The Warrior

by Richard Ong

The youngling who would one day grow up to be a warrior listened to the sound of thunder as the walls of the great hall reverberated around him. He showed no fear, and that made the queen mother proud of the little prince.

He had lived in the War Fortress all his life, ever since he crawled out of his egg when it hatched. He had never set foot outside of the citadel.

He heard their king give the command to return fire. Through the view screen he saw the War Fortress launch a barrage of star bursts in retaliation to the enemy ships hovering above a crimson horizon.

Radioactivity had long since rendered their world uninhabitable outside the fortress walls. The young prince snapped his claws in anger and swore that when he finally came of age, his rite of passage towards the warrior’s path would pave his way to usurp his father’s throne. He vowed to be thrice as ruthless as his aging sire.

The invaders, who came from a distant star and called themselves “humans” would then have real reason to fear when he finally took control as the new Master of the War Fortress.