aen decided to leave behind any weapons and the helmet as well. It was better to appear peaceful and arrive unarmed; besides he was more powerful than any of the weapons aboard anyway! He had come to find answers to the questions burning in his head; who was he and why could he not remember anything?

  In an instant, he stood on the crushed rock surface of the shoreline. There were little geological wonders here; the entire continent was only five hundred miles long and less than three wide. Looking around he saw the way the landscape had been altered by the inhabitants; there were ancient pillars reaching up to the sky, towering over the rocky path. The first few were broken; the tops and more missing; but a few rows in they were more complete and led to a roof structure over the path that led to an ancient-looking pagoda-style temple in the distance. It was a rock structure that looked to be miles tall that loomed in the distance. There were no guards or anything to greet him; just the barren surroundings of a world untouched by the modern Empire. Aen highly doubted anyone even knew this place existed so the need for protection was obviously never required.

  Slowly, he began the long walk to the temple and took note of the crisp northern air that cooled his lungs. It had been so long since he had breathed anything but the stale air provided by life support systems on the station or his newly acquired ship, that he had forgotten how it felt to have fresh air in his lungs. His body seemed to respond to the sensation as his heart raced sending surges of power through him. It was exhilarating; he felt truly alive for the first time since being rescued from the ice and snow. His body seemed to be on automatic now; his mind swooned from the sensory overload he was feeling his body carried on towards his destination and before he knew it Aen was standing at the foot of the highest set of stairs he could remember seeing!

  Stretching more than a mile into the clear blue sky, the rock staircase rose high and unobstructed before him as the sound of flapping p
rayer flags lining the entire way up brought him out of his trance. When his foot touched the first stair, his mind began to flood with images he couldn’t place. Quickly, he removed his foot from the stone stair and stood once more at the base of the temple wondering what the hell just happened! He tried again; and once more he saw images of a woman and little girl running through a grassy field with the wind in their hair. There was a feeling of peace and belonging connecting him to this vision, but he could not place them in his fractured memory. Instead of backing down, Aen decided to continue the long climb and take what this place threw at him.

  Step by step, the climb triggered a different vision with each footfall; each different and still alien to him. One was of a child frolicking in the shore waters of an ocean; the next holding a new born infant; another kissing a beautiful woman and swooning with lust. One by one the visions struck him in a barrage he was unable to deflect, but Aen persevered through the assault on his mind and quickened his pace. Over and over, strange memories tore him emotionally apart and as he neared the apex of his journey he found himself with tears rolling from his burning eyes.

  Standing but two steps from the summit, Aen toiled with the thoughts of leaping up the last stairs or simply teleporting himself up to avoid any more of the visions. But before he could do either, his body reacted itself and took the last two stairs as two new and familiar images struck him. First was the face of the woman with blue eyes that had haunted his dreams for the past few years as she stood on the opposite end of the Council chamber staring back at him. Then there was the same creature with her amazing eyes just locked on him as the two had a conversation through a holo-link that he couldn’t make out. Once he made it to the top of the stairs, the visions stopped and he was once again alone on this world as he stood before an open doorway. Inside, he could make out a grand chamber with six figures kneeling in prayer on either side of the room with a seventh at the center; he had found the Prophets at long last!