No Survivors

Chapter One

Deep in space, beyond shining nebulas and lonely asteroids, amongst stars that are dying and suns that are blazing, there is the colour green. Swirling Hues of Chartreuse, Jade and most notably, Emerald. An Emerald galaxy that shines bright, bright enough to beckon humanity to it while they drifted through space searching for a home to replace the one they had fled. Nestled inside The Emerald Galaxy they found thriving solar systems, planets capable of supporting life. Some of those planets already had lifeforms on them, and more were soon terraformed. Why have one new planet when you can have hundreds? The hubris of humanity did not die with the Earth. They spread out over the galaxy, planting themselves like seeds, and for thousands of years, they grew. In the centre of the Galaxy, in the Oz Solar System, or Sector One as it came to be known, was the planet that became the beating heart of the new human order, the crown jewel of The Emerald Empire. The Planet called Heart.

In the year 8372, in the tallest spire of the tallest building in the main citadel of Heart, General Felicity Hart's boots clacked loudly on the marble floors of the Empire's main Army base as she strode through the winding hallways. She didn't pause to acknowledge the respect shown to her by everyone she and her retinue of guards passed, eyes boring ahead instead of flickering across the people who stood to attention and thumped their right fist over their hearts. She'd been General of the army for long enough to grow unimpressed by the shows of obedience, but more importantly, she had a task to fulfil and it was her singular focus. A wordless twitch of her hand had the four men flanking her halting immediately as they approached a set of iron doors and she proceeded through them alone. Silently she stalked down the hallway of the Citadel prison wing, ignoring the empty cells that lined it until she found the one she was looking for. The cell in question was as empty as the others, the metal cot untouched. All she could see was the flicker of her own reflection in the reinforced glass that sealed the cell, but she spoke aloud anyway.

"You were supposed to be here two weeks ago Captain. And I don't remember telling you to crash your ship into the loading dock, landing it would have been just fine." She said dryly, contempt and impatience bleeding through her professional demeanour in a rare show of emotion.

The shadows in the back of the cell shifted as a figure unfurled themselves from them, pushing herself lithely away from the wall. As she stepped into the light, she flinched away from it's brightness, her bloodshot eyes squinting as they adjusted. Adjusting the dark worn leather Captains coat draped around her body she shuffled over to the glass, leaning against it casually and peering up at Hart as she cleared her throat, not managing to shake off the croak in her voice.

"Landing and crashing are the same thing, ones just a little more hap-hazardous."

Hart narrowed her eyes at the impertinent tone in Captain Ice's voice and straightened her spine, elevating her already imposing height. One sentence from Ice was more than sufficient to invoke her ire. The loathing she had for the woman before her was very specific kind of hatred, the kind of hatred that in another life could have been friendship if the two of them weren't constant opposing forces. If Ice were the kind of person she could have been instead of the woman she had allowed herself to become. The war torn soul of Captain Ice was a waste of potential, a waste of prowess, a waste of power.

"You're a Captain of the Empire's army, you can't drunkenly crash your ship into the citadel!" The general snapped, though why she bothered, she did not know. Reprimanding Ice had never proved successful before.

"I think recent events prove that I can in fact drunkenly crash my ship into the citadel." Ice rebutted, her lips twitching in amusement.

Hart took a deep calming breath, clenching her fists as she fought the almost overwhelming desire to wring Ice's neck.