“Why that’s? Seem like we knee-deep in shit.” Jerry said.
“Because there are around ten thousand worlds in the kingdom. Out of all of them, only several dozens see any real worldwide combat at a time. That means less than 1 percent of the kingdom’s worlds sees any type of warfare. Most troopers on worlds just sit around until their service contract is up, hence, couch warriors.” Jen explained. I didn’t know that.
“Not only that, but whenever they do meet resistance, they always lose. I mean, the troopers couldn’t even take out the gangs in this city, and our single division has been mopping them up like it's Tuesday.” Alicia added.
That reminded me of my planet. We were almost wiped out, and most of the world's local population had to pick up arms just to hold the aliens off. With the low percentage of worlds being hit, it doesn’t seem ideal to invest in every planet's military. I imagine the troopers are just the meat shield until the marines arrive to finish the job.
“That’s because the king doesn’t know what he’s doing,” Justin said. A small collective groan emerged from everyone around.
“You know you’re starting to sound like a rebel,” Gary said.
“Nah, I ain’t as brave as them,” Justin said, leaning back.
“Brave, more like specists,” Darryl said.
“Specists?” Justin echoed, almost laughing.
“Yes. The core of their argument is that the king and his many children aren’t humans. Therefore, they should not rule us.”
“They sort of have a point,” Justin said.
“Oh, come on. It’s not like the king is some four eye, eight-legged critter. He’s just a man who’s reached a higher state of being.” Darryl said.
“You sure about that. He could be some alien masquerading as a human.” Jen said. Darryl snorted and crossed his arms.
“Sounds like crappy fiction,” Darryl said. Jen looked hurt at that.
“What do you mean by a higher state of being?” I asked. Everyone looked at me, and I wondered if that was a stupid question. Sweat formed on my brow, and my heart slowed to almost a beat per minute. The silence before his answer seemed like an eternity.
“There are lots of theories about how the king is the way he is. Many theories believe all his powers are manifested from the trauma of watching the earth burn. The king doesn’t showcase his power for gain. All of it is hearsay. It’s been said he’s able to move things with his mind. He also has super strength and doesn’t age past his prime. Some theories said God or gods uplifted him, while others believe it was radioactive. Some believe he evolved his mind through sheer force of will. That’s my personal favorite.”
“Why’s that?” I asked.
“Because it allows him to think that one day, he can reach that level,” Jen said. Darryl blushed a little.
“It’s just a fantasy of mines. Imagine if one day, all people could unlock that power.”
“Sounds like a nightmare,” Alicia said. Darryl grimaced, and Jerry snorted.
“Yeah, people are dangerous enough without superpowers,” Jerry added. Darryl just shrugged.
“You people praise him like he’s a god or something,” Justin said. Many turned away from Justin, almost as if they were going to leave. Justin started reading the room, and his shoulders slumped. That’s when Rolland sighed heavily.
“I don’t know your story,” Rolland said. “However, the king’s story is well documented. I don’t understand your commitment to associating him with villainy. Humanity proves themselves poor leaders every day. My people could be starving, homeless, and have aliens up our ass. Meanwhile, the planet’s margrave would be sitting in his palace, feasting, surrounded by guards who should be fighting on the front line.
“The high king fought on the front lines many times. He nearly died fighting for his people. He risked his life, a life that isn’t dated by time, a life that by all accounts is the most valuable life in the kingdom, to keep us people safe who won’t have enough years in their life to thank him. A thousand years. A thousand years of mostly fair rule. Most people can’t manage ten.” Rolland finished. He was a man of few words, but when he spoke, he spoke. Justin looked defeated and decided to sulk in silence.
“Wait a minute… He almost died?” Jerry asked. I was curious about it too.
“Yeah. It was when the Enfys first appeared. They are a plant-like race that slowly devours a planet to grow itself. The king came down to fight them head-on because we were very ill-prepared to fight them back then. He was heavily wounded and was in a coma for years,” Rolland said.
“Then, while he was comatose, his bratty kids destroyed half the capital city in some kind of fight,” Jen said. I expected Justin to speak, but he remained silent with his head down, stirring his cleaver in the ground. He shot a few glares at Rolland but remained muted.
“That’s one problem—the king’s kids. If the king died, there’s no guarantee his kids won’t be a problem. Who will stop them if they get out of control? Them with all the king’s power and none of the benevolence.” Darryl said. Justin scoffed, finding a new opening.
“Benevolence? You mean the same king who created the cradle world system?” Justin challenged.
“Round 2!” Jerry said.
“I get it, I concede that the king isn’t a poor leader, but he isn’t benevolent. You know the entire purpose of cradle worlds is to breed people.”
“That’s well known and—”
“Do you also know that complete control of these worlds is nearly impossible? With the average world housing 20 billion people..”
“There should be guardian forces,” Alicia said.
“Guardians are all mostly bought by whoever has the most power there.” Jerry chipped in.
“Exactly. You know why I questioned the king? Because my whole neighborhood got consume by a gang. My family… cradle worlds exist to attract people like that. People who want to rape, kill, and pillage with little consequence, and the children born in these worlds are the victims. The king knows this. He created this system so that the rest of his worlds will be free of those people. The crime rate is below 7 percent in most worlds, but on cradle worlds, the crime rate is in the sixty to seventy percentiles. I wonder why? Your peaceful kingdom is built on the suffering of at least a fourth of it.” Justin said before leaving.
Everyone was left muted by that. I didn’t know that Justin was from a cradle world, and it doesn’t say it on his file. He must have moved from the world. It explained why he looked at Jerry with such contempt. gangs killed and enslaved his people. It made me wondered how many I orphaned when I was a brainwashed child.
The squad leaders each peeled off, and I decided to speak to Rolland. I found him inside by a window, looking out at the city. I allowed the women there to tell us what to do with the bodies of the gangsters. They told us to burn them, and now a massive pile of bodies burned across the street.
“Didn’t know you were an avid supporter of the king,” I said.
“If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t be here,” Rolland said. I narrowed my eyebrows.
“Explain.”
“My great grandfather was part of the Steel Marines during the Second Contact War. This time it was the Enfys, a plant-like alien with a hivemind.” Rolland said.
“Yeah, y’all mention them before. I’ve only seen Leones.”
“You’ve fought aliens?” He asked, his eyes fully wide.
“Yeah. My world fell under siege to them, and it was so bad that citizens had to pick up arms to survive.”
“Wow! So that’s where you learned to fight.” Rolland said, generally surprise. Considering how many worlds in the kingdom are attacked, it’s regarded as a grand feat to actually see aliens.
“Tell me more of your story of your grandfather,” I asked. Rolland grinned slightly. It was the first time I have seen the big man smile.
“My great grandfather wrote an entire book series of fighting the Second Contact War with the alien forces an
d next to the king.”
“The king was there?” I exclaimed. Rolland projected a screen from his Omniwatch against the wall. It showed a picture of a man descending to the ground, clad in gold armor. A golden glaive too heavy for a normal man and a bladed whip. The man wore a gold mask that only covered his face from his nose to hairline. Snow white dreadlocks protruded from his head with gold tips to them. His eyes glowed like the sun.
Is this what the king looks like?
“Yes. If he wasn’t, the kingdom would have fallen. It’s like Jen said, we didn’t have the tactics, tech, or knowledge to fight the Enfys on an even playing field like now. We didn’t know jack squat about them. My great grandfather told me they pushed us all the way to the capital city, and almost everyone was ready to quit. Then the king descended from the sky and crashed to the ground in front of the army of Enfy. The king was fully armed and ready for war.”
The projection showed the king touching his head, and purple waves burst from his other hand and caused all those plant-like creatures to scattered. Then an army of marines fired their weapons with various war machines in tow.
“Holy hell.”
“I know. That story was passed down to my whole family. Apparently, the high king used some telepathy to disturb the alien hivemind. When he did that, all planetary forces got some much-needed payback. The king was a machine of war. Entire legions revolved in and out of combat around him. He didn’t allow the Enfys a single break, a single second. He only rested for four hours and then spent the next twenty hours slaying the Enfys, pushing our forces deeper in their territory.”
Several pictures showed the high king just laying waste to aliens with his army behind him, firing off their rounds. It was cleared Rolland knew this story by heart. The high king was a hero to him, and Justin was over there smack-talking him. I’m surprised Rolland didn’t smack the talk out of him.
“The king kept pushing until they were in the heart of the territory, where the Enfys adapted to the king’s telepathic attacks. We now had to face a unified Enfy horde once more, but the king simply said, “Fight or Die! That’s the way of the universe! You are allowed to be weak for the rest of your life, but today I command you to be as strong as titans!”
It showed a picture of the king rallying the soldiers on a hill. I can’t imagine the feeling those soldiers had at that moment. I still recall being swooped up by Raven’s charisma. The king would have probably led me into such a fervor I would have run through a bullet barrage.
“The high king himself fought off against four Enfy’s titans. These were Enfy far more powerful and also possessed psychic powers. This mattered little to the king and his forces. The king fell them one by one. Humanity fought like titans for twelve hours against a foe a hundred times their number. My great grandfather noted that he felt like he was on some blood-crazed. Like the king’s own rage was fueling him and all the soldiers. Pushing them to fight harder and longer than they ever could.”
“You think the king was influencing them?”
“Probably. I don’t care, though, if it means winning an impossible battle.”
“True, true… What happened next?”
“The day was won. The king suffered traumatic injuries and fell into a coma for years, but the king earned his crown on that day. He proved his worth, and he has not stopped doing it since. Now I understand that not everything he does is perfect, but my family wouldn’t be alive today if the king wasn’t there. I dream of fighting by his side one day. That’s why I joined the army. So I could feel what it was like to fight by a king. It’s almost as impossible as becoming Vindicator. But if I can do it one time, I’ll be happy.” Rolland said.
“Wow, would’ve never thought that was your dream,” I said.
“Almost everyone back from my world dreams of fighting next to the king. It’s a common movie trope, where the king enters the battlefield, and the main character fights next to him.” Rolland said. I raised my eyebrows. I forgot that each world had its own version of entertainment. I heard Maria calling for Rolland. We both looked at her. Maria noticed me and blushed awkwardly.
“Commander, sir, can I speak to Rolland?”
“Go ahead,” I said as the two of them began speaking. I noticed Alicia staring at me. It wouldn’t be fair to alienate her. I approached her, feeling hot over and overthinking about our last interaction.
“Hey, Alicia.”
“Hey…” she said. She was probably still pissed at me for blowing her off last night. I enjoyed her company, but I didn’t believe I deserved her. Alicia arched her eyebrow and blushed a bit. I noticed I was just staring at her like a weirdo.
“Good job out there tonight,” I said.
“Just following your orders,” Alicia said, not even sparing me a glance. She was scrolling through her omniwatch. “So why did you join the army?” Alicia said. She glared at me. I could tell that all this fighting had hardened her. No more, the shy girl I met an age ago. She’s killed many by now. With the Warloons and now this base, I’m sure she’s probably dull to it now. I decided in a split second impulse decision to open up to her.
She’s going to distance herself. Tell everyone. My jaw clenched.
“I’m here to redeem myself. I grew up in a gang.” I confessed. Her eyes widened, and then she looked around. Justin had long since left the room, and many people were out of earshot.
“You’re like Jerry, then?” Alicia asked. I swallowed hard.
“I wish. He’s so happy that it seems like we have two different background stories.”
“He’s a liar,” Alicia said.
“Huh?”
“I’m familiar with putting on a mask to hide the pain. You don’t have to tell me about your past.”
“Don’t you want to know?”
“Nope. You’ve saved my life.” She said with a light smile. I figured she was talking about the Warloons. “I don’t have a right to pry about your past or pass judgment. The fact that you’re here trying to make up for the wrongs you were probably brainwashed into doing as a child tells me how much of a good person you are.” Alicia said.
I was stunned into silence for a long moment. Then a small tear broke from my eyes. More tried to fight their way out, then a flashback of pain stopped my tears in their tracks. Then my eyes dried. One tear ran down the side of my face.
“Awe…” Alicia said as she cuddled up next to me. My heart sore like never before. It felt good to have someone I could open up to. I never understood how powerful having someone to confide in was to the psyche. A great weight fell off my shoulders. Now I understood why my gang didn’t want anybody being friends and made sure we were emotionally dull. Easy to mold.
“Tell me more about the queen,” I said. Alicia’s eyes lit up. She told me about the Queen War, a contest where dozens of powerful women competed in virtual reality. In this reality, they all had to established and create a thriving colony. Meanwhile, the entire nation watched them in this reality, as none of the queens knew it was fake. The Queen War has been adapted to many TV series.
“We have to watch it after all this,” Alicia said.
“I can’t wait,” I said. Then I heard gunshots. I jumped to my feet, but it didn’t sound like we were being attacked. It came from above. One of my marines burst through the door.
“Commander! Justin just killed the prisoner!”
“Shit…” I said.
Entry 8
Phoenician Date: September 18, 1026AR
Military Time: 08:47
Phoenician Classified World: Alexandria Prime
“General, you have to listen to me. These are no more than street gangs. Their main base will exhaust our force while the rebels are still out there.” I said. The general spoke to me through my omniwatch projector. He was all geared for war with the wrong enemy. If their fighting ability last night was any indication, they were a waste of resources.
“Listen here, boy! I’ve been fighting wars longer than you’ve been alive. Don’
t you dare think you know more than me. You’ve already disobeyed my orders by attacking that base instead of waiting for reinforcements.”
“I apologize. I just thought that we could have taken them ourselves.”
“You thought? You aren’t here to think. You’re here to be a pawn for my strategy! You are an extension of my will. Now arrive here so we can finish these rebels off.”
“These aren’t rebels! They are gangs. You are about to attack a gang stronghold. They are filled to the brim with underground tunnels. You’ll be sending us in to fight a tunnel war. It doesn’t matter how many skills or tech we have; we will be exhausted.” I said. The general rolled his eyes and exhaled out his nose. He never relaxed his posture.
“I’ve fought many tunnel wars. I’ve heard enough of this rabble. These are rebels. Simple gangsters don’t have the brains to build firearms. That will be all, Commander.” The general said before signing off. I yelled out my frustration. If that gang was as closed as developed as mine, their underground tunnels ran a hundred feet deep, spreading across several acres of space. It will be hell for the marines.
“I’m sure a division of marines can handle a few thousand gangsters hiding in tunnels,” Jen said. She and part of her squad were guarding the room.
“There won’t be thousands of people in those tunnels, more like tens of thousands. Women, kids, and the elderly, drugged and abused to be crazed. Remember those Warloons? There be so many in those tunnels that even the toughest marine will be broken.” I said. Jen
I will never forget the several tunnel wars I fought. Hot and cramped. So absent of light, your mind started creating monsters in the dark. So many nightmares awaited in those tunnels. Men who haven’t seen sunlight in years, feasting on rats or anybody crazy enough to venture inside. Gang members waiting behind every corner. Warloons, Ravagers, Brutalizers are hunting through the tunnel to brutalize, rape, or eat. Now my fellow marines had to suffer that hell because of this fool. I glared at Justin, who sat handcuffed in the corner. I couldn’t help but scowl at him. I marched toward him; anger guided me.
Song of Blu Page 7
