“You know we will destroy all of you within moments. We have shields that your puny weapons cannot penetrate, while our weapons are superior to yours and will cut through anything you use to try and stop them. Our fleet awaits your death before we destroy your fleet and continue our expansion and conquest of your galaxy.”
“Perhaps. You may just do what you say, but if you do, know that every human in this galaxy will be working hard to find a weakness in your armor, and when it is found, will destroy you. So, you may defeat us today, but you will not defeat our spirit. One day, you will be defeated.”
He laughed. “Your words have no meaning to me.”
Stephanie paused, then tilting her head slightly, she said, “I was not sure what to expect meeting you. I thought, perhaps these are intelligent and compassionate beings who will listen to reason. But I see that you are not.”
“You insult me before we destroy you. Very fitting.”
“No, I do not seek to insult you. It is just an observation of your arrogance and lack of understanding of the true nature of this fight.”
“The true nature is we will defeat you and then move to the next galaxy. We will control the universe before we stop.”
“Yet you do not know how to control even yourself. I pity you. You hide behind your superior technology, even though you have a sword and could meet me in single combat to determine who wins and avoid the deaths of so many. Nevertheless, take your best shot at us. But be prepared for something you do not expect.”
She turned before he could respond and walked back to her place at the head of the line.
Clement Forty-Six was furious she had turned her back on him and turned and went back to his place. As soon as he was there, he ordered, “Swords only! Swarm!”
The entire front line pulled their swords and began marching forward. The marines and warriors saw this, and they, too pulled out swords and marched forward. Stephanie drew her sword and marched forward as well.
The Kaldects were faster, but the end result was a massive crash of swords and steel as several hundred thousand engaged in mortal combat. The Knights of Outer Sea surged forward and surrounded the Empress and her family, and being more recently used to swordplay, fought evenly with the exoskeleton equipped Kaldects.
Clement Forty-Six did not expect the fight to last longer than thirty minutes. He realized he had been tricked by the Empress into a rage and then not using his most powerful weapons. He watched as his army began to lose the fight.
“Ignatious Thirty-Three, deploy wasps.”
“Yes, sir.”
Wasps were equivalent to starfighters. They launched as a massive swarm and moved rapidly toward the fight.
“Your Majesty, the Kaldects have launched a massive swarm from their ships. They will be there in forty-seven seconds.”
“Can you stop them?”
“No, they are too far from us, we could not get there in time.”
“Very well.”
Stephanie grew angry at the unfairness of it, the meanness of it, the inhumane nature of it. Her anger was building to a level she had never felt before. At that moment, Heather stepped in front of her.
“Now, Andromeda! Now, while you feel the white-hot wrath of righteous anger! Now, show your true power!”
Andromeda yelled in a voice that was heard across the entire field of battle, “ARG HRAIT WRISTINE CRATRIN!!”
No one knew what that meant, but it was so loud and powerful, like thunder, that the entire fight stopped. Andromeda then ran straight at Clement Forty-Six. He saw this and pulling out his blaster ran directly towards her. When they were within twenty yards, the wasps appeared above the field.
Just as they were all about to fire, Andromeda stopped, and taking up her staff and holding it in her left hand high, with her sword in her right hand, she yelled, “TURENS SPRENGTUM SERINS CROATOPHSTI!!!” The staff began to glow a very bright blue-white and then a light exploded outwards from the staff towards the wasps. It hit them with force, and they disintegrated. Clements blaster also disintegrated.
He saw this, then pulled his sword and covered the last few yards to attack her. He raised his sword to smite her, but she countered his move and easily shifted away from his thrust. He instantly shifted his attack to hit her, but she stood still and countered his move. He paused, and said, “Now, you will die.” He pulled out another blaster, but before he could turn it to her she swung her staff and knocked it out of his hand. He yelled, raised his sword and attacked. These two engaged in harsh sword-play. He cut her, she responded and cut him. They had cuts on their arms, legs, sides, and eventually she tripped him, and he fell over in his exoskeleton.
As he lay there, she jammed her staff into the ground and yelled, “DECRON VRINST HRIMFINST CROT!!” An instant white-hot blue grew above the staff. Suddenly, each staff of all the Guides began to glow. They all raised their staffs into the air and an energy surge went to Andromeda, who raised her staff and yelled, “UBDOM SRENTCUM WIRTIM DORNTROS!!”
At that moment all the exoskeletons of the warriors collapsed, and a surge of energy went skyward. The surge moved faster than speed and encountered the Kaldect fleet. All of the ships in their fleet disintegrated, except one.
Andromeda was spent. Diedre walked to her and held her. She whispered, “It is done. We can now return to our true selves.”
“For a time, but not yet fully.”
They stood looking into each other’s eyes. They shared thoughts without the need to speak. Then Diedre said, “I see, so the fight is not yet complete.”
Stephanie turned to Clement Forty-Six, now laying helpless in his collapsed exoskeleton, and said, “You are defeated.”
He looked up at her. “Who are you?”
“I am Empress Stephanie the First of the Milky Way Galaxy. I offered you peace, but you wanted war. I spared one starship to transport you and your army home. Here is what I expect. I expect you to take all remaining Kaldect forces and depart for your galaxy, Andromeda, and to tell them what you have seen. I expect you to prepare for my arrival in your galaxy. When I arrive, if there is fighting, I will end it. I do this not because of a desire to defeat or conquer your galaxy, but as a means to establish peace between us so we never fight again. Now go.”
Immediately all the exoskeletons worked, and a starship descended for them to board. Once on board, it departed for their home galaxy.
When they departed, she turned to face her people. They all knelt down before their Empress.
As they journeyed back to the palace, Stephanie turned to Bishop Samantha, and asked, “Why did the staffs of the Guides assist in generating power?”
“I am not sure I know the answer, Your Majesty. Each staff has a core of Melandite wrapped with the root of the Freedinoran tree, all of which come from the same island, Qualdibet. Perhaps there is a latent power within these staffs that is activated by your staff.”
“Perhaps.” Turning to Heather, she said, “It seems Mudu visited many places.”
57.010.10
“Her Majesty, Empress Stephanie the First!”
Stephanie entered the throne room from behind the throne. As soon as she turned and could be seen by the assembled audience, they burst out in a roaring, “Long Live the Empress!” She smiled, then held her hand for them to be silent.
“Thank you. Please, be seated.” The audience sat. The Archduke and Archduchess entered and stood at the base of the stairs. Sovereign Prince Solon and the royalty from Outer Sea also entered and stood at the foot of the stairs.
Stephanie looked at all assembled, and saw that Erica was by herself, standing in the front of the crowd. She walked down the stairs, and everyone rose. She did not stop walking but walked straight to her and embraced her tightly for some time. Erica sobbed in her arms. They both cried. After a little while, Stephanie turned to walk back, but she held Erica’s hand and led h
er to Heather and Jeffrey.
“Hold her. She is a warrior, but we all need love and support, especially in these dark days of loss.”
Erica stood between them and they held her in their arms. Stephanie walked back up the stairs to the throne.
“We have lost so many. The Kaldects, before they were defeated, caused much harm. We must rebuild each planet they destroyed and help those who lost so much to once again believe and have hope in a good future.”
“We also must make a journey, because this fight is not complete. We are going to travel to the Andromeda Galaxy, the home of the Kaldects. This is not to attack them or seek revenge, but to find a way to prevent any future war between us. I will lead this expedition. We will only take a small force, because we need to re-establish normalcy here, in our galaxy.”
“Fleet Admiral Wilson and the Archduchess will join me. We travel to find a way to establish peace, so all people in any galaxy can live lives of freedom and opportunity. I do not know how long this journey will last. In my absence, I appoint Grand Princess Tamara Stewart as Regent of the Galaxy. She will maintain the rule of law until my return.”
She paused for a moment, then added, “We are on the cusp of a new day. I ask you to stay true to our values and principles, as we seek to find a way to keep us safe forever.”
As she left the stage, a roar of approval went up.
Stephanie gathered her inner circle in her residence. Her inner circle now included not just Jeffrey and Heather, but also Solon.
“Solon, I would appreciate it if you could join me on this mission.”
“I would be honored, Stephanie.”
“Also, we need to take the Bishops and some guides with us. Perhaps Edric and Kare would join us?”
“I will make it so.”
Jeffrey added, “You know, it didn’t take them centuries to cross that divide between our galaxies.”
“What are you implying?”
“That either they have some form of faster than light process we are not aware of, or there is something mysterious about the gulf between galaxies.”
“Have you spoken with Gabby?”
“Yes, and she and Simon are trying to understand it. It might be a case of we will only find out when we get there, but the trip should be interesting.”
“I am certain Tamara would be much happier knowing we would only be gone a short time, instead of years and years.”
“Yeah, she has said as much. But we will find out soon enough.”
57.017.11
Empress Stephanie rode from the palace to the spaceport in an open vehicle with Tamara, the Regent of the Galaxy, at her side. This was to formally let everyone know she was departing on this new mission and show Tamara as her face for when she was gone. Waiting at the spaceport was a full field of marines and warriors, along with a huge crowd, banners waving in the wind.
Stephanie walked up to a podium and spoke. “Today we set out on a new journey. This is a journey to ensure peace for our galaxy and all those around us. We start with the Andromeda Galaxy, to make sure the Kaldects never attack us again. In my place, making decisions and enforcing our law, is Grand Princess Tamara Stewart, daughter of Archduke Wilson and Regent of the Milky Way Galaxy. Show her the same allegiance you show me, so we can ensure our galaxy returns to peace while we rebuild our broken planets and families. I expect nothing less than the very best from each of you.”
She stepped aside and motioned for Tamara to speak. “Thank you, Your Majesty. I pledge to uphold our laws and begin the re-building process. We all wish you the very best on your journey and a quick return. Godspeed!”
The crowd roared, and they hugged. Then Stephanie entered the newest ship of the Empire, the new Imperial Battleship Defiant, the Flagship of the Empire. Tamara and the field of warriors and the crowd assembled all departed to observe the departure.
“Your Majesty, the fleet is assembled in the Ariglian Sector. We will join them in five days.”
“Thank you, Fleet Admiral Wilson. I will retire to my quarters and await your presence for a meeting after we are underway.”
As she left, he turned and said, “Admiral Jackson, please take us up.”
“Aye, Admiral.”
Simon then began the process of departure from the surface. This was the newest and the biggest ship of the Empire. It had advanced armaments and a new shield system that included multiple layers interwoven. Should a shield fail, there were multiple backups, so a shield failure would require as many as nine separate systems to fail. It was also about twice the size of previous battleships. The Empire was building a thousand of these ships.
“We are in orbit, Admiral.”
“Very well, Admiral Wilson-Jackson, engage.”
“Aye, Admiral.”
Gabby engaged the stardrive and they were off to the Ariglian Sector, and the eventual trip to the Andromeda Galaxy.
Once they were at speed, Jeffrey walked to see the Empress. Her cabin was even larger than his, with multiple rooms and a host of other amenities. When he arrived, she was deep in conversation with Heather.
“Hi Jeffrey, we were discussing what we might find in Andromeda.”
“It’s interesting you say that. I am still wondering why your name is Andromeda.”
Heather looked at Stephanie, and then said, “Dear, there are wheels within wheels that we don’t even understand ourselves. But suffice to say, we both met a woman, Mudu, when we fell through the wall.”
“Or were pulled through it.”
“Well, yes, it doesn’t seem accidental now. Even so, we met her. She named me Diedre, the helper. My role has been and still is to help Stephanie, Andromeda, be the leader she can be.”
“While I was named Andromeda, because I fell from the stars, I also was told by Mudu that I had a purpose, to save our species and possibly the universe.”
“During the last fight, Diedre provided the catalyst I needed to take this strange powerful anger I felt and channel it into my staff. But I held the power. I do not know where it comes from.”
“Now we are traveling to the Andromeda Galaxy. Will her powers be stronger there? Is she returning home? Will we be weaker? Is this all a fabrication of some accidental metals getting close to each other? We just don’t know.”
“Hence our quiet conversations which I am certain you have seen us doing a lot lately and wondering what was going on.”
They stopped and were silent. Jeffrey smiled, and said, “My dears, I never fear or worry when the two of you are in quiet conversation, because I know when you are ready, you will bring me in. You do raise some interesting thoughts, though. So, are you, in some form or fashion, from Andromeda?”
“I don’t see how that could be.”
“Yes, but you didn’t expect to be pulled through a wall into a different environment, be melded together with your lost half; I mean, let’s face it, a lot has actually happened to create who you are.”
“Yes. That is why we constantly whisper. We are trying to figure it out, so we know what to expect.”
“Well, if you want my advice, unsolicited, of course, I would say to not worry about it and relax. One way or another, you are going to solve the riddle soon enough.”
57.025.09
“The fleet is connected and prepared to move, Admiral.”
“Very well, engage. Admiral Wilson-Jackson, when will we know our true speed?”
“Sir, we intend to run at maximum speed for twenty days. Our normal travel would take us six hundred and seventy-three lightyears. We intend to match this against the actual and see if there are any anomalies.”
“Are you expecting an anomaly?”
“Well, we aren’t sure. We don’t know if there is a difference in the fabric of space/time in the space between galaxies due to the lack of gravitational influences in the flat space between galax
ies.”
Simon added, “Yep, it’s pretty empty out here, so the influence of large gravitational shifts in space/time are limited. We don’t yet know if that will make a difference in how fast we travel.”
“Okay, I guess we wait for the twenty days to go by. If there is no anomaly, how long will it take us to get there?”
“Only a couple of hundred years at maximum warp, if our systems, food, and everything else can sustain us.”
“So basically, at twenty days we will know whether or not we can continue this mission.”
“Yes, sir.”
Jeffrey went to speak with Stephanie, and again, found her and Heather in conversation.
“Sorry to interrupt, but I wanted to inform you we are now traveling with the entire fleet at maximum speed. Our plan is to stop in twenty days and see if there are any variations between how far we should normally travel and how far we have actually traveled. I have it on good terms from Gabby and Simon that if we do not encounter an anomaly, we should easily make the Andromeda Galaxy in roughly two hundred years, if all the systems, food, etc., survive.”
“So, you are saying that we didn’t discover anything about their ships that gave us an indication of a more powerful engine?”
“No. Based on their speed of movement, we determined their travel speeds were much the same as ours. What we do not know is if they hibernated for hundreds of years for the crossing, or if there is an anomaly in this space between galaxies, where our speed is enhanced.”
“Well if we do not find an anomaly, we will turn around. I don’t intend to spend two hundred years traveling to this galaxy, spend fifty years looking around, and then another two hundred and fifty to return home.”
“I agree. So, let’s relax and wait and see what happens.”
57.045.09
Stephanie and Heather were on the bridge when they exited hyperspace. All eyes were on Gabby and Simon, as they evaluated and analyzed the information on their computer systems.
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