Get Out!

Emily felt like the meeting had been going on forever as each of the Nobles made a case for changes in the new rules of the Empire to give them more power and money. She finally had heard enough when a particularly nasty Baron explained how his soldiers all came from forced conscription she slammed her hands down on the table and said, "I have heard all I need to hear. The rules are here for you to read. The reason for this meeting wasn't to revise my proven to work laws. The purpose of this meeting is to explain to you all how things will be run in the empire. Your private armies? They are like children trying to fight grown men when talking about their battle prowess in front of my soldiers. Want to rebel? You won't even be able to last through the first battle. If you want to remain in power in your existing areas you will follow my laws or I will replace you. From tonight forward you may keep your existing titles socially only. Your title when meeting in this room will be Governor, every Governor has an equal rank at this table." She turned and looked at Randolf Duke, "I would like to formally present the Duke of Connaissance, Randolf Duke."

Randolf stood up and gave a bow to other men at the table. Most of them looked at Randolf with sour expressions. Duke Morely stood and asked, "Your Majesty, I wonder if you could explain the new division of lands? It seems my family's territory for instance now includes more land and less populated area?"

She looked at Beaux and said, "The old maps of the Windsor Kingdom had been manipulated several times to give certain highly taxable areas to a few families. I needed to redraw the borders to make the divisions more logical to oversee. I changed your borders to include the protection of fertile farmlands and important resource gathering points. The Harmons, to your south, originally had to pass through your territory to manage these areas. I need you all to be on the same team. The days of being at war with each other are over. I want that energy put to better use for the benefit of the empire as a whole."

Duke Hassard finally couldn't take it anymore and abruptly stood up knocking his chair over. He threw down a scroll to Emily and shouted, "This is my formal declaration of independence. My Hassard County is now it's own Kingdom!"

A few of the nobles looked at Emily to see what she would do. She unrolled the scroll and started to read with a chuckle. As the scroll came down she was holding a strange metal object in her hand, "Very well, Duke Hassard. Thank you for being the example for everyone who would like to rebel." A loud bang was heard as a thin stream of flame appeared out of the strange metal object and then the back of the Duke's head exploded out sending chucks of skull, blood, and brain matter flying over the people sitting behind him. "Viscount Wheaton, congratulations. You are now Duke of Wheaton, formerly known as Hassard County." She set the strange metal object down and clapped for him causing the other men at the table to also clap.

Duke Morely raised his hand and when pointed at by Emily asked, "W-what is that?" He pointed at the strange metal object.

"Tesla Wasp. This is just one of the new super weapons the soldiers of the kingdom are now equipped with. You can kill a knight in full armor from eight hundred meters away with these weapons. Archers can't even see the ones firing at them." Emily looked around the table and repeated what she had said earlier, "The armies, the tactics, the kind of war you all are familiar with is like two children play fighting in front of my armies. I was trying to be polite by allowing you the honor of your titles and being heads of the territories in my Empire. Some of you believed that you were much more powerful than I could imagine. That's because you have underestimated my power. I am not simply a little more advanced than you all. I am generations more advanced than you all. Within the next twenty years, this Empire will be so much further advanced than the rest of the planet, that we will have to turn people away at our borders to keep our population safe from the disease and filth they would bring in if we don't sell our advanced technology to our neighbors." She took a sip of water and then looked at each man around the table, "Does anyone else wish to rebel?"

No one spoke at all for several minutes. Duke Randolf cleared his throat and then said, "Your Majesty, I propose that we adjourn this meeting."

Emily smiled and said, "This meeting is adjourned. Someone have that traitor's body removed." She was the first to stand and leave the room finding Jon waiting outside the meeting room looking tense.

"I had to kill Hassard." She said stoically, "The others should fall in line now."

Jon nodded and said, "If you hadn't warned my men in advance we would have kicked the door down. How did you know that only one would choose to rebel?"

She smiled and said, "I suspected that once the first one saw that there would be no retaliation they jump up one after another. So I made sure to kill the first one that stood up in a horrible fashion and gift his territory and title to one of the men I suspected that would jump forward next."

"What if they all had chosen to rebel at once?" Jon frowned hard.

She smiled at him and said, "Thank goodness they didn't, I would have run out of Stingers."

They walked out and climbed into Emily's cab. A group of soldiers formed and ran alongside as they headed to her residence. Jon asked, "Could I see your Tesla Wasp for a moment?"

Emily shrugged and handed it over as Jon tucked it into his jacket. He took a deep breath and said, "I have to confess something. This afternoon, I kind of well.. I need to start at the beginning."

Emily chuckled and asked, "Did Teslaimia tease you again?"

"Yes, it was that exactly. She keeps wearing provocative outfits and asking me if they excite me." He sighed, "I mean of course they excite me. She's one of the two most beautiful women I have ever met. She would excite me if she wore one of those horrible suits that Duhan likes to wear."

Emily shook her head and said, "Since you took my weapon away thinking I would shoot you, I suppose she took things a step too far today and you took her bait?"

He nodded, "I kissed her and pressed her up against the wall in your home. I don't know what came over me, I just wanted her to stop teasing me but once I felt how soft she was and how great she smelled..."

Emily frowned, "How far did you two go?"

He shook his head, "I walked away. I just hope that she doesn't... Well, I mean, I just don't want to have this ruin any of our relationships."

Emily shook her head and chuckled, "I'll talk to her about it tonight. I know what she wants and why she wants it. If she was ok with it, and I was ok with it, would you have done more?"

Jon's eyes grew wide, "I... I am afraid to answer that."

"So, yes. I see. I will talk to her about it then, Jon. Don't worry. I won't kill you. I'm going to smack her hard you know where though." She frowned again.

Jon sighed and asked, "Want me to hold on to this for the night?" He held up the Tesla Wasp.

Emily burst out in laughter, "No, it's ok. I will take it. I love her, I don't want her dead, silly."

*****

"I don't understand, what do you mean, Professor?" Amelia looked confused as her eyes darted over to Gorki.

Dmitri shook his head and said, "You heard what I said, I brought you from Kreussia when you were a baby. This man, Gorki, he is your brother. Your real brother. You had the same mother and the same father. Your real last name is not Earnhardt it is Kuznetsov. Amelia Kuznetsov. Your father's name wasn't Chip, it was Piotr."

Amelia shook her head back and forth, "That can't be, right? My father was an adventurer, a professional wagon driver!"

Dmitri shook his head, "Your father was a smith, a great smith, and a researcher. Like me. He couldn't drive a wagon if his life depended on it!"

Amelia pointed at Gorki and shouted, "He is one of the people who... Hurt me... He can't be my brother!"

Nicolas spoke up, "The one who had you hurt was me. It had nothing to do with your brother if you must hate someone, hate me. Your brother, Gorki, he's a good man, Amelia. It's not fair to accuse him like that."

Amelia shouted louder, "No I am sure of it! I know that tattoo on his back. I will never forget it in my entire life! He... He did those things to me with the other men. He's... he's awful!" She burst into tears and hid behind Dmitri.

Dmitri shook his head and said, "Amelia, that's a military tattoo. All of the soldiers in the Kreussian army have them to mark which unit they belong to, it just means that he belongs to the same group of soldiers."

Amelia shook her head, "No, I am telling you that he was there I know it's him." She stared at Gorki and screamed, "Get Out! Get out of here both of you! You animals! Get Out!"

Nicolas grabbed Gorki by the shoulder and said, "Come, Gorki, we should leave them. We need to get back now."

Gorki's eyes were red and tears rolled down his cheeks, "I know... I just, want to hold her and protect her now that I have found her. I am going to never see her again, am I?"

Nicolas gave his shoulder a squeeze and said, "Gorki, come. She needs time. Distance and time. Those are the only cures for this kind of thing. Maybe, years later, you can come to find her and she will be ready to see her brother."

Gorki called out to her as he walked out, "Amelia, I swear, someday. I will come back and we can meet for the first time once again."

Amelia ran into her room and slammed the door. She pulled the blankets over her head and cried once in a while crying out, "Get out! I never want to see you again!"

Nicolas and Gorki pulled out the airship and escaped off into the evening air. Gorki wiped his eyes and looked off into the sunset, "Nicolas, when we conquer this land. When Father Kreussia touches all corners of the world, will she speak to me like I am her brother?"

Nicolas shook his head, "I can't answer that, my friend. The future is always changing. Yesterday's dreams are tomorrow's good joke. All we can do is try out best to live our lives one day at a time. Before we took this trip, you didn't even have a sister. Life is like that. Always putting dead ends and surprises on our chosen path to get us to make the next turn."

Gorki chuckled and shook his head, "I didn't think you were so philosophical."

Nicolas smiled and said, "If I had any Vodka left, maybe I wouldn't have it in me."

Gorki nodded, "I miss good vodka too. It will be good to be home again."

Nicolas nodded and said, "Warm girls, cold vodka, and good food we can eat. Ah! It will be nice to get home. Gorki, was the trip there worth it, be honest?"

Gorki smiled as he remembered seeing his sister smile and laugh as they worked and learned together. "It was worth it. When we get home, I will build you a mighty airship, one that rivals our enemies."

Nicolas grinned, "Good man. Good man." He patted Gorki on the shoulder. "I will take the first night shift, get some sleep. I'll wake you in six hours to take over."

Gorki nodded and said, "Thank you, my friend."

Nicolas smiled at him and said, "You are my brother Gorki, together we are going to rule the world."