Empyrean Book 3 - The Mahgur
By Steven R. Messick
The third Empyrean intergalactic adventure spanning time and space.
As the Empyrean wave goes out further into the universe, what of the mysterious Mahgur? In the distant past they had created a jewel of immense power that vaporized their entire galaxy. The single surviving ethereal Mahgur must find the lost crystal that will again bring it supreme power.
The Mahgur distracts Empyrean and the Calaren with personal and planetary chaos while it retrieves the powerful gem and Empyrean is forced into the Mahgur realm. They are subjected to mental coercion and emotional torture in an attempt to destroy them from within.
Will Ivy become a handicap when the evil entity returns that wants to possess her mind and soul? Will the ethereal Uloans prove to be friends or foes? Will Empyrean survive all these trials and stop the phantom from making our universe his personal playground of sadistic delight, end up trapped in the Mahgur realm or destroyed by the ‘Jewel of Empowerment?’
Empyrean Book 3 - The Mahgur 376 pages ISBN – 1442157410 $18.99
My book can be purchased from the E-Store provided by my publisher at these URL -
Empyrean Book 3 - https://www.createspace.com/3381804
PERCENTAGES OF TECHNOLOGICAL PROGRESS
Pre-Space 81 %
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Races Calaren will consider to make them aware of their overseer presence
Space around planet and moon(s) 10 %
Rest of their system 6 %
Have reached other systems 1.5%
Anywhere from half to all of their galaxy .9%
Intergalactic – can reach other galaxies .5%
Universal – multi-galactic speeds .1%
PART ONE
CHALLENGES
CHAPTER 1
In Earth year 2199 of the Calaren time plane, in close proximity to the edge of the Yoplain galaxy, there is a rip in space. The initial tear is a bad omen as it manifests itself into the lifeless vacuum of the blackness of space. The pink maw is a conspicuous intruder and is slowly gaining a foothold. It begins to grow in size and its deliberate invasion is devouring the area of its expansion. What was this anomaly that was breaking into our universe?
The split is no longer embryonic. Shards of pink sabers stabbed further and deeper into the ether from the fissure. The splinters stayed and multiplied and the opening grows like pink crystals. Pink icicles splay out from an ever-widening base and the splinters begin to swirl. The whorl becomes a spinning vortex of pink stabs into our dimension. Pink spirals cutting and churning space as it blossoms to large proportions. Once it got over its initial outburst stage, it settled into an ever-growing pink cloud.
No, its growth did not go unnoticed. That fringe of the galaxy did house one planet with life on it, Creot. The alert went out from there and after several worlds had relayed the message around almost a quarter of the galactic border, it ended up on the planet Yoplai. This world was the most advanced in the galaxy and so the Calaren had named the galaxy for it. The two overseers that were assigned to the Yoplain galaxy were stationed on the planet as representatives of the Calaren. The mates from Calara were named Druce and Icky. Once word was received the pair discussed what action to take.
“I think we should contact the Calaren tribunal,” Icky said. She was worried. Icky did all the worrying in this relationship.
Druce looked at his wife. He adored her light green skin and hair. Her white robe was crisp and clean as always. All Calaren looked so much alike that most other races had to take time to tell them apart. He was used to the anxiety in her voice. She was just that type. They wanted kids but were not sure about raising them in this alien environment. They had volunteered for this assignment as had all the couples sent out into the galaxies who agreed to let the Calaren oversee and help them progress.
He adopted his usual soothing tone as he reasoned with her. “Icky. That’s what we are here for. We can’t call for help every time some unusual anomaly or planetary crisis occurs.” He finished adjusting his robe and sat down next to her on the bed. “I’m just going to check it out as a hologram.”
“Okay, but you be careful,” she admonished.
He saw no reason to argue with her. She knew as well as he did that going there in hologram form meant that he was not actually there and so it was unlikely that he would encounter any danger.
“You know I will.”
He kissed her forehead and stood up. He stepped away from her and closer to the wall. Druce concentrated and immediately he found himself many light years away and looking at a pink light in the distance. He moved his image closer to the irregularity and saw that it had already grown dramatically from the reported initial size. Not only was it larger but also the shards of light were getting bigger. He noticed how the edges would shoot out in stabbing motions, and then the pink cloud would form around the projecting thrust of light.
He began to move his image all around the phenomenon. He moved above and behind it and it wasn’t just his wife’s warnings that made him not want to get too close, even as a projected image. He did not know what it was or what it meant but he was convinced that it had a portentous aura about it. He was not sure why but he was sure it was somehow menacing, but he was not prepared to call Calara yet. He could not prove it was dangerous and so he decided it needed more study.
He got the sense that it was like a volcano spewing forth lava but was not sure that it would erupt. The spinning that made it look like it was cutting into our universe was even smoking as if pink hot knives were doing the slashing. The pinks were coming through in a number of dark and light shades but there were no red hues. The reported rip in space was now round but Druce could not see into the opening. He wasn’t even sure it was an opening to somewhere else. It was just a hole into our dimension.
He had seen all he could see and felt that now scientific instruments were needed to take measurements and readings to determine its make up and what affect it was having in our space. He shut off his representation and found himself back in the room with Icky. She was happy to see that he seemed fine. The couple made their way to the living area and sat down. Icky could see the look of consternation on her husband’s face. Icky gave him a bit of time to run through his spell of disquiet before she spoke. She always knew when to give him a little time and seemed to always know how much time to give him.
“What do you think it is?”
“I really don’t know,” he responded. “Something is breaking into our space. Whatever it is, its source is a realm that is predominately or completely pink in color. It’s so strange. But it’s growing and I really believe that it’s a danger.”
“What do we do?”
“We need an audience with the leader of Yoplai. We must get the capable races in this galaxy to study it and see if it can be ascertained just what it is and what threat it poses.”
“Are you sure that it’s safe?” she asked. “Is that a wise move to get close enough to study it?”
“I’m not sure. Probably not, but something must be done. We can’t sound an alarm for outside help when we are not sure what it is or what problems it can wreak in our existence. We need to know more first.”
Druce got up and approached the communication screen. He punched a few buttons to ring the office of Sovereign Jelarke, the head of Yoplai. He was apprehensive because he knew that the Yoplains had reservedly allowed the Calaren presence in their galaxy and on their home world. But he knew he must keep his resolve and be insistent or Jelarke would dismiss him out of hand.
Jelarke’s secretary appeared on the screen. Her face was human because all Druce could see was from the shoulders up. He knew that the Yoplain differences from humans started below the waist. The secretary was the quintessential watchdog. No one got to see or speak to the head of the planet without extremely imperative reasons. The man was just too important to be bothered. ‘It took away from his leisurely, do-nothing time’ as Icky put it. Druce did not even know the secretary’s name she was so guarded about the monarch’s time. Druce was sure that any overture of friendliness, such as knowing her name, would be deemed a reason for her to be nice to you and might influence her to make an exception, so she prevented that from materializing. If that happened Jelarke would get someone else to do the job.
“Yes?” Her tone immediately let you know you had better have a good reason to even call. That was before she even noticed who beckoned her attention. Once she realized who had signaled her line, her expression managed to combine contempt and the idea that she knew Druce would not call on the ruler unless it was important, all in one look. She kept it short and to the point and Druce knew he needed to act synonymously. The usual niceties were not expected or wanted.
“I need an emergency audience with Monarch Jelarke,” Druce stated.
“Regarding what?”
“It’s regarding the anomaly recently discovered in the fourth quadrant.”
“And why bother Jelarke with this?”
She knew very well that Jelarke had passed the alert on to him and that even if Jelarke had hoped that he would hear no more about it, that if Druce did come back to the head of state that, it would be important.
“The rupture in space is growing at an alarming rate and it could be potentially dangerous to this galaxy.”
“I will have to see what I can do and get back to you.” With that she cut off the connection leaving Druce slightly perturbed but being Calaren he took it in stride. The Calaren were not highly excitable and handled negativity and rejection with serene calmness. A lot of races could learn from them, even humans.
It was twenty-four hours later before Druce could get an audience with Jelarke. He had been fairly certain that the Monarch would give him the meeting but he was not surprised that it was not immediate. ‘He has to make it clear what others positions are’ as Icky would say. She had a lot of aphorisms to cover things like this and since coming to Yoplai and dealing with Jelarke, they seem to have increased exponentially. He walked into the large hall, seeming even larger because of his shortness. Ostentatious surroundings abounded profusely the closer one got to his highness. That grandiosity was in the king’s demeanor also. Druce had never known a Calaren over four feet tall. He and Icky were both around three and a half feet in height.
Jelarke reminded him of the old Earth kings who sat on a throne and had a woman on either side of the seat with a big feather to fan the monarch and keep him cool. This is how it was every time Druce had come into his presence. What was different was the chair and as previously mentioned the lower half of the Yoplains. Yoplains were tri-pedal, having three spindly but strong legs. Druce had seen them fight and so he knew how most of their ability was in the strength of their kicking. Yoplains felt themselves superior to bipeds and technologically they were the most advanced in the galaxy and their derision did not lessen just because they were behind the Calaren in knowledge and advancement. Their third leg came out above their butt where our tailbone is located. They were well balanced in the physical sense, but Druce had his doubts about their mental balance and not just because they were rude. They were just too haughty and self- assured for the Calaren, but it would be impolite of the Calaren not to defer to them as representative of all the races in this galaxy, which was almost solely based on their technological development not on, to their thinking, their self-importance. One formality was required of all who sought a consultation with the head of the planet: the title of ‘sovereign’ was to be the first word preceding everything else said each time they spoke.
Druce bowed in respect. “Sovereign, Jelarke? I have come to discuss the possible imminent peril of the irregularity found at the outer edge of this galaxy.”
“So, I understand.” His disdain was evident in his tone.
“Sovereign, I believe the possible hazard is real and that an effort must be made to monitor the situation, study this anomaly and to determine what must be done to prevent it from spreading further.”
“Have you proven that the spreading of this oddity is a risk to life in our galaxy?”
“Sovereign, no. But that is the purpose of analyzing the phenomenon before it actually proves to be a danger and hopefully prevent same,” Druce said.
“What is required to study the curiosity?”
“Sovereign, Jelarke. I request that I be allowed to coordinate with every race in the galaxy that can contribute to this project. I ask that you grant me the authority to have all of them send ships with scientific personnel and equipment that will facilitate discovering what is happening in that region of space and hopefully determine a course of action to prevent any loss of life or property.”
“I so authorize,” Jelarke commanded. “You will have it in writing by tomorrow.”
“Sovereign Jelarke. You are wise and I thank you for your time and good judgment.”
Druce was dismissed and he left by bowing and backing up ten feet before he turned and left the monarch’s chamber. As he returned home he felt a sense of impending dread and was certain that things would get a lot worse before they got better. The Calaren presence here in the Yoplain galaxy was tentative at best. Most galaxies had trusted and accepted the Calaren offer to oversee their galaxy. The Calaren made it clear that they were there to help, give advice, increase technology discreetly and to work with, not intervene, in the every day lives of the inhabitants. Some races insisted on having it in writing, some embraced the Calaren, some begrudgingly tolerated the partnership, as the Yoplains did, desiring the advantages but only enduring their being there and a slight few outright refused and defied the offer. That refusal made the Calaren want to keep an eye on those races even more than the ones they were allowed into. But they did not spy, only monitored.
Upon his return home, he discussed the meeting with Icky.
“He was surprisingly cooperative,” Druce informed her.
“I’m sure you convinced him that it would be prudent to authorize the project,” she complimented her husband. “I still think we should call in our own scientists to assist the endeavor.”
“Now, remember, Icky. We are not here to be intrusive. We must work together with these people and not appear to be invasive in their troubles.”
“From what you are telling me, it sounds like it may be beyond their capabilities and may even be something that could be a threat to more than just this galaxy.”
“You are right, my dear,” he agreed. “If it keeps growing and if it is life threatening, this problem could extend beyond this galaxy.”
“At least he saw the astuteness of turning the supervision of the project over to you,” she said as her brow wrinkled with apprehension that showed that she too sensed ominous consequences on the horizon. She looked up at him. “I’m concerned about you.”
Druce put his arms around her and she rested her head in the crook of his neck.
“Maybe we should find something to do while we wait so as not to think about it,” he suggested.
“I’ll start preparing a late breakfast,” she offered. “Brunch, as I think the Earthlings call it. I can whip something up in a moment, if you like?”
Druce nodded as he realized that he was hungry. They shared a kiss and she got up and made her way to the kitchen. It wasn’t long before Druce’s olfactory sense detected the aromas of good Calaren dishes. They ate in silence and waited.
Finally, the next day, Druce’s authorization papers came by courier. Druce set about contacting all the races that would be involved in the undertaking. With the mandate coming with the sanction of the Sovereign Jelarke, he had little trouble getting them motivated and on the way to the site. He called the ones farthest away first and it took two days to get them all notified. Two days to get approval, two days to get the ball rolling and everyone could be there in three days, Druce counted his blessings that he was able to have achieved the inception of the venture in only one week. The mission was off to as good a beginning as could be expected under the circumstances.
It was an impressive sight. There were hundreds of ships from numerous races cooperating in a joint task force with the mutual goal of possible survival. Druce and Icky were together on the lead ship delegated by the Yoplains to spearhead this investigation. They made an inspiring congregation of a wide variety of space vessels and a powerful testament to the concepts of teamwork and collaboration.
More extraordinarily imposing than that was the anomaly. Druce was amazed and appalled at how much it had developed in the last seven days. It was a dozen times its previous size and could be seen light years from its genesis. The ships surrounded it from all tangents and still were not even remotely adjacent to each other. Everyone was looking at it and stared in awe of its size and its growth. Druce had to break the stoic gawking session and got the examination underway.
Many tests of every kind were performed on an ongoing basis. Druce told each ship to run every test it could without concern that someone else may have already run it. He wanted every confirmation he could get of every facet of the anomaly and its increasing size. He gave them free reign and reports poured in for his scrutiny. Every conceivable test was being performed and since Druce was not expert on all of them, he encouraged them to give him more than just the data. He let them draw conclusions and give their opinions on what was happening in the reports.
About nine days into the study, one ship made an error. No one was authorized to make any advances or do anything overtly aggressive towards the phenomenon. But one ship commander got impatient and monumentally stupidly fired on the singularity. The ship approached way to close to the object and then fired its laser weapon directly at a protruding pink dart. After a few seconds delay, the shard reached out and swallowed the ship entirely. It just spread out until its scope included the ship that fired upon it and gulped it up. All attempts to contact the ship went unanswered. It could not be said if the ship and crew were dead or if the communication signals just couldn’t get through.
Druce was convinced now that there was some intelligence behind this intruder. If it had reacted immediately, he would have thought it was a normal and to be expected, physical reaction to the laser, but the hesitation was enough to persuade Druce that something or someone thought about its response before it performed it. He felt this event told him more about what was going on than all the data had so far informed him.
The ships were constantly backing away from the growing invader. The observations were not producing as much helpful data as Druce had hoped and even less useful conclusions. The intruder was increasing in size, inconsistently but definitely exponentially. It could not be determined what the entity was composed of but it had proven to be dangerous. The starting rupture in the ether was no longer a rip but now a ball that was spreading in every direction. No one could prove it scientifically but they were certain that our space was being displaced by whatever this thing was.
Commander Glayprin of the Yoplain army was a lot like his ruler. He hated bipeds, he hated the Calaren, he hated being out here doing scientific duty and he hated that peace had come with the interruption of the Calaren. The Yoplain were not a conquering race but they were the type to prefer aggression to diplomacy. With his king’s acquiescence to the interference of the Calaren into their affairs came a more peaceful galaxy. Glayprin did not like the changes, he was used to conflict and even war when he could get it.
“The loss of that ship and its crew was brought about by their own indiscretion,” Glayprin raised his voice.
“It proves there is grave danger here, Commander Glayprin,” Druce remained calm.
“No, it does not. They made a mistake and paid the cost, but that does not prove overt danger. I do not want to be here but my king demands that I be here. I will do my duty and we will not cry for help from you bipedal Calaren.”
“May I remind you that every other race here is biped?” said Druce.
“No. You may not. Continue with the testing and quit whining.”
This did not set well with Druce but he let it slide. He knew that part of the reason; most of the reason for Glayprin’s animosity was because of his dislike for the Calaren and his wanting to be independent of them and their help. Of course, to Druce his stubbornness was just as stupid as the ship being lost for committing an error. They could not be sure if the ship was destroyed or just sucked into a trap. It could not be picked up on any ship’s sensors. For now he would wait, but not much longer before he sounded the alarm.
Another week passed and it now occupied the entire end of the Yoplain galaxy. The planet Creot that had sent out the initial alert was now in the process of being evacuated. The pink stain was infesting our universe and was now within days of swallowing up that planet. Most of the ships had left the site and were assisting in getting the planets inhabitants to safety. But where was safe? Druce again conferred with his wife.
“They cannot withdraw from the planet in time,” Druce told her what she already knew. “Or from the galaxy quickly enough, for that matter.”
“How fast is the growth?”
“We can only estimate since its growth varies daily,” he said exasperated. “Our best guess is that in less than forty days it will engulf this entire galaxy. In a few months after that it will begin to come in contact with the surrounding galaxies.”
“I guess that settles the issues of danger and asking for help,” Icky said resigned.
“Yes, it does. We need to contact the Calaren home world and inform them that we have a galactic emergency that needs immediate attention. There comes a time when we have to do what we know is right and I think most, if not everyone but the Yoplains would agree with our decision.”
Druce began to place the call.
