Awakening: The First Tale of the Trine (Trine Series Book 1) Page 7

  Once the equipment was in place, the guards motioned for the alien to take a seat at the table they had arranged, then backed into the airlock together before sealing the door. The alien stood by the chair, but continued to watch the airlock, as though expecting someone else to come in. Concerned that the alien may have misunderstood their intent, Director Spencer prepared to send them back in, when the airlock door opened again. At the same moment, the lean young technician Director Spencer had sent out earlier burst back into the observation room, still wearing his hazmat suit.

  Director Spencer watched aghast as the huge dog bound into the quarantine room, just as the technician pulled off his helmet in the observatory. “Sir,” the tech said in a panicked voice. “We have a problem.”

  Director Spencer sat down at the observation room monitor, and began the feed to the video conferencing equipment. Waving his team to silence, he watched the blue armored alien hug the dog’s neck. The animal’s tail was wagging furiously in a familiar gesture of greeting.

  Seeing that the video feed was working, Director Spencer activated the microphone nearby. “I am FBI Director Nathan Spencer,” he said formally. “Can you see and hear me?”

  The two aliens moved to the camera and screen set up on the table. “Director Spencer,” the white-haired humanoid said. “I asked my companion to rejoin me so that we might better aid you through this process. Please, let us introduce ourselves formally. I will then attempt to answer any questions I can.” Adjusting the camera on his end, the alien brought both he and the canine into frame. “We are called Oraki,” it said. “I am Orak, and this is my kazir, whose name is Aki.” His English was flawless, but delivered in a gravelly, mechanical voice through his armored mask.

  The Director and his team gathered in the observation room sat stunned as the dog opened its mouth and said in a high, clear voice, “While we truly regret the situation that led to this meeting, know that we are pleased to speak with your species, and look forward to guiding you through the collision of our races.”

  “I told you we have a problem,” the young technician said to the Director, before being waved to silence.

  The two aliens sat quietly while they waited for their audience to process what had just happened. Director Spencer sat stone-faced, glaring at the screen. Finally, he said, “Let’s start from the beginning. What are you?”

  The two aliens stared at each other for a long moment, as though this was a particularly difficult question. Taking a deep breath, Orak said, “We are two members of what is called a Trine. I am the originator, and Aki is my second. My third is named Kio. Collectively we are called ‘Orakio’. A Trine is a network of souls bonded together through a ritual known to my people.”

  Director Spencer simply continued to stare unblinking at the screen. Aki raised a paw and placed it on Orak before he could continue. “I believe his question was a bit more basic. Allow me, please. Orak is an Elv, born on the planet Elva. His race is known as the Elvahn.”

  “An Elf?” the Director asked incredulously.

  “An Elv,” Orak growled. “Your people have been bastardizing the name since the first time we met.”

  “The first time?” Director Spencer repeated slowly. “You’ve been here on Earth before?”

  “Yes,” Aki interjected. “And that is likely the best place to begin. We were not the first to discover your world. To the best of our knowledge, you were first found millennia ago by a race your kind named the ‘Abbadon.’ The Elvahn were at war with them, and when they discovered that the Abbadon had invaded your world, they came here as well to protect your species from destruction.”

  “I know that word,” Director Spencer said, holding up a hand to stop Aki. “It’s Hebrew, from the Old Testament, I believe. What does it refer too, precisely, this ‘Abbadon’?”

  “They are monstrous,” Aki shivered, his fur quivering. “Their kind evolved from what you know as insects. The most dominant of them are a type of arachnid that is taller than your species. They have eight limbs, walking on four, and using four to manipulate objects. There are other species, but the spider-like ones are their leaders. They are the most alien creatures we have ever encountered. Their way of thinking and looking at the universe is so strange that we have never been able to find any commonality with them.”

  “During the war, my people attempted to exterminate their colonies,” Orak said grimly, bringing his blue-eyed visage close to the camera. “We found one here, where they had established a presence to secure a supply line.”

  “A supply line…?” Director Spencer prompted.

  “For food,” Orak stated flatly. “They are ravenous, and spread across the universe seeking new creatures to consume. They were ecstatic to find your people. You breed quickly, and are incredibly resilient to…processing. They would drain the blood of their victims repeatedly you see, and your kind were found to replenish well. Once the subject finally died from this process, they would then consume the flesh. They were so enthusiastic about your species that they made a mistake that ultimately cost them the war.”

  “Which was?” Director Spencer asked.

  “They linked a Bore directly to their home world. The war had drug on for centuries while we tried to track down where they were originating. We eradicated them here on your world, and they were unable to close the Bore in time to stop us from finally discovering their breeding ground. We had already prepared our weapon to finally crush them once we found it, and we implemented the Tragedy immediately.”

  “The Tragedy? The Bore? Explain those for us,” Director Spencer said.

  Aki raised his paw again, saying, “Please, allow me. I am well-versed in this part. I was in charge of helping maintain the Bore at our outpost. A Bore is a type of aether engine. It is used to link two places and create a portal for ease of travel. Orak’s people, the Elvahn, originally dabbled in propulsion systems to explore the universe. They found out rather quickly that the universe is a truly boring place to just cruise around aimlessly. Fortunately, all the racket they were making attracted the attention of my people. My kind are called the Rydal. We were able to figure out where Elva was located easily and opened up a Bore connecting our worlds, introducing the Elvahn to their first sentient contact. Our kind have been friends for millennia, and have freely traded our technology.”

  “As for the Tragedy,” Aki continued. “It was exactly that. We had to stop the Abbadon. We had already developed the weapon to finally defeat them. But when we found their home world, we discovered that the Abbadon had filled it with breeding camps from all manner of species they had encountered. The things we saw there…what they were doing…you cannot imagine the horrors.”

  “I can,” Orak interrupted. “You need to understand this. The Abbadon are sentient, but not in any way we understand. Their minds are completely immune to compassion. They had taken species we have no other knowledge of and enslaved them in containment pits, where they were kept solely for breeding and butchering. The Abbadon prefer their food alive. They prefer their food to protest and struggle. They delight in the suffering of their prey, and had developed implements of torture whose sole purpose was to inflict such agony that their victims’ minds were destroyed before they consumed the body. The Tragedy was that we were unable to save all of the souls they had collected. Their world was too large, and there were too many of the monsters. So we activated the weapon. Aki’s people, the Rydal, had modified a Bore so that it would open into a star. Once we had the coordinates of the Abbadon’s world, we opened the other end into their sun, and allowed the plasma to annihilate every living thing present. We console ourselves by saying ‘oh, they were better off dead’….but I know the truth. We didn’t even try. We took one look into the heart of pure, unapologetic evil, and rather than try to even save one innocent, we scorched them from the universe. We don’t even know if some of the species they had enslaved are out there somewhere, or if we committed multiple acts of genocide that day.”

  Aki
bumped up against Orak, rubbing his shoulder on his agitated companion. “We cannot judge what our ancestors did too harshly. This was centuries before we were even born, and the war had drug on for ages.” Addressing the Director again, Aki said, “This is the Tragedy we honor, that ended the Abbadon’s presence on your world. They had countless colonies unfortunately, and were not entirely destroyed. After witnessing our peoples’ determination to see them brought low, they did finally agree to negotiations. A treaty was forged, protecting any sentient species from contact by any of our kind. Your world, and others, were declared ‘hands-off,’ and you were to be allowed to develop and discover on your own. That treaty has held for centuries.”

  “Until today,” Orak growled. “When Zion forced open the Bore and stepped foot on your Earth.”

  “You’re telling us there are multiple extra-terrestrial species who are aware of Earth, who have actually been here, and were kept at bay by a treaty? A treaty that you have now broken? Not only that, but you announced your arrival by blowing up a hospital and murdering dozens of American citizens?” Director Spencer demanded.

  “The murderer you seek is named Zion,” Orak said. “While my Trine was outside the Bore facility, Zion commandeered the aether engine. My father tried to stop him, and we attempted to answer his distress call and avert this disaster. We could not get back in time to prevent him from coming through, so we followed him with the intent of dragging him back through the Bore immediately. The Bore requires intense concentration to maintain, however, and my father was not able to sustain it long enough, or close it normally. The portal collapsed, causing the explosion. We could not find Zion in the rubble, so we attempted to stabilize the area and help the wounded. If you dig him out of that wreckage, do not trust him. My people will come for him, and we will do anything we can to help you deal with the aftermath of his actions.”

  “We have taken this ‘Zion’ into custody, and will be speaking with him shortly. Do you have any idea what could have motivated him to do something like this?” the Director asked.

  “I don’t know,” Orak growled. “What he has done is inexcusable, and he will face the harshest punishments for this crime. The only thing that even seems feasible is that he did this intentionally, in order to rekindle the war with the Abbadon. Near the end of the last conflict, his Trine was captured by the creatures. Zion was the only survivor.”

  “His Trine? Were they soldiers, or…?” Director Spencer left the question open-ended.

  “No,” Orak replied. “His Trine were what you would think of as ‘medics.’ His Trine was his wife and his daughter. This was before my birth, but I am told the manner of their death was gruesome, even for the Abbadon. Zion was one of the voices that pushed for the Tragedy to be unleashed, and has since lobbied for aggressively pursuing the remaining Abbadon and exterminating their race completely. He may have come here knowing that they cannot resist the temptation your species presents. If they do reappear, it would allow him to continue pursuing his vendetta. Ask him your questions, and if Aki or I can clarify anything, let us know. We regret this situation, more than our limited grasp of your language can express, and will abide here while we await retrieval.”

  Director Spencer muted the video conference, and turned his attention to his awe-struck team in the observation suite with him. After exchanging a long look with his lead technician, who had been notating certain phrases Orak used, the Director asked, “Where should we begin?”

  “Let’s ask more about this ‘aether engine’ he described, which created this ‘Bore,’” the technician said. “Also, let’s find out how Aki avoided being tranquilized, and came to be back in the containment room. I mean, Andy, I know you were with him, but to hear that dog talk! Please, Director ask him more about those points.”

  “All right,” Director Spencer said, before unmuting the conference. “Oraki…can you two tell us what this ‘aether engine’ you referred to is precisely? These ‘Bores’ you discussed can obviously be incredibly destructive. Can they be created anywhere, anytime? How do your people protect themselves from such a weapon?”

  Orak shared another long look with Aki. Raising a paw to slide the camera more towards himself, Aki began to explain. “Aether engines are devices we build that run on aether, in order to accomplish tasks that break the laws of the physical universe. Your fellow Einstein debunked most aether research well over a century ago with his theories and findings. As far as the physical universe is concerned, he was on the right track. Aether is always discovered later, as it is hard to measure, and requires…special characteristics to harness. Genetic characteristics. At its most basic, some creatures can feel aether, and some can even harness it. If a sentient creature can sense the aether, and learns to manipulate it, they can power these aether engines to accomplish specific effects…like opening a Bore. A Bore is a hole in space time made by creating a tunnel through the aether itself. It’s a very precise instrument, and you have to know exactly where you are opening each side. They are incredibly destructive if not handled correctly, which is what led to this disaster and the loss of life your people have suffered. As far as protecting yourself from the Bore, both of our species have done so through anonymity. We only create a Bore from a satellite world, well removed from our home planet by several steps, so that the origin cannot be traced all the way back. Unfortunately, in your case, the Abbadon already know where you are.”

  “So your races can manipulate a power you call ‘aether,’” Director Spencer repeated slowly. “And you use that to power devices that break the laws of the physical universe. What is ‘aether’?”

  “Aether is the energy that sustains the universe. It is what all things are created from, and what all things ultimately return too. It is where the energy of the soul resides when free of physical constraints.”

  Everyone gathered in the observation room stared blankly at the canine creature as they attempted to process the implications of this statement. Director Spencer looked around at the team, then finally said, “You’re telling us that you arrived here using a machine that harnesses the power of souls?”

  Aki grumbled and his lips twisted, as though he were chewing on that statement. “No,” he finally said. “The machine processes aether. The aether is where the energy of souls resides when not bonded to the physical universe. The aether is where the energy of a soul begins, and where it abides. For good or ill, once a soul returns to the aether, it will flourish or endure based on the energy it processed while in the physical realm.”

  Orak grabbed the camera, bringing it to focus on his blue eyed glare. “He is overcomplicating a fairly basic concept, even in your society. If you’re an asshole while you’re alive, the energy created stains the soul, and it suffers in the aether. If you’re a decent creature, the soul is joyous when it returns to the aether. It’s a heaven and hell concept your kind have been kicking around for millennia. Other souls abide there, familiar and comforting, or spiteful and harmful, depending on your nature. The aether is not the soul, it is simply the energy where the soul resides. If a soul in a physical body has the capacity, it can even touch the aether here, in the physical realm, and use it to manipulate reality. Many of the Elvahn can do it to some degree. All of Aki’s race have the ability, though weakly.”

  “Yes,” Aki interjected. “My people developed a connection with the aether very early in our evolution. It manifests primarily as what your kind call telekinesis, that is, we can manipulate things with only our will. It requires the least amount of aether, even our children can perform simple tasks this way.”

  “Is that how you escaped confinement and joined Orak?” Director Spencer asked.

  “Yes,” Aki responded. “When your agents came to put me to sleep, I threw their darts back at them and then made the one named Andy bring me back here. Projectiles, locks…they do not overly inconvenience my kind.”

  “What about you, Orak? Do you have these…abilities?” Director Spencer asked.

  O
rak’s eyes narrowed in a glare. “No. At least, not like Aki, or many others of my kind. Very broadly, there are two types of aether channelers. Most can summon the aether to affect the physical world. I cannot. I am what my people call a “Conduit.” I can sense the aether, and use it to affect the souls of others. Generally amongst the Elvahn, Conduits are educated as ritualists, and spend their lives performing the rites of bonding.”

  Director Spencer muted the conference again, and covered his mouth with his hands. “God bless America,” he muttered. “I swear the more these two talk the less I understand.”

  “Perhaps it’s time we shifted our inquiry to the one named Zion,” Agent Soto said quietly. “If we can figure out what truly motivated this, and what he expects to happen, we may get a clearer picture of how to proceed.”

  “All right,” Director Spencer agreed. Unmuting the channel, he informed the pair known as Oraki, “We will likely have more questions for you as our investigation continues. For now, understand that for your safety and that of our citizens, we will be keeping you in custody. If you have any needs, please let the staff know, and we will remain in close contact.”

  Making a few adjustments to the equipment, the two technicians in the observation room shifted the video feed to another holding room in the FBI office. This was a normal interrogation room, where the subject named Zion sat at a table. Unlike Orak, Zion had removed the mask that covered the lower portion of his face, and it hung freely from the flexible under padding covering his neck. His features were comfortingly normal, with a straight narrow nose, wide full-lipped mouth, and a narrow jaw culminating in a dimpled chin.

  Noticing the screen flicker to life in the interrogation room, Zion turned his attention towards it, and placed his hands on the table. “Excellent, gentlemen,” he said, grinning broadly to reveal a row of gleaming teeth. They were slightly more pointed than a humans, giving his visage a feral twist. “I cannot tell you how I have longed for this to begin.”