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I gripped my father tightly, pulling him into my chest as he seethed.
“You will see that I am worthy of leading this empire despite being your son.” I clenched my fingers into his body tight enough that it would bruise, then pushed him backward so roughly he stumbled.
Disarmed and dethroned, my father stared at me. He was unable to find words as his face twisted with the acknowledgment of the futility of fighting but the refusal to give in.
He flung the ire of his look toward Jasmine again.
“You will never be safe, cowardly human. No matter what exile awaits me, I will find ways to seek you out and strip your skin from every piece of your body. You will never be safe, and neither will my disgusting son. You had better live in fear for the rest of your life. You have decided that you and my son will be chased after and tortured by—”
Kressel pulled his ceremonial dagger from his waist, stepping toward Tulla and Jasmine, blade raised. I lunged for his arm as he brandished it, swinging him around. With a roar, my father plunged the dagger into my side.
The spiking of pain streaked through my stomach and up my chest as he twisted the blade. I stared at him, wide-eyed, not believing yet fully believing that he would try to kill his son.
A blaster fired, flashing a bright light just past my ear. The blast buried into my father’s chest, melting fabric and flesh, lighting his tunic on fire, and dropping him to the ground.
His dagger slid out of my side with him as he collapsed, and I pressed my fingers to my side, blood flooding through my fingers, as Tulla knelt to get the bearings of how badly I had been pierced.
I stared down at my father, pain in my side, pain in my heart, panic flaring through my brain.
Was he dead? Was he actually dead?
Toxin drizzled down his chin from the elongated fangs, expelling the final statement of his vicious life. The acrid smell of burning flesh wafted into the air. I looked blearily down at Tulla, where she was pressing a med pack to my bloody side. A hand trembled against my back, and Jasmine was there, Vishin’s blaster smoking in her hand.
Her deep eyes were concerned, glittering with tears as she clutched my arm. I lifted my hand to cup her chin in mine as the pain from the dagger slice began to clear my stunned brain.
“You killed my father for me?” I murmured the words as she nuzzled into my hand.
She nodded and kissed my palm. “I saved our future for us.”
I bent over her and kissed her gently on the forehead, looking past her at my father’s still body. The dead, limp, deflated body of the once Highest Supreme Entity.
My executive officer bobbed in front of me. “Orders, Commander?”
“Open a live video band to all the ships in the vicinity. Record it so that I can send it to the planet and all other ships of our empire. I want to address the empire.”
“Commander, you really need to get to the med bay—” Tulla protested as the XO nodded and barked commands to my other soldiers.
My head was starting to clear. My heartbeat was slowing. My grip on Jasmine intensified as I pulled her close to my side. I looked out the front screen of the bridge toward my rescue pods, gathering wreckage and putting out fires of the shuttles of all the Old Guard.
“I will be fine, Tulla. It was always going to be this way.” I wasn’t entirely sure what I meant by the words, but they fit. My father and his loyalists were dead. My crew was alive and well. The empire lay at my feet.
And my new bride, my partner, was by my side.
21
Jasmine
It took a solid five minutes before I heard that confirming beep, letting me know my message to the Earthling Resistance had successfully navigated its way through the solar system, all coded and encrypted, to reach them so far away. I let out a relieved sigh. What would they make of it? It was definitely a message I never imagined sending. I filled them in on the mission’s success, dished out some of the gritty details on the damage, and then painted a picture of what that success would mean.
My husband Braxl was now at the helm of the Prexis Empire. He’d snagged a spot on the Nova Dominion’s council. He promised me he was already implementing changes for the betterment of humans and other races who’d been forced to serve, often against their will, the ruthless agenda of the ND.
Towards the end of the message, I even managed to give them a rough estimate of when I’d touch down on Earth for the full debrief. We’d be heading back after a week of wedding festivities and Kressel’s mandatory send-off. Our return to Earth would align with the next big Alien Auction, a crucial moment because I’d secured a spot among the elites who called the shots in these auctions and lotteries, not just on Earth, but in similar setups on other planets. I was about to make relocating populations from conquered planets fairer, more compassionate, and more lucrative.
Honestly, it was hard for me to wrap my head around it, so I knew my Resistance higher-ups might question the sincerity of my message despite the codes I’d embedded in it. These were goals we hadn’t even dared to dream about. And, without getting too sentimental, they were only within reach because of love.
Braxl was whisking me away to his home planet and city to introduce me to some of his friends and family in just a few hours. The week of wedding festivities was bound to be a wild blur. The funeral was slated for one day, culminating in Braxl’s official coronation. Adapting to my new culture and role in this empire would be a lifelong journey.
It was a journey I was more than willing to embark on, and Braxl had extended it to me with unwavering confidence and no trace of resentment.
