From the author of the Books of Lessaenes comes a new Sci-Fi adventure...
From the ashes of an overpopulated, resource-drained Earth rose the Empire of Homina, centered around the planet Celatys, humanity's new home. After more than a millennium in...
I hope you're all having a wonderful week so far. Today, I actually have some pretty exciting news: I've been nominated for not just one, but TWO categories in The Cryptic Awards! If you've enjoyed my work so far, I kindly request you to cast me a vote for either Best Science Fiction or Best Dark Graphic Designer. Whether or not I advance to the next round, I will be going through my votes at the end of the voting period and checking out the stories of everyone who voted for me. It's the least I can do to thank you all for your support.
Thanks for reading this rather cumbersome author's note. Now, on to the fun part!
....................................
"We want to talk to the Emperor!" A single, male voice rose over the roar of the crowd, punctuating the point of the protesters who stood outside the palace in the simplest and clearest of terms. At least five hundred people had assembled outside the Imperial residence at the heart of Relorio, Celatys, waving signs, fists, and sticks.
Saara Remy folded her hands behind her back, exuding the impression that she had nothing to hide. She stood, not on her usual balcony, but at ground level, smiling so sweetly at the crowd before her that one would think they were applauding her. She was dressed in an immaculate white suit, decorated with the emblem of Homina, and held her head high.
"I do not intend to hide anything from you," Saara began, pausing after this first sentence to give her words a chance to sink in. "I do not intend to cheat or undermine you in any way. As I have shown you over the course of the past twenty years, I mean only well. However, I only have one set of- albeit Gifted- eyes. Contrary to what some of you may believe, I do not and cannot observe each and every occurrence from Katastine to the Buffer Belt."
"You may see things that I miss. You may notice injustice, starvation, and neglect. With the freedom that I have given you by pulling back the government's constant watch comes the responsibility of being proactive. If you would like a road to be rebuilt, or an unsafe labor practice to be put to an end, you must speak up! You must let your voices be heard in a positive and productive way, not in a fruitless protest! Despite all of your efforts today, I know not what you need, and your problems are no closer to being resolved. I mean this in the most respectful way, but you have wasted both your own time and mine."
The protesters lost a bit of their fervor as they processed the leader's words. She spoke logically, and seemed to harbor neither anger nor resentment. It was impossible not to admire her balanced approach to the situation, even if one was not particularly fond of her politics. Or, in this case, her rather deeply rooted habit of standing in for the Emperor.
Saara Remy was not power-hungry.
At least, not dangerously so.
It was obvious to the lowliest of citizens that the tall, level-headed woman had no desire for the throne.
Why, then, did she do what Homina's ruler was traditionally expected to do?
The Prime Minister not only fulfilled her own duties as overseer of the Hominan Ministers and Chief Advisor to the Emperor, but also temporarily stepped into the role of Empress during festivals, press conferences, and other events that required the ruler's presence.
Of course, if she did not do this, disaster would very quickly ensue.
After all, the face of Emperor Zionus Tyllanie had not been seen in public in over ten years.
This was rather problematic, considering the fact that he was the supreme ruler of Homina, and was supposed to be answerable to the people of his empire.
Homina's citizens were tired of watching Saara skillfully "cover up" the Emperor's absence day after day, and they wanted answers. They wanted to see their ruler.
"We're not questioning you, Madam Prime Minister!"
The man who had spoken earlier yelled over the howling wind, climbing onto the shoulders of two other people in order to be more noticeable in the sizable crowd.
"We just want to know what the Emperor's been up to!" he shook his fist in the air.
"Yeah!" the voice of another protester rose to meet that of the first. "Drag the troll out of his cave!"
"Shall I, Madam?" the Minister to her left whispered discreetly to Saara, running his fingers over the gun that hung at his waist.
"Impulsive fool," the Prime Minister responded blandly.
"Is such dissent and disrespect against the Imperial name to be tolerated?" he hissed.
"Silence yourself before I lose my ability to tolerate you."
The Minister's hand instantly dropped to his side, and he resumed staring coldly ahead. Saara's cool composition belied her uncertainty as she stepped forward, looking the now outraged man in the eye. She did not back down, even when he quailed under her intense, Ocular gaze.
"The Emperor is a very busy man, and he will not be disturbed without good reason. Now, I request you all to return to your homes, for Relorio is quite busy this time of day, and you have caused quite a significant blockage in the flow of traffic."
The shrill sound of a hovercar horn sounded in the distance, as if accentuating Saara's point.
Reluctantly, the crowd began to disperse from the edges, not fully convinced by the Prime Minister's seemingly vague explanation. Discontented murmurs lifted up from confused mouths, and Saara's heart sank as she watched the stirred-up citizens.
She had known that her plan wasn't permanent. She had known that this day would come.
She just hadn't expected it to come so soon.
...........................
A man and a woman stood on opposite sides of the street adjacent to the farthest reaches of the palace grounds, carefully observing the protest before the Imperial residence just as it started to die down.
The man smiled as his black, pointed tongue slithered out from between his lips, darting quickly through the air similarly to that of a snake. He closed his pitch-black eyes, tasting the delicious chaos around him. His hands left the pockets of his trench coat as he involuntarily grasped at the decadent sweetness of unrest, which was, at this point, almost tangible to one with his sensory abilities.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
The man and the woman exchanged knowing glances. Soon after, the woman crossed the street in the most natural way possible along with a group of Reloriose pedestrians in order to return to her companion's side.
"Soon," they whispered in eerie synchrony, before bursting into fits of overexcited giggles. "Very soon."
