Guardian Core Chronicles Darkess Rises by Michael Youngblood - HTML preview

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The Interim years

One week after being sent away

 

1’s comments

 

I wasn’t an overly emotional person but this hit me pretty hard. I was trained to be tough and in control. But I was losing my two best friends and would not see my husband again for several years if ever. I know Selar had his reasons but it was still going to be tough. Reaper would stay in our own galaxy investigating whatever dark powers were at work but the rest of us were sent to different ones. The galaxy I was sent for was literally on the far side of the universe. I am the only one from our galaxy here, I will be truly alone. Sometimes it’s hard to be one of the good guys.

 

Matts comments

 

She was sent to a galaxy in the middle of a three way galactic war. To make matters worse the galaxy was attached to the outer zone of the place of eternal light. So it was saturated with light and radiation energy. She would spend a few months in a containment suit that would slowly accommodate her to the new surroundings. It was like a diver from earth going in a pressurized container to accommodate them to the high pressures of the depths of the ocean. When she left it will take another month for her to de-saturate down to a normal level.

 

Misteeks comments

 

I took a few of my children as company with me but I was far away from home. I wouldn’t see my friends for a long time. I hope all this will be over soon.

 

4 years later

Reapers comments

 

Well this sucks. I was captured and thrown in a dark hole. I’ve got to say though, as prisons go this one’s not bad. It’s dark, dank and smelly but at least I don’t have a snoring roommate. The rats are fun to play with and the guards don’t beat me as often now. Even when you’re in the bottom of dungeon you can still look on the bright side. Whoever my captors are have erased most of my memory. I don’t even know my real name. They just call me the hunted. I get flashes of memories in my dreams. I think I might be an espionage agent, and that’s how I got in this situation. Now I’m just a hunted animal for someone else’s amusement.

 

They release me once a week and practice hunting me down. The further I make it the less I get beat later as a reward. I have to wonder though what they did to me before my memory was erased because I’m missing my right arm and the toe on my right foot. That kind of makes it hard to run. But I make it a little further each time. They laugh because I take different routes of escape. They say if I went to the same areas I might do better as I got to know the lay of the land. But I’ve got a plan. While on the run I test the barrier projectors. I was planning to find one that is weaker than the others. I will slip though the weak spot and get free.

 

Two days later I got my chance. The hunting course was in an abandoned city. I could see the barrier from my position. So far I have tested twenty projectors. It looks lies there’s around three hundred or so, I can’t get an exact count. I carefully made my way there, and then I caught a glimpse of something on the ground. It was an odd shaped metal object. It was a metal toe. As soon as I touched it the toe jumped out of my hand and onto my foot. Suddenly a few of my memories returned. My name was Reaper and I was an espionage agent. The toe contained several tools and a few weapons. Now I had a real means of escape. Someone called a Guardian left this here for me to find.

 

 Six months later

Guardian year 5994     Earth year 1994     Etan age 573

 

An unwanted promotion

Etans view

 

The last five years have been interesting. I’m in a neighboring galaxy assisting a planetary Guardian here named Eron. His planet is called Deora. He’s been training me to be a future planetary Guardian. He showed me how to affect a government’s policies and direction without forcing an issue. Guide them in the right direction, and only interfere when absolutely necessary. You have to let them make their own mistakes along the way. It’s the only way they will grow over time.

 

We attended high society functions as well as talking to the common people. Four years might seem like a long time, but I had just gotten comfortable with my life here when I got a call from master Selar. On one hand it was good to hear from him again but on the other hand part of me hated to go. This planet was at peace and the job of being a Guardian here was pretty easy. I represented the Guardians in many ways like giving our blessings on various projects and doing charitable activates. My favorite weekly activity is visiting hospitals. We take on the hard cases that the planets medical science cannot cure.  I didn’t remember all the details from my past life but I knew the last few hundred years had been rough. This assignment was like a four year vacation. I finally got to see all the good things that can happen when the Guardians are around. So like I say getting the call from Master Selar was bitter sweet. I said goodbye to all my new friends in this galaxy and headed back to the Milky Way.

 

I reported in to Master Selar as soon as I returned. “Etan my boy it’s so good to see you again.” He said. We talked for awhile. He briefed me on recent events, and then got serious. “You’ve done well in your training. Eron says you’re as competent as any planetary Guardian, that’s why effective immediately you’re being promoted to that status.” I knew that’s what he was training me for, but I didn’t think it would be this soon. Selar explained “Unfortunately this time there can be no party or celebration; it will have to be in secret, but all preparations have been made for you already. Your new mother ship is on its way here now. Most of the crew is from your old ship, including your first officer commander Cobbs.” Commander Cobbs was the grandson of Alesea. She helped me so much I wanted to return the favor. He was only a private when we first meet but I could see he had a lot of potential. The only problem I have with him is almost every time he reports something to me its bad news. Maybe it’s just a coincidence, but it seems to happen that way every time. Every time he begins a report I think oh no here it comes. I made a request to Selar to be put in charge an ice planet. Maybe I could get one that was peaceful with no hostile governments and no volcanoes. But Selar already had an assignment in mind. I will be the Guardian over Terraca. It was an alternate version of the one I helped save many years ago. Selar didn’t want me to go public just yet though. Some unknown adversary was causing trouble throughout the galaxy.

 

He wanted to see if this enemy would make an observable move on the planet. The Guardian watching over Terroca before has disappeared without a trace. This planet in the other universe didn’t have a Guardian so we were trying to influence them a little at a time. A few people knew about Guardians but the mass population didn’t. Most of the population consisted of scattered tribes and villages. There are two larger cities on the eastern content but they are of a different culture entirely. They settled this planet many years ago before the universal merger. All in all it was a touchy situation that needed a careful hand. I will need to go slow at first mostly observing and influencing them only in non-direct ways. Selar does not want the enemy to know I am even there if possible. He said I should stay out of the way and let them show themselves.

 

Matt’s comments

 

That was the back story now we can get on with the main narrative.