The avatar of the Emperor on the bridge of the Khallad suddenly came alive. It exhibited a higher level of activity as the Emperor consolidated the majority of his awareness locally. Part of him still rode the communication links through hyperspace to far flung parts of his Empire, watching genocide with a cold calculating telepresent eye.
“Commander Vardakos, situation status.”
“Your Highness, Prince Krakoth is still in hyperspace, awaiting your command. We are running silent and answering no hails. The cordon is holding. We have destroyed every vessel attempting to leave the Daaneen System. Daana Command was bombarding the fleet with queries. However, that has ceased since they’ve started receiving the signals we’re allowing through from throughout the Empire.
“They are starting to understand the magnitude of what is occurring.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“And the military?”
“Only one signal. Once Daana Command stopped transmitting to us, they began to beam a narrow signal to a heavily shielded area on the other side of the system. It is a blank area in space, impervious to our most powerful sensors.”
“Have you intercepted the signal?
“Yes, Your Highness. However, it is heavily encrypted. We are running it through our appropriated Column ciphers now. We should have a translation shortly.”
Kdifoc laughed. “Crafty dead. Dismiss it Commander we will not be able to translate the message. Besides, I know exactly what they are doing. The Harvarian have developed new warships with the help of the Narellen. A rebel fleet. A Fifth Column fleet.”
“New warships!?!?” The Commander controlled his shock. “Your Highness?”
“Did you truly think I would have taken this action, would have considered them a threat without proper provocation?”
“I do not question your will, Highness.”
“As well you should not. But that does not preclude you from considering the possibilities Commander.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“There is a reason you Command the Khallad, and the Emperor’s Own.”
“Strength, vision, fortitude, intelligence, the ability to execute, Your Highness.”
“No ambition?”
“None but which you provide.”
“Very good, Commander. It is time to proceed to the next phase. Open Imperial Channel One.”
“At once, Your Highness. Comman, open Imperial Channel One!”
“Imperial Channel One open,” said the Comman.
“Imperial Channel open, Your Highness. You may proceed.”
“Thank you, Commander Vardakos,” said the Emperor. “Your diligence, and enthusiasm are noted.”
Vardakos bowed towards the avatar. “Highness.”
The Imperial Channel blended with a logic interface mating the external signal to the Emperor’s virtual reality. Though he was actually sitting on his throne in the heart of the Khallad, in a virtual star system construct of his own creation he was stupendous in size, standing in the midst of the orbital paths of the system’s planets. He appeared as large as the Daaneen star system.
This constructed image was transmitted to every corner of the system, appearing on billions of holoscreens, cutting through system wide broadcasts and localized transmissions. He was everywhere at once, pronouncing his judgment.
“Sentients of the Daaneen system. I, your Emperor, Kdifoc The Third, Prophesied Ruler of the Universe, do hereby consign you to death. Accept your fate without rancor. Go quietly into the night, and perhaps I shall spare you pain. Know that I have discerned the truth. Know that I have weighed your guilt against possible redemption, and found you wanting. Know that I have loosed the bolts on the weapons of planetary destruction. Witness Harfi. Know that today you pay the ultimate price for you treason. I will suffer no Fifth Column. Know that although the WPD’s are ready to be deployed, we are going to do something different. Today, you meet your god. And just as I have, he has found you wanting. Your Emperor has spoken.”
The Emperor nodded to his Commander. The Commander returned the nod and issued an order.
“Close the Imperial Channel,” Vardakos said.
“Channel closed,” said the comman. “Sir, there is a trifold increase in communications on all frequencies, sub-light, and hyper.”
Signal my brother,” said the Emperor. “We shall send them God.”
“There’s increased activity in the blank space on the far side of the system,” said a senseman. “Contacts, count thirty, thirty-five, fifty. The blank space has completely dissolved.”
“They’ve lowered the cloak,” whispered the Emperor to himself. “Now, we shall see.”
“Highness?” Vradakos just barely heard Kdifoc’s words.
“It is not of note, proceed.”
“I have contacts,” said the senseman. “Fifty ships powering up on approach vectors. They are targeting every ship in the fleet. Power readings are off the scale. I’ve never seen the design.”
Vradakos ignored the senseman, and keyed a special command into his holoconsole. “Sending signal.”
A loud beeping sounded throughout the bridge. Several bits of coded data appeared on the Commander’s screen.
“Your Highness,” said the Commander. “Signal has been sent, and we have received proper response.”
“Very well,” said the avatar. The solid life-like image of the Emperor tilted its head back with satisfaction. He watched the hole open in space, the hole for his brother, the hole for the god. “And the Harvarian shall be the first to feel his might, to taste of white light, to meet doom and trouble me no more. It’s almost poetic, to use such a means, after employing so many others to eliminate a race from my space, a hammer for surgical precision. The bluntness of it will be worth recording, almost … amusing”
“Prince Krakoth’s ship emerging from first level hyperspace,” said the first senseman.
“Initiate full spectrum sensor coverage,” said the Commander. “We have to record everything.”
“Initiating,” said the senseman. “God’s Previss has crossed into Daaneen space.
No comments:
Post a Comment