John gave a content sigh as he emptied his glass after tossing the emptied jet inhaler into a bin next to them without getting up from his chair. "So, you said you know a lot about me, care to explain that?" He questioned with a raised eyebrow, well, not that he had eyebrows but that's besides the point.

Emperor Lorenzo, or just 'Lorenzo' as he'd said to call him gave him a smile that sent chills down Hancock's spine as if he was looking at a starving pissed off Deathclaw rather than a human being, a person. "I know many things beyond the comprehension you have at your disposal John, I know for example you are a mentats sorta Ghoul yourself, makes you feel 'brainy' as you call it." After saying as much, while John was still staring open-mouthed in shock Lorenzo slid him a tin of mentats that didn't have a single spec of rust anywhere on it.

Cautiously he took the tin and peeled it open, downing the contents like candy. "An what else do you know?"

As Lorenzo spoke, John noticed an odd glint in his eyes that he couldn't identify. "Born John McDonough, you are the estranged younger brother of Mayor McDonough, the current Mayor of the Commonwealth's largest settlement, Diamond City. You two had a rocky relationship from the beginning. You considered your brother "entitled" and often claimed that he would sometimes shove rotten tatoes down the back of your shirt and slap them when you were younger." Lorenzo took a moment to light a cigarette. "Diamond City used to be welcoming to Ghouls, until your dear older brother ran for mayor on an anti-Ghoul platform, when he was elected into Office you confronted him in his office after his inauguration speech."

John Hancock was stunned into silence, just sitting in the chair trying to process everything being said to him by someone who by all rights, should know absolutely none of this information, he was too stunned to say anything as Lorenzo continued speaking. "Despite confronting him in his office, your brother showed no remorse for what he'd done, only cockily gloating to you that the city was 'finally his'. You tried to save as many of the Ghoul families as you could, trying to relocate them to Goodneighbor which at the time was ruled by a ruthless mob boss who was named 'Vic'. Despite this many of them simply could not adjust to life in what they viewed as a slum compared to the illustrious Diamond City they'd been forced to leave, fleeing into the ruins of Boston and the surrounding wasteland of the Commonwealth, eventually dying due to a lack of food or water, or simple everyday Wasteland violence."

"This eventually led to you going into a rut of drug abuse and depression alongside it, at one point being so depressed you decided to take a highly experimental pre-war radiation drug, to turn yourself into a Ghoul, and what luck you had that it worked and didn't fry your insides like fat in a hot pan!" Lorenzo laughed to himself. "Then, while you were so high you could barely see you wandered into the old state house, saw the clothing you wear now sitting in a display case an smashed it, deciding that day that John McDonough had died that day, and that John Hancock was to replace him, to be better than him. Need I say more? I have plenty more to tell my little Revolutionary Ghoul."

This was one of the few times John Hancock was genuinely unsettled and unsure of what to do, only counted with a small handful of others that had been experienced throughout his life. "I...I have no idea what the fuck I'm supposed to say here...no, no that's not right, I need to know how the ever-loving FUCK do you know all of this?!" He asked with exasperation in his voice.

This caused 'Emperor Lorenzo' to chuckle to himself again. "You wouldn't even think what I said was true, even though it is, do you still want to know?" At Hancock's silent but stern nod, he shrugged. "Simply put? You're a character from a video-game I played before I became, this." He gestured to himself.

John gave Lorenzo a look of complete exasperation. "What hidden chem stash have you been sneaking during our talk, an where the hell can I get some?"

Lorenzo tutted. "I told you that you wouldn't trust what I said was true, but thankfully for you my little friend I can prove my word!" He pulled a solid black orb that looked to be made out of glass from seemingly nowhere, it had an eerie red glow emitting from somewhere within the orb.

Slowly John reached out, taking it from the man's hand. Looking at it in his palm as the glow seemed to intensify as he held it in his grip, it was surprisingly warm with a fair amount of heat radiating from the thing. "What is this, and what am I supposed to do with it?"

"It's a Memory Orb, an Arcane device of Equestrian invention, I had this one extracted when I heard reports about you by Chrysalis, whom is specialized in mind magics." Emperor Lorenzo took a moment to down an entire tin of mentats before he continued. "Simply hold the orb in one hand, and speak the phrase 'Let he whom holds the Orb walk the path within' and you will simply see what I say is nothing but the truth." His tone was no longer jovial, or joking but completely stone-faced serious.

John Hancock stared at the orb in his hand for a few moments before hesitantly speaking. "Let he whom holds the Orb walk the path within." The moment he had finished speaking his eyes went wide as physically possible, now glowing the same color that the Orb was doing. It only lasted ten seconds but to John it felt like weeks had passed in the blink of an eye. He slumped back into the chair he had been provided, his breaths coming in short ragged huffs. The experience was intense, moreso for someone who'd never experienced anything like it.

Emperor Lorenzo patiently waited, sipping on another glass of rum while John recovered mentally from the ordeal he'd just gone through, when he was ready he looked back up at Lorenzo. "I don't know what the fuck I just saw but...God be damned you ain't lyin, are ya? Nah, you can't be, too much effort for a lie that wouldn't make sense, an you know far too much for it to be a fib."

Lorenzo stared at John, cocking an eyebrow. "So do you see now? I know much about you, I know much about your world in general, but I am stuck to specific events, specific timelines, not the smaller details, I only know what I know about you from a game, an even then, what was in it was rather accurate. How this iis? I have no idea, so don't bother asking." He said with a shrug. "However, I do know there is one further glaring issue you will have here, because I assure you there is no way back to your Wasteland that I know of."

John raised his own eyebrow. "Oh? An what'd that be?" He questioned with obvious suspicion and curiosity in his voice.

"Quite simple, you are a Ghoul, a Ghoul in a world with little to no free-range Gamma-Radiation around to soak in and keep you alive, you may not be a Feral Ghoul, but all Ghouls need radiation in some amount to stay alive, for you it's as necessary as food or water, though you often likely didn't notice it before given your previous environment was soaked in the stuff from the Bombs."

"I...I hadn't even really thought about it that much, I jus knew rads didn't hurt me like they would a smoothskin, how am I gonna get my Rads if there's no radiation in the water or air?" Hancock questioned, concerned for his health, and what would happen if he had to find out the hard way what would happen if you deprived a non-feral of radiation for too long.

Lorenzo gave him a smile, the first time he'd seen the man give a smile that didn't make his spine want to crawl out of his ass an run. "Simply put we can just get you a cybernetic implant to give you the needed doses of radiation on the daily, it'll detect when you're low an just, directly introduce it into your bloodstream, would that be agreeable to you?"

John took a few moments to think it over, before nodding. "Makes sense I suppose, don't wanna jus give me a barrel of radioactive water or a chunk of uranium to carry with me, it'd be a risk to others, but if it's already inside my body then its no risk to anyone, smart." Ah mentats, he'd never give them up.

The Emperor nodded. "Delightful, I'll have your implant inserted as soon as possible, the sooner we do it the better off you'll be, you should be fine for a day or two but I'd rather not risk you getting too low on radiation, so for now drink this." He produced a gallon jug out of seemingly nowhere, a heavy metal one. "It's a lead lined gallon container of irradiated water, do not spill it, or leave it unattended."

As John took the container, the Pipboy on Lorenzo's wrist began flashing red, beeping briefly before it projected a 3D holographic image that damn near made John piss himself in surprise. Being displayed was a hulking behemoth of a Supermutant if he'd ever seen one, except this one looked to be decked out completely in Power Armor. John shuddered at the thought of such a thing in the Wasteland.

The mutant wasn't stupid however, it would seem by the way it spoke, his voice was like someone who'd been chain smoking since they had been born, then gargling gravel and fire. "My Emperor, I call on the Emergency Communications line to report to you immediately that several former Manukan Nobles have used their remaining wealth and connections among their own kind to attempt a rebellion against Your Glorious Will, and ask what is to be done with them? Despite their primitive weaponry from muskets to bows and arrows, several Civilians have already been injured, two of which died on impact from projectiles to vital organs."

Hancock watched as Lorenzo's jovial attitude vanished instantly, the spark in his eyes going dull for a brief moment, before it was replaced with an inferno of rage that would make the hottest of stars look like a wet firecracker, at least that's how it seemed from how his eyes began to glow a dark emerald color, the swirling colorful gem in the center of his crown glowing in unison with it. "Frank Horrigan, your quick response to report this pleases me greatly, please keep civilians and loyal Manuka inside the barrier and inside their homes, please identify to me on the holo-feed the 'rebellion' if you would be so kind?"

Frank Horrigan nodded. "As You Wish." Was all he said, before the feed switched over to drone footage of a small ragtag army of several dozens of Manukan mercenaries or peasants, each one armed or armored differently. Peasants armed with nothing more than sharpened spears, or crossbow, while the more trained Manuka having bows and swords, a rare few of them hauling loaded muskets shown aiming and shooting the primitive weapons at several doors, or anything that moved really.

John Hancock got the second shock of his life that day as he watched Lorenzo's suit instantly vanish to be replaced by sleek metallic armor, telsa coils in the gauntlets crackling with blue arcs of energy and two large wings that looked to be made of pure fire flaring from his back. "I apologize for the sudden intrusion John, but I have some business to attend too, You may watch if you wish too." He pointed to the table, an the orb half sunken into the center began projecting a copy of the footage shown on his Pipboy before Lorenzo vanished in a flash of blue light and thunder.

-----------------------Leva, Lorenzo's POV------------------

Within a moment, I had appeared on Leva in the skies flapping my armor's wings to remain aloft as I looked down upon the battlefield. Not many of the Empire had actually died thank Faust. The few who did get injured were already being treated, but I knew how this species worked, I knew how their former rulers worked. They wouldn't head warnings they needed a true blatant display of power before they would understand who was truly in charge now. If this species wanted to be moronic, I was more than happy to accommodate their death-wish.

Spotting the bitch heading the rebellion wasn't hard, she'd dressed herself up in bronze and golden battle-armor with a stupidly large yellow plume on the helmet. I could have had the soldiers stationed here deal with them, but that wouldn't get the message across other than to try again. Clenching my fists I swooped down, my gauntlets crackling with arcs of pure electrical energy as I stuck the ground shattering the cobblestones of the road and showering several armed peasants hard enough to kill one of them. Tapping the side of my helmet once I activated a special enchantment Sombra had put into the helmet previously that'd I'd never really had to use. "WHO DARE DEFY MY WILL OVER THIS PLANET? WHOM DARES TO DEFY THE ORDER OF THE CRYSTAL EMPIRE? STEP FORTH AND RECEIVE YOUR JUDGMENT OR THIS ENTIRE PLANET WILL BE TORCHED TO GLASS FOR YOUR SINS!"

My voice had been amplified several times and deepened so it sounded more like an angry dragon rather than myself, for extra display my armor was arching with electrical energy from the small tesla-coils I'd had installed a few days prior, looking as it I was bathed in lightning.

The one in gaudy armor not even the most desperate of smiths would forge stepped forward proudly. "I dare! Lady Nerkril, Matriarch of the Hiv'its house, Second daughter to the deceased former Matriarch, Lady Edraks, killed by your horrible black beast! You have taken my home, my family, my wealth from me, and the rest of us! We shall not sit idle as you carve our Empire's apart like roasted meat!" She lifted up a musket, aiming at me. "For your crimes against my species, and my family you shall die this day!" Her weapon fired, slamming into the chest-plate of my armor and ricocheting off.

I didn't let the reality of what just happened sink in for her, nor did I give her time to reload as I shot forward becoming almost a blur as my right hand wrapped around her throat, flapping my armor's wings as I dragged her into the sky by her throat.

Lady Nerkil gasped, clutching her hands against my own trying to pry it from her throat, while also trying to hang onto my arm since I'd flown us high enough that if she fell she'd surely die. I hadn't noticed but was later told my eyes began glowing a bright emerald green. "You DARE defy me? You DARE to harm and kill those under MY protection? Your petty Empire was naught but a stepping stone, your pathetic family no more than a PEST TO EXTERMINATE! I will give no quarter or mercy to those who bite the hand that feeds them, I hope you have made peace with your Goddess's BECAUSE NOW YOU SHALL GET TO MEET THEM FIRST HAND!"

Nerkil only managed to let out a strangled scream of terror as I folded the wings of my armor, plunging us both towards the ground like a falcon swooping in to catch a rabbit, just as we got close to the ground I flared my wings but kept going down, slamming her into the pavement at such speeds she simply splattered like a rotten fruit. I stood from the crater in the ground my landing had made, activating the tesla-coils on my armor once more, blue gore and blood coating my armor burning and sizzling as the electrical energy cooked and fried it. To me it simply smelt like someone tried to burn pennies, to the Manuka it smelled utterly horrific if a few of them vomiting was any indication.

I let the last armies of this world's Empire surrender, I would not make the same mistake again. Raising my hands I grinned as arcs of electricity jumped from my fingertips and began frying the closest Manuka near me. Shooting forward like a runaway freight-train I rammed into another, putting my fist through her chest and tossing the corpse aside like the trash it was.

"You all wanted your freedom so badly? Fine, You can have it in your Afterlife." A peasant tried to stab at me with a spear, I grabbed her face and crushed her skull in my hand as effortlessly as trying to crush a grape. I really had to beef these guys up some if I had any plans of them joining my military at some point. I pulled something out of my inventory I hadn't used in eons and smiled looking down the aiming sight of my personal Nuka-Nuke launcher, a weapon I hadn't used in almost over a year at this point. Not even bothering to properly aim I just pointed it at the ground and fired.

Blowing up still hurt like fuck, but when I respawned and the quantum blue atomic blast-cloud was gone only I stood in the center of a pile of both ashen skeletons and those unlucky enough to be at the edge of the blast and not die instantly, but get horrific radiation induced burns as their skin began sloughing off their muscles like cheap plastic-wrap.

I laughed to myself, surely any survivors, an there where survivors who'd been busy running the fuck away, would spread word of this and stamp out any ideals of 'taking back their world', if word of mouth wasn't enough to do it, well I could always have the footage aired on television. Ah, what a wonderful day this was turning out to be despite the annoyance that the first moron had caused. I'd forgotten how pleasant it was to be on the battlefield, given I'd let my military deal with most threats these days. Perhaps I would join them more often? I could write it off as 'Boosting Moral' or something along those lines. Thinking to myself about the possibilities to test some of the Crystal Empire's newest toys as I walked over a half dead Manuka who was trying to scream but unable due to the burns across her body, casually crushing her skull under my armored boot while whistling 'Atom Bomb Baby' to myself.

As I walked back into the town while whistling a tune to myself, an all clear signal was sounded out as Manukan civilians, and Empire personnel came back out from the various buildings, and fortifications. Frank Horrigan walked up to me, giving a salute. "Your Imperial Majesty, how do you wish for us to proceed with the colonization plans on this planet?"

Looking up at the man's helmeted face I smiled. "Continue them as planned, any further setbacks you may deal with them as you wish, so long as it doesn't result in the extinction of the Manukan species."

"As you Command My Emperor." Frank saluted again, and made to walk off.

Before he could, I called out. "Hey, Frank?" He turned his head back to face me. "If anything else happens, have some fun." The chuckle he gave as he continued on his way was sinister, and I absolutely loved it.

Author's Note

Henlo, sorry the chapter is short, at least compared to the last one, but at least its on track for how long my chapters normally are :D

I wanted to let y'all know the reason this chapter isn't that long, since it was planned to be MUCH longer an cover a lot more crap was cuz I'm in the process of moving again, since the place I'm at got all smashed up, it may be a few weeks to over a month before I can properly begin writing again, but I will try :P

Jus don't forget to gimmie a comment, I like readin those