Epilogue

Epilogue

The fleet-wide broadcast went far better than expected and lasted several hours. It began with Ronan telling of how he and his men had crashed on a planet and then been captured by slavers. How they had been forced to fight for their lives in the fighting pits before being taken to the Pleasure Dome to serve as pleasure slaves.

Ronan went on to speak of Lilly saving him from a whipping and how she had been forced to live by eating food scraps or rummaging in the wastelands. He spoke of her kindness and intelligence and of how she’d risked her life countless times to venture into the wastelands to find technology to help him and his men. Ronan went on to talk of how she’d arranged for them to get off messages and then basically single-handedly repaired, programmed, and launched a ship run by servos to carry a message home to Gilese. Ronan then went on to tell of her trying to protect him from attacks and being injured; he spoke of her kindness and intelligence.

When Ronan was finished with his impassioned speech, his men had each stepped forward to tell their tales and speak of what Lilly had done for them. Lilly was the last to speak, and it had taken all her courage to do so. Her face covered in bruises, her hair and clothing disheveled, her lip and now badly swollen eye, she wore her injuries with pride. At Ronan’s prodding, she had told her whole story, starting with her being taken from Earth by the slavers.

Lilly had barely held back her tears as she’d told of how she’d come to the Pleasure Dome, and been forced to eat from the garbage and shelter at night in trash bins. She’d recounted how she’d found the service shed and damaged servos’, and with the servos’ help, made it her home. Then she’d told of meeting Ronan, of how she had admired him and decided to help him and his men. Lilly spoke of what she had done to help Ronan and of her love for him.

When she had finished Ronan had again spoken of Indie’s attack on Lilly, of her plan to leave Lilly brain dead to use her to breed him children and try and take Lilly’s place. Ronan then went on to speak of his feeling for Lilly and explained her world’s word love and his depth of feeling for her. He told of how Lilly and the women of her world were the future of Gilese, that Lilly was carrying the future Prince and Princess of Gilese and that if his mate was not accepted then he would leave Gilese forever.

Once the broadcast was over the bridge crew had broken into applause and once again pledge their fealty to Ronan and Lilly. After the broad cast Ronan, his hand firmly about Lilly’s had introduced her to every officer on the bridge and ordered that from that moment on Lilly was to receive the same briefings he was. That they were to answer all her questions and listen to what she had to say with the same respect that they would accord him.

After leaving the bridge Ronan went to the ships kitchen and told the head chief that if he couldn’t feed Lilly palatable and notorious food he would be sent to a penal colony to serve as the cook there. In addition a medical officer would now shadow him in the kitchen and be sure that all of Lilly’s meals were not only compatible to her needs but notorious. And that he and Lilly would now have the same meals, and if he didn’t like the food the cook would know about it. The cook had been suitable cowed and promised to do better in the future.

Lilly had been pleased and impressed with the speed of Ronan’s actions. After wards he had taken her back to their chamber helped her undress and then washed her in the shower before tucking her into bed. They had cuddled and talked for over an hour with Ronan telling Lilly of Gilese and its people. As Lilly drifted off to sleep she did so with a better understanding of her husband and her future home. What Ronan had described sounded like ancient Sparta, where strength and warriors were valued above all else.

In the days following the broad cast Lilly and Ronan began to settle into their lives as a newlywed couple, away from the pressures of the Dome they were coming to accept each other. It was perhaps a bit more challenging for them than for other couples as they were not only from different cultures, different planets but different species. In everything Lilly was patient and understanding though a few times she took Ronan up on his suggestion and pummeled him with a pillow when he seemed too obtuse. Ronan for his part was making an effort daily to be a kind an considerate husband and partner, though as a born warrior and lifelong warrior it was often hard for him to express his softer side.

Once they had arrived on Gilese Lilly’s life changed dramatically again. First she now lived in the royal palace in the capital city of Kish. The palace was huge with over two hundred rooms and surrounded by vast lawns and flower gardens that extended for miles in each direction. The palace reminded Lilly of an ancient Roman villa, with soaring white columns, polished black stone floors, huge windows that looked out over the gardens and fountains.

Ronan’s father, the King, was a handsome male with shoulder-length black hair, streaked with grey. The King had taken an instant liking to Lilly and instructed her to call him Temen, whose closest Earth translation was loving foster father. Temen had instructed the palace servants to do whatever Lilly wanted and asked her to teach him about Earth culture and games.

Lilly had taken him up on his request and had the palace synthesizer make a chess set, a checker set, Battleship, Scrabble, and everything needed to play baseball. She then taught Ronan and Temen how to play all the games, and now every night after the evening meal, the two of them would play Battleship. Lilly and Temen played chess several times a week, and Lilly always won. What was even more amusing was that Temen loved playing baseball, and had drafted the palace servants into forming two teams to play against each other several times a week. Lilly, who was now too ungainly to run, had a designated runner assigned to her. She would hit the ball, and one of the gardeners named Alpia would run for her. Lilly and Alpia soon became good friends, and she asked for him to be assigned to helping her take care of the plants she’d brought to Gilese with her. Her beloved plants were now in a pressurized dome located on the palace grounds.

Lilly was endeavoring to remember all the rules for both football and soccer and to teach them to Ronan, his father, and his friends. The Gilesean culture was very war like and had few communal games.

The first major challenge on Gilese for Lilly was the trial for Indie and her many compatriots. Ronan had explained that under Gilesean law Lilly, as the princess, had the right to simply order Indie and the other traitors executed or sent into exile. Lilly had refused to be so heartless; she had wanted the others to have their day in court. She also wanted the people to see her as a caring and compassionate being.

Temen had agreed with Lilly’s decision. He’d said that it would be better if the people were able to hear everything that had happened and judge Indie and other other’s guilt and innocence for themselves. A trial would also let the people see and get to know Lilly and see what kind of being their new princess was. If she were seen as the kind, intelligent, and compassionate being that she was, then the people would respect her and like her, and see in her what Ronan did. The trial was broadcast widely all over the planet and even to the ships in orbit above it.

Ronan had grudgingly agreed to the public trial, which in the end had proven to be a good plan. The people had seen not only what a kind and intelligent person Lilly was, but had heard what had been done to her and how she had been responsible for Ronan and his men’s rescue. In the end, both the tribunal of judges and the people of Gilese had sided against Indie and her compatriots. Lilly had been hailed as fearless and kind as well as a heroine for bringing home Ronan and his men.

In the end, Lilly had stood before the tribunal and asked for leniency for Indie and the others. Indie was from one of the last noble houses on Gilese and had believed that she was truly meant to be Ronan’s princess. She had also believed that her union with Ronan would be good for not only her but the people of Gilese.

Rather than being executed, Indie and the others had been exiled to a penal colony on another planet, with the exception of Lieutenant Lucia. Lilly had spoken in Lucia’s defense, stating that Lucia had tried to help her several times, and tried to stop Indie from not only killing Lilly, but also protested the worker being shot. Lucia had been given probation if she agreed to pledge loyalty to Lilly and to wear a shock collar for five years. Lucia had quickly agreed and was now serving as one of Lilly’s servants.

Ronan had kept his promise of including Lilly in his meetings and took her to council meetings on a daily basis. Lilly had been pleased to learn that Gilese was a constitutional monarchy, similar to early England, that while they had a King, who was active in governing the planet, there were two bodies of officials, one made of hereditary nobles and another made up of common people.

Temen was openly thrilled at having Lilly as a daughter- inlaw and insisted that she be included in every decision about the palace and the city. While he had been kind and generous to her before the babies were born, he openly spoiled both her and the babies, on a daily basis, giving them all lavish gifts, including a large rural estate outside one of the coastal cities. The King had even insisted in overseeing the construction of four massive bio domes to house the plants and animals from Earth that were to be brought back.

Eacha was leading a task force of five ships to find Earth and return to Gilese with as many young women as were willing to return with them, to become wives and mates. In addition to the women, they were to bring back examples of Earth culture as well as Earth pets so that the women would feel more at home on Gilese. Lilly was anxiously looking forward to pizza, fried chicken, and a pet cat, all things she missed deeply.

Ronan had ordered a robotics lab to be built in a little used wing of the palace, and all of Lilly’s machines and equipment placed there. Lilly was thrilled that she was able to continue her robotics research and not have to venture far from the palace, especially after the babies were born.

Temen was delighted to have two grandchildren after waiting for years for Ronan to find his mate, and would spend hours every day playing with them and spoiling them shamelessly. Ronan was also a devoted father insisting on helping with everything from feeding and bathing the twins to changing diapers. In the past such activities had been viewed as female tasks but Ronan had said he’d waited too long for a mate and children to miss anything in their lives. He and Lilly were also discussing when they should try and have another child.

Luckily, both children were born with Lilly’s immunity to the phage and were growing like weeds. In addition, a vaccine had been created using Lilly’s blood that was being used to inoculate the population of Gilese. Based on the description of the Phage, Lilly believed that it was a variant of measles. Luckily, she’d had all her shots as a child, as well as receiving her boosters before heading off to college. Between being credited with Ronan’s rescue and the use of her blood for a vaccine, Lilly went from being regarded with suspicion to being heralded as a great heroine and the savior of Gilese. Lilly and Ronan’s children, rather than being viewed as half-breeds or outcasts, as Indie and her followers had called them, were seen as the future of Gilese. The arrival of human females as potential mates was heralded as a master plan, and their arrival was looked forward to. In the end, thanks to Ronan and Lilly, all of Gilese was expecting a happy and bright future, as for Ronan and Lilly, the stars were the limits as their love and devotion to each other seemed to grow every day. What had started as a terrifying ordeal for Lilly had ended with all her dreams of finding love, a family, and a career being fulfilled and beyond.