Ghosts of Lyarra (39 page)

“Do as has been ordered.” Sara spoke up before Axyn could mull it over. “Inform the hub to have a transport ready for the Earth Council and her security escort as I will be disembarking the moment we dock and am anxious to see the legendary wonders of
Havyiin.”

“
As you wish, Council Foster
.” The AI
cooed.

She felt the Captain’s eyes looking at her and turned to address him. “I don’t mean to step on your toes here, but if I don’t make some kind of demands befitting my stature it may draw
attention.”

“Indeed.” He agreed with her. “I just didn’t think you would be this anxious to leave. After all, it is dangerous out
there.”

“As it is equally as dangerous if I remain here for any amount of time after we arrive.” She added. “They think this ship secure now; under their control after we have given the proper codes to enter the system. The longer I stay aboard, the more attention I will draw when I leave. I will take with me the prying eyes that stare at us now and leave you to do your work without
suspicion.”

“That is why you are a Council.” He grinned. “This old warrior would never have thought of
that.”

“You have a lot to do Captain, and little time to do it.” She replied to him as she turned to get her things ready before they docked. “The moment I am off this ship you need to lock it down and get your contacts done. We have one week before it all goes down, and I am not sure if there’s enough time to do that
in.”

—
Lyarran System; Zyan Station Entry Point

The great intersection at Zyan lit up in blues and greens as the Lyarra’s Fire leapt out of jump-space. Unlike the other ships that were arriving, there was no transmission of code words or scans. Apart from a small crew, the only thing the ship carried was an empty ornamental coffin; at least that is what is was supposed to be carrying. It soared past the guns and guarding warships and entered Lyarra’s light; with it taking the stolen Guild ship along into enemy territory unnoticed and unaccounted for. Hiding between the main engine baffles, even the ship’s life support systems were hidden by the energy output of the golden vessel’s engines; they could be at full power and not be seen by any scan at
all.

When they were well past the probing eyes of Zyan’s security, the ship fell away from the Lyarra’s Fire and simply just waited until its host disappeared into the distance. After it was certain they hadn’t been seen, it powered up its engines and made its way into the system of Lyarra. This time, Aen was much more attentive to his surroundings; the last time he was here he was an emotionless shell and singularly focused on his objective. He didn’t take the time to see the fantastic sights and it was a mistake he wasn’t about to make a second
time.

Aen now stood at the helm of the stealth ship and carefully looked over the holographic map of the entire Lyarran system; making mental notes of key places to form a strategy for the final assault. Lyarra was a white giant star, stabilized artificially by the Paxyn scientists a millennia ago. It was one of the largest planetary systems that existed in the explored universe; home to twenty one planets. The closest was Kyrath; the god of fire and was a gas giant fifteen times the size of Jupiter with an orbit similar to Mercury. Kyrath’s proximity to Lyarra caused its color to be dark red with dancing yellow and orange storms of fire racing across its
atmosphere.

Next was Tarun, an Earth sized planet with a thin atmosphere, long since corrected by terraforming projects. There were some signs of some ancient life on Tarun, but the fossil record was
limited.

Havyiin was third planet, the beginning and center of the empire. A super earth planet - three times the size of Earth - the planet had three massive continents surrounded by oceans of a blazing blue. Now a beautiful garden city spanning the entire planet, it is home to the Council and the Empress’ palace. Its sky is a stunning golden yellow during the day and breathtaking purple at night making it a common destination for tourists and visitors. Two moons; Arkas and Arun; both colonized as well, orbited in tidal lock. Arkas was the senate academy and temple school, Arun was a graveyard for the elite. It was here he would reveal himself to all, and take down the ringleader of this dark
takeover.

Ryas was fourth, home of the temple Guild. Its population was deeply enriched in the lore and teachings of the Prophets and record keeping of the Empire. If Havyiin was the heart, this was the brains of the Empire. Ryas was two times the size of Earth, but resembled Mars; only with blue oceans and breathable atmosphere. The people of the Guild were hard working and wanted little more than personal enlightenment. Here would be the battle for the J’Karin Elite as they stormed the giant temple and purged the evil that had bred
within.

Pax was next; an Earth sized planet with vast oceans and four moons. Pax was a technological wonder; inhabited by beings of fire and passion. Most Paxyns were taller than the rest of the beings in the system, with blue or green hair. The women were noted as some of the most beautiful in the Empire. The men were all fierce soldiers; almost all were trained to be Ifierin. Three moons - Tayl, Orav, and Jur - were Ifierin training centers, the fourth – Dyen - was a prison for the ones deemed unworthy of training. The planet was the first of the Empire’s group to be matriarchal, and the Paxyn people were an enduring race of survivors making them the best the fleet could
offer.

Irith was the sixth planet, terraformed when the Paxyn people required more room for its growing population. A stunning, but smaller orange world, it was a planetary city with little or no vegetation. All atmospheric conditions were artificially created and maintained. This was the information and scientific hub of the
Empire.

Kytan and Feyt were the remaining habitable worlds, both the size of Irith. Both were heavily populated by a mixture of races moving to the epicenter of the Empire. The cultures were rich with diversity as over two thousand different races called these two planets
home.

Next were the twin jewels; Thsin and Auris. Both gas giants with fifteen moons apiece. These were both Jupiter size planets with a maroon color and blazing green aurora activity. Thsin had three terraformed moons, Auris had four. Thsin was home of Fleet Command which was contained within its artificial rings. A most critical battle would be fought here, for not only did Axyn have to secure the thousands of Fleet ships by contacting the Ifierin on board to mutiny against the false commanders, but he would have to march the legion of the Dark Light into the heart of Fleet Command and purge the poison
within.

Jnari, Lythan, Yarin, Perysa, Runis, Cartha, and Uvan were all smaller gas giants; all with a multitude of moons, each with a few that were colonized. The ice giants Korrin, Wuola, and Paryon were next with only Paryon’s eight moons able to be stable enough for colony
life.

The last was the icy, dark world of Zyan. This was a place of pain and suffering; a world that had a daytime of two hours and warmed to only minus two hundred and eighty nine in its summer season. A small battalion of Ifierin had been stationed here, and were the first line of defense against enemy incursions. Its small moons had ion battery cannons controlled by the surface, aided by the Ransom; the largest warship in the fleet. As the jump point probe lay only a million miles away, Zyan was the front line against any invasion
attempt.

Aen looked up as he passed Paryon and gazed in wonder at its eerie electric blue glow. Clouds of faint green whipped around its atmosphere as they snuck by an outlying smaller moon unseen. With all the larger traffic that had been in the area over the last little bit, the smaller craft that mirrored the dark of deep space was able to slip by any detection network. He had little doubt he would be able to park this ship in orbit around Havyiin to do their damage and never be
seen.

“
Axyn reports that two-thirds of the Fleet have been reached
.” Caretaker chimed in to break the silence. “
And they are awaiting the signal to cleanse their
ships
.”

“Start the timer.” Aen answered. “And let’s get this ship to Havyiin in time for the coronation ceremony. I have a party to spoil and I would hate to be late. And five minutes before they attack, I
need…”

“
I have already taken the liberty of infiltrating the entire Fleet network, the Forgotten’s coms and any other possibility of communication that may reach the ears on Havyiin
.” Caretaker interrupted. “
Fleet Command and all ships will be isolated, and the brass who are gathering for the ceremony will be none the
wiser
.”

“And Ryas?” Aen
asked.

“The Elite are in position within pilgrimage craft and too will attack in time with us. Ryas will be isolated, and the Temple will fall without anyone knowing. I have complete command of the public network, and they will be able only to view the ceremony; nothing else.” Caretaker cooed
proudly.

Aen stared blankly at the system model and pondered everything. So many moving pieces and so many things had to go perfectly for this to go right. Failure was a breath away at any given moment now, and he longed to have a few more hours to spend with Lyxia before it all began. It was lonely now aboard the ship - Aen had become comfortable in her arms - he only hoped there would be an opportunity to continue their budding romance when the dust
settled.

—
Lyarran Vessel, Lyarra’s Fire; Pax Orbital Range

The Lyarra’s Fire cruised inwards to Havyiin unchallenged or questioned. What had once been a skeleton crew of Forgotten now lay in a growing pile in the upper deck airlock; the ferocious and deadly assassins had stood little chance against the raging bull Bryx who had torn them apart in mere minutes. Lyxia still struggled with what she had witnessed; no creature that large should have been able to move that fast, but yet she had watched him move like water as he attacked armed assassins with his bare claws and emerged
victorious.

She was disappointed she only got to kill one of the traitors, but Lyxia had grabbed the one seated at the comm station and tussled quickly with him before getting her arm around his neck; snapping it and killing her foe. He had tried to send a signal out as soon as the room was breached, but unbeknownst to him Caretaker had disabled the communications network on the ship’ the Lyarra’s Fire was unable to call for
help.

Now she waited with Iana as Bryx went from room to room in the giant vessel to hunt down any remaining ‘Forgotten’ filth. From time to time, they would hear a commotion through his comm line, but it would soon be followed by him announcing the room clear. The J’Karin was enjoying himself a great deal; she could hear the smile in his voice every time. After an hour of check-ins and scuffles, Bryx finally appeared in the doorway of Ops Con covered in blood and grinning in the sinister and scary way that his people tended to do. It was like staring at an alligator with its mouth open; even standing still this monster was
deadly.

“The ship is clear.” He panted. “But I suggest when this is all done you get a crew in here to clean up. I did leave a bit of a
mess.”

“Ever the protector I need.” Iana smiled. “Thank you
Bryx.”

He nodded and looked like he would add something until the main view screen lit up with a timer and got all their attention. It was a reminder that the battle was only beginning and the hard part lay ahead. Lyxia let out a sigh, she knew her part as well as the others but had no idea how she would infiltrate the palace and take out the palace guards all by herself. But seeing as her assignment was the easiest of all those involved, she vowed to figure it out before they
arrived.

“It’s begun.” In commented. “May the God’s smile on us in our time of
need.”

“Our enemies are the ones who need the blessing.” Lyxia whispered. “Aen’s on a mission, and even the Gods couldn’t help anyone standing in his
way.”

Thirteen
Imperial Docking Port; Thsin

By the time the Dark Light had docked at her designated port in Thsin, word had been spread throughout the ships of the Fleet. Millions of Ifierin waited as the minutes ticked by; all would move as one and in a brief moment in time the fearsome forces of the Empire would take back what had been lost. Each had a list of who needed to be eliminated and more than likely those on that list that had posed as Ifierin were already dead before the attack began. The Forgotten had always bragged openly to being superior to the Ifierin and the rift between the Guild and the Fleet had been born; today would be more pleasure than work and Axyn for one couldn’t wait to see if they lived up to their reputation as thus far he had been rather
disappointed.

He stood in full armor with the entire battalion of his soldiers behind him at the docking doors which would remain shut until the clock reached zero. Like every Ifierin here, his gaze remained fixed on the timer above the doors; five minutes remained before they marched out into the vast maze of Thsin’s docks. The plan was intricate, but each of his Ifierin knew their part and would die before
failing.

His thoughts turned to his Council and ward; it was tough for him who had been sworn to protect Lyxia to watch her venture out on her dangerous part in all this. She would be without his protection and far from his reach; Axyn hoped against hope that she would survive to retake her command once more. Then he would be able to relinquish the ship he once again had under his command, and relieve himself of a great burden he never thought he would have a second
time.

His HUD blinked and fluttered; Axyn tapped his helmet to hopefully fix any possible glitch taking pace at this inopportune time. When the screen calmed once more, he noticed a red indicator message stating a comm network failure. The AI had done his part and the Fleet was now voiceless; three minutes and twenty one seconds left. Axyn heard the airlocks begin their cycle and his muscles tensed up in response. Years of training began to take hold and his thoughts faded as instinct kicked
in.

He knew the timers in the other ships had now reached zero and the Fleet had begun to change hands once more. Axyn knew there would be some ships recovered quickly, and those forces would join his in retaking the impossible; Fleet Command would be well fortified and completely over run by the Guild. Caretaker’s latest scans showed over ten thousand in the actual center that housed the Admiralty; never mind the thousands of scattered planted assassins in the crowds about the station. The AI would do its best to mark any hostiles for them, but it would be inevitable that some may slip the network. The plan also held Caretaker shutting down any and all vessels trying to escape. This was not a situation ideal for a control freak like Axyn, but he settled on the fact he could only control so much; there would be other players in this game and a million fights occurring at
once.

One minute; the timer began to flash as time slowed in his mind. He heard the clatter of his soldiers as their restlessness turned to focus. They would be ready when the clock struck zero and so would he. They were about to enter another glorious battle; this one would be whispered about for ages after he was gone. Today was the day the Guild tried to take the Empire from those destined to run it, and today was the day that those people fought back and said
no.

Thirty seconds; time was dragging at a snail’s pace now. Axyn regulated his breaths and concentrated; he readied his shield and checked his rifle before tapping it against his shield with a thud. The energy shield crackled at the impact and sparked; it gave him a feeling of relief and relaxation to know it was all about to start. Then it began; it started with another Ifierin in formation doing the same as he had with banging his rifle on the energy shield but harder. This time, he didn’t stop with one tap and continued it and soon was joined by another and another. Soon, the entire legion of Ifierin were hammering their shields in a thunderous chant that was surely heard on the other side of the lock doors. It echoed in the halls and probably throughout the upper decks of the Dark Light. It was a symphony to his ears and let the Captain know his warriors were
ready.

Ten seconds. A crackle came over the audio in his helmet and the AI spoke
up.

“
Your vital signs are surprisingly low
.” It began. “
Are you sure you are feeling well
Captain
?”

“Open those doors, construct.” He growled. “And I will show you how well I really
am.”

One second. The doors hissed and creaked as the latches released. Axyn joined in with the clamor and began to smash his shield. Inside his helmet he began to smile as his bloodlust surfaced in the moment of battle. He could only imagine what was going through the minds of those on the other side of the doors, but knew he would relish in the thought they were terrified and confused at the same time. Shock and awe were the specialty of the Ifierin, not sneaking and subtlety. It was this brute force he was sure his enemies could match and as the doors opened he reveled in the thought of finally getting a shot at the once untouchable
Forgotten.

Zero; inside his helmet Axyn roared as he shot forward and into the station. He was going to enjoy
this!

—

“All comm lines are down.” The sentry reported to the Dock master as he had frantically tried to restore communications. “It’s like someone just threw the main fuse; everything else is working fine except for the
comms.”

“That’s odd.” The Dock master remarked. “Is it a malfunction or a
virus?”

His years of being honed and focused by the Guild had made him calm no matter what was happening. The Forgotten were trained to analyse any situation and react accordingly; he wasn’t about to jump into a tantrum of anger for a simple electronics failure. A trained and perfected killer in the guise of a simple dock foreman almost made him chuckle as he reached over his worker and began to run a diagnostic on the
comms.

But there was no result to the diagnostics; in fact, it seemed that system too was not functioning properly. His training began to tell him there was something more happening here and he began looking for a more sinister cause than just computer
error.

“How long ago did the Dark Light dock?” he
commanded.

“About ten minutes
ago.”

“And she gave the proper codes?” he asked, pondering the infinite
possibilities.

“Yes, the proper codes were broadcast by Kala herself.” The sentry
replied.

The Dock master thought carefully. Kala was the one destined to take over the Dark Light, and as reported from Zyan she had responded to them without delay when they emerged from jump-space. So in theory, the Dark Light was in full control of the Guild, but the coincidence of this malfunction happening just after the cruiser docked was too hard to ignore. His trained mind began to roll over the facts more and
more.

“Has the Council’s shuttle left for Havyiin?” he
inquired.

The sentry’s fingers scrolled the computer as he actively scanned the docked vessel for the answer. “No sir, it is prepped but as of yet it has not
departed.”

Again he analysed this new information, and began to think that the Dark Light had been infected by some kind of virus in its time out in Terran space. The data retrieved from the assets on Terra Sol told how the humans loved to play with the destructive and disruptive programs leaving little doubt that when it docked and linked with Thsin’s computer the corrupted files were allowed to enter. This was a logical explanation and well enough reason that similar issues were happening aboard the Dark Light that would delay the departure of the new
Council.

But the sound started, and all assumptions of a harmless virus faded quickly from his thoughts. It started as a dull thud; repeated slowly in rhythm over and over. The volume began to rise steadily and rumble the very deck they stood upon. A quick glance around the area told him that it had attracted the attention of every other soul within earshot; all eyes now fell upon the airlock doors of the Dark Light in
curiosity.

He knew that sound, though it took longer than he would like and cared to admit. It was the sound of impending doom; a death knell to all those who stood witness to its sound. It had been half a lifetime since he had heard its call, but the sound of the Ifierin readying to march was one he would never forget. It was his childhood when he had last heard it; in a time when his settlement world had been overrun by the scourge of the Husk and the Fleet had sent help to rescue what few survivors were left. It was the arrival of that help in the form of the Ifierin that sound had announced and with it came the wrath that the vaunted soldiers brought with
them.

It was a sound that preceded a charge; it was the Ifierin letting all before them know they were there in a bold statement. There was no avoiding or hiding; no stealth or sneaking about. The Ifierin wanted the galaxy to know their days were numbered and the greater the clamor raised the more soldiers were in formation. By the power of the sound coming from behind those doors, the Dock master knew the entire legion within the Dark Light was mobilized. He was the only one there that knew with no way to call for help there was little hope of survival. His death march was being sung and as the doors opened he looked straight into the great beyond as the demon clad Ifierin poured out and
attacked.

His last thoughts were that of disbelief; that such a foolproof system had been bypassed by simple soldiers trained to only fight, not to think. It seemed unlikely they could be here; knowing they must have overtaken the Dark Light in force and looked for vengeance within the heart of the Fleet. As a plasma bolt tore through his shoulder, pain knocked him to his knees as the section was being
conquered.

In a final act of defiance, he reached out to trip the alarm. At least the rest of the station would know to expect danger; even if he couldn’t let them know in what form. The second he tripped the alarm, a boot caught him on the side of his head and pinned him against the computer console. From the corner of his eye, he watched as a rifle was lowered to his face before his life ended in fire. In five minutes, the sector had fallen to the Ifierin, but there was so much more to the station than just this tiny
wing.

—

With the docking module secure, Axyn took stock of the ring layout to better plan the raid. The tough part was the fact that they were fifteen kilometers away from the central hub access that led to Fleet Command. Worse yet, was that the alarm had been raised and the enemy would be ready. This would mean they would be ready for the Ifierin, and it would mean every step of the way would be contested. Axyn smiled to himself; this was going to be
fun!

He would resist the urge to split his forces up in the need to travel quickly to their destination. His men had traversed some of the roughest landscapes in the known galaxy and done so with speed and skill; fifteen kilometers through the halls of Thsin’s ring would be nothing. But it wasn’t the terrain that worried him, it was the opposition. Never before had the Ifierin gone head to head with the Forgotten, but he was dying to break the uneasy truce
now.

Beginning his planning, Axyn opened up a holographic schematic of the station and pointed out not only the route, but possible points of ambushes and traps. The AI was feeding them with real time information and he could see the troop mobilizations. He glanced over at the section bulkhead doors and reassured himself they were still closed and manned by Ifierin guards. Once he was satisfied all was secured, he began to bark his
orders.

“Solid front formation; wall to wall coverage!” he shouted. “I want shields covering everything and we move as one armored being. Let the Guild toy soldiers try and break our ranks, they won’t even chip our
shields.”

Around him was immediate action as his men took formation ten wide and layered one after another. Shoulder to shoulder they stood with the only gap being front and center which would be filled by the Captain. Axyn jumped down from the hole in the wall where he was perched, donned his helmet and took his place. The air crackled as their gauntlet energy shields sparked to life and were set by the front row in place. Behind them, the second row of Ifierin lifted their shields to cover above and each at the end of the row covered the sides. It was a process repeated all the way down the formation, resembling a turtle shell when
completed.

“Our Empire is being stolen by shadows and whispers.” Axyn called out. “And again we are called to right a major wrong. We face an enemy unlike any before; today we kill Forgotten in our quest for our Empress. The Guild has lain claim to our leaders, and seeks to render us obsolete; let’s show them how obsolete we really
are.”

“All hail the Empress!” the Ifierin hollered in
unison.

Axyn nodded at the men at the gate to open the doors and as they opened he began to scream. His voice was joined by the others around him, and in a single motion they all stepped forward. Immediately they were met by plasma bolts that struck the shields and shrieked as they dispersed. To their enemies it was a painful sound; not unlike scraping metal. But to Axyn and his legions of Ifierin, it was music to their ears. A perfect symphony for a legendary battle, and a great omen going
forward.