Temple of Adzû

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Story Excerpt: Whatever Gods Be

As the light receded, and he was able to straighten where he stood, he realised that they stood in ankle-deep water. The crew that had been on the bridge was not even aboard the USS Theurgy any more. No, they were somewhere entirely else, with no Starfleet-issued hull and titanium surrounding them.

They stood in a flooded temple, and before them... hovering by the base of stone steps, was... in lack of any other point of reference... an angel.

Wings of light moved slowly in the humid air, and the entity gazed upon the Starfleet Officers that she had invited to her prison - to this place where her true form resided. Both Captains stared wide-eyed, jaws clenched in preparation for whatever may come next. Residual euphoria lingered in their minds and bodies, yet the situation did not call for pleasure. It called for a need of control. They were completely at the mercy of this alien lifeform; an entity so powerful that whole planets all over the galaxy may just have named her a god. Not the first alien to invoke such theological consequences, yet the first alien of such nature that Jien Ives had faced.

The female form of the Captain looked behind her to check on her crew and make sure they were aright - standing in the water and the seizure abating from their bodies. Meanwhile, the male Captain spoke again - trying to push thoughts about his ship and the rest of his crew from his mind.

"Are you imprisoned? Here, in this place? Who did this to you?" he asked quietly over the noise of dripping water.

The voice that answered was otherworldly, spoken without vocal tract but rather as a whisper in the air - reaching everyone. "For your sake... for all the people residing in Tiamat... I seduced and stole... the blueprints of civilisation... For the theft of the Mes I pay the price... Anu and Enlil and Enki sealed my fate, with Lahamu and Lahmu guarding the gates above, and Ilabrat overseeing their vigilance... always watching, always knowing. Without worshippers, I am lost to this darkness. No power to break out of this Temple of Adzû. Without your supplication and carnal worship - without your celebration of your given bodies - I will remain here in this petty form of existence. Worship me willfully. Celebrate."

Jien hesitated. Did she mean for them all to...?

"Celebrate, or I will send your puny vessel into the flames of a star," said the voice more evenly. Yet when it spoke anew, it was with a more gentle tone. "Forgive me, but if needed, I will remove your memories of what you have lost, so that you may learn to love each other here. Always. Feeding me with displays of your splendour and love. Until I can challenge my captors."

The cold blow of such words settled in them all.

"I suggest you find your desires to worship me now, for there is joy in carnal celebration. I should not need to make threats. I should not have to mar the pureness of your free will. Your worship can be unstained if you just take pity in my fate, and find compassion for me in your hearts. This is the easiest path for you. You must realise this."

The noise of dripping water seemed sharper as the dire situation became clearer - the silence screaming around them.

"Love me as your god... as you have in times immortal."