Rise of Aen (10 page)

A knock at the door let him take a break from his concentration. “Enter.” He barked
forcefully.

The young female private entered sheepishly and snapped to attention. “You asked to be made aware when Major Phillips was awake and alert, sir. She has been conscious for about the last
half-hour.”

Patterson looked back down at the reports one more time before returning his gaze to her. “What’s your name, Miss? I don’t believe I’ve met you
yet.”

“Private Susan Davis, sir! I was assigned last year to the office staff to run and analyze
reports.”

“So these are your handiwork then?” he said, waving the reports in his hand in her direction. “Excellent work, but I think your talents are being wasted in the office pool. How does becoming my personal assistant sound, dear? I need a capable mind with me to help me through this shitstorm. Comes with sergeant
stripes.”

Davis blushed and re-snapped her salute. “It would be my honor to work with someone of your stature,
sir.”

“Good,” Patterson said, tossing the papers into one of the piles. “Now lead the way to the Major. She’s got some questions to answer.” He motioned for her to lead and took pace right on her heels as she led him down to the new infirmary. Happy he had a new ally here as he realized he was a big dog in another dog’s pack. The two walked in silence to the elevator as Sergeant Davis pushed the button for sub level two, letting the door close as they went to ask some dire questions to a seriously injured career
soldier.

Himalayan Mountains, Mount Kailash, Tibet

A bright orange ball of light appeared a couple feet in front of him and floated at eye level. As it spoke its greeting, the color shifted to yellow and red, returning to orange when finishing. Never in his life had Aaron witnessed something this bizarre and wondrous at the same time and he stood dumbfounded as it addressed him once
again.

“I was informed that the changes to your physique did not affect your vocal chords; should I do a full diagnostic on your systems to see what is causing your inability to respond?”
the ball of light shimmered as it
spoke.

“That…..that won’t be necessary.” Aaron stammered. “I think this was just the final straw that left me
speechless.”

“I still have issues with the constantly shifting slang your kind uses, but I assume this means you are just surprised by my form. I must excuse my rudeness; I know you all too well, but you do not know who I am.”
The projection rambled.
“I am Caretaker; an artificial intelligence created to run this facility and left to prepare you for your
trials.”

“Ok,” replied Aaron, still wary of this thing. “We’re all best friends here—now what?” He looked about the room to study it, taking his eyes momentarily off the thing in front of him. The floor looked like glass; a polished deep blue that was speckled with splashes of color and bright white flecks. Stepping back, he took a second look and realized that the floor was a representation of the galaxy, and it was
moving!

“A live representation of our home galaxy as data pours in from our probes scattered throughout; give or take a few milliseconds of delay.”
the Caretaker commented as it noticed where his attention had
shifted.

“Impressive.” Aaron
muttered.

“Not really
,”
it continued.
“To be impressive it would be a three dimensional layout able to be manipulated through gestures or voice commands. This is just for pure aesthetics. Hardly impressive if you ask
me.”

Realizing this program had a bit of a perfectionist streak, Aaron simply nodded in agreement and explored the room in further detail. The walls were mostly metallic and covered in computer interface terminals along with view screens and the roof looked impossibly high as it seemingly towered above them. In the center of the room was a chair, bathed in a bright blue glow and surrounded by holographic computer interfaces. To the ordinary person, this looked the part of a war
room.

“Now that we have the pleasantries over with, perhaps we can get to the tasks ahead of us,
Harbinger.”

“I came here with a woman but I don’t remember what happened to her. Where is
she?”

“Ah, poor Ameia. She is in the medical wing, in a cryo storage tank, as she awaits her return home for her body to be received to the afterlife. Getting you here took everything she had left to give, and now she is no
more.”

“So I am alone again? I guess it will always be that way
now.”

“At first, it would seem that you have lost it all because of your people’s psychological frailty. But in truth, you have awakened as possibly the most influential being in the cosmos. The power you will wield—both physical and political—will be immense and will forever alter the future of the human
race.”

Aaron’s anger finally boiled over. “I am sick of being told about this fantastic destiny, this gift of leading the way to a great future! I didn’t ask for this shit, nor do I want it! I want my family back! To hold my wife and daughter again, to enjoy the life I had forged out for myself! Destiny can go fuck
itself!”

“And how do you think they would accept you now? There is not much left recognizable as Aaron Foster. Now you are the Harbinger; now you are more than you were before so you must accept the facts as they are and stop dwelling in the past,”
the program responded coldly to his
rant.

Peering into the reflection of a powered down monitor, Aaron looked at his face—much like he’d done in the reflection of the lake in his vision—and stared at the creature looking back at him. As much as it bothered him, the Caretaker was right; how could he go back to them now? His gaze went from the reflection to taking in the changes on his body, all of which were consistent with what was shown to him in the vision. Aaron Foster was gone, but he didn’t know what he was
anymore.

“I…I have a long way to go; if I ever get there; to become your fabled Harbinger. So what do I call myself now that I am no longer Aaron?” He sighed as the reality of that statement hit him like a ton of
bricks.

“In the prophecies, there are many names for you. Shall I recite them for
you?”

“Fuck no! I just figured out that I no longer exist as who I thought I was; all I want is a name to say is
mine.”

“Understood, I will review the database to find the most used name in the scriptures, please wait a moment.”
It sat quietly for a brief instant and its glow diminished slightly.
“Aen.”
It blurted out suddenly.
“The most common referral to you is by the name Aen. Seemingly a Lyarran translation of your human born name: Aen, the Harbinger of the Sol Empire, the Eternal Light of the Gods, Havyiin’s Dark Harbinger,
the
...”

“Enough, I get it. From here on out, call me Aen; not the Harbinger or those other names.
Aen.”

“Understood, Master Aen. Now that we have that resolved, I think we should delve a little into the history of the Lyarrans and the history of mankind to see where the two came
together.”

Rocky Mountains, Utah –
Military Installation Code Named White Rock

“I don’t remember much, sir,” Phillips said in a raspy voice. “All of it is kinda grey right now.” She had only been awake for about an hour and between the questions and the painkillers her head was really
spinning.

“Try and remember, Emily, it’s really important.” replied General Patterson. “You’re the only witness to what happened down
there.”

“I know sir, and I am trying.” She fought back the nausea and concentrated deeply. “I remember being down there, doing my usual rounds and then feeling the floor rumble. I think I even saw the air move in the room. I think I went to the elevator when the second wave hit and knocked me off my feet. I recall being sick, so I went to the sink by the window so I didn’t throw up on the
floor.”

“Then what, Emily?” Patterson asked, tapping her hand as he held it. He was genuinely disturbed to see such a dedicated soldier lain up like this, and his concern was apparently visible to
her.

“Then I saw her sitting up and looking at me—or I thought she was looking at me at the time—when I remember seeing the explosion from the corner of my eye. Then there was nothing but
blackness.”

“Do you know how the debris happened to be removed from you? The security cam shows you buried, but the rescue team says there was no sign of debris around
you.”

“Pain,” she continued, “I remember pain, not just in my body, but my head hurt like something was forcing its way in. She was there, still staring out into nowhere. It was him! He came for her, he pulled the concrete off me with a wave of his hand. Power radiated from him like I’d never felt before, like a god or something. It was
54!”

“What do you mean—he just waved his hand and the rocks
disappeared?”

“No, he moved them using telekinesis or something like that. They just lifted off me, and then they flew out the side of the
building.”

“That explains why we found her blood on some rocks outside on the basin floor, sir!” Sergeant Davis
interrupted.

“Yes it does.” The General replied as his mind reviewed what he had just been told. “Major, you rest now. When you’re stable they’re going to airlift you out, to a proper medical facility where you’ll receive the best care Uncle Sam can provide, so get some sleep and regain your
strength.”

“Yes sir,” Phillips croaked in reply. “I’m sorry I couldn’t stop them, I just…had nothing
left.”

“Emily, you did more than any soldier could and I am eternally grateful for all that you’ve told me today. Now I order you to get some rest,
Major.”

She weekly lifted her arm up for a salute as her eyes began to close by themselves. Patterson caught her limp arm as it fell, checking for a pulse as he grasped it. It was there, but it was very weak. “Call the doctor, Sergeant, and tell him to get her anything she
needs.”

“Yes sir!” Davis replied, already heading out the
door.

He took her arm gently and placed it on her chest, which was weakly rising and falling. He vowed to keep her alive, because heroes like her were few and far between. As Patterson stood back and gazed down at her, his mind drifted back to her words. Power radiated from him like I’d never felt before; like a god or something, she had said. The General wondered if they hadn’t let something loose that they had no possible way of getting back under
control.

Himalayan Mountains, Mount Kailash, Tibet

Sitting in the chair at the center of the room, Aen leaned back as he was instructed. He assumed the holographic screens around him would come alive and start showing him his history lesson. Instead, the Caretaker aimed a device that looked like a small pair of binoculars and shone two bright lights from it into his
eyes.

“What the hell are you doing that for?” Aen yelled as he flinched away in
reaction.

“Sit still, it’s not like you will feel any pain from this. It is called neural interface learning—this device will link with your brain and transmit the data directly to the learning center of your brain. The device is set up for a Lyarran interface, so you’ll have to be patient while I recalibrate it to link with your
physiology.”

“What happened to good old reading and writing for
learning?”

“Like everything else over time, a new and better way took their place. The time this process saves is exponential; we’ll be done this phase in a few hours. Or if you would rather I use more archaic ways of teaching, we could spend the next few years getting you caught up to date on
everything?”

“Sarcasm from a machine, how interesting. The day is full of surprises with you,” Aen grinned
mischievously.

“Much the same could be said of you, I suppose. I will be using the equipment to better study your unique physiology as it lies somewhere between both races. You are one of a kind, Harbinger, and that makes me eager for the new data
input.”

“So while I’m getting brain baked by your machine here, you’re gonna be checking me out? Let me know if you find anything bad, would
ya?”

“Indeed, you will know about all my findings, as I will adapt everything we do in the coming time to what I find with the scans. As I said, you are one of a kind so nothing will be as was set out for
you.”

Even his guides in this new life were unsure of him and this kept Aen a bit hesitant. Nothing would ever be what it was—there was no going back to his old life. So it was up to him to adapt or die, and adapting gave him the best chance of seeing his family again even if it meant from afar. So now he would be the student, to study and learn about what he had become. Once he had figured out what he was capable of and how to control it, Aen had decided to make those who did this to him
pay!

“There!”
the Caretaker exclaimed at long last.
“Calibrations are complete, are you ready to
proceed
?”

“Let’s get going,” Aen responded coldly, “there’s much to do and little time left to do
it!”

FIVE

Himalayan Mountains, Mount Kailash, Tibet

At first, he was floating high above the swirling Milky Way galaxy. It moved elegantly in the silence of space; spinning as if it was a top. Then he was thrust down towards the center of its mass and into the older stars which existed long ago. His journey ended as he stopped looking at a super massive blue hyper giant star with its planetary companions swinging around it in
orbit.

“This was Dalanth, the blue king, the heart of the kingdom of old.”
The Caretaker’s voice echoed in his skull.
“Here you see the beginning of the Empire and the death of all that held it back. Dalanth is dying, and the king had long ago known this would happen, so they had used their resources to find a suitable new
home.”

He watched as a fleet of millions of ships sped away from the orbiting planets in a long procession before disappearing with a winking flash of light. One by one they left, but the massive flagship stayed in orbit around the second planet. Then they were all gone, and the lone ship moved towards the star which began to shudder. Then it all went blank with a flash that blinded him; Dalanth exploded in a supernova leaving nothing in its
wake.

“The king stood before the dying god and faced its mighty wrath; his life given to spare the life of his people. But what isn’t widely known is that there was a revolution building, and that the king had come upon his last days as ruler of the people. The Empire was born in the fiery death of the old regime and the people resettled under the light of
Lyarra.”

Feeling himself being flung thorough the galaxy; twisting and turning; Aen came to rest in the warm light of yet another giant star. This one was young and vibrant with a multitude of planets circling in orbit. He was turned quickly and pulled to the fourth planet of the system; a planet larger than Earth, but much similar. Its oceans sparkled blue and its lush gardens glowed
green.

“We now gaze upon the crown jewel of the Empire, the throne world Havyiin in which the Empress resides along with the Grand Council. It was her wisdom that prevailed in the dark days after the death of the king, and it was her eternal fire that lit the way for all to rise to new heights. She put forth a matriarchal society to bring about much needed change. Gone were the days of warring clans, replaced by a growing Empire with new species joining its folds. Now they number in the thousands of worlds, with yours on the cusp of being asked to join. The Council carries the voice of the Empire and each world has their voice in the Council. The Empress resides over them and carries the ability to overrule any decision made, but has done so only once in her entire ten thousand year
reign.”

Images of the massive palace and the Grand Council building flashed before him and faded away, replaced by the planet
Earth.

“It is here, just a few thousand years ago, that the Lyarrans became intertwined with
humanity.”

Images of feudal times came to view, along with castles of yore and kings with their knights. It showed the kings in council with tall creatures which resembled elves as depicted by modern
Hollywood.

“Here is how your people saw the Lyarran race and conveyed those meetings into the history books along with folklore. ‘Elves’ was a poor understanding and translation of Lyarran; human scholars just referring to them as
‘Ls’.”

The image of the elf morphed into one that was more familiar to him, an image of the woman that had been in his vision. She stood beside a Gaul king, giving him council and helping him plan his
crops.

“Ameia was among the group of Lyarran missionaries to arrive in what you called the ‘Dark Ages.’ In fact, she was one of the expedition leaders that had come to find the
Harbinger.”

“She looks like she did the other day when I saw her in the lab. How is that possible?” Aen asked
sheepishly.

“
The Lyarran people do not age such as humans do; they have a life span of thousands of years. Ameia herself expired the other day after almost four thousand years of life. Our Empress, who is a being somewhat like yourself, has lived for over ten thousand
years.”

The scene shifted to the days of the Renaissance; scanning the cities and artworks of the time. Then it rolled up the mountain passes to deeply wooded areas to a grand colony hidden away from the
world.

“Once embraced by your people for wisdom and magic, the world evolved and mankind fell from that embrace to look elsewhere for their guidance. Religion took hold of the world at that time and the Lyarrans stepped away to observe and guide if needed. Later on they abandoned these colonies to fall back to the temple in the mountains, and from there most left the Earthen shores for home. Among the parts of mankind that had developed so rapidly was fear. Fear drove humans to do maddening things and lash out at everything different than them. This was the fear that Ameia manipulated to get you; your creation shows what fear hides in the hearts of
man!”

The images melted away as Aen’s eyes suddenly saw the room for what seemed to be the first time in ages. He felt the cool recycled air on his skin and saw the familiar shape of the Caretaker floating about the room. Standing up, he felt a longing to leave this sterile environment for the warming sunlight of the mountain top monastery. All of what he had been shown—hours upon hours of images—and only minutes had passed since they had
started!

“So now that we’re done the history lesson,” he began sarcastically, “What
next?”

“We start to shape your destiny.” A woman’s voice came from his right side. He scrambled to his feet and looked at the new being that had entered the room; it wasn’t anywhere what he
expected.

A holographic representation of Ameia stood with a smile on her face and a look that seemed to peer right through
him.

“I think we’ll start by breaking that streak of sarcasm you have, what do you
think?”

Aen was puzzled; not a few moments before he had been told this woman had perished. “Caretaker said you were dead, so why are you
here?”

“Ah, humans think so straight-forwardly. I am a holographic interface unit; programmed and designed by Ameia herself. Over the years she began to realize that her life would end before she got to teach you all you needed to know, hence the need for me. By mapping her brainwaves, I was created in her image as best to teach you without any fear or
animosity.”

“I see.” He said quietly, looking the image up and down. This was the first time he had laid eyes on her either consciously or in control of his faculties. Unlike the way she appeared in the lab—emaciated and worn out—she now appeared happy and full of life. But the fact that she was a holographic entity was more than apparent and he was unable to make the link to the living being she represented. To Aen, she was little more than a teaching tool. “So you aim to mold me in the designs of your prophecies then?” he asked
snidely.

“No,” she responded coldly, “My aim is to guide you to perfection of what you have become. There is a storm coming, and it is my duty to get you ready for
it.”

Bristol County, Massachusetts

The sky rumbled above as it once again made its intention of rain be known to all who would listen. Sara walked through the cemetery quietly, keeping a watchful eye on the sky. The journey was mindless for her; she had made this trek once a week for the last year and a half and could do so with her eyes closed now. Even as her life had finally returned to normal since that fateful day, she kept this routine—her dad deserved
it.

It was a few minutes more before she reached his grave and she unfurled the beach blanket curled under her arm so she had a clean place to sit. Her visits tended to take some time and Sara figured she might as well be comfortable while she was there. Before she sat, she placed new flowers at the base of the headstone and tossed away the dried up ones from last week’s visit in the garbage
nearby.

“Hi, Dad, it’s me again.” She spoke cheerfully, sitting down and crossing her legs yoga-style. “Things are as close to normal as they’re ever gonna get in my life. Thank heaven for that life insurance policy of yours, ‘cause mom’s still a wreck and not working as much as she could. I know she still hasn’t come to see you, but the whole thing kinda tore us
apart.”

Sara grew quiet for a few moments before continuing. “I miss you, Dad; we both miss you. It just doesn’t feel right without you around.” Then a smile overcame the frown previously adorning her face. “Got accepted to Boston College today, got the letter right here!” she shoved the crinkled paper towards the headstone. “Full ride too, ‘cause I’m so smart and
cute!”

Only the sound of the grumbling skies answered her as she continued her bubbly conversation. “I mean, yeah, the guys around here are cute and stuff, but I want what you and Mom had; I want the fairy tale. I know it wasn’t all perfect; that you guys had your bad times, but you stayed together when push came to shove. That’s love! That’s what I want, not some guy that just wants what’s in my
pants!”

“Anyway, I got a job at the local paper as a research assistant for the summer before I head off to school. Busy, Busy, Busy you know! But I’m still worried about leaving Mom by herself. She still looks so hurt and alone. Maybe you could come visit her in her dreams and tell her that everything will be fine or
something?”

She sighed and slowly got up, rolled up the blanket and tucked it back under her arm. Stepping forward, Sara leaned over and kissed the top of the gravestone. “Love ya, Dad! See you next week. Maybe I’ll get Mom to come this time!” She waited for a few moments more, just staring at the empty grave of her father. There hadn’t been enough of him found to bury, so they had cremated the bits of bone and flesh and spread them at the lake. The tombstone was her idea; she needed a place to be with her father and this was the perfect
solution.

Finally, Sara turned away and walked in silence, back through the graveyard. Tears rolled down her cheeks as they always did after these visits; no matter how cheery she was during them. There was a hole in her heart and nothing she could do would fill it, so she just started trying to live her life the way he showed her. It was the least she could do for
him.

Himalayan Mountains, Mount Kailash, Tibet

Aen’s head hurt from the constant interface with the computer. The last few weeks had been spent in the Lyarran halls beneath the temple, alone with his teachers. If it wasn’t the fake Ameia trying to push him along with her teachings, it was the ever-nosy Caretaker butting in to his free time to drag him back to the
studies!

But he had to admit to himself that he had learned a lot in the time hidden away here. Unbeknownst to his teachers, Aen had been subtly working on his telekinetic abilities, moving objects around his quarters. And he’d also learned tons about the Empire that would be coming to aid them when the time came. And there was the root of his frustration, it was a game of hurry up and wait! There was no direct timetable for when this dark enemy would arrive, and therefore he couldn’t be certain when the Lyarran fleet would be
dispatched.

Patience was hard to come by, but was something being taught to him by Nyun and the other monks as he took small breaks to go bask in the fresh air. Aen had learned to meditate and relax his mind, the keys he had used to work on his TK
abilities.

Today, Aen had dismissed his teachers and declared a day off. He let the dark of the forbidden rooms fade behind him as he bounded up the stairs and out of the temple doors. The pure mountain sunlight kissed his face as he stretched out his arms to bask in the air. It was early in the morning, but he could hear the sound of the men of the monastery going about their morning chores. With a spring in his step, Aen bounded up the stairs lining the crater wall and rushed to see if he could help
anyone.

Around the first building, he came upon an elderly man caring two water jugs tied to the end of a stick and draped over his shoulders. Aen quickly stopped him, removed the contraption and placed it over his left shoulder, motioning to the monk to show him the way. The man looked shocked, and then bowed repeatedly before leading Aen to his destination. Upon arrival at his home, the sight of Aen carrying the man’s burden drew some ashamed
looks.

“It is my honor to help you,” said Aen as he bowed to them, trying to make best of the awkward situation. This response drew huge smiles from the residents of the home. Aen calmly poured the water into the basin and left to find more to do. His muscles had been tensed up lately, aching for physical tasks and he was more than glad to do whatever he could to not be cooped up in the war
room!

A few moments later, Aen came across a couple monks trying to lift up the rear corner of a wagon to replace a broken wheel. This time, Aen calmly asked if he could help rather than just jumping in and bruising someone’s pride. The two men graciously accepted his help and made room for him on the long pry bar they had been pulling on to leverage the cart up. Aen thought of a better way and breathed deeply to clear his mind before testing out his telekinesis on the largest object
yet.

Reaching out with his hand in a gesture, Aen could actually feel the weight of the ladened cart in the palm of his hand. His upper body emitted a blue glow which almost resembled flames that cascaded from his shoulders and head. Gently and slowly, he raised his right hand as the wagon’s sagging back end began to rise from the dirt. A group of passing monks stopped and stood in awe of what they—and the men whose owned the cart—were witnessing. As soon as the wagon was level, Aen reached out with the other hand and motioned as if to grab for the wheel resting on the ground. It too began to rise on its edge until it stood up fully! Closing his left hand into a fist, he extended his index finger and twirled it in a counterclockwise circle to make the wheel roll over to its proper place. He then opened his left hand and pushed outwards with it and the wheel slid onto the
axle.