Alutia Rising, Anniversary Edition (Alutia Rising Series, Book 1) (61 page)

Sir Baric glared at Knight Admiral Bhool with
disdain in his eyes; a small, evil smirk, spreading across his
darkening face.

“The only plan capable of resolving this
situation, Lady Bhool,” he paused, glaring at all who opposed
him.

“The destruction of Earth,”

Shocked gasps and cries echoed across the
room as Sir Baric’s words registered.

“That is beyond your authority!” Knight
Captain Quinn bellowed, rushing to his feet, knocking his chair
into the unlucky TSB officer who was seated behind him.

“But not Prince Kohan's! Who gave me
permission and full authority to destroy Earth, which will be
happening within moments,” Sir Baric cried with a sick glee, one
filled with the pleasure of destruction, of his own authority, and,
in his own mind, of being right.

“You will cancel that order immediately,”
Sasha demanded, voice trembling, no longer trying to control her
emotions. Trent wanted to move to her, support her, but he
couldn't, his muscles didn't want to work.
Why
now...why
at a time like this!

“No, I am in the right, Lady Sasha, you are
in the wrong! Prince Kohan will hear about this...this....travesty
to my honor! And I will demand satisfaction!” Sir Baric’s
composure, having been held by a thread, left him when Sasha gave
him a command he would not follow.

“Then you leave me no choice. Knight Admiral
Bhool! Place Knight High-Admiral Baric under arrest for
treason!”

Her words were a spark.

Sir Baric drew his laser arc alongside the
officers who lined the wall behind him, aiming his directly at
Sasha. After the millisecond it took Trent’s mind to register the
sight, he heard a snap, but not through his ears, and everything
went white.

“Lady Sasha, you will accompany me back to-,”
a laser bolt sizzled across the room from Trent's hand, burning
straight through Sir Baric’s head, which vanished in a puff of
blood. At the same moment, Trent grasped Sasha and Tiana, pulling
them towards the floor. Tiana, who was in the process of lunging
for Regalia, dragged her down as well, causing them all to tumble
as one. Trent climbed atop Sasha and her ladies, covering them as
laser bolts flew overhead, scattering against the walls. Within
seconds, silence filled his ears.

It was over.

Trent painfully pulled himself to his feet
and took in the scene of carnage. All of Knight High-Admiral
Baric's men were dead or wounded...mostly dead, and the two ABF
Battleguards, who were on duty at the door, had fallen. Two TSB
officers were also wounded severely, while Knight Captain Quinn and
Vice-Commander Daiyu, both still alive, clutched a laser arc in
each hand. They, like Trent, had been prepared for the worst,
having drawn their laser arcs at the same moment as he. Satisfied
that they were no longer in imminent danger, he nodded to the two
TSB officer's before collapsing across the table, pain and darkness
enveloping his fading mind.

Sasha lay frozen to the floor, unable to
comprehend exactly how she had arrived there, though little did it
actually matter.

Why had this happened?
The question
kept repeating in her mind. She couldn’t understand why Sir Baric
thought he had authority over the Alutia Duchy...over her.
It
made no sense.
Unless, she wondered, her brother really
provided Sir Baric permission to destroy Earth, and convinced him
he had authority to do just that. The last thought brought her mind
storming back to the present.

The pressure of Trent on her back subsided as
he stood, allowing Sasha to clearly see Tiana cradling the crying
Regalia on the floor beside her, Vickie kneeling just beyond,
closing the eyes of the two ABF Battleguards who lay dead by the
door. Her breath caught in her throat at the sight and tears
started forming in her eyes, knowing they had died to protect
her.

“Trent!” Daiyu shouted, pulling Sasha free of
her momentary melancholy. She gathered her feet, climbing to
Trent's side as he started collapsing across the table. Daiyu
rushed to assist, helping Sasha ease him into a chair. Trent's eyes
shot open, a relieved smile crossing his lips when he recognized
her. She smiled back gently, unable to fully hide her worry,
looking over him for wounds, but finding none.

“Just a little pain,” he wheezed, “I moved
too much...too fast, I'll be fine. How are your ladies?” he asked,
breathing heavy, but Sasha knew he was alright, showing more
concern for others than himself.
I’ll have to scold him
later.
She placed a hand tenderly to his
cheek
, garnering a peculiar look from Daiyu.

“Could you watch him for me?” Sasha
asked.

“Of course, Your Grace, I owe him my life.”
Sasha smiled her thanks, then hurried to her ladies who had
gathered in a corner away from the carnage. Vickie, who cradled
Regalia in her arms, looked up as she approached, the argument of
the previous evening long forgotten.

“Remind me never to point a laser arc at
you,” Vickie said dryly.

“Was it really him? It all happened so fast,”
Sasha asked, suddenly horrified of the thought of Trent taking Sir
Baric’s life. Vickie looked up, an amethyst flame erupting from her
gaze, causing her to cringe.

“Sasha,” Vickie growled, “I do not know, or
pretend to know, what goes through that innocent little mind of
yours, but will your feelings for Trent change if you know he did?
That he did not think twice to protect his loved ones through any
means necessary? Think on this, Sasha, think of what would have
befallen if you ended up in the clutches of Sir Baric, before you
judge him too harshly,” Vickie stated what Sasha already clearly
knew. She knew that what he did, he did to protect her, protect her
ladies, from a man who was clearly irrational. But the thoughts did
still emerge;
did he really have to kill him? Was there no
another way?
She smacked her cheeks, clearing free the line of
thinking that she knew, if she accepted, would mean the days of her
ruling Alutia would be short.

“You are right, Vickie, Trent did what was
required,” she responded, and at that moment she realized, she
would have done the same. If anyone ever aimed a weapon at any of
her friends or family she would not hesitate to protect them...by
any means necessary. A sobbing cry rose from within Vickie’s
embrace, where Regalia and Tiana huddled together.

“Could you escort them back to my apartment?”
Sasha asked, running her fingers through her young ladies
disheveled hair.

“Yes, that would be for the best. This place
suddenly smells of rotting filth,” Vickie raised her nose towards
the far side of the room, where Sir Baric and seven others lay
dead.

“Your Grace, a word,” Lady Bhool called from
across the room. As she started around the table, emergency medical
teams rushed through the door, treating the wounded without
question. Lady Bhool stood with Sir Quinn and Vice-Admiral Sys'Kol
along the wall, their command staffs shuffling past, leaving the
conference room in haste.

“Your Grace, Knight Admiral Gregorio is
refusing to comply with your order to stand-down. He is quite
adamant that you have no authority over Knight High-Admiral Baric’s
battle groups, stating the only orders he will follow are those of
Knight High-Admiral Baric, which we are currently telling is
meeting with you,” Lady Bhool said, a concern flowing from her
words that Sasha had heard on only one previous occasion, when her
private starship had been captured by traitors.

“Could you try to fool him?” Find someone
that sounds like Baric and have him send the order?” Sasha voiced
the first idea that came to mind, realizing it was flawed the
moment she finished. A muffled grunt echoed across the room,
forcing them all to glance at Trent, who was in the process of
getting an injection from a very angry Medical Officer Quo’Moy.
Sasha began to turn then stopped herself...she would deal with
Trent later.

“I doubt it would work, Your Grace. They have
command codes that have to be submitted if they were communicating
orders over an open channel, its standard protocol.” Sasha frowned,
knowing the only option left.

“This one's alive, he's using his BC node,” a
barely audible whisper came from one of the medics. The words
seemed important, Sasha tried to grasp why.

“ESS up! Bring the fleet to battle stations!
Mark Knight High-Admiral Baric's battle groups as hostiles and
engage, repeat...” Knight Admiral Bhool shouted into the combat PDU
she was wore over her ear. Sasha stood in a daze, not understanding
why the knight admiral had decided on such a reckless course of
action.

She slammed against the wall, the starship
bucking wildly, like hundreds of asteroids were striking its hull
at once. The answer dawned on her as the battle stations alarm
blared. The man the medics mentioned, the one who was using his BC
node, must have been sending a message to Knight Admiral Gregorio,
the man now in charge of Baric's two battle groups, informing him
of what had transpired. More alarms blared as the starship
continued to shudder, Sasha barely able to keep from falling.

“We need to get to the bridge!” Knight
Captain Quinn bellowed, louder than even the screeching alarms. The
three commanders started rushing towards the door.

“I am coming,” she said it more to herself
then to the commanders, falling in line behind them. As she reached
the door, a hand slid under her arm, pulling her back slightly. She
turned in surprise, only to find Trent, flush and sweating,
standing at her side.

“You can't leave me behind,” he wheezed, pain
noticeable in his bloodshot eyes. Sasha was about to scream at him,
order him to go back to the apartments and sleep, rest, but Daiyu
appeared on his other elbow, supporting him.

“I'll help, Your Grace,” Sasha looked at the
woman and nodded, holding her tongue.

They pulled Trent along, after the commanders
that had vanished down the wide corridor, bustling with officers
hurrying to their battle stations. Trent winced with every step,
making her want to smack him as she remembered his promise, which
he seemed to forget whenever it pleased him.

“It'll just be another week in bed, so I
don't think this can be considered self-sacrifice, can it?” Trent
smiled weakly, masking some of the pain. Sasha sighed
again...
can he read my mind now?
They hurried as fast as
Trent could move down the corridor, in the direction of the fleet
command deck.

“Here! It will be faster,” Daiyu said,
leading them into a waiting tube transport.

“Your Grace. Excuse me if this question is
rude,” Daiyu asked as the tube started to slow, the fleet command
deck within walking distance of the strategy room, “are you and Sir
Trent currently in a relationship?” The question Sasha knew would
eventually come, but hoped to put off until this entire affair was
over, was asked by Daiyu.

“I would appreciate your discretion. But yes,
we are currently courting.” Sasha responded, somewhat honestly. She
thought she caught a flash of disappointment appear in Daiyu’s eye,
but her expression stayed solid, only nodding understanding. Trent
had saved her life and Sasha wondered if that may have caused
feelings for him to start appearing in Daiyu's heart. She knew
something similar had occurred when Trent dragged her around Earth
Base, protecting her as they fled from Sir Simwa's followers.

The transport tube door slid open to the ABF
Alutia’s enormous fleet command deck that overlooked the starships
even more massive bridge. Trent staggered out alongside her, still
breathing heavy. The starship shuddered again as Daiyu exited last,
looking at her, then Trent, before nodding crisply and rushing to
an empty fleet station adjacent the one manned by Knight Captain
Quinn.

At first glance the image being projected on
the CID in the center of the deck appeared normal. A blue, green,
and white planet blockaded by starships in a perfect containment
formation. But at closer inspection, enemy starship, highlighted
red, with name tags and status updates intermingled with the ally
starships, highlighted blue, which were vanishing much faster than
the red. Knight Admiral Bhool floated 5 meters above the 15 meter
tall projected battle space, shouting orders, while zooming around
the projection as the battle unfolded. Trent slid an arm around
Sasha waist as the starship shook violently, pulling her towards
two seats at the end of the CID without PDU stations, reserved for
non-combat guests. They sat, the seats locking them in place,
grasping hands, watching as the desperate battle for Earth
unfolded
.

It was mayhem.

Confused...unabashed...mayhem, “and you know
who is responsible, do you not, Daniel,” a mysterious voice
whispered through his BC node.

“I do,” he responded, no longer caring about
its origin or if it real. Knowing well only one man could be
responsible for these crazy events that kept occurring, one after
the other, and the absolute lunacy of what was now taking place
screamed of only this man.

The man named Trent
.

He’d been aroused from a deep slumber when
the battle stations alarm had once again sounded. After fighting
his way through the mass of confused officers and crewmen, he
arrived at the bridge, only to find half the Alutia Battle Fleet
engaged with the other.

It screamed illogic and Daniel knew, with the
voice’s constant reassurance, that only one man could cause such an
unfathomable event to occur.

The man named Trent
.

His tactical display had yet to update friend
from foe, so Daniel had nothing to do but seethe in a pool of
anger, let it feed the tree of hate for Trent that had sprouted
within his heart, no matter how ridiculous he knew his hate may be.
“It is not ridiculous, Daniel,” the voice contradicted, and he
realized again, that it was right.