Earth. 3rd Planet from the star, Sol, Egypt, Cairo,

Port of Alexandria, The Aircraft Carrier U.S.S. Thurman

Eighteen Earth Years Ago

"Welcome aboard, um, Mother? Is that correct?" asked Captain Tom Lawrence eyeing one very pregnant Elle adorned in her Egyptian attire. "Please keep your head down as you exit the helo!" he shouted in an attempt to be heard over the roar of the Black Hawk's engines, the wind, and other noises on the ship's deck. He extended a nervous hand to help the beautiful but deadly woman onto the massive aircraft carrier. "I have been ordered to personally make sure your stay aboard my vessel is a pleasant one."

"Excellent, Captain," Elle responded. "However, I first require a shower and some alone time with Gary Schmidt to alleviate this body's torturous urges."

The naval officer shot a funny look at the CIA agent.

Gary shrugged his shoulders wearing a perplexed look on his face. "Don't ask me, sir. I was told to do what she asked just like you."

Julius walked by, placing his hands together as if he were praying and looked skyward in gratitude.

The captain raised an eyebrow. "Right...very well, follow me to your quarters."

Julius nodded to an obviously armed sailor holding a hatch door open for them.

"Then we will go meet your Chancellor? The one who rules you?" Elle asked stepping into the ship's interior.

"No, not yet," the captain said, skillfully leading the odd trio further into the aircraft carrier's belly, navigating them through one turn after another and down several flights of stairs. "For that matter, we don't have a singular ruler like your Chancellor, ma'am. We elect our leaders. They don't rule over us, although some of them think they do." The captain stepped back from a narrow doorway, swinging his hand around in front of him, indicating everyone should pass through. "Please watch your heads."

Elle looked at the man curiously as the group stopped in a sparse hallway containing two metallic doors. "That's very strange. How do you get anything done?"

"I sometimes wonder myself, Mother." The captain replied, shaking off the odd sound of the woman's name. "Well, here we are, the Senior Officer's quarters. I ran them out for your visit," the captain said, glaring at the embarrassed CIA agent walking past him into the empty room. "When you are, um, alleviated, have Gary contact me and we will have dinner in the officer's wardroom. Oh, and please, try not to be too loud would you?"

"I cannot guarantee that, Captain Lawrence, however I will try to keep Gary's mouth busy," Elle said, closing the door with a grin.

Julius smiled at the captain. "Don't look at me, I am going to use this opportunity to get some fucking sleep, even if it is only for a couple of hours. Trust me, you don't know what it's like," the German said and closed his door.

"What the fuck is going on around here?" Tom wondered to himself as he marched off toward the bridge.

...

Elle stepped from the small shower, water dripping from her body. She located a towel hanging from a conveniently placed towel rack and began drying herself off. The Arcturan felt someone watching her and noticed Gary the CIA agent was staring at her naked reflection in a mirror.

"Seriously, what am I doing in here, lady?" he asked.

Elle smiled and dropped the towel to the wet tile floor. She slowly walked into the adjacent room and forcefully pushed the man back onto the small bed. "Experiencing something wonderful," she said loosening his pants and lowering herself before him.

He grabbed the Arcturan's head as it went down, his fingers running through the wet strands of her red hair. "Oh boy," he said. It was unlike anything he had ever known. He tensed. "Son of a bitch!" Gary exclaimed as he felt the tremors. He released Elle's head and clutched at the blanket covering the bed.

She slowly stood and loomed over him, "My turn now slave."

"Slave?" He lifted his head from the bed and grinned trying to catch his breath. "Just don't make me call you mother and you can call me anything you want."

"Very well, you can call me Lucenda."

...

Captain Lawrence and the other officers stood as the elegant Arcturan woman strode into the officer's wardroom. This time she was wearing a blue and gray camouflage naval maternity working uniform. She was followed by one slightly rejuvenated German archaeologist and one rather happy CIA operative.

The captain sighed observing the final arrival's goofy expression. "Welcome everyone, please be seated. Mother, you are to sit here at my table with me," the captain said, pulling a chair out.

"Very well," she replied and placed herself in the chair. The officer lightly slid her toward the table.

Gary walked up and grabbed the captain's arm, stopping him before he returned to his seat. He leaned his head in toward the officer. "Has Langley indicated where they want us to go from here?" he asked in a very low voice.

The captain squinted, eyeing Elle as he whispered, "Do you really want to discuss these matters openly, Gary? What if she has superhearing or some such shit?"

The CIA agent replied, "I don't' think she has that or else I would already be dead, but I do have a feeling if this woman wants to know something she is going to find out, that is if she doesn't know it already. I swear she gets info from the fucking universe itself. It's like she knows everything."

The captain drew his head back in confusion. "Then why does she need us?"

"That is what we are still trying to find out. Just keep your guards ready and if needed, flood the decks with that nerve gas if anything happens. Don't even question or think twice. It would be too late if you did," Gary said patting the man on his shoulder. He smiled and returned to his seat, turning his attention to Elle who was busy examining the silverware on the table in front of her.

The Arcturan glanced up at the CIA operative. "It is amazing to me Gary that you holograms have managed to come up with so many things that are almost identical to items on Cenerea."

"Holograms?"

Opening her mouth, Elle began to answer.

"Mother?" Captain Lawrence said loudly, interrupting the reply to Gary's question.

The Arcturan turned her head toward the vessel's commanding officer. "Yes?"

"Why us? Why did you choose to cooperate with us over all of these other nations?"

"Cooperate?" Elle snickered. "Dear captain, it is much too early for it to be said I am cooperating with anyone. At the moment, I am trying to understand why you haven't tried to kill me, yet. All of this, regardless of my obvious power, has been quite easy."

"We don't want to kill you, um, Mother. We want to understand. Where did you come from? Where did we come from?" the captain asked sincerely.

"Ah, I see. So, your government has no desire to learn my secrets and utilize them for your people's benefit, I suppose?" Elle glanced around the room at the various uniformed officers staring at her in silence. "It's purely, scientific in nature?"

Captain Lawrence laughed. "You definitely do not mince your words, do you?"

"No, captain. I have no need. Nevertheless, I do not wish to discuss anything further until I can speak with your president, as you call them."

"Mother, that right there seems to be the problem. We cannot let you near her without first trying to understand your objectives."

"You are led by a woman? Is she a mother, herself?"

"She has a child, yes," the officer replied with a nod.

"That is wonderful," Elle said with a smile. "I must meet her. So, how might I convince you of the purity of my intentions? To show you I do not wish to harm your president or anyone else?"

"Since you won't answer any questions, I have been told that to move things along, safely..."

"Safe for you, no doubt?"

"Yes, safe for everyone on my side of these discussions. We fully understand what you are capable of. Now, the options are either, we do a video conference here on this ship or we can fly you to Guantanamo Bay in Cuba and you can meet with the Secretary of State. Either way, you are not getting any closer than that to the President of the United States," the officer said definitively.

Elle raised an eyebrow at Captain Lawrence. "Ah, I see. You are willing to risk every life on this vessel or the life of everyone at this place you called, Guantanamo Bay? Give me a moment." Elle paused. "I see, Cuba, it is an island nation similar to T'choula and the ruling government is a dictatorship similar to the Homeland."

"T'choula? Homeland? So, there are more gods like you?"

"I will tell you no more, captain. I only will speak with your president."

"I told you..."

Elle angrily stood up. "I will not be spoken to in this way! I demand to speak with your matriarch!"

Chairs squealed and toppled as the armed men and women in the room pulled their weapons in a rumbling, noisy reaction. Several pistols now pointed squarely at Elle's head from various places in the room. The Arcturan clearly understood there would be no way to stop them all. At least one of these projectile weapons would manage to kill her and end the life of her baby in the process. Nevertheless, she kept her rigid expression as she glared around at several of the armed personnel.

Captain Lawrence darted his eyes to Gary who responded with a negative shake of his head.

"Tell them to back down, Tom," he mouthed. The CIA agent exhaled as he watched the captain coolly stand and straighten his white uniform.

The officer rose from his chair and raised his hands in an attempt to calm the room. "Please everyone put your weapons away and take your seats." He watched his subordinates do as commanded and return to their places. "Thank you," he said with a smile and refocusing his gaze on Elle. "Now, Mother, you have to understand our dilemma here..."

Julius sighed, then reluctantly stood as well, injecting himself between the captain and the Arcturan. "Um, unless you want the entire planet to erupt into a full scale war, Mother, I highly suggest you take them up on their offer. As I have said before, these Americans are the people with which you would want to build a relationship, and at this point, they might be the only ones you could. Because, let's face it, all of the other developed nations have already acquired a very bad taste in their mouth regarding your recent activities at the temple and the destruction of their equipment. I imagine if you were to even approach some of them, I could only guess at the lengths they would go to in an attempt to protect themselves from you."

"I see," Elle said, pondering the German's words. She realized the human had just offered her a graceful exit. "My first reactions with you natives may have been a tad bit...harsh."

"You could say that," the naval officer agreed.

Elle nodded. "I was frightened for my baby," she said in faux innocence, looking down and patting on her belly.

"We understand that and this is why the U.S. is still willing to work with you in building a bridge of communication," Captain Lawrence added with a smile.

Elle nodded then sat back down, followed by the captain and the archaeologist. "Very well," she said. "Set up your video conference, as you call it. There will be no one else in the room, just me and her."

"I will see to it," Gary said and darted from the room to make a call from the flight deck.

"Thank you, Mother and you as well, Mr. Mannheim."

Julius nodded.

"Let's eat, then," the captain said, relieved he and his crew were still alive.

...

"Okay, there you are, Lucenda, erm, Mother. All ready to go," Gary said, attaching the microphone to Elle's uniform lapel. He turned, walked over to the video camera, and peered through the eyepiece at the lovely goddess seated on the leather sofa in Captain Lawrence's quarters. He lifted his head to examine her in full view.

"Later," she said.

Gary smiled, ignoring the comment. "Alright, that should do it. You are ready to go, Lucenda."

The Arcturan narrowed her eyes. "Very well, leave me, then," she said, waving her hand dismissively.

"Yes, ma'am," the CIA agent responded.

As the door closed, a large television monitor lit and a static laced image appeared of an attractive woman in her mid-50s. "Mother? Is that the correct term?" she asked Elle.

"Yes it is, President of the United States."

The woman on the screen generated a humorous smile that in any other circumstance might have devolved into laughter. "You may call me Abigail, Abigail Duncan. Is there another name I can call you by?"

"Wait one moment, Abigail; it seems you are not holding to your end of our agreement. I specifically requested a one-on-one meeting. You seem to have an army of people observing this conversation from all over this..erm, world. I hope you know this does not please me in the least," Elle said, anger sweeping over her face.

A sudden rush of personnel exiting a room could be heard over the distant audio as the president pointed for the room to vacate. "Better?"

"No, let me fix this properly," Elle hissed. She lifted her hand and the sound of something soft and heavy hitting the ground transmitted over the audio feed, the video shook violently, and then rested at a slight angle.

The President gasped, somehow she managing to keep her focus on the camera instead of the unmoving body of the cameraman lying on the floor of the Oval Office.

Elle snapped her fingers and every U.S. military facility patched into the video call's satellite went dark. Their electronic conversation was now the most private on the planet.

"There, much better," the Arcturan stated. "Don't you agree, Abigail?"

"Yes."

"Alright, since you have now shown me yours, I will show you mine," Elle grinned a filthy grin. "You may refer to me, only in private, as Lucenda," the redhead said with a slanted nod.

"Did you kill my cameraman?"

"No, he will be fine once this is over. Now, I am sure you have your questions, just as I do. You ask first and I will answer, then I will ask, can we agree on this?" Elle asked.

"Agreed."

"Excellent, you may now ask your first question."

Abigail glanced down at the stack of papers in her hand, then back at the transmitted video of the strikingly beautiful being before her. She sat the papers down on the desk. "I have to know, why were you in that box?"

Elle sighed, wearing a contrived look of sadness. "Love, Abigail. I was imprisoned for love..."