Saturna and the Battle for Zard

by DP Scott

  Chapter Sixteen

  Sitting on a gaudy hastily assembled throne, Detis felt somewhat content. She was elaborately dressed in an expensive flowing gown of gold thread, which glistened with any small movement. Playfully lifting one arm after another, she watched the sparkles, feeling disappointment with the gold and platinum tiara she had been forced to use as her crown--all because the morons sitting below her couldn’t get the opulent crown of Zard! Her choice of material for the dress and reflective qualities of the tiara emphasized the golden highlights of her hair, giving the appearance of a light yellow halo behind her head. It was a heavenly queenly appearance Detis enjoyed when she looked in the mirror, and one she knew the Veectoreze inhabitants would see when they gazed up at her. But oh, how much better it would have been, she thought, if she had been able to wear the crown of Zard!

  The intense power that was now hers made her feel wonderful. Detis looked about at her so called advisors. What did they know? Nothing! She basically had carried out the plan herself, and single-handedly had taken over the Solar System. All of the fools in front of her were useless pawns. If they thought she was about to share any of her new found wealth, they were mistaken. This was wealth and power she had worked and suffered for, and she alone would benefit from it!

  The silence was starting to become irritating. “Well, what is it that you want? I’ve already said I’ll rule from Zard until the palace here is completed. There’s no need for any of you to accompany me back, as long as the Veectoreze officers on Zard understand I’m in charge. When the palace is finished, I will return. Just make sure you follow the plan exactly. I’ll tolerate no mistakes! I want my palace on Veectors to outshine everything that has ever been constructed in the Solar System! That is all, you may leave me!” she commanded, glaring at the frightened inhabitants below.

  On the floor, sixteen high ranking Veectoreze dignitaries sat beneath her on large, overstuffed, bright, yellow cushions looking uncomfortable and ridiculous as they tried to find positions for their legs. The room and the cushions had been her idea since she felt subservience needed to return to her realm, similar to the days when the kingdom had been on Veectors five hundred years ago.

  Plates heaped with unusual delicacies surrounded the dignitaries on the granite tiles, it was a magnificent choice of food, yet most of it remained untouched. The dignitaries were not used to sitting on cushions or eating on the floor, and after listening to Detis rant and rave for the last hour, not many of them even felt hungry. They had expected praise and rewards from the new Queen for the successful insurgence, not a tongue lashing. Shocked at their dismissal, they remained sitting for another few seconds until Detis rose and shouted, “You’re dismissed I said, get out of my sight!”

  Shifting as a unit, all of the dignitaries quickly moved to their hands and knees to bow before rising. They had learned a hard lesson the day before when Detis had informed them of the new rule. After ordering them on their hands and knees, she had left them in that position for over seventy minutes. Detis had said it was to imprint the new ruling upon them, one she didn’t want to have to remind them of again.

  As Detis turned to step off the podium, she heard, “Your Majesty, I would like a private word.” Turning around she faced Diplomat Razore, his head at the same level as hers.

  “Then approach me as per protocol,” she replied.

  “I will bow to you on my hands and knees before others, but since I put you on the throne, I will not bow in private!” he said firmly.

  “If you refuse to bow to me, then I refuse to listen!” she sarcastically answered, turning away.

  “Detis, you WILL listen to me and I will remind you of two things. Firstly, you have no friends here aside from me, and secondly please remember, as you came to the throne, so can the throne be taken away.”

  “Don’t threaten the Queen, or I will have you charged with treason!”

  Razore threw up his hands. “Let’s stop this type of banter, Detis. I’ve known you since you were a child and I’d like to speak to you about pleasant things and our next steps.”

  She knew what Razore had said was true. He had taken her under his wing six years ago and had groomed her to become the second wife of the King. He had taught her everything she needed to know to become royalty. But she also knew that it was her beauty which had smitten the King, and her wits which had gotten her the throne. Razore’s original plan hadn’t exactly worked out and although she didn’t feel like reminding him of it now, she knew if it hadn’t been for her quick thinking in getting rid of Saturna, she wouldn’t be the ruler of the kingdom today. She looked at the pompous person before her, dressed in outlandish colors that didn’t suit him and jewels--too many jewels on every limb. He was a fool!

  Returning to the throne and sitting upon it, she said with pursed lips, “Then speak to me.”

  Diplomat Razore was pleased. He paced about the room slowly with his hands behind his back trying to give the appearance of being deep in thought. He wanted Detis to think what he was about to say was very important because it was important to him. He had to position the words correctly so she would be flattered, but he had to also make sure she understood that she had no choice, but to do as he asked. It was a difficult situation considering Detis had grown a little too confident and strong.

  “My dear Detis, you have come a long way from the young girl I groomed to become Queen. I know how much you struggled on Zard and how difficult it was for you when you were first placed on the planet, a planet you didn’t know anything about. I also understand how hard it must have been when the inhabitants of Zard were not kind to you, especially when the King didn’t accept you as his Queen. But in the end you did well. You captured the kingdom and I am proud. However there are more challenges to overcome, ones I feel you haven’t considered,” he said with a drawn out pause.

  Detis looked at him as though she was bored. Oh how he can go on! Get to the point, she thought, I have things to prepare for my return to Zard.

  Halting his speech for drama and effect, Razore finally continued, “When you were placed on Zard, you were put there as a Zardite. No one, not even anyone on Veectors knows you were born Veectoreze.”

  “So, what does that matter?” asked Detis smirking, thinking she really needed to get rid of Razore as soon as possible because HE knew she was Veectoreze!

  “It matters greatly, My Queen. You plan to return to your planet Veectors, which you have missed immensely and rule from here, yet everyone knows you as a Zardite. A Zardite would never move the throne to Veectors. The Zardites would be angry and the Veectoreze suspicious. You would alienate yourself on both planets.”

  “Then I shall tell them the truth, that I’m in fact a Veectoreze,” she said smugly.

  “That would be a grave mistake, I’m afraid. It would put your kingdom in jeopardy. You forget about the marriage sanctions against our planet. The King would never have married you if he had known you were a Veectoreze. And the other planets will say that because of this, you’re not really the Queen! They’ll take the throne from you, creating interplanetary war. Is this what you want?” he asked vehemently.

  “Of course not, but what I am to do?” she squeaked. “I can barely tolerate a few more months on Zard while the palace is being built here.” For a moment she became more civil, feeling concerned that what he said might be true.

  “Well there is a solution, a perfect solution and it shall deal with all of these issues. You must partner with me, become my wife and make me King.” Razore said this calmly as he stood looking down at her, totally convinced he would make her agree to his plan.

  But Detis could not believe what he just said. Make this ancient idiot her husband! She had already done that when she married the King of Zard. But things were different this time. She was the one with the wealth and power, and if Razore became King, he would take it from her. So, this was what he was after! He wanted the Solar Sy
stem for himself and had used her to get it for him. What a sly inhabitant! She gazed up at him sweetly. “I do understand how this may solve some problems, but it would also create others. It would look very odd if I married so quickly after the passing of a great King and his daughter, especially with someone from Veectors. Tell me, why would you be exempt from the marriage sanctions?” she questioned, barely able to conceal her anger.

  “You of course will immediately abolish all of the sanctions against Veectors. Then there will be no obstacles in marrying me, or ruling from our planet. I’m just happy you understand the importance of this partnership,” he said, placing his hand on her shoulder.

  Detis cringed, but remained silent as she thought of how to get rid of him permanently.

  Anton stood at the back of the compact cell drumming his fingers on the rough window ledge as he looked out the window towards the sky. He was watching a space pod preparing to land. Every few minutes a ship hovered over the landing strip--a flat rectangular area that he could see very clearly from where he was standing. All arriving vessels had the markings of Veectors, the unmistakable black “V” with an arrow at one end. The planet was sending reinforcements and it would be only a matter of time before the Veectoreze sentries outnumbered the Zardites.

  Mentally counting the number of Veectoreze sentries he had seen during the roundup, and the number of space pods landing, he added the number of sentries per pod and figured there were probably two hundred Veectoreze sentries on Zard at present. The time to do something was now, before more reinforcements could arrive.

  Anton clenched his fists in frustration. The Veectoreze dignitaries were not following protocol and there was nothing he could do. Protocol clearly stated that if there was a disagreement between two planets, the problem would be mediated by the Solar Council, with dignitaries on both sides present. It was a violation to imprison dignitaries and officers, yet although he, Yuko, and Gondee had voiced their complaints, the Veectoreze refused to listen. They actually laughed and said the protocol had been changed.

  “Veectors cannot become the ruling planet or there will be no hope for any inhabitant!” said Anton, trying to focus on his job and what he needed to do to regain the castle. He sighed and then his thoughts turned once more to Saturna. Gondee and Yuko had said they could feel her in their auries, so why couldn’t he? He attempted to communicate with her again, but couldn’t see or feel her thoughts. “She can’t be gone, she just can’t!” Slamming his fist into the wall, he wished he had worked harder on perfecting his Turnti telepathic ability. Anton remembered being afraid of it when he first discovered he could communicate with his mother without words, making him so different from his Zardite friends. Because of his embarrassment, he had refused to polish the innate skill, forgetting all about it until that day with Saturna. He could still see her sitting in the chair across from his sick bed, looking so incredibly beautiful. And when they had linked minds, he knew he had found his mate. A perfect mate, who happened to be the Queen of the Solar System, but he wouldn’t think about that now.

  His thoughts were clearer when he moved, and so he paced, taking only a few steps before he had to turn and walk in the opposite direction. All of his plans to recapture the castle started with the Zardite army getting out of the barracks, but this was impossible without setting off alarms. Most of the barrack cells had been modernized and were inescapable, with the exception of the few ancient lock and key cubicles at the rear of the structure. If only he could communicate with the inhabitants in those cells, the cells without alarms.