Imperial Dragon: The Von Drachen Chronicle, #1

By Steven Tomes

While America descends into anarchy Ahab Valentine looks into the ever increasing numbers of people vanishing without trace never suspecting he would become one.  Finding himself on a fantasy world Ahab is given his missing Brother's job and a a choice, join his Brother's House or change his name and start a new one.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Steven Tomes
• Release date: Dec 3, 2022
• ISBN: 9798215385845

Book preview

Introduction

A note from the author

Dear reader,

Dear reader, thank you for your interest in and hopefully purchase of this work of mine. This note is, in part, an explanation of some of the more difficult ideas and perspectives in this book and the planned series as well as what inspired me to write this book.

Now to start this process, this book was written against the backdrop of the George Floyd mostly peaceful riots and the ever growing anti-white rhetoric coming from various sources which included but wasn't limited to; academia, the mainstream news and Social Media. One of the more memorable moments was the Twitter group Mayo Monkeys gotta Go in which a particularly nasty racist tirade was recorded and shared around the world. At the same time COVID-19 was a thing leading to everyone being locked down for nearly two years unless you were one of your nation's elite where you could ignore your own rules. So the inspiration for the human situation in these novels comes from those unprecedented times. If this offends you, well congratulations you are part of the inspiration for this book.

Now to the Gender Parlours, these were not inspired by the Trans debate surprisingly. Though I can see how it could seem that they are. The inspiration for these was the free reroll tokens in some online Role Play Games, Neverwinter Online being the one that springs to mind as well as my experiences playing Dungeons and Dragons over the years. I originally planned this as a Homebrew D&D campaign setting (inspired by one Matt Mercer and the Critical Role crew) which was scuppered by the Pandemic as my crew of the time couldn't get together and play test the world, the Gender Parlour idea was an in game free character swap if the class you had picked initially didn't fit your play style. As for how it is used here, I just thought about how a government would use such a capability. Especially if they do not want or cannot afford to lose their tax revenue but cannot feasibly let a person live.

Now you should have noticed if you have skipped this part and read ahead, this is an Isekai or taken to another world fantasy story. This has two sources, one and more commonly known one is Anime. Yes I like Japanese Anime and have done since I saw my first one, Ulysses 31 as a child on a Saturday morning. This is showing my age, the second source is again Dungeons and Dragons. Partly for the 1983/84 Cartoon and partly from the Lore of the Faerûn setting and the abduction of the ancient Egyptians and Babylonians by the Imaskari Empire as Slave Labour in Faerûn. The fall of the Imaskari Empire due to a Slave revolt supported by the Gods of ancient Egypt and Babylonia gave rise to the Mulan people and the Nations of Mulhorond, Unther, Thay and Halruaa. All of which dates back to the second edition or Advanced Dungeons and Dragons, so in a way even Japan owes Gary Gygax a debt of gratitude. This will also explain the magic system in this book if you haven't already guessed it.

Now I will again thank you for your interest and hopefully purchase of this work, and again warn you that there may be elements of this that may offend you or make you deeply uncomfortable. This isn't a bad thing if you allow yourself some introspection and ask yourself why they offend you or discomfort you. The answers may surprise you.

––––––––

Oh and one last thing, this is just book one of nine, I do hope you stick around for the ride. I will endeavour to make it a good one.

Yours sincerely

Steven Karl Times

The Author

Prologue

Earth October 14th 2025

Ahab Leonidas Valentine woke in the Hotel room he had stayed in for the past two days. He slowly rose and with the aid of his cane walked into the en suite bathroom and ran a bath, as he bathed in the warm water letting it ease the ever present pain in his lower back he thought about the course his life had taken. He had spent his life trying to find his place in the world only to be met with what distinctly felt like hate from Academia, the government and the media all of which seemed to loathe his very existence painting every white man as evil murderous hate filled Misogynistic White Supremacists that took delight in raping anything with a vagina and enslaving anyone with skin tones resembling Chocolate. From his perspective it looked like in their minds he was the inheritor of the new Original Sin, thus guilty of Slavery, Imperialism and more by association of skin tone. It was total horse shit of course, borne out of the very race baiting Marxist ideology warned about by Booker T Washington over a century before his current situation. However, explaining that was an exercise in futility, partly because most people didn't think beyond what they were spoon fed by their schools or the Mainstream Media and partly because of his ever growing frustration and apathy towards his fellow man. All Ahab wanted was to settle down and have a family, unfortunately the women in his life were at best untrustworthy and the rest of the time a damned liability. Just as likely to accuse him of rape or domestic abuse as they were to cheat on him with someone they thought had a bigger dick and fatter wallet, that was until they hit the infamous wall which was supposed to rear up sometime in their late twenties to early forties and they saw the lies they had been fed for what they were. By then though the men they had been keeping on the back burner had often moved on to much younger and more fun girls, really it was rather sad in his eyes. It didn't stop him from feeling hurt and abandoned by Society as a whole, he doubted that anything would.

Ahab eventually got out of the Bath and shaved looking into his dark Brown eyes; he forced himself to not think about how his ex-girlfriend Jacqueline Harrison had betrayed him. Partly because he really did not want to feel the pain yet again, and partly because he was using a very sharp straight or cut throat razor. He had learned that being distracted while using one of those was a bad idea. He had the scars on his face to prove it, though one stood out to him more than the rest. It was a vicious looking scar caused by one of his Brother Vincent’s friends. They had accidentally sliced his throat open with a kitchen knife; this had left Ahab unable to raise his voice due to nerve damage to his vocal cords. Ahab spoke very softly with an ever so slight growl to his voice; some people equated it to Grand Admiral Thrawn’s voice from Star Wars Rebels but more bestial, like a Dragon trying to whisper. He checked his hair in the mirror before leaving the bathroom, he brushed his thick black hair back and set it with some styling wax and hairspray being careful to highlight his symmetrically greying temples, it was one of the few vanities he allowed himself, then after washing his hands used some moustache wax to style his facial hair. Once happy he regarded his angular features with the grey streaks in his beard and bat wing eyebrows he looked like a mix between the original Master played by Roger Delgado from Doctor Who and Jason Wynn from the Spawn comics even down to the way his hair naturally flowed into a horn like delta shape from a pronounced widow's peak. He nodded approvingly at his reflection and left the bathroom to dress. 

After he had finished preening and brushing his teeth he turned on the television in his room and watched the morning news as he dressed, and checked his email on his phone. It was the usual sensationalist fear mongering designed to anger and divide the country they pumped out, mixed with half truths about the second American Civil War. As bad as Britain had become thanks to the incompetence rife in Westminster and the various branches of the bloated civil service at least they weren't as bad as the Biden Administration, The weakest administration since the Carter Administration had not only botched the American economy through horrendous mismanagement by way of Presidential Executive Orders and many other actions Ahab wasn’t paying all that much attention to until the disastrous pull out of Afghanistan got his attention, He even ignored the COVID-19 Pandemic as much as he could, knowing that the measures taken to combat the new virus would cause more problems than solve. The Hyperinflation in America was just one of them. The Weakness of the administration and NATO as a whole as it weakened itself in pointless invasions of irrelevant countries and chased Diversity Quotas flying rainbow flags, instead of ensuring the security of the states within NATO opened the way for the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Even Democrats, as wilfully blind to their guy as they were, could see that voting Republican was their best bet, but somehow the Democrat party and their friends in Big Tech and the Mainstream Media had driven the country into economic collapse and bloody violence one Democrat town and city at a time. It was frankly depressing that none of them were willing to take responsibility and admit that they had started the bloodshed but History would be a better judge Ahab had decided and kept his mouth shut on Social Media, something else he saw as one of the myriad of causes for the collapse of modern society into tribalism and violence. 

Other than the American Civil War, the only other thing that interested him was the reports of people vanishing into thin air, it was getting prevalent enough that even the BBC was taking notice. Of course the Evangelical Christians among other fundamentalist Christian groups were screaming about the Rapture, failing to see that none of their flocks were being taken to heaven. The disappearances lacked rhyme or reason, in one event a few thousand just vanished from the United States military while on exercise and in another just one or two were taken from a packed and moving train right in front of people they were talking to, while in a third a group of hikers had vanished as they entered Yellowstone National Park. Ahab had done a little digging and had found similar reports dating back to around the time of Christ, maybe earlier. As the news turned to yet another mindless Apocalyptic fear porn piece about the effects of Climate Change fronted by a new child mouthpiece as Gretta Thunberg grew older, Ahab dressed in the now clean and pressed clothes he was wearing when he left the home he had shared with Jackie, he looked like a man out of his time, the outfit was a black suit cut in a style of the late eighteen hundreds, making him look like the archetypal bad guy in a Western, he wore a boot lace tie with a small silver skull at the knot and a pair of New Rock Western boots, the rather plain M-7921-S1 model. The boots were black with a ghost flame pattern in black around the toe and heel and up the leg to the cuff, they weren't his absolute favourite Reactor M.272MT-S1 model but they were out of stock when he went shopping for new boots but these western boots had lasted him a good two years now and he was happy with that. These New Rock boots were not cheap at two hundred and fifty pounds a pair, but they lasted earning him back every penny he spent. The only thing he needed was a Colt Model P on his hip to complete the look, he picked up his cane and while the news continued on to a fluff piece to take the edge off the doom and gloom he polished the grip which was in the shape of a great silver dragon. He found it odd that of all things the only one that made him feel at home was the mythical Dragon, he looked into the ruby red eyes of the Dragon and smiled before turning a steel collar and drawing a three foot long Damascus steel rapier or estoc style blade. Having it was illegal as it was a concealed weapon, not that anyone cared, they rarely ever saw a police officer outside of their stations these days. Ahab cleaned the blade and made sure that it was sharp; he had had to use it on more than one occasion recently, scarring one assailant for life, blinding another and killing three. It wasn't the outcome he wanted but these were trying and unprecedented times after all. He slipped the sword back into the specially designed scabbard part of the cane, the design of the scabbard was to keep the blade from rattling around as he walked. The scabbard was designed to fit the blade perfectly and was lined with sheepskin with the wool still on and on the inside to muffle any movement of the blade as well as absorb any blood still on the blade.

Ahab's next task was to take stock of his collection, he opened his leather backpack and took out the contents, inside was a dozen twelve kilogramme gold bars marked with the Johnson Matthey Bank of the usual ninety nine point nine recurring percent purity valued at approximately six point nine million pounds sterling, twenty five one kilogramme bars of silver valued at around nineteen thousand pounds sterling. A mixed bag of gold and silver coins and small one ounce bars of Gold, Silver and Platinum as well as a lovely collection of precious jewels and a small bag of uncut diamonds from Sierra Leone, these were accompanied by a gold plated .357 magnum calibre Desert Eagle and several full magazines. The Blood Diamonds, the rather ostentatious hand cannon and bullets were the former property of a gentleman Ahab had found dead in a public toilet from what he assumed from the untouched extra large McDonalds Big Mac meal was an Elvis Presley style heart attack. He was later identified as a Warlord whose name Ahab could barely remember let alone pronounce. Ahab had removed the gentleman's weapon, ammunition and blood diamonds before calling an ambulance for him and eating the still warm fast food meal as they took their sweet time getting to him. While the Gold and Silver he suspected was part of the hoard stolen in the nineteen eighty-three Brinks Mat robbery, Ahab sometimes wondered why he carried this hoard around with him. Firstly it was damned heavy and with a buggered back painful to carry around with him, but something deep down just couldn't bear to be without it. He liked to call it his inner Smaug as he was most comfortable with it under his bed as he slept. He returned his hoard to the backpack and checked his wallet for spending money, he had more than enough to get a good breakfast inside him and pay for another hotel outside of London. He was contemplating liquidating some of his fortune to buy himself somewhere to live when his stomach told him that food was more important right now.

At breakfast he carried his hoard, hat, coat and cane down with him along with his pocket computer and ate with them within arm's reach. He had also sat in the furthest corner of the room keeping an eye on the other patrons and staff, it was another somewhat paranoid habit of his but it had developed from his childhood and the abuse he had suffered at the hands of his family. He had developed a need to see what they were up to, particularly his violent and borderline sociopathic brother Vincent. After eating Ahab picked up his things, placing his Stetson on his head quickly went back to his room to make sure he had not left anything there once he was satisfied he checked out of the hotel and left, walking out into the grey October day down the narrow street that led to the small hotel he had spent the night in, he wrote a quick and glowing review of the establishment on Google then closed his Galaxy Z Flip and vanished. 

Chapter 1

February 14th to March 18th 5650

Ahab took a couple of steps from the Hotel door and in the blink of an eye he was no longer in the small side street in the back end of London, he was in an alleyway somewhere else. Instead of buildings made of steel, concrete and glass, the buildings here were made of stone, plaster, wood and brick. He quickly turned around to check that he had not taken a wrong turn to see a blank wall behind him where the Hotel should have stood and on either side the walls were equally blank.  Deciding that there wasn't much point in hanging around he decided to go for a walk around this new place he had found himself, he strolled along leaning on his sword cane and exited the alley which sat around half way along a major shopping street, where he narrowly avoided being taken out at the knees by a herd of children running along with their exasperated mother in tow. The mother paused in her chase.

I am so sorry, they can be so unruly. She apologised.

Don't worry about it, they’re children. I have experienced far worse behaviour, believe me. Ahab smiled watching the children gather at what was obviously a toy shop, she smiled in return and raced away after her children, as she turned, Ahab saw that she had pointed ears and moved with inhuman grace as her liquid gold hair flowed behind her. He had just spoken to his first Elf, and she had exactly the same problems as a human mother. This made him chuckle quietly to himself as he turned and walked along the sunny shopping street, overhead on Baroque supports a glorious Brass and wood bodied suspended monorail whooshed by and above that the low droning of a passing Airship. Ahab couldn’t help but smile at the hustle and bustle of this city, it was a wonderful contrast to the post pandemic civil unrest riddled Earth he was in mere moments before, he undid his duster in the surprisingly warm day and reached inside his jacket for a pair of mirrored sunglasses. He put them on and continued to stroll along catching pieces of conversation and from one shop some Glen Miller, Little Brown Jug to be exact, wafted from the open door as someone entered the shop. From another shop came the sweet smell of sugar as another horde of children thundered out into the street, this time Ahab was ready and stepped back out of their way.

Excuse me please. A large tusked gentleman said. He saw the cane and looked apologetic.

Oh don't worry, I was just avoiding the children coming from this sweet shop. To be honest I should have been more careful where I was going. Ahab replied. The big man nodded sagely showing that he fully understood and sympathised, Ahab also caught a glimpse of what was undoubtedly the butt of a gun hanging in a holster under the big man's leather apron.

You're not from around here are ya? He asked in a gruff voice, though the tone was genial to say the least.

That obvious huh? Well I won't lie, I've just arrived. Ahab replied somewhat distractedly, he was trying to ignore the whole gun thing but couldn't. He noticed that the vast majority of adults carried a weapon of some sort, either a pistol, a knife or a sword.

Yeah it's that obvious, what brings you to New Rome? The Tusked man asked, walking with Ahab.

I'm not sure, I just drifted here I guess. Ahab replied as they strolled along, out of the corner of his eye he noticed an attempted assault that was stopped by a flash of steel, a flourish and a dead assailant.

Well, I'll give you some advice. Don't trust the Police, they're all on the take. The Tusked man said.

That's not a surprise, anyway nice to meet you. Ahab said as they parted ways. Before he continued his stroll he stepped into an alley and took out the bag of gold and silver coins and bars and tucked the bag into a pocket and went shopping for a holster for the desert eagle. It did not take long for him to find an appropriate shop with some handsome looking weapons in the window, Ahab entered the shop with the obligatory ring of a bell. The clerk looked up from a customer he was helping and waved at another store assistant and gestured to Ahab.

Can I help you? The Assistant asked without truly looking at Ahab.

Yes I’m looking for a holster for this. Ahab replied producing the Desert Eagle, the Assistant looked at it and then at Ahab proper.

This is the wrong firearm for you, not only is it far too gaudy it lacks elegance. How much did you pay for it, if you don’t mind me asking? The Assistant asked, Ahab smiled he liked this place even more.

Thankfully this didn’t cost anything, it was a parting gift from an acquaintance. I also have spare magazines as well if that helps. Ahab replied, he had the feeling that there would be something like a trade.

Oh good, so you wouldn’t mind parting with it then. Come with me and I will sort you out with something more fitting. The Assistant smiled, they took Ahab to a case of elegant long barrelled revolvers.

All of these are double action, which should make defending yourself far simpler than using a blowback like that. The Assistant said, Ahab nodded understanding that the Assistant had noted his cane and the way he leaned on it.

Now what calibre are you used to? The Assistant asked.

Well I’m new here and where I’m originally from, owning anything that wasn’t a shotgun was either difficult as hell or like this Desert Eagle against the law. However, if I’m going to have to defend myself I don’t want the threat to get back up. So anything between forty five and Smith and Wesson five hundred is ideal. Ahab replied.

Ah I see, you’re a Transplant from Britain. I recommend that you have something like this. The Assistant said taking out a revolver that looked like it was based on the old Walker Colt.

This is in three fifty seven and is very easy to handle in one hand, it is also far more elegant and fitting for your current style. You load it by pushing this catch forward and swinging out the cylinder, plus it is a straight swap for your Desert Eagle and comes with a full gun belt and holster. The Assistant explained showing Ahab how to operate the weapon. Ahab nodded and handed over the Desert Eagle and the spare magazines, In return he was given the belt, the ammunition from the Desert Eagle as he put the thick belt on with the holster on his left side where his free hand was. Followed by the revolver, since Ahab had saved some money with the exchange he decided to try some of the food here and wandered over to the nearest cafe where he paid for a cup of tea and a sandwich. He then sat outside and watched the city seeing carriages being pulled by mechanical horses, another shop played Moonlight Serenade as the door opened and off in the distance Ahab heard the distant rattle and thunder of Steam Locomotives as he had his lunch. He felt himself smile as he continued his walk and was given a treat to try by a beautiful young lady standing outside of a delicatessen. He thanked her and took note of the name of the shop as he ate the delicious sweetmeat. His introductory stroll through this beautifully classy city however, was halted by a team of beautifully crafted brass mechanical horses pulling a plain black four wheeled coach with heavy crimson curtains across the small window in the door as it stopped in front of him Ahab noticed that there was no driver or position for one, the curtain was pulled back and the window slid down.

Who are you? The occupant asked.

My name is Ahab Leonidas Valentine, who, may I enquire, is asking? Ahab replied, the answer was the door opening and the occupant sitting back.

Get in. They said invitingly.

Why? Ahab asked.

If you want answers, get in. They said, their tone becoming a fraction less inviting and more of an order, Ahab shrugged off his pack and got in even though he had no questions to ask. This place was in a word awesome and the first rule of the twenty one rules Ahab lived by was to accept things as they were. Inside the carriage sat a woman, he couldn't see much of her as the interior of the carriage was unnaturally dark.

I bet you're wondering where you are. The shadow clad woman now sitting opposite him smiled, she had an air of the ancient and somewhat eldritch about her. Ahab felt no threat from her just incredible age and experience. He caught glimpses of a Victorian era Dress and soft fiery red hair and as she talked he caught the ghost of an Irish accent. Ahab guessed that she was originally from county Cork, but time and exposure to other accents had mollified it somewhat.

Not really, I am here. Wherever here is, it doesn't really matter, neither does how I got here. It is clear to even the most casual observer that I am not on Earth anymore, and whoever or whatever brought me here is far more powerful than I and far beyond my ken. My only real option is to accept the situation and go from there. Ahab replied, this reaction surprised his companion. She just looked at him in disbelief as the carriage got underway.

Aren't you in the slightest bit curious about anything? She asked.

Yes, how this coach operates without a driver is one but those questions will be answered in due course. I am sure there are public libraries here judging from the buildings and the obvious affluence of the people here. Ahab replied with almost infuriating calm.

By the Mothers, Vincent was right about you, you are a Zen Master. The woman said.

I'm no master of anything, just practised in accepting things as they are and keeping a cool, if not a somewhat detached head. Ahab smiled as the Carriage passed through a cyclopean gate, and out into fertile farmland he watched as the great walls of the city he had arrived in shrank slowly into the distance. He caught a glimpse of a great gold eagle and the letters SPQR adorning the top of the wall at regular intervals.

Senatus Populusque Romanus, well that explains a lot. But let’s see what my companion says first. Ahab thought to himself, he didn’t have to wait long.

Well let me explain, you are in the World of Amaria. Within the Imperium Romanum, most of us just call it The Imperium. The Imperium occupies the twenty two million square miles of the western end of the Continent we call Elysium. I don’t know what the other nations call it and I don’t really care, right now however, I am taking you to the Valentine Estate. Where you will be either accepted or rejected.  She explained, outside of the carriage the farms trundled past broken up by dry stone walls and light woodland, the sky was a glorious blue with scattered light clouds. Though there was a threat of rain in the North as they crested the top of a low hill.

Okay, accepted for what exactly? Ahab asked, his spidey sense starting to tingle.

Accepted into the family, what else? His companion smiled, Ahab noticed the slowly extending fangs.

Oh, and what happens if I am rejected? Ahab replied, doing his level best to ignore the fangs deep in his animal brain alarm bells were ringing loudly.

Either change your name or go to jail until you change your name. His companion replied.

Well, that's not much of an option now is it? Though, thinking about it, I could adopt my Mother's maiden name, as well as her nominal title if they say no. Ahab said watching the farmland roll by in the distance to their south sat what looked like a cross between a badly made wedding cake and the Imperial Japanese Navy Battleship Yamato as they drew closer momentarily Ahab recognised the shape of a three tiered Bastion Fortification, sometimes being a history nerd paid off.

That is Fortress Invicta, your brother's home after his marriage fell apart. Oh yes, here you may need these. She said, handing him an enormous set of keys and what looked like an old clamshell phone.

Thank you, what are these for? Ahab asked.

The keys are easy, one is for a shed behind the Valentine mansion and the others are for the Fortress Invicta gates and internal buildings. The compact works like those mobile phone things you have on Earth, it uses our magic mirror technology so works like the Face Time or that Skype thing. She said as the carriage came to a stop, Ahab's companion opened the door and talked to someone outside. He didn't pay much attention to the conversation but he did note the deep and gruff accent of the other party, they sounded like a bear gargling gravel through a Scottish accent.

Bloody road works, anyway, I am The Banríon by the way, if the Grand Matron Marisol denies you I will make you a Vampire Lord if you want. The Banríon offered.

I wouldn't say no to that, but let's see what this Grand Matron Marisol says first. Ahab agreed provisionally, the Banríon smiled.

Well then, I will take this opportunity to tell you some of our rules. First of all, I am in charge of all Vampires. If I make a Decree you will follow it to the letter. Next is that if you take fresh blood, you cannot drink from children. Even if they give you permission, you can only take from adult donors. She paused trying to remember something and failed.

Oh bugger it, most Vampire homes will have my edicts and rules displayed somewhere. She said giving up Ahab stifled a laugh as the carriage got back underway. He caught a glimpse of the person the Banríon had spoken to; they were a Dwarf, stripped to the waist showing more muscle mass that was technically feasible for someone who could have comfortably fit inside of a four foot cube. They were leaning on a pickaxe with a pipe in one hand and a steaming flask of something in the other, they were sucking the drink off of their moustache which was in dire need of a trim. The rest of the trip to the Valentine Estate was a pleasure for Ahab, the Vallem Apia, the valley they were in, was a wide fertile plain dotted with farms and settlements of various sizes, it was also the richest Archduchy in the Imperium because of this and the wide Sanguine river which was always busy with river traffic between the Port city of Greyhaven and the Imperial Capital New Rome.

After an hour or so they came to the white walls of the Valentine Estate, passing through the wrought iron gates and down the long gravel driveway to the Mansion. Ahab had to admit that the manicured gardens and exquisite topiary was impressive, even when he was climbing out of the stationary carriage. Ahab was greeted by an angry outburst in an archaic form of Spanish followed by a fist to the face, the impact staggered him to the point where he needed to  use his cane to right himself.

Okay, I will take that as an emphatic no. Now if you'll excuse me I have something to get from round back. Ahab said tersely.

Before you go, Ahab, how will you be addressed from now on? The Banríon enquired, giving the now surprised looking Grand Matron Marisol Valentine a disappointed look.

Graf Von Drachen, my family was ennobled by the Holy Roman Emperor on Earth many Centuries before I was born or that's how the story goes. Ahab said with a chuckle before walking around the Georgian Classical Revival mansion and pausing to ask the gardener which of the sheds had not been opened in a while and was led to a large shed closer to the size of a barn which Ahab unlocked with one of the keys. The hinges screamed in protest as he and the Gardener dragged the doors open, inside was a dusty black robotic horse with a saddle and bridle made of a type of leather he didn't recognise.

Oh now you don't see one of those every day. The Gardener said impressed

The fuck is it? Ahab asked, leaning on his cane obviously in pain.

It's a Mustang, a Shelby Mustang. Nobody makes them like her anymore, really this old girl should be in a museum. The Gardener smiled stroking the flanks of the stationary machine beast.

Okay, but first I need to get to Bastion Fortress Invicta. Do you think she'll make it? Ahab asked, the gardener laughed.

Oh yes, she'll get you there. These things were built to last, she'd probably take you to Qin and back without any problems. The Gardener said.

They’re nice, reliable and probably damn expensive. Ahab chuckled stiffly; he climbed up onto the metallic creature and instinctively tapped his heels against the flanks. He remembered that his Grandmother had taught him how to ride a horse as a young child during his infrequent visits to her stud farm in the North Rhine Westphalia region in Germany; he held his cane like a riding crop and walked the black metal animal out and around the mansion.

I hope you're going to pay for that! Someone shouted, Ahab ignored them and rode out of the Estate and to Fortress Invicta.

That was a stupid mistake Marisol he now has Fortress Invicta and the Inquisition. Without any guiding hand, do you know how dangerous that's going to be? a large piratical looking man asked.

Not as bad as you think Ragnar, Ahab there is far calmer and more... Zen, than Vincent ever was. That and he has accepted my offer to make him, I will be paying him a visit later. The Banríon said as an ornate Carriage pulled by a team of eight silver Mechanical horses arrived.

Ahab rode out of the gates to the Valentine Estate, passing a very ornate carriage as he exited the estate, he tipped his hat in greeting as he passed but didn't stop, the Valentines didn't want him. It didn't matter now, he had elsewhere to be. Invicta, the invincible, the unconquerable lady. He could see her that layer cake of doom in the distance, he tapped his heels against the flanks of the Mustang again increasing its pace to a canter. This beast of a machine wanted to stretch its legs, and Ahab was inclined to let it so soon enough he was at the gallop, the hooves striking sparks on the stone road. Ahab soon realised that he had no idea where he was going so he wisely stopped and asked directions to Invicta, the old man who he had asked referred to Invicta as 'The Iron Bitch', when pressed the old man explained that the Lords Marshall had called it that as taking Invicta was like dealing with his first wife. A futile gesture in aggressive negotiation. Ahab laughed along with the old man's infectious laugh, as he pointed out which road to take on a map. Ahab thanked him and continued on his way, slowly Invicta grew to fill his horizon.

Invicta herself was a Bastion Fortification or Star Fort and was built in a twelve pointed star configuration; she was built of dark grey interlocking stone blocks reinforced by rammed earth. Each block told of many sieges with their pockmarked surfaces, each blemish made by shot, shrapnel and shell along with a pretty selection of magical burns to top things off. Ahab circled his new home once and timed his travel, she was a big girl. He estimated that her outer wall encompassed an area of around fifteen hundred Acres or six square kilometres. She bristled with weapons and firing loops on her outer wall, those weapons didn't exceed one hundred and twenty millimetres or four point seven calibre in old money. He saw mounted in turrets an embrasures the infamous eighty eight millimetre Flutzoig Abwehr Kanone thirty seven and the seventy five millimetre Panzer Abwehr Kanone forty, protected from infantry assault by whatever sat behind the smaller firing loops and a monster ditch made with concrete that had been poured so perfectly that it was as smooth as glass. Ahab crossed the only bridge across the dry moat which was protected by two flanking bastions and a Ravellin, a small triangular or diamond shaped outer work that was a small fortress in its own right, all of which was further protected by a vast earth rampart called a glacis. He looked at the angle of the slope the wall had, and Ahab estimated that Invicta's walls had a Gradient of one in seven the classic Claude Vauban design. He also judged the wall to stand one hundred feet high, measured from the bottom of the dry moat. He rode the steel stallion across the bridge and walked to the Gate flipping through the keys he had been given, then with the wrong key in hand saw that the lock wasn't in the gate but in the wall next to the gate. He found the right key and slipped it easily into the keyhole. He turned it and opened the gate. The double doors groaned as they swung outward, their shape reminded him of old canal locks. He understood the reasoning that if any viable attacking force threw themselves at the gate all they would be doing would be pushing them closed. Much like the water pressure on the gates of a canal lock. The gates swung closed after he had ridden through them and into the first tier.

Clever girl. Ahab smiled as they locked automatically. He then rode at the walk around to the second gate which sat above the outer walls again protected by Bastions and a Revellin, he also saw that behind the outer walls sat at regular intervals eight inch siege mortars As he climbed up to the second gate he saw that the plain Invicta imperiously guarded like an ancient Samurai, was criss-crossed by siege trenches and pock marked by shell holes a good number of which had impacted with those siege trenches. The doors to the second and third tiers worked the same as the main gate but the Armament changed the turrets atop the Bastions now held forty six centimetre or eighteen point one inch cannons similar to the type ninety four Imperial Japanese Naval Guns mounted on the Yamato and Musashi, and the FLAK thirty-seven mounts now pointed skyward and were joined by twenty and forty millimetre Anti-aircraft artillery. Instead of the mortars placed  at regular intervals, there sat one hundred and five millimetre howitzers, and what was unmistakably the Phalanx Close-in Weapons System.

What in the name of all the Gods and Demons ever conceived of were you planning on defending against? Ahab asked the ghost of his Brother, on a whim he looked up and saw Dragons lazily swoop and soar above him, and it dawned on him what Vincent was expecting had just occurred to him. Any animal could be tamed and trained, and Dragons were essentially flying biological flamethrowers of immense power and versatility. Vincent was expecting someone to create an air force of them. He entered the final tier and was faced by a two hundred acre or eight hundred thousand square metre site which had a selection of fortified buildings that were the old Inquisition Headquarters which included offices, a small barracks and hospital near the gate and behind them an equally fortified Gothic mansion nestled comfortably within its own beautiful, if overgrown, formal English rose garden. Ahab rode to the mansion and unlocked the large Gothic Arched door.

Welcome home sir. A warm female voice said, Ahab looked around but saw nobody. Feeling rather creeped out Ahab opened the door to an ornate Gothic staircase in front of which stood a wood and brass pedestal with the outline of a human hand on its smooth top.

Please place your hand on the reader for recognition purposes. The Voice requested politely, Ahab did just that. The outline glowed gold then blue. He was then greeted by his Brother's voice, it was a recording of course but what it said intrigued him the most.

Hello Ahab, if you are hearing this I am quite obviously dead. I know you're probably unmoved by this, you never were one to let your emotions rule you. So let me say this, I am sorry for all the shit I and our family put you through when we were kids. I have left you this Fortification, its weapons systems and my Inquisition to you along with what's left of my personal fortune, I even changed the account name to our Mother's maiden name. I know how my Ex-wife Marisol has most likely reacted to my twin brother arriving on her doorstep, which means that you've probably already got the Shelby Mustang. That leaves only for you to awaken Invicta, just follow the black and gold path down to the C 'n' C and use the Cryo two code from Halo CE. Vincent's voice recording instructed, Ahab did exactly what the message told him to do and went down to Command and Control where he typed on the only active terminal

Unseal the hushed casket. The room lit up and he was almost knocked off his feet by the sudden vibrations of everything in Invicta coming to life.

On the walls of the Imperial Capital, Lord Heinrich Von Essen, the Lords Marshall and holder of the now archaic title of Legatis Legiones Primae was taking his morning constitutional and enjoying the day when out of the corner of his eye he saw the great Iron Bitch of Bastion Fortification Invicta awaken.

Oh mein Gott, Fernglas schnell! He shouted at his Aide De Camp who smartly handed over a pair of Binoculars, Heinrich Von Essen felt the blood drain from him as he watched as the twenty four battleship turrets traverse left, then right and back to centre then the guns elevate then depress and elevate again. He knew what was coming; he saw the eighteen inch cannons fire. Heard the sound of the shells as they flew over the city then heard the roar of guns, like the exaltation of some demon roused from its rest.

At the Valentine Estate they didn't have Lord Von Essen's warning, the pleasant tea party was thrown into disarray as the roar of the seventy two eighteen inch cannons rattled the windows, knocked pictures off the walls and shunted the furniture six inches to the west.

What in the Dark Mother's name was that? The youngest daughter of the family asked.

Invicta is fully operational. The Banríon smiled, still calmly drinking her herbal tea, as if it was perfectly normal for eight Yamato class battleships to fire off a salvo at ten o'clock in the morning.

Why? Marisol asked.

You know full well why you reacted to Ahab with anger and hatred for someone else, he now has the most powerful fortress in the Imperium under his command. The Banríon calmly but firmly reminded her daughter-in-law, not noticing that the mirror above the fireplace had changed no longer reflecting the room but showing Ahab's face, he no longer wore the black Stetson and suit but the stiff red collar and gold cuirass his Brother wore for official announcements. 

Ladies and gentlemen of the Imperium Romanum, My Name is Ahab Leonidas Von Drachen. I am the new Commandant of Bastion Fortress Invicta by the last will and testament of my Brother Lord Inquisitor Vincent Rufus Valentine. I will also be taking his position as Lord Inquisitor at the first opportunity by the same last will and testament. I apologise for any inconvenience caused by the automated test of the main armament and leave you to go about your day. God save whoever the hell is in charge of this place! He said and signed off, the woman who had arrived in the ornate Carriage burst out laughing. She liked his less than official manner. He wore the uniform better than Vincent from what she had been told, but his last line said that he was doing this because he had to, not because he wanted to.

I wish to meet this Ahab, he looks... interesting. She remarked, sipping her tea through a chuckle.

In the various criminal organisations across the Empire Ahab's announcement went down like a lead balloon, they scrambled to get as much money as quickly as possible before the game had another far more dangerous player sit down at the table. Changing the dynamic they had all become rather accustomed to, they even cut back on bribing the Police Forces leading to more arrests of the lower level gang members. The Nobility were not exactly impressed either but smart enough to quietly bury as much as they could, scandal wise, not knowing that the Inquisition had eyes everywhere, Vincent Valentine in his time as Lord Inquisitor had every Noble House wired for sound and video which was transmitted to Invicta where it was stored on small crystalline data chips that each held one hundred Petabytes of data.

After the transmission, Ahab went exploring his new home. Opening windows to air the place out as he went, the place was frankly huge. Not counting the Fortress herself, the mansion had four hundred rooms spread out across four floors and two wings sitting above a basement that sat atop the reinforced concrete bunker that was the Command and Control Centre for Invicta. The top floor had the rooms for the staff and a communal break room for them that wasn't the kitchen, the floor below that was bedrooms for himself and guests while the first floor was mostly offices, activity rooms like a music room that overlooked a beautiful ballroom, a Games room that had a card table, pool table and a snooker table as well as a dart board with a huge collection of darts, and a very well appointed library about the same size as his old Victorian era built high school library, it also smelled the same, smelling of lacquered and polished wood, the bookshelves that lined the walls from floor to ceiling were arranged by subject. Ranging from history to relatively modern fiction, Ahab ignored the fiction section for now and focused on the history and politics sections. The history section was full of books on the known history of the world he was now a resident of, Amaria, which was to be expected. A good proportion of the focus was on the Imperium and the preceding Republic and Kingdom, Ahab made a note to read these as soon as possible. If he was to take over an important role in Government he was going to need to know the history of the Imperium. The politics section of the Library was full of sociology, economics and political discourse books by authors from across human history. Starting with Plato's Republic and wandering through the likes of John Locke, Benjamin Franklin, Karl Marx, Adolf Hitler, Mao Zedong and ending in Booker T Washington, Thomas Sowell and Andy Ngo. Ahab stopped at Andy Ngo and pulled out the leather bound book to find that it was the copy of Unmasked: Inside Antifa's Radical Plan to Destroy Democracy he had given Vincent as a birthday present days before Vincent had gone missing, it had been rebound handsomely to fit in with the rest of the Library as had all of the books from Earth. Inside the book was a note to him. It read:

––––––––

Hello Ahab, 

I knew you'd go for this book first. Before you ask, yes I do know or more accurately knew that you were going to be placed here long after my passing. I was told by your appearance in my and now your office and by the All Mother that you were coming, I recommend that you start with the Idiots guide to the Imperium first, it's an essential travel guide for tourists but gives you a rundown of Imperial society and culture as well as some of the laws. Then study the Laws or Lex Imperialis properly, it's going to be your responsibility to both enforce it and to modify it whenever necessary.

As for this book, it's a damn good read and an eye opener. You're more than likely to run into movements working with this Modus Operandi so I recommend that you read this as well. Thank you for the book and good luck with your new job.

Yours sincerely

Vincent Rufus Valentine, Lord Inquisitor.

Ahab smiled to himself and closed the book placing it back on the shelf, he felt a wave of melancholy wash over him. Knowing that Vincent had indeed changed, even if it was only a little, was both a relief and a source of sadness that he never got to see it. The melancholia quickly passed as he nearly fell over a chair that sat in front of a rather gothic looking computer system, he couldn't see the case that would hold the computer itself but the screen was of a triptych design and all in the shape of a pointed arch mirroring the windows of the house. He decided to investigate the work station later as he needed to answer the call of nature, he found the nearest toilet and relieved himself in a Japanese style toilet bidet thing often called a washlet. The room the toilet itself resided in was huge; it dwarfed anything he was accustomed to with marble tiles, a walk-in shower he was sure he could easily wash a car in and polished copper basins and taps for washing your hands.

After he had finished in the first floor bathroom he went and explored the rest of the house, the ground floor had the ballroom, dining room, kitchen, laundry room, receiving room, a massive gun room that held far more firearms than most Texans would be comfortable in owning, a lovely sitting room, a family chapel and a sewing room. The décor of the entire mansion was an exquisite example of Dark Vampire Gothic meeting Warhammer Grim Dark Gothic, all except for one polished stone turd. Just outside of the plush blood red and dark stained wood decorated sitting room stood a piece of what only just passed for art. It was totally androgynous being only vaguely human in shape, and looking more like Mr Hankey the Christmas Poo from South Park. In Ahab's eyes it was a frankly ugly piece in the modern art style. It was titled Triumph Ahab loathed it instantly, to him the statue was an exquisite example of a lazy, talentless postmodern artist much like a canvas painted entirely in one or two colours.

This piece of crap has to go, I'll dump it in the basement for now. Ahab said to himself before wandering down to the basement looking for something to move it with. Outside a large vault he came across a heavy duty motorised Sack Truck and smiled, on it was a far more beautiful statue of a classical woman with an amphora. It still didn't quite fit with the internal Memento Mori décor, but he could see it had been lovingly chiselled out of the white marble polished and had once been painted. He instantly loved it and wanted to have her restored to her former beauty, and placed her into the mansion Garden surrounded by the loveliest flowers money could buy.

You my dear are just the thing. Ahab said to the impassive figure, he slowly and carefully swapped the two statues. If it wasn't for his need for a cane things would have moved faster. He probably would have needed the cane by the end of it anyway, the statues were not plaster or fibreglass but granite and marble. After he had placed the turd down in the basement he rested in the sitting room with a book from the library titled The Idiot's Guide to the Imperium and a lovely cup of tea. It took him a moment to realise that he was far more comfortable and relaxed like this, than he was at any other time in his life. The air was clear of pollution, the only sounds were birds and other creatures that were singing in the sunlight and here he was with a book and a soothing cup of tea. It was like being on holiday, or the lockdown he had experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic only a few years before he came to this world. He had to admit that he liked those days, well except for the lack of toilet paper in the early days of panic buying. That was just stupid, it was about then that he had come to the conclusion that the internet only made people stupid and more prone to panic as part of a herd mentality. Only underlining the bench scene from the first Men in Black movie where Agent K states.

A person is smart, people are big stupid and panicky animals and you know it. Ahab smiled to himself and returned to reading.

Ahab was happily cooking a meal in the well appointed kitchen with the ingredients in the fortress's refrigerated store rooms when he was alerted to visitors by Invicta’s automated defence systems, he looked at the screen next to where he was working. He recognised the Banríon's carriage but not the incredibly ornate Carriage behind it. However, it looked like it belonged to someone important so opened the gates and let them in while he ate his dinner. Ahab watched their approach through the gate houses, when they had arrived through the last gate house behind the last revellin Ahab had just finished and was on his way to meet them after placing his plate and utensils in the sink ready to wash later. He was greeted by the sight of not only the tall Celtic Elegance of the Banríon in her long and simple dress and fiery curls, but the addition of a handsome blonde woman of indeterminate age in rich regal clothes getting out of the ornate Carriage.

You must be Graf Von Drachen, I am Princess Royal Catherine LaFfey. The Blonde woman said jovially, Ahab instinctively snapped his heels together and formally bowed from his waist in greeting, leaning on his cane as he did so.

Yes I am, My Brother was the last Lord Inquisitor and Commandant of this Fortress, I will be taking his place as soon as possible, your Highness. He replied.

Do you know why Marisol reacted to you like that? The Banríon asked.

No your Grace, and I don't care. It's ultimately her problem, not mine. Ahab replied, showing them in.

You're not holding a grudge? Princess Catherine asked, perplexed.

No, I have better things to occupy my mind. The library here is quite concise when it comes to both history and the law here. There's also a good selection of magical and technological books as well, let alone working out what everything else stored in the various warehouses and storerooms owned by the Inquisition does, oh, and the eternal battle of housekeeping and my spendthrift habits. All of which are far more important for me to learn and do than holding a grudge of any kind. Ahab replied with a shrug and wry smile.

What if she becomes a problem? The Banríon enquired.

In the short term I will trust your experience with her, your Grace, otherwise I may have to delete her entire estate from the face of Amaria with those big beautiful eighteen inch guns on the bastions. Which is something I would like to avoid since House Valentine is rather precious to the Imperium. Ahab replied calmly, leading them to the sitting room where they all sat around the crackling warmth of the fire. 

Not as precious as you since you are Lord of the strongest fortification within the Imperium, now I hear that you've accepted the offer. Would either of you mind if I...watch? Princess Catherine asked nervously, it was obvious that she was curious about the process of turning someone into a Vampire.

There's not much to watch, but it will take all night. The Banríon explained.

I will lock the Fortress then, and I noticed a large amount of blood in the cold stores. Ahab replied, pressing a button to lock the fortress down for the night.

Oh good, that's going to save me time tomorrow and the Princess Royal her neck. The Banríon said moving to sit next to Ahab before embracing him and sinking her fangs into his unresisting neck. He felt the scratch of the Banríon’s fangs pierce his neck and his body go still as the narcotic in her saliva ceased any resistance before it began, almost immediately the world went black.

Crown Princess Catherine LaFfey watched the new Lord Inquisitor rest after the rather boring infection process and considered how quietly spoken he was, yet every word rang clear as a bell. This Lord Inquisitor was nothing like his brother Vincent, he needed to rant and rave to get his point across. This one did not he had enough charisma flowing through each gesture that he did not need to raise his voice. As she watched him she had an idea, she needed allies in the Elector Council and the Lord Inquisitor was one of the more powerful players there. Morgana, her daughter, was looking for a husband. Of course she hid it, she hid it very well. However, not well enough to hide her desire to marry an eligible man from her mother, and this Ahab Leonidas Von Drachen was more than eligible for her.

A penny for your thoughts? Niamh the Banríon asked.

Pardon? Catherine asked the sudden intrusion of her godmother and friend's words threw her train of thought blindsiding her.

What are you thinking of, you have this habit of steepling your fingers like some kind of villain when you're thinking. Niamh replied, Catherine smiled.

I was thinking about Morgana and this Ahab, I need at least one more Ally who I can trust. Morgana on the other hand is looking for a husband, I was thinking that we could kill two birds with one stone. Catherine replied.

Do you think that Morgana will go for it? Niamh asked.

If we manoeuvre things right behind the scenes I doubt she’ll even know until it’s far too late to do anything about it. Catherine said standing