“I don’t know. But I think she will be happy with anything we can bring.”
“Very well. Who will organize this?”
“Johansen, you are the Lord of Pelapatia. You are the master of the armies of our people. I leave it to you to muster our forces. Have them ready as soon as able here, in Quadlibet. We will muster at Castle Onslow in the Plain of Death. From there, we will launch on our mission to save the Empire.”
56.346.13
“All of the information we have been able to gather suggest these Kaldects are by far a superior force to ours. However, we still must stop them with the forces we have. I intend to lead the biggest armada we have ever assembled and confront them in the Tangiers Sector, which is roughly midway between here and their last known conquests. We either stop them there, or they will soon be knocking on the door of the palace.”
“What do you believe our chances are of defeating them?”
Jeffrey paused, knowing the entire court was listening to his words. “Your Majesty, with the firepower we intend to bring to this fight, I am hopeful we can at least have a fifty/fifty chance.”
There was a loud whispering sound as people talked about what he had said. Real fear began to grip them for the first time.
“Can we not wait and bring in all our forces so as to overwhelm them?”
“Your Majesty, we will be taking everything we have from the central galactic area and a large section of surrounding sectors. The forces further out will come here to provide defense of the palace. But I fear if we wait to gather everything, they will get here first. We cannot delay any longer.”
Stephanie paused, and then looked over at Heather. “Heather, what are your thoughts?”
“Your Majesty, I believe the time has not yet come for the final fight. This action, while necessary, will not defeat this opponent. It will take something much more personal to accomplish that. You know of what I speak.”
“Yes, I do. Yet we must still try. Very well, Fleet Admiral Wilson, you are to launch your mission to defeat these adversaries as soon as possible. Godspeed to you and all who fight with you.”
She rose from her chair, and everyone rose with her. She said, “You must all prepare to defend our home. Understand that our fleet will do what it can, but if it cannot prevail, then we will be left to fight for every piece of ground we have. I urge you not to panic, but to prepare.”
She then turned and left the chamber through the door behind the throne. Jeffrey and Heather followed her into her private residence.
“Jeffrey, do we have any information on what they are doing to the people of the planets they conquer?”
“Yes. They appear to be conducting a census and establishing a tax. They have not yet killed anyone, at least not in a mass killing, but it is obvious they intend to rule here in a very different manner to what we currently do.”
Heather added, “Are they really humans inside this machinery, or is this artificial intelligence acting like humans?”
“No, we have seen photos of the humans who dwell inside the machinery. They truly are physically dependent on their technology. I would say they developed so much technology they eventually evolved into a weakened physical state, while nurturing an advancing intellect. But at the end of the day, the people behind the machines are humans.”
“You told me one day that they had superior firepower. Can you give me a better example now?”
“Yes. You know that wherever one of our battleships goes we dominate whoever we find. Well, their largest ships could easily dominate fifty of our battleships. Since we only have several hundred of them, how we use them and how we attack with them is critical for any chance of success.”
“Jeffrey, we have known each other a very long time. Tell me, truthfully, can we defeat these invaders?”
“Stephanie, in all honesty, our technology is inferior to theirs. We can only place our hope in luck, because a full-frontal battle will certainly lead to our defeat.”
“I see. Then we send you and thousands of others to your death?”
“No, Stephanie. This will be the very first battle we fight where we have clear rules established for both the fight and a means to extricate from the fight. Gabby will also be watching, and as soon as she sees we are failing, she will energize the fleet to escape and evade.”
“What if your ship is destroyed first?”
“Then all ships are pre-programmed to engage the escape.”
“Okay, Jeffrey. Go fight this fight. I will see you back here soon.”
Jeffrey hugged both of them and left.
After he departed, Stephanie said, “Heather, you don’t seem to be as concerned as I. Why not?”
“I am not concerned because I have a growing and full intuition that we will all be together for the final fight. I am not sure why I feel this, but I do. I know Jeffrey and the rest of our family will return safely from this expedition; but go on the expedition they must.”
Stephanie walked over to her, and said, “Are you channeling Mudu?”
“Yes, I think I am, and it feels real.”
“Perhaps I need to brush up on my hand to hand combat skills.”
“I think we both need to.”
“Let’s go.”
56.364.08
“Status report.”
“Admiral, the fleet is prepared.”
“How many ships again?”
“Sir, we have two hundred and twenty-five battleships, one thousand three hundred heavy cruisers, four thousand six hundred light cruisers, and seven thousand fast attack craft. This does not count the thousands of starfighters.”
“Admiral Wilson-Jackson?”
“Sir, the battle management system is active, tested and calibrated. The fleet operates under my command.”
“Very well. Implement Operation Freedom Fire.”
“Aye, Admiral. All ships, we will begin Operation Freedom Fire in five, four, three, two, one, engage.”
The jump to the Tangiers Sector was brief. They came out of lightspeed to a peaceful, calm environment. However, it did not take long before enemy patrols spotted them.
“Sir, we have been scanned.”
“Roger. Hold fast.”
Within moments, thirty-seven of what they were calling Excelsior Class ships, or their battleships, appeared, surrounded by hundreds of lesser craft. Jeffrey thought a few of these ships could probably defeat him, but thirty-seven?”
“Hailing frequencies, on screen. Hail, unknown starships. Who are you and why are you in our galaxy?”
An image appeared. The individual looked rather old, and his muscles were obviously weak. His head was supported by an exoskeleton. His eyes were a piercing deep blue. His voice was clear.
“I am Clement Forty-Six, Master of Armament, First Wave. We are Kaldects come from Andromeda. You already know this. Prepare to die.”
“Wait. Why should we fight? Why not talk?”
He sneered at Jeffrey. “Perhaps you are not as intelligent as we believed. Swarm!”
The image vanished, but every ship accelerated directly for the fleet. As they approached, thousands of smaller starfighter type craft exited the large craft. They were like a swarm of hornets.
“Gabby, thoughts!”
“It’s going to be tough!”
“We have to try. Do your best.”
“Yes sir.” Gabby went into overdrive, using the advanced algorithms she and Simon had developed for this situation, and prepared to meet the enemy. She shifted the fleet forward, battleships in front, and prepared to launch starfighters. Before she could even start to respond to the attack, the swarm of enemy ships made contact with the fleet and the weaponry from the larger ships began cutting up the fleet.
“Sir, we will not survive this. Their first wave will destroy at least twenty percent of our fleet within
ten minutes and fifty percent within twenty.”
“Fire every weapon we have, then engage our exit strategy.”
“Aye sir.” Gabby launched every torpedo, phaser, plasma cannon, and anything else she could think of. Before these weapons made contact, she engaged, and the remaining fleet vanished.
They rendezvoused at a pre-arranged location.
“Status report.”
“They were very efficient. We lost fifteen battleships, seventy-five heavy cruisers and almost two hundred fast attack craft in that short few minutes.”
Jeffrey was visibly shaken. “My God, they truly are unstoppable. Get us back to Meladeran as quickly as possible. We will gather all of the fleet we have there and await their advance.”
57.005.11
“They have taken nearly a third of the galaxy!”
“Isn’t there anything we can do to stop them?”
“You are supposed to be our savior, not sit here in defeat!”
With a third of the galaxy overrun by the Kaldects, Stephanie was under significant pressure to respond and prevail.
“They appear to be heading for Meladeran as we speak! What shall we do?”
The Empress stood and looked out over the assembled people. She raised her hand and they became quiet. She said, “You ask what shall we do? More importantly, you would ask what I will do. I will tell you.”
She walked down the stairs, saying, “I will lead our warriors into battle. We shall be victorious. How do I know this? Because it has been foretold, not by anyone here, in this life, but by a wise old seer from another life. I do not fear these Kaldects! I ask you to believe in me and stand with me one more time as we defeat this enemy together!”
The crowd needed to hear her confidence. They yelled and rallied to her support. They wanted so badly to believe in a positive outcome.
Eventually, she made her way back to the throne. Turning to them one last time, she said, “This will be our shining moment. This will be when we show how the power of humanity can defeat any adversary.”
Leaving the throne room, she met Jeffrey and Heather in her private quarters.
“Jeffrey, how many soldiers are assembled to face the Kaldects in battle?”
Jeffrey felt something new in her. He said, “Your Majesty, we have ordered nearly five hundred thousand of our finest to meet on the field to face the Kaldects.”
Turning to Heather, she said, “And do you still believe this is the moment?”
Heather walked over to her, and taking her hand, she said, “Dearest Andromeda, this is the time for all that you have experienced, all that you have sacrificed, and all that you have become, to unite into one voice and one strong arm to save humanity. You are destined to save not only the humans in this galaxy, but those in others as well.”
Stephanie looked at her, and said, “Diedre, you have been my friend and mentor for so many years. Your words give me encouragement and strength. I need you to stand with me in this hour.”
“Not only will I stand with you, but our entire family will be by your side in this glorious victory you are about to achieve for us all.”
Stephanie walked over to Jeffrey, and said, “Jeffrey, I know you called me Your Majesty a moment ago. But truly, I am not royalty. I am only a simple girl you helped bring into a passion story that is larger than any of us could have imagined. I don’t know what in our past was predetermined. I do know that right now, we are on a cusp of reality that goes beyond anything that could be predetermined. You are my best friend, my mentor, my leader, my brother, and the holder of my whole heart. You, and Heather, are the two I love most. I need you to stand beside me when we fight these barbarians and send them to hell.”
“Stephanie, I will stand beside you through all that may come. I love you.”
“I love you. Now, together, we three, who have been through so much together, must see this through, regardless of how hard it may seem. Victory is ours, if we are strong.”
57.008.13
The Empress had gotten word to the Kaldects to meet her in battle on the surface of Meladeran. She told them, in very few words, that whoever won this battle would gain control of the entire galaxy. The Kaldects, knowing they would win, saw this as an easy way to complete the conquest of this galaxy, so agreed.
Clement Forty-Six, Master of Armament, First Wave, was the commander of forces on the surface.
“Report.”
“We are two hundred thousand strong, fully armored, energized, ready for combat.”
“Very well, hold and wait the advance of the enemy.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Ignatious Thirty-Three, status report.”
“Clement Forty-Six, we are a full wing, seven thousand craft, in orbit awaiting your orders.”
“Very well. Hold and await our victory in this battle. We will then quickly destroy their fleet and continue expansion operations.”
“Yes, sir.”
Clement Forty-Six believed he held the complete upper hand. By force of power, he did. He believed this would get him the recognition he sought from Thaddeus Twenty-Two, the current Exalted Maximus of the Kaldects.
The armies of the Empire began their way onto the field of battle. There were two hundred thousand marines from Earth, fifty thousand warriors from Crelea, and two hundred thousand from other realms and planets around the galaxy.
As they gathered, a central area remained free, awaiting the arrival of the Empress. Finally, as the day lengthened, the Empress and her retinue arrived. They established tents to prepare for the long night before the final battle the next day.
As they were preparing for the evening, a sound began to the south of the Empress’ army. People left their tents, prepared for battle, and stopped to look. Riding towards them was a force of ten thousand knights and five hundred guides, all on horseback, banners waving.
“Your Majesty! Look!”
Stephanie walked outside her tent and watched as this group approached. Jeffrey and Heather joined her. As they got closer, they began to smile, knowing who was coming.
“Your Majesty appears in need of true warriors for this battle.”
Stephanie laughed. “Solon, you are a breath of fresh air much needed today.”
He dismounted and walked over to her. “We would not allow you to go to combat without true knights by your side.”
“Thank you. But who are these people in robes?”
“These are our Guides, Your Majesty. They are our spiritual guides, priests, helpers; and sometimes they put us in our place. They are also warriors, although they choose not to fight unless it is in defense of the weak.”
“That is good to hear, because in this case we are the weak. These Kaldects are so superior to us in power, we have no other choice but to give this our all or lose everything.”
“I have heard. We will prevail, Your Majesty.”
“We shall see.”
57.009.07
As the early morning sun began to lighten the sky with red, the tent city came alive as they prepared for the fight to come. Stephanie called for Heather to join her in her tent.
“You summoned me?”
Stephanie looked at her, then in a quiet voice, said, “Tell me, Diedre, what do you believe I should do?”
Heather understood the transition. “I have spent many days pondering that question, Andromeda. The best response I can give you is this. Take up your sword and your staff. Walk out onto the field with the confidence you had when you defeated Lord Kissle. Be the warrior you are. Be the leader you have learned to be. Be the savior of the people you are meant to be.”
Stephanie walked over to her wardrobe and opened it. She reached inside and pulled out the clothes they had worn so many years ago, along with her sword and staff. Heather helped her dress, then she, too, dressed in the clothes she wore years earlier.
Together, they embraced, and then they walked out of the tent together.
Waiting outside the tent were the leaders of the army and their family. They shared looks between them when they saw how these two were dressed. Stephanie did not say a word but walked through them towards the battlefield, Heather still at her side. Once there, she stopped, and turned to face them.
“Friends, family, warriors all; today we fight for all that we love. We fight for our people, our way of life, our children, loved ones, parents, spouses, and all that we hold dear. We fight for humanity itself. I have been blessed in this life to have known each of you. I will be more blessed to join you in celebration once we defeat this enemy. Today, I ask you to give me everything you are in this cause, as will I. I will not send you off to fight, but will instead be in the front, leading us to victory. Stay strong. Have faith. We will prevail.”
With that she turned around and everyone took their position. To her right, Heather, Jeffrey and Helen. To her left, Solon, Edric and Kare. Behind her, Bishop Samantha, Joshua, and Thomas walked beside Erica and Arabella. Behind and surrounding them were all the members of the Wilson family. Behind them, the knights and a few Guides of Outer Sea. To the left and right of this core group, the warriors and marines of their people. Most of the Guides spread out to provide one every five hundred feet along the front lines of the army.
Empress Stephanie began walking forward and everyone else joined. Clement Forty-Six observed this and when he saw them walking, he also began walking, with his army marching in step. When they were a couple of hundred yards apart, they stopped. Stephanie signaled for everyone to remain and she began a lone walk out to meet the enemy. Clement Forty-Six saw this and he too, left his army and walked out to meet her.
They stood there, a warrior Empress and a Master Armorer, representing two civilizations. Stephanie was dressed in the clothes of a desert warrior, with her staff in her left hand and her sword in its sheath. Clement Forty-Six stood there supported by his exoskeleton, clearly a foot taller than her. He had a sword and several plasma blaster weapons.
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