[at the Skyean Royal Platform, Palace Garden]

A peacock wandered up onto the King's rostrum, its shiny blue-green feathers another dash of colour in the King's opulent gardens. The King had just received a handle to the stream he'd been waiting for weeks. It was the footage from his Death Squad 8 extermination mission, but strangely, It was marked as galaxy-wide broadcast from a Churchman, rather than a private message from Vulpini as was protocol. Nevermind, he said to himself, such a small detail is not going to ruin this moment for me, he was confident that this would be the media stream that would define his rule for generations to come. He sat back, propping up cushions so that he could become as comfortable as possible for the forthcoming treat. The King hooked the vision directly to his veetex.

"Children of the Galaxy." Churchman Avan, the Cleric of St Valentines (as she would become known), addressed her congregation from the pulpit of the candle-lit St Valentine's Church. Behind her and offset to the right stood Skyean Admiral, Vulpini beside who stood three members of the death squad, their identity hidden by their deeply hooded heavy black robes.

"This day marks a glorious day, a gift from his heavenly Father to his most devout. A short time ago, our city was attacked by the Kingdom's strongest and most capable force. Seventy Royal Space Raiders, three assault craft and their mechs stormed the city, which is not more than a town really by normal standards, below this small church of St Valentine. Their target, the Death Squad 8 who had only recently and brutally murdered two of our eldest and most wise members: an infirm daughter who took a twelfth gefresh so that she may care for her aged father. A decision she made so that her father would not have to witness the death of his favorite child; we also lost on that day our beloved curate Zackery who had only passed his first gefresh and whose courageous intervention in the Death Squad's business led to a long and devoted life in the service of the Church being cut tragically short. But, I pay witness to you today, that from this tragedy of blood has come a miracle: The Death Squad has turned from their murderous ways and we forgive them!"

Avan raised her voice, made powerful by the acoustics of the old stone church. "It is a miracle! A miracle that the Death Squad has turned from enforcers to protectors. A gift from their wise Dean Eiko, whose true sight has provided a path for his followers to renounce their old ways and reach out to a Church that stands apart from the sins and corruption that plague the heart of the clergy throughout the Kingdom and beyond. Dean Eiko spoke from his heart when he preached to the value of life and love over death and hate. Yes, it was Dean Eiko who, acting with divine authority, struck the directive of terminatio die from the canon of the Church, an act now protected by the terminatio die militem, The Death Squad. A group now compelled to protect life rather than take it." Avan motioned to the black-robed Churchmen figures who, in an act of ceremony,  kneeled and traced holy symbols over their chests.

"But back to the attack! And I can from even here, hear your disbelief as to how the Royal Marines commanded by the infamous Wolverine of the White-fortress, Gulo Gulo could have failed against an unarmed colony."

The footage panned to the front row of the congregation where an expressionless Gulo sat in a proprio suit, their medals pinned somewhat comically to the grey material of the high-tech onesie restraint.

Avan continued as the footage returned to her at the pulpit. "But before I reveal this miracle I will describe the situation that our small planet faced from space. There over our misty planet, a fleet of eighty starwings, eight Shillelaghs and a thousand-year-old Akira, none other than the Kingdom's precious Duilleag, Blade of the Syean Fleet! This most impressive force stood at our doorstep and prepared for attack! 

"And they stood against us, a non-offensive unarmed settlement and subjects of the Kingdom itself! Under attack by the King! How can this be?!

"Under a King who has left us unguarded against the prirates and marauder for over fifty years!

"A people attacked by their own King!!

"And, all the while the Churchmen of Death Squad 8 wait passively in their ships without drawing a single weapon from their mighty dark crystals.

"It was the power of God that protected our lone ship as it strolled weaponless through the mighty fleet to deliver our emissaries to the doorstep of the Duilleag !"

At that, the footage zoomed out to show one of the the three robed Churchmen walk up to the pulpit. Avan introduced the mysterious figure, "To the many corners of the Galaxy, I present the leader of our emissary and the successor of our Dean Eiko" Avan stood aside as the other Churchman took her place, "I give to you, Dean Samantha, Mother of the Reformation!"

Sam raised her hood releasing shiny locks of raven black that fell about her shoulders. Her smile was warm and welcoming  as she declared for the camera, "And our almighty Father gave us the Duilleag, and our all-knowing Father told us that there would be no bloodshed on this day and there was none. Hear now the words of the Admiral herself."

The sound bite from the Admiral's surrender played so that all could witness, "I admiral Vulpini, hereby surrender my ship and her fleet to the Churchmen of the Reformation."

===

The King paused the footage. He was fuming as if a subterranean blaze wsa raging within. He rewound and replayed the audio of the surrender, over and over again as there was no other action that he could fathom in the momemnt. 

After the footage had merged in his brain as a nightmarinsh montage of defeat he stuggled to regain pressence of mind, but finally managed to somewhat logically consider the implication of the words he had just heared. 

He resumed the footage by fast forwarding through the rest of the Churchman's address only stopping to play the footage again when he saw a change of scene--a Churchman wearing a shining orange-metallic robe, their face only partially hooded to reveal a holographic mask that was unfamiliar to him, its smooth surface sparkled around a single dark eye slit. The image was accompanied by the announcement of a new class of Churchman called Knight Protector. The King spat and continued fast forwarding until he viewed the handsome, platinum-haired Admiral speaking, her hand was held up in oath.

"I, Vulpes Lagopus Vulpini, Golden Consul of the Tuath Dé, an Admiral of the Royal Skyean Space Fleet, and Captain of the Duilleag , authorised with the power to act on behalf of His Majesty, the King Violaceae the second of his name, hereby do pledge protection to the Planet Geolan, her people, and to the Church Reformation Movement and its activities as they may relate within this, the Geolan Star System."

Dean Samantha replied solemnly as the footage panned from the Admiral and back to her, zooming in to her beautiful face as a glint of candlelight reflected from the surface of her deep brown eyes, "On behalf of the Church, I accept your oath and hold it to be as law in the Kingdom. Further, I release your surrendered fleet and crew back to his generous Majesty and thank him for his protection, by the light of our Lord."

The King killed the stream, jumped up and screamed an inhuman wail as he ran over to a nearby peacock kicking its body with his full might, sending the hapless bird into a feathered heap, writhing in pain.

The man's rage transformed to defeat as tears began to stream from his eyes and nose. He sat crossed legged beside the dead bird for a long while finally interrupted by a thread request from one of the few people in the Kingdom authorised to contact the monarch directly; the processor announced the request, "Your Majesty, it is the High Cardinal."