Andromeda

by Glenn Jackson

  “You think that will work?”

  “Let’s give it a try, we have nothing to lose.”

  It didn’t take long for word to get around of the ancient vessel for sale. They had multiple people interested in it, but one person stole the show for them.

  “I will not only give you a hundred million jhetas for this ship, but I will also give you my personal yacht. It is brand new, state of the art, comes with every amenity.”

  “Why would you want to do this?”

  “Because, my dear, this is a work of art, a starship from our past in perfect working order. I tell you, in a few years I will be able to sell this for ten times what I am paying for it.”

  “Okay, deal!”

  Kare and Edric took their very few personal belongings and went to this new yacht, the Starship Ladybird.

  “Wow! This is amazing.”

  “Look at the design, it’s beautiful.”

  “Yes, and the interior, it’s awesome!”

  “Thank you! Yes, the Ladybird is infused with mahogany, silver, gold, lavender; it is posh and cushioned; I believe it is divine. The master suite is the most embellished and modern ever built into a starship. The lounge area is also beautiful, with a wet bar, fake fireplace, soft controlled lighting, a sound system and cushioned furniture that takes away all your cares.”

  “We’re speechless. This is glorious!”

  “I’m glad you like it. Yes, Ladybird and I have seen some grand adventures, but I am ready for something new. Now, I will get my personal belongings out of your way. I usually have a crew, but I suppose you want to be alone. Let me take you to see the Captain and you can learn the control features of this craft.”

  After a good briefing on the features of the craft, the buyer and his staff departed with their personal items.

  “Wow! We have this awesome starship and a hundred million jhetas. Amazing!”

  “I’ll say. This is incredible. Okay, let’s get out of here and go see if we can find and help Helen on her quest.”

  56.236.12

  “Your Majesty! We have a massive number of Imperial Starships appearing!”

  “How many?”

  “Sire, there are several hundred. Maybe as many as one thousand.”

  “Well, Tabitha, I think that pretty much ends our plan.”

  “Yes, Sire.”

  “Sire, we are receiving a call.”

  “On screen.”

  A well-dressed officer appeared. “Good Afternoon. I am Fleet Admiral Jeffrey Wilson, the Archduke of the Empire. I would speak with your leader.”

  “I am King Solon of Outer Sea.”

  “Oh, very good. It is nice to meet you. I am here to inform you the Empire will take possession of the water planets of this star system. We have several hundred tankers that will arrive soon. I ask that you step aside to avoid our use of force.”

  “Step aside? Do you mean surrender?”

  “Please consider this as an offer to peacefully transfer these planets to the Empire.”

  “Peacefully? And if we don’t step aside, what then?”

  “If you refuse, we will be forced to eliminate your fleet and establish control of these planets.”

  “After all we have done to become a people, you would just erase all we are in the blink of an eye?”

  “I know this action pains you, so I will give you time to respond. Remember, you would be compensated financially for the taking. I will wait for five days. If you do not agree to step aside, we will be forced to act. I pray you consider your decision carefully.” The screen went blank.

  Solon got up and walked out of the bridge to his cabin. Tabitha followed him.

  “Well, we have five days.”

  “Yes, Sire. I can’t imagine the firepower the Empire possesses when they can send hundreds of ships on an errand like this to acquire a few water planets.”

  “I think the massive show of force was designed to send a message, Tabitha. Resistance is futile. If we fire at them, they will annihilate us in an instant.”

  “What do we do, Sire?”

  “I don’t know. For now, we wait. Maybe Helen will get through.”

  56.240.10

  Solon waited for four days. In that time, he had not heard from Kare, Edric or Helen. He had no idea if they were even still alive. He did know that they had counted the Imperial Fleet above them and it numbered seven hundred and fifty warships, which included quite a few very large battleships. He knew he didn’t stand a chance in a confrontation and truly had no choice. But his pride was too high to just lay down and wait.

  “Hailing frequency, on screen.”

  In a moment, Jeffrey appeared. “Yes, good to see you. How may I be of assistance?”

  “I would like to meet with you to discuss this process.”

  “Very good. I can either send a shuttle or you can come over on one of yours.”

  “I will come over, but which ship?”

  “Ah, then let me send a shuttle to avoid confusion.”

  “Very well, I will be waiting.”

  In a few minutes a shuttle arrived. Solon brought Tabitha with him, figuring since she had been on one modern ship, she should come see another. When the shuttle door opened, Landon was there, as its pilot.

  “Well, they send a Vice-Admiral to fetch a King. Not bad, I suppose.”

  “Your Majesty. Tabitha.”

  Once the doors were secure, they departed for the GSS Defiant. As they approached, both of them were simply overwhelmed.

  “My God, the size of this thing.”

  “Yes, it is one of the biggest ships in the fleet. Truthfully, you could fit most of your fleet inside of it. It also boasts two hundred starfighters. It is a massive machine with superb capabilities.”

  “Then you didn’t need to send hundreds of ships, you could have sent one.”

  Landon smiled, and said, “Yes, Your Majesty. But it is always good to send too many and leave no doubt than send too few and waste lives needlessly.”

  “That is wise for someone your age.”

  “No, it is a saying of my grandfather.”

  “The Archduke and Fleet Admiral.”

  Tabitha smiled, “Sorry, I had to tell him.”

  “That’s okay. Yes, it is true, and he is a very good man.”

  “We will see.”

  When they arrived at the ship, Jeffrey was there to me them. “Good Morning, Your Majesty.”

  “Good Morning to you. What should I call you?”

  “In public, Admiral, but in private, I prefer Jeffrey.”

  “Very well, Admiral. I must say, this is a ship the likes of which I have never imagined.”

  “Yes. Please, let’s walk while we talk. Landon has been telling me about all that he saw during his short stay. He was most impressed with sailing on the ocean. Unlike Landon, I did sail on a large lake a few times, so understand why he would love the thrill of it. On an ocean? I think that would be exhilarating and terrifying.”

  “Perhaps we should take you on a short excursion? But for now, I would prefer to talk about our ownership situation.”

  “Would Your Majesty do me the honor of waiting to have that conversation until after lunch?”

  He laughed, saying, “Of course, Admiral. Also, perhaps Your Vice-Admiral and my Fleet Commander would prefer to eat alone?”

  Tabitha blushed, saying, “Your Majesty is too kind, but I think we should remain with you until we have completed our business.”

  “Yes, I agree. I would prefer to see this through, so I know where we are going.”

  “Very well, but don’t say I didn’t give you the opportunity.”

  “First, I would like to take you to the bridge of my ship. I say my ship, but in truth it is my Fleet Flagship. There is an admiral in command of the ship, and
we will meet her. But the view is very interesting.”

  When they reached the bridge, they walked out onto a large almost stage or raised platform. There was a chair and numerous screens but walking past that they came to a railing. From here they could see over the consoles of the battle management team and out onto the vessel and the stars. The view right now also consisted of hundreds of warships, with multiple smaller ships going to and fro between them.

  “I must say, Admiral, this is overwhelming.”

  “I agree and feel the same way every time I come out here. Let me introduce you to the one in command of this ship, Admiral Wilson-Jackson.”

  Gabby walked over to them and said, “Good morning, Your Majesty, Admiral.”

  “Good Morning, Admiral. So, you are in command of this ship?”

  “Yes, Your Majesty. I command this ship and when the need arises, am in command of the entire fleet through our battle management system.”

  “Incredible. You are so young.”

  She smiled, and said, “Yes, and no. But thank you for the comment. You are rather young to be a King, are you not?”

  Jeffrey laughed, saying, “Don’t answer that, Your Majesty. Gabby has a way of getting to the heart of the matter with only a few words!”

  Solon also laughed, “I must admit, you are the first person to say I am young for a King. But thank you as well.”

  “Now, perhaps we can go to lunch. If you would come with me.”

  They went to his cabin, which was probably as big as Solon’s castle. They went into the dining area, where a table was set for a meal of only two. Jeffrey turned to Solon and said, “Your Majesty, I had not planned for more than you and me to participate in this meal. Perhaps we could both encourage our two chaperons to leave us, so we can have a good discussion?”

  They both looked at Landon and Tabitha, who laughed, and Landon said, “Okay, we see how it is. We will go have lunch somewhere else. Admiral, please let me know when we should return.”

  Landon and Tabitha left, and after they were in the corridor, he said, “You want to see something really cool?”

  “You mean there is more?”

  He smiled, and said, “Yes, there is, come on!”

  Jeffrey turned to Solon, and said, “Your Majesty, I would propose to have a drink before we sit and eat. Can I get you something?”

  “Yes, and please, call me Solon. I think the formality gets in the way of conversation.”

  “I agree. What would you like? I have wine, red or white, and some other drinks.”

  “I will have what you are having.”

  “Very well. This is a cabernet sauvignon made on my home planet by my sommelier. It is from a vine she acquired from a vineyard on our ancestral planet. I believe it is the best wine I have ever tasted, but then again, I am prejudiced.”

  Solon took the glass and sipped it. “Oh my God, this is divine! The only wine we have on Pelapatia is simply dirty water compared to this.”

  Jeffrey laughed, “Well, we don’t want you to drink dirty water. Now I need to ask you about what you can eat. I assume you are not allergic to anything?”

  “Well, nothing that I know of.”

  “You obviously like seafood, what about beef?”

  “I don’t know what beef is, but we have some domestic animals we raise for food.”

  “Are they cows? Here, let me show you a picture. Is this something you recognize?”

  “Yes, we call them mells.”

  “Mells. Okay, we call them cows and the meat from them we call beef.”

  “Oh, then I know what you mean. It can be good, if cooked correctly.”

  “Yes. Okay, hang on.” He picked up his communication unit and spoke for a moment. “Okay, I have ordered our dinner, it should be ready in a little while. In the meantime, let’s go over here and sit and visit.”

  They went over to a very large window that still showed the stars and ships around them.

  “Jeffrey, how old is the Empire? How big is it? What can you tell me?”

  “Solon, there have been many Empire’s. We know from our history that there has been an Empire in the central area of the galaxy for tens of thousands of years. The last large one, which was not really an Empire compared to the old ones, but called itself that, ended about eight hundred years ago. Since then there have been many civilizations who have tried to re-establish Empire.”

  “Like you, I was born on a planet that didn’t have access to travel at faster than the speed of light. We didn’t know anything about an empire. Instead, we spent our time fighting among ourselves for power. But about fifty years ago, we discovered faster than light travel. We expanded into the galaxy and ran into two civilizations. One was friendly, one was warlike. A war ensued, and we fought hard, lost many people, but we prevailed. Since then, we have been at the forefront of trying to make sure humanity has the best tools for survival and exploration.”

  “The Empire we are now part of was only established a few years ago. The Empress selected to lead this Empire is my sister. She is a good person and is trying to balance the best for all against the need for a united set of rules. It is hard, but she is doing the best she can. Personally, I cannot think of anyone who could do a better job at this than her. So, when you are angry with her, remember, she is my sister and I love her.”

  “Thank you, Jeffrey. Perhaps one day I may get the chance to meet her. In the meantime, I must also think of my people and try to do the best for them I can.”

  “I understand. So, tell me, Solon, where did you come from?”

  “Now that is a story with not much interest.”

  “Please, humor me.”

  “Very well. I was born as the ruler of one half of an island. My ancestor had three sons, one older son and a younger set of twins. Suffice to say he decided not to give the kingdom to his oldest son, but banished him from the island, then he split the kingdom in two and gave each twin a side to rule. The problem is, he died before naming one of them as his heir.”

  “Well, you can imagine, the two refused to give in to the other, and eventually it split into two separate kingdoms. The problem is, these two kingdoms fought, every year, for reunification. I cringe when I think of the good men who died for this pointless cause.”

  “Never think life is pointless, Solon. There must be something good that came or comes of your history.”

  “Thanks. Well, the good is that my sister, Kare, married the man of her dreams, the King of the other side of the island, Edric. He abdicated to me on the condition that he marry her, and that their child be the heir of the kingdom, so our bloodlines would reunite into one. I agreed, of course, and now am King of a kingdom that will be destroyed by an Empire.”

  Jeffrey sat back and looked at Solon. They were about the same age, looking at them. Jeffrey was sixty-seven, but on a two-hundred-and-fifty-year lifespan, he looked like he was in his thirties. Solon was probably in his thirties. He also realized, he liked this young man. He had spirit and a passion for life that was infectious.

  Soon the food arrived. Jeffrey had ordered one of his favorite meals, a crab stuffed filet mignon with a whiskey peppercorn cause and rosemary red potatoes. He just loved this meal, it was like comfort food to him.

  “Oh, my God! This is delicious!”

  “Yes, I think so as well. It is my favorite go-to meal. I am glad you like it.”

  Once dinner was complete, they went back to their chairs by the window to talk politics.

  Landon took Tabitha to the only gourmet restaurant on the battleship. It was located deep inside the ship, no window views. Instead, it was situated within a dome, deep inside the ship, that contained some of the most beautiful and colorful flowers she had ever seen. It was exceptionally unique, as when you entered the restaurant you were taken down glass enclosed aisles to individual bubbles for tables, like ent
ering individual igloos. This way they did not impact the oxygen or atmosphere of the garden, but had the ability to see the flowers, while not being overwhelmed by their scent.

  The lighting also created even more spectacular displays, as the lights softly strobed, created scenes of morning or evening colors, or stayed on daylight sun. The lighting changed at different times and gave it a surreal quality. It was beautiful.

  As they sat, Landon said, “I have missed you.”

  “And I you.”

  “Would you feel it to be terribly inappropriate if I sat beside you?”

  She blushed, saying, “No, I think that would be wonderful.”

  He got up and moved around to sit beside her. After he sat, they looked at each other and as he put his arms around her, she held his cheek and pulled him to her and they kissed a very gentle but powerful kiss, so full of passion and energy, yet respectfully soft. They could feel their energy rising for each other and had to work hard at keeping still in the booth.

  They ordered a light meal and drinks, he ordered for them. When the wine arrived and she tasted it, she was overwhelmed. “My goodness, this is divine.”

  “Yes, it is from our family vineyard.”

  “You have a vineyard?”

  “Yes, on our home planet, Xena. We will have to go there some day. At least, I would love to take you there.”

  She kissed him, and said, “I hope that is our future, because I would love to travel with you and learn about the galaxy with you.”

  They enjoyed their time together, and then, Jeffrey called. “Landon, it is time.”

  Once they were back together, Solon said, “Well, Admiral, I must thank you for your hospitality. I wish it could have led to a solution to our dilemma. But for now, I cannot budge, and neither can you, so we will depart. Tomorrow is another day, we will see what the future holds.”

  “Your Majesty, thank you for taking the time to visit. Time is an interesting phenomenon. Sometimes we can’t quite grasp its truth. Perhaps, there is still time. Until we see each other again, goodbye.”