Chapter 49: New ways

They took stock of the scene in the throne room now that all opposition had been eliminated. They all had wounds and scrapes but none of them were serious. Kyle looked at Sle'tu and saw that she was bleeding from a number of places and her skirt was gone.

"What happened to you?" he asked indicating her missing clothing. Sle'tu pointed to the dead body of Balt'ar and said, "He happened. He won't be happening again though."

Eliana walked over and placed the prince on his feet before Sle'tu. "Delivered as requested," she said with a smile.

Prince Am'lat looked at the woman in front of him and then recognition colored his face, "You. You killed my father."

"And I will kill you too if you don't do as I ask Am'lat," Sle'tu said.

"What do you want me to do," Am'lat spat out in disdain to what he considered the lowly woman who was nearly naked before him.

"We will be victorious, Am'lat. The old way of life has ended and a new life where women are equal is beginning. There has been much killing here in the palace. Only you can prevent that bloodshed from spreading further by ordering that there be no further resistance."

"And if I refuse to give the order?" Am'lat sneered.

"Then there will be further bloodshed but you will not be witness to it because the bloodshed will start with your death Am'lat," Sle'tu said and glared at him.

"If I do give the order what will happen to me then?" Am'lat asked in a more respectful tone of voice for he realized that the woman in front of him was deadly serious.

"Then you will live Am'lat and you will even be king but under the supervision of Sin'lu and myself who will have the final say in any decisions made. Maybe you would consider that to be nothing more than a powerless king but at least you will be alive. You will still be treated as royalty and live here in the palace. The choice is yours Am'lat but you need to decide quickly for there are still guards here in the palace and their life or death depends on your actions. These strangers have great powers and can kill from afar. They have the ability to bring our people to their knees. Quickly Prince, for I sense that more guards are approaching this room," Sle'tu finished.

She had no more than finished before another fifteen guards burst into the room with weapons drawn. They had heard the fighting and come to investigate. Am'lat hesitated for a moment and then barked out orders.

"Put your weapons down and do not attack. If you do not put your weapons down I will be killed," he added.

The guards obeyed his orders and the two groups stood facing each other with the guards glaring at the intruders.

"Disarm yourselves and take five steps back from your weapons," Kyle ordered.

The guard captain looked at Am'lat and when he nodded the captain ordered his troops to comply. Three of the team went forward and gathered the weapons placing them in a pile behind the rest of the team. They started adding up the number of guards that had been accounted for.

"We can account for forty-two of the guards. Captain how many more are there?" Stan asked.

The Captain was silent.

"If you are being silent and hoping the guards can summon help from the outside, don't. Members of my team have barricaded the front doors and will allow no one in or out. If you do not tell me how many and their location, I will send members of my team out to hunt them down and it will no doubt cause more loss of life. The palace is ours captain, further resistance will only cost lives and accomplish nothing," Stan said.

"You are going to kill my men here and myself anyway so why should I tell you anything? Besides if I tell you Balt'ar our leader will make sure I am killed for telling you so I am dead either way," the captain answered.

Sle'tu stepped forward and spoke, "Captain I am Sle'tu, perhaps if you look closer you will recognize me. My friends here will not kill any of you. I promise. As for Balt'ar he will not harm you for I killed him myself. His body is over there." She pointed to Balt'ar's body. "Now please bring this bloodshed to an end and tell them what they have asked."

The Captain looked in the direction of her pointed finger and then at Sle'tu. At last he began to speak, "Two guards watch the palace kitchen, two more are stationed on watch at the large courtyard. Sixteen are in the guard quarters awaiting my orders."

"Captain you come with me. Ava, Caprice, you come with me also. The rest of you watch these men until we return."

"Don't harm them," Stan added for the captain's benefit.

The Captain and the four team members left to find and secure the surrender of the rest of the guards. When they returned with all the remaining guards they escorted them to the dungeon and put them in cells. The domestic palace help, all women, had scattered in avoidance of the fighting but at last with Sle'tu's help they were gradually coaxed from their hiding places and assembled in the throne room. Sle'tu announced the changes that were going to take place and gave them further reassurance they would not be harmed. They were escorted to the guard's eating area to be held there.

"Stan, we have the palace under control," Kyle announced over his radio. "We are going to open the palace doors and confront the rest of the population now."

"Roger, we will wait for further from you Kyle," Stan returned.

Stan turned to Sin'lu and told her the news. She threw off her robe and exposed her true identity to the wall guards. The guards looked in shock at the brazen exposure of her female body but moments later a commotion from the palace distracted their attention. The palace doors swung open. Sle'tu and Am'lat stepped forward with Kyle and his team standing behind them.

"Order the population to assemble in the square," Sle'tu whispered to Am'lat.

"Men and women," she reminded him.

When he did so they waited. Soon the square was filled and Sle'tu told him what to say.

"Order the men to disarm, Am'lat," she whispered.

"And if I order them to attack instead?" Am'lat asked.

"Then you will die here and now just as your Smita father did and many of these brave warriors will join you but the final outcome will be the same," Sle'tu whispered in a snarl and grasped his hand in an outward sign of harmony.

"Throw down your weapons. These strangers hold the palace and will kill me if you don't obey," He announced.

The warriors hesitated only a few moments before they began to comply. Sle'tu told the women to bring the discarded weapons forward and pile them at the bottom of the palace steps. When this was completed she gave Kyle the word and he radioed Stan and Sin'lu to join them.

"Make room these two to join us," Am'lat announced and Stan and Sin'lu joined them. Xenos following Stan's orders took off in the aircar and hovered above.

Sin'lu took her place on the other side of Am'lat. Sle'tu began to speak. She told the assembly that the days of old were gone. She and Am'lat would be the new leaders. From now on men and women would be treated as equals. She told them that she realized the transition would take time but from now on women would not be treated like as they had been in the past.

She and Sin'lu began calling out names, twenty in all and both men and women. When they had stepped forward Sle'tu announced that they would be the new palace guards. The new guards were made up of people that both women knew personally or were friends of people they knew and the women felt they could be trusted.

A burly man stepped forward through the crowd and growled, "I will never accept orders from a woman and especially not from one that parades nearly naked before me. Women are, and always will be, inferior to men. Put on some clothes and bow before Am'lat, your king. Beg him to be merciful."

Sle'tu saw that the man had not disarmed and she further recognized him as Balt'ar's brother and one of the more brutal men she knew. He was one that heaped abuse and insult on women just for his pleasure.

"I'm sorry you feel that way Deal'ar, but that is your choice," Sle'tu said in a calm voice. She drew her pistol from her hip, pointed it at him and squeezed the trigger. Deal'ar crumpled to the ground with a hole burned between his eyes.

"Does anyone else wish to dispute the new ways or my right to lead," Sle'tu addressed the crowd.

She was greeted with total silence.

"Sin'lu, do you have anything to add?" she asked.

"Only that I will take charge of the new guards and show them around. Carry the weapons inside the palace and wait there for me," Sin'lu ordered the new guards.

"You may resume the activities you normally perform for the rest of the day and assemble here at this time after the sleep period for new directives. Dismissed," Sle'tu finished. She waited until the people started disburse and the new guards were inside the palace before leading Am'lat and the rest inside. Two of the women guards took Am'lat to his rooms where he was to remain until called for.