Mother.”
“You are home, Krys. Val and Mike will be back soon. I can’t wait for you to see them.”
“Who’s Mike?”
“The man of dirt from your vision, my First Knight, and the knight in shining armor you promised me. I should warn you,” she added with a smile, “he’s uncomfortable with the whole idea of your visions.”
“Well, so am I, my Queen.”
“Can we forget about all that for a while and just enjoy a reunion?”
“We can, but I might have a mutiny on my hands if we do. My crew has waited a long time for this moment. They’re nervous as can be, and I’m not sure they really believe they’re about to meet the Queen.”
Ellie turned to the small group standing at the top of the ramp, then turned back to Krys. “You’re right. I’d prefer a little time alone with you, but it’s not just the two of us any longer. Our responsibilities have grown.” She turned Krys toward the ship. “Come on. I’ll be gentle on them.”
They walked arm in arm up the ramp and stopped. “Stand, all of you,” Ellie commanded. She approached M’Sada. “Lieutenant Commander M’Sada. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
M’Sada, momentarily forgetting himself, blurted out, “You’ve heard of me, Your Majesty?”
“I’ve heard of all of you.” She turned to Tarn. “Lieutenant Lukes, I presume?” Tarn bowed, speechless, and she turned to Gortlan. “Senior Chief Gortlan?”
“At your service, Your Majesty,” he said, going to one knee again.
She turned to Buskin. “You must be Admiral Buskin.”
“At your service, Your Majesty,” he said with a deep bow.
“I only recently learned of your activities,” she said softly. “It is my great pleasure to meet you, Admiral. Has your recruiting been successful?”
“Since each recruit represents a fallen sector or district, I must tell you that I have not been entirely successful. I had 24 squadrons as of three months ago, and that number is increasing almost daily. My preference is for them to hold, not to join me.”
She stepped back from him, but she did not let her gaze leave his eyes. “You speak with wisdom, Admiral Buskin. In you, I believe Chandrajuski chose well. Your present rank is temporary, is it not?”
“It is, your Highness.”
“Your promotion to Fleet Admiral is hereby made permanent. We’ll have a small ceremony aboard your cruiser later. I am in your debt.”
“My men and I do nothing more or less than stand by our oaths, Your Majesty. They would be honored by a visit.”
“It is I who is honored by their efforts. I’ll let them know.” She turned to Krys. “Three of your crew are missing.”
“Not missing, just working, Your Majesty. Captain Stven has learned the hard way to never let his guard down. He’s in the net monitoring activities outside the ship, and his two gunners are at their stations.”
She took a step back. “Otis would be proud of him. I’m proud of him. I, too, endured months of fear, of constant alertness, and I applaud your watchfulness, but you can relax now. You’ve reached a safe haven, all of you,” she said, turning to take in everyone in the group. She turned back to Krys. “Will you take me to the bridge? I’m not certain where it is.”
When they reached the bridge, Stven’s body was resting on the floor, his four legs splayed out and his damaged wing extended slightly from his body. Gordi’i and Kali’i lounged in their seats. All wore the helmets necessary to enter the net. Ellie turned to M’Sada, asking quietly, “May I join them on your net?”
M’Sada’s upper hands began a rapid preening of his whiskers. He, too, spoke quietly. “It’s your ship and your net, Your Majesty, but I don’t recommend it. He has a tendency to ‘puff’ when he’s surprised.”
She smiled. “I spent years on Rrestriss. I’m not unfamiliar with the smell.” She spoke to Cassandra, her Rider. ›It would be best if you stay in the background, my dear.‹
›I understand. Few know the Queen carries a Rider.‹
Ellie sat and donned a helmet, then waited while the net adjusted to her. It had been many months since she’d been inside a net, and the feeling brought back a lot of memories, some bad and some wonderful.
“Permission to come aboard, Captain?” she asked as soon as she was in.
Stven turned his attention away from the ship to focus on this new persona on the net. Words were not necessary within the net, and he knew instantly who she was. His virtual image stared at her, frozen. So shocked was he that he forgot to puff. “Your Majesty?” he finally asked, lowering his virtual neck to the virtual deck.
“Stand tall, Captain,” she commanded. “Be welcome to this world, and if you will, accept my thanks for all you have done.”
The dragon blinked. A small puff escaped, but it was a very small puff. His long neck rose and he was a Rress again, one of the most ancient and respected species within the Empire. “On behalf of my crew, I say, ‘you’re welcome,’ Your Majesty. We haven’t done all that much, but what we have done has required all of us, the whole crew, Krys included. I’m honored to meet you.”
“You’ve clearly taken good care of Krys, who I think of as my daughter, and I shall be forever grateful. More than that, your efforts have succeeded in bringing badly needed resources to me, resources that were unexpected. You’ve held to the highest standard of your oath. Know that I know, and know that I honor you for it.”
His head moved from side to side in wonder. “Such an amazing assignment. To be in the personal presence of Admiral Chandrajuski, Senator Truax, Sir Otis, and now you. I’m slightly at a loss for words, Your Majesty.”
“You’re going to be seeing lots more of me, so get used to it. How is Senator Truax, by the way?”
“I have not seen him since we parted on Mitala I, Your Majesty. His mission is much more dangerous than ours, and I fear for him.”
Her hand went to her throat. “He’s an honored friend. He mentored me during my time on Rrestriss. Did you know?”
“You, too? He gets around, doesn’t he. Uh… no, Your Majesty.”
“I see you’ve been wounded.”
“Just a minor wound, Your Majesty. Krys’ was much worse.”
“She was wounded?” Ellie asked in alarm.
“She was, by the Chessori. This mind weapon of theirs disables all of us, but it causes physical harm to her.”
“I want the full story, but it will have to come later. For now, stand down, Captain. This world is as safe as anywhere in the Empire. Will you join me for dinner?”
Another small puff escaped. “Your Majesty?”
“It’s not that hard of a question, Captain. Just say yes.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“The rest of your crew will accompany you. Dress is casual, understood?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
She turned away and went in search of Gordi’i and Kali’i. When she found them, both turned one eye on her while keeping a close watch outside the ship. Stven joined her and ordered them to stand down.
“Senior Chiefs Gordi’i and Kali’i, it is my pleasure to welcome you to my temporary home,” Ellie said.
Both gunners went to a virtual knee before their Queen, but they remained mute. Though excellent gunners, it was the manner of their species to act methodically. Gordi’i, when he was ready, spoke for both of them. “You honor us with your presence, Your Majesty. It is our pleasure to serve.”
“Stand, both of you,” she ordered. She studied the gun controls for a moment, then asked, “May I?” Gordi’i nodded, and she entered the system. Guns had been her specialty aboard Resolve, and she immediately felt at home. Emotions could not be completely hidden within the net, and her familiarity with their chosen specialty could not be hidden from these two experts. It was her way of honoring the positions they held. She played with the controls and the displays for a little while, then relinquished them, saying, “Your efforts on my behalf bring great honor to your uniforms and to yourselves. I will make certain your people hear of what you have accomplished.”
She turned to Stven. “Shall we join the others?”
A very, very small puff escaped. “Would you be kind enough to let me go first, Your Majesty? I know what I look like when I’m in the net. I’d rather be standing.”
