Ghosts of Lyarra

by Damian Shishkin

  Shadowed by the much larger Husk Harvesters, the ships of the Valkyrie ranged from a few hundred feet to a kilometer long. Unlike their allies, their ships were metallic silver or grey and adorned with colorful war paint that made each of them unique in their own right. Swatches and stripes of red, yellow, white and blue splashed across the hulls in an array of self-expression. Unlike the Hiveminds that drove the Husk to be uniform and exact, the Valkyrie stood in complete contrast as unpredictable, individual, and rash.

  Their ships surrounded the framework of a space station; a bubble sphere bulging out from a half planetoid object with its core cold and exposed to space with lattice work of beams and girders. The structure resembled an insect nest of some sort, but made of mechanical components and far from organic. It had been constructed for purpose, not comfort; and within it was the architect of this destructive force. Upon close inspection, there were traces of different ship hulls in the make-up of the station. Inner decks had become outer bulkheads, hulls had become floors, and engine baffles became docking ports. It was a patchwork abortion of a structure, but it was only meant to be a temporary home for the lord within until the day came to unleash his forces upon the galaxy. The last thing to prepare was the final repairs to a flag ship that had been under reconstruction for the last several thousand years.

  At the fringes of the dark system, space boiled and sparks flew before a gigantic Valkyrie cruiser burst forth. It was more than twice the size of the largest of the other Valkyrie ships; a white ‘X’ splashed across its bow with a red stripe crossing through it and running down its length. On its left flank was a name written in red, spelling the words Sorrowful Desolation. It was a well-travelled vessel, and the only one to have visited each of the Imperial worlds and come out alive. As it powered down its jump engines, the Sorrowful Desolation continued on its way to the center of the gathering; the Husk ships moving to give the newcomer a wide birth in respect. All the way through it passed unhindered, the formations opening for it to pass before closing once more behind.

  Once its path was clear to the station, the Sorrowful Desolation picked up speed to hasten its arrival. Amongst the other Valkyrie ships, it dominated the others in size and stature. After slowing to a veritable crawl as it approached, it docked with the patchwork station after completing a loop around the backside to view the final progress of the flagship. When the airlock opened, a single creature stepped through and marched down the empty halls to the inner sanctum. Dressed in old Viking armor, it strode quickly down the corridor. As it crossed the threshold into the throne room, the figure knelt a few feet inside the doorway.

  “Welcome back, Svipul.” The Dark Lord growled. “Rise and tell me what you have learned in your travels.”

  “As you requested, we docked with a remote communication buoy to watch the coronation.” Svipul began. “And as you suspected, the antagonist that had haunted Myril for the last year struck when she was most vulnerable. What we didn’t figure was that behind all this was Iana and her newly resurrected Harbinger.”

  “Yes, the Harbinger.” The Dark Lord countered. “I have met this Aen; he is quite the stubborn creature and is defiant to the end. His inclusion in this conflict was not anticipated, but it changes nothing.”

  “Pardon my insolence, but I do believe this Aen changes everything.” Svipul muttered. “I witnessed him lay waste to the temple of Ryas single handed. Myril’s forces had the battle well in hand and it was only a matter of time until victory was achieved. Aen’s intervention change everything then, and I strongly believe it changes everything now. This god-child has enough power to reshape the galaxy.”

  “God-child!” the master’s voice was raised as he slammed his hands on the armrests of the throne and stood angrily. “The only God in this equation is me. It is I who survived the death of Dalanth; it’s all consuming fires cast out to leave no trace of my followers’ betrayal. It is I who called the Husk from the very reaches of space and bent them to my will. It was I that reached into the darkness beyond the light and reunited them in a common cause.”

  Svipul knelt before his angry master; frantic to find better words to make his point that wouldn’t enrage the Dark Lord further. Arrogance would not serve him right now, so he had to swallow his warrior pride and take this scolding. His master was strong, powerful and wise; no one else could have made servants of the Husk and no one could have found the different Valkyrie lurking about the shadows beyond the galactic borders. Long had he thought of reuniting his brothers and sisters, but to do so should have taken several lifetimes; though the Dark Lord had done it in just a few thousand. Svipul owed his master everything for this favor, so he had to delve into the rest of this conversation with more care than he had before.

  “Pardon my ignorance Master.” He said calmly with his head down. “Do not let my poor choice of words take away from the point of the matter.”

  “And that is?”

  “That this creature threatens the course of everything.” Svipul continued. “Worse yet he has realized his potential and is, full control of all which he wields. Aen is a child of the very stars that live throughout the universe; pure power made flesh. We must make the appropriate changes in our plan to adjust for this newcomer to the fray; for if we do not, I believe we will suffer the same fate of our former ally, Myril.”

  “A good point.” His master responded. “But he is but one, and a freak of Nature at that. In the grand scheme of things one cannot stand against the multitudes at my command.”

  “Tell that to the Mori.” Svipul chimed in quietly.

  “And who are they to me?” the Dark Lord hissed angrily.

  “To you, nothing; as they are to the rest of the Galaxy now.” The Valkyrie added. “Older than the Husk, they were long gone from this lifetime when the Prophets came about. But like you, they thought that one freak of nature wasn’t a worry in the grand scheme of things. In their arrogance, they ignored the warning signs and by the time they paid attention to them it was too late. The Mori became extinct in just over a year; victims of their own ignorance.”

  “And just one creature did this?”

  “Yes. It started with one; patient zero if you would. The first on the planet to suffer from the Valkyrie strain that mutated his DNA to create a new race that would overwhelm their hosts. The Mori have no place in history; no footprint in the sand for others to find. No one sings their tales and no one remembers that they were even there. If we do not account for him, we could suffer much the same fate as the Mori.”

  The Dark Lord was quiet; stepping off his throne and past his guardian beasts to pace the floor below. His pets raised their heads to see what was happening, before returning to their slumber once more. Boots cracked as the metal struck the floor grates as he slowly made his way to the doorway where Svipul remained on his knee. The closer he got, the more the energy in the room changed. The Valkyrie felt his very life force drain as his master neared; the Dark Lord was asserting himself on his subject without even trying.

  “You tell me a tale from your past,” he began. “And say that no one tells the tales; that they have no one to tell their history, yet you tell it today. How is that to be?”

  “Because like this Aen, I am the one that is different than all the others.” Svipul stood upright proudly. “I am the dawn of my race; the first case of the Valkyrie strain. My existence is proof that just one being can exact major change. I have roamed the galaxy since before your time, and became old and wise in the ways of the universe before you were born. So take my council wisely when I say that this creature poses a great threat to your new age; despite your vaunted power, believe me that he can match it and then some.”

  “Indeed you and your race are old and wise.” The Dark Lord acknowledged. “And your wisdom is valued here; it is why I chose to awake you from your frozen slumber. So we will convene our commanders and relook at our plans before we launch our main offensive.”

  Before Svipul knew it, his master had moved acr
oss the room and now stood toe to toe with him. Unlike most creatures that were dwarfed by the Valkyrie, the Dark Lord gave up no height to Svipul; and his close proximity amplified the drained feeling. His master was an overpowering presence, hence his reason to stay put in the doorway and not venture in further. Despite his age and wisdom, this creature was one of the few that he feared.

  The Dark Lord grabbed the Valkyrie by his bony neck and squeezed tight. Slowly he brought his servant to his knees before tossing him on his back. A deep growl escaped the Master as he paced in front of the prostrate soldier.

  “You are right, you are much older than I.” He muttered. “But keep in mind who the true power is here. I am the one who will rewrite history, I am the one who has reunited your race and gave it purpose once more. You are my servant, and you will, mind yourself, when speaking to me! If I want your wisdom, I will ask, but you will not speak down to me as you just did ever again. If it hadn’t been in private, I would slaughter you in front of your brethren; that is the only reason you shall live to see another day.”

  “Yes Master.”

  “Now that you have got the message, I need you to send another for me.” The Dark Lord went on as he turned his back and returned to his throne. “Aen has challenged me, and I cannot let that challenge stand unanswered. So pick an outlying colony - one that can’t be reached quickly - and wipe them out. Let your crew feed in their fear and bathe in their blood, enjoy yourselves as you revel in the carnage, then leave nothing behind. Wipe the planet clean down to the bedrock and leave it burning for the Empire to find.”

  Svipul gasped to catch his breath as he struggled to his feet; the drained feeling dissipated and his strength returned. He understood his orders, nodded in understanding before turning on his heels and taking his leave while he still could. His stride was faster than usual as he sped down the corridor and to the shuttle dock. When his shuttle departed, Svipul was able to breathe a sigh of relief. In all his long life he had never felt that kind of rage being brought down on him and it scared him. Long had he secretly thought doubtfully about this sinister alliance, but as the days grew nearer to the attack his doubts seemed more and more reasonable.

  As his shuttle docked with the Sorrowful Desolation, he refocused himself to not show weakness in front of the others. He marched onto the bridge and began to shout the new orders, telling his crew of the feast and glory that was awarded to them for their obedience. The giant ship turned from the planetoid and began its exit run out of the system; they had a task to complete and he knew just the place. Svipul would send a message alright; he would pick a most glorious victim and string it up for the whole Empire to watch die. He would take out his frustration on them, then sit back and watch paradise burn.

  The war has begun, see it unfold in the next chapter in the saga:

  Thy Kingdom Come

  COPYRIGHT

  © 2015 by Damian Shishkin

  First Edition — 2015

  Suite 300 - 990 Fort St

  Victoria, BC, Canada, V8V 3K2

  www.friesenpress.com

  All rights reserved. This book and any version thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  This is a world of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  ISBN

  978-1-4602-6369-3 (Hardcover)

  978-1-4602-6370-9 (Paperback)

  978-1-4602-6371-6 (eBook)

  1. Fiction

  Distributed to the trade by The Ingram Book Company

  Table of Contents

  Dedication

  Quote

  Foreword

  Prologue

  OneSagittarius A*,Lyarran Research Station A7185

  TwoLyarran Vessel: Dark LightImperial Shipyards of Thsin

  ThreeOrbit of the Guild World Ryas

  FourInner System SolarPower Relay Station;Project Olympus

  FiveInner System Solar Power Relay Station; Project Olympus

  SixLyarran System; Guild Planet Ryas,Temple of Divine Light

  SevenSol System;Lyarran Vessel Dark Light,Neptune Orbital Range

  EightTokyo, Japan;Ningyocho District

  NineHimalayan Mountains;Mount Kailash, Tibet

  TenGeneva, Switzerland

  ElevenLyarran Vessel Dark Light;Neptune Orbital Range

  TwelveLyarran System;Zyan Station Entry Point

  ThirteenImperial Docking Port; Thsin

  FourteenGuild World Ryas;Temple of Divine Light

  FifteenLyarran Throne World Havyiin; Imperial Palace

  SixteenLyarran Throne World Havyiin; Imperial Palace

  Epilogue

  Copyright