550884007.edited

Chapter 22

He had been here once before, time of other realms had no meaning here. The ground he stood on, was a polished hard surface of highly reflective properties and stretched into every direction and into infinity. The universe with all its clusters and superstrings reflected in it from the infinite sky above this surface. This was the Plane of Eternity, a place beyond the Omniverse itself. Lumis remembered when he was brought here the first time. Then, he did not listen to the name of Lumis. In his realm of origin, he had been known as Akror, the mighty. A man of great wisdom, an unsatisfiable hunger for power and a man with the knowledge that his Universe was doomed and destined to be destroyed. It was one of the unchangeable core conditions of the Omniverse. Everything had a beginning and everything had an end. It was so for a single atom, a single bacteria and it was so for civilizations and Universes. In that universe, if origin, he had compiled much knowledge and determined the coming of the end. Already unraveled the secret of immortality in his realm, he did not want to share the fate of his reality. He knew of other realities and begun to explore options. A godlike entity, Crea the spirit of Creation herself rescued him, brought him here and gave him a new identity, a new purpose, and great power. Akror had ceased to exist along with his doomed universe, in his place now stood Lord Lumis, the chosen defender of Light and Life. Lumis knew from the very start, that a defender was only needed if there was a threat. But back then when he received his new position and new powers, he felt invincible, elevated above everything. Now that he had faced that threat he felt anything but elevated or superior. The Dark One was not even fully resurrected, swatted him away like an insect. While he was pushed away he gained a glimpse of what he was facing. That glimpse frightened him more than anything he had ever faced. Now, she who rescued him Crea had brought him here once more. The entity he knew as Crea, had joined him. Lumis was not sure if she had chosen to appear in human form or if it was just how his senses were able to perceive her. While he was so much more than a low and primitive human himself, he was not close to being on her level. Recent events and revelations made it clear to him, that the Dark One, the entity he was supposed to slay was equal to her not him. She appeared human in shape and size, but that was as far as the similarities went. Her face and most of her body was only there in an outline and interposed with a view of deep space. It created an eerie effect., making it appear as if she was only partially here. Lumis remembered his place and knelt."Crea, the reason for my existence. You have not given me the knowledge and the power to accomplish what you want me to do." "Do not question your part and task. You are but a servant; it is not important what you think or want. It is imperative you obey." A pyramid of glowing blue light appeared before them."The one that defied the will of the One behind it all, the one that caused the Rule to be broken has come here?" Crea said."You are not the one to judge, Voice of the Rule . I am Crea indeed and what motivates my actions is not yours to question." "What has been caused by you, makes it very much my purview to question, but indeed judgment is not mine. To make the judgment and serve justice is given to the Dark One." "You are the Voice and neither the Dark One nor the One behind it all. I want to know the whereabouts of the WEAPON ." "You still project your hopes on the WEAPON? I can not say where it is, but I can tell you where it will be. The WEAPON the last token, the Dark One and everything related will be on Avondur and it is there where the Decision will be made. Now, if your hopes lie in attacking and destroying the vessel of the Dark One before he comes to his own, you should go to Avondur and await the arrival of all these elements." Crea's inhuman voice rang with a note of hope. "Then the Voice knows the Dark One can be defeated." "Crea, you could not defeat him the first time. Do what you must, but defy your exile and descend into the Prime Universe and you will learn what it means to defy the One behind it all."

--""--

Sir Baran, hung in the fist of the huge Saturnian. He was alive and conscious, but quite obvious completely defeated. His arrogant Thauran face was not so haughty at all. Hans did let him go, the former planet manager delegated to a secondary post stared with contempt at the Baron's son, but said nothing. Maro got up." Baran, I know you for so long. Can you not explain what is going on? You do know PSI corps is on its way. The disappearance of a Union officer is no small issue." "I was in charge! That old man of yours, simply put you ahead of me. You are nothing but a snotnose." A hissing sound interrupted whatever Maro or anyone else was about to say. Baran suddenly drooled blood and collapsed. Shea with alarm in her voice pointed at three dive suit-wearing individuals outside, past the transparent dura last. The men were about to attach an explosive charge. Without protective suits they all would drown, not even the formidable Saturnian could stay underwater for an extended time. He too needed to breathe.

--""--

Tyron Suit and the chief found themselves on Beryl, planet. The world was one of the original Azure worlds and an old Thauran colony that had been established long before the Thauran Empire became a Union member. This old colony was home to several old and influential families, including the Swybars. It was the old Swybar stronghold Suit and Senior Chief Hilbora escaped. Local police still seemed hesitant to act, Federal law enforcement came down like a hammer. It was not all that long ago when the so-called purge swept over the Thauran Empire that resulted in the arrest of hundreds of nobles, including the emperor himself. The billions of commoners were excited and celebrated the arrival of Union law, but many of the old Noble families were less than thrilled. No one, not even the oldest most encrusted noble families wanted to leave the Union. A Federal police officer had just taken  Suit's statement, and now the sentient Seenian garment waited for the NAVINT officer who also wanted to speak to Suit. There was, of course, the fact that both Suit and Hilbora had been transported to a planet many hundred lightyears distant from Deep Blue. Fleet had dispatched a fast ship from Bleu, planet, The closest Union fleet base and would be here shortly. The chief was in bad shape, but the med team was able to consult an Ult expert who assisted via Avatar presence and they assured Tyron that Hilbora would be okay. He did not need to sit, or any other needs a biological being had. Tyron had no eyes, no mouth. He did not breath or needed to sleep. Omnidirectional sensors projected around the suit allowed it to perceive and process the entire electromagnetic spectrum and beyond. Despite all these capabilities, the suit was deeply concerned about its friend now recuperating in a Regen-Tank. The bastards had caused serious and almost irreversible neural damage. According to the Med Specialists, it was the prolonged and repeated exposure to Kermac Pain recorders that caused it. The Seenian suit was seen by many, just as a truly strange piece of advanced technology, and if it pondered its long path even his long-vanished makers did not. Aboard the Tigershark, he was Tyron, neither the strangest nor the most powerful, but a friend first. It had also developed real emotions. Something that set it truly apart from a thing. Suit looked at the Ult inside the regen tank and felt helpless and disturbed. The Avatar projection of the Ult specialist stepped next to him. "Lt. Suit, we do everything ewer can and I am certain he will recuperate, but Neuropathways can not be printed. The prolonged exposure to these neuro stimulus rays caused more than tissue damage." Tyron did not have to turn to face someone, he said to the Ult physician."I think he needs to be in our sickbay as soon as possible." The Med specialist was a Union citizen and had seen many unusual life forms, but talking to what appeared an empty bodysuit that floated a few inches above the floor was something else altogether."Luitenant, I assure you he is getting great care, and we will transport him to a special clinic at Med Central, as soon as the Med transport arrives. What could a ship's sickbay do, unless it is a hospital ship?" The intensity of the suits answer took the physician by surprise. Tyron said."He would be taken care of friends who care, here he is just another patient." A physically present staff medic came into the treatment room."Mr. Suit, the NAVINT investigators made planetfall and wanted to talk to you."

--""--

The richest man in the known universe had started as a Terran businessman and was born before Earth ascended. He was born in 2063, Earth still divided into nation-states and in political and economic trouble. The Mega Tycoon had settled into a comfortable seat of his spacious work office aboard the Black Sirius, the fastest known ship, except for Narth spheres of course. The super sleek six-hundred meters spacecraft had departed the Onyx system and had entered Quasi Space. It would take only a day to reach Pluribus. The room was darkened to a minimum of illumination. While his eyes wandered past the viewport into the endless darkness of space. The specks of light, distant stars and the occasional Quasi streak were the only sources of light out there. Rex cherished these moments of silent solitude, as a time to think and restore his balance. In moments like this, his thoughts often wandered back in time. Just like old McElligott or that eternal warhorse Stahl, he too was an immortal. There were two-hundred of them, picked by the Guardian of Earth for the purpose to guide Earth's humanity to the stars and onto the Galactic stage. Rex now directed his eyes away from the viewport and focused on the strange metallic gleaming helmet in front of him resting on a small coffee table. "Guiding humanity, yeah right." He said in a low tone to the helmet but more so to himself. He never bought into this benevolent act and he knew neither did Richard Stahl. The Guardian had ulterior motives. He was placed on Earth by others and with a purpose that was not spoken about or revealed. Rex was certain about that, the very moment he had been summoned into that smooth underground lair of the Guardian, deep below the Himalayas. The Guardian of Earth tasked him with developing commerce and business for the suddenly spacefaring Earth humanity. That Guardian claimed to know humans and watching them for a very long time. The Guardian for all his powers and apparent wisdom, either lied or knew nothing about humanity. Terrans were greedy and hungry for power. There was little that surpassed wealth in terms of real power. Even before humans used the new technology to explore their star system and nearby suns, they started to exploit the asteroids. The first human space mission after the ascent was not a heroic trip of science and exploration as the history records wanted you to know, it was a commercial one to Psyche 16. Companies scrambled to secure trillions of tons of iron, gold, Platinium. It as Schwartz Industries that beat out everyone. While the company that his mother left him was a Fortune 500 before, securing that asteroid first and many after that cemented his companies leading role as the biggest private corporation. No humans of Earth did not need a guide to make a profit or see the business and earnings potential in just about anything. That he murdered a rival to get to Psyche first, was simply a necessary business decision that never bothered him. No, the Guardian had other motives and when Rex managed to find out he never stopped to make it his very own motivation. He controlled communication and knew there always had been voices that claimed he wanted to become the ruler of the Union and worked behind the scenes to shape the Union to his purposes. They were quite incorrect, Rex never wanted to rule the Union, no. He wanted to rule the Universe, become an entity and advance to true godhood. What the general public, what no one but a handful Illuminati knew, was the fact that entities beyond the corporeal boundaries of time and space existed. The Non-Corps, the Ariglou, the Eduk, the Coven and first and foremost, of course, the Narth were all solid proof that there were life and consciousness beyond physical boundaries. He learned about the First Emperor and the Dark One, he collected every bit of information regarding Crea, the Voice of the Rule and the Cosmic Guardians. His research discovered the legend of the First Emperor and this is how he discovered the tomb of Rex Invictus and the failed transition. Now through him, the Emperor Invictus Rex existed once more and this time, he would not seek to transition into the next level. The only ones doing it successfully were the Narth and for some reason, they never left and now seemed to put great efforts into restoring their corporeal aspect. Despite his unlimited resources, he had not been able to find out anything about the Narth. He did know, however, that the Dark One, that omnipotent entity was about to resurrect.

--""--

The underwater city provided living conditions to millions of air-breathing beings, mostly Thaurans. For this reason, it had life support. A section of engineering that provided the city with breathable air. Air had to be ducted and piped. There were endless miles of ducts, usually only frequented by maintenance robots. The worm-like being sliding and moving with great dexterity and skill through these ducts were of a species specifically created for this. This creature, however, was no longer a Wheeze, but this Genolax was a member of the USS Tigershark crew. He was quite fond of that crew. They called him Mr. Meeze and for the most part, treated him very good. There was lovely Jolai who never hesitated to help him and was the first being ever to treat a wounded Genolax. He silently wondered if he should educate them, that Wheeze was just a word that meant 'we' while he was of the species Genolax. But the Meeze dispelled that idea. They were scavengers and Genolax as they were inside the crucible. Now a few million of his kind were Union members with their own planet and with the freedom to become whatever they wanted to be. There were Genolax in that other galaxy, he was certain. There were the Vikarz and others but he was a Union Wheeze. He fondly thought about TheOther who was his best friend. One like him friends with a Y'All, no Genolax of his home galaxy would ever think it possible. Meeze interrupted his train of thought as he stopped to look past a duct grill in the room below. He had followed that blue-skinned man, from the club room where Hans grabbed the former planet manager. Fafnir, the not so little dragon creature had enabled him to follow Hans and his team. The biggest improvement was, of course, the Atlas battlesuit he was now wearing. Thanks to SHIP and Circuit he finally had his very own. The most amazing thing to him was the genuine TKU blaster. Personally designed and built by Circuit,  modifying one of the Warner sized blasters to make it useable for him. True he didn't exactly have the permission to take the TKU yet or the suit. Circuit wanted him to train and get instructions. "Pffz, inzstrucz. Meeze notz stoopiz." He said to himself That the man he followed had something to do with the whole thing was obvious to him, as the guy slipped out the backdoor, as soon as Hans showed up. The Thauran he had followed clear across most of the city and into the storage room of a freight forwarding company or something like that. The neatly stacked Polyhedron shaped standard shipping containers hinted at something like that. For a moment Meeze contemplated to check them out, because there might be something eatable inside. Despite his recently found confidence and his decision to be a more active member of the Tigershark crew, he was always more than just peckish. He closed his four eyes for a short moment. The Union had so many wonderful foods. Some species cooked and baked it. Chef Eeryt had great skill in combining foodstuff into what he called meals. At first, he could not see the reason and Mr. Eeryt had a hard time stopping Meeze eating the raw ingredients, but since he never really had to scavenge for food and instead of eating whatever he found he could eat whenever he wanted and whatever he wanted. Having a choice of food was truly the most amazing thing for a scavenger like him. But he wasn't here to check containers but he wanted to know more about that Thauran. The man was now ina room behind the storage area and was meeting another Thauran. The one that was already there greeted the one that just entered with an angry rant. "Our master has jumped the gun. Instead of doing it slow and careful he used your stooges to abduct the Union Captain." "I know, I just managed to get away from the Fishfarmer's lounge. A huge Saturnian and a Delicate busted in and took Baran." "I know. I sent divers to take care of that." "And those are officers of that ship. The PSI corp is on its way, they find us!" "We must leave. Do you have my sister?" "Yes, Sarak. I was able to capture her. Sylia Sobur is already at your place." Meeze, who was good friends with Alice, of course, knew Sylia as well. While she was not a close friend of that Thauran officer, he was appalled what he heard. The two men opened a hidden door and that revealed a narrow and short featureless corridor. They walked in and simply vanished.

--""--

The divers outside the transparent wall, suddenly struggled as if they were unable to move. The explosive device simply vanished out of their hands. Out of almost unnoticeable water disturbances, five Union Marines in sealed battle suits appeared behind the divers and Narth appeared right next to Har-Hi. The Dai pointed to the fallen man."Take him to Cateria. He might still be alive, I want to know what he knows." Tp the wide-eyed planet governor he said."Do you think you deal with amateurs? I am about to forget my career, consider court-martial and execution because I am going to turn my crew loose on this cesspool of a planet." Elfi interrupted via Comlink."Sir, I have an incoming transmission from the Captain."

--""--

Thanks to Stahl's autodresser, I once more wore Fleet uniform. And once again I found myself aboard the USS Devastator, half a galaxy away from my own ship. That Alycia was much more than just an intelligence officer, I always knew that ever since I met her the first time. Whatever powers decide such things, becoming the Commandant of the PSI Corps was a clear indicator of that. That it was she who married the Eternal Warrior was the core reason in my mind that she was more than what she appeared to be. I had seen Gwen and a good number of the other Coven in their true form, but I could not recall seeing her as anything other than an older exotic human beauty with a perpetual almost invisible smirk on her lips. I learned that very few of these Netherworld creatures could exist in our side of the Omniverse, and even fewer of them able to create temporary rifts or gates to circumvent time-space and use these rifts to travel without much time delay to distant places. I had been assigned spacious visitor quarters and went straight to the multi-use terminal to call my ship and let my friends know that I was okay. Seeing my XO's face caused a tight knot in my throat. I swallowed and said."Mr.Hi, I am alright. I am currently aboard the USS Devastator and will be on my way back later today." I filled him in what happened to me and asked him to give me a report as well. After he had done so, I asked him to sent our geeks into that glitter cave and find out where Suit and the Chief were kept. I wanted him to investigate how that traitor managed to get to be part of my crew." A clean-cut, handsome Lt.Commander appeared in my room after the door system announced him. "I am sorry to disturb you. I am Lt.Commander Ben De Young and I was sent by Captain Harris to take you back to Deep Blue, planet." "I am ready, Mr. DeYoung. I can't wait to return to my ship." I followed the tall human and asked."If I understand it correctly We are in the Downward sector, my ship is in the Spinward section. What is our best ETA?" The man grinned."Maybe a week at most, Captain. I am taking you in a Wolfcraft trainer to Quadron system. An Attikan destroyer is standing by to take you to Coreward Hub. Coreward Hub has a Space train connection to Blue Moon Hub. The Spinward Rim Line connects Blue Moon with Cote Azur. From there your ship could pick you up. Deep Blue is only 27 light-years from Cote Azur." I was actually speechless. I feared to travel for many months. Before we reached the flight deck we were intercepted by Stahl. "Captain Olafson, try not to start a war with a Union member and get that Ypeherix thing under control. I expected this problem solved by now." "Aye Sir."