Pyroshark got to his feet again, with no threat of being knocked down this time. He staggered over to Corbec, his breath shallow gasps. Unless he saw a medic soon, he’d probably drown in his own bodily fluids. Corbec lay on the ground, a hand to his throat in a vain attempt to staunch the tremendous bleeding. “Last words?” Pyroshark wheezed, aiming his pistol at Corbec’s head. He didn’t see Corbec’s spare hand grasp onto something that one of the dead had left behind. Corbec said something too quietly for Pyroshark to hear, so he knelt beside the dying Emperor. “When you shot her…” Corbec gargled. “She wasn’t the only one you killed…” Corbec smiled for the last time, then showed the grenade he’d found to Pyroshark, but without the pin. The fiery explosion killed both Corbec and Pyroshark in a flash. [i]The Next Day.[/i] The sun shone bleakly through the heavy, grey clouds gathering above. The branches of the old Oak rattled as the cold breeze slid through the air. Only a dozen of the greatest were attending this ceremony, but the entire Empire was observing a day of mourning. One of the largest industrial nations had turned itself off in the memory of a single man. The dozen stood around the grave of Empress Sally Sabar, and a small plaque leaning against it, with writing painstakingly engraved onto it. There was no body to bury, and putting this plaque here was as close as could be managed to following his will of being buried next to Sally. “We are here to mourn the passing of a brilliant hero.” Xbox Halo Guy began. “There is not a Floodian alive that was untouched by his charismatic hand. A hand both strong, yet gentle in all respects. Without doubt, we owe him a great debt of gratitude that we can never repay. We can only wish to see the likes of this great hero once again. It may not be in our lifetimes, but we can hope that one day, an equal to him will be born unto our nation, and lead us on to even greater glory.” Xbox Halo Guy paused to wipe away a genuine tear. “But we have failed him. A tragedy of this magnitude has already been wrought upon us all, yet lessons were not learnt. And so, it is with great shame that I resign my position within the Department Of Civil Protection, and other Intelligence Agencies.” Xbox Halo Guy, as with everyone else present, snapped to a solemn salute. A crisp movement they had not made in a long time. “The King is dead.” He announced. “Long live the King.” [i]Six Years Ago. A week before Sally Sabar is killed. “So, doctor, why are we here?” Sally Sabar asked. She sat upright in her bed at the Kings Arms Private Hospital, joined with Corbec, who sat alongside her. He wore a spotless black suit, an Italian, white pinstripe shirt beneath with a silk, red tie kept in a Windsor knot. He wore luxuriously expensive black leather shoes from the most sought after designers. His gleaming blonde hair was clean and short in the typical French Crop, and his eyes were as brilliantly blue as ever. Sally wore only her simple hospital gown, though it had been hand-made by the foremost fashion design house in Floodland. Her elegant, wavy brown hair was loose, and its locks tumbled freely around her shoulders. Like Corbec, her eyes were a dazzling blue. “Well.” Started the white-coated doctor. He was a dependable, likeable fellow. Probably the best in his field. “It’s good news.” Corbec and Sally looked at each other, shrugging. “Empress. I have the pleasure to announce that you’re going to have a child.”[/i] [b]The End.[/b] [Edited on 08.19.2007 2:02 PM PDT]