Majesty's Offspring (Book 1)

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  The executive suite was darkly lit. The white lights that emanated from the walls cast an eerie glow on the wood surfaces. The dark grain within the wood stretched across the surface of the desk, looking like roads within a massive city, viewed from the height of a skyscraper.

  That skyscraper would soon be his one day, Dagiri mused. The one belonging to MK Enterprises, the defense contractor that would not succumb to his buyout attempt. He wondered now if such aspirations were too low reaching. Now with the power of A.I. technology nearly in his hands, he should have much greater ambitions.

  The bar should be raised, he thought. Having the big three under his complete control was now a real possibility for him. The three biggest corporations in the known universe: Omega Research Corporation, Galacorp, and Elysium Energy. The companies that provided the majority of all communications, spaceships, and energy for all the inhabited worlds and space station colonies.

  Dagiri leaned back in his chair, looking at the holographic projection with anticipation. Steve sat to his side, watching with him. The projector showed a live feed of the ensuing onslaught against the convoy transporting the A.I. Hargo and his men would soon attack it with enough force to overtake the pitiful private escort assigned to it.

  Once in Dagiri’s possession, the A.I. would provide the computing power he needed to blackmail all who stood in his way. He would use the hackers to break into the A.I., and then use it to do his bidding. Eventually, he would dispose of the hackers; the fewer intermediaries he had involved the better. If he had his way, he would not even have Hargo and his men, but for now, like the hackers, they served a purpose.

  The images on the screen suddenly showed the convoy entering local space. Any moment, it would enter the kill zone and Hargo’s squadron would come out of stealth and steal its cargo. If Omega Research only knew what they were transporting, they would have assigned an entire navy to escort it. Three little scouts were going to be child’s play for Hargo.

  A sudden distortion appeared in the space around the convoy—Hargo’s squadron coming out of the stealth shroud, no doubt. Hargo’s squadron, composed of twelve attack interceptors, overwhelmed the three underpowered scouts. Multiple flashes emanated on and around the small security detail as debris and smoke spread in every direction. Within seconds, the only thing left of the three scouts was the drifting wreckage.

  The interceptors now moved into position, blocking the flight paths of the two cargo ships. They fired warning shots across their bows, forcing the ships to slow to a stop. Dagiri smiled: there would be no escape for them now. At this point, he knew the procedure would entail a communication to the captains of the two ships ordering them to eject their cargo or be destroyed.

  “Although this is not quite as entertaining as watching him reduce someone to ashes and smoke him, it’s still fun to watch Hargo at work,” Dagiri said. “You should pay attention to this, Steve—you might learn something.”

  “Yes, sir,” Steve said, voice flat.

  “Cargo extraction underway,” he heard Hargo’s voice say.

  “Any moment now,” Dagiri said with a grin. “Any moment…”