“What do you mean the king is in danger? The Royal Guard was caught plotting an assassination of the Grand Duchess Sasha on Duke Zehman's order,” Vickie probed.
The man looked from side to side, his bewilderment obvious. “That's impossible! I was told that the king was taken captive by the Alutia Guard and we needed to save him,” the man shouted.
“How does kidnapping me have anything to do with saving the king?” Vickie snapped back in response.
The man’s face went white. “It-it-it was him! He said if we captured someone of importance, we could leverage them against the king's captures...” His words trailed off, as if the ridiculousness of the reasoning had finally come to light.
“Can you get in touch with Sir Seb'Losh? Captain of the Alutia Guard?” asked Vickie, turning to Tul'Dor, who look to Georigi. He nodded and Tul’Dor started to whisper into his combat PDU.
“I've informed one of his men of what we've learned here,” Tul’Dor said.
“Thank you, we must hurry to the medical bay,” Vickie tossed the auto-restraints to Guard Lan’Cet, who was still kneeling by the unconscious man. “Put these on him,” she instructed, then turned to the conscious royal guard, eyes showing him lost in a sea of fear. “You...come with us,” the guard nodded vigorously as Vickie turned back to the group of Georigi’s guards. “If he tries anything, you all know what to do,” she stumbled when she tried to stand, seeming still to be under the effects of whatever drug had been used to knock her unconscious. Georigi swept in, removing her from her feet and carrying her in his arms. At first, she seemed to want to protest, but instead, wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek.
“My hero...” The words rang through his mind as he started trotting down the hallway, to deliver the Lady Vickie to her desired destination.
*********
“There go two more, Knight Admiral. Whoever is in command of the traitors is becoming much more desperate,” said Knight Commander Eyulclia from the sensor station on the fleet command deck of the NHA Super-Capital ABF Alutia.
Eyulclia was still having difficulty fully grasping the battle now taking place in orbit of Alutia’Earth. The Vn'Oco Battle Fleet, or Royal Fleet as it was more commonly referred, had turned on itself, traitors within. It just doesn’t add up, she knew, since only 90 days prior she’d been a part of the same Royal Fleet, and knew, quite well, the camaraderie within her ranks one of its many points of honor. But what had changed since I left? She wondered, it being beyond baffling.
“Thank you, eyes. Any noncombatants left in orbit?” Knight Admiral Bhool responded, using the common moniker for whoever was assigned to the fleet sensor station.
“No, ma'am,” Eyulclia responded crisply.
Their first responsibility after the command had been received to surround the enormous Royal Fleet was a general order for all civilian starships in orbit to remove themselves to a safe distance. This had caused many frantic requests for permission to drop shuttles to pick up the nobles each group of starships was responsible. Of course, they couldn't allow it, time being of the essence, and the fleet communication officers had to resort to threats on more than one occasion. But in the end, they had successfully cleared orbit of all noncombatants and were now in the process of surrounding the 100 VBF battle groups that had accompanied the king and queen.
She again studied the current battle space, wondering how they were going to succeed in their task with only two ABF battle groups available, both of which were still recovering from the losses sustained during the Battle of Earth. It is asking too much, she knew, trying to surround 5,000 starships, including 100, 40 km Super-Capital Class starships, with only 78 starships, most the vastly smaller frigates, corvettes, and cruisers, impossible. She tensed as a Royal Fleet dreadnaught, the VBF Tri'Loka, broke apart, its NSD core punctured, causing the singularity containment system to collapse, all hands lost.
“A dreadnaught this tim-,” she froze, warnings blazing all across her sensor display. “Ma'am! Multiple contacts, I read one...no make that 2,000 battle groups just breaching the edge of sensor range!” she shouted, unable to hide her shock. But she quickly recovered, falling back into her training as she went to work identifying the 100,000 newly arrived starships.
She gasped.
“It's the Emperor's Purge Fleet, ma’am!” she shouted with disbelief, turning to the knight admiral
“All starships, stand down, repeat, stand down!” Knight Admiral Bhool ordered frantically, completely out of character.
“Ma'am, word from the Emperor's Purge Fleet! All starships are to disable all weapon systems and lower ESSs, failure to comply will incur immediate destruction!” Knight Lieutenant Romiss, the primary fleet com officer, told. Eyulclia couldn’t help but shiver.
Never was it a good sign when the Emperor's Purge Fleet arrived in a star system, its sole purpose the “purging” of those nobles the emperor deemed a threat to the NHA. Though most accounts of the purge fleet were second-hand, since the vast majority of those officers or nobles who witnessed its might, didn’t live long enough to tell about it.
Starships across the board went silent, lowering ESSs while disabling all EW and active weapon systems. A starship flashed, vanishing from her display, followed by another, and another. It took her only a moment to understand what she was seeing.
“Knight Admiral! Some of the Royal Fleet are not complying and firing on the starships that are lowering their shields!” she said, incredulous.
“There is nothing we can do, eyes, just hope they don't decide to turn on us. Repeat the order; all starships are to stand down...now!” Knight Admiral Bhool responded as starships of the Royal Fleet continued to vanish from her display.
Minutes ticked by as the Emperor's Purge Fleet approached weapons range. Some of the starships that were firing on their comrades began lowering shields and disabling weapon systems in an apparent attempt to fool the Emperor's Purge Fleet, while others started to flee. But it was too late.
The moment the Emperor’s Purge Fleet breached max weapons range they fired with precision that would make any fleet officer green with envy. Hundreds of King's Fleet starships vanished as one, even those who had tried to hide in the ranks of those that had complied.
“Ma'am, orders received for all fleet commanders to join the Emperor's Purge Fleet's private channel, ” Knight Lieutenant Romiss said with a steady tone, but Eyulclia knew it hid the same fear as she.
“Very well, patch me through and may we all live to see the end of this day,” Knight Admiral Bhool's words echoed in her heart.
*********
The wave of tilitium flowed across Alutia Palace’s Grand Court, each step giving rise to such a clamor that her ears felt as if they would be pierced by its veracity. Trent stiffened at her side, so she pulled him closer, letting her warmth fill him, and his to wash over her. But the sight of the Emperor's Purge Guard, slowly marching across the vast distance of the grand court in unbroken ranks, adorning full reactive combat armor, with combat arcs at the ready, made any warmth drain instantly. She glanced to her father and mother who stood just ahead of them, slightly to the side, unmoving, but standing tall, heads held high.
This is bad.
When the Emperor's Purge Fleet arrived a few hours before, complete anarchy ensued. Nobles called for shuttles that would not come. The traitorous Royal Guard quickly surrendered, most learning that the majority had been misled by the few. And the Emperor's Purge Guard had descended.
Only a few assault shuttles at first, landing well outside Alutia City, in the still virgin forests. But then they came in droves. Tens of thousands of assault shuttles dove through the atmosphere, blocking out the sky as they dropped what Sir Seb'Losh had estimated as close to a million purge guards. Their numbers seemed to grow ever greater as they began taking up positions throughout the city and palace, filling every corridor like cockroaches. Movement, even the king, was restricted. Nobles and servants, who found themselves away from their apartm
ents, were escorted to a holding area for detention and questioning; no movement or communication allowed. The ABF Battleguards and Royal Guards were all taken into custody, most being held in the same makeshift detention centers, while others, those who resisted, were being transported to orbit, their fates unknown.
Then time seemed to slow, no word arriving from the emperor or his fleet commanders as to the reason behind the purge fleet's presence, while all the purge guards stayed eerily silent. Thankfully, Sir Seb'Losh had reacted swiftly, escorting her and Trent to their bedchamber when the first shuttles had descended, locking them within before vanishing in search of the king, queen, and Sasha's missing ladies. But he never returned.
So they waited, together, unable to act, unable to do anything but lay in each other’s embrace. But the more time past, the more Trent’s anger grew; anger at the unknown guards running rampant throughout their palace without explanation. She had tried to calm him when she noticed, but it was all for not. Whoever was responsible would bear witness to Trent’s wrath, and Sasha knew she would be forced to exert all her power, all her influence, to protect him when he did.
That moment came much sooner than expected. A squad of tight lip Emperor's Purge Guards bursting into their bedchamber, combat arcs trained on their chests. Trent had wanted to resist, to fight. But she had somehow controlled him, kept him from acting rashly. They were then led to Alutia Palace’s Grand Court where she found her parents waiting within, alone, being left with a single command; wait or die. Before these words could fully sink in, the full might of the Emperor's Purge Guard had come, flowing through the distant entrance like an unstoppable tsunami, spreading across the entirety of the massive court in rank upon rank.
Sasha was pulled violently from her thoughts as the wall of tilitium armored purge guards came to thunderous halt before them. Two stepped forward, combat armor shimmering a slightly darker shade of black then the rest.
“Do you mean harm to the emperor or NHA?” the lead purge guard asked unexpectedly, raising a mysterious, star shaped device, with a round, fluidic sphere of a Program hovering just above.
“No,” they answered in unison. The sphere rippled and pulsed.
“Restricted reading error. Grand Duchess Sasha Alutia and Sir Trent are currently restricted from truth reading.” All eyes turned to them. Trent pushed her behind, staring defiantly at the ranks of purge guards. The two closest raised their combat arcs, steadying them as if to fire.
“For the act of treason against the NHA, I proun-,” the lead guard started, Sasha's fear taking hold at what she knew was the last moment of her life. But the guard's words caught as Trent stood fast, drawing his own concealed laser arc and pointing it at the lead guard. The two men froze in unison while the entire front rank of the Emperor's Purge Guard raised their combat arcs in response.
“You will stand down to be taken into custody for interrogation!” Trent shouted.
“On my mark, fire,” the lead purge guard ordered, his metallic voice echoing throughout the chamber, he seeming to have recovered from his momentary surprise at one man raising a single laser arc on thousands of combat armored guards. Sasha clung to Trent's back, knowing that now, this was the end.
“The Eye of the Emperor tells me you are evil men! You shall place down your arms and surrender immediately!” Trent's voice boomed, but no one listen. The lead guard raised a metallic fist in the air, the rest of the guards tensing, ready to fire.
“That is enough!” A young girl’s scream broke through the sea of guards. They froze, going to attention, except the front rank who continued to train their combat arcs on Trent.
Sasha gathered her courage, peering around Trent to see the ranks of Emperor's Purge Guards parting, allowing a squad of guards in ceremonious combat armor, that looked to be made of pure gorian, to move through, a group of administrators and fleet officer's in the pure black of the Emperor’s Own following close behind. The squad of guards, who were in circular formation, halted after they split the front rank, aiming their combat arcs at Trent.
“You will discard your weapons,” the lead guard ordered, none of the metallic excitement present that had filled the purge guards. Trent stared back in defiance and Sasha knew his answer before it left his mouth.
“Not until the men in your ranks who mean us harm are unarmed and taken into custody,” Trent responded, a hint of nervousness in his steady words.
Her love for him exploded forth. He had promised to never allow anyone he couldn't trust in her presence with laser arcs, and he planned to keep that promise, no matter if he had to take on the entire might of the feared Emperor's Purge Guard.
“Listen to him! Anyone who he points to is to be immediately disarmed and imprisoned! He's is the holder of the Eye of the Emperor you idiots!” a young girl shouted, her voice squeaky, seeming to be born from the center of the ring of guards.
Without question, they lowered their weapons and looked expectantly to Trent, who didn’t hesitate, pointing at the two purge guards who were prepared to order them killed. The ring of guards raised their combat arcs again, but this time at those Trent had pointed.
The lead purge guard turned his own combat arc on the ring of guards in response. “What is this-,” laser bolts burnt through his armor, cutting him off, the ring of guards reacting immediately to the perceived threat. The other looked to his dead friend, then to the ring of guards, throwing his combat arc to clatter across the stone floor.
For the millisecond it pulled the attention of the ring of guards away, the second purge guard dove toward the king and queen, hidden laser arcs appearing in his hands, which he held to their heads, moving slowly behind them. Her breath froze.
The ring of guards didn't fire, the king and queen being between them and their target. But Trent didn't hesitate. His laser arc wasn't powerful enough to burn through the tilitium reactive combat armor, but it did strike with enough force to throw the man off balance.
Trent launched himself forward as he fired. The moment he struck the off balance man, they both tumbled across the black onyx floor, Trent grasping desperately for the guards laser arcs. But it took only a moment for the purge guard to recover, using his enhanced strength, born from his combat armor, to toss Trent, like he weighed nothing, across the court to smash against a massive, rose vine pillar. He seemed to stick to its surface for a moment before sliding motionless to the floor below.
“Trent!” Sasha's screams were drowned by the sound of laser bolts erupting from the circle of guards, raining death upon the guilty purge guard.
Sasha climbed to her feet, her mind awash in horror, rushing across the court to Trent's side without thought. His eyes were open, but dazed, his breathing ragged.
“Knight High-Admiral Torici! You shall remove all of your purge guards at once!” the young girl screeched, her high pitched tone piercing the ears of all who heard her. Sasha kissed Trent repeatedly, who was mouthing through clenched teeth that he was alright.
“I'm sorry, Empress Yukie, but your father instructed me to take all necess-.”
“Knight Captain Erio,” the young girl interrupted the fleet officer named Torici, “if Knight High-Admiral Torici does not comply with my order to remove his men, not just from the palace, but from the planet as well, shoot him!” the young girl screamed again. Sasha stared in awed confusion at the circle of strange guards while helping Trent recover his feet.
“But-but, Empress Yukie, this is all for your prote-.”
“I told you that this isn't one of your occupations!” Torici was cut off again by the young girl, “We are here as guests and you've embarrassed me to the point that your life is already forfeit!” Torici collapsed to the floor, the streaks of white running through his brownish hair seeming to grow.
“All Emperor's Purge Guard forces are to retreat immediately, repeat, retreat immediately, anyone responsible for damage to Alutia Duchy nobles or personnel shall be punished severely!” Torici shouted into his combat PDU as he started
crawling away. The circle of guards lowered their combat arcs when Torici stood, bowing deeply, then started sprinting towards the distant exit alongside the rapidly retreating sea of Emperor's Purge Guards. It took only a few minutes for them to fully clear the court, leaving only the 24 ceremoniously dressed guards, two robed administrators, and three Knight High-Admiral's, obviously amused.
“Would you let me out,” the young girl ordered from the within the solid circle of guards.
“He is still armed Emp-.”
“Didn't you hear me?” This time the knight captain was cut off. “He is the holder of the Eye of the Emperor! That makes him more trustworthy to be armed in my presence then even you, Erio!” Her words seemed to strike the knight captain's heart, whose shoulders slumped before he took one more look at Trent, then stepped forward.
A stunning young girl beyond description emerged from within the ring of guards; wearing a black gown that sparkled like it was made of a million stars. Her gold and silver hair, looking of actual filaments of the precious metals, flowed just over her shoulders, while her deep blue eyes sparkled, flawlessly framed by masterfully sculpted features that were well beyond even “noble perfect”.
Sasha gasped, almost collapsing in place when understanding of who this young girl was finally sunk in, along with the fact that her parents were kneeling, foreheads touching the floor. She fell to her knees, grabbing Trent to yank him down beside her.
“No! You must not bow to me!” the empress pleaded. But Sasha had already made up her mind. She tried to force herself down, her mind screaming death if she didn't. But something kept her from the floor. A pained grunt touched her ears as the river rushing through her mind calmed, and confusion took its place.
Standing beside her, keeping her from lowering her head, stood Trent, gritting his teeth in pain as he refused to release her. The sight called back the last of her fleeing senses. Embarrassed, she regained her feet, smiling her thanks to Trent, then to the young empress, who now stood just before them.
The Noble Petty, Complete Edition (Alutia Rising Series, Book 2) Page 19