The Lost Queen Book 2 - Kehlani

50. Cold Dead Rock

I sit with a brain in an empty office.

"We found a planet with most of the ores we need. However, there is a major black ore area there. Black ore is what powers the hyperspace drives. It is extremely rare."

"How much is there? And are there people on the planet?"

"Enough black ore to run the ships for 100's of 1,000's of years. The planet is void of life. It is too far from the sun. It is a cold rocky planet. However, it does have multiple windstorms on it. These could be damaging to the ships being built there. We would suggest building them underground. We could dig out a large safe area. Tools and materials will be needed though. The black ore can be mined now. It does not need any processing. Other ores on the planet need processing and mining."

"How long?"

"3 months to dig the safe work areas and begin all the mining operations. Processing would begin at the 3-month mark. The processed metal would then be transported to the safe area's to be made into the ships. 1 year from the start date, the first 15 king ships could be completed."

"15?"

"That is the optimal number to create at once. However, an underground greenhouse would also need to be created. Certain plants will be grown and made into fabrics and cushions. An underground lab would be made as well. This would be for other materials and chemicals. An underground weapons area would also be needed for warships, rockets, and missiles. Underground brain maker also suggested. We could make more brains as needed this way, mining is dangerous work. Underground shuttle bay as well. To make additional shuttles."

"How many brains do you suggest I send down now?"

"7,000. 1,000 to dig the underground brain area and begin producing new brains. 6,000 to begin mining the black ore. We would also suggest 2 shuttles for the planet. They would move brains and metals around as needed."

"Do that. You can have 7,000. When we get back to my planet, go get the equipment and materials, seeds, greenhouses, whatever you need for the building area's. We'll drop it off next time we're out."

"Yes ma'am." It hands me a print-out. "This is the location of the planet."

"Thank you."

I get up to the command area and everyone is sitting around. I hand the paper to Alden. "I need to make a stop here, love." He goes over to the captains' chair and does things. Then we take off again.

"Where are we going now?"

"Cold dead rock. The brains pinged it as having an ore I need for the warships. I'm going to let them mine and build the ships on it."

Alden comes back to the table. "38 minutes. Bring dinner."

"Yes sir."

"Is the cold dead rock going to need other things to make the ships?"

"Yes. We'll have to stop back occasionally as they request stuff. But it'll be fine. It should take around a year to get them done."

Elroy looks at Alden. "You should claim the planet for her, especially if it has an ore for the warships on it. They might try to see what you're doing and take it."

"We don't even know if they would accept the idea of claiming planets that can't submit. It's a rock in space."

"It's 3 on earth. Red room them and see if they'll agree to it. They should be in their meeting."

Alden rubs his eyes. "See if they will accept a red room meeting."

"Yes, sir."

"Elroy, you lead this 1. I'm starving."

"You should have eaten on the planet."

"I don't even know what the hell that was. I'm not going to eat it."

"I don't know what it was either, but it was good, and I'm not dead."

Our table and Dipak's table laugh. They appear beside us in the lasers. I sit up and smile. "Put them in color please. We have an idea, but we're hungry, so Elroy's going to explain. I'm sure he'll have help from Victor and Tobias."

Dipak smiles and Elroy starts. "Here's the idea, there are some people that are trying to get planets to submit as fast as they can." They laugh and nod. "Kehlani put in a rule for her people. If the planet doesn't have intelligent life, it can not be ruled. However, planets with no intelligent life can be claimed by us for future use or vacation planets, whatever. Personal use. Would you agree to stay off the planets that are owned for personal use?"

Dipak already has an eyebrow up. "How many planets?"

I shrug my shoulders. "Say like 2 or 3 each? I don't know what people want to do with them. I like the idea of a vacation planet. But I'm trying to claim 1 for mining now. That's why we're seeing if you would agree to it. It has some ore on it, we use. I'll get the ore out and release the planet. It's not a forever thing."

"My planet doesn't have people." Thora is about to cry.

I shake my head. "That would be in effect before the agreement. It wouldn't alter your planet or status."

"Oh ok." She smiles again.

"If a planet is owned by someone else, you agree to stay off it unless you talk to the owner first."

Tre looks at Dipak. "Think war. They would agree to stay off it. It's ours for personal use."

Dipak nods finally. "We would agree to 2 each. How do you want to make them known?"

Alden answers, "Have the brains put a message on it. If any ships come into the area, the message goes over like a transmission. I set 1 already today, but it's for another reason. I should probably tell you that too. I'll send over the location of the planet. It is on a collision course with a meteor bigger than it is. It's going to explode the planet. The people on it submitted to Tobias with assurances he will get them off the planet before it explodes. But the transmission said, you have... Just play it for them."

"Yes sir."

Alden shoves food in his mouth as we watch it play. "Send a message out from the planet similar to that. But say it's for personal use. Leave the area or whatever."

Tre looks at me over his paper. "Are you defending your mining planet, Kehlani?"

"No. Right now, I think it's only us in space. As long as we agree, it'll be fine. But in a couple of hundred years there might be more ships. They might try to steal ore. At that point, if I have a mining planet, I may install some antitheft things. But for now, I think we're fine to agree. If I come across a planet that is claimed by you guys, I won't steal your stuff. I hope you will say the same."

"Of course." Dipak nods.

"For submitted planets we should probably put something on those too."

"They are listed in the brains. If you come up to 1 of our planets they will tell you who the king is."

"That works. Are ours listed like that?"

"Yes ma'am."

"That's perfect then. I think that's all we needed."

"No. Can we make a combined list of planets that are not claimed but could sustain human life?"

I stare at Elek. "Huh?"

"We have years before Tobias's planet gets blown apart. We have time, but the next planet might not. I'm asking for a combined list of planets that could sustain life. Tre can set up some guidelines. He's smart. But fresh water, animals, vegetation, air with oxygen. The list could be used so if 1 of us finds a planet that needs to be evacuated quickly, we have some options on where to take the people."

Tobias nods. "That would be nice. I have no idea what the hell I would have done if they said that meteor is hitting tomorrow. Having a list like that would be useful. We could add to it as we come across them. Try to get it up to 10 or something."

"To have some options," Alden looks at Dipak, "I'm ok with it. It is a good idea and if people need to evacuate quickly to save their lives, it doesn't really matter who found the empty planet. I would only want to get them to safety. The king would be whoever got them to safety. Not who found the empty planet."

"Yes, we agree about that too."

Tre nods. "I'll make the guideline list for what qualifies as an empty planet that can sustain human life. Also, those planets can not be claimed by anyone. They need to be fully empty if they are needed quickly."

"Sounds good. Thank you for the surprise meeting."

"No problem. I'll send Tre's list over when he gets it done."

"Thank you. Have a good day."

"You too." Their table goes away.

"That was productive." Then the ship pulls up to the mining planet. "Yay, we're at my cold dead rock." 3 shuttles leave the ship. I watch 1 of them come back after a while.

So does Alden. This has his interest peaked. "You need to put out a message for your planet, claiming it baby."

"I don't want to." I lay my head down.

"Ok, I will." Everyone laughs. He shakes his head and winks at me. "You have entered restricted airspace. This is the personal planet of High Queen Kehlani. Everything you are doing is being monitored. Please exit the area."

"The message will be sent out from the surface to all approaching ships, sir."

"Thank you. Take us back to our home planet."

"Yes sir. 44 minutes."

Alden leads me to my office.

I sit down at my desk. "I am tired."

"I know baby." He shuts the door. "What is going on though?"

I pick up the confidential papers. "There was more gold on Tobias's planet than on our whole planet. I ordered the brains to mine and process it. It's on a continent without people and will not affect them. It'll take 5 years to get it out."

"Stepping on toes baby, that's his planet."

"It was before they submitted."

"Still woman. You'll have to tell him when he fully submits."

"Fine. 2nd thing is my mining planet. It has black ore on it. We need it to power the hyperspace engines here. There's enough on that planet to power us for 100's of 1,000's of years."

"Wow."

"And the reason I was searching for ore in the first place. Bring up the ship."

"Yes ma'am." The ship appears above the conference table.

"I'm not playing driver to kings all the time. Each king who submits under me will get their own spaceship. I'm still working on them. But they have hyperspace engines, the command area seems to be about the same. 6 command apartments and offices. Food areas. Cooking and growing. Medical area with a doctor's apartment. I think there were 10 or 15 guest apartments. Full weapons systems, including 50 warships. Weapons areas. Large storage area. 3 shuttles each. I don't remember everything. You can check it over. But they will be built on my mining planet. Almost all the ores I need to make them are there already. They're being built underground because of windstorms on the planet. There's also going to be materials rooms, growing rooms, for fabrics and cushions, warship building area, missiles area, brain making area. It's going to take a lot of brains to mine all that out."

"When does the building of the ships start?"

"They projected 3 months. They need time to get the metals started. They are estimated to be done in a year."

"I'll go through it rather quickly and see if anything needs to be added. You did really well. How come you didn't tell everyone? You've been kind of secretive about it."

"The people from earth will tell Dipak everything. They have not submitted to me. Elek never will. I'm assuming Elroy never will. Elek's loyalty does lie with Nadine. That will not change. If I say I'm building more warships, that's what they will hear. I didn't want to say anything about the black ore. And I wasn't sure you'd agree with the king ships. I don't want to get them excited either. If they submit to me, I don't want it to be because they get a spaceship to use."

"You're so smart baby." He wraps his arms around me.

I snuggle in. "And tired."

"Let's go to sleep then. We can sleep on the ship tonight."