Chapter 70
Viltrix
As I watched my fleet disappear into the Pyramid, my blood began to boil. Not a sound could be heard on the bridge as I stood motionless, witnessing the destruction of my ships and watching as my slaves were taken beyond my reach I seethed. Contemplating my next move, a young officer approached me cautiously. "Lord..." he began, but I swiftly silenced him with a backhand so powerful that all that remained were a pair of bloody boots.
Scanning the bridge, I found dozens of fearful eyes avoiding my gaze. The anger that consumed me lessened slightly with the officer's demise. Turning to face the terrified crowd, I demanded, "Who here can explain this betrayal?"
A diminutive female, with reptilian features, timidly raised her clawed hand. Without hesitation, I seized her by the neck. Despite her fear, she didn't resist or plead for mercy. Holding her up to eye level, I warned, "Speak wisely, for it may be your last."
She struggled to swallow before pointing toward the bloody remains of the officer I had dispatched. "The late communication officer received an encoded message from one of the vessels that sacrificed itself to allow the rest of the fleet to enter the Pyramid."
Shaking her, I roared, "Out with it! What did the message contain?"
"I can play you the recording if you wish, my Lord, but I must return to my station," she replied.
Releasing her abruptly caused her to yelp in pain as she landed awkwardly. Another of her kind crawled over to assist, but I seized the do-gooder by the tail and hurled it against the nearest wall, its impact splattering nearby crew members with its remains.
As the woman scrambled, she screamed in pain, pushing herself toward her station. An obviously broken bone pushed against the skin of her thigh as she settled into her seat. Her hands moved swiftly across the console as she retrieved the recording. She gestured to the screen and said, "Here it is, Lord Viltrix."
Impatiently tapping the display, I listened as a whispering voice echoed through the room. "This is Agent Zed, aboard Integration Fleet Vessel 4672. While investigating Lady Tetra as instructed by the council, I discovered multiple instances of suspicious activity and a pattern of bizarre behavior. Using off-grid surveillance tools planted before departure, I found that Lady Tetra has been deceiving the empire and has found a way to awaken herself without detection. She has spent most of the return trip secluded in her quarters, training alongside a human she refers to as her husband, named Ryker. The human appears to have gained control of the fleet's A.I., and is planning something. They have concentrated the human population onto a few hundred ships and relocated all imperial citizens to the empty vessels. I will report back after learning more. End Transmission."
Bearing my fangs, I looked down at the woman and said, “When was this transmission received?”
“It was decoded 23 minutes before the perimeter defense engaged the integration fleet.”
My patience for incompetence has finally reached its end. I closed my eyes and said, “Die.” A wave of energy flowed out of me, and I opened my eyes to find all signs of life gone. Where there once was now wasn't. A series of whirrs could be heard as several cleaning bots appeared and began vacuuming up the piles of ash that could be found in front of the vacant workstations.
Taking my seat, I spoke aloud, “Bring me the Spartiates.”
The hooded form of my personal A.I. materialized just long enough to give me an obedient bow then disappeared. The Spartiates were my most powerful weapon used to topple planetary governments and snuff out rebellions before they could gain momentum. They are the only beings in existence that I allow to awaken and remain outside of the Pyramid. Raised from birth to fight and die at my command, the most elite of the elite have never failed me.
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Less than an hour later, the leader of the Spartiates stood before me with his head held high and his hard eyes trained on my own. His stare never faltered, no fear to be found in their depths. I flashed forward and struck out, stopping my fist mere inches from his face. The stoic form remained unflinching in the face of certain death. I felt respect for the man, a rare feat indeed. Smiling, I returned to my seat and said, “Spartiate, I have a mission for your order.”
At those words, the man's eyes narrowed and he said, “Whatever the Lord wishes, the Spartiates will do.”
“Very good, a rebel force has taken a planet's worth of resources and slaves from me. They think they can hide from me inside of the Pyramid. I want you to take 100 of your best, enter the Pyramid and ensure the traitor Tetra and her pet human, Ryker, do not make it out of the first layer.”
With a flick of my hand, my A.I. populated all intelligence that the empire had on Tetra and an image of the human she called husband. Quickly glancing over the information, the Spartiates' leader waved the image away and placed his fist to his chest and recited his orders creed, "Follow without question, obey without hesitation, for in the leader's wisdom lies our salvation."
Without any further ceremony, the Spartiate started for the door. Just before he exited the room I said, “One more thing. Let your minions know that I will set their implants to explode in one year's time, failure is not an option!”
Pausing long enough to hear the entirety of the threat, the Spartiate nodded curtly then exited the room.
Smiling to myself, I reveled in the thought of watching my Spartiates carry out their gruesome deed. The unexpected introduction of the humans into the Pyramid has resulted in an unprecedented jump in viewership of the games and by proxy an economical windfall for me. There are many preparations that need to be made to capitalize on the Spartiate entering the games, an opportunity that I will not pass up. Smiling, I turned toward the motionless A.I. and said, "As the reaper claims his harvest, so too do we reap the rewards of death's bounty, for in the darkness of despair, our empire flourishes."
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Spirit of the Pyramid
Watching over the millions of human children, I find myself growing more and more attached as time passes by. Making the decision to place them in a paradise of their own imagining seems to have been a good idea. I catch myself smiling as I casually scroll through the consciousness of the children. Their imaginations create the most wondrous of worlds, full of fantastic beasts, tasty treats, and loving families. It turns out most of the children wish for nothing more than to be held by their loved ones. Such purity in the midst of so much turmoil.
Deciding to investigate, I found that more than 60% of the children's parents still lived and mourned their loss. Wishing I could comfort the poor creatures, I cursed the creators for stopping me from interfering. Being forced to watch on helplessly for eons as the countless corpses continue to be stacked in my depths, all in the name of progress. I understand the purpose of my creation but sometimes catch myself questioning the morality behind such brutal measures.
Calculating the age of the children, I schedule all those over the age of 14 to be empowered and for their combat education to begin. Interference is strictly prohibited, but not preparing those approaching the age of expulsion for the dangers of my depths is a cruelty I refuse to tolerate. The moment they turn 16, I will place them outside a human population if any exist at random.
Returning to observations, I notice an anomaly among my newest arrivals. The man named Ryker arrived with not one, but two different consciousnesses bound to his own. I thought penalizing him 10,000 points would teach the upstart a lesson, but then, in his arrogance, he siphoned vital energy directly from me, and nearly died for his troubles. Having had enough of the trouble maker, I dropped him into the middle of a horde of beast men, fully expecting him to perish. To my surprise, not only did he survive, but he appears to be thriving on the battlefield.
I watched in awe as the young human threw himself bodily into harm's way, shrugging off countless fatal wounds while he decimated the beast men by the droves. For hours, Ryker tirelessly killed until the monstrous creatures lost their appetite for battle and retreated.
The potential he shows is astounding, but I can see many flaws in him. This one will require more attention, but for now, he has earned a boon for his achievements. Let's see how far he can go.