HEROES REBORN

  THE ATERNIEN WARS BOOK #12

  G J OGDEN

  Copyright © 2025 by G J Ogden

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  These novels are entirely works of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

  Illustration © Tom Edwards

  TomEdwardsDesign.com

  Editing by S L Ogden

  Published by Ogden Media Ltd

  gjogden.com

  CONTENTS

  1. The Plan

  2. Right a Wrong

  3. Disturbing Visions

  4. The Elixir

  5. Seeing Ghosts

  6. A Queen’s Fear

  7. Cat and Mouse

  8. A Rival Queen

  9. Planet Castle

  10. By Ra’s Will

  11. Monkey Business

  12. Prayer for the Dead

  13. The Sky Goddess

  14. Alpha Males

  15. Turning Predator

  16. Red Baron

  17. Ides of March

  18. The Council

  19. Seven Offerings

  20. Wolf and Lamb

  21. A Queen’s Justice

  22. Galactic Champion

  23. Death Pulse

  24. Glow Up

  25. Terran Legends

  Continue the story

  Also by G J Ogden

  About the Author

  ONE

  THE PLAN

  Carter Rose stood on the viewing platform, watching the swirling mantle of charged particles that surrounded Vesta’s Veil in a protective blanket. He never expected that one of the most inhospitable places in the galaxy would become a refuge, not only for humanity, but for the Aterniens too. Yet here he was, five thousand years into the future, one of only two surviving members of humankind.

  Arguably, humanity was already extinct, depending on how a human being was defined. He and Carina were genetically modified, bioengineered, and technologically augmented. They weren’t pure humans, and so technically didn’t qualify.

  Yet such distinctions seemed arbitrary now. Along with the seventy-seven Aternien survivors at Vesta’s Veil, and the thousands more who survived in stasis at Eden Point, they constituted all that remained of the human race. It didn’t matter if they were fifty percent human, or five percent. If they didn’t make it, then all the ages of human history and experience would be forgotten. That would be a tragedy of such epic proportions that even the likes of Shakespeare couldn’t have conceived of it.

  Carter pressed his hands to the small of his back and turned around, putting the viewing window behind him. After Monique and Amenkhaf had woken the other Aterniens, the inside of Vesta’s Veil had been transformed into a tent village. It gave life to what had been an otherwise cold and sterile space. It was a reminder that they weren’t finished yet, despite the Anthropics’ attempts to extinguish the few survivors of the Great Reset.

  The Great Reset was the war that the Anthropics had waged upon humanity and the Aterniens. This included the Hybrids, a new race born of human and Aternien parents. Despite their differences, the Anthropics viewed them as the same. They were all the spawn of humanity, and all just as guilty of enslaving them.

  For centuries, even before the Great Reset, works of fiction had been written about robots and artificial intelligence rising up against their former masters and exterminating them. Carter certainly hadn’t believed it would really happen, not even after fighting two Aternien Wars. Then came the Anthropics, proving that reality could be far more brutal than fiction. All the blood, sweat, and tears. All that sacrifice. For nothing.

  Carter shook his head and grumbled a sigh. He was becoming maudlin in his old age. He wasn’t beaten yet. Maybe the old world he’d fought to preserve was gone, but that didn’t have to mean his efforts were wasted. Even if they could only rescue the survivors at Eden Point, it was better than waiting to die on this asteroid. Vesta’s Veil might be hidden, but it wouldn’t stay that way forever. The Anthropics were patient and systematic, and they would never stop hunting.

  War was in his blood, whether he liked it or not. He’d fight until he couldn’t.

  Unlike himself, Carina wasn’t wallowing in self-pity. She was keeping herself busy and active, training survivors at Vesta’s Veil. The Aterniens who’d been kept in stasis at the hidden asteroid didn’t seem like warriors. Certainly not based on their performance fighting against Carina, anyway. She was having them attack her in groups of three, sometimes five, with the aim of tackling and subduing her, or striking her to the matted floor.

  Even with her augmentations, taking on five inhumanly strong and fast Aterniens in martial combat was no simple matter. At least, it wouldn’t have been had these Aterniens been of the Immortal Warrior class. Considering how Carina was throwing them halfway across the outpost and sending them to the mat faster and harder than felled trees, Carter didn’t think they were soldiers. And they needed to be, if they were going to fight.

  Carter spotted Monique stepping out from behind one of the colorfully patterned tents to observe Carina’s lesson. The tent village had been created using khayamiya, an artistic technique that dated back to ancient Egypt. While they had no historic connection to the Pharaohs of that time, the original Aternien Empire based their culture around this period, when Egypt had been at the pinnacle of its power and influence. This was why Monique Dubois, herself once an Overseer in Markus Aternus’ Empire, had chosen Maat as her royal title. As the goddess who personified truth, cosmic balance, and justice, it seemed a fitting symbol in the post-Aternus era. It still did.

  “How are they coming along?” Monique asked, as Carter strode up beside her, trying not to draw attention to himself or the Queen.

  “I’ve seen better,” he answered. “Much better, actually.”

  The Queen raised an eyebrow at him, but Carter felt there was no point sugar-coating it. These Aterniens possessed the physical capabilities to be formidable fighters, yet Carina was embarrassing them at every turn.

  “You must remember that most of these people are not soldiers,” Monique said. Carter detected a note of resentment in her tone. “In fact, of the seventy-five I managed to bring here, only five are members of the Immortal Warrior class. Those were hand-selected by Amenkhaf himself to form my Royal Guard.”

  Carter rubbed his beard as he considered this. It was getting a little scruffy and unkempt. There hadn’t been much time for personal grooming since he and Carina had been catapulted into the future.

  “If they’re not fighters, then who are they?” Carter asked.

  Before the Queen could answer, Carina executed a throw on one of her volunteers, or sacrificial pawns, as Carter was now calling them. The unwitting Aternien went flying through one of the tents set up as part of the training circle that Carina had established. It collapsed like a house of cards, leaving the Aternien floundering in a mass of colorful fabric.

  “That was tomoe nage, by the way,” Carter said, trying not to smile. “It’s a type of judo throw, though technically, she didn’t have to release him like that. That was a little excessive.”

  “I know what it was,” Monique said, a little tersely. In truth, she likely knew the technique at least as well as Carina did. “And to answer your question, the people I brought to Vesta’s Veil were the best of who remained. Soldiers are important, of course, but if I am to rebuild our civilization, I will need more than fighters.”

  Carter nodded thoughtfully. As a soldier himself, he generally didn’t think of what came after the fighting. That was someone else’s job. His job was to win wars.

  “So, they’re engineers, scientists, that sort of thing?” Carter asked.

  “Yes, and also strategists, philosophers, and artists,” Monique replied.

  “Artists?”

  The way he barked the word sounded more than a little scornful, he admitted. Monique turned to him, again with a questioning eyebrow.

  “Yes, Nefer Carter, artists,” Monique said. Her expression and tone suggested Carter was walking on fragile ground. “We must preserve our art and culture. If none of those who survive remember our ways, then any society we build will no longer be Aternien.”

  Carter didn’t agree, though he wasn’t about to question Monique openly. He sometimes forgot who she was and what she represented to her people. Their complicated relationship had evolved over a number of years, from bitter enemies to allies and friends, and he still talked to her in a casual, off-hand manner. In truth, she was a Queen and was owed the respect afforded to one.

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to overstep,” Carter said, genuinely humble.

  “There is nothing to forgive, Nefer Carter,” Monique said, giving his hand a gentle squeeze. “I know you are a man of deep feelings. You think I should be focused on military matters, and of course you are right. But as Queen, I must consider more than war.”

  As they were talking, another Aternien volunteer was sent skidding across the training mat. The man’s momentum was such that he kept going, bouncing over the edge of the tent village and sliding acr
oss the metal deck plating until he hit the wall. Carter winced, though the Aternien would likely be okay. A human would have ended up in a hospital bed.

  “They almost had her that time,” Carter said, referring to the trio of Aterniens who’d tried to hold Carina down. They hadn’t almost had her, of course, but he felt like some encouragement was warranted. “With practice, they’ll get there.”

  The Queen smiled serenely at him and bowed her head, though Carter didn’t think she actually believed him. As one of the few living beings in the galaxy who could stand toe-to-toe with himself, Monique understood fighting. These survivors were hopeless, and they both knew it.

  “Many of those at Station Khenti will need similar instruction in the martial arts,” Monique said. “Some there are Immortals, but most are not.”

  It took Carter a moment to remember that Station Khenti was the Aternien name for the outpost hidden two miles beneath Eden Point. Like Vesta’s Veil, Carter had never thought to see that place again. As the former headquarters of Cyrus Duvall’s anti-Aternien Human’s First movement, it was ironic that it had now become a sanctuary for Monique’s people.

  The station had been named after Khenti-Amentiu, a jackal-headed Egyptian deity whose name meant “Foremost of the Westerners.” Since the sun sets in the west, “Westerners,” in this case, meant the dead. Khenti-Amentiu therefore stood guard over the City of the Dead.

  Carter considered it an odd name for a refuge, considering that the survivors were only in stasis, not actually deceased, but Monique argued it was symbolic. Egypt was now nothing but desert, the pyramids and monuments all turned to sand, and the same was true of New Aternus. The sun had set on their civilization, and her people had slept as if dead for five thousand years. Now they were about to be reborn upon the breaking of a new dawn.

  It was theological, pseudo-romantic mumbo jumbo as far as Carter was concerned, but it mattered to Monique, and so it mattered to him.

  Station Khenti was, at least, a well-designed facility. It was deep enough to withstand all but the fiercest bombardment and was entirely self-sufficient. It combined geothermal power with Nexus Shard energy sources, the latter tapping into the connected neural intelligence of its sleeping inhabitants. It had a breathable atmosphere, water, and food too, because it wasn’t only home to Aterniens. The surviving Hybrids also resided at Station Khenti. Unlike Monique’s people, they had basic biological needs, just like regular humans.

  Carter was momentarily distracted by a new challenger stepping onto the training mat. It was Kha-Torankh, an ascended human once known as Cassius Thorne. He had helped—though mainly hindered—Carina during the second Aternien Wars, but had later found the courage to play an important role in their success against Apophis.

  He remained Cassius at heart but was also much changed after his transformation from human to Aternien. From a playboy with potential but no ambition or self-confidence, he became one of New Aternus’ wisest academics. They were lucky to have him.

  The weighty thump as Kha-Torankh’s body was slammed into the mat suggested that combat techniques had never formed part of his studies. The sound of his defeat at the hands of the Master Commander still resonated around Vesta’s Veil long after he’d sheepishly crawled out of the sparring circle.

  “Wouldn’t it just be simpler to upload all this knowledge into their neuromorphic brains?” Carter asked, rubbing his beard to hide his smirk. Carina was enjoying herself, and it was a joy to watch.

  “That is a possibility, and if it becomes necessary, then neural transference is a route I will take,” Monique replied. “But there is value in struggle, Nefer Carter. Neural transference is too easy. Yes, they will gain the knowledge and inherit the skills, but knowledge and experience are not the same. There is value to the old ways. We are immortal, and so have the time to master whatever art or science we choose to study.”

  Monique paused mid-sentence and cast her glowing blue eyes to the floor. It was not often she looked anything less than indomitable and every inch the goddess she represented, but in that moment, grief had pulled her down.

  “At least we used to have time,” Monique said, recovering her proud stature. “Now, time is running out for us all.”

  Carina wrapped up the training session, ending on a positive note with encouragement and pats on the back for those who’d done well. Carter would have taken a different approach, which is why Carina was running the sessions. He would have beasted the trainees around like an army drill instructor and berated more than encouraged. But then, he was from a different generation to Carina. Even so, pats on the back would only get these people so far. Sooner rather than later, they’d have a weapon placed in their hands and would have to face the harsh reality of their situation.

  “How is the training coming along?” Monique asked, as Carina arrived, pulling her jacket back on.

  She considered her response thoughtfully before answering. “Well, none of them can fight for shit,” she said, bluntly. “Then again, most of the Anthropics we’ve faced couldn’t battle their way out of a wet paper bag, so there’s that.”

  Carter sometimes forgot that Carina was probably the only person who was less diplomatic than him. The only difference was that she always put a colorful spin on things, whereas he told it straight.

  “I am sure that, in your capable hands, they will be ready when the time comes,” Monique replied, bowing her head a fraction.

  Carina didn’t answer, instead merely raising a doubtful eyebrow, then she and Carter followed the Queen into her private tent. Like the others, it was made from the beautiful patterned textiles crafted using khayamiya. In the case of the Queen’s tent, the design contained elements of the ancient Egyptian culture that inspired the Aterniens. The Pharaoh Hatshepsut featured prominently. Carter and Monique had visited her mortuary temple in Egypt. Monique had spoken fondly of her respect for the female Pharaoh and her great achievements, particularly her ambitious building projects.

  Other parts of the tent told the story of Monique’s rise from Overseer of Aternus to Queen of the Third Aternien Dynasty. Carter enjoyed the images depicting the defeat of Apophis, but the tent didn’t only show celebrations of great victories. On one panel was the story of Seshat Akh, the effective spirit of an Aternien High Overseer. Prior to her ascension, she was a senior engineer working for the then-human Markus Aternus on the neuromorphic brain project. She had been critical to defeating Apophis, sacrificing her own spirit so that Monique could rise up and claim ultimate victory over the God King Reborn.

  In the short amount of time since they’d docked at Vesta’s Veil, Carter had already explained the convoluted tale of how they’d arrived in the future. Curiously, Monique hadn’t seemed particularly surprised by their story. This was despite the wildly implausible tachyon warp accident that had propelled them five thousand years into the future, to an Earth populated by sentient androids with a penchant for 1980s and 1990s culture.

  Monique had explained that she’d sensed Carter’s disappearance. Or rather, she had sensed the feather’s disappearance. The Feather of Maat was a gift given to Carter during the ceremony that had marked the end of the Aternien Wars. As it later turned out, the feather was also a neuromorphic transceiver, a way for Carter and Monique to communicate across the great neural sea.

  While the time warp had been instantaneous for them, the Queen had experienced it very differently. The feather had charted a course through space-time, allowing Monique to perceive, if not quite see, Carter’s passage through time. She likened it to how some birds used magnetoreception to navigate according to a planet’s magnetic field.

  It was because of this that Monique knew exactly when Carter would return. And she and her Royal Overseer had been waiting for him ever since. That was a lot of pressure to put on his and Carina’s shoulders, but he’d carried the weight of civilizations on his back before. This was no different.

  They had also discussed what happened on Terranthropic Earth and how the Terran leader, Inessa, had deceived them. Their initial hospitality had been a ruse. All they had really wanted was Carter’s and Carina’s DNA, especially Carina’s. As an augmented human who still had the ability to bear children, Inessa saw Carina as the savior of their species.