Fresh Start

Fresh Start

The clouds of Molos 4 parted as the shuttle descended to the rocky surface of the little world. It's mechanical legs extended ,landing on the ground with a soft thud,.steam escaping from the landing gear with a hiss.

From the side, an opening on the craft appeared as a ramp slid down to the waiting rocks. 

Soon a middle aged man walked down the ramp, carrying a duffle bag and a survival pack on his back. His thin, black hair drifted to one side as a cool wind blew across his face.

From the inside of the shuttle, another figure emerged carrying some more equipment. The black man didn't speak at first, but simply carried the supplies and placed them near a tree, then he turned back to the middle aged man.

"Well, that's it. I'm off."

The middle aged man looked back and smiled and asked "aren't you going to wish me luck?"

The other laughed bitterly. "You got guts, I'll give you that. You know that I would have paid a months credits to get my own hands around your throat, and now..... you want me to wish you luck?!"

The older man shrugged his shoulders. It was true of course. He had caused the death of millions of people across several different worlds. Those that survived, had to live in a state of poverty and most of them died of starvation. 

Cadmus Zax had been called the butcher of a thousand worlds by the most of the the galaxy and he revelled in it, amassing great wealth through his reputation as a masterful blackmailer and information dealer. His actions caused rebellious factions to rise up and start a war with the empire only to be picked apart by the other side ---- since Cadmus also supplied intel to them.

This left Cadmus sitting in the proverbial "catbird seat"-- at least for awhile.

After the war had ended, the galaxy had to recover somehow and many tried to find out how the war started in the first place and all fingers started pointing at Cadmus. 

At the trial, he tried to defend himself and stated that those who actually started the war chose to do so of their own accord and they didn't have to listen to him or use his intel. Unfortunately for Cadmus, the mood of the people had grown darker and he found himself a victim of his own style of manipulation. 

He had been branded as Cadmus, The Butcher of a Thousand Worlds and no amount of pleading could have changed that. In spite of this, he was not sentenced to death.

"How odd," he thought to himself. "If I were in their shoes, I would have scheduled a public execution."

After Cadmus finished his musings he watched as the black man shook his head as he boarded the shuttle. He did turned back momentarily and said "good luck" to Cadmus. A few moments later, the shuttle lifted off of Molos 4 and disappeared.

Cadmus, The Butcher of a Thousand Worlds stood in the same spot watching as the shuttle left and he realized that the last phrase he would ever hear from another human was "good luck." He found himself trembling in spite of himself and his eyes filled with tears.

All that he knew. His wealth and power were all gone, taken when he had been found guilty and had been sentenced to a labor camp on Kartis Prime. It was a harshly cold planet but it had rich deposits of minerals and rare earth items and so they had prisoners do the mining.  

He had spent a decade or more in those mines using laser drills for 10 hours every day, in the ice caves in low lighting, and then fighting over rations with other prisoners, getting very little sleep. 

That was his life for an entire decade until today when he was given this reprieve. Truthfully, though, he felt that he would trade it for another 10 years in the mines, but he didn't think that at first. 

He remembered meeting with one of the military leaders one day before his shift was to start. One of guards woke him from his bunk early and grabbed him by the arms and ordered him to shower and get dressed for a meeting. He was barely awake during the shower but was surprised by the luxurious outfit that he was given. It must have been made of pure silk.

After he emerged, the guards took him to a waiting transport. He wanted to ask where he was going but he knew that the guards couldn't tell him and wouldn't tell him in any case even if they could.

About an hour later, the shuttle landed on a circular pad overlooking a vast cityscape. As Cadmus left the shuttle he gazed at the sight and then looked at the towering structure above them all and realized that where he was. 

"The Imperial Palace! ", he whispered followed by a soft whistle. "Something is up".

The lift took Cadmus and the guards up to the top level at an almost dizzying speed. Cadmus tried his best to remain calm although he felt that the Empress had done this deliberately.

At the top floor, the guards escorted him to the throne room and had him fall prostrate before the Empress.

"You may leave," the Empress said to the guards. She then focused her green eyes upon the form of Cadmus.

"Get up, Cadmus. Those suits aren't cheap blends, you know."

Cadmus stood up and did a respectful bow before the Empress. She was definitely younger than he was and appeared both strong and beautiful with finely chiseled cheekbones and long, shiny dark hair that caressed her shoulders. It had been said that she was desired by both men and women alike and most people would have to pay a fortune to be this close to her. Yet, here he was standing in front of her. 

She descended the steps of her throne and walked.towards him.  " Tell me, Cadmus, Butcher of a Thousand Worlds, how does it feel to be the most hated man in the universe? "

He opened his mouth to speak but she continued while walking around him, her footsteps echoing in the marble throne room.

,

"I wonder if there is any remorse at all for the crimes you committed?"

He cleared his throat. " I deserve my punishment and I accept my punishment. "

She rounded on him fiercely.

"You deserve far worse than what you received, Cadmus!  Your sentence was a mercy. Life in the mines without any possibility of reprieve. Stuck forever in a dark icy hole! "

He cleared his throat and hung his head briefly and said to her "and yet, here I am."

The Empress gave him a cold stare , a look that would bring many of the strongest men to their knees. "And here you are, Cadmus standing before the throne. Why, you ask?"

He looked at her cautiously and nodded his head.

"Cadmus, tell me, what was the motivation? Why did you construct this network of influence and blackmail? Was it vengeance? Power?, what?"

Cadmus took a deep breath and let it out. "Your highness, it was for survival. Nothing more than survival. I found that I had a skill and I used it to survive.

She looked at him and nodded her head. "Exactly! Survival! Somehow, you the lowest member of your own family from a small village on the most backwater planet in the empire, managed to rise to prominence through influence and blackmail and managed to cause the civil war that caused more deaths than in any of the plagues or wars in recent memory and as you know, those of us in the royal household have long memories to go with our extended lifespan."

He nodded his head to her, but didn't speak

She walked around the throne room and gazed at the various paintings stopping at one of a very stern looking man dressed in regalia. 

"My father, " she said pointing to it.

Cadmus nodded his head.

"He was killed by some of the rebel factions from the war that YOU started.", looking at him, directly.

Turning back to the painting , she continued

"The war lasted for decades and decades. Father was getting angrier and angrier by each passing day. He kept executing supposed spies from within his own circle..... including his last wife.  It was shortly after he did that, he was assassinated while visiting one of the colony worlds near the front."

" Of course, that left me as the heir, to be the Empress and I began to see things a little differently. I saw that the entire war itself was inevitable because of my father many edicts and decrees and many people were already itching for a rebellion.

Your actions only lit the match a little early."

Cadmus looked down at the marble floor and considered her words carefully.

She turned back to face Cadmus as she continued her story.

"I had to clean up the mess of the war, deal with the aftermath and reconstruction process.  After it was all said and done, the people hailed me as a breath of fresh air that was so very much needed. In a way,  I have you to thank for my ascendency. "

She left the painting and walked back towards the throne and looked at him again before she took a seat.

"Unfortunately for you, you were a convenient scapegoat for the war and you were sent to the mines. Now, however, I have a fresh start option for you. 

"As of this morning, the reports from the mines state that there was an accident and that amongst the dead was one Cadmus Zax, the Butcher of a Thousand Worlds."

Cadmus's eyes widened. 

"Don't worry, Cadmus. I wouldn't bring you to the throne room just to kill you myself. No, I am offering you a fresh start....but ...you cannot stay here."

Cadmus looked at here and raised an eyebrow.

"You will be taken to the remote planet of Molos 4 in the far reaches of the galaxy away from the space lanes "

He looked down.."Exile "

"A fresh start, Cadmus. A fresh start. You are a resourceful man. Who knows what you can do with a whole planet all to yourself

After that conversation, with the Empress, Cadmus was escorted to a waiting shuttle that take him to Molos 4.

That had been about a week ago. 

Now Cadmus looked around at his surroundings. There were ample trees in the valley below him and behind him was the rock face of an enormous mountain that seemed to touch the sky. Some kind of bird was soaring low to where he was searching for food without making a sound.

He decided to set up a camp site near the tree where his supply packs were for the time being and explore this uninhabited planet later.

He grabbed a water bottle from his survival pack and opened. Holding it aloft to the sky, he looked upwards and said "To a fresh start, our highness!"