Hero's Return, page 1
Hero’s Return
Book Four of Heroes of Britannia
by
Fred Hughes
PUBLISHED BY: Theogony Books
Copyright © 2025 Fred Hughes
All Rights Reserved
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Get the free Four Horsemen prelude story “Shattered Crucible”
and discover other Theogony Books titles at:
https://chriskennedypublishing.com/
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The Prince of Britannia Series
The Prince Awakens
Prince Commander
Prince War Leader
Prince Peacemaker
Prince Renegade
Prince Liberator
Prince Conqueror
Prince Dominator
Prince Imperator
Heroes of Britannia Series
Hero’s Legacy
Hero’s Shadow
Hero’s Destiny
Chronicles of Britannia Series
Snake
License Notes
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only and may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
This book is a work of fiction, and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously.
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Cover Art and Design by J Caleb Design.
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For Dundi
Who Made Me Believe
And Started Me on This Journey
&
My Kids
Danielle, Kyle, Allison, Holly
Who Inspire Me to Continue.
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Contents
Chapter 1. Dealing with Rebels
Chapter 2. Genesis Contested
Chapter 3. Hero Returned
Chapter 4. Neutering the Senate
Chapter 5. Revelations
Chapter 6. Backchannels
Chapter 7. Decisions in Sol
Chapter 8. Good News—Bad News
Chapter 9. Testing Resolve
Chapter 10. Messaging
Chapter 11. Instructions
Chapter 12. Preparing for War
Chapter 13. Unexpected Passenger
Chapter 14. Shadowy Diplomacy
Chapter 15. Awake
Chapter 16. Doay
Chapter 17. Aftermath
Chapter 18. A Returning Hero
Epilogue
About Fred Hughes
Excerpt from Book One of Symbiote Wars:
Excerpt from Book One of Blood and Armor:
Excerpt from Book One of The Last Marines:
Excerpt from Book One of The Prince of Britannia Saga:
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Chapter 1: Dealing with Rebels
Britannia System
Empire of Britannia
Empire Date: Dec 1048
“The Crown orders you to take the Home Fleet to the Crux Star System and blockade the rebel forces.”
Emperor Edward saw a mix of expressions on the faces of the rest of the people around the conference table. Admiral Gathii Kong, commander of the Home Fleet, showed surprise, as did the Empire’s chancellor, Penny O’Higgin. Edward’s mother, Hiroko Kane, the empress regent, wore a blank expression. And Edward’s grandfather, Grand Duke Henry, smiled and nodded.
The mix of expressions was due to Edward’s current position. He was emperor in name only. Being only eleven, he was considered by most to be too young to hold imperial authority, hence the reason his mother sat at the head of the table and held the power of regent.
But I am emperor, dammit, Edward thought, and if convinced, the Regency Council can grant me the power.
Edward had been increasingly interjecting himself into conversations over the last six months. He’d offered opinions and suggestions in council sessions to demonstrate his ability to rule. Edward knew it wouldn’t happen overnight, but his actions to date had only been a start.
I will continue, and maybe—just maybe—by the time the Regency Council meets again…
“Admiral Kong, you heard your emperor’s orders,” Hiroko said, looking down the table at the officer. “What say you?”
Shocked by the empress regent’s rebuke, the enormous man shook himself, the surprised look vanishing from his face.
“I hear and I obey, Your Majesty,” Gathii responded. “Your Majesties,” he promptly corrected himself.
“I’m just worried about taking so much of the fleet with me,” Kong continued. “The Home System will have little left to defend it.”
“Task Forces Illustrious and Ark Royal are more than enough to defend the Home System,” Thomas O’Riley stated. The former, and once again acting, grand admiral of the fleet was once more wearing a uniform and sat next to the Home Fleet commander.
The death of the former fleet commander, Grand Admiral Winfred Mason, had forced Hiroko to reshuffle both Fleet Command and the Imperial Ministries.
And all because of my anger-fueled stupidity, the empress regent thought. Julie and Thomas warned me about appointing Mason grand admiral. Warned me what he might do in the position, and now I’m paying the price. The ships that rebelled are just the most apparent repercussion of that decision. But all the same, we’re lucky that was the worst of the fallout, since I nearly lost the crown.
The original plan, put together by Hiroko’s late husband, Emperor Hazard, was that Gathii Kong would become the next grand admiral. But when Zenkarr, the so-called Teddy Bears, murdered Hazard under a flag of truce, Hiroko blamed Kong for his death—blamed him because he hadn’t stopped her husband from sailing out to negotiate with the Zenkarr Council Speaker. That blame had translated into anger.
Hiroko couldn’t fire Kong, since he was far too popular with much of the officer corps, but she could relieve him, and she’d sent her friend—and Hazard’s—Julie Adams to the Sol Sector to do just that. But Hiroko couldn’t bring herself to promote Kong to grand admiral, had refused to reward him for getting her husband killed. So, she’d appointed the only other suitable candidate, Mason.
That had turned into an unmitigated disaster. When Hazard appointed Thomas to the grand admiral position, he’d passed over Mason, who’d been senior. He’d had a reason for that. Hazard hadn’t trusted the man after his actions and comments in the aftermath of the Iris System battle. There’d been no anger involved in the decision, just practicality. Hazard had known he couldn’t depend on Mason to carry out the policies he wanted implemented. So he’d placed his one-time friend in command of the Home Fleet and promoted O’Riley. But Mason had more than made up for Hazard’s lack of anger. And when I made him grand admiral, he could finally get his revenge.
Part of that revenge had included allying himself with powerful politicians in the Imperial Senate, senators whose goals were to topple the Kane Dynasty and install themselves as the Empire’s overlords. And they’d come close, very close, to doing just that. Senator Berloc Telana, the de facto leader of the Senate, and Mason had already started the overthrow of the government. Telana would lead the political side of the revolt, and Mason would use fleet units loyal to him to support the Senate. The grand admiral’s untimely death had ended the coup before it had gotten far.
“Those two task forces could hold off the entire fleet,” O’Riley continued. “Not without suffering losses, mind you. I feel the Home System is safe with them on station.”
“What will the Home Fleet’s mission be?” Princess Elizabeth asked. Elizabeth Kane had once been empress but had abdicated in favor of her son Henry. The crown prince had led a double life as Crown Prince Henry and Hazard King, an imperial fleet officer. He’d reigned for less than a year as Emperor Hazard I prior to his untimely death at the hands of the Zenkarr.
“They are to contain the rebel fleet. That will allow us to find other ways to resolve the situation,” Edward stated.
“It will also keep us from having to kill a lot of innocents,” Thomas O’Riley pointed out. “I’m certain the rebellion is being led by the commanding officers, and maybe some of their senior staff, on each of those ships. Most of the crews of those ships are simply following orders.”
“Most civilians don’t understand how a ship’s command team can keep a crew in the dark about what’s going on in the outside world,” Grand Duke Henry pointed out to the group. “Those senior officers control the flow of communications in and out of the ship.”
Hiroko, who’d once been a serving officer, nodded in agreement. “Deities know what those ship captains are telling their crews about the situation in the Empire. If there’s any way to avoid killing them, we need to find it.”
“Are we certain Berloc Telana is on Crux?” Edward asked.
Thomas O’Riley looked at Duke Henry, who nodded at the grand admiral to answer.
“Fleet scouts—loyal fleet scouts,” Thomas corrected himself, “trailed a private transport chartered by Telana to the planet. Grand Duke Henry’s intelligence assets confirmed Telana was on the ship and is still on the planet.”
“What do we have watching the system right now?” Hiroko asked.
“A single squadron of destroyers, ma’am,” Gathii responded.
“Then we n
“The sooner the better,” Hiroko added.
“The rebel fleet is in orbit around the planet Crux. Even if they broke orbit right now, it would take them two and a half days to reach the hyper limit and jump out of the system. Task Force Illustrious is on station here in the Home System, well beyond the limit. They could jump in four hours, and it’s a two-day trip to Crux. They’ll get there well before the rebels can get out of the system. That will keep them bottled up till I get there with the Home Fleet,” Kong responded.
“And how long for your fleet to get there?” Hiroko asked.
“Sixty hours if I leave right now.”
Hiroko and Edward exchanged glances.
“Then on your way, Admiral,” Edward said. “Grand Admiral O’Riley, I’d appreciate it if you’d assist in that.”
“As you command, Your Majesty,” O’Riley stated.
Both fleet officers stood and saluted. Edward stood and returned the salute.
“Admiral Kong,” Grand Duke Henry called after the pair, “you should take all the Home Fleet as well as the 1st Dreadnought Squadron.”
Both admirals, already halfway to the conference room’s door, stopped to look at the grand duke. O’Riley’s eyebrow arched. The 1st Dreadnought Squadron contained the fleet flagship, Devastator. Though the squadron routinely operated with the Home Fleet, it was technically separate and under the personal command of the fleet’s grand admiral.
“While the fleet flagship and its squadron didn’t go with the rebels, many of the squadron’s commanding officers were cronies of the deceased Winfred Mason,” Henry responded to the unasked question.
“A wise decision, Your Grace,” Kong stated. “That they didn’t flee with the rebels surprised me as well.”
“I think it would be a good idea if you shifted your flag to Devastator for this action, Gathii,” O’Riley added. “Just in case.”
Kong nodded, then stopped.
“I’d prefer to remain aboard my flagship, since it’s a missile dreadnought,” Kong said.
“That’s a better idea. Knowing you can take them out at long range will keep Devastator’s captain honest,” O’Riley said.
Both officers hesitated to see if there’d be any more instructions. Hearing none, they proceeded out of the room.
“Now, let’s talk about politics,” Edward said. “Penny, what’s the status of calling the Senate into session?”
“The imperial summons went out yesterday, Your Majesty. The couriers are on their way to every star system. Now, that’s just a formality, since the Senate is supposed to be in session right now. But we’re dotting our I’s and crossing our T’s, so to speak. With the help of Imperial Intelligence, heralds are scouring the planet to deliver the summons to the senators we’re certain are still on Britannia,” the Empire’s chancellor reported.
“What about Telana and anyone who might have fled with him?” Elizabeth asked.
“One of the couriers will deliver the summons to Crux,” Penny stated. “If he obeys it, a fleet warship will intercept his transport and bring him back here. Purely to ensure he makes it here,” she added with a smirk.
“So, the two-week clock is running?” Edward asked.
“It is, Your Majesty.”
“Edward?” Hiroko asked.
“We talked about this, Mother,” the young emperor responded, “and Richard Dyess confirmed it. If we call the Senate into session, give them two weeks to assemble, and they can’t muster a quorum, then the crown can dissolve the Senate and call for new elections. You would rule by decree until those referendums take place and the new senators arrive to take their seats.”
“And of course, the Ministry of Justice would have to validate all those elections,” Richard Dyess, the lord justice, said. “I can’t see that happening for at least two years.”
“The system rulers will raise bloody hell if we do that,” Arvai Bhains, the foreign minister, stated. He was responsible for dealing with those system leaders.
“Some of them will balk,” Elizabeth said, “but most won’t care as long as it doesn’t directly affect them. And as long as we don’t jack up taxes, or fool with trade policies, etcetera, they won’t care.”
The former empress knew what she was talking about. She’d ruled for nearly forty years. Over that time, she’d met most of the individual system leaders and developed personal relationships with them. Not all of them were good relationships, but she knew what made them tick.
“And it is a better solution than me declaring another imperial emergency,” Hiroko stated.
“Especially for the reason we’d cite to declare the emergency,” Edward added. “Accusing the Senate of trying to overthrow the government would make us look weak.”
“And two years would give us breathing room,” Penny said.
“That I intend to take full advantage of,” Edward stated.
Again, everyone turned to look at him, and he waved a hand dismissively.
“One thing at a time. We need to solve this issue first.”
“Is there anything else we need to do this morning?” Hiroko asked.
“Haven’t we done enough already?” Elizabeth asked.
Everyone found a way to laugh at the comment, even though the topics discussed had been far from humorous.
“Then let’s get some breakfast,” Elizabeth added when no one spoke up. “I had to skip breakfast because Hiroko scheduled this meeting so damn early.”
That comment elicited genuine laughter, since everyone knew the former empress was not a morning person.
* * *
Even though protocol dictated that the grand admiral enter the air car first, as the senior of the two officers, Thomas waved Admiral Gathii Kong ahead of him into the armored limo.
As the two officers got settled, O’Riley’s chief petty officer driver turned and looked through the open divider separating him from his admiral.
“Where to, sir?”
O’Riley turned to look at his old friend.
“Is there anything keeping you from going directly to your flagship and getting underway? Their majesties seemed anxious for you to get going.”
“My go bag is at the club. If we could swing by there and get it, then I’d be good to go.”
Thomas thought about it for a second. “Anything you wouldn’t want anyone to see in your stuff, Gath?”
Kong gave his friend an irritated look. “How long have we known each other, Tom?”
O’Riley waved both hands in front of him. “Sorry, old habits.”
Gathii Kong grunted. “I’m not Winfred Mason. There aren’t any young women who can pass as teenagers waiting for me in my room.”
One of the late grand admiral’s vices—probably his biggest vice—was that he had a thing for young women who would call him Daddy. Mason had always been careful that the girls who role-played for him were of legal age, but those who knew about his tastes still found it troubling.
“Jerry.”
O’Riley’s senior aide, a full commander, turned to look at his boss. He was sitting in the limo’s front seat next to the driver. “Yes, sir?”
“Call the office. Have someone go to the club, pack Admiral Kong’s things, and meet us at the spaceport. Then call the spaceport and have the admiral’s shuttle prepped and standing by to take him to orbit.”
“And have the office inform Devastator and the rest of her squadron to prepare to get underway with the Home Fleet.”
“The flagship and her squadron are going, too?”
“Yes. The 1st Dreadnought Squadron will sail with the Home Fleet to provide additional support,” O’Riley said to his aide. “I’ll bring you up to speed on what’s happening once we get Admiral Kong on his way.”
“Aye, aye, sir.”
The temporary grand admiral watched as the aide pulled out a tablet and began sending messages. Satisfied it was being handled, he pushed the button to close the partition to give him and Kong the privacy they’d need to discuss what was next.
Kong wasted no time. As soon as the divider slid shut, he turned to his old friend.
“What are the rules of engagement, Tom?”
“They’re actually pretty simple. Stay outside the hyper limit, and keep any of the rebel ships from leaving the system. You’re authorized to use whatever force is necessary to do that.”
