Chapter 118

　　Augustus stared out of the viewscreen at Terra. The silence was heavy, crushing. He had come here full of righteous anger, prepared to stop his brother, defend his home and destroy his enemies. Instead, he watched the swirling clouds below as they obscured the destruction.

　　He could glimpse the earth below through gaps in the dark grey maelstrom. The oceans boiled, and steam rose from newly forming landmasses as magma pumped up from the heart of Terra. Nothing lived there now. No one could survive the hell that had been unleashed here.

　　Augustus had thought himself a calm and collected individual, logical and intelligent. But even he had been stunned to see Terra, his heart bled for what had happened to it.

　　They had arrived at the front of a fleet of Starships, hundreds strong. He had contacted every ally he had, every mercenary company under his employ or his vast fortune could hire.

　　Two Ducal families supported him, even more strongly now that he had provided the evidence against Argyle to them. He had shown them the reports of Argyle`s hidden fleet and the images gleaned from the little that could be salvaged from below of Justice fighting the Guard.

　　Coming to Terra, they had met more Starships, dozens from the Guard, hundreds more from Nobility and Corporations across the Empire. They had all gathered first to determine the truth of the rumours, then to throw their support behind either himself or his brother.

　　There were no other options. The few Ducal houses that claimed neutrality would soon be forced to act, an Emperor must be named, and only a unanimous vote of all the Ducal houses could accomplish that.

　　He had two, and from what he heard, Argyle had three others on his side. Five of eleven, the rest waiting to see who came out on top of the coming conflict.

　　There could be no peace, not now, not after what had been done to Sacred Terra.

　　"Sir, Incoming Jump. It`s massive, at least three hundred Starships." One of Augustus`s loyal Guard members notified them from his terminal. In seconds, Starships materialized in the space across from them.

　　Argyle had gone to Mars first, claiming he had his own evidence against Augustus. More lies, but his support was lacking. Many of the Guard refused to serve either Prince until the Ducal houses confirmed one of them as the new Emperor.

　　So, like Augustus, Argyle was forced to call on Mercenaries, allies and the scant few amongst the Guard willing to follow him.

　　"Incoming communication. It`s Prince Argyle."

　　"Put it through the main screen." The Captain ordered, looking to the Prince for confirmation. Seeing him nod, the view of space shifted to show Prince Argyle.

　　The man himself looked as if he had aged a century overnight. His face had a five o`clock shadow, and dark bags had developed under his eyes. His black and gold uniform was perfectly pressed and neat, but Argyle appeared unkempt as if he had been up for days.

　　He looks how I feel.` Augustus thought. He himself looked better, but the vision of Terra through the window had turned him pale and shaky. He drew himself upright, trying to appear steady and in control.

　　"Brother," Augustus said, his tone abrupt and cordial. He wanted to strangle the man for what he had done, but the Empire needed stability. Better to offer terms and a peaceful transition of power to ensure things don`t escalate.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it`s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

　　That hope was dashed as soon as Argyle laid eyes on him.

　　"Bastard! You dare show your face here, of all places? Or do you take some kind of perverse pleasure in returning to the scene of your greatest triumph? You sick son of a bitch!" Argyle cursed, his pale face flushed red with anger, and his hands clenched into fists at his side.

　　"My triumph? MINE!? Liar! You gathered a fleet and personally led them to attack Terra! I have images, brother, of Justice murdering innocents! How can you explain that?" Augustus shouted. He couldn`t maintain his calm in the face of such accusations.

　　"Your forces captured my fleet, as you well know! You released prisoners, Augustus, and gave them Justice. The blood spilled on Terra is on your hands! You killed our parents, brother! Our sister, you murdered our home!" Argyle bellowed, slamming his fist against the console.

　　"Quite the performance, Argyle. But Father was aware of your betrayal. I make you this offer now in his memory and to honour him. Surrender, admit your wrongdoings, and I will be merciful, as our mother would want me to be." Augustus said.

　　He ignored Argyle`s lies. He had heard about the assault on the prison, his cousin`s release, along with his Corsairs. Unshackle Terra still had its uses, filtering information for him. They had made it clear that a prince had visited the Station, freeing the inmates and taking them away.

　　Since he had nothing to do with it, and Argyle had a fleet lacking the Pilots and troops, it was obvious who the culprit was.

　　"You will be merciful?" Argyle hissed, his eyes bulging from the rage he felt. He drew in a deep breath, calming himself.

　　"I cannot believe I ever thought you my equal, that we were family. What you have done today is unforgivable, Augustus. The Guard stands with me, as do the Ducal Houses of Tish, Grandster and Lockmere."

　　"And I have Sairon and Naice. Once the others see my evidence, they will listen to reason. You will never be Emperor, Argyle. You will burn, as Terra does." Augustus finished. With a sharp nod, the viewscreen turned black.

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　　Argyle cursed loudly, hurling a nearby datapad at the screen, where it shattered. He paced the command center for a moment, muttering to himself before stopping and turning on the Captain. A Guard veteran, Argyle trusted her opinion.

　　This Captain had met with Kal and the others when they left the surface of Terra. She had told Argyle everything, including the whereabouts of Ouroboros. Unfortunately, Augustus was the pressing concern at the moment. He could convince Marella to relinquish the Titan to him at any time.

　　For now, he needed to either eliminate his brother or convince the Ducal houses to support him instead of his treacherous brother.

　　"What is your assessment?" Argyle asked.

　　"A direct assault against him will be pointless. He has too many ships and too many Mechs. Even if we could fight through them, he would merely Jump before we could reach him." The Captain said. At the same time, Augustus`s fleet entered the Jump, disappearing from sight.

　　They had come to the same conclusion, postponing their conflict to a later date.

　　"Very well, set a course for Havencroft. The time of their indecision is over. They will support me or fall. I will not allow another House to join Augustus." Argyle ordered. The ships in his fleet spooled their Engines, leaving Shattered Terra through the Jump.

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　　Mare dozed in her chair. The Exosuit was surprisingly comfortable, the gel inside moulding to her body and lulling her to sleep. It had been a long day, filled with loss and struggle. She was exhausted, and it was catching up to her.

　　The door to Kal`s room opened slowly, and Tamara entered silently. Seeing Kal and Mare asleep, she was about to leave again when the Princess called out to her.

　　"I`m awake, Tamara. No need to leave. What is it?" Mare asked. She had grown comfortable around the formidable woman, appreciating her direct approach and loyalty to Kal. They had made her feel welcome, accepting her without question.

　　Very few people had access to Kal while he was recovering, but they never commented on her presence.

　　"Your father is here." Tamara replied, causing Mare to leap to her feet quickly. The lower gravity caused her to bounce higher than she had thought she would. It took conscious effort to reduce the amount of force needed to walk or move properly here.

　　"Here? On Caledon?" Mare asked, surprised. Tamara shook her head.

　　"Here, in Luna City." She corrected before turning to look behind her. "Out there, in fact. He was quite upset that we are keeping him from entering here. But I won`t have anyone, even a Prince, disturb Kal." Tamara said firmly.

　　Mare looked at Kal for a moment, indecisive, before Tamara spoke again.

　　"I`ll stay with him. Go see your father."