Amelia brushed out her short cropped hair and stood, placing her tri-cornered hat upon her head and taking a look in the mirror. She thought herself rather attractive in her Vice Admiral uniform, though she'd not admit it seriously.
She stretched and checked her watch before heading downstairs, giving her 13 and 15 year old nieces Kitty and Britt a kiss on the cheek and instructions not to eat the goldfish while she was gone. She'd raised them from a young age when their fathers, her older brothers, died spacing.
"We'll be good." Britt said with a convincing smile.
"Riiiiiiiigghhhttt...gooooooood..." Kitty mumbled, looking at the goldfish out of the corner of her eye. They were far to appatizing...
"Kitty," Amelia's tone held warning. "Don't even think about it."
Kitty blinked. "Can I fantasize about it then?"
"...Alright. But all those fish better be here when I get back." Amelia made the "I'm watching you" sign with her fingers and then went out the door, closing it behind her and getting into her car. She drove down to Her Majesty's Royal Navy headquarters and parked, entering the large, elegant building with it's white tile floors and sweeping glass ceilings that, if one were to stare too long, would make them dizzy.
"Good morning, Admiral." Greeted a fellow admiral, though of far lower stature.
"Aye. Good morning." Amelia smiled and tipped her hat and then continued on her way. She had a meeting to attend at the moment. Something about a new technological defense that had been brought to the Fleet Admiral's attention, whome of which also happened to be Amelia's sister, and needed to be adressed immediately.
She came to the oak doors twice her height and wide as two cars that led to the meeting room, straightened her clothes, and then opened them. Inside where a couple dozen men and women all at their seats at a table that quite possibly compaired to the length of space orca. At the end of the table stood her sister, Victoria, proudly standing straight backed and stoned face. On all accounts Victoria was a gorgeous woman who's scowl she wore regularly accomponied the curly top's looks brilliantly, unlike some. Though her smiles were few and far in between and reserved for family, they turned her into one of those most beautiful women in the galaxy.
On one side of her was the Rear Admiral and Amelia's best friend Alton Arrow. He was a relitively handsome Cragorian man who was married to a Cragorian woman that was the very definition of drop dead gorgeous and had two children by the names of Asher and Natalia. He was sort of a dunce but a kind, caring and sweet man nonetheless. Damn good spacer too.
On the other side of Victoria were two men in military uniform similar to that of the white a cadet wears, but a duller white and had badges sewn on with two electrons and a neron and the words "Offical Navy Scientific Officers-Class A", meaning they were the best of the best on intellectual levels. One had large glasses and was of a species that resembled Procyon- raccoon like enemies of the Terran Empire- but had some odd characteristics such as the pattern of a snow lepoard, tongue, eyes, and furred eyes of a lizard with a scaled tale. Next to him stood a man that looked to be a jackel. The jackel had a kind face and brown hair, contrary to the blinding blond hair and chizzled features of his co-worker.
"Ah, thare you aure Admiral Ameliah." Victoria greeted in her thick accent, giving a curt nod. Amelia returned the gesture.
"Aye. Sorry if I am late Madam." Amelia walked up to her seat across from Arrow and sat, looking at the two scientists and then at Victoria. Victoria looked down the table at her officers and gestured gracefully to the men beside her.
"Admirals, these men aure Dr. Rose aund Dr. Goldunrod. They aure sum ouv the best the scientifuc departmunt ouv our Navy 'as to offur."
Dr. Rose and Dr. Goldenrod nodded silently.
"At my request, they 'ave been wurking oun a new methud ouv protecting the Terran Empire's smaller planets aund islands; especially those thaut aure most remote." She turned to Dr. Rose. "Care to show your presentation nouw Dr. Rose?"
Rose nodded and brought out a projector like device. He aimed it at the table and pressed some buttons and flicked a couple switches, a giant blue grid diagram appearing in the middle of the confrence table. The diagram was detailed in showing the entire course of the Terran Empire. Amelia could tell her sister had had some part in making the grid itself. She often got involved in such things and was brilliant at it to bat. Amelia couldn't help but marvel at the grid. The detail was amazing! She could see trees, buildings, the smallest scraps of metal floating in space, black holes, even people and the grass! She gave Victoria a subtle "bloody brilliant" congradulatory look, getting a nod back. The rest of the admirals' had similar reactions.
"Alright then." Said Dr. Rose with the slightest Spanish tone to his voice, "this diagram, which Madam Admiral herself so graciously made for us-thank you Madam-"
"Eh. You're lucky I got bored."
Dr. Rose blinked slightly. "I'll take that as a compliment."
"Wotever you choose, Dr. Rose, wotever you choose."
Dr. Rose stared for the slightest second before shaking his head and continuing. "Ahem. As I was saying, by the grace of Madam Admiral, we were given this wonderful grid in which we've installed into the hardrive of this lovely little machine." He patted the projector. "And added our other programming so we may show you what we've come up with over the last six months."
Dr. Rose pressed another couple of buttons and the diagram moved around. What looked to be thing wire fences formed around every planet, island and port, all of them connected and attached too a glowing ball located in the lowest level of the royal palace, which was the main labatory for Navy scientists.
Dr. Goldenrod stepped forward and lifted his hand, pointing at the wire fences. "As you can all see, these are an arrangement of fences we've created. They haven't been set up yet, but when they are, there is no way anyone can be hurt." Dr. Goldenrod pressed another button the the projector and electric lines encased every planet and island in a sphere of protection. "These electronic forces will destroy any enemy ship that attempts to attack Terran Empire planets and islands will be terminated immediately."
Victoria looked slightly impressed, which was amazing considering who she was. Hard to impress and to please. Arrow had a somewhat blank look on his face, though that wasn't anything new.
Amelia on the other hand was squinting at the diagram with crucile eyes. Something wasn't quite right...
"Wehl Dr. Goldunrod, Dr. Rose...this reaches the levuls ouv adiquit." Said Victoria, getting up on the confrence table and walking to the diagram, investigating the protective structure at different angels, poking and prodding as she wished.
"Thank you Madam." Dr. Goldenrod and Dr. Rose said in unison, bowing slightly.
"The system, when installed," Dr. Rose continued from Dr. Goldenrod's standpoint, "will be practically invinceable. Not even a Proceyon Ironclad would make it through."
Victoria stopped dead and raised one elegant eyebrow. "Nout evun an Ironclad, you say?"
Dr. Rose nodded. "They'd melt."
Victoria lifted both eyebrows and turned her attention back to the diagram.
Amelia fidgeted in her seat some and crossed her legs, leaning back in her chair and looking. Something still wasn't quite right.
"The system would be active twenty four hours a day, seven days a week. There would be no chance of war with the Terran Empire anymore, no one would be able to get us!" He laughed slightly. "We could protect our citizens, increse trade, profit, and conqure! Build the Empire into the strongest in the galaxy!"
Then it hit her. Amelia stood and cleared her throat, all eyes turning too her.
"May I ask a question, Dr. Rose?" She asked politely, raising her head high.
Dr. Rose looked mildly attentive. "Go ahead, ma'am."
"You say this system is invinceable, correct?"
"Aye."
"Protect our citizens, increse trade, all those things, aye?"
"Yes ma'am. All that and more."
Amelia looked back to the diagram and then to Dr. Rose. "Well, from my understanding, Dr. Rose, if a ship wishes to trade, whether they be from another island or planet within the Empire or a foregin newcomer, they would need access to the planet or island, I speak correctly?"
Dr. Rose looked rather annoyed. "Of course!"
"Well then, do you have a sort of system that can reconize friendly from enemy? Or a public way of turning off the system? For such places that have their livelihoods built on fishing a good distance from their home or trade with a neighbor island or planet, it would be horribly inconveinant and, possibly, safer to forget the whole thing and post guards to keep watch instead of fussing with this nonesense."
Victoria had stopped her inspecting again and was now looking contomplative and perked her ears. She tucked a curly chesnut lock behind one ear and stood straight.
"She does 'ave a point, Dr. Rose." She said.
Dr. Rose now looked offended, but his face had gone pale. Dr. Goldenrod simply looked down, drooping his canine ears.
"W-W-Well we're still w-working on that Mad-"
"Oh, and have you cared to estimate this cost, Dr. Rose?" Amelia raised an eyebrow.
"Aye. All citizens must pay their taxes. They're already high enough from the last bout of war we had a few years ago, we don't need to raise them anymore!" Added Arrow, who rarely spoke and was normally shushed with a smack upside the head by Victoria. She didn't much like him.
Dr. Rose cleared his throat. "Well you see, sir, the tax raise would be temporary. And though it would be...rather large, i-it would benifit all in the end!" He tried to seem cheerful, to which Arrow gave a light glare.
"Not everyone can live through such taxes, even for a short time, even if it benifits others." Arrow said cooly.
"I-"
"Dr. Rose, I myself am a tax payer." Amelia intergected. "I have two children of which I'm responseable for. Though my job is indeed high paying, in our form of Republic or Democracy or whichever, the more money you make, the higher taxes you pay. Due too my occupation, mine are thankfully cut a bit. But if they wern't, Dr. Rose, I assure you I'd be having more financle issues than some would think. And I'm not the only one. Several officers here have at least one child they care for. They don't get some special cuts, and they also don't get near as much as the top three do."
Amelia gestured to herself, Arrow, and then Victoria. Victoria had now slowly began walking down the table, her heels clicking. They echoed around the room as the admirals' whispered and nodded in agreement to Amelia's statement.
"You see ma'am, it may take a little sacrafice, but it is all worth it in the end." Dr. Goldenrod said a bit nervously. He wasn't the best of speakers under pressure.
"Wehl whun you think abou' it, a little is a lot four sum." Victoria almost mused quietly. She herself was rather wealthy and had horrible taxes, though she payed them easily considering she lived alone in a house she owned on land she owned. Her sister lived next to her on a hill. On the hill above Amelia lived the Arrow family.
"U-U-U-Uh...Ummm...Uh..." Dr. Goldenrod stuttered and stumbled until he just shut his mouth and looked to Dr. Rose.
Dr. Rose cleared his throat. "It's still worth it for the protection system ma'am. We'd...no more war! Isn't that lovely?" He smiled confindently.
Victoria reached the end of the table and stepped off. She looked at him sideways and leaned against the confrence table, arms crossed over her chest. "Wehl yes. But without war or cause for battle, mour than 'alf the Terran populace wud become unemployed. Nouw, I'm nout saying the end of war would be a bad thing, actually it's sumthing I've aimed four four a long while. But we need to find other realms ouv employment before going fourth wuth this. Aund there still is the tax issue, Dr. Rose."
Dr. Rose furrowed his brow. "What is it with you people and bloody tax?! It pays back itself!"
Amelia rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Some people already can't pay their taxes, Dr. Rose. They scrounge for their coins and nickles to keep their houses and maybe feed themselves. Maybe. Half our economy is in poverty currantly because of this. Things are just not set up to endure such an expendure right now!"
Dr. Rose growled, shoving her slightly. "Why don't you just shut up? You probably have tax problems just because you're a stupid dame!"
The room went dead silent. No one breathed. No one moved. Not even Amelia. She was insulted, of course, but she was as terrified of her sister's reaction as anyone else. He had insulted Amelia, so he insulted Victoria. Victoria was easily insulted when she wanted to be, and she had a horrible temper.
Dr. Goldenrod sensed the danger and backed away, whimpering quietly. Dr. Rose looked from Victoria to Amelia a bit confused. Victoria stood, straightened out her clothes, and then smacked Dr. Rose across the face so hard he fell to the ground, yelling in pain.
"OW, SON OF A BITCH- WHAT THE HELL?!" Dr. Rose looked up, stood up, and glared.
"You evar speak ouv my sister in such a way agun, I will kill you!" Victoria snarled, low and threatening. She wasn't kidding. She would kill him. She wound up and slapped Dr. Rose again, then kicked his side that would surely leave a purple bruise.
Dr. Goldenrod stood far away now, shaking in fear, ears down, head down, eyes wide, staring at his college rolled in a ball on the floor, withering in pain. Dr. Rose let out a low moan and turned onto his back, Victoria kicking his other side. The admirals' watched the brutality quietly, knowing that if they interfeered they'd recieve the same, if not worse, treatment.
Amelia could have said something, but she decided to let it be. He'd more than likely have said something worse that would have resulted in his death had she interviened. Several minutes later Dr. Rose slowly brought himself to his feet. Victoria and Amelia and the rest of the room expected an apology. Instead, Dr. Rose spit in Victoria's face. The entire room gasped. Victoria carefully wiped the spit from her face with her hankerchief, giving the mother of all death glares. The one she gave before she put a bullet in a man's heart.
She was only stopped by Amelia, who pushed her out of the way, removed her glove, and slapped Dr. Rose across the face with it.
"I challenge you, Dr. Rose, to a duel."
This is gonna be a little two chappie story mainly based on Amelia. :) This is before Treasure Planet and places in the story A Captain's Tale by my amazing friend TMNTdisneyfan2013. Victoria is hers, Arrow and Amelia belong to Disney, Dr. Rose and Dr. Goldenrod and pretty much all the other technology in this story belong to me. Britt is TMNTdisneyfan2013's fursona and Kitty is mine.
I hope you enjoyed. For those who don't know, it used to be custom that a gentleman would remove his glove and slap another man whome he wanted to challenge accross the face with it, initiating a duel between the two. The one who was slapped choosed the challenge, which was customarily fist fight for a minor conflict, up to a sword or gun fight if it ended up being bad. So basically, Amelia engaged a duel with Dr. Rose, whome of which chooses the fighting technique that she cannot refuse.
Anyhow I hope y'all enjoyed. =p Read and review! ESPECIALLY REVIEW! :D