Here is a short preview of Conquest of Heroes: Trinity, which is due for release next year.
Enjoy
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BOOK ONE
THE FATHER
The warship Romulus just over half a mile long was the largest and
most powerful of all the Order’s Dreadnought s. This new ship, which
represented the technological superiority of the world’s newest and greatest
power, descended through the clouds and came in low just over four thousand
feet above the Atlantic Ocean; headed west towards the eastern seaboard of what
had six months ago been the United States of America.
Its massive engines rumbled, easily heard for miles in all
directions. The Romulus was the flagship and pride of the Order’s grand fleet,
and onboard was the most powerful man the world had ever known – an immortal –
a man that was not a god, but more than human.
All along the waterways, rivers and streets, even among the tops
of the tallest buildings, hundreds of thousands, if not millions of people
looked on in amazement as the massive airship flew over the City, displaying
the Order’s military and technological supremacy. They knew who was on board,
and while they wouldn’t get to see the emperor, just seeing his power, this
near, was awe-inspiring.
Its slow descent, however, wasn’t meant to end in New York City,
but further west at a military compound inside of New Jersey.
Onboard was Tyrannus, who looked down at his
city as his ship flew over Manhattan. In the distance, almost close enough that
he could have reached out and touched, were the five towers that he had called
his home for over twenty years.
Six months ago, Tyrannus went by another name, one he had lived
under for nearly half a century, General Gaius Farrell. And while Gaius was his real name, or at
least it had been when he was a Roman citizen centuries ago, Farrell had been
the ruse. He had taken many names in his long life, and played many roles over
the past two thousand years, but the role of General Farrell had been one of
his favorites.
Few people, not even his closest commanders within the Order, or
his adopted daughter Velvet, had known that Tyrannus was also Farrell.
Even now as Tyrannus looked down on his city; his empire, he knew
that not everything had gone as he had planned. While half of this country was
his, his rule over North American only went as far as the Rocky Mountains. And
even with Excalibur in orbit, two hundred
miles above the earth, there were those beyond his reach that continued to
resist his authority, and openly opposed his rightful place as ruler of this
world.
Most troublesome for him, and unexpected was his seeds — his
children’s defiance against him.
A son by birth who went by the name of Halo; Tyrannus’ heir to his
empire, and a daughter, adopted but still loved, Velvet, had both betrayed him
during the Order’s final hour of total conquest.
As Tyrannus looked down through the large window that gave him the
most amazing view of New York City, he knew that down there somewhere, hidden
beneath the streets his two children, who he still loved in his own way, fought
against him alongside the rebels, who like the famed New York cockroach had
been hard to crush. He had faith, regardless that they could, somehow, someday, see the world that
he sought to create, and return by his side; standing as equal rulers and heirs
of the world he now governed.
The Romulus came down on the field that had been cleared to house
the massive warship.
Tyrannus could see the parade that awaited his arrival as
thousands of his imperial troopers, mutant officers, stalkers, hunter killers
and all other sorts of Order military units and their commanders stood in
formation.
This had been the first time that Tyrannus had returned to North
America since the invasion had ended. His capital was Rome, his true home,
which he had rebuilt to its former glory. This time, he did not intend to
leave. There was so much that needed to be done as the empire he had first
dreamt of centuries ago, had still a long way to go before it was complete.
And still, despite all that he had accomplished, there was a war
that needed to be won. Tyrannus would not allow anarchy to continue, not when
the future of the world was at stake.
The engines of the Romulus stopped a few minutes after the ship
landed safely on the tarmac.
The honor guard of twenty thousand Order soldiers stood ready, in
silence as a large ramp cracked open and lowered.
When it touched the ground, the first out of the Romulus wasn’t
Tyrannus but instead, his elite guards.
The Imperial Guards were covered in long and flowing dark purple
robes that touched the ground. Their heads were topped with hoods, while their
faces were adorned with a fearsome, seemly demotic mask.
In each of the two dozen guard’s hands, they carried a fifteen
foot lance, their only means of defense, but the only weapon they needed.
These men and women, no one but Tyrannus commanded. Their oath and
existence were to him alone. It was he that they would lay their lives down
without a moment’s hesitation.
Once the Imperial Guards reached the bottom, they stopped and
turned, facing one another as they awaited the emperor to come down next.
Once Tyrannus did come into view, the officers down below called
out for the honor guard to snap to attention, and salute their ruler, which
they did.
The bright summer sun glared into his eyes as he stood at the head
of the long ramp. It didn’t bother him nor did he feel the need to cover his
eyes from the sun’s glare. To consider doing so would have shown weakness in
front of his men.
He felt pride in seeing his grand army stretched out before him,
standing in the open. No such force had ever existed before, or since.
In the past, for a thousand years since he had created the Order,
they had existed in shadows as myths and whispers. Now, the whole world knew of
them and what it represented for the future of humanity.
Tyrannus moved towards several awaiting high-ranking officers. He
knew them all. He also knew that more than a few weren’t altogether happy that
he had decided to return to New York City, after his six-month absence. In his
time away, some of his top generals had come accustomed to believing they had
full authority over this region. None more so than the woman who stood first,
ready to greet him.
“We are honored that our
Emperor has returned,” Legate Gideon spoke for the entire group.
“I am sure you are." Tyrannus commented with a slight grin.
He looked at his legate, taking in every detail of her unusual
dress, which was long, made from hard black leather that had many straps
attached to the front, running down to the floor. She looked devilishly elegant
and attractive, even Tyrannus had to admit. However, it was not the accustom
uniform of Order officer of such stature, at least not what the general
civilian population got the chance to see. Nevertheless, Tyrannus knew that
Gideon was more than likely trying to make some silent statement, in seeming
equal to him by not wearing her standard uniform.
Of all his officers, the legate was one that he both knew he could
trust, yet, knew he couldn’t. She was appointed as Legate of the Order, highest
ranking officer in the empire; second only to him, by chance.
Several months ago, three previous legates had all been murdered
by the one man whom Tyrannus had continually underestimated. That man was
Arkady.
Despite the protection they had, Arkady somehow continued to find
the means to eliminate the former legates, throwing the Order into such
disarray that it was still trying to recover from his actions.
Gideon then was appointed the fourth legate in five months. She
too would become the target of Arkady, and just narrowly escaped his bullet.
However, Tyrannus knew, or at least suspected that Gideon had more knowledge of
what was going on than she would admit about how Arkady had managed to gain
access to three of the most protected men in the whole empire.
Tyrannus had known that she craved power and authority above
anything else. She wanted more, even if she never said it out loud. And above
anything else, she wanted the position of the legate, but she never showed any
ambitions to take the office until it was given to her by default.
He suspected what the truth might have been; that Gideon, in her
quiet hunger for power, did not want to be the Legate of the Order that existed
in the shadows and name only, nor did she want the position when they ruled
over Europe. No, Gideon wanted the entire world, which is what she got.
Even though Tyrannus knew that her ambitions might cause her to
want more, perhaps the seat of the Empress itself in the future, he knew she was
his most devoted and efficient officer who had furthered his goals further than
any other man so far. With her, the Order was stronger, but still, he made it a
point to never turn his back on her, or allow Gideon to have too much room to
move around, which was why he partly decided to return.
“I trust the ceremony is still on schedule?” Tyrannus asked as he
walked through the ranks of his Order army, all of whom, even in the heat stood
their ground in perfect stillness.
“Yes, my Lord,” Gideon answered as she walked beside, but slightly
behind Tyrannus.
“The rebels have, however, shown a desire to prevent the ceremony
from taking place.”
“So I’ve heard.”
“They’ve launched numerous attacks along the Great Plains and the
Rockies. We have held them back from advancing beyond their current lines.
There has also been an increase of attacks within the city, including an
attempt to secure the statue itself. However, nothing so far has put our
overall plans in jeopardy,” Gideon reported.
“You’ve done well in keeping order, Legate.”
“Thank you, my Lord.”
“But you can do better,” Tyrannus said as he glanced back at
Gideon, who looked disappointed.
“Yes, my Lord. I have no excuses. Will you be attending the
ceremony, yourself?” Gideon then asked after a few seconds of silence.
“No. You can handle the proceedings. You are supposed to be the
face of this Empire after all."
“Understood, my Lord,” Gideon said with a smile.
“This was your city? Was it not your place of birth?” Tyrannus
asked.
“Yes, my Lord.”
“Good then, all the more fitting that one of New York’s own
daughters bring about this new era.”
Tyrannus reached the transport that would take him back to New
York City. He watched as his guards loaded a large container into the back of
the waiting transport.
“If I may ask, what are your men loading into your transport?”
Gideon observed as the Imperial Guards slid the large container into the back.
“The future,” Tyrannus simply said as he glanced back at her
before he stepped away from Gideon and the other officers, which all stood and
saluted him as he stepped towards his awaiting ship.
Several minutes later, the transport, under escort from the Order
Rapiers, flew back towards New York. The accommodations onboard weren’t fitting
for the emperor of the world, but he wasn’t interested in any more parades or
ceremonies this day. He just wanted to get back to the five buildings that had
once been called the Knight-Watch towers.
He cared little about the ceremony that was coming up in a few
hours, but did understand its importance, and why the rebels would want to stop
it. However, Tyrannus did not need the press or a world audience to justify his
rightfulness as ruler. He would leave all of that for Gideon, for she was the
one that craved such admiration.
No, all that Tyrannus cared about was right before him.
As he ran his hands over the large container, he could feel the
cold coming off from the object that was kept safely inside.
He hadn’t lied to Gideon when she had asked what was inside. The
future of his empire and the salvation of the human race was what he kept
within.
There was still so much to do; goals and obstacles that his mortal
officers knew nothing about.
While they festered on, worrying about today’s ceremony, or the
continuing rebel attacks, Tyrannus knew through experience, knew because he was
immortal, the present didn’t matter as much as what was to come. He would
outlive all of them – see more than they would ever see, and knew from
experience that in time, his patience would prevail over any opposition. Still,
to create the perfect order, the hearts and minds of mankind needed a little
push.
He closed his eyes as he settled his hand over the front of the
container. He could feel what was inside reach out to his mind. It was a
pleasant experience, yet its touch drew up painful memories.
While Tyrannus was immortal and had seen more than any other human
eyes should see, there were memories that he couldn’t escape. His time in Rome
had brought those memories back, and they had lingered longer than he would
have liked, namely the memory of one person, in particular.
There was a time that he was a different man; a man who loved
many, and pledged his loyalty to another dream.
There was once a man named Gaius Marcus
Tyrannus; a Roman officer who had dedicated his life to the dreams and
ambitions of another man, not entirely unlike himself – a man who would reshape
the world in his own image, and in doing so would topple a republic.
