She looked at the assembled people stand a few feet from the podium, yet her words clearly heard through the speakers everywhere, “To me, we are all people. Not Americans, South Americans, Russians, or Chinese. For most people on this earth, it will be a challenge they cannot comprehend or accept. They can’t handle the savage frontier of space, but for those who have tamed Siberia?” She smiled looking around to the hardy people in front of her, “I doubt outer space holds much of a challenge for you!”
The roar of the crowd confirmed their agreement. The gathered people knew their own worth, their resilience, backbone, even stubbornness. They were the ones who beat the savage weather and knew how to stick together to make a future happen.
Bethany Anne’s kind of people.
She walked to the other side of the stage, the Bitch’s stepping out of her way, “Our challenge now is to keep you as protected as we can without causing a major event. Once you hit the border, well, Russia can kiss my ass. We will have containers to get you to our base in Australia and are building our first space station to provide you with temporary quarters.”
She held her head up, throwing her arms wide pointing to the crowd, “It will be YOUR job to help design the next space station, your home. I would suggest learning well and learning quickly.” She pulled her arms back down, “Pull your best people for each area and work with our teams to gain knowledge of what is available and possible. We have to use manufacturing and trading capabilities from Earth to build our space facilities right now, but we are learning quickly how to procure our own resources out there. You can be assured, unlike this country, I want you to join my team! You are needed to help protect the earth and we want you to be a part of the future, a new future!”
The clustered mass of people exploded into cheers and loud calls for action. The combined excitement of what they had just heard and the relief from the previous day’s acute danger had left the crowd in a flammable state, and Bethany Anne’s speech had provided the fire for the fuse. Small groups of people were talking excitedly, with expansive gestures and loud exclamations.
Bethany Anne let them vent. She waited in silence as the yelling started to die down, as the crowd’s attention returned to her. She spoke calmly, with passion, “Know this from the bottom of your feet to the top of your Russian heads, while I don’t want to start a war with Russia, If they bring in too much, I’ll bomb them to the fucking stone age! You have my promise. I don’t forsake my own, ever.” Her eyes flashed red at the end, bringing the fact home to everyone there that this was a Czarina that wouldn’t leave them to freeze out in the tundra.
Standing for a moment in contemplation, looking over the crowd, Bethany Anne presented an impressive figure to people that hungered for a leader. She walked down from the stage and her guards formed up around her and headed to an alleyway that Boris had kept clear for them. They continued over to a building that was being guarded by members of Boris’s pack.
“I checked the building personally before the meeting and set guards on it once we knew it was clear. If you feel that your people need to check as well, please feel free to do so,” Boris said, waving a hand in invitation.
Nathan snorted when John seemed about to pick up his pace. “If Boris’s pack can’t be trusted to follow his orders I’ll jump in front of a train, John. They have either accepted his authority or left. It’s how we are.” Turning to Boris, Nathan asked, “How long has it been since someone has challenged for leadership of the pack?”
Boris looked at him and grinned, responding, “About a hundred and seventy years. And that time I was the challenger.” Nathan turned to John “Let me put it this way, John. He probably knows as many or more possible ‘hazards’ as you do. If I were a member of his pack, I wouldn’t cross him. Hell, before I was a Pricolici I wouldn’t have purposefully crossed his second. That guy is… strong. So how about we just head in? Boris has sworn an oath to Bethany Anne. He won’t break it.”
John looked at Nathan, then glanced in apology at Boris. “It’s just…” Boris smiled and continued “Professional paranoia, I know. I have done bodyguard work from time to time when the pay was right.”
Boris checked the group that was following Bethany Anne and nodded when he saw that all of them had followed. “Thank you for following the spirit, not just the letter, of my agreement. I assure you no harm will come to your craft.” Bethany Anne just smiled and said. “No, it won’t. If someone approaches them, the Pods will go up to two-hundred feet and hover there.”
Boris nodded. He knew his people. Any such approach would be more a part of a passionate discussion rather than an intent to damage or steal.
While they waited, Bethany Anne picked his brains for whatever he knew about the UnknownWorld situation in Russia. Nathan nodded on certain details, and frowned on others, depending on whether the information matched or conflicted with what he already knew.
After about an hour, a runner came from the crowds. He knocked on the door and waited until John opened it. The messenger looked up to the tall man and explained, “We have reached a consensus. All agree that someone willing to be that open with her goals, and the challenges to achieving them, is worthy. However, there is disagreement with how best we might serve. A significant number wish to remain behind, to disperse and serve as your eyes and ears in Russia. If necessary to serve as your fist. Some feel that we cannot simply leave. They wish to remain to crush the force that was used against us so that other groups not so fortunate in protectors and friends are not so ill-used.”
Boris commented before Bethany Anne could respond, “This is not loyalty to the government but instead a statement of faithfulness to you and your goals. There is some love for the concept of Russia and the land that we have cared about for so long. But a Russia that is under an iron fist is more likely to look elsewhere for blame and will cause trouble. Keeping a presence here will help to keep Russia from being crushed under the weight of the political agenda, stupidity, and greed. It will contribute some control over the troublemakers.”
She looked at him, considering. “Are you volunteering to stay and lead them?” she asked. “If they swear an oath to me, they are welcome to come and damn the other consequences. But if some wish to stay I won’t stop them if you honestly believe it will help and they are working under a leader they, and I, can both trust. Otherwise, the consequences can go fuck themselves. I could care less.”
Boris shrugged, “I swore to serve you as best I could here, on this world. If some of my people wish to stay and aid me in that, then I would welcome their assistance. Especially if we can have additional medicine before the combat is joined this time.” He said the last with a grin. Bethany Anne looked at him carefully and sensed the truth, or at least his belief in that truth, behind his words.
Bethany Anne started pacing, “Okay. I have two other conditions, though. Everyone under the age of sixteen is going. Anyone too old to assist you is going. Those are not negotiable. I won’t leave people to be slaughtered.” She stopped to get a nod from Boris that he heard, “The second is that you are now responsible for Russia. If there is an UnknownWorld problem you need to find it, you need to take care of it. Ask for help if you even might need it.”
Boris looked at her thoughtfully. It was evident to him that she had some reason to trust him so much. Then he remembered the aura of fear that Michael had given off the night that they fought. The other abilities that Michael was rumored to have.
Boris nodded “I accept. I suspect if I did not, and Russia became a… problem you might resort to extreme measures. That might not be the best solution.” He said it with a smile, but Aiko and the two Elites tensed. John waved them down. It wasn’t disrespect, it was a statement that the best solution wasn’t always a hammer — or a rain of Pucks.