The Smuggler's Ascension: The Ties That Died

by Christopher Ingersoll

~14~

  Sabine had long ago reconciled herself to always being the smallest person in any room of adults. Genetics had not been on her side when it came to neither height nor robustness. At just under five feet tall and less than a hundred pounds, it was easy to feel overwhelmed by large people and large places. The Queen’s Honor was no exception.

  The dreadnaught was by far the largest ship in the fleet, excluding its twin back above Purannis, so Sabine was at least mentally aware of the vastness of the ship. However, walking through that ship gave off an entirely different perception, one that did not mesh well with her personal size issues. Initially, she had wanted to walk from the main hanger to the command deck, having grown sick of being endlessly secluded in meeting rooms and secured bunkers.

  The desire to walk and see the ship passed after an hour as the true vastness of the vessel began to dawn on her. When she then considered that her engineers and shipyard crews had built two of these ships in less than a year, she began to feel truly amazed even as her smallness threatened to overwhelm her. She would have to send the shipyards a commendation for their truly monumental achievement, she thought.

  “You ok?” Kristof asked from beside her, giving her a slightly amused look.

  Sabine knew that Kristof knew what she was feeling and she wanted to hit him for calling her out on it. Kristof always seemed to want to make her face her fears and self-consciousness, but right now she was in no mood to deal with it. Events themselves were growing so large now that they just magnified her sense of smallness.

  Nor had she gotten over the things she’d felt on Purannis when the attack had started. In the chaos of events, Kristof and Anasha seemed to have forgotten her bout of sluggishness and dazed sense of time and place. What they hadn’t realized even as she’d said it at the time, was that for some reason she had been able to feel the deaths and injuries of her people as the attack had been underway. It was only once the attack had ended that she’d truly begun to feel like herself.

  It had been a singularly disturbing experience, and Sabine hoped to never feel the like of it again. It was very similar to the times when she had felt Kristof’s torture at the hands of his brother, but magnified exponentially. Once events had settled down, she still hadn’t been able to bring the matter up with her loves. She feared their reaction to knowing she had literally felt the death of millions of people because she wasn’t sure how they would seek to handle it.

  “Yes and no,” Sabine said at last, deciding to ignore Kristof’s unspoken jab at her size insecurity. “I just didn’t really realize how big this ship is, and it makes me feel smaller than usual.”

  “And the rest?” Kristof asked, no longer smiling. “Your thoughts were too intense to be of my calling out your size issues.

  “Damn our bond,” Sabine cursed softly.

  “What’s this?” Anasha asked from behind, as she followed along with Max and two of Sabine’s personal guards.

  “Something happened with her during the attack,” Kristof said knowingly. “Care to fill us in on what exactly all of that was about?”

  “Not here, not now,” Sabine pled as she felt tears threaten as the memory of all she had felt loomed large in her mind. She hated these tears which seemed to come frequently of late, she hated feeling weak, just as she hated feeling small.

  “Ok, my love,” Kristof whispered and gave her hand a squeeze. “It can wait for now.”

  Their quarters aboard the Queen’s Honor were easily as large as the royal apartment they all shared on Purannis. Sabine suspected Stephan’s influence, as the size of the suite was totally unnecessary on a military vessel, even on one the size of a dreadnaught. The vessel had been his gift to her, in a way, so she suspected he had wanted her to feel at home while aboard.

  “What do you think it is that has Stephan rushing us half way across Protectorate space to see?” Anasha asked as they all got settled in.

  “Hopefully it isn’t more fish or seashells,” Kristof moaned in mock despair, causing Sabine to giggle, as had been his intent she was sure.

  “Be nice,” she chided her husband. “Stephan has had his people searching the libraries for ancient legends, just as I had Sir Laurence do. I don’t think Stephan would ask us to come for something trivial.”

  “Let’s hope so,” Anasha said. “We don’t have a lot of time for side trips. I am curious to know why he thinks it may have prompted the attacks, though.”

  “While you all speculate and whatnot,” Kristof said as he rose from his seat, “I am going to go make use of the excellent showers that came equipped in our suite.”

  Sabine watched Kristof walk towards their bedroom, admiring his ass as he went. Anasha shared her gaze, and the two women laughed merrily together once they noticed that they’d done the same thing.

  “Why was Kristof’s ass so amusing?” Max asked after Kristof was out of earshot, and Sabine could not help but fall into gales of laughter even as Anasha joined in. Anasha then patiently explained the situation to Max so that the android wouldn’t ask Kristof later and get a decidedly different outtake on things. Max then proceeded to wander off while muttering about humans and sex, which made Sabine giggle again.

  “I do love that android,” Sabine said once she’d finally calmed herself.

  “As do I,” Anasha agreed with a smile. “What say we go make use of the amenities ourselves, since we have some time?” she then suggested, and Sabine gave her a shy smile.

  Together, the two women walked hand in hand into the bedroom and its large adjoining bathroom, where they found Kristof stretched out in a steaming tub of water.

  “I thought you wanted a shower,” Anasha accused him.

  “I changed my mind,” Kristof answered with a smile. “You’re welcome to join me, of course,” he added with a wink.

  As Anasha helped Sabine undress, Sabine saw the look of desire in Kristof’s eyes as he looked at her, and she was so happy knowing he still found her so attractive even as her body changed with the baby. He held a hand out to her and helped her down into the deep, steaming tub as Anasha undressed behind her and climbed in as well. The tub was huge and easily held them all comfortably as they got settled and relaxed.

  “We need a tub like this at home,” Sabine said with a sigh as the heat of the water relaxed her. “Ours is too small for our more energetic baths.”

  They frequently spent time like this at home, as well, and it was among some of Sabine’s favorite times with her loves even if the tub there was just a bit too small. The heat of the water helped ease the aches and pains of the day away, and she found herself drifting sleepily in the water until Anasha wrapped her arms around her and pulled her close. The water stirred and then Kristof was there before her, hands running up her sides as he kissed her.

  “I love you both so much,” Sabine whispered as she continued to drift in the hot water, the hands of her loves upon her. Their whispered replies of love seemed far away as she lost herself in the heat and the feel of their hands. She could feel her body floating towards the surface of the water as Anasha held her, and then she felt Kristof between her thighs, kissing her and licking her softly.

  Sabine cried out in desire and need, the events of the day at last falling away as her loves banished them in the light of their love for her. All worry and care was forgotten for the moment as she let herself be swallowed whole by their love and passion, and when she felt Kristof enter her she again cried out.

  Anasha held her tightly so she would not fall beneath the water as she whispered her love for Sabine into her ears, and Sabine felt her spirit soar free of her body in the ecstasy of the moment. In that moment she suddenly felt as if she were not alone, but not with Kristof or Anasha exactly, either. There was a sense of a watchful, loving presence much like what she had felt from her mother, and Sabine’s joy exploded even as her body convulsed in orgasm.

  As she came to her senses, Sabine noticed that watchful presence was gone, but she could still feel that sense of love she
had felt from it. Kristof and Anasha had clearly sensed it too, because they gazed at her in wonder.

  “What was that?” Anasha asked in awe.

  “I don’t know,” Sabine said as she wept happy tears. “It felt like my mother used to, though, when I was very young and we were still close.”

  “I was about to say the same,” Kristof added, his voice too filled with wonder.

  “Whatever it was, I know it approved of our union,” Anasha said as she smiled. “I got that much sense of feeling, at least.”

  They left the tub soon after and climbed into bed after drying off, all of them feeling the need of sleep, since the night before had ended in alarms and madness. Sabine pulled Anasha tightly into her embrace while Kristof lay behind her and wrapped his arms around Sabine to embrace Anasha as well. Anasha placed a hand on Sabine’s stomach and smiled as she sought out the baby’s sense and shared it with Sabine and Kristof. They fell asleep that way, as a family.

  ~15~

  Oceanus had taken quite a bit of damage, Kristof saw as their shuttle descended towards the city. The clean lines of the coral and shell constructions were marred by laser scoring, smoke damage, and several districts were ravaged still by fires and explosions. The wreckage of Clovani ships in orbit had spoken of the fierceness in which the people of Durani had defended themselves, however.

  Sabine and Anasha sat behind Kristof as the shuttle circled towards its landing pad, chatting quietly about the events of the previous evening. The sense of joyous watchfulness they had all sensed as they made love had definitely made an impression, and they were eager to decipher what it meant. To Kristof, that sense of family had been strong, even as it had felt unfamiliar. It was a curious dichotomy, but not one he felt was very pressing at the moment. Stephan’s cryptic message to them was more on his mind as the shuttle touched down.

  Kristof wondered, not for the first time, what Stephan could have found to ask them to come to Durani during such a chaotic time. The death toll was still climbing on Purannis in the aftermath of the Clovani attack, and the morning’s meal had been a somber affair as Admiral Raekis delivered the latest numbers. The only good news to come from the report was that the orbital station had been completely stabilized now and the fires onboard had been extinguished.

  Stephan waited for them as the ramp descended, and Kristof watched as Sabine rushed to embrace the man. The Grand Duke did not seem to be faring well since the death of his wife weeks before in another attack initiated by the Clovani. His eyes had a hollow look to them that spoke of many sleepless nights, and his features seemed a bit gaunt as if he had not been eating either. Added to his misery was now the disaster which had befallen his corner of the Protectorate.

  “Are things on Purannis as bad as we’ve been hearing?” Stephan asked as Sabine released him.

  “Probably worse,” Kristof replied as he shook Stephan’s hand. “The news nets aren’t releasing the full details yet, since we don’t want the Clovani to know just how badly we got hit in case they decide to make a return trip. Foria was hit by a mass launcher, though.” The look on Stephan’s face was enough to know he understood just how bad things were on Purannis.

  “So what have you found that you thought needed us here now,” Sabine asked quietly as they made their way to a waiting limousine that would carry them through the city in some measure of security. Security on Durani was at high alert still, just as on Purannis. “And what makes you this it was the cause of these attacks?”

  “Our researchers found several references to the Triad search term you gave me,” Stephan said as the city swept past them. “One enthusiastic researcher was down in the catacombs searching for old manuscripts when he found a sealed chamber that had been hidden behind an antique bookcase filled with old scrolls. It was shortly after we broke the seal on the chamber that the first attacks began. I checked the records before I sent you my message, and Durani had been attacked before Purannis.””

  “An odd action if the Empire were merely bent on revenge. What was in that chamber?” Anasha asked curiously.

  “That, my lady, is why I asked you all here,” Stephan replied. “It is perhaps best seen first rather than spoken of. The questions can come after.”

  Kristof felt a touch of annoyance at Stephan’s cryptic answers, but decided against forcing the issue. They would find out soon enough, he told himself. Instead, he watched the scenery pass and took in the damage from the Clovani attack, and he chalked it up as more that Korvan and Karina would answer for. It seemed absurd that his brother was the Emperor of the Clovani Empire now, though him being Karina’s puppet made more sense. Karina had always been a good manipulator.

  The limo brought the group to the Temple of Atillus, which Kristof had not expected. The Temple featured countless fluted columns and majestic arches engraved with ocean scenes. The main entrance’s golden doors were flanked by two giant mermen armed with golden tridents. Sabine’s guard formed up around them as they made their way inside. The Temple also showed some signs of damage, as well as a burned out shield generator nearby. The attack must have been fierce here, Kristof thought, which gave some credence to Stephan’s theory.

  “Most of the ancient religious texts that we possess are stored in the Temple,” Stephan explained as they made their way inside. The main cathedral of the temple was also done in columns and arches that circled around a large pool in the center of the room, its waters a deep blue in color.

  One of the Temple priests arrived to guide them through the non-public areas of the Temple, and they soon began to descend countless numbers of steps hewn in a graceful spiral downward into the stone of the island that the city of Oceanus had grown around. The air grew cooler as they descended and Kristof saw Sabine shiver a time or two.

  Near the bottom of the deep stairwell they came to a large chamber filled with row upon row of aisles again hewn from the stone of the island. Each aisle had many small alcoves cut into the rock. Some of these alcoves held scrolls or books, as well as artifacts of unknown purpose. Other alcoves, though, held the long desiccated remains of people who had been mummified and interred here.

  “These are crypts, not just catacombs,” Anasha said in shock.

  “A peculiar custom of the times back then,” Stephan explained. “The people of antiquity here valued knowledge, and would often inter their scholars with their works when they passed away. Come, our destination is not far now.”

  Stephan took the lead as the priest remained behind, and the guards were directed to remain behind as well so that it was just Kristof, Sabine, Anasha, and Stephan who proceeded deeper into the crypt. Max started to object, but fell silent as Kristof gave him a look that plainly stated that this wasn’t the time or place to discuss it.

  The crypt had become colder as they went, and Kristof removed his jacket and wrapped it around Sabine’s shoulders as she began to shiver more. She gave him an appreciative smile as they went, and that was enough to warm him in return. Anasha had worn her Su’Tani uniform, so Kristof knew that she was plenty warm, but he gave her a hug anyway. They shared a quick kiss before parting.

  At last Stephan led them into a chamber that had quite obviously been recently opened for the first time in centuries, if not longer. A quick look showed him that Max was still within sight behind them, which meant the android would see and hear all that happened in the room. Turning to take in the chamber, Kristof immediately saw why Stephan had insisted on them seeing the room before he told them anything.

  Before them lay a small replica of a temple room similar to the main chamber far above them. Rather than being laid out in a circle, however, this temple replica was arranged in a triangle. At each point of the triangle stood a large replica of what Kristof could only assume were Gods. Two of the Gods were male, while the third was a Goddess. Each replica stood three feet tall, while the walls of the temple replica reached only two feet in height and were constructed of exquisitely carved columns and arches.

  The details o
f the two Gods and the Goddess were also exquisitely done. The first that Kristof came to seemed familiar to him, and with shock he realized that it was the Phoenix God, only in a more human appearing form. His features were strong and proud, if maybe a touch arrogant, and Kristof felt it captured the God he knew very well.

  The second God was not recognizable to them. His features were slender and a touch haunted in appearance, though he too seemed powerful in his own way. The Goddess was beautiful, they saw, as her hair flowed down over her bare shoulders. Each God and Goddess had their arms outstretched to each other, following the lines of the temple walls.

  As Kristof took in more details of the temple, a second triangle could be seen tiled into the floor of the temple, but this triangle was inverted to the main floor plan, so that its points touched the center of each wall around it. There were three robed and hooded figures at each point of the inner triangle, giving no clues to the sex of each.

  “This is amazing,” Anasha whispered after a time. “Unless I am mistaken, the smaller hooded figures are meant to be us. We are seeing another Triad here, perhaps the original.”

  Kristof nodded in agreement, having already come to the same conclusion.

  “Who are the two Gods and the Goddess, then?” Sabine asked quietly as she walked around the replica, taking in every detail as she went.

  “The proud one is the Phoenix God, unless I am mistaken,” Kristof said just as quietly.

  “You are correct,” Stephan said. “His name in the old texts is Pyreus, and it had been his charge to tend to the stars of the heavens to ensure their long lives. The second God you also know well. His name in the texts is Azrael, and he was the warden of the Underworld, charged with seeing to the souls of the people in garden of the afterlife.”

  “This is Death?” Anasha asked in disbelief as she stood before the slim God’s statue. “The Underworld is no garden, it is a misery of pain except for within the Hall of Heroes. Nor does Death look like this.”