Chapter 1: Explosion

Aeryn Sol hated waking up.

He hated it even more when it was because of an explosion.

He groaned and opened his eyes, feeling the vibrations of the blast shaking his lab. He glanced at the holographic clock on his wrist and saw that it was 46:17 a.m., Galactic Standard Time. He had barely slept for two hours.

He rolled over and mentally activated his AI assistant, hoping to find out what had happened. The AI then booted up, a female voice with a Galactic British accent.

"Good morning, Aeryn," the voice said. "I'm afraid we have a situation."

"What kind of situation? Also, which model are you?" Aeryn asked, yawning.

"I'm the Smart Adaptive Responsive Agent or SARA," the voice continued. "A large explosion occurred in the eastern wing of section X-7 of the research facility in Sector 12, releasing 20.92 petajoules and creating a 50-meter blast radius of the lab, approximately 2.19 minutes ago. The cause is from a warhead made of Trinium, propelled by an electromagnetic railgun from a distance of..."

"Explain it to me like I'm 5," Aeryn cut in.

"Big boom in the lab that baddies made and are storming in," continued SARA, without missing a beat.

"Are they after me?" Aeryn asked, sitting up.

"Most probable. Considering the lack of further bombardment, their aim doesn't seem to be the eradication of Aeryn Sol. Geared Soldiers are currently searching the lab for your location. They have already put out of commission three of your staff bots and damaged five others. They have also destroyed several of your inventions and experiments from that sector."

Aeryn frowned. He didn't care much about his bots or inventions, they were of the replaceable kind anyway. He created them to do the boring work for him and he created those experiments to pass the time. He had no emotional attachment to them.

But he did care about his lab. It was his home, his sanctuary, his playground. He had spent years building it on a remote planet in the Waust galaxy, far away from the prying eyes and meddling hands of other civilizations. He had filled it with all kinds of gadgets and gizmos, from nanobots and quantum computers to massage chairs and recliners. He had also installed a state-of-the-art security system that was supposed to keep out any unwanted visitors.

And now someone had breached it and blown up part of it.

That was unacceptable.

"So they nuked us, huh? Who are they?" Aeryn asked, getting out of bed.

"They appear to be mercenaries hired by an unknown client. They are wearing black suits and masks and carrying plasma rifles and grenades. They have no identification or insignia."

"Any idea what they want from me?"

"There are many speculations, but as of now, we don't have any conclusive evidence that would ascertain their intentions. They have not communicated any demands or motives. A small team seems to be ransacking whatever they can from your lab, while the armed forces are spreading out and shooting all armed sentries on sight."

"Can you stop them?"

"Negative. While they have only shot one warhead, the remaining entirety of the lab space has been cluster-bombed with specialized EMPS, bypassing most of our security and disabling the rest. They have also jammed the communication signals and blocked the escape pods. The only way out is through the main hangar, where they have parked their ship."

"Can you call for help?"

"I'm afraid not. The nearest civilization is light-years away and they have no reason to help you. You are not exactly popular among the intergalactic community, Aeryn."

Aeryn snorted. That was an understatement. He was one of the most infamous beings in the galaxy, known as the Omen of Darkness, though personally, he thought the name was childish. He was a self-proclaimed genius inventor who could create anything he wanted with his power and intellect. He was also a lazy wanderer who did whatever he pleased with no regard for the consequences.

He had revolutionized and re-invented countless fields of science and technology, from artificial intelligence and biotechnology to space travel and storage capacities. He had also caused havoc and destruction across countless planets and star systems, from unleashing deadly viruses and rogue robots to triggering supernovas and black holes.

He had made enemies and allies among many civilizations, from the Galactic Federation and the Star Empire to the Rebel Alliance and the Pirate Coalition. He had also met and clashed with many other beings with astronomical individual power, whether it be magic, psychic, supernatural, or otherwise.

He was one of the Seven Omens, the most powerful beings in existence.

And he was bored out of his mind.

He had seen and done everything there was to see and do in the galaxy. Nothing interested him anymore. Nothing challenged him anymore. Nothing surprised him anymore.

Except for this explosion.

This explosion had woken him up from his slumber.

This explosion had piqued his curiosity.

This explosion had given him something to do.

Aeryn smiled.

Maybe this wasn't such a bad way to wake up after all.

He grabbed his coat and his whacking stick and headed for the door.

"Let's go meet our guests," he said to his AI assistant.

"Are you sure you want to do this, Aeryn?" the voice asked.

"Of course. Why not?"

"It's dangerous. They might kill you."

"They can try."

"We don't even know if this venture is profitable."

"They have something I need."

"And what's that?"

Aeryn grinned.

"Fun."

__________________________________________________________________________________

Hello and welcome to this corner of the universe that I like to call: RANDOM COMMENTARY!!!

I'm Ink_Splash, your host, and I hope you enjoyed that first little chapter of "Dark Omen: A Galactic Adventure with a Lazy Bum!"

I'm still mostly new to this whole writing business so I appreciate any and all feedback as long as it's constructive and logical.

I'm also open to suggestions and ideas for how the story goes forward and things to add. I mostly just throw a bunch of ideas at a board and see what sticks.

And without further ado, let's go to tonight's main attraction....

....RANDOM FACT OF THE DAY!!!

- Did you know that the bomb used to attack Aeryn's lab, which was stated to release 20.92 petajoules, is equivalent to 5 megatons of TNT? This is about 4,000 times more energy released than the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima, which had a yield of about 15 kilotons of TNT, or 62.8 terajoules. So it's an impressive fact that that much power only yielded a small 50-meter blast radius when scaled with the actual explosion. Maybe Aeryn's lab is more kitted out than it seems...