Hijacked by Lolita Lopez
PROLOGUE
Emperor Shui glanced around the large multi-leveled auditorium on the palace grounds. It was the only space they’d found big enough to house all those in attendance for the hearings. Faces in the crowd ranged from shocked and awed to fear and worry. He made a point to take note of which sections held people of the latter. They could be a part of the rebellion he’d failed to catch. No matter. He’d see to them later.
“Emperor Shui, we’re ready when you are.”
His top aide stood to the left of the large dais set up for Shui to preside over the hearings, Shui chuckled to himself at that thought. In his mind the rebels were already convicted and condemned. A lesson needed to be learned, and he would teach it to all who’d thought to conspire against him.
“Let’s start. Send them in,” Shui instructed with a negligible flick of his hand.
Outwardly, he retained a façade of calm but inside, his glee had him almost wanting to release a victorious cheer. Finally. Finally he’d be rid of the bulk of those who sought to betray him. By the end of the day, this lesson of retribution would resonate throughout the planet of Kirs and deter others from thinking to do to him what the Cyborg Military Elite had almost managed.
To think of how close to success they’d come caused his blood to boil. If that traitorous Cyborg Pod hadn’t refused their orders, the medical techs doing the scans for a malfunction wouldn’t have discovered a large number of Cyborgs were part of a rebellion to thwart his attempts to conquer the neighboring planet Bionus. The evidence of secret meetings, gatherings to exchange information had all been there on their closed network.
He seethed at the thought of not being able to hack into other Pods’ closed networks. By the time he’d rounded up the Cyborgs with intentions to do just that, they’d scrubbed everything clean and had been smart enough to not leave anything on the mainframe.
The door to the right of him opened, letting in a long procession of rebels. Mostly Cyborgs in their prestigious gray uniforms with black accents. Uniforms that signified their roles as defenders of Kirs. But they hadn’t defended Kirs. They’d betrayed their home planet and him with their actions.
The Cyborgs were followed by citizens of Kirs in plain clothes. The crowd of those about to receive judgment grew until rows and rows of rebels were gathered. Some stared at him with hateful glares, others murmured desperate pleas and others had the audacity to look indifferent.
Hundreds of Cyborgs from the Military Elite made up the ranks of the rebels. Shui wasn’t sure which ones remained loyal to him and which ones had taken part in growing the rebellion. He’d had their families tortured, friends arrested and still wasn’t able to determine the full scale of their plans.
Once the crowd settled, Shui stepped in front of the podium and activated the head mic he wore. “Today is a somber day for the world of Kirs. Rebels have been found to be plotting against us. The men and women that you see before you have been found guilty—”
The crowd erupted. Shouts of, “When were they given a trial?”
“Is this legal?”
“This isn’t fair.”
All caught his attention. With a pointed look at his aide, Shui signaled that he wanted those who’d openly posed those questions and remarks detained. The rebels were everywhere and he would catch each and every one of them.
Shui put up both of his hands to silence the crowd. “As I was saying, these rebels have been found guilty of conspiring against the Emperor and Kirs. They are hereby sentenced to prison, for life.”
Shui ignored another round of disruption from the onlookers and the shocked shouts thrown his way. His Prime Ministers, representing each country on Kirs, eyed him in dismay. They had been against his plans from the beginning to take over Bionus and extend his reign as Emperor over the small world. They expected him to lead as his father had before him and settle for only ruling Kirs when there was a vast number of planets he could take over one day.
And he would. This was a small bump in his road. If the Cyborg Military Elite soldiers had just done what they were supposed to, this would all be behind him now.
Once more Shui focused on the rebels he’d managed to catch. He wanted each and every one of them to understand that he was judge, jury, and executioner. Their treachery had consequences.
The Cyborgs didn’t look so defiant anymore and the civilians appeared downright scared. They understood this would be a death sentence for many of them. While the Cyborgs could withstand hard labor, those without cybernetic enhancements wouldn’t last long on Tyurma, the Kirs moon that was used to house prisoners.
With a nod of his head, the Prison Officers from Tyurma, who’d come to collect the rebels, activated the remote-controlled hand and ankle cuffs. The ground shook as the rebels turned toward the exit in unison, then one-by-one, the rebels—Cyborgs and citizens alike, lined up and were guided toward the side door where they would receive their branding and board the prison transport.
The brand that would be burned on their faces would enable him to find them anywhere if they ever sought to escape Tyurma. He’d personally made sure the specifications of the brand wouldn’t allow the Cyborgs’ nanobots to heal their skin.
He hoped the “CR”, Cyborg Rebel, and “R”, for human rebels, brands would be clear on the holo-vids.
Shui caught himself smiling and quickly adjusted his expression to portray what he thought was a mournful look. It was one he used often and paired well with his elegant blond looks and green eyes. This event was broadcasted to all of Kirs after all. He wanted to appear saddened by having to sentence so many of his people to life in prison.
The smile slid back into place at the thought of what was really about to happen, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t remove it from his face.
* * *
Mayner huddled with a few of his fellow guards on the prison transport bound for Tyurma. They were successfully in space and far enough away from Kirs. “How soon before we need to take our leave?”
Kaza glanced fearfully over his shoulder. No one else was present in the corridor besides the three of them. “According to the instructions we received, evacuation of the transport should begin in another fifteen. The Emperor made it clear that there is no way to stop the explosions set onboard.”
Mayner and Goran exchanged a look. They were cousins by marriage and both had vowed they would not hesitate when it came time to get off this doomed transport. They had sympathy for the Cyborgs and other Kirsians because the Emperor’s actions were wrong, but only a fool would say that aloud.
“It’s hard to imagine Emperor Shui had no intention of sending them to the prison colony,” Kaza continued with a remorseful look.
“Let’s get back to our stations,” Goran said, the fear on his face very real. “I want to be ready when the time comes. The explosions will destroy the transport and all those onboard. I have no intention of being left behind to die.”
As the three rushed off, none were aware of the Cyborgs being escorted down to their cell several corridors away. Their enhanced hearing enabled them to hear the guards’ words clearly. While not in the same pod group, the five Cyborgs all wore grim expressions from what they’d learned.
They were not going to have a chance to escape Tyurma as they’d thought. They were not going to have a chance to return to Kirs and see their families.
The Emperor had consigned them to death if what they’d heard was true. When they reached their designated cell, the guard shoved all of them into the enclosed space. There were a few jeers and taunts to which none of them responded. The electronic field sealed them in.
Once alone, the tallest of the group faced the others. “We’ve been set up. It’s obvious the Emperor had no intentions of giving us a fair trial and now he dooms us to death with the lie that we were bound to Tyurma the prison colony.”
Another took up speaking, “He has condemned everyone onboard. Our friends, our fellow Cyborgs.”
The other three gazed forward, brows creased as if in deep thought. They were eerily similar in appearance with their dark hair and narrow set eyes. The one in the middle shifted his gaze to encompass all of them and spoke, “We must put aside whatever differences or trust issues we have in this moment and save our brethren. I have family bound to Tyurma on this vessel.”
A moment of silence. Then they all replied at the same time, “Agreed.”
The tallest Cyborg volunteered to open his Mainframe and broadcast the warning. They now were down to seven minutes before the alleged explosions would detonate. Messages were sent within pod groupings until the vast majority were aware.
The revolt needed to start now. They were out of time.
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