New Terra: The First Wave (Volume 1 of the New Terra Trilogy)

Chapter I: Queen Radcliffe

Queen Radcliffe took a bite out of the apple in her hand and opened the doors to her balcony. She looked down at her royal garden and smirked.
"Is everything alright, my Queen?" Queen Radcliffe heard. She turned around and nodded.
"Yes, Jane. Thank you for asking, but for the third time: I'm not a child. I don't need you to check up on me hourly."
"My job requires me to, my Queen." Jane joined Queen Radcliffe on the balcony.
Queen Radcliffe took another bite of her apple and threw the rest into the garden below. "Bristinon got a new King today. Am I supposed to meet with him?"
"Yes, that is why I came here. The meeting is scheduled for tonight."
Queen Radcliffe choked on her apple. "The hell do you mean, it's tonight? Why didn't you tell me?"
"Like you said, the new King was announced today. He wishes to meet with you immediately, as Bristinon is our sister planet."
"...Alright." Queen Radcliffe took a deep breath. "What's his name?"
"The Primal Terror."
Queen Radcliffe stared at Jane before bursting out laughing. "What kind of name is the Primal Terror?"
"The Primal Terror derives his name from his previous role. He is the former army general of Bristinon, and you do not want to mess with him."
"I'm sure I'll be alright. Can you call Avi to pick us up and transport us to Bristinon as soon as possible?"
"As you wish." Jane bowed before leaving Queen Radcliffe alone on her balcony.
Queen Radcliffe took one last look around before leaving the balcony herself. She explored throughout the long gold and silver corridors of her castle, greeting every servant who passed by. She was stopped as soon as she reached the castle entrance.
"My Queen!" A voice shouted from across the room. Queen Radcliffe looked over her shoulder, a smile slowly forming on her lips.
"Avi!" She greeted, holding her arms out. "How's my favorite pilot?"
"I'm doing great!" Avi gave Queen Radcliffe a bear hug. "It's been so long! As soon as Jane called me to help you two, I came rushing over here."
"Did she tell you what we're doing?" Queen Radcliffe asked.
"No."
"Well, buddy ol' pal, this is gonna be fun." Queen Radcliffe wrapped her arm around Avi and led him out of the castle. She unraveled Jane's plan to Avi in great detail.
"Last I heard, the Primal Terror doesn't like to compromise. You better watch your mouth around him," Avi suggested.
"I've been ruling for a lot longer than the Primal Terror," Queen Radcliffe reminded Avi. "Don't underestimate me."
"Alright." Avi held his hands up in surrender. "I'll swing the Bird by, and we'll be off."
Jane walked up to the duo and placed her hand on Avi's back. "Before we go, I would like you two to read through this file." Jane held out out a file filled with papers. "This is all the data we have on Bristinon and the Primal Terror. Use it wisely for when we meet with the Primal Terror."
"Alright," Queen Radcliffe said. "Let me pack up my backpack with supplies. We leave in fifteen minutes."
---
"Wake up, beauty queens," Avi called. "We're here."
Queen Radcliffe and Jane got up and looked out of the Bird's windows. "Welcome to the Bristinon Castle," Avi welcomed.
Avi landed the Bird in top of a large black castle. Queen Radcliffe and Jane hopped out of the Bird as Avi cut the engine.
"The entrance is through there," Jane said, pointing to a small hole in the castle ceiling. She lifted the hatch covering the hole and climbed down, with Queen Radcliffe and Avi behind her.
Queen Radcliffe turned around to face the long obsidian hallway leading to the ceiling's entrance. An alien-like figure stood in the hallway, staring directly at Queen Radcliffe.
"Good evening," the creature hissed in a raspy voice, walking towards the group. Its blue skin stretched over its body with every step, as if its skin was too tight. "I am a member of the Brii, the Primal Terror's royal guard. And you must be Honey Radcliffe, of New Terra."
"Yes, I am." Queen Radcliffe bowed awkwardly. "I have a meeting with the Primal Terror."
"Yes. If you will follow me?" The Brii guard led Queen Radcliffe down the obsidian hallway. "Jane, Avi, if you could stay behind?" It asked without looking back.
"...How do you know our names?" Jane asked.
"No matter," The Brii guard quickly assured. "You are not of importance at this time."
The Brii guard continued leading Queen Radcliffe through the dark hallways of the Bristinon Castle. Dim candles casted shadows over the floor. The Brii guard stopped in the middle of a hallway and gestured to a door on its left. "The Primal Terror is waiting for you on the other side of this door," it said. "Long live Honey Radcliffe, of New Terra."
Queen Radcliffe opened the doorway and entered a bright white room. She shielded her eyes from the change in lighting. Queen Radcliffe squinted to see a large figure in the middle of the room.
"Honey Radcliffe," the figure grumbled. "Welcome. I am the Primal Terror."
Queen Radcliffe could finally make out the Primal Terror's features. The massive blue figure slowly walked towards Queen Radcliffe. Spikes burst out and retracted from his back with every step.
"I don't want to hurt you, my Queen, don't worry. I would like to make my presence known, is all."
"Could I ask you something first?" Queen Radcliffe asked.
"Shoot."
"Your entire castle is black. Why have one singular white room?"
The Primal Terror smiled. "I get that question a lot. You see, it's a tradition in Bristinon to have one empty white room in every household. I felt like I should carry on this tradition, though I do not know for sure what the tradition is for. Now, unless you have any more questions, let's talk business."
"What about?" Queen Radcliffe asked.
"As the new King of Bristinon, I alone make decisions for this planet. I would like to cease all trades with New Terra."
"You... You can't do that. We're the biggest trading partners out there for each other."
"I want to show my subjects that we are a strong planet. I wish to do that by placing an embargo on all trades. If that kills the New Terran economy, well... That's just collateral damage."
"Killing our economy would be economic suicide for you as well," Queen Radcliffe countered. "You can't cease all trades without crippling your monarchy and sending your people into anarchy in the process."
"I believe that only your economy will die. You see, the Brii race- my subjects- are tested at birth. They are placed at what job they are best at for the rest of their lives. Because of this, we have some incredibly skilled factory workers. I believe we will do fine."
" Do I not get a say in this?" Queen Radcliffe asked.
"You already have."
"I could declare war on you and your people at any moment. Do you know that?"
The Primal Terror chuckled. "Bristinon has one the best armies in history."
"Do you know how many nuclear bombs we have?"
"Are you truly declaring war the day I am sworn in as King?"
"Only if you place the damn embargo. Just listen... Boom... Boom... Boom... Shock and awe, baby."
Queen Radcliffe got up close to the Primal Terror. "A little history lesson: back when Bristinon was first colonized, it was called Mars. The people of New Terra, back when it was called Earth, mutated due to the environment once they got to Mars. That's how the Brii were formed. And yet, Earth and Mars worked together for centuries despite their differences in looks and beliefs. Do you really want to change all of that?"
"I believe your planet will be informed tonight of my decision."
Queen Radcliffe angrily sighed and made her way to the door. "And my Queen?" The Primal Terror asked. Queen Radcliffe turned around to face him.
"I thank you for your time." The Primal Terror bowed. Queen Radcliffe hesitantly bowed before leaving the Primal Terror alone in his white room.
---
Avi flew Queen Radcliffe and Jane back to New Terra. "Avi, I want you to land over in Shanghai. There are three people I need to speak with."
"Roger that." Avi redirected his course. "Who are the people we're meeting with? Because last meeting didn't go so well."
"A childhood friend of mine, named Mai. We're meeting her and her two androids."
"She has two androids?" Jane asked. "Androids are very expensive, right?"
"They are, but Mai needs them. She runs the biggest gun store on New Terra."
"Landing time is in an hour, ladies," Avi called. "If you want to take a nap, or... Something else... Be my guest."
Queen Radcliffe sprawled out and stared up at the ceiling before drifting off to sleep.
---
Queen Radcliffe led Avi and Jane through the busy Shanghai streets. "Shanghai has a festival every year around this time," She shouted over the noise. "Stay close to me."
Queen Radcliffe shook hands with people who recognized her while squeezing through the crowd. Avi and Jane kept up with her until Queen Radcliffe stopped at a large white building.
"Here we are," Queen Radcliffe said.
"Why are we here?" Jane asked.
"I need my friend Mai to supply the New Terran army if a war breaks out."
"What if she doesn't have enough weapons?" Avi asked.
"She will." Queen Radcliffe turned to face Avi and Jane. "And now, lady and gentleman, I welcome you to Mai's gun shop of badassitude."
Queen Radcliffe opened the doors to Mai's shop.