War of Mortal Gods

by Kipjo K Ewers

  “Yes, I do!”

  Freedom, though rattled to her core, kept her exterior mettle titanium strong in front of her captors. On Earth, she was the most powerful being on the planet. Light years away from her home, her strength and powers counted for little to nothing and were effortlessly subdued by alien tech. She had to rely on other tools in her arsenal if she hoped to clear her name and leave this planet alive.

  This was Texas all over again, and like before, she could not fall apart, even more so.

  “Prisoner Sophia Dennison, please step off the platform and exit through the entrance.”

  Doing as instructed, Freedom left the platform exiting the room into the waiting detail of two guards instead of six.

  “Guess I’m not a high threat level anymore,” she thought to herself.

  Overseer Molctura exited from the observation deck approaching Sophia, and the minimized guard detail with his hands clasped, taking a solemn stance.

  “Prisoner Sophia Dennison of Earth, I shall now escort you to the Council Room, where you will meet with your assigned Defender.”

  Freedom nodded, impressed, not just that their laws were similar to many democratic countries on Earth, but they believed and executed it on a sacred level in space. With a nod of her acknowledgment, the Overseer turned to lead the way as they followed with the two guards that originally flanked her taking up their original positions escorting her to the next location.

  It was a shorter stroll around a curvy hallway to a seamless door that was a part of the wall that disengaged and slid open the second Molctura stood before it.

  Sophia and the guards entered the bare white room with a metallic finish to the floors and walls. As the Overseer extended his hand out, a large part of the floor disengaged and rose to reasonable sitting height with the shape, length, and width of an old fashion surfboard.

  With his other hand, he gestured for her to approach. As Sophia came closer, standing where his hand guided her, another part of the floor separated, revealing a disk.

  Taking a hint, she sat down. It firmly held her weight, barely dipping. She was impressed with how easily it glided, where she moved.

  “Probably some magnetized propulsion tech; Erica would love to get ahold of this and compare it to her own.”

  Remembering where she was, Sophia clasped her hands, placing them upon the floating table, looking up to Molctura for further instructions.

  “Prisoner Sophia Dennison, do you require sustenance or to relieve yourself?”

  “No, thank you,” Sophia shook her head, partially wondering what would happen if she said yes.

  “If you require anything, simply vocalize your request, and someone will enter to attend to your needs. Your assigned defender will be in shortly to converse with you regarding your case.”

  “Thank you,” Sophia nodded.

  With nothing left to say, Molctura and the guards exited the room. Her eyes stayed on them until the sliding door closed before retreating into her thoughts.

  “Super hearing or x-ray vision would be perfect in this situation, oh well.”

  Sophia sat silently, humming to herself while tapping her fingernails on the top of the metallic white table. She was slightly disturbed by how calm she was throughout the whole ordeal after leaving Anu.

  Maybe it was because she knew Kimberly was alive, safe, and well cared for. Probably because she had been through a similar ordeal and experienced the worst-case scenario. It could also have been Sophia playfully moving about the floating seat to distract herself as she waited for someone to enter the room.

  Sure enough, Sophia was not kept waiting as the door she was led through slid back open. An eyebrow raised as she narrowly missed who walked through the door. The being that entered was one foot tall. The best description Sophia could come up with in her head for the extraterrestrial that strolled up to the table dressed barefooted in a dull sea-green sheen two-piece alien version of a kung-fu outfit was that he was eighty percent Mogwai body wise with purple and tan fluffy fur and ears, and twenty percent Ewok in the face with a worn orange beak similar to a Furby.

  A fascinated smirk formed on Sophia’s face as she watched the being tap two times on the floor with his left foot. A section of the flooring he stood on disengaged and rose to come to the table's level, giving her a clear view of him. She missed the stencil, thin triangle-shaped spectacles attached to his beak, and the small translucent yellow glass tablet in his right hand.

  “Sophia Dennison of Earth,” he introduced himself, “My name is Oozaru of the Sumaka tribe from the planet Edora. I will be your Defender for this inquiry.”

  “Pleasure to meet you, Oozaru of the Sumaka tribe from the planet Edora.”

  Oozaru adjusted his spectacles and raised his pad, tapping the screen, causing it to light up.

  “The Accuser will be here shortly to present you with a deal of some sort. It is your right to take the offer or decline it.”

  “Okay.” She nodded.

  “I have to ask you this question; it will matter not your answer, I am still obligated to defend you.”

  Oozaru lifted his head from his tablet, looking her in the eyes before he asked.

  “Did you commit these crimes?”

  “No,” Sophia firmly shook her head. “I did not commit these crimes.”

  His head tilted, similar to an owl as his ears flicked before he answered her.

  “I believe you.”

  It brought a calm smile to her face.

  “Good to know.”

  Oozaru’s tablet began to emit a rhythmic blink.

  “The Accuser is here. I will handle the negotiations. I advise you to speak when spoken to.”

  “Understood,” Sophia nodded.

  The door slid open again as Sophia’s eyes once again widened, unprepared for who walked in.

  Her shape was a dead giveaway that she was female. Her skin was fish scaly, red, and gold. Where her nose would be was a bump and small slits on both sides. Her eyes were as black as space itself, while rows of long tentacles on her head hung down to her shoulders like hair.

  The outfit she wore was a form-fitting two-piece pink skintight business suit with a latex texture to it. The platform shoes she wore were a transparent, translucent material, while the nail polish on her fingers and toenails pulsated a soft mint blue color.

  “Defender Oozaru,” she smiled. “Pleasure to see you again.”

  “Head Accuser Novtia,” Oozaru bowed. “Pleasure to see you again as well.”

  As she walked up to the opposite side of the table, Head Accuser Novtia tapped her foot on the floor. She stepped back, allowing a part of it to disengage and float around her. As the tile seat slid in behind her, Head Accuser Novtia sat down while setting the blue tablet similar to Oozaru’s in her hand down onto the table.

  “Before we begin, is your client comfortable with this language from her homeworld? Should we speak in another?”

  Oozaru turned to Sophia, waiting for her confirmation.

  “English is fine,” Sophia answered.

  “Do I have permission to converse with your client, Defender Oozaru?”

  Oozaru looked to her once again for approval. With a nod, Sophia gave her consent for Novtia to speak to her.

  “Apologies,” she politely pressed. “I require verbal consent from you, Sophia Dennison of Earth.”

  “Yes, you may.”

  “Thank you,” Head Accuser Novtia softly smiled. “Now before we begin these proceedings, Sophia Dennison of …”

  “Ms. Dennison is fine,” Sophia respectfully requested.

  “Ms. Dennison,” Novtia nodded, correcting herself. “I am well aware of how you were acquired from your homeworld from the Thracian Empire. There will be a full investigation and inquiry into their methodology and practice in your acquisition. If the Dominion Council finds that their actions were outside the acquisition guidelines, there will be fines and judgments. You or your next of kin will be properly compensated for thes
e offenses depending on the outcome of your Inquiry. Inquiry meaning trial should it come to that after our discussion here.”

  Although she kept her professional visage intact, a sharp knot formed in Sophia’s stomach. The sound of “next of kin” told her there was a possibility of a very ominous outcome should she lose.

  “Now I have to ask,” Head Accuser Novtia continued. “After you were acquired, were you mistreated in any way? Physically or verbally assaulted, disrespected in any shape, form, or manner?”

  A slightly impressed Sophia turned to Oozaru. He nodded, encouraging her to speak up if any such actions against her occurred.

  She began with a slight head shake before answering.

  “No, I was treated well while in custody.”

  “Very good,” Novtia nodded. “Ms. Dennison, you are formally charged by the Dominion Council with acts of mass murder that claimed the lives of eight thousand four hundred and seventy-three people, including three diplomats and the destruction of seven-star ships. These charges are also considered war crimes under the Council, which, if found guilty, brings along a sentence of death.”

  Sophia straightened up a bit more with her fingers clasped, sensing a “but.”

  “However, if you plead guilty to the crimes and provide us with detailed information on who instructed you on the execution of these attacks, the Council is prepared to hand you an immediate life sentence on each death to run consecutively.”

  Sophia slowly turned to Oozaru before looking back at Novtia with a response.

  “Could you please clarify what you meant by someone ‘instructing’ me.”

  Head Accuser Novtia clasped her hands together, leaning forward with a soft smile.

  “Ms. Dennison, the Council is convinced that you did not act on your own. Given your species' history, we are confident that you were following the orders of one or more of your governments. We want them, not you. If you testify to this, you will be granted leniency.”

  “That’s going to be very difficult to do considering that I answer to no government on my planet.”

  “So, you’re confessing that these acts were implemented by your own hands?”

  “I confess to nothing,” Sophia bluntly said. “No one controls me, I did not attack any of these starships, and I murdered no one. The furthest I’ve been in space is halfway between my planet and Mars. That’s it.”

  With a slow sigh, Novtia activated the tablet she brought with two taps. It glowed, projecting a clear image of what was supposed to be Sophia in her full gear with her hood covering her face hovering in space. The picture began to split, showing seven different images of her, each with a timeline stamp. With another tap, she allowed the footage to play.

  Sophia’s shell slightly cracked, revealing disturbing disbelief. Before her eyes was someone once again pretending to be her, sullying her good name and image, this time on a universal scale.

  With a narrowed gaze, Sophia attempted to use her keen eyesight to zero in on the attacker to uncover her identity. Unfortunately, her ability did not work well on video images. Whoever the impersonator was moved like her, had a similar energy output, and purposely used it and the hood on the suit to cover her face and bare hands to prevent detection.

  “The bitch knew she was being taped,” she thought to herself. “That’s why she kept her hands charged.”

  Head Accuser froze the assailant's final images and pointed to them as sternness fell over her face and came out through her tone.

  “These images were taken from the seven record capsules belonging to the ships that were destroyed. Will you still sit here and claim that this was not you who executed these attacks?”

  “I will wholeheartedly sit here in front of you and say that I did not execute these attacks,” Sophia said, returning the sternness. “With all due respect Head Accuser Novtia, this is not the first time I’ve been accused of a crime I did not commit.”

  “Yes, I am well aware of your criminal background, Ms. Dennison.”

  Novtia followed up her retort with three taps on her tablet. It projected Sophia’s criminal record from Earth.

  “You were charged and sentenced to death by the state of Texas for the murder of your husband …”

  “And executed for that same crime,” Sophia interrupted. “Which I did not commit.”

  “Technically, you were not executed,” Novtia corrected her. “And records show you were never exonerated for that crime.”

  “The government of the United States also has not taken any further actions against my client, Head Accuser Novtia, “Oozaru stepped in defending Sophia.

  “No, they have not,” Novtia said with narrowed eyes locked with Sophia. “But Ms. Dennison is fully aware as to why. Aren’t you, Ms. Dennison?”

  “You do realize you are levying two completely opposite accusations against my client, Head Accuser Novtia.” Oozaru countered. “She is either an assassin on behalf of her government or a tyrannical menace to her planet. She cannot be both.”

  “You are correct, Defender Oozaru,” Novtia nodded. “And I answer thee by saying that I care not whether it is former or latter. All that concerns me, and the Council is the facts which are before us.”

  Head Accuser Novtia callously aimed a finger at the stilled image of the assassin dressed exactly like Sophia.

  “And these tell me that you are indeed the guilty party Ms. Dennison. Spare yourself the humiliation of an inquiry and confess to your crimes. This will be your only chance to be shown some leniency from the Council.”

  “My client has already made her answer known to you,” Defender Oozaru said, stepping in on Sophia's behalf. “She chooses to maintain her innocence. We shall see you at the formal inquiry regarding this matter.”

  Head Accuser Novtia’s midnight void eyes remained on Sophia’s own as the two remained locked in a visual standoff to see which one would blink first. Accepting defeat, for now, Novtia slowly turned to Oozaru and bowed with her eyes closed.

  “I shall accept the final decision of the defense and relay it to the Council.”

  Without another word, the Head Accuser rose to her feet, picked up her tablet, and gave Oozaru another formal bow. Sophia’s Defender returned the act of respect.

  “Defender Oozaru.”

  “Head Accuser Novtia.”

  Novtia finally turned to Sophia, giving her a customary bow.

  “Ms. Dennison.”

  Sophia attempted to return the gesture from a seated position. Novtia turned to exit the room with a subtle switch to her step, leaving the defendant and lawyer alone.

  “I take it you have a good idea of what happens next, Ms. Dennison,” Oozaru asked.

  “We’re going to trial,” Sophia answered with an exhale. “Which means you will be doing everything within your power to prove my innocence.”

  “You are correct.”

  Oozaru followed up by stepping off the floor's floating section he stood on onto the table itself. He faced her, standing within arm’s reach.

  “To do that, you must divulge to me everything that took place during the time of the attacks. Your whereabouts, who you were with, what you were doing. This is how we shall create an ironclad defense within the next forty-eight hours before the official start of the inquiry.”

  Sophia instinctively coiled back a bit from Oozaru’s words with a look of confusion plastered all over her face.

  “Forty-eight hours?”

  “Why yes,” Oozaru answered with a slight nod. “Barring any official request for a delay to gather additional evidence missed, forty-eight hours is the allotted time for both accusers and defense to prepare before the official date of inquiry.”

  “Forgive me,” Sophia swallowed. “It just feels like a very tiny bit of time considering my last trial took at least six months to prepare for.”

  Oozaru nodded and gave her what she believed was his version of a smile.

  “I assure you, Ms. Dennison, our proficiency and technological advancement
s in trial preparation is to minimize the ordeal of an inquiry for both those on trial and possible victims. We will scourge the far reaches of the universe itself to uncover the truth. What I need to confirm is your whereabouts and activities during the time of the attacks so that my defense team can investigate and build counter-arguments to refute Head Accuser Novtia’s case against you.”

  “You’re team?” Sophia asked with a perplexed eyebrow.

  Oozaru nodded while gesturing to his tablet.

  “Yes, they have been listening in and taking notes via my Uni-Connect. Head Accuser Novtia’s team was most likely doing the same via her device.”

  “Well, lucky for your team and me,” Sophia smirked. “I have an excellent memory.”

  CHAPTER 13

  Horus stood silent as his wife Sekhmet paced the floor. She was in the middle of processing everything he updated her with leading up to her resurrection. Off to the side, Dr. Alexander and Graves silently watched the disturbing change of role as the god of kingship became a docile puppy before the newly awakened goddess of war.

  Sekhmet finally halted in her tracks, raising her head to the ceiling. Her brows knitted as her lips parted, preparing to speak.

  “So, these are the chain of events as I understand them. You were freed by three thieves, one of them a lowly descendant of Amun-Ra himself. Upon dispatching them, you made your way to Aja Nabha Varsha …now named this…India…and drained one of their nuclear plants, replenishing some of your depleted strength.

  You then made your way North in search of me, where you murdered a high-ranking demi-god soldier within the government of this United Kingdom.”

  “Twas not my intention to dispatch him,” muttered Horus.

  “You then impersonated him, learning the ways of this new world and its ruling government while searching for me, which eventually lead you here, but not before you murdered another female demi-god in the same manner you murdered the soldier.”

  “She witnessed me in mid change; I had to eliminate her quickly,” Horus grumbled his defense. “The child was also a troubled soul; draining her was more humane, and allowing her body to fall from that height was the perfect stage for her suicide.”