Frontline

by Z H Brown

  Ansaria gripped the hilt of her sword tightly to steady her nerves. It wasn’t the shouting that was getting to her; it was the sudden responsibility of diffusing a situation that she had just stumbled upon.

  Like I haven’t been doing that for the last month already.

  The two opposing groups were each maintaining a slight distance from the barrier of peace-keepers, giving Ansaria some breathing room to address the assembly. Ansaria swallowed dryly a couple times before clearing her throat and activating the device in her hand.

  “My fellow Xenlongians, both native and alien, please listen to me." Her amplified voice carried over the din, drawing every eye in the plaza to her. She swallowed again before just diving in. “My name is Ansaria Dormus; most of you have probably heard of me over the last few weeks, along with my comrades of Oasis Squad,” she gestured to the others, who all waved with varying levels of unease to the assembly. The crowd was electrified at the announcement, a buzz of murmuring replacing the silence that had fallen since Ansaria spoke. Many of those in the onlookers and protesters surged forward to try and get a better view of the heroes.

  “We recently returned from battle with the Star Eater, which was slain by none other than Sergeant Alvara here!” she swept her arm toward her friend, and a roar of cheers came from all those present; peace-keeper, civilian and protester.

  “However, while many Xenlongians contributed to the beast’s demise, and many lost their lives to their monster, this victory does not belong to Xenlong alone.” While she was speaking to all those present, her focus was on the anti-Imperium crowd. Her words sent a wave of frowns, furrows and snorts from the war supporters. “At a moment when all seemed lost, we received last-minute aid from an unexpected source, but even before then, we entered the battle side-by-side, shoulder-to-shoulder and ship-to-ship with the Golden Imperium of Infinite Starlite.”

  Boos and curses came from the opposition, with noticeable calls of “death to the sun devils!” and “no peace with oppressors!” being audible above all else. Ansaria ignored their comments and continued.

  “According to a source which has studied the Star Eaters for centuries, the entire might of the Xenlongian Empire would have been unable to stop the creature; it would have either annihilated our forces upon its arrival, or after it had fed and grown stronger. Likewise, even the so called ‘Infinite Imperium’ would have been defeated by the invader as well; we saw with our own eyes that even the legendary power of the Golden Emperor couldn’t overcome the extragalactic monster.

  “Imperial and Imperium forces trained side-by-side for weeks, and we fought together from the beginning of the battle to the very end; we saw Imperial ships rush the enemy to buy time for Golden ships to escape, while Imperium vessels took hits meant to finish off Xenlongian ships. And at the end of the day, when the beast was nothing but ash, the Imperium had lost twice as many sons and daughters as we did, along with their leader…” She paused. The crowd was hanging on her words. A number of pro-war protesters had lowered their banners, while some of the soldiers that had been amongst the thick had slipped away quietly; the entire group had shrunk by nearly a quarter.

  “…I understand that it’s hard to let go of the past; if you had told me two months ago that I would be shedding blood alongside Goldies, I would’ve called you a sun-loving sympathizer,” this got a few laughs out of the crowd. “But the simple truth is that the days of straightforward Imperial-good/Imperium-bad are over; for the first time in nearly forty years, there is no fighting between Xenlong and Tamia, no ships being destroyed for control of lifeless systems, no hundreds of beings dying to claim barren rocks. We have discovered both unimaginable dangers and new allies, and we have a choice to make: we can either go back to the way things were and act like nothing happened or we can take a step into a brave new world, and move forward toward a brighter and better future.”

  She lowered the amplifier, staring intently at the anti-Imperium crowd. The gaze of the onlookers also leveled on the warmongers, bearing down on them in silent judgment. Under such public pressure, the crowd began to disperse, lowering their signs and walking away with their heads down and shoulders hunched. After most of the group was gone, a knot of eight people remained centered around the scarred Xenlongian that had been eyeing Ansaria when they’d arrived. Five of them (including the scarred Xenlongian) wore military fatigues in varying states of repair, while the rest wore civilian attire. He shook with silent fury and pointed an accusatory finger at the young captain and her squad.

  “There can be no peace with those barbarians!” he practically spat the last word. “I spent twenty years serving on the frontlines, defending one of those ‘barren rocks’ you mentioned. By the time I mustered out, I’d lost all my friends and gained these,” he jabbed a thumb at his scars and burn. “This ‘peace’ is an affront to all those that spent thirty-eight years bleeding and dying for this empire!” Ansaria remained silent, allowing the veteran to get everything out. He shook harder, like he was about to burst with long-suppressed ferocity, before whatever fire inside him burned out and he visibly deflated. A look of exhaustion passed over his face, but when he looked at Ansaria again, the anger was still there.

  “This peace is against everything Xandarius and his glorious empire stands for. There will be a reckoning for this travesty, and when this city burns down around you, you’ll have no one to blame but yourselves.” He turned and stalked away, the crowd opening up to let him through, with his lingering followers trailing behind him.

  Chapter XXXVI

  Memorial and Meetings

  The future of Xenlongian/Tamian relations is a murky subject. While there is a cease-fire in place, along with a semi-official alliance, the loss of the Golden Emperor and Xandarius’ claiming of the Golden Flame leaves politics going forward as…rocky, at best. With the power vacuum in the Imperium, hard-liners seeking an outside scapegoat could easily whip the population into a total war with the Empire to reclaim what is rightfully theirs. Likewise, Xandarius, along with some of his more aggressive military leaders, could decide to capitalize on the Imperium’s situation, and launch an offensive of their own, and given the Empire’s power compared to the Imperium’s, it's possible a new Golden Emperor could be ruling from Tamia very soon.

  --From the private log of Prince Eberius, Fourth of His Name, Crown Prince of the Ebon Empire.

  The next few days were a welcome relief for Ansaria. Despite Eberius being a constant thought at the back of her mind, she allowed herself to truly relax. Weeks of horror, pain, fear, and death had taken their toll on the captain, but it wasn’t until she returned to Xenlong that she realized just how stressed she had been; she found herself sleeping more soundly and waking more refreshed than she had been in a long time. She took the opportunity to visit the city a few more times, sometimes alone, sometimes with one or two of her friends. She also found time to visit her parents, who were both relieved and elated to see their heroic daughter.

  “Ever since the award ceremony, we’ve had people trying to get in touch with you through us,” said her mother, Asaria. She looked very similar to her daughter, though noticeably older. “But of course, there was no way we were going to unleash a pack of rabid news hounds on you, so we’ve stonewalled them, saying even we hadn’t heard from you during all of this.”

  Ansaria felt a twinge of guilt at her parents having been harassed by the media. Her father, Zunarus spoke up; his resemblance to his daughter was most obvious in his eyes, which were an exact match. “It hasn’t been all bad though; we’ve had every neighbor within six blocks come to meet and congratulate us personally, not to mention all the family and friends sending their love from here and off-world.”

  Ansaria smiled. “That’s good to hear; I’d pictured you guys being mobbed by reporters every time you’d try to leave the house.”

  Her father laughed. “Oh, we had quite a crowd the day after the broadcast, but your mother wasn’t having any of it, and sent ‘em all packing be
fore supper.”

  Ansaria laughed, her mirth intensifying when she saw the scowl on her mother’s face.

  “They made far too much of a ruckus and they trampled my garden.”

  After days of welcome respite that passed all too quickly, the day of the memorial dedication and the Emperor’s big speech finally dawned. Ansaria and her squad ate their scrumptious breakfast quickly in order to make sure that their armor was polished to a sheen and they all looked their best. She debated about what to do with Eberius’ gift: should she tuck it away on one of her belt pouches, or perhaps wear it in her hair? In the end, she decided to keep it attached to her sword; she had worn it openly this whole time without incident and, honestly, she was a decorated Imperial hero, it was very unlikely that any officer that outranked her would be petty or Crete-headed enough to call her out on a minor uniform violation. Before midday, they made their way to the part of the courtyard where the citizens, honored guests, government officials, and veterans of the battle would be seated during the proceedings.

  As they came to the end of the hallway that led to the courtyard, they gazed out over the ceremony’s preparations. Overhead, a thin black mesh had been stretched out over the open air; the tangible shade was there to keep out some of the intense warmth and light of the sun, though it wasn’t strong enough to keep out all of the heat. The walls and towers that ringed the courtyard were decked out in streamers while the iron-gray Imperial flag with its dragon emblem fluttered in the warm air every few feet.

  A steady stream of people was making their way into the courtyard from entrances guarded by peace-keepers, soldiers and Royal Guards of every size and shape. A quarter of the seating area was separated from the rest by a sturdy rope: these were reserved for the aforementioned guests, dignitaries and returning soldiers. The remaining seats had been set up so that the guests would be arrayed shortest to tallest. The first third of the seats were taken up almost exclusively by the xeno residents of Xenxing and wider Xenlong, along with a smattering of Xenlongians comparable in height to Ansaria herself. Behind them, and by far the largest group, was a sea of Xenlongian natives. Their alabaster faces looked excitedly at the balcony where Xandarius and his chosen entourage would address the gathering. Behind them was the smallest group, comprised of mechs, organics and others that were either taller than even the Xenlongians, or could fly or hover.

  Before Ansaria could lead her squad to their seats blow, both her and Alvara’s TIGs beeped. They looked at each other in confusion before pulling up the message they received: Captain Dormus and Sergeant Alvara were to join Xandarius and the other chosen few during the service.

  “Guess His Majesty changed his mind about having us along,” said Ansaria, annoyed at the sudden change in plans and somewhat bitter that the rest of her squad had been snubbed.

  “It’s not surprising, cap'n” said Slog with a genuine, laid back shrug. “And it’s not like this is all that important; to be honest, I can’t wait 'til this is over: I ran into a few former-crewmembers from the Firestorm and they want to take me out for drinks.”

  Tread nodded in agreement. “Out of all of us, it is clear why he would want the two of you present. Do not worry about us, Ansaria, we will still enjoy the event from the courtyard.”

  Ansaria looked at Critter, who gave her the thumbs-up from his place on Tread’s shoulder. She sighed, but accepted the reality of the situation.

  “All right, we better go then. We’ll meet up later for a last shore-leave hurrah, okay?”

  Everyone smiled in acknowledgment, and Ansaria and Alvara separated from their friends. Heading back into the palace, they followed the instructions in the message to where Xandarius and the others were awaiting them.

  They arrived outside a set of doors flanked by four Xenlongian Royal Guards, two on each side and all of equal height. The pair nearest the door nodded at them in recognition as they approached, before opening the doors to allow them admittance. Xandarius was seated upon a resplendent throne that was illuminated by the ever-present glow of the Golden Flame. His energy-pouring eyes stared past his clenched hands, deep in thought. Beside him stood Queen Zira, wearing a white robe that glittered with minuscule diamonds. She had one hand resting upon her husband’s shoulder, the divine inferno surrounding the monarch nothing more to her than a constant stream of not-unpleasantly warm air.

  Next to the crowned rulers of Xenlong and the Empire stood High Lady Kimbria, one of Xandarius’ numerous wives; the various wives of the Emperor ruled over provinces on Xenlong and its nearby colony worlds, ensuring that all of them were experienced at ruling in the event that anything ever happened to the Emperor and Prime-Queen. Lady Kimbria had been invited by Queen Zira as the two had been friends long before Xandarius had married either of them. The High Lady had a similar beauty as the queen, but Zira was a tad taller. Her hair flowed down the length of her back, and it was streaked with purple. She wore a simple silver circlet upon her brow that had the same curving, wavy shape as a necklace that lay upon her collarbone. Her dress was purple on the top, fading to white at the bottom. She had a sizable teardrop-shaped purple jewel attached to her outfit on her chest; while a smattering of tiny purple gems were placed in the middle where the purple and white mixed.

  Standing next to the royal woman was Prince Xandarian, who was talking animatedly with a boy and a girl that where unmistakably another prince and a princess. The regal children all wore perfectly tailored and exquisite outfits of purple. On the other side of the imperial family was Colonel Fornost, wearing his gleaming armor, including his heavy, horned helmet, and clutching his battle-lance. Beside him stood his son, who wore a dress uniform that included a short cape, likely a sign of his palace positioning. Next to the Fornost’s were Supreme Commander Eve’rest, Admiral Travay, Admiral Venrius and, to Ansaria’s pleasure, Admiral Minos, who nodded at her with proud smile.

  A small group next to the military officers was comprised of visiting dignitaries, including a Xolam’ba, a short, feline species that had been instrumental in helping the Empire develop both Z-space travel and teleportation. A Gorgonian with scales the color of dried red blood and a large, dark-brown hood about his throat was engaged in a fierce discussion with Administrator Epsilon, who was spinning and twirling due to the intensity of the conversation. Rounding out the group was a pair of Xenlongians in matching business suits, a representative from a mercenary force outside the Empire wearing all green with a cloth bandanna that left only his eyes revealed, and a floating sphere with a large, red, eye looked on as though it were a sporting event.

  As the doors closed behind Ansaria and Alvara, Polaris noticed their entrance, disengaged from her conversation and floated over to them at a speedy pace.

  ~Welcome, captain; and welcome, sergeant. I apologize for the last-minute change of plans, but His Majesty decided that he wished to have the two most senior members of Oasis squad join us on the balcony during the address. Additionally, he would ask Captain Dormus to report to his study after the event for a special assignment.~

  Ansaria accepted the explanation at face value and bowed to the major-domo, which Alvara quickly copied.

  “We serve at the Emperor’s whim, Administrator.”

  Epsilon bowed in return before excusing herself to inform the Emperor of their arrival. Xandarius roused himself from his ruminations before standing up and briefly increasing the intensity of his aura to get everyone’s attention.

  “Now that our last guests are here, the ceremony will begin shortly. Attendants are waiting to lead the honored attendees to their seats outside.”

  Administrator Epsilon corralled the departing guests towards the double doors. As they passed, Ansaria watched as the Gorgonian and Alvara kept their eyes locked intently on each other, but she was unable to read either of their faces. As the doors closed behind them once more, the prince and princess that had been speaking to Xandarian came over to them. The soldiers bowed to the royal children, who were both closer in age to themselves.


  “We’re so glad we finally get to meet you, Captain Dormus!” said Prince Jasona, who, along with his sister, towered over them.

  “And getting to meet the Slayer of the Star Eater is an added bonus!” said Princess Trinius. “Although, there was something we were wondering…” she trailed off, looking at her brother. Alvara looked from one to the other, confused, and waiting for them to continue.

  “The thing is…” said Jasona. “We were wondering why you looked so…”

  “Different from the other Gorgonian who was here,” finished his sister.

  “Well, I was going to say ‘beautiful’, but that works to,” said the Prince unabashedly. Alvara flushed a little at the compliment, but it was clear the unexpected question had floored her. She scratched the back of her neck absently before answering.

  “I guess you could say that I have a…mutation. Among my people, once every generation, a Gorgonian is born with features radically different from the rest of our species. Throughout our history, these individuals have been viewed as cursed monstrosities, given the name of ‘Medusa’ and hated and shunned anywhere they went- if they were fortunate enough to live past infancy, as was not the case with the majority of my predecessors.”

  Trinius and Jasona were looking at Alvara with rapt attention. Ansaria was a little surprised that her friend was being so open with her past, as it was usually an understandably sensitive subject, but she supposed it was hard to refuse a question from royalty.

  “My parents loved me in spite of the venom that was heaped upon them by caring for me. We lived a hard life until the Empire came.

  The royal children exchanged excited glances as Alvara continued her story. “After Xandarius arrived and conquered our world, he made it clear in no uncertain terms that the Empire would not tolerate the continued institutionalized murder of those like myself any longer, and that if any harm came to me or my family, and it was clear that the government was complacent in allowing the crime to happen or the perpetrators to go unpunished would lead to drastic consequences for Gorgon,” Alvara’s gaze became distant, and Ansaria could tell that she was lost in memory, back in the painful times of her youth. She snapped out of her daze with a shake of her head. “It’s thanks to your father that I had a chance to grow up and dream of being something more than just a curse or a burden. So, as soon as I was eligible, I enlisted in the Imperial Army, and during basic, met this troublemaker whose been dragging me into all these messes lately.”