In the first age of man, we were commanded to seed the world.

In the second age of man, we were commanded to seed all the worlds our sun touched.

In the third age of man we were commanded to expand no longer. It was a command we did not obey.

In the fourth age of man, mankind discovered why we should have obeyed.

— last words of Bjorn the prophet

The iron shield was a fourth generation flag ship built during the second wave of Sutherlands military expansion. Back then practicality superseded artistic design. It was a grey skyscraper with twin engines the size of city blocks, and a barrel built down its center to the prow. It was a weapon encapsulated by the construction of heavy armor and layers of deck space for its inhabitants, all living off a nuclear generator.

Alexander's favorite ship builders were the architects of Liann Juin for they considered each vessel to be a work of art. Every panel, and every angle was built to look pleasingly aesthetic to the eye. They were often flamboyant with their artistic expression, using gold and silver to guild their steel. Statues and temples would adorn it with crystal domes and view ports. They built them to look beautiful. 

Alexander had long believed that you could judge a star farring people by how they built their ships. The standard simplicity of Sihnon, the archaic yet practical Sutherland, the independent and over compensating Tyrian, the short tempered S'Hykri, and the decisive yet misjudged Valien. The iron shield would fit the Sutherland namesake aptly.

Being fourth generation, it was nearly fifty years old and long past it's recommended tour of duty. Yet instead of recycling it or refurbishing the aged vessel, Sutherland (in all its wisdom) tasked it with defending one of its newly acquired colonies.

Despite its age it would have been an impressive sight...had it not been burning above them.

"Beautiful..." he didn't know why we said that. Watching a voidship ignite into a flaming coffin for thousands should have been anything but. Despite this he couldn't keep his eyes off the kilometer long warship dive into the distance. Somehow it's fall seemed slower than it should be, the sudden change in pressure dragged the clouds behind it.

"Yes it is..." Chloes voice was strained like her voice was parched. He turned to look at her and was surprised by how her eyes was not toward the sky at all. She licked her thin yet beautiful lips while her eyes seemed transfixed toward his crotch.

The shockwave of the Iron Shield struck them, even miles away it was strong enough to cause windows to crack and a gust of wind to suddenly hit them. Chloes dress was immediately caught in it and it's thin straps failed to contain her. Skin met the dawn and the fire light in the distance sent dancing waves highlighting every curve. His eyes studied her, as much as would be revealed. Alexander Gunn was fascinated with the specimen before him. All thoughts of his former lover evaporated that instant.

"I want...you..." she spoke like she was somehow possessed. Even her accent aroused him. She was entirely oblivious to how exposed she was...no that wasn't it. It was as if she enjoyed how exposed she was. The air gave her porcelain skin goosebumps.

Alex raised an eyebrow as she walked toward him, her legs were shaking. Her magnificent breasts nearly free from the thin fabric and eager to be felt. A string of drool squeezed from her lips, she never stopped looking at him.

"There's literally a warship falling from the sky and you are...wait...," he scratched his hair in frustration. How could he have forgotten her predicament. She was a victim of circumstances, augmented by bliss and addicted to sexual pleasure. She wasn't watching the mayhem miles away because her brain chemistry denied her the ability. Her craving needed to be sated.

She got within arms reach and threw herself onto him. She smelled like stale sweat and dirt, but it felt good to have her body press against him. She was so tender, so gentle yet fierce. She was too short to meet his lips so she settled for kissing his neck and was fiddling with the buttons on his jacket. Her fingers had blisters and had a hard time unbuttoning them.

He wanted to surrender to his own desires but grabbed her shoulders to hold her in place. He looked her in the eye and saw the feverish temptation forever haunting her, but there was something else deeper still. The woman was more than her desires, she was much more. He embraced her to offer her something she had been denied since her body was changed...something human, a simple kindness devoid of anything demanded in return.

She stopped trying to dig into his coat and her heartbeat slowed slightly. Her breathing didn't relent, she was still fighting her new self. After several minutes she closed her eyes, comforted by his warmth, and went slack.

Alexander wanted to say something but didn't know what to say. Her eyes drifted into a gentle sleep and he continued to wrap his arms around her until he could carry her. As the klaxons in the distance cried out in alarm, every single monitor on every bill board suddenly changed. Where before they streamed an endless cycle of advertisement and local news or sports, now they displayed the same message in multiple languages included binary.

'The emperor is coming!'