D72
Dynasties
By James
Chapter 72: Unity
Flash took a seat just before the discussion. He definitely didn't want to miss this one. The office had sofas and an elegant desk. A 'COE' emblem was engraved in the carpet.
His well-dressed sister stood before a tall pane, eyeing the city with a vigilant stare. Her blonde ponytail swayed between her shoulders.
"Miss Gordon?" said a masculine voice from the speaker.
"Go ahead," she replied, holding her attention on the sky.
"We're receiving the transmission from the Vice President now."
Abigail Gordon took a deep, quiet breath, then left the window and walked to the center of the carpet.
Moments later, a large video screen flashed to life in the room. A man with brown skin and white hair appeared in its center. "Good morning, Miss Gordon," he said.
"Good morning, Mr. Vice President." She managed a quick smile.
"How are things there in Central City?"
"Very good," she assured him. "And that's partly due to the work of my companions." Abigail took a quick glance at the people sitting around her. "As you requested, I'm here with my daughter Sara, my nephew Rick, my sister-in-law Dale, and my brother Flash — a man who I know you're already familiar with."
Flash slowly nodded toward the Vice President. "Sir."
"Good to see you again, Flash," the Vice President said. Then he grinned while studying the others. "Actually, Miss Gordon, I can proudly say that I recognize every person present in that room. Some of you have served diligently for numerous years. Others are people who we hope will serve for years to come. In any case, this administration is very proud of the efforts put forth by the Gordon family. You've done tremendous work for our country and our planet."
Flash looked over at Dale and offered a calm smile.
Dale blushed a little, and winked at him.
Rick felt a sense of pride and honor while watching his parents. Before long, he was thinking not only about their achievements, but of his own as well.
Just behind the others, in an isolated chair, Sara sat with her arms folded and her head hung low. She was now donned in a T-shirt and jeans.
The Vice President turned his attention to Abigail. "I'd especially like to commend you, Miss Gordon, for the work you've done since we formed the Central Opposition of Extraterrestrials."
"Thank you, Mr. Vice President," Abigail replied.
Sara continued to stew.
The Vice President's voice deepened a little. "I've called this meeting because of an issue concerning a member of the royal family of Mongo. Seeing as your family has a long history with that clan, we thought it would be best if certain members of the COE and the DOE worked together this time."
Flash glanced at Abigail, then looked back at the screen.
The Vice President flashed a confused frown. "We'd previously been informed that the royals of Mongo would no longer be a concern, but it appears that we were mistaken."
A quiet voice spoke up from the back of the room. "Unfortunately, sir, there's always going to be at least one of them around to stir up trouble," Sara uttered.
Abigail shot her daughter an annoyed look, silently telling her to be quiet.
"What?" the girl shrugged. "I'm right, aren't I? The royals are troublemakers. Always have been. This time, the little troublemaker we're dealing with happens to be Astra."
Flash looked a tad surprised. "Astra?" He turned back to the screen. "What exactly has she been doing, sir?"
"We believe that she's teamed up with the very group you were investigating on that island," the Vice President said. "It appears that Astra supplied the Sky Band with new weapons and vehicles, some of which are clearly from Mongo. Since then, she's been helping them steal other weapons and supplies across the country."
"But what could her motivation be?" Flash asked.
"It doesn't matter," Sara replied. She rose and approached the video screen. "Sir, if you want us to find Astra and stop her, I'm sure my mom would be more than willing to accept that assignment. I'll even volunteer to complete the mission myself."
Abigail sighed. "Sara..." She glanced over at Dale and quietly asked her for help.
Dale reached out and took Sara's hand. "Come here," she said softly. "Sit down."
Sara quietly did as she was told.
Abigail cleared her throat and addressed the Vice President again. "Sorry about that, sir. I- -"
"No. It's fine. Actually, that's exactly the kind of response I was hoping to hear."
Abigail flinched in surprise.
"Sara actually reminds me of her grandfather," he continued.
Flash paused to think about his dad.
"That kind of passion and drive is part of the reason I've summoned you." The Vice President smiled. "I'd expect nothing less from the Gordon family."
Around an hour after the Vice President's transmission had ended, Flash sat down with his sister for a private drink.
Abigail threw her head back and stared at the ceiling. "That girl is driving me crazy."
Flash chuckled. "That girl loves you."
"She loves you more."
"That's ridiculous. I'm her uncle. You're her mother."
"But you've always been the exciting one." She shook her head with a smile. "I remember a day long ago, when you and I were young, and we both admitted that we had choices to make. You chose to protect the galaxy from within a cockpit. I chose to protect the galaxy from behind a desk. And — surprise, surprise — you're the one who Sara ended up admiring."
He scoffed. "I seem to recall a time when you did some adventuring yourself...and I also recall you being pretty good at it. Whenever Dale and I got in over our heads, we could always call on you to bail us out of trouble." Flash lifted an eyebrow. "Why don't you show Sara some videos of those days?"
"Because I want her to love me for who I am, not for who I was." Abigail rose and cupped her hands behind her back, staring down at Central City again.
"Seems you're a watcher now, Abby," Flash said.
"Wish I knew why Sara finds that so off-putting," she replied.
"I don't think that Sara's put off by what you do. That's not the issue between you two at all."
"What is the issue then?"
"The issue is that she wants to spread her wings, and you won't let her. She wants to be an 'adventurer,' like me and Rick. That's really all she's ever wanted." Flash looked off with a smile. "When she was a little girl, she couldn't wait to grow up and join the battle against the royals of Mongo. Thing is — apart from this business with Astra — there isn't really a battle that needs to be fought these days."
"I'm not convinced of that. No matter how peaceful things may seem, our family still needs to keep an eye on theirs, especially while they've got the Necklace of Oros." Abigail quivered as a familiar tension arose within her. "Do you really trust the royals with the most powerful weapon in the galaxy? Because I don't."
"That necklace belongs to Jedda. You know you can trust her."
"It's not really Jedda I'm concerned with, but some of the people around her, including the ones who'll have the necklace in the future. It's going to pass from one generation to the next, after all."
"Things are going to be fine. Jedda and Krotan will see to that."
Abigail took a deep breath, then sighed. "I guess I'd feel more comfortable if Jedda had married into our family, instead of Ming's."
Flash grinned. "Rick certainly had a thing for her once."
Abigail smiled a little as well. "Rick," she murmured, shaking her head. "Perhaps you don't know this, but I've been trying to snatch your kid from the DOE to the COE for a number of years now."
"Oh, I'm well aware of it," said Flash. "Good luck with that. He loves you, but he also loves the way we do things over there."
Abigail snickered. "He was always such an adorable little boy. I used to tell him that he'd come work for me when he grew up, no matter what office I was running."
"Yeah, well, Sara was an adorable kid too."
Abigail closed her eyes a second. "I sure wish she'd be an adorable kid now."
"It's like I said- -"
"I know, I know. She wants to run around on adventures. Just like you. Just like all of my soldiers." Abigail shook her head. "I can't let her do that — at least not yet. I'm too worried that something will happen to her."
"I understand. It's only natural to be worried. But sometimes we worry about our children to the point of confining them, and that can make them do reckless things."
Abigail frowned. "What are you saying?"
Flash looked off with a grave stare. "Back when Rick first learned how to fly, he was constantly asking to accompany me on missions, or fly planes on his own. Most of the time, my answer was no. So when his mom got captured on Mongo, he decided to fly there and try saving her on his own. He wasn't just doing that out of love for her, he was trying to prove something to himself and me." Flash paused. "He almost ended up getting killed in the process."
Abigail closed her eyes while thinking back to that period.
"And now we have Sara, who just pulled this crazy stunt on Raven Island..." Flash quieted again, shaking his head. "All I'm saying is that maybe you should let her have a small taste of adventure — under proper supervision, in a secured situation. Perhaps we should try and satisfy her for now, so that we don't have to constantly worry about her later."
Rick sat down across from Sara. "So what was all that about? With the Vice President, I mean."
Sara mumbled. "I don't follow."
"Yes you do. You basically asked the guy to send you on a mission."
She sighed. "I knew my mom wasn't going to assign me that mission, so I thought I'd try asking him to do it. I'm just trying to get out of these offices, Rick. Guess I'll take all the help I can get."
Rick wore a suspicious smile. "Why are you so desperate to run around on missions?"
Sara studied the table. "It seems like everyone in this family has been an adventurer at some point — everyone but me that is. I want in on the action. I want in on the fun."
Rick nodded. "You certainly know how to fly a plane."
"Exactly."
"But there's far more to 'adventuring' than that." He steadied his eyes on her. "This is a dangerous profession, Ace. It's not about thrills. It's not about fun. Your mom isn't keeping you away from it to be mean. She's only doing all of this because she cares about you."
"I know. I know that she cares about me. And I certainly care about her too. I just want a chance to prove myself."
Abigail called out from across the floor. "And you're going to get it," she said, stepping into the room. After a bit of hesitation, she continued. "Come with me, Sara. I, myself, am going to lead the search for Princess Astra — and you're going to be part of that team."
The COE had discovered that Astra was hiding in the last place anyone would've expected: the Bandar Village.
Following a brief chase, Astra found herself in a standoff with numerous uniformed COE agents, with Abigail standing right in their center.
A nervous Sara observed the confrontation. Flash and Rick were also present.
Suddenly Aura and Castra ran onto the scene, eyes tense as they stood by Astra.
"They'll never take me," said Astra, raising a new bracelet of power and aiming at the crowd. Her red armor and helmet gleamed in the sun.
"Castra," Flash called. "You've got to calm her down, or someone's going to get hurt."
The COE agents steadied their weapons, each awaiting Abigail's command.
Sara found her hands shaking around her blaster. She tried pointing at Astra, just like everyone else, but found it hard to hold herself steady.
As Astra's bracelet crackled with a threatening power, Aura stepped forth and lowered the younger woman's arm. "You have to go with them, daughter."
Astra eyed her in shock. "What?"
Castra came closer as well. "You can't keep running from your mistakes. You have to pay for them."
Astra watched her a moment, then turned back to Aura. "I don't want us to be apart. Not now. You're a queen again. You're about to have a baby."
"And you'll be present to share all of that joy with me," said Aura. "But not right now."
Astra scowled a little.
"If you fight these people, you're going to lose," Aura continued. "If you die here, we'll never be together — but if you face the consequences of what you've done, we will be someday."
Astra's expression softened.
"Go with them," said Aura. She wrapped her arms around Astra. "And remember that your mother loves you. I always will."
Astra closed her eyes, hugging Aura back.
Castra quietly marveled at what she saw. For a good deal of her life, she'd known Aura to be a brash, arrogant woman — and Astra, of course, wasn't much different. But lately, however, Castra had been observing a whole different side to her sister, a loving, thoughtful, comforting side.
But Castra also knew that old habits died hard, and she wouldn't be surprised if several months or years from now, she was dealing with the same Aura she'd always known.
Right now, however, she didn't want to think about any of that. While watching Aura and Astra hug, she simply stepped up to the women, and wrapped her arms around them.
Kristina Graf sat at a desk in COE headquarters, where she was being temporarily held while awaiting news on her fate. Her hands were bound behind her back, and her hair was messily ruffled amidst her defiant expression.
Abigail walked about with a phone pressed to her ear. "Thank you," she said. "I'll let her know." She hung up and sat across the desk from her prisoner, narrowing her eyes a bit as she looked the other woman over. "I'm going to get right to the bottom line, Miss Graf, because I really don't have time to play with bratty little girls like you. They're giving you three options: Prison, COE, or DOE."
Kristina frowned in a bit of anger and confusion.
"That is, you can be locked up again, probably for good this time — or, you can come and serve one of our organizations. With your combat skills and connections across space, certain people think that you could be of use to our cause."
Kristina's lips parted, and she eyed Abigail quietly.
"I'll give you a bit of time to think about it. Right now, however, there's someplace else you need to be." Abigail nodded at two of her guards, who removed Kristina from the room.
Sara appeared in the doorway, staring after Kristina as she was escorted away. Then she turned around and looked over at her mother.
Abigail watched her in fascination. "You all right?"
Sara quietly nodded, taking a seat at the desk.
"So. How did you like the adventure?"
Sara took a deep breath, feeling her skin tingle. "I'm almost ashamed to admit this...but I was actually a little scared."
Abigail reached out and touched her hand. "That's nothing to be ashamed of, honey. You're human."
Sara glanced out at the sky. "It's one thing to take down enemies and targets when you're up in a jet. But down on the ground, when it's all playing out before your eyes..." She shook her head. "I guess I felt a lot more vulnerable." Sara looked over at her mother. "You're right. I need more time. I need more training."
"And we'll see that you get those things. Here. Together."
Sara smiled. "You know, I rarely say this...but you're a pretty cool mom."
Abigail squeezed her daughter's hand a little.
Shortly after arriving at a hospital, Kristina was led down a hallway and into a patient's room. She was surprised to find the Phantom and Hadea sitting beside her unconscious mother. "What is going on here?" she asked with a suspicious frown.
Hadea rose, staring Kristina over. Then she leaned down and placed her hands on Kristina's mother. A mystical aura began to surround the bed-ridden woman. When the glow faded, Kristina's mom slowly opened her eyes.
Kristina drew back in shock, then stepped forth. "Mother?"
The woman turned to her with a weary stare.
Slow tears began to roll down Kristina's face.
The Phantom rose. "The feud between our families...is officially resolved."
After a few moments of silence, Kristina turned to the Phantom and his wife. "Thank you," she quietly said.
Hadea nodded, then turned and headed back home alongside her husband.
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Chapters
Volume I
Shorly after Jedda leaves the team, Queen Hadea begins a galactic conquest.
Jedda finds herself back on Mongo — and reunited with Prince Krotan.
Despite their affection, Jedda endeavors to counter Hadea's plans.
Seeking to resolve the matter with Hadea, the Defenders begin a climactic mission on Mongo.
Rick enjoys a meaningful reunion.
Volume II
Jedda and Krotan confront their feelings.
Against the wishes of his wife, Krotan grows tempted to pursue a vendetta.
Rick has a difficult time moving on.
In the wake of Krotan's actions, Jedda faces a difficult choice.
Hadea reunites with an old acquaintance.
The Royals of Mongo organize what's supposed to be a friendly feast.
A glimpse into the future on Mongo.
Volume III
Instead of spending a romantic evening together, as Jedda intended, Hadea and Phantom find themselves pursued.
Amid their exploits, Phantom and Hadea discuss personal matters.
Flash visits Ming's prison while thinking of Dale, and Rick learns that a new girl will be joining the team.
A vengeful woman targets Jedda.
The Defenders face an internal crisis.
Will she choose affection or ambition?
Needing to depart Mongo on business, Jedda and Krotan ask Hadea and Phantom to fill in for them temporarily.
Volume IV
As the enormity of his situation sinks in, an anxious Rick finds unexpected comfort.
Hadea continues to counsel Rick by reminding him that his actions have consequences.
Phantom and Hadea are advised to marry.
The acting rulers face a variety of issues on their big day.
The Defenders consider returning to solo work.
Volume V
Krotan and Jedda try to find time for their marriage while tending to duty.
Someone from Jedda's past returns.
Krotan and the guards attempt to defend the kingdom without Jedda.
Krotan and Ming have another confrontation under different circumstances.
Flash and Rick have a personal discussion.
As Rick prepares to leave the team, he and LJ receive a surprise visit.
Volume VI
The new trio embarks on a mission.
The Phantom is left startled by the recent development.
After spending a couple of days with Jedda, Rachel departs for the tme being.
In the future, Vera receives advice and comfort from her mother.
Jedda reflects on the recent years.
In the aftermath of an attack on her land, Hadea seeks help from a mercenary.
Flash is stunned by his discovery on a distant planet.
Volume VII
Hadea makes an announcement that leaves the Phantom unsettled.
The Phantom works to undo his mistakes.
In the future, the Royals of Mongo enjoy quality time together.
Rachel assists LJ and Hadea in very different ways.
Rachel adjusts to her new position awkwardly.
With Rachel and Jedda at her side, Hadea learns more about the history of her kingdom.
Volume VIII
The Phantom plans to propose.
Hadea and the Phantom attempt to work through their issues.
Rachel visits Hadea to discuss new intentions.
The Defenders confront a group of aliens who have descended on Earth, while Ming continues to scheme behind the scenes.
Flash, Rick, and Krotan engage Ming in battle.
Jade reunites briefly with her daughters.
A special occasion has finally arrived.
Volume IX
Rick has a meeting with Zyna that leaves him staggered.
Flash and Rick travel to another planet to investigate news.
Dale begins to set her agenda in motion.
The Royals of Mongo have a lengthy discussion about the past and future.
Dale takes bold steps forward.
Flash and Rick confront Dale to discuss her actions.
Empress Hadea appoints new queens.
Volume X
In the future, the royals have a discussion about politics on Mongo.
LJ and Lothar discuss family affairs.
Jedda views her official government profile to learn where she ranks among Mongoian queens.
Castra and Aura look to put their differences aside.
The Phantom learns more about Hadea's duties.
Volume XI
The Phantom, Hadea, and Rachel depart for a mission in the Bandar village.
Rachel heads off to find Kurt on her own.
Dale provides answers for Rachel.
Jade observes a significant discussion beween Phantom and Kurt.
Phantom learns that the village mission affected Hadea on a personal level.
Volume XII
Jedda and Krotan renew their commitment.
Krotan pampers Jedda as they discuss the future.
Nearly everyone joins the Phantom for a mission via boat.
The group arrives on Raven Island and learns the identity of the opposing team's leader.
Flash, Dale, and Rick spend time with Flash's sister, Commander Abigail Gordon, and her daughter Sara.
Rick and Kristina head off on a late-night mission.
Kristina, Rick, and Hadea confront their personal matters.
Once again, someone lands on Mandrake's yard during a storm.
Volume XIII
A woman arrives in the Netherworld, claiming to be the rightful ruler.
LJ, Rick, and Rachel investigate the Netherworld matter.
Flash and Dale's date is interrupted by news that Rick has been captured, and it's up to Kristina to save him.
While grouped together one night, several people must team up suddenly in order to defend the mansion.
Atascadero discusses her upbringing with Mandrake.
Volume XIV
Soldiers from Atascadero's kingdom come looking for her.
Ata heads to her kingdom to resolve the issues there.
Vera begins learning more about Jedda's past.
In response to the recent events, Hadea makes a controversial decision.
Rick attempts to resolve a certain personal issue.
Rick and his girlfriend decide to go their separate ways.
Flash, Dale, and Rick reunite with Dale's father, as well as Flash's.
Jonathan Gordon becomes overzealous, leading to repercussions.
Flash and Dale chase Ming down.
Kristina bonds with Rick in the aftermath of the events at the base.
Volume XV
In the future, Jedda and Krotan have to teach Vera the value of humility.
In the future, Vera is courted by several boys.
Rick and Kristina become stranded on an island.
Hadea is approached by an old suitor.
Kristina and Rick grow closer while stuck on the island.
Ata and Mandrake discuss their relationship.
Castra and her husband have a talk about their longtime commitment.
Krotan and Jedda discuss the past, and look to the future.
Flash and Dale reaffirm their feelings.
The series finale.
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