A Hidden Leader

[Princess 35]

Here it is everyone! This is the story that I said you were all starring in. I'll be posting each chapter as I get it done. Please give me feedback, but please post it in RED.

Same story! Different title! Fits more with where this has gone.

[Princess 35]

Chapter 1

The galaxy spun outside of the viewport. High above the galactic plane, Emperor Beeurd stared out of the viewport deep in thought, not even noticing when Empress Link crept up behind him. "You seem troubled love," Link remarked to Beeurd.

"The galaxy is falling apart in front of our eyes. Civil war has torn this wonderful Maruchan Empire apart. We fear that we have little time left. Our people are being hunted down and killed in their beds, and soon they will come after us. We worry about the future of our galaxy and for us." Beeurd lapsed off into silence. It had been over a year since the Newbies had entered the galaxy. Their invasion of the galaxy had split the government into two factions. The Imperial government was forced into hiding as the Colpzic faction slowly took control of the galaxy. Paired with the Newbies, the Colpzics were relentless; they killed anyone who failed to support them. Young and old, human and alien, no one was safe. The galaxy was in turmoil and Beeurd felt helpless to protect his followers.

"We will figure our what to do eventually love," Link reassured her husband when she noticed his silence. "For now, let us go and pray to the Gods that our people will be safe. It is all that we can do until we get more help from our resistance."

"That is true," Beeurd said as he kissed his wife gently on the forehead. "Now let us go and offer our prayers to the Gods."

The two walked arm in arm to the level of the Ultimate Beeurdness where the cermonies of The Different Way were being held. Beeurd and Link made an impressive looking pair. Beeurd was 2 meters tall, with dark brown hair and a matching goatee. He was built strong for a human and had intense blue eyes that seemed to see everything. Link was tall for a human female. She was also 2 meters tall and had dark blonde curly hair that ended at mid-back. Like Beeurd, Link also had intense blue eyes.

They entered the stateroom that was reserved for worship to Psychodite and Pazzia, the Goddess of Psychoness and the God of Insanity. Kneeling before the altar were the two High Priestesses of their religion, Pod and Amamu Pakal. Amamu Pakal is myself, I decided that Princess did not fit in for the story Dressed in the deep gold robes befitting their status, Pod and Amamu were in deep prayer to Psychodite and Pazzia. Their low chants of worship sounded surreal in the large stateroom. When Pod and Amamu finished praying, they rose as one, with their arms tucked in their billowing sleeves, and greeted the Emperor and Empress. "Greetings Your Excellencies. How are Your Excellencies today?"

"We are worried about the plight of our people," Beeurd informed the High Priestesses.

"The Spirit will guide you, Your Excellency," Amamu informed the Emperor. "We will leave you alone to reflect on the fate of our people now. We must share the information that Pazzia and Psychodite have chosen to grace us with through the Spirit with Commander Furday. This information could be vital to us reclaiming the galaxy."

"Go then and hurry. ANything that can help us end the suffering of our people is in our best interest. The Will of the Spirit protect you in this noble journey to the Commander, Your Graces." Beeurd instructed the two.

"Thank you, Your Excellency. We will not disappoint you, The threat from the Newbies will be over soon," Pod reassured the Emperor. Pod and Amamu left the sateroom then, bowing deeply before the Emperor and Empress, and then headed towards the docking bay.

Once they arrived in the docking bay, Pod and Amamu boarded their ship, Messenger of the Gods, and removed their heavy, ornate robes. Under the robes, they wore the traditional clothing of the Maruchan Empire. Pod was wearing tight black pants; a lightweight, longsleeved, loose, kneelength shirt with billowing sleeves that was blood red in color; and sandals that laced up the calf. Amamu was dressed the same, except her shirt was a bright blue.

The two moved through the pre-flight checklist, quickly gained clearance and launched from the Beeurdness, setting course for the Furmiester, Commander Furday's flagship.

[Princess 35]

Chapter 2

Drake, Supreme Warlord of the Colpzic faction, paced agitatedly acrodd his audience chamber. "What do you mean you can't find Beeurd and Link?! I have the best spies and double agents in the galaxy and you lost one fleet!" The four horns on Drake's head flared from green to red and showed his agitation. Drake was huge by human standards. He was a Kewadins were naturally tall. Humanoid, he stood 2.5 meters tall and had flashing red eyes. The horns atop his head had a tendency to shift around, an imposing feature.

"Warlord, it is not that easy to keep track of a fleet. Our armed forced are spread all over the galaxy to keep the Resistance at bay. The homing beacons that we had introduced onto the Ultimate Beeurdness are not sending signals anymore. Agent Ana had not reported in two standard weeks. We do not know where Beeurd and Link are," Warlord Jade, Drake's second in command reported to him. Jade's jade green eyes flashed with her anger. "If you want this galaxy held together, then you need to give me time, Supreme Warlord."

"Fine, but I want them found as soon as possible. Drake's horns started to return to thier normal green color as he calmed down.

"Forgive me, Supreme Warlord," an aide said as he entered the room. "The Newbie Overlord is here to see you."

"Thank you, I'll see him in just a moment. Jade, you're dismissed for now, I'll meet you in my quarters later." Drake said as he sat on his throne.

"A thousand pardons Warlord, but the Newbie Overlord is a she. She goes by the name Dragon's Fury and she appears to be quite odd," the aide informed Drake.

"That is enough," Drake said calmly. He than snapped his fingers and the two hurried out of the room.

A moment later, Dragon's Fury entered the room. She was a small reptilian and stood just over 1 meter tall. She had pruple scales that appeared metallic in the lighting of the audience chamber. "Greetingss Ssupreme Warlord Drake. It iss a pleassuse to meet you. I believe thatwe cam make our alliance even more ssuccessssful than it already iss." Dragon's Fury hissed out her speech. "I grant you permissssion to call me Overlord Fury. The Dragon'ss part of my name iss ssignificant to my religiouss casste. I am a child of the Dragon. However, when you meet more of my people, remember it iss rude to drop the religiouss casste without permissssion and iss grounds for execution, Ssupreme Warlord."

"Thank you Overlord Fury, and I grant you the permission to just call me Warlord or Drake. There is no need for that much formality between us."

"Thank you Warlord, now pleasse fill me in on the sstate of the galaxy."

Drake touched a button on the console of his throne and a view of the galaxy appeared on the viewscreen on the cieling. "As you can see, the galaxy is split right now. The Colpzics are currently holding about one third of the galaxy, the Newbies are making a sweep into the galaxy and currently control about a sixth of the galaxy. Unfortunately, the Maruchan Empire is still in control of approximately half of the galaxy. While that is a significant amount of the galaxy, those numbers are dwindling daily. The Colpzics are gaining more planets everyday. Soon we will control much of the galaxy and will become the legitimate government for the galaxy." Drake let out an evil laugh as he finished speakung.

"That iss all well Warlord. I expect to ssee much more progressss now," Fury hissed out at Drake.

"You will Overlord Fury, trust me you will."

"Excellent," she hissed.

[Princess 35]

Chapter 3

Messenger of the Gods dropped out of hyperspace in the Ilozaf system. Commander Furday's ship, Furmeister orbited the planet.

"Furmeister, this is Messenger of the Gods. High Preistesses Pod and Amamu Pakal are here to see Commander Furday, we have important news. Transmitting clearance codes now." Pod finished transmitting the message and clearance code before looking to Amamu. "We have made it Amamu, now to share our information with the Commander."

Amamu had a worried look on her face. "I know that Pod, it's just that the information we have obtained from the Gods has unsettled me. I have not felt like this in many years." Amamu lapsed off into silence and stared at the large ship orbiting the planet.

The clearance request was returned and Pod swiftly docked Messenger of the Gods in the Furmeister's docking bay. Pod and Amamu slipped their ceremonial robes on again and left the ship to be greeted by a small furry escort. "Jibit Ibit Pod, Jibit Ibit Amamu Pakal, wakabuka a Furmeister. Commander Furday lertwit a ti."

"Wakabuka Nirvana," Amamu replied.

Nirvana escorted Pod and Amamu to the bridge to meet the Commander. Commander Furday was a tall fur covered humanoid who stood 3 meters tall with warm brown eyes. He let out a howl of glee when he saw the two Preistesses.

"Yes Commander, it has been too long. I only wish that it was good news that brings us to see you today," Pod told Furday after receiving a large hug from him. "Where is your XO?

Furday growled something that Amamu and Pod didn't catch, but the computer translated as "XO, report to the bridge immediately."

A moment later Furday's XO walked through the door. Amamu and Pod couldn't help but let out a small cry of suprise. Furday's XO was one of their good friends, Rogue.

"Rogue, it's so good to see you again. It's been far too long. We will have to catch up after Pod and myself share our news with the Commander and you."

"You bring news of the invasion?" Rogue asked.

"Yes, the Gods have revealed a feeling of a plot, but as this is a matter of intelligence, is there someplace more private that we can take this conversation?"

"Of course. Commander shall we retreat to the officer's mess? It should be empty at this time."

Furday growled in the affirmative and Rogue led the group to the mess, where they took a corner table .

Furday asked a question and Rogue translated for him. "What is this plot that you speak of Your Graces?"

"During our daily meditations yesterday, Amamu and myself asked the Gods for help with the invasion. The Gods graced us with a glimpse of an attack on the Emperor. The vision did not show who it was, but from the feeling that we got, we feel that someone close to the Emperor is involved in plotting with either the Colpzic's or Newbie's. We did not tell the Emperor of this because we did not want this to leak out to the traitor." Pod's face got almost a childlike look of excitement when she said the word traitor.

Amamu continued on with Pod's speech. "We told the Emperor that we had important news to discuss with you. It is not unusual for the Gods to grace us with visions, so we were able to come here. As head of intelligence Commander, you're our only help. We have to keep the Emperor safe."

[Princess 35]

Chapter 4

A shadow and a shimmer met in the bowels of the Ultimate Beeurdness. The shimmer slowly turned into a person. "Milady, I am glad you could meet me here," the shimmer said to the person.

"It was no problem Ana. It takes little for me to slip away. My closeness to the Emperor gives me a fair amount of freedom. Why did you need to see me?"

"Jade has contacted me. She says that we need to make our move soon. The Newbies are getting anxious. As is the Warlord, he wants a report on our progress as soon as possible."

"Let him know that it will be soon. That is all that I can determine now. I must go now or I will be missed. Take care Ana."

"I will milady. Take care yourself. The Warlord will have my head if anything happens to you. If he can find me that is," As she said that Ana returned to her invisible self.

"Excellent, everything is going exactly as I have planned. Soon Beeurd and Link will be out of the way and the galaxy will be mine." Drake said to himself as he read Ana's report.

"It is good news then Warlord?" Jade asked from the other side of his desk.

"Very good. According to Ana the plot will come to a head soon and then the galaxy will be mine for the taking." Drake let out an evil laugh. "Let us set a course for the Ilozaf system. I am sick of waiting for diplomacy to work. We will take that system now."

[Princess 35]

Chapter 5

Emperor Beeurd and Empress Link sat down for a dinner with Countess Von Spirit. "Milady, we are pleased that you could join us. We are committed to the protection of the Ilozaf system at all costs." Beeurd told the Countess.

"That we are milady," Link added. "We need to end this war and rid the galaxy of the Newbies."

"That we do Your Excelencies, that we do," the Countess agreed.

"Emperor!!" An aide shouted as he ran into the room. "The Ilozaf system is under attack. Commander Furday is requesting immediate backup!"

The Countess fainted. Link looked pale. Beeurd swore in 20 different languages before ordering the fleet to set course for Ilozaf.

Commander Furday was barking out orders faster than the computer could translate them. Luckily, he had a well trained crew that understood most of what he said. The enemy had taken them by suprise, with a large fleet. The Colpzic and Newbie ships were fast, and most of Furday's men were planetside on leave. They had all been called back as soon as the enemy fleet had dropped out of hyperspace.

Rogue was coordinating the battle groups. The only problem was that the Imperial Fleet was greatly outnumbered.

"Rogue, I don't want to interrupt but Amamu and I are going to take Messenger and help out. Emperor Beeurd has made sure that our ship has numerous weapons. The Gods will protect us and we will be able to save countless lives."

Rogue looked up from the viewscreen. "I am deeply sorry Pod, but it will do no good. The Commander has just ordered the retreat. We have lost many lives today, we can no longer help the Ilozaf people. Our ships are too greatly damaged. This is another system lost to the Colpzics and Newbies."

Just then the Ultimate Beeurdness and the rest of Beeurd's dropped out of hyperspace. "Attention all Colpzic and Newbie ships. This is Emperor Beeurd of the Maruchan Empire. Surrender at once."

Rogue radioed over to Beeurd. "It is too late Your Excelency. They have taken the system. Commander Furday has just ordered the retreat. We have lost too many ships and men tonight Emperor."

"Very well then. Continue with your retreat. We will meet at the Place. I must now console the Countess on the loss of her system. Emperor out."

The ships all jumped into hyperspace to safety.

[Princess 35]

Chapter 6

Furday, Rogue, Pod and Amamu were now finishing the meeting that was interrupted by the battle with the Colpzics and Newbies.

"The Gods have informed us that treachery is in the air. We fear that someone may use treason to kill the Emperor," Amamu informed the group.

Pod's ears perked up. "Did somebody say treason?"

Everyone stared blankly at her, then Rogue answered with a hidden smile. "No Pod, no one said treason."

"Are you sure, cuz I swore I heard someone say treason, and when someone says treason that means I get to hurt some people and crush some traitorous scum, and it makes the world a better place, so are you sure no one said treason?"

They couldn't help it anymore, they all burst out laughing. "Pod you are so easy to confuse sometimes. Yes Amamu mentioned the word treason. I just wanted to see your reaction," Rogue told her.

"Anyways back to business," Amamu refocused the group. "We must protect the Emperor. If the Emperor loses his life, the Empire has nothing."

Furday yelped his agreement.

"Ok so this is what we'll do," Pod said. She then had a plan that had everyone thouroughly confused.

Furday asked something and Rogue translated for him. "Your Grace, this is a confusing plan. Why can't we just lurk? It'll be much easier." He smiled and showed his fangs.

"Ok Furday, we can lurk. For the next week we'll see what we can see, then we'll meet again to decide what to do next."

Everyone looked happy that Pod had accepted Furday's simpler plan.

[Princess 35]

Chapter 7

"Unknown One, I require your pressence immediately." Dragon's Fury hissed out.

"I am here Your Eminence," a lowly smaller lizard-like humanoid replied. "How may I serve you?"

"I have a ssupicion that Drake will not do asss I have insstructed. He sseems to have a hidden agenda. I am ssending you to watch him. You are to sstay hidden Unknown One, iss that clear."

"Yes Your Eminence, it shall be as you wish."

"Excellent."

Drake was in the capitol of the Izozaf system, Linguini. People were lined up for miles to pledge their allegience to the Colpzics. What a wonderful thing, seeing people grovelling for their very lives, he thought. "Jade!"

"Yes Warlord?"

"Make an announcement. Any being that has not pledged it's allegience to me, or is not in line to pledge allegience, by sundown, shall be executed for treason. The Colpzic's are in charge now, make sure that people know that."

"Yes Warlord, right away Sir." Jade then scuttled off to make the announcement.

Drake leaned back in thought as more people grovelled in front of him. His hidden agent should be reporting soon. He couldn't wait to see her again. He had hated giving her up for the amount of time that she had been away, but it was necessary for things to work properly. He would have her back soon, just as soon as Beeurd was dead.

[Princess 35]

Chapter 8

Link let out a scream that set the whole ship running. "BEEURD!!!!!!!!! Someone help me right away. The Emperor has been poisoned!"

Furday, Rogue, Pod and Amamu, all of whom had just boarded the ship, took off at a dead sprint for the Emperor's quarters. They were all shocked by what they saw. Beeurd was laying on the bed, deathly pale. Pod and Amamu rushed to his side where they started frantically chanting the healing prayers of The Different Way.

"What happened?" Rogue asked Link.

"I saw the Countess leaving the room. Beeurd had informed her of the fall of Ilozaf. I entered the room and he was like that. I'm so scared." Link looked so little and confused. "He had a premonition a little while ago. That something evil was going to happen to us."

"Empress, thank you very much. We will go in search of the Countess now." Rogue tried to reassure Link. She pressed the communication button on her uniform. "Attention all troops, this is Rogue. We are in search of Countess von Tahiri. She is being charged with treason. Catch her at once."

"No," Beeurd weakly said. "It wasn't her. Pod don't look so happy when you hear the word treason. No don't look so sad now. I'll still let you torture the treasonous scum. It was not the Countess. I was feeling ill before I broke the news to her." Beeurd then passed out and Pod and Amamu started praying even harder, working the toxin out of his body.

Rogue rescinded her order. "Who was it then?" She had a very puzzled look on her face. "Commander, with your permission, I'd like to take the Furmeister to the secret lab, and get some help from Professer Ewing. He will have something to help us."

Furday granted her permission and watched as she sprinted off towards the shuttle for the Furmeister. Furday watched Pod and Amamu for a second longer then decided to go do some lurking to see if he could catch the treasonous scum.

Onboard the Furmeister...

Rogue entered the coordinates for the secret lab. She was after all, the only person besides Professor Ewing to know them. "Navigator, is the course set?"

"The course is set Ma'am."

"Good. Jump to hyperspace on my mark. 3. 2. 1. Mark." The ship lurched forward into hyperspace, leaving Rogue a few hours to think about who could want to kill the Emperor.

A few hours later the ship exited hyperspace in the deep depths of the galaxy. Rogue took a shuttle down to the lab and she was met by Professor Ewing.

"I thought that was you love, when I saw that there was a ship coming out of hyperspace." Professor Ewing told Rogue. He was a short human male that wore glasses and a lab coat, his hair looked like something had just exploded in the lab.

"It was, love. Unfortunately this is not a social call. Someone is trying to kill the Emperor. I need a treasonous scum detecting device."

"Of course, I'll get one for you right away. The price is a kiss."

Rogue kissed Professor Ewing. "Consider the bill payed in full."

"Good, now let me go get you what you need. Followw me, but don't touch anything. I am working on an extremely unstable experiement right now."

Rogue followed him into the lab. A few hours later she came out and had the treasonous scum detecting device in hand. She boarded the Furmeister once again and set course back to the fleet.

[Princess 35]

Chapter 9

It was sundown on Linguini. About 100 people were gathered in a hall. Still loyal to the Emperor, they were facing death, and they knew it. All of the sudden the door was knocked down and a platoon of troopers stormed the place. The brave people of the Maruchan Empire stood their ground and Supreme Warlord Drake entered the hall. "People of Linguini," he started, "I am in charge now. This is your last chance. Swear your fealty to me or I shall kill you."

A teenage male in the group stepped forward. "Kill me if you wish you lowly son of a dung beatle. You may kill me but you will never kill the Emperor or the spirit of the Maruchan Empire."

"Lowly son of a dung beatle. That's a new one. Oh well. And I wouldn't be so sure about no one being able to kill the Emperor. Captain, my gun." The Captain of the platoon handed Drake a large gun. Drake aimed at the entire group. Just like shooting fish in a barrel. Smiling, he pressed the trigger and watched the entire group explode from the intense laser fire. He then turned on his heel and exited the hall, ordering the guards to watch and shoot anything that moved in the next 72 standard hours.

"Commander Furday, we have an unknown message coming in from Linguini."

Furday ordered the message sent to his command console. He started playing it and was suprised when Agent Flash, a young teenage male spy, popped up on the screen. The message was a long one. "Greeting Commander. If you have received this message then I am dead. The Colpzics and Newbies have invaded the Ilozaf system and have infiltrated Linguini. They demanded alleigance from all inhabitants of the system. He gave them less than 12 standard hours to swear their fealty to him, before he ordered their executions for treason. I was able to catch up with the people who were going to be our resistance cell, unfortunately the 100 of us are now dead. Commander, the Warlord is ruthless. I was unable to infiltrate the Colpzics, their security for training new recruits is too high and my fake identification would not get me in. Please tell the High Preistesses Pod and Amamu Pakal goodbye for me. I have lived my life well and have no regrets. May the Will of the Spirit guide you Commander." The message ended with the sound of the door being slammed in.

Furday howled in agitation. One of his best spies was dead. Someone was going to pay for this. And that someone was Warlord Drake.

[Princess 35]

Chapter 10

Rogue returned to the fleet the next day. She noticed that the Commander was very upset about something and made a mental note to ask him about it later. First she had some treasonous scum to catch. With a determined step, she headed towards the Emperor's chambers. As she walked, she swept the treasonus scum catching device back and forth, it seemed to pick up in the tone of it's alert the closer she got to the Emperor's chambers. She picked up her pace. All of the sudden she heard a crash from the Emperor's chambers. She paused a minute to call for reenforcements then she rushed into the chambers. Rogue was shocked by what she saw. Empress Link was standing over the Emperor with a dagger in her hands.

"I have waited 10 years to do this Beeurd. Ever since Drake gave me this assignment. It was all to easy to get close to you. Your security was so weak. And it was so easy to make you fall in love with me. Now it is time for you to die."

Rogue couldn't move. She knew that she had to help the Emperor but her feet were glued to the floor. The treasonous scum detecting device was going crazy. She just watched in horror. Then out of nowhere Emperor Beeurd was able to flip so that he was on top of Link.

"You have put my people into danger. We are not pleased about that. How could you Link? I loved you with all of my heart. Now I have no choice, kill you or be killed myself."

"Beeurd I will make that choice for you." With that Link managed to break her hand free and drove the dagger into Beeurd's heart. Flipping him off of her, she ran out the door, past a stunned Rogue, and to the docking bay.

Troops showed up then. Rogue broke out of her trance and ran to the Emperor. She called for a medic and cradled his head in her lap. "Emperor... please, help will be here soon. Stay with us Your Excellency."

"Rogue... I won't be around anymore. Pod and Amamu Pakal are now in charge. Catch Link. Give her a fair trial. Don't hurt her. I... loved her. I still love her. Commander Furday is now in charge of the armed forces. Protect the galaxy Rogue." Emperor Beeurd breathed his last breath and died in Rogue's arms. Pod and Amamu Pakal ran into the room then. They saw Rogue, with the dead Emperor's head in her lap, crying. They let out wails of anguish that could be heard throught the ship.

Rogue was so stunned by the sound that she looked up. "Your Graces, the Emperor said that you were in charge before he died."

Pod asked the question that so many wanted to know. "Who did this Rogue?"

"It was Link, she was in league with Drake the entire time. She drove a poisoned dagger into the heart of the best Emperor the galaxy has seen."

"We are in a time of mourning. We must mourn the Emperor. But we must also fight. We will mourn the Emperor for 2 years, the Gods will accept no less. The Emperor is one with the Spirit now. He will be watching us and passing his wisdom down to us," Amamu Pakal informed the group there. "We will now go and catch Link, and Pod will take her to the Temple of Pain where she will suffer for what she did. Treson has been committed this day troops, we will catch Link."

"Wait," Rogue spoke up. "Before he died, the Emperor also said not to hurt Link. Even with all that she has done, he still loves her."

"We shall see," Pod said as she had a feral gleam in her eye. "We shall see. No one kills my Emperor and gets away unscathed."

[Princess 35]

Chapter 11

Emperor Beeurd's funeral was scheduled for the next day. The Great Chamber of the Ultimate Beeurdness was overflowing with people wishing to pay their last respects to the slain Emperor. Everyone present was holding a single black candle. So many mourners were present that more rooms had to be opened for the troops from the rest of the fleet. The funeral was also being transmitted across the Galactic Holovision forall loyal subjects to watch. The quiet murmur that was going through the room silenced itself as Pod and Amamu Pakal swept into the room, dressed in the black robes of mourning. The stopped before the altar, where Emperor Beeurd's body lay in state, and prostrated themselves on the floor, praying for the Emperor's soul. Everyone present also fell to the floor in prayer.

After 10 minutes, Pod and Amamu rose and went behind the altar. Amamu began the service. "Loyal servants of the Maruchan Empire, we are gathered here today to mourn the death of our Emperor. Emperor Beeurd was a kind and loving Emperor who put the needs of his people before his own. Emperor Beeurd died trying to save his Empire, for this the Maruchani people are grateful. Even though his body is dead, his spirit still lives on within our hearts. The Emperor is one with the Spirit now."

Pod then started intoning the prayers. "Dear Pazzia please welcome Emperor Beeurd into the Spirit. We accept Your wisdom great God of Insanity. We offer this sacrifice in Your name as we gift the body of our Emperor to You. Loving Goddess Psychodite, give us the strength to get through this terrible ordeal. Keep us insane. Give us the strength to fight for the Emperor. Give Amamu Pakal and myself the wisdom to rule wisely. Grant Commander Furday the wisdom to make good decisions. Most importantly Mother Goddess, give us the Emperor's wisdom through the flow of the Spirit." When Pod stopped speaking, Amamu looked at her and they started chanting an intricate prayer for Emperor Beeurd's spirit. When the prayer was finished, Pod introduced Rogue to say a few words.

Rogue stepped up to the altar dressed in her dress black uniform. "I've served in the Imperial Armed Forces for as long as Iwas old enough. It's been a long time. I remember my first day at the academy, the Emperor himself was standing there greeting every new recruit. It was that day that I knew that I was making the right choice to serve. For 20 years I have been a member of the IAF. For 20 years the Emperor has been around. Now he's gone. I'm in shock. I watched him die. Even at the end he was still his kind and caring self. He may not be with us in body anymore, but the Emperor would not want us to be sad. Yes we will mourn, it is expected of us, but we will continue the fight because that is what he would have wanted. We will fight for the freedom of the Maruchani! We will fight for the Emperor!" Applause rattled the Great Chamber, Rogue paused. "We will miss the Emperor, but his memory lives on in all of us." When she finshed speaking, Rogue turned and saluted the Emperor, all of the troops followed her lead. Rogue knew what she had to do next, she set her candle next to Beeurd. Everyone followed and soon the Emperor's body was burning away. People wept openly at the sight of the Emperor's body disappearing. Soon there was nothing left but ashes. Amamu stepped up to the ashes.

"From ashes we come and to ashes we return." She then scooped the ashes into a missile shell. Turning to the launching tube, she inserted the missile. "I will now shoot this missile at the sun. May all who see it's brightness remember the brightness of the Emperor." Amamu pressed the fire button and everyone watched out the viewport as the missile hit the sun, setting off a bright flare. "Goodbye Emperor," Amamu whispered softly.

[Princess 35]

Chapter 12

Link was in hyperspace on her way to Linguini to meet back up with Drake. She knew that she didn't have long, Rogue had seen her kill Beeurd. Soon they would be after her. A bit paranoid she looked around and screamed when she saw Ana materialize in front of her. "Ana!! How many times have I told you not to do that to me?"

"Forgive me Milady. I must say though that I am happy to be returning to Warlord Drake again."

At the mention of Drake's name, Link's face lit up brighter than a star. "My husband... I get to return home to my husband again. It's been 10 long years since I last felt his arms around me. Ten years since I felt his breath on the backof my neck. People said that a Kewadin and Human couldn't live together but we showed them."

"Milady, this is the happiest I've seen you in 10 years."

"I thought that I angered Drake when he gave me this assignment. We had only been married two years and he sends me away, to be involved with another man, to marry that man, then to kill him when he sent word. If only Rogue hadn't seen me kill Beeurd. They know that I did it. They won't hesitate to come after me now."

"Milady, they are without their Emperor right now. They must be disorganized."

"Ana, you spent more time among them then I had. Their armed forces are strong. They have strong leaders. Someone will take control. Now I just have to worry about getting that bint Jade away from Drake. I know she was moving in on him while I was gone. I will reclaim what is mine. I was born to rule the galaxy."

[Princess 35]

Chapter 13

After Emperor Beeurd's funeral, Pod, Amamu Pakal, Commander Furday and Rogue retired to the war room to discuss the pursuit of the traitorus Link. In the war room Furday turned on a computer to translate for him. [i propose that we rally the fleet and go to Ilozaf. Once there we can launch a strike and get vengance for the Emperor,] Furday told the group.

"Commander, that may not be a wise idea to go to Ilozaf at this time. Link will have returned to the fleet by now. She knows that I saw her kill Emperor Beeurd. The Colpzic fleet will be ready and waiting for our attack. I propose that we deal a killing blow on Spathelf, the Colpzic capital. We can hit them were they least expect it," Rogue outlined her plan.

"That sounds like an excellent planRogue. Once we take the planet, we will capture Link, and she will pay for the death of Emperor Beeurd," Pod added.

Amamu Pakal had been silent all of this time, she was staring intently into the flame of a black candle burning in the center of the table. Suddenly she let out a shriek. "Pain! Suffering! If we go after Link, many people will suffer! There will be many deaths soon!" When she finished her tirade, she went catatonic.

[Amamu? Amamu are you alright?] When Furday got no response, he shot a worried look at Pod.

"She gets like this once in a while. Fire is the natural element that affects her the most. I believe that the funeral fire affected her. Her warnings are usually quite true though. She has gotten many true warnings from the Gods while in this state. It is best just to leave her for now. Back to our planning. I think Rogue has a good plan but now I am worried about what Amamu had to say. We need more time to plan. We will strike at Spathelf though. Commander Furday will assemble all of the fleet remnants that are around the galaxy. We will meet again tomorrow. We need more from Amamu before we can continue. We must minimize the loss of life in this quest. I will not stand by and watch the Maruchan people suffer any longer than absolutely necessary."

[Princess 35]

Chapter 14

Link was getting agitated. It was taking far too long to return to Drake's side. Jade was probably trying to move in on him already. Finally, the alarm sounded that it was time to drop back to realspace. She tore up to the cockpit, anxious to see her husband again.

Dropping out of hyperspace, Link was glad to see the Colpzic fleet assembled orbiting Linguini and Ilozaf. She opened up a comm channel. "Fleet control, this is Link returning to the fleet. Requesting landing clearance."

"Landing clearance is granted Milady. Welcome home."

"Thank you control. Where is the Warlord?"

"Supreme Warlord Drake, is on Linguini, Milady. Would you like a shuttle planetside?"

"Yes control. Link out."

"Control out."

Link docked the ship with Colpzic Rule, the fleet flagship. After changing out of her Maruchan clothing and into a simple black flightsuit, she took a shuttle down to the palace, where Drake was waiting.

"Drake!" Link yelled out as she ran to her husband's arms. "I've missed you so much!"

"I know darling, trust me I know. I have a meeting with Overlord Fury to attend right now. Will you attend?"

"Yes, for I have much to report."

Drake scooped her up and kissed her quickly. "Mmm, I like having you back, it's been far too long. Jade!"

Jade quickly answered Drake's call. She was shocked to see Link in Drake's arms, and just barely managed to keep the look of anger off of her face. She snapped to attention, "Welcome back Milady. Warlord, you called?"

"Yes Jade. I want you to cancel all of my meetings after the one with Overlord Fury, I need to spend some time with my wife later."

"Yes Warlord, it shall be as you wish."

"Dismissed Jade."

"Yes Sir," Jade answered as she spun on her heel and left.

Drake headed towards the audience chamber with Link still in his arms. "Darling?" Link asked, "Are you going too put me down?"

"No, my love. It has been too long since I've held you. Plus I like the way that you look in my arms," Drake told her as he entered the chamber. "Overlord Fury, welcome to Linguini. May I present my wife, Link, the former Empress of the Maruchan Empire? Link, the Supreme Overlord of the Newbies, Dragon's Fury."

"Hello Overlord. I am pleased to meet you."

"Milady, pleasse call me Overlord Fury. Warlord Drake has informed me that you have newss about Emperor Beeurd."

"Yes Overlord Fury. Emperor Beeurd is now dead, I killed him myself. The Empire should be disorganized for a while. I used the fast acting poison that I was supplied with when I was assigned this mission. His death was fast. Unfortunately, I was seen murdering him. Rogue, the fleet XO witnessed my act, I expect that they will be coming after me soon. I suggest a retreat to Spathelf, I have missed the Capitol and I feel that I will be safe there. I have a need to be back home once again."

"We are pleassed by your progessss Milady," Overlord Fury stated. "Your ssafety iss our main concern. Thank you for your hard work in eliminating the Emperor."

"It was my pleasure. Drake, may we leave now."

"Yes my love. And we shall leave for Spathelf immediately. OVerlord Fury, if you have need to reach us, you know how to get in contact."

[Princess 35]

Chapter 15

Commander Furday was barking out orders. The fleet was ready to move in on Spathelf. The fleet was waiting the orders to launch from the High Preistesses. Word came soon from Emperor's Vengance, Pod and Amamu Pakal had renamed the Beeurdness. It was fitting for the mission. Link would be captured soon.

Furday transmitted the order to jump. Now was the hard part, the wait. It was a 3 hour jump to get to Spathelf. He had all the time to worry about what could happen. With a growl of disgust Furday headed off to his stateroom, so that he could meditate some before the battle, he had to be focused. Warlord Drake had to pay for the death of Flash and Link had to pay for the death of the Emperor. He still couldn't believe that it was Link, sweet Empress Link, who had delt the killing blow to Emperor Beeurd.

Onboard the Vengance, Pod and Amamu Pakal were praying to Psychodite for a clean battle. Amamu was still shaken up from her vision the previous week. "Pod, I feel that many people are going to die in this battle. I do not know if it is worth it."

"Amamu, we must do it. We must avenge the Emperor's death. Pray to Psychodite, she will protect us."

The two then continued on with their prayers, until they were called to the bridge.

"Something must be wrong Pod. We shouldn't have been called for yet. I have yet to pray for the protection of everyone. We are in grave danger."

Amamu was correct. The fleet had been pulled out of hyperspace early by Artificial Gravity Generators. Pod took immediate control of the situation, opening a comm channel to the entire fleet.

"Attention all personnel. The Colpzic's now know that we are on our way to Spathelf. We have lost the element of suprise. I have seen these AGGs before and they are now letting Colpzic Fleet Command know that we have been pulled out of hyperspace. We will be continuing on though. We must complete our objective. On my mark, concentrate all firepower on the AGG's. If we destroy them we can still make it to Spathelf in time. 3. 2. 1. Mark."

The entire fleet shot at the same time, destroying the AGGs in a beautiful explosion. Pod gave the command to jump once again, and soon, the fleet was on to Spathelf.

Drake and Link were relaxing in their stateroom on their way to Spathelf. "Soon, my love, we will be home. Spathelf Palace has missed your touch. As have I."

"I know Drake, it was so hard being with Beeurd. I thought of you all of the time. I don't know what I would have done without Ana. The messages that she brought me from you, made the entire thing worthwhile, soon the galaxy will be mi...er ours to rule!"

"Link, I have missed that firey tenacity about you so much. What the?" Drake was interrupted as the ship gave a jolt. His comm signaled at the same time. "Warlord, a thousand pardons, but Spathelf is underattack. We have entered the system at the same time as the Maruchan fleet has!"

[Princess 35]

Chapter 16

Rogue was in shock. This was too good to be true. Colpzic Rule had just dropped out of hyperspace. They could get Warlord Drake and possibly Link. "Attention all troops. Take out all of the other ships and the planetary shields, but leave Colpzic Rule to the flagship. The Emperor's death shall be avenged today."

Rogue scrambled down to the fighter bay and hopped into her fighter. She launched her fighter immediately and headed for Vengance. It was a well drawn out battle plan, everyone knew exactly what to do without having to be told. Rogue made it safely to Vengance and met up with Pod and Amamu Pakal, who were waiting in the docking bay.

"The time is now," Pod announced, "we have determined that Link is onboard. We must board and take her now! To the shuttle!" Pod grabbed a large ceremonial sword as she ran to the boarding shuttle. Thousands of troops were onboard and waiting to board. Rogue headed to the cockpit and maneuvered the shuttle over to Colpzic Rule, where she attached an airlock tube to the larger ship. As soon as the troops cut through the hull of the ship, they were confronted by a mass of Colpzic troops.

The well saesoned Imperial troops made short work of the Colpzic troops. A few warning shots was all that it took for the Colpzic troops to surrender. Rogue, Pod and Amamu Pakal rushed into the ship and headed in the direction of the bridge. As they made their way to the bridge, Amamu cried out in pain. She was very sensitive to living beings and she was feeling each death. The sensations ripped through her, but she managed to carry on.

The group managed to make it to the bridge with very little resistance. It only took Rogue a matter of seconds to hack the locking mechanism to the blast doors. As the doors opened, the three females took the bridge by suprise. Several blaster shots were fired and took out key bridge personnel. When the smoke cleared, they were able to see Drake and Link standing at the Captain's chair.

"Drake. Link. Stay exactly where you are. Warlord Drake, you are under arrest for the murder of innocents and the murder of Imperial personnel. You will come peacefully with us, or we shall destroy you. Link, you have been found guilty of the murder of Emperor Beeurd. You shall be taken to the House of Pain prisonship, where you shall be tortured and then executed for treason and the death of the Emperor." When Pod paused to take a breath, Drake and Link sprung to attack the group.

Rogue and Amamu Pakal had been expecting this though. They met Drake and Link faster than expected and soon had them pinned to the floor and cuffed. Pod called for a cart, which was brought quickly and ordered Drake and Link taken to the cargo hold of Vengance until House of Pain could enter the system. Pod then issued the orders that once all Imperial personnel left the ship, it was to be destroyed.

[Princess 35]

Chapter 17

"Your Eminence, I have the report on Warlord Drake," Unknown One informed Dragon's Fury.

"Yess?"

"The news is not good Overlord. An Imperial fleet was waiting at Spathelf, the Colpzic fleet there was destroyed. Warlord Drake and Link were captured by the High Preistesses, we do not know what has happened to them. Spathelf is now under Imperial rule." He paused in his report as Overlord Fury let out a string of curses in 30 languages.

"Thiss iss not acceptable! We have just losst a large chunk of the galaxy! We are lossing!!"

"Overlord! Get a grip on things! We can still win!"

"You're right. We sshall ssend forth a fleet immediately. We musst get thesse planets back under our control immediately!"

[Princess 35]

Chapter 18

Pod and Amamu Pakal walked to the detention block of the House of Pain, where Link was being detained. They reached her cell where she was sitting in a corner of the round cell.

"Link, you have been found guilty of treason," Pod's eyes got huge when she said those words. "You are now going to be punished for your actions. You now face a slow and painful death. Do you have any last words?"

"I do," Link answered. "I did what I did because of my beliefs. I did what I did because it was the right thing to do. I did what I did because the Empire was so wrong. I did what I did and I would not hesitate to do it again! I accept my fate."

"Very well Link," Amamu Pakal spoke up. "You will come with us now." Amamu grabbed her and took her down to the torture level, chaining her to the wall. She then started praying for Link's soul while Pod got out the implements of torture.

Pod made herself busy getting out sharp knives and acid to pour in the wounds. Pod also got out Fluffy, her large carnivorous pet. "You are a traitor, Link, and you shall die for it!" With that Pod got out the largest, rustiest knife that she had and went to stab Link.

"Wait!" Amamu Pakal shouted. "I cannot let you kill her!"

Fluffy let out a growl. "Why not?" Pod asked her.

"Because. Link, I am your sister!"

"What? How?" Link asked.

"We are a part of quadruplets that were separated at birth. Mother knew as soon as we were born that I was destined to be a High Preistess of The Different Way, I was a very special child. Mother was very open to the flow of the Spirit, and she was shown all of our destinies. You were destined to rule the Galaxy. If I were to let you die now, the entire Spirit of the Galaxy would be off balance, I cannot let that happen."

"What about our two other sisters? I always thought that I was an only child."

"Ana and Jade are our sisters. I saved them from the Colpzic Rule before we had it destroyed. They are onboard Vengenance. Pod, I am joining forces with Link, the rightful heir to the galaxy. You will join us or die."

Pod looked thoughtful for a moment. "Will I still be able to torture treasonous scum," she asked.

Amamu Pakal and Link looked at each other for a moment and then Link answered. "Of course Pod, and you may start with Drake. He is of no use to us any more. Make him suffer for the death of the Emperor."

"It shall be as you wish, um...what am I to call you?"

"Milady, will work fine."

"Very well. It shall be as you wish, Milady."

"Good. Amamu, let us go find our sisters."

"It shall be as you wish, Milady."

[Princess 35]

Chapter 19

Amamu Pakal and Link walked through the House of Pain, towards the docking bay where Messenger of the Gods was waiting. "It will take us many hours to get to Vengance. Pod and I have sent it to the base at Verizon. It is at least a four hour trip."

"That is fine, sister. It will giveus time to catch up with one another. I want to know all about our past."

"Of course Milady. Let us launch and jump first then we can talk."

The two boarded Messenger of the Gods and quickly set about to the pre-flight tasks. Soon they were settled in the lounge and ready to talk.

"Amamu, how did you know that we were sisters?"

"Our mother. She sent a letter to the instructors at the Temple. When I attained the rank of High Preistess, I was to receive the letter."

"What did the letter say?"

"My darling daughter. I am happy that you are reading this letter, for it means that you are a High Preistess. I am very proud of you Amamu. The Spirit showed me wonderful things for your future. What I am telling you now has to be one of the hardest things that I've ever had to do. Amamu, my dear daughter, you are a part of quadruplet sisters. All of you were destined for great things. In order for all of you to succeed, I had to separate you at birth. Your sister Link is destined to rule the galaxy. It is your duty to protect her. The galaxy cannot survive without her rule."

"Wait a minute," Link interrupted, "you mean I really will rule the galaxy."

"Hush, let me finish. Now where was I. Oh yes... Many obstacles will stand in the way of her ruling. It is your duty to protect her Amamu, without her rule the galaxy is doomed. Only reveal that you are sisters if her life is in grave danger." Amamu paused for a minute. "That's why it took me so long to reveal myself to you as your sister Link. There was no other way to get Pod to stop. Anyways, to continue. Amamu, if you are forced to reveal your true identity to Link then you must contact your other sisters. Ana is your second sister. She is to be a great spy. She is to be trained in the art of invisibility so she may be hard to find. Your final sister is Jade. Jade will grow to be a great supporter. Her future is cloudy to me. She will be a great fighter though, and someone wonderful to have support you in all the battles that you girls will face. Separating the four of you girls was the hardest thing that I ever had to do, but it was necessary. I hope one day that the four of you will be reunited. I love you my daughter, and once again I am very so proud of you. Your loving mother, Shahar."

"Wow," Link said. "She saw all of that when we were born."

"Yes, mother loved us so much but she knew that the fate of the galaxy depended on us, so she split us up. It is our job to destroy the threat of the Newbie's Link."

"I see. Amamu I have one question for you."

"Yes?"

"I noticed that Pod was awful quick to join us. Is she to be trusted?"

"Pod has been with me through thick and thin, she was my mentor at the Temple. As long as she can torture treasonous scum, she is happy."

"Speaking of treasonous scum, it is amazing how I was able to decieve the two most powerful males in the galaxy, all so that I could gain control. Typical bloody malese, you bat an eyelash, give them a seductive look or two, and they fall all over you."

"That is very true Link. Would you like some more wine?"

"Sure, get the good stuff too. I know that Beeurd kept you well supplied."

"That he did. How about the Goddess Reserve? It is a supperb wine."

"That will do. I wonder how Drake is faring at Pod's hands."

Amamu refilled their glasses then answered. "Oh I'm sure he's having fun. Pod will make it slow and painful for him. He will suffer immensly before he dies."

"Good. Amamu, when we go to the fleet, won't I be arrested once again."

"No, as far as the fleet knows, I am still in charge. They will do as I command them. I will grant the fleet to you Milady. All will be as it has been foretold sister of mine. We shall triumph and the Newbies will be removed from your galaxy. You shall triumph Milady. The Maruchan Empire is yours once again Empress!"

"Empress, I never thought that I'd be called that again. I loved being called Empress Link. It suits me."

"That it does. We must plan the killing blow to the Newbies. We will need Commander Furday and Rogue's advice though."

Just then the alarm came on that it was time to leave hyperspace. Amamu and Link went up to the cabin and smoothly maneuvered the ship back to realspaceand headed for Vengance.

[Princess 35]

Chapter 20

Amamu Pakal and Link docked Messenger of the Gods with Vengance. As they exited Messenger, they were instantly surrounded by troops with their blasters aimed at Link.

"Attention!" Amamu Pakal shouted to the troops. It only took a split second for the seasoned troops to respond to who the recognized as their supreme leader. The confusion showed on their faces though when they saw their leader standing next to a known traitor. Amamu's next words had them even more confused. "Behold the leader of the Maruchan Empire, Empress Link! She is the rightful leader of this glorious Empire and shall be treated as such."

Commander Furday stepped out of the ranks. [What is the reason for this Amamu Pakal?] He asked.

"Commander, we shall go to my stateroom to discuss this." Amamu told the Commander. "As for the rest of you. Empress Link is in charge now, you WILL treat her with the respect that she is due."

Amamu and Link then swept forward, past all of the stunned troops. Commander Furday fell into step behind the two. As they headed towards the stateroom, Rogue noticed them and drew her blaster. Commander Furday ordered her to stop and for her to join them in Amamu's stateroom.

They eventually made it to the stateroom. Rogue was the first to speak. "Amamu Pakal, what is the meaning of this?"

[Yes, do tell], Commander Furday added.

"It is a little complicated Commander," Amamu began. "You see the Empress and myself are a part of a set of quadruplet sisters, separated at birth. Oh that reminds me, Rogue call down to the detention block and have Ana and Jade brought up here."

"I am here, Your Grace." Ana's voice startled the group as she materialized in front of them.

"Ana! How many times have I told you not to do that?" Link looked exasperated as she saw Ana.

"I am truly sorry, Milady. I didn't mean to startle you, I just couldn't stand that detention cell anymore. I have been laughing so hard at the guards who have been trying to find me. Now what is this about you and Her Grace being sisters, Milady?"

"I was just about to explain that Ana." Amamu informed her. "It also involves you and Jade."

"What about me?" Jade asked as she was brought into the room by guards. "So nice to see you again Ana."

"Well Jade, you and Ana, along with Link and myself are all sisters. We were separated at birth because of the destinies that our mother saw for us when we were born. In order to fulfill these destinies, we were separated. I was the only one of us that knew. When I became a High Priestess, mother had a letter delivered to me that told me of the three of you. I was not to let you know unless Link's life was in danger, because without her ruling the galaxy the galaxy will not survive. I was told that if I ever had to reveal myself to Link, that I was also to find the two of you. It is now our job to defend the galaxy from the Newbies."

[interesting], Commander Furday growled. [How do you propose to defeat the Newbies?]

"Allow me," Link said. "The Newbies are currently ensconsed on their capital of Furio. While well guarded, the fleets there will not give much resistance to our entire fleet. We will call all ships to Yaffa, our main military base. There we will train for this offensive, which will be codenamed Beeurd's Freedom Flight. Beeurd's Freedom Flight will be the offensive that restores this galaxy to peace and prosperity. Once the troops are trained, we will launch an attack like this galaxy has never seen before. It is imperative that we are well trained. The Newbie ships are fast and agile, but we possess a greater firepower. Our fighter pilots are well trained. We will win this battle. More importantly, we will reclaim what is ours!"

"Ana, you have been trained as a spy. Your skills are most imperative to this mission. You are to sneak yourself to Furio. Remain invisible as nuch as possible, I know that it must be a great drain, but we need you to do this. Report back daily on the strength and readiness of the fleet at Furio. We want to strike when most of their fleet is present." Amamu informed Ana.

"I am at your service, Your Grace."

"Your Grace? Empress? What is to be my role in this plot," Jade asked.

"Jade, you are known to the Newbie's as the second-in-command of the Colpzics. You will take a ship that looks battered, but is very sound, and seek refuge with Overlord Fury. When the time comes for the attack, you will have the honor to give the killing blow." Link explained to Jade.

"As you wish Empress."

"Commander. Rogue. We have much planning to do." Link said.

[Princess 35]

Chapter 21

Jade was being watched very closely by Overlord Fury. It didn't seem right that when the rest of the fleet was destroyed, that Jade should live, but her story checked out. For security's sake though, the Overlord had someone watching Jade's every move.

Jade found all of this security very stifling. Luckily she was able to get her reports out to the Empress. In order for the survival of the galaxy the plan must go through flawlessly. In fact it was time to write her daily report.

Empress,

Things are going well, the Newbies are having problems all over the galaxy keeping control of their conquests. Their fleets are spread very thin and the troops are getting tired and irritable. Things are going exactly as we need them to. Overlord Fury has called for the flagships of every fleet to report to Furio in 2 standard weeks. That is when we must launch our attack. I am watched closely, Empress so that is all I can report at this time. May the Will of the Spirit protect you Empress. I continue my watch.

Your servant,

Jade

Jade hit the send button on her computer and walked out of the hygeine station, the one place where she wasn't watched, and returned to spy on the Overlord. "Greetings Your Eminence," Jade greeted Overlord Fury.

"Ah Jade, we were wondering what hass taken you sso long. Pleasse, continue telling uss the sstate of the Maruchan Empire."

Jade smiled as she prepared to brief the Newbies with lies. "The Empire is in a state of disorder at this time. They are having squabbles wiithin the ranks because of dissention of a traitor ruling the Empire. There is a talk of revolution against the current leadership of Link. The fleets are currently understaffed and are being run on skeleton crews. The ships are in bad need of maintenance, Your Eminence, they will not withstand a massive attack. You need to lure them here to Furio, where you can strike against them. It is what must be done Your Eminence, if we are to win this!"

"Thank you Jade. Your inssightss have been very helpful. I will take them under advissement. You may return to your quarterss now, I will call you when I need you."

"Thank you Your Eminence." Jade backed out of the room and went back to her quarters with a smile on her face. All was going according to plan.

[Princess 35]

Chapter 22

With a week to go until the planned attack, Empress Link was watching the training troops with a smile on her face. The galaxy would be at peace again. The smile quickly faded though as she remembered her happy times here with Emperor Beeurd. She hadn't wanted to kill him, she was assigned to do that duty. During the 10 years that she had been with Beeurd, Link had been happy. Sure, she had missed Drake during that time, but it was amazing to see the galaxy prosper under Beeurd's careful and watchful eye. He was a better leader than Drake had ever been and Link promised herself that she'd rule the Maruchan Empire up to Beeurd's standards. That people would not suffer needlessly. There would be happiness and a feeling of safety, not the fear that permeated the galaxy on the planets that the Colpzics and Newbies ruled. Link now realized that she knew what it was to be a good leader. It was time to act and to restore peace to the galaxy.

Returning to watching her troops, Link smiled again. They knew exactly what they were doing. Link decided that they had trained for enough today. She walked down onto the training field and addressed the troops.

"Loyal servants of the Maruchan Empire, you are doing well in your training. We will restore peace to the galaxy. Our people will be safe again. I say our because they are just as much your people as they are mine. You represent all of the planets in this wonderful galaxy. I am just one person. When you fight, you fight for the Empire, and for the spirit of the galaxy. We will prosper! You are all done training for today. Get some rest, and the cantina is on me tonight!"

A cheer rang out from the troops before they saluted Link and left. The galaxy was going to be all right again, and they were starting to realize it. They also were starting to accept Link as their leader again.

Link left the training field and went to the temple to pray. She wasn't affraid to ask the Gods for their support, or for their forgiveness. She was deep in prayer when Rogue ran into the room.

"Forgive me Milady, but a report has just come in from Ana. It sounds urgent."

"Of course Rogue, have it sent to my chambers, I'll view it there."

"Right away Milady. It shall be done."

Link rushed to her chambers. Nothing could be wrong, everything had to be all right. She had to restore peace and justice to the galaxy. When she opened the message, a holo of Ana popped up and began to speak.

"Milady, I am on Spathelf and things are getting desperate here. Dragon's Fury is getting irritable over the delays that Jade is pushing as reason to stay here. Overlord Fury wants to start conquering planets again, but Jade is pressing her to trap you here and kill you. It is all that is working. The entire Newbie and Colpzic fleets will be waiting for you. Take care, my sister, now that I have found you, I am not willing to lose you. Plan your attack carefully, because there will be some kind of trap waiting. I will try to find out what it is and disable it before the attack, but there is such tight security here. I must go now, Jade is waiting to brief me on what she learned today. Take care Milady. We must restore peace and justice to the galaxy."

The holo faded out then and Link thought. There was only one thing that she could do. She had to fool the Colpzics and Newbiesand Professor Ewing was the only one that could help her with this.

[Princess 35]

Chapter 23

Rogue was a bit nervous. She hadn't been in Empress Link's chambers since the Emperor had been murdered. She wasn't sure how she'd react. She knocked on the door and waited for an invitation to enter. When she entered the room, she saluted the Empress until given the command to relax.

"Milady, you asked for me?"

"Yes Rogue, I have just learned from Ana that we may be entering a trap. I will not allow my troops to fall victim to a trap, so therefore, we need Professor Ewing's help. You are the only person who knows where his lab is. I need you to go to him and bring him back here. I need a cloaking device. We may be walking into a trap, but we're going to trap them as we walk into the trap. Seventy-five percent of our fleet needs to be cloaked. We are going to go in underprepared, or so it will look to Overlord Fury."

"I understand Milady. I will go and get him immediately."

"Thank you Rogue. Take my ship, you will need the speed that it has. The Desert Rose is the fastest ship in the galaxy and I need you back here ASAP. The fate of the galaxy depends on this Rogue."

"Of course Milady. I shall leave immediately."

"Be safe Rogue."

"I will Milady."

[Princess 35]

Chapter 24

Amamu Pakal was in her apartment on Marucha, the planetary capitol of the Maruchan Empire. The planet was green and peaceful, not what you'd expect for the capitol of 10,000 planets. Amamu was staring at the sunset from the large window of her apartment. As it sank below the horizon, Amamu sat in front of her fireplace. Staring into the fire always comforted her. Fire was the one element that had that ability. She quickly fell into a trancelike state as she stared into the fire.

Suddenly, the fire flared up and Amamu saw the image of Emperor Beeurd in it. "Emperor," she gasped in surprise.

"Your Grace, things are going well I take it."

"Yes, Your Excellency. All plans are going according to the will of Pazzia and Psychodite. Why are you here Emperor?"

"I am here to give you guidance Amamu Pakal. I have sensed your troubles and I am here to help you."

"It is Link. She is my sister. I know that she is destined to rule the galaxy, but why did she have to kill you?"

"It is very complex, Amamu. Link did what she thought that she had to. She was corrupted by Drake. You can see now what kind of leader she will be. When I married her, I knew that she was the person that I needed by my side. The galaxy needed her. Her compassion and strength roll off of her. She will be a good leader. The troops have already realized that. You would have eventually. She is your sister and you are devoted to her protection, that is good. The fate of the galaxy is at stake with this upcoming battle, the Gods have told me that it will be the turning point."

"Turning point, what do you mean Emperor?"

"The fate of the galaxy will change with this battle Amamu. You know that deep inside of your heart, you know things are going to change with this battle. Trust your feelings in this battle. Your instincts have protected you all of these years, and now I am also watching over you. Be safe Amamu Pakal. Fight strong. Restore peace and justice to the galaxy!" With that, the flames lowered again and Beeurd disappeared. Amamu continued to stare at the fire for hours, until the sun came up the next day.