“When you see a good move, look for a better one.”

-Emanuel Lasker

Colonel Darren “Warlord” Winslow

Rebel HQ, Everfree Forest, Equestria

Legionnaire Colonel

“The Event Horizon Raid was a success, though we received one wounded. Non-fatal however, should be back on the field soon after treatment.” started Wizard reading a report in front of a group consisting of Winslow, Batista, Widow, Coyote, Shaw, Lieutenant Petronio “Mad Dog” Villanova, Walker, Lieutenant Hafez “Buff” Gibeli, and Lieutenant Stans “Pirate” van Zandbergen. They were gathered around a table in the command room.

“However,” Wizard continued. “Our forces are still too concentrated in the Everfree. We’ve already got one team led by Prophet stationed in Manehatten and Brute is close enough to gather a team to stay in the Crystal Empire. We need a foothold in every city, especially in Canterlot.”

“Both Upper and Lower Canterlot you mean.” Shaw said. “You gotta have a team in both. Too much of a hassle if we have a single team having to travel back and forth between.”

“How much of a hassle?” Batista asked.

“Only way to travel between the two are through large, heavily guarded elevators. Want a quick escape? We got some parachutes you can use.”

“What are you guys doing with parachutes?” asked Buff.

Shaw shrugged.

“We had Air Force and Paratroop defectors. Used to have pilots smuggle arms from the air using makeshift airfields till the Royal Air Force locked down the sky.”

They were interrupted when a white unicorn with red hair, a black bra too small for her size, and camouflage short shorts with black boots strolled in swaying her hips.

“Almost forgot.” Shaw said who then introduced the newcomer. “This is Rose Petal and apparently she didn’t listen to me to wear something more professional.”

The mare smiled.

“Oh don’t be like that Shaw. I’ll be a good girl.”

Her eyes laid on Wizard and approached him. The others watched as she pressed her bountiful breasts on his vest.

“So, soldier boy. Wanna show me a good time later?” She purred.

Rose’s hand slowly got closer to Wizard’s crotch region, but her wrist was quickly grabbed by Wizard’s hand.

“I already have a girlfriend.” Wizard said frowning.

“~But she doesn’t need to know.~”

Wizard rolled his eyes and gave her a light shove.

“Hmph, you Legionnaires aren’t as easy as the typical Rebel. Normally I could get one to join me in my bedroom pretty quickly.”

Pirate looked at Shaw questionably.

“With all the stories going around, I’m surprised this mare has the balls to approach us.”

“~Oh there’s spells that allow us to have the best of both worlds.~”

Mad Dog’s mouth was wide opened. He then looked at the others who showed not even a hint of shock.

“Did she just...Why aren’t any of you surprised?” asked Mad Dog looking around.

“Rebirth.” The other Legionnaires said together.

The Etruscan Lieutenant looked flabbergasted.

“So I’m the only one who was never stationed...You know what? I’ve got nothing to say.”

“Most ponies would stay clear of us.” said Batista. “Why aren’t you?”

“Because she isn’t a pony.” Wizard responded. “She’s a changeling.”

Rose smirked. Green flames surrounded her before quickly dissipating, revealing a smirking female changeling with noticeable eyelashes and insectoid wings.

“Anypony ever tell you you’re too smart for your own good?” Rose asked Wizard.

“Too many times.” Wizard said.

“Hmph, clearly you Legionnaires are harder than I thought.” Her eyes then scanned Mad Dog. “But it’s only a matter of time one of you breaks. I’m looking forward to it.”

Rose turned around and strutted towards the door. She pulled her pants down just enough as she walked to give the Legionnaires a full view of her rear.

“10 credits and I’ll kick her ass.” Widow said nonchalantly.

“15.” Winslow said throwing down a 5 and a 10 credit bill on the table.

“Done.” Widow began to trail Rose.

“With that ass of hers?” Pirate said. “I’d expect her boot to bounce right off.”

“Don’t mind Rose guys. Chrysalis sent her and her squad here to help us. She may be a whore, but she and her squad get the job done.” Shaw responded.

They watched as Rose walked out and closed the door. Widow followed, but the moment she touched the handle, it was slammed open on to her face throwing her back. The others winced.

“Guys! You gotta see this!” said Gadget. He then noticed Widow on the floor groaning in pain. “Did I do that?”

5 minutes later

“So it’s safe to say I should stay away for awhile?” Gadget said sheepishly. He was leading the group down the hallway while the towering Mad Dog used his strength to put his arm around a the neck of a struggling Widow.

“I’ll use your fucking balls as a hood ornament!” A seething Widow said.

“I guess that’s a yes then?”

“Can you calm down Kate?” Wizard asked. “It was just an accident. He didn’t break anything anyways.”

Widow pouted.

“Fine. You owe me though.” She said to Gadget.

They came upon a large door where a small group of Legionnaires were conversing. One was a Gaullic woman with black hair and some black soot dirtying her face, a red headed Britannican with a full beard smoking a pipe, a Semitic man with long curly hair wearing a black Shemagh and doing something with his Ipad, and a Hispanic man with dark brown hair and an extended goatee holding a half-face respirator.

“Aboot damn time.” The Britannican said.

“Who’re these guys?” asked Walker.

“This lad right here is Haddock. Want something fixed or maybe you want someone to sail you somewhere, Haddock’s your man.” Gadget said pointing at the Britannican.

Haddock gave them a two-finger salute.

“Ay, git me a boattle o' whiskey 'n' ah will dae it fur free.”

“The woman over there is Angel. If you’re wondering, she’s taken.”

“But if you need someone to talk to, just let me know.” Angel said smiling.

Gadget then pointed at the Semitic man who was too busy with the Ipad.

“My brother from another mother there is Jinn. Want something made, he’ll do it for a price. Also works with Collector and Merchant in our little trading store.”

“No refunds by the way.” Jinn said without looking up from his screen. “We don’t take cash. You want something, you either gotta trade it or do us a favor.”

“And lastly, we have here is Inti. Does a little of everything in the mechanical field.”

“Heard you guys met that whore Rose. Perra estúpida. She got grabby when I was fixing up a technical.” The Hispanic man known as Inti said.

“After this Shaw,” said Winslow looking at the TIB Agent. “You better introduce us to the rest of Rose’s squad.”

“Anyways, I brought you guys here for a reason.” said Gadget. He pushed a button on the wall next to the door, making it slide open automatically. The stepped inside a very large, but dark room. It was completely dark aside from the lights from the hallways and the light from the vehicle tunnel seeping through between two sliding doors.

“Ladies and Gentleman, let me show you what we’ve worked on lately.”

Gadget pulled a lever on the wall, turning on all of the lights revealing an impressive inventory.

Up above them, countless quad-rotor drones hanged above the ceiling with mounted LMGs on their bottom, and lined up in front of them were lines of variants of the Goliath, Goliath 2, and the Ghost UGVs. Some carried duel-mounted HMG-1s, HMG-2s, HMG-3s, MG-7s, and MG-8s, some carried modified Hydra 70 launchers, some had dual quad R-33 Bumblebee launchers, and the anti-tank variants carried single quad R-30 Kornet launchers.

“They’re all operational?” asked Batista his face showing his awe at the sight.

“Every single one of them.” Angel said. “We worked overtime after we heard of the Equestrians rebuilding their strength in the Everfree.”

Mad Dog laughed.

“HA! We’re in business!”

Emperor Maximilian Vorenus VII

DevTech Tower, Agatha, Province of Etrusca, United Terran Empire

Emperor of the United Terran Empire

Max stood on the observation deck of the newly built, 632-meter, 128-story DevTech Tower. It was the tallest building in Agatha and will be open to the public in a few weeks. One of the final pieces yet to be installed was the fence meant to keep people from falling over the edge.

He kept one foot on the edge, and crossed his arms as he stared at the metropolis full of towering skyscrapers, sidewalks full of people going to work or sightseeing, cars, monorails, and subways taking people to their destinations, planes of all shapes and sizes taking off and landing on Agatha’s 3 airports, the freeways allowing people to travel around the city and the surrounding suburban cities, and the multiple stadiums, parks, malls, squares, etc. where people can enjoy life. Agatha, the city of 16,248,957 people was evidence of the Empire’s wealth.

Max heard people talking behind him, getting closer and closer.

“You’re late.” Max said still staring at the city.

Two people came to his side. To his left was an old man in a black suit, black tie, and a black trench coat, and to his right was an old woman with black pants, black shirt, grey high heels, and a grey blazer.

“Well, you can’t expect us to get here on time when some idiots caused an accident on the 405.” The old man said.

“Fair enough.” Max answered.

“So what is it you called us here for?” The old woman asked.

Max took a deep breath to calm himself in front of Prince Benjamin Calatrava and Princess Rosaline Calatrava, the last of his mother’s siblings.

“Look around you, despite my parent’s faults, they shaped an Empire one can dream of. Towering skyscrapers, improved transportation, old, historic buildings restored, beautiful and illuminated buildings make every city a gem in their own right, for once I am glad dad studied architecture and mom was there supporting him all the way.”

“Yes, it’s wonderful isn’t it? It’s unfortunate your grandmother and your other aunts and uncles couldn’t accept being under the rule of their youngest sister and her children.” Prince Benjamin said.

“Oh, but you can?” Max asked.

“You know we weren’t involved with you sister’s assassination Max.” said Princess Rosaline. “There was no good reason for us attack our own family.”

“Perhaps, at least my cousins are doing well with their lives. At least they never lost a sibling and stayed far away from the spotlight.”

“What did you call us here for anyway Max?” asked Prince Benjamin.

Max smiled.

“Patience, we’re still waiting for some people.”

The trio waited in silence, taking in the sights.

“Am I late?”

They turned around where a tall old man in a black suit and a cane slowly walked up to them.

“Well yeah, but we’re still waiting for one more person.” Max said to Prince Robert Vorenus VI.

“Oh and Oliver sends his apologies, he can’t make it. Doctor’s orders after all. Told him to stop smoking.”

Max nodded before turning back to the view.

They were silent except for Robert who was humming a tune. Max remembered it as one of the songs Robert would play with his guitar to him and his sister when they were small. Fond memories that only made Max angrier deep inside.

“You know Max, you could’ve called for a meeting back at the palace, but of course you had to bring all of us here huh? Don’t you realize how many meetings I had to cancel?”

The Emperor started breathing quicker in anger after hearing that voice from behind. He quickly calmed himself and turned around.

Standing in front of them, was a man in his early thirties, wearing a blue suit, had dirty blonde hair, and had a smug smile on his face. Max knew when he meant “meetings”, he means partying with his friends.

“Jeremiah.” Max begin. “Even when everyone else is late, you always manage to be the last.”

Jeremiah however merely shrugged.

“I’m here now ain’t I? So get on with it. Why did you call us here?”

“Fine. Yesterday at 0500, Whiplash 7 and 8 of the Legionnaires raided the old home of David Graves’ parents for the second time. They widened their search to 15 kilometers around the property. Lord behold, they found the entrance to an underground bunker below a tree.”

“Great.” Jeremiah said. “So what does this have to do with us?”

“Because Jeremiah, there they found some documents left behind. List of acquisitions, coded documents, but curiously, they found a list of members of the Imperial family.” Max said looking up at the cloudy skies.

This time, Jeremiah started sweating and his eyes darted back and forth nervously.

“What...kind of list?”

Max’s eyes laid on Jeremiah with an intense glare.

“A list...of those who financed my assassination attempt. That same assassination attempt that killed Jennifer.”

There was utter silence after Max dropped the info.

“It’s very interesting Jeremiah. Graves apparently had the list created should he need it. Everyone on that list Jeremiah, is dead. Everyone. But. You.”

Max slowly walked towards Jeremiah who was stepping back. He took out a white bladed knife, with a white rose carved into the hilt.

“You. Paid. 2 million. For. My. Death.” Max’s voice turned into a snarl.

“Look look!” Jeremiah said raising his hands in surrender. “You didn’t die right? That’s all that matters Max!”

“And Jenny paid for it! She was innocent!”

“Wait wait! I can make it up to you-”

Jeremiah was silenced when Max stabbed him in the stomach with the knife. Max twisted the knife, causing Jeremiah to gasp as blood slowly leaked out of his mouth.

“You deserved a much slower death.” Max said. He then then leaned in closer to his ear. “But I don’t like spending too much time on a piece of trash.”

Max pulled the knife out and pushed Jeremiah backwards and onto the floor. He then kneeled and used Jeremiah’s suit to wipe the knife clean while the man continued to lay on a pool of his own blood.

“I gave you many chances. I tried to guide you in the right direction. You would’ve been the Emperor now instead of me if you’d listen.” Max stood up. “And now you will die, like a ratto sporco.”

Max walked away with the older members of the family continuing to look at the dying Jeremiah with disappointment.

“Salva un posto per me all'inferno.”

3 Minutes Later

Max sighed in relief as the elevator finally reached the underground parking lot. While he did enjoy the ride down while given a magnificent view of the city, he was slightly annoyed that the speakers were playing “Never Gonna Give You Up” by Rick Astley. He has nothing against the singer or the song, but it’s just that he was Rick Rolled so many times by Kuhn and Zeke.

“Thank God that’s over.” He said before walking out.

Immediately, two Imperial Guards walked alongside him followed by a female army officer.

“Colonel Auerswald, I want you to send a team to the observation deck to clear out the trash. Get it done immediately.”

“Yes sir.” She said before walking away to inform a team.

In front of Max, stood the Imperial motorcade. The convoy was full of Imperial Guards, police officers, FADE (Fuerza De Elite) Officers, and Legionnaires in Chevy Suburbans, Yamaha FJR1300ps, Ford Explorers, Mercedes Benz S600 Guards, BMW X5s, Range Rovers, Dodge Chargers, Toyota Land Cruisers, Nissan Patrols, an ambulance, a Suburban carrying a Communication Jamming Device, a few armored cars carrying FADE Officers, Dodge Challengers, and his armored Mercedes Benz Limo nicknamed “The Bastion”.

A Cantonese Imperial Guard in a black suit opened the door for the Emperor and his two guards. He snapped to attention as they passed him and into the limo.

The Emperor let out a ‘thank you’ to the guard who opened the door with a smile. As he sat down, he turned to Louisa who was sitting in the limo the whole time with a briefcase.

“Anything I should know?” he asked.

Louisa put the file back into the briefcase and turned to the Emperor.

“No, but you still need to plan for the trip to Canterlot.” She answered.

“Very well. Driver, make for the palace.”

“Yes milord.” said a Nordic Imperial Guard in a black suit. “There was a truck accident on the intersection of Buena Vista and Mountaineer. Shall I take Prospect or La Guardia?”

“Take La Guardia.” The Emperor responded.

“Very well.”

The Emperor’s smile fell as he stared off, thinking of what he’ll do once he’s in Canterlot. No doubt, Emperor Red Talon would vouch for him and said the other world leaders would be delighted to see him, but he’s worried about the Equestrian’s reactions and was warned that Queen Chrysalis is very manipulative.

He paid no mind as the limo got out of the underground garage and was met with a horde of people on the sidewalks either cheering for him or protesting him. Through spies, he knew their laws, how all Humans must have an owner or be put in chains except in the Crystal Empire, how diplomatic relations with other countries were strained because of these laws when Human soldiers, athletes, embassy staff members, etc. were sent to Equestria by various countries, and to top it off, Red Talon’s predecessor actually appointed a Human as the ambassador to Equestria.

Of course, this would always give Princess Celestia a headache, much to Max’s enjoyment, so Humans from other countries were given exceptions and they must wear an identification card unless they want a repeat of 1994 when the Minotaurs were outraged that a Human woman of the Minotaur Embassy was kidnapped by a slave trading company and sold to a fighting ring. To appease the Minotaurs, a joint Pony-Minotaur Spec Ops team was sent in and they rescued all of the Humans while leaving nothing left of the slavers thanks to the outraged Minotaurs.

Now he has to plan for security with the Griffons, open relations with the Griffon Empire first discreetly, etc. He planned to ask Red Talon to have his fleets visit the Griffon Empire for military exercises. However, this was a ploy created by both Emperors. It was to be an excuse as preparation to invade the Caribou Kingdom with their combined fleets. From there, they would build bases and hold the Caribou under military occupation until a government with approved leaders could rise.

What Red Talon doesn’t know was this was just a ruse to put the Imperial fleets in position to invade Equestria’s Eastern Coast. Max almost wanted to inform Red Talon, considering how friendly Griffons were to Humans, but he was advised not to by military commanders in fear someone close to Red Talon will inform the Equestrians. In the meantime, Max just had to look pretty and offer an olive branch to the Griffons.

He looked out the window of his limo. By this time, they were passing by one of Valdugo International Airport’s runways as a Volee A350 landed. Seeing the planes made Max think of the past, how he traveled a lot by plane forming alliances in his rise to power, but it also brought back horrible memories. One in particular, continued to haunt him to this day. Everything was fine, they all had a good thing going, but fate had other plans.

“War is when the young and stupid are tricked by the old and bitter into killing each other.”

-Niko Bellic, President of Bellic Enterprises

21 Years Ago

Lieutenant Colonel Maximilian Vorenus VII

7th Battalion, 1st Infantry Division

Rathunas, United Terran Empire

In an alleyway guarded by Imperial soldiers and Military Police, Max stood in front of the body of a Britannican woman. Her body was ripped to pieces with her head laying on its side not far displaying shock on her face. As his convoy was passing through, a soldier in his battalion spotted something in the alleyway so he sent a squad to check it out. And now they’re here, guarding a crime scene while people tried to get a look.

Two members of the Military Police came by and covered the remains with a blanket.

“So what do we got?”

Max looked to his side where Agent Vassily Azarov stood next to him staring at the body.

“Britannican woman, 5’9”, torn to pieces by unknown means. Military Police found a wallet on her but aren’t telling me much info.” Max responded.

“6th one this week.” Azarov muttered.

“Pardoned?” asked Max.

“This is the 6th body reported torn to shreds. No pattern on the victims. They all seem to be random.”

Azarov took out some goggles from his bag and put them on. He began to scan the area until his eyes landed on the wall adjacent to them and looked up.

“Well that’s interesting.”

“What’s interesting?” The Lt. Col. asked.

“Something that’ll help with my investigation.” Azarov said putting the goggles back.

They began to walk out when Azarov noticed something and stopped near a trash can. Taking out a ziplock bag, his gloved hand reaching into the trash can and pulled out something that surprised Max.

“A feather? What’re you interested in a feather?”

Azarov wordlessly put the bright brown and golden feathers into the bag.

“Don’t worry about it. I think Amilia and I just got our first lead.”

“But a feather?”

Azarov rolled his eyes and chuckled.

“Let us handle this alrght?” responded Azarov patting Max’s shoulder.. “I’m sure you’ve got other things to worry about.”

The TIB spook then walked the other way and began talking to a pair of Military Policemen.

“Typical spook.” Max chuckled before walking out of the alley. On the street, soldiers of the 7th Battalion kept a lookout while his convoy of five Nomads sat on the street waiting for him. The street was closed off to civilians who were kept back by the Military Police. Reconstruction efforts led by his sister have done wonders. Many buildings were either rebuilt or in the process of being rebuilt. Around him, it hardly seemed war ever took place here. However, crime became rampant after the fall of the Britannican government thus leaving the Military Police and Army units to clean things up.

Unfortunately for Max and his friends, the 1st Infantry Division was in charge of policing Rathunas. The good news however is it won’t be for long. He’s received word that the 19th Infantry Division will come to replace them so the 1st may come back to Fort Butler, named after General Smedley Butler, a Britannican defector who joined the Imperial ranks after he butted heads with many of the most powerful Britannican businessmen. Fort Butler wasn’t far from Downtown Agatha, only 15 minutes away.

Max in particular couldn’t wait to see how much his home has changed, but a little saddened when he heard Allison would not return to the Armed Forces. The good things is Allison, Zeke, Marcus, and Kuhn lived in Agatha while Jimi’s family had a home there and the Headquarters of the TIB is in Agatha so it wouldn’t be too hard to meet up whenever. Steiner still owed them all a drink anyways and they all agreed to meet up at Central Park.

“Lets move.” Max said in the coms as his escorts piled into the Nomads. The Military Police herded people off of the road so the convoy could get through.

“So where are we going sir?” His driver, a female Mughal Private asked.

“Take me to Division headquarters. I have a meeting with Lieutenant Colonel Havenstein.”

They passed through many civilians going on with their lives as if the war never happened. Occasionally they would pass by civilian cars, but the majority of vehicles they passed were from the Imperial Army. The convoy passed by a Jaguar that was t-boned by a sedan when they saw a crowd of people running around the corner of an intersection ahead of them.

“Sir there’s a crowd of people on 5th Avenue. Should we check it out?” asked the driver of the lead Nomad.

“Yes, but keep your eyes peeled for any hostiles.”

They rounded the corner to find a huge crowd of people gathered on the street shouting and throwing things at something blocked from their view. The soldiers of the convoy got out of their vehicles and started working on dispersing the crowd.

“Make way make way! Go back to your homes!” shouted an Afrikan Sergeant. Little by little, the civilians walked away until the crowd was significantly smaller. Max waded through the crowd to find in the middle was something that made him frown.

On the middle of the road, was the body of a Britannican man with his head smashed to pieces. Bricks and trash littered his body. Two ropes were tied to his ankles and his body was split up to the stomach region. Organs were spilled into the street.

“Sir the civvies said the man’s a rapist. Looks like mob justice huh?”

“Someone call in the Military Police to handle this.” Max said.

Not saying the man probably deserves this, but order must be maintained and we should be better than this. Max thought.

Nearby Building

From the fourth story of a building, a man watched the events unfold through the scope of his sniper rifle. It wasn’t that hard to get a mob started. All he had to do was spread the news that there was a rapist living in their neighborhood and that was that.

“Eaglet on site. I repeat, Eaglet on site.” He said into the coms.

His target didn’t stick around and started walking back to a Nomad.

Come on answer goddammit. The man thought.

“Eaglet is on site. Give me the order before he gets away. Answer dammit!”

“Stand by.”

He looked back to see his target was already back inside his Nomad and was driven away. The man cursed.

“You have permission to eliminate the target.”

The man shook his head in disbelief.

“No that’s it, he got away because you guys couldn’t decide on what to do. This is the third fucking time it happened. Deal’s off. I can’t do my fucking job with these restrictions.”

“Wait-”

“Go hire someone else to do your dirty work. Call me when you’re certain you want him dead.”

He took out his earpiece and threw it at the wall. After disassembling his sniper rifle and putting it in a gym bag, he walked out and made sure to crush the earpiece with his boot.

6 Hours Later

Returning from his meeting at the Division Headquarters, Max silently contemplated his plans for the future. Certainly if his father doesn’t make a will, he needs to make alliances with the Empire’s Elite, even with people he doesn’t like. Politics is a dirty and dangerous game, but for him, it’s necessary in the event the Imperial family start fighting each other for the throne. Sure Max is the only son of the Emperor, but almost everyone is aiming for the throne and many members of his family were gambling that he would die in the war. Most would think, of course the Emperor would write a will and choose his son as his heir.

Unfortunately, his father isn’t the wisest of people and is influenced easily by his ministers. It’s no secret many of the ministers are on the payroll of the nobility and many of the richest people in the Empire.

“LOOK OUT!”

The convoy came to a sudden halt, causing Max’s head to almost bang on the dashboard.

“What the fuck?!” Max yelled.

From the vehicle headlights, he saw two kids in black jackets run in front of the convoy and into an alley.

“It’s past curfew.”

“Get them! Don’t let them escape!” Max ordered.

The soldiers got out with five of them running into the alley to pursue the two kids.

Max got out as well and stared at the alley, expecting for the five soldiers to come out with the two kids.

“Sir, we have a situation here. You might wanna come here.”

The Lieutenant Colonel cursed under his breath and walked into the alley escorted by three soldiers. What he found was not what he expected.

His soldiers were in a standoff with Agents Azarov and Corduroy who were shielding the two kids behind them.

“Stand down! What the hell is going on here?” Max ordered.

Immediately, they all lowered their weapons.

“Sir, these spooks aren’t letting us apprehend these kids.” One of them said.

“Hey Max.” said Azarov giving him a one-finger salute.

“What in the hell are you doing here?” Max said getting in front of Azarov’s face.

“Doing my investigation with Amilia of course.”

The Prince looked at the kids behind the agents who were shaking with fear. His eyes softened at the sight of the older brother hugging the little sister tightly.

“I’m gonna guess the kids are involved and you’re not gonna tell me why right?”

Azarov nodded.

“Of course. Listen, I’m running on a limited time here. How about we meet back at base for a drink later ya?” He said with a smile.

“Tch.” Max scoffed before turning around. “Lets head back to base.”

The soldiers followed him but a few threw some glares at the Agents.

“A good spy has no fear.”

-Carmen Cortez

Field Agent Vassily Azarov

Rathunas, United Terran Empire

TIB Field Agent

The group of four waited for five minutes before they heard Max’s convoy drive away. He heard Amilia let out a sigh before turning to the kids.

“Alright Jace, Jess. You two can drop your disguise.” She said to the kids.

The two kids dropped their hoods, revealing blonde hair on the girl and dark brown hair on the older boy who was about a head shorter than him. However, Azarov’s mouth dropped when they took off their hoodies.

All over their arms and at the back of their neck, were multicolored feathers laid out in a pattern.

“What in the fu-”

“Vass! They’re kids!” Amilia scolded her younger brother.

“But they’re-what the hell? What did you rope me into sis?” He asked his sister.

“They’re harpies Vass.” She said as if there was nothing wrong.

“Yeah but...harpies don’t exist!”

“Their names are Jace and Jess Vass. Don’t be so rude.” Amilia said putting her arms around the kids.

“Are you sure this is fine?” The girl named Jess asked Amilia.

“It’s fine sweetheart. Vass won’t tell anyone, right?” She said glaring at her brother.

Vass was at a loss of words before throwing his arms into the air.

“Fine, I won’t say anything. I guess you weren’t lying with all the crazy things you said you saw with Dan.”

“Jess and Jace here were helping me in particular with finding the culprit Vass. They can smell him from a certain distance.”

“And in return, Amilia said she would help us get to our parents.” The boy Jace said.

“Well then,” Vass said taking out his weapon. “Where’s our culprit then?”

“In the area.” Jace shrugged. “We only saw it escape after it...fed on a poor woman.”

“So much blood.” Jess said shivering.

Amilia pet the girl’s hair and comforted her.

“There there sweetie, we won’t let the monster hurt you.”

“Monster? What monster? What did it look like?” Vass asked with frustration.

“Well, it looked-” Jace said before the two immediately froze.

“Like what sweetie?” Amilia asked.

The two kids looked up slowly and Jace pointed at something above them with his fingers shaking.

“Like that.” He squeaked.

Amilia and Vass looked up above them. On the brick wall of the building next to them, a monstrous figure with six claws, a skeleton-like body, one eye, and a large mouth with rows of sharp teeth stared down at them drooling at the sight of a potential snack.

“Ello poppy.” a grinning Vass said.

Lieutenant Colonel Maximilian Vorenus VII

7th Battalion, 1st Infantry Division

Rathunas, United Terran Empire

“Oh for fucks sake.” Their convoy was stopped at a checkpoint. In front of them, a soldier in the checkpoint argued with a man in a red pickup truck.

He got out of his Nomad and started walking to them.

“What’s the holdup?” Max asked.

The soldiers immediately stood at attention.

“Sir! This man is refusing to roll down his windows or stepping out of his car.”

Max looked into the window.

“Sir can you please step out of the car?” He asked.

The man shook his head.

“Look man, I have a son to come home to.” The man said taking out a picture of a boy and putting it at the window. “Can you just let me through please?”

“You’re past your curfew. Explain yourself.” The prince asked.

“I fell asleep in my truck okay? I didn’t mean to sleep so long.” The man explained.

“Well then can you at least show us your ID? You’d be gone by now if you would just comply.” Max reasoned.

Inside the truck, the man contemplated nervously before rolling down his window and giving him his ID card.

“Here, make it quick.” He said.

Max looked at him questionably before looking at the ID card and heading back to his Nomad.

Taking out the radio, Max radioed the Military Police.

“Cerberus, this is Valkyrie 1, I need you to search the database for one Gary Ridgway. ID Number F81502472C.”

“Copy that Valkyrie 1. Standby.”

Max stood in silence waiting for a response.

“Valkyrie 1, be advised. The person in question has had one charge involving in prostitution and is a suspect in a current case. What is the location of Mr. Ridgeway?”

“Uh, Checkpoint Delta. The guards here are keeping him here for now.”

“Copy that Valkyrie 1. MPs are on the way to question the suspect.”

“Copy that. I’ll instruct the guards to hold him.”

Max walked up to the soldier who stood waiting next to Ridgway’s car.

“Get your men here.” Max whispered.

The solder nodded before walking away. Max stood in silence and glared at Ridgeway who seemed to be doing his best to calm himself down.

When the soldier returned, he brought with him six more.

“Ask Mr. Ridgway here,” Max started handing the soldier the ID card. “To step out of his car once. If he doesn’t listen, grab him.”

“Yes sir.” A soldier said. They approached the car as Max looked on.

“Sir can you please step out of your vehicle.”

Ridgway shook his head.

“Why?”

“Because I said so. Now please step out of your vehicle.”

“Well,” Ridgway said in thought. “How about no?”

Immediately, the soldier bashed his window open.

“Hey what the fuck?” Ridgeway yelled before the group pulled him out of his truck. They piled on him and secured when they heard sirens.

“Well that’s my cue.” Max said walking back to the Nomad. Three 1998 Land Rover Defenders with police pulled up next to Ridgway’s truck where Military Police immediately got out to apprehend Ridgway.

Max didn’t see what happened next as his convoy drove around the scene and was on its way to Fire Base Kronos.

15 minutes of passing through residential areas made Max watch in awe at his sister’s magic. Using a massive workforce, many buildings, even the ones in the heavily bombed No Man’s Land, were restored to their former glories. Of course, there were still ruined buildings here and there, but progress was very quick due to the end of the war.

The moment they got to base, Max quickly dismissed his escorts to do whatever they want to do, whether eating dinner or going to sleep. Max however had one destination in mind. He entered a tent near some Crocodiles where a group of Marines were joking around. Inside, he found Allison, Zeke, Jimi, Marcus, and Kuhn playing some cards and joking around.

Marcus had a cigarette in his mouth, Jimi had a bottle labeled “Sake” next to him and was wearing a pink tutu, Zeke had a pile of hats stacked on top of his head, and Kuhn had a red fez on his head with a wooden parrot on his shoulder.

Allison seemed to be the only one not wearing anything out of the ordinary and the sight of her laughing with the others made Max smile.

“Room for one more?” Max announced getting their attention.

“Hey my brother back from another boring ass meeting.” Zeke said standing up and giving Max a bro hug.

He noticed all of the new pins on their uniforms. By decree of the Emperor, everyone who participated in the final assault on the Palace were promoted one rank and it was also used as an excuse to fill in the holes in the officer corps. Too many officers were killed in the Britannican counter-attack especially since the Royal Guards prioritized them.

Zeke and Marcus were now Captains, Allison and Kuhn were promoted to Major, and Jimi was promoted to Commander.

“We’re still waiting for Vass right?” Max asked as he sat next to Allison. Immediately she hugged him in which he returned a favor.

“Eyyup.” Marcus said. “Kuhn was just telling us a story of how he shat himself while he was in combat.”

Kuhn laughed and slapped Marcus’ shoulder.

“Dude you have no idea. The way that Phantom appeared out of nowhere scared the bejeezus out of me.”

They were interrupted when two particular spooks strolled in.

“Ay scoot over. I wanna play!” Azarov said taking a seat between Kuhn and Jimi who shared his Sake with the spook.

Amilia however was content with finding a table and laying down on it.

“We finished our investigation, but Vass made us go on a wild goose chase.” said a tired Amilia. “Had to also deliver the two kids to safety.”

Max however noticed a feather sticking out of Vass’ sleeve. He rose an eyebrow but shook it off.

Question for another time. He thought.

2 Months Later

Wulf-Lilya Air Force Base, Agatha, United Terran Empire

“Whooo finally fucking home!” Yelled Okoye. Along with Max and Allison, they walked out of the Gigant that transported them and other soldiers of the 1st Infantry Division to Agatha. Lines of Gigants were parked besides there’s with troops piling out with their belongings.

“Don’t get too excited Zeke.” said Allison. “We’re only on leave for two months.”

Max pouted.

“Screw you guys. I have to report to Fort Butler on the end of this month. Probably do some bullshit paperwork and watch over the Newbies.”

“Yo, don’t forget to make them look for them Chem-Light Batteries.” Zeke said with a huge grin on his face.

“Nah, I’ll probably take Jimi’s advice and force the Newbies to do a Fashion Show.”

“Are you really though?” asked Alli.

“Maybe, as long as they got rid of the half shelter for good.”

The three shuddered when they remembered the half shelter. Luckily, it was discontinued.

Max stopped when he saw near one of the hangers was a group of vehicles along with Imperial Guards standing around. Some were in armor, and others wore black suits.

“Looks like you got your ride Max.” said Zeke. “Alli and I’ll go look for a taxi aight?”

The LTC looked at the other soldiers who arrived who were being greeted by their families or were looking for rides home.

“No, fuck that. I’ll take the two of you home.” Max said.

“You’d do that?” Allison asked.

“Why not? Come on, let me do the talking.”

The trio approached the Imperial Guards where one of them in armor stepped up and saluted the Prince. Max returned a salute.

“Milord, we’ve been ordered to escort you to the palace by Princess Jennifer.”

“She sent you guys here? Not my parents?” Max asked.

“As far as I know your majesty, your sister and some others have kept your return a secret from the Emperor and the Empress.”

He then noticed a sleek, new, black 1999 Range Rover Sport with a grille guard, black tinted windows, and two extra headlights on it. Unlike the other cars, this one had no driver sitting on it. The guard noticed what Max was staring at and smile behind his mask.

“It’s a gift your majesty, from your sister.” He took out a pair of keys and held it out for Max to take.

“Well, looks like I got a ride for you two.” Max said looking at his friends.

“Milord?” asked the guard.

“I’ll be taking these two to their homes. There will be no need for an escort so please return to the palace.” He said walking towards the Range Rover twirling the keys with his fingers.

“But sir.” The guard said walking alongside Max. “The Princess ordered us to escort you to the palace.”

Max unlocked the car and popped open the trunk where the trio started dumping their luggage.

“Tell her I’ll be there. Just gonna take a little tour of the city.” He said closing the trunk.

The Prince stepped into the driver while Allison took the front seat and Zeke on the back seat.

“Oi, the black man sitting in the rear. Got plenty of space though.” Zeke said while they buckled themselves in.

“You said you were tired on the way here though.” Max said. The car turned on and he started revving the engine while the Imperial Guards walked out of their way.

Zeke rolled his eyes and stretched.

“Can’t really complain considering how comfy this is.” He said.

Allison turned on the car’s radio and switched it to her favorite station.

“This is Tom Helix and on behalf of everyone here on 103.5, we thank all the troops who sacrificed so much for this country. To any of our boys and girls in uniform listening, this is for you.”

A song started playing making Max nod his head to the beat.

“Alright guys, ready to go home?”

Allison nodded while Zeke patted Max’s shoulder.

It took them an hour to get out of the AFB’s vicinity due to the traffic from so many families coming to welcome the soldiers home. At least, only the ones who aren’t part of the 1st Infantry Division or the ones within the 1st who are on leave. Zeke was pointing out directions to get to his home considering it was the closest to the AFB.

On the way while on Interstate 17, the trio can see the many construction projects in and around the downtown area of Agatha. Multiple skyscrapers, subway systems, rail lines, monorails, freeways, and housing projects weren’t there when Max left but now here they are.

“Say what you want about my dad,” Max said. “But he’s got that infrastructure part down.”

Trees were also planted all over the city and were now starting to grow. Even the previously treeless Central Park had a miniature forest growing. Off the distance, to the east, they could see the beaches of Santa Maria. Further north obscured by mountains were the Ondulado Hills where mansions resided next to beaches.

Further south, about a 15 minute drive without traffic via freeway, was the community of Porta Vita where the Port of Agatha resides, one of the biggest ports in the continent.

The 25,000 square mile Lake Fenice provided Agatha with plenty of fish and access to trade routes from the sea. On the north side of Lake Fenice, the Fenice Falls from the Concordia River gives Agatha easy access to the largest waterfalls in the continent.

On the south, the Concordia River continues down for another 800 miles to the Auster Ocean. This gives the Concordia River, the widest river in the Empire, a total of 2,873 miles of length.

Not far from Agatha to the west was the Plutus Valley, one of the most fertile farmland and to the east was the Pluto Mine, the biggest copper mine and the second biggest gold mine in the Empire.

To the north was the Skathi Mountains and to the south was the Vidar Forest. In short, Agatha had it all, except for jungle and desert environments which were accessible via air travel. It is a wonder how a city with access to so much resources, can still have a large chunk of its population in poverty.

“Yo, take the exit at Grove and make a left.”

Max looked at Zeke questionably from the rearview mirror.

“Citrus Park? That’s contested gang territory.”

“Don’t worry about it. My neighborhood are friendly unless you dick around.”

They exited off the freeway and took a left just like Zeke instructed. Right away, a sedan sped passed them on the other side of the road being chased by three police cruisers.

“Yeah welcome home. First thing we see is a police chase. Fucking typical.” Zeke muttered.

As expected from the stories Zeke told them when they were deployed, the roads were horribly maintained with cracks and potholes everywhere, the cars used by people in the area were old, cheap, dirty, and some were damaged. A lot of people were walking around the sidewalks however and they gave the Range Rover a strange look considering it was a rarity for cars like those in their area. The buildings everywhere whether they were stores, theaters, or apartments were in obvious states of disrepair. People hanged their clothes out to dry from their windows and the area was littered with trash.

“Take a right on Apollo and go straight. My neighborhood is just down the street.”

Following Zeke’s instructions, Max was completely shocked at the neighborhood his friend lived in.

“Mein gott.” He muttered.

“You can see why many people hated your dad Max.” Allison said.

In the predominantly Afrikan neighborhood, people lived in small 1-story houses, many with boarded up windows and all the vegetation was dead. Yards were full of dead grass mixed in with trash. People walked everywhere, even little kids who ran around in the streets. Cars sat on the side of the road and Max could clearly see gang members in purple clothing walking about with pistols tucked into their pants.

Many people seemed to stop and stare at the SUV with tinted windows driving slowly to avoid hitting any jaywalkers.

“Don’t worry Max. These people know me. Plus you seem to be pretty popular among the lower class.” Zeke said.

Just as he said that, they passed two posters on an electric pole. One depicted a drawing of Max running to combat in his uniform with the words “JOIN THE ARMY” below him, and on the other, it showed a picture of his sister in a white dress comforting a child in rags in a war zone. Below them were the words “JOIN THE PEACE CORPS”.

“A lot of people here wanted to join the Army, but couldn’t because they had criminal records.” Zeke said. “Pull up in front of the house with a blue roof next to that diner on the corner.”

Max did as he instructed and parked in front of the house. People seemed to have stopped what they were doing and started gathering around the car.

“Zeke?” Max asked feeling a little unsure.

“Don’t worry, my brother should be home.” He said.

Zeke looked to his house where a man his age started walking towards the house. He wore a blue dress shirt, grey dress pants, and black dress shoes. He had black hair and had a goatee.

“There’s my brother.” Zeke said.

He stepped out of the car in full view wearing his service uniform for all to see.

“Zeke?” The man in front of the house said. He ran up to the Captain and the two hugged. Tears welled up in their eyes as people gathered around them.

“Yo Zeke’s back!” A man in a purple basketball jersey yelled. Some people came out of their houses to see what was going on. While Zeke and the man hugged, others greeted him and several gang members patted Zeke on the back.

“They seem friendly.” Alli said with a smile. She looked at Max who was scanning the area while keeping his right hand on his holster.

“Max?” She asked with concern.

Max snapped out of it and looked at his girlfriend.

“Oh sorry.” He said sheepishly. “It’s just that places like these have constant gang attacks.”

“Hey let me introduce you to my friends!”

The two looked at Alli’s window where Zeke was tapping it.

“Yo, you two wanna come out? It’s safe, trust me.” He said reassuringly. Allison was the first to step out.

“Hey I wanna introduce to you to my brother.” Zeke said motioning to the man in blue. “Andre, this is Major Allison Nazaire. Alli, this is Andre. He’s a priest in our local church.”

Alli and Andrew shook hands.

“Nice to meet you Andre.” Allison said with a smile.

“Oh, the pleasure is mine ma’am.” Andre responded with a smile.

“Hey, let me through! Move outta way!”

They looked to the crowd where a bald, tall, muscular man in black jeans, white sneakers, and a purple bandana tied around his neck pushed through the crowd. His eyes laid on the Captain in uniform.

“Zeke? Holy shit!”

He rushed Zeke and gave him a bone crushing hug.

“My li’l brother’s home!” His eyes then laid on Allison. “Ooooh and he got himself a girlfriend too!”

The two released each other and Zeke gave his older brother a disapproving look.

“N**** that’s my superior officer.”

Allison watched as the man sputtered. He looked back and forth between Allison and Zeke before he looked at Alli right in the eye.

“Oh shit I’m so sorry. I didn’t know-”

Alli waved it off.

“It’s fine, you didn’t know. Besides, I’m taken.” She said with a smile.

“By who?” He asked questionably looking up and down her body.

Zeke approached the SUV and tapped on the glass.

“Hey Max. Come on out. Don’t tell me you dropped your balls all of a sudden after all these years.”

The door to the driver’s seat and Max stepped out, his face impassive. There were murmurs throughout the crowd and a few women covered their mouths in shock.

Andre came up next to Zeke and patted his shoulder.

“You wrote in your letters that you made some good friends, I wasn’t expecting the Prince of all people.”

Max gave a smirk before coming up to Andre and shook his hand who continued to look at the Prince in shock.

“Andre right?” Max asked. “Zeke told me all about you.”

He then looked at the tall man.

“And I’m guessing you must be Dwayne? Awfully tall aren’t you?” Max said offering his hand.

Dwayne shook Max’s hand, though a little nervously.

“Yeah, but not that much compared to me though your majesty.”

Max rolled his eyes.

“For fu-Nobody needs to call me ‘your majesty’ or ‘milord’ please. I hate it. Just call me Max.”

“Oh, sorry about that yo-I mean, Max.”

Behind them, Allison eyed the crowd as she got closer to the car.

“I almost forgot!” Andre said. “Ma, Pa, and Tatiana don’t know you’re here yet!” Dwayne said.

Zeke looked at his watch before turning to his two friends.

“You guys got time?”

Max looked at his watch as well before shaking his head.

“Next time maybe, I gotta drop Alli off and then go home.”

“Yo it’s cool. We’ll hang out soon yeah?”

The two gave each other a bro hug before Zeke hugged Allison as well.

“Remember, Steiner still owes us.” Max said while Alli went to retrieve Zeke’s bag from the trunk.

Zeke smirked.

“Looking forward to it. Jimi also said something about a nightclub he wanted to show me.”

“Sounds fun, invite me if you guys go.”

Allison handed Zeke his bag before saluting Zeke with Max. Zeke returned a salute.

“I expect you to report back to Fort Butler in two months time Captain. You don’t want Chibuzo to grill your ass don’t we?” Max said.

“Oh please, when have I ever been late?”

Both Allison and Max rose an eyebrow.

“Okay maybe I have.”

The three laughed.

Max and Allison got back into the SUV, ready to take the Major to her home. He looked at his girlfriend and smiled.

“So, where to?”

5 Minutes Later

“Castro Heights huh?” Max said. They were parked in front of an old apartment building. Graffiti decorated the walls, some of the windows were cracked, and there were the occasional bullet holes here and there. A young, fat Afrikan woman and a skinny Hispanic woman holding a Pitbull puppy sat on the steps to the entrance. They eyed the SUV with curiosity.

“Yeah,” Allison sighed. “I plan to get my parents and my friends out of here as soon as I can.”

“Or, just maybe, there’s a way to improve areas like Castro Heights and Citrus Park. I’ve seen it happen in Zipang and it’s not because of my dad.” Max said.

“I hope so.” She said. Alli pecked Max on the lips before he could respond. “I don’t think it’s a good idea to introduce you to my parents or my girlfriends yet.”

Max eyed the two women sitting on the steps.

“Why?”

“Well, my friends would never let you leave, and my parents would have a heart attack. I’ll let you know when is a good time.”

This time, Max pecked her on her lips before she can respond.

“Take your time then Princess.”

Allison smiled before getting out of the car bag in hand. There was a loud shriek before she closer her door. He watched as his girlfriend was being hugged by the two women.

Max smiled, his eyes never leaving Allison’s who was busy talking to the two women. She gestured to the SUV before waving a goodbye at it.

He waved goodbye as well, knowing she can’t see it. Max drove off, letting out a sigh at what comes next.

15 Minutes Later

“-following new reports out of Metroville, where members of the Vox Populi and the Patriots of Terra clashed in the streets. Law Enforcement and elements of the Home Army were deployed to quell these riots. According to Police Spokesperson Budi Gunawan, 38 people have so far have been killed with hundreds injured.

Multiple buildings have been set on fire and both Interstate 1 and Interstate 47 freeways leading to the downtown area have been shut down. However, Amelia Earhart International will remain open despite members of the Patriots of Terra attempting to bring automatic weapons into the airport. Luckily, they were apprehended by law enforcement.”

“Jesus, this is why we can’t have nice things.” Max said listening to the radio. He pulled up to the front gate of the Imperial Palace where many tourists continued to take pictures of the outer defenses which obscured the actual palace. The palace itself is only open for tours a few times a year so most of the time, tourists can only get pictures of the patrolling Imperial Guards and the Outer Defense Buildings which encircle the entire perimeter.

After the Outer Defense perimeter, there is a large open field leading up to the Inner Defense perimeter which encircles the Palace. The Inner Defense was heavier defended with armored vehicles, SAM sites, SHORAD, ATGM emplacements, mortar teams, Anti-Air cannons, etc.

From there, there is another large field to cross before reaching the actual palace. There have been several instances where people have tried to breach the perimeter, but none have ever gone past the Outer Perimeter. Not even in 1994 when a man tried to crash a plane into the palace, but was quickly shot down by a Grom missile.

An Imperial Guard tapped his window. Max pulled his window down halfway, just enough to show his face. The guard nodded before radioing someone. He didn’t have to wait long before the automated gates opened up slowly for him. Some of the guards saluted him as he drove by.

Max sighed in content after getting past the Outer Defenses. The field brought him memories of him playing around with his sister and their little dog. Fond memories and he couldn’t wait to see them again.

The Vorenus side of the family at least, not the Calatravas.

He slowed once again when he approached the Inner Defenses. This time, there were two Leopard tanks on either side of the gates with several Imperial Guards. Some of them wore the ceremonial armor, some wore black suits, and some wore black BDUs. They had dogs with them.

Once he stopped, they quickly got to work. The doors were unlocked for the dogs to sniff around the car, and some of the guards used mirrors to check underneath the car.

“Sorry about that sir, standard procedure.” A guard in her ceremonial armor said.

“It’s fine. You’re just doing your job.” Max said. It took them about a minute or two to check his car thoroughly before they gave him a green light.

“Should we alert your family sir?” asked the guard.

Max shook his head.

“That won’t be necessary. However, can you alert the staff to bring my bag to my room once I arrive?” He asked.

The guard nodded.

“It will be done sir. You may proceed.”

Max nodded and he was on his way. He crossed another large open field and the road was split in two by a very long fountain. In the middle of the fountain was a large statue facing the Inner Defense gates depicting the first Vorenus Emperor leading a crowd of peasants and soldiers to fight an unknown enemy.

Waiting for him at the bottom of the stairs leading to the Palace’s doors was a group of maids and butlers. They all wore black suits though the maids wore skirts instead. A couple of Imperial Guards stood at attention at either side of the door. He stopped the car in front of them and quickly got out.

“Is my family in?” Max asked straightening his uniform.

“The entire family is having lunch in the dining room sire.” An old butler said with a smile.

“Thank you Gerald, it’s good to see you again.” Max said approaching the butler and shaking his hand. He then turned to the rest of the group. “It’s good to see all of you again. I trust your families are doing well?”

A young Cantonese maid nodded.

“They are, thank you sir.”

“Good, very good.” Max turned and started climbing the steps. “I hope you learned how to take a break Gerald!” Max called back.

Gerald shook his head and smiled

“Boy hasn’t changed.”

An old maid came up and stood next to him, watching the young boy they watched growing up greeting the guards before going inside.

“Oh I wouldn’t say that Gerald. I’m almost certain now he’s gonna start picking fights with his father and the nobility now.”

“Should we be worried?”

The maid shook her head.

“The boy has always found a way to clean things after himself. Remember the little scrawny kid that found ways to humiliate his bullies without having to fight them?”

Gerald smiled.

“The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting. He always admired the likes of Sun Tzu, Chankya, and Saladin.”

“Still far from perfect though. He still makes many mistakes.”

“Ah, but isn’t failure the greatest teacher?”

“Arguably.” The maid sighed. “One has to wonder what he has planned.”

10 Minutes Later

Max stood in front of a set of armor, his eyes staring right into the mask. It wasn’t a new addition, but it was one of the historical items in the Palace that unnerved him and his sister. Among all of the ancient armors, swords, sacrificial tools, idols, this armor made him nervous the most.

Even after serving in the war, his feeling about the statue did not change. Not even the Sacificial Sword from Zipang, a cursed Voodoo statue, or the skull of a chief from an extinct cannibalistic tribe from Oceania could compare to the armor of a Hitokiri from Zipang.

Whoever wore this armor, she was blessed by Death himself. Max thought to himself.

“Sire?” The Prince looked to his left where an old Gaullic butler was motioning him to come with him. “The Dining Room is this way.”

“Thank your Alfred.”

He took one more glance at the armor before walking away. Unknown to the two, the “head” of the Hitokiri turned slowly and watched the two men walking away. If one were close enough, they could hear a soft giggle emitting from it.

Meanwhile, Max decided to strike a conversation with the butler as they walked down the long hallway towards the dining room.

“So how were they when I was gone?” asked Max.

He noticed Alfred’s mouth formed a frown.

“Madness, utter madness young sire. Your mother’s side of the family were gambling that you were killed in the war and your father’s side are continuously fighting each other to inherit the throne.”

“So what did my father do?”

“Nothing. Did nothing to stop the infighting and never bothered to write a will.”

Max looked at Alfred in shock.

“What? But anyone who occupies the throne must create a will as one of their first acts per tradition!”

“Indeed, the palace staff, some military officers, and even some Senators have voiced their concerns. We told him he could edit the will anytime he wants but he would not budge. His ministers have not allowed anyone to speak to him about the will now.”

The Prince shook his head.

“A cabinet full of nobles and a thick-headed Emperor. Recipe for disaster I say.”

“I agree. Among the palace staff, we thought your mother would change him but he was as stiff as a stonewall. We started wagering you and your sister would do something.”

Their conversation stopped once they approached the large, golden double doors. Five Imperial Guards in armor stood at attention on either side of the door.

“Are you ready?” Alfred asked putting a hand on the door. Max checked himself and straightened his uniform one more time.

“Now I’m ready.”

The butler opened the door, allowing Max inside. What he found, despite what Alfred has said, was not what he expected.

On the long dining table, the Imperial family all sat with the Calatravas on one side, and the Vorenus on the other. At the head of the table on the other side of the room sat his father, his head bowed down low in thought.

The Calatravas were conversing with each other, plotting against the other half of the family, while the Vorenus did the same, except they were talking in small groups and conspiring against each other. His mother sat to his father’s right with her family, her left hand rubbing her temple wearing a black dress. To the Emperor’s left, was Jennifer sitting straight and eating quietly with her head held up high. She was doing her best to ignore both sides of the family, but he could see it was taking a toll as she held her glass of water very tightly. As usual, she wore a white dress and had a white rose clipped to her long, brown hair.

Standing at attention near the walls facing the dining table were multiple Imperial Guards. Waiters walked to and fro, bringing food or taking dirty dishes. A grand chandelier hanged from the ceiling and expensive paintings hanged from the white walls of the dining room.

“Now announcing, Lieutenant Colonel Maximilian Luke Vorenus VII of the 1st Infantry Division.” Max heard Alfred announce from behind him.

The room fell into silence. It was broken when a loud shriek resonated throughout the room. Max was almost unprepared when his sister ran towards him in breakneck speed. It took a lot of his strength from falling over from her hug.

Right, she was trained by a track star when I was gone. He thought.

“My boy.”

He looked to his left where his mother slowly walked towards him, tears falling from her eyes. As she got closer, Max finally saw that his mother was tired and in pain. Nonetheless, a smile graced her face as she hugged her son as well.

While the trio hugged each other, Max stole a glance at the rest of the room. The other children looked around at their older relatives, confused on how they should react. His father looked confused. He looked like he wanted to greet his son, but something seemed to hold him back. Some members of the Calatrava and the Vorenus family glared at him while others continued eating in silence.

Max of course, glared at them in return.

Heads will roll. He thought.

6 Hours Later

Central Park, Agatha, United Terran Empire

“Bro, you suck.”

In Marcus’ and Max’s favorite hangout spot on the lone oak tree on the tallest hill in Central Park, their little band of friends hanged out waiting for a particular scientist. Max, Marcus, and Allison sat on a low hanging branch. Marcus was smoking a cigarette while Allison had her head on Max’s shoulders. They both of them had their eyes closed enjoying each other’s company.

Kuhn was wearing a black leather jacket with blue jeans and brown boots. Zeke was wearing a purple hoodie, khaki shorts, a purple baseball cap, and white sneakers. Both Vass and Amilia wore black t-shirts, though Vass wore aviator glasses, black jeans, and black shoes while Amilia wore black exercise pants, and yellow shoes. Marcus wore a bright blue t-shirt that said “BurgerTown Champion”, camouflage shorts, red sandals, and a camo boonie hat. Max wore a black jacket with a yellow shirt inside, blue jeans, and black sneakers. Jimi wore a black beanie, blue jacket, khaki pants, and a black and white Jordans. Allison meanwhile, wore a white t-shirt, blue shorts, and pink gym sneakers.

The Saxon pilot was practicing playing a guitar while sitting on the base of the tree while Zeke was carving his name on the tree like the others have. Of course, the Prince’s and his girlfriend’s names were etched inside of a heart. Typical lovebirds.

“Hey I’m still practicing okay. Just worried for Cameron and all. They still haven’t brought him here from Rathunas.” Kuhn replied.

“They said he’ll arrive this Tuesday John.” Jimi said while playing cards with Vass and Amilia.

“Yeah but, just worried y’know?”

“Hold it.” Marcus said his eyes looking at something down the hill. “I think our egghead is here with some beer. Is that a buck?”

The others perked up when they watched Steiner walk towards them dragging a cooler and indeed, he was being followed by a buck, a White tailed deer to be specific. Steiner was wearing a red plaid shirt, black dress pants, and black dress shoes.

“What the hell?” Vass muttered.

As Steiner and the buck closer, Alli jumped down from the tree and quickly hugged the buck to everyone’s confusion.

“Hi Banni!” She said. The buck returned her greeting by nuzzling her cheek.

“You know this buck Alli?” Max said jumping down along with Marcus.

“Of course!” She chirped. “I use to come to the park all the time and Banni was always there to greet me.”

“Confused me at first when he started following me. Now I know why.” Steiner said. He put the cooler down and then opened it. “Anyways, I got all of you beer just as promised. Did you idiots really have to make me go all the way up here?”

“Oh hell yeah!” Kuhn said as he rushed the cooler along with Zeke. Max watched on as Zeke, Kuhn, Jimi, and Marcus swarmed the cooler like vultures. Meanwhile, Steiner, Amilia, and Vass hanged back with Alli too busy with Banni. Steiner looked at Max and nodded.

The Prince nodded in return and took a bottle of beer from the cooler. He saw Allison was counting something on Banni’s flank.

“Huh, Banni you got eight spots on your flank now. What’s that about?”

Max handed her the bottle which she accepted with a smile.

“Thanks Maxxy.” She said before turning back to the buck. “You’re one weird deer you know?”

The buck stared at Max, causing him to feel a bit nervous.

Weird indeed. He thought.

3 Hours Later

Unknown Location

*Click*

Max checked his pistol one more time before holstering it. He wore a wooden mask in the shape of an eagle’s head and a black hooded robe.

“Are they going to wake up soon?”

He turned to his left where another man in matching robes but wore a wooden mask in the shape of a coyote’s face looking at a map of Equestria on a wall.

“They should be Omir. Game Master Steiner assured he put just the right amount in the drinks.”

On the other side of the dark circular room, Steiner wore a porcelain mask depicting an owl. Near him, Vass was leaning on the wall flicking a coin in the air, wearing a wooden mask depicting a two-faced man. One side was frowning, while the other was smiling.

Amilia was sitting on a chair looking bored wearing wooden mask depicting a wolf.

On the floor wearing robes but no masks, were the sleeping forms of Allison, Kuhn, Jimi, Zeke, and Marcus. The onl sources of light were two lamps on opposite sides of the room.

“And you’re sure they passed the tests?” Omir asked.

“Steiner and I made them go through the necessary tests. They’re ready.” Max assured him.

“I certainly hope so. Most aren’t too confident in you getting the throne despite what the Grand Master said.”

“Yeah, they say it’s because I’m an experiment. Too much of a risk to take.”

“Fools if you ask me. They don’t feel ready to take on the Equestrians.”

Max looked at his ally.

“And what say you?”

Omir chuckled beneath his mask.

“I’m a gambler. I don’t care what they say, I like those odds. It’s also about damn time we got rid of the status quo.”

There was a scream and they saw Kuhn jump up from the floor. His scream woke up the others.

“Huh, where the fuck am I?” He yelled. Kuhn’s eyes then laid on the robes he and everyone else were wearing. “Oh fuck, I knew you guys would spike the fucking drinks.”

“Surprise.” Vass said. “Get up, the others are waiting.”

They groaned as they got up. Jimi stretched a bit, popping some bones.

“Welcome to the Order of the Golden Eagle.” Steiner said. He put his hand on the wall. There was a beep before a portion of the wall slid under the ground revealing a long hallway. “Let us make haste.”

Wordlessly, they entered the hallway with Vass, Steiner, and Amilia leading the group of recruits who were being followed by Omir and Max.

“The hell are with these skulls?” Zeke asked.

All along the sides of the hallways were pedestals with Human skulls on them. Pictures and portraits hanged behind each one of them.

“Enemies of the Order we killed.” Omir informed them.

“Whoa, check that out.” Jimi said pointing at one of the skulls in particular. “Emperor Robert Vorenus II. The Mad Emperor.”

“Not even the Imperial family is safe from us.” Amilia commented.

Marcus chuckled when they passed one of the skulls.

“Heh, so that’s what happened to Hitler.”

They then passed five empty pedestals with portraits behind them.

“McEvoy?” Kuhn asked.

Beneath their masks, the members smiled.

“You’ll see.” Max said.

The wall at the end of the hallway opened up, revealing a dark room.

“Good luck.” Max said as they entered before he and the other members disappeared in the darkness.

Wondering around, the group sticked close to each other, anticipating a surprise. All of a sudden, they were surprised when light shined down on the middle of the room revealing two individuals in black hooded robes.

One of them wore a silver mask depicting a tiger while the other one wore a golden mask depicting a lion. The same individual was also holding a golden scepter with an eagle’s head.

“Welcome recruits.”

The brightness of the lights also revealed that they were in a huge circular room. Surrounding them were many members of the Order sitting on chairs, watching them. On several floors above them, Legionnaires, Imperial Guards, Arditis, Sea Wolves, etc. looked down on them acting as guards.

“You five have gone through many tests to join us and were instrumental in the rescue of Game Master Steiner. For that, you have our eternal gratitude.”

“Field Marshal Brusilov?” Alli asked recognizing the voice. Behind the golden mask, Brusilov smiled.

“Indeed, you are also here because you five have gained the approval of some of our members. Brothers Vorenus and Azarov, Sister Corduroy, Game Master Steiner, and War Master Chibuzo have all vouched for the five of you.”

They looked around to see if they could spot their friends, but to no avail due to the masks and the many members surrounding them.

“There is just two more steps.”

Brusilov stepped aside allowing the man in the silver mask to step forward holding a knife and a box with a medallion depicting a golden eagle inside.

“You must sacrifice some of your blood to the medallion.” The man said.

“Wait, I wasn’t told about this Chibuzo.” Zeke said.

Chibuzo smiled underneath his silver mask.

“You weren’t suppose to know and that’s War Master Chibuzo to you.”

“Fuck it.” Jimi said. He took the knife and slit his hand, dripping his blood on the medallion. The others followed suit though, Zeke was a little apprehensive.

“You guys are gonna wash that right?” Kuhn asked.

“Of course, this is the medallion of Emperor Marco Vorenus I, the Golden Eagle. The first Emperor and the first Grand Master. Now bandage your hands.” Chibuzo said taking out bandages and handing it to each of them.

The room was silent as the recruits bandaged their hands.

“Now, for the last step.” Brusilov said.

They heard footsteps behind them and turned around, finding another individual in a silver mask approach them. Behind the person were five tied up, and naked men being escorted by a couple of Imperial Guards and Legionnaires.

“I received word from the first Vorenus to join us in centuries. I hope he was correct.” The man said. He took out five swords and handed each of them to the recruits.

The five naked men were forced to kneel in front of the recruits. Allison in particular, was given a rather portly, but familiar man who was bawling.

“Please Visconti. Mercy please!” The man said to the member who brought them here.

“Your actions in particular caused the deaths of some of our members McEvoy. That includes Battle Master Weatherby.”

Among the audience, Max whispered to Vass who sat next to him.

“I didn’t know Weatherby passed.”

“Last night. Poor man didn’t make it.” Vass responded.

“Now.” Brusilov said getting the attention of the room. “These five scum have caused the deaths of some of us, or have threatened our operations. Behead them.”

“Mor-tem. Mor-tem. Mor-tem.” The audience began chanting.

The five looked at each other.

“Do it!” Brusilov yelled. “End these miserable wretches!”

“MOR-TEM! MOR-TEM! MOR-TEM!” The audience got louder and louder.

Jimi acted first. Coming from a Samurai family, holding the sword was something familiar to him.

“HA!” He yelled. In one swing, his sword cleaved through the neck of the man in front of him as if he wasn’t there. The man gurgled, before his head slid off his neck.

Next to him, Kuhn shrugged before doing the same. Marcus and Zeke followed after, though Zeke had to swing twice to fully cut the head off.

Meanwhile, Allison looked at her sword first, then back to the sniffling McEvoy. He looked up at her with a pleading look.

“Please. I’ll do anything.”

She thought back to all of her comrades who died. How many soldiers, especially in the officer corps, died in the Britannican counter-attack because of his cowardice.

“This is for all those who died because of you during the Siege of Rathunas.” Allison snarled.

Alli drowned out all the noise in the room and held her sword tightly.

And then she swung.

2 Hours Later

In the hallway, Max pushed a cart towards the empty pedestals. This time, he wore a porcelain mask showing his promotion. On the cart, there was a basket full of five skulls, recently cleaned until they were white. Labels with names were taped to their domes.

He stopped in front of a pedestal and picked up on of the skulls. Max glared at the empty eye sockets.

“Oh how the mighty have fallen. I’ll make sure your friends don’t get in the way. Equestria will burn now. No more waiting. Would’ve been a glorious sight, but you’ll be stuck here.”

Max placed the skull on the pedestal.

“Don’t worry McEvoy. You won’t be alone here. On the bright side, your friends will join you soon.”

The Prince pushed the cart, whistling a tune and leaving behind the skull of General Douglas McEvoy. Forever, his skull will be a trophy, a reminder of what happens to those who defied the Order of the Golden Eagle.

Author's Note

Here's the next chapter brothers and sisters. Next one, the Legionnaires are gonna make some big moves.

Also, yes my sister is also named Jennifer. The name Calatrava is also her middle name. The Empress' upbringing and her family I took inspiration from my mother's background and the way her side of the family has been treating my parents.

If you want to know why Max and the others were promoted so quickly, it's so promoting Max quickly isn't as suspicious. Yes, special treatment I know. It's not because he's a Prince, being a member of the Order does have it's perks including 50% of all purchases in Taco Bell.

Just kidding

Or am I?

Ay, he's gonna be the 100th dislike?

Oh, and the next chapter may take a while because I really need to work on my other fic. I've neglected my Star Wars fic for too long.

Anyways, any mistakes, especially anything related to the military, just let me know.