My first fanfic. Please be kind. I do not own MOTU, its characters or other cool 1980s toys. I also do not own MacGyver.

Things taught in NASA's astronaut training program: Creative problem-solving à la MacGyver. How to increase the probability of surviving a crash landing. Zen-like focus on the task at hand in unbelievably stressful physical conditions.

All of those skills kept me alive when my mission failed 20 years ago.

Things not taught in NASA's astronaut training program: Sorcery. Absolute monarchy and feudalism. Alien sex.

I didn't learn about this stuff at the Air Force Academy, Caltech or the JPL, either. I've had to wing it, because my survival depends on quick thinking - like that time I dropped out of the sky onto an uncharted world. That's what I think about when I wake up every morning beside my delectable husband, the high king of this whole planet. No one here gives a shit about my doctorate in astrometrics or the fact that I earned it when I was 25. But everyone here wants a piece of me. Like the queen in a game of chess, I can move in any direction I please, but there's a risk to every move I make.

Risk, yes, but also love, pleasure, thrills, friendship and all types of passion.

Most of the time, the prudent move is to preserve a demure facade and to observe quietly. That may not seem like much of a "move," but I know from experience that it often is a demonstration of great power.

My twin son and daughter are excellent examples of restrained power. They both have secret identities as the champions of Castle Grayskull with supernatural abilities. They put a lot of energy into maintaining their mild-mannered personae, but the secret is poorly kept. I caught on three years ago, right after my son first assumed his superpowers, and I'm fairly certain that most of our long-serving military officers know as well. Their father the king is kept clueless by a hex cast by my former friend, the Sorceress of Grayskull.

This week I'm putting my skills to work and taking a few calculated risks. I've finished my observations, and I'm ready to unfold my plan to fix all of my family's problems simultaneously. The fate of the planet I now call home hangs in the balance. Wish me luck.

Author's note: Queen Marlena is a fascinating character from MOTU who is passive and relegated to the background in most (but not all!) MOTU stories. She was an astronaut from Earth who was pulled through a wormhole to another galaxy, and she survived a crash landing on an unknown planet. In flashback scenes from the original Filmation series, it was clear that she and the king fell in love at her rescue, and she looks like a very young mother (definitely under the age of 30), and she had earned the Earthly military rank of Captain at the time of her mission. Based on this information, she must have achieved a high level of education and technical experience at a young age before her mission. That is the type of driven, assertive, intelligent personality that makes an interesting story.