Nine Months since the Harat War alert and the beginning of rescue operations was strangely slower even though we are transitioning into long-term rescue operations. A moderate component of shuttles stayed back with the Galilei, but Alaris just started her journey home with the remainder of the shuttles. As soon as they get back, interplanetary travel will resume as well as most mining operations around Astoria.
All of the Boroughs are bigger and now independent from Empire ownership, unlike Aelea, who refuses to address the issue. About 10% of the Vassalages on Astoria survived, with a few more renewing interested in migrating to a different system, despite the ample land and resources on the far side of the Goliath Ocean. The City of Ash, however, has become a titan.
Duchess Campbell has been a better ruler than anyone the Empire has yet seen and she now manages a population well over a million. With the population of Ash compared to the rest of the planet’s cities and vassals, and her vast experience in government, Astoria has all but named her Governor of the Planet. Granted, I think she‘s a fantastic asset. But as a Duchy leader and Governor, she cannot become one of my private advisors. She is also largely responsible for the recent cash-flow to the Empire as the population thresholds we are reaching give us cash, and her taxes are now significant enough to mount into CE territory once the year rolls over in three months.
Apparently, civilizations gain tokens and credits from the Matrix yearly, based on a large swath of factors. Apparently, with barely 10k citizens in the last roll-over, we merely received a tithe. With a near permanent interest in immigration from Earth, our numbers are outpacing much of our construction.
The Heights are doing well, money begets money. Vooselton is slower to grow, but the community is ironclad. Penbroke, however, is a shambles and is a womb of discontent and crime. Too many people, too many transients, not enough permanence to establish anything but a few breaths before submerging again. The borough held just short of a million but, on average the populace is shell-shocked and unwilling or unable to progress. Penbroke is poor and stagnant.
>/Empress, DE D.Campbell, do you have a moment?/<
>/Duke Campbell, or do you prefer Duchess? I am free, but unable to travel far./<
>/Duke, please. I am at the Governor’s Office, I can be at yours in the Castle in minutes./<
>/Please join me/<
Minutes later, I have a recently-hired pilot to shuttle her up to my gardens. I even built an office grotto for such an occasion.
“Empress, if I didn’t know how much you invest into your people, this would raise some questions” The Duke states. I wave her statement, off.
“A good deal of the Empire’s infrastructure was privately funded. That can’t be why you’re here, how may the Empire be of service, Duke of Ash?”
She chuckles as I splash in the fountain with my feet.
“Empress, I have a proposal for Baronys, but land rights are not allowed to subdivide without your approval.”
“By design Duke. I have in the documents that Earls ought to be established before a Barony, You may establish Marquess and Viscount as appropriate administrative districts as you prefer.”
“Ah, if I do not want to convey as much authority?”
I laugh at that. “To prevent bloating, I have created a rule of hands, I suppose. A Monarch has hands for different purposes, as such, the left hand may only administer as many Dukes as fingers. A Duke may split those hands to Marquess and Earl, and Earl may split those hands to Viscount and Barony. Duke, Earl, and Baron being the land-holding titles.”
“Yes, not the same as the U.K. but easily learned. I will file the appropriate land holdings with the Consul of Interior.”
“Good, but this hardly counts as an urgent matter, Duke.” I stare at her briefly before tending to a titanium ribbon I’ve been engraving.
“Okay then, my scouts have found Aether-Forged on the outskirts of the Duchy. Levels 30+ and we need help. The Nadir won’t take us up on the proposal and the Hakkar are at war with us.”
“Alright. I get the Issue, but why should I handle this instead of making it a training problem?” I’m being obtuse on purpose. Mid thirties is not a hassle for me at all.”
“Because aether-forged 32 is the start of their lair.” It was that moment where Campbell knew she had me reeled in. “All we ask is the meat and the crystals that . . .”
“The meat sure. The crystals are mine. Aether-forged beasts are a cut above. That title is almost worth a half-tier itself. I solod a 40+ aether forged. Damn near killed me. Meat gave my cooks skill ups for months.” Her interest was piqued when I mentioned the cooks. She doesn’t seem the kind to value craftpersons in the long-term, but she’ll learn or commerce will suffer.
“Do we have a deal?” she asked. Right, no deal save my concessions have been reached. As if that would stand.
“You have not addressed my fee as a mercenary, Duke.”
“Your duty to the Empire is to clean the land of these lairs!”
“Your duty to the Empire is to handle your land, Duke. Asking me to handle it for you is a problem is it not?”
“What would you claim, Empress?” the Duke seethes, knowing it is within my right.
“Full claim on all of my spoils, and . . . 10% government spoils for a year, 5% of which must go to the Empire Treasury.” She seems taken aback by my demands.
“That, is entirely reasonable, Empress. We will expect your visit.”
Perhaps I was too generous in my sharing? Bah, no. This was merely an invite for government interest and a feeler for owning dungeons. Clever test Duke. Serves me right for thinking I’ve got the upper hand.
I dismiss her under the guidance of Andromeda and she leaves with only minor disdain. It feels like a win, which means I lost somewhere else—a fact I loath about politics.
“Any wisdoms Tessa?”
An idea I have expressed before, but having two separate power structures is indelicate and could prove disastrous.
I’m just glad that I saved that mental pain before Aelea or the boroughs established land titles.
The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
Yes, but you have many Vassals trying to apply for Imperial titles.
I understand that, but I don’t want to give Vassals titles when then can actively claim any title they want as foreign bodies can become Vassals as well. I didn’t want to make the laws complicated, but foreign buy in is many steps lower than domestic ownership.”
Can we stop with matters of state when you’ve been propositioned with adventure?
Tessa, is this a ride along or an adventure party to you? I Don’t have a lot of combat friends but I’ll put the bell out.
Oh please, Penny. Would you like me to lay out the party that wants to go with you according to old tabletop roles?
Andromeda yes! I do need a team, but I swear, 7 months has messed up my radar.
DeGurgis-Brawler/Tank, Astoria-Dodge Tank/Artificer, Speth—Sniper, Solari—Rogue/support, O’Connell—Multipurpose Support.
Well shit, I feel bad not knowing how good Solari and Katie are at combat. Makes Katie hotter if I’m honest. Tessa scoffs in my brain while I smile at my options.
>/Five hands call: Aether-forged dungeon 30+. Full kit and armor. Minor boon from the Empire with small loot percentage. /<
>/DG- in/<
>/Wife, in/< nice claim Katie.
>/Girlfriend and Marshal, in/<
>/ Fuck you Sol./<
>/Love you Kay. Smooches. /<
>/Speth, in with drama-pay/<
>/Copy and concur. 10 days for gear and Gershwin. /< The song and dance always makes things take longer.
I sent a location and leave locations for pickup at the Castle, Penbroke Square, and The Ash Pit.
***
“Penny I am minutes from frying her brain. I fucking swear she’s worse than all the criminals I’ve murdered.” Katie scowls at now Marshal Solari. I decided I didn’t like the idea of Planets having the authority to issue sheriffs on the Galactic scale, so I did the Marshal thing.
“Kay, she’s just being familiar because it annoys you. We never slept together or really even flirted. You should talk to DeGurgis though. She’s super scared of you.” Despite how much closer we’ve gotten since the baby news, I feel that inviting her out on an adventure may have backfired.
“Works for me. Plus, she knows that while we are doing the Empire’s work, I will never harm her.” She grows a clever smile, which I find devastatingly attractive. “Speaking of harm, you’re putting our baby in danger. Is this a wise choice?” She accuses.
“If I’ve got you four around me I’m probably safer in this lair than having breakfast in Aelea. Plus, this new armor really is the tits.”
Katie grumbles at me but doesn’t say more about it. It’ll come up again, for sure, but I kind of enjoy the concern from her. I like it a lot in fact.
“Alright! Enough butt patting and tonguing, we’re here to kill some shit.” Jenna shouted.
I still got like three ass pats.
“Minor open field, with prolonged tunnel warfare. Speth, you are absolutely the bag monkey in close quarters. Penny, surge, but make sure you fucking retreat. Sol and Oak, do your shit, you’re both on point most days.” To my surprise ‘Sol’ Solari and ‘Oak’ O’Connel both blush and preen. This planet is lousy with ‘em I swear.
“Do not rush caverns. Bae has the big guns and Speth has the snipes. Questions?” The sounds of charging weapons is the only response.
“Stay safe and let’s wreck ‘em”
I put a dome of silence around us. My shields are going to get a mad workout, but I could use one. The outside camps are small hovels with aether-forged Runts and Mothers, who are vulnerable to surprise. Speth took solo mothers with my pulse cannon—a Merc Inc. experimental laser rifle with extra oomf. Sol and I are on cleanup and we wreck the little turds. We’re lucky that none of these aether-forged pigs are anywhere near tier 3. We’re also fortunate they aren’t Voosel with their acid-spitting tentacle faces.
As the first warren/hovel/brood was young and shallow, we went deeper. There were advanced and forged scouts that we had to engage silently so I do my best to sound-shield the tunnels around us while I blip Solari and I behind the pigs and hack at their throats. My blades have some trouble slicing through, so I fire a few pulse blasts through its ears before finishing hacking into its arteries. I look over to see a Solari with a clean slit throat, looking at me with disgust.
Half a dozen scouts to this level of mobs, level 35 on average, are protecting a training ground of sorts.
>/ Have a problem team /< Tessa, can you link my feed to them?
Jenna and Katie have links to us, the other two do not.
That should be enough for Jenna to team lead.
>/ That’s more than we’ve seen together so far. There may even be more in the holes around the edge of the cave. Have any fancy gadgets for this Penny?/<
>/No gadgets, magic though. It is disturbing though. Don’t want to just snipe the Goremaster and go in Loud?/<
>/Seizmic imaging shows only one more level and a large cavern beneath it. Based on afterquake analysis, there are between thirty and fifty Pavul left in the cave network. /<
>/Great intel Oak. Sol, Speth, ideas?/<
>/I can modify ammo for burst or piercing, but I don’t think my burst skill can one-hit with the splash damage and I can only modify one mag worth at a time./<
>/Does it have to be the same mag for all the rounds?/< that’s a great question Solari. I get where you’re going with this.
>/No! It doesn’t./< I can see him smile in the low light. They both pull out their flash-suppressed carbines and Solari hands her magazine to Speth.
>/With that, Speth will snipe the Goremaster with the pulse cannon, then those two engage with carbines, and the rest of us clean up from the wings. /<
The pulse canon spits out enormous energy but is moving so fast that the crackle that follow’s the superheated air’s collapsing trail to the Goremaster lasts about a second, but it’s loud enough for the soldiers to search for the source. Solari opens fire and Speth follows immediately after.
As soon as the Carbines report, Katie and I strafe with pulse pistols and start firing into the small crowd. Jenna runs at a slight angle at first to clear the rifle line of sight and then unfurls her riot shield and starts firing her large caliber hand gun into the group as well. Not sure if that’s useful right now, but with how loud the rifles are, not sure the extra noise hurts us any.
Some extra Pavul pile out of the hovel holes, but they aren’t agile enough to avoid our aim. Five minutes in the room, it’s silent again.
“I want to wait for a retaliation, but continuing to disrupt should work for at least one more cave” Jenna says. Katie and I agree with advancing at least one more, so that’s what we do. The next cavern has slightly more Pavul in it, but the tactic works the same way and we have it cleared in minutes.
“Oof, the ground feels woozy. Is there an earthquake happening?”
Katie looks at me through her HUD, “A small one, yes. I’m surprised you can detect it. I’m somewhat certain it is stampeding animals”
“Alright, back up to the last corridor and get behind Jenna. I’ve got some ugly magic that is indiscriminate. It’ll thin out their numbers, but don’t touch it.” I warn everyone. They backup as I ask and I advance to the tunnel leading down. As soon as I see grimy tusks close to the tunnel exit I start spraying
“OPEN FIRE!” I shout at my team. Even Katie is kneeling with a rifle, firing into the hoard of 30 ish Pavul. Some of the earliest adopters of scraping of the muck are recovering enough to be mobile and angry with huge oozing wounds. I have to start using Gu-fu to stay out of trouble, so I pull out my saber so that I’m not indiscriminately spewing void everywhere. I’m in the shit, searing off tusks, firing a few pulses into a side of pork before blipping to an open space, rinse and repeat. I don’t want to blip behind Jenna and the gang because a frenzied charge with these beasts in an enclosed space spells trouble.
My stamina isn’t fantastic, but my will and my stamina are fighting to see what will get low first. Luckily, my team has my back. As soon as my blips start getting sloppy and imprecise, the cover fire from Speth and the stab support from Solari have made it so I don’t have to blip anymore, I just have to martial arts. Gun-fu is doing work today.
As soon as the last one falls, I shoot it a bunch in the head to make sure it’s dead, then I sit on it and start pulling snacks.