The Anacreon Prefect
16-08-2005, 03:31
"Infernal beast, I'll have your head hanging in my bedchambers!"
Lepold II, King of Anacreon and Lord of the Outer Dominions, thrust the throttle forward and quickly gained on the soaring feathered fortress that was the Nyakbird.
"Quickly, turn him sunward! I'll catch him under the wing!"
A hail of needle darts thickened the air and stung at the back of the beast, forcing it to veer to the side and within a wing-beat from the racing King.
"Wait for the plummet.....now!"
A single dart stabbed out and pierced directly into the heart of the mammoth bird, dropping it down into the wilds of Sarnia. The small contingent of speedsters hovering around the young King erupted in cheers as the great monster tumbled to the ground.
"A most excellent shot Your Highness!"
"It will make a wonderful addition to your collection!"
"He should have flown straight from the very beginning, it never had any hope of escape!"
The King didn't even deign to respond to the accolades being heaped upon him, his eyes never leaving his latest kill.
"Find the body, remove the head, and dispose of the rest."
Without waiting for a responce he turned and began to journey back towards the Vicegral Palace, marking another check on his mental tally. This had been his 46'th successful Nyak hunt. It wouldn't be long before he reached fifty. There would have to be another celebration.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"In the name of the Spirit, kill me now! Please, I beg of you, end this! I can't go on like this! Please, kill me!"
First Captain Theon Aporat closed his eyes and willed the voice to fall silent. The screaming man lay barely three feet in front of him and kept trying to pull himself closer. At least, part of him tried to. Almost a third of the man stayed right where it was.
Please, fall silent! You will bring more Smyrnians to our position before we're ready! Be quiet!
The screaming didn't stop, though it did lose coherency. Eventually it degenerated into nothing but sobs and gasps of pain. That was almost worse.
"Captain?"
Starting slightly at the nearly inaudible whisper, Aporat turned to face the Lieutenant lightly tugging at his elbow and answered in a nearly identical whisper.
"Yes, Lieutenant?"
"I have word from the Blast Positions, they're ready for the command."
"Good. Give the signal."
A small nod was the Lieutenants only responce before he tapped lightly at the small button on his belt. Seconds later, the Atom Blasts several kilometers behind the soliders erupted and showered the enemy fortifications with lethal energy.
"For the King!"
With that one cheer erupting from several thousand throats, the Anacreonian soldiers lying amidst the corpses on the blasted battlfield lept to their feet and charged at the devastated Smyrnian battle lines. The wounded soldier was still screaming.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Your Highness, my son has recently fallen deathly ill. He can't even stand or eat, we must carry him everywhere and even feed him."
The woman was on her knees, bowing before the Majestic figure before her. Lepold, resting within a massive throne that shown with an inner light, hovered several feet in the air and was surrounded by a shimmering coronoa that rose above his head in a beautific halo. He appeared not so much a King as God. All around him was the High Court of Anacreaon, Dukes and Barons abounded and wealth dripped from the rings and necklaces hanging from their limbs.
"Please, I ask for your blessing so that he may receive care in one of the Temples."
As she spoke she reached out with one of her hands and touched the hem of the Kings robes, resting her fingers on the glowing fabric despite the pain that was obviously displayed on her face.
"Please."
The King looked down at the humble woman with nothing but contempt in his eyes. A quick nod summonded two guards who quickly dragged her away.
"I will consider it."
The woman cheered loudly and raised her hands to the air, fresh burns visible where she had touched the Kings robes.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A shimmer in the air and a glow surrounding the Smyrnian base spelled doom for the Anacreonian assault.
"They've got their shield back up! Quickly, find the generators before the assault falters!"
Theon waved onward the soldiers behind him then heaved up the blaster in his hands. He triggered several sustained bursts at the Smyrnian soldiers charging out of the base before he turned to follow his own orders. Once the shield was down the people would fall, with the barrier up they could hold out indefinitely.
"If we want this war over we take that shield down!"
Charging forward, the men advanced into the horrifying defensive fire coming from the base and did their best to ignore their fellows that fell to the ground missing vital parts of their anatomy.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Another course, my lord?"
At the nod from the King several servants approached and heaped succulent meats in front of the satisfied King.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
With a scream Theon collapsed to the ground, three fingers from his left hand and a chunk of his thigh ripped from the Universe through atomic disintegration. Groaning, he still stumbled onward and attempted to bring his blaster to bear once again. The ominous glow before him drew him like a moth to a flame.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Sir, one of the minor Earls has brought a dancing troupe here for tonights celebration. He'd be honored if you'd let them perform."
"Very well, I'll allow them to perform."
Smiling, the messenger scampered off and whispered into the ear of a scantily clad woman who quickly rushed beyond the boundries of the room. Within minutes she returned with another dozen women in tow.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"About damn time."
Grinning ferociously, Theon raised his blaster and raked the quartz D-tubes before him with sustained blasts from his barely functioning blaster. When he lowered his hand, or when he simply couldn't summon the control to hold it up anymore, he twisted his head to the side and activated his small radio.
"Shield is down, commence bombardment."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The women soared through the air, leaping and twirling in a dazzling display of athletic prowess. All the eyes of the room were drawn to the stunning performance and, with only severe force of will, one of the servants just barely managed to distract himself from the performance long enough to acknowledge the flashing comm signal along the back wall. He was glad he did.
"Sir, I have news from the front!"
The room froze as if a Flasher had suddenly erupted.
"Approach."
Hurridly, the servant approached the King whose throne lowered to the ground and slowly lost its shine. Kneeling at his feet, the servant whispered rapidly and excitedly, practically swelling with the information he was revealing. The King was likewise enraptured, the news seemed to breach the little cocoon within which he lived his life.
"My friends, we have peace!"
The Kings voice, artificially enhanced, echoed throughout the grand room.
"Our valiant forces have finally forced the minions of Smyrno from our land! Not one stellar system of Anacreon remains in the hands of our vile enemies!"
Cheers erupted, even louder than when the performers began to dance.
"At last our difficult struggle is over! Our sacrifices have not been in vain! All that we have fought for, all our hard work, has finally paid off!"
Another cheer, and the rooms occupants raised their glasses.
"Our hardships are finally over!"
Lepold II, King of Anacreon and Lord of the Outer Dominions, thrust the throttle forward and quickly gained on the soaring feathered fortress that was the Nyakbird.
"Quickly, turn him sunward! I'll catch him under the wing!"
A hail of needle darts thickened the air and stung at the back of the beast, forcing it to veer to the side and within a wing-beat from the racing King.
"Wait for the plummet.....now!"
A single dart stabbed out and pierced directly into the heart of the mammoth bird, dropping it down into the wilds of Sarnia. The small contingent of speedsters hovering around the young King erupted in cheers as the great monster tumbled to the ground.
"A most excellent shot Your Highness!"
"It will make a wonderful addition to your collection!"
"He should have flown straight from the very beginning, it never had any hope of escape!"
The King didn't even deign to respond to the accolades being heaped upon him, his eyes never leaving his latest kill.
"Find the body, remove the head, and dispose of the rest."
Without waiting for a responce he turned and began to journey back towards the Vicegral Palace, marking another check on his mental tally. This had been his 46'th successful Nyak hunt. It wouldn't be long before he reached fifty. There would have to be another celebration.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"In the name of the Spirit, kill me now! Please, I beg of you, end this! I can't go on like this! Please, kill me!"
First Captain Theon Aporat closed his eyes and willed the voice to fall silent. The screaming man lay barely three feet in front of him and kept trying to pull himself closer. At least, part of him tried to. Almost a third of the man stayed right where it was.
Please, fall silent! You will bring more Smyrnians to our position before we're ready! Be quiet!
The screaming didn't stop, though it did lose coherency. Eventually it degenerated into nothing but sobs and gasps of pain. That was almost worse.
"Captain?"
Starting slightly at the nearly inaudible whisper, Aporat turned to face the Lieutenant lightly tugging at his elbow and answered in a nearly identical whisper.
"Yes, Lieutenant?"
"I have word from the Blast Positions, they're ready for the command."
"Good. Give the signal."
A small nod was the Lieutenants only responce before he tapped lightly at the small button on his belt. Seconds later, the Atom Blasts several kilometers behind the soliders erupted and showered the enemy fortifications with lethal energy.
"For the King!"
With that one cheer erupting from several thousand throats, the Anacreonian soldiers lying amidst the corpses on the blasted battlfield lept to their feet and charged at the devastated Smyrnian battle lines. The wounded soldier was still screaming.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Your Highness, my son has recently fallen deathly ill. He can't even stand or eat, we must carry him everywhere and even feed him."
The woman was on her knees, bowing before the Majestic figure before her. Lepold, resting within a massive throne that shown with an inner light, hovered several feet in the air and was surrounded by a shimmering coronoa that rose above his head in a beautific halo. He appeared not so much a King as God. All around him was the High Court of Anacreaon, Dukes and Barons abounded and wealth dripped from the rings and necklaces hanging from their limbs.
"Please, I ask for your blessing so that he may receive care in one of the Temples."
As she spoke she reached out with one of her hands and touched the hem of the Kings robes, resting her fingers on the glowing fabric despite the pain that was obviously displayed on her face.
"Please."
The King looked down at the humble woman with nothing but contempt in his eyes. A quick nod summonded two guards who quickly dragged her away.
"I will consider it."
The woman cheered loudly and raised her hands to the air, fresh burns visible where she had touched the Kings robes.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A shimmer in the air and a glow surrounding the Smyrnian base spelled doom for the Anacreonian assault.
"They've got their shield back up! Quickly, find the generators before the assault falters!"
Theon waved onward the soldiers behind him then heaved up the blaster in his hands. He triggered several sustained bursts at the Smyrnian soldiers charging out of the base before he turned to follow his own orders. Once the shield was down the people would fall, with the barrier up they could hold out indefinitely.
"If we want this war over we take that shield down!"
Charging forward, the men advanced into the horrifying defensive fire coming from the base and did their best to ignore their fellows that fell to the ground missing vital parts of their anatomy.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Another course, my lord?"
At the nod from the King several servants approached and heaped succulent meats in front of the satisfied King.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
With a scream Theon collapsed to the ground, three fingers from his left hand and a chunk of his thigh ripped from the Universe through atomic disintegration. Groaning, he still stumbled onward and attempted to bring his blaster to bear once again. The ominous glow before him drew him like a moth to a flame.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Sir, one of the minor Earls has brought a dancing troupe here for tonights celebration. He'd be honored if you'd let them perform."
"Very well, I'll allow them to perform."
Smiling, the messenger scampered off and whispered into the ear of a scantily clad woman who quickly rushed beyond the boundries of the room. Within minutes she returned with another dozen women in tow.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"About damn time."
Grinning ferociously, Theon raised his blaster and raked the quartz D-tubes before him with sustained blasts from his barely functioning blaster. When he lowered his hand, or when he simply couldn't summon the control to hold it up anymore, he twisted his head to the side and activated his small radio.
"Shield is down, commence bombardment."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The women soared through the air, leaping and twirling in a dazzling display of athletic prowess. All the eyes of the room were drawn to the stunning performance and, with only severe force of will, one of the servants just barely managed to distract himself from the performance long enough to acknowledge the flashing comm signal along the back wall. He was glad he did.
"Sir, I have news from the front!"
The room froze as if a Flasher had suddenly erupted.
"Approach."
Hurridly, the servant approached the King whose throne lowered to the ground and slowly lost its shine. Kneeling at his feet, the servant whispered rapidly and excitedly, practically swelling with the information he was revealing. The King was likewise enraptured, the news seemed to breach the little cocoon within which he lived his life.
"My friends, we have peace!"
The Kings voice, artificially enhanced, echoed throughout the grand room.
"Our valiant forces have finally forced the minions of Smyrno from our land! Not one stellar system of Anacreon remains in the hands of our vile enemies!"
Cheers erupted, even louder than when the performers began to dance.
"At last our difficult struggle is over! Our sacrifices have not been in vain! All that we have fought for, all our hard work, has finally paid off!"
Another cheer, and the rooms occupants raised their glasses.
"Our hardships are finally over!"