Chapter 3: Welcome to the Empire (1)

Welcome back to this story, dear viewers. It has been some time since the last time we saw each other, and the author wants to apologize for taking so long with each chapter. Writing a webcomic and a webnovel can be stressful, but fortunately Arturo loves writing science fiction fantasy romance stories. That, or he really likes writing NSFW stuff. (2)

Anyway, this chapter will begin with some lore exposition, so brace yourselves. (3)

Thousands of years ago the Fafnirian Empire was unified by Sma-Ugh the Wise during the Unification Campaign, and his successor, Khaezar Almensch, was the one that led the interstellar expansion of the empire. (4) Khaezar’s leadership brought peace and order, and also sustainability for both the Fafnirians and the people that became their vassals. However, after the Human-Dreik War, the Cataclysm and two thousand years of corruption, despotism and wars the ideals by which the Empire rose to power have been soiled with blood, and currently billions of people are suffering because of famine and the small scale conflicts with the warlords that used to be generals of the old empire. (5) It’s during this time that the Empress Morkana Alfrau began her plans that would change Fafniria and the Known Worlds for the better.”

INT. MILITARY HQ OF THE CAPITAL- DAY (6)

Imperial Officer: “Ladies and Gentlemen, this is Captain Arther Flamewing, and he has been assigned to lead this new company. Some of you are from the Coalition and Blitz and may know him, but to those from the capital, or that live under a rock, all you need to know is that he is a badass.” (7)

Flamewing had shaved his face and got a haircut to look like he used to, though now he was wearing an imperial soldier uniform instead of the Coalition one he used in the past. It was obvious Sparrow had ordered some uniform changes since everyone in this new company wore practical dark uniforms with many pockets. (8)

Flamewing: “G-greetings!”

Imperial Officer: “They are all yours, Captain.” (9)

Flamewing had been assigned to a new company made of humans, dreiks, basteans, niix and androids. The purpose of the company was to provide humanitarian aid in worlds affected by the war with the warlords, and occasionally offer support on the battlefield. Also, this company serves directly to the Empress, but only Flamewing knew about this since Morkana didn’t trust the current military of the empire and she was planning something important. She was always planning something important. Flamewing realized at that moment that Morkana’s threat of sending him to dangerous battlefields wasn’t really true. She wanted to boss him around and remind him of his mistakes, not kill him. (10)

Suddenly, Flamewing’s worried thoughts were interrupted by a group of people approaching him. The first one to talk to him was a dark skinned chubby woman wearing overalls. (11)

Nelly: “Are you really the Hero of Rayga? The Hero?” (12)

Flamewing: “Last time I checked I was.”

Nelly: “Oh my Goddess, it’s really you! Oh, where are my manners, I am Nelly Garcia, chief of mechanics of this company.”

Flamewing: “Nice to meet you, Nelly.” (13)

The captain and the mechanic shook hands and there were some men and women being excited for their turn to talk with the man that saved the Coalition. One android even fainted from the emotion, even if that shouldn’t be possible. After that meet and greet Flamewing was given a tour by Nelly of the installations of their company. (14)

Flamewing: “So you are from Rayga too?”

Nelly: “I am from Nueva Tamaulipas (15), at the east of Rayga City. I studied at the Academy of Science and joined the Imperial army as soon as I could move out of my parents’ house.”

Flamewing: “Wait, you graduated from the Academy of Science? With that level of education you could work for a big company in research and development.” (16)

Nelly: “I could, but there are already many rich people living safely, and too many poor people struggling. I wanted to make a difference, and after seeing the things the Empress has done I wanted to contribute.”

Flamewing: “Yeah, she is amazing.” (17)

Flamewing remembered when Morkana showed him the solar power fields in the desert of Blitz years ago. Hundreds of kilometers of flower-like structures connected as a network and supplying sustainable electricity to everyone on Blitz for free. He knew Morkana’s Birds had stolen the patents for the development of the “Sun Flowers”, but as Morkana told him science and social progress don’t care about capitalists. (18)

EXT. IMPERIAL GARDEN - AFTERNOON (19)

After 12 hours of administrative duties, Morkana was taking her afternoon break in the former garden of Khaezar. (20) The people of the empire would think she was being irresponsible, but she was taking a well deserved break to drink tea and spend time with her own son. Something the public didn’t know is that Morkana shared administrative responsibilities with hundreds of people under her command (21) and there was a trusty body double trained to talk like Morkana and manage official imperial duties in Morkana’s absence. Historians will debate for decades about the existence of this mysterious second empress and some will have wild theories about an elementary school teacher looking like her. Sometimes wild theories can be true, dear readers. (22)

Helen: “You are it!”

Prince: “Hahaha!”

The two half siblings ran around the garden playing an old human game Morkana remembered playing with her own half siblings, but while such a sight would be cute Morkana also felt disgust. She didn’t want the daughter of that blue haired woman to socialize with her son. (23)

Prince: “Mommy says these flowers glow in the dark during summer.”

Helen: “Really?! I wanna see!”

However, those feelings of disgust made Morkana feel guilty. She hasn’t seen Prince being so happy playing with another kid since the little heir has been very shy since he was a baby. Also, Morkana didn’t want to be angry towards a little girl that did nothing wrong. (24)

Morkana: “Maybe this will be good for him.”

After finishing her tea, the empress walked towards her botanical lab in the garden and put on her white coat and safety glasses. Politics may be her daily job, but Morkana’s true vocation is science. The moment she takes a chemistry kit is the moment she is focused on her task until it’s time for dinner. (25)

Morkana: “I like how the color of this mix is looking.”

In Morkana’s mind she was directing a symphony of computers, centrifuges and boiling devices, but to the two kids outside of her lab she looked like she was just moving around mixing stuff in glass containers. Mork was just happy mumbling the lyrics of a song while checking genetic variables on a screen. (26)

Helen: “She is singing!”

Prince: “You can hear that? I thought humans have limited hearing capabilities.” (27)

After a few minutes of working, Morkana looks at a screen and smiles.

Morkana: “Perfect! Raven, are you there?”

Raven (as a voice coming from a communicator): “Yes, boss.” (28)

Morkana: “Send the results to the labs and begin the last phase of our test. This crop is promising.”

Raven: “On it.”

Just as Morkana was wrapping up some paperwork, Helen had entered the lab and was standing behind Morkana. (29)

Helen: “Hello.”

The voice of Helen gave annoying flashbacks to Morkana about the little girl’s mother. (30)

Morkana: “What are you doing here?”

Helen: “Hiding from Prince.”

Morkana: “Hide somewhere else. This is my private lab and nobody else should be here. Get out.”

Helen: “But the flowers look pretty.”

Morkana: “I said GET OUT!”

The angry voice of the tall woman made the little girl be scared and she ran backwards, but before she could get out she tripped on a cable and fell, making the cable pull an hydroponics vertical machine towards the direction of the girl. (31)

Morkana: “Oh shit!” (32)

Morkana reacted fast and stopped the impending fall of the device with her superhuman strength. Of course, to move so fast and use that amount of strength Morkana partially transformed into her Nobilis form and her two horns and tail were showing. The little girl, instead of being scared, was just amazed. (33)

Helen: “Wow! Thank you!”

Morkana put the device back in its place and still in her Nobilis form looked at Helen angrily. Helen got scared and walked away nervously.

Morkana: “Just like your mother you are so annoying!” (34)

Just as Helen walked outside the lab, the cloaked figure known as Karsh was standing in a corner of the garden and looking at Morkana with his glowing red eye.

Morgana: “Right. Flame put that freak in charge of protecting his daughter from me. Does he think I am a child killer?” (35)

Karsh just stood there and looked at everyone doing their own stuff. He did nothing of narrative relevance after that.

Karsh: “I READ A BOOK.”

He did nothing of narrative relevance after that. (36)

EXT. MILITARY HQ - AFTERNOON (37)

Random soldier 1: “Have you heard about what happened last week?” (38)

Random soldier 2: “You mean about the trial of Admiral Drakefinn? That was on all the media.”

Random soldier 1: “He deserved that after ordering the carpet bombing of a civilian area. He disobeyed the law.” (39)

Random soldier 3: “But don’t you find it disturbing how the evidence was gathered? That was highly confidential information, and the spread of that could be considered treason.”

Random soldier 2: “But he is a bad guy right?”

Random soldier 3: “Right, but let’s remember who is behind the Big Brother.” (40)

Random soldier 1: “Are you talking about that conspiracy theory again? The chances of that story to be true are as low as your chances with Josie.”

Random soldier 3: “They are real and there’s chemistry there! But that isn’t important! Back on topic, every time someone makes the Empress angry there’s a chance she sent her secret team of spies and assassins.” (41)

Random soldier 2: “But Josie has a boyfriend.” (42)

Random soldier 3: “Shut up!”

As these three soldiers walked through the transport hangar, Captain Flamewing stood there and looked sad.

Flamewing: “Classic Bird methods.” (43)

Tyrant Notes:

1)You may start a rebellion when ready.

2)Sex sells after all.

3)Luckily I love some lore.

4)Sma-Ugh meanwhile turned into a dragon, took over a Dwarven-Kingdom, got billions in gold as his hoard and then was randomly killed by a bowman.

5)This is what will happen should the third movie reboot of the rock guy, the fire guy, the elastic guy and the invisible gal fail as well.

6)The cafeteria was out of bagels.

7)This is not the proper way to introduce the leader of an elite-military unit, especially not for the first time.

8)Not much room for individuality but black ops commandos do not care for colorful costumes. It is hard to be as famous in this business where you have to hide in boxes.

9)For only 9.99!

10)Still he wondered why his weapons were all made of soap and his ammunitions were little balls of paper

11)She isn’t an anti villain from a comic franchise, and if she were the version from the first live action adaptation Flamewing would arrest her.

12)No, he is Walther Mathau.

13)What are the bets that she will die a horrible death?

14)What? No men fainting?

15)It's in the Finalantasy region of the Sqareenix planet.

16)Academy of Science? She probably knows a lot about the field of science.

17)This dialogue sounds like a propaganda movie about the Empress.

18)This was probably easier to do than to raise the taxes for the wealthy.

19)The gardener is on strike, the entire area is a mess.

20)It was not so relaxing in the long term because the gardener planted video game carnivore plants that always tried to bite anyone who came near their reach, or spit fireballs at them.

21)That is the truth with any government, but most people think only of the head of the government and at best their most popular secretary.

22)Isn't that part of the plot of a science fantasy movie? I wonder if Morkana also got called an angel by a little slave boy.

23)Oh, let them be you asshole.

24)Gooood, then you are not a villainous asshole.

25)It got awkward when she accidentally cooked dinner with her chemistry set one day.

26)Morkana: "She blinded me with science! Also I think I'm a clone now."

27)You fail at biology, Prince.

28)No, you are supposed to say "nevermore" and nothing else.

29)Terrible security. Even a regular lab could be full of dangerous chemicals.

30)That girl's mother praised the terrible movie about food products fighting each other.

31)And this is why you always close the door.

32)"No cursing in front of kids" would an idiot say, but they will learn these words anyway one day so I say children should be taught what these words mean.

33)Two horns were showing... Sounds like an innuendo.

34)Your insults are annoying, Morki.

35)Nobody wants that Perk.

36)I am snarking here, not you. Also he has a narrative role, his appearance implies that Flamewing fears that Morkana's hate may get the better of her so he ordered Karsh to watch over Helen. It implies a lot for the narrative.

37)The bombardment of Kyle II had been an almost perfect success.

38)I did. That TV Special with Mike Pollock was atrocious.

39)People overreact to bombing civilian areas.

40)What has the creator of one of the most long lived reality shows to do with that?

41)And when she gets really angry she forces them to watch the movie adaption of a musical about a cult of cats.

42)Who the fuck is Josie?

43)The modern ones involve a lot more calamari.