Tyranny of Steel

Alexandros gazed upon the most recent map that was drawn of the world. The Byzantine Empire stretched from the balkans, to Egypt, and all the way to the borders of India. Much land had been gained in the past five years of conquest, and yet it still was not enough to satisfy his ambitions.

No, there were three targets that needed to be conquered, if he were indeed going to make the Byzantine Empire the second greatest civilization on the planet. Thus, the young man placed his fingers on the objects of his desire. Wallachia, Moldovia and Georgia.

Though the King of Georgia was a distant relative to Alexandros, the young emperor did not care about such matters. He was not a von Kufstein, who Alexandros saw as his only family.

If that was the case, then Georgia would need to be annexed into the Empire he inherited from his mother's side of the family.

As for Wallachia, and Moldovia, they refused to enter the sphere of German influence, and for that they needed to be annexed, whether they would voluntarily agree to such a drastic decision or not, did not matter, as Alexandros now possessed the second most powerful army in the world.

Upon gaining the ability to land men on the moon, Berengar felt no harm in loosening the restrictions on his son's empire and thus permitted them to begin entering the era of steam.

The Byzantine and Iberian empires were busy constructing buildings and structures that would allow them to connect their empires via national railways.

Something Germany had accomplished decades ago, and because of this, the German construction companies worked alongside these nations to ensure that the railways were capable of accepting their high-speed trains.

Development of Byzantium was entering a new era, and though they were still a long way from having the chemical production capabilities to produce their own ammo, the Byzantine Army was now second only to Germany.

Or so Alexandros liked to claim. However, the Iberian Army was just as advanced, just as large, and just as experienced as their Byzantine counterparts. So it was impossible to say who really was the number two power in this world.

However, none of this mattered at the moment, as Alexandros gazed upon his young bride. In the last ten years, he had married his wife Zenobia and had even sired five children with her. She had become his right hand and was always present for his negotiations with foreign powers.

Zenobia had a concerned look on her pretty face as she asked her husband if he really wanted to go through with the plan to annex the Kingdom of Georgia.

"Husband... The King of Georgia is in the other room, waiting for you... I must ask, are you sure this is the wisest course of action? After all, the man is your mother's uncle, and I don't believe he will accept the annexation of his kingdom so easily. Should we perhaps get your father to mediate in this discussion?"

Despite his wife's concern, Alexandros was not deterred from his goal, and simply scoffed before voicing his disagreement with her proposal.

"My father? The man is half-retired at this point. Do you really want him here to mediate such a simple matter? If I can't do this on my own, then he will consider me a failure as an emperor. It is a simply matter of annexation!

No, I won't lose to Hans, who my father has already named the Chancellor of Germany! To think that old goat Otto would suddenly retire after the moon-landing, and my father would thrust the position onto Hans. He's clearly prepping the boy to take over his position in the coming years.

If the man can't be bothered to run his own Empire, why do you think he would want to mediate in a mere case of annexation between two foreign powers? I have learned from the best, and now it is time to prove myself."

Zenobia could only sigh in acceptance as she led her husband into the room, where the old king of Georgia was waiting for him. A smile appeared on the man's face as he greeted his niece's son with a firm handshake.

"My, if it isn't little Alexandros, to think it has been so long that you are finally a man? Tell me, boy, what is it that is so important that you requested that I meet with you?"

Alexandros instructed the king of Georgia to sit down, as a servant entered the room with a tray full of tea and cookies. Something which immediately made the old man excited as he engorged himself on the treats while Alexandros made his proposal.

"The time has come... I will be officially annexing the Kingdom of Georgia into the Byzantine Empire."

The old man nearly had a heart attack as he heard the words which Alexandros spoke. He was quick to voice his disagreement, as he choked on the bit of cookie that was still stuck in his throat.

"You can't possibly mean that! For generations, the Kingdom of Georgia has been a vassal of the Byzantine Empire! We have never failed in our duties, so what gives you the right to annex us?"

A cold look appeared in Alexandros' green eyes as he stared down the King of Georgia with a fearsome expression on his face. He did not move the slightest muscle for several moments of silence before finally responding to the man's question.

"Nobody gives me the right... I take it... If you wish to reject my offer of peaceful annexation, then I can always march my army into your lands, and seize your kingdom by force.

Though I would prefer to avoid such a scenario, as I already have wars planned in other regions. But if you force me to do this, just know that I will come with the fire and fury of a madman.

So tell me, do you still wish to deny my proposal of annexation, knowing the dire consequences which face you, your family, and the citizens of your Kingdom?"

It was at this moment that the old King of Georgia noticed several of Alexandros' body guards armed with submachine guns, standing nearby awaiting orders. Their menacing gazes frightened the feudal king, who knew that his army did not stand a chance against his southern neighbors.

With a heavy sigh, and a broken heart, the man agreed to Alexandros' request, albeit with a hint of rage in his aging eyes.

"Fine... You can have my kingdom. I suppose it would be better to retire in my old age to some beach in Anatolia, then it is to continue ruling such a backward realm. But I want you to know that I am thoroughly disgusted by your behavior. You are your father's son..."

After saying this, the old man got up and left the room without saying another word. Once he was all alone, Alexandros wore a prideful smile on his face, as he repeated the words that the King of Georgia had last said to him. Though they were intended to be an insult, Alexandros could not be any more proud.

"I am my father's son..."

With this in mind, Alexandros stood up with an extra pep in his step, as he approached his wife, and kissed her passionately on the lips. Something which shocked the young woman.

However, before she could calm her husband down, he whispered something in her ears.

"And you wanted me to summon my father for mediation. Don't you feel foolish now?"

Zenobia had to admit, she expected the old king of Georgia to be quite stubborn. After all, few men would give up the kind of power that he wielded, even if it meant they had to die.

Yet, he had so easily agreed to the annexation. It was truly surprising to her.

However, this just posed further questions, the Byzantine Empire had spent the last five years trying to rapidly develop its newly conquered territory, and yet it seemed like no matter how much of the land they improved, there was always more work to be done. Now that they had annexed the Kingdom of Georgia, and set their sights on Wallachia and Moldovia, she could not help but feel like her husband was giving himself an entire life's worth of work to do.

Thus, Zenobia looked at her husband with an awkward expression before asking him the immediate question on her mind.

"If you build such a mighty empire within your lifetime, then what will you leave for our son, Honorius?"

A simple smile emerged on Alexandros' face as he kissed his wife's neck before responding to her question.

"A better world..."

Which will be receiving my primary attention from here on out. Thank you all for the support you have shown me, and I look forward to writing s for you all for years to come!