Catching the Sun, Part 6

"So, Admiral Lors," the Emperor asked in a conversational tone, "this is your entire plan for defending Endragar?" The Emperor and his SCIAF were in a planning room deep within the Imperial Palace. A massive, holographic galactic star chart was displayed over the main table in the room, on which a dozen tablets were strewn, …

The Bull and the Hyena, Part 13

"Five minutes until Midigal, Captain," said Kryla Zomulin's navigation officer. She nodded and turned to Admiral Lors, who was standing on the platform behind her. "All ships are reporting ready for action, sir," she said to the Admiral. He nodded to her, and turned and made his way off the bridge to his post in …

The Bull and the Hyena, Part 10

Everything was going according to Vor Shen's plans. Ventelin's announcement of the foundation of the Kingdom of Midigal had caused an uproar across the galaxy. Despite the fact that the Empire had been broken into several pieces for almost four years now, it still seemed shocking to some that anybody would dare break it up …

A Song of Sorrow, Part 16

As his armies drew near to the Imperial Palace, Extrator could see that there was still a sizable crowd of civilians in the courtyard around the Palace. "Captain, how many people do you estimate are in that crowd?" he asked the pilot of his shuttle. "I'm not sure, Your Majesty," the pilot responded, "Maybe...twenty thousand? …

A Song of Sorrow, Part 15

"Five minutes until we reach the Palace, Your Majesty," said the pilot of the command shuttle. His words were directed to Emperor Extrator, who was standing behind him with General Hoshic. Extrator nodded, a look of grim satisfaction on his face. There would be much death today, and although Extrator took no pleasure in death …

A Song of Sorrow, Part 14

Without knowing the situation in the Imperial Palace, Emperor Extrator decided that it would be best to land his troops at Venemas Station, a military base on the outskirts of Selorin. He was standing on an observation deck overlooking the vast area where his dropships were landing and his troops were disembarking. The operation was …

A Song of Sorrow, Part 11

Vemnor Halais was a timid, nervous man who went to great lengths to avoid taking risks. He was the sort of man who ate steak well done because he was terrified of ingesting harmful bacteria and kept his tablet in a special case because he was afraid of harmful radiation. And he was currently sneaking …

A Song of Sorrow, Part 8

"We need to move quickly if this is going to work," said Hana Lodimeur. "We need to have firm control of the Palace before Redlamin's troops get here, or else we'll be crushed between them and the Legion of the Heart. If we can gain control of the Palace, we'll be in a defensible position …