Frank Hunter slept badly again. To be more precise, he didn't sleep but rather just toss and turn in his bed on that stifling summer night. He always did this, when something hurt him. He was disappointed in love, because his girlfriend left him two days ago. He felt that never survive this feeling, because he love her very much. He thought her the true love to marry and starting a family. He was never a lady-killer and esteemed a few women who were his girlfriends, but all of these attachments prowed to be passing. As a 38-year-old man he felt that it's time to marry with someone, but why everybody abandon him for other men's sake? Who is to blame? After all he is faithful and devoted in love, besides he has a secure job at the Highest Space Agency, in high commanding position.
But he felt more and more that his failures arouse hatred in his heart: he begins to hate the women and in general everybody in this rotten world, who take they away from him.
He couldn't sleep because of these thought, however it would not have hurt for him, because he was ordered into the board of directors of the Space Agency the next day, because of a meeting.
He was not afraid of this meeting, because the director and many other people in the council were the old acquaintance of him, only he didn't wish this mysterious fuss because of his private problems.
The morning came slowly and Frank started after he had a wash and brush-up and drunk a strong coffee.
He has been many times in that building, although he said hello to secretaries moodily today.
He entered into the conference room to the minute.
„Ah, Frank, what an exact arrival!" – walked up to him a grey-haired man.
„Good morning, Mr. Chairman!" – they shook hands with each other.
„Please, take a seat. How are you? Do you want soft drink or coffee?"
„Thank you, I'm all right and no, thank you."
„You may know the major part of the board of directors, but probably you have never met with the men of our R&D section. Let me present these gentlemen to you."
Frank and the three men shook hands with each other.
„Well, you have doubtless heard that our research workers developed successfully the built-in version of AM energy reactor, that can be useful in spaceships."
„Yes, I've heard it. So, can it usable not only in space probes?"
„Exactly, and already the organizing of an expedition with more than one hundred men are in progress, towards the nearest habitable planet, the Proxima B. The transport spaceship recently finished and this energy reactor is its main engine. It can jump about five light years with one charge, so it will be enough for the journey. We send there scientific and technological units from the army for a while to establish the more precise scouting and future settlement of the planet. It's a risky mission, but unique in history of the humankind and we trust in its success. The crew consist of all hardened and skilled experts and the question is who would lead this? We thought about you. Will you accept it?"
Frank pondered a bit. After all, there is nobody and nothing keep him here and he spent his whole life in danger as a spaceman.
„I accept" – he nod.
Frank got acquainted with the spaceship, the non-commissioned officers and the crew during the next two months.
The huge spacecraft waited its crew and cargo in a space dock.
When the time of start came, Frank got the permission from the headquarters and they began their journey.
The two energy reactors began to work at the right distance from Earth, the warp drive switched on and the spaceship shortly disappeared from that place. Inside happened nothing special, only the stars disappeared from the windows and appeared strange, coloured lights. There was no time in enjoyment of it, because after the warp drive performed its task it switched off and the spaceship returned into the normal space.
That moment the alarm began to siren in the control room.
„Commander, there is a planet in front of the ship! We will impact!" – shouted a navigator.
„Switch on the retro-rockets! All energy to avoid the obstacle!" – gave the command Frank.
The spaceship came closer to the planet, because the retro-rockets couldn't prevent the impact. Soon it entered the atmosphere, where fortunately it's succeeded to set it to glide before the ship would have penetrated into the ground. First, it glided above an ocean then stopped on the shore.
„Is everybody all right?" – asked Frank.
Fortunately none of them seriously injured, also the spaceship remained in one piece, except some external damages.
„Where are we? This is the Proxima B?" – looked Frank at his officers.
„Just a moment, sir, now I analysing our situation" – answered one of them and then he went on – „According to the instruments… We are on the Earth or somewhere nearby. The neighbouring stars are the same. But no contact. I… don't understand.
„I don't understand either" – said Frank – „Maybe our instruments failed or the warp drive did a strange matter. In any case, we must send out reconnaissances near the ship. I think, the air is respirable outside."
„Yes, sir, it is 78 per cent nitrogen…"
„Thank you, in this case there is no obstacle to sending out some reconnaissances with stun guns. Be hidden but bring in if find something interesting thing."
They didn't suspect that somebody was a witness to their landing: a beautiful, slim, tall young lady with long black hair, who ride out to the shore systematically at such times. First, the sonic boom attracted attention, then when she caught sight of the vehicle from the sky in the distance, broke into a gallop immediately that way. When she came to near to it, left her horse and waded across the undergrowth of the seaside forest. She was very surprised because of the sight: the huge celestial vehicle, the machines stir about but mainly the creatures, who operate those. They would be the men, about whom she already heard sometimes? They seems to be so strange and fallible. She thought of it, when something stung her on her upper arm. She caught and pull out that thing. She grew languid a bit. Then she felt further pinch on her thigh and again and again. Then she fainted.
Frank had just held a briefing in the control room, when his transceiver began to speak:
„Sir, you must see this. Patrol two brought in something interest. It is in the medical room."
Frank rushed up to.
„Well, what is that interest?" – asked he from the door of the medical room.
„Rather who is that." – put he right the chief medical officer – „A woman. Moreover a beauty woman. We still don't know, who is she, because we need to anaesthetize her, otherwise she would tear off the straps from herself. I have never seen such thing, that such narcotic has no effect somebody."
„Very interesting. When will she in interrogate condition?"
„Right now. Look!"
Frank stood in front of the operating table that stood vertically, on which the young woman was strapped by her wrists and ankles. She wore a plain, white, short, sleeveless dress and on her forearm, leg and waist a golden metal decoration, maybe a shield. Frank took delight in the long, black hair and pretty face of the woman, but she began to awake.
„Who are you? What is your name?" – asked Frank from her.
„I'm Diana of Themyscira, the princess of the amazons. And who are you and where are you from?"
„Amazons? Is it a joke? My name is Frank Hunter, commander of this spaceship and expedition and I came from planet Earth. Is this the Earth?"
„This is Themyscira, the home of the amazons and not a joke! Set me free immediately!"
Frank recoiled when Diana pulled her tied arms and the strap almost tore. Some motion like this, and she will become free.
„Can you see, boss, how powerful this little lady?" – stepped in the doctor, and injected into her arm additional dose of narcotic, thereupon Diana fell asleep again.
„I see. But how is this possible? Take a blood sample and analyse it. As for me I will send out two helicopters for long-distance scouting. It's time to find out the truth about what's going on here."
Two small recon helicopters took off and flew towards inside the mainland. They followed a river to a populated town, that consisted of splendid buildings.
„I go lower, I must see this!" – spoke David, the pilot to his mate in the other helicopter.
„Be careful, we don't know who are they!" – sounded the answer.
But David wanted to see everything in detail. When he went lowest down, he couldn't believe his eyes: here lives women alone? Yes, indeed, the residents of the town are young and middle-aged vigorous women: the amazons!
But there was no time to staring, because hearded whizzing sound suddenly, his helicopter shaken and thick, dark smoke broke through from its engine. Somebody shot an arrow from the ground which hit into the helicopter under its rotor.
David struggled out of the wreck after he had landed amid big clap but he could send a message to his mate through radio:
„I'm OK! Go back to the ship and ask for help!"
The other helicopter turned back and disappeared on the horizon.
The amazons were surprised just like David.
There were weaponless bystanders and warriors with bows, swords and spears. An archer emerged from the crowd, and began to speak:
„Surrender, foreigner!"
David was obedient to her and lifted up his hands. Somebody caught and handcuffed him from behind.
„And now we take you to the queen!" – began to speak again the amazon warrior and David started willy-nilly between the amazons towards the palace, which was an especially big building beside a square on a hillside.
They had led him into the throne hall and after they ordered David to knelt down. At the end of the hall sat a majestic woman on a splendid throne who wore a crown, a golden breastplate and reaching to the ground dress.
„Who did you bring, Roxana?" – asked she from the amazon beside David.
„Your majesty, this foreigner is a man and he came to our town with a flying machine but I shot down it with my arrow. He had a mate who escaped so surely there are several others nearby."
„Is it true? Come closer." – the queen looked at David who struggled to his feet slowly and after few steps answered:
„Yes… your majesty."
„What is your name? Where do you come from?"
But before he would have spoken, an other amazon emerged from behind David, ran to the queen and whispered something to her.
The queen became gloomy, grabbed the fur hem of her cloak, looked at a smaller chair beside her throne and said:
„Bring here the lasso of justice and put it on him."
The amazons ordered David to knelt down again and put some kind of rope on him to his utter horror, but fortunately not placed on his neck but on his chest. The queen walked up to him and said:
„Don't be afraid, we don't hurt you, but you will say the truth. My daughter's horse came back without her today. Do you have any to do about her disappearance? Where do you come from and who are you?"
David startled, because he began to speak against his will and told everything about the start from the Earth, the expedition, the accident at the shore and that they found a woman on the shore who was taken to the spaceship.
„Right." – became friendlier the queen – „Remove his handcuffs, give him food and drink if he wish and prepare my horse."
Meanwhile the other helicopter returned to the spaceship and its pilot said to Frank what he saw and that David was shot down.
Frank was overcome by rage and despair. They are here, on an unexplored area, without hope of find the way home, besides with enemies nearby. He began to regret that he accepted this damned task. In any case, he gave the command to building up a line of defence around the ship, then went back to the medical room and asked the doctor:
„Is there any result?"
„Nothing special. Unless the constitution of the little lady is completely sterile as the blood sample shows. Genetically all is well too, she is the picture of perfection."
Frank wanted to ask the doctor a further question, but his transceiver began to speak:
„We have visitors, sir! Please, come to the exit immediately."
Frank appeared suddenly there in a matter of minutes. As soon as he stepped out to the shore, first he saw his soldiers is standing in silence or whispering then caught sight of few amazons on theirs horses, among them the queen and David. The small group stopped a few metres in front of the ship, where Frank standed.
The queen went forward on her white horse and began to speak:
„I'm Hippolyta, queen of Themyscira and the amazons. Are you the leader of these men?"
„Yes, I am." – answered Frank.
„I think, he belongs to you, therefore we brought back him to you." – she looked back at Roxana, who noded to David sat behind her. He got off from the horse and went towards the spaceship.
Then she turned to Frank again:
„My daughter was missing after she had ridden out to the shore in the morning. Do you know about her?"
Frank kept silent a bit then shook his head:
„Unfortunately no."
David halted and look at Frank then the queen desperately. Hippolyta became gloomy:
„You don't tell the truth, man! Take the consequences!"
She turned her riding horse and galloped away with her escort.
David ran to Frank:
„But commander! I told them that we have a woman here…"
„What?! Idiot, who authorized you to do it?"
„It's not my fault, they put me something rope and I was forced to tell everything. But otherwise they didn't harm me, they are kind!"
„Who knows, what did they do with you." – grumbled Frank – „Go to the sickroom, the doctor will check up you. Then make yourself ready for the battle, because it will be."
David despaired, but he couldn't do other. He went up to the sickroom, where he saw the amazon princess is in anaesthesia, surrounded with medical appliances and fastened with straps but then a medical orderly curtained off her away from David.
He also lay down to a bed, but he didn't pay attention to doctors, because he was thinking of the battle mentioned by Frank.
It happened soon: the alarms began to siren along the spaceship.
Queen Hippolyta already prepared her warriors to rescue her daughter.
David ran out to corridor to see what happening outdoors. The sight was fantastic: thousands of amazons were attack on the shore and overthrew the soldiers from before they.
Though the men were in technological superiority, it was ineffective against the power and cleverness of the amazons, who broke in two the wrested guns from the hands of the soldiers and broke the armour of the light tanks with their bare hands. A well-shot arrow into the barrel of laser guns could eliminate these weapons on the ground and on the ship too. They pushed aside biggest warheads with their round shields easily while the smaller bullets glanced off from their armour.
There was complete anarchy in the ship too: everybody ran for his gun and into the battle line.
David ran back into the sickroom, where there was only a medical orderly and stepped beside Diana, who got an infusion.
„What is this medicine?" – asked David.
„It's a narcotic to prevent untimely awakening."
„It must stop doing this immediately and set her free!"
„How do you think that? It's insubordination!"
„Into the hell with this command!" – David shoved away the orderly, drew out the needle from Diana's arm with care and try to woke her.
The amazons forced back the men continually towards their ship, when suddenly heard dull thumps within the spacecraft then broke out metal splinters from top of it: Diana appeared there with a huge metal plate in her hand and threw it aside. It was an other-worldly sight for the men, when the princess ascended high up in the air, the wind blew her long, black hair and the setting sun radiate its beams from behind her.
Appearance of the most powerful amazon decided the result of the battle. Diana jumped down from the spaceship, tore out some remained turrets from it and rushed up to her mother to embrace happily each other.
At the sight of this the men laid down their weapons and gave up the battle.
David also came out from the ship.
„Mother, that is the man who set me free!" – pointed at him Diana.
„David!" – ran to him Roxana – „I'm very pleased to see you again."
David was also happy because of seeing his dear amazon again and because there were no deads and wounded on the battlefield visibly, since the amazons didn't want to kill anybody. They only made the men unable to fight. These soldiers knelt with lifted up hands, and all of them guarded by an amazon.
Then everybody looked at the doorway of the ship, wherefrom Frank stepped outside with some his officers.
He came closer to Hippolyta slowly, stopped in front of her, knelt down and said:
„Please excuse me, your majesty! Everything is my sin! Punish me and not my men!"
After this he handed a sword up to her, his own ceremonial sword, he got many years ago when the army made him officer.
Hippolyta took away the sword, raised it high and the amazons burst into loud ovation.
„There is no rage in my heart." – she glanced at Frank then at her warriors – „And now we return to our town and accompany our visitors there."
The amazons went home, surrounded the men in the middle with them. The residents in the town gave a warm welcome and cheers for the victorious amazon warriors and looked curiously the uncommon „war-booty".
They went straight to the main square beside the royal palace, where they had a rest.
The men could wash in the public bath of the town, got food and drink, wine, meat, bread, fruit and the favourit food of the amazons: the ambrosia.
A new, mediterranean night covered up Themyscira.
The amazons led Frank into the queen's palace. He ate and drank a bit and had a bath. Then they led him into a smaller room, where lay the queen herself.
The door closed behind the surprised Frank. He was in pairs with Hippolyta, who said:
„I was waiting for you. Come, lie to me."
Frank made a timid move.
„Don't be afraid, just come!"
Frank went to the bed.
„ I feel the bitterness, the deep sorrow in your heart" – said Hippolyta, meanwhile smoothed down the man's face with her hand. Frank took the queen's hand and kissed it, then embraced each other…
The next morning has come with bright sunshine. The men and the amazons began to awake on the main square. All eyes were fixed on the balcony of the palace. After a while appeared there queen Hippolyta and beckoned her people smiling while led Frank out.
The amazons started a loud ovation.
„What happening?" – asked David.
„The queen consummated at the night with your leader. Don't worry, I also will consummate with you!" – answered Roxana to the surprised man.
Hippolyta made a speech, in which she told that these men are their warm welcome guests and let with them know Themyscira to be found between the worlds of men and gods. This place is hidden away from the men and the gods created it from goodness in order to the amazons take care of the fallible humankind. But Themyscira are now in danger, because Ares, god of the war and discord, who wants to kill the amazons and the humankind, will be able to find easily they, if he follow the crashed spaceship and smell the battle yesterday. But in any case, she will show the passage for the men into their world so they will be able to go home.
After she told these and retired to her room with Frank, he turned to the queen:
„Thank you for telling us these and set us free. But if Ares will come here really, let us to fight against him, after all it is our fault."
Hippolyta broke into a smile, took Frank's hand and said:
„That's very kind of you, but it is our battle. I can't demanded of you that take part in it. I hope he still doesn't find his way here. Rather come to have breakfast. My daughter, Diana is surely hungry. We already eat together at such a time."
After they had their breakfast, Diana asked her mother to let she ride out to the spaceship to look around.
„Right but not alone and be careful! Don't be there long!" – answered Hippolyta then after Diana had run happily, she looked at Frank:
„She is still so curious and naive. I worry too much about her."
Maybe one hour have not passed, Diana got back and ran up into the palace.
„Mother, something evil preparing itself on the shore. Dark clouds whirling around a black hole, maybe it can be seen from here too!"
All of them rushed out to the balcony of the palace. The anxiety was already intense down there the town, because the expanding black hole was discernible from there too.
„This will Ares!" – shouted Hippolyta – „You, Diana and you, Frank with your men, stay here but I will go there with my warriors. We can't let him to come into our town, we must defeat him on the shore."
„But…" – said Diana and Frank simultaneously.
„No buts! Do what I said!" – commanded Hippolyta and ran down on the stairs. In a few minutes she and some of her amazons rode across the gate of the town, while Diana and Frank looked at each other desperately. Then Frank suddenly said:
„I have an idea, Diana. Let's go down to the square to join the men, I will tell it there."
„Right." – noded Diana's assent and both of them ran down.
„Take it easy, men and amazons!" – began Frank – „I have an idea to eliminate that Ares. It seems to be simple, but I hope it will work. So, because we can go nowhere with the ship anyway, therefore blow up its energy reactors. Since these contains certain anti matter, it would be able to annihilate Ares, if he is enough near. I must go in the control room, start the reactors in that way that I switch off the safety systems and not start the engines. That's all. At least the instructors told this at the technical education before the start, that this is the easiest way to ruin the ship. I would like a volunteer, who help me."
David volunteered for it immediately.
„Let me go! Roxana also be with the queen, I should not leave her alone."
„Okay." – noded Frank's assent.
„I also want to go!" – interrupted Diana.
„But Hippolyta forbided you." – looked at the princess Frank.
„If you go, then I also go! I'm the princess and this is my order!"
Frank opened his arms:
„I can't forbid it for you. But now, let's hurry up!"
During this time, Hippolyta and her best amazon warriors arrived to the beach. Ares appeared from the black hole just then.
„Ares!" – shouted the queen – „Go back to where you came from and leave us alone!"
„I do what I want!" – grumbled the fearful character in dark armour – „I kill you then the world of humankind and all worlds!"
„But we don't allow this! Attack, my amazons!"
Arrows rain down on Ares, but the main part of it burnt to ashes near him or simply bounced from his armour.
„Clear out!" – shouted the monster and huge tongues of flame broke through from his both of hands towards the amazons, who were protect from death by their skilfulness and shields.
„Ah, further vermin arrived!" – looked up Ares sudden.
Hippolyta looked back and caught sight of Diana, Frank and David as they dismounted from their horses.
„Go away!" – she shouted.
But they rushed up to her.
„We came to help!" – clasp in Diana's arms her mother.
„We have an idea." – said Frank – „We will blow up the reactors of the ship. If all goes well, the explosion will enough strong to kill Ares. Just he must be near to the detonation."
Hippolyta closed her eyes for a second then said:
„Hera will help you."
Frank embraced her then looked at David:
„Okay, let's hurry up into the control room!"
The two men started run towards the entry of the spacecraft, while Diana attacked Ares with blood-curdling battle-cry.
In some minutes Frank and David already rushed out from the ship, which began to rumble and tremble, an alarm siren switched on and an automatic sound gave information about the temperature of reactors from time to time.
„Hold on, Diana!" – howled the two men to the princess outside, who hit and kicked Ares with all her might. Though the monster sometimes could take the offensive and he succeeded shove away Diana, in such a case storm of arrows and spears of the other amazons overwhelmed him. Frank and David snatched up two abandoned guns and they also opened fire on Ares.
Suddenly back of the ship began tremble wildly and the automatic sound gave information about detonation within some seconds.
„Now, Diana!" – shouted Frank – „Leave Ares and come from there!"
Ares attempted escape towards the sky, but Diana caught him with her lasso in good time and pulled off him. When Ares fell flat on the top of the ship, Diana untied the lasso from him and struck a huge hit on Ares' chest, who broke through the cover of the ship and fell into that. The princess jumped back got to secure distance. The detonation happened at this moment: dazzling light consumed the back of the spacecraft then it turned into blackness, during the phenomenon hearded sizzling. It finished in a matter of minutes. When the amazons and the two men took their hands away from their eyes, a sight of a half-spaceship appeared before they. There was a crater in the place of back of the ship and sea-water flowed to there.
„Diana! My only child, where are you?!" – cried desperately Hippolyta.
Everybody ran towards the ship search for the princess. Suddenly a voice hearded from behind a sand-hill dug up by the bow of the landed spacecraft:
„Here I'am!" – Diana came forward safe and in health.
„Diana! My little daughter!" – rushed up to her Hippolyta and embraced happily each other.
„Is Ares died?" – ran there Frank and the others.
„He disappeared, far from here. The evil from him not to be felt anymore." – answered the queen.
There was a great pleasure when they returned with the good news into the town. The same day the amazons kept a great celebration.
And the next day Hippolyta showed the passage to the men in her palace, which connects the world of men with this world.
It was a stone gate, but it contained a water-like matter instead of a door.
„It's time for you to return home." – said the queen – „This gateway leads to your home and time exactly. You may tell everything safely what saw here, because someday the greatest of us will go to you to lead you wisely and to come to power the goodness and love in your world."
„Hippolyta." – said Frank – „If you allowed me, I would stay here. Maybe by way of penitence, and… - he looked in the queen's eye.
„Let I stay with Roxana!" – pleaded them David.
„All right." – broke into a smile Hippolyta – „You can stay here if you like. Themyscira is enough large and hospitable."
So, the men could return home finally. They narrated what happened with them. At home the people were partially sceptical, but the legend was born and began it's journey: the legend about the good amazons and that one of them, the most powerful will come among the men to be the greatest sovereign and bring the golden age of humankind.
The end.