DEATH IS ETERNAL #437 by GIC

THE CYBER-MONKS OF BYZANTIUM and THE SULTAN’S JUDGMENT

Contents

1. THE CYBER-MONKS OF BYZANTIUM (genre: atompunk)

2. THE SULTAN’S JUDGMENT (genre: Bangsian fantasy)

THE CYBER-MONKS OF BYZANTIUM

Genre: atompunk

Inspiration: 945 – The co-emperors Stephen and Constantine are overthrown and forced to become monks by Constantine VII, who becomes the sole emperor of the Byzantine Empire.

Word count: 479

Photo by Sonika Agarwal on Unsplash

In 2945 AD, the Byzantine Federation stretched across the stars, its core on the jewel-like planet Byzantion Prime. Co-emperors ruled the empire, Stephen Constantine Lekapenos, who shared the Chrysotronic Throne, a glittering marvel of quantum processors and circuits. For decades, they maintained order with mechanical precision, aided by an army of cybernetic enforcers, the Dromon Guard.

But their grip on power was brittle. Whispers of rebellion coursed through Byzantion Prime’s neon-lit bazaars and the holo-catacombs beneath the city’s spires. Chief among the dissenters was Constantine VII, a shadowed figure of noble birth, long relegated to obscurity after his mother’s disgrace. He bided his time, aided by his wife, Helena, whose intellect rivalled any in the Empire’s cybernetic guilds.

The day of reckoning came on 27 Janus 2945.

The co-emperors awoke to chaos. Their palace—a colossal construct of titanium and synthetic marble—shuddered under the assault of rogue automata. Explosions lit the sky, reflecting on the mirrored domes of the imperial city. Constantine VII’s forces, a coalition of disgruntled senators, rogue AIs, and cyber-saboteurs, bypassed the Dromon Guard with a brilliant quantum virus devised by Helena.

Stephen and Constantine Lekapenos retreated to the palace’s innermost sanctum, where the Chrysotronic Throne awaited. They accessed the throne’s neural interface with trembling hands, hoping to disable the rebels’ forces. But instead of compliance, the throne’s golden circuits pulsed crimson. Helena’s voice echoed through the chamber, calm and unwavering:

“Your reign ends here. Byzantium will no longer suffer under your tyranny.”

Moments later, Constantine VII entered, clad in a gleaming exosuit that melded Byzantine elegance with cutting-edge technology. Behind him, Helena and a cadre of cyber-monks filled in, their robes woven with threads of glowing data conduits.

“You have ruled by fear and stagnation,” Constantine VII declared, his voice amplified by the suit’s vox-caster. “Today, Byzantium is reborn.”

The Lekapenos brothers protested, but the hum of the Chrysotronic Throne drowned their words. Helena’s virus had already rewritten its programming. With a flick of her wrist, the throne enveloped the brothers in tendrils of golden energy, immobilizing them.

“Do not kill us,” Stephen pleaded.

“We seek not your deaths,” Constantine VII replied. “But you will not escape judgment.”

The Chrysotronic Throne reconfigured, transforming into a sleek pod that encapsulated the brothers. When it opened moments later, their opulent garments were replaced with the simple robes of cyber-monks. The throne had erased their imperial privileges, reprogramming their neural implants with a singular purpose: servitude to the empire they once ruled.

Exiled to the lunar monastery of Agia Sophia Station, the brothers spent their days tending to Byzantium’s archives, preserving the knowledge they had once exploited.

Meanwhile, in Byzantion Prime, Constantine VII ascended as sole emperor. Standing on the balcony of the rebuilt Chrysotronic Throne, he gazed upon the city’s glittering expanse, vowing to lead the Byzantine Federation into an era of justice and innovation.

The end

THE SULTAN’S JUDGMENT

Genre: Bangsian fantasy

Inspiration: 1695 – Mustafa II becomes the Ottoman sultan and Caliph of Islam in Istanbul on the death of Ahmed II. Mustafa ruled until his abdication in 1703.

Word count: 1,017

Photo by Ahmet Sali on Unsplash