Katieran Prime 4 - Kiljorn Prime (23 page)

“You also have a choice: you can remain a figurehead until your death or ─ when your daughter comes of age, you can pass the title of Regent to her. Your line will act as Princess Regents; however, the Senate can overrule any law enacted of which we do not approve.

“Also, the power to make
Join
s comes from the planet or from the Queen. Without this power, only those perfect matches, signaled by the eruption of the mating wings, will take place. Any authority previously belonging to you to approve
Join
s or make political matches is hereby revoked.”

At this point, Narva took a deep breath. She was feeling a great many emotions and was desperate to hold on to her anger until Morda had been dealt with. Then it would be time to grieve.

“There is more but I am too angry to deal with you now. I need to calm myself before setting eyes upon you once again.”

She gestured to another set of guards.

“These guards will escort you back to your home. The Senate will convene and send you our Summary Judgment. You are not worthy of our race. If I could order your death, I would,” she finished.

She dismissed Morda by turning her back.

Morda allowed the guards to escort her from the room, fuming about many of her plans not producing the results she had intended. She did not allow failure, she immediately began plotting.

Her daughter, as young as she was, did not show signs of the intelligence needed to be a strong ruler. She would make a good puppet though
, Morda decided.

As soon as her daughter came of age, she would relinquish the Regency to her and then guide her actions. Her daughter would be granted greater powers, not having committed any crimes. Morda could use that to her advantage.

I’m younger than these old fools
, she thought.
I’ll hold on and act the penitent for now; my time will come. You are wrong, Ishnam, you are dead and I’m still here. My house will rule HeVan.

After Morda left the room, Lady Narva turned to the Queen’s sons. “Do you believe your mother, the Queen, was correct and Tamiel still lives?” she asked.

“Yes,” said Arden, the eldest son, “she would have felt it if Tamiel were dead, as all of HeVan would have felt it. Tamiel is now linked to HeVan. However, her ship must have been thrown far off course. Even now, we have been unable to send or receive a signal.”

Arden had difficulty speaking calmly. He and his brothers wanted to wreak vengeance on those responsible for effectively bringing down the House of HeVanth. With no females in the direct line present, and none of the sons yet
Join
ed, there was no ruling female. Men were not allowed to lead.

“Your mother suspected Morda was planning something. She called in those Members of the Senate she could reach on such short notice.

As you heard me tell Morda ─ by Royal Decree, the six of you now have Seats on the Senate Council as Advisors. You will not be forced to join against your will to any House. You are free to find your own matches, the ones which cause your mating wings to erupt. You will effectively rule the House of HeVanth until you are joined. Let me know if any females of lower station object to this,” she said.

“Mother was beloved by her people. I do not believe any in our House would go against her final wishes,” he said.

He hesitated. Seeing the look on his face, Lady Narva urged him to continue.

“It will be up to us to prove ourselves. No one will object now, while grief is still fresh. Over time, in the years to come, there may be dissention. I pray to the Goddess we find our perfect mates before there is unrest,” he concluded.

“You show much wisdom, Arden. I and those with me here,” she gestured to the three House Leaders behind her, “will continue to support you and your brothers. Until your sister is recovered, you and your progeny to come are our only hope.

“For now, we must mourn your mother. She was much loved by the people. I know she preferred simplicity. In this instance, I feel we need to display our grief. As sad as it is, your people need to see the love you had for her,” said Narva.

“Thank you, Lady Narva, my brothers and I will begin the vigil. From this day onward, we vow to watch and wait for a sign from our sister. We will bring Tamiel home to HeVan,” said Arden, his brothers all nodding their heads in support.

They were full of anger, rage and an overwhelming sadness. Within so short a time, they’d lost their fathers and their mother. Now their sister was missing. Arden could tell some of the Senate also believed her to be dead, no matter what they said now. They would have to be vigilant. He also didn’t believe the threat posed by Morda was done; she would bear close watching.

He prayed Morda’s young daughter didn’t prove to be a match to any of them.

***

Princess Tamiel was thrown against the corridor wall as the ship shuddered. As soon as she felt able to maneuver, she began making her way to the Bridge. She wanted to know what was happening.

She needed to remain strong for the crew. Her emotions were reflected by them. There had been a malfunction in the jump gate just after they entered it. They had been thrown into a temporary wormhole and wound up in an uncharted part of the Galaxy.

A gas leak in the main engine compartment was going to destroy the ship before it could be repaired. Her Ankida, who had been there at the time the damage occurred, kept the inevitable at bay long enough for her and the remainder of the crew to have time to evacuate to the least damaged and navigable shuttle. They and four others had all been poisoned by the gases filling the engine compartment; they gave their lives so Tamiel and the remainder of the crew could be saved.

The shuttle had barely managed to clear the landing bay, when the star ship began to explode. The shock wave caused additional damage to the shuttle they were currently on. They didn’t have enough fuel or supplies for the number of crew packed into the smaller vessel.

The shuttle had been brought along to fly Princess Tamiel, her Ankida and her Royal Guard, down to the planet surface where the Interstellar Peace Conference was being held. It was made to hold a complement of only seventy to seventy-five crew members. There were now three hundred crammed into this small shuttle. Many of the men had to sleep in the corridors. The few joined crew members were given first claim on the cabins. They slept in shifts, sharing cabins and berths. Even the beds in the medical bay were taken.

Not one of them complained, though, because they were aware of what their Princess had lost. They were in awe of the sacrifice her Ankida had made for all of them. They did whatever they could to keep up her spirits.

She was almost to the Bridge when suddenly she doubled over in pain and fell to her knees. A warrior on duty outside the Bridge doors ran over and helped her to her feet. She leaned against him and said nothing as he helped get her the rest of the way to the Bridge.

At first, she was frightened, thinking something was happening to the babies she was carrying.

Then she felt the Nam-Nin power rising within her and she knew – her mother had died. Now she not only had the power, but was the Queen in truth.

They passed through the door onto the Bridge. The crew, seeing her leaning on the warrior, leapt to their feet. Two more came running over to help her to the Commander’s chair. She took a moment to gather her thoughts.

“Commander Terelia, may I have your status report, please? Is the shuttle going to fly apart with all its shuddering and vibrations?” she asked with a crooked smile, a poor attempt to lighten the mood. They could all see she was greatly troubled and in pain.

“Repairs are proceeding as we speak. We had to isolate part of deck four, as we don’t have what we need to repair the hull breach in that sector. As long as the temporary force field held, volunteers went into the affected sector and scavenged for any equipment we could use elsewhere on the ship. We’ll be a little more crowded and I know more than I need to about some of my crewmates.”

There was some laughter at her remark as she continued.

“But we’re progressing as planned.”

Tamiel raised an eyebrow and said, “While I appreciate all of you sacrificing for me and my babies, I know many of the crew skipped rations so I may have full meals. I don’t want anyone taking unnecessary risks. We don’t know where we’ll end up. So we need to keep safe our greatest resource ─the crew.”

She turned to the Science Officer, “Terelia doesn’t wish me to have any more bad news, Jarrod. Tell me, have you or Communications Officer Largo located a friendly planet?”

“While I can’t be sure of a friendly planet, long range sensors are continually updating information from the nearest solar system. It appears there may be a habitable planet nearby. If the Goddess has not forsaken us, there must be, as we have barely enough fuel to get there,” he said.

“Then I agree ─there will be a planet to fill our needs,” said Tamiel.

She turned to Officer Largo and said, “Please open up the ship’s internal communication system and memory crystals. I wish what I say now to be heard by all on board.”

She waited while he complied with her command, gathering her thoughts. What she had to say to them all was very important and she needed their help desperately.

Largo opened the internal communication units and then issued the order for the crew to hold for an announcement from the Princess.

“Thank you, everyone, for working so hard under such trying circumstances.

“I have some very important news to convey to you. Before leaving HeVan, my mother, the Queen, passed on to me her
Nam-Nin
powers. Merél, the Royal Seer, had a vision showing her the time was near. Not willing to wait for my return, the mother passed her powers to me. So when we left HeVan for this short voyage, I was already linked to our planet.”

She paused to let the information sink in. She heard many gasps and exclamations. She wanted all their attention before she finished what she had to say. After a short while, there was quiet once again.

“A few moments ago, I felt a great physical pain. It took me but a moment to realize HeVan had cried out to me across the cosmos – our Supreme Queen is dead.”

With that announcement, she expected a louder response than before. Instead, there was such stillness, as if every being on the ship held their collective breath.

“I am now the
Nam-Nin
, the Supreme Queen of HeVan. As such, I am aware of certain things. There is great turmoil on HeVan at this time. The malfunction of the jump gate was not an accident but an act of treason against us. So, too, was the explosion that took the lives of my fathers and, ultimately, the death of my mother. The House of HeVanth has an enemy who will go to any lengths to see it brought down.

“I beg you for your help. We must find a way to get word to HeVan that we live, where we are, and we must survive until rescue arrives.

“Please, all of you contemplate our problems; together, I know we will overcome them. Thank you for listening.”

Tamiel bowed her head. She had done it −− taken her first faltering steps as Queen of her people. She wondered if they believed the words she’d spoken. She lifted her head and was shocked to see all of those on the Bridge had knelt down on one knee, hands held palm up. Terel spoke for them.

“Queen Tamiel, these hands are at your service. Every woman and man on this ship is yours. We will not fail you; each of us would give our lives to protect you and get you home,” she said.

A tear tracked down her cheek; she was overwhelmed with the love and support they were showing her.

Over the next two months, they all sacrificed to reach the solar system that held all their hopes. They had just enough fuel to reach their destination but they had limited food and water. The men took her at her word and worked together to overcome each and every problem. Many of the surplus personnel volunteered to be put into stasis chambers in the shuttle’s flight bay. They would be using minimal life support and it would give the remaining crew the edge they needed.

They took a complete inventory of every item on the ship and listed each one’s various uses. They conserved ships power whenever possible and shut down any system not directly needed. They continued to repair what they could from the shock wave damage.

Unfortunately, some things couldn’t be repaired. Just before they reached the outer limits of the solar system, a weakened coupling ruptured and caused a fire. In the ensuing chaos, Queen Tamiel was injured by some falling equipment. The Medical Bay on the shuttle didn’t have the equipment necessary to heal her injuries.

The shock and pain brought on her labor pains and her three babies had to be delivered prematurely. After giving birth and resting, she summoned Terelia and her mate along with Jarrod and his mate to her side.

“I can partially heal myself with my Nam-Nin powers but not enough to save my life this far from home,” she told them. “I will have to be put in stasis until rescue comes.”

Terelia and Jarrod started to protest but she held up her hand.

“The planet you, Jarrod, have found for us, does not appear to have technology equal to ours.”

After taking a deep breath, she continued, “I put my sons in your care. I fear it will be several lifetimes before the trip home will be made and none of us here will see our beloved planet again.”

She began to give off a golden aura, which expanded out into the room. Suddenly, golden sparks flew away from her to be absorbed into the people, walls, floors, and ceiling of the room.

“I am blessing all the crew with the ability to choose your own
join
. You must carry on our race in this strange place. Do not interfere in the development of this alien culture, if possible, while doing all you can to keep our own culture alive. Please, I beg of you, make sure my sons know they were loved. I would be with them if I could.”

Terelia stepped up close to the bed on which she lay.

“Your sons will know their true heritage. They will carry on your bloodline. We will ensure your safety and keep you alive until rescue comes. We will not fail you!” she proclaimed.