Creation's Guardian Ch. 13A

"But Your Majesty we're at least a thousand lightyears from home. It's impossible to reach that far in real time," the communications officer replied.

"I wouldn't ask you to do it if it wasn't possible! Now just get it done and never question my orders again," Lyssa said.

"Aye, aye, My Queen," the communications officer replied. She was absolutely shocked when a green status light lit up on her console indicating a secured open channel. "I don't understand how I did it, but there's a secured channel open directly to Defense Minister Sullivan! Switching it to the captain's ready room now, My Queen!"

When Lyssa sat at Jacobia's communications console and tapped the green blinking button, she was greeted by her totally stunned older sister. "Lyssa! My stars, it really is you! When I got the hail, I thought my console was going wacky! I can see you're back aboard the Seeker. But Lain's saying that you're somewhere in the Gamma Quadrant. Although she's having problems pinning down your exact location! If Lain's right, how in the hell are you talking to me from aboard the Seeker in real time?"

Lyssa held up a computer disk and said, "a little present from the Guardian. It allows our modified COMM network to use the T/S gap for instantaneous communications over any distance. There's a small conversion relay that he ordered placed in orbit around New Atlantia that converts the signal back into sub-space radio frequencies. It's only a temporary solution though. Long term he recommends upgrading all our communications hardware if we want full access to the entire unlimited bandwidth. He's given me all the necessary electronic and engineering schematics. I've already uploaded them to the Seeker's main computer.

Sue, this is a no strings attached gift! It's ours to keep even if we decide not to form an alliance with the Neuveian Federation! His comment was, 'the brave young men and women serving your empire deserve the chance to let their families know that they're okay, and that they'll all be home safe and sound soon.' This technology is light years ahead of anything we've ever even thought of. Yet he just gave it to us so that the crew of the Seeker could call home!" Lyssa went on to tell Sue everything that had happened from the time she popped onto the Seeker's control deck.

She concluded by saying, "I really don't know what to make of this Guardian, Sue. One minute he's ready to off nine billion people. The next minute he's giving me tech that will revolutionize our communications industry. Add to that the fact that his wife not only saved my life; she bent over backwards just to make sure that no innocent people were hurt in the process. I really want this alliance. But I'm not sure if that's because of my gratitude, or if it's because it's the best thing for the Atlantian Empire. My confusion has totally clouded my judgment. I need to know what you, Amy, and Kendra think before I make any decisions."

"All right sister of mine, as you once told me, it's total truth time. The three of us have been talking about nothing else since the Guardian left. We don't know for sure whether or not the reactor thing was just a bluff, but we tend to doubt that it was. He doesn't seem to be the kind of man that pulls that shit. On the other hand he was straight up with us throughout the whole thing. The look of relief on his face when we surrendered was impossible to miss. We think that he would have let things happen if he had to, but was hoping that we were smart enough not to call him on it. Our best guess is that he's a dedicated solider. Loyal to, and extremely protective of his friends, and deadly to his enemies. We also believe that he's an honest man with an unparalleled sense of honor, and duty. Our consensus is that you'd be a fool not to accept his offer. The benefits of an alliance with the Neuveian Federation could be enormous. The only real downside that we can see is that their current cultural norms would definitely take some getting used to," Sue laughed.

Lyssa laughed softly then said, "yeah well, there is THAT to consider. But honestly, I'd have to say the nudity is so casual that after a while you don't even notice it. The simple truth is I find it very liberating not to have to be so prim and proper all the time."

Amy and Kendra's faces appeared next to Sue's. Amy giggled and said, "now THAT sounds more like the Lyssa we know and love." Kendra broke in with, "yeah, that Guardian's quite a hunk isn't he? Too bad he's married. I'd jump his bones any day," she laughed.

Lyssa's face blushed apple red as she said, "all right you two, I admit it. He gets me more than just a little bit wet down there. But let's move on to other things. Sue, Commander Sullivan's a fleet officer. He's subject to the ACMJ. You're my defense minister so when we get back he's gonna be your problem to deal with."

"Thanks a lot, I love you too, Sis," Sue giggled. She continued with, "don't worry about it, Lyssa. Amy, Kendra, and I will put our heads together and come up with a very public way to make an example out of him. We wanna make damn sure we discourage anyone else from ever trying that shit again. In the meantime you might wanna talk to the Guardian and see if there isn't a way to enhance our personal defensive shields to stop projectile weapons. Sooner or later this shit's gonna become public knowledge and we DON'T need that kind of bullshit."

"Yeah, you're right about that one, Sue. I've already thought about it some. I can't figure out how they do it. I'll talk to him and see if he'll help us out. I'll get back to you as soon as I have any useful information on it. Is there anything else we need to discuss before I go? I want to try and catch the tail end of Jacobia's crew meeting"

"Yeah just one quick thing. You've appeared before us safe and sound aboard one of your own starships, and although Lain only has a partial lock on you, our security protocols have been satisfied. General order one is no longer in effect so go and have some fun for a change," Sue said with a smile

Lyssa rolled her eyes and said, "I won't be doing any of the things you count as fun, Sue. The Guardian already has a wife and more than fifty other women he's fucking. I have no intention of adding myself to that list despite how wet he makes my pussy get. I'll check in again soon. In the meantime, take good care of my empire for me." Lyssa closed the frequency then tapped in a few commands on Jacobia's console. She changed the security code on Commander Sullivan's brig cell then had the ship's AI voice print encrypt the file so that only she could open it. After that she stood and went to the briefing room.

As Lyssa entered the briefing room, Jacobia was saying, "that's the situation as it stands right now. Anyone who wants it can have an all expense paid shore leave. The subdermal universal translators implanted behind your left ear will work perfectly in this situation. You'll have no problems communicating with the locals. But be aware of the fact that the regulations regarding cultural norms are in full effect. The only thing you may have on your body is your COMMS bracelet. Oh, and please don't embarrass us or yourselves by staring at people. Lieutenant Molloy will be in command planetside. If you have any questions, problems, or concerns, see her. I'm trusting you with my crew Lieutenant Molloy. I expect you to take good care of them and to make damn sure that they all behave themselves and act according to the highest standards of the Atlantian fleet. Know this people, anyone who gives her the slightest reason for concern will join Commander Sullivan in the brig for the duration of our stay here! Am I clear on that?"

There was a chorus of "yes ma'am, crystal clear ma'am," from around the room.

Lyssa spoke up, " Lieutenant Molloy, you'll need to take a shuttle down with you. I want you to send someone up here once a day just long enough to check on the prisoner. Don't try to open his cell; just make sure he hasn't done us all a favor and offed himself. Try to send someone different each time so that everyone gets equal time to enjoy themselves."

"I'll see to it, My Queen," Lieutenant Molloy replied. "But may I please ask you a question?"

"Ask away Lieutenant," Lyssa replied.

"I'm not questioning your orders, My Queen. I'm just asking for clarification. Do I have to send someone different everyday? It's such a simple task. I could take care of it myself. It would only take about an hour of my time each day and really I don't mind doing it."

"That's fine with me, Lieutenant. Just keep the option open to send someone else just in case you have something you wanna do on a particular day. Okay?"

"Understood, My Queen," Lieutenant Molloy replied.

"Okay people, I have some situational orders for you," Lyssa said. She rubbed her forehead then continued, "humans are a relatively primitive society. You're not to mention the Atlantian Empire, or the existence of our space fleet. If anyone asks, you may tell them your name and that you're honored guests of the Guardian. Anything beyond that is classified information. I don't know how long we'll be here. Working out the preliminary details of an alliance is gonna take some time. Enjoy yourselves while you can, but be ready to return to your ship at a moment's notice. That's all I have. You may dismiss your crew at your leisure, Captain McDonald," Lyssa said as she left the room.

"Okay everyone, listen up. You'll be transporting down to a secluded beach behind the Presidential Mansion. A couple of President Amanda Reid's aides will meet you there and escort you to your hotel. After that you're on your own. Lieutenant Molloy, there's a landing pad behind that same mansion. You're cleared to land there and nowhere else. Keep the shuttle cloaked until you've landed. A member of the President's security team will meet you there and escort you to the same hotel as everyone else. If you have any problems what so ever, feel free to contact me via the COMS system. Other than that, you're on your own as well. You're also on transporter duty, Lieutenant Molloy. Make sure everyone that wants to go gets down before you take off in the shuttle. All right people, you're dismissed."

When Jacobia entered her ready room, Lyssa was seated at the console deep in thought. She sat next to Lyssa then said, "Nanna, I realize how much you want this alliance and knowing aunts Sue, Amy, and Kendra, I'm pretty sure they do too. But I'd be remiss in my duty to you and the empire if I didn't urge caution. I'm not sure exactly what kind of being this 'Guardian' is. But he has more power in one finger than an entire regiment of Atlantian Special Forces. He doesn't NEED this alliance. So what's in it for him, and what's it gonna cost us?"

"Always right to the point,huh, Sweetie?" That's one of the reasons you're my favorite out of all my descendants. You're bright. You're articulate. You don't take any shit, and you can think outside of the box. You're gonna make one hell of a queen someday!" Lyssa held up her hand palm out and continued, "let me finish before you say anything, Jacobia. I realize you don't want the job. I know you're happy commanding a starship and I'm gonna let you continue to do that for the time being. But I've been queen of the Atlantian Empire for over six thousand years. The naming of an heir apparent is long overdue.

I'm tired, Honey. I made a mistake today that could've gotten us all killed. Like it or not, the time is coming for me to step aside. The empire's grown stagnant it needs new leadership. Fresh blood with new ideas and new ways of doing things. When we get home I'm gonna announce that you're first in line for the throne. Heaven knows nobody else who's eligible for the crown wants the damn thing so you won't have any problems in that regard.

Don't think for one second that this is something that just came up out of the blue. Because it's not. It was three days short of your second birthday when your Mom and Dad gave you to me to raise. Not because they couldn't afford you and not because they couldn't take care of you properly. But because they were afraid of you. Even at that early age you showed all the signs of being a very gifted psychic. They knew that your abilities would only get stronger and they were terrified that they wouldn't be able to teach you how to control your power. I tried to talk them into letting me help them by teaching them what they needed to know but they wanted no part of it.

I finally agreed to accept guardianship of you because I knew that you were gonna be a very powerful woman once you reached maturity. I raised you as if you were my own child. Like my own Mom and Dad did for me, I've guided you and I've taught you everything you need to know to lead our people. I've been grooming you to take over for me since that very first day, Jacobia. I know you're gonna ask me why you? Think about it, Sweetie. Nine billion Atlantians, tens of thousands of gifted psychics, yet only five of us are off the psionic scales. Me, Sue, Kendra, Amy, AND YOU! Please don't fight me on this one, Honey. It's too important and there's far too much at stake."

Jacobia laughed softly then replied, "don't worry, Nanna. I won't give you any shit about it. I've got a confession to make. I think I was about ten, maybe eleven, when I first realized what you were up to. That's why I gave you such a hard time about some of the things you were teaching me. I wanted to make sure that I not only understood the subject you were teaching me but that I also understood your reasoning behind all the different possible solutions you were showing me. Making you proud of me is the most important thing in the universe to me. You've taught me that I have a duty to serve the empire to the best of my abilities. If you think that me assuming the crown is the best way I can serve, so be it.

I'll do it for you. But know this, Nanna. YOU will ALWAYS be my queen! I have a couple of favors to ask of you though. First, can we do this gradually? I think we'll both know when I'm ready to assume the throne. Second, I'd like to be the one to negotiate this alliance with the Neuveians. It'll give me a chance to get my feet wet and you'll be there to back me up if I stumble."

"I'm not surprised you figured things out, Jacobia. You always were a clever girl. In answer to your first two questions; you're right we don't know why the Guardian wants this alliance, or what he expects from us in return. I suspect you'll find the answers to those two questions as you negotiate the alliance treaty. Just don't give away the farm, okay? I really don't know of any way to do things over time, Sweetie. Being a queen doesn't quite work that way. It's an all or nothing job. You've sat in on my council meetings for years. You know the strengths and weaknesses of the empire as well as I do. I'll always be there for you, Jacobia. I'll help you in any way I can and I'll always give you my best advice. But you're gonna have to be the one making the decisions and ruling the empire."

"All right, you win, Nanna. I'll assume the crown whenever you want me to. But honestly? The thought of all that responsibility terrifies me to no end. I'm gonna need every bit of help I can get at first. You being there to advise me will be a big help. I think I'm gonna need more than just that from you though. I'm gonna need you to be my personal assistant and your first task is gonna be to talk aunts Sue, Amy, and Kendra into staying on in their current positions and being a part of my council too. I'll need their advice and their wisdom just as much as I'll need yours. Don't worry, I'll make my own choices and my own decisions. I'll do things my own way, and eventually I'll build my own council of advisers. In the meantime, I wanna make any transition as seamless as possible."

Lyssa laughed softly then said, "you drive a hard bargain, Jacobia. I guess you really were paying attention to the things I taught you after all. Okay, Sweetie, you've got yourself a deal. Don't worry about your aunts though. I can pretty much guarantee they're gonna love the idea of serving on your advisory council and breaking in a new queen. Well, Your Majesty what do ya say we get our asses back planetside? You've still got a treaty to negotiate."

"Hey! I'm not queen of the Atlantian Empire yet! You're the one stuck with that job at least until we get home, Your Majesty," Jacobia said with a laugh. She gave Lyssa a kiss on the cheek then continued, "but you're right, My Queen; it's time we got back to work."

*****

Place: The beach behind Bob's castle, New Atlantis, Neuveia.

Local time: 16:00 hours.

When Lyssa and Jacobia returned to the beach Bob was just getting ready to prepare a steak and seafood buffet. He told them they were invited to join him and the others for dinner. When they accepted his invitation, he told them to have a seat at the picnic table and that he'd join them there shortly.

As they walked to the table, Amanda stood and greeted them warmly. She stepped back and gave them both a strange look and said, "okay, something's different about you two. I can't quite put my finger on it but your auras are intermingled for some reason."

As they sat down Lyssa explained that she would be stepping aside and that Jacobia would become the new queen of the Atlantian Empire in the near future. She also informed Amanda that as the prospective queen, Jacobia would be the one negotiating the alliance for the empire.

Bob walked over to Jacobia and knelt down on one knee. "I understand that congratulations are in order, Your Majesty. I realize that you haven't assumed the throne yet, Jacobia." He held out a long sword in a scabbard hilt first and continued, "please accept this sword as a token of our friendship and respect. It once belonged to Joan of Arc, otherwise known as the Maid of Orleans. Like you, she was a being of the light; a great warrior woman that fought courageously for her king and her country winning many battles for them before she was betrayed and burned at the stake as a witch."

Jacobia stood and placed her hand on the hilt of the sword then said, "Guardian, I accept this gift in the spirit in which it was given. In my mind it will always symbolize the bridge we're building between our two peoples." She looked at Lyssa and winked then turned back to Bob grinned and said, "but don't think for one second that my young age is gonna make the negotiations any easier. My Nanna has spent years training me for this role."

Bob chuckled softly as he stood. "Judging from the graceful way you accepted that sword, I'd say your Nanna has done a remarkable job. As to the alliance treaty; I really expect the negotiations to go rather smoothly. I don't want or need much and I'm prepared to offer substantial technological rewards in exchange for what I do want. But unless you're in a hurry to head home; I'd like to put the negotiations on hold for a few days. I expect that Artemis, Hestia, and Demeter will be presenting me with three more sets of twins in the next day or so and Asimah's baby girl won't be far behind. My guess is that I'll have seven more children within the next twenty four to thirty six hours. Besides that, you're both very beautiful women. I'm really enjoying your company and I'd love to get to know more about the both of you."

"Keep flattering me like that and my Nanna may have to find another candidate for her crown," Jacobia giggled. "Seriously though, we're not in any real hurry. We can wait a few days if that's what you need. It'll give my crew some time to relax and unwind after all the drama that's happened today."

"Thank you, I appreciate that. In the meantime, there's two other women I'd like you two to meet." Bob looked up and yelled, " Destiny, Life, you two already know that I have more than a few questions so get your sexy little asses down here."