A crash through the window of the communal room that Jupiter shares with her mother and aunt wakes the trio. Jupiter sits bolt upright in her bed, trying to place if it's who she thinks it is.

A low growling voice commands, "We have to get you out now!"

"What's going on Caine?" she darts out of bed and starts pulling her cowering aunt from her bed. "Come on Nino! Now is NOT the time to be modest! If he says go - it means we go!"

Aleksa's wild eyes catch Jupiter's attention. Her mom has always been the stable, tough one. What's with her scrambling back in the bed toward the wall? She hears her mother utter in Russian, "Not again…"

"Mom, come on! NOW!" Jupiter orders her mother. Seeing the terror in the women's faces, she takes a breath and realizes they have no idea what's going on. "Caine and I will explain on the way. But when the head of my security says 'go', we go! Got it?"

Meek nods are returned as the black clad hulking shape finishes breaking out the window and two more appear.

"Jupiter you didn't get involved with the Bratva did you?" Aleksa's horrified face is illuminated by the moonlight streaming through the window. (1)

Aleksa receives a snort in reply as her daughter quips, "No, Mom. But some days it's a hell of a lot more dangerous."

The large figure picks up Jupiter and Aleksa can see his handsome face. But a scream escapes her mouth when she sees the fangs as he barks an order and bails out the window with his charge.

Another inhuman figure picks up Nino, who's so terrified she's speechless.

As Aleksa intakes air for another shriek, a hand gently goes to her mouth. "Shush now, Mrs. Jones. We're takin' the whole family to safety. Understand?"

"You?..." she gasps as Stinger picks her up bridal style.

"Hang on."

She feels his hands moving as if using some sort of controller and they rise to the window, which causes her to throw her arms around his neck. Chuckling softly he murmurs, "Here we go," and jumps. The fall is much slower than she expected and she finally dares to open her eyes when she feels a forward motion - but not a walk or a run. That's when she sees ground several feet below them and his boots glow as he glides.

"But how?"

"Not important. Getting you all off planet is," he grumbles.

"Why?" Aleksa starts to feel the chill of the night air through her nightgown and shivers.

"There were parties that didn't want your daughter to complete the negotiations."

"But who? The mob?"

She feels his boots hit something hard and sees a door closing behind them.

"If you'll excuse me m'lady, I need to get us outta here." Gently he sets her down and sprints off. She spins around to see her family being strapped into harnesses.

Stinger's voice comes over the comms, "Your Majesty, we're ready for take off. Everyone strapped in?"

"Except my mom and I. I'll take care of that - you get us into orbit!" Jupiter barks and forcefully grabs her mother's hand. "I need you to sit, pleasemom. This might get bumpy."

Doing as told, she's strapped in next to the muscle bound beast that carried her daughter. He helps secure the straps and looks a little worried as the vessel leaves the ground.

Upon the sharp climb he grabs Jupiter's waist and holds her to him tightly. Aleksa realizes he's protecting her from being slammed to the hatch.

"Thanks, hon." Jupiter snuggles into him. Feeling all the eyes of her family staring, she sighs and rolls her eyes. "Ok. Short of the long story. Everyone, this is Caine Wise. My boyfriend and head of security." She points to the other aliens in the bay and introduces them as the Skyjacker Unit assigned to protect her. "And the one flying this shuttle into orbit is Captain Stinger Apini. He and Caine have served together for a long time."

"You mean we're going into space?" Vladie exclaims looking worried about the prospect.

Jupiter nods.

"Cool!" Moltka's little round face lights up.

Looking to Caine, Jupiter asks, "It's the youngest ones who take this in stride, isn't it?"

He gives a considered, "Sometimes, Your Majesty."

"Why does he have fangs and pointy ears?" the boy asks, fascinated and unabashed.

"He's ummm…" Jupiter trails off and Caine finishes for her, "part err... wolf."

Glancing at all the non family in the bay, Aleksa's hand goes to her mouth as she notices every one of them seems to be not quite normal. Some more so than others. From bits of circuitry or metal to very animalistic features.

"Jupiter, explain. Why does this seem so normal to you and what the hell is going on?" Aleksa demands starting to be indignant - not only at the idea of space travel in her pjs - but that her daughter has kept such huge secrets.

Closing her eyes to figure out where to begin, "Well…"

The shuttle lurches to one side and then the other. Activating her boots that she slipped on when entering the shuttle, Jupiter attaches them to the floor as Stinger's voice comes over the comm, "We're under fire folks, but Aegis Zeroes are running interference for us."

Jupiter explains to Moltka, "Zeroes are mecha like from the anime you watch with Vladie."

"I told you to stop showing him that violent stuff!" Irina snaps at her oldest son.

Shaking her head, then flopping it back on Caine's chest she laughs, "Only my family would have a fight about cartoon tv shows as we flee powerful enemies and try to save the trade negotiation with Earth before it's ratified."

Aleksa's eyebrow shoots up and it reminds Jupiter she needs to explain more. She knew it'd be only a matter of time. The memory wipes wouldn't be enough forever.

"Who do you work for, Jupiter, and why do you answer to 'Your Majesty'?" her mother demands.

"I can't explain it all right now. But the simplest explanation is that I found out I'm intergalactic royalty. It sounds crazy, I know. Still does to me sometimes."

"Like Anastasia?" Nino interjects.

"We're rich!" Vladie can't believe his ears and starts cackling with glee.

Jupiter shrugs, not wanting to answer directly. She needs viable trade beyond what was earned in the past from the harvests, or they won't be. "Empires cost serious money to run."

"You hid this all from us," Vassily broods.

"If I'd come to you all saying, 'Hey I'm a space queen now isn't that great?' You'd all have locked me up in some asylum!" Jupiter shoots back then buries her head in Caine's shoulder. "Damn, this isn't the way I wanted things to go."

Possessively Caine nuzzles her and looks up with a warning glare to not say another word.

…

After docking, Jupiter is quickly ushered off the shuttle and Aleksa sees her daughter confidently issuing orders and receiving reports of all kinds. EVERYONE refers to Jupiter as Her Majesty.

Nino puts a hand on her sister's shoulder, "Greatness, just like the stars predicted at her birth!"

Patting her sister's hand she nods and in Russian shares the wonder, "Who would have thought? Our little Jupiter."

The now familiar accent startles their revelry, "Shall we get the royal family some proper clothes, or would you prefer to lounge aboard the Queen's flagship in your nightgowns?"

Aleksa's arms wrap reflexively around herself, as she realizes the old threadbare nightgown is probably pretty revealing. A jacket drops around each of the sisters' shoulders and Stinger and the one called Dipesh escort the ladies to the rest of the family group.

Captain Tsing debriefs the royal family on the situation and has the crew find lodging and attend their needs.

…

In Aleksa's quarters, she and Nino talk over the happenings of the day and try to make sense of it all.

Hearing the bing bong of the door chime, Aleksa fumbles and swears trying to let the visitor in. Evidently the visitor gives up waiting for her to figure it out and the door slides open. Expecting it to be Jupiter she chides, "About time, and now do we get the full explanation?"

When she sees it's not Jupiter at all, but Stinger and he's cocked his head to the side with a bemused expression, she gasps, "Oh, sorry. I thought…"

Nino excuses herself not wanting to be in the way, "I'll go check on the others…" and Aleksa watches her scheming sister go.

After a moment of awkward silence he shoves his hands in his pockets and asks, "May I come in?"

"Uh… yes. Please, do. Oh, and I'll get your jacket - that's probably why you're here." She scurries over to the shelf where it's folded neatly and returns it.

As he puts it on she babbles, "Thank you for lending it to me. It helped me not feel so exposed."

"My jacket isn't the only reason I'm here. Her Majesty requested I check on you and let you know she's off already to make her case for the treaty ratification on Orus and a few other details. Tsing insisted she'd have more security with Aegis representation."

"She's making you be messenger boy again?" Aleksa's disapproval shows for her daughter's decision. A captain shouldn't have to always run errands.

"Since Tsing's taking her, I volunteered to get you all to the main alcazar on Cathane. It's not a contested planet, and no one will dare set foot there to disturb the royal family," he explains.

"So you're a glorified babysitter right now?" Her skepticism gets the better of her before she can rein it in.

"M'lady, I prefer to think of it as glorified ferryman. Her Majesty tells me where to go all the time."

Aleksa doesn't miss the twinkle of mirth in his eyes at the retort, but her thoughts turn serious again. "So when will my daughter return?"

"Your daughter 'n mine'll return when the job's done. Kiza's Her Majesty's chancellor." He's not even phased at the concern.

"Aren't you worried about them?" Aleksa can't wrap her head around his attitude.

"Caine is the best soldier I ever went into battle with. He always brings them back safe. And Tsing's a tough one herself. They're in good hands. Now may I show m'lady where both parties are headed'?"

With her nod, he commands the ship's presence to overlay a star chart on the window with any names from Earth's astronomy catalogs. Among the glowing names she recognizes the planets and a few stars. When she thinks of Max and his polished English accent and love of astronomy, a few meteors fly by the window and she watches them hit the atmosphere making streaks of fire in the sky. By instinct she touches the screen where another is coming in and the strange childlike voice of the ship says they're the 'Alpha Capricornid meteor shower'.

Stinger's index finger touches the star named Canubulus to the far right on the window, "This is where our daughters are headed." Spreading his fingers he zooms out on the star to show the planetary system and then the highly industrialized planet of Orus.

"And where are we going?" she queries.

The window highlights a star named Volans on the opposite side of the window and she follows his example zooming in to find Cathane.

"But they're so far apart," she bemoans.

"Warp technology makes the trips between short - just a few days," he volleys.

"How does it work?" she rallies.

He spreads his hands in a pleading ignorance fashion. "Not my expertise. I just fly the ship and know the portal drive works. Only a few know the secrets."

"Then tell me how your boots work," she's trying to distract herself along with heeding her rampant curiosity.

"They harness the force of gravity, redirecting it in two differential equation slopes." He engages his boots so she can see better how they work.

"Can you show me the equations?" Now she's hooked.

He brings up the equation set and shows her how to interact with it. In no time, she's moving the equation around and throwing bits to one side or the other faster than he can follow. He has to beg off after a few moments, "I was only taught the basics. Was all I needed to know."

"But this is how fermionics is harnessed! We… our scientists have been looking for this!" Aleksa is so enthralled with the discovery, that she can't see why he's not ecstatic too.

Leaving her to play with the screen, he heads back to the deck.

Notes:

(1) Bratva is the Russian mob