Codename: Freedom - Book 4 - Prologue

A man stood alone on just another sapphire planet looking up at the twin moons overhead. He seemed human, but at closer look, there were numerous oddities that hinted that he might be more. His shirtless form revealed deeply tanned, olive-tinted skin that had an almost translucent quality to it where the veins and muscle of his flawless physique shone through under the right light. There were those with a larger stature and more imposing figure, but true stature wasn’t always determined by a person’s height and mass. There was no imbalance in his extreme muscle definition, and he stood at ease without any unnatural tension. A translucent layer of energy clung to him as if he were a living power source. His eyes were a rich brown, and the most purely human feature he possessed. They too gazed up in a laid-back state, but not without the added squint of all-encompassing purpose.

A second being, who could be considered more creature than man, marched up to the first, towering over him. Only his face looked human, and it was as black as obsidian. His shoulders, chest, and back were covered in thick fur, like that of a gorilla, and his muscle and biomechanics more similarly matched a primate than man. His legs, however, were silvery-green and possessed the corded power of a reptile with elongated feet for bounding great distances. His tail was as long as he was tall, with horn-like spikes lining both sides.

Falling to one knee and bowing his head, the transhuman addressed the first man with absolute reverence. “Teleios. General Kostas reporting.”

“Go ahead, Kostas,” the man replied without looking away from the moons overhead.

“I have a message from the Giatros, Galen. He has made progress with the kelyfos insect and is almost ready with the procedure for your next evolution.”

“What’s the current status?”

The general quickly reassessed his own memory of the numbers he’d memorized a few minutes ago before he dared verbalize them so as not to make any mistakes. “He’s ninety-one percent complete and should have it finalized in three weeks.”

“Danger assessment of proceeding with early evolution?”

“Eighty-eight percent success with mostly positive results. Sixty-three percent success with completely positive results. Likelihood of death, three percent.”

The Teleios shifted his weight as if considering his options. “Timetable for reversal procedure?”

“The Giatros estimates five weeks.”

“Inform him that I will undergo the procedure as soon as I return. We are almost done here, yes?”

“The city has been evacuated and those who have defiled themselves with technology are in custody. Only a few hundred thousand out of the million people population were determined to be not guilty. Waiting for your orders on how to proceed.”

“Find those who led the others in this blasphemy and execute them. Make use of the rest. They’re our brothers and sisters. Give them the opportunity to work off their crimes. Those who are innocent will inherit what the guilty leave behind as a reward. However, I will not leave them without visual warning. Prepare for our departure. Let the Giatros know that he should be ready in two days with the procedure.”

“Yes, Teleios.”

The man’s gaze finally fell from the twin moons to settle upon the small metropolis approximately a mile away. The angle wasn’t adequate, so he decided to find a better one. His energy heeded his call, setting the air around him churning and the loose sapphire dirt and pebbles scattering. If that wasn’t enough, Othisi pressed into the earth at his feet, propelling him into the air. His upward movement came to a stop half a mile up. It was enough for him to get a good look at the city. His goal wasn’t to cripple them, but to make a statement.

Normally, he wouldn’t bother with such small matters, but this world had pledged their loyalty to his own homeworld, his seat of power, and the other warlords would take it as a sign of weakness if he didn’t deal with it himself.

Finding what he was looking for, he held up his hand and released a flicker of the energy. An azure bolt shot toward the base of his target.

A single structure stood above all others in the metropolis. A tower of towers, made of the same sapphire stone that covered much of the world’s local region. He estimated that it was a thousand feet tall. Its construction was no small feat for such a primitive world.

In less than the length of a breath, Voli struck. A cloud of blue billowed outward from the building’s base, and immediately it started to fall.

He didn’t stay to watch his handiwork. Cutting off Othisi, he fell like a meteor.

It was his duty to lead his people, and his race, into a future of unfathomable glory. Such chores as the one he found himself dealing with today were tedious, but necessary. Now that it was over, he could return his attention to the coming virtual war. His Ekseliksi would face off with the humans of Earth.

He didn’t hate but pitied them. They were unwilling to take evolution into their own hands. Their misplaced beliefs had them still living with weakness, a shortened lifespan, and disease. Not only did it affect them, but also their children and future generations. They were distant relatives to the Ekseliksi, and it was their own foolishness that caused their suffering. This virtual war that the even more detestable Jinhwa cyborgs had arranged left a bad taste in his mouth, but the Epithumia, his wife and the spiritual leader of their people, had said that Ekseliksi character mandated one last show of goodwill. Before committing to what he believed might be his next supreme purpose, of bringing humanity under his rule by force, he would submit to the Epithumia’s wisdom.

There was grace in it. He would execute his role as the Teleios within this grace to the full extend of his might. As what remained of his unevolved relatives saw what transhumans were fully capable of, he prayed that in this last show of goodwill, it would bring many of them to his side so that his people might embrace them as brothers and not one day slaughter them as immoral beast.

Only after the Teleios had stepped out of the small cavity that his landing had left on the planet’s surface and bounded toward his ship did General Kostas lift his head. He gave the small city a single glance. The civilians being allowed to stay had gotten off easy. If the Teleios would’ve deemed it necessary, nothing would be left standing of their world’s greatest city. Kostas was personally thankful that his lord had only used a fraction of his power. If he’d used much more, the general would’ve likely survived, but it would’ve caused his own walls to fracture. He knew from experience that it took no less than two days to recovery when he’d faced such instances in the past.

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Note: These early chapters are subject to change, get tweaked, etc. There might be some movement of order as well. 

I hope to have the next chapter up tomorrow. 

Cheers!