Loyalties

Chapter 31: Jade

"The last ship has been destroyed," I run to inform Daniel, a smile on my face. "We now have total control. There won't be anyo-"

"There are some still alive and they will try to rebel," Daniel stops me mid sentence. "They still have hope that things will change."

"Then I will dispatch kill squads immediately!" I eagerly pounce on the idea, a bit too eager.

Daniel grips my forearm as I start to walk away. "No, I want them alive," he says. I'm baffled.

"But, why?" I ask, tugging at my arm. He releases me. "Emperor, they threaten your rule, they threaten everything we fought so hard to achieve!"

There's a small moment of silence between us. It felt like hours, a cold wind separating us. I can feel Daniel's gaze stare into my soul, freezing it, stopping my heart. He looks deep into my eyes with a stare like death.

"I want them alive for soon they will come. They will try to rebel, but one by one, they will join us," he says, turning his back. "They will see everything's hopeless and turn on each other. They'll all either become part of the new world or die from infighting." I watch in amazement and fear as Daniel walks away, his black cloak flapping in the wind.

I'm left alone in the mass amounts of rubble. Where I stand now, perhaps a tall skyscraper once stood proudly. Now, here I am, staring at the barren landscape, mounds upon mounds of destroyed, burning buildings that once kissed the sky. Now, they're reduced to nothingness.

For the first time since the battle for Earth began, I'm alone. I can hear myself think, I can feel everything flood back to me, I can regain everything I lost. I sit down on a large chunk of cement and look at the ground. My pulse stops racing, pumping the last of the adrenaline out.

You did it, I think, smiling. You actually did it! You killed Adrian and anyone else who stood in the way of the Black Sun taking over the system. I look up at the sky. Numerous ships are landing, offloading troops by the thousands. The sky is patrolled by countless fighters, though the last of the old empire has been executed. If there's anyone still alive that was in the military, they wouldn't dare try to flee off planet.

A silent, empty wind blows through. No more sounds of gunfire, or the smell of death. Just pure silence. It sends a chill down my spine. I'm not used to this. Perhaps there's a sniper, aiming at my head, or a secret contraption that has been set up. I wait a few moments, and nothing happens.

I didn't realize I was holding my breath. I exhale and get back up. Time to get back to Daniel, I think, unholstering my pistol. I step over a dead body, however, I can't tell who it is; the face is too badly burned.