The Corpse

“There was a long history of cybernetics in the Empire, although this history is dark and bloody. These original cyborgs were forced convicts who were on death row they had already been to see the Rsso.”

- From “The Unsung histories” By the philosopher historian Quakaqi

The conference room was one of the few warm rooms in the trench complex. Its gentle warmth only possible because of the seal on the airlocks. Despite this warmth it still felt cold to Elasq and Ghlawg

“Hello Mrs Elasq and Mr Ghlawg” said Kndair “Do you wish to be part of my personal Garde?”

“Yes sir!” exclaimed Elasq you could also see the same on Ghlawg’s face.

“Then we must travel to the moon of Novum Martis, the second moon of the grand planet of Nova Terrae” said Kndair “Your fist names will stay for the time, until you train then you will be given one to be spoken only by us and will be allowed to chose one to be spoken only by others. Your second names will be that of you clan. Your last names will be your current first names.” explained Kndair

The shells of artillery continued to pound the outside of the cliffs of ice.

“I have told you what may happen, but it may not, your death is a constant risk. Your training is deadly, but I will tell you that later. Your first training exercise is a test of strength, luckily we have a battle raging about one hundred meters away.” Uttered Kndair. He than stood turned to the door and strode over to it. Elasq, confused, followed. She then inquired

“You don’t intend to bring us out into the Battlefield?”

“Oh, was not clear enough sorry about that?” said Kndair. She could his apology was insincere and was intended to be a threat. Ghlawg picked up on the threatening nature and tone of this question.

“Well, was I?” queried Kndair.

“No, sir my bad.” Said Elasq in her best Sproche, Sproche is the true human dialect of Germanic descent.

Kndair prayed may you give us your protection, our lord, Den Uile- Allmächtiger and our Wuhrer Gechoitcheann, Justin The True. Kndair then put his right hand with his index and ring finger down. May the pure fingers the 2^nd and the 4^th on the right hand be sent to a haven in old earth and the others be sent to a hell within the sun. May the people that I may strike down now be sent to this haven. I will give you their blood as a toll for their passage with the ship to the haven. I will not sheath my blade bloodless, Til- Ar Herren.

“I’ve had a question for you Iqu solders,” stated Kndair “how do you fire your plasma guns?”

“Oh well we must have a grip around our claw then we push the trigger with the tip of our qgna,” a qgna is a massive claw where a hand would be on a human “and hold the grip of the gun with our xiqwha” answered Elasq, a xiqwha is a thumb like appendage parallel to the qgna. By that time, they were at the airlocks. As they entered so did a feeling of dread among Elasq and Ghlawg and an all-encompassing feeling of cold, not quite the bitter cold of Europa but the coldness of the Ntlì.

“Your mission Elasq and Ghlawg is to kill them as many of them as you can, we must slow them down.”

“Then what?”

“Then we escape, and head Galactic North to Nova Terrae to truly begin your training, if you survive.” said Kndair “After which, I guaranty you’ll wish you were dead” they then entered the airlocks she continued to feel cold, now colder she knew the source was in this room but she couldn’t put her finger on it could it be the general, I mean he is a Rsso, but wouldn’t his men notice it? It must be him, Ghlawg is practically my brother. No, it’s probably my dehydration sickness. The outer door of the airlock then opened; flurries of snow poured into the room. Immediately instead of cold, heat poured into the room, the leftover heat of plasma.

“Sir should we start the evacuation?” said Nuoco

“Yes, we should” said Kndair “We can hold them back for a while, after which we will flee to the arrow heads.” He than stood on the top of the trench, unsheathing his longsword. He swung it moving though his enemies like a hot knife though butter. Kndair then thought These Geans fight much like my own men, they are also fanatical. Unlike that man, the one whom I just told them to kill, trooper 7530.

“Hello” said a Gean in white and dark red Plastic armor, the reason that they use plastic armor is because all of the iron sank to the core during the great burn, with a stolen knife of Schwert des Titanous, a sacred meatal to the true humans found only on Nova Terrae and the moon and asteroids in the sole novum system.

“You thief!” shouted a true human grenadier with his last breath

“So you Stoll that knife, you must have, the throne of humanity, the jewel in the human crown, has no accessible meatal none the less Schwert des Titanous, at least not since the great burn.”

“How observant, may you be sent Paul the blind.” Said the Gean as he lunged at Kndair. His back pack slowing him down. Kndair then parried it to the left and kneed him in the chin then pivoted out of his path. The Gean stumbled, then turned back and fired his hand mounded plasma canon. These bolts hit his right arm and hand. Reeling from these burns Kndair slashes at the Gean hitting the stomach. The fat in the Geans stomach falling out of the living corpse of this Gean.

“I will admit, I thought little of you Pretenders, as you can see, I didn’t turn on my shield.” Said Kndair He then turned on his shield.

“You see us as pretenders, but we still have the throne!” said the corpse as he lunged again at Kndair. Kndair moved to parry, but since the corpse lost his fat and most of his organs were gone, he moved much faster, instead of aiming for the heavily armored torso he aimed for his shoulder. The shoulder, which was less armored for mobility, the knife perfectly sharp sliced through his arm like Kndair’s sword though the corpse’s allies. Darkness surrounded Kndair all logic, remorse and even his consciousness left his brain all that remained was the flame of rage. Was this the same feeling as when I lost my lungs? Kndair slashed decapitating one than the next and the next and the next, each time taking the prophecy on each of there belts. Then after killing 27 Geans he turned picked up his limp armored arm. As began his march to the arrow heads his logic, remorse and consciousness returned.

“Elasq, Ghlawg follow me.”

“Yes sir”

They near instantly appeared next to him.

“Sir are you ok?” asked Elasq

“Yes, I’m fine.” said Kndair. As they entered the shadow of the pyramid shaped rockets, she noticed the doors to be open. As they entered, she, Elasq, felt the history of blood in this place.