Alutia Rising

by Craig Gerttula

  Lady Vickie would sneak the drug into Grand Duchess Sasha's drink and as it started to take effect, she would escort her to the washroom. But instead of the washroom, she would deliver her to the small, unused quarters next-door, where Daniel would be waiting. He shivered as he thought of what came next, being able to work his magic as Lady Vickie would fetch Trent, saying Sasha wished to see him. She would then escort him to the room where he would witness Grand Duchess Sasha in Daniel's passionate embrace.

  He smiled and couldn't contain his growing joy, jumping into the air with a small laugh. Grand Duchess Sasha was beautiful, and after all this was over, he would comfort her, taking Trent's place at her side. The door to the empty quarters opened and he moved to the bed, preparing for what was to come.

  *********

  The sights and sounds around him seemed empty. The massive hall where he sat with thousands of people, as well as the most beautiful woman in the galaxy, seemed grey and dull. He had fallen into a pit of despair and couldn't find a way out.

  He silently noticed Vickie cutting through the crowd, who he hadn't seen in a couple days since Sasha banished her for trying to remove his pants. He never received a full explanation, but the entire time he was sure Vickie wasn't serious...but it appeared Sasha thought otherwise. The memory of their first night of intimacy suddenly exploded into his mind and he looked down at the table...at the plate of food he had barely been able to touch.

  Trent had been surprised by Sasha's sudden passion, kissing and touching him, lighting his fire as a man. He took the queue, leading as a man should, but when he attempted to remove her nightgown, she changed, turned cold, then attacked. She slapped, punched, and bit him, and still weak from his recovery, he couldn't stop her. It wasn't until Tiana barged into the room and pulled Sasha off him that he realized what had occurred. In his passion, he had forgotten about Sasha's wound, and when he tried to force her out of her clothes, he had ripped it wide open, without a care but his own lust. It was his fault, he knew, and that caused him more grief then anyone could imagine.

  They had barely talked since that night, but Sasha still refused to leave his side. He originally planned to stay in bed on the ABF Alutia during the decommissioning ceremony, but she insisted he come. His pleas to stay in their temporary quarters on the TSB Fleet base, saying the pain was too much, which wasn't entirely untrue, were ignored and he was forced to accompany her, to stay at her side. He loved her so, but he couldn't help that his presence caused her undue pain. The thought scared him, because if it was true, he would have to leave her side, and he knew that would destroy him.

  "Sir Trent, please accept this drink, it's non-alcoholic of course." Trent looked up as Lady Vickie, moving through the cordon of Alutia Battleguards protecting the nobles from the crowd, and placing a strange looking multicolored beverage on the table before him. Sasha had made it clear to everyone that he would not be served any mind altering drinks, such as alcohol. The thought made him angry at first, but he knew it was for the best, as well as being part of his promise to Sasha.

  "I will be the judge of that!" Sasha grabbed the drink before Trent's hand had a chance to move, obviously not trusting Vickie, and she drank down half in one gulp. After a moment she nodded, placing the drink down in front of Trent, who forced a smile and drank the rest.

  The drink tasted strangely fruity, but with a slightly metallic aftertaste...a warm tingling seeming to follow its refreshing cold into his belly. As he placed the empty glass back on the table his heart began to beat loudly, as if it would break through his chest...the warm sensation spreading through his veins. He looked at Sasha who had flushed significantly, grasping desperately onto Trent's trembling hand, which caused a shock of pleasure to explode through his body, bringing a sudden, all encompassing lust into his being.

  "Sir Seb'Losh. I believe Grand Duchess Sasha and Sir Trent need to be escorted back to their private quarters, could you please handle the escort? I have another matter to attend to." Vickie's voice seemed distant, but amused.

  "I agree...Your Grace, Sir Trent, if you would please follow me, you both look rather ill." Trent pulled himself to his feet, allowing Sasha to grab his elbow, causing him to almost collapse on the spot. Something had to have been in that drink...something that made him doubt he would be able to retain his self-control. He looked at Sasha, who was trying her best not to make eye contact, allowing his own eyes to gaze at her exposed cleavage. It took all his willpower not to ravage her on the spot and the slow walk to the transport tube became a blur. Once they reached the tube Sasha gave in, kissing him deeply with unconstrained passion, while embracing him with her entire body, forcing him against the tube wall. He returned her passion, giving into his lust, pushing his body against hers. A cough brought back part of his senses and he pushed Sasha away, who groaned and tried to pull him back.

  "Room..." The word barely came out, but Sasha understood. She grabbed Trent by the arm and almost starting running towards their temporary quarters as soon as the tube stopped. The Alutia Battleguard on duty at their temporary quarters saluted and was almost trampled as he attempted to open the door before they arrived, but Sasha pushed past him, opening it instead in her haste.

  He felt himself thrown on the bed and as he rolled on his back his eyes caught Sasha's, filled with animal lust, dropping her dress to the floor. Trent attempted to remove his own clothes, but was too slow for Sasha, who leapt across the bed and into his embrace. The lust and passion exploded through him, his own raging emotions intermingling with Sasha's longing and pleasure. Knowing at that moment, the shell on his heart cracked, then shattered, releasing the full essence of his love.

  *********

  The door chimed and Sasha groaned her displeasure at being disturbed, wanting to continue to bathe in the feeling of euphoria still flowing through her being. It was amazing...so amazing that she started getting excited again as her eyes opened to stare upon Trent's peacefully sleeping face and the memories of the previous evening returned.

  She remembered, quite clearly, witnessing Vickie slip a white powder into the drink she presented Trent, but still couldn't figure out why she felt the need to drink it, instead of ordering it thrown away. It didn't take her long to realize what it was...a substance called Noble's Delight...a popular aphrodisiac common in paramour circles. Sasha had never tried it before, but read stories of its effect, so she was slightly more prepared then Trent when the lust started taking over. Unfortunately, the stories didn't do it justice, and Sasha had to stop herself from ravaging Trent while they were still in the banquet hall. She did, however, find one major difference from the stories.

  It was said, that no matter how much you loved someone, once on Noble's Delight, lust would take control and you would accept anyone, no matter how you felt about them. Sasha did find that it caused uncontrollable lust, but only towards Trent, no other man had existed.

  The experience was nothing like her first. Every sensation and touch exploded through her body, creating both physical and emotional pleasure beyond imagining. An unexplainable bond had come to life and she not only felt her own pleasure, but that of Trent's. Her heart started beating uncontrollably as the memories took over and she knew that her wound may have finally healed. Her fear of being in front of Trent naked was no longer because of her wounded past, but because she now knew what a beast he could become. She laughed merrily and placed her hand on his chest. The door chimed again.

  "Who is it?" Her voice cracked, sore from overuse... when did she...

  "Your ladies, Your Grace." Sir Seb'Losh said, his steadfast voice filling the room before she could finish her thought.

  "Let them enter." She pulled the sheet up to cover her modesty instead of throwing on any clothes. The sight would be a better explanation then anything she could say.

  Vickie and Tiana entered, hand-in-hand, wide grins below mischievous eyes. Tiana gasped as she looked at the bed, then away, covering her eyes while Vickie's grin turned slightly erotic. Sasha
followed their gazes and noticed that when she pulled up the sheet to cover herself, it had done the opposite to Trent. She blushed furiously as she quickly fixed the sheet, covering his exposed modesty.

  "Well, Your Grace, I guess you had quite the evening. Sir Seb'Losh cleared the entire wing to make sure you two were not overheard." Vickie's smile didn't fade as she sauntered closer, seating herself at the end of the bed. Tiana followed, but made sure her eyes were looking clearly at Sasha, not faltering towards Trent.

  "It wasn't that bad." Sasha responded defensively, seeing Tiana's eyes widen, then looked to Vickie, who shrugged.

  "You tell her, she trusts you." Vickie said to Tiana, who took a deep breath in preparation for something Sasha knew she wouldn't like.

  "Well Sasha...let's just say Gil'Da is refusing to let Regalia near your sleeping quarters until it is either soundproofed or you promise to provide ample warning. We were all quite shocked when we exited the transport tube and could hear you moaning quite clearly..." Sasha felt her face burn at Tiana's explanation, and even more so when they both started laughing gaily. She waved them both quiet as she caught her own breath, trying not to disturb the still sleeping Trent, who suddenly tried to push off the sheet covering him. She held it tight as she spoke.

  "How far is the transport tube? Everything is a little hazy this morning." Vickie suppressed a laugh and Tiana's grin widened.

  "My Princess...it's at least 20 meters! Honestly, I couldn't believe my ears until I came closer and asked Sir Seb'Losh what was going on. But he would not speak, just stood at the door blushing." Sasha buried her face in her hands, total embarrassment taking hold.

  "Now...Miss ever so scared of Trent! I want to hear everything before Gil'Da arrives and ruins the mood!" Sasha glanced at Vickie, then Tiana, and sighed...it was her fate to share everything with her ladies.

  "Very well...it all started after I drank that drink you gave Trent, Vickie, my body started warming and..."

  *********

  The shuttle approached the SJS Gate hub, slowly passing through the fleet of Tidelia starships that had taken over protection of the Alutia Duchy while the ABF recovered. Daniel felt nothing but disdain at the sight....everything had gone wrong...every plan...everything!

  Two days prior, Daniel sat in the dark bedchamber and greeted who he thought was Grand Duchess Sasha. The experience was even better then he could have ever imagined. She was good...too good. When they finished and he turned on the light, he realized his mistake. Lying in bed next to him was Lady Vickie, Grand Duchess Sasha's lady-in-waiting. It was the worst possible scenario and he still couldn't believe he trusted the witch of a woman...he needed to learn to stop being so trusting, he told himself.

  She had then explained his options, the first was that she would tell everything to the Grand Duchess and let her decide his fate, or he could take the shuttle for all the TSB members who did not want to join the Alutia Battle Fleet...and never return to Alutia. The choice was obvious...he'd already decided that he would leave. But his hopes of exacting his revenge had been dashed. So now, he had to wait, continue planning, knowing his time would come.

  He turned back to the young woman in the seat next to him and smiled. The flight to his new duchy, Ulgvont, would take another week and, he felt the small packet in his pocket, he still had plenty of the Noble's Delight. Smiling to himself as he extended his hand in greeting, thinking he may as well enjoy himself while he plots his revenge.

  *********

  Tiana sat between Vickie and Regalia at the small dining table in their private apartments on the NHA Super-Capital ABF Alutia. The setup wasn't as opulent as it had been on their private shuttle, since Tiana had to share a bedroom with Vickie and Regalia, but it was practical and better then what could be expected of a warship. The small round table was made of a reddish wood and a small globed biolight chandelier hung from the ceiling, with small specks of dancing light in its center.

  Doorways sat on each side of the room, the one to the outside corridor guarded by the stone face Sir Seb'Losh, who had rarely left Sasha's side since he returned, and the other, to the food preparation area, was guarded by Guard Private Usa'Pol, who had just been allowed back on duty.

  The Guard Private had been taken into protective custody, even with her heroic actions onboard the ABF Princess One, when Sir Seb'Losh returned. Officially it was so they could verify that she was indeed not part of Duke Zehman's plot....which Tiana thought would have been obvious. But Sir Seb'Losh wouldn't listen to reason, so Trent had accompanied him for the interview and had verified all her words. From what Tiana could gather, the Eye of the Emperor had the ability to see through lies, as well, as Trent had explained, feel the color of someone's soul. She really didn't understand the second part, but the first part was self-explanatory.

  After Usa'Pol was released, they had all visited Guard Lieutenant Lia'Sil, who was currently tubed, and all signs looked good for a recovery, with only minimal memory loss. Sasha had planned to provide her long-term leave to marry her fiancé and have plenty of children, then, if she wanted to return to her service, she would welcome her with open arms. Tiana was glad, having taken a liking to the easily embarrassed Guard Lieutenant, who was so very much fun to tease. Tiana turned her attention to Trent, who sat across the table, then over to Sir Seb'Losh, and smiled.

  Sir Seb'Losh and Trent had, after an initial uncomfortable period when they felt each other out, become friends. A certain bond had formed based off the mutual desire for protection, one, the woman he loved, the other, out of honor and duty. Tiana had found this slightly unexpected. She figured they'd both step on each other's toes, fighting over their place beside Sasha. But it never came to that, Sir Seb'Losh taking his place proudly behind Sasha, to protect her from hidden enemies that would attack her when she least expected. While Trent took his place at her side, to locate enemies that would attack her with sweet words and promises.

  She sighed, knowing that soon she would be experiencing the same protection. Sir Seb'Losh already provided forewarning that as the Alutia Guard was rebuilt, each of Sasha’s ladies-in-waiting would receive a three person guard team. Tiana had frowned at this, remembering the way they use to smother her on Tidelia, following her every move. But Vickie had smiled her mischievous smile, while informing Sir Seb'Losh of exactly what type of private guards she expected.

  Across the table, Gil'Da had just finished pouring after dinner drinks and Tiana blushed when she witnessed Sasha lean over and kiss Trent, lingering a moment longer then appropriate. The memories of two nights before were still fresh in her mind and she couldn't help but think of the moans of pleasure that Tiana had never expected to hear from her friend...through the walls when she was 20 meters away, no less! Gil'Da had sat Sasha down and explained the proper decency expected of a noble lady as politely as possible. Sasha had blushed furiously the entire time while staring at the floor, looking more a child then the noble Grand Duchess she had started to become. The whole scene was comical, and her and Vickie couldn't help snickering during the entire lecture.

  Tiana noticed a strange look pass between the two lovers, who both nodded. Sasha placed her left arm across the table, showing the strange bracelet that Tiana had learned was called the Arm of the Emperor.

  "Vin...I have a question." Sasha's voice trembled with what Tiana thought was anticipation, but it could have also been fear. The small sphere of the Program Vin appeared above the bracelet, which he had claimed as his home.

  "Yes, Grand Duchess Sasha Alutia." Vin responded almost immediately.

  "Trent and I have found that we share some sort of bond beyond...an emotional bond..." she paused and looked to Trent, who nodded. "...Is this something you created to force us to fall in love?" Tiana's jaw fell agape, unable to hide her shock at the question. Sasha had basically asked if Vin had manufactured her love ...it wasn't possible...or was it? She had thought the same thing before Sasha had told her not to get involved, to trust her...the worry and doubt began to s
eep into Tiana's mind once again. Vin's sphere rippled and shifted color rapidly, finally settling back on its original silver coloring.

  "Grand Duchess Sasha Alutia, the bond you currently feel is created by the Emperor's Jewelry, though the origin of said bond is from us. Once this Program detected the feeling of love, a small bond was formed between Grand Duchess Sasha Alutia's BC node and Sir Trent's BC node. This allowed for the Program to help expedite the process of the Grand Duchess Sasha Alutia and Sir Trent's meeting, fulfilling a task." Everyone stared in astonishment at the Program. The Program named Vin was strange, Tiana thought to herself, but to actually get directly involved in the meeting of two individuals was completely extraordinary.

  "This bond would have laid dormant, but was reactivated and altered by the Emperor's Jewelry without our consent. Information about the Emperor's Jewelry is sealed, but this Program has been given permission to share limited data. Do you Grand Duchess Sasha Alutia, and you Sir Trent, take responsibility that those of this room shall not disclose what is discussed?" Both Trent and Sasha looked around the room as everyone nodded in agreement. Of course they would agree...this was to interesting to miss!