"That should suffice," Gaelon agreed. "I will instruct our fleet to do the same, and inform our Parliament of the need to unify our fleets to deal with this 'threat'."
"I will notify the Council of Barons that we will be offering to work with the Protectorate military as well."
"Then we will continue this conversation after speaking with our respective governments," Gaelon ended the conversation and the comms link.
Zhi stood from his desk and exited his private quarters. One of his guards was waiting to escort him back to the throne room. As he walked, his mind began to consider his place in the Legion's plan. Gaelon doesn't see me as an equal. He never will. I need to have my own plans in place in case he decides he doesn't need me anymore. He entered the throne room and sat on his throne. It was his throne now, and he wasn't going to give it up. Not to the queen, not to Gaelon, not to anyone.
"Get me the Secretary of Public Affairs immediately. I have an announcement to make." The order hardly cleared his lips, and one of his aides left the room at a quick pace.
***
Lt. Commander Whitley Paige was trying to adjust to life on V'drell Prime. She enjoyed her daily afternoon walks along the Way of Th'warzin, a broad street that led from the imperial palace and the Order's Citadel through the heart of the downtown area and ended at a plaza whose name she couldn't pronounce. The wide street was used by local merchants to sell meats, vegetables, and other food items. Everything about this place is a living contradiction. The Dominion was a space capable race and had some technologies that the Commonwealth hadn't even thought of, yet she was walking by street vendors selling fresh fruits, vegetables, and meats.
Even the architecture was a mix of highly modern metal and glass buildings and ancient looking stone buildings. The palace and the Citadel were a perfect example. These two structures were built connected to each other by a shared courtyard wall. The palace was a modern era structure, complete with all the conveniences one would expect from any building built in the past hundred years. The Citadel though was a carved stone building more reminiscent of a medieval keep. Although Paige had not been in it personally, Danielle had told her that life was 'simpler' in the Citadel. There was no power sources, no plumbing, and no climate control. Baths were drawn by hand or taken in the communal spring in the basement. Food was cooked using fire as a heat source. She calls it simple, I would call it primitive. Glad I am a guest at the palace.
Upon arrival on V'drell Prime, K'oron injected Paige and her senior officers with the same translation nanobots he had used on Danielle. Then for the first few weeks, she and her senior officers had been questioned about basic Terran society and norms by some of the Emperor's staff. Danielle and K'oron had noticed how weary the questioning was becoming and asked the Emperor to allow her to just familiarize herself with the V'drellian culture first, and so the constant questioning stopped. After the questioning, Emperor Glars'n had made a formal proclamation informing his people of the recent arrival of the Terran ship Odyssey and its crew. Once the initial celebrity status that the offworlders had received began to fade, things had quieted down and she paid little attention to the occasional stares she received outside the palace grounds. She still tried kept in touch with Lt. Hart, but as of late that had become more difficult. Especially now that Danielle had been off-world for the past few days.
"Not 'days', it's 'high suns'," she muttered to herself. "They call it a 'high sun' here." Even though she was getting comfortable with some of the cultural distinctions, she was still adapting to some of the basic differences between the two worlds. Every time she struggled with one of these differences, she would go over it again in her mind. A cycle is five hundred high suns. A high sun is sixteen khats. A khat is thirty zels. In Martian time that means a year is five hundred days, and a day is twenty-eight hours. A khat is ninety minutes, and a zel is three minutes. She sighed. Why can't everyone just use the same calendar and clock?
She was so focused on her mental recitation that she almost walked directly into a group of officers that were quickly returning to the palace. One of the men side-stepped her just in time to avoid the collision.
"Get out of the way, Terran!" The man shouted at her as he went by. One of the female officers shook her head at her fellow officer's gruffness and stopped when she passed Paige.
"My apologies honored guest," the female officer said with a cordial bow, "Commander Rab'kla meant no disrespect. We have to hurry back to our posts, and sometimes he forgets that other people use this street beside fleet officers. I am Tray'la."
Paige smiled at the woman in front of her. "I'm Whitley Paige. Something important happened?" She was curious about anything that could be remotely considered exciting. Life had been too quiet since she arrived on this planet. She missed traveling the stars. The Emperor had placed the Odyssey under guard to prevent anyone from attempting to board it except the Terrans that arrived on it. Most of the crew was still living on board, but she had been invited to stay in the palace as a personal guest of the Emperor. They had been given permission to explore this world however they wished, but the Odyssey was not allowed to leave the planet's surface without imperial clearance.
"Important? Yes, but I do not think I can discuss it with you." Tray'la answered. "If the Emperor feels that your experience in the Terran fleet would help, I'm certain he will ask you. Now, if you will excuse me, I must catch up with the others. I do hope that we meet again." Tray'la gave a quick bow and jogged off.
My experience in the Terran fleet? Why would the V'drellians care about that beyond the questions we have already been asked. She suddenly felt a knot forming in her stomach. Tray'la wouldn't have made a comment like that unless whatever is happening involved the Commonwealth. She took off running back to the palace. Maybe the Emperor will loop me in on what is going on!
She slowed her pace as approached the courtyard gate. One of the guards smiled and gave her a nod of his head as he opened the gate for her. She went directly to the atrium outside the throne room and found one of the Emperor's aides.
"Would it be possible for me to speak with His Excellency?" She asked the aide in a formal tone.
The aide looked at her and raised an eyebrow. "Wait here, please." He cracked open the throne room door and disappeared inside. A few moments later, he returned through the door. "His Excellency will see you now." He opened the door for her to enter, and closed it behind her.
As she approached the throne she could see the Emperor seated and looking at her smiling. She knew that he was one of the most powerful men in the known universe, but she didn't feel intimidated by him. He had shown her and her crew nothing but kindness since their arrival.
"Ah, Commander Whitley Paige," the Emperor stood and greeted her. "This a pleasant surprise. I was not aware that we were to meet today."
"I do apologize for interrupting you," she said with a slight bow, "but I didn't want to waste any time in offering my assistance to help with the current situation."
The Emperor's face showed his surprise. "Situation? What do you know about these recent events?"
"I know that it involves the Commonwealth," she answered, "and being a Terran, that makes it my field of expertise."
The Emperor gave a laugh as he sat back down. "Commander, you really have no knowledge of what is happening at all, do you? You must have overheard just enough to deduce that it involved the Commonwealth." His face regained its composure. "However, perhaps you can offer some assistance. K'oron and Danielle are returning with a Terran survivor from the attack. If you would like to assist during his questioning, that would be helpful."
"I would be happy to assist," she replied. "Perhaps you can tell me more about this attack?"
"I wish I could," he responded. "That is what is puzzling. The survivor claims they were attacked by one of our warships, which then transformed into a type of ship he couldn't identify. Then it simply disappeared. It is all very peculiar."
Paige's heart sank. It couldn't be. It just couldn't. She
only knew of one ship that had any ability to masquerade as another ship, the Odyssey. It was one of several new prototype technologies that had been installed for testing.
Glars'n could read the worry in the face of the woman standing in front of him. "You know of this ship, yes?"
"I know of a ship that can do that, yes," she admitted, "but it can't be that ship. It's impossible."
"Why is that?" The Emperor asked.
"Because it's sitting in a hangar under guard at your imperial spaceport, and has been since I landed it here more than ninety high suns ago. The Odyssey has a capability like that. It's a prototype design we were to test. That is before we deserted the Commonwealth Fleet and came here."
"Your ship can do that?" He asked, a concerned expression on his face. "I did not know that such a thing was even possible. This is very troubling. How many ships like yours does the Commonwealth have?
Paige shook her head. "None that I know of. The Odyssey was a test vessel for several new technologies. Many of its ship systems are one of a kind prototypes. It would take years for the Commonwealth to build another Odyssey."
"Could they have built a second ship without your knowledge?" Glars'n posed the obvious question.
"It's possible but doubtful", she responded. "My command was under the Fleet's Research Division, not the main military. The rank and file didn't know that the Odyssey even existed, and may still not. If the Research Division was building a second ship, it would have been extremely hard to keep it a secret from me."
He seemed satisfied with her answer. "Our spies in the Protectorate have not informed of any new craft designs being developed in some time. So, if it isn't the Commonwealth, and it isn't the Protectorate, then K'oron's suspicion that it is the Legion's newest weapon may be correct. This is not good news at all."
She watched him sigh and lean on the arm of the throne as he processed the severity of the situation before him. She wished there was something she could do to help. Maybe there is! But it will take everyone to make it happen.
"Excellency," she interrupted his thoughts, "it sounds like they have managed to steal advanced tech from all three nations. That gives them a huge advantage. Everyone else only has their own tech. So we need a ship like theirs to make it a fair fight."
"Where would we get such a ship?" Glars'n asked. "We don't even know where they got it from."
"We build it," Paige said with a smile. "Allow me and my staff to work with your Science Division to combine our technologies. We can salvage parts from the Odyssey if need be. Whatever it takes. If we can put enough resources into it, and work nonstop, we should be able to get something off the ground in time to be of aid."
"Your ship was to be your way home when this is over. Why would you sacrifice it?" He asked puzzled.
"If the Legion isn't stopped, there won't be a home to go back to," Paige replied. "My Queen has been usurped, and a self-serving bureaucrat now sits on her throne. I imagine that the Legion was behind that as well. My 'home' doesn't exist right now, and if we can't stop the Legion, it may never exist again. We will fight with you to stop the Legion no matter the cost."
The Emperor perked up at her words. "You inspire me, Commander." He turned to a nearby aide. "Have the head of the Science Division report here immediately." The aide bowed and hurried out of the throne room.
A few moments later the doors opened and a female officer approached the throne. It was the same woman that she had talked to earlier.
Tray'la bowed before Glars'n. "You wished to see me, Your Excellency?"
"Tray'la, this is Lt. Commander Whitley Paige of the Commonwealth Fleet."
We actually met earlier today outside the palace," Tray'la said.
"Excellent. Then you two already know each other," the Emperor responded. "I want you both to work together on a new ship design that uses the best technology from both our ships and the Terran ship used by Commander Paige. Reach out to Del'vath at the Citadel too. I know that the Order has some technology that they keep to themselves, and now is not the time to hold anything back. You can have whatever resources or staff you need. Speed is the most important thing. Commander Paige has some ideas on what to start with. Go now, and may Th'warzin give you knowledge of battle that you need for the task ahead."
When the Emperor finished speaking, both women bowed and then walked back to the main doors. Neither of them had any idea that when they had met earlier that day, that they would be partners in the largest project the Dominion had ever taken on.
"So, the Emperor says you have some ideas for a new ship?" Tray'la asked.
"A few, but first let me show you my ship, the Odyssey," Paige said with a grin.
***
Their search of Baxby's apartment didn't turn up anything new, but Chen had noticed the security camera in the hallway outside their victim's apartment. So, now they were back on the ground floor in the security office.
"We need to see the east hallway of the third floor, just outside Unit 302. Play it in reverse, starting when capitol police first arrived, "Chen directed the building security officer. The security officer worked at his console and shortly they were watching the video feed. Passersby in the footage appeared awkward as they moved backward at a rapid pace. After a few minutes, they saw a figure walk backward to Baxby's door.
"Stop it right there!" Peterson said excitedly. "Can you zoom in on that man?"
"A bit," the security officer replied. The image on the screen became larger but somewhat blurry. "That is as good as it gets."
"Still can't make out his face," Chen sighed.
"Don't need to," the security officer stated. "He's wearing a uniform for the maintenance company that does the upkeep on this place. Let me pull up the maintenance records to see who was here yesterday." He typed at his console, then made a scowl. "That's odd. I don't show any maintenance personnel swiping in, and I don't see any active maintenance requests for yesterday either."
"Someone just snagged a uniform to go unnoticed," Peterson offered. "Can you follow that guy on camera? Maybe we can get a better image of him?"
The security officer input a few keystrokes and the feed began jumping from one to the next, keeping the mysterious figure in the frame.
"He knows where all the cameras are," Chen huffed. "All we are getting is the uniform cap or the back of his head."
They continued watching as the man exited the lift, and walked toward the front entrance. Then he took off his cap and discarded it in the trash bin near the door.
"You see that!" Peterson exclaimed to Chen. "He threw away his hat!"
"How often does trash get collected from that can?" Chen asked the security officer.
"When it gets full or starts to smell," the security officer replied.
"Let's go check it out," Peterson said over her shoulder as she walked to the office door. "Maybe we'll get lucky and it will still be in there!"
The two detectives made their way to the front entrance and lifted the top off of the trash bin. They carefully began removing the discarded items, and within moments gazed upon the cap they were looking for.
Chen lifted it out with his gloved hand. "Well, it's nasty, but maybe the techs can pull some DNA from it." Chen's comms device started flashing.
"Looks like you missed a call. Your wife's going to skin you alive for not answering her," Peterson joked with her partner.
Chen's wife had once suspected that her husband and Peterson were having an affair because of all the late nights they worked together. She had even hired a private investigator to follow her husband. After two weeks, Chen and Peterson had figured out they were being followed. They confronted the investigator and learned who had hired him. Peterson managed to convince Chen's wife that nothing was going on and that her husband had just had the misfortune of being partnered with a workaholic. Since that time, Peterson and her partner's wife had become good friends, and Peterson never missed an opportunity to pick at her partner about their 'affair'.
Chen' glared at her and tapped the comms device to play back the recorded message. As he listened, a smile began to creep across his face.
"Good news?" Peterson asked.
"Great news!" Chen answered. "That was Bobby Philmore. He cracked the chip!"
"Well, bag the hat and let's go!" Peterson said.
CHAPTER 9
The two day trip from Mars to Rylos had been uneventful. She had cleared the border earlier that morning and was now on approach to Rylos. Gaelon had made sure that she had been granted all the necessary clearances needed for her to land at the private spaceport used by the highest level Protectorate officials. Upon landing and exiting the ship she was met by Gaelon's personal aide, the Androsan, Hardaath.
"This way please, Lieutenant," the stone-skinned man gestured to the Terran woman. They walked the short distance to the capital building complex and a Protectorate serviceman opened the door for them.
Lakeisha followed the man through the building's ornate central area and down one of the hallways. At the end of the hallway was a set of large double wooden doors, an armed guard standing on each side. At their approach, the two guards opened the doors. The room beyond was a large office with a huge wooden desk and highback chair, and several chairs in various places. A tall valuvian was seated behind the desk. He stood when he saw the woman enter the room.
"Lt. Lakeisha Johnson, I am so pleased that you accepted my invitation," Gaelon said smiling. "The entire universe owes you a tremendous debt of gratitude."
"I am honored, Prime Minister," replied Lakeisha.
Hardaath locked the doors that he and had entered through, touched a panel on the wall by the door, and then nodded to the man behind the desk.
"The room is secure now, Lakeisha," the Valuvian informed his guest. "I appreciate your quick response to my message."
"I assumed it was urgent," the Terran woman's tone shifted from polite to annoyed. "What was so important that it required breaching all of our communication protocols by contacting me directly?"
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