Lady Eloise [Book 6 of Ever After, an Egg and the Hameggattic Sisterhood novel]

by Robert Iannone

  Fly me to the moon; Let me play among the stars

  Let me see what spring is like; On a-Jupiter and Mars

  Fill my heart with song; And let me sing for ever more

  You are all I long for; All I worship and adore

  I take that back. The really odd thing was that Serenity actually knew how to dance. “I taught her,” admitted Jax’x.

  “And just how did you learn an earth dance?” asked a very curious Egg.

  “Let me rephrase my answer. You taught her.”

  “Me?”

  “Are we interrupting?” asked the Prince for himself and Grex who had just walked over to join the young ladies.

  “Yes.”

  “No,” and Jax’x shook her head. “No, you are not. In fact, your timing is impeccable.”

  Grex looked from one girl to the other. “Me thinks you and I should get another drink, your Lordship.”

  “Nonsense. I have a feeling this will be much more intoxicating. Ladies, I bid you finish your conversation.”

  Egg stared at Jax’x. “Yeah, lady – do finish.”

  The girl exhaled loudly in resignation. “Sparky and I grew a Skotti avatar and we gave it your brain pattern. So technically you taught her.”

  Both men smiled at the ingeniousness of it. Egg was a tad less thrilled. “There’s a Skotti avatar somewhere with my brain?”

  “He’s been deactivated.”

  “Any chance I can convince you to destroy that thing?” It really wasn’t a request.

  “I do believe that, before the night is over, I can accomplish that very thing.”

  Egg went silent – obviously consumed by some deep thought.

  “Egg? I’m sorry.”

  “What?”

  “I said I’m sorry. It was my idea and I should have asked you first.”

  Egg shrugged off the apology. “No biggy.”

  “When did you build this avatar?” asked Grex.

  “Right after Skotti gave Serenity the exoskeleton. She said ever since her accident, it had been an obsession of hers to be able to dance with her husband if she ever got married.”

  “She talked of getting married?” To Egg, that seemed so un-Sparky-like.

  “We had been celebrating her new ability to walk and she had a bit too much champagne. Please – don’t any of you say a word about this.”

  “Of course not,” replied the gallant Prince Charming.

  “Well, this explains her choice in music,” explained Egg. “It was the song my Grandmother danced to when she married Ezra.” Grammy had chosen it in honor of her granddaughter. After all, who else could fly amongst the stars?

  Egg, again, seemed to drift into some deep thought.

  “Wife, is there something on your mind?”

  She nodded yes. “Jax’x, can you grow the avatars yourself?”

  “Sure.”

  “And you can create the brain patterns from other people?”

  “It’s not actually creating – more like copying. But, yes. Serenity has taught me everything. Why?”

  “I’ll tell you later,” the girl replied mysteriously. “In the meantime, don’t do anything to fake Skotti.”

  The other three looked at each other – intrigued by whatever clever plan Flying Girl was beginning to hatch.

  *****

  Hours later the festivities began to wind down. All the call-in sisters had expressed their best wishes and said their farewells. Only Meggy remained.

  The newlyweds were headed to Bel’lanca where they would occupy the royal wedding suite vacated by Egg and Benny.

  “Are you sure?”

  “Sparky, it’s the least we can do. Besides, with my husband’s injuries, he needs to avoid physical exertion.” She added a wink unnecessarily.

  “Alas, I am but a mortal man,” quipped Benny. Turning to the groom he added “Captain Tess’lar, I fully expect you to uphold the honor of the Aerianna Navy in the forthcoming close-order maneuvers.”

  “Sir, you may count on me,” and they all laughed. No one commented on Serenity’s blush.

  “When you guys get back, the fleet will be here. We’ll be removing the population from the Glass and housing them at least temporarily on the transports. When that happens, the Glass will be deactivated. Once you load it on board your ship, your bon voyage will begin. As far as I’m concerned – the sooner the better.”

  “That anxious to get rid of this grump?” asked the not-so-grumpy grump.

  “NO, you silly goose. I’m going to miss you so much . . .” and she wiped her eyes. “I just want you back as soon as possible.”

  “You make me cry on my wedding night and I’ll never forgive you.”

  “Then hug me you fool,” and they did. After a bit, Egg was ready to break the embrace but Serenity seemed unwilling to let go . . . clinging tightly to her friend.

  “Egg, thank you.”

  “For what?”

  “For my life,” and they both broke into an uncontrollable fit of crying. Each man found reasons to avert his eyes – Benny intently examining the ceiling which now held an overwhelming fascination while Skotti looked for non-existent lint on his uniform.

  *****

  They transferred Meggy’s image to the conference room where Ix, Egg and Benny were waiting.

  Egg had already brought the Queen up to speed with all that had transpired. Her husband added, “And I have asked Ix’nay to reach out to us – his new friends – when his people feel ready to make contact. I also extended an invitation, in your name of course, for them to visit Aerianna whenever it seemed appropriate.”

  “Very good, brother.” To the big bug, she said, “The two humans that will accompany you back to your home world are our emissaries. Does your society recognize diplomatic protocols?” It was a polite way of asking if Skotti and Serenity would be safe.

  “Affirmative. Apologies, only limited knowledge.”

  “I am sure you will treat them with the honor they deserve. I also invite you and your people to take advantage of their presence to learn what you can of our world and our culture.”

  “Opportunity will not be lost.”

  “Excellent. You may already be aware that both individuals are highly intelligent and scientifically grounded. They are a great resource on that score and I would hope you give them the opportunity to contribute in any way they can.”

  “Gratitude.”

  “If I may ask a question?” She didn’t wait for permission. “Why did you save the Sky’lords as you did? Why not let them devolve into non-sentience thereby eliminating one obstacle in reacquiring the Cognitron?”

  “No one life is more important than another. No one life is less important than another.”

  Meggy smiled broadly. “Very well said. If there is anything we can do now, or after your return home, you need but ask. As the Prince has said, you must consider us your friends.”

  “Humbled with much gratitude.”

  *****

  After Ix left, Bree and Kon’dor entered the conference room. The Queen, knowing of the budding relationship between the two, smiled warmly. Bree was such a sweetheart; it was a joy to see her find someone.

  “First, I would like to congratulate my sister BreeZee whose efforts led to this miraculous recovery of an entire species. You are such an important part of the Hameggattic Sisterhood and we could not be more proud.” Obviously, Meggy was doing her part to help this relationship.

  Bree smiled. “Thank you, sister. But, it was a team effort as always.”

  “You are too modest.” To Kon’dor she said, “Do you think your people will accept Zephyr’s offer to relocate to Zynn-Zaz’zia?”

  “As I have told the others, to them no time has passed since they entered the Glass so Splendora is still very much their home. However, when the see the destruction – both from the Rak’nex ships as well as two centuries of weather and erosion - they might choose to start over elsewhere.”

  “And you, what would be your prefer
ence?” That was a bit heavy handed.

  Kon’dor smile handsomely. “We have a saying amongst the Sky’lords. Home is where the heart is.”

  “Hey, we have the same one back on Earth,” interjected Egg.

  “I understand completely,” added Meggy. “However, regardless of what your people decide, I would like to offer you – all of you – an invitation to visit my world. Did anyone mention that our capitol city Q’umulus floats two miles above the ground?”

  “Really? That I would love to see. Then again, I would love to visit all the planets in your federation. My people have a long history of exploring new worlds though we tried to do it surreptitiously. Knowledge of our existence might alter the natural evolution of the population.”

  “How very wise. I will now bid you goodnight. I know my brother and sister-in-law have the situation well in hand and they need no interference from afar. It was a great pleasure meeting you. I do hope the next time it will be in person.”

  “You are too kind, your Majesty.”

  “Egg, before I go, I would like a word . . . in private,” and she gave her brother one of ‘those’ looks.

  *****

  After the others left, Egg turned to the image of her sister. “What’s up?”

  “Word has gotten out about the Sky’lords and about Ix’nay. The population is ready to proclaim you Empress of the Universe.”

  Egg made a very earthlike display of her reaction to that bit of news – putting her finger in her mouth and down her throat. “Oops. I’m guessing Princesses don’t make barfing signs.”

  Meggy laughed. “Only under extraordinary circumstances.”

  “Well, let everyone know that it’s Bree, with help from Serenity, Jax’x and Skotti, who did all the work and should get all the credit. While they were busy learning the truth, I was . . . um, preoccupied with your brother.”

  Meggy smiled at the last reference. “I am glad he has not disappointed you.”

  Egg grinned at some private thought. “He still makes me laugh.”

  “You will tell me if that ever changes?”

  “I won’t have to. If I ever out-grump our resident grump, you’ll know the cause.”

  “Well, I for one expect Serenity’s personality to take a sudden turn away from the dark side. We will all bemoan the loss of the old Sparky.”

  “That actually makes me a little sad.”

  “If I may return to the subject of the Sky’lords, you must realize that the Sisterhood does as well as it does because of your leadership and inspiration. Bree and the others achieved what they did because of your extraordinary influence. Sorry, dear sister, you still get the credit.”

  “No. That’s goofy talk.”

  “I refuse to argue the point in so much as I am correct. Furthermore, you must know how much the people or Aerianna love you. They have yet to stop talking about your wedding tour with my brother. What surprised them most was that Flying Girl, the Heroine of Aerianna, was just like them. You have connected with the populace on a level that I never could. Nor my mother for that fact, and they dearly love her.”

  “Meggy, first of all they give me way too much credit. The stupid history books make me seem larger than life. You know as well as I do that any success I had was from just dumb luck and the help of incredibly great sisters. Secondly, I don’t have the qualities that an Empress should have. The conversation you had with Ix . . . the subtle way of protecting Sparky and Skotti was pure diplomacy. Something I know nothing about. The same with your conversation with Kon’dor. It’s why you’re Queen and I’m just a princess. I could never fill your shoes . . . or crown.”

  The Queen was surprised that Egg didn’t think of herself as a diplomat. “Good grief – nothing could be further from the truth. As you earthlings are fond of saying . . . you’re a natural.”

  “Thanks, but why are we even arguing about any of this? I have no desire to be an Empress. Being the leader of the Sisterhood and the better half of Egg and Benny is pretty much a full-time job.”

  “You are right, of course. Sorry, you must be exhausted from today’s festivities. You will keep me apprised of events?”

  “Always.”

  “By the way, I am so happy for Serenity and at the same time sad that she will be gone for so long.”

  “Yeah, me too. What do you think of Kon’dor?”

  “Very, very good looking.” Then she hastily added, “Not that his physical attributes are relevant in any way.”

  Egg smiled knowingly. “Nooo. Of course not. Hey, one more thing before you sign off. When I get back to Aerianna, you, and I and Syl need to have a long talk.”

  “Concerning?”

  “The future of the Hameggattic Sisterhood.”

  *****

  As her screen went blank, Meggy, now deep in thought, continued to stare at it. She needed to convince Egg that she did indeed have the qualities to be an empress – or at least a queen. The challenge, of course, was that the girl had already proven herself to be extraordinary as a leader, a role model, and a diplomat but because of her natural and irritating modesty, she didn’t recognize her own talents. Her morality, integrity, empathy as well as that darned modesty were already legendary.

  Meggy, as well as her parents, were determined that Egg would succeed her as Queen of Aerianna. They had been discussing nothing else since the girl had become engaged to her brother. Oddly enough, she was no longer worried that a majority of the citizenry would vote for her. The real worry was whether Egg would accept.

  Hmmm. What to do? What to do?

  *****

  Not Quite a Week Later

  “Why are you back early?”

  Serenity blushed and Skotti looked away.

  “Answer the lady,” demanded Jax’x worried that something was wrong. She was very protective of her sister. Serenity was a paradox – tough as steel and as vulnerable as a stray kitten.

  “You tell them.”

  Skotti looked aghast. “That’s not going to happen.”

  Benny was as curious as the ladies. “Captain, attend-hut.”

  By reflex from years of training, Skotti snapped to attention. “Sir.”

  “You will answer my wife’s question.”

  “Permission to talk freely, Sir?”

  “Absolutely – if it includes an answer to Egg’s inquiry.”

  The newlywed closed his eyes then opened them. “Sir, we were too noisy. They asked us to leave.”

  You could have heard a feather drop. A couple of heart beats later – not so much as everyone broke into gales of laughter. Serenity hid her face in her hands while her husband continued to stand at attention trying not to smile – and not quite succeeding. Being a man, he was way more proud than embarrassed.

  “At ease, Captain.”

  “Thank you, Sir.”

  As the laughter died down, Jax’x asked her best friend, “Would you like to add some deliciously personal details to that statement?”

  “Not very likely, is it? However, I would like to threaten each and every one of you with an excruciatingly painful, and lingering, death should you ever ask about it again. Anyone have any questions about that?”

  “Yay,” cried Egg. “She’s still grumpy.”

  “Am not.”

  “Captain, can you confirm or deny your wife’s grumpiness?”

  “Sir, I can confirm that for the past week or so, this beautiful young lady wore nothing but a smile the entire time.”

  “Is that figuratively or literally?” teased Kon’dor who was enjoying the moment.

  “SKOTTI,” yelled his wife. “Don’t you dare answer him.”

  “Of course not, dearest. Though, I do believe they just drew their own conclusions,” and they all laughed again – including Sparky reluctantly.

  “Well, your timing is impeccable. The fleet just hailed us. They should be in orbit tomorrow morning. So, we will all be going down to the Sanctum to help Kon’dor bring out his folks and acclimate them to their new
reality. We already have a few of their leaders onboard. I’ll introduce you later.”

  “Looking forward to meeting them. So, once the rest of them have vacated the Glass, my wife (and he smiled at her), Ix and I can load it aboard the Astral.”

  “Yup. Then you’re out of here.”

  “We can stay if you think you’ll need our help with the Sky’lords.”

  “Thanks, but we can manage. Besides, like I said before – the quicker you go, the faster you’ll be back.”

  “Well, I must admit that having six months to recover from the last six days does sound appealing.”

  The loud ‘raspberry’ sound from Serenity made everyone turn around. “Just my luck. I married the only wimp in the entire Navy,” groused his grumpy wife good-naturedly.

  Chapter 7 – New Beginnings

  Life was about to get very hectic, very quickly.

  It all started with the release of the Sky’lords from the Reverie Glass. Having about eight thousand people pop back to reality after spending two hundred years in ‘la-la land’ was a monumental task . . . made more so because their world had been destroyed in the interim. A few days before they were to begin, Egg suggested “Kon’dor, before we start releasing your people willy-nilly, let’s consider a different approach.”

  “Sorry, Willy who?”

  Egg smiled. “It means randomly. Is there a way to find your civilian or military leaders and release them first? Otherwise, we may end up with eight thousand chefs all trying to cook a different version of the same broth.”

  The Sky’lord laughed. “Your phraseology is quite unique.”

  “Everyone from earth babbles like that. So, what do you think?”

  “Excellent idea. However, we don’t have a governmental structure like most worlds. With a population so small, most everything is done by consensus. There are a few exceptions. Space exploration requires a military discipline. So, I will find Kommander Khan. The Medicus General, the head of our medical organization, would be another. And perhaps our Chief Archivist who manages our Archive of Achievement. He’s very knowledgeable and extremely well respected.”