by Saxon Andrew
“What about Admiral Bellemy, Sir?”
“He’s facing an execution for ordering the assassination of four Admirals.”
Gemini went to attention and saluted, “Thank you Sir. By the way, what about my Executive Officer?”
“He’s been arrested for being an agent of the Prime Minister.”
“Sir, he wasn’t an agent.”
Tarangelo’s eyes narrowed, “Are you sure about that?”
“Yes Sir, I am. I need him to remain my second.” Tarangelo hesitated and then lifted his communicator. Jacob was waiting on board as Gemini arrived back on his ship.
• • •
The President was right about the anger of the citizens. Every member of Parliament was voted out of office except for one. The representative that stood up and called for the execution of the Prime Minister was reelected; it appeared his constituents were impressed by his bravery in confronting the armed Prime Minister. He was chosen the leader of the Majority party and the first law he presented to the floor was to never replace the damaged doors at the rear of the Chamber. He looked out and said, “Those doors will always be a reminder of what we almost became. Parliament will hold its meetings in the open; the days of secret meetings are over. Let us be proud of what we do and never be ashamed to hide anything. Those doors will also remind us that anyone that enters here will not be harmed no matter what they say. We’ll do this to honor Prime Minister Abigale Dunhan.”
• • •
The man heard a knock on his door and his brow furrowed. He went to the door and opened it; three guards with raised blasters came through the door and he retreated from them into the living room. A young woman stepped around the guards and smiled. The man asked, “How did you find me?”
“I was given the assignment of capturing you; I’m a telepath and I’m working for the new Prime Minister.”
“What happens now?”
“I honestly don’t know. However, I do believe that the scientists that broke into the former Prime Minister’s computers say that you’ve been a very naughty boy.”
The First Assistant stared at her and reached for his bracelet, “Stun him!” the woman ordered. The First Assistant dropped to the floor and the woman removed the bracelet. It just wouldn’t do for him to commit suicide. The Prime Minister died before he could pay for his crimes. The Colonies were screaming for blood and this man was a good candidate to quench their thirst.
• • •
Cami sat in her office and said, “Wade tells me the Colonies have passed a law to leave the blasted doors in place. The decision was part of a package of laws to honor the memory of Abigale Dunhan.” Cami shook her head, “They would be really ticked off if they knew you weren’t dead.”
Abby laughed and Rory shook his head, “I honestly feel they would celebrate us surviving the attack. The Colonies do love Abby.”
Abby kissed Rory on the cheek and said, “They deserve to feel guilty for what happened. I’m perfectly happy being a corpse.”
Rory turned to Abby, “The Carrier Commander that saw you on his monitor when you threatened to kill the hostages insists that he saw you.”
“And?” Abby asked.
“He’s being derided for it. No one believes it.”
Abby laughed, “Well, there you go. We can go about living our lives without worrying about the Colonies.”
Cami nodded, “Thank you for taking the risk to confront the Prime Minister. You’re also a hero of Britannia.”
“I’m a little tired of being a hero. I’m perfectly happy being Mrs. Rory Dunhan and nothing else. Let history remember me for that.”
Rory looked at Cami, “You’re still keeping scouts in the Colonies.”
“For the immediate future I am. I’ll bring them home once all the Prime Minister’s agents in the Colonies have been removed.”
“I’m glad we didn’t have to destroy their fleets,” Rory remarked.
“Oh boy,” Cami responded. “Admiral Martov felt we should have done it and been through with the Colonies.”
Abby smiled, “Serge does see the world through simple glasses. I’m glad he’s on our side.”
“I am as well,” Cami agreed. “The Grang and DoRen had a marvelous time and have said they are looking forward to another mission.”
“Do you think there will be other missions, Cami?”
“I don’t know Abby. But we’ve never taken the time to really explore and scout the Milky Way; we’ve been too busy facing aggressive civilizations and there may be other civilizations we don’t know about. Some of them might need our help.”
Abby waved a hand, “That is an issue I’ll leave to others; I have grandchildren that need my attention.” Cami smiled and hugged them before they left her office.
• • •
Devin sat in his office filling out a report and heard the chime ring, “Come in.”
A woman stepped through the door and smiled, “Are you busy?”
Devin was impressed by the woman’s appearance and said, “I can take a break; do I know you?”
The woman smiled and thought, “I invited you to visit when everything was over.”
Devin’s mouth fell open and he jumped to his feet, ran around the desk, and hugged her, “Cami told me you were still in the Colonies.”
“I’ve just gotten back.”
Devin released her and stepped back, “You are even more beautiful than I envisioned.”
“Why don’t we go to lunch and discuss it,” Charlotte suggested. Devin smiled and followed her out of the office. He didn’t come back for more than three weeks.
Epilogue
Cami took the elevator to the top floor and headed toward her office. Grady had contacted her and requested her to meet him in her office. She contacted Stoney and asked him what was going on, but he told her he’d rather let Grady discuss it with her. She exited the elevator and walked to her office. She opened the door and said, “What the hell?” Grady, Taffy, Sweets, Charlie, Coco, Abby, Rory, RJ, Candy, Brit and Linda Kay were sitting and standing around.
Grady stood up and said, “Everyone is here to discuss an issue with you.”
Cami’s brow furrowed, she walked around her desk, and sat down, “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you’re all here to gang up on me.”
Taffy raised her shoulders, “It’s something like that Dear.”
Cami looked up and rolled her eyes, “Pray tell what would bring all of you into my office?”
Grady blew out a breath before saying, “The New Prime Minister and President of Parliament have requested to meet with you. I told them no, but they’ve been pleading with me to make the meeting happen.”
“I’m not interested in anything they have to say, and I don’t wish to speak with them.”
Taffy’s eyes narrowed, “Cami, all of us think you should speak with them and I do hope you have some respect for our opinions.”
Cami looked around the room and saw everyone was in agreement. She looked at Stoney and he said, “I told them that once you make up your mind, it’s a waste of time to try and change it.”
“How can you say that?”
Stoney rolled his eyes, “Cami, don’t stand there and tell me you can’t be stubborn. You need look no further than our living accommodations.”
“But it’s the perfect location!”
Stoney sat back, “Yeah, right.”
Cami stared at Stoney and said, “We’ll discuss this later.” She looked at Grady and said, “Alright, I’ll meet with them.”
Grady smiled, “Good, I’ll bring them up.”
Cami leaned forward, “What?! Do you mean they’re here now?!”
“They’re waiting in Devin’s office. I’ll be right back.”
Cami blew out a breath and looked at Abby, “You might want to disappear.”
“I don’t care if they find out; I wouldn’t miss this for the world.”
Grady led the two Colony representatives into Cami’s office; S
toney and Brit offered their chairs and they sat down in front of Cami’s desk. Cami looked at Richard and said, “Looks like you’ve been promoted.”
Richard was looking at Abby and he smiled, “It appears Admiral Heard was right about you being alive.”
“We managed to escape before the shuttle was destroyed.”
Richard smiled, “Thank goodness for that.” He turned to Cami and said, “I’ve been elected the new Prime Minister of the Colonies.”
Cami stated flatly, “I’d congratulate you, but you know how it is. They don’t often survive the job.”
“Cami, I ran on the promise that I would bring the Colonies and Britannia back together. I’m here to try and keep my promise.”
“Then you wasted a trip; I’m not interested in connecting with the Colonies again. Your citizens are psychologically sick.”
Richard nodded slightly, “This experience of having a Prime Minister playing on their fears has awoken the Colonies to the danger of living in fear. They almost lost their freedom to a psycho-maniac and that has made them take a hard look at themselves.”
“That won’t change anything,” Cami replied.
The new President said, “The treaty with Britannia is now a part of the Charter…”
“It was a part of the Charter before it mysteriously disappeared,” Cami interrupted.
“That can never happen again.”
Cami snorted, “Get real.”
“There are now three copies of the Colonies’ Charter, Madam Planet Leader. One is kept in Parliament, a second is kept in the Colonies Special Archives in a sealed vault…”
“Both of those can be tampered with,” Cami interrupted.
“It’s the third copy that will stop any tampering,” the President replied. Cami tilted her head and the President continued, “The Third Copy is a written copy of the charter. Changing the written copy can’t be done without attempting to erase what is written and it can’t be done without leaving clear evidence of the tampering.”
“It could be replaced,” Cami countered.
“The written copy will have the thumbprints of every member of Parliament on the back of every page. That copy will be held in our Supreme Justice building with an armed guard protecting it at all times. It will be sealed in an airtight container that cannot be opened without the Prime Minister, the President of the Colonies, and the Representatives from Earth and Britannia placing their hands on the container. All three copies of the Charter must be identical and if there are any discrepancies, the written Charter takes precedence.”
“What exactly do you mean by representatives from Earth and Britannia?” Cami asked.
“The Colonies have approved a change to the Colonies’ Charter. The new provision stipulates that Earth and Britannia will have a representative in Parliament with veto power over any law. Even if the law is passed by a hundred percent of Parliament, if the representatives from Earth and Britannia agree that it should be vetoed, then it will not pass.”
Cami looked at Richard, “You’re kidding, right?”
“No. I delayed coming here until that addition was passed by all the Colonies. The new amendment was advertised as a means of insuring that the Colonies would never be capable of electing anyone that would represent a danger to all of humanity. The Colonies approved it knowing that they deserved to be controlled.”
Cami stared at Richard and the new President in silence and Sweets said, “Cami, it’s a fair agreement.”
Cami turned to her, “Do you really think so?”
Sweets nodded, “I do.”
Coco looked up at her mother and said, “Uh-oh?”
Sweet’s eyes narrowed and Cami said, “I hereby resign my position as Planet Leader and I’m appointing Sweets Grinstead to fill my position until a new election can be held.”
Everyone in the room jumped to their feet and began protesting Cami’s stance. Cami waited a few moments and then raised her hands. Everyone finally stopped yelling and Cami looked around the room, “Since the moment I was elected to lead Britannia my days have been filled with nightmares about how I was going to protect Britannia from the Colonies. I grew to hate the Colonies for what they were putting me through. I do not like them, and I certainly don’t trust them. Can all of you understand why?” Everyone was silent and Cami looked at Richard, “Do you understand?”
Richard shook his head slightly and then replied, “I do. And I can’t blame you for your feelings.”
Cami looked at Sweets, “You think this is a good faith offer being made by the Colonies and you must be the one to lead Britannia forward.”
“But I’m not capable of doing that, Cami!”
Cami smiled, “Why do you think I’ve had you and Charlie go with me on all the missions out to the Grang, DoRen and Tanis civilizations? Why did I choose you to lead the Tanis Fleets in the confrontation with the Colonies’ Fleets? I was preparing you to take my place, Sweets.”
“I’m not telepathic!”
“No you aren’t. But your daughter is the most powerful telepath in all of humanity. She will tell you everything you need to know. You should keep her close until the day that she takes your place as Britannia’s leader. Our allies know you and respect you and Charlie. They will follow your lead and you are the perfect one to move Britannia forward.”
“But I’m not you Cami!”
“No you aren’t and in this particular instance, that is a good thing. I will never work with the Colonies in repairing the damage to our relationship with them. You can do what I can’t.”
Sweets looked at Charlie, “Tell them I’m not capable of doing this!”
Charlie looked at Sweets and smiled softly, “I’ll tell them you don’t want to do it, but you are more than qualified to do it.” Sweets shook her head and Charlie said gently, “From the first day you came on my ship to go to Andromeda, I saw a woman that was incredibly intelligent, brave, and good. You’ve only continued to amaze me as I’ve watched you grow and mature into the wonderful person you are now. You are the only person I think that could replace Cami.”
Taffy looked at Sweets and smiled, “He’s right love.”
RJ and Candy stood up and went to Sweets. Candy hugged her, as RJ said, “You are strong and beautiful inside. Cami is right about you needing to lead Britannia.”
Sweets sighed and looked around the room seeing everyone nodding. “I’ll accept the temporary assignment but there’s no certainty that I will be elected.”
Stoney was leaning back in his chair and he snorted, “That is not even a small issue. I don’t know anyone that would run against you; they know they’d be massacred in the election.”
Cami stood up and nodded to her chair, “Sweets, please take a seat and lead this meeting with the representatives from the Colonies on how to reopen relations with them.” Sweets walked over and Cami hugged her and whispered in her ear, “I’ve loved you from the moment in high school when you tripped that bully. You can do this, and I know history will remember how wonderful you are.”
Cami released her and started toward the door. Grady stood up and said, “Where are you going?”
“I’m going to get the first breath of fresh air I’ve taken in a very long time.” Cami nodded to Stoney and he followed her out of the office. He linked his mind with her and said, “Can Coco hear us when we’re linked?”
“No.”
“You’ve been planning to do this since the war ended, haven’t you?”
Cami smiled, “I have. I knew the Colonies would eventually come knocking and they didn’t disappoint.”
“Why did you want to do this?”
“For Coco, Stoney.”
“I don’t understand.”
“She’s going to be extremely powerful and the only way to teach her how to respect humanity is for her to be forced to work with her mother governing Britannia. She will learn from the experience and will one day be ready to take the lead from her mother. Leaving her development to chance is too dan
gerous.”
Stoney smiled, “You’re right.”
“And if Coco runs across a difficult situation, her favorite aunt will be there to help her through it.”
Stoney laughed and Cami said, “We can move now.”
“What?”
“I chose to live close to my office to make sure I’d be close when the Colonies came a calling.” Stoney stopped Cami, put his arms around her, and kissed her. Cami thought to him “And we need to be prepared for our son’s arrival.”
Stoney instantly broke the kiss and looked into Cami’s eyes. Cami smiled, “He’ll be here in about seven months.” Stoney wrapped Cami in his arms and Cami felt at peace for the first time in a very long time.
• • •
Grady sat with Taffy on the couch in their living room with his arm around her shoulders. Taffy sighed and Grady turned to her, “What?”
“I miss the cave where we came together. I miss my babies; they’re all grown now. I find myself longing for the times we were running from Earth and the Core Aliens. If I could go back, I’d do it again and this time I’d love it instead of being constantly afraid.”
Grady smiled and pulled her closer, “You can never go home again, Taffy; it will always be different than you remember. But you are loved by our family and you can now rest knowing that they are safe and free to grow up in peace.”
Taffy snuggled in next to Grady and put her head on his shoulder, “You have always been the wisest. By the way, did I tell you I think I’ve come up with an invention we can patent and make a mint?” Grady burst out laughing and knew that Taffy would never change, and he thanked God for it.
The End
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Books by Saxon Andrew
The Annihilation Series:
Love Conquers All
The Power of a Queen
A Rose Grows in Weeds
Tommy’s Tale
Searcher
Demon’s Sacrifice
Finding Keepers
(The seven books above are also audio books at Audible.com)
Prequel-Psychic Beginnings