"If Levana had taken over Earth?"
150 million deaths.
Levana closed her eyes as she gripped onto the report that Aimery had left on her desk. 150 million people, Lunar and Earthen, had died in her conquest. And that was only civilians; a large number of her lupine soldiers had been euthanized after they proved too far gone to be useful.
Many said that it was the worst massacre since…well, since forever, they supposed. In just two months, more lives were lost than anyone could've ever feared in the past. Some were even calling it the fifth world war.
It was worth it, Levana told herself. She finally had Earth. As soon as the Lunar flag was erected in every one of Earth's major cities, she had the New Beijing Palace destroyed and rebuilt into something with more of an Artemisian flair. The citizens of New Beijing were appalled at the sight of the new structure, instead of the peaceful palace that had adorned the hilltop for over a century. But, of course, it didn't matter what they thought.
Most of the time, Levana was alone with her servants on Earth. The Lunar aristocrats were quite vocal about their distaste of Earth's grimy atmosphere and constant climate change, instead preferring to remain in their crystalline dome. This enraged the empress, of course; she had worked so hard and sacrificed so much, and yet those stuffy peacocks still refused to show any gratitude or respect.
Flinging the scrap of paper away, she walked over to the window. From her summer palace in the plains of England, there was nothing to see but fields and blue sky. She chose this, of all places, to build her little getaway because it was such a contrast from Luna's dark and dusty craters, the only thing to be seen outside the domes. She pushed the glass panes open and took a deep breath. With the fresh air, her lungs felt like they were burning; it left a foul taste in her mouth.
This was what she had been fighting for. It was what she needed, what Luna needed. Not the respect of the court, not vapid riches or meaningless praise. What she needed was a new start. A clean face.
A breath of fresh air.