by Lucy Kelly
Arjun moved around and sat in the Command chair. He smiled at CaliBan, whom he could see was annoyed, flabbergasted, angry, and slightly in awe. Arjun appreciated his reaction. As he and his brothers had courted and finally won Addie, he’d dealt with Glynnis’s methods directed at him as well.
“Ral¯let me give you a little history. Our High Queen’s daughter, the heiress to the throne, was lost in space, along with her mates. While she was gone, her mother, the High Queen, was poisoned. As the only remaining direct descendants of the High Queen, I and my brothers, after receiving a sign and a weak transmission, went in search of the daughter, now High Queen of HeVan.”
He was pleased to see he had captured Ral’s attention and interest.
“After nearly two hundred years, when we found the queen, we discovered proof her ship had also been sabotaged. Her Ankida died saving the lives of the crew. This also brought on premature labor and the birth of Tamiel’s three sons. She had to be put in stasis due to her serious injuries and leave her sons to be raised by others. The nearest planet within range, which was habitable, was in an era of pre-history without any technology. The crew sacrificed everything to keep Tamiel alive. Those men, who weren’t joined, mated with the indigenous peoples. Tamiel’s sons grew up, thrived as best they could and also mated with women from this primitive planet.”
At this point in the story, Arjun paused; there were certain aspects which could not be shared with outsiders. He quickly edited parts of the history which highlighted the treachery of Durga of the House of Purgat.
“When we arrived, Tamiel had just been awakened from her stasis by her own descendant. Tamiel revealed that her mother had foreseen her own death and passed her power to her daughter. Tamiel, in turn, passed the power of the High Queen to her descendant just before leaving this plane to join her Ankida and her sons. The new High Queen’s powers quickly manifested. She drew other descendants to her and many of them agreed to emigrate to HeVan. All but four of the women are joined to members of my original crew. As a result of being in the vicinity of our High Queen, they have all become pregnant. The High Queen herself is joined and carries six babies. She is on bed rest and must not be stressed.”
Arjun stopped speaking for a moment to allow his words to sink in.
“Every warrior on this vessel and on the Venger would give his life for any one of the women and, most especially, our queen. Please pass this message and all we’ve related to your ruler. We have no quarrel with the KowLer as a people, and would prefer to remain on good terms with you. Make no mistake; we will defend our queen to our last breath.”
Arjun and Kylan as well as every crew member on the Bridge stood to show their solidarity.
CaliBan was moved by the story. The HeVanians had made no outward shows of aggression, only those of defense. He would relate their story to his ruler and leave it to Ben KowLer to make the decision whether or not to enforce the new treaty terms.