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  Ben shook his head. "No, this is only if something were to happen to us, and we died or were incapable of the child's day to day care. Family status was never an issue, because the child would remain a member of the original family, even if they were the only surviving member."

  Hjoolous nodded. "This I will explain to my councilors. With that understanding I would be honored to accept. I will also ensure the child retains their original birthright as your heir." He thought a moment before nodding. "Let me call you back tomorrow with a final answer. I cannot see how they can deny this, it is simply a friend caring for the offspring of their friends. That has been done before, although it has never had an official title."

  "It does have some legal ramifications, Majesty. You would gain the legal right to make decisions on behalf of the child such as for medical care and educational issues. You would become their guardian in the event of our deaths," Jorga explained.

  Hjoolous nodded. "Yes, that has been the case in the past. Guardianship or stewardship of a youngling - nothing more. This is much more feasible. I will call you back," he said excitedly and closed the call.

  Deirdre smiled at Ben and Jorga. "He really wants to do this for us."

  Ben nodded. "He doesn't have that many people he can call friend. I'm sure he doesn't want to let us down."

  "The Emperor has requested all the information I have about the duties and responsibilities of being a Godparent," Mother replied. "I don't know if he is gathering proof for his legal councilors or is simply wanting to make sure he knows what his duties will be."

  "Probably both," Jorga said and finished setting the table for dinner.

  The next day, Marcy was back to see Ben. He was prepared for another blasting about the bombardment of the Mass, but that wasn't what she was there about this time.

  "Ben, some of our brighter metallurgists think they have come up with something that will help us. It's a new alloy that is far stronger than anything we currently have and is a quarter of the weight. They have been running tests on this stuff for the last month and have had a hard time breaking it," she said.

  "Is there a problem with it?" Ben asked.

  "No, not really. They feel this should be classified, both the process and the formula for creating it. Ben, in computer modeling, a ship that was armored with this stuff was unaffected by heavy missiles, both Lizard and Imperial. They have also worked out a way to use it as a laminate for use on personal armor that will allow our Marines to have shields in addition to the protection of the armor," Marcy replied.

  "So why am I sensing a 'but' coming?" Ben asked.

  She grinned at him. "Because you’re smart. This stuff is really expensive and time consuming to make. It'll stop a rail-gun round fired from thirty feet away and shrug off the heaviest anti-matter or nuclear weapons we can dream up; it even absorbs the radiation' which is one other problem with it. Nothing gets through this stuff; not heat, light or radiation of any type. It even blocks subspace. It's like the black hole of metal."

  Ben shrugged. "So we'd need to have the sensors and antenna mounted externally; I think a lot of that stuff already is external so I don't see a problem with that."

  "You'd need six sets to cover all angles just to see where you're going or call home, but that's not the worst issue; they can't explain where the energy goes," Marcy explained. "That is a project killer all by itself."

  Ben looked confused for a moment. "I'm sorry Marcy, I'm not following you; how is that a project killer? This stuff sounds pretty amazing."

  "I'm sure you've heard the law of the Conservation of Mass, it states that matter cannot be created nor destroyed?" Marcy asked.

  "I didn't know what it was called, but go on," Ben replied.

  "Well, there's your trivia fact for the day, then. Anyway, the same thing applies to energy. The energy that stuff absorbs has to go somewhere, but we have no idea where that is," Marcy explained. "We do know it uses some of it to maintain its own integrity, but not all of it."

  "You make it sound like it has enough intelligence to repair itself," Ben said.

  "Sorry, I didn't mean to imply that. No, it’s only a property of one of the elements used to create it." She paused. “It's also the reason I want you to not only classify this, but to place a ban on its creation."

  "Okay, that's pretty big. Is this stuff that dangerous?" Ben asked.

  "Ben, those idiots used dark matter in the alloy. Not a lot of it mind you, but it is in there," Marcy explained. "We simply do not know enough about that stuff to justify the risk of experimenting with it."

  "I seem to remember you telling me that the Empire did a lot of research into dark matter as an energy source," Ben replied.

  Marcy nodded. "They did and still are. But if you read the reports, and can understand what they are actually saying, all they really know is the stuff is inherently unstable and not suited for use as a power source. They don't actually know much more than that. Ben, this stuff is seriously dangerous. I've placed as many restrictions on it as I can, but in order to stop research like this from being done in this system, you are going to have to order it prohibited."

  "Just so I'm clear then, you would be in favor of research on this if it were done away from populated systems?" Ben asked.

  "Far, far away from inhabited space. Ben, a half ounce of this stuff has the energy potential to sterilize a planet. Two ounces could push a planet out of its orbit. Six ounces could destabilize a star,' Marcy explained. "That's how dangerous this is."

  Ben sighed. "Okay Marcy. I'll write it up and send it to you to look over before I ask for ratification. Which leads me to ask the next obvious question; if they used dark matter to create this alloy, how much do they have, and where are they storing it?"

  Marcy nodded grimly. "The lab is on the moon, and they have ten ounces left."

  "Forgive me for asking this, but doesn't your office have to approve materiel requests like this? How did they get it?" Ben asked.

  "The request was filed using the chemical formula; which is not uncommon. The person reviewing the request didn't understand what she was looking at, and thought it was simply another type of metal ore or chemical. It was a mistake that won't happen again. From now on if a clerk doesn't know what everything is, they are to pass it up the ladder. We've also added a hazardous materials protocol to the computer system that automatically flags potentially dangerous materials for review by upper management," Marcy explained. "When we set up the system, we never thought of something like this. I've already asked Mother to begin searching through past requests for other restricted items that might have slipped through."

  Ben nodded his understanding. He reached over and touched his intercom. "Sharon I would like to speak with General Greenwold please? Secure mode."

  "At once, Highness," the woman replied.

  Ben looked back at Marcy. "Go home and get your armor. You're going with them."

  "With who?" Marcy asked.

  "The platoon of Marines I'm sending up there to confiscate that stuff. They sure as hell don't know how to handle it. But the question then becomes; what do they do with it once they get it? Do we strap it to a missile and fire it off into deep space?" Ben asked.

  Marcy shook her head. "No, the containment chamber is too big for that and dark matter doesn't like to be moved through hyperspace. The Empire has special ships to transport the stuff. We'll have to call for one of those ships. We'll have to secure all their experimental samples as well. I'm not sure what to do with those, but I'll figure out something."

  "General Greenwold, Highness," Sharon replied over the intercom. As Ben made arrangements for the Marines, Marcy left to retrieve her armor and tell Kaitlin she would be gone for a couple of days.

  After making sure Marcy had all the authority and Marines she would need, Ben moved on to the next order of business he had. The two men he'd asked to meet with had arrived, and he was looking forward to seeing them again.

  "Captain Coir, Captain Oldstone, welco
me. Thank you for agreeing to see me, I know you’re both pretty busy," Ben said in greeting.

  Oldstone snorted. "You think we would tell the King 'No, sorry, we're too busy at the moment, try again later'? Besides, we're not that busy!"

  The three of them laughed at the gruff man's comment.

  "Have a seat, gentlemen," Ben replied, as he got them something to drink. "I've got something I need to ask both of you."

  "Uh oh! I told you we should have hid some place!" Elrond said to his friend.

  Ben chuckled as he sat drinks down on his coffee table. "How are things going for you and your people? Any issues with old animosities?"

  Elrond shook his head. "No, if anything they see our past as experience to draw on. We've been asked a few questions by Customs and Law Enforcement."

  Ben smiled and nodded. "I'd hoped that instead of calling them 'your' people, I could start calling them 'our' people."

  "Oh, I think it would be safe to say 'our' people, Highness. We're all still friends, but we are definitely Terrans now," Elrond replied and Oldstone nodded.

  Ben smiled. "That's great. Captain Oldstone, I'm told your son joined the academy?"

  He nodded. "Yeah, I hated to lose him, but he wanted to join the military, so I called the General to see if she would do a favor for a friend."

  "Honestly, you did us the favor by calling her: she tells me he is a natural leader and has already been put on track for his own command," Ben replied. "Which is as good a lead-in as any to what I need to ask you two. We are in need of two experienced commanders for the Navy we're building. One would be in charge of the system defenses, and the other would take charge of our fleets… well, fleet for now, it'll be a few years before we get more than one built. So what do you say, feel like working together again?"

  "Uh, Sire, you want us to command your Navy?" Gerent asked, shocked.

  Ben looked at both of them. "Can you honestly think of anyone better suited for the job?"

  "What about General Greenwold?" Elrond asked.

  "She'll still be in over-all command, but she asked for the two of you to take charge of the Navy," Ben replied. "You'll both be made Admirals; I'll leave it up to you to decide who takes which job. That is, if you'll do it."

  "Sire… Ben, when the Emperor pardoned us on condition of staying here for the next ten years to help you, do you know why we agreed so quickly?" Elrond asked.

  Ben shook his head.

  Gerent picked up the explanation. "Because we believe in what's happening here. All of our people do, they have since the beginning. The matter was decided when Elrond and your wife returned to our base to convince us to move. At the time, we knew we were going to die for our crimes, but hoped our families would be spared. But then something happened, something that every one of us had a hard time believing, but pretty much cemented the feelings of our entire group. You got the Emperor, himself, to pardon us.

  "I know you probably don't see it that way, and maybe it really didn't happen that way, but it doesn't actually matter anymore. When that happened, every one of us became Terrans, and we are all proud of that. There is very little you could ask us to do that we wouldn't agree to. You saved our families, then you saved us. We owe you our lives, Highness. You've made sure we've always had choices, and you've given our children a future. So, I think it's safe to assume that if you feel we are the best people for the jobs, we'll do the best we can to live up to the belief you've shown in us," Elrond finished.

  "I know I'm a gruff old bastard at the best of times, which is why Elrond was the leader. I'm not good at saying what I feel; I'm more of a doer than a talker," Gerent replied.

  "Which is why I think you should take the fleet and I'll handle the system defenses. You were always better at the ship to ship stuff than I was," Elrond suggested. "Of the two of us, you'd be the better commander for the fleet."

  Gerent nodded. "Agreed." He turned back to Ben. "We're both going to need some additional training, just so we understand what it is we are commanding and what it is capable of doing."

  Ben nodded and spoke to the ceiling. "Mother, Admiral's Coir and Oldstone will need suitable accommodations for themselves and their families near the academy. Please have General Greenwold get with her staff and prepare a full briefing for each of them, and give them a listing of classes offered so they can choose what they would like to learn."

  "Of course, Highness," the AI replied.

  Ben grinned. "Ask Gail to get with Sharon to plan the promotion ceremony for them. The academy grounds would be a good place for it; that way the cadets can at least get to see their new commanders. I'll submit the required paperwork to Imperial Command." He was thoughtful for a moment. "Be sure that transportation is made available to any of their former group that would like to attend."

  Elrond grinned. "I guess we should go visit our new boss, huh?"

  Ben nodded. "Gail is going to be very happy you both have agreed to this. She was getting worried that you wouldn't. Personally, I would like to thank both of you for agreeing to this. You've both been very helpful in getting us this far, I almost hated to ask more of you."

  "That's why you are such a good King, Ben," Gerent replied. "You still care about the people you rule. Other than the Emperor himself, I don't think any of the other nobles of the Empire remember that."

  Ben sighed. "That might have been true in the past, but I think Hjoolous is working on fixing that."

  "Is that what all those arrests and executions were about?" Elrond asked.

  "Well, it's a bit more involved than that, but it stems from that root cause," Ben replied. "The former Senators were all corporate leaders that used their civil positions to increase their own wealth and power at the expense of the people. They were guilty of a lot of crimes and deserved their punishment. We can only hope that the replacements will have a better understanding of the needs of the people."

  The three men talked for a few more minutes before the two new Admirals excused themselves to go visit Gail at the base.

  Another hurdle crossed, Ben got back to work.

  Onaris Fleet Depot

  Onaris System

  Imperial Space

  "High Command has just confirmed that the Forty-Third Assault Fleet will be arriving next week for repairs, Commodore," the aide said over the intercom. "We will get a copy of the work order tonight."

  "Thank you, G'vens. That should work pretty well. Please schedule a staff meeting for the day after tomorrow to discuss the refit. Please send a message to Sol to expect the Sixth Guards for upgrade next week then,” Commodore H'thratly ordered.

  "Very good, Sir, anything else?" the aide asked.

  The Commodore was just about to reply when the base alarms began going off. "What's happening, G'vens?"

  It took a moment for the aide to reply. "Sir, the system is under attack. Long range tracking has detected the approach of a Lizard fleet."

  "Alert dock control to launch every ship that has combat capability. Activate the system defenses, and the civil defense authority on the planet. Then call High Command. Meet me in the command center," the Commodore ordered. "And for Grolith's sake get your armor on!"

  As the Commodore headed for the command center he felt ill at ease. So far in this war, the Lizards had left his small facility alone. It was far from 'the front' and wasn't all that large to begin with. As far as military assets went, this was about the least important of the entire Empire. It was also deep into Imperial space, and he briefly worried about the planets and star systems between Onaris and the border.

  He had just arrived at the command center when the operations officer let him know Command was on the comms for him.

  "What's your status, Commodore?" Admiral Yolinar asked from his command screen. The facility was so old it did not have a holographic display unit.

  "Our long range sensors have detected a Lizard fleet approaching. I just got here myself and have not had time to inquire after more information Admiral." H'thratly replie
d. "I have ordered the system into a defensive posture and ordered all ships with combat capability undocked."

  Yolinar nodded. "Well done. Commodore, Onaris was judged to be the least likely facility to be hit or we would have been better prepared. I am sorry I could not have sent you more defenses."

  H'thratly shook his head. "No need to apologize, Admiral. I certainly thought us safe back here." While he'd been speaking to Yolinar, he'd been porting information to his screen. When the mass figures came up he was even more confused. "This can't be right," he looked up and found his operations officer. "Tavrell, could you verify these mass figures? There's no way the Lizards could get this many warships this far into Imperial space without someone seeing them."

  "I thought the same thing, Commodore. They are correct," the officer replied. "I had them checked twice."

  "What is it, H'thratly?" Yolinar asked.

  "Sir, the mass figures for the approaching fleet is twice the standard for a Lizard fleet. I'll send you the data we are receiving," the commodore replied and gave the orders.

  Admiral Yolinar nodded and got his staff working on the data. The analysis took only a few moments. "Commodore, you are greatly outgunned in this battle. You must withdraw."

  "I'm sorry Sir, but we cannot. There are still four ships of the Sixth Guards that cannot be undocked. We do not have the power to jump with that much mass. Besides, we cannot leave the system undefended, Admiral. The civilians are counting on us," H'thratly replied. "Are there any forces to assist us?”

  "The Lizards have not attacked civilian worlds. If our forces were to depart before the arrival of the fleet, Onarius-Four will probably be left alone. The closest fleet to your position is five-days direct jump," Yolinar replied. "Evacuate the ships and jettison them. The remainder of the Sixth Guards will escort you to the Belisarius Anchorage."