This seemed to appease my youngest, and I looked around my family. We were an odd bunch, that was for sure. Some bound by blood, others not, but we’d all found each other for a reason – a father needing a child, and sons needing a father. A man and woman who needed each other, and the daughter born of their love. Daughters born of past affairs in a previous life. No matter the circumstances of the relationship, each one was as valid as any other. But it was time to part ways.

  “Okay, okay! Enough standing around – bring it in – group hug!”

  As everyone gathered in the middle, and warmth and laughter surrounded me, I revelled in the feeling of togetherness. Emma bemoaned being squished, which drew forth a round of laughter. I knew I had to make the most of this because part of me believed I would not get to experience this again. The distances between worlds, while not insurmountable, were still great, and I knew time could pass all too quickly. Tears rolled down my face when the embrace finally ended and everyone had taken a step back. A feeling of nostalgia hit me, that longing for simpler times, and I knew I was really going to miss everyone.

  [)
  I opened my eyes, and the first thing I saw was the dark metallic ceiling looming above me. In the room’s quiet, the sound of my mechanical arm was the only thing that broke the silence. I raised that arm and Bitsy’s display lit up, showing me the time. I still had a few minutes before I would have to get up and begin my new daily routine.

  “Morning, buddy,” I said.

  I had had my arm modified so that there was a hollow for Bitsy to tuck into, instead of being wrapped around my wrist, as it was designed to do. The space came with a charging port to help compensate for the reducing efficiency of the Arachnobot’s batteries.

  *Good morning, Raith! How can I help?*

  “Can you please get the morning reports ready? I want to hit the ground running today – make a good impression, you know?”

  *I don’t know, but I will get the reports ready for you!*

  As the Arachnobot lifted itself out of its hollow and scurried away, I returned my gaze to the ceiling. They say you go through life blindly if you don’t think about the consequences of your decisions, usually causing more harm than good. If life had taught me anything over these last few years, it was that I, more than anyone, needed to reflect on my life and choices I was making. The consequences of my actions always seemed to be particularly … impactful.

  Abruptly the room illuminated to its maximum brightness, and the ship’s local radio station buzzed through the rooms built-in speakers.

  “Dim the lights and turn off the radio!” I snapped.

  The lights immediately dimmed, and the room fell silent.

  Those settings clearly need to be adjusted!

  With a sigh, I pulled the covers back, swung my legs out and over the edge of the bed, and got to my feet. My bones clicked and tired muscles protested at being used after a year in cryosleep. More and more, it seemed I needed longer for my body to recover from the effects of long-haul space travel.

  I slowly made my way to the bathroom and stopped in front of the mirror, taking in my body’s current state. I was still thin – I hadn’t yet had the chance to regain the weight I’d lost during misadventures. My hairline had receded further, and my recreated head scar was still vivid and pink. My new arm, which I’d chosen to forgo having artificial skin on, was still silver and shiny, not yet having had the chance to become dull, scuffed and scratched. Many had queried why I’d chosen to have it uncovered.

  “A reminder,” I whispered.

  A reminder to myself, more than anything, of the ramification’s choices can have. Plus, if Tynan ever showed up again, I wanted a really obvious way to tell the two of us apart.

  I leaned in closer to the mirror, staring into the depths of my eyes – the windows into my soul. I’d come to accept that the darkness inside was a part of who I was and that I’d always have the potential to become a monster. But I knew who I was and who I wanted to be. I knew which wolf I’d be feeding every day. I just hoped that those around me – the people I loved and cared about – would see the man and not the monster.

  The shower turned on beside me and I knew that the day was steadily marching onward. Balancing the restoration of four planets, raising a son and daughter, loving a wife, and making time for myself was going to be no easy feat.

  “Alright, come on, you old sod. There are things to do,” I told my reflection.

  With a hot shower awaiting, I turned away from the mirror and focused on the day ahead.

  [)
  Being the mission commander had its benefits, including the luxurious penthouse suite, split over two levels. Due to the wrap-around observational window, you were greeted by a stunning view from both the upper-floor bedrooms and the open-plan living and dining area below. It displayed an unobstructed view of the ship and stars beyond, and presently, Gaia’s brown, scarred surface sat before us as well, a reminder of the work that lay ahead.

  Tynan had clearly designed this space with himself as the focus; what better room for an emperor than one that evokes a feeling of power, with a full view of your domain?

  I peered down into the living area where Emma diligently did her schoolwork and Ichirō was quietly sketching – a hobby I didn’t know he possessed until recently. Amorina stood by the window, gazing down at Gaia, watching the different terraforming modules being transported to its surface.

  I walked around the landing and down the stairs, heading over to Amorina, where I placed an arm around her shoulders. I noticed her flinch at my touch and immediately withdrew my arm.

  “It’s okay, you can put your arm back,” she said, “sorry, my flinch was just … automatic.”

  “That’s alright,” I replied, and I slowly put an arm around her once more.

  She leaned into my embrace and nestled her head against my chest. There was still a lot of distance between us, and I knew it would take time to come right. All I could do was be understanding and put the work in.

  But even then, there is definitely a lot of work ahead of us.

  “Good morning, by the way,” I said cheerfully.

  “Yes … good morning,” Amorina replied softly.

  I glanced behind me at Emma and Ichirō, happily absorbed in their respective activities. All things considered, this was nice.

  It’s certainly better than a jail cell for three years!

  I knew Amorina wasn’t entirely happy at the moment, but I hoped that, with time, her wounds would heal, and she would find happiness once again.

  “You have already been forgiven, my dear. The problem is your actions have not been forgotten.”

  As her words echoed through my thoughts, I knew that her happiness depended on whether or not she could move on from her memories, and I really hoped she’d be able to. I missed the Amorina that didn’t flinch at my touch and spoke with enthusiasm and confidence, instead of hushed tones and doubt.

  Positive thoughts, Raith … positive thoughts.

  For now, my daughters were happy, my son was happy, and I was happy – my mind was free of obsessive thoughts, nightmares, and dark inner voices. As I gazed down at Gaia, I couldn’t help but smile at the sight of the terraforming process finally beginning, glad that we’d all started down the road to recovery. I knew there was a lot of work to do … but surely, all’s well that ends well.

  Right?

  Epilogue

  Fear What the Weapon Was Built to Kill

  2164, Common Era – Space, Beyond Frontier Space

  In the centre of an interstellar graveyard, there lay a great void where once an ancient and powerful construct had slumbered. But that great horror had been awoken and had headed out into the stars, to chase its newfound prey. What neither it nor the prey had realised was that the location of this floating cemetery was no accident. It sat in front of the only entrance to a region of space surrounded by black holes. And now, that passageway was unguarded.

  A large, ancient ship dropped out of warp into the middle of the graveyard’s void, soon followed by another ship, and then another, until hundreds of thousands of vessels were occupying the space. This was the fleet of an ancient, interstellar empire, now cut off from the galaxy no more.

  The first of the ships to arrive was the command vessel, its archaic form battered and battle-scarred, but still strong, still capable and deadly. Thousands of creatures awoke from a millennia-long slumber inside its cold, dark halls.

  Their pale skin glistened in the blue lighting of the ship, and their pitch-black eyes seemed to both absorb and mirror the world around them. This was a primordial race, one that had grown dark and corrupt over the eons of their species’ existence. Their lives were long, and their memories longer still. They did not forget, and they did not forgive.

  They did not know whether their aggressors were still around, but they’d be sure to pay if they were still alive. But revenge was not the most pressing issue in the minds of this race’s leaders. No, they were far more interested in the species that had inadvertently freed them from their centuries long imprisonment. The leaders called out their technology, spread throughout the galaxy, hoping that it was still there, and in working order. Sure enough, the network responded. It was patchy, and in a terrible state of disrepair, but there was enough functionality for the leaders to achieve what they needed.

  They reached out through their interstellar web, spreading their shadow far and wide, searching for their rescuers. Before long, their telepathic probe found a human vessel, and with ease, they reached inside the minds of the crew onboard. Through their memories, the leaders lived vicariously, seeing all the humans had seen, all they had heard and smelt, touched and tasted.

  The leaders saw their colonies and star ships, their trials and tribulations. And once they were done, they fed their knowledge back into the heads of these humans, filling them, overwhelming them, until their brains could take no more, and they haemorrhaged to death.

  The will of the leaders was absolute, and their race obeyed all commands without question. They issued a decree: Spread the fleet out in all directions. Waste no time in reclaiming control of the galaxy. Mend the ships. Upgrade them if there is any worthy technology. Save the conquering of humanity until last.

  Within minutes of the decree being issued, ships warped away, traversing paths among the stars that had long since been untrod. Soon, the galaxy would be held in their iron grasp again. Soon, they would restore the natural order.

  The great void lay empty once more as the last ship flashed away. There were no witnesses to the emergence that had just happened, except for the carcases of machine and creature. Alas, the dead can tell no tales, and so this interstellar graveyard would keep its secrets. But it wouldn’t matter – for as a new day arose upon the galaxy, its inhabitants would awaken to a horrific new reality, and soon they would all remember an evil long forgotten …

  The Forgotten Saga Continues …

  Corrupted Race is coming in 2024 – join Quill's newsletter to keep up with the latest preorder and launch updates!

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  Acknowledgements

  A book is never just the product of one person’s time and energy – it takes many hands to shape and refine a story into its finished form.

  So, a big thank you to my alpha readers, Jonathan and Ashley, who helped mould the story during its infancy.

  Thank you to Cailey and Cherie for your development edits – you helped the story overcome its shortcomings as it grew and matured.

  Many thanks to my beta readers, Evan, Amy, Rachael, and Kevin; as my test audience, you really helped complete the final draft.

  A huge thank you to my editor, Cherie, for all her brilliant work editing and proofing – her efforts make the story shine!

  Last but not least, thank you to Dewi Hargreaves for once again charting the universe of the Forgotten Saga, and a big shout out to David from Cover Creator for another stellar cover design!

  Also by Quill Holland

  The Forgotten Saga

  Book 1: Forgotten Evil

  Book 2: Awakened Horror

  Short Stories

  The Last of Her Kind

  What Mattered Most

  Pilgrimage of the Amalgamal

  As featured in Lost Boys Press’s 2023 Anthology,

  Empire of Beasts

  About the Author

  A programmer by day and a writer by night, Quill Holland is a young New Zealand author who is always creating content. Ever since he was young, Quill could be found with his nose in a book or watching the latest science-fiction movie. As a result, he’s developed an imagination that never stops, and naturally, sci-fi and fantasy are the domains that Quill’s work inhabits.

  A creative writing graduate from the New Zealand Institute of Business Studies and a member of the New Zealand Society of Authors, Quill has several self-published stories. When he’s not debugging code or creating worlds, Quill likes to dabble in illustration and photography, as well as exploring the natural beauty of New Zealand with his partner.

  Connect with Quill on:

  Website: www.quillholland.nz

  Twitter: @quill_holland

  Facebook: @QuillHolland

  Instagram: @quillholland

  Goodreads: @quillholland

 

 

  Quill Holland, Awakened Horror

 

 

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