Chapter 112

　　Kal and the others sat in the shuttle, drifting through the silent void while orbiting Terra, when they witnessed the second detonation. White light enveloped the horizon, pushing its way to the boundaries of Terra`s atmosphere, a sphere of radiant fire destroying everything it touched.

　　As upset as the survivors were at the destruction, Mare was worse. Tears ran down her eyes as she watched the devastation, clutching Kal`s arm while sobbing. Terra was her home. She had been born and raised in the Imperial Palace and her family were amongst the victims of this attack.

　　The intense light slowly faded as the shuttle travelled above, and she could see that nothing remained below.

　　The entire European continent was scoured clean, the surface scrubbed of all life. It didn`t leave the blackened ground behind. It removed the top layer of the soil, leaving bare, lifeless earth.

　　A crater was in the center of the detonation zone, so deep that the sunlight didn`t reach the depths. It was where the palace once stood, leaving no doubt where the second Engine`s explosion originated.

　　Mare looked away, moving closer to Kal and burying her head into his chest. He could feel her shaking through her Exosuit, her face obscured from the others by her long hair.

　　"Your parents?" Kal whispered.

　　"Father and Myles are with Katherine on Havencroft. Mother was with Grandmother at the palace." Mare murmured.

　　"Perhaps they escaped. Don`t lose hope." Kal replied firmly.

　　"Nothing could have escaped that." Mare stated, shaking her head.

　　"We did."

　　Moments after the light faded from the surface of Terra, three Starships exited the Jump orbiting the planet. Bearing the markings of the Imperial Guard, they immediately sent transports, mechs and small combat ships from their storage bays.

　　A warning notification was displayed on their ship`s consoles, indicating that weapons had locked onto it. Talha immediately opened a universal channel to the Guard Starships. Kal walked to the front of the vessel while Mare sank onto the ground, her feelings overwhelming her for the moment.

　　"This is Baron Kalen Caledon. We have survivors onboard, along with half a dozen members of the Guard. I am requesting immediate medical assistance." Kal said, looking at the Starships through the viewscreen as he spoke.

　　"Stand by for verification, Baron. Assistance is on its way." The reply came, and Kal let out a breath of relief. A small part of him was worried they were more enemy forces or the Guard seeking to blame someone for the disaster.

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　　Kal and the others were brought on board the lead Starship, where medical professionals waited after their transport was scanned and verified not to be a threat.

　　Walking down the ramp of the carrier shuttle, he was greeted by armed Guards, wary of him. It wasn`t until Mare was seen, her helmet off and face composed, that they relaxed. They seemed relieved to have a surviving Royal family member on their Starship.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

　　It was then that the full scope of the events was revealed to Kal.

　　Before the communications blackout, they confirmed that Empress Amelia, Princess Amara, Prince Alexander and the Emperor were all at the Imperial Palace moments before the explosion. They would conduct a search, but it was unlikely anything remained.

　　To the Guard, the Emperor was presumed dead. There was little hope that he had survived, as the Inner Sanctum had been at the explosion`s epicentre.

　　The loss of Borealis Station had cost the Guard nearly a hundred thousand of their members, along with ten Starships and over two thousand Mechs. It had been the lynchpin of Terra`s defence, its loss an inconceivable blow to the Guard.

　　They had temporarily transferred troops from Mars, the garrison there left bare as the few people they had left needed to be spread across the galaxy. The protests from Unshackle Terra had been becoming increasingly violent, and the Guard was called to support local forces.

　　Argyle had approved the transfer of Guard away from Mars prior to the attack on Terra, leaving few in the system after Borealis Station was destroyed.

　　Kal and Mare listened to the increasingly bleak report as the Guard began to secure Terra, helping the few survivors off-world as the planet became increasingly unstable. It would take time to determine how the damage could be repaired. Such extensive work would likely require decades, if not centuries, even with terraforming technology and unlimited resources.

　　Twenty percent of the surface had been scoured of life. The lingering radiation and effects of the Engine detonation posed a concern for life. Of the few inhabitants allowed to live on Terra due to their loyalty to the Empire, eighty percent had died.

　　Closer to home for Kal and Mare, the resort town that had housed millions of guests whose numbers included the Nobility, their children and families, wealthy members of society whose contributions to the Empire ensured their invitations, and even the corporate elite had been wiped out.

　　Over four million guests from every corner of the galaxy gathered together in one place. It was a massacre. The security restrictions that had been meant to keep them safe had backfired, ensuring they could not escape.

　　Kal and the people he had brought up from the surface with him were the only survivors.

　　News about the day`s events on Terra hadn`t yet reached outside the system. It had only been a little over an hour since the attack began, and the invaders blocked the Imperial Net as soon as Borealis Station was destroyed.

　　To the general public`s knowledge, there was only a small disruption on the planet, and no details had been shared. That would change as no news of the celebrations came. The public would demand answers.

　　The news networks, influencers and socialites had constantly been posting about their trip to Terra on the Imperial Net, and a sudden blackout of information would be noticed.

　　Worse, amongst the dead were family members of the Ducal Houses, the nobility and the Royal family. The news of the Emperor`s death would send shockwaves through the galaxy, and without a successor named or available, the Guard couldn`t guarantee that peace could be maintained.

　　Kal looked at Mare as the scope of the disaster set in. To the Princess, she had lost her family, but to the galaxy, they had lost their leader and icon to trillions.

　　"Where are Argyle and Augustus?" Mare asked. They had seen Justice amongst the invaders, leading them to think it may have been a coup. Still, she couldn`t accept that Argyle would knowingly murder millions of people, including her mother and grandparents, and leave Terra uninhabitable.

　　There had to be an explanation.

　　"Neither of the Princes has been seen. Records indicate they both travelled off-planet yesterday aboard separate Starships. We`re attempting to track them down." The Captain of the Starship, an older woman in an imperial Guard uniform, replied.

　　Mare turned to speak to Kal, only to find him standing apart from the crowd, whispering to Talha. The young, red-haired woman nodded at his words, her face a mask of concern and worry. Whatever he was saying had her concerned.

　　As soon as he was done speaking, she walked away toward the shuttle leaving Kal to return to Mare.

　　"What is it?" Mare asked.

　　"Just arranging transport back to Caledon. Mare, listen, if things are heading the direction I think they are, you`re in danger."

　　"What do you mean?" Mare asked, confused. Her thoughts were disorganized. The revelations and events of the morning were all crashing down on her at once, not leaving her with steady ground to stand on and think.

　　"I want you to know if you ever need somewhere safe, Caledon is there for you." Kal assured her, his tone serious and sincere. She was wondering what he meant when the Captain interrupted them.

　　"We`ve found something on the surface, near where the palace had been. We would like you to see." The Captain told Mare, gesturing to follow her to the command center at the front of the Starship.