Children of the Void: Book One of the Aionian Saga

by Jack Halls

  “We were discussing where to relocate the camp. I’m told there’s a makeshift fort in some cliffs west of here. You’ve been there, right? What do you think? Is it a decent place to dig in permanently?”

  Gideon blinked. “You’re asking me?”

  The admiral stepped around the table and stood in front of his son. “Of course. No one here has seen more of the surrounding territory than you. We’ve got some maps, but you’ve been there on the ground and know the terrain. Besides”—he gripped Gideon’s shoulder—“I’ve decided to promote you to a field commander over a platoon. From now on, you’re Lieutenant Killdeer.”

  Gideon almost swallowed his own tongue. “What? You’re joking, right?”

  “This isn’t a time to be joking around, Lieutenant. You’ve engaged the enemy. You’ve proven your ability as a tactician. You’re a fine soldier and an excellent leader. Not to mention a Koramoa warrior. I’m not sure what that entails, but I gather it’s not a title that’s thrown around lightly.”

  “But I’m not even seventeen yet?”

  “What’s age got to do with it? Technically, most of us here should have died of old age a long time ago. Age doesn’t matter as much to an aionian. You’re qualified, and frankly, we need you.”

  “But... can I speak to you in private, sir?”

  Admiral Killdeer looked at his son for a moment. “Gentlemen, ladies, would you give us a few minutes?” His officers shuffled out of the crowded tent, shaking Gideon’s hand and congratulating him as they left. When they were alone, the admiral turned and looked at Gideon. “What is it, son?”

  Gideon swallowed and looked his father straight in the eye. “I can’t be a lieutenant because I’m not staying here. I’ve got to go.”

  Admiral Killdeer nodded. “You mean you’ve got to go after the others.”

  Gideon blinked. “Well, yes.”

  The admiral gave his son a sad smile. “You love her, don’t you?”

  Heat spread through his face and ears. “I... well... yeah, I guess I do, but that’s not the point.”

  The admiral closed his eyes and let out a long sigh. “Gid, you do realize you may never see her again, right? Any of them?”

  Gideon squared his shoulders and straightened his back. “Doesn’t matter. I’ve got to try. Besides, they told me the same thing about you.”

  Admiral Killdeer turned and paced away. He looked down at the maps on the table. “You’re our best hope of survival, Gideon. If those aliens attack—the Maodoni, I think you called them— we’ll need you. You’re the only one who’s met them in combat, at least on the ground.”

  “And what about Takomi and the others? They need me too. I’m the only one who has any clue where to look. I can’t leave them to die.”

  Admiral Killdeer turned and looked down at the maps. He rapped his knuckles on the spot demarcating the fort. “No,” he said, “you can’t. It’s the right thing to do, and I knew this was what you would want, but I had to give you a choice. A way out, if you will.” He straightened up and looked at his son. “Devereux’s got our shuttles, so you’ll need to go on foot. Of course, that’s not a problem for you, but if... I mean, when you find the others, they will have to walk back.”

  “So you’ll let me go?”

  The admiral turned around again, pacing across the tent. “I think you should go. Not much I can do to stop you anyway, is there?”

  Gideon smiled. “No, there’s not.”

  His father nodded slowly, looking ahead at nothing in particular. “I’d go with you if I could, but I have to be here.” He was quiet for a while, then he spoke again in a hushed tone. “Heaven knows I’d rather be with you. It’s too hard being an admiral and a father at the same time.”

  Gideon swallowed uncomfortably, then his father turned to him once more. “I don’t have much armor to spare. I’ll allow one person to take some armor and go with you, and you can take Vincent’s armor for when you find him. It’s too big for anybody but him and Joseph anyway.”

  “Is Sentinel Armor safe?”

  “I’ve had people working on it all night,” said the admiral. “It’s good to go.”

  Gideon shook his head. “Even in Sentinel Armor, they’d slow me down. I’d be better off alone.”

  “You still have to sleep sometime. You’ll need someone to watch your back. And if you need to communicate with us, you can send them as a messenger. It’s not a request, son.”

  Gideon chewed his lip for a second. “Fine. It’s a deal, as long as I get to pick who comes with me. And as long as we get to leave as soon as possible.”

  The admiral smiled and held out his hand to Gideon. “Deal.” As Gideon reached out and shook his father’s hand, the admiral pulled him into a bear hug. “Be careful, son. We have no idea what those Maodoni are capable of.”

  Gideon let go of his dad and smiled. “They have no idea what we’re capable of.”

  His father smiled back and walked with Gideon out of the tent. He hugged him one last time, then shouted for his officers to rejoin him in the tent. Gideon walked away.

  “And Gideon,” said the admiral. Gideon turned and looked at him. “You’re still a lieutenant, so you better act like one.”

  Gideon smiled, then squared his shoulders and saluted. “Yes, sir.”

  The admiral returned the salute, then turned and walked back into his command tent.

  It took Gideon a while to find Gavin McLeod, but he eventually came across him at a table, playing cards with Hannah McDermott. The small woman was wearing Sentinel Armor. Judging by her size, the armor could easily have been Takomi’s. For a moment, he was bothered by her wearing it, but he pushed the thought aside, admitting that it was impractical to leave the armor unused.

  He greeted Hannah and Gavin, then sat next to them, gesturing at Gavin’s brace. “So, is your leg good enough to put on some Sentinel Armor and take a little trip?”

  Gavin put down his cards and grinned at Gideon. “You’re really going after the others, aren’t you?”

  “I am.”

  Gavin sighed and looked down at his leg. “You know, I’d love to more than anything, Gid, I really would, but I’d just slow you down. Me leg’s getting better every day, but it ain’t one hundred percent. Sorry, Gid.”

  Gideon nodded and looked down at the table. “I was afraid of that. I thought I’d ask you first. Honestly, I don’t know who else to ask.”

  “Hell, I’ll go.”

  Gavin and Gideon both looked over at Hannah. She grinned at the two of them. Gideon looked at Gavin, then back at Hannah. “Really?” he asked.

  “Sure,” she said. “Connor’s my friend, and I’m pretty fond of the rest of them, too. I’m sick of sitting around this camp doing nothing.”

  Gideon coughed and scratched his head. “Well, I don’t know. I asked Gavin cause he’s...”

  “He’s what?” said Hannah, raising an eyebrow. “A man?”

  Gideon shook his head and held up his hands. “No, no. I was going to say...”

  Hannah laughed. “Say what, Gideon?”

  He looked at Gavin, who was trying to hide a grin. “I was going to say Gavin helped us before, but I’d be happy to have you along.”

  Gavin slapped Gideon on the back. “No worries, Gid. There’s a good reason why Hannah’s wearing Sentinel Armor already. She’s a better soldier than I am, that’s for sure.”

  “It’s settled then,” Hannah said. “When do we leave?”

  “Right now.”

  She laughed. “In a hurry, are we? What’s your plan?”

  Gideon stood and looked Hannah right in the eye. “First, we find Connor, Padre, and Vincent. Then we’re going to find the aliens’ ship, and we’re going to kill them all.”

  Hannah grinned. “I like that plan.”

  CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

  John

  A SOFT BREEZE slipped through the forest, making the leaves and branches dance in the light of Valkyrie’s three moons. Animals called to one another in t
he darkness, and Gideon thought he was getting to the point where he could identify the individual calls, if not the animal that made it. Somehow, the Koramoa Armor allowed him to smell the ambient air, and he inhaled the scents of the night.

  The fire behind him popped, and he looked back over his shoulder at the small camp. Hannah was fast asleep in her Sentinel Armor, exhausted from the day’s travels. She’d never complained about their pace, even four days into their search. If the two of them had been without any kind of armor, Gideon was sure she would have run him into the dirt. She was resilient and strong, and he was glad she’d come with him.

  Once again, he turned his attention to the forest, looking out from their perch among the rocks. It was so peaceful, he found himself enjoying it. Of course, without his armor, the forest would have been terrifying, but protected as he was, he was growing fond of this wide-open, wild planet. All he needed right now was Takomi sitting next to him, with her arm in his as they looked up at the blanket of stars.

  Gideon.

  He stood and spun around. Hannah continued to breathe heavily next to the fire. The voice had been close, extremely close, yet he couldn’t determine which direction it had come from.

  Don’t be alarmed, Gideon. I’m here to help you.

  It was so close, as if someone was leaning in and speaking into his ear. It was a man’s voice, deep yet smooth, like a long wave on the open ocean. The accent was British, intelligent, with each word enunciated perfectly. He had never met anyone in real life who talked like that.

  “Who’s there?” he whispered, his voice distorted harshly through the mask. He looked around frantically, trying to pick up any movement among the rocks and trees. If this was someone playing a joke, trying to make him panic, it was working.

  Stop spinning about like that, or you’ll make yourself sick. My voice is coming from your armor.

  Gideon froze, then reached up and tapped the side of his helmet. “This has a radio in it?”

  The strange voice laughed, a rich, melodious sound. Not exactly. Hmm, how do I explain? When I say my voice is coming from your armor, I mean to say I am in your armor. It may even be useful for you to think of me as the voice of your armor itself.

  Gideon looked at his armored hands. “The voice of my armor? You mean, like an artificial intelligence?”

  Ha! Intelligence, yes. Artificial, not at all. At least, no more artificial than you are. It may take a while for you to comprehend.

  “Who are you? What are you?”

  I told you, I’m the voice of your armor. I am inexorably linked to it, and it to me. It is my flesh, and I am its consciousness. Together, we adopt a symbiotic relationship with our host. That’s you. A complete neurological connection takes time, so I was unable to communicate with you until now.

  Gideon tensed. “Neurological connection? I never agreed to anything like that. What gives you the right to mess with my head?”

  There wasn’t time to explain everything. If Tloltan had died before passing the armor to you, I’d still be stuck on her wrist. I can assure you I’m not messing with your head, merely facilitating communication. It has to be this way for you to manipulate the armor, for us to speak, and for me to show you Tloltan’s memories.

  It was as if a light turned on inside Gideon’s mind. He’d been puzzling over the strange vision he’d experienced, and now it made sense. “So that was you. I have to say, that was pretty incredible. I’ve never felt anything like that.”

  None of your species has. This is the first time one of my kind has linked with a human.

  “I’m not human.” The words came out a bit more forcefully than Gideon had intended. “My grandparents were human, but my people are genetically modified. We’re called aionians.”

  No offense, but the genetic markers that distinguish you from your ancestors are relatively insignificant. They’re no more different than say, the gene that makes eyes blue or brown. However, if you prefer, I will refer to you as aionian.

  It was a fact that Gideon had always known, but he still preferred to distance himself from the humans that had tried to kill his people. “Why are you talking like that, like you’re from England?”

  I gathered your family was from North America. As of a few centuries ago, research suggested that North Americans tended to trust people who spoke like this, but if you like, I can adopt a different manner of speech. Since I’m to act as a sort of mentor for you, I felt this one was appropriate.

  Gideon had to admit there was a certain logic to it. “So, what kinds of things are you going to mentor me in?”

  The entity laughed again. We don’t have time to list everything. Let’s just say you’ve got several thousands of years’ worth of technology and culture to catch up to. Without me, you’re lost.

  There was no arguing with that. If there was one word Gideon could use to sum up his situation, it would be lost. “What do I call you?”

  You don’t have to call me anything. I’ll always know when you’re talking to me, and in fact, you don’t have to speak aloud at all, though I can understand if it makes you more comfortable. Even after all our time together, Tloltan usually preferred to speak to me out loud.

  It was hard to tell, but it seemed to Gideon that the voice sounded slightly pained as it spoke of Tloltan. “I think it would be easier for me if you had a name.”

  Very well, you may call me John.

  “John? That’s a weird thing to call you.”

  Names are by nature strange things. Simply a sound used to identify a thing or a metaphor for the abstract. It’s a common enough name, easily remembered, is it not?

  Gideon shrugged. “I guess so. It just seems like your name should be more...”

  Alien?

  “Well, yeah. But I guess you’re right. It doesn’t really matter what your name is.” The eastern horizon was beginning to grow light. The sounds of the forest became louder with the approaching dawn. “So, John, what do we do now?”

  My primary duty is to protect the Zaer, or more accurately, to assist my host in this function. When I think you need it, I will provide counsel and information. Think of me as an advisor.

  “Okay. So what kind of counsel would you give me right now?”

  Stop looking for your friends, and start looking for a way off this planet.

  Gideon was taken aback. He shook his head. “What? You expect me to abandon my friends and run? I don’t know how you’re used to doing things, but aionians have more honor than that.”

  Your honor is exactly why you must take my counsel. As I said before, my primary duty is to protect the Zaer, and since you swore to do the same, you must stay far away from the Maodoni.

  “I don’t think you get it. I’m not leaving them behind.”

  Your oath as a Koramoa overrides your duties as a friend. Tloltan understood this, and watched her entire planet, her entire species, get wiped out as she fled. That was not cowardice, but courage that led her to do that. The same courage is required of you.

  “Well, the way I see it, the Maodoni ships are the only way off the planet, so saving my friends and taking the Maodoni ship is the only way to protect the Zaer.”

  Unfortunately, that is not true. Even if you could storm a Maodoni troop transport, which is unlikely, your friends would most likely be killed in the attempt. In addition, the troop transports are not capable of interstellar travel. You could explore this star system, but you’d never make it past the Oort Cloud.

  “Then it doesn’t matter. There’s no way off this planet.”

  That’s not true either. Besides its function as a wildlife sanctuary and a place for your people to settle, this planet is host to one of several weapons caches scattered throughout the galaxy. You, Koramoa Gideon, are heir to the only fleet capable of stopping the Maodoni. That is, if they don’t kill you before you reach it.

  Thank you for reading

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  Find me on Twitter @ajackhalls.


  Since I know you’re worried about Takomi and the others, I’ve included chapter one of the next book. It’s still an early draft and will likely change, but you can’t at least get a peek at what’s coming next. Enjoy.

  Chapter One

  Takomi felt something wet and warm beneath her face and opened her eyes. It was dark, but she could see something shiny on the hard floor beneath her face. The room smelled like someone had taken a hospital and moved it into a mechanic’s shop. The acoustics told her that this room was quite large.

  With great effort, she lifted her head out of the puddle. Everything hurt, but most of all her face. Her fatigue was only overcome by her desire to lift herself out of the wetness she was lying in. It took some time to orient herself, and little by little her mind began to process her surroundings. She tried to sit up, and her head clanged into something solid. Her vision flashed. She bit her tongue to keep from cursing out loud while she brought her hand to her head. Her palm slapped against bare skin and she recoiled. Slowly, she touched her head again. Her hair was gone. This time she did curse out loud.

  A voice pierced the darkness. “Who’s there?” The speaker was close by, but Takomi couldn’t tell where. It took a moment for her to realize who it was.

  “Sophia, is that you?” she asked. She looked around in the darkness, feeling cold metal above her head and bars to her side.

  “Takomi!” answered Sophia. “I’m so glad to hear your voice. Where are you?”

  Takomi moved toward the sound of Sophia’s voice. She came up against more metal bars. The cage was tiny. “Over here,” she said, pushing up on the ceiling of her enclosure to no avail. Pain coursed through her body as she struggled against the metal bars. “I’m in some kind of cage.”

  “Me too,” said Sophia. Her voice sounded weak, as if each word weighed down on her. Takomi reached through the bars. Her skinny arms scrapped against the rough metal, but she hardly noticed.

  “Can you reach me?” said Takomi, groping for something solid in the darkness.