“However, there is more pressing business at hand. We must say goodbye to our Archduke who served us for so long. He will be welcomed by his ancestors and his name will echo through the halls of the universe. This brings us to the matter of his successor.”
The ground started shaking.
“I must declare my loyalty for Peter's rightful heir.” He tried to stop himself from glancing at Salena and almost managed to do so. Instead he stared into her face and she smiled knowingly at a broken man. Damien turned his attention back to the crowd.
“Salena Teton-Sten forced her way into the Magdeborg palace. She declared herself Archduchess, but no true Sørensen would ever support her claim. The best she could muster is the sycophant, Erik, a man so twisted he was denied knighthood within his own house.”
“Damien!” He heard Salena hiss. She made a rapid motion with her hands, summoning guards. Before any could reach him, Conrad's own warriors intervened, attacking Salena's henchmen and dropping them to the ground, either with well placed non-lethal weapons or knocking them out cold.
“My brother had legitimate children,” Damien bellowed. “A boy and a girl, twins, whose claims to the throne come first and foremost. Kristoffer and Claire Sten are my brother's heirs and I shall support their claim over my tyrant sister. Amrah wills it! It is her Path!”
As he shouted, a massive destrier emerged from the side of the mausoleum and drowned him out. It was a Templar painted in the colors of the Sten House Guard – white with blue highlights. Without hesitating, it brought the muzzle of its autocannon to bear on one of the House Teton destriers that stood guard. The bursting of the weapon was near deafening and Damien actually ducked as the heavy rounds blew open the Axen's chest. The stricken machine pinwheeled on its heel then crashed to the ground.
And so the first shot is fired.
Two other destriers emerged from the opposite side of the building, picked targets and opening fire. They kept their shots to autocannons and lasers, just enough to attract attention and lure the defenders away from the mausoleum. They kept missiles in their racks, under orders from Conrad himself, to avoid injuring the crowd. They could not afford to harm civilians here.
The civilians, however, panicked and quickly began to clog the roads away from the mausoleum. The Teton destriers were struggling to not step on them as they tried to defend themselves against the attacking Guardsmen.
Damien regained his feet and marched calmly away from the podium. The guards Salena had ordered to arrest him had quickly abandoned that mission and were now escorting her into the depths of the mausoleum. He could see her angrily resisting their protection. He made eye contract with her for just a moment. Their eyes serving as portals for their hatred. Then he turned away as she vanished into the depths. The message had been sent.
Most of the other nobles had begun to seek cover in the mausoleum's atrium. As Damien headed down the steps to where Conrad was waiting for him, he thought it'd be a tragic irony if the building was destroyed, after all, for protection Salena was fleeing into a place that entombed the dead.
Conrad, however, was not in the mood for ironies or Damien's lack of concern for his surroundings. Both men had been in war, but Conrad had no idea the cameras were still rolling and that Damien's reputation under fire would be judged by the media and citizens in the aftermath of the incident. He was busy shouting orders at his troopers and urging Damien to move with more haste.
Damien looked around for the Azuren. He wondered that they would think. Would Alos be angry? Amused? Did the Azuren even care what happened today?
If I am to be Archduke someday I will not be seen as throwing the first punch then fleeing for safety. Let them know I show no fear for my own life here, he thought.
Damien followed his uncle to a waiting car, where a squad of armored infantry waited. Several other fast hover vehicles bearing House Sten insignia roared by, no doubt his escort. Conrad slid in first, followed closely by Damien. Conrad hurriedly signaled the driver.
“Are we behind schedule?” Damien asked, noticing Conrad's unusual behavior.
“No, but betraying my niece and being complicit in the beginnings of a civil war are hardly issues I take lightly. I'd prefer to be out of here as quickly as possible.” Conrad said, taking a seat across from Damien and breathing loudly.
“It's too late to turn back now, Conrad,” Damien said, tilting his head slightly.
“It's not too late until my ship touches off,” Conrad said, his voice deep and angry.
Conrad's ominous statement was enough to convince Damien to cease pushing the matter. “What about the other attacks?”
The car lurched forward following a path cleared by a pair of friendly destriers. The driver floored it and the car roared down the main road.
“One of my companies successfully stormed the prison with minimal casualties. They've located Dietrich Sørensen and are currently releasing any other military personnel who might be able to aid us or organize a resistance on Magdeborg.”
“And the spaceport?”
“The spaceport is being mopped up. We've located your destrier and we're having it loaded onto my ship.”
Damien nodded. “And Anna?”
Conrad was quiet before a moment before shaking his head, “No word, yet. She was a bit out of the way so my car hasn't arrived.”
Damien slapped his hand against his thigh, drawing a glance from Conrad as he spoke into his radio. Damn it all. I can't lose her and I can't lose Rebecca. Why didn't she mention the child earlier? Why hadn't she mentioned the child at all in the last twelve years?
Damien closed his eyes and tried to calm himself. She'll be at the spaceport, Damien. She's not stupid. She's more than capable of taking care of herself.
I hope.
Archduchess Salena Teton-Sten
Duchess of Danvers, Archduchess of the Magdeborg Commonwealth
9 March, 23,423
Sten Palace, Magdeborg, Magdeborg Commonwealth
______________
Night had fallen on Magdeborg and Archduchess Salena Teton-Sten paced the bedroom. She kept her hand hooked under her chin and she dared anyone else in the room to make a noise. How did we miss this? How in Amrah's name did three entire companies launch simultaneous attacks across the continent without us knowing about it? And, where is Filipov? Damn him! He hasn't checked in all day.
She reached the end of the room, then turned back, her feet plodding over the rich carpet. How did Conrad Sten plan this entire operation right under my nose? Damn that Damien, of course he was behind it. He pulled all the attention on himself, allowing Conrad free movement.
Richard Teton cleared his throat, “Sal-”
She wheeled on him in mid-step. Salena held up her index finger, commanding silence. He seemed smaller, even more pathetic seated as he was on same chair Alos had occupied earlier.
“The Commonwealth is now in civil war. My quisling brother has decided to damn us all to save his spurned ego.”
“There's nothing we can do about him now. Because of his status he has free reign to move as he pleases. The Azuren will not stop him and neither can we,” Richard continued.
“So he escapes then,” Salena hissed.
“Not necessarily. There are few places he can go where we can't track him,” Richard said, trying to offer reassurance.
“He's probably returning to the front. We knew Goteborg was next on the Dominion's list and it was only a matter of time,” Magnus explained. He was standing, his hand on the hilt of his blade. He looked tired. The Sørensen resistance was proving difficult to lock down and he'd been harassing her with repeated requests to take to the field himself. She'd denied him.
“He goes to gather allies,” Salena growled, then resumed her pacing. “He will be the hero of the border houses. They will rally to him.”
Magnus nodded. “We have to work with the Conclave and condemn Damien's actions and his lies and strengthen our own ties with the other noble houses. Many of
them will be upset over the stunt Damien pulled at the funeral. He interrupted and politicized the burial of our Archduke. That will not sit well with the Conclave or the people.”
“We should have arrested him as soon as he touched down,” Richard said.
Salena felt her patience running out. Should have, would have, could have, who cares? What's done is done. “No, we had to allow him access to Magdeborg. By imprisoning him we would have looked like tyrants and inventing a crime would have been hasty business. Far better for him to make his own mistakes and let him suffer the consequences,” Salena said.
“But now he's committed a crime,” Cassandra pointed out. “There's no need to falsely accuse him, everyone saw it.”
“Exactly,” Magnus chimed in, agreeing with his sister, “Damien can't hide from what he's done. Someone will hold him accountable, preferably us. I can find him and bring him to justice.”
“Will you? Are you so grand a strategist that a few Sørensen holdouts can elude you, but the greatest general in the Commonwealth will be easy pickings?” Salena snapped at him.
Magnus eyes bulged and he looked like he was a child again with his hand in the cookie jar. Salena felt her heart sink to cause her son pain, but there was only one way to curb his misplaced ambition.
Magnus flexed his synthetic arm, but offered no retort then looked away and bit his lip.
Salena sat on the chair opposite her husband feeling her knees creak, enjoying the respite. She was not old by human standards, but a stressful life added years to her body. By natural means she could persist for decades and the medicines could keep her alive for almost another century. But she would be worn and tired. Stress killed as many dukes and duchesses as assassins.
“Damien will return to his stronghold on the border where the houses protect him. I did not expect Conrad to throw his lot in with him, but he has made his choice. Damien needed legitimacy. That was why they sprung Dietrich Sørensen. I'll tell you, Dietrich is no friend of Damien. This was no humanitarian mission,” Salena said.
“What about those people he mentioned? Uncle Peter's heirs?” Magnus asked.
Salena paused. She had rehearsed how she would respond to such a question over and over again in her mind. Tell the truth, she determined. It will be easier to handle them if they know the truth.
“He lied,” she said instead. “There are no more heirs.”
“Then Uncle Damien will be coming for the throne himself,” Magnus intoned as if telling a patient his illness was terminal. “There will be a bloody battle here.”
“He has to deal with the Dominion on Goteborg first,” Salena pointed out. “They have already landed and will be giving Damien's protege a beating until Damien can return and take control of the situation.”
“Why don't we just have one of our allied houses arrest him at their stargate? We execute him there and the Dominion wipes out Sir Aaron's army at Goteborg. We kill two birds with one stone,” Magnus said smashing his synthetic fist into his real palm. He seemed to wince slightly, not entirely accustomed to the limb's strength.
“No, brother. We need Damien to defeat the Dominion at Goteborg. The longer he is there fighting the more depleted both he and the Dominion become. The two birds you need killed are Damien and Pershing, not Damien and Aaron,” Cassandra said. “Sir Aaron is not the ambitious type. He will not come after the throne if Damien dies, but Pershing will continue to push toward Magdeborg if he isn't stopped. Uncle Damien must win at Goteborg.”
Salena smiled sweetly at her daughter. She had always been more patient than her brother, more willing to wait and plot then move against her enemies. Cassandra would have made a good Archduchess, but the accident of birth would leave her out of the succession.
I've already witnessed what happens when the eldest is skipped in favor of the younger. Damien was furious with our father for the remainder of his life. Magnus would be too dangerous to make angry. But Magnus is not Damien.
“Fine,” Magnus continued. “Damien defeats Pershing on Goteborg. Then he turns our attention to us.”
“Damien would not dare attack Magdeborg. He will be a good solider and protect the border as he is told,” Salena said.
“How? You have no way of knowing that. There's nothing stopping him,” Magnus shot back.
“Yes there is.”
Before Magnus could respond, Richard interrupted him, “Damien has a child.”
Salena smiled. He does pay attention! They are learning how to play this game.
“Yes, a daughter named Rebecca.”
Magnus sighed heavily. “So we can take her out, too?”
“You are awfully bloody minded, my son,” Salena said. “Be careful that does not corrupt you as it did Slader. That being said, yes, removing Rebecca would alter the political conditions, but she is far more valuable alive to us than dead.”
“How so?” Magnus asked.
“Reports from the space port indicate no children were seen entering any of the ships that departed which means she's on Magdeborg, in this very city. She got left behind. I ordered Filipov and his team to pick her up and take her to a safe place. She will remain there until things settle down. Damien has no other children and he will not endanger his only heir.”
“Keeping his concubine and child hostage will not win us many friends. Who kidnaps a child?” Richard asked, clearly unnerved. He headed towards the windows and peered out them. He was illuminated in the moonlight and appeared almost pensive.
“They will not be ill treated,” Salena said to his back. “In fact they must be very well treated. As long as they are safe, so is Magdeborg and so are we.” She smiled at them all. “Now all of you, to bed. We will have much to do tomorrow in condemning Damien and rounding up the criminals he and my misguided uncle let loose.”
Magnus frowned at the prospect of hunting down more escapees, but held his tongue. The three of them bowed slightly then left the room in silence.
Salena traced the designs in the table for a moment with her finger. I'd like to meet this child of Damien's, she thought. She will be very valuable to me if she is not damaged by her upbringing or her genetics. Maybe this concubine will be weak and easy to mold.
She noticed Richard's shadow move along the floor behind her. She could use a shoulder rub after today, but he did not lay his hands on her. She turned around, “Richard what's-”
But Richard had left with the children. Her brother, the Archduke Peter Sten stood behind her.
Salena screamed.
Lord Damien Sten
Duke of Hidelborg, Defender of the Border, The Gray Knight
9 March, 23,423
The Stoneman, Magdeborg, Magdeborg Commonwealth
______________
Damien felt the comfortable push of the ship's massive engines as it blasted its way through Magdeborg's atmosphere. He leaned back his armchair in the private guest quarters deep in the ship's bowels. Conrad would be there shortly with a full report from the day's combat. There would be casualties, of course, but they died fighting for the right cause. They will not be forgotten when this is over, except for the ones who have no one to remember them.
He finally had been able to light a candle and he spent the better part of an hour watching the flicking flame. There was so much uncertainly in these times, so many surprises and twists and turns. What else can you reveal to me, my friend? Damien asked the flame. It flickered silently. What should I expect tomorrow?
The flame swayed in time with Damien's breathing. More importantly, where is Anna? Where is my child!? He nearly screamed at it.
It mocked him with its silence, impervious to his anger. It knew he could snuff it out at any moment, but it wouldn't matter. Threats did no good. The flame was not interested in self preservation. It offered its safety in its light and warmth and asked nothing in return.
Any sort of reply was cut off by the beeping indicating someone was at his door. Damien leaned back and sighed, irritated that someone had interrupted h
is interrogations. He cast a final glance at the flickering flame, lamenting his inability to drag from it the solutions to his problems. He hit a switch on the desk that would open the door.
Conrad Sten stepped into the room and threw a salute, “Lord General.”
Damien returned the gesture, but remained seated, surprised as his uncle's formality so far from his mountain retreat. “Lord Colonel, please come in.”
Conrad took a seat on the couch, leaned back and closed his eyes. He's exhausted, Damien realized. Planning the activities of the day has drained the man. I must remember, he is not as young as he used to be.
“Today went well,” Damien said.
Conrad nodded, then wiped his face with his hands. “Fortunately we did not lose many people. No knights lost their mounts and we managed to load most of our vehicles. All in all, we caught Salena by surprise. We'll be at the stargate in a day. Negotiating passage with the Azuren is going to be difficult.”
“I don't anticipate any trouble. Salena can tell them what she will, but I am a Lord General of the Commonwealth. They will let us through. We carry military forces to protect Goteborg from the Dominion.”
“And they'll buy that?”
“It's true. We have that much going for us. The Azuren are more interested in stability than in listening to Salena's paranoia. By now Morlan Pershing will be landing on Goteborg and Aaron will be preparing the defense. The faster we get there, the better.”
“We just declared war on half of the Commonwealth,” Conrad warned, his brow narrowing. “How do you plan on fighting a two front war?”
Schism of Blood and Stone (The Starfield Theory Book 1) Page 33