School Time for Death: Resurection (Death Dealer Saga Book 5)

by Jessie Wolf

  “Holy Shit! You mean to tell me that the true Imperial Family married the next in line for the Throne if the Emperors family were to be wiped out?”

  “Yes, in every way shape and form. What was truly amazing was the fact that James Owens never knew who his family was; as a matter of fact the only ones who do know are the members of Ida-ten. Before you ask, no I will not tell her Ladyship about her family’s past. Even if I wanted to, I cannot as I have taken the oath to protect the true Emperor until it is time to reveal them. This duty has been passed down in my family for four hundred years. Now, where was I? Oh yes, James and Matsu had two children. James jr. and Ohmei, James was the older of the two and died at a young age in combat, that is all anyone really knows as the mission he was on is still considered Top Secret. As for Ohmei, she graduated from one of the most prestigious military academies there is and joined the Imperial Military as a fast attack and ground support helo pilot. There she meet one Richard Steel Heart and was married. They both died while buying time for their unit to evacuate from Heavens Frost. Now, before you ask I have done some digging and found out that the Lady Maiha is the Gift of Life child of the two of them, and she was raised by her grandfather until recently. Her grandfather James J. Owens died shortly before the rebellion of a few months ago.”

  “My God! If that young lady is as you say related to all those families she is a real threat to the Emperor and the Imperial Temples. I mean if her father is a Steel Heart, then she is not only the heir to the Nakatoma family, but she is also the only heir to the Steel Heart House, along with being the only heir to James Owens.”

  “And that my good man is why you must never discuss what is said here this night to anyone outside of us. Sure there are a few people, who know some of this, but no one knows it all, and we must keep it that way. If just half of what I told you were to ever get out there would be an Empire wide rebellion the likes of which has never been seen. Now, if the Lady Maiha Nakatoma can restore the Temple Ida-ten before this becomes common knowledge, the Knights of those Temple Orders will be able to control the unrest until ether she or the Emperor can restore order fully. I myself believe that she’ll do everything she can to keep the Emperor and his family on the throne, as she has no desire to rule.”

  “If you believe that, and if you’re right, those are two very big Ifs my friend. However I have always backed you on just about everything concerning the school and I see reason to not do so now. Just do me one favor, try and not get us killed until I get a chance to put a round between Cardinal Richelieu’s eyes.”

  “You’re not the only one who wants that, old friend. That man has caused more than one man’s family grief. Believe me when I say that if the Lady Maiha is anything like her grandfather, then all I can say is this. There is a pale horse whose name is Death and Hell is surely to follow coming our way. We can either help or get the hell out of the way, because that little lady is going to do whatever is necessary to set things right in her eyes, and the eyes of the people.”

  “So what you’re saying is it’s best for everyone to help her out, because in the long run whatever she does will be for the betterment of the people?”

  “Exactly my young friend, if the Lady Maiha is anything like her grandfather we need to do everything in our power to make sure she succeeds.” Putting out his pipe the Headmaster stood up from behind his desk and walked over to the cabinet on the far wall. Reaching up and hitting a hidden switch he opened a door to his private study. Like all Headmasters he had decorated this private sanctuary to express himself. He waved for his Vice to join him as he entered the room.

  The walls were covered with the shields and swords of long dead knights. There were multiple coats of arms for different families. There were whole family trees tracing the heritage of all the High Families and the Great Houses of the Empire. But there was one family tree that stood out from the rest. This one was almost a direct copy of the Imperial Family coat of arms, except for the coloration of the shield and a Lion in its center, there was a solid black shield with a blood red falcon in the center. The only other difference was the name at the top. In bold flowing script was the names of Owens, tracing its origins clear back to the Emperor Fredrick over four hundred years ago, and a woman name of Martha Steward.

  Turning to look at his longtime friend and boss. “Damn, Jack, what is all this stuff?”

  “This my friend is everything that the Lady Maiha would need to legally take over the Empire and depose the current Emperor, and make herself the second true Empress in the history of the Empire.”

  “Oh my Goddess! If the Imperial Intelligence Agency were to get their hands on this we could be tried for treason! I won’t even mention what the Imperial Temple would do with this type of information. Why they could use all of this as proof that the Emperor has illegally taken the Throne. They could claim he usurped the Throne from the rightful heirs. It would throw the Empire in to total chaos.” The look of worry on the young man’s face said more than anything else.

  “Trust me, Johnny, when I say I know that more than you do. That is why we must do all in our power to make sure the Lady Maiha and her attempt to restore the Temple of Ida-ten. That and make sure that all four of the old Knightly orders are restored. We have been given a secured duty my young friend, by the Gods and Goddesses themselves, to see to the return of these orders, and in their training. The young men of our school shall become the sword of justice, while the young ladies of JES shall become the shield. While she forges her new orders into Peacekeepers, we shall be the scribes and record this moment in history to the best of our poor abilities.” the older man had a look of wild excitement in his eyes. It was as if he was seeing the fulfillment of a long held prophesy. His next words confirmed this in more ways than one. “At last the time of the Return has come.”

  “Excuse me, Jack, but what the hell are you talking about?”

  Sighing Jack Chalkier turned to his younger counterpart. He just realized that the young man had never heard of the prophecy of the Return of the Red Empress. “Long ago, one of the teachers of the way, made a prophecy of a time when the Red Empress would return to restore the rightful Family to the Imperial Throne. In doing so she would restore order and justice to the Empire. Her return would be heralded by three events. The first of which would be the down fall of the three most powerful Houses of the time in a war of rebellion. The second would be the return of the Fallen Temple and its four Orders of Knights. The last will be her war against the Imperial Temples corrupt Guardians and their leader, the false Cardinal.”

  “Jack, you don’t really think that this prophecy is coming true do you? I mean come on you’re a man of science, not some religious fanatic.” The fact that Johnny was even questioning his friend and superior was unusual. If there was one thing about Johnny Recco it was his loyalty to his friends was unquestionable.

  “Johnny, I know you find this hard to believe about me, but I am a very religious man.” Looking around the room he finds what he is looking for sitting on the bookshelf behind the door. Reaching up and taking down a very old manuscript, he turns to Johnny and hands it to him. On the front cover in gold lettering is the title of the book. The Path of Justice and Order. “Johnny, in your hands is the teachings of the Grand Master Ida-ten. For as long as I can remember the teaching of this book have guided my family. At one time we were the most respected of theologians of the faith. There are more than sixty generations of Reverend Fathers in my family. My own father is one, along with my oldest brother who will replace him when it his time to travel on. Before you ask, no I am not a teacher, yes I know the ways, but I do not have the understanding of them to be a Teacher of the Way. That takes years of dedication that I never had.”

  “So just what is it about this prophecy is so important to you and your family?”

  “It means that the time of Great Peace and Justice has finally come, and the Time of the False Emperors is over. This is something we have waited for, for a very long time.
An injustice shall finally be addressed and corrected.” When he saw that Johnny wasn’t following what he was saying Jack became more passionate with his explanation. “Look at all the illegitimate sons that attend this school. What would you do to give them the chance to prove they are better than people believe? That these young men could be true leaders of men? That if they were only given half a chance they would surprise the hell out everyone. That they’re not a waist of humanity?”

  “It will change the world as we know It.” came the quiet reply from the shocked and dazed young man as he realized what Jack was telling him. It was as if the heavens opened up and shined down a light on him. He could see how much change for the good could be done by the rightful Royal Family being placed on the Throne. “Do you think that the Lady Maiha will take the Throne?”

  Jack took a few minutes before answering. “No, I’m afraid that won’t happen. She has too much respect for the current Imperial Family to just overthrow them. If anything the young lady is more dedicated to the Law than anyone I know. The only way she’ll ever take the Imperial Throne is if the Emperor were to force her hand or if there was no one else in that family to take the seat. As it is now there are four heirs to the Imperial Throne. The Crown Prince Nicholas, the oldest of the four and son of the Emperors first wife Empress Caroline. Next are the twin sons of the Emperors third wife Empress Natasha, the Princes Peter and Paul. Then we have the Emperors only daughter by his last wife, Empress Eliza, the Princess Daniela. All four of them would have to be dead before the Lady Maiha’s honor will allow her to take the Imperial Throne.”

  “I have a question my old friend.” When Jack nodded his head giving Johnny the go head to ask his question. “What if, just suppose, it was the three Princes were the ones moving to remove their father from the Throne?”

  Chapter 7

  Meanwhile on Vega Prime…

  For most the of the people on Vega Prime the four story tall, eight block long, and six block wide Temple of Holy Light was a beautiful sight. To the people of the Universe it was one of the Great Wonders of Mankind. While it may have been built to be a place of religious contemplation, it was in truth the Head Quarters for the Black Rose, Crimson Shield orders, and the Cardinal Richelieu. For most coming to this most august place it would be the thrill of a life time. For the nun who was walking through the door to the central office area and the private living areas this was not the case. If one were to look at her stance, the way she carried herself, they would assume that she was the bearer of great importance, and they would be right. However the nature of that news was going to piss someone off to no end.

  The fact that she was one of the Silent Sisters was not lost on those she passed. Everyone knew that here in the Temple of Holy Light not to approach the Silent ones. If anything you got the hell out of their way and prayed you didn’t piss one off. Those women all had the ear of the Cardinal and he took a very dim view of anyone displeasing the Silent Sisters. They may not be able to talk, but their wrath could be felt by one and all. No one knew what their place was within the Cardinals organization, but everyone knew to do all in their power to keep them happy.

  As she approached the doors to the Cardinals private cambers his guards moved to quickly open the doors. They knew better than to try and stop the Abbess Helen Delacrew. The last man to do that found himself on his way to become a High Priest on Freedoms Landing. The woman was a grade A bitch and everyone knew it. The only person to ever tell her no was the man she was about to see. After the Cardinal looked up at her and waved her in did they close the doors behind her.

  “May I ask what has brought you to me in such a hurry Abbess Delacrew?”

  The woman pulled her sleeve up and began to type on the communicator strapped to her wrist. When she finished she hit enter. The computer generated voice could not hold the level of anxiety that the woman felt. “Holiness, the heretics on Hades have expelled our order from the Family Temple in the Nakatoma compound.”

  Standing up slowly Richelieu was fighting to keep his temper in check. “What do you mean they have expelled your order from their Temple?”

  Pulling a print out from her robes she hands it to him. She then quickly types out another response. “They have also started to reform the banned and outlawed orders.”

  This time the man didn’t keep his anger in check. “What?! Don’t they realize they can be excommunicated for defying the Imperial Temple in this manner?”

  Once again the computer voice spoke out. “They do not care, your Holiness. In the words of that abomination Maiha Nakatoma ‘She didn’t need the blessings of the Imperial Temples.’”

  “It is time to teach that upstart a lesson in who is truly in charge. Contact the local Order of Black Rose’s and have them destroy the Family Temple at the Nakatoma compound.” Richelieu was beyond being pissed off. He wanted to pay the Nakatoma’s back for the disruption of his plans earlier in the year. If it had not been for that little bitch he would now be sitting on the Imperial Throne and that sweet little morsel Daniela would be his bride. If not for the brash actions of his pawns the Lights, Daniels, and Moors he would still be in position to take the Throne.

  “We have already sent them to deal with the heretics. They have orders to deliver them on to the Gods and Goddess.”

  “What?! Tell me they were not ordered to kill the Temple staff at that Family Temple?”

  The answer was one word, and it was not one the Cardinal wanted to hear. “Yes.” The man flew into a rage. He actually struck the Abbess across the face with the back of his hand. Once the Abbess regained her balance she started typing away on her communicator as fast as she can. Once again the voice that came out lacks the feelings of the woman using it. “They are only following the standing orders that you put in place by your office, your Holiness. The order of Execution for all followers of the outlawed Orders and Temples has been in place for over forty years now. We cannot allow the Knights of the old Republic to return. If the Temple of Ida-ten should ever regain a foothold in that system we’ll never be able to stop them.”

  Listening to reason the Cardinal calmed down and regained his composure. “Send out the order for a full recall of all the members of the Black Rose and Crimson Shield. Once they have returned we will descend on the Temple at the Nakatoma Compound and destroy it completely along with all those who belong to House Nakatoma. This is Genocide. A complete and total eradication of that House, Temple, and Family.”

  Once again the computer voice of the Abbess stopped him cold. “Your Holiness, if you do this you will have the enter Empire down on us. The Emperor himself will be forced to send in his Death Dealers. No matter how good the Black Rose and Crimson Shield have become they don’t stand a chance against them. Especially if they send in the APS units first. Think sire you know there is a way to avoid total war with House Nakatoma, but still remove this threat.”

  The reminder that his forces were not yet strong enough to challenge the Emperor directly calmed the Cardinal. “Thank you Helen, I forget myself at times. However you’re right, I cannot directly attack the Nakatoma House without incurring the wrath of the Emperor. Do we have any more information on that abomination that is posing as their Head of House?”

  The abbess reached inside of robes and pulled out a flash disk. After handing it to the Cardinal she started typing again. “Holiness, there is not much to go on, but it has been confirmed that she is the genetic daughter of Ohmei Steel Heart and Richard Steel Heat. We have been able to confirm her birth by Gift of Life Bank, but that is as far as we can get. The GLB that she was born in was one of eight that was destroyed by the terrorist movement, Right to Life. As far as who raised her and paid for her to be born, all that tracks back to James J. Owens. We still do not have confirmation of this, but considering the secretive nature of Owens this is no surprise. The Crimson Shield investigators sent to verify that Maiha Nakatoma was his granddaughter were shown off planet at the point of a gun. It seems that even the man’s employ
ees take exception to people investigating his private life. To be honest with you, your Holiness, everywhere we turn to investigate this person we get met with force. In some cases it is just short of all-out gunfire. The two infiltrator agents we sent to his personal compound were gunned down by the security force there. Unfortunately the security officers were operating within their orders of shoot on sight for all trespassers.”

  The more Richelieu read and heard the madder he became. The fact that no one knew anything about this girl and where she came from vexed the man to no end. His spies should be able to find out everything about a person and where they came from. This child though defied his every attempt to uncover her secrets. It was as if she was a ghost with no past. If anything this made her that more of a danger to his plans. She had to be a plant by the Emperor to stop him, but his spies said this was not the case. The fact that she was the heir to two of the most important Houses and the First High Lord of the Death Dealers was too much to ignore. Now, she is actively reforming the lost orders of Ida-ten was even more worrisome.

  The knock on his office door stopped any further commentary by the abbess. “Come.” It was a signal word, but the command held more than thousand words. The fact that someone would dare to interrupt him in a meeting with the Abbess of the Silent Sisters was enough to bring down his anger. So whatever it was, it was important. As the door opened and the head of the Black Rose Order walked in he thought that his day was about to get better.