A Prince of Earth

The Edge. That's what I call it. The Endless Darkness. The Point of No Return. Death. The one thing no living thing cannot escape. In my pride, I thought I could do the impossible. Now, I know better. Life has humbled me. My name is Thor Voltaire. A tall, good-looking man with dark brown skin, long black hair and pale golden eyes. A superman who once tried to save the world. And ended up destroying it. Now, I'm on a spaceship all by myself, on a suicide mission. The planet Mars, new homeworld of humanity after the destruction of Earth is under attack by a horde of killing machines which I myself activated. At the time, it seemed like a really good idea. It's up to me to stop them. I've done a lot of evil things. And I feel that it's time to set things right.

First things first, though. I was born in 2394 A.D. My father is Julius Voltaire, Chief Admiral of the Armed Forces of the United Conglomerates of Human Worlds. My mother is Sela Hyperion, Princess of House Azure. How they met is a fascinating story, especially considering what was going on in the universe at the time. You see, in 2028, genetic engineering became all the rage among human beings. Scientists found ways to create human beings with superior intelligence and physical prowess. These superhumans multiplied until by 2100, they were ten percent of the total human population of the planet Earth. The race of the superhumans called itself Homo Sapiens Magister. The Master Race. Yeah, I know. Where have you heard that before?

There was a war between the superhumans and the ordinary humans. The superhumans left the planet Earth on a massive fleet of spaceships. They found other worlds and colonized them. Thus, the superhumans colonized the planets Geryon, Ajax and Hector. They also colonized the planets Asgard, Olympus and Heracles. The humans for the most part remained on Earth, though they colonized quite a few other planets. The planet Earth became the capital of the United Conglomerates of Human Worlds, a political system which included the seventeen human colony planets. The United Conglomerates of Human Worlds was under the leadership of a President, who was elected for a period of five years. No President could be reelected past his or her term.

The superhumans governed themselves on their chosen realms. They lived under a system of hereditary monarchy. The King was the ruler of a superhuman realm. He and his Queen were the sole heads of state. Their offspring became the next rulers after their passing. The superhumans spread out and expanded all over the Milky Way Galaxy. All superhumans were trained to be warriors, though they performed all kinds of studies such as doctors, craftsmen, engineers and the like. They were a force to be reckoned with. They had ventured further into the Milky Way than any ordinary human being ever has. Also, due to their superhuman strength, endurance and longer lifespan, they were an exceptionally resilient bunch. They called themselves the Undisputed Masters of Space. For centuries, they prospered. The superhumans were devoted to increasing the numbers of their race and also to mastering the universe. By the twenty fourth century, humans in all of the colonized Earth-dependent worlds numbered eighty billion. The superhumans numbered thirty six billion. Considering they were once a minority on the human-dominated planet Earth, they were rapidly becoming a significant threat to the continued existence of the men and women of the planet Earth. A second war between Homo Sapiens Sapiens and Homo Sapiens Magister seemed inevitable. Until the ruling superhuman clan, the House of Azure signed a peace treaty between the superhumans and the humans. A mutual defense contract in case of disaster or other hazards. At long last, the future looked bright for all humans, both mundanes and superhumans.

However, the fragile peace was almost smashed to pieces when the second-highest ranking human male in the universe decided to marry the most powerful female in the superhuman universe. Admiral Voltaire married the Princess of House Azure. This was unprecedented. A human being marrying a superhuman. The universe would never be the same. The human worlds weren't thrilled with this turn of events. Neither were the superhumans. The members of Homo Sapiens Magister prided themselves on their good looks, superior physical abilities and exceptional resilience. They considered themselves genetically superior to ordinary humans. Having the most powerful and coveted woman in their social and political hierarchy marry a human male was considered a proverbial punch to the gut. The superhumans were not happy with this turn of events. Still, the Princess and the Admiral were married. In front of human and superhuman dignitaries. And they were determined to make their budding relationship work. The entire universe was watching. They didn't care. You see, even though humans and superhumans signed a peace treaty and were now sharing culture, technology and pleasantries, they still hated each other's guts with a fiery passion. Nevertheless, both worlds had to accept them. And I was the result of that union.

Hal f Homo Sapiens Sapiens and half Homo Sapiens Magister. The son of an ordinary human male and a genetically engineered female. Nothing like me has ever existed before. Humans don't mate with superhumans and vice versa. Both species hate each other with a fiery passion. Humans and superhumans looked quite alike, though no one would ever confuse one species for the other. Superhumans are descended from all races of humans. They are Caucasoids, Negroids and Mongoloids. However, through genetic engineering, they began to differ. Superhuman males tend to average between six feet four inches and seven feet in height. Superhuman females average between six feet two inches and six feet ten inches in height. Superhumans are distinguished from their ordinary human cousins by their superior strength, endurance and enhanced senses. Also, superhumans are designed to heal faster. The first generation of superhumans was taller than their human cousins but looked basically the same. Modern superhumans are further distinguished from their human cousins by their eye color. Superhumans have bright yellow eyes. The two species vying for supremacy over the rest of the universe.

I was the Son of Two Worlds. I grew up on the planet Ishtar, Throneworld of the House of Azure, ruling Clan of the Homo Sapiens Magister species. I grew up on a world where every man, woman and child had superhuman strength and intelligence. A better world. A stronger world. A greater world. I also spent time on the planet Earth with my biological father. He's a good man. Respected by human and superhuman alike. An excellent military tactician. I didn't feel welcome in either world. The humans were fond of calling me the Super Freak while the superhumans called me the Half Breed. Yeah, growing up was a real picnic.

I pushed myself, though. In a world full of superhumans, I pushed myself to becoming better than they were. By the time I reached adulthood, I was world-weary and also ruthless and pragmatic. Thinking more like an ancient and ruthless mastermind than a young man on the threshold of life. I graduated valedictorian of Magister University, the largest and most prominent university on the planet Ishtar. The university had three hundred thousand students. The best soldiers, scientists and craftsmen in the universe were trained there. No human had ever set foot at Magister University. Well, I became its first non-superhuman pupil and its first non-human valedictorian. I was also the best athlete it had ever seen.

After graduating from Magister University, I did a rather bold move. I joined the Armed Forces of the United Conglomerates of Human Worlds. They had an Officer Exchange Program. Basically, three thousand of the best human military officers would join the Magister Military Academy for training while three thousand superhuman soldiers would join the United Conglomerates Military Academy. This was done in the interest of lasting peace between our two species. A lot of good it did. Anyway, I jointed the UCMA and quickly distinguished myself as an officer. I rose to the rank of Flagship Captain and remained with the Officer Exchange Program's new Extended Interspecies Liaison Program. Basically, I became the first non-human officer to command a military spaceship with a crew of human and superhuman soldiers. I was making history. My spaceship was the city-sized Flagship Hercules, named after the ancient Greek hero.

For years, I worked for the humans in the interest of lasting peace between our two species. I honestly felt that the universe was big enough for both humans and superhumans. United, could you imagine what we could accomplish? Unfortunately, there were powers both human and superhuman who didn't want lasting peace between our two species. I tasted the bitter flavor of treachery from both sides. The humans were preparing for a takeover of the universe. And since they knew that battling the superhumans openly would only lead to defeat, they created a virus which would only kill genetically engineered superhumans. I had to give them credit. It was brilliant. With my crew, I opposed the human military scientists who created the virus. They were hiding out in their labs on the planet Tetral. I couldn't let them unleash the virus. It would mean the death of billions of superhumans and the end of interspecies peace. So, I made a decision. It was cold. But it had to be done. I destroyed the planet Tetral. And the scientists who were hiding there. The virus was no more.

I returned to the planet Earth. I explained my actions to Her Excellency Jessica Etienne, the President of the United Conglomerates of Human Worlds. You know what ensued? I was to be placed under arrest. Apparently, the scientists who created the virus were acting surreptitiously with the President's blessing. This was troubling. I managed to escape. My crew supported me. The humans were planning a war against the superhumans. I returned to Ishtar and warned the rulers of Homo Sapiens Magister. I thought peace between our two species could still be preserved. So, Earth had a corrupt president. This wouldn't be the first time this happened. I returned to my mother, and she was pleased to see me.

The Magister military wasn't thrilled about my homecoming but they were glad that I warned them. War seemed imminent. The military got ready. A massive fleet was assembled and set a course for the planet Earth. Halfway there they encountered a massive fleet of human warships. The first battle of that terrible war ended with a victory for the superhumans. The humans would forever deem me a traitor. I am not a traitor. I wanted to avoid the war but I couldn't simply let the humans wipe out the superhumans. The humans fought back after that initial loss, and they fought hard. During that conflict, I met the woman who would become my wife.

Her name is Athena Apotheose. A tall, gorgeous woman with long blonde hair and pale blue eyes. She was the Chief Admiral of the Immortals, the Elite of the Magister Military. The Immortals were the Shock Troops of the Magister Empire. The best of the best. Which isn't speaking lightly in a universe of supermen and superwomen. At first, we clashed. She saw me as inferior due to my being half human. And she considered my wanting to broker peace with the humans in the past a sign of weakness. I stood up to her. We came to blows, actually. I stood my ground and would not give up or change my mind. She respected that, at least. We didn't become friends, though. I hated her guts and she hated mine. The fact that I was Prince of the Magister Imperium did little to assuage her. My mother was now the Empress of the Magister Imperium. When she passed away, I would become the Emperor. That was Magisterian Law. End of Story.

For five years, the Magisterians and the Humans battled it out. Athena and I fought side by side. And we grew to respect one another. She was a very strong woman, ruthless and beautiful. Reminds me of my mother, you know. I became known as the General, and was given my own shock troops to command, the Destroyers. I trained them myself. It was tough to get these supermen and superwomen to respect me. But they heard of my ruthless battle against the humans. And of my victories. They learned to respect me. I was beginning to see the evils humanity was capable of. Throughout history, the humans had always been prejudiced. They hated one another based on race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation and religious preference. Now, they hated us because of our genetic structure and the gifts it brought. I loved my species. And I would never let the humans destroy us.

My allegiance to the Magisterians was further enhanced when Athena and I got married. Yes, we got married. In no time, I had her barefoot and pregnant, as they say. She looked lovely. She returned to Isthar. I wish I could have stayed with her and watched the birth of our children. Yes, children because she was pregnant with twins. The ruthlessness of the humans was beyond even what I could imagine. Their scientists constructed a Nova Bomb and unleashed it against Isthar, the crown jewel of the Magisterian Imperium. Ishtar had a population of five billion superhuman beings. Ten percent of them were killed by the Nova Bomb. My mother perished during that devastating incident. My wife was off-world at the time, so she was alright. That day, the Magisterian Empire lamented the loss of its best and brightest. Our entire species rose up in rage and cried out for the extermination of all human beings. My first act as new Emperor was deciding to give the humans a taste of their own medicine.

Our military scientists came up with something called the Singularity. Basically, it creates fast-expanding Black Holes in space. It required the energy of an entire solar system. I let the scientits do their thing. And we unleashed Hell on Earth. We created the Black Hole, and nature did the rest. The planet Earth, and the twenty seven billion people who lived there were swallowed whole by the Black Hole. The planet Earth's gravity well collapsed. Nearly the entire solar system was destroyed. The planet Earth was no more. Sol, the Earth's Sun, died. Its collapsing energies were used to create the Black Hole through a process understood best by the people who designed the Singularity as a weapon of cosmic proportions.

After the Death of the planet Earth, the human world was in disarray. The Magisterian Fleets roamed over all the human territories, destroying any planet which refused to surrender. We were out for blood. And we would not rest until the entire human species was wiped out. They wanted genocide. Well, we were going to make them history. Remove the stain of humanity from the universe. They started the conflict. We wanted peace. We didn't care to conquer them. The universe was vast enough for both of us. They were liars. They were treacherous. They betrayed us. So, we unleashed Hell upon them. The planet Earth, Cradle of Humanity, was no more. The humans were disheartened by the loss of their homeworld but they regrouped and fought back. That's when we took a page out of their history books. We decided to try our hand at Eugenics. We engineered a virus which would wipe out any non-genetically engineered human beings. It had a one hundred percent casualty rate. How about that?

This virus was called the Cleanser. And it did its job perfectly. On the human world of Rhodes, it was tested. Within five weeks, eighty percent of the planet's human population of six billion was dead. We also nearly wiped out the human fleet. Until all that remained of the human seats of power was Mars, the first planet the humans colonized, back in the twenty first century. Refugees from defunct human worlds fled to Mars, where the remaining human military assembled. The Red Planet was to be the site of humanity's last stand against us, the genetically engineered devils. We decided to wipe them out.

I told myself that I was doing this for my children, for all future generations of superhumans. The humans were obsolete. They were a prejudiced, superficial and defunct breed. Soon to be made extinct. We were their superiors in every way. We lived longer. We were stronger, faster and smarter. We enjoyed life more. We valued life more. Magisterian men and women mated for life. Humans divorced left and right. Human males and females were often engaged in gender wars over resources, politics and policies. Magisterian males and females enjoyed the same rights and respected one another. Truly, we were better than them in every way. Why shouldn't we wipe them out and inherit the universe?

That's the question which I posed myself as Emperor. The Magisterian People called for the extermination of the humans. Understand that I hated the humans. They were an inferior breed. Losers. Outdated. Out of style. However, did I really want to commit genocide? I wanted the humans to crawl on their hands and knees before the might of Magisterian men and women. I wanted them to acknowledge and bow down to our genetic superiority. Part of me understood why my fellow superhumans wanted them extinct. The humans were infamous for their treachery. Now, at last, we had brought them down. Why not wipe them out and inherit a universe where only superhumans ruled? Why not eliminate the competition? Why not indeed? Don't think I hesitate because I am half human. The superhumans were much quicker to accept me than the humans. The Magisterians respected my strength and intelligence. They called me Emperor. The humans could never see past my genetic identity and see the true man inside. For this, they would pay.

The planet Mars had changed since the days when Earth was the capital of the human empire. The new Mars had gigantic reflectors which generated artificial light from orbit. The humans had terraformed it centuries ago. Most of the surviving humans in the galaxy lived on Mars. If you can call this living. The planet Mars was overcrowded, overbuilt and the humans were suffering. There was a dearth of water and food there. I ordered the Extermination of the Humans. A fleet of killer robots would be sent to Mars. They would swarm the Red Planet and eliminate every living thing on its surface. These robots were top of the line. Designed by the best of our scientists. You see, each and every single one of those robots had the power of twenty five nuclear bombs. These killing machines were the size of a spaceship. They would deliver their deadly payload on Mars and wipe out the human species. Once and for all.

I should have been happy. But I wasn't. I wasn't feeling guilt over defeating the humans. However, I didn't want to be responsible for genocide. The humans were already comparing me to Hitler while the Magisterians were calling me the Savior of the Superhuman Race. I was the man who defeated their enemies. The Unconquerable Strong Man. That's what they called me. On the day when humanity was fated to be slaughtered, I left my wife and children on Ishtar, capital of the Magisterian Empire. I left the planet onboard my Star Cruiser. My favorite ship. It was fast, quiet and efficient. Armed with enough firepower to rival an armada yet almost undetectable. I set a course for the Mars System.

During the trip, I had plenty of time to think. And as I thought back, I was reviewing my life. I was the Son of two worlds. My father once called me the best of both worlds. Better than Magisterians and Humans combined. How could I live up to his name if I condemned his species to death? The humans were wicked creatures. So were Magisterians. It was our nature, genetics be damned. What would I do? The question which hovered in my mind was soon upon my lips as the ship came in view of Mars. A big red dusty ball in space. Home to the few remaining humans. The Magisterian Empire had placed a massive containment grid around the Red Planet. No spaceship could enter or leave it. The Grid would let our robots through, though.