Alutia Rising, Anniversary Edition (Alutia Rising Series, Book 1) (36 page)

The box floated free of her hands, folding
out to become flat. Two pure beams of light, one of red and the
other of blue, exploded from the red rose and heart symbols,
colliding directly before her eyes. She stared in awe, having never
seen anything of the like before. An orb of purple began to
coalesce where the two beams swirled together. Then, two smaller
green beams appeared, emanating from the two shields symbols,
piercing the spinning purple mass. Two green orbs broke free from
the spot where the beams intersected, to orbit the now pulsing
purple orb. They fed part of their own wispy substance back to the
larger orb, while ethereal droplets would slowly form and fall
towards the floor to vanish within. The orbs circled like two tiny
moons, faster and faster. Before Sasha could blink, the orbs
vanished, merging into a halo, and with a flash, a circular object
appeared in their place, hovering in a cone of clear light. Sasha,
without thinking, grasped for the floating object, causing the
light to fade and the black box to collapse back into its original
form.

The ring shaped item Sasha held before her
was made of a reddish metal with a purple tint. Two faceted, oval
green gems, either emeralds or garnets,
were
set in both sides, with a larger, smooth oval
purple gem, an amethyst, adorning its peak. She rotated the
oversized ring in her hands, only to realize that it was, in fact,
a bracelet. Unconsciously, she slid it over her left wrist, Terra
squeaking with excitement from her bosom as he watched.

The bracelet began to undulate, its metal
surface appearing to liquefy before shrinking, molding perfectly to
her wrist, before once again solidifying. She watched in awe,
unable to pull her gaze from the exquisite piece of jewelry that
now perfectly adorned her wrist, noting that only one of the two
green gems glowed mysteriously, while the purple amethyst, oddly
enough, glowed crimson. Vin's bronze sphere suddenly reappeared,
but this time, hovering millimeters above the red glowing purple
gem.

“Integration complete; Arm of the Emperor has
been partially activated,”

“Vin, what's going on?” she asked with
wonder.

“A gift from Emperor Yuloo Origin has been
provided as is custom for a newly landed duke or duchess.
Originally, gift was intended to be awarded at your ascension
ceremony by King Johan Vn’Oco in the name of Emperor Yuloo Origin.
But due to the ascension having already occurred when Grand Duchess
Sasha Alutia arrived in the Alutia Duchy, this Program deemed it
appropriate to present the gift immediately,” Vin explained, a
shiver creeping from the bracelet that seemed to vibrate with its
every word. Terra scurried down to her forearm and started to
playfully swat at Vin's sphere, which would move the instant before
it was touched, causing Terra to squawk with delight.

“Let me get this straight,” she took a deep,
calming breath, “this is a gift from the emperor for when I
officially become grand duchess and that occurred once I arrived in
the Earth star system?” Sasha asked, having started to regain her
composure. But still found the entire situation difficult to
fathom.

“Partially correct. Grand Duchess Sasha
Alutia officially claimed her right the moment she entered her
duchy. No official ceremony is now required,” Sasha smiled,
wondering if her father had known about this.

“Thank you, Vin. What exactly is the Arm of
the Emperor?” she assumed it was a housing for a Program, but it
didn't hurt to hope for more.

“Currently it is used as a Program link and
universal locater. Further information about the Arm of the Emperor
is restricted,” Sasha nodded towards her wrist, containing a laugh
as she thought of the humor in the odd gesture.

“What is a universal locater?” the bronze
sphere undulated in response, then started shifting color rapidly,
before returning to its bronze shimmer.

“Information is partially sealed. User may be
able to track location of certain individuals through an integrated
Program recondiverse communication protocol,” she raised her
eyebrows.
If she could track people, the uses could be
endless,
she realized, deciding it best to investigate sooner
than later. She concentrated on the bracelet while thinking of
Tiana.

An unnatural sticky sensation spread across
her skin, like she had plunged into a tub of sap, as her mind's eye
separated from her flesh, becoming a wispy, slightly foggy vision.
It glided out of the shuttle, directly through the hull, and down
to the group waiting patiently beyond, centering on Tiana. After a
few seconds, the vision forcibly returned to her mind.

She released her breath and found her heart
beating uncontrollably, sweat pouring off her brow. The sensation
was unlike anything she had ever felt before, and it would
definitely take some practice to become accustomed. But the ability
to locate anyone would definitely come in handy. She started
towards the exit, gently persuading Terra to move away from the
bracelet and back into her bosom, and returned to the waiting
escort.

After the second round of bows concluded, and
Sasha assured everyone that she was indeed, alright, the group
moved out of the hanger and into the waiting individual transport
tubes. A short trip later, Sasha emerged into a very plain lobby,
with blue and white rugs and a painting of a blue, green, and white
planet on the far wall.

“If you would follow me, I'll show you to
your room,” Commander Talan said with an exaggerated flourish that
Sasha found unsettling.

They followed the old man as the thick double
doors in the center of the painting slid open to reveal a massive
atrium. Natural light poured from high above, masking the ceiling,
while floors circled the walls, vanishing in the distant light. In
the center of the atrium stood a meadow of tightly packed green
grass surrounding a pond, a gentle creek flowing in from the wall,
cutting between a small forest of tall leafy trees and prickly
bushes of species she had never before beheld.

“A little piece of home for those that are
here at school,” explained Commander Talan as he noticed Sasha's
look of fascination. They ambled down a stone path that circled the
meadow and pond, listening intently to the commander explain a
little about Earth's native foliage, before climbing into a
transparent elevator that started to ascend.

At what Sasha had counted as the fifth floor,
the platform stopped, and the group exited. Regalia ran to the edge
to peer down at the shimmering blue water, 25 meters below, where
colorful fish could be seen swimming in schools. Gil'Da followed
close behind, making sure the young girl didn't get too excited.
They walked passed rows of blue colored doors, and stopping before
one that was colored white like the walls.

“Here we are,” Commander Talan said as the
door opened and he led them within.

The room was quaint at best. A four person
table and kitchen area was set to the right, while four
single-person bunks were lined against the left wall. A washroom
could be seen hidden in the back corner, next to a recreation area
with a three person couch in front of
a
low table with a PDU in its center. Sasha turned her gaze to
Commander Talon, noticing concern in his eyes.

“It is sufficient, Commander Talan, we thank
you for your hospitality...if possible we would like to be alone to
freshen up,” Commander Talan smiled at Sasha's kind words.

“As Her Grace commands. I would, however, not
recommend leaving the officers barracks. The base is like a maze
and it's quite easy to get lost,” he bowed again and left the
ladies to explore their temporary home. Sasha sighed, exhausted,
and made her way straight to the washroom.

“I am going to freshen up......if nobody
minds?” Regalia and Gil'Da were busy exploring the kitchen,
apparently too engrossed to respond, while Tiana fell back onto one
of the beds, leaning on her elbow, smiling mischievously in her
direction.

“Would Her Royal Highness like me to wash her
royal back?” Sasha shot a fiery glare in response that caused Tiana
to giggle while rolling over, presenting Sasha a clear view of her
backside.

The washroom was small...very small...but
that didn't matter to Sasha as long as it had a shower or bath with
hot water. She stripped off the too tight jumpsuit, letting Terra
hop to the sink basin’s edge, before climbing into the narrow
shower tube. The steamy hot water jets activated, spiraling up then
down to cover every millimeter of her flesh. She ran her hands
through her silky black hair, finding the sensation of the water’s
caress like a massage at rejuvenation spa, just what her mind
needed to relax. As she calmed, her thoughts began to wander.

The memory of Trent from when he appeared
before her in the ferry shuttle crept into her mind. She recalled
the feeling of caressing his ghostly cheek, and the unconscious
yearning for him to return her touch it called forth. With a
suddenness that took her breath away, the foggy vision grasped her
mind's eye, whisking it free of the washroom and through the
interior of the TSB Fleet Base, before exiting into the dense
asteroid belt. The vision accelerated, the stars blurring to paint
space itself a vibrant white, before slowing as it approached a
beautiful blue and green world, only marred by large tracks of
yellow and grey. White, puffy clouds appeared before her as she
dove into the atmosphere, imagined wind striking her skin as the
surface quickly approached.

A majestic blue ocean expanded before her as
she dove below its surface, trying desperately to hold her breath,
but finding she didn't need to breathe. Darkness enveloped her as
she dove deeper and deeper, but before she could panic, the light
returned, and with it, the sight of Trent, moving through a narrow
tunnel, his face dirty and uniform ripped.

Something is terribly wrong
, Sasha’s
mind cried. Trent froze, staring directly into her distant eyes,
mouth agape, and started reaching for her cheek. But the strain of
holding the image was too strong. A relentless tugging forcing her
vision back into her body so fast the she slammed against the wall
of the shower tube, losing her balance and sliding to the floor,
gasping for breath.

“What...” she panted, letting the water wash
over her trembling body.
Something’s definitely wrong,
she
thought desperately,
why would Trent, now a Lieutenant in the
TSB, be crawling around in the walls of what has to be TSB Earth
Base?
A reason struck her and she thought of the man
responsible for the entire fiasco they now faced, Sir Simwa. She
concentrated like she'd done on Tiana, hoping to locate her enemy.
But nothing happened.

“Vin,” she held the bracelet up to her mouth
as she finally caught her breath, “can you tell me what's going on
at TSB Earth Base? Why is Trent in the walls?” Silence was the only
response. “Vin? What’s going on?” she asked again, but still
nothing.

Unable to fathom why Vin wouldn't answer,
now of all times
, she pulled herself to her feet and slipped
out of the shower. Drying off quickly, she forced herself back into
the too tight jumpsuit, waiting for Terra to climb onto her
shoulder, and prepared to exit, but froze. The mirror showed a
reflection, different than the one she had seen prior to leaving
the ABF Princess One. It showed a woman she suddenly didn't
recognize, a woman who couldn't do anything right, had been useless
and careless, letting those in her responsibility come to harm...to
die.

Not this time,
she told,
this time
I will do something...I will save Trent
. Her mind made up, she
rushed out of the washroom, looking at the women sitting quietly at
the table as she came to a stop, standing stiffly. She'd constantly
been placing her friend's in danger...
did she want to do so
again?

“I need some air,” she made a painful
decision, “I'm going for a quick walk...alone,” she turned, rushing
from the room, ignoring their curious stares.

Is this the right thing to do?
The
question repeated, over and over, while she ran to the elevator.
But she couldn't answer, her mind racing with thoughts of Trent,
the trouble he may be facing, and the knowledge she may be the only
one who can save him.

Her heart beat briskly as the platform
descended. She was scared. This being the first time she'd ever
done anything alone, always having her guards, servants, or Tiana
by her side. She felt a twinge of guilt at the thought of leaving
Tiana behind, who'd decided at the age of six that they would
always be together. But she couldn’t live with herself if she
placed her friend in anymore danger. She had to do this alone.

“Standard communications with Earth are
currently offline,” Vin stated, breaking her free of her
thoughts.

“Why didn't you answer sooner?” Sasha hissed,
staring down at the sphere hovering just above her bracelet.

“All standard communication protocols had to
be explored before a proper reply could be formulated,” Vin
explained, not seeming to have a problem waiting five minutes to
answer a question.

“If it will take more than a few seconds to
answer, you must tell me,”
she
scolded,
shaking her head as she spoke. “But for now, I have another
question. How can I get to Earth...quietly?” she inquired, fearful
of having to ask Commander Talan to borrow a starship. She could
order him, of course, but she had the feeling he would be less then
accommodating. Plus, there was something about him that seemed
off...something she couldn't quite place.

“Yes, Grand Duchess Sasha Alutia. A personal
unpowered transport shuttle is available for your use. Please
proceed to a transport tube station.” Emboldened by the news, she
started forward as soon as the elevator finished descending.