Crowds thronged the streets, only being kept at bay by the walls of white gas that surrounded the two men and military personnel in a square that locked them in. Even the big white eye in the sky called the moon was out tonight to watch them. It would be creepy if it blinked, so it was probably trying hard not to. Some enigmatic entrepreuners even erected little stalls to provide amenities such as food to the crowds, wanting to make a quick buck out of the event. Military personnel scampered about yelling orders, trying to outdo the crowds in terms of how loud one could yell and the general level of obnoxiousness one could display.
Men dressed in white and gold hurried about pressing various buttons on the machines next to the chairs on which Amynn Torr and Aleksandr Brennus sat, hooking long needles along their spines. Some of the onlookers in the crowd could be seen wincing, yet Brennus did not do so, not even once. The most respected and feared figure in the Empire's short history gazed into the eyes of these white-furred dogs, and it seemed to visibly make some nervous as their movements hurried up.
That was understandable, as it was said that his training and the method he used to sync with his neural implants were so effective that he could crush a man's skull. It was said he did so in the Third War, yet no one could attest to the fact; it floated around as a legend on internet comm boards. His sharp look and stoic air only supported these claims, no sane man would want to look such a figure in the eye when blatantly trying to bring about his demise.
The crowd roared all the louder seeing his resilience, only to be silenced all of a sudden by the lights going off and the visage of the Emperor floating in the sky, as though it were some magical illusion. Being reduced to murmurs, they looked on towards the building on top of which a white light appeared - this was used often for making important announcements in the major cities by the mayors, but only the ruler could use it the way he did.. what with his particular flair for theatrics.
Every citizen knew the man with the purple robe, the one 'politician' who spoke like the common man without all the restraint, measured speech, and practiced gesturing of his predecessors. Yet they also seemed to fear him; his presence in the sky under the moon upon a tall building was enough to silence a hundred thousand men.
Complete and utter silence reigned; the men running stalls fanned their smoky food idly whilst looking on.
"Alright folks, here we are," He stated, leaning in and relaxing himself against the podium. "It's a really good day because firstly, the war is over. Now you can resume enjoying your lives. Secondly, this is the first time we are trying out this particular.. technology.. that of transferring a person's consciousness - and I consider it to be a better choice than the usual.. neurotoxin route."
The two men hooked up to chairs looked up at the visage under the moon, one smirking and the other intrigued.
The man in the purple robe brought a glass colorless liquid to his mouth before continuing, "I want no noise, I want no clamor. I want you to see how this war ends, and that's that. I am not going to give you a lengthy speech about my sorrow concerning my old friends and what not - it is what it is. Get on with it."
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The transmission cut off, and silence hung in the air in its place.
The machines beeped as they whirred to life, and the two men began sinking into their rest.
In the distance, groups of masked men watch from the rooftops holding black comm devices; their lords may perish, yet their orders do not perish with them. They watch as the machines next to the chairs spew steam before whirring to life, whilst the two sitting upon the chairs exhaled, their eyes dimming yet holding onto the little glint of life left in them stubbornly.
Were they waiting for something? Oh yes, they were. They were waiting for the rumbles heard in the distance a few moments later; for the blue and red flames to shoot out into the sky as promised, sending debris flying everywhere whilst buildings in the distance tumbled this way and that. Explosions ran through the Military District far behind them, as though someone let loose a kid upon the city who now ran about knocking down buildings willy nilly. The ground underneath them all rumbled and creaked whilst the Military District was being turned into a fireworks show, plumes of smoke belching out towards the skies.
Stalls were overturned as the people ran for cover, despite the explosions all being far enough not to bring harm to any of them. The men fanning their food discarded their fans and ran along as well, whilst the military personnel in black and gold watched as their district collapsed; hands slowly reach for faces in disbelief.
Amynn sighed, the light leaving his eyes, yet Brennus stayed back in the mortal realm for a while longer - he had always loved explosions and loud noises, and this particular fireworks show was orchestrated by him; Amynn had simply let him do so. This was the finest the 22nd century had to offer.. the sound of the works of his hand tearing into the depths of the Empire's military network and ripping it all out with a fistful of dynamite.
And so the enigmatic men who set off the explosions took off their masks in respect as Brennus as well left, leaving behind debris, smoke, and a whole lot of paperwork for the Emperor to fill. Maybe about a decade's worth.
The war was over? Now other nations would be all too willing to start a few more!
Somewhere beyond the burning city, somewhere two thousand suns away, two gods gave applause to these horribly entertaining men; their maids smiling as they placed two empty cups on their table.
They knew just who they were going to invite over to their tea party.
It had been a long wait, after all.
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And that's the end of the prologue! Now I'll be off to do some serious thinking and brainstorming so as to find where to take this tale. I'd appreciate some feedback and help.
Things I could use suggestions and ideas on:
Characters - mostly future characters.
Ideas for the world they'll be going to. It is going to be a fantasy world but the story and world are flexible enough to accommodate many things (you can even suggest Space Marines if you like.. though I don't know how I'd go about adding them ;) )
Races too, perhaps.
Got some ideas? Hit me up with em', I'm receptive to everything and can make use of even the silliest idea in some way. Any help is appreciated.