Futuristic Glory To The Empire!

[Skylord Nexus]

The Nexairian Empire, for over 50,000 years, it has stood as a beacon of hope and prosperity to the rest of the multiverse. That's what they'd have the people of the multiverse believe at least. Admittedly this may be true, assuming the people in question were wealthy and/or valuable enough, being able to live under a simulated sky or a city planet or perhaps even see the sun with their own eyes if fortunate enough, this however, is not most people. Most people of the empire are nothing but disposable labour, destine to see nothing but a metal sky and light of the city above, taxed for almost everything, threatened and forced into subservience, forced to fight for an Empire that would not fight for them. This is an Empire where the lives of the few outweigh those of the many. So how appropriate that our story begins today with just that, with the few that inevitable effect the many for better or worse. For in the multiverse, there is no light and dark, no good and evil, no black and white, there are only the shades of grey that lie in between... okay so perhaps not the best turn of phrase but the metaphor serves it's purpose, if any of you say a thing I'll fry you with a laser.​

Prologue:
Our story begins much like any other story would, a peaceful, tranquil day, at least by Imperial standards, which to be fair, is quite violent and loud. Servants rushed around, ensuring that everything remained clean. Secretaries, runners and the likes ran around ensuring all information arrived where needed and all events were being prepared for. Guard patrolled every inch of everywhere, ensuring there were ready for any threat. Then, of course, there were the nobles, who mostly busied themselves with looking important, and ensuring their ego's had been thoroughly satiated for the day. All in all, another normal day in a tyrannical Empire ruled over by a high class, almost exclusively consisting of assholes.​

Of course over people start their day's off a little differently. A prime example of this is being on a ship, alarms blazing and lights flashing, the sound of weapons fire down every corner as imperial kill squads make there way down every corridor, killing anything in the way. The squads' white armour, with intricate gold pattern carved onto every available space, only served to better show the blood that dripped down them and their weapons, making in painfully obvious that they weren't just there to kill, they were there to making it as painful and as gruesome as possible, they were there to make a lasting statement, they were there to extinguish the flames of rebellion, they were there to kill hope... unless somebody stopped them.​

 

[LadyOfStars]

Aurum Soleil


The noble’s day began at sunrise on the imperial clock and not a single second earlier or later. Machines throughout the house orchestrated the start of the day, first with the drawing of the curtains in Aurum’s bedroom to let in the sunlight as his internal clock woke him up. Over a thousand years of schedule and routine were all it took to never miss the morning activities. A minute later the double doors to his bedroom open, on the other side was a large sitting area for personal guests. Through the ornate doors came a herd of servants, men and women each dressed in a pristine white. They shuffled around the room like a well oiled machine, several little dogs doing their part without hindering the one right beside it. As Aurum sat up in the bed they fetched his clothes for the day, readied his bath water, picked out accessories, and two of them even pulled back his blanket for him. Right one schedule a chime resounded through the room to signal that the bath was full and the water was warm. Right away the head butler and maid approached him and started to remove his clothes, as they did he started to walk to the on-suite and by the time he made it to the door he was completely without clothes.


A few minutes in the large tub and then back out to be dried by the head butler and maid while today’s agenda and last night’s events were reported to him. News of the House Soleil’s businesses and spy network were reported to him after he left the bathroom, as the group of servants combed his hair, cleaned his nails, scrubbed his feet, and lotions his skin. Then he stood with his arms out at his sides and the many servants gathered dressed him from head to toe. Shimmering earrings, a robe of stark-white synthetic material with golden trim, six rings with each having its own jewel, and a pair of thin slip-on shoes. It took only two hours to complete this morning ritual and once it was done the servants filed out of the room in two perfect lines followed by Aurum at the back. The bedroom curtains closed, the door locked, and the lights went off as they headed to the corridors. The massive Soleil mansion on Nexaria had been expanded upon several hundred times at Aurum’s request and was now large enough to house the population of a small town. There were just as many servants, each with a special task and a specific part of the home to attend to. Down on first floor the kitchen was alive with several cooks preparing several different meals for Aurum’s breakfast. Each day was a surprise as the smell was unable to travel through the halls thanks to great ventilation. From the fifth floor down to the third where the kitchen, dining rooms, ball rooms, and great rooms were. By this time his entourage dwindled down to just the Head butler and maid as they accompanied him to a table already set with food just served. A smorgasbord of options for him to choose from and the past two thousand year it has been the same thing, French toast.


While he ate his breakfast, The Overseer was put through a rigorous checklist to ensure the ship was in optimal condition for space travel. The other vessels in the fleet underwent the same series of tests to make sure that they too were in top form. After breakfast it took a short ride to reach the nearby hangar where the Overseer was stored. Several thousand feet above that, orbiting the planet was a space station where the rest of the ships were docked. “Depart when ready.” His voice entered the control room just as the doors slid open to reveal Aurum’s form. His long white hair neatly laid against his white robes. The crew saluted him and when he stepped on to the deck they all scrambled to their places. A throne-like seat positioned at the center of the room was Aurum’s chair. With grace he moved to the vacant seat and swept his robes underneath himself just before he sat down. The powerful hum of the engines signaled the ship’s take off and by the time they left the atmosphere the rest of the fleet had fallen into formation around the Overseer.​

 

[Skylord Nexus]

One of the men on Aurum's bridge would then turn around from his station to address the elegant man "My lord. We are receiving a call from Lord General Arcadius, I'll patch it through now." The officer then turned back to his post and began pressing at his panel. A small hole would then open in the ceiling above Aurum and a small white and gold cube would float down and position itself in front of him, it proceeded to break apart and split into four corner pieces and flew away from each other, beams of light then formed between them to form a rectangle and in the area inside, an image was formed.

The image showed was of a seemingly young man with vibrant sapphire eyes, he was wearing what seemed to be a mix between normal, refined clothing, and royal guard armour, the intricate gold patterning giving him a deceptively elegant appearance. This was definitely the Lord General. From the background, it seemed he was heading somewhere in somewhat of a hurry, his metal boots clanking against the marble floors of the Imperial Palace. It would also seem as though he hadn't seen his communication request be accepted as it took him a number of seconds before glancing over and seeing Aurum's face, the look of surprise on his face was short lived however as he gave the man a light bow before he began speaking, his strangely unrefined, normal sounding voice creating stark contrast to the position he and his family held "Lord Soleil, apologies for calling you so unexpectedly, but I, and by extension the Emperor, have requested to make of you. Unfortunately, security forbids me from immediately, as such I require your presence at the Imperial Palace, upon your arrival a courier will bring you to me. Good Day." With that, the communication ended and the cube compacted itself, returning to it's home in the ceiling.

 

[LadyOfStars]

Aurum Soleil ​

Before he could make himself comfortable in his seat the voice of one of the communications officers rang out over the low chatter of the control room. Aurum’s gaze slowly shifted to look at the man and when he heard the news he was irritated. Not only was it too early in his day to be dealing with the Empire’s affairs, but the officer had patched the Lord General through without Aurum’s direction. It was a mistake that would cost the man his job once they docked. For now however he took the time to compose himself while the projector device moved into position before him.


When the blond haired man appeared on screen Aurum quickly looked him over and examined his background. The Lord General’s delayed speech only served to irritate the Lord Commander even more as he found his time to be quite precious. But when the words finally left the man’s mouth, Aurum found himself wishing that he had stayed quiet instead. He disliked being summoned, but being summoned in such a rushed manner meant that something was wrong and a mess needing to be cleaned up. “Damn it.” He swore in a hushed voice as his hands tightened into fists on the sleek arms of his metallic chair. Now he was even more pissed at the communications officer. “Guards, remove the Communications Officer from The Overseer immediately. As of now he is unemployed and bring someone from engineering to temporarily fill his position.” The declaration caught everyone off guard, but the armed soldiers to his left and right acted right away. They moved through the desks to their target and seized the man in a tight grip, then proceeded to escort him off the bridge.


As the Soleil armada hovered in the void of space, every captain knew something was wrong. Aurum was nothing if not punctual so their prolonged idling was a bad omen. Activating a holographic terminal on his seat, Aurum activated the armada’s private communication line between the captains of the different ships. “The Overseer will be going to the Imperial Palace, one of you will accompany us. The rest will follow behind after a thirty minute delay.” After a affirmative response from them all Aurum waved his hand and signaled for the captain to get them moving.


The Overseer peeled away from the formation and one of The Cloaks followed after it. Right away they diverted all power to the ships’ engines and raced across the stars towards their destination. As they traveled Aurum ran possible scenarios in his head and the one he wanted to avoid the most was anything that involved the Emperor’s children. He was confident he could deal with anything, but the amount of time and energy to deal with them was something he preferred not to do. He slouched back in his seat and one of the guards approached to notify him that they had just launched the former communications officer off the ship in an escape pod. “I hope he dies.” Aurum said without trying to conceal his disdain.


As the ship tore through stardust and meteor rubble the sight of the palace came into view. “Keep The Overseer in orbit, I’ll teleport down.” He got up and everyone saluted the Lord Commander until he was gone from the room. His guards followed him and the three of them beamed down to the palace’s teleportation room. Aurum’s white hair settled against his robes and he looked around, expecting the Lord General to be present to greet him now.

Skylord Nexus

 

[Skylord Nexus]

Location: Nexaria: Imperial Palace

As usual, the palace was bustling with activity, nobles passing through on 'important' business, servants ensuring that the building stayed pristine, royal guards patrolling and standing guard, as well as various other action befitting the political heart of the largest Empire in known history. Almost immediately a young man dressed in refined, but obviously cheap, clothes approached Aurum, stopping an appropriate distance away from him and bowing deeply "Lord Soleil, Lord General Arcadius regrets not being able to meet you in person, but there was a matter which needed his attention. I will be escorting you to his study. If you could follow, please." With that, the man began walking down one of the numerous corridors of the city-sized palace.

After ten minutes of walking, the group would eventually reach a large door with the symbol of not only the Lord General but also that of house Arcadius emblazoned on it. The Courier stopped and opened the large door revealing a large room which seemed more like an armoury than a study. Many different weapons lined the walls, everything from sword and bow to blasters and what seemed to be a rocket launcher propped up in the corner, in the centre of the room was a large but simple desk with Lord General Janus Arcadius sitting at it, his fingers rubbing his temples. Looking up to see the Lord Commander in the doorway, the blonde motioned for him to enter and for the Courier and guards to leave, which they did, Aurums guards seeming to wait at the doors as they shut. "Let me get right down to business. I have a task which I have been authorised, by Emperor Solrac, to give you, this assignment will last for the predicted duration of a week and will take place here. If you accept, I am authorised to give you anything, so long as it's within reason that is. So far no soldier or Noble have been up to the task, and the Emperor believes you may be one of the best suited for the task, I am inclined to agree with him. Do you accept?" In spite of the seemingly valuable payment for the completion of the task, any man of intelligence would be able to tell that the Lord General was being deliberately vague about the finer details.

 

[LadyOfStars]

The palace was a hideous homage to the Emperor’s twisted personality and Aurum hated every inch of the ugly building. Perhaps if their leader hadn’t undergone such a drastic personality change, the palace would be much more appealing, but that was not his concern. His home was beautiful, a work of art of his own design. His thoughts were brought back to reality when a voice not belonging to Arcadius greeted them. There was no point in fussing over things like this so Aurum simply followed along behind the lesser being as they traveled through the large hall.


He saw several very familiar faces as they walked the corridors; some enemies, some allies, others losers of the great game, and even a few who worked directly under him. Of all the faces he acknowledged none of them, giving them momentarily glances a brief as a lightning bolt strike. As they approached the study of the Lord General Aurum looked up and down the hall then followed the courier inside. No matter how many times he saw this office it was never any less appealing to his eyes. Style and aesthetic didn't exist in this room, only the unflattering color scheme of metal weapons.


While Arcadius started to speak Aurum stepped around the empty chair in front of his desk and sat down. He pushed himself back into the seat and crossed his left leg over his right. “The lack of detail on this task is worrisome, but I am here to serve the Emperor.” His eyes looked to the Lord General and quickly examined his figure. “So what is it that his Imperial Majesty needs me to do? What was so pressing that you rushed me to get here Janus?” There was a hint of venom in his tone when he said the other’s name, but Aurum kept his face neutral.

 

[Skylord Nexus]

Despite Aurum's venomous tone, Janus kept his composure and continued to be as polite as he usually was "Well Lord Aurum." The blonde then paused for several seconds, partly in thought on how best to describe the task, and partly as a way to piss the Lord off "The task will involve you overseeing a man of great importance, he has a tendency to find trouble wherever he goes. You merely have to keep him docile enough to not cause any big issues. This individual is..." Janus then trailed off, trying desperately to figure out a way to break the news softly because he knew Aurum wasn't going to like it, unfortunately, he found none and so after a sigh released the name "Arc-Prince Lucius."

Janus proceeded to stand up from his chair and began pacing back and forth in front of the Lord "Now I know your personal feelings on the matter so please save it. The problem is, is that no matter who we have escort Luci- err the Arc-Prince around, they always end up refusing to do it again, in some cases, they are reduced to a babbling mess. On top of that, he always ends up defacing something of his brother, who then finds out and goes on a murder spree in a blind rage for an hour, and that's if we're lucky." He then stopped and pinched the bridge of his nose in an attempt to calm down before leaning onto the table, closing the distance between him and Aurum, looking him in the eyes "So as you can imagine, there is almost no price we aren't willing to pay you to keep him in line, and even if you can't, the payment will still be big enough to turn your head, I assure you." Janus then backed off, returning to his seat "So, what do you say?"

 

[LadyOfStars]

The explanation of the mission had started out fairly acceptable; Aurum didn’t mind supervising despite how simple and tedious it could be. That small shimmer of hope in his eyes however, quickly turned into a glare of disdain as Arcadius continued on. Of all the people in this vast empire they chose him to become a babysitter to one of the most problematic beings to ever exist. Scenarios immediately played in his head, all of which ended with the death of the prince after the royal managed to somehow overstep. Aurum slowly sat up straight in the seat and his hand clothed the arms of the chair.


“You rushed me here to offer me a job as a nanny? How dare you even consider me for this task?” With the sacrifices he had made and the feats he had achieved in the Empire’s nae, Aurum was offended and a bit confused by the fact that the Emperor and Arcadius thought he would the best man for this job. “The Emperor must be mentally unwell and you just as insane for supporting this outrageous idea.” Aurum pushed up from his seat and he felt his blood racing, anger and frustration coursed through his veins. “You take responsibility for the Prince. Consider him another soldier in the imperial army.”


Aurum threw his hands up, rings glistening in the light as he held them up as if to wash his hands of this entire encounter. “I want no part of this. Tell His Imperial Highness that I remain his loyal servant, but I won’t suffer either of his children. There isn’t anything in any dimension or galaxy that he could offer me that would change my mind.”

 

[Eldarkon]

Aldarian's internal clock woke him up at the same time every morning. Whether he was behind enemy lines or in an imperial condo, it was always the same. Waking up from his bed, the computer drew back the curtains to reveal the stunning view of Nexus. Out of all the foreign and distant worlds that Aldarian had visited over his thousands of years as a solider, Nexus was definitely one of the most beautiful. One of the perks of being a cybernetic organism is that you don't have to worry about personal hygiene. Aldarian's morning routine was simply waking up, and did not require a multitude of servants to tend his every need. Although he was both a Lord commander and a Noble and had both the wealth, resources, and right to have hundreds of servants, Aldarian was a modest man. His home on Nexus was in fact very basic, and was not very big or extravagant like other nobles. He would rather save his wealth and resources, for when the time was right.

However, Aldarian did like his hovercars and starships, and would always have the latest, most advanced models that Imperial technology could produce. Over the years, he built up quite a collection enough for them to fill up a warehouse. He did a system diagnosis, gathered his things, and left his Condo to start his daily business. Exiting his condo, Aldarian hoped in his Hypersport Grand Nexus, one of the most expensive and technologically advanced hovercar in the empire. Not to mention it was FAST. It was custom made to fit his height and frame, as well as to link up with his internal systems

Spoiler: Hovercar

All information that Aldarian would needed to be updated on was sent directly into his cybernetic brain. His daily schedule, Reports on missions, assignments from his superiors, and updates on HADES. It was fast, efficient, and messages could be sent in great detail. Today Aldarian would be visiting the Imperial Military Academy, scouting for trainees that would be selected for the Imperial special forces. This was routine, as now every year new recruits would be chosen to replace the lost ones. Aldarian supervised every aspect of the selection and planning for Imperial special forces, and would personally train the Imperial Commandos. His HADES unit was comprised of the best of the soldiers in the empire, the elite. He had one of the greatest responsibilities in the empire, and he couldn't let his superiors or his soldiers down.

Skylord Nexus​

 

[Skylord Nexus]

Janus gave a heavy sigh and glared back at the Lord. Seeming tired of playing good cop, he switched to bad cop "The Emperor asked for you by name, if you turn this down you will be politically crippled, though I would assume that alone won't be enough to convince you, so all I'll say is that it would certainly be a shame if Dargo was to find out that something of his got defaced because of you." Janus continued to glare at Aurum, the look in his eyes showing nothing but honesty. He then sighed again, returning to his regular composure "Besides, you make it sound like Lucius is an idiot or a child, instead of the smartest man alive, AND the future Emperor, it wouldn't hurt to gain favour with him now."

Janus then leaned back in his chair and looked at Aurum with as much sincerity as he could muster "Aurum, look, we've been playing this game long enough to see the Empire's going to shit, the Nobles are getting out of line, Solrac's approval plummets every day, and we've had a record amount of rebellions. How long before one of them wins, or our enemies take advantage of use? Either way, we all die. Now I know you don't agree with most of Lucius' beliefs, but you have to see he's the best chance the Empire has, but the only way that happens is if we keep him in line, otherwise he'll just add fuel to the fire." The blonde's face then changed to a far more determined and stoic one "Besides, you don't get a choice in this matter. You will either volunteer of your own free will, or I will order you to accept Lord Commander."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Unfortunately for Aldarian, this would not be a routine day, as he would receive an urgent message into his mind which stated the following:

Lord Commander Mandatum,

The selection of new special forces recruits has been here by postponed
due to an urgent mission requires your squad's expertise. You are hereby
ordered to assemble your men and report to the Command Ship Avalon
for briefing, a shuttle will be waiting for you at the nearest available
landing pad. Please arrive post-haste.
Signed,
Lord Admiral Ventrius

As if on cue, he then received coordinates to the shuttle, so it seemed as if he would be having a slightly different day then planned. Regardless, it seemed time was of the essence, and if there was one thing well known, it was that no one keeps the Lord Admiral waiting.

 

[LadyOfStars]

Aurum Soleil​

“You order me?” Aurum’s brow lifted ever so slightly to show his shock at the Lord General’s choice of words. Whether or not he was in a position to hand out orders, talking down to Aurum had never gone well for anyone. Despite the boiling rage that bubble within his chest Aurum maintained a calm facade and applied a small smile to his face. Although he wanted to be as far away from this task as possible there were advantages to this and Aurum planned to utilize every one of them for himself.


“Let’s move on to my payment them.” He swept his robes underneath himself and sat back down across from Arcadius with a now cocky grin. This was a chance to look out for himself which would go a long way, especially after hearing the Lord General's views on the current state of the Empire. “A newly formed star has appeared on the edge of the Empire and I want it for my own, along with any heavenly bodies that might drift into its orbit.” He kept his voice leveled and his face mute as he stared across the desk to where Arcadius sat. There were things he could ask for that had a more immediate impact, but the star was a rare find.


“When I receive all of the official documents to prove my ownership over the star then I will begin my work of keeping your once good friend in line.” To say that Lucius was the lesser of the two evils might not be quite accurate, especially in Aurum’s eyes. Both of them came with their own set of difficulties that made them very unsavory people. “I’ll also need to know what I am allowed to do in order to keep the Prince in check.”

Interactions: Skylord Nexus
Location: Imperial Palace

 

[Eldarkon]

Message received Lord Admiral
On my way. I will assemble my men at be at the
shuttle coordinates as soon as possible.

Lord Commander Mandantum

Immediately he relayed the message to his squad and sped to the coordinates as fast as his hovercar could take him. Aldarian was perplexed at his newfound assignment. Normally he would only debrief and manage his squad on their missions, but now the Lord Admiral was requesting him to lead the mission personally? He wasn't complaining, its just that he had been out of action for a number of years. For him to be deployed on a mission after all this time, it must be a serious matter.

Arriving at the coordinates, Aldarian was surprised to see that his squad arrived before him. Getting out of his car, he stood before them. Although his squad was the best in the HADES task force, it was also one of the smallest. Comprised of only 5 soldiers not including himself, it was tight, but efficient. The members included Lieutenant Colonel Kalen Barrs, Lieutenant Colonel Dokan Ser, Lieutenant Colonel Janun Pein, and Colonel Yara Dice.

"Finally joining us on a mission eh Commander?" laughed Yara "Hope your not too rusty" . Aldarian chuckled at her comment "Colonel, I was completing black ops missions like this thousands of years before you were born. If anything, this is a training exercise for me" He then turned to all of them, gave them a stern look, and they all stood in a line at attention "I don't know what kind of mission this is, but whatever it is it required HADES skills, my skills, OUR skills. I expect you to take this mission with the upmost seriousness, and be prepared for anything. These are the kind of missions that I have trained you for" At that moment, the shuttle came to their location and the door opened. "Let us bring glory to the empire. GLORY TO THE EMPIRE!!". "GLORY TO THE EMPIRE!!" they then entered the shuttle, awaiting to arrive at the Avalon command ship

Skylord Nexus​

 

[Skylord Nexus]

There were many things Janus didn't want to discuss with Aurum, the chain of command was high on that list, and while he knew that there may be repercussions for his tone further down the line, he did have to admit it felt pretty good getting to a Soleil in there place.

In truth Janus didn't like threatening people, it wasn't in his nature, but the blonde couldn't deny that it got results when used. He then sat there in silence and listened to the Lords' terms, quite surprised by how mundane they were. Aurum was ahead of a great house, he indirectly governed over a fiftieth of the empire, though with time being as short as it was, it had no time to ask questions "That's all? But why wou- you know what, don't bother, we don't have the time. You'll get your star." It was then that a small smile crept onto the Lord General's face "Though I'm afraid you'll have to start first, Lucius will be arriving in about half an hour."

Janus then stood up and began walking to the door, and gave Aurum a rather nonchalant shrug "Hell if I know. Though if I recall what his majesty said correctly, I think it was something along the lines of: I don't bloody care what he does, so long as Lucius doesn't cause any trouble. He can court him if he has too, as long as he's not dead I don't care. Now I do believe that's our business concluded, good day Lord Soleil." The blonde than walked out of the room, not giving Aurum time to reply.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As their ship departed, they would see the metallic surface of Nexaria grow smaller, eventually blurring together into a mass of grey. Not long after, the view of the Avalon, the seat of power of House Ventrius, looming in front of them, it's immense size enough to strike fear into the hearts of most men.

Location: Nexaria - Orbit: The Avalon:

As they arrived in one of the ships hangar bays, a small contingent of guards were waiting in procession, saluting the squad as it left the ship. A stout man in fine clothes then silently ushered for them to follow. As they made their way through ships corridors, it would be easy to forget they were on one of the deadliest ships in the fleet, and not in a palace, the interior walls all pristine white with elaborate, gold engravings decorating the walls.

Eventually, they would arrive at a large door which the small man proceeded to open, showing them inside to a large meeting room. The room was mostly made up of a large table, the Nexarian flag emblazoned in its centre, with about 25 large seats equally placed around it. At the head of the table was a large more elaborate chair with a large window behind it, currently looking down over the planet below, and on that chair, sat the Lord Admiral. Glancing up from his seat, the man eyes quickly scanned over the squad before he motioned to the man who had shown them the way there, his cold voice booming through the room as though it had been designed to make the person at the head of the table the loudest "Leave us." The stout man the deeply bowed to the Lord before taking his leave

The Lord Admiral then remained silent for a number of minutes before pressing a button on a pad, causing a hologram of a ship to be displayed in the centre of the table.

The ship seemed to be some kind of old freighter designed for the mass transport of goods, there was nothing unique or remarkable about it. "You task is to ensure that it gets to its destination in one piece with all it's cargo intact. Nothing more nothing less." It would seem as though the lack of mission information was a theme with the Arc-council members today.

 

[LadyOfStars]

Aurum Soleil
​

Aurum’s eyes followed the Lord General as the man moved around the room and then finally took his leave. It was an abrupt exit if he ever saw one, but he was glad to be rid of that pest. With a heavy sigh the white-haired noble pushed himself up from his seat and then walked around to the door. When he left the room his two guards quickly moved to stand beside him. He had his work cut out for him if he was going to effectively leash the Prince and succeed where so many idiots had failed.


“Contact the armada and instruct them to be on standby for further orders.” The guard to his left quickly nodded his head and turned on his communicator to began trelaying the orders to the Armada. Aurum turned down the hall and started to walk through the large corridors of the Palace. “And have some find Prince Dargo.” The guard to his right was responsible for that task he he quickly activated his own communicator and contacted the Soleil spy network.


As the trio walked the halls Aurum stopped by one of the large windows and approached the window. He looked out and gazed down at the city below, like the roots of a giant tree, but uglier. Arcadius was right about the Empire being in decline, but such problems could be fixed; rebels could be weeded out, infrastructure rebuilt, and governments reformed. “Let’s go meet this...not-child Arch-Prince of ours.” Aurum peeled himself away from the window, his hair and robes fanned out around him as he turned and started to walk through the halls again.

 

[Skylord Nexus]

Aurum would find Lucius at the end of the large main walkway leading to the Palace, looking rather bored as he stared into the large, cone-shaped hole which went from the surface down miles, and casually leaning over the edge, using his black cane, with a large spherical head made of some kind of dark purple crystal, for extra support. What would be more of note however was the large contingent of about twenty royal guards, all standing static in front of him, blocking his only way of escape. When they saw the Lord Approach they stepped aside, creating a path for Aurum to walk through.

Hearing the guard's movement, Lucius turned round to see what was happening. The royal spent the next minute or so inspecting Aurum with his amethyst eyes, as if trying to place the face he was seeing, or perhaps trying to work out what the Lord was doing there. Regardless Lucius put on a small smile and walked forward, stopped to bow to Aurum "Lord Soleil. I have to admit, you are the last person I expected to see here. You usually avoid me and my brother like the plague, not that I blame you, smart choice really." Lucius then stepped even closer to Aurum, so that there was less than a foot between them, and placed a hand on the Lord's shoulder "I know that you don't want to be here, I certainly don't, but let's do our best to make the most of it. Who knows, we may even find each other's company agreeable... though I doubt it."

 

[LadyOfStars]

Aurum Soleil​

The wall of soldiers was an odd sight, but when he spotted Lucius on the other side of it he quickly realized what they were doing and smirked. As he walked through the opening with his own two guards Aurum sized up Lucius, examining his attire, and analyzing his face. His guards watched the Prince carefully as he moved closer and closer to their Lord and when he placed his hand on Aurum’s soldier the Lord Commander quickly pulled away. “Have the armada blockade all hangars and space docks.” He told the guard on his left. “From this point on, Your Grace, you will not travel without an escort from House Soleil. This includes space travel as well as travel on the ground.” Aurum had no intentions of playing a game of cat and mouse with the Prince. He valued his own time too much to spend it chasing down Lucius like Dargo.


“Officially you are now my ward, however, I believe this can be easy for the both of us. Simply put all you need to do is prove to our Emperor that you no longer need a babysitter. Once you do that I will be out of your way and we can both go back to doing something we enjoy.” The polite facade on Aurum’s didn’t falter, but his tone and words made it clear that he was irritated by this whole ordeal. “I’ve been given permission to go as far as to marry you if that’s what it takes, but I hope your intellect will keep me from using such drastic measures.” Marriage wasn’t Arcadius’ exact words, but Aurum could bluff with the best in the Empire so he didn’t mind a little lie. That was when the guard gave Aurum a thumbs up to inform him the ships had been moved to meet his demands.


“Now, where are we off to at this moment, Your Grace?”

 

[Skylord Nexus]

Lucius tried to stifle back a laugh as Aurum had all conventional escape routes cut off "All this trouble? For little old me? Let's be honest Aurum, can I call you Aurum? I'm gonna call you Aurum. Aurum, if a wanted off this metallic hell hole, your armada wouldn't be able to do a thing about it, though admittedly, I would like to see you try." Lucius then made it looked like he was going to run, and as he slightly jolted forward, the guards that were with him all did the same, expecting him to be running, but when the prince didn't, they all stopped, some of them falling over causing Lucius to break into laughter "The pride of the Empire everyone. Ha ha ha. Sorry boys, nothing personal, I just couldn't resist. Anyway, now my escort has arrived you are all dismissed, take the rest of the day off." The guard all immediately bowed and left at a brisk pace, likely before anyone could halt that last order.

Lucius turned to Aurum and gave him a look as if to check if he was serious or not "Aurum, you're a smart man, no matter what I do, my father will never leave me alone, I'm the biggest threat to his rule, and if we go from past records I'm far overdue killing my father." True, that was how the Nexus family worked, the siblings would fight between each other and eventually that last one standing killed the Emperor and ascended to the throne. That being said, Lucius did always seem adamantly against the idea.

The prince them burst into laughter at Aurums' remark but quickly changed his expression to a far more sultry one "Oh Lord Aurum! Marriage?! You haven't even treated me to dinner. Though I have to say, that cute face and nice hair of yours' is getting you there quicker." Lucius then ended with a cheeky wink before moving both hands behind his head and stretching his back, looking in the direction of the palace "Well, courtesy would call for me to see my father and announce my presence. As such we will not be going anywhere near the palace for the duration of the week. Don't suppose you could summon a ship for us, could you?" Lucius then looked at Aurum with a big smile on his face, not unlike a mischievous child.

 

[LadyOfStars]

Aurum Soleil​

While they had all managed to live for thousands of years it didn’t seem to do anything for Lucius’ maturity, nor that of his brother, but that was a different story. Aurum glanced over his shoulder and watched as the dismissed soldiers fled from the scene. They were probably just as eager to be done with this brat as he was. In the interest of moving things along Aurum remained silent as he endured Lucius’ annoying words. A blank expression was all he could do to hide his desire to strangle the prince. “You just declared your ability to leave without me being able to stop you, so why ask me to get a ship?”


A look of confusion formed on Aurum’s face and he tilted his head a bit to the left as if trying to figure out Lucius. A small smirk formed on his face as he held back the laughter that was building within him. “While we’re here we will pay our respects to the Emperor. Neither of us have done so yet and it is rude to enter someone's home and not say hello.” As if on instinct Aurum’s guards moved from his side and went to stand beside the Prince. “I don’t intend to be your babysitter forever, Lucius.” Aurum said, now dropping the formalities of titles. “We will present a changed man to your father, even if it is only surface deep. And for your sake you better hope this arrangement does not last too long. Arch-Prince or not, you are expendable.” Dargo wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed but if they ever needed a replacement for the Emperor, he would suffice and Aurum would deal with that gnat when the time came.


“Let’s go.” Aurum gestured to the Palace and his guards looked to Lucius, waiting for him to start walking. Aurum stepped to the side, clearing the way for the three of them.

 

[Eldarkon]

Aldarian was little confused on the briefing of the mission. He called CERBERUS squad, the most elite squad in the HADES task force, to simple guard an old freighter during transport? No, this wasn't right. He needed more information. He needed to make sure his squad was safe.

"Sir, with all due respect, I don't think this is enough information for me and my squad to effectively complete this mission. It would help if we were informed about the contents of the supplies on the freighter and the enemies that we need to defend it against. This way we can better equip ourselves and understand how to deal with situation" he then paused for a moment, thinking about his next words carefully "You would know sir, that it is a commanders duty to keep their men safe from unneeded harm. The more my men know about the mission the better. After all sir, when have we ever let you down?"

Skylord Nexus​

 

[Skylord Nexus]

Lucius shrugged, as he strolled to the edge the large walkway, looking down at the city below "Because that way it's easier for both of us. Less effort for me, fewer problems for you, and we can get on with our business in peace. Also, I was hoping to get a good look at the Overseer, I'm rather interested in it." The prince then turned to look up at the sky, the blue and gold star of their binary system both shining in the sky, a slightly wistful look on his face.

The look didn't last long however and when Aurum spoke, Lucius turned on his heel, and his expression was like that of a pouting child, cheeks puffed out and everything. He then glanced between both guards as they took there place next to him, though nothing Aurum said elicited anything but a heavy sigh from Lucius, who began slowly walking in the direction of the palace.

For about five minutes before stopping. Lucius turned to face Aurum, a smirk on his face "How about we make a deal instead?" Lucius then began to pace back and forth as he spoke, entwining his fingers together "Now I don't want to see my father. You want me to stay out of trouble and make life easy for you. As such, you don't force me anywhere near that palace, and I won't cause any trouble for you, I may also be inclined to give you some... inside information that is unknown to most. All you have to do is call your ship." It was here that Aurum would see the genius side of Lucius show, as his eyes stared into Aurum's as if calculating every possible response the Lord could make.

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

The Lord Admiral stood and listened to Aldarian make his point, the nobles face showing no sign of emotion what so ever, though he did heavily sigh when the Lord Commander finished, pinching the bridge of his nose. The Lord Admiral then withdrew himself from his seat, before moving to the window, arms held behind his back as he stared at the planet below, seeming to be in deep thought. He then moved back to the console and pressed a few buttons, causing more layers of information to appear on the image showing that in spite of the crafts seemingly decrepit nature, that it had been upgraded with enough tech to make it more durable than half the ships in the fleet "While I'm not at liberty to tell you what the contents of the ship are, I will tell you that it is EXTREMELY valuable, more so than your lives. As for the reason we want you there, we don't know. The path the ship will take will go through area's where pirate and rebel raid have occurred infrequently, but we can't afford to take chances."

The Lord Admiral then returned to his seat and stared Aldarian in the eye "In summary, you will take a shuttle from here to the ship. When there you will stay there until it reaches its destination. If the ship is attacked, you will defend the cargo with your lives, and if any of it is stolen you will go after it and not return unless you have recovered the stolen goods, or you're killed in action. Have I made myself clear Lord Commander?"

 

[LadyOfStars]

Aurum Soleil​

Aurum walked close to the trio as the guards escorted Lucius towards the palace. He had hoped they’d arrive without the child stopping them or talking, but that was too much to ask for as they were stopped and Lucius did decide to speak. Right away Aurum was ready to order his guards to seize Lucius, but the possibility of a deal was enough to stay his hand. His expectations were not met however when the Prince offered him information that he supposedly wasn’t privy to. “Your idea of a deal is information?” Aurum was reminded of his recent talk with Arcadius and the Lord General’s choice of words. His eyes drifted away from Lucius momentarily as he thought things over. If anyone would know something important about Arcadius it would be the Arch-Prince. Then again if anyone might be loyal to the Lord General it would be his old friend Lucius.


“Your intellect cannot match my spy network, Your Grace, there is nothing you could know that I don’t or won’t know by the end of the day.” Trusting either of the Princes was not a gamble he was willing to take, they were like two benign cancers just waiting to destroy the Empire from the inside out. “If I didn’t know any better I’d say you were afraid of something.” Aurum smirked and looked at Lucius with a judging gaze. “Surely you’re not frightened of the Emperor are you? Or perhaps...Dargo is inside and you hope to avoid him?” Seeing both Princes at the same time might be bad for his health, but if it meant one of them would have the chance to kill the other then perhaps it was worth the risk. “

 

[Skylord Nexus]

Lucius chuckled at the Lord's comment and put on a fake surprised face "Goodness! You've had your spies spy on Arc-Council meetings? How treasonous! That information is for the Arc-Council members only." The prince then returned to his normal, nonchalant manner, walking right up to Aurum, right in his face "Perhaps not Aurum, perhaps not, but my uncles' spy network sure as hell is, because, in case you forgot, he controls every spy in the Empire. I'd say that outranks you."

Lucius then jumped back a few feet, a fit of hysterical laughter overtaking him. This fit lasted for a few minutes before he started calming down, as he looked at Aurum with tear-filled eyes "You...ha! You think I'm scared of my Father or Brother?! The old man's just annoying and puts me in a bad mood, and my brother tries to kill me which is why I'm here now when he is far away looking for me." Once he had completely calmed down, Lucius stood up straight, both hands resting on his cane, a confident smirk back on his face as he spoke with the poise of a brilliant businessman "While I was hoping you cared enough for the value of information, it seems you have more of a taste for the material, disappointing... not unexpected. Name your price. I'd offer you money, but you almost definitely have enough of that. Oh! Perhaps a replacement for the communications officer for the one you fired this morning, or maybe something nice to compliment the new star Janus is giving you for doing this. Whatever it is, I'll pay." By the end, Lucius was looking at Aurum with a big, cocky smirk on his face, and a look in his eyes as if you say "Bring it on bitch."

 

[LadyOfStars]

Aurum Soleil​

Lucius’ little taunts and unhinged laughter bothered Aurum very little, the same with his comment about what interested Aurum. What did bother him was the fact that Lucius spoke about events that had occurred just earlier today, things he shouldn’t know about. The Lord Commander didn’t let it show on his face though, he kept the frustration and anger suppressed much like a black hole consuming light. Once Lucius was finally silent Aurum sighed and shook his head.

“If money doesn’t interest me then neither do material things as I could purchase them myself. And as for your uncle’s…’spy network’ it’s all about quality over quantity, Lucius. Quality over quantity.” Aurum declared in a nonchalant voice with an unbothered expression to meet the face that Lucius wore. The Prince May have seen Aurum as a challenge, but Aurum saw Lucius as an insect buzzing about.

“Now before we waste anymore of my precious time Ikd like to give you one last chance to come along peacefully.” When he said that the two guards both turned to face Lucius and grabbed him by his arms. “It would not phase me one bit to drag you kicking and screaming.” He wanted to make it clear that he was not here to bargain with or befriend Lucius, nor would he be bowing out of this task like the man’s previous babysitters. “And should you choose to delay us even further after this point I will look you in a cell and lose the key until the Emperor has need of you.” That rolled of his tongue easily and the cold stare he sent Lucius’ way showed he was quite familiar with that promise.

 

[Skylord Nexus]

Lucius' face didn't falter once as Aurum spoke, now it was a battle of wills, one Lucius didn't intend on losing. As he spoke, the prince began walking up and down the width of the walkway, keeping a constant eye on the position of the two guards but primarily staring his adversary down "I don't disagree with you, sometimes quality is better than quantity, however, it is rather dependent on many factors. For example, one royal guard, an example of one of the highest quality military personnel in the empire, vs an entire army, comprised of men with less training than him, in that situation my money's on the army. Though that aside, I'd advise you not underestimate me, dear Uncle, he isn't Lord Inquisitor because he's my father's brother-in-law."

Lucius then turned to face Aurum, walking up to him once again, placing a finger on his chest "Aurum. My father sent twenty of his personal royal guards to keep an eye on me while I waited. Why do you think that is? Once you work that answer out, try and guess how it would turn out in a fight between me and your two guards? I advise you don't try." Lucius then backed off, and paced back to the edge of the walkway, both hands behind his back and he once again stared down at the city below "I would also like to give you one last chance to accept my offer and name your price. I'm a very dangerous man to make an enemy off Aurum, I don't want to hurt anyone, but I will if I have to, whether politically or physically. I know a lot about you, from the specs of your ships to what you eat for breakfast in the morning. All I want is to be left alone to do my thing, as do you." Lucius turned back to the white hair man, his amethyst eyes staring into his, and open hand outstretched "Oh also, assuming we get along, I'll treat you to breakfast tomorrow, french toast must be even so boring for you by now, after one-thousand nine-hundred and seventy-three years, eleven weeks, and four days."

 

[LadyOfStars]

Aurum Soleil​

Aurum sighed heavily as Lucius started to talk once again. If nothing else the Prince was a master of stalling and talking in circles. Hearing that Lucius knew even more about him didn’t shock Aurum, one rarely limited their spying to the inner workings of a ship. “You are not a powerful man, Lucius, you’re a child with a powerful title.” Aurum slapped the Prince’s hand and then opened his own with his palm opened towards the sky. An intense flame quickly appeared in his hand, flames stretched up high and illuminated his person.

“This game ends now, I have endured your babbling long enough.” Aurum raised his hand up and several bars of fire appeared around Lucius like the bars of a bird cage. “I know plenty of secrets about you as well Lucius, do not forget that. And let this be the last time that you direct a threat at me or attempt to bargain with me.” With his free hand Aurum gestured towards the Palace and looked at Lucius with irritation in his eyes. “Now move, Your Grace.”

Killing Lucius would have its consequences and maybe even its setbacks, but at this point Aurum was willing to make that sacrifice to do the Empire this favor. The white-haired lord stared at the Arch-Prince as he waisted and watched him carefully.