Page 5 of Decadence

They would get what was coming to them, and so would the buyer.

Ikriss almost wished he could be there to see the look on the bastard’s face.

Never mind.

Soon, they would have him in the interrogation room, and then Ikriss would take his revenge… on her behalf.

Naked and tense, he stepped out of the pod and into the armor-chamber, where several of his men were dressing in their standard-issue work uniforms, which were really just their old military kits with the old imperial insignia removed.

In the far corner stood Kail, the imposing First Division warrior who wore the traditional tribal scars of the Lost Tribes on his face. Ikriss was one of the few that understood the true significance of those scars. Kail was a Hunter, and his ability to tell truth from lies was legendary.

Ikriss found his own uniform in his personal Qualum vault. He dressed quickly, donning tapered black trousers and a plain black tunic over which he shouldered a black jacket that was cut in the formal Kordolian style.

After this, he had a diplomatic holo-meeting to attend.

He raked his hand through his longish hair, trying to make it look halfway neat. The exo-armor’s helmet always messed up his hair, which he’d been growing out from its severe imperial military cut. It was a pain-in-the-ass, but it was nearly long enough for him to braid it in the traditional style of an Aikun warrior.

He’d been wanting to do that for so very long.

Ikriss dropped onto a nearby bench and slipped on his knee-high black flight boots. He looked up at his men, who were watching him expectantly. They were a mixture of former soldiers from the five highest combat Divisions of the Imperial Military, all elite fighters in their own right.

“That was a well executed mission,” he said softly. “For some of you, it was your first time coming face-to-face with live humans. Considering that they’re still fucking terrified of us, you handled the situation well. This kind of thing will become more common in the future, so get used to it… to them.” Ikriss rose to his feet. “Good work, lads. Take the rest of the shift off. There’s fresh meat and khanen tea in the mess.”

“Appreciate it, Sir. You coming to join us?” asked one of his warriors, a young lad called Gryke. He started to do a military salute with his left fist, but Ikriss made a small silencing motion with his hand.

“Did you forget, Gryke? We aren’t in the military anymore. At ease.”

Several of the men chuckled.

“Can’t help it, Sir. You’re the Commander. I’d feel strange addressing you as an equal. Permission to call you Sir, Sir?”

Ikriss sighed. In the old military, he’d outranked the soldier by a factor of a thousand to one. It was unfair to suddenly expect the warrior to address him by his first name.

Some habits were so ingrained they had to be broken slowly.

At least the lad was comfortable enough to ask. That would never have happened in the old military.

Gryke’s expression turned serious. “But I just don’t understand how they got through to Earth in the first place. The Ephrenians, I mean. Our security is tighter than a Nobleman’s asshole.”

“There’s no such thing as an impenetrable planet,” Ikriss corrected. “Believe me, I know. I was Mil-Intel before I entered the Command.”

Gryke let out a low whistle of surprise. The warriors exchanged glances. Their surprise was to be expected. Military intelligence operatives never blew their cover, even when they moved into higher roles. But Ikriss had no qualms about revealing that part of his past now. “Any surveillance system can be compromised, no matter how airtight it seems. But you’re right, Gryke. Those slavers should never have entered Earth’s orbit. We should not have allowed it.” Ikriss had his suspicions about how it might have happened, but he wasn’t ready to share them until he did a little investigating himself. “But now you know what the protocol is for dealing with any piece-of-shit slaver that tries to enter our territory.”

“We kill on sight,” said a grizzled Second Division veteran called Lukin. “That is if they haven’t taken any cargo onboard yet.”

“Those that enter Earth’s orbit, we kill on sight,” Ikriss confirmed. “If they’re stupid enough to try and leave with live cargo, we take that cargo back safe and intact, and then we kill them. Under our law, the penalty for engaging in slavery is death. Don’t ever forget it.”

“I like that a lot better than the old law.” Lukin grinned, showing his gleaming fangs. “Never sat well with me, all this forced subservience business. Tch. What kind of pompous imperial shit-licker forces another soul to do everything for them? Lazy bastards. There’s no honor in it. Never was. And I’ll kill anyone that thinks otherwise.”

“Hm.” In the far corner, Kail grunted in agreement.

“And remember, treat all human females as sacred. They are to be protected at all costs. If you come across one that strikes your interest, then you have permission to pursue said interest.”

“What happens if there are two of us?” A tall, lanky, warrior called Askariel asked.

“Clarify,” Ikriss ordered.

“If there are two of us interested in the same mate… what is the protocol for that?”

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