“No! Look at me!” she shouted, grasping his cheeks and forcing him to look into her eyes, tears on the verge of escaping his.
She kissed him with such passion that his mind began to melt. The touch of her lips drew forth the sorrow and self-loathing, replacing it with her love and lust. He pushed back, wrapping his arms around her to pull her closer, ignoring the rising pain caused by the unexpected movement. His mind began to fade, his consciousness like a pond being engulfed by an infinite ocean that was Sasha’s being.
A cough brought him back to reality. Sasha stiffened in his arms, pulling her lips free, but staying on top of him. She gazed at him, eyes ablaze, skin of pure crimson.
“I'm alright now, Sasha,” he whispered, his tone having returned to normal, “and I'm sorry to have worried you.” Sasha's expression softened, but still looked slightly dubious.
“Are you positive? I will not forgive you if you are lying to me, Trent,” her threat hid a bit of playfulness, but he knew she was completely serious.
“Yes, dear Sasha, your kiss has drawn away my demons,” he flourished his hands clumsily, like he’d just expelled a demon, “though honestly, yes,” he turned serious, “the thoughts vanished. I don't know exactly how you did it, but they're gone,” he smiled his thanks. She leaned close, kissing him on the forehead before she let her expression completely soften. She rolled off the bed and back into the seat beside him.
“My, my, Sasha,” a sensual voice fluttered from the far side of the room, “if you are going to provide us a show at least perform it till the climax!” Trent glanced in Vickie’s direction while Sasha ignored her, smiling uncomfortably.
Vickie, he’d found, made him feel like a little boy in the presence of a mature, experienced woman. When her gaze fell upon him, his mind screamed she would devour him whole. Before he could look away, his gaze was drawn to Tiana, staring at him with an expression of stone. But her eyes said it all. They held the same look he received so many times throughout his life, the look of loathing, the same he'd expected from Sasha when he’d fallen into despair. The thought was odd. Why would Sasha, who loved him so, look at him with loathing?
He turned back to his love as another mouthful of porridge was shoved down his throat. He coughed, being unprepared, and let her raise the cup of water to his lips, which was unceremoniously poured down his throat, half escaping to flow down his chin and soak his shirt. After the coughing fit passed, he turned to Sasha, perplexed, who had a wicked grin on her luscious lips.
“What was that for?” Trent asked as he coughed again.
“Just a little revenge,” Sasha's smile faded, her expression once again becoming serious.
“Promise me once more, Trent,” she didn't have to say what.
“I promise I will move on and stop living in my past,” her smile returned.
“Good. Now eat.” She forcibly shoved another scoop of porridge into his mouth as Terra's head popped out of her cleavage with an amused squeak.
*********
Medical Officer Quo'Moy provided Trent a strong calming agent to help him sleep and moved with Sasha towards the door, providing further instructions for Trent’s care. Vickie had vanished the moment he arrived, in search of Regalia. But Tiana thought it more likely she was hunting for more, adult pleasures. Her gaze slipped back to Trent, sleeping peacefully. Her face tightened.
Why is it him, she thought, unable to force down her concerns. Sasha could have anyone in the universe, being beautiful, charming, and kind. But now, now she was stuck, stuck with this man that Tiana could only think of as broken.
She had yet to have a chance to ask Sasha exactly what happened between them on Earth and what attracted her to him so. But she had definitely noticed something wrong with him...seriously wrong.
The incident that had taken place hours before triggered the alarm bells. Who would become depressed over thinking of friends? How did something like that happen? It was obvious that he must have been an outcast throughout his entire life, not just when he was older, like Tiana had assumed when she watched the record of his enlistment trial. He did have a few good traits, Tiana had to admit. His courage could not be questioned, along with his apparent loyalty to Sasha. But still, he was a head case and she couldn't bear the thought of allowing her friend to live the rest of her life with such a broken man.
Sasha, having finished her discussion with the medical officer, returned to Trent's side, checking if he was asleep, before kissing him lightly on the forehead. Tiana waved her over when she caught her eye. Sasha plopped on the couch beside her, a loud sigh, full of exhaustion, escaping her lips.
“I always thought Liana exaggerated her exhaustion, but this responsibility is draining,” Sasha's words showed her fatigue. Tiana nodded, her mind screaming now was the time to voice her concerns. She tried to hold them back, but the urge to shout them for the world to hear was just too strong; I have to help my friend!
“Oh, Sasha, why him?” She cried. Sasha squinted her eyebrows, obviously confused,
“What do you mean, Tiana?” Sasha asked, her tone telling she was stepping on dangerous ground.
“I just don’t know, Sasha, I...I mean you are a beautiful woman who could have any man in the universe! Why did you choose him? Why him?” Sasha nodded, a look of irritation flashing within her eyes.
“Tiana, I'll tell you one thing. I love him. I do not know why and I do not care why, but I love him. I believe there may have been a force bringing us together, forcing our meeting, but I am positive that these feelings are my own,” Tiana saw nothing but truth in her friend’s eyes, but her words made her concern grow all the same.
“That's it, isn't it strange? Why would something want to bring you together with him?” she pointed at Trent. “Sasha, there's something wrong with him, I can see it! That incident earlier, it...it shows there's something wrong, wrong with his heart. He’s broken, too broken for you, and will only cause you sorrow,” she lamented, regretting the words as they left her mouth. She forced her eyes closed, scared of Sasha’s response.
“Tiana, open your eyes,” Sasha commanded.
“No! I know you’re mad, but I had to say it! I love you too much! And seeing you have to endure a man like him for the rest of your life, because...because you were forced to meet someone who you may love, but would have never met otherwise and...and is completely wrong for you!” she cried, burrowing her face in her hands, hiding her tears, hiding herself from her friends scorn.
No response came and Tiana, after a few minutes, slid her hands down just enough to peek at Sasha, who sat stone faced, staring at her. Realizing she was acting childish, she resigned herself to her fate, lowering her hands completely.
“Tiana, I know you love me, but I wish you would trust me,” Sasha pleading caught her by surprise. “Trent is,” she paused, then sighed, “don't mention this to the others, or even to Trent. You are right, Tiana, there is something wrong with him, but it is not his fault. He is kind Tiana, too kind, and that brought him only trouble ...only pain...because of the horrible world he grew up in,” she paused again, squeezing Tiana's hands, “would you have me abandon him because he was hurt? Should I not love him because of his past? I asked myself these questions and many, many more, but the answer was always the same. Oh Tiana! He is a kind man, a great man...I know, I have seen it...but his pain, oh his pain!” Sasha trembled, tears forming in the corner of her eyes, “In the end, Tiana, no matter the cause, no matter the reason, no matter what he is. I love him....and Tiana, for me......please...please, for me, try to know and understand him, because if you do, I promise, you will grow to love him, as a friend, as you do me,” Tiana felt the fire of her love for Sasha striking against the cold lump that had penetrated her heart when she thought of her with a less than perfect man. It will take time, she knew, but she would trust her friend’s words and look past the surface, past the barriers, and into Trent’s heart.
Unable to resist any longer, she buried her face in Sasha’s chest
, letting tears roll free.
“It’s alright, Tiana, It’s alright,” Sasha cooed, gently rubbing her back. Tiana nodded, pulling away, finding Vickie and Regalia having entered the room silently, seating themselves on the opposing couch. Their curious looks were not accompanied by questions, which she was grateful for, allowing her to recover her wits and look back to Sasha.
“I will do as you ask, Sasha, because I trust you...and love you,” Tiana said the words of her heart, feeling a thousand times lighter, knowing the worst of her concerns had been stated. But she did find a few still lingered, if not as strongly. Regalia stood, rushing to Sasha’s side.
“I love you too, Sasha,” Regalia said, hugging Sasha tight. Tiana forgot all her troubles when she heard Regalia’s innocent admission, and she hugged them both. Terra, who was caught in the three-way embrace, let out a squeak of delight.
“My, my, you ladies do know how to have fun,” Vickie purred, joining the embrace. Tiana squeaked in unison with Sasha when a hand caressed her rear, glaring at Vickie only to find an impish smirk on her lips. They fought to escape the woman's clutches, her strength incredible, but ended up tumbling into a pile of giggles. Tiana took the opportunity to slither free of the clutches of the lecherous woman with no shame, crawling a meter away before collapsing to the floor.
“I believe we all require some rest, Sasha,” Vickie said.
“Sasha, you can share my bed, I don't mind,” Tiana suggested the obvious, not thinking she would choose to share a bed with Vickie.
“Thank you for the offer, Tiana, but I will be sleeping in my bed this evening,” Sasha explained, like it was obvious
“But...but, Sasha,” Tiana shot up, looking between her and Trent, “will you be alright? I thought after the incident on the shuttle you-,” Sasha sat up as well, the look in her eyes causing Tiana to pause.
“Let us just say tonight will be a trial. If I cannot bring myself to do “that” while he is drugged and asleep, then I may never be able to,” Vickie, who had been tickling Regalia relentlessly, stood, placing her hands on her hips while studying Sasha and Tiana like a parent who caught her kids planning something naughty.
“Now, now, now, ladies, what is this you speak of doing to poor drugged Trent this evening?” Sasha and Tiana glanced at each other, Sasha’s eyes begging Tiana to keep quiet.
“When Lady Sasha was younger,” Regalia started, “some evil noble boys attacked her, then took scans of her naked. She’s been scared of men ever since,” Tiana gasped, and Sasha stared at the young girl with shocked disbelief. Vickie looked at the ladies with a wide, troublesome grin.
“This, Your Grace, is exactly why I am here. The best therapy is shock therapy,” Vickie dragged Sasha to her feet, “Tiana, assist me,” before anyone could react, Vickie stripped Sasha of her dress and within moments had her naked with an expression of utter confusion.
“Now, get in that bed!” Vickie ordered, pushing Sasha playfully towards Trent. The entire episode bordered on the ridiculous. Tiana started snickering, followed by Vickie and a deeply confused Regalia. But Sasha just stumbled to a stop, frozen in place, trembling with fear as she stared at the man who she loved, lying unconscious on the bed.
*********
Daniel stumbled over a tangle of roots, sliding off the side of the narrow animal trail and into a pit of muck. “Bloody hell,” he cursed, wiping the rotten smelling gunk clear of his eyes as the terrifying screeches and howls continued to close in around him. Tho'Mos crashed through a bush at his side, sliding to a stop next to the pit.
“We move or die,” he said, barely audible over his heavy breaths. Daniel grasped Tho’Mos’s hand, climbing desperately up the pits slippery wall. Before he could regain his feet, Tho’Mos pushed him forward. He was barely able to avoid another tangle of rotting vines.
The arrow directing them towards the evacuation point cut away from the animal trail, and they were forced back into the dense jungle. It became thicker and thicker, before thinning when an unbroken canopy of leafy branches and vines blocked the distant sun. Pools and pits of muck littered the uneven landscape between the enormous tree trunks. Most of the pits were hidden by dead growth with a foul, rotting stench. Daniel learned this the hard way, twisting his ankle painfully when his foot burst through a spot he thought solid.
A wall of vines appeared before him, a screech rising from just behind. He frantically pushed his way within, the vines coiling around his flesh like they were alive, hampering his every movement. When he finally found his way clear, he slipped in his haste, falling face first into a pool of rancid water.
“Not aga-,” he started to growl, but froze in place. In the center of the clearing beyond the wall of vines, illuminated by a single beam of sunlight that cut through a hole in the canopy, was a grotesque creature the likes he had never seen, feasting on a spider monkey. Its head and body were shaped similarly to a human, but elongated, with spindly, double-jointed arms, and long, muscular legs. Tho'Mos appeared at his side, avoiding the pool like he knew it was there.
“Quietly,” he whispered, again helping Daniel clear of the small pool, “around the side,” Tho'Mos lightly pushed him towards the trees and vines surrounding the small clearing.
Daniel stepped through the sparse undergrowth as swiftly, and quietly, as possible, keeping one eye on the hideous creature as he made his way around the edge of the clearing. A twig snapped beneath his foot. The creature's head swiveled in his direction, releasing an ear shattering howl. A green laser bolt tore through the creature’s chest, the howl turning to a grotesque gurgle as an orange cloud exploded from creature's dying flesh, filling half the clearing.
“Go and don't stop!” Tho’Mos shouted, aiming at another creature who dove from the canopy high above. Daniel didn’t think twice, dashing between the pools, avoiding the soft soil at their edges, in the direction of a break in the tree line on the far side of the clearing. A pained grunt echoed the air behind him. But he didn't stop...he didn't care. I will live, no matter the cost.
He burst through the opening, but found it quickly narrowed, a rotting tree fallen across the path. He climb over its enormous trunk, digging his nails desperately into the wood as the sounds of his pursuers breaking through the jungle attacked his ears. He slid headfirst down the opposite side of the trunk; somersaulting to his feet as his adrenaline took fully hold. The jungle once again became dense, forcing him to fight through tall, dense bushes. A creature crashed through the jungle before him.
It’s over, he cringed, falling back into a bush as a family of deer broke through a gap, revealing an animal trail just beyond. He scrambled back to his feet, wildly throwing aside the leaves that blocked him from his salvation, then broke into a mad sprint.
The trail curved, and before Daniel could react, he slammed into a hazy wall, bouncing back almost an entire meter. “Gah,” he moaned, darkness threatening to overtake him as stars filled his eyes. But a primordial screech broke through the darkness, clearing his mind. He groped desperately at the hazy wall, trying to find a way through. But he'd been too late; the containment barrier had been activated. They'd left him behind.
Another screech rose from the dense undergrowth to his side, a howl responding from the other. He pulled free his laser arc, aiming in the direction of the first howl, pushing his back flush against the hazy wall.
Daniel fired at the first sign of movement, the laser bolt catching Tho’Mos as he broke through the brush, onto the path. The bolt continued through the jungle behind him, striking a creature that pursued, its gurgled screech telling Daniel of its fate. Tho'Mos tumbled to a stop at Daniels feet, recovering without pause, apparently unaware of his now missing hand.
“Damn, thought we'd have time to get through before they activated it,” Tho’Mos grumbled, placing the stump in his pocket while running his fingers over the hazy wall. Daniel stared in disbelief. Is the old cook in shock? He wondered. Tho'Mos noticed Daniels confused stare, showing a bloody smile with a few missing te
eth.
“Don't worry, lad, I lost the nerves in my arm when a NSD breached and I was too close when the containment collapsed. I don't feel nothin',” Daniel stared at the old man and shook his head; finding that he really didn't care.
“What now?” he asked.
“I think we can ride that...if they have room,” Tho'Mos pointed towards the sky, where an assault shuttle hovered silently, a hundred meters above their heads. A landing tube shot out from its base and stuck into the ground a few meters up the path from where they stood, knocking them both back into the hazy wall. Two ABF Battleguard's, the primary fleet and ground troops of the NHA, in full combat armor, a smooth metal bodysuit of tilitium reactive programmable matter that encased the entire body, and combat arcs, the much larger, and more powerful cousin of the laser arc, emerged, leveling their weapons. Tho'Mos raised his arms and Daniel looked at him, then at the ABF Battleguards in confusion.
“Raise em’, lad, we ain't gettin' out of here unless were scanned,” Daniel reluctantly obliged. One of the battleguard's slowly approached, brandishing a genetic scanner, which he touched to Daniel's, then Tho'Mos's skin. Hidden words passed between the two as they lowered their weapons and pointed to the landing tube. Daniel sighed his relief, rushing into the tube and floated up into the shuttle. Once onboard, a crewmen led him and Tho’Mos to the packed troop compartment, where he wedged himself between two female battleguards.
As he recounted the horrible events he’d been forced to endure, he started to wonder who was responsible; someone just has to be, he knew.
“You know who,” a voice echoed in his mind, born of his BC node. He scanned his surroundings, concentrating to try to find who was responsible for connecting to his BC node without permission.
“You will not find him here,” the voice cackled.
“Who? Who is responsible?” he asked, no longer caring about its source.
Alutia Rising, Anniversary Edition (Alutia Rising Series, Book 1) Page 43