If you don’t have control of that – you have nothing.
Perhaps sensing my momentary distraction, the potbellied aide clears his throat nervously.
“We would like to extend a warm welcome for you to attend the private auction tonight,” the small man stammers. “Only a select few will be invited – the elite of our society. The proceedings will be taking place at the Coldstone Amphitheatre, downtown.”
The three of us turn to the potbellied man – barely able to disguise the disgust on our faces.
Ten years ago. That was how recently this planet declared independence from the Aurelian Empire. Already, they’ve reestablished slave auctions – holding them in their downtown core, as if they’re spectacles to be witnessed, not abominations to be shameful of.
“We will be there,” Evander growls gravely.
I stiffen when I hear that, and my surprise must be apparent through the Bond. Evander ignores the sense of my emotions, though – instead coldly striding forward. I glance briefly at Augustus, and then the two of us follow him. I can feel the stares from the aides and all those technicians, burning into our broad backs distrustfully. I endure the heat of their scorn, though – until the three of us emerge from the warehouse and into the outside world.
The sun is bright, hanging high above us. It doesn’t take me long to get my bearings. As we touched down on the planet Reena for the first time, I got a good look at this capital city, and my warrior instincts made me instantly memorize the layout.
The downtown core of the city consists largely of high-rise buildings, while the outskirts surrounding it are sectioned off into neighborhoods of heavy agriculture and production. The core of the city is compact – with a highly-concentrated population.
That’s good. I think back to my training in the Aurelian Cadet school, before we embarked on our hundred years of service to the Aurelian Empire.
The hundred years that lasted barely a week.
In tactical training and strategy, we’d been taught that the more centered a population was, the easier it would be to conquer by force.
These humans had no idea, but that’s exactly what my triad intended to do.
There was just three of us, after all. The humans wouldn’t be expecting a coup…
…but we were Aurelian Warriors, and we were empowered even further by no longer being shackled by the rules of the Empire.
Outside the warehouse, I look around to confirm my bearings. We’re nearer the outskirts of the city, in an industrial sector. I noticed the layout as we were touching down. It was a good choice of places to land clandestinely, as tankers and freight ships churn through these warehouses and dockyards almost constantly.
Meanwhile, all around them, towering factories spew smoke in the air. The streets around us are empty, and a cold breeze rushes down the sidewalks. The locals are either toiling in the factories, or safely tucked up at home. There’s barely any reason to be out on these streets.
One man does appear. He turns the corner, takes a look at us, and his eyes widen in alarm…
He turns the other way and practically runs.
I can’t blame him. The humans are aware that Aurelians haven’t been seen on Reena in ten years. Our sudden arrival is ominous. The humans we encounter know that the sight of Aurelians – even Rogue ones, like us – foreshadows a period of change.
Most humans fear change. The clever ones adapt to it. Only the bravest or most foolish actively seek it out.
This ‘Peter’ fellow who bought our Reaver falls into the second camp. He is foolish in his greed. Not only did he welcome us three to his planet – clearly underestimating our ability to forge an empire of our own here – but he was arrogant enough to assume he’d earn back plenty of the fortune he’d paid for our Reaver by appealing to our baser nature and having us spend it at his slave auction.
“Where to?”
It’s Augustus asking. We’re in hostile territory – actively independent of the Empire – and both Augustus and I are wondering what our next steps should be.
He’s the one to pose the question, but it’s forefront in my mind, too We spent our youth on the Aurelian home world of Colossus. There, everything was regimented. We trained at a designated time. We ate at a designated time. We slept at a designated time.
We learned warfare and leadership under the guidance of the Elders, using texts and protocol that had remained unchanged for generations. Aurelian culture is one that seemed to have stood still against the ages.
And yet as soon as Evander, Augustus and I left Colossus, we learned the truth.
We left to serve our species – to perform our hundred years of service. We went believing everything we had been taught. Within hours, all of that disappeared in a haze of blood and terror.
The old ways were a lie. Now, the three of us are out in the middle of nowhere; and not only do we no longer have our people, our weapons, or our leaders to rely on…
…we no longer believe the lies they taught us.
The only one I do trust is Evander. Any other leader would have demanded we launch ourselves into the fray – joining our company in the dank, blood-soaked Scorp caverns in a vain effort to earn honor and respect.
Any other leader would have led us to the same gruesome end as those hundreds of other warriors – the noble men we served with.
Perhaps they have earned their honor, and respect, by remaining steadfast while we turned and ran…
But honor and respect cannot be spent – especially not when you’re dead and dismembered beneath the ground, never to see the sun again.
What we sacrificed
