He headed towards the door. “I must attend the King.”
King’s Palace Grounds, Yoll
E’Kolorn arrived by air car from the Headquarters of Defense. The vehicle was searched and the minister was allowed to proceed into the Royal Palace on foot, a marked difference from when he was here just two turns previous.
He had been smart enough to leave behind any weapons. Not only were they useless around the King, but it allowed him to plead his case as strongly as he might.
It took three more security checks to get into the throne room. As before, there were few that were allowed in his presence. Now, a challenge had been agreed to and set for the first time in his life.
E’Kolorn strode up to the royal couch and prostrated himself on the ground. He held that position through three more three more conversations with others seeing him kneeling there until the King decided to talk with him.
“What do you have for me, E’Kolorn? Other than destroyed ships, lousy troops, and poor security on our own communications systems?”
Keeping his head down, E’Kolorn answered, “We have video that shows those that attacked Fleet Prime. I believe it will give you some indication of their martial skills.”
“Tell me about them,” E’Kolorn was ordered.
“Predominantly bipedal, with some able to change shapes to four-footed beasts.” E’Kolorn started when he was abruptly cut off.
“Change shapes?” the King asked.
“Yes, Sire.”
“Get up,” the King said.
He stood up on his four legs, lifting his head to look up at the King, who was lost in thought.
“Let me see these videos E’Kolorn, everything that shows the aliens changing shape.”
E’Kolorn reached into the pouch he was allowed to bring into the audience chamber. “Yes, my King.”
CHAPTER SEVENTY-THREE
QBBS Meredith Reynolds, Military Operations
Admiral Thomas focused on bringing support and help to the broken ships of the Etheric Empire. Although not as damaged as those of the Yollins, it hadn’t been a totally one-sided battle.
General Lance Reynolds took care of additional operations, items he understood needed to be accomplished when fighting battles such as these.
Bethany Anne sat in her command chair, thinking over the conversation with the Yollin King and his phrasing. Something about the way he replied was not right, and it bothered her. He was obviously a duplicitous bastard, and she wanted to make sure she figured out just what way he was already working to stab her in the back.
>>Bethany Anne, EI Reynolds is moving forty-two wounded in action to the medical bays on the outside docks.<<
Thank you, ADAM. The general and the admiral have this here. Please make sure I have a place to transport near there and let me pick up my security. If I don’t, I won’t hear the end of it… like ever.
Bethany Anne stood up, grabbed her Katana and locked it into her armor where Jean had created a place for the blade. While her katana could be used, it was more ceremonial. If Bethany Anne wanted to really deal some damage, she would pull the hilt for her Etherically created sword from her armor on her right leg where it stayed, out of sight.
She stepped down to speak to her commanders. “Gentleman.” The admiral nodded in her direction, but continued with his instructions to his team.
“Yes, Your Highness?” General Reynolds answered after he finished his own conversation.
“I’m going to check on my wounded. If you need me, contact me through Reynolds or Meredith. Once I’m done with the wounded, I will retire to rest, and pull in extra reserves before the flight down. I don’t trust the King one bit.” When Bethany Anne admitted that, her father grunted in agreement. “So, I’m trying to figure out just how he’s going to cheat.”
She looked around. “Let’s move our people, refine how we spot their cloaking and get the puck defense up around the asteroid. I’ll update the people inside on the plans. Make sure we’re ready for the post battle cleanup.” She looked over at her father. “And you two get some sleep as well.”
“We got this, your Highness.” He smiled and put a hand on her shoulder.
“I’m sure you do, so don’t make me find out in eight hours you’re still standing here. I delegate, I expect you to as well, when needed.”
He nodded, the admiral waved that he had heard at least the general idea of her conversation as he continued to direct orders. Probably through Reynolds and his top captains.
Gabrielle and the four Bitches slotted into place as Bethany Anne left operations and headed for the nearest Transportation Room.
About three minutes later, they were entering the Meredith Reynolds’ outer hospital.
—
Pilot Julianna Fregin was talking with Herbert Eff, one of the men from the puck destroyer, Her Destiny, as both of them waited to be seen by medical personnel.
“No,” she said. “I never saw the beam that got me. My wing and I were slicing through a raid of their fighters who had been aiming at the Meredith Reynolds. We probably got three more kills and two we knocked out of service in that wave when I noticed my wingman dive to my side. My wing’s Eagle was obliterated and then my own was touched by something that ate half the ship in a microsecond.” Julianna shrugged. “I think my wingman was able to take most of the bolt’s power for me. I was knocked out when my ship was destroyed. I lost the lower half of my leg.”
Julianna noticed that the guy she was talking with glanced down at the sheets covering her body to see what was missing.
The answer was, just like she had told him, half of her leg. The pilot’s suit she wore constricted, keeping her from bleeding out and the nanite pack she had been given when joining the Aces helped stop the flow in time.
But it wasn’t enough to regrow her limb.
“Damn, that sucks.” Herbert remarked, looking down at the flat area of her sheets that confirmed no leg was there. He looked back at her. “Any idea from the doc yet?”
“Oh, yes.” Julianna smiled. “Right now, we’re waiting for a special nanite pack. Once that happens, I should be able to get a Pod and…” Julianna noticed that Herbert had stopped paying attention to her, which she thought was rather rude.
She turned to see what had captured Herbert’s attention and recognized the ladies right away. First was Gabrielle, the Queen’s Captain. She wasn’t sure what that meant in the hierarchy of the military, but she helped corral the Four. Which then started coming into view along with the Queen.
Julianna forgave Herbert for losing his focus. The Queen was talking to the doctor and nodding in their general direction. The doctor put a hand on the Queen’s shoulder and was thanking her before she rushed to the next thing she needed to do, calling out directions to a nurse on the way.
“God, she’s beautiful,” Julianna murmured.
“Which one?” Herbert whispered.
Julianna turned back to Herbert. “Both, hell, all of them.”
Herbert looked at her and flashed a smile. “Sorry, that was rude. I was just shocked to see them here.”
Juliana shrugged. “That’s why everyone loves her,” she was starting to tell Herbert when she rolled her eyes. The guy had stopped listening to her, again. She turned her head to see what had his attention this time, and her eyes opened wide.
The Queen was coming straight for her. Gabrielle was accepting something from a nurse behind them.
Bethany Anne nodded towards Herbert and looked down at Julianna, a smile on her face. “Queen’s Ace Julianna Fregin, I understand you had an interesting battle today above the QBBS Meredith Reynolds?”
Julianna nodded. “Yes ma’am, your Highness.”
The Queen said, “Meredith, please list Julianna’s accomplishments today.”
“First wave, one confirmed kill, two fractional kills, total points one and one half kills. Second wave, four fractional kills awarding two points, total three and one half points, third wave three confirmed ki
lls, two fractional kills, total points awarded four. Total points all waves first Battle of Yoll, seven and one-half.”
“Welcome to ACE Status, Queen’s Ace Julianna Fregin.” the Queen had a twinkle in her eye. “Now, what you might not realize, is the nanite pack you are waiting for is one that is rather rare, and is kept under lock and key. Something we overlooked, I’m embarrassed to say, by not having it up in the forward hospital area.”
“We didn’t overlook it, Bethany Anne,” John Grimes commented behind her. “We just believe the chances of this hospital being overrun is too high to allow those packs to be stored here.”
Bethany Anne looked over her shoulder. “Well, we need to have Team BMW build us something that protects the packs and allows a few to be deployed here.”
Bethany Anne turned back to Julianna. “The nanite pack is built from my blood, with special programming from ADAM and TOM.” The Queen kept her focus on Julianna, but put her out right hand. Gabrielle placed a syringe in it. “ADAM, Thales of Miletus?”
“Yes, Bethany Anne?” a slightly artificial voice answered followed quickly by another voice Julianna wouldn’t have known to be an alien, if the Queen hadn’t just called him out by name.
“Make sure you program these new nanites correctly when I leave,” she said and the two voices agreed.
Julianna was getting in way over her head. These were the top people in the Etheric Empire, stories about them were everywhere, and right now they were either standing right next to her, or speaking to the Queen through the speakers so she could hear.
The Queen took the syringe and looked down at Julianna’s arm. “Well, that’s just fucking great,” she exclaimed, exasperated. She handed the syringe back to Gabrielle and then in mere moments, had removed the top of her armor and handed it to Eric, “Hold this please,” she told him. She rolled up the black spandex-looking top and accepted the syringe back from Gabrielle. While she was doing this, Julianna looked around.
Every patient was watching.
By the time Julianna looked back, the Queen had almost finished filling a small syringe with her blood. The doctor had returned and was standing between Herbert and Julianna. “If I may?” she asked and Bethany Anne handed her the syringe. “What about the energy?” The doctor asked as she made sure there were no air bubbles in the syringe.
“I’ll give her enough until you have room in a Pod, tomorrow at the earliest,” Bethany Anne confirmed for the doctor as she put her armor back on.
Julianna watched the doctor pull out her IV. “Sorry honey, not wasting any of this blood by inserting it into your drip, so you get a new hole.” The doctor had the syringe in her arm and immediately injected the blood.
Bethany Anne reached out over Julianna’s chest. “Well done, ACE Julianna Fregin, rest and heal. We have more battles in front of us, and our ACE needs to get better.”
The Queen winked at her and her eyes started glowing red, her hand started glowing white and she laid the hand in between Julianna’s breasts. “This energy will provide what the nanites need to…”
Julianna heard nothing more, sleep overcame her.
—
The six made it back into Bethany Anne’s suite once she finished making the rounds at the hospital. Bethany Anne didn’t pull blood again, but she did provide energy for three more to help speed up their healing. The nanites they already had in their blood would finish the job.
“We need portable energy packs,” Bethany Anne said as she wiped a tear out of her eye. “If they had them, more of the wounded would already be better.”
“How?” Scott asked. “How do we store Etheric energy?”
“I don’t have that answer, Scott, but I will. I won’t lose people just because we can’t figure something out. If I have to pull together special research on this one subject, I will. We need it. One life lost is one too many.” She stepped into her bedroom. “I’m going to get some rest. Make sure we have arrangements to go down to the world below. I’m going to sleep and dream about how to bring a can of whoop-ass to an eighteen foot tall armored alien.”
She shut the bedroom door behind her and Scott looked at John. “I’d go to sleep counting sheep, but you know, if thinking about kicking alien ass is what she likes?” he shrugged. “I’m not judging.”
The men set up the guard rotation as Gabrielle went to check on the travel arrangements. They would rotate four on and four off until Bethany Anne got up.
It would at least give three of them time with their women. Darryl told them he would sleep here on the couches. Natalia’s ship had made it through the fight, but she wasn’t going to be able to focus on anything but her ship and her people for a while, he figured.
No matter how badly Darryl wanted to go and hold her, one more time.
King’s Palace, Yoll
Minister of Defense N-thahn left the meeting to work in the secondary operations area. It was on another part of the palace grounds, and the King could reach it through an underground tunnel. His size might be good for fights, but it sucked for being able to move about like a regular Yollin, N-thahn thought.
It wasn’t until these days of activity with the humans, what the aliens called themselves, that his own mind was opened to the questions about the King. Why was he so large? Why was he so reclusive? Why did he continue the Caste system?
It had never benefitted either N-thahn himself or his family to question these realities. But the insidious weapon of curiosity had been opened, and whether the King killed their Queen or not, she probably had already ended his Reign.
QBS ArchAngel
Bethany Anne walked onto the bridge of the ArchAngel to the standing ovation of everyone who welcomed her back. Her own visage looked back at her from the screens. “Welcome back, our Queen,” EI ArchAngel’s voice, Bethany Anne’s voice, called out from the speakers, “It’s been too long.”
Bethany Anne, in full armor, sat down in her chair. She rubbed the arms. “ArchAngel, it is fantastic to be back. Where are our support ships?”
“There are a total of thirteen Sphaea ships surrounding us. Twelve are cloaked. The G’laxix Sphaea refuses to cloak, and will announce our arrival.”
“That’s Natalia for you.” Bethany Anne smiled. “Her Russian lineage is showing.”
“Okay, everyone,” Bethany Anne looked around at her people on the bridge. “We’re going down there to challenge the Yollin King in a fight to the death. I’m going to assume he doesn’t want to die and will try all sorts of shit to stop that, not the least of which is a concerted effort to kill me. We’ve got more battles to go, so I don’t personally have time to die today. Therefore, as your Queen, I’m ordering you not to die, either.”
There was laughter at that. During the fight, ArchAngel had been often attacked but never seriously damaged. She had waded right into the battle and kicked ass in an orgy of destruction and havoc. Yollin ships quickly learned to leave the big Leviathan Class battleship the hell alone.
It wasn’t until you earned the right to be on the bridge of this ship that you found out just how unique it was in all of the ships in Bethany Anne’s armada.
This ship was captained by ArchAngel itself, the avatar of Bethany Anne. Those on the ArchAngel worked, they felt, for the lady herself.
When they went into battle, ArchAngel announced, “All personnel, this is the Battleship ArchAngel. We have been ordered to go into battle and ‘We Will Not Surrender’ has been instituted by our Queen. All lockdown protocols on this ship are removed. Leviathan Battleship ArchAngel is now fully operational and will fight until victorious…”
There was a slight pause from the speaker system. “Or dead.”
Every man and woman shouted and cheered as the ArchAngel went, guns blazing, into the ships of the Yollins. As Admiral Thomas, viewing the information during post-battle review later, commented, “She tore them new assholes.”
No one would fuck with the ArchAngel, and now she was carrying the Queen on her bridge once again. The Arc
hAngel went loaded, weapons hot, just watching, scanning and waiting to see if someone tried to attack. If they did?
They would find out what an enraged and protective EI could do when protecting her Queen.
Her Mother.
Yoll Video Communications around the planet, moons, and space stations
It was a sight for the Yollins to see. Their own ship, the G’laxix Sphaea, was leading the alien ship.
The sight, most admitted, was impressive.
Yoll had their own versions of the ArchAngel. Ships as massive as the alien one heading for their home world, and the video commenters would place overlays between the class of Yollin spaceship that matched the ArchAngel, but there was something about the human alien ship that got into the Yollin psyche.
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