Loyalties

Chapter 5

I watch as the Space Rangers scour the field littered with enemy VTOL warships, troop transport vehicles, and numerous Black Sun soldiers. We want to know where their base of operations  is. However, that task is proving fruitless. It's been two hours since the attack on the Duke's Palace. Two hours since a failed assassination. Two hours since I lost Jade...

"Anything, Lieutenant?" Alex asks as he walks up to a Space Ranger.

"No, sir," the Space Ranger says. "No survivors, and no information of where they came from."

Alex hangs his head in despair. "Thank-you, lieutenant," he says as the Ranger salutes and walks off to another crash. "Of all this," Alex disappointedly begins, "all the waste, all the wreckage, there's not even a single hint of where these bastards came from."

"Well, there isn't much here" I say. "All it is is just remains. You can't find a damn-"

"There is nothing my men can't do," my best friend interrupts. "We are the best of the best, and we fight to our last breath! We will keep searching, even if there is no more than a piece of scrap." and with that, Alex storms off, leaving me alone in the field of wreckage. So much for that, I think as I walk back to the palace.

It's still an absolute shame the palace, made out of gold, silver, and any and every expensive material in the whole duchy, is practically in ruins. The front is gone, I mean literally. I hope that none of the bedrooms were damaged, or else it won't be very pleasant.

I shake my head in disbelief. All this ruin, all this fighting that is sure to come, is all because of Jade. All because of her. Why would she go against her father, fuck, her whole family? She has literally everything, compared to me, who has enough. She has everything. I stop walking, my eyes widen at my own though. She has everything.

****
Jade
Grand Duke Lawrence's Palace, Codename "HomeBase", Demeanor VII, Regecide

"You have succeeded, Jade Daemon," a black figure sitting upon the old Duke's throne says, his voice deep and echoing throughout the room. "You have proven your loyalty to the Black Sun. With your help, the Emperor will be mine but I, you at my side."

"Thank you, my lord," I say as I bow my head. "I will do whatever necessary to keep this new Empire alive."

"Good. Then you will have no problem telling me who this boy is," the man says as an image projected behind him reveals my father's ruined palace. It's taken from a VTOL. Then, the image widens, focusing on a lone figure, standing amongst the rubble. I swallow my pride as I see who it is. Adrian. "Jade, tell me who it is, or else, you're close to useless." I can feel the man's eyes burning deeper into me as the guards have their guns raised.

"I cannot tell you who he is," I start, "but, he seems like an easy target. What shall you have me do?" I have no idea what I'm getting myself in to.

"Kill him." The words strike me like a blow to the chest.

"Don't you think we should attempt to make him join our cause?" I try not to sound pleadingly, but it's useless. I know I'm pleading. "He is a good shot, we need him! He could take out a target no problem."

The man in black strokes his chin. "If you will not," he says, slightly angered, "then my bounty hunters will do the job, and you will die alongside everyone else."

"How many bounty hunters?" I ask.
"Five," the man says. I think he thinks what I'm thinking. I bow and leave the room, and head straight to my quarters. Once I do, I lay down on my bed, and start to cry. I can't kill Adrian. He's so innocent.. I brought him into this, and I can't get him out. If he didn't shoot, it'd be easier to save him. It didn't matter anyways. I would end up killing him regardless.

****
Adrian
Grand Duke's Palace, Catakus II, Eastmarch

I sit on Jade's bed, the exact same spot I did no more than four hours ago. It's dark out, and while everyone else in the building is sleeping, I can't. I don't want to turn on any lights. I just sit in the dark, angry and confused. I don't think I'm ever going to get over the fact Jade betrayed me, her family, and her whole life basically.

I don't understand. Was it something I did? Was it something her family did? I mean, with all this wealth, surely no one could want more, right? Right? As I keep thinking, I start to exhaust myself, eventually to the point of sleep.

My eyes shoot open, and I'm dazed about where I am. My head kills, my legs hurt, and my uniform is soaked. I feel my head. It's bleeding, I must've hit my head. As I focus, I see I'm on the bridge of a B20H Command Cruiser, pinned on the soil by a monitor. The ship must've landed hard, since everything that was once bolted to the floor is everywhere. The massive bridge is missing half, torn apart by atmospheric pressure or a blast. I look out the rear window at the back of the  bridge. The whole cruiser is destroyed! Must've received heavy fire. Bodies liter the bridge, many of which don't seem human anymore.

Using all my strength, I force the monitor off me, and crawl towards the broken window. I don't care about scratching my legs on the glass, I just want to get out of the bridge. I stand, looking around. I'm nowhere. All around me is a swamp, and I'm in the middle of it. Fog clouded everything, limiting my sight.

I trudge forward, my boots making a sucking sound every time I walk, and it's pretty funny. Then, my boot gets stuck, and I can't move. Great, I think, uselessly tugging at my foot. I'm easy prey.

"Don't be afraid," a familiar voice says from the fog. "It's all going to be fine." The figure walks out of the fog. It's Jade!

"Now, what's a ship commander of the Emperor's Royal Fleet doing here?" she asks. I can't answer. Hell, I can't even talk! "Don't worry," she says, her voice still sweet, but her eyes show relentless, hate, anger. "This won't hurt a bit,," she laughs as she unholster a laser  pistol, and aims it right at my forehead.

I shoot myself awake. I want to scream, but I can't. I lost Jade. For good.