We will call a gathering of all representatives of the members and have her address the Assembly here at our Central Government Planet. When can she come?
Ten rotations from today and we will be bringing our fleet with her to insure her safety.
Ill announce the meeting immediately. See you in ten rotations.
Sten sent the order for all representatives of the Alliance Worlds to come to the General Assembly at Alliance Central in nine rotations and announced that on the tenth rotation the new Queen of the Glod, Cainth, and Human Races would address the assembly. One would have thought that a bomb had been dropped on every planet in the Alliance. There was almost civil war on a large number of the planets as to who would attend the assembly. Sten was inundated with requests to attend. The rumors about the new queen were rampant and had circulated among the membership until everyone wanted to see this new queen that had united such diverse races. It was getting out of hand. Finally Sten announced that the meeting would be broadcast to all worlds and that she would address the assembly in the outdoor arena that would hold 300,000. The reservations were gone in less than a drag. Sten looked at Dgzh who was sitting in his office and said, Ive been trying to find something that would unite us and the only thing so far has been the arrival of this queen. Whats wrong with this picture? he asked.
You havent met her and besides after the Humans defeated the Hargon fleet all of our members developed a huge curiosity about them. You would be surprised at how little is known about these Humans. The members also cant understand how the Humans allowed the Cainth to become their brothers after trying for so many cycles to destroy them. That doesnt even approach their amazement at the change that has taken place in the Glod. Did you know that the Glod actually offered to leave their ships behind to protect their former enemies from attack and asked for nothing in return for doing it? The stories about these Humans have given them a super race mystique that has fascinated all of us. The members were stunned that they just left and didnt conquer us all.
So am I, said Sten.
You havent talked with their queen, Dgzh responded.
No I havent. Maybe its about time I did.
Nine rotations later Sten was in front of the chosen representatives of the members and was trying to bring order out of the chaos. The races were loud and the accusations that were thrown at each other were being roared. Suddenly, Tgon-Gee walked up to the speakers platform and looked out at the assembly without saying a word. Some of the members noticed him and started pointing; soon everyone was looking at the platform and the noise lessened until finally silence prevailed. The seven foot tall Glod made an imposing figure next to the four foot tall Sten. After the crowd grew quiet he turned to Sten and said, State Leader, may I have permission to address the Assembly for a moment. The members were amazed at the deference being shown to the Small Adjemt.
Yes, Tgon-Gee, you may. Sten walked back to his chair and sat down.
Tgon-Gee looked out at the assembly and said, You show a remarkable lack of respect to the leader that saved your worlds from destruction. If not for Sten, you would not be here today. I dont think you fully understand his contribution and bravery in standing up and making sure of your survival. However, Im not here to teach you respect, Im here to tell you how and why we chose our Queen. The entire room leaned forward to make sure they heard every word. Then Tgon-Gee told them about how the royal families and rulers were selected on Glod and the role of the fifty peers. Then he said, I know some of you are skeptical about psychic abilities but our race can see the aura around a person that possesses the ability. Some have a very light aura almost white and are unaware of their talent. Some have a blue aura and know they possess psychic abilities. I dont ask you to believe me on this issue but my race has recognized the meaning of these auras for thousands of years. The strongest aura among our peers is a medium blue. He is without question our strongest psychic. When I first saw our new queen, the first thing I saw was that her aura was deep purple almost violet. It is the strongest aura ever seen by my race. We know what her aura means; she can find truth in any situation and if we would but follow her then my race will enter a golden age. The peers were unanimous in their desire to make her our ruler and I pressured her to become our queen. She reluctantly accepted. Incidentally, it was she that saved the Cainth from destruction by the Humans and found a common ground where they could exist as allies instead of enemies. I tell you this today because I want you to understand that she will not tell a falsehood to you tomorrow and sometimes the truth hurts to hear. If you cant bear to hear the truth, dont listen to her. I also want to make sure that everyone knows that three fleets will be escorting her here. Youve seen the Humans, but the Glod and the Cainth will protect their selected ruler. Tgon-Gee looked out at the assembly and everyone in the room knew what he was leaving unsaid. Contrary to what he thought, it only made the assembly more excited about the next days event. They had already built her up in their imagination; this only made her larger than they already thought she was.
Sten looked out at the Assembly and could see the excitement. He knew nothing was going to get done so he said, We will close this meeting today. We will meet again to chart the future course of our Alliance the rotation after tomorrow. This meeting is ended.
The crowd at the arena was standing room only. It was designed for 300,000 but 420,000 had squeezed in. There was an additional 500,000 standing outside the stadium hoping to simply see the Human Queen so that one day they could tell their children about their good fortune. The event was scheduled at mid day but the crowd had started arriving four rotations early. No one knew what she looked like, only that her name was Danielle. Finally the crowd saw an earth warship come and hover over the stadium. It was brilliant white in the bright sunlight and its smooth lines declared deadly beauty. A large shuttle left the ships side and dropped toward the Center of the arena. Suddenly the ship stopped and flew to the outside of the stadium and landed in an area that the Alliance troops cleared for the landing. The door opened in the side of the shuttle and an honor guard of 140 Glod in full ceremonial dress including their swords marched out and formed two lines. Richard Wiseman marched 80 of the veterans from the battle at Rossville to form up outside the Glod. They had their full space armor on and their screens were active. After the Humans had formed on the Glod lines, 14Cainth Warriors marched out holding the 4 short swords in their hands and formed a point in front of the formation. Once they were in place Danielle walked out of the ship and stepped into the center of their formation. She wore a bright green one piece outfit that was form fitting. Her blond hair looked like it was pure light in the bright sun. She smiled at the crowds and waved to the people around her. The crowd went crazy. She was small for a Human. They wondered who the Human male was walking at her side as she turned toward the stadium. As she moved thru the mass of races that had gathered at the arena, everyone started pointing at her and it seemed everyone had a recorder to get a picture of her. She continued to smile and wave as she entered the arena and climbed to the platform where Sten waited for her. As she moved closer, Sten noticed how relaxed and at ease she was. Then he recognized the Human Male walking beside her; it was the Human that had been on his display during the battle with the Hargon fleet. The Human Queen arrived at the top of the platform and Sten said over the public communicator, All the various races and worlds of the Alliance would like to welcome you and thank you for coming to address us. We all have a lot of questions and hope that you can help us understand some of the events that brought you to your current position. Members of the Alliance, I give you Queen Danielle. The roar from the Arena could be heard more than twenty trigs away and continued for 10 dregs.