The Last Warrior - Chapter 1

The Last Warrior
By Christopher Osmundson

Chapter 1
The Fires of Mahkes II

The illustrious Warrior Legions of the Harmonious Woiyar Empire
are the greatest military forces to ever be assembled. Our soldiers are
proficient with melee, firearm, and unarmed combat. The Three Warrior
Tiers: The Fist Kata, the Gun Kata, and the Blade Kata. The Tiers are
also accompanied by the Warrior Armor. A relic of the Earth Age, the
Warrior Armor is a nanotech suit that marginally increases a soldier's
strength, stamina, dexterity, and reaction time, as well as being one
of the strongest alloys to exist within our Empire. With all these things,
not even the blood thirsty Draalthi can withstand our might. Our
Warriors are sworn protectors of the Divine Right of the Emperor and
there has never been a single Warrior that has defected from the Empire.

- Ralik Woiyar, Lord Commander of the Warrior Legions

Fire was all he saw as he stood upon what was left of Mahkes II, the spark that lit the fire of the Blood War: the war between the Draalthi and the Harmonious Woiyar Empire. The air was acrid and it burned the inner walls of his lungs as he breathed it in. The entire planet shook with the rage and ferocity that one would imagine a planet, if it could express emotions, would feel. Fire sprang up from the seas of magma that populated this grim world and the air was filled with burning hot ashes. And although the warrior armor was able to protect him from most of the heat, he could still feel the warmth against the blood red plates and leather-like inner armor as it threatened to sear it's way through to his unprotected flesh.

"Who are you, that challenges me?!” the voice was heavy, filled with anger, and it came from behind him. He quickly turned to see who spoke it, and looked upon a man kneeling on the ground, clutching a wound. His bright gray hair covered his face but he could see his gritted teeth clearly as he let out a low guttural growl. The man pushed himself up from the ground to reveal his warrior armor, the gold traces running across it glimmering in the balefire glow of the planet's seas of fire. The armor was older, more archaic, then what he wore. Made more for show then for the battlefield, the armor of nobility, but not just any nobility, the Emperor of the Harmonious Woiyar Empire.

"The Power I possess is beyond your comprehension, Raeth. I grow.. so tired.. of your insolence. You think you can harm me? I am the Emperor of the Woiyar Empire, I command vast legions of Warriors like yourself and the greatest fleet Known Space and it's hideous alien scum have ever seen.” the Emperor merely sighed and pointed at him with his free hand as he spoke, his words filled with an almost poisonous anger, one that tried to slither into one's mind and corrupt it, "And you? What are you? Darius Raeth, Warrior of the Woiyar Empire and son of Barton, the greatest Warrior to ever serve my armies. It was a shame when he left to breed with that Ithacan wench, but he had to die. Even so, I acquired you out of the blood shed, even though you pale in comparison to him."

Darius grit his teeth, anger welling up inside him as the Emperor spoke to him, spoke of his mother, father, and himself in such a way. He gripped for his sword, but found his sheath empty, and his holster just as lonely. With no weapons there was only one thing to do, and it came instinctively to him. His fists moved forward and he put one foot forward, clearing his mind of all thoughts as he entered the stance of the Warrior Fist Kata, the first Warrior Tier to be mastered by Candidates; Warrior Students. The Emperor moved his blood-covered hand from his wound, holding it out to Darius before using his index and middle finger to beckon to him, "You're mine, Son of Raeth!"

As his eyes opened after blinking, he was no longer on Mahkes II, but rather on Ithaca and he couldn't feel more at peace. He stood upon the healthy green grass of the hills, breathing in the incredibly clean air that was a complete opposite to the ash-filled air of Mahkes. He closed his eyes and fell back onto the grass, letting out a laugh as he felt complete and utter bliss. He was home, finally home. And then the sound of a child's laughter, that was hauntingly familiar, opened his eyes.

He saw his house, the house he grew up in, where he helped his father with the crops and his mother with the chores. He realized what day this was, a day that terrorized his dreams to this very day and possibly continue to follow him until the day he died. As if from a shadow of evil, Draalthi soldiers appeared from behind the house, clad in orange jumpsuits with two large purple stripes running down the left side of their uniforms that were clad with knives, firearms, and other tools of battle, and Draalthi blade fighters, frigates, and a carrier roared across the sky, raining las-fire down upon crops, villagers, and the small city that made up the most concentrated center of population on Ithaca.

He watched as his father, his teacher, and his hero, Barton, a strong man with curly jet-black hair, muscular build, and intense eyes rushed him into the safety shelter and quickly shut it before he could protest. His father ran at the vicious Draalthi and attacked, beginning to disable them as he moved and struck swiftly with the Fist Kata. Several of the Draalthi fell to the ground screaming, but he could not stop a whole squad of them without a weapon. They pointed their Draalthi laser rifles at him and opened fire.

Tears streaked down his mask less face, his father never screamed, never revealed his pain. He died finishing off one more of them, dying a hero's death, a Warrior's death. He grit his teeth before standing up, running towards the house screaming, "Father! Father! You monsters, I will make you pay, I promise you!" When he reached them he began to punch at them, releasing his rage with a flurry of Fist Kata attacks and the punches merely passed through them, he was powerless to stop the inevitable.

His Mother walked out of the house, looking to her husband, as he lay dead. There was no blood; the white-hot heat of the las-fire cauterized the wounds. She was beautiful, with flowing green hair, pale creamy skin, and the vibrant green Ithacan eyes that her people shared. She moved to her husband, pulling him into her lap and clutching him close. The Draalthi seemed smug as their Vikto Lord strode over to her, grabbing her by her leaf green hair and her defenseless throat. He then violently twisted and a loud snap immediately followed. His Mother slumped over, holding onto her husband.

Darius merely fell to his knees, weeping openly as they strode along past their bodies, each soldier giving their bodies a good swift kick: to make sure they were dead and then went on their way towards the town to take more innocent life. As they left, he looked upon the bodies, looking at the red blood the flowed from their broken wounds. It was red, not the thick black of the Draalthi but a dark red color of human blood. He sighed, this was the moment that made and unmade his existence. This moment made him a Warrior; it later made him a traitor and exile. He then closed his eyes and fell to the grass as he heard the laughter of a heavy voice in his mind, the laughter of the Emperor.

As he hit the ground, it was not grass, but the Primium alloy of the floor. He pushed himself up and wiped the sleep from his tired eyes. Every night had been like this, and every night he could barely remember his dreams. Only bits and pieces of Mahkes II, Ithaca, and the laughing of the Emperor as his parents died. He moved to a container crate, tapping the circular surface and waiting for the flapped top to open, moving clockwise as each layer moved underneath the next layer, like pie slices hiding underneath other pie slices. He then grabbed a small Ithacan drinking flask from the innards of the crate, spinning the cap open and taking a deep drink from it, allowing the green-tinted waters to rest in his mouth before swallowing, savoring the sweet fructose taste.

He made his way towards the front of the small craft, entering the cockpit and watching the magnificent star-filled void of space. He was now on the far reaches of Known Space, the Wild Regions, as they were known. He was alone and it was better that way, no one else would be in danger. He was an exile, leaving the Empire behind after discovering all the terrible acts it had committed. He closed his eyes and sighed, taking a moment to rest and contemplate the situation.

He had received a holo-transmission from a close friend, Ja’ak that the Emperor had disappeared and, like the power hungry dogs they were, the nobles began to fight one another for who would 'watch over' the Empire in the Emperor's absence. Ja'ak had told him that if there was ever going to be a time where the Empire was at it's weakest, now was the time. He was already trying to amass rebel forces on Kirana V and he wanted Darius' help. But he wasn't sure if he should do it, going back to Civilized Space was a death wish but if he could stop the Woiyar Empire and restore his family honor, then it would have to be done.

The ship came to life as he brought power to the systems. The gauge screens, control hub, electric lights and view screen HUD lit up. He tapped the command console touch screen, starting up the engines and taking the light drives out of cold hibernation where the energy was restored and circuitry repaired. The Soft and Hard Light Drives hummed with energy and began to release their constant color-changing glow. He entered the startup codes and then allowed the Hard Light Drive to develop a safe path through space to Kirana V, and then the Soft Light Drive added it's teleport rate to the Hard Light travel path which he quickly changed from one teleport per second to two, constant teleportation exposure was hazardous to one's health but he had to reach Kirana V quickly.

As the systems finished their primary duties, the grabbed the Light Drive lever, twisting it counter-clockwise, pulling it's red, plastic-covered, handle back and then forcefully pushed it forward. The Hermes, the craft that he had aquired from years of work and pay, screamed with life as it hurled forward through the vast expanse of space. It became a blur as the Hard Light Drive activated and then it became a constant stream of displacement as the Soft Light Drive activated. The ship, as it traveled at light speed, teleported ahead of itself twice for every second. That meant the Hermes was going three times the speed of light as it blasted through Known Space towards Kirana V.

The Soft Light Drive was a wonder of technology, without it the planets of Known Space would not be able to trade or communicate with one another except through high-powered Vox Casters. The Soft Drive's creation was steeped in mystery, though the Woiyar Empire sternly states that it was created by Humans, though the Draalthi say that it was a creation of the Yig-fi, a highly advanced technologically focused race that was once part of the Planetary Union. The peaceful council that allowed all planets to work together. Where were the Yig-fi after the Woiyar Empire crushed the Planetary Union and become the rulers of Known Space? They served the Empire, working deep within their research and developmental stations on several Prime Empire Planets: the most easily controlled planets in the Empire, the population made up mostly of Humans.

The Hard Light Drive was something that nearly every race in the Planetary Union, including Humans, had developed. If they hadn't, it would be unlikely that the Planetary Union would exist at all. Light Speed travel was the thin thread that held the alien races of the Planetary Union together until the Soft Light Drive was developed. The faster then light travel allowed a great deal more trading and business between planets, and it also allowed the Woiyar Empire the speed with which it deployed it's troops upon Planetary Union planets, taking control and throwing down the original galactic senate in favor of it's Empire.

Once the Woiyar Empire took over, it took very little time for its religion the Church of the One to begin removing the native religions of the alien races, by force if necessary. The Ordo Gaia, a religious sect within the Woiyar Empire was very different, only teaching the races of the universe the ways of the Planet Spirit if they wished to learn. Because of their non-aggressive nature, the Ordo Gaia was obviously the choice that most races chose for their religion, but, of course, the Church of the One would not allow this, and forced the Ordo Gaia to the Wild Regions of Known Space.

The Church of the One espoused the belief that there was one deity, one god, and one creator: The One. And that the Divine Warrior Emperor of the Woiyar Emperor was chosen by the One to lead the universe into enlightenment. The Church of the One was not intentionally bad, merely misguided, and the Emperor had made sure of that. The Church of the One came from the union of the Monotheistic Religions of the Earth Age and the belief of a deity more powerful then the Emperor was a threat to his power, and so the Emperors have continuously used the Church for their own power, stating they the One had chosen the Emperor as the Divine Ruler of Known Space.

And with the threat of alien military uprisings, alien religions, and the Ordo Gaia out of the picture, there was little the Late Planetary Union could do to resist the might of the Woiyar Empire. The Empire controlled Known Space with an iron fist: the Warrior Legions. The Warriors were the ultimate fighting force and were rightly feared due to their prowess and skill of the Three Warrior Tiers: The Fist Kata, the Gun Kata, and the Blade Kata. The Warrior Tiers were created from mathematics and martial arts, a strange combination but one that worked. With the Gun Katas, a Warrior understood the traditional trajectories of fire from hostile targets; they studied the Katas rigorously and sparred constantly until they truly understood the Art, another name for the Three Tiers.

Then there was the Warrior Armor, a relic of the Earth Era that allowed protection, heightened physical abilities, reaction time, and mobility. It was full of tools for any situation and it was perfect for combat, highly resistant to both energy and projectile weaponry, at least, compared to other armor. The Draalthi Ukthu, or Flex-Armor, allowed for complete mobility and was nigh invulnerable to energy weaponry. At the beginning of the War of Supremacy, the War that allowed the Empire to take control of Known Space, the Woiyar Empire always used energy weaponry. Plasma and Laser weaponry were the primary firearms of the Woiyar Empire, and once they found the Draalthi couldn't be defeated that way, the decided for a more.. 'low-tech' approach.

Empire Historians poured over Earth Age artifacts and found projectile-based weaponry. The Woiyar Empire began building and using Auto-Pistols, Auto-Rifles, and other projectile weapons. If this data had been lost to time, then the Woiyar Empire would have been decimated. The Draalthi armor was completely resistant to energy weapons, but soon found its armor was next to useless against 'Auto-Weaponry' as the Empire had named it. The Draalthi were crushed, retreated to their system and the Planetary Union lost its most powerful military force, thus costing them the War of Supremacy.

Ever since then, the Woiyar Empire has initiated it's own pogrom to deal with the 'Draalthi Problem', the Draalthi do not feel as though they are merely a thorn in the Empire's backside and said that they were going to war, this would be the Kilon Mak: The Blood War. The Empire continues to fight this war, completely enraged with the might that the Draalthi have amassed since last the two forces clashed. The Draalthi are no mere 'problem', they are a very real threat to the Empire and that is what frightens the Woiyar Empire the most: that all their power hungry struggles will be for naught.
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It had been several days of faster than light speed travel and he had finally reached his destination. He was dressed in his finest attire, a suit his father had worn during the pomp and ceremony that the Warriors regularly took part in. It was a black, regal, uniform with gold trim. It was obviously a soldier's uniform, made to look formal but also maneuverable incase something might happen. It had been a standard Earth Year since he had seen Ja'ak and he wanted to impress his Draalthi friend.

He walked proudly across the ship towards the cockpit, taking a seat and turning the touch screen on, accessing the Light Drive commands. He powered the Drives and the engines down and watched, as the blur of light speed travel became a clear view of Kirana V, straight ahead of him. He typed in the command for the ship to head for Kirana V and then initiate landing procedures before heading back to his own room on the small craft. There he put his belt on which held his weapons, his trusty auto-pistol and modified war rifle in their holsters, and his father's sword: the Hollow Blade, a spoil of war from one of his victories while he served in the Warrior Empire.

The sword was expertly crafted; with a gleaming blade, sturdy black handle, and obsidian edges. It also had Old Earth writing upon the hilt, it said: 'In absentia luci, tenebrae vinciunt'. His father told him it meant 'In the absence of light, darkness prevails'. He swung the sword several times, listening to its clear, silver bell, voice as it sang through the air. He then placed it into its sheath, keeping his hand firmly on the hilt. It was then that he was flung forward by immense shaking, the ship's warning alarm came on and the white lights turned to a dark red. The Hermes was under attack.
He picked himself off, brushing his jacket off as he headed for the cockpit, jumping into the seat and looking out the view screen, as he did his jaw dropped, his eyes widening. Woiyar Corvettes, weapons armed and ready, surrounded him. I might be able to fight my way out of this, but not without significant damage. And an uncalibrated Light Jump would cause serious damage to the light drives and the ship's computer core he thought to himself, rubbing his chin as a message appeared telling him that he was being hailed, which he quickly answered.
The Cockpit window turned into a vid-screen, showing a man in warrior armor with all the royal appearance of a Noble, which he most likely was. He shook his head with a smirk before speaking, his voice a high-pitched, feminine one, "Ah, if it isn't Darius Raeth: Ex-Warrior and Traitor of the magnificent and illustrious Empire. Did you know the bounty is still on your head? But, if you did know, then that raises quite a question. Why are you here? The Emperor wants you dead, and the one that kills you will be rewarded handsomely, even more so if they bring you to the Emperor alive."
Darius shook his head and sighed before answering, "You know I won't let you capture me." "Yes, I do know that, sadly I will have to kill you and deliver your broken body to the Emperor himself, he will be very pleased." the warrior chuckled and began giggling before he shut off the vid-screen. Darius quickly went to the controls, turning the engines to full power and flying as fast as he could. He could hear the Warrior Las-Cannons charge up and release their deadly energy. Turning and spinning the craft in evasive maneuvers, watching the shots as they whizzed by the Hermes. He grit his teeth and headed full force for Kirana V, I have to make it to Kirana V, I have to!
His seat was shaken and he slammed into the console as several las-fire blasts directly hit the Hermes, scouring the hull and beginning to tear the small ship apart. He pushed himself back into his seat and powered up the engines, but against that amount of firepower they wouldn't stay up long. He tried to weave from side to side to dodge their shots, but the continued to connect, and he watched as his shields lost more and more power. 80%... 75%... 60%.. 45%.. Please, hold together, just hold together for me!
The shields fizzled out under the fire and soon the ship was hammered with blast after blast of las-cannon fire. The left wing was shattered and the engines were heavily damaged, leaving a trail of thick smoke behind it. Try as he might, he couldn't avoid their shots any longer and his ship quickly lost power. The Hermes drifted through space above Kirana V, and the Warrior Corvettes closed in to claim their prize.
He felt his ship being pulled in to the main corvette, heard as the shuttle bay door closed and he was trapped within. He had been captured, now he had no choice but to fight his way out of this place. He stood up from his chair, removing the war rifle from it's holster and reaching across to touch his Warrior Gauntlet, the device that allowed him to instantly equip his Warrior Armor. He pressed the console button, which brought up a touch hologram menu, with a few commands he activated the Armor sequence.
His body was enveloped in light for a few short seconds, nanites exiting the Gauntlet and covering his body in the Warrior Armor, a tough but light leather-like inner layer was first. Then the armor plating on key places for the most efficient defense while allowing complete mobility. He pulled several armor-piercing rifle rounds from a pocket on his belt and placed them into the rifle before entering a ready stance, taking one quiet step after another towards the exit door.
Before he could open it, the door was cut open with las-tools, falling down before him; Darius raised his war rifle and opened fire. The first round went right through a Warrior who wasn't expecting him to be at the door. He was tossed back several feet to hit the floor and lay still, blood beginning to pool beneath him as it dripped through the small hole in his chest. He crouched and fired again, the round whizzing by a warrior's helmet, shattering the primium alloy of it and grazing his eyebrow. The round was at such a high velocity that it threw the man to the ground, knocking him unconscious.
Darius rolled for cover behind the wall, las fire pounding the hull as they tried to get him from the other side. He pulled a frag grenade from his belt, yanking the pin out and then tossing it through the doorway. He heard the Warriors and soldiers panic, running from the landing place of the grenade and then the boom as it detonated. He lifted his rifle and hurried through the door into the hanger, much larger then he expected it, made of high grade alloy and colored pure white. He could see his reflection in the marble floor as he rushed towards the Warriors, opening fire once again.
He pounded several rounds into the commanding officer, aiming his last shot at the closest of the fleeing warriors. He holstered his rifle and quickly removed the auto-gun from his belt, opening fire quickly. The bullets barely damaged warrior armor so he aimed for the regular soldiers, making sure he didn't kill them, only incapacitating them. As his clip went empty, he released it, pulling another from his armor pockets and placing it into the auto-pistol.
As he was busy reloading, he didn't notice the incoming fire, letting out a growl of pain as a rifle round tore through his left shoulder, just barely missing the bone. He aimed his auto-pistol and returned fire, hammering the warrior with pistol rounds until he fell. He then lifted himself up, his breathing growing shaky as he felt his warm blood run down his arm, and then feel, as his arm grew numb. He tossed the pistol aside and removed his sword, pointing it at the Warriors that were ready to shoot him. It was a Duel Request, taught to Warriors on the chance they might fight a worthy opponent, it was a challenge to face that person one on one, or his enemies one at a time with their blades, no firearms.
The first warrior strode towards him, removing his sword from its sheath, it was a simple warrior-issue Gladii but it was well cared for. The Warrior rushed him and slashed at Darius who quickly jumped back and met his slash with a parry. He pushed his blade back and thrust towards his unknown foe that dodged and slammed his gladii into his father's blade. He almost knocked it out of his hand but Darius was quick to act, moving towards the ground and spinning on his legs, thrusting his left foot out and tripping the warrior, knocking him onto the marble floor, he then lifted his foot and brought it down on the man's neck, satisfied his foe would not continue the fight after hearing his neck snap.
He watched the other Warriors look to one another and then flee behind the soldiers. As he began to walk after them though, he felt something pierce his back, not wide like a sword, but more like a needle. He pulled the object out and looked upon a tranquilizer dart, his vision began to become blurry and his thoughts were harder to stay coherent as he tried to speak, "No... Damn...." he fell to the floor and closed his eyes, slipping off into drug-induced darkness as several people stood over his body. "Good work, Lieutenant Brei." "Thank you, Lord Albret."
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"Wake up, Raeth! Wake up!" a voice, high-pitched and feminine echoed through the dark and he began to find himself and shrug off the effects of the tranquilizers. His eyes opened and although all of it was a blur, he could tell he was in some kind of interrogation room. As his vision cleared he saw the Warrior Lord Albret standing next to a small table with surgical tools and other devices meant to inflict pain. He also saw a young woman standing at the far end of the room. She was dressed as an officer, she obviously wasn't a Warrior; women weren't able to become Warriors.
She had dark auburn hair that was tied into a pony-tail, as well as intense blue eyes, her skin was also a healthy peach color and he was sure she was most likely a member of the Arnagoth House that had surrendered to the Woiyar Empire before it was an Empire, ever since then the Arnagoth family as lived as a noble family line. They were known for their dispassionate demeanor as well as their leading scientists. He wasn't sure if she was a follower of the sciences or not, but by her cold, conservative, look, he assumed so. He now realized he was hanging from the ceiling by his wrists, his feet barely touching the ground and his Warrior Armor having been deactivated due to incapacitation.
He tried to look tough, glaring at Albret as he took this moment as stoically as possible. Albret cackled at him and reached onto the table, picking up an electro-prod, moving towards Darius and jabbing it into his side, sending an unbelievable surge of electricity through his body. He let out a roar of pain, panting as he felt the flesh sizzle with fiery pain. His back arched again as the prod was jammed into his other side and it’s electrical discharge fired through him, causing him to cry out in pain again. Albret chuckled and increased the voltage output of the prod as he whispered maniacally, “Good. Having fun? Because we’re just getting started.”