The Occupied Territories, Maramanakama, Governor’s Palace.

“We have inspected the forest and have found a series of explosive devices placed in key strategic points around the area, in a pattern meant to create several circles of fire around the mountain. In regards to the launching of ice weaponry instead of fire, apparently there was a communications error with the windwakers, which made the word for fire be transmitted to the comm officer as freeze.” Gelio’s head subordinate Discanula said in a calming and friendly manner, her many years as a right hand and administrator to the governor had given her that talent, and it was a testimony to her skills, for her species the Silenkas, where giant floating cyclops heads that where least two meters in diameter, with a great horn out of their foreheads and a small kindling of fire out of their mouths every time they spoke.

“A comm error? How could such a thing happen, don’t we have maintenance crews for such things?” Gelios asked her.

“We do, and it was detected, but there was no replacement windwaker available, and parts for it was nowhere to be found, so they made a request for it to be delivered to them……………three months ago, and it’s still being processed.” Discanula replied hesitantly.

“Three months! Why? How? I took measures to simplify the local bureaucracy, why is it still being processed?”

“The one, who was responsible for the request, apparently used the old bureaucratic protocols, in which a motion must be sent back the Imperial Capital, where it must also be processed, and it takes time just for it to reach its destination, let alone get approved.”

“By the Creator, what a nightmare! Well, at least that explains the catastrophe with the mountain, but what about the forest fire, how did they trigger it? And what about the sounds from the mountain?” he asked.

“Apparently it was an explosive substance composed out shock fire water, and detonated by some kind of strange device that used a very small spark of lightening to detonate it, and we’ve found remains of several noise makers on the cliffs.” Discanula replied.

“Shock fire water!??But surely such an amount could not be smuggled through the black market without our CORSEC agents noticing!”

“Well your Excellency, apparently this was not bought but manufactured, the alchemists have all discovered traces of a fabrication process within the shock fire waters containers, but nothing else since most  knowledge of technosaucery has become extinct.” she replied.

At this Gelios almost paled in horror, centers for powerful explosives, and worse non-magical ones that weren’t traceable could be a serious threat!

But that was nothing, when compared with the danger that technosaucery could unleash.

“We should move immediately against the raw materials necessary for such an endeavor, tell me what they are!”

“Well sir you’d need a special type of gas, of which the 70% of the atmosphere is composed out off, namely h.e.l.lfreeze mist, which we also use in freeze bombs, and the second well………this is the most likely candidate.” Silenka replied reluctantly and placed the suspect on the table before the Prince, along with a sample of what caused the thunder like noise on the mountain.

At the sight of what the two objects where, all traces of fear and horror from Gelios’s face disappeared, only to be replaced  by confusion, disbelief, followed by realization and finally anger, as he picked up the ‘offenders’ in his hands.

“Are you telling me that this is responsible for more than 50.000 dead and wounded?!” he shouted as he threw the heinous objects into the wall. He then moved to his comm with the intention of contacting his entire body of government officials with the intentions of giving a decree.

“ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! I’M GOING TO BAN THEM ALL, BRAND THEM AS ILLEGAL WEAPOMS AND DECLARE THEM ENEMIES OF THE EMPIRE!” he shouted as he moved his hand to press the necessary dial to contact his secretary and send his message.

“My lord”! Discanula said as she used telekinetic magic to form an arm, which grabbed Gelio’s hand before he could press the b.u.t.tons further.

“Are you suggesting we declare to the whole galaxy, that the atmosphere is banned, breathing to be a crime, bubble wrap to be an illegal weapon and soap on a rope to be an enemy of the state?” she asked in a slow and measured tone, making sure that the Prince would get the entirety of the statement and its implications.

Gelios paused at this and remained motionless for a few moments, doing nothing but heavy breathing from his mouth. After a while, he paced his inhaling and exhaling of air to a rhythm designed to help angry people calm down, and with his temper secured and wits returned, he moved his hand away from the windwaker, Discanula seeing this let go of his arm and let him sink back in his chair.

“Inform CORSEC of the new potential threat. Also, have you prepared the list of the ones that we are going to blame for this recent disaster?”

“Yes my lord, we have about 37 people to blame.”

“Good! Move the number up to 89, better yet 130; we can also use this opportunity to present to the galaxy that we are purging our ranks of corrupt individuals, that should help us save face.” he replied and Discanula gave a nod, which to her was  a tilt forward of her whole floating body and she left the office, leaving Gelios alone in the room, or rather as alone as he could be, for in his mind he was not truly alone, for just behind him was the being that had haunted him for the past 20 years.

He turned his chair 180 and looked to the view that the window behind his chair, afforded him.

It helped him think and to relax, through looking out the window he could see the city, that selfish lover who always demanded and never gave anything back, was once more demanding something of him. The air was filled with smog and ash as a side effect from the volcano, the streets stank of sewer water, he could see lines to almost every available store on the street below, all of these where not present a week ago, but they were now inhabiting the gla.s.s and alongside it, was his own semitransparent reflection.

He gazed at it for many hours, saying nothing, only looking at it in a trance like state, but he was still aware of his surroundings. n.o.body came through the door that day, no doubt in fear of raising his anger. The farview screen broadcasted only bad news for him, and that was the positive propaganda they were trying to spin on this disaster, so thinks truly where in the gutter.

He continued to stare………. until from the right side of his field of vision he saw a spider that was making his web in a corner of the room.

The maids had wanted to get rid of it, but he told them not to. He had always liked spiders, they where sensible, hard working, self-sufficient and most important of all, they killed Mother Nature’s parasites, in his opinion they would be the ideal citizens and soldiers.

He even made plans for when he would either retire or lose the game of politics to bad to continue, for himself and his a.s.sets to be moved to one of the arachnid-like species home planets.

He moved his right hand towards one of the drawers and took out a bottle of very strong spirits, almost pure alcohol, he took a big gulp of it, and after putting the bottle back Gelios took out a small fire dagger and a rolled out cigar of what pa.s.sed as tobacco for the denizens of the empire and put it on his mouth, he lit up the fire dagger and held it just out of the reach of the cigar in his mouth.

“You do your job, and clean out the house from parasites my eight legged friend.” he thought to himself as he spat out the hard drink he still had in his mouth, the alcohol was ignited by the fire dagger and so this blazing concoction spilled all over the window, lighting it up in fire, and seemingly doing the same with the city outside and trough that image of flames, he could see his reflection in the very middle of the inferno, as if he was directing the blaze, just as he wanted it to go.

“For its high time I did mine, and purge this territory of all parasites!”