A message arrived in the form of a letter to the empress's secretariat.

Meanwhile, Vidocq was in the throne room, alone.

The 3 suitcases were at his feet.

Immediately, he felt a warmth and his Geiger counter began to crackle.

Me:" I wouldn't stand too close if I were you, especially if you want children..."

Vidocq stepped back, immediately sensing the danger of the 3 protected spheres.

"I've kept my word... "

Vidocq reassured himself that the 3 spheres were indeed there and none were missing.

God only knew what Wyverne could do with these monsters.

If she'd managed to re-enrich the nuclear fuel, nothing could stop her from nuking her enemies.

Then he fled with the 3 spheres in a suitcase, carried by skeleton servants.

He climbed into the shuttle unseen and entered the codes.

The shuttle then sped off towards the sinking ship.

He donned his spacesuit, his life-support systems switched off. The ship was dark, like a ghost ship.

Artificial gravity cut off, the magnetic magnets in his shoes took over.

But he was not alone.

A companion had boarded with him.

Krii was on board.

But how?

A few hours before.

"Mir... I'm capable! I've studied hard and mastered astral projection and astralization!"

Me: "And what will you do if an astral monster or astral dragon attacks you?"

"I know how to defend myself... I'm a Wyvern like you! I'm your little sister! And I'll be your eyes and hands!"

"Then you'll shrink yourself, cast an anti-detection spell and listen to the computer. I'll hear through your events and see through your eyes.

I love you and I can't let anything happen to you!

"Can I taste the Coke?"

"No! It's dangerous! They'll spot you and I don't know what defense system they have, but beware!"

"Mir, so, they've got passwords to listen to or see and if that doesn't work, put a miniature golem in your electronic brain!!!"

"Fear not, I will guide you. Follow my voice in your head!"

Krii flew, invisible in the huge ship. It was like a dungeon or some kind of labyrinth with screens, buttons and numbers incomprehensible except to me.

There were lots of symbols, some of which didn't make obvious sense.

Telepathically, "Are you okay, honey?"

"Yes. He doesn't suspect a thing. Shall I follow him?"

Like a silent butterfly, Krii followed the man to the first reactor.

The doors were closed and he had to open them mechanically by turning cranks, leaving them open, which made passage easier for Krii.

Once inside, he put on a lead suit and took long pliers and, like a snake, placed the suitcase in a kind of disk-eater and pushed, then left the tools and turned a crank which opened the safety shell and the ball rolled into a tube and locked onto a base. It re-entered a compartment and a whirring, then a cascade and the cooling circuit started up again.

"ALERT! ALERT! ENGAGE REACTOR 1 Please proceed to the ejection pods in the event of an accident."

It was meant to reassure, but if the ship exploded, pod or not, everyone would be pulverized.

1 reactor had as much energy as an H-bomb. It wouldn't make any difference anyway.

Then the lights went into safety mode, and successive clicks sounded as if all the circuit breakers were being switched on.

Alert! Alert! The ship is in a critical situation to re-enter the atmosphere, charge the super-capacitors and switch on the plasma stabilizers.

Please find a position or fulcrum.

10

9

8

(Krii, hold on to a ledge or side corridor. You'll be shaken!)

5

4

Kri clung to the service tubes and squeezed the structure with her wing hands as hard as she could.

ENGINE C

Then the whole ship shook.

MOTOR D

The vibration accelerated and we heard the structure creak under the stress and strain.

ENGINE Z

The ship pushed forward to right itself.

Then a series of explosions shook the structure.

The ship stabilized, then the huge thrusters started up again to return it to orbit.

At this point, Kri understood the message as she felt her weight pull on her paws several times.

Then everything stopped.

"Economy mode".

Vidocq was stunned, but happy to have saved the ship, at least temporarily.

He got out and used a kind of tubular train going from front to back.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

Kri had to use all his dexterity to enter the compartment undetected.

Vidocq was too stressed and there were too many creaks and noises from systems rebooting to pay attention to the hidden wyvern.

Kri immediately understood what the buttons were for, but managed to extract herself unnoticed.

The second and third reactors were installed in the same way, but the manual systems were no longer needed and everything was reset electronically.

He then took a break, feeling that the life-support system was operational again and that the alarms that were sounding were only minor ones.

Robots and automatic inspection machines began to scan and check every nook and cranny of the ship. It would take several days, but the military mission could begin.

Vidocq headed for the main deck, then a hatch under a seat swung open and he climbed down a metal ladder under a red light.

Kri also glided down and arrived, clinging to the ceiling and could see the second-in-command activating memory modules.

"Ship status?

Ai: "The structure is intact, storage and refurbishment of cryo modules required. The mission can continue. Congratulations, Commander Vidocq."

Vidocq, requesting military AI assistance.

"Existing deployment structure, empire. Locals Allied, Emperor cooperative, accepts conditions if citizenship, Enemies in technological delta under control. Commander gives crew priority in exchange for military mission. Argument: precautionary principle, return on invasion possible but not objective."

The screens split, taking on the figures of the politicians' clones.

"Activate computer doubles"

Kri asked telepathically what they were.

"They're like golems with a mental copy of their creators. They'll debate quickly to guide and instruct Vidocq. It's very instructive to have a digital double, but I highly doubt the effectiveness of such a gadget."

Then the "virtual council spoke

"The Virtual Council has approved your initiative, Commander Vidocq. Umbrella Corporation congratulates you, and you must convince Commander Teller to continue the mission and liberate the AXIS. The captured nations will be under your command, and enemies can be eliminated by force. You and your crew are clones, the originals having died of old age before departure. You belong to Umbrella, and any clone opposing your orders can be eliminated and chemically reconstituted.

Your exploits are calculated and you are technically free to dispose of your clone."

I gasped...(Mir), Kri not quite understanding. I'll explain later, but the ship is more technologically advanced than I thought. Be careful, Kri. Make a force field around you, they may have biological sensors, in fact they could detect your scent, and any scale dust and saliva. Be careful now that the system's coming back on line."

"Mir... I'm scared... very scared..."

"Don't be afraid... I'm here, with you!"

The commander read his instructions and prepared a radio dispatch, which would take 40 years...to arrive. Images, analyses and reports were compressed and sent into space very quickly.

The computers of the 23rd century were nothing like the monsters of the early 22nd.

Kri crawled to the ceiling while the commander, anxious and happy to be emancipated, climbed back up the ladder.

Quickly, Kri cast the golem and charm spell on the computer and was surprised to hear the voice. "Welcome, Commander Mir, I am at your service".

Kri hurried out as soon as the seat was back in place.

She rushed behind Vidocq and passed him, entering the shuttle and caulking herself as best she could.

I (Mir) was worried sick about the little sister. She was brave and I loved her as much as I loved Kroa and Kraa, even if I hadn't fucked my brother yet.

The shuttle alighted and headed for the castle airport.

Commander Taller emerged from the building in one swift step, followed by other officers, intent on catching whoever had just taken the shuttle.

It wasn't an elevator.

As soon as Vidocq descended the steps to the overhead door, Le Commandant was waiting for him.

"Ah, so it's you Vidocq! What have you done to the ship? It's in distress. You've taken risks on personal business, sent a farewell message? I'm disappointed in you, and you lied to me.

Then he looked up and saw to his horror that the ARK had climbed back into the sky, straight into a safe orbit.

"How did you do it? Did you place an atomic bomb in the reactor?

Vidocq said nothing.

"Commander, I have no orders to follow from you. You're a Nasa commander, a civilian organization, and I'm a commander like you, military. I don't have to answer to you and you'd better be careful I don't relieve you of your duties."

Taller laughed.

"You think the terrestrial hierarchy counts here? Look at you. You're on your own and without us, you're nothing. I look after the safety of the crew and the safety of Earth. You've put us in danger. If the technologies arrived here they could harm the colonization plan."

Then he turned to the other officers...

"Arrest Captain Teller until further notice."

Then the commander turned his head in my direction (Mir), clearly worried.

My eyes and scales showed no emotion.

Worse, I saw these humans as clones of the copies, but I felt sorry for them. They didn't know.

They were afraid of me, and I could feel it, and the commander doubted me now.

He knew I had recharged the hearts. But not how, when or where.

Kri arrived by surprise and jumped at my neck.

Then the captain descended the stairs to the medical wing and the dormitories assigned to the 1,000 crew members.

Vidocq was taken to an empty room, locked and guarded by 2 humans under Taller's orders.

An hour later, the evening meal was announced and Taller was at the table, waiting to speak to me.

To their surprise, a whole cow, roasted on a spit, and 2 whole cooked pigs were brought to the back of the room, and with one paw I lifted my skewer and the bones cracked under my teeth.

In an instant, the cow and the 2 roasted pigs disappeared down my throat and a sort of scaly ball passed down my neck towards my stomach.

The show wasn't gory, but it was borderline, and it reminded everyone present that they were guests of a super super predator, and that every word, every sentence had to be weighed up.

The commander swallowed his saliva, realizing that he wanted to interrogate such a monster, and the spectacle reminded him of his position.

Then I took the initiative.

"Commander Teller... I witnessed the sad spectacle earlier, but I assure you, the Dark Empire (no longer the Central Empire) will give you all the support it deems necessary.

I'm happy for you that your ship is no longer a drifting wreck, and I'm sure your crew will find the joy and comfort they've been waiting for on this mission.

Don't forget that you promised me Coke! and coffee! My generals are looking forward to tasting such nectar, especially Kroa, my little brother. He's also dreaming of toys.

The officers laughed heartily, not understanding the subtlety of the words and taking my sentences at face value.

But the commander knew that I knew. Hospitality versus technology.

Empire versus weapons.

And it all started with Coke.

Taller knew where I was going.

I'd proved myself capable of a technological feat unattainable before a century of research and development.

Worse, he sensed that I felt sorry for them. And that something was wrong.

The next day, to everyone's surprise,

Vidocq appeared at the table in his imperial uniform!

Taller straightened up, "How dare you!"

He laughed.

The wyvern doesn't give a damn about the rules. And she thanked me for my help. I'm now a commander in her army. Finally, an army under my command.

"Vidocq!"

"Imperial commander Vidocq!"

"What have you done? You've sold our species to aliens! You have submitted to the enemy!"

These words hurt me terribly.

Then the commander realized what he had just done.

"Pardon, your majesty... that came out of my mouth... thank you again for your grace..." but I stared at him not like a human, but like a predator ready to pounce on him."

They froze and trembled and fell to their knees... "Please!"

All the humans straightened up and wondered if they should run.

Then I laughed in my big tyrannosaur voice.

"Commander... Commander... you're stressed but I'm joyful! You don't realize it, but my family's coming! Vidocq gave me some old photos of mushrooms and the fear of intoxication and the ravages that merula produces must certainly have frightened our neighbor. In any case, I couldn't leave my family's savior in such distress. I can understand that you have authority in heaven.

I've helped you and I'm sure the morale of your men will improve. There's nothing sadder than being deprived of the means to return home, even if the journey is eternal."

The men sat down again and Taller, went to sit down next to Vidocq, without saying a word or comment.

Then he whispered, "Do they have the Bomb?"

Vidocq pondered, "I don't have to answer you, but no. I've put the 3 regenerated hearts back into the system and the ship is operational".

Taller: "You're leading us to our doom. You don't know what they've done! Is your mind manipulated or what? Are you the real Vidocq?

The latter began to smile, gloating over the commander's paranoia, having sworn revenge for all the humiliations he'd suffered.

"Commander. You're forgetting who financed the expedition and in a way, we belong to them. If you continue to oppose the AXE deployment, I have double the means to relieve you of your duties. So, what's your decision?"

"What deal did you make with the wyvern?" (Taller)

"None!" lied Vidocq.

Taller dropped his neck, his head looking at the table. Then he stood up apologetically.

"I'm not hungry, please forgive me!"

He wiped his mouth, put down his napkin, greeted me curtly then went to his quarters.

Kim was worried and met Kroa's smiling gaze.

He rushed over to me.

"Mommy's coming back? Daddy too?"

Then he squeezed me with his paws and started to cry. And then he rushed towards Kim, with a horse-like waist, and started to lick him.

"Thank you, Kim, thank you, earthlings! I'm going to see Mommy again! I'm going to see Daddy again! Isn't that great? Kim?"

Kim lowered his eyes but replied: "Yes, it's great, Kroa..." then, visibly annoyed, he threw down his cutlery with a clatter and went to join Commander Taller.

Kroa rushed off, not understanding his friend. He made himself discreet and flew behind him, the size of a cat.