The Saint Has Fallen

When the going gets tough, the tough get going. So is the saying but what happens when the tough can’t get going? Emperor Manoj was a fearsome warrior but even he had limits; he couldn’t fight alone. He needed allies – friends he could rely upon, men who would die defending him. No monarch can survive if he/she has to face internal enemies – it is the traitors who are deadlier than an open foe.

His ship had been attacked, it had been crippled, he had been forced to part with two thirds of his ship and now he was sitting in this secret world waiting for his ship to be repaired when his family was under attack and needed him the most. He cursed himself for sending Prince Kamal away on a diplomatic mission to the human world of planet earth. It was a realm that was the most paranoid, primitive and unreliable for emergency travel. He just hoped Chief War General Kishore could hold on till he managed to reach home.

There was a knock on his door. “Enter!” Admiral Sathish marched in, saluted in the time honoured military fashion bringing his right hand to his chest. “Status, Admiral!” he barked making the veteran Naval Officer raise his right eyebrow a little. The man knew that the emperor was in a foul mood and he decided to let it go.

“Sire, the repairs are done but we are still at 70% efficiency. We need to dock at the Royal Shipyards for a full overhaul.” Manoj closed his eyes, a light twitch in the veins in his neck the only indication of his true feelings. The admiral ploughed on. “Five of the main generators have been damaged – sabotaged beyond repair. Fortunately, all reserve generators are at 100% efficiency. Six of the fifteen engines are lost and we have lost PTP travel. We can travel at warp 7 at the most.”

“That’s inviting disaster!” Manoj still didn’t open his eyes. “Weapons?”

“Sire, we have lost our Primary World Disintegrator but the rest of the weapons are intact.” Manoj leaned back in his chair. This was indeed a disaster. The World Disintegrator was the most powerful weapon The Silent Assassin possessed. It was the reason why no one dared to attack the reigning monarch’s flagship. It could disintegrate worlds as the name suggested – warships stood no chance against it, no matter how strong and deadly they were. If it was lost, then the level of the enemy infiltration was terrifying.

“Defenses?”

“Sire, shields are at 80% and we are unable to boost them up any further. But we still have the retraction and expansion capability.”

“Stealth?”

“Lost sire.”

“So, we are simply a sitting duck if we are attacked?”

“Unfortunately, yes sire.”

“What do you think are our options, Admiral?”

“Seek help and hold tight sire.”

“I chose you Admiral, “Manoj spoke calmly, his eyes still closed. “because you were the most loyal warrior who fought for my father, the late emperor Ajathasatru. I expected you to serve me loyally as well but it seems I was mistaken. Explain why my ship is at 50% efficiency even after the so called repairs?

“Sire? I don’t know what you are talking about.”

“Perhaps, I will enlighten you Admiral.” The older man turned to see Commander Arjun walk in and salute the emperor who now returned his salute. Arjun had a stun gun pointed at the admiral while two royal bodyguards appeared from the west cutting off his escape. “You may have managed to get the crew to damage the ship more but you shouldn’t have touched the World Disintegrator.” The admiral whipped out his own gun and fired at Manoj who seemed to vanish.

“That was a costly mistake admiral.” Arjun said as he looked at the man being trussed up by the guards. “You will now have ample time to reflect on your actions in the Kumbhipakam Jail.” The older man fainted at those words – Kumbhipakam jail was the worst kind of hell hole to be in. It was a place designed to torture the prisoners for decades; the only way out was death. The guards dragged the lifeless form of the former admiral to the royal brig – the tightest security prison on the ship.

“Mission Accomplished, Your Majesty.” Commander Arjun reported to Manoj who was on the bridge. “Com, shipwide!”

“Yes, Sire.” The communications officer made the necessary adjustments. “Shipwide sire.”

“Attention, crew. This is emperor Manoj. The Saint has fallen. Repeat. The Saint has fallen.” He watched the security footage as there was chaos among the crew – most of them were either shooting themselves dead or trying to sabotage the section of the ship entrusted to them. When the saboteurs realised they had lost control, they shot themselves dead. It was a sad state of affairs but he needed to cleanse The Silent Assassin of traitors before he could proceed home.

When the madness stopped, he spoke again. “Crew loyal to the throne, man your stations.” There was a silence for a few seconds and then a few sailors sped to their posts. It was a skeletal crew of 1500 soldiers as against a full crew of 8672. He would have to fight his way home with these brave warriors.

“Royal guard, man the remaining stations.” It was still not enough. The guards were a fighting force meant for guard duty but were also trained for emergencies like this. There were still 673 minor posts that were unmanned but they were not critical to the defence of the ship.

“Captain Arjun, take us home.” The crew didn’t bat an eyelid as they expected this promotion. Arjun saluted the Emperor. “Sir, yes Sir.” He turned to his navigations officer. Nav, plot us the shortest route to Ambapuram. Single stop.”

“Aye, Aye, Captain.” He worked on his console furiously. “Course plotted sir.”

“Engine Room, engage all available engines.”

“Engaging all nine engines sir.” A few minutes silence. “Engines are online sir.”

“Helm, jump us out.”

The ship winked out of existence and appeared at Ambapuram – a gruesome sight welcoming them. The palace was in ruins.