He frowned. “You know I can’t, but you don’t know all of it. I’m married now.”
“To Ellie?” his mother asked with a smile.
“How did you know?”
“Every time you mention her, you either brighten up or show the worry that someone in love would show. I’m sorry we missed the wedding. When do we get to meet her?”
“It’s time for complete honesty here, Mother. And Dad,” he added, looking into his father’s eyes. “If we live through the next few years, maybe then. I hope it won’t take longer than that.”
“Is it so bad?”
“Yes, and no. Have you seen me without my weapon since I arrived? Even in the house?” Stares from each of them told him it had been very noticed. “It’s been bad, very bad, but I think we’re getting our act together. There’s something you should know. Have I given you any feeling for how large the community is out there?”
“We’re trying to grasp it, but probably not,” his father replied. “Thousands of worlds is pretty hard to picture.”
“It is, and it’s really hundreds of thousands of worlds. What I haven’t told you is that Ellie is in charge of it all.”
His parents looked at him with questioning looks etched onto their faces. How could he expect them to understand? He still had trouble with the concept himself.
“Mom, Dad, some women in Ellie’s family, and only her family, have been gifted with certain Talents that help them govern the Empire. Because of these gifts, these women have literally held the Empire together for thousands of years. She and Alexis are the only two remaining females of that long line, and these special abilities lie only in the women. To the Rebels, Ellie and Alexis are the most sought after targets in the galaxy. That’s why Alexis is here. As difficult as it is for Ellie to be separated from her daughter, she has ruled that they cannot both be in the same place for the time being.”
“Ruled?” his mother asked immediately.
“She’s Queen, Mother. Yes, she rules.”
“And you’re married to this person?” she asked, confused.
“I am. I don’t know how it happened. I can’t explain it, but I am. We’re very much in love.”
His mother shook her head while his dad looked at him with a question.
“Yes, Dad, I am,” he responded to the unspoken question. “I was first Knighted, then named First Knight, sort of like a prime minister or something. I’m embarrassed to tell you what my duties are supposed to be. Let’s just say that at this moment I command all her armed forces and will eventually lead the Imperial Senate, as well. If we prevail.”
“You know how to do this?” his father asked in amazement.
“Heck, no. I’m learning as I go. I have some incredibly talented help.”
›Thanks, Mike,‹ Jake broke into his thoughts.
›You bet, partner,‹ Mike thought silently.
“Protecting Ellie and Alexis is, and has been, my first priority,” he continued aloud. “Alexis is my daughter now, too. She needs a safe home, somewhere the Rebels and the Chessori would never think to look, but I’m getting the feeling that it might not work for you as I’d hoped. I can tell you’re overwhelmed with all this. Let’s speak honestly. Does leaving her and her nanny, as well as the four Protectors, here in your home work for you?”
A long silence ensued. His mother broke it by looking at her husband, saying, “Ellie is our daughter-in-law. That makes us this child’s grandparents.”
His father remained silent for a long time, chewing on a piece of straw he’d gotten from somewhere. “I guess it does,” he finally concluded. “It would put all of us, including Mary and the rest of the family, in a dangerous position.” He looked at Mike. “Do you want that for us?”
“I do not. I’m a little short on alternatives, though. The key to the whole thing is to keep it a secret. I haven’t found any place or anyone else that I trust. The cats’ home world, Brodor, is our second choice, but it’s also the most likely place for the Rebels to look.”
“What kind of security do you have in mind?” his father asked in his quiet manner.
“Several levels. You and mother are the last and final level, though I don’t believe it will ever come to that. We will provide weapons, and they’re easy to use. The next and most important level are the four cats. They are lethal and exceedingly good at protection. The next level will be special soldiers from our own army, once they’re selected. Their purpose is to counter the Chessori psi weapon I told you about. They and the cats will work as teams.
“The first level of security will be two ships in space. If a threat appears, one will immediately bring word to me or Ellie. The other will pick up Alexis if that is deemed appropriate. If enemy ships come, we’ll have several weeks of warning and will be able to get her away in plenty of time before they arrive. Our ships have some hyperspace capabilities these others not only don’t have but are not even aware of yet. The key is secrecy. We will keep our forces as small and compact as possible.”
His parents sat silently for a time, contemplating. He decided to go for a walk to give them privacy. When he returned, his father stuck out his hand.
“I guess this is more important than lazing around in retirement. We’ll do it, and do it happily. The best part of our lives has been raising you kids. We’re up to one more grandchild.”
Senator Morrison, his wife, and an exhausted Admiral Trexler arrived the next day. “Good to see you again, Mike,” Trexler said with outstretched hand while Reba and her parents reunited. “Where’s the lady?”
“Not here. We’re not out of trouble yet, but we have a plan. You’re very much a part of it.”
“Again? What do I have to do this time?”
“How would you like to go with us?”
Trexler’s gaze narrowed. “Be careful what you offer, I might take you up on it. Are you speaking for yourself or these aliens?”
“Both, sir. I’ve been, ah… promoted.”
“I see. And Reba?”
“Yes, she’s been promoted as well. She’s now Lady Rebecca, one of a very small, select group of Knights surrounding the lady you referred to, the lady we call Queen.”
“Queen!” Trexler exclaimed. “That lady was a queen? Queen of what?”
Mike lifted a hand and waved it at the sky, his eyes focused far beyond. “Everything out there,” he said. “Or, as she put it to me, ‘a thousand worlds would fill just one corner of her realm.’”
Trexler frowned, trying to adjust to the big picture. Mike took his shoulder with a knowing grin to lead him into the study for privacy. “Think big, Ray,” he continued. “Think real big, as in galaxy big. She’s the Queen, we’re in the middle of a coup, and we’re the good guys. This time I’m certain of it.” Mike coughed into his hand, clearing his throat while the admiral digested this news. “Ah… Ray, she wants to hire you.”
Trexler’s eyes narrowed. “For what?”
“Reba can’t wait to tell you. How about we take a stroll with her?”
The Carvers hosted a ranch style lunch, then Mike, Reba, Trexler, Senator Morrison, and Jessie went for a walk, just heading down the dusty lane.
“You look tired, Ray,” Reba observed as they set out.
“Your dad pulled some strings. I was in Beijing, China eighteen hours ago. Most of that eighteen hours has been spent in the back of a jet fighter going as fast as it could to get here. The President pulled out all the stops when your father called.”
“It’s appropriate, and we’ll make it up to you, Ray. We have a new job for you. You won’t need the old one anymore.”
“So I gather from Mike. He won’t tell me anything about it. Care to do the honors, or do you intend to keep me in anticipation, Lady Rebecca?”
Senator Morrison choked. “ Lady Rebecca?”
Reba turned angry eyes to Mike. “You told him!”
“Sorry, I thought you had.”
Senator Morrison stopped them all with his arms outstretched. “Will you two get your story straight and tell us what’s going on here?”
Reba told the story all over again, this time holding nothing back. It turned into a very long walk. “So, Dad, as strange as it must sound, the Empire needs our help, as many as you can provide. We suspect it’s easier to start with the Special Forces types, we only need a few hundred, but we really need pilots and gunners to spread around our ships, as well. We think that will be a lot harder for you. We’ll train them, that’s not the problem, but we need people who will adjust. That is the problem. This will take your very best just to handle the psychological adjustments necessary. And it will be a hardship tour. We can’t bring their families right now, it would attract too much attention to Earth, and there will be no way for them to communicate with their families during their tour. We think we’re looking at two or three years, possibly more.”