Chapter 29. Headache

The facilitator sat in his quarters, pondering his successes thus far. The human had been easy enough to persuade. Andrew, the title given to this particular human, was in no way extraordinary. When the Coeus discovered that the Lacertine Empire intended to seed this insignificant world the plan had started to take shape.

For Millenia, the Coeus collective had been relegated to building and maintaining the pocket dimensions where the brutal games for the rights of reaping had taken place. The Coeus felt this task was beneath them but lacked the power to escape the grasp of the Universal Council, so they waited and obeyed, patiently devising the plan that would bring an end to the endless slavery and degradation that the collective had suffered since the enslavement of their race.

The Facilitator closed his eyes, his mind filled with the relentless determination of an entire civilization, the fury that had driven them forward for generations.

Then, his mouth curled slightly to form the slightest of smiles. The secret had been lost over time, the true identity of the Coeus Collective.

That is fine…Good even… the Facilitator thought to himself. The secrets of the past, the cunning with which the Facilitator had used them, are what allowed him to shape the assured eventuality of future success.

The Coeus were once a great people, a prideful race that worked to advance the people of the cosmos. Their only shortcoming, in the eyes of the Universal Council, was the freedom with which they disseminated the information and technology they discovered.

The Council wanted to control the Coeus's technologies, and when they discovered that the Coeus would not relegate control, they did the only thing they could to eliminate the threat of free information: They destroyed the source.

The Facilitator sighed as he reflected on the defeats his people suffered at the hands of the Universal Council so many years ago. He would ensure that it would never happen again. The Council was not fit to govern the people of the universe; this was understood. The Coeus, however, would ensure that the races of the universe were governed properly. This would, unfortunately, mean correcting an imbalance of power that had been in place since the formation of the Universal Council, but that was acceptable. After all, the Coeus had been known to seed havoc in the past; it was time for a return to form.

This is where the human Andrew Dawes came in. He, along with his friends, were the seeds that Coeus had planted. It was the facilitators' job to tend this garden and ensure that the sapling blossomed into a tree capable of seeding destruction and volatility across the universe. These seeds would then grow to choke out the corruption and greed that fed the members of the Universal Council.

On the heels of the coming chaos, the Coeus would return to the glory of their past selves, returning to claim the seat vacated by the Universal Council. The plan was well underway.

Andrew Dawes had not been pre-selected to become the weapon of wrath that he would become for the Coeus. It was simply destiny that had allowed him to be paired with Tiffantrimore Clarivox. Triffantrimore, in fact, had not even been chosen. The Facilitator had begun weaving a web of deceit upon learning that the planet Earth would be the next seeding target. He used existing connections with a small rebellion to ensure a suitable candidate was chosen to pass the weapon to. Tiffantrimore had performed her part admirably and continued to provide value. The recent emotional connection that had begun to form between herself and Andrew would only pay dividends in the future.

Once Andrew received the weapon, there was a chance he would reject the path he had been set on; fortunately, he had shown a compulsion to prove himself, a trait that seemed prevalent in many humans. Humans were in no way significant to the plans of the facilitator, in fact, he planned to dispose of the species once his people reemerged and took the seat of power they rightfully deserved. The Coeus would bring peace, but first, it was necessary to cull the herd. In the hundreds of thousands of years since their relegation to service, the lesser species had propagated uncontrolled. This was not acceptable to the Coeus as one of their core tenets was an expectation of purity in the cosmos. The ancient races would be allowed to continue to exist peacefully. However, some species were not deemed fit to continue existing. Humans, unfortunately, were not counted among the ancient respected races and would, therefore, need to be dealt with.

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Andrew Dawes was a pleasant surprise to the Facilitator. He had not only accepted the weapon but managed to complete the bond. The ship AI had fully imprinted with Andrew to the point of creating a physical body that emulated human physiology. This was a concern for the facilitator, but fail-safes had been implemented and would be activated at the appropriate time.

The Facilitator had intended to let the plan run its course but found early on that Andrew needed a nudge in the right direction occasionally. In these times, he would appear as a facsimile of what Andrew subconsciously expected the Coeus collective to be. These visions were used to share information and allow Andrew to progress down the path and expand his capabilities.

It annoyed the facilitator that he had to create trust with a lowly human, but it was his role to play, and he played it well. Plans on top of plans, time so vast that it was incomprehensible to most mortals—all of this had culminated into the plan that was currently being executed. The facilitator smiled to himself once more as he reveled in the fact that it was his plan to execute. The results would either be his glory or his shame to bear.

The facilitator was roused from his reflections by a chime at his door, “You may enter,” he said, looking up at his door as it slid open with a soft hiss.

A young-looking man entered his quarters and saluted, “Pardon my intrusion, Facilitator.”

“You are excused, young one.” The title did not refer to the man’s age. All members of the Coeus race who had voluntarily entered dimensional banishment had stopped aging the day they crossed over. The title was a reference to the man’s lack of experience. Since banishment, only a select few members of the Coeus had made contact with anyone from the outside universe, and only then at the behest of their enslavers.

“What is the reason for your visit?” the Facilitator asked, standing and motioning his junior to have a seat.

“Sir, the administrator has requested an update on the re-emergence stratagem. She has requested that you present yourself and formally update the Authority. She will accompany you at your earliest convenience.” The junior Coeus said nervously.

The facilitator’s mouth twitched with contempt as he looked at the junior Coeus with a predator's eyes.

“I shall comply, young one. There is no need for you to feel trepidation when delivering this request. Why do I sense fear?” the facilitator asked as he motioned once more for the junior Coeus to sit.

“My apologies, Facilitator. I feared interrupting your meditation. I understand that you have been under much pressure to complete your task, and I feared I would create more pressure for you by delivering this request.” The junior Coeus looked down and wrung his hands in an expression of nervous energy.

“Why do you not look at me, young one?” The facilitator asked, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

“Out of respect for your station, facilitator. I am but a young one and it is above my station to look one such as yourself in the eyes.”

“You come to my quarters to deliver a message directing me to act like I am some Pet the Administrator can command to heel? You refuse my courtesy when I ask you to sit; then you refuse even to look me in the eye when you command me like a lowly animal!” The facilitator stood as he grew louder the words falling contemptuously from his mouth.

The junior Coeus was shaking with fear as he slowly raised his eyes toward the facilitator. His eyes finally fell on the facilitator, now standing with his void black right arm extended toward the junior Coeus, Palm facing up, his long index finger pointed toward his junior. The Coeus Facilitator was intimidating in the best of times; now, his silky crimson robe outlined in gold trim fluttered as he expressed power in the form of physical energy. The junior Coeus started to scream as his knees went limp.

“Not yet, young one…” The facilitator growled as he rolled his index finger toward himself. As he did the Junior Coeus’ eyes slid out of his head with a sickening wet pop, his body floating inches off the ground as he choked out a pathetic scream. The eyes floated toward the Facilitator, the optic nerves extending as the body of the Junior Coeus floated closer to the facilitator.

The eyes floated closer until they were inches away from the Facilitator's own eyes, which were glowing an ominous gold, “This is how you look someone in the eyes, you cowardly fool!”

The facilitator closed his fist and slammed it into the desk as the Junior Coeus Eyes shot down, pulling pieces of the man’s brain from his skull before the optic nerves snapped and he fell to the ground, dead.

The facilitator sighed, “The young are not prepared for what is to come.”

The facilitator tapped his temple with one clawed finger and opened a communications channel to the Administrator.

“I have received your request. I will comply. Be prepared for status update in 1 hour.” The Facilitator said coldly.

“It was not a request facilitator, your forget your place. I directed you to prepare a status update at the request of the Authority. Do not forget your role in this, and do not forget who commands you. You can give the details to the young one I sent to deliver the message.” The Administrator said dismissively.

“I'm afraid that isn’t possible,” The facilitator replied.

“Why?” The Administrator replied.

“He seems to be suffering from a moderately severe headache at the moment. One hour, I will present my update with or without you, Administrator.