I paced in my room, trying to figure out what to do for music. My only options were to find out which instrument caused the problem or see if I could find someone to retrieve the music on my phone. I didn't want to be exposed to those sounds again.

I invited Minsha to go with me to my royal transport. I needed to see where RXAI-199 stashed my phone and my headphones. I wanted a little touch of home. Instead of the dress I usually wear now, I chose green leather-like pants and a leather jacket over a simple white top. Minsha wore her typical dress that was customary for her people to wear. I liked the bandeau top she was wearing. It looked like she was about to go back home to the beach.

We took the secret way for the palace residents to get around without being seen. The dock for my transport was isolated from the other ports so that I could board without anyone watching me. We boarded the ship. "Hello RXAI-199, we are here looking for some of my items from Earth. Where did you put my phone and headphones?"

"Queen Kara, your items are in your sleeping quarters in the cabinet near your bed," RXAI-199 informed me. We both went in and found my items, which was a little. It was just my running outfit and my water bottle. Next to my old clothes was my phone and headphone case. The last remnants of my life on Earth were these few items. It was disheartening to see just how little of my old life I had in my possession. I wondered what happened with all my belongings back on Earth.

I am sure they all think I am dead, and essentially, I am. Even if I made it back to Earth, no one would believe just who I was. I was so concerned about my old life; maybe I missed the sense of familiarity in my life. Everything I do or see here is all new to me, and I have nothing from my home to help comfort me.

I chuckled a little when I thought about how the technology on the ship could help me call home. I know that is impossible. It would be funny if it could. I would be lucky if I could power it up and get access to my saved music just to listen to something that wouldn't kill me.

Minsha put a hand on my shoulder and squeezed it. "What items are you looking at here have brought you such pain?"

I looked at her, "This is a computer and communication device. It holds pictures and other things that we need to function on Earth. Everyone had something similar to this, allowing us to connect with people all over Earth. We could talk and video chat with anyone we knew. It also stored the music I liked on here. I had some five hundred songs saved on here. I hope we can find a way to power this up so I can remember my home. This little box charges pieces into your ears, so one person can only listen to whatever you are listening to." I pulled out the headphones and showed them how they fit in my ear. They were only helpful if I could charge both up.

"How does this work, Kara?" Minsha asked me while looking at the phone, trying to understand how this small brick could do everything I said.

"If we can get power to it, I will show you." I smiled at her as we left my transport. And we headed back up into the palace. The whole way back up to the castle, I kept playing what I remembered as my favorite music. Pop songs always interested me, even though when I was in the sandbox, we mostly had metal playing. I must admit metal music boosted morale while we were on convoys. It also helped deal with some of the memories of killing as well. It was also part of the mask I put on to act manlier around my comrades.

Tray, a fabulous designer and party planner, met me in the entryway. "Queen Kara, just who I needed to see. I am glad you feel better after that incident, but what will we do for music now?" He felt excitable and desperate to figure out what would happen with the ball now.

"Tray, my friend, I have an idea. If I can find a way to power this up, we can use the music from my home as the music for the ball. It will be interesting to see their reactions since they can not understand the singing." I said to him as I showed him my phone.

He looked at my phone curiously, with a confused look. "What is that? I've never seen anything like that."

"Yes, you are right. This device is Earth technology that allows us to communicate around the world. I could use it for video calls. It also takes pictures and records videos, but more importantly, it holds all my favorite music. It will help me feel better to bring my culture to the Caravelle culture." I responded to him.

"Spire, I require information. Where can I take this device to be examined and repaired?" I asked, looking up at the ceiling. I wonder why I looked up. I knew he was not really above me, and there was no need to do it.

"My Queen, the science department is going through the lost records when I was locked away. They may be able to figure out that problem. Shall I call your carriage around to take you to their location?" He responded to me.

"Yes, please," I said in return.

Minsha, eight mechs, and I visited the research building in the Pinari District. Pinari have great scientific minds. Upon entry into the science department, I did not attract any attention in any way. The scientists utterly ignored them as those in the building kept walking and talking about whatever they researched.

I was surprised that no one paid attention to the fact that I was in the building. I had gotten used to prompt service when I entered an area. I looked around and saw an interactive screen sitting on the back wall. Luckily, all the writing was in the common tongue of the Empire. I'd hate to have to find a translator to operate the device.

I navigated through the screens, and it took forever to find one that allowed me to put in an urgent request, only to be told that someone would be with me shortly. If this was anything like Earth, I might be here half the day just waiting.

Luckily, I only waited about an hour before a disgruntled Pinari scientist approached us in a huff. "This better be important as you are taking time from me examining ancient technologies."

Wow, what a selfish ass, I thought to myself. "How would you like to help me with a piece of technology from another galaxy?" Hoping that it is from another galaxy would entice him.

He looked skeptically at me. "How could you come across a piece of technology from another galaxy? We have yet to attempt to travel to another galaxy. Besides, women are not allowed to go on expeditions for scientific exploration."

After hearing that last comment, I tried to calm myself; instead, I would focus on the task at hand. "First, are you interested in helping me? Second, I brought this technology from another galaxy when I traveled here. Third, do you not know I am the Empire's Queen now?"

He just waved away my comments with a flick of his wrist. "Just show me this technology so I can go about my work."

I wanted to yell at him and request another scientist, but again, I held my anger. I knew this change would take time, so I brought out my phone and headphones. I went into explaining the phone and what little I knew about how it worked. Not an engineer, remember? I was infantry. At least I didn't eat crayons. Anyway, I also described my headphones and how they worked. I told him I needed to find a way to charge the batteries or get all the data off it.

He fiddled with my phone a bit, then looked up at me. "What is this symbol here on the back of this?"

"That is the logo of the company that manufactured these devices. Please don't break them; they are all I have left of my home. Oh, and I need this done in seven days." He looked at me with a bit of confusion. What was I thinking, giving him a deadline on working with brand new technology? He finally noticed the mechs behind me. The realization of my identity hit him like a ton of bricks.

"Yes, your Majesty, I will get on this immediately and pull in more scientists to complete it." He quickly backed away and then ran out of the room.

I looked at Minsha, confused by the quick turnaround in his attitude. She looked at me, just as confused by the whole incident. Now, all I had to do was wait.

"This dress is beautiful," I told Minsha as she showed me the dress she was wearing to the ball. It was a beautiful green dress that she said matched my eyes. I couldn't believe how gorgeous she looked in her customary style dress that made my heart beat faster.

We only had a week left until the ball; I hoped to hear good news about my phone today. I needed more time to get the music organized. Ships arrived every day, bringing those who received invites to the ball.

My dress was getting the last adjustments made before it was ready. It took longer for my dress to get done because the tailor-bots needed reprogramming to make dresses instead of just men's attire. The appropriate fabric for my dress had to be designed from scratch. The Church didn't like women; the only designs and fabric they had available were basic slave clothes and itchy fabric. I do hope that no women show up wearing such trashy clothes.

I knew some of the other species treated their women better, but with the Church under the control of the Empire, they didn't permit any public displays. It was a shame that so many women have been treated so poorly for so long. I don't think I will ever get over that.

I was glad the ships arriving were letting my fleet inspect them as a precaution against any possible attacks. I trusted my fleet as it guarded the Spire, but I still worried someone would try to attack the station. I am most worried that they will attack during the ball to cause me to lose support among those attending.

My fleet was not large enough that I could go on the offensive; I needed to make deals during the ball so that I could open more shipyards and get my fleet much-needed support so we could move on more offensively and start traveling to the different systems so that I could try to get help from the people.

After Minsha changed out of her ball dress, I couldn't keep my eyes off her body as she changed in front of me. She knew I was watching, so she took her time putting on her clothes, giving me a view I will never forget. We went to lunch after her show.

"Minsha, how long should a courtship last in your culture?" I asked quizzically.

She looked up and thought about the answer, trying to ensure she had given me the proper information. "There is no real set time for how long a courtship lasts. It depends on when the families work out the marriage agreement. There is also the traditional hunt before the marriage can take place. We would have to go to my home world to do that." She told me honestly. "Why do you ask? Do you want to get married soon?"

"I was just curious about the process; I am not ready for marriage yet. I want to wait till we are not in such a bad position in this war against the Church. In my culture, it can take years for couples to decide to marry. That often has to do with how expensive weddings are in my home. I've never been married or attended weddings, so I am just going off what I heard."

"I have never experienced a wedding, but I hope we can someday." That revelation surprised me. I was not in love with her; I was infatuated but not at the love stage. So, this gave me more to think about.

After lunch, I was informed that the Pinari scientist had finished his work. Minsha and I quickly headed to the science building in the Pinari district. I was looking forward to having access to my phone again. Just so that I can have remembrances of home.

Once we entered the science building, I met with a group of scientists at the entrance. They looked at me with what I guessed was a smile, though I could be wrong. "Your Majesty, this is an amazing technology. It's very primitive by our standards, but we have yet to come across this type of technology like this. We could only get one screen to show up, and we do not know what it says."

I squealed when I got my charged phone back. I quickly put in my passcode and opened it up. The scientist looked amazed at the screen as I flipped through the various apps. I opened my camera, took a selfie with Minsha, and showed it to her. She looked at it with delight. I then took a picture of the scientist and showed it to them. They were excited to see the technology work, even primitive. I thanked them profusely. They handed me the device they used to charge my phone and headphones.

I was so excited that I decided to play a little music. I picked my favorite song; Castle by Hasley. I let it play for all of them as they looked of wonderment. It was their first experience of a civilization from another galaxy. They were delighted to see it work and thanked me for sharing it.

In the carriage back to the palace, I showed Minsha the pictures I had stored on my phone. I had a lot of pictures of my platoon and back when I was in the sandbox. I showed her how I used to look before in the shuttle. She could see the similarities in my face, but other than that, I was completely different. I had to explain to her what we were doing and why we were fighting. She finally understood my big problem with religion.

Once we got to our room, we sat down and discussed which songs we thought would suit the ball. We both had so much fun going through my music playlist. I left out all the metal and heavy songs. So, it only took four hours to go through music to narrow down a playlist I had Spire save to play in the ballroom.

We danced to some of the songs, and she taught me how to dance some of the more traditional dances of the Caravelle Empire. It was such an enjoyable time. My head fit perfectly on her shoulder. I showed her how we dance closely together in a romantic way.

I felt closer to her now that I had shared my life. I had shown her pictures of what I was like before; now, she could understand better what I was saying. She had questions about my military gear. She didn't know why we would fight with such little protection. I tried to get her to realize this was our best.

It's such a stark contrast to what the Caravelle Empire had developed. I had to understand that humans on Earth were mere babies compared to the civilizations here. Life here was completely different than back on Earth; it was much easier to get around the station, even for the general public. I am still waiting to see how everyone lives at the station, but I should inspect all the different districts to see what they are like. After my incident with Minsha, I have been reluctant to go out into the public as much.

I don't want to tuck in the palace, but until I can guarantee my safety, I must go out in full armor or a considerable contingent of guards, which seems ridiculous. So, I keep my movements out of their general areas to avoid interfering with the populace. I am glad the news has finally moved on from my time in the hospital and the critique of Minsha. The talk was about the upcoming ball and their speculations about what would happen during it. I'm sure it would bore them to death to realize it will mostly be me trying to work deals with those in attendance to garner their support.

The day of the ball finally came around. I spent all morning ensuring we completed decorating and everything would be smooth for the event. My cooks were hard at work getting all the dishes prepared to go out onto the table. The woman I had working for me did last-minute cleaning and straightened the decoration. I made sure to thank them for all their hard work, and I want them to start feeling appreciated for their work.

Minsha and I were up in our room, getting ready. I was getting makeup done by Tren while Kal was assisting Minsha. I was glad I had help with makeup because I had spent little time at this station practicing makeup. I knew we would be the last to enter the ball, but I was very anxious.

So far, I am still waiting to hear of any trouble with the guests. I hope it stays that way. I wanted something to go right with an event I planned for the people I ruled over. I wanted them to have a reasonable opinion of me and hopefully thrive under my rule.

We entered the ballroom after we were announced to the guests. Minsha and I walked hand in hand to the head of the room. I was disappointed that only a few spouses showed up with the men. I turned to face the men, "This was supposed to be the chance for you all to bring your spouses out. I remember that this was part of the invitation. So, either we have a lot of bachelors here, or you blatantly disregarded my request. I hope that it is the former and you are still not treating your wives as second-class citizens." I let that sink in with them and gave them an upset look.

"Now, the reason that I all brought you here. I need to build a fleet. I need your support in building the newest generations of ships, both commercial and military. This time, I am not going to take no for an answer. You will either work with me or be blacklisted and prevented from doing business in the Empire in the future. Your lack of respect for my simple request to come here has shown me that it is time for me to start putting pressure on you."

"We have a saying in my world, 'Get with the program or get the hell out of the way.'" I looked around at the people present to see if they understood the request that I had delivered. "You either support me, or I will assume you support the church."

"Those of you who work with me will get access to the best technologies and future designs. You have all seen and probably heard about what the Queen's Rage can do. Imagine creating transport ships that can cross the Empire in half the time. How much would that improve your profits?"

"Now, please enjoy dinner; let us discuss this over dinner." I waved to the tables. I sat with Minsha at the head of the table while the staff served us our dinner.

A middle-aged man came up to my table with his wife. "Queen Kara, I am Braccious Devo, and this is my wife Jemma. I want to discuss my services to the crown. May we join you at your table?"

I didn't know what to expect, but he introduced his wife, a big plus in my book. "Please sit and join us. Please tell me a little about yourself. I would also like your honest opinion of the changes I introduced."

"Thank you, your Majesty." He started as he and his wife sat down. I noted that he paid little attention to his wife. That was not a great sign, but it wasn't surprising considering how the previous regime ruled. "I am the current owner of a ship-building company. It is not very large, but this is an opportunity to grow my business."

"Yes, I believe it will be. Tell me a little about your family first before we talk business."

"Jemma and I have only recently come together. She was part of the deal when I took over the company from her father. I know this is not something you agree with, but this was how things were still done at the time of my company acquisition. This is also why we do not have children. I didn't want to force her into an intimate relationship now." He spoke with sincerity about his relationship with his wife.

"I appreciate your honesty when it comes to your wife. I also commend you for not taking advantage of her. I knew some men within the Empire were honest and didn't take advantage of women. Tell me, Jemma, now that I have made it possible for women to become educated and can work for money. Do you see yourself trying to do something else with your life?"

"Your Majesty, I don't know what I want to do. Truth be told, much has stayed the same in the Empire. They are not offering women the opportunities you promised the Empire." I was not happy with this information, but it was definitely something I needed to know.

"I appreciate you telling me this. I need to go into the systems to put people in charge to enforce my laws. With a more extensive fleet, I can accomplish this." I said to her and then turned Braccious. "Tell me, what problems will you encounter when building ships for me?"

"Manpower and dock space to complete a more significant number of ship builds."

Minsha said, "I believe my father might be able to find you some workers to help build your ships."

"Braccious, how many shipyards do you think you can manage?" I asked with a big smile on my face.

I now examined the room, looking around at the rest of the guests as they discussed hushed different things. "Braccious, I will be able to get you more shipyards. I will be in touch."