D73
Dynasties
By James
Chapter 73: Duo
Night had fallen over Central City, and all of the lights in Mandrake's mansion had been turned off for the evening.
Around two hours after midnight, Rick was awakened by the touch of something soft and warm brushing across his bare chest. He peered into the dark, finding a slim body wrapped in a white nightgown. Letting his gaze rise up the woman's torso, he found the face of Kristina Graf a few inches above his.
She held eerily silent, and perfectly still, watching him with a placid stare.
A slow, confused scowl inched across Rick's face, and he did his best to look as offended as possible. "Graf?" he whispered.
"Yes?" she muttered back.
"What are you doing in my room? More specifically, what are you doing in my bed?"
"Following orders."
Rick glared again. "If I recall correctly, your orders were to stay in this house and serve as an honorary Defender. I don't believe that hopping in bed with me was mentioned anywhere in your contract."
She glanced off with a hint of annoyance. "And if I recall correctly, I'm required to report any communication between me and my old allies." Kristina paused to scowl at that word — required. Then she turned her serious gaze to Rick once more. "I thought you'd want to know that I've just been contacted by someone."
A spark of curiosity flashed through Rick.
"They aren't aware that I'm working with you, and they wanted to ask a few questions."
He dug his elbows into the bed and sat up a little, giving Kristina his full attention. "Sky Band?"
"No. Not the Sky Band. Not even humans. It was a group of aliens. Calinans."
Rick flinched in surprise. He thought back to when the Defenders had battled a squad of Calinans in the sky, shortly before the Phantom had married Hadea. "Okay," he said. "Now I'm confused."
Kristina pulled back and eased onto her knees, kneeling right beside Rick's covered legs on the bed. "About what?"
"Why exactly would the Calinans be contacting you? What sort of ties do you have to them?"
"When I was rebuilding the Sky Band, I needed some powerful ships, and some powerful weapons. It wasn't just Astra who provided those things. I received assistance from the Calinans as well."
"In exchange for what?"
"Information," Kristina said. "I gave them some details about an enemy of theirs, right here on Earth — a group of enemies actually, not unlike your team." She paused, knowing that Rick wasn't going to like what she had to say next.
"What group are you talking about?" he asked, eyeing her in suspicion.
"The Central Opposition of Extraterrestrials."
Rick shivered, a wave of tension sweeping across his face. "The COE?" He sat up a bit. "You gave the Calinans information on my aunt's agency?" Anger was welling up in him now, and he made sure that it appeared in his stare.
Kristina eyed him steadily, holding perfectly calm.
"How did you even get this information?" he asked.
"I seduced a COE executive one night."
Rick quieted while looking into her gaze, trying to surmise whether she was telling the truth. His jaw began to lower as he realized that she was.
"It wasn't that hard." Kristina shrugged while looking down at her body. "Long story short: we ended up in a hotel room after dinner, and I copied a certain disc of his while he was sleeping." She faced Rick once more. "The Calinans are planning to attack the COE, and they mean to use the information on that disc to their advantage."
Rick tensed again. "Where are they going to strike?" The COE had two areas of operation: the headquarters located not far away, and a fort across the city where numerous soldiers were stationed. "Which area are they targeting?"
Kristina scoffed. "The fort, of course. They want to weaken the COE by eliminating their soldiers."
"I don't understand. What did that disc contain?"
"Information on weak spots. Vulnerabilities. Details on when and how to attack that compound by air." She shook a tad, feeling something discomforting stir within her. "The attack will occur around two hours from now."
Rick flung the covers aside and rose from the bed. "I've got to alert the people at that base." He glanced over at her while pulling on his pants. "If those aliens succeed, it's on your head."
Kristina flashed an arrogant glance. "Come again?"
"You know exactly what I'm talking about," Rick muttered. "All of this is your doing. Keep that in mind."
"I could've chosen not to warn you. Keep that in mind."
Rick paused, eyeing her in curiosity for a moment.
Kristina stretched her legs sideways and rested a hand along her shin. "Isn't there some sort of alarm you can sound? Aren't you going to alert your friends?"
"You and I are the only ones here tonight." Within seconds, it dawned on Rick that he didn't trust Kristina in the house alone. After tightening his belt, he looked her over again. "Come on. Grab a phone and get dressed. I'm heading straight to that base — and I want you with me."
The COE base was composed of a huge gray square decorated by numerous green buildings. Several fighter jets were positioned along the ground, and a number of high lights were shining down on the compound.
By the time Rick and Kristina drove onto the scene, word of the impending attack had spread throughout every building. As a result, hordes of soldiers in green uniforms were scurrying about. Weapons were carried and orders were barked.
Rick stepped out of the car and made his way across the grounds.
Kristina followed along, sidestepping the runners every few moments.
Upon noticing a large, balding man, Rick came to a quick halt. "Commander Stevens."
"Gordon," the commander replied. "Looks like you were right. We've picked up a fleet of spacecrafts heading this way." He patted Rick's shoulder. "Great work, son. You gave us some extra time to prepare."
Rick threw an awkward glance at the woman by his side. "Actually...my info was provided by Miss Graf here."
Stevens settled his eyes on Kristina, making little effort to hide the distrust in his gaze.
A voice came from the commander's walkie talkie. "Commander, this is the tower."
"Go ahead, tower," he replied.
"We've confirmed the approach of a mother ship and a squad of fighter crafts. They'll be on us in five minutes."
Rick and Kristina looked at the sky, each feeling quite vulnerable all of a sudden.
"How soon will our guys be in the air?" the commander asked.
"They're heading up now."
Around six minutes later, a squad of purple spacecrafts tore through the clouds and began firing on the base. As a series of explosions rocked the ground, numerous soldiers ran for cover.
The COE planes rushed the attackers, and a slew of lasers and missiles began flying across the sky.
Rick and Kristina had taken cover with the commander. Amidst the sounds of battle, the voice from the tower arrived again.
"Commander?"
"Go ahead," said Stevens, kneeling beside the others.
"Our scanners are picking up some powerful weapons on that mother ship."
"How powerful?"
The man hesitated. "Strong enough to wipe out our base, sir."
Kristina looked upward again. "I can see it from here."
Rick followed her gaze, and spotted a huge circular craft slowly approaching.
The commander's jaw dropped. "It's coming straight at us. They're going to attack the base directly." He raised the device to his mouth again. "Tower! Shoot that ship down now!"
Rick jerked his head backward. "What? A part of it could land in the city."
"If those aliens blast our base, there won't be anyone left to fight them — not with the rest of your team away. We've got to stop them while we've got the chance."
Just then, a stray laser flew down and struck the tower. As a loud explosion rose into the air, Rick and Kristina covered their heads.
"Tower!" the commander continued. "Are you guys all right in there?"
Moments later, a response arrived. "We're okay, sir."
"Proceed with the plan," said Stevens. "Hit that mother ship now."
"We can't. Our controls are down."
The commander fidgeted while looking up at the clouds. The round mother ship had gotten much closer now, and he could hear the sound of a weapon powering up. Several of the COE's jets had fired upon it already, but all of their attacks had proven ineffective.
Rick touched the commander's shoulder. "There's only one option left. We've got to go inside that mother ship and stop it from within." He could see an opening where the smaller crafts had deployed.
The commander flinched. "Do you know how to get around inside of that craft?"
Rick sighed. "I'm afraid I don't."
"But I do," Kristina chimed in.
Both men turned to her in surprise.
"I'll come with you," she said to Rick.
Moments later, the pair took to the sky in separate jets.
Within seconds, an enemy craft had arrived behind Kristina and begun firing on her vehicle. Kristina swung her jet upward and avoided the shots, then swooped down behind her opponent as he passed. She destroyed the alien craft with one well-placed missile.
Rick found himself impressed, but held quiet. After a few more skirmishes, the pair flew onto the mother ship's dock.
Rick hopped out of the craft and drew a hand blaster, leaving Kristina behind as he scurried down a hall. Upon spotting him, a couple of silver-skinned Calinans drew their weapons and fired. Rick slid along the floor and began shooting back.
Down on the ground, Commander Stevens grew pale as a huge cannon appeared from the side of the ship.
Rick arrived on the craft's bridge and spotted five Calinans at the controls. He opened fire, dropping one of them to the floor.
The others were quick to retaliate, and sent a barrage of shots at the lone attacker.
Rick dove for cover, but lost his weapon in the process. A wave of tension ripped across his face, and the group of Calinans began closing in.
Seconds before the aliens could reach him, several more shots rang out, and dropped the Calinans where they stood.
Rick glanced up...and saw that Kristina had arrived. A line of smoke was rising from her blaster.
One minute later, Commander Stevens heard a new transmission coming from his communicator.
"Can anyone read me down there?"
The commander paused in confusion, then lifted the device to his mouth. "Stevens here. Go ahead."
"Commander, this is Kristina Graf. I've taken control of the ship, and I'm bringing it down for a landing. Repeat: things are secure up here."
From a distance, Stevens noticed the last of the alien fighter crafts going down as well. The commander breathed a sigh of relief, then replied to the message. "Good work, Graf," he muttered. "Good work."
By the time Kristina and Rick returned to the mansion, a slow wave of sunlight was spreading across the city.
She shut the door behind them and eyed Rick with a smirk. "Seems I cost you a night of sleep."
"Seems you don't really care," he added.
She grinned to herself and began pulling off her jacket.
"But that's all right." Rick yawned while stepping across the room. "I'm going to catch up on that sleep right now." He tossed his jacket aside and sprawled out on a sofa, then turned away from her and closed his eyes. After a moment, he took a deep breath and glanced over his shoulder. "Graf?"
Kristina paused at the doorway. "Yes?"
"Thanks again for saving me back there." He turned over again and mumbled into the cushion, trying to keep his words nice and muffled. "You did some good work last night."
Kristina eyed him steadily, lifting a hand to her hip.
Soon afterward, Rick had fallen asleep.
After a long period of hesitation, Kristina eased across the floor and covered Rick with a blanket, then quietly let herself out of the room.
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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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