"Indeed you didn't. Good thing to."

He smiled at her then walked over and gently wrapped her up in a big hug. His daughter was his life now. There was no more Katie, no more Andreas. Just Amarie. Andreas had disappeared ages ago before he had been captured and Kamon could not find him no matter how hard he tried. It had put him into a bit of a depression phase as it came down to how he acted. After it was all over, he had all but lost hope that he would ever see his son again.

"Listen, you and I need to talk with the Admiral. I have some vry important things I need to say."

She was about to ask what he meant when he said it was a good thing that she didnt' say that she was a good jedi when he crossed the distance between them, wrapping his arms around her in a hug.

Though, when he said that he had some things he wanted to talk to both her and their admiral about, Amarie frowned, her earlier question quickly forgotten.

"Why do I have the feeling that I won't like this?" she asked instead.

"You have a tendency to not like a lot of things. Probably got that from both me and your mother. Both of us are stubborn, and both of us don't like a lot of things."

Motioning for her to fall in step with him and Kenshin, they sarted off yet again for the Dragon Den. He had the simple purpose of handing over power to the other two, but Amarie didn't know that. Kenshin was there only as a friend and compatriot. Someone who would support him in his decision to hand over power to his daughter and the Admiral. Kamon wasn't sure that Kenshin realy thought it was a good idea, but Kamon knew where he stood on this and intended to stay there.

"This is going to be a very big thing, Amarie. I hope you're ready for it."

They approached the command center and stopped at the two guards before the doors. Both of them stood their ground until Kamon told them who they were and they showed their credentials. Then both of them stepped aside and let the other three step through. The command center was buzzing with activity and it didn't stop with Kamon stepping into the room. He'd made sure they never stopped for him. Glancing around, he noticed the Admiral wasn't there.

"Lieutenant Ford."

"Yes, sir?"

"Page the Admiral and tell him I'd like to see him in the command center."

"Yes, sir."

He turned to the other two.

"Now we wait."

A small amount of time had pass since the Admiral had left his command post and went to eat his meal. Cynic Pariah now finished off his meal and a glass of water before looking calmly up at his desk comlink which was now flashing. He reached over to it and pressed a button on it.

"Admiral, Kamon Vondiranach requests your presence in the command center," an officers voice said.

"Very well, tell him I'll be on my way," Cynic replied and closed the channel.

Cynic calmly stood up from his desk and discarded the meal pack that he had just eaten from into a small trash receptical on the side of his desk. He then straightened his uniform and left his office. Cynic traveled along the winding corridors again back towards the command center. He entere with no flourish whatsoever and approached Kamon and gave a curt and simple salute.

"You wished to speak with me?" Cynic asked curiously as he regarded Kamon Vondiranach and his two companions.

Kamon nodded.

"More like with you and my daughter to be exact. Kenshin here will be the witness to the matters of which I intend to attend."

Already it was sounding as if he were giving a political speech despite the fact that he wasn't. The matter he was speaking of, though only he and Kenshin knew it, was of very great significance. It would spell a new era for these people of the old Republic. New beginnings mean new possibilities and there were definately many of those. Their name for instance. In all actuality, they were not a confederacy and never would be. It was just there to throw off any enemies when their presence came out in the media.

"Basically it goes as such: Due to my recent escape from a highly guarded facility, I have become even more of a fugitive. Bounties have been placed on my head, dead or alive. This presents a problem. To solve this problem, I am resigning as President of the Confederacy."

All work in the room stopped at this, but Kamon pressed on.

"In effect immediately, Admiral Cynic Pariah has become active leader of the militaristic forces at our disposal. Also effective immediately, Princess Amarie Vondiranach will take over as the figurehead of our people. I am demoting myself down to Colonel so I can command Special Ops. To remedy the afore mentioned problem, most of my time will be spent away from the Alatar sector. That is all I have to say."

All Amarie could do was simply wait for their admiral to appear, the mintues that passed feeling like hours to one nearly-there teenager.

A part of her wished that the man would simply hurry up, so that she could hear what her father had to say...

The other part dreaded it, wishing that either the admiral would never arrive, or her father would change his mind on whatever course he was about to set.

Of course, that was wishful thinking, childish series of ideas that would very quickly become the last things of youth that would be vaporized at point-blank range, watching as the admiral finally arrived.

Please oh please change your mind father...please?

The first words from her father's mouth were definately not promising, with Amarie hanging her head the moment he said he was resigning as president of their confederacy.

Please don't say it....

The next words were, to her, the very worst. She knew she was the heir of something bigger than everybody around them, and the only thing that kept her going while she handled things before was that her father would take back his position, and she would return to being the little girl she once was.

The moment she was dreading had finally arrived, and as her head swam and her limbs reflecting what was going on within, the ground rushed up to meet her as she simply slid to the floor, her grey-blue eyes mercifully seeing nothing but black.

Kenshin stood beside the Prince and half listened to Kamon's little speech with a stoic facade, the kind that any good Jedi practiced to near perfection. But it was only that, a facade, and on the inside his head was swimming despite the fact that he seemed serene.

There was, and wouldn't be, any favorable reaction to Kamon's plan. This he knew. But he sure didn't expect Amarie to faint. Break down a bit perhaps, but not black out. As she crumbled to the floor, the Cortogen Captain stepped up from behind the Prince and slid an arm under the Princess before her head touched the ground.

Lifting her up into his arms, Kenshin waited for Kamon to finish talking to the Admiral. He could only wonder what was going to happen after Kamon left. Would it truely protect Alatar or would it just weaken the already fledgling sector more? It was true that those who were after the Prince may pose less of a threat, but a people without strong leadership weren't going to go anywhere soon.

Poor Amarie. Kenshin thought as he gazed down at the wrought face that rested against his shoulder. She wouldn't be able to go back being the innocent little kid she wanted. The simplicity she craved would not be in her grasp for a long while now. Perhaps never.

Cynic stood there more or less surprised by the announcement. He had originally joined the Confederacy because he had lived within the confines of the Tholatin Republic before the Black Dragon Empire had moved in on the smaller government and made easy work of its forces, taking Tholatin itself. It saddened Cynic to see it in their clutches because he found it to be a beautiful world. Now it was merely an extension of the vile Black Dragon Empire.

"I really cannot think of what to say about this, except that I will do my best to lead what military forces we have in our struggle. You can count on me to do my duty," Cynic said in calm, yet concerned voice.

Everything was falling on his shoulders now in the military department. He would be reponsible for the lives of every last member of the White Dragon Confederacy. Cynic wasn't sure really what to do now except continue construction operations as well as planning some other operstions.

Kamon gently took his daughter from his friends arms and paused for a moment to think. It hadn't been his goal to dump a huge amount of responsibility onto her shoulders, but the time for being a child was over and it was time for her to take on some responsibility. Things were happening in this galaxy that had to be countered. The only way to do that was by not endangering his friends and family with his parents. It was essential that he get away before the Black Dragon Empire found them and crushed them again.

"I did not mean to dump a huge amount of responsibility on either of you. I thought perhaps dividing the responsibility would make it easier on the both of you. Cynic you have the power to assist Amarie in anything, but let her try to work things out first. It's the only way she can learn how to truly lead."

His daughter shifted in his arms slowly and Kamon watched as she began to wake up from her bout of unconsciousness. She had a long couple of years ahead of her and Kamon wanted to teach her anything and everything he knew before he left. It meant spending a lot of time with her, and that was something he hadn't done in quite some time. Now would be a nice change of pace.

Her father's familiar warm presence seemed to surround her, giving Amarie the impression that the former Tholatin prince did not wish to thrust this at her, but circumstances pushed him into that particular position.

It was nice to feel his arms wrapped around her like a blanket, making her snuggle further into them, wanting the selfish feeling of being a little girl again take over for a small while. It was a tiny compfort, a tiny vacation for her mind, yet the feeling began to elude her as her eyes slowly opened, burrying her head into his shoulder like she used to as a kid.

"Do you have to go now?" she asked, her question muffled by her face burried into his shoulder.