Genesis - the Battle Within (Pillars of Creation Book 1) (11 page)

Mapia snapped back to reality as the first crackling thud hit, burying itself deep into the soft mossy ground beside him. Scrambling back, in fear and horror, Mapia noticed that the lance was an object he’d never seen before and looked almost … again … natural. It was a giant three-metre spear-shaped crystal, which seemed proficient in piercing through the ground. A blue, fluorescent liquid was trapped deep in its interior, making the entire length of the lance glow. Mapia Jumped as more hit the ground and he realised the extent of his danger. He looked over the clearing and saw one of his marines fall, impaled by the deadly protrusion. Mapia’s mouth opened to make an order, but no words came as he watched in terror.

The crackling lances became the only sound he could hear, even above the cries of his men. Everywhere he looked it was raining blue, it was absurd and terrifying all at once. A whole platoon of armoured marines was being attacked and beaten with
spears,
which were undeniably effective at killing them.

Mapia saw appalling injuries inflicted as every marine broke formation and bolted for some kind of cover. One even managed to make it into the Temple’s archway, while his following comrade fell short, pinned in many places to the ground. Mapia knew that whatever the crystals were, they were able to penetrate the hardened nano-steel armour, the best the Seekers of Truth had, like it was nothing.

Within seconds Mapia could see no more, the world around him turned into a glowing, deadly downpour. He was forced to just stand there, dumbfounded, as his remaining squads of hardened marines were completely annihilated around him. And then as quickly as it had begun, the last lance fell with a dull thud, and all became deathly still and quiet, as if nothing had happened at all.

A full minute later Mapia blinked and comprehended he was still alive. The spears were everywhere around him and he slowly turned a full circle in silence. The shapes punctuated the ground encircling him in a bizarre forest of crystal bamboo … he couldn’t see one marine and Mapia doubted if any one spot other than his own had a clearing like he was standing in.
What the hell had just happened?
he thought bizarrely.

His hands were still shaking as he was welded to the spot. For some reason the deadly strike on his command had left him alive, with a two-metre circle imprisoning him. Whatever had attacked obviously wanted him alive, and this scared Mapia more than the attack itse—

Mapia’s heart skipped out of pure unadulterated fear. Freezing cold air was breathing on the back of his neck! He could feel the presence of another form standing behind him and he could tell it was much larger than him. Trembling, he slowly made himself turn around, Mapia no longer had breath in him to gasp when he saw the Tel’nagara’s giant form towering over him. The alien seemed to have materialised out of nowhere.

The lieutenant stumbled backwards as he flicked his eyes over his sidearm, which luckily he was still clenching in his right hand. He began raising the weapon shakily, towards the freak that had supposedly been sent to help them. Mapia’s rage overtook his fear, “You, you were supposed to help us you son-of-a-bitch, not slaughter us!”

The creature stepped forward methodically yet strikingly fast. It pushed Mapia’s pistol down giving him no chance of levelling the weapon. The alien sounded a little strained as it spoke in its normally guttural voice, “I did help you human, in fact I saved you … for now. It was me that created a temporary disturbance so the K’latone crystals avoided you.” The creature paused momentarily, looking almost nervously towards the craft above them, before hurriedly speaking, “Now, give me the
Aze’tome
as was arranged. This is what General Salvador agreed to and ordered you to do. You must hand it over.”

Mapia spat out a curse and screamed at the alien, “What, are you kidding? Salvador wanted us, his own men dead, I don’t think so, you … you cursed, alien … freak. You have fooled us, somehow this is a doublecross, I know you have screwed us over, you were supposed to evacuate us, not make pin cushions of my men.”

The creature let out what sounded like a sigh, its freezing breath clouding and washing over the lieutenant’s face. “Human, I’m sorry, but I have no time for this, hand the artefact over now, or I will take it, with or without your hand still attached.”

Mapia quickly handed it the artefact, realising from its tone that it wasn’t bluffing. The creature abruptly opened a part of its armour and a needle slid out, stabbing the key and sucking it dry. The creature placed the empty key into a small fold of its garments, looking relieved as it spoke to itself, ignoring him completely.

“And now it is done, all portions are where they should be. The board is reset and a chance has been opened …”

Mapia’s anger built as the creature turned to leave, ignoring him as though
he
was of little significance. His voice was incredulous, “And now what am I supposed to do, just come along nicely and accept that my men died for some good reason?” He faked the concern for his men hoping an obvious warrior like this one would like it, and take pity on him. “This was not part of the deal. You were supposed to help us in exchange for the
Aze’tome
and then after we took the Ple’stone,
then
you were to have your Aze’tome … you’ve betrayed us alien …”

Without even turning the creature spoke once more calmly. “No … things have changed, the portal will not be shut … the incomplete Ple’stone has changed everything. Yet these things are of little concern for you, your opinion one way or the other means little to me. You won’t be coming any further in this journey and your life has reached its end. I soon will make my intentions very clear to your general and leaders … I am not interested in your people’s struggle … I only care for my quest in closing Her way.”

Mapia blinked in confusion, stunned by the brutal truth of the freak’s information. The creature stood for a few more seconds, and then, as though it had never been there at all, touched the sphere on its chest and stepped into some kind of energy field that appeared from thin air and disappeared, Mapia guessing it to be a rift of some kind.

Mapia fell to his knees, alone.
What am I to do now
?

He looked up waiting for more of the death from above or some other horror, but to his relief he saw that the alien craft was rising, its shadow moving off into the distance and disappearing into the mist. Mapia chattered nervously to himself, his nerves shattered, “Well whatever they wanted they hadn’t wanted me, they were probably after the freak and its
Aze’tome
… and I hope they catch you freak and make a blasted pin cushion of you too
…
alien son-of-a-bitch,” he spat.

Mapia looked down feeling somewhat relieved.
The alien must have been bluffing
, he thought,
I’ve been spared
.

He stood for a bit longer staring incredibly at the empty space where the rift and the Tel’nagara had been. He heard some of his marines moaning in pain, bringing him some comfort knowing he wasn’t totally alone. He turned, wondering how best he was going to get out of his newly built prison.

He didn’t give a damn about his men’s welfare, he was just hoping the injured marines were intact enough to help fight him out of here. And any that weren’t; well blowed if he was going to wait for them.

Mapia pushed candidly at one of the crystals as he obsessed over his recent betrayal – the object didn’t move. He tried lifting the lance from its position but it still wouldn’t budge. He gave the crystal his full attention, trying hard to direct his frustration to escaping.

Wrapping his hands entirely around the crystal he exerted pressure and pulled upwards. As it started to slurp out of the mud without warning it began vibrating uncontrollably. The vibrations became more intense, and the liquid began glowing more brightly.

Mapia released the crystal and stepped back, astonished as it sank back down … he stumbled across the clearing until his back hit the opposite side. He jumped as the crystals there too, began vibrating and glowing brightly.
What on Halution is hap—

Mapia recoiled, slipping in the mud and falling as the vibrations started to hum. Each lance, one after the other, started taking up the call. Within seconds he was surrounded by the low humming.

What the hell’s going on here
? he thought nervously. The hum spread, becoming louder; the whole field vibrating as each lance received and reciprocated the sound of its partner.

“What the hell is this?” Mapia yelled, but his voice was easily drowned out.

The sound was now unbearably loud, he held his ears trying desperately to block out its intonation. Mapia began yelling, screaming for the tormenting sonance to stop. His head fell between his knees as he could bear it no more, he was already scared witless and this was too much, he lost all sense of self-preservation as he pushed his face into the mud.

Mapia felt something warm and sticky – he brought his bloodied fingers before his face. His ears trickled blood; both his ears were ruptured and his screams were lost amongst the impossibly loud competing sounds. He fell on his face, but regardless, the sound still managed to penetrate louder and louder as the crescendo grew.

“Shit stop it, please
stop, stop
…” Mapia’s pain was unbearable
;
his ears were ringing as blood seeped freely down his cheeks. He sobbed as he spoke, “I can’t take it any longer, STOP PLEASE—!”

Abruptly, as if listening to the plea, the sound stopped. Completely deaf, Mapia felt the wild vibrations within his head calm. He looked up, spittle, snot and tears wobbling in strands from his chin as he spoke, “Thank the reverends, nothing but complete lovely silence … thank you my watchers, for sparing—” With an abrupt and sharp crack the thousands of spears broke apart simultaneously, exploding towards the lieutenant in a shimmering avalanche.

Out of character, Osiris muttered a few weak attempts at curses before he continued on with a strained smile, the comm still smouldering from his hand.

“Its technology, gifted from our deity the SINIA, is great and if you do become an integration of this – by way of Immortal – you will have this power at hand.” He grinned to himself at the thought of what he’d just done with the comm
in
his own
hand. It took him a second to compose himself.

“No longer will you struggle, your body will be in near perfection and even when faced with infidels, humanities oppressors, you will have the clearer mind to rise above hardships with ease, making better decisions to keep yourself and your religion safe from harm.

“This,
this point
, brings me to a pivotal juncture for today. For all this technology and power to be put in place and our system to be made possible, you must understand that an
insurmountable
sacrifice was suffered by our forefathers to ensure it continued and that we are still here today. They endured so civilisation could make it back from its darkest period in history and which, as I said, is the main topic today. It is also what I deem far more significant than anything else I have mentioned yet, so please, please take—”

The comm made a sad whirr, and Osiris swore he heard his pupil’s voice trying to contact him through it. He tightened his fist harder.

Give me a break,
he thought incredulously. He couldn’t believe the device had survived, or the tenacity of his pupil’s impatience. With a heavier tendril of Rieft he irritably compacted the comm into half its original size and continued, trying hard to hide his exasperation –
In the High Creator’s name, what on earth could be so blasted important?
He glowered indignantly.

At that same moment Osiris spotted and purposefully ignored his pupil’s loud and impertinent entrance into the lecture hall forty metres above him. His incessant calling on the comm had been annoying enough and patience it seemed, was a quality Justice lacked and needed more training in, even after all the long years of his tutelage.

Bypassing his glaring pupil, Osiris continued addressing his subjects, who sat wide eyed and listening to his every word now that he was back on track, albeit on a strange offbeat tangent. The information he was giving was certainly not for general consumption, and from the look on many faces, was obviously the first time many had heard such truths about their own history.

Osiris settled his mind back to his lecture and gazed upon the enthralled crowd as he continued where he’d left off. He was happy to see most of the overhead screens were turned on as well, a few more factions joining them. He cleared his throat readying for his next instalment.

“As I was saying my children, many sacrifices were given for our system to be. Our society is a militaristic-based society and through this strength we have thrived throughout the last millennia. True, we did lose a lot of our culture, knowledge and technology when our fathers left for The Battle of Armageddon, but culled and carved from this hardship, our new society has disbanded the narrow dogmatic views of
their
past. We are now united in banishing oppressive tendencies, to ensure our powerful United Planetary Factions and SED are one, and free from sin.