17.48 Fourth Violet Star - Parasited by Zergs
17.48 Fourth Violet Star - Parasited by Zergs
At the Crown Prince's Palace...
Cain Nova von Imperlian was instructing his servants to finish his preparations for his upcoming journey to Planet Terra. His main goal was to attempt to tame a Sentient Plant and secure a contract with it, regardless of the outcome. He had also hired several rare Plant Ability users to accompany him on his journey and had paid a high price for their services. These warriors were eager to join the Crown Prince on his expedition to Planet Terra upon learning that several Sentient Plants there had awakened.
"Move quickly! Be careful as you move those things!" The Crown Prince commands as he oversees the area.
His queen mother, who stopped by to find her son, was not far from him. The Queen was much more composed this time than she had been before. She even has the audacity to hold off on speaking with the Crown Prince until her son has finished directing the servants. She arrived to say goodbye to her son after discovering that he would be departing for Planet Terra.
She said, "My son, come over to the Queen Mother for a bit."
Cain Nova von Imperlian left his preparations behind and went to visit his Queen Mother.
She intervened at the last second to prevent him from boarding the spacecraft that would take him to Planet Terra.
The Crown Prince asked, "What is it, Queen Mother?"
"I heard it would be dangerous to the pace you will go to. Just in case you keep this with you."
The Queen Mother handed her son a tiny box. A round, black pill was seen within the little package as the Crown Prince opened it. He recognizes and feels that his mother created it, especially for him because it resembles the Revival Pill.
"This is a Revival Pill. Eat it when the time comes. Be careful out there."
"Thank you, Queen Mother." Cain Nova von Imperlian said.
He gave his mother a hug and expressed his gratitude for her support of all of his aspirations. He failed to observe, however, that his Queen Mother occasionally wore a glum expression when she was at ease. The pill that was given to him wasn't a Revival Pill either; rather, it was a strange drug that included a secret benefit. Even for him, the Crown Prince, this something poses a secret threat.
The Crown Prince bids his Queen Mother farewell before boarding the starship and departing. What he was unaware of was the fact that this would be their final encounter. A group of spacecraft headed for Planet Terra lifted launch from the Imperium Star on the same day. Emperor Cale Meijer von Imperlian was informed and gave the go-ahead for their departure.
The Crown Prince was unaware that something unexpected occurred in his palace right after he left. The dull-eyed Queen Mother opened his lips, and a few bugs flew out, swarming any nearby people and parasitizing them. They first struggled once the bugs entered their brains until they were all brought under control. Everyone in the room began to tremble, pause their activities, and finally fall to their knees as they turned to face the Queen Mother.
"Greetings to the Queen!" They've collectively said.
"... Prepare... humans are on... the move." The Queen Mother said.
"Yes, Queen!" Their dull eyes started glowing green in the dark and obviously, none of them were humans anymore.
---
At the gates of the First Military Imperial School...
The unrest in front of the school is still going on. Those who were trapped inside were unable to exit through the gates and were forced to exit the school grounds through the rear entrance. When he decided to go home, Megan Shelley followed this route. A squad of knights headed by Stephen von Rosegard came just as the rioters outside finally lost all control and began attacking the School Gate to forcibly enter the school.
They were fully armored from head to toe and permitted to carry both a sword and a cannon. As they move, the sounds of armor clinking reverberate across the neighborhood, startling everyone in it. The Royal Knights' presence signified the Emperor's face. As anticipated, Stephen von Rosegard approached, bringing an edict bearing the Imperial Crest's seal. A Lion in Gold.
Stephen von Rosegard reads the decree,
{The death and sacrifice of the students and the soldiers in the incident on Planet Terra cannot be erased. The Dean of First Military Imperial School failed to complete his duties which resulted in the deaths of the children. The Palace will take responsibility for the loss and give each family compensation for this incident. All compensation will be personally sent to the deceased students' houses. It might not help you stop the pain of losing your child but I hope this could help you continue your life for the better.}
{The Zergs had started to evolve. They've become cunning and more human. They had gotten stronger as well. On Planet Terra when the incident happened even the SS-ranked General Gretel wasn't enough to control the situation even with the help of Dean Frey von Gregory they couldn't save all the students. We were told that the Zerg Race had learned the ability to turn invisible. It was Stealth that caught everyone on that Planet off guard. Even so, General Gretel and Dean Frey von Gregory did their best under these unfair consequences and saved the children.}
{General Gretel's wife, Lieutenant General Zephyr von Gretel, upon hearing the situation personally took the lead and saved the captured children from the Zerg Nest on that Planet. All the children that were captured were saved but the life of Lieutenant General Zephyr is unknown. There is still no news of whether he is alive or not. Dean Frey also led the teachers to save as many students as possible.}
{The military did their best. Dean Frey and the other teachers of the First Military Imperial School also did their best. Thus, a third of the students who were there at that time were saved even though they still failed to save a quarter of the students who were ambushed. Of the soldiers under General Gretel, only a quarter were able to survive; all had died on duty while saving and protecting the children. The incident on Planet Terra shows that our greatest enemy the Zerg started to get stronger.}
{This is war. In war, all deaths may have or may have no meaning. But always remember, this a battle of life and death, only when the Zergs are all killed we can be free for good. But in that situation no one was capable of taking control of it, even the Grand Marshal who left to save the situation couldn't bring the dead alive. The Imperial Clan is sorry for your loss.}
{As punishment, Dean Frey von Gregory will be sent to the frontlines during the battle against the Zerg Race. My people, this isn't the time to be sad. We still have to protect our home, our star. Keep this in mind.}
All of the parents and guardians who were rioting were in tears. Once they understood the circumstances, they realized that neither the military nor Dean Frey, who was present at the time, were to blame. The children who were killed by those Evolved Zergs who snuck into that planet were just weak and unlucky to meet such a fate. They were aware, yet they still found it difficult to accept the reality. Dean Frey von Gregory at this point finally emerges.
Dean Frey von Gregory declared, "I will do my best to help exterminate the Zergs. I am not doing this because I feel guilty for my failure on Planet Terra but because if I don't take a step forward then many children will suffer if we fail to defend our home during the war. Even so, I would like to apologize to all the parents and guardians in the area."
"I'm sorry that I failed to protect the children you left in my care. As a payment, I will step down from the position as the Dean of First Military Imperial School and let someone more worthy to sit in this position. Once again, I apologize."
In front of the parents and guardians of the deceased students, Dean Frey bowed his head.
The latter cried even harder when she saw him in this state. because they were aware of the wrongness of what they did while also frightening the students who were meant to be in class but were forced to stop learning as a result of them. This event marked the conclusion of the rioting.
---
Back to the Imperial Palace...
The hidden troops under Adjutant Kir von Giselle's observation were startled by what they saw. Countless bugs emerged from the Queen Mother's mouth and targeted people's brains. The small bugs even dug through the skulls, as if the hard bone was as soft as tofu under their teeth. This is a parasitic scene known only to the Zerg race.
The Grand Marshal had special forces under his command. They had to scout, stalk, and gather information. Someone from each noble clan's crew was keeping an eye on them. They had no other purpose but to observe. That is why they departed the Crown Prince's Palace right away rather than saving those employees.
Similar events occurred in the other noble clans; some were surprisingly spotless, and Adjutant Kir was informed of everything. Of course, when the report was made, Emperor Cale and Duke Gretel were also there. Hearing the reports from Adjutant Kir von Giselle's subordinates causes their faces to turn unpleasant.
Duke Claudius von Gretel said, "The Zergs had been more cunning than I'd expected. Just when did they replace the Queen of Imperlian."
"Marquis Kir von Giselle, are you sure that the Crown Prince is not a parasite?" The Emperor asked. He couldn't believe the crown prince who is the most important figure in the Nova Clan wasn't parasites by them.
Adjutant Kir von Giselle took a tiny box out of his pocket and took a black pill out of it. The Queen Mother gave the Crown Prince the exact same drug. When he learned what had happened, he ordered the spy from his side—who was at the time concealing himself with the Crown Prince faction—to seize this package and send it to him right away. Adjutant Kir heard the news before it reached the palace and promptly relayed it to the Grand Marshal, who was currently away from the Imperium Star, in an encrypted form. Only then did he request a meeting with the Emperor, leading to the creation of this scene.
"This is the pill the Queen Mother gave the Crown Prince before he left for Planet Terra. Look at the core and you would be surprised what's in it. Just be careful not to wake it up." Adjutant Kir von Giselle said.
The Emperor was the first to inspect the pill. He appeared bewildered as he examined the core of the pill, using his enhanced eyesight instead of his qi to avoid any potential dangers. To his surprise, he discovered a small dormant bug inside, which he recognized as an unhatched Zerg.
Emperor Cale Meijer von Imperlian felt nauseous and covered his mouth in shock. However, Duke Claudius von Gretel, who inherited his mother's (Zephyr) bloodline, didn't need to see the bug to sense its presence. As a half-human, he is extremely sensitive to beings that are similar yet different from him.
Duke Claudius von Gretel commented, "That's an unhatched zerg. It's the time that would be fertilized once it was surrounded with enough temperature. The human body's temperature is its greatest nest. Once it hatched it would crawl up to someone's brain, eat it slowly, and take control of the vessel."
"The problem is how to check the people of Imperium whether they are parasites or not." The Emperor said.
Adjutant Kir von Giselle immediately received the lethal tablet in the box from Emperor Cale Meijer von Imperlian. which the latter decided to once more seal for storage. Dean Frey von Gregory, who had locked himself in the lab, eventually emerged while they were conversing.
He was bringing something with him that could find Zergs in people.
Dean Frey von Gregory said, "I have a device here that will help His Majesty solve these worries."