Garrick snapped to attention, his interest piqued. Did he recognize Fiath’s voice? And what would he do if he knew it was him? Was he really his friend?
Slak squinted at him.
“Who are you?” he said. “You say you see the real me. How about we see the real you?”
“Very well,” Fiath said.
He yanked his hood and tossed it aside.
Slak and Garrick reacted the same way. Their eyes bulged and snapped to his bare wrists. Not seeing the ring of skin around his arm, it meant he couldn’t be a Changeling.
It was really him.
And then the blood drained from both their faces.
“That’s impossible!” Slak said. “I saw the explosion! No one could survive that!”
“No one but the emperor,” Garrick said. “Long may he reign.”
He reacted faster than Slak, who was still in shock.
“Guards!” Garrick bellowed. “Destroy the Changeling intruders.”
His guardsmen moved faster than I could believe. One moment their hands were empty, the next, they gripped plasma rifles. They opened fire on the Changeling soldiers, who didn’t stand a chance. They blasted holes in their armor. They might as well have been wearing paper.
Fiath wrapped his arms around me and brought me into a low crouch.
The team we brought with us snatched up their weapons and opened fire on the opposite side.
Within moments, every Changeling soldier lay prostrate on the floor.
Slak was already gone. He must have taken the opportunity to take off during the commotion. Garrick nodded at two of his guardsmen to give chase.
The others formed a perimeter around Fiath and his team in case any of the Changelings arose from the dead for a final assault.
“We need to target the Changeling army!” Fiath said. “Before they murder every last Titan down there!”
Garrick ran to the controls and placed his hand on a scanner.
“Access confirmed,” Computer said.
“Computer, target all Changeling soldiers and ships. Blast them all to hell!”
“Change of target confirmed,” Computer said.
The turrets shifted minutely and took aim at the ships hovering over the diminishing Titan force. They opened fire. The Changeling ships exploded and crashed, landing on their own men. The Changelings attempted to fight but it was no use. In a fair fight, there was no competition. Titans were far superior fighters.
With the Changeling ship threat dealt with, the turrets aimed at targets within the town, taking out each Changeling soldier they came across.
And I was still wrapped tightly in Fiath’s protective arms. He bent down, his lips finding mine moist and responsive.
“We did it,” he said with tears in his eyes. “We did it!”
I never wanted the moment to end.
“Your Majesty?” Garrick said.
He fell to his knees before him and removed his helmet. He extended a beautifully crafted knife to him.
“I have dishonored you,” he said. “I beg for death. I ask only that you do not harm my men. They only did what I ordered.”
“Were you in league with Slak?” Fiath said.
“I would never work with that dishonorable scum. We all saw the explosion. We searched for days to find you but we found nothing. I had protocols to follow. And Slak had the decree you signed, for him to take over in the case of your death—”
Fiath took the knife from Garrick and turned it around, handing it back to him handle-first. He braced his friend with a hand on the shoulder.
“There is nothing to forgive, my friend,” he said. “You carried out your duty. No one can ever ask more than that from you.”
Garrick bowed deeply, his fist to his chest.
“There’s going to be a lot of injured soldiers,” Fiath said. “Give them food, blankets, beds, water, and anything else they require.”
“Yes, your majesty,” Garrick said.
He turned on the spot and marched away, issuing orders to his men.
Drums rang out in Okem town’s streets, the equivalent of celebrating church bells back on Earth. And in the distance, approaching the town walls, the surviving Titan warriors sang songs of joy and victory that echoed through the town’s streets and rose to the palace and the emperor’s ears.
It was a new start for us and our life together. But it was only the start. There was still a great deal of fighting to be done.
So long as we had love and the emperor in our hearts, we would emerge victorious.
Fiath brought his lips to mine again. He had never tasted so good.
The Titan emperor.
Their emperor.
My emperor.
Fiath
The battle was won.
It was short and came at great cost. But our peace and freedom were won thanks to the men and women who sacrificed their lives. We would forever remember them and forever be grateful.
Not only did they give us the means to free ourselves, but allowed me to send a message to the rest of the empire. I inspired everyone to keep on fighting, to never give up, and believe that there was always hope.
And then began the war.
Within hours, news of Titan victories across the empire surfaced. A single Titan had overpowered the Changelings who’d threatened his wife and children in the restaurant they earned their living.
A small coastal village on Theyros threw their Changeling oppressors back into the sea and soon after, the rest of the planet rejoiced and followed suit.
A powerful conglomeration of rich businessmen on Arcturon Prime used their power and influence to imprison their Changeling overlords one by one until the rest were forced to flee to avoid the same fate.
With one heroic act after another, the Titans of the empire took back what was rightfully theirs.
Their homes.
The Changelings were on the run, scattered throughout the galaxy, with no backup plan. We informed our allies that should they come across any Changelings, they should be shunned, disbelieved, and never trusted.
If any other alien species took them in or sheltered them, they would never do business with any Titan ever again. We were the most powerful trading nation in the galaxy, and our allies knew which side their bread was buttered.
Wherever the Changelings went, they found hostile partners and doors slammed in their faces. Their days
