Prologue
Some days you wake up and the world is on fire.
Bright white clouds swirled across the green and red mottled landscape hundreds of kilometers below, the occasional glint of pure blue water flashing as it caught rays of sunlight. Mars held a spectacular beauty Culwell considered special, a fresh landscape filled with things he enjoyed: nature, humanity, and, of course, solar cores.
The Arachnid Generals, named so for being Culwell’s eight arms of power, watched their Lord gaze down at the planet. Their black uniforms rendered them nearly invisible, save for the odd patch of color to distinguish identity. Every now and then, the flashing lights of a passing ship glinted off Culwell’s bald head and lit up the Generals as it left for a mission or returned to dock with the flagship, carrying with it important supplies, people, or information.
Eventually, their Lord spoke. He didn’t raise his voice, but it contained an authority that was impossible to ignore, even among the subtle beeping of the bridge as engineers worked tirelessly to keep the ship’s computers running. “Nikodima, Jericho, Denmark twins.” Green, orange, and two red bowed their heads. “Nevi, Corvin, Oma, AJ.” Yellow, blue, purple, and black followed suit.
Culwell turned, his huge, muscular frame outlined by the wafting light reflected by the planet below. “Raise your heads,” he said, a soft smile on his face as he gazed at the nine visorless helmets staring back at him. “Just one final push. Once we seize the Ruby, I’ll obtain the strength needed to unite the system and usher in an era of prosperity and advancement the likes of which we haven’t seen since the discovery of the cores.
“Down there - ” he pointed out the giant window at the planet - “Is where the target has gone into hiding. According to intelligence, he’s masquerading as the mayor of the largest settlement on Mars, almost a town. In addition, he seems to have started a family to further solidify his cover: his wife, son, daughter, and another woman who appears to be an aide for the boy. While their deaths will be unpleasant, they are acceptable and necessary casualties to flush the the target out of hiding.”
“My Lord,” Nikodima said, the jagged features of her helmet doing nothing to betray her expression. “Wouldn’t it be more effective to use the family as hostages and pull him out of hiding?”
AJ Targan shook his head, his uniform rustling slightly as his helmet brushed against the collar. “You know what he’s like,” he responded. Nikodima could hear the smile in his voice. “The idea is to frustrate and scare him into making a mistake. He wouldn’t come for a family he designed for cover. My Lord?”
“That is correct,” Culwell said, his smile growing. “Though you have the Denmark twins to thank for the plans and intelligence, not me.”
The Generals turned their heads to look at the two identical red-uniformed brothers, who gazed back, no reaction in their body language. The air was tense for a moment before Nevi Ihara barked out a laugh. “The twins!” he cheered, though his tone wasn’t quite supportive. “How can the rest of us even compare?”
The sarcasm wasn’t lost on a single person. One of the twins shifted uncomfortably. “If you have a problem with my assignment, you-”
“Repeating yourself won’t change the outcome,” Corvin Brass interrupted, his tall frame towering over everyone but Culwell himself. “Why don’t we try something...else?”
“My Generals,” Culwell interjected. The Arachnids snapped to attention. “This is no time for bickering. You have your orders. Do not fail me. Dismissed.”
The group drove their knuckles into their sternum in salute and bowed their heads, then dispersed. Each of them knew what to do and how to achieve it. They may not like it, but the Denmark twins would formulate the plan and orchestrate it, and each Arachnid needed to execute the plan perfectly, lest they face Culwell’s wrath.
And they will not fail.
