The Prodigal Emperor (The Shadow Space Chronicles Book 3)

by Kal Spriggs

  The Hermes followed them, the cruiser's shields afire with energy. Yet the Achilles wasn't so lucky. The destroyer's shield flared bright as a star for a moment before they winked out. The small ship vanished in a heartbeat.

  Damn, he thought, Naeveus, where are you?

  ***

  Captain Naeveus swore as he saw the general confusion that had enveloped the entire central battle. His fighters and bombers had taken longer than he'd planned to rearm as several squadrons had jumped the queue and then landed in the wrong bays. Before he could land to sort it out, they had tried to take off in the middle of his other squadrons landing.

  That had taken precious seconds to fix, yet Naeveus now worried that it might have cost them the battle. He brought up the fleet net, “This is Lancer Six, we are in position, what are your orders?” His fighters could volley missiles into that melee, yet it was just as likely that they would hit friend as they would foe.

  “This is Admiral Valens Balventia,” a confident voice answered. “Engage the central formation, full spread.”

  “Sir,” Naeveus said, “my pilots aren't skilled enough to line up perfect shots and our birds aren't good enough to differentiate between ships in this mess...” In theory the Identify Friend or Foe parameters should prevent friendly fire, but with damaged vessels intermixed with the enemy, that was a big risk. To make matters worse, Collae’s fighters carried refurbished Chxor missiles, which weren’t of the best quality in the first place.

  “We'll get clear,” Admiral Balventia said. “Now launch!”

  Captain Naeveus almost asked for authorization from Baron Giovanni, yet he had given his oath to the Emperor and he knew that Admiral Balventia was his senior commander. Maybe I should have stayed with the United Colonies, he thought, but I hope the bastard is right.

  “All Liberation elements, engage the enemy, full spread,” he snapped. A full spread meant that the squadrons would launch their missiles at everything in the area... and they would rely on the missiles being able to identify their targets.

  He heard acknowledgments, and a moment later a wave of missiles swept out from his squadrons, followed by those of Admiral Collae's fighters.

  I hope I didn't just kill a few thousand of our people, he thought.

  ***

  “Break, break, break,” a familiar voice spoke over the fleet net and Lucius's head snapped up as he heard Valens Balventia's tone of command. “All forces, Liberation Wings have launched on full spread, clear the engagement area.”

  Lucius bit back a curse as he saw just how difficult that would be. Both forces were intermixed at this point. “Reverse course,” Lucius snapped, “Full acceleration along vector two nine nine, get us the hell out of here.”

  He saw that of all the fleet, the Hector and Hermes were the deepest inside the enemy formation. Already, the Emperor Romulus had turned hard over and was almost clear, along with the Peregrine and most of the other Nova Roma ships... all but the War Shrike.

  “Valens,” Lucius pulled up comms with the battleship, “Why aren't you getting clear?”

  “Damaged engines,” Admiral Balventia replied. “We're working on it.” His voice was tight, yet Lucius could hear shouts in the background. “Get clear, Lucius. We'll be fine.”

  Lucius didn't exactly consider him a friend, but he knew him well enough to recognize a lie. The War Shrike had taken enough damage that its signature wouldn't resemble friend or foe parameters loaded in their missiles. On a full spread, those missiles would track on every target in the engagement area... and Lucius didn't have time to try to take command of that flight. Even if he had, Admiral Collae's missiles had already proven difficult to control.

  There's only one thing to do, Lucius thought.

  “Adjust course to five seven seven,” he said, his voice iron.

  The helmsman looked up in shock, but he reacted a moment later. The Hector flipped over and accelerated towards the War Shrike. Lucius monitored the other ships and saw that most of the others would be well clear. The Chxor had clearly seen the inbound flight of missiles, too, and they seemed focused on forming up to face it rather than trying to engage his ships.

  “Lucius, what the hell are you doing?” Admiral Balventia snapped as the Hector came in on a direct approach vector.

  “Saving your arrogant ass,” Lucius said. He tweaked their course and then nodded at Lieutenant Shaw on the weapons, “Prepare to engage in defensive fire.”

  The destroyer flashed over the remaining thousand kilometers just as the missile flight swept in. On his sensors, he could see the missiles begin to break over the enemy formation behind and above him... and he could also see an even dozen missiles come in towards them.

  I don't believe that we loaded Balor ship parameters into the friend or foe identifications, he thought absently.

  The Hector swept in above the War Shrike as those missiles came in. He had positioned the destroyer to function much like a Chxor cruiser, to screen the larger ship from direct impact. That, of course, put the Hector directly in the path of all twelve missiles.

  It would be very ironic if the two of us died here, Lucius thought as the missiles closed the last bit of distance. “Engage missile defense pattern delta,” he said and the Hector opened fire one last time.

  ***

  High Commander Chxarals wiped at the green splatters of blood that stained his monitor. He wasn't certain if it was from Ship Commander Thrxil or one of the other officers killed in the last set of attacks. The important thing, just now, was to see what was happening with the rest of his fleet.

  He coughed at the harsh cloud of smoke that filled the bridge and felt something tear in his chest. His injuries were forgotten a moment later, though, as he finally made sense of what he saw.

  The enemy fleet had started to withdraw and he saw why almost instantly. Another flight of their damned missiles was inbound. He ordered his own force to reform, but he knew they didn't have time even as he gave the orders.

  This missile strike was the deathblow, he knew. Over a hundred of his core dreadnought force of two hundred ships were gone. The rear element, another hundred and fifty dreadnoughts, had intermixed with his central element, and both forces' screening cruisers were scattered, moved out of the way to allow their huge brethren to have clear lines of fire at the smaller, swifter, enemy ships.

  I have lost, he thought and for the first time in his life, he felt the stirrings of emotion. He felt despair, he realized, for a world in which the power of the Chxor Empire was shattered. His people, his race, had lost... and he knew that with his defeat, with the loss of so many ships, the iron hold of the Benevolence Council would be broken. Even if the humans did not continue their war, his own people would after such a disaster.

  That despair was the cruelest twist of all, for it proved to him in his heart of hearts that he had lived a lie all along.

  The first missiles began to detonate, a long, continuous stream of detonations that devoured Chxor dreadnoughts like a hungry beast. As the wave drew ever closer, High Commander Chxarals slumped in his command chair, put his head in his hands, and wished that he had never heard the name of Baron Lucius Giovanni.

  ***

  Chapter XVII

  Nova Roma

  Nova Roma Empire

  May 25, 2404

  Emperor Romulus IV stared down at the surface of Nova Roma and felt tears fill his eyes. “I'm sorry,” he said softly, “sorry that it has taken me so long, but I am here now.”

  “You know,” his sister's voice said gently, “talking to yourself is generally a sign of insanity.”

  Emperor Romulus IV turned quickly. He felt some of his tension ease as he saw Lizmadie and her husband and behind them were Admiral Valens Balventia and Baron Lucius Giovanni.

  Admiral Balventia looked a bit lopsided with the bandage that covered the left half of his face and his left arm in a sling, but he was at least still alive, thanks almost entirely to Lucius Giovanni's actions. “It is good that you are
all here,” he said.

  “Ready to go down and meet the adoring crowds?” Lizmadie asked cheerfully.

  Emperor Romulus IV couldn't quite smile in return. She seemed to realize that her humor wasn't well taken, but it wasn't as if he could criticize her for it. He had fled Nova Roma as a tactical decision, advised to do so by Admiral Mund and other officers. What he had not expected was the reparations that the Chxor had taken as a result... and there was an ugly current within the people of Nova Roma about his departure.

  They thought I was a coward, he thought darkly, and they don't care that I did it to rally a force to save them... they only see that I fled.

  It was all the worse for the fact that the same guilt had plagued him for the past year and a half. He had run. While his intention had always been to get help and come back, he had lived with the knowledge that many of his people would die under Chxor occupation while he was safe.

  Maybe I should have stayed, he thought.

  “Well,” Valens said, “Your Majesty, we should ready ourselves, as the returning heroes.” He gestured at the Emperor to board the waiting shuttle, and then the entire group joined him.

  It was strange, he thought, to return as the Emperor. It was never a position he had wanted. His father’s advisors had groomed his older brother for the job, his father had seemed happy enough to let him dream about service in the Fleet, possibly an eventual command.

  I was just Prince Octavian, he thought, until my father and brother were dead.

  As the shuttle landed, though, he straightened his shoulders and stepped out. His Marine detail fanned out around him. They had already secured the Imperial Palace, he knew, and he followed the familiar corridors with an odd feeling of disconnection.

  He had already spoken with the leaders of the rebellion, many of whom would be present today, he knew. Demetrius Santi had not been friendly, but he had at least been respectful. Another time, the tone of reverence he used to address Baron Giovanni might have bothered him, but Emperor Romulus IV no longer felt any distrust for the man. He risked his life to save Admiral Balventia, he thought, if there's any sign that he's loyal, or at least harbors no yearning for my throne, that would be it.

  At last, he came to the Imperial Balcony. The platform overlooked the largest square on Nova Roma, where some fifty thousand people could gather. Many of those there today were rebels who had fought in the liberation, some of them shipped in from Nova Umbria but many of them Nova Roma natives.

  Emperor Romulus IV took a deep breath and then stepped out on the balcony. He stepped up to the podium with an increasing feeling of disconnection. “My people,” he said, “I want to thank all of you...”

  He trailed off as the boos and catcalls reached a level that overwhelmed even the speakers. He stepped back with a look of shock and pain on his face, and the crowds seemed to feed on that reaction. They jeered him, their voices filled with loathing and hatred.

  Admiral Balventia stepped up to his side, his voice flat, “You owe this man much,” he said, “he has earned my respect...”

  “Balventia!” A voice shouted, “It's Admiral Balventia, he came back for us, it's true!”

  The crowd began to cheer then, though somewhat raggedly. Emperor Romulus IV saw Admiral Balventia's face go hard. Whatever he had expected, he had not expected this sort of praise while his sworn liege was jeered at.

  Lucius stepped up next to him then and the crowd went silent. Baron Giovanni leaned over the microphone, “People of Nova Roma,” Baron Giovanni said, “You owe this man your respect. No one else has spent as much time and effort in trying to rally Nova Roma's forces. He has worked tirelessly to free you from Chxor occupation...”

  “It's the Baron!” a set of voices cried. Lucius Giovanni cocked his head in surprise as the calls went out and he trailed off. A moment later, the crowd surged forward, shouts and cheers loud enough to buffet the Emperor back on his heels.

  The crowd began a chant, then, “Lucius! Lucius! LU-CI-US!” Far from losing their momentum, the crowd seemed to only grow louder.

  A Marine officer leaned over Emperor Romulus's shoulder, “We should get you to safety, your Majesty.”

  Yet he couldn't move. His gaze went between the adoring crowd and the shocked expression of Baron Giovanni. The praise, the hero worship, had completely blindsided him... yet it was so obvious now to Emperor Romulus IV.

  I have lost my world, he thought, and rightfully so.

  ***

  “There's nothing for it,” Lucius said as the Nova Roma senior officers and the Emperor took their seats. “I'll leave the system immediately. I'm not sure why they focused on me with some sort of hero worship, but–”

  “That would be the worst thing you could do,” Emperor Romulus IV said.

  “What?” Admiral Balventia asked.

  “If he goes,” Princess Lizmadie said, “It will look as if he was exiled. Half the people out there just finished fighting one bloody revolution, the last thing we need is for them to think they need to fight another.”

  To Lucius's shock, Emperor Romulus IV nodded. “That is exactly my reasoning.” He gave a sigh, “Right now, Baron, the people are unsettled. They lost all trust in the Imperial Family even before the Chxor captured the system. It seems that my... departure, was seen as the final straw for them all. The Chxor branded me as a coward who fled and that, at least, most people believed.”

  Lucius shook his head, “That is absurd! You had to withdraw. Hell, if you hadn't, none of this would be possible!”

  Emperor Romulus IV closed his eyes and Lucius didn't miss the tears in the corners of his eyes when he opened them, “Be that as it may, public perception is that I am a coward. It is mitigated somewhat by the good will towards Admiral Balventia... but the public perception has long been that you were mistreated by the Imperial Family, so anything I do in regards to you will be seen as a continuation of that... even if you leave of your own desire.”

  “This is absurd,” Lucius said. “I'll go in front of them, I'll tell them...”

  “What?” Emperor Romulus IV asked gently. “How can you explain it so that it won't sound as if you are making excuses for me? Trust me, I've spent many an hour pondering that myself.” He shook his head, “No, Baron, there is only one solution for this.”

  He paused and took a deep breath, “As of this moment, I formally renounce my authority and abdicate the position of Emperor of Nova Roma. I do so with one condition: Baron Lucius Giovanni will be appointed as the next Emperor of Nova Roma, to be approved by a vote of the surviving nobility and the people of Nova Roma.”

  Everyone in the room stared at him in shock.

  Lucius felt the blood drain from his face. “Your Majesty, you can't be serious. I don't want this at all! I don't want to be the leader of the United Colonies, much less any of this!”

  “I didn't want it either,” he responded. “But it was my duty to take it, just as it is now yours, Baron.” The young man smiled, “For the first time in two years, I feel as if I've made good use of my authority and rank.”

  “Your Majesty,” Admiral Balventia began.

  “Please,” he interrupted, “I think that Prince Octavian will do, Admiral.” He shrugged self con-sciously, “Though I'm not sure if I retain that title if I abdicate.”

  “I think we can operate under that assumption,” Lizmadie said dryly.

  “Prince Octavian, then,” Admiral Balventia said, “You have to reconsider. I've given you my oath. If you think that Lucius, that is Baron Giovanni, or I would not support you...”

  “I don't think that at all,” Prince Octavian said. “What I am afraid of is what it will do to Nova Roma. They are already unsettled. We've lost something over six hundred million citizens during Chxor occupation, almost a tenth of our population. There is a great deal of anger, both with the Chxor and also with the leaders who put us in this situation.”

  He waved a hand, “The only thing preventing a fresh start for our people is me. I am the last ho
ldover, the last tie back to the old ways.”

  “That's absurd!” Lucius said. “You had no say in the policies of your father!” It was as stupid as the blame that had haunted him for the actions of his father. There had to be some way to fix this, Lucius knew, yet he couldn't think, especially not when faced with the crushing weight of responsibility that being the next Emperor would bring.

  “Absurd or not,” Prince Octavian said, “It is true. A clean break is what our people need. They also need a popular monarch, one who will lead them into prosperity... which means you.”

  Lucius sat back and put his head in his hands, “I can't do this, Your Majesty. I can't. For God's sake, my daughter is still missing, the United Colonies is in shambles, and I’m not qualified!” He felt a wave of panic go through him at how his life would change, at the bitter taste of the pressures of dynastic marriage and production of a 'proper' heir.

  “You can and you will,” Prince Octavian said, his voice iron. “And I've given you no choice in the matter. I said the only conditions were that the nobility and people ratify you. How do you think they would react if it became public that you refused the honor?”

  Lucius winced. That would crush public morale. They would think that either he thought the situation hopeless or that he hated his homeworld, either would be a disaster for general opinion. “You leave me no choice, then.”

  “Of course I leave you a choice,” he responded, “but you being a good man, you can only choose one option.” Prince Octavian sat back. “Now, then, I'll assume that as Emperor you'll petition the United Colonies for annexation?”

  “I... suppose,” Lucius shook his head. “I hadn't really thought about it.”

  “Well, you should bring your advisers into this before we go any further,” Prince Octavian said. “We'll work out the wrinkles now, before we make the official, public announcement.” He looked at Admiral Balventia, “Lord Admiral, I believe you have a list of our remaining nobility, both those who came with me and those who went into exile. I'd like your opinion on who will oppose Baron Giovanni's selection as Emperor.”