NationStates Jolt Archive

The newly reformed Imperial Navy of Crimmond was undergoing major overhauls near Earth in several areas, as to not present a huge target to potential hostiles.

In Earth orbit, a Dreadnought sat there quietly, giving no hint as to who was onboard.

---

Kenneth Coleman, Emperor of Crimmond, strode into the conferance room and looked around at the assembled high ranking officials. The Fleetlord, several captains and a Commodore.

Kenneth took a seat, as did the others. Through an hour long briefing, he was brought up to speed on how the refits were coming, then how the crews were adapting. Slowly.

He spoke up at the end. "The people planetside are a little wary of you as well, as you know. You were legends to them. And most of the time, not the good kind. Because of that, I'm ordering that shore leave be given to all members of the Fleet in an orderly fashion. Let the people get to know them."

The Commodore, a dark skinned woman who spoke like an angel, but Kenneth thought of more as a viper waiting to strike, spoke. "That's a good idea. Many of these crews spent their lives on one space station or another. We've adapted the gravity of all ships slowly to 1G, to make transition smooth and without incident."

"Good."

----

After the meeting, the Commodore joined him in the corridors. "Yes, Commodore?"

"Emperor Coleman, perhaps you and I could discuss... morale later on?" she asked, causing him to blink and halt.

He turned slowly at her, eyeing her for nearly ten seconds. "You've known me for barely an hour and a half and you're asking me to have dinner with you?"

The Commodore nodded, ever so slightly. "Yes, sir."

"What are you after, Commodore Vakko?" She blinked as she realized he knew who she was.

She tilted her head. "To further ease tensions between Fleet and Ground."

Coleman chuckled. "No, that's not it. You want everything. Power, loyalty of the people and the authority to do what you please, within reason. And I would assist you in your rise to power in the Navy... in exchange for what? Your body? Your hand in marriage? So you could then have a claim to the throne?" His voice grew low and soft, his eyes locked on hers. "I am Emperor for a reason, Vakko. I have spent a lifetime behind the scenes, observing political backstabing and manuvering. I am very much my father's son."

Vakko didn't answer, her gaze getting colder. Damn him... she would have to find another way to gain the power she craved.

He straightened up and smiled suddenly. "How's 2100 hours in the Imperial Palace? I hear that the chef is preparing ribeye steaks. Best in the nation." Kenneth walks off, leaving her in a slight state of shock... he had seen through her plans with ease, had only missed a couple of the finer points of it and... still accepted her offer? Vakko walked off in the other direction, unsure of the Emperor's own plans...

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Kenneth Coleman II
Emperor of Crimmond

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Commodore Catalina Vakko
Crimmond Imperial Navy

Inside of Gholgoth, a darkness dwelled. And Darkness, like it's opposite the Light, desires to spread.

Delta looked at the men and woman training. Most were sparring with each other, instructors watching and advising. Three were sparring their instructors. Not an uncommon thing. Teach through example. Show them their weaknesses here by placing them on their backs or faces several times. Soon the weaknesses vanish. That or the student does and another takes their place.

One caught his eye. The instructor was on the defensive more than the offensive, which was a good sign that the student learned well. But... the instructor was not just any martial arts blackbelt. It was one of The Twins, Delta's only converts from the Imperial Inquisition. As Delta watched, the Twin kicked at the student and his leg was caught, the student came around with a kick of his own, following up by releasing the Twin and continuing the spin to kick him not once, but twice more, driving the Twin out of the sparring ring. The student was so focused, he started to follow. He kickied the Twin three more times, before other instructors pulled the man off the retired Agent.

"Enough!" Delta's voice rumbled over the courtyard filled with such rings. Everyone stopped moving. He stepped down the stairs and up to the man. "You forced the Twin out of the battle circle and you still attacked. That is against the rules." A motion of his hand and the man was released, the instrutors leaving to tend to the herd of students. "Why did you do it? Did you not notice that you were both outisde the circle?"

The man, a wanderer from Automagfreek in his twenties and full of battle spirit, glared into Delta's void filled eyes. "No. I knew... I saw he was on the defensive. I..." A pause. "I wanted to make sure he knew I was not inferior to him."

Delta tilted his head and removed his broad brimmed hat. "My boy... you are inferior to him, until you prove yourself otherwise. Beating him does not do that. Why? Because he is not a Freek. You must beat the best of your own before you are deemed equals to The Twins and the other instructors. Who is the best Freek warrior?"

A pause. "Lord Dreadfire." he answered, sounding sure of himself.

"Correct." Delta stepped away and looked at a barred doorway. He nodded and the bar lifted. The door swung open and revealed the being inside.

A man that looked exactly as Damien had in his Destroyer days, before recieving the name Dreadfire, stepped forward, wearing the same bodysuit and mask. He bowed his head to Delta and eyed the man as Delta spoke. "The Redeemer may only be a clone of Dreadfire, but Dreadfire himself would be hard pressed to beat him. He is trained in combat forms that not even Rayne knew existed. He is the epitome of what a Freek could be in combat." He replaces his hat and moves away.

"Begin!"

------------

The Redeemer swung and missed. The man was fast... before the student could counter-attack, he recieved a boot to the chest, sending him flying. There was no circle for this match... it was true combat. The Redeemer came at him full speed, slamming into the smaller man as if he was a bull. Picked him up and threw him to the ground with a roar.

The man coughed and sputtered, standing slowly as the Redeemer approached. He kicked out and hit groin. The clone reeled in momentary pain and backed off, as the man grabbed a rock and threw it. It struck the mask and bounced off, but blood rand down from behind it. Another roar and the Redeemer grabbed a bench and swung the makeshift weapon around and barely missed the man. It was certain to kill if it struck, but if it missed, it took too long to bring back. The Redeemer let go as he was lept upon. The battle see-sawed for about three minutes, the student only staying in the game because of his agility, until the Redeemer grabbed the man by the throat and threw him ten feet. He crumpled against a concrete wall, unconcious but alive.

The Redeemer looked at Delta, who had somehow appeared near the fallen student. He placed his hand on the man's head and he woke up, coughing some. "You performed better than I expected, but you are not equal yet, boy. You will face the Redeemer again, when you are ready... that will take months. You need to heal and train much more than you have to be more than a warmup to this man. Sit there and watch how true masters battle."

-----------

Delta and the Redeemer squared off, stripped to the waist except for the Redeemer's mask. They moved at each other with a speed that amazed even instructors. Blows were traded almost faster than one could watch, as they grappled and spun around each other. Even The Twins, who knew what Delta could do firsthand, looked impressed. In a matter of moments, The Redeemer was a battered and bloody mess. Delta hadn't broken a sweat, though he limped and his left arm had an extra bend in it. The Redeemer raised his arms in concession. He allways ended up doing that. Delta looked at the arm and set it himself, a dark cloud forming around it. "The human body is such a frail thing, for being so complex. The Creator made it too easy for you to kill each other, I think."

The injured student was helped away at a wave of Delta's hand and the Redeemer staggared away on his own power.

---

Sometime later, Delta walked with The Twins. "What do you two think? Are these recruits up to our standards?"

"Yes, I think most are above and only two are below." "They will shape up in the next two weeks or be delivered to you for a memory wipe, Delta." "Now, would you mind telling us why you nearly killed our best recruit?"

"Because he thinks he is the best. Never think that. Even if you are. You will make mistakes and you will get yourself killed. Look at the plotline to any of your action movies. The man shouting he is the best invariably gets killed by the second best. We cannot allow our organization to be discovered. Damien, Dayne, Coleman, they do not have the balls to do what is best for this alliance. So it must have a sacrfice within it's borders. A city must be destroyed by it's own people."

Both looked at him, not liking what they were hearing, but not enough to say so. "How?" they asked in unison.

"In good time, . It is not that I do not trust you... it is that I do not trust anyone. Not with that Deathdealer Damien has or the old witch that dwells in Pantera. I know where she is, but I cannot find where The One is... that troubles me. He is the single biggest threat to what I plan, because he could stop it as easy as the Redeemer put that boy in the infirmary. I hope that he will not notice until it is too late, though."

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Delta
Former Emperor of Crimmond
Former Black Staff Agent

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The Twins
Former Imperial Inquisitors

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The Redeemer
Clone of Damien Dreadfire
Angry Freak of Nature

At dinner, the Vakko and Coleman chatted about the state of the Empire, the fleet and other things that were important, but niether really was interested in at the moment. After the meal, Vakko followed the Emperor to his office. She made no attempt to hide her reaction... it was so much like the stories she had heard. Books in their shelves smelling of preserving oils, a fireplace filling the office with the smell of burning oak, the subdued lighting and the ancient wooden furniture that showed use, but not too much. Coleman sat behind the large wooden desk with it's out of place computer monitor. "Take a seat, Commodore."

She did so. "Emperor... Why did you agree to a meal with me even though you saw through my intentions so clearly?"

Coleman leaned back and considered an answer, letting her wait for a minute or two. "I accepted not because I particularly enjoy your company, though you are rather attractive and have eyes that could melt a lesser man... but because you have a mind that, left to it's own devices, is dangerous. You would undoubtedly find another way to get power. One that would most likely involve some of my plans shattering. I have many plans and many of them are critical to the survival of the Empire. You can be useful to them, or can destroy them. I would prefer the former." He looks at her. "You are also a Commodore. A military position that commands respect from civilians and military alike. That means you would have little difficulty cementing your support against me. I, too have military experience... though all of mine is classified for reasons that most of what I did would be considered immorale and illegal or saved the Empire from a threat that the military does not wish the public to know about."

Vakko nods. "So you want me on your side... as what? A pet you can tell to strike at your enemies?"

"Nothing so melodramatic, Vakko. I intend for you to either rule the Empire once I die, or to have whatever child we may have that will one day rule it." Coleman watched her face closely. To speak of such an.... alliance?... so casually caught her off guard.

Vakko quickly composed herself. "You Colemans don't like double talk, do you? Alright, Coleman... I'll bite. If you are expecting me to shed this uniform and let you have your way with me on your desk, though..."

Coleman chuckled. "I wouldn't do something like that, Catalina." He smiled as she arched an eyebrow at his use of her first name. "At the moment, this is a partnership. Later, it will develop into marriage... perhaps with a relationship, perhaps not. Until then, consider yourself on your way to being Empress, one way or the other."

Over the next two months, Coleman and Vakko met repeatedly, discussing policy regarding the fleet and re-integration. That this was buiding resentment in the Marine Corps was not a surprise, with the long history of rivalry between the two branches. The extent of that wasn't known fully, though. Delta stood in the office of General Joaquim Werner Heisenberg, a descendant of a relative of the famed scientist. The man was a far cry from the scientist that even Delta respected, for his work on delaying the German nuclear weapon's program. Such devices apalled him.

Heisenberg stood and looked Delta in the eyes. "What you propose is treason."

"No. What I propose is a coup upon a coup to reinstate myself as Emperor. That is not treason, it is justice." Delta watched the general consider his words. "I can do this with or without the Corps, General. If you wish there to be a place for you in the Corps afterwards, I suggest you consider your position."

Heisenberg glared at Delta. "You made your point... Khan. Now who else knows about this?"

"Enough know. Just act as I stated and all well be well in the Empire again." At that, Delta left. Heisenberg sat in silence, considering what was said.

-----------

Vakko smiled for cameras and ignored a torrent of questions as the Emperor and herself left a resturant in the capital, four fireteams of Civils keeping the civilians back. They both got into the limo and the smile dropped. "One part of society I could do without is that vermin."

Coleman chuckled. "They're useful... if annoying at times." He sat back and looked out the window. "And the dinner was nice up until that damn reporter tipped off his friends."

She nodded and smiled a bit. "That it was. You know the sight of us together will piss off the Marines... they're already grumbling."

Coleman shrugs. "They won't try anything. After all, I was one of their best. And you control a fleet." He reaches over and pats her hand. "Just imagine how pissed they'll be in a few months after our 'whirlwind romance', true or not." He smirks and so does she. There was a friendship between them, but neither was very interested in the other. Their marriage would be a political alliance, nothing more. They had to give it time to look good, though.