by K. L. Bone
My advisers and I approached the commanders waiting to greet me with Lord Kasar at the head of the line. I met him with a warm smile and allowed him to kiss my hand softly. This victory was to his glory as well as mine. He also knew that the leaders must be dealt with and I had never known my father to miss the punishment of his enemies.
“Congratulations!” I told my commanders waiting quietly by my side. “You honor the Empire and your ancestors with this victory. You will be rewarded greatly in both this life and the next.” A small smile formed at the corner of their mouths, which they worked quickly to suppress. It would be very disappointing for their praise to be followed by a quick death for expressing emotion in front of their Empress. Joy, like sorrow or fear, is something to scorn at. To feel happiness at success is one thing, but to express emotion publicly is to lose sight of the current task at hand.
They quickly recovered and gave a low bow. “We are but servants doing nothing more than you command. It was your excellent judgments and never failing strength that truly won this war, Councilor. Your beauty gave us hope, your strength lead us through the darkest of moments, and your sheer will brought us to the victory that was always inevitable as long as you guided us. We followed commands, you won the war.” At this, I gave a curt nod of acknowledgment.
“Take me to them, and we shall see what is to be done with our heroic rebels.” As my advisers and I moved into an elevator I motioned for Darin to join us. We were taken to the fifth floor and then led into a dimly lit room. The walls were painted dark blue, the lights were dim and there was no window in sight. Fifteen guards surrounded the door where the six defeated leaders were being held. The doors were opened and I entered the room surrounded by those I had brought along with my own personal guard. One look at the prisoners told me that my orders had been followed and apart from looking somewhat thin, they had not been harmed.
“Which of you is Darcoth?” I asked, calling the name of the most powerful and dangerous of the former commanders. A middle aged Lorid with a powerful build and intelligent looking eyes stepped forward, blinking from the sudden spill of light that flooded the room from the opened door. “You have fought valiantly, worthy of the fame you have gained throug the many years of this war,” I addressed him. “But, despite the sadness I feel at finding life suddenly without challenge, you, at long last, have lost. This game must be played out to its final end.” I spoke in a quiet, revered voice.
“Yes,” replied Darcoth, “it must be finished.” We shared a lingering glance of understanding.
“Your underlings, as you know, shall face the crowd which has proven themselves worthy of their blood. However, as is ancient tradition, you shall be given a choice.” I turned to one of the guards who produced two long, thick blades. One was made of a golden metal found on the Setian home-world while the other was a silver metal from the Lorid home-world. Both blades were offered to Darcoth. “By your blade or mine. The choice is yours.”
“I have but one question, my Lady.” I looked into his eyes and gave a small nod of permission. “Are you a member of the famous Setian council sent here by your peers to watch my death?”
I leaned my lips to his ears where only he could hear me. “I am here of my own accord and sent by no one. I am the reigning Empress of the Setian Empire. You have been my longest and final opponent and I believed it only right that we meet before you die.” At this, I pulled back from Dracoth and he stared at me for several moments before giving a nod of consent.
“You honor me, my Lady. Your personal presence means more to me than anything I could have hoped for.” I too gave a nod of acknowledgement at these words. “Then, my Empress,” Darcoth said solemnly. “I would be honored if you would assist me in ending my life with your Setian blade.”
I nodded. “It is the blade of Emperor Dehartra, borrowed from the ancient archives.” I took the simple blade by its black hilt. It was cold to the touch. Turning the sword slowly to the side, I offered it hilt first to Darcoth, who took it from my hand.
“Heavy. Fit for an Emperor,” he glanced at me, “or an Empress.”
One of the other Lorids began to speak, but Darcoth silenced him with a glance. “May we step into the next room?” I nodded and my men parted as we walked between them. The door closed behind us as I turned to face Lorid Commander.
“Is there a ritual you would like performed in a certain way?”
He shook his head, no.
“In that case,” I stood tall, glancing into his dark emerald eyes. “Dervik Darcoth, high Lord of the Lorid Sovereignty. You have been found guilty of resisting your rightful sovereigns, the Lords and Councilors of the Setian Empire. For these crimes the sentence is death by Setian Blade.” I placed my hands over Darcoth’s. Together we turned the blade towards his tall body. “With your death,” I spoke the ancient words as the blade sailed forward, sinking into the center of Darcoth’s chest with a sickening sound. “We forgive you for your sins.”
The blade cut through muscle and bone alike. Darcoth’s eyes seemed to gloss over, his lips opened at the sudden pain. I put my hand against the left side of his face. “Go, with our forgiveness. Be at peace.” I used my other hand to twist the blade deeper. The room was silent. Darcoth gave a low moan that might have been a scream if he had been capable of still drawing breath.
His body fell to the ground at long last with a light sound that carried through the room. I withdrew the heavy blade from Darcoth’s chest. The guard to my right handed me a white cloth which I used carefully to wipe the blood from the blade. Then I placed both the sword and the cloth into a black case which would be sent back to Setianta.
I then had the guards gather the other commanders. We left the floor and exited the building where a crowd of Lorids had been brought to witness the death of their leaders at my command. I stood before a crowd of Lorids, now slaves within their own minds, and addressed them with a short speech. “My dear Lorids, you have fought bravely and well. You are a species that will always be respected within the Empire that you are now a part of. You are a most logical species, a quality I greatly admire on more levels than one. Knowing this, try not to think of your new lives as tragedy, but of the inevitable beginning to the evolution of a new species; a species where your minds are combined with our superior strength. Together we shall become a new species and a new order of rule within this vast galaxy. Together, we can turn your loss into gain to both our species.”
“In saying this, I regret that you have yet to accept graceful defeat or see the new opportunity which the union of our Empires presents. You still cling to your idealized leaders. You cling to false hopes of dreams that died at the end of this war instead of facing reality and accepting your new position and circumstances. Due to your insistent rebuff of reality and continuous fighting in hopes that your former leaders will rescue you, I find myself with no choice but to destroy those leaders and make you accept reality by force. Know that you brought this upon yourself.”
Then I changed to a note of triumph. “Now that I have delivered this message to those newly assimilated, I turn to a happier note. My fellow Setians, this is a day of great victory. Your hard work and dedication to your Empire has brought us to this glorious point in time. Today, the last of your great enemies will die before your eyes. Leaders do not fight wars for leaders would be worth nothing if they did not have loyal soldiers to follow them. Today at long last, you are the most powerful of all. Today, you rule. Congratulations my fellow Setians!”
The crowd erupted into cheers as the leaders of the Lorid people were dragged one by one into the crowd, and executed, by Lorid hosts. I could only imagine the turmoil the Lorids were going through; being forced to harm those they so loved. My enemies were at my mercy. We had finally won the war.
By chance, I looked at Darin. Tears ran down his cheeks as he watched everything by my side. This is what I had been waiting to see. That last bit of rebellion crushed by the reality of this new world. A part of him was dying as he
watched the events around him. His eyes told me I had been correct in my belief that some part of him still thought the Empire would be defeated. Now he saw this was not true. He caught me staring at him and gazed into my cold eyes. For an instant, I lowered my long perfected emotional shield and allowed him to see what lay underneath my mask. What he saw there was a sad, dark kind of joy. He saw the dangerous thrill shine through my eyes. Saw the unending thirst for power and strength that had caused the cold, harsh man I called father to choose me to be his Empress.
We stared at each other for a long time unnoticed by anyone in the thrill of the moment. Then I turned to the crowd as the last of the executions were carried out. Helpless within our grasp, it was hard to see the fine leaders these Lorid’s had once been. These Commanders would never become the saints my adviors had feared. They would be forgotten as though they had never existed. With the same action, I had also killed Darin’s desperate dreams of a rescue. I had destroyed his hope as swiftly as that of the Lorid people.
Chapter XXVIII
The next day the celebration was officially over and it was on to normal business. Several Councilors who had chosen to attend the victory were boarded upon the ships of various Lords who offered to return them to the home planet. I was in the middle of a business meeting when one of my commanders interrupted.
“My Lady,” one of my commanders said as he entered the room.
“Yes, Commander. What is it?”
“We have received a call from one of the Councilor’s ships.”
“Yes,” I interrupted. “I know they want to call a vote for the new position, but really does it have to be…”
“Their ship was attacked by a rebel ship of humans,” my commander cut in. “They managed to get away and traveled a distance until they thought it was safe. Then the commander ordered them to stop and tend the wounded. When they stopped, the human ship found them again and knocked out power to their ship. They are being boarded as we speak.”
I felt the warmth draining from my cheeks. “How many Councilors are on that ship, commander?”
“Five, my Lady. Five of the thirteen.”
I took a deep breath to clear my head. “What commander would have been stupid enough to…” I stopped midsentence. My heart sank. Fear filled me as it not done since I was a child. There was only one commander who would have stopped to tend the wounded as opposed to racing to the safety of the home planet. Through clenched teeth I asked, “Is Lord Kavra on that ship?”
“Yes, my Empress,”
“Transfer the call to my private chambers, then contact each of the other Setian Lords and make them aware of the situation. Order them to my location. Then call Lord Kasar and tell him to meet me in my private chambers immediately.”
I moved from the conference room to my private chambers at a full run. I stripped the clothes from my body as I raced through the doors towards my closet. I changed into a pair of black, leather slacks and a black shirt that had gold buttons up the front. I then grabbed a dark, burgundy robe that had the symbols of the Setian Council upon the left breast in golden thread. I pulled my hair back with a diamond clip as Lord Kasar entered the chamber behind me.
“I assume I will be standing behind you as you make the call?”
“Yes,” I replied. “You shall stand on my left.” I turned to face him as the door opened once again and Councilor Revdran walked into the room, wearing robes that matched my own.
“And I,” he stated, “shall be on your right.”
I nodded to the new visitor, “I am glad to see you are not on that ship, Councilor. Let us go into the next room and take the call.” We walked together toward my private communication chambers where a large, black screen would soon project the 3D image of the Councilor’s captors. As I took my place between the two men, I glanced at Lord Kasar. He stood tall in his jet black attire, cloaked in a robe of dark navy, the silver symbol of his status in the same place where the gold thread marked my own. As I glanced away from Lord Kasar to my right, it seemed strange to see my fellow Councilor standing in Lord Kavra’s usual place.
“My Lady,” the computer’s voice cut through my thoughts. “Are you ready to receive the transmission?”
I closed my eyes and pictured Kavra lying on the floor, his blood pooling around his lifeless body. “Empress,” my eyes flew open at the sound of Kasar’s voice.
“Transfer the call.” The air seemed to shimmer before my eyes and suddenly we stood facing two human men. They both looked young, no older than twenty-five and had matching brown hair and eyes. Their skin was pale and their bodies thin; probably from lack of nourishment as they hid throughout the galaxy. It was hard to believe these pitiful men could have taken Lord Kavra’s ship.
“To whom am I speaking?” I addressed the two men.
“I could ask you the same question,” the taller of the two men replied.
“Lady Dehartra,” I answered. “And these are my fellow Setain Lords, Revdran and Kasar.”
“I am Commander Jones and this is Sub-Commander Taylor. We have taken control of the ship.”
A moment of silence followed so I said, “What is it that I can do for you, Commander Jones?”
“I have a list of demands and if they are not done immediately, I will destroy this ship and kill all those who are on it.”
“What demands?”
“We want ships,” the man said. “Ten of your best ships are to be cleared out and handed over to us. We also demand two hundred fecders upon each of the ships and each of the kitchens to be supplied with rations enough to feed a thousand people.”
“Ships, weapons, and food,” Lord Kasar stated. “These are your demands?”
“Yes,” the commander nodded. “You will bring them to our location, and leave. If I even think you are trying something stupid, I will start killing the men and women on this ship immediately. Do you understand?”
“Yes, commander, I understand. Now you listen to me. I will bring what you request to your location and there we will meet face to face. However know this, if you so much as harm one person on that ship, you get nothing. I shall be there in five hours.” I waved my hand. The computer cut the communication.
“We cannot possibly give them ships,” Councilor Revdran said.
“Of course not,” Kasar and I said in unison.
“What are we going to do?” Revdran asked.
“Simple,” I replied. I glanced at Lord Kasar. He nodded. “Lord Kasar and I will meet with them at the rendezvous point and there we shall establish a new set of demands.” I turned towards the Councilor. “Would you please consent to remaining on the ship throughout the negotiations?” He nodded. “Good. Please excuse me, gentlemen. I am going to try and get some sleep. Make sure to wake me when we near our destination.” I then gave orders for our ship, along with fifteen others, to hasten towards where Lord Kavra was being held.
I walked back to the bedroom alone. Darin was waiting for me, sitting in a chair by the fire reading a book. As I entered the room, he closed the cover and rose to greet me. “Hello, my Lady.” Then his eyes caught the glint of gold on my robe. “Why the formal attire?”
“Lord Kavra has been captured,” I informed him and then told him the details of the last half hour. At the end I added, “Don’t worry, they will get nothing from this.”
“Then what will you do?” Darin asked. “Almost half the council…”
“Can be replaced, if necessary.”
“And Kavra?” I allowed my eyes to close. It was a mistake. I opened them again to find that Darin had closed the distance between us. “Could you just replace him as well?”
“Yes,” I answered.
“Liar.”
“Careful, Darin. You forget your place.”
“And you,” he challenged, “have a heart. You care for him, as much as you are capable of caring for anyone.”
“It is a luxury I cannot afford.” My voice was firm with a touch of anger.
“Do you love h
im?” Darin asked, an edge to his own voice that I could not quite place. “Was he your lover?”
We stared at each for a long time. I still do not know why I answered, “No, Lord Kasar was.” He was the first to break our gaze. “Leave, Darin. Just go.”
He left without another word. I removed my council robe and hung it in its normal place in my closet. I then slipped into a thin, black satin gown. I laid down upon my black sheets, but Darin’s voice stayed with me. “Could you just replace Kavra as well?” I closed my eyes and fought my way to sleep, but it was not to be a peaceful rest.
Kavra lay injured against his destroyed ship in the center of a Paltian forest. His breath was shallow and unsteady. Blood gushed from his side. “Stay with me,” I begged. “Kavra please, please don’t leave me.”
Tears streamed down my face as his eyes began to lose focus. I looked to my left, an open coffin laid beside us, I stood from Kavra knowing that as I gazed into the glass casket, I would see his sister’s young, peaceful face.
I walked towards the casket. The black dress clung to her thin body. Crimson jewels sparkled against the dim light, reflecting dazzling colors across the room. A dozen black clothed, faceless creatures stood on the other side, clearing a path for me see her face. No, wait…it was my face! I tried to run, but could not move. I let out a shrill scream.
“Chrissalynn!” A voice shook me from my dream. My body jerked up, but Darin’s strong hands held me in place. “Chrissa,” he said again. “It was only a dream.”
Real tears wet my face as I searched his dark brown eyes desperately. “No,” I whispered. “It was a memory. Mine…and his.”