Chapter 102

　　A tall, hooded figure walked through the empty corridors of the prison complex. Flanked by two guards in black Exosuits gripping Lasrifles, they stepped over the dead and dying bodies as they made their way to their destination.

　　The silence of the Prison was occasionally broken by the crackling thunder of lasgun fire, the screams of the prison staff as they perished and the shouts of the inmates being released, only to find they were still prisoners.

　　Dressed in a black cloak with its hood up, the group`s leader could only be identified by a prominent symbol on the back of their clothing. It was a symbol of Terra, the blue and green orb wrapped in chains and gripped in the claws of the Imperial Eagle.

　　Turning a corner at the end of the hallway, the leader of Unshackle Terra` came to a door where another pair of guards were waiting.

　　"Has he been woken?" The leader asked, their voice mechanical and distorted to the point where no one would be able to identify if it was a man or woman.

　　"Just going through the final phases. The collar`s been attached and primed." The guard replied, opening the door to the cell. Striding through, the cloaked and hooded leader came face to face with their target.

　　Lying Jack knelt on the cold, metal floor of the cell. Naked and pale, he was shaking from the cold as he felt the collar around his neck. Made of shining steel, a green light winked on and off on the front.

　　He and his men had been sentenced privately, without an official record, by an Imperial Magistrate and sent directly to this prison station for extended Stasis. Jack wasn`t even aware of how long his sentence was supposed to be. They likely were just going to shove him into the pod and forget about him.

　　It had been a shock to find himself released, falling to the ground of the stasis chamber, only to have a pair of black Exosuited guards slap a collar around his neck and leave, locking the door behind them.

　　Jack looked up at the figure as they entered, taking in their appearance. He couldn`t see their face. Beneath the cloak, they were wearing a black masked Pilot bodysuit, the mirrored surface of its helmet obscuring his vision. The only noteworthy thing about them was the symbol on their left breast, a smaller version of the one on their back.

　　Unshackle Terra.` Jack thought as he recognized it. They had been growing in the last few years, going from a small group protesting the restrictions of Terran travel to encompassing Anti-Imperial sentiment. If someone from their group was here, then it meant this wasn`t an official pardon.

　　"How long?" Jack asked, his voice raspy. He was aware of time in Stasis, but it was distorted. It could have been a millennia or only a few days. He had no way of knowing.

　　"Two years." The person before him answered, their distorted voice providing no clues to their identity.

　　"Shorter than I would have thought. Why have you freed me?" Jack asked, trying to stand on shaky legs.

　　"Your services are required." The reply came, and Jack laughed. He was of the Royal bloodline. He served no one. Even the Emperor couldn`t order him around. He had left Terra to strike out on his own, tired of the constant restraints around him.

　　Better to rule in hell than serve in heaven.

　　"I thank you for the release, but I don`t serve` others. Find someone else." Jack replied.

　　"You don`t have a choice. The collar around your neck is an explosive, to be triggered automatically in one week`s time unless you accomplish your task. On completion of your service, you will be released." The figure explained.

　　"What service?" Jack spat out.

　　"You will lead an attack on Sacred Terra. The nobility and Imperial Elite have gathered in a recently constructed resort town to celebrate Princess Marella`s birthday. You will eliminate them all." The figure stated.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

　　"You`re insane! I would be killed before even getting close to the surface. You give me a choice between death in a week from the Imperial Guard or this infernal collar around my neck?" Jack shouted, standing upright and looming over the hooded figure.

　　"Leave us!" The figure ordered his two flanking Exosuited guards. Snapping a salute, they quickly exited, closing the door behind them.

　　"You don`t have all the facts yet, cousin." The figure stated, his voice changed at the statement. It lost its mechanical and monotone intonation, becoming alarmingly familiar to Jack. Combined with his speech patterns and mannerisms, he recognized who stood before him, even with the opaque helmet still in place.

　　"Augustus?" Jack called out in surprise.

　　"In the flesh." Augustus replied.

　　"Have you lost your mind!?" Jack snarled about to lunge forward when Augustus` words stopped him.

　　"Now, now. Is that any way to treat your saviour? I believe this is the second time I have liberated you. Who was that smuggled you off of Terra in the first place when Father wanted you eliminated?" Augustus questioned.

　　"You have a fine way of showing your liberation.` A slave collar, really?" Jack asked, tapping the metal collar with his finger. Snorting, Augustus tapped a button on his wrist, and the collar fell to the ground with a dull clang. He pulled another out from beneath his robe, handing it to Jack.

　　"That one lacks an explosive, you`ll still need to wear it to fit in, but you won`t have to worry about a sudden, fatal headache." Augustus joked.

　　"What`s this all about? You`ve thrown your lot in with these lunatics to get them to do your dirty work?" Jack asked.

　　"No, I`m the one who created Unshackle Terra` in the first place. They are a useful tool, bringing me information from all across the galaxy while leaving my fingerprints off of things I would rather not be involved in. Such as freeing prisoners and assaulting Terra."

　　"So, that wasn`t a lie? You really want me to attack?" Jack asked.

　　"Of course. New information has been revealed to me, and I want to act on it immediately before things are too far along. I need Kalen Caledon eliminated while discrediting Argyle and Father." Augustus explained.

　　"Kalen Caledon!?" Jack hissed out. "What has the brat done to draw your attention?"

　　"Father is going to have him meet with the Envoys. When that happens, he will be untouchable. Argyle has agreed to his removal but wishes to wait until he leaves Terra before acting. I find the delay to be too much of a risk. We must act now."

　　"Argyle has assembled a force of Starships, Mechs and Assault Craft on Karakas. He`s discreetly drawn equipment from all over the galaxy but is still waiting on Pilots and personnel to operate them. With the prisoners liberated here and what Unshackle Terra` has assembled, you will travel to Karakas, kill everyone there, seize his Ships, and lead an attack on Terra." Augustus explained.

　　"Even with a dozen ships and tens of thousands of troops, we won`t stand a chance. The Guard will be on us in minutes. It`s a suicide mission that won`t even achieve your goal." Jack shook his head, knowing the capabilities of the Guard well. Terra was too heavily defended for any force to succeed.

　　"The way will be cleared for you. All you need to worry about is Jumping near the Surface, destroying the town and leaving. You can have whatever troops and equipment you escape with, and our transaction will be finished, your slate wiped clean." Augustus promised.

　　"You`re asking for quite a bit of trust on my part." Jack argued. Even with the fake collar in his hands, he would be relying on Augustus to let him go.

　　"Here." Augustus pulled a folded document out of his robe, handing it over. Unfolding it quickly, Jack reviewed its contents, his eyes widening at what was inside.

　　"This is a full Imperial Pardon and Proclamation of Title." Jack stated, looking up at his cousin. He wished he could see through the helmet. He wanted to know what expression Augustus had.

　　"Signed by me. It will only be legal when I am Emperor. Do your part, and it will be official." Augustus stated.

　　 Page Break

　　Leaving the cell, the hooded and cloaked figure returned to the shuttle bay, once more flanked by his guards.

　　"Charges set. The station`s reactor will overload in ten." One stated. The figure nodded at the statement. The Empire will send people to investigate, and by the time they understand it was sabotage, they will already be ready to attack Terra.

　　Returning to his private room on the Starship, Alexander removed his helmet. Laughing, he shook his head at the stupidity of everyone around him. Augustus indeed created Unshackle Terra, but Alexander had co-opted it years ago, unknown to his brother. He had always known it would play a part in what he had planned, and today it had fulfilled its purpose.

　　As for fooling Jack, that was child`s play. A simple change in his suit`s voice modulation and a bit of acting the part, and he was the perfect Augustus.` He had even forged his brother`s handwriting and signature for the Pardon.`

　　It helped that Alexander knew every dirty little secret his brother possessed. Jack had no reason to doubt him once he mentioned helping him escape Terra years before. Very few people knew that.

　　Now, Alexander had a group of people all dancing to his tune. At the same time, the evidence would point toward Augustus` as the culprit of this liberation, setting the Unshackle Terra movement as terrorists led by Augustus and supplied by equipment obtained from Argyle.

　　Laughing, Alexander waited for the Ship to leave orbit. He still had a few other irons in the fire, all pointing blame for the coming chaos at either Argyle or Augustus.

　　It was going to be an exciting week.