by Marcus Sloss
Admiral Beckett, the one from my basic training was broadcast on a large screen. “You are in violation of Empirical law and hereby ordered to surrender immediately.” I waited to see if she had more to say.
“You have five minutes to release my family and shuttle them my direction. I can monitor your ships to see if they are moved.” I replied and then cut the transmission.
“Your family is on there? Oh… Now I get it. We aren’t… We are.” Lorie said figuring it out.
Mila was feeding my eye an icon blinker of my family in a holding cell deep in the belly of the Britannia. There was no movement. Five minutes was plenty of time. They were sending massive amounts of hails to talk but I had nothing to say. Actions, not words mattered here. Twenty seconds. Ten seconds.
I inhaled a deep breath and screamed in rage. Spittle flew from my lips. I had to be the one who did it. Mila had prepped the weapons and with the tiniest hesitation, I fired. The entirety of Oralis shuddered as our mega laser belched forward. It connected with a shield then bypassed its defense.
It hit the hull and then melted through in an ever widening hole. I tore the laser across every inch of that ship until nothing was left. For minutes that red beam of death melted every lump of wreckage I could find. The enemy fleet unable to reach me with weapons still fired a salvo in desperation. It was useless.
“Take us to into a firing line of sight of Phillip. We will deal with this fleet after.”
I ordered barely able to contain my emotions. My poor, poor Beau… I shoved the feelings down into a dark pocket in my soul and destroyed the sorrow that mixed with guilt.
Lorie had left the helm and Bexso stepped to her station. My wife stood by my side to hold my hand. It was the right amount of comfort I needed before I massacred more people. The shift from one side of Earth to another was done almost instantly. The lasers were tracking to the podium the new Emperor was speaking from. I waited as they locked on. Someone on the ground knew we were here and they rushed to secure the Emperor. His grandiose broadcast suddenly terminated. The video continued to give me a detailed display of Phillip berating his security – refusing to leave. Then it dawned on him and I saw him panic. My family was not enough to hold me at bay.
I fired the laser. The shield melted and Crown Prince Phillip was incinerated.
“Targeting solution for all news satellites, news building, and then estimated casualty numbers… Scratch that. Give me the targets only. I’d rather not know. Bexso prepare to reengage the enemy fleet after we fire.” My voice flat and emotionless. There was work to be done, death to be administered.
Mila worked her calculations and sent me a targeting display. I fired. Over and over the laser belched eviscerating death. The power never dropped below ninety percent as we fired thousands of shots. Buildings resisted the impacts for micro seconds before exploding. Satellites split into pieces only to be reduced further. There was no remorse, on complete annihilation of the enemy propaganda machine. I had committed to this course and would see it through regardless of the cost to lives. Ten minutes later it was over.
I checked the news feeds. Silence. Wonderful!
“Stay right here Lorie. Mila broadcast Empire wide please.”
“Overriding your network controls… You’re live in 3.2.1. Go.”
“Fellow citizen of the Empire. I bring grave news. Crown Prince Phillip murdered his father and family. They systematically eradicated the entire succession line to ensure no one would question the legitimacy of Phillip's transition. Except for this fine lady beside me. I killed Prince Phillip for his treachery. All hail Empress Lorie Raul, the first of her line. May her rule last long and be benevolent.” I kneeled and kissed her hand.
I cut the video off. “My people…” I stopped Lorie.
“I cut it off for now. Let it sink in and give it time. If they accept you then give a rousing speech. Sorry.” I said.
Bexso nodded at this. “He is right, we still need to address the fleet and three new ships entered the system. They are claiming the right to asylum. I am tracing them back to the pirate system. The broadcast they are sending is, in summary, that they were betrayed when food stopped arriving by the people they were selling Narshak’s supplies to. They need medical assistance and are starving. How should we handle it?”
“Wait the pirates arrived here seeking sanctuary. Talk about awful timing for them. Transition us into firing range. You can do the honors on those ones, not an internal human conflict. Human pirates are still pirate. While you’re doing that Bexso… Mila get me the surviving ranking officer from the fleet on a videoscreen.” I ordered.
I saw us enter slipspace on the exterior cameras. A gray haired old man in a highly decorated uniform appeared on the screen in the bridge.
“I am the ranking fleet Captain. Captain Drins. I see the Empress and recognize her legitimacy to claim the throne. Enough people have died…” He paused as the Oralis shuddered from laser fire. The three pirate ships reduced to slag in the background. The man gave a gulp at our firepower. “Where was I? Yes, the fleet is standing down. If another suitable candidate comes forward to challenge your claim it will be done through the courts. Not the might of our fleets.”
The screen cut off and the armada dispersed. Weapons were taken down from combat ready on both sides and I sighed. I was void of emotions. I figured I would still be screaming in anger at losing my family, a part of my soul. I think I had let it die with them. I would find a way to cope and honor them later. I called a family meeting in the dining room.
∞∞∞
I sat at the head of the table. Lorie on my right, Starla on my left. In attendance were Astrid, Bexso, Braxton, Rio, Mom, and Mila on the opposite end. I opened the meeting.
“I would like to hear what you would like to do most in life. It is a massive universe out here and before we seal our fate… I need your input. I will go first. I want to compete more. I enjoy the thrill of combat and the risk vs reward. I want to learn more about fighting in general and master weapons. I would love to play some ZBall for fun. Maybe hunting some rouge species, or trying to collect Onatics’ bounties. Bounty hunting could be fun or not… I am looking forward to raising my children in the safety of this home.” I said and motioned to Lorie.
“I want to fly all the ships I can. There are dog fight competitions that would be amazing with dampeners. There are frigates and destroyers I want to test. Then this Oralis could always ping around the universe as a mercenary ship. There is lots to learn and explore. I am excited to be a mom also. I admit a bit scared and it is a big change.” Lorie placed a hand over Starla’s arm.
Starla cleared her throat. “I have a few things. Our children have me super excited as well but I do not want to be defined as only a mom. I want to explore lost worlds abandoned by stage seven species. I want to bargain hunt markets for artifacts and leave our galaxy to explore new places as well as creatures.”
Astrid took her turn and went next. “There is much I want to see and accomplish. This may sound odd but I want to try to carry a draguman baby to term. It excites me to be the first mother of a new race. I also love the body. I need to practice my combat and focus on my skills that need improvement. It is a mixed bag of desires but I am a complicated individual. Exploring the universe sounds pretty kick ass to me. I want to start a zoo too on Oralis. Building on Starla’s idea there a so many animals we know nothing about. I think collecting some creatures across the universe for human knowledge and preservation sounds awesome. Okay maybe a little profit too.”
I had heard enough and I paused the rest from going forward. No one wanted to run an Empire. My wives had spoken and it was clear. We were destined to exploit all the universe had to offer and not nanny humanity’s Empire. There was only one thing to do.
I dramatically stood and declared.
“We are going to Lunish so we can continue to adventure the universe. We are going to revive Linus.”
THE END
AFTERWORD
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br /> Thank you for taking the time to read this novel. It was a blast to write. I had this story in my head for years. I had spun it so many times that it became its own creation as it was typed out. This is my second novel and I know there is room for improvement. I am on the hunt for a reasonable editor and alpha readers. I would love to write more of Mack and his team. Leave a positive review and ask for a sequel. I would appreciate that.
Ways to reach me.
https://discord.gg/JKQcXdv
https://www.facebook.com/marcus.sloss.524
OTHER NOVELS BY MARCUS SLOSS
A fantasy tale of adventure, battle, love, lust, and excitement awaits. Gryff is a young man who had goals and dreams. They were rapidly ripped away from him in a spiraling series of events. Inserted on a new world, he must achieve a new path. Will you dare to quest with the hero? Download now to join Gryff in his exploits and feats.
Warning contains gore with extreme violence; there is a harem and on occasion a sex scene!!!