“The Holy Emperor? The Great Phoenix? The Dominion knows no god but the one true god, whose name is Science. And before you threaten to burn us, my Lord, know that the Dominion can deploy ten battlefleets for every Imperial battlefleet mobilized against us. As such, I would advise that you be a little more...patient.”

-  Liam Fitzgerald III, Emperor of the Cybernetic Dominion, to Lord Barry, Imperial Baron of the Holy Phoenix Empire and envoy of the Holy Emperor. 

Warden Locke stood on the dock with a distinct lack of expression on his face. Even from here, he could hear the screams coming from the transport ship. That was the byproduct of the torturing that the guards were committing over the crew members stationed on the ship. The guards had to break these crew as quickly as possible, transforming them from enemies into loyal servants of Alexander Wolf. 

The same way the guards themselves were tortured and converted. The same way the Warden himself was converted. 

Did the Warden enjoy hearing the sound of the cries and the begging? No. Unlike many of his former brothers in arms, he wasn’t turned into a mad sadist by all the blood and gore. He still had sympathy, yet his sympathy, much like his family, had to give way to the new loyalty forced onto him. 

The connections in the psychic network were growing. More and more of the crew were tortured into swearing the oath and handing away their souls for all of eternity. Some of them were tough individuals, but toughness could only go so far.

Footsteps came from behind as Alexander slowly approached Warden Locke. 

“Well done, Warden.” The Lord of Agony said quietly as the same cries and screams reached his ears as well. Much like the Warden, he wasn’t entertained. “I can sense the First Officer becoming one of us. The Captain isn’t with us yet, but I suppose it will just be a matter of time before he yields.” 

The Warden scoffed at the words. “Isn’t that the case with us all? We all yield, one way or another. It is just a matter of time.” 

Alexander turned and glanced at the Warden. He only saw the Warden three months ago. Even now, the young man could still remember when they first met. The Warden just returned from watching dozens of his colleagues get burned alive by ONI for suspicion of treason. He was traumatized and terrified that he, his wife, and his girls would suffer the same fate. So the Warden tried to break Alexander and earn himself the favor of Count Lamb. 

That didn't work. The second time they met was two months ago when the Warden told Alexander that he was no longer useful and that he would be executed. That was the most danger Alexander had faced ever since he became a Lord of Agony. He was tied up in a room with the Warden and two guards. 

Instead of admitting defeat, Alexander fought. By using his powers and speed, combined with a lot of luck and the poor design of the interrogation room, he turned the Warden into his servant by doing something he himself disdained. By threatening his family. 

Ever since then, the Warden served Alexander faithfully, not that he had a choice. The Warden was responsible for converting the Vice-Warden and pretty much everyone else in the facility. He was responsible for coming up with the plan of getting Alexander off the island, and he was the one overseeing the execution of the very successful plan. 

Without the Warden, Alexander wouldn’t have gotten this far at all. Sure, the Warden didn't quite have a say in whether to help him, but he did, and Alexander was grateful for it. 

“Again, I am sorry for what I did to you.” The young man repeated. “But I couldn’t die in the prison, Warden. I just couldn’t. If I died back there, that would mean my family would forever be remembered by the galaxy as traitors and liars. That all those that betrayed us would get to live out their lives in wealth and prosperity. Then all the citizens of System Obsidian will live under the oppressive regime of Lamb. That I cannot allow.” 

Warden Locke bit his lips. He turned and stared into Alexander’s eyes. 

“My Lord. I know this won’t change your mind, but we live in a cruel universe, my Lord. In most cases, good men end up dead while the wicked find themselves prospering. When I was deployed in the Coligia Sector against the Republic, commanders who sacrificed their armies and ships in battle were seen as capable and decisive. Those who tried to preserve the lives of their men were frowned upon and declared as weak and cowardly. I respect your cause, my Lord, but real life and idealism don’t work well together.”

“Perhaps.” Alexander shrugged. “Then again, I would hardly call myself idealistic. Or noble, for the matter. Not when I did what I did to all of you.” 

The two stood there for a while before the Warden brought up another issue. 

“My Lord. I heard from Ms. Allen that you are planning to assassinate Count Lamb after you make it back to Valoria.” He paused, carefully examining Alexander’s expressions. “Is it true?”

“Yes.” 

“You will fail, my Lord.” 

Alexander snapped to Warden Locke, clearly dissatisfied by the man’s comments. The Warden knew this might not be the best for Alexander’s impression of him, but he continued nonetheless.  

“My Lord, when was the last time you heard about an Imperial Noble who got assassinated?” The Warden paused as he organized his words. “Forgive me, my Lord, but aside from the late Count Wolf...only a handful of Imperial Nobles have ever been assassinated, and most of the assassinations were rumored to be ordered by the Republic, the UWK, or the Holy Emperor himself. For someone like you to assassinate Count Lamb…” 

He paused and gave Alexander a moment to comprehend what he meant before continuing. 

“Count Lamb is a cautious and paranoid man, just judging from what the ONI team said and did. By the time you return to Valoria, his influence will have infiltrated every aspect of society. The CSF will be loyal to him. ONI will serve him. He will certainly have his spies and personal guards all over the place. The possibility of you being able to assassinate him, even with the help of the Allen family and whatever other resources you will be able to control, is slim.” 

“Perhaps, but he will still have weaknesses.” Alexander answered quietly, unconvinced. “All I have to do is find one of his personal guards or close servants, turn them into a Disciple, and have that person slit Lamb’s throat in his sleep. Even if it fails...the Disciple will never be able to confess about me.” 

“Maybe not, but again, I wouldn’t underestimate ONI if I were you, my Lord.” The Warden repeated once again. “Your ability to convert people to your worship is powerful, but it is far from invincible. Assuming the conversion process itself is flawless, ONI will still be able to find out where the said assassin was. They will be able to trace back to you, my Lord, and in doing so, they will be able to track down every single one of us.” 

Alexander finally knew why the Warden was so persistent in trying to change his mind. Once again, self-preservation, similar to why Cara was trying to stop him. Both were trying to protect their families. 

Alexander understood where Cara and Warden Locke were coming from. He knew that his desire for vengeance might get their families spots on Count Lamb’s burning stakes. Yet…yet ultimately, Alexander was just a teenager. Just a young man who was traumatized to the core. Logic wasn’t exactly his strong suit, especially when it came to topics like this.

“So what do you suggest, Warden?” He asked with a low voice. “That I give up on vengeance? That I do what Cara said and just find a city on the planet to settle down? Get a job and live the life of an ordinary person?”

“No.” If the Warden said yes, he would be a fool. “My Lord, I am simply suggesting that you take things slowly. You can start with the Allen family and then start making your way into every aspect of the planet. The government. The media. The police force and the CSF. The common civilians. Even those serving in Battlefleet Obsidian will come down to the planet from time to time, which means they are vulnerable to conversions too. It may take a while, but eventually, you will have the entire planet under your command! At that point, taking care of Count Lamb will be a piece of cake!”

Alexander stood there in silence for a few minutes. Warden Locke stayed quiet as well. For a while, the only sound that could be heard on the dock was the faint screams of the tortured, although most of the screams had stopped. It was surprising how weak loyalty was in the face of endless agony. 

Another fresh connection told Alexander that Captain Dawson had become the newest Disciple. Most of the crew were turned, and the ones left were going to get a shift in loyalty soon. That was when the young man finally came up with a response.

“How long will that take, Warden? A year? Five years? Ten? Ten years that my enemies will live in safety and enjoyment. Ten years that justice will be delayed. Ten years that Lamb and the others will have to grow even more powerful than they are now. I told Cara this a while ago, and I will tell you this again now. I...I can’t wait. I just can’t.” Alexander said slowly, his voice quiet but unwavering. “I will be careful, Warden, but...but my decision is final. I...I am sorry, but I have to do this...Henry.”

The Warden sighed. He did his best. At this point, he had done all he could. All he had left now...was to pray.

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