Allison returned to the group after finishing her call with her babu. She bit her lower lip. She wasn’t sure how to tell these people their son was dying. She rubbed the back of her neck and finally spoke up.

“I’m sorry if this seems, uh, rude, but who is the leader here?”

Vaedrick’s mother looked at Allison.

“I am. Do not concern yourself with the men, they know their place now.”

Allison bit her lower lip again as her eyes drifted to Hulern.

“Are you sure, ma’am?”

The regal woman nodded.

“I am not sure how to say this, I’m no doctor, but Hulern is dying, according to my scanners. I just asked my grandfather to send some ships ahead so they could provide emergency medical assistance. They’ll be here very soon. Can they take him to the ship to try and save him?”

The doctor looked at her suspiciously.

“You’re kind of young and inexperienced to be making that sort of statement, your grace.”

Allison looked at her.

“Doctor, I have no idea why my scanner is telling me this, it just is. Like I said, I’m no doctor. My computer is just telling me he is dying and needs immediate transport to a medical facility.”

The doctor’s face got red.

“He is stable!”

Allison looked to Vaedrick’s mother.

“Ma’am, it’s up to you. Usually when the scanner says that it’s accurate.”

Allison received an alert about a wormhole formation in the vicinity. She looked between everyone.

“The Vancouver and her escort have just arrived; They’ll be requesting permission to land a medical shuttle.”

Vaedrick’s mother looked at Hulern then looked towards Allison.

“Please tell them they have permission to land anything they need to save my son and protect the ship.”

Allison opened up comms through Bit to the Vancouver.

“This is Shadow One. You have permission to land a medical shuttle and troop transport. There are captured combatants that need to be secured. I destroyed their ship and fighters. There is room in the hanger for Goliath’s, that is where they are currently secured. Ship is in bad shape, engines are offline, so are shields. Gravity and life support are working.”

She received a response.

“Acknowledged Shadow One. Sending a security team, engineering team and medical team.”

Allison closed the comms and folded her hands behind her back and waited. Within five minutes two armed and armored soldiers, along with emergency med techs, were in the sick bay. Within ten, Hulern was on route to the Vancouver. His parents, the doctor and the nurse went with him. This left Allison alone with Vaedrick, along with two robots in the med bay. She was no expert on alien body language, but if she had to guess, he seemed shy around her? She wasn’t sure what to say at this point. Honestly since there were Alliance ships on site she should have left already. Still, he seemed to want to say more, or talk, but seemed unsure of himself. She was feeling a bit awkward herself. Finally, she spoke up.

“He’ll be fine. If they can bring people back from the brink of death after they’ve been frozen in ice for a thousand years, they can patch him up, I’m sure.”

Vaedrick nodded looked away from Allison. Allison rolled her feet back to front and front to back, rubbed the back of her neck. She barely knew this, royal, whatever his title, but she was suddenly getting the crush butterflies in her tummy. She finally pointed her thumb back towards the hanger.

“So… uh, I should probably go give the security detail… some info and stuff. It was uh, nice meeting you?”

She turned to leave when Vaedrick finally found the ability to speak.

“Wait.”

Allison turned towards him.

“Yes?”

He moved closer.

“I am… you seem different then normal women. Why do you address me directly?”

Allison blushed she looked down at herself.

“Umm. Because I don’t want to be rude? How am I different? Your women look the same as ours besides she hair and eye color differences…”

He still didn’t look directly at her face.

“I apologize. I have spoken out of turn. Please do not be offended ma’am.”

Allison couldn’t figure out what his deal was. This was all so odd. He continued.

“I am ashamed of speaking this out loud, but you are very attractive, and my mother is seeking a fellow royal to bind me too with the loss of my sister. May I suggest you?”

Allison blinked a few times that was a bit much for her.

“Uh, well umm… you know, uh, I’m not really a royal, you see I was uh… got lucky. You know what. Umm…”

She couldn’t really form sentences and wanted to be anywhere but here. He shook his head.

“With respect ma’am. You are royalty. It is not about titles; It is about something more. Your people, that came in here, they know it, your bodyguard knows it. Even the rebels know it. You were born to rule.”

Allison blushed.

“I was born to be late. I’m sorry I need to get ready to go, my babu is going to be here soon and it’s a big holiday coming up, I won’t see him for months if I don’t see him now, and the council is also expecting me.”

He moved closer seeming to be emboldened by her nervousness.

“You’re saying that, but you’re still here, talking to me…”

Allison blushed again.

“Well, what happened? Five minutes ago, you looked scared of me.”

He nodded.

“Five minutes ago, I had not realized you would not treat me like I don’t exist.”

Allison was feeling quite flush now. Once he got past his fear, he had quite a bit of charisma going for him.

“Well, you’re not… bad looking yourself. I’m human, and you’re… uh whatever you guys are, so like, whatever, it wouldn’t work out… right?”

“There would need to be studies done of course, but I am sure your parents would find marriage to a duke quite a good match.”

Allison shook her head.

“No, uh, we don’t work that way. No matchmaking…”

Allison knew it was a lie, half the marriages on Eden Prime were arranged. Leftover tradition from the twentieth century and of course genetic compatibility tests to keep the human race going strong.

“I’m a mutant human. I drink blood. Totally not compatible. Trust me.”

That seemed to give him pause, he changed topics.

“Your president is a woman, do women run your society as well?”

Allison blinked a few times.

“Uh, urm, no, she just ended up elected by the board. She’s been president for like twenty years. But… umm, anyone can be president, if they get elected by the board. She just happened to be the best of the job er best for the job.”

He nodded.

“In Ratoan society, women are the leaders and warriors. Men serve their needs. After my sister’s assassination my mother is seeking a strong wife for my brother or I, to replace her. You are the first Battlelord in many cycles.”

Allison wrinkled her nose. Leading an alien world didn’t seem like her first choice of life paths.

“Uh, well, I’m a terrible choice. I’m not even Ratoan. I have no idea about your culture. Also, I’m not really looking to move planets.”

He smiled.

“Little stops my mother when she sets her mind to things. I saw the look in her eye as she watched you commanding your troops. I am just suggesting, if such an arrangement was made, I wouldn’t find you a distasteful wife.”

Allison started getting fully flustered at this point, thankfully an incoming communication told her that her grandfather’s fleet had arrived.

The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

“I do need to go now. It was nice to meet you, Vaedrick.”

She quickly made her way back to the hanger bay. Olga had given up her rifle and was leaning on Bit waiting for her. Allison didn’t say much besides.

“Let’s get out of here.”

Olga nodded. The pair left the group of pirates in the custody of ten marines. Two of them were in Goliath power armor.

*****

Fleet Admiral Wanjala watched out of his first contact meeting room as his granddaughter’s starfighter launched and angled for transit to FTL. He sighed; It had been the briefest of meetings. He’d managed to give her the Christmas gift he’d purchased, and little else. She was growing up so fast. How he missed seeing the adoration in those golden eyes of hers when he’d visited his son’s home regularly. He turned back to his command staff who were all in their dress uniforms.

“Okay, Lieutenant Wanjala has done the hard part. All we need to do is seal the deal, the President and Board are counting on us. We need a comm relay and wormhole beacon in this sector. Lieutenant Wanjala has passed on to me that Ratoan society is ruled by their women. Ensure you show the proper deference to Empress Velda. We are already ninety percent of the way there after her son was saved by the medical staff of the Vancouver. Let’s make this happen.”

He nodded to his command staff. He liked this part of his job so much more than ordering attacks on civilian targets like Tritan. Making friends and saving lives instead of taking them. Allison had seemed off in their meeting, she’d dismissed it as exhaustion, but he knew her better than she realized. Something about the Ratoan had hit her wrong, he wanted to know what, but he also had to balance the fact, they needed this agreement. One of his staff announced the arrival of the Empress.

“Empress Velda, her consort, and their son have arrived.”

His XO escorted the Empress and her retinue to the fleet admiral and introduced him.

“Your highness, this is Fleet Admiral Amani Wanjala. He is the overall commander of the entire System’s Alliance fleet.”

Amani bowed his head in deference to the Empress.

“Empress I am pleased to meet you. President Aurelius wishes she could be here in person, but our security policies prevent her from traveling outside of our origin system. She has authorized me to negotiate in her and the governing board’s place, however, if you wish to negotiate directly with her, she, and the board can be made available via hologram.”

Velda smiled.

“You should be sufficient, Admiral. If she trusts you with her entire fleet, then I am sure we can trust you with our security.”

Amani bowed his head once again. His aide motioned to him. He held up his gloved finger.

“Empress, if you’ll excuse me for the briefest of moments.”

He turned to the viewport, blew a kiss, then waved. The empress watched the ritual with curious eyes. He watched Allison’s fighter transit to FTL in a flash of blue-white light before turning back to the Empress.

“My apologies, Empress, my granddaughter was leaving the area, and we have a tradition.”

The empress smiled once again.

“Your granddaughter is quite a formidable young woman. She reminds me of myself at her age. Brash, impatient, a skilled warrior. She took out a frigate and nine fighters on her own. Even putting herself between our ship and certain death.”

Amani beamed with pride at her statements. If there was one way to butter him up it was to compliment his only grandchild.

“I am very proud of who she’s become. It is hard to imagine the little girl I used to bounce on my knee, who had a fondness for pink unicorns and glitter, is now a skilled fighter pilot who has saved a galaxy.”

His face fell when he realized he wouldn’t get to see her bright eyes on Christmas morning. He pushed away the thoughts.

“Is there something amiss, Admiral?”

He shook his head.

“No, nothing, please, let’s discuss our mutual futures.”

The empress shook her head.

“I would know the mind of our soon to be savior. What is concerning you about the situation?”

He shook his head.

“I am sorry if I gave you that impression, Empress, I was just realizing I wouldn’t get to see the look in my granddaughter’s eyes when she opens my Christmas present. It used to be the highlight of my year.”

“What is this… Christmas?”

He chuckled.

“It is a yearly holiday, we celebrate it, and the new year very close together. It occurs a little under a week from now. We exchange gifts and well-wishes. Families tend to spend it together. Everyone is encouraged to use it as a season of giving.”

The empress nodded.

“Why will you not be there, surely if you can travel here in an hour you can get to where she is? It would seem cruel to keep you apart from them.”

He waved his hand dismissively.

“Sadly, my duty is here, and she will be on our home world with her mother, the president and her family. The president is very concerned with your situation and wanted us to respond immediately.”

The empress nodded. She walked up the steps to the viewport. They were looking out at the remains of her royal ship.

“I will not lie to you; The situation is dire. We had only one escort and two fighters because we are losing the war. We could not spare the ships or troops, but it was imperative I reach the council at all possible speed to ask for assistance.”

Amani nodded.

“How long has the war been going on?”

Empress Velda sighed.

“Far too long. It was simmering for a long time. They call it a rebellion, but their planet has been part of the Empire for generations. My empire is twenty planets, one of which is Utan. The Utanian people have long been staunch supporters of the Empire, but their king was assassinated by rebels and their government was overthrown. I rule over the kings and queens of the planets. I have tried to come to a peaceful resolution, but a religious leader has risen up, spouting things about the divine right the Utanians have to rule. He’s talking about attacking the League. Calling them lazy and fat on the teat of the common man. It’s nonsense of course. They have some advanced ships, but most, like ours, are surplus from the League. As your granddaughter proved earlier, they are no match for your technology. Many of my people have died, including my daughter. The Council was my last resort, after I lost my daughter, I felt I had no choice. Surrender is not an option; They mean to enslave non Utanians. They are not an army, they are terrorists. Someone is funding them, I’m not sure who, their recent escalation to all out attacks came out of nowhere.”

Amani frowned. Another religious war. He had long ago reached the conclusion: Religion was just an excuse to control others.

“I have experience with… this sort of situation. Often times, the force needed to quell the civil war is excessive. You do understand if we get involved, we may need to use extreme measures to suppress this rebellion?”

The empress sighed heavily and nodded.

“My instinct, my need, is to see their entire planet laid to waste after my daughter… However, as empress, the innocents caught in the middle are my subjects and I need to protect them.”

“You need to understand, we humans, we were bred for war. If we get involved, things will escalate. The president has made it clear; I am to assist you, I am to make this deal no matter what you ask us for in return, but you need to understand the deal you’re making. We are the devil, and you may not like the carnage that will follow.”

The empress quirked her head to the side.

“You’re being very candid with me Admiral, surely there are smarter negotiation ploys.”

Amani motioned out the window.

“Empress, you’ve been open and honest with me, so I’m being honest with you. Do you know why my granddaughter is called Battlelord by the Silwrath?”

The empress shook her head.

“Empress, she is sixteen years old, we’re not considered adults until twenty-one. They also call her Destroyer of Worlds and Swarmslayer. Empress, my granddaughter, who is a child by all considerations, destroyed a planet and killed fourteen billion Sal’nash in an instant recently. That is what you’re inviting into your life. That is humanity. We are death.”

The empress didn’t look horrified, if anything she looked impressed.

“She is more worthy than I had thought. To have such conviction, such decisiveness at such a young age.”

He looked over to the Empress with a side-long glance.

“Worthy of what?”

She smiled.

“With the death of my daughter, there is no suitable heir for my throne. Your granddaughter is a Duchess, has a proven record of decisive action and a good relationship with the League, and your ruling class. A perfect replacement for me. I have received your terms; You want a presence in our space. I want something more, tangible, the League has deemed us unworthy to join, I would like to ally with the System’s Alliance. Your ships would patrol our space, protect our worlds. I would join your ruling board and defer to your president. You would have your… ready access to their borders, and access to all the resources of our worlds. I would allow you to set up a command post here. All sealed by a marriage between my son Vaedrick, and your granddaughter. She would replace me, and their daughter would be a member of both my empire and your Alliance by birth.”

Amani scratched his beard furiously. Now he realized what had Allison off balance earlier. She must have figured out what the Queen was asking.

“You barely know us, Empress.”

She motioned to the three-kilometer-long dreadnought around her.

“I was being honest when I admitted the situation is dire, and I am desperate. With my daughter gone, and me being past childbearing age, the Tallick’s are circling. With an heir apparent, with your granddaugther’s reputation, and you at her back, it would settle half of this uprising.”

“Tallick?”

She nodded.

“Sorry, a vicious predator on one of our worlds. They can smell blood from kilometers away and will converge. Quite vicious and deadly.”

“We don’t… that is to say, I do not believe the president would agree to that without Allison’s agreement, and Allison will not agree. Neither would her mother for that matter. Also… she isn’t quite a normal human. I am not sure how to explain this but to say, she is what we call a dhampir. She eats food and she drinks blood. I’m not entirely sure… she can have children.”

The empress looked even more keen on Allison after his statement.

“You’re saying she’s a born predator? She’s perfect, provided you’re incorrect about her ability to have offspring…”

Amani rubbed his forehead with his hand. The empress was a dog with a bone. He tried a different approach.

“Perhaps we could move this ahead at a slower pace. We provide military aid; You allow us to put up our comm relays. We can discuss other matters, if the situation is as dire as you say, you may not have an empire if we do not act swiftly and decisively. The president will consult Allison… it will take time. Time, we do not have by the sounds of it.”

The empress frowned. Amani got worried but then she spoke.

“You are correct, such things take time. I got ahead of myself. I can agree with that with one small change. Your granddaughter makes an appearance at my court. My son will be her date. No betrothal, just, an appearance. Enough for my subjects to see and come to their own conclusions. Surely attending a court function as a diplomatic envoy would be well within her responsibilities as an officer of your fine military?”

Amani nodded.

“Alright, I’ll see to it she joins you, but she isn’t available for a week, or during our weekdays, she attends school, I will not have her missing more, that is her grandfather speaking.”

The empress smiled.

“Of course, it will take time to organize things. Quash this rebellion. Even the hint I have chosen an heir will be enough to assist in that.”

Amani nodded.

“I’ll, inform my leadership of the agreement you wish to reach. For the time being, if you put my team in communication with your military leadership, we’ll get things started on that front.”

The empress smiled once again, Amani felt like he’d just put his granddaughter into the middle of a political nightmare, but he knew she’d have agreed to a date if it could help the Alliance. He wasn’t sure she’d ever agree to an arranged marriage and being made an empress.

*****

Maria nearly spit out her Synth-O when she read over the terms Empress Velda had laid out, and what she was offering. All she had to do was marry her niece, who like her biological mother was very opinionated, off to a royal family to become an empress one day. In return they would have twenty planets added to the System’s Alliance. Probably add twenty percent to the gross national product and they’d have a solid foothold in the mid-rim of the Andromeda Galaxy. The board would go for it. Allison would definitely not. Maria looked up at Amani Wanjala’s image on her holo-display.

“She is serious about this? We do not even know if we are biologically compatible.”

Amani frowned.

“We are. Honestly, we’re so similar my science team is trying to figure out how humans traveled to the Andromeda Galaxy a hundred thousand years ago. In fact, all the member planets are just off humans. I tried to dissuade her, explained that Allison is not entirely human. That she was part vampire, but that just encouraged the Empress more. She said, ‘A born predator is exactly what my bloodline needs.’ Apparently, she feels her family line has become weak and ineffectual. Her alternative to Allison is, I do not know how to say this politely… deficient.”

Maria sighed and put down her bottle of Synth-O. She held up the tablet.

“If I give this to the Board, they are going to put a lot of pressure on Allison and your family to accept the deal. What they are offering us, long term, is going to increase our population and area of influence by two hundred and thirty percent. They are going to see credits, not the teenage girl who is not going to agree to this. I have my own concerns… At this point, I cannot hold it back, but I may be able to get the vampire council to intervene. Look, Amani, you are going to find some things out about Allison, probably soon, because to head this off, it needs to come out… Just know, no matter what is said, she is and always will be your granddaughter. At this point, yes to the date and suppressing this rebellion, use your discretion on how. The rest we are discussing it.”