{"id":1887,"date":"2017-03-08T07:20:25","date_gmt":"2017-03-08T13:20:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/?p=1887"},"modified":"2017-03-11T07:23:37","modified_gmt":"2017-03-11T13:23:37","slug":"the-cimalian-princess-rebellion-part-6","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/?p=1887","title":{"rendered":"The Cimalian Princess: Rebellion – Part 6"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Cimalian Princess: Rebellion<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

by AJ Marks<\/span><\/p>\n

Part 6<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Emperor Henry went back over the reports on the screen in front of him updating him on what the resistance and other such groups were doing lately. It also had the official reports of what security knew about the resistance after the latest rounds of interrogations.\u00a0 There was nothing there which he already didn\u2019t know about how Meia escaped.\u00a0 A woman named Trina helped who had been part of the resistance.\u00a0 When she brought Meia to the resistance it was in his hands.<\/p>\n

It appeared his niece recognized who had been in control of the resistance, something she should not have been able to do. Thinking like this on her own meant she was becoming a bigger threat to his plans.\u00a0 He figured she would be like her father, who never figured anything out either.<\/p>\n

\u201cEmperor, a message for you,\u201d an aide said bowing at the interruption.<\/p>\n

\u201cPut it though,\u201d Henry said, wondering who might be falling at this time of day. The screen switched allowing someone from intelligence to appear.\u00a0 \u201cThis better be good,\u201d Henry said.<\/p>\n

\u201cSire, I believe we\u2019ve received word of something you want to know about,\u201d the man replied. \u201cWord is something strange is going on within the Alliance military and political structures.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cReally? And what might that be?\u201d Henry asked waiting to hear this.<\/p>\n

\u201cReports are that Meia\u2019s been rounding up support for an invasion of Cimalius with the Alliance\u2019s help,\u201d the man replied back.<\/p>\n

\u201cInteresting, but this only helps me out even more. Perhaps is time for another attack, yes, push up the schedule.\u00a0 I want another attack with a few days, this time we\u2019ll target,\u201d he paused to look at a different set of figures.\u00a0 \u201cMake it Gamel, its an apartment complex in sector eighty-five, we can blame the Alliance again for this.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBy your command sire,\u201d the man replied back before the screen went dark.<\/p>\n

\u201cDangerous times and risky plans lead to failure at the weakest points,\u201d a child-like voice said in a sing-song tone.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t you have some toys to play with, or someone else to bother?\u201d Henry replied back annoyed with the child.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlready played with them,\u201d she stated.<\/p>\n

Henry looked on at the shadows watching as a child\u2019s figure appeared. She might be only five-years old but this clone of Meia was someone he had already passed off as his daughter and heir to the throne.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d be careful if I were you, you can still be replaced,\u201d Henry said to her. \u201cI\u2019m sure they have enough material to create another clone if needed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course, but change me too much and others will question it,\u201d she replied back with a laugh and retreating back into the shadows. \u201cAh, poor papa, pushed himself into a corner he has.\u00a0 The spider and fly are going to dance one day, is your web complex enough?\u201d<\/p>\n

Henry started to reply before realizing she had disappeared once more. He gave some thought to making another clone, this time one which wasn\u2019t so intelligent, or losing some of these skills she seemed to process.\u00a0 He had forgotten that a young Meia did the same things at the academy.\u00a0 Either way he would have to do something about her, soon.<\/p>\n

*****<\/p>\n

Meia noticed a few more glances in her direction as she walked the corridors of the Akagi. So far few had protested to any of her suggestions to make the crew more like a Cimalian culture.\u00a0 She disliked the class system her people used, and hoped it would cause confusion to anyone who tried to spy on the fleet.\u00a0 Making another turn she found herself on the hangar, not quite where she wanted to go but made her way over to her fighter anyways.<\/p>\n

\u201cMeia, how are you doing?\u201d a voice asked, causing her to turn to see Ben walking towards her.<\/p>\n

\u201cIs stressed too weak a term,\u201d Meia replied back giving him a smile.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think stress is a strong enough term to use,\u201d Ben answered now standing beside her. \u201cBut doesn\u2019t answer my question lass, how are you doing?\u201d<\/p>\n

Meia looked back at him, seeing his dark eyes look back at her with concern.<\/p>\n

\u201cRealistically, really, really stressed,\u201d Meia said with a sigh. \u201cI mean I feel like I\u2019m the only thing holding all of this together.\u00a0 It\u2019s like a giant roller coaster that I can\u2019t get off of and I\u2019m hoping its complete.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThought so, but things will get better after a while, things settle down to a more manageable speed,\u201d Ben said. \u201cA bit like being a mechanic, at first everything\u2019s overwhelming.\u00a0 What part goes where, what should be loose, tightened, filled, half-filled and so on and so forth.\u00a0 But once you get the hang of it, it becomes second nature.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAer you saying I should allow my second nature, that I\u2019m a natural leader?\u201d Meia asked, unsure if Ben and the others thought that way about her.<\/p>\n

\u201cNah, but don\u2019t be afraid of your mistakes, its how we learn,\u201d Ben said to her.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour mistakes usually don\u2019t cost thousands of people their lives,\u201d Meia said feeling the weight of the words.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, but if I don\u2019t do something right it can cost one person their life,\u201d Ben replied. \u201cIn a way I\u2019m not as lucky as you are, if that happens I have no one else to even blame as all decision are on me.\u00a0 Either I fixed it or I didn\u2019t, a lot less grey and more black and white.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meia listened as she walked around her fighter inspecting it. She knew in the back of her mind what Ben said was true, but her heart was telling her something else.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not sure about that, it only makes things difficult because I don\u2019t\u2019 have a correct path, or an instruction manual for what I\u2019m going to do,\u201d Meia replied back to him. \u201cI can\u2019t go back and retighten something if it appears it might fail.\u00a0 I have one chance to get things right.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThought you weren\u2019t a philosopher, but you only reaffirmed why so many think you can be a great leader,\u201d Ben said placing a hand on her shoulder. \u201cStop trying to be something you\u2019re not and be yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meia glanced around the hangar bay but said nothing. She felt Ben\u2019s hand squeeze her shoulder before the pressure lifted.\u00a0 She remained still for several seconds before looking up only to see Ben was walking to another fighter.\u00a0 She realized many things he said were true, the only problem was she didn\u2019t know who she was.<\/p>\n

Looking down at her hands she wondered how her life might be if her father had lived. Would she have been trained for position of Empress?\u00a0 Would she have a brother or sister like her uncle, and what type of mother would had have had?\u00a0 Would she still have been a fighter pilot, and would she want to change Cimalian society so much?\u00a0 What did her father think?<\/p>\n

So many question and no answers, though thinking about her family caused her to think of her uncle. During the fight she seemed to recall him saying her father was weak, and he also mentioned her mother.\u00a0 Did her uncle consider her father unfit to rule?\u00a0 If he really thought that way why did he wait?\u00a0 What caused him to hold off on taking over for so long?\u00a0 Why wait until she was born.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey key to that is here somewhere,\u201d Meia mumbled to herself. She knew the only reason why she was still alive.\u00a0 Was the answer because he needed an heir to the throne?\u00a0 Why didn\u2019t\u2019 he clone himself?\u00a0 Maybe that was a bit to egotistical for even him.<\/p>\n

Not finding any answers in the hangar bay she decided to head to the bridge and see if any progress had been made in the fleet.<\/p>\n

*****<\/p>\n

Greg closed the door making sure Liam wasn\u2019t anywhere nearby. He trusted his servant but this information could get him killed if anyone knew and reported him.\u00a0 Opening the file he sorted through the documents for one bit of information he hoped would help him.<\/p>\n

His source said something about Prince Boris\u2019 death didn\u2019t make sense. Now looking thought the piles of information about the death he seemed to find nothing that seemed to confirm what he had been told.\u00a0 Leaning back he looked it over again realizing it seemed almost perfect and stopped at that thought.\u00a0 Maybe that was it, the death was too perfect as he noticed something else.<\/p>\n

\u201cHmm, now this is interesting,\u201d he said to himself picking up a small article he never noticed before and he almost missed it in the mess of articles.<\/p>\n

Reading through the article didn\u2019t take long and he found himself sitting back in his chair musing at what he read. An Epsilon class apartment complex had been destroyed, but what caught his attention was the fact it had been near a spot where he and Boris had been stationed several times while as pilots on the Illustrious.<\/p>\n

The article brought up some strange conversations his friend shared with him. He looked over the list of who had been killed hoping to find some line between everything.\u00a0 Even the most complex web had links that people were not to find.<\/p>\n

He looked though the articles coming across the death of Empress Terresa and Emperor Aaron, who had died young, at the age of sixty-eight which was unusual considering he emperors usually lived to over a hundred and ten. Scanning the article he found nothing of interest and started to put it down when he spotted something.\u00a0 He looked over both articles side by side now.<\/p>\n

\u201cSon of a gun,\u201d he said, slapping the table with his palm. \u201cIt\u2019s right here!\u201d<\/p>\n

Greg\u2019s mind swirled with what he might do next and who to even inform of this information. The other question was who would even believe him?\u00a0 He needed to get back in touch with his contact again, which meant he would have to send Dave once more.<\/p>\n

\u201cLiam to the study,\u201d Greg said, pushing the button for his servant and unlocking the door. He only had to wait a few seconds before the tall servant entered the room.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou rang sir?\u201d Liam asked bowing to him.<\/p>\n

\u201cI need for you to go get Master Dave, tell him it important and that I have something for him,\u201d Greg said.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes sir,\u201d Liam replied, not questioning the order but walking out to carry it out.<\/p>\n

Once Liam left Greg turned back to the news articles once more focusing in on the first one which had caught his eye. Why did this apartment complex seem so important?\u00a0 He\u2019d been thought eh list of names kills several times and none of them seemed familiar to him.\u00a0 Rubbing his neck and eyes he stood and stretched trying to solve the problem.<\/p>\n

The door opened causing him to look up slightly startled when Dave and Liam came into the room. he never realized how long he had been starting at the articles and almost forty minutes had passed.<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you require anything else sir?\u201d Liam asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, thank you, I\u2019ll be having supper at the normal time,\u201d Greg said, waiting until Liam had left before heading over to lock the door.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou found something?\u201d Dave asked watching Greg\u2019s actions.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think so, but I\u2019m not sure,\u201d Greg said picking up an article and handing it over to Dave. \u201cRead this and see if you notice anything.\u201d<\/p>\n

He watched Dave read through the two articles then look back up in confusion.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat am I supposed to be looking for?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t think you\u2019d find it the first time though, read it again and pay attention to the small details,\u201d Greg replied to him.<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay, a wasted effort but I will,\u201d Dave replied, reading though the articles once more at a slower pace. \u201cI\u2019m not seeing it,\u201d he said frustrated and tossing down the articles.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey both died of the exact same causes,\u201d Greg said to him.<\/p>\n

\u201cUh, you can\u2019t be thinking what I think you\u2019re thinking,\u201d Dave said, stopping for a second. \u201cThat makes little sense, but you think,\u201d he trailed off.<\/p>\n

\u201cYep, good old Emperor Henry had something to do with it,\u201d Greg said to him.<\/p>\n

\u201cThinking this is dangerous if someone were to find out,\u201d Dave said with a slight shudder at that thought.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know, but the evidence is right there, and its not the first time Alpha Supremes\u2019 had a problem,\u201d Greg said seeing Dave show some shock at that. \u201cAnyways, I need something else.\u201d<\/p>\n

Greg sat back, and then informed him what he wanted Dave to do.<\/p>\n

End part 6<\/p>\n

Continued in part 7<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Cimalian Princess: Rebellion by AJ Marks Part 6 Emperor Henry went back over the reports on the screen in front of him updating him on what the resistance and other such groups were doing lately. It also had the official reports of what security knew about the resistance after the latest rounds of interrogations.\u00a0 […]
Continue reading…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[3,25,28,27,5,12],"class_list":["post-1887","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-original","tag-aj-marks","tag-cimalian","tag-original","tag-princess","tag-sci-fi","tag-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1887","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1887"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1887\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1893,"href":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1887\/revisions\/1893"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1887"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1887"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1887"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}