Author´s notes: Situations narrated in this story are entirely fictional and bear no relation toward any country, ideology, religion or governor. Any similarities are purely coincidental. This is a fanfiction written exclusively for entertainment purposes and has no intention at giving any statement or critique.
Thanks a lot to my beta reader KayDee Blu.
Chapter 3
Venus falling
Authoritarianism had its advantages: pacified submission, pleasant consolations for the endless seduction of bread and circus, perishable and relative, but consolations after all. It was easy renouncing to freedom.
But if those games of domination and slavery are attractive enough to an ambitious tyrant, the possibilities of complete authority are endlessly delightful. Tryrants never hide behind demagogic disguises of freedom, no... they govern with an iron fist, turning obedience into not only an obligation, but a way of life.
King Kadar wasn't the most impressive person in the world. His low height and chubby figure inspired nothing in way of respect. However, everyone prostrated before him as they would before a titan.
The man was not only head of an entire nation, but the living motor of his own private utopia made possible by the huge machinery domination functioned as. He had learned a long time ago the best way at suppressing all competence was recoursing to the most literal meaning of the word. Countless heads had been separated from their bodies during his reign and the ones that remained attached to their respective necks only knew to nod and obey.
It was fear, not respect, in which King Kadar based his entire government system.
And it was that security, that certainty of inspired fear and submission which led the king that morning in July. Every step was given with the knowledge that the ground below his feet belonged to him. Scandalous luxuries, thousands of soldiers under his command... a mere extension of the monarchy owned by heredity right – self serving convenience that extended to every man, woman, and child living under the reach of his power.
Half closing his brown eyes, the wrinkles below them increased. A smile. Exalted arrogance. A half mile away, several metallic structures were aligned. It was there where his true power existed, his biggest pride. The black gold, a deceptive token that had made him an enemy in the eyes of the rest of the greedy world.
Petroleum.
An approach to divinity.
But that July morning, watching those immense petroleum fields, anxious feelings were with him. They were not his property anymore. Words had been said. Conditions had been accepted. The day had arrived for him to sold himself and his entire country to the ambition of foreign demons.
All he could do now was wait. A transformation was looming. Fantastic metallic giants taking over, continuing their ancient war on a young planet full of contradictions.
He had seen the threat and grabbed it. King Kadar had been one of the few that had looked for advantages, declaring his loyalties before other ruling parties, more opportunists than him, could have the chance.
Yes. In just a matter of days the entire world would call him a traitor.
The king smirked, savouring the possibilities. Traitor today, conqueror tomorrow; the benefits would be countless. Unlimited ambition had found a way to success and his soul would be sold at the highest price.
A slight mutter dragged him out of his thoughts. He turned around to see many pairs of bare feet walking in unison beside one of the big fountains in the garden. An army of naked feet floated on the warm pavement. Their owners were covered entirely in white silk, only their bowed eyes being perceived.
But the king didn't look at them. His eyes were fixated on the supreme jewel those ethereal anonymous females were escorting, the only one who rivaled the affections of his precious petroleum fields.
Flesh created from his own flesh, and still she bore no physical resemblance to him. The princess Adara was the stylized image of her deceased mother.
Green eyes shined furiously, the only thing resembling her father. Superior dominance burned in them, a challenging fire not even her immense eyelashes could hide. The slender figure, wrapped in a violet tunic, continued advancing. Surrounded by white shadows, every one of them were alert to the movements of their master, but unable to watch her directly.
Adara arrived at her father's side, her servants stopping at a respectful distance, their heads bowed. The soldiers obediantly fixated their glances toward the ground in the presence of the princess, their rifles resting within their arms. To look the princess directly in the eyes was considered abhorrently offensive and all of them valued their heads enough to restrain themselves from the exuberant beauty of their ruler's daughter.
King Kadar frowned in disapproval, extending his arm to the girl.
"Cover your face," he ordered.
"You know I dislike it," was the openly defiant answer to an endless discussion.
The king's attempt at speaking again was stopped. Delicate hands held his own. Adara put them to her lips, soft juvenile lips caressing the hard knuckles of that rude hand with a filial kiss.
The monarch's knees trembled. How could such a delicate savage creature know such mesmerizing tactics in only eighteen years of life?
"You…"
Words died within his throat. He felt grateful when the sound of hurried steps on the pavement were heard.
His right hand man, General Ghazi, arrived running, his hand holding his beret, more to protect it from his own agitation than from the treacherous wind.
"Sir!" the man said, standing before his monarch.
The king glanced at the general, retrieving his hand from his daughter's grip.
Respectfully avoiding looking at the princess, the military leader spoke quickly. "Lord Megatron's emissaries have entered our aerial space."
Raising his arm, the king glanced at his golden watch. "Just in time… the punctuality of those machines is amazing."
The general didn't answer. He was used to listening to the comments of his king in absolute silence.
"Make sure to welcome them and lead them into the Grand Hall. I'll deal with Lord Megatron personally."
"Yes, sir."
Hastily, the general gave a military salute and then left.
Contemplating the entire scene, a malicious smirk rose on Adara then – open contempt exposed perfectly on every facet of her face.
"If he bowed any lower, he'd be licking the ground... a proper lover for that brute," she spat.
Having renounced the subdued irony his daughter was infamous for a long time ago, King Kadar shot her a reprimanding scold.
"Go to your room and stay there," he ordered harshly.
"No."
"Adara…"
"I want to meet them. I want to watch with my own eyes the machines that'll make my omnipotent father kiss the floor beneath them."
Ferocious fingers tightened on the princess's delicate skin. A sudden groan of pain emanated from Adara's lips as the brutal hand of the monarch held her wrist.
"You will go to your room and stay there!" he commanded.
With a foreign strength to that thin body, the princess liberated her sore wrist.
"Make sure you bow, father. Servants should never forget it."
It wasn't the moment, it wasn't the moment… when King Kadar knew those verywords would be repeated as he walked between the two lines of soldiers escorting him into the Grand Hall.
Dozens of bare feet stepping onto the pavement returned. Leaving the abrasive heat of the garden, the princess returned to the coldness of her marble prison, disappearing within a mask of empty white shadows.
Contempt was an understatement. Catching sight of the human facilities below, the three Decepticon Seekers arriving at their meeting point were, for once, of the same mindset.
Insects, little organic creatures delighting in their own filthiness, primitive beings unable to govern themselves but audacious enough to consider themselves worthy of an established alliance with the infinitely superior Decepticon Empire. Since when did worms dare to look straight into the eyes of a God?
However, the increasing disgust Starscream felt was only comparable to his disapproval of Megatron's newest plan. To reach such low levels of degradation was positive proof of the ineptitude for the one he was forced to call leader. But certain protocols were never broken. The Decepticon Air Commander knew perfectly what was expected of him. Not even his worst moments of arrogance could break him of that fact either. Painful memories of Megatron's rage alone was enough to keep his instincts under some sort of control.
Descending rapidly, the three Seekers transformed into their bipedal modes. Astonished human eyes and countless open mouths witnessed the trio take on the forms of humanoid robots, landing with grace and might.
Amazed at the awe inspiring spectacle they just saw, one of the humans finally stepped forward from the group of soldiers gathered. Slowly, he approached, walking toward Starscream who had already positioned himself ahead of his wingmates.
"G-greetings… you honor our country with your visit…" General Ghazi greeted. He had rehearsed those empty words so many times that when finally pronounced, they sounded completely strange, as if they were not words anymore.
Starscream glanced at the human with infinite disdain. At least the hesitation and fear reflected in the flesh creature's eyes was somewhat amusing.
"Spare me your stammering, human. Where is your leader?"
The brutal soldiers felt their knees shake hearing Starscream's voice. No one could escape the sensational nightmare of watching those metallic monsters talking and moving as any other sentient being would. It was insane.
General Ghazi cleared his throat. "He is waiting for Lord Megatron's arrival."
The mere mention of that name brought an immediate grimace on Starscream's face components. It would've only taken a few seconds to vaporize those insignificant humans into carbonized remains of bone and dirt. The field would be covered in human blood. Nothing could bring more pleasure in that moment... nothing.
And as the Supreme Commander of the Decepticons appeared on the horizon, Starscream's disgusted frustrations increased as the airborne figure drew closer.
Imposing flashes emanated around the silver newcomer. Flying beside him, Soundwave's navy blue figure caught the overwhelming sun's attention, a mute witness for the most incredible scene the little country had ever seen.
Frighteningly powerful, Megatron landed. General Ghazi sank to the lowest ranks of the soldiers beneath him, who went along with their lip biting in the hopes of avoiding passing out.
"L-lord Megatron… i-it's an immense pleasure…" he managed to stammer, not even knowing what he was actually saying. Controlling his fear had turned into his most urgent need at the moment. He couldn't help it… that immense cannon attached to one of the robot's arms. Even though his gaze was respectfully held downward, he was sure a single blast from that monstrous weapon could effortlesslydestroy his entire battalion.
"Take me to your leader at once," ordered Megatron, his powerful voice taking the air over and shaking every pair of ears.
General Ghazi bowed his head. The best repertory for flattery had arrived. "Please, follow me," he said, holding out his arm toward the palace.
Megatron advanced, Soundwave beside him. Skywarp and Thundercracker stayed behind. Beginning to make his way in, Starscream was abruptly stopped by the dark grey hand upon him.
"Stay here, Starscream, and keep guard," Megatron ordered.
Whatever oncoming protest the Air Commander was about to embark upon suddenly became obsolete. Brutal repression shined ominously in his leader's crimson optics. Only a pair of clenched fists demonstrated the restrained anger of the Second in Command whose increasing feeling of ultimate humiliation was reaching dangerous new levels.
Megatron and Soundwave disappeared through the enormous arch leading into the palace's entrance. Left behind were hundreds of human soldiers in rigid military formation and three Seekers who formed the aerial elite of the extraterrestrial army.
Hierarchies had been established.
The first time she saw him was between fishes.
Princess Adara emerged, as always, from within the shadows. No paternal command had succeeded in restraining her in the past and certainly that wasn't about to begin now, not when her interest had been so excitingly awakened.
She heard the sound, penetrating and imposing, of heavy footsteps not belonging to this world, metallic powerful footsteps testing the resistance of the fancy marble floors of the palace.
Adara stepped forward, looking for the origin of the sound. She paced among the few servants and soldiers who were with her on the second floor at that moment. They bowed their heads, not daring to look at her. Ignoring them as any other object she was so use to doing, Adara placed herself behind the huge aquarium in the hallway.
Thin jeweled hands brushed against the outside of the glass, caressing in effigy the form of a scorpion fish that was lying on the bottom.
The steps were getting closer, destroying the tranquility around her. Servants scurried to climb the ornately carved staircase that separated them from the relative security of the second floor but stopped in their tracks when they spotted Adara.
But the princess didn't even notice them. Lowering her face toward the bottom corner of the sea life haven, her breath blurred onto the transparent glass with foggy silence. It was in that subtle circle created by her own breathing where she saw him, the monster of silver metal.
Adara rubbed the fog on the fish tank and stared in total fascination.
Machines, was what they called them in the palace. Sentient machines, as one of her father's generals had corrected.
Adara's dark green eyes, outlined by a think black strip, followed the silvery slender robot who walked as if the universe was owned by him and him alone. She had stopped breathing. All contact with reality was lost, the cold glass of the aquarium, the scorpion fish... they didn't exist. Adara heard nothing. She saw nothing. Her lungs were paralyzed.
Imposing power... emanated authority in each one of his movements. Impressive physiognomy set upon high, the enormous canon attached to his one arm exceeding all destructive capabilities any human might attempt to produce.
Then, she heard it. The voice.
His voice.
The princess staggered. Diamond rings awkwardly hit the glass, startling the small fishes that were waiting their turn to be devoured by the scorpion fish.
The voice stopped. His words had been few, dry and full of authority. Another robot was at his side, blue and white, a red visor in place of where eyes should've been, his face covered by a plate.
But Adara barely noticed him. She had to listen to that voice again, she needed it.
Her hands twisted when she saw both mechanoids walking toward the huge Grand Hall of her father's.
Abandoning her aquatic mask, Adara rushed toward the railing of the stairs. Focused reasoning was on her only caprice which had now become rampant.
Venus de Milo, the armless statue her father had placed magnificently at the top of the stairs, caught the princess's eye.
The palms of her hands pushed the figure's white surface. Nothing. Nothing more than a broken nail. Laying her head on the dead lap of the mutilated stone woman, Adara kept still. She would notbe denied.
The servants glanced at each other. The soldiers did the same. The eccentricities the princess regulary exhibited was something they could never get use to. And, even though they had strict orders, there was something in her that seemed inaccessible and impressive, even more so than her father.
Obsession took hold. Using all her weight, Adara pushed again. But the ear deafening crash the statue created from smashing onto the floor barely registered with the princess. Not even the blue robot who had briefly turned in her direction before the attention grabbing stunt had been completed was enough to distract her intentions.
Dark green eyes collided with two crimson optics belonging to the silver mechanoid. His stare... a fleeting moment... dimming suspiciously at the dozens of pieces that had once been a Venus.
The astonished soldiers glanced in confusion at the princess, unable to decipher the wild face that was breathing intermittently and those hands seized strongly onto the railing.
General Ghazi stepped forward, saying something, shouting... but she didn't comprehend his words. The silver robot's face filled with contempt at the exaggerated reverence the human officer extended to him, continuing to walk toward the huge archway leading into the Grand Hall of the palace.
With his sudden absence, Adara returned to herself. Once again, she was aware of the physical existence surrounding her. It was then she noticed the penetrating glance the blue and white robot gave her, a glance she firmly fought back with defiance. The mechanoid's red visor glimpsed briefly before he disappeared through the arch too, following his leader.
There was something else, something strong and devastating. It took some time for Adara to realize it was the beating of her own heart.
To be continued.
