by Jessie Wolf
In years to come a legend would grow up around my actions this night. Parents would use the story of the wailing woman to scare their children into behaving. They would say that on the night that the Great Empyreal City and Palace was destroyed the long dead lover of the Emperor Sha’ Dan rose from her grave. They would tell of her rampage through the woods over all the deaths. Her cries for revenge and sorrow would echo though out the night as she carved a path through the woods in her need to vent. More would call the young woman the Ghost of Empyreal City. The stories would be wide and varied but none would come close to the truth. That it was my need to lash out at something anything just to be able to regain control of my emotions.
I blasted, burned, smashed, and cut anything that came in my path. My internal guidance system had me on course for the Space Port. It would not belong before I came within range of it and the drop ships and other space craft there. It wouldn’t take much to steal a fast attack craft with jump capabilities. A heavy Corsair would do the job. I could be in high orbit around Vega Prime in fifteen days. One well-placed nuke and a few Kinetic Kill weapons is all it would take, and the Temple Mount would be nothing but a hole in the ground. It would be true justice in the biblical sense. A true eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth, and a life for a life.
I could do that and more I realize. I am the Governor of Hades, and the Death Gates system. I have the access code to the planetary armory. I know for a fact that there are Planet Killers stored there. All I would need is three; I could easily place that many on board a heavy Corsair. Yes, that’s what I’ll do. After all I have all the needed skills and training to get the job done. I am about to throw seventy years of principles as a Death Dealer out the damned door. Death Dealers are protectors and liberators, we do not kill innocents. And I don’t care.
The Imperial Temples have brought this on themselves by allowing the Black Rose, Crimson Shield, and the Temple of Holy Light to operate without restraint. The whole planet of Vega Prime was guilty in my eyes and deserved to die. I can think of no better tribute to my old friend and brother than an M class planet sized glowing ball of gas in space. They once called me Death, now they call me Deaths own Daughter. Centuries ago one man told an enemy of the Empire that Death is dealt by our hands. And this night Deaths own Daughter is the dealer and her deck was stacked in favor of the house.
Stop my mindless destruction and head for the Space Port. I hear Dee De and Charlie yelling at me in my head.
‘Commander, this goes against our programing.’ (Charlie)
‘Maiha please stop and think about what you’re about to do.’ (Dee De)
‘First High Lady Maiha, this will not bring them back. Please listen to reason.’ (Charlie)
‘Maiha, if you do not stop this action you are considering I will notify your mother.’ (Dee De)
“Both of you will shut the hell up right fucking now! And Dee De you will not notify mama or papa, that is an order. I can end this war within sixteen days and I will. There is no need for anyone else to die. Three Planet Killers dropped from high orbit and it is all over. The Gods can have mercy on my enemies, I won’t.”
‘Think of the moral question of what you’re planning Maiha. You’re talking about killing twelve billion people all out of a need for revenge. Please, you’re not a mass murderer.’ (Dee De)
“What I am is not your concern. The Temple of Holy Light has called the tune and now it’s time to pay the reaper. They started this war, and now I’ll finish it. Death is dealt by my hand!”
Both Dee De and Charlie leave me alone after that. I get within fifty meters of the Space Port fence and engage full stealth mode. I become a shadow in the night. it takes a few seconds to work out how I am going to break in. once I do it only takes me few seconds to find my way to the PDF Armory at the Space Port. I run a quick scan of the surrounding area looking for the guards. I find four standard gourds at the four corners, but am surprised to find six second generation Death Dealer AIs on the inside. I have Dee De send out an ID ping.
What I get back make me realize that someone ratted me out.
“Damn it Dee De I told you to leave my family out of this.”
‘Um… Maiha, I didn’t notify them.’ (Dee De)
‘That was me commander. I am the one to notify your family.’ (Charlie)
“What the hell do you think you’re doing going behind my back like that?”
‘You didn’t say that I couldn’t contact them commander.’ (Charlie)
“Damn it Charlie don’t you realize what you have done?”
‘Yes. They will stop you from becoming something that is abhorrent to your very nature. Maiha Mana Nakatoma, you are not a mass murderer and if I can’t stop you your family can.’ (Charlie)
“Fuck you both! How dare you go behind my back, when I gave explicit orders not to do something? I will still go through with my plan.” I was pissed at them both. It didn’t matter what my family said to me. Vega Prime was a dead planet. Not only Vega Prime but every planet that has a stronghold for the Temple of Holy Light. They thought my rage and thrust for revenge had limits, they were wrong.
I don’t bother with secrecy anymore. I drop my stealth mode and walk into the armory. Standing there are my mother, father, and the rest of the Storm Dancers. I couldn’t figure out how they got here before me until I saw the family skipjack troop transport. I may be able to run at one hundred and eighteen miles per-hour, but there is no way I can out run one of those. They don’t call them a fast attack transport for nothing.
“So my daughter, or is it James, you have decided to take matters into your own hands. Will you turn these weapons of mass destruction loose on innocent people? Will you abandon your honor for revenge? Have you finally submitted to your emotions enough to allow the failsafe to take over?” papa was not pulling his punches. He kept the questions coming fast and furious. “Where is the man who stood before an Emperor just to defy him without fear in his eyes? Where is the young woman who showed me the real meaning of honor? Where is the girl who showed me how to love again?”
I stood there ready to fight, to argue, anything but this. I had no words of rebuttal. All my reasons for blowing Vega Prime back to its dust cloud origins gone. Here was the only reason I needed to show mercy. These people were my family and I could not disappoint them. I could not let my emotions rule my thinking. The scream that rips from my throat is filled with all the anguish and rage over losing my friend, my brother and all those innocent lives. Once again the tears flow as I fall to my knees before them. All my plans for righteous revenge vanish as if they were made of smoke.
I feel a pair of arms wrap me in a hug. I don’t have to look up to know it is papa. “I know that you want revenge, Maiha, but this is not the way. You yourself said that Death Dealers are protectors, liberators, and defenders. Let your anger go, this is not you, my dear. You are better than they are.” The more I hear his words the calmer I become. I reach for all the training and teachings of my beloved Matsu and Dai Etsu. It takes me awhile to get a hold on my emotions. I do, but it takes more strength than I could have imagined.
Once I have my emotions under control again I wipe my eyes and look up at papa. “You know something Top, you’re an asshole.” Everyone in the armory warehouse started to laugh at my none too subtle comment. I should have been watching my language as I received a quick smack on the butt from mama. My family laughed even harder at this show of affection and discipline by my adopted parents. “Thanks guys. I don’t know what came over me. One minute I was just trying to burn off my anger the next I had a target in my head for the Planet Killers.”
“Maiha, how far have you gotten in your menses cycle?” mama asked me.
It took me a few seconds to get Dee De to give me the information as she wasn’t talking to me just then. She was demanding an apology before giving me the information. There are times when having an Artificial Intelligence in your head can be a real pain in the ass. Once she had her apology I was shocked to
see I was only in the seventh day of my cycle.
“Oh, um day seven mama, why?”
“Child I would say you are having a very severe case of PMS. I think that from now on we’ll make sure you have, to have a co-signer for our weapons of mass destruction during this day of the month.”
The words are no sooner out of her mouth than I start laughing even harder. Here I am trying to figure out why I have been having such a hard time over controlling my emotions lately and the answer has been so simple. “If this is what her normal PMS is like, I think that might be a wise choice.” Papa just has to put in his two cents on the topic.
“If you think I’m bad now, just wait for mama to start having her hormones going crazy with being pregnant. I think we might have to disable her combat systems later on. I mean can see her blasting some poor coffee table with a PPC just because it was in the way of her getting to the bathroom on time.” That comment got me a smack in the back of my head by mama. However it was what I needed at the time something stupid and silly.
“Now tell me my oh so hotheaded daughter, did you even have a plan to get one of the heavy Corsair’s?” papa asked me with a smile. For some reason he knew something that I didn’t. What was it?
“Papa, please that is easy part of my plan. Everyone knows about the twelve that are kept over on the hot pad. All I have to do was walk over to the guards and tell them I am doing a spot check. After all I am the First High Lady and it is my duty to make sure all of our military assets are in working order. Then it would be a simple burst from my sonic disablers and the craft was mine.”
First it was just papa who started to chuckle, then mama with her giggle before long everyone was laughing. I was missing something here and I couldn’t figure it out. At my look of confusion mama decided to enlighten me.
“Maiha, all of the heavy Corsairs are on pirate patrol. Please, don’t tell me you forgot about your own orders on this?” when I hear this I started to giggle. I had forgotten about that order. I had put it in place shortly after I made planet fall. After the rebellion I increased the patrols to include four of the heavy cruiser drop ships as well, and one Dreadnought class drop ship. There was enough firepower in orbit around Hades right now that any drop ship or pirate attack craft would be blown form the skies in seconds. “You did forget about it didn’t you?”
“Yes ma’am, I sure did. I guess I really was running on emotion. Ok, I have my head out of my ass now; let’s get back to the school.”
“Don’t you mean to the Temple, Maiha?” papa asked of me. I gave him a strange look. “Maiha, those four schools have combined to become the new Temple of Ida-ten and its followers. Didn’t you pay any attention to what was going on at dinner?”
“Of course I did. We had dinner in the gym, welcomed the new members of the orders, and had a little celebration. That was it. Wasn’t it?”
“Maiha, it was more than that. The Heads of all four schools have turned them over to the Temple to run. In the morning the students will begin to move to the correct dorms for their order as decided by the Headmasters. Each one of the schools will rework their curriculum to match their orders tenants. The only Order that will have a presence in all four schools shall be the Children of Mars. The reason for this, as they shall come from them all and be of the all, the Children of Mars must walk a fine line as the enforcement arm of the Ida-ten Knights.” Mama was really going into how all five orders and the Temple had taken over at the four schools. That within just one day everything had changed in a way that was so far beyond their control it was as if it had taken on a life of its own.
It was my own actions in trying to correct the attitudes of a few damaged young girls that had set everything in motion. What was a snow flake had become an avalanche. When I question mama about how this could come about she just smiled.
“Maiha, even as James, you have always had the ability to change the hearts and minds of others. I saw this when you courted my sister. My father wanted her to have nothing to do with you. Then you go and show him you were more than worthy of her hand. That was not your greatest accomplishment though. The Liberation of Cypress will always stand out as that. From blind obedient slaves to the greatest rebel force ever to face off against an entrenched military force. You have moved more hearts and minds than any Emperor to ever sit their arse on the Imperial Throne. Why would your actions here at this school not have an impact on your students or those they would call friends?”
As I stand there thinking about what she just said there is a thunderous explosion outside. We even feel the shock wave inside of the armory bunker. I don’t even wait for them as I rush outside and start looking around. Everywhere I look I see nothing for miles and miles. All I see is the night sky and surrounding countryside. No mushroom clouds or debris clouds nothing.
Then I hear another explosion and see a flash of light from above me. Looking up I see what looks like three drop ships exchanging fire. Even at this range I could tell that the drop ship taking on the other was the dreadnought class. Another explosive crash and flash of light comes from it. I could tell the massive drop ship was using its main guns to engage the two unidentified standard drop ships.
There above us in low orbit, just inside of our atmosphere was a battle of life and death on a scale not seen in decades. Not since the invasion of Gorgonzola Consortium has the main guns of a dreadnought class drop ship been fired in anger. Whatever is going on I need to find out now and get control of it. Me and my family sprint to the Sport Control tower. It takes Dee De and Charlie a few seconds to override the lock codes to the entrance, but soon we are in and headed for the control room.
All this time the battle between the three ships has not let up. If anything it has become even more intense as the PDF Corsairs have now joined in. where the hell are the heavy cruisers? They should have been here by now. Damn it I need more answers. Answers I would soon receive. As I enter the control room it has become an emergency Command and Control Center. I am surprised to see someone I know there giving orders over the communication console to our in orbit ships.
“Damn it, Raven Claw make your burn now and come about on that bastard from behind. Snake Rider, come to port and lay down a strafing run on Target one now. Indomitable how much more damage do you think those bogies can take?” Susana Walking Water was almost yelling into the mike.
“Don’t ask me control. Hell I don’t know how they’re still flying.” There was another flash of light and then explosion. “That’s the third time target one has taken a direct hit from our main guns. As for target two they should have fallen from the skies the moment they hit atmosphere. Helm hard over to starboard now! Turret’s one, two and three prepare for a full broadside of target two!”
“Nighthawk, Sky Dancer, take out those damned fighters, and get in there and help!” Susana called out. Before she could give any more orders there was a massive flash of light that lit up the entire night sky followed quickly by first one explosion then an even louder one almost instantly. I and the rest of my family look out the tower windows in time to see one of the three drop ships falling out of the sky in pieces. There was another explosion overhead and I heard one of the tower techs call out. “We just lost Snake Rider ma’am. Raven Claw is taking heavy damage from bogie one.”
Susana slammed her hand down on her console. “Damn it! Where the hell are those heavy cruisers, Marks?”
“Still dealing with bogies three and four ma’am.” A young woman called from the other side of the room. “So far only Indefatigable has taken any real damage. They lost their number three turret, and starboard side torpedo tubes. Insidious, Iniquitous, and Invincible all have minor damage. Their two targets though are in worse shape. Both are venting plasma gas and are on fire.”
I couldn’t take it anymore; I needed to find out how this started. I grab a young tech sergeant by the arm as he passes me. “Soldier, what the hell is going on here? Just who the hell are those people and where did they come from?”
I quickly spot the four heavy cruisers and their enemy out beyond the moons. I also see the three M class heavy destroyer drop ships that belong to the Death Dealers rounding the third moon to come in from behind the enemy. Charlie hacks in and gives me the names for the destroyers. I am surprised to see that they are the newest of the M class heavy destroyers. I become fascinated as the Mary Deare, Mary Jane, and Mari Celeste all target the further of the two enemy drop ships and fire their torpedoes. I watch as lines of light trace their way across the screen. I start counting them and become shocked when I realize there are eighteen torpedoes headed for one target. Not even a dreadnought could survive that much firepower at one time.
There is another blinding flash of light followed quickly by the usual explosive thunderclap. This time though there is another of the secondary explosions. I look to the display area surrounding Hades and see that only the dreadnought and corsair markers are left. I turn and look out the windows to see what is left of the enemy drop ship falling toward the open sea.
“We just lost the Indefatigable with all hands.” That shout pulls my attention back to the overlay map. Where the Indefatigable once was, was now only a line stopping in empty space on the far side of the second moon. I felt my anger at this start to return. Then mama put her hand on my shoulder and leaned in to whisper in my ear. “Remember child this is not your battlefield. You must remain in control and let the professionals do their jobs.”