(So this is the end I guess I can't complain that I didn't see it coming huh.)The world around me seems to slow the battle mech in front of me seems to be firing indiscriminately all around me surprised that I myself haven't been hit yet the paramedics next to me seem to have run off their fake unknown.
And yet can't bring myself to care as I watch in slow motion the rocket trail of what I know is going to be the end of everything I know and love flying in my direction.
I'm under no illusion I'm about to die the thought kind of surreal.
Regrets I got plenty, I regret I'm not going to see Amanda's shapely ass anymore, I regret I'm not going to be able to tell my sister that my purchase was definitely well spent lol.
Perhaps my biggest regret is that I'm not going to see Elmira again, never look into those ethereal eyes of hers, never to cross swords trade barbs share a laugh or drink, to tell her what I know she knows but I never said.
I've lived long enough I guess.
(And yet.)
(Can't accept it!)
A surge of anger like a storm and fire swells within me I can't accept it I won't accept it.
(MY NAME IS MICHAEL NELL ARQUELL! FIRST IMMORTAL! SWORD OF HUMANITY!)
(THE GODDESS OF WAR!!!)
....
*WELL SAID.*
(Who..)
Before I could finish that thought there's a blinding flash literally felt my retina burn away and then nothing....
.....
Awww "my head is killing me."
I opened my eyes to see a familiar ceiling I don't know why it's familiar I just know that it is.
As I sit up and take a look at my surroundings a surge of memories start flooding through me.
My day at work the drive home the sudden flash of pain my missing leg my struggle to the police station and finally.
With the start I immediately began to examine my body and looked down to my leg and see it still there but then I noticed something else my skin color is different.
Instead of that marbled bronze it's Jade white skin smooth and refined.
As I examine myself I realize this is my body just not the body I was in, still struggling and confused I make my way to the full length mirror in the room and stare into my reflection.
Jade white skin amethyst eyes a beautifully sculpted face with Stern features iridescent silver hair that shimmers as if it was alive long unlike how I kept it in my other body.
Slender but with muscles well defined curves that I always wish I had with my real self.
"What's going on". I touch my face and utter disbelief.
'is there something to matter Michael your heart's beating a mile a minute?'
A voice brings me out of my revelry a voice I know all too well Ada the artificial intelligence that's been in my head for more years than I dare say aloud.
"No Ada just a bad dream I'm still a little dizzy where are we?"
'must have been some dream we're in your apartment in the capital remember yesterday you had an appointment with the empress.'
(Right I remember) the empress Celine von Taren of the imperium of mankind the fridge of a woman that players call the Iron Maiden.
It's All coming back to me this isn't the earth I know or to be precise isn't the Earth that I was just in this is the earth of the game I love my addiction my joy my escape from reality Milky Way online.
(This doesn't make any sense I know I wasn't wearing a dive gear not to mention I'm pretty sure I got vaporized so why am I here.)
I begin to look around my apartment which is a sweet in the Royal Palace in the capital city a gigantic artificial Island fortress somewhere in the Atlantic a massive nano machine warship inherited from one Royal to the next.
Looking down I see I'm still in the buff so I decided to walk to my closet and grab one of the discs out of it and place it right onto my chest.
The disc dissolves and tiny machines begin to replicate and maneuver all around my body forming a skin tight bodysuit followed by armored plates and then my my military dress uniform.
Then I grab my ceremonial sword it's a long sword that's less weapon and more status symbol and serves as a badge of office.
It's ornate with the picture of Athena on the pommel a gift from the empress herself when I took office as the first admiral of the first Terran fleet under the direct command of the empress about 1500 years ago give or take a century or two.
I moved to the ornate desk in the room and set my sword against it and take a seat in the chair needing another moment to decompress and to think.
'are you sure nothing's wrong I'm getting a little worried'
"I'm fine Ada just a little rattled hadn't had a bad dream like that in a while"
'oh what about?'
"It's nothing I'd rather forget about it remind me what were we supposed to do again today."
'right okay then border dispute where to escort princess Victoria to the Argos cluster to dispute territory rights with craftworld Lutheran the representative is Eldar kale our favorite eldari bureaucrat.'
I let out a deep and powerful grown it's coming back to me now when I became the one of the most powerful individuals in the imperium I didn't think there'd be quite so much politics.
Currently the imperium and the Eldar have had a 10-year ceasefire the latest in many in our thousand years of conflict with each other.
Humanity initial encounters with the Eldar were encouraging we saw peaceful relations but then a group of players decided to kidnap a bunch of Eldar nobility to fulfill certain fantasies only to have it escalated to this current thousand years standoff.
There have been peace attempts in the past centuries but radicals from both sides usually find a way to stop that either through politics or unsavory means.
Needless to say there's a lot of bad blood between the two races.
My thoughts begin to drift towards one Eldar in particular princess Elmira of craft world kexs.
The thought of her makes my heart ache with such poor relations between are races there's little hope for us to be together no matter our mutual feelings.
I can't help but think about how we first met trading verbal barbs with each other as our fleets engage in long range combat some 700 years ago.
Verbal confrontations that we would have many times over many years first hated adversary then respected rival and upon our first meeting in person during one of our many peace attempts we found something more something painful and forbidden.
With a heavy sigh I asked Ada"when do we depart."
'you're thinking about her again.'
"Not now Ada when do we depart."
Ada sighs at my dismissal.
In 6 hours her highness has requested to board the sword of Damocles for for the duration of the journey instead of the imperial flagship.'
"Granted get a shuttle ready let's head to the star yard immediately I'd like to get a fleet status before we depart."
'on it'
Activate the intercom on my wrist and signal my escorts to take me to the Palace shuttle launch since is standard procedure to have all non-imperial staff escorted about the grounds.
Despite the size of the imperial Palace it only takes 10 minutes to reach the shuttle we spend the next 40 minutes traveling to the Europa star yards with Ada praddling in my ear about this and that even though she knows I'm tuning out most of it.
'we're approaching the star yard'.
"Thank you Ada."
I look out the the viewport of the shuttle and I can see the Europa star yards coming into view one of the many Star yards in the solar system containing the various fleets ready to launch at a moment's notice.
And then I see her The sword of Damocles an engine of death and destruction that took me 500 years to design and create.
At 60,000 ft in length I took the mass of a small Moon and condensed it to forge this masterpiece a process that took me 100 years to forge, one of only three in its class in the entire imperial Navy.
With enough firepower to combat an entire eldari battle fleet consisting of over 2,000 vessels she is my pride and joy.
the bow consists of a powerful wave Force Cannon capable of cracking a planet's mantle flowing down a sleek and wide body to a pair of gigantic wing like struts designed to capture cosmic radiation to power it's various weapons arrays and defenses.
The only vessels capable of competing are the nomad worldships fortunately they're fairly peaceful race.
As we approach the ships hanger I can't help but have a smile on my face.
"I'm home."