Enid glanced back at Hazel who was looking quite satisfied with the fact she has a bag full of piping hot carnivore’s delight in her mother’s pack. Each rapped in tinfoil. She was abusing her the pack’s stasis effect and proud of it.

“You ready for home?”

“Yes. I can’t wait to give Miles a slice of that pizza.”

“Okay. Just do not tell him where you got it.”

“I know the deal mom.”

Enid wanted to make the worm hole in space far away from Earth, for one because the thought of opening a wormhole on Earth seemed dumb and secondly because they needed to generate antimatter to power the reactor to create the wormhole. She travelled the seven and a bit light years to Wolf 359. She needed about two hours at a light year per hour worth of Antimatter, and it was about the right distance to give her some redundant power in case the first jump didn’t do it. Hazel had her face pressed against the canopy.

“That’s so blue.”

“Water planet.”

“Why didn’t we colonize it, it’s so close.”

“Systems Alliance wanted to focus on terrestrial planets first. It has a thriving undersea echo system. Plenty of oxygen in the atmosphere. Plants are like fossils we’ve found on Earth. I didn’t get to look too much. Apollo can go underwater but ocean is much deeper than earth. Like it would cover Everest. Maria says there is so much pressure near the bottom the water is probably solid ice because it can’t be anything else. In the 29th century there is a satellite in orbit taking readings.”

“This is so cool! Thank you mom!”

“I figured you earned a treat that was bigger than a pizza. And we needed the antimatter. Oh well time to go home.”

Enid plotted the course to target the reality core chunk in the 29th century. Maria had set it up so it was in a beacon outside the station so Apollo wouldn’t crash into her gate room. The wormhole formed with the same white lightening crackling around it as before. Enid hit her thrustors. Learning from their last trip she’d put the shields up. They arrived inside the giant project stargate framework as predicted.

“Apollo check for any charge build up on your frame I don’t want to enter an atmosphere and find out we’re a lightning target.”

“I am seeing it now. It is an energy I do not have an explanation for, but I can see how it might attract lightning.”

“Any fix for it?”

“It seems to be dissipating on its own. In future I suggest if we end up in atmosphere, I spend some time in space to discharge it before landing.”

“Pack the data and send it to Maria.”

“Done. Aunt Enid we’re receiving a communication from Pluto Station. Put her through.”

Enid was surprised to see Maria’s XO on the display in front of her.

“Hello Edward, where is Maria?”

“She had to go to Earth. An emergency. She told me to direct you there as soon as possible.”

“I can’t go to FTL for another…”

Enid glanced at the energy levels Apollo was showing.

“Three or four hours. The wormhole left some sort of energy residue we need to dissipate first. Where is the fleet?”

“I’m not at liberty to say.”

Enid quirked an eyebrow.

“Sariel is parked here and ready to go.”

“I am not sure we should land on the station with this energy residue.”

“I understand. As soon as its discharged head to Earth.”

“Roger that.”

Enid leaned back sighed. Hazel had taken this opportunity to get more sleep. Her injuries were extensive, and it helped her not feel the pain so much.

“Apollo I’m going to take a nap so I’m fresh when we get home. Let us know when we can use FTL.”

“Of course.”

Enid drifted off and was awoken by Apollo’s gentle voice. He was speaking directly through her translator.

“Aunt Enid. It’s time to leave.”

Enid stretched and yawned.

“Alright. Let’s get going.”

“Course is already plotted. Well don’t let me hold you back.”

Apollo’s skin flared with sparks of light. The liquid metal parted to expose the FTL drive to space and the fighter jumped into the blue-white corridor. Enid glanced back at Hazel who didn’t even shift in her sleep.

“I wonder if she’ll sleep like a teenager forever. How long?”

“I have adjusted our speed so that we will arrive in fifteen minutes.”

“I can’t wait to see Amee.”

“Surely, she can’t wait to see you. According to time sync we’ve been gone for a little over three months.”

“Three months? It’s only been three days!”

“Our method of traveling through time is imprecise Aunt Enid. These strange oddities are not unexpected.”

They came out of FTL and Enid was a bit surprised to see a third of the System Alliance Fleet in orbit. Their comms immediately lit up with a friend or foe request. Apollo identified himself and they were given permission to approach. Enid’s second hint something was wrong became apparent when she flew to their home, and it was missing the top floors. She frowned and redirected to her personal penthouse and landed in her secret docking bay there.

“Apollo is there anything on the system net about our apartment?”

“Terrorist attack. Oh dear.”

“Oh, dear what?”

“I, mother is calling. I’ll put her through.”

Maria appeared on the fighter’s view screen.

“Enid. Come to System Alliance HQ immediately.”

“Why are you in a suit?”

“I will explain when you get here. Apollo: Spring days are great for naps.”

Maria cut the connection as someone approached her from behind.

“Apollo?”

Enid received no answer. She did a system’s check. His system core was offline but intact.

“That bitch put a kill switch in him!”

Enid was pissed now. She jerked backwards with the retro-thrusters. Hazel jumped in her seat. Enid hit the thrusters again. She was careful not to cause a sonic boom as much as she wanted to.

“Mom what’s up?”

“I’m going to beat the shit out of your aunt.”

Enid received no comm, or interceptors as she flew into the System Alliance HQ landing bay. She hopped out of the cockpit leaving a very confused and half-asleep Hazel behind. She got on the elevator to Amee’s office. She was going to get to the bottom of this. She shoved her way past two System Alliance special forces soldier and her wife’s annoyance of an administrative assistant only to find her sister in the middle of a security briefing with two admirals and a general. Maria looked up at them.

“That is all for now gentleman. I will get back to you with next moves.”

Enid had her arms crossed and she was tapping her foot staring daggers at her sister. As soon as they had the room to themselves Enid yelled at her sister.

“You put a kill switch in my fucking fighter?”

“No, I put a kill switch in the AI that has access to antimatter weapons in your fighter. Calm down.”

“Since when has that ever worked?”

“Enid, I need you to listen to me. There are some things you need to hear, and I wanted them to be from me, not while you were flying said space craft with antimatter. I know what your temper is like.”

Enid was so angry she couldn’t keep herself still. The adrenaline was pumping. There was only one reason Maria would be in this office getting a presidential briefing. She didn’t want to hear what she knew she was about to hear. The rage was keeping her from breaking down.

“Where is my wife and why are you in her chair?”

Maria came around her desk putting her hands on Enid’s shoulders.

“Enid. The separatists on Triton had allies here. Most of Systems Alliance board was assassinated. Amee is included in that number.”

Enid was starting to lose the rage Eyre was on the board.

“Eyre?”

“She is fine. However, she deferred the position of President to me to keep things stable by not having Aurelius need to find a new CEO. I am sitting in this chair because I was the highest-ranking military member when Eyre resigned her position. The fleet admiral was killed with the board.”

Enid felt her legs collapses from under her and she had tears dripping down her cheeks. Maria caught her with her strong vampiric arms and tugged her sister close.

“I am so sorry Enid.”

“If I was here…”

“If you were here, you would be dead too.”

Enid was shaking but then she felt her anger building up in her again.

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

“I’m going to kill them all!”

Maria held her sister close. The Atlantean armor’s strength was no match for the ancient vampires.

“Enid no! There are innocent people there. It is why I have not retaliated.”

“If they believe the lies, they are not innocent.”

Enid’s eyes were glowing blue now and the building was starting to shake around. Maria hit her with an injector and Enid went limp in her arms. Maria’s security team rushed in weapons drawn. Maria waved them away and gently laid her sister down on one of the couches in her office. She sighed while looking down at her unconscious sister.

“You were dangerous when you were a vampire sis. Now. I am not sure what you are but if they knew what I knew, they would not have come after your family.”

Maria collapsed on the couch across from her sister’s unconscious form. Hazel rushed in and saw her mother’s motionless form. She lost her temper her form morphed and suddenly she was shaking her aunt with her demon-ichor covered taloned hand.

“What did you do?”

The security team rushed in again guns drawn. Maria was still calm; This was her niece after all.

“Hazel, she was going to hurt a lot of people. I just gave her something to make her sleep so she can have a chance to think first. She is fine, she is my sister. I would never hurt her. Put me down and I will explain everything.”

Hazel came to her senses and looked around herself and at the six high powered energy weapons pointed at her. She put Maria down and shifted down to her human shape.

“I am so sorry Aunt Maria.”

Maria held up her delicate white hands to show her niece she wasn’t upset. She looked at the security team who were still pointing enough firepower at her niece to shred a full conversion military grade cyborg and motioned them away.

“Put your weapons down and give us some privacy please.”

The team leader was hesitant he lowered his weapon slightly.

“With all due respect, madam President you are our responsibility.”

Maria met his gaze he started to back away as the full weight of her presence fell upon him.

“Unlike my friend who used to occupy this seat I can make you obey my orders. Do I need to do that?”

He shook his head.

“No ma’am.”

He motioned his team out of the room again. Maria motioned to the free couch and guided Hazel down to a sit on it. Hazel looked over at her mother then back to Maria.

“Why are you in Amee’s office?”

“Because Amee was killed just after you left. Disintegration. Somehow, they figured out the only way to kill her was to wipe out her entire nanite population. It means someone got a sample of her blood or was close enough to her to figure out the truth. I’m still trying to determine which it was. Your friend Olga is working with me on it. Not sure who else I can trust.”

Hazel wiped the tears that were starting form under her eyes.

“Mom was broken by Miko. This so soon afterwards. She’s barely come to terms with… She’s pregnant. It was Amee’s.”

“I believe your mother is going to do something rash. I cannot risk that; Things are already unstable. If she goes after the Prophet as he’s calling himself now… it could light up this whole thing into a full-blown rebellion.”

“They killed the elected officials it is already a rebellion, Aunt Maria. You are in denial.”

“No, it was a coordinated attack by a very small minority of the population. The seers and other assets are dealing with them quietly and efficiently as they have in the past for my family. In a way that will not draw attention to their… untimely deaths. This is not the time for a rash, impatient hot head. Your mother would see that if it was not for her personal loss.”

“Amee was your best friend for a thousand years!”

“She would understand, she and I had a lot in common. We did not let our emotions control our decisions. You do not get to our age by giving into urges.”

“But mom.”

“Your mother in her prime would have been guiding the seers. You have seen glimpses of her. The initial destruction of the ship that killed Miko, that was emotion. The cold, calculated executions afterwards that was your mom at her best. I would give a lot to have the old her back right this moment. This half human half immortal thing it clouds her judgment with human hormones and feelings.”

“No. She is better than she was. I’m going to let her do whatever she wants. If they go after our family members, they go after us all. You can play politics but I’m going to do what needs to be done and she will too. We’ll do it old school, like my people would, like the spirit born. Like your father would. If they want a holy war, we’ll give them one. And if my mother is who God says she is, it’s going to be biblical.”

Hazel reached for her mother. Maria touched her arm.

“Hazel, think about what you are about to do. You are about to escalate this to open warfare. People will be forced to take sides. Sister against sister. Do you understand? If you go after them, I have to stop you.”

“Give me the code to wake up Apollo. I’m going to take her somewhere safe in case they try to kill the real prophet of God. You will release Sariel. She is my ship and friend. If you love us like you say you do, you’ll give us that much. After that you do what you need to do, but do not think I will not kill anyone you send after us.”

Maria did not say anything. She just nodded and released her niece’s arm. She had hoped the girl would side with her and see reason but at her core she was her mother’s daughter. She tapped a few commands into her holo-display releasing Sariel and sending the wake code for Apollo. She sat down at her desk staring after them. The ghostly girl in the yellow dress who rarely left her side looked up at her.

“You sure screwed that up. That girl loves you. Your sister would die for you and what, you just let them walk away like that? If someone killed my best friend… and Enid was my sister I’d let her loose.”

Maria looked at her constant companion and frowned.

“That is why you are not President.”

“You want her too though, don’t you? You want to see her grab him and drain the life from him. You want him to see how weak he really is, how he is not untouchable. I can see it in your eyes when you see him speaking. Part of you is excited at the prospect of your sister reaching her hand out and flattening that entire world.”

The girl bounced her ball. Maria had her hand on her crucifix and she had her eyes closed. The girl frowned.

“What are you doing now?”

“Praying Hazel takes Enid where I think she is taking her so someone older the either can talk some sense into them. What I want is for these idiots to realize how good they have it so that flattening of worlds is not required.”

She tapped a button on her holo-display.

“Draw up an order for the apprehension of Enid and Hazel Aurelius. Release it to the security forces in twenty-four Earth Standard hours. Consider them armed and dangerous. Capture Alive. Include a five million credit bounty for contractors. No payout if they are dead.”

“Madam President? Bringing your sister in alive will be very dangerous.”

“Making her a martyr is worse. And it is my sister and my niece. I want them alive.”

“Then we should bring her in now while she is incapacitated.”

Maria shook her head.

“I am giving them time to make the right decision. Do not release it a minute before.”

Maria ended the call and steepled her fingers and glanced at her ghostly companion who was shaking her head at her.

“You’re a cold-hearted bitch. I don’t like you anymore.”

The ghost vanished through a wall after throwing her rubber ball with enough force to make Maria bleed. Maria sighed and looked at the warrant countdown.

“Make the right choice sis.”

*****

Enid began to stir. She thought she was in Egypt again when she woke but realized quickly the fabrics were too fine. The colors to rich. The air was too perfect. She was sleeping in a curtained bed she struggled to remember how she got here or what circumstances brought it about. She tried to sit up but she was overcome by a wave of pain and nausea. She became aware of a figure sitting on the bed beside her when she felt a firm hand on her shoulder. When she looked up wincing at the bit of light that was creeping in. She realized they were the golden eyes of Isis.

“Your baby is fine.”

Enid felt like throwing up. Isis provided a bucket quickly. Enid just let go of the contents of her stomach. Isis who had grown accustomed to messes recently nodded.

“Do you need something to make your stomach settle, Empress?”

Enid shook her head. Isis placed the bucket outside the curtains and scanned her guest with her golden irises.

“You are not mortal. Yet you suffer as one.”

“Hazel?”

“She has gone to Earth, seeking to see her… what is the word they use now. Boyfriend. Before your impending arrests.”

Enid blinked at Isis.

“What?”

“Your sister has put a price on you both. Alive of course. Systems Alliance wide arrest warrant.”

“I will be heading to Saroid prime. As soon as I advised the high priestess of her messiah’s predicament, Saroid prime, and the Church of the Dark Mother have both agreed to grant you sanctuary. And of course, under the treaty with between the Systems Alliance and the vampires that you twisted their arms into agreeing too, my ship is my domain alone. You are safe. So be at peace.”

Enid tried to rise but fell back to her pillow.

“I cannot just run and hide. They killed my wife.”

Isis nodded wiping her hands on her dress before reaching out for her daughter who giggled and grabbed at her nose.

“And my old frenemy, are you willing to go to war with your sister for your vengeance? The sister for whom you declared war on the Imperial Council over? Where will that path lead you?”

“Why are you helping me again?”

“In short, I consider us to be peers and friends. Though you have treated me as your enemy it was always with respect, through this you have earned my respect. Your daughter saved my child’s life, as you would have if you were able. I know that if I were to call on you, you would come. Even when you considered me an enemy. You would have aided me. Many fear you, much as they fear me. That is because they do not understand you. When you were a Seer you did as you were asked by our Emperor for the good of us all. Not out of malice, or desire. I have heard it said you do not know how to know peace from others of the council. What they do not understand is that you have known peace and love and you respond violently when that peace is broken. So now in your time of neat I provide you sanctuary and guidance.”

Enid looked at Isis who was half a foot taller than the younger vampire.

“And what is your guidance?”

“Tell me first, will you respect my opinion?”

“I have always respected you and your opinions. If I didn’t like either.”

Isis looked down at her golden eyed daughter, tidying the child’s hair she smiled.

“I often wonder what would have been had I been able to guide you from childhood. You understand I did not want you turned at first.”

Enid nodded.

“I know.”

“I said you were too young. You needed to grow. Perhaps in a decade. But the Emperor insisted. The rest of the council bowed to his will.”

“I still feel like I’m twelve most of the time.”

“You were an adult when you were turned. An immature, not fully developed adult, but he broke no rules. I saw that you needed more time to bloom, he disagreed. I even offered to take you with me to Egypt. To mold you. He refused to pull you away from your husband and children. I thought him a fool. But you are powerful, and you are wise in your own right. Do not discount yourself Empress. The fact you understand you do not know everything is testament to that wisdom. A wise person knows that others knowledge and insights have value.”

“I have said this many times but sometimes I just want an adult to tell me what to do. So what should I do?”

Isis smiled at her daughter letting the child press her palm against hers.

“I will answer your question with a question, Empress. What do you want to do?”

“There is a part of me that wants to kill the families of everyone involved in it so they know my pain before I finally end their suffering.”

“Another question, if you’ll permit it, Empress?”

“This is your ship.”

“As Empress, what should you do?”

“Let Maria handle it and offer my support.”

“The final question. Can you do that?”

Enid looked at Isis who was still letting her daughter play with her fingers and hands.

“No.”

“Then you are in conflict with yourself. Perhaps removing yourself from the immediate situation will give you time to grieve and work through your anger? Perhaps you should give into the nagging feeling I sense in the back of your mind telling you to go finish what you started with the fallen ones and the drones?”

Enid blinked at Isis.

“I inherited Sextus’s ability to see into people’s minds. As a vampire you are a void to me, as a mortal, you are an open book, I apologize but it is like looking at body language for me. I apologize Empress.”

“You are right. But I have my child to consider.”

“You already know how to deal with that don’t you? You thought about it the whole time you were in the past recently. But whom could you give such a sacred trust too? Who would carry this burden?”

Enid looked at Isis again. Isis nodded.

“Yes, I would do this for you. But there will be… consequences.”

Enid looked up at Isis.

“No, I would never harm your child. My body’s blood will circulate through him. He will be more then human. He will be as much my child at the end as you or your late wife’s. You know this. Look at Eyre. Over a century old when you turned her and barely looks twenty-five if she doesn’t make the effort to seem older. Your father’s gift will mark him.”

She frowned at Enid.

“You should not think in such ways.”

“Its true. If Miko were half vampire she would be alive.”

“Then she would not have been your Miko. That child was more of the gods then of our kind.”

Enid looked down and touched her abdomen could she do that? The child wasn’t safe in the past, but he wasn’t safe now. She would be a target for the religious fanatics as she had long been suspected of being the Dark Mother. Who knows perhaps they targeted Amee for that very reason. They were monsters and she should put them down.

“Such thoughts are not productive. Make a decision and follow it through. That is all one can do.”

Enid looked at Isis, knowing the vampire wouldn’t need her to speak but she did anyway.

“What will you tell him if I do not return for three years this time? Of if I never return?”

“That his mothers were great women. That one is a Goddess and will always watch over him. The other was a great ruler who saved humanity before mortals killed her because they wished power for themselves.”

“But I am mortal.”

“My friend. You have never been mortal. You have pretended to be but we both know deep inside you realize you’ve always been more than even your fellow vampires.”

Enid sighed.

“Yes, the fetus can only be transferred once. Once he has my blood flowing through is veins, to transfer him back would be fatal.”

Enid nodded.

“I will reach out to BMC and they will perform the surgery here. Are you sure about this?”

Enid closed her eyes.

“Yes. This is the best way.”

“I would suggest you reach out to your sister, so she knows your heart.”