Year: 2718, April the 3rd
Sector Victory-12-33.706
Alexandria system, New England
On the northern continent, in a regular apartment in the city of Talheim Dwayne woke up. He rubbed his tired eyes as the light of day shined in through the window. Dwayne drew his hands over his bold head. The black man placed a muscular arm over the woman sleeping beside him. She was sleeping, snuggled up against him. He moved his hand gently through her auburn hair. Dwayne turned his attention to the window and the cloth covering it, preventing most of the sunlight from entering. As he sat up he rubbed his dark blue eyes again. He forced his athletically built body out of bed, hearing a moan in protest when the woman felt his presence and body heat disappear.
He smiled and walked over to the window. He pulled the cloth away and looked out. He could see the apartment stretching across from this one. It was brown and green metal that stretched. He opened the window and the traffic of the living reached into the apartment. He closed the window, not wanting Katie to wake up. He pulled a pair of light blue pants on and walked to the door for fresh air. He walked outside onto the walkway stretching along the wall.
There was at least twenty meters between this apartment and the one facing it. He was glad that he lived on the two-hundred and ninth floor instead of one of the lower. This was he could see and feel the sun every morning. Dozens of small shuttles, from one to four or five manned tiny speeders, hoover cars, slowly moved through the two way traffic. A hoover bus slowly made its way forward. Dwayne’s eyes saw a pair across-two floors down argue. The man and woman was yelling at each other. On his left a human woman kissed the pale lips of a Vaan’jorch female. The Vaan’jorch pulled the woman into a deeper kiss. The human tugged on her companions left horn. It was two decimeters long and stuck up from the side of her forehead. Her tail wrapped around the woman, holding her tight. After at least forty seconds the Vaan’jorch stopped and allowed the other time to breathe.
The human woman waved as the Vaan’jorch walked away with a briefcase in hand. The Vaan’jorch neighbor always was a shocking case in for him. He Dwayne would describe the Vaan’jorch with one word: Domineering. Although many of their species lived outside the Vaan’jorch Dominion, he was still surprised to see anyone of them live a normal life and not expect servants to follow their every whim. But some of them left the Dominion to live normal lives.
In the horizon and stretching towards the sky, the massive space elevator of Talheim was visible. The massive black metal construction had four tether poles holding it in place.
He turned around when he heard footsteps. Katie stood in the doorway, smiling. And yawned.
“What are you doing out here?” She asked.
Dwayne looked down on her stomach. It wasn’t showing yet, but then again, she was only one month in. she looked down on her stomach and then up at him.
“What? You can’t wait?”
“I’m a patient man,” he said, holding her hands gently. “But come on. Nine months?”
“Eight,” she corrected him.
He smirked.
“I can hardly wait for the little guy. Or girl.”
“Well…” she started with a smirk. “…I can. I can wait eight months for the pain. It’s okay for my part.”
Dwayne leaned in and kissed her cheek. She looked into his dark blue eyes with her aqua blue wonderful eyes. For a moment they stood and silently looked into each other’s eyes.
“You know what? Let’s do it.”
Katie arched her eyebrows with a light blush coming on.
“W-we did it last night? R-remember?” She felt awkward having this conversation out here.
“What?” He frowned. “Oh, oh!” He waved her off. “I mean buying a farm near the city of Baku instead of living here. Let’s do that. Let’s raise her child in open fields and under a warm sun.”
Katie blushed a bright shade of red.
“Oh.” She blinked and rubbed the back on her head. “I-I knew that.”
Dwayne chuckled.
“Of course sweetheart. Of course you did.”
She frowned and glared softly up at him.
“Anyway…it’s a fantastic idea. I don’t want our child to be raised here,” she gestured around them. “In this hellhole.”
“I agree.”
She leaned her head against his chest-still holding his hands.
“I’ll miss you when you go back,” she whispered, barely over her breath.
“I still got a few days beautiful,” Dwayne reminded her, gently leading her back inside. “And...” he winked. “…I have a great way to pass the time.”
She looked up and smiled.
“Oh?” She asked, teasingly. “Whatever could that be my good sir knight?”
He picked her up in his arms and carried her inside. She giggled.
Dwayne heard someone yell something in an angry tone. Something about flying piglets and hell raining down from the sky. He heard a familiar sound. A skycycle. It was followed by the honking of horns and yelling. He glanced over his shoulder for a moment. The young teenage girl swirled quickly through the traffic, swooping forward in a zigzag motion. He shook his head and kicked the door closed, feeling Katie’s hands around his neck and her head on his shoulder. The outside world would have to wait a few more hours.
Year: 2718, April the 4th/Year: 6272, Vaan’jorch calendar
Sector Vaan’jorch-79-12.991
Quebix system, Quebix Prime surface, Fort Sylvia
The large desert planet was a ball of dust to many people, but for General Alydia it was much more. The ball of dust was a massive industrial block that supplied weapons, vehicles and ships to five different sectors on a permanent basis. It was equipped with shipyards that specifically constructed Dreadnoughts, Carriers and other capital ships. Building a Dreadnought was an amazing piece of engineering normally. But on Quebix it was a form of art. But furthermore, the planet was a military strongpoint. If anyone wanted to annex this sector from the Dominion, they had to take Quebix. Quebix was heavily fortified and always had a large fleet in orbit. It had a permanent defense force of millions of troops, both Jorchae, Colossal and Serphoro.
Alydia stood on an orange stone balcony, looking out over the training ground below. The sand covered training ground was filled with Jorchae and a handful of Colossal’s. The tiny four foot tall insectoid Jorchae was nothing next to the 9 foot bipedal Colossal’s. The larger heavy and hairy Colossal’s were yelling at the Jorchae. Every word frightened the majority of the insects.
Alydia’s eyes caught a Colossal that was one foot larger than the others. The ten foot white haired apelike creature stood on the border of the field. He wore silver colored metal armor, exposing his arms and chest. His black eyes glared at a few Jorchae. He pointed at them and roared. They jumped and found a higher tempo.
There were hundreds of tiny green skinned insectoids running around on the training field. Some of them flew with their four wings of their backs. The Jorchae were skinny creatures, with bony fingers, four yellow eyes and two pair of wings on their backs.
Alydia’s skin was as white and snow pale as any other Vaan’jorch. Her eyes was glowing lilac and she had a pair of four decimeter long horns. Her tail was long and beautiful, as was her long ebony black hair. For a Vaan’jorch she was fairly young. Only two-hundred and seventy-two years into her life. She was the military governor in charge of Quebix Prime and took her command very seriously. She had spent forty years preparing for a possible invasion. Underground compounds had been expanded, underground supply caches extended and increased. The number of fortified bases increased and many industries had been moved further underground. She was even shaping the Jorchae to be in the same fighting shape as the Colossal’s and Serphoro’s, something many laughed at in the beginning. Many still did today, forty years into the training program. Sense a Jorchae lives for fifty years, the first batches of troops was already dead or really old and moved into more comfortable positions. When a Jorchae soldier became old and approached his last years, he was allowed to either return home and spend it all with his family or settle in a comfortable position with a good pay of credits that his family could take great advantage of after he passed.
But she had-or rather Warlord Jael’aar had-established a system of training over the decades that actually worked and created an elite force of Jorchae. They would never be as good as the Colossal’s or the Serphoro, but they were better than regular Jorchae troops.
Jael’aar had been the only Colossal to take it seriously. Two other Warlords had been asked but they declined. Jael’aar accepted the challenge and rose, later, to be the second in command of all forces of Quebix Prime and the entire system. The Warlords that declined was not regretting it.
Alydia raised her arms and stretched them out.
“Get me my cloak,” she said.
In a moment, two Jorchae flew out of the door into the compound and out on the balcony. They had a long red cloak with them. They quickly attached it to her shoulders. About half a meter of it dragged behind her. Alydia nodded and they both disappeared.
“A bottle of Lycyrian brandy.”
A moment went by until a Jorchae flew out with a silver plate, a green glass bottle and a beautiful glass beside it. He placed it on a small table and poured up the Lycyrian brandy in the glass.
“Lady Alydia,” he said in a scrawny voice.
Alydia took the glass gently into her hand and sipped from it. She turned around and threw the glass at him. He covered himself with his bony hands.
“Not that bottle idiot!” She snapped. “Put it away! The 1639 bottle is off limits. I’m saving it for a grand opportunity. Get me a bottle from my 2680s collection.”
The Jorchae bowed his upper body in the air.
“R-right away Lady Alydia. I-I’m sorry!” He hurried off with the tray again.
Alydia shook her head in annoyance.
“Idiotic fool,” she mumbled.
He very quickly returned with another bottle. She reached out and grabbed it. Making sure he did it right this time. He flinched in fear as she glared at him again, but more softly this time.
“This bottle is from 2625, but it is okay. Good enough,” she said. He breathed out. “But next time you fail your goddess, I’ll take off your head.”
He returned to the ground and kneeled.
“My lady is very kind. I do not deserve it.”
She glanced at it. You’re right, she thought.
“Get out.”
He quickly left her alone on the balcony.
Alydia never wanted to command this ball of dust, but she made the best of it. Her Holiness Empress Elina had decorated her for her work to prepare Quebix Prime for war. She heard a beep from inside but ignored it. Her Jorchae aids would deal with whoever the visitor was. Two minutes walked by before a Jorchae female flew out to her.
“Apologize for my intrusion lady Alydia,” she bowed her head. “And, I humbly apologize for the mistake with your brandy.”
Alydia didn’t move. She continued looking out over the training grounds.
“Did you want something?”
“A message has arrived for you. It concerns the diplomatic conference.”
Alydia rolled her eyes in annoyance and groaned. The Jorchae female jumped in the air, frightened to death.
Alydia reached her long white arm out with her palm open.
It took a few seconds before the pad was placed safely and swiftly in her palm. She scrolled through the text from the Diplomatic Bauru. It had her Holy Empresses Elina’s signature. She sighed. It was confirmed than. She would have to leave and be part of some boring conference of diplomats and politicians with important figures from other governments in known space. She was happy to see that her Holiness was thinking highly of her, but this was a very boring task. Of course she would prove that she was overqualified for such a task by azzin’ it.
She glanced over her shoulder. The female Jorchae had left her presence and she didn’t even have to tell her to leave. She felt bad-for a microsecond-that she didn’t know any of her aids names.
“I want to see Warlord Jael’aar,” she said, expecting her aids to be listening.
“Immediately lady Alydia,” another female aid assured her. “But, I b-believe he is training troop-”
“I know what he’s doing!” Alydia snapped fumingly.
She turned around and glared at the aid. She was shivered to her very bones.
“I-I-I-I d-d-did-di-didn’t m-me-m-mean t-to-to-to a-a-a-a-a-nge-r-r-ang-an-a-a- y-yu-you-” she stuttered.
Before she could continue her previous aid-an older female of forty-six-well versed with a lifetime of servitude to Alydia came forth. And yet, Alydia didn’t know her name.
“She apologizes my goddess!” She quickly spat out apologetically with a polite tone. “Forgiver her mistake, oh, glorious goddess!”
Alydia looked at the first aid. She was shaking and was utterly terrified. She was so scared tears had been brought to her eyes.
“Tell Jael’aar I will speak with him. Now,” Alydia said harshly, intentionally ignoring the aid. Subtly telling her it was alright.
“Immediately lady Alydia,” the older female bowed her upper body.
She gently pushed the younger with her out of sight. She would scowl her for her mishap later but this was not the time.
Alydia looked back down again. She saw Jael’aar. A Jorchae flew up to him and handed him his communicator. He grabbed it and a red holographic figure appeared. She wasn’t close enough to see who or what species even. He handed it back and spoke shortly with a Colossal beside him. He proceeded to leave the field with swift steps. Alydia liked to see how people would always abide with her wishes and commands as quickly as possible and at that point, nothing else mattered to them.
It took ten minutes for Jael’aar to make his way up to her chambers. There was a beep on the door and one of her aids opened it and led him to the balcony.
He fell to one knee and kneeled before her.
“Goddess,” he said respectfully.
His black eyes were focusing on the floor at the moment. The large hairy mammal was large and strong enough to crush her like a bug it he had been disloyal. Unlike the other species ruled by the Vaan’jorch Dominion, no Colossal had ever-ever-ever been disloyal or lost faith in the Vaan’jorch as gods. It had never happened in the five-thousand sense they were subjugated into the great empire.
No matter what they called it, it was still an empire with one supreme and dictatorial sovereign.
“You summoned me, goddess,” Jael’aar spoke, his dark and vicious voice rumbling out.
“I did,” she said, looking over her shoulder. “I am leaving for a conference with politicians and diplomats from other governments shortly. I want you to govern until my return.”
“Me, goddess?” He asked. “I am no politicians.”
“And I am?”
He had to admit she had a good point.
“You will show strength. You are of the greatest warrior species in the galaxy. Beside, this isn’t a political position. I am a military governor.”
“The Serphoro might disagree of course,” she said, ignoring that it would upset the Colossal. “But that is something for others to decide.” She turned to him. “All I want you to do, is to continue train and build. If an important decision comes up and you don’t know, contact the Golden Concord and any of the Councilors will assist you.”
Jael’aar titled his head down deeper.
“I am honored goddess,” he spoke with humility.
“I will leave in a few days,” she informed him. “That will be all. Leave me.”
“Goddess,” he said, before rising and leaving her chambers.
She looked back down on the Jorchae training. She thought they were very impressive. After five-thousand years of dying as troops for the Vaan’jorch’s bidding, they still had not changed. It was to this day, still an honor to die for the glory of the Vaan’jorch. Just like it was in the beginning.
Although it did not show, the Vaan’jorch was worried about how the next millennia would play out. Almost eight-hundred years ago the Jorchae Duchess was created when a few billion Jorchae wanted to succeed from the Dominion. The Jorchae population still worried the Holy Empress to some extent. But the Magog was a greater concern. Many of their kind had escaped to work for the Jorchae and find “freedom” for their people, as they called it. The Magog was the economical and scientific bone of the empire. During the last three centuries, Vaan’jorch had slowly but surely moved in and taken over some departments and extremely intelligent Jorchae and Serphoro had been placed in position of importance. The Magog would never actually rebel. Alydia snorted at the idea. No, they were a species of cowards that could not fight. They proved that five-thousand years ago when they were annexed into the great Dominion.
Alydia returned inside her chambers. Her guards was closing the doors behind them, as they had shown Warlord Jael’aar out. She had-just like the majority of her people-Serphoro bodyguards. Almost all important Vaan’jorch had them. And of course, it didn’t exist such a thing as an unimportant Vaan’jorch.
The studied the Serphoro for a moment. They had their customary dark blue breathing mask covering their head. Their neck was exposed and their ebony black skin was visible. They wore dark blue titanium armor. On their arms, their skin was visible in two places. They were eight feet, unlike the Colossal’s nine teen. Jael’aar was ten feet, extra-long for a Colossal.
She believed that the Colossal’s was excellent troops and they were good at training their own people for warfare. Unfortunately the Serphoro was excellent warriors too, they were more agile and better tacticians and had a different strategic thinking the Colossal’s did not have.
Alydia walked over to her bed and dropped her cloak on the floor. She wiped her forehead and breathed out. It had to be at least forty-degrees Celsius in here. That was something she hated on this rocky sand planet or orange sand and stone. The blasted heat. A pair of Jorchae flew over. The landed on the floor and carefully grabbed and folded the cloak quickly. They flew away with it to its place when it wasn’t worn.
“Why does this planet have to be so fraggin’ hot?” Alydia asked.
The older Jorchae female flew across the chambers and turned the three ceiling fans on. The balcony door was closed and drew the large black curtains to block the sun through the windows. Her name was Din. The forty-two year old knew that Vaan’jorch’s didn’t like heat very much. They prefer cold or at least cooler environments. Although not too cold. She reminded herself to scowled the other aids for not turning the fans on immediately when the goddess entire her chambers again.
She gestured for a male aid to get a glass of ice filled water. The task was completed quickly and the glass was placed on the cupboard beside the bed. Alydia grabbed the glass and sipped from the cold water. She moaned gratefully for a moment after the first sip as the water touched her mouth and throat.
ns 15.158.61.20da2
