Lights Out
Origin of Pietas
Forged in Fire
The Ultras who were banished to Sempervia, and ultimately exiled from there.
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Spymaster Alitus Vivaldi paused beside his new assistant's desk and tapped a finger on it.
The man jumped to his feet. "Yes, sir?"
"I didn't mean to startle you, Jarod." The man had been with Alitus less than a week, but he'd already proven himself invaluable. "I'll be working on a Class Four project the rest of the day. Keep interruptions to a minimum."
"Yes, sir. I'll ensure you're not disturbed, Minister Vivaldi."
Inside his private office, Alitus set the standard safeguards, and added a few layers of additional protection. The glowing logo for the Conqueror's Division of Imperial Intelligence faded as Alitus pulled up a bank of images from the idBot interface. He flicked his fingers to cast images onto the walls around the room.
"Begin capture. Target: Wulf Gabriel. Parameters: record my questions as well as any and all information available in database for target." Pointing toward the top right of one wall, Alitus moved his finger diagonally to the bottom left to bring up another bank of pictures. "Play series." His current quarry was walking toward the Renyoj Building in the Di Consueto District. "Stop playback."
Alitus tapped a finger on one picture to create a still, and zoomed in for a better view. Mid-stride, Wulf had reached the entrance. He wore a charcoal gray suit, dark hair tousled from the breeze. A former supermodel, Wulf's chiseled features and strong jaw set him apart in any crowd.
How could anyone fail to recognize him? Wulf was beautiful. All he had to do is walk into the room and everything stopped.
The lover of wealthy tycoon Luc Saint-Cyr, few things Wulf did were off the public record. The man still had fans from his modeling career five years ago, but these days, fans followed him because he managed famous rock bands for Lucsondis Entertainment, Saint-Cyr's business.
That wasn't what had warranted the attention of the spymaster. Wulf was no traitor to the crown, and he'd committed no crimes.
Wulf was suspected of having an affair.
Luc Saint-Cyr wanted to be sure, and since he was a friend of the Conqueror, she had tasked Alitus with finding out who was to blame. Saint-Cyr might have no qualms about engaging in an affair himself, and was well-known for his licentious behavior, but his partner had no such freedom. Saint-Cyr and the Conqueror were allies in every sense of the word. Were even lovers when it suited them.
Alitus would refuse no request she made. Nor could he refuse Saint-Cyr. One drew the Harbinger's ire at one's peril.
The man owned a large percentage of legitimate businesses on Tarth, Kelthia, and a smattering on other planets. He had once headed the Kelthian Thieves' Guild. No one had yet proven he led the largest crime syndicate in the empire, but the assumption was there, despite official denials. There was no public discussion of Saint-Cyr anywhere except entertainment news, where it seemed to be encouraged. On Kelthia, they said his name only if they couldn't avoid it. Otherwise he was the Harbinger, or the Man, or simply Him.
One could hear the capital letters.
Proving Wulf was having an affair would be dangerous. It could cost Wulf everything, up to and including his life.
Especially if they discovered the affair was with Alitus.
JOIN US FOR BOOKHOOKS
Book Hooks is a weekly cooperative meme hosted by Marketing for Romance Writers as part of the MFRW Authors Blog.
It's a chance each week for you the reader to discover current works in progress or previously published books by possibly new-to-you authors.
Thank you for stopping by. Please say hello or leave a note in the comments.
Book Hooks is a weekly meme hosted by Marketing for Romance Writers as part of the MFRW Authors Blog. It’s a chance each week for you the reader to discover current WIP or previously published book by possibly new-to-you authors.
In this scene from Bringer of Chaos (book 1), Pietas has been captured by humans and ordered to enter a stasis tube, where he will be put into cryogenic sleep and transported to a world far across the galaxy. He has other plans. Humans are ruled, not obeyed.
—
The leaders of his people gathered in sleep around him, sealed inside their curved, steel stasis tubes. Above him, humans waited for Pietas to enter the last one.
He folded his arms.
“Feast your eyes, vultures.” Pietas lifted his chin. “Humans are ruled, not obeyed. You think to imprison me? You think to bring me down like a hunted animal?” He spread his hands outward, indicating the pods. “I will not cower before you. I will not bow. I will not kneel. I will not serve. I will never submit. Humans were made to be ruled, not by my people, but by me.”
The silhouettes of humans above him contrasted with the bright light behind them. One by one, they slipped away, until a single silhouette remained.
“Fighting us accomplishes nothing.” The disembodied voice echoed in the chamber. “You won’t leave that room until you’re in stasis. Enter the pod or we’ll siphon the air, and let you die.”
“I’ve died countless times. I do not fear death. Death fears me.”
“So be it. Since you’re so set on dying, have it your way. I told you if you didn’t cooperate, I would detonate the bombs within the hostages you took aboard your ship. See for yourself.”
On the opposite wall, an image of the Uurahkal sparkled into life, and a bloom of light filled the screen. A mass of debris shot in all directions.
“Your crew has ceased to exist.”
“That image is a farce. You would not dare to destroy the council’s flagship, and you will not destroy the council. You are cowards. You lock us away in a barren room and threaten our people. This is why humans do not deserve freedom. You are worthless, miserable liars.”
“Believe me, your crew is quite dead. The universe is a safer place for it.”
Humans are ruled, not obeyed. -- Pietas #SciFi #Pietas #SFR Click To Tweet“It will never be safe. Not for you.” His fists ached from clenching them. “I will hunt you down and make you pay to the last generation of your bloodline.”
“Good-bye, Pietas.” The silhouette moved from the window, and all the lights went out.
In the darkness, the pod indicator lights showed. The green pinpricks of light cast eerie shadows. High up, tiny points of blue revealed the presence of cameras and projectors embedded within the walls. They were watching, even in the dark. No doubt recording him to show his people and humans that he’d failed.
He’d make them watch his escape before he slaughtered them. Then he’d broadcast it to humans across the galaxy. Let them see their doom coming for them. He would kill them all for this.
A low hissing sound signaled air leaving the room.
Pietas could hold his breath longer than ten humans combined, but he pretended to stumble. He braced himself against his mother’s pod. His chest ached, not from lack of air, but from the love he held for her. He would make them pay for every affront.
Clutching a hand over his heart, he acted as if unable to breathe. He sucked in the escaping air, saturating his blood with oxygen. He shook as if unable to catch his breath, and hurried toward the isolated pod. He put himself on the far side, away from the door, between the wall and the tube, and let himself fall against it. He grappled with the opening, and then slid to the floor. As hidden from the entry and the cameras as he could make himself, Pietas curled into a tight ball before going limp.
He conserved his strength, and waited for the loathsome humans to enter.
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