Darkness Overcome

These parts of Eyrie are mostly covered by forests. Deep, dark forests.
In one of those woods, hidden in a hole in the ground, lies Farandur.
Once, this sword was a mighty weapon, but now it's buried in a cavern, deep down, where noone could reach it, for almost ten thousand years.
There has been a reason, to hide it from reckless warriors, but this reason, as it seems, has been forgotten through time and space.

They say that the spirit of Lord Kingbolt was sealed in Farandur, and shall never be free again. The universe has its reasons...



The giant shadow of the Prometheus began to push itself over the green planet.
Minutes later, a small shuttle was on its way down to the surface.
Many lights were blinking, greater radar displays were beeping and were filling the silence in the small cockpit.
Dan Haydn inspected the Nav-Map and nodded, mostly to himself.
Now, the time has come!
This weapon was a symbol of strength.
In his hands, it will do great deeds. That's what he was thinking, but destiny has its own plans...

The crew of the Prometheus followed the flight of the Captain's shuttle on their monitors.
Nobody suspected anything, as the connection to Haydn was lost for a few moments.
Two hours later, the shuttle was on its way home, Constable Cooper took a deep breath and walked over to Lieutenant Malloy.

"Sir, estimate time of arrival in 20 minutes. I will go and form up the troops for his welcome."

"Alright Cooper, see to it, that everything will be in order. From the tales I heard about this sword, it will influence a man's mind. I will not accept any accidents during the arrival of the captain, do you get me?"

Cooper looked worried, but nodded loyal.

"Yes Sir, as you wish."

By the time he arrived at hangar 2, the guards were already standing in rows in front of the main entrance.

"Atten...tion!"

The sound of seventy pairs of boots, clapping together, filled the hangar.
Less than half a minute later, the shuttle arrived.
Haydn stepped out of the small ship, arms crossed behind his back.
Silence.
Then, suddenly, a faint glow surrounding him, Haydn raised his right arm above his head.
In his hand, he was holding Farandur, with a tight grip. The weapon seemed to exist in various dimensions, all the troops were able to see was a whirring blur, when Haydn was swinging the sword with both hands.
It looked alien-like, for it is made by Xrasaccs hands centuries ago.
Haydns voice was a mere whisper, as he speaks to his men:

"See, this is Farandur! All my life I was looking for this great piece of pure strength. Now, it is mine!"

Then, as if Haydn was not himself anymore, a lower, dark voice coming out of his mouth:

"The time is ours...again!"

His mantelpiece flushing, Haydn was making his way through the upformed guards, towards his private room.
The guards themselves, not sure what they had seen just the last few minutes, were beginning to go about their own businesses, giggling to each other.

"Have you seen it? I mean, really seen it? I don't know what it was, but my eyes started to water when I tried to focus on Farandur. Something is unlikely amazing about this sword."

"Yes", said another one, "and this glowing, I am not sure about this thing, but it does look like trouble."

"Hey you two!", shouted Cooper at the troops, "mind your own business, alright? Our Captain knows, what he does. Meet me in half an hour, and bring me your reports about Haydns trip to Eyrie. Do you get me?"

The guards answered as one person:

"Yessir!"

Haydn's private room was covered in darkness when Cooper arrives.
He raised his fist to knock on Haydn's door, but hesitated when he heard voices from inside.

"No! Where are you? It can't be...don't say it...no!"

Then, another voice was speaking. A lower, darker voice, like the one in the hangar.

"You know it. It has to be done. Only the truthful descendent of Lord Kingbolt could find Farandur. Or otherwise, who knows?"

"But, you are speaking of...I mean, everything? Really?"

"Yes. Don't you feel the power, growing inside you? Farandur has its true owner back. You can bring the whole galaxy under your command. I am Lord Kingbolt, you would say: Commander of the Xrasaccs army, which was coming into your universe over ten thousand years ago."

"Yeah, and destroyed everything and killed everyone who or what was standing in your way. I have read the ancient records about your deathbringing crusades in these parts of the galaxy, and your war against any Sciencer, Bloodancer or Assamerer in all of the 14 galaxies of this universe."

"It needed to be done! These...crap was polluting the universe for so many years.
And it has to be done again, you know that."

Cooper was uncertain, about what to do. This voice he heard from inside...it sounded as it hadn't come out of living lips for quite a long time.
It sounded...dead.
It was!

He decided to knock.

"Yeah? What is it?"

"Captain Haydn? Constable Cooper here, Sir."

"Come on in."

Cooper opened the door.
There was not much light in the room, but he could see the captain's silhouette by the ship's window.

"Captain, is everything alright?"

"Why, yes Cooper. Certainly. No tell me the reason for your...visit."

"Uhm, I only wanted you to know that the Prometheus is leaving the orbit around Eyrie just this minute, captain."

"Ah, alright, set course to the Ne'Baan system. I've got...business to do there."

"As you command, my lord. You sure, that everything's fine?
See, I heard strange voices, just before I came in, Sir."

"All you think you heard was just me, okay?
I talked to the Flight Officer per Intercom.
Now leave me alone, do you understand?"

"Yes Sir."

Cooper left Haydn's private room, but not without taking a look to Farandur, which was leaning against the opposite wall.
Cooper was getting the feeling, that the sword was smiling at him.
So he smiled back.
It was a smile that never reached his eyes.



Back on the bridge, Lieutenant Malloy was talking to Captain Haydn.

"Sir, we have reached the Ne'Baan system. What is our mission here?"

"Lieutenant, we have to set an example to the people.
Our mission was to sabotage various technical facilities, such as this stargate there, but I have changed my plans.
Ion Beam Control: Full power to the generators! Five shots to the surface according to following coordinates should do it."

"But, Sir! This will cause an core melt-through deep within the planet! No one will survive this atta..."

"Shut up! Do you think I don't know hat I'm doing?"

"No Sir, but I still have..."

"Be quiet, Lieutenant. Ion Beam Control: Energy!"




Cooper was sitting on his control station, when the two guards arrived, giving him the report of Haydns visit on Eyrie.

"Thanks, Corporals. Go about your business, I will study these report and bring it to Lieutenant Malloy personally."

As the guards went back to their desks, Cooper put the disc into his computer.
After a while, he found an interesting fact.

"What is this?", he was thinking aloud.
"Seems to me, as Captain Haydn was unconscious for almost ten minutes! Let's put the puzzle together. The dark voice, the glowing, everything! Somethin happened to the Captain down there."

He had hardly spoken the last words, as a heavy shock, suddenly shattered the Prometheus.



The first ion beam reached the surface of the planet SCR-2N, the highest developed planet in the Ne'Baan system.
Short afterwards, the mighty cannon of the Prometheus was shooting the next four beams.





SCR-2N was beginning to glow from inside. A few minutes later, part of the crust was collapsing. Parts of the planet, teared apart, were floating aimlessly through space.





Then, in a huge ball of stone and fire, SCR-2N exploded!

Cooper reached the bridge, where he found a picture of desaster.
Lieutenant Malloy was lying on the floor, bleeding out of various wounds.
Captain Haydn stands above him, Farandur in his hands, ready for the next, last strike.

"NO!", Cooper was shouting.

Haydn raised his view to Constable Cooper.

"Who do you think you are, Constable? This man here", his finger spotted at Lieutenant Malloy, "is an enemy of our Federation, disturbing the mission of his captain!"

Cooper was speechless.

"But...You can't, I mean..."

Suddenly, Haydn brought the sword down on Malloy, separating the head from the trunk.
During this "process", a wicked smile was on Haydn's face.

"CAPTAIN HAYDN, put down this sword, now! I'm relieving you from command over this ship and take you under imperial arrest!"

"Don't be daft, boy", speaks the darker voice of Haydn.
There is nothing you can do, you see?"

Haydn made an out-curving gesture with his arms.

"It's too late for you people. With this Stargate under my control, the flood of evil will return to your Universe. Spilling a rain of blood over every civilized world, the Xrasaccs will start there reign of terror in this sector, Ne'Baan!"

"No, this can't be true...but...who are you? And where is Haydn?"

"Haydn? He was very...useful, I must admit. Only, this body really doesn't suit me, what do you think?"

"You hadn't answered my question!", sweat running down Coopers forehead.

"I am so sorry, let me introduce myself: I am Lord Kingbolt! Leader of men and destroyer of worlds. Once, the Xrasaccs army was standing under my command, but after all was done in this Universe, it had to happen that I had to...sacrifice myself, so the race of races, the Xrasaccs could flee from an ambush, which would have meant the end of our existence. But all this happened centuries ago, and now I'm back!
To wipe out the mistakes of time, and fulfill my destiny. I will destroy every last one of you!"


Cooper felt, that he started to redden, due to his anger.

"This is something, I can not permit!"

He was making hardly a movement, but suddenly, his blaster lies in his hands, aiming at Haydn.
Haydn starts to laugh.

"You really don't understand, do you? The Xrasaccs are a prevailing race of...auditors. We look after the universe. Your race is only...a mistake. A mistake of evolution itself. An experiment. You think you own this world, do you? You are really convinced, your small brain could seize the very meaning of your existence?"

Haydn took a few steps towards Cooper and continued, whispering:

"See to it, boy. Mankind...is a fault!"

Tears of sorrow and anger, were running down Cooper's face. In a not explainable way, he believed him. But that does not mean, that he was giving up without fighting.
In a fragment of a second, he pulls the trigger!
A green-glowing, deadly plasma-beam was shooting out of the blaster, hitting Haydn hard in his chest.
Haydn was tumbling down, falling on his knees.
With his free hand, he touched the wound and looked at the purple blood, spilling out of his chest box.
Then, again, he was starting to laugh, loud and long.
With one move, Haydn was standing up.
Cooper was too shocked, to keep on firing.
Haydn now, was talking with the voice of Lord Kingbolt, as he was holding Cooper with one hand several inches from the ground on his neck:

"You helpless little fool! Your primitive weapons can not really do any harm to us. Dou you think, we were sended to this universe without to be prepared against all dangers, waiting here for us?"

Something dreadful was creeping into Coopers mind.

"Sended? Sended, you say? Who? Who was sending you to our universe?"

He coughed. Dozens of blurring colours were visible behind his eyes, due to the tight grip of Lord Kingbolt.

"As I said before, you don't fully understand what and who we are. We keep things in order. On so many worlds, in so many universes.
And now, constable Cooper, you are going to die..."

With a fast strike, he drove Farandur straight through Coopers stomach.
Pain, hotter than the twin suns of Erjanur, was crouching up his body.
Then, Lord Kingbolt was letting go.
Cooper was landing hard on the floor, one hand on his neck, one on his stomach, where a small puddle of blood now was visible.

"No..."




Exitus


Cooper was looking at Lord Kingbolt, who was observing the outer space, till the stargate was coming into sight.
With one bluewhite flash, the stargate was opening his connection to whatever dimension the Xrasaccs were coming from.
A huge armada of organic-looking alien ships were creeping out of the eye of the stargate.

"So many...", Cooper was thinking loud, "so many, that can't be true...argh."

Lord Kingbolt was still looking at the amazing fleet of Xrasaccs ships, still flooding out of the stargate.

"My brothers, now we are re-united. Let's bring to end, what has started ten-thousand years ago!"

Cooper was aware, that these were the last few seconds of his life.
And the last thing he should see, was this gigantic armada, which holds the very end of all life in this universe, and Lord Kingbolt, standing in front of the fleet, with a smile he never won't forget for the rest of his life.
Which was very short, indeed.
And then, his head was banging on the floor, everything seems to fade, the floor, the ship, the universe, all of it.
A second later, Constable John Cooper was dead!


The End