“He has fallen, and he shall be recognized as anathema. None shall touch him, none shall know him, all his previous good works shall be tainted with his betrayal. Henceforth, he shall only be known as Abaddon.”

The pronunciation echoed through the still chamber. Many had known him, the most powerful and brilliant of all Mydia’s followers, almost an equal to Mydia himself. But none objected, even in their secret hearts, for Mydia was the leader, the all, the source. None there could imagine ever betraying Mydia. And so the man’s name, once held in the coveted position as second of all Scientists, was stricken from all their minds to be replaced by Abaddon.

A man sat at a table in a space ship light years away, suddenly gripped by the loss of something intangible. A twinge in his chest, a pulse behind his eyes, and the connection was gone. He sighed and closed his eyes as his connection to people closer than his own blood slipped away.