Kreux

by C. R Corbin

  With my sword drawn, I run inwards and run my sword in a horizontal arc to slit one of their troops across the throat. I hold my ground and cut a path through the incoming enemies until their numbers were successfully whittled.

  And then it happened.

  I feel a large metal hand clamor against my chest and it knocks me back while I looked up at it. It had two arms and two legs, it looked more or less humanoid and had a large glowing red eye in the middle of its hull. The machine itself was constructed out of grey metal and towered above me, it was at least twice as tall and twice as wide and it probably had several times the power that I had.

  These machines were rare on the battlefield thanks to the sheer amount of energy needed to fuel them but I was confident I could take this one down.

  I hopped back to avoid a slash towards my chest and lifted up my blaster to fire several shots at the little optical unit in the center of the machine. I scowled as the lasers didn't seem to faze it and hopped to the side to avoid a vertical swing to its arm. Bolts begin to fire from its right arm as I hopped over logs and boulders in order to dodge the line of fire that was chasing me. I fired off a few of my own laser shots to disorient it, this time I fired at several vulnerable bits on the legs and managed to get the unit to stumble back before I collected my sword in my hand and leapt forward while it was distracted, only to be greeted with a rocket to the chest that I was grazed by.

  I stumbled back as I gazed at my armor that was already ripped and torn near the spot where the missile had struck me. My armor was of the highest quality and it was rather fortunate that I had it otherwise I surely would have been split into two at this point. I clenched the sword in my grasp before I grabbed a small rock that was off to the side and hurled it at the machine. The rounds keep on coming and I struggled to crawl away, I soon found myself hiding behind a large boulder while the rounds kept on pummeling the rock.

  "Shit, shit this is bad." I said to myself as I looked around to see if there was anything that I could use. I checked my belt and found a couple of grenades that could have been useful and nodded to myself.

  This would have to work.

  I gazed at the machine as it approached, by my estimate it would be crossing this specific tree in a couple of moments. I hurled the grenade and watched as it fell the tree in front of me. The large trunk falls on the machine and holds it in place while it struggles under the weight of the tree. I hopped out then and there before the robot could slide the tree off of it. Before it could do anything, I slid my blade into its optical nerve with as much might as I could muster. My blade just barely went through and I had to force it in order to get any noticeable damage in. I attached an explosive from my belt to the optics before I ran back, stumbling over rocks before the machine blew.

  After that was done I collected my weapons and stumbled back to the command center, from what I had seen the wave was dying down and we could have a short rest. I had proven enough for today.

  We marched back a couple of days later and were greeted by a variety of civilians, including Rebecca.

  I stumbled through the crowds as I listened to Urem order the men around, apparently the counter-attack was currently commencing and we were actually making it through. The trap that we had led Scoran in had resulted in a vast number of his troops being depleted and his resources were strained. Thus at this moment, we could probably spearhead and operation that would carve out the rest of his territories. A few feros later and we would probably be done with Durol and be setting our sights on Dephai. That was a battle that I was not going to be a part of that operation would likely take a few months to get done. His troops were depleted at this point and the quicker we moved the better.

  Our casualties were about 4,000 by the end of it all and his casualties numbered at around 50,000. The man really did love hammering our lines with his soldiers in the hopes that we would crumble and luckily for us that was all that he was good for.

  "You had me worried." Rebecca said as I got off of the hovercraft and walked to our spacecraft. My guards had ensured that this district wasn't filled with civilians wanting to take a photo with me at least.

  I stand there with her hand in mine, blood scattered across my chipped and cracked armor while I nurse my wounds. Apparently, I had a broken arm and a cracked collarbone along with a litany of cuts and burns by the time the battle was over. My presence was said to have had a tremendous effect on my men, I had hoped my participation in battle actually helped and it wasn't just some fantasy of mine.

  "A prince has to lead his men, not just watch from afar." I muttered, I set my armor down on the counter as I stepped into our bathroom. She laid there on the bed and watched me as the blood falls from my fingers and dripped onto the drain. I sighed while she stepped forward to remove some of the bandages to place them near the sink, I scowled as I feel her tears running down her cheeks, she knew that I had put myself at risk rather unnecessarily and being in battle had told me just how rusty I was.

  "I won't do anything like that again, I promise." I muttered while she kissed my back and dragged my bandages off.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Kreux

  It was a couple of months later when the battle was finally ended on Durol. The entire moon was under our sphere of control and we didn't have to fear Scoran's return any longer.

  Scoran had gotten desperate and was using nuclear explosives in an attempt to eliminate us but defenses were set up in case he turned to such drastic measures. Kreux understood that such actions would be taken by Scoran in a case such as this. Scoran's reputation as a fearful and scheming man was well known and as such a takeover was anticipated. Each explosive failed to get any deeper than the outer layer of the moon.

  Scoran had sent his ships to accost Monowa but there was enough presence to hold him off. Our troops did an admirable job of taking off whomever he would send so now it was simply a matter of suppressing him and driving him back. The war was going pretty well considering the fact that we now eliminated his spacefaring fleet to a small space on the outside of his planet.

  It took a couple more weeks until the cracks begin to show.

  We had limited imports due to the blockade around this planet that we had set up and were exhausting him completely. He was getting closer and closer to his end and i was there to watch as the first troops landed on Dephai to begin the raids. It took a couple of months until we were centered around his capital. He probably saw the writing on the wall and had surrendered himself.

  It was a nightmare when we finally raided his base.

  Bastard was hiding behind his walls of stone and snow. We were standing at the front gates with enough force to completely decimate him, after hammering the place with airstrikes it only seemed fitting that we could greet him in person.

  I wanted to punish him for what he had done.

  I hold my rifle close and checked my belt holsters to make sure I had brought my sword before we began to march upon the front gates. My men quickly hacked into the computer systems that controlled the front entrance and the stone gates began to move. The shock troopers move in first and fired upon what survivors that they could find. Just below the city of Yekai was currently being raided as well, the operation there required less care and word so far was that it was going well.

  But I was needed here for this, for this raid.

  I approached the blackened halls to be greeted with guards too weak to even stand, much less fight. Since he had cut off most food and material imports his soldiers were ill-equipped to deal with the invasion and I was rather pleased with the results. There was very little that provided resistance in the first bit of these halls.

  The deeper we ventured, however, the more dangerous it got.

  We scattered to seek the man out and I was accompanied by my personal security detail as we engaged the lower levels. We made sure to scan every inch of the place for traps and were able to bypass most of them with relative ease. It was whe
n we began to scour the lower halls that we came into trouble.

  I hid behind the corners and waited for the flurry of lasers to scatter amongst the stones. My men returned fire and I tossed a grenade down the hall to create an opening. I heard a yelp and soon I was upon them, running frantically down the hall with my sword raised before I plunged it into the rifleman. I had to turn a couple more corners to reach the central room where I was sure he was. Unfortunately, it was also the most highly guarded.

  Two of those machines stood there, those robotic warriors that I had fought back on Durol tower above me in front of this large set of stone doors, they begin to fire various rounds and missiles at me while I hide behind the corner. My men tug out the harpoon guns and fired them as soon as they got the opening. The machines got a few hits in and injured a few of my security detail but the rounds from the harpoon guns that we fired off pierced the hull of the machines and sent an electrical shock through them which brought the contraptions to their knees

  Now all that there was left to do was to apprehend the bastard.

  The great stone doors in front of me slide open as I stand there with my sword in one hand and blaster in the other. Once they open we are greeted with a number of scared and frankly pathetic soldiers that looked as if they hadn't eaten in several feros. There weren't that many, perhaps about 21 or so. Amongst them was Scoran who was shivering in the middle, his shoulders were slumped and his eyes were downcast, it was clear to me that the man was emaciated, weakened, he was likely close to death already.

  "Stand down." I ordered, they knew that they couldn't take this fight, most of their men had abandoned them and they were all that was left. I assumed that the remaining troops were advisors that have been with Scoran since the beginning, hence their undying loyalty.

  And at the end of it all amongst the decrepit stone halls and mountains of starving corpses and cold winds, he surrendered. He sets his rifle down and allows me to tug him back to Yekai where he would await his judgment. After a quick check-up by my medical staff and security squad, he was safe to take.

  And his judgment would not be kind.

  #

  Rebecca

  And that was where we were now.

  Dephai was a nice world, all things considered, of course, it was mostly desert and grassland with a lot of potentially arable land. That was quickly taken advantage of and Dephai's potential would be fully realized under our efforts. Dephai would finally become what it was meant to be, an actual world where people could live to prosper, not just to see some prince.

  I was sitting in our cruiser, this home away from home that I have become accustomed to. I sat near the bedroom as I slipped my dress on, the black straps clash against my shoulders as I spring to my feet and glide across the stone to make my way for the front door. My hands tensed around the fabric of my dress as I walked through towards the other rooms of the ship. I had already become well acquainted with most rooms in the ship including the hot springs so there wasn't much for me to do on here. I had already had my morning meal so it was time to step out and accompany my mate towards the negotiations.

  Or the execution, more or less.

  I stepped off of the ship and glided along the dirt floor with my guards beside me. Even though the planet was conquered, for the most part at least there was still the chance that there were pockets of resistance that could threaten me or the prince. I wasn't afraid of course, I knew that such a risk was low, I wanted to be here to see Scoran beg. He had caused so much pain during his tyrannical rule that it was my duty to look him in the eye and spit on him. I could have remained home and watched from afar but this was somewhat personal in a way, strange i know.

  The soldiers lead me onward through the tents that were scattered throughout the spaceport on the airfield. I gazed at the various civilians gathered as they were given medical care. I gazed at the Morelen women and children as they wept tears of joy, some at least, many others simply stood there with blank expressions. Perhaps they couldn't even believe that such a miracle has occurred, they couldn't believe the majesty of their newfound freedom

  They reminded me of me when Kreux had saved me from that hopeless existence.

  I stepped inside of the large hovercraft and was taken to the central hall where Kreux was waiting outside while his guards and his advisors gathered to ensure that everything was secure. I sit there in the lounge with him on the chipped stone and metal chairs with furs padding them. I looked at him and he shrugged while gazing at the chamber.

  "What's happening?" I asked

  "The usual." he replied

  "I can't believe...even he would go that far." I muttered to myself as I thought over the laundry list of crimes that he had.

  Camps that were dedicated to his political prisoners and scapegoats, each and every one of them were filled with mass graves and experiments that I didn't even dare to comment on. I recall when we had found his harem, a room full of women that were traumatized beyond belief. They were rather attached to their prince after years of "Serving him" so once we freed them they refused to believe it. It would take a whole lot of therapy to get them back to normal, hell almost everyone on this damn planet would need some level of therapy at the end of it all. To think that one man's tyranny could have this much of an effect....

  "I couldn't believe it either. When we found his harem and the camps I thought that I might have vomited right there and then. He'll receive as much punishment as we can dish out, I'm sure of that." Said Kreux while he folded his arms and leaned back into the stone wall.

  "What do you think the king is going to say about you taking control of this place?" I asked and he shrugged.

  "Scoran was never well-liked. I can't imagine too many people are going to be clamoring for me to give up control now..." he started and trailed off " The old man is cut from the same cloth but I doubt that he wants to get involved in a petty squabble like this. It's when I get more than three planets that he'll start freaking out."

  "When?"

  "It was a joke. A bad one I might admit."

  "Hey, 6 out of 10."

  "Ooh you're being generous today."

  I giggled and whipped his arm while nuzzling against his shoulder. I watched the stone doors in front us shake as the men combed through every inch of the building to search for explosives or assassins. They had already run several preliminary checks and I would presume that this would be the standard should we be visiting Dephai in the future. Such was the nature of conquering a foreign territory though, I suppose.

  His hands clenched mine and i felt the rough callouses brush against the back of my palm as I looked into those golden eyes of his. He looks at me and smiles and I returned the gesture before I leaned in and pressed my lips against his. He shivers slightly as he lifts a hand up to stroke my cheek while i groaned for him. My hands hold his and he sighs while his breath scratched my lips. His horns brushed my forehead and I reach forward to grip the back of his neck to pull him in. Our kiss deepens and I leaned in to try and get him to do more but I knew that this wasn't the appropriate time and he knew it as well.

  "Later. On the ship?" I seductively whispered in his ear with a smirk and he nodded.

  "Yeah..." he mutters with a disappointed frown.

  We continued to chat about the state of the world while waiting for the building to be cleared. I take the time to step outside and watch the city during the day. There were various hovercrafts rolling about, lugging masses of materials and goods to the camps while I sat on the steps of the central hall. Scoran's castle was on the mountains above, the only mountains that could be found on this planet anyway. We were in the city of Yekai, the mountainous valleys and peaks here created a river that ran through the middle of town and his castle sat on one of those peaks. We decided to have the meeting in town to spite him, he would have to do this on our terms, not in the luxury of his home.

  The planet was in such stark contrast to Monowa. Whereas in Monowa
we were afforded cheers and a happy citizenry that would smile whenever the prince was round here it was...decidedly different. Here the people were much less receptive and scowled at every opportunity, they frowned and made their unhappiness known. That was only when we were here, I would imagine that during Scoran's rule happiness when he was around was somewhat enforced. It was a dystopian society if I ever saw one.

  The golden sunsets beneath the chipped white buildings created from clay and wood. The lack of quarries here meant that the buildings were quite flimsy and broken. Our siege starved off most of the supplies for the simplicity and the troops and as such everything was dilapidated and decrepit. Perhaps once these towns looked appealing. How could Scoran have fielded such a powerful military and made such progress should he have been a weak leader? The idea was preposterous.

  "We're up." said Kreux as he stepped up behind me, resting a hand on my shoulder as I turned to him and nodded. I get to my feet and give him a hug before we had to confront the madman and I knew that he realized how...troubled these lands were. It would take a long time to even begin to repair them.

  "We're going to be alright my mate. We have one another. As long as I have you I have complete faith that my will shall never be extinguished."

  "Same for you my prince." I said as I separate from him before giving him one last kiss on the lips. He sighed and gazed back at the hall in front of us. The building towers above us with its walls composed of jagged geometric shapes with a coat of yellow paint.

  We stepped into the room and I came face to face with the man that has caused so much pain not only to myself but to almost everyone that lived under his rule. I can do little to stem the frown that appears on my face as I appraised him. He was pale, thin, his skin was the sickly shade of grey and his horns were broken, completely shattered.