Chapter Seventeen

Architect of the Empire

At 1150 hours the next day, Empress Hoshi Sato stepped upon her bridge, accompanied by Patricia McCabe, Travis Mayweather and Paul Estes. Though the latter two held all on the bridge covered by their weapons, there seemed hardly a reason to do so. At Major Reed's announcement 'Empress on the bridge' all stood and saluted her. She returned the salute with infinite gratification; allowing her officers to again seat themselves, then turned to Grace Winters standing to her right.

"Your Majesty," the blonde woman reported, "the Andorian government has formally ratified the treaty, as have the Vulcans." The Vulcan High Command had conducted their negotiations yesterday via subspace, something wholly satisfying to the Empress. There had been no mention of the late T'Pol. In yesterday's conversation, it was as though the woman had never existed on the 'Enterprise' crew.

"What word from the Palace?"

Winters grinned evilly. "Your Ministers are in an uproar. A third demand to know why they were not consulted before your action, as if they had not met with you and heard all the details. They still wanted to be able to act, and actually thought they could influence your move. A third support your unilateral move without question as a brilliant strategy, and a third are fearful of execution."

Hoshi shook her head with an ironic smile. "Tell them all I haven't made up my mind which third I will liquidate. What else?"

"The Orion government was pretty shaken by the Andorian and Vulcan withdrawals. They made noises about solidarity and fighting to the last man–"

"An easy threat for a Matriarchy to make."

Winters nodded in agreement. "But we've just received a signal a few minutes ago that they want to negotiate."

"I'll do that one by subspace too. The last time I spent any time with Orion women, I had a headache for two days. What else?"

"That is all of significance, your Majesty."

"There is no misunderstanding among any of my Ministers as to the terms of these treaties?"

"None. We've been broadcasting information throughout the Empire. The treaties are Personal ones between the rebels and you. So long as you live and reign, the war is over."

"Their response?"

She grinned again. "I thought I'd have to replace one of the transtators, your Highness."

"Fine. Signal the Palace and inform them that I will beam down with my staff at 1500. Tell them to prepare for my Coronation tomorrow morning, 0900."

"As you command, your Highness." She sat down at her station and opened the appropriate channels, conducting her work quietly.

Hoshi looked across the circle of the bridge to the Tactical Station, where Major Reed sat. "Good to have you back, Malcolm."

"Good to be back, your Majesty," he replied, not looking at the woman at her side.

"Where is Anderson? I trust you didn't…." She left it hanging.

"I reassigned her. Beta shift," he told her smugly. There was no way an Ensign, bumped up to Lieutenant while he was disabled, was going to be among the primary crew.

"Hardly necessary. She'll be coming with me to the Palace."

Hoshi immensely enjoyed the look frozen rigidly upon the man's face. She looked around the bridge at her crew, old and new faces. It had been a whirlwind week, a very long morning, but she was tired and looking forward to getting some rest before beaming down this afternoon to assume her new role. Just one last duty to perform.

x

"Computer," she called aloud. There was a brief answering beep. "This is Empress Hoshi Sato. Verify voice print."

"Voice print verified," the feminine voice replied.

"Transfer all command codes to McCabe, Patricia Marie." There was a series of soft beeps.

"Command codes transferred. U.S.S. 'Defiant' now under the Command of Patricia Marie McCabe."

The woman, clad in Federation gold, turned to her and saluted. "I relieve you, your Majesty."

Hoshi returned the salute. "I stand relieved. Good luck and good fortune. Long live the Empire."

"Long live the Empress."

x

Patricia McCabe stepped down into the command well, and seated herself for the first time in the center chair. Malcolm, watching closely, saw something he had missed the first time he'd forced himself to look at her; the double golden bands on the wrist of each sleeve of her gold uniform now sandwiched a broken band. McCabe touched a control on the right arm rest of the chair, and her voice echoed throughout the ship.

"This is the Captain speaking. All hands are to prepare for Coronation ceremonies, 0900 tomorrow morning in the Imperial Palace. New dress uniforms." She turned off the circuit and looked to her right. "Lieutenant Parker, front and center."

x

The woman attending the Science Station stood, uncertain what to expect. She had been part of the 'execution squad' that had dispatched the former Chief Engineer, but the 'punishment' that had befallen Lt. Cdr. Mary Sherman had not settled upon her. She expected that it would now.

Trying her best to keep any sign of apprehension from her face, she stepped down into the Command well, stood before her Captain and saluted crisply. She did her best to avoid visibly holding her breath. She couldn't keep her eyes from flicking to the phaser at McCabe's waist, nor the one at Mayweather's.

"Computer," Captain McCabe continued, "record appointment of Christina Parker as both Science Officer and Executive Officer, with the rank of Commander, effective immediately."

Tina Parker was so surprised it took her a moment to find her voice. "Thank you, Captain." She barely managed to keep it short of an exclamation.

"Resume your post, Commander."

"Aye, Captain." She saluted crisply and found she could almost float back to her Science Station.

For an instant her eyes met those of her Empress, but she could read nothing in them. She didn't know that Sato, when she had conferred with McCabe following the late night appointment of the new Captain, would not have made this appointment.

x

Hoshi recognized, however, that her reason was an emotional reaction to Charles Tucker's murder; that she would not have advanced any of the culprits to anything other than an airlock.

She had not questioned McCabe's appointment of the woman, nor would she oppose any future postings. It was McCabe's decision, arrived at logically after reviewing the records of several possible candidates, based upon service and ability, as well as loyalty to the Empire.

She knew she had to remember this lesson as well. She could not allow the wisdom of her decisions to be distorted by emotion or ties, not matter how strong.

x

Empress Hoshi Sato turned and left her bridge for the final time. The 'Defiant' would be in good hands. With her Personal Guard she entered the turbolift and began her descent to her former quarters. She was no longer in command of a Starship.

She was in command of the Galaxy.

Epilogue

2262

Captain James Tiberius Kirk, new Commander of the Starship I.S.S. 'Enterprise', the second ship to bear that proud name, accompanied by his new First Officer, the Vulcan Spock, is on Earth following his accession to command after his successful assassination of his former commander Captain Christopher Pike.

He is there to meet with the Emperor, to pledge his Personal Loyalty to the ruler of the Empire, as Starship Commanders have had to do for over 100 years.

Following this conference, he and Spock depart through the Hall of Imperials, large statues lining both sides of the hall, depicting the Emperors who had led the Terran Empire through its long and proud history. As they are in reverse order, the most recent are closest to the throne room, and Kirk pauses before one particular statue, next to the door, on his right. It bears the image of the Leader of the Empire next in line to the previous Ruler, whose image appeared on the left side of the hall.

Where most of the line of Imperials had been men, there had been nine women over the centuries; the statue of the most recent of whom they pause before.

"I've always had a particular admiration for this one," Kirk said. "She Ascended at only 25 and died 15 years before I was born. I'd loved to have met her. I studied her Reign in school."

"As did we all," the taciturn Vulcan, in his blue uniform shirt resplendent with medals, pointed out unnecessarily, reminding him that everyone had studied the reign of this particular ruler.

Kirk stood looking up at the image, clenched hands on hips decorated with his new metallic gold Command sash. He'd gladly put aside the sash of First Officer, leaving it for the Vulcan beside him.

"In the early days of her Reign, the Empire had been in chaos from within and under attack from without. She brought Order to Chaos, and set us on our way to Glory. Under her rule, the Empire expanded to cover over a fifth of the galaxy. She lived to a fine old age; 87 years, very rare for Emperors. Most Emperors are feared and, for a good number of them, people can't wait for them to earn their final reward. But she was different. She was actually loved, hard as that might seem to be believed. When she died she was mourned as no other had ever been."

They looked up at the statue. It depicted a proud, noble woman in her prime. All Emperors, regardless of how long they served - and some had served for long periods - were depicted in their prime. The white marble statue showed an Asian woman robed in the finery of her Office.

In her left hand she held a 'Defiant' Class starship such as are still in use to this day, the first of a fleet of over 2,000 such vessels which had unified and expanded the Empire throughout known space. In her right hand was depicted a representation of the Milky Way Galaxy. The front of the marble base, carved after her death, was inscribed in raised letters:

Her Imperial Majesty

Hoshi Sato-Mayweather

"Architect of the Empire"

Born July 9, 2129

Ascended January 19, 2155

Died April 23, 2217

In the 62nd Year of her Reign.