The Anunnaki Bk. 03

Chapter I

Ëa of Nibiru gazed at the display with a grave expression. The IGIGI operating the RUQU-AMARU sat slightly hunched forward at his station and squinted at the array of activity before him.

"Are we certain?" Ëa asked.

"It is virtually guaranteed," the Watcher said.

His name was Zadkiël.

Ëa sighed heavily and bit his lip in consternation. The Far-Seeing device showed a number of tiny moving lights against the backdrop of space. There was a larger central dot around which several smaller pinpoints of light fluttered. They resembled a horde of bees swarming around a hive.

"How far is the incursion?" he asked.

Zadkiël leaned forward a little further toward the device and did some mental calculations.

"At present, they are nearing Gaga, the outermost planet," he said, "I estimate they will be within reach of Anshar and its rings within four Earth years."

Ëa straightened to his full height and stared into space for a moment.

"What of our home world?" he asked.

"Nibiru is long past," the operator said, "She traveled beyond the outer rings more than two years gone."

Ëa nodded and blinked in thought.

"That is one blessing in all this," he said, "There is no threat to them, though it appears we are now on our own. There will be no help coming from there."

Zadkiël nodded without speaking.

With a final sigh, Ëa left the room. He walked toward the shuttle bay as he tried to formulate a plan. His two Guards fell in behind him walking ramrod straight as their Lord set a brisk pace back to his ship.

By the time they climbed the ramp into the shuttle Ëa had come up with the ghost of a plan that might work. It would be a hard sell to the rest of the council, but if what he'd seen of the invasion was even half true, they would need all the help they could get.

His shuttle left the base on Phobos and flew toward the plain of Cydonia on the surface of Mars. On approach at an altitude only slightly higher than the mountain range that surrounded the valley, any other traveler would have sucked in his breath in alarm at their nearness to those ragged peaks. Ëa simply watched with vague interest as the plain unfolded beneath him.

First to come into view was the massive plateau with the carved face on the summit; Alalu's tomb. Immediately following that was the ziggurat made of enormous blocks of red stone. Both these had stood here since the Dingir first colonized this sector of the solar system more than three hundred thousand Earth years ago. Ëa himself had helped to design and raise these buildings.

He spared a moment to think about Alalu, his long dead father in law, and sighed.

The rest of the network of buildings came into view but he didn't even look at them. As functional as they were, they offered none of the aesthetic beauty the pyramid and tomb displayed. Instead he gave more thought to his upcoming meeting with the council.

'How they will howl!'

He grinned slightly at the thought and waited patiently as the canopy over the shuttle bay slid open.

His ship hovered in place until the cover was completely retracted. Then it glided gently downward to rest alongside the dozens of other shuttles already there.

The shuttle bay was re-pressurized and Ëa's shuttle opened its rear door. The door was the entire rear section of the fuselage. It swung upward on hinges set into the rear section of the roof panel.

He walked briskly but gracefully and his two Guards fell in behind him.

The great market opened up to his left with its vendors of food, clothing and any other thing the colonists needed. There were almost three thousand Humans living here, all of them brought here from Earth by Ëa's people. They were far outnumbered by the thirty thousand or so Dingir who had built this place.

He paid no attention to the market teeming with people of both races. Instead, he walked straight to the network of stairs leading toward the underground train.

The train system was a suggestion from the Human colonists. They stated they had trains working underground in many of their major cities on Earth. They were useful for transporting thousands of Humans around every day. Ëa had to admit the idea had been a good one.

He boarded the car furthest toward the front of the train. This car was reserved for Dingir nobility. He sat on one of the plush seats built into the side of the car and his Guards took up station at his side with their pikes planted solidly by their feet. There were no other riders.

Ëa did not move when the train reached the end of the line. He waited patiently while passengers from the other cars disembarked.

The car on which he sat disconnected itself from the forward section of the train and pushed on further. An aperture in the wall of the station opened and the car slipped through it silently. Then it picked up speed and traveled for another few minutes.

They were now deeply ensconced in the Dingir section of the Cydonia complex. Humans did not come into this area.

Ëa rose calmly and walked to the bank of elevators opposite the doors of the train. He spoke briefly in Dingir and the elevator rose swiftly to the top floor of the building.

The doors slid open to reveal two Guards dressed in their formal finery; polished bronze breastplates and greaves with the matching bronze helms and white under-tunics stitched with gold embroidery along the hem lines.

They stood to attention when he appeared and stared straight ahead. They slammed the butt ends of their pikes to the floor as he passed beyond the gilt doorway to the council chamber. His personal Guards joined their comrades at the entrance.

Ëa scanned the semi-gloomy interior and grinned. They were all here; his sister Ninti, his son Adad, his nephew Nannar and his son Utu and his niece, the fiery tempered Inanna.

This was half the council of twelve. The remaining six had departed for their home world Nibiru over five years ago. That included his brother Enlil and the greater part of his entourage. Ëa was left with this group to help him govern.

"You're late!" Nannar said unpleasantly, "As usual."

Ëa smirked and looked at the array of faces opposite him. Most of them were scowling like Nannar. Ninti and Adad were the exceptions. Adad showed no expression at all while Ninti smiled beatifically.

"I was unavoidably detained," he said, "There were matters of some importance that drew me elsewhere."

"Hardly an excuse," Nannar said with a sigh, "My father warned me not to let you run roughshod over the council in his absence."

Ëa smiled and leaned forward on the table directly across from the younger man.

"My brother does not trust me," he said, "Or like me when it comes to it. That is no secret."

"Nor is it a secret that you like to do things your own way," Nannar replied.

"Sometimes it is necessary to get things done," Ëa said, "Without the squabbling and endless debate within this chamber."

Nannar sniffed and sat back in his chair not cowed in the least.

"Have a care Uncle!" he hissed, "Anything you do requires this council's approval!"

"I bring news," Ëa went on, "Grave news!"

Ninti leaned forward with concern written all over her face. The rest eyed each other suspiciously.

"There are strangers entering the system," he said, "Massive numbers of them."

"What do you mean, strangers?" Nannar demanded.

"People who are neither Dingir nor Human," he said, "They are massing at the outer rings of this system even as we speak."

"That's impossible!" Adad said loudly as he stood from his chair, "In all our history we have never come across any aliens except the Humans! They must be Dingir brothers, returning from Nibiru."

"Humans are not aliens," Ëa said, "They share our DNA."

"Only because of your recklessness!" Nannar said acidly.

"Recklessness or prophesy?" Ëa said with a smirk, "Who can say?

"And these strangers entering our solar system are not Dingir. They are not coming from the direction of our home world. And you know, the journey from Nibiru to here when it is beyond the rings of the outer planets would take decades, even at our best speed."

Adad's eyes remained fixed on his father in shock. Nannar was too busy studying Ëa for signs of trickery to be shocked. Utu sneered at his own conviction that this was some sort of ruse. Ninti looked solemn.

Only Inanna appeared to be unmoved. She sat with her arms folded across her chest and her legs thrust out in front of her and crossed at the ankles. Her face was entirely expressionless.

"I'm not convinced," Nannar said, "How do we even know any of what you're saying is true?"

Ëa activated a video monitor and gestured toward it. Each of them watched with interest as the tiny pinpoints of light danced irregularly on the screen.

"I asked Zadkiël to broadcast his Far-Seeing device feed here," he said, "As you can see, I speak the truth."

The assembly studied the image and their doubts appeared to vanish.

"We shall have to think on this," Nannar mumbled uncertainly.

"Are you really that pathetic?" Inanna said with scorn.

She stood from her seat and walked languidly to stand at Ëa's side.

"Are you really that much of a coward?" she said.

"I will not be spoken to like that!" Nannar snapped.

Inanna smirked and leaned her hands on the table as Ëa had done.

"If you don't like being called a coward, stop acting like one," she said.

She straightened herself and strode to the monitor they were watching.

"What do you need to think on?" she demanded, "Do you want to count them? Do you want them to knock on your door before you think to act? What does it take for you to stand up and take action?"

"You will be silent!" Nannar screamed as he rose from his chair and leaned on the table to glare at her. His face was beet red with rage.

Inanna fingered the pommel of the sword at her belt and smiled.

"Would you like to silence me?" she asked playfully.

"Peace!" Ëa said sharply, "Fighting amongst ourselves will solve nothing."

Nannar let out an explosive breath and slammed his hands down on the table. Inanna simply smiled.

"Inanna is right," Ëa said, "We must act, but how? Zadkiël estimates we have roughly four Earth years before they reach the rings of Anshar. We have time. Let us not waste it."

"Give me ten thousand warriors and two thousand pilots," Inanna said with a smirk, "I will go to the outer rings and meet them. I'll show them what it means to meet with Dingir on the field of battle!"

A collective gasp went up from the council and Ëa sighed.

"That may be necessary at some point," he said, "For now, I would recommend we send scouts to determine their intentions."

"It would be better to send an emissary to meet with them," Nannar said.

Everyone in the chamber turned to him in disbelief.

"Will you be volunteering?" Ëa asked.

Nannar blinked in surprise.

"Me?" he asked with outrage, "As leader of this colony, you—"

"Should remain well out of the reach of any potentially hostile force," Ëa finished for him.

"Now who's the coward?" Nannar sniffed.

Ëa smiled and moved to stand over his nephew.

"I have no fear of death," he said, "Indeed, I have already lived a hundred lifetimes. Why should I hesitate to give my life in battle against our enemies? I have trained for it all my life and I'm rather good at it."

"And yet you hesitate to go meet with these strangers," Nannar said.

"Are you a fool as well as a coward?" Inanna shouted, "The Creator knows there is little love lost between my Uncle and me, but to send the leader of our force to an unknown outcome is the height of stupidity! He could be captured and forced to reveal our secrets! All of our defensive capabilities, everything about us! Would you really sanction that?"

"I will go," Ninti said into the silence that followed.

"No!" Ëa shouted, "You will not! I forbid it!"

Ninti smiled at him and leaned on the table with her chin in her hands.

"Dear Brother," she said innocently, "When have you ever been able to forbid me from doing anything?"

Ëa sighed and softened his expression.

"Please Dear Sister," he said, "We will not do that. We will not be sending anyone to meet with these strangers. We need to learn more about them before we can even consider anything like that!"

Utu and Adad nodded in agreement while Nannar scowled and Inanna frowned.

Ninti held his gaze for a moment and then relented.

"I agree," she said, "We must learn more before we decide on any kind of meeting."

Ëa breathed a sigh of relief and turned toward Nannar.

"We need to learn much more!" he said with feeling.

Nannar rolled his eyes and turned away. Inanna let out a gasp of frustration and slammed her hand on the table.

"You people make me sick!" she shouted, "To think that the same blood runs through our veins fills me with disgust! I've met Humans with more courage than you!"

"You mention the Humans," Ëa said, "I'm glad you brought it up. I would like to make a proposal. We should ask the Humans for help in this."

"Preposterous!" Nannar said with an explosive breath.

"The very thought is repugnant!" Inanna scowled.

"Is it?" Ëa asked with one raised eyebrow, "You were happy enough to lead their armies across Shumer in the old days. As I recall, you were exuberant!"

"That was different," Inanna said, "I was only fighting for what was mine and none of you would help me."

"And how is asking those self-same Humans for help in fighting against an invader any different?" he asked, "You would be fighting for what is yours and for what belongs to all of us."

Inanna frowned and shook her head.

"My Cousin is right!" Nannar said, "The very thought of going hat in hand to slaves is repugnant."

"Former slaves," Ëa said impatiently, "My brother, your father, freed them many Shars ago. Or have you forgotten?"

"I have not!" Nannar said truculently.

"I'm sure you will all recall the incident I experienced against a handful of their soldiers," Ëa said with a rueful smile.

"I do!" Inanna said with a grin, "And you ended up somewhat worse for wear."

"Which only proves, they can be counted on in a fight," he said.

"Or that you can't," Inanna replied smoothly.

Ëa grinned and nodded in her direction.

"Touché!"

Ninti stood and slid into a sitting position on the council table.

"My Dear Brother may have a point," she said, "My own experience with the Humans tells me they are hardy when the need arises."

"Surely you can't be suggesting we ask them for anything!" Nannar shouted, "Why should they help us, even if we did ask?"

"For the same reason your Cousin wants to meet these strangers in the remoteness of space!" Ëa said, "To fight for what belongs to us; all of us.

"If these strangers do indeed turn out to be hostile and they are victorious over us, what will we have lost? A few colonies scattered across the inner solar system and fifty thousand or so Dingir lives. Our people will go on. But, what do the Humans have to lose? Their entire existence could be eradicated in one fell swoop! Billions of lives lost along with the only world they have ever known."

The others stared at him with dubious expressions and sighed collectively.

"Still," Nannar said, "The very thought of asking them for help is humiliating!"

Ëa grinned and cocked his head to one side.

"I for one would prefer to lose a little pride than my life along with everything we have worked so hard to achieve. Perhaps you can think on that."

Nannar grimaced and stared at the opposite wall.

"We don't even know whether these strangers will come," he said.

"As surely as Apsu rises in the east, they will come!" Ëa said.

-*-

Manuel Flores was seated on one of the benches in the arena sharpening and polishing his sword. He was wearing the plain white workout tunic that fell as far as his knees. His bronze breast plate, greaves and bronze helm sat on the bench beside him. His embossed shield was leaning against the bench on his other side.

He was a long way from his home in Los Angeles. He had grown up there in poverty, only rising up from the morass of gang life and drug addiction by joining the US Army. After that it was a relatively short trip from regular army to the Army Rangers. The work was hard and the dedication to achieving his goals had to be unwavering for him to get there, but he did it in his fifth year. After he graduated Ranger school he visited his mother and aunt in Los Angeles for the first time since enlisting. It would be the last time he went. They had not changed in the years he'd been away. He on the other hand had changed a great deal. They barely recognized him.

After three days of awkward and uncomfortable silence, his mother took him by the hand to the front porch.

"Manuelito," she said softly, "This place is not for you anymore. There is nothing here for you. Your Tia and me, we have nothing left to give you. Go into the world and do your best. Already, you are miles above us. And you can be so much more!"

Without wanting to, he understood her completely. He nodded sadly, kissed her on the forehead and then went to his old room to collect his kit. He packed everything he owned into a duffel bag and left his childhood home, never to see it or his family again.

He served in the Rangers with distinction for another ten years. He was deployed to over two dozen hotspots where he earned citations, promotions and, most important to him, the respect of those around him.

He then accepted a transfer to an ultra-secret branch of the NSA called The Division. He had never heard of it; no one had.

While there, he followed orders and did his duty. It was entirely different from his service in the Rangers. He wore a suit instead of a uniform or field fatigues. He was tasked with hunting down enemies of the state and bringing them to justice. Sometimes his colleagues didn't bring their prey in for justice. They carried out what they called field justice. Sometimes they did bring them in, but many of those people were never heard from or seen again.

The whole time, he convinced himself that the work he did was for the greater good. When he killed, he did it to protect his country. But year after year, he was asked to do more and more; he did everything he was told and tried his best but the cost to his soul was becoming too much to bear.

After several years of clandestine work with them, he came to realize he was no longer on the side of the angels. His disgust with the work and how he'd carried it out without question for so long made him sick at heart. It was only a chance meeting with the alien Ëa that put him on the path that brought him to Mars and this arena.

With the help of the alien leader and some of the Humans he'd come to know here, he was learning to become a better person. He was learning to put his dark past behind him.

He also learned the art of sword work with the Dingir. Despite their almost two foot height advantage, there were few of them willing to go head to head against him now after five years of training alongside them. He had learned their craft too well for their liking. A natural born fighter from his youngest days, he had taken to sword fighting in a way that few others could have.

"I see the monkey warrior is with us today," one of the aliens said to another who sat nearby.

It was spoken in Dingir but Manuel had picked up enough of the language in the five years he'd been here to understand. He didn't look up or give any indication he knew what had been said.

"You take a chance with that tongue of yours," the warrior he'd spoken to replied with a frown, "He might just take you to task one of these days."

"Hardly a risk," the first one said. His name was Aniël.

Eremiël raised one eyebrow and looked him in the eye.