Alutia Rising, Anniversary Edition (Alutia Rising Series, Book 1) (56 page)

“I'll leave it up to you, Your Grace,” the
thin man, obviously a doctor, turned to Sasha, running a hand
through his ear length silver hair, “but he must rest as much as
possible, preferably sedated in bed, for at least the next month,”
he glanced back at the projection, zooming in on what looked like
Trent’s left lung, discolored and swollen. “I will also require
access to him at least six times a day, every day, during that
time. So if you do not mind my constant interruptions, Your Grace,
I see no issue allowing him to rest within your temporary
apartments,” Sasha only glanced to the doctor, her gaze dragged
back to Trent like they were two opposing magnetic poles. A single
tear rolled down her check to drip upon his nose. He raised a
trembling hand, ignoring the waves of pain it called forth, to wipe
away its mate.

“Bring him to my quarters,” Sasha commanded,
easing the pain of his heart that formed at the thought of being
separated.

“Your Grace, I must remind you,” the older
woman stepped closer, voice low, “such an unorthodox action may
cause unfavorable rumors to spread within certain ruling noble
circles, including your fathers,” Sasha tensed, “though I do not
imply to interfere with your command in this matter, it being your
noble right to decide the path you’ll pursue. But it is my duty, as
the commander of the Alutia Battle Fleet, Countess of the Alutia
Court, and oath bearer to King Johan Vn’Oco, to inform you that if
knowledge of you “inviting” a petty into your bedchamber becomes
common, your reputation could be irreversibly tarnished,” the woman
stepped back, expression unchanged.

“I understand, Knight Admiral Bhool,” Sasha
stood up straight, “though even if I and Sir Trent cared for such
rumors, if they do spread, they will not last long, for nothing in
my actions will warrant such scrutiny, no matter the affiliation,”
Sasha explained cryptically. Knight Admiral Bhool kept her
expression solid, but her eyes showed both surprise and
understanding of the hidden meaning in Sasha’s words.

“As Your Grace commands,” she crossed her
arms before her chest in a type of salute, “I will inform the ABF
commanders to await your summons,” Knight Admiral Bhool moved out
of sight, “though, Your Grace. Please try to avoid being
“sidetracked”, we have much urgent business to discuss,” Sasha
blushed, Trent thinking he caught a hint of humor in Knight Admiral
Bhool’s parting words.

The bed on which he lay again began to sway
gently as a dull white ceiling passed overhead. Sasha walked slowly
at its side, her hand entwined with his. The soothing rocking
pulled him slowly back into darkness, but this time not of one
eternal, but one of pleasant dreams of a future he thought lost
forever.

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, walls, and furniture. Sasha
stood by the entryway, talking quietly to the thin man he
recognized as the medical officer. After a moment, he bowed,
exiting, and Sasha glided elegantly to his side, sitting lightly on
the beds edge. With a smile that could melt anyone’s heart, she
stared down upon him, placing her hand over his. Trent flushed,
enamored by her goddess-like beauty.

Every part of her made his heart to race. Her
long, silky black hair flowed over her feminine curves, while
outlining her soft features that begged for his touch. Her emerald
eyes swirled with her love, and an intelligence he had only begun
to explore on Earth, one that when taken with her strength, sense
of humor, and kind nature, made her looks all but meaningless.

Well, not that meaningless,
he
realized when his gaze lingered on her cleavage when she leaned
towards him. She grab his chin and turn his eyes to look into her
own, leaning in to kiss him deeply. Searing warmth flowed from her
lips, momentarily washing away the pain that still gripped his
flesh, before vanishing as she removed them.

“How do you feel?” she questioned with
obvious concern. Trent forced another painful smile.

“Horrible,” he wheezed, laboring ov er his
words, “like something tried to eat me from the inside,” Sasha put
a finger to his lips and he tried to nibble it playfully.

“Do you remember what happened?” she asked,
running her finger down his chin with a mischievous grin. He shook
his head. “According to the medical officer, what you are
experiencing is the side effect of the treatment to destroy those
nasty HDP spores we were exposed too,” she pulled back her hand,
pointing to her bracelet, “the Emperors Jewelry has an antimutagen
protocol delivery system built-in that was able to destroy the
spores before they had a chance to start the alteration process, “
she shivered, laying a hand on his chest. “I was fine after only
two treatments, since somebody who seems to be trying his very 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, her breath caressing his ear.

“Did I not tell you I would not forgive if
you tried to throw your life away?” she scolded, the pain in her
words making him want to embrace 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,” he responded weakly, but from his heart. She embraced
him fiercely, sending waves of pain, intermingling with a calming
warmth, throughout his body.

“I do not want to lose you,” her breath
caressed his neck, “I do not care if it's selfish! But I let you
into my heart and I do not think I could bear the pain of...of...”
her trembling words 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,” he
apologized, over and over, with all his love and all his caring.
She pulled away, the look in her eyes telling she wanted him, as he
wanted her. She climbed atop him like she was mounting a horse,
pressing her lips against his, trying to devour him whole, and he
let her.

The door chimed.

Sasha tensed, releasing her lips, a look of
confusion passing within her eyes. She climbed off the bed, her
skin flushed crimson like her dress, smoothing out imaginary
wrinkles in attempt to regain her composure. He smirked, repressing
a laugh as he watched her confused embarrassment;
she is
beautiful, both body and mind, and I love her.

“Enter,” she squeaked. Trent couldn't
suppress his laughter any longer. A very light, but painful blow
struck his arm, Sasha’s gaze scolding him playfully. A moment
later, three ladies, in dresses of green and white entered. Trent
tried to stay awake, but felt himself being dragged back into
sleep’s embrace, like a drug overwhelmed his mind.

“Well, well, well,” the sultry voice he
remembered from his dream returned, “I'm not sure what's redder,
Sasha, your face or your dress. What exactly were you doing to poor
little old Trent?” joyous laughter followed him into a dreamless
sleep.

An oppressive silence hung over the ABF
Alutia’s fleet command strategy room, like those present just stood
witness to the star funeral of the emperor himself, and not Sasha’s
recount of the events that took place at TSB Earth Base before its
destruction.

She glanced to the left, letting none of her
curiosity show, to where sat Knight Admiral Bhool, commander of the
Alutia Battle Fleet and 1
^st
ABF battle group, flanked by
her second, Vice-Admiral Jia'Tog, and the commander of the
2
^nd
ABF battle group, Vice-Admiral Sys’Kol, their
expressions unreadable. She shifted her glance to the right, where
the commander of the Terra Space Battalion, Knight Captain Quinn,
sat beside the TSB’s vice-commander, Commander Daiyu, both
appearing deeply troubled. Finally, her glance fell upon the single
man seated directly across the table, Knight High-Admiral Baric,
commander of the fleet gifted to Alutia by her brother, Crown
Prince Kohan, sitting rigid, glaring in her direction.

“Forgive me, Your Grace,” Knight High-Admiral
Baric started the moment their eyes met, “but I find this all very
hard to believe,” he stated with a dismissive wave.

“It is hard to believe, Sir Baric, but are
you insinuating that Her Grace is lying?” Knight Admiral Bhool
responded sharply, the ABF officers who lined the wall behind her,
shifting uncomfortably in their seats.

“Of course not,” Sir Baric responded curtly,
“it is just that Princess Sasha came into contact with a level one
quarantine agent. It is highly probable it caused delusions or
affected her memory of the event in question,” he explained, like
he was stating the obvious. Sasha sighed, having already come to
dislike Sir Baric, since every time they spoke he’d act as if she
was a child playing grand duchess.

“I agree with Knight Admiral Bhool,” Knight
Captain Quinn stated, his deep, overpowering baritone making those
officers seated behind Sir Baric shrink back into their seats, “as
farfetched as it might seem, we must take Grand Duchess Sasha's
word in this matter and act immediately,” he nodded in her
direction, caressing his dense grey beard. She smiled graciously,
returning the nod.

“Regardless,” though it appeared Lady Bhool’s
and Sir Quinn’s opinions matter little to Sir Baric, “I will not
chance sacrificing my people in an attempt to contain a viral
outbreak on an insignificant petty planet,” Sir Baric flipped his
hand absently at the projection of Earth floating high above the
large conference table.

“It is a shame you do not believe me, Sir
Baric,” she started calmly, it taking her entire will not to shout,
“but I have testimony which you will have no choice to believe,”
Sasha placed her arm atop the table so all could clearly view her
bracelet. But Sir Baric not only refused to look her in the eye,
but started whispering with one of his officers, ignoring her
completely. As she was about to explode to her feet, Tiana and
Vickie squeezed her thighs, stopping her before she reacted as the
man hoped, like spoiled child unfit to rule. She took a deep breath
before clearing her throat loudly.

“This is the Arm of the Emperor, and as many
of you know, are only provided to those who are in the favor the
emperor or performed a task for the NHA beyond a normal noble,” she
paused, letting her words sink in. Sir
Baric
slowly turned back to her,
expression of unreadable stone,
but disgust obvious in his eyes, “as well as being a vessel for
what you all know of as a Program,” on cue, Vin’s bronze sphere
appeared above her bracelet. “Vin, please provide the full account
of the events that occurred within the research complex, including
all restricted information I am at liberty to provide to those
present at this command meeting,” Vin’s sphere undulated, shifting
color rapidly in response.

“Information release approved. Please be
advised: all information shared henceforth is restricted and
further dissemination shall result in the highest penalty.” A
projection of an elderly man appeared below the projection of
Earth, like he stood upon the table itself.

“Captain Trelic,” she whispered as he started
telling the same tale she and Trent had heard in the lab, two days
prior.

As she listened, the memory of Trent standing
beside her, squeezing her trembling hand, filled her with longing
for his touch. Her vision became foggy, detaching from her flesh to
soar through the super-capital’s immense interior in an instant. It
stopped over Trent, who still slept peacefully as she’d left him an
hour before. When she reached out for his cheek, his eyes shot
open.

“Sasha? Where are you?” he asked
drowsily.

I’m still in the command meeting,
she
tried to respond, but found she was unable to form any words.

Before either could react, her vision snapped
back to the meeting room, back into her body. Nobody seemed to
notice her absence, being too engrossed in the unbelievable story
Captain Trelic had to tell.

After the story finished, and before the
whispers could fully fill the air, Captain Trelic’s projection
faded and another took its place. Sasha contained a gasp as she
realized what it was, the containment cave within the research
complex on Earth.

“This is the record taken of the incident in
question and saved before the destruction of TSB Earth Base. As you
will see, two ASU Schnac'lasis had infiltrated the research complex
containment unit when the door opened to allow Grand Duchess Sasha
Alutia and Sir Trent to escape. The Schnac'lasis used the
opportunity to access the stored specimen.” The record began to
play and two Schnac'lasis appeared from access hatch that lead to
the research lab. Muffled grunts and whispers escaped from the
assembled officers who witnessed the rare sight. A few seconds
later, Sasha came sliding down the ladder, followed by Trent, with
laser arcs at the ready. The two of them moved swiftly across the
cavern, when the traitors came down the ladder one after the other,
forming into rank before they followed. When she and Trent took aim
at the Schnac'lasis, who had started removing the containment
tubes, Sasha yanked Trent out of the way of a laser bolt and mayhem
ensued.

The Schnac'lasis finished disconnecting the
tubes as the traitors continued to fire on Trent and Sasha, who
were crawling desperately towards a crevice in the cavern wall.
Once they vanished within, an orange plume erupted from the
hatching pod the moment the last tube was removed. The monstrous
creature that emerged scanned the cave before nimbly climbing the
cavern wall, vanishing into the darkened ceiling.

The two Schnac'lasis emerged a few moments
later from a hole they'd apparently used for cover, appearing to
collect samples from the pod before probing one of the unconscious
traitors. Hastily, they vanished into the research lab as the
record accelerated, showing Trent and Sasha appear from the crevice
and stumble down a narrow tunnel, while a green slime grew over the
unconscious traitors. The image faded.