The Hidden Battle Revealed, page 8
part #1 of Seberian Series
The movement of the shadows caught their attention, and Averine asked, “Do you see that? What is that?”
“I see something, but don’t take my word on anything. My head is still spinning,” Sevran said as he blinked and tried to focus his eyes.
Just then the side of the ship dented inward for no apparent reason. They could see nothing there until they caught the faintest hint of a shadow. In reality it was Mammon being slammed into the ship by a perfectly placed punch in the chest. None of the Helion soldiers or slaves could see the angel and demons.
The Leviathan had somehow developed—or been given—the ability to see this spirit world. Averine had been able to see the angel as a cloaked horseman back on Tarnus, but only because he had allowed her to. The Leviathan continued on into their recovery ship. Once they had finished loading all the slaves and Helion soldiers, they closed the loading ramp and took off into space.
As they took off, Geldon and the two demons continued their battle. Geldon had grown very tired but had not lost hope. As his breathing grew heavier, he said, “Two against one. You never did understand the idea of a fair fight, did you?”
The demons laughed as they intensified their attack. Suddenly the second demon caught Geldon off guard. He was able to thrust his blade into Geldon’s right shoulder, through the small gap between his chest place and shoulder shield. Geldon cried out in pain as he dropped the sword in his right hand. As it fell, he quickly caught it with his left and then thrust it backward behind him and up underneath the chest plate of the demon. He sank it so deep that it penetrated its heart.
This was a deadly blow, and the demon’s body began to slowly dissolve. With his right shoulder badly wounded and his blade stuck underneath the chest plate of the demon, Geldon was wide open for attack.
An instant later, Mammon attacked with a clear swing of his sword that instantly beheaded Geldon. His body fell to the ground and quickly began to dissolve into a combination of dust and a faint mist. The demon’s body did the same. Their weapons and armor remained, but their bodies disappeared.
Mammon threw back his head, flung open his wings, and roared in victory. A moment later, a beast stepped through a portal and into sight. It had the appearance of a dragon. It stood on four legs and had enormous bat-like wings similar to those of the demons. Its skin was horribly charred, and some of its flesh was missing, revealing bone and muscle underneath.
Upon a closer look, one could see the slight resemblance of a horse with wings. But its body was now twisted and robbed of its former beauty. It also wore crude deep black armor on its chest, the base of its wings, and across its face as a helmet. Mammon mounted the beast, and they flew off into space.
Meanwhile, Lonan and the Nemaron fighter were still locked in battle. Lonan had used every trick and maneuver he knew to avoid being shot down.
Exhausted and frustrated, the Nemaron pilot said to himself, “If I can’t catch you, maybe I’ll disable you first.”
The enemy then fired a catalyst missile from the tube on the bottom side of his fighter. The missile immediately locked onto Lonan’s ship and followed him wherever he went. The enemy fighter pulled back to stay out of the way, hoping that the missile would do his work for him.
Inside Lonan’s cockpit, his computer repeated, “Warning.
Missile lock. Warning. Missile lock.”
“I know, I know!” yelled Lonan as he franticly tried to outmaneuver the missile.
In an attempt to create some distance, Lonan turned on all his main engines and accelerated around to the far side the small moon. The missile followed him and started to drop back.
While Lonan was on the far side of the moon, the enemy pilot’s fighter started to malfunction as he hovered there in space. One of Lonan’s shots had finally done its job, as the enemy fighter’s computer system was beginning to fail.
Steam and sparks were coming from the control panel as the computer reported, “System failure. Syst-em fail—”
The power shut down. The enemy pilot tried franticly to get it working while Lonan came into sight as he rounded the other side of the moon and headed straight for the enemy fighter. As Lonan drew closer, the Nemaron pilot finally restarted his fighter and tried to pull away.
Lonan was quickly closing in on him, with the catalyst missile still in tow. Lonan fired everything he could. The enemy released countermeasures. Many of Lonan’s shots were absorbed by them, but one missile made it through and found its mark. The enemy fighter exploded in a tremendous fireball.
Inside Lonan’s cockpit, his computer system still warned him of the missile lock. Seconds later the catalyst missile exploded, and the shock waves reached out just far enough to engulf Lonan’s fighter. Immediately his ship lost all power, and he tumbled end over end through space.
Off in the distance, Lonan could see the enemy recovery ship that carried his family away in the opposite direction. He worried deeply for his wife and brother. Out of the corner of his eye, he also saw the Mule shuttle lying in pieces on the moon. For a moment, his thoughts drifted to his father but then immediately back to his wife.
Chapter9
Off in a distant corner of galaxy 55X13 was a barren volcanic planet. Thousands of demons flew around it, patrolling the outer atmosphere. Many of them hovered on their mutilated, winged horses, acting as sentinels on guard. Mammon appeared before the planet as he and his horse stepped through a portal. As he drew near, the demon guards bowed their heads in submission to the higher rank of the passing warrior.
He continued on and flew toward a large crater in the center of a wide valley surrounded by erupting volcanoes. He flew through clouds of fume and ash that spewed from crevasses lining the sides of the volcanoes. The deep red-orange glow of lava covered most of the planet’s surface.
Mammon flew toward a crater that rose up from the center of a wide valley. This wasn’t the mouth of a volcano. It was clear that the crater had been created by a tremendous impact. It was dark and had only the slightest hint of an orange glow that seemed to come from deep below the surface.
Mammon flew his horse directly into it and dove down into the planet. The walls of the cavern were covered with jagged rock. After diving deeper and deeper, he finally reached the bottom, which lay several kilometers below the surface.
He dismounted his animal once he had reached the floor of what could now be seen as the entrance to a complex system of caves. The caves led in many different directions and had hundreds of demons flying in and out of them. As Mammon approached, the mass of demons parted to allow him through. While he passed, they bowed in submission, to which he responded with a slight nod of his head and a deep grunt.
Mammon reached the entrance to one cave that had two very large demons standing guard. When they saw him coming, they pulled their staffs back to themselves and bowed their heads low as he entered a throne room. On the far left side, there was a cliff that looked over an enormous lake of lava. The chamber was cut into the side of a volcano.
As he entered, Mammon could hear the horrific screams of men being tortured somewhere nearby. In the center of the far wall stood a large stone throne that had been cut out of the rock. Most of it was covered by shadow, but on it, he could see the outline of a dark figure. As he drew closer, he saw a pair of intense red eyes appear from the darkness.
A chill ran up his spine as he said, “My lord, Satan.” He bowed low. “I bring news; our pets have recovered some slaves that were lost.”
From the shadow came a haunting voice: “Our pets?” growled
Satan.
“Your pets, my lord,” responded Mammon as he cringed in fear and disdain. “They captured the menacing group of humans that has been stealing your slaves, and in the battle, I disposed of one of His servants.”
The moment Mammon said, “His,” Satan twitched and slipped farther into the shadow, as did Mammon and the rest of the demons.
“The one called Geldon is no more,” continued Mammon.
“Fool. You celebrate as if this were a great triumph. I don’t care about those worthless humans or subordinate angels. I only care about the mission at hand. Find me the great gate!” Satan growled. His voice shook the cave, and all the demons in the throne room stepped backward.
“Yes, but that’s the most fortunate news, my lord,” Mammon said as he stepped forward. “We’ve found the portal to Heaven.”
Satan sat forward on his throne but with his face still covered in shadow. “Finally! Send word immediately to gather my legions and finish preparations in the slave compounds. I want more power.”
“Yes, my lord,” said a small demon as he jumped from the shadow where he had been cowering. Immediately he flew from the chamber.
“Mammon, I want you to personally oversee the conversion of our latest batch of Leviathan. I’ll need as many soldiers as possible if I am to break through the great gate.”
“Yes, my lord,” Mammon said as he bowed low and backed away from the throne. He then turned and flew down into the volcanic crater on the side of the throne room.
Most of the bottom of the cavern was filled with boiling lava. The sides of the cavern were steep walls covered with jagged rock that had thin walkways carved into them. Along these walkways were small caves hollowed into the rock. Crude iron bars blocked the mouths of the caves, and behind them were hundreds of men struggling to escape.
Across the center of the cavern spanned a system of cables and metal walkways that lead out to a large circular arena. On it stood fifteen men. They walked around the arena in nothing but rags. They looked around the cavern in horror and confusion as fifty demons flew around the outside of the arena.
The men had grown weak and emaciated from lack of food and water. The blood and wounds all over their faces and bodies showed that they had already been beaten numerous times.
The demons circling them began to close in. The men could feel the wind generated from the beating of their massive bat-like wings. The sound of their chilling voices penetrated the men’s minds as the demons began to yell and curse as they closed in around them.
“You’re all going to die!”
“Kill!”
“You’re worthless!”
“Kill!”
Chaos erupted as the men huddled in the center of the arena and cowered in fear.
“Kill!”
“You’re nothing!”
“Kill him before he kills you!”
“Kill!”
“Everyone you love is dead!”
“Kill!”
“He hates you!”
“Kill!” the demons shouted.
The men were thrown into such terror and confusion that they turned on each other. Like thoughtless animals trapped in a cage, they fought each other as if the men beside them were their captors. Blood flew in all directions as they brutally attacked each other in hand-to-hand combat. With every ounce of their limited strength, they tried to destroy each other. They had lost all control, and the demons continued to scream curses and cheer as the blood was spilled.
“Kill, or you will be killed!”
“Die!”
“You are worthless!”
As the men fought, a blackish blue substance collected in the veins near their ears. It seemed to crawl under their skin like parasitic worms as it moved toward their eyes. The violence and brutality continued to escalate as two of the men fell and were beaten to death. This brought great cheers from the demons, who howled in delight.
Red mist emanated from the arena and grew so thick that it became difficult for the demons to see the battle. They bathed in it and drank deep of the mist as they began to fight each other for more of it.
Mammon hovered above the area and watched with great delight as two more men were strangled to death. After those two fell, he flew down to the side of the arena to where a door led out onto a walkway. This door and walkway ended at a metal staircase that led down to a large cave at the very base of the cavern. Mammon pulled a whip from his belt and cracked it with such immense power that all of the demons jumped back in fear as the men fell to the ground.
“Enough” he growled as he opened the door. “You have graduated to the next level of your training.”
Covered in blood and sweat, the men limped out of the arena. As they passed Mammon, he could see that the blackish blood had passed into the whites of their eyes and stained all the skin of their faces. They continued down the metal stairs and into the cave. As they did, they could hear the demons yelling and cursing in the cavern behind them as the next batch of men were corralled into the bloody arena.
They walked deep into the cave and took their places in line behind hundreds of other men who had gone before them. The expressions on their faces were blank but deadly. The sockets of their eyes were filled with the blackish blue color. Their faces were bloody and pale.
As they moved along, they became part of an assembly line. Other blank-faced men stood alongside them and strapped equipment and armor onto their bodies. The first was an ancient-looking piece of metal armor that wrapped around their chests with metal straps. It also had straps that extended up over their shoulders and around their necks. This chest piece encased what looked like a long, upside-down, V-shaped glass vile. It was filled with a pulsating red light, just like the Nemaron globes on Tarnus. Once it was locked into position, sharp metal claws shot out from the side and plunged themselves into the man’s flesh. They each cried out in pain, but they also received a jolt of energy that pulsated through their bodies. After the chest plate had attached itself to its host, the man opened his eyes, which were now engulfed by a deep-red flame.
As they continued down the line, more and more man-made armor was added on top of the ancient chest piece. The armor covered nearly every part of their bodies. An additional, larger chest plate was added over the ancient one. The pulsating red light could still be seen through a cut-out section. At the end of the line, they were given a helmet that had a full face mask. They were then handed a rifle as they marched through another cave that led upward toward the surface of the planet.
Meanwhile, in the main control room at Helion, the Helienders finally received a transmission from Lonan.
“Lonan to base. I’m coming in.”
A relieved solider radioed back, “Yes, sir, you are clear for landing in the main hangar.”
Moments later, soldiers and engineers gathered around as Lonan’s shuttle slowly hovered its way in through the hangar door. It was badly damaged and covered by charred blast points. It flew somewhat irregularly as he tried to set it down gently. The engines cut out, and it dropped the last half meter, landing with a crash. Steam poured out of many different areas, and it smelled of burnt and charred electronics.
Lonan climbed down out of the cockpit. As everyone gathered around him, he stood back to take a look at his ship. He frowned and shook his head as he turned and walked away. As he did, he turned to one of the engineers. “Start analyzing the ship. I want to know what they used to shut down our fuel systems. We should be able to reverse engineer the reaction and figure out what happened.”
“Yes, sir.”
“What’s the status of the shuttle conversion?”
“We’re approximately 75 percent complete, sir, but we’re glad you’re back. We really need your help.”
“OK, I’ll be back in a minute.”
“Yes, sir,” said the engineer as he turned and went back to the ship. As he did, Kilgron entered the hangar on his two-wheeled transport.
Lonan immediately walked over to meet him. “I told you this was a bad idea! Now look what happened! I’m taking a team as soon as we get a shuttle ready!” he shouted.
“Don’t forget to whom you are speaking!” Kilgron shot back.
Lonan ground his teeth as they each took a breath.
“Calm down, and look.” Kilgron pointed to a nearby computer monitor. “They’re OK. We’re monitoring their condition.”
The screen showed the captive crew’s vital signs and heart rhythms.
“We were all aware of the danger involved in this mission. You need to focus on our present objective, which is to get them home. How did you make it back?”
“I’d equipped my fighter with hydrocells for reserve power. I limped back on that.”
“Well done. We’re glad you made it out. The team is ready, and we’ve pin-pointed their location. We just need the shuttle.”
“All right, I’ve got work to do,” said Lonan as he turned and walked back toward the shop.
“Lonan…”
Lonan stopped and turned back. “We’ll get them back,” Kilgron said.
“I know.”
On a distant, lonely planet stood a large building at the base of a mountain. Twelve Nemaron soldiers patrolled the outside of the building. Inside there was a metal rack system that held men, women, and children upside down by their feet. Each of them were connected to an intravenous line, as well as other wires and equipment. They appeared dead, but from time to time, their bodies twitched. The racks hung from the ceilings and suspended the people above large holes built into the floor. At the bottom of these holes were channels of boiling lava. Steam and fumes poured up and over the hundreds of unfortunate souls hanging in the racks.
A group of Leviathan entered the main chamber as they carried Averine, Sevran, and Telgrin. Behind them followed the slaves that the Leviathan had recaptured. They led them through the chamber, down a hall, and into a dimly lit room filled with crude, dirty tables with straps. Two men wearing medical lab coats stood in the room. A man was strapped to one of the tables as they entered. Then two soldiers grabbed him by the arms and dragged his drugged and half-dead body out of the room to the racks.
One of the soldiers in the lab coat grinned as he said, “Next.”
