The lights of the amphitheater style auditorium began to dim. The excited chatter of students diminished into respectful attention as a hologram manifested on the platform that inhabited the front of the room. Fully rendered, the aspect of a woman in her upper 30’s with long hair that was gently tied back and subtle geometric tattoos that covered the backs of her hands and the sides of her neck. Her clothes were casual and her features aged from years of hard work stood before the rows of students. The hologram scanned the auditorium from left to right, noting the mix of Saurian, Eskarii and Terrans that occupied the stands. An appreciative smirk grew on program’s face as it took in the scene around it. Every student in the auditorium stayed silent until a second hologram appeared beside the woman; a large dog-like creature that stood as tall as the woman's shoulder appeared, two long tentacles connected to its cheeks and two that came from its shoulders, appearing to flow like weeds in the water followed by twin tails that lashed back and forth lazily.
This got most of the students talking, all but the Saurian, who smirked at one another with their reptilian mouths from various points in the auditorium. The creature let out a deafening roar and displayed its fur lined tentacles in different directions, electricity crackling and jumping between its body and tendrils. Wide eyed and surprised, the students gave the holograms full attention while the Saurian bared their teeth and fangs in reptilian grins.
The woman smacked the creature in its shoulder before grabbing the giant dog’s head, scratching under its chin and behind an ear. “P'ad áb Brácüt” the woman said, causing several students to giggle in the stands, inciting more giggling as they explained to their neighbors that it meant ‘don't be an asshole’ in the Eskarii language. The majority of the students stared at the display in disbelief as they witnessed the small woman treat a beast over twice her size as a common household pet. She patted the creature’s shoulder before snapping her finger and pointing to the floor. Obediently, the large dog-like creature laid down on the floor and rested its chin on crossed paws, which notably were as big as the woman’s head. Regaining composure, the hologram of the woman stepped forward.
“By a show of hands, who here hated their class on Federal and Imperial history?”
Most of the students shamelessly raised their hands. The woman smirked and turned to the professor who had been leaning back behind his desk that sat off stage watching amusedly. “Sorry Professor Belmecuri.” The professor merely smiled and shrugged dramatically.
The woman turned back to the students and cleared her throat. “That is exactly why this segment of your education is not part of the class. Now I know you are all excited to graduate.” Groups of students muttered their excitement until she snapped her fingers again. The sound echoed loudly throughout the auditorium commanding silence. “However, in order to graduate, you have one final objective here. There is no test or exam. The objective is to listen to this segment of history over the next few days that was intentionally left out of your classes and reflect on what you are told.” That comment earned several groans, in turn earning a low growl from the giant dog-like creature next to the woman. It may have been a hologram, but the students were still intimidated by its presence. She eyed the beast and smirked.
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“Some of you may have guessed by now who I am. Yes, I am the Empress of the Imperium, the Pirate Queen, Mirina Sor… and also known as Y Diwedd. However, what you do not know is that my name is Morrigan Emery Clarke.” Every student forgot their grievances with studying history and leaned forward with anticipation.
“Now I know you’ve all been taught the general rise of the Imperium. You’ve also been told who the Empress was but this piece of history I am about to share with you is not a flattering one. No, this will be a story of who the Empress was originally, she became Mirina Sor before all three races were brought together under the banner of the Pirate Queen, before Y Diwedd ripped the heart out of the Federation and freed the people from its tyranny.”
The woman smiled at all the attentive faces who watched her closely. “You see, I obviously wasn’t always the Empress. I was an ordinary girl only 16 years old before events came into play that led to me rising above impossible odds. Terrible circumstances that transpired before I tore down an oppressive government and built the Imperium we have today. Events that are not easy to hear. Some will make you angry, some will make you cry, and some you will regret hearing.” She looked sternly at all the students who began to murmur between themselves, until the dog-like creature let out a bored sigh and rolled over onto its back, paws dangling above its chest before reached out with a tentacle and playfully zapped hologram Morrigan. Glaring at the creature, “you know I can still turn you into a blanket right?” The students watched as the giant canine shifted to look at its hologram counterpart with wide eyes before covering its face with its paws. The Morrigan rolled her eyes as giggles started to break out in her audience. “Anyways, before I get into this story,” she mused. “I want you to temporarily erase what it is you think you know of me. Do not assume that everything you’ve been taught is all there is. Your classes are meant to teach you what happened. I will be the one to explain why it happened.” The hologram raised her hand and a miniature globe appeared above it. The orb was covered in molten slag, dimly glowing like an ember in a dying fire. She took her free hand and waved over the orb, returning it to the blue, brown and green marble it once was. She took her hands and spread them apart to inflate the image large enough for the entirety of the class to see. “This, of course, is Earth. The home world of Terrans, and as you can guess, where I was born. The year was 2389. My original home once called Denver, Colorado.” She pointed as the image panned over the United States and a yellow target appeared, highlighting the area she referred to. The students leaned further forward in awe as the imagery zoomed in.
Alice didn’t fall down the rabbit hole. She scraped her knees and bloodied her hands crawling, digging, pushing and fighting her way to the end ~ Empress of the Imperium Year 2409 Sol.