Sangsoo Jeong

Sangsoo Jeong

Shop in organized retail.

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Hell yeah.

Humans are weird: An army of heroes

( Please come see me on my new patreon and support me for early access to stories and personal story requests :D https://www.patreon.com/NiqhtLord Every bit helps)  

Abarax strode through the corridors with a stride so long it was borderline running. His aides tried their best to keep pace but their need to present themselves with composure meant they could not run and were slowly losing distance with their boss. Watchers on either made way for the Lord Commander or were shoved aside by Abarax himself as he would not be hindered from his destination by politeness. He had only been made aware of a developing situation and he was intent on discovering its cause as soon as possible before it spiraled out of control.

Finally, after navigating several more corridors and descending several hundred feet underground, the lord commander reached his objective. A thick metal door stood before him with a full complement of Arthorian Guards standing on either side of it. Their polished armor reflected dully in the bunkers lighting but Abarax was more interested in the thirty Revar Blasters now being pointed at him.

“You are not authorized to be here, lord commander.” The leader spoke to Abarax. He could be distinguished by the painted blue markings on their right shoulder guard signifying the original crest of the guard’s founders.

“I am Lord Commander,” Abarax began, “and I have full authority over all forces within the empire; so you will stand aside now.”

The guard captain shook his helmeted head. “Only the senate may command the Arthorian’s-“

“And who does the senate report to?!” Abarax shouted, raising his voice in frustration.

Several of the guards quivered in their armor, the clacking of plates giving them away; but their captain would not be so easily intimidated. They broke ranks and strode in front of Abarax and looked down at the lord commander. Abarax’s face reflecting in the chest plate of the captain as a pair of burning red eyes fixated on him from the helmet.  

“Do you think me so easily cowed?” the captain spoke. “Your title means nothing to me and should you take one more step towards that door I will strike you down without hesitation.”

The two warriors glared at each other while the rest of the guard and aides watched with baited breath. Abarax’s eyes twitched with rage, fists clenched tightly, and muscles tensed preparing to make the first strike when one of his aides cut through the silence.

“Guard Captain, I believe the senate is trying to reach you over the communications link.”

Keeping his eyes fixated on the lord commander, the guard captain brought up a hand and placed it against the side of his helmet to activate the internal communicator. What was said could not be known, the captain’s voice now low and muffled as he communicated with the senate, but when they took their hand away the conversation’s intent had been made clear.

“Open the vault.” The guard captain spoke to his men. When none of them moved the captain turned to look at them and nodded. “He has been given permission by the senate for a conversation with the guest-”

“-provided I join you for the duration.” The captain finished as he turned back to face the lord commander.

“I will not be chaperoned by a fanatic.” Abarax retorted. The guard captain was not moved. “This is nonnegotiable.  If you wish to speak with the prisoner, I will be in the room; if you refuse this condition, then leave now.”

Abarax let out a low snarl but threw up his hands and nodded. With that confirmation the vault door was unsealed and pulled open by three guards. Without saying another word the guard captain entered the vault followed swiftly by Abarax.

The interior of the vault was not what Abarax had expected.

Lavish furnishings dotted the space while the floor was covered in a richly oriented rug. Various tables lined the walls and were filled with decanters of fine liquors and foods. At the opposite wall stood an expansive bedframe Abarax had not seen before and looked full enough that were he to lay in it the bed would swallow him whole.

With a loud thud the vault door sealed behind the pair just as Abarax had found the objective of his visit.

Sitting in a chair off to the back corner of the room was a lone human female. She wore a gown of ocean blue dotted with specs of gold that clung to her figure as she sat reading. She had not bothered to raise her head as the pair of aliens entered the vault and instead lazily flipped the page of her novel with one hand while taking a sip of a beverage with her other.

Abarax’s mind was reeling in disbelief of the current situation when the guard captain spoke.

“Lord Commander, may I introduce Empress Imelia Asghar; ruler of the Terran Empire and protector of the Alliance of Independent Worlds.”

The captain then motioned with his hand towards Abarax. “Empress, this is Lord Commander Abarax Caston; head of the Sygonic military and advisor to the Sygonic senate.”

With the introductions finished the human Empress looked up from her book and took in the measure of the two aliens before her. Her face was expressionless as she stared at the two before setting down her drink and book and rose to her feet.

“It is a pleasure to speak with you again guard captain,” she nodded towards the Arthorian captain, “and an honor to finally meet the famous butcher of Talsazar in person.”

“I am surprised you know of that battle.” Abarax replied, masking his actual surprise well beneath a display of calm.

Imelia smiled. “It does one well to know their enemies well before they ever meet them in battle.”

“And is this a battle?” Abarax countered.

“Of sorts.”

The Empresses words did not sit well with the lord commander. None of this sat well with him and the more he thought of his circumstances the more enraged he became.

Abarax made to take a step towards the Empress but the guard captain’s hand was on his shoulder in a flash.

“You will speak from here and not a step closer.”

Abarax fixed the captain with a death glare that had made aides leap from buildings in fear. “That was not part of our arrangement.” He snarled.

“It is now.”

The captain said no more but kept a firm grip on the lord commander’s shoulder. Finally relenting, Abarax took a step back and the captain let go of his shoulder.

“Pardon an observation,” the human empress continued as if the combative display never happened, “but you look quite troubled lord commander.”

“That is because you are troubling.” Abarax stated as he pointed at the empress.

A flash of surprise crossed the empress’s face and she brought a hand up to her chest.

“Me? I have been hardly troubling since I was placed here. I would have thought myself a model captive.”

“That is what troubles me.”

Abarax paced along back and forth as he martialed his words. The guard captain’s helmet slowly tracking him to ensure he did not step closer to the human empress.

“Your people declare war on the Sygonic Empire and the next day their leader surrenders themselves to be held as a prisoner.”

He glared at the human. “This does not make sense, and what does not make sense becomes my concern.”

“I admire your ability to condense a decade long disagreement into a single sentence.” Imelia replied as she returned to her chair. “We established colonies in the Orion Cluster, and then five years later after they are fully functioning autonomously you claim that those worlds are actually yours and order us to vacate.”

“Because they belong to us and have been ours for centuries.” Abarax retorted, rather more harshly then he had intended. The empress chuckled at his outburst which only further angered the commander.

“And it certainly wouldn’t be because they discovered large deposits of M93, and swiftly saw a vast influx in wealth being generated from its mining?”

“An argument for politicians and sycophants,” Abarax replied, “but that still does not explain why you surrendered yourself to your enemy.”

The empress clasped her fingers and leaned back into her chair.

“Do you understand the fascination of humans and heroes?”

When Abarax did not respond Imelia continued.

“Every human, man or woman, desires at one point to be a hero. To be admired and praised for completing some great deed or achieving victory against impossible odds.  It is in that quest to become a hero that humans will push themselves to try the impossible and come out on top against unimaginable odds.”

“Your reply continues to avoid giving an answer.” Abarax stated with disdain.

“On the contrary,” Imelia countered, “I have just given you your answer.”

Abarax replayed her words just now again in his head but still none of it made sense. He pondered the statement unsuccessfully until the guard captain spoke up.

“By handing herself over to the enemy, the empress has given her military a purpose and cause to fight for,” they nodded towards the empress sitting in the chair still as she smiled, “freeing their ruler from the grip of their enemy.”

“Be silent!” Abarax rounded on the captain. “I was just about to say that you fool!”

The empress chuckled again and gave a small applause. “Don’t be too hard on our friend; he did just save you from appearing more of a fool than you are right now.”

Abarax’s face burned red as his anger brewed hot but the empress continued.

“Right now every soldier, every commander, every worker in the factories to wealthy industrialist is seeing themselves as being part of a cause to save me. Some right now are even fantasizing about being the one to blow open that door behind you and whisk me back to Earth to be greeted by heralds and applause.”

“And for those who even don’t support me, they must now contribute to the war lest be seen as villains seeking to topple my power. For only the evil would plot to overthrow an empress who so loved her people that she would willingly give herself to the enemy as a captive and possibly be the first casualty in war.”

To everyone’s surprise Abarax laughed as the empress finished her explanation.

“Your people are either fools or possibly the stupidest creatures I have ever fought before.” Abarax spoke between giggles. “To think you could motivate with such mundane propaganda tactics.”

“Call it what you will,” the empress said undaunted, “but my people would rather die a hero in service for a cause greater than themselves, then face death alone and forgotten.”

“And yet there is another option you did not foresee.”

“Oh?” There was a tone of interest in the Empresses voice at Abarax’s remark. “And what might that be?”

The alien commander grinned, showing a row of razor sharp teeth. “We could demand that unless your people surrender we will torture and kill you before they ever reach this world.”

Behind him Abarax heard the guard captain step forward but the Empress held up a hand to forestall their intervention.

“It is charming to see you think that while your betters in the senate have already considered the matter.”

“Betters?” the word stung Abarax and he felt his eye twitch at the candid answer.

Imelia nodded and waved her hand at the surroundings. “Why else am I surrounded by such lavishness and not rotting in a common prison cell? Why does a full complement of guards stand ready to protect me and even listen to me while I am their enemy?”

It was the empresses turn to smile now as she answered her own question. “Because should any harm befall me, or even death, then you will have turned me into more of a martyr than I already am and the hearts of my people will turn black in rage as they no longer seek to rescue me but to avenge their fallen empress.”

“The senate realized that and so they are keeping me as comfy and content as possible, because when my military arrives and rescues me I will tell them that I was treated like royalty and the peace talks will end amicably for both our two powers.”

She leaned back in her chair and picked up her novel as Abarax stewed in raged. “Now as entertaining as this visit has been I am quite finished with it now, you may leave.”

You may leave…..

You may leave…

You may leave…..

It was those final words that finally snapped Abarax’s temper. Since obtaining the role of Lord Commander no one had dared address him with such a dismissive tone and he would not stand for it now.  

As the vault door began to open and the guard captain began to usher Abarax out the lord commander reached for a nearby bottle sitting on a table. Before the guard captain could react Abarax had grabbed the glass bottle and threw it as hard as he could.

The empress lowered her novel to see what the commotion only for the bottle to miss the book and smash against her face. Shattered bits of glass embedded themselves in her face and ruptured one of her eyes from the impact as a mixture of alcohol and blood seeped down her face to stain her blue dress.

In a flash Abarax was tackled to the ground by the guard captain and his arms pinned behind his back as the empress let out a scream of pain and anguish.

“MEDICAL TEAM NOW!” the guard captain roared to his waiting subordinates as several flooded into the room to further restrain Abarax.

“How does it feel, Empress!?!” Abarax shouted as he was hauled to his feet. “How does it feel to be insig-“

The guard captain’s fist smashed into Abarax’s chest driving the words from his mouth and air from his lungs.

“You have doomed us all you petty fool!” he shouted as he punched the lord commander a second time before his own men stepped in to restrain him as well.

As the pair squabbled a medical team rushed through and began making their way over to the empress who had ceased her screams of pain and now was laughing.

All those present stopped and stared at the empress as she uneasily rose to her feet, a hand covering the now punctured eye while the other glared at Abarax with such madness and glee behind her stare that Abarax felt a chill run down his spine.

“It feels wonderful,” she spoke, her voice ridden with glee, “for now when I am rescued and my people see my face, they will hang you from your innards by the tallest tree and make you watch as your world burns around you!”

Bottoms up donnie