Alutia Rising

by Craig Gerttula

  The image finally faded as the battle concluded, a wounded Trent chasing the injured krakllian into the metallic building. The large white room reappeared and another verbal battle ensued, but quickly ended with Sir Simwa as the losing party. She listened intently to Trent's recollection of the fight and was a little concerned about his nonchalant attitude towards alcohol, noting to herself that she would need to scold him, and then quickly discarded the thought, wondering where it came from. The questions about the krakllian ended and the conversation in the image began to move on when Guard Lieutenant Lia'Sil interrupted, bringing Sasha out of her thoughts.

  "Your Grace, can we pause the record?" The image suddenly froze and the Program responded.

  "Please query any questions." They looked at each other in surprise before Lia'Sil began.

  "Is the battle with the krakllian the reason Trent is being recommended for the Star of Terra?" Sasha had a momentary lapse when she realized that was the official reason for the displaying of the record.

  "TSB Lieutenant Trent’s actions during phase one of the recruitment trial are not the reason for the recommendation of the Star of Terra. Decision to include was based on the requirement of character in the guidelines for the rewarding of the Star of Terra." the Program answered.

  "So let me get this straight. TSB Lieutenant Trent is presently going through the recruitment process to join the Terra Space Battalion...and the first phase is to battle a krakllian with your bare hands?" Tiana spoke in disbelief, showing she had been listening more intently then the suddenly embarrassed Sasha.

  "For native adult Earthlings, yes, they must face a dangerous species such as the krakllian." the monotone voice replied.

  "What would have happened if he failed?" Sasha asked with trepidation.

  "He would have been destroyed." the Program responded and Sasha could swear she heard a hint of emotion. The idea had suddenly frightened her and she wanted to know more, again ignoring the real reason for the record.

  "How many people die during phase one?" she asked the question without thinking, realizing as she voiced it that it really wasn't important. The Program seemed to consider before answering.

  "99.9765 percent are terminated during the first phase." Sasha almost gasped, but was able to hold it in. They had been recruiting for hundreds of years and the numbers killed during that time could only be staggering. She looked at the two other women to see their response and if they had any other questions. But both sat stone faced, no questions materializing. The Program, taking the silence as approval to continue, restarted before Sasha had a chance to speak.

  The record moved on and Sasha paced as she listened to Trent talk about his latest relationship, for some reason finding the entire thing bothered her immensely. Unmitigated anger began rising as he delved into his time together with the woman named Samantha, but faded just as fast when she heard him talk about how the relationship ended. Tears came suddenly as she felt his sadness, wanting to jump into the record and hug him close, but she was able to hold back, both the tears and the inexplicable urge to hug him. Then, as the rollercoaster of emotions continued, anger took over as she listened to Knight Captain Quinn read the life ending report that was caused by that fickle woman. The Guard Lieutenant raised her hand to interrupt just as it looked like Sir Simwa was also about to speak, the image froze.

  "I'm a little confused at the point of this. It seems cruel to subject him to recalling these events." Sasha agreed with Lia'Sil and waited intently for the explanation.

  "Phase two of the enlistment trial was established to test the bonds and loyalty of the candidate to their past life. Candidates are presented with a simulation of a time when they may have been content or happy. If they fail to leave the obvious forgery behind, they are disposed of." Sasha shivered at the thought and the question came once again of its own volition.

  "How many candidates fail phase two?" The answer came quicker this time.

  "99.98 percent of candidates that pass phase one, fail phase two." Sasha shook her head in disbelief as she asked her next question.

  "What was Trent's simulation?" She was scared to hear the answer.

  "TSB Lieutenant Trent was presented the time before he found out about his lovers betrayal. He was able to see through the fabrication within the set time and passed phase two." the Program responded. Sasha sighed, quickly suppressing her second question about exactly what happened.

  The image unfroze to Sir Simwa stating he believed the fabricated report over Trent's version. The next few moments happened too fast for Sasha to grasp the entire situation. TSB Lieutenant Daniel raised the fact that it was impossible for Trent to lie and proved it by having him tell a lie, setting off the Program's truth protocol. Then, Sir Simwa lost all semblance of composure, claiming that Trent was trash and should be disposed of, drawing his laser arc in the process. The discharged laser bolt was knocked off target by a charging Knight Captain Quinn, which caused it to hit the back of Trent's chair, sending it tumbling. Trent rolled free, but the chair slammed into the Vice Commander who was rushing to his side while screaming a command Sasha didn't recognize. The Knight Captain had Sir Simwa pinned and almost under control, when a wild eyed Lieutenant Daniel dove to help, knocking him off balance. Sir Simwa took this opportunity to regain control of his laser arc and take aim at his only clear target...the unconscious Vice Commander Daiyu. Then, without any concern for himself, Trent dove across the floor, barely making it in time to push the Vice Commander out of the way as the laser bolt burned through the location she'd been a second earlier, disintegrating both of Trent's arms. Sasha gasped in horror and Tiana screamed. The image had zoomed to provide a close up of Trent's heroic action, but also presented a grizzly view of his arms being disintegrated and the cloud of blood that filled the air. Tiana was looking at the floor covering her face with both hands. Guard Lieutenant Lia'Sil face was white as she held her gaze on the image, and Sasha was furious...how dare Sir Simwa do that to Trent!

  The record continued to move, Sir Simwa was knocked unconscious by Knight Captain Quinn, who quickly rushed to Trent's side. Lieutenant Daniel soon followed, then hurried out of the scene, returning with what appeared to be a medical kit. As the two men began administering first-aid, the image faded and the Program's sphere once again appeared.

  "Well, I guess that answers all our questions. Sir Simwa was definitely responsible...no matter what he told Duke Zehman." Lia'Sil stated what Sasha already knew.

  "Is he alive? Did he live?" Tiana had tears in her eyes as her voice shook, asking the question Sasha held on the tip of her own tongue.

  "TSB Lieutenant Trent was in stable condition when the Program was requested to keep additional information about his status restricted." the monotone voice replied.

  "Why is it restricted?" Sasha's voice was like ice.

  "It was deemed appropriate due to security concerns. The Program agreed and his current status is restricted." Sasha wanted to demand the information, but she knew since the request for the Star of Terra was not delivered as postmortem, he had to be alive.

  Her mind ticked as she thought about what she'd just witnessed. Sir Simwa's actions didn't make sense...was the man really that unstable that he would try to murder someone in cold blood? No, she thought, it must be something else...but what? Sasha was about to ask the others for input when the memory of TSB Vice Commander Daiyu's message resurfaced. A conspiracy she had mentioned, but never elaborated.

  Sasha gasped, the last piece falling into place. Trent must have, by chance, been caught in an elaborate scheme to bring about events to allow for the destruction of Knight Captain Quinn, and possibly the TSB, by creating a situation that Duke Zehman could immediately respond too, with guns blazing.

  Sasha looked hard at her two companions, first at the now composed Tiana, who smiled weakly, then to Guard Lieutenant Lia'Sil, whose face had regained its color and now stared expectantly at Sasha. It took her only a few moments to make a decision that she knew would
shake up the galaxy.

  "Tiana, Lia'Sil, I believe that there is a conspiracy in progress within my new Duchy." She raised her hand to the women to stave off any questions, turning to the sphere.

  "Will I still have access to this record after the decision has been made on the awarding of the Star of Terra?" she asked the question with growing confidence in her fledging decision.

  "This Program has been assigned to integrate into the NHA Shuttle ABF Princess One and all data contained within will be accessible to Grand Duchess Sasha Alutia, including the records presented at today's proceeding." Sasha was surprised at what this meant, but she couldn't get side tracked. She needed to present her decision before she had a chance to reconsider.

  "I am sorry, but my decision may cause you both great distress in the future..." Tiana suddenly beamed and Guard Lieutenant Lia'Sil flew to her feet...apparently Sasha's comment gave away her unprecedented decision.

  Sasha opened her stance, put her hands on her hips and looked directly at the sphere...feeling like an ancient queen from Planet Origin about to hand down her almighty judgment.

  "I, Grand Duchess Sasha Alutia, after hearing the evidence in the request to award the Star of Terra commendation to TSB Lieutenant Trent Marcello, have decided, without doubt, that the reward is justified. I approve of the request and bestow all additional honors that the Star of Terra award entails." the Program beeped acknowledgment.

  "Response received and logged." It was done, and whatever the repercussions, she would deal with them, having no regret. She turned to Lia'Sil, knowing speed was now of the essence.

  "Dictate a message to Knight Admiral Bhool, have her prepare to change course to the Alutia Duchy immediately and find out what other battle groups we have available. Have them meet us where the Knight Admiral deems appropriate." She ignored the dazed Guard Lieutenant and turned to Tiana.

  "I have about 160 messages from nobles supporting Sir Simwa and Duke Zehman. Go over each one and find out if any have relation to Knight Captain Quinn or the old Earl of Tl'Doom...anything else that may help us figure out what exactly is going on." Tiana was staring wide eyed at Sasha, about to complain, but Sasha headed her off.

  "Use the Program to help, it should be able to provide you with additional information on the local political situations." Tiana closed her mouth, content with Sasha's response, but still looking dubious.

  "I need to write a message to Duke Zehman, informing him of my knowledge of the lies of Sir Simwa, and have him remove his fleet, without question, to his own Duchy...as well as write Knight Captain Quinn and have him place Sir Simwa under official arrest. I also need to let my father know about what is going on, as well as my suspicions, and apologize for missing my official transfer ceremony..." As she trailed off, unable to continue voicing her racing thoughts...the sight of her catillian sitting on the table staring at the floating fluidic sphere, caught her eye, the sign that her torment had finally come to an end.

  "And someone bring me some clothes!"

  Chapter 8

  The shuttle vibrated as it passed through yet another correction gate, reaffirming its trajectory as it approached the TSB Fleet Base. Daniel glanced passed the still sleeping Lieutenant Cody, catching a glimpse of tiny flickers in the distance darkness, amplified by the project viewport, as the faded sunlight reflected off the billions of metallic and icy inhabitants of the Earth star systems inner asteroid belt.

  They were close to arrival and Daniel felt his nerves on edge. So he returned his attention to the small PDU that projected a tiny list of topics a few inches before his hand. Scrolling through the thousands of options, he stopped on a subject he was already familiar with, the TSB Fleet and Base Information Guide for New Recruits. Tapping the topic, thinking a little nostalgia trip might calm his nerves, caused the small list to morph, then expand before his eyes. He selected section one, TSB Fleet base, An Introduction, sat back and started to skim the text that scrolled before him.

  The first chapter spoke of the history of the TSB fleet base, mainly focusing on the design and placement, stating that NHA engineers had decided to think to the future, knowing the people of Earth might eventually develop technology that would allow them to detect anomalies throughout the star system. This made it necessary for any freely visible object, such as the TSB fleet base, to be built a substantial distance from Earth, as well as being integrated into already existing natural features. The original choice had been to place the base just outside the star system, in what the Earthlings referred to as the Kuiper Belt. But this was found to be inefficient due to the transit time to Earth and the undetected intrusions by unknown nobles that jeopardized the TSB's mission. So the original fleet base was converted to a transit station, and a new fleet base was constructed in an ideal location, the inner asteroid belt.

  A small dwarf planet, called Ceres, was chosen and the new fleet base was constructed within its surface. During the construction phase the surrounding area had to be cleared of all debris, including any asteroids that may accidently collide with the new fleet base. But this created another problem. Removing such a large number of asteroids formed a noticeable gap that any keen eyed observer could detect from Earth. So to simulate the proper look of an asteroid belt, a unique spacecraft was designed, called the automated protection ship, or AP Ship, which looked similar to an asteroid and was placed in the large gaps created during construction. These small ships would not only protect the TSB Fleet Base from any wandering debris, but were also used to form starship lanes for easy access by TSB starships.

  Inside the base were all the standard required fleet facilities, along with the TSB Command, Officer, and General Training Schools. It had originally been built to house all 20,000 or so TSB personnel required to man the fleet. But according to the text, this idea was quickly scrapped based on logistics and the problems with nobility using the supply ships to sneak past the defenses. Daniel found the reasons provided suspect, since the TSB Supply Ships were manned by TSB personnel. He thought it was more likely political, since it would have been simple to build a food production facility within the fleet base and avoid the weekly supply ship deliveries all together. But as he'd learned during his years in the TSB, logic rarely swayed the decisions of the nobility, and trying to understand why anyone would think it was safer to house the TSB personnel on Earth instead of the fleet base, was a useless exercise. So instead, he quickly moved on to the next section.

  A retrofit and automated starship construction facility was also integrated into the TSB Fleet base design. This was required since when new technology was developed and rolled out by the NHA Ship Design and Research Group, or SDRG, the TSB was also required to upgrade or construct ships of the same designs. This was due to a mandate passed early in the NHA's existence and stated that all NHA starships had to follow a strict guideline for construction, meaning any customization was illegal. Daniel had learned the reason for this regulation was to head off any enterprising nobles who might consider increasing their power, or more likely rebel, by researching and developing new, unique starships. So instead, to handle all starship related design projects, the Emperor created the small SDRG.

  The unintended result, as all TSB officers were taught, was the stagnation of starship technology. Over a 50,000 year period, before the war with the Anti-Sapien Unification, starship designs were only changed twice, once to add new medical bays and a second time to redesign the hull to account for the smaller, more efficient Neutron Star Drive. This lack of upgrades and new designs was mainly due to the fact that only a few hundred people were allowed to join the SDRG, which led membership to become highly coveted...meaning that nobles, with more connections then brains, ended up filling the majority of the positions available. It wasn't until the great war with the ASU, and the loss of half of all NHA starships, that the Emperor of the time finally realized a need for major change. This led to a significant realignment of the SDRG, doubling its size and adding common members based on intelligence. The
results were noticed immediately, with rapid releases of new starship technology, designs, and updates on a yearly basis. Daniel sighed, wishing wistfully that he could be one of these carefree and powerful nobles, before returning his attention to the floating text.

  The next few sections were too dull even for his taste, so he skipped ahead to the fleet information section, noticing immediately that it had been updated since he last read the manual, 13 years earlier. The first section covered standard operations and fleet assignments. The TSB kept 20 specialized Electronic Warfare, or EW, frigates and two TSB battle groups on active duty at all times, with eight battle groups and 80 EW frigates in reserve. These forces were regularly rotated to allow all personnel a chance to be on starship duty for at least two months every year. Daniel knew this was barely sufficient in space training time, but the specialized TSB battle groups, which were organized differently from standard NHA battle groups, could not be operated indefinitely for, again, reasons Daniel did not completely understand. He assumed it was the work of the noble logic, since the text didn't provide an explanation for this anomaly. Luckily, the smaller TSB battle groups did not have the same formation requirements as the NHA battle groups, which required almost constant training to master and use in combat. This was mainly due to the different configurations. A standard NHA battle group consisted of 1 super-capital ship, 2 capital ships, 4 dreadnaughts, 4 battleships, 6 cruisers, 12 corvettes, 20 frigates, and usually around 10 supply ships, responsible for general resupply and food cultivation. While the TSB battle groups consisted of 2 battleships, 4 cruisers, 4 corvettes, and 10 frigates, specialized for high speed interception.

  Daniel smirked when he read the small passage about the TSB flagship, a dreadnaught named the TSB Reverie. It was common knowledge that the starship had been an unintended parting gift from Knight Captain Quinn's old earldom. The officers, with support of the crew, had refused to return to their previous duty, instead, choosing to defect to the TSB. There had been no repercussions at the time since King Johan was more concerned with the multitude of angry nobles who were still crying for the Knight Captains head.