Chapter 4

Supreme Lord Hudson, future ruler of the universe, undisputed leader of the Shankaries, sat upon his throne. He is man of good build and looks and of considerable wealth. But he didn�t feel like the leader. When starting out it was his show, he controlled everything. But back then his following was small, as in less than 100 followers. He had set up the group as defiance to his father, who was head of several large corporations and planets. Hudson�s entire life was spent running his father�s little maze or trying to escape from his father�s shadow. This was it, this was his escape, he did this, on his own. Well that�s how it started out.

Several months after the set up of the group, he was starting to lose followers. That�s when THEY turned up. Advisors, ranging from financial to domestic to military. They took Hudson and his group and changed it into one of the biggest factions to date, but it was no longer his show. The advisors seem to speak a different language and didn�t really know what they were talking about, but they seemed to know what to do. He knew where the advisors came from though. His father was still calling the shots. Now days he just sat at his throne and signed bits of paper, or give a pre-written speech to his citizens. He had become a symbol, and nothing more.

Right now, one of his advisors was speaking to him

�So you see, sir, by invoking status 22 in sector 53b we will be able to increase product F3-8S5 to within the specification A-45-69-5C.�

Hudson had given up trying to understand these terms and gave his usual reply to this kind of talk.

�Where do I sign for this?� he said in a bored, tired tone.

The tone was lost on the advisor who enthusiastically produced a document.

�Right here sir.�

Hudson took the document, scribbled his signature on it and handed it back to the advisor.

�Thank you sir. Also I have a report for Schwarzer Ritter.

In his mind Hudson groaned. He hated foreign languages, and German was no exception. He never understood them. Yes he had done a bit of German when he was younger as well as several other languages, but people who spoke those languages all the time were to, for lack of a better word, fluent. He had trouble even making out one word per sentence.

The advisor continued.

�Training has been completed as well as the medical scans. Good news is that me is an excellent pilot and can greatly help us; bad news is that he suffers from amnesia about his past and we cannot retrieve any information on the UPDF from him. I recommend using him on mission #39-2b.�

�Very well,� Hudson said. He had already given up thinking.

�By your command, Sir,�  and with that the aid left the room.

�By my command,� Hudson thought. �Yeah, Right.�