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Some days had passed on this planet, one whose day cycle was almost identical to that of the worlds of the Terran Dominion. The religious rebellion we faced at the beginning did not last long. The cleric of the Ecclesiarchy, thanks to my "intervention", began campaigning in our favor. Controlling his mind once was enough for him to handle the rest: first he explained to everyone that we were humans, not some kind of xeno; then he accused as heretics the priests who insisted on rising against the Dominion for not following the so-called God-Emperor.
So one problem ended up becoming a solution. Now no one on the planet challenges our authority, and they only accept it because they believe it is the divine will of the God-Emperor. It worked perfectly for us, because with our reduced numbers it would have been almost impossible to maintain control without resorting to a massive slaughter until they obeyed.
During these days we began to settle. In the end, twenty battlecruisers that survived the passage were completely recycled: electronic components, steel, neostell, and all kinds of materials that were now scarce, since we had no way to refine more. Many of the cold-fusion generators were moved to the surface; they became the first ground-based power station of the Dominion on a planet of the Imperium. Our engineers were juggling to keep everything running without a mishandling of radioactive material blowing everything sky-high.
The nobles of the planet had enormous mineral reserves stored to pay taxes to the Imperium. Some minerals had properties our scientists had never seen before, and others were common, the kind found in any decent deposit. In addition, the planet had even more untapped reserves, several practically exposed on the surface. Apparently nobody touched those resources because the local economy depended entirely on the agriculture of a genetically altered type of corn. Our agronomists noticed quickly: the seeds were incredibly resistant to almost any climate.
The problem was the low genetic variability. If a disease appeared, it could wipe out the entire production in a single strike. That is why our scientists began creating variant seeds, mixing sequences and producing new lines to avoid a food collapse.
As for the captured Knights… that drove the scientists crazy. First, some idiot believed he could use one just by sitting on the throne. He fought against the machine spirit for a few minutes before it killed him. That was enough for everyone to request dismantling the machines to study them rather than trying to control them.
So we began taking apart the giant walkers. The materials far surpassed ours. Many of our tools were useless to cut or separate them. We had to use the most powerful cutters and full teams of engineers working hours on end to extract just an arm or a piece of the frame, while analyzing every component.
To be clear: if that thing had activated, our only option would have been to bring down the battlecruisers from orbit and destroy it. And if a single walker could only be taken down by the most powerful weapon in our arsenal, that was something we had to take very seriously.
The Knight's servos were far superior to the ones we used. Our engineers were fascinated: apparently, the Imperium had solved precisely the problem that prevented the Dominion from producing a new Odin. Terran servos were not powerful enough to move the enormous cannons of the project, but these… these were. If we applied that technology correctly, we could build a new Odin, and even bigger. Sure, there were no omegalisks now to use it against, but it never hurts to have a titan on your side.
But we also found the Imperium's weak point: their electromagnetic defense was ridiculously outdated. Madness, considering that all their technology could be disabled with the EMP rounds we Ghosts of the Dominion use to deal with protoss shields.
That meant that, in the worst-case scenario, we would have a real chance against the Imperium using EMP against their ships and walkers. Of course, we would need to capture one of their warships to see how resistant they were, but on this backward planet there was not even a single atmospheric transport, so nothing to test.
We would have to wait for the tax collectors or the Mechanicus—if it was them—to arrive, because we did not find a single tech-priest. Most likely they came regularly to repair the walkers, since nothing indicated these people knew how to maintain them. There were no tools or proper workshops capable of repairs, so we had to stay alert to any ship entering orbit while we did our own repairs.
I met with the survivors of Project Cerberus who had come down to the planet and set up one of their research labs. They were studying the Knight materials; as a branch of the Moebius Foundation, they were the best at advancing quickly… or doing unethical things, as they had already shown with their experiments infesting terran with the zerg virus.
"'How can we help you, general?'" said one of the scientists, adjusting magnifying lenses while examining the chainsaw filaments used by one of the Knights.
"'I need you to do something for the Dominion… and considering that you are scientists without scruples, you are the first ones that come to mind for this.'" I said calmly, watching the others still absorbed in their research.
"'Do you want to know if these terran… so different from us can be infested by the zerg virus? Or do you want us to test something on the protoss prisoners? I have several ideas to resume the protoss grafting programs in terran and enhance psionic capabilities.'" said the lead scientist, smiling as he handed me a list of possible experiments.
"'Nothing that unethical. The problem is our low reserve of future recruits. We only have the members of the Royal Guard, and sooner or later we will have problems, especially with the locals. Their faith is placed in a distant god. We need to ensure our recruits are terran… not devotees of a god who could turn against us.'" I responded.
"'Artificial fertilization?'" said the scientist, thinking aloud. "'Yes, we have several million stored ova, plus enormous sperm reserves. We could mass-fertilize… but setting up a clinic and using all the women as wombs will take time.'"
"'No. None of that. I know perfectly well you can grow life in artificial wombs. What I need is for you to build the machines to do it, and start producing life in mass.'" I said, staring at him.
"Certainly… although those hybrid experiments never succeeded, you understand…" said the scientist with an uncomfortable smile. "But what you're asking for is incredibly expensive… or rather, difficult. We have no Dominion funding and no resources. Even if I can design the machines, I have no way to build them or to feed thousands of future zygotes. We barely have enough to survive with the agricultural bays from the battlecruisers."
"Speaking of that," said another scientist, raising his hand while removing his magnifying lenses.
"What is it, scientist?" I said, turning to look at him.
"I understand we're going to stay here for several years… maybe decades. But… we still haven't been paid since the rebellion began, and we were always promised that, after taking Korhal, we would receive payment. Is there any change to that plan?" said the scientist, nervous.
"Yes… it's true. It's been a long time since anyone has been paid. And since the banks of Korhal and the Imperial treasury are very far away now… I hope you can start paying us what we're owed soon, general." added the lead scientist.
"Everyone will be paid what they are owed for their services. I'll speak with the others and see what we can do so you receive your due as soon as possible." I replied, avoiding diving further into that delicate topic. "For now, work on what I asked. I'll get the resources and the funds."
It didn't take long before I took a ship to the White Star to call an urgent meeting. Sooner or later, we would face mutinies if we didn't begin paying the overdue wages. And a mutiny now would be suicide.
"What, those guys can't live without credits? We all worked ad honorem during the whole damn war, Hendrik. Even I ended up poor after investing everything into the cause." said Harlan.
"It's what they were promised… and we must fulfill it, even if we have no funds." I replied. "A mutiny now isn't optimal. In the current situation, showing weakness could encourage the locals to try to expel us before we can squeeze the world's resources."
"My men haven't said a single word about wages, and I think it'll stay that way for a while. Many are only here because of the absolute hatred they have for Valerian. He let thousands of Sons of Korhal die trying to defend his father while he hid." said Mason.
"But not everyone is a member of the Royal Guard. Not everyone will follow us with an empty stomach and empty pockets." I said, adjusting the lens of my helmet. "We have to pay them. A discontent army is the beginning of the end. Our Emperor would never have allowed it: he would let everyone starve before the army."
"With what money, Hendrik? With the credits we have now, we can't even pay a quarter of the remaining crew." said Kazimir.
"Kazimir… I'm surprised." I replied, almost offended. "They're credits. Electronic currency. We just have to create it, give it to them… and for now keep them from spending it. Eventually they'll notice it has no real value beyond the trust they place in 'Dominion credit'. And we are not the Dominion. We're a handful of resentful commanders who tried to depose the usurper and failed. So until we produce something tangible, the currency will be worth nothing."
"We'll have to address that sooner or later." said Kurt, closing his chronometer. "If we're going to settle here and take advantage of this Imperium, we can't keep being a group of resentful commanders. If they see us like that, we're showing weakness. We must show strength… like Emperor Arturus."
"So… do we formalize the Council of the branches of the Royal Guard?" said Harlan, looking at us all.
"That's… not optimal." replied Kurt. "We won't always be present. Hendrik can spend days in enemy territory carrying out missions. I can be light-years away from the council, cut off. Mason trapped on some planet fighting. You, Harlan, purging some infestation. A council only works while we're near each other. The farther we are, the more inefficient we become."
Everyone began looking at each other.
"So, what then? You, Kurt?" said Mason with a heavy smile. "Do you want to replace the…?"
"Never." replied Kurt immediately, almost offended. "Arcturus will always be remembered in my family. Even though almost all of them died thanks to the Confederacy, what happened in Tarsonis was divine justice. But I'm not worthy of replacing him."
He turned toward me."It must be Hendrik."
"The ghost?" growled Kazimir. "He has to be at the front many times. He can spend weeks without returning when there are high-level missions."
"He's the one who knew the Emperor best." said Kurt, firm. "He was his shadow. You and I only spoke with Arcturus a couple of times. Hendrik killed for him for years. He knows how he thought, who he had to eliminate to keep the Dominion strong. Also… I'm sure he read his mind. So he must know all of the Emperor's plans."
"You read the Emperor's mind?" asked Kazimir, clenching his jaw.
"He had resistance… but yes." I replied without hesitation. "Several times."
Mason sighed deeply."He was the one who kept us united after the Davies fiasco. I suppose he's the natural choice."
"I have no opinion." said Harlan, standing up. "As long as at the end of the day we kill Valerian, all good." And he left without waiting for a response.
I leaned back in the chair."I abstain from voting for obvious reasons."
Only three voters remained.
Kurt made a gesture with his hand. "Two to one."
"As if democracy mattered… So your plan was to become emperor, right, Hendrik?" said Kazimir, staring at me after slamming the table with his armor, almost breaking it.
"It never was, Kazimir." I replied without hesitation. "I only wanted to give Arturus his vengeance. Nothing more. No extra motivation. But the usurper is still on the throne, so we have to grow strong… and fast. We can't remain disunited."
Kazimir clenched his jaw. I read his mind a bit. It pained him to accept another leader, considering he was the Emperor's bodyguard for years. His loyalty was a bleeding wound.
"Not with the title of emperor." I continued. "That would stain the origin of our rebellion. As regent… only until we find Arcturus's successor and place him on the throne after killing Valerian. That is my duty to the Dominion. After that… I can retire, even if it takes my whole life."
Kazimir finally relaxed. His shoulders dropped. "Fine then… regent." he said with a slight nod. "We have a lot to rebuild."
"Yes. Every day we lose is a day the Imperium has to crush us." said Kurt, standing up. "We must begin right now. No rest."
"I'm returning to the planet." said Mason, adjusting his armor. "I'll make sure the locals fall in line and we can establish the quotas."
"I'll make sure no one tries to sabotage anything." added Kazimir as he walked out.
"I need to make sure the working battlecruisers are in optimal condition." said Kurt, taking long steps as he left.
I was left alone in the room for a moment.
Shit… now it's real. If anything goes wrong, they'll all point at me, no question.
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If there are spelling mistakes, please let me know.
Leave a comment; support is always appreciated.
I remind you to leave your ideas or what you would like to see.
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