"You can anchor your position with another empire, bring us a bigger hold on the galaxy. The more systems we can control, the more power we have."
"For what? So you can take over the Galactic Alliance?"
"If the opportunity presents itself."
She blinked. She knew her father had large ambitions, but had no idea they were so intense. He wanted to control the entire galaxy?
"And if it doesn't?"
"Then I leave the galaxy to your sister. Or her children. Because I won't be dying until she is well established. I can skip right over both of you and give my power to anyone I choose."
And there it was. His only true love.
Power.
Position.
"So I am nothing, then."
"You are what I need you to be, to solidify more positions in the galaxy. And if I am going to gift you to someone, then I will."
She gritted her teeth. "You cannot do this. And now, I'm no use to you."
"We shall see."
He made a motion with his hand.
Out from behind his throne came a doctor.
"Doctor is it possible?" he asked.
The doctor looked at Eleanor. "It depends on the state of her, but yes. We should be able to restore her virginal status and heal that ripped tissue. It is not a difficult procedure.
She stared at her father. "This is a joke. This is a test of some kind."
"Take her, doctor."
"No! What is the matter with you?"
"I am doing what I need to. You will understand your place."
"No!" she screamed as the guards came back. They grabbed her arms and restrained her.
The doctor came over, and the last thing she saw was the doctor with an injection needle.
Then everything was black.
* * *
Eleanor opened her eyes,and the bright white lights hit her first. Along with the smell of hospital sterilization. Tears welled up in her eyes when she realized that she ached, especially down in her abdomen.
On top of the ache, her stomach churned. That monster had done it. He'd had the horrific idea to "repair" her. That beast. That horrible beast.
It ran back and forth in her mind, but it didn't feel real. She didn't want to believe her father would do such a thing. How could he do that to her? How could he decide to sell her, in essence, to secure some trade with another region so they would merge with the Terran Empire?
What kind of monster would do that?
She started to move around in the bed.
