Echoes of Harmony

HMV Oberlander

Mog Daruhl System

12 January 3297

Admiral Elliott Hayes found himself conflicted as he walked through the pristine halls of the Hyperion battleship, the Oberlander. It was difficult to not marvel at the technology contained within the ship. Another part of him, though, knew he should feel nothing but scorn for the people who completely uprooted not only his life, but the lives of billions of others on Stariek. He felt as if he were selling out all those who counted on him by humoring the Hyperion attempts at integration.

Flanking him on either side was one of their trademark robotic soldiers. Shining breastplates covered their torsos, gleaming in the fluorescent lights. Their metallic hands rested atop their assault rifles, and their carefully measured steps clanked against the floor exactly in time with one another. The hallways were lined periodically by more of the soldiers, each staring blankly ahead. Behind each sat a Hyperion flag hanging from ceiling to barely a centimeter above the floor.

The robots led him to a circular door roughly three meters in diameter. Standing outside were two more of the soldiers, though these did away with the breastplates. Instead, they wore black robes that covered them from head to toe with a red cape hanging over one shoulder. A metallic spear, the head of which was thick and two-pronged, rested in each of their hands closer to the door.

They remained motionless as the trio approached. When they reached the door, the two robotic soldiers escorting Hayes stepped to the side, creating a short corridor for him to walk through. It opened as he neared, revealing a large, expansive chamber, slightly bigger than the combined bridge and CIC of the Celestial Phoenix. A robotic soldier stood in each corner of the rectangular room.

It was wider than it was deep. The wall to his left was adorned completely with a flag of the Hyperion Empire, an artificial wind causing to gently flutter. On his right was a view of space through what was almost assuredly a camera image given the location of the room near the center of the battleship. On the long wall across from him were portraits of the seven emperors going back three hundred years to the first, Alan Rezal. The latest emperor, whose name was engraved as ‘The Emperor’, was shown simply as wearing a white mask with stylized flames at the edges.

In the center of the room was a large conference table, capable of seating nearly three dozen people. The majority of the chairs were already occupied. They were a diverse crowd. Some were older, and some were younger. Some were women, and others men. All, however, wore the distinct uniforms of the Hyperion empire, like a sea of black and red. At the head of the table, in a small semicircle cut out to allow her to sit closer to the center, was General Liliana Kindler. She wore a military issue formal robe of the same black and red as the rest, though a strip of white went across either shoulder. The left side of her chest was adorned with an assortment of medals.

“Admiral Hayes,” Kindler said, gesturing to the empty seat next to her. “I am glad you were able to join us. Please, have a seat, and we can begin.”

Drawing himself up and taking a deep breath, he followed the direction and walked to the seat she indicated. He was acutely aware of each of the assembled officers watching him. However, he didn’t give them the satisfaction of meeting their gazes. Instead, he walked to the indicated seat and lowered himself into it.

“Now, let’s get started, shall we?”

Kindler pressed a button in front of her, causing a hologram to be projected above the center of the table. A swarm of tiny pinpricks of light—millions of stars—in the shape of the Milky Way Galaxy slowly spun in place. A mass of red representing the Hyperion Empire abutted the colors of the different empires and governments, including blue for the Druthagar Kingdom. A pulsating red marked the locations where the Hyperion forces had begun to make inroads into the dwarves’ territory.

“The separation of our fleets has allowed us to make considerable progress into Druthagar space.” As she spoke, the image zoomed in to show a more detail view of the border. Several dots were highlighted indicating each of the squadrons in their individual sectors. “They were unprepared for our initial strike and have paid for it in blood. Now, though, we must press the attack.”

The image panned to show another section of the Druthagar Kingdom. Hayes had seen the image before during previous briefings at the onset of the war and restoration of his position. The blue giant, known to the dwarves as Nen Dural, was home to the capital of their kingdom, Druthagon.

“If we take the Fifteenth and meet up with the Fifth and Sixth Squadrons, we can carefully make our way through the void until we reach their capital. Once there, we use the element of surprise and our superior technology.” Kindler hit the table with a gauntleted fist, causing the image to shudder slightly. “We wipe them out, destroy their chain of command, and we end this war decisively. Our society will welcome us home as heroes.”

“Sir, I do not mean to second guess you, but this plan sounds dangerous.” The speaker was one of the older men, his hair completely gone with a clean-shaven face. Wrinkles creased his face.

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“War is dangerous, Commander Schellscheidt. It is what we signed up for, and it is what keeps our society functioning so smoothly.”

She narrowed her eyes on the older man. He matched her stare, his forefinger and thumb gently stroking his chin. After a few seconds, he held up the hand as if in submission and leaned back in his chair.

“What kind of defenses do they have?” asked the man on the opposite side of Kindler. Hayes thought he remembered the man’s name was Colonel Reinhardt from a summary he read before. “Are there major points of resistance we should expect en route or when we arrive?”

“I’m glad you asked, Colonel. In the Nen Dural system, they have a fleet of twenty capital ships, capable of fielding a combined four thousand fighters, alongside approximately one hundred and thirty standard warships. They have a single primary space station the size of a moon in orbit of Druthagon. The exact defensive and offensive capabilities of this are unknown. However, seeing how it houses over a billion of their filthy citizens, they will do anything they can to protect this. That is why I propose its destruction.”

One of the attendees gasped before quickly stifling it. Others sat up straighter and shifted uncomfortably in their seats. Hayes ignored the unspeakable death toll and did the math in his head. The combined squadrons Kindler was suggesting would still only come in at three-quarters the strength of the Druthagar. Lanchester’s laws meant the difference was more than enough to make it a Pyrrhic victory at best, a massacre at worst.

“Are you sure that is the best course of action, sir?” asked Commander Schellscheidt. Immediately, Kindler’s gaze latched onto him like a serpent on its prey.

“For someone not meaning to second guess me, you sure are doing an awful lot of that, Commander. As I said, this is war. They declared themselves superior to us. They thought we would just stand aside and let them walk all over us. For generations, ever since the failed Praesidium Union first made contact with them, they have thought of us as inferior beings. Now is our chance to prove to them they don’t deserve to live freely. They deserve nothing more than their complete and utter destruction at the hand of their superiors.”

“You are suggesting genocide, sir,” a new voice spoke up. Despite being soft, it echoed in the otherwise silent room. The speaker was a woman, possibly younger than even General Kindler, with auburn hair running straight down her back. “The Galactic Council declared such actions as being illegal, punishable by life in prison.”

“The Galactic Council is defunct.” Kindler sneered at the woman. “It’s been two hundred years since they made a ruling and another fifty since they were able to enforce one. They have no more power than Stariek does now. No offense meant, of course, Admiral.”

Hayes remained silent. He took a deep breath to calm himself, knowing he was being tested, despite the rising fury in him. Besides, if it weren’t truly meant as an insult, sure Kindler would be able to do worse than that.

“We destroy their space station habitat in orbit, we strike fear into their hearts, they surrender to our superior might. When we pull this off, we will accomplish what countless before us failed to do: subjugation and elimination of the Druthagar. We bring our empire, our society, one step closer to complete domination over the entire galaxy. None would dare stand in our way after this. Anyone who is even thinking about refusing to carry out my orders can walk out the door now and be executed for failing to do their societal duty.”

Kindler stood so suddenly Hayes needed to resist the urge to flinch, though he saw several others failed to do so. She pointed at the exit, her arm unwavering. Several seconds—what felt like an eternity—passed before she lowered her hand and placed leaned against the table.

“We have a chance at history. None have been in our position before, and there’s no guarantee anyone else will ever be again. Now, I will have my communications officer send the route to you all. You will adhere to it precisely or be charged with desertion and treason. Dismissed.”

Hayes stood at once, as did many of the others. Something akin to worry and doubt planted a seed in the corner of his mind. He forced himself to take slow, deep breaths as he walked out of the room. Somehow, he would save his people from the inevitable death facing them.

#

War Council Chamber

Druthagon Orbit

12 Jynma’s Fall, Sixth Year of the First Forge of Shadowbrand

High King Thaseas Shadowbrand sat in the War Council Chamber alone. He had to admit, the view from the throne was something to admire. Even empty, the room was a marvel. The runes lining the walls were dimmed. An image of the slowly dwindling size of his kingdom displayed itself above the holoprojector.

“See what you did?” Thaseas asked, turning to the head of Arazec Runeflayer held up on a pike next to the throne. The smashed jaw remained motionless. His glazed over eyes stared blankly ahead. The beginning stages of decay, particularly the smell, were already starting to manifest. “If it weren’t for your timidity, we would have been able to destroy the filthy humans by now.”

Arazec did not answer.

“I knew I should have thrown your head out an airlock with the rest of your body. You don’t even have the decency to answer a simple question.”

A small robotic dog padded up to Thaseas, drawing his attention. He smiled. His mysterious benefactor always chose such contraptions whenever he sought to relay a message. Though he didn’t know why such a choice was made, he had to admit he approved of the whimsy to break up his otherwise monotonous day.

“What do you have for me today, Nergal?” he asked.

The dog sat on its hind legs and opened its mouth. A beam of light manifested from it, displayed an image of an orb. For all the times he saw it, he still had no clue what exactly he was looking at.

“The Hyperions are preparing an attack on Nen Dural and plan on destroying your station. Recall your forces and hide them in the shadow of Druthagon. When they arrive, destroy every last one of them.”

Perhaps on a different day, perhaps if he gained power differently, perhaps if he didn’t already implicitly trust the benefactor, he would have questioned the order. Now, though, he knew he would be a fool to doubt Nergal.

“How long do I have?” Thaseas needed to alert the Blackswords at once. He stood and began walking towards the door of the chamber. The dog followed.

“Approximately four weeks, seventeen hours, and three minutes.”

“Shall I intercept them while they are en route? Slowly whittle them away and make them weaker when they arrive?”

“No. You should allow them to get to Nen Dural before destroying them.” As Nergal spoke, Thaseas could almost feel his benefactor’s excitement oozing out of the small dog. “A wise leader once said it is important to strike fear into their hearts. Let none escape your wrath.”

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