Prologue

Distant planet

Flara walked through the halls of the Senate on her planet. She could hear the sounds of battle outside of the walls and for the first time since the war began felt that the defeat of her species immenint. It was as though every person on the planet had lost hope and she was left to raise their spirits again with lies and deciet.

A ruler shouldn't have to lie to her people, she thought as she neared the room where her collegues were waiting so that they could discuss a plan of attack.

She entered the code onto the keypad next to door and it slid open with relative ease. The other members of the senate were already seated around the large stone table in the middle of the room. They all stood as she walked toward the table. Most of the men around the table were her age, 23. Some were a couple years older and some were younger. "We are going to be defeated before the end of the day," she anouced as she sat at her place.

One of the older men looked up in slight confusion. "What do you mean, my Queen?" he asked.

Flara sighed. "Please, Cratius, do not call me 'Queen'. I am no longer worthy of the title."

"I'm confused. Why are you not worthy?"

"Our planet is in ruins. All over the universe, our empires are falling. I was not able to keep us from war and I..."

Another man, about her age put a hand on her shoulder and smiled sadly. "Are you really-?" he asked.

"Yes, James. I am unmarried and with child."

"But, ma'am," Cratius started," other rulers have been in your situation. No one asked questions. The public mostly cared about the fact that a new heir was going to be born. If you don't mind my asking, how is your situation different than theirs?"

"Cratius, the father of my child is from a planet on the other side of the universe, and his planet is on the opposing side. Unlike the others who came before me, I cannot marry the father. Instead, he will most likely be killed in battle."

Flara received a few looks from those surronding her but no one said anything. Except James. "What planet is he from?"

"Alaxria IV. He is the leader of their government. He leads their side of the war."

Cratius sighed. "Were you forced?"

"No. It was a private engagement. A small party during the early days of peace negotiations. He had served the most intoxicating wine and the rest is a blur. I woke in his arms the next morning."

"I love you, Flara. You're such a beautiful woman."

Flara looks up at the man above her. His pale skin looked even paler in the candle light. His dark eyes seemed darker and continued to get darker as she stared at him. Slowly, hesitantly, she leaned up to kiss him. It was a gentle kiss, yet still full of passion. Even though she could not remember the night before she knew it had been wonderful.

Flara blinked in confusion as her new partner left the bed and walked over to the mirror near the window. She watched as he combed his black hair and as he washed his face in the small basin in front of the mirror.

"Will you take good care of her?"

Flara looked up to see him staring at her. "What, Andrew?"

"The child you now carry, will you take care of her?"

Realization dawned as his words sunk in. He had been using her to be sure that the throne of Alaxria had an heir. The queen put a hand on her stomach and felt a tiny kick. "How fast does your species develop?" she asked.

"Normally, she would be born in a couple of days. Though since she is still your child she won't be born for another few weeks. Consider yourself lucky, most women who get impregnanted by a Alaxrian only has a few days to adjust to being pregnant and then the baby's born."

Flara felt tears well up in her eyes as he explained it to her. Andrew noticed the tears and sat on the bed in front of her. He carressed her face with one of his hands and kissed her softly. "I promise you, that I'll be there for her birth and I'll take her off your hands so that you don't have to deal with a half-breed daughter."

"No. I will be taking care of her."

Andrew chuckled softly. "You won't be around. Nobody can survive the birth of an Alaxarian. Not even one of our women."

"You did this so that I would die?"

"Yes."

Flara growled and showed him her fangs as she got out of his bed and gathered her clothes and stormed out.

"Flara? Are you alright?"

"Yes, James. I'm fine. I was just remembering when he told me that I was going to have her."

"When exactly will she be born?"

Flara was about to respond when a sharp pain moved through her abdomen. "Now."

Cratius rushed to her side. "James, get her to the medical bay."

"Yes, sir."

James picked up the queen and walked out the door. The two didn't meet many people and those they did meet didn't ask questions. The two soon reached the med. bay and as soon as they walked in a young doctor walked up to them. "What's wrong with her?" he asked.

"She's pregnant and she's gone into labour," James answered.

The doctor nodded. "Set her down on one of the beds. I'll be with her in a moment."

"Don't you realize who she is. This is our queen. You will take care of her first."

"Look she might be the queen, but I am a doctor. I can't just drop everything to tend to one woman in labour."

"Thank you," Flara said. "I don't like being treated like I'm special. What's your name? I haven't seen you before."

"Doctor McCoy. You haven't seen me because I'm human. I'm just training here," he answered her before turning back to James. "Now, you, get her on the bed."

James nodded and walked over to the nearest bed and set Flara on it. After a minute McCoy came and checked her. "You're ready to push. That was fast," he said in confusion.

"We give birth quickly."

McCoy nodded.

It didn't take Flara very long to give birth the girl. She was a beautiful baby. Her hair was black and so were her eyes. The only visable part of her that she got from her father was her skin coloring. She was mostly a pale white but she had some purple strips all over her. As McCoy checked her over Flara looked on silently. "I want you to take care of her, McCoy."

McCoy looked at Flara like she was crazy before asking, "Why?"

"I'm not going to live, Doctor."

"What? Of course you are."

"No, Doctor."

With that she laid her down on her pillow and breathed her last. James covered her with the blanket and turned to McCoy. "What are you going to name the child?"

"Joanna."

A/N: Not sure how I came up with this. Please read&review.