Truth Revealed Volume 1: FROM THE SERIES OF BEYOND WORLDS

By Wesley D Cooley

Times never seemed bleaker on the once lively planet of Duron. The merciless demons fought incessantly. All of them collectively wondered: how did it get to this point? How did they get from having the upper hand to having their lives in tight clenches of the Emperor Thanatos' hands? Inch by inch, moment by moment, they felt their lives slipping

• Language: English
• Publisher: Paramount Publisher
• Release date: Oct 15, 2020
• ISBN: 9781913969646

Book preview

PROLOGUE

A SHATTERED WORLD

Trembling!! The Grey Reapers and his Wraiths alike, one by one, shuddering, dropped to the ground in fear, as Supreme Emperor Lord Thanatos flew just inches over their heads. With its enormous black wings pounding like thunder. Its high pitch gurgling scream from the throat of his two-headed Dragon Abraxas. Thanatos waved his death staff over his head like a wild-uncontrolled nightmare. In an unmistakable glass shattering baritone voice, he screamed to his Wraiths from the depth of his forever forsaken soul. 

 Every Empire… since the dawn of time, was forged in blood. YOU… must decide… do you want it to be THEIR blood… or YOURS… For REAPERS to rise… ALL others must fall. IF you want to see your species survive, you WILL conquer this world. The life of the Duronians has passed. A new age is here and pounding at the door. It is how hard you fight today that will seal your fate. We have the capability, and now is the moment we change the course of history in our galaxy, FOREVER. You DO NOT! You WILL NOT want to disappoint me,

Thanatos reigned supreme overall, knowing there was no one to oppose him. There couldn’t be when he had the Supreme power on his side. He looked over his dominion, wondering how long it would be before he succumbed to the demanding tests that his Lord was putting him through. 

***

It had never been darker. The night had never been longer. It was like the clouds were closing in on them, suffocating, weakening. How did it get to this point? How did they get from having the upper hand to having their souls in tight clenches of the Emperor Thanatos’ hands? Inch by inch, moment by moment, they felt their lives slipping out of their bodies. For the Duronians, this was real. They could see him soaring high, in all his might, and fiery wrath that he was ready to inflict on them at any second. Without regret, without another thought. If they knew Thanatos, and they did, their end was, in fact, exceptionally near.

Fear. The only emotion each of them felt at that moment. Fear of losing their people, the dread of their planet destroyed anxiety of being outnumbered.

And the fear of not having any chance of fighting back. Their bodies hung at the mercy of this Evil Emperor. All they could do was to look on in horror as he soared higher, in darkening fires, and shrieking sounds of their doom.

Haunting, his voice echoed in the hollows as if it was the warning bells of their impending death. It was loud and yet coming in whispers. His menacing voice was sending shivers of fright through their entire being. It was that rage they felt from every word he screamed out. Was this going to be over for them? The planet of Duron, as the universe knew, would soon cease to exist. It was a time when history would rewrite, and no one would remember they lived.

The victors always write history. After the Reapers would claim victory over them, the Reapers would rewrite their glorious past and brag about all the good they had done for their universe. There will tell extraordinary stories of their battle against the bad, the kind narrated for centuries to come. And sonnets were written on the brave Reapers who defeated the evil Duronians. Reapers, if life would sustain, would sing praises for themselves. They would hail themselves as the heroes. While the Duronians, well, their story would see an end, a terrible one that would finish their lives and end their existence from history.

Even though they had renounced their old ways a long time ago, some preached them still, gathering followers. The ancients, those who reigned supreme in the universe, would never have let this happen. They might be ruthless, but they were the Supreme protectors. Many of the Duronians still wished they were nevertheless in command.

***

Revolving around a bright orange star in the prime of its life is a planet once lush with luminescent life forms. Presence loomed in every corner. Bright and vibrant, it was like everything was perfect once. Anyone who learned of it recognized that the planet represented nothing but bliss. The calm that most life forces lacked, they had it in abundance. Their lives were that of peace and tranquility. It was almost surreal how much warmth and light lived within the vicinity of it. From a distance, one might think all was at peace within this solar setup. 

Zoom in a little closer, and even the untrained eye will catch the Reaper Warbirds' lights surrounding the planet in thick clusters. They were mighty enough to cast away all morning light, plunging the world in darkness. Thick black clouds of fiery flames and dark plumes of smoke hung in the air, born of raging fires all over the once placid surface. There was an intense feeling of loss of life lingering in the air. The smell that reeks of death grasping the surroundings into its tight grips. A deafening silence was echoing, haunting in every corner. But, once you get close enough to the place for sound to travel, the screams of wailing Duronians become all too clear. It is frightening and saddening at the same time. 

***

Thanks to their developed Cloaking Technology, Starship Sybil floated unobserved above the town of Rachen. Its mighty presence remained unaware to those who were on its tail, wanting to erase its existence. 

Commander Ahmad surveyed the ominous fleet presence along his home district. Three Rateraz Ships and a fast-moving bird-like Swarm was approaching at a measured speed. He brushed a calloused hand over his forehead. His tight lips pursed as he looked out. The Swarms, dammit, he announced to his crew. We must get around those tricky bastards.

His head of security, Cyndria Jomana, smooth the lines on her forehead. In her heart, she kept cursing the damned Chameleons who had infiltrated their safety and their government. The Douronians had taken such a long time to realize that they compromised their ranks. Even her sisters, those whom she had grown up and loved. Those whom she had learned so much but failed to rise to their level, all dead because the government was lax until they realized that they were about to be extinct. 

The elite force of women, those who wielded the universe’s holistic power, all assassinated in a single strike, setting the Duronian army back centuries. She cursed them again, turning her attention back to the matter at hand.

As long as our ship’s power holds out, and we can stay in our stealth protocol mode, we should be okay. However, this new cloaking takes way too much power, Cyndria told him, brushing her reddish-blonde hair out of her eyes. There were tiny beads of sweat covering her pale, fair skin. She wiped her forehead as she composed herself. The worst thing now would be if the Swarms would come to know of their presence. They needed time to carry out their mission.

That shouldn’t be a problem, as long as everything goes according to plan, said Ahmad. His focus appeared fixed on the scene outside of his ship. Our decoy explosion should attract the attention of the Swarms in another minute. He checked his time sensor before continuing. T minus ten seconds, to be exact.

They heard the dynamic explosion and saw the thick black smoke rise ahead to the East of the snow-covered mountain. Thousands of small bird looking creatures, each with the ability to explode on impact, moved as one in its direction, with a swooping, intricate coordination. If one would look at it, they seemed like ordinary birds. Their flight looked almost like a synchronized dance. If it were not because they could destroy, burn, and explode anything they contacted, it would not be wrong to say they were rather beautiful.

Cyndria watched them soar overhead in absolute awe and bewilderment. I know they’re evil, but every time I look at them, it feels so awesome. Just look, they are like a flock of birds all migrating together, breath-taking and glorious.

Ahmad waved an impatient hand in a manner to make Cyndria stay on the matter at large. That’s all very well, but it is time we complete this part of our mission while those infernal Swarms stay fixated on the decoy. Looking at our power index, we don’t have a lot of energy left, so we must hurry before our cloaking and shields stop working!

Cyndria nodded in agreement. You are correct, Commander. This cloaking is draining our power, and we may have to switch to just using our shields. We can’t keep in this stealth mode much longer, maybe another fifteen minutes at max.

I believe that’s more than enough time, said Ahmad, reassuring her. If it all went according to plan, they should finish well within that time. He turned his attention to his second in command. Mido, how do you read the situation? he inquired.

The second-in-command rubbed his rugged face. His dirty blonde hair had grown out of proportion. He had meant to get a haircut before they got to this mission but had failed. And now his eyes, looking just like his sisters, covered in those long bangs of hair strands. His tanned skin looked paler under the ship’s bright lights, with added amounts of worry and stress mixing with the situation. He released a sigh and focused on the screens. 

They’re corralling our citizens into camps at the edge of the port, he said. You need nothing more than a few Grey Reapers for that. We will see a couple of Wraiths out there, leading them. Mido assessed, informing his Commander. 

Ahmad nodded, Well, our mission is to bring the citizens to safety, to Grens. We’ll take down the ships at the shore of the city so our carrier ship Plutaris can get them to freedom. He informed his crew. He wanted everyone’s full attention. Yes, they had set out to defeat the Reapers and destroy their ships, but their number one mission was to rescue the civilians of Duron.

So long as we’re stealthy about it. I understand we need to keep our minds on our primary goal, but let us not forget, for us to stay alive, we must remain undetected by the Swarms, foremost, said Cyndria.

We’re there; everyone must prepare yourself. Ahmad nodded to no one in particular. Turning his attention to the task before him, he sucked in a needed breath to brace himself. It was as if he was preparing for the entire mission to come. Mido, Load the proton lasers. He ordered in a commanding but encouraging voice.

Under his direction, even from the bridge, you could hear the large proton cannons crackled with restrained power. It was the sound that soothed Ahmad as he felt closer to achieving what he had set out to do. He focused on the three Rateraz ships moving frightened Duronians along. Grey Reapers walked among the civilians, ready to jolt them with whips releasing high voltage electricity at the slightest provocation. Ahmad watched as children stumbled forward, crying out for their parents in high wails. 

He looked on in an unsettling feeling of grief, guilt, and sadness as one child stumbled upon something and lost his balance. Lost was the hand of his mother, which she held during the fall. Terrified with what he would suffer next, the little boy’s eyes glistened with tears as low whimpers of silent cries escaped his scared and trembling lips. Ahmad clenched his fists. It took all his self-control and all the restraint he could gather within him to not blow up the ships right there and then. Ahmad would make the Reapers pay for what they had done to his people. He made a vow to himself. He would not take to the sufferings these Reapers inflicted upon the innocents of Duron without retaliation.

 Cyndria, when Mido is ready, disengage our cloaking so he can blow them out of the sky. Mido, wait for the civilians to pass that barricade, Ahmad instructed.

Turning his attention to his crew, then re-focusing on the ships in front of them, he seethed in anger and a detached bemusement… And then, that’s it! Take out the one on the left! He ordered with a crooked smile that did not go unnoticed.

Mido snapped into action upon orders from his Commander. He could see the smile on his face, and he knew that he had worked hard for this day. Saving innocent civilians meant everything at that moment. They were his people, after all. Sybil’s crew had a lot riding on this mission as it considered them the elite force against this enemy. 

Cyndria dropped their cloaking as Sybil shimmered into view. Mido turned his Attention to the panel in front of him, aiming his cannon from the on-board computer system with precision. Green laser beams shot out in sync and directly impacted the cylinders on one of the Rateraz ships, which exploded into a shower of orange sparks. The surrounding space became smoky in flares of fire, and a thick haze of smoke clouds surrounded them. It all felt beautiful and satisfying.

Below, the marching citizens looked up in shock before erupting in cheers. Their laughter and screams of joy felt like music. Although subdued, because the Grey Reaper guards were still hovering over their heads, they cheered as much as they could get away with, for even a small celebration felt great. Ahmad knew they did not have the luxury of self-congratulation yet, for they had used up the time their decoy had bought them.

They heard other baits explode as the Swarms slammed into their targets with acrobatic accuracy in the distance. The Swarms focused on their planted decoys. Using this gave them enough time to destroy Rateraz ships, but perhaps they took longer to target the enemy vessels than Ahmad had expected. 

The Swarm was on high alert now and on their way. Already the remaining two Rateraz ships were trying to deactivate Sybil’s shields. Ahmad could not let that happen. The Sybil had to protect the Plutaris to rescue the civilians. So far, the ship remained unharmed; their shields were holding. Without this protection, Sybil had little chance against the fast-approaching Swarms. Ahmad narrowed his eyes. 

Take down the other Rateraz to your south before the Swarm reaches us! He ordered Mido once again in haste. Swarms had diverged from their decoys and were at full speed heading in their direction. Although they had their shields up, it was just a matter of time before they came down anew.

Mido, taking the orders once again, aimed the laser cannons in the second ship’s direction. With an ear breaking explosion, the assisted ship went down in a crash of smoke and wreckage. Once again, heavy smoke clouds and bright flames of fire filled the area. 

Below, the watching Duronians were dancing now, unheeding of their Grey Reaper guards’ fury. They were rejoicing in minor celebrations. There seemed to be a new hope ignited within them. Ahmad felt happy looking at them for a moment, but he knew that there was no occasion for that, as they still had a lot left to accomplish.

 Cyndria, No time, no time! Keep those Shields up! yelled Ahmad in a stern, commanding tone. 

Ahmad faced the scenario with a grim look on his face. Rescuing these civilians was a minor victory, but any success was something to live for, to continue fighting for what was right. Their journey was far from ending. There were many obstacles they had to endure, and many more battles they needed to win. But saving the citizens had been an excellent first step. 

He smiled too soon. The shields sputtered, then went down. The Reaper Rateraz ship, together with the Swarm, had located their heat signature. Ahmad shot a stressed look at Cyndria as if asking her for her help. She shrugged, 15 minutes, max.

Ahmad groaned, defeated and irritated. You also said they looked glorious and breath-taking. Do they look like that now, Swarming into our direction? he shot back before turning his attention to the matter at hand. Start evasive maneuver and divert all power to the shields, stat.

Aye, Captain, said Cyndria, as sarcastic as was appropriate given the situation. Brushing the previous comment off, she shut down the ship’s left cylinder to cut thrust, and the vessel pivoted, avoiding the incoming Swarm just in time. The Sybil dipped and sidestepped the Swarm, another maneuver from it just missing the bridge. Everyone released the breath, which they did not realize they were holding, as they focused on the third ship that was still on the radar. 

They lined up on the third Rateraz. 

Get the full maze of cannon lasers ready, Mido! said the Commander.

Way ahead of you, sir. Taking long-range shots at the emerging incoming fire with an accurate aim, he knew what he was doing. Knowing he could because he had always been the academy’s best shooter.

He took a deep breath, sucking in as much strength as he could gather, giving himself a silent pep talk; he braced himself and released the shots. Each of the bursts he fired connected, and the resulting explosion was massive, just as he had expected. It was ending in a haze of fire, taking down the last Rateraz ship.

Now, all we have to do is to evade the mindless Swarm, said Ahmad. He looked over at Cyndria. Got any ideas for your glorious Swarms?

Cyndria shot him a quick, darted look. She slammed her hand on the Code Red button, praying it would work. Then the auto ship’s cloaking technology started, and the shields went up again. In the air, the Swarm swirled together in a circular motion, then dispersed when they could not find the Sybil.

At last, the ship’s communication fizzled into action. Very well done, Ahmad, said Commander Rez’s beaming face. Glad we could hold our position even though we couldn’t offer much in the way of backup, or we would have given our position away! Even yet, their ship’s computer system had a little dodgy sound quality; the pride in Commander Rez’s voice was apparent and could not miss understood.

Ahmad declared. All a matter of teamwork, Rez. Is Plutaris ready to pick up the citizens?

Ready, Replied Rez

Standby, let me start the next diversion for these insistent Swarms. Said Ahmad. He pressed the control button, which set off an explosion on the other side of the mountain.

As the Swarm headed toward the distraction, Ahmad said in a matter-of-fact tone. The distraction worked Rez, hurry, and pick up our citizens; we must hustle. 

As if on cue, Starship Plutaris dropped its cloaking and shimmered into view. We’re landing now. Came the voice of Commander Rez.

It floated downward, and the ship crew exited. The team of the Plutaris dispatched the few Reaper guards with precise efficiency, and the crew members wasted no time loading the citizens into the transport. The entire operation took less than ten minutes. It felt like a tremendous achievement. Ahmad could not help feeling a sense of pride in himself and his team. Through the glass of Sybil, he could see the civilians now boarding the Plutaris. They were all engaged in hugs with their faces radiating in smiles and calmness. They mirrored an image of sunshine after long days of a massive storm. Tired but happy, the peace, oozing from their entire persona, became the validation that Ahmad had wanted since the start.

Plutaris rose into the now darkening sky, joining Sybil. Rez grinned at Ahmad through the ship communications. Good day at work?

***

Those would be the last words he would ever say before Plutaris exploded in a burst of yellow fire and acrid smoke. 

Sybil’s cloaking went down again. Before Ahmad could respond or even register what had taken place, there was nothing but thick gushes of vapor in a place where Plutaris floated just mere seconds ago. Mido and Cyndria both let out howls of dismay and shock, and Ahmad yelled into the comms. Rez! Rez, come in! unable to believe what had developed, his desperate cries for Commander Rez echoed in the tense air.

No, Cyndria cried out. He’s gone, as is every civilian on that ship. Ahmad, we need to get out of here. They’ve called in too many reinforcements for us to have a chance! she tried to divert him back to reality. It was a tragedy, but they could not dwell in it as of now. Their ship was running low on power, and the Swarms were nevertheless on their tail. If they wanted to make it out alive, they needed to focus and think out their strategy. 

Sure enough, there loomed several Rateraz ships on the horizon. They could see the seething Wraith in the cockpit of the nearest one, grinning at them with its vicious teeth. Even from afar, he looked menacing. The Sybil destroyed three of their ships and almost ruined their mission. That was until they flipped the tables. Ahmad knew the enemy was angry, they had come in large numbers, and they were coming with a raising vendetta. Escaping the Rateraz ships at this point would not be easy. The only saving chance they had was their cloaking. 

Ahmad sucked in a breath and yelling. Cyndria, their battlecruisers are locking weapons. Either get us into stealth mode or at least get those shields up, now, or we are dead! 

We don’t have enough power, Commander! said Cyndria in a defeated tone.

Give me thirty seconds, Cyndria! That should be sufficient time for our escape! Ahmad tried reasoning, even though he knew it was a lot to ask at this point.

Cyndria cut life support capacity and rerouted it to the force shields as it sputtered into existence. Without waiting for further orders, Cyndria took control and flew away from the oncoming fleet of Rateraz ships.

As the Wraith lined up his weapons opportunity, Ahmad yelled out, They are locked on, brace yourself for impact. The enemy attempted the shot as the Sybil jerked to the left. The laser just missed by inches.

Sybil shaking with the full force of its engines deployed. Cyndria sped up the ship to its maximum speed. With the shields down again, that was all the time the Swarm needed. Cyndria registered the Swarm coming toward their course with a sense of impending doom. She was wrong. There was nothing glorious about their flight. At that moment, they saw sharp, fiery knives heading their way to pierce the very souls from their bodies.

Impact in 9 seconds! she yelled. We must transport now, Commander! If they stayed on the ship, there was no way they would survive the impact. 

Ahmad turned to Mido. With a single gesture, Mido jammed his thumb at the control panel. A beam of light enveloped the three of them, dematerializing them right before the Swarm made an impact with the ship. A massive explosion sounded as the flames erupted, causing heavy clouds of smoke to form. 

They materialized into a wooden shelter on the ground below, their breaths hitching as the ship exploded above them. Before they could even gather themselves as they landed, Ahmad’s wrist comm started buzzing. Ahmad’s crew knew that they had no time to grieve over their failed mission and dead friends.

***

Come in, Commander Ahmad. Command and control, do you read me, over? 

Yes, control, this is Commander Ahmad, go ahead.

Sir, it requires your presence at the General Counsel. Bring your team, came the reply from control.

There was silence for a brief second, but it felt long as everyone let out a defeated sigh.

Roger that, please give transport to our location, said Ahmad. They did not know what would happen next, but Ahmed knew he hated that they were going back empty-handed after coming so close to achieving their mission. Perhaps Commander Rez was wrong. He did not have what it took to carry out a task without backup.

***

Council Hall was an open area within the Senator Building. Duronian political representatives convened meetings here. The center of the Chamber featured an extended podium for speakers. It was the likes of a parliament but had a long line of platforms in place of the ovular tables that were present in the parliament.

When Ahmad walked in with Cyndria and Mido by his side, the Organization was loud and more crowded than he could ever remember it being. All Commanders of the different factions of the Duronians had gathered. There was no animosity between them, no seniority, and no inferiority between them except for the high command sitting in the middle of the room. At the podium stood the High Chancellor. Ahmad knew that there was something even more significant than their failed mission at play. 

Attention Commander Ahmed, please take a seat at the front table, thank you, said the High Chancellor. Cyndria and Mido, you two as well. He gestured in their direction and ordered in a calm voice. Although the entire room’s air was reading a strange feeling of tension, the High Chancellor always had a quiet demeanor. He still had a prim and proper fitted suit on, his black hair pushed back, and his enormous eyes always emotionless. The Chancellor was a hard man to read. He carried himself so that, even in the toughest and gravest situations, peering at him would send an understanding of peace in anyone.

He waited for the three to sit.

Picking up a brass looking hammer, he beat it on the podium several times. Attention, everyone, please take your seats. Ahmad, of course, we were all hoping the three of you would return from your mission victorious, he said in his resounding voice. But well, your defeat illustrates the very point I have been making in this Chamber. We cannot hope to win an all-out war against the Reapers without help, given our current resources. He pointed out in a stern, ‘I told you so,’ manner, before gesturing through his hands across the table. 

The High Chancellor had always been a savvy, cunning man. Those who knew him could not tell any more about the man than those whom he had met once in his life. His complete unpredictability and cunning were the very reason that Duron had survived this long. Most of the high command had voted out his initial effort to place a contingency in place. They thought it was a matter of ego, yet it was just one of simple acceptance and humility. Most of the Duronians lacked this, including Commander Ahmed sitting in front of him right now. Knowing this was the only way forward.

He wanted to sigh, but he recomposed himself, knowing that it wouldn’t suit his station. He was producing a 3D hologram that then sprang into view. 

We’re losing at every level. We emerge triumphant from the occasional battle, but this is a bloodbath. The great Chancellor was waving a hand above the hologram at play. Images of Reaper ships on the planet flickered. "The war is not just on the planet’s surface, but also for control over our airspace