“Archduchess.”

  “Archduchess, this needs your attention!”

  “Archduchess, there are concerns with the troops in the barracks regarding space. How much can we expect from the vessel?”

  Chimera could almost feel her brain begin to melt out of her head as she tried to direct all of these ‘personnel’ she was now in charge of. Granted she had done something similar, but she also had her sisters to help her out.

  Another pang of heartache echoed inside her as she thought of Pym and her other clones. She could feel the damage done to her clone ability, and knew it wouldn’t be anytime soon that she could call upon it.

  Now she was stuck dealing with coordinating and ordering the various people who would be responsible for making the Meras run efficiently.

  She needed a second in command, or more accurately, someone who knew what the hell she needed to do and would allow her to dump this crap off on.

  Currently she was resting in an office of the Militarum Arboretum with a door straight to the Empress’ own working chambers, who even now was coordinating with her navigators on which place would be best to send their forces.

  “Ergos is the closest population center, and it’s within our protection right now. However, the Hood and their dreadnoughts are making moves around the perimeter nearest its area. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to give them a show of force to dissuade them.” Chimera heard one of the old council members through the walls, despite the various things made to prevent such things.

  Wasn’t her fault they didn’t account for vibrations. Being a blobby slime, vibrations were often the first thing she could feel besides actual movement in the air.

  “You want to send our Harriers and the Empress’ Chosen on a show of force to the enemy? Are you trying to get them all killed?” Another spoke with mild irritation in his voice.

  The laid back councilor who spoke earlier replied, “If there were any who could assault two Hood Dreadnaughts and prevail, it would be the Harriers. It is only pragmatism I am providing, Councilman Whisperwillow.”

  Chimera picked up on Whisperwillow’s tsk* at the other councilman, quickly putting together that the two didn’t seem to like each other.

  “Enough, both of you.” The Empress spoke and the room stilled as she did, making even the vibrations Chimera was picking up still.

  That’s some massive control… is it magic, or something else?

  Chimera pondered as she tried to listen in further, placing her ear against the wall to better make out the words.

  “Ergos has eighteen battlecruisers patrolling it, and is already evacuating the major cities on the moon. A show of force is foolish and the enemy won’t buy it anyway. No, this is where we must send them.” A gruffer voice spoke over the other councilors and Chimera made out the feminine voice.

  That’s the High General from the courtyard.

  “Wait… that's' the forge moon, why is it there you want to send them?” The Whisperwillow councilman spoke.

  The High General placed a hand on some surface Chimera assumed was a star map table, “Torsca is our metal refining center as well as our research and development hub for our newest weapons. Without it, our enemies have us out armed and outgunned. Worse, if they figure out the secret of that moon, we will lose more than the moon itself.”

  “You don’t seriously suggest that they would know how to commune with it, do you High General Lys?”

  “The question is not how, but rather, how long councilman. You forget that our enemy has a means to turn our people against us.”

  Chimera heard the group go into silence as one of the councilman said a word.

  “Calamians.”

  “Is it truly something that is controlling them, or are they just rebels within the Empire?” the councilman Whisperwillow spoke, a bit of desperate hope in his voice.

  “None have been observed thus far,” The High General spoke.

  “One has, if you count it. It involved separating her limbs from the machine that grafted itself to her, but it did work.” the pragmatic councilman replied.

  Chimera was listening intently as she absorbed the details, but the knock on her door interrupted the flow of vibrations, drowning out the conversation.

  “Come back later,” Chimera half yelled as she tried to listen in further.

  “Archduchess, the Captain of the Meras wished to speak to you about maintaining his position.” a timid sounding female officer spoke over the door.

  “Yeah sure whatever, just go!”

  “R-Right!”

  Chimera focused once more as the vibrations from the young officer left, allowing her once more to hear the council and the Empress.

  “Perhaps we can rely on the Empress’ Chosen to deal with the Calamians, given her strange abilities.”

  “Her missions must be a priority. While rescuing our citizenry from the enemy is important, it means nothing if we lose Torsca. The loss of life would be incalculable.”

  Chimera tried to hear more, but her door opened to reveal the captain of the Meras Bark Ironwood as he walked in with two of his druid’s in tow.

  “Thank you for agreeing to meet with me Archduchess Mera of Asta. I know this is a sudden request, but I feel It is necessary to inform you that-.”

  “Damnit, right when it was getting good.” Chimera said out loud as the vibrations once again were disrupted by Bark’s arrival.

  “I…I beg your pardon Archduchess?” Bark spoke, clearly confused.

  “Oh, it's you. Hello again, Bark was it? Right. So what did you need?” Chimera said with a lackadaisical air, sitting back on her chair as she turned to look at him.

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  Bark was holding a confused face for a bit, but recovered quickly as he caught up with what Chimera was saying.

  “R-Right, as I was saying, I believe it is necessary that I stay on board the Meras to help with its operation. As the Captain for over two decades and five years, I know her inside and out, and have much to offer as standing captain. If you would-,”

  Chimera had already begun tuning him off as he spoke about him being the best ‘Elfari’ for the job, while a smile decorated her face as another concern she once had suddenly presented itself as a solution.

  “You’re hired Bark. Despite our past, I’m convinced that you are the man for this job. In fact, I’m placing you as my number two in commanding my vessel. Congratulations are in order eh, Vice-Captain Ironwood?”

  “V-Vice Captain… not captain?”

  “Correct, the Captain’s in charge of the ship, but you will be captain all in name, new Vice Captain! No need to worry about the silly details, just run the ship and if anyone tries to bug me, you take over and get them where they need to be, freeing me up to do what I need to do. Got me?”

  The new Vice Captain frowned for a moment before Chimera smiled back, “Course you are free to run the ship as you see fit Ironwood, all I’m doing is what the Empress needs me to do for this war.”

  “Oh! So… so not much different than what it used to be then.”

  “Exactly, besides the smaller details of having people go to you instead of me for the trivial stuff.”

  “Ah… like battlecruiser duty then.” He sighed at that, which made Chimera chuckle.

  “Not to worry Bark, I’m sure it won’t be as bad as you’re thinking. I’m just not the one to handle small things well. I’m more of a Commando, like… like Bayleaf! You’ve dealt with her, basically the same thing.”

  “Ah, I see Captain.”

  “Now you get it, my new Vice-Captain!” Chimera spread her arms out while she nodded her head, “just let me know what you need, I got five stacks of these damn papers to finish before we can get going.”

  “Oh, well… perhaps we can help you then Captain. My two aides here, Tallow and Gris of the House Ironwood, are my own secretaries, and help me often with such work.”

  Chimera pointed at all three of them, making a third arm from her chest, “you're hired, now get over here and help me make sense of this nonsense.”

  A look of worry passed over the three new soldiers/workers as they moved to help Chimera sort her papers.

  …

  Inside the Council Chambers.

  Empress Traika Elderbloom was sighing as her war council fought over where her newest ally should be positioned, the star map before them showing various battlefields and stations in its ethereal glow.

  Stereos sat in the middle of the massive map, with six moons of various sizes, all still smaller than the world itself but easily large enough to support their own ecosystems.

  It was a wonder to see her empire orbit the home world, the various moons converted into population centers, mining projects, research and development into new vessels, daily improvements.

  All because of the natures of these six moons, Steros’ greatest power.

  And weakness.

  The enemy they faced from beyond the stars, who called themselves the Verdant Hood of the Emerald Mother, or simply the Verdant Hood, were theological in their nature, judging from what her spies and scouts were able to come up with.

  They lived as warrior priests, dedicating everything to their Emerald Goddess, their Verdant Mother. It was almost poetic in a way, as Steros only believed in the Holy Mother Tree, which resided in Cinderbough, a living Goddess who could speak to them and assist when necessary.

  These zealots, for there was no better term for them, made statues and erected monuments to their green lady, sacrificing unwilling Elfari, dryads and even the Drakari to the inanimate things. Always while the sacrifice was alive, in the most torturous way possible.

  Cruelty masked as prayer and worship, it was heinous!

  But they knew tactics, and they knew where to strike to hurt her citizens the most.

  Traika pushed those thoughts away, allowing her mind to resettle and focus on the task at hand.

  She saw within her fate sight, the worry and trepidation that would lead her councilors to make foolish choices, and already made moves to correct them.

  “She is my agent in this, councilmembers, and I will direct her as I see fit.”

  “My Empress, this matter should be left to the military, and while I am certain your heart is set in the right in all things, we are not even aware of what she is capable of. Sending her out without first seeing what she can do is asking for chaos, something we can ill afford.”

  Traika looked at the man who spoke, a small smile that didn’t reach his eyes smirking back at her.

  Almuhst Featherbrow, how awful to know that you still try to interfere whenever you can.

  Almuhst was an old codger from the days of her mother, a sly pragmatic ass who enjoyed using his abilities to stir the pot whenever he deemed it ‘necessary’. He called it ‘helping airing out the dirty laundry’ when it almost always slowed down the already slow process of making keen decisions in this council. Poking at faults, pushing at supply lines that ‘needed’ attention.

  It irked Traika to no end, for the bastard knew that she knew that he was right more often then not.

  But not in this.

  “Mera is indeed an unknown, but her powers and how they can be utilized are not something we have access too. She is Imperialis Amicus, and she does not answer to our laws or authority.”

  Tensen Whisperwillow, thankfully one of the few rational and forward thinking minds in her council, spoke with duty and assurance as he conveyed the truth of Traika’s deal with the being from beyond the stars.

  Almuhst shook his head, “our Empress did declare her as such, but she also maintains a title as an archduchess. She cannot be allowed to do horrid acts and thus supplant the goodwill of her Majesty. A leash is needed.”

  “Enough,” Traika spoke, her last nerve about to be pinched in frustration, “Mera is not your concern, Almuhst, and neither is it this council’s place to force her into anything. Do not forget that she almost destroyed this very room before I had arrived. It would be… ‘foolish’ to try and control Mera. We must reason and we must do so as a friend to the Empire.”

  “Understood my Empress, I merely point out what needed to be addressed.” Almuhst spoke, a sly smile on his features.

  Damn Codger, it’s like he exists to irritate me.

  “Then let me be the leash, for my will is the Empire’s. For now, we must choose who to send with Mera to Torsca.”

  Traika looked over her fleets and the men she would send to their next front, for ill or for good.

  She sighed as the world weighed its heavy chains of duty on her shoulders.

  She snuck a peek at her older sister Lys as she met her eyes, a nod of assurance answering her back.

  That’s it!

  “Lys, my High General, I will send you with our Chosen to Torsca. Take three Battlecruisers with you as well as a carrier, along with a Phantom. That should be sufficient to check the status of the moon and determine the enemy presence there.”

  “The High General?”

  “Surely you don’t mean to?”

  “At once, my Empress.”

  Lys stood and left the council chamber before she or the other’s could get a word in edgewise, allowing Traika a sigh of relief as the situation was handled.

  With Lys gone, to help coordinate things with Mera, Traika would be left to handle the councilmen, who without her sister’s presence, would have to defer to the Empress’ will without the excuses of ‘The military should be the ones to check on this.’

  Great her Empire maybe, the red tape and bureaucracy could choke a dragon to death if left to follow its foolishness. Decisions taking weeks that should take seconds at best because none of the nobles and elites wished to be rushed, having lived so long with time on their side.

  But their enemy would not wait for them, and hopefully, with Mera, action could be taken sooner and with more frequency.

  Now I just need to corral these old men into understanding this.

  It was going to be a long meeting, and Traika sighed as she had her handmaids fetch her a meal and something to drink.

  …