Alutia Rising

by Craig Gerttula

  "Miss, could you do me a favor? Do you remember the four boys who carried the man into the room earlier?" The young girl's eyes went wide, before nodding crisply.

  "Good, could you go locate and inform them that they are needed in Lady Vickie's apartments?" The young girl stood and attempted a curtsy before running into the hall without a word. A few minutes passed and the four young men entered the room, heads low with blushing faces.

  "You called for us, Your Grace." The nervousness in the lead boy’s voice was noticeable as they bowed awkwardly.

  "Yes, could you please move that table, along with the four chairs into the bedchamber...to the right side of the bed." She pointed to the table against the wall that was currently unused. The boys nodded, quickly completing their assigned task and were about to leave when one of them stopped and stared over at Tiana.

  "Lady Tiana, Tomi has asked what we should do now." Tiana looked up from her play, first at the boy, then to Sasha. Thinking for a moment of the best course of action, Sasha decided to err on the side of caution.

  "Stay in orbit and try to keep as quiet as possible..." She thought for a moment before she gave the next order. "...and keep an eye out for any possible survivors, we may have not been the only ones to escape into orbit." The boys bowed, then quickly left. Sasha turned to the women still playing in the corner.

  "Tiana, go find Regalia and bring her here. Vickie, please join me in your bedchamber." The two women looked at each other like children who were about to be punished, before reluctantly agreeing to her demands. Sasha sighed, returning to the bedchamber and taking the seat closest to Trent's peacefully sleeping form. She ran a hand over his cheek, then grasped his empty hand. Color and warmth had finally started to return and Sasha felt the weight of concern lifting, the constant worry finally beginning to ease. Vickie took a seat across from her, a small smile creeping to her lips. Sasha was about to say something, but decided against it, turning back to Trent as she waited for the other ladies to return.

  Regalia walked in first and paused while looking at Sasha, then ran into her arms. Tiana followed close behind, taking a seat next to Vickie. Sasha held Regalia for a moment, stroking her golden locks, glad to see her young lady-in-waiting safe. After quickly looking her over, nodding to herself that she was, indeed, the same as when she left her...she smiled. Regalia wiped a tear from her eye and took a seat at her side.

  "Well ladies, I will be checking a few messages and I would like your opinions if necessary...which is why I requested your presence. Feel free to request drinks and chat, I will let you know when I need your input." They all nodded and Sasha quickly located a BAP, queued her level one message, ignoring the 2,000 level two messages that she knew contained continued support for Duke Zehman and Sir Simwa.

  "Grand Duchess Sasha Alutia, I hope this message finds you well. Duke Zehman's fleet attempted to penetrate the Earth star system and I'm happy to report he was successfully repulsed. The TSB Fleet engaged in a passing battle with the larger HZBF force, sustaining the most grievous losses. However, their actions slowed the enemy fleet, allowing your Alutia Battle Fleet to arrive before any additional TSB starships were required to be sacrificed.

  "Four ABF battle groups, the two we expected, and two more which had been transferred from the King's Fleet as a gift from your brother, under the command of Knight High-Admiral Baric, successfully entered close range combat with seven battle groups of the Hulk'Zif Battle Fleet. The HZBF forces were taken by complete surprise and almost totally annihilated, with the survivors surrendering.

  "Unfortunately, Duke Zehman's personal super-capital ship retreated before the final battle and was able to escape the system. A small force has been sent in pursuit, but success is unlikely.

  "A report has been received of an occurrence on Earth and we are currently en route to investigate. I hope you will join us once the shuttle I sent arrives at the TSB Fleet Base. I look forward to seeing you safely. Knight Admiral Bhool." The news was better than she ever expected. Little hope did she have that they could defend against the larger HZBF force, their fledging resources only allowing them two trustworthy battle groups. But thanks to her brother's strange definition of...not getting directly involved...they were able to close the gap in firepower and win the day. She would have to make sure to thank him as soon as possible.

  She hastily dictated a message informing Knight Admiral Bhool of their current location and asking her to inform Knight Captain Quinn of the treachery on the TSB Fleet and Earth Bases. She thought of including the information on the HDP in the message, but decided that it would be best to deliver the news of that matter personally.

  "We won." The words came out as soon as she released her node. Tiana grinned, Regalia smiled, and Vickie looked dubious.

  "Is he dead? Did they kill him?" Vickie's voice was like ice and her eyes were filled with fire.

  "Duke Zehman escaped...I do not know about Sir Simwa. I assume he fled to the TSB Fleet Base before Earth Base was destroyed..." Sasha let a vengeful smile cross her lips. "...but do not worry...he will be held personally responsible for everything that has occurred....he will pay." Vickie smiled back, fire raging in her calm, seductive eyes. Sasha turned to Tiana.

  "Could you inform the crew to expect company...it seems my fleet will be arriving shortly." Tiana nodded and stood, rushing from the room. Regalia stood as well.

  "May I join her, Sasha?" Her question was very polite and there was no way Sasha could refuse her.

  "Of course." The young girl smiled and jumped down from her chair, curtseying swiftly before running out behind Tiana. Was it just her or had Regalia seemed happier? She realized it might have to do with spending time amongst children close to her own age, which as she knew, was hard for most noble girls of ruling nobility. She looked to Vickie, who showed the distant look of using her BC node, while smirking evilly.

  "Now Sasha...I hope you do not mind if I refer to you without honorifics?" Vickie still seemed to be talking while using her BC node. It was very impressive and Sasha knew it was extremely difficult to master, usually taking hundreds of years.

  "Not at all...I actually prefer it." responded Sasha, returning a smile she hoped was just as wicked. Vickie laughed as the distant look faded.

  "Good! I requested some drinks. So...it seems you and your boy here have yet to get intimate?" Sasha's jaw dropped as she heard Vickie's sultry tone, which caused another girlish laugh to float through the air.

  "I'll take that as a yes. So let's talk about your first night together. Men really love it when you..." The explanations were so descriptive, and depraved, that Sasha lost herself in Vickie's voice, picturing the words as her heartbeat and breathing ran out of control. A knock broke her free of her delusion and she looked up to see a smiling Tiana at the door.

  "Well, Your Highness, I hate to disturb your fantasy, but it appears they have finally arrived." Sasha looked at Tiana, then to Vickie, who was also beat red and breathing heavy from her own stories, but now staring longingly at Trent.

  "Excellent! Vickie, you shall accompany me!" She stormed out of the room, ignoring the feigned cries of protest from the woman in tow as she marched off to greet her fleet.

  *********

  The images faded as the voices became distant, trailing away as their owners left his side. Trent didn't know what was going on, but he could hear a woman talking with such depravity that it caused his desire to rise uncontrolled. It quickly cooled when the voices vanished, but the memory lingered as he passed into a deep sleep.

  He awoke, again attempting to force his eyes open, but they wouldn't respond. His body felt frozen and his memory a blur. The last thing he remembered was trying to stop those strange creatures from releasing the HDP pod, then overwhelming darkness and pain. He remembered then, his last words, he had failed...failed his true love.

  Realization took him...he must have died, to wander in purgatory for all eternity. It was kind of ironic, he told himself. Having finally found someone
that he felt he could trust unconditionally and only moments later, he died. But if he was dead, why could he still feel and hear? The voices and feelings were distant, as if passing through a veil, but he could swear he was still in his body. As the strange thoughts coursed through his foggy mind, he once again tumbled into sleep's embrace.

  His body shook, breaking him free of his prison of slumber. He was moving and could hear distant voices. A sharp pressure pressed against his neck and suddenly the ice surrounding his body melted, his senses fully returned. His eyes still wouldn't open, but he could clearly make out individual voices and feel the air tumbling across his skin.

  "Are you sure you don't want him tubed? It'll speed up his recovery process substantially." said a gruff female voice he didn't recognize.

  "I understand, but if we can get by without tubing I would prefer that option. He was there with me and he may know something that I missed or have forgotten. So I need him if he awakens." The responding voice was Sasha's, one he would never forget, and raw emotion erupted forth. She was alive...he did not fail her. It took all his will, but he managed to force his eyes open, regretting it immediately as a bright light blinded him. He waited a few moments and started opening them again, but this time...slowly.

  "Alright...if you insist, Your Grace. I have quarters set aside for you and your ladies. I'll find a place for him in the officer's wing." The thought of being separated from Sasha suddenly scared him. Ignoring the pain, he forced his eyes completely open, and tried to speak.

  "No......I will stay with her..." His voice was a pained whisper, but it caused the jostling to stop as his eyes finally cleared. Above him stood Sasha and a hard faced woman whose eyes showed the age her looks did not. Next to her stood a man who he assumed was a doctor, having pulled his eyelid back before flashing a multicolored light within that beeped annoyingly.

  "I'll leave it up to you, Your Grace. But he will need to stay in bed as much as possible for the next month, and I'll need to see him every day during that time." Sasha wasn't looking at the doctor, but staring into Trent's eyes as she nodded. A tear dripped on his face and he painfully raised an arm to wipe away its mate.

  "Bring him to my quarters." Sasha's voice, full of command, made Trent's heart feel at ease. She was a strong woman...his woman.

  "But, Your Grace, this is highly unorthodox and if the rumors spread of you bringing men to your quarters...your reputation could be tarnished." The other woman's tone showed noticeable concern.

  "Do not worry, Knight Admiral Bhool, those rumors, if they start, will not last long." Sasha's voice was warm and the Knight Admiral seemed to read the hidden meaning in her words.

  "As Your Grace commands...I will go ahead and assemble the commanders...we have much to discuss." Knight Admiral Bhool saluted and moved around the apparently floating bed. Sasha grasped his hand and he squeezed weakly back as the bed began moving with a gentle sway. He let his eyes close and the soothing motion caused him to fall back into a peaceful slumber.

  Sudden jostling woke him and his eyes shot open to a dimly lit room fully decorated in a dark red motif, with rose covered crests adorning the doors and walls. Sasha was by the entryway, talking quietly to the man he recognized as the doctor. She looked to be thanking him as he exited, the door sliding shut behind, before she quietly returned to his side, sitting lightly on the bed while placing her hand over his. Trent flushed as he became enamored by her beauty.

  Every part of her caused his heart to race, her long black hair and soft features that begged to be touched, her silky red dress that showed off her perfect curves, as well as a little too much of her breasts. He stared a moment too long at the last part, causing her to grab his chin and turn his eyes to look into her own. He smiled weakly as she leaned in and kissed him. A warmth flowed from the contact and vanished as she removed her lips. He found the same warmth emanated from the touch of her hand, just not as strongly, but enough to make him feel calm.

  "How do you feel?" The question was full of concern and Trent forced another painful smile.

  "Bad...very, very, bad. It feels like something attacked me from the inside..." he breathed heavy, laboring over his words. Sasha put a finger to his lips and he tried to bite it playfully. She giggled.

  "Do you remember what happened?" He shook his head, squinting as it caused his headache to multiply.

  "That seems to be the side effect of the treatment." She pulled back her hand as she spoke, pointing to her bracelet.

  "It seems the Emperors jewelry has antimutagen protocols built in that were able to clear our systems of the spores before it was too late..." She laid a hand on his chest as she continued. "...I was fine after two treatments...since somebody who seems to be trying his best to get himself killed...took the majority of the spores into himself, requiring so many treatments that his body was severely damaged!" Sasha leaned in close, putting her mouth by Trent's ear.

  "Didn't I tell you I wouldn't forgive you if you tried to throw your life away?" she whispered. Trent could hear the pain in her words and attempted to hug her, but his arms barely moved.

  "If me, trying to save your life, is considered throwing it away, then I will gladly do it a million times over." His response was weak, his voice horse, and she suddenly hugged him fiercely, sending waves of pain, intermingling with a calming warmth, through his body.

  "I do not want to lose you...I don't care if it's selfish! But I let you into my heart and I do not think I could bear the pain..." Her trembling voice caused him more grief then he could bear. Struggling against his bucking limbs, he reached his hands around her.

  "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry..." His whispered words overflowed with emotion, with his love, with his caring, and she pulled back, before passionately kissing him while climbing onto the bed, her body embracing him.

  The door suddenly chimed and Sasha released him, a look of wonder in her eyes and a face as crimson as her dress. She climbed off the bed smoothing out imaginary wrinkles while trying to regain her composure. A smirk escaped his lips as he watched her confused embarrassment...she was beautiful.

  "Enter." Her voice squeaked and Trent couldn't suppress a painful laugh. A very light, but painful punch struck his arm in response. Three ladies entered the room and Trent felt himself being pulled back into sleep.

  "Well, well, well...I'm not sure what's redder, Sasha, your face or your dress! What exactly were you doing?" The sultry voice from his dream asked as his consciousness faded and laughter filled the room.

  *********

  "I'm sorry, Your Grace, but I find all of this hard to believe." said Knight High-Admiral Baric with a dismissive wave from his seat at the far end of the table, flanked by his command staff. Once the blockade of Earth was in place, the fleet commanders had gathered on the NHA Super-Capital ABF Alutia to discuss the current situation, and instantly...disagreements arose.

  "It is hard to believe, but are you insinuating that Her Grace is lying?" responded Knight Admiral Bhool, who sat on the left side of the table with Vice-Admiral Sys'Kol, her other ABF battle group commander, and their command staffs.

  "Of course not...it is just that Princess Sasha came in contact with a level one quarantine agent. It is highly possible it may have caused delusions." Sasha had already come to dislike Knight High-Admiral Baric. The man was impossible to deal with and acted as if she was a child playing Grand Duchess.

  "I would have to agree with Knight Admiral Bhool...as farfetched as it might seem, we must take Grand Duchess Sasha's word and act immediately." Sasha looked to her right as Knight Captain Quinn spoke, flanked by Vice Commander Daiyu and the rest of the TSB command staff. She smiled graciously, thanking him for his support.

  "Even so, I will not take the chance of sacrificing my people in an attempt to stop a viral outbreak on an insignificant planet." Knight High-Admiral Baric flipped his hand at the image of the Earth floating high above the large conference table. Sasha sighed and looked to her bracelet.

  "It is a s
hame you do not believe me, but I have a testimony which you will have no choice to believe, Knight High-Admiral Baric." Her voice turned icy as she stared across the table at the man who refused to look her in the eye. She felt hands lightly brush her sides as Tiana and Vickie provided their unspoken support. She placed her left arm across the table before her.

  "This is the Arm of the Emperor, given to those who have received the Emperor's trust..." She paused and let those words settle in. Knight High-Admiral Baric's face turned to stone, but disgust was obvious in his eyes...not the reaction she expected. "...as well as containing what you all know of as a Program." On cue, Vin appeared above the bracelet and a few muffled gasps escaped the assembled officers.

  "Vin, could you provide a complete recount of the events in the cave ...including all restricted information I am at liberty to provide." The sphere suddenly started to ripple and shift colors rapidly, which Sasha had come to suspect meant it was communicating with other Programs.

  "Information release approved, please be advised, all information shared henceforth is restricted and further dissemination shall result in the highest penalty..." A projection of a man appeared above the large PDU situated in the middle of the conference table, replacing the image of Earth. It was Captain Trelic, who started speaking the same story as she and Trent had heard in the lab.

  As she listened, the memory of Trent standing beside her, squeezing her trembling hand, filled her with longing. Suddenly, her vision became foggy as it was sent flying through the massive super-capital ships interior. The ghostly sight stopped over her bed, where Trent slept peacefully, and when she reached out for his cheek, his eyes suddenly shot open.

  "Sasha? Where are you?" He could see her and she tried to respond, but couldn't. A few more seconds past and the sensation to return became too powerful, pulling her away.