"You have done well my disciple." Vol Drung spoke down to Timus from his high throne as he admired the artefact in his first right arm.

"Old King Yakumo kept it most dear to him… even after his original life my lord." Timus replied timidly.

Vol Drung marvelled at it for a second more. It was an engraved metal rectangular prism.

It weighed as much as a small glider, but that was no query for the old god.

He floated down to the chamber below.

He had grown stronger and larger. Closer to his original stature.

Timus could sense the overwhelming power his lord held and cowered further into his robe.

Even in his comparatively weak state he could level mountains and move the tectonics of any planet.

It was the kind of strength that he himself desperately wanted yet he was still so terrified of his master.

A wave of introspection surged from the depths of his mind as he beheld the god.

I didn't have to wake him… I could have gained my own power… my own terrible power! In these aeons that I have lived

.. I could have been a god! Grow my own power instead of worshipping his! no! I must not be so pathetic! So spiteful and envious! We all have kur places in this universe… my destiny is to serve this power… and maybe my lord would be so kind as to bestow some upon me… his most trusted and humble servant… look how he praises me now… a being of such strength… praising me… maybe my time is soon to come… I must be patient

"We have the whereabouts of the other two pieces my lord… I myself will lead the retrievals… I will ensure you regain your power my lord. It is yours by right." Timus babbled.

"Good. Get it done. Timus. You have done well…" he said as he floated past his apostle and through his temple.

He levitated to the stage at the entrance which was now lined with a series of slaves and sacrifices, all chained together being forced into the temple by converts and priests.

He landed amongst all of them.

Some using their dying breaths to plead and beg and others attempting to fight.

He merely stood amongst the suffering his arms held high, prostrating to the heavens.

"Fear not for you are all about to become one with the ultimate and foremost power in the universe."

He exclaimed before claiming the souls of thousands before hjm.

He twisted and morphed even larger before picking up a woman he spared by the hair and flying her inside his temple.

Her screams, unable to penetrate his helm.

A giant marble chamber, with huge, carved marble pillars holding the high ceiling and thousands of chandelier sculptures up.

The finest and most cutting edge art in the galaxy hung with no lack of attention to detail all over the room.

In the back half of the palatial space was a long table.

One hundred and one seats for one hundred Consul generals and one Consul supreme.

All facing the audience.

All dry faced, grey haired aristocrats from the oldest families of the Conglomerate.

Breaking the idle silence of the chamber, a messenger hurried in through the large curtained ark that led into the room.

"General Lyanus has arrived, he asks for an audience urgently." The messenger spoke curtly before bowing.

"Allow him entry." The Consul Supreme said in a calm manner.

The messenger bowed and hurried back out.

A few moments later and the doors down the end of the hallway leading to the chamber slammed open.

Bustling footsteps followed.

In through the open archway strode in a tall man with a broad puffed out chest and a strong chin, held up high.

He had come straight from the battlefield.

He wore his neo centurion armour scuffed and bloodstained.

He roused his helmet and whipped his long charcoal locks ostentatiously.

He was the pride of the Conglomerate united forces, and he knew it.

He then knelt with one fist on his chest and the other in the air in a centurion's salute and acknowledged the panel.

"Halle Dominis!" He exclaimed before standing.

"Halle Commander Lyanus. What is it that you were in too much of a hurry to properly present yourself to us with?" The Consul supreme asked in a near sneer.

The general either ignored it or seemed not to care.

"Trouble in the outer realms Consul! Entire planets being attacked, families destroyed, men women and children being abducted!" He replied curtly.

"Ha ha when is there no trouble amongst those savages? I tell you if not for the conglomerate, those sub-pleb troglodytes would have torn each other to bits by now." He mused mirthlessly.

The entire panel joined in a unanimous chuckle.

The Commander, keeping his expression of steel, waited for them to stop before speaking again.

"This is not another civil uprising nor another rebellion Consul. These are organised invasions. The enemy comes in giant spherical barrage ships. They’re led by robed apostles who possess supernatural powers. They’re organised within hours, entire planets are decimated. I too did not believe it until we were on Colossus one. The moon was attacked, we managed to retaliate and force them to retreat but not without substantial losses." He stated, with gravitas.

"Sphered ships? Supernatural powers? What in the kugelblitz do you speak of General? Have you gone mad?" Was the reply.

"Consul I wish to point out similarities between these attackers and the antagonists of the fables of the old gods."

"The old gods! Haha you really have lost it General. All that time spent in the outer realms, must have disrupted your reasoning! I mean really…" the Consul said but the Commander stood unmoved.

"Alright so what do you expect of us? What shall we do to rid you of these fairytales that haunt you so." The Consul mused.

"I ask for full martial authority as well as all the resources you have at your disposal to find the source of these invaders and then destroy them." He said without stutter nor stumble.

"You have lost it my boy! All of our resources? We are nearing a galactic récession, civil war is imminent and you want to go chasing ghosts?" He scoffed.

"They're as real as the blood on my sword! For that is what I used to cut them down! Guided by my own two eyes in which I saw them!" The General broke out abruptly, causing the Consul to stand.

"Mind your manners boy… I shall take this offence as a consequence of your long and tiring journeys. Get some rest, and come back to us when you have regained your usual composure." The Consul snaked out the words with poison dripping from every syllable.

The general, frustrated, bowed quickly before strutting out of the chamber.

"Insolent, just like his father… if only he weren’t so good at doing what he does…"

Lyanus was too caught up in fury to notice another messenger approach him as he walked down the hall.

"Excuse me Commander?" He dared meekly.

The Commander stopped and darted his eye at the messenger without moving his head.

"What is it?" He growled, pushing the messenger's head lower in his cowering stance.

"It's Peacekeeper Paddius… he wished to speak… urgently." he reached out with a shaking hand, holding a convo drive.

The Commander took it and opened it quickly.

A hologram of the peacekeeper popped up.

"Halle Dominus!"

"Halle, This better be good Paddius." He was still growling.

"I have detained a bounty hunter and his captives." Replied the hologram.

"What in the hell for Paddius! We work in tandem with the bounty guild!" He yelled, the vein in his forehead fit to burst.

"Sir! They say they have news of the sphere invaders! They say they have fought them!" Paddius babbled back quickly before Lyanus exploded.

The Commander composed himself.

"Hold them, I will be there soon."

He hurried to his chariot glider and blasted off to the justice district.

"Nothing good comes of you… you are a curse, I am sure of it." The hunter said as he sat in the holding cell next to the once again drugged out Hans and their little stowaway.

"Have you got any booze officer? I could really go for some poison right about now." Hans said in a dreamy, happy manner with his face pressed up against the gate.

"Quiet!" A peacekeeper with the name tag 'Paddius' yelled as he hit the gate with his baton, forcing Hans back onto the metallic bench.

The monkey mumbled condescendingly to Hans as he flopped next to him.

"He's starting to warm up to me, don't you think?" Hans asked the hunter who was still busy talking at nothing;

"You are the bringer of chaos and this cruel, cruel universe has decided to gift you unto me." He finished his stifled rant with a glare at Hans.

"I can't even get rid of you without a motherfucking hassle. I come here to turn you in for my cash and they throw us both in this cell! Do you know how absurd that is?" He started to become spirited enough for Paddius to walk over and use his baton as a conversation ender once again.

The silence was short lived as Lyanus burst through the doors at the other end of the room.

Everybody turned and saluted.

"At ease!" He said loudly with a responsive salute before he marched to Paddius.

"You have something for me, Peacekeeper Paddius." He stated rather than asked.

"Yes sir! This Bounty Hunter…" He gestured to the hunter who just stared back silently.

"Came to turn in one Hans Dangerfield for 150 thousand credits…" he gestured to Hans.

"Is that all?" Hans asked sarcastically.

"Quiet degenerate!" Paddius yelled.

"Get to the point Commander!" Lyanus grew impatient.

"Sir! The Hunter has information regarding the cult invaders sir! He began to speak of it while I was coding his credit chip." Paddius quickly babbled out.

"Hmmmm." Lyanus responded, turning his head to the rag tag captives.

"Good work Commander." He said as he tossed up the stakes in his head.

Go against the wishes of the Consulate? Or against the wellbeing of the empire… hmmmm.

"What's your name hunter?" Lyanus queried.

"He doesn't like that question." Hans chumed in.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

Lyanus merely gave him a stare sharp enough to cut steel.

Hans grinned in reply, his eyes bloodshot and dazed.

"Where did you see them, the invaders? And why did they let you live?" He spoke again down to the hunter.

The hunter merely sat there and kept his gaze fixed with Lyanus.

He lifted four fingers and took one down with each word he said.

"I, want, my, money."

Lyanus' nose twitched slightly.

He calmly turned to Paddius.

"What is this Hans Dangerfield wanted for exactly?" He asked.

"Over one hundred counts of theft, mainly alcohol and some pharmaceutics, public indecency and one count of murder, sir!" Paddius replied curtly.

Lyanus grinned at the inmates.

"As far as I am concerned, as the General of the Conglomerate army and leader of the centurions, you are simply an accomplice to this man. And by my decree you, your drunken delivery and your… pet are all fugitives of the Conglomerate until I say otherwise, Paddius, get them onto the Galleon… we're going to hunt this cult." He ordered before marching out swiftly.

"Fucking Empirical legion… I can"t stand those assholes." The hunter said vindictively.

"Any chance of that drink now?" Hans asked Paddius.

Paddius just growled and hit the bars with his baton again.

A few hours passed and the building was put into its nocturnal state.

All entrances were barred and only a few peacekeepers remained at their stations whilst automatons were activated to maintain security.

Hans was asleep, or more so, too annebreated to remain conscious and the hunter sat still.

Trying to remain calm whilst contemplating the calamities of his past few days.

There were significantly fewer patrollers and so the monkey decided to venture off his seat and to the bars.

Its head was just too large to fit through.

"Yeah, Conglomerate bars in the capital, barring another act of god we ain't getting outta here little guy." The hunter said to the creature.

All of a sudden, after immense strain, the creature morphed its physiology, stretching itself out a little and slinking through the bars and then snapping back to its original form.

"What in the fuck." Was all the hunter could manage to mumble as he stood up abruptly.

"Nice work little pal, you ain't so bad after all hey? Now head over there and get me those keys." He ordered the creature who stared back up defiantly and barked out a minute rant in its language.

"What the hell is your problem! Just go get them keys you little shit!" The hunter's patience gave way.

The creature chittered before stealthily scurrying over to the night watch-woman's table.

She looked like a highly disciplined young lady. Presumably new to the force and eager to impress.

She kept a steely gaze about her as she sat, keeping her eyes focused on the holding cells.

The monkey made his way to under her desk and behind her.

The key was hanging off of the back of her utility belt.

He slowly and subtly extended its arm as if it were an elastic band from under the shadows of the desk.

Sweat accrued at the edge of its brow as it strained to dislodge the keys without any commotion.

The little imp nearly had it off of its hook.

Suddenly she stood up abruptly.

The keys jangled off into his outstretched hand before he retreated further under the desk.

She began to strutt over to the Hunter and Hans' cell.

The creature panicked and rushed back to the back as well.

Following shadows and dodging cameras as it climbed and slid through the bars just before the officer reached the cell.

"Hmm… I've got my eye on you hunter…" she said with a point to emphasise.

She glared at Hans who was outstretched on the bench, snoring loudly.

She scoffed before strutting off again.

"Gimme the keys you slippery bastard." The hunter whispered to the smug little critter in the corner.

"Now wake that fool up or I'm leaving him here." He said as he swiftly swiped the electronic lock on the jail door.

It clicked open.

"Hmmmmm… vodka benzo…." Hans woke in a babbling daze.

Good.

Thought the hunter.

"Kill…" Hans grumbled as he gathered his bearings.

The hunter would have liked to have left the troublesome two behind.

But the reality was they were holed up in a Conglomerate peace facility in the capital.

Bleeding edge defence artificial intelligence would be installed in every nook and cranny of the building.

Not only that, bio-enhanced, near centurion rank peacekeepers would be patrolling the building tirelessly.

I need that killing machine awake and sober if I'm gonna get outta here… doesn't matter if he dies as long as the rampage is pointed in the right direction…

"Kill." Hans said, this time nearly coherent.

"What did you say scum?" The peacekeeper marched her way back to the cell.

"Kill! Hahahahaha!" This time Hans screamed, his eyes bloodshot and his veins popping.

"Quiet ingrate!" The peacekeeper was on the other side of the gate oblivious to the fact that it was open.

She had her hand cannon pointed straight at the deranged man's head.

The hunter merely smiled and gently pushed the door ajar.

The peacekeeper didn’t even have enough time to gasp before the visceral animalistic mass that was Hans was upon her and tore her limb from limb.

The hunter had never seen this sort of carnage and he cringed in fear.

Hans turned to him, his face twisted in a sardonic smile.

Luckily for the hunter, an automated turret popped out of the ceiling at the entrance and blasted a barrage of laser fire at Hans.

The Hunter looked on in shock and awe as the wounds seemed to heal as soon as the blasts passed through the man.

Hans merely screamed in irritation and with a lunge, launched himself at the automata and obliterated it, circuits and all.

Alarms blared and frantic movement could be heard from outside.

Hans followed any commotion and began his path of destruction through the building.

The hunter hesitated for a moment before the monkey hurried to the open door, gesturing manically for him to follow.

He snapped out of the trance of terror and began to move.

What's with you man, you see people die every other day! He thought as he ran after Hans, following the trail of limp bodies and broken assault tech.

Not like this… this is different…

He followed the path he remembered to the ship hanger.

On his way, all he saw was broken glass, bloodstained walls and disfigured bodies.

Some were even still alive, pleading for help or a merciful death.

I've seen blood and death, but for some reason… whether they were illogical, tragic or downright terrible… there were always reasons…

He stopped by a peacekeeper sobbing on the floor.

His legs were facing down but his torso and head up towards the ceiling.

Hans had twisted him until he broke in half and then some more after.

"Pleeaaseee…. Help me!" The man sobbed, blood seeping from his mouth.

The hunter took his gun and used it to end the poor man's plight.

This has no reason… it has nothing behind it… other than rage and hate.

He kept running down the hallways as the alarms flashed red sporadically in his eyes and its noise made his eardrums swell and fizzle.

If not for the trail of death before him, he wouldn't be able to make his way through the building.

The duo eventually made their way to the shipyard.

Here Hans was being bombarded by turret fire from all angles.

They seemed to be containing him, even getting on top of him with a ceaseless barrage of laser fire.

As soon as the Hunter thought that defeat was imminent, Hans rolled out of the line of fire, heaved a small glider off of the ground and threw it at the automated turrets, destroying some of them before charging at the others.

Pure, embodied, rage… aimless and unyeilding…

The hunter ran to his ship.

It opened, detecting his cellullar structure and unique movement pattern.

He immediately grabbed an antediluvian looking gun out of the back seat and loading a tranquilizer dart into it.

But if someone figured out how to direct that rage… he thought as he hurried behind cover, trying to find a good angle.

He peeked over and tried to get a lock on Hans who was moving around the hanger in an impossibly fast whirlwind of destruction.

"Shit! I can't get a lock!" The hunter cursed as he and the monkey retreaded back behind their cover.

Suddenly a new contender arrived on the stage.

A mid sized goliath barrage ship floated into view at the mouth of the hanger.

Just as Hans jumped towards it he was shot back by its assault cannons.

Behind the deadly blasts of light the port of the craft opened slowly to reveal a man walking headstrong and unbothered to the edge.

The General Gladius Lyanus stood in his Centurian prime battle armour.

Hardened interactive nano graphite adaptive armour, reflecting the lines of blue light that seamed the armour and carried power to all of his cybernetic enhancements.

His face was concealed by the generals helmet that also glowed a brilliant blue.

The man held an impossibly large gatling cannon, as big as his body.

He jumped from the barrage ship and landed in the hanger.

As soon as he did the cannon blasts from the ship stopped and he began with the gatling cannon.

Hans was slowed and battered from his rampage but his rage still burned strong, and as soon as the general ran out of charge, Hans jumped straight towards him.

The hunter and the monkey watched on, expecting a short burst of rage from Hans to end the confrontation.

The genral though, was no average centurion, he had climbed the ranks and from billions of possible selections, he rose to the head of the largest combined military force in the galaxy.

Bred for generations and raised to make the perfect soldier.

He parried Hans and with a swift manouver, he palmed the enraged beast of a man face first onto the ground.

The hunter watched in awe.

Hans immediately sprung back up, even angrier than earlier and the two went at it.

They seemed evenly matched for a moment with the two trading blows.

Hans just threw random, haphazard strikes and dodged as fast as he could and the general blocking, parrying and countering with extreme precision and blinding speed.

The general suddenly looked as if he had the upper hand, forcing Hans back and down into a corner and continued to pummell him into a bloody mess without any intention of stopping.

"Haha!" Hans blurted out and as if finally realising brute strength wouldn't get him out of this beating, he dodged, feinted and threw a full powered punch that connected with the generals helmet.

Just as he did that the general managed to land one final blow, obliterating Hans' jaw as they flew away from each other.

The General's helmet cracked and showed genuine surprise in his eyes.

Hans stood and finally had to take a moment.

"Ha you're not half bad!" He yelled in a guttural, bloodcurdling tone.

The general didn't break eye contact and kept a straight face as he discarded his helmet.

"Whatever the hell you are… I'm going to end it right here… right now." He said in a voice that could smoulder iron.

Hans laughed maniacally in reply.

Just as the two were about to launch themselves at each other, Hans stumbled and dropped to the ground, a tranquiliser dart protruding from his neck.

Lyanus stood still for a moment, perplexed by the sudden drop.

Suddenly the hunter's glider rushed to the side of the downed beast and the monkey stretched out and collected the limp body.

The general rushed to the craft to try and stop them but it was too late.

In a flash they were airborne and a moment later they were out in the capital cities skyline.

The barrage ship was quickly in pursuit, launching laser fire at the smaller faster craft.

It was no match for the gilder's speed and before they knew it, the trio were in low orbit and then a moment later, blasted off deep into the solar system.

The General saw them blip out of the atmosphere as he stared up from the hanger.

He looked back down at his cracked helmet, it reflected his sharp featured face back at him.

He activated his comms.

"Colonel, prepare the blitzkrieg… we're going for a hunt."