For want of an Empire Part 1

"Grandfather?" The older lizard was snapped from his trance by the young Sarkyte before him. "Just a couple short years until he gets selected for breeding," He thought wishfully as he adjusted his posture and looked to his grandson again. "I'm alright Silus, just remembering.."

"If this is too much I could find-"

"Nonsense, you're supposed to write a paper on the war are you not?" The young Sarkyte nodded his head silently as his grandfather gave him a look. "Then I shall tell you of it. the full unbiased truth of it all, now sit and allow me to gather my thoughts a moment."

​

I remember where I was when I saw that message. Your father had stayed with my brothers family for that night, allowing a much needed rest night for me and your grandmother. It was during the evening news that our broadcast was highjacked. I remember your grandmother joking about it. "The apes are flinging shit again." She joked while wine drunk. But as she disregarded this seeming minor occurrence I stared into the eyes of this, First Emperor of Mankind.

I fought in during the Crisis of Khailshad, before I met your grandmother, you know that. So listen to me when I tell you this Silus: When I looked into the eyes of Caius as he stood, adorned in golden armor and wearing something we later learned was called the Civic Crown. I saw the same fire in them that burned the galaxy just a short 200 years ago at that point. It was the next morning when we heard of the failed offensive against the rebels.

A week later I was called back to the Sarkyte Navy. By then 3 colonies near the rebellion had gone dark and many more across our civilization had been embroiled in the worse slave revolts we had ever seen, our military had already been stretched to its limit. And then it happened, the Battle of the Typhon Nebula, the rebellions first real victory and the first of many of our darkest defeats.

I was there grandson, it was there I truly bore witness to the monsters we had created. Contrary to what you may have been told, we had been there on an assignment completely unrelated to the rebellion.....or so we thought. We had received reports of a large pirate fleet that had amassed in the Typhon Nebula. Our admiral, a lizard who I respect to this day, had decided to respond while we were on our way to the front. When I asked why he told me, "Rebellions are bad, but piracy is bad for everyone. Even the rebels know this."

So on we went. Mind you we were a military fleet and not just the standard Anti-Piracy. When Jumped into the nebula, most of the crewmen (myself included) were eager to get an easy win in for the Sarkytes before we were sent to the real fighting in the outer colonies. We began our search but all we found was space dust. After sometime our commanders concluded that we had been tricked and that the fleet had moved already, as we started to try and figure out where this supposed fleet had gone the rebels had sprung their trap. Suddenly a human fleet Jumped into the system, damn near next to us.

Now you know the gist of what happened there, but not all. At first our Admiral tried to hail them, he wanted a temporary cease fire so that the Pirate Fleet could be dealt with. He even offered himself as a political hostage to facilitate said cease fire. The Humans response? The annellation of a nearby troop carrier. Within minutes our fleet was in chaos as Humanity slaughtered us like vermin. Our attempts at retreat? Foiled by the impossibly fast and maneuverable ships of Humanity. Our attempts at counter attack? Rendered useless as our mightiest batteries couldn't even break their shields. Our pleas of surrender and mercy? Simply ignored.

​

"Grandfather.." Silus said, snapping away the old lizard from his memories. "They really ignored your surrender? But the Regulae Belli-" The lizard waved away his grandson as he took a sip from his neglected glass of brandy before he addressed him again.

"That was before the Regulae Belli was put to law by Caius." He explained further as he took another sip. "But rest assured after the war, during the Europa Trails, I witnessed the man responsible for that attack face punishment for 'Crimes against the Galaxy and your fellow Sentient Beings'."

"But how did you escape?" His grandson asked, now past his momentary shock and back to is default state of curiosity. The old lizard chuckled as he shook his head and adjusted himself.

"That's just it Silus, I didn't."