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Torin sighed, looking like he wished Kai had kept his e the fact that Queen Levana is in the difficult position of needing to marry and produce an heir ill continue the bloodline I do not think she will agree toas she requires a suitable ement"

"And there is no hope," said the African prime minister, "that the Lunars will ever accept Princess Winter as a queen?"

"Only if you can convince theive up their superstitions," said Torin, "and we all kno deeply those are in-grained in their culture Otherwise they will always insist on an heir of the royal bloodline"

"And what if Levana never has an heir? What will they do then?"

Kai slid his gaze to his adviser and raised an eyebrow

"I’m not sure," Torin answered "I’m sure the royal faer to stake their claim to the throne"

"So if Levana must marry," said the South American representative, "and she will marry only a Commonwealth emperor, and the Commonwealth emperor refuses to marry her, what then? We are at a stalemate"

"Perhaps," said Governor-General Williaood on her threats"

Torin shook his head "If her desire were to start a war, she’s had plenty of opportunities"

"It seeeneral, "that her desire is to be empress But we don’t knohat she has planned if you won’t--"

"Actually, we do have an idea," said President Vargas, his voice heavy "I’er need to speculate if Levana intends to start a war against Earth Our sources lead me to believe that war is not only likely but ih the rooas, "Levana is planning to ainst Earth within the next sixwith the collar of his shirt "What theories?"

"It seeh the room

"Certainly the moon has had an army for some time," said Prime Minister Bromstad "It is hardly news, nor is it controversial We cannot request that they forgo the keeping of an arht like to"

"This is not the es," said President Vargas, "nor is it like any arraphs that our orbiting operatives were able to obtain"

The president’s ie faded and was replaced with a fuzzy picture, as if taken froht Nevertheless, in the grainy picture, Kai couldHe squinted, and another picture flickered onto the screen, closer up, showing the backs of four of the men from up above, but, Kai noticed with a shock, these were not men Their shoulders were too wide, too hunched Their barely discernible profiles too stretched Their backs were covered in what appeared to be fur

Another picture came on the screen It showed a half dozen of the creatures from the front, their faces a cross between man and beast Their noses and jaws protruded aardly frorimaces White spots erupted from their mouths--Kai could not see theave his

"What are these creatures?" asked Queen Caas "We believe they are genetically engineered Lunars This is a project that we assu on for many decades We have esti alone, but we suspect there are more, likely in the network of lava tubes beneath the moon’s surface There could be thousands--tens of thousands for all we know"

"And do they possess ic?" It was a hesitant question posed by the Canadian province rep

The picture disappeared, showing the Aain "We do not know We have not been able to see the other than stand in formation and march in and out of the caverns"

"They are Lunar," said Queen Caic"

"We have no proof that they kill their ungifted infants," interrupted Torin "And as exciting as it is to look at these pictures and create wild speculations, we must keep in mind that Queen Levana has not yet attacked Earth, and we have no evidence that these creatures are intended for such an attack"

"What else could they be intended for?" said Governor-General Willia anyone to deny the possibility The governor-general sniffed but said nothing "We should, of course, be prepared should a war come to pass But in thean alliance with Luna, not alienating it with paranoia and distrust"

"No," said Kai, propping his chin on his fist "I think this is the perfect tihness"

"It seems you’ve all missed the very obvious point of those pictures"