Ghosts of Lyarra Read online

  It was closer to Lyarra than the other inhabited planets, and being that close to the white hyper giant star gave the sky a purple hue that Ryas and Pax didn’t share. The waters of her oceans were dark purple, with a lavender ring where the waters met the shore. Clouds of pale orange scattered about the sky; blanketing her exotic gardens from the glare of the morning light. From orbit, he could see the palace in all its golden glory; the precious metal clad walls shone as a beacon of hope for the entire galaxy. And looking upon this wonder, Aen began to ponder the similarity of the planet’s name Havyiin to the image of the great beyond; heaven.

  In the distance, he could see the Lyarra’s Fire in orbit. The others had arrived long before him and Aen hoped they were not only in position for the day’s events, but ready for anything. There were a million different ways it could all go down, and he ran through every scenario one after the other. It was nearly time to move, the coronation ceremony was about to begin and the guests had arrived. There would be no signal from his allies to tell him they were ready; no way to let them know he was in position. All there was left to do was hurry up and wait; a part Aen wasn’t too keen on.

  “Report from Thsin states all clear.” Caretaker interrupted the silence.

  The fact the AI had renewed its presence was a good omen; keeping the entire Imperial network under wraps had severely limited its ability to interact with the group. He estimated that, as Ryas fell it would free up the AI a bit more, and now from the sounds of it there was more good news. He listened carefully while systematically going through his chrome armor in a last check before going planet side.

  “The Dark Light reports that the Fleet and Thsin station are returned to Imperial hands.” It continued. “There were heavy losses and injuries, though the final tally has not been taken.”

  “Why does the report come from the Dark Light and not Fleet Command?” Aen asked. “Was not the objective to retake the central hub?”

  “Fleet Command no longer exists.” The AI answered. “When the invasion was stymied by the Guild forces, the Dark Light was moved into optimum firing position and destroyed the Fleet Command module before all was lost.”

  “Not the normal Imperial tactics; I thought Onai was a little more by the book than that.” Aen remarked as he checked the gauntlets for their seal.

  “Officer Onai was relieved of duty before the action was taken due to inefficiency and inability to lead the raid.”

  Aen was confused. First he was told the mission was successful, then told of the extreme measures taken and now the one left in charge had been removed from duty.

  “Then who….”

  “Council Sara Foster assumed command of the Dark Light and enacted the plan.” Caretaker cut him off. “Her actions saved thousands of lives and changed the course of things that were going rather poorly. If not for her intervention, I fear the course of our entire plan would have taken a different path altogether.”

  His daughter Sara had been the savior of soldiers and officers three times or more than her age; his heart brimmed with pride. To think, he had thought her a helpless spectator in all this as he minimized her part to ensure her safety no matter how it all played out. Plans never went the way they should - at least not in times like this - and he was still in disbelief that it was her that ensured the rest of all this could continue.

  “It’s almost time.” He muttered as he looked back up at the planet; his focus returning to the task at hand.

  “The ceremony has begun.” Caretaker added. “I am afraid the saying ‘It is now or never’ comes into play.”

  Aen nodded in agreement, and kept his eyes fixed on Havyiin the whole time as he donned his helmet and secured the seal. He was ready; he knew the layout of the area, the level of security, and the exact mix of dignitaries versus allies of the Empress incumbent. In his helmet, the HUD had a timer counting down the well-choreographed ceremony until its pinnacle moment; the actual crowning of the false Empress Myril. And in that moment was his time to act. There was no margin for error, though Aen knew there was nothing anyone could do to stop him.

  “Make sure this is broadcast to the entire Empire.” Aen reminded the AI. “No matter what happens, the transmission stays live. The Empire must see what has been happening under their very noses, and they must see Myril exposed for the treachery she has wrought upon the Empire she covets so.”

  Aen didn’t wait for an answer, he disappeared as he flung his atoms down to the planet below. The longer he hesitated, the harder it would be to act the closer the time got. He kept his mind focused and on his task; blocking out any thoughts of Lyxia, Sara or Iana. This was his time to act, and though he wanted to ensure their safety he could not. All had played their parts, now it was his time to do his.

  FIFTEEN

  Lyarran Throne World Havyiin; Imperial Palace

  Early autumn on Havyiin produced a perfect day for a gathering. It was very warm with a small breeze to cool the air making conditions ideal for the outdoor festivities. A few clouds scattered about the late morning sky, but posed no threat of rain or covering Lyarra’s light in any way. From the first moment Lyxia had arrived planet side, she found it hard to concentrate on the task at hand and not marvel in the epic beauty this true wonder provided day in and day out.

  But she did have things to do, and staring aimlessly at the sky was not one of them. She quickly refocused her mind and scurried into the palace; taking note of the rather light security detail. Usually she would never have gotten this far unnoticed or unchallenged, but with the event of sorts out in the gardens all personnel had been pulled into stations other than the usual. This made her entrance into the Imperial Palace simple, but it most certainly didn’t mean the rest of her job would be too.

  So Lyxia tread carefully on hostile ground; fully conscious of the fact she was presumed dead and her capture would lead to more questions that could unwind everything. Her biggest fear was to be the weak link in the whole equation, but her stubbornness told her she would be anything but. So as she entered one of the lesser used entrances to the building, she kept to the shadows in the halls and stepped lightly to remain unseen as she made her way directly to the main security network. Every now and then she would come across a patrol in the halls, but her training kicked in as she shrunk back on the shadows or behind cover to remain unnoticed.

  The entire path from door to the entrance to the server room was less than five hundred meters, but progress was painstakingly slow in the sake of stealth. With no worries and cares it would have taken her no less than five minutes to walk the distance; a fact that after fifteen minutes and being within sight of the doors pressed on nerves. Lyxia was used to being direct with her actions and slinking about the shadows like an assassin played with her mind. As much as she struggled to stay unseen, she struggled internally against her very nature as well.

  Even more frustrating was the two man detail that lingered in her way; discussing everything from the new Empress to their dreams of being one of the Ifierin. They were doing anything but going about the normal route and preventing her from reaching her goal. Each second she waited felt like an hour; ticking off in agony as she crouched behind a pillar in wait for the coast to clear. On and on they bantered; on and on they stayed put. Just when she figured they were finally moving on, another patrol met up with them and the four got comfortable as the chatter resumed; taking advantage of the lack of need for real security as the real focus was outside and not in here.

  Time ticked away - precious time Lyxia really didn’t have - and after what seemed like forever she readied herself for action. There was no way around it and no time left to simply sit here; she had to go through them to get to where she needed to be. It would be a risk, one that might lead to an alarm being raised, but it was a risk needed to be taken. These were not the usual Palace guards; not the usual deadly zealots that patrolled these halls on an everyday basis. No, these were cast offs; the low end talent the Forgotten had to offer. The real killers
were outside or on the other end of the palace guarding Myril as she readied for her crowning moment. Lyxia knew with her training and skills she could make quick work of these slackers and readied herself to pounce.

  Moments before she was to spring out, she held herself back as she heard the crackle of the guards’ comms; a superior was demanding to know why the halls had been neglected. Her fortunes had turned in a flash, and the guards exchanged pleasantries before heading out in either direction. Waiting until they were out of sight, Lyxia leapt out of hiding and scampered to the door across from her the moment the coast was clear. In an instant she was inside and held her back to the closed door to catch her breath.

  Inside the room was the electronic heart of the Imperial Palace and she looked on in amazement at the network of machines within. Lyxia was familiar with every inch of her ship - including the guts within where the control systems lie - but none of it was on this scale. Here she stood at the top of a catwalk, looking down below at two stories of computing power. A shake of her head got her mind clear, and she descended down to her target. Three rows in and the second drive from the left would reveal to her a port in which to enter the control chip that would grant Caretaker free range of the most off limits system in the Empire. It didn’t take long to find her target; Lyxia withdrew the chip from her belt and slid it into place.

  Her task done, Lyxia relaxed and exhaled a deep breath. In moments the AI would have free range of the palace systems and guide her safely out to watch the fireworks. All that was left was to wait for his guidance when she felt a strong grip on her shoulder which spun her around. Lyxia now stood face to face with two of the guards from before; and this time it was them that had the drop on her. One held a blade to her throat and pinned her up to the server while the other held his plasma rifle trained on her.

  “Told you we were being watched.” Her captor said to his companion.

  “Think we should have some fun before we kill her?” the one with the gun asked. “This one’s a looker and we ain’t seen nothing like her in a while.”

  “You are nice to look at.” The one with the blade sneered and took a deep breath through his nose. “And you smell like something worth having fun with too.”

  Lyxia squirmed to get free, but the assassin had close to eighty pounds on her and held her with near his full weight. She was helpless and alone, but vowed to go down fighting before being used for their sick enjoyment. Readying to fight back the second he let up on his grip, she tensed he muscles and waited for her window of opportunity.

  “What you say we take her back away from the door?” the one with the knife called back to his friend; his eyes locked on hers. “This way even if she screams the machines will drown her out.”

  There was no response to his question, and Lyxia caught the scent of ash rise above the stale air within the cavernous room along with a slight temperature change. It had gotten warmer in here, and coupled with the smell she knew she wasn’t alone anymore. Lyxia grinned at her captor as he snarled back; she began to laugh at his confusion to why his companion wouldn’t answer.

  An armored hand appeared above the guard’s head and grasped him by the face tightly. She felt his muscles tense to try and strike at her as they fought against an unseen force preventing her from being harmed. He was yanked backwards suddenly and thrown back where he collapsed in a heap; Lyxia was able to see what her senses had assumed, as she laid eyes upon Aen in full chrome armor turning to finish his broken prey before he could recover. With a puff of smoke, the guard turned to ash and Aen kicked at his head to make it collapse into nothing more than a pile.

  “I can’t leave you alone for a second can I?” Aen asked her with a hint of a smile in his voice.

  “What can I say?” she grinned back. “The armor turns me on.”

  “I took the liberty of notifying Aen to your predicament as soon as they entered behind you.” Caretaker cut in to the verbal foreplay. “Weapons scanners and alarms are now offline. I have notified the others the way is clear and they have started their entry into the atmosphere.”

  “Then all the rest is up to me.” Aen said as examined the pile of ash.

  Without another word, he strode over to Lyxia and grabbed her; the two disappeared from the server room just as the door opened with another patrol entering to check. Before her mind could understand what happened, they now stood outside on a third story balcony overlooking the garden festivities from a safe and discrete distance. It was hidden and not easily accessible; the perfect vantage point for her to be safe from here on out.

  “Stay here, and don’t make any rash movements.” He began. “The only access to this balcony is from the throne room itself, and not even Myril would dare enter it before she wears the crown.”

  “So you are just leaving me here?” Lyxia voiced her displeasure.

  “I am making sure that no matter what happens, that you will be here for me to return to.” Aen replied. “For when this is all done, we can finally have the time we need to grow what we have started together.”

  Aen faded away, and as he did Lyxia felt as giddy as a young maiden in love for the first time. Her smile was undeniable; as was her feelings for him. So she found a point to which she could remain out of sight and still watch everything below as she counted the minutes until they were together again. For the first time since she met him, she finally saw the end to all the strife that had kept them apart. At last, it was about to be their time, once all this was behind them.

  —

  It was the perfect place to wait, and seeing as it was one place no one would think of looking or patrolling, Aen could remain there until it was the perfect time to strike. He stood at the bottom of the lagoon off to the left of the stage upon which the ceremonies would unfold; unseen and unknown he had set the perfect trap for the enemy. Caretaker had linked his audio with the live stream of the video cast; though being less than ten feet away from the action he would know exactly what was happening and when. From here he could be the Field General until it was his time to act; and when that moment came the whole galaxy would know his true power.

  It was a risk revealing himself; a fact that played in his thoughts constantly. Aen wondered if, when all was said and done, the jockeying for his services would intensify past what they were before he had ‘killed’ the Empress. Before the lust to wield his power had reached a fever pitch and he only hoped that Iana would put an end to all of it as she promised him. After all he had been through he found himself struggling to put his faith in others, but if he wanted the freedom to be with Lyxia he had no choice.

  And there was the other dilemma; his rapidly growing feelings for Lyxia. Like a runaway freight train, they had built up such an intensity so quickly that he was nearly overwhelmed by the sensation. Without her he felt lesser, and when he was with her he couldn’t get enough. Aen wondered how it all would play out; the fact that Paxyns had a much longer life span than humans helped the matter, but at some point the reality of his immortality would come into play. He was doomed to watch everything he loved wither and die; a thought that filled him with fear to take the budding relationship to the next level. It was a thought for another day, and as the music began to play he stuffed it away so he could concentrate on the here and now.

  He watched the feed eagerly as a procession of elderly priests led the way to the stage through the gathering of guests. Thousands were in attendance today, and every one of them was a hostile. These were the members of the Grand Council that had been swayed, the ones that had been replacements for those who wouldn’t be swayed, and the upper echelon of the Guild who had earned the right to bear witness to their moment of triumph. Aen smiled; they would bear witness all right, but it would be to a resurrection beyond their wildest dreams.

  In moments, the force that had started the Empire would be destroyed. The Guild was dead already; their forces beaten and ranks broken without its leaders being aware of it. All that was left was to unravel the entire plan for th
e Empire to see. He would show the galaxy what evil had crept into the light while they weren’t looking. Soon he would complete his promise he made to Iana when all this started; then he would be free to live his life at long last.

  So Aen waited - poised like a serpent waiting to strike at its prey - and as the long procession continued he got a first look at her. Dressed in robes of white and gold, Myril was escorted into the daylight by her personal guards. Aen had another promise to keep in all this; he had promised Myril that he would stand face to face with her and that she would know her tormentor before it was all over. This was a promise he was eager to keep, and one he hoped would draw closure to this tumultuous portion of his new existence.

  —

  It was a glorious day and Myril couldn’t stop smiling. Through all the days where it seemed Iana could do no wrong, through all the endless waiting, from the turmoil of the terrorist threats; it all had been worth it. In a matter of an hour she would wear the crown and sit upon the throne, and not even the threats of a madman could stop her now.

  Yes, she had to make a deal with the darkness. Yes, she would sell out the lesser of important worlds to save the rest of them. Myril had no problem with how she came about her newfound title; hard times meant hard decisions. She was proud of what she had become, and even prouder of where she would take the Empire in the days ahead. Since Iana’s tragic death, it had floundered on the edge of futility and madness; beaten back into near submission by a faceless terrorist. Now was her time to shine, and may the Gods have mercy on anyone stupid enough to get in her way.

  She had brought the best and the most dangerous the Forgotten had to offer and stationed them in a blanket security around the Imperial gardens. They would outnumber the guests three to one, and even the majority of the guests were Guild supporters or members. The only exceptions to this were the J’Karin delegation which had just landed and the absent Council from Terra Sol. Both parties were insignificant in the grand scheme of things; both worlds were on the list of those to be handed over to the darkness when all was said and done.