Chapter 137

　　The viewscreen before Prince Argyle faded to black, leaving him alone again. He let his body sag into the chair without prying eyes on him. The wrinkles on his face deepened, and he appeared exhausted.

　　The stress of the War, combined with the guilt over not being able to protect his parents and Terra, was building within him. He hadn`t let it show to Marella during their brief call, but now that no one could see, he relaxed, letting the shudders of terror loose on his insides.

　　"Repair the Schism. The Envoys await."

　　The words had sent chills down his spine, and he did not doubt their origin or veracity. Marella was unaware of their import, only having inklings of their meaning, but Argyle knew the truth. There was a threat implied within them.

　　"Repair the Schism yourselves, or we will be forced to act." Argyle added the warning to the statement.

　　There was good news mixed with bad, however. Marella and Kalen were unaware of who and what the Envoys were. It meant that the Emperor had not informed the young Duke of his plans for him. The attack on Terra had halted that plot, meaning Argyle was free to act as he saw fit.

　　If he could repair the schism, it would be he who met with the Envoys, securing his future as Emperor.

　　There was one primary concern left, and it was daunting. How would he go about stopping this conflict, restoring the Empire and seeing himself gain the throne? His brother saw him as the enemy, and there could be no reconciliation. But the War could not be won in a timely manner. It would be decades, possibly centuries, of war, before there was a resolution.

　　Already, tens of millions had died. If he waited for the war to reach its natural conclusion, how many billions or trillions would join them? And would they even be granted that time, or would an outside force step in to mediate?

　　Argyle had not doubt of what would happen if they did. The losses humanity had suffered in this war would only be a fraction of the destruction they would unleash. They wanted humans cowed and compliant. They cared for nothing more than the enforcement of the Taboo, and if there wasn`t a central figure to ensure compliance, they would use terror in its stead.

　　Argyle tapped on the arm of his chair, contemplating when the door to his office opened without a sound. A woman entered the smell of her perfume and the sound of her feet gently walking over the carpet announced her presence to the Prince.

　　"My love, what troubles you so?" Her soft voice carried to his ears as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and gently kissed his cheek. Turning, he looked at the woman who he wished was his wife.

　　He had married for duty, taking a daughter of Grandster for his bride as he was required to do. But there was no love between them. It was this woman who held his heart in her hands. His mistress, as she was titled by those who knew of their relationship.

　　What a vulgar term for such a beautiful thing.

　　Bianca, Duchess of Tish, was a young widow. Less than a century old, her husband had died in a Starship accident, leaving her and their children alone. She had met Argyle, and they had entered into a wild, passionate, and secret relationship.

　　When the war broke out, of course, House Tish took Argyle`s side. No one knew him better than her, and she had no doubt that he was not behind the attack on Terra.

　　"I feel as if I am backed into a corner." Argyle responded, taking the delicate hand of his lover in his own and brushing it against his lips.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

　　"What news did Marella have?" Bianca asked. She knew that he was communicating with his niece, but not the details. She was surprised when he told her, laying out the details of the dream and their potential consequences as if he was describing the weather.

　　"Perhaps it is time to speak with Augustus. I cannot allow him to become Emperor, but if they are threatening to intervene&.the outcome would be unconscionable." Argyle wearily muttered.

　　Bianca`s thoughts whirled at this new information. She would never allow Augustus to become Emperor. Tish had always been the weakest of the Ducal Houses, and her connection to Argyle had elevated them.

　　She had based all of the hope for her Houses future on him, and if he abandoned the pursuit of the throne, they would be doomed. Augustus would never allow them to thrive, not after they supported Argyle over him.

　　She needed to approach this carefully.

　　"My love, perhaps you are being premature. Marella could simply be having a dream, worrying about the war and her place in your new Empire. Her marriage to Duke Caledon is approaching, and the stress of the event could be affecting her state of mind. Do not allow this hearsay to divert your attention. You will be Emperor." Bianca whispered, leaning her head against the Prince`s shoulder.

　　"She mentioned the Envoys. How else would she have known about them if the dream wasn`t real?" Argyle retorted.

　　"Amara knew. It was her plot to wed Kalen and her daughter as soon as she knew of your father`s intentions. I wouldn`t put it past your sister to have told Marella. Worse than hearsay, this could be a trick by Amara to weaken your resolve. Who knows what deal she has made with Augustus." Bianca responded, trying to cast doubt on his siblings.

　　"To what gain? Amara and Havencroft are tied to my fate. It would not benefit them if I were to fail." Argyle countered, and Bianca laughed. Her laughter was like a ringing bell, clear and beautiful to hear.

　　"You ransomed her back to Havencroft in return for their support. They no doubt hold a grudge, my love. If you wish to pursue peace with Augustus, I will not try to dissuade you. But to not act in haste! Do not forget that he is a traitor who murdered your parents and our ancestral home!" Bianca hissed.

　　"Of course, you are correct. But the Artificial Intelligence-" Argyle was cut off by Biance`s response.

　　"Have never interfered in our affairs before. As long as neither side attempts to break the Taboo, then there will be no issue." Bianca finished.

　　"I will send Augustus a communication, reminding him of the Covenant and the details of Marella`s dream. It would be useful as a threat if nothing else. He could use a healthy dose of paranoia." Argyle replied.

　　"That is an excellent idea, my love." Bianca kissed him on the cheek before pulling away. The moment her face was out of sight of the Prince`s eyes, a flash of concern and anxiety crossed over. Like ripples in a still pond, her face reset back to expressionlessness. She had hidden her true feelings deep within.

　　"Now, come to bed."

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　　Prince Augustus sat in thought, the viewscreen in front of him replaying the same message continuously. He had received a communication from Argyle, something that hadn`t happened since their stand-off over Terra.

　　The War raged across the galaxy, and now that all the Ducal Houses had declared their chosen Prince, it had reached entirely new levels of violence. The death count rose daily to the point where even the customarily detached Augustus couldn`t stomach reading the reports anymore.

　　Marella had supposedly received a message from the A.I. Collective that had originally gifted the Ouroboros. Argyle was no doubt suspicious of the veracity and origin of the vision, but Augustus knew more than his brother.

　　He had read the archives extensively. Communicating through the Neural Link was possible for them. If they were threatening to intervene, Augustus had no idea if humanity would be able to repel their attack. Ten millennia ago, they had reached a technological level that Humans couldn`t conceive. What had the ensuing years changed?

　　Humanity`s greatest accomplishments have always been when they worked together with their sentient machine creations to drive themselves to greater heights.

　　Without A.I, their Empire had stagnated for generations. Only when they had unlocked the secrets to biological enhancement and genetic engineering a light in the darkness of their ignorance had been revealed.

　　Humanity as it was today was not the same as it had been in the time of the Unification War. They were more numerous, more intelligent and capable of acts of violence that would stun their ancestors.

　　But the fact remained, could Augustus risk their wrath by maintaining this conflict with his brother?

　　Another message came through his terminal while he was contemplating. Opening it, he was surprised by the sender.

　　"Prince Augustus, I would like us to come to an arrangement." Duchess Bianca of House Tish showed on his viewscreen.