“This is the Arm of the Emperor, and as many of you know, are only provided to those who are in the favor the emperor or performed a task for the NHA beyond a normal noble,” she paused, letting her words sink in. Sir Baric slowly turned back to her, expression of unreadable stone, but disgust obvious in his eyes, “as well as being a vessel for what you all know of as a Program,” on cue, Vin’s bronze sphere appeared above her bracelet. “Vin, please provide the full account of the events that occurred within the research complex, including all restricted information I am at liberty to provide to those present at this command meeting,” Vin’s sphere undulated, shifting color rapidly in response.
“Information release approved. Please be advised: all information shared henceforth is restricted and further dissemination shall result in the highest penalty.” A projection of an elderly man appeared below the projection of Earth, like he stood upon the table itself.
“Captain Trelic,” she whispered as he started telling the same tale she and Trent had heard in the lab, two days prior.
As she listened, the memory of Trent standing beside her, squeezing her trembling hand, filled her with longing for his touch. Her vision became foggy, detaching from her flesh to soar through the super-capital’s immense interior in an instant. It stopped over Trent, who still slept peacefully as she’d left him an hour before. When she reached out for his cheek, his eyes shot open.
“Sasha? Where are you?” he asked drowsily.
I’m still in the command meeting, she tried to respond, but found she was unable to form any words.
Before either could react, her vision snapped back to the meeting room, back into her body. Nobody seemed to notice her absence, being too engrossed in the unbelievable story Captain Trelic had to tell.
After the story finished, and before the whispers could fully fill the air, Captain Trelic’s projection faded and another took its place. Sasha contained a gasp as she realized what it was, the containment cave within the research complex on Earth.
“This is the record taken of the incident in question and saved before the destruction of TSB Earth Base. As you will see, two ASU Schnac'lasis had infiltrated the research complex containment unit when the door opened to allow Grand Duchess Sasha Alutia and Sir Trent to escape. The Schnac'lasis used the opportunity to access the stored specimen.” The record began to play and two Schnac'lasis appeared from access hatch that lead to the research lab. Muffled grunts and whispers escaped from the assembled officers who witnessed the rare sight. A few seconds later, Sasha came sliding down the ladder, followed by Trent, with laser arcs at the ready. The two of them moved swiftly across the cavern, when the traitors came down the ladder one after the other, forming into rank before they followed. When she and Trent took aim at the Schnac'lasis, who had started removing the containment tubes, Sasha yanked Trent out of the way of a laser bolt and mayhem ensued.
The Schnac'lasis finished disconnecting the tubes as the traitors continued to fire on Trent and Sasha, who were crawling desperately towards a crevice in the cavern wall. Once they vanished within, an orange plume erupted from the hatching pod the moment the last tube was removed. The monstrous creature that emerged scanned the cave before nimbly climbing the cavern wall, vanishing into the darkened ceiling.
The two Schnac'lasis emerged a few moments later from a hole they'd apparently used for cover, appearing to collect samples from the pod before probing one of the unconscious traitors. Hastily, they vanished into the research lab as the record accelerated, showing Trent and Sasha appear from the crevice and stumble down a narrow tunnel, while a green slime grew over the unconscious traitors. The image faded.
“Even with self-destruct protocols implemented, we estimate that both the ASU Schnac'lasis and the HDP infected human escaped and are now on the Earth's surface. We recommend a course of action be decided immediately,” Vin's sphere vanished and the room went silent.
“Your Grace, you must forgive me for doubting your word. This is a very serious matter and I must return to my starship and discuss a suitable plan of action with my commanders. We will reconvene tomorrow at this hour,” Sasha held her rebuke on her tongue.
“That would be fine, Knight High-Admiral Baric,” instead responding politely. He and his command staff saluted as they removed themselves from the meeting room.
“Finally,” she sighed, feeling reborn, “let us began the discussion on how we plan on going forward,” Both Knight Admiral Bhool and Knight Captain Quinn raised their eyebrows, but thankfully, neither raised any objections.
“Have there been any reports of outbreaks on the surface?” she looked to Knight Captain Quinn, who glanced over his shoulder at a TSB captain, who quickly stepped forward.
“Yes, Your Grace. A few isolated towns in Southeast Asia joint management region have shown, what we believe to be, an infection outbreak similar to this HDP. But we have been unable to actually verify the infection or locate any of the creatures from orbit,” Sasha nodded.
“Yes, but didn't Captain Trelic state they also had trouble locating them at first as well? They seem to be able to avoid detection that makes it difficult to locate from anyplace but the ground,” Vickie, it appeared, had more on her mind then debauchery.
“I do recall that as well, Your Grace. I'd advise we send all available battleguards to cordon off the area and try to locate, and then eliminate the infection before it spreads,” Knight Admiral Bhool said while increasing the size of the projection of Earth, which now had two tiny red spots marking the suspected outbreaks in the Southeast Asia region.
“There is another issue, Your Grace, the local governments and the corporations that control them. Our starships are clearly visible from Earth and orbit, causing quite a bit of hysteria.” Sasha hadn't considered the repercussions of blockading a planet that didn’t know of the NHA’s existence.
“Knight Captain Quinn,” she turned to the man, who held her gaze with mutual respect, unlike Sir Baric, “can the TSB attempt some sort of disinformation campaign? I recall Tre...I mean Sir Trent, mentioning that it is widely known that the ruling corporations perform secret experiments. Could we use this to our advantage?” Sir Quinn furrowed his brow and beard, creating a unique look only a man of his size and stature could pull off.
“It is possible, Your Grace. I will assign my best communication and engineering officers on the task. If anybody can do it...they can,” Sasha nodded, turning to Knight Admiral Bhool.
“Can you handle the logistics of assembling a suitable ground force to erect a barrier around the infected regions?” Knight Admiral Bhool nodded, “we can then worry about how to locate and eliminate them after they have been contained,”
“If you’ll excuse me, Your Grace,” Lady Bhool stood, followed by her entourage, “I would like to begin operations as soon as possible,”
“Of course. Let me know if Sir Baric gives you any trouble,” she said with a hint of humor, but Lady Bhool only nodded, a look of concern appearing for a moment before she exited.
“I must get to work as well, Your Grace. Please excuse me,” Knight Captain Quinn stood, pausing just as Sasha was about to respond.
“Your Grace, I thought you would like to know that the majority of the personnel on TSB Earth Base made it safely. About 50 of the traitors didn't survive, but the orphans, injured, and captured personnel were able to escape,” a wide grin appeared beneath his beard. “Sir Simwa, his guards and retainers, and the remaining traitors were captured without harm and are currently in custody. So this time, we should be able to properly deal with him,” Sasha smiled broadly at the pleasant news. She couldn't wait to tell Trent. Vickie apparently shared a similar thought, her eyes burning with absolute delight.
“Thank you, Sir Quinn...that is indeed, fantastic news. Please let me know if I can assist in any way.” He nodded, starting towards the exit, then stopped again, Daiyu bumping into his back.
“One more thing, Your Grace,” he turned back in embarrassment that didn’t fi
t his masculine appearance, “may Vice-Commander Daiyu and myself see Sir Trent? I would like to apologize and thank him for all he's done for the TSB and NHA,” Sir Quinn’s words touched Sasha's heart.
“You may...but not today, I plan to bring him to tomorrow's meeting.” A few eyebrows rose in response, word had spread about his condition and the fact he would be bed ridden for a month.
“I look forward to it, Your Grace. If you will excuse me,” he bowed again, then quickly exited with the rest of his staff in tow.
“Shall we excuse ourselves as well and indulge in some fine dining, Sasha?” Tiana asked as she stood, stretching dramatically. It’s a good idea, she thought, but she had other matters to attend too.
“I shall have Gil’Da prepare something for me. I would like to eat with Trent,” Vickie and Tiana cooed teasingly, the unison uncanny. Sasha tried to smack them both, but they jumped out of reach with a merry squeak that Terra echoed from her bosom. She started to chase them around the table, then stopped herself with a sigh.
“I am going to see Trent,” she stated with a huff, hurrying from the room, not even looking back at her two giggling ladies.
Chapter 22
The virgin jungle closed in around him, its densely packed flora, mixed with the stifling humidity, made every step a battle in itself. An insect crawled into his ear as he pushed through a bush with meter wide leaves. He tried to remove the prickly invader, stumbling over a hidden root in the process, falling to his knees. A swarm of gnats erupted from the damp soil, diving towards him like tiny fighter jets to attack his exposed skin. He swatted at the cloud, trying in vain to defend against their assault, forcing him to extend the hood feature of his ground exploration uniform, or GUNI. Only to retract it a moment later when the sweat pouring off his brow soaked the fabric faster than the GUNI’s auto-dry feature could work. With an annoyed sigh, he pushed on.
When a request for volunteers for ground duty came through the fleet channels, Daniel had jumped at the opportunity. Any chance for him to escape Xi and her sadistic lovemaking was a chance not to be missed. But of course, the ground duty tuned out to be of little relief.
His assignment required trudging through dense jungles that flowed like a river around a mountainous range to plant shield spikes in the oppressive summer heat. They weren't informed of the exact reason why such a mission was required. But the gossip on the landing shuttle told it had to do with an alien born, viral outbreak, a few hundred kilometers to the east, which needed to be contained.
He worked his way through a patch of chest high ferns, their sharp frowns biting at his chin, trying to move in the direction indicated by the arrow projected by the combat PDU that sat snuggly over his ear.
“Not again,” he muttered, a thicket of trees with massive, moss covered trunks and vines thicker than his arms, blocked his path. He pushed his way through, only to find a gully of tightly packed, three meter tall, spindly bushes with thorns the size of his fingers. Luckily, a long fallen tree bridged its span, but was so rotted Daniel considered doubling back in search of another route; discarding the idea when he realized he was already behind schedule.
Slowly, he crawled across the trunk, using the spotty growth to keep himself from sliding off its curving edge. Once clear, he worked his way around a small pond, careful not to sink into the mud that extended well beyond its bank. A steep rise appeared before him, barring his way with an unbroken covering of bushes, ferns, and trees. Fortunately, there were some conveniently placed vines littering its face.
An annoying buzz filled his ear the moment he began his ascent, another of the pesky insects coming for his blood. He swatted in its direction, trying to scare it away, and lost his grip on the vine, grasping an exposed root just before he tumbled back down the hill. The moist vines began to slide precariously in his sweat soaked gloves when he finally reached the crest. Daniel squatted, breathing heavy as the destination icon flashed on the display projected before his eyes.
He pulled free one of the long, silver colored bars with a clear globe on one end, from the case he carried on his back. He placed it on the ground and waited. The bars vibration told it was set and he let go just as it extended deep into the ground while simultaneously shooting a hundred meters into the sky. His display flashed again, a new arrow appearing to point to his next destination.
The trip down the hill went quicker then Daniel had intended when, catching a loose piece of mud, he slipped, tumbling down, through the damp bushes and ferns, missing a tree by only a few centimeters. With a loud, painful splash, he crashed into a shallow pool of stagnant water.
“Damn,” he growled, pulling himself clear, plucking free the leeches and bugs that were trying uselessly to bite through his GUNI.
“No!” a muffled shout echoed from nearby, followed by the sounds of many birds and animals fleeing in all directions. Daniel's combat PDU flashed an emergency beacon, meaning someone was in trouble and he was closest support.
For a moment, he considered ignoring it, not wanting to place himself in danger. But then he remembered that their movements were being tracked, and if command noticed him move away from an emergency beacon, Xi would become the least of his worries.
Carefully, he crept in the direction of the beacon, trying not to disturb the dense undergrowth. He pushed through a group of waist high bushes flanked by massive, moss and vine covered trees. When he was halfway through, the display flashed 10 meters till destination. He kneeled, listening intently, but finding the jungle eerily quiet.
He pushed on, to the line of five meter tall bushes, with large green leaves, that blocked him from what lay beyond. He forced one of the leaves aside, ignoring the water that trickled from its mates down his neck, unable to pull his gaze from the expose clearing just beyond.
Three ABF Battleguards lay on the ground, a strange green, sticky looking slime oozing from their skin. Something covered his mouth, dragging him back into the waist high bushes. He struggled to break free, but the strength was enormous.
“Quiet!” a voice hissed in his ear. Daniel glanced over his shoulder, finding an older man, with long, thinning grey hair, wearing the red and black jumpsuit of the ABF. “Stay silent, it's still around,” he released his grip when Daniel nodded, “we need to get to a shuttle, and quickly,” the man instructed, leading Daniel away from the clearing.
“Shouldn't we help them,” he didn't actually want to, but he always tried to make a good first impression.
“It's too late, once the bug gets ya’, it's all over. I've seen it happen a couple times already,” the old ABF crewman paused, noticing Daniels rank. “The names Tho'Mos, ABF Senior Deck Engineer,” he saluted, “took this job because I thought it would be some easy land duty,” Daniel returned the salute, eager to get moving.
“TSB Lieutenant Daniel, here for the same reason,” Tho'Mos nodded.
Before they could start moving, Daniel's combat PDU flashed an emergency evacuation order.
“I have a waypoint for a shuttle to the Northw-,” Tho'Mos pushed him down, firing his laser arc over his back. An inhuman screech responded, making Daniel's hair stand on end and a shiver to explode across his flesh.
“Run!” Tho'Mos threw Daniel ahead, into a tangle of vines, as he fired his laser arc again, though only an angry howl rose in response.
Daniel didn't think twice, crawling his way through the heavy vines, then breaking into a sprint when he cleared the dense underbrush, in the general direction of the shuttle. Inhuman screeches and howls followed, filling the jungle around him.
What have I gotten myself into?
*********
The porridge dribbled down his chin as Sasha partially missed his mouth...yet again. Trent had a feeling she was doing it on purpose, since she would smile and giggle, her eyes twinkling with delight when she wiped his chin clean. It felt like she was fawning over him like a newborn baby, and he found, to his own chagrin, that he rather enjoyed the overbearing attention.
Once Sasha retu
rned from the command meeting, he'd been introduced to the two beautiful ladies sitting together, laughing at him and Sasha from one of the seating areas near the corner of the bedchamber. The brunette, with a single braid that fell to just below her waist, was Lady Vickie, while the short blond, with wavy hair that could almost be called curly, was Lady Tiana. They were ladies-in-waiting to Sasha, which was further explained to him as a sort of assigned friend. Used so ruling and important high level nobles, who were expected to only keep certain company, could have proper companionship. The whole concept was foreign to him. But he recognized it in its most basic form. They were friends...real friends.
Melancholy momentarily overtook him as his thoughts wandered. He wondered what it was like to have a real friend, someone who would enjoy his company and him theirs. But of course, I don’t have anyone like that, he knew, all people ever wanted to do was use or abuse him. His sudden mood change must have caught Sasha's attention, since she lowered the spoon, staring at him, eyes questioning.
“I just,” he paused, reluctant to go on, but unable to resist Sasha’s curios stare, “just wondering what it's like to have real friends,” the moment the admission left his lips, he regretted voicing it; making him feel even worst. His mind fell farther into despair as he began remembering his past, and the horrible things his “friends” had done to him. Sorrow overwhelmed his mind as Sasha's eyes narrowed. Trent knew what would come next, the hate and disgust he’d receive whenever he admitted his lack of friends.
“Did I not tell you those thoughts were now forbidden,” Sasha scolded. “Of course you know what it is like to have a real friend! What do you think a lover is? It is the best of friend!” her outburst caused him to feel even worse; knowing he caused pain to the person he loved most in the universe.
“I'm sorry...” he apologized without emotion. Sasha tensed, climbing over him to pin his limbs to the bed.
Alutia Rising, Anniversary Edition (Alutia Rising Series, Book 1) Page 42