ISSUE 1: COLD WINDS

No wonder Ta’mathon wanted to leave this Earth behind. It's hideous. Nearly devoid of Life.—Jonas “Eddie” Olsten

I see why Bardax surveyed this place. All universes had a tie to the Highest. To the Three. Even old wounds cannot hide this fact.—Augustus

While Chronos’ incursions were ramping up at home? My parents and others were hunting for answers. What they found would change the outcome of my first death.—Sleeping in Starlight: Convergence vol 2

Eternal Empire

Earth (Desert of Obsidian)

May 9th, 2116

J’ino waved Thomas over. At the deepest part of the crater was one melted arm. One of the marbled statues of the Three. Its half-submerged head glinted in the cold noonday sun. Auggie’s fake snake form curled around J’ino. He still gave off normal levels of body heat. Even if sensors mimicked the snake's physiological outputs perfectly. J’ino gave Auggie a good scratch under his chin. The emerald green snake barked happily. Over the private coms.

Eddie shouted, “Let’s plunder.”

One had to maintain the illusion that there were the pirates they were pretending to be.

Mary hooked an anti-grav plate to the edge of the crater. Within moments all of them stood before the wasted temple. High above their ship lurked. Arthon was with Horus. Comet hovered next to Mary’s right. Their biocamo suits still held. To J’ino? It felt akin to a cobweb over your face. Doc had done her best to make each suit viable to any kind of scrutiny. The best defense they had was their knowledge of this place. Those with power ruled as Tyrants. Even among the mercenary pirates.

J’ino pushed against the glassed doorway. Nothing. Thomas brought out the fusion drills. “We do this right or not at all.” J’ino and the others got to work.

No matter manipulation from common humans.

*****

Arthon observed from the ship. <>

Horus patrolled the vessel. Checking daily for tracking or listening devices. Not just from J’anu’s forces but other pirates as well. He let out a series of beeps. <> The red defender peeled from a sectional wall of the ship. She was wearing outer raider gear. Her helm hissed open. Her face was fashioned to give off an air of wear and tear not normally found on her face. She had given the Defender countersign to Horus. Otherwise, he would have opened up on her.

She said, “Don’t bother giving me a ring. I’m going to play the part of the rival pirate.”

Arthon said over the shipboard communications net, “Are you here to steal the ship then?” Q’vera laughed, “Yes. After you extract what you need from the ruins. Let’s just say it will make the cover far more interesting and let you go about certain sectors here freely.”

Arthon mused, “As your collateral hostages?”

Q’vera grinned, “Indeed.” She sent a delayed message to J’ino. Using a personal cipher they developed as children. The response was telling.

*****

J’ino waited until Thomas sent up the signal flair.

Mary went ahead. The nano rope went taunt then slacked. Comet reached out with his expanding pinchers. He floated down to the others. Mary sent the release code to the rope and it fell neatly to the floor. J’ino froze. Her sister just sent her a massive update. Coded from when they were children.

//The trip back to your ship will be exciting!//

Thomas sent an inquiry through the copper rings.

Eddie hid a grin. Then scanned the room for any unusual outlines. Three pinpricks of purple rippled behind his eyes. Horus sent out illumination spheres. The main walkway of the temple glowed a dim silver hue under the lights. J’ino knelt by the large fountain at the end of the corridor.

A small trickle of water flowed from the palms of the three robed figures. Her link to Arcane Order INet lit up. She drank deeply.

//Updating AO INet links. Historical data retrieved. Enough data flow remaining for one other. ID confirmed. Mother of Change.//

J’ino brought Augustus forth. For a split second, the corgi’s real form shimmered. Then the updates flowed into him as well. The nanites added, //Lady of Isles protection noted. Bardaxian artifact hidden. Trials ahead.//

Auggie floated near J’ino’s shoulder. Using the antigrav pack to maneuver into place.

He said, <>

Thomas approached the first doorway, reading the words outlined alongside the blocks, noting the dried blood.

Truth Endures within the Eye of Eternal Darkness.

Eddie hit a sequence of blocks. Trapped air exploded outward. Thomas braced for the putrid malaise of death but cracked open one eye in surprise. A faint whiff of white lilies permeated the air. Olsten took point, “Let’s see about some presents!”

The Jupiter Rising

Edge of the Zygotic Expanse

My fingers danced across the console.

I put the Jupiter into a dive as a contingent of Keeper Null ships gave chase. Natet’s voice echoed, his Light Shaman chants adding another layer of defense to Jupiter as The Piper took a moment to play a light tone over his flute. My heart fluttered in my chest as the music brought my attention into focus. Within the Weave of this place, an echo of Hephaestus resided.

Dexter was at the weapon’s station.

His voice rang out over the coms to the rest of the ship, <>

The chairs morphed around our bodies. Jupiter added dryly, <> Chronos and his ilk didn’t want us to locate the wayward Tarkanan. Or rather who was still trapped within its demented halls.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

I banked hard as plasma fire from the Null ships grazed our hull. Klaxons howled as damage reports flooded in. No vital areas hit. I snapped, <>

Doc’s sensor suit pinged.

There was an Arcway ahead. I sent the Jupiter Rising through. White said, <> It was too late to change course. Whatever was out there would have to be faced sooner rather than later. The red and black of the Weave gave way to a muted gold and black. Gold was good. It meant that the Weave still held proper dominion over the area. Dexter glanced at the readouts, “Three Arcways melded together.”

Three slender silver lances rose before us. No sign of the Keeper Null ship fleet.

Golden disks spun on each level. A faint whisper curled around my ears.

Lexicon of the Golden Host.

White twitched.

Her tigress form materialized next to my captain’s crash chair.

Silver fire rippled outward.

It immolated the remaining Keeper vessels that had managed to follow us in.

Jupiter chimed, <>

Arcway (Dubbed Three Lances)

Inbetween the Barrier of Eden and the Eternal Empire

I reached out. My back itched.

No, it was twitching. Like I was missing a vital component of myself. I leaned against the cool metallic walls of the Arcway. I noticed my brother was just as disconcerted as I was. Black paced back and forth. His muscles tense. His tiger fangs bared. Three golden circles appeared on the wall.

Walk forth and proclaim.

We receive those who had no name at the time of the Shattering.

Thronebearers all. Always Two. Pairs of the Divine.

I floated up to the apex between the three golden circles.

“I am Eliza Murphy of Earth and Typha.”

Dexter repeated this. Adding his name and origins. Black and White proclaimed their credentials.

The doorway sunk into the structure.

Inside was a plain white room. Three golden circles on the floor.

Behold the story of Hephaestus. The Blind Builder.

Holos lit up the white room. Color and sound filled my senses.

Before the Fall

Age of Creation

Lower Lands of Mortals

Hephaestus said, “Hail brother!”

Lucifer eyed the weapons with a great deal of interest. He asked, “Why make these for the mortals? We are of the Divine.”

Hephaestus, “Our creator wishes them to learn of power. How to use it properly. So I craft armaments meant to train those unfamiliar with such things. Baby steps my brother. They will soon be ready for the Mantle!”

Lucifer said, “Why submit to the form of mortality!?”

Hephaestus had the look of one of the Gemini. His four powerful arms continued to strike at the metals of his forge. Lucifer’s eyes narrowed. The shadows that danced along the wall revealed the true nature of the builder. His wings were still a part of him. Just not on this mortal plane. What was Father thinking?! It was an affront. Those three eyes glanced up questioningly.

“What troubles you, brother?”

*****

I said, “They didn’t know what betrayal was then. Did they?”

Black responded, “No. We had no notion of it. It was a paradise of pure innocence. Which was why Lucifer’s knife cut deep.”

They hadn’t known pride or anger. What seemed so obvious to me was an alien notion to those of the Creation Age.

I asked, “When did the splinter enter Lucifer’s mind and soul?”

White said, “Long before the birth of Mortals. I often wonder if it was his fate to fall the entire time. Or did it grow after he left the Ouroborous of Creation?”

The room dimmed. A list formed.

The First of the Path.

*****

Azrael sucked in a breath. The water was warm. Comforting. Next to him his sister, wrapped in white silks, reached out to him. “We are awake brother! See the wonders of the Highest down below?”

He craned his neck. Below the sparkling clear water were lights. Tiny pinpricks far below. Yet above him, within this sea of creation? The sun shone brightly. The water welcomed him. He blinked. His sister had no wings! How odd. His were black. Tipped with slivers of gold.

Uriel dove downward. Resting his hand on his new brother’s shoulder, “Welcome to the Realm of the First Path. The foundation to what is to come.”

Azrael grabbed the other angel’s forearm, “The Water said I was to bring Death? Is there gentleness to the other side?”

His sister sat up. Surprised as the water supported her. Each step was a new sensation. She danced upon the surface, “I am to bring Life. But there must be a balance. Death is not the end.”

*****

I paced, “The Path!”

White matched my long-legged strides. I circled the room repeatedly.

Dexter said, “There is more than one story to the Path of Ancients.” He tapped his forehead, “I'll keep track for you. The Highest and the Weave can only feed you crumbs for the moment.”

I grimaced, “Noted. Otherwise, my flights of speculation would go through the roof. Then Unity would have an updated cheat sheet.”

My brother agreed, “…and that one doesn’t need any more aces.”

*****

J’ino pointed her suit’s onboard scanners towards the statue. The features were worn off.

A wave of light rippled. Two golden eyes pinned her in place.

Three segments. The Lure, the Lexicon, The Body.

Joined by fate. Split by necessity.

Thomas reached out to steady her.

She leaned into him. The warmth of his body brought her back to the present.

She muttered, “We better find useful materials to bargain with. Otherwise, I say we take it out on the Green Pyramid sector!” They were the rival pirate guild operating out of the outer reaches of the Eternal Empire. It made the tyranny here on this Earth look positively tame in comparison. Most weren’t stupid enough to mess with Ta’rammon’s central power base.

The statue moved. A set of steps retracted from the walls below. Thomas planted flash holo charges. Imbued with nanites that would leave behind a trace of a battle that never happened. This place would have activated noticeable defenses had J’anu or her ilk stepped across the threshold. Mary climbed the stonework body of the statue. Leaned into its stone ear, her voice projected by the rings she wore, as its golden eyes turned toward her. The stone liquefied, suspended in the air for a few moments.

As they entered the exposed stairway, the stone flowed over the access point, added to the myth of horrendous combat.

*****

J’anu waited.

The night air chilled her to the bone.

Her probes combed the Obsidian Tomb of the Temple of the Three. Those pirates had managed to unlock a lower chamber. The bio readouts were less than desirable. Time to hire another ship to attempt another breach. She was certain valuables resided at the base of that cursed Temple. Ones that could save herself and her father. Based on the initial scans above, one of those Green Pyramid rabble-rousers would take care of loose ends. After all, one could always procure more pirates.

She watched as golden beams tore the pirates apart. Their lifeless bodies were embraced by the cold stone of the Temple’s statues. She had tried to follow them in but the hands on the half-melted effigy at the opening had nearly cut her head from her shoulders.

The Highest and its toys.

An unholy light entered her crimson orbs.

“Slaves. They are the real innocents. I'll start with the children.”

Ta’rammon snapped his fingers, “Go into the cities. Find those small enough to get into spaces such as this Temple.” He ran a hand down his wife’s shoulder, “Excellent thinking my dear. I'll see which bloodlines have magic. That might prove to be an extra layer of protection!”

Worldship X3-555

Urraden Territory (Eternal Empire Universe)

Biomedical Wing

A pair of gray eyes opened.

Lined with Typherian black.

Waxy water poured from a pod.

The Hybrid moaned weakly as silken wraps poured from the ceiling. Medical readouts indicated required biosignals. Her eyes closed as sleep took her. Her dark brown hair was marked with one imperfection. Two white streaks ran through her hair. One had a language that none here understood. The other white stripe proclaimed, “False Shard.”

*****

Ta’karr Urraden monitored the clone.

His daughter had acquired many prizes over the years but this one took precedence. They would be cautious. The False Shard warning perturbed him. How could a clone of the Highest’s favored weapon be false? In any event, it would prove enlightening. Would it have her memories? Or would it be completely blank? Nothing would interact with her yet. They must be sure what they were dealing with first.

>>Station X3, go silent. Send the records only to myself. Offer it knowledge of the Earth that it originated from. Make yourself into a Terran facility. I want to see what kind of stimuli it responds to.<<

The station sent the double click of acknowledgment. Then converted its databases to Earth Eden standard. They had managed a partial retrieval of that Earth’s history from one of the captured civilian mining vessels. In a rare act of mercy, they had spared the crew. To think that the Artock would be a valuable cover.

What was one more failed pirate attack among a sea of Chaos that was Chronos?

Ta’karr said, “Seal all records.”

The medical bay purged all traces of his existence from the database.

Let the clone think what it wanted. If it had the fraction of Murphy’s abilities? It would be a wild card that would throw the defenders of the Highest off balance. Maybe even take care of some other foes in the process.

After all, it was just a clump of cells.

With no Soul of its own.