"For the Betterment of Planet Earth" (closed)

[desperado1089]

Aboard the Mothership

Alex was relieved that the families of the Dyah's crew didn't hold him responsible. He would make it a point to ask someone later what rituals, if any, the Troyna performed to say goodbye to those who had passed. If it seemed appropriate, he would like to attend.

However, current matters held his rapt attention, and he watched with increasing fascination as one of the attacks was broken down for his benefit. He would have been able to draw a map of Asia from memory, although he appreciated the translation nonetheless. As the weapon was fired, he was indeed confused, until its nature was explained, at least in simple terms. But watching hapless Russian tank crews pound on their machine with sledgehammers without effect set the veteran American pilot to laughing. "Oh Gods, that's funny. I hope that one day, I can have a copy of that footage to show some of my friends from my fighter unit. If we could do that," he said, gesturing towards the screen, "we would have sat Putin down in front of a war crimes tribunal years ago," he finished, abruptly switching from personal to political. "I just hope they don't have any more functional nukes left. I think that they actually had no idea that two of the ones they launched towards us were duds. I saw two of your AVs break off contact with two of the missiles. So I'm guessing that they have sensors that confirm if the warhead has been rendered inert?"

As if on cue, several dozen launches appeared on screen, all from Russia. "Oh shit," he whispered as their projected travel arcs showed only a handful of targets. Washington DC. London. Paris. Berlin. Madrid. Brussels. Warsaw. And Kyiv. "There's no way they think they're all still active. They must be banking on you having missed a few of them." He leapt from his seat and, heedless of his lack of standing in the situation, he began shouting, "Have the AVs intercept those missiles, now! Use any means necessary to find and prioritize any remaining active warheads for immediate neutralization!" He turned towards the Admiral and added, his voice wavering: "Please." He was, in essence, begging the Troyna to help with that single word, as tears began to form at the corner of his eyes. The nursing home where his father lived was right outside of DC.

St. Sebastian

"Good evening," Robert said, wondering if he was still out of his depth. "It seems that you have a good grasp of what is going on. Liz, I think we can make an exception in this case." To explain exactly what he was talking about, he pulled out his phone and pulled up a screenshot of the Troyna broadcast. "According to the broadcast that announced the Troyna's arrival and intentions, the Queen of the Troyna people is this woman, Valla. Do you recognize her?" While his sidearm had, understandably, been left at the security desk, he was allowed to retain a taser, in the event one of the patients attacked him. He hoped that Jane, or Anya as she called herself, would not give him cause to use it.

 

[MarieDavisRPs]

Aboard the Mothership

"Oh Gods, that's funny," Alex laughed as he watched the Russian soldiers and mechanics beating on and pulling at their machines in vain; each piece of equipment now seemed as though it had been made out of a single large chunk of metal. He continued, "I hope that one day, I can have a copy of that footage to show some of my friends from my fighter unit."

Valla found Alex's joy in what he was seeing intriguing. She wondered whether his feelings were based mostly on seeing the USA's long-time adversary defeated in this way or more in seeing the States that struck at the Troyna defeated in that way. Did it matter? Even with her extensive education on Humans and, to a greater degree, the Americans, she still felt that she didn't understand them nearly well enough.

Suddenly, an alarm from the nearest Monitoring Station and new flashing lights on the Main Viewer indicated another launch of ICBMs, this time from Russia alone and not China. This time, however, the missiles weren't heading for space; they were heading for other States: The United States of America, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain, Belgium, Poland, and Ukraine.

Activity throughout the Command Center intensified, with Operators and Officers alike springing into action. They didn't hesitate to begin redirecting Attack Vessels toward either the ICBMs or the possible targets.

"Oh shit," Alex whispered when he realized what was happening.

From her education, Valla knew that most of these countries were members of either the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the European Union, or both. Ukraine had been a member of the long-defunct Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) which had been dominated by Russia, and the two countries were still officially at war even today, even though the fighting had waned to little more than a handful of weekly drone attacks after USA's new President, Victoria Stevens, threatened to deploy American troops and hardware in Ukraine and, in her own words, Make Putin regret the day he'd ever been born.

Valla wondered what the leaders of Russia were thinking in directing their weapons toward other Earth States as opposed to who they had previously seen to be their enemies, the Troyna.

"There's no way they think they're all still active," he said. "They must be banking on you having missed a few of them."

Without the translator getting in the way, Pran, the Supervising Admiral, and Valla talked back and forth about what to do about the impending attacks. At the same time, the Human -- buoyed by his fear for his fellow Humans and, in particular, his father's life -- hopped up and began calling out orders, suggestions, and pleas.

While he was attempting to help, Pran listened and learned; the Troyna Operators had tracked the origin of the ICBMs to locations that had not been attacked by the Welders as those sites had somehow been missed by the Troyna.

"We are working on it, Major," Pran told Alex after touching his translator to turn it back on. "I assure you."

He paused as he listened to some Officers exchanging findings with the Admiral, then looked to Alex. "There is a serious chance that four of the missiles are still functional." Then his expression became more desire. He continued, "One of them ... the one we believe is heading for Kyiv in the Ukraine..."

He hesitated, then said, "Even our nearest Attack Vessel at maximum speed will not reach it in time. Another one, the one we believe is heading for a target in Poland, likely Warsaw ... an AV has been diverted to defeat it ... but the craft's Weapons Officer has reported that their Welder weapon is out of commission."

He turned his attention back to the conversation between the Admiral and his junior Officers. Behind them, Valla had anxiously risen to her feet, paused, then walked down to stand near the Admiral. The male stiffened a bit more professionally at the additional attention from his Queen. The two of them chatted slowly, again off the translator.

"There is an option," Pran explained to Alex, adding with a somber tone, "It will ... it will require ... sacrifice."

On the Main Viewer, a bright flash appeared next to the word Kyiv. Troyna talked back and forth excitedly, followed by emotions, expressions, and reactions that spoke volumes. Pran listened, then explained to Alex, "The missile reaching the Capital of Ukraine ... its atomic payload detonated."

The Main Viewer switched to a view from the nearby Attack Vessel, showing the fiery mushroom cloud of a nuke rising into the atmosphere. Even though Alex couldn't understand their words, he would surely understand the tone of many of the Troyna as deep shock. They had worked together so hard -- not just earlier today but for the months and years before this -- to prevent something like this from happening.

Valla turned to find Alex, looking for his reaction. She knew what to expect, so when she saw it, she wasn't surprised. When he looked to her, she crossed her arms over her chest, her balled fists over her hearts; she hoped that Alex would understand it to be a gesture of solemn regret for what had just happened.

She talked to the Admiral a moment more, then returned to stand next to her throne. Looking back to the Main Viewer, she saw a new view appear, this one from the front camera of the AV that was chasing the ICBM heading for Warsaw. The land beneath the craft was flying by so quickly -- at more than Mach 11, more than 8,000 mph -- that it was nothing more than a blur.

Soon, a bright light in the sky before the AV began to grow brighter ... closer ... as the Troyna craft closed on the weapon. The craft's Weapon's Officer's voice came over the Command Center's speaker, with English translations; he was updating Central Command on the malfunctioning of their Welder and the only option they had.

"They're going to collide with it," Pran told Alex, just in case he hadn't figured it out through all of the Troyna war bird jargon. "It's the only way."

Pran looked to Valla, finding her watching the Main Viewer ... with tears flowing down one cheek. Pran noticed Alex looking to her and explained, "The pilot of the Attack Vessel ... she is one of My Queen's best friends."

The Main Viewer was showing a split screen now: the left side was the view from the AV, while the right was the zoomed view of the Warsaw region from the Mothership. Two dots representing the ICBM and the AV were nearing the State's capital with every passing second. The trailing dot -- the war craft -- was closing on the leading dot, but the question was whether or not it was going to get there in time.

On the left side, the fire of the rocket was beginning to fill more and more of the screen. Then, the AV began to rise above the track of the missile as it crept forward. The camera view shifted down as well, until the ICBM was directly beneath the Troyna ship.

Suddenly, the on again, off again reports coming from the crew were replaced by ... prayers. They weren't being translated, but the tone and cadence likely left little doubt for their Human guest that that was what they were. Pran joined in, and behind him Valla and Ryla did, too. Soon, throughout the Command Center, voices joined in until one and all were repeating the prayer.

Then, in just a little more than two seconds, the 30 yard or so gap between the AV and the ICBM narrowed and ... half of the Main Viewer went dark. Throughout the Center, the praying voices went silent; cries and sobs replaced them in many cases. On the right side of the viewer, both dots disappeared as the war craft and the missile disintegrated and rained debris down upon the Polish landscape.

The Main Viewer then switched back to the larger view of Asia and Europe, and over several minutes each of the missiles fired at distant cities was extinguished as the AV's chasing them welded them; with their rockets and navigation equipment seizing, they simply fell out of the air.

 

[desperado1089]

Washington DC
US Capitol Building
Join Session of Congress
Zero Hour +30 Minutes

"It is the unanimous vote of five hundred and thirty five, that the United States of America hereby declares war upon the Russian Federation," the Speaker of the House intoned, banging his gavel with a shaking hand. Similar sessions were playing out across the other capitals that had been spared by the Troyna, all of them convened once it was clear the danger had passed. They did not know whether or not the Troyna would intervene, but there was no question now that since the specter of mutually-assured destruction was lifted, such acts as committed by Vladimir Putin would no longer go unpunished. President Stevens rose from her seat next to the Speaker's lectern, and said four words in reply. "Bring me his head." The entire chamber erupted in applause, fueled by outrage, grief and many other emotions.

Aboard the Mothership

Alex watched in horror as Kyiv was wiped off the map. He barely registered anything for a few moments, such was his grief and anger. But the weight of the means by which they would save Warsaw suddenly came into sharp focus. "No! What about the mothership? Are her weapons powerful enough?" He knew in his heart that they wouldn't have directed an AV crew to ram it if that were the case. He said his own prayers and stood at Valla's side during this terrible ordeal.

When it was all over, he turned to Valla and said, "Forgive me, but I must demand that I be returned to the surface. If I know the President, she will already be calling for a special session of Congress. A declaration of war will soon follow, as it will in all the capital cities of NATO. You may have saved us from nuclear annihilation, but we must now deal with the man who did that!" His arm snapped out and he pointed at the map of Europe that showed where Kyiv used to be. "I must ask you not to interfere out of some misguided sense of compassion. The man who ordered that missile to be launched deserves none. And while we appreciate all you have done, the fact remains that a monster still heads the government of one of the most powerful nations on Earth. And now we are able to slay that monster. Please arrange for a shuttle and a pilot to take me back. Immediately."

 

[MarieDavisRPs]

(OOC: For my own ease, I have repeated Jane Doe's introduction below. It's easier for me to process this way. I had intended to separate her portion entirely from Valla's but forgot.)

St. Sebastian Psychiatric Hospital
Upstate New York
September 15, 2030, early afternoon

"Jane, I'd like to introduce you to Robert," Doctor Elizabeth Wilson said to Jane Doe #32, also known to the Staff as The Queen. Liz, Jane, and Robert Peterson sat down together with donuts, milk, and -- for the non-patients -- hot coffee. "Robert here is interested in--"

"My name is Anya Roysa Erroline Remiline Muur ... Queen of the Troyna People," Jane cut in. She paused for effect, then continued, "I arrived on Planet Earth in your year Nineteen hundred and twenty-nine, to study and investigate your planet and its dominant intelligent species ... Humans ... in preparation for the possibility that one day the Troyna people would need to intervene in Earthly affairs ... to correct the errors and shortcomings of the Humans who threatened the future of this wondrous world by bringing advanced technologies and forward-looking policies that would save both this planet and the Human Race."

"Good evening," Robert said, wondering if he was still out of his depth. "It seems that you have a good grasp of what is going on. Liz, I think we can make an exception in this case."

He pulled out his phone and pulled up a screenshot of the Troyna broadcast. "According to the broadcast that announced the Troyna's arrival and intentions, the Queen of the Troyna people is this woman, Valla."

Anya, as she would address herself now that she was able to tell her story, leaned forward just enough to glance at the screen shot. Robert asked, "Do you recognize her?"

"This pretender is Valla Swaylo Allanna Heathma Muur," Anya said. "She is not the legitimate leader of the Troyna people any more than either of you are."

Sitting in an armchair to give her a good view of the other two, who sat on opposite sides of he table, Liz was furiously scribbling the names Jane had given; she didn't know the correct spellings and had to guess. She noted something about the names and asked, "Jane ... I mean ... Anya ... the last of the names you gave for both yourself and for this ... pretender..."

Liz had, of course, seen Valla's introduction earlier this morning, so feigning not knowing the name was simply a way to feign ignorance regarding Valla's message to Earth. She continued, "...was Muur. Am I to understand that the two of you are related somehow? Muur is you surname, yes?"

"No," Anya said firmly. "We share an ancestor, Queen Muur. My claim to the throne is legitimate due to the purity of my bloodline, whereas ... hers is tainted by Commoner blood. This is why I was chosen for the mission to come to Earth ... to study the Human race ... and to determine whether or not intervention by the Troyna was necessary to save the Human Race ... and Planet Earth."

Liz was very impressed by the sincerity of Jane's story; she often met delusional people with deep, extensive background stories, but Jane's was one of the best she'd come across in her 6 years at St. Sebastian.

She rose and went to sit on the bench seat near to Liz, reaching out a hand for Robert's phone. She held it between her and Jane and, with a soft, unchallenging tone, asked, "Anya ... can you explain something to me, please. This woman ... Valla ... if she is a blood relative of yours ... why does she look the way she does ... and you look the way you do?"

Liz glanced to Robert, wondering if he understood where she was going with this, then continued with Jane, "I mean ... why, if you are an alien ... a Troyna ... a being from another world ... why do you look like a Human ... like Robert and I ... while this Valla looks much different ... like what we would expect an alien being to look like ... non-Human."

"I am a genetically engineered clone," Anya said without hesitation. "I was created ... a combining of Troyna and Human DNA to produce this appearance ... to allow me to freely walk amongst your people."

Liz handed back Robert's phone, stood, and returned to her chair. She was ready to let the Agent ask some more questions while she herself tried to find holes in Jane's story. Oh, she wasn't eager to prove that Anya was a figment of the patient's imagination, of course. But her job was, of course, to help people suffering from mental issues regain as much of their mental stability and peace as they could.

 

[MarieDavisRPs]

Washington DC
US Capitol Building
Join Session of Congress
September 16, 2030


"It is the unanimous vote of five hundred and thirty-five," the Speaker of the House intoned, "that the United States of America hereby declares war upon the Russian Federation."

Madeline Templeton stood from her seat in the House and joined the applause sweeping not only across the floor filled with members of the House, but Senators like herself, too. Her display of approval was conflicted, however; she had a son in the United States Air Force and a daughter in the Marine Corps, and a declaration of war -- at the same time that an alien vessel was in orbit of Earth -- was frightening for her.

Both of her children -- along with tens of thousands of other American service men and women -- had been recalled Stateside in the days after the Troyna arrival on August 25. Maddie was happy to have them home from their separate stations in Europe; better yet, each of them had been stationed near Washington DC, allowing their mother to hold Missy and Richard in her arms for the first time in two years and three years respectively.

But this declaration of war meant that either or both of them might very soon be sent back to Europe in preparation for some form of offensive action against Putin. Maddie didn't consider it an attack on Russia or on the Russian people; she considered this essentially a large-scale assassination attempt of Vladimir Putin. She hoped to God that the President and her Generals and Admirals would keep in mind that their real enemy was the Russian leadership, not the Russian people.

Speaking of the Prez, Maddie thought to herself as the gathering of politicians returned to their seats and President Victoria Stevens rose to demand, "Bring me his head."

The entire chamber erupted in applause, which Maddie joined once more. It's about Putin, she thought to herself, hoping Victoria could read her mind. Putin ... Putin!

Politicians of all stripes wandered the House, shaking hands and talking about the future. Maddie did the same for a moment, but then turned for an exit and did her best to get to it. She wanted to find her children and hold them once more at least before they went off to fulfill their obligations.

Maddie barely got out of the chamber, though, when she felt an arm on her elbow, restraining her departure. She turned to find the face of Gregory Heins, the Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, on which Maddie had just become a member. He said firmly, "My office ... ten minutes."
Maddie tried to get out of whatever he wanted by telling him, "I have to be someplace, Senator--"

But he only repeated himself with an even firmer tone, "Ten minutes."

Maddie swung by her office to collect her personal cell phone, calling each of her children but getting neither of them. She headed for Heins's office as ordered; she was the Senior Senator from Oregon which gave her some standing in the full Senate, but in the SASC, she was the most junior of members.

She was one of the first members there, easily finding a comfortable armchair; she couldn't help but wonder why they were meeting here and not in the Committe's permanently assigned Capital building room. When Heins arrived and began talking, only half of the SASC's members were present. Maddie quickly realized that, along with her, they were the newest and least informed Senators with regards to Armed Services issues.

Heins rambled on about the war declaration for a couple of minutes before turning to the Troyna. He patted them on the back with regard to protecting the Western cities from Russia's nukes, then followed that up with outrage about the destruction of America's own nuclear arsenal. Maddie wanted to point out to him that the US had reached DefCon 2 twice during its nuclear history -- the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962 and the Russian bombing of a Polish air base just last year -- and that perhaps the world was a safer place with the US lacking nearly 4,000 nuclear warheads.

But she kept her mouth shut, instead listening intently to both Heins and to the other members who made comments or asked questions. When nearly an hour had passed without her uncovering the reason for this little get-together, Maddie finally spoke up, asking, "I'm sorry to interrupt, Senator Heins, but ... was there something in particular about which you wished to speak to our little group of junior Senators? I agree with everything that you have said thus far, but ... I get the sense that there is more."

Heins smiled wide, responding, "You're sharp, Templeton. That's why I wanted you on this Committee. Yes ... yes there is something more."

The Committee Chairman's Aide began a circle around the room, handing out inch thick, three-ring binders labeled CLASSIFIED in big red letters. Maddie opened her copy, reading the cover page; her eyes widened, and her mouth began to fall open as she began turning one page after another. She was the first of the Junior Senators to speak up, asking in shock, "We have a weapon ... that can destroy the alien ship ... the mothership?"

Heins smiled like a cat with his hand upon a mouse's tail. He said with delight, "We most certainly do. And the President has already stated in a closed session of close advisors that if it appears that these ... Troyna's are going to attack the United States once more ... we ... will ... use it!"

Maddie suddenly realized that she was trembling deep down in her core. The thought of trying to fight an obviously superior alien species -- let alone destroy their 10-mile-long, 3 mile-across spacecraft, was absolutely frightening. The Troyna had so easily destroyed the vast majority of Earth's nuclear warheads and then essentially melted Russia's tanks, artillery, aircraft, and more. And now we were going to attack them?!? It was absolute insanity.

She looked inside the binder again for a little more information on the weapon. It was called the HELLADS, the High Energy Liquid Laser Area Defense System; it was a 300 kiloWatt laser that could be mounted on a train, truck, or ship to be delivered to any location where it was needed.

Two of them were fully operational and hidden in underground bunkers in the Rockies and the Appalachians. Heins explained that if the President authorized their use, they would be fired simultaneously at the Mothership as it passed over the Great Plains. With great confidence, he said, "We'll cut those fuckin' alien assholes' ship into little pieces and celebrate by watching the light show of the pieces burning up in the atmosphere."

 

[MarieDavisRPs]

Aboard the Mothership

Valla turned her back to the others as she reached a finger up to wipe away the tears that had begun down her cheek. It was a serious irony that to not cry was a sign of strength while crying was a show of sympathy and sadness, and both acts were very Queenly.

When the action was over, Alex turned to Valla and said, "Forgive me, but I must demand that I be returned to the surface."

He spoke of what he believed was happening with the USA's President and Congress. Valla glanced down to an Intelligence Officer who supervised a bank of Monitoring Stations that -- unknown to Alex -- was monitoring Human communications, particularly those from or to the superpowers. The IO nodded to Valla, confirming what Alex had said.

"Pran Torka," she began. "Please make arrangements for the return of Major Stewart to the planet." She looked directly at Alex, continuing, "Major ... I would like to extend an invitation to you. I would be honored if you would serve as Liaison between our races ... between the Troya and Humans. Will you accept this assignment?"

 

[desperado1089]

Aboard the Mothership
"It would be my honor, Queen Valla," Alex answered immediately, not missing the previous exchange. There was no doubt in Alex's mind that the only way the Troyna had such good intel was because they were monitoring their communications. Well, in this case, he had no problems with this, as it resulted in such terrifying weapons being completely neutralized.

"However, if my own people decide I am most useful elsewhere, then I am afraid that, short of resigning, there is little I can do. And I believe that I can do better inside the military than out. Regardless, I wish my visit ended under better circumstances. Please let me know if there's anything I can do." He reached out and laid what he hoped was a comforting hand on the Queen's shoulder, giving it a soft squeeze, letting her know he was here, before letting go. It was probably not very Queenly to hug a human pilot in the middle of the command center, yet that was precisely Alex's first instinct in this moment.

Beijing
People's Republic of China
Having seen what the aliens could do, the Party leadership decided that, assuming they had any functional nuclear weapons remaining, it would serve no practical purpose to keep them. Inspectors were dispatched to every ICBM silo, every submarine base (where their entire SSBN fleet would soon be recalled to) and every bomber base.

Every warhead would be examined, the duds would be set aside, their fates to be determined later. The remaining active ones would be dismantled and their cores would all be assembled in a place in the open, away from population centers with big letters spelled out on the ground. The characters were Chinese but they were aware of the aliens' ability to translate any Earth language. The letters, large enough to be seen from space, spelled out,

"THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC HAS DISMANTLED THE LAST OF ITS FUNCTIONING NUCLEAR ARMS. HERE ARE THEIR FISSILE CORES. WE SURRENDER TO THIS COURSE OF ACTION."

Similar scenes were playing out across the other nuclear powers, except for the United States, North Korea, Russia, Iran and Israel. That said, both major superpowers were still conducting inspections of their warheads, recalling subs and bombers; this was a much simpler task for the other three nations, all of which had been passed over by the first wave of Troyna AVs. Within a few hours, it was revealed that the US and Russia had exactly one warhead apiece still functional, although they hardly shared this information with one another. Embassies in both DC and Moscow were raided, but the CIA and the State Department had cleared out of Russia as soon as the Troyna had first appeared. The FBI and military police, on the other hand, uncovered a treasure trove of both Russian embassy staff members and files of both digital and hard copy format. The former were promptly shipped off to Guantanamo Bay, the latter to Fort Meade, before the declarations of war were broadcast. In a speech to the American people, the President made it clear that they were there for one reason, for one man. "This is not a war against the Russian people," she said. "This is a manhunt for a monster that hid behind the shroud of mutually-assured destruction for far too long. To the Troyna people, if you are listening, we thank you for opening the way towards finally bringing Vladimir Putin to justice. We truly cannot have had this opportunity without you."

St. Sebastian

Robert seemed to doubt Jane's story much less than his erstwhile partner had. He had seen deep cover officers suffer mental breakdowns when their assignments were over, or even sometimes when they were still ongoing. Similar symptoms were manifesting in this woman, but that only served to reinforce her story, not the opposite. "Okay, Anya," he said in a soft, equally non-challenging voice, "if you were created, and Valla, presumably, was born in what is considered a normal fashion for your people, then why is your claim more legitimate than hers? Because by your own admission, your purpose was not to lead your people, but observe us and report back to them." Perhaps, he thought, they had left her on Earth for too long. Did the Troyna have a way to confirm this woman's story? And what if it was true? These questions and more swirled through the federal agent's mind. Asking to borrow Liz's notebook, he wrote a simple message: "I think it's time to pass this one up the chain." His superiors at Quantico and the Hoover Building would want answers anyway, and there were rumblings that the DoD wanted to get involved as well.

 

[MarieDavisRPs]

Aboard the Mothership

"It would be my honor, Queen Valla," Alex answered when asked to be the Liaison between the Troyna and the Earth. He explained his position in the military and how it might prevent him from becoming what Valla wanted him to become.

"You have your duties, Major Stewart," she responded. "I understand this. I would never ask you to..." She looked to Pran, asking, "What was that word we discussed...?"
"Shirk, My Queen," he said, smiling; he knew that Valla had spent time on learning things about Humans that her educators, her Mentors, had said were a waste of time.

"I would never ask you to shirk your duties, Major Stewart," Valla continued. "I only ask you to consider what I have requested. I trust you above all Humans."

Alex reached out a hand to Valla's shoulder. It was not accepted protocol to make physical contact with the Queen without her expressed permission and direction, and while she didn't flinch noticeably, Valla did tighten a bit at the unexpected reach from the Human. It wasn't at all that she didn't appreciate the gesture; it was simply that people didn't do that.

She smiled to Alex, then looked to Pran. "Please escort ... Emissary Stewart. You know where, yes?"
"Yes, My Queen," Pran confirmed.

He gestured invitingly for Alex to follow. With a pair of fancy dressed escorts, they made their way down multiple passageways to a pair of doors that the guards opened ahead of them. Beyond it was a large group of Troyna, all dressed in long, white, flowing gowns. One after another, they saw Alex, turned, backed up, and -- bowing their heads forward -- crossed their arms over their chests, their fisted hands over their double hearts.

As the members of the crowd continued to back up with respect, parting, they revealed beyond them ... Dyah. She, too, was dressed in white, but her gowns weren't ceremonial, they were medical; behind her, medical equipment monitored her vitals and controlled the fluids flowing into her arm via a tube, not unlike what would be seen in any Earthly hospital.

"Emissary Stewart," Pran said as he gestured Alex foward through the crowd. "I believe you remember Attack Vessel Pilot Dyah Remma Roya Vimm."

She began speaking, but without a translator, Alex wouldn't understand her words. Pran stepped up to her and handed out a second one of the little devices. She inserted it into her ear and continued, "It is good to see you, Major."

Dyah looked to a Troyna in what seemed to be medical garb, then back to Alex. "They say you saved my life ... that I would have bled to death if you had not applied Immediate Aid."

She looked about the crowd of Troyna; they traded glances between Dyah and the Human as the conversation went on. She explained as she indicated individuals, "This is my Mother, Remma, and my grandmother, Roya." She wondered whether or not Alex would catch that those two names were the first to follow her given name; that was the tradition for female Troyna, while the males only used their own given name and the name of the Family line from which they'd come, much like Humans did.

"And these," she said, gesturing toward the crowd that now surrounded him, "These are the friends and family of my crew. They are here to check up on me. But they are also here to meet you. Queen Valla promised that you would stop by."

She looked to members of the crowd as she explained that Alex was the Human who saved her life. The reactions were obviously thankful. Then, she told them, "Major Alex Stewart is an honorable warrior who engaged my war craft ... the war craft of your sons and daughters ... to defend his people, his planet, with all the love and loyalty in his heart."

The reaction of the Troyna was one of obvious approval; they were guided more by his sense of duty than by his actions that cost them the lives of their loved ones. It was just the Troyna way. One of the Troyna asked a question that Dyah's translator didn't pick up. Dyah laughed and said, "Yes, one heart."

There was further conversation, followed by the Troyna, one after another, lowering their left hands to their sides and shifting their right fists to the left side of their chests, signaling their understanding.

"Pilot Dyah needs her rest," Pran said after one of the medical staff whispered to him, "And she would like a moment alone with Emissary Stewart before he returns for Earth ... and returns to his own family."

One by one, the Troyna stepped closer to Alex, bowed again, and departed. The Doctor checked Dyah, then excused himself, too. Dyah asked if Pran could step outside, which he did, telling Alex, "Not too long, though. My Queen wants you to return soon ... before the propaganda leads to misunderstandings."

He looked to Dyah with a smile, then stepped outside.

 

[MarieDavisRPs]

Beijing
People's Republic of China

Zhen Wu strolled slowly through the party, returning smiles and soft handshakes with some of the PRC's most powerful politicians and businessmen. Most of the people here knew her; before she became a trusted advisor to a high-level government official, she was a model and actress beloved across and beyond China.

A familiar face caught her eye, the owner of it inconspicuously giving her a come-hither gesture. She crossed to him casually, still interacting with others, but when she reached him, he turned and walked slowly away. Zhen fell in behind him, joining him in a room that was otherwise empty. The bodyguards escorting the man were told to leave, which they did.

The pair spoke about the Troyna, the attack on atomic weapons, the Russian launch on Western cities, and more. Then, the man said, "The General Secretary has chosen you to be our Ambassador to the aliens."

Zhen was surprised. She was very familiar with Xi Jinping, having partaken of his company in both governmental and social settings. They had got along well together, but Zhen had never expected him to choose her for such an honored position. It only took a moment of contemplation to know that she had to do this.

"It would be my honor and my duty," Zhen responded. "Is there anything I need to know about them that I haven't already seen in the Press?"

Just as in the past, China's Press had disseminated only that information they wanted the people to know. Of course, millions of Chinese had illegal access to the portions of the internet that the government attempted to block; everything the people of America, the UK, France, etc., knew about the Troyna, many people of China knew as well.

The two of them spoke for nearly an hour before they went their separate ways.

 

[desperado1089]

Aboard the Mothership

Alex noted with some relief that the Queen did not take offense to his gesture, and the smile she gave him a moment later caused him to smile in return, despite the situation. He promised the Queen that he would indeed consider it, would find a way to balance his duties as an Air Force officer with his new role as Emissary. When she ordered Pran to escort him...somewhere, he was quite curious, which only grew when he arrived at their destination.

It was only when he could see Dyah that his face split into a wide smile. "It's good to see you, as well," he said softly. When the Troyna conversed with one another regarding the crew of the AV, he was impressed with their understanding of the situation. "If we had known your efforts would not harm anyone, we probably would have let you do as you like, provided you could have proven that the Russians and Chinese were similarly disarmed. Have you heard about what happened on the surface?"

Whatever the answer, he did let a chuckle escape when his single hearted anatomy was explained. "Yeah, we humans have two eyes, two lungs, two kidneys, but one heart. But we also can't fly at eleven thousand miles an hour and execute Immelman turns on a dime. So I guess we have some catching up to do on the evolutionary scale. Give us a couple million years, we might look a lot like you guys, at least on the inside."

His eyebrows shot up in surprise when Dyah requested some time alone. What on earth was she thinking? Alex couldn't help but smile when he replayed those thoughts: 'what on earth.' Such things have taken on new meaning in recent days, haven't they? When they were alone, he said, "What is it, Dyah?" Around women, he found it a fool's errand to make assumptions when they asked to be alone with him; he figured that was doubly, even triply true here.

 

[MarieDavisRPs]

(OOC: Caution -- NSFW image below. You have to imagine her naked, not wearing the robe in the image. For anyone following along, her muff is trimmed down short with safety scissors she sneaks from the art supplies on occasion.)


St. Sebastian Psychiatric Hospital
Upstate New York

Robert questions Anya as to why her claim to the Troyna throne was more legitimate than Valla's. "Because by your own admission, your purpose was not to lead your people but to observe us and report back to them."

Anya hesitated a moment, unsure of whether she should explain; it might be considered betrayal to her superiors. But she also knew that if she didn't tell them something useful, she'd be given more of her anxiety drugs and returned to her room, where she would spend the rest of her life.

"I was required to earn my throne, as opposed to simply having it given to me," Anya finally said. "The pretender's ancestors manipulated other powerful people into believing that their Line's claim to the throne was stronger than that of my ancestors. To get the support of the people who could place me on the throne, I volunteered to come to Earth and study Humans, their governments, their culture, and more. It was my duty to gather intelligence and pass that information on to my superiors, so that they could decide whether or not Earth needed their help."

Anya could see that the Doctor wasn't buying what she was saying. Studying the cop or agent or whatever he was, Anya thought that maybe he was, though. She simply needed to tell him something that would convince him to get her out of here and back to her people.

"Doctor," Anya began, looking to Liz, "IF you draw some of my blood and perform a targeted single variant test on my DNA, you will find abnormalities. You will find that my SIRT1 and SIRT2 genes are missing. You will also find that I have three additional genes at one end of my DNA strand."

She looked toward Robert, continuing, "The combination of these five genes are the reason I age so slowly."

As Anya slowly pushed her chair back to rise to her feet, Robert asked to borrow Liz's notebook. As Anya continued talking, Robert wrote, I think it's time to pass this one up the chain.

"By your calendar, I was created ... born if you prefer, in your year 1906," Anya said as she began unbuttoning her blouse and, when it was open, pulling loose the tie holding her pajama bottoms to her hips. "I was brought to Earth on an Advanced Scout Vessel in your year 1929 ... and inserted into your society. I melted in and began my mission--"

Liz suddenly realized what Anya was doing, set her clipboard aside, and interjected, "Excuse me, Jane ... I mean, Anya,"

"Because my mission would take quite some time," Anya continued, "I was engineered to last some time."

Her pajama bottoms fell to the floor, followed by her blouse once she pulled it off her shoulders. Suddenly, Anya was standing before the pair as naked as the day she was born ... created.

"Jane!" Liz exclaimed, hurrying to gather the other woman's clothing from the floor, then stand between her and the male in the room. She growled, "Put these back on ... now!"

"I just want Agent Robert here to believe what I say," Anya continued, "By seeing what I look like today ... at 101 years of age, by your calendar and thinking."

As Liz worked to get at least the shirt back on the nude beauty, Anya continued, "If he needs more proof, I can provide the vital particulars ... names, addresses, positions of employment ... under which I have lived on Earth for the past century."

"Orderly ... Orderly!" Liz hollered toward the door. A pair of Orderlies hurried inside, the second of them female. Liz gestured the woman over, ordering, "Get her to her room ... and for Christ's sake, get some underwear on her."

Between Liz and the female Orderly, they got Anya's bottoms tied around her waist, the torso port of them covering her hooha while the dangling, knotted legs hid a bit of her ass crack ... but not much.

As the pair hurried her out, Anya called over her shoulder, "...I can even name my Troya contacts ... here on Earth." She caught Robert's eye, smiled, and said, "You didn't think I was the only one ... did you?"

Once Anya was gone, Liz took a moment to calm herself before she turned to look at Robert again. She chuckled nervously. "Wow. Didn't see that coming."

 

[desperado1089]

St. Sebastian

Robert had heard enough. With an apologetic glance towards Liz, he rose to his feet and held out his badge towards the retreating orderlies. "FBI! Stop what you are doing and release the patient, immediately!" He cleared his throat and said, "Under the authority of 18 U.S. Code § 3052, I hereby order this woman be released to FBI custody immediately. Anya, please dress yourself. We will be leaving this place shortly." He stepped forward, jacket open and hand on his ribs above his taser, in case the orderlies proved troublesome, as he tucked his badge away. "If your DNA is as you claim, we will make every effort to return you to your people. If, however, your DNA is indistinguishable from that of a normal human being," he added, glancing at Liz, "you will be returned here, where you will remain until you are well, or until the end of your days. Are we all clear?"

Robert's reasoning was that if this woman was in fact a Troyna, or some kind of human-Troyna hybrid, then her being under the protection of the FBI would be preferable to her rotting away at a psychiatric hospital. And if she was just a delusional human, the worst was that the FBI was out the cost of transport and of a detailed DNA analysis. Besides, psychiatric patients claiming they were abducted by aliens, or were aliens themselves, would need to be reevaluated the world over now that humanity knew for certain that they were not alone in the universe.

 

[MarieDavisRPs]

Aboard the Mothership

"What is it, Dyah?" Alex asked when the two of them were finally alone.

"I wanted to talk to you alone, Major Stewart," she began, then -- recalling that he'd referred to her by her given name, corrected, "Alex."

She paused for an indication that it was permissible to address him in that way, then continued. "I wanted to tell you ... without any others around ... family, friends, superiors ... how appreciative I am for what you did. You didn't have to give me Immediate Aid. You didn't have to assist me at all."

She did her best to sit up a bit taller, grimacing at the pain in her abdomen. "At the time of the battle between us, you superiors thought of me ... of the Troya ... as the enemy ... the aggressor. And yet you came to my aid--" She smiled and chuckled, finishing, "--even after I shot my weapon at you, only to injure myself."

The door to her room opened, and the Doctor returned, apologizing for his interruption; his words weren't translated, but the body language and tone were implied. He checked Dyah's vitals while talking to her, then apologized again and departed.

"He says I will make a full recovery and be back on duty in two, maybe three days," Dyah explained. "The bullet fragment ripped through the organ that, in a Human, would be called the liver. They created a new one to replace it and did some other things I do not fully understand."

She made the repairs to her body seem as simple as replacing a windshield wiper. She grimaced again while moving, then returned to her reason for speaking to Alex alone. With a touch of humor in her tone, she explained, "My superior visited. He wanted to know how much longer I was going to waste sitting here before I returned to duty."

Dyah chuckled softly, then reached for a small, flat box sitting on a nearby table. She opened it, revealing a colorful ribbon. "He presented me with this. It is the Medal of Valor. It is presented for bravery in the face of danger. It is not a celebration of killing enemy ... because, first, the Troyna do not celebrate such things ... and second, because we do not consider Human Beings our enemy."

She looked to the medal, clothed the box, and offered it out before her to Alex. "I would like you to have this ... please. I want you to remember me ... in case ... in case we do not see each other again."

 

[MarieDavisRPs]

St. Sebastian Psychiatric Hospital

The Orderlies hadn't gotten ten yards down the passageway before Robert emerged from the room and called out, "FBI! Stop what you are doing and release the patient, immediately!"

"Do what he says!" Liz called to the pair when they looked back. They worked in a psychiatric hospital that housed the crimally insane, so they had experience with local law enforcement. But it wasn't often that a Fed ordered the surrender of a patient. Liz repeated, "Do what he says. It's okay."

The pair released Anya, who took a couple of steps toward Robert. He told her, "If your DNA is as you claim, we will make every effort to return you to your people."

That made Anya nervous for one very good reason: Valla, who was likely the your people about whom the Agent was speaking were not her people. But she would deal with that later; for right now, Anya just wanted to get out of here.

"If, however, your DNA is indistinguishable from that of a normal human being," Robert continued, "you will be returned here, where you will remain until you are well, or until the end of your days. Are we all clear?"

"That is clear," Anya said, believing that he was talking to her.

Liz believed the same, though, and also said, "Clear." She carefully walked around Robert, telling Anya, "Come with me, Jane. I'll help you get dressed." They returned to the patient's room, where Liz helped her into the best travel clothes she could find, a pair of slacks, tee, sweatshirt, and deck shoes.

"Agent, I would like to make a request, please," Liz said. "Let me escort Jane ... Anya. She needs psychiatric supervision ... someone who understands her ... situation."

But Anya quickly said, "I don't need your supervision, Doctor." She looked to Robert, saying confidently, "I do not need a head shrinker to watch over me. I'm ready."

 

[desperado1089]

Aboard the Mothership

Alex stepped forward and smiled. "I could tell that you were scared and confused. And that you were trying to apologize. Plus, I couldn't just do nothing. That's not in my nature. And you and the others were just trying to help us, help all of Humanity. And a nuclear weapon was still used. Not by America, but by one of our adversaries. A country ruled by fear and force, by a leader who cares not one whit for his people. A despotic madman who has finally snapped." He reached out and gently took her hand. "I do not need a medal to remember you by, and I expect to have a fair bit of influence around here, as the Emissary between Humanity and the Troyna. Perhaps I will request that you be my personal pilot. However," he said, taking the medal, "I will accept your gift, only because I am confident that I will be returning it to you in due course."

 

[desperado1089]

St. Sebastian

Robert shook his head. "Doctor Wilson will accompany us for as long as I deem it necessary. We still need to verify your story. Until then, consider this a field trip, where your custody is shared between the FBI and St. Sebastian. And even if your DNA test comes back as you say it will, I still may value Doctor Wilson's opinion." That said, his professional detachment was severely tested when Anya stripped nude before him. She was exceptionally beautiful, and he found himself aroused by her despite the fact that pursuing such thoughts was an extremely bad idea for a whole laundry list of reasons.

When both Anya and Liz were ready to go, Robert led the way towards the front entrance, where he retrieved his service weapon from the security desk and made his way out to a Chevy Suburban with government plates and red and blue lights behind the windows and front grille. "Please seat yourselves wherever you like. I need to call this in." He unlocked the doors of the vehicle with a predetermined alphanumeric voice command before pulling out his phone and stepping away to give himself a modicum of privacy. The device was comprised of two halves, each one an angled parallelogram that together made up a rectangle: one of solid black, the other of a transparent glass-like material that displayed the usual apps, video, text, and so on. A device sat on his temple that broadcast audio from the phone into his ears via bone conduction. "Call HQ," he said while holding the mobile device.

 

[MarieDavisRPs]

On the Mothership:

"Greetings to the people of Earth," Valla said as she looked to the camera that was hovering a few yards ahead of her. As with her previous broadcast, her Troyna was immediately translated to the selected language of whatever device -- large or small, public or private -- on which the viewer was seeing her.

The message was being broadcasted from the same portion of Valla's living quarters in which Alex had first met her, with the huge, deck to ceiling windows looking out upon Earth. The director of the broadcast had framed the scene to allow the viewers to see much of North and South America, with the Queen standing off a bit to one side.

"I come to you again," Valla continued, "to update you on our efforts to help the Human Race and the planet upon which it lives.

"Today, using weapons designed to cause no harm to Human life," she continued, "we destroyed over 99% of the atomic warheads that have threatened life on Planet Earth."

Her expression got a bit more serious. "Unfortunately, a few of those weapons survived. One of your States, the Russian Federation, made the decision to launch those weapons not at the Troyna ... not at my ship high in Earth's orbit ... but at the capital cities of several other Earth States. We did our best to intercept those weapons ... to prevent the loss of Human life at the hands of a madman.
Valla's expression became solemn as she continued, "Unfortunately ... one of those weapons succeeded in reaching its target."

Across the globe, the image of Valla and the Earth behind her was replaced by the explosion of the Russian ICBM. Valla continued, "The City of Kyiv in the sovereign and peaceful country of Ukraine has been destroyed."

The camera returned to the image of Valla as she continued, "We did our best to intercept that weapon but failed. It is estimated that as many as 2 million innocent men, women ... and children are dead.

"In response, I have ordered a second attack on the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation," Valla continued. "This attack, designed to prevent the loss of innocent lives, will forever eliminate the Russian Federation's ability to wage war against another peaceful State."

Valla and her top Military Leaders had discussed how best to deal with the Federation's leader. It was universally agreed amongst the Troyna that Putin had to be taken into custody and dealt with. The only question was whether or not the Troyna should do this or some other Earth State.

Her Intelligence Officer had told her that the United States of America had declared war on Russia and had committed itself to locating and detaining Putin. Valla didn't want to see two of the world's greatest superpowers at war, of course, but she did think that it would be good for the USA to capture Putin, as opposed to the Troyna.

In response, her address continued, "No one blames the people of the Russian Federation for the actions of their leader, Vladimir Putin ... whether Troya or Human. I will not punish the Russian people for this man's crimes. In fact ... I will reward the Russian people for assisting in the capture of Vladimir Putin.

"In the meantime," Valla continued, "I offer the assistance of the Troyna People to the survivors of the attack on Kyiv. Our Medical and Emergency Response Professionals have advanced technologies that would be helpful in the aftermath of the attack. I won't order my people to the area without an invitation; I do not wish anyone to think for a moment that this is any sort of invasion of the Kyiv area."

There was one last thing about which Valla should have spoken but didn't: Major Alex Stewart. She and he hadn't spoken about what she was to say about him: to the world, to his Command, or to his friends and family. One of her propaganda people had prepare a piece showing him heroically saving Dyah from the sea, then defending the Search & Rescue teams by convincing the surfacing submarine to stand down.

In the end though, Valla chose to say nothing at all specifically about him. Instead, she finished with, "I will be making contact with the leaders of all States and Nations over the days to come, in an effort to reassure them that our visit to your planet and our destruction of your atomic arsenals is not a prelude to any sort of invasion or conquering of your world."

She smiled a bit more, finishing, "I wish only for the people of Earth to live better lives and for the Earth itself to heal from the ails from which it is now suffering."

And with that, the billions of screens across the world either went black or went back to their previous programming.

 

[MarieDavisRPs]

Aboard the Mothership; Dyah's recovery room

Alex spoke about how he came to Dyah's rescue down on the cold, deep waters of the Pacific, then more about Vladimir Putin and what he'd done. Ironically, Alex knew more about that last issue than did Dyah, who had been kept from that news by the Doctor who didn't want her upset by it. It had been a good call, actually; Dyah would not have taken the news well, particularly since -- if she hadn't been injured -- she likely would have participated in the Welder attacks on Russia.

"I do not need a medal to remember you by," he told her, speaking more about his new role as Emissary. When he took her hand, Dyah felt a shiver run up her spine, a sensation that was just as much Troyna as is was Human. He told her, "However, I will accept your gift, only because I am confident that I will be returning it to you in due course."

"I hope so--" she began before continuing in English, "--Ma-jor Al-ex."

Dyah was still a bit hesitant about using his own language for fear that she might say something incorrectly or even inappropriate. But she wanted Alex to know that she was trying, continuing with what one of her Mentors had taught her after her surgery: "See ... you ... soon ... Al-ex."

She smiled wide, and was waiting for his response when the door opened and Pran said, "It's time, Major Stewart. Time to get you home."

Command Central had made a communications connection with the USAF and had arranged safe passage of one of their Shuttles to Alex's home station in the State of Washington. The contact there had been sure to explain that the Shuttle would be escorted by aircraft, something to which the Troyna Admiral in charge had readily agreed.

 

[MarieDavisRPs]

St. Sebastian Psychiatric Hospital

"Doctor Wilson will accompany us for as long as I deem it necessary," Robert stated firmly, speaking more about the reason and finishing with, "I still may value Doctor Wilson's opinion."

Anya would have preferred to leave the facility without psychiatric company and with only the male who'd come to visit her. In her mind, she was Troyna down to each and every neuron and the thoughts they maintained. But her body -- with the slight exception of the alterations in her DNA strands -- was all Human. And like any human -- or at the least the vast majority of them -- Anya had desires that she occasionally needed quenched, and the moment Robert Peterson had said that she was coming with him, her mind filled with fantasies of what they would do to and for each other's bodies.

After Liz helped Anya pack a bag of basic things, she went to her office to gather her phone, laptop, and briefcase. Anya contemplated flirting with the man in the hopes of getting him to change his mind about the Doctor, but unfortunately Liz ordered the Orderlies to stay with her patient until she got back.

"Please seat yourselves wherever you like," Robert said once they got outside. "I need to call this in."

Anya moved a little bit faster than necessary to get to the front passenger's side door before the other woman. But Liz took her by the hand, pulled her from that door to the one behind it, and told her firmly, "I think it would be better if you were back here with me ... where I can keep an eye on you."

As the Agent made his call, Anya looked to the Doctor and asked bluntly, "You think I'm lying, don't you?"

Liz hesitated, then answered, "I think you believe everything you're saying, Ja-- Anya. My responsibility when it comes to you is to help you find truth in your life. If what you are telling us is true ... wonderful. If it isn't ... I hope you will let me help you find the real truth."

Anya studied the other woman for a moment, turned her head to watch Robert again, and murmured, "You think I'm lying."

They sat in silence until Robert finished his phone call and turned back to the Suburban. Just before he opened the door -- too late for Liz to reply without being heard by the man -- Anya said with a blunt, serious tone, "My first action upon being placed on the Troyna throne will be to have you tried for treason ... and executed."

 

[desperado1089]

Aboard the Mothership

"Remember," Alex said with a twinkle in his eye, "just Alex." He walked backwards and only dropped her hand when he could not hold on any more, then turned to follow Medic Torka. "I hope that Marine Jalla has not been assigned to something too dangerous," he said as he fell into step with the second Troyna he had met. "If it is in line with my role as Emissary, I would like for him to be assigned to me when I am conducting my official duties, and you as well, Medic. But we will discuss this further at a later time."

The shuttle they took back to the surface was smaller than the S&R craft, only seating five people in a cockpit too small to unbuckle and float through. Only three seats were occupied, the sole pilot, Alex and Pran Torka. He had changed back to his Air Force flight suit and boots, but his other gear was in a bag that the Troyna had provided. The suit he had worn was in a different sort of bag, one that had circuitry woven into the fabric and that Alex suspected would keep the garment totally free of wrinkles except under extreme circumstances.

When the shuttle dipped low enough, the promised escort came up behind them, and one of the pilots saluted Alex as she flew alongside. It was with no small measure of relief that he returned it. It seemed that they wouldn't make an issue of his absence. When they landed, the base commander greeted Torka and the pilot, and while they would be welcome to rest if necessary, they may not receive as much attention as they normally would, due to the war footing they were now on. Alex himself was sequestered in a briefing room, where he first explained that so far, he had only seen Troyna destructive weapons used against the ICBMs that had been launched against them by Russia and China. He emphasized that in his professional and personal opinion, their intentions were to help them. "If they wanted to invade," he said in conclusion, "they could do it at any point in time. They even said that they will let us handle Putin. They are not the enemy. I will never be convinced otherwise." Fortunately, there was little reason to doubt him.

Next came a few surprises for Alex. The first was a promotion to Lieutenant Colonel. The second was the awarding of the Congressional Medal of Honor, by President Stevens herself. "Congratulations, Lieutenant Colonel Stewart," she said as she draped the medal around his neck. He returned her salute smartly, and spoke with her for a few moments regarding his offer to be the Emissary between Troyna and Humanity. "All of humanity?", she asked. "Far as I understand it, yes, Madam President." She considered it for a moment, then nodded. "Once the situation in Russia is dealt with, I will make the necessary arrangements on our end. I won't take up any more of your time."

Outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, 20 miles from ground zero

Several of the Ukrainian military units stationed near Kyiv were able to assemble at a single spot where the prevailing winds would not endanger them with radiation. Not that they weren't dead men regardless. They had already been able to let the outside world know that they would accept the Troyna's aid, and so turned their antennas skyward and set a message to repeat, on all frequencies. "Please, help us."

Moscow, Russian Federation

"Move, you slimy bastard!", grunted a Russian Army Sergeant as he hauled the struggling form of his former President over the body of one whose loyalty was not to the people. Gunfire still sporadically erupted from elsewhere in the Kremlin, but the side that wanted the terror to end far outnumbered the Putin loyalists. Once they got to the doors into Red Square, where a crowd over a million strong chanted for Putin's head and BTR APCs created a barrier between the Kremlin and the crowd, the Sergeant turned to the most junior Private on the squad. "This victory is for all the people. From the small to the large. Take him, Private." The Private saluted and gripped the arm of the once-powerful man and two squad mates opened the doors to cheers and chants. They made no effort to storm the makeshift barricade. They knew that Putin's fate would lie with those he had wronged, and their allies. They wanted to see this man humiliated before all the world, and if they got their vengeance now, they would be denied that. The army would take him to the border, where they would hand him off to Western forces.

 

[desperado1089]

St. Sebastian

"You will not gain anything by making threats!", Robert said sharply, and in that moment he had no desire whatsoever to touch this woman with a ten-foot pole. "Besides, it's not us you ultimately need to convince of your legitimacy. It's the Troyna." He left out the part where he doubted that a clone of any sort had a stronger claim to the throne than a member of the royal line. Wondering if she could be both an alien and bat shit crazy, which was a scary thought, he climbed into the driver's seat and took off with lights and siren. Their route would take them to the nearest airstrip, where an Air Force Gulfstream would take them to Andrews, then it was on to Walter Reed. Apparently, the DoD was footing the bill for transport and testing.

 

[MarieDavisRPs]

St. Sebastian Psychiatric Hospital

"You will not gain anything by making threats!" Robert said sharply.

Anya hadn't intended for the man to hear her threat; it was meant specifically for the Doctor. Elizabeth Wilson barely reacted to Jane Doe 32's words, though, as she regularly received threats from patients with any number of mental issues. And they weren't all criminally insane, either. Some were simple schizophrenics.

"...it's not us you ultimately need to convince of your legitimacy," Robert continued. "It's the Troyna."

That left Anya thinking ... and worrying. Yes, no doubt about it: she wanted to get back to the Troyna and report her findings. But to which Troyna? Anya had been placed here on Earth by members of the Troya Nobility who had hoped that Anya's reign would benefit them far more than that of Queen Valla's. Those Nobles had been backed by high-ranking Military personnel who had hoped the same for themselves.

The group of conspirators had quietly referred to themselves as the K'rek. It wasn't a word that translated easily into most Human languages. The closest word in English was Correctionists; it referred to those who thought that the throne going to Valla's line had been a mistake and needed to be corrected.

Anya couldn't even know whether or not the K'rek were even still in place; the plot had been initiated more than 100 Earth years ago. Perhaps it had been uncovered and foiled. Perhaps her fellow conspirators had all been executed. If Robert turned her over to Valla's people, and they knew of the plot, Anya's next stop after being turned over by Robert would be the execution chamber?

Of course, most of the original K'rek conspirators were dead by now. The Troyna had an average life span of 140 Earth years. That meant that nearly all of the original Nobles and Officers were long dead; they hadn't undergone the same life extending DNA procedures that Anya had.

But the K'rek was an organization that would have continued through subsequent generations. The children of the Nobles and Officers, as well as new, younger member who joined, would continue the plot ... if it hadn't been uncovered and eliminated.



Liz sat up taller in her seat as she saw the SUV turn into the access road for a small, regional airport. As she watched, they shot through a normally locked gate at which a security guard was waving through. They headed directly toward a Gulfstream jet with Air Force labeling on it.

"What's happening, Agent Peterson?" she asked calmly. When she received no immediate answer, she repeated with more volume and stress, "What's happening, Agent Peterson...? Where are we going?"

Robert had, of course, told her that they needed to run this up the ladder. But Liz hadn't fully understood what that meant or -- now a concern -- where that meant.

They arrived at the plane, loaded, and got immediately into the air, bypassing other planes that were awaiting departure. Liz was surprised at Anya's silence; she hadn't said a word since she'd threatened Liz with execution.

Flight time to Andrews was just less than an hour, and no sooner did they level off then Liz opened her notebook to review her notes on Jane Doe 32. But she was exhausted, and Liz had never been able to travel well -- by car, bus, train, or plane -- without becoming sleepy. It took less than ten minutes for her eyes to get heavy, resulting in her storing her pen, closing her book, and leaning her head against the window.



Anya had spent the time in the SUV and the time to cruising altitude just thinking about her next actions. Her attention shifted between Liz and Robert, and when she saw the former drift off to sleep, she saw her opportunity to deal with the latter as she'd been contemplating since his reaction to her stripping to the skin.

She unbuckled, looked for the bathroom, and started for it. Her path took her past Robert; she paused to run a flirty finger over his upper arm before continuing on. At the bathroom, she entered but didn't close the door, instead turning to look at Robert with a smile. She knew that no one else in the cabin; she began unbuttoning her blouse, with the plans to shed it and her pants while waiting with great hope that the Agent would come join her for a quickie.

 

[MarieDavisRPs]

Outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, 20 miles from ground zero

The gathering of military and medical personnel had been growing for hours, with the Ukrainians being joined by counterparts from Poland, Moldavia, and -- surprisingly -- even Belarus, which had been one of Russia's biggest supporters during the Russian-Ukrainian war.

Word had gotten out that medical aid was available here, and survivors of the atomic blast were flooding in from all directions. Even with the influx of assistance and the promised aid from the United States, China, Africa, and other European countries, the need was too great; the tents filled up too quickly and the medicines, food, and water were gone as soon as the trucks arrived with them.

Outside of the camp, a dozen Ukrainian boys and girls were playing tag around the gigantic message on the ground to the Troyna: "Please, help us." They'd fought over but eventually agreed to the rules: base, borders, teammates, and freeze were settled; still, arguments broke out again and again over cheating, teaming up, and bullying.

One of the boys was on freeze when a friend ran by, tapped him, and hollered out, "Unfreeze! Run!"

But the boy didn't move; he stayed in place, staring up into the sky with a hand over his face, shading his eyes. He'd spotted something in the air coming his direction quickly, and despite Kyiv not having been struck by Russian missiles or drones in over a year, his first thought was that an attack was imminent.

But the shape of the object was ... odd ... and very quickly he realized that it wasn't alone; he spotted another, then another, then more until he and the children who'd joined him had counted 22 of the vessels approaching them. The Troyna Shuttles passed overhead, landing in a circular pattern that surrounded the burgeoning refugee camp in a cloud of dust.

A dozen aliens spilled out of each Shuttle, hurrying down lowered ramps in pairs with large containers between them. They dropped the containers at 50-yard distances apart and stepped back; with the push of a button on a handheld device, the containers broke open and expanded into giant tents.

Even as this was happening, the shuttles on the ground were lifting off and being replaced by other Shuttles, from which flowed more Troyna carrying containers of supplies that went straight to the tents. In all, 7 flights of 22 shuttles landed and unloaded, and in less than an hour, refugees were being invited into the tents for radiation and burn treatments; outside, highly nutritional food packs were being distributed along with filters that could turn even polluted, radioactive water into water as pure as anything on Earth.

 

[desperado1089]

St. Sebastian/En Route to Joint Base Andrews

"Shit, sorry! I got in my head again, Liz. We're going to Walter Reed, courtesy of the Air Force. Seems all hands are on deck here," he said to his onetime lover, reaching back to give her hand a reassuring squeeze. "Everyone is in agreement that if the DNA test comes back normal, she's all yours and that's that. But if not, then this is just the beginning, I'm afraid."

Nevertheless, Liz boarded the plane alongside them, and, predictably, fell asleep soon afterward. He was just about to reach over and tuck a stray lock of hair behind her ear, that kept on fluttering as she breathed, when Anya happened by. The way she touched his arm, followed by the way she left the bathroom door open, left little doubt as to what she was up to. Hell, it wasn't like he wasn't thinking about it. But if this girl really was some sort of contender for the throne, then what would he be getting himself into? And what if she was an alien hybrid, but delusional in her own way?

Whatever the case, he found himself rising to his feet before his better judgment could stop him. He figured that no human had ever fucked an alien before, or at least, not verifiably. There were plenty of reasons that he shouldn't do this, but then again, he could leverage his position to gather more information on her background, motives, and potential of actually having a claim to the throne. Or, alternatively, she and he could end up developing real feelings for one another, and all would be well. As unlikely as the latter scenario was, aliens had arrived to Earth. Impossible no longer seemed to exist. Or if it did, it was in serious need of being redefined.

Nevertheless, he wisely left his gun, actually all of his weapons, in the main cabin before he slipped into the bathroom and closed and locked the door.

 

[MarieDavisRPs]

(OOC: To my partner and anyone following along, sometimes my images are out of context. You simply have to imaging them in the current context with the current description.)


USAF Gulfstream Jet
12,000 feet over Southeast New York State

By the time Robert reached the jet's lavatory -- which was as roomie and well-appointed as any in a commercial airliner's first-class section -- Anya had shed her blouse, bra, and slacks after having also stepped out of her deck shoes. As the man closed the door, she hurried let loose her bra's clasp and pushed her panties off her hips, wiggling her lower half to start them on their way down toward her ankles. Suddenly, Anya was naked with the exception of the little bobby socks she would leave on for three reasons: to keep her tootsies warm; to keep her feet clean from any piddle that some pilot or Agent's cock had dripped on the floor; and, most importantly, to save time as she turned her back to Robert and presented herself to him with a forward arched spine.

She presumed that Robert was here to fuck her, as opposed to lecturing her about being a bad girl. If the former, she'd part her feet to give him better access; if the latter ... well ... she wasn't even going to consider the latter, was she?