Ghosts of Lyarra (14 page)

It was then that he noticed he wasn’t alone in the room; there was a figure in the shadows of the doorway. Though her general figure was recognizable, the face that peered back at him curiously was not. Aen was sure this was Iana, but looking at her he could not determine that for sure. Gone were her piercing orange eyes and locks of flame; gone were the markings of flower petals in the wind that had adorned the left side of her face for an eternity. There was even a distinct color change in her skin as the shimmering golden hue that had held the awe of so many had faded to a paleness that was shocking, but yet alluring all the same. The woman before him held striking eyes of powder blue and had hair to match. She stood in the dim light naked and he could see no trace of any tattoo of any kind. As she stepped forward, her eyes had a look of need he had never seen in the Empress before, and when she spoke; confirming at last that it was indeed Iana; there was a tremor of unsureness he had never felt from her
either.

“There are a few hours left before we arrive at our destination,” she began with a shiver. Aen’s eyes roamed up and down her sensuous form as he was mesmerized by her every subtle move. She saw she had his attention and her nervousness turned to a coy smile on her
face.

“We have some time yet,” she began again, “And I believe there is something we both have that the other can
offer.”

—
Sol System; Between Saturn and Jupiter

“What do you mean?” Aen asked; still unable to meet her gaze as he was lost in the various motions of her body. Her chest rose and fell with her breath; her breasts rising and falling in a trance inducing tempo. Iana’s hips swayed to and fro; her weight shifting back and forth between feet as her nervous energy built up. Aen’s eyes scrambled over her figure taking it all in like a new drug; he knew she used sexuality as a weapon, but the effects now were ten times what he had felt before. This was her in lust; this was Iana losing
control.

“I know I am not the one you desire, but I feel in you a need that I can help with and you can fill mine.” Ian whispered softly. “I am not looking for you as a mate, Aen, but I need to be touched right now; I need to lose myself in the throes of passion as it has been much too
long.”

Iana began to crawl upon the bed; the look in her eye changed from nervous to lustful. What was happening could not be stopped as he felt the outpouring of her pheromones increase even more. Inch by inch she crawled up the bed and pulled back the sheets to reveal his nakedness. Aen was a bit shocked; he was sure when he had fallen asleep he had been
dressed!

“And in filling my desires, I can fill yours; if not for a brief moment in time.” She continued as her hands reached out for his manhood. “You are in search of your soul, and in this act you can borrow mine. Touch my heart, my love, and my memories and see the ones that bring you
peace.”

She was not waiting for his consent as her touch sent shivers through his body. Without hesitation she took hold of him and guided it inside her; he couldn’t refuse her if he wanted to. As soon as they were one, he felt her moan rise from the depths of her soul and rise to her vocal chords where it seemed to resonate through the very hull of the ship. She sat still for a second; adjusting to the fullness she had missed for so long, before she pulled his mouth to meet hers. In the instant they kissed, he felt her; not her flesh but the soul she spoke of. It was almost like he was dragged from his body and into hers. While he felt the sensations of her carnal flesh, his spirit was swept away to a place he longed to
be.

Iana had ceased being the Empress now. Her desire and needs of her body had taken over as she began to rock her hips back and forth on Aen; grinding herself towards an epic release. Her moans were animalistic; her hands roamed both his and her bodies. Aen felt them become one spiritual being; feeling the pleasure from both his body and hers as he was sure she was too. Memories washed over him of the past conversations between them both; he felt the passion she shared with him then to keep him grounded and on the right path as well as the guidance he needed to control what had been given to him. For the first time since his awakening, Aen saw the person he once was and felt the emotion that once poured from his very heart. Though he was seeing this through her eyes, it was the start he sought in his journey of
self-reclamation.

Then, Aen began to feel a deep sensation rising. His eyes opened to see his lips locked around one of her nipples and Iana’s head thrown backwards as her low moans became louder. The tempo of their bodies became frantic; the pleasure building up became tangible in the room. As it was about to peak, her hands pulled him away from her breast and her eyes gazed at his for a brief second before she mashed her lips on his. Her orgasm peaked and she screamed in his mouth; then everything
disappeared.

In the blink of an eye, Aen found himself surrounded by light and staring at the Throne of Light. It radiated energy and light from within its crystalline structure; he felt it pulse through him as it beckoned for him to come forward. Every second passed by slower than it should; every moment seemed to last a lifetime, and just as he was about to step towards it he noticed he wasn’t alone
here.

Beside him stood Iana, but not the Iana he knew so well. She was young - very young - as the wear of the crown and throne had yet to weigh her down. She stood at his side with the same look of enchantment he had, though hers had a hint of worry. There was a sadness to her; such a young and innocent creature who had yet to bear the burden of leadership but yet knew there was no other path for her to follow. Aen knew he was deep within her soul now, and that he was glimpsing the past that no one else had ever been privy
to.

“So here we are,” she spoke softly, breaking the silence all the while never taking her eyes off the throne. “Both the beginning and the end of the story which is the Empire of Lyarra. I knew I would see you here, yet it is still something that chills me to my
core.”

“I pose you no threat,” he began in response. “For when we
meet….”

“You will not be what you are when you sit upon that seat.” She interrupted. “But you will become something more; something fearsome. It is you that will undo all that we worked so hard to achieve; it is upon your rule that all of which that created the Empire, will be swept
away.”

“I don’t want to rule; I don’t want your throne.” Aen snapped
back.

Iana finally turned to him and her bright orange eyes pierced his very being. Though she was a child, there was no fear or hesitation in her words. “Nor did I, but yet millions gave their lives to start this great new adventure and it is my duty to guide them in the journey. Lyarra has welcomed us from the edge of darkness; our people have escaped a great demise to emerge in her light. As I stand here at the beginning of a new life, it is troubling to see the end of that life face to
face,”

“I have read the prophecies many times child, but nowhere does it say I am the end of the
Empire!”

“Nor would you, for it isn’t something they have seen. They only see glimpses of the future as it unfolds, but with you they see only your birth and your endless power. Until this moment I thought you were nothing more than a story told to
younglings.”

“Then
how…..”

“Lyarra has told me the truth.” She cut him off again as she began to walk towards the throne. “Like you, I can hear the God’s whispers; and while those in the distance are hard to hear, Lyarra’s words are clear as her
light.”

Aen was puzzled. It was almost like he was here in the past with her, but that would be
impossible!

“You will learn that nothing is impossible, and yes this is happening now for me. This moment is key in who I will become, and hopefully key in what you will be. But no matter how much I want it to not be so, you will sit upon this seat and take all I have built against all that guided it to greatness. You can see how at the beginning of my rule, to have you here is rather
disconcerting.”

“I didn’t mean to ruin your great day, and if it means anything I won’t do what you say I will
do.”

Iana laughed; her voice showed maturity far beyond her body’s years. None of this made sense to him at all. Why was he here; what was it she was trying to tell him? He watched as she settled into her place on the throne; even so young she moved like water. If he hadn’t been totally entranced by her before, this little exhibition finished the
job.

“Destiny cares not for our wishes,” she said still laughing, “Nor does it call upon us when we want. You have survived a great pain to stand here today, yet it has left you a shell of your former self. No Harbinger, there is little you can do to change what is yet to happen for as we speak my rule is just beginning and your life yet to even be thought of. Fate has brought us together so we both may see each other before the Throne of Light has claimed our futures; the Iana you know is different than I am now, as you are not the same as you will be when you are seated here. Just remember this moment as you tear it all apart; remember what we suffered through to get here as by your time it will be nothing but stories passed through the
generations.”

“I will not forget.” He answered
solemnly.

“It is my hope that you do not, and nor our time here is done. You have touched my soul and I have peered within the broken mess that is yours. Goodbye Harbinger, I will see you when you open your
eyes.”

Light faded to darkness, then opened up to the dimness of the quarters and bed he shared with Iana. They were still joined in passion, yet in the moment he had been elsewhere she too looked like she had seen something else as well. Aen felt the crescendo of their bodies slow and they lowered their bodies in unison back down to the bed; separating a short bit later. Iana was spent as her breathing was fast paced and short. Between the rest and this, Aen had healed parts of himself he didn’t know needed to
be.

“It is nearly time,” she whispered in his ear; her eyes still shut tight as if to hold on to the moment. “But every part of me wishes we had
longer.”

“Once we get to Earth, there will be more than enough time for us.” He said as he pried himself from the bed to get dressed. “Though once there, I wonder if this may become nothing more than a pleasant memory as the planet holds many wonders for you to
enjoy.”

“There is little chance I could push this aside.” Iana replied as she opened her now blazing blue eyes and sat up. “Though there are some things I saw inside you that we must discuss when there is more
time.”

“Yes there is, because I saw something that troubled me.” Aen reached over and caressed her blue hair. “And I need to know how and why you did this and that should prove quite
interesting.”

“
If you two are finished, I think it is time you rejoined me at Ops Con
.” Interrupted Caretaker. “
We are at the point of no
return
.”

Six
Lyarran System; Guild Planet Ryas,
Temple of Divine Light

“They did what?” she
screamed!

A response was delayed from her servants; more for the sake of delaying the anger from their master than not knowing how to reply. The last few weeks had been stressful enough, but in the wake of the Empress’ murder it had reached a fevered
pitch.

“Fleet Command has declared martial law; officially delaying all process of mourning and suspending the Council indefinitely.” The lowly servant said with his head hung low. “For now, it appears the plan is at a
stand-still.”

“It appears….!” She began in a mocking
tone.

Her anger had hit the point of no return and now found an outlet as she kicked the kneeling messenger. There was a rush of relief in the tension that had been building so high within her since the attack on the temple; a rush she wished to keep going. Another kick followed the first as she focused her rage on this defenseless soul, but a quick look around the temple chamber told her none would come to his aide. A third and fourth kicks found their mark as the servant cried out in pain and rolled onto his back. Sensing her chance to inflict more pain, she climbed upon her prey and cinched her claw-like fingers around his scrawny
neck.

“It appears what?” she screamed in his face; spittle running down her chin from her lips that were curled in an evil grin. “You know nothing you worm! None of this has anything to do with you other than to serve me! Then you have the presumption to assume you understand the plan and the gravity of what has just
happened!”

Her fingers tightened with each word; her rage boiling over and her bloodlust taking over. Before the last few days, this act wouldn’t be even thought of, but with the mind witch, Iana dead there would be no one to punish her. It felt good; almost god-like; to have another life fading in her hands and to be the one deciding whether or not it would continue. But his fate had been decided with her first kick, and to stop now would show weakness to all who looked on. This insignificant being would not unsettle such a long and well thought out plan; any thoughts of not carrying it out would have dark and frightening
consequences.

So she squeezed tighter as the noises and gurgling stopped and she felt the bones in the servant’s neck begin to break. She felt his life end, but she would not release her grip. The cracking sound of bones echoed in the grand chamber around her; a sickening sound to better make her point to all. Rising to her feet, she still held the lifeless being in her clutches before flinging the body down to the floor with a resounding thud. Stepping off of the carcass, she spit in disgust on it and strutted back to her
chair.

There was a long and awkward silence in the room, but neither her servants nor the temple priestess’ moved or spoke in fear of ending up beside the fallen slave. She looked upon their frightened faces and her devilish grin grew larger. Her point had been made loud and clear with her actions; the Empire would be hers sooner or
later!

“They can delay the inevitable for only so long,” one of her closest friends and a high priestess of the temple approached her slowly. “This is not a military state and cannot last as such forever. The Empire needs an Empress; the Throne of Light will be yours in
time!”

These were words that needed to be spoken, not the ones filled with fear and doubt she had choked from the slave. She reached out her hand and her friend took it; bowing and kissing her fingers. The room began to stir, their master looked appeased at last and the collective breath that was being held was finally
exhaled.

“You are right, my dear.” She cooed in delight. “I have the majority of the Council in my control, so we must be patient with our Fleet as they prove their point and cast their net to capture the beast that hunts us. For in time, they will have no choice but to reinstate the Council, and when they do they will appoint me the new ruler of
Lyarra.”

“And what if they can’t stop this menace; this
ghost?”

“His actions only delay the inevitable.” She replied. “In a way, he did us a favor by killing Iana. Though I needed to take the throne from her, I hadn’t planned on killing her before the end. All he has done is cause a much needed distraction for us to continue the much needed changes for the Empire; he can keep hunting because he doesn’t know who he
hunts.”

“Shall we send out the Forgotten; cast out our net in the hope of netting this scoundrel?” the priestess
asked.

“Yes, get them out searching for this creature.” She snapped. “And activate the sleepers; let them know their master calls them into action. It is time for the new age to rise and claim what is
theirs.”

“Yes, my
liege.”

“And let the members of the Council know I am here for them in their time of sorrow; though the Empress is gone, the mantle of leadership is not forgotten.” She beamed
back.

“They are lucky to have you; such a wise voice to lead the way in these days of darkness.” The priestess exclaimed in adoration. “The age of Iana has come and gone, and we all are bearing witness to the dawn of the age of Myril. All hail the
Empress!”

“All hail the Empress Myril!” shouted the others in the
room.

Myril smiled as the chants of her name echoed around her. For too long she had stood in the shadow of Iana, but now she had emerged; as planned; to usher in a new day for the Empire she loved so much and save it from the rising darkness of their enemies. Soaking in the attention at long last that had been denied to her, she knew it was only a matter of time until she stood with the crown in her hair. No matter what this ‘ghost’ was after, it was her time to shine. Now it was the time of
Myril!

—
Sol System; Jupiter Orbital Defence Ring

“Have you linked into the human’s network?” Aen asked as they looked upon the ring of cannons that orbited the sun along with the planet
Jupiter.

“
Of course I have
,” Caretaker responded with a tone of annoyance. “
I am insulted that you would doubt I would have trouble doing such a rudimentary task. Though the humans have made some staggering advances in technology since I was last here, their security measures are no match for my superior
programming
.”

Aen sighed; he knew he was asking the question to reassure himself that the task at hand was complete rather than to check with the overbearing AI, but this was a critical junction of the journey and he would hate to have to be discovered here. To do so would not only mean dire consequences for Iana, but for the humans as well. Getting by the orbital ring was key, for safety behind the shield the humans had created, was a must. He needed time to find the one behind the threat from the throne as well as time to make himself whole
again.

“Let’s not waste time then,” he began. “When we are within range of detection, launch the program and get us past this
obstacle.”

“
Taking in to affect our current speed and the range of the Jupiter ring sensor net, I will launch the virus in forty eight seconds
.” Caretaker replied as it guided them to a point of the ring that saw little or no through
traffic.

Both Aen and Iana held their breaths in anticipation as the ship didn’t slow at all as it sped towards Earth and possible detection. He knew the AI had it under control, but this was one of the few times that he wanted to be at the helm just in case something went awry. In his head, he counted down the remaining
seconds.

Thirty, twenty-nine, twenty-eight; He felt Iana grasp his hand tightly and felt her heart race. Something had changed since their encounter earlier. She now had connected to him on an emotional level unlike any relationship the two had had before. Aen silently wondered what this would mean going forward and what might change once he regained his long lost
memories.

Nineteen, eighteen, seventeen; Aen’s body began to react to the tension building up as it produced a charge of energy to unleash if necessary. The whole time in planning this step, he had the back-up option of destroying the sensors and damaging the nearby cannons and speeding by in the wake of the carnage. It was an option he hoped would never be needed, but one he was more than capable of carrying
out.

Seven, six, five; it was now or never. If this failed, the ones they hoped to hide from would figure out it was them and come hunting. There was little he could do now but wait and see; Aen hated not being able to control the
situation.

“
Virus input complete
.” Caretaker announced; breaking the unnerving silence in the ship. “
Defense network malfunctioning and resetting; sensors show a micro meteor strike as the cause and are shutting down to accommodate the reboot. We are now inside detection range and will be passing by the ring in four, three, two, one; we are past the Jupiter ring and will be past their sensor net in moments. All traces of the virus have been wiped clean, no flags of concern have been
raised
.”

“We’re in the clear?” Iana whispered as she exhaled her held
breath.

There was a brief pause as Caretaker waited to analyze all communications traffic in the area, just to be sure before announcing anything. First it tapped into the defence network and scanned for any inquiries that may signal suspicion over the reboot. Other than a few memos and logs to note the incident, there were no alarms or clues to think they had been found. Then it scanned the encrypted network; the one it had stumbled upon when Aen had been created and surprisingly was still being used. This too showed no signs of detection, but did have numerous mentions of something called ‘Olympus’ and were flagged to the attention of General
Patterson.

It was a name that set off immediate action from the AI; it was a name of one of the few remaining survivors of the Starchild project and one with direct contact with Aen himself. It then turned its attention back to this project ‘Olympus’ and followed the encrypted network trail to a firewall of immense proportions. This looked to be worth much more effort and attention than it could spend at the time, so it logged its place to return later and began to route its functions to other more important
efforts.

“We are in the clear.” Caretaker announced as only seconds had passed since Iana had asked her question. “And we remain undetected and inbound to Terra
Sol.”

It had gone all according to plan, yet Aen was still unconvinced they were in the clear. He had long ago decided that the feeling of safety would be there only when they had their feet firmly on the planet. They were now just a few days away from Earth, and until then he would keep his body ready just in case. They would be entering shipping lanes and detection still remained a possibility; then there was the matter of the Earth’s orbital defence ring to slip past, though he had an idea for that
too.

Sinking back into the pilot’s seat, Aen began reviewing traffic logs and shipping lanes to make sure they would remain unseen the rest of the way. If Iana or the AI spoke to him, he didn’t hear them, as he focused in on the task at hand. It was more to keep his mind busy to stop thinking about what had just happened and what may happen after he made his way ‘home’. Since he awoke, he had no concept of true emotion or attachment to sentimental memories; he had none. But when he was with Iana, he had touched something inside her and it was stirring something deep within his hardened soul. Just a few hours ago he had been cold and calculating, and now he was hesitant and
worrisome.

Aen wondered if this is what he used to be like, and if it was, it was someone that disgusted him. With his vaunted power, the last thing he wanted to be was slow to pull the trigger when the time came. He wondered in the quest to find his lost memories, if the being he was rushing to discover was better off lost considering the circumstances. It was time to not think so much and get to work; there was lots to prepare for before they arrived and he needed to
focus.

When he looked up from the readouts and reports, he was alone in the control room. His companion, Iana, had long retired to rest from the draining emotional point that had passed earlier. Caretaker was occupied with other tasks as he watched its holographic sphere hover over the far end of the room; its colors changing as it muttered to itself. Aen saw that almost ten hours had passed since they had snuck by the first level of security, and roughly another week or so until they reached Earth
orbit.

Pressing a button, a 3-D representation of the planet and its x-axis defence rings rose from the panel. Aen studied it slowly and carefully, making sure he saw the whole picture before finalizing his plan to descend to the surface. He watched the arrival times of the shuttles and transports; measuring their size and wake to see where he could hide their vessel. He watched the rotation of the axis rings; it’s never ending orbit around the planet. There were no holes and no delays of the rotation to sneak past, and if they could, they would be discovered as soon as they hit the
atmosphere.