The Emperor
Written by Stella Watson
Part 1: Darella
Chapter 1 - The Soldier
Serion couldn’t see anything. He tried to feel for the wall, but no matter where he turned, darkness surrounded him. He chose a direction and crawled that way, but to no avail. He was desperate and scared.
Finally, he began to shout. “Help! Please! Someone!”
He heard a sound as if something was scraping the floor behind him. Serion shuddered and turned around in fear, but he couldn’t see anything. Yet, he felt like he knew exactly what was following him.
Trembling, he tried to escape, but all his efforts were in vain. Something grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back.
“Found you,”a voice whispered in his ear.
The man screamed, but his attempts to break free from the grip were futile.
Then someone slapped him, and Serion woke up.
“What… What happened?” he asked the soldier standing over him, who had been shaking his shoulder.
“You were shouting in your sleep again. This is the third time in the last few days, even though the lights were on. Maybe you should consider getting some treatment.”
“No! I don’t need it! I’m just under a lot of stress lately, and I’m having trouble sleeping.”
“No matter what, you missed the morning report again. The Grand Admiral was furious.”
“She’ll get over it,” Serion muttered, rubbing his eyes.
“Tell that to her face! She said that when you’re ready, you need to report to her. I mean, it’s odd, I didn’t think she even knew who you are. But she asked for you specifically. I wouldn’t keep her waiting for too long.”
„Was anyone else late?”
„No. Just you.”
Serion sat up on the uncomfortable bed and sighed.
„All right… I’ll go soon.”
The soldier nodded and left, leaving the half-awake man to himself. Serion buried his face in his hands and sat in silence for a while. His fingers traced the old scars that ran vertically across his black eyes. Although they were barely visible, many had asked him how he got them and why he hadn’t gone blind. Serion simply said he was lucky during an attack.
The other soldier was right. In recent times, his nightmares had returned. He had tried to relax before sleep, took sleeping pills and sedatives, but to no avail. He even managed to convince his roommate to leave the night lamp on just for his sake. Serion was afraid of the dark and couldn’t fall asleep unless there was some minimal light around him, and on the spaceship, every cabin was pitch black at night.
The man took a deep breath and got out of bed. After a few stretches, he quickly took a cold shower, just the way he liked it. While others would have frozen, the icy water had a particularly good effect on his coal-black skin. Once finished, he put on his gray uniform, the color of which immediately revealed that his rank was nothing more than an ordinary soldier. There were no decorations on his chest. This often led to looks from those in more special units, but he didn’t care.
Hurriedly, he combed his waist-length white hair with his four fingers, then looked in the mirror and realized his appearance was terrible. His narrow face was more sunken than usual. His pitch black eyes were puffy and reddened, not concealing the fact that he had cried in the shower.
Finally, he retrieved the comb, which he had thrown under the bed the night before, and quickly untangled his hair with it. Then he pulled it back with a hair tie. He didn’t want to appear too disheveled in front of the admiral.
Once he was ready, he grabbed an energy bar from the cabinet to have something for breakfast, but he started eating it on the way. He didn’t want to keep his superior waiting any longer.
As he hurried through the spaceship’s corridors, he nodded to every passing soldier and worker. Most of them reciprocated the greeting, even though he didn’t have particularly good relationships with any of them.
Serion wasn’t the friendly type. He preferred to be alone. His roommate tried to strike up conversations, but Serion eventually told him honestly that he didn’t become a soldier to make friends. He didn’t want to talk about himself or let others into his personal life. He spent his free time alone, either working out to stay in shape, reading, studying, or resting. During duty, he kept to himself. He enjoyed the exercises and excelled in many aspects compared to others. He was excellent at swordplay and close combat, but less skilled with firearms. While he could defeat others with almost anything in his hand, there was only an eighty percent chance he’d hit something with a rifle. Additionally, he was often asked to serve as an interpreter. Serion was an exceptional oral communicator and spoke numerous languages, a characteristic of his species. He learned the languages of any other species in the Galaxy much faster and more proficiently than anyone else.
They have wanted to promote him several times already, and they would have even appointed him to lead special units, but he had always refused. He didn’t want anything else but to stay in the background.
He reached the spaceship’s bridge, just as he finished nibbling on the energy bar. He quickly disposed of the wrapper and took a deep breath as he walked through the door.
Sephra Silerin, the Grand Admiral, stood in front of the massive panoramic window. Her noble lineage was immediately evident in her upright posture as she waited with pride in her stance. She had a humanoid form, much like Serion. Her build was tall, muscular, slender, and notably flat. Whether this was due to her species or her unique anatomy, no one dared to ask.
She tied her long, wavy hair back. Only a few curly strands escaped from the side of her forehead, apart from the fringe. Her black and deep purple locks seemed to glisten in the light. Like every admiral, she had a uniform, black and tight-fitting. Her large eyes were black with purple irises. Her skin was pale white, and her lips were thin. She only applied black makeup to her eyes, as if she had no time for anything else or simply didn’t care. Thanks to her elongated ears adorned with black metal jewelry, her sharp hearing could detect the approaching soldier from a distance. She turned around and crossed her arms in front of her chest. Her expression remained unchanged, as stern as before.
Most soldiers feared the admiral. She was preceded by her reputation. Most believed she was excessively strict and merciless. Given that, nobody asked what was she doing on a smaller starship. Sephra’s place would have been on the Emperor’s planet, but she simply showed up and took charge without any explainaton. The soldiers obeyed her without a word.
Serion walked calmly up to her and nodded his head.
“Grand Admiral.”
Sephra nodded and motioned for him to straighten his back. Her voice was icy as she spoke.
“Zan. You didn’t report this morning, once again.”
None of the personnel on the bridge were surprised that the Grand Admiral was speaking directly to the soldier. Sephra never wasted time, and while she expected respect, she didn’t beat around the bush; she got straight to the point.
“I apologize.”
The woman shook her head and started walking, motioning for him to follow. Serion obediently followed.
They walked together along the long corridors, with the admiral not even glancing at him.
“This is the third time in the last few days. Nightmares again?”
“Yes.
“I hope it won’t hinder you in any way.”
“Not at all. I’m ready.”
“Good. We’re almost there.”
When they entered the hangar, someone was already waiting for them. A tall man was standing in front of one of the spacecrafts. His skin was covered in silvery-blue scales that gently glowed under the strong light. Thin, barely visible webbing stretched between his long, slender fingers. He had a symmetrical face with thin, almost nonexistent lips. Because of his extremely long legs, he was about twenty centimeters taller than Serion, who was not short himself. He appeared incredibly handsome and was well aware of it. His sky-blue eyes were icy, but when he saw the admiral, they seemed to soften.
Although he might have seemed kind at first glance, upon closer inspection, one could notice how condescending his smile was. He could pass for a noble with his demeanor. Despite being an aquatic being, he had hair, which didn’t surprise Serion, as many altered their appearances nowadays. Its dark blue color resembled the clear sea. It was cut it short, but it was messy, except for a single long, braided strand that reached down to the middle of his back.
He wore a deep blue uniform, indicating his role as a pilot.
With a contemptuous smile, he assessed the common soldier while reaching into his pocket with one hand, pulling out a cigarette. It appeared to be a careless gesture, but it was at this moment that Serion noticed the first peculiar detail. As the man raised his hand to his mouth, his fingers trembled almost imperceptibly. The moment he took a drag from the cigarette, the pilot grinned, and his deep-set eyes clouded over.
When the pilot spoke, his voice sounded bored.
“Is this him?”
Sephra nodded, then turned to the soldier.
“Zan, let me introduce you to Angron Saagara. I brought him here, as he’s the best pilot in the entire imperial army. He’ll accompany you.”
Serion obediently bowed before the man, as his rank was much higher than his own.
Angron didn’t even say anything to the soldier; instead, he turned to the woman with a questioning expression.
“I don’t want to be repectless, but I believe there might be a greater need for me here. Anyone can transport a kid. Did you really bring me here for this? I’m sure there are more important missions than this…”
Serion remained silent. Although it may have been true that, by the common calculations, he might be a year or two younger than the pilot and the admiral, he decided not to interject.
Also, the fact that Angron dared to question the Grand Admiral’s order, told a lot about him and his relationship with her.
Sephra didn’t seem angry by his stubbornness.
“At the moment, you have no other tasks, Angron. There’s no need for you to sit somewhere on the ship in boredom. You will accompany him to Darella, whether you like it or not.”
The pilot sighed but reluctantly nodded. Despite his high rank and numerous commendations, he couldn’t disobey the Grand Admiral’s command.
“Understood. We’ll be back soon.”
“Don’t forget the mission! Look for a young girl named Solar.”
“Got it.”
The admiral gave a signal indicating they could depart. Angron turned around and ascended the ramp, and Serion followed him without a word.
The gray spacecraft was small but suited their purpose. They only had to land on the planet orbiting below.
“What’s your name again?” Angron asked casually as Serion took a seat next to him in the cockpit.
“Serion. Serion Zan.”
“I see. Let’s try to complete this mission as quickly as possible, clear?”
“Yes, sir.”
As the spacecraft departed from the hangar, Sephra closed her eyes for a brief moment before turning around and walking down alone the long corridor, heading straight for the bridge. Halfway there, she glanced at the small device on her wrist, which served multiple purposes. It monitored her vital signs, allowed her to send messages, and displayed the time.
Sephra took a deep breath and walked through the massive gateway leading to the bridge.
There was dawn on Darella. The starship’s wide, dark windows reflected the rising sun’s rays, casting an orange glow over the planet’s metallic shield. The Grand Admiral of the Empire watched the spectacular sight with shimmering eyes.
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