Page 139 of Decadence

Ikriss.

Her heart skipped a beat.

Sturmburk Agelus’s words rang through her mind. They are vicious killers, highly trained in the arts of war and death. The most dangerous beings in the Nine Galaxies.

“Hey, isn’t that your…” Cleo’s voice trembled. Her eyes held fear and dismay.

At the sight of Ikriss, a torrent of emotion surged through Sienna. Warmth and affection mingled with dread. “That’s Ikriss. I think this could be a live stream. He went to get Eva, remember?” Her worry twisted into anger. What the hell was going on? How could the Federation put this on a broadcast? There was no context. Instead, this Agelus character was free to twist the narrative to suit his purposes. “He’s not going there to pick her up from a fucking tea party. Of course they’re going to run into enemies. And there’s no way these guys are going to let the bad guys just walk away and do it all over again. That would just be stupid, wouldn’t it?”

Cleo blinked. “You’re defending him?”

Sienna stuck her chin out. “You’re damn right I am.”

A close-up of Ikriss’s face filled the screen. His silver skin gleamed in the darkness. For some reason that Sienna didn’t understand, his hair was shorter, hanging just past his ears. It was wild and tousled, contrasting with all his darkness and sharp angles. She could see the dark points of his horn-buds, only just breaking through the skin at his temples.

His eyes were pure fire. Not cold, but as brilliant and hot as a thousand burning suns.

He said something in Kordolian and drove the tip of his blade through his enemy’s left freaking eyeball.

The Kordolian on the ground screamed.

A warrior reached Ikriss’s side, and Sienna couldn’t tell who it was, because the menacing figure was fully armored from head to toe. He said something to Ikriss and looked up at the sky.

Ikriss followed his gaze, and for a moment, it felt as if the two of them were staring straight through the holo, and Sienna could understand how people that knew nothing about them would be absolutely terrified.

Two powerful warriors standing over their bleeding, screaming enemy, looking fierce and utterly alien as they stared up at the whole of humanity.

Then the Kordolian in the dark armor raised his gun and fired.

Intense blue light filled the holo, and then everything went black.

Silence.

Sienna looked at her friends. They were frozen in their seats. Emmett’s jaw had dropped. The color drained from his face. Cleo took a deep, shuddering breath.

Agelus materialized from the darkness, spreading his hands wide in benevolent gesture. “This is what we are dealing with, comrades. Vicious, merciless killers. They have the most powerful warfleet in the history of the Nine Galaxies at their disposal. They will stop at nothing to keep you under control. And why, do you ask? For what reason could they possibly be so interested in a humble planet such as Earth?”

Again, Agelus paused, staring dramatically through the holo. Sienna resisted the urge to sigh. This so-called High Lord was good at laying on the theatrics.

“The answer is females,” he said at last. “They want to steal away your females and breed them, because your kind and my kind just so happen to be genetically compatible. It is already happening as I speak. You may have heard rumors of women disappearing. Perhaps someone you know has been taken and imprisoned against their will, subjected to unspeakable horrors and depravities, and forced to bear offspring.” Agelus bared his fangs. “It will not stop until we fight back. That is why I urge you, citizens of Earth, to stand up and fight for your freedom. They are powerful, but so are we. Together, we can defeat the traitorous menace.”

Sienna took a step forward, pointing an accusing finger at Agelus. “Okay, now you know for sure he’s speaking bullshit.” She was almost shouting at the holo. “Our Kordolians don’t treat people like that. You duplicitous fucking bastard.”

Cleo and Emmett were staring at her as if she’d just grown a pair of horns.

“I… I don’t know what to think right now,” Emmett said cautiously.

“Join us and fight for freedom,” Agelus urged as the shot zoomed in for a close-up of his face. At last, there was a spark of emotion in his yellow eyes. The Kordolian pressed his fist against his chest. “I fight for my people. For my Empire. And above all, for my Lord Emperor, who holds the one and only true and rightful claim to the Imperial Throne.” He stood and bowed dramatically. “I serve Emperor Amun Kazharan, the firstborn son of Empress Vionn Kazharan.” Agelus rose in a flurry of white robes and flashes of gold. “Join us, citizens of Earth. When we defeat the usurpers and restore the Empire to its former glory, you will be granted full rights as subjects of the Kordolian Empire. Together, we will take our rightful place as rulers of the Nine Galaxies.” He bowed deeply.

Pompous ass.

His image flickered and disappeared, replaced with the sterile white studio on Pallas Athena.

Sienna gave Cleo and Emmett a sidelong glance. “Do you actually believe this crap?”

“It sounds too good to be true,” Cleo replied slowly. “You know I’m always careful when there’s some deal that sounds like you’re getting a lot for next to nothing… but what if the rest of it is true? I mean, the Kordolians that have, er, secured our area… they are quite dangerous, and we don’t really know what they want yet.”

“And he did actually impale a guy’s eyeball with his sword,” Emmett said.

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