The visit to the capital took all day and I assigned escorts with elite guards to look after the welfare of the Earth humans.
The shuttle was recharged fairly quickly and took off towards the ship in orbit.
The deflectors blew the dust off the tarmac, but it held up quite well.
In the evening, I accompanied the commander, on foot and with Chlorophylle, to the park and its magnificent expanse of clear water.
I knew that Kroa had taken up residence here and was always up to something nasty, or planning a raid, but I forgave him anything. We were animals and it wasn't fair for us to be subjected to so many rules and prohibitions. What's more, both he and I missed Mum.
It made me sick.
I wanted to destroy everything, burn it all down and let my exterminating rage make us pay for what we'd taken unfairly.
Unconsciously, I chattered my teeth and shook. Another one of those absences.
Chlorophyll hissed and my attention returned.
"Are you all right? Mir? You were lost but you're scary sometimes"
"I was thinking about mum..."
But she understood that I was thinking "HOW" to bring mum back.
Me : "Commander... what if I had a way to restore the 4 cores of your reactors. We could save the ship and let the mission continue? No?"
He smiles.
"Your Majesty, I understand that you want to help me but we're talking about cutting-edge technology and a particle accelerator here."
"When I suggest something, it's because I have a solution".
"We're in the Middle Ages and you've just started using technology from 1914 or 1945.
To build even the base of the base, you'd have to start the electronic forge, which would instantly empty what's left of the 4th reactor. We've only got 10% left, just to cram the crew in and make 2 return trips, say 2 outward and 1 return. We've calculated everything, studied everything and even simulated the dismantling of the parts. We need the cargo and the cargo engine is at 0%."
"Commander, I just need the plutonium sphere, I can recharge it."
"How?" (Taller).
"Me! I can magically transmute matter!
"Majesty. we're talking about terawatts and thousands of amperes here. I don't know if you get it?"
"Give yourself a chance!"
The commander wanted to refuse, as a precaution and above all, to prevent the wyvern from getting hold of the knowledge and weapons on board. It was too dangerous on the face of it. Her knowledge was beyond comprehension!
Behind the commander, Vidocq listened to everything but said nothing.
That evening, they returned to their imperial flats and the shuttle arrived, unloading its load of unconscious humans.
They were all taken to the medical wing, where they were treated if necessary, but all went well. They would wake up the next day.
At the table, it was a meal and show where we recounted the traditions and Atlantean origins of the empire and the magic portals, then the disappearance of civilisation and the cataclysmic collapse of the portal, as well as the first survivors in a world populated by dinosaurs...
It was very informative and a great show. A ball was then organised in honour of the guests.
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The commander took the opportunity to sound out and gauge the Empress's character and the wyvern's motivations.
The music changed and the commander, looking at me and asking my permission, offered Chlorophylle to open the ball.
As he danced, he said:
"I'm surprised by the level of civilisation in the empire and the recent leaps in technology".
"Commander, the empire is cursed... it was created by my ancestors in the blood of poor people. They had to endure the darkest wills of successive witches. All power-hungry and ending in madness. Not to mention the clique of nobles and zealous followers who go with them. No corner of the empire was spared. People died and were exhausted. It's only natural that coalitions have risen up and joined the western republic."
"Majesty, I don't understand why you devalue your empire in this way."(Taller)
"The nobles kept the republic and the rebels at bay with vile magic and a veritable science of curses. They ruled through fear.
What happened had to happen, but I didn't want to die for those scum.
I was a sacrificial heiress, to restore all the witch's powers to the former empress who wanted to put her own daughter on the throne.
I love Mir and he's my only family! Wyverns are pure and innocent, sentient animals that have retained their innocence. Yes, they're predators, but they only kill to eat or to defend themselves.
What I like about mir is that he'll defend his tribe or his empire but won't seek out territories or crazy conquests. What saddens me is that he misses and suffers from his family. He is desperate to find his parents."
The dance was coming to an end and he finished: "I understand.
Kroa had invited himself, reduced to the size of a cat, and wanted to ask Sacha to dance with him, but I said nothing. I really liked Kroa. And don't anyone dare criticise my little brother!
His presence reminded me of how I should be and how I should behave when I was reunited with Mum and Dad.
Late that night, the commander and Vidocq, his second-in-command, discussed the proposal.
Vidocq knew his commanding officer well and if he tried to persuade him to accept, he would refuse categorically and, worse still, take the necessary steps accordingly.
They were in their suite with a sitting room and a secretary's desk and a table with 4 chairs.
Kim and another officer were sitting at the table.
Taller: "The wyvern is really Professor Brilliant and he wasted no time in wreaking havoc. 75,000 dead in just a few days, and some appalling weapons. He didn't hesitate to use cruel and banned weapons such as chemical weapons. I'm afraid that if one day we disagree, he won't hesitate to use WMD, weapons of mass destruction. He is no longer human and his logic is that of a predator defending its territory. He will bend to nothing and show no mercy.
Kim: "I had a lot of fun with Kroa, but like humans, they have different characters. It's when they're adults that you have to be careful. They have very powerful instincts. Which makes them unpredictable creatures. But deep down, I think they want to help. "
Taller: "Develop!
Kim: "Kroa has insinuated several times that Mir doesn't care about power and it wouldn't be impossible for them to entrust the empire to you. Mir and the Empress would be on the throne, but you would make the decisions".
There was a moment's silence.
"So, in your opinion, Mir would abandon the empire to us?"
"Yes, his aim isn't to rule. It's a means to an end, not an end in itself.
He wants his family back!"
Taller: "It's true that if we save the KRG, we'll gain precious years.
Kim: "Yes, but Kroa has informed me that there are 8 other empires in this world and that they're in competition. "
Taller: "What kind of empire?
Kim: "The kind we don't like or fear. There are 8 demon lords. Mir is the ninth. I hear this place is heaven by comparison."
If we're no longer attacked by the Republicans, the other Lord Demons will attack to test Mir or to protect themselves. The King demon position is up for grabs but I highly doubt Mir is looking for that. She's a dragon, not a demon.
Taller: "The problem is that we're on our own and we have no way of communicating with Earth except by recharging the transmitter. Unless we recharge the transmitter in orbit..."
Koviac (Technical Officer): "Yes, it's here, but our scans haven't shown anything. Maybe the transmitter is somewhere in between, stuck in another dimension.
Taller: "That's the best guess. What's more, using a cosmonaut exit means sacrificing someone's life in terms of energy."
Kim: "How?"
Koviac: "Generating oxygen takes a lot of energy and the filters are saturated. We almost have to sacrifice people to save oxygen".
Kim: "Is it that bad? "
Taller: "Yes, and I'm not giving up the ship with any joy."
Kim: "Why not give it a chance?"
Taller: "With age I've developed a sort of sense of danger and the weight of my decisions. We don't know the powers of the wyvern."
"Why don't you say Brilliant?"
"Because I feel he's lying. He's an alien monster, an alien and that he knows all about Brilliant is an incredible thing, but what other powers does he have? He could well take my place. or you, or you?"
Vidocq: "I think we're jumping to conclusions".
Taller : "In a week at the latest, the ship will burn up in the atmosphere, we need to make a decision quickly and I suggest we vote."
Kim abstained, convinced of the commander's wisdom.
Koviac opposed
Then the commander objected too, and finally he turned his head.
"Vidocq?"
He grimaced, then showed his opposition.
In a rage, he slipped away and then pulled out a miniature weapon he was carrying. A diffractor. A military system giving a kind of invisibility capsule and he returned to the shuttle, which was recharging while everyone else had gone to bed.
Around 2 a.m., the cables were disconnected and the engines roared to life.
A few minutes later, the shuttle approached the ship to dock.
When everyone got out, he approached the manual terminal.
"Command Override!