Chapter 19

• EMPEROR ARION
• On the hologram, we watched footage from the attack that led to Black Brigade's downfall. The Serpions had dismantled my elite warriors as if they were made of glass. It had been more of a slaughterhouse than a battle. Everything my army had thrown at the Serpion had not affected them. The black exoskeleton protected the Serpion from blades and fire.
• By the time relief arrived at the military base, everything was in ruins. The post was a blaze. There wasn't a single elite warrior left standing. Armour plates had been punctured by the Serpions' claws. Heads ripped off bodies. Frozen in time, the terror the warrior displayed before they returned to the creator.
• The high-ranking generals of the Imperial Council gathered around the projectors. Their expressions mirrored mine. This was a disaster. With the Xanthor aliens nearing, this was the last thing I wanted to deal with.
• "The imperial medical examiner stated that the chips that controlled the Serpions had been cut out." One of my generals had spoken up.
• "So my assets roam freely. Uncontrollable. This isn't what I was wanting."
• The Minister of Military whispered. "The 'Hollow Crescent' formation. The last elite warriors to use that formation were destroyed twenty years ago."
• "How do you know that," I narrowed my sight on the Minister.
• "Because I was the drill sergeant at the time. Lowland military base. The group of elite warriors had designed it themselves. The Captain had been Marsh Aspene. The reports in storage had stated that the BioDynamics Research Lab had been destroyed. All Serpion and scientist had perished along with the military group that had been deployed to handle the situation. Captain Aspene and his group had been the ones to be handed the mission."
• I nodded my head briefly. "Where was the location of BioDynamics Research Lab?"
• "Shadowfen, in the north-east region."
• The council members looked at one another. "Who wrote the report?" I had asked the question. I wanted to believe the report was not falsified.
• The Serpions were supposed to be intelligent enough to follow commands. And nothing more. What we saw was completely different. They were executing a drill that shouldn't have existed.
• "I don't have the answer at the moment. I can relocate the information if you wish?"
• "Of course I want you to find the information." I snapped.
• The irony coated my tongue with acid. The very thing I had created to fight my wars was attacking my elite warriors. It felt like I was chewing on rusted nails.
• I paced the length of the war room. My gaze flickered to the holographic projector. "Show me the map that reveals every science lab's location."
• I studied the map. There were nine other labs sparsely positioned. A nasty thought had entered my mind.
• My finger rapped on the tabletop. I could not shake the thought that the new leader of this group would advance. Liberating my creations. Taking over and displacing me from the throne. To be outplayed by the very things that were to be under my control.
• My voice was low. "They are no longer an asset," I stated.
• I looked directly at the Minister of Military. "The Serpions cannot be recaptured. They cannot be reasoned with. That leaves only one other option. They must be eliminated. Every single one."
• "Your Majesty," the Minister of Military gestured toward the holographic map. "Is that an order, the aggressors have stopped their advancement."
• "And I will take advantage of their resting time. The elimination will happen as I order. Before the leader can liberate the others." I turned off the projector. "That is what I would do if I were in their situation."
• The Ministry of Military lowered his head. "I will place the order at once. Your decree will be followed through."