Echoes of Harmony

Imperial Command

New Athens, Hyperia

2 March 3303

It was not often Legate Marius Habricht found himself in the Emperor of the Hyperion Empire’s chambers within Imperial Command. Even less often did he find himself alone with one of the most powerful men in the galaxy.

The room he sat in was small—at least, smaller than he expected the first time he entered. It was in the shape of a hexagon and about twenty feet across, four of the walls holding paintings commemorating important events in the history of the Empire. Its initial founding from the ashes of the failed Praesidium Union and their first wars against the Druthagon Kingdom and Thalyssian Union that cemented their place as a force to be reckoned with in the galaxy dominated three of the walls.

The final painting was the only one that Legate Habricht had seen change during his service of three emperors: their official portraits. While the previous two had what might be considered normal portraits, the current Emperor required his to include the white mask with stylized flames covering his face, an accessory he was never seen in public—or private—without.

It was this man that currently sat across a desk from Habricht, his hands folded in his lap as he stared at him. A window displaying a lush garden just barely blooming occupied the wall behind him. Habricht stared back, ignoring the variety of gruesome artifacts arranged over the finely crafted wooden desk like knickknacks. Some of them he knew to be torture implements, if not from the Hyperion Empire, then from other nations in the galaxy. Others he had not yet decided on. Regardless, the few other times he had been in this room, the implements had been present, though they had never been used.

And he hoped today wouldn’t be the first time.

“Legate, the war is not progressing as expected.” The way the Emperor spoke did not ask a question. Instead, it stated a simple fact. Six years of war with the Hyperion Empire should have left more of a mark than the so far unchanged borders. And the development of the Thalyssian Union joining forces with the Druthagar was not a welcome one.

“Correct, sir,” Habricht replied, straightening his back slightly.

“Why not?” He enunciated each word, making his displeasure quite clear.

“Their rate of ship construction is second to none, sir. Every skirmish we have with them, we are outnumbered, and for every ship of theirs we destroy, they replace with two or three more. It is unsustainable. Not to mention we are soon to be even more outnumbered once the Thalyssar get their ships into position. We need to change our strategy.”

“And what do you suggest?” The Emperor reached for one of the artifacts, one that looked like a wicked knife with a serrated blade where each notch resembled a fishhook. He turned it over in his hand, looking at it from all angles as he waited for the legate’s answer. Habricht, however, was well acquainted with such intimidation tactics and resisted the urge to smirk at it. The young Emperor had much to learn.

“We need to hit them with overwhelming force, fast and hard, on two fronts.” Habricht leaned forward and placed his hands together on the desk, careful not to touch any of the implements. “The first front is a distraction to draw their forces away. Excessively telegraph a strike on one or two of their more populated stations near the border. Make as much noise as possible and get as many of their ships moving there as possible. Then, bring the Event Horizon in and destroy their shipyards. If they are no longer able to produce ships, we don’t have to worry about them outnumbering us. We have the superior firepower, and we are more than capable of using that to our advantage. As long as we don’t have to worry about their constant stream of ships, we can crush their forces and their morale. Then, we turn our sights on the Thalyssar and make them realize it’s more effort than it’s worth to fight us.”

The Emperor ceased his fidgeting with the knife and set it back down, carefully ensuring it was in the exact same spot as when he took it. Habricht knew his lord was considering it carefully. After all, the Event Horizon, while powerful, was expensive and cumbersome to deploy. It also helped protect their own primary shipyards to prevent their destruction. Taking it away would mean leaving them more vulnerable to a potential attack.

“Bold.” The Emperor stood and turned to the window, his white and black cape billowing behind him with the movement. He stood silent for a moment before turning back to Habricht. “Very bold, Legate. And what if they see such a move coming and are just waiting to strike our own shipyards?”

“Our intelligence indicates no such force waiting, sir. Our scanners have been tirelessly scouring every centimeter of space within our borders. And I have discussed this plan with no one except yourself. The odds of it being leaked are nearly nonexistent. Aside from that, we will not leave our shipyards defenseless. The fleet typically surrounding the Event Horizon will remain on station at the shipyards to protect them.” Habricht pulled a small hemisphere of a holoprojector out of his pocket and placed it on the desk. With a tap, it came to life, displaying an image of a fleet of several dozen ships, one of them large enough to dwarf the others. After just a moment, it zoomed out to show the galaxy before zooming back in on one star in particular in Druthagon territory. “It will be temporarily transferred from the Second Fleet to the Seventh, linking up with it in deep space near Stariek. From there, they will travel through the void, making sure to not enter any star systems to avoid detection, until they reach Khal Darihm. There, it will devastate their shipyards and leave them nonoperational. And, finally, we will be able to put these filthy dwarves down and show them the true strength of Hyperia.”

“Interesting thoughts.” The Emperor brought up a gloved hand to stroke his chin overtop his mask. “And you believe this plan will work?”

“Indeed, my lord.”

“When do you intend on launching this strike?”

“As soon as possible, sir.”

“Very well. You have my approval. On one condition.” The Emperor held up a finger to stop the words about to come out of Habricht’s mouth. “I shall lead the distraction in the Draconis system. It is about time I made a visit to Space Station Vertyn to officially sanctify it anyway. The Druthagar will not be able to resist the urge to attempt striking such a blow and kill me.”

“Sir.” Habricht stopped to try to form the words before speaking. The mere suggestion of sending the Emperor to the frontlines was insanity, though he knew he couldn’t say it in such a manner. Doing so would mean he lacked trust in the judgment of his leader. “I understand what you are saying, but I must inform you that I disagree with this course of action. If something were to go wrong in this plan, we cannot lose you.”

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“You said it yourself, no one knows of this plan, Legate. I believe that in order to draw as much attention away from the Seventh Fleet and the Event Horizon as possible, we need to make a bigger splash than the ripples of those ships’ movements. What better way to accomplish that than the Emperor of the largest human empire in history?”

Habricht resisted the urge to grind his teeth. If Councilor Feilhaber or Legate Ganex gained wind of this idea, he knew they would use the opportunity to seize control of the Empire themselves. Whether they would attempt assassination or simply a coup in his absence, he did not know. But their attempts at subterfuge had not gone unnoticed by the legate.

“Let me worry about the consequences, Marius.” The Emperor placed a hand on Habricht’s shoulder after having moved around the desk without his realizing. “Your plan is a good one, and I expect us both to play a very important role in the next stages of this war.”

“Very well, my lord.” Habricht resisted the urge to sigh. “Which craft shall you be taking to Space Station Vertyn? So that we may ensure it is properly designated and prepared.”

“The Star’s Eclipse, of course.” The Emperor walked back around the desk and sat in his chair, folding his hands atop the desk. It was not often the Emperor left Hyperia. When it did, it was almost always aboard the Star’s Eclipse, the largest spacecraft carrier in the Hyperion Empire. A city in its own right, it was capable of deploying several thousand small craft. “I think it is about time to allow the ship to wreak havoc in this war anyway, don’t you think?”

“Indeed, sir.” Habricht stood and bowed slightly. A pit still formed in his stomach at the prospect of the Emperor leaving the safety of Hyperia. “It shall be done. Should I alert General Zorn of your intent to visit his training facility?”

“Absolutely not.” Both words leaked with venom, making clear his disdain for the general. “I don’t want Zorn to know of my arrival until I’m walking through his office door.”

“Very well. Was there anything else you wished for, my lord?”

“No.” He waved a hand dismissively. “You’re dismissed.”

Habricht saluted before turning on his heel and walking out the door, his mind churning with thoughts. He was sure Feilhaber and Ganex would discover the Emperor’s plan and use it against him. They had a way of discovering that which should otherwise remain secret. How, Habricht wasn’t sure. But, eventually, he would find out. And when he did, he would bring the full force of the Hyperion Empire down on them for failing to uphold the ideals of their society.

The thought brought him great pleasure as he made his way out of the Royal Wing of Imperial Command.

#

Governor’s Mansion

New Alexandria, Arcadia

Lord Protector Tober Delargivic swirled a glass of red wine, doing his best to pay attention to the squabbling politicians from around Arcadia on the vidlink. Though all his plans were slowly slotting into place and it would soon not matter what they thought of him, it was important to keep those who might otherwise spoil everything in the dark.

As the conversation droned on, an alert came through his CAM, displaying a priority message from Imperial Command. He tried to keep himself from smiling, knowing the message could only be good news.

“I’m terribly sorry, but I have an important call to take.” Tober sat up interrupted the current speaker, a representative from one of the towns near the outskirts of the Nihaya Desert near the equator of Arcadia. “Do catch me up on what I miss.”

Before any of them could issue a rebuttal, he dropped off the vidlink and answered the message from Imperial Command. Appearing in the air above his desk were two individuals he knew quite well. The first was an older man, his gray hair long since abandoning the top of his head and circling the sides. He always had a stern, somewhat disappointed, look on his face, though this time the trace of a smile touched the corner of his lips. In the air next to him, though in an entirely different location, was a middle aged man with a square jaw and military cut brown hair. He sat with an upright posture representing the many years of service he dedicated to the Hyperion Empire. Across the bottom of the holographic panel was the word “SECURE” to denote the connection encryption.

“Councilor Feilhaber,” Tober said, nodding to the older man. “Legate Ganex. To what do I owe the pleasure of this meeting?”

“We have just received word of a new plan against the Druthagar, Governor.” Feilhaber licked his lips and grinned. “He is going to the Draconis System with Star’s Eclipse as a diversion for an attack on the Druthagar shipyards. At the end of the month, he’ll be at Vertyn to survey the station.”

That caught Tober’s attention. It lined up perfectly with what Nergal told him. He took a sip of wine to hide the smirk that forced its way to his lips.

“It might be time to put the weapons we have been funneling to Arcadia to use,” Ganex added. “I am going to bring the Zenith along with the Ninth Fleet to link up with your navy in a week. From there, we will make our way to the Draconis system together.”

“Legate, as much as I appreciate the offer of assistance, there is no need to potentially alert the Emperor to our plan.”

“What does that mean?” A confused look came to Ganex’s face. Tober couldn’t stop himself before a chuckle left his lips. “Is something funny, Governor?”

“I have no need for assistance from your fleet, Legate. Arcadia has constructed more than enough ships to lay waste to the Emperor and his fleet.”

“Governor, I would suggest being careful with your words,” Feilhaber said. “Though this link is secure, it is best to ensure we remain discreet.”

“Councilor, I appreciate the concern. In a few weeks, there will be no one that can stop us.” Tober stood and set the wine glass down on his desk before straightening his suit. “I hate to cut this short, gentlemen, but I must make sure everything is in order. I’ll be in touch.”

Before they had a chance to reply, he cut the link and headed for the door between the bookshelves lining one of the walls of the office. It hissed open at his approach, revealing the familiar dark room. During the first years of the relationship between him and the strange orb, it had been nothing more than a ball of metal floating in the center of the room. Ever since, it had progressively expanded itself until it now had cables and wires running across the room. Like the roots of a tree.

“Hello, Lord Protector,” Nergal said, the orb glowing red as it spoke. “How can I be of assistance today?”

“I have just been informed the Emperor is planning on making a journey to Vertyn in the Draconis system. Just as you told me a little under two months ago. How did you know?”

“Humans are predictable when you have enough processing power to examine their habits.” Nergal spoke in a matter of fact tone, as if explaining to a toddler why it rained. “After analyzing the previous decisions of those in power within the Hyperion Empire, it was simple to determine their next course of actions.”

“Right.” Tober did his best to sound confident. There was something about Nergal that always made him feel as if he were nothing more than an ant standing before a god. He cleared his throat and stood up straighter. “Are the ships in position to make their way to Draconis? I wish to accompany them as soon as possible to ensure we are there in time.”

“No.”

“What do you mean, ‘no’?” Tober put a steeliness behind his voice as if reprimanding a child. He took a step forward and folded his hands behind his back. “I thought you said there were over three thousand ships that you had created. You told me control was transferred to my admirals.”

“That is correct. You are not to accompany the ships. You are to proceed to Hyperia with five hundred ships, where you will have the opportunity to claim the throne once news of the Emperor’s destruction has arrived. If someone is not there to immediately assume control, the petty squabbling I have foreshadowed will prevent you from doing so without an extended battle. You must keep the military leaders from fighting one another.”

“Ah.” Tober stroked his chin thoughtfully as he carefully stepped over the tendril-like cables to circle the orb. “Brilliant idea. I will do so at once. I trust you are capable of holding down the fort, as it were, in my absence?”

“Of course, Lord Protector.”

Tober left the room without another word, though something about the orb’s tone did not leave him confident. In fact, he felt quite the opposite.

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