Havok Bringer

Karis triumphantly entered the Chamber of Authority on the Planet Killer vessel, aptly named Cleansing Star. The ship was five times the size of any other vessel in the Havokium Armada and resting in deep orbit near Boutelerien. Several strike groups had been assigned to neutralize the Council fleet, and as of one week ago, the Havokium occupation had begun in full.

After seeing the overwhelming might of the Havokium fleet, many of the Council vessels jumped away to unknown locations. That was not concerning to Karis, though. He had been disgraced and given a task that should have left him dead on the Council's capital planet; instead, he persevered and overcame. He was now on his way to meet with the Authority and get the recognition he deserved as the liberator of his people after so many years in exile.

Karis rendezvoused with the Cleansing Star several hours ago, to little fanfare. The ship was buzzing with energy as plans were being made to make landfall on Boutelerien. The war machine stops for no one, Karis thought to himself as he traversed the busy passageways, noticing squads preparing to make landfall and escalate the occupation of the planet. He smiled to himself. He had made this possible; he would surely be recognized and his proper station restored.

Karis approached the massive baroque double doors leading to the Chamber of Authority. He paused and ran his hand across the ornate decorations, noticing not for the first time the image of the Authority sitting atop a throne of corpses comprised of various species of the galaxy. An inscription above the mural read:

Cleanse the weak. Conquer the powerless. Annihilate and rule the ashes.

Karis entered as the doors slowly swung open, metal grating against metal as the massive doors invited him in.

"The prodigal returns," the many voices of the Authority said in unison. Karis's blood rushed at the words. Surely the Authority could see the work he had done; surely he would be restored.

He stepped forward confidently, and the notion of being praised and accepted back into his rightful position immediately faded as the voices of the Authority began to split, hurling insults and disdainful comments in his direction.

"Self-assured."

"Psycophant."

"Failure."

Karis was confused. He had done what was asked. He had facilitated the return of his people. He had freed them from their prison. Why was the Authority not pleased with his efforts?

Karis knelt before the Authority, showing the respect due the old one. "Authority, have I not achieved the goal I was given? Have I not facilitated the return of our people to our rightful home?"

"Your shortsightedness may cost more than we have gained, Karis. You were given a task after your exile. You failed that task, as you failed in your role as facilitator."

"Authority, I succeeded in allowing our people to breach the dimensional membrane. Are we not currently in control of the Council's capital planet? The crown jewel of their sullied empire."

"You were disgraced, Karis. You were stripped of the title of Facilitator and banished, given one chance for redemption. Kill the human…Dawes. Other plans were made in your absence, plans which you were purposely not made aware of. In your haste for retribution, you have failed us, again, Karis."

"Authority, the human is of little consequence. He is merely a P-grade initiate and is no threat to our greater plans. Once the membrane was pierced, I thought it better to turn my focus to aiding our forces."

"SILENCE!" The words shot into Karis with power that cut into the very fibers of his being. Karis fell to his hands and knees as blood dripped from his eyes. He couldn't understand what was happening. Why was he not being heralded as the savior of his people?

"Authority, I beg you, let me correct this error. I can still bring you the human's head."

"No, Karis, you cannot. Not only did you allow the human to escape, but you also allowed him to escape with the Seed of Power. You allowed him to finalize his bond with that abomination. You have failed me at every turn, Karis. The only reason you are not a cloud of vapor is that you did manage to partially facilitate the re-emergence."

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"Authority, the seed had served its purpose, and as for the abomination, I don't see how it can harm our efforts. My primary goal was to free our people, to take our rightful place as rulers of this galaxy. I fulfilled my mission."

"SILENCE! You will not speak further. You will be relegated to squad commander and spearhead the occupation of this miserable planet. If you do not manage to create more chaos in your wake, we will contemplate allowing you to assume a position of more influence in the future."

"Authority, please, I am capable of more than commanding a squad of simpletons. I have given my life to our purpose. Please allow me to serve you directly once again." Karis slowly crawled forward and placed his lips on the foot of the Authority. The flesh was pale grey and stank of rot. Karis inhaled the stink and pressed his lips to the foot firmly, absorbing the ecstasy of being allowed to touch the undying rot of the Authority.

The Authority held the foot out, obviously taking pleasure in the sight of the broken coward grovelling before them. A multitude of moans escaped as the Authority allowed Karis to grovel.

"That is enough. I have thrice rewarded your efforts to this point, Karis. Once by allowing you to live. Twice by allowing you to hold station within our military, and thrice by allowing you to taste the undying flesh. Gather yourself and stand silently as the vision of our plans moving forward are revealed."

Karis froze as the holy foot was withdrawn. He took the fingers that held the foot and shoved them up to his nostrils, breathing in the essence of authority that remained on his fingertips before greedily shoving them into his mouth and allowing himself the small pleasure of tasting the undying flesh once more. He slowly stood and gathered himself. He would comport himself with grace moving forward. He would prove to the Authority that he was a vital servant.

Karis turned as the large doors to the chamber ground open once again. His eyes levelled on the new arrival, and hatred began burning within him once again. Koametes, that beautiful, graceful bitch walked into the chamber trailed by two guards carrying a large container.

Koametes walked past Karis and approached the Authority's throne, bowing and greeting them. "Authority, you honor me with this invitation, but I must ask why the lowly one is in attendance."

"Karis has been informed of his fate, child. He has been allowed to stay, so you may show him how an honored member of my staff operates."

"As you will, Authority." Koametes stood, shooting a haughty glance in Karis's direction. "Shall I begin?"

"Begin," Authority replied.

"The human was allowed to escape. My plans for a full re-emergence and control of all variables that would permit a long-term probability of success were…" Koametes glared at Karis, "thwarted, I am afraid. I did formulate contingencies, and Karis unknowingly provided us with a tool to help facilitate those contingencies. Karis will take the role of squad commander for the remainder of our assault on Boutelerien. It will be important to set the tone for our long-term strategy during this initial conflict."

"Continue, Koametes," Authority said calmly.

"I was able to recover a piece of the weapon we created so many years ago. It is not the whole, but still capable of great and terrible carnage. We must deploy this weapon early and start building the mythos surrounding our capabilities. We need to plant the seeds of fear now so that we may go unchallenged in future endeavors."

"How do I factor into this plan?" Karis interjected.

"SILENCE, FAILURE!" Authority's words again caused Karis to fall to all fours. He stared down, unwilling and unable to look up.

Koametes smirked at the sight of her rival being humbled. "You will be responsible for keeping the dog on its leash, Karis. Point it in a direction, allow it to decimate everything it sees, and then put it back in its cage. A very simple task for one so prone to mistakes."

Koamaetes walked over to the guards and motioned them to set the container on the ground. With effort, the guards put the container on its base and stood it upright. Koametes walked up to the container, which stood a little taller than her already impressive height. She reached out and placed her palm on a depressed palm reader on the front, and fog began spraying from the seams as it hissed, and the front split in two, separating to show what was inside.

"Has it been reprogrammed?" Authority asked.

"Yes, Authority. It proved to be quite a challenge, but we were able to overwrite its bonding protocols. Some of its personality matrix remains intact, but I am told that it will not hinder our ability to control it."

Karis gasped in anger. How could he not have seen this opportunity? How could he not have thought to use this weapon against their enemies? "That thing is not strong enough to make the statement you desire to make, Authority."

"Not yet," Koamedes sighed, "but soon." Koametes walked up to the container and looked at the weapon being held inside. "BD-001, exit the container."

The weapon opened its blue eyes and stepped out. It surveyed the room and looked at Koametes. "How can I serve?"

Koametes smiled. "Take your weapon, follow your commander, and transfer to the occupation force on Boutelerien. Once there, destroy every living being you encounter. I will follow up with an updated directive in five days."

BD-001 turned back to the container and grabbed its weapon. A large, two-headed axe that exploded with flames when he grasped the hilt. "The Authority's will," it turned and bowed to the Authority. "My hands."