The Red Queen [Book 7 of Ever After, an Egg and the Hameggattic Sisterhood novel]

by Robert Iannone

  There’s was no time nor need to ‘trash’ talk your opponents. The voting public would have been horrified had you done so.

  *****

  The Day After Egg Left for Peekaboo Prime

  M-egg’Alynnia’s Abdication Speech

  “To the people of Aerianna, the time has come for me, your Queen, to step down as Sovereign. I do not make this decision lightly. Ever since the end of the great contest between Dragon, Serpent and Human, my family has had the privilege of ruling this unique world.

  As you well know, my grandfather, King M’earth, was awarded the Crystal Egg by the Old Ones. Instead of using its unlimited power to subjugate the other species, he created the Council of Equals giving Queen F’Aerianne and King E’ssss a seat at the table of government. Under his reign, this world knew peace, prosperity, and harmony. That is, until Mobius using his mind control powers, wrested the Crystal Egg from him. When my sister, Lady Eloise, with the help of the Hameggattic Sisterhood, my Mother Rose’Alynnia and the Shades of Night defeated that evil man, my grandfather resigned. He had been a great King but he took personal responsibility for the Reign of Terror that Mobius brought to Aerianna. It was not his fault – but his honor demanded he pay the ultimate price. He passed the Crown to my mother.

  Under Rose’Alynnia, Aerianna rebuilt its society to what had existed before the dark times. Your freedoms were restored, your lives enriched by your own hard work, your children once again educated to make the most of their innate talents – all this she helped engineer and the result was what you enjoy today. When she resigned to lead the new Federation of Planets, she passed the Crown to me. But before doing so, she changed the law. No longer would an offspring from the House of M’earth automatically assume power. The next sovereign would be chosen by you, the people of Aerianna.

  Under my reign, I tried to continue what Rose’Alynnia began. But during this period of prosperity – brought on by my grandfather and mother – I have done little other than maintain what they created. That is not enough.

  A Sovereign must do more – she must lead her people into the future. I have not accomplished that . . . and I apologize to each one of you. To simply maintain the status quo, regardless of how comfortable it may seem, is to stagnate as a society. I failed to live up to the high standards set by my family. So, as my Grandfather did when he deemed his reign a failure, I, too, must step aside.

  Now, it is time for the Citizens of Aerianna to exercise the franchise that my mother created for you. Over the next fortnight, consider all the candidates that step forward and offer themselves as the next Sovereign. And when it is time to cast your ballot – vote your conscience.”

  *****

  Rose chose to be alone in her bedroom to listen to her daughter’s abdication speech. Her forlorn expression when it began turned to sobs as she heard Meggy’s mea culpa to the people of Aerianna. The pain and anguish in the girl’s voice was too much for her to bear. Like so many mothers throughout the galaxy, they assumed that their child’s failure was a reflection of their failure as a parent. Even more agonizing was the realization that she had no way to right the wrong.

  *****

  Back in her office, Meggy put down the parchment from which she had just read. Leaning on her elbows, face cupped in her hands, she stared without seeing. Her emotions at the moment were conflicted, as you would expect. Equal parts of guilt and relief from abdicating conflicted with the joy that she would soon be free to live her life as she had always imagined.

  A knock on the door intruded on her reveries. “Come,” she called.

  The door opened and there was Lord Z’kkk. He walked over to his daughter, offered his hand and helped her to stand. Embracing her, he said, “I am so very proud of you.”

  “For admitting failure?”

  “Nonsense. Your assessment of your reign is distorted by the irresistible desire to follow your dreams. In truth, you have been a wonderful Queen. You had the unenviable task of following your mother while your dear sister Eloise stole everyone’s breath with her phenomenal exploits. Take away those two . . .”

  “Please stop,” interrupted his daughter. “The point is mother and Egg are here. What might have been is stuff for children to contemplate. But I thank you Father,” and she hugged him again.

  “Daughter, sometimes a civilization requires time to digest the vast changes such as those your mother wrought. You provided them that time. Nevertheless, she and I are very proud of you. Never doubt that for a moment.”

  “How is she taking this?”

  “As you would surmise. Your mother is devastated – believing your perceived failures are all her fault.”

  Meggy managed a smile. “I take it that such reactions are normal maternal ones?”

  “Indeed. Someday, you will know it firsthand.”

  “Perhaps. Where is she?”

  “In her bedroom. She could certainly use one of your famous Hameggattic Hugs.”

  *****

  “Mother.”

  “Come in, M-egg’Alynnia.” Rose wiped the tears from her eyes and stood to greet her daughter.

  Meggy entered the room. Her first words shocked her mother. “You are absolutely correct. It is all your fault.” Before the other woman could react, Meggy continued, “It is your fault that I have an inquisitive mind, an uncontrollable streak of wanderlust, the courage to follow my convictions, the intelligence to understand the world around me, an insatiable desire to push myself out of my comfort zone. I could go on but I do believe if I give you any more compliments, you will become intolerably self-satisfied.”

  Rose smiled for the first time in approximately forever. “I do love you so, my dearest daughter.”

  “As I do you,” and she hurried to her mother and gave her The Hug.

  And once again, all was well in the universe.

  *****

  “I have an idea.”

  “That pleases me,” replied her husband.

  “You didn’t even ask what it is,” said Tee’ka as she gave the big man a playful whack on the arm.

  “No matter. Many philosophers have considered ideas to be a fundamental ontological category of being, so such formulations are to be held in high regard.”

  “What?”

  Waldo smiled. “Not important. I would be pleased if you shared your idea with me.”

  “Okay,” and she did. “What do you think?”

  “I am awed by your thoughtfulness. Truly, you and I are much greater than the sum of the parts.”

  “Is that good?” asked the simple girl.

  “Indeed. It is very good.”

  “Okay.”

  *****

  Storm had refused Aeri’elle’s request to ‘visit’ dragons and endorse Egg. “It would be wrong.”

  “I don’t understand. Don’t you support Egg’s nomination?”

  “Most assuredly I do. No one is more qualified. That isn’t the issue.”

  “Grandfather, please help me understand.”

  “When it comes to politics, everyone has the right, and the obligation, to be informed on the candidates and the issues. They may turn to whomever they trust to get the information they seek. But no one has the right to use their notoriety to unduly influence how an individual will vote.”

  “Are you suggesting that my sisters and I should not talk to the populace about the merits of Egg’s candidacy?”

  “Not at all. With all due respect, none of you wield that kind of influence. At the moment, only three do . . . myself, Rose’Alynnia and the Myst Tree. Sorry to sound immodest.”

  “So each of you would cause someone to vote for your choice and not their own. Correct?”

  “Exactly.”

  “Well, that’s disappointing.”

  “Cheer up. The people are usually intelligent enough to choose the most qualified person and ignore the demagoguery of candidates that pander to our basest instincts.”

  “Usually?”

  “Goodnight, Granddaughter.”<
br />
  *****

  After the Queen’s abdication speech, a few competent individuals did step forward as candidates. However, after it became obvious that the Sisterhood was encouraging everyone who would listen to vote for their illustrious leader, all but one bowed out. After all, who in their right mind would want anyone other than Egg as their next Monarch?

  The one person that did was none other than Kru-Ella. She was still on Zynn-Zaz’zia but when the young woman came to her office to ask for permission, Aeri’elle was forced to grant her leave to campaign.

  “Why would you want to challenge Lady Eloise? She is by far the most qualified individual in the history of Aerianna.”

  “So you say,” was the nasty reply. “You conveniently left out a few salient facts. First, she is not from Aerianna – she’s an outsider. Second, she is not of noble birth which is quite obvious from her misguided ideas. Third, I have heard rumors that she doesn’t even know her name is being put forward. Fourth, she is not well liked by those that matter . . .”

  “Like who?” interrupted Aeri’elle.

  “My friends – the noble class of young males and females who will rally around me and that which I stand for. And before you ask, I am referring to the traditions and societal norms that have brought this world to the great state of being we now all share.”

  “So you like the idea of the haves and the have nots . . . as long as you and your friends are in the former category.”

  “It is our rightful place.”

  Arguing would only make Professor Big Bird angry . . . and there’s nothing worse than an angry bird. “You are granted a two week leave of absence to attend to your campaign. You are dismissed.”

  The girl stood up straight and tall. “When I am queen, this university will be off-limits to Aeriannians. The non-noble class has no need for such education. Instead, they should learn a trade and not waste valuable resources filling their minds with mathematical and scientific nonsense.”

  Aeri’elle also stood up – raising herself to her full height, towering over the woman on the other side of the desk. “You, my dear, are an idiot.”

  *****

  Kru-Ella wasn’t an idiot. Pompous, self-absorbed, mean-spirited coupled with a lack of empathy and class bigotry made for an unpleasant person. But not necessarily a stupid one.

  The young woman knew three critical pieces of information that made her candidacy for Monarch not that farfetched.

  First, according to law, if the individual who won the vote could not serve for any reason, the candidate who came in second would then be next in line to the Crown.

  Second, the Lady Eloise was on a diplomatic mission to Peekaboo Prime. She was traveling without military escort on the royal yacht – a fast, but ill-armed vessel. She, and it, would be vulnerable to attack.

  The third bit of information was fortuitous. The planets of the Outer Reaches were planning to rebel. Those repulsive creatures that inhabited them absurdly thought that they should be considered as equals. Not very likely. The thought of such cretins mingling with the people of the civilized worlds sent a shiver of disgust down her spine.

  On the other hand, these aberrations of nature would serve her interests very well. Through her many connections, she had sent word of Egg’s itinerary along with a suggestion of the value to the rebellion of capturing the famous Leader of the Hameggattic Sisterhood.

  Those fools readily agreed and offered assurances that they would capture and imprison the woman. They would try to insure her safety but could make no promises. This was war after all – and in war there were casualties.

  *****

  Meggy’s campaign to get Egg elected went pretty much according to plan. Her surrogates – namely the Hameggattic Sisters – were regarded with near universal awe and respect. Getting the citizenry to stop what they were doing to listen to their spiel was like having your absolute favorite movie star stop you on the street and ask for few minutes of your time.

  Who would refuse?

  But what was unusual was the consistency of their response. First, there was shock that Queen M-egg’Alynnia was abdicating the Throne. The young woman was well regarded. She was the daughter of the much-beloved Rose’Alynnia. She was a Hameggattic Sister and had risked her life to rescue her father and to once-and-for-all rid them of that fiend Mobius. And, they admired her less formal approach to governing Aerianna. The younger generations could more easily relate to someone closer to their own age.

  However, since the Queen was determined to relinquish the Crown, they were ecstatic that Lady Eloise was putting her name forward to replace her sister. Few of the citizens really believed that she didn’t know that was happening, though they appreciated the pretense. It seemed more romantic that the population’s adulation for the phenomenal woman elevated her by popular demand to Queen-hood.

  The girls tried to set the record straight but gave up when it became apparent no one believed them.

  Before they left each group, the sisters asked the citizens if they would do them one favor. At Tee’ka’s suggestion, there would be a farewell ceremony for Meggy and they – the Hameggattic Sisters – would take it as a personal favor if everyone would attend. Based on the response the girls received, the turnout promised to be staggering.

  *****

  After a few days, the only person left to challenge Egg was Kru-Ella. But she hardly had a campaign to speak of. She organized a handful of dinner parties for her ‘Noble’ friends and pitched them on her candidacy.

  “Lady Eloise is not a true Aeriannian. She’s an outsider whose only claim to nobility is her marriage to the Prince. She was brought up as a commoner and knows little of our ways and customs. This program of hers, where we must give up our valuable time to help the poor wretches that perform manual labor, is an insult to our class. It must stop . . . she must be stopped. Can you imagine what else she will have us do once she ascends the Throne? I cringe at the prospect. You all know me . . . have known me my entire life. I am one of you. Let us put an end to this madness and pass the Crown to those that truly know how to rule.”

  Half the crowd applauded enthusiastically.

  The other half looked uncomfortable and just pretended to clap to avoid a scene.

  One, however, was outraged. Rap’tor felt embarrassed that he once thought of himself and his fellow nobles as superior beings. Kru-Ella was living proof that they were not. It was an accident of birth that some had the resources to follow their dreams. How many minds were wasted because of this? How many great inventions or innovations would not see the light of day because great wealth was inherited by a few?

  If anyone could lead them all to a better future, it was Lady Eloise.

  Chapter 5 – Viva la Revolution

  Aboard the Royal Yacht

  “Tell me Zwam, what was your profession before you became the general of the revolution?”

  The blue woman stared in amazement at her former hostage. “Am I such a terrible soldier that you should ask such a question?”

  Egg smiled. “Just a lucky guess. I get the feeling you would rather be doing something else. Anything else but starting a war.”

  “I am . . . or was . . . a clan leader. When we decided that something must be done to help our people, I was asked to negotiate with the other two planets of the Outer Reaches to see if they were willing to join us.”

  “Are you married?”

  “No. I understand the concept, but it does not apply to my species at this point in our evolution. When the time is right, we simply find a suitable mate. After our children reach maturity, we go our separate ways. Does that offend you?”

  “Why would it offend me?”

  “We have been told that it is barbaric. The other worlds seem horrified at the concept.”

  Egg shocked the woman by laughing. “Sorry, but it’s so ironic that it’s amusing.”

  “I do not understand?”

  “These other worlds think so much of themselves as if they are
at the pinnacle of evolution and anyone that is different is presumed to be inferior. The universe is kind of a big place and there are – for all practical purpose – an infinite number of inhabited planets. My guess is that our little Federation wouldn’t be considered that advanced compared to others.”

  “Have you met any?”

  “Some. On a world called Splendora, we met a Rak’nex – it looks like a giant spider but with no mouth. It eats electromagnetic radiation and communicates with twinkling lights. In fact, they’re a lot like you guys.”

  “In what way?”

  “They were just bugs with no self-awareness until scientists on a neighboring world built a device that forced them to sentience.”

  “We are not bugs,” replied the offended woman.

  “No, no. What I mean is that they were early in their evolutionary cycle. With the help of friends (a bit of poetic license on Egg’s part on this), they began to reach their full potential. Now, they’re so smart that they can harvest the energy from Black Holes. Do you know what those are?”

  “Gravitational wells. There is one not far from the Outer Reaches. So, your point is that our species can accelerate its evolution if others would help?”

  “Um . . . yes and no.”

  “You confuse me.”

  “Sorry. You need the Federation’s help . . . we both can agree on that. But I don’t think you want their scientists messing around with your natural development.”

  “Because?”

  “Because it wouldn’t be natural. Let nature take its course. In the meanwhile, use the social and scientific resources of the Federation to make your lives less difficult. It will also influence your natural development but in a less traumatic fashion. It’s like nudging a person to go in the right direction instead of dragging him. Does that make sense?”

  Once again, the General stared at Egg’s face. Finally, she asked, “Why do you care? Is it because you are a queen?”

  “Actually, I’m not a queen. Apparently, I was elected by the people but I never asked for the job. I can’t understand why they chose me. I’m not qualified. Like you, I just lead my clan . . . and that happens to be the Hameggattic Sisters. I can’t govern an entire world.”