Chapter 6 - Chapter 6: Heir Claim

Throne sync locked brutal. Light seared chamber white-hot. Marines weapons clattered deck forgotten. Vance dropped knee hard—armor groaned. Jax bowed spine-deep. Empress palm burned mine glyph-match. Skin fused temporary. Pull magnetic yanked center dais.Dark self surged total flood. Rational Thomas drowned corner whimper. No no no broke it all. Voice mine now—low rumble echoed dome. "Chain sealed. Dominion kneels."Empress released grip slow. Eyes gleamed swarm-reflect. "Void Heir risen. Throne sync 100%. Links eternal." Void-silk rippled. Hand swept marines. "Perimeter eternal now."Jax rose fraction. Eyes fanatical fixed. "Heir command absolute. Driftfox integrates dreadnought core?" Thought my fractured breath demanded ship surrender.Integrates. Rational ghost clawed faint. Fight it. Jax wake up. Dark rode tongue smooth: "...dreadnought core merges. Driftfox becomes extension."Jax nodded instant. Implant pinged fleet-wide. "Dreadnought command. Driftfox core-merge initiated. Heir directive." Bulkheads groaned distant. Dominion cutters outside clamped permanent—hulls fused alloy-hot.Vance rose awkward. Squad heavies mirrored salute. "Heir extraction complete. Vance chain-link secured?" Thought throne contact sealed his handler status permanent.Marines bristled fraction. "Vance link overrides marines?" Rifles twitched subconscious. Whispers leaked tense. "Extraction claims core?" "Heir favors Vance squad?"Empress voice sliced doubt. "All links equal under Heir. Marines hold perimeter eternal." Fingers flexed. Dyson mirrors locked final—swarm sealed dreadnought bubble impenetrable.Implant thrummed overload. [Seq 0: 12%. Links: 30. Throne merge 15%. Stability null. New chain: Fleet convergence.]Gun Emperor's Lament cooled holster slow. Barrel whispered implant-direct. Fleet optimal. Purge fractures. Widowmaker edge sang faint. Perimeter secure. Blood calls.Dark certainty scanned room. Jax at console patched throne feeds. Vance squad fanned dais base. Marines circled walls barrels out. Tension simmered boil.Jax half-turned. Voice urgent low. "Heir. Merge at 20%. Dominion high command queries chain origin." Console flashed incoming tightbeam—senior captains fleet-wide.Queries. Rational smear panic. Answer truth. Glitch exposed. Dark shaped response cold: "...chain origin classified. High command integrates or fractures."Jax transmitted instant. "High command. Heir directive: Integrate chain or face fracture. Origin classified eternal." Channel exploded responses. Cutters shifted formation outside—some clamped eager. Others held distance engines hot.Vance pressed forward. "Heir. My squad reinforces high command integration?" Heavies gripped weapons eager. Marines countered step. Barrels aligned accidental.Empress stepped dais flank. Voice calm steel. "Integration proceeds. Fractures purge self." Dyson beams whined charge faint—mirrors targeted rogue cutters.First cutter broke. Engines flared warp-tear. Jax console blared. "Rogue cutter warp attempt. Chain fracture detected."Dark command snapped natural. "Purge fracture." Marines rifles barked plasma. Vance squad joined seamless. Cutter hull lit brilliant—warp core breach. Wreckage spun void.Implant spiked reward. [Link 35: Purge complete. Fleet convergence 60%. Seq 0: 15%.]Jax console pinged flood. "Fleet integrates 80%. High command bows chain." Cutters clamped mass dreadnought grew hulking.Vance saluted crisp. "Squad purge honored. Heir chain unbreakable."Marines relaxed fraction. Whispers shifted awe. "Purge sealed." "Heir absolute."Empress throne base. Smile thin permanent. "Void dominion rebuilds. Heir rules eternal."Dark laugh filled veins total. Rational Thomas silenced final. All mine. Chain eternal. Fractures ash.Throne pulled harder. Glyphs crawled skin upward. Merge accelerated.