Starship Vengeance

Chapter 10

We landed at a newly constructed capitol building with little fanfare, flanked on all sides by a contingent of heavily armed marines. Lisa spent the entire flight time customizing her dress. She ended up deciding on an intricate design of blue and green that reminded me of my first day at the academy. I was sporting my battle armor. It still showed some scars from combat. I left them there knowing it added to the dangerous air I was trying to portray. We were an imposing group to say the least. We walked at a brisk pace, ignoring the stares and those brave enough to try and approach us. Armed with a map of the building, we quickly reached our destination. Before us was a set of large double doors. Beyond these doors were the most prominent of Earth's leaders. Even outside the thick doors I could hear a heated argument taking place. I turned to Commander Morozova, who was leading the way. "Would you like the honor of making our presence known?"

"I would love to, Admiral." He walked to the doors and shoved them open with an excessive amount of force. The doors flew open and slammed against the doorstops, breaking one of them completely. We walked into the room and headed straight for a podium that was currently occupied by and older man. His mouth hung open and a look of fear was spread across his wrinkled face.

He came to his senses and yelled, "What is the meaning of this!?"

Without saying a word, I motioned for one of the marines to clear the podium. The old man attempted to fight back, but was about as effective as a gnat trying to tackle and elephant. I stood on the podium and motioned for Lisa to stand beside me. The marines took a defensive stance around the podium. The initial shock of our entrance wore off and before me was a sea of angry faces. They were about to get a whole lot angrier.

"Most if not all of you were present during a meeting held shortly after the Unity returned to Earth. During that meeting I told you that you were no longer worthy to govern humanity. I also promised to have you removed from positions of power. Today, that bill comes due. Effective immediately, you are no longer representatives of humanity." I let my last statement simmer for a moment while scanning the group. There was one face in particular that I wanted to find. He was cowering near the back. "President Johnston. It is my understanding that you are responsible for the naming of our new home. Is that correct?" He nodded his head. "I also understand that your youngest daughter's name is Hope." Apparently that last fact wasn't well known based on the glares that were sent his way. "As of this moment, our planet will have a new name as well as new leadership."

"Our home will be known as Dunamis. For those of you who are a bit rusty on your Greek, it means strength. Our people are strong. We lost Earth because we were unprepared. We were so focused on ourselves that we failed to see the dangers waiting for the right time to annihilate us. That will not happen again. You have proven time and time again that you cannot work together for the benefit of the whole race. I have beside me your replacement. I present to you the interim leader of the human race: Ensign Lisa Byrne."

This caused quite a commotion and questions were being launched faster than anyone would be able to comprehend. I tried to get their attention, but nothing I said would quiet them. I pulled my pistol out of its holster and the room instantly quieted. My excessive show of force during our first meeting was paying off. "Ensign Byrne's position is temporary. Once things are settled and a council can be chosen she will return to her place on the Unity." I took a moment to consider what I would say. "We have just entered a war that has gone on for millions of years. This war is completely different from anything we have ever faced. In order to survive this war, we need to adapt. We need to think of the future, not just the present. We are laying the ground work for our descendants to finish the war. Now, I'm going to ask that you all return to your homes. Appropriate jobs will be found for you based on your talents."