Akresha

Prologue

There was no longer a sense of feeling. The sense of belonging had disappeared aeons ago. Millions of years had passed since the fateful time of its expulsion from the collective conscious, and its memories had continued to fade as it slowly leaked energy into the ether. But the memory of its expulsion still lingered, locked within the very centre of its faltering, dying core, driving it to use the very last of its reserves to find a suitable, viable host—somewhere it could recharge and again become one of the greatest and noblest of the universe’s sentient beings. The words and incantations of its peers haunted the being as it wandered aimlessly through the cosmos, no longer able to take form or roam freely within the many dimensions it once called home, and destined to travel into nothingness until its inevitable, dismal, demise.

***

Jake felt a bit of an idiot. For the past ten miserable years, he had swung between the two local prisons like an out-of-control pendulum, never stopping when it was supposed to and inexorably leading him to yet another stupid idea or scheme which was generally illegal and likely to cause him no end of trouble with the local constabulary. This time, as they closed the gates on him after his latest stint, he simply said the word ‘no’. The prison guard laughed…

You’ll be back, Jake. I’ve put a reserved sign on ya cell.

No, replied Jake. I won’t.

With that, he walked away, neither knowing nor caring where he was going but certain that jail and all it entailed was now a former part of his life.

Looking down at his worn, torn and frankly dirty jeans—the same pair that he had entered the prison in eighteen months earlier—the thought of change prevailed within his mind. This cannot be all I am whispered through Jake’s head, as if on a never-ending reel of tape. Something that he had not experienced before. Something that almost smelled of hope! Maybe a chance to right the wrongs he had been party to and put them behind him. Finally, maybe, something to look forward to in this blighted world he had created for himself.

Chapter 1 – Awakenings

There was no telling how long it had been there, nor even how it got there, but a strange warmth had spread through its desiccated conscience, and countless millennia of solitude seemed to lift from its warped and tortured mind. For so long, there had been nothing to see or hear but the eerie silence of a space that was devoid of life. At last, there was hope and a way back, a chance to seek revenge on those who doubted its resolve. The little planet that it now invisibly surrounded would become the stepping stone back to the realms it had been driven from so cruelly, so very long ago. With its consciousness increasing by the minute, the memories began to flood back. The little kernel of energy deep within had kept them safe, uncorrupted, and it began to reform the complex synapses that had made it whole, made it sentient. It had a name…

Akresha was born again.

***

Jake’s plan was simple: start all over again and not make the mistakes he had made before. It sounded simple enough, but the best-laid plans can go awry, and this plan was not exactly the best laid, but at least it was a plan, which was something Jake had lacked for the vast majority of his adult life. It had all started well: a good, sound secondary education, followed by a degree in English at university and teaching qualifications, with plans to become an educator of children.

That was probably the last time Jake had any sort of plan. It all folded in with the momentous news that his father had been having an affair with a colleague and promptly left his wife after twenty-five years. Jake’s mother had a breakdown, and Jake was left in the unenviable position of dealing with the fallout, which had a profound effect on his perception of life and its values. Having done exactly what had been expected of him throughout his formative years, he rebelled and did everything he should not have done, hence the numerous and extended stays at Her Majesty’s pleasure.

Starting over sounded the best option. With what had gone before, it certainly was not the simplest, but a decision had been made, and Jake felt good about that. He had lost his mother from an overdose of sleeping tablets and Valium five years ago, and he did not have contact with his wayward father, so it was his decision to make, and to break. There would be no recriminations, no backlash from friends or family, as he did not have any to speak of.

As Jake began to formulate his infant plan, he had a strange, almost warming feeling, as if this had always been the correct way and he knew it. Maybe he did, but he had never felt quite so positive, quite so driven to make it happen. The last ten years had centred on the ‘easy route’; Jake did what Jake wanted, and damn the consequences! Alas, the consequences had been expensive, and in the grand scheme, Jake had lost—his mother, his friends, and, most importantly, his own feeling of self-worth.

Not anymore. Not this Jake! Things were about to change, and only for the better. Jake basked in his newfound sense of purpose and felt truly free for the first time in more years than he was prepared to count. Why he felt free still puzzled him, as surely he had been free to make his own decisions before? Maybe it was due to his conviction that this time, he would do all the right things. The oppressive sense of continuing down the path he had laid for himself was no longer there, and now, finally, he could lay the ghosts of his past to rest. The resentment of his father was gone; the loss of his mother, though still poignant in his mind, was now a positive force. He could no longer use it as an excuse for his actions; there was no excuse, and he knew that. Now he must use the memory of his mother and all that had gone before to break from this cycle of destruction and awaken the old Jake and all that he stood for. His time was now!

***

As Akresha’s awareness of its surroundings increased, and its mind began to reform, the full horror of the reprisals dealt it by those it considered kin hit like an exploding sun.

For your crimes against the many forms of life that you have deliberately abused to feed your own perverted needs, you are sentenced to the maximum penalty of solitude for the rest of your existence.

Sentencing was carried out immediately, and Akresha was banished to a part of the universe that had shown no measurable form of life. Before the transition to this dead space, Akresha’s ability to travel through dimensions had been removed by deliberately draining it of the huge amounts of energy needed to perform such mind-bending trips. However, enough energy was left within its mass to live for many millions of years in a solitary confinement of universal proportions. There was no opportunity for parole, no appeal nor chance to be redeemed from this living hell. It was a one-way ticket to a slow and painful death.

Akresha’s crime was one which attacked the very bedrock of its society. Akresha’s race, the Teragons, were formed almost as soon as the universe itself had exploded into being. Even before the stars formed, clouds of matter were drifting through space and time that had become ‘sentient’, and it was these whence Akresha and its brethren had emerged. Like all forms of life, it started very simply but grew more complex and evolved with the passing aeons.

The difference, in the case of the Teragons, was that they never took permanent hard physical form. They evolved on the winds of the expanding universe, feeding on the abundant energy that was there to be taken. Slowly, the Teragons began to feed off the energy created almost as a waste product by other sentient beings, therefore essentially becoming the recyclers of the universe. This symbiotic relationship worked extremely well, as the Teragons, though rarely making contact with the suppliers of the energy, would ensure that the conditions necessary for the donor planet to thrive were given top priority, thus ensuring the supply of energy the Teragons needed to survive. One could say a win-win situation. That was, until Akresha became involved.

Akresha, like the others, grazed happily on the abundant energy provided by a well-formed sentient race. However, Akresha had a dark side that it kept hidden from its kin. Akresha preferred the energy created by pain, by hate and by fear, which it actively sought. When it was not easily available, Akresha would bring disaster to the donor race to boost the supply of ‘negative’ energy, allowing it to feed its burgeoning addiction. It was this that led to the fall of Akresha, and the reason why it now looked down upon the only credible form of energy in this part of the universe: a somewhat un-evolved but viable planet it had now learned was called Earth.

Chapter 2 – Relationships

Jake’s newfound enthusiasm for life took the usual serious beating. Directly after release, he was duty bound to visit the local probation office—not his favourite place as they were responsible for putting him back into the prison system on two occasions. To be fair, it was his own fault, and he knew it. Not carrying out the instructions explicitly given by the probation office was tantamount to a crime in itself and attempting to blame them was a futile gesture. However, that didn’t mean he was forced to like them, or the rules that they insisted he obey.

After the usual meeting and ‘encouragement’—probation talk for telling-off—Jake meandered into town with two things on his mind: firstly, somewhere to sleep, and secondly, somewhere to drink. His probation officer had been unusually helpful on this occasion and had dealt with the former by organising a small one-bedroom flat, which he needed to sign for. It came with all the basic requirements, so that was a load of Jake’s mind. It was the first time that such care had been taken on his release, but it was a newish officer who had dealt with him; he would undoubtedly learn.

The second part of the equation—a drink—was even easier. In a town where nobody knew him, surely there would not be an issue? The Dog and Gun beckoned.

It smelled like an old pub should smell, and Jake could sense that many a good night had been held in there. It was a little austere, with all the wood panelling, but at the same time welcoming. At the bar stood a man who, from the look of his face, was determined to either not serve Jake or at the very least make a show of him.

Jake was quite familiar with that attitude; there was something unmistakeable about an ex-convict. He took the look of menace in his stride, walked up and ordered a pint. A delay was followed by a withering look.

You just out then, lad? The barman found his voice but failed to begin pulling the much-wanted pint.

That obvious, eh? Jake smiled and looked pointedly at the bitter pump, hoping it would encourage the barman to carry out his task in life. Unfortunately, the controller of his first alcoholic drink in eighteen months had other ideas, and the time-honoured conversation began.

You know we don’t do trouble in here, lad? It was a question that did not really deserve an answer, but Jake thought better than becoming obtuse and decided to err on the side of agreement.

Yes, I know, sir, and I appreciate you must get a few odd ones coming in from the prison, but I assure you. I would just like a drink, and I will be on my way.

The barman was clearly about to make a meal out of the conversation when a much younger, female person appeared behind the bar.

It’s okay, Dad, I’ll sort this one out. Ya know ya not good with the crims.

With that, the older gentleman harrumphed and walked away, muttering something about decent society. Jake’s attention now turned to the young lady who was looking at him quizzically.

I’m sorry, she said. Dad and I don’t share telepathy. What did you order?

Jake remembered what he had come in for and requested the pint of bitter he’d been looking forward to, though he had given the young lady more than a fleeting once-over.

Sorry about Dad. He doesn’t really like custom from the prison, either official or ex-prisoners, but as I keep saying to him, good business is where you find it, and we could do with all we can get just now.

Ahh, right, fair enough. Do you get a lot of screws, I mean, prison officers drinking in here?

The barmaid laughed. Not really. I think Dad has scared them all away.

Jake smiled, paid for the drink and thanked the barmaid. Turning around, he headed for a table in the corner.

My name’s Katherine, by the way, but most call me Kat, she called after him. Jake blushed, realising that he had forgotten his manners, particularly as Kat had bothered to rescue him from her father.

Thank you, Kat. Apologies for not asking, but my company has not been the best of late.

Kat smiled. I’ll leave you to your first pint, then, er…

Jake. Sorry! My name is Jake.

Another smile. Enjoy your pint, Jake.

Jake finally managed to sit down in the corner of the pub and tried to make himself look and act inconspicuously. Clearly the barman, who was probably the owner, had become wise to his disposition as soon as he’d walked through the door. Or maybe it was because he was a complete stranger, which narrowed down the possibilities. Walking around in dirty clothes did very little to assist him, but he’d only been out of prison for half a day and hadn’t been able to give much thought to his appearance and apparel. That definitely needed to be next on the agenda.

"Kat, a quick question. Do you have