by Z H Brown
Ansaria saw Xandarius’ jaw tighten and his fists clench before he responded; apparently, the Emperor found talking to his counterpart as distasteful as Ansaria found listening to him.
“It was not chance that saved me in out last encounter, but the skill and dedication of my soldiers,” said Xandarius briskly. Ansaria felt her face redden slightly at the Emperor’s praise, and it looked like the rest of her squad shared the sentiment. “And it was by no design of yours that I was at your mercy, but rather a power beyond yours. If you find the idea of what I have to say so laughable…then why are you here?”
Xandarius’ retort caused the Golden Emperor’s eyes to narrow. Ansaria wouldn’t have been surprised if the Imperium ship began charging its weapon then and there. She remembered the Emperor’s instructions to keep the ship on high alert and gave a silent thanks for his foresight.
Instead of opening fire, the Golden Emperor continued speaking.
“I have come because I received information that concerned the survival of my dominion, corroborated by evidence verified by my very capable satraps. What is this threat, Wyrm, so great it is that we must meet in the pretense of peace?”
“For the answer to that, I suggest you listen to the source,” said Xandarius, venom dripping from every syllable. He gestured, and another part of the dome was replaced by a video feed. The burnt-gold Imperium ship was still visible between the two screens. The screen rearranged itself into the trapezoid shape favored by BRONZE, whose glowing, red eye appeared.
“Greetings Koresh the Fourteenth of Tamia, I am Bronze. This meeting has been my undertaking.”
The Golden Emperor hissed as though in pain. His body reacted violently, gouts of flame bursting from his cloaked form. His attendants dropped to their knees and began chanting and murmuring so quietly that Ansaria couldn’t hear them.
“Do not speak that name!” said the Emperor fiercely, a small firestorm raging around him. The light of his body was so intense from the screen that it was once again bathing the bridge in golden light. “I am the Emperor of Infinite Starlight, the Golden Flame, Creation and Destruction Incarnate!”
“Perhaps, but before your ascension to the throne and the Flame, you were known by the name Koresh, just as your father and his father were. However, if you do not wish for me to use that name, I will acquiesce. Golden One, we have come together today to inform you that your empire, indeed, your entire galaxy is endangered by an extragalactic creature called a Star Eater.”
The Golden Emperor listened silently as Bronze repeated everything he had told the Imperial soldiers on his asteroid; about the Star Eater and the horror it embodied, about being from the same galaxy and betraying his creators, and about its original plan to aid the creature by removing the greatest threats to it in known space: the Empire and the Imperium.
Xandarius remained silent as Bronze explained the facts to his rival. He seemed to be studying the Golden One, watching his eyes react to different pieces of information. Even the flames of the Emperor’s body reflected his feelings, swelling and dimming depending on what he heard.
After Bronze finished its tale, the Golden Emperor was silent. Ansaria expected another laugh like he had given before. However, Bronze mentioning his true name seemed to have unnerved him somewhat. Instead of being dismissive or condescending, he simply asked:
“And why should I believe any of this?”
“You mean aside from the fact that the A.I. found out your birth name, or that he’s already sent you information verified by your ‘trusted satraps’, Koresh?”
Ansaria winced as Xandarius flagrantly tossed out the Emperor’s name. Given how he had reacted last time, Ansaria expected another eruption. While the Golden One’s body did flare up somewhat, he did not explode like he had last time; apparently, what Xandarius had said seemed to ring true.
The Golden Emperor addressed his next question to Bronze.
“A.I., you say you infiltrated both our networks, and that you sabotaged my forces as well as the loathsome wyrm’s?”
“Correct. That is also how I was able to uncover information kept strictly within the Imperium, such as your…previous moniker.”
Flaming skin rippling, he processed the information before continuing. “And you say that this creature, this Star Eater, is beyond the power of either of us alone.”
“As I said, my original intention was to weaken both factions by advancing your war prior to the arrival to ensure the survival of my former partner. Truthfully, I never would have needed to destroy both sides, just cripple one; only the combined might of both armies has a chance of stopping the beast.”
The Golden Emperor lapsed into a long silence. It seemed like the entire bridge was holding its collective breath, waiting to hear what he would say next. Finally, he spoke, this time to Xandarius.
“And once this horror is destroyed, what shall become of you and I and this truce?”
Xandarius’ eyes locked with the Golden One’s.
“As soon as that beast is dead, I intend to finish you off once and for all.”
Ansaria felt the bottom drop out of her stomach. Surely, that response would send the Emperor over the edge and any second they’d be fighting for their lives. If they survived the next few minutes, then they could worry about the unlikelihood of them surviving beyond a fortnight.
Instead, the Golden Emperor surprised her yet again with his response. Instead of flaring up, or ordering an immediate attack upon the Throneship, the Emperor began laughing; a long, throaty laugh that sounded like a thousand lunatics chortling at their own, private joke. After a few moments of this, the certainly mad Emperor composed himself enough to reply.
“I wouldn’t have it any other way, pretender.”
Chapter XXVI
Preparing for Doomsday
ATTENTION ALL IMPERIAL VESSELS: Emperor Xandarius, the Savior of Xenlong, the Conqueror, the Great, etc., has announced a temporary cessation of hostilities with ALL Golden Imperium forces. Effective immediately, all current and future operations are to be put on hold, and all Imperial soldiers are to stand by for their new orders as we prepare for an imminent attack by an extragalactic entity.
--Priority message sent throughout the Xenlongian Empire following the meeting with the Golden Emperor.
Ansaria watched mesmerized from the bridge of the Throneship as hundreds of Imperial ships dropped out of Z-space in one wave after another. They quickly moved to their assigned locations, clearing the way for the next battle groups' arrivals.
Following the meeting between the two emperors, the task had turned to preparing to actually fight the Star Eater. Bronze’s advanced computation abilities allowed it to pinpoint the system where the beast would appear after using the warp-gate. According to the alien A.I., the creature would appear in a system outside of both empires, not far (relatively speaking) from the galactic rim. Bronze also informed them that as the creature arrived, it would make a pollenus-line for the system’s star: a massive orange giant.
Ansaria wasn’t sure what had stirred up more buzz amongst the rank-and-file: that Xandarius had decided to ally with his hated enemy of nearly forty years, or that the reason for the alliance was to combat a monstrosity from another galaxy. After their meeting with the Golden One, Xandarius had decided to inform his people of the coming terror personally. Ansaria, along with seemingly the entire crew of the Throneship, had watched as the Emperor broadcasted a priority message across the entirety of Imperial space.
“Citizens and soldiers of the Empire, I, your Emperor, come before you today to inform you of a coming calamity.” Xandarius was seated upon his throne on his flagship, his Silverskin gleaming dully in the starlight of the expanse of space visible behind him. “I have recently received information from a reliable source that concerns the future and fate of our great empire. In less than two standard weeks’ time, an entity, a creature from another galaxy, will arrive in our own. This creature, known to its galaxy’s inhabitants as a Star Eater,
brings only death and destruction in its wake. If left unchecked, the beast will consume entire stars, growing larger with every meal until it reaches a point where it will spawn countless offspring, which will begin the whole cycle over again. Unfortunately, my sources have also indicated that, alone, our brave Imperial soldiers will not be enough to defeat this threat.”
Ansaria could just imagine the panic that line produced in Imperial citizens. She had no doubt that on countless worlds across the Empire, ordinary men, women, dual/non-genders, organics, synthetics and cyborgs were being consumed by the same overwhelming despair and helplessness that had gripped her after hearing all of this from Bronze.
Xandarius raised a hand, as though he too could sense the cries of terror coming from his subjects and was trying to calm them. “However, all is not lost; after much deliberation, I have shared this information with the only interstellar power capable of aiding us: the Golden Imperium. As such, I have ordered an immediate end to all offensive operations against the Imperium, and agreed to a temporary cease-fire with the Golden Emperor. Together, our forces shall lay a trap for the creature in order to catch it unawares upon its arrival. This I swear to you, my loyal citizens and soldiers: we will not allow this monster to escape into the galaxy, or allow it to breed. We shall obliterate it in a firestorm of plasma, and show this beast what happens to any enemy of the Xenlongian Empire!”
Ansaria felt her chest swell with confidence at the Emperor’s words, though that didn’t stop her from noticing the barb aimed at the Imperium. She consoled herself by believing the Golden One would likely include a similar remark in his own address to his people.
“From this moment forward, both Shield and Sword fleets shall be receiving new instructions as we prepare for the coming battle. I ask all citizens of the Empire to go about their business and lives as normal; we shall not allow a brainless beast to disturb the operations of our empire!” Xandarius punctuated this by thrusting his fist into the air. “I understand that the next few days will be filled with uncertainty, but we must maintain our day-to-day operations or else we will have an even greater difficulty in the coming fight. And once the beast is dead, and its cold corpse is left adrift in the empty void, a day of celebration shall be held across the Empire, to be commemorated forever more!”
“Citizens and soldiers of the Empire, we have faced innumerable threats throughout our existence, and have stood strong against them all. We shall not fall to this monster, we shall triumph, and the Imperial dragon shall fly high in the sky on every world! For peace, for freedom, for the Empire!”
Following the announcement, the Throneship had launched itself into Z-space, heading for Imperial Military Center Gamma, the military staging area closest to the arrival point. Xandarius had become scarce after his transmission, understandable given his need to coordinate his own forces as well as keep up with the Imperium’s progress. Despite not being included in the Emperor’s counsel at the moment, Ansaria’s unique and somewhat privileged position allowed her to keep up with the mobilization.
Xandarius had ordered Sword Fleet, the force responsible for fighting on the frontlines to expand the Empire, to completely remove its forces from conquered worlds and to redeploy to IMC Gamma for rearmament before receiving their new orders. Scuttlebutt amongst the crew indicated that some of the Imperial commanders were incensed at the withdrawal, given some of their worlds had taken years of battle and thousands of Imperial lives to capture. However, their trust in Xandarius, as well as the Emperor’s intimidating presence, prevented any of them from openly challenging the order.
Meanwhile, Shield Fleet, the forces charged with defending the Empire’s borders, worlds and colonies, would also be redeployed. While a sizable force was sent to reinforce Xenlong (ostensibly to protect against the Star Eater, though Ansaria felt that they were also there to protect against a possible Imperium offensive), the rest were ordered to create a defensive screen along the Imperial border nearest the arrival point. If the allied forces failed to stop the Star Eater, Shield Fleet would be there as a second line of defense for the Empire.
In orbit over Gamma, the Throneship underwent a rapid examination and refit. The ship had never received the supplies it had intended to pick up at IMC Epsilon, and as such was surrounded by a swarm of small crafts and vessels that worked to ensure that the symbol of Xandarius’ power was intact and completely repaired. The ship’s teleportation system also worked almost around the clock, bringing weapons, ordnance, supplies and new crewmembers aboard the Throneship instantaneously.
Amidst all the hustle and bustle of activity, the main bridge of the ship was mostly unoccupied, having been examined and touched up to pristine condition; its spectacular view and relative peacefulness drew Ansaria here for many hours as she awaited the coming battle. As she watched the constant stream of warships joining their ranks, her confidence continuously warred with the cold terror that she carried with her. She often wondered if she should record some kind of testimonial for her loved ones in case the worst should happen; what prevented her from doing so was the thought that if she died in the coming battle, nobody would be around to hear it for very much longer after that…
Delusions of grandeur, much? Better not let skipping over a rank and getting promoted to the Emperor’s entourage go to my head.
After a few days in orbit above the Imperial Military Center, the Throneship, now fully equipped and checked over, along with a sizable fleet of ships that had also been re-supplied and cleared for combat, departed for the arrival point. The Imperial force spent nearly two days in transit through Z-space before arriving at their destination, and Ansaria had been acutely aware that each passing day brought the coming battle ever closer.
The system where the Star Eater was projected to arrive was ordinary and unassuming. It had two moderate-sized, solid-composition worlds, both of them rocky and barren, with thin atmospheres and no indigenous life. There was also a pair of gas giants, the largest located mid-system, with a faint ring of ice and dust. The smaller one, a pale blue world of methane, stood like a lone sentinel on the edge of the system.
The next few days passed by almost agonizingly slowly. The ships that had accompanied them had taken up positions around each of the three worlds farthest from the sun, the Throneship located between the two rocky planets. Every few hours, fleets and battle groups emerged from Z-space, awaiting their orders on where to be stationed. Ansaria, having spent as much time in the training room as she could stand, had taken up once again watching the ships arriving on the bridge, occasionally joined by Alvara or Tread; despite her mounting dread for the approaching conflict, she continued to find the silent dance of the Empire’s fleet both comforting and somewhat relaxing.
It was during one such viewing session that she was contacted by Administrator Epsilon.
~Captain Dormus, His Majesty requests your presence in his quarters.~
Ansaria hastily tore her gaze away from the ship-filled starscape and made her way to the lift. Once she arrived, she passed by the silent and varied protectors of Xandarius, no longer shocked or surprised by their armor or appearance. She reached the doors leading to her ruler’s sanctum and was permitted to enter.
Xandarius was engrossed in a readout, Epsilon hovering nearby, undoubtedly engaged in her own tasks, either mentally or cybernetically. As Ansaria approached, Xandarius terminated his display and turned to acknowledge her.
“Ah, Ansaria, your expedience is appreciated. During my preparations for the coming battle, I decided to incorporate your squad into the battle plans.”
Ansaria was taken aback by this statement. She was unsure exactly how to reply, and so instead decided to go with the truth.
“We are here to serve you in whatever way we can, sire. However, I doubt even my team can do much against what we are up against.”
Xandarius laughed. “I don’t intend to send you against the beast with nothing but armor and rifles, captain; rather I devised a larger, more appropriate u
se for your skills.”
Before Ansaria could reply, the doors she had entered through opened again, and she was surprised to see her entire squad marching toward her. She caught Alvara’s eye, and saw that she was just as surprised to be here as Ansaria was to see them. Slog was craning his neck every which way, drinking in the scenery. Poor Critter was forced to cling tightly to his comrade to avoid being knocked off.
“Excellent, you’re all here. As I was just telling your captain, I have deiced to give all of you positions in the coming fight. Epsilon, if you would?”
~Of course, sire,~ said Epsilon. The Prizmid drifted over to the squad to speak with them.
~Corporal Krunkle, His Majesty has given you command of a unique warship: the Firestorm. This vessel was built around a main weapon, not unlike your plasma shotgun.~ The Administrator projected an image showing the ship in question; a standard sized craft with a large, central barrel surrounded by three, connected sections. ~It can fire a superheated ball of gases that can burn through a half-dozen unshielded ships.~
Slog had a look on his face that was close to panic. She caught his eye and nodded, encouraging him to speak his mind.
“I’m honored by this appointment, sire, but I’ve never even led my own squad, let alone a warship.”
~Have no fear, corporal. The ship has its own captain who will be responsible for the ordinary tasks of commanding the vessel; you shall be in charge of using the main weapon.~
Slog let out a breath and his shoulders slumped a little in relief. “In that case, I shall make the Empire proud.”
~Of that, we have no doubt. Corporal Critter, the Throneship has a mech onboard that was used by a former Royal Guard that has gone unused since the guards unfortunate demise. The Emperor has given it to you, to fight against the creature directly, alongside our fighter craft.~
She projected another image, this one of a massive war machine that looked like it would rival the Golden Emperor in size. It was a standard bipedal configuration, with thick armor on its torso, arms and legs. They all watched as it raised one of its arms and replaced its hand with a pair of massive pincers. Critter chattered something that made them all laugh.