Empyrean Iris Story Collection Vol. 3

Storming the Pearly Gates

"Bridge this is engineering one you are go for warp."

"Bridge this is Alpha team deck D waiting for your signal"

The Omen thrummed with waiting power, pulsing with the anticipation of the warp core warmed up and ready to fire. All around the ship distant stars winked slowly from the blackness of space shining down and through the forward viewscreen of the Omen's bridge.

Men and women in various stages of dress sat on the bridge at their old command stations waiting for directions, hands ready and poised over their controls. A distant red nebula glowed gently, a thousand lightyears high and a thousand lightyears long., its burning red light filtering through the forward view screen with the ret, lighting up half of the disgraced admiral's face, and one side of his massive, mechanical power armor.

Beside him Emperor Avex bathed in the bloody light eyes cold and hard like that of his father.

"Lady Vox to bridge, the cloaking skin is operational, you are go for warp."

Captain Vir flexed his fingers against the back of the command chair, the servos in his hands whirring slightly, the strength of his grip causing the chair to creak.

"Thank you for accompanying us, Emperor."

Emperor Avex chuckled darkly, "If I had turned down an opportunity to cause trouble on a cosmic level, than I wouldn't be deserving of my title, now would I."

Adam smiled, but he did not laugh.

This was serious.

This operation was simultaneously the smartest and the dumbest thing he had ever done. Like Schrodinger's cat, but instead of being alive or dead, it would be stupid or not stupid, and no one would know until it was all over. If it worked it wasn't stupid, and if it didn't work it would be the dumbest thing anyone in the galaxy had ever done.

What were they doing?

Attempting to steal alien technology right out from under God's nose.

Or at least that was the equivalent.

If he was being honest with himself, he knew there was no slipping past the architect. They didn't know much about the strange godlike being that controlled the Makers, but he wasn't willing to make a plan that assumed the architect didn't know absolutely everything. So his plan hinged more on the fact that the architect wouldn't involve himself, as had been the pattern thus far.

Hopefully their involvement was to minor to call the god down upon them. Honestly his greatest hope was that the architect would find their machinations amusing and let it go just to see what happened, but otherwise he was hoping and praying that the architect would simply ignore them with bigger things to do.

But that was the risk they were taking.

Making assumptions about cosmic beings was not exactly the best foundation to base ones plans on, but this was all he had, and his generals agreed with him that soemthing must be done.

"Broadcast transmission to the rest of the ship, I want to talk to the crew."

"Yes sir."

He stepped forward and took a seat in his command chair, just big enough to allow him to sit inside the massive SE armor.

As he sat he could feel a sudden hum of power, and knew that Fealty was watching with anticipation. The AI was mute and did not speak, but he could still tell when its fabricated intelligence was growing excited. It knew what they were about to do, and it was ready.

The Comms officer nodded to him, and he straightened up.

"Crew of the Omen, this is your captain speaking." All across the ship , newly installed Holoports would be showing a life sized 3D rendered projection of him as he spoke. He wasn't entirely sure how useful the technology was, but he was rich and they had reminded him of star wars, so he had them installed.