He shrugged."You can be replaced."
Veta's face paled.
She started to move.
The Emperor raised his own weapon, a blaster he had tucked into his cloak thing.Held it out like he was going to shoot her.Instead, he turned it on Caoimhe.
Bahran froze.His heart hammered in his chest, and the fury he'd felt before had quadrupled into a rage he'd never known.
Too angry to be still, too frightened that he would shoot Caoimhe to move.Internally, he scanned the room, searching for an option, a way to get around the shielding that covered the Emperor.His scans revealed that the shield was more like a wall in front of them.
If he could get around the side, between her and him, he could take him out, remove him from the equation, and save Caoimhe.
"Really, father?Your'e going to use me as a hostage?"Caoimhe said.
there was movement all around the room, and Bahran started to step forward.
The Emperor grabbed Caoimhe's injured arm and yanked hard.
Caoimhe screamed and pulled away as best she could, cowering to the floor, her gaze darting behind her, and back.
His scans alerted him to feedback from behind the Emperor.
What the?Bahran adjusted the blaster grip, ready to take out whoever was back there.He had guards back there the whole time?
"I am the Emperor of the Terran Empire.You can't change that, and you cannot stop me.I cannot be ki---"
Thunk.
The Emperor's head rolled across the floor.
Caoimhe jerked out of the way as the body fell to the floor.
Bahran blinked.
Jedriek stood behind him, blade in his hand, the cloaking armor disengaging."What, did you want to hear his speech?"
Freya glanced at Caoimhe."Are you ready?"She helped her brush her hair back and do some weird pinching thing to her face.Whatever it was, she seemed to look more rosy and beautiful than ever.
Like a queen, not just a female.Ready to lead her people.
They had moved off the weapon and back onto the ship the ambassadors had taken.Caoimhe had wanted to reach out to her people as well as through Master System out to the Rhimodians.To announce the end of the war, recall the military, and tell the humanoids on both sides that it was time to move forward in peace.
His heart went out to her.He was proud of who she was, and the undertaking she had before her.Not that him, being Tarnished, should matter to an Empress, but it brought him a great deal of joy knowing that she did approve of him as a friend.
Partner.
Commitment.
Because, Tarnished or not, he would not let her go on without him.He had to make sure she was well.He'd made a promise, after all.He would not break his word to keep her safe and make sure she had whatever it was she needed.
Before, he'd made that commitment to make sure she was not harmed during the mission--and even then, it was partially for selfish reasons.He wanted to make sure his people were returned home.Now, though, that had changed.He could not imagine what he would do without her in his world.She activated his Craving, yes, but she activated so much more in his systems.Things he did not know were there.
Things that made him feel more complete than anything ever had before.
Caoimhe squared her shoulders and looked at the camera."Broadcast on all frequencies in the Terran Empire as well as at the Rhimodian network, please."
"Master System has already tapped in," Bahran said from the pilot's chair, going over the telemetry in the area.Sensors received data from both sides of the starfield--from the Sol system and from the Terran Empire."And the Rhimodian prisoners of war are on their way back to Sol.I just received their planned route."
