Alutia Rising, Anniversary Edition (Alutia Rising Series, Book 1) (44 page)

This is not the time to reminisce or
self-doubt,
she scolded, knowing she needed to think of a way
to reunite with Sasha, and fast.

She fell back onto the bed, stretching out
her hands as she stared to the ceiling, thinking hard. But nothing
came to mind. She had no idea how to help her friend. She was
helpless, yet again. Sighing in resignation, she climbed off the
bunk, and shuffled into the kitchen in search of a drink.

She jumped as the door chimed, glancing at
Gil'Da, whose expression showed easily her concern. They'd yet to
inform anyone of Sasha's disappearance, since they didn't know the
exact reason behind it or where she had gone. But they knew it was
inevitable for someone to find out. Tiana tiptoed to the door, took
a deep breath and hit the unlock icon on the adjacent PDU.

The door to slide open to reveal a young boy,
with unkempt, dirty blond hair, wearing a blue and white uniform of
the TSB, standing just outside the door, eyes wide and sweating
profusely. The boy looked at Tiana, then to his sides, finally
returning his gaze to her.

“I ne-ne-need to sp-speak to Her Gr-Grace,”
he stuttered in an unusually high pitched tone that sounded almost
feminine.

“Come in,” she quickly ushered the boy
through the door, sensing his unease wasn't just from the fact that
he needed to talk to Sasha. She sat the boy down at the table in
the kitchen, glancing to Gil'Da who was already preparing a warm
drink for their guest.

“What is your name?” Tiana asked kindly,
letting a bit of command leak through, the way she'd heard Sasha do
on many past occasions.
It’s time you started to grow up as
well, Tiana,
she reminded herself.

“Trainee Donnlie...My Lady?” he responded,
having calmed after sipping from the warm beverage Gil'Da
provided.

“Yes, I am Lady Tiana, and this is Friend
Gil'Da. Grand Duchess Sasha is currently indisposed, but we will be
happy to inform her of your message,” the boy looked between them,
then froze, his expression one of complete panic. He gulped as he
set the trembling drink down carefully on the table before him.

“Commander Talan is going to turn Her Grace
over to Duke Zehman, me and the others overheard him talking to the
rest of the teachers. He said something about a noble title to any
who helped him,” his voice trembled, but he was getting his words
out clearly, “me and the rest really don't like Commander Talan, he
beat Tomi so bad she had to be tubed for a week.” Tiana cringed at
the thought. To be placed in a medical tube for a week meant that
the girl would have had to sustain some pretty serious
injuries.

“I'm sorry to hear that, Donnlie. So what
else can you tell me about Commander Talan's plan?” She figured the
boy was telling the truth, but she needed more information before
she could make a decision.

“Last we heard, Commander Talan was trying to
get in contact with Duke Zehman to setup a rendezvous. Then he was
going to come and get you, move you to a more secure location,” he
glanced all around, fear bursting from his eyes, “you're really
with Grand Duchess Sasha...right?” he asked with obvious
distrust.

“Yes, I am her lady-in-waiting,” the fear
drained from his eyes, changing to confusion, “I'm her friend and
confidant. Nobles of Sasha’s rank are rarely allowed to mingle and
make friends, so other, lower ranked noble ladies offer themselves
to be companions and accompany her in her daily life.” Tiana
thought that her words weren't completely true. She had no choice
in the matter, but if she did, then she would have probably still
chosen to stay by Sasha’s side. Finding Donnlie nodding
understanding, she returned her attention to the matter at hand. If
Commander Talan was planning on moving them some place more secure,
then it was highly unlikely he'd already captured Sasha.

“How many trainees are there, Donnlie?” she
asked, knowing what she was planning would make things more
difficult, but she being unwilling to leave these children behind,
knowing it likely they would be blamed for allowing them to
escape.

“Ummm...I think around 20. Everyone over 16
was assigned to a starship and you don't start in the academy until
your 12. I just arrived a month ago!” There was a hint of pride in
Donnlie's explanation.

So, I needed to locate Sasha, gather up
these 20 children, and find a way to escape this
place
...
simple
. She smirked to herself, wishing again
that Sasha was here to make the tough decisions.

“Donnlie, do you know how Commander Talan
plans to deliver us to Duke Zehman? I was under the impression that
all starships were currently away,” she asked. The young man
thought for a moment.

“Well, My Lady,” he started, growing more
confident with every word, “there are the unpowered shuttles that
go to TSB Earth Base, but they're not much good for anything else,”
he fingered his drink, forehead furrowing in thought. His head shot
up and he looked at Tiana in sudden excitement, “Sir Simwa's
personal shuttle! It's currently locked down, but Commander Talan
could easily override the order,” he said excitedly.

“Thank you, Donnlie,” she replied honestly,
knowing now there was nothing to stop her from following through
with her plan. She looked to Gil'Da, hoping to ask her opinion. But
the look she received in return reminded Tiana of what Gil’Da once
told her and Sasha during their tutoring sessions.

A servant serves and a noble leads, never
mix that up
, Tiana sighed, hoping Donnlie’s reaction to her
next words wouldn't cause too much of a scene.

“Donnlie,” she began calmly, “the grand
duchess is not here. She left about five hours ago,” Donnlie looked
like he had been shot, mouth agape and eyes wide, “But,” Tiana
quickly continued, “it sounds like she has yet to be captured. So
what we need to do is locate her, collect the rest of the trainees,
and get to Sir Simwa's shuttle before anyone finds out. Can you
help me do this, Donnlie?” His expression turned back to normal,
though he was still unable to fully shed the look of disbelief.

“It may be possible, Tomi is a wiz with the
systems, so she should be able to locate anyone within the base.
But we have to leave now...I don't know how much longer Commander
Talan will wait,” Donnlie explained.

“Gil'Da,” Regalia peeked her head from the
washroom, “are my clothes ready, I'm starting to get cold...eeck,”
she shrieked when she saw Donnlie, reminding Tiana of a sound she
once heard from Terra the catillian. She turned back to Donnlie,
finding him red as a rose, with a look of fascination twinkling in
his eyes.

“This is not the time,” she rolled her eyes,
pushing Donnlie towards the door. “If you would please get her
dressed and ready, Gil’Da, were leaving in five minutes.” Gil'Da
nodded, rushing to washroom. Tiana turned back to Donnlie.

“We are in your hands, Trainee Donnlie. I
trust you will deliver us safely?” he nodded, saluting clumsily.
She smiled and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder, before
moving to collect their things, making sure that she didn't forget
to strap the laser arc holster over her shoulder.

The descent into darkness was out of
nightmare, and it took all Trent's will not to succumb to
debilitating terror. Sasha's full-bodied embrace kept the worst of
his fears in check, allowing him to concentrate all his thoughts on
her and only her. But the howling wind rushing passed his ears, and
the terrifying sensation of freefall within total darkness, grated
constantly at his already frayed nerves.

He realized soon after they plunged into the
access port hidden behind the statue of King Johan, to escape from
Sir Simwa’s followers, that it wasn't the short drop to freedom
he'd originally anticipated, but a deep, dark abyss, that seemed to
descend to the depths of Earth’s very core.

At first, he tried to shout to Vin, hoping to
learn exactly what sort of escape it had provided. But he couldn't
hear its response, or even know if it made one, the rushing wind
muffling all sound. He then tried to link directly with Sasha’s
mind through his BC node, but had no luck, experiencing a sense of
vertigo that threatened to lead him to unconscious. In the end, he
decided to give in, to lose himself in Sasha's embrace as they fell
together into the depths of eternal darkness.

The air began to thicken, tendrils slithering
from below, grasping at their falling bodies. A creature of
infinite horror appeared, its massive maw closing in around them;
they'd been led into a trap, to be dropped into the belly of an
ancient beast!
His mind cried. But before he had a chance to
say his last goodbyes, to pour out the feelings that had slipped
free of his ironclad heart, his feet struck something solid and
they collapsed gently to a solid floor. It took a moment for his
mind to recover, having been lost in fearful hallucination. But
when it did, he realized;
I’m alive
.

“Are you alright?” he whispered, not wanting
to talk too loudly, still fearful of what may lay hidden within the
surrounding darkness. Sasha stirred against him.

“Yes, I'm fine,” she responded weakly as they
climbed carefully to their feet. Trent, still scared of losing his
only sense of reality in the oppressive darkness, kept a firm grip
on Sasha’s waist.

“Light,” at Sasha's word, a dull glow lit the
holes bottom, born from the smooth grey walls that encircled them.
The glow revealed only a single curved doorway located on the far
side, a mysterious symbol on its face. He let escape a relieved
sigh, the final ounce of fear that had clung to his being, fading
away. They were safe;
for now.

“Anti-gravity device,” Sasha whispered,
pulling Trent's gaze to the floor. A peculiar black and white
swirling mist filled its transparent center, appearing to pull the
light out of the air itself.

“Is that how...” he started.

“Yes,” Sasha nodded, “but I’ve never heard of
them used in such a manner,” she started towards the door, “it
makes little sense, since they could have just used a standard
transport tube. But this place is old...very old...” her voice
faded.

“Why would you say that?” Trent asked as he
continued to study her profile, finding the inquisitive look she
adorned made his heart scream to be let free.

“See this crest,” she ran her fingers over
the mysterious symbol on the door’s surface. “It is the Crest of
Origin, or more commonly known, the Emperor’s Crest,” she
explained.

The symbol appeared to be of a faceless man
standing with his legs spread and arms crossed before an all black
background. Groups of swirling white dots outlined and filled the
body’s interior. It took a moment for Trent's mind to register the
sight;
the entire body is made up of individual
galaxies
!

“The design changes as new galaxies are
colonized by the NHA,” she elaborated. “This crest appears to be
made of just under 100 galaxies,” Trent quickly thought back as he
considered Sasha's words. If he wasn’t mistaken, this was galaxy
189. “That means this room is over 20,000 years old, probably
closer to 25,000, since that is the era Earth was colonized.” Trent
starred in amazement as Sasha again destroyed his most basic
beliefs. What she had just claimed went against the findings of
human ancestral remains from over 2 million years ago. But then, he
realized, the years Sasha was referring might be different then the
years on Earth.

“25,000 Earth years? Or is there a different
measurement? Because if I recall correctly, fossils that could be
related to humans were found and dated from over 1.5 million years
ago,” Sasha tilted her head, biting her lower lip.

“I'm not sure how time is measured on Earth,”
she placed a hand on her hip while turning towards him, “but NHA
standard time is based on Planet Origin’s solar cycle, combined
with the old Daiwa Federation’s partial base 10 system. So we use a
50 second minute, 100 minute hour, a 25 hour day, a 10 day period,
and 280 day year.” Trent nodded;
so it is a little longer,
but not enough to account for the massive time difference,
he realized.

“Native bipedal species, similar in build and
appearance of humans, existed on Earth before colonization. Local
naming conventions refer to them as Neanderthals, though fail to
differentiate a species branch that fits closely to current humans,
allowing this branch to be incorrectly considered a part of human
evolutionary theory on Earth,” Vin answered his other question.

“Amazing,” Trent whispered as Sasha turned
back to the door, his curiosity sated.

He stood quietly by her side as she continued
to run her fingers over the symbol, like the contact helped her
think. After a few minutes, and moments before he could provide his
own recommendation, she raised her bracelet to her lips.

“Vin, how do we open-,” the door slid open
and lights illuminated, one after another, down a long narrow
tunnel, “I guess that's how,” he couldn’t help but chuckle,
forgetting for a time that they were still being pursued. Sasha’s
grin widened as she hooked her arm in his.

“Shall we?” she gestured down the tunnel.

“We shall,” he responded with a hop,
garnering a giggle.

As they walked in silence, Trent turned to
Sasha, having remembered a question from the moment before they
plunged into darkness.

“It looks like you have a question?” she
asked playfully.

“Yes, actually I do,” he responded in-kind.
“What was all that business with the statue of your father, the
ring, and the...what did you call it...the Star of Terra? It seemed
like I was part of an important ceremony, but...but I really have
no clue why,” Sasha's smile faded as she glanced at him, obviously
dumbfounded
.