A tale from the past,

Solar Conquest
and the third world war

By: Captain Kopaka, with help from IXI

It was mid-day when the Polaris arrived at Earth.  The short stop off would be a time for Brenden to say goodbye to the many friends he had on Earth, most of course were now were six feet under, but one was still around.  

Marcus Imir walked slowly through the wreakage of a burnt house.  Ash floated around freely, for there was no wind on this day.  The clouds covered the sky today, as they had for many days.  He crouched infront of a low desk, and began to pull open the drawer.

"Marcus? Is that you?"

Marcus let go of the drawer and turned to look at his visitor,
"Baron?"

The Baron walked up to Marcus,
"No need to call me that anymore."  With that, the Baron pulled off his helmet, revealing the true man behind the mask.

Marcus just looked at him, he looked thinner than before.
"By the gods...is it really you?"

Brenden smiled and patted Marcus on the shoulder,
"You bet on it.  What are you doing here?"

Marcus walked back over to the drawer.  
"This was my old house.  I grew up here."

Brenden walked over a smouldering couch and stood beside Marcus.  He looked around at the rather large exhouse,
"Big place..."

Marcus nodded.  It seemed his new hearing implant was working.
"Yes, my father was quite the hero in his day.  Died 20 years ago.."

I kneeled,
"I'm sorry."

"No need.  I just found his journal, full of all the adventures he had."  Marcus had a smile on his face.

He opened it to the first page, dated January 18, 2173; and began to read.

Chapter 1: Dark Force Rising

It was a cold morning.  The battlements were damp, the rain continued to pour down.  I stood by the small slit window in our bunker, which was over looking a large valley.  We were somewhere in China.  Crushing the last resistance of their communnist army.  It had been 3 weeks since my father became Emporer.  The final pockets of resistance in the world were being roped in.  The Third World war was almost over.

My name, was Cyrill Archontos.  I had joined the Terran Legion only last year, when I turned 18.  Since then I had seen action in all countries of the globe.  The Terran Empire had since gathered 87% of the Earth's landmass into their grasp.  There was a shuffle in leadership, and my father, Vasilios Archontos, became reigning Emporer.

This meant little to me.  My father was very strict, and such, I'd probably be facing his self-imposed challenges.  I had hoped to get into the air force, I was unfit in their books.  A year in trenches somewhere east of the polish border would surely change their minds, but until my tour of duty was up I was stuck in the infantry.

No matter, China was better than Russia or Poland.  At least it was warm here.  The lack of an enemy also added to the pleasent mood, I was sure we'd be pulled off soon.  No doubt my father would like to see me after that, try an impress some sort of action that he'd think was showing his 'fatherly love'.  

A few hours later, I was pulled from the bunker and sent back to the company barracks.  I got some sleep, before the CO woke us all up and made us run a few kilometres up and down a hill.  By the time we got back to the barracks, damp from the morning's rain and gasping for air, we found a series of trucks ready to pull us back to the nearest airfield, where we were to be flown to the nearest port on the west side of India, and shipped off back to Rome.

The drive was rather boring.  Seems there was a bit of action to the north of us, the last of the resistance had been captured.  When we arrived at the airfield, we found it seemed to be another fighting ground from resistance.  Shell holes punctured the ground, and only one runway seemed in action.  A few soldiers patrolled around, but there wasn't any fighter pilots(or their fighters) in sight.  The plane was a paratrooper transport, being borrowed to fly us to port.  The flight was only around an hour, and when we arrived at the port, we saw that the whole city had mostly been razed from recent fighting.  I was glad this long and bloody conflict was coming to an end.  

I had witnessed the war growing up.  The fighting finally reached my home in Greece by the end of the third year.  We were shuffled around for the next eight years, just me and my mother, as my father was off fighting.  We finally settled in France, where the action was over.  By the time we arrived in France, I turned eighteen and was drafted into the Terran Military.  After my failed application into the airforce, I was sent to the infantry.  Three months training, and 18 more of heavy fighting in Europe.

I boarded the large troop transport and found my officer's cabin on the fourth deck.  Only a small hammock, a desk and a small bar fridge full of heiniken.  The sea journey was only a few days, and it seemed the enemy navy had also been put to rest.  I was already asleep before we left port.

The morning of January 19 witnessed a large snowstorm...In a Sicily port.  11 years of scattered nuclear blasts seems to have had a slight effect on the weather.  The port city was busy with civilians and military men alike.  I fasttened the buttons on my cuffs and made sure my collar was in place before heading out.  I was to catch a monorail train across the channel and into the main body of Italy, and catch a connecting ride to Rome.  Where my father no doubt waited for my return.  I was quite aparent I had inherited none of his power hungry nature, only some of his more sharper features.  It was my mother I looked up to, her sleek brown hair and striking green eyes.  Both of which I seemed to have taken with me.

The massive rebuilt Roman senate building lay before me.  Although I assure you, there's no senate here.  It was definatly more of a palace, although many seemed to deny it.  No doubt my father had given the guards photos of me, so that they wouldn't have to do checks as I climbed the stairs and entered the building.  Through the main doors, my father stood waiting, his lavish burgundy cloak swished behind him as he approached me.  The gold embrodering glittered in the sunlight coming in through  many open windows.

"My son has returned!"  He collasped upon me in a bear-tight hug.  I made no attempt to return the gesture, though he'd never notice.  He pulled back, and grabbed my arm, gesturing me towards his study.  He sat down on a day bed, and I into a large arm chair.  He pushed a glass of scotch into my hand.  He took a sip, and looked up,

"Have you seen your mother recently? How is she?"

I sipped the drink, keeping a very casual stance. 
"Why not ask her yourself?"

My father breathed deeply, and took a prolonged sip of the scotch.
"You know we parted ways many years ago."

I sighed, and gripped the glass a little more tightly,
"She's dead.  The rebels razed the city to the ground."

My father tried to look upset,
"But I thought the war in France was long over?"

I looked at him as if he was daft,
"The rebels were nowhere near France, they used missiles."

My father glanced down,
"But why destroy the city?  They should better spend their ballistics on the frontline..."

I gave him a look of ingnorance and grimaced,
"I never said they destroyed the city, they used biological weapons."

My father looked away, and put on his best sad face.  

There was a few minutes of silence, in which I wisely downed the scotch to be more at ease with my father's stupidity.  He, meanwhile, downed the entire bottle.  It was some hours later that one of his aides came in and directed me to my room.

The large room was decorated with most ancient artifacts.  Much more than I had had on the way here.  None the less.  I closed the windows, as snow seemed to have spread here too.  I walked right past the four poster bed, and instead collasped on the couch.  I refused to give in to my father's love of material possesion.

I awoke the next morning to the sound of two Imperial Starscreams doing a low flyby on the city.  I rolled over, falling off the bed.  From my disposed posistion I turned on the TV and checked the news.

Shock was felt by all this morning as the Terran Empire seized control over the Luna colonies and---

I switched it off.  My father had crushed the rebellion on Earth, and now was just egging on the colonials to try something.  Another show of power no doubt.  Atleast it wasn't bloody.

End of part I