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Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781728301020 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | AuthorHouse |
| Publication date: | 03/14/2019 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 184 |
| File size: | 534 KB |
Read an Excerpt
CHAPTER 1
After a week long journey from the Gemini system, everyone was truly thankful to finally reenter the Zartonian Galaxy. Everyone enjoyed each other's company, but was truly ready to get off the Neptonian battle cruiser and breathe some fresh air. Although the beautiful images of Centuron 5 were still etched in everyone's minds, there was still no place like the Hedera solar system. No place like home.
As the Galactic Warriors looked through their cabin windows into the vastness of the Hedera Solar System, their minds reflected on the invasion of the Baltic Empire. They understood that their return would be short lived because there was still an evil dictator out there that must be stopped. Czar Xavier had come and threatened the very freedom of the solar system and for that it was decided he must be hunted down. He must not be allowed to threaten the freedom of their system ever again. The Neptonians and the Nebulites had fought too many years and worked too hard to establish peace and unity for the Hedera System to allow Czar Xavier to destroy it.
Queen Alexandria had made up in her mind that the Baltic Empire would never threaten the Zartonian Galaxy every again. Her only focus was returning home and preparing the Hedera system for battle. She was not going to wait for Czar Xavier to return to her system. The war would be taken to him. They would confront him in the same manner that he confronted them; with the difference being total annihilation of Xavier and everything that he stood for. Next time there would be no conversations or any type of diplomacy. All talking with be done with ships and laser fire. This battle would be fought under the same model as her father; NO RETREAT AND TAKE NO PRISONERS!!
Upon their return to Neptonia, she made up in her mind to put plans in motion to prepare the Neptionian and Nebulite militaries to travel to the Baltic region. As far as Queen Alexandria was concerned, he insulted every planet of the system with his demands and the destruction of the Degaba Star. She wanted Xavier dead or alive but preferably dead.
The question was how to prepare? How do you fight an enemy with equal or maybe even superior weaponry and technology on their own ground? The sophisticated radar systems that the Baltic empire possesses would surely pick them up before they even entered their solar system. Although they wouldn't be expecting an attack, Czar Xavier would have more than enough time to rally his robotic forces once incoming battle cruisers were detected. These were not a race of people but intelligent, obedient machines ruled by an intelligent and twisted individual. A very deadly combination to say the least, which is the reason why every piece of information that was gathered from King Demetrius would be needed in order to pinpoint weaknesses in the Baltic Empire.
All of these things raced through Queen Alexandria's mind day after day on the journey back to Neptonia. Even though she felt that this was her personal vendetta, Alexandria also realized that the entire Hedera solar system would be threatened. It would take the efforts of each planet in the system to defeat Xavier. Even in defeating the Baltics, Alexandria wondered what should become of Czar Xavier? Do they kill him or bring him back to stand trial? Again, she would rather see him dead but understand that falls under the decision of the council. The Neptonians are bound by their treaty with the Nebulites and so therefore must abide by the High Council's Decision. In Alexandria's mind, she felt that the feelings concerning Xavier would be mutual and unanimous. But on the same note, she knew that the members of the council had a strange way of thinking at times. They were always by the book and preferred peaceful resolutions before resorting to any type of conflict. Ordinarily this would be her mentality. After growing up watching the bloodthirstiness and savagery of her father, she vowed to always pursue peace as a means to an end. Never again did Alexandria want to see her people suffer or her planet destroyed because of the senselessness of war. But this was a different set of circumstances. They were defending the freedom and way of life for the entire Zartonian galaxy. "Would the council actually ground their militaries after what just transpired?" Alexandria thought as she looked through her cabin window into the vastness of space. She has witnessed them make numerous controversial decisions over the last few years. Decisions that have caused her Neptonian blood to boil. But as queen she must sometimes conceal her thoughts in order to set good examples not only for the citizens of Neptonia but the entire Hedera system. Although she might not agree with many of the council's decisions, it's important for the interest of peace and unity to find a compromise. But in the case of Czar Xavier, there were no compromises in her heart. There would also be no compromises with the council. In the interest of self-defense, she was planning to challenge any ruling that fell short of retaliation.
As Alexandria walked away from her window and began to pace about the floor, she realized that there were many questions but very few answers. The more that she thought about it, the angrier that she became. The enraged feelings of her father began to flare up in her. Her eyebrows began to wrinkle and her face became a crimson red. It was then that she began pounding her fist on her night stand in anger and glanced upward towards the mirror. It was during this heated moment that she saw her father's face reflected in the mirror. It startled her to the point that she nearly fainted before catching herself at the last moment. That's a side of her that she had suppressed her entire life. Never did she ever want her father's side to manifest in her. There was no escaping the fact that King Barabbas's blood flowed through her. But she never wanted that side to take over her everyday thinking as it once did with her son Prince Darnell. He grew up worshipping the victories and treachery of his grandfather and soon developed the same type of hatred in his heart. Alexandria was truly thankful that he learned about his father and began to pattern his life and career after him. That was a true blessing and a great deal of worry off of her mind. She didn't want her son, the prince of Neptonia, to be a constant reminder of King Barabbas and his cold blooded ways. She was hoping that this conflict with Xavier wouldn't bring out the worse in herself and her people. Nor did she want the Galactic Warriors to develop a taste for blood and hatred. They're a very talented group with above average military skills, but for the most part they were still teenagers that were still trying to find themselves. Yes they were also angry and had every right to also desire the destruction of the Baltic Empire. But anger at their young ages brings about carelessness and hatred. She wanted the warriors to always remember that they were soldiers of peace and not mercenaries. They've had some great victories; including saving their home planet of Nebulan from destruction but this battle would be unchartered territory for them. They would need to not only be brave but also disciplined beyond their young years.
But one thing was for sure, Queen Alexandria would not rest until Xavier paid for his crimes against the Zartonian Galaxy. She felt that the Zartonian Galaxy was not only threatened but also disrespected. This was a man that belittled her name in front of her son and the allied planets. The more Alexandria stood and thought about the actions and words of Czar Xavier, the angrier that she became. As she returned to the cabin window looking out into the galaxy and shaking her head in disgust, thoughts of her father (King Barabas) began to once again run through her head. She began to remember how he killed, enslaved, beheaded, and annihilated those that were perceived to be enemies.
King Barabas took great pleasure in striking fear into all those that dare to rise up against him. The reputation of the Neptonian Empire was all that mattered to him and he wouldn't stop his bloodthirsty trail until the entire galaxy was under his rule.
For the first time in her life, Alexandria began to feel the bloodthirstiness of her father grow in her. The thought of Czar Xavier had brought out something inside of her that she never wanted to experience. The hatred and cruelty of her father began to boil in her blood and poke like a sharp sword. For 32 years Alexandria had suppressed the King Barabas side of her. She wanted no part of her father or his type of rule. But now, at this moment, it had overtaken her. All she could think about was killing her enemy in the worse possible way. She was thinking about ways to make him suffer before dying. Alexandria remembered how her father tortured prisoners of war by making them walk over hot coals or by tying them to poles and suspending them in the air during lightning storms. He even went as far as cutting off the toes of prisoners and then making them walk in salt water.
All of these thoughts were just rushing through Alexandria's head. It was as though she was just trying to pick which torture method would be most satisfying. "No!!!! No!!!! Oh my dear Lord in Heaven what am I thinking?" Alexandria shouted. "Where did these evil thoughts come from? This is of the devil himself because a servant of God would never entertain such evilness. I am not my father!! I am a Queen that will do things as God would have me do them. God forgive me for having evil thoughts and even forgive me for having such evil blood running through the course of me veins!!"
Alexandria threw herself on the bed and began crying into her pillow. She felt guilty and ashamed for what she had thought. Even though she wanted to destroy Czar Xavier, it was going to be done in a manner befitting humanity and decency. She wanted to at least give Xavier an opportunity to surrender peaceably and stand trial for the crimes that he committed. Although Alexandria knew that the odds were against that ever happening, but the attempt would clearly separate her from the ways of her father. That's what was most important to her.
As she lay across the bed with her head buried in the pillow, an announcement came from the door's com system. "Prince Darnell is at the door." announced a computerized voice. "Allow entrance" answered Alexandria.
As soon as Darnell entered the room and saw his mother's face, he knew something was terribly wrong. Her face was eyes were visibly red from crying and there was the absence of her trademark smile. Darnell quickly walked over to Alexandria and sat next to her. The look on her face told the whole story. He could see that there was something that had overtaken her that she just could not defeat. Darnell had never seen his mother in this manner. There was never a time that he could remember that she had such a look of defeat on her face. He grabbed her hand wanting to say something but was at a loss for words.
"Mother what's wrong?" asked Darnell. "What has you feeling so sad? Does it have anything to do with Czar Xavier?"
Alexandria looked at her son and did her best to form a smile in order to reassure him but there was just no covering up the hurt that had spread across her face. But she also knew that no one could help her but God and a great deal of prayer.
"Honestly I wish it were as easy as saying that this is about Czar Xavier. What I'm experiencing goes deep into my soul my son." Said Alexandria as she rose from her bed and began to walk to the center of the room. She had a hard time looking directly at Darnell so she turned toward the window and gazed at the stars. Alexandria knew how protective Darnell was of her as a mother and queen so she did her best to give him reassurances. "I know this would be hard for you to understand but trust me when I tell you that this is a battle that's bigger than both of us." "I'm not sure that I understand mother but just know that you don't have to go through anything alone." said Darnell. "We are all here for you. This has been an extremely long trip for you and I believe that you need to rest as much as possible. I know that you've already prepared yourself for the battle that's ahead. It's written on your face that you want to take this battle to the Baltic Region. Just know that the Nebulites also want the same thing. They also know that this will never be over until Xavier is completely destroyed. But keep in mind that it's a much longer journey to the Baltic Region and we have to be prepared for the battle of our lives. Our galaxy and our way of life are on the line. We need our queen healthy and ready to lead."
Those words from Darnell actually put some life back into Alexandria's spirit. The color began to return to her 32 year old skin and strength returned to her blue eyes as she turned from the window to face Darnell. She was so proud to have such a good son and loyal prince by her side. He had come such a long way in such a short amount of time. No longer was Darnell the spoiled hot headed child that only craved war and destruction but now was developing into a level headed man that would soon be a leader of the Neptonian Empire. This brought a smile to Alexandria's face and completely took her mind off of her spiritual struggles. She was always a queen that put the cares of others ahead of her own and quickly realized that she was putting her personal struggles ahead of those of the Zartonian Galaxy. For a moment she felt ashamed for allowing herself to focus on personal battles. Alexandria normally has guarded against this but came to the realization that this would be a lifelong struggle. Her father would always be a part of her and there was nothing that she could do about that. But now would not be the time to deal with it. It was the time to focus on the mission ahead and how to achieve ultimate victory.
Alexandria walked over to the mirror in an effort to gather herself. She began to brush her hair and clean the tears from her eyes. She took a long look at herself and the reflection of her son behind her. He was strong and handsome just like his father. This brought back a momentary flashback of her time with Reginald. It was secretly the most special time in her life. It was during this time at the military academy on Nebulan that Darnell was conceived. She was only 14 at the time but remembers the love and passion that she never shared with another man since. It was difficult for her to see him married to another woman but at the same understands that it was her conception that brought peace between two worlds. Even still sometimes she sits back and thinks about what might have been ...
"So Darnell how are the Galactic Warriors?" asked Alexandria who was now regaining her focus. "The warriors are fine." answered Darnell. "They are just restless from being stuck on a battle cruiser for two weeks. I know their very anxious for a change of scenery. Speaking of which, we should be entering Neptonia's atmosphere within the hour.
"Yes this has been a very long trip and hard on everyone. Traveling to the Baltic region is going to be just as hard but I can't take any chances concerning Czar Xavier." said Alexandria as she turned from the mirror and began to walk towards Darnell. "We can only take a couple of days to regroup and prepare for war. God only knows what Xavier is planning and how soon he makes his return to the Hedera system. We must always be 3 steps of him. Upon landing I need you to summon the High Council and inform them that it's imperative that we meet as soon as possible. According to our treaty with the Nebulans, we have to have council approval before going to war. This is going to be a hard sell but I believe that after we brief them on the entire situation, they'll agree that this is the best option." "Yes mother I believe that there is no way that we should allow him to make the first move." said Darnell who was now standing at attention. "I will do as you ask and with Captain Slaughter's help I'll make the necessary arrangements." "Thanks my son." said Alexandria as she reached out to touch his shoulder in encouragement. "Give me a few minutes to gather myself and I'll join everyone on the bridge." "Yes mother, I'll inform Commander Zargot." said Darnell who bowed before exiting the queen's chambers. Alexandria looked upon her son admirably as he left her chambers. The smile and determination had returned to her face. The demons that once plagued her were not completely removed and now it was back to business. But she couldn't help wishing in her mind that her father could see how his grandson turned out. "Father I would hope that you would be proud of the man that he has become." Alexandria thought to herself as she stood there continuing to stare dreamy eyed at the door.
(Continues…)
Excerpted from "Galactic Warriors"
by .
Copyright © 2019 James Floyd.
Excerpted by permission of AuthorHouse.
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