(Main Highway – Sector 9A, Morning Light Creeping Through Smoke)
The silence was suffocating.
Four hundred B.A.M. engines idled like restless beasts, their exhaust curling around the solitary figure on the road — the Queen herself.
From inside Titan One, General Soren Vask couldn't take his eyes off her. His headset hissed with static and whispered confusion from other platoons.
Voice 1 (from comms):
"Sir, is this a drill?"
Voice 2:
"She's right in front of us. Repeat, the Queen is—"
Soren (cutting in, voice cold as blade):
"Silence the line. Nobody speaks unless ordered."
He stared through the windshield, his hand unconsciously resting on the hilt of his ceremonial blade. Amara Blackwood's robe fluttered in the wind — silver against the black smoke — her posture unshaken, her gaze fixed forward.
Every soldier, every gunner, every drone operator waited. Not for permission. For meaning.
---
Sergeant Deen (voice trembling):
"She's blocking the convoy for real, sir. What do we—"
Soren (quietly):
"You wait."
He opened the roof hatch and climbed halfway out, the early sun flashing off his armor.
He raised his right hand — the signal for complete halt.
In response, the convoy's lights went dead. The hum faded.
An army of thousands stood still, like statues beneath their queen.
---
Soren's POV:
Through the heat haze, he saw her take a single step forward — slow, deliberate, fearless. Her gaze was locked directly on him.
He felt the weight of that look — the same gaze Chris Blackwood had when he commanded an empire, but softer… terrifyingly human.
The soldiers behind him began whispering.
Trooper 1:
"She's smiling, sir."
Trooper 2:
"No… that's not a smile. That's a warning."
Soren (to himself):
"She's testing us. Testing me."
He dropped back into the vehicle, snapping on the comm.
Soren (into headset):
"All divisions — stand down weapons, engage neutral stance. The Queen has assumed authority over this route. Record everything. No unit moves until she leaves."
Lieutenant Rafe:
"Sir, the King didn't give us clearance for this—"
Soren (snapping):
"The King doesn't need to. She carries his will. If she stands before you, you stand down."
---
The internal feed switched to the external cameras again.
Amara now stood at the very front — just five meters from Titan One. Her eyes lifted, meeting Soren's through the reinforced glass.
For a moment, it felt as though she could see through the steel.
Soren pressed the window control. The thick glass slid halfway down. The wind rushed in — carrying the faint scent of perfume and iron.
Amara (softly, yet commanding):
"Tell your men… they've done enough marching. Today, they rest."
Her voice wasn't loud. But it carried.
Through every headset, every open channel, those words echoed — and like a sacred commandment, thousands of soldiers lowered their weapons to the ground in unison.
Soren clenched his jaw. His throat tightened with something between awe and disbelief.
Soren:
"As you command, Your Majesty."
He tapped the internal mic.
Soren (broadcasting):
"All B.A.M. units — disarm. Form honor lines on both flanks. Kneel when she passes."
And they did.
Four hundred armored soldiers dropped to one knee, rifles across their chests, heads bowed.
The road became a corridor of submission — a river of armor kneeling before a woman who defied every rule of power.
---
Amara walked forward slowly, her steps echoing in the silence. The camera drones followed, broadcasting every second.
Her reflection glinted on every truck window, every blade, every visor — one woman against a mountain of war.
When she reached Soren's vehicle, she stopped.
Amara (looking directly at him):
"Tell the King his army still remembers who truly commands its heart."
Soren (bowing his head):
"Yes, my Queen."
She turned and continued walking down the empty lane — the wind carrying her robe like a banner of peace.
As she passed, every soldier rose, one by one, pounding their chests in silent salute.
---
Soren (watching her leave, to his men):
"Remember this day. Steel bent to silk. Power bowed to grace."
And somewhere in the palace, Chris Blackwood's voice echoed through hidden speakers, unseen but felt:
> "That… is why she's my queen."
--