Alutia Rising, Anniversary Edition (Alutia Rising Series, Book 1) (17 page)

He awoke in horror, his entire body burning,
his flesh on fire, like he lay within a bath of acid, and his
insides melting, as if his blood had turned to molten magma. The
swirling radiance that had overwhelmed him had vanished, delivering
only pain in its wake.

Reluctantly, he forced his eyes open, only to
be greeted by a blurry, blinding light, forcing him to again slam
them shut. He cringed; a horrible pain rippling through his flesh,
like the force of his eyelids closing had ignited microscopic
explosions to assail his every nerve. He tried to sit up, but found
his limbs unresponsive, his body restrained. The searing pain
multiplied as he panicked, every pain receptor within his body
firing at once. He felt his mind weaken, his conscious fading back
into the dark abyss, when muffled shouts broke through the
throbbing in his ears, as if the words were heard through
water.

“He's awake! How the hell is he awake?” a man
shouted with disbelief.

“It's due to his age. The process of genetic
restructuring is rarely used on anyone out of infancy. Is the
Program still active?” a woman responded calmly.

“Yes, and his consciousness should still be
part of it, Megan! How could he have left the Program without its
consent?” The man regained some of his composure, but was still
noticeably shaken.

“As I said, Don, this is usually done on
infants. A developed mind may be able to remain in a type of
semi-consciousness within the Program. But that doesn't matter now,
his life signs are spiking, there is no way he can survive the
completion of the gene restructuring unless we sync his
consciousness with the Program,” Megan said, as Trent felt a
tugging on his mind.

“I think I have him, Meg...but it doesn’t
make sense. It’s like his consciousness shifted, the pattern points
moved to the negative Z, probably why the Program lost track of
him.” Don explained with noticeable relief.

“Log everything. We will need to review the
phenomenon further when this is over and send our findings to the
Vn'Oco Royal Academy. But for now, request the assistance of
another Program to monitor his pattern points and feed any changes
to the Program responsible.” The slight tugging on his
consciousness became an unrelenting pull as a feeling of freefall
overwhelmed him.

He found the sensation pleasant, like he was
sinking into a frozen lake that extinguished the burning of his
flesh. So he didn’t resist, welcoming the darkness that grew around
him, replacing the debilitating pain with total euphoria.

Trent briefly glimpsed the swirling radiance
as he was whisked well outside its range, and the darkness of the
void once again enveloped his being, suppressing all thoughts
within his fading mind.

After days of delay in its organization, the
TSB review council for Trent's enlistment trial was over rather
swiftly. Knight Captain Quinn, being head of the review council,
was an eyewitness to the event being reviewed, so there was little
need for additional statements from the other witnesses, Daniel and
Vice-Commander Daiyu. So after presenting the restricted record of
the trial to the assembled TSB captains and commanders, he closed
the council with a grand speech on loyalty to the TSB, and their
duty to defend Earth against all possible invaders, no matter their
affiliation.

What is that old bastard up too?
Daniel wondered, finding the speech beyond peculiar.

Review council's were notoriously dry, meant
to follow a formal process to deem if actions taken were in line
with the TSB’s mandate. So an emotional speech, like the one Knight
Captain Quinn just concluded, didn't make any logical sense.

He sighed, deciding not to trouble himself
further by attempting to decipher what the old kook was thinking;
instead, he turned his attention back to the small group of
officers who were seated around him, chatting quietly.

“If you’ll excuse me,” he stood, ignoring the
disappointed glances from those who thought they could further
question Daniel about the incident, and he started weaving his way
towards the auditorium’s exit.

Large groups of officers had gathered in the
outer lobby, enthusiastically debating what Daniel could only
presume was the unusual review council and its hidden meaning.
Reluctant to join, knowing it would only lead to yet another
interrogation of his part in this mess, he pushed his way through,
shaking off the excited queries of those who recognized him, and
exited into the busy main corridor of TSB Earth Base, Wing One, in
the direction of the closest transport tube station. He stayed off
to the side, allowing the faster traffic to hurry by, and also
provide himself an opportunity to again contemplate the bizarre
events that had transpired since Trent’s recruitment incident,
seven days prior.

Trent’s name had become taboo and no one
besides the commander and, Daniel assumed, the vice-commander, knew
his location. When he contacted the knight captain a few days
prior, asking if he could visit Trent, the short response he
received told him, in no kind words, that he was not to discuss
Trent or what had occurred at his recruitment trial. Daniel had
found the request for total silence odd, but when he was confronted
by one of the NHA nobles who had accompanied Sir Simwa to Earth,
who asked, rather rudely, about Trent's location, the secrecy
suddenly made sense.

Sir Simwa had recovered just as quickly as
Vice-Commander Daiyu from the wounds suffered during the enlistment
trial, and while being restricted to quarters until an official
criminal trial could be convened, had launched a misinformation
campaign against Trent, Knight Captain Quinn, and Vice-Commander
Daiyu. His claims were completely preposterous, which Daniel knew
since he was at the incident, but even so, they were so ridiculous
he couldn't believe that anyone would actually believe them. But he
quickly learned that he couldn’t be more wrong. The majority of TSB
personnel, specifically the general crew, were enchanted by the
ludicrous allegations, since the information came from highly
revered members of the NHA nobility.

The rumors stated that Trent, an Earthling
who cheated during the enlistment trial, had attacked Sir Simwa
without provocation. Then, as was Sir Simwa’s right and duty as a
noble, he defended himself with lethal force. But during the
incident, Knight Captain Quinn and Vice-Commander Daiyu interfered
on Trent's behalf, forcing Sir Simwa to defend himself against
their malicious attacks. These infractions by the TSB commanders
were an even more grievous crime in the eyes of Sir Simwa, and
those who supported him, then Trent’s initial assault. He even went
as far as to state openly that he would deal with them both
personally, after his unjust imprisonment ended, and Trent had been
properly disposed of...of course.

How anyone could believe such an
outrageous story is beyond me,
Daniel thought with a sigh,
sliding past a large group of laughing crewman, who looked to be on
their way to the entertainment wing, and entered the first open
transport tube he could find, queuing his destination, the
officer's barracks, before returning to his thoughts.

There was less than 50 nobles on Earth, all,
except Knight Captain Quinn, having accompanied Sir Simwa when he
replaced the previous NHA Liaison, and each and every one of these
nobles were sending priority requests for assistance to the ruling
nobility of the Hulk'Zif Duchy.

“Little do they know,” Daniel whispered,
letting a smirk crawl across his lips.

Unknown to these nobles, the Hulk'Zif Duchy
no longer held jurisdiction over the special protectorate of Earth.
That responsibility now fell to the newly formed Alutia Duchy,
under the rule of the Grand Duchess Sasha Alutia. He knew this
information would not stay secret for long, since the official
announcement of Alutia’s formation would happen sometime within the
coming weeks, and Duke Zehman, who was the current ruler of the
Hulk'Zif Duchy, was well aware of this change.

As Daniel's tube came to a silent stop,
having arrived at his destination, he waved to an attractive young
officer who exited the transport tube to his left.

“Lieutenant Cody? How good to see you. I'm
heading to dinner and having the company of your beauty would
brighten this otherwise dreary day,” Daniel bowed with a flourish,
instinctively falling into playboy mode. Lieutenant Cody
blushed.

“I'd be honored, Lieutenant Daniel, I'll meet
you in front of Antonio's in an hour?” she kept glancing away as
she responded, unable to absorb his intense stare, born of his
piercing, baby blue eyes.

“Of course, I will be waiting at your
convenience,” Daniel responded, knowing that this would, indeed, be
a very pleasant evening. He provided her another slight bow,
winking when he caught her fluttering brown eyes, and started down
the hall towards his room, trying to contain his boyish
excitement.

When he arrived at his quarters, he jumped
into the shower and thought again about the review council,
allowing the memory of the proceedings to flow freely.

That’s it!
Recognition came like a
tsunami as he suddenly realized why every TSB captain and commander
was present for the usually scarcely attended event, and the most
likely reason for the knight captain's enthusiastic speech on
loyalty.

Knight Captain Quinn wasn't one to sit on his
laurels and allow others to take control of a situation. He may not
have as much sway within the NHA as Sir Simwa or his nobles, Daniel
had to assume, but he was highly respected by the TSB officers. So
in using the after action review council, the only venue that
permitted the legal dissemination of the closed record of the
incident, provided him an opportunity to head off any possible
insurrection with those directly in his chain-of-command who may
have heard Sir Simwa’s absurd accusations.

It’s brilliant
, he realized, and even
though he hated the man with a passion, Daniel had to give credit
where it was due.

Carefully, he slipped into his dress blue and
whites, running a hand through his wavy, dirty blond hair one more
time, before he rushed to the door. He paused, having almost
forgotten the tiny packets of silver powder, Noble's Delight, an
intense aphrodisiac that would all but guarantee the long, exciting
evening, he was expecting.

Waves of goosebumps rippled in the
catillian’s wake as it scurried across Sasha’s back, tickling her
relentlessly with its many tiny fingers and fur. She gritted her
teeth, grunting a relieved sigh when it finally paused, a piercing
shock telling her it had decided her left butt cheek was the best
location for its next feeding node.

Why can he not choose to place them in
areas so I can sit?
She sighed, continuing her restless pacing
around her luxurious sitting room within her apartment, onboard her
private starships, the ABF Princess One.

Tiana and Regalia only glanced in her
direction when she paused, content to lounge on the ornate couch,
covered in lush rose silk, which curved around a projected external
viewport displaying a nearby red giant whose outer layers were
being slowly stripped away by an encroaching black hole. Though
neither seemed intrigued by this wondrous sight, instead, they both
had their noses in their cups, which held Etique, a very popular
beverage native the Tidelia Earldom, with a gentle, perfume like
fragrance and a soothing, sourishly sweet taste.

At the far end of the sitting room, before a
wooden door with the Alutia Crest carved on its face, stood Guard
Lieutenant Lia'Sil, who, true to her word, had kept all security
record systems disabled, and forbid the male guards from entering
her apartment for the last six days. Her vigilance permitted Sasha
to move about freely without fear of being seen naked by a man
manifesting itself
...well, at least not as often
, she
noted.

During the first day of bonding with her
catillian, Sasha had been extremely embarrassed by her nudity.
Thankfully, her companions were beyond courteous, providing her
plenty of extra space. From the second day on, however, as she
started becoming more comfortable moving about unclothed, the games
began. Tiana took the lead, treating her like some sort of exotic
sculpture that needed constant appraisal. While her servants,
though less obvious, would whisper and giggle in the corners
whenever she became too overly accustomed to her nudity.

Even worse than the servants and the ever
playful Tiana...
well maybe not worse, but just as bad
...was
the catillian itself. For some reason she would never fully
understand, the catillian chose to do its bonding during the most
random hours. It would, thankfully, rest from time-to-time, curling
up within her bosom for a few hours. But when it awoke, it would
release one of the most annoying squeals Sasha had ever heard,
similar to the sound of a herd of 100,000 wild goxin screeching an
alarm for an approaching predator. It would continue, relentlessly,
until she stood, allowing it unfettered access to her entire unclad
being.

I know it is every girls dream to have
their own bonded catillian,
but what if they actually knew
what was require, s
he shook her head at the thought.

Seeing little else to do, she continued her
nervous pacing, trying her best to patiently wait for the catillian
to remove itself to his bed. At that moment, like her thoughts were
transmitted to the tiny critter, it quickly scampered up her back
and over her shoulder, causing a giggle to slip past her lips. It
then, mercifully, curled up within her bosom, releasing Sasha from
her torment...
at least for time.

She sighed with relief, plopping her fatigue
ridden body down on the couch beside Tiana, which she regretted
immediately. A mischievous hand slid over her hip, landing tenderly
on her inner thigh, the mischievous girl leaning close, blowing
lightly into her ear.