<div class="moz-text-flowed" style="font-family: -moz-fixed">RIEGER MORTIS
by Kevin S. Christley


(r), TM, and copyright (c) 1997 Kevin S. Christley.  All rights Reserved.

Copyright (c) 1997 by Kevin S. Christley.  All rights reserved.

This e-book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form, physical 
or electronic, without the express permission of the author, except in the 
case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and/or reviews.

This book is a work of fiction.  The characters, incidents, and dialogues
are the sole products of the author's imagination and are not to be
construed as real.  Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or
dead, is entirely coincidental.

Technical notes: This novel was written, edited and produced on a desktop 
publishing system using Apple Macintosh computers, and Nisus Writer.

Acknowledgements

This ambitious book series has been several years in the making. I'd like to 
take a brief moment to thank my family, friends and established
writers who encouraged my creativity along the way after reading
unedited proofs of this book.

Rieger Mortis has continued to be a labor of love for me.  It's quite 
strange
to become so very involved with a project to the point where you don't
know when to stop.  I didn't begin this novel with an audience in mind.  It
was written for me alone, to get it out of my head and onto paper.

Finally, I'd like to thank my best friend and confidant, Matthew Harrison,
of whom I could always rely on as a sounding board for advice during the
conception and execution of this literary universe.  Whenever I was stuck on 
an idea, or went off on a tangent, he gave me a new perspective on things, 
and for that I am eternally grateful.

This is the first book of a proposed trilogy. All the concepts and creations 
that spring forth from this first book will appear in a later edition, The 
Rieger Mortis Sourcebook.  The sourcebook will contain preliminary sketches 
of some of the technology, people, places, and events that take place in the 
trilogy.  This way, you can get a further taste for what's to come, as well 
as being able to visualize what we had in mind when we started the project.

This not a static universe, thus seemingly minor events that unfold
within will have dire consequences elsewhere down the line.  Some
characters will live, others will die.  Life in this universe is not
forgiving, nor is it perfect.  Sooner or later, the truth shall be revealed.
Just hold on, and enjoy the ride!

The earth has not dragged me into the abyss, nor has the tempestuous sea 
engulfed me.

I have fled from justice, from the arena, I have stained my hands with 
blood, to end up here, banished and abandoned. - Fellini, Satyricon Act 1, 
Scene 1.


Armand Rieger walked slowly down the over-crowded and noisy promenade of the 
bustling metropolis.  His steel-grey eyes gazed downward as he walked, not 
attracting the least attention from a fleeting glance. It had been some time 
since he had walked openly among the common peoples of Lakul.

He concentrated on the injustice of his situation, focusing all of his 
attention to the task at hand. It would not be long now, he thought to 
himself. Not long at all. Rieger crossed the narrow alley, where he saw the 
familiar sign of Sanctum.

Opening the wide doors, he was respectfully greeted by a short, red-robed 
monk of the Order of the Sun.

"What is thy calling, my son?" Inquired the monk.

Rieger rubbed his chin. He dared not look the monk in the eyes, for they 
were indeed windows of the soul.

"I've come to speak to the Archbishop Sancto." Replied Rieger, as he fought 
to keep his intense hatred of the man under control.

"This way, please." The monk replied. He then turned and proceeded down the 
hall.  Rieger followed him, mentally noting every potential exit he could 
see.

The monk led him throughout the winding passages within the dark an 
cavernous interior of the Sanctum. Rieger could see the "illuminated ones" 
giving worship to the red holographic deity known as "The Noan", that seemed 
to fill the middle of the large sanctuary.

The  monk's chanting echoed throughout cavernous the room, with the 
followers of Noan bowing at the end of each refrain. Cattle, he thought.  
They'll follow their god to hell and back, but couldn't  have a care in the 
world about what's happening outside their order. The monk suddenly stopped 
at the end of a long hall.  Rieger looked around at the neo-gothic 
architecture.  What a work of excess, he thought.

"How may I announce you, my son?"  Requested the monk.  Rieger was certain 
that it was just in his training to seem polite to all callers.

"You may announce me as Armand Rieger."  He said with a slight grimace.

The monk raised his hood slightly with both of his hands to see if it was 
indeed Armand Rieger and saw the end coming.  From under Rieger's cloak was 
pulled a bladed weapon of which he had never seen before.  Or ever see 
again.

"Oh my god, no!" Screamed the frightened monk.

"You'll see him soon enough, my friend." Said Rieger as he amputated the 
monks head off with one quick stroke of the blade.  The blood seemed to 
glimmer in the dark lighting of the sanctum, but it's warmth felt good on 
his hands.

"You know, brother.  A human head can remain conscious for up to four 
minutes after being separated from the body."  Rieger said as he dropped the 
head to the ground.  "I want you to hang on until I get back in four 
minutes.  I swear to your Noan that I'll try not to be tardy."

The monk's eyes rolled within their sockets, following Rieger's path as he 
proceeded down the long hall to the doorway.

The doors to the Archbishop's throne room crashed open as Rieger broke into 
the private chamber.  Unshaken, the Archbishop turned away from his 
concubines, ever so slowly.

"Rieger, my old friend. You always did know how to make a truly grandiose 
entrance."

"Cut the pleasantries, you bastard. I've come to settle our score, once and 
for all."

The Archbishop waved his right hand ever-so-slightly, and the concubines 
slowly began to disperse, except for one. She was truly no ordinary 
concubine, as she wore a long, flowing red robe and carried a staffed blade 
in her right hand.

"Have you met Melina, my newest acquisition?" Said the Archbishop, who did 
not even give the respect of getting dressed. "You  really should meet.  
She's from the Michbar tribe of Crontos.  They are fierce fighters, and even 
more protective of the their owners."

Melina took one step towards Rieger then slowly dropped her robe. She was 
captivating, even to him. Her shimmering blonde hair nearly reached her 
waist, and swayed with each and every step. Then Rieger noticed a blinding 
glimmer. Rieger dodged quickly, but there was nothing he could do to avoid 
what was coming.  The blade!

A deep burning feeling shot from Rieger's pelvis all the way to his 
breastbone.  He quickly glanced down to notice that the new armor had not 
protected him as well as it should have. He looked up in shock at the female 
bodyguard.  Her steel blue eyes were as cold as stone.  She smiled weakly 
back at him, and spun her pike in her hands.

"Now you know why I acquired her. Her beauty is equally matched with her 
skills with the staff.  Now, be a dear.   Stop playing around and dispatch 
this infidel!" Said the Archbishop, as he reclined back to enjoy the show.  
"I do like to watch an artist at work."

Rieger quickly took a stagger step backwards and produced a small metallic 
orb. He tossed it towards the Archbishop and it fell into his bare lap as he 
made a sloppy attempt at catching it.

Long tendrilous spikes instantaneously protruded from the orb, impaling his 
waist, then a blue arc of electricity as it stunned him.  His eyes glazed 
over from the pain, but he was none the less still conscious.

"First I'll take care of your guard-bitch, then I'm coming back for you!" 
Said Rieger as he cracked a rare smile.

He turned towards Melina, who looked on in horror at the result of the 
stunner. Rieger slowly pulled his blade and walked confidently towards her. 
He wouldn't let himself be surprised by her again.

"Oh, I'm sorry.  Melina-  That's your name, right?" asked Rieger.  She shook 
her head in acknowledgement. "Now, Melina.  You were supposed to protect him 
from that.  Weren't you?"

Melina angrily turned and charged towards him, twirling the staff in an arc 
of destruction. The putrid smell of ozone crackled from the blade as it cut 
through the air.  She narrowly missed several times as Rieger ducked and 
dodged her every parry. Rieger countered with a few swift kicks to her 
pelvis and she crumpled to the floor in pain.

Melina pulled herself up, brushed her hair from her face and grabbed the 
staff once again. This was going to be a fighter who almost had the skills 
of a trained assassin such as Rieger, but she would prove no match for his 
experienced fighting prowess.

Rieger fought off a brief stabbing attack of the staff using his blade, then 
deftly tumbled out of the way of the oncoming staff.

Melina managed a brief smile as she lunged the staff forward, narrowly 
missing Rieger's head and gouged a deep hole into a dark marble pillar.  
Rieger quickly made his move and severed the staff in half before she could 
react.  Now the staff was bladeless.

"So much for cutting me again. You'll not get another chance."

Tossing the bladeless staff aside, Melina made several quick kicks to 
Rieger's groin that sent stars to his eyes.  He managed to grab her foot and 
twisted it sharply, breaking her leg  at the knee.

Melina fell in intense pain with tears in her eyes, unable to support the 
weight of her body with a useless leg.  Rieger noticed that she was 
attempting to drag herself to safety. There was no safety to be found.

Rieger grabbed her other foot and brought the full weight of his body 
crashing down at her waist, breaking her leg at the pelvis.  She was now 
laying in a huge pool of blood from the intense complex fractures.  She was 
very close to death now, yet Rieger knew there was still some fight left in 
her.

"Come on, honey. Don't die on me yet!  I love to watch a professional at 
work too!" Said Rieger as he slapped her in the face several times to bring 
her back into consciousness.

Her eyes opened, and he could see the anger in her current situation.  She 
clawed her fingers at his eyes as he slowly twisted her arms from their 
sockets. Her eyes clouded over, yet somehow she managed to stay alive.  
Rieger felt a little pity on her, left her for a moment and walked over to 
the Archbishop.

"Watch this, honey! I'm gonna kill your master while you lay dying on the 
floor." He said.

Rieger took his blade and pried the stunner off the Archbishop.  It careened 
across the floor and hit a wall where it exploded in a cloud of blue flame.  
He turned back to the once great man who lay prostrate before him. Vile, 
corrupt, indignant, and in final repose, just another weak old man who 
looked up at him for compassion.

"Archbishop Michanos Sancto, time to meet the almighty creator."

Before the Archbishop even had a chance to blink an eye, he heard the 
light-blade fire up. Rieger grabbed the Archbishop by his hair and made one 
quick slash across his throat.  The world as he knew it had come to an end.

Rieger held the Archbishop's head  so that he could look directly into his 
dying eyes. The Archbishop choked and gurgled as if he had tried to spit out 
some last words, but it was too late. The headless body arched for a brief 
moment, an involuntary reflex, then the body just slumped to the floor in a 
massive pool of his own blood.

"Gee, it seems you guys are zero for three today." Said Rieger as he rolled 
the head of the Archbishop over to Melina's immobile body. She looked in 
revulsion at her master's estranged head.

"Kill me… Please kill me." said Melina as Rieger walked over to her.

There he stood, gazing down at her beautiful, yet undeniably broken body.  
She gazed deeply into his eyes.

She knew that she had attached to him in some subconscious level of his 
mind. Maybe she could appeal to some last bit of kindness in him. "Kill me!"

Rieger looked down at her for a brief moment, then produced a short pike.  
Melina closed her eyes and weakly smiled to await the final blow.  It never 
came.

Rieger sank the pike into the floor right above her head, then impaled the 
Archbishop's bloody head upon it. Blades opened internally and scrambled 
what was left of his brains. She opened her eyes in horror.

"Kill you?  No.  I believe the order will gladly do that for me.  Bye-bye 
now! It's been fun!" Said Rieger as he walked out the door.  Rieger stopped 
at the body of the dying monk.  The monks eyes rolled to track his attacker.

"See.  I told you that you could manage to stay with me until I returned."

Rieger bowed his head in a sarcastic prayer.  "Bless me father, for I have 
indeed sinned," he said with a small smirk on his face. "You know, I've 
always wanted to say that." Then he pulled out another stun ball, and gently 
set it on the monk's forehead.

A three small claws appeared from the sides of the orb, grabbing into his 
head. The ball started spinning as it tunneled it's way to the monk's brain. 
  The smell of burning bone turned Rieger's stomach.  He still couldn't get 
used to it.

Hearing the clatter of footsteps down the long hall, Rieger could see the 
security force coming his way. They sure wouldn't be happy to see him. Red 
carpets for assassins seemed to be out of vogue this year.  Out of the 
corner of his eye, he could see a concubine shivering in fear half hidden 
behind a curtain.

"Don't worry, lady," said Rieger with a quick wink. "There's a very good 
reason for all this.  Trust me."

He untied his robe and depressed a small button on his belt and vanished 
into thin air. The security force arrived and turned to see the Archbishop's 
head on the pike. His now lifeless eyes looked down at the naked beauty 
below him. Then they saw her. Melina screamed.


A green cloud surrounded the body of Armand Rieger.  He could move, but it 
seemed strange to him. As it always did. A hiss of air and the sound of 
machinery permeated the biotube. He waved his hand in a semi-authoritative 
manner and the green cloud dispersed.  Gieger appeared before him as the 
tube opened with a dull thud.

"So. Did all go well?" Gieger asked, as he handed Rieger a towel to dry the 
slime off his injured body.

"I believe so. The mission was accomplished with a minimal of anomalies. The 
Archbishop is dead."

"And his head? What of his head?"

"His head was impaled just as you asked it to be.  We will not be hearing 
from that bastard again."

"Excellent. The Emperor will be pleased, as will the Senate."

Rieger dried himself off, and threw the towel back at Gieger.  Then he 
pulled his blade and held it at Gieger's throat.

"What the hell were you trying to pull, you sniveling little bastard?" Said 
Rieger. The electronic hum of the blade filled Gieger's ears.

"What do you mean?" Whispered Gieger, careful not to extend his larynx into 
the shimmering void of the blade.

"Cut the crap! The armor you gave me was useless against that bitch's staff. 
You said it would hold!"

The blade inched closer by millimeters as Rieger's rage grew.  Gieger knew 
how anger effected Rieger.  In fact, it was Rieger's prime motivator.

"What I said was that the armor should hold against a minimal attack, not a 
sustained, unanswered attack.  I told you that his bodyguards were 
captivating.  Perhaps you found her a little too captivating, eh?"

"You bastard." Said Rieger, as he dropped the blade from Gieger's throat. 
"Don't put this on me."

"I could have sent anyone, and it'd still have the same effect on them also. 
  I wanted you, because I knew you were stronger. At least, I had hoped so. 
You see, the Michbars have this funny little trick they can use.  Their 
appearance changes to become arousing to anyone."

He continued. "If you are a man, they become the most beautiful woman that 
you have ever seen in your life. If you're a Karrn, they do the same for 
them also. You see, they're chameleons.  They can become anything you want 
them to be. Anything you desire."

Rieger looked at Gieger, then sat down. He turned to take a long look at his 
battered body in the mirror.  The healing gel had done well, but he ran his 
fingers down the length of the wide scar.  Nothing would get rid of this- 
ever.

Gieger threw the comm pad in front of Rieger.  It contained a full video of 
his mission, as prepared by mission ops.  Every step he took was recorded in 
all it's digital splendor. He replayed his brief encounter with Melina.  He 
felt the pain all over again.

"Rieger, you need to report to the Senate." Gieger said. "Immediately."

"OK, just let me get fixed up first."

"You have two minutes," said Gieger.  "They're expecting the best. Give it 
to them." Gieger turned, waved at the door, which opened with a soft hiss, 
and walked out of the room.


The door closed with another soft hiss, then Rieger was alone in the 
darkness. Alone to contemplate his actions. And what he was to do next.

"Damned it all." He said to himself. "What the hell have I become?"


Rieger walked slowly down the long hall lined with the Imperial Senate's 
sentries. One by one, they looked at him with discord.  Each and every one 
of them knew that he was the number one assassin for the Imperium, and few 
of them wanted him to prove it directly. They fingered the triggers of their 
pulse rifles, waiting for the day that he'd do something stupid.

Rieger just grimaced. He knew every punk in the galaxy was after his spot. 
Until he failed a mission, the place was his.  He owned it.

He reached the huge black metal doors of the Senate Chamber and placed his 
hand to the controls. It vibrated for a second.  If he was truly not who he 
is supposed to be, a thousand volts of energy would incinerate him to a 
crisp in front of such an eager audience.  Today would not be their day.

The vibration stopped and the huge doors creaked open unveiling a plume of 
white steam.  He walked into it, and the massive doors creaked shut.  Alone 
in the near darkness, he proceeded forward to the dais in the cavernous 
room.  He stood silently with his arms at his side.

"Place your arms out at shoulder length for a weapons check."  Said a 
booming, sinister voice from above.

Rieger complied. A thin band of blue light ran across his body twice, first 
up then down, then across.  The blue light disappeared, and a spotlight was 
placed on him from above. He could barely see anything in the room.

"You may be at ease." Said the voice again.

Rieger resumed his stance, arms at his side.

A grinding noise was heard behind him as the catwalk that connected the 
doorway to the dias was lowered.  He was left alone on the dias, three 
hundred feet above god knew what. He was truly at their mercy now.

One by one, he could see the holo-projectors begin to kick in as the images 
of the Imperial Senators appeared in their appointed stations.  The room 
remained silent for moment, then the Orator materialized.

"All hail the Emperor Goth, leader of all the sentient worlds." Cried the 
Orator.

"All hail Goth! All hail Goth! All hail Goth!" Each of the senators called 
forth.

A huge doorway opened in the middle of the chamber. Out of it came a small 
procession of six Imperial Guards attired in black, who stood aside as the 
Emperors throne slid out of the narrow opening.

"Impressive," muttered Rieger under his breath.  But a little overdone, he 
thought.

As the Emperors throne slid to a stop, Rieger snapped to attention as usual.

"The Emperor Goth would like to know the result of your mission." Said the 
Orator.

"The mission was accomplished as planned, my highness." Replied Rieger.

The Emperor leaned over from his massive throne and whispered quietly to an 
aide.  The aide then approached the Orator, and handed him a microcard. The 
Orator placed the card in a slot in his console, and a cloud of mist 
appeared in the center of the room above Rieger.

With a soft crackle, a familiar face appeared, projected upon the mist. 
Rieger looked up, but could not place a name to the face.

"Is that so, number one?" Exclaimed the holographic face.

"Yes, it is so. There were no problems encountered on the mission." Said 
Rieger.

"I do not believe it to be so, number one." Said the face. "I believe you 
got a little sloppy on the execution."

A resounding silence filled the room, as a puzzled look came over Rieger's 
face. What was he talking about. The mission went well, he thought. All the 
objectives had been met.

The Emperor leaned over once again. He whispered to the aide, who spoke to 
the Orator. The orator turned towards Rieger.

"Are you positive that the Archbishop is quite terminated?" He inquired.

"I am." Said Rieger.

"Then how do you explain this?" Said the holo-face. A brief flash appeared 
on the projection screen. It showed the Archbishop giving a mass in the 
Sanctum.  He turned to the screen, and the volume was raised.

"A great injustice has been done today, my followers." Said the Archbishop. 
The crowd of illuminated ones quieted to a mere whisper.

"One man has dared to try to assassinate me, the one true messenger of God." 
He continued.  The crowd began to boo and jeer at the assassin.  The 
Archbishop slowly raised both his hands and motioned to quiet the crowd.  He 
regained control quickly.

"This man must not be trusted, and must be hunted down like the dog that he 
is. Bring him to me, alive, for I alone can show him the true path to 
salvation."

The crowd once again cheered, then silenced as a picture of a man appeared. 
Below it was a name. This face was very familiar to Rieger.  It was, of 
course, his.

"This man, Rieger as he is called, is a religious fanatic of the Black Sun 
Order. They do not want you to get the message of god through me.  They want 
you to believe in their own perverse cyber-god, called technology.  As you 
can see in this hidden camera video of the assassination attempt, Rieger 
used the outlawed weapons of the past to kill a monk and a
defenseless woman, before trying to kill me."

Rieger turned uneasily. He could not, did not want to believe what he was 
seeing on screen. He knew he had killed the man, so why was he still alive.

The archbishop started again. "To the man or men who bring this renegade to 
justice, I will offer true salvation.  Guaranteed for them and their 
families. Thank you, and may God bless each and every one of you!"

The viewscreen went dark, then the holo-face appeared again.

"So, you completed your mission, number one?," said the face. "What do you 
make of this then?"

"It's a lie!" Exclaimed Rieger. "I have the tapes to prove it!"

Rieger dug into his pocket and produced the mag-tape.  An aide descended 
from the throne and collected the tape from Rieger.  He handed it to the 
Orate, who began playback of the tape.

The scenes were just as the Archbishop had described.

"Someone has tampered with the tape!," cried Reiger. "This is not how it 
happened at all!"

"Quite the contrary, my dear number one. I believe you so completely botched 
the mission that you forgot to erase the tape." Said the holo-face.

"No! This is not true! The Archbishop is dead, and I killed him!"

"Then what have you to say about the Archbishop's address to the Sanctum? It 
was broadcast live." Inquired the Orator.

"I know what I did, and I know what I saw!" Exclaimed Rieger. "This is 
subversive propaganda by the Sanctum to make you believe the Archbishop is 
not dead!"

Suddenly a new holoform appeared in an empty senate station.  The figure 
turned slowly, then spoke.

"My dear, poor Mr. Rieger!"

"It can't be!" Rieger cried out as he gazed at the image of the seemingly 
resurrected Archbishop Michanos Sancti. Rieger slumped and fell to his knees 
in disbelief. All his world was about to end, and there was nothing he could 
do about it.  He was either set up, or betrayed by the Senate.  Either way, 
he was a dead man.

"Of course it is. Do you think that you could possibly kill me so easily?" 
Said the Archbishop.  The Archbishop turned to the senate, then to the 
Emperor himself.

"This man is guilty of the ultimate of crimes against the church and state." 
Said the Archbishop.  "I demand that he be turned over to the Sancti 
immediately for Inquisition!"

The Emperor turned to the aide, who relayed a message to the Orator.

"The Grand Emperor Goth agrees with the Archbishop.  Rieger shall be turned 
over to the Sancti immediately." Said the orator.

The Emperors throne receded back through the massive doors, and one by one, 
each of the Imperial senators images vanished from sight.  Except for the 
Archbishops image.

"It'll be nice to watch you die, Rieger." Said the Emperor as he made the 
sign of the Sancti. "I've been looking forward to it for quite some time."

Rieger looked up in disbelief as a field appeared around him and he was 
transported from the dias. Rieger screamed in horror as he realized his 
betrayal.

"Don't worry, my son," said the archbishop. "It won't hurt forever!"

With Rieger successfully transported, the image of the Archbishop also 
disappeared. The senate chamber was once again dark and silent, except for 
the echoing screams of one soon to be late assassin-to-be, Armand Rieger.


Slowly, Rieger had awaken from the transportation. He found that he could 
not move a muscle. Looking down at himself, he discovered that he was 
restrained in some sort of huge execution chair. His arms were bound by huge 
metal cuffs, as were his legs.

An excruciating pain shot through his temples.  His head was restrained by 
two bolts that had pierced his head. It felt like they reached into his 
brain. He could look up or down, yet not to his sides.  He struggled for a 
moment, but realized it was pointless.  He wouldn't be going anywhere for 
quite some time.

A point of light appeared in the distance.  It grew to such an intensity 
that he couldn't look at it any longer.

"State your name for the record." Echoed a booming voice that seemed to 
surround him in the massive chamber.

Rieger simply remained silent. He knew that they knew his name.  A swift 
shock echoed throughout his body, causing him to involuntarily twitch.  He 
lost control of the motor skills below his shoulders.

"Resistance is ill advised." The voice encouraged. "We shall ask you once 
more.  State your name for the record."

All remained silent for a moment, as Rieger counted his precious few 
options.

"Armand… Armand Rieger." He said after deciding to cooperate, lest he should 
get another jolt of their reality.

"Very well. Let the record state that this man is Armand Rieger.  We shall 
proceed."

The sound of whining machinery filled Rieger's ears. Another chair was 
rolled out in front of him. He could see the faint form of a man strapped 
into it, but it clearly was no man. It had no definition of features.

No eyes, mouth, fingers, or hair. Just a dull grayish blob.  It moved, but 
was similarly restrained like him. Struggling against the bonds, it also 
received a shock.

"Armand Rieger.  We ask that you cooperate fully with us, and we promise no 
further harm shall come to you." The voice announced.

"Who are you?" Rieger replied.

"That is not important right now. You have but one chance to reply, or face 
your fate. Will you cooperate fully with us?"

"Well, seeing that I'm a little at your mercy at the moment, I guess I'd 
better say yes."

Another shockwave shot through Rieger's body.  This time he could not 
swallow.  So much for sarcasm, he thought as he drooled saliva down his 
chin.  Hard to be a wise guy when you're a slobbering fool.  The voice 
remained silent.

"OK," answered Rieger. "I'll do whatever you want."

"Very well." The voice announced. "Armand Rieger, prepare to die."

A circular blue holo-field appeared around both Rieger and the other life 
form's restraint chairs. Rieger regained enough feeling in his hands to dig 
his fingers into the arms of the chair.

The pain was intense, and shot from head to toe, tensing every muscle and 
synapse in his body. Finally the pain was too great, and he lapsed into the 
infinite unconsciousness.

His life passed before his eyes, as he thought of things, places and people 
long forgotten. All this was gone now. He seemed to feel as if he was 
drifting in a void, although he could cloudily see himself strapped to that 
damned chair, struggling to the last.


Finally the struggle ended, and he saw his body collapse. He looked upon 
himself in an almost sad way. It was not the way he had wanted to die, but 
it was not altogether unexpected. He was, after all, an assassin. A 
relatively successful one at that. Now it had all come to an end.

Rieger waited for the light at the end of the tunnel, as that's what he had 
heard from tales of the dead or dying.  Wait for the light, then walk to it. 
  He waited.  The light never came.

He opened his eyes to find he was still looking at the slumped form of his 
own body, as if through a dream. He tried to speak, but found his vocal 
cords hurt, and all he could do was pass air like a strangulated baby.

Why is there pain after death, he thought to himself.  From what he had 
heard from the mages, there was supposed to be only blissful peace and 
tranquility. So why did he hurt so damned much?

Suddenly, he saw the light appear. It grew brighter and brighter, then 
dimmed. He opened his eyes, and could see that his body was now gone from 
the chair. But why was he still here? Had his soul remained behind?

His wrist hurt. He looked down at his arm. He was still here.

"What the hell is going on!" Rieger cried out.

The voice remained silent, but then a door slid open and a sole figure 
walked into the room.

"Who are you?" Asked Rieger.

"I am your ultimate saviour in death, Mr. Rieger. Or do you prefer Number 
One?" The figure replied.

Confused and dazed, Rieger looked at the figure with great animosity. "I 
didn't ask what you were. I asked who you were."

"I am Sangra Dom Nictus." The figure answered.

Rieger thought to himself. The name puzzled him. He knew the name, but not 
the figure of the man who stood before him. Suddenly, the head restraint was 
removed. The bolts slid out of his cranium with a sickening sound.

He could now turn his head. He found himself surrounded by several robed 
figures, going about their own business operating some terminals. They were 
oblivious to his presence.

"You know of me, Number One?" Nictus inquired.

"I know of the name, but not of you." Rieger replied.

"Of course, you do." Nictus answered. "The body is but a shell of the 
individual, but the mind remains constant."

Rieger thought for a moment. What the heck was he doing here?

"You are doing my bidding now." Nictus replied.

Rieger had forgotten. The members of the Order of the Black Sun were 
telepathic. It was a fact he wouldn't forget again. He set his mind to a 
blank so that Nictus couldn't read it any longer.

"Blocking your mind from me is but a futile gesture, Number One.  I have 
glimpsed into your mind, and have gained all the knowledge I need from you."

"Great." Replied Rieger. "What the hell does the Black Sun want me to do?"

"Die." Nictus replied with a slight grin. "Right now, you are being executed 
by the Order of the Sun for your crimes against the Archbishop. Or so they 
think."

Rieger was confused. Nictus caught that confusion. Damned telepaths!

"Do not be so angry with yourself, Number One. Bare emotion is one of the 
most powerful things in the galaxy. Do not waiver from it. Following one's 
emotions can bring about great results."

Rieger looked down at his hands. His fingers had left permanent indentations 
in the arms of the chair, and he was covered in sweat.

"Let me out of this damned chair!" Exclaimed Rieger.

"Soon enough, my friend. Soon enough." Nictus replied. "When I can trust 
you, I shall, but until then, you will remain under control. I have seen you 
in action, and I'd like to ensure that the justice that you delivered upon 
the late Archbishop does not befell me."

A medical droid appeared from behind the chair. It scanned Rieger for a 
moment, then placed a disc on his forehead. It pricked his skin for a 
moment, then he forgot all. His eyes shut momentarily, then re-opened.  The 
droid left the room and the chair's restraints were released.

Rieger was clearly no longer Rieger. He couldn't recall anything about 
himself or of his surroundings. A strange man faced him. The man placed his 
hand on his shoulder, like a father would to his son. Rieger turned to him, 
looked up and spoke. "Who am I?"

"You are who ever you may want to be, my son." Nictus said.

"Who are you?" Rieger inquisitively replied.

"I am Sangra Dom Nictus, head of the Black Sun Order.  The order of the one 
true god." The man said. "Come with me, my son, and all shall be revealed, 
in it's own time."


Kiersten Dulak looked up from her comm terminal in the great city.  She was 
a data administrator for the Imperial Senator Rickbos Liedo.

Liedo was a young and upcoming senator, and Kiersten had followed him on his 
blazing trail upwards through the murky politics of the world.  She gazed 
out of her window into the depths of the dark city.  It was almost one a.m.
.
She saw the ants who were the people of the world scurry on the streets 
below. She wondered if one day she would be one of them. She rotated her 
chair back to the comm terminal and continued to monitor the events 
unfolding on Garn.

The assassination attempt on the Archbishop had been foiled, and the 
assassin had been executed in front of the joyous crowd. There was worldwide 
celebrations planned, and most were just beginning.

Kiersten brushed aside her jet black hair, fingering a strange medallion 
that she had worn since she was a mere child. It glowed luminously, even in 
the faint light of the room.

"Lights on, please." She called forth. The room lit up to reveal an 
expansive office. She got up from the chair and walked to the holo-comm.

"Call Abram Brosh." She said.

The holocom cycled for a few seconds, and a weary man appeared in her 
viewscreen.

"I hope this is important." Said Brosh. "It's after one, you know."

"I know, Abram." Kiersten replied. "I'm sensing something is not quite right 
on Garn."

"We've been through this before, Kiersten." Brosh answered. "It's probably 
nothing at all. Go back to sleep and call me in the morning."

"That's just it. I can't sleep. Something's really bothering me tonight. I 
just can't put a finger on it."

Abram Brosh appeared visibly disturbed. "Wait a moment, so we can speak more 
privately."

Abram motioned to a figure that was in his bed. The woman got up and put on 
a robe. She blew him a kiss, then walked out of the room. Abram returned to 
the comm.

"Who's she?" Kiersten inquired.

"Nobody. Nobody at all." Brosh replied. He could tell he'd catch hell about 
this in the morning. But that could wait.

"Didn't look like nobody to me either, Abram." She smirked. "Going to secure 
channel now."

The holo-com crackled for a second, then beeped. A logo appeared at the 
bottom of the screen telling them both that the channel was now secure.

"Now what's really bothering you, Kiersten?" Inquired Brosh.

"Well, when I first heard word of the Archbishop's assassination attempt, I 
thought something was strange. Do you know the amount of security that man 
would have to circumvent to pull this thing off? I mean, nobody just walks 
into the Sancto and offs the Archbishop. A thing like this requires massive 
planning."

"Agreed." Replied Brosh. "But what if it was a determined individual. Who 
knows what kind of nutcases are out there today.  Most of them are quite 
brilliant."

"This is true, but from the tape, it looked too easy. I spent some time 
examining the frames pixel by pixel and I've found some disturbing 
idiosyncrasies. It looks as if someone has tampered with the digital 
imaging. I think somethings really rotten about this."

Brosh seemed to frown at the thought. "What's the difference. Everyone saw 
this guy get executed on the evening vid. Hell, I'm half glad they caught 
the bastard." He answered.

Kiersten noticed the disturbed look on Abram's face. "OK, maybe I'm just 
looking too hard for answers to this whole thing."

"Maybe not. Send me what you have and I'll take care of it in the morning." 
Said Brosh.

Kiersten looked at the tape, then back at Brosh. She had that weird feeling 
again, but quickly brushed it off. Brosh had been her investigative contact 
for years.  Fingering the tape, she looked back at the holo-com, and 
inserted the magtape. It uploaded her results in seconds, then she pulled it 
back out.

"Got it, Kiersten. I'll take a look at it tonight and see you first thing in 
the morning. Good night, now. Get some sleep, Kiddo. We have a long day 
ahead of us." Brosh replied.

"Right. Oh, see you then, Abram. Good night." Answered Kiersten. Brosh waved 
bye, and the holo-com went blank. Kiersten walked back and laid the tape on 
her desk.


She turned towards the bed, when something began bothering her again. The 
crystal on the end of the necklace began to glow.  She looked down at it, 
and the glow disappeared. Looking back at her desk, the tape stood out in 
the light.  It was the tape.

She walked back to the desk and loaded the tape back into the vid and 
pressed play. Nothing happened. She pressed play again. This time, the vid 
reported that the tape was empty.

"Empty? It was just about filled up a minute ago." She said to herself. A 
commotion caught her attention outside. Sirens began to blare as the people 
far below scurried to get out of the way of some emergency vehicles.

Must've been some accident down there, she thought to herself.  She'd get it 
all sorted out in the morning. Time to sleep now.

"Lights out." She called out, and the lighting in the room was extinguished. 
She walked over to the bed, and disrobed. Setting her alarm for the morning, 
she climbed between the sheets.

All she needed was a good nights sleep, or at least a few hours.  She held 
the crystal again. This time it felt white hot.  Something's wrong all 
right. But now wasn't the time.

She took the necklace off and set it on the nightstand, plumped up the 
pillows and lay her head down to sleep.  It was gonna be a long day 
tomorrow, she thought as she lapsed into unconsciousness.

She awoke when the room was bright again. Looking at the alarm, she saw it 
was not ten minutes since she had shut her eyes.

"Lights out, I said." The lights did not respond. She saw a shadow outside 
the window. A shadow, she though. But I'm on the fourtieth floor.  Suddenly 
the window blew in with enough force to knock her from the bed.  A shadowy 
figure raced up beside her before she could depress the alarm.

"Shut up and do what I say, woman." Said the figure.

"What the hell is going on?" She replied.

The figure slapped her across the face, drawing a thin stream of blood from 
her lip. She looked up at him, and spat.

"I said shut up!"

The figure walked over to the desk and grabbed the tape. As he turned back 
to the woman, a shot rang out. The figure slumped to the floor.

Kiersten had pulled a stungun from between her mattress and turned it on 
him. She walked over to him and kicked his body to make sure he was 
unconscious. His hand grabbed at her ankle, and pulled her down.

The stungun shot out again, and a pellet of energy imbedded itself into her 
holo-screen. This started a small fire, and the fire protection equipment 
began to spray foam throughout the apartment.

The figure grabbed Kiersten by the neck, and choked her enough to stop her 
from struggling.

"Listen to me, bitch! I'm trying to save your life. Now put some clothes on 
and come with me!"

"Trying to save me from what? Strange men who crash into women's rooms at 
night?" Kiersten smirked.

The figure pushed her aside. "Just do it, lady. We don't have much time!"

Kiersten got up from the floor and suddenly realized that she was nude.  
Grabbing a sheet, she wrapped it about her body like a sarong.

She reached over to the nightstand and grabbed the necklace. The jewel was 
illuminating the room, not the lights.  They were out.

Both of them turned when they heard an urgent knock at the door.

"Emergency team, open up immediately!"

"That's our exit sign, lady!" Exclaimed the figure as he grabbed her by the 
arm.

"Help me! I'm being kidnapped!" Kiersten cried out at the top of her lungs.

"OK, bitch. I've had all I can take from you!" Replied the figure, who 
withdrew a small hypo and injected her in the neck. As she lost 
consciousness, she saw the door break inwards, and a mob of security men 
come rushing in.

"Help me, Please…" Kiersten whispered as she reached her hand out towards 
them. Then a blinding flash and nothingness surrounded her.

The figure moved swiftly while everyone in the room was knocked unconscious 
by the stunner. With meticulous precision, he placed his gun at the base of 
the skull of each member of the security team and pulled the trigger, 
dispatching them quickly without even breaking a sweat.

He walked over and grabbed Kiersten by the back of her collar and dragged 
her to the open window, where his hovercar was waiting.

"God, you're a little hefty for a Kalhern." He said to himself as he tossed 
her limp body into the vehicle. He turned quickly as he heard approaching 
footsteps.

They definitely wouldn't be knights in shining armor to save a damsel in 
distress. A cautious head peered through the open doorway.  Armand Rieger 
fired off a few quick shots, blowing a hole through the inquisitive head, 
taking out his backup who was directly behind him.

"Two for one kills, one day only!" Rieger laughed to himself.  He was having 
one hell of a twisted night, alright. Turning back into the darkness, he 
stepped off the ledge into the waiting hover car.

The cockpit sealed itself with a short hiss, and he turned the car out into 
the breaking storm with Kiersten sleeping by his side.


Kiersten groggily opened her eyes. She wiped the haze from her eyes. 
Suddenly she was very thirsty. She turned, almost startled to the figure 
beside her.

She noticed that she was in a hovercar that was skimming precariously close 
to the buildings above the vast metropolis, obviously trying to avoid 
detection by the traffic net.

"Who the hell are you?" She asked, trying to sound brave and forceful, 
although she thought she may have wet herself in the process.

"My name is not important, but what the hell, I'm in a good mood tonight. 
I'm Gregory Rieger, brother of the assassin of the late Archbishop."

"But the Archbishop's still alive, so apparently that's not a fact to be 
proud of." She said. At least she could sound confident.

"Maybe that's what you'd like to believe, but I know for a fact that the 
Archbishop is very, very inanimate at the moment."

She looked towards Rieger with an air of disdain.  Not only was he arrogant, 
but also very ignorant. "Well, if you know it all, Rieger, if that is your 
real name." She quizzed, hoping to get a rise out of him. "How do you know?"

"Because I was there, babe.  Saw the poor slob lose his damned head. 
Something you didn't see on the tape that was broadcast to the Imperial 
Worlds.  That's why I need you."

"Why do you need me at all? I'm not anyone.  I'm just a damned analyst for 
god's sake. What can I do?" She replied.

"You, my dear, hold the one true piece of evidence that I need to open this 
damned conspiracy right up.  The tape, if you would.  Rieger held his hand 
out to her, awaiting the tape.

She thought for a moment. Why should I give this guy the tape?  She decided 
to play stupid. "I don't have it. It's back my room." She said.

Rieger withdrew his hand, then slapped her across the face, bringing stars 
to her eyes. She buried her face in her hands.

"You broke my nose, you bastard!" She cried out.

"That's not all I'm gonna do to you if you continue to play this game with 
me. He placed his hand into his pocket and withdrew a small control pad. 
"Examine your new necklace, my dear. A small gift from me to you."

She looked down and noticed a black device around her neck. A small green 
light flashed in the center of it. It was like a metallic choker.

"What the hell is this?" She asked as she fingered the small device.

"I wouldn't play with it too much. It's a Mylock training choker.  If you 
disturb it too much, It'll put out a shock that'll really knock your socks 
off." Rieger said with a grin when he saw the pained look on her face.

"You bastard!" She attempted to slap him, then a bolt of electricity shot 
through her neck. Blood poured from her mouth, as she realized she had bit 
into her tongue. She shook off the pain, and spit onto his face.

"Pretty damned effective, don't you think?" He did all he could to keep from 
busting out into laughter. She attempted to scratch him with her long 
fingernails, but then withdrew them when he placed his thumb on the control 
pad.

"Nope, I didn't think you wanted to do that."

She slumped back into the seat, and began to cry.

"Now you listen to me. I'm gonna say this just once. I am in control. You 
will comply with each word that I say to you, or I will hurt you.  I don't 
know what you're used to, but I am not a nice guy.  Now, please give me the 
god-damned tape."

He held his hand out once again. This time, she could see the deep fire that 
raged in his eyes. It was if he could see right through her.  She dug into 
her robe and pulled out the tape.

"I hate you!" She exclaimed as she began to cry again.

"I'm not trying to win any popularity contests here, babe."

She just stared out the window of the hovercar as she wondered what was 
going to happen next. She was abducted from her own apartment, shot at, then 
forced into this damned training collar. She knew that Mylock women were 
very obedient to their partners, in fact, obedient unto death.  Now she knew 
how the bastards did it.

Rieger placed the tape into his vid-com. He watched intently as the events 
unfolded before his eyes. "Pretty damned convincing, isn't it?" He said to 
her.

She turned to him. "Yeah, it is. Your brother deserves what he got from 
them."

"Well, look what happens when I apply this filter." He pressed a small 
button on the screen, and the images were lit in a blue aura. Except 
something was there that was not visible before. Kiersten looked closer at 
the screen. Rieger could see she saw it too.

"Magnify." He said.

The screen complied, and she saw it more clearly. It was a figure. The 
figure of the man sitting beside her.

"What the hell. You were there." She was lost for further words. He told the 
truth. He was there.

"Yeah. I saw it all happen, the version that you didn't get to see on the 
'official' vid. But as you can see, they didn't know I was there, so they 
didn't think of re-editing me out of the vid. It never would have occurred 
to them. But you saw the flux lines when you analyzed the tape, didn't you?"

She was still lost for words. She knew that there was something wrong with 
the tape, but she never would have thought of this.

"How did you conceal yourself?" She asked.

"That's not really important, now is it? What's important is that the whole 
story is a lie, a cover-up for what really happened. It seems a lot of 
people don't want you to see the real truth."

"But this isn't going to bring back your brother. They still killed him." 
She said.

"Who said he was dead? If they could fake the vid, can't they fake my 
brother's death also?"

"Well, they'd kill him if they thought he was the only witness to the whole 
thing. What would happen if he told his same story."

"To whom? Who's gonna believe this. You were scheduled for execution because 
of it."

"By whom?" She asked. "Nobody wants to kill me."

"That's what you think. There's a contract out for your head, and I was sent 
to deliver it, signed, sealed and delivered."

She looked at him again. He did not waiver. That cold look was still in his 
eyes.

"Who wants me dead?" She asked.

"The Senate, the Emperor, the Archbishop, Who cares? All I know is that they 
all want you silenced for good for what you saw on that tape."

"But what I saw was you! What would happen to you?"

"They'd kill me too. But after I delivered your head to them on a silver 
platter." He replied.

"But how did you know?"

"I didn't. Until I saw the tape. Then I knew. If I could hack the tape with 
my limited means, just think what they could do with all the technology at 
their disposal. It was just a matter of time, and unfortunately for you, 
you're just an innocent pawn in their game."

It all made sense to her, but why did he still need her? Couldn't he just 
drop her off somewhere and make her for dead? Or did he want to kill her 
because she could reveal his existence.

"Where are you taking me?" She asked.

"I'm not taking you anywhere. I'm going to see a friend. Maybe he can make 
some sense of this whole thing."

Rieger slowed the hovercar to a halt over a crowded street. The shabbily 
dressed crowd parted under the descending car. It set down, and Rieger 
popped the hatch. He looked over at her.

"Stay close to me at all times, and don't say a word unless I tell you to." 
He said. "I've got my thumb on the control pad at all times."

Kiersten looked at Rieger playfully dangling the control pad in his left 
hand, then down at the sinister collar around her neck threatening her 
continued existence. There was no point in arguing. She wearily nodded her 
head in agreement.


A lone shuttle appeared over the twilight sky on Zantram. It skimmed the 
dominant plazas and superstructures that covered every inch of the dark city 
far below.

Traffic on the streets was minimal, but in the sky above, all was clear. A 
storm was quickly approaching, and the pilot desperately wanted to get to 
shelter before it struck. It'd be a long way down if the craft was hit by a 
stray bold of static lightning.

The shuttle was quickly dwarfed by a huge, oblong pyramidal structure of 
black marble and steel. It rose like a pinion to meet the moon floating far 
above.

"Shuttlecraft EA-11.  Please enter your security code now."  Commanded a 
voice over the cockpit intercom.

The pilot obediently passed the security codes, and huge cylindrical doors 
opened, bathing the shuttle in bright white light. The craft flew inside the 
landing bay and the huge doors shut quickly.

Landing the craft, the pilot shut down the engines quickly. He knew that his 
passenger was expected to present himself without haste. He left the cockpit 
and approached the lone passenger, who was gazing silently out the window.

"Mr. Gieger. We have arrived." Said the pilot.

Geiger looked up for a moment, then stared out the portal to gather his 
thoughts. "Very well, then." He leaned over and picked up his attache. This 
would not be a good trip, he thought to himself.

The imperial guards led him down the long corridors of the palace. Gieger 
had never noticed the opulence of the place before.  Huge arched windows of 
plexisteel displayed the expansive city below.

The guards stopped at an oval dais in the floor.  Gieger placed his hand on 
the scanner as the security device checked his I.D. and scanned his body for 
weapons. He was clear in both departments.

The dais suddenly lowered him down into the floor, and the opening was 
quickly sealed by a pneumatic door. Gieger's eyes adjusted to the darkness, 
as he could see a slit of light before him.

He walked towards it, then a hand was placed on his shoulder.  He turned, 
startled to face Zex, the Emperors private aide. The sight of the withered 
grey humanoid alone would startle a man, but to be grabbed in the dark like 
that was worse.

"The Emperor has been expecting you, Gieger." Zex said with a reptilian 
lisp.

"I know. I have a full report at his disposal." Replied Gieger, nervously 
fondling the attache.

Zex turned to the light. "I hope the report is favorable. The Emperor has 
not been pleased with much lately."

Zex led Gieger to the Emperors private throne room. Wet-wired into the 
throne, he could monitor as much information as he could personally process.

He rearranged holoscreens with a wave of his hand, each displaying a myriad 
of data and video images. He paused when the Zex approached, and looked 
sternly at Gieger.

"You may excuse yourself now, Zex." Declared the Emperor, and waved him of 
with a flow of his hand. All the holoscreens shut down as Zex walked from 
the room like a wounded dog. Gieger didn't feel much better.

"Emperor Goth, I'm afraid I don't have very good news at the moment." Said 
Gieger.

The Emperor turned in his throne and raised his withered hand. A laser cut 
through the air from a hidden portal and cut Gieger across his cheekbone.

"When I ask you to speak, then you will be permitted to do so." Said the 
Emperor.

Gieger raised his hand to wipe the blood that was streaming to his chin. It 
was a slight wound, but enough to keep his attention. The Emperor leaned 
forward in the throne.

"Do not forget your place, my dear Gieger, or next time it shall be your 
head that falls to the floor. Blood can be replenished, but the head cannot. 
I understand the problem at hand, and I am not pleased. Where is Rieger's 
brother, and why has he not delivered the head of the girl to me by now?"

Gieger looked over to the portal. The laser was still tracking him. He 
hesitated, trying to out think the Emperor.

"You may speak freely now." Said the Emperor. The laser stopped tracking.

"Rieger has escaped our detection, my lord. But I believe he will be found 
soon." Reported Gieger.

"Bullshit!" Exclaimed the Emperor. He waved his hand again, and the laser 
started to track again. It lit up and cut Gieger across his hamstring. 
Gieger fell to the floor like a crippled rag doll, grabbing at his leg.

"My lord, what I say is true. We electronically tagged his car. If he comes 
in contact with the aerogrid, we will find him. I swear!"

"You shouldn't have lost him in the first place, you fool." The Emperor 
maneuvered his throne around and hovered it over the crumpled body of 
Gieger, who looked upon the emperor knowing he was in deep trouble.

"I understand this, my lord. But he has been trained well. He knows all of 
our tricks. It's just a matter of time until he slips up." Said Gieger, 
favoring his leg.

"Let's hope for your sake that he slips up soon, because my patience in this 
matter is becoming very short indeed." The Emperor steered his throne back 
to the holocom area, and the screens lit up once again. "Zex!" Cried out the 
Emperor. "Take this fool out of my sight."

Zex appeared and placed his hand on Gieger's shoulder. Gieger attempted to 
get up, but collapsed again under the intense pain.

"My lord, he cannot walk!" Exclaimed a startled Zex. He struggled to put 
Gieger on his feet, but failed miserably.

The Emperor turned to face his aide, and Zex could see he was in trouble.

"Then drag him out if you must!" Commanded the Emperor.

The Emperor turned his attention back to the screens as Zex struggled with 
Gieger's huge mass, moving him only feet at a time.

Gieger would have better news next visit, for sure. He had the full 
cooperation of the Imperial assassins at his beck and call. Rieger could 
probably best most of them, but sooner or later his head would fall.  That, 
Gieger was certain of.


Rieger walked confidently into the crowded nightclub with Kiersten two steps 
behind him, as a Mylock concubine should be. She followed her master 
carefully, as one wrong step would send a jolt of electric obedience through 
her body.

She truly felt a deep disdain for Rieger. If the moment ever posed itself, 
she would kill him with her bare hands. And take great pleasure doing it.

They wove through the crowd until Rieger stopped at a table where a man sat 
with three beautiful, yet scantly dressed women. The man waved them off, and 
Rieger sat down at the table.

"Rieger, my old friend!" The man said with a slight twang. "How the hell are 
you doing?"

"Cut the crap, Nix." Said Rieger. "I've brought the proof that you 
required."

Rieger withdrew the tape from his jacket and set it on the table. Nix looked 
at it, then leaned forward. Kiersten could see a symbol burnt deep into the 
man's forehead. It was a triangle within a circle. The sign of the 
Brotherhood of the Black Sun.

"Then it's true?" Said Nix, rubbing his chin. He pulled the shroud from his 
face, revealing his eyes. They were both opaque.

"Of course it is. Now tell me where I can find my brother." Said Rieger.

Nix reached out for the tape. Before he could retrieve it, Rieger pulled his 
blade and planted it clean through Nix's hand, deep into the table.

Nix attempted to scream in pain, but Rieger clasped his hand over the 
Wanot's open mouth, muffling the screams until they became but a whimper.

"I said tell me where I can find my brother." Said Rieger as he removed his 
hand from the whimpering Nix's mouth.

There were tears in his eyes as Nix began to speak. "He's being held at the 
Temple of the Black Sun. He's heavily protected, and it won't be easy to 
retrieve him."

"I don't care if it's easy or not." Exclaimed Rieger. "He's my brother, and 
I'm going to free him. Just keep your part of the bargain, and everything 
will be fine."

Rieger pulled the blade out of Nix's bloody hand.  Nix looked up, and held 
his hand gingerly.  He grabbed the tape with his other hand.

"Your brother is being held at the citadel of the Black Sun."  Said Nix. 
"He's very secure."

"Then I suppose you'll aid us in his release, then, won't you?"  Said 
Rieger.

"Oh no.  No way, Rieger."  Said Nix with that certain look of fear in his 
green eyes.

"Nix.  Don't fail me now.  You've got us this far."  Said Rieger, who spun 
the knife in the palm of his hand, the reflection of which gleamed on Nix's 
face.

Nix pondered his situation.  On one hand, he did possess the tape that he 
was sent to retrieve.  What if this was part of the plan?  He didn't know.

"I need to make a call."  Said Nix.

"Don't go far, my friend."  said Rieger.  "I'm keeping more than my eye on 
you."

Rieger slammed the blade of the knife back into the table, and leaned back 
to enjoy the nightlife in the club.  Kiersten stayed by his side, her eyes 
constantly on Rieger.

Nix got up out of the booth and walked to the holocoms in the back. Stating 
the name of his contact, the area was illuminated in a blue haze. A solitary 
figure appeared.

"What is it, Nix?"  Said the figure.

"I have the tape."  Said Nix.

"Throw it to me."  Said the figure as he reached out, readying to catch the 
tape.  Nix thought this was strange, as there was no way he could give the 
tape to him through a holotransmission.  But then again, the brotherhood had 
ways with technology, ways that he failed to comprehend.

What the hell, Nix thought to himself.  He tossed the tape forward.  A burst 
of static, then Nix saw a ripple occur in the holoscreen as he did so, and 
the tape landed on the floor, sliding to a rest beside the figure's feet.  
The figure leaned over to pick up the tape.

Then a bigger sound of static filled the room.  A huge ripple filled the 
screen as Rieger leapt into it, tucked and rolled.  He came up on his feet, 
holding the startled Nix by the back of his neck.  They now faced the 
figure.

"Rieger, I presume?"

"Correct.  Sangra Dom Nictus."  Replied Rieger as he held the blade of his 
knife at Nix's throat. "Now, where's my brother?"

Nictus held the tape in his hands.  He turned to Rieger.

"Go ahead, kill the Wanot.  It won't change a thing."  He said.  Nix's eyes 
widened, as Rieger brought the blade to a sliding halt through his neck. The 
Wanot fell to the floor, his body still jerking involuntarily.

"I never did like him anyway."  Said Nictus, oblivious to the violent end of 
Nix.  He turned to face his desk.  Rieger leapt forward and attempted to 
tackle Nictus, who dodged stealthily out of the way.

Nictus pulled his sword as Rieger recovered from his ill-timed attack. Then 
Rieger noticed a figure against the wall.  As his eyes adjusted, he saw that 
it was his brother, Armand.

"Now you have found your brother.  Oh, how I love family reunions!" 
Exclaimed Nictus,  wiping a fake tear from his eyes.  He turned to Armand. 
Rieger feared what he thought Nictus would say next.

"Now kill this man."  He said as he pointed to Rieger.  Armand dug his hand 
into his coat and pulled out a short dagger.  Then proceeded to attack 
Rieger, his own brother.

Rieger recovered quickly, dodging the attack, then thrusting his blade at 
his brother's hands.  If he could disarm his brother, he could figure out a 
way to solve this predicament.

Both of the fighters faced each other on pretty even terms.  One would not 
kill the other, yet the other wanted his opponent dead.  Amand was close 
enough to his brother to try a rolling attack.  Gregory readied himself for 
anything.  Then he thought of something.  What if...

Armand swung the blade down hard, narrowly missing Gregory.  Gregory swung 
around and slammed his blade into his brother's leg.  Inflamed at the sight 
of the blade in his leg, Armand looked deep into his brother's eyes.

"I will kill you.  This you know to be true."  He said.

Gregory dug into his coat.  He had one more trick up his sleeve.  "Give me 
your best shot, bro!"

A small crowd of the brotherhood had now gathered to watch the ensuing 
battle.  With each lunge and perry, they cheered.  It was a battle they'd 
rarely ever see again.  Two of the Imperial Senate's assassins facing off 
against one another.  Better yet, they were brothers!

Anger swept over Armand's face as he missed yet again.  His brother was 
good.  "Damned you!  Hold still for once and die like a man!"  He said.

Gregory decided enough was enough. He pulled out a stun orb, and held it out 
over his chest.  Armand took the pause to bring his blade down upon his 
brother.  There was a blinding flash.  The crowd covered their eyes.

A plume of blue grey smoke ensued to fill the room.  The crowd dispersed 
quickly.  Nictus remained steadfast.  "Armand!"  He cried forth.  "Make sure 
he is dead.  I want his head!"

A lone figure rose from the smoke and ashes.  It wiped the soot from it's 
face as it approached.

"I've taken care of my brother, my master."  Armand said.  "He's no threat 
to you now."

"Very good, Armand."  Said Nictus.  "I'm very proud of you, my son."  Then, 
from the corner of his eye, he saw Gregory emerge from the smoke.  "What the 
hell?"  Exclaimed the dumbfounded High Priest of Technology.

Gregory stood beside his brother.  Then Nictus saw that the control disc on 
Armand's forehead was arcing sparks.  Armand placed his hand upon it and 
ripped it off.  It fell to the ground, where Gregory mashed it to pieces 
with his boot.

"You bastards!  You'll ruin it all!"  Cried out Nictus as he called forth 
for his guards.  They would not heed the callings of their master.  Nictus 
turned to see their splintered remains scattered across the floor.

"But how?  You should be dead, Gregory!"  Nictus said.

"I used a modified stun orb.  It uses sonic waves in tandem with octal 
stimuli to incapacitate it's victims.  I've practiced with it, and can 
withstand a direct flash."  Gregory said.  "Can you?"

Nictus's eyes widened as Gregory tossed another orb at him.  Instinctively, 
although stupidly, he caught the orb.  He closed his eyes and turned his 
head to try to escape the oncoming blast.

Nothing happened.  Nictus opened his eyes, and dropped the orb to the 
ground.  "Why?"  He asked, looking at the two brothers standing before him.

The hatred in their eyes revealed that they both really wanted him dead. 
After all, the Archbishop himself had always preached 'let no man stand 
between two brothers'.  They looked at each other, then at him.

"Because you are worth more to us alive than dead."  Said Armand after a 
long silence.

"But that doesn't mean that we consider you indispensable."  Said Gregory. 
"We will kill you should you choose to ever doublecross us again."

With these words, Nictus fell to his knees and began to weep.  Armand picked 
him up, and slapped him across the face.

"Now you have a minute to recall your agents from killing me or Kiersten," 
Gregory said.  "And to offer us any assistance we require."

Nictus began to shake uncontrollably.  Gregory had set the stun ball back 
into his hands, and pressed a small button on it.  A countdown appeared and 
the numbers were scrolling by quickly.

"I cannot!  The events are now unfolding out of control.  Not even I can 
stop them."  Said Nictus.  "I am but a lone part in the conspiracy against 
the two of you."

"Then you will die."  Said Armand, as he pressed his control pad and spidery 
tendrils extended from the orb, winding a tightened knot around Nictus's 
hands.  He struggle to free himself, but it was no use.  The brothers began 
to turn around and walk away.

Nictus forced a smile.  "Perhaps I can do something for you without any 
undue repercussions."

Armand and Gregory turned to face Nictus.  "Recall the agents, or pay the 
consequences.  You have thirty seconds."  Said Armand.  His brother Gregory 
placed his fingers in his ears to try to muffle the oncoming boom. Nictus 
was not amused by his petty antics.

"Allright, damned it." Nictus replied.  "I will do as you wish.  Now will 
you please disarm the weapon."

Armand pressed his pad, and the countdown stopped.  "Now this is what we 
want you to do."  He said, with a twinkle in his eye.  Nictus was probably 
going to regret his decision for the rest of his life.


Kiersten was not pleased.  Gregory had left her alone in this seedy 
nightclub with all it's assorted deviants for more than an hour now. Where 
in the hell could he be?

Compounding the wait, she had this damned Michbar shock collar around her 
neck, and couldn't move a muscle without getting shocked.  This made it very 
unpleasant to ignore the various riff-raff that decided that having a 
Michbar woman of their own might be a good thing.  Even if they had to steal 
her from her present owner.

"Hey, sweet thing.  How about coming back with me?  Said a potential suitor.

"Now there's a line I really like."  She said without looking at him.  "Get 
this damned collar off me, and I'll show you a night you'll never forget."

"No, the collar's gotta stay,"  He said with a grin.  "I happen to like my 
women docile and obedient.

Kiersten glared over at him, and spat in his face.  He wiped the spittle 
from his crusty face, then slapped her.  Her movement triggered the collar, 
and a blue arc surrounded her convulsing body.  Then it dimmed and she 
slumped to the floor with a dull thud.

The man recognized that this was his chance and began to pick her catatonic 
body up from the floor.  Suddenly there was a blade at his throat.

"Set the lady down gently, and just walk away."  Said a voice behind him. He 
set Kiersten's limp body to the floor, and fell backwards.  He observed his 
mystery assailant.  It was Armand Rieger.  Gregory strode over to Kiersten 
and tended to her.

"She's ok, Armand."  He said after checking her vitals with his comm pad.

"Good."  Said Armand.  "We need her, my brother.  She can help us." Armand 
looked into the eyes of the man who had tried to abduct Kiersten with great 
disdain.

"You look just like that guy who tried to kill the Archbishop!"  He 
exclaimed.

"I am that guy."  Armand said with a slight twang, mimicking the poor 
dialect of the to-be kidnapper.

"But you're dead!  We all saw it on the vid!"

"Just back on my resurrection tour, I guess.  Seems you all didn't get 
enough of me the first time around."

Kiersten slowly started to stir again.  Gregory turned to her and said, 
"Glad to see you could join us."

She shook her head, and grasped at the neck restraint.  "Please let me out 
of this thing, Gregory!"

"Not yet, baby.  I still need you around for a while."  Said Gregory.

Kiersten buried her face in her hands and began to cry.  She was beginning 
to attract a crowd.

The man quickly turned and tried to run away.  He took five steps forward, 
then clumsily hit the floor.  As his head slowly rolled over, everyone saw a 
shim imbedded in the back of his neck.

The man was not yet dead, but he couldn't move a muscle below his head.  The 
crowd began to recede into the darkness from where they had came.  Gregory 
had pulled a stunner orb to keep them all at bay.

Satisfied that his brother was sufficiently covering his back, Armand walked 
over to the man and looked him in the eyes.

"This is shim protruding from your spine controls your neural pathway to the 
rest of your body."  Armand said to him calmly as the man began to turn blue 
from lack of taking a breath.  "If you would like to breathe, blink your 
left eye."

The man blinked his eyes furiously, as his lips turned from blue to white. 
Good for a Trinn in the mating season, but not for a human.

"I said your left eye."  Armand repeated.

The man blinked his left eye, and Armand pressed a button on the shim that 
permitted the man to breathe again.

"Very good.  I knew from the moment I saw your crisp Imperial uniform that 
you must be good at following orders."  Armand said with a slight grin.  
"I'm rarely wrong about these things."

The man shook his head in nervous agreement.  Kiersten saw that the color 
was slowly returning to his face.

"Let him go!"  Said Kiersten.  It was bad enough that the Riegers were 
ruining her life, but for all that poor soldier had done to her, she at 
least could forgive.

Rieger kicked the man, who rolled over and began to cough up blood.

"Get up!" Yelled Rieger to the man. "You're coming with us."

Armand Rieger pushed Gregory aside and grabbed Kiersten by the hair and 
proceeded to drag her out the door as Gregory parted the crowd to let them 
pass freely.  The man obediently followed them.

His eyes were bloodshot and sunk back into his skull. He had the dejected 
look of a condemned man.  Somehow, or another, this would most likely be his 
last night among the living.

Armand stopped before the hovercar. "Where is your vehicle docked?"  He said 
to the soldier.

The soldier thought for a moment, then pointed to an olive drab transport 
shuttle.

"I guess it'll have to do."  He said.  "You guys go on ahead of me.  I have 
some unfinished business to attend to."

"But where are we supposed to go?"  Inquired Gregory.

Armand walked over to his brother and conferred with him.  Kiersten tried to 
make out what they were saying to one another, but try as she did, she 
couldn't make out a word.

Gregory walked back to them as Armand stepped into the shuttle and flew back 
towards the metropolis center.

"Where in the hell is he going?"  Kiersten asked.

"Mind your language, lady.  Where my brother goes is none of your damned 
business,"  Gregory replied.  "Just get into the car."

They both hopped in the awaiting hovercar, and quickly ascended into the 
curtain of smog and pollution that covered the metropolis.

"Where are we going now?"  Said Kiersten, "And why do we need him?" She 
glanced back at the soldier, who wheezed to take in each and every breath.  
She had a feeling that he wouldn't last too much longer.

"We have a date with the devil."  Said Rieger, who continued flying on into 
the night. "And he's not gonna be overjoyed to see us."


Armand floated around the outskirts of his old workplace, the Citadel, 
amidst a massive lightning storm that stood looming menacingly above.

In this military transport, he would merely be another official vehicle 
entering the compound.  Once inside, he would be on his own.  He edged the 
nose of the vehicle into a parking space at the bottom of the huge tower.

>From here, he was going to have to go about his business the hard way.  He 
grabbed an equipment pack from the rear of the transport and proceeded to 
look for a clear route up the grey steel structure.

A snap of a twig alerted him to the fact that he wasn't going to be alone 
for long.  Armand pulled a shiv, and tossed it into the forehead of a 
curious guard.

"Sorry buddy."  He said.  "This is a private party."  The man fell to the 
ground with a sickening thud, burying the shiv even deeper into his cranium.

"Man,"  Rieger commented to himself. "That had to have hurt!"

He dragged the body to a nearby bush and covered it with some brush.  It'd 
be discovered when they made their checking, but that should give him enough 
time to get down to business.  He grabbed the guard's comm unit and 
programmed it to monitor the security channels.

Armand proceeded to scale the large structure, careful to avoid the 
spotlights that cut through the night sky.  The stolen comm unit remained 
silent.  So far, so good.

It was cold, and the wind whipped Rieger around as he carefully ascended the 
monolith.  There were motion sensors all around the building, but he jammed 
them with his own comm, disabling them one at a time.

"This had better be worth it."  He muttered to himself, cursing the cruel 
wind. The guard's comm unit began to rattle with electronic chatter.  They 
knew something was wrong, but hadn't pinpointed the problem, he thought. He 
was already thirty odd stories above the ground, but he still had a long way 
to go.

A commotion on the ground caught his attention as he neared the fiftieth 
story.  He carefully perched himself on a nearby ledge, and monitored the 
guard's comm unit.  Some sentries had discovered the hidden body.

"Damn!"  He angrily said to himself.  This would complicate things a bit. He 
smashed the comm against the wall, knowing they could track him via 
triangulation of the signals.  Now, the searchlights were scouring the 
external edifices crack by crack.

He heard the sound of two hovercars quickly approaching in the distance. 
Armand prepared himself.  Digging onto his gear, he pulled an orb.  He 
programmed it with his comm, configuring it to track.

The leading hovercar spotted him, and shined a spotlight on him.  The 
forward guns began to track his position.  The jammer kicked in and was 
working well enough, that they couldn't get a bead on him by computer 
tracking.  They'd have to gain this kill manually.

The gunner flipped a switch to aim by hand.  The turret shut down for a 
moment, then came back to life with manual tracking.  It shone a laser 
pointer on his forehead, as the gunner dropped a bead on him.

Strange, thought the gunner, as he looked into the face of the intruder. 
Armand had a smile on his face as big as the world.  The gunner looked down 
at Armand's hand.  He released the orb.

"Pull out!  Pull out!"  Screamed the gunner as he suddenly realized what was 
about to happen.  It was too late.  As the hovercar pulled about to retreat, 
the orb came screaming in with a high pitched whine.

It had followed the path of the laser pointer home.  The orb punched a hole 
into the side of the car, then the vehicle lurched as a small explosion 
ripped the side of the craft off kilter. The gunner was thrown free from the 
vehicle and screamed as his flailing body fell to the ground.  Rieger 
laughed as he thought if the guy flapped his arms a little faster, he
probably would have flown.

The second hovercar fell back a bit, fearing another explosion.  The 
hovercar's auto gyro kicked in and the vehicle stabilized for the moment. 
Rieger seized his chance.  With a huge grunt, he leapt from the precipice to 
the hovercar.  Almost didn't make it.  He grasped the undercarriage with all 
of his might and dragged himself inside.  The pilot began to gain 
consciousness, and was readying to pull his gun.

"Time to go outside and get some stench blown off you!"  Rieger said as he 
slapped the gun out of the pilot's hand and pulled him from his seat by his 
helmet.  The pilot struggled for his life, flailing like a madman, but in 
the end Rieger won out.

The second vehicle saw the pilot get thrown from the hovercar and plummet to 
the ground far below.  It drew a bead on the hovercar and began to blow 
holes in it with it's 30mm cannons.

Rieger hit the deck as the rounds slammed home, tearing the small craft 
apart.  He rolled to the open side of the car.  Maybe getting in this thing 
was a bad move after all.

The hovercar's autogyro started to steady it, but then lost power. Armand 
could have sworn he heard the engine scream as the craft began it's plummet, 
but knew it was probably just the gyros kicking it, trying to compensate for 
the sudden loss in altitude.

Rieger decided it was time to abandon ship.  One desperate leap, and he 
fired his grappling hook into the night.  In a rare stroke of luck, it 
careened off the side of the building, and shot over to the underbelly of 
the second hovercar, where it clamped on.  He clung on for his life as he 
watched the first hovercar begin to lose control.

It dropped from the midnight sky like a stone for what seemed to be an 
eternity, but it's decent ended with a huge blast of twisted metal when it 
met with the hard ground below.

Armand grinned with cold satisfaction.  But he was never one to rest on his 
laurels.  Apparently, he was in the clear, as the hovercar never saw him 
eject.  He climbed the wire up to the car as it began to move.

Pulling himself up, he mounted the hood.  The surprised pilot stared at the 
madman through the windshield.  Rieger planted a claw into the hood, and 
clipped himself on.

The co-pilot pulled his gun and began to fire round after round at Rieger 
until he emptied his clip, barely putting a few pockmarked cracks in the 
windshield.  The idiot blew a hole in his own head as the bullets ricocheted 
throughout the cockpit.

"This is really getting old, guys!"  Said Rieger, in an adrenaline rush, as 
he fanatically punched a hole through the windshield one blow at a time and 
grabbed the stunned pilot by the collar.

He struggled to get away, but there was nowhere to run within the close 
confines of the chair.  He was still strapped in..  Rieger slammed his fist 
into the pilot's face, shattering his nose.  Blood poured in a cool, steady 
stream down the man's chin as he fought to keep conscious.

"That's for completely fucking up my night."

The dazed pilot clawed for the hovercar controls and attempted to shake 
Rieger off the car.  Rieger buffeted around the hood of the car, but the 
restraining claw held firm.  Rieger felt a fierce rage come over him. With 
his last ounce of energy, he drew back, and slammed his fist into the 
pilot's face, this time killing him instantly.

"That's for pissing me off, you fucking bastard!"

He reached into his pack and pulled out three more orbs.  After configuring 
them, he released them into the howling wind.  They screamed their way out 
of sight. He wouldn't be bothered by other hovercars for a while, at least.  
  Rieger regained his composure, then kicked in the windscreen, then threw 
the bigger pieces of it overboard.  No time to fly like the present.  He 
threw the hovercar into reverse and steered it from the hood.

"Damn, these things fly like a brick even when you're not it the cockpit!" 
He said as he fought the controls, clumsily maneuovering in and out of the 
way of the buildings many outcroppings.  It was hard to steer, but a hell of 
a lot easier than climbing all the way up.

On the ground, the troops regrouped and began to infiltrate the building.  
It had been an hour since he had started his ascension when the storm 
released it's fury, and began sheeting down rain.  Rieger wished he was in 
the cockpit warm and dry instead of flying from the hood, getting soaked to 
the bone.

Armand smiled as he reached the 90th floor.  He maneuvered the hovercar 
around the external docking pylons, then put it into auto-hover mode.  He 
unclipped himself from the hood, and stood up.

Planting a small device to the mirrored window, he ducked out of the way as 
the blast ripped a huge hole into the building.  Below, small arms fire came 
zooming in on him as he dropped in to visit an old friend.  If he was still 
a friend.


Gregory gently steered the hovercar up to the huge black pyramid that was 
the Sancti.  The Order of the Sun knew of his existence, yet strangely they 
had not done anything about it.  Parking at the lower entrance, he turned to 
Kiersten.

"Stay here, touch nothing, and wait!"  He said.  She was too exhausted to 
argue anymore.

Rieger popped the hatch and dragged the soldier forward into the enclave of 
Illuminated Ones.  Passing into the building as a man helping his friend get 
to weekly confessional, they were interrupted by a red robed monk.

"May I help you, my brethren?"  He eagerly asked Rieger, who was struggling 
with the weight of the lethargic soldier.

"My friend here is deaf and lame.  I'm trying to get him to confessional." 
Said Rieger.

"Then let me assist you."

"That would be very kind of you.  Bless you!" Said Rieger.  The monk grabbed 
the soldier by the arm, and helped lead him through the crowd. They turned a 
deserted corner, and Rieger stopped.  The monk looked at him.

"I'm sorry, father, but my friends weight is quite a load to bear.  Forgive 
me while I rest a moment."

"That's quite alright.  Let's set him down on this bench for a moment." Said 
the monk.  No sooner had they set him down, Rieger pulled a garrot and 
proceeded to choke the life from the monk.  A couple passed by them, and 
Rieger fell to his knees, holding the monk's semiconscious head between his 
hands.

"Father, I beg for your forgiveness for all I have done.  I am a good man, 
and wish to regain favor with the lord, my god."  He paused a moment, then 
shook the monks head up and down in mock acceptance, as if to appear to have 
gained the holy favor.

Rieger looked to the couple with a tear in his eye.  They both smiled at 
him, then made the sign of the order and proceed on their way.  When they no 
longer were in sight, he snapped the monks neck like a twig.

"What I have to accomplish no longer requires your services, Padre." Rieger 
grumbled under his breath.  The monk's eyes went blank, then he slackened to 
the floor like a limp rag doll.  Rieger removed the dead monk's robe and put 
it on.

"This thing is really quite comfortable."  He said as he put it on.  "I 
could really get used to this."  Rieger thought as he adjusted the fit of 
the robe.

He sat the body of the monk on the bench beside the reclined soldier, and 
positioned him as if he merely had fallen asleep, at peace within the house 
of god.  Rieger took a quick look around.

Noticing a nearby funeral litter, he grabbed it and hovered it back to the 
bench, where he placed the slowly stiffening body of the monk on it.  Rigor 
mortis was quickly setting in.  He turned to the soldier.

"I'll be back in a moment," He said to the comatose soldier.  "Don't go 
running off anywhere."

The soldier continued to drool down his collar.  Rieger laughed quietly to 
himself.  "Nope, didn't think that was going to be a problem either."

Rieger turned back to the hovering funeral litter, and coasted it down the 
hallway.  When he found he was sufficiently lost, he walked over to a comm 
terminal to get directions to the crematorium.

"Down the far hall, and to the left."  It said in a mechanical voice.  For 
all the technology used in this place, Rieger thought they could  have spent 
more time getting a more utilitarian voice.

They passed through the droves of bereft brethren as they meandered their 
way to the crematory chamber.  The massive arched doors parted to reveal 
what was to quickly become the monk's final resting place.

"Ashes to ashes, my brother."  Rieger jested.

The room was a behemoth multi-story sphere that pulsated with an odd 
electric arc at the core.  Swirling round about the arc in a slowly decaying 
orbit were the wrapped bodies of the dead, awaiting their final incineration 
by the arc.

Every now and again, the room would flash with a scintillating blue light 
and people lining the balconies would cheer and clap as the dead transcended 
into a better place.  Or a burnt crisp, as Rieger knew it truly to be.

He was too jaded by reality to believe all the romantic bullshit that the 
sancti churned out on a regular basis to make the common people feel better 
about their place in this world.

Rieger moved the litter to an open balcony, and unloaded the monk.  An 
apparatus descended from the ceiling and expeditiously shrink-wrapped the 
monk in an opaque white plastic.

A pre-recorded eulogy began with a metallic, inhuman voice.  Rieger hated 
this part.  He smashed his hand into vidscreen, and it popped off with a 
brief flash and a string of white smoke.

Rieger pushed the eject button and the sarcophagi slid off the platform, 
joining the other wrapped bodies in the floating swirl within the crematory 
chamber.  Another monk noticed the puff of smoke coming from the damaged 
vidscreen and walked over to confront Rieger.

"My brother, why did you violate this station?"  He said, looking at the 
smoking vidscreen.  "I shall have to report this to the superior."

"I wouldn't do that, If I were you."  Said Rieger, not looking up from the 
crematory sphere.

"I must do as it is commanded, my brother.  Violating the sacred sanctity of 
this rite of passage cannot be tolerated."  The monk pulled out a commpad  
and began to send a transmission.

Rieger stepped over to the monk, grabbed him by the neck and belt of his 
robe and threw him over the edge of the balcony.

"I guess you'd better report yourself, also."  Said Rieger.

The mortally frightened monk let go of the pad, which swirled around the 
edge of the chamber.  His limbs waved about, as if he tried to swim against 
the tide of a whirlpool, but it was to no avail.  There was a brief flash, 
and the crowd cheered again.

A group of monks headed in his direction, encircling his position.  Rieger 
jumped onto the ledge of the balcony.  A monk leapt for Rieger's feet, 
trying to knock him from the ledge, but Rieger dodged, and the monk's 
momentum took him over the edge.  He grabbed for the rail, but Rieger put 
his foot on his grasping fingers.

The others stayed at bay, not wanting to provoke him.  Rieger removed his 
hood, and smiled at the monk, who was hanging by one hand over the edge.

"Sorry, Padre.  Nothing personal, just business."  He crunched the monk's 
fingers with his boot, and the monk let go of the rail.  He floated off to 
the crematory arc, kicking and screaming all the way.

The remaining monks charged in on him, and he cut them down with his staff.  
One by one, monk bodies began to float down from the balcony, some more 
complete than others.  The horrified crowd began to evacuate from the 
crematoria, causing a general panic within the halls.

Just what Rieger needed to divert their attention.  Taking out an orb from 
his pack, he programmed it with a short countdown, and tossed it into the 
crematoria.

Time for a hasty exit, he thought.  He dashed out the huge doors and became 
one with the panicking crowd, who ran for the nearest exit.  He ducked into 
a small enclave and plugged his ears for what seemed like an eternity.

A resounding explosion ripped through the Sancti, throwing debris throughout 
the hallway, shortly followed by the moans and cries of the injured.  A 
recovery team ran down the hall, followed by a procession of high priests.  
As they passed, Rieger recognized one of them.

It was the Archbishop, guarded by a small security force.  In the confusion 
of the disaster, Rieger ran up to him.  He was stopped by the security 
force, but they let him pass, thinking he was a monk.  Thanks the gods he 
had grabbed that robe.  It made what he was about to do a whole lot easier.

The Archbishop turned to the monk.  "What has happened here, my son."

"Someone planted a bomb in the crematoria.  He said something about trying 
to kill you, by holiness."

The Archbishop laid his hand on the monk's shoulder.  "No why in the world 
would someone try to kill me?"  He said.

"Maybe it had something to do with you killing his brother, Archbishop."

The Archbishop paused for a moment, then a great fear washed over him. He 
lowered the monk's hood, and gazed into his stone cold eyes.

"Rieger!"  He said as he began to back away.  "You crazy bastard."

"Apparently not as twisted as you, Michanos!"

Rieger pulled his blade and began to cut his way through the Archbishop's 
security force.  The Archbishop turned to run, but realized there was 
nowhere to hide.

"I thought your brother learned that I cannot be killed.  Kill this vile 
infidel!"  Sancto cried out to his well armed security force."

"I saw you die, but this time, you're mine!"  Said Rieger as he continued to 
hack it out with the dwindling security team.  He quickly dispatched them, 
one by one, and then turned his full attention to the Archbishop.

"Care to dance with the devil, Archbishop?"  He asked.

The Archbishop was not amused.  He pulled an energy staff, and pointed it at 
Rieger.  Rieger ducked as a bolt of energy flew over his head.  He rolled, 
and came up behind the surprised Archbishop.

"Time to die."  He whispered in the old man's ear as he grabbed his wiry 
grey hair and slid his blade deftly across the Archbishop's throat.

There's a certain satisfaction gained in the death of one's enemies, and 
Rieger savored the moment to it's fullest extent.

The old man's limp body collapsed to the floor leaving Rieger holding his 
disembodied head.  The archbishop's eyes rolled in their sockets. Something 
strange began oozing out of his neck.  It was clearly not human.

Rieger dropped the head and a small purple creature not unlike a squid came 
slithering out of it.  Small tendrils grasped for a hold, pulling it out 
inch by inch.

Looking up at the startled assassin, it chirped a few short clicks, then 
began to skitter across the room.

Rieger threw his blade, and it impaled the creatures body, pinning it to the 
floor.  Rieger walked over to it, wondering what in the hell it was.  It 
chirped some more, then began to attack.

It spit out a strange yellow venom at Rieger's face, but he shielded his 
eyes.  His face was covered with sticky mucus.  Rieger struck at it, 
knocking it to the floor again and  held it down with his boot.

"Damned!  What ever you are, you really stink!"  He said as he picked up the 
writhing creature, punched it into unconsciousness and put it in his pack. 
Another security team was rounding the corner.

"Guys.  I'd really love to stay and play with you, but I've got a beautiful 
woman waiting for me in my hovercar."

He tossed an orb, and it exploded, leaving a mess of blood and sinew.  He 
took the remaining orbs from his pack, released their tendrils and tied them 
together.  Setting up a cascade timer, he turned to the inert bodies that 
lined the hallway.

"With that, I bid you adieu!"  Rieger tossed the orbs into the arcing 
crematory chamber, then hastily made a retreat to the exit.

Once outside the Sancti, he quickly ran back to the hovercar, where Kiersten 
was still waiting for him.

"Where's the soldier?"  She asked.

"He had to rest."  Rieger said as a tremendous explosion ripped the Sancti 
apart from within, collapsing a huge portion of it upon itself.

"Rest for an awful long time."  Rieger shot the hovercar up like a rocket, 
reaching the limits of it's engines.

"Hang on to your seat, this ride's about to get pretty damned rough."

As the car continued to climb upward, a huge explosion unlike any she had 
ever seen completely destroyed the remainder of the Sancti, and a few city 
blocks beyond it.  The shockwave tossed the tiny craft like a juggernaut.  
Rieger fought to regain control before the car would stall and plummet to 
the ground.

"Come on, baby!  Gimme all you got!"  Rieger yelled.

The turbines screamed as they performed far beyond their ratings.  The craft 
listed on it's side for a moment, then Rieger managed to straighten it out 
until another shockwave rocked the small craft.

The sun was beginning to get blocked out by the huge dustcloud raised by the 
explosion.  Rieger looked in awe at the huge crater left for ten city 
blocks.  It must have been a mile and a half across, easy.

"What the hell did you just do, you stupid arrogant bastard?  Blow up the 
Sancti?"  Exclaimed Kiersten as she held on for dear life, shaking violently 
through the resulting shockwaves.

"Jeez!  Well, it used to be the Sancti, but now I'd call it one hell of a 
big hole!"  He grinned in satisfaction of a job well done.

"Why did you do that?  If you wanted to kill the Archbishop, you didn't have 
to take out half the city in the process!"

Rieger had no answer for her.  He just looked out the canopy at the massive 
fires and destruction below.

"Damned it, Rieger!  You just can't do things simply, can you?  Can you?" 
Kiersten wondered what was going to become of the Sancti now.

She wasn't particularly religious, but she felt for them.  What would become 
of the families of the dead.  "Ever hear of a thing called moderation?  
Everything has to be overkill with you, isn't it?"

"Moderation isn't in my nature, woman!  I'm frankly getting tired of hearing 
your ultrasensitivity bullshit!  Shut up, strap yourself in and hold on."

"Where are we going now?"  She quizzed, still angry with Rieger.  Rieger had 
enough.  He depressed a button on the control pad and sent an immense shock 
through her nervous system.  She jerked stiff for a moment, then sank 
flaccidly into the seat.

"There!  Happy now.  Maybe I'll finally get some peace and quiet out of 
you."  He punched in a few coordinates into the hover autopilot controls and 
reclined his chair to finally get some well deserved rest.

"Some people just don't get it."  He said to himself as he crossed his arms 
behind his head and began to slumber off.

The hovercar slowly changed it's course and aligned itself towards the dark 
horizon.  It was gonna be a great day, indeed.


The Imperial Senate building was still bustling with frantic activity in the 
aftermath of the explosion.  On all the vids were tuned in to reports coming 
in from all around the galaxy.  The tremendous explosion at the Sancti had 
caused quite a stir.

Angry mobs ran through the streets, causing chaos in the normally 
ultraorderly capitol.  Senate aides were busily gathering the latest reports 
and compiling them for damage control briefings.  Holocoms were crackling 
with personal accounts, some of those from apparent charred and smoking 
survivors of the blast.

Gieger turned angrily in his chair and looked out at the dirty metropolis 
below.  A smoky haze had enveloped the city.

"Damn it!"  He exclaimed as he slammed his fist onto his desk.  The sound 
startled several aides, who dropped their work to see what was the matter.  
Gieger gave them a cold stare that they had never seen before.

They quickly resumed their business, afraid to attract their bosses wrath.  
There was gonna be hell to pay, and not one of them wished to be on the 
receiving end of it.  They scurried about, trying to keep out of Gieger's 
way.

Gieger turned to his comm terminal and began to type up a report for the 
Senate.  He would have to stand before them and brief the latest events. 
Turning on the holocom, he called out a name, and the screen crackled into 
action.

Lycanos Moravi turned toward his personal vid.  He was a scrawny figure of a 
man, who rode upon a hover life support chair.  He had been paraplegic since 
an accident years ago, but still managed to maneuver the chair with a 
certain degree of skill.  He pulled beside his holocom.

His eyes widened as he looked at the disheveled figure that appeared before 
him.

"Gieger.  It's been a long time since I've got a call from you."  He said as 
he took a pause from reviewing data coming from the global web.

"I apologize, Lycanos.  I've had a lot on my mind with my new 
responsibilities."  Said Gieger, wiping the sweat from his wrinkled brow.

"Frankly, you look like hell.  What can I do for you, Gieger?"

"Well, the reason I called was..."

"The over-gratuitous bombing of the Sancti."  Lycanos interrupted.  By the 
way Gieger reacted, he knew he had guessed correctly.

"Oh, yes.  The recent events there disturb me greatly."

"I bet!"  Lycanos swung his chair around, as he went over to the counter to 
retrieve his beverage.  A mechanical tentacle reached out for it, and 
brought it to his lips.  He took a few healthy gulps, then the arm set the 
cup back down, and he returned into view.

"I need your help, Lycanos."

"My help?  What could I possibly do for the great Gieger that he can't 
accomplish for himself.  You have the aide of all your assassins."

Gieger shook his head, and recomposed himself.  Lycanos was clearly touching 
on some raw nerves here.  Toying with Gieger, and enjoying every bit of it.

"Now you listen here, you crippled bastard.  I'm asking for your help now." 
Said the enraged Gieger.

"Oh, yes.  Back to the crippled bastard routine."  Lycanos exclaimed with a 
gleam in his eyes.


"As I remember it, it was you who placed me in my particular situation. No, 
I don't recall me owing you any damned favors.  My slate is clean to you.  
In fact, you still owe me a great deal."

Lycanos turned from the holocom for a moment, so Gieger couldn't see his 
face.  He grinned wildly with a deep enjoyment.  So now Gieger wants his 
help, of all people.  He turned back to the screen and resumed his poker 
face.  "I don't need to help anyone."

Gieger looked into the man's eyes.  "I'm sorry, Lycanos.  I've tried to do 
all I could to help you.  Please, just listen to what I have to say.  We 
have quite a problem on our hands with this situation.  One of my agents has 
gotten a bit out of hand."

"Oh really."  Said Lycanos as he began to laugh.  "I'd say that was the 
major understatement of the year."

"Very funny."  Said Gieger.  He could see Lycanos try to hold back the tears 
in the middle of hysterical fits of laughter. "Damned it, I need  access to 
some of your intelligence resources."

"Very well, Gieger.  I'll try to lend you a small hand."

Lycanos turned away to a comm terminal, where he opened up several virtual 
holoscreens.  "But it will cost you dearly, my friend."

"I don't care what it costs.  The next head to roll will most probably be 
mine."

"That would be most unfortunate for you, Gieger.  At least head is still 
attached to my albeit lame body."  Lycanos resumed his fit of laughter.

Gieger was getting very impatient dealing with this man.  Although Lycanos 
probably couldn't be trusted as far as you could throw his support chair, he 
had been one of the most obedient agents that Gieger had dealt with until he 
was retired after his unfortunate accident.

He felt he was getting through to the man, and even if Lycanos still felt a 
deep hatred for the Empire, he'd probably help them if the price was right. 
At worst, it would most probably turn out to be a deal with the devil.

Lycanos turned back to the holocom.  "What do you have for me to look at." 
He asked.

Gieger looked back at Lycanos, not knowing whether he could truly trust this 
man.  Then again, he had nothing to lose at this point, except his head.  
Better to concede.

Gieger placed a disk into the reader, and it transferred all the data to 
Lycanos's terminal.  Lycanos began to scan the data, stopping to look at the 
briefest of details.

He was very meticulous about his work, and knew that even the most minute of 
details could open up a world of possibilities previously obscured by media 
fluff.

Gieger looked in amazement at the way Lycanos worked without apparent 
disability although he was almost totally paralyzed from the neck down.

He remembered that Lycanos had had his legs amputated when they had 
degenerated too far beyond repair.


Despite his adversity, Lycanos was still very brilliant, although Gieger was 
increasingly troubled by his alleged ties to the dark underworld of the 
Empire.

Lycanos paused for a moment, and looked at Gieger through the holocom.

"The work of this bomber looks very familiar to me."  He replied after a
brief pause.

"He is definitely one of your agents, as he utilized what appears to be 
several re-configured cluster orbs, possibly put in a cascade configuration 
to give them a bigger bang for the buck.  Do you think it could possibly be 
Armand?"  Lycanos asked.

Gieger shook his head.  "I'm not sure.  Our records indicate that Rieger was 
assassinated by the Archbishop for attempting to kill him, and we haven't 
heard of him since."

"Something tells me that you had a slight part in the orchestration of the 
attempt."  Said Lycanos, grinning wryly.

"Why would you say that?"  Quizzed Gieger, attempting to hide his 
involvement in the matter.

"Anyway, the book has been closed, and I don't feel that even Armand could 
have survived the execution to pull this one off, no matter what his hatred 
of the Archbishop."

"But the Archbishop has been missing and presumed dead since the explosion."

"This is true."  Replied Gieger.  "None of his followers reported seeing him 
after the blast, that is the few of them that survived the damned 
explosion."

"Then let us presume that the Archbishop is indeed deceased.  Armand is not 
a suspect, although I do not believe that you are telling me everything you 
necessarily know about this incident."

Lycanos returned to work at the terminal.  His mechanical tentacle arms 
moved like a blur, pushing aside screen by screen of data.

He brought up a display on the main viewscreen a brief background on another 
agent, thinking for a moment,  and then he turned to Gieger.

"What about Armand's brother, Gregory?"  He asked.

"That is a very distinct possibility.  We've been looking in his direction 
for quite a while now but have turned up nothing."  Said Gieger.

"Well, it seems to me that you have two unaccounted for agents, with a 
distinct hatred for the Sancti.  It would appear that you, as an 
administrator for the assassin corps, do not even appear to have control 
over your own agency."

Gieger writhed in his seat.  The veins in his head looked as if they were 
about to burst.  "How dare you tell me how to do my job, Lycanos."  He 
screamed.

"On the contrary, my dear Gieger.  You know it to be true.  Those who can no 
longer do the job are destined to be pawns of the game.  Your usefulness to 
the Imperial Senate seems to be coming to an abrupt end."

"Shut up!  Shut up!"  Screamed Gieger, although he knew the words to be 
probably true.  He still limped on the leg that the Emperor had excised his 
disapproval on.  God knew what the Emperor would do to him now.

"Now Gieger, I believe that it most probably was Gregory, in retribution for 
his brother's apparent death at the hands of the Sancti.  Why he 
accomplished it in such a big way is not understandable, but it clearly fits 
his profile."

"I tend to agree with you."  Gingerly replied Gieger, who clasped his hands 
into a ball.

"Well, then you'd also have to agree with me that he probably doesn't like 
you very much, either."

"That thought has crossed my mind.  But I don't think he'd risk the exposed 
danger to come after me.  After all, I was his boss."  Said Gieger.

Lycanos stopped interfacing with the terminal, and stared at the screen 
again.  "I would not underestimate this man.  He could be a thorn in your 
side for quite a while."

"We are tracking him down.  Sooner or later, he'll slip up, and we'll have 
him right where we want him.  Dead."

"I'd watch your back in the meantime.  Let be examine the data a little 
further, and I'll get back to you."  Said Lycanos, still concentrating on 
the data spread out on the screens before him.  With his neural 
enhancements, he could process five times the amount of data that an 
ordinary human could.

"OK, I'll call you back within the hour.  The Imperial Senate thanks you." 
Said Gieger, in an almost sincere manner.

"Oh, I'll require more than thanks, my friend."  Replied Lycanos, who 
terminated the holocom transmission.

Gieger slumped back into his chair.  What had he brought in to this.  He 
turned to look at his aides, who had stopped to wonder what he would do 
next.

"What the hell are you people looking at?"  He screamed.  "Get back to 
work!"

Obediently, they scurried back to work, and Gieger resumed working on his 
report.  It was bound to be a triple sedative day.

He reached into his desk and pulled out a sedative disk.  He applied it to 
his neck, on top of the two that were already applied there.  He rolled his 
head from side to side and cracked his neck, vertebrae popping from the 
stress.

It provided a minor, temporary relief but he was certain it would tense up 
soon again.  He still had to face the Senate.  First things first, he 
thought. It was time he exacted some revenge.  He called an aide to his 
side.

"Get me Brant Sulcorse.  I want him in front of me in ten minutes."  He 
said.

The aide quickly ran off to fetch the assassin.  Sulcorse had always hated 
the Riegers.  Now would be his chance to do something about it.


Armand cautiously made his way through the hole he'd blown into the Citadel. 
  Programming the hovercar controls with his datapad, he watched as it 
screamed upwards, then halted as the engines stalled.

It began to slowly plummet to the ground like a rock, then explode off the 
side of the Citadel, causing a small fire several hundred floors below.

He saw a fire control team begin to fight the blaze.  That ought to keep 
them busy for a while, he thought to himself.  Maybe they'd even think that 
the dead pilot was the intruder.  That would certainly buy him enough time 
to accomplish his task at hand.

Rieger looked at his surroundings.  He was obviously in an administrative 
office of some kind.  He noticed a holocom at a nearby desk.

"Perfect."  He said, as he called the Emperors secretary.  The screen went 
blank for a moment, then brightened as a figure appeared.

Zex answered the holocom.  He instantly was startled to see the late 
assassin Armand Rieger over the transmission.

"This must be some sort of a joke."  He said with a puzzled look over his 
face.  "You're dead!"

"Nope.  Sorry to disappoint you, Zex.  I'm very much alive."  Said Rieger.

Zex attempted to shut off the holocom, but Armand jammed the channel open, 
and stepped through the screen.

"How did you do that?"  Said Zex as he stepped back several feet, putting as 
much distance as he could between himself and Rieger.  "You haven't the 
clearance to access this level of technology."

"You know what they say about ghosts.  We can do anything."  Said Rieger as 
Zex began to shake violently from fear of the man.

Armand grabbed Zex by his scrawny neck and looked into his eyes.  "Now let's 
go see your boss, the Emperor."

Zex struggled to shake himself from Rieger's grasp, but it wasn't working.

"I can't do that!  You know I can't."  Zex said.   Rieger pulled his blade 
and sliced through Zex's reptilian tail.  He screamed in agony.

"Now I think you will, or you'll wish you were dead.  A Sylanx can always 
grow back his tail, but not his head."  Said Rieger, holding the blade at 
Zex's throat.

When Zex saw the blade at his throat, and the tail writhing about on the 
floor, he suddenly became very agreeable.

The holocom flashed to life, and the image of the Emperor appeared. "Rieger! 
  Leave poor Zex alone.  Now!"  He commanded.

Rieger turned to face the holocom.  "Just the guy I wanted to talk to." 
Exclaimed Rieger as he dropped Zex to the floor.  Zex slithered off into a 
dark corner, watching as the two men faced off.

Rieger attempted to jump through the holoscreen, but clumsily bounced off of 
it instead.

"Sorry Rieger, but I've disabled the transport feature."  Said the Emperor 
as Rieger pulled himself off the floor.  He appeared to have dislocated his 
shoulder in the process and smacked it back into place using a nearby wall.

"We need to talk.  Alone, Emperor."

"Very well.  Zex.  You may leave us now!"  The Emperor commanded.  Zex 
quickly bolted out the door.  He didn't have to be told twice.  The door 
hissed closed, and the two men were alone.

"Now, Armand.  What can I do for you?"  Asked the Emperor.

"First of all, you can apologize for turning me over to the Sancti."  Rieger 
said.  The Emperor saw the immense hatred boiling up inside of him.

"That was not my idea, Armand.  In fact, I kind of like your work."  Said 
the Emperor.

"Then who decided to give me up?"

"Your old friend Gieger decided that it would be in the best interest of the 
Empire if we turned you over.  It seemed like a good idea at the time."

"So, it was that rotten bastard.  I knew something was up when I came back 
to brief the Senate."

"This is true.  We thought you had also succeeded on your mission, but were 
surprised to get a call from the Archbishop Sancto right after you 
transported back."

"He may look like Sancto, but I doubt it is him, unless he cloned himself 
beforehand."  Said Rieger.  "Because I did kill the man."

"You may have killed him, but that is why we specifically ordered you to 
scramble the man's brains.  We knew he might come back to the living if you 
didn't do it."

"Then how did he survive, Emperor?  I know I killed him!"

"I do not know the answer to that question.  What I do know he is most 
probably dead now."

"How?"  Asked Rieger.

"My sources tend to agree, and I among them, that your brother, Gregory, 
personally dispatched Michanos Sancto, one  hundred thousand of his flock, 
and about a mile and a half of prime religious real estate in the process."

"Way to go, brother!"  Armand exclaimed.

"Yes.  I was pleased as well.  That man has been a thorn in my side for far 
too long.  I had no choice in giving you up, as we were caught red handed. 
No offense, my dear Rieger."  Said the Emperor.

"None taken, Emperor. I probably would have done the same." Said Rieger. A 
puzzled look came over Rieger's face.  This was all too easy.

"Something is troubling you.  I can feel it."  Said the Emperor.

"Yes, my lord.  This is entirely too easy."

"What is?"  Quizzed the Emperor.

"Me talking to you.  It should have been more difficult."

"Difficulty is often determined by circumstance, number one.  I have 
foreseen this, therefore I allowed it to happen."

"Then you knew if I was alive, that I'd come after you?"

"Oh yes, my dear boy.  You would come.  Maybe to exact revenge, but most 
clearly to gain some answers."

"Then why aren't you afraid I'd succeed in killing you, because your answers 
aren't exactly forthcoming?"

The Emperor turned on his throne, looking Rieger straight in the eyes. "You 
may succeed sometime in the future, but now is not my time to die. In fact, 
I thought you'd figure it out that Gieger had set you up, and you'd kill him 
first."

Rieger looked down at himself.  The Emperor had it all figured out, down to 
the last detail.

"Rieger, I have always known how and when I would die, but my bloodline 
shall live on forever."  Said the Emperor.

"But there is an order to the galaxy and several events must pass before it 
is my time.  As far as answers to you questions, I can only say that when 
you have them, I will know.  Goodbye."

The holocom suddenly went black.  Rieger was alone again within the room.


Gregory was awakened by the perimeter alarm in the hovercar.  He was nearing 
the destination.  He shut off the autopilot, and began to guide the 
hovercraft over the outskirts of the badlands.

He glanced over at Kiersten, who was still out from the shock to her system. 
  He reached over to check her pulse.  She was still alive.  That was 
fortunate, because she was the only proof that justified his actions.

She moved in her sleep, lips pursing, as if trying to form words from her 
subconscious.  He gazed at her sleeping body.  She was really quite 
striking, he thought. He reached over and felt her hair flow through his 
fingers.  Her head turned towards him, and she quickly opened her eyes.

"What?"  She asked of him, defensively pushing herself back.

"Nothing.  I was just wondering if you were still alive."  He said.

"No thanks to you, you bastard.  Where are we?"  She asked, looking out at 
the desolate wasteland below.  She had never seen anything like it.

"We're over the badlands now."  He said, guiding the craft down through a 
small canyon.

Suddenly, a huge expanse of brilliant, shimmering blue ocean was revealed 
from horizon to horizon, as they passed though a small opening. It seemed to 
glow in an almost neon blue shade, waves appeared to roll to and fro.

"It looks like a vast ocean."  She said.

"It's a post-nucleonic wasteland.  The blue is a result of radioactive 
interference with the silicate.  It lumeneses blue, looking harmless, 
although a few minutes out there will fry you."

"Certainly nobody could live out here?"  She said.

"Well, almost nobody.  Except for the mining operations personnel and the 
drifters, nobody would want to come out here because of the radiation."

She shuddered to think about it.  The peaceful tranquility of it all made it 
look so harmless.  Gazing out of the cockpit window, she saw the burnt out 
skeleton of a huge behemoth creature.  Rieger, noticing her interest, dipped 
the hovercraft down and flew slowly through the ribs.

"How morbid!  Why did you do that?"  She asked.

"Just to show you the scale of the beast.  It used to be a Coraset.  The 
primitives once used them to pull their sand skiffs.  Now they're extinct, 
because of the great war."  Rieger maneuvered the hovercraft out of the 
bowels of the burnt out Coraset.  He was right, she thought.  It was indeed 
very massive.

She had never left the confines of the metropolis before, and never wanted 
to see the badlands, even though she had heard about them as a small child.

All she knew was that there was a great war a millennia ago that had turned 
this part of the planet into a radioactive desert.  Nobody dared set foot 
within the badlands without permission from the Senate.

As they passed through the canyon, a great deserted city appeared before 
them.  Huge, burned out monoliths rose from the stark desert sands to greet 
the burning sun above.  She gazed upon the dead civilization in awe.

"What is this place?"  She asked.

"This is Amagegnon, the old capitol city of the Empire."  He answered.

"Why is it deserted?"  She asked.

"Because all life here was destroyed a thousand years ago in the great war."

"Why have I never heard about it?"  Kiersten asked in disbelief.

"That's because some things are better left forgotten."  He answered.

They flew out of the shimmering blue desert, encountering what appeared to 
be normal desert terrain.

"This place is safe.  We'll stop here for a little bit to stretch our legs."

Kiersten agreed it was about time to take a rest break.  You could only 
spend so much time in a hovercraft before the perpetual whine of the 
turbines drove you insane.

Rieger captured a glimpse of a small river that cut through the great city. 
He guided the craft down, and landed the small craft along side it.

"Time to get out and stretch your legs."  He said as he opened the canopy.  
The sweltering heat quickly engulfed them, making it hard to breathe.

"Are you certain that we're safe here?"  Kiersten asked.  She checked her 
skin for signs of radiation poisoning.

"Yeah." Said Rieger, who was fidgeting with a dosimeter on his padd.  "The 
rads are well within human tolerance.  Just don't hang out in the sun too 
long."

Kiersten got out of the hovercar and walked over to the bank of the river. 
She removed her robe and waded into the almost clear water.  It was a slow 
current, and the cool water felt good to her skin.

"Aren't you going to come in?"  She asked Gregory.  He just sat on the bank, 
gathering in the hot sun.

"No.  I'm fine here."  He said.

She bathed in the cool water, almost forgetting all her problems.  She had 
never seen so much water in her entire life.

"Why don't they have rivers in the new capitol city?"  She asked.

"They do."  He answered.  They're in the aqueducts below the city.  But 
you'll never see them."

She looked up at Rieger and wondered how he knew so much, yet let out so 
little.  He held a rifle in his hands, pointed at her.  She froze in fear.

"Don't move!" He said.

"What are you doing?"  She cried.

He fired a shot that just missed her head.  As she ducked, he fired another 
shot, striking her in the arm.  She went down, and a large cloud of blood 
began to fill the water.

Rieger dropped the rifle on the bank and dove into the water.  He pulled at 
her body as it began to sink to the bottom.  Dragging her to the surface, he 
made his way to the shore.  Kiersten coughed up water, shaking from shock.

"What the hell are you doing?"  She asked.

"Trying to save your life."  He said.

"You have a funny way of doing it, shooting at me."

Then Kiersten looked across the water to where she had been bathing.  A 
huge, grey serpentlike creature was writhing in the water, wounded by a shot 
between the eyes.  The creature snapped at the air with it's huge dorsal 
mouth.  All Kiersten could see was teeth.  Many rows of them.

"It's a Carran.  They're attracted to the vibrations in the water.  One of 
them could skin you to the bone in less that a minute."  Said Rieger, who 
took the rifle and shot it a few more times in the head.

Then it lurched and bobbed under as the water around it began to boil into a 
froth.  It was being eaten alive.  Blood foamed all around it, then all was 
still.

"Oh my god!"  She cried.  She buried her head in Rieger's arms.  He tossed 
the rifle into the sand.

"It's alright.  I saw it coming up behind you, but I didn't want you to 
panic. That would have attracted more of them."  He said.

Grabbing her robe, he draped it over her shaking body.  He walked to the 
hovercar and picked up the medikit.  He bandaged her arm carefully, and 
applied a stim-disc.

"This will help dull the pain."  He said.

She looked up at him and grabbed his arm.  She pulled him down to her side 
and kissed him on the cheek.

"What the hell are you doing?"  He asked as he instinctively pushed her 
back, temporarily losing his balance, jerked backwards, almost falling on 
his ass.

"I'm trying to thank you."  She said, covering herself up.

"Just try to stay alive.  That's thanks enough for me."  He answered.  He 
got up and walked back to the hovercraft, throwing some dead brush over it.

A huge mining transport slowly appeared in the distant horizon.  It lumbered 
across the sky, heading for the new capitol city with it's cargo of 
metrallian ore.  The sound of the engines grated on their nerves as it 
slowly passed overhead, and vanished into the distance.

"Stay here."  Said Rieger.  "I want to make sure they didn't see us."

"Sure.  I'm not going anywhere."  She said, still shaking from the encounter 
with the Carran.

Rieger dashed up over the dune of sand and out of sight.  He pulled out his 
binocs and took a closer look at the transport.  It had no markings. 
Strange.  Clearly, it was of Imperial origin.

What the heck was an unmarked transport doing in the wasteland.  He watched 
as the distance between them grew, and then the lower cargo bay doors opened 
once it was over the blue sands.

Pulse bombs dropped into the desert, blowing up huge plumes of radioactive 
dust.  "What the hell are they up to?"  He thought to himself. Strafing the 
sand with pulse bombs did nothing but kick up dust here.  They have no 
useful purpose in mining, certainly not here.

As each bomblet exploded below the transport, an electrical arc rose from 
the desert surface and seemed to tickle at the belly of the transport. 
Rieger focused at the desert surface.  At each explosion, he seemed to see 
shadows within the blast.  He pulled the binocs down and wiped the sweat off 
his brow.

Clearly, he needed some more rest.  The transport now looked like a speck on 
the horizon.  He was content.  If they had detected the hovercar, they most 
probably would have turned around to investigate.  Putting away the binocs, 
he trekked back over the dune to rejoin Kiersten and tell her the good news.

As he stepped over the apex of the dune, she seemed to be enjoying the sun.  
He gazed at her semi-nude body for a moment.  She really was a sight, he 
thought.  Maybe in another circumstance, he could have enjoyed having her 
around.

He stalked up behind her, hoping to surprise her.  As he got within mere 
feet of her, she suddenly turned around.  The look in her frightened eyes 
sent shivers up his spine.  It was then that he suddenly noticed the gag in 
her mouth.


Gieger tapped his fingers impatiently.  It was now two hours since his 
conversation with Lycanos Moravi, and he was no closer to getting a report 
done now that he was before.

Another bound report was delivered to his desk, and he slid it over onto the 
pile with the rest of the useless information that his analysts had 
gathered.

Fodder, he thought.  There's no way he could make an intelligent report to 
the Imperial Senate with this garbage.  He needed Lycanos.

Turning to the holocom, he retried to link up with Lycanos.  Again, no 
answer.  "Where the hell is he?"  Geiger thought out loud.  Then the holocom 
crackled to life.

"Thank god, Moravi.  I was beginning to get worried about you."  Exclaimed 
Gieger.  When the image appeared, his glee turned to fear.  The image of the 
Emperor appeared.

"Looking for wisdom from Moravi, I see."  Said the Emperor,  finger tapping 
ever so rythmically upon his wrinkled forehead.  "Although I solemnly feel 
that even he cannot pull you out of the chasm that you have dug for yourself 
this time."

"Uh, he is assisting us in our inquiries, my Emperor.  Simply acting as an 
analyst."  Replied Gieger.

The Emperor paused for a moment, then leaned forward in his throne.  "I 
trust that you have a report ready for the Imperial Senate.  We shall 
convene very shortly."

Gieger let a look of fear slide over his face, but shook it off quickly.  
"My liege, I have it right here."  He said, grabbing the bound report off 
the top of the pile data.

The Emperor sat back in his throne, and smiled.  "For your sake, my dear 
Gieger, I hope that this report is favorable.  I do not like surprises."

Geiger ran his hand down to his scarred leg.  He instantly knew what the 
Emperor was implying.  "I shall not fail you, Emperor.  My men are hard at 
work as we speak."

"And what of the Rieger problem."  The Emperor asked.  "I have yet to see 
any amount of progress with them!"

Gieger dropped the report.  A bead of sweat fell slowly down his forehead. 
"Progress has been slow, Emperor.  But I do have some good news, at least. 
We have captured the renegade Gregory Rieger and the woman within the 
confines of the badlands.  They will be here shortly."

The Emperor raised his brow.  "Really?"

"Yes, Emperor.  They were apprehended about a half hour ago."

"Then I shall expect their presence in front of the Senate, along with your 
report, within the hour.  Do not fail me, Gieger.  This time I will not be 
so sympathetic to excuses."

The Emperor signed off, and the holocom went blank.  Gieger slumped into his 
seat.  He spun the chair around and looked out his huge bay window at the 
city far below.

Would this day ever end, he thought to himself.  He gazed at the dark 
metropolis, and the smoky haze that still blanketed the skies.  There surely 
would be hell to pay, and he certainly wasn't going to be the whipping boy 
any longer.

He turned his chair around and punched in a number on the holocom.  It 
crackled to life, revealing a battle-scarred face.

"Go secure, channel XZ7100."  Gieger commanded.  The scarred man nodded, 
then the holocom went static for a moment, then cleared up once again.

"Done.  Please authenticate, B100."  Said the scarred man.

Gieger looked up the countercode with his cryptopad.  "V-A-9-1-E-X" He
called forward.

"Very well.  Gieger, What can I do for you?"

"What is your progress tracking down Armand?"  Said Gieger.

"Armand is quite stealthy, but a little sloppy.  I am close to his trail."

Gieger leaned forward, with a great look of disdain.  "I want you to be more 
than close to him, Jobe!  I want him found and brought to me within the 
hour!"

Gieger slammed his fist onto the desk. The holocom blanked out for a moment, 
then stabilized.  Gieger stared coldly into the eyes of the scarred man.  
"Is that clearly understood, Jobe?"

Jobe stepped back from the holocom.  He fingered his pulse rifle that hung 
at his side.  "Yes, Gieger.  I understand and obey."

"Good.  Just do it, or I'll have your head to present to the Senate 
instead!" Gieger terminated the transmission.

Jobe pulled up his rifle and shot out the holoscreen with overkill.  Sparks 
and a few lit cinders fell to the ground, and Jobe crushed them out one by 
one with his boot.

He put the rifle back into his holster, then walked down the short hall.  It 
was a time to kill, and he would be victorious.  Soon, he would be number 
one, and nobody would stand in his way.  Not Rieger, not Gieger, not anyone.

Noticing a wanted vid of Rieger on the wall, he punched his fist through it. 
  "Yes, my dear Armand.  You will be mine!" He said quietly to himself with 
a devilish grin.  He walked away as a custodial maintenance droid arrived to 
clean up the mess.


Armand had thought over his conversation with the Emperor.  Clearly, he was 
still being led down a path, as he had always feared.  This whole episode 
was just another move on the galactic chessboard of life.

No matter what he did, or what he failed to do, it always played favorably 
into some unknown persons favor.  He grew weary of playing the game.

A call came in over the holocom.  He walked over to it to answer it, but 
stopped in his tracks.  Something was coming through the screen.  He grabbed 
for his saber, and ducked in a defensive stance.  The screen burped, and a 
small parcel fell through the screen onto the floor, then the transmission 
ceased.

Cautiously, he approached the parcel.  It was a small leather satchel.  
Scanning it with his pad, he was assured that it contained no bomb or 
mechanical device.

He grabbed the bag and opened it slowly.  A small grey tentacle met his 
fingers, then a sharp pain ran up his arm.  Instinctively, he pulled his 
hand back and the satchel fell to the ground.

Rieger noticed that his hand was bleeding from what appeared to be a bite.

"Damned thing!  You bit me!"  Reiger cried out.

His pain turned to rage, and Rieger kicked the satchel across the room.  
Losing his balance from the swift kick, he stumbled backwards as the 
creature slowly crawled out of the bag.

It slowly, but methodically made it's way over to where Rieger had spilled 
his blood on the floor, and began to feed off of it.

"What the hell are you, you bloodsucking bastard?" He asked.

The creature appeared to stop feeding for a moment and looked up at him.  It 
opened its mouth and just emitted a few brief faint chirps.

One thing was for sure, thought Rieger; the creature was dying.  The color 
of the creature was getting paler by the moment.

Rieger walked cautiously over to the creature and grabbed it by the 
tentacles.  He had never seen such a creature before, during all of his 
travels with the Imperial Army, nor on his missions to other worlds as an 
assassin for the Imperial Senate.

Even if he didn't know what it was, didn't mean it was unknown.  Rieger 
walked over to his bag and pulled out an orb.

He programmed the orb with his control pad, and the orb released it's own 
tentacles which ensnared the creature.  Content that the orb would hold the 
creature, Reiger walked over to the holocom and dialed up an old friend.

The holoscreen remained blank for a moment, then flickered to life.  The 
image of Lycanos Moravi appeared.

"Rieger!  Of all the people I'd most like to not see at the moment." 
Exclaimed Lycanos, with a surprised look upon his face.

He knew there was a chance that Rieger would call upon him, just as Gieger 
had done, but he didn't think Rieger would slip up like this.

Reiger returned the pleasantries.  "Yeah.  Glad to see you too, Lycanos."

Lycanos shook his head.  "You know that the Imperial Senate has half their 
forces looking for you and your brother Gregory, don't you?  Do you think it 
was wise to contact me, of all people?"

"You're right, Lycanos.  As usual.  But I of all people know of your true 
hatred for the system, regardless of your allegiances to the Senate and the 
Emperor."

"That is true, but you'll never hear me admit it again.  Why did you call?  
After all, you know they are probably tracing this call as we speak."

"Not any more."  Rieger said as he depressed a button on his control pad.  
The holocom became a little fuzzy, as the signal acquired a different data 
route each millisecond.  Rieger smiled, as did Lycanos, when he realized 
what Rieger had done.

"Ingenious!  And all this time I thought I was the only one who had done 
business with the Black Sun.  You must be really in trouble to have trust in 
them." Lycanos replied.

"I don't trust them.  That's why we make such good partners." Said Rieger. 
"But I guess you have to, after what the Senate did to you after your 
accident."

A frown came over Lycanos's face.  He was being reminded of a period in his 
life that he didn't want brought up again.  Rieger had known him when he was 
number one and Rieger was number two.  But now the tables had turned, and 
his allegiance to the Empire was purely symbolic.

He had a good life now, despite being paraplegic, and had put his alternate 
abilities into their full use.

"The Empire treats me well, but alas, the Black Sun has more than made up 
for the Empires failures to rectify my current situation.  I do well as an 
analyst."

Rieger reached down and held up the small creature entangl