Like almost all NHA starship's, the TSB Ero'Cia was of a cuboid shape, or three-dimensional rectangle, with the top of the front slightly recessed. The tilitium, programmable matter hull was colored white, with two blue strips running down each side. The TSB crest, a giant representation of Earth with the letters TSB in its center, covered each side. Four groupings of tightly packed thruster tubes exited the rear of the starship, the main means of propulsion, while variable maneuvering thruster tubes ran down each edge, used for steering the starship.
The TSB Ero'Cia, like all cruisers, had a modest armament of long-range Laser Particle Arrays, or LPAs, with a class A plasma cannon mounted on the nose. The LPAs were quite obvious by the focal apparatus that was made of many overlapping oval plates of differing sizes, with a funnel like protrusion in the center that sat upon an oval base platform, used to extend the weapon beyond the energy shield system, or ESS. There were three different models of the LPA present, large, medium, and small, or point as it was more commonly referred.
The primary weapon, the plasma cannon, protruded from the angled nose of the cruiser and was quite obvious with its circle of arrow-like plasma feeders with a vortex cone in the center.
Scattered over the entire hull, glittering amongst the much larger LPAs, were ESS spikes, responsible for creating the energy shield system that super-compressed electrons against the hull. This provided protection against direct energy and kinetic weapon systems, able to “bend” the energy away from the hull while dispersing any kinetic force from mass, particle, or plasma based weapons. Finally, almost completely hidden from view, were the sensor, electronic warfare, and communication spikes.
The plasma cannon, LPA and ESS technology were rather new in NHA terms, having only been implemented into the standard starship design within the last 400 years. Before that, starships were armed solely with fusion cannons, which had taken the place of kinetic torpedoes prior the NHA’s creation. Fusion Cannons were extremely powerful at close range, but would disperse quickly beyond 100,000 kilometers. This shortcoming became obvious during the last battles with the ASU, when the massive NHA fleets were devastated at range by enemy LPAs and plasma cannons. Luckily, the NHA was able to capture an ASU starship intact and reverse engineer the shield and weapon technology, and integrate an “improved” version into the NHA starship designs.
Daniel rushed down the docking platform, past the gangways that led to the entrances used by general crewman, and made his way to the officer’s entrance near the bow. Standing in wait, with her hands crossed behind her back, staring intently at Daniel as he approached, was the towering TSB Ero’Cia Captain, Captain Aysi. Her cropped, jet black hair matched her complexion perfectly, and stood in perfect contrast to her blue and white combat uniform. As expected, his heart raced as he approached, few other women, even noble perfect women, could match her beauty and magnificence.
Only if she could do something about that personality, Daniel thought as he came to a stop, saluting crisply, which she returned with a wide, toothy smile.
“It's good to have you onboard, Lieutenant Daniel,” she look him up and down, like a lioness studying her prey, “I'd like to discuss with you your part in the latest after action review council. So be prepared to provide me a full brief as soon as we are underway,” she nodded, and started to turn to her Executive Officer, or XO, Commander Geoff, who was in the process of cursing at a terrified supply officer.
“Lieutenant Taku,” Aysi turned back before Daniel could make his escape, “was involved in an accident shortly before the shuttles launched. He will recover, but will require an extended stay in the medical bay, longer then we can wait. So I’ve decided to have you fill in as primary tactical officer on the bridge,” Somehow he was able to keep his shock from showing. He was positive that Captain Aysi hated him, after the fiasco with the Ero’Cia’s pervious helm officer, and her emotional breakdown during an exercise a year earlier after catching Daniel with another woman. But maybe she’d forgiven him, since this was a pretty big promotion from his previous post as secondary tactical officer on the combat systems station, CSS for short.
“Thank you, Captain. I will do my best!” He saluted and started jogging up the gangway to the starship.
“You better! I'll be having you running constant simulations during this entire exercise!” Daniel stumbled, his eyes catching the kilometer drop over the gangways railing, vanishing into the darkness below.
She’s positive this is a drill, he mused, which is why she didn't mind providing him the temporary promotion. Now, he just had to make her regret not promoting him sooner.
*********
The menacing thorns adorning the artificial rose vines that wrapped around Sasha’s command chair, bit deep into her skin, calling forth a trickle of blood to run down her finger and drip to deck below. Though she hardly noticed the pain, or the servant who scurried to her side to place a bandage on her trembling hand. Her mind was lost in disbelief, unable to fully fathom the insane logic of the message she just received, and the ruling noble who had sent it.
Duke Zehman Hulk’Zif, or as Sasha had begun referring to him: that traditionalist bastard, had finally responded to her findings in regards to the fabrication of facts by Sir Simwa. His curt reply stated that he disagreed with Sasha’s interpretation, thinking she had fallen for the TSB’s propaganda and would not oblige her request to abandon his siege of the Earth star system, unless he received a direct order from his liege, King Johan, Sasha’s father. He then, quite clearly, reminded her of the fact that she still wasn't “officially” sworn in as Grand Duchess of Alutia, and held no rights to demand anything from him.
So now I suddenly have no authority, she wanted to scream, but held her tongue, noticing the young servant at her side dressing her wound.
A squawk echoed across the fleet command deck as Terra, the name she'd provided her catillian, turned from where he perched on the railing overlooking the bridge, seeming to share her anger.
After the six days of craziness that Tiana had playfully named, Sasha's coming out party, she’d felt utterly exhausted. So after the decision was made about the Star of Terra, and she finished composing all her messages, it was straight to bed, sleeping for 12 straight hours. She'd been furious when no one woke her, at the apparent order of Tiana, even though Sasha realized she was in dire need of a good night's rest. Plus, it provided ample time for the messages to make their journeys. In the end, she thought of thanking Tiana, but quickly discarded that idea, knowing her young friend would just add it to her growing list of favors.
She felt a smile force its way to her lips at the thought of her devious lady-in-waiting, but it quickly vanished when she recalled that the most important reply, that from her father, had yet to be received. She was about to check again, prepared to give in and compose another message, when her CID beeped and a bronze sphere appeared off to the side.
“A message has arrived from King Johan Vn'Oco, Grand Duchess Sasha Alutia,” the Program’s monotone words called her free of her thoughts.
“Why are you notifying me of new messages?” Sasha asked with genuine curiosity.
“I have completed full integration into the NHA Shuttle ABF Princess One and have found many basic functions required for a ruling noble, lacking. Notification of high priority messages is paramount, so I have amended the duty to my protocols.” Sasha nodded, unable to find anything wrong with the Program’s logic. Though she couldn’t help wonder about what else the Program had found “lacking” onboard the starship, but held the question on her tongue; there are more important matters to attend too. She quickly linked into her personal BAP and queued her father's letter.
“My Dearest Sasha, I am very proud of the woman you have become, as evident in your message to me. In such a short time you seem to have grasped the realities of the universe and haven proven to me that I made the correct choice to present you with this great burden.
“The vagueness of reasons for the rewarding of the Star o
f Terra does worry me, however, I will trust in your judgment, and hope that the Programs will allow you to provide the entire story once you’re officially elevated to grand duchess.
“Your report on Duke Zehman is not unexpected. Word of his deeds have reached my ears, and his actions to invade the sovereignty of the Alutia Duchy, which is currently under my jurisdiction, will not be tolerated. I am, however, unable to become directly involved in this matter due to various reasons that you will come to understand in time, though know it is not my wish, but that of another, the only man who can command me.
“Your official transfer ceremony shall await your arrival, but know that all your action's carry the full weight of your duchy and our galaxy. Please stay safe, my daughter, and know that your mother and I love you, and wish you luck in this most pressing hour. Your loving parents, King Johan Vn'Oco and Queen Vahna Vn'Oco.” Sasha let the weight of the words sink in. Even if she wrote another message, asking her father to command Duke Zehman to recall his fleets, it would be in vain, the man he referred obviously being NHA Emperor Yuloo.
But what does the emperor have to do with this? She wondered, queuing the message again to verify nothing had been missed. Finding no other hints within, she closed the message, cringing as the number other messages she received kept growing. Though one of the messages received, a moment after her father’s, was from her eldest brother, the Crown Prince Kohan, which she quickly queued.
“My Dearest Sister, I hope you are well. You are now a player in this perilous game of nobles and I hope you are ready, for it is full of deceit and hardship. My advice to you is twofold: use the Star of Terra, there is more to the reward then just a name, and find another, for you will not be able to survive the coming time alone.
“A gift I may bestow upon you with Father’s blessing, and I have chosen one that may help you in your greatest need. Wait for it at your rendezvous, at the Don'Alutia SJS gate hub.
“Sister, I, like Father, cannot help you directly, but hope for your and Alutia’s great success. Remember my words...the Star of Terra may be your greatest boon. With love, Crown Prince Kohan Vn'Oco.” Her heart fluttered and her skin flushed as the thought of the Star of Terra made Trent's face appear within her mind, seeming to enter through her BC node. But the flutter turned into an ache as her mind morphed the image, to his injured, motionless form, lying helpless on the ground with Sir Simwa laughing manically in the background.
He’s definitely alive, she reminded herself, before reaffirming her promise that she would personally reward him the Star of Terra when the current matters were resolved. Except, she couldn’t understand what her brother meant by; the Star of Terra may be your greatest boon.
“Program, could you provide me with a full explanation of the Star of Terra? Including what additional rewards it entails,” she questioned, knowing that the King's Boon provided the honor to choose ones duty, but that's all she could recall.
“Of course, Grand Duchess Sasha Alutia. The Star of Terra is a commendation created during the founding of the TSB by the NHA Emperor Noolis to commend duty above and beyond all expectations. Along with the physical Star of Terra galaxy ring, the awardee is allowed to wear the Star of Terra medal on all uniforms, is immediately raised to the court rank of duke or duchess, is awarded the Eye of the Emperor, receives the right to choose duty assignments, and is provided command of a starship of battleship class or smaller,” the Program responded almost immediately, as if expecting the question.
“What is this, Eye of the Emperor? I have never heard of it before. Could you provide me with additional details?”
“Information on the Eye of the Emperor is restricted.” the Program responded.
“Why is it restricted? Shouldn't the person responsible for awarding it know what it is?” Sasha asked, beyond baffled by the Program’s response.
“The restrictions placed on this particular portion of the reward are meant to deter the excessive awarding of the Star of Terra commendation.” Sasha cleared her throat, realizing that in a way, that was exactly what she’d just done; awarding the Star of Terra for reasons not solely of its original purpose. “However, the recommendation for the Star of Terra would never be allowed by the Programs if the individual that received said award would use it for means unbecoming.” Vin seemed to have read her mind and responded to her concerns without her having to voice them.
Satisfied, she began to caress Terra, her catillian, who had moved to her lap from the railing as she thought about what she'd just heard and the cryptic message she had received from her brother.
How could the Star of Terra help her with the coming trials? She wondered if she was missing something, but quickly realized it was entirely possible her brother didn’t know she couldn’t actually present the award to Trent, since Duke Zehman's fleet now sat between her and Earth. So there was little hope he could be of any help in the short term.
She sighed, rubbing her temples to help subdue a growing ache, and looked to the projection of the bronze fluidic sphere floating adjacent the CID. A curiosity that always lay just beneath the surface, to find out exactly what the Program was, pushed its way into her deadlocked mind. It wouldn't hurt to ask, would it? Suppressing the idea, she instead thought about what she already knew.
Common knowledge stated Programs were a type of artificial intelligence created around 85,000 years ago, prior to the unification wars. Most believed they were the eyes and ears of the emperor, reporting back everything that happened in the multitude of galaxies that the NHA controlled, while delivering his will. This theory was sound, since Programs were generally only located at important locations, and had final and absolute authority on any decision of great importance by the ruling nobility. In general, however, they would not interfere in internal noble conflict, like what was happening now with Duke Zehman breaking the sanctity of the special protectorate of Earth. But in other matters, the Programs approval was required, such as when someone was raised to noble status or the awarding of a prestigious commendation, like the Star of Terra.
“Program,” Sasha started, having decided to get one thing out of the way that always bothered her, “since you will be involved in many aspects of my life, I think it would be prudent for you to have a name,” The fluidic sphere rippled and rapidly shifted its coloring before it responded.
“Regulations state that all Programs shall be referred to as one...in this case, due to the nature of this Programs assignment, this regulation will be overruled. This Program has decided that Vin would be appropriate.” Sasha thought she caught a tinge of happiness within the monotone words.
“Good, make sure to inform the rest of the crew whe -.” She froze when an audible gasp rose from the bridge below. Sasha, realizing her error too late, could picture tiny spheres appearing on the corner of each bridge station. She rushed to the railing, Terra whooping from her shoulder in apparent laughter, and found that her assertion was indeed, correct, the Program had just introduced itself to the entire crew.
“Flight Captain Jeb'Tol,” she shouted down to the bridge, “forgive me. I forgot to inform you that we now have a Program onboard. Could you let the rest of the crew know? In case it missed someone,” The idea that she forgotten to inform the crew about the Program bothered her immensely. If this had been an emergency situation, the surprise could have caused a fatal mistake.
“Yes, Your Grace...but this is fascinating, I've never heard of a Program introducing itself or having a name. What exactly is its purpose onboard?” Flight Captain Jeb’Tol responded with obvious wonder, shifting in the captain's chair in an attempt to get a better look at Sasha, who was now leaning precariously over the railing five meters above his head.
“That would again, be my fault. I asked it to introduce itself to the crew after requesting a name to allow for easier communication. Apparently, it has taken over some minor ship functions it found lacking...but that is all I know. I am quite certain it would be more than happy to fill you in on the full lis
t of responsibilities it will now handle.” Sasha shouted in response as a hand grasped the back of her uniform, Alutia Guard Private Yu'Min making sure she didn’t lean too far over the railing.
“Thank you, Your Grace, I will do that...” Flight Captain Jeb’Tol’s voice trailed off. Sasha pulled herself back over the railing, pausing while Terra entered the hidden pocket in her bodice that allowed him to have direct contact with her skin, while not being smothered...or more importantly...Sasha having to expose her cleavage. She nodded her thanks to Private Yu'Min and returned to her seat.
“Vin,” she started when she regained her composure, “how long until Knight Admiral Bhool arrives?” she smirked, wondering if Vin would mind being delegated to her personnel secretary.
“She has just boarded the ferry shuttle and will be arriving within the hour, Grand Duchess Sasha Alutia,” the smirk turned into a full-blown smile as Sasha realized the time she could save by assigning menial tasks to Vin.
“Thank you, Vin. Send a message to Tiana and Regalia to have them meet me in my quarters. I would like to dress the part of Grand Duchess for this meeting with Knight Admiral Bhool.” She stood and walked briskly towards the exit, barely hearing the Program’s response.
“Of course, Grand Duchess Sasha Alutia.”
Chapter 10
The combat information display on the bridge of the TSB Ero’Cia flashed eerily as the red dots representing the numerous starships of the enemy battle groups suddenly appeared at 1.1 million kilometers directly ahead of the stationary TSB fleet. Battle station alarms blared, but were quickly silenced; the crew already at their posts.
Daniel waited, with a calm professionalism, for his tactical display to zoom into a small sector of the enemy fleet, highlighting the target priorities for the battle group in which the TSB Ero'Cia was assigned. He quickly targeted the highest priority enemy starships, designated by battle group command, selecting the appropriate LPAs to fire at each for maximum affect. It took only a few seconds to complete before he turned to the task he hated most....the calculations.
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