Maria sat at the center of the military tribunal and review board. She and the joint chiefs of staff were attending in hologram form. Andromeda was a step too far for the board to approve an in-person appearance by any of them. Maria hit her gavel three times to start the tribunal process.

“We are all gathered here to review the occurrence near AG-RP-01. Determine if any System’s Alliance laws were broken and then determine what, if anything could be done differently. This is not a court of law. Any laws we determine may have been broken will be referred to the appropriate court martial, or criminal proceeding. The tribunal will have several phases, phase one, determine if there is any criminal liability. Phase two will determine if there is any financial liability for any party. Phase three will be a review of choices made during the encounter by all parties involved. Phase four will determine what improvements can be made to System’s Alliance policy and process. Presiding will be myself and the joint chiefs of staff. Any questions before we begin?”

Someone at the far table stood up. Allison couldn’t make them out through the League representatives that had been invited to observe, and bring forth their concerns about the disruption Allison’s actions had caused their society. The person who spoke was male.

“Madam President, why are you sitting on the panel for this review, it is highly irregular, and I have good information that you have an existing relationship with the accused as a mentor.”

Maria smiled. Allison thought as innocent as the pale girl... vampire appeared that she was watching a cat look at a mouse that had the audacity to come out of its hole in front of her.

“Chairman Yulan, two things, one, this is not a criminal trial, no one is accused of anything, two, chairing a tribunal requires a fleet admiral or above. The only fleet admiral in our military is the Ensign’s grandfather. I would say, my mentoring the Ensign on occasion is the lesser of the two relationships. You may sit.”

Keer stood up. Maria looked at him.

“With Respect, Madam President, I apologize, I am unfamiliar with your customs and laws, but shouldn’t a warrior’s actions be judged by a warrior, and not a politician?”

Maria nodded.

“Yes, her actions should be judged by a warrior. I will clarify my history for you, out of respect. My people have fought wars for our entire history, I was a general long before I was a president, and then I was an admiral and fleet admiral. I have been trained as a warrior since birth. This politician thing is a relatively recent occurrence. I assure you; The Ensign is being judged by warriors.”

The Eminence grinned showing his teeth. Allison glanced at him. Based on the look he gave the two council representatives his questions had more to do with some internal political thing than her own predicament.

Allison was the only person in attendance that was sitting alone, usually she would have an advocate but whomever her representative was, they were conspicuously absent. Maria seemed content there were no further questions.

“We shall proceed with phase one of this tribunal. Determination of criminal liability. This tribunal has used the last four weeks to consult with military and civilian legal experts to see if any criminal actions were taken during the events that took place at AG-RP-01.”

There was a commotion at the back of the room as someone entered. Allison looked back and her eyes went wide, it was the woman she’d seen at Pluto station when she first woke up. She was wearing a power suit jacket with a pencil skirt. The woman was statuesque and her skin which must have been dark before vampirism and age had given it the quality of marble. She walked down the stairs with practiced ease. All eyes were on her as she sat down beside Allison in the place of her advocate. Maria smiled at the woman.

“Welcome, Isis.”

The strange woman nodded to Maria.

“My apologies Princess, I was unavoidably detained by your Stargate staff.”

Maria nodded.

“I apologize for that, we were about to start listing off possible criminal ramifications of the Ensign’s actions during the encounter at AG-RP-01. Do you have any statements to make before we do so?”

Isis nodded and stood up.

“Yes. I am here to advise you that the Vampire council has determined that Allison Wanjala has no criminal culpability in these events. As a dhampir and based on recent DNA tests, a descendant of our royal line, she is beyond this tribunal’s ability to assign criminal blame. The Emperess can confirm these findings.”

Isis leaned forward to look at a woman Allison didn’t recognize her at first. Her hologram displayed her as a tall statuesque woman with red hair, and a silver streak. There was something eerily familiar about the woman and her bright green eyes.

“I agree, Aunt Maria, the vampire council has reviewed her actions and determined they were legal and within the laws all vampires and dhampirs are bound by, I have ratified their decision as Empress. Any criminal culpability is strictly the responsibility of the System’s Alliance Government, and Military bodies as she followed their policies to the letter, as per the agreement signed with my mother, Empress Enid Aurelius. Any vampire or dhampir signed up with System’s Alliance Defense forces accepts no criminal liability for actions performed so long as those actions conform to System’s Alliance policy.”

Maria nodded.

“Ah yes, and that agreement was signed off by the board that same year as I recall. Well, then, the Ensign’s part in this tribunal is done, until such time as she will be called to provide witness testimony to the events that took place. Before I dismiss you from these proceedings, I just want to personally extend my deepest apologies that you were incorrectly placed on house arrest and detained. The military overextended their authority in this matter and that will be investigated and those who are to blame will face the strongest penalties I can pass down. Your flight status is hereby reinstated, and your illegal detainment is terminated. You are dismissed, please enjoy the rest of your fall break.”

When she finished speaking the various delegates in attendance started an uproar. The loudest being the League council representatives. Allison looked at Isis, who just smiled at her. Eminence Keer and First Trimark Nutina were grinning. Allison looked at Maria who seemed to just be patiently waiting for the ruckus to calm itself down to continue. Isis motioned towards the rear of the room and looked at Allison.

“Come child, our part in this drama is done.”

Isis stood up and started walking out. Allison followed her while Maria dealt with the fallout of Isis and the vampire Empress’s bomb. The pair walked down a set of stairs that led away from the tribunal’s proceedings. Allison gave Isis a few shy glances. Their eyes were identical. Allison had never seen anyone else with eyes like hers. She had so many questions. Her curiosity finally won out.

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“Ma’am, why did you advocate for me?”

Isis smiled as they reached the bottom of the stairs. They were standing on a giant tile mosaic of the System’s Alliance symbol. At its center was an image of the Earth that was before the Grey, and each of the planets of the sol system on a yellow circle background to represent Sol, the origin system’s star. Isis turned to Allison.

“You have so many questions running through your head. Do not worry child, I have heard all of them, some I can answer, some I will not, and some I could not answer if I wanted too.”

Allison blinked a few times.

“You can read my mind?”

Isis nodded.

“It is one of the gifts the Emperor’s blood wakened in me. First, I was assigned to be your advocate by the vampire council and the empress. Second, no I do not know why my eyes are golden, again something that came of the emperor’s blood. It affects everyone differently. Why do you have golden eyes? The answer is simple, exposure to my blood. How did you get exposed? I cannot say. What that means is you are my responsibility as it was my blood that granted you your powers, that is why I was assigned to be your advocate. Until vampire society considers you an adult you are my responsibility. The princess asked that she be allowed to guide you and I allowed it. If she were not presiding over this spectacle, she would have been your advocate.”

Allison opened her mouth to ask another question then closed it.

“You know what I’m about to ask, but I realize it doesn’t matter.”

Isis smiled and put her arm around Allison’s shoulders. Allison couldn’t believe how cold Isis’s skin felt, or how hard. It was like the vampire was made out of stone.

“I am over ten thousand years old. Yes, I am the Goddess the Egyptian mythology speaks of, and yes, I am the only vampire of that ‘pantheon’ that survived the Dark Mother’s wrath. The President and I have known each other since Caeser was emperor of Rome. She has been Crown Princess and General far longer than she has been president.”

Isis laughed when Allison looked at her.

“Not much has changed, my child. Not much. Humans are still humans. When I refer to the Dark Mother’s wrath, I speak of what we vampires call the pogrom, the day the sun was removed from the sky. On that day, the one you call the Dark Mother wiped out a million vampires in an instant. She used their life energies to restore the sun to the sky. I have seen a future where she did not do this and it is truly horrific.”

Allison nodded and glanced outside.

“Ma’am, how are you here? The sun… even when its reflecting off the moon… did you know the Dark Mother?”

Isis smiled and motioned outside to the cement steps.

“Let us go outside and enjoy the sun.”

Allison followed her out of the doors. Isis sat down on the cement steps with no care for her expensive suit, she patted the cement beside her. Allison sat down. Isis stretched her legs out.

“How I can survive this world’s sun is not something I can disclose. Suffice it to say some rare vampires are blessed with an immunity, and there are certain costs to that immunity. Yes, I did know the Dark Mother. I knew her when she was but a child. I stood beside the Emperor and Empress as they struggled to save her mortal life. I watched her grow. I watched her blossom over millennia until she became what she was always meant to be. Our savior. All of this, the entire universe, and every living being in it, we owe to her sacrifice. To me she was Enid, or Empress. Your picture of her is clouded by religious fervor, how humans love their messiahs.”

Allison had her knees curled up to her chest and her arms wrapped around them.

“I don’t understand, I had heard that the older vampires got the less human they became… how are you… like this?”

Isis smiled.

“Oh, my child, yet another one of my friend Enid’s many miracles. Her daughter came to me in the time of the exodus and when I saw them embrace. The true love of a mother for her child, that display of love planted a seed in me. A seed that grew into the humanity I have today. I was ancient even by that time. I thought I was beyond such petty things as jealousy and love. As she always did, Enid showed me the way.”

Allison glanced over at Isis who smiled at her again. Isis nodded.

“Yes, the kinship you feel with me has to do with the blood.”

Isis quirked her head to the side.

“How do you remember that?”

Allison closed her eyes as she realized she’d just shared the memory that Aryna had found of her shortly after birth. Isis nodded.

“I see, child, well yes, it is true I gave birth to you. I was the first to hold you. Yes, I fed you from my own breast until your parents adopted you.”

Allison narrowed her eyes.

“Why didn’t you want me?”

Isis tried to touch Allison’s hand. Allison snatched her hand away.

“Child, I would have kept you if I could. I made a promise to your mother that I would give you as normal a life as I could. Living with me would not have been a normal life.”

Allison stood up and glared at Isis.

“Who is my real mother?”

Isis stood up.

“Child, Apiyo Wanjala is your real mother. You know this. I carried you in my womb, but Apiyo is your mother.”

Allison clenched her fists. She wanted to hate Isis for abandoning her but the vampire’s words had the weight of absolute truth. Isis continued.

“I promised your biological mother I would never tell anyone whose child you are. I can tell you that both of your biological parents would be very proud of you. You are the best parts of both of them. I can promise you that I will always be here for you. In the background, keeping my promise to your biological mother, ensuring you are safe, loved and cared for.”

Allison closed her eyes.

“Did my mother not want me? Did my parents not want me?”

Isis stood up.

“Child, your parents were gone before you were born. I was just a surrogate for you.”

Allison blinked a few times.

“She must have arranged for this before she died. Why would she do that?”

Isis motioned further down the stairs and started down them. Allison followed her.

“Child, I cannot provide too much information. What I can tell you is that she had her children attacked to get to her before you, and one of them she held in her arms as the child died from one of those attacks. You’re not a parent so you can’t understand the pain that brings to a parent, a mother. The secrecy surrounding your biological parents has to do with love. It is to keep you safe. I promised to keep you safe for your biological mother and I will keep that promise at all costs. Even if it causes you to hate me.”

A black rental car pulled up and a tall girl stepped out. She appeared to be in her late teens or early twenties. She was wearing black leggings, a leather jacket and a black t-shirt that proudly declared: Fuck the Corps in a blocky white font. Her ensemble was finished off by a bolter pistol strapped to her thigh. The kind of weapon that would rip a normal human’s arm off if they tried to fire it. She had long black hair that matched Isis, and the same golden eyes. Her skin was dusky, denoting middle eastern descent.

“Is this her mom?”

Isis sighed and nodded.

“Is that shirt really necessary Numari?”

The girl shrugged.

“No, the look on your face is priceless.”

The girl looked at Allison.

“Well, I guess you are her, so hop in, we got a few million light years to travel while mom babysits the idiots in there.”

Allison looked at Isis.

“I can’t just leave.”

Isis held up her hand.

“Shh, I’ve spoken to your mother already, she and I have much to discuss this evening, the Princess would like to speak to you about a matter of importance, in person, Numari is my daughter, she will protect you and get you to that meeting. Listen to what she says.”

Isis looked at Numari.

“You picked up the things her mother packed?”

Numari slid her sunglasses on after giving her mother an ‘are you serious look’.

“Mom, I’m a professional, of course I picked up her things. Now go do your mom stuff. I got this. Don’t worry, I won’t have any parties in your ship while you’re gone.”

Isis grimaced showing her fangs. Numari flashed hers in return. Allison looked between the two. Isis waved her daughter away and turned around to re-enter the proceedings. Numari looked Allison up and down.

“Well come on don’t just stand there gawking, I’m freezing my tits off here.”

Numari slipped into the drivers seat. Allison shrugged and sat down in the passenger seat. Numari put the car into gear and pulled away from the curb. She pulled a U-turn and didn’t even slow down for the guard post. They saw her coming and just lifted the arm that would have blocked their way.

Allison kept glancing over at Numari. Numari eventually looked back at her when they stopped at a traffic light.

“What? Do I have something on my face?”

Allison blushed.

“Sorry, but, you’re Isis’s daughter?”

“Unfortunately.”

Allison looked back in the direction they’d come from.

“She seems great. If a little bit cryptic.”

Numari gave a non-committal grunt.

“The problem with ancient vampires having children is, they haven’t been kids or teenagers, or hell human for thousands of years. They have expectations that don’t meet reality. Now shut up; Aunt Maria contracted me to get you to your meeting safe and sound, I will do that because I’m a professional, she did not pay me to play twenty questions with a teenage girl. If you keep talking I’ll just tranq you.”

Numari didn’t look at Allison when she spoke again.

“Yes, it will work on you, I have the good stuff. I know what you are. Yes, I can read your mind. Gold eyes aren’t the only thing my mother gave me.”