A New Beginning (The Human Empire Story) Read online

  the human empire story

  A New Beginning

  book one

  t.h. stephen

  First published in Great Britain as a softback original in 2016

  Copyright © T.H. Stephen

  www.thehumanempirestory.co.uk

  The moral right of this author has been asserted.

  All rights reserved.

  There is a moment in time and space when the origins of all existence was formed

  There will be a moment when all the glories of the universe are restored

  There is even a time for the era of eternity to cease

  This is the time for a new beginning

  And on the Seventh Day,

  GOD rested…

  … little did he know that he was being watched the whole time.

  The Earth Prologue

  There is night, there is darkness – there is emptiness. There is one who follows behind in the shadows, obscured from sight with a will to strike pre-emptively and without mercy. A corrupt and evil menace that hides in true darkness; the utter absence of light torments and plagues this creature from the legion of the damned.

  Escape his gaze, hide away from him. Salotorn’s cunning worked. The dark side of Mercury served as refuge, far enough and away from the Creator’s eyes.

  The New Earth took shape as he gazed from afar; mankind has begun. A bluish haze surrounded the planet of blue and green; where land and sea met, and here and there lay the scorched lands of the deserts, and poles.

  The birth of New Earth teased him. In time this world will suit the needs of Azazel, Salotorn’s master. His long journey is over – it is now time to plot the takeover of the new world, and submit Mankind to serve him.

  Azazel’s servant, Salotorn – a marauder hell bent on plunder and domination stands on the verge of war with the Creator. His urge to resist and hold back taunts his warped and weary mind.

  ‘Regain your strength and only then can you violate his work. His kind cast us from our place amongst the gods, we seek revenge, we seek our own world.’ He hissed.

  Opportunity presented itself whilst the Creator rested. Salotorn’s orders are simple: find a planet in which to take over. Demolish its way of life, make way for Azazel’s ideological world; build devotees of servants, slaves, and armies.

  He tore several pieces of twisted flesh away from his gut. Thick, black, venomous strips of flesh turned into a hard rock. He could cast his evil seed toward the New Earth, toward Man and test their faith.

  He hurtled his venom across the gulf of space. His hellish seed entered the new world and scattered far and wide.

  In the new garden a snake curiously slithered across to the twisted poison. It arched backwards in pain, hissing in its understanding of agony and suffering. It acted strange – it evolved a new sense of self-awareness; corruption ravaged its mind. This pleased Salotorn – the symbol of the serpent will be his mark of success.

  ‘Too few about, not enough, there’s not enough to enslave yet!’ Salotorn hissed, Damn you. There was only one option – preserve yourself he realised. Only by immortalising himself could he do this – and wait for the new world to populate.

  He began a painful process – his life energy left his body, his limbs began to melt. His torso liquefied and spilled out over the cratered surface like molten lava. He cried in pain as he committed this torturous task, but it would secure his preservation.

  His head slowly sank as it followed his body into his molten tomb, before his eyes cast their last look at the new world. He spat his last thought I will crush, and damn you all.

  Unbeknown to God, Mercury now serves as his immortal resting ground. His tomb, his rock – twisted and vicious – symbolises his pain; it will lie in wait on the cold surface.

  But, move his spirit throughout his seeds here on earth.

  And wait for his resurrection…

  50,000 years passed by. Salotorn lay unsuspecting in his tomb as the Earth populated.

  The Earth Prelude

  Mankind’s turning point in the 21st Century

  05:50am, Thursday 07 April, 2078

  Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, USA

  A young elk calf stamped his feet upon the ground, his playful manner suggestive to his siblings that he was coming of age. His mother watched on from a raised mound of earth.

  He performs a display amongst his kin, demonstrating his transition into adulthood.

  The greater herd ignore his racket; instead they gather beside the river to graze on the fertile land.

  A large trail of bison across attracts his mother’s attention. They are also looking for nourishment and water. The young calf curiously stepped up to the river’s trickling edge, peering at the trailing herd opposite. Their bulky hides, with their grunting and shunting, fascinated him. Vapour from their mouths collected with the morning mist; the cavalcade of bulk remained obscured from the neck down. He wondered at the majestic illusion.

  His mother observed like a sentry, looking out for danger, but all seemed simplistic and natural. An innocent, but graceful reddish sky dominated from behind the picturesque Yellowstone mountain range. Night has all but disappeared to allow for a blood dawn.

  Birds sang their songs, woodland creatures scuttled about, and the land waited for daylight.

  He stamped again… Harder than before. This time he caught the attention of the herd. Their heads rose with curiosity. The young animal felt the hormones run wild from within himself – stamp – stamp – stamp.

  The land suddenly and viciously growled!

  Ears shot up and turned, but heads now looked up to a different sound. Unsure, he turned to his mother before the earth trembled from under his feet.

  She held fast as the ground violently shook. Trying her best not to stagger amidst the quake – trees swayed and lurched from their roots. Branches fell as they snapped under the shifting force – rocks and stones rolled and fell near and far. Birds quickly fled, adding to the flurry of her confusion. She looked all around trying to make sense of it all. Scared and panicked she looked down towards her kind for comfort.

  Her calf called out; he was caught in a tangent of water – the river suddenly swelled as a surge like a tsunami took grip over its course and direction. He was helpless. Her maternal instincts spurred her on to save him, but it was too late. He was swallowed up and removed from her sight – his call silenced forever.

  She cried for him, but he was gone – so too was her kind. The river, now a rapid destructive force, threatened her position. She fled to higher ground only to be met by a landslide of earth. Trees and rock ledges fell victim to its sheer mass. Her home, her land was shifting into an unrecognisable feature.

  The land growled louder; nothing and nowhere was safe. Her heart beat fast and hard, so hard it would have broken through her chest. She looked around; a small narrow trail suddenly presented itself as a getaway.

  ***

  His hand tightly gripped the phone to deliver the fatal message. ‘Mr President, it has started. We need to save as many people as possible and evacuate those areas in immediate danger.’ A voice tormented by sorrow and grief spoke to his Commander-in-Chief. He himself knew that he had no chance of escape.

  ‘Thank you and God speed, Adam. Save yourself,’ replied the President.

  The Yellowstone command centre was under orders to evacuate. Tremors have enabled Mankind’s machines to warn of a dire eventuality. It was awash with military and scientific personnel who were now scurrying to the nearest helicopters. Panic gripped with every new motion as tremors and quakes hit harder than the one before it.

  Mobile units, tents, vehicles, supply hoards shifted and rocked. The Command Capsule was the first to lead by example.

  ‘Adam, for God’s sake, man what are you doing in here?’

  Adam calmly turned around. He clutched a silver cross attached to a chain around his neck, his uniform pulled apart at the collar.

  ‘We still have time to get out of here, come on, man.’

  Adam gently shook his head before smiling at his colleague. ‘Go, Pete, please go on without me.’

  ‘Why? – hey, we can make it,’ Pete hurryingly offered.

  There was another violent shake… the lights flickered.

  The two momentarily froze, but stood staring into each other’s eyes. Pete impatiently tried to weigh up the illogical nonsense of his life-long colleague.

  ‘You’re not staying to… are you?’

  Adam didn’t need to reply; Pete understood his friend’s motive.

  A tear ran down Adam’s face as he sobbed, ‘I can go on to see my baby boy, I can see my wife… this, all this, isn’t for me anymore.’

  ‘You’re out of your mind, man, come on, save their memory by saving yourself,’ Pete shouted.

  The command centre shook as a huge blast explosion ripped apart a fuel tanker not 20 yards away. The debris slammed against the building and broke its windows. Glass splintered all around, screams echoed from outside.

  Pete steadily rose up; Adam stood firm – his determination to meet his own end overpowered any unnecessary need for reasoning.

  Pete snapped a quick salute. ‘Goodbye and God bless.’

  Adam returned the gesture. ‘It’s been a pleasure, my friend.’

  Helicopter after helicopter made a hasty get away. Their silhouettes contrasted against the heavenly reddish sky. Adam casually walked out toward the observation platform sti
ll gripping his cross.

  He looked out toward the Yellowstone Plateau. The land had dramatically risen as magma gathered beneath the now compromised caldera. Adam knew that any minute now the pressure would rip the entire park to pieces. Those lucky enough to escape the initial blast in the helicopters would have to face the overwhelming onslaught of debris.

  He waited for the inevitable. Below him he saw the last remaining 30 or so people scuttling for a truck or waiting for a helicopter to return – it was too late for them also.

  They screamed for help; a woman tried to comfort another, weeping the words, it’ll be alright.

  The two hugged each other as tremors brought them to the floor. Adam watched in painful sorrow.

  He looked up to the sky and wondered as the world around him slowly collapsed. Huge mountain ranges in the distance crumbled creating avalanche after avalanche that destroyed anything in their paths. Nothing could be saved now.

  Adam looked down from the platform; an animal caught his attention. It was a female elk. Fear had all but left her, but somehow she too knew that her world was over.

  He knelt as he took solace in his faith and prayed to God.

  Our father, who art in heaven… as he prayed the faces of his loved ones appeared in his mind and he no longer felt any fear …for the power and the glory, forever and ever, Amen.

  A thunderous noise that no human ear had heard before cracked the air. A rapid intensity of fear gripped all still stranded on the ground. Yells and pleas for help were drowned as a shockwave knocked everything to the floor. A light brighter than the sun followed and blinded everything.

  A cataclysmic event so devastating that it would test the imagination of any who would have entertained its concept. Adam stood before the awesome power, before he himself was gone.

  The Human Empire Story

  History would record it as The North American Disaster. It was so destructive that no living or recorded human history could be compared to the event. It was only synonymous with the extinction that had wiped out the dinosaurs.

  It was proclaimed as the biggest threat to Mankind’s survival – Ever.

  It would in turn change the world as we know it – Forever…

  Great Nations became divided and torn

  A new Empire rose from the chaos

  &

  Humanity would face a new threat –

  A threat not from this world…

  The Earth Prelude

  The Imperial Discovery

  30 March, 2118

  Caloris Basin, Planet Mercury

  Imperial Chinese research vessel: Azure Dragon

  The soft tone of a sonar echo was all the crew concentrated on. Eyes would intently watch the readings as the surface probe confirmed their achievement.

  ‘Surface temperature minus 173 degrees, readings are good here, very rich in iron.’ The probe carried out its orders from above, scanning the surface up close and personal. Echoes continued bouncing from machine to rock and back again.

  ‘Picking up good readings here too; I think we’ve found our spot, sir.’

  The readings continued to hold up against the scientist’s enthusiasm. His joyful feelings helped illuminate the otherwise darkened bridge.

  ‘Hold this position, prepare to take samples – deploy the platform.’ Straight away, captain. A muffled voice confirmed over the comm network.

  ‘Let us see what’s down there.’

  Fingers tapped away on the console, a huge bulk of machine was ejected from the ship as it descended toward the probe’s coordinates. Its legs punched into the ground holding its mass several feet above the surface itself.

  ‘Successful, captain.’

  ‘Good, now deploy the shield.’

  ‘Right away, sir.’ Reflective mirrors – thousands of them – blossomed from the machine like a rosebud flowering into its full conception.

  ‘Now, let us see and take for our emperor.’ A unity of honour chanted over the speakers confirming their loyalty to the Great and Imperial Empire.

  ‘Bring me samples.’

  A drill began to climb down from the machine, breaking fragments from the surface crust; cosmic dirt, debris blown by solar winds, marginally covered the spot. The celebration was short lived – Red lights flickered – the drill stopped.

  ‘What’s happened?’

  The scientist shook his head; panicked, he fumbled about trying to give his master an answer.

  ‘I don’t know, captain. The drill is made of diamond; it should cut through anything.’ The drill was forced up and then down again, only to stop dead several feet into the crust.

  ‘Captain, there is an object buried; trying to scan for readings, but our instruments are having difficulty trying to ascertain what it is.’

  ‘Dust off the area. I want to see what is stopping us.’

  A series of components opened and shifted about as the machine evacuated the top layer of dirt. The scientist watched with his captain as dust and rock fragments settled.

  The on-board computer scanned the object. ‘Report.’

  ‘Measuring, captain.’ The computer read-out baffled him.

  ‘Well?’

  ‘Object measures about 8ft by 4ft, approximately 13 tonnes, probably just a blob of iron, captain.’ Hang on, he thought to himself. ‘Computer must be malfunctioning sir–’

  ‘–Explain.’

  He checked and re-checked the read-outs, looking for anything that could explain a computer malfunction. His eyes examined the data; it didn’t seem right. Unidentified chemical composition – the computer read.

  ‘Impossible,’ he muttered to himself.

  ‘We will have to bring it up, captain; it could be very precious to the Empire.’

  The captain gestured with a subtle nod. ‘A prize to honour the Emperor with – do it.’

  His crew carried out the order as the probe retrieved the mysterious object. It was carefully brought into the ship’s hangar bay.

  Five men stood before the separation door waiting for the compartment to re-pressurise.

  A robot arm continued the operation before finally placing the discovery onto the flat metal surface of the hangar.

  Warning lights remained, their blood red glow amplifying an unspoken caution. ‘Forty seconds to environmental conditions,’ a voice said.

  The small computer matrix counted down 39, 38, 37…

  A large bang shook from within the hangar. ‘Must be the rock settling,’ one of the men said. Others casually nodded in agreement.

  29, 28, 27… There was another large bang. The five men shook their heads with a shared assumption: an uneven shape is settling on an even surface. There was one further bang.

  3, 2, 1 – environmental conditions normal, the computer matrix read.

  ‘Let’s take a look.’ The huge metal door rose allowing the five men inside. Red lights turned to full white strobe lighting. Their protective suits gleamed against the light; hinge locks and helmet guards sparkled.

  The object lay ahead of them, free from dust or dirt; nothing from the cratered surface clung to it. An 8ft jagged rock greeted the scientists as they approached with intense curiosity, their handheld machines and gadgets focussed upon it.

  The rock tried to listen to the inaudible conversation between them. A man with a small hammer hastily paced himself toward it. Too eager to wait for his colleagues he approached with his arm raised before he swung, striking at the rock’s surface.

  The lighting flicked and faded. ‘Are we having a power outage?’ he asked as he looked back to the others – they shrugged their shoulders.

  The computer immediately switched to emergency lighting; its harsh reddish glow provided the men with the visibility they needed for now.

  They all waited – there was a brief pause as a strange calm fell upon the bay as time itself seemed to stall in motion. A voice over the speaker broke their trance.

  ‘Whatever it is, it’s interfering with the ship’s systems.’

  The hammer was snatched from his hand by some invisible force. The hammer struck the rock; it was held in place by itself – but it did not penetrate it.

  He walked over to try and remove it, struggling again and again to move it, but it remained. Frustrated, he kicked it, but as before it remained. The others laughed at him – frustrated and humiliated, he cursed at the rock.