 
Saturna and the Battle for Zard

D. P. Scott

Published by D. P. Scott at Smashwords

Copyright 2013 D. P. Scott

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Chapter One

The night was like no other. Heavy dense darkness clung to the castle walls, creeping like a thief into every crack and crevice. Even the tiniest night creatures were forced to forget their foraging, burrowing deep into their hollows to hide from its cold dark penetrating fingers. Perhaps they instinctively knew, or just had an unsettling notion, that something dreadful was about to disrupt the peaceful kingdom of Zard.

Saturna lay on her side in her enormous overstuffed bed with her covers tucked tightly about her. Her long dark brown hair formed a tangled mess of curls which almost completely hid her beautiful heart-shaped face. Her gentle breath was soft and regular and she was having the most wonderful dream when a hand reached out to touch her shoulder.

"Saturna, you must get up. You've been summoned to the King's chambers," said her female servant, carefully sliding Saturna's silky hair away from her face.

When there was no response the servant began to shake her ever so lightly. "I've been told to wake and dress you. Saturna, you must go to the King right away."

Saturna turned over and opened her eyes. "Is it morning already, Maize? I had the most amazing dream."

"It's after midnight and the King has called for you. You must get up. Your escort will be here in minutes."

Now, twenty minutes later dressed in her newest gown of woven lace, Saturna nervously awaited the arrival of Gondee, the Wisdom Keeper. I would have been there already if I could go on my own, she thought, knowing very well it was strict tradition she be escorted. Too nervous to sit she paced back and forth, eventually finding herself standing in front of a large painting of her mother. She certainly had her mother's large, golden- brown eyes, pointed ears, and perfect nose, but other than that she could see no resemblance. As she leaned closer towards the picture and examined the exquisite band of blue jewels at her mother's neck, she heard a sharp rap at the door. Gondee had finally arrived!

Her excitement of being summoned instantly changed to concern when she saw his intense expression. "What's the matter, Gondee?"

"There is no time for discussion. We must hurry," he said, instructing her to follow him with a wave of his hand.

Anxiously gathering her gown at her side, she began to follow him down the poorly lit castle halls. The new ruby gown now seemed a little too long and she sighed realizing she was not wearing the right slippers, but it was too late to change them, she'd have to make do. Since there had been little time for her servant to do up her hair, it had been brushed and left to flow down her back, another mistake, if she had been called by the King to attend a formal party her hair should have been pinned up. It felt a bit uncomfortable as it blew into her face while she scurried to keep up with Gondee, so she collected it into one hand above her shoulder and continued to use her other to lift the hem of her skirt.

Quickening her pace almost running behind the tiny creature, Saturna tried to contact him about the urgency of the summons, to no avail. She was moving as quickly as she could and although she towered over the gnome with her stride at least double to his, she was having trouble keeping up with him. Because she had never been summoned like this before, she could not imagine what the reason could be and wondered if it had to do with the arrival of some important dignitary. When a dignitary arrived on the planet a glorious affair was always planned and often went late into the night, but she had never been allowed to stay up for any party before. How wonderful, if tonight was the night she would be seeing the famous "after midnight" entertainment. Yet she recalled nothing unusual about yesterday, and she hadn't seen or heard about the arrival of a distinguished guest.

Trying to remember the date Saturna wondered if today was the anniversary of some notable event and then suddenly became worried that she had been called because she was in trouble. She had never been woken from sleep before, but once years ago she had been prepared for bed, and then abruptly redressed and taken before the King for a lecture about expectations and behavior. She silently prayed she hadn't been spotted yesterday doing the one activity she loved to do, which unfortunately was prohibited in the kingdom. Saturna had known it was wrong at the time, but justified her actions because the regulation as far as she was concerned was archaic and out-of-date. Besides, how could anyone think it was harmful to fly on the back of a tame heppal?

"Such a stupid rule," she said under her breath. "My whole life is about rules, tradition and protocol and I'm tired of it!" But concerned this may be the reason she had been sent for, Saturna thought for a moment and then asked, "Gondee, can we pause for a moment? I must catch my breath and would like to...."

"We have not one second for breath or banter, My Princess. We are already late," he replied, increasing his pace once more down the long and winding stone hallways.

Saturna continued to follow Gondee and hesitated to call out again, but couldn't stop wondering what the reason was for the alarming hurry. Her living quarters were on the opposite side of the castle and they were taking the long route through the main corridors, which almost skirted the castle walls. If it was urgent, she thought, why didn't they use the secret passageways? The darkness in the tunnels wouldn't have been a problem for Gondee being a Urite. With large eyes disproportional to the size of their heads Urites were capable of seeing in almost all directions and at night without any light from the planet Zard's moons their vision was at its best. If he had guided her through the hidden passageways they would have made much better time, but Saturna didn't dare bring this up. As with many things, the secret passages were never discussed, which meant they couldn't be used because she wasn't supposed to know about them. But she did know about the passageway and others things too, she thought smiling to herself.

Trying to clear her head and just _be in the moment_ as her teachers constantly suggested she should do to focus, she tried to concentrate on the patter of her shoes echoing off the white and black marble tiles. The soothing and repetitive clicking sound they created, calmed her somewhat and helped her feel a little less worried. Saturna knew she should really not try to speak to Gondee again but couldn't help herself. As young and inexperienced as she was, she rationalized she must somewhat prepare for this meeting with her father. Relaxing, Saturna opened her auri to communicate with him using the ancient Urite technique of mental powers. It had been Gondee who had taught her how to use her inner energy or auri--a well guarded Urite secret passed from father to daughter and mother to son. It was forbidden to share this Urite secret with another race, but an exception had been made with Saturna, who had been born a Zardite but had been raised by Gondee.

Having no children of his own Gondee had taken responsibility for Saturna when her mother had died giving birth. Saturna had been only four hours old, heir to the throne and motherless when Gondee, looking down at the precious infant, had decided he could allow no one but himself to give her care. The King, so distraught with the loss of his wife and disappointed with the birth of a female child, had approved of Gondee's wishes to raise the infant and of the name Saturna without a second thought.

"Gondee forgive me for asking again, but please tell me why my father has asked to see me in the middle of the night? It's so unusual for him to include me in evening events," communicated Saturna, nervously through her auri.

"You will find out soon enough, Princess Saturna. As I have taught you, there are some things in life that should not be questioned," he replied using his auri, the invisible cloud that surrounded all Urites.

Gondee had gently nurtured Saturna through-out her growing years, but had always made her aware of her position and power. He was her advisor, mentor, instructor and companion, and extremely wise beyond his one hundred and forty years.

As they approached the massive solid gold door the guards bowed and moved away. For as long as she could remember Gondee had always accompanied her to her father's chambers and stayed during the meetings. This time however, Gondee opened the door and stood aside for her to enter. He did not say a word nor did he look at her, yet Saturna understood she was to see her father alone, and that it was of the utmost importance for her to go through the gold door as royal protocol demanded. Pausing for just a moment to collect her thoughts and breath, she stood tall and letting her skirt swish gently to the floor, she regally walked through the doorway prepared she thought, for whatever awaited her.

Once the door closed behind her, Saturna walked cautiously toward her father's large, elaborately jeweled desk. She was surprised to not find him sitting behind it and jumped when she heard, "Saturna, my darling come and sit beside me." Looking towards the canopy bed she was shocked to see an emaciated, white haired stranger propped up on pillows.

"Father, Father are you ill?" Running towards the bed she fell to her knees and kissed his hand. She felt tears welling in her eyes and fought hard to control her emotions, remembering her lessons that said _a true royal does not weep_. She had not seen her father for two months and suddenly felt very guilty although the distance between them had nothing to do with her.

Ever since he had married Detis, her stepmother had managed to keep them apart. The King had been married to Detis for five years now and the only time Saturna saw them was during royal functions. It was then and only then that Saturna sat in the royal throne at her father's side. Never crowned as Queen, Detis was forced to sit nine inches below them, a position she knew Detis found quite displeasing.

"Saturna, my little one," said her Father as he stroked her hair. "I have missed you." Standing up she leaned over and embraced him. "Sit my child, we have much to discuss and very little time. I will pass to the next world soon and you shall become Queen of Zard."

"No, I cannot lose you. You're all that I have!" Saturna began to sob, uncaring about protocol and reached out to the only blood relative she had ever known.

The King removed the sapphire, ruby and diamond ring from his left index finger and taking Saturna's hand, he placed it on her left index finger. Saturna was shocked when she felt the ring shrinking in size until it fit snugly.

"You are now Queen. Rule Zard with a strong but tender heart and the inhabitants will always support you. Saturna never remove this ring from your finger until your time of passing as it holds the secrets of our kingdom," said the King with difficulty. "If your life is ever in danger, twist the ring around and around your finger but do not take it off. Never take the ring off, do you understand?"

"Father, I understand, but I don't wish to have this conversation," replied Saturna, feeling extremely emotional. "Please, I beg you to rest. I will take care of you and you'll get better. Let me get help." Saturna stood and frantically looked for a servant.

"My child, it's too late, my time comes quickly. Pull me up and let me continue. There are things you need to know." Saturna did as she was commanded and although she wanted comfort from her father's arms she gently placed more pillows behind his head and again sat beside him on the side of the bed, terrified at the pallor of his face.

"I love you with all my heart and have watched Gondee transform you into a powerful, intelligent and gracious inhabitant. Of that I am very proud. I only regret my position as King gave me so little time to be with you as a father. Forgive me Saturna."

Tears rolled down Saturna's cheeks and trickled off her delicate chin staining the crimson lace on her bodice. Closing her eyes, she bowed her head realizing her father's death was imminent. This was something she couldn't wish away. She had only had him for fifteen years and since he had married Detis, Saturna rarely saw him. She actually had thought her father had forgotten her.

Lifting her chin gently from her chest, the King said softly, "Detis and you have not become close, yet as you rule remember she was my wife and treat her kindly. Because you are a female and young, many may doubt your abilities to rule the kingdom. I've always had faith in you and for that reason I never took Detis as my Queen. If she had a male child, he would have usurped your kingdom with support from the inhabitants." Leaning back onto the pillows the King closed his eyes again, looking clearly drained. "When I die you will feel an energy surge. A part of me and my love for you will remain with you always. Go now and sleep, the ceremonies will begin tomorrow."

"Father, I hear what you say and shall remember with all my heart. Thank you for giving me life and showing me how to love." Kissing his cheek she turned to leave. The urge to cry and hold him was unbearable, yet she knew he expected her to leave the room with dignity.

The gold door opened and closed. As she approached Gondee, he bowed and respectfully said, "My Queen."

Saturna felt the surge of energy and realized that before even she, Gondee had known of her father's death. I have much to learn, she thought with sadness.

"I shall teach you," Gondee replied, reading her thoughts.

Saturna tossed and turned much of the night, and only fell asleep as the green sun began to rise. She dreamt of her father, the kingdom and of demons. Demons she had to fight. With her bullen in hand she was winning the battle, but needed help. Crying out she awoke to find Gondee at her side.

"I sensed you were struggling with your thoughts, Your Majesty."

"Yes Gondee, a bad dream," said Saturna, trying to block her fears from him.

"You may not feel it yet, but you are ready for this challenge," he replied knowingly.

Quickly turning his head Gondee nodded towards the door. "Prepare yourself, another challenge lurks beyond."

At that moment the door flung open and Detis strut regally into the room, looking very fresh and beautiful in her most extravagant hand-made gown.

"Saturna, I will see you alone. Be gone little gnome!" she hissed at Gondee.

"I take my leave from the Queen only Madam," he replied calmly.

"The Queen, how dare you address her as such!" Detis screamed and then noticed the royal ring on Saturna's left index finger. Quickly correcting herself and gaining composure, she said, "This is absurd, you are a child and the inhabitants will not serve you. Remove the ring at once and give it to me. Your father wanted me to be Queen. And you little troll," she continued pointing her long finger at Gondee, "had no right to steal the royal ring from the King's body. You shall pay by death. Seize him guards and remove him from my presence!"

An aura of blackness oozed around Detis and as she yelled her command the cloud thickened, extending tentacles that reached out to every corner of the room. As she waited for the guards to obey her, the scowl on her face turned to surprise when she made eye contact with Saturna and received a hard, cold reception. Saturna certainly looked much prettier and older than Detis remembered, not that she had paid much attention to her in the past. Getting the royal ring might be a little more difficult than I initially anticipated, she thought. Irritated at the lack of response she tapped her diamond studded gold slipper on the floor.

"I am waiting," she said, looking towards the guards. "If you both wish to retain your positions in the army, I suggest you follow MY ORDERS as the new Queen of Zard and arrest this gnome. And you Saturna," changing her gaze to the bed, "need to realize it is in your best interest to give me the royal ring right now. Your father and I spoke last night just before his untimely death and although he insisted, I refused to take the ring while he was still with us. You see, I was always meant to be the Queen and to become your guardian. So child, I want the royal ring now before I become angry."

Although unable to see the blackness, the Zardite guards sensed a sudden coldness to the air and glanced from Detis to Saturna, but did not move from their post at the door. This was a conversation the sentries knew they should never hear. It was only because Detis had entered the room on her own flinging the door open completely that they had been pulled into the altercation.

"As fast as the egrittle can fly, the proclamation of my father's death will fill the kingdom. I am his only heir and his written word and final wishes were that I be Queen. He himself placed this ring on my finger and asked me to treat you with kindness. However, should I hear of problems with you or your treatment of my servants I shall have you removed from the castle. Now take your leave Detis and let us prepare for the mourning rituals of our beloved departed King!" said Saturna, sternly.

"You take a great risk in speaking to me this way. Ruling the kingdom is not a game and not for a child. If you will not freely give me the ring, I'll have it taken from you. You have one hour to come to your senses!" screeched Detis as she spun on her heels and exited the room with great flare, leaving a trail of black fog that slowly dissolved behind her.

The guards stood at attention. "Our Queen," they said together, bowing their heads toward Saturna.

"This misunderstanding will go no further than this room. My loyal servants you are dismissed."

The moment the door shut Saturna let out a great sigh and then felt Gondee's thoughts. "Beware of Detis for I fear she sees your father's passing as her opportunity and right to take the throne from you. We must begin our lessons today. There is no time to waste."

Saturna looked down and folded her hands. "I wish to pay my respects, Gondee. Zardites do not believe in rebirth like your race," she said in a whisper.

"Yes," replied Gondee, "I do understand mourning. I too feel for your father's passing, but I worry more about your safety. You have so much more to learn about your kingdom. Upon his death your father requested the secret vault be opened for you. This is for your protection and for the protection of the planet. Take time to mourn and when you are ready, I too shall be ready, My Queen." Bowing, Gondee left the room.

Saturna fell into her pillow and letting down her guard she began to sob with feelings of intense sadness and hopelessness for her predicament. She was now alone with no one but herself to rely upon. When there were no more tears left to shed she lay for some time in silence, her long brown hair tangled about her neck and her clothes twisted and restrictive. Taking a deep breath and pulling from her inner strength she got out of the royal bed, and as she did so she caught a glimpse of her swollen eyes, and reddened face in the elaborately sculpted mirror on the wall.

Hardly a queen-like image, she thought pushing her silky hair away from her face. She managed a small smile. The Queen--I still can't believe father gave me the realm. But Detis is right, I am a child and I'm not sure the inhabitants will support me in ruling the kingdom. For the first time in my life, I feel truly afraid.

Walking slowly towards the window Saturna looked up towards the heavens and remembering her father's last words, she spoke to him. "If you had enough faith in me to make me Queen, I must have faith in myself. Please give me the strength I need, Father."

Saturna knew what was expected of her. She was to begin her duties today as Queen as though she had always been Queen. There was to be no showing of any emotion or sadness in front of her subjects. Any type of emotion would be taken as a sign of weakness. She already had three strikes against her, she was young, inexperienced, and female, and therefore could not afford a fourth. Yet her biggest obstacle was being a female. Never before had a Queen ruled Zard.

Leaning against the wall and thinking of these things, Saturna recognized she needed to call for her servant Maize. Her hand quivered when she attempted to grab the satin bell cord and she sighed deeply, wishing she could change the past. But she had wasted too many hours feeling sorry for herself and now it was time to get ready for her first day as Queen. Pulling the cord, she let it slip slowly through her long fingers understanding that she would never be able to give into her sorrow again.

Chapter Two

On the other side of the castle surrounded by gold, jewels and pearluim sat Detis. Smirking as she fingered the gold goblet containing wazzle, she sat looking at all her wealth placed on the table before her. The tongue-lashing she had received from Saturna made her angry and she was fuming at the utter gall of the child. Rolling the stem of the cup between her index finger and thumb she knew when her new plans were complete, she would have to pay well to keep them a secret from the Zardites.

"Hete!" she hissed at the furry dwarf-like creature at her feet.

"Yes My Princess?" he replied, startled at her outburst.

"Queen! I'm your Queen!" she bellowed. Standing up Detis kicked him away from her. "Don't ever forget that again," she demanded, "or you shall regret being given life!"

Hete slithered cautiously forward on his stomach and kissed her feet. "I shall not forget, My Queen."

"Good, because I have new plans and I may need a little help," snickered Detis as she began to laugh, an evil, destructive, horrible laugh which filled the room making the already cowering Hete shiver nervously on the floor.

Scribbling something on a thin piece of gold leaf paper, she leaned over and pushed a box towards Hete. "Take this gift and note to our little Saturna. Give it only to her and open your ears, you ugly thing. I pay you to listen and report back to me. And stay away from any Urites. I know you're a Kievil and I'm sure they have no powers over you, but we can't be careful enough."

Hete cautiously took the box and paper from the now distracted Detis, and hastily hurried from the room. His legs were thick and short with clawed webbed feet, but he was able to move very quickly down the darkened castle hallways. Known as tree-dwellers, because of the long talon-like claws on their toes and fingers, Kievils could climb trees. However, it did not accurately describe them as a race. Kievils lived below the ground, sometimes among overgrown tree roots, but more often in dirt hollows they dug themselves, deep under the sandstone mounds in the shadowy forest. They didn't usually eat the fruits or nuts borne on the vast number of trees growing around them, but preferred grubs, worms and insects of the earth, especially the ones they found in decaying wood.

Considered a low-life species of the planet, Kievils were only tolerated by the Zardites. This made it difficult for a Kievil to get true employment. Most of them made their livings by doing the deplorable deeds on the planet, but since they had almost no conscience, were not very intelligent, and lived basically to survive, they didn't understand when they were hired by shady inhabitants to do an illegal activity. Therefore when caught by the authorities, Kievils were always confused as to why they were sent to prison.

Blending into the shadows of the castle walls, Hete hurried towards the royal chambers. The closer he came to Saturna's quarters, the more frequently he ran into Urite servants and Zardite guards. Pushing himself into nooks and crannies at every turn, he was determined not to be seen until the last moment. He had made it. Before him stood the Zardite guards in front of the gold door, a massive piece of intimidating art work. Made from the gold mined in the most northern part of the planet, it cast a bluish hue on the surrounding walls and gave the corridor a threatening, surreal look which frightened Hete. The sentries in their royal red uniforms were positioned on either side of the door and stood there unmoving as though they were made of stone.

Feeling very nervous Hete glanced around to make sure no one was behind him, and then stepped out of his hiding place for a moment to see the writing engraved in the center of the door. He thought the writing might be instructions on how to approach the Queen. Detis hadn't told him about the guards, and he was unsure of what to say to them now that he was here. To Hete's dismay the writing in the middle of the door was not instructions as he had hoped, but the names of every ruling King of the Solar System. His eyes finally rested on the last name _Queen Saturna_ and he found himself mesmerized with the two very fat sapphires set in curves of the large "S" of her name.

Unexpectedly the door began to open, and Hete already skittish, immediately reacted by diving back into the concealed corner from which he had come. His big green eyes watched Gondee walk into the corridor, sniff the air, and then looked straight in his direction.

Although Hete tried to push himself closer to the wall, it was impossible to remain hidden, so instead he jumped up and casually said, "Gondee, it has been some time since we have seen each other. You're looking well."

"Hete, you do not belong in this part of the castle. What evil doings are you up to today?" asked Gondee, critically.

"Oh how Urites judge my race. I have changed my ways now that I'm employed by the royal family and today I have a gift from the Queen, I mean from Princess Detis, to our new Queen."

"Fine, give it to me," said Gondee, holding out his hand.

"Oh no, I must give it to her myself and besides I'd like to pay my respects. You cannot decide who sees Queen Saturna, I know Gondee. If she refuses me, I shall go," exclaimed Hete, sticking out his chest with new found confidence. He felt important in his jet black uniform with gold piping.

"Well then, let me touch the gift, I must feel it with my auri." Putting his hands on the box Gondee sensed no harm. "I shall communicate your wishes, please wait here." Turning around Gondee returned to the inner chamber.

Saturna was sitting at her father's desk and looked up when Gondee reentered. Dressed in an emerald green gown with diamonds at her neck and holding a jeweled gold pen in her hand, she looked like a queen. Before words were spoken, Saturna sensed his concern through her auri.

"A gift has arrived from Detis brought by Hete the trouble-maker. I feel we should send him away, My Queen."

Saturna contemplated what Gondee said and remembered her last encounter with Detis.

"Do you think Detis is trying to make amends?"

"I feel she is trying to appease you, make you relax, let down your guard and then like a viper she shall strike. We must be very cautious."

"Gondee I love you like a father, but you are being too overprotective. I thank you for your wisdom, but more than anything I want peace in my kingdom. I will see Hete."

"As you wish, My Queen," replied Gondee, turning to make the arrangements.

When the gold door opened for the second time it was Hete who approached Saturna. "My Queen, My Queen," he muttered as he continually bowed while walking towards her. Reaching the front of the desk he sank to his knees as Saturna rose.

"Oh how beautiful and kind you are, My Queen, I wish to serve you in any way I can."

"Please rise," Saturna said as she walked around the desk towards him. Instead of rising, Hete slithered forward and attempted to kiss her feet, trying to please her.

"Hete," she commanded, "I will not have anyone groveling at my feet. Rise and state your business."

Surprised she didn't like this posturing Hete stood up and dramatically brushed off his new uniform. "Princess Detis has sent you a gift." He extended the box and note and grinned pleasantly at the beautiful, young Queen. "Shall I wait for a reply?"

"Yes, please be seated while you wait," answered Saturna, motioning with her hand towards a chair.

Hete hiked himself onto the plush, royal blue, firm-backed chair that Saturna had indicated, but looked awkward with his furry feet dangling about two feet from the ground. He swung his legs back and forth trying to look relaxed, and occasionally looked up innocently to see if there was anything to report back to Detis. He had been immensely impressed with the wealth he knew Detis possessed, but it was nothing compared to the wealth in this room alone. His imagination began to run wild and Hete envisioned Detis throwing gold and jewels his way when she became Queen. I'll be rich he thought and in his excitement he lost all sense of time and place.

Saturna returned to her desk and opened the pretty box. Inside she found a small silver heart-shaped locket. Silver was extremely costly and a rarity on Zard, and Saturna wondered how Detis had obtained such an object. She noticed a tiny clasp and upon touching it, the locket sprung open revealing a single strand of hair lying on a bed of red satin. She analyzed it for a few minutes before closing the locket and replacing it in the box. With that being done, she read the note.

My Darling Saturna,

Please except this token gift as a symbol of my love and concern for you. It was given to me by your father on the night we wed and the lock of hair belonged to him. It is something I cherish with all my heart and therefore a most meaningful present. Let me extend my hand to you as my Queen.

Your loving stepmother,

Detis

Maybe I've misjudged Detis, she thought, feeling badly about her unkind opinion. Looking into my heart I did have feelings of jealously when she became my father's wife. Now Detis is my family and I must make amends, doing as my father requested of me. With that decision, Saturna picked up her pen and when she reached for a piece of paper was startled when it floated across the desk and into her hand. She had been told of her father's gift of transcendental experiences, but had never witnessed it. Had she inherited her father's gift at his passing? Trying again, she attempted to move an ornament on the desk, but was unsuccessful. "Another part of me to uncover and polish," she whispered sighing. Returning to the task at hand, Saturna wrote:

Dearest Detis,

I am honored and touched to receive your gift and note. It is I who must extend my hand to you and welcome you to remain part of the royal family. Please sit at my side tomorrow during the celebrations and remembrances of my father.

Sincerely,

Saturna

Saturna folded the note in half and was about to call out to Hete, but noticed as she glanced up, the small cuddly dwarf had fallen fast asleep in the chair. Amused, she silently walked over and gently placed her hand on his shoulder.

"Hete?" she called softly.

Awakening, Hete let himself slide to the floor and once there began to cry and wring his hands. "Forgive me, My Queen. Have pity on a lowly creature as myself. I'm old and tired. Please do not punish me for my weakness in sleep! Please, My Queen!"

Saturna sank to her knees and held his trembling hands for a few seconds. "Hete, control yourself. What kind of life have you had to talk of such things? I wouldn't think to harm you. You're one of my important inhabitants and a servant to a member of the royal family. Now please take this reply to Detis and afterwards should you need anything, you'll call on Gondee," she said kindly. "Do you understand my friend?"

Pulling in his quivering lower lip, Hete nodded and accepted Saturna's extended hand to help him stand. He had never really experienced consideration or kindness in many years, especially not from a Zardite. His parents had died when he was young, and his sister and he separated by relatives. Six months later, as was tradition with male Kievils, Hete had been taken to the forest and left to fend for himself. Struggling to find food and shelter, he set up camp near the castle wall where he could find insects and grubs in and about the bricks. It was at this lucky location where he met Detis when she suddenly exited from a concealed doorway right above his resting place. Hete looked upon Detis's beauty and was in awe--he had never seen such a lovely inhabitant. Being lonely and not knowing any better, Hete immediately began to tell Detis how beautiful she was. Fortunately, this was exactly what Detis needed and was not getting from her other servants, so she employed him on the spot as her personal servant. That was the day Hete's life completely changed.

"Now take your leave my faithful servant," Saturna said cheerfully, giving him room to walk around her.

A feeling of warmth had sprung from Saturna's hand and seemed to embrace him.

"Thank you, My Queen," he said feeling very happy as he walked from the room amazed at the kindness from a Zardite royal, which he could only compare to Detis.

Puzzled about Hete's behavior, Saturna returned to the desk and tried to concentrate on the script before her. Yuko, the Peace Keeper was arriving tomorrow for the celebrations and she wished to be able to speak intelligently about the kingdom. Before her on the top of the desk lay maps and documents pertaining to Zard. Although the planet was relatively small, the task of learning all about it and the Solar System it ruled seemed enormous.

The Zardian Solar System consisted of nine planets and many moons which revolved around their sun star, Zetus. Every planet, as well as several of the moons in the Solar System held life and every inhabitant was capable of survival on another's globe. The reason for this was the close proximity of the planets and the some-what similar atmospheric conditions. The main element that differentiated the planets from one another was the stage of evolution. Four of the planets, Zard, Veectors, Turnti and Jattee were well-advanced in culture much beyond the others. Eros and Unti were at least eighty years behind them in development and Zorrt, Thespa and Mevot were almost primitive. Although there were vast differences in life-styles and traditions on the individual planets, all were capable of space travel and lived in a peaceful kingdom ruled by Zard.

It was hard to imagine her father had taken care of so many things from this one room, she thought while surveying the suite. The royal chamber had the illusion of a large single room, but was really composed of many nooks and crannies. The suite was situated in a corner wing of the castle and had nine large windows on three sides, which offered morning and afternoon sun. There were several sitting areas, one in front of the office space for business, one in the middle of the room, and one near the somewhat private bedroom area. Although the interior walls were made of a gray-beige stone, the warm combination of blue and white fabrics made the area fresh and cozy.

Saturna looked behind her at the bookshelf lined with more than a hundred bound manuscripts. There were volumes and volumes of thick and colorful books which covered every aspect of the Solar System. She used to love to read the titles when she visited her father and now these books belonged to her. Turning around her eyes focused on the stack of books that Gondee had given her to read today.

"How depressing! There's just too much information and so much to learn and I haven't even gotten through three of them," she said, slouching in the chair.

A sense of helplessness overcame her and putting down her pen she cradled her head in her arms. She would never be ready to start work tomorrow as the ruler of Zard even if she stayed up all night studying. Feeling discouraged, sad and lonely, Saturna twisted her head sideways and tried to continue reading while holding up one flap of the book, but she quickly became lost in her thoughts, and found herself secretly wishing that she was not the Queen.

She heard the gold door quietly opening and knew, before she saw Gondee, he had sensed her pain and had come to comfort her. Lifting her head she managed a small smile.

"I just can't seem to focus on the information you say I must know for tomorrow. My mind keeps wandering."

"You have done enough for today. Come, let us eat, Your Majesty. When the body weakens so does the spirit."

Chapter Three

Saturna awoke the next morning to fireworks. The sky was totally ablaze with color. Gold encrusted green, red, purple, and blue sparkles exploded against the darkened horizon. Standing at the window she watched space shuttles glow with each burst of light. Shuttle after shuttle approached, each one carrying inhabitants coming to pay their respect. The celebrations had begun. Today her father's spirit would be released into the next world and she would be crowned Queen of the Solar System. Her heart pounded with excitement and fear, waves of emotional upheaval sweeping across her body.

As she stood watching, a cold icy wind blew the curtains into the room and Saturna saw a slight blackness hovering in the breeze. The presence of evil seemed strong and Saturna shuddered. Looking up towards the other side of the castle she saw Detis eyeing her. Saturna waved, but there was no return of friendship. Finding this unnerving, Saturna looked back towards the arriving shuttles, and then up once more to see the remnants of black fog. The familiar warning signs of the past returned with a vengeance, and Saturna knew she must be cautious even though she wanted to believe Detis would not harm her.

She remembered what a beautiful bride Detis had been, the most beautiful bride in the Solar System the inhabitants had said, even more beautiful than her own mother. This desperately hurt Saturna inside and although she longed to speak to her father about it, the right time had never come. And so, it had been Gondee who had told her it was untrue.

"Detis is beautiful in a different way," he had said, "Some inhabitants have only outer beauty, your mother was beautiful on the inside also."

Closing her eyes she became one with her auri "Gondee I need your strength and wisdom. My inner self begs me to cast Detis out of the kingdom. I feel torn between my true feeling and my father's wishes on his death bed. Help me understand."

"Saturna, I am one with you now and feel your sadness. Time will heal your soul and knowledge will heal your mind. Do not be fearful of Detis, for although she may be a challenge it's one you are capable of handling. Now, Yuko has arrived and bids your welcome. I will meet with you when this emotional day has passed. Prepare yourself My Queen for the suttee is being readied and your crown sits at Yuko's side."

Saturna opened her eyes and feeling calmer she said, "I'm the Queen of Zard and I won't let my inhabitants down."

It was time to bathe and dress for the celebrations. Four female servants as well as Maize presented her gown. Made of soft layers of royal blue chiffon with tiny, hand-sewn golden flowers woven throughout the bodice, the gown was sleeveless with a wide skirt, and nine foot train. Jewels had been carefully placed among the flowing layers and glistened with Saturna's every movement. Embroidered into the train was the planet Zard, its moons, and Solar System. All of the nine planets had been cautiously placed in order of importance. The color and number of moons of each planet had been sewn with accuracy yet none out-shone the planet Zard, which was the largest and most beautiful of all the planets on the gown.

In an oval glass case on the dressing table sat the sparkling sapphire and diamond earrings and matching necklace she would wear. Saturna had remembered seeing them once with Gondee. She had been about ten years old and wanted so much to try them on.

Gondee had laughed and said, "You will wear them one day my little Princess, but do not wish for that day too soon for with it comes many responsibilities." He had stroked her head and she hadn't understood what he meant until this moment.

Bathed, perfumed and now dressed in her gown, Saturna watched in the mirror as Maize place the last of the blue zacar flowers in her hair.

"And now for the final touch," said Maize as she reached for the glass case. Carefully removing the earrings and necklace, she gently adorned Saturna. Bending over, Maize whispered, "Your mother and grandmother were extremely beautiful, but never have I seen a more exquisite female or queen. Have faith in yourself little Saturna, for we have faith in you."

Standing up Saturna embraced her. "I feel tenderness for you I can't describe. Thank you for your support and love." Placing a gentle kiss on Maize's forehead and bowing to the other Urite servants, she walked towards the door catching a glimpse of her exquisite gown in the full-length mirror. She felt like a queen and was ready to accept the challenges of the kingdom.

The Vaulted Room had been opened and prepared for the coronation. Yuko and Gondee dressed alike in flowing white robes, were rehearsing the script for the ceremony. They awaited only the High Priest and Saturna, for no others were allowed to enter this area. The Vaulted Room held the power and the secrets of the planet and Solar System. It was the heart of the kingdom.

The key turned in the lock and although Yuko and Gondee looked up they were not startled, for minutes before their auries had alerted them to the arrival of the High Priest Oron. There were two keys to this room and both were in Gondee's care. He was responsible for many of the keys of the castle however the keys to the Vaulted Room were the most precious, and because of this, when they were not needed they were hidden away in secret compartments, the whereabouts known only to Gondee. Permission to enter the area was solely granted by the King. But after today, this enormous responsibility would fall to Saturna.

"My Lord, welcome," they said together, bowing to Oron.

"It is good to see you both. How Gondee and I have missed you, Yuko," replied Oron as he blessed their shoulders.

Oron was a Zardite and had attained one of the most important positions in the kingdom. His role was to maintain the customs and rituals of the Solar System. Oron had the right to exercise his power over everyone in the Solar System except the King and Queen.

"When will Princess Saturna arrive?" he asked.

"She is on her way and will be here in minutes," said Gondee.

"Good," stated Oron as he adjusted his robe and reached for his purple miter.

Yuko, sensing Saturna's arrival, unlatched the door and opened it to see her approaching. "My Queen," he exclaimed, bowing his head.

"Come Yuko, I'm not yet crowned and would like to embrace my long-time friend." Reaching for his hand Saturna bent over and hugged him, her dress rustling under her cape.

"You have grown into a beautiful young inhabitant. The last time I saw you, you were racing across the fields on your pony Wellie. Do you still have him?"

"Oh yes Yuko I do, but now I ride a much larger heppal named Fire. My weight is too much for Wellie," Saturna replied with a giggle.

"Our Queen has also become a fine fighter. On Fire and armed with a bullen she has won many matches against opponents from the army. And I have put her against some of the best male Zardite warriors," added Gondee proudly.

"I too have been proud, to see how well our Saturna has mastered the bullen, the only female in the kingdom to do so!" exclaimed Oron.

"Thank you both, but please don't embarrass me further," said Saturna, blushing. Covered from head to toe in a royal blue cloak, Saturna began to undo the buttons. Her gown was not to be seen by the inhabitants until she was crowned. As her cloak fell to the floor there were gasps in the room. The light caught the diamonds sewn into the dress and as they began to sparkle, they illuminated Saturna's perfect face. Gondee had never seen a more spectacular gown or a more beautiful female.

"Let us start the ceremony, Saturna, your inhabitants await you," commanded Oron. Taking her arm, Oron circled her around the room and placed her under a platinum and gold archway. Incense was lit and the chanting began.

Saturna felt herself relax. She could see her father inside her auri and it seemed as if she could float away with him. She felt happy and at peace, but then suddenly she was jolted into the present! Saturna realized there was banging at the door of the Vaulted Room.

"Open! I command you on the authority of the Queen. There is urgent business to discuss before this charade goes any further!" stated a loud voice. The banging continued.

"What sacrilege! All in the kingdom know it is DEATH to touch the door of the Vaulted Room. On authority of the Queen, we have no Queen as of yet. Who dare do this?" exclaimed a horrified Oron.

Oron was the only one in the room who did not know the identity of the person causing the disturbance. Saturna, Gondee and Yuko looked at each other and then turned to watch the black cloud creeping slowly under the door. Taking a deep breath Oron marched towards the entrance and throwing back the latch he exited, slamming the door behind him. The three of them heard harsh words being exchanged on the other side.

"I must do something!" exclaimed Saturna.

"No My Queen, no one must see you before the end of this ceremony. Oron can handle Detis," said Gondee.

"Gondee is correct. We must remain calm, but wise, for my auri tells me that the kingdom has been unbalanced," replied Yuko.

Before anything else could be said, Oron returned shaking his head. "Let us continue before I lose my train of thought. We shall discuss this later."

Everyone resumed their position and the ceremony proceeded. Within twenty minutes the elaborately engraved crown was glistening upon Saturna's brow. Made of gold and rare silver, the crown held the nine planets of the Solar System represented by enormous blue diamonds. And like her gown, the moons of the planets were not forgotten, but symbolized by embedded highly polished pearluim. Large navy blue emeralds topped each of the nine arches of the crown making it perfectly balanced to sit upon Saturna's delicate head.

Gondee fussed about her, straightening her dress and train while Yuko prepared the route of the procession. Oron gave the final blessing and the door to the Vaulted Room was opened. Horns blew and drums beat, announcing the new Queen to the Solar System.

Standing on the outer balcony of the palace Saturna waved at the thousands of inhabitants from the entire kingdom that had come to pay their respect. They came to honor her as their Queen and to help send the late King to the other world, at sunset. This was a day of great celebration and feasting. Food, wine and entertainment would be provided for all, well into the morning hours.

Saturna made her way towards the crowd with great formality, walking slowly down the grand outer staircase. She was to walk from the castle to the holy grounds where the suttee lay, past the vast crowd of inhabitants. Following a tradition of a thousand years, the casket would be placed above the suttee, which was made from an unusually hard wood found only on Zard. The wood burnt quickly and with a tremendous heat, leaving few ashes behind. It was upon the blue smoke that the spirit of the King would travel to the outer world.

Everyone reached out to her as Saturna passed and she touched as many of the inhabitants as she could, all of them wanting to gaze upon the royal ring. Saturna knew to appear to be unhurried and unemotional as she walked toward the holy gated area. Gondee had warned her of the importance of demonstrating strength so the inhabitants would accept her as their monarch.

"Remember many of the inhabitants worry you may be too young. They do not understand you are more than capable of ruling the kingdom," he had said.

Thinking about this, Saturna fought to remain composed throughout the procession. Gradually she reached the gated area where she would ascend the twenty-nine, wide gilded stairs to the burial mound, leaving the crowds behind.

Two sentries stood at attention at the decorative entrance and as Saturna passed under and approached the stairs her servants straightened the train of her gown, bowed and then moved away. Saturna paused for a moment and tried to calm herself. One step at a time, she thought, I can do this. Slowly she began her ascent holding her head in a neutral position with her eyes straight forward. She wanted to avoid looking at the suttee until she reached the mound as she was feeling extremely emotional. One, two, three, she counted silently, trying to distract herself. I won't think about the reason I'm here, I can't breakdown! It seemed like the stairs continued on forever. She could feel the eyes of the thousands of inhabitants upon her back and although she wanted to turn and look at the crowd, she knew better. Protocol, everything was about protocol, she must do things properly for the inhabitants to accept her.

As her mind drifted, she suddenly found herself on the last step. Pausing again Saturna took a deep breath and stepped onto the platform where her father's body lay. Her strength began to leave her when she saw him and she found it difficult not to weep. Closing her eyes, she began to pray.

"Saturna, my dear daughter, I wish to talk to you this minute. I'm not happy about..."

Turning around Saturna looked straight at Detis. "Not now Detis, it will wait until tomorrow. Please pay your respects with me as part of the royal family," she whispered while turning back towards her father.

"I must insist! I will not be continually ignored by you and your advisers!" said Detis raising her voice.

Saturna spun around. Maintaining a neutral face she whispered in a stern voice. "You've had several warnings about your demands. Don't try my patience again. If you want to sit in the royal box during the burning of the suttee, I suggest you hold your tongue. I wish to pay my respects and so should a loving wife!"

Saturna knelt and again began to pray. Detis stood behind Saturna and didn't move. Blackness gathered around her and the anger and humiliation she felt was intense, so intense that it wasn't until she envisioned pushing Saturna down an abandoned Urite mine that she was able to smile and descend the mound.

The green sun began to fall in the sky. Oron and eight other priests spread oils and minerals on the surface of the casket, which would assist the spirit in its journey to the outer world. The song-like chanting started and the crowd joined in, and as each inhabitant lit the candle they held, the echo of their words reverberated over the glowing hills.

Saturna and Detis sat in thrones only slightly higher than the inhabitants, with Detis's chair nine inches below Saturna's throne in exact accordance to tradition. Detis had not spoken one word since their encounter on the mound and sat looking displeased with the whole situation, her hands tightly clenched in one another.

Just before the sun dipped behind the hills, Oron lit the suttee with a large torch. The fire erupted and Saturna felt a deep pain within her soul. She knew what was expected of her as Queen, and that every eye of the kingdom was focused upon her. Unable to fight the tears, Saturna tried to focus on a happy moment. She instantly thought of her fourth birthday. Her father had presented her with a caramel-colored pony. Saturna had been delighted as her father placed her on the young heppal's back. She would never forget the worried look on Gondee's face as he said, "But Sire, a female-child does not ride on Zard!"

"An heir to the throne learns how to handle a heppal, spar with a bullen and fight in arm to arm combat, be they male or female. And you my trusted servant will teach her everything you know!" commanded the King. Gondee had bowed and Saturna had remembered feeling an incredible sense of pride.

Smiling to herself, she returned to the present and watched the flames die down. The ashes would be carefully collected tomorrow and placed in the Vaulted Room, beside the ashes of generations of Zard rulers.

As far as Saturna could see the light from thousands of candles illuminated the rolling hills surrounding the castle grounds. She felt an incredible oneness with her realm, peacefulness, a new beginning with everyone, except...

"Queen Saturna, it's time to begin the feast in the inner courtyard," announced Maize, gently reminding Saturna of her duties.

"Thank you," said Saturna, rising.

Maize attended to her gown, holding the train as Saturna exited the royal box.

"Now unravel my gown! I too am royalty!" exclaimed Detis, glaring at Maize.

Saturna watched Maize cringe. "Maize serves only me Detis. You'll have to have your own servant attend you."

With that remark Saturna stepped off the platform and entered the crowd, allowing the inhabitants to touch her arms and gown for luck, leaving Detis in the royal box, alone and furious.

Holding her breath, Detis waited until Saturna was out of hearing range. She could barely contain her anger and embarrassment. "How dare she speak to me like that in front of a servant! I'll show the arrogant child and soon! Very soon she will be kneeling to me!" hissed Detis, scowling at the crowd.

The inhabitants moved quickly towards the castle and tried to avoid the area where Detis stood. They sensed her immense displeasure and apprehensively watch her face filling with hatred. Nervous Detis would lash out against them the inhabitants hugged their children close, and scurried as fast as they could towards the celebration grounds.

Detis slowly began her descent from the royal box and halted on the second stair to scan the huge assembly. It was an odd-looking, weird, bordering on ugly group of inhabitants from the nine planets of the Solar System. She hadn't realized how disgusting most of the other races were! If she could only find a female Urite, who was native to the planet Zard, she would command the Urite to assist and serve her. But oddly as she looked at the crowd, it seemed as if all the Urites had vanished!

Chapter Four

Anton sat on his furry jet-black heppal, supervising the crowd. He had a unique way with animals. It wasn't just the way the heppal responded to him; it was as if the beast could understand his thoughts. Anton had captured this heppal at night on the northern plains when he had joined the Zardite army.

It was a part of army training for new recruits to capture and break their own heppal, a horse-like creature, which roamed the colder parts of the planet. Tightly pressed against their bodies, almost hidden, were gently folded wings, which carried the animal safely over the large canyons and crevasses carved into the plains. As the herd ran and flew from the others who frantically attempted to chase down any heppal, Anton had simply held out his hand and called softly to Serenity. The heppal had come to him directly and without a rope had followed Anton obediently back to camp.

Anton had always known he would become an army officer, a position his father had once held. But although he had been in the army for six years, it was only ten days ago that he finally earned his promotion. The recruits under his command were aware Anton was kind and always fair, but they had also seen him when he had been challenged, watching him fight as though he possessed unnatural powers. The soldiers had cheered loudly when they learned about his advancement, and because this type of comradeship was very uncommon on Zard, it proved Anton's promotion was just.

Detis stood rigidly at the base of the stairs and leered at the dispersing crowd. Where were her servants? Where was Hete? She was fuming! "Am I supposed to take care of myself and make my own way back to the castle? They should be worried about me, I'm the one who is under terrible emotional distress and no one, not even Saturna, seems to care! Someone shall pay for this!" she said under her breath.

Suddenly she noticed Anton, a gorgeous, strong, dark-haired vision upon a black stallion and her anger instantly vanished. She stood for a moment observing the orders he was giving to the sentries to move the crowd towards the castle. Why hadn't she noticed him before? Anton looked so confident and regal in his red uniform, his face was intoxicating. Detis actually smiled thinking he would make a perfect addition to her royal entourage.

"You officer!" she called waving at him. "We will have a word."

Anton rode towards her and dismounted. "How can I help you, Princess Detis?" he asked with a polite nod of his head.

"I would like to inform you that I have need of a personal assistant and body-guard of sorts. There have been a few changes since the King's parting and after a long deliberation, I have selected you. You'll excuse yourself from the army on my command and come with me immediately."

"Although I am honored, Princess Detis, I'm afraid you have no authority to remove me from my post," stated Anton confidently, making eye to eye contact.

"What! You defy me! You will serve me now! On your knees and beg for forgiveness!" she yelled, as her anger returned with a vengeance.

Anton remained standing unsure of how to respond. Full kneeling before royalty had been banned for centuries. Holding his ground Anton remained standing, but inclined his head downward in respect. "Princess Detis, orders of this type must come from Yuko, The Security Keeper. Have you discussed this with him?" asked Anton, already positive she had not.

"Do not dare to question me or my authority. I said on your knees!" Detis was not about to tolerate any more insolence from anyone. "Guards, come at once, I order you!" she screamed at the sentries standing several paces away when Anton failed to follow her command.

Two of the guards came immediately and sank fearfully to their knees, hoping this would appease her. "Arrest this sentry, he assaulted me," Detis hissed, pointing at Anton. The two sentries stood and looked with uncertainty at Anton, who said nothing. "Do as I say or I will have you all thrown into the dungeon!" added Detis, scowling.

The sentries slowly walked to Anton. Taking either arm, they motioned him towards the army barracks. Whispering one asked, "What's this all about Officer Anton?"

"I don't know, but follow her orders and we will straighten it out at the barracks," murmured Anton softly so Detis, who was trailing behind wouldn't hear.

They entered a grey-beige rock fort passing several sentries posted at the entrance. The structure was huge, yet it was difficult at first glance to assess the enormity because the fort, so similar in color to the surrounding landscape, blended into the hillside.

Once inside, there was an immediate coolness to the air counteracting the outside heat. Although there was much initial confusion and yelling, within minutes Anton was being marched along corridor floors of well-worn marble. He was placed in a single cell chosen by Detis at the very back of the barracks. Anton stood facing her at the doorway, looking regal in his royal red uniform. Four sentries stood behind Detis, in similar uniforms, looking extremely confused.

"Princess Detis, would you like to reconsider placing me in this cell?" Anton questioned politely.

"Only, if you kiss my feet and pledge to serve only me!" She replied with a smirk. Anton stood perfectly still and did not reply. "I see you have made your choice--the wrong one!" Detis exclaimed. Springing forward, she slammed the door, turned the old-fashioned lock, and removed the key. "This will teach you to cross me. When you're ready to beg for forgiveness, send word!" she said laughing to herself as she put the key in her pocket and rudely pushed past the sentries, uncaring about what anyone thought. Intense blackness filled the corridors as Detis made her way out of the fort towards the castle and the night of celebration.

Returning to the castle on her own, Detis was not pleased, not pleased at all! Every one of her attending servants, except Hete had disappeared when she had been moved from the royal suite to the north tower. Nothing was going according to plan. She'd spent five grueling years trying to convince the King to make her his Queen, to no avail, five horrible years on the planet Zard! Oron, Gondee, Yuko--none of them had consulted her before the coronation. They would all pay for this when she gained power, and she would gain power! A child Queen, it was almost laughable and certainly doomed to fail. Another plan to take the throne had to be hatched immediately, but she wasn't sure if she had enough energy at the moment.

Upon entering her suite, Detis paused at the doorway. The sides of her lips turned downward into an ugly scowl as she glared at the unbelievable spectacle before her. There was Hete happily dancing in front of her gilded mirror with her priceless tiara on his head.

"Shall I wear the blue pearls or the green opals? Oh you look very grand, if I do say so myself," Hete said, imitating Detis and enjoying the sparkles the jewels reflected around the room as he danced. The darting colors made the gloomy atmosphere somewhat cheerful, and Hete laughed heartedly when he saw his reflection in the mirror.

"Hete, why are you playing with my POSSESSIONS when you should have been serving me at the suttee?" asked Detis, slamming the door.

Hete was extremely startled, but managed to grab and hold onto the tiara as it slipped off his head. Placing it very gently and carefully back on the bright yellow cushion, he let himself fall to his hands and knees. "I didn't know where you were. There were too many inhabitants and so many of them are tall, I couldn't see you. I looked and looked and then came back here to wait. Don't be angry with me, My Queen," he whined remorsefully.

"No harm done. Now my pet, we're going to need a bit of help with a project I'm working on. Who can we get?" asked Detis calmly, knowing she needed him and a few more accomplices on the planet.

Surprised for just a second that he was not punished, Hete quickly forgot the incident. Still on the floor, he propped his head up on his elbow and started to think of recruits for the project. Of course it depended on the type of work. Detis always had interesting, but secretive things she entrusted him to do. He felt exceedingly important, which started him daydreaming about the wealth he would receive for his assistance. Feeling very pleased with himself he began to hum.

"Well?" said Detis, trying to control her anger. "I'm waiting. I don't have all night like it seems you do! Who can we trust to help us, Hete?"

"As you know, My Queen, I have many friends who would be more than happy to help you with your important project," he replied exaggerating. "However it depends on the type of work you have in mind." Hete hoped Detis would tell him exactly what she was planning.

"Just get four Kievils who'll keep their mouths shut and I'll tell you about the project if and when it's necessary. I also need personal servants, to dress and attend to me. Where are my Urite servants anyway? And why didn't they move with me to the north tower?" she asked, her rage returning.

Hete knew the answer to that question. The Urite servants, who had served Detis when she had been married to the King, had always been frightened of her temper. The minute the King's death was announced, the Urite servants had asked Gondee for their leave. They had moved Detis's possessions to the north tower, and once that was done, they assumed other jobs in the castle. Hete wasn't brilliant, but he knew better than to tell Detis the truth, and sensing her foul mood, he lied and said, "I heard any servants of the King must leave the castle following his parting. I think it is tradition." He rationalized the statement by convincing himself he had actually heard this somewhere.

Watching for Detis's response, he couldn't believe his luck when she pondered and replied, "Is that so? Well it's not proper for a Queen to be unattended. Go immediately and employ another female Urite to serve me, one who won't talk!"

Leaving the room, Hete scurried down the empty corridor and felt depressed. The Urite servants would hardly speak to him, let alone agree to work for Detis. What was he going to do now? He had trouble comprehending how her disposition changed so rapidly and didn't like it when Detis was angry, but felt it was a small price to pay for his wonderful lifestyle in the castle. Yes, it was true the other Urite servants paid little attention to him. But this was probably because they were not used to working with a Kievil. He was the only Kievil he knew about in the castle, and although the Urites didn't include him in their social activities, they did tolerate him if he attended. When he went to the kitchen for food, a place was set for him the second he sat down. And recently, he noticed the Urites would sometimes greet him with a nod before he said the first hello.

But when he really thought about it, not one Zardite or Urite really talked to him, except for Detis. Then he remembered the affectionate words from Saturna and smiled. "Saturna's a good Queen and I like her!" So although he was sometimes lonely for his own kind, he focused on the good food and the warm bed he had at night, and felt very lucky. Humming a childhood tune, he completely forgot about the errand Detis had sent him on. Turning toward the kitchen, Hete decided to get a snack before bed.

Chapter Five

Seated at the head table with other dignitaries Saturna listened and nodded politely. Representatives from every planet in Zard's solar system were present. It was an unusual assortment of inhabitants who had come together to pay their respect and feel out the favors of the new Queen. Zard was the center of the Solar System and the most powerful planet with an enormous wealth of resources. Each planet had princes, princesses, dukes and duchesses somehow related to the royal family of Zard. But in the Solar System there was only one ruler whose power surpassed all. That power now belonged to Saturna. Eight invitations of marriage had already been received by Oron because every planet coveted a closer relationship with Zard.

Before her father's death, Saturna would have been considered too young for marriage. But as Queen in the inhabitant's mind, Saturna must marry, take her husband as King, and then all would be right in the realm. It was a fantastic opportunity for another planet to capture influence and power by placing one of their eligible bachelors on the throne.

The inhabitants excitedly schemed as they sat at their individual planetary tables observing the new Queen. Eight hundred and sixteen dignitaries dressed in the colors of their planet and speaking in a cacophony of local dialects were generally having a good time. Saturna was not.

Bored, Saturna sat dreaming about the interplanetary competitions, which would occur in two days. She could hardly wait. The best fighters of the planets would be matched against the strongest Zardite warriors, and the winners would rise in rank or be selected to become a part of the Zardite army. To win was one of the highest honors in the Solar System, and because of this, the matches attracted thousands and thousands of ecstatic viewers.

She glanced at the empty seat at her table and then at Detis who appeared to be thoroughly enjoying herself at the table of Veectors. Detis seemed completely at ease conversing rapidly in Veectoreze, and it suddenly dawned on Saturna that she had not known Detis spoke the language so well. Eavesdropping, Saturna heard Detis talking about the planet Veector's atmosphere. She spoke with confidence and knowledge, overpowering the opinions of the other inhabitants beside her, making humorous remarks and talking so rapidly that Saturna, although fluent in this language, found it difficult to follow.

Suddenly, Saturna heard Gondee calling her through her auri, "Queen Saturna, the inhabitants await your signal to begin the entertainment."

Plates were being cleared away and pastries, fruits, cheeses, and drinks replaced the delicacies of the dinner. The noise in the room had softened to a lull and most of the inhabitants were looking toward the head table in anticipation.

Saturna stood nervously and smiled. "Friends, we have seen the passing of a great King who worked his whole life to better our Solar System. I cannot replace him, but as his heir and now your Queen, I promise I shall dedicate my life to keeping peace in the kingdom. I will continue his work to improve the life of every inhabitant on every planet and moon, by consulting with your dignitaries and by visiting your planets to gain a greater understanding of your needs. We have had eighteen years of peace and prosperity in the Solar System and my pledge to each one of you is to have many, many more. Let the entertainment begin!"

As Saturna sat down, stomping, clapping and arm waving occurred. She had been accepted for the moment. The roar finally calmed and the dancing troop appeared moving to a rhythmic drum beat. The inhabitants seemed pleased with the whole event and Saturna felt a touch more confident about her future as Queen.

Glancing about the room, Saturna's gaze would occasionally meet with one of the inhabitant's looking for favor with the royal family. Saturna would politely smile, but found herself tensing as she guarded her inner feelings. In the past Saturna had been able to sense some of the true intentions of Turnti inhabitants, and she wasn't sure if this was because she saw their auries, or if because she was one-half Turnti on her mother's side. If Saturna could feel the Turnti inhabitant's thoughts, then maybe they could also sense hers.

As Queen it would do more harm than good if some of the inhabitants could penetrate her thoughts, especially thoughts she would rather not share. She had become used to the Urites sensing her auri and although to an outsider this would be alarming, Saturna knew the Urites were a non-threatening race and would never harm her or the kingdom.

The tone of the music abruptly changed and as Saturna looked up, she suppressed a giggle watching the assortment of inhabitants socializing around her. It seemed very odd that they were so physically different from one another when their planets were relatively close. She supposed it had to do with the chemical composition of the planets themselves, perhaps the gases which surrounded them. Still the variety of complexions, assortment of facial features and placement of limbs was fascinating. Wishing she had a sibling to share this humor with, Saturna suddenly felt quite alone. Everyone seemed to be having so much fun, talking with relatives and friends. Saturna on the other hand was at a table of important Zardite dignitaries, most of whom she had never met before tonight.

"I mustn't feel sorry for myself. The running of the kingdom is my responsibility, and with that responsibility there comes a loss of certain freedoms. I only wish I can find a true friend who I can be myself with," whispered Saturna, trying to look cheerful.

The music unexpectedly stopped and the Eros diplomat leaped on top of his chair. He waved his arms rapidly back and forth, indicating he wanted to be heard. Saturna nodded and the chatter in the room silenced.

"On behalf of our inhabitants, we of Eros have a most precious gift to bestow upon our new and most gracious Queen. We hope through this gift Zard will look with favor on our small, but industrious planet. We aspire to develop stronger diplomatic ties with Zard this year." Smiling the diplomat sat.

Banging and clapping at the Eros table began with all eyes on a small Eros child, who carefully approached Saturna with a tiny box. Placing the box on the table before the Queen, the child retreated as Saturna whispered "thank you" in Erosian. Mysteriously the box began to slowly open itself, producing a lovely Farilight inside. There were loud gasps from the crowd and many of the inhabitants stood to get a better look. The Farilight stepped cautiously out of the box and bowed before Saturna, then turned toward the murmur of the crowd. Seeing hundreds of eyes staring in disbelief at the teeny elf, the Farilight began to shake in fear, and before Saturna could intervene, the Farilight jumped back into its box, closing the lid.

Saturna was amazed and surprised. She had seen pictures of Farilights and was fairly sure that was what the creature was. Yet she had thought Farilights were in legends only, she didn't know they really existed. Was it a Farilight or some sort of toy? Coming to her senses she realized the inhabitants were waiting for a reply.

"I thank you for your most rare and unique gift, Eros," said Saturna, upon rising. "May this day mark the beginning of better relations with all the planets of our Solar System."

The roar of the inhabitants was great with most of the noise coming from the Eros table. Saturna watched the instant and intense huddling of the inhabitants from the tables of the other planets. She grinned and imagined she would very soon be receiving more unusual gifts.

Coming into Saturna's chambers later that evening, Gondee placed the gold box and its contents on the desk. "Your Majesty, it is indeed a Farilight. Yuko and I monitored the box and the creature, and spoke with the Eros dignitary to find out how he came upon such a treasure. Apparently he bought it from a Galaxy trader in anticipation of your coronation. We do not believe this however, as none of the planets should have had knowledge of the King's illness and therefore no knowledge of the coronation. When the creature speaks we will find out the real story of how she came to Zard."

"She? It's a female?" asked Saturna while she carefully opened the box. Curled up in the corner and fast asleep was the tiny Farilight. It had delicate cherub like features with slightly pointed ears, a red tuff of hair on the top of its head and a small round abdomen. It looked extremely fragile. The pictures Saturna had seen had shown the Farilights dressed in elaborate multicolored costumes, yet this Farilight had nothing but a white satin sheet wrapped about it as a makeshift dress. Saturna knew Farilights were more like pixies than animals and that according to legend they were extremely intelligent beings. Looking at its teeny feet and hands made Saturna feel a bit nervous; she was now responsible for this small, small elf.

"What a beautiful little creature you are," whispered Saturna as she listened to the short peeping sounds the Farilight made as it slept.

Opening its eyes the Farilight watched Saturna for a few minutes and then sat up.

"Oh dear, I didn't mean to wake you little Farilight," said Saturna.

The Farilight rubbed its eyes and stared.

"What's your name my new friend?" asked Saturna kindly.

The Farilight made no reply and gave no indication it understood the question.

"Do you understand what I am saying?" asked Saturna softly, switching her language to Erosian.

When there was no reply Saturna switched to Veectoreze, Turnti, Untiian and Zorrti.

"My goodness, I wonder what language you communicate in?" she questioned.

Suddenly the Farilight stood and held up its arms. Saturna reached out to it and the Farilight jumped onto her hand, ran up her arm and plopped into the wide pocket on the front of her blue night-dress. Saturna could feel the shivering Farilight, who she knew was trying to hide in her pocket, and patted it reassuringly.

"What language do Farilights speak Gondee?" she asked feeling concerned.

"Farilights speak every language, My Queen. They were known as the "interpreters" of the universe many, many years ago. What is of interest is that we thought they were extinct. Farilights have not been seen in our Solar System for over one hundred years."

Saturna glanced from Gondee to where the Farilight hid. "Don't worry little creature, you're safe with me."

Every few seconds a squeaky peeping sound erupted from the pocket.

"Is that your name or just a sound you make?" laughed Saturna. When there was no answer, Saturna sighed and added, "I hope you'll be able to communicate with me soon. I imagine your life has been frightful, taken from your family and planet, and given to me as a gift. I do apologize for the Eros inhabitants and whatever has happened to frighten you so."

Yawning, Saturna looked up at Gondee. "I think I'll retire from another busy day. Will I ever have the fun part of my old life back, Gondee?" she asked.

"These are busy times but yes, your kingdom can be what you want it to be and more," replied Gondee through his auri as he took his leave.

Chapter Six

The Veectoreze dignitary Pont was fuming and stood waiting at the elaborately carved doorway for the Erosian representative to finish his conversation with a Zorrti inhabitant. Tapping his foot impatiently, he listened as the Erosian Soty complemented himself on his thoughtful and unusual gift to the Queen.

"The fool--a Farilight--of all things to give the new Queen! Why are we involved with Eros, a planet of imbeciles, always doing without thinking!" he said to himself. "We must look at getting new partners, this is ridiculous!"

Tired of waiting, Pont called out politely, "Soty, could we speak? I'd like to talk with you before my next meeting."

As the Erosian excused himself and came towards him, Pont continued, "An interesting gift for our new Queen."

"Yes, yes, it was just by luck that I happened to come across the Farilight and the Queen seemed so pleased to have..." began Soty, with a grin.

Interrupting him by grabbing his collar, Pont pulled Soty roughly into the hallway and out of the hearing of the few remaining inhabitants in the dining hall. "You fool, I don't know where you got the Farilight, but we have an agreement with your planet, and you embarrassed Veectors! Did you even think Farilights are known as interpreters, that they speak many languages? Tell me you didn't discuss anything confidential in front of the Farilight!" demanded Pont, obviously annoyed.

Soty's eyes were wide with fear. He had never seen Pont so angry before. "Relax, my friend, the Farilight doesn't speak, it's inferior, damaged, just an interesting tidbit."

"And how can you be so sure about this? You'd better be right! The problem is not just that the pixie could alert the wrong party about our plan, but giving a gift to the new Queen was not part of the PLAN! Do you understand Soty? We must follow the plan exactly or we'll get nowhere."

Soty remained silent for a few moments as though he was pondering Pont's criticism of him, but he was really thinking that the Veectoreze were very rude and pompous inhabitants. What gave the Veectoreze the right to be in charge of the "plan" as Pont had called it? Eros was just as important as Veectors, maybe even more important. Besides, he had his own plan, a plan to marry his only son to Saturna.

"Well speaking about the plan, there's something I don't understand?" Soty replied cautiously.

"And what is that?" asked Pont, already exasperated with him and his ignorance.

"I was looking over the agreement before we came to the celebrations and I don't think Eros is getting a fair share. It reminds me of the Great War and of how we came to your assistance, but didn't receive anything in return for all your promises," said Soty glad to have the opportunity to raise this point of contention.

"Do I have to remind you that we lost the Great War? The sanctions Veectors subsequently incurred were much harsher than the ones your planet received. The most embarrassing is being prohibited from submitting an invitation of marriage to Queen Saturna. And Veectors is known for the most handsome bachelors, such a shame!" Pont took a deep breath before he got back to the business discussion, thinking how stressful it was to deal with Erosians. He almost preferred Kievils--at least Kievils did as they were told.

Soty listened and looked to the floor, pretending to admire the intricately hand cut, colored marble, but secretly he was trying to cover his smile as he thought about what Pont was saying. Yes, it was lucky that the planet Veectors was out of the way in regards to Saturna. In comparison to the Veectoreze and Zardites, Erosians were not felt to be the most attractive race, which was an unfair assessment as far as Soty was concerned. His son, Poochy was handsome and now in a very good position to become the King of Zard by marrying Queen Saturna.

Pont continued talking, oblivious to the smug look on Soty's face. "The planet Zard will be split in half. You have my word, as long as you make no further mistakes." Turning quickly to end the disagreeable conversation, Pont left before Soty could reply. What Pont didn't tell him, was that Veectors would take the best half of Zard, and the other half of the planet would be split between Eros and Jattee.

Chapter Seven

At her desk, Saturna overlooked the day's agenda. It was three days since her father's spirit had been released to the outer world. There had been one day of celebration and two days of mourning. This morning marked the commencement of the interplanetary competitions. The yearly competitions were one of the traditions which Saturna always enjoyed. She yearned to be part of the competition, but as a female and now as Queen, she knew better than to suggest it. Even though she had been trained to fight, the risk of injury was great and what's more she knew Gondee would never ever allow it.

Hearing the peeping sounds coming from her front pocket meant the Farilight was asleep. Saturna had been surprised when Gondee hadn't protested her keeping the Farilight in her room. Protocol suggested the royals have no inhabitants or pets with them at night. This was for security and safety reasons. Saturna sensed that Gondee, knowing how lonely she was since the death of her father, had chosen to overlook the rule. Saturna was grateful because having to think about the needs of the Farilight helped to take her mind off the burdens of the kingdom. She patted her pocket lightly and then returned her thoughts to the day's agenda.

Feeling Yuko's presence, she called, "Come in Yuko," before she even heard the knock on the door.

The gold door opened and bowing, Yuko approached with a worried look.

"Your Majesty we have a problem in the barracks. An officer was arrested three days ago and left without food or water. He is now very ill."

Saturna stood abruptly. "Is it usual to restrict our prisoners like this, Yuko?"

"No My Queen, but the guards did have orders. They came to me out of concern even though they feared for their own safety by questioning these orders."

"Orders from who?" asked Saturna, already sure she knew the answer.

"Detis, Your Majesty. She arrested this army officer for unknown reasons the day of your fathers' suttee, and left orders to give him no nourishment or fluid."

"Come Yuko, we will see this inhabitant now!" said Saturna with urgency.

Walking quickly to the barracks, they entered, and were immediately taken to Anton's cell at the very rear of the prison. Upon Saturna's orders, the ancient lock was cut with a laser. When the old metal door creaked open their eyes fell on Anton, still in uniform, lying on his bunk with a single blanket wrapped about his shoulders. His lips were cracked and his eyes sunken and although he tried to rise upon seeing Saturna, he was physically unable and instantly fell back onto the bed.

"Please lie still," ordered Saturna.

The doctor was summoned and while sips of water were given orally by the guard, the doctor started an intravenous fluid replacement. Saturna hovered overhead, disgusted at the filth and smell in the cell, not realizing that Detis had placed Anton in a part of the prison which was never used anymore. Saturna had only once been in the lobby of the barracks and had no idea where prisoners were kept.

"How is he Doctor?" she asked.

"He'll be fine after a few days of fluid, food and rest. It was the lack of fluid that caused the problem."

Yuko had given Saturna a quick rundown of Anton's personal and military history. With Anton's outstanding record, it was unclear why Detis would have had him arrested.

"Take the officer to the royal quarters and ask my servants to wash and feed him please," commanded Saturna. "And Yuko, I'd like a further tour of this place now!"

"As you wish, My Queen," he replied following her into the corridor.

The Solar System had been at peace for eighteen years and although there were over five hundred cells in the barracks, it held only fifty-two prisoners. Most were Kievils, who had been tried for criminal activities however all of them looked fit and well-cared for. Saturna was satisfied and after talking to the guards and some of the prisoners, she was convinced Detis was totally responsible for this particular incident.

By the time Saturna returned to the castle Anton had been washed and was sitting up on pillows. He was attempting to take sips of the delicious chucheen soup Maize had brought him, but was finding it painful with his very dry and parched tongue and lips. Saturna knocked briskly and then opened the door just a crack.

"May I enter?" she inquired.

"Yes My Queen," replied Maize, bowing her head as Saturna came into the room.

Anton nervously tried to put down the soup and had one leg out of the bed when Saturna stopped him. "There's no need to rise on my account, Officer Anton. Please save your strength, especially since I fear it was the royal family who took it from you."

Walking towards the bed she tucked the blankets around him and then sat down on a chair, which had magically appeared behind her. The royal servants were well trained to anticipate all needs.

"Are you able to talk or does it pain you?" Saturna asked.

"My mouth is very dry, Your Majesty."

"Fine, then say no more until you are able. My sources have told me you refuse to let them know the reason Detis had you confined. I'm not so lenient and will get to the bottom of this. Do you understand?"

Anton looked up and nodded. When their eyes met both of them found it difficult to look away. Saturna could actually feel Anton's thoughts.

"I sense you're worried about the competition today. You're fighting in the last rounds and wish to fight, although the doctor has forbidden it."

"Yes," whispered Anton. "I've prepared a lifetime for this day."

"You can't fight Anton, you're much too weak. But have no fear--I will take care of it for you."

"No! You cannot fight for me!" he cried out.

"But how do you know this? I just thought of it now," questioned Saturna, who was notably shaken.

"I've been told I have telepathy. In the past it has only been apparent around Turnti inhabitants. Yet, I strongly feel your thoughts and fears," he replied, shyly looking up at her.

Saturna gazed into his smoky eyes. "My mother was Turnti," she answered quickly adding, "But we'll talk about this later. You should rest and I must go. Hush now, no more words."

Standing up Saturna dashed from the room without looking back. She felt her heart pounding. Never had another Zardite penetrated her thoughts like this. Saturna was so excited she could hardly contain herself. She would fight for Anton. The plan would be easy. She would watch the beginning of the competition and then excuse herself just before the final rounds. The hardest part would be blocking her auri from Gondee.

Looking down Saturna noticed the Farilight peeking over the edge of her pocket. Saturna had completely forgotten about the little creature.

"Well little Farilight, what do you have to say about the state of things? I really wonder if you understand our language. I must give you a name and have some clothes made for you," Saturna paused and then continued, "I hope that's alright with you? The weather will soon be getting colder and I think it's only proper to offer you a grand dress or two for royal functions."

Although there was still no indication the pixy understood anything, she did turn her face towards the sound of Saturna's voice, and Saturna thought she saw a wee smile. "Peep, I think I'll call you Peep, because it's the first sound I heard you make."

With only one hour to prepare, Saturna hurried toward her chambers and summoned Maize.

"Don't question me on this Maize and tell no one. I need an officer's uniform for myself, boots and a hat. Fetch them and please hurry!"

"Yes, My Queen."

Saturna ran to her closet and began to search for a gown to wear over the uniform pants and shirt. She would have to conceal the jacket and hat in a bag. The uniform was red, so she decided on her ruby gown of taffeta; it was long and hopefully would hide the laced military boots as well.

Placing Peep in the gold box Saturna quickly explained the situation. "You must stay in your box and in my chambers, Peep. I can't risk you getting injured. I'll come back for you when my rounds are over...oh, I hope you understand."

Worried about leaving Peep alone, Saturna had just closed the lid when Maize returned.

With a huge sigh, Maize arranged the uniform and hat on the bed. "Your Majesty, it is not my position to tell you what to do. I only fear for your safety," she said, hinting through her auri that Saturna should not go through with her plan to fight.

"I'll be fine with your help. Now how does an officer wear this correctly?" asked Saturna with a giggle trying to button the shirt. "Try the wool cape, it will hide my arms."

"It may be too warm, My Queen," replied Maize.

"Maize stop worrying," said Saturna gently, "Now this is perfect." She glanced at her reflection. "Meet me in the back room behind the stable with my hat and coat and please have Fire saddled and ready for the last round. We haven't much time." Touching Maize's hand, Saturna smiled. "You are worrying for no reason. I will be fine, you'll see. Please send one of your daughters to straighten my gown and to attend to me at the stands. It will seem odd if a servant is not there."

"Yes, Your Majesty," said Maize with great concern in her voice.

Hete made faces as he stood silently behind Detis watching her fiddle with her jewels. He thought it was funny how she primped in front of the mirror and talked to herself.

"Which one becomes you more, the black diamonds or the purple emeralds? I think they both do. Yes, you're very beautiful Detis, the most beautiful in the kingdom. Just wait until you're Queen, with power, wealth and the Solar System," said Detis, smiling at her reflection.

Hete cleared his throat and interrupted by the noise, Detis spun around.

"What do you want now, you horrid creature? I pay you plenty and for what!" she yelled, glaring at him.

"I've brought you information, My Queen."

"Well don't just hover, tell me!" she demanded.

"The officer Anton has been released," said Hete quietly, being sure not to make eye contact.

"When?" she asked, becoming almost cheerful. "Is he coming to beg forgiveness? I must ready myself. Oh I like to win, win, win! Everything will fall into place now, I know it."

Lifting her skirt she danced, watching her reflection in the mirror, while Hete who already felt extremely ill at ease began to feel even more uncomfortable. Carefully sliding one foot ahead of the other, he carefully tried to make his escape, but he was not fast enough. The second Detis detected motion she instantly turned his way.

Very calmly and slowly she walked towards him and said, "He's not coming to see me, is he Hete, my pet?"

Hete began to shake, and try as he might words would not come to his quivering lips.

"What is it, Hete?" she asked ever so sweetly approaching him without making the slightest sound.

It seemed as though Detis's eyes were burning off the top of his head. He tried not to look at her and wished he'd never come to report on Anton. Thinking as hard as he could on how he was going to tell Detis what happened so she wouldn't be even angrier, made Hete shake violently. I'll just say it quickly, he thought and then I'll run to the door. Kievils were a rudimentary race and always thought in very simple terms.

"Saturna found out and released him. He's now in her quarters, resting," said Hete, spitting out the words rapidly. But as he turned to take his first steps towards the door, Detis reached out and grabbed the back of his shirt spinning him around.

"HE is in the royal apartments while I rot in the north wing! I won't stand for this! That child has interfered with my plans once too often!"

Letting Hete go, Detis sunk slowly to her knees and covered her face with her hands. "Why, why does she make things so difficult? I won't put up with it! I won't allow a child to overrule my orders! The plans are moving too slowly. I have invested years on this rotten planet. I..."

Feeling sorry for her, Hete stepped forward and put his hand on her shoulder for reassurance, copying what Saturna had done to comfort him.

Detis roughly shoved it away and glared at him with hatred. "Don't you ever touch me again! Get out. GET OUT!" she yelled.

Frightened, Hete scampered out the door, but once he was out of the range of Detis, he completely forgot the incident and began to think about going to the kitchen for something to eat.

Chapter Eight

The inhabitants were anxious for the event to start and when the trumpets sounded signaling the appearance of Saturna, they roared. Walking very slowly so as not to show the black boots under her dress, she entered the royal cubicle and took her seat. Detis, who was already seated below her, turned and smiled sweetly, however Saturna refused to acknowledge her presence. The music began and the first fighters were announced. Saturna scrutinized the red uniforms of the Zardite warriors looking at the angle of the hat to the buckle coverings on the boots. She knew she must do everything perfectly to not be detected posing as Anton. The first match was a quick win for the Zardite and the crowd roared again.

Throughout the Solar System the bullen was a symbol of strength and to handle it well meant power. Although more sophisticated weapons were used during war, for thousands of years the bullen was the only instrument used during competitions. Similar to a lance, the bullen was a long thin spear made of platinum. The sharp pointed head of days gone by was now rounded, so as not to wound the players.

Each warrior was categorized according to weight and previous wins. Every Zardite fighter was placed against an equal planetary opponent and the winner received special merit. If the Zardite won, he would rise in rank, if the opponent won, he would become part of the Zardite army. To lose was a humiliation and although nothing would be said, it was never forgotten. For this reason, Saturna was nervous. She wouldn't be fighting for herself, but for Anton, and if she lost the humiliation would be his to bear.

The predominately Zardite crowd cheered wildly again because the Zardite fighters were doing well, with ten wins to three losses. The third round was beginning. It was the third and fourth rounds which held the finest and most sophisticated warriors of the kingdom. These fights took longer. The winners of the third fought the winners of the fourth round semi-finals, resulting in the final competition which occurred between the last two remaining winners. Great rewards and honor were bestowed on the warrior to take the last competition, for he would be exclaimed the greatest gladiator in the Solar System.

Saturna stood to see. One of the fighters, a Zardite had been struck and was slipping from his saddle. But until his foot touched the ground or he was knocked from the heppal, he could not be disqualified. She watched the officer struggling to regain his balance on the galloping heppal, holding his bullen high so as not to drop it. When this occurred, the rules of the competition clearly stated the opponent may circle, but may not strike a falling fighter. If the officer fell, the fight would be over. A hush blanketed the crowd and the inhabitants leaned forward, tensions rising. Saturna gripped the handrail of her box scrutinizing the action. She couldn't believe what she was seeing--the Veectoreze's fighter was galloping at full speed with his bullen down. He was rapidly approaching the Zardite and before the crowd could scream, the Veectoreze's struck the flailing Zardite, knocking him from the heppal.

Reining the heppal to a stop, the Veectoreze's raised his arm in victory. The board quickly flashed a loss for the Veectoreze's, awarding the win to the Zardite, signaling the judges had seen what had happened. Saturna sat down once she was certain the Zardite fighter was unhurt.

"Do something Saturna. That was a clear win for the Veectoreze. The judges are old-fashioned and unfair. Saturna, darling are you listening? Only you can change the score," exclaimed Detis, calling and waving to get Saturna's attention. Every one of the inhabitants with Detis turned around to hear Saturna's reply.

Saturna was angry, but refused to waste her energy on Detis. She needed every bit of strength for her upcoming match. "The score will not be changed Detis and from now on please keep any further comments to yourself," replied Saturna, curtly.

"I won't sit here and be insulted!" whispered Detis, bitterly.

Saturna said nothing as she watched Detis move to a lower Veectoreze box. At least now she wouldn't have to deal with questions from Detis when she left her cubicle for the next round. The third round was finished, with eight wins to five loses for the Zardites. The opposing planetary fighters had been training well and Saturna was beginning to feel sick. What had she been thinking when she had Maize confirm Anton's name for the fourth round? She would be up against a powerful and seasoned warrior, a warrior with many more hours of training than she had.

"I know I can do it, I must do it for Zard," she said aloud trying to convince herself.

Standing up, Saturna quietly exited through the back door of the box. By taking a secret passageway hidden in the castle wall, she was able to reach her chambers unseen. Once there, she removed the gown that had completely covered the uniform she was wearing beneath. She replaced the gown with a simple dress, similar to one worn by female servants, and with a scarf covering her hair, she set out, hoping she wouldn't be found out or challenged. Familiar with some of the secret passageways in the castle Saturna stepped back into the dimly lit tunnel and made her way down the stairs to the kitchen on the first floor. Pulling a dusty lever, the wall instantly moved away and she found herself in the kitchen's rear hall. The second she exited, the wall silently slid back to its original place. The opening was once again completely hidden.

The culinary was buzzing with excitement. The cooks were preparing the food for the night's banquet. Saturna hurried passed them and out the kitchen door into the garden. As she approached the stables, she saw Maize holding the reins of her heppal, Fire.

"We must work quickly, Maize, there's little time." whispered Saturna, shedding the dress and exposing the smart red uniform.

While Maize fastened the buttons on the jacket, Saturna stuffed her hair under her hat. "To the side, My Queen," said Maize adjusting the cap with extra pins so it wouldn't fall off.

"Yes, yes, thank you Maize. Wish me luck," answered Saturna, swinging into the saddle. After taking the shiny bullen from Maize she waved and galloped towards the starting gate.

"Good luck, Your Majesty," said Maize through her auri.

Saturna could see her number appear on the game board and then heard the announcement of Zard Officer Anton against Veectoreze Officer Hugo. As she neared the gate, the reins were grabbed by a Urite servant. According to custom, the reins were held by another to prevent a false start. When the gun was fired they were released. Nervous, Saturna crouched into position. Suddenly she read the auri of the Urite servant holding the reins. He had recognized her auri.

"Tell no one, by order of the Queen," she communicated to him.

As he nodded, Saturna heard the shot and the reins were released. Fire reared, frightened by the noise and then accelerated forward causing Saturna to almost lose her hold on the bullen.

"I'm here Fire, we'll work together, it's alright," she said, trying to gain control of her heppal.

As Fire settled Saturna braced herself, for the Veectoreze was galloping thunderously towards her. Not having enough time to get into position, she kicked and reined the heppal into a gallop, skirting around her opponent. The strike was within inches of her mount and momentarily she could not think of what to do. Clouds of dust rose around her, she couldn't see or breathe, but she knew if she was to win, she had to become the aggressor just as she had been taught by Gondee.

Again she could see her opponent through the billowing dust bearing down upon her with his bullen very low. The position of his weapon was against the rules; you were to strike the warrior and not the heppal. The Veectoreze was clearly aiming for Fire, hoping Fire would rear again, this time losing his rider. Saturna wisely skirted the Veectoreze once more and although he struck, it was only a glancing blow.

"Saturna, do not block me from your thoughts!"

"Please leave me in peace, Gondee," Saturna tried not to listen to her auri. She didn't have time for lectures.

"Saturna, your life is in danger. You must concede this match. You are not physically able to win. He is double your weight and one of the best warriors in the Solar System!"

"It's too late. I must find a way."

"If you are determined then let me help you. I have seen this warrior fight before; he does not fight fair and strikes below the mount. When his bullen is low, strike high, aim for his upper body and he will be unable to block. Wait for the right opportunity when his arm is extended and his body is leaning towards the ground."

Saturna's mind was muddled. The noise coming from the stands was incredibly intense and inside the thick dust it was almost unbearable. She couldn't concentrate, and she was finding it difficult to remember the rules of engagement. Nothing seemed the same as her practice matches and she realized she had no choice, but to listen to Gondee. She had foolishly put herself in a hazardous situation, but she couldn't lose the match for Anton! She just couldn't!

As the dust cleared somewhat, she could see the Veectoreze had turned his heppal around and was again quickly approaching her. Kicking Fire, Saturna urged her heppal to gallop towards the Veectoreze giving the impression she was going to strike. As their heppals came close to one another the Veectoreze figured Saturna had changed her mind because she had not adjusted the position of her weapon. He therefore dropped his bullen from the position of defense, to strike. As he reached out towards Saturna, she quickly reigned in Fire, who reared just in time, thus avoiding a vicious strike to his front leg.

Saturna's full intention when she had galloped toward the Veectoreze was to be the aggressor and strike as Gondee suggested, right after her opponent's strike. What she had not anticipated, was that she would have to make Fire rear to avoid being hit. The Veectoreze was not following the rules and was definitely aiming for her heppal. She could still hear the screaming in the stands from the inhabitants, who had expected her to fall. They didn't know that she was more comfortable riding Fire than walking.

It was only seconds before the Veectoreze was coming towards her at full force once more. She could see his heppal panting and wondered how long he could keep up this pace. With determination to win the match, Saturna had to focus all of her strength and energy on bringing her opponent down. Kicking Fire into a run and holding her bullen to block, she was ready.

When the metal clanged, the crowd roared when Saturna was almost knocked off Fire. The Veectoreze had hardly felt the impact and was getting bored. This Zardite Anton, who was supposed to be one of the best in the Solar System, was no match for him. It was ridiculous, child's play! Letting down his guard for a moment, the Veectoreze turned to grin at the crowd for his success of the good strike. He would finish off the Zardite now!

Before she could change her mind, Saturna regained her balance, brought Fire to an abrupt halt, braced herself and struck the Veectoreze as hard as she could just above the breast bone. He fell to the ground and the crowd went wild. Saturna reined in the heppal only to make sure the Veectoreze was unharmed, then kicking Fire into a trot she returned to the starting gate. She couldn't risk being seen by the crowd when the dust settled.

Approaching the exit Saturna nodded to the Urite servant as he opened the gate. Walking Fire towards Maize, she dismounted and handed her the reins. "Zard will be proud!" whispered Maize.

"Zard will not know, Maize. Now that I've won, I qualify for the finals. I wonder who I'll fight."

"You must not fight anymore, My Queen," said Gondee, walking into the stable.

"Gondee, I won. I have to challenge the finals."

"Your Majesty, with all respect your next competitor is Thor of Veectors, a heavy-weight champion who has never lost. Not only is he more experienced, but triple your weight. I fear you would not stand a chance, despite your cunning win against Hugo," replied Gondee, firmly.

"If I don't fight the match will go to Thor and Anton will lose face. I must do something!" cried Saturna.

"My Queen, the future of our planet and our Solar System rests on your shoulders. If anything happens to you without an heir, the kingdom would fall to Detis. The doctor has been sent to reassess Anton. If he is able, let him fight Thor. You must change and return to your seat."

Saturna sighed, "Yes, Gondee, my inner feelings tell me Anton has recovered enough strength, but if Anton is unable to fight..."

"He will not be unable," replied Gondee knowingly.

Saturna nodded and hurried to leave.

"My Queen?" said Gondee.

"Yes," answered Saturna turning around.

"You fought well. I was proud," said Gondee with tears in the corners of his aging eyes.

"I fought well because I had the best teacher in Zard," replied Saturna.

Chapter Nine

With her black cloak over her head and covering her purple gown, Detis blended in with the early evening darkness. Walking quickly towards the outer wall of the castle, she stopped and looked around, seeing no one else, she entered an old shed. Hete stood up abruptly as she came inside the darkened shack.

"Hete is he here?" she growled as her eyes became accustomed to the dark.

"Yes, I'm here Princess Detis. How can I be of service to you?" replied Thor, bowing gracefully considering his size.

Thor seemed like a giant and his form occupied most of the rear space of the shed. Detis paused before she spoke wondering if Thor was a pure Veectoreze. Never had she seen such a large inhabitant on Veectors. It was one thing to engage a Kievil, such stupid little creatures, and another thing to make a mistake with some of the more intelligent beings. She couldn't afford to have her plan uncovered.

"Are you a true Veectoreze, Thor?" she asked suspiciously.

"I am," he replied.

"Then you my friend are the key to peace and freedom in the kingdom. Now we haven't much time so listen very, very carefully. We have uncovered a plot. If successful it would change the influence, power and position which Veectors, your planet, has in the Solar System. Now although I cannot go into details, we have discovered Anton is to head the army that will eventually destroy your planet. Because you're to fight him tonight in the last competition, it has been decided you must render him forever helpless, by let us say, a fatal blow to the head."

"To even jester a blow to the head is forbidden. You know this. Why, pray tell me, would you a Zardite be concerned for my planet?" asked Thor skeptically.

Pointing a finger at him Detis replied, "How dare you, a commoner address me in such a manner. The elders of your planet and I have met and I've been chosen to deal with the situation."

"And what situation is that, Princess Detis? Shouldn't the Queen be dealing with the elders of Veectors?" questioned Thor.

"You idiot, Saturna is a child, Queen only in name, I've been selected as regent. So don't insult me again! The fact I'm here in person should prove I want peace in our kingdom. There is trouble brewing in our Solar System and we must do away with any inhabitant who stands in the way of peace. Anton is a well-known insurgent. Take care of him and all of this is yours." Removing a large, red, leather purse from under her gown Detis opened it to show fifty gold coins. "Do we have your loyalty?" she asked.

This was more money than Thor would make in his lifetime. "If what you say is true, you have my loyalty. However I'd like to discuss it first with one of the elders."

Detis threw the bag of gold at Thor's feet.

"There's no time. You fight within the hour. Don't fail us and the friends of Veectors will give you another bag when the deed is done." Turning abruptly Detis left.

Thor watched Detis leave the forest path and turn towards the castle with Hete quickly running behind her. Fingering the bag of gold he was unsure of what to do. If only he could discuss the situation with one of the elders. He didn't like Detis and felt he couldn't trust her, yet if what she said was true...

Walking briskly Saturna returned to her quarters by way of the secret passage. She entered her chambers through the hidden door and went quickly to the chair where her red gown lay. Fast asleep on the sleeve of the gown was Peep. "Oh my goodness" exclaimed Saturna as she gently moved Peep to the pillow at the top of bed. Donning the red taffeta gown once more and quickly combing her hair, Saturna went to check on Peep before she returned to the arena. Peep now awake was holding out her arms to Saturna.

"I know you'd like to come to the arena, Peep, but I don't have a pocket on my gown." Peep looked disheartened and let out several little squeaks in protest while keeping her arms extended. "Well alright, I'll put the wool cape back over my shoulders, and you can slip into the crest pocket right here."

Before Saturna had the wool cape fastened, Peep ran up the skirt of the gown to the cloak and into the pocket opening. The start time for the final rounds was quickly approaching and Saturna decided it would be best to take a faster route through the gold door and down the castle hallways. She hurried out of her suite, through the gold door to the guard's confusion--they had not seen her arrive and had no idea how she had entered her quarters. Saturna realized this, but offered no explanation. Suddenly the door opposite the royal chambers opened and Anton in full military dress exited with great urgency.

"Your Majesty," he said, abruptly halting. He was very surprised to see her in the hallway with the competitions still going on. "You fought and you won," he whispered with a polite bow of his head, noticing the guards at the gold door watching them.

"Yes Anton. I only pray you are strong enough for the finals. The Wisdom Keeper told me you must fight Thor of Veectors."

"He is a fine warrior. I must try and recall any weakness in his handling of the bullen. Did you see him fight today, My Queen?" asked Anton, mesmerized by her beauty.

"I missed his match, but I shall find out what I can for you Anton," whispered Saturna. Looking up at him she again felt a linking of minds and her heart began to pound rapidly. "I wish you luck," she said through their mind link.

"I will win for you as you won for me," he replied through thought. Bowing he turned to go to the arena and although he wanted to turn back and look at Saturna once more, he knew he should not. Although he was an officer of the kingdom, he had no royal blood and therefore any hopes he might have to marry the Queen, were totally out of the question.

Saturna hurried in the opposite direction to her box, patting her pocket several times to ensure Peep was secure. She needed to find out information about Thor, and knew Gondee was the one she had to speak too. As Saturna retook her place in the cubicle she observed several inhabitants gawking. Some of them had noticed her absence. She locked eyes and stared back at them, and they quickly turned around. She hoped they hadn't associated her with the previous match.

The last and final competition was about to begin. It was the match the inhabitants with great anticipation had waited anxiously for.

"Zard Officer Anton against Veectors Officer Thor" said the announcer. The board flashed the odds, weighted slightly in Thor's favor. Inhabitants had stood in long lines to bet on this competition as the payout for the last match was very large.

Saturna sighed looking at the board nervously. "I feel responsible for the whole situation. What was I thinking? The way I fought has affected the odds," she said to herself.

Detis, still in the Veectoreze box, stood up for a closer look at the fighters as they paraded around the arena. Smiling, she applauded herself for her quick thinking. With Anton in his weakened state, Thor should have no problem in carrying out her plan. And when Thor was charged with criminal intent to harm, the act done before thousands of witnesses, he wouldn't have a leg to stand on. No one would believe his excuse. It's too bad to get rid of Anton though, he would have made a good servant and Thor in prison following the act that was also a waste, however some sacrifices just had to be made. "Oh well," she snickered, "two down with one stone. Not a bad day's work."

Beside Detis sat her Veectoreze friends clutching their betting tickets. Detis had advised them the odds would be against Anton and this proved right when the board flashed the numbers. The Veectoreze inhabitants were conversing rapidly, smiling at Detis and at each other for the good luck and advice. All of them were now on the edge of their seats, waiting for the match to begin. Just looking at the size difference between Anton and Thor, as they walked their heppals around the arena saluting the crowd, the Veectoreze knew their chances of losing were zero. Because of Detis, they had increased their bets dramatically and would all come into easy money very soon. Turning back to see Saturna, Detis was exhilarated at her worried expression.

"I sense you need me," said Gondee, bowing before Saturna.

"Oh Gondee," Saturna cried through her auri, "Anton's burden is mine. I'm sure he has no chance against Thor having just risen from his sick bed. And look at the odds! If anything happens it will be my fault. I've caused this!"

"First of all, My Queen, let me sit below you. The inhabitants stare. Now remember, you are the Queen of Zard and must portray indifference at all times. You must not be seen to favor one inhabitant over another. Your subjects must have faith in you and your ability to rule the kingdom. Thor is indeed a great fighter. However no one matches Anton's speed and accuracy with the bullen. If Anton has the strength to last through the first few strikes, he will do well," whispered Gondee.

The horns blew a signal for the fighters to ready themselves back at the starting gate. The tension was mounting as the crowd waited. Nervous inhabitants shifted in their seats to get a better view. When the shot was fired there was a low rumble in the stands followed by deathly silence.

Anton and Thor galloped thunderously towards each other, a cloud of dust rising behind them. They both struck out with their weapons and there was a grating clang as the bullens met, but neither player fell. The minute the bullens were pulled back from the strike; the warriors move away from one another, only to turn and prepare to charge again. Both of these seasoned fighters knew you had to be the aggressor to win the competition.

Anton could feel the sweat beneath his gloves and the ache between his shoulders as he lifted the bullen again and again to strike and block. The dust was making it difficult to see a weakness in his opponent. The only oddness about the way Thor was fighting was how he was raising the bullen just slightly above the height restriction as if he was aiming for Anton's head. This unusual maneuver was throwing Thor's balance off somewhat. And Anton figured his opponent was trying to tire him out before a final strike. It was working. He struggled to lift the bullen as Thor bore down upon him.

If he did not do something very quickly, Anton knew Thor would be the victor. He tried to focus on a match he had seen Thor win, many years before, remembering Thor was a superior fighter in strength, but finesse, nimbleness and agility in his handling of the bullen were all lacking. If he could strike rapidly before Thor could block, he might have a chance. Anton's eyes felt gritty and he wanted to close them for a second and rest, but there was no opportunity. Shaking his head, Anton focused on Thor's bulk and his awkward movements outwardly apparent when the giant adjusted the height of his weapon. Anton desperately needed an opening, just one and he would be ready to strike and take Thor down.

Rapidly turning his heppal around, Anton became the aggressor approaching Thor at a full gallop. With every clang of metal, the crowd roared with a pulsing, infectious excitement. Most of the inhabitants were standing so they could see the action, waving the dust coming from the arena out of their way. Visibility was limited as great quantities of dust floated into the stands, but it only seemed to inflame the crowd. Soon screaming and banging of the seats began, as the inhabitants attempted to rouse their competitor to win.

Saturna was concentrating intently on the match and jumped when she heard a great sneeze coming from her cape. Looking down she saw Peep hanging by one arm over the edge of her pocket. "Peep!" she yelled, grabbing on to the little body just in time. "You could have fallen! What are you doing? Are you trying to get a better view?" Saturna asked sighing. She placed Peep in an indented portion of the gold plated railing, which surrounded the box. "Now, we need to focus on Anton and somehow help him win this match," she said quietly as she looked back to the arena, not really knowing if the little pixie understood.

Everyone seemed wildly provoked except Saturna, who desperately tried to have no facial expression as she helplessly watched the event. She could feel every strike and knew Anton was losing his strength. She had to do something to help, but what?

"Gondee, what do you observe of Thor and the way he is handling the bullen?" Saturna asked using her auri.

"I see as Thor is tiring, he is favoring his right side. Tell Anton after the next encounter to turn quickly using speed, and strike to Thor's right" replied Gondee.

Saturna attempted to reach Anton's thoughts, concentrating with all her might, but she was finding it difficult with the intense noise from the crowd.

"I can't reach him Gondee," said a worried Saturna.

"Relax little one and use your mind-link. Although you have not used it much, you are one-half Turnti and have reached Anton this way before. My auri tells me."

Suddenly Anton turned and circled not to the left but to the right and struck quickly to his opponent's chest. Thor fell to the ground and the crowd became uncontrollably crazy. The yelling and stomping was so intense that the vibration it created was felt throughout the stands. The inhabitants, who had gambled on Thor to win, called for a penalty to Anton. While the few who had bet on Anton to win, almost stampeded to the betting windows.

When the remaining inhabitants realized the judges had left the match as a win for Zard Officer Anton, they began to disperse unhappily grumbling.

The dust began to settle, and Saturna watched Anton painfully dismount his horse and extend his hand to Thor. She was pleased when Thor took the offer of friendship. At that exact moment loud arguing erupted from the stands. Someone was yelling wildly. Looking below Saturna could see the blackness encompassing the Veectoreze box and nearby inhabitants scurrying away. She saw Detis and her unhappy Veectoreze friends staring at their worthless tickets. Extremely exhausted by the tension of the last match, Saturna stood unmoving, staring at the commotion below.

"Shall I take care of this, Your Majesty?" asked Gondee.

"Yes, thank you. The issues with Detis never seem to end! What would I do without you, Gondee?" said Saturna with a slight grin as she returned Peep to her pocket and exited the box.

Gondee slowly approached the lower Veectoreze cubicle. "Princess Detis, by order of the Queen silence yourself and stop humiliating the royal family," said Gondee. Detis turned slowly and glared at the little dwarf, who dared to address her.

"I won't be told what or what not to do, by you hiding behind Saturna's skirts. I have powers beyond your wildest dreams you ugly creature and if you were as wise as they say you are, you'd fall on your knees and serve me! Tell that to your child Queen," hissed Detis. Picking up her cape Detis stomped away, kicking the littered betting tickets discarded by her Veectoreze friends.

Gondee looked at the blackness around him knowing evil powers, true to Detis's words were growing. As a Urite, the blackness made him slightly uncomfortable, but he was not afraid. His only concern was the protection of Saturna. It was unfortunate Saturna had inherited the crown at such a young age. Saturna's life was in great danger, of that Gondee was certain. He had to somehow help her understand without dampening her youthful spirit and zest for life.

It had been decided to tell Saturna only what she needed to know at this time, no more. There were many demands in running the kingdom and no point in causing Saturna to worry about her own security. Oron had been adamant and Gondee had agreed, however now he doubted that decision. These were not normal times and the unusual happenings, which were occurring on a daily basis, made Gondee extremely uneasy. He would speak to Oron tonight about his concern.

As he joined the crowd to walk back to the castle, he noticed the variety of inhabitants, who had come to Zard for the celebrations. Looking at the many interesting and different races, he wondered who was helping Detis. Gondee was aware Detis employed Kievils. She was entitled to a large stipend from the kingdom, money that Gondee personally organized and sent to her. The amount although great, was not enough to buy sentries and weapons to take over the realm. If this was her plan, she needed support and funding from someone else, but who?

He was sure Veectors was involved, and wondered if the sanctions placed against the planet following the Great War had been strict enough to prevent an accumulation of weapons. Veectors was not a rich planet, and had lost money and trading rights when the restrictions were put in place. It was still obvious even after eighteen years that they were resentful and looking for any opportunity to gain status and power in the kingdom.

Eros was another possibility, especially because it was originally a planet of thieves. Three hundred years ago, the planet had been used as a dumping ground for the criminals of the Zardian Solar System. Considered a dry, useless planet with very few resources, unsavory inhabitants were transported there and left without a way to leave. Over time the population had grown and flourished much to Zard's dismay. Today, out of nine planets, Eros was placed as the fifth most important, but of course wanted desperately to move to second place, next to Zard.

When a pair of lanky, long armed and arrogant Jatteens cut in front of him, he thought about the second to last planet in the Solar System. Jattee was a dwarf planet with many valuable ground resources. Trillions of diamonds, emeralds, sapphires and rubies of various colors and sizes could be found buried only inches under the surface of the soil. The immense wealth was a major problem for Jattee, and to protect it they were forced to install a magnetic field which completely surrounded the planet. They also had to strictly monitor all native and alien travelers to prevent theft of the jewels. Jattee had much wealth, but was only permitted to have a skeleton army. This required them to rely on Zard for protection. Bitter about this and the fact that Zard imposed taxes on their resources made Jattee often threaten to sever itself from the Solar System and become independent.

As the crowd inched slowly forward, Gondee listened to the many dialects and interesting conversations. The joyous inhabitants appeared to be totally oblivious to the impending doom Gondee felt encompassing him. Glancing back towards the Veectoreze box, Gondee watched the blackness creeping towards the castle. He had a very strong feeling something awful was about to occur!

Chapter Ten

Bolts of lightning flashed across the darkened sky with reverberating thunder. With each lightening strike the castle was illuminated in an eerie way. The blackness of this night was darker than any could remember and as strange as it may be, it seemed as though the eye of the storm originated within the castle walls. The storm was an unfortunate occurrence because it would be taken as a bad omen by the inhabitants, being so closely linked to the coronation.

Finishing up the documents on her desk, Saturna realized she must get ready for the evening events. She felt terribly discouraged. How had her father handled and juggled all the ups and downs of the kingdom so competently? She had been Queen for four days and found herself already totally worn out. The competitions were over and Saturna would present the winners with medals tonight. She said a silent prayer hoping things would go well and that Detis would behave. Removing a drowsy Peep from her pocket, she placed the sleepy elf on her bed and rang for Maize.

"Peep, you won't be able to attend the ceremony with me tonight. I'm afraid it's quite formal and your gowns aren't ready. Will you wait here for me?" asked Saturna, not expecting an answer from the tiny creature that looked up at her with big, round, pleading eyes.

As Saturna lingered, a flash of intense white light flooded the room. The thunder had not sounded, but a startled Peep jumped up and began to punch and push the pillow. Saturna watched her create a snuggly hollow in the down. Thinking Peep was anxious about the sudden change in the weather, Saturna became concerned.

"It's only a storm. You have no need to be afraid and you're perfectly safe in the castle. We mustn't believe in the superstitions of some of the inhabitants. Although it does seem a bit unusual to have such a storm at this time of year, it can happen," said Saturna, trying to reassure herself as well as Peep.

Gently covering the pixy with a tiny blanket, Saturna sat down on the bed to await Maize and then realized she was about to have another visitor.

"My Queen, forgive me for disturbing you," said Gondee. "Trouble continues to ferment in the kingdom and the council feels we must have an emergency meeting following the ceremony tonight. We humbly request your presence."

"Gondee, is it possible to wait until morning? It is not yet dinner time and I've had enough of this day."

"I understand Your Majesty; however important decisions must be made tonight. The troops need to be sent out at the first light tomorrow," he replied calmly.

Saturna sighed, "It just seems my days as Queen go on and on and on..."

"The last four days have had more twists and turns than is usual for a year. The ceremony tonight will be brief. You will only present trophies to the winners of the last rounds. Oron took the liberty of asking Detis to present the rest of the medals. He hopes that will meet with your approval."

"Yes, thank you," said Saturna, wondering if Detis actually could be useful after all.

"Following the ceremony we will have a brief meeting of minds, which should take no longer than an hour. Will you attend?" asked Gondee.

"You give me hope and energy. It is my duty and I'll be there."

"Then I take my leave," said Gondee, bowing as he exited the room.

"Boil, boil, bubble, trouble, rise above the kingdom double, let the evil grow and fester, make my power flow and pester!" screamed Detis above the storm as she added handfuls of gray, green and black chemicals to a rusted caldron. Smoke filled the room and flowed upward through an opening to the darkened sky. With each bolt of lightning and rumbling thunder, Detis smiled. Her power in the land was multiplying.

Veectors was the only planet in the Solar System that unlawfully dabbled in the use of toxic chemicals to change the weather. By using this system, they could create rain or sunshine wherever and whenever it was needed. The Veectoreze found it very convenient to control crop growth, and handy to maintain sunshine above their cities, unless of course, the air needed cleaning. Weather changing, as it was called was forbidden in the kingdom and had been for the last thirty-three years. When the change in atmospheric conditions on Veectors began to affect the weather on neighboring planets, the Solar Council met and agreed to outlaw the practice. Although the Veectoreze signed the agreement with great flair, they had no intention of abiding by it, and today the practice was more secretive, but as widespread as ever.

Detis had been trained in chemistry and although she had not made potions since joining the royal family, she hadn't forgotten one thing. She was pleased with the way the storm was brewing. "I haven't lost my touch after all," she said to herself. "The inhabitants will be fearful of a storm so quickly following the coronation. It'll be taken as a bad omen, that a child was crowned Queen! And when that child disappears, well...." Detis laughed wickedly.

Hete sat quivering in the corner hoping Detis wouldn't see him as she laughed and cackled at her work. He was terrified at the crash of thunder, which instantly followed the scary lightening, and was even more afraid of watching the transformation of Detis into an ugly hag. The whole castle shook with each clap of thunder and the blackness was becoming so thick it seemed like fog.

Watching the fire to try to block out the bloodcurdling sounds, Hete became quickly mesmerized by the odd glowing colors. With each handful of chemicals Detis added, sparkles were emitted above the flames, bursting like miniature fireworks in orange, red, blue, green and purple. Forgetting the moment, Hete hummed a little tune and clapped his hands quietly. As he lifted his hands up, they made a shadow on the wall in front of him. He remembered the fun his sister and he had in front of the fire, making shadow puppets on the wall of the family hollow. Laughing he began to entertain himself with his hand puppet that danced to his song.

Another bolt of lightning, thunder and then the looming shadow of Detis overpowering his puppet brought him back to the present.

"Hete, my pet, the time has come; I feel it in my bones. Tonight is the night of all nights. The Veectoreze are ready and you have mustered up the Kievils, haven't you?"

Hete stared at her large frightening shadow, but words would not come. Another bolt of lightning flashed at the window. Hete began to breathe heavily and then saw Detis gliding silently towards him. Beads of sweat erupted on his face and he began to shake uncontrollably, remembering he had forgotten to organize the Kievils.

"We are ready for tonight, aren't we Hete?" yelled Detis loudly. As Detis leaned forward Hete shrank against the floor, but managed to nod his head. That seemed to appease her and she backed off. "Good, now get up you worm and pull yourself together. We have work to do. Now, do you have four Kievils to do my bidding tonight?"

"Yes, yes My Queen" said Hete rising and brushing himself off. Thinking as quickly as he could, Hete tried to figure out how he was going to contact his Uncle Tete and cousins without Detis becoming aware. He'd have to make some excuse to leave, but was very frightened of the storm, and being with Detis helped him feel a little less afraid of the weather. How was he going to leave the warm castle and go into the forest to his uncle's den tonight, of all nights?

Kievils weren't concerned about rain, but lightning and thunder terrified them and darkness as far as they were concerned, wasn't a time for travel. Detis continued to rattle on about her plan, and Hete looked at the floor totally discouraged. He wanted nothing more than to curl up in his bed and go to sleep after a snack of cake or candy.

"The space pod will arrive from Veectors just after midnight, are you sure you can fly it? I'm counting on you Hete."

"Yes, My Queen."

"Good. Now the Veectoreze refuse to openly be part of this until you bring Saturna to Veectors and..."

"My Queen, you won't hurt Saturna will you?" asked Hete hesitantly, looking up and then back down at the floor.

"Now Hete, we've been through this before. We are simply transferring the seat of government from Zard to Veectors. And where Saturna is, is where the government is. Don't you think it's time another planet in the Solar System had a turn?"

Hete simply nodded, he didn't think she answered his question.

"They like Kievils in Veectors and you my friend will be a celebrity for bringing Saturna to them. They'll probably shower you with gifts and along with the gold you will get from me...well you'll be rich."

Detis smiled and tried to look friendly. "Hete you are with me aren't you? I'm your only friend; we are working together on this one. Look at me!" Staring directly into Hete's eyes, Detis said sternly, "You do as you're told and listen only to me, I won't have any foul-ups this time! Now go and get changed into the black uniform I bought you."

Glad for the excuse to leave, Hete quickly headed towards the secret tunnel which led to the outside wall of the castle.

Feeling for the lever on the side of the wall as Detis had shown him, Hete located it and pulled. The door slid open sideways leaving Hete exposed to the inclement outside weather. Hesitating, he took a deep breath and telling himself that he could do this he slowly began to step out onto the wet and muddy surface below when the door resealed itself, snapping shut. Hit abruptly in the rump, Hete was propelled viciously forward and flopped unceremoniously face down in the mud.

Crying out in surprise, he sat up just as a bolt of lightning flashed across the sky. He shut his eyes and covered his ears with his hands, trying not to hear the thunder, which he knew would quickly follow. He wished the storm would go away. It was a long walk to his uncle's tree house and he didn't think he was up to it tonight. But although the thought of returning to the castle for a meal and his warm bed was tempting, Detis's scolding rang fresh in his mind. Cautiously standing up and dusting the mud from his uniform, he nervously looked around and then around again.

The forest seemed extremely quiet and this frightened Hete also. He had grown up here and knew his way around, but things just seemed a little out of the ordinary. "I'll pretend the storm is not happening. I'm just going to ignore you," he said, jumping when another bolt of lightning lit up the woodland. Yet the second he decided not think about the storm, he started to think about the great lisbits, giant lizards that roam the forest at night, looking to eat runaway Kievils. Taking shelter under a large branch and pushing himself against the tree, Hete began to wring his hands in distress.

"Oh how did I get myself into this mess? My parents always told me not to go into the forest at night. What should I do?"

Humming softly to take his mind off the storm and the other thing that he didn't want to think about, Hete tried to concentrate on what needed to be done. "If I run all the way I'll probably be safe," he said softly. But on second thought, he reached down and picked up the stick beside his foot. The rain was still coming down heavily in patches between the trees. Luckily it washed a bit of the mud off his face, which made him appear somewhat more presentable.

Feeling the urgency of his mission, Hete dashed off and increased his pace. He looked about every so often for danger as he focused on the trail and the quickest way to his uncle's den. The farther he got from the castle the more the storm seemed to dissipate and this improved his mood.

One more turn, he thought, as he veered around a bend. There he saw his uncle's house nestled among the roots of a very old and large uppa tree. The windows were ablaze with light and seemed to welcome him. Knocking very confidently on the withered bark door, Hete stood at attention trying to seem business-like and professional. The door opened a crack and an enormous eye peered out.

"Who is it? Who would come to my door when such a storm is brewing?" demanded a worried voice. But before Hete had a chance to answer, he was recognized and the door swung open. "Hete, it's you. Welcome, welcome, come in and out of the rain. Lete," Uncle Tete called to his wife, "come quickly. Hete, our celebrity nephew, is here on very, very, important castle business. You better start calling our friends."

Patting Hete on the back as he welcomed him in, Uncle Tete insisted on helping him remove his wet and mucky jacket that he hung on a crooked hook beside the door. Hete felt emotional when he looked about the room. Everything was exactly as he remembered it, cozy, warm and inviting. A fire crackled noisily in the hearth and Hete could see the remnants of tibby shells. His uncle had been roasting nuts.

Hete rubbed his stomach as he settled on the overstuffed and multi-colored patched couch. A cup of hot grub soup was thrust in his hands, and then his uncle leaned over. Almost nose to nose with Hete, Tete suspiciously whispered, "What is this important business to bring you out on a night like this?"

"Well, Uncle Tete, I..." began Hete, when he noticed someone looking in the window. "I think there's someone outside, it looks like you have another visitor."

Grunting, Uncle Tete jumped up and opened the door, letting two Kievils into the room. Hete didn't recognize them and was perplexed as they stood at the entrance way staring at him. Ignoring them, Uncle Tete returned to his seat and leaned his ear towards Hete when there was another knock at the door. Again Uncle Tete jumped up and opened the door this time letting in seven other Kievils, two of them children. Uncle Tete gave no explanation to anyone and the new visitors just moved to stand beside the others who were watching Hete.

It was about this moment that Aunty Lete came into the room carrying dishes of food, which started a sudden flurry of activity. Uncle Tete now began organizing tables and chairs carting them into the living space. The door knocking kept occurring and more Kievils kept arriving. Soon Hete, the only one sitting on the couch, could not see his uncle or aunty because of the thirty or forty Kievils filling the small tree house.

Hete really didn't understand what was going on. He only knew he had to talk with Uncle Tete and get back to the castle before Detis found out he was gone. Standing up on the wobbly coffee table to locate his uncle, Hete spotted him in the kitchen offering food and drinks to his guests. As Hete squeezed past Kievils to get to the kitchen area, he thought it was odd when most of them patted him on the back and said things like, "Such an important Kievil," or "Amazing to meet you."

It wasn't easy, but finally he reached his destination. "Uncle Tete, I had no idea you were having a party tonight. I hope you have time to speak with me," said Hete, pushing closer to the wall as some of the other Kievils leaned forward to listen.

"Nonsense, I always have time for an important Kievil like you," replied Tete loudly. "I need to help your aunty for a few more minutes and then I'll begin the introductions. Sit down Hete and enjoy some food," he added with a welcoming smile as he turned back to his work.

Hete did as he was told and squeezed past the same Kievils to return to his seat. Alone on the couch again, he was quite aware that all the Kievils were watching him while they carried on seemingly normal conversations. He found it difficult to enjoy his soup with so many observers.

Out of the corner of his eye, Hete noticed a small male Kievil cautiously stepping out of the group and creeping slowly towards the sofa. Appearing exceedingly shy, the little Kievil stood about ten inches away and asked in a trembling voice, "Am I allowed to talk to you, Hete?"

"Me? Why would you have to ask?" questioned Hete, putting his now cold soup on the table.

"Because you're famous and do very important castle work," he answered, shuffling his feet. "I want to be just like you when I grow up."

Hete was shocked. "I'm famous? Are you sure you mean me?" he asked, looking to see if there was someone else behind him.

"Bete, don't disturb Hete, he needs to think about important castle business. You're only allowed to look at him!" said the tot's mother pulling him away. "I'm sorry about the interruption Hete," she whispered, "It won't happen again."

"Mom, can I put mud on my face like Hete? I want to look just like him," said Bete as his mother dragged him back to the group by the door.

"It is not mud, it is camouflage, Bete," replied his mother shaking her head.

Bewildered and uncomfortable by what had been said, Hete did what all Kievils do when they are stressed, he returned to his food. The room was still filling up with more arriving Kievils and as much as they tried to give Hete space, they were being pushed closer and closer towards him. Now, Hete still alone on the couch was finding it difficult to breath. Other Kievils leaned over top of him every which way attempting to find a place to stand. Thinking it was going to be impossible to talk to his uncle tonight, Hete decided to write him a note.

As Hete stood, he saw his Uncle Tete coming towards him. "My guests welcome. I would like to personally thank all of you for not disturbing my very important nephew Hete, who has risked his life to come to discuss very, very important castle business with me on this strange and stormy night. If you all would begin to line up, you can walk by him one by one and view this very important Kievil up close. If you need advice from my very important nephew, who is the only known Kievil to ever work in the castle, please let me know what it is, and I will ask him and get back to you tomorrow. The rates are posted at the door. Exact amounts owing are most appreciated. Please note there is an extra charge to shake hands. Thank you."

Just as Tete had requested the Kievils began to happily line up, snaking in and about the room and out the doorway. Attempting to smile, Hete felt honored his uncle and aunty were proud of him but as the long line of Kievils began to move past him, he became more and more worried about the time and Detis's wrath.

Chapter Eleven

The gathering in the room was a combination of odd looking inhabitants from the planets and many moons of the Solar System. Some were there to receive awards and others to enjoy the privilege of being invited. It was an intimate affair, and to attend one needed a royal engraved invitation. Saturna was dressed in a flowing royal blue silk gown and wore a tiara with two large blue sapphires surrounded by sparkling diamonds in her hair, which was swept up in a tight roll at the back of her neck. She sat stiffly in the gold and platinum throne at the front of the room on an elevated platform slightly higher than everyone else and scanned the crowd noticing some smiling faces, but many with looks of concern. This made her feel uncomfortable. Most of the planets had done poorly in the competitions and it was obvious the dignitaries and guests representing them were unhappy. Saturn signaled for the commencement and Zard's anthem was played, an unusual but cheerful melody with many high and low tones. This was followed by a brief speech by Yuko. Tonight, Saturna would present trophies to the three finest warriors in the Solar System. It would then be up to Detis to deal with the rest of the ceremony.

As Saturna turned to greet the first recipient walking up the stairs, she caught a glimpse of Anton to the side of the stage. The sight of him made her feel light-headed and she had to take a conscious breath to regain her composure. She wondered if her parents had felt this way about each other. She didn't have any idea, but desperately wanted to believe they had been deeply in love. After her father had married Detis, he had seemed happy for only a few months. Then slowly he had become distant from everything and everyone, including Saturna.

Trying to concentrate on the task at hand, she focused her full attention on the winner of the bronze trophy, Bonn of Zard. Bonn knelt before her and Saturna placed both her hands on his shoulders. "I honor you Bonn of Zard, winner of the bronze trophy and command that you shall become Captain of the Guards, respected by all officers and inhabitants alike." The trophy was carried out by two Urite servants. It was a large impressive statue of a gladiator sitting upon a heppal with Bonn of Zard engraved on the front. There was massive banging and calling from the crowd.

Gondee called to Saturna through her auri. "The winner of the platinum trophy is Thor of Veectors. He is entitled to have the rank of General bestowed upon him however you have the power to veto it. I fear Veectors is in the middle or possibly the cause of the trouble we are having."

"I understand Gondee. Thank you," replied Saturna as Thor was approaching the stage.

Thor was so huge that Saturna felt like a dwarf even when he was kneeling before her. She thanked her lucky stars it had been Anton and not her who had fought him. Placing her hands upon his shoulders she said, "Thor of Veectors, you have received one of the highest honors in the kingdom. A Veectoreze has not won this position in eighty-four years. You shall become General of the Camp, respected by all. With this position you will work with all inhabitants, making fair and unbiased judgments. You will lose your identity with Veectors and must never be seen favoring the planet of your birth. The responsibility of my safety and well-being will also be upon your shoulders." Saturna smiled and bid him to stand beside her.

The Veectoreze in the crowd could not yell more loudly. A similar but larger platinum statue was presented to Thor and although three Urite servants carried it onto the stage, Thor picked it up as though it weighed nothing and lifted it above his head. Detis stood on the sidelines grinning from ear to ear. "This may work out very well after all," she whispered under her breath.

The music played again, inflaming the inhabitants before the presentation of the last trophy. As Anton walked towards her, Saturna tried not to make eye contact, she couldn't give herself away with all looking on. Anton knelt, and the moment Saturna touched his shoulders she felt peacefulness, completeness, as if she belonged with him. Words didn't come easily and she struggled to remember the prepared speech. "Your name, Anton of Zard, will be placed in the archives as the greatest warrior in our Solar System. You will be rewarded with the title of Commander in Chief, a new position which will place all military personal, military barracks, interplanetary prisons and all inhabitants under your command. I have created this position not to remove power from other military officers, but for you to guide and mentor them. Let it be known that Anton of Zard will be second in military command next to me." Turning to the crowd she said loudly, "Now, my subjects let us pay him the respect he has earned."

Banging and cheering filled the room as Anton received an enormous replica of the Solar System made from solid gold. The inscription under his name read: A Warrior to be Revered.

Applause and congratulations were taking place under Detis's watchful eye. She had a bad taste in her mouth. "Second in command, hogwash, I'm second in command if Saturna wants to go by the books. But why worry? This will be changing very soon," she said, chuckling. Putting on a fake smile Detis walked up to the platform as though all was well with her and Saturna. Taking the Queen's place she was ready to fill-in for the rest of the evening.

In the war chambers standing around a massive circular table, Saturna, Anton, Gondee, Oron and Yuko looked at the complete Solar System depicted by semi-transparent, rotating, hypercubes in a four dimensional image. The colorful planets and their moons revolved ever so slowly around their green sun Zetus, floating realistically in real time above the table's surface. It was an amazing visual effect and extremely detailed, so much so, that Saturna unbelievingly watched as a space ship approached one of the living space stations situated not far from the moon Royd.

By touching the images with his hands, Anton began to manipulate the position of the planets. He located Zard and zoomed in by pushing the image forward and down. Zard became larger and larger until the borders of the planet could no longer be seen. Adjusting slightly, he created a falling effect speeding closer and closer to the planet's surface.

Saturna felt dizzy as she watched him scan the screen quickly and then manipulate the image again. Anton scanned one section at a time, shrinking and expanding the angle at a rapid pace. What is he looking for she wondered, noticing his intense concentration. When he finally stepped away, she couldn't believe what she was seeing.

"Are those actual inhabitants on Zard?" she asked.

"Yes, My Queen. They are sentries at a remote base. With this new system we're able to get a surface visual of any part of any planet or moon in the Solar System," replied Anton.

"It's amazingly clear, I can't believe it! What exactly are we looking for?" questioned Saturna closely peering to the section Anton had highlighted.

"Yesterday, two military bases on opposite sides of the planet were broken into at approximately the same time. We have already had a visual of one of them and now we're looking at the second base. You can see the entrance hole here in the wall," Anton said, pointing to an opening, almost hidden by vegetation. "Yuko, it looks very similar to the other blast hole. What's your opinion?"

"It looks identical to the hole cut in the wall at the western base. The same size...I assume they used a Quander laser with a charger to soundlessly penetrate the rock," said Yuko, bending forward for a better look.

"Do we know yet what items were taken?" asked Gondee.

"Only weapons, these bases held ammunition depots. The perpetrators took every weapon available," answered Anton.

Yuko turned and looked up. "And this happened at both bases. They knew exactly where the weapons were kept, plus the break-ins were perfect timed."

"Why do you say that?" asked Oron.

"Because yesterday most of the sentries were at the competitions, there was only a small crew at both bases," he paused for a moment and then said, "Someone must have known that we are installing force fields, which will be activated in two days. If they hadn't stolen the weapons when they did, they wouldn't have gotten away with it!"

Saturna asked naively, "Who would steal a massive amount of weapons?"

"That's the mystery, My Queen. The Kievils we arrested gave the same story. They said they were hired to retrieve merchandise and were told when and how to get it," replied Yuko.

"We have to assume it was an inside job because the organizer would have had to have access to the castle's records to find out which bases were the ammunition depots," said Anton. When he looked into Saturna's eyes, he sensed her fear. "Although we need to be concerned, the castle is perfectly secure now, My Queen."

Saturna nodded, but didn't reply. She understood Anton was trying to protect her. Yet, she was the Queen and needed to know the truth. Was someone planning to take the kingdom? Was there a possibility of war? She felt like she needed air. Gripping the chair in front of her, she stared at the crystal clear image of Zard and tried to breathe calmly.

Oron realizing Saturna was distressed instantly called an end to the meeting. He shuffled Gondee to the side of the room. "It's too soon to include the Queen in this type of discussion. She's not ready!" he whispered sternly.

"You are wrong, Oron. She is more than capable of handling this information. I feel it strongly in my auri. Furthermore, I want to tell her tonight about Detis."

"I can't say I agree, but you know her best, Gondee," Oron replied, returning to his place, but giving him a look of warning to be careful how he worded the next bit of bad news.

Anton and Yuko left the room. Saturna, deep in thought, sat down in the chair Gondee provided unaware that only the three of them remained. Every meeting seemed to lead to problems and she didn't know what to do or how to make any of the awful occurrences right. The carefree days of her childhood were gone and the burden of the kingdom was hers alone. Although she knew her position was one many wanted, to Saturna, it seemed to be a depressing, never ending responsibility.

Gondee stood at the head of the table holding an envelope. "A secret was kept from your father after his marriage to Detis. You see, it is written that once a royal marriage has taken place, any information that could slur it, is forbidden. Because of this regulation, Oron and I could not do anything with this very upsetting news we received five years ago about Detis."

Saturna closed her eyes and contemplated what had been said. "Regulations of this sort seem to be archaic and unreasonable in this day and age. I'm surprised my father wouldn't have wanted this information about his wife, regardless of the regulation."

"Yes, we both agree. However, as the ruling was still in place at the time, Gondee and I made the decision to not expose the information to your father, but to seal it until today," said Oron, carefully observing Saturna's response.

"We have a letter that proves Detis was carefully selected and groomed to become Queen following your mother's parting," said Gondee. "Detis is not a Zardite as she led your father to believe, but Veectoreze."

"Why would Detis pretend to be a Zardite? I don't understand!" said Saturna, puzzled.

"As you know, My Queen, Zard won the Great War eighteen years ago against Jattee, Veectors, and Eros. Although it was never confirmed, it was felt Veectors started the war, not Jattee. Veectors once ruled the kingdom five hundred years ago and a plot was uncovered during the Great War that they planned to relocate the kingdom from Zard back to Veectors," he paused and looked at her. "Thus conditions were put into place after the war, one of them being that a Veectoreze can never be placed on the throne. This is for the protection of the kingdom on Zard because if a Veectoreze inhabitant is allowed to marry into the royal family, Veectors would have a legitimate claim to rule the kingdom. Your father never would have married Detis if he had known she had a drop of Veectoreze blood. And of course, Detis aware of this, pretended to be a Zardite."

Oron gave her a moment to absorb what had been said before he added, "An exception was already made for Detis because she was very close to being a commoner. To marry into the royal family, protocol insists one must be royally related."

"An exception made because she was beautiful?" asked Saturna, sarcastically.

"Because she was the second spouse, because you were the heir," answered Oron. "But you must understand the reality of the situation. If something happens to you before the production of another heir, Detis will become Queen since she was legally married to your father."

"How was this information discovered?" inquired Saturna, feeling angry by the deception.

"It was brought to my attention by a Zardite widow, a Duchess, named Raja. She came to me in the darkness of night, secretly, very late, the night of the wedding. It took much time to convince her to tell me why she was so upset about the marriage, as she had been a big part of the wedding celebrations. You see, Detis was not her daughter as we thought. Her real daughter had been kidnapped around the time of your birth. The moment your mother passed away, the planet Veectors plotted to put a Veectoreze on the throne." Becoming emotional, Oron shook his head, still disbelieving what he knew to be true. "Duchess Raja was told by the Veectoreze not to alert the authorities about the kidnapping and in return for the sparing of her own daughter's life, she was to declare Detis as her own flesh. Raja did as she was told and claimed young Detis as her own. She always prayed for the safe return of her real daughter, but that never occurred."

"We must find her real daughter, Oron. Do we know what became of her?" Saturna asked with concern and sadness.

"Raja waited too many years before she came to me and unfortunately it was too late. Three days after the marriage, Raja became ill and passed into the next world. We tried to locate the daughter on Veectors, as we thought it was where she would have been taken, but all traces of her had vanished. So, Gondee and I sealed the handwritten note and placed it in the vault instead of destroying it as protocol dictated."

Gondee produced a worn envelope with the royal seal. Taking it, Saturna broke the seal and began to read the words of Raja, feeling very unhappy for an inhabitant she didn't even know. "Can we use this information against Veectors and Detis?"

Oron shook his head. "Veectors would deny the letter is real and unless we catch Detis in an act of treason, there's really nothing we can do. I have observed Detis over the years and believe the letter is genuine. Though, I don't understand why the Veectoreze planted her in this position, or what they plan to do now that you are Queen."

"Evil is growing in the kingdom and the root stems from Detis. We must be on guard," said Gondee.

"If evil is growing in the kingdom then it's our fault for not steering the inhabitants in the right direction," replied Oron with a look of warning to Gondee to say no more.

"Oron, my trusted servant, as Keeper of the Faith, it's your job to look for goodness in the inhabitants and push them in the direction of purity. However the office of Gondee, as the Wisdom Keeper is to protect the crown. My father placed you in these positions to create balance, and that is what I am seeing now. We must continue to support Detis in any acts of goodness and yet hold a watchful eye for signs of discontent. Thank you for telling me the truth. I shall retire and mull the information over," she said, feeling thoroughly exhausted.

A diplomatic response, thought Gondee. She is learning quickly.

As Saturna was escorted back to her chambers, she reflected on all the problems and issues which had surfaced since her father's death, and realized again how sheltered her upbringing had been. She had been totally unaware of the political strain between Zard and Veectors. During her lifetime there had been only peace in the Solar System. And now the unfortunate information about Detis being Veectoreze--was Veectors conspiring with Detis to over throw Zard? She had a hard time believing the pleasant Veectoreze diplomats she had met at the coronation dinner could be involved in such a plot.

Trying to empty her mind of worries, she reminded herself Gondee and Oron would advise her on the best action in dealing with the problems of the kingdom. She didn't have to make every decision on her own. Quickly checking on a sleeping Peep, she let Maize undress and tuck her in.

Maize read her auri and said softly, "Concern yourself with one day at a time, My Queen. Deal with the present and the future will take care of itself."

Smiling, Saturna fell into a deep restful sleep.

Chapter Twelve

Detis had had enough. The pleasantries that went with the medal giving were making her ill. She was only interested in the top winners, not the peons, who had risen once in rank.

"So here's your medal, blah, blah, blah. Next!"

She scanned the room for a Zardite dignitary to dump the rest of the ceremony on, but couldn't see any in the crowd. "Where do they all go when I need them?" she snarled at the Mevot inhabitant receiving his medal. He looked up, but had no idea who Detis was asking about. Flinging the medal at his head, Detis noticed Thor standing in the corner of the room. How could she have missed him, he took up half the space and dwarfed all of the inhabitants beside him. Well, she thought with a sneer, Thor wants to be a Zardite so, why don't I let him.

"Thor of Veectors come to the stage. I need your assistance," she commanded.

With a concerned look on his face he slowly approached her and said, "My Princess, how can I help?"

"Attention all, the General of the Camp will now continue with the medal giving!" Dropping the rest of the medals onto the floor in a clump, Detis hurried off the stage focused on getting far away from the pitiful low-life inhabitants, who filled the room.

Veectoreze Dignitary Pont, overseeing the event and sitting in one of the last rows, jumped up at his opportunity to speak to Detis. Running after her he called out. "Your Majesty, please can we speak?"

Stopping in her tracks, Detis waited for him and turned around to see if any inhabitant was listening.

"Did you see that? Saturna and the Zardite dignitaries dumped the medal giving on me. I'm not a servant!" she exclaimed with disgust, her eyes narrowing.

"Of course not Your Majesty, you're meant for greater things."

"What do you want, Pont? We shouldn't be seen speaking. I have work to do tonight, or have you forgotten?"

"That's why we need to speak," he said lowering his voice, "the space pod we ordered, hasn't arrived."

"You have one thing to do and you can't accomplish it, you idiot! Get word to me when the pod is here or you'll be sorry," she replied, pushing him aside. Picking up her skirt, Detis flew past him and up the winding staircase.

"Peep, where are you? I have a surprise," called Saturna, looking first in the gold box on her dresser and then on the little, satin pillow on the bed where she usually slept. Hearing a noise coming from her desk, Saturna turned to see Peep standing at the edge, holding out her arms.

"There you are my little Farilight. Look at what I had made for you. Surprise!"

Gently picking Peep up from the desk, Saturna positioned the pixy so she was able to see the four Urite servants who held a beautiful miniature castle made of grey rock. Five turrets topped with shiny gold cupolas rose majestically above the walls on each corner. A wide, grand staircase made from cut blue opal lead to the entrance, where two embossed gold doors overwhelmed the viewer. It was a replica of Zard castle.

"This is your new home Peep, it's fully furnished with hand carved furniture and the bedroom has a closet full of clothes! I thought it was about time for you to have a home of your own. I hope you like it," said Saturna excitedly.

Peep stood very still on Saturna's outstretched hand, her big eyes wide with delight. She couldn't believe how exquisite the castle was and that Saturna was giving it to her.

"Well go on, have a look around," said Saturna giggling as she placed Peep on the entrance steps. "I wish I could join you, but I'm a little too big."

Running up the staircase into the miniature castle, Peep began to explore. Saturna could hear the opening and shutting of doors and movement between the rooms, but was having trouble locating Peep, although she tried to look for her through the windows.

"I really hope you like it. You've been through so much," whispered Saturna, feeling pleased.

The Urite servants had placed Peep's castle near the window on an engraved table by Saturna's desk, positioning it so Peep could look outside from the upper balcony of her new home. As Saturna stood there waiting for Peep to reappear, she noticed an unread document on her desk. Opening the pink envelope she sighed at the embossed invitation. She had been invited to meet the eligible bachelors of the Solar System, one bachelor from every planet, except Veectors.

This is too much, she thought. I need time to just be the Queen and get my kingdom in order before I think about a husband! Hearing the small pitter patter of feet coming from the mini castle, Saturna turned to look. There standing on the landing was Peep, dressed in a long, purple velvet dress with a matching tam perched upon her head. Little green shoes peeked out from the bottom of the gown.

Peep made her way slowly forward. "My Queen," she said, bowing before Saturna. "You are most gracious. Thank you."

Saturna gasped. She was shocked to hear Peep speak and to then hear her speak Zardian so perfectly! "You're welcome. Peep, I thought you didn't understand our language or that you were unable to speak! I can't tell you how happy I am! Do you understand everything I say?" asked Saturna, enunciating very slowly.

"Your Majesty, you don't need to speak slowly for me. I've been able to understand your language for a while. Farilights are interpreters and can process over four hundred languages at the same time. It takes us approximately sixty minutes to learn a language by using a cybernetic feedback system."

"I see," said Saturna, still puzzled. "May I ask then why you chose not to speak if you understood our language?"

Sitting down on the opal stair, Peep clasped her hands in her lap. "I'm sorry if you feel I have let you down. But the truth is, I was very close to speaking. You are the first inhabitant to treat me like an intelligent being. I was a child when I was taken from my planet by a Galaxy trader. I had wandered a little too far from home when he picked me up and put me in a cage. I knew that as a Farilight interpreter, I was worth much gold. So I refused to speak and have not spoken for eight years."

"Oh Peep, what a horrible eight years you must have had!"

"It wasn't too awful. The Galaxy trader kept me for only a short time and sold me to another, who eventually sold me to the Eros dignitary. The Erosian bought me to use me as a spy and was very upset when I wouldn't speak. It was actually quite funny. But now I'm with you and extremely happy. Thank you again for your wonderful gift."

Leaning back against her desk, Saturna thought for a moment, "Pardon my ignorance, but I don't even know where your planet is. Maybe we could find a way to transport you home."

"My home is millions of light years away. It took over four years to get to your Solar System and I don't wish to return. I'm happy on Zard and more than happy to live here and serve you if you will have me?" Standing up she bowed dramatically again.

"I'd be delighted and proud to work with you, Peep," replied Saturna, knowing they would become good friends.

The next day was one of brilliant green sunshine and warmth. Saturna stood in the inner court yard watching Anton organize the troops into different divisions. Lines and lines of military sentries were marching and regrouping according to his commands. She felt the incredible passion Anton had for his work, and saw the efficiency with which he accomplished the sorting as if it were a simple task.

Yearning to join him in the yard, but knowing protocol prevented it, Saturna continued to stand almost at attention in the royal box, wishing she was not the Queen. The bachelors of the Solar System were to be presented today. She groaned dramatically as she thought about it. Peep, who was in her pocket wearing an emerald green pantsuit, which matched Saturna's gown, looked up with concern.

"It's not fair Peep that I have to marry someone with royal blood. I want to marry for love!"

"So that's what's bothering you, My Queen," replied Peep smiling.

Saturna glanced at her little friend and laughed. It was wonderful to finally have someone to converse with. Returning her gaze to Anton, she sighed. "Gondee said it is tradition. The whole kingdom is run by tradition and protocol! I will see the royal bachelors brought for my approval, but I swear to you today, I won't choose one. There's only one inhabitant I care for and if I can't have him, then I shall never marry."

"Well Your Majesty, if you're certain, then I suggest we have fun at this showing of the bachelors," giggled Peep. "We can make it a very entertaining event."

Chapter Thirteen

The Eros dignitary Soty rolled his eyes at his son. "Suck in your stomach, Poochy, or we will never get you into this uniform. You must look your best for your presentation to Queen Saturna. She'll most certainly choose you. I've seen the others and they are nothing to look at."

Two Eros servants pulled and pushed at Poochy, cramming his limbs into the too small, green and orange suit, the flag colors of the planet Eros. After much grunting and groaning the task was completed and when the servants stood aside, there was Poochy looking utterly ridiculous. He was unable to move his arms because the jacket was too tight, so they hung straight at his sides in an uncomfortable manner, making his body look even larger. And when he took a step, the servants had to grab on to him as he almost tipped over in pants that seemed as if they were painted on.

"I can't breathe, Father," said Poochy, wheezing somewhat.

"Don't be silly, you look very smart. Your uniform is meant to fit snugly. Besides, Queen Saturna will appreciate the slimming look it gives you. Now remember don't be nervous. She has to understand that you're not afraid to take charge. After all, you'll be running the kingdom following your marriage with a little help from me."

"But, I can't breathe. I feel faint," whined Poochy, his face reddening.

"Just nerves, just nerves. I hear your name being called for the waiting room. Off you go son."

Needing assistance, Poochy leaned on the two Eros servants while they dragged him into the waiting chamber. Because he was unable to sit down, in fear of ripping his pants, the servants leaned Poochy against the wall to wait for his audience with the Queen.

Poochy scanned the other bachelors in the room and started to sweat, they were either more attractive than he was or they were holding an amazing gift for the Queen. What had his father been thinking when he had chosen to present Saturna with a Farilight? Especially one that was defective! Beads of perspiration first appeared on his forehead and palms, and then he began to feel a slow trickle down his back, which was quickly becoming itchy. If he could run or even walk, he would have left the room instantly. She would never choose him. The whole situation was incredibly embarrassing. What had his father talked him into? And then it happened. He heard his name being called for his audience with the Queen.

The audience room was bright and cheerful with nine extremely large windows that began at the floor and rose almost to the ceiling forming an arched peak. The floor made of highly polished blue yuucup wood sparkled elegantly, emphasizing the wealth of the ruling planet. Saturna sat upon a strategically positioned throne, placed where sun beams from the windows would shine spectacularly on the ruler. It was a created effect to intimidate.

The throne of platinum and gold with inlayed jewels added to the result making it seem as though Saturna was emitting light. It was difficult for the observer to look at her without blinking. She looked radiant as the sunlight danced and bounced about her and when some of the bachelors approached her with thoughts to ask for her hand, most had been left speechless. This was precisely what Saturna had hoped for, to unnerve the bachelors so they wouldn't have the courage to ask that dreaded question.

On both sides of the royal seat at approximately shoulder height was a carved indentation with a long scrolled lip. This served as a perfect place for Peep, who almost invisible to the observer, could translate and whisper to Saturna at will. Although Saturna was fluent in the nine languages of the Solar System, because she didn't use all of the languages on a regular basis, there were many words she had trouble understanding. Peep instrumental in translating not only words, but guttural sounds and intentions, was most helpful.

"Your Majesty, may I present Poochy of Eros, the son of Duke Soty," said Oron, indicating for him to come forward. "His gift to the crown was the rare Farilight."

Poochy shuffled forward and bowed his head, "My Queen, it is an honor."

Saturna stifled a giggle and managed to smile. She had never seen such an absurd uniform and why was it so small? Orange and green were definitely not his colors.

"Maybe this is the new fashion on Eros," she whispered to Peep.

"No Your Majesty, I have just come from the planet Eros and that is not the fashion. I believe he has been placed in a slimming uniform to impress you because you're so thin. His father wishes desperately for you to choose him as your mate. I overheard many conversations regarding this when I was owned by Soty," Peep replied.

Feeling a bit sorry for Poochy, Saturna held out her hand in a gesture of welcome. "Welcome Poochy, please come forward and make yourself comfortable. Thank you for your wonderful gift. I would like to ask you a few questions, if you don't mind?"

Inching forward, Poochy was offered a chair, which he declined. He said he preferred to lean against it. The Urite servants, not completely understanding what he said in Erosian, thought Poochy was unsure of what to do, and so they grabbed him under the arms and plunked him precariously upon the seat. A large ripping sound was heard. Poochy felt instant relief as his lower limbs pushed their way through the hole in his pants. Finally he could breathe, but how would he ever get out of the room now? He began to sweat even more and water droplets dotting his forehead ran quickly down into his eyes.

Having trouble ignoring the incredibly loud sound of Poochy's outfit tearing, Saturna bit the inside of her lip. She was close to laughing and knew if she looked at Gondee or Peep, she wouldn't be able to contain herself. The morning had been one of great entertainment and it wasn't over yet. She had seen five other bachelors from the very large bush inhabitants, who looked somewhat like apes with extra arms, to the very small elf-like creatures who came up to her knees. Poochy was actually closer in looks to her race than most of the other bachelors, but she still wasn't interested in him as a husband.

"Poochy of Eros, if you are the successful bachelor and become my husband, how do you plan to serve the inhabitants of our Solar System?"

That's a simple question, thought Poochy, maybe she is considering me. But it's a trick question he reasoned. Grinning from ear to ear, he took only a moment to think. "I would not have to serve the inhabitants of our Solar System. As the King, they would serve me," he said with confidence, very proud of the fact that he figured out the answer so easily.

"Really, an interesting reply, said Saturna. "You said 'as the King'. Do you believe if I choose you as my husband I will make you the King of Zard?"

Another trick question, thought Poochy, placing his finger in his mouth and sucking it for a moment. He glanced quickly at his smiling father who mouthed the words 'good answer'. Finding it difficult to come up with another witty reply, he continued to grin and sit there. He thought about how beautiful Saturna was and how lovely their off-spring would be.

"Is he going to answer the question Peep? Did I ask it correctly in Erosian?" whispered Saturna, politely waiting for his response.

"Yes you did ask it correctly. I don't think he's very bright, Your Majesty," said Peep with a hearty chuckle. "Maybe that's the reason his uniform is so tight, to push the blood to his brain."

"Don't start me laughing, Peep. I'm having a hard enough time keeping a straight face. I'm not sure how he is going to stand up and leave the room with the rip in his pants. You can see the ragged edges falling off the chair."

"Poochy of Eros, did you understand the last question?" asked Saturna smiling sweetly.

"Oh yes My Queen, you see if I was your husband, you'd have to make me King because the male is in charge of the female. I'd run the kingdom and your only job would be to have children."

Incredibly proud of his answer, Poochy beamed. If it hadn't been for the rip in his pants, he would have fallen to his knees right there to ask for Saturna's hand in marriage. He had a strong feeling she was going to choose him. I'm going to be King, he thought, turning to grin at his father.

"Thank you, Poochy of Eros. That will be all, you are dismissed," said Saturna, now straight faced.

Poochy didn't rise from the chair, but carried it on his bottom, taking very small steps as he walked backwards towards the exit, trying to look regal. Many in the crowd snickered and it was extremely hard for Saturna and Peep not to laugh.

"A comedic entrance and exit," said Peep, plopping down on an outcropping of the throne's scroll work.

Saturna had to avoid looking at Poochy so she wouldn't laugh with the others. He grinned stupidly at her as he continued to slowly fumble his way backwards, holding the wooden chair over the rip in his pants. Turning Saturna saw Anton smiling encouragingly. When their eyes met, she read his thoughts. "That was fast thinking on Poochy's part. A potential King caught with a hole in his pants."

Saturna frowned and said with her mind link. "Anton really, it was a terrible occurrence. And he definitely is not a potential King, or even close to one." She was quickly jarred back to reality with the next announcement.

"Your Majesty, I would like to present Prince Byl of Mevot, son of King Lik. Mevot's gift to the crown is a cape of woven xabon, the warmest and rarest material in the Solar System," said Oron.

Into the audience room lumbered an extremely large inhabitant, at least twice the height of Saturna, with fine blond fur covering all exposed body parts, except his face. He was dressed in an impressive navy suit of woven xabon with a simple ten carat diamond hanging around his neck. When he approached the throne he made a sweeping, elegant bow.

"Queen Saturna, I have waited for this moment my whole life. You are most beautiful," he said, full of confidence as he graciously accepted the chair provided.

"Thank you Prince Byl."

Going into her auri, Saturna quickly contacted Gondee. "Gondee, please remind me of why he is a prince. I know there is a kingdom on Mevot, but I was unaware of another royal family."

"He is prince in name only, My Queen. The kingdom on Mevot is thousands of years old. It was created long before they were part of the Zardian Solar System," replied Gondee.

Taking a moment to consider this, Saturna shifted in her seat. Another royal family with a King, she would have to uncover more about the history of the remote planet Mevot.

"Prince Byl, if you were to become my husband, how would you adapt to living on the planet Zard as you come from a planet that is the farthest from our sun?"

Smiling, the Prince looked directly into Saturna's eyes. "It would be most difficult for me as I already find your planet extremely warm. I propose we rule on Zard for one half of the year and rule from Mevot for the second half."

"Don't you feel the kingdom should be more centrally located to deal with immediate issues and problems?" asked Saturna in reply.

"No I do not! Our kingdom on Mevot is much older than the one on Zard and although our castle is imbedded inside the rock of a mountain, it's just as nice as this," said Byl, critically waving his arm in front of him.

"I don't challenge you on how your kingdom on Mevot looks, Prince Byl, as I'm sure it is very lovely. I ask about ruling the Solar System for half the year from a planet that is at the edge of the galaxy," replied Saturna sternly, narrowing her eyes at his rudeness.

"It wouldn't be a problem. But unless you visit Mevot you can't possibly understand, My Queen!" he said in a loud and arrogant tone.

"Peep," called Saturna, "is Byl being rude to me?"

"He's not intentionally being rude, he's feeling threatened," said Peep quietly.

"It has been a pleasure to meet you, Prince Byl. Thank you for your gift. You are now dismissed," said Saturna, waving her hand in exactly the same way Byl had done.

Saturna waited until the Prince left the room and then took a deep breath. These last interviews were grueling to say the least. None of the so called 'royal bachelors' had anything in common with her. She didn't see many likable qualities and couldn't imagine marrying any of them. There was only one more bachelor left to see and then she could retire to her chambers. It had been a horrid afternoon.

"Your Majesty, may I present Ari of Zard, son of Earl Nilis," said Oron, "His gift is a snow white heppal, born yesterday, the only one of this color on the planet Zard."

Standing in front of her was a very young, but attractive male, with hair the color of hers and terrified dark green eyes. He appeared nervous when he bowed and said in a quivering voice, "I come to pay my respect to you and your late father, My Queen."

"Please be seated, Ari of Zard," replied Saturna gently, sensing his fear.

Not understanding why such a young Zardite had been chosen from her birth planet, she again consulted Gondee about this through her auri.

"He is three years younger than you, My Queen, and the only eligible royal male coming of marriageable age on Zard," said Gondee.

Saturna was unsure of what to ask the child and felt badly watching him fidget in the chair anxiously eyeing the large crowd of observers. His parents stood across from him and his mother wrung her hands as she stared nervously from Saturna to her son. Ari had obviously been told what to say and the pressure to please Saturna was a heavy burden upon his shoulders.

Not wanting to be seen to favor the planet Zard, Saturna was forced to leave him sitting in the chair below her, although she longed to ask him to come closer to the throne, as she would have done with any child of her kingdom. She wondered what to ask him because questions about the Solar System or about being a possible candidate for her husband were absurd.

"Ari tell me, have you seen your gift to me, this snow white heppal?"

"Yes, Your Majesty, I have," replied Ari, looking shyly up from the floor towards the throne.

"Well then, what does it look like? I have a dark brown and red heppal, named Fire and have never seen a white one."

Ari broke into a beautiful smile and answered softly. "She is very small and beautiful and stood up for the first time, when I called to her. Her coat is pure white, which is unusual because her father is dark grey and her mother beige."

"How wonderful. When you called to her, did you call her by name?" asked Saturna, returning his smile.

"Yes," said Ari, becoming animated. "I called her Snowlace because she looked so delicate standing beside her mother." He beamed as he explained the encounter at the stables that morning.

"Then her name will be Snowlace, and tomorrow I would be honored if you'd take me to see her."

"I would like that very much, My Queen."

"Ari of Zard, you are dismissed."

The audience room began to empty and the eligible bachelors and their families returned to the waiting room for instructions. They were told Saturna would make her decision within the month and that each and every one of them would be informed of her choice.

Detis stood leaning against the doorframe of the waiting room, scrutinizing the bachelors and listening to Oron banter on. She had been late in arriving to the audience room and had missed the interviews, which was too bad! She had been looking forward to analyzing the most eligible males in the kingdom. Who would Saturna choose? They were all unattractive losers, as far as she was concerned, except maybe the Prince from Mevot. But whatever the results, nothing would matter after tonight! Detis opened the piece of paper in her hand and read it once more. _The pod is ready and in place_. Ripping the note into shreds, she smiled smugly and dropped the pieces onto the floor, exiting the room with a swish of her skirt.

Chapter Fourteen

At least the interviews were over, Saturna thought, as she made quick notes at her desk regarding the various suitors. She had taken her supper with Peep in her chambers because she didn't want to attend another formal dinner with inhabitants fawning at her side talking about idle things. She was just thinking about calling Maize to retire for the night when her auri prepared her for the arrival of Gondee.

"Your Majesty, we require the translation services of Peep. A stranger, from a far away Solar System has been arrested for causing a disturbance. He arrived at the castle tonight and appears to be demanding payment for something. He became very distraught when we could not understand his language or read his document. He threatened the clerk with a weapon," said Gondee.

"Oh dear, Peep I'm sorry to disturb you, did you hear what Gondee said?" called Saturna towards the miniature castle.

"Yes My Queen, I heard," replied Peep appearing on the side balcony. She was in her night clothes. "I'm more than willing to translate and can be ready in minutes." She instantly turned and dashed off.

Saturna sighed. "Things never seem to slow down, Gondee. As soon as Peep is dressed, we'll come. You don't need to wait for us."

"With Peep's assistance, I can deal with this matter, My Queen. I feel you have had enough of today. This incident may require us to work well into the night."

"Thank you Gondee, I'm really exhausted and wish to retire. However, if you do find you need me, please send word."

As Gondee left for the barracks with Peep in his jacket pocket, Maize arrived at Saturna's chambers to assist and ready her for bed. Saturna felt guilty she hadn't accompanied them, but she was so tired that she could hardly stand up. She remembered how carefree her life had been before she became Queen and smiled. If I had known what I was getting into, maybe I wouldn't have accepted the crown.

Maize returned her smile and said through her auri, "You would have accepted the crown because you're responsible and understand your duty to the inhabitants."

"Yes, you're right Maize, Gondee trained me well."

Laughing together, Saturna jumped into the bed and immediately fell asleep while Maize finished tidying the bedroom.

Detis pulled the ninth brick on the ledge and the wall moved away exposing the secret passageway. Four Kievils including Hete looked at each other and then at the dark, cobwebbed tunnel. "How do you know these stairs lead to Saturna's chambers, My Queen?" asked Hete, his eyes widening with fear.

"It's my job to know and plan everything. Now shut-up before you arouse suspicion," hissed Detis. Once inside the passageway, Detis lead the way with a handheld torch. The Kievils followed behind carrying several small containers. "Here, stop here," whispered Detis. "Give me the hose. Now turn it on." Detis placed the hose's nozzle through a crack in the wall. When the handle on the container was turned a fine white gas seeped through the crack into the room beyond. After the second container was empty, all six of the intruders donned masks. By pushing a lever on the floor of the passageway, a previously invisible door opened. Laughing, Detis stepped inside Saturna's chambers and over Maize, who was lying in a heap on the floor.

"Not her you idiots," she whispered sarcastically as the four Kievils tried to pick-up Maize. "The one in the bed."

Dropping Maize back onto the floor, they turned their attention to Saturna.

"She is so beautiful! A sleeping fairy," said one of the Kievils.

"Shut-up you pea-brains and get her into the passageway before she wakes up!"

Finding Saturna light as a feather the four Kievils carried her easily back the way they came and into the forest to where the space pod was waiting.

Hete stood on the deck of the space ship's control room and looked back at Saturna. She had been placed inside a cage and was asleep on the padded floor. They were the only two inhabitants on the space pod that was being auto-piloted to Veectors.

"Hete, this is Detis, have you put the ring in the intergalactic space shuttle? Hete, come in."

Glancing again at Saturna, Hete walked over to the intercom. "No My Queen, I was unable to remove it, just as you were unable to remove it," replied Hete, shaking his head.

"Hete you're to get that ring! I don't care if you have to cut it off with a laser!" Detis screamed. "Put it in the space shuttle's traveling messenger and send it to Veectors, so the ring will arrive before you do. This is imperative! The Veectoreze will re-present it to Saturna. Do you understand?"

"Yes My Queen, it will be done," stated Hete, wondering how he was going to remove the ring without hurting Saturna.

Adjusting her position, Saturna opened her eyes and tried to focus. She heard Hete's name and his voice, but was having trouble seeing him. I must be dreaming, she thought, attempting to push herself up. Slowly things became clearer and the fog in her head began to lift. She could feel the fine vibrations, and looking about Saturna realized she was on a space pod in motion. "This can't be!" she said still feeling very groggy. Hearing her, Hete left his station and walked to the front of the cage.

"Your Majesty, are you awake?" he asked gently.

"Yes I am," replied Saturna, forcing herself to stand up by gripping the bars of her cell. Holding onto the rails and peering between them, Saturna bent over to look directly into Hete's large, innocent eyes. "What are we doing here, Hete? And why am I in this cage?" she questioned with authority.

"Before I answer you, are you hungry? I've packed a picnic for our trip. I don't want you to arrive feeling ill because you haven't eaten. I have many lovely things in my basket: whipals, sirgaps and istals. These are very good to eat," said Hete selecting a large whipal, which he cheerfully extended towards her. "Would you care for one?" he asked as he started to nibble on another.

"No thank you, Hete. I would like to know why I am here and where we are going?" replied Saturna curtly, slumping against the bars. Her white lace and cotton nightdress tangled about her.

"We're on our way to Veectors and if you could please give me the royal ring, I'll send it on ahead. We don't have much time," answered Hete, feeling a bit nervous because of her tone, but really enjoying his purple whipal, which he munched loudly.

"Hete, you must start at the beginning. Who put me in this ship and why are we going to Veectors?" Saturna sensed his nervousness and knew better than to raise her voice at the little creature in case she frightened him off.

"I really shouldn't say, as I was told not to, but because you have been so nice to me, I'll tell you," said Hete, leaning forward as if he was sharing a secret. "You don't need to worry about a thing, Saturna. Detis is moving the government from Zard to Veectors. You see, it's time for another planet to be in charge. When you get there, the Veectoreze will re-present your royal ring to you as a symbol of respect, and they're going to build you a beautiful place to live. You'll be very happy!" Hete clapped his hands together in excitement.

"Really," said Saturna. "Well then, you had better let me out of this cage so I can ready myself. I can hardly meet the inhabitants of my new planet in my night gown."

Standing on one foot and then the other, Hete looked perplexed, he hadn't thought of this and Detis had told him several times not to free Saturna. Thinking Saturna made a good point he wondered if he should call Detis and ask her advice.

"I have no key and I don't think Detis packed any clothes for you. Maybe your clothes will be waiting for you when we arrive. Now can you please give me the royal ring so that I can send it on ahead of us? Detis made me promise," he replied, sounding pleasant.

"Think Hete, does this make any sense? Detis has no intention of letting me rule on Veectors. She wants the royal ring for herself. Once she has the ring, she will do away with me."

"No, she promised no harm would come to you. I asked Detis. It's supposed to be a big surprise and I think I've ruined it for you. I shouldn't have told you," replied Hete, distressed. His lower lip protruded and he looked as though he might cry.

"Thank you my trusted friend," said Saturna reassuringly. "If what you say is true, then there is no harm in letting me out of the cage. We need to work together to find out where my clothes are and what time we arrive. Please Hete, we could be almost there!" continued Saturna, knowing she had to contact Zard immediately.

Contemplating Saturna might be right, Hete tried to shake the door in hopes that it would open, but the lock was solid and strong and remained securely fastened. He figured it would be difficult to break the lock so he removed a repair tool from the wall of the space pod and placed it between the bars. Although he used all of his strength, he wasn't able to bend the bars, even with Saturna's help.

"Hete, look around for some type of laser. There may be one in the green emergency landing kit over by the ship's controls," suggested Saturna, noting how archaic the small space ship was. The gray floor tiles were uneven with some of them curling unnaturally upward, and the metal walls were tarnished and in great need of refinishing.

Hete returned to the control station and began to sift through the green box. The smoothness of the flight ended, and turbulence began to gently shake the ship. In space flight, turbulence was common when a ship approached a planet's gravitation field, but would gradually disappear when it left the range of that field. The turbulence they were experiencing appeared different, because instead of lessening it was gradually increasing in intensity as the voyage continued. Both passengers were now finding it difficult to keep their balance. The picnic basket and the objects Hete removed from the box while looking for a laser began to slide back and forth on the floor. Twice Hete had to jump in the air to avoid being hit in the foot.

"Here's the laser," said Hete very pleased with himself when he located it. "It looks old, but I think it will still work."

Saturna, who had eventually sat back down on the floor of the cage to wait, stood to examine the laser. Just as she did so, the ship lurched to the left and she was forced to snatch on to one of the bars to avoid falling. Not as lucky, Hete slipped and rolled, smashing first into the ship's deck and then back towards the cage. As he slid passed, Saturna reached out and grabbed him by his shirt.

"Are you alright, Hete?"

"Fine, fine, thank you. That was fun!" he said, straightening his clothes.

"We have to hurry and get this door open! You'll need to cut from the front of the lock Hete. Put the beam on high, and brace yourself against the wall, the ship's vibrations are getting stronger," said Saturna, covering her face.

After four attempts to power the laser up, Hete was able to get a small beam. He began to cut the lock while Saturna tried to protect herself from flying debris by standing at the back of the cage. It took several minutes because the beam was inadequate and the lock very thick, but finally the lock collapsed onto the floor.

Saturna stepped out of the enclosure and embraced Hete. "Thank you, you have a good heart, I know it! Now let's get to work."

Hete returned her embrace and didn't want to let go. He couldn't remember ever being hugged before. Tears gathered in the corners of his large eyes. He liked Saturna very much. She was kind and smart and not like Detis at all!

"What can I do to help, My Queen?" he asked, feeling excited to have a new friend.

Just as Saturna was about to answer, an alarm buzzed and an orange light pulsed on and off indicating a transmission was coming through. Saturna motioned Hete to open voice only, not voice with picture. "Be cautious!" she whispered as he hand scanned the receiver panel.

"Hete, this is Detis, have you sent the ring?" The static was making the transmission faint. Saturna looked at Hete and nodded, signaling for him to say yes.

"Yes My Queen, it was sent," said Hete, grinning from ear to ear and thrilled to be part of the deception.

"Good, you will be rewar....." There was more static, but no voice.

Suddenly another voice sounded. "Saturna, Queen of Zard, are you aboard this ship?"

Startled, Saturna jumped. "Anton, this is Saturna."

"There's not much time...you're heading right into Caverous! Apply thrusters and turn the ship...." Again, there was more static and the transmission to Zard was lost.

For a second neither of them moved. They were both well aware of Caverous--the most feared rotating black hole in the universe. It had been caused by the collapse of a gigantic star thousands of years ago and space travelers, stars and even small planets, that had the misfortune of coming too close to the horizon or edge of Caverous had experienced its unrelenting gravitational pull. Many had been sucked helplessly into the vacuum field only to be ripped apart within seconds of entering its center. The planet Zard received numerous distress calls and had even assisted in the abandonment of one small planet before it was too late. But for space ships that had irresponsibly traveled too close to the horizon of the black hole, the gravitational pull often overtook them very quickly, and regardless of the pleads for help, rescue was usually impossible.

Trying unsuccessfully to remove the auto-pilot, Saturna opened the port of the space pod, to see an enormous whirling blackness. Their warning had come too late. They had already crossed the horizon and the gravitational pull of Caverous was sucking them violently inward. The ship creaked and groaned and began to vibrate severely. The space pod was beginning to give way and there was nothing that could be done to save them.

Hete started to panic however Saturna felt surprisingly calm. Closing her eyes she became one with her auri. She could see her father and heard his voice. "If your life is ever in danger, twist the ring around and around...." Saturna began to turn the ring on her finger when suddenly the ship lunged to the right. Slipping sideways, Saturna fell into Hete and would have hit her head on the controls if he had not grabbed onto her. Then there was blackness, total blackness and spinning.

"Zard controls, this is Veectors Diplomat Razore, we will speak only to the highest in command." A visual appeared and there in full military dress was the most powerful Veectoreze diplomat. Anton, Oron, Gondee and Yuko stood in silence as the Veectoreze launched into his prepared articulation.

"Veectoreze military base was tracking a space pod, which left Zard at approximately midnight last night and traveled on a route directly leading into Caverous. The ship was on auto-pilot and although we tried to get a communication through, we could not. We were able to hear one transmission leaving the space pod however, and the voice identity perfectly matched the voice of Queen Saturna. Will you confirm she was aboard this ship?"

"If you were tracking a space pod on such an unusual route last night, why did you not inform us before now?" questioned Anton angrily. "You know the recovery beam is on Zard! We could have attempted a rescue!"

"Of course we should have informed you, Commander Anton and normally we would have, however with the unexpected arrival of Princess Detis on Veectors, all dignitaries were at the landing station to greet her. You see, it was not until a few moments ago that we realized if Queen Saturna was indeed on the ship, the outcome of the event is very significant for Veectors."

Anton, Oron, Gondee and Yuko maintained their composure with no facial expression although all of them were extremely surprised to learn Detis was on the planet Veectors. The recent and unusual happenings on Zard were beginning to fall into place. Veectors had assisted Detis in eliminating Saturna in order to take control of the Solar System.

These are acts of treason, thought Anton, as Diplomat Razore rambled on. Blaming himself, he realized he had not acted fast enough when the warning signs were right in front of him. I vow to find and punish the inhabitant who took Saturna from us no matter how long it takes! Breathing heavily, Anton brought his attention back to the screen and again heard the repulsive croaking voice of the Veectoreze diplomat.

"So, with great concern from Princess Detis, again I ask you, will you confirm that Queen Saturn was aboard this ship?" said Diplomat Razore.

Challenging Diplomat Razore's glare, Anton made eye contact and said, "Yes, we will confirm Queen Saturna is aboard a space pod near Caverous."

"Well, how unfortunate, Your Graces. I'm sorry to inform you the ship was crushed by Caverous's gravitational field. We have a visual from a northern satellite if you'd like to see it." The Veectoreze paused for a moment pretending to compose himself while the image of a space pod being crushed appeared on a side screen. "What an awkward situation for all of us. Queen Detis will be returning to Zard two days from today and asks for you to prepare a royal reception. Our Queen would now like a word with you."

Before the four of them could say anything to one another, Detis appeared looking extremely beautiful and happy.

"It's unfortunate Saturna chose to board a ship bound for Caverous. Saturna herself told me the running of the kingdom was too much and she longed to be with her father. We must remember that this was of Saturna's choosing," Detis emphasized the word "choosing", then continued. "The kingdom is now mine and I'll be moving the Realm to Veectors. Veectoreze troops are now landing on Zard and the Zardites will relinquish power to them or be banished from the Solar System. This is my final word."

Communication was severed and Detis's image evaporated. Gondee, Anton and Oron stood completely still, unbelieving what they just had seen and heard.

Distraught, Oron was the first to break the silence. "Is what they say true? The Veectoreze must be lying!"

"We also had a visual of the ship, Oron. What the diplomat said happened. This is treason! The Veectoreze and Detis must be charged. Saturna didn't get on a space pod bound for Caverous, she was kidnapped!" replied Anton, angrily.

Gondee turned to face Anton and Oron. "You are correct it is treason, however we all must bear responsibility for what has happened. Although the space pod was crushed by the gravitational field of Caverous, Yuko and I both feel Saturna is safe. She is very strong in our auries at this moment."

Oron interrupted. "Then we must search for her. Detis can't be allowed take over the realm before..."

Suddenly ten armed Veectoreze marched into the room. "By order of Queen Detis, we are to take you into custody," said one of the Veectoreze officers.

A peaceful surrender was ordered. The Zardite army in celebration mode following the competition had been unprepared for the siege and an attempt to maintain hold of the castle, Yuko felt, would result in loss of life.

The once empty prison now overflowed with Zardite and Urite detainees. There were so many inhabitants in the barracks that some of the individual cells had to hold three or four. At first the Zardites were separated by rank, and from the Urites, but as the task began to become too overwhelming, the Veectoreze just placed the detainees in any lockable cell. The Veectoreze were instructed to leave a skeleton crew of Urite servants in the castle to serve them, but were told by their superiors to watch them carefully.

"Gondee, the Veectoreze have made a strategic error by placing Urites and Zardites together in the barracks. Once we develop a plan to regain control of the castle, we will communicate it through our auries and the Urites can share the information with the Zardites," said Yuko through thought. "I am trying to remember the details about the advanced security system we installed at the prison. Do you recall any flaws in the way it was setup, some way to override the system?"

"Unfortunately we created an impassable system, my friend. It is near to impossible to override. However there may be one inhabitant who might be able to help. Peep has the capability to learn the complete computer central processing unit in less than an hour. If there is any way to get into the system, she'll find it. She is most likely hiding in Saturna's chambers, and since Maize has been chosen by the Veectoreze to work in the kitchen preparing food, I'll communicate to Maize to secretly go and locate Peep," replied Gondee, looking out towards the castle from the window of his cell. He then added. "I still have not been able to contact Queen Saturna, what is your auri telling you?"

"Saturna is strong in my auri, but I do not know where her physical being is," replied Yuko with concern.

The insurgence had been well planned to occur during the end of the celebrations. Because there had been such a large number of inhabitants arriving to pay their respect, the Veectoreze army had come to the planet in small groups virtually unnoticed. Their weapons, stolen from the ammunition depots were easily supplied to each and every one of them, and well hidden until that fateful night.

At the stroke of midnight Detis boarded a deluxe space ship to Veectors only moments after Saturna had been locked in the cage on the dilapidated and rusty space pod. More important Veectoreze dignitaries, who had arrived for the celebrations, had also quickly returned to Veectors in the event that the takeover failed. Like Detis, they didn't want to be in the middle of the siege and planned to plead ignorance if things did not work out in their favor. So far everything seemed to have gone absolutely perfectly!

Chapter Fifteen

As suddenly as the vibrating and spinning had begun, it stopped. Saturna adjusted her eyes to a tiny light source and realized it was a reflection from some sparkling object. She could see a crumpled entity lying close to her feet and when her eyes became more accustomed to the dim lighting, she discovered it was Hete. Trying several times to push herself up, she found no strength. She was extremely fatigued, exhausted. Struggling she managed to pull herself to a seated position, and leaning over, she touched Hete's forehead. It was warm and there appeared to be no physical injury.

"Hete," she called softly. "Hete, please wake up."

There was no stirring from him, but she could now hear him breathing. Resting back against a smooth, cool object, Saturna relaxed somewhat and scanned the room. "The archway...the archway in the Vaulted Room, this looks so similar to the Vaulted Room in the castle!" whispered Saturna excitedly as she squinted in the murky lighting and looked more closely. "Are we home? Am I having a dream?" she asked still feeling sleepy and now very confused. Glancing at Hete, she remembered being in the space pod and opening the viewing port of the ship, but that was all.

"If I can just stand up and get help for Hete," she said groaning as she tried to get up again. It was no use. She felt incredibly weak as though every bit of energy had been taken from her.

"I must remain calm. Help me Father, give me strength," she called, fighting the urge to close her heavy eyelids. Taking a deep breath she focused on her auri and Gondee. It didn't help, her head was muddled, her mind foggy. She wasn't able to concentrate and all she wanted to do was to lie back down and go to sleep.

"I shall just close my eyes for a moment and rest to gather...." she said, allowing herself to slip to the floor. Instantly she was asleep.

It was almost an hour later before Hete opened one eye and then the other. Stretching as he always did in the morning, he wiggled his fingers and toes, happy to be alive. I wonder what's for breakfast, he thought, when he suddenly remembered he was on the space pod with Saturna. Standing up, he looked at her sleeping soundly and then decided he should find the picnic basket. He began to head slowly in the direction of the control station, walking carefully as his eyes adjusted to the small amount of light in the room. Everything he saw was completely different! The fearful memory of Caverous flooded back, and Hete began to panic. Returning as quickly as he could to Saturna, he knelt down and called her, forgetting to use a formal address. "Saturna, wake up, this is an emergency! Saturna, Saturna!" he yelled, shaking her forcefully.

"Hete, what is it? I feel very tired and need to sleep," replied Saturna, turning over to look at him.

"I'm sorry to tell you this, but we're in the middle of the black hole and although the room is quite nice, there's no food!" he muttered, wringing his hands with worry. "We'll never escape from here. I've heard stories about travelers who were lost forever in black holes. What are we going to do about getting something to eat? I already looked to see if the picnic basket came with us and it didn't," said Hete, starting to cry.

"It's alright, Hete. We're not in the middle of the black hole. I believe we're in the castle on Zard," said Saturna, yawning.

"We are! We're saved!" yelled Hete happily. "Let's go to the kitchen for a snack, it has been such a busy day and I'm starving!"

Chuckling, Saturna stood up feeling more refreshed after her second nap, but still a little foggy. "I need to locate the door to the room. Hete, could you look for a light source please."

Sticking her arms out in front of her, Saturna began to feel her way towards the wall which she thought contained the exit. They had been lying in the center of the archway made especially for her coronation and as she moved her hand upward she felt the beautifully, engraved flowers carved into the columns. The memory of the day came back to her and she felt incredible joy, but also sadness. The reality of being Queen was nothing like she could have ever imagined.

I had no idea ruling the kingdom would be so difficult and dangerous, she thought, I'm just glad we're back in the castle where Gondee will help put things right. No wonder Detis wanted the royal ring! It had to have been the power of the ring that brought us home. As she located the door the lights came on, illuminating the room and a grinning Hete. Suddenly, her auri opened!

"Saturna, my little one," called Gondee, using a childhood endearment. "There's danger in the kingdom. You must stay where you are."

"Gondee, don't worry, Hete and I are safe in the Vaulted Room. I'm just about to open the door. If you could come and assist me and bring clothes," replied Saturna through thought as she attempted to disengage the complicated lock on the door. Why was Gondee telling her to stay in the Vaulted Room? She was safe now that she was back in the castle, wasn't she?

"This is very important, Saturna. Do not leave the Vaulted Room! The kingdom is under siege. The Veectoreze have taken over the castle and Detis has declared herself Queen of Zard. Zardite officials, sentries and castle servants have been taken into custody. We are being held in the barracks."

Saturna paused and let her head fall against the door she was trying to open. She couldn't believe what Gondee was telling her. Thoughts began to swirl rapidly through her mind. It had been one thing after another since she had been crowned. But give Detis the kingdom? I will not, she told herself. Detis doesn't care about the inhabitants! It's only wealth and power she wants! I refuse to give up my kingdom without a fight! Saturna began to gently pound the door in frustration.

Feeling a hand touch her arm, she heard Hete's high-pitched voice, "Don't be sad about the lock Saturna. I can break down the door." In his hand swung a large metal bar.

"Hete, I'm sure there is a way to open the door easily. I just need some time to figure it out," said Saturna, trying to compose herself. Taking a breath and relaxing a little she pulled from her inner strength and again opened her auri. "How can this be Gondee? Where are Anton, Oron, Yuko and Peep and my personal servants?"

"Everyone you asked about is also being held in the barracks, except Peep, who I believe is hiding in your room, and Maize, who was chosen to serve the Veectoreze."

"I see. Do you think the Veectoreze know about Peep? That she is now speaking?" asked Saturna concerned the knowledge about her interpretive skills would put Peep in extreme danger.

"I do not think so. I returned Peep to her castle after she had acted as the interpreter for the stranger who arrived on Zard, the night you went missing. We found out through Peep the stranger was demanding payment for delivering a space pod, the space pod Detis placed you on."

Things began to become clear as Gondee explained the details of what had happened that night and the following day. The more he told Saturna, the more frightened she became when she realized the inhabitants she had always depended on to help her, now needed her help. At least she could get advice from Gondee, but how was she ever going to take the kingdom back from the Veectoreze on her own?

What Gondee cleverly blocked from Saturna was that he had been severely beaten by the Veectoreze and was extremely weak. He was using the last of his strength to communicate with her now. Because Detis had not received the royal ring from Hete, she had demanded Gondee give her the hidden key to the Vaulted Room where the jewels of the kingdom were stored. Without a ring, the self-elected Queen required the elaborately jeweled crown of Zard as she realized she had to have something to show to the inhabitants of her realm. Gondee had utterly refused, risking his own life to protect Saturna. He was the only inhabitant in the kingdom who knew where Saturna would be transported--if she used the ring correctly.

Chapter Sixteen

Sitting on a gaudy hastily assembled throne, Detis felt somewhat content. She was elaborately dressed in an expensive flowing gown of gold thread, which glistened with any small movement. Playfully lifting one arm after another, she watched the sparkles, feeling disappointment with the gold and platinum tiara she had been forced to use as her crown--all because the morons sitting below her couldn't get the opulent crown of Zard! Her choice of material for the dress and reflective qualities of the tiara emphasized the golden highlights of her hair, giving the appearance of a light yellow halo behind her head. It was a heavenly queenly appearance Detis enjoyed when she looked in the mirror, and one she knew the Veectoreze inhabitants would see when they gazed up at her. But oh, how much better it would have been, she thought, if she had been able to wear the crown of Zard!

The intense power that was now hers made her feel wonderful. Detis looked about at her so called advisors. What did they know? Nothing! She basically had carried out the plan herself, and single-handedly had taken over the Solar System. All of the fools in front of her were useless pawns. If they thought she was about to share any of her new found wealth, they were mistaken. This was wealth and power she had worked and suffered for, and she alone would benefit from it!

The silence was starting to become irritating. "Well, what is it that you want? I've already said I'll rule from Zard until the palace here is completed. There's no need for any of you to accompany me back, as long as the Veectoreze officers on Zard understand I'm in charge. When the palace is finished, I will return. Just make sure you follow the plan exactly. I'll tolerate no mistakes! I want my palace on Veectors to outshine everything that has ever been constructed in the Solar System! That is all, you may leave me!" she commanded, glaring at the frightened inhabitants below.

On the floor, sixteen high ranking Veectoreze dignitaries sat beneath her on large, overstuffed, bright, yellow cushions looking uncomfortable and ridiculous as they tried to find positions for their legs. The room and the cushions had been her idea since she felt subservience needed to return to her realm, similar to the days when the kingdom had been on Veectors five hundred years ago.

Plates heaped with unusual delicacies surrounded the dignitaries on the granite tiles, it was a magnificent choice of food, yet most of it remained untouched. The dignitaries were not used to sitting on cushions or eating on the floor, and after listening to Detis rant and rave for the last hour, not many of them even felt hungry. They had expected praise and rewards from the new Queen for the successful insurgence, not a tongue lashing. Shocked at their dismissal, they remained sitting for another few seconds until Detis rose and shouted, "You're dismissed I said, get out of my sight!"

Shifting as a unit, all of the dignitaries quickly moved to their hands and knees to bow before rising. They had learned a hard lesson the day before when Detis had informed them of the new rule. After ordering them on their hands and knees, she had left them in that position for over seventy minutes. Detis had said it was to imprint the new ruling upon them, one she didn't want to have to remind them of again.

As Detis turned to step off the podium, she heard, "Your Majesty, I would like a private word." Turning around she faced Diplomat Razore, his head at the same level as hers.

"Then approach me as per protocol," she replied.

"I will bow to you on my hands and knees before others, but since I put you on the throne, I will not bow in private!" he said firmly.

"If you refuse to bow to me, then I refuse to listen!" she sarcastically answered, turning away.

"Detis, you WILL listen to me and I will remind you of two things. Firstly, you have no friends here aside from me, and secondly please remember, as you came to the throne, so can the throne be taken away."

"Don't threaten the Queen, or I will have you charged with treason!"

Razore threw up his hands. "Let's stop this type of banter, Detis. I've known you since you were a child and I'd like to speak to you about pleasant things and our next steps."

She knew what Razore had said was true. He had taken her under his wing six years ago and had groomed her to become the second wife of the King. He had taught her everything she needed to know to become royalty. But she also knew that it was her beauty which had smitten the King, and her wits which had gotten her the throne. Razore's original plan hadn't exactly worked out and although she didn't feel like reminding him of it now, she knew if it hadn't been for her quick thinking in getting rid of Saturna, she wouldn't be the ruler of the kingdom today. She looked at the pompous person before her, dressed in outlandish colors that didn't suit him and jewels--too many jewels on every limb. He was a fool!

Returning to the throne and sitting upon it, she said with pursed lips, "Then speak to me."

Diplomat Razore was pleased. He paced about the room slowly with his hands behind his back trying to give the appearance of being deep in thought. He wanted Detis to think what he was about to say was very important because it was important to him. He had to position the words correctly so she would be flattered, but he had to also make sure she understood that she had no choice, but to do as he asked. It was a difficult situation considering Detis had grown a little too confident and strong.

"My dear Detis, you have come a long way from the young girl I groomed to become Queen. I know how much you struggled on Zard and how difficult it was for you when you were first placed on the planet, a planet you didn't know anything about. I also understand how hard it must have been when the inhabitants of Zard were not kind to you, especially when the King didn't accept you as his Queen. But in the end you did well. You captured the kingdom and I am proud. However there are more challenges to overcome, ones I feel you haven't considered," he said with a drawn out pause.

Detis looked at him as though she was bored. Oh how he can go on! Get to the point, she thought, I have things to prepare for my return to Zard.

Halting his speech for drama and effect, Razore finally continued, "When you were placed on Zard, you were put there as a Zardite. No one, not even anyone on Veectors knows you were born Veectoreze."

"So, what does that matter?" asked Detis smirking, thinking she really needed to get rid of Razore as soon as possible because HE knew she was Veectoreze!

"It matters greatly, My Queen. You plan to return to your planet Veectors, which you have missed immensely and rule from here, yet everyone knows you as a Zardite. A Zardite would never move the throne to Veectors. The Zardites would be angry and the Veectoreze suspicious. You would alienate yourself on both planets."

"Then I shall tell them the truth, that I'm in fact a Veectoreze," she said smugly.

"That would be a grave mistake, I'm afraid. It would put your kingdom in jeopardy. You forget about the marriage sanctions against our planet. The King would never have married you if he had known you were a Veectoreze. And the other planets will say that because of this, you're not really the Queen! They'll take the throne from you, creating interplanetary war. Is this what you want?" he asked vehemently.

"Of course not, but what I am to do?" she squeaked. "I can barely tolerate a few more months on Zard while the palace is being built here." For a moment she became more civil, feeling concerned that what he said might be true.

"Well there is a solution, a perfect solution and it shall deal with all of these issues. You must partner with me, become my wife and make me King." Razore said this calmly as he stood looking down at her, totally convinced he would make her agree to his plan.

But Detis could not believe what he just said. Make this ancient idiot her husband! She had already done that when she married the King of Zard. But things were different this time. She was the one with the wealth and power, and if Razore became King, he would take it from her. So, this was what he was after! He wanted the Solar System for himself and had used her to get it for him. What a sly inhabitant! She gazed up at him sweetly. "I do understand how this may solve some problems, but it would also create others. It would look very odd if I married so quickly after the passing of a great King and his daughter, especially with someone from Veectors. Tell me, why would you be exempt from the marriage sanctions?" she questioned, barely able to conceal her anger.

"You of course will immediately abolish all of the sanctions against Veectors. Then there will be no obstacles in marrying me, or ruling from our planet. I'm just happy you understand the importance of this partnership," he said, placing his hand on her shoulder.

Detis cringed, but remained silent as she thought of how to get rid of him permanently.

Anton stood at the back of the compact cell drumming his fingers on the rough window ledge as he looked out the window towards the sky. He was watching a space pod preparing to land. Every few minutes a ship hovered over the landing strip--a flat rectangular area that he could see very clearly from where he was standing. All arriving vessels had the markings of Veectors, the unmistakable black "V" with an arrow at one end. The planet was sending reinforcements and it would be only a matter of time before the Veectoreze sentries outnumbered the Zardites.

Mentally counting the number of Veectoreze sentries he had seen during the roundup, and the number of space pods landing, he added the number of sentries per pod and figured there were probably two hundred Veectoreze sentries on Zard at present. The time to do something was now, before more reinforcements could arrive.

Anton clenched his fists in frustration. The Veectoreze dignitaries were not following protocol and there was nothing he could do. Protocol clearly stated that if there was a disagreement between two planets, the problem would be mediated by the Solar Council, with dignitaries on both sides present. It was a violation to imprison dignitaries and officers, yet although he, Yuko, and Gondee had voiced their complaints, the Veectoreze refused to listen. They actually laughed and said the protocol had been changed.

"Veectors cannot become the ruling planet or there will be no hope for any inhabitant!" said Anton, trying to focus on his job and what he needed to do to regain the castle. He sighed and then his thoughts turned once more to Saturna. Gondee and Yuko had said they could feel her in their auries, so why couldn't he? He attempted to communicate with her again, but couldn't see or feel her thoughts. "She can't be gone, she just can't!" Slamming his fist into the wall, he wished he had worked harder on perfecting his Turnti telepathic ability. Anton remembered being afraid of it when he first discovered he could communicate with his mother without words, making him so different from his Zardite friends. Because of his embarrassment, he had refused to polish the innate skill, forgetting all about it until that day with Saturna. He could still see her sitting in the chair across from his sick bed, looking so incredibly beautiful. And when they had linked minds, he knew he had found his mate. A perfect mate, who happened to be the Queen of the Solar System, but he wouldn't think about that now.

His thoughts were clearer when he moved, and so he paced, taking only a few steps before he had to turn and walk in the opposite direction. All of his plans to recapture the castle started with the Zardite army getting out of the barracks, but this was impossible without setting off alarms. Most of the barrack cells had been modernized and were inescapable, with the exception of the few ancient lock and key cubicles at the rear of the structure. If only he could communicate with the inhabitants in those cells, the cells without alarms.

Feeling a pain deep within her, Saturna was very afraid. She was trapped in the Vaulted Room with a childlike creature and everything she had ever known was gone. "What can I do Gondee? How can I free my inhabitants and regain my kingdom alone? I can't allow Detis to rule, the inhabitants would suffer as she cares for no one but herself," communicated Saturna sadly.

"Saturna, my little one, have faith. You have everything you need in the Vaulted Room to retake the castle. I will guide you, and you have Hete and Peep to assist. The situation is not good, but just as the Veectoreze caught us unaware, we shall surprise them and retake the kingdom. Now listen carefully as I tell you about the secrets of the Vaulted Room and the royal ring."

Saturna plopped on the floor and leaned her back against the door feeling disheartened. She tried to focus on what Gondee was telling her, but her auri was weak. It was then that she noticed Hete staring at her with a puzzled look upon his face, still holding the large metal bar in his hand.

"Would you like to go to the kitchen and get some food with me after you finish talking with whomever you're talking to?" he asked. "I'm feeling quite famished."

"Hete, you could hear me?"

"You were saying a few words here and there, but they didn't make sense. Are you alright? I think you need some food also. Shall I break down the door or are you going to open it?"

Silent for a few seconds, Saturna contemplated what she should tell Hete. I guess I need to tell him everything as we'll have to work together to overpower the Veectoreze.

"I'm very sorry to tell you this Hete, but we can't go and get food right now. Please sit down as I have something important to tell you."

Hete sat beside Saturna and looked up at her, wondering why she was never hungry.

"You must be aware Urites can communicate through thought. Do you know they do this?" Hete nodded his head in affirmation. "Well, I can communicate that way with Gondee and I've been talking with him."

"Can you ask him to bring us some food?" whimpered Hete, rubbing his stomach.

"I know you're hungry, but you'll have to wait," replied Saturna, trying to be patient. "We have a big problem! Gondee just told me the castle is under siege. Do you understand what siege means?"

This time Hete shook his head. Saturna was beginning to think the whole situation was totally hopeless. The two of them against Detis and the large Veectoreze army, it was almost laughable. Saturna looked at Hete's intense facial expression of concern and she smiled. He really was a cute, helpless, little creature, and just one of the many inhabitants she had to protect. And so she continued to talk, in very simple terms, and watched as Hete's eyes became bigger and bigger.

"Then, Detis didn't tell me the truth! When I see her, I'm going to tell her I won't work for her again. I never meant to hurt you, Saturna, because you are my friend," gasped Hete.

"Thank you. I consider you my friend also and friends have to stick together. But we need to figure out a plan to get the castle back. I know we can do it, Hete, I'm just not sure how. Let me talk to Gondee again and see if he has some suggestions."

Returning to her auri, Saturna conversed with Gondee. She sensed something was wrong because their link seemed exceedingly weak, but she couldn't identify the problem. When she asked Gondee why she was having trouble hearing him through her auri, he didn't answer. He appeared rushed and told her they had important issues to discuss and little time. He wanted to talk about the hidden tunnels, one on either side of the Vaulted Room. One tunnel went to the outside of the castle, the other to the castle's kitchen. Saturna grinned when she learned about the kitchen tunnel, thinking about Hete's growling stomach.

Gondee also referred to the royal ring and informed her it did bring her home. "For the protection of the royal wearing it, the royal ring has a transporter microchip which utilizes universal wormholes. These wormholes crisscross the Solar System and are linked to the Vaulted Room. But it is a secret the royal must uncover themselves. The legend is the ring will save no one who is unworthy to wear it. So the fact you stand there proves your father's choice in making you Queen was the right one," he explained passionately.

She also learned the royal ring was capable of opening any lock in the Solar System. It was done by placing the ring over the lock to disengage it. She now realized she could have used the ring to unlock the cage on the space pod. Slowly through her conversation with Gondee, Saturna began to develop a sketchy plan of how the kingdom could be recaptured and was totally unprepared when he suddenly said he needed to rest. Refusing to give an explanation, he quietly said he would contact her later in the day.

"Please Gondee tell me what is wrong! Are you ill?"

"Your only concern at this time is your kingdom, pour all your energy into that and do not waste any on me. I believe in you, My Queen."

Her auri closed and she didn't try to contact him again although she was tempted. He had never abandoned her before and she knew something was very wrong. I must get to him quickly, she told herself. Think Saturna, you have to develop a plan that won't fail!

Chapter Seventeen

"Now remember Hete, no one but Detis knows you were in the space pod with me. If anyone challenges you, you must act like you have just been away for a few days. Gondee has communicated with the Urites working in the kitchen and one of them will have a package ready for you to bring back to me. I've asked for your uniform to be in the package, but it will also hold Peep, so please handle it carefully! While you're gone, I'll prepare a work station and start creating our plan to retake the castle."

"You can count on me, Saturna, I'm very good at tunnel work," replied Hete, thinking mostly about his growling stomach as he started off toward the east end of the Vaulted Room, looking for the concealed doorway.

"...and don't forget to count the number of Veectoreze sentries you see," called Saturna, running after him. She watched him disappearing down the dark passageway before the door magically closed.

Hete scurried quickly down the tunnel, ducking and weaving around the many cobwebs, which had gathered on the grey brick walls. The only thing on his mind was what he was going to have for lunch. He would have to remember to bring back food for Saturna and snacks for later in the day. Perhaps he would pack another picnic basket? Arriving at the kitchen sooner than he expected, he listened at a crack near the doorway before he pulled on the lever to open the door. This was a tactic Detis had taught him--always try to find out what is on the other side of the door before you open it.

Most of the Urites were busy preparing meals, while some were serving the few Veectoreze guards on the other side of the large room. Although the Urites were well aware that Hete was in the kitchen, there was no greeting or change of pace. A simple meal was placed in front of him as he sat at his usual table. Hete was so engrossed in his food, because he had not eaten for many hours, he didn't notice the burly Veectoreze sentry heading his way.

"And where did you come from, my little Kievil?" he asked, reaching out to grab a piece of Hete's shirt.

"Unhand me, on the order of Queen Detis!" snapped Hete as he stood, tearing his shirt out of the sentry's hand. "Do not touch me again, my friend, or you shall pay. I am Hete, the personal assistant of Queen Detis!"

"Forgive me dignitary Hete, I didn't know," the sentry replied, suddenly remembering Detis had a pet Kievil.

"Well now you do," said Hete, straightening his shirt and feeling incredible power. "I'm in charge of the castle until our Queen returns from Veectors and you would be wise to make the other sentries aware. I won't tolerate this type of mistake again! Now leave me in peace to enjoy my meal!"

Backing away with his head down, the guard returned to the table from where he had come. Hete noticed the other sentry at the table avoided looking his way, having heard the altercation. Good, let it be a lesson for both of them, thought Hete. Extremely proud of himself, he sat down to finish his meal and forced himself to maintain a stern appearance. He had found the courage to stand up to a giant Veectoreze guard--usually he was terrified of them. Overflowing with confidence, Hete now realized he would have to get the sentries out of the kitchen to get to the secret tunnel and back to the Vaulted Room.

"Anton, please hear me," turning her thoughts inward, Saturna concentrated as hard as she could.

"Saturna, you're safe, My Queen! There's much to tell you. The kingdom has been taken by the Veectoreze. I don't know where you are but..."

"I'm in the Vaulted Room and have communicated with Gondee through my auri and know of the siege. I'm coming to the barracks to release you so you can help me regain the kingdom." Just hearing his thoughts made Saturna feel better in spite of her situation.

"Unless you have access to the prison's computer, releasing us will be difficult. If you try to laser the locks, a loud alarm will sound. I don't know how many Veectoreze sentries are guarding the barracks, but there is only one way in and out, and a female Zardite would be very noticeable. You should not enter the prison," replied Anton, fearful she would take unnecessary risks to release the Zardites.

"Gondee tells me something must be done today before dark, as Detis arrives on Zard tomorrow. From the information you have given me, I'll alter my plan somewhat, but expect me tonight," said Saturna with determination.

Drawing several diagrams on a make shift desk, Saturna came up with one plan after another, but abandoned all of them. There were two big obstacles she couldn't overcome: getting the Veectoreze guards together and away from the barracks, and getting into the prison unseen. Writing down idea after idea, Saturna crossed each out and cried out in dismay. "There must be a way. If only I had more help!"

At that exact moment, the concealed doorway opened and there stood a grinning Hete carefully holding a box wrapped in light brown burlap. Jumping up from her chair, Saturna ran to greet him.

"Hete, am I glad to see you! Did it go well?"

"It went incredibly well. You would have been proud of me. I have some food and clothing for you," he said, placing his package gently on the table.

"And Peep? Were you able to get Peep?"

"I think I heard a funny noise coming out of here," he replied, pointing to a pocket on the side of the bundle.

Lifting the flap, they saw a delicate hand, then an arm and then...

"Peep, how wonderful to see you!" cried Saturna, clapping her hands together as the Farilight climbed out of the pocket and onto the table.

"And you, Your Majesty," replied Peep, bowing her head. Dressed in an aqua green outfit and matching hat, which covered her large and pointy ears, Peep looked well-groomed and healthy. "So this is the famous Vaulted Room Detis covets. I can see why, as it appears to hold many of the kingdoms treasures." Scanning the huge room she saw the carved archway, the priceless crown of Zard, glass cases full of large and precious jewels, and boxes and boxes of gold.

"Do you think it's the wealth of Zard Detis wants or the power to rule the Solar System?" asked Saturna attentively looking at all the treasures the room held.

"If I had to guess, I'd say both, My Queen."

"You're probably right," said Saturna, extremely glad to have Peep with her again. "Tell me Peep, have you been safe these last few days?"

"Oh yes, my castle is quite self-contained and Maize checked on me when she could. Maize also brought me news of the siege and told me what was happening with the Veectoreze. I felt it would be wise to stay in your chambers, hoping you and I would reunite, but I did have plans to flee before Detis returned to Zard. You can imagine my happiness when Maize came to get me this morning. I'm full of joy that you were able to escape the space pod."

"Hete and I are very lucky to be here today!"

"Yes," said Hete, "We had a big adventure. Saturna, would you like something to eat? Maize packed your favorite foods." He stood leaning against the table munching on a sirgap.

Peep was surprised at how casually Hete addressed the Queen, but Saturna appeared not to have noticed.

"Thank you yes, I'm famished. Let me dress quickly and then we'll eat together and plot to retake the kingdom!" said Saturna, feeling very cheerful as she went to the dressing room with her clothes.

Walking about Saturna's work station, Peep had a look at her written plans to regain the castle from the Veectoreze. Each plan was unique and interesting, but Peep wasn't sure any of them would work. Two of the biggest obstacles were the number of Veectoreze and the infallible computer which ran the barracks. The prison's computer was newer and different than the one running the castle. She knew she could override the castle's computer, but the one in the barracks would take time, time they didn't have.

"Peep, have you had a chance to look at my ideas?" asked Saturna, returning to the room dressed in a fitted metallic white and blue jumpsuit. When Peep nodded in affirmation because she was still deep in thought, Saturna added, "Then shall we brain-storm those ideas with Hete?"

Saturna glanced at the document Peep was reading and then reached out to pull two sturdy stools she had found in an old storage closet towards the table. Placing one on either side of her work station, she encouraged Hete to hike himself up on one stool while she plopped down on the other. They quickly fell into a discussion about what the three of them could do to get the castle back.

Peep paced back and forth, walking over and around the plans as they discussed issues and problems. She eventually found her way towards a hard covered book, oddly named 'Maintaining the Kingdom' and sat down upon it.

"If we can somehow get all of the Veectoreze in one location, perhaps we could use sleeping gas. I don't know where it is, but I do know there's sleeping gas on Zard," said Saturna, polishing a whipal on her sleeve.

"I know where the sleeping gas is! Detis makes it. She has cans and cans in her chambers!" yelled Hete in excitement.

Saturna was astonished. "Detis makes sleeping gas? I wonder how she learned to do that. Do you think there would be enough to knock out, let's say three hundred sentries?"

"There may be," said Hete, scratching his head. "I'll go to her chambers and find out. But I'll need assistance to carry the gas containers especially if I have to bring them here. I'll go and see Uncle Tete today. He'll help us!"

Saturna silently wondered how they would transport the gas containers through the castle. Even if they used the secret passageways, they'd need a distraction to get from the Vaulted Room through the kitchen and into the secret tunnel. She would have to enlist help from the kitchen Urites. Picking up a jeweled pencil, she made a note.

"How will we get the Veectoreze together, My Queen?" asked Peep.

"That's the biggest problem. We have to get all the sentries together in one room, put them asleep and sneak into the barracks to release the Zardites," replied Saturna with a deep sigh.

"What if we had some sort of feast in the Grand Dining Hall. Didn't I see a balcony running along the top of the room? We could dispense the gas from there," said Peep, envisioning the plan.

They all paused to think about the idea of a feast when Hete leaped off his stool and started jumping up and down.

"I know, I know! We could have a celebration for getting the castle. All the Veectoreze I saw today seem pretty happy and proud of themselves for taking the castle from us. I could order them to have a feast tonight!" said Hete enthusiastically.

"Order them, Hete?" questioned Saturna.

"Well, I didn't get a chance to tell you, but I told all the Veectoreze I saw today that I was in charge until Detis returned," replied Hete, cringing slightly. He was afraid Saturna would get angry. "I had to do it because I thought they were going to throw me out of the castle. Anyway, they listened to me and one of them even called me Diplomat Hete."

"How clever of you, Hete!" exclaimed Saturna. "If you could organize the celebration saying there is to be a surprise speaker, they may all come thinking the surprise speaker is Detis. Then we could put them to sleep and storm the barracks."

They all sat quietly playing out the action in their minds, Hete beaming at the compliment.

"What about the Urites serving the Veectoreze at the feast, Your Majesty? We don't want to put them to sleep or they might get hurt when the Veectoreze wake up. And how will Hete exit the room? I imagine he'll have to make some sort of formal announcement to keep the group together as a unit," said Peep.

"Good point. How can the Urite servants leave the room unnoticed? We'll definitely need their help at the barracks because the three of us can't do everything. Hmm, there'll have to be some sort of distraction. Oh my, it's too much to accomplish and we only have seven hours until nightfall."

Now feeling discouraged, the three of them looked at each other, silently worried they couldn't deal with the situation in the short time frame. Saturna drummed her fingers on the table, Peep drew a diagram of the Grand Dining Hall with its entrances and exits, and Hete hummed a little tune.

Suddenly a huge smile appeared on Saturna's face. She looked at them and said, "I have an amazing idea!"

Chapter Eighteen

The plan was finally complete and Saturna, Hete, and Peep started immediately on the large amount of work each of them had to do before sunset. Hete jogged down the second tunnel to the outside of the castle to engage the help of Uncle Tete and seven other Kievils. He was to bring them back to the Vaulted Room, leave them with Saturna to mix the sleeping gas and then begin his rounds in the castle announcing tonight's great celebration. Somehow Hete was to make the Veectoreze believe attendance was compulsory.

Peep was in charge of the computer. She used Gondee's information about the computer programs, information Maize had communicated to her, to gain access. There were a few problems, but Peep was able to get into the castle's and barrack's computer from the Vaulted Room. By doing an analysis of the programs, she would soon understand how to override them. Her job was to find a link between both computers, see how the computer controlled the lighting in the castle, and look for a way to lock the Veectoreze in the Grand Dining Hall. It didn't take long for Peep with her highly intelligent, data processing brain to realize the process was going to be very complicated and difficult.

Saturna's job was to contact the kitchen Urites and organize the feast and mind-link with Anton to discuss help they would need when they arrived at the barracks. She was then to supervise the mixing of the sleeping gas with the Kievils Hete organized, and take them through the tunnel system to their positions on the balcony. Luckily, Saturna knew many of the secret passageways from her childhood explorations. Her main problem, she realized would be getting the Kievil crew unseen by the Veectoreze sentries from the Vaulted Room through the castle kitchen and into the main passageway.

"Peep, I'm concerned. I can't seem to contact Gondee through my auri. Something dreadful has happened to him, I sense it. He's always answered me, always. I feel he needs me. Should I go to him?" Pushing her hair away from her face, Saturna frowned. She wondered if she went to the barracks in her most official gown and crown, the crown which she could take from the Vaulted Room, whether the Veectoreze guards would obey her command and release Gondee.

Looking up from her computer work, Peep thought for a moment and then said, "My Queen, I'm not able to advise you on what to do as I don't understand the logic of the siege and the violence of the Veectoreze. I come from a peaceful Solar System, ruled by a council, where power and decisions are shared by all."

"Yes, Gondee told me your Solar System is peaceful, very advanced--much more so than ours. One day I hope my Solar System will be the same. Believe me I don't understand the violence and siege. But in my heart, I know what I have to do. I have to fight to retake my kingdom or there will never be hope for any inhabitant."

Slipping down the gloomy kitchen tunnel, Saturna continued to try to contact Gondee. There was still no reply. She had never been in this passageway before, yet Saturna felt completely at ease. The darkness and many silver cobwebs almost invisible on the grey brick didn't frighten her--she simply pushed them away as she felt her way down the rough stone stairs. When she reached the concealed doorway, Maize's auri spoke to her.

"Do not enter the kitchen, My Queen. There are many Veectoreze guards present."

"I understand. I've come to tell you we will retake the castle tonight from the Veectoreze. Please make all the Urites aware to begin preparations for a large feast. This will be for the Veectoreze sentries and officials and will be held in the Grand Dining Hall," replied Saturna through thought.

Trying to peer through the same crack Hete had used, Saturna continued to speak to Maize through her auri about the plans and contingency plans for the night, as she observed the Urites catering to the Veectoreze guards seated at several tables in front of the secret doorway. She heard some unkind remarks made to a Urite servant and felt her anger rising because she could do nothing to help him.

"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. Do not worry about me, harsh words from a Veectoreze carry no meaning to a Urite. You must keep yourself hidden until the right time, so we can take back the kingdom as they took it from us," the Urite servant said to her through his auri afraid the Queen might enter the room to protect him.

Saturna clenched her fists and promised herself at that moment she wouldn't fail. She would regain her kingdom from the Veectoreze tonight! Feeling an incredible sense of strength and confidence, she knew what she needed to do. As she had witnessed those few minutes of verbal abuse, Saturna realized the realm would become one of chaos and hopelessness if the Veectoreze won the battle. She remembered her lessons about the ancient kingdom when Veectors ruled the Solar System. Although Veectors ruled the kingdom over five hundred years ago, the anarchy and social inequalities her books described during that time suddenly became clearer. She now understood what Gondee meant when he had said some cultures are incapable of maturing and prefer to live in rudimentary states.

"I won't allow history to repeat itself!" she whispered as she returned her focus to the plan for the evening. Quickly climbing the stairs to the Vaulted Room Saturna was ready to begin her next assignment.

Running around the castle looking very official in his black uniform, Hete was now recognized by most of the Veectoreze he encountered. He stopped to speak to every one of the sentries he saw, trying to sound authoritative but pleasant. "It would be wise not to question this request. The Queen..., I mean the surprise speaker will not be happy unless all the Veectoreze on Zard are there to meet her. After all, it will be a wonderful feast with every delight from Veectors being served." Leaning closer Hete whispered, "You have a right to attend. I think I heard that you were instrumental in the capturing of the kingdom. Yes, yes, she would like you to be there especially," said Hete with a friendly grin and wink.

The word about the feast spread quickly and was reinforced when the guards saw the Urite servants preparing the Grand Dining Hall so beautifully. For over one hundred round tables had been draped in gold tablecloths to match the elaborate gold and silver filigree wall hangings. In the middle of each table there was a sizable light globe, which hovered ten inches above the surface. In orbit around each globe floated the nine planets of the Solar System. Today it was the planet Veectors not Zard that was the largest and most outstanding.

Visions of vast rewards were all the Veectoreze sentries could think of when they saw the decorated hall, and this alone caused excitement throughout the castle. Hete had done a good job at making each one of them believe they personally had been selected by Detis to come. He had a slight issue with the guards at the barracks because they were unwilling to leave the prison unguarded, but Hete in his way convinced them with certainty that the barracks were inescapable, and in the end these sentries too had agreed to come to the feast to receive their rewards.

As Hete hurried back to the Vaulted Room, he entered to see Tete, Fete, Nete, Rete, Vete, Cete, Mete and Wete in their best, but slightly tattered outfits standing a respectable distance from Saturna. They each held a shiny black gas canister with a flexible hose hanging down along the side. While Saturna talked excitedly about her plans to regain the castle, the Kievils made no eye contact and stood looking at the ground, some swinging the hose of the container back and forth.

"So my friends, I will lead you through the tunnel system to the balcony. We'll have to be extremely quiet. When we get there, you will position yourself evenly around the area and put on your mask. I will signal to you like this to turn the gas on," Saturna explained as she raised her arm in the air bringing it down quickly.

"Do you understand?" she asked, wondering why they all looked so disinterested.

There was no reply, only concerned looks on all the faces of the Kievils as they briefly looked up once and then down again at their hairy feet.

"Maybe I should go over the instructions again," she said, worried they were having trouble comprehending.

Noticing Hete at the back of the room, she motioned for him to enter the group. "Hete, could we speak privately for a moment?"

Walking over to meet him, Saturna took him out of the hearing range of the other Kievils. "We may have a bit of a problem. Your friends won't say one word to me. I'm not sure if they understand anything I've said," she whispered in his ear.

"They understand Saturna and they've all used sleeping gas before. They're just afraid because they recognize you as the inhabitant they put in the space pod. They didn't know you were the Queen of Zard and now they are worried you'll put them in prison after they complete this job."

"Oh my, I should have realized that. Thank you Hete for clearing this up. I'm so glad you arrived when you did." Smiling, Saturna returned to the group of Kievils huddled together. "My dear friends, Hete has told me of your concern. I understand some of you helped Detis place me in the space pod the other night, not knowing I was the Queen of Zard. I give you my word, witnessed by Peep, that none of you will be punished," she said with authority. "Detis is a cunning and ruthless inhabitant, who has stolen my kingdom and will begin to rule Zard tomorrow if we don't stop her tonight. If we allow the Veectoreze to rule the Solar System, life as we know it will change, and the freedoms that you enjoy today will be gone forever."

Saturna could see the Kievils beginning to relax, so Hete was right, they were worried about being punished. "If you agree to work with me tonight and pledge your allegiance to me as the true Queen of Zard, I promise to hire each and every one of you to assist Hete as my personal servants. Will you agree to this?" she asked.

The Kievils began to grin, looking at one another in delight. Uncle Tete finally broke the silence puffing out his chest while adjusting the collar of his olive green shirt. "I think I can speak on behalf of all of us, we most humbly accept your offer, Your Majesty. We thank you very much for your forgiveness and kindness."

"Well then, let's get to work, time is of the essence!" Saturna replied, walking the line and touching the shoulder of each one of them as a welcoming gesture. When Saturna approached the youngest Kievil Wete, he stepped towards her, and wrapping his arms around her legs, he hugged her tightly for a few minutes. Tickled, Saturna rubbed the top of his head and was surprised at how soft the ebony fur felt.

"Will I get a uniform like Hete?" he asked quietly.

Saturna laughed and said, "You most certainly will. Once we take back the castle, you will all be issued uniforms exactly like Hete's, given a place to live, and all the food you can eat."

The huge smiles on the faces of the Kievils were contagious, even Peep had to chuckle at the complete change in their disposition. In one big thump the eight Kievils sat down on the floor and began to adjust the settings on the large canisters for easier gas expulsion. Uncle Tete called out the correct coordinates in his booming voice and the rest of the Kievils turned the little square knobs of the cans completely focused on the job.

Very proud he had been able to help Saturna deal with the Kievil issue, Hete left the group. He quietly approached Peep, who stood on a table engrossed in a computer chip part, which was almost as big as she was. Whatever she was fixing Hete couldn't understand. It seemed like she was wasting time running her hand over and around the shiny object.

"Peep, I need to speak with you about something," he said in a worried voice.

Peep glanced up and then returned to her work. "I'm listening Hete, but I have to keep going as I'm having trouble overriding the program."

"Alright, remember when you said I should make a formal announcement. I don't know what to say because," Hete paused feeling embarrassed, "...because I've never been to a dinner where there were announcements and I don't know what they are."

"Oh Hete," said Peep as she stopped working and looked at him. "An announcement is just a speech where you talk about what is going to happen. You're very good at communicating, so just speak from your heart and remember you are doing this for Queen Saturna and the kingdom. The only issue you need to worry about is you have to keep talking for at least ten minutes to keep the Veectoreze distracted. Can you do that?"

"Yes, I know I can! Everyone always says I'm very good at talking. Thank you for helping me," replied Hete with a laugh as he began to plan out what he would say at the dinner.

Chapter Nineteen

It was a royal reception. The tables were dressed in expensive linens and overflowed with fabulous dishes of rare foods from every planet of the Solar System. Delicious aromas filled the air and drifted upwards causing the inhabitants on the balcony to wish they were guests at the banquet. One Urite servant stood regally at each table welcoming the guests, assisting with the seating, and secretly counting the number of sentries. The pompous Veectoreze were arriving in full uniform, wearing the formal colors of Veectors, black and gold, in anxious anticipation of recognition. Most carried weapons, but politely placed them beneath their chairs. Chatting cheerfully amongst themselves and blatantly ignoring the servants who scurried about clearing plates and refilling glasses, the Veectoreze appeared to be enjoying the get-together. Almost all of the tables were occupied. The Veectoreze had arrived promptly at the time Hete had requested.

Saturna knelt at the edge of the solid platinum balcony railing, peering anxiously over the top when she could. She had crawled carefully on her hands and knees to position the Kievils around the perimeter of the circular railing, which skirted the gallery of Grand Dining Hall, and was now using Peep to run between them as a messenger. Luckily being short, the Kievils only had about an inch of their furry heads protruding above the balcony wall. And as Saturna was having difficulty seeing them, she was sure the Veectoreze would not notice the eight Kievils dotting the top of the room. Suddenly Saturna noticed the smallest Kievil Wete, who was directly across from her, smiling excitedly and waving. He had obviously found a stool or something to stand on and was enjoying the entertainment below totally oblivious to the danger his actions put them in. Just as Saturna tried to discretely warn him to step down, Wete abruptly fell. Whether he had been pushed or had tittered off his platform, Saturna didn't care, she was thankful he hadn't been spotted by one of the Veectoreze.

There were many more Veectoreze than they had expected--almost one hundred more according to the Urite servant's count. Saturna was now worried the amount of sleeping gas would be inadequate. Although the Kievils had taken every container in Detis's quarters, they only had twenty-one bottles, enough for two hundred and ninety, not the three hundred and eighty-one sentries sitting below them. Saturna immediately contacted Anton, who explained the effects of the gas would last ten to fifteen minutes with that number of inhabitants. This new time restraint made it impossible to disarm the Veectoreze, get to the barracks, and release the Zardites before they'd awaken. But the problem in leaving the weapons was it would be easy for the Veectoreze to escape from the Grand Dining Hall when they awoke, even if the doors were bolted. Her original plan to have the Zardite army surround the Grand Dining Hall, forcing the Veectoreze to surrender inside, would now have to be scrapped.

"Welcome, welcome my friends. We are celebrating a great day and one that will go down in history for all to remember," said Hete perched on a tall stool at the front of the room, looking very official in his new black uniform.

Saturna took a deep breath and slowly exhaled as she listened. He really is a dear little creature, she thought. I truly believe he didn't understand what he was doing when he helped Detis place me in the space pod. Thinking about how her plan was proceeding, she reached down to the floor to get her gas mask ready and suddenly realized she had absent mindedly set it down in the tunnel. Her stomach churned and she felt a shiver of coldness terrified if she didn't find it soon, she would risk the affects of the gas and that would result in failure of her plan to retake the castle. "Think Saturna, think!" she yelled at herself. "I placed the mask somewhere when I stopped to help Wete and...?"

Crawling quietly, but quickly on her hands and knees, she rushed back towards the secret passageway to retrieve it, her thoughts racing wildly as she tried to remember where she had left the mask. She could see Peep several yards away curiously watching her actions. There was no time to explain. Saturna signaled Peep to get into position because the time to start the gas was rapidly approaching. Peep was the only one without a mask, and therefore would have to make a quick dash down the tunnel before the vapors were turned on.

As Saturna approached the passageway, it took a few moments for her eyes to adjust to the darkness. She remembered placing the mask down when she helped the smallest Kievil, Wete, catch one of his three containers, which had slipped and started rolling backwards down the walkway. But where did it happen? Taking a few more steps she thought the mask should be here, yet she could see nothing but dust. "Voices, that's odd, I can hear voices," whispered Saturna. Sure enough, she could hear a conversation through the wall. Feeling the rock for a thinning area, which usually indicated a secret door, she fingered a large crack in the brick. Her hand touched a cluster of delicate cobwebs and she grimaced as she cleared them away before placing her ear against the cold surface.

"My apologies Thor, the officers who placed you in the barracks did so because you were wearing a Zardite uniform. I don't understand why they didn't recognize you from the competitions; just remember they are lowly Veectoreze sentries. That of course is no excuse, so I'll deal with them later," said Pont, waving his hand back and forth with importance as he spoke.

Thor stood at attention although Pont had told him to relax. He was still angry at spending several hours cramped with the Zardites in prison. If it hadn't been for an old Veectoreze school chum recognizing him, he still would have been there.

Picking up Thor's hostility, Pont continued, "Have no hard feelings Thor, you'll soon receive the honor you deserve. Now, when I left Veectors, I was told to prepare for Queen Detis's arrival tomorrow. But I have just heard she is coming to a celebration tonight."

"That is what the Kievil Hete is telling us," replied Thor curtly, refusing to buy in to Pont's poor explanation.

Pont shifted his weight from one foot to the other and tilted his head. He squinted his beady eyes trying to understand what Thor was saying. "Do you mean the stupid Kievil employed by Detis? Were we not officially told by someone on Veectors?" asked Pont.

"That would be the Kievil Hete. I don't know where he got his information. Now if you will excuse me, I'd like to get ready. The celebration has begun and we are obliged to attend," answered Thor.

"There's no time to get ready! We must get to the Grand Dining Hall immediately...and bring your weapon, I'm starting to think something is very wrong!" yelled Pont.

Almost forgetting about her gas mask Saturna spun around and took two giant steps toward the balcony before she remembered why she had returned to the passageway. Kneeling down she anxiously felt the cold dusty floor where she thought the mask should be. Her heart pounded as her hands slid quickly over the rough hard rock, while she peered about in the dusky blackness. She had to beat Thor and the unknown speaker to the hall and somehow warn Hete! And now she was wasting precious minutes!

"Where is it!" she said, starting to tremble. "I have to find it..."

Because her vision was poor in the tunnel, she was only able to see a short distance ahead and every time she moved it took a few seconds for her eyes to readjust, which frustrated her all the more.

"I mustn't panic. I'll let the mask come to me," she said to herself, trying to calm her rapid heart rate. Relaxing and letting her auri lead her, she continued to walk slowly up the passageway towards the Grand Dining Hall with her arms outstretched. "The mask will come to me, the mask will come to me," she said over and over, pouring all her energy into locating it.

And so it did. Right in front of her, caught on a small outcropping, the mask dangled precariously. Grabbing it, Saturna bolted towards the balcony and slid out of the tunnel's opening falling to her hands and knees. As she crawled into position she could hear Hete still talking.

"...and so because of this, I will be in charge of the castle, second only to our Queen Detis. You see things are slightly different on Zard compared to the planet Veectors. Kievils are well respected here, almost revered..."

Saturna attempt to steal a peek over the top of the rail, the Veectoreze seemed quite engrossed in what Hete was saying. She tried to remain calm and think of a way to warn Hete, but panic began to encompass her being and her mind went completely blank.

"Give me the courage to fight for my kingdom and the strength to stand up to the Veectoreze," she prayed quietly. Catching Peep's attention, she signaled for her to prepare for plan two or plan three. Saturna would decide which plan to use in the next few minutes. She felt her palms becoming sweaty as she prepared to signal the Kievils and wiped them on her jacket, grateful they had practiced each of the hand signals several times.

A large crash was heard below and Saturna risked a second look over the railing. There was Thor standing with the low ranking dignitary, Pont. They had come close to ripping the door off the frame when they entered the Great Dining Hall and she saw Thor still clutching a piece of the handle in his hand threateningly.

"What is going on here?" demanded Pont rudely interrupting Hete's speech.

"Welcome, please be seated my friends. We are just discussing the workings of the castle and who is in charge until our Queen arrives tonight," replied Hete, ignoring the loud boorish entrance.

"What Queen? The Queen is on Veectors and is not arriving tonight. Arrest him and all the Urites. They'll go to prison to pay for this charade. You'll soon learn who is in charge of the castle, Hete, my friend," said Pont sarcastically.

There was incredible chaos when all at once the Veectoreze sentries stood. Many of them knocked chairs backwards onto the floor as they reached for their weapons and a Urite servant to arrest. Thor watched the scene unfold and it infuriated him that no one had yet arrested Hete, the instigator. With a loud roar, he made his way to the front of the room, pushing anyone and everyone out of his way. Hete, frozen with fright remained standing, glued to the stool and cringing at the approaching giant.

Horrified at the events, Saturna stood to full height. Gathering her courage she gripped the railing and called out, "My inhabitants, the Queen is indeed here and I COMMAND YOU to stop all this nonsense at once!"

The uproar began to soften and the disbelieving Veectoreze sentries now stood still, looking upwards at Saturna. Regal and confident, Saturna met the gaze of the inhabitants, especially those of Thor and Pont.

"Well Queen Saturna, this indeed is a surprise and puts us in a very difficult situation. I must notify my superiors and ask for direction. If you'd excuse me," said Pont, bowing his head.

"I will not excuse you Pont and let me remind you that I am your superior! You take direction from me. Thor, General of the Camp, I command that you apprehend dignitary Pont and take control of the sentries in this room!"

While Saturna stood her ground against the Veectoreze with all eyes upon her, Uncle Tete tried to get the attention of Hete. He was still perched upon the stool, which was now to the backs of the Veectoreze, who had turned around to listen to Saturna. Without any way of escape Hete was in trouble, and Uncle Tete had a solution to save him. Dropping a long rope over the edge of the balcony with hopes Hete could grab onto it, Uncle Tete planned to pull him up over the balcony with the aid of the other Kievils. The problem was Hete, who was now afraid for Saturna, was oblivious to the rope, which dangled one and a half inches above his head almost hitting him whenever Uncle Tete swung it from side to side.

"Ppeee, ppeee," called Uncle Tete softly, using a child-like Kievil whistle noise, which was similar to the sound of a squeaky floor board. Recognizing the unusual tone, Hete looked up to where the noise was originating and realized what Uncle Tete planned. Latching onto the rope, Hete pulled it down and tied it around his waist. Immediately four of the Kievils began to heave him up, and within seconds, Hete was swinging out of control in the air above the Veectoreze sentries, who were all still mesmerized with the sudden appearance of Queen Saturna.

Saturna bit her inner lip as she watched Hete come dangerously close to Thor's head and then swing back towards Pont, not just once but twice. It was a miracle no one saw him. Afraid for Hete's life, Saturna knew she had to keep all eyes upon her, and so she kept talking. She listened to the responses from Pont, interrupted him, and noisily tapped her fingers on the railing in an attempt to maintain the attention of the group. It was difficult to keep a neutral face when the charade occurring behind the Veectoreze was so dangerously real. She could hear little sound as the rope sneaked its way upward, but there appeared to be something wrong, for as much as the rope inched up, it always came back down the same amount. Consequently Hete continued to hover in almost exactly the same position. As she conversed with Pont, Saturna had to also become one with her auri. She informed the Urite servants to quietly leave the room during this distraction, and told them to lock the doors because she had a feeling things were about to become very ugly.

"I'm sorry to make you aware of this, Your Majesty, but Thor is not under your command any longer and neither am I. Queen Detis will return tomorrow to claim the throne and the kingdom will be moved to Veectors. You may wish to surrender to me now," replied Pont, arrogantly.

"I am Saturna, Queen of Zard and YOU FORGET YOUR PLACE, dignitary Pont! Thor, General of the Camp, I order you again to arrest this treasonous inhabitant."

Thor remained unmoving with his hands at his sides. He felt extremely guilty when he remembered receiving the title of 'General of the Camp' from Queen Saturna. He could still hear her words: _You are to lose your identity with Veectors and never be seen favoring the planet of your birth. As well, the responsibility of my safety and well-being will also be upon your shoulders_. She had said this when the platinum statue had been placed in his arms.

"Please My Queen! Do not ask me to turn against my planet and my inhabitants. I don't deserve the honor you placed upon me," answered Thor, bowing his head in shame.

Hete was becoming quite a spectacle now, swinging wildly about ten feet above the heads of the Veectoreze. He flailed his arms and legs as though he was swimming and Saturna couldn't figure out why he would think that would help. The rope was now moving upward more than downward, but was still making poor progress. Saturna hoped the Kievils wouldn't drop him.

It was becoming awkward to keep the attention of everyone in the crowd and when the rope suddenly began to make a squeaky noise, Saturna raised her voice to a holler. "Yes Thor, you do deserve the honor of General of the Camp," she shouted. "I'm aware of your many accomplishments. I saw how well you handled the bullen and it was an honor for the Zardian Solar System when you won the platinum statue. You are respected by your peers and the officers in your troop. And I take pride that you are now part of the Zardite army. Every inhabitant should be proud of their heritage and I will not ask you to turn against your planet. I only ask, what I ask of all the inhabitants of the kingdom, and that is to do what is right."

Pont stood looking bored at her speech and picked at his fingernails. "A lot of niceties, but I'm afraid you have no backup, no support. You see it's too late, your army is locked in the barracks and we will not be intimidated by you. What is done; is done. Please come down from the balcony child. We have business to attend to and you are wasting my time," demanded Pont.

Saturna could feel something pulling at her pant leg and glancing downward, Peep was standing on her shoe whispering, "Plan two, plan two is the only plan that will work!" She knew Peep was right, they had no other option.

"If you choose not come down from the balcony maybe if we start to shoot your servants one by one, you'll change your mind! How about if we start with the stupid Kievil?" said Pont turning to point to Hete. Seeing the empty stool, Pont began to anxiously scan the room. "Find him you idiots!" he yelled angrily.

Again there was chaos. The sentries bumped into each other looking for the non-Veectoreze in the room, quickly realizing it wasn't just Hete, but that all the Urites had vanished too. Tables and chairs were overturned to uncover hiding places with no success. By this time, sentries had rushed to the nearest doorways discovering the doors bolted shut from the outside. As one of the sentries turned to notify Pont about the situation, he tripped on an overturned chair and tumbled to the floor. It was from this vantage point that he saw Hete dangling fifteen feet above them. The scream for Pont's attention quickly engaged all eyes on the swinging Kievil.

"Shoot him, shoot him, don't let him escape!" commanded Pont to the sentry who had originally spotted him.

When the sentry started to raise his weapon, Saturna screamed as loudly as she could, "Plan two, Plan two!"

Immediately, the room was plunged into darkness.

Chapter Twenty

Saturna barely had time to get her gas mask on when she heard the hissing sound, coming from the opening of the valves on the gas containers. She also heard and saw the purple light of the laser. "Please don't let Hete be hurt," she said, trembling as she felt her way towards the passageway. She could see nothing, had no idea where anyone else was, and felt herself becoming more and more anxious. There was very little time to get to the barracks and open the cells.

"My Queen, let me guide you," said Maize through her auri. Touching Saturna's outstretched arm, Maize began to lead Saturna quickly forward. Even with her aging Urite eyes, Maize could see perfectly in the dark. When the castle lights had been extinguished, Maize sensing Saturna's panic had left the kitchen to find her. Through her auri, she had realized the Queen needed help to get through the totally black tunnel. Completely trusting Maize, Saturna ran through the blackness clutching the tiny creature's hand.

When they stepped through the doorway at the end of the passageway they found themselves outside. It was dusk and although the exterior lights were out where they were standing, Saturna noticed the lights were still on in the barracks. Peep had created a blackout in the castle, but had she been able to break into and override the prison's computer? Saturna didn't know. If the lights were on, it meant the cells were locked and the alarm still activated. She would use her ring, but it would be impossible to open five hundred cells in ten minutes without Peep's help.

Saturna and Maize arrived at the barracks at the exact same time as the Urite kitchen servants. The twenty Urites looking so tiny and helpless made Saturna cautious in her direction. Peaceful seeking Urites were no match for the angry, volatile Veectoreze.

"Thank you all for your loyalty. We must act quickly. As I begin to release the prisoners please assist anyone who needs aid and then leave the castle grounds. I don't want any of you in the middle of the fighting. Has anyone seen Peep?" asked Saturna as she hastily made her way towards the prison entrance.

"Your Majesty, I'm here," said Peep, calling from the pocket of one of the Urites. "I'll begin the computer analysis and link it to the program I developed on the castle's computer. If you start opening the cells manually, I should be able to take over in three to four minutes."

Yelling an affirmative reply, Saturna ran into the barracks and immediately went to cell number four. Placing her ring against the translucent lock, she watched as the insides turned, disengaging. When the door opened, she looked into the smoky gray eyes of Anton. They said no words to one another, for there was no time, but their minds linked for a brief second and Saturna's energy was renewed.

The moment Anton exited, the alarm sounded, deafening everyone inside the prison. Ignoring the noise, Saturna ran back to cell number one and placing her ring upon the lock, found Yuko when the door slid away. Again, there was no communication between them, time was of the essence. Proceeding from cell to cell, Saturna moved as quickly as she was able, unlocking one door at a time. As each inhabitant left the enclosure, an alarm triggered adding to the noise, which was becoming so intense the building seemed to vibrate.

It wasn't until Saturna open cell number fourteen that she paused. There was no one to meet her at the door. She could see a body lying on a small bed near the window. As she stepped into the room triggering the alarm, she felt Gondee's auri. Running to the cot, she knelt, tears instantly filling her dark eyes.

"I'm here Gondee. I'm here to help you," she said softly in his ear.

As she looked for signs of life, the incredibly loud alarms suddenly ceased, and were replaced by a constant clicking noise which echoed down the long hallway. She gave thanks knowing Peep had overridden the barrack's computer and was opening the cells from the main control station.

"My little one, I knew no harm had come of you," whispered Gondee, turning his head slowly towards her.

Many footsteps thundered past the doorway and the shouting of orders could now be heard in the distance. Ignoring the noise, Saturna gently began to stroke Gondee's arm.

"I was so frightened when I thought I had lost you. We must get out of the barracks because there may be fighting. If you can lean on me, I will take you to a safe place," said Saturna tenderly, as she tried to lift him off the bed.

"No My Queen, you must leave me. Have I failed you in my teachings of your duty to the crown?" asked Gondee with some difficulty.

"You were more than a great teacher, you were like a father to me and you're more important to me than my kingdom."

"Although you may feel that way you must remember, I am but one of your inhabitants. You must regain your kingdom for all in the Solar System to protect them from Detis and the Veectoreze."

"My dear Gondee, have no fear. Detis will not usurp my kingdom. You have taught me well."

Standing up Saturna called to Maize through her auri. Appearing almost instantly with three other Urites, Saturna bade them to assist the weakened Gondee and to remove him from the barracks. Knowing Gondee was in good hands Saturna turned to leave the cell, more determined than ever to take back what belonged to her.

Within twenty minutes over five hundred Zardites were armed and ready for battle. Yuko and Anton stood on a mound in front of the troops giving orders. They would assume positions inside the castle wall and prepare for the Veectoreze to wake up from the sleeping gas. The Zardite sentries were ordered to place their lasers on stun, but were to expect the Veectoreze would have their lasers locked on kill.

Saturna returned to the inner courtyard to find the Zardite troops already dispersing. A small group had been sent to lock down the landing strip and to arrest the inhabitants of any Veectoreze ship. A larger group was assigned positions on the top wall of the barracks, and the rest were told to hide themselves in strategic areas in and along the castle wall. The operation was running extremely smoothly and Saturna was proud of how quickly her well trained army melted into position.

"Don't be ridiculous Thor! It was a meager attempt to regain the castle. The child Queen, a Kievil, some useless Urites, and sleeping gas. I've been assured by experts that the barracks are inescapable. We didn't even hear alarms. So, let's focus on finding Saturna and cleaning up this mess before Queen Detis arrives tomorrow. Everything must be in order or we won't get the promotions we've been promised," said Pont as they swiftly walked towards the barracks behind the marching Veectoreze sentries.

The Veectoreze had been asleep for nineteen minutes. But it had taken them another twenty minutes to get organized and reprogram the castle computer to turn on the lights. There had been no sense of urgency or panic. Pont, unlike Thor, felt no threat from Saturna's unimpressive group. As the Veectoreze sentries approached the inner courtyard, they stopped abruptly in their tracks, surprised to see Yuko and Anton standing alone and unarmed on the mound.

"Move on, move on," yelled Pont, pushing his way forward until he too saw the two Zardites on the mound. "What have we here? Were these inhabitants not placed in prison with the others, Thor?"

Completely ignoring Pont, Anton looked at Thor and calmly said, "Zard Officer Thor, I believe you stand with the wrong group of soldiers."

Towering over the other Veectoreze, Thor bowed his head in embarrassment and did not respond.

"Dignitary Pont, you and your sentries are surrounded. You will put down your arms immediately and surrender peacefully, in the way of our Solar System. You are now formally charged with treason against the Queen of Zard and our Solar System," said Yuko in a most dignified manner.

"Really Yuko, how humorous, this is almost as funny as Saturna's attempt with the sleeping gas. Surrounded, where? I don't see anyone," replied Pont with a snort.

"Please address me with my full title. It is Queen Saturna to you!" said Saturna, stepping out from behind the enclosure where Anton had placed her for her safety.

Several of the Zardite sentries now came into view with their weapons drawn. Thor drew Pont's attention to the sentries on the roof of the barracks.

Stepping closer to Thor, Pont took a deep breath, "You misunderstand me, My Queen, and fellow inhabitants. I was sent to Zard to improve communications when we feared you were lost." Whispering something quickly to Thor, Pont discretely removed Thor's weapon from his belt. "We must celebrate, now that you are alive and well. Shall we return to the Grand Dining Hall?" he asked, inching his way slowly backwards towards the castle.

"Veectoreze, drop your weapons and proceed quietly to the barracks," yelled Anton when he saw Pont changing position.

Ignoring Anton's order and stepping in the direction of higher ground, Pont turned suddenly and took aim at Saturna. Leaping in front of her Anton yanked the Queen down just as Pont pulled the trigger. They fell to the dirt and rolled to the bottom of the embankment. The mound where Saturna had been standing exploded, sending a shower of dust into the air.

Thor snapped his head in Pont's direction and took two rapid steps toward him. As Pont raised the laser a second time, Thor grabbed him by the arm and collar, twisting his hand until he dropped the weapon. Before it had a chance to hit the ground, four other beams originating from the castle wall, hit Thor and Pont in the chest causing them to collapse. Watching this transpire, the other Veectoreze sentries instantly released their weapons surrendering to the Zardites.

A single high pitched whistle was heard and the Zardite army reacted by emerging from all hiding places. The area was immediately flooded with soldiers, who began rounding up the Veectoreze. Thor and Pont still unconscious from the stun laser were assessed by the Zardite physician, and then moved to the prison along with the others.

At the bottom of the mound holding Saturna for one moment more than was proper, Anton stood and lifted her to an upright position. He said nothing at first because he felt slightly embarrassed about the situation. Not sure if he should apologize or try to explain why he did what he did, he finally decided to say nothing about Pont and the laser. "You should make your way to the Vaulted Room and stay there until things are settled," he said, motioning for three sentries to escort her.

"Thank you," she whispered, thinking mere words were not enough for saving her life. She brushed the dirt from her jacket and looked longingly at Anton as he gave orders to the sentries, who had come to stand beside her. She felt an incredible closeness to him. As she turned to make her way up the path to the castle, their minds linked. "I belong at your side Anton," she said through thought.

"And I with you, My Queen," he answered, flushing at the boldness of his reply. He stole one last glance wishing their fates were different. Knowing he must remember his place, he turned back knowing protocol would never allow them to be together.

Chapter Twenty-one

The strong smell of dust and plaster was apparent when Yuko arrived at the Queen's chambers. The Urite workers were removing the secret doorway Detis had used to gain entrance to the royal suite, sealing it permanently with stone. It was very early in the morning and the green sun had just peeked over the distant mountains yet Saturna was already working diligently at her desk.

"My Queen, your servants have been accounted for. All except Hete, who we believe may have escaped into the forest with the other Kievils. The non-army inhabitants have returned to the castle and Gondee is in his quarters, as you requested, now recovering."

Small peeps could be heard coming from the little castle in Saturna's chambers. The realm had quickly, it seemed, returned to normal.

"Thank you, Yuko. As you can see the entranceway used on the night of my kidnapping is being sealed, although I can't say I agree with your assessment. These are the same passageways which helped me regain the castle."

"Yes Your Majesty, however it is only one entrance way, the most dangerous one because it leads from here to the outside wall and into the forest."

Saturna frowned and changed the subject. "What still needs to be done for the arrival of Detis? She'll be on Zard in less than four and a half hours."

The plan Saturna decided on with advice from Yuko, Oron, and Anton was simple. Zard as commanded by Veectors would hold a receiving party for Detis. They would not inform anyone of Saturna's safe return, and hopefully with a little push from Saturna's faithful servants, Detis would incriminate herself in front of all the inhabitants. Detis expected a royal reception and so they would give her one. Zardites and Urites from the town and surrounding area had been invited for the arrival celebration, most unaware of the Veectoreze siege.

"The Urites have worked all night to complete the preparations, yet there is one issue we must address. Detis will be expecting some dignitaries from Veectors to greet her when she arrives. I have discussed this with Anton and he suggested Thor to head the group. In regards to his title as General of the Camp," he paused for a moment, "I have not reinstated the rank, even though he did apprehend Pont before they were both stunned by the laser."

"What do you advise as the best measure?" asked Saturna, recalling her conversation with Thor in the Grand Dining Hall.

"Extending our hand to Thor would be the first step towards peace with the Veectoreze. If he will again join us, we could have six or seven trustworthy Veectoreze sentries of Thor's choosing on the landing strip, and put Thor in charge of them. Seven Veectoreze sentries in full uniform would be enough I feel, to put Detis at ease. And depending on how Thor does with the assignment should determine whether or not he regains his title."

"So be it, Yuko. Please make the arrangements," commanded Saturna.

Hete turned over and yawned. Stretching out one arm and then the other and then one leg and then the other, he yawned again. What a wonderful sleep I had, he thought. The best sleep I've had in years! Keeping his eyes closed, he wiggled life back into his fingers and toes, and began to think about his exciting dream. It seemed so real. He had been flying, flying above all the inhabitants, free and light. What an amazing feeling! Wait a minute, he thought, sitting up abruptly and opening his eyes.

"I think I was flying last night," he whispered to himself. The faint memory of the rope and Uncle Tete came back to him, but his last vivid recollection was the lights going out.

He found himself sitting on the blue marble balcony floor in the Grand Dining Hall, in the corner near the wall with the tattered rope still about his waist, wondering how he got there. But this thought lasted for only a few minutes until the growling of his stomach soon made him think about breakfast. As he stood up, he yawned and stretched again. By the time he removed the constricting rope from around his middle he was already unconcerned about his whereabouts, and more concerned about eating whipals. Starting on his trek to the kitchen, Saturna suddenly popped into his mind. He recalled his new friend being in some kind of trouble. Scratching his head, Hete paused and figured that he should probably check first on Saturna, and then go for breakfast. The decision to put Saturna before his stomach was extremely significant for Hete, because as a Kievil it could only mean one thing, he was growing up.

Whistling a little tune he started down the staircase. Memories of the siege and Pont's angry words started to come back to him. Stopping on the third step, he turned around deciding to take the tunnel system instead of the main hallway--the last inhabitant he wanted to run into was Thor. As he felt his way through the darkness Hete thought he could hear banging. He was close to Saturna's chambers and wondered if he had made a big mistake coming this way. Who could be making all the noise in his secret tunnel?

Inching nervously forward, he planned to turn and run at the first sign of trouble. Something was stirring up the dust in the passageway and when he paused to wipe the grime from his eyes and fight the urge to sneeze, he contemplated the situation. There were definitely others in his tunnel, but what they doing here he didn't know? Creeping ever so softly, Hete approached the area where he knew the secret door to be. Newly layered bricks blocked his way.

Puzzled by this discovery Hete turned his attention to the original old wall. There were no viewing holes so he used a claw to dig at the mortar. It took some time to create a small gap, but he was pleased with the results. When he placed his eye at the hole he could see someone sitting at the royal desk. It looked like Saturna, but he wasn't quite sure.

He remembered being with Detis at this exact location in the tunnel and hoped he wouldn't uncover her in Saturna's suite. I'll just have to take a chance, he thought, unable to think of another idea. "Psssst Saturna," he called, pressing his mouth against the crack. His plan was to turn and flee into the forest if it wasn't her.

"Hete, is that you?" asked Saturna, coming towards the stone wall.

"Yes, it's me! Open the door. Someone has put new bricks in the way," he called loudly.

"You can't get in that way anymore. Go back twenty feet to the entranceway by the gold door. I'll meet you there," said Saturna excitedly.

Dashing out of her chambers and around the four surprised sentries standing at the gold door, Saturna ran to the end of the hall. She felt the back of the statue for the lever and pulled. The once invisible doorway opened and there in front of her was a very dusty, but grinning Kievil, who immediately hurried towards her. He grasped her legs and hugged them tightly.

"I'm so glad to see you, Hete!" said Saturna, rubbing his head. "No one in the castle knew what became of you and I was worried. Are you alright?"

Hete smiled and looked up at her. "I'm fine. I fell asleep on the balcony and just woke up. I remembered you were in trouble. So I came to find you."

"Oh Hete, we were successful! I have to thank you because I know I couldn't have done it without your help. You, my friend are a very brave Kievil!" said Saturna smiling. "Now Hete, Detis arrives today and I need some more help. Are you up to it?"

"Of course I am, but do you think we have time for breakfast before we get to work?" he asked softly.

Saturna giggled. "We most certainly do! Let's go right now and eat and I'll tell you all about it.

Chapter Twenty-two

The royal space ship arrived at the castle's landing strip exactly on time. On either side of the transporter the large dark blue Zardite 'Z' was noticeably gone, replaced with the black Veectoreze 'V'. The ship flew over the blue carpet that had been placed across the runway, erratically hovering back and forth before it landed. It seemed as though the pilot was purposely aiming for the musicians, who were playing one of the royal welcoming tunes.

When the engines of the ship were quieted the dignitaries in full uniform quickly moved into position. Protocol put the Zardites at the right side of the transporter next to the door. Thor of Veectors stood nervously at the front of the line, dressed in a Veectoreze uniform. He supported Gondee ever so lightly beside him. Next stood Anton, Yuko and Oron in full military dress. Seven other Veectoreze sentries followed, their uniforms reflecting the colors of their planet.

The local Zardite inhabitants sat in the newly erected stands at the opposite end of the blue carpet, awaiting a glimpse of the unknown special guest. They were there out of curiosity, but actually more interested in the food and drink that had been promised to them following the arrival ceremony. When the door of the ship opened there was much nattering about who would be exiting. A buzzing filled the air almost drowning out the music.

There seemed to be a shape in the doorway, but no one was able to identify who it was. They could only see moving blackness. Within an instant the most unexpected inhabitant stepped out of the craft and onto the tarmac. The talking stopped, the music stopped, and there was utter silence as the gawking crowd tried to understand why they had been called to greet Detis. She was dressed in a beautiful, but unusual black gown, which seemed to grow from her skin. When the wind caught the train of the dress it made Detis even larger and more frightening. Glancing once towards Thor, Detis ignored the rest of the dignitaries and approached the stands. The nearer she got, the more the inhabitants cringed, sensing an impending doom.

Strolling to the podium that had been set up for her, Detis scanned the crowd with intensity, and then turned to the Veectoreze dignitary who had accompanied her. "Make the announcement to this pathetic group, Razore, the authorities on Zard are useless!"

Moving to stand beside her, Razore spoke in his most elegant tone. "My fine inhabitants, we are here today to publically announce a most unfortunate occurrence. So close to the passing of a great King, Queen Saturna has also been taken from us, leaving the former Princess Detis with an immense burden. We ask that you join us in celebration as she has already been crowned Queen of the Solar System and has come here today to meet her inhabitants on Zard. You will now bow to Queen Detis!"

Nine thousand inhabitants sat silently staring at Detis and Diplomat Razore. The announcement had taken them by surprise. Detis, the Queen of the Solar System! The Zardite dignitaries still in their positions near the ship made eye contact with one another. The response of the inhabitants was what they had expected-- it was almost time to engage their plan. As Anton started to take a step forward, Gondee touched his arm.

"Wait a few more minutes before you approach her," he whispered, leaning a little more on Thor's arm for support. "We must wait for her to show her real personality to the crowd."

True to what Gondee said, it didn't take long for Detis to become furious at the lack of response from the inhabitants. She had not expected massive cheering, but the silence and disrespectful stares were more than she could stand!

"These worthless Zardites will pay, oh how they will pay," she cursed. Pushing Razore to the side, she addressed the crowd. "You will bow to me on your hands and knees! From now on this will be the way you approach your Queen! I will not tolerate mistakes, SERVE me and you will be rewarded, FAIL and you will no longer be part of the Solar System. Do you understand? Get on your hands and knees now!" she screeched, pushing the podium violently off the mound towards the inhabitants, who remained frozen to their seats.

With a loud crash, blackness began to surround her and flow into the crowd. The Urites became frightened, babies began to cry, and all of the inhabitants shuddered as they came to realize what was happening. One by one, they fell to their hands and knees using the ancient way of greeting royalty. Anton, handsome in his army uniform was quite noticeable as he walked casually towards Detis around the subservient inhabitants and fallen podium.

"You, on your hands and knees!" snarled Detis, knowing now that Anton would have no choice but to do as she bid. "I hope you've learned from your past mistake because I won't be as tolerant this time," she added with a smirk.

Anton remained standing and walked over to her. "I honor you as My Queen. Please let me kiss the royal ring," he said loudly as he knelt on one knee before her.

"That will not be necessary," replied Detis, hiding her left hand.

"You do have the royal ring, My Queen...so the inhabitants know you have been chosen to reign?" asked Anton innocently, but loudly, turning to address the crowd. "...because I don't see it upon your left index finger!"

Mumbling began among the Zardites and a head popped up here and there. Detis looked nervous.

Gaining her composure she sternly stated, "I will have the royal ring very soon. Saturna sent it to me when she realized her time was near. I am the heir to the throne and you WILL obey me! All of you WILL obey me, or I shall deal with you one by one! Guards! Where are the Veectoreze guards?"

The seven Veectoreze sentries rushed to the podium around Anton, but did nothing because they had been told they were at the ceremony for show only. Detis, shocked at the small number of Veectoreze sentries who had come to her call, stood waiting for the rest of them. When no more Veectoreze guards arrived, she became distraught and seemed to lose focus, looking left and right for gold and black uniforms.

"Do you have a witness to prove Queen Saturna sent the ring to you of her own free will?" questioned Anton at the top of his voice, noting her uneasiness.

"I will not be interrogated by the likes of you! I have lost a husband, a daughter, and now faithful servant named Hete who sadly and unexpectedly was killed after he sent the royal ring to me. If he was here today, he would tell you Saturna gave the ring to me of her own free will!" replied Detis tearfully, bowing her head in an attempt to get sympathy from the inhabitants.

"Don't be sad, Your Majesty. I'm right here. I wasn't killed at all," exclaimed Hete, jumping up from the still half-kneeling crowd, all of whom were attentively watching and listening to the unbelievable drama.

Detis paled and then turned crimson, unable to speak for a moment. Gripping the sides of her gown tightly, she looked into crowd and realized from the inhabitant's side glances at Hete, that some of them knew who he was.

"Find the rest of Veectoreze sentries," she whispered to Razore through gritted teeth turning her attention to Hete. "Hete my friend, how wonderful to see you're safe. My heart is joyous. Come to me now and bring me the royal ring," said Detis, trying to sound cheerful and raising her arms in welcome.

"I can't do that because the royal ring belongs to the Queen," Hete called back to her, unmoving from his position in the crowd.

"Don't be ridiculous, my faithful servant. I'm the Queen, and I command you to come to me now!" Detis said, getting angry.

"No you aren't, she is!" Hete yelled, pointing to Saturna who suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

Dressed in a white satin and lace gown, and looking more exquisite than ever, Saturna made her way slowly to the front of the gathering. She proudly held out her hand showing the royal ring on her left index finger and invited the nervous inhabitants to stand. One by one they did as they were told.

This can't be happening, thought Detis, blinking rapidly. She looked about for Diplomat Razore and the Veectoreze guards and saw that they were gone. Realizing she was alone and trapped by thousands of inhabitants surrounding her, she had no choice but to face Saturna. Angry, worried and now humbled, she let herself fall to the ground in hopes she could beg for forgiveness on her hands and knees.

"Rise Detis, and face your charge of treason. We do not kneel before royalty on Zard," said Saturna as she approached her. Watching her rise on wobbly legs, Saturna felt no pity. "You will be stripped of your royal title and all belongings and shall be moved to a cave on the northern side of the planet with contact from no inhabitant. As you are well aware, high treason is the only crime in the Solar System punishable by death. I spare your life because you were a wife to my father. However, your name shall be removed from the archives and all remembrances of you will be burned. As far as Zard is concerned you did not exist!" stated Saturna loudly and clearly.

Hanging her head in defeat, Detis made no reply. Anton waited for a nod from Saturna before he removed the deflated Detis from the tarmac. Diplomat Razore and the other Veectoreze diplomats who had arrived with her tried to blend into the crowd, but were quickly surrounded by Anton's men. Saturna watched unmoved as Detis and the Veectoreze diplomats were escorted away before she climbed the mound and turned to face the crowd.

"My inhabitants rise and join me in celebration, for today will go down in history. This day marks a victory in the beginning of my reign! I am Queen of Zard, Queen of the Solar System, chosen by my father to rule. Let no one, male or female ever challenge the crown again, for I have successfully defended it and will always be ready to do so. Come and let us celebrate a victory for our planet!"

Justice had been served and Saturna knew her father would have been proud. Pausing to gaze at her inhabitants, she saw Gondee, looking so tiny and helpless beside the enormous Thor. The Wisdom Keeper had come to support her today although she had strictly forbidden it. Across the field she saw Yuko organizing the troops and prisoners, and near the castle wall Oron, preaching all was well as he ushered the inhabitants inside the castle for food and drink. She was thankful, extremely thankful to have such wonderful advisors and friends!

"Can you see him? Can you see Anton? We should wait here for him, My Queen," said Peep, beaming as she leaned out of Saturna's front pocket.

Saturna smiled at her little friend. "Anton is too busy to worry about me. He has a demanding job, and besides Hete's been put in charge of our security. It's really his place to assist us. Here he comes now in his new red uniform."

But when she looked again, she noticed Anton had joined Hete at the bottom of the mound and was approaching her. Their eyes met and locked, and her heart missed a beat.

"Hey Saturna, we're here to escort you and Peep to the castle. We have to hurry before all the celebration cake is gone," said Hete, puffing out his chest and grinning from ear to ear. "Things went very well Saturna, don't you think?" he asked with a chuckle.

"Yes, my dear friend Hete, things went very well."

And they all burst into laughter.

The End

Dear Reader,

I hope you enjoyed _Saturna and the Battle for Zard_. The sequel _Saturna and the Secrets of the Kingdom_ is now available as an ebook and paperback.

_Saturna and the Secrets of the Kingdom_ is the second book in the Saturna series. Saturna has won the war, but the battle continues. With conflict on the planet Veectors, security issues on Jattee, and a major political situation on Mevot, Saturna must deal with each challenge to maintain control of the Zardian Empire. On route to the ice planet Mevot, a solar storm forces the royal spaceship to seek refuge on Turnti, an advanced planet where the inhabitants communicate by telepathy. Here, Saturna discovers secrets about her mother's past and learns to harness her telepathic abilities. A second unscheduled stop on Thespa, a planet well known for its great beasts and dragons, proves to be valuable when Saturna uncovers a long forgotten secret.

For more books by D. P. Scott go to http://www.dpscott.ca
