“Simon, can this work from Stephanie’s quarters?”
“Yes, we would just need to make a few adjustments.”
“Okay, come with me and let’s get that done.”
He took them both and they found Stephanie and Heather in her quarters discussing the future.
“Stephanie, Simon and Gabby have updated our communications and we can now talk with Meladeran. I had a quick word with Tamara, and she needs to speak with you about a few items.”
“It’s ready to go, all you need to do to activate is press this switch to transmit. Just remember, there is a slight time gap.”
“This is wonderful. Thank you for your ingenuity, I don’t know how we would do anything without you.”
Simon and Gabby left. Stephanie keyed the microphone. “Tamara? This is Stephanie calling.”
“Your Majesty, it is so good to hear your voice!”
“Yours as well. I am here with the Archduke and Archduchess. Who is with you?”
“This is Viscount Sebastian of the Candella System, Your Majesty.”
Stephanie and Jeffrey shared a look. “Ah, Sebastian. And what business do you have with my Regent today?”
“Your Majesty is gone for so long, and many of us believe you are on a fool’s errand and will not return. I want to know who the Emperor will be if you do not return. But I am so glad to hear your voice, Your Majesty.”
“First, thank you for being so concerned about our leadership, it is a true ally of the crown when leaders of your caliber show their loyalty so earnestly. Second, as you can hear, I am well. This journey is nearly complete, and I will be returning soon, with wonderful news. I would encourage you, Sebastian, to continue to support the Regent in her duties for me. In the meantime, I need to speak with my Regent, without any interference, so, if you would not mind, I would ask you to leave her audience so she can have one with me.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. I will do all that you ask. Good day, My Lady.” With that he bowed and departed.
“Okay, we are alone.”
“Alright, what is happening?”
“Your Majesty, Viscount Sebastian and a few hundred others are united in a cause to have me removed from this position and one of their chosen ones to be named as Emperor. They want to convince everyone that you are not coming back, and we need to prepare for an all-out war with the Kaldects. They are proposing changes that would describe exactly what we read about the old Empire – taking wealth and hurting or killing anyone in their path.”
“Do you have the names of all the lords and ladies who support Sebastian in this?”
“Yes, I do.”
“Very well. Please standby.” Turning to Jeffrey, she said, “Is Star Fleet loyal to me or these lords?”
“I would be shocked beyond all probability if Star Fleet has changed allegiances in such a short period of time. Let me speak to Admiral McDaniel.”
“Tamara, is Admiral McDaniel available?”
“Yes, he was on his way to see me before Sebastian intruded into my office.”
“Very well, bring him in.”
After a few minutes, he came across on the speaker. “Your Majesty, this is Admiral McDaniel.”
“Admiral, this is Admiral Wilson. Status report.”
“Admiral, Star Fleet is well. We are bringing more of the new battleships, like the Defiant, online every day. We will soon have our planned force of one thousand fully manned and prepared. Also, our cadets are strong, and the Marines are impeccable. We are prepared for any contingency, Admiral.”
“Thank you, and loyalty?”
“Admiral, I was on my way to speak with the Regent about this. I saw Viscount Sebastian departing here as I arrived. There is a plan afoot to unseat the Empress and place one of their people in the seat of power.”
“Yes, we have heard. What do you think of that?”
“Star Fleet does not interfere in politics. You have said that countless times and it is well bred into our culture. However, that being said, we do want what is right, and this just doesn’t seem right.”
Stephanie interjected. “Admiral McDaniel, I have an order for you. Are you prepared to carry this order out?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Very well. I want you to get the full list of names my Regent will provide you, and at a single coordinated time, I want you to round up every person on that list and bring them to the Imperial Palace and hold them there, incommunicado, until I return or issue you a direct order otherwise. Is that understood?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Very well.”
“Danny, thank you. I wish I was there to help, but in this case, I know you will do what is necessary. We will very soon discover the true nature of the Kaldects – we arrive at their home planet within days. Once we know our longer-term future, I will contact you and we will speak again, plus make some decisions about the future of Star Fleet leadership.”
“Thank you, Jeffrey. I look forward to that. I will send word to the Regent when this current action is complete. It will be soon.”
After he left, Stephanie said, “Tamara, once these are rounded up, keep them on ice. If anyone gets too loud about them being held, take them prisoner as well. Understand, I do not intend to harm these people, but until I return, I do not want them free to poison the Empire.”
“I understand. Thank you. I was going to talk with the Admiral about this and see what he thought we could do and at least have Star Fleet standing by in case they tried something. In any case, they were not going to simply push me aside. I may not be the strongest leader among us, but I would have put up a hell of a fight!”
“That a girl!!”
They all laughed.
“Okay, as Jeffrey said, we will find out very soon what the end game is with Kaldect. I will let you know as soon as I can.”
After this, Jeffrey left for the bridge. Once back, he ordered them to engage one last time before they arrived at Kaldect.
57.340.16
“Entering regular space.”
“Scans?”
“Nothing close by, Admiral, but there is a significant amount of energy in this area of the galaxy, very focused towards Kaldect.”
“Hold here.”
Jeffrey left the bridge and walked back to the quarters of the Empress. When he entered, he found the Empress and the Archduchess again in quiet conversation.
“Ahem.”
“Yes, Jeffrey, please, come in.”
After he closed the door behind him, he said, “Stephanie, we are out of hyperspace. There is a tremendous amount of energy in the direction of their planet. I still think it is a trap.”
“It is.”
“Then what should we do, escape back home?”
“No, we walk willingly into the jaws of the galoof.”
“I have no idea what you are talking about.”
Heather said, “No, in this case, Jeffrey, you do not. You must trust us that we do know and allow us to control this event.”
“Yes. Heather and I will go to Kaldect. You will keep the remainder of the fleet safely away, but close enough to respond once you are summoned.”
Heather walked to him and held his hands, and said, “There truly is nothing you can do, Jeffrey. Please understand. This is foretold for us.”
“Your time spent behind the wall.”
“Yes, exactly. It is drawing to a point and we must be ready for that moment.”
“I love you, and because of that I trust you. I will do as you desire.”
“Very well, please have a fast cruiser prepared. We leave immediately.”
“As you wish.”
Stephanie added, “Once we are on the ground, bring the fleet within striking distance in case of a needed unplanned fast response.”
“Very well.
”
When they arrived at the hangar bay to board their craft, they were met by Solon and his two guides, Samantha and Joshua.
“Your Majesty, you must allow us to accompany you to the surface of this planet.”
Stephanie smiled at the nobility he carried with him and saw the love he had for her. “Solon, thank you for having this desire, but we two must travel alone.”
He said, “Please Your Majesty, hear me out.”
“Very well, come with me. The rest of you wait here.” She led him into the cruiser. Once they were alone, she said, “My darling Solon. I love you, but I must do this alone.”
He held her and kissed her, hard on the mouth. She responded to his touch and his kiss, then pulled away.
He said, “Stephanie, I don’t only ask to accompany you as a man in love with you, or as a small way to show you support. But allowing me and my two guides to accompany you will not add great burden to you, and if you do not succeed, we will all perish anyway. I would rather go down fighting by your side than alone on a starship, helpless. Please, my love, allow me to come with you.”
She reached out and touched his cheek, then said, “How can I refuse this simple request from the man that I love?”
They stood together, kissing and holding each other for a few more minutes, then she called for Heather and the guides to join them.
“We will travel as a team. The five of us against a galaxy.”
Heather chuckled, “Okay, so we out number them. Even better.”
They all laughed, then took their seats and initiated their departure sequence.
57.341.10
As they approached Kaldect, a starship quickly approached. “Hail unknown starship, identify yourself?”
“I am Empress Stephanie the First of the Milky Way Galaxy, here to meet your leader, Thaddeus Twenty-Two, on his invitation.”
“Of course, Your Majesty. You are cleared through to the capital landing field. A guide beam is being transmitted to you, can you intercept it?”
“Yes, we are on that course and will follow it to the landing site. Thank you.”
“Do you think they will kill us while we are on this beam?”
“No, I believe they will want to taunt us before they move in for the kill. It is very primitive but expected.”
They continued and followed the energy beam down to the landing site, and it took them exactly to a specific landing location. Once on the ground, she and her small entourage exited the ship and began walking towards their ground transportation. However, as they walked, a huge force of several thousand warriors with weapon giants over five stories tall, entered the field and surrounded them. They were led by Thaddeus Twenty-Two, the Kaldect Exalted Maximus, with Clement Forty-Six at his side.
Stephanie had expected the galoof to behave in this manner, so was not surprised. Instead, dressed as Andromeda, she stood and waited patiently.
Thaddeus Twenty-Two walked up in his exoskeleton, and said, “You have one day to bow to me or die. If you think I am not serious, let me show you what happens to people who do not believe I am serious, or who fail me.” With those words, he executed Clement Forty-Six on the spot for his failure to defeat her.
“This will happen to you tomorrow, if you do not obey. Your quarters are over there. I will see you in the morning. Think well, because tonight may be your last night.” With that, he turned and departed.
They walked over to their accommodations, a bare, makeshift tent with a shared toilet. It was a very poor accommodation, designed to intimidate her. She brought the five of them together for a conversation.
“Solon, Samantha, Joshua; none of you know the story of Diedre and Andromeda. You also have never heard of Mudu.”
“Yes, we have heard of Mudu.”
“Really? When, how so?”
“Mudu, in our spiritual history, is the Bringer of Peace and Hope. She is the one who brings stability and honesty to the people.”
“Yes, she helps establish the righteous path.”
“Interesting. Well, we have a different vision of Mudu, having spent time with her. Let me tell you a story.” She and Heather then provided them the full story of who they were, how they met, their journey behind the wall, and their understanding of Mudu.
“So, you see, we are on a path to save humanity, not only in our own galaxy, but in this one as well.” She looked at Solon, and said, “This is why I hesitated to let our love bloom. I have something to accomplish, and I am not sure what type of sacrifice will be required.”
Solon walked to her, and said, “Stephanie, I understand. Do what you must do. Whatever you need from us, you have it.”
“Thank you. Now, I believe we should all rest. Tomorrow will be a day unto itself.”
57.342.08
The next morning, they awoke early and ate some of the rations they had with them, not trusting the Kaldects food. Once they were prepared, they walked out of the accommodations provided to them, through a path opened through the assembled warriors, to a point in the middle of the field. They stood in this central area, which was about one hundred yards across, with the Kaldect warriors surrounding them in a wall of weapons and warriors five stories tall. They stood and waited.
In time, the warriors parted and Thaddeus Twenty-Two returned. He walked up to her, and said, “Well?”
Stephanie looked at him, and said, “You do not learn easily.”
“I do not learn.” He was exasperated. “Have you not learned, yet, that I am superior to you?”
“I tried to tell Clement Forty-Six this same thing, but he was incapable of hearing. Are you the same as he?”
“You question my strength and ability to lead? You insult me. Enough!” He turned and walked back to his army and said, “Swarm!”
The army of the Kaldects moved. First, they pulled weapons. Then they marched a step forward. Then they raised their weapons to fire.
Andromeda was expecting the worst and pulled her sword from its sheath and held it high. A soft glow emanated from the sword and surrounded them. When the enemy fired, the weapons of the enemy could not penetrate this shield, even though it was being hit with massive energy blasts.
Thaddeus Twenty-Two saw this and became enraged! He ordered even more attacks. He ordered them to throw bombs at her. Still nothing worked. He then yelled, “If we cannot destroy her, we can destroy her entire fleet and the friends she brought with her! Destroy the starships of the enemy with her friends!”
Stephanie heard this, and she raised her staff. It began to glow a pale orange color. Samantha and Joshua’s staffs also began to glow. She yelled, “BERNIDE TROUSTRUN CRVINE SRTIME!!!” Unexpectedly to her and everyone else, her staff exploded into a vapor and pushed outward faster than speed, surrounding and providing a protective shield for the fleet, which was still approaching orbit. The enemy fired weapons on the fleet. They fired plasma, laser, torpedoes; nothing worked, because they disintegrated when they hit the shield and could not penetrate it.
Jeffrey observed this, and said, “Gabby, Simon, what is happening?”
“I don’t know, sir. The shield that surrounds us now is far stronger than anything we could imagine.”
“Yea, nothing is getting through that.”
“Then the fight has begun.”
For a moment, everything stopped. No one was fighting. The Kaldects realized this was different and waited for guidance from their leader. Thaddeus Twenty-Two was incensed! He ordered all weapons and all systems to join the attack on the fleet in orbit, as he drew his sword and attacked Stephanie.
Within the small space protected by her swords shield, Andromeda cringed. She felt helpless. Without her staff, Andromeda felt insecure. She realized the space the sword protected was getting smaller. It appeared the shield would fail soon, and they would be killed. Then, she saw Thaddeus Twenty-Two draw his sword and at
tack.
She moved towards him, uncertain of what the shield would do to protect her friends, but feeling no choices were available. She charged him. Their swords sang in the air and then clashed loudly as they hit. The small woman and the man in his exoskeleton. The military trained, skilled warrior against the fierce desert warrior. They circled and continued to swing their swords and hit each other’s swords. They were relentless in their intensity.
After several minutes, Thaddeus swung around quickly and hit her with the side of this blade, knocking her to the ground. Her sword fell from her hand. Seeing this, he raised his sword to finish her off, but his sword was met by a strong sword from Solon. Solon countered his moves and pushed him away from Andromeda, giving her a moment.
Watching this unfold, she started getting righteously angry at the complete unfairness of this event. You could tell her demeanor was changing. She stood up and her back was straight, her eyes even began to glow. She was full of righteous anger!
Just then Diedre stepped up to her and opened the box she carried. “Mudu told me I would know when you needed these. She said not to give them to you too soon. I know that now is when you need them.” She took two wide golden wrist amulets and two wide upper arm amulets and a tiara, all with encrusted stones and runes written in only a language Andromeda could understand and placed them on her. “Andromeda, as I love you and the universe needs you, now is the final battle. For the sake of humanity, to achieve your destiny, conquer them.”
Andromeda smiled, already feeling the power flowing within her body. She turned in the direction of Thaddeus Twenty-Two, and raising her voice above the noise of the weapons, said, “Solon, Thaddeus Twenty-Two!”
Hearing this, they both stopped their fighting. Thaddeus turned to her, and said, “Are you ready to surrender to me now?”
Andromeda smiled, saying, “No, but I give you this last chance to kneel to me.”
“Surrender to a wench like you? Never!” He turned to his warriors, and yelled, “Swarm!!”
She smiled, and raising her arms, she unleashed a bolt of energy and power unseen by any human before. She destroyed him and the Kaldect military surrounding them on the field in one burst, with the exoskeletons and weapons collapsing on the field. She looked up into the heavens and crossing her arms, sent an energy bolt to the heavens that disintegrated the entire Kaldect star fleet surrounding the planet.
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