The Pearl of Great Price

Lady Elizabeth Victoria Ann Beltane Howard is the eldest daughter of Lord Andrew Charles Howard and Lady Karissa Elizabeth Ann Howard, Duke and Duchess of Norfolk Territory on Star Base 12.

Lady Elizabeth Victoria Ann Beltane Howard is the eldest daughter of Lord Andrew Charles Howard, a direct descendant of Sir John Howard and Lady Joan of Cornwall who is the great-granddaughter of King John of England and Queen Isabella of Angouleme through his grandson, King Edward I and his second wife, Princess Margret of France, daughter of King Phillip of III of France and their son, Prince Thomas of Brotherton and his daughter, Princess Margaret who married John Segrave, 4th Baron Segrave and their daughter Lady Elizabeth de Segrave married Lord John de Mowbray 4th Baron Mowbray and they had Thomas de Mowbray, 1st Duke of Norfolk who married Elizabeth Fitzalan, Duchess of Norfolk who Lady Margaret de Mowbray who married Sir Robert Howard and they had Lord John Howard 1st Howard Duke of Norfolk and it is through his wife, Lady Catharine de Moleyns and their son, Lord Thomas Howard 2nd Duke of Norfolk that Lord Andrew Charles Howard's great-great-great-grandfather, Lord Patrick William Howard comes from.

Lord Patrick William Howard was born in 2125, in Norfolk, England and he was born to Lord Edward Howard and Lady Lady Joan FitzAlan.

Lord Patrick William Howard was the eldest of three children born to Lord Edward Howard and Lady Joan FitzAlan in 2125, followed by Lady Sophia Dorothea Howard in 2130, followed by a younger son, Lord Robert Howard in 2135.

Lord Patrick William Howard in 2147 married Lady Margaret Penelope Devereux in Norfolk, England but even during that time the first signs of World War III merged and they put off having their family.

A monster appears named Lee Kuan and he starts the Eastern Coalition and another monster appears Colonel Phillip Green in 2050.

Like the people in Noah's day. No one believed that a flood was going to happen, but Lord Patrick William Howard heard the news of World War III and when it might happen.

On April 28, 2153, Lord Patrick William Howard gathered those families that would travel with his wife and him on board the USS Excalibur.

Lord Patrick William Howard chose the families according to their ancestry and they were The Beauforts, The Bourbons, The Carey's Collin's, The Cravens, The Devereux, The Grey's The Habsburg, The Howards, The Staffords, The Stuarts, and The Valois.

On April 28, 2153, Lord Patrick William Howard and Lord Walter Devereux took a final trip out to Bosworth field where their noble ancestors died side by side fighting for King Richard III.

They laid a final reef of white roses on the place they died in 1485 and traveled back to the country manors in Norfolk, England.

On April 30, 2153, led by Lord Patrick William Howard. All the families arrived in London at Heathrow International Airport to board the USS Excalibur.

The USS Excalibur would take them to their new home on Star Base 12 that is Star Base of The United Federation of Planets.

One day later, World War III breaks up and this is what happens in a nutshell:

"At precisely 0230.26 hours Eastern Standard Time, on 1 May 2153 (an event later known as the "May Day Horror of '53"), the Eastern Coalition launched a first strike comprised of intercontinental ballistic missiles, bomber attacks, and portable nuclear weapons, against major North American and European cities, combined with a simultaneous Interface viral assault against the New United Nations computer infrastructure.Much to the surprise of the ECON political leadership, the New United Nations immediately retaliates with nuclear launches of their own, as well as bomber and satellite-based attacks against targets in the Middle East and Asia. Many Pacific nations sided with the Eastern Coalition against the United States when fighting finally broke out. Other political groupings, such as the Muslim Bloc, were likewise hit extremely hard during the nuclear exchanges, despite being non-aligned with either side during the war.

The detonation of nuclear weapons over cities (in the multiple-megaton range) such as Washington, D.C., London, Moscow, Berlin, New York City, Boston, Dallas, Mexico City, Rio de Janeiro, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Mecca, Riyadh, Samarkand, Karachi, Singapore, and New Delhi killed nearly half a billion people instantly. Smaller detonations occurred over Hong Kong, Beijing, and Ho Chi Minh City. Un-detonated or failed nuclear devices were discovered in or around targets such as Denver, Paris, Madrid, Rome, and Istanbul. Of the hundreds of ICBMs and bombers launched by the United States and allied forces, only one in five made it into the air, due to EMP weapons and viral attacks against the military computer networks �" of these, only a fraction detonated properly.

Near Richmond, Indiana, several jets dropped bombs. A group of people took shelter in the East Fork Presbyterian Church. As the bombs dropped, the group and the church were saved when the church was transported to Terralysium. The group started the New Eden colony and worshiped the Red Angel who was in actuality a time traveler, Dr. Gabrielle Burnham.

Lord Patrick William tells Captain Riker " That sounds just like what Joseph Smith of those bloody Mormons said that an angel Moroni led to the mountain in upper New York State and led him to the golden tablets."

"Conventional military forces on both sides were quickly moved into offensive position against their respective foes �" on 3 May 2153, the First, Eighth, and Sixteenth Fleets under New United Nations command carry front-line troops into the Bay of Bengal, and the ECON launches a massive invasion of the North American continent, sending troops and military aircraft southward through Canada. Targets in New England (including Massachusetts), Minnesota, the Rocky Mountains, and the Midwest are hit hard by ECON forces, the U.S. military's defenses along the Canadian border failing utterly. The United States Air Force and United States Army both fought back against the invaders, but lost many fighters and ground soldiers to the enemy.

Certain military units were abandoned in enemy territory during the war, including a New United Nations brigade under the command of Colonel Green in Kashmiristan in late May. Finally, the Eastern Coalition's governing palace was destroyed by American forces, killing ECON founder Lee Kuan.

The post-atomic horror that followed severely destabilized global civilization; terrorist organizations and rogue states often detonated small-scale "suitcase nukes," while toxins and biogenic weapons were released. Drug-addled soldiers were often sacrificed in conventional battles on the ground after much of the planetary computer systems failed; numerous small-scale conflicts created chaos throughout the globe as warlords fought over the scraps of civilization. As a result of the ICBM detonations, an enormous dust cloud enveloped the Earth, resulting in several nuclear winters.

Sovereign nations, including the United States, essentially ceased to exist following the war, the country falling into barbarism, carved up into fiefdoms controlled by competing warlords (including Colonel Green's despotic reign over the Pacific Northwest). Without federal resources to fall back upon, most local governments are unable to feed their own people; chaos and anarchy would reign for generations afterward, well into the 22nd century. The President of the United States, President Mendoza, survived the initial days of the war, but finds herself in command of very little afterwards.

The Siege of Las Vegas was a significant battle in the war, with American forces battling ECON troops for control of the city. The forces of the US troops would eventually prove victorious, defeating the ECON troops there.

In the initial nuclear exchange of World War III, Washington D.C. was completely destroyed, along with three surrounding U.S. states. Some major cities, such as Montreal, were actually spared from nuclear hits during the first rounds of ICBM exchanges.

During fighting in Paris during the war, the Eiffel Tower was destroyed. Additional combat took place in San Francisco, resulting in the destruction of the Coit Tower, among many other structures.

The U.S. state of Arkansas would be devastated by nuclear weapons at the start World War III, owing to the many military installations in the region. Even into the 23rd century, some portions of the state would remain uninhabitable.

In 2154, one year following the outbreak of hostilities, Colonel Green surprised the surviving United States government by turning up in Alaska at the head of a massive army composed of both New U.N. and ECON soldiers. President Mendoza ordered Green to stand down, but is refused; Green slaughters his way across the continent, culling the "weak" and "impure" and those afflicted with radiation-sickness from humanity's gene pool, killing millions, until finally meeting his demise in Montana from an orbital strike launched by Flint the Immortal.

Humanity eventually turned over a new leaf when a few courageous people began to realize that they could make a difference. Early in the war, weather-control satellites developed by Flint the Immortal begin modifying Earth's ozone layer in an attempt to regenerate it, along with raising the planetary temperature enough to mitigate the effects of the harsh nuclear winter. This proved successful, ultimately reducing the number of potential casualties from the war.

Adrenaline regimens were discovered to be useful in treating radiation sickness after the war; this would later be supplanted by the even more effective Hyronalin therapies in later decades, after the end of the Atomic Age. The philosophy of Neo-Transcendentalism was founded by Liam Dieghan in response to the war's horrors, seeking to redress the pains of World War III by "returning humanity to a simpler life."

The war culminated circa 2153, when several of Earth's governments met in San Francisco to declare a cease-fire, effectively ending the war In the end, most of the world's major governments collapsed, and over 600 million people had died just from the immediate combat.

Despite the end of actual hostilities, the after-effects of the war referred to as "the post-atomic horror"�"lingered for decades to follow. Rule of law broke down in many places, and legal systems were abolished, with the suggestion to "kill all the lawyers" from Henry VI being taken literally in some places. Asia was particularly devastated.

The year 2173 was considered part of this conflicted era and saw a number of Humans abandon the planet whereupon they settled on the world of Okeanos.

Much of the United States economy was ruined, with the population reduced to standards of living less than that of the victims of the Great Depression a century earlier. So great were the horrors that human genius Zefram Cochrane had himself implanted with a pain-inhibiting chip in order to cope with the world around him. Nonetheless, his Project Phoenix was able to secure backing, and led to first contact only ten years later."

Lord Patrick William Howard and his entourage arrives on Star Base 12 on May 1, 2158 five years after they leave Planet Earth that is destroyed by World War III and the Earth that they knew has passed away.

Lord Patrick William Howard learns that his father, mother, sister, and younger brother were killed instantly when the nuclear bomb hit England and they didn't even know it was coming.

Lord Patrick William with the help of the other men start to build their homes on Star Base 12 and claim the territories on Star Base 12 and Lord Patrick William Howard claims the Northern Territory of Star Base 12, Lord Walter Devereux claims the Eastern Territory of Star Base 12, Lord John Grey claims the Southern Territory of Star Base 12, and Lord Robert Carey claims the Northwest territory, Lord James Stuart claims the Southwestern Territory of Star Base 12, Lord Edmund Beaufort claims the SouthEastern Territory of Star Base 12, and Lord William Stafford claims the Western Territory of Star Base and the remaining families share the Northeastern territory between themselves including the Bourbons, Habsburgs, Collins, Cravens, and Valois.

With the help of Lord Patrick William Howard helps the families start to build their homes and finally in 2173, all the new homes are erected and they can start to build their lives.

The first one to have a child is Lady Margaret Howard and she gives birth to Lord Frederick William Howard in 2165 followed by Lady Elizabeth Ann Howard in 2170 and another son, Lord Edward William Howard in 2175.

Soon other families start to have their families and Lord Edmund Beaufort and his wife, Lady Margaret Beauchamp give birth to Lady Jeannette Virginia Beaufort in 2177, a son is born, Lord Thomas Beaufort in 2182, and a second son, Lord John Beaufort in 2187.

Lord Joshua Collins and Lady Naomi Collins have a son, Lord Desmond Collins in 2180, a daughter, Lady Abigail Collins in 2185, and a second son, Lord Daniel Collins 2190

Lord Joseph Habsburg and his wife, Lady Louisa have a son, Lord Charles Habsburg in 2178, and a daughter, Lady Isabella in 2183.

Lord Robert Carey and his wife, Lady Eleanor Beaufort have a son, Lord William Carey in 2180, and a daughter, Lady Eleanor Carey in 2186.

Lord Patrick William Howard is the premier Duke on Star Base 12 followed by Lord Robert Devereux, Lord John Grey, and Lord Robert Carey and Lord James Stuart.

Lord Patrick William Howard names his territory Norfolk after his beloved Norfolk, England, Lord Devereux names his territory Essex after his beloved Essex, England, Lord John Grey names his territory after his beloved Suffolk, England, Lord Robert Carey names his territory Bedford after his beloved Bedford, England, and Lord James Stuart names his territory Lennox Territory after his beloved Lennox in Scotland in the highlands.

One by one they start to build their lives.

Lord Frederick William Howard marries Lady Jeanette Virginia Beaufort in 2182 and in 2185 she gives birth to Lord Frederick William Howard II, in 2187 she gives birth to a second son, Lord Charles Andrew Howard in 2189, a daughter, Lady Sophia Charlotte in 2200, and a third son, Lord Andrew Charles Howard in 2190.

Lord Charles Andrew Howard marries Lady Alexandra Elizabeth Churchill in 2207 and in 2209 she gives birth to Lord Charles Andrew Howard JR, a second son, Lord Richard Edward Howard in 2112, Lady Sophia Charlotte in 2215 and a third son, Lord Edwin William Howard in 2220.

Lord Charles Andrew Howard JR marries Lady Patricia Stuart in 2228 and in 2230 she gives birth to Lord Charles Andrew Howard III, followed in 2235, to Lady Patricia Charlene Howard, in 2240, Lord Patrick William Howard, in 2245, Lady Charlotte Augusta Howard and finally in 2250, Lord Andrew Charles Howard who is the father of Lady Elizabeth Victoria Ann Beltane Howard, and her mother is the formidable Lady Karissa Elizabeth Ann Howard nee Lowell, who Lord Andrew Charles Howard pursues until he wins her in 2275.

Lady Elizabeth Victoria Ann Beltane Howard is the pearl of a great price to both her grandfather, Lord Charles Andrew Howard JR and her father, Lord Andrew Charles as she is the first Duchess of Norfolk Territory and through her husband, Lord Richard Edward Howard III her second cousin and her and her younger brother, Lord Anthony Christopher Howard and Lady Elizabeth Ann Stuart the Howard dynasty branches out to Star Base 10 and into Lennox Territory.

Author's Note

This is a Star Trek Historical Romance Novel set on Star Base 12. They are a direct descendants of Lord John Howard and Lady Joan of Cornwall whose great-great-great-great-grandson, Lord John Howard become the 1st Howard Duke of Norfolk in 1483.

Reviews

[QueenBee2]

Wonderful chapter and great write.