Alutia Rising, Anniversary Edition (Alutia Rising Series, Book 1) (53 page)

“It must be the timing,” she’d noticed the
red “capture” icon only appeared when what looked to be the escape
shuttle’s access hatch rotated into view. On the next pass, she
counted eight seconds for a complete rotation, and then started
counting down the moment the access hatch vanished.

With a trembling finger, she timed her touch
perfectly, striking the red icon the moment it appeared. The
boarding tube shot out like a rocket, locking onto the side of the
escape shuttle in an instant. The black and yellow outline around
the outer airlock began to blink, before turning a solid red.
Another icon appeared, flashing green, asking if she wanted to open
the outer airlock door. With a confident nod, she touched the icon.
The door slid open, a gentle mist tumbling from the tube to fill
the airlock, providing the shuttle’s hatch that sat at the end of
the boarding tube with an eerie look.

Tiana drew her laser arc and crept towards
the tube. A yelp escaped her lips as she stepped over a purple and
yellow line separating the airlock from the boarding tube’s
interior, which too late she recalled meant zero gravity beyond.
She floated down the tunnel, grasping desperately for the handholds
that lined its sides.

The escapes shuttles access hatch slid open
with a hiss and before Tiana could react, a black haired blur shot
out. A shoulder slammed into her mid-section, knocking the air from
her lungs. Desperately, she fumbled for her laser arc, which
slipped from her sweaty grasp, bouncing off the tube wall to fly
well out of reach.

They tumbled wildly, the attacker’s grip like
a claw trying to snap her in half. Tiana struggled to break free,
punching at the attacker’s arms with all the might her tiny body
could muster, her legs flailing as it became impossible for her to
catch her breath. A shimmer appeared at the edge of her vision,
each breath coming harder and harder, until finally, Tiana
realized, it was over. She stopped struggling, letting her body go
limp, admitting defeat. Despair filled her. She had failed her
charges. She had failed the children.

“Who do you serve?” a woman grunted.

“Sasha?” Tiana wheezed, the voice gruffer
then she remembered, but she knew it immediately. The woman
gripping her stiffened, then released her, floating away while
looking up into her eyes. Tiana, gasping for breath, recognized the
face of her friend, covered in filth only broken by a path of dried
tears. Sasha gazed at her in disbelief, like Tiana couldn’t
possibly be real, only a dream. She reached out her hand, running a
finger down Tiana’s tear soaked cheek.

“Tiana! Oh, Tiana!” Sasha cried, hugging her
fiercely. Tiana returned the embrace with the same exuberance,
beyond happy to be reunited with her friend.

“My princess! Oh my princess! Why did you
leave me behind! Oh why, why did you ever leave me?” Anger and
loved swirled together to boil forth as she shouted from her
heart.

“I’m sorry, Tiana,” Sasha sobbed, “I am so
very sorry, but...but I had no choice, I could not place you in
danger again,” Sasha word’s overflowed with her sorrow, sorrow born
of knowingly hurting a friend, and at that moment, Tiana forgave
her. Fresh tears broke free at Sasha's words, but froze as Sasha
again tensed.

“Help me!” Sasha pulled away, expression
shifting to hysteria. “He’s...He's hurt, we need to get him to
medical...t-to bed and...!” Sasha grabbed Tiana’s hand before she
could question, dragging her into the escape shuttle.

Lying unconscious in one of the seats within
was a man with curly brown locks that Tiana thought looked
familiar, but couldn't place him, being cover in layer of filth
thicker than even Sasha. Tiana watched in confusion as Sasha gently
pulled him from the seat and started floating him towards the exit.
She gasped when she caught an unexpected look flash in Sasha’s
eyes, one she recalled from years before, before the incident with
Roberto, before she changed forever.

She muffled a cry as recognition took hold.
This man is Trent!
The same man Tiana was certain Sasha had
fallen for at first sight.
Now everything falls into place.
Sasha had left her behind to save him. Tiana wanted to be angry.
She wanted scream. But she knew she would be wrong. Her friend had
not only returned, but returned with a man beyond all of Tiana’s
expectations.

Locking away the millions of questions that
appeared in her mind, Tiana grabbed his other arm and helped Sasha
float him through the boarding tube, gently placing him into the
gravity filled portion of the airlock. Together, they slowly
dragged his deadweight into the corridor. Tiana looked up, noticing
Donnlie and Regalia peering out from the distant crew lounge.

“You two,” she shouted, an idea coming to
mind, “go fetch Fredrick, Miquel, Mirza, and Lin!” Tiana listed off
the four largest trainees. The two nodded in unison, before
vanishing.

They barely reached the crew lounge’s
entrance when Gil'Da, along with the four TSB trainees, rushed down
the stairs. Gil'Da cried in joy as she hurried to their side to
embrace Sasha, mumbling like a mother reunited with a daughter
thought lost forever.

Tiana directed the trainees, who picked up
Trent and carried him up the stairs towards the passenger
apartment, Tiana, Sasha, and Gil’Da following close behind. They
moved through a large group of trainees in the outer sitting room,
who stared curiously at the newcomers, while Sasha looked on with
obvious confusion.

“TSB trainees,” Tiana whispered. “Commander
Talan was planning on selling us to Duke Zehman. They helped us
escape and I just couldn’t leave them behind,” Tiana expected more
than the curt nod in response, but guessing from how Sasha looked,
this may have not come as a surprise. Tiana took the lead, guiding
them to Lady Vickie's bedchamber’s sitting room, where Vickie,
quietly sipping from her favorite mug, was in the process of
telling an inappropriate story to a group of furiously blushing
young girls.

“Lady Vickie,” Tiana interrupted, “I hate to
impose, but we have an injured man that needs to borrow your bed,”
she stated, prepared to respond to the retort she expected, but
instead, finding only a hungry smile in reply.

“Oh my, yes...yes, the best place for that
man would be my bed, this way,” she stood, waving them to follow
into her bedchamber. Tiana glanced at Sasha, hoping to warn her
about Vickie, and her romantic standing, but found Sasha was
already warily eyeing the less then scrupulous woman. The four
trainees, sensing something amiss, quickly, but carefully, placed
Trent atop Vickie's bed, bowed, then hurried from the room. Vickie
went straight to work, studying Trent's face as she started
skillfully removing his jumpsuit.

“I will handle this,” Sasha stormed to
Vickie’s side, forcefully removing the woman's hands from Trent's
jumpsuit, “go fetch me a medical kit,” she ordered with an
authority Tiana had never before heard from her friend. A twitch of
anger crossed Vickie’s lips...
she won’t give up her prize that
easily,
Tiana realized.

“Oh my, I did not catch your name. I am Lady
Vickie and this is my starship and bedchamber. It would be
dishonorable of me not to take personal care of this man. I believe
it prudent for you to “fetch” a medical kit for me,” she grabbed
Sasha’s wrist, her gaze confrontational, having no idea to whom she
was speaking. Sasha looked down, then glared at the feminine, but
powerful woman in the wispy, dark emerald dress. A tiny grin spread
across her lips.

“I am ever so sorry, I forget myself at
times, you must forgive me,” Sasha stood, throwing her disheveled
hair over one shoulder, while raising her chin, trying to look
presentable in her current, less then ladylike state. “I am Grand
Duchess Sasha Alutia and I would like to formally welcome you to my
new private shuttle,” a menace tinged Sasha’s every word. Without
waiting for a response, she returned her attention to Trent,
running a possessive finger down his check as she started removing
his dirty jumpsuit. Vickie's face flushed, not from anger, but
embarrassment. She was only playing with who she thought must have
been a noble lady of no consequence.

“Forgive me, Your Grace,” she took a step
back, her tone turning courteous, “I meant no harm or disrespect,”
she held a curtsy to Sasha's back as she apologized. Sasha seemed
to ignore her, busy pulling the sheets over Trent to hide his
nudity, before blindly trying to remove the rest of his jumpsuit,
then, after a moment, she sighed, turning back to Vickie.

“I am sorry as well, Lady Vickie, I have been
through much these last 12 hours and have only barely survived the
destruction of TSB Earth Base,” Donnlie, who had accompanied
Regalia in behind them, gasped. Sasha looked over at the young boy,
pity in her eyes.

“I see you are a member of the TSB. I am
sorry to deliver this grim news to you in such a fashion, you will
forgive me,” Donnlie couldn't contain his tears, crying loudly as
the always mature Regalia placed a caring arm around him and slowly
escorted him out of the room. Gil'Da, who no one had seen slip out,
returned with a medical kit. Vickie grabbed it from her hand and
moved to Sasha's side.

“I have completed basic medical training. Sir
Simwa required it of me before I became his fiancé,” Tiana moved
faster then she had ever moved in her life, diving between the
women as she sensed what would occur when Sasha found out about
Vickie's past. Vickie tumbled away in surprise when Sasha lunged at
her like a wild beast, but was stopped short by Tiana's desperate
plunge.

“It's political, Your Grace,” Vickie hurried
an explanation, “he caged me in this shuttle for the past six
months. I want him dead as much as, I assume, you do,” she growled,
holding Sasha’s gaze. With each heartbeat, the anger slowly seeped
from Sasha’s eyes as she relaxed.

“You will forgive me again, Lady Vickie, I
find myself losing control much too often as of late,” Sasha stood,
gently pushing Tiana away with a nod of thanks. “I would be honored
if you provided Sir Trent with care equivalent to his rank,”

“His what?” Tiana blurted, unable to fathom
when, or how, Trent could have possibly become a noble.

“Not now, Tiana,” Sasha brushed her off,
looking back to Vickie.

“Of course, Your Grace, I will do everything
in my power to ease his pain,” a grin of delight passed Vickie’s
lips when she noticed Sasha momentarily glare in her direction.
“Can you tell me everything that happened,” Vicki turned serious,
leaning over Trent, pulling the sheets halfway down his chest to
rigorously check his body for injuries.

“Vin,” Sasha’s expression softened, “can you
provide Lady Vickie with anything that will help with Trent’s
treatment?” A tiny bronze sphere appeared a few centimeters above
Sasha's bracelet, which Tiana immediately recognized as the Program
from the shuttle.

“Yes, Grand Duchess Sasha Alutia. Severe
organ damage was caused during restricted treatment. Emergency
tubing would be advised, but if unavailable, standard emergency
nanite treatment and calming agent will suffice for stabilization,”
Vickie stared at the sphere, then to Sasha, eyes questioning.

“It is a Program that has taken an unnatural
liking to me,” Sasha seemed annoyed. “Can you provide the treatment
the Program indicated?” turning their attention back to the problem
at hand.

“We do not have an emergency medical tube
onboard, I’m afraid. But I can easily perform an emergency nanite
treatment. It is rather simple, actually,” Vickie explained while
flipping through the medical kit and selecting two tiny bottles.
She loaded the first into an injector, then placed it up against
Trent's neck. The contents vanished with a hiss. She quickly
ejected the empty bottle, which disintegrated before it hit the
floor, loaded the second bottle and proceeded to inject that as
well.

“He'll need another injection in about an
hour,” Vickie studied Trent intently, her tongue unconsciously
licking her luscious lips, “and he really should be cleaned up,”
her voice fell hush, “I’d love to receive an injection from hi-,”
Sasha “accidently” bumped Vickie away, glaring at Trent like a
mother hen protecting its eggs. Vickie, instead of asking for
forgiveness as Tiana would expect, hopped away, her gaze of a
predator on the hunt for this particular hen’s eggs.

“I will leave him in your care, then,” Vickie
curtsied, a seductive smile on her lips as she sauntered back into
her sitting room.

“Your Grace, I can handle washing the
gentleman. You should concern yourself with your own appearance,”
Sasha spun, ready to snap, but seeing it was Gil'Da who spoke,
locked her lips.

“Thank you, Gil'Da, but I am duty bound to
his care. I would appreciate you and Tiana's assistance, however.”
The look in Sasha's eyes said, quite clearly, she would not accept
any arguments in this matter. Gil'Da, however, either didn't
notice, or chose to ignore this fact.

“Your Grace, it would be scandalous for you
to bath any man who is not your husband. You must allow me to
perform this duty in your stead,” Sasha blushed furiously, even
noticeable under the thick layer of grime that covered her
cheeks.

“My princess,” Tiana leaned in, hands on her
hips, “tell me now or you know I will tease you relentlessly till
you do,” Tiana threatened, Sasha eyes begging that now was not the
time, making her want to know even more. “Your Royal Highness,”
Tiana pushed, “these secrets are unbecoming a woman of your
status,” she goaded, sensing Sasha's resistance fading and, like
always, Sasha sighed, resigned to the fact that she could never
hide anything from her best friend.

“This is a secret that you will not speak
unless I provide permission, understood?” Tiana nodded, unable to
keep from bouncing with excitement. “Well, you know how Programs
like to take things literally if you're not too careful...like what
occurred a few times with Vin on my private starship?” Tiana nodded
rapidly, remembering Vin taking it upon himself to respond to
queries that might have been said jokingly, in passing, or not even
aimed at the Program in the first place. “It was after he saved me
and,” Sasha took a deep breath, gazing down upon Trent, eyes
twinkling, “and we were following Vin's directions while being
chased by the traitors who had taken over TSB Earth Base. I did not
realize it at the time, but I had...had fallen in love with Trent,”
Tiana couldn't contain her elation, squeaking in delight as she
danced in place. She knew about Sasha's love already, but hearing
it from Sasha's own lips was something else entirely.