Ghosts of Lyarra Read online

  It was all coming together and she was becoming quite impressed with it all. Even the mighty trolls knew to bow to her will; she giggled at the thought of even Bryx succumbing to her will and being her servant. That would make her day, and roused a thought of her assassins slitting his throat as he bowed before her; watching his black blood stain the floor as the life poured from his wretched body. And Myril wouldn’t stop there.

  Sacrifices would have to be made for the sake of survival, and it was only right that the former slaves would lay down their lives and their world to save the rest of them. The darkness had a thirst that needed worlds to satiate it, and she couldn’t think of a more fitting sacrifice than J’Karra. It would keep the demons at bay for some time, and keep her end of the deal, that would mean the survival of her Empire.

  Like few others, Myril had seen the signs of doom rising in the horizon ages ago. But unlike others, she chose to deal with it sooner than later and as she faced it the realization of how immensely vast and powerful it was changed her perception of what the future held. Instinct kicked in as she knew there was no victory against this foe and she made a deal; the Empire would be hers to rule as a province in the kingdom of darkness yet to come. She would live, she would rule, and the darkness would pass them by. Myril had bargained for the very lives of the Empire and all those within; her heart was pure with intentions of good.

  And now looking upon the eve of her triumph, Myril thought upon that deal and the way things could have gone; as well as what this meddlesome ghost sought to undo. Iana would have chosen to fight - and the Imperial Fleet posed a threat like none other to the shadows - so without her at the helm meant peace and coexistence. It wasn’t a victory, but more of a compromise and Myril was more than content with it.

  The Guild was about survival - of both knowledge and of the Empire it had created - so convincing those of the merits of the deal had not been difficult. And over time they began to see the merits of such a plan. Sacrificing one for the safety of many was a wise choice; even if that one was Iana who they had placed all their hope in, to guide the Empire since its inception. And with the support of the Guild came the loyalty of the Forgotten and thus giving Myril soldiers to carry out her plan. Then it was simple politics to sway support in the Council, and those that resisted were replaced by those more compliant. Then a child’s tale became reality and the Harbinger came to be.

  He was the crowning piece to a puzzle; a weapon of that magnitude at her whim would ensure the safety of the Empire from the darkness in case it decided to no longer keep to the deal. But Iana let him die, and with it her guarantee of a long term survival went with him. For the first time ever, Myril began to hate her friend. For the first time ever, she wanted Iana dead.

  And now she was, and all that was planned was coming to fruition. Three weeks stood between her and her destiny and not even the lurking darkness could prevent that. It was the time of Myril; a new age to usher in a new life for the Lyarran Empire. She would show them what it meant to be strong and proud, and those that survived the brush with the darkness would stand above those who had fallen; on the bones of the weak and dead she would build a better Empire. Three weeks; it would be a lifetime of work culminating in a single day, but would feel like forever until it happened.

  —

  Guild Stealth Vessel;

  Unmapped Space outside Lyarran Shipping Lanes

  First they had watched the Dark Light move off in the distance, become nothing more than a speck from where they sat, then in a brilliant flash engage her jump-space drives and speed off towards the center of the Empire. Then after an hours wait, the two J’Karin ships did the same. Bryx, Iana, Lyxia, and Aen now sat all alone in an unused shipping lane and in the middle of empty space. There were no stars or planets nearby, just darkness broken up by the twinkling light of the distant stars and the glowing gas clouds scattered about them.

  “So your plan was to sit here and stay lost?” Bryx grumbled. “Because if it was, you’re doing a great job.”

  “You’re not seeing the big picture.” Aen smirked. “Patience; I promise we won’t wait long.”

  “Wait for what?” it was Lyxia’s turn to question him.

  “Our ride home of course.” He smiled.

  “I don’t get it.” Lyxia exclaimed. “What do you mean, our ride?”

  “Despite this ship’s incredible abilities to stay hidden, her one weakness would be the instant it enters and exits jump-space.” Aen answered. “The fields and energy output required to do this task undoes any stealth technologies it carries.”

  “That’s right!” Iana agreed. “The moment we would arrive at the Zyan jump point, the ship exiting the jump-space field would be seen by any and all watching. From that point, they would be able to track us, with ease.”

  “So that leaves us with no possibility of arriving there without being discovered, and leaves us needing a ride.” Aen added.

  “And you intend to find this ride in the middle of nowhere?” Bryx boomed. “This vent point hasn’t been on the map since the first years of the Empire. It is too far out of the way and is inefficient for time saving flight paths; no ships use this route.”

  “Ah, but you are wrong! There is one ship that does use this route still, and Caretaker has calculated that it should be along very soon to vent her drives.” Aen corrected him.

  “One ship?” Iana thought on it for a moment, then her eyes lit up as she realized what he was talking about. “You don’t mean….”

  Space off the port side erupted in a storm of lightning and surging energy; crackling as the dark void was breached. A few seconds later, the storm spit out a giant Lyarran cruiser that all of them recognized due to her golden hull plating. Even in the darkness of deep space, it still shone brilliantly. It had toured most of the inner Imperial worlds and let the masses grieve the fallen goddess, but now was on its return trip home. Beside them now sat the Empress’ personal cruiser - the Lyarra’s Fire - and a sense of irony washed over them all.

  “Fitting that we are going to stop a coronation by hitching a ride on your funeral procession.” Aen almost giggled and shot Iana a smug look. “It will be the last place they would think of looking, and the one ship that won’t be over scrutinized upon arrival.”

  They watched as the familiar vents opened on the sides of the ship and noxious gasses from the powerful jump-space reactors belched out into the nothingness. Aen started the timer in his head; they had twenty minutes to attach to the hull in a non-conspicuous location before the massive reactor spooled up for the final jump home. But he didn’t have to search for a spot because Caretaker had assessed every inch of the vessel’s hull and preselected the suitable location. All Aen had to do was guide their ship along a plotted course and activate the landing gear to attach magnetically and let the Lyarra’s Fire take them to the Promised Land.

  Using thrusters only - to avoid detection at close range - he edged the stealth craft to the rear of the golden cruiser and beneath her belly. Aen was careful to avoid the plumes of radioactive gasses pouring from the reactor; they had come too far to die from sheer stupidity. They were close, but thruster power was slow and time was ticking away. At his best guess, he figured they had six or seven minutes before the ship re-entered jump-space and at this range they would be not only ripped apart by the field but destroyed by the explosion caused by the igniting gasses being expelled.

  He pushed the engines a bit harder and risked detection; knowing full well the cruiser was operating on a skeleton staff and quite possibly was not monitoring the area closely due to its remoteness. Down the belly they cruised, and at long last found the target location. Near the rear of the ship there lay a deep recess in the hull just before the sub-light engine baffles. Here they would be tucked away and safe from the forces of jump-space; the aerodynamics of the hull would protect them from the pressures of the thrust used in the high speed travel. Aen flipped the ship upside down and turned the nose to face the bow of the Lyarra�
��s Fire and lowered the ship to its hiding spot. The gear made contact with the thick hull in a thud that echoed through the smaller ship and automatically attached magnetically with a steady hum. It was done, and not a second too soon as, moments later space exploded around them and disappeared in a wash of greens, blues and purples dancing about them.

  Aen had forgotten to lower the blast shields on the Ops Con windows as the dizzying display began to quickly overwhelm the optical nerves of the others. His hand slammed the button and the shudders closed amidst cries of pain. The other three had covered their eyes with their hands, but the effects of the broken spectrums of light poured right through their attempts to protect themselves. It only took a few seconds for the blast shields to close, but in that time Iana, Bryx and Lyxia had all passed out from the sensory overload. Aen too felt a bit off, but his body was combating the effects far more efficiently than they could.

  First he lifted Bryx back into his seat and strapped him in, before turning his attention over to Iana to do the same. Once they were secure, he scooped up Lyxia and carried her out towards one of the crew quarters in the heart of the ship. These might be the last few days they had to spend with each other, and Aen was damned sure they would do it alone.

  TWELVE

  Lyarran System;

  Zyan Station Entry Point

  As the Dark Light exited jump-space, the reality of what faced them was immediately apparent. There were only five jump entries into the Lyarran system and all of which were now guarded by the Imperial warships along with the normal PA cannon array. The cannons were intimidating enough - slightly smaller scale than those in the Jupiter Array in the Sol System - but along with the armories with engines that were the Fleet warships, the scene was downright terrifying. Half the size of the Dark Light and resembling a triangular wedge; the warships were a series of Plasma Accelerator Cannons lined up down her angles from the nose cannon back to the engine baffles. At the center of her mass sat the small Operations Control deck, and beneath that were meager crew quarters. They had jump-space drives, but the engines tucked away beneath her belly to best protect them. Along the top and bottom of the ship were multiple plasma turrets to further the effective damage the brute could inflict; indeed these were machines of pure malice. Axyn took a deep breath and held it; if this didn’t work they wouldn’t live long enough to even regret it.

  It didn’t take long for the hails to start, and those on the other end requesting the arrival passwords; for security reasons of course. Although he was standing at Ops Con, Axyn knew he wasn’t in charge and stayed silent and motionless. He listened intently as Caretaker did his part and in a perfect representation, imitated the turncoat Kala and provided the codes the guards were looking for. There was a brief banter back and forth, before the go ahead was given and the ship lurched forward to enter the light of Lyarra; they were in!

  He waited until they had cleared the ‘gates’ and put some distance between them and the warships before he let his breath out. And although they had made it in, they were hardly safe by any means. He still had to alert the other Ifierin still loyal to the Empress of the treachery aboard their respective ships. Hoping there was still those aboard willing to take up arms, his task was to organize a mass mutiny aboard each vessel in the fleet then launch a simultaneous takeover of Fleet Command. It’s not like they were asking much of him at all, but it was the reason the Dark Light arrived first.

  “Are you ready for this?” Sara asked him; obviously seeing the doubt in his expression.

  “If it can be done, the Ifierin will do it.” He stated proudly to her. “My Council has entrusted a great mission upon me, and I will not fail her. So yes, I am ready for this Terran, but I wonder if you are?”

  “My part is easy.” She smiled at him devilishly. “Mostly because I am the most unassuming of all the guests to pull anything like this off; and therefore will not be under much scrutiny once I arrive on Havyiin.”

  “Even so, I am assigning the same protection guard I did to Lyxia, to you for this.” He looked serious. “Because when we hit the docks of Thsin, you will be on your own and far from any other protection I can muster. Besides, a Council wouldn’t look right without a security detail.”

  “I accept.” She smiled at the soldier. “And thank you.”

  “Save the sentiment for after we are victorious. For there will be little to be thankful for if we fail.”

  Sara didn’t reply to his bold statement, but Axyn knew she understood the gravity of his words. The two simply stood quietly and watched as the Dark Light cruised into the depths of the heart of the Lyarran Empire. As they passed another cruiser, Axyn tapped his comm and whispered his message; calling for the Captain of the Guard on that vessel. Quickly, he cross-referenced Caretaker’s list for the ship and didn’t see the name of the Ifierin Captain. He hoped the old soldier was still alive.

  “What is it, you decaying old fossil?” the Captain’s voice shouted and was audible even from Sara’s position a few feet away.

  “Are you alone, Nural?” Axyn asked in a whisper. “Does your office have ears?”

  “Are you going mad?” Nural questioned. “Too much time out on the rim I bet. My office is secure; I tested it a few minutes ago. Now will you tell me what the hell is going on?”

  “Have you noticed things being a little off aboard your ship?” Axyn was reaching without revealing much. “Like the current Council suddenly stepping down and certain other crew promotions taking place?”

  There was a long pause, but Axyn could still here his old companion’s breath on the line. “Yes.” Nural whispered back.

  “I am sending a file directly to your personal HUD and can only be opened by your retinal scan.” Axyn offered. “It is a self-erasing message and a list which will remain afterwards. Have your Ifierin ready for the signal; I promise that it will be impossible to miss. Timing is the key old friend, and this is a mission more important than all the others.”

  “Do I get a more clear explanation?” Nural sounded confused.

  “The message will explain it all; just make sure you fix what is broken on your end.”

  Axyn ended the transmission and hoped he hadn’t given anything away over the airways. He keyed in the coded transmission and sent it to Nural’s HUD with Caretaker’s help. In it, the message stated the plan of the Guild to overthrow the entire Imperial network and gave instructions to the signal and when to strike. Along with the ship’s specific list, he had no doubt the Ifierin Captain had all he needed to proceed. The two ships passed, and another appeared in the distance.

  “One down, a shitload more to go.” Axyn muttered as he got ready to do it all over again.

  One after another, he made contact with the respective Captains aboard the nearby ships and relayed the message sent. Caretaker encoded each data burst with viral properties that would attack any other station trying to access the information. Only the intended recipient read each burst, then the AI wiped the slate clean and left no trace of the plans to be found. A few times, Caretaker discovered a curious trace program trying to sneak a peek at the files, but it was quickly beaten back and programs rewritten to show no trace of any inquiries.

  An hour later, the Dark Light crept into the shipyards of Thsin, a maroon gas giant that resembled Saturn. But this planet’s rings were artificial - not made of ice - and was a multi-level docking platform and repair station in orbit around the planet. It was a sight that Axyn never got used to, despite having seen it over and over. From the gasp escaping the human’s lips, he could tell it had an equal effect on her too. From a distance, it had looked much like the ice rings of the planet back in the Sol system, but the closer thy got they could make out the various ships docked and the network of docking arms and personnel decks it was made of. As they closed in, they could make out the drones scurrying about the docked vessels rendering repair and maintenance. Above the raging gas clouds of the planet below, an equal if not greater storm of activity marched on.


  “Welcome to Thsin.” Axyn smiled at her. “It is the galaxy’s largest ship building station and docking network. It can successfully hold the entire fleet in dock at one time, and still have room for thousands more of visiting ships as well. They say this is more the heart of the Empire than Havyiin, and I intend to agree.”

  “It’s unbelievable!” gasped Sara. “It must have taken a thousand years to build.”

  “Thsin is in a constant state of change, but the original docks took about thirty or so years to complete.” Axyn retorted. “Construction never stops here, and life never sleeps. There are a thousand sins to savor and more joy than the soul can want for; Thsin’s trade and market make up over half the goods that deal within the system.”

  “And it is probably swimming with Forgotten.” She added.

  “That is a certainty, Council.” Axyn grew somber. “It is here I will make most of my calls as most of the Fleet looks to be docked or in orbit. But it is here we will have to be more careful than ever. There will be eyes everywhere, and every one of them will be focused on us.”

  —

  Sara was already impressed by all the sights she had seen on the journey thus far before they arrived in the Lyarran system. But coming out of jump-space and immediately seeing a frozen ball of ice surrounded by multiple PA Cannons and a warship was more than she could have expected. She heard the Captain take a breath and she did the same as they waited for the AI to do its part. She listened as it imitated a being she never knew before, but those on the other end of the transmission thought it sounded correct because they were allowed to pass without incident.

  Now Sara could relax, but was still a bit tense seeing as this was only the beginning. She carried on a light conversation with the Captain and was relieved that he offered her protection when it came time to depart the Dark Light to do her part in the guise of diplomacy. Without hesitation she accepted, and now had a personal guard of fifteen Ifierin to watch her back when she waded in to swim with the sharks on Havyiin.