"We have summoned you to help us in these damning times."
An old man ordained in holy garments explained to a tall and broad figure, clad in armour sleekly fitting his form atop an elevated platform. Looking around revealed a gathering of individuals wearing a selection of vestments.
Julius remained silent, gathering his thoughts. Just moments prior, He was onboard a resistance dreadnought carrying a planet-cracker primed and ready to fire at Earth. Julius had set multiple thermal charges while engaging and avoiding resistance forces, Knowing the billions of lives at stake, Julius enacted the most surefire way of protecting those he loved and served for. Securing the last charge on the ship's reactor core and structural points left him with one last thing to do. Sending a farewell message to his foster parents back on that green jewel. Suppressing his emotions as he was trained to do was second nature, reaching around his waist, Julius produced the detonator. Activating it Julius was soon greeted with a loud cacophony of explosions creeping throughout the dreadnought. Closing his eyes, Julius awaited his last moments. As the detonations and rebel forces reached his position, he began his last engagement with the rebel scum.
"For Freedom and Liberty!"
Now Julius stood before these strange men, unaware of where he was or how he got here.
Experimental teleportation? Impossible. Hallucination from neural overload? Unlikely.
"Saviour? Are you alright?"
The man seemingly in charge of this procession came forward, An old and decrepit man who was not treated well by age stood before Julius. An eyesore to be honest, Hands clasped together the leader continued to approach only stopping a few steps below the top of the platform on which Julius stood.
"Saviour, I am but a humble servant put before you by the grace of the Goddess but if you would allow me to humbly explain why you find yourself before us, I shall."
"You may," Julius responded after a short burst of silence. Confused and disorientated, he awaited the man's explanation.
Beginning his explanation the man wettened his mouth, swallowing his saliva and began to speak, "You find yourself here before us as a messiah brought to us here by the grace of the Goddess. Her humble servants have gathered our combined efforts to summon you here. Using our divine magic to bring you before us to get our empire out of its dire state."
Messiah? Goddess? Magic? Julius found himself confused, like a fish out of water. Julius began his response, "Magic? What Goddess do you speak of?"
"Mhm, You are one of those, aren't you? Our predecessors spoke of those who were summoned from worlds without our goddess's grace or knowledge of magic. It matters not, for we shall teach you these things in time. I am Pope Maledictus the leader of this humble order. May I be graced with your name, saviour?"
"Julius... Julius Caesar."
"Julius..." Maledictus repeated his name, testing it. The Pope swung around to his procession, arms outstretched, hands open. "Julius! Our saviour!" Silence filled the room for only a moment before it was crushed by thunderous applause and cheers.
"Julius!"
"By the Goddess's grace!"
"Our Saviour has come!"
Julius remained still, stunned by the cacophony of clapping and cheers. Summoned by the Goddess? Saving their empire? Before any of this could happen he had to collect himself and assess his next steps.
"Ares?"
Reactivating his onboard AI, Julius hoped to understand what had transpired.
[Initializing Advanced Reconnaissance & Engagement System]
Ares's Characteristic feminine monotone voice responded to his request.
[5%]
[20%]
[50%]
[80%]
[99%]
[100%, Reboot Complete. Greetings Operator, Colonel Julius Caesar]
[Contacting Earth High Command of your recent successes against the rebel forces]
[Connection initializing...]
[Connection failed..]
[Retrying....]
[Connection failed..]
[Retrying....]
[Connection failed..]
[Determining causation of loss of contact]
[Absence of uplink determined to be causation]
[Determing geophysical position]
[Unable to determine, Unknown Territory]
[Operator Julius is no longer in range of Sol System's Communication Infrastructure]
[Determining mission...]
[Advise Operator Julius to cooperate with local authorities to gain more information]
As Julius calculated his next steps, Maledictus placed a hand on his right shoulder.
"Please, Julius our most esteemed saviour follow me and I shall explain things as we walk"
Without waiting for an answer the Pope turned around, hands clasped behind his back and began walking away. Julius followed, matching his gradual slow pace.
"Now I know you might be confused saviour, but this will all make sense soon." Maledictus nodded his head as he walked as if reassuring himself of this same fact. Exiting the room through a set of intrinsically carved marble doors. The outside world rushed to greet the Pope and Julius. Warm sunlight and cool air flooded through a lush courtyard of rose bushes and red maple trees. A paved stone pathway threaded itself through the garden before them beautifully. Maledictus strolled along the pathway, his hands beckoning Julius to follow.
The air smelled fresh. No trace of pollutants, no distant hum of industrial spires. Just the floral perfume of the garden, laced with something artificial.
[Analyzing atmospheric composition…]
[Unusually high oxygen concentration. Enhanced plant growth detected. Possible artificial manipulation.]
Maledictus let out a soft sigh. "Isn't it beautiful?"
Julius's eyes scanned the vast courtyard, It was perfect. The trees, the grass, even the roses. Perfect in every way, height, colour, perfectly in bloom. almost unnatural, untouched by cruel mother nature.
Julius had only seen such vibrant and luscious life in old movies and propaganda films back on Earth. Only those in the upper echelons of society could ever walk through gardens such as this. However, this garden seemed to stretch on longer than even those.
Shifting his gaze, Guards. While first blending into the background, armoured statues stand along the pathway and around the exterior of the courtyard. Unlike those clad in vestments from the summoning, these warriors were clad in gilded plate. Pristine armour reflecting the blinding sun, untouched by war but undoubtedly made for battle.
The chest plates bore the insignia of the faith—a radiant sun encircled by scripture. The design wasn't merely ornamental, the engravings glowed faintly, pulsing with an energy that Ares struggled to categorize.
[Detected energy readings inconsistent with standard physics.]
Their pauldrons flared outward, sculpted angelic wings into each, each feather painstakingly etched into the metal.
"It is." he finally responded, his voice carefully measured
This order seemed rather wealthy for how much they seemed to need his help. Corruption maybe? Or something entirely different, something divine?
"Thank you, Julius it means a lot to hear it from the likes of our messiah. Someone so close to the grace of our Goddess." Julius continued to follow the Pope in relative silence only the soft footfalls and birdcalls filling the garden.
Soon, before them rose a grand cathedral, a titanic structure. its mere silhouette dominating the sky, with two towering spires and intricate supports of blackened stone piercing the sky.
[Structure exceeds 150 meters in height. materials suggest pre-industrial techniques, but structural integrity comparable to reinforced titanium. Possible unknown influence.]
The grand entrance stood before them, an archway several stories high, its twin doors made of solid steel, polished to a mirror sheen. Across its massive surface, scripture inlaid with molten gold shimmered under the sunlight. Stained-glass windows stretched along the walls, Light filtering through them cast gold, crimson, and sapphire across the courtyard.
Maledictus turned, gesturing toward the entrance with a sweep of his robed arm.
"Behold, Julius! The seat of the Goddess's will in our Empire."
Julius remained silent, still etching the sight into his mind.
"Ahaha... I felt the same way the first time I laid my eyes on her will set into stone."
"Now come, we shouldn't keep your aides waiting." Maledictus continued to approach the grand entrance But Julius didn't miss the slight shift in his posture and a nearly unnoticeable nod toward a robed figure.
Julius accompanied the Pope as he surprisingly swung open the twin doors and entered a grand hall that stretched before him. Marble flooring and grand columns of stone held up its impossibly high ceiling. A grand refectory table was set for dozens, though robed figures had already taken all those seats except for two, seemingly reserved for the Pope and Julius himself.
Maledictus, leading Julius by the arm, stopped at the table and gestured grandly to the seat reserved for him. "This is the table of our faith, Julius. Sit. We are here to honour you. For tomorrow all shall be explained but today we feast!"
"Thank you Maledictus," Julius said as he took his place among those gathered. Almost as soon as he rested himself upon the chair he was served a fragrant beverage, smelling reminiscent of the roses just outside.
"To Julius! Our saviour!" Julius hesitated for a moment, uneasy to drink this dubious drink, but soon dismissed it as lingering paranoia from his frequent engagements, When he took a sip, the taste was smooth and light, with a mild sweetness that reminded him of roses in full bloom. A slight tang, almost like berries, was accompanied by a strange aftertaste. Plates of all variations of foods from venison, foul, fish, honey, sweet tarts and pastries. Soon flowed in from the depths of the grand hall. Infinite along with the rose-flavoured drink.
Suddenly Julius struggles, a wave of dizziness crashing over him like a sudden storm. His vision begins to blur, the sharp clarity of the cathedral hall fading into a hazy, disorienting fog. He blinks rapidly, but it only makes the world around him tilt more wildly.
His body slows, his limbs feeling like they're wading through thick water. His heartbeat, once steady and controlled, begins to drum erratically in his chest, the pulse quickening as if to warn him of danger. He can barely keep his balance, the table beneath him shifting unnaturally as he tries to focus on the faces around him.
He's been drugged, the rose drink. His muscles tighten, his body fighting but it's too late and something entirely different from the normal poison he is used to. The numbness begins to creep in, dulling his senses.
[Operator!]
A voice cuts through the fog, distant and unclear, but it's enough for Julius to recognise. Maledictus. The Pope's words are distorted, the sound slipping past him like water flowing over stone.
His legs betray him, buckling beneath the weight of the drug, and the world tilts even further and as he crashes to the floor the last thing he sees before everything goes dark is Maledictus's smug, almost sympathetic expression.