Sasha slammed him up against the wall, the force causing his shoulder to cry out. “Don't even think of it, Trent! I may consider locking us together so you won't have the opportunity,” she threatened. Trent, after the initial shock of Sasha’s veracious response cleared, found himself grinning. Sasha stared at him like he’d lost his mind.
“We still have a few hours...” he whispered as he blew into her ear. She trembled, the fire filling her eyes turning a different shade, then glancing to the Alutia Guards behind them, who wouldn't follow into their inner apartments, and quickened her step.
*********
A remarkably golden world grew in the darkness of space, reflecting the light of its parent star like it was its twin. No clouds, mountains, or oceans could be seen across its smooth surface, only a few tiny specks of blue surrounded by the desolate expanse of its planet encompassing desert. It was an ominous sight, almost a perfect contrast to the blackness of space that encased it, which seemed to cringe away when it tried to penetrate the planet's shimmering glow.
Sasha began to sweat as she stared at the projection of Alutia V5432, a heat seeming to radiate from the planet to penetrate the bridge's massive viewscreen and attack her flesh. She knew it was imagined, born from her frayed nerves being on edge. But even with this knowledge, she could still feel its intense heat, and was unable to hold her gaze steady as they slowly made their way into orbit. She glanced to Trent, who had beads of sweat trickling off his own brow, his breathing shorter than normal. We are both scared, she realized, scared of what they may find and what they may have to do.
It took a few hours, but she had been able to finally discern Lady Vickie's location. She seemed to be in hiding within the NHA Fleet Recruitment and Services building, which was a very good sign. The services, the less invasive term for “spy core”, usually reported directly to the local ruling nobility, meant to keep tabs on the whispers of the common and petty population. But since this world had been under temporary management of the king, her father, while the Alutia Duchy awaited her arrival, his spies had displaced Duke Zehman's. This meant even if Baron Tuhbil and his guards were loyal to Hulk'Zif, the services definitely were not. So with this new knowledge, they had decided to revise their plan.
Sir Seb'Losh and Sir Erio would now lead an extraction team down to the surface and retrieve Lady Vickie as Trent and Sasha tried to negotiate for Sir Georigi's whereabouts from orbit. If they were unsuccessful, they would revert to the previous plan where she and Trent would meet directly with Administrator Vazik as the extraction team retrieved Vickie.
“Belia, is there an ID on that freighter?” Sasha followed Trent's gaze to the CID displaying the planet and surrounding space, noticing a single starship hastily exiting orbit of Alutia V5432.
“No, I'm sorry, Your Grace, it appears the transponders off,” Belia sounded devastated.
“Thank you...and it's alright, Belia, it's not your fault,” Trent reassured.
“Yes, Your Grace...of course, my apologies,” Belia’s tone didn’t match her words, still obviously distraught. Regalia whispered something to her mother, who nodded as a dotted line marked the freighter’s trajectory. Sasha smiled towards Regalia, who had taken to the staff station adjoining her mother's like she was born there.
“Your Grace, I'm not certain if it will be helpful, but the freighter appears to have just adjusted course to Don'Alutia,”
“Thank you, Belia...that is very helpful. Log any pertinent information about the freighter and contact the bridge and CSS sensor officer's...see if they may be able to assist,” Sasha noticed Trent's breathing had slowed, suddenly understanding his concern for the unimportant freighter. He seemed to be trying to take his mind off things, and she couldn’t blame him.
They watched in silence as the planet continued to grow larger and the fated tone of an incoming message echoed across the bridge. A projection appeared in the air before them, showing Captain Daiyu.
“Baron Tuhbil to speak with you, Your Grace,” Sasha looked at Trent, knowing she probably appeared just as surprised as he, the baron not actually being off planet as had been previously reported.
“Very well...put him onscreen,” Sasha instructed. Captain Daiyu nodded, another projection appearing before them.
A strikingly bald man with patchy brown skin, a dense, dark brown beard outlining a stern, weathered face that didn't fit his sunken, beady eyes, filled the projection. Trent tensed in the way Sasha had learned meant cold flowed from the Eye of the Emperor.
This was an evil man.
“Grand Duchess Sasha and Grand Duke Trent, I presume?” Baron Tuhbil asked. His words tinged with disgust, as if he was talking to trash.
“You presume correctly, Baron Tuhbil,” she responded in kind, barely able to control her rising fury. “We have come for Lady Vickie and Sir Georigi,” her voice flowed with command.
Baron Tuhbil smiled. “Ah yes, the traitorous whore and the bastard prince. They are currently corrupting my barony and I would be most eager to hand them over...except...” he paused, showing a toothy grin.
“Except what, Baron?” she let ice fill her words; feeling Trent losing control of his anger, its taste leaking through their bond.
“I will require temporary hostages in return. Let's say...you and the grand duke? Just until my men and I are able to take our leave of this dreaded colony,” Trent leaned forward, about to respond, but Sasha squeezed his arm to keep him silent.
“Very well, Baron. You will provide Lady Vickie and Sir Georigi at your private landing pad in exchange for myself and Sir Trent. If you do not deliver, Sir Tuhbil...mark my words...you will live to regret it,” Sir Tuhbil laughed as if she spoke like a child.
“You are in no place to make threats, Lady Sasha. If you do not come alone, I will kill them both, on the landing pad,” the projection faded and Sasha loosened her grip on Trent’s hand as a primal scream escaped his lips.
“He's lying, but it's all meshed together....I'm sorry, Sasha, we have to go, I just... I just don’t know,” he said as he looked into her eyes, anger fading away. She carefully freed a lock of his curly brown hair from his brow as she stood.
“Tiana, look after the starship,” Sasha instructed, turning to her friend with tears on the verge of escaping.
“Be safe, Sasha,” Tiana hugged her tight. Sasha smiled fondly, running her fingers through Tiana’s long, blond hair.
“And you, Trent! Better protect her and not come back injured this time!” Yukie appeared at her side, apparently having snuck onto the fleet command deck without anyone's knowledge.
“Of course, Yukie. I will protect Sasha with my life,” Trent crossed his leg and bowed awkwardly, glancing at Sasha as he stood.
“Help watch over the ship, Yukie,” Sasha kissed Tiana on the forehead, then kneeled before the young empress, who looked as if she would break down as well, lips quivering and lashes fluttering.
“We will return safely,” Sasha placed a caring hand on Yukie’s shoulder as Terra squawked. Yukie nodded, then moved to Tiana's side.
“Be careful,” a curly blond mess of hair appeared, grasping her leg tightly.
“We will, Regalia...you make sure to help Tiana and Yukie watch over the starship and keep them out of trouble,” she kissed the young girl's hair as she wiped a tear from her eye. Regalia nodded, before scurrying back to her mother's embrace. Sasha grabbed Trent's hand as they waved goodbye and slipped into the waiting tube transport, trying to ignore the three sobbing girls left in their wake. Within moments, they arrived in their personal hanger bay, finding Sir Seb'Losh and Sir Erio waiting upon the U shaped dock.
“We're going with plan B. You drop us off, extract Lady Vickie and her men as we attempt to locate Sir Georigi. Make it quick, I know the gorian combat armor is impenetrable, but I really don't want to have to test it.” Trent sounded a different man, spouting orders so naturally Sasha wondered if he'd been training behind her back. The two guard captains saluted and followed them onto t
he shuttle.
They quickly moved to a changing room and slipped into their skintight undergarments meant to keep the combat armor from rubbing directly against the skin. Trent kissed her, strapping the container of retracted gorian combat armor on her back. She tensed as the liquefied gorian expanded over her entire body before again solidifying, the helmet and gloves retracting once the integrated combat PDU came online and performed a suit diagnostic.
“Now me,” she grabbed Trent’s armor, placing it on his back and waiting for it to fully encase him.
“Let’s go,” Trent grasped her hand, leading her out of the changing room, where Sir Seb’Losh and Sir Erio waited, providing two nondescript, brown robes. They slipped them on, Sasha turning to the mirror, finding they now looked anything but noble.
“This way.” They followed Sir Seb’Losh and Sir Erio out of the changing room and down a flight of stairs that lead to the combat tube feeder. In the boarding berths that lined both sides of the aisle within the feeder were Alutia and Empress Guards, locked in, waiting for the combat tube to extend and feed them out in rapid succession, like a chain ammo feeder for an old-fashion machine gun.
Sir Seb’Losh pointed to the front most berth. “Don’t lock in, the berths are meant to hold only one armored guard,” he paused, staring between them both. “Are you sure about this?” he asked sternly. Sasha looked to Trent, who looked to her. They both nodded. “Very well...when the combat tube extends, the feeder will place you in the “barrel”, meaning you both will be in the tube as it extends. Be ready when the door opens, occasionally a pressure difference will cause a vacuum-like effect, which normally is not an issue. But since you will not be locked in, be prepared,” he stared at them both seriously.
“If you are expelled, remember the suits have maneuvering jets for use in zero gravity, but they are also classed for atmospheric use, primarily for deceleration when landing from power assisted jumps. They will only last for a couple seconds before needing recharge, so only activate them at the last possible moment,” Sir Erio told.
“Thank you,” Trent started, then turned to the guards, “Thank you all...”
“And may you all return unharmed.” Sasha finished.
The shuttle shook slightly as it exited the hanger bay. “We're launching, Your Graces, please enter your berth,” Sir Seb'Losh instructed, moving into the berth directly across the aisle. The shuttle shuttered as it entered the atmosphere, the NSD core going offline and the atmospheric thrusters taking hold. Sasha pushed closer to Trent and he her.
“One minute, Your Graces, optics show that the two bound individuals on the landing pad are not Lady Vickie and Sir Georigi,” Captain Daiyu said over the com.
“We will be alright, and we will find him,” Trent whispered.
“Ten seconds, good luck and remember at the first sign of trouble activate the suits to full power mode and escape to the rendezvous,” Sir Seb'Losh instructed just before his combat armor extended its helmet over his head.
Sasha’s nerves began to grate as she started trembling. Trent, seeing this, pushed in for a deep, passionate kiss, pouring all his love through their bond, her anxiety vanishing in its cleansing warmth.
The light inside the boarding berth turned blue. Her feet tried to replace her head as the tube shot out at a tremendous speed, taking her and Trent with it, bridging the 100 meter gap to the landing pad in an instant. The door slid opened and she braced herself. But there was no pull, just a gust of fresh sea air striking her cheeks, filling her nostrils with an aroma one would expect from a seaside paradise, not a desolate desert planet.
Two bound, fully robed figures stood before a group of combat armored guards, wearing robes of green and black, in the center of the small landing pad. Baron Tuhbil stood off to the side by himself, a wide, toothy grin covering his weather beaten features. Trent took the first step out of the tube, with her close to his side.
A laser bolt shot across the sky from a distant rooftop, striking the gorian armored shuttle hovering above. The shuttle easily withstood the blast, but the kinetic energy forced it off balance, causing it to careen away from the landing pad. Sasha fell from the tube, reaching desperately for something to stop her fall. She found a hand, grasping it with all her might.
She stared around in desperation, in search of Trent, finding herself dangling, nothing between her and the ground far below. Somehow, she turned her eyes back towards the swaying shuttle, finding Trent grasping desperately to the edge of the combat tube with one hand, while holding onto her with the other.
The shuttle swayed as it recovered, a primal grunt escaping Trent's lips as he almost lost his grip. Another laser bolt howled across the sky, striking the shuttle again with explosive force, knocking it further away from the landing pad. The tube swung like a pendulum as the shuttle careened, rolling up on its side, and when it tried to recover, the tube swung back down. Trent clenched his teeth, fingers slipping, and she realized the end was neigh.
But he held on, calling forth every ounce of strength his fingers could muster. Then, as if the pilot knew what was about to befall them, the shuttle descended rapidly, trying to bring the tube to the planet's surface.
But it was too late.
Trent's grip slipped free and they were flung through the air, away from the recovering shuttle. Powerful arms wrapped around her as Trent pulled her into a full body embrace. Their momentum sent them crashing through the glass-like barrier that protected the Barrier Oasis Colony and into the scalding hot, howling winds of the Alutia V5432's unforgiving wasteland. They began to tumble wildly, the intense wind tossing them around like they weighed nothing. Trent’s helmet expanded, so she did the same with hers, protecting both her head and hands from the desert heat and spiteful wind.
The desert floor approached at a frightening speed. “Hold on,” Trent’s voice echoed in her mind, born of her BC node. She felt a painful deceleration, “Now! Activate your thrusters!” she didn’t think, activating her suits thrusters a moment before striking the desert's surface.
Everything went dark.
I’m alright, she realized after her mind cleared, having landed much softer then what she would have thought possible after having fallen from over three kilometers in the air. She freed herself from the dune of soft sand in which she was partially submerged.
“Trent!” she called out, unable to see clearly within the swirling dust cloud created by her landing. He didn't respond. She crawled across the dune, searching the soft sand desperately, finding nothing.
“Where are you!” she shouted, sliding down the side of the dune, when her hand struck something solid near the base. A single foot stuck out of the sand, wearing a brown boot she knew to be Trent's. She grabbed it without thought, pulling him free of the sand that encased him with little effort.
He was limp, unmoving. “Trent...oh no,” she cried, placing him carefully on the ground. “Please, my duke,” she ran her fingers over his armor covered cheek, unable to understand why he landed shorter then she, at the base of the dune instead of near its peak.
He decelerated early, she realized when she comprehended why she felt a declaration before he told her to activate her own thrusters. Trent must have activated his early before releasing me, she thought in growing horror, he again trying to protect her with no care for his own safety. Anger transcended her despair as she looked at his combat armored face, forcing her raging emotions through their bond.
“Wake up!” she cried, shaking him. But he didn't respond.
“I said wake up!” she demanded. He shot up, holding his head as if in extreme pain. His helmet retracted and Sasha gasped as she saw his face covered in blood.
“I'm all right,” he whispered, voice hoarse, but his appearance saying otherwise. She studied his scalp, sighing in relief as the wound appeared to be only superficial.
“What were you thinking,” she pushed him back down as her own suit retracted and she climbed on top of him.
“Only of you,” he
responded, words choppy, tears in his eyes.
She calmed. “I'm so happy you're alright, my duke,” she said, relief taking hold, but quickly being replaced by her crushing love for the man that would always make her worry. “Never again. You hear me! If we are both going to die, so be it, don't you dare try to leave me behind,” she scolded, finding concern still mixing with her love.
He placed his hands on her cheeks. “I'm sorry, my love,” he leaned in and kissed her, his blood mixing with her freely flowing tears.
“Did the shuttle make it?” Trent's question brought her back to reality. She looked towards the barrier and saw the glint of their shuttle trading LPA fire with the enemy rooftop positions and assault shuttles that were launching in pursuit.
“Yes, they look to be ok,” Sasha said with noticeable relief, then turned back to Trent and noticed his eyes appeared to be looking at the same sight, but unseeing.
“Trent, what's wrong?” she asked.
“My vision's a little hazy. I...I hit my head pretty hard when I landed...could you help me up?” Trent said, voice unsteady. She carefully helped him to his feet. He swayed and she braced herself at his side.
“Ah...ya.....something isn't right...” His eyes started rolling back into his head.
“Trent! Look at me! Trent!” she forced him to look at her and his eyes stopped, slowly returning to their original position.
“Vin, what's wrong with him?” Sasha asked the Program in her bracelet.
“Grand Duke Trent Alutia's combat armor reports severe damage to multiple sections of the brain. Emergency nanites have been administered. Advise immediate medical treatment,” Sasha felt her heart threaten to explode.
“Vin, can you get in touch with the shuttle, we need to get out of here,” Sasha's voice trembled.
“Planet side communication frequencies are currently being jammed. Unable to contact the shuttle,” Vin laid down their doom. “Please be advised, allowing Grand Duke Trent Alutia to sleep would be inadvisable.” Sasha looked back to Trent, whose eyes had started to droop. She did the first thing that came to mind, leaning in to kiss him deeply. His eyes shot open, but still remained foggy.
The Noble Petty, Complete Edition (Alutia Rising Series, Book 2) Page 41