Alutia Rising, Anniversary Edition (Alutia Rising Series, Book 1) (6 page)

Daniel thought for a moment, working out his
own, more likely scenario to what had probably befallen Trent.

Samantha, he imagined, must be the type of
woman Daniel loved, an immoral and unfaithful child of desire, who
must have decided to have a long-term fling before she finally tied
the knot. Finding a coworker, Trent, who was isolated from those
around him, allowed her to pursue a relationship without the
knowledge reaching her fiancé. It was the perfect plan.

Except, he couldn't figure out is why
Samantha would have revealed the affair. She could have just ended
it cleanly, with no one being the wiser, so why chance tarnishing
her relationship with a man of power if the lies she told were
found out.

I’ll just have to ask Trent if he
survives, won’t I?
Daniel grinned, knowing he would definitely
have his curiosity sated. But for now, that could wait. He needed
information for the next phase of the trial, something to make sure
that if Trent did indeed survive the first phase to completion,
would guarantee his failure in the second.

A devious idea crept into his mind. He
lightly taped the proper inputs to request additional information
from the corporate human resource database. The new data surrounded
him, streamed through the air, providing everything he would
need...including a detailed DNA image.

“A beauty...this should be fun...” A childish
grin broke across Daniel’s lips as he eyed the projection of
Samantha and inputted the commands for the Program in charge of
recruitment, requesting it create a programmable matter robot in
her likeness.

Overcome by drunken bloodlust, Trent charged
after the retreating monstrosity. His instincts told him to stop,
to not pursue, but his mind was blank, his vision blurred, and his
rapidly beating heart washed away all sound...nothing mattered but
his battle with the guardian of the silo.

His toe caught on an exposed root, but he
kept his balance, catching his feet just before he tumbled,
continuing his head-on charge without pause. The creature, slowed
by its broken limb, barely made it into the shadow of the building
constructed of rusted metal before Trent struck.

Full of confidence born of his previous
success, he swung the bent ladder rung with reckless abandon at an
exposed leg joint. But the creature dodged and he missed wide, his
strike deflecting off the armor plates covering the creature's
abdomen. It was like he struck a metal wall and the ladder rung
vibrated free of his grasp, his hands going numb.

In response, the beast flailed its razor
sharp arms, catching Trent on the left triceps, slicing cleanly
through to the bone. Trent shrieked as he tumbled across the grassy
ground that surrounded the building’s base, feeling the pain from
the force of the impact more than the actual wound.

Slowly, he swayed back to his feet, ignoring
the torrent of blood that gushed from the wound on his arm, only
concerned with one thing...his prey. He bellowed a primal cry when
he caught sight of the creature escaping into a dark opening set
into the side of the building. With little thought of the dangers,
his pain and senses dulled by his drunkenness and raging
adrenaline, he charged after the beast, fearless in pursuit,
bursting into its dark den.

The moment the murky darkness engulfed him,
his limbs froze as his mind returned. Too late did he realize his
mistake. He spun, finding the opening vanish, blocking the only
source of light...and his only escape. Panic set in, horrors
attacking from every corner, his eyes wide with sudden terror...his
target forgotten.

A bolt of white lightening lit the room,
striking him straight in the chest, his body going limp, collapsing
to the frozen floor, but not his mind. Trent clearly heard the
skittering of the beast and in his mind's eye could see it hovering
overhead, its sharp claws ready to devour his locked flesh.

As his mind threatened to fail him, another
bolt of lightning coursed through the darkness, allowing only a
final thought before everything faded.

Finally...it's over
.

An exquisitely crafted starship of a design
Sasha had never before beheld, waited patiently upon Tidelia
Castle’s private landing pad; grown seamlessly into the flowering
canopy that overhung the castle’s majestic peak. She tried to pause
so as to clearly view the wondrous sight, but found it blocked by a
wall of blossoming pillars that funneled the passengers towards the
starship’s entry. When she tried to weave her way to a gap, wanting
to study the starship beckoning from just beyond, she was caught in
a wave of guards and servants, who whisked her onto a narrow
boarding ramp and into the starship’s interior. Before she could
voice her annoyance, they guided her into a luxurious passenger
compartment, Tiana, her lady-in-waiting, falling silently into a
seat beside her. The anxious servants and guards, seeming to sense
her displeasure, bowed deeply, before exiting her presence with all
haste.

“Prepare for liftoff,” she barely heard the
announcement, her gaze fixated on the view being provided by the
projected viewport at her side. Hoping to catch a final glimpse of
the farewell party, but finding they were hidden beyond view.

The starship shuddered as it began to ascend,
waves of mist rippling past the viewport’s edge, temporarily
blocking her view of Tidelia Castle. After a moment, the shuttle
cleared the landing pad, where it seemed to pause, reluctant to
leave Planet Tidelia behind, like Sasha’s own heart, before again,
rising slowly through the fading mist.

A tiny figure rushed onto the landing pad far
below, from the direction of the reception area where the farewell
party had been held. It took only a moment for her to recognize who
it was, even at the increasing distance; Lady Liana, her guardian
for these past 26 years.

Sasha forcefully repressed the tears that
screamed to be let free, trying her best not to cry again, the
emotion filled goodbyes of hardly ten minutes before still fresh in
her heart. Though Tiana must have sensed her falter, leaning past
to peer at the sight that held Sasha’s attention so, her trembling
frame revealing that she could no longer control her own tears,
even though she was trying so very hard, having promised her
mother, Lady Liana, when they said their final goodbyes. Within
moments, the figure faded from view and Sasha could only cradle the
sobbing Tiana in her arms, while pondering the unknown future that
was hurdling towards them faster than either could have ever
expected.

After a time, Tiana’s tears waned; the last
few, emotion filled hours having finally caught up to her young
friend, leading her into a much needed slumber. Carefully, Sasha
untangled her arm from Tiana’s embrace, then carried her gently to
a small couch adjacent their seats.

“Mother...” Tiana moaned the moment Sasha
laid her upon the couch, grasping for her hand. She smiled kindly
upon her friend, brushing aside a lock of her curly blond hair that
had fallen across her brow, allowing her thoughts to turn back
towards the future, and this wondrous gift she had been
provided.

The ornately designed starship, known as the
NHA Shuttle ABF Princess One, was just one of a great many gifts
from her parents, King Johan and Queen Vahna Vn’Oco of NHA Galaxy
189, for her coming of age. Her father had already provided another
gift beyond all others, gifting her an entire duchy, while also
handling the negotiations with the affected dukes and duchesses,
with a political capital cost that must have been beyond
staggering. Sasha found herself beyond delighted that she didn’t
have to personally undertake those particular negations. Even
though she knew, quite well, her own ability to guide a noble court
was inherited from her father. Who could easily steer the most
strenuous of negotiations. Her own reluctance came from her
fleeting experience negotiating with a particular political sect of
the NHA ruling nobility, whose beliefs were rife with illogical
idiocy born of blindly following tradition; known plainly as the
traditionalists.

Beyond the gifts so far received, Sasha would
be receiving assistance in the creation of Alutia Duchy. Since the
hardest part still lay before her, the formal colonization, with a
monetary and material cost that was far beyond her meager fortune.
Luckily, Sasha knew she could rely on gifts and “official”
contributions from her parents until the Alutia Duchy was fully
able to stand on its own.

She locked her fingers together, stretching
an unfamiliar soreness from her shoulders that she could only think
caused by the new weight of responsibility.
If I can’t handle
this much
, she started, but shook off the thought before it
could stick, and all the others that had crept unwilling into her
mind as she considered the uncertain future.

“Remember the perks, Sasha,” she whispered
instead, allowing her gaze to sore across the interior of her
personal starship.

There was only one word she could think to
describe the sight; extravagant. Red rose silk from a distant
galaxy encased cushioned seats and couches at a cost beyond what
Sasha could possibly imagine; the sensation like sitting upon a
fluffy cloud. Golden tassels weaved from comet’s hair, a rare moss
that grew only on the searing surface of special comet, fell at
intervals, ending with sparkling crimson gems the like Sasha had
never before seen. A purplish metal, that seemed to be infused with
a red rose, similar to gorian alloy, lined the crimson carpeted
aisle that cut between the rows of seating and couches.
Programmable matter art crept across the walls and arched ceiling,
displaying exotic, six-legged creatures that galloped majestically
through a vast forest, then shifting to a white peaked mountain in
the center of a vast green plain, covered in gentle mist. It was
breathtaking.

Carefully, Sasha tiptoed away from Tiana,
trying not to wake her, and moved slowly through the rows of empty
seating and couches, admiring the starship’s interior while
approaching a crested door at the far end of the passenger
compartment, a ceremoniously dressed guard stood at attention, arms
crossed behind his back, before its face.

“Your Grace,” the guard used the revered
title reserved for dukes and duchess, while presenting the noble
salute, crossing ones arms before their chest while glancing
towards the floor. He then, with a flourish, swung open the
door.

“Thank you,” Sasha paused, having already
forgotten the names of her private guards who had been introduced
during the emotional goodbyes.

“Knight Captain Seb'Losh, Captain of the
Alutia Guard,” told Sir Seb'Losh, not fazed in the slightest by the
need to reintroduce himself.

She always found it refreshing when a noble
chose a position within the military or government, as she knew Sir
Seb'Losh had done based on the title of knight before his rank. For
the vast majority of her life, Sasha had been surrounded by
traditionalist nobles who believed any sort of work beyond their
station, and to only be performed by the common and petty classes.
Though this belief was most prominent within the unlanded nobility,
those noble’s who held no hereditary claims, and thought all they,
or any other unlanded noble should ever do, was collect the noble
living stipend in which they were entitled, and occasionally attend
court to harass any realists or reformists who may not share their
narrow-minded beliefs.

I will not allow them to sway me,
Sasha reaffirmed, the knowledge that she would soon be dealing with
these “types” in her own court, beyond irritating.

“Your Grace?” Sir Seb’Losh questioned,
staring at her curiously. Sasha blushed her embarrassment, having
been lost in thought while standing before the Alutia Guard
Captain.

“My apologies, Sir Seb’Losh...and thank you,”
she responded with a nod, then started through the door. She paused
midstride, her mind registering the colors and crest of his uniform
for the first time.

The officer’s doublet and guard style,
straight leg pants that he wore were of a dark red, similar to the
color of a blooming rose, and identical to the pallet used
throughout the interior of the starship. His undercoat, gloves, and
boots were jet black, making the vibrant red even more pronounced.
On his left breast sat a crest, the same as what adorned the door’s
face, a gorian alloyed tiara wrapped in a rose vine, with a
blooming red rose on each of the tiara's three peaks. In its
background swirled a spiral galaxy, colored a similar rose red, but
slightly more crimson, between the galaxy’s star specked arms.

“Sir Seb'Losh, may I gather that you are
wearing the colors and crest of my new duchy?” Sasha asked,
realizing as she spoke the question that it must seem odd. Sir
Seb'Losh let slip a look of surprise, but quickly recovered with a
trained professionalism one would expect of his rank.

“Yes, Your Grace. I was under the impression
that this design and color palette was of your choosing,” Sir
Seb'Losh responded with genuine interest.

“Ah yes, if only that were true, Sir
Seb’Losh. It would be my mother, Queen Vahna, who decided on this
particular color pattern. She has always held a fascination with
roses, given their historic significance with galaxy 189’s
founding, and I'm sure my father was more than happy to oblige her
free reign over my new duchy's colors and crest,” Sasha explained,
a slight melancholy slipping into her tone.

The aversion she'd originally felt over the
use of crimson and rose red, she being a fan of white and silver,
faded when she recalled it had been a gift from her mother; though
a different thought quickly took hold as another of her aversions
resurfaced.

“Sir Seb’Losh, since I gather you or another
Alutia Guard will be required to be in my presence at all times,
being your sworn duty, I would request that you set aside a moment
to discuss my protection and what I deem appropriate,” her hands
fell to her hips as she stared seriously into his unreadable eyes.
“It took me quite a significant amount of effort to convince my
guards on Tidelia that I have no need to be constantly babysat, and
I feel my time ruling Alutia would not be best served trying to do
the same with you and your guards. Do you understand my meaning?”
Sasha explained, a slight hint of amusement slipping into her
commanding tone when she noticed his eyes flash with
anticipation.