Havok Bringer

" I come from A galaxy far from your own." The figure's voice was much like my own, albeit he sounded like a bit more of a tenor as opposed to my usually deeper voice.
I need to show you my story as it would not be efficient to try and verbalize it all in the time we have remaining." Ses reached out a hand and placed its palm on my forehead. Images flooded into my brain. Not just images, though, I could feel everything. I felt how Ses felt when it was all happening, every emotion, every intent.
I saw Ses living. I saw that Ses was a male in his species, the Anzu, which had existed for millions of years. The Anzu were made up entirely of some kind of energy that I didn't recognize. Aether is how they referred to it. Their civilization had advanced to a point that war had nearly left them completely. The Anzu were a mostly peaceful species and found themselves playing mediator to the wars of less advanced species. They had decided long ago that being the peacemakers in the universe was necessary if the beings of the various galaxies were to live and thrive.
Ses had a family, sort of. The family structure in his home was more like a pack than a family. Ses was part of a very large pack and seemed to be highly ranked within the pack. The entire pack was expected to be a part of the global military, and those who progressed well within the ranks were seen as potential replacements for the current Alpha.
Ses had been identified as threatening competition and was, therefore, volunteered for an emissary mission by his alpha. Ten total candidates were chosen and told their fates. These emissary missions often lasted decades and rarely ended with anything other than failure. If an emissary pod were unable to make meaningful contact after ten years, then the pod would return.
Ses was honored accordingly, knowing full well that he was being betrayed by his alpha all the while. On his last night, he met with a female of his species. I saw glimpses, but this part was choppy and had no sound, as if it had been edited. Then, Ses entered his pod and was sent in his predetermined direction. He would wake from his meditative hibernation periodically and input coordinates, at which point his pod would jump to another location. This continued for nearly a decade before Ses found something. A small Galaxy near the end of his allotted search time.
Ses's people had not made first contact with another species in almost a century; this would be monumental.
The memories began coming faster then. An encounter near the rim of the galaxy. Ses tried to make contact peacefully but was met with force and was somehow overwhelmed and taken prisoner. Years passed, years of torture and experimentation. Ses tried to retreat into himself, nearly succeeding before he had to experience the worst part.
The scientists managed to find a way to analyze and reorganize his Aetheric energy signature. This process had broken down and rewritten Ses's signature so that it could be shaped and molded into something else, something controllable.
The scientists integrated Ses's energy with their own technology and created the Havok Bringer armor. Ses, a being of calm and an emissary for a peaceful superpowerful species from another galaxy, had been turned into a weapon. Nothing more than a tool of war.
There was not much after that point. Ses had been severely injured during the procedure and was in almost a coma-like state for millennia after he was turned into the armor. He had partially awoken when I integrated with the armor after the tutorial world, and in the white void, he had gained his full mental capacities.
I saw what he saw in the white void when we met. He was not trying to attack me; he was trying to get to me, trying to warn me. He knew that the Coeus had done this to him; he knew the Coeus were not what they were telling me.
I opened my eyes with a gasp and saw Ses standing in front of me patiently waiting. He placed a hand on my shoulder. "Do you understand now, Andrew?"

"Y-yeah a bit. It was a lot coming at me all at once. I still don't know what the connection is between the Coeus and this guy," I pointed up at the image in the sky.
"They are the same. This being is called Karis. Karis was the lead scientist in the group that created me all those years ago on Havokium. He is no ally and is not to be trusted. There is much you need to know about the Havokium people, but I fear we are near the end of our time. You will be able to re-enter this place as you grow in power. I fear you will spend much time here when you can come and go as you please. For now, I need you to heed my warning, though. Do not trust Karis."
"I didn't really get a 'Mr. Rogers," I made air quotes at the words, "vibe from the guy Ses. I can kind of tell that he is the bad guy."
"I had to be sure, Andrew." Ses walked up and placed both hands on my chest. "Before you go, I must give you something. This will allow us to maintain a stronger connection in the real world and will also allow me to aid you in the battle that is to come. I am more than just armor, Andrew. While I cannot manifest the full abilities of the armor until the restrictions have been lifted, I can allow you to tap into my Aetheric properties more easily. They can bind your armor, but they cannot bind me completely."
A blue light emanated from Ses's palms as a heat began to grow within my chest. I looked down to see blue-black flames engulfing my entire frame. They didn't grow, though; instead, they seemed to create a small layer of tiny licking flames across my skin. I looked back up at Ses, who started to fade and seemed to be sucked into the flames.
"Ses? Ses, you good buddy?" I nervously asked.
"I am part of you, Andrew. Now I can be a part that they can see. You must trust that this will aid you. You will feel when I am needed. Summon me in that moment, and I will be able to assist you. Much like this internal dimension, I will not be able to maintain that form indefinitely. Do not call for me until the situation is dire."
I opened my mouth to reply, but I began warping through the universe again before finally ending up back in my body. The experience was jarring, to say the least.
"You are not the first to kneel before me. I am surprised, though. I did not expect it to happen so…easily." The voice was heard from in front of the lift doors.
I shook the fog from my head and clenched my jaw in frustration. I still didn't know what game Karis was playing, but I had to be on guard. "Why did you bring me here, Karis?"
"It seems you are well informed, Andrew. I do so appreciate a cunning foe. Join me, would you?" Karis waved me into the room with an exaggerated sweep of his menacing, clawed hand. "You are the main attraction of these festivities, after all. It seems only fitting that you have an exclusive view of the first bout. This Bio-droid of yours has been somewhat frustrating to deal with, I must say. His evolution was unexpected, to say the least."
I followed Karis into the large viewing room that looked down on the immense arena. The arena was absolutely incredible, having been set up to simulate a battlefield. On the outskirts, the structures were built in a maze-like pattern that was only visible from a high viewpoint. There were fortified defensive positions, eagle nests for long-range combat, and in the very center, there was a circular clearing where I assumed the final conflicts would take place. There were unmanned turrets that I assumed could be activated by whichever participant got to them first, as well as various weapons depots spread out around the arena. There were also droids patrolling the various paths, waiting for unsuspecting participants to unknowingly run into them along the way. It was a maze of death meant to break participants for the pleasure of the crowd. I smiled as I looked down.

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"Do you find this to be entertaining? Your friend is about to be dropped into that arena with the probability of success being slim," Karis addressed me without turning to look at me.

I chuckled, "You obviously don't fucking know Elvis."
"Ahh, unearned confidence," Karis smirked, "A trait often found in your primitive species. A regrettable side effect of not being fully evolved, I'm afraid. Andrew, let me explain this to you in a way that you can understand. Your friend is about to be placed into that arena. He will be expected to fight to the death or until his foes are completely incapacitated. I have ensured that the odds are heavily weighted against him. I fear that he is not likely to leave that arena," Karis turned to face me, "Does this not concern you?"
"Everything that has happened since I touched that Orb has concerned me, Karis." I stared out the massive room-length window that faced out toward the arena. "I let it overwhelm me at the beginning. Then I let self-pity overcome me for a while. I kept telling myself I didn't ask for any of this. But now? Now it's different. Now I'm different. I have seen one self-important fuck after another tell me why my species doesn't matter in the grand scheme of the galaxy. I have come to understand that there is a Council of corrupt bureaucrats that makes decisions for billions of living beings that they have never laid eyes on. They trade lives like currency, just to continue to hold on to the false sense of power that keeps them fat, like the pigs they are." I turned and faced Karis with a cold determination. "I am concerned about a lot of things, to tell the truth, even now. One thing that doesn't even fucking register on my concern radar right now, though, is if Elvis will rip the fucking throat out of whatever poor soul you intend to pit him against."
Karis' face went cold. "We shall see, Andrew." Karis motioned me over to a couple of chairs that were facing the arena. "Let us speak about your options while we await the festivities."
I walked over and sat, not saying a word. "My options, huh? seems pretty cut and dry. Elvis rearranges your little arena here, then I go down and do the same to Jax's internal organs. You let my friends go, as per our arrangement, then you go back to whatever dark Sith lord plans you are cooking up, and I go back to Earth," I clapped my hands. "That about sum it up?"
"I am afraid it will not be quite that simple," Karis sighed deeply. "I fear that the crowd's hunger for violence will make it hard for me to leave them wanting. I am also aware that your allies are currently working to infiltrate the bowels of the arena in a fruitless attempt to save your crew. I do appreciate the effort, but I am afraid it is all in vain."
I went cold at his words. How did he know? Someone must have been feeding them information. No, I trusted Matthias, I trusted his lust for power, and he wouldn't sacrifice his chance at owning Lucida and unseating the Council. There wasn't a single member of the squad who would piss on a Council member if they were on fire, so it wasn't them.
"I see you trying to figure out where the leak is. As entertaining as it would be to watch your primitive gears turn, I must concede that there was no internal betrayal. I am simply more resourceful and powerful than you can imagine," Karis stood and walked toward the viewing window. "Andrew, your crew has been transferred and is currently being held in a secure containment vessel orbiting Boutelerien. I could not have you ruining the main event after all. You will be facing Jax, and as you know, Jax has been…shall we say….upgraded. I fear that without access to your armor, there is no way you can defeat him. Again, I have made every effort to give you no route to victory here. I do, however, offer an alternative."
I could feel Ses stirring at the words. My arms began pulsating as if to warn me of the words about to come from Karis' lips. "I'm all ears."
"I don't require your death. Yes, the crowd will need a show, and I plan to give them one. I will require loyal subjects for the Authority upon their re-emergence, of course. Today, however, you can leave here with your friends and your life. All I require is your assistance in a small matter."
"Just like that, huh? I help you, I put on a good show for the masses and you just let the most wanted man in the galaxy walk out of this place and go home? Sounds like a sweet deal if I do say so myself. Where was all this willing assistance over the last several months? I mean, damn! You're telling me that I didn't have to be manipulated by you, be forced into becoming some kind of weapon of mass destruction, and kill countless beings all in the name of becoming more powerful? I guess I missed the memo," I shrugged flippantly.
"Your disregard for your current circumstances is rather…annoying, Andrew. Everything that you went through was necessary. My subversion was necessary. I needed a key, a powerful key, and you are that key," Karis returned to his chair, sitting gracefully. "Admittedly, there were some missteps along the way. I could not share the truth about my identity as my people had been banished long ago. If you had known that the Coeus were actually imposters, then my whole plan would have been wasted. My people have suffered long enough, and it is time that we re-emerge back into the galaxy to live amongst its rightful citizens once again. That is all I seek, and you can assist me with that task."
I tapped my fingers nervously on the arm of the chair. "So I am to believe that the Havokium banished are peace-loving hippies that just want to come home? Is that right?"
"I do not understand this term…hippie, but my people have served their sentence. We will return to our rightful home."
"And just what is the part that I play in this re-emergence?" I asked.
"The entity that resides within you is the key. The entity must be merged with the Seed of Power. Once this occurs, you will be free of the curse of the Havok Bringer armor and allowed to return to your home planet. I will also personally ensure that any future claims on your planet are rendered void. You can be free of all of this, Andrew. Isn't that what you want?"
"What is this Seed of Power? You sent me on a goose chase into that tower to find it, only to now find out that the seed has been here all along. Why the ruse?"
Karis flicked a finger, and a hologram appeared in front of us. The seed was an oval shaped bronze colored device with ornate markings on the outside. It was no larger than a football, and I recognized it immediately from the visions Ses had shared with me.
It was his transport vessel.