The Empire of the Moon. Throne’s City.

It was obvious the city wasn’t going to have it easy anytime soon. Minutes after thousands fled back to the city warning about an assassination and a massacre during the Offering Ceremony, Emperor Guards started marching down the streets, charging into homes, and taking people prisoner. Some of those arrested were famous officials or generals. Under the orders of the Emperor, all the city gates were shut. Anyone that tried to go past the walls without a written order from the Emperor himself was to be shot on sight.

A merchant with some connection with the military tried his luck. It didn't go well for him or his companions.

Meanwhile, the Emperor himself was marching back to the royal palace. He had a lot of work to do, whether it was replacing those arrested or promising the others as long as they weren’t involved in the assassination, they were safe. A garrison of 250 Emperor Guards marched around him. The street they were on was a little narrow, so they were forced to move with three mounts in each row.

As he rode, Benedictine had an odd feeling.

He should be happy. He had a hunch, and it was proven correct. At this moment, his men were onto those who wished him harm, destroying their foundations and arresting their allies.

But things didn't feel right...things went too well...too quickly.

The girl mercenary gave off an odd vibe. True. She was counter ambushed. True. She was shot in the back by surprise. But...Benedictine’s spies informed him the mercenaries, in the battle with the Border Army, had extraordinary, near supernatural powers that made them excel in battle. That girl mercenary survived the gruesome battle, so she should be one of the stronger ones, but a single arrow killed her?

What the hell? Things were just too easy. It was as if he was following a script.

But why? What could be gained by sacrificing countless assets and giving out most of the fellow conspirators?

Suddenly, his eyes landed on a closed window on the second floor of a building on the right.

That was when it struck him...he hasn’t seen a single pedestrian on the way. It was possible that most people might have fled home because of the Emperor Guard search parties, but there was no way everyone moved out already without a trace behind.

The conspirators wanted to assassinate him, no matter the price. That was the final goal.

It was worth losing armies over to get a golden opportunity to do just that.

He raised a hand.

“Haaaaaalt!”

Meanwhile, in one of the houses on the side, Jean turned to half a dozen men. They were the assets the trio Voyager has acquired through the days. Officials. Generals. People who wanted Benedictine dead for whatever reasons. They were the ones Benedictine tried so hard to hunt down.

They were obviously nervous. At this point, it was win or die. They have already received news on how their mansions were raided. There was no turning back.

Jean put on a comforting, trust-inducing smile.

“I assure you, gentlemen, this is the day Benedictine dies. There is no doubt in that.”

Jean needed these men not just to assassinate Benedictine, but also to make sure the Empire functions after Prince Leon takes the throne. She had no need for an emperor whose orders could barely leave the capital. These men had the influence she desperately needed.

“I hope you are right.” The man speaking was a financial officer wanted by Benedictine for corruption. “We have invested everything into this.” Even now, his heart was bleeding. He spent most of his fortune paving a way for this to happen. If this didn't work, he would lose both his wealth and his life.

It was a double lose.

“You better be right,” This was one of the generals speaking. A bold man in his thirties, he gave off a menacing vibe. His hand rested on his sword. “because if I am going down today, I will be sure to take you out first.”

Jean returned a smile of confidence. The man that threatened her was Commander Erik. He was known for his brutal methods both on and off the battlefield. Namely, he had a fetish of torturing young girls. When Benedictine took over, Erik went to him, offering his service, but Benedictine had him dismissed and relieved him of his duties on accounts of questionable personality.

Apparently, he later sent some assassins and tried to take care of Commander Erik quietly. Erik survived the assassination attempt and went into hiding until Demon found him.

Erik still had quite some supporters in the military. Most of them supported him because he let them loot and rape and massacre the conquered. Benedictine’s attempt to enforce order in the military didn't go well with those men. Many of them were willing to set up a coup to go back to the good old days.

Jean didn't know what Demon did to get Erik in on this, but she did know Erik didn't see her as equal, whether it was because of her gender, how she looked, or the fact that she wasn’t wearing her standard Voyager armor.

It didn't matter.

Suddenly, she turned to the windows. Her observers in high orbit told her Benedictine has stopped his cavalry. Jean wasn’t surprised, and it wasn’t only because of how her brain was wired. As soon as her observers identified which route Benedictine was taking back to the palace, she had her minions clear the surrounding and take up ambush positions. This meant killing any civilian in the houses along the way that might pose a threat. Right next to her own feet was a couple with their necks snapped.

Benedictine was a skilled fighter and an experienced tactician. Of course he could see something was off.

But it was too late.

She tapped her earpiece and whispered a single word.

“Attack.”

And all hell broke loose.

All of a sudden, walls on the side were demolished as dozens of giant metal creatures showed their forms. Their gun barrels pointed at the Emperor Guards. Guns capable of putting down siege tanks and immortals took aim at warriors with swords and shields.

“What the hell is that…”

Even the conspirators were caught by surprise. They knew Jean had something planned, but they expected some good old archers and spearmen. A wall of moving metal with strange sticks poking out of them was not on the top of their list of assumptions.

Warden Striders were Jean Turner’s sharpest blade in the Starcraft universe. They directly and indirectly murdered billions at the command of their mistress.

Now, they have shown themselves in this foreign world for the very first time.

Benedictine turned to the two ends of the street in horror. Even he was paralyzed by the sight of creations not of this world. It was one thing to put down a mercenary in strange black armor and wielding odd projectiles. Facing an entire army of metal was by no means the same.

Emperor Guards exchanged confused looks. What were they even supposed to do? Their blades could barely reach their foes’ legs.

Jean tilted her head gently. She looked like she just took a good selfie and was happy about it, but the words coming out of her mouth were enough to wipe out any of those naive assumptions.

“Open fire. No survivor.”

30 S-3s complied.

Actually, make that 35, counting the 5 S-3s that just blocked the two ends of the street.

Bang! Bang!

Emperor Benedictine watched as thirty five Crucio shock cannons rounds landed among the Emperor Guards. Dozens of Guards in the middle of the blast radius were reduced to bits and pieces. There was no question about that. Even the best warrior couldn’t take a direct hit from a cannon round and live.

The Guards weren’t fazed. They were the best warriors of the empire! Despite having no knowledge of who or what they were fighting, they still activated their runes and stood their ground. Most of the shockwave and shrapnels were deflected by shields and armors.

A single round of bombardment put 52 Guards down. There were only a total of 250 Guards, and a single round of bombardment took down one fifth of them.

“Push forward!” Benedictine knew he had no time to be shocked. The momentum was already against him. With a swift move, he drew his blade and swung it forward. Runes molded the energy inside into a crescent of blue, destructive energy, which flew forward and cut one of the S-3s in half.

The top half of the machine hit the ground.

“For the Empire! Eliminate these foul creations!”

Using that instant kill, the emperor cheered his men on, but his smile disappeared when the struck S-3 underwent a series of transformation. Destroyed parts were dropped. Extra guns popped out of the side. As long as the CPU and the energy core stood, the S-3 was in full combat situation.

High caliber bullet rounds rained down on the Emperor Guards.

“Charge forward!”

“I’m hit! I’m hit!”

“Form a shield!”

Emperor Guards charged forward, but many of them were struck many times before they could even reach the S-3s. Their runes did their best, but against ammunition designed to punch through protoss plasma shields and zerg carapace, they were simply not enough.

Twenty men formed a Formation. Before the blue layer of shield could come into play, three S-3s turned their attention to them. Their giant gun barrels adjusted their positions slightly before firing three anti-material rounds.

Puff...there goes the Formation.

One of the Guards reached a S-3. He looked like a child in front of the killing machine, but sometimes, size wasn’t everything. The man jumped into the air and stuck his runed blade into the S-3’s frontal plating. The weapon cut through like hot knife through butter. Unfortunately, that was pretty much it for the hero. A single knife, even if it was completely submerged into the S-3, could do close to nothing.

A gun barrel appeared in front of the Emperor Guard and shot his head off.

Benedictine frowned. His weapon was recharging, ready for another strike, but as he looked around, he realized his men weren’t fighting as well as they should be. That was when he sensed something abnormal. His sword felt heavier than usual.

Looking around, most of the Emperor Guards were trembling as well. Some of their shields suddenly disappeared. Before they could be put up again, flying shrapnels have already claimed the lives of the men.

He wasn’t the only one having such doubts.

“These Emperor Guards feel weaker than they should be.” Commander Erik commented quietly. A deep frown was on his face. Benedictine’s Emperor Guards might not be the same ones the previous emperor had, but they weren’t necessarily worse. In fact, Benedictine’s Emperor Guards were composed of the best of his household guards, his assassins, and men who he gathered about through the decades who had a talent in fighting. They were definitely no pushovers, but right now, they looked like they were barely awake.

He turned to Jean. He didn't like having things out of control. Today these mercenaries could weaken the Emperor Guards with a mysterious method. Tomorrow, if there was a fallout, they could use the same method on his men.

“What did you do?”

Jean glanced at him and didn't answer.

Erik was right. The Emperor Guards had a CAS of around 85. Last she checked, S-3s were at 80. In a fair fight, it would be an even battle. In fact, the Emperor Guards might even break through with overwhelming numbers.

But Jean didn't play fair.

Even before Benedictine’s men arrived, she implanted several cans of neural toxin under the ground. They were colorless, odorless, and could be contained within several blocks. They were taken from a Dominion space station, where they were used to take down hostile human beings foolish enough to take off their helmets. Anyone who breathed in the gas would be dead in seconds.

In this world, things were slightly different. The human beings here were powerful enough to survive the toxin, but even they would have their combat abilities crippled. After the weakening, the Emperor Guards would be lucky to have half their CAS left.

Mechanical Warden units weren’t affected in the slightest way. Who wouldn’t want a 50% nerf to the enemies?

Jean set the toxin off the moment Benedictine and his forces arrived.

Jean’s insolence made Erik’s face turn red. Without a warning, the man drew his sword and leaped toward Jean.

The man’s actions seemed to be out of pure emotion on a brief glance, but there were actually quite some thoughts behind this.

A few days ago, when Demon found Erik, the commander wasn’t exactly open to suggestions. The Voyager had to dispose of Erik’s guards and capture him before telling him what the plan was. Erik didn't show it, but deep down, he was furious toward Demon. Even now, he was planning on betraying the Voyagers after getting rid of Benedictine. There wasn’t anything personal behind them. He just didn't enjoy being threatened.

Erik’s plan was thought out. Attack and capture Jean now, and he could get sensible information about who these mercenaries are and what tricks they have up their sleeves. It could also show Demon he wasn’t to be messed with.

Plus, Jean looked pretty, even by his standards. He would enjoy watching her scream.

He didn't see the panic and fear on Jean’s face. Instead, he saw a flash of red.

The next thing he saw was his right arm hitting the ground.

“Ahhhh!” A scream escaped his mouth as he fell back, clutching onto his severed arm. In front of him, Jean looked completely still. If the screaming man wasn’t present, it was almost as if she didn't do anything.

The other accomplices in the room stood up in shock. One moment Erik was in action. The next moment he was maimed. More importantly, even they, as bystanders, couldn’t see how Jean did it.

Jean knelt down and grabbed onto Erik by the throat and lifted him up into the air. She stared into his eyes and forced him to look back at hers.

The man could only see infinite coldness.

The room has become dead silent. The battle across the streets was still going on, but none of the accomplices dared to move. They all know, more or less, how dangerous a man Erik was, and seeing him suddenly incapacitated by a girl who seemed so vulnerable was just a surprise.

More importantly, they wanted to see what Jean would do to Erik.

After a few moments, and after Erik’s back was covered in sweat both from pain and from fear, Jean finally spoke.

“That was a bad idea.”

She exerted more and more strength, and Erik started choking. He could hear his bones cracking. The feeling of walking on the edge between life and death wasn’t nearly as exciting as some might think. He punched and kicked in desperation, but Jean took all those blows without batting an eye.

Finally, just as Erik was hopeless and his resistance became mechanical, Jean let him go.

“I’ll let you go this time, but do this again and I will gladly end you.”

The maimed man hit the ground. He landed on the wrong arm, making him let out another scream.

Jean showed mercy, not because she felt like it, but because Erik was the highest-ranking military official that would willingly work with her. If she killed him now, she would need to go through all the trouble to kill her way through armies and find her next military puppet.

What a waste of time.

As of the moment, Erik was completely broken by her. She doubted he would even dare challenge her again. The man was sadistic, she could tell, but people like him were the very example of hurting the weak and obeying the strong. From now on, he would be a loyal pawn.

She turned back to the others, who immediately started acting much more respectful toward her.

The gunshots outside have started to die down.

“I told you, gentlemen, that today is the day Emperor Benedictine meets his end.”

Jean turned to the stairs.

“Let’s go witness it.”