THE LEGEND OF GRAND MECHAPOLIS

STAR BLAZERS/GALAXY EXPRESS 999

Founding of the Dual Monarchy and Galaxy Express System

By: Frederick P. Kopetz

Chapter Two: Father, Into Thy Hands…

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I. OPENING THE DIET…

Planet Pellias

The City of Beltane

Diet House: The Lords’ Chamber

Friday, March 29, 2233 (Good Friday)

0700 Hours: Local Time

A few months later, Derek Wildstar and Nova walked together, hand in hand, into the Lords’ Chamber in the House of the Diet in Beltane; which was also the meeting house of what amounted to the Pellian House of Lords.

It was Good Friday, which was also a holiday on Pellias as on Terra, since the majority, at least, of the survivors on both worlds were at least nominally Christian. The Wildstars knew they would have to attend church services in three hours.

The Pellian Diet would be opened later the same day, at 1 PM local time.

“Haven’t I seen this before?” Derek said. “It was in a very old video from Earth before the planet bombings”“

“Derek, this is a copy of the old House of Lords in Britain,” Nova said as she walked along in her violet-colored Iscandarian-style gown, with her sandaled feet whispering softly across the rug. “I asked the builders to recreate it here; they’re also rebuilding old Westminster in London on Earth, so that both Parliaments will have identical meeting chambers.”

“It’s beautiful,” Derek said as Nova sat down on one of the front benches.

Nova said, “This will be the first Diet meeting since 2231; I”ll be opening and then again handing the Sceptre back to Astrena and asking them to assent to my re-appointment of her as Ruling Queen. Then, we get to sit back and watch as Astrena runs the meeting and confirms that the Diet of Seven Hundred has been duly elected and they open with business again for the sixty planets their Diet controls.”

“I know they gave us three planets for the Terran side of the Commonwealth; we have twenty-eight worlds now. Some of them used to be Bolar and R’Khell worlds, so that’ll be a challenge to patrol our whole Commonwealth, Nova.”

“When they reopen Parliament on Earth next month,” Nova said, “I’ll be confirming the Acting Committee’s appointment of Senator Natalie Fisher as my Prime Minister. Natalie took over my old Senate seat that I held for all of a few days.”

“She went back to her old name?” Derek said.

Nova nodded. “Yes, with her husband dead, she thought it was a logical choice.”

Derek adjusted his white ascot and said, “I’ve been thinking about what would happen if I’m killed before you. Would you keep my name?”

“Yes, Derek,” Nova said. “I don’t see any reason to go back to my maiden name, and I certainly won’t be remarrying.”

“Nova, how can you say that? If something happens to me, I don’t want you alone. If I die suddenly, you can marry one of our friends, or if anything happened to Astrena, God forbid, Desslok.”

Nova looked around and then she giggled softly. “Desslok wouldn’t be interested. I hope Astrena is around for a long time, but I’ve already foreseen he’ll end up with someone else if she dies. If she dies. She may not, after all, because the future is always in motion. It’s sometimes hard for me to determine if the flashes I get regarding the future are flashes of intuition or words of Prophecy from On High.  But I know who Desslok will end up with…if Astrena…

“Who?”

“Can’t tell you; you’d go tell Desslok and spoil the whole thing, Derek! And I already know which one of us will go first “me.”

“You?”

“How many times have we been over this?” Nova said softly. “I’ve foreseen this won’t happen for a long time yet, probably centuries, but in the end, I will die when Promethium is brought down for good, and less than a day later, you’ll follow me to Heaven. We will have a long time together. I hope I won’t bore you,” Nova teased.

“You? Bore me? No way!” Derek said. “I swear, you come up with something new and unexpected every few days. Life with you has never been…boring. Crazy, yes. Boring, no.”

“This bench is so comfortable that I could take a nap here,” Nova said as she felt the cushion. “It feels nice.”

“So do…you,” Derek said, tenderly stroking her cheek. He was awed so often by Nova. She had always been a good friend, a pillar of strength, a guiding light to him.

No… he thought. It is His Light in us both, God forgive me. The Light we have both shared ever since that great day when you, Nova, led me to Him. You were the actual midwife to your living sister Aurora and your dead brother David, and to Trelaina’s daughter, and so many others. You, my dear, were the spiritual midwife sent to me by God for the spiritual rebirth He caused in me those years ago, when I looked to Him in faith

Then, a scene occurred to Derek, from the deep past.

They were on Iscandar for the first time, and it was thirty-three years ago.

He and Nova were lying on a towel in the grass on Iscandar.

They were reading from the Gospel of John together, or, rather, Nova was teaching him that Gospel, chapter by chapter.

They were in John Three today…and

Nova said, “Now, Derek, please read me verses ten to sixteen. Then, tell me what struck you about these verses when you read them last night. That is, if you did your homework, m’dear”“

Nova was smiling at him in the scoop-neck blue top she had on with white shots, but Derek felt warm in his purple and red polo shirt and jeans as he read aloud: ”You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, ”and do you not understand these things? Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still, you people do not accept our testimony. I have spoken to you of Earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? No one has ever gone into heaven except the One who came from heaven; the Son of Man.  Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him. For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

“Okay,” Nova said. “I read you John 3:16 the other day”“

“That’s what’s at the end there, right? It looked familiar. How do you memorize this stuff?” Derek said.

“A lot of study, and the Holy Spirit brings it to my mind when I need it. I see He’s beginning to do the same for you, Derek. Thoughts?”

“Well, the LORD Jesus, we know He’s God the Son enfleshed, as you explained it to me He’s trying to get through the head of Nicodemus what being born again means, and the old priest isn’t getting it. It’s like gobbledygook to him because he evidently hasn’t believed in Him yet. When I believed, it felt like a light went on in a dark closet somewhere in my heart, brain…whatever! Nova, I know I probably am blathering like a complete idiot…sorry“

“It’s okay!” Nova said to him as she put her hand over his and gave him her warm, winning smile. “Everyone’s got to start somewhere, and I was just as bad as you…probably worse. I was just twelve when He turned on the Light in my spirit when I believed. I didn’t have much of an idea what was going on, for I was alone when it happened. I tried telling my mother, and she looked at me as if I’d grown a second head or something. But my father seemed to understand. I figured it out later. Dad was a believer. Mom never was. She played the game well, but she was”play-acting. Sorry…I tend to blather when I think about my parents. I really wish my Mom would believe. She never listened to her sister, my Aunt Louise, and when I tried to explain it to her, she thought it was a “phase” I was in. She even called our priest, since she thought I had gone bonkers. Luckily, our priest was a believer. You know him. Our Chaplain Father Likanski. I know It’s not an accident he’s with us. The Believer’s Baptism, I took care of with you the other day. Good thing I had on my grungies when I baptized you, hon.”

Derek laughed and Nova let him nuzzle her nose with his. Then, she said, “Enough snogging, silly boy..more studying!”

“Okay”what does the thing about the “Snake in the Wilderness” mean?” Derek said. “I’m not all that familiar with Moses yet, except that he got the Ten Commandments.”

“Hmmm,” Nova said. “The Children of Israel were wandering in the wilderness for forty years, largely due to their lack of faith that God would lead them into the Promised Land. The Israelites were disobedient”they were even more thick-headed than you”“

”Hey!” Derek said. “That”s below the belt!”

Nova giggled and said, “Well, you already know God better than a lot of them! When the Israelites were disobedient, the Lord decided to teach them a lesson, so, He sent a lot of poisonous snakes into their midst, and the snakes did what poisonous snakes will do and they bit them, and they started to get sick and die off. Adonai, a Hebrew name for the Lord, told Moses and his brother Aaron to make a serpent out of brass and raise it on a pole, and he instructed them that if they were bit by a snake, that the provision God had for them to be cured was to look at the brass serpent believing God would heal them, and so it was. A look of faith healed them. Jesus, Yeshua in Hebrew, then compared that tale, which Nicodemus, being a chief priest and Pharisee, would know really well, to what He would do on the Cross, when He, being lifted up on a pole and crucified, bearing the sin of the whole Cosmos, I think, of our world and other worlds, would heal every person ever born of sin”at least potentially. But, like any Pardon, you have to admit you”re guilty and accept it from Adonai, and when He gives you the New Birth as a gift, you are of course bound to Him forever, and you need to follow Him as your Lord and learn from Him. It takes a long time to grow; I’m sure not there yet”“

“You”re not, Nova?”

Nova humbly shook her head. “I sin every day and I do things that are just”asinine”at times. Hey, so do you! We know that. We”re honest, but both you and I, we both looked in faith to Yeshua, and just the way the Israelites were cured of snake poison when they looked in Faith to Adonai”s provision, we were also cured of the deadly disease of Sin that damned our souls”and the Lord made us alive again in Him. I told you that nothing ever worked out with those stupid boyfriends my Mom set me up with? It’s because I knew that God intended me to spend my life with someone else like me”another believer. They weren”t”but”you are.

You are”you are”you are” echoed in Derek”s mind as Nova looked at him.

“Wonderful to see your memory is so good,” Nova said in the present. “We both watched that flashback together through our bond...and”guess what”I’m still learning! Just like you are”“

“When do we become perfect?” Derek said earnestly.

“I had a tiny glimpse of it when I was”dead”“ Nova said. “Our redemption is far from complete, and we won”t be complete until we”re in His Presence”“

“When we”re dead?”

“No. When we are Raised Incorruptible,” Nova said. “If we”re alive then, we go straight into His Presence alive at the Rapture. If not, well, we”ll get resurrected, and we”ll stand perfected in His Presence in our eternal bodies. Then, as the Apostle Paul put it in First Corinthians Thirteen, as you know, “For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.”“

“Have you been perfected yet?”

Nova shook her head. “No. I deferred that when I came back to fight Ekogaru and his works and to be with you. Perfection comes when we are Raised, never to die again. I’m still just a redeemed child of Yeshua”s, like you. I know you are because I can just look inside you and see His Light in you now. You can see the same in me, I know. Right now, I’m sort of like Lazarus; new lease on life, but I”ll die again one of these days. The one thing is, I’m not afraid at all to go, except for the physical pain. I was partly in shock, but when Ekogaru killed me, well, it hurt like the Dickens. But, for the Spiritual Part, I’m not afraid. By His Grace, I”ve been There, and if you lean on Him and remain in Fellowship up to your dying day, Derek, you can face death with a grin.”

“Death, where is thy sting?” Derek recited. “Grave, where is thy victory? Sorry I freaked out when you were killed, Nova. I should have been better prepared”“

“It was a shock to us both, and I”ve forgiven you long ago,” Nova said. “Let”s go. We”ll miss church if we sit here talking all day!”

Derek smiled at Nova, and linked arms with her, and together they began to walk through the Diet building to underground passages that would take them direct to the Hall of the Redeemer, part of the Temple Complex on Pellias.
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II. MEMORIES OF THE CROSS

Planet Pellias

The City of Beltane

The Hall of the Redeemer

Friday, March 29, 2233 (Good Friday)

1022 Hours: Local Time

Derek sat in a front pew of the magnificent Hall of the Redeemer, a part of the Temple Complex on Pellias, a building which looked like a cross between a Terran Church and a Terran Synagogue on the inside, with both stained-glass windows in abstract patterns, and polished white alabaster and marble stone with Scriptures carved on the walls on the inside.

A regular church service was being held then, but they knew that at exactly three PM local time, in a service beginning at two-thirty PM local time, a symbolic Lamb would be sacrificed on the Altar, re-enacting the ancient Israelite Tradition of Yom Kippur; but for the Pellians, what those from Earth knew as Good Friday had become the new Day of Yom Kippur twenty-one hundred years ago, when the full Gospel had first been brought to Pellias by an old couple who had actually seen the Risen Messiah with their own eyes on Earth in their youth.

The meaning of the Pellian New Day of Atonement had been partially buried in ritual in later years, but Nova”s later explanation of the meaning of the Gospels to the Pellian Priesthood had enabled them to explain the Gospel far more clearly.

Derek was between two lovely women. Nova was on his right in her violet gown, and to his left sat Astrena, in a white gown. Desslok was holding hands with Astrena, who also held hands with Derek, and of course, Nova”s hand rested on Derek”s as the Priest in his white, black, and violet vestments, with the Cross at the front of this church draped in black, read from the Gospel of John as General Talan looked on from Desslok”s left.

Derek concentrated on the reading of the Trial of Jesus for a moment, as he heard from John, Chapter Seventeen, verses 33 to 37:

Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” ”Is that your own idea,” Jesus asked, ”or did others talk to you about me?” ”Am I a Jew?” Pilate replied. “Your own people and chief priests handed you over to me. What is it you have done?”

Jesus said, ”My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.”

“You are a king, then!” said Pilate.

Jesus answered, ”You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”

The priest continued to read the story of the Passion, up to the Crucifixion itself. As the Crucifixion of the Messiah was described, Nova squeezed Derek”s hand”very, very hard, and she whispered to him, “God help me”I know what the physical pain, at least”feels like”when they nailed me to that cross on R”Khell”eva but He had it worse”far, far worse than I did. You know why,” she whispered.

Derek knew the answer, but it was affirmed when the Priest went to the Book of Isaiah, and read from the fifty-third chapter:

Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering,
yet we considered him punished by God,
stricken by him, and afflicted.
But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to our own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.

”This, again, is the Word of the LORD,” said the priest.

Derek, Nova, Astrena, Desslok, Talan, and the others stood and intoned “Thanks be to Adonai!” as the bells of this church hall began to ring solemnly, seven times, the number of completion.

The Priest then read again from the Gospel of John, ending with:

When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes, dividing them into four shares, one for each of them, with the undergarment remaining. This garment was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom. ”Let”s not tear it,” they said to one another. “Let”s decide by lot who will get it.”

This happened that the scripture might be fulfilled that said, “They divided my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment.”

So, this is what the soldiers did.

Silence fell, and then the Priest said, “Today, the Queens of our Royal Territory worlds, the oldest settled worlds of the Commonwealth, settled exclusively by our people as colonies, are here among us; Treya, Ania, Berenice, Talia. Telezart, once one of our ancient original colonies, is no more,” said the priest as Derek and Nova looked at each other and shivered.

Not even Nova knew that Telezart had once been a Pellian Commonwealth planet!

The priest continued with, “Those four Queens shall read the first Four Words of the Mosiach on His Cross and explain them. The Fifth Word of the Cross shall be read and explained by Astrena, again our Ruling Queen by the edict of the High Queen. Finally, for the first time in centuries, our great new High Queen, our own little Nova, the Victor by God”s Grace, shall read and explain the last two Words of the Savior on the Cross. First, we shall sing a hymn, written by the Terrans. It shall be sung in Terranglish, then in the Pellian. Please rise for the singing of “A Mighty Fortress is Our God” which was brought to us by the Terrans who settled this world before we came back here. We shall sing only the first three verses. Kindly mark your hymnals, for we shall sing the fourth verse as this service ends.”

Derek was a little confused by the hymnal. It had the words of the hymn in Terranglish, with the elaborate runic alphabet of the Pellians below it. Derek sent to Nova, I know this in English, I know it in German, but I can”t even read these Pellian words. They look sort of like a cross between Arabic and Tolkien Elf-Letters.

I”ll help you dear, Nova sent back. I”ll prompt you in our minds when we get to the Pellian. Luckily, I understand it.

Derek, Nova, and the others stood as a brass choir, partly of Terran instruments, partly of Pellian instruments, played a fanfare along with the organ as they began to sing, first in Terranglish, then, in Pellian:

A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing;
Our helper He, amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing:
For still our ancient foe doth seek to work us woe;
His craft and power are great, and, armed with cruel hate,
On earth is not his equal.

Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing,
Were not the right Man on our side, the Man of God”s own choosing:
Dost ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is He;
Lord Sabaoth, His Name, from age to age the same,
And He must win the battle.

And though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us;
The Prince of Darkness grim, we tremble not for him;
His rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure,
One little word shall fell him.

When the fanfare and hymn repeated in Pellian, Nova held Derek”s hand close and sent to him the Pellian before each verse, so he could at least follow along. Derek felt a little like an idiot, until he saw that Astrena was pointing to the hymnal and also helping Desslok because he couldn”t read Pellian either.

Well, if Desslok doesn”t get it either, I don”t feel that stupid, Derek thought with a sigh of relief.

The priest stopped the song there as he said, “We must always remember, we must never forget, aye, we must never, ever forget, that for Mosiach to have been our helper, He had to drink the bitter cup of our sin and of the Judgment we deserve, shed His Blood, suffer, and die, taking upon Himself the Judgment and the Death we deserve, so He could be raised, and, most important of all, so that we could be Raised with Him.”

The priest went silent, and he said, “To begin, Queen Treya, who has again taken her Ancient Throne on the world near what the Gamilons and Terrans call Balan, on the world the Terrans named Morpheus, shall read the first Word, or Phrase, of our Savior on the Cross. Morpheus was restored to us soon after the war by a grant of Leader Desslok of Gamilon, even though it is within the Gamilon Empire. Since the Gamilons did not rebuild their base on Balan, Queen Treya, after consultation with the Ruling Queen and High Queen, has allowed the Gamilons and the Terrans to construct new bases on Morpheus not that far from our own reconstructed base. Morpheus, once an empty, forgotten, but livable world, forgets no more.”

Treya was a Queen with hair as dark as the night, of stunning beauty, clad in a silver gown that sparkled in the light. She walked up to the white stone lectern beside the altar and began to read:

“Luke 23:34
Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing."

She then said, “He was suffering horribly on the Cross. They had scourged His Back, His Body, and placed the Crown of Thorns on His Head. He was bleeding, and exposed to the gaze of all, without even a loincloth to call His Own. Yet, what did He do? He did not think of Himself, nor did He rail abuse back at the soldiers or, indeed, at the corrupt Priests, Scribes, and Pharisees who mocked Him to no end, along with the criminals crucified on each side of Him. What did He do? He forgave all of them! I would warrant that very, very few among us have enough love or courage in their hearts to forgive their murderers. Yet, He did. He expects us to lean on His Spirit, and do Likewise, and forgive our tormentors. Many great Saints, in Pellian, Terran, Iscandarian, Gamilon situations, at the moments of their deaths, or under severe torture, have done so. May we all do so, by His Grace. Thus said the LORD.”

The bell outside tolled once as Treya left the lectern.

Next, the priest said, “Queen Ania, of Selanis, in the Blackeye Galaxy, the closest of our ancient colonies to the place where ancient Pellias was before the Usurper moved it to this Galactic System, now shall speak. Forgive her; for she has made a long journey to be here.”

Derek watched as Ania, a proud woman who held her head high with dark blue hair, and a beautiful face, albeit one with a deep scar on one cheek and on her throat, clad in a gown of pale blue, took the lectern and read:

Luke 23:43
"I tell you the truth, today you will be with Me in paradise."

Ania”s voice was thickly accented, and sounded almost guttural as she read. Then, she said, “May you forgive me my voice. I suffered years ago in the Dark Lord”s dungeons. The Dark Lord and his minions could not stand my magical singing; my preaching, my speeches. I was indeed the Voice of one of the Last High Queens of the old Dynasty, High Queen Berenice, as she lay dying on her bed, barely able to speak. For my being the Mouth of Berenice, I was tormented and Ekogaru cut out my voice box. Only Ruling Queen Aliscea here was able to give me back”something of a Voice. I spoke somewhat for the next High Queen, Aliscea, when she was very small. Aliscea sinned as grievously as the Thief that Adonai, suffering incarnate, on the Cross forgave. He was shedding His blood for the Thief, who was most likely a terrorist or sicarii or Daggerman who fought the Roman occupiers of the day by killing. The King of Kings Himself received the Thief”s faith, all that suffering, dying, naked man could offer, and He assured that sinner of Paradise, as He assured Aliscea Paradise as she repented and believed in Him before she died. The Lord does the same to all who Trust in Him and turn to Him. I spoke for Berenice. I spoke for Aliscea. By God”s Grace, I have never needed to speak to Nova the Magnificent, servant of the Lord, who, I understand, spoke well for herself before Ekogaru and sang Promethium back to the depths, where she is still. May we all trust in Him as thieves, scoundrels, heroes, and Queens of all ages have. Thanks be to God.”

Ania left the lectern, and she resumed her seat.

The priest then said, “Now, we have Queen Berenice, the Ruler of Great Andromeda, a Free State world near the Andromeda Galaxy but left alone by the Cometine Empire by an ancient mutual agreement between the Cometine Emperor of the day, and the mighty High Queen Lara the Second, who reigned between the Terran Years 1023 to 1496 in their reckoning; this I say as we have many Terrans among us. Berenice was born in the last twenty-five years of the reign of Lara the Second, and she was crowned by her. Queen Berenice has lived for 737 Terran Years. She remembers most of the High Queens, as she met them, save for the current one. Somehow, she has fought the long defeat, and kept Great Andromeda as a place of resistance even in the darkest hours of the Commonwealth, even though she lost touch with Pellias. She shall read the third Word of Yeshua now.”

Many stood for Berenice, even though it was not protocol to stand for a Queen of the Territories, since they were considered officers below the Ruling Queen, and vassals of the High Queen. Berenice was a stately woman, tall and erect despite her advanced years, with slightly pointed ears, a very fine complexion, and long, flowing pure-white hair that was not due to age, but was her natural hair color. She wore a black gown, black belt, and black boots.

As she passed Desslok, he nodded his head to her, but Astrena stood for her and also nodded.

“Stand up,” Nova whispered to Derek.

Then, Berenice stood in shock as the Lord Admiral and the High Queen herself stood for her, and then, Derek and Nova bowed deeply in the Japanese fashion of meeting an honored guest.

“How comes this, Majesty, how comes this?” said Berenice in shock. “You, Milady”defeated the Nameless and Quenched the hatred of the Traitor Promethium, I knew her when she went to Terra to be the secret Queen, and”“

“Yes, she was there once as the Matrix told me, living as a Terran before I was even born,” said Nova, “But, she developed a hatred for humanity and Terra in particular she hid from almost all, even her own two daughters Maetel and Emeraldas. I bow to you due to your valor, faith, and great age. Compared to you, O Berenice, I am but a child, and but a servant of the Great King as you are.”

“But”,” said Berenice.

“No buts,” Nova said. “Hold your head high, Milady, for I love thee, Reverend Mother of my adopted people. Go read His Words. But be assured, I will give you whatever you need, even the very gown off my back, should you ever need it.”

Berenice bowed more deeply to Nova, and she went up to the lectern with tears brimming in her eyes as she read:

John 19:26”27
“When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, "Dear woman, here is your son," and to the disciple, "Here is your mother."“

Berenice stood silent for a moment. “I have, in my days, seen many, many brave warriors of our people, and brave warriors from Iscandar and even from Gamilon aiding us years and years ago against the Dark One, then a minion of Abaddon the Terrible, the Nameless one of Nameless ones. Those warriors thought of their mothers as they died, and pleaded with me to ensure their safety. Likewise, even He Who is Above All thought of His Mother, the Mother of His Humanity, for, as the Almighty Word, He had already existed forever. He committed her to the care of His Most Trusted Friend. He thought of her as he was dying, in the purest sense possible. Not many know the pain of seeing a child die as Mary had”may we”“

Then, Berenice stopped as she heard a wail from the front pew, followed by some of the most broken sobbing she had ever heard in her life.

She, and everyone else looked.

Nova had her face buried in her hands as she wept. Derek held her and comforted her as tears ran from his own eyes. No one, no one, in that church even dared breath as the High Queen wept and wailed out her grief, a grief freshly brought to the surface as Berenice stopped and ran right to her High Queen. Not far away, Astrena bowed her head and began to pray that the Most High would give peace to Nova”s tormented soul, and Desslok and Talan looked on and did likewise.

“Majesty,” Queen Berenice said through her tears as she actually genuflected to Nova. “I am so sorry to offend Thee. It just hit me that you lost a child”I”I”am so sorry”“

“It’s all right; you barely know me, you probably did not know my Derek and I lost an adopted son, Jonathan, and our daughter, Anastasia, in the War. You did not offend me. I”forgive you”“

“I don”t deserve your forgiveness!” cried Berenice.

“I forgave the Dark Lord himself when he repented; you are much easier to forgive,” Nova said as she openly kissed Derek and broke their embrace so gently as she then embraced Berenice. “Go in peace,” Nova said. “You did well. You do not need to explain any more”“

“I”I was a mother,” sobbed Berenice. “I”I”had my husband and two of my children killed in front of me by Ekogaru”s minion, the demon who calls himself Saint Germain. I “didn’t want to say it, but, Majesty, I know how you feel. I wish I could comfort you more”“

“You already have,” Derek said in a voice thick with his own tears. “Nova and I thank you.”

Berenice went back to her place in the front pew while the priest gave time for her, Nova, and any others who were crying (and many were) to collect themselves.

Finally, the priest said, “Now, we shall hear from young Queen Talia, of Planet Mezain, in what was once the Telezart Sector.”

At that, everyone heard Trelaina, who sat with Mark Venture next to Desslok, begin to sob slightly in her dark blue gown as she stood up while a young girl, maybe ten or eleven years old, left the pew.

Those who did not know Talia were shocked by her youth. She was literally a child Queen, with short brown hair and a gown in yellow. She wore a natural crown of woven marigold flowers, and went barefoot, like the innocent little girl that she was.

Talia stopped before Trelaina, who bowed to her. “I remember Dana, who was your mother. She looked just like you when she came to Telezart once to a ball, and she was your age then!”

“I am glad you remember my mother, Princess Trelaina,” she said as she curtsied to her. “I knew her”until she was slain four years ago with my father, also a deed of the sickening Saint Germain. I”I”took my throne when I was but six. Luckily, Astrena sent me a Regent to aid me, but he was assassinated when I turned seven, not long before Her Majesty there Passed Through the Fire. Then, I had to take the Throne myself, and”“

“Derek, if I may, please?” Nova whispered in his ear.

Derek nodded and squeezed her hands.

Nova got back up, ran to Talia and said, “I heard about your losses, but, by the Most High, I did not know how young you were! And you sent ships and warriors to aid me!”

“I did, Your Majesty,” said Talia very formally as she bowed to Nova.

Nova received her bow and grabbed her hands. “No, dear. Stand up! You need a hug, you poor child!”

Then, Nova hugged Talia like one of her own daughters when they were small. Nova then bent down and kissed the top of the little Queen”s head. Then, she looked at her and said, “I know what the next set of the LORD”s words are. If they would be too upsetting for you, I”ll go up and read.”

“I can handle it, Majesty,” Talia said with a solemn face that made Nova want to cry again.

“No, no”please allow me,” Nova said.

“I can handle it. It is my sworn duty. I have signed laws, prayed, and gave orders to troops and captains to aid you. I only saw one picture of you. In person, you are far more beautiful than I thought! And I did not expect you to be so kind! Every one of my advisors is so”solemn. I get the impression that you would be nice to play a game with! I beg you, please compose yourself, Majesty. I will do this for Thee,” Talia said.

“Okay. But”why don”t you have shoes on, sweetheart?” Nova said in a near whisper.

“I love the grass and beach sand here. We don”t have much left on Mezain. This planet is beautiful. Would you and your husband take me swimming later, please?”

“That”s a promise,” Nova said as she stroked Talia”s cheeks. “See you soon!”

Talia nodded back, and she walked up to the lectern like a little lady and began to read from the Scripture:

“Matthew 27:46
And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”“

Talia stood silent as she looked out at everyone. Then, she said, evenly, “I know what it is like to be forsaken myself. As I was telling Her High Majesty, I was forsaken due to the war. I saw my father die. I saw my mother die. I was alone in the world; no relatives, no remaining family, no one but my own ministers. But I picked up my father”s weapon, shot at Saint Germain, and then I said a prayer to Yeshua to send the demon away! He “didn’t like that! Saint Germain left and he left me alone! Yeshua”He was forsaken on that Cross, bearing our sin, so we would never, ever, ever, have to be forsaken again. I want to”well”sing a song about this”the Terrans made it up. I listened to it on the way here. It goes like”this”“

Then, Talia stood away from the lectern and she began to sing in a clear, child”s soprano voice:

I'm forgiven because You were forsaken
I'm accepted, You were condemned
I'm alive and well, Your spirit is within me
Because You died and rose again

Amazing love”how can it be?

Then, the doors at the two sides of the church suddenly burst open.

Screams filled the hall as what looked like ten men, clad in black, ran into the church, brandishing weapons.

No, there were not ten men; there were thirteen, maybe even more”all dressed in black or dirty camouflage uniforms. They looked insane, wild-eyed, and some of them were firing as they came.

Three Pellian soldiers in black and silver were slain before they could even draw their weapons.

One of the brigands shot at Mark Venture and Trelaina. Trelaina screamed at the shock as bullets rang around her and Mark as Mark returned fire. “Trelaina!” cried Mark. “Do something to protect the Queens next to you!”

Trelaina nodded and threw up a shield around the nearest Queens, even as Desslok ducked to dodge a laser shot aimed at his head by a man who looked like a renegade Gamilon. The would-be assassin stopped to yell, “Sic Semper Tyrannis, Desslok! You, your wife, and that demented High Queen! You are all tyrants!” Then, he fired at Nova, who raised her hand, blocking the shot with her power as her face scrunched up with a sudden effort. Why is this so difficult for me all of a sudden? There”s something else here, but what? Who?  Nova thought as she blew out a deep breath from her diaphragm and shot blue energy at the deranged Gamilon as Astrena shook on her feet and also shot red flame at the enemy which went wide.

Nova could tell that Astrena was having a hard time, too, and that Derek looked ill, unable to connect to the Matrix power they shared. “What is this devilry?” she cried aloud.

A moment later, the Matrix sent the single word Sorcery to her mind. “Lord, in Your name, let us stop this!” Nova cried as Derek shakily grabbed her and pulled her out of the line of fire as bullets zipped between them.

Nova looked at Derek. He looked right back into her eyes and sent; I feel sick”

Me too, Nova sent back.

Derek”s stomach reeled, and then, almost uncontrollably, he vomited all over his uniform slacks, his boots, and the hem of Nova”s gown and her sandaled feet.

“I’m”sorry,” Derek muttered.

“Don”t worry”I feel like doing the same thing,” Nova mumbled in a slurred voice. “There was incense burning in here”now”it smells like”Death”“

Another one of the brigands fired a shot from what looked like an ancient Terran M-1 Carbine rifle at the priest. He fell screaming and clutching his chest as a rose of blood stained his white vestments.

Talia, at the lectern, ducked down to take cover as Derek and Desslok drew their sidearms as one and began returning fire at the brigands. Beside Desslok and Astrena, Talan was also firing at the brigands.

Three of them were felled at once.

One screaming madman ran straight for Nova with a katana held high above his head.

Nova ducked to avoid being beheaded by his wild swing.

“Nova, get DOWN!” Derek screamed.

“I can manage this!” Nova yelled back as she shook to remain on her feet and to not fall into Derek”s lap like a helpless prey.

She stood up, and raised her right hand, using her power again with a great effort, as if she was swimming through mud.

The sword fell clattering from the brigand”s hand, but Nova kicked off her heels and vaulted over the ornate stone balustrade in front of their pew, slapping away Derek”s hand as he tried again to grab her and pull her down. He noticed Nova”s nose was beginning to bleed, a sign that the psionic effort on her part was hurting her. Then, Nova grabbed the sword just as the brigand, a wild-looking man with a black beard, drew a pistol that looked like an ancient Japanese Nambu Naval sidearm and fired almost point-blank at Nova, who kicked him and jumped aside just before the bullet hit her head-on. The bullet ricocheted off the stone balustrade, and Nova felt a stinging pain in her abdomen for a second that felt like a wasp”s sting. She gritted her teeth, ignored it, and swung at her attacker with all of her shaky remaining strength like an ancient Samurai, praying, Please, Please, Lord! Don”t let me fall over and get killed!

Her attacker”s head was detached from his body by her swing, but Nova ignored his falling body as she gasped at what was happening by the lectern.

A man with wild, curly hair who Nova swore looked like the long-dead Terran musician Micky Dolenz had little Talia in a stranglehold. She tried to fight him off, literally, with the Bible from the lectern, but he grabbed it and threw it at Nova. Then, he put an EDF Astro-Automatic against little Talia”s head, and said, “Hey, QUEENIE! Drop that sword and put your hands up or she gets it before we kill you, Desslok, Astrena, and your damn wanna-be dictator husband!”

“Let that child go first and I”ll drop it!” Nova barked back with every ounce of authority available to her as Derek leaped to her side, levelling his Astro-Automatic at the maniac.

“Nova, just do what he says,” Derek hissed. “I”ve got you.”

Nova nodded and let the sword drop and put up her hands. She glanced at Derek and sent, Okay, I don”t have a sword. But you know I have other tricks”even though it is very hard for me now”

I know, darling, he sent back. Let me help you get the little Queen free first. Then we”ll both go to town on this psycho the best we can. More cordite filled the air as more of the brigands killed two more Gamilon guards. Trelaina”s psi-shield went dim. Then, the Gamilon madman nearby shot Queen Treya and Mark Venture as Trelaina sagged and almost passed out with the effort of keeping her psi-shield up as the shield went down.

Then, Derek and Nova heard the maniac releasing the safety on his weapon as three other brigands surrounded them at close range. One of the other three was a Rikashan with his orange skin, one was a Terran, and one, Nova wondered why, was a renegade Ralkhen with a scarred face and one fang sticking out evilly from his mouth.

“Okay, you!” Derek said. “Nova did what you asked! All of you”keep your side of the bargain and let that little girl go! She can”t fight for herself!”

The brigand laughed. “My name, you son of a bitch, is Nicholas Perlmutter! I’m an Earthman, true and true! You”re a traitor, playing games with your wacky half-breed Queen! I”ll have you know that we came here with orders to capture or kill her and to kill the rest of you bastards! BASTARDS! YOU TOOK OVER EARTH IN YOUR COUP!”

“Who sent you?” Derek barked.

“Wouldn”t you love to know, Wildstar, Nova?” chuckled Perlmutter.

It then hit Nova there was something familiar about his voice.

“You sound like someone I knew once!” Nova snapped. “And he was just as worthless and dishonorable as you appear to be!”

“Okay, I”ll be happy to tell ya who I’m related to!” laughed Perlmutter. “I’m as old as you are, Nova! I applied for the Star Force over thirty years ago. But, even though maybe the decision was made over your little blond wacko head, I remember you and Avatar both signed my rejection letter! Well, he signed it; you initialed it as his little damned adjutant or secretary or whatever! But you guys accepted my cousin! I found that to be so, so funny!”

“I have no idea who your cousin was,” Nova lied as the pain in her stomach increased and her vision began to blur. I must be wounded, not just grazed! she thought. I can”t give in, though”not now!  ”We had no one else named Perlmutter in the Star Force! The fact that you sound like someone else who went bad has to be a coincidence!”

Perlmutter laughed again. “I thought you two were smarter than that! Okay. My cousin was Ensign Sam Sparks. I had hackers steal some copies of reports from the Argo”s records years ago and I”ve been after you ever since! I almost got you in Philadelphia, once! I read your report. “didn’t you personally kick my cousin in the nuts and leave him to die, bitch?”

“I did that only after he pulled my uniform zipper down, leered at me, and was probably about to rape me. He broke my wrist in the fight, but I gave him a good kick!” Nova said. “Just”like”THIS!”

Nova then took a flying judo leap right at Perlmutter, planting her bare foot right in his crotch as she prayed not to fall over since she was in more pain and getting more nauseous than ever. It felt as if a demon was inside her body tying her intestines into knots! Fortunately, the Lord was with Nova as she barreled into him and then punched hard at his face with both fists. He screamed, broke his stranglehold on Talia, and dropped his Astro-Automatic.

Nova scooped it up and got in front of Talia to protect her while Derek leaped to her side after having killed two more brigands with his weapon. A moment later, Nova wheeled and fired a single shot at Perlmutter. He went down like a sack of rotten potatoes.

The stench was horrible. Talia cried out as Nova turned around and was sick all over the altar and her own gown, which stank now with her vomit and Derek”s. Nova also touched her gut and cried out. She was wounded, and blood was seeping through the velvety material of her gown; enough blood that it got on her hand and she left a bloody handprint as she steadied herself by leaning against the altar near her own puddle of sick. Forgive me, Lord, but that made the pain a little”less.

Then, Nova gasped, “Anyone else want to try any games? I’m not out yet! Who wants to try? HUH?” she yelled, even though yelling hurt her.

Then, Derek looked at Nova with concern. He sent to her, I see the color draining from your face and feel that you”re in pain and you just left a bloody handprint on the altar! You OK?

I got grazed by a bullet, I think, Nova sent back. “I”ll be”fine,” she gasped with a winning but weak smile.

“Nova, you”re”wounded worse than just a bullet graze, damnit!” Derek said. “Get down”go somewhere and hide. You”ve done enough! Desslok and Talan and I can finish off these idiots!”

“Oh, we”ve got tons o” games, luv!” said some lunatic with pink Ben Franklin sunglasses and very long hair who spoke in a pronounced Scouse accent as he pointed what looked like an old gangster sub-machine gun at Nova and Derek.

“You”re not very original!” snapped Derek as he shot the madman before he could fire back. Beside him, Nova shook with the effort as she kept a death grip on her Astro-Automatic as someone who looked like a demented Cometine showed up and brandished a large wooden mace with spikes in it. I”ll take that weirdo in a minute, she added. Then she whispered aloud to Derek, “I”ll live. It just hurts a bit. How dare they invade the House of the Lord like this?”

Don”t know! You get to the Palace, Derek sent back to her. Teleport out, now! Derek sent even as the mental effort of communicating with Nova gave him a headache and he saw that he was now getting a nosebleed. Then, he said, “I”ve got this. Well, Desslok and I have got this,” he added as he saw the tall Gamilon at his left. Then, he looked at Desslok and whispered, “We make a good team, huh?”

“We do,” Desslok agreed. “But this would make a strange”what do you call it”“buddy movie”?”

Nova chortled. “Never thought I”d say this, Desslok. You just cracked me up!” She smiled a little more, confident, almost tough as the evil cloud over them began to lift a little, even as blood ran from her abdominal wound down her legs under her gown onto the floor.

Then, one of the maniacs had shot his way up to the choir loft.

He had Nova”s head right in the scope of his sniper rifle. “You”re dead, lady,” he whispered to himself. “Easy as pie. We can see you already have a gut-shot in your tummy. Let”s see how you like a bullet scattering your brains all over the place!”

Nova looked up when she felt a sense of danger, spotted the sniper, and said to Derek, “Grab my hand! He”s aiming at both of us!”

Right as Nova was preparing to teleport herself and Derek out of there as her nosebleed got worse, Astrena saw the same thing Nova did, and she screamed.

The madman fired.

Astrena teleported in front of Nova and Derek in a wink of an eye, and she pushed Desslok down and grabbed his sidearm as she tried to defend the Wildstars.

Then, Astrena felt something like a punch in her chest as a strange, vile, lemon-green surge of energy from the sniper”s rifle hit her. When it hit her she screamed, and dropped her weapon.

She tried to sit up, but it felt as if some force was draining the life out of her. With horror, she saw the skin on her hands beginning to tighten and shrivel. She had no idea what it meant. Beside her, filled with battle rage, Desslok scooped her fallen weapon up, rolled, and then aimed a shot back up at the sniper.

Desslok got him just as Nova and Derek disappeared and reappeared by the choir loft with a great psychic effort.

Both Wildstars held hands and a bolt of blue flame came out of both of their hands right after Desslok”s laser charge hit the sniper, whose strange brown and black rifle hit the floor first, before he did. One of Nova”s Ralkhen guards picked up the rifle and took it away as evidence.

The sniper was, in quick order, lethally hit by Desslok and then cremated in mid-air right as he took his last breath as the Wildstars” fire hit him. A moment later, Nova fell to her knees, unable to stand up any more.

Derek looked at Nova and screamed her name. Then, he yelled, “Talan! Help cover us! Nova”s hurt!”

Talan got in front of the Wildstars as Nova looked into Derek”s eyes as he scooped her up in his arms.

“Love”love you, Derek”get us”out of here”“ she mumbled before she went unconscious in his arms.

Two more brigands ran up; one looked like a Dark Nebulan; the other like an Orc.

Talan shot them both down with his Gamilon sidearm as Desslok felled another brigand with his gold Iscandarian-patterned sidearm.

Desslok”s eyes met Derek”s and he hissed, “Get Nova out of here”now! Something”s wrong with Astrena!”

“I’m already doing that,” Derek said as he carried Nova out of the church hall through a side door. Outside, two Pellian R”jkharraz adept guards looked at the staggering Lord Admiral and their High Queen, nodded, and teleported them straight to the infirmary in Astrena”s nearby Palace, which was closer than Nova”s own palace.

Derek then stood shaking in the infirmary as two Pellian doctors and two nurses ran to Nova, cut her gown off, set up an IV, and began to run a transfusion as one of them looked at her stomach wound and scanned it while another one began to anesthetize the slowly moaning High Queen.

“Is she going to be all right?” Derek said.

“She will be if we can get that bullet out of her fast. It nicked an intestine and a vein,” said one of the doctors. “She”ll probably be out for a day or so, but she”ll make it. She”s a tough little woman.”

“Good,” Derek said as he wiped his nose, saw that his hand was covered with gouts of his own blood, and then, a moment later, he passed out and hit the deck too.

“Doctor Alden!” snapped the nearest bearded Doctor as he began to scrub for immediate surgery on Nova while the nurses washed and then draped her nude, pale form. “Get him in the next bed. I think he may have taken a hit too! Take over on him before we lose him and have to tell Her Majesty that when she comes around!”

“Right,” said Alden, a younger Pellian doctor with dark-green hair as he and two more nurses got Derek up onto the other bed and cut off his peacoat and uniform and began to give him treatment and a thorough exam.

In the meantime, back out in the Church Hall, two more shots rang out as two more brigands were hit and three others ran out of the church hall in the confusion and smoke.

Desslok looked into Astrena”s face, and gasped, because now, it looked as if she was aging before his eyes.

“Desslok”my love”I’m”I’m”thirsty,” she said in a cracked, elderly-sounding voice.

“Bring her water! Wine! The first thing you can get!” barked Desslok as Pellian guards carried an unconscious Mark Venture out of the room as Trelaina wept and screamed over him, barely able to stand herself since she had also been wounded. Other Pellian guards and Terran EDF men and women got the other Planetary Queens and Princesses out of the room, leaving Desslok and Astrena alone near the choir loft as medics ran up to Astrena. “Majesty! Ruling Queen!”

A weeping altar boy brought Communion wine up in a small cruse, and Desslok gave it to Astrena as she weakly drank from the small crystal bottle as Desslok looked on with shock and concern as wrinkles appeared on her face, which was withering before his eyes. “Something”I was going to preach on His Words, “I thirst”. Now, I can”t do that, can I?”

“This service may be over with, but you”ll be fine, Astrena,” Desslok said as tears ran from his eyes. “Let the medics take you to where Nova is so they”can operate, and”“

“It”ll do no good,” Astrena gasped. “I”I”feel this body dying all around me. Something is making me age very fast,” she said in a very cracked, weak voice as Desslok saw Astrena”s hair going thin and grey before his eyes and saw her pupils going milky-white with cataracts. Even her gown was beginning to rot and fall apart on her shivering body. “I’m”I’m”trying to reverse this”praying”even”I”“

“If you can hang on for a few minutes, Trelaina or maybe even Nova can help you”,” Desslok tenderly said.

“No, Desslok”dearest”it”is beyond that”now”I adopted”Nova as a daughter”you remember”she was a better”daughter to”me than Aliscea”ever was. She told me today that I was a better mother to her”than her mother ever was”Desslok”I”see”I see”future. I’must depart”protect”Nova”please”and”protect”their daughter Starsha. Bond”to her”to Starsha”she must cleave to you”it”was meant to be”just as much as Nova”must be”with”Derek”Starsha”must be”with”with”you”mistake me not. I loved you”still love you”but”cannot stay with you”now”Entropy”weapon”our time together”was so good”we”were so good together”but”I must”leave you now”Nova was going”to preach on this”but now I must say it.” Astrena squeezed Desslok”s hand with a feeble effort”she now looked hundreds upon hundreds of years old as she said, “It is”finished. Father”into”Thy hands”I commit”my”spirit”“

Astrena”s eyes fluttered shut, and her fragile, withered form shuddered as the life and spirit left her tormented body at last. She lay limp and still, and then, before Desslok”s horrified eyes, all of her flesh dried up to a powder and blew away on a fierce wind from a nearby broken stained-glass window like dry dust.

Desslok was left holding a skeleton with Astrena”s scanty white hair clinging to her skull, her yellowed, brittle skeleton now barely clad with the rotten, torn rags that had been her white gown. Astrena now looked as if she had been lying in a grave for three hundred years.  

Desslok wept in silence, and then, as Talan stood nearby, bowing his head in reverence for Desslok”s fallen and dead bond-mate, Desslok looked up towards the heavens, and he screamed “WHY! WHY, O GOD? WHY DID YOU TAKE HER? YOU SHOULD HAVE TAKEN ME!” Desslok then wordlessly roared his rage at the heavens in a low, stricken, animalistic howl as he tried to cover Astrena”s pathetic remains with his cape.

TO BE CONTINUED”.