Light in the Dark Upstaged

Great Ballroom, Hilton Hotel, Hilton Head Terra, Terran System August 19th, 2259/3028

Hanse looked over the assembled ranks of the people he had invited to his wedding. The wedding of the century, no the millennium. He was making sure of that. But there was a pang of regret that it was not Dana who he would marry.

His smile turned wistful for a moment, before he looked at his wife to be, Melissa Steiner. She was many years his junior, but he was going to make sure that their marriage worked. Not just his, but both of their realms depended on it.

As his gaze moved further across the ranks of the people, milling and talking, though usually amongst themselves, he stopped at the unmoving face of Takeshi Kurita, and he could see the minute twitching eyebrow of the Combines Coordinator.

A vulpine smile spread across his face.

"That twitch alone," he said softly to his companion," was worth it."

Arden Sortek chuckled in response, his own gaze moving to the source of the Coordinators twitch, a dragon like being that had walked into the ballroom, unadorned, almost plain, announced as 'Emperor of Jerat'. No other name, no other title. Just that. They had not even been invited at all, but invited themselves, accompanying the official delegation coming from this little patch of space that called itself 'Local Space', though he had heard someone call them the 'Walker Cluster'. Humans and no less than four alien species. And sentient robots even.

Hanse searched and then found the Emperor, in what appeared to be a discussion with one of the Comstar Precentors. Dieron, he believed, Myndo Waterly. The Emperor themselves, apparently of the third 'neuter' gender of their species, was plain, with only an elaborate filigree of gold and gemstones encasing their horns the only thing that made them stand out. At least among their own kind.

As his gaze wandered, his eyes met those of Maximilian Liao across the room, who was also observing the Emperor with interest it seemed. His face was devoid of any expression as he glanced at Hanse, before his eyes went back to the Emperor.

"Who do you think you are, techno-priest."

Hanse's eyes snapped back to the Emperor as their voice, that strange multilayered voice that sounded an awful lot like that of Errol Flynn of all people, cut through the din of discussion and talk, effortlessly and without actually raising above the level of volume. Around them, discussion stopped as all eyes were on the Emperor and Precentor Waterly. Not only eyes, but cameras as well.

"I am someone who see through your charade, 'Emperor'," Waterly said, her voice level, sounding louder in the sudden silence, her face showing a hint of smugness after seeming to have gotten a raise out of the alien." You are nothing but an insane alien warlord from the Periphery, bent on war and conquest."

The Emperor looked at Waterly for a few moments.

"And you, Precentor Waterly," the Emperor responded, their voice level and sounding almost amused," are little more than one of the high priests of a techno-cult that controls the only means of FTL communications available to the Inner Sphere. All while clinging to the bones of a fallen empire, desperately trying to retain what little power is left to you and your kind."

There was a blaze of fury within Waterly's eyes, but the Emperor continued to speak before Waterly had a chance to respond.

"You are little more than scavengers, playing with forces that you do not fully understand. We have seen many techno-cults like yours over the millennia. You try to use what you know to control others, hoarding knowledge and technology for yourselves to further your own goals, to gain more power over your fellow man and when they do not do as you tell them, you cut off the lifeline that keeps their realms working until they submit."

"We are wise to your games, techno-priest. We know that you wish to force us into an action that you and your propaganda machine can use to paint us as the 'insane alien warlord' you wish others to see us as."

For a moment, Hanse thought he saw Waterly pale, but she quickly reddened at the Emperor's words.

"Just showing everyone the truth, barbarian."

Hanse knew he couldn't read the alien's face, especially not with those strange completely white eyes, but he felt that he could detect more of that amusement.

"We have ways of dealing with the likes of you, Waterly," the Emperor said and seemed to pull what appeared to be a sheet of paper from somewhere on their body. "And you will wish that you had not tried to antagonise us."

"So the threat comes out at last," Waterly spat, and the smugness came through with more force. "What will it be?"

The Emperor calmly unfolded the sheet of paper and from the angle Hanse looked at the events it almost looked like a business letter?

"This," the Emperor said and pointed at the sheet of paper with a hand. "Is a document that has been delivered across the Inner Sphere for the past 24 hours, using the helpful couriers of ComStar to deliver. To national government offices, local government offices and corporate entities that are involved with telecommunication, be it the production of equipment or the offer of services. By this time, this document will have crossed the desks of many companies and government officials. And each and every single one will be very interested."

Waterly blinked. Obviously she had not expected this turn of events.

"We had wished to hand a copy of this document to each of the present Sovereigns of the Inner Sphere ourselves during the marriage proceeding tomorrow, but since you insisted, we will read this document for you, so that everyone in this room shall know its contents."

Hanse blinked and looked around for a moment. Every single eye in the room was on the Emperor. The alien knew how to pull in the audience.

"Dear Sir and/or Madam," the Emperor began to read out loud, amusement now clearly audible in their voice. "By Imperial Decree of their Imperial Highness, the Emperor of Jerat..."

The Emperor lowered the document for a moment and looked up at the people around.

"That you be us, by the way," they said as if they needed to be introduced again and Hanse could hear a chuckle from somewhere. "By Imperial yadda yadda, where were we? Ah, yes..."

Hanse couldn't help but chuckle lightly at that bit of the performance, because he realised that it was a performance of the Emperor at the expanse of Waterly.

"... Imperial Telecommunication Services of Jerat, wishes to make two business offers for your governmental office and/or company."

"First, a perpetual, transferable license for technology, plans, and material needed for the construction of an Interstellar Communication Network, called Hypercom."

The room suddenly got very, very silent and Hanse was sure that he could have heard a pin drop.

"This includes the schematics for the construction of HyperCom Network Relay Nodes, for either space or planetary installation, as well as HyperCom Network Links for stationary or mobile use. Training material for the construction and maintenance of HyperCom equipment. The source code and software environments to allow for a full soft and hardware security audit will be provided."

Hanse's mind suddenly raced as he understood what this meant. The ability to construct an FTL com network independent of ComStar. One that was perhaps better than the Black Boxes.

"This license is available indefinitely for the equivalent of one billion C-Bills in either local currency, valuable metals, raw materials, consumer or luxury goods, or stock options."

He had to fight not to stagger backwards. That price was... peanuts... Something he would gladly and easily pay for out of his own pocket...

Waterly was stunned into silence as she looked like she got paler with every single moment the Emperor spoke.

"Second, services to construct a turnkey HyperCom network installation of arbitrary size, including planetary and space installation HyperCom Network Relay Nodes and HyperCom Network Links to cover any requested stellar area. The cost will be the equivalent of ten million C-Bills for space installations, 7.5 million C-Bills for planetary installations and five hundred thousand C-Bill for every network link. Technical support for the development of soft and hardware interfaces for existing communication and computer equipment is free of charge."

"This offer is only available for the first one hundred customers, but other companies of Local Space will be willing to supply demand."

The Emperor looked up and turned to face Waterly, their face seeming to show a wide grin.

"For further information, please inquire at the offices of Imperial Telecommunication Services of Jerat in Peephtin, Jerat, Samantha, Taurus or Madison, Epsilon Eridani."

They stopped and slowly folded the paper again, handing it to Waterly, who grabbed it and opened it to read herself. As she did, the Emperor turned in the direction of Hanse and Melissa.

"And as our gift for the bride and groom, both the Federated Suns and the Lyran Commonwealth will get 50 percent off on the purchase of a HyperCom license and 25 percent on the first turnkey HyperCom Network installation. You are also exempt from the limit of the first one hundred customers."

Hanse was completely at a loss for words. He was already willing to sell his first born child for independence from ComStar, but this...

There was the sound of crumbling paper and a ball of what used to be the document hit the Emperor's head from the side, making Hanse's gaze shift back to Waterly, who was shaking, her face red.

The Emperor's head turned to face her.

"You wanted to fabricate a war, techno-priest," they said, the amusement still audible in their voice." This is how we wage war. Not with military might, but directly attacking what makes you powerful and taking it away bit, by bit, while earning a lot of money..."

Waterly glared at the Emperor, who might have dropped dead if looks could kill. She muttered something under her breath and turned to walk away.

"What was that, techno-priest?" the Emperor asked, suddenly turning serious. A movement of a hand and a hologram of unbelievable fidelity suddenly formed above them, showing the mouth of Waterly and her amplified muttering came from somewhere.

"You will be dead before you leave the planet," the holographic lips of Waterly said and the woman suddenly stopped like nailed to the floor.

The Emperor walked around the woman, looking her up and down, before again stopping in front of her, their face mere centimeters from her face, its white eyes boring into the furious ones of Waterly.

"Such a threat," the Emperor said, their tone even," rarely ends well, techno-priest. We are a god."

Those words hung in the air for a few moments, before the Emperor continued.

"We do not care if the body we inhabit dies, for we will be reborn within the hour on our homeworld. But if... if we were to die on this world, on the way home, or after a certain amount of time on our homeworld after the utterance of such a threat, the Last Decree will be enacted. Which is named such, because it was the last degree we made in our first body, after we were poisoned."

Waterly didn't seem to be able to move at all and everyone in the room seemed to hold their breath, unable to look away.

"We will tell you what will happen if the Last Decree is enacted..."

"Within a month, the entirety of the Imperial Armed Forces reserves will be activated and an army of seven million professionally trained soldiers will march on Terra. Almost two thousand capital vessels of the Space Forces will blockade this world, destroying any and all military vessels, while impounding any civilian vessels. Small craft and aerospace craft will bombard and annihilate any and all above ground military installations and military forces caught in the open, before the armies of the Empire even set a foot on the planet."

"The Imperial forces will slowly and carefully excise any bunker and fortified position, every single Castle Brian on this world from the very rock they have been built into. Should any military force try to hide amongst civilians and use them as human shields, they will die without a single hair on the head of any civilian even singed."

The Emperor paused for effect and resumed their path around Waterly, who was shaking and getting redder with rage every passing moment.

"The operation will only end after the destruction of any military threat this world poses and the ComStar headquarters on Hilton Head has been excavated from the ground and raised to the last piece of concrete and spread out across this world. And lastly the heads of you, your Primus and every single Preceptor of your techno cult, put on stakes at the rim of the crater left by your head quarters."

"Our forces will then leave this world, without having hurt a single civilian, leaving whoever is interested in taking the planet."

The Emperor stopped in front of Waterly again, their grin spreading on their face again. The sight alone made Hanse shiver lightly.

"And in a decades time, we will return here, to this very ball room and dance. Dance to the sound the wind makes as it passes through the crater and around the empty skull still hanging on its stake. While the people of Terra curse your name."

The Emperor stared at Waterly for a few more moments, before pulling back spreading their arms wide in front of Waterly.

"But," the Emperor said in a suddenly very jovial voice," I could very well tell a load of bullshit, as you would say in English. So... You have a gun hidden in a holster under your robes. Go ahead and use it."

Waterly suddenly moved again, turning away from the Emperor, her face a deep red and her body shaking from barely contained rage and a feeling of humiliation. Hanse almost felt sorry for her.

"Do the deed yourself, Waterly," the Emperor called after her." Do not be a coward. Prove us wrong."

It took a few moments until the Emperor twisted the knife again, as Waterly almost had reached the doors.

"Or are you a chicken?"

That stopped Waterly in her tracks once more and Hanse could see her hand twitch as the room held its breath.

"Bo-bawk."

That poor imitation of a chicken made Waterly whirl around, her hand going into her robes, fumbling for the weapon she was carrying. Only now the guards in the room reacted, as did Precentor Tharkad, jumping at Waterly, just as she had pulled the gun free, a holdout needler.

Hanse's look went back to the Emperor, and he knew he was giving them a wide eyed stare. Had they... It was only the slight smug expression on the face of Mad Max that told him that it had not been the Emperor who had made that noise.

"Let go!" Waterly screamed as they fought the guards and her colleague. "Let me go! He needs to die!"

The scuffle continued as the guards tried to get to her gun, as finally a shot rang out from the needler.

It went wide, or so Hanse thought at first, before seeing that it had stuck another ComStar Precentor, who had been introduced to him as Nicholas Cassnew, who was responsible for the security of today's event. The needler had stuck him directly in the chest and the man fell over.

"Medic!" someone screamed.

Cassnew had stood next to Primus Tiepolo, who stared at where Waterly was still trying to fight against the guards, still screaming to be let go, so she could kill the Emperor. Tiepolo started to shake, first lightly, then uncontrollably, before collapsing into a heap a hand clutching at his chest.

Hanse himself just stood there, still trying to come to grips with what he had just witnessed.

"We have to thank you, First Price," the voice of the Emperor suddenly said next to him and Hanse jerked." We haven't had this much fun at an event like this in a century."

Hanse just stared at the Emperor.

"Is, is this Last Decree..." Hanse tried to ask, his mouth suddenly feeling as dry as a desert.

The Emperor patted his shoulder as they walked past.

"Pray to your Jesus Christ that you will never find out."