With the Green Bishop bound and gagged in mana suppressant shackles, Jack sighed as the imperial commandos began to carry the prisoner away to a grey-metal transport.

“What should we do with… them?” Jessica asked, taking her helmet off to see for herself the abominations that stood behind Jack.

“Nothing. I'll deal with them,” Jack said, focusing on the horde of inanimate children that stood in limbo after their Master had ordered them to cease singing.

“As you say sir. We'll take the prison-”

“What is this? Why isn't he dead?!” Superbia demanded, stepping into the labyrinth with her entourage of paladins.

“The Empire has need of him,” Jack replied, drawing a scowl from the blue-haired woman covered in injuries, fresh from her fight with the papal general.

“This wasn't part of our agreement with the Imp Queen,” Superbia spat, the S class Awakened’s power flaring for a moment.

Jack narrowed his eyes at the woman moving to intercept the imperial commandos; however she didn't get far before Jack impeded her path with his body.

He took off his helmet, making sure to meet the woman's steely blue gaze.

“That Imp, is my wife. And I am the King of the Empire. You would do well to check your tone when addressing me, Judicator,” Jack replied, speaking before Jessica could draw her gun from her holster.

Un-used to being talked back to, the Named Awakened glared at Jack who stood over her. Searching his gaze, all she felt was the spark hidden behind his eyes that spoke of unspeakable violence to come if they clashed.

She wouldn't win.

That was what her senses told her.

Yet… she couldn't just do nothing while the man responsible for the downfall of her nation escaped death.

The air grew heavy, the chamber split between Imperial soldiers and Theocracy paladins with neither side moving.

Despite three years, the wounds of the Theocracy invasion were still fresh in the mind of every imperial.

Jack didn't want to alienate potential long term allies, but if they made a move and got in the way between him and his family…

“Yoooohoooo! Tanjii!” A jubilant voice cried out, piercing through the intensity of the chamber.

Out of the hole in a wall out came the bouncing bunny known as Yukino, the woman taking well to her cybernetic limbs as she strolled between the two parties.

“Yuki? What is it?” Jack said, breaking his gaze with the paladin S class to turn to his friend.

“Snake Eyes says he wants you and everyone on the bridge! Says it's urgent,” Yuki said before her eyes trailed to the assortment of flesh and machines that lay behind Jack. “What-?”

“Don't worry about it,” Jack said, pulling Yukino to the side and directing her to the imperial entourage leaving the scene. “Tell Python I’ll be with them soon. I’ve got to take care of some things. Go, get out of here.”

Yukino paused, her jaw clenching momentarily, “I understand.”

Jack turned back to the bodies that stood in mute silence, the servitors waiting for commands that didn’t come.

But why? Why didn’t the Green Bishop order them to attack? If he did he wouldn't have been captured so easily. Was this ploy part of his plan? Was this still all part of the Black King’s machinations?

Jack didn’t know, but he did know that he couldn’t leave them here.

“Heretical,” Superbia hissed, “Mixing flesh with metal, it is unnatural, disgusting, perverted. Marring the flesh given to us by the goddess.”

Jack stood in silence, wondering what he could do. Judging from their condition, they were comatose standing up. No more than suits of flesh being piloted by the machines that coated their bodies.

Sara… What do I do? Is there anything I can do for them?

Sahaqiel floated towards a child, rubbing her incorporeal hands against the cranium of her subject.

The angel took on a grave expression.

“There's Nothing here. Their souls are shattered beyond repair. Anything that could be human is…”

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“Kill them.” Lilith spat, “Spare them their suffering.”

But if I do they'll come back as monsters…

“Better than to be playthings of the Bishop. Man the fuck up and do one right thing. They're already monsters.”

Jack sighed.

“Yeah… you're right,” Jack muttered aloud, drawing a look from Superbia before he moved.

“What are you doing?”

“Making this as painless as possible,” Jack whispered before his hand came up.

Will you help me Sara?

The angel was mute, but ultimately her support was felt as a cold wind blew.

Under Sahaqiel’s guidance, the air began to wrap around the crowd in limbo, the winds caressing their necks like a rope.

Then, Jack closed his fist with a resounding SNAP sounding as dozens of necks were broken simultaneously.

The room fell silent, the Paladins that remained staring at the still bodies now on the floor.

A heavy weight fell upon Jack's heart, but he did what needed to be done. Even if this was a ploy by the high table, at the very least, it had been done in a humane way to spare them their suffering rather than out of anger or forced coercion.

“We share a common enemy,” Jack said to Superbia. “I promise the Green Bishop won't escape justice. I will personally kill him myself. In the meantime, you can satisfy yourself by hunting down the rest of the survivors, don’t allow their evil to spread.”

Glaring Superbia only nodded, allowing Jack to pass unscathed to link up with his Imperial forces.

****

“Bloody hell,” Python sighed, rubbing his temples as the door of his office opened and Jack strolled in.

“I take it you've seen the helmet footage?” Jack said as he reached over, taking the bottle of Python's whiskey and pouring himself a drink.

“Since when do you drink?”

“Now,” Jack replied, downing the entire bottle.

“Fair warning, that's not going to do anything to you. I drink mostly out of ritual and habit than anything,” Python said before sliding an intellipad over to Jack that displayed a video of a tied up man being waterboarded.

“Anything useful yet?”

“Nothing. We've got techs running analysis on the augmentations we ripped off of the bastard but it's doubtful we'll get anything useful. From what we can tell so far however, they’re covered in the same mutagen that prevents us from healing. Talk about commitment to the cause,” Python sneered.

“Has he made any demands? Asked for anything?” Jack said, watching the Green Bishop being interrogated. “This all feels too easy.”

“Then you aren't going to like what I say next lad,” Python sighed before tapping the side of his office where a Transpo-screen lit up, displaying a massive flying city in the distance. “Apparently that homogenous fucker over there is a gift from the Black King. A baby shower gift.”

Jack frowned at the news, his thoughts turning immediately to Ada and his unborn child.

“I don't like this,” Jack said, staring at the floating structure that rivaled the Imperial Solarus.

“Me either. Despite how close we get it still feels like those fuckers are a step ahead of us.”

“So what are we going to do with this gift?”

Python rubbed his face, the tired twenty-three year old Colonel taking out a daylily leaf to chew on.

“That’s another thing on my plate. Selfia wants us to take the floating City back to Imperial territory to analyze it-”

“But? I’m hearing a but.”

Python smirked, “-but, Lita and her remnants want to keep it.”

Jack slumped in his chair.

“Fucking politics…Why wasn’t there any intelligence that this city was a flying fortress?”

“Apparently the religious fanatics JUST found out themselves. Lucky that huh?” Python shook his head, a headache forming. “They aren’t exactly our allies, and they aren’t even technically a country anymore. So politically we owe them nothing. Still…”

Python gazed out at the city in the distance still teeming with paladin clean up crews and sporadic gunfire from Papal remnants.

“Let them keep it.”

“What?” Python turned to Jack.

“Let them keep it. I don’t want to have to kill people I’ve just spent the last fifty-six hours fighting alongside,” Jack said.

“You realize lad that Selfia would be pissed if I didn’t-”

“Its fine. I’ve got an idea. We let them keep the city, but we bring the city with us.”

Python gave Jack a sideways look.

“This land is lost,” Jack continued, eyeing the landscape below where hordes of demonspawn were crawling about. “Their country is in ruin and overrun. If they stay here, they’ll no doubt all be killed in time. But if we bring them to the empire, settle them in neutral territory as a free city. We can not only gain the floating city, but also allies and whatever secrets lie below.”

“Settling thousands of refugees is no easy feat Jack, never mind the logistics, materials and their religious… quirks, most of the Empire doesn’t like them. Hell, I don't even like them.”

“Most of the Empire doesn’t like us,” Jack countered, “Fortunately I know a place that doesn’t discriminate and is needing in manpower and resources. Away from any imperial city.”

Python paused, taking a moment before he realized what Jack was getting at.

“That… could work. With most of Selfia’s opposition dead…” Python rubbed his chin. “I’ll make the call to the Queen if you talk to Lita?”

“Deal, you’re more used to her yelling anyway,” Jack smiled before getting up. “And uh… I’ll get you another bottle of whiskey.”

“Eh, don’t worry about it lad,” Python tapped a button on his desk, revealing a hidden shelf nearby that opened to reveal dozens of bottles. “I’ve always got my ass covered. Hey… you ok lad?”

Jack paused, eyeing the man.

“Yeah, I'm fine.”

Python pursed his lips.

“If you're good, you should get yourself showered first, you smell and you're getting blood everywhere, we’ll reconvene in an hour?”

“Sounds good,” Jack said before giving a casual salute to Python who waved his King off.

With a sigh, Jack exited Python's office to stand within the hallway of the Imperial Aircarrier Suck My Dick Roland.