DISCLAIMER: I own absolutely none of the properties you will see here. All rights go to their respective owners.
The New Frontier
Part 20
Cyclonis wrapped her fingers on the armrest of her throne as she contemplated her next step. She had just received word from her spies on Terra Nord that not only had something been discovered deep within the crystal mines, but now the Storm Hawks had been called in to assist with whatever had been found. In the young empress' experiences with the Sky Knight squadron, she had come to understand that whenever they became a part of any sort of situation, it meant that it was something big. Unfortunately, the Absolute Zeros and the Buff Buzzards had quarantined the mines off from the public, making it impossible for her spies to gather further information on what had been found.
"Something the matter, your grace?" came a voice.
Cyclonis looked up and was pulled away from her thoughts when one of her underlings had suddenly entered the room. However, this wasn't someone like Dark Ace or Ravess, but a new addition to the ranks of Cyclonis' army. One who came from an extraordinary background. Her Talons found him shortly after he had attacked a supply depot, but not as an act of war, but of desperation. The man had been staving from a hunger he had been unable to sate for days and was in desperate need of food. Due to his weakness from starvation, he was easier for the Talons to capture, though he did manage to kill several of them before they had finally detained him with his extraordinary powers.
After imprisoning him, they brought him before Cyclonis herself to face her justice personally. The young empress demanded to know who he was and what terra he hailed from, but to her surprise, the man instead claimed that he wasn't from any terra, or even from this planet at all. The stranger told the queen of Cyclonia of a wild tale of how he was once a man of wealth and power from a distant planet, but was exiled from his home by his enemies. While the other top operatives of Cyclonia were unconvinced by what they thought was a wild and utterly ridiculous fantasy, Cyclonis, however, gave the stranger a choice: Serve her or die. Naturally, the man did the smart thing and bowed before his new master.
"I've just received some troubling news from my spies on Terra Nord," the queen replied. "It would seem that the Storm Hawks are now involved with whatever has been found in those mines, but they cannot get closer to find out what it is."
"Ah, but that's where your wrong, my queen," her servant corrected. "You do have someone who can find out what's going on."
To address his point, her underling suddenly became invisible for several moments before materializing again. Cyclonis was impressed by her newest servant's powers, but she was more interested in the world he came from as well as the rest of the cosmos he claimed to have traveled. Apparently, Atmos was not man's first home. In fact, he had been traveling from planet to planet in search of a new place to call home, or, as Cyclonis surmised, to rule. It fascinated the young empress to learn that her world was merely a tiny speck on the grand cosmic stage. A stage she desired to be a part of one day.
Rather than have him serve on the front lines, she had made him her personal advisor on all things interplanetary, to which he humbly accepted. Since being given this title, he was of course at odds with the Dark Ace, who now had to compete with him for his queen's graces. Cyclonis could've easily given both equal attention, but where was the fun in that?
"You make quite a convincing case," she said. "Very well. Go then, and report to me whatever you find."
With a respectful bow, her advisor turned and began to depart from her throne room, only to be stopped when he heard his queen speak again.
"And remember, Vlad..." she reminded him. "I do not tolerate failure."
Vlad gulped as he nervously nodded his head in understanding before departing. Once he was gone, the Dark Ace stepped out of the shadows.
"Do you trust him enough to let him go alone?" he asked.
"No, but he'll know what I'll do to him should he try anything," his master answered. "I've seen his type before. Someone who wants to weasel their way into a place of power in the hopes to sit upon the very throne they kneel before."
"If that's the case, why not just kill him?" her second in command questioned.
"He's still has his uses, and he's gullible enough to think I'm too young and naive not to know that he'll eventuality betray me," Cyclonis explained. "Besides, he knows what's among the stars, and I want my empire to be apart of it."
Dark Ace only grinned darkly at that, loving the thought of fighting across the galaxy.
"One day, my dear Dark Ace, Cyclonia will rule the galaxy!" she proclaimed.