Designed Destiny

18. Ready for War

Planet: Sparta

"They murdered your daughter!" Agamemnon thundered, pacing like a caged lion in the Queen's Courtyard before Leda on her throne. "I declare war on the Trojans for the slaughter of Clytemnestra!"

Leda looked so tired and defeated from her perch on the throne; she was slouching and couldn't even raise her head from her hand, her arm poised on the edge of her chair. Her crown looked askew.

"The Queen of Mycenae was on a peaceful mission," Agamemnon stressed to the holographic Spartan council surrounding the courtyard. "She merely wanted to see her little sister to make sure she was well after such a stressful journey. But did the Trojans let Clytemnestra pass the Wall? NO!" He roared. "They blasted her out of the sky without so much as a blink of the eye! They destroyed a woman -who we all hold dear to our hearts- out of cold blood! Murdered, I say she was! The Trojans foolishly thought Clytemnestra was coming to take her sister away from them! Those power-hungry Trojan whores couldn't stand the thought of losing power over the gods! They've always wanted power over the gods! They didn't want to part with Helen of Sparta! They made her Helen of Troy and murdered my wife!"

The council members looked equally aghast as well as outraged.

Agamemnon ranted on, "Haven't I lost enough? Haven't we all lost enough? The gods are no more special than fairytales grandparents tell little children! They can be killed! They're not invincible! We can rise against them! No longer will we need to live in fear of their tempers! They know now that there is a creature that can stand up to them! And that creature is Helen of Sparta!"

The council started to clap as he went on.

"Helen is one of us! Helen is family to me and to you! Do you think she honestly wants to stay trapped behind the very walls that her beloved sister was slaughtered in front of?!"

"No!" Several members insisted.

"I didn't think so! Is this young woman not our future? Does she not represent ourselves attempting to make a stand against the forces that have held us back for so long?" Everyone started clapping and nodding their heads then. "Isn't this young woman a dear friend of not just one of us, but to all of us? And aren't we ready to stand beside our friend and fight for her cause? Because she is fighting for our cause!" Everyone began cheering then and several creatures stood up to applause. "We need Helen back!" He chanted and everyone else swiftly took up the chant as he went on. "Troy thought they could dominate the galaxy with our very own Helen, but they failed to consider that Sparta is one of the most powerful systems in the entire galaxy! And we look out for our own! Who's ready to get Helen back and avenge Clytemnestra's murder?"

Everyone was cheering and applauding on the holographic screens.

"War on Troy!" He pumped his fist in the air.

Everyone followed suit. "War on Troy! War on Troy!"

Amid the backdrop of the nigh rioting council, Agamemnon turned to face Leda. "We need you to say it, Your Majesty, we need you to say you want your youngest child back and you want the murder of your eldest to be rectified," his bronze eyes were boring into her tired eyes as she finally -wearily- lifted her head.

There were tear stains streaked down her face that then looked a thousand years old. In a weak, raspy voice -barely loud enough to be heard over the roaring crowd, Leda uttered the words, "War on Troy."

***

Planet: Troy

"Hekta, I'm only trying to talk sense!" Her husband, Andromach, called after her as Hekta marched up a flight of stairs to the roof a legion of soldiers had been gathered upon. "Send out a diplomatic message to the Spartans and try to explain the truth! We were framed for the assassination of their council member!" He insisted.