Interlude: NGLFThe Captain stared out at the city, the lights illuminating the darkness. Her new overlords had named it Bayard. Her former masters called it Thinis, and they would claim they built the city. The Egyptians were liars, they had built 'Thinis' years ago, not the invaders. She had no illusions that Aquitaine and Corai would be any better than their old masters.If anything, Corai was worse than Egypt or Aquitaine. Her people knew the latter two were imperial invaders, but they seemed to forget Corai had invaded their home just the same. The only difference was Corai controlled the other half of their homeland, where their brethren were ground under heal. The Front ignored this because of the money and weapons Corai supplied.The Captain worried. What were they going to do if they did liberate themselves from Aquitaine? They would still have Corai to deal with and Corai acted as their benefactors. One day they would need to fight Corai, and she didn't know if the front was

Euphemia IIIt was a grueling twelve-hour flight to the Tyché colony. My new staff and the plane crew were the only ones joining me. It wasn't an uncomfortable flight. I was in the seat of luxury, the best the empire had to offer, but it was long. As I looked out the window, I was reminded that my plane wasn't alone. A fleet of aircraft carrying the first waves of new colonists trailed behind us. Those planes were crammed full, so I was lucky to have a spacious plane almost all to myself.I was tired, but I couldn't sleep a wink, I was so nervous. When the plane touched down, my life was over. I would be the Viceroy of a new colony halfway across the world.As we flew over the glittering sea, I felt the urge to jump out. I mastered the impulse, but it was there. I didn't want to go to Tyché. I didn't want to oppress the natives or any Egyptians that remained. Xavier would be a better choice. He had done wonders with Vietnam, why not give him Tyché?Because my father wanted to rest me.

Calixte IIII dreamed I was back in the air, flying my Moraine. The girl was on my tail, chasing me through the Moroccan skies. I couldn't shake her off, no matter how hard I tried and she finally got my engines. I fell to the ground in a fireball.I shot up out of bed and nearly fell off, catching myself at the last moment before I hit the floor. The metal floor of the transport wouldn't have felt too good.Static blared over the speaker. "We will be landing at Orleans airport in five minutes." Orleans was the largest airport in Aquroya. It had been months since I had last set foot in the capital. Not since my father forced a military commission on me.Splashing some water on my face to wake me up, I looked through my wardrobe. Gone were the military uniforms I had become accustomed to wearing, replaced by the regalia of the imperial house. I wasn't a military officer right now. I was a prince who was going to be married. A wedding I had no hand in.At fourteen years old, I was going

Calixte V"You look so handsome." My mother put her arms on my shoulder. I could see her smile in the mirror. I did look handsome, didn't I? The old crone might have been trying to poke holes in my fucking skin, but she sure did her job right. I looked like a prince out of an early twentieth-century photo on earth, about to get married. Which I was.It was ironic. I had to die, get reborn, and live another life for fifteen years before I could get married. I didn't have any love prospects in my last life, so standing here was a bit surreal. I never expected to get married.I popped my collar and fiddled with my tie until it was straight. I looked good, for a fifteen-year-old. Certainly better than I looked the first time around.Rolo threw his hand over my shoulder. "She's right, Calixte. You look great."I pushed him away and he had the nerve to laugh. "I'm still your prince.""You aren't the kind of man who would send me to the mines because he's angry I'm making fun of him. You are

Calixte VIIf this was what the south coast of France looked like on Earth, I was kind of sad I never made it there. Riviere was beautiful and somehow blended with the natural beauty of the coast in some strange dance. I had visited Arene before and I grew up in Aquroya, so I wasn't going to call it the most beautiful city in the homelands, but it was a very close thing.Riviere was located atop a cliff that overlooked a sparkling blue ocean, so clear I could see through the water in the shallow parts. As the plane flew overhead, I watch children play in the shallow waters, watched by eagle-eyed parents. This was what I was fighting for. Not my father and his ambitions on world conquest, or my expansionist country, but these. The people at the beach, just trying to enjoy their lives. What would become of Riviere if the State Socialists swept through the town?Riviere had a single airport and it was a small one at that. When I asked the plane captain how many people used the airport, h