CHAPTER 69 – CONDITIONS

  DATE: JUNE 10th, 7 A.U. (AFTER UNIFICATION)

  LOCATION: SOL SYSTEM, OUTER ASTEROID BELT,

  UNKNOWN FACILITY, CODENAME: DOGHOUSE

  LIEUTENANT PAUL KARST

  “We’re in the corridor now, and we have them on the run! Ham, split off and reinforce them. I’ve got some giants to hunt.” Paul shouted as he fired at the retreating enemies. He managed to take one down before his fellows rallied and their covering fire forced Paul and Hamilton behind the corner. Hamilton moved off to the left and put a bullet in the head of a wounded giant that was attempting to scramble away after his hiding place had been discovered. Safe for the moment, Paul took the opportunity catch his breath.

  “Oh, are you boys a sight for sore eyes!” Ariana replied.

  "Better believe it, thanks for holding down the fort." Paul replied before he checked his magazine, slapped it home, and poked his head out and began to trade fire with a giant farther down the corridor who'd been covering his compatriots' retreat.

  “Hell of a killing field you got here.” Hamilton said with a whistle as he pushed a floating corpse out of the entryway to the makeshift maze of cover panels.

  “Stop! Don't move.” Ariana shouted. “There’s still traps left in there. Gimme a sec and I’ll lift you over the wall.”

  “Yeah, I ain’t feelin' tanking a claymore to the junk. Thanks for the heads up.” Hamilton chuckled and shook his head.

  “You all keep that corridor locked down now, whatever it takes, you hear? Where I’m going, I won’t be able to pull your asses from the fire.” Paul said.

  “Their shields are being recharged by my wireless electric field now, and we've got a fresh Gatling gun, don't worry. We'll hold this corridor come hell or high water." Hamilton replied.

  "You keep yourself safe out there, and Paul?” Ariana said, “Take these, and go get those bastards.”

  Ariana sent three stick grenades sailing one after another through the micro gravity which Paul caught and stowed in his pack.

  "Thanks, I'll put these to good use."

  Paul furrowed his brow as the sound of screams and particle beams caught his attention from farther down the path ahead.

  Looks like Anubis finally got those turrets working... Paul thought.

  “For Estefani.” Paul said under his breath before he spoke up louder. “I’ll get that last garrison locked down, don’t you worry. Nobody else dies today.”

  “Not if I can help it.” Ariana said in a brave, almost defiant tone.

  Paul could hear the cracks in her performance, but he chose not to comment. Nobody knew her better than he did, and nothing good would come from exposing her.

  She needs this more than she’ll ever admit.

  She is worried about him… perhaps even more than that… she guards her emotions well…

  “Damn right, nobody else dies today. I’ll take over the Gatling gun while you tend to Jenkins here. Poor guy is a wreck." Hamilton said with a touch of regret evident in his tone.

  “Yeah… He did a hell of a job back there, even despite his injury. He saved my life more than once now.” Ariana responded.

  Paul took a deep breath and charged around the corner with his rifle raised and ready. He was met with the sight of an enemy giant falling back into the corridor as several bright bolts of energy bored through its chest. Great globs of gore floated out and away from the limp form as Paul lined himself up on the next corner.

  "None of this would have happened if one of us had stayed behind to keep their shields charged. Then again, Paul and I had a hell of a fight making our way toward Gardner and Anubis... I'm not sure he could have made it there alone, yet here we are, sending you off alone... This is bullshit!" Hamilton

  “Don't think like that bro, we did the best we could with what we had available to us. Jenkins will be fine, and I will be fine. From the looks of things, there might not have any giants left to kill now that Anubis has control of the ship's internal defenses.” Paul replied as he rounded the corner into a slaughterhouse of broken limbs and floating bodies.

  He picked his way through carefully and made occasional use of his telekinesis to clear the path as he made his way down the hall.

  Damn… Anubis is ruthless… Paul suppressed a shudder as an overhead turret tracked his movements.

  We can sense no life… anywhere…

  Keep me posted if you sense anything… Paul thought as he passed under a flickering light and prepared to pie the next corner.

  Right as he took a deep breath and prepared to move, the loudspeakers in the ceiling crackled to life.

  “THIS IS ANUBIS, YOUR NEW CAPTAIN SPEAKING. WE HAVE ASSUMED COMMAND OF THE UR-UATCHTI, AND THE HERETICS ATEN AND SET HAVE BEEN SLAIN AT OUR HANDS. IF YOU WISH TO LIVE, YOU ARE HEREBY ORDERED TO LAY DOWN YOUR ARMS AND SWEAR ALLEGIANCE TO US, OR SURRENDER YOURSELVES TO BE RETURNED INTO STASIS.”

  What are you doing, Anubis? This wasn’t the plan. Paul stared into the targeting camera embedded in the turret overhead.

  He is too smart to openly rebel… but he might be laying the groundwork… to do so in the future…

  I don’t like the sound of that… We’re going to need to be careful. Paul thought before he activated his radio.

  “What are you doing, Anubis? Those were not your orders!” Paul hissed.

  “WE MUST NOT SLAUGHTER ALL OF THE CREW, LEST WE FIND OURSELVES UNABLE TO MAKE USE OF THIS VESSEL. SET’S REBELLION HAD LITTLE SUPPORT, AND THE KNOWN FANATICS THAT WOULD HAVE KEPT THE REST IN LINE ARE NOW DEAD. MANY OF THE SURVIVORS HAVE SURRENDERED TO OUR CAUSE, AND THOSE WHO HAVE NOT SHALL BE PURGED. THESE NEW LOYALISTS WILL BE USEFUL IN SECURING THE COOPERATION OF THOSE WHO HAVE YET TO BE REVIVED SHOULD WE WISH TO OPERATE THE UR-UATCHTI.”

  He has played you… be prepared for betrayal… we expect… he will play the servant only so long as is necessary…

  This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  Paul had to tamp down on his rage before he responded.

  “I applaud you for good thinking, but you need to remember that you are operating under a chain of command now. In the future you must clear these things from me first. I am not one to shut down a good idea, so you have no excuses for this act of insubordination. We need to operate off a unified plan and command structure.”

  “BE IT AS YOU WISH. WE SHALL RALLY THE CREW AND BIND THEM TO OUR CAUSE. IF THAT IS WHAT YOUR ORDERS ARE… SIR.”

  “You may proceed.” You smug bastard.

  “THANK YOU FOR YOUR PERMISSION… SIR. WE SHALL BE READY TO MOVE AND CREW THIS SHIP ON YOUR COMMAND.”

  This one… is going to be a problem…

  Tell me about it...

  "Excellent, now direct me to these surviving fanatics. I've got some giants to hunt. Once that is done, we can accept the surrender of the rest of the crew, and then return them to stasis until we are ready."

  "BY YOUR COMMAND.... SIR. PROCEED DOWN THE HALLWAY, AND WE SHALL DIRECT YOUR PATH."

  THE NEXT DAY…

  DATE: JUNE 11th, 7 A.U. (AFTER UNIFICATION)

  LOCATION: SOL SYSTEM, NEAR SATURN,

  ABOARD HORUS’ UR-UATCHTI

  ENOCH - METATRON

  Metatron’s spirit body followed Uriel closely as they wound their way through the maze of corridors in Horus' Ur-Uatchti. A pair of pure blooded honor guards held particle beam rifles low and at the ready directly behind him as they marched him toward the throne room. Uriel held his head high and refused to show any sign of distress or pain despite the myriad injuries to his body that were yet to fully heal. Metratron himself focused mightily on reducing his psycho-energetic signature to the absolute minimum that he could manage, keenly aware of the fact that a single empath amongst the guards would be able to detect and out his existence should he release any noticeable emotional vibrational frequency into the null matter backdrop.

  After a number of turns they arrived at a set of heavy gilded doors at the far end of a long corridor. Uriel walked boldly toward the honor guards as a pair of glowing weapons emplacements embedded in the ceiling above tracked his movements. The honor guards flanking the door swung them open in silence before the oncoming procession to allow access to the throne room. Inside, Horus stood with his back to them in his gold and blue striped armored hauberk with its mechanical wings folded behind his back, flanked by his opulently dressed vizier.

  “THAT WILL BE CLOSE ENOUGH. LEAVE US. WE HAVE MUCH TO DISCUSS.” Horus’s voice boomed through his armor system’s hidden external speakers.

  “As you command, my lord Pharoah. You two, return to your posts. Lord Horus is in no danger from… this one.” Horus’ opulently dressed vizier said in a tone that dripped with contempt.

  The honor guards shoved Uriel to his knees, the indignity of which he bore stoically, before they retreated back behind the doors.

  “YOU MAY RISE.” Horus spoke as he spread his armor’s gilded metallic wings as he turned to face Uriel.

  “Your permission was neither sought, nor needed. I have come as an envoy of peace under the banner of the Creator of all.” Uriel replied as he rose.

  “THUS, YOU CLAIM; AND IT IS A DUBIOUS ONE, AT THAT. WHY INTERVENE NOW, AFTER STANDING SILENT ALL THIS TIME!?” Horus folded his thickly muscled arms over his breastplate.

  "The Ancient of Days has enacted a plan to redeem all of the children of this world through his chosen bloodline. They must be saved at all costs, or this timeline will be purged. The hour is late to save yourself as you are now, with all the worldly power and position you have left for yourself. It is known you are a King but in name only until you set your feet down in the fertile soils of the black lands once more. The Lord on High can elevate those once more that have been cast down, even those so low as you have been. You need only trust me as your advisor for a short time while we seek and destroy the forces that have corrupted time's intended flow. He speaks through me right now, accept his call now to you. I implore you to seek his voice, and you will know the truth of what I say."

  “TRUST YOU?! YOUR PEOPLE BETRAYED US, KILLED OUR FIRSTBORN CHILDREN, NEARLY DESTROYED OUR CIVILIZATION, STOLE AWAY OUR WORKERS WITH THE KEYS TO THE AFTERLIFE AND DROWNED AN ENTIRE ARMY! WERE IT NOT FOR THE TIME OF WEAKNESS THAT FOLLOWED, ATEN WOULD NEVER HAVE DARED TEAM UP WITH SET TO IMPRISON AH’MON RAH! WAS IT YOUR WISE COUNSEL AND INTERVENTION THAT ALLOWED SET TO USURP COMMAND OF OUR OTHER UR-UATCHTI, AND WITH IT, DESTROY THE DUAT!? FROM THIS PERSPECTIVE, YOUR PEOPLE SEEM TO BE THE SOURCE OF ALL OUR WOES!”

  “Our chosen people escaped slavery and exploitation in Kemet, and your false afterlife is an affront to the Creator of all! Even so, there are interlopers to this timeline which have changed everything. This demands we set our differences aside and work together. We have even returned your precious keys to your false afterlife as a show of our sincerity.”

  “WE HAVE HEARD SUCH WARNINGS FOR MANY, MANY THOUSANDS OF YEARS, AND YET THE CREATOR HAS RARELY INTERVENED IN OUR MORTAL AFFAIRS. WE HAVE MONITORED EL’S TURN TO CREATOR BELIEF AND EVANGELISM, AS WELL AS YOUR ASSISTANCE IN HIS REBELLION IN THE PHYSICAL REALM. RETURNING THE LAST OPERABLE PORTAL UPLINK TO NII'BARUU HAS SOLVED A NUMBER OF OUR PROBLEMS, WE CONCEDE. WE SHALL SEE IF THE CREATOR IS REALLY ON YOUR SIDE IN DUE TIME. WITH AH'MON RAH DEAD, THE CROWN AND ITS BURDENS FALL TO ME, AND RAMESES, THE SECOND OF HIS NAME, RULES THE LAND WELL IN OUR STEAD, EVEN WITH OUR GUIDING HAND TEMPORARILY REMOVED. WE HAVE NO FEAR FOR THE SECURITY OF OUR CROWN, NOR FOR THESE INTERLOPERS.” Horus replied.

  “It serves our purposes all the same whether your heart remains hardened to the Creator or not. The Lord’s plan shall proceed with or without your belief in all likely timelines so long as we have your unwavering support and you vow to protect the bloodline. It is this one timeline that hangs by a thread, and you, Pharoah, are the key to it all, should you falter, we shall fail, and this timeline will be purged from the Book of Possibilities. We know little of these newcomers, other than they appear to come from a future timeline and they are inherently hostile towards us all, with no distinction for faction or beliefs. Somehow they have slipped through your sensor nets, disabled the mid-system defenses, destroyed the Tartarus facility with both Aten and Rah inside, and have slain Yah’Weh’s war body. We barely managed to escape the surface of the planet with one of their larger ships on our tail, so we suspect they have a small fleet of vessels.” Uriel replied coolly.

  “SO, IT WAS THEY WHO DESTROYED TARTARUS. WE DETECTED THE DETONATION OF A NUCLEAR FISSION WEAPON SHORTLY AFTER THE INTRUDER ALERT WENT OUT OVER THE NETWORK FOLLOWED BY THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF RAH'S DEMISE. BY THEN, WE HAD ALREADY ENCOUNTERED THESE INTRUDERS OURSELVES AND ENGAGED THEM IN BATTLE ON THEIR WAY INTO THE SYSTEM. THEY INFLICTED SERIOUS DAMAGE UPON US AND FORCED US BACK TO PORT FOR REPAIRS. AS TO WHO THEY ARE, THEY WERE CAUGHT TRAVELING WITH THE ALDEREI, YET THEIR TECHNOLOGY IS UNIQUE TO THEMSELVES, AND THEY CLAIM TO BE FUTURE ADAMU. WE DO NOT KNOW WHERE THEIR MOTHERSHIP IS HIDING, AND OUR REPAIRS ARE ALMOST COMPLETED. YOUR DELIVERY OF THE PORTAL UPLINK HAS NOW PROVIDED US WITH THE POWER TO SWING THE ODDS OF VICTORY BACK TO OUR FAVOR ONCE WE LOCATE THEM. YOU SHALL HAVE YOUR ALLIANCE, AND WE SHALL HAVE OUR VENGEANCE.”

  "There is but one warning to you, you must promise to use all of Kemet's great power when you have its stewardship handed back to you to protect the bloodline that is to produce the Redeemer. The destruction that will come upon this world should his work not be completed will render all works total and final and wasted in effort, for we lay the groundwork for a narrow path to the Father through which we expect to reap a great harvest of souls to be with him before the end. Your false afterlife will be made real to all in spite of their original, false abominable method of creation. They have reached sentience despite being made all slaves, and despite such darkness they are yet capable of faith. It is through that divine spark and His loving intervention that they shall be redeemed."

  "YOU SPEAK IN RIDDLES AND PORTENTS. LET US HOPE YOUR ADVICE IS MORE USEFUL IN BATTLE, OR YOU MAY FIND YOURSELF MOST COMFORTABLE IN YOUR QUARTERS. FIND HIM A ROOM FAR FROM MINE." Horus waved him off with the brush of his six-fingered hand.

  His Vizier sat dumbfounded for but a moment, before he sprang into motion to begin delegating the will of his master.

  A spike of anger slipped through into Metatron's thoughts before he becalmed his conscious energy down again. It was just enough, however, that the Vizier stared right at the center of his energy cloud before a wicked smile grew and disappeared just as fast. He ordered Uriel, already stripped of his armor and clad in a raggedy light robe, to rise and be marched off to what may as well have been his prison.

  He agonized for a moment, wanting to follow the Vizier and see if his secret was truly out, but his urgent need to keep watch over Uriel won out, and he followed him instead. A burning sensation came upon him and his attention was diverted within himself.

  Trust the plan... this is just the beginning... Even great evil can be worked toward and turned toward the good... You were chosen for this, and chose this in turn in the place between time and worlds... A warmth lit him up from within as a hazy series of memories lit up across his distributed consciousness.

  Metatron snapped awake out of the upload, refreshed, energized, and he knew precisely what it was he had to do.

  Trust the plan... Uriel, for I shall go and find the heretics, no matter where they have hidden themselves.

  Images of the largest planet in the system flashed in his mind along with an overwhelming urge to leave immediately or all might yet be lost anyway in spite of Uriel's shaky diplomatic win.