Home Fires – Chapter Fifteen: Leavetakings Denied
Chapter Selection
Intro 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 Epilogue
“…and thanks to the brave efforts of our very own Azure Flames, Ork sightings are at the lowest they have been in a hundred and fifty years!” Governor Sterling said, pausing for the lukewarm applause she had paid for. “Our harvest season has been bountiful beyond all previous measurements! And it’s all thanks, to my good, personal friend, Captain Zeraf Antonius! An Altean hero!” The cheers after this were more forceful than normally required; a demonstration of Antonius’ popularity. “And now… Captain Antonius!” Sterling slapped her hands together as if having a seizure.
Antonius once again mounted the stage. Blessedly he had managed to convince Sterling to make the banners say “Thank You, Azure Flames” instead of mentioning him by name. This was the last of the indignities he had to endure.
“Thank you, once again, Governor Sterling. And thank you, Altea. Though you may have benefitted from the help offered by myself and my brothers, I assure you we have the better part of the deal. We are truly humbled. We can never repay you but know that you have our eternal gratitude. For the Emperor!”
Cheers split the sky. Antonius waited for it to die down and continued. “And, now, we must take our leave. However, we will take the better part of our experiences with you, just as you will take the better part of us. Glory to Altea!”
Once again the cheers were more than adequate. Sterling approached the podium slapping her hands together even more rapidly. “Thank you, Captain, for your kind words! And now I have announcements about our upcoming harvest schedule. For the…”
Sterling stopped as sirens split the air. Their whine waxed and waned as the spinning devices blared their warning in all directions.
“What the bloody hell is happening?” Sterling shouted to her toadies, who muttered back in confusion and shock.
Chaplain Hakan approached Antonius, leaning in close to his ear. Antonius nodded solemnly and turned to Governor Sterling.
“Governor, we are under attack.”