Chapter 7 - Kollya Stragaesh

A-ko now found herself with a full-blown case of the mads. She was about to show the Shakanar that the red hair of hers was real and that she had the temper to go along with it.

Her first victim was the very pilot who shot her in the back. She landed right in front of the terrified Shakanar pilot, straddling the nose of the fighter.

She tore off the canopy, took hold of the Shakanar by her red armor, and all but ripped her out of her safety harness. A-ko then raised her right fist over her head, preparing to pulp her twisted brain, but suddenly stopped herself. At that moment, A-ko proved she had all her mother's courage and warrior's soul, but she was her father's daughter after all.

"You're lucky I'm not a very good Amazon!" she told the shaking psychopath.

"What are you going to do with me?" The oversized red-clad nut job asked in fear.

"I hope you can swim," was A-ko's only reply. With that, she took to the sky while dragging the Shakanar behind her. Swooping down, A-ko Magami dropped the drip in the drink and streaked off to find another victim to cast into the sea.

Meanwhile, her mother was only interested in dispatching as many Shakanar fighters as she could. She was less careful and far less concerned with Shakanar health or well-being.

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Looking up at A-ko's grandmother, the young boy asked her, "Are we going to go fishing again, Queen Hippo?"

Hippolyta laughed. Smiling down at him, she replied, "Perhaps tomorrow, little one. For now, I think we should first get you and your sister somewhere a bit quieter."

With a quick lift, Kir found himself riding piggyback on his big sister's back. His small arms wrapped tightly around her neck as they started off for the Royal Palace.

Hippolyta lay her hand on Aki's shoulder, stopping her in her tracks. "Not that way, young one." She paused for a moment, scanning for danger all around her. "Now. Follow me, and make sure to stay close."

Akana did as she was told, staying right behind the tall woman as they carefully made their way through the trees, bushes, and any other cover they could find.

All three stopped for a moment. While looking over the damage being inflicted on her Island Nation, Akana could have sworn she saw a tear run down the rage-filled face of the Amazon queen. She became even more sure of it when they approached the Temple of Apollo, which now lay in ruins.

Making their way to the back of the once-beautiful building, Queen Hippolyta approached a giant boulder surrounded by a well-kept garden. Bracing herself against its enormous bulk, she pushed it backward and revealed a hole with a ladder on the side. Gesturing for Akana to step forward, she told her to climb down.

Doing as she was told, Akana stopped halfway down as Hippolyta told her, "When you come to the fork in the tunnel, take the left tunnel. The fifth ladder will take you directly to the family section of the Palace, and to your family."

"Aren't you coming?"

"Someone has to cover the entrance. Besides, I have a war to fight!" Smiling down at little Hikiri, A-ko's grandmother said, "Be sure to take care of your sister, small warrior."

"I will, Queenie," the child promised.

The view of the blue sky above was suddenly gone, cut off by the large boulder being pushed back in its place.

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Philippus and her troops found themselves in a nasty firefight with a killing battalion of Shakanar scout troops. The Amazon army already had casualties as they kept fighting off the red-clad maniacs. Philippus now found two new recruits in Napolipolita-Daitokuji and Deesha, who gave their best tiger claw salutes and asked for orders.

Shouting above the sound of explosions and the whine of Cygnan pulse rifles, Phillipus told the two Leptonians, "I am honored that both of you wish to join me in battle. However, my Queen has ordered me to be responsible for your personal safety."

Aysha began to protest when Philippus raised her hand, cutting her off. "I've known my Queen long enough to know that she had other reasons for not wanting you to fight- in addition to your safety."

"Such as?" asked Napolipolita-Daitokuji.

"She didn't want you to be forced to fight your own people."

"The Shakanar aren't our people! They're not people at all. They're not even animals. Animals wouldn't do what they do," protested Dee. "I know better than anyone, because I was once counted among their numbers."

Seeing Philippus' reaction, Napolipolita spoke. "She ended up with them because of me. And our noble Queen has already decreed that your placement in their ranks was a mistake!" [See our fanfic "Deesha"].

Bending over, the Amazon general picked up a double ax and an Amazon short sword. Handing them to the two women, Philippus told them, "These weapons served their late owners faithfully today. The Sisters who fell in battle today brought honor to them by their actions and their bravery. I know their new owners will only add to their luster!"

Meanwhile, Diana went about her job. Even if she also avoided taking a life – even if it belonged to a Shakanar….her attacks did nothing but add to her reputation as a Demon who would destroy the ranks of Shakanar attacking her Homeland.

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Akana and her little brother made their way down the semi-lit tunnel. There was no torch to light the way, nor any electric lights. Instead, a soft green glow was coming from the ceiling. The illumination wasn't very bright, but it provided enough light to make one's way.

Aki stopped once or twice to make sure she was going in the right direction. During one of these stops, Kir reached up to a low section of the ceiling. His small hand came down covered with a glowing green slime. Showing his sister, she recognized it for what it was.

They looked upon a collection of millions of living creatures that were capable of self-illumination. The creators of this bioetheric energy were cyanobacteria or blue-green algae - among the first citizens of Earth during the ancient Precambrian Eon. They glowed green in the dark corridor.

Marveling at the Amazons' ingenuity to use a living form of light, brother and sister made their way. Taking the left fork, Akana kept going until she found the fifth ladder. Making sure that her brother was safely on her back. she began to climb. At the top, she found a latch and turned it. The lock was stuck, but she was persistent and continued to work on it. Finally, she was able to force the trap door open an inch or two. The next thing Akana knew was that she was being blinded by a bright light. Suddenly, the trap door was flung open right above them. The first thing she saw was the sight of two spears pointed at their throats.

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Aboard the Revenge, Captain Xek Torkah reported,"Admiral! Warp signature opening five kilrons wide on the starboard side!" (A kilron is a Cygnan unit of measurement equal to one and a half Terran miles or its metric equivalent.)

"Put that sector on the monitor," ordered Admiral Chitai. A moment later they watched as the Berserk Souffle came out of warp.

"They must have a top-notch astronavigator aboard to come out of warp so close to a planet." Captain Torkah remarked with a touch of envy in her husky voice. "What would they have enticed her with? All the plumbing fittings she ever dreamed of?"

The bridge crew snickered along with their beefy superior.

"Message from the Berserk Souffle," reported the Shakanar communications officer.

A figure appeared on the main view port. If Biko or A-ko had been there, they would have thought their best friend C-ko was standing before them. But this woman was older and bigger, with a harsher look about her, an impression perhaps reinforced by the fact that she overdid it on the eyeliner. The woman was Princess E-ko, C-ko's second-older sister. She was dressed in a midnight-blue jacket with large gold buttons down the side, an ankle - length cherry red skirt, and boots. An iron crown rested on her brow. On her left shoulder was the insignia of the Kollya Stragaesh, otherwise known as the Crazy Division. Her broadsword hung on her left hip and there was a blaster in a holster on her right. Her black cloak of command topped off her imposing figure.

"IN THE NAME OF MY MOTHER, QUEEN ZAZENL'DA, FIRST OF THE NAME, FIFTH QUEEN OF THE LEPTON KINGDOM OF ALPHA CYGNI, YOU ARE HEREBY ORDERED TO DROP SHIELDS, TO IMMEDIATELY STOP YOUR ILLEGAL AND UNSANCTIONED ATTACK ON THE TERRAN NATION OF THEMISCYRA, AND TO SURRENDER YOURSELF AND YOUR SHIP INSTANTLY. AND IN CASE YOU DIDN'T GET MY MESSAGE THE FIRST TIME - GIVE IT UP, YOU SLUGS!"

Admiral Chitai nodded at her communications officer, telling her to establish contact.

Aboard the Berserk Souffle, E-ko saw her ugly face and heard her haughty reply: "My Princess, why don't you fly home to your pig-faced mother and tell her that the Shakanar Sisterhood will no longer be denied their right to have daughters? Tell her that we will no longer serve a false queen who has diluted and weakened the glorious Leptonian Empire with her foolish hopes for peace and her so-called alliance with these primitive Terrans, who fight with spears and axes! From this moment on, it will be the Council of the Magdiu and their loyal daughters in the Shakanar ranks who will become the true rulers of the Cygnan Empire!"

E-ko's face turned dark red as her infamous temper exploded at the insult to her mother. "Treasonous bitch! My sword will drink your cowardly blood! Name the time and place where you will die at my hand!"

Chitai knew that Princess E-ko was offering her personal combat to answer the insult to her mother. "Patience, patience! And what do you have in mind, you half-breed daughter of a Kirlian whore? A barrage of kitchen sinks?" The communication screen went blank.

A moment later the Berserk Souffle was rocked with a broadside from the much bigger ship. The smaller craft shook from keel to bridge, knocking down most of the bridge crew.

"RETURN FIRE'" ordered E-ko. "I shoulda known that damned Chitai didn't have the guts to face me in personal combat!"

"Princess, the Revenge is only attacking us with its forward batteries, She is using the rest of her heavy armaments to continue her bombardment to the planet's surface," reported Captain Thera Knossos.

E-ko hesitated for only a few moments before she ordered, "Move the ship between the Revenge and the planet Earth, Captain. We must protect the homeland of our Amazon Sisters!"

Knossos flung back her burnt-sienna locks. "We're no match for their heavy weapons, Your Highness. She has twice our fire power and three times our shield strength!"

"No da, doofus," E-ko barked. Her tormented soul anguished over the order to put her ship in harm's way. Yet, she remembered from her youth that she was responsible for every member of the Crazy Division whom she led into battle. She had learned that lesson so well that she thought of them not only as her Sisters, but also as her children. With a heavy heart, she gave the order over the ship's intercom.

"Kids, this is the boss! Hold on to your faces; I've got bad news coming your way. We're about to ram the Shakanar ship. If we can, we'll board her and slay all aboard. If not, we'll blow her up. As always, I stand with you bozos. If you live, I live. If you die, so will I."

With that, the entire bridge crew snapped to attention, giving their best tiger-claw salutes. They swore as one to follow their Princess into battle to either the Summerland or the Unending Morning, depending on their faith.

"Aw, cut it out!" E-ko said with a smirk on her lips. "You're breaking my heart!"

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Looking up at the faces of the females who held the spears to her throat, Akana announced, "I knew I should have turned left at Alberquerque!" Her little brother, riding her piggyback, fell right in on the Bugs Bunny joke adding, "Pismo Beach and all the clams you can eat!"

Where the hell have you two been?" screamed Biko, still holding a chair over her head to crash it upon any head stupid enough to enter the family living area. Turning to look at her stepsister, Akana noticed that the two Kent children were hiding behind Biko's legs, looking up at her.

Biko grinned at Akana. "Miss me?"

"Why should I?" Aki replied, grinning, and plucked her little brother from her back.

"Little Sweet Gherkin," Biko said, taking Kir in her own arms and smooching him. Once the child was set on his feet on the floor, his two pals raced forward to greet him.

"Why does she call you that?" Jon asked.

"It's because he has green hair, you little pest," Lois interjected.

"Hikiri is a pickle boy! Pickle head!" Jon gleefully shrieked.

Akana gestured at Biko. "Do you know what this cow calls me? A nasty sour dill pickle!" Biko mock-shrieked in outrage. "I would never call you a name, dear sister!" She immediately found herself on the receiving end of Akana's left elbow. Instead of shoving her back, Biko stood for a moment in front of Akana. She had always been the one who held her emotions in check; her own father had even called her the Ice Princess. Ice Princess or not, the young woman's self-control now crumbled as she threw her arms around her stepsister Akana and held her close.

Akana returned both affection and a hug without a word. Moments later, she drew away from Biko. "Hey, Cinderella! I thought it was an old Terran custom that stepsisters hated each other."

"Depends on the stepsister," the heiress grinned, turning her attention back to her little brother. "Hey, Little Sweet Gherkin! What mischief were you getting into?"

The little boy excitedly related his adventures to his sisters, adding his own ideas about the fireworks outside and how his new best friend Hippo had smashed the giant metal thing.

Shiiko and Mitsuko (who had been pointing the spears at the throats of their elder sibling) were overjoyed to see their big sister. They were relieved that she and Kir were safe, and that they were back together as a family once again.

Shiiko hugged Akana, who rubbed her own throat and looked askance at the girl. "Boy, we're so glad you're back! Buttko wouldn't let us go outside and join in the battle. We were worried that it would be all over before we could go outside and join in the fun!"

"FUN?" Biko screamed at them both. "Do you think it's fun seeing people die? Do you think it's fun, running for your life? Remember this, you two little brats. You almost lost your little brother today, ond your big sister all but ended her days as a greasy red stain on a marble courtyard. When all of this was going on, I wasn't having one bit of fun. I was terrified, and not too proud to admit it!"

"Well - - you might be chicken, but Shiiko and I are real warriors," Mitsuko retorted.

"You tell her. Sis. We're the real Leptonian and Amazon warriors in the family."

Mitsuko nodded. "And we don't have to listen to a couple of snotty big sisters, either!"

"If the two of you even think about going outside into that hell, I will personally bang your heads together so hard you'll both hear bells and see stars for the next two weeks," Akana threatened.

"And after she's done with the two of you, I'll do even worse," added Biko.

"You can't talk like that to us like that," huffed Shiiko. "Nobody hits us, not ever."

"Yeah. And anyway, you're only our stepsister," added Mitsuko.

Aki immediately cuffed them on the backs of their heads. "I never want to hear that bull again from either of you, understand?"

The two aquamarine-haired girls forced back tears when they realized that the two older girls meant everything they'd said. When they nodded their heads yes, Akana ordered them both to sit down and keep quiet.

As the two chastened sisters sat down, Biko asked Akana, "Just now bad is it outside?"

"Bad," she answered. "If I have to describe it in one word, that word would be confusion. Speaking of confusion - where has Princess C-ko gotten herself?"

"She's guarding the front door."

"Sour dill pickle," Shiiko whispered to Mitsuko, gesturing at Aki. Fortunately, the Cygnan wasn't within earshot.