Alexander stared at the piles of papers that is piled to his desk. He stayed at his estate in Mars Sara after he checked the influence of Vashtorr handiwork.
Its been 2 years since the fall of the UED.
Two years before the start of the end.
All he gotten from the UED is a bunch of bills and painful reminders.
The reports came in daily and even if he is on the field, the bills and invoice were like a tide of data streams.
Military expenditures and civilians infrastructure is flooding in. His revenue is enough to stem the tide.
He already trained officials that followed his vision for the past few decades. They slowly handle his workload until he is truly free.
The counter invasion of the Imperium against the United Earth Directorate was costly, and the rebuilding is expensive.
5 billion citizens of the UED... Out of 5 trillion.
Infrastructure needing a complete overhaul and ruined planets. Planets have to be terraformed and factories to be remade.
After signing the bill that held the pension of the dead soldiers to the loved ones, he did felt remorse.
The Crusade fleet was in a way... Half baked.
He would needed time to refined the technology and improve the survival chances.
And the retrofitting his troops is not even completed, it supposed to be taken 4 more years to be fully retrofitted...
When he heard the Warhammer Tech being research upon the UED, he had to moved up the timetable.
He glanced the proposal of a monument of the dead.
343 regiments dead, each were five hundred thousand men and women. Dead and unable to stand beside him... Unable to return home.
2670 Acclamator and five squadron of lancer frigates were unable to heed the Imperium calling. They were the unfinished vessels for retrofitting plan
3 Imperial knights, under experimental shelling by the UED Cruicio Siege tanks.
The UED used what is essentially primitive Vortex shells.
And fifteen Iron warriors died in that crusade.
Fifteen sons died on Terra...
That is not accounting the combat servitors that were made of criminals and war material.
On the surface, to the outsiders, it was a costly business. He was insane to invade old earth and conquer it. But to him... It was rewarding, now, he have no more enemies behind his back and he can focused on the Zerg and Dominion.
The UED was a footnote in Imperium history.
A faction that tried to play god and got scorched by the faithful.
Many of the UED citizens had no sense of obligation to the former regime, because it was forcefully cobbled up to be the way that it was...
To Alexander perspective, it was similar to Starships Troopers, without the chance of soldiers becoming citizenship, as their powers centralized to a council to dictate their fate
It failed spectacularly the moment the human experimentation became the norm.
Had he didn't move the timetable to invade...
He paused his pen...
Would he be able to fight the UED?
When he saw the cheap imitation of Amon Hybrids that used human flesh, he shudder inwardly.
That thing was more of a violation of reality.
He is aware the servant of Amon have plenty of these hybrids scattered across the cosmos... But the question is... How many?
And... Will they use humans as a cheaper genetic material?
He glanced beside his desk.. it held several pictures of the Primarchs and his biological siblings... He closed his eyes as he knew his journey is ahead.
With the news spread across the Koprulu Sector and nearby factions, they either fear him or respect him.
The Protoss heeded nothing of Terran affairs as the loss of their population in the brood war was substantial, and they focus more on getting their Capital planet of Aiur back, Selendis is the head of their organization I charge in case the Koprulu Sector is not under infestation.
Zerg? Alexander knew they are listening to the broadcast. And Kerrigan is been busy purging the remnants of celebrate control.
And she's been silent. Too... Silent. More fleets were made and ready for her assault.
Factory and forge worlds were given orders to triple their production.
Umojans appreciate that they had a reliable human ally that they joined forces, and Alexander gave them the screened UED technology to the Umojans to reverse research as a gift to his godson Valerian Mengsk.
Kel-Morian Combine fears him, as the pirates they employed disappeared in his space and the fact that he still have forces to spare to defend the border and still invade is crazy. And they didn't realize that they already marked themselves for death the moment they colluding with pirates.
The Dominion was indifferent, to the common people, it was a hopeful signs for them to join a military alliance with the Imperium than just a ceasefire.
But the higher-ups knew, there was a reason why Alexander never trusted Acturus Mengsk, he always called Acturus in the Holo video than just meeting him in person.
A chained wolf is still a wolf.
And knowing the man Ambitious desire to conquer the Koprulu Sector, Alexander sighed. As his Imperium is the check to his ambition.
As he kept this mundane paperwork.
He had a strange visitor. He was alerted of this.. unusual visitor that supposed to be in the Dominion. He smiled as a petition came from a familiar name...
A man dressed in imperial regalia fitting for a prince stood outside the door with his attendant that is accompanied by his escorts.
He breathe a sighed of contemplation.
As he arrive at Mars Sara, he couldn't believe that it was changed for the better.
Even before he landed, he saw giant ships floating above the planet to guard the man below, enormous than his father flagship.
And he was escorted by a military column.
Tanks for being escorts was a new thing.
A limousine was provided for him.
As they headed to the High Lord Estate.
He looked outside from his given transport.
He saw the people were... Happy.
And he saw a family of three that is cheerfully walked past his escort... He could think of a happier time when... He was just a kid and his mother told him stories about his father.
How he was a rebel for the righteous cause.
But as the years go by, they drifted apart.
When he didn't have this much burden.
He arrived to his father rival with a proposition without his father knowing it.
The estate was... Simple compared to his father tower, where his father built it that towered the heavens as if to... Oversee everything, and controlled every single lives... To Alexander Solair....
It was two acre building that was staffed with maids and cleaning crews, he could see the greenery and a strange flaming tree that was like a symbol of the man he is going to meet.
He could see the hallway was just filled with maids and butlers walking by.
They didn't even noticed the arrival as they done their duty.
And plenty of soldiers at the ground floor. Looked well trained as they stood guard and their finger is on the trigger as they escorted the delegation.
They led into corridors of pictures of depicting wars beyond their scale.
Valerian noticed some picture were faded.
And the man stood with twenty giant men and the center of it was a divine figure and a hooded that stood beside him...
"Hello, High Lord Alexander Solair, this is the delegation of Prince Valerian Mengsk of the Dominion of man, here to request your, may we come in?" His attendant asked.
"Come in." a voice came from the door.
They appear before a mundane office.
It was not what they were expecting, for a man that send numerous ships to the Old Earth, he was not that arrogant, the office furniture is cashmere made and a fireplace was nearby and the mini bar was beside a bookshelf nearby.
But the noticing factor was a pile of embalmed skulls that is neatly piled in a pyramid in a corner .
Valerian noticed that there were nameplates embedded on the skulls and found that it was pirates captains that disappeared in History, longer than he been alive.
Before him sat a man that is waiting for him to speak.
The man that saved his mother looked at him kindly. Something he never see his own father even smiled once...
"Welcome, Prince Valerian, what brings you to this humble abode? His voice spoke softly but firm.
"High Lord Alexander Solair, you may have heard of the Situation at Korhal affairs?"
"The sum of it yes, but I prefer to hear it from you."
"Ever since you conquer Korhal from the UED, some of my people question about our legitimacy of being the Dominion. So I came here with a proposition."
Alexander sighed as he spoke.
"I see... It was better to be saved by humans than actual Zergs. The public can digest it faster anyway."
He flick his hand. Valerian noticed that two pot of tea is floated nearby and a cup approached his hand.
"Coffee? Or black tea? I got it from Old Earth. " The man spoke cheerfully.
"Black tea." Valerian spoke.
"Ah... Decisive like your grandfather..." The man smiled.
"When meeting me, I already feel the nervousness of your heartbeat when you arrive at the first floor, so drink and calm yourself.
And don't worry, I don't poison people that have the courage to face me. I brew it myself."
"Thank you."
After Valerian took a sip and calmed down. He began to speak.
"My proposal is simple. I own the Mobius foundation. And during this past few years, my father banned all research on xenos artifacts, we managed to find clues to a artifact to theoretically bring the Queen of blades back to normal."
"Go on."
"With your help endorsing my plan, rehabilitating the queen of blades, Rebel Jim Raynor by my side to aid humanity and freeing the galaxy from the nightmare, would put me on the throne."
"Why didn't you contact Raynor first instead of me? He already retired from my service years ago."
"But you never leave a man like his caliber away from your eyes?"
"Sneaky like your dad as well, its true we kept contact. And he's off the grid at the moment. Now tell me where's the artifact?"
"My sources indicate that one such part is in your territory. And with your permission, we can begin the excavation."
"Can you tell me who is the source, I don't want some anonymous tip of someone just want to mess with my people." Alexander growled.
"It's... Someone reliable."
"Fine, I will not pry further." Alexander sighed.
"Can you allowed at least a fleet in your space to gather the artifacts?"
"Valerian... That is a bad idea, as you know what would you do if a foreign fleet is barging into Dominion space...
And most of my fleets now is patrolling the border of my newly conquered territory and we are defending against the Zerg... But... There is one fleet that I could pull my strings..."
"You're taking about Raynor Raiders?" Valerian is surprised. He couldn't get one of this massive ships defending the Dominion.
But having Raynor would improve his chances.
"You have to supply him with money and resources with your Mobius tech.
Our technology is... Not open for others.
As to not alert your father of your intervention, did you have a man called Narud?"
"He is the head of my research division. Why do you ask?"
"Don't let the matter of our cooperation reached his ears, he got the Emperor ears as he is planted in your organization by your father." Alexander spoke.
Valerian understood, that his father didn't even trust him....
"Anyway, what is your official reason for visiting?"
"Officially , I came here to renew the ceasefire and increase the volume of trade agreement, especially the UED technology that you managed to gathered."
"Hmm, the first two is okay, but the last is to be discussed properly, that tech is dangerous, at best I will give you the medical technology from the UED. Is that enough for him to be sastified?"
"Understood, and one last thing, can I... visit my mother and Aunt?"
"Of course, but you must rest, tomorrow afternoon I will guide you to her, with your escorts staying in this place." Alexander smiled.
"Don't worry, there's a reason why your mother named me your godson. I may be a butcher, but not a monster.
The journey must be tough... We will have our dinner at 7 o'clock this evening. Feel free to look around and if confused, get a staff to find your way. Your escorts would be in rooms adjacent to you." Alexander smiled.
The day went by, Valerian wander about the mansion and inquire the people there.
They were orphans and abandoned children during the rise of the imperial long before the Confederacy was a thing.
Valerian was surprised that he employed Psychics as a cleaning maids.
He watched as one such maid used her telekinesis to wipe the windows with a towel.
He did have harbor some biases as his Father used these people as Ghost to defend his Dominion in the shadows. And this was the first time he see someone used their ability to complete a mundane task.
But as he gather information, he was not bloodthirsty as his father would have said it.
From what he could gather, the man did care about his people. And there was no criminals in his empire...
He asked a question to one such staff a question.
"Why did he called himself a High Lord? Instead of a Emperor?" Valerian spoke. Because usually when it was empires, it was usually the Man who named it became a Emperor.
The staff that was questioned laughed.
"Because there is a god emperor, and the High Lord is his representative of his will."
"Isn't that just a myth? A man that is a god?" Valerian is atheist as his father impounded into his skull that it was man alone that shaped the universe, not some godly being.
Had he knew that one such god is malevolent to Humanity he would have challenge his father thoughts.
But his mother in the message that he received, converted the Imperium Church agreed to this notion that the God Emperor was real.
"No, he is real, and the High Lord is basically the Son of God...there is no being that can admit his mistakes and not weep for the death of his men." The staff cheerfully smiled.
Valerian went into his room and found that it was gaudy and first time he felt tired. He noticed that there was the High Lord spoke to him. That his mother did made him his godfather before his father burned bridges with him...
"That... Is what I need to know."
As dinnertime approached.
Valerian was called to the dining room.
He found himself more like a dining hall than a room. It held all the people that worked there.
And in the table at the edge of this hall, he saw Alexander sat and welcoming him.
"You are punctual, come sit and enjoy your meal with your escorts." He raised a wooden cup as he beckon Valerian to his seat.
"I am surprise that you allowed to eat with your staff High Lord?" Valerian asked as he sat next to Alexander. He beckon his own escorts to their tables. And food came in from the kitchen.
It was a simple grilled steak doused in lemon and glazed potato mash with a complement of apple pie and Drinks.
"I... Have certain responsibility to take care of them. Their parents gave me their wills and hoped that their future is assured. At least I can hear what my people wanted or... At least understand their complaints. Long before I was the High Lord, I was but a humble soldier for a Empire that spanned the stars... This reminds me of the root of my past. That I serve the people and the people protect our vision." The High Lord beside him smiled as he dined with his people.
"I see, so... I heard from your staff that you are the son of god?" Valerian asked.
"*Cough* I am telling them I am not a god. Nor will I ever be... Its complicated."
"Complicated?"
"Well, technically I am related to him, but in a way... I am not. More...like a adopted son. Twice removed."
"I see... Why did you never declare yourself as a Emperor?" Valerian wanted to know from the man himself.
The man beside him spoke softly as he reminisce something..
"Because... All I own, every soldiers that bled beside me, ships that defended my borders, the technology... All given by him.
He had a higher station above me. I am just his steward to defend humanity by his will. I prefer myself as a High Lord, because I know everything that is before you... Was thanks to him."
"Where is he now? Perhaps I would like to speak to him?" Valerian asked, perhaps hoping to meet such a man..
"I'm afraid not, he is in a galaxy...far...far...away with his nine loyal sons... leaving me alone with the eleven... " The man felt bitter, Valerian knew it. But he could see the loneliness in his tone.
But he noticed that man raised his cheerfulness as he raised his cup.
"Enough downside, you should be glad that you are not alone, Valerian. I will ensure that you take the throne, legally, beside you will meet your mother soon. As a Godfather, I will be your protector. Have a good rest Valerian... Tomorrow is a busy day." Valerian noticed the man step up and exited the hall.
As he and his escorts escorted back to their rooms. He lay in bed wondering what is the enigma of the man that he ate dinner with.
In the middle of the night, Valerian wandered the empty hallways.
There was not a trace of the staff as they went to their dorm in another wing.
It was silent, as he wondered what is the man that proclaimed him as a godfather?
He hear a faint chiseling in the distance.
He didn't want to go, but he was curious.
He followed the noise and found a room dedicated to statues.
Fresco and sculptures of different faces and height was placed around in every corner.
And in the center of it all was the High Lord that finished his masterpiece.
It was a man made of marble, with locks of hair, and his face was neutral. To Valerian it was somewhat divine. He saw the High Lord placed this statue in the center of the twenty men.
He heard the man speak as he was done.
"Its... Been a while... Father. I know that I busy fixing this galaxy... But... After I met my godson that became big... Maybe I decided to make a image of you and my brothers. Its been too long... Longer than I cared to admit that I am old now...
I trust Valerian to do the right thing... Though I have doubts about his father... When his father and his mother died... I took up to shelter him and his sister from the confederacy assassination...
Now his father is a loose Cannon. And his ambition would eat him alive."
"I used to believed in him... That he could be better... Better man than the confederacy, better than the UED, a Hero what the people truly needed... My faith in him is misplaced..." Alexander sighed.
Valerian took a step back as he pondered such a thing... But Alexander didn't notice his intrusion as he continue.
"But, I trust in his son... Because he is not fallen to hell... I try to save his son from going into damnation. War is coming... May I have your beliefs in me that I could weather this storm... The Zerg will come the moment that thing my godson spoke about. I will look at him not as a pawn, but as a equal... As long as he keep his humanity...alive."
Valerian briskly walked away from the room.
He wondered what came the days would be met had he... He shrugged off as he fell into his bed.
The next morning he found himself escorted to a facility nearby.
Just a stone throw away was a medical district, Valerian was doubtful, he didn't seen his mother since the UED invaded Korhal.
He had doubts, about the man beside him.
"Go on...your mother awaits."
Alexander spoke.
Valerian entered the facility and found it was a place for rehabilitation of disabilities.
He found the director that is in charge of this facility.
"Excuse me, can you tell me where is Julianna Pasteur?" He spoke of his mother original name before her marriage to Mengsk. She hated that name the most after what Acturus done on Tarsonis.
"Ah, you must be her son? She is waiting for you." The director smiled as he beckon Valerian to follow after him.
As he walked. He saw plenty of patients, those that were rehabilitating
Those with prosthetics were exercising and encourage by their coaches.
And he ended up in the center of the facility.
It was a garden. Filled with sunlight, Valerian saw his mother.
Curly hair and golden, she looked better than she was when she accompanied him on Korhal.
What he saw her in a wheelchair now sat in a chair with a walking stick nearby. And beside her was his supposed Auntie.
Dorothy Mengsk, his father sister that accompanied his mother.
She noticed his arrival and greeted him warmly.
"Julianna, it's your son!" She smiled as his mother looked at him with a warm smiles.
"My son....you looked so well...you grown."
Valerian smiled as he entered the garden as he joined the tea party made by the two.
In a window nearby, Alexander watched as his godson, is having discussion with his family...
Something in him stirred.
It's been so long since he known his family...
Too long since he embrace his wives and daughters...
Too long since he is with his brothers..
Too long since he was away from his father grave...
He smiled as he looked at the family he barely managed to save...
That smile of Valerian... He reminded of himself...
"Sir, report..." A message was interrupted his view.
A report came in. He growled.
The location that Valerian pointed held some form of energy, that his psykers picked up.
And it emitted a frequency that is... Disturbing.
And more reports came in with Zerg is now invading The Koprulu Sector.
This time in greater numbers. And a sizable chunk is heading towards the Imperium.
The Dominion was too busy bothered by Raynor attacks that it didn't noticed the Zerg flooding into the sector once more.
"Raynor, I hope you are bloody ready for your ex-girlfriend reunion. For the star must not lose his shine." Alexander thought to himself.
"Contact Raynor Raiders and have them ready to pick this Damm artifact off my planet!
Alert the population that there is a emergency and all services is halted, and all merchant and businesses have a 6 months of not paying taxes, and their daily operation fees waived in the said duration in the targeted sectors.
Contact the militant generals to arms.
Contact the Arch Magos and get the Mechanicum moving, War awaits and technology blossom. Let the battlefield be their thesis for their research be proven.
And engaged the evacuation protocols, have the System Defense fleets engage the Zerg!
They must not take our blood without payment!
Make them bleed to death!"
Alexander called the command to the now rebel fleet of Raynor Raiders that was resupplying in that was in the fringes world bordering Dominion space called New Beginning.
The war is in the horizon.... After certain setbacks. The Celestial Imperium is ready. It is wounded from two years ago, but still ready. With the 90% completed retrofit of his forces, compared to the previous 34%, they are more than capable.
In the depths of the Armory in numerous planets, Weapons are freshly made by the Mastercrafted Hands of a Techpriest, blessed by the purity seals of ecclesiachy in their local planets..
In the planets that housed hundreds of Imperial Knights, Magos of the Collegium Titanica, silently swept their incense balls to rouse the machine spirit to war. Their stride of clicks and bolts stirred the ancient spirits.
Garrisons across imperium space was alerted. Their untested will, be forged by the anvils of war.
The Engineseers of the Mechanicum, now ready their specialization. Their output of ships, their forge worlds is churning out by the hundreds per hour. Triple than what it had before.
The Machines of war from a dark ages of man, Men of Iron is ready to shed blood for humanity, from their orders they silently agreed.
Even from the Old Earth of the Former UED, that is now the recruiting grounds of the Iron warriors, their orders confirmed, Their Battle barges and strike cruisers are undergoing preparations against the galaxy if need be.
This was not the old Imperium.
This is now a fully sharpen hammer that undergone hardship and survived.
They will face a galaxy of war...
The Koprulu sector will understand...
This war is no longer just the Dominion, the Umojans or the Kel-Morian Combine...
This kind of war, is not like the old from two years ago...
Where they fought for survival, and politician bickering for their spoils.
This is a war that will determine the fate of every faction, the galaxy... And their future.
The dark god in this realm may have their plans for eons, but neglected one key factor...
Humans are spiteful, tenacious bastards.
Especially one that dealt with monsters and demons from hell on everyday basis.
The calls to arms have been spread to every planet and the Aquila is raised up.
One such planet a recruit rushed out of the barracks and replaced the flag by his superior orders.
It was not the Regal blue of peace.. but a crimson blood red that draped upon the regalia of the aquila.
Symbolizing the amount of bloodshed they are willing to bleed for their beliefs.
For they.... Only known war.
(A/n): sorry, the farm i worked in, had been raided by the ccp police on the suspicion of incitement of the riots in the city nearby.
Because we suspected first as we are supposedly tainted by the western ideas as we are smuggling outside the nation.
Long before noticing that the discontented people rioting is because of not getting social security.
and funny, my coworkers were former smugglers, and the Farm is a dumping ground for us, dredges of society. Who would have thought.
We been interrogated for couple of days now.
One found my phone files and asked me why I had YouTube in my burner phone. (YouTube is illegal in China)
Told them, I was under the Wolf warrior program and trash talk the freaks in the west.
"Their suicidal Empathy is their downfall."
"They cater to minority than the majority."
"They forced First world Problems to Third world countries."
"They cared more about Murderers than their own downtrodden and veterans"
"And the west is officially the third world country."
"CIA is the world's biggest crime syndicate. War lords and drug lords only lived off CIA's scraps. And they played kingmakers of what they dealt with JFK. Chaos, not order is in their nature."
(Is that not wrong though?)
Half believed me, but still got punished with cracked ribs and 10 lashes in public after he called the Office that handled my account...
If he can't deal with me... Might as well get something out of it.
And many of us were pretty tortured a bit.
I was lucky, others was electrocuted with shock batons while wearing metal bracelets. And used the waterboarding for one...
They became more... Frustrated and amped our pain.
I will be let out in a few days under supervision. Well, I just have to be the Wolf warrior to fool the folks...
Luckily the one in charge of me, is pretty dumb and didn't learn English as he believes that Mandarin is a superior language, umm every nation I been smuggling into have their own quirks.
Sometimes behind that futuristic cities, there is dystopian beneath the surface.
I noticed through some connections, they amped up the human trafficking request...
This time it's not organs, it's eggs. Human eggs.
Seemed like I just wait if the Robot Pregnant robot is a thing.. or just another scam?
Call it satanic, but debauchery hedonism hiding behind religion fervor is not satanic?