Twilight of the Gods (Universe in Flames Book 8) Read online

  TWILIGHT OF THE GODS

  UNIVERSE IN FLAMES VOLUME VIII

  CHRISTIAN KALLIAS

  For Daisy (2000 - 2017)

  “You’ll always shine brightly in my heart.”

  (Photograph by Valentina Kallias)

  valentinakallias.deviantart.com

  Dedicated to Daniel, Cedric and Walter without whom I’m not sure I would have had the courage to go forward with writing professionally. Thank you for all your help, unwavering support, encouragement as well as for believing in me.

  I’d also like to thank my Family and Friends.

  Special mention to Paula L., Alain H., Florent Z., Val K., Russ B., Houman H., Jean-Marc D, Jean-Marc B., Sandro C., Marc M., Marc S., Jay V. E., Noel, Arthur S. & Mary H.

  CONTENTS

  Acknowledgments

  Copyright

  Damocles Fall

  Dramatis Personæ

  The Story So Far

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Epilogue

  Afterword

  Also by Christian Kallias

  About the Author

  A Word from the Author

  Rewind 717

  Rewind 717 Book Cover

  About this sample

  Acknowledgments

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  Cover artwork by Christian Kallias

  [email protected]

  www.christiankallias.com

  www.facebook.com/ChristianKallias

  www.twitter.com/kalliasx

  Production Editor & Alpha/ARC Team Lead

  Paula Lavattiata Lopez

  Editors

  Paula Lavattiata Lopez

  Effrosyni Moschoudi

  Proofreaders

  Paula Lavattiata Lopez

  Effrosyni Moschoudi

  Miliana Chipaila (Thank you so much Millie!)

  Alpha Readers & ARC Team (Thank you!)

  COPYRIGHT

  Copyright © 2017 by Christian Kallias

  All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  First Printing, 2017 / Version 1.04

  Thank you for buying my book, here is an exclusive freebie for you. Get the DAMOCLES FALL book here:

  DRAMATIS PERSONÆ

  Earth Alliance

  Captain Chase Athanatos – Earth Alliance Fury Olympian hybrid (formerly Star Alliance Lieutenant Commander)

  Commander Sarah Kepler – Earth Human with Fury powers (formerly US Navy Commander)

  Chris Athanatos – Fury Human hybrid

  Commodore Saroudis – Earth Alliance Human (formerly Star Alliance Captain) (deceased)

  Commander Daniel Tharraleos – Earth Alliance Human (formerly Star Alliance)

  Chief Engineer Yanis Tixichos – Earth Alliance Human (formerly Star Alliance)

  R&D Engineer Spiros Malayianis – Earth Alliance Human (formerly Star Alliance - deceased)

  Argos Thanatos – Fury and Chase’s twin brother (formerly head of the Zarlacks)

  Cedric – Earth Alliance Human Engineer

  Olympians

  Aphroditis – known to humans as the goddess of love

  Athena – known to humans as the goddess of wisdom, craft & war

  Ares – known to humans as the god of war (deceased, living as pure energy form)

  Zeus – known to humans as the god of the sky and mighty ruler of Olympus

  Hades – known to humans as the god of the Underworld

  Apollo – known to humans as the god of Music, Truth & Prophecy

  Furies

  Arakan – Supreme Commander of the Furies

  Oryn – Zeus’ daughter (Arakan’s adoptive daughter)

  Zalara – Arakan’s wife (deceased)

  Menelas – Chase and Argos’ father (deceased)

  Asgardians

  Thor – Fleet Commander, son of Odin.

  Odin – King of Asgard

  Kvasir – Asgardian scientist

  Other characters

  Emperor Altair – Obsidian Empire Emperor (now part of the Earth Alliance)

  Gaia – Artificial Intelligence created on Earth, speaks for the planet

  Gaia 2 – An older backup version of the Gaia Artificial Intelligence gone haywire. Evil and sees humans as vermin (destroyed)

  THE STORY SO FAR

  Warning: If you haven’t read all the previous books in the series, you’re exposing yourself to SERIOUS spoilers by reading this part.

  This section was created for readers of this series to refresh their memories (should they need to) before reading this new book. It can, of course, be used by new readers but I’d recommend you start reading the series at Book 1: Earth – Last Sanctuary (it’s free).

  Volume I: Earth - Last Sanctuary

  Following a devastating attack by the Obsidian Empire, helped by the mighty Zarlacks, a band of survivors led by Chase Athanatos from the Star Alliance blind jump away from their home world (Alpha Prime) and end up in an uncharted part of space, near a planet called Earth. Guided by the Olympian goddess of love Aphroditis, Chase and his friends rescue planet Earth from an alien attack and form a new alliance (Earth Alliance). But soon the Obsidian Empire tracks them down and decides to launch a full-scale attack on the blue planet. In the midst of the epic battle that ensues, the leader of the enemy forces captures Chase’s new love interest, Commander Sarah Kepler. He reveals to Sarah that he is Chase’s brother.

  Volume II: Fury to the Stars

  Chase learns of his Fury heritage and starts developing powers while he tries to rescue Sarah from the hands of his evil twin, Argos, currently torturing her for information. Another Olympian, Ares, trains Chase and helps him harness his emerging powers. Meanwhile, Earth is suffering random terrorist attacks that put the new Alliance’s frail status in jeopardy. After going to Hellstar Prison to get Ryonna out, Chase fights Argos and is finally reunited with Sarah, but something is off. A long-range distress call from a former Star Alliance scientist (Spiros Malayianis) brings Chase and Argos on yet another collision course. Chase is put into the impossible position of choosing between preventing sensitive weapon schematics from falling into Argos’ hands or saving Sarah’s (and his unborn son’s) life. She has been brainwashed to do Argos’ bidding and is also responsible for the wave of terrorism back on Earth. Chase reluctantly destroys Sarah’s ship.

  Volume III: Destination Oblivion

  Having had to kill the woman he loves as well as their unborn child plunges Chase into a spiral of hatred and self-destruction as he leaves the Earth Alliance. After meeting a bounty hunter (Keera), Chase joins forces with her in order to track the one man he hates more than anything in this w
orld: his twin brother Argos whom he holds responsible for Sarah’s death. Argos resurfaces on their radar after killing Ares in cold blood. When their paths cross, Chase nearly kills Argos after an epic fight in Tokyo, but only spares his twin brother’s life when he reveals that Sarah is alive and the person that Chase killed was a clone. Meanwhile, a dangerous Artificial Intelligence (Gaia) is born on Earth and threatens humanity as a whole, but in the end Spiros Malayianis convinces her that she has nothing to fear from humans. In order to rescue Sarah, Chase has to reluctantly team up with Argos in order to defeat a Titan that holds a piece of tech Argos needs for his nefarious plan. When recovered, Argos requests Aphroditis to enter the piece of tech that will free his brethren, once thought to be extinct, from their dimensional prison. Aphroditis enters the machine willingly in exchange for a promise from Chase to rid the world of Argos and the threat he poses. The Fury home world (Erevos) is brought back into their reality as a result. The enemy of old (Furies) is back in play.

  Volume IV: The Beginning of the End

  Argos’ reunion with the Furies turns sour as he refuses to kill Chase when ordered. Back on Earth, Chase trains for months with the help of Gaia and Spiros to increase his powers tenfold in the hope of defeating the Furies. Argos and two highly trained Fury warriors (Miseo, the son of the Fury Supreme Commander Arakan as well as General Arkoolis) are sent on a mission to wipe out the Droxians in retribution for their joining the Earth Alliance after the battle around Earth orbit (Earth - Last Sanctuary). Ryonna, with Keera’s help, tries to save her son when he gets tangled in the massacre that ensues on Droxia. Chase arrives on Droxia and defeats Arkoolis but Miseo proves to be too powerful for him. Argos intervenes near the end of the battle, mortally wounds Chase and leaves him for dead before they (Miseo & Argos) have to flee when reinforcements arrive.

  Volume V: Rise of the Ultra Fury

  Sarah is about to give birth to Chris when he warns her of things to come using the Fury powers Sarah has acquired as part of her pregnancy. Chase is brought back on board the Hope and put in suspended animation until Ares can procure an Olympian elixir with the help of Argos who is starting to question his allegiance with the Furies. Chase wakes up in the Underworld, his soul trapped in between the world of the living and the dead. There, he meets Hades who trains Chase further while his son Chris is born and ages at impossible speed. Argos starts feeling remorse for his actions and agrees to help Ares recover the banished Olympian Asclepios from his prison. Argos defeats the Titan Menoitios and frees Asclepios with Ares and Apollo’s help. On their way back to the Hope, a Fury assassin by the name of Timoros tries to kill Chase while he’s still trapped in the Underworld. Every one of Chase’s friends risks their lives to try and stop Timoros but he’s too powerful. Eventually Chase returns from the Underworld when he feels Sarah is in mortal danger. He drinks the elixir and obliterates Timoros while reaching a stepping stone power-wise in becoming an Ultra Fury. The first Fury super-destroyer is dispatched as part of a fleet intent on destroying Earth, currently protected by a powerful planetary shield. When it looks like all hope is lost, an unknown fleet going by the name of Gaian Defense Force enters the fold and forces the Furies out of Earth orbit. Their leader, also named Gaia, demands of Chase that the Earth Alliance also leaves orbit within the hour or they’ll be destroyed.

  Volume VI: Shadows of Olympus

  Chase and what’s left of the Earth Alliance are forced to vacate Earth space. Spiros, Cedric and Gaia stay behind in order to try to stop Gaia 2 from taking control of planet Earth. Meanwhile, the Alliance splits up, with Saroudis and the Destiny battlegroup going back to Alpha Prime, where the Obsidian Empire helps them get more ships and resources at a time of need. Chase, Ares and Argos meet Zeus on Olympus, but are not welcomed as friends. After battling one another, Chase and Zeus come to an agreement. Zeus reveals to Chase that he fell in love with Arakan’s wife during the first Fury War, and that’s what led to the conflict escalating. He also told Chase that Oryn is his daughter, not Arakan’s. He tasks Chase to bring her back to him and, in exchange, Olympus will join the Earth Alliance in their fight with the Furies. Sarah and Chris are sent on a mission of their own to try to make contact with the Asgardians. They find an armada of frozen Star Alliance ships, as well as Kvasir, a banished Asgardian engineer who could be an asset in defeating the AI scourge back on Earth. But Miseo is sent to recover him, and a battle ensues. Chris fights Miseo and nearly gets killed, but Chase intervenes. When he’s about to kill Miseo, Oryn arrives on the scene and the two of them fight, resulting in a draw. Kvasir is rescued and so is the Star Alliance armada. Meanwhile, on Earth things go from bad to worse. Gaia 2 is about to take control of the planet, so Gaia unleashes a planet-wide EMP to ensure Gaia 2 doesn’t get her hands on all of Earth’s computing power. Gaia 2 invades Cedric’s body and turns him into her new avatar cyborg. After executing Spiros, Gaia 2 gives Chase a warning, to stay away from Earth or face the consequences of humans dying by the millions.

  Volume VII: Armageddon Unleashed

  Chase decides to ignore Gaia 2’s warning and he sets a course for Earth. With the help of Gaia and Kvasir, he trains and learns how to fight inside an AI matrix in order to defeat Gaia 2 once and for all. But fighting Gaia 2 on her own turf proves more difficult than he anticipated. Chase fights with Gaia 2, making her use too much of her CPU so she can’t retaliate against the population of Earth, and also to help the Earth Alliance attack the armada of Gaian ships in orbit. When Chase loses consciousness, Argos and Chris take his place in the matrix while the Earth Alliance enters Earth orbit and fight the largest space battle the Alliance ever fought until now. Meanwhile, Oryn uses Miseo as her guinea pig to test a mind control device. She plans to use that technology on her father Arakan when the time comes to take control of the Fury throne via proxy. But her experiment takes a wrong turn and Miseo turns against her and tries to have her killed. She decides to bring Miseo to Earth so he can deal with Chase in his crazed state. The two of them are forced to ally themselves to bring him down, but at a cost. When a gigantic moon-sized Gaian ship threatens to destroy planet Earth, Commodore Saroudis decides to sacrifice himself and his ship to save the planet. Chase has to choose between saving Oryn or saving his friend; but following Aphroditis’ council he reluctantly decides for the former in order to ensure a much needed alliance with Olympus and Zeus. Chase, Oryn, Argos and Chris all team up to defeat Miseo. When Gaia 2 feels her end is near, she directs her moon-sized monstrosity of a ship to crash on Earth in order to destroy the planet. That’s when three Asgardian ships with Thor in command enter the scene and help the Earth Alliance permanently destroy the crazed AI. To Chase’s surprise, Thor requests the immediate transfer of the war criminal Kvasir to his ship.

  And now the continuation . . .

  1

  Chase looked at Thor’s face currently displayed on the Hope’s holo-screen. Thor was imposing. Very muscular and with large shoulders. Like Kvasir he had luminous tattoos on his face, but their shape and positioning was different. Thor’s tattoos were more prominent on his forehead, around the nose and eyes and on his chin. They blinked rapidly right before he spoke.

  “I don’t like repeating myself, Captain Athanatos. Have Kvasir sent to my ship immediately.”

  Chase couldn’t let Kvasir be judged and killed without lifting a finger to try and at least repay him for his help. Without Kvasir they wouldn’t have defeated Gaia 2. And Chase could not bring himself to just deliver him to Thor without a fight.

  “I’m sorry Thor, but no.”

  Thor’s eyes blazed as he narrowed them. His tattoos flashed even stronger than before. The tone of his voice was ice cold.

  “This is not a negotiation, Captain!”

  “Nonetheless, my answer still stands. Kvasir has risked his life to help us defeat Gaia 2, and his actions were what saved the planet below, even if you’re the one who had his finger on the weapon trigger that finally brought her down. I can’t reward Kvasir by giving h
im to you to be executed. Surely you can understand that.”

  Thor stayed silent for a while, his steel gaze locked on Chase.

  “I could take him by force, and you do realize that there’s nothing you could do to stop me.”