The scene was surreal. An old man ranting in the emptiness of his apartments, a man draped in the attire of power. A feeble old man.

The Emperor.

Aya let him rant on. Something told her that none of the systems he was going on about were in working order. This was further confirmed by the emperor's own behaviour, as he seemed to give up on his ranting and accept whatever fate she and her comrades had in store for him. He said something about traitors, lowering his pistol. Aya stepped forth, letting her holovisor roll back up into her helmet, revealing her face and artificial eye.

"All right, old man", she said, "you're...what the fuck?!"

A blue energy shield sprung up between the emperor and her. Aya cursed and slammed her fist into the shimmering blue barrier, only to be met by the same resistance as a concrete wall. As she stood powerless behind the shield, a man came hovering in on jetpacks, shattering a window as he flew in. The confusion grew as the man landed softly behind the emperor, who'd started ranting again. What was even more strange was the fact that the newcomer was equipped like a Federal trooper, complete with FAAM.

"Hey, who are you?!", shouted Aya from behind the shield, adressing the stranger in Francian. The man ignored her completely, and what he did next made shock shoot through her mind and body: he raised his rifle and shot the emperor clean through the heart. As the old man blubbered and slumped to the floor, his laurel crown flying off his head and skittering under a nearby sofa, the stranger lifted off and left. Aya fired at the shield, trying to break through it, but to no avail. She raised her eyes just as the man disappeared, and thought she saw him flicker and change appearance.

And with that, the forcefield disappeared. Stunned, Aya stood still for a minute before taking a step towards the emperor. He was dead all right. Blood stained the floor, having bubbled up from between his lips. His eyes were glassy and empty in death, gazing up at the ceiling through half-closed eyelids. Aya unceremoniously kicked the corpse over.

"Fuck", she said.


At the same moment, footage of the red flag flying over the palace was being broadcast to billions of viewers. Other footage included auxiliaries, police officers and other non-legionaire forces being herded out of their entrenchments at gunpoint, hands raised above their heads. Resistance did not end right away, though. Legionaires continued fighting in various areas, giving the Federal forces a hard time in securing the zone.