“General Magnus, sir!” A soldier of the Saber Province ran up to Vega with an important message.
Vega stood atop the defensive wall overlooking the Saber Province beyond the fortress walls. He slowly turned and nodded for the soldier to continue.
“I have received word from Master Heraklinos. The Saber Fortress will serve as the viewing location for the livestream of the battle for distinguished guests of both sides.” The soldier stood respectfully awaiting Vega’s response.
Vega turned and said, “Both sides? Does that mean the BloodStar representatives will be here as well?”
The soldier nodded, “Sir, yes sir!”
Vega bit his lip, “Damnit. We have a lot to prepare for. Call a meeting at the command center in ten minutes. I want all officers present!”
The soldier saluted his general and rushed off to carry out his orders. Vega sat in thought, “Empress Victoria herself visiting the Saber Fortress. I never thought I’d see the day.”
He walked down the fortress wall stairs and made his way to the command center where his officers were already waiting for him within minutes. He took a few moments to read the briefing that had been sent to him.
He then entered and said, “Soldiers! Master Heraklinos intends to have our empire play host to one of the most important battles of our time. The battle between Pope Gregory and Xenia BloodStar will be a hinge from which the direction of our history will be decided depending on which side emerges victorious.”
Vega sat down at the head of the table, “Look. We are all thinking it, so I will be the one to address it first.” He sighed, “All of us in this room have met Xenia and even gotten to know her. Most of all, none of us have forgotten that the only reason this fortress stands today is because of her efforts on our side.”
He stood back up and began to pace the room around the table, “But! That fact is largely forgotten by Master Heraklinos. The Heraklinos Empire is openly sided with the Holy Light Empire. Although we shall play host to the viewing of said battle, I would encourage you all to show neutrality when it comes to expressing support for either side. Please pass this information along to your soldiers as well.”
The officers nodded. They all had experienced Xenia’s might the day she saved the fortress. Although she was cruel and twisted in her methods, they did owe their lives to her.
Vega continued, “The battle has been deemed too dangerous for us to view in person. Given our location, the livestream footage will have minimal delay when transmitted to our facility as they will be fighting in the Saber Province plains not far from here. Each party which includes the Heraklinos party, the BloodStar party, and the Holy Light Empire party, is allowed three attendees for the viewing.”
He walked back to his chair at the head of the table and read the list, “For the Heraklinos party, Jarek, Jacek, and Erika will be in attendance. For the BloodStar party, Victoria, Nero, and Constance will be in attendance. For the Holy Light Empire party, St. Michael is the only listed member as of yet. Importantly, Pope Peter will be held in our neutral custody until the outcome of the match is decided.”
He then stood at the head of the table and made one thing very clear, “Make no mistake. This is a battle to decide a very real war. Any interference of any kind will be met with the punishment of death. Is that clear?”
The officer responded in unison, “Sir, yes sir!”
Vega then nodded, “You are dismissed to begin your preparations. Thank you soldiers.”
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It was only days later that the first of the distinguished guests began to arrive. Empress Victoria arrived first by herself via private jet.
She stepped down the staircase of the royal jet where Vega was waiting to greet her, “Empress Victoria. It is an honor to receive you at our Saber Fortress. Personally, I am a great admirer of what you have accomplished in the realm of ki development.”
Victoria stood proudly and replied, “Why thank you, General Magnus. My daughter Xenia speaks very highly of you, and I can see why.”
Vega smiled, “Please empress, follow me to your quarters. I think you will find them passable but certainly not up to your usual standards. For that, I apologize.” He then added, “And please. Call me Vega.”
Victoria laughed, “Well Vega. I think you will find that I am much more akin to your soldiers on a personal level. I do not seek great luxury, and I in fact very much enjoy getting off my island. I do it so seldom these days. Might I dine with your soldiers in the mess hall this evening during the commemorative dinner? I don’t believe the other distinguished guests will be so keen to be seated near me.”
Vega laughed, “My soldiers would be thrilled to meet you. Many of them are much more keen to interact with you than our own Master Heraklinos these days in fact.”
Victoria furrowed her brow as she followed Vega, “Really? I have to say that is an unusual thing for me to experience, especially in the Heraklinos Empire. Why is that if I may ask?”
Vega turned to face her, “Do you not know? Xenia saved our entire fortress from being overrun by rebel forces. Were it not for her, Jacek, I, and every soldier you see here would be dead.”
Victoria thought to herself, “Ahh yes, I do vaguely remember Xenia’s request for more forces in the Saber Province. Clever girl.” She then said aloud, “Funny thing war. Pitting people against one another to the death for no reason other than the simple fact that they have been ordered to do so by their overlords. I will be sure to show my gratitude to the soldiers here during my stay.”
Vega nodded, “Thank you Empress Victoria. You’re kind heart during these times of war is a beacon of light.”
As the two walked to the guest quarters, the soldiers watched Victoria and Vega walk by. One of the grunts said, “Holy shit! So that’s Xenia’s mom? She’s nearly as hot as Xenia. Is the entire BloodStar family just freakishly sexy super models?”
Another soldier replied, “Yea and I heard she’s like 150 years old. I bet she knows all kinds of techniques in the bedroom.”
A third soldier chimed in, “She is 150 years old? With a body and face like that? I guess I have a thing for old ladies now. Give me mommy BloodStar any night!”
Victoria wore tight-fitting crimson pants and a shirt which was quite casual for a woman of her stature. Her outfit did show off her exquisite physique and large boobs. Those features combined with her long, toned legs made every soldier in the fortress lust for a 150-year-old woman for the first time ever.
As Victoria settled in, another private jet landed on the runway. This jet carried the heavy-hitters arriving from the Heraklinos Empire including Pope Gregory himself. A red carpet had been laid out at the request of Jarek.
This arrival was much more formal than the arrival of Victoria. Soldiers lined each side of the red carpet and trumpets rang out as Jarek, Jacek, Erika, and Gregory alighted from the jet and entered the fortress.
Soldiers formally saluted Master and Lord Heraklinos as they passed. The air in the fortress suddenly became much more cold as their empire’s rulers arrived.
Jarek called to his men, “This is Pope Gregory of the Holy Light Empire. For the duration of his stay, his authority matches my own. He is a Master of his empire. Show him the respect he deserves, or he will command it from you.”
The soldiers gulped as they saluted Pope Gregory who gave a stalwart face to the soldiers.
Lastly, Erika and Jacek walked down the carpet. The soldiers cheered the return of their former Lord of the Fortress, and Jacek waved his hand as he cracked a smile on his face.
Soldiers cried out, “Welcome back Lord Heraklinos! We love you!” Jacek still maintained a bit of a celebrity status on the base, and he walked over to Vega. The two men gave each other a big hug that would otherwise crush a normal human.
Vega smiled and said, “Welcome back, you bastard.”
Jacek laughed, “I hope you’ve been training because I have some new moves to test on you during our sparring matches.”
Vega looked to Erika and said, “I apologize, Master Sage. Welcome to the Saber Fortress. Jacek here knows all of the secrets of the fortress; I trust he will ensure your time here to be a good one. But… if he doesn’t… let me know, and I will whip him into shape.”
Erika smiled, “Thank you Vega. It is good to see you too. I only wish we three were together under different circumstances.”
Vega nodded, “The betting odds give Pope Gregory a 10 to 1 advantage of winning this fight. I hope they know what they are talking about.”
Erika said, “Hmm. I wish it were more like 100 to 1. That would make me feel better.”
Vega said, “Come on. Let me show you two to your room before the dinner tonight.”