The look on her face made him forget everything. Her face contorting in horrible sadness...sobbing tears flowing down her cheeks...it was real...they were dead...everyone on Earth was dead. He embraced her tightly, ignoring the pain as the two of them collapsed to the floor, crying in each other's arms. A distant voice filled the air that Trent could barely hear...but could clearly understand.
"All starships pursue the butchers! Aim for their drive cores! Leave no survivors!" Knight Admiral Bhool's voice trailed off in his mind. Yes...leave no survivors...it's the only gift they could give the souls of the billions of men, women, and children who had just perished at the whim of a madman.
*********
The screams of disbelief and horror burned into Daniel's mind as the image of the Earth being sucked into the singularity created by the planet killer filled the bridges CID.
"Engine's full and try to stay together!" They were too close, he knew...the immense gravity well created by the planet killer would suck them in. But they fought against their fates, the remaining starships of the TSB fleet, minus the TSB Reverie, which was sacrificed while the crew sang of honor over life through the TSB communication channel. Better them, he thought to himself, as the TSB Ero'Cia shook and bucked, trying to avoid the inevitable fate of being sucked to their deaths.
The shaking suddenly stopped as the singularity fully collapsed, leaving most of the remaining TSB starships intact. It was over and he survived.
"All starships pursue the butchers! Aim for the drive cores! Leave no survivors!" The order broke over all communication channels. Daniel felt anger boil forth...it should be over, why should more lives be needlessly sacrificed?
"Helm, you heard the Knight Admiral, fall into a pursuit course! Tactical, continue firing at will! I want all their heads!" Primal fury filled Captain Anysi's voice and Daniel cursed under his breath as he analyzed the tactical display. The enemy had immediately started retreating after they fired the planet killers, but most were still well within weapons range.
The TSB and remaining ABF starships began falling into a staggered formation, while the enemy ABF starships were still spread out, trying to accelerate away as fast as possible, while staying on a rendezvous course. This allowed the TSB and ABF starships to concentrate their fire to lethal effect.
"Fire plasma cannon!" He punched the fire icon and a wall of plasma accelerated across space, catching an unsuspecting capital ship that tried to maneuver at the last minute. But it was too late, its ESS failed and the starship broke apart, the collapsing containment making sure there were no survivors.
A few of the screening enemy corvettes and frigates suddenly started decelerating, lowering their energy shield's while spinning...the sign for surrender. Daniel winced as the ships exploded, more LPA beams then required slicing through the surrendering enemy hulls. It wasn't that Daniel cared about the men and women onboard those ill-fated starships, but it did seem a little extreme to blame these small vessels for what their commanders had done.
The rest of the smaller ships, having witnessed the destruction of their surrendering fellows, suddenly broke away, accelerating at full speed in the opposite direction of the formations of death that pursued them. All thoughts of rendezvousing lost, leaving the larger starships to retreat on their own, unprotected.
Two battleships and a dreadnaught turned, bringing their plasma cannons to bear, deciding against continued retreat. The battle was over before it began, plasma beams from the friendly ABF capital ships tearing through the dreadnaught as the smaller starships concentrated fire on the two battleships. The return fire caught two friendly ABF cruisers and four frigates, breaking through energy shields, cutting the hulls to pieces like they didn't exist. One lucky cruiser veered off at the last minute, falling out of formation, heavily damaged.
The battle continued for almost an hour as the larger starships that couldn't escape were hunted down, one by one, until all that remained was the last enemy super-capital that had left the standard system plane, hoping to put itself out of weapons range as its fellows were destroyed. It almost succeeded, but the TSB and ABF fleet were able to match the change of course and stay within max weapons range.
The battle was fierce as streams of LPA beams shot across space. But the outcome was already decided. The super-capitals ESS failed as the torrent of LPA fire continued unabated, slicing her to pieces. A lucky shot caught the neutron star drive and the ship imploded...all hands lost.
Daniel sighed as the last of the targets faded from his display. It was over and he was alive. The thought of shouting in joy vanished as the men and women around him started breaking down in tears.
"Helm, set course for TSB Fleet Base. The rest of you are dismissed, get some rest." Captain Aysi's words were void of all emotion, the fire of the past five hour battle having burned out. A hand gripped his shoulder and he looked up at the stone cold gaze of Lt.-Commander Xi.
"You will come with me." Her voice was unreadable, causing Daniel to cringe, knowing that whatever anger she felt, would be felt by him. He stood and walked slowly behind her, resigned to his current fate, but knowing now that the Earth was gone, the TSB would soon follow. Smirking at the thought, he started thinking of a going away present, one that would destroy the man responsible for everything...even, in his mind, the destruction of Earth...Trent.
*********
The shaking had subsided hours before and Tiana reluctantly kept herself from going in search of Sasha. Vickie said that once everything was resolved they would return to the apartments, but Tiana started thinking the worse. She really should go check the medical bay, she told herself. Unfortunately, Regalia was still curled up in her lap and she didn't have the heart to wake the young girl who had cried herself to sleep. She sighed, resigning herself to wait, glancing at Vickie who was accessing her BC node.
The door slid open and Sasha, along with a woman Tiana recognized as TSB Vice Commander Daiyu, half carried Trent through the door...he looked worse than Tiana remembered. She gently removed Regalia, with Gil'Da's assistance, laying her on the couch and ran over with Vickie, Gil'Da and Til'Ma to help Trent into bed. Once he was seated the two servants took over and the ladies removed themselves to the door.
"Thank you, Daiyu. I know you did not want to leave the Knight Captain in his state." Sasha spoke to the Vice Commander as a friend, which caused Tiana to tilt her head in confusion.
"Getting Trent to bed was of far greater importance, Your Grace. I've sent for the Medical Officer and he should be arriving once the medical bay calms down." Daiyu's voice was distant, like she was talking in a dream. She saluted with a shaky hand, giving one more sidelong glance at Trent, and exited the room. Sasha suddenly fell to her knees, causing Tiana to release a surprised gasp and kneel at her side, placing an arm around her.
"Sasha, what's wrong?" The question came suddenly and the look in Sasha's eyes told her she didn't want to know.
"They did it...we tried to stop them...but they still did it..." It looked as if Sasha was about to cry, but no tears showed, her eyes already puffy and red.
"...Earth is gone." It felt like the breath was suddenly knocked out of her. She remembered hearing Knight High-Admiral Baric say he was going to destroy the Earth, but she hadn't really believed him, thought it was some sort of bluff. Who could sacrifice so many people so calmly? Tiana knew who...a monster that was now dead thanks to Trent.
She quickly embraced Sasha, who'd started staring at the floor, and her eyes caught Vickie's. They gradually helped her to her feet and brought her to the washroom. Sasha obliged, like a giant doll, as the two women washed her, brushing out her hair and removing her dress and jewelry. They carefully slid her into a nightgown and escorted her to the bed, like an overtired child, and helped her in, next to Trent. She wiggled to Trent's side, wrapping her arms around him and burying her head in his chest...within moments, sleep had overtaken her. Tiana quickly moved to the door, turning to the Alutia Battleguard on duty.
"No o
ne is to disturb her Grace unless it's the Medical Officer." The Battleguard nodded as he saluted, moving in front of the door. She turned and followed the other ladies who had quietly exited to the adjacent room. Sitting quietly next to Vickie, who nodded with a distant look, they silently watched Til'Ma and Gil'Da lay Regalia to bed, still having trouble believing what had transpired. But she did know one thing...they needed help...and fast.
Thinking of no other options, she gathered her courage and accessed her BC node, preparing a message to the only person she could trust.
"Mother, we need you...."
Chapter 24
Two-weeks had passed since the TSB and Alutia Fleets had been devastated ...and the Earth...destroyed. Sasha glanced over her shoulder at the stone faced Sir Seb'Losh, who was scanning the crowd of TSB and ABF personnel mingling in the large banquet hall, even more vigilant then when she'd banished him on a fool's errand.
To her surprise, he had arrived with her guardian, Tiana's mother, Countess Liana, and 20 Tidelia Battle Fleet battle groups a day after the faithful battle. Sasha smiled at the memory of the emotional reunion. Tiana had cried, for what seemed like hours, in her mother's arms as Sasha told the story of what had befallen. Countess Liana, after hearing the full story, was prepared to storm the Hulk'Zif Duchy, without hesitation, to bring Duke Zehman to justice. But cooler heads prevailed and the Countess agreed to wait until a larger force became available.
Sasha smiled at the memory of what happened next, and thanked the NHA mandate that allowed Marks and Earldoms that contained paradise worlds to maintain their own fleets. Duke Zehman, unfazed by the loss of seven HZBF battle groups, assembled another small fleet and returned for revenge. But his attack was short lived, being forced to retreat at the sight of the larger Tidelia force. Countess Liana, again restrained from pursuing Duke Zehman into the Hulk'Zif Duchy, dispersed her fleet, sending them to the four jumpgate hubs that allowed access to and from the Alutia Duchy, blockading all traffic until the situation had been sorted and calmed. She glanced kindly at the older woman, seated a few places to her left, containing a laugh as she watched her try to convert another for her crusade against Duke Zehman.
Knight Admiral Quinn, a newly appointed ABF battle group commander, sat with a dubious look on his face as Countess Liana explained her plan to storm the Hulk'Zif Duchy's capital planet. Sasha let slip a smile, seeing Tiana sitting next to her mother, blushing furiously from embarrassment. Regalia sat at her side, oblivious to the heated discussion to her left, playing with the salty black eggs that she'd been told were a delicacy of Earth. Vickie's seat lay empty, again, so Sasha scanned the crowd and easily found the woman, in a skimpy violet dress that was popular on Tidelia, talking with a young TSB Lieutenant that looked vaguely familiar....she was up to her old tricks.
The decommissioning banquet for the TSB was held after a day of ceremony in honor of those who lost their lives during the Battle of Earth...which encompassed both the clash with Duke Zehman, and the latter with Knight High Admiral Baric. She frowned as the names brought visions of the men she hated, causing a shiver to creep up her spine.
One thing had become certain during the two weeks following the battle, Duke Zehman and Knight High-Admiral Baric had powerful allies. She received personal messages from at least 10 dukes stating she was now an enemy of the New Universal Empirical Human Alliance and that if she or any of her starships entered their duchies, they would be detained for the offense of capital murder. Of course, most of these duchies were loyal to Duke Zehman and Hulk'Zif, more so then the crown. But the rest were friends of Knight High-Admiral Baric's family whose father, to Sasha's chagrin, was the King of galaxy two and sister to Princes Xeros, wife of Prince Kohan, her brother, and the future Queen of Galaxy 189. The letter Sasha sent to her own brother, while she was still flush with anger, had not been returned, nor her pleas for her father to punish Duke Zehman.
It almost appeared that she was alone in a sea of enemies...besides Countess Liana of course. But there were some signs of hope. A few messages arrived from dukes and duchesses that seemed to know of Duke Zehman and Knight High Admiral Baric's reputations. The letters contained offers of trade to help her build her fleets, in return for...a smile broke her lips when she remembered the short message...gorian alloy, an extremely rare substance that when converted to programmable matter was able to withstand plasma beams. Of course, to waste such a valuable alloy on a starship was unheard of since the engineering and private uses were where it was expected to be allocated.
From the short message she'd received, informing her of the previously hidden deposit, told of Duke Zehman having discovered the largest gorian deposit ever found in the known universe, along with a previously undiscovered paradise world, right in the middle of the newly formed Alutia Duchy. This would make Alutia, after payments to the crown and emperor, one of the richest duchies in the entire universe. Sasha smirked and wondered if her father had known this beforehand or if it was just blind luck.
She felt something brush against her hand under the table and looked to her side, seeing Trent, who had the same unemotional look that had been present since Earth was destroyed. Her attempts to bring him out of his mood were unsuccessful and he seemed to be getting worse as he lay in bed for the last two weeks. She hadn't dared leave him behind when she came to the TSB Fleet Base, but didn't know what to do. Vickie, of course, said it was simple. She had to take his mind off things, get him looking to the future, and what better way to do that, then through her touch. This brought back the argument that had ensued when Sasha removed her clothes in the presence of an unconscious Trent, causing her to breakdown and Vickie to say that in light of Sasha's shortcomings as a woman...she would take her place as Trent's mistress, to perform what Sasha could not. Vickie, after her ultimatum, had watched her and Trent from the shadows for the first week, seeing if Sasha would face her demons. But when she noticed Trent getting worse and Sasha unwilling to do what was necessary...unable was more like it, she thought...Vickie went on the offensive.
The first incident happened when Vickie climbed into bed with them in the middle of the night and only the squawking of Terra warned her of the presence. The second time came when Sasha was in the shower, again warned by Terra's squawk, running into the bedchamber to see Vickie trying to remove the pants of a confused Trent. Heated words were exchanged and Vickie was banished, temporarily, to the TSB Fleet Base, and Sasha made a decision.
That night she'd gathered all her courage and proceeded to shut off the lights and kiss Trent deeply. Trent had sensed her meaning and went on the offensive. Her mind had been a blur and her scar had vanished as pleasure flowed through her. Then, he had removed her nightgown...and a cold hard fear pushed everything else out of her mind....suddenly she was a teenager again, surrounded by laughing, pointing male nobles. She slapped him, screaming in fear. He released her, trying to pull away, but she had attacked him, punching, scratching, and biting. It wasn't until Tiana barged in, flipping on the light, did she realized what she'd done. She ran to the washroom, accompanied by Tiana, and cried, yet again. Tiana's kind words were hollow...she knew it all already...it was too early...she shouldn't rush it...time could only heal these wounds. But now she knew that wasn't true. She was scared to let the wound heal, to make herself vulnerable...to once again...completely trust another.
Trent said nothing of the incident, but fell deeper into despair. The joy she once felt in his presence had changed to ever present concern...concern for the one she loved falling farther and farther out of her reach.
She looked down into the crowd, mingling in the large assembly hall, and saw Vickie approaching, the young Lieutenant she'd been talking too staring peculiarly at Sasha, in a way that made her uncomfortable. The man smiled and bowed, having noticed her own stare, before turning and walking towards the exit, continuing to gaze at her like a predator...a predator that reminded her eerily of Vickie.
*********
Daniel smiled to himself as he l
eft the large banquet hall on the TSB Fleet Base. His plan had been set in motion...his plan for revenge...revenge that would destroy Trent for all he had done. Not directly, of course...that was too risky...but he wouldn't be surprised if Trent ended up taking his own life in the end.
When the rumor began to spread that Trent was not only alive, but had begun courting the Grand Duchess Sasha Alutia, Daniel had not believed it. How would anyone allow an Earthling, especially someone of Trent's history and background, to court such a noble and beautiful woman? It wasn't until he learned that the awarding of the Star of Terra had been accepted and the full report leaked of Trent's antics on Earth base, that he started to suspect that the rumors were in fact, true. But he found a perfect opportunity within the rumor, one that would allow the destruction of Trent through the use of Daniels greatest weapon...and his target would be...Grand Duchess Sasha Alutia.
The only problem was timing and the perfect occasion finally presented itself when he was invited to the TSB decommissioning ceremony, to be awarded the Moon Beam for his actions on Earth during the erecting of the barrier. The award wasn't as prestigious as the Star of Terra, not even close, but he would receive it at the banquet being attended by both Grand Duchess Sasha Alutia and Trent. He wasn't exactly sure how he was going to do it, but he knew an opportunity would present itself, which to his delight, did of its own accord.
One of Grand Duchess Sasha's ladies-in-waiting had caught his eye and he was able to cut her clear of the crowd. Her name was Lady Vickie and the way she carried herself told Daniel immediately that this woman would eat him for lunch. Their flirting led to Lady Vickie talking about how Trent didn't belong with Grand Duchess Sasha and that he would be much better off with her, which Daniel, feigning ignorance, took the bait. He mentioned a substance that he had on his person, one that would make any woman willing, no matter the man. Lady Vickie had licked her lips at his words, apparently well aware of the aphrodisiac, Noble's Delight. They put their heads together, coming up with a fool proof plan.
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