When Maxx arrives at the main office of the Ministers on Fumarole, he sees the Queen Rowen out front of the building among the columns. Her security detail flanks her on both sides and she faces three hulking R model Guardians who stand behind a Minister who looks much smaller next to the tall, lithe Guardians.
“Queen Rowen!” Maxx calls as he pushes past her guards to stand next to her. He is relieved to see her smiling, her hands clasped together in front of her in excitement.
“Maxx!” she says enthusiastically. “Minister Penyu here has made a monumental decision on behalf of all the Ministers. He publicly acknowledges the existence of control mechanisms that were designed to essentially enslave the Guardians of Bludon, and he has disabled those controls.”
The Queen Rowen reaches out a hand to Penyu who is already staring at her with stars in his eyes. He looks happy to be staring at the Queen, like just the vision of her is enough to make the rest of the world disappear. Penyu grabs the Queen’s hand reverentially in his own and kisses it respectfully as he talks.
“The controls are no longer in the best interest of Bludon,” Penyu says as Quy arrives with the other Ministers.
“You disabled the controls?” one of the Ministers with Quy asks with rage.
“Is that even possible?” another of the Ministers asks.
“We must get back to the House of Ministers,” another of them says. “We must speak immediately about the implications of this.”
Quy is speechless standing behind Maxx and the Queen, and when they both turn to look at the concerned Ministers, tears are streaking slowly down her cheeks. The Queen Rowen notices the tears of the Minister.
“Is she ok?” the Queen asks Maxx. “She doesn’t seem as furious as the others with her.”
“She is a former Guardian,” Maxx explains and he puts an arm around her shoulders.
“Penyu, Quy,” one of the Ministers with Quy yells as an aircraft comes to land nearby, “we must go. An urgent congregation of Ministers is starting as we speak.”
When the aircraft, that resembles an Earther helicopter, lands, R model Guardians get out and apprehend Penyu and the three R model Guardians with him; they are all placed in handcuffs and led to the aircraft, followed by the other Ministers.
“You don’t have to go with them,” Maxx tells Quy as she walks toward the aircraft.
“Thank you,” she mouths without a sound as she gets into the aircraft and they fly away.
“What exactly happened here?” Maxx asks.
“I told you I would take care of it,” the Queen Rowen says as her pigmentation moves steadily and displays flowing gradients of light and dark. “As the Queen of Oin, I have the strongest mental ability on the planet, quite possibly in the entire universe. I didn’t make Penyu do anything, but I am very persuasive.”
“Well that was easy,” Maxx says, “but we have to be on alert for a response from the Ministers. If they don’t know about your ability already, they will soon and they will assume the worst. You could become a criminal…”
The Queen Rowen laughs and places a hand on Maxx’s shoulder.
“And what exactly will they do to me? Sic a guardian on me?”
“Not all Guardians want freedom from the House of Ministers. Those R models mostly spend time with Ministers and they will probably continue to work as their weapons even without the controls. We should get you somewhere safe.”
The Queen looks worried for a moment. “Do you think I need more security? I can probably have more here in three days.”
This time Maxx laughs. “You are a friend of the Superguardian. I dare someone to lay hands on you. And so many Guardians will agree with me once they learn what you’ve done, you will have an army of Guardians at your disposal. I think it’s time to have another party.”
The Queen smiles from ear to ear and her security guards are noticeably happy to hear this.
“I insist that you experience the lean this time,” Maxx says. “Even if we are playing Smites, you’re good enough to handle it.”
The Queen just smiles.
***
The Queen Rowen is giddy. She doesn’t react to the lean like blues do. She doesn’t get dreamy and lose control of her limbs. The Queen loses her inhibitions and she just wants to laugh and for everyone around her to have a good time.
Her security detail is similar and many of them have become the life of the party that rages on the island closest to Maxx’s cabin. This is the same island where Dexxx, possessed by the powers of Minyak, regularly visits Maxx. The Queen Rowen had insisted on partying at the island, even after Maxx told her about the visits from Dexxx because there had been a security detail on the island since she landed and they hadn’t had any encounters with a Daemon. Plus she wanted them to enjoy a Maxx the Superguardian party as a reward for their dedicated service.
There is a lot of foliage on the normally quiet island and it is currently packed to the brim with X and Q model Guardians who are largely ecstatic at the news of the destroyed controls; there are also a few R and T models in attendance, but less than the others.
Maxx is with the Queen as she entertains a crowd of intoxicated Guardians and blues who stand around her entranced by stories of Oin and her adventures throughout the universe. He is happy for her; he knows that she wanted to make a good impression on Bludon and he is happy that everyone that matters is now her biggest fan.
Maxx wonders how the Ministers will respond. He wonders if they will try to come for the Queen, but it would only end badly for them if they did.
“You’ve never seen anything like the moon of Endla,” the Queen says, speaking much more loudly than usual to the listening crowd, “mostly because Hysteria can change it on a whim! She can snap anything in and out of reality.”
“No way,” a blu says and takes a long swig from a large bottle of alcohol that Maxx confiscates. He sips from it and the blu smiles proudly.
“Tell them, Maxx,” the Queen Rowen says. “We saw the court where we fought change before our eyes.”
Maxx nods as the Queen continues and then something catches his attention in the darkness, just outside the scope of the light on the section of the party the Queen entertains. He follows it, slipping away from the Queen and her enthralled audience without being noticed, into the trees. Even in the thick of the trees, he can see and hear the party, and there are blues being intimate against trees as he goes deeper. Maxx is sure that Dexxx is beckoning him and he is glad that it seems the strange sight of the darkness, like moving oil that reflects light as it slinks through the trees, is taking him to a place of seclusion.
Eventually Maxx emerges onto the beach and he can see his cabin in the distance, seemingly hovering over the water. The oily, black form gathers before him and the mask of Dexx emerges at the face.
“You did it,” the Dexxx mask says. “you freed the Guardians.”
“Are you proud of me?” Maxx asks.
“I knew that you would. Your timing was good, too. There will be enough time to heal society from the fallout of what’s happened before the Daemon colony arrives.”
“Haven’t they already?” Maxx asks with indignance on his face. “We haven’t just been battling Minyak all these years.”
The Dexxx mask nods in agreement. “It is true, but Bludon has been battling the arcana of the Head. When the Head emerges into this universe, they use their arcana to summon the Daemon, hoping to rid Bludon of its inhabitants. But the colony should succeed where the random attacks have failed. It would if not for the Superguardian.”
“Why did Minyak send you?” Maxx asks.
“To celebrate with you all. The Guardians are one step closer to being the blues that the Daemon will spare upon their arrival. The next step is for you to deliver them all to us, and this party is a fine collection of the best specimens this planet has to offer. You make a good slave, Superguardian.”
PRL Serials 