Page 1 of True As Steel

Prologue

Emperor Shui

Iglanced around the large, multi-leveled auditorium on the palace grounds, the only space big enough to house all those in attendance for the hearings. Faces in the crowd ranged from shocked and awed to fearful and worried. I carefully took note of which sections held people of the latter. They could belong to rebels I’d failed to catch. No matter. I’d see to them later.

“Emperor Shui, we’re ready when you are.”

My top aide stood to the left of the large dais set up for me to preside over the hearings. My heart filled with malicious glee upon hearing those words, and I chuckled to myself at that thought. In my mind the rebels were already convicted and condemned. A lesson needed to be learned, and I would teach it to all who’d thought to conspire against me.

“Let’s start. Send them in,” I instructed with a flick of my hand.

Outwardly, I retained a façade of calm, but inside I bubbled with the urge to release a victorious cheer. Finally... finally, I’d be rid of the bulk of those who sought to betray me. By the end of the day, this lesson of retribution would resonate throughout the planet of Kirs and deter others from thinking to do to me what the Cyborg Military Elite had almost managed.

Thinking of how close to success they’d come caused my blood to boil. If a traitorous Cyborg Pod hadn’t refused their orders, the medical techs doing the scans for a malfunction wouldn’t have discovered that a large number of Cyborgs were part of a rebellion to thwart my attempts at conquering the neighboring planet Bionus. The evidence of secret meetings and gatherings to exchange information had all been there on their closed network.

I seethed at the thought of not being able to hack into other pods’ closed networks. By the time I’d rounded up the Cyborgs with intentions of doing just that, they’d scrubbed everything clean and had been smart enough not to leave anything on the Mainframe.

The door to my right opened, letting in a long procession of rebels. Mostly Cyborgs in their prestigious gray uniforms with black accents—uniforms that signified their roles as defenders of Kirs. But they hadn’t defended Kirs. They’d betrayed both their home planet and me with their actions.

Citizens of Kirs in plain clothes followed in after the Cyborgs. The crowd of those about to receive judgment grew until rows upon rows of rebels filled the room. Some stared at me with hateful glares, more murmured desperate pleas, and others had the audacity to look indifferent.

Hundreds of Cyborgs from the Military Elite made up a significant portion of the rebels. I couldn’t be certain which ones had remained loyal to me and which ones had taken part in growing the rebellion. Even after having their families tortured and their friends arrested, I still couldn’t determine the full scale of their plans.

Once the crowd settled, I stepped in front of the podium and activated the head mic I wore. “Today is a somber day for the world of Kirs. Rebels have been found plotting against us. The men and women that you see before you have been found guilty—”

The crowd erupted in shouts. “When were they given a trial? Is this legal? This isn’t fair!”

All caught my attention. With a pointed look at my aide, I signaled for him to detain those who had openly voiced their questions and concerns. The rebels were everywhere, and I would catch every one of them.

I raised both of my hands to silence the crowd. “As I was saying, these rebels have been found guilty of conspiring against the Emperor and Kirs. They are hereby sentenced to prison, for life.”

I ignored another round of disruption from the onlookers and the shocked shouts thrown my way. My Prime Ministers, representing each country on Kirs, eyed me with dismay. From the beginning, they had opposed my plans to take over Bionus and extend my reign as Emperor over the small planet. They expected me to lead as my father had before me and settle for only ruling Kirs when there was a vast number of planets I could take over one day.

And I would.

This was a small bump in the road. If the Cyborg Military Elite had just done what they were supposed to, this would all be behind me now.

Once more I focused on the rebels I’d managed to catch. I wanted each and everyone of them to understand that I was judge, jury, and executioner. Their treachery had consequences.

The Cyborgs didn’t look so defiant anymore, and the civilians appeared downright scared. They understood this would be a death sentence for many of them. While the Cyborgs could withstand hard labor, those without cybernetic enhancements wouldn’t last long on Tyurma, Kirs’ moon used to house prisoners.

In response to a nod of my head, the Prison Officers from Tyurma—who’d come to collect the rebels—activated the remote-controlled hand and ankle cuffs. The floor shook as the rebels turned toward the exit in unison, then one-by-one, Cyborgs and citizens alike lined up and were guided towards the side door where they would receive their branding and board the prison transport.

With the brand burned on their faces, I’d be able to find them anywhere if they ever sought to escape Tyurma. I’d personally made sure the specifications of the brand wouldn’t allow the Cyborgs’ nanobots to heal their skin.

I hoped theCR—Cyborg Rebel—andR—for human rebels—brands would be clear on the holo-vids.

I caught myself smiling and quickly adjusted my expression to what I hoped was a mournful look. I used it often. It paired well with my elegant blond hair and green eyes. After all, this event was broadcast to all of Kirs. I wanted to appear saddened by having to sentence so many of my people to life in prison.

But that smile slid back into place at the thought of what was really about to happen. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t remove it from my face.

Chapter 1

Jarog

Ibraced for the impending explosion, each ticking second bringing us closer to either death or freedom. The warning from one of our Cyborg brothers that the ship currently transporting us to the prison colony on Tyurma was rigged to blow spread through the Mainframe like wildfire. By his account, less than one minute remained.

I glanced at the other prisoners with me in our cell and inside the other ones alongside ours or across the hallway. So many civilians mixed with us Cyborgs… Every one of us labeled traitors by Emperor Shui. I almost felt guilty for not informing them of the imminent tragedy. Unlike us, trained and designed to control our emotions—or rather the ones we still had—they would go into a total panic and only make things worse. Most people here would not survive either way. The lucky ones would be instantly killed.

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