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Command and Conquer

“Commander, the High Houses’ armies are retreating!”

Striding the battlefield on horseback, the former detective Rabrandt “Enigma” Cyanis embraced his new role as Field Commander for the Titan Syndicate. His lance resting on broad, muscular shoulders, blood quickening in his veins, it took all his willpower not to run the nobles’ forces through. The weakling cowards had shown their backs to their enemies in defeat, and a jab through the back with his mighty lance-arm would be due punishment for their failures.

But even with his newfound strength and stamina, the wolfkin knew that cooler heads would prevail. For the nobility, this was a swift, brutal, and crushing defeat. The more who survived to spread the story, the faster their morale would crumble. He gave a satisfied smile watching the fools who would oppose him limp away from the fellow titans under his authority.

“Lord Volpes was right to choose you, sir!”

Were it not both for the conditioning at the hands of his mind mage Commander and the adrenaline flowing through him from the battle, Rabrandt’s subordinate might have noticed the brief look of disgust on the wolfkin commander’s face. Fortunately for them both, he was quick enough to regain his composure, having formed the perfect response.

“Of course. We owe everything to Lord Volpes. It is my pleasure to serve, both him and the people of this fair city.”

That seemed to placate the overly enthusiastic titan rookie from whom this was his first real battle, who continued to praise his leader through it all.

“We couldn’t have done it without you, sir!”

“I know.”

He chuckled at himself. Of course he knew. Volpes needed a decade and an alchemical additive to mimic a fraction of what the mentalist was capable of. Since taking over day-to-day operations of the Titan Syndicate, recruitment had risen exponentially. More and more commoners were signing up to ‘break the chains of their oppression’.

They would become titans. And as Field Commander, they would obey his orders. Soon, they would wrest control of Oplentis from the nobility.

Soon, there would no longer be a need to pretend that “Lord Volpes” was in charge.

Though I imagine didn’t take Emperor Enigma too long to ascend the throne, there was still a period where, on the outside, he was nothing more than an up-and-coming Field Commander in the Titan Syndicate. I wanted to go a little into that, since LittleBadWolf gave me the perfect opportunity.

And depending on my mood, I might continue to do so. What can I say? I enjoy the Emperor timeline.