The Serene Invasion by Eric Brown

Author:Eric Brown
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Science Fiction
ISBN: 9781781080924
Publisher: Solaris
Published: 2013-04-28T12:00:00+00:00

HE WAS ABOUT to leave the office and indulge himself in one of the few activities he enjoyed these days – even though his sex-life, since the coming of the Serene, had been diminished – when he noticed something in the corner of the room.

He turned quickly in his swivel chair and stared.

Something was flickering in the angle created by the two plate-glass windows, and at first he thought it an effect of the light on the glass. As he watched, however, the flickering light intensified and resolved itself into a standing blue figure.

“What the fuck–” Morwell kicked off and launched his chair across the room away from the figure. He fetched up against the wall and exclaimed again.

The figure was tall, well over two metres high, and composed of a swirling blue light. It seemed to contain azure spiral galaxies that rotated and shifted as he stared.

It stood with its arms at its side, totally silent, and gazed directly at him – though its face was the same swirling blue as the rest of its body, and featureless.

He managed, “What do you want?”

Some envoy of the Serene, come to end his opposition? His heart began to beat faster and he realised he was sweating.

The figure spoke – or rather its words sounded in his head. “Do not be afraid.”

“Wh-what are you?”

“We are the Obterek,” said the figure, still unmoving, “and my time here is limited.”

Morwell eyed the door, four metres away. He wondered if he could reach it before the figure moved to stop him.

“What do you want?”

A beat, then the figure said, “We desire the same outcome as you, James Morwell.”

His heart skipped. “You... you’re nothing to do with the Serene?”

“We oppose the Serene; we oppose everything the Serene are doing to your planet and to your people. The Obterek are ancient enemies of the Serene.”

Morwell nodded slowly, taking all this in. “And you are here because...?”

“Because we believe you can help us in our opposition of the Serene.”

He stared at the figure, smiling to himself. “You appear here out of nowhere, a figure of pulsing light. You’ve obviously travelled light years to reach Earth and possess technologies we have yet to dream of... And you think I can help you?”

“We do not have the time to explain fully, James Morwell. Also, your understanding of the terms we use would be insufficient. Suffice to say, we the Obterek can insert ourselves into the reality of your solar system for brief periods only, for scant minutes every month. The Serene are vigilant, and watch for us, and we can compromise their surveillance only temporarily; likewise, we can breach their charea only briefly.”

He pounced on this. “You can breach the charea?”

“With extreme care and a great expenditure of energy, yes,” said the figure. “But to answer your question: you can help the Obterek undermine the Serene, and return the planet and its people to the Natural Way, because you inhabit this reality in a way that we do not. Together we can bring an end to the regime of the Serene on Earth.

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