On the Atlas Space Station, in Victorian Space
In the privacy of her stateroom, Queen Anne sipped coffee and stared bleakly at a hologram of the Victorian Sector. “No one will come to our aid, will they?”
Sir Henry wondered if he should give his new queen some false hope, then dismissed the idea. “No, Majesty. There is no time for them to mobilize.” He sighed. “And in any event, there is no one who will risk it this early. Cape Breton is involved somehow with the Dominion. Sybil Head and the Sultenic Empire will wait to see who is the likely victor, and then put their support behind them. The Light does not have a deep space navy. Arcadia is probably under attack by the Tilleke as we speak. And Refuge is hopefully getting ready to receive us. But their navy is small. They will not be able to fortify their wormhole entrance and send out a fleet to aid us at the same time.”
“So to save ourselves, to have any hope of fighting back, we have to abandon our home world and all our colonies,” she said bitterly. “My first official act as Victoria’s new queen!”
“If you remain behind, the Dominion will kill you,” he replied bluntly. “You are now the heart and soul of Victoria, Majesty. If you die, Victoria dies with you.”
“You always have the pretty words, don’t you?” she spat.
Sir Henry, a long-time survivor of royal mood swings, remained silent.
“I will do whatever I have to,” she said finally. Her faced clouded and her brow creased. “But sometimes I have to catch myself from just sitting in the corner and screaming that this can’t really be happening.”
Sir Henry laughed bitterly. “Your Majesty, forty eight hours ago, my biggest concern was that a rogue Victorian Admiral might pose a threat to you and your mother. Now Victoria has been defeated by the Dominion and we’re running for our lives. I’d say that begs credulity.”
Anne smiled. It was a dreadful smile, a cold, bleak smile that promised a long winter and terrible storms. “The Dominion has miscalculated, Sir Henry. I will do whatever I have to to save Victoria. And when I’m done, the Dominion will rue the day I was born.”