The Heaven's Warriors
by Zmuh11


Note: It's been a long time since I updated this thread, and I'm proud to present yet another excellent contribution from Zmuh11, author of Invasion of Junc City and The Hell's Horse. This story is the first part of a 2-part prologue for his mega story, and is dated back as far as Roman Empire. Yes, it's an unusual BattleTech story, but Zmuh11 has been everything but usual in his fanfics. That brings a new breeze to the forum, and I hope you'll enjoy his creativity.

Long ago when man did not travel the stars, and was constricted to a singular planet Earth. A land called Rome ruled the world. It ruled the land mercilessly and heartlessly. It cut down any opposition with its massive armies. In this land lived a man by the name of Lameus Auralius. He was the commander of a Roman legion, and he was undefeated in battle. Lameus never showed weakness in front of the enemy, but rather enemies would turn and run in fear at the sound of his name. But Lameus was not a Roman. He was a Sarmatian Knight, a warrior of such great skill that all feared them. His past made him an excellent warrior, but like any other man, he had a weakness. The love of a woman. Her name was Herdiotes. She was his commander's daughter. Lameus longed for Herdiotes, he longed to love her and to care for her. He loved her more than he loved victory. Herdiotes felt the same for Lameus. Together the two forged a secret love. However, when Herdiotes found that she was to be married to another man by the force of her father, the two lovers ran away to Lameus's home, the far off land of Sarmatia. There, they hid in secret, hiding away from Herdiote's ruthless father.

There they stayed for many seasons, always just out of sight of the general, living in both fear and happiness. While in their secret life, Herdiotes gave birth to three sons. She was a lover of the heavens, and she gave her sons the names of the three greatest stars in the sky. The oldest son she named Vega, the second son Deneb, and the third son Altair. Together the five of them lived in fear, and peace. As the boys became older it was tradition in Sarmatia that the sons become warriors. They learned the ways of their father, and over time, all three grew into greatly skilled warriors. Vega, the eldest of the three, learned the ways of the sword like his father. Deneb, the strongest of the three, learned the brute force of the battle ax. Altair, the quickest and sharpest of the three, learned the way of the bow. Together, they became the great warriors.

The five lived peacefully for many years in Sarmatia. Lameus and Herdiotes started growing old, and the three sons were forced to care of them. But the hunters of Lameus and Herdiotes finally caught up with them. While the sons were away hunting, a squad of Roman soldiers found Lameus and Herdiotes. They burned the house that the family lived in, killed Lameus, and brutally raped and murdered Herdiotes. They left the two lovers hanging from a tree and rode away. The three brothers returned to find their parents dead and their land destroyed. As they looked at their parents, Vega found the sword of his father. He picked up the sword and cut his arm, and the arms of his brothers. They swore, in blood, that they would take vengeance for whoever had done this. The three brothers hunted down and annihilated the squad of soldiers that had killed their parents. They hung the heads of the soldiers from their swords. The three brothers then decided they were going to travel to Rome to the general who had ordered their parent's dead. They would not rest until they had his head.

Together the three brothers traveled the thousand miles to the Roman capitol. They were not used to the ways of the city, and they found that their mission would be more difficult than they had thought. They were determined though. Vengeance for their parents' death was all that they longed for. They drew their plans to quietly enter the capitol's palace, where all the leaders of war lived. On a dark starry night they climbed up through a well in the middle of the palace. Altair quickly dispatched the few guards around with a flurry of arrows. They crept down several hallways to the general's room, silently killing any guard that was unfortunate enough to get in their way. They made their way to a set of large double doors. After dispatching the guards outside and using the slightest touch, Vega opened the door and all three crept into the room. There lying on a grand bed too big for a giant, slept the fat general. His snoring was loud enough for the whole city to hear.

The three brothers each got into position. Altair stood by the door and nocked three arrows. Deneb stood at the left side of the bed, bringing his giant ax into the air. Vega stood on the right side of the bed, bringing his father's sword into the air. It gleamed brightly in the moonlight. The brothers were going to kill the general as one. Vega nodded and the brothers were going to have their revenge, but the blindness of vengeance would betray the brothers. Altair tensed up as four arrows plunged into his back. Letting out a loud gasp of pain he turned around and fired his three arrows, killing three of the four guards who had shot him. He then fell over onto his back dead. The fourth guard screamed for the golden legion, the honor guards of the palace that guarded the emperor. The general woke up to find a battle ax and a sword ready to plunge into his body. He kicked Deneb and scrambled out of the way in time to avoid Vega's lunge. He then ran off into the hallway and into the safety of the golden legion.

Two dozen of the elite warriors came pouring into the room. Vega and Deneb fought the elite guards gallantly, but not even two Sarmatian warriors could stop the golden legion in force. After a gallant fight, and after half of the golden legion lay on the ground dead, Deneb lied on the floor in a pool of blood. A sword protruded out of his stomach from the dead man that lay beneath him. Vega kneeled in the middle of the room, surrounded by ten honor guards. He was still alive, but he had been cut across the back and was paralyzed. The general came walking into the room and saw the blood bath that had been made.

"So the three sons of Lameus, all lying in pools of blood" said the general. With a cackle of high laughter he grabbed Vega by his hair and said.

"You have lost son of Lameus. Your family has been disgraced forever, and I hope that God sends you, your brothers, your mutinous father, and your whore of a mother to the deepest pits of hell."

Vega looked up at the fat general. He looked at him with eyes that burned with fire. Never before had a man hated another man so much. All Vega could think about was killing the man before him. The stare was so intense that the general became horrified. He quickly took a knife from one of the guards, and reached for Vega's throat. As he did Vega made his last reply.

"You may kill me now Roman, but the brothers of Sarmatia will return, and we will carry out our vengeance."

Frightened so much from this dying man, the general plunged the knife into the throat of Vega. Vega grimaced but still stared at the general with eyes of fire. Slowly the last brother of Sarmatia died. It was said that after Vega collapsed to the ground that a great wind swept through the palace, and that the greatest stars in the sky, Vega, Deneb, and Altair, burned brighter than they ever had before.