But the continuously transforming, multicolored liquid programmable matter sculptor within the transparent globe was unlike anything she'd ever seen. It began to morph as she stared, changing into a very detailed mountain top, with many tiny creatures roaming its surface. Then, after a few seconds, it changed again, this time to a majestic bird, soaring on six undulating wings.
“Fascinating,” Tiana whispered, kneeling amongst the group of trainees. More exotic locales and beautiful animals of the likes she had never seen appeared one after the other. She glanced to Vickie, who sat with a content, almost peaceful smile. Tiana smiled back, thinking that her concern was unfounded; Vickie is just lonely after all.
The thought vanished as she glanced to the trainees, who were dressed in the same transparent material Til'Ma had been wearing, with no undergarments beneath. Tiana gasped, Vickie's expression changing to one of wicked amusement.
“One must make do with what is provided, my dear Lady Tiana,” she ignored Vickie’s words as she plunged into the woman’s closet, searching for more appropriate attire and thinking that the next eight hours couldn't pass fast enough.
Chapter 19
The hours flowed like a rushing river, Trent's life story surging past to catch Sasha in its turbulent embrace, making her feel as if she too experienced every moment, every detail, of his lonely life. At times, she became angry, at others, sad, and a few times she even felt incredulous, pinching Trent relentlessly to make sure he knew those particular thoughts were now forbidden. But not once did she smile. His memories were those of a man who lived a life alone, scared to expose himself for fear, and experience, of the betrayal that lay beyond.
As his words finally trailed off, her exhaustion began to take over, forcing the tingly warmth that had grown within, born of a relived happiness, to fade into a soothing calm. Trent's story, though sad, had comforted her, made her realize that the problems of his heart were caused by an inner kindness that had taken such a beating, that a cold hard shell had formed to protect it. This shell also restricted his mind, causing constant turmoil, while creating an impression of himself that wasn't actually factual. She knew it was impossible to completely shatter this shell in the short amount of time they'd been together, but she'd pierced it's surface enough for the light of kindness and love to burst forth, placing her at ease...warming her very being. In time, she knew that she would cure his wounds, replace them with joyous memories, and in the process, cure her own.
“Now that you know about me,” he whispered, breaking her free of her momentary sleepiness, “all of me...can you tell me about your past?” he asked carefully.
“Yes...of course,” she responded, not wanting him to think she hadn’t planned on reciprocating. “But I do not have much to tell...having been stuck on Tidelia with my guardian all my life,” she let her eyes fall closed, thinking of the past and how different it was from the present.
“Guardian? I thought your father was the king?” Trent's question didn't surprise her. It wasn't common knowledge, even among the ruling nobility.
“He is, but he did not raise me. I grew up on a planet called Tidelia, raised by a close friend of my parents, Countess Liana. There is a unique rule in this galaxy that states any son or daughter of the king and queen, who is not in direct inheritance, shall be removed to live separately, as a regular noble...” her words trailed off.
“That's horrible,” Trent said with shock, “why would they separate you from your parents?” Concern gushed from his every word. She laid a hand across his chest.
“If you only knew of traditionalist noble families and the horrors of political marriage,” she shivered, “it is lonely, of course, not being able to see ones parents or siblings except for a few times a year. But I had Countess Liana, her daughter, Tiana, and my tutor, Gil’Da, so I was not lonely,” a slight hint of melancholy slipped into her tone when she remembered Tiana, who’d she'd left safely on TSB Fleet Base. Trent stared at her, seeming to be baffled, but also concerned, not sure if her tired explanations should relieve his worry...she couldn't help but giggle.
Over the short time since she'd met Trent, she'd found that he was the easiest person in the universe to read. Not because he was overly obvious...well, maybe a little...but since she found herself studying him closely, memorizing even the most minute changes in his expressions...in his soulful eyes.
“Trent,” she placed her hand on his chest, “if this rule did not exist, I would have been married off years ago so my father could gain political capital, secure a new trade agreement, or curry favor from some important noble in a far off galaxy,” his eyes went wide with understanding, “without it, I would have never met you,” he nodded, his expression softening. He leaned in and kissed her tenderly, caressing her long black hair with one hand, and her cheek with the other.
“I still have a lot to learn, don't I?” he muttered as he pulled away.
“As do I,” she laid her head upon his shoulder, “since I have only been off Tidelia for a few weeks. So we will learn together. I will guide you, with all my heart, and you will watch over me, with your entire being,” the statement made her heart race, though she didn't understand why.
“Forever and eternity,” Trent whispered as he laid his own head upon hers.
I love him so! The thought echoed in her mind, erasing all worries as her eyes fell shut, allowing her to lose herself fully in her loves shallow breath and beating heart.
Her eyes shot open to Trent's peacefully sleeping face drooping above, a mere centimeter away from her own. It took her a moment to realize her head was lying upon his lap, her last memory of leaning against him, resting on his shoulder. Slowly, she raised herself, careful not to wake him, while removing the stray hand that had been lying rather casually on her breast. She stretched, wincing as her body screamed its objection, before scanning the long, empty tunnel.
Luckily, nothing had changed. Light still extended beyond sight in both directions, the walls still bare, and Sir Simwa's cronies having yet to locate them. Terra, who she just noticed had been sleeping on Trent's naughty hand, mimicked her stretch, then hopped the short distance between them, crawling back into his preferred spot between her bosoms.
“How long have I been asleep?” she whispered to Vin. Its sphere appeared over her bracelet, shimmering bronze like always.
“Five hours, forty-six minutes,” Vin matched her whisper. She shook her head in disbelief. The flood of emotions had drained her like never before as she listened to Trent's life story.
Quietly, she lowered herself back to Trent's side, staring closely at his sleeping profile. He looked peaceful, almost gentle, his expression showing none of the hidden tension that had been so prevalent since they first met. But as she continued to stare, studying every facet of the man she loved, a desire grew within her, which she immediately suppressed. There will be time for that later, after I resolve my own demons, she explained to herself, her desire fading as if it understood her thoughts. She did, however, lean in close to blow lightly into his ear. His head shot up, spinning towards her, his nose a mere millimeter away from her own. She leaned in and stole a kiss, pulling back with a mischievous smile. His eyes came fully open, blinking slowly to clear free the last tendrils of sleep, before steadying his gaze.
“What were you doing?” he questioned, a quizzical look pushing to the surface. Her blush grew.
“Someone's hand decided that my chest was a good place to rest while he slept,” a playful response escaped her lips
“I’m sorry...I didn’t know...I’m so sorry,” he blushed, apologizing profusely. Sasha laughed it off and helped him to his feet.
“I feel like...I don't know...I don't recall ever feeling like this...” Trent studied her hands, voice filled with a clear sense of calm.
“Well,” she bumped him with her hip, “you talked for almost a year,” she teased, locking her arm in his.
“It wasn't that long,” he tried to force a hurt look, but failed miserably, “plus, you did wan
t to know,” he pouted seriously. Sasha punched him in the stomach.
“Of course I did,” she responded sincerely, “and no, it wasn't that long. I was just joking with you, Tre-,” she gazed upon his face, a broad smile now on his lips, and she knew she'd been had. Her fist struck his stomach a little harder, causing him to keel over in exaggerated pain, which quickly shifted to joyous laugher.
“We should really continue on. We were asleep for almost six hours,” Sasha said with a sigh as the laughter finally abated.
“That long,” he seemed as amazed as she. “I wish we had an idea what was going on in the base. I never had a chance to send an update to Taku and-.” Trent stopped midsentence, raising Sasha's left hand close to his mouth.
“Vin, do you know what is happening in the base?” Vin’s sphere appeared.
“Sir Simwa's forces have captured medical bay one and transferred the survivors to the temporary holding cell created in freight supply bay five. His forces are now searching all 40 wings of TSB Earth Base in hopes of locating Grand Duchess Sasha Alutia,” Trent cringed at the response.
“Did you know them? The ones from the medical bay?” she asked with honest concern.
“Yes,” he looked downtrodden. “They were the first people I met in a long time that were either not trying to kill me or lock me up. It was kind of an odd feeling,” he explained, tone having gone cold. Sasha could sense his mind wandering to a bad place.
“I am sure they are ok,” she quickly headed it off, “but for now, we should keep moving. If we can escape Earth, and if the battle in space is going well, we will send a contingent of ABF Battleguards to retake the base and free the prisoners,” Sasha said like it was already decided.
“You're right,” he turned to her, nodding, “there's no use dwelling on things I can't change,” he admitted. A cheer almost escaped her lips...it worked...though the thought that it would be easy lasted for only a few seconds as she remembered the mess of emotions that had been their mutual love confessions, and the turmoil she'd sensed during his life story. It will definitely be anything but easy.
They walked for almost an hour down the never changing tunnel. Occasionally, they would speak about nothing important, spending most of the time just enjoying each other's silent company. When she was just about to ask Vin if the tunnel would ever end, a door appeared in the distance. They picked up their pace, and found it was identical to the one that had originally led them into this tunnel, having the same Emperor's Crest, a man made out of many galaxies, across its surface.
“Be advised: Beyond this entry is a level one quarantine area. Access without the emperor's consent is strictly forbidden,” the warning flashed through both their ears and BC nodes simultaneously. The sensation made her stomach turn. The human mind wasn’t wired to translate identical audio and BC node feeds simultaneously. It was possible, of course, but the effects often led to dizziness and occasionally, loss of consciousness. Trent seemed to be taking it well, but had turned a rather peculiar color of green, that started to fade after a few seconds. He nodded, showing he was ok, but apparently not ok enough to talk.
“Vin, what now?” Its sphere began rippling wildly, shifting through the entire color spectrum in rapid succession in response. After a minute, it regained its original shape and color.
“Access granted,” Vin said as the door slide open.
Trent walked through first, holding Sasha back with an outstretched hand. She almost slapped it away; furious that he'd place himself in danger and think she couldn’t handle herself, but thought better of it...he’s just trying to protect me. After a few moments he waved her through.
The room beyond was rectangular shaped, about 50 meters in length and half as much wide and tall. The walls were cut directly out of the surrounding stone, then smoothed. Lined in the center were old style, circular PDU research stations set at 10 meter intervals, with a row of traditional PDU workstations set flush against a transparent wall, directly across from where they entered. Trent released her hand, drifting slowly down the line of research stations, apparently searching for clues. Sasha found herself drawn to the transparent wall that overlooked an enormous natural cavern.
A dull red light pulsed in its interior, created by the hundreds of throbbing tubes that ran across the walls and floor of the cavern, and looked eerily alive. She traced their paths and found they intersect about 50 meters below, in the center of the cavern, where a pod like cocoon pulsed in unison with the tubes, emitting its own faint green glow. Trent returned to her side, placing a hand on her shoulder, her tension easing.
“What is that?” he asked, having followed her gaze, as fascinated by the sight as her.
“I have no idea,” she whispered. “Vin, do you know what that is?” she asked, not bothering to lift her arm.
“Information incomplete or sealed. There are no records available on this location,” Vin responded. Sasha found it odd that a room sealed by the will of the emperor would have no record.
“I found something over here,” Sasha let Trent guide her to the center research station. Atop its surface blinked an icon that Sasha immediately recognized as an alert level one message. She took a step forward and touched it before Trent could react.
An image of an elderly man coalesced in the air above the station, with long grey hair, sagging skin, and a black and silver uniform Sasha didn't recognize.
“This is the record of the Human Devolution Phenomenon, or HDP, witnessed during the fifth generation of the Uninterrupted Human Growth Project, commissioned by Emperor Xaxis in the year 49,826 of the New Universal Empirical Human Alliance,” Sasha froze when she heard the date, turning to Trent who stared intently at the projected image.
“I am Captain Trelic,” she turned back, holding her tongue, “and have taken responsibility for the studying and destruction of this phenomenon. It is my hope, that if HDP occurs in humans elsewhere in the universe, my research will be able to assist in its containment,” Sasha glanced down, feeling a rising tension at the weight of the words being said.
“We located the Planet Earth in NHA year 49,858, and delivered our charges of unaltered and uneducated humans to a safe location on the planet's surface. The Neo-Humans, as we referred to them, broke quickly into clan units controlled by the strongest males who were able to provide food and security in the virgin wilderness. This held true during the first three generations, while the Neo-Human population decreased, due to death by disease, injury, and starvation. Infant mortality rates were extremely high during this time, with less than a third of all infants reaching adulthood.” Sasha gasped in horror at the thought, infant death by any cause being a thing of the past since well before the creation of the NHA. “During the fourth and fifth generations a shift was seen. The female population grew in intelligence, suddenly inventing new methodology for hunting, gathering, habitation, and the first use of primitive tools. Men soon adopted these methods, but the shift in power was completed and the Neo-Human society had become a matriarchy. Women were now responsible for choosing their own mates and unmated males were banished from the tribes, left to wander.” Sasha smiled at this, glancing at Trent, who caught her smirk and turned his head away slightly. She would have to make sure to remind him of this part of his ancestry whenever it suited her needs.
“This was when the first reports of irregularities started appearing in the local environmental surveys. A deadly species that appeared to hunt Neo-Humans emerged. Whole tribes would vanish overnight and we could not decipher the species responsible. Until, by chance, one of our researchers stumbled across a hidden cave network.
“Within these caves were biological cocoons that contained an altered human genetic code. This baffled us at first. So we sent a second, larger research team, with a full array of analytical and research equipment, to comprehensively study this unknown phenomenon. What occurred next is too gruesome to describe, but a record of the incident was saved.” Captain Trelic faded as a two-dimensional projection took h
is place.
A large cave lit with a single hovering “sunsim” light that simulated natural sunlight appeared within. Researchers, wearing the same uniforms as Captain Trelic, could be seen intermingling with bizarre, greenish pods, while others worked at portable research stations. Suddenly, out of the corner of the image, one of the pods broke open, releasing an orange cloud that caused the researchers in the vicinity to collapse when it engulfed them. A hideous, human-like creature appeared within the orange cloud, seeming to have hatched from the pod itself. A researcher tried to run, but the creature leapt 10 meters across the cave, landing on her back. Sasha gasped, getting her first good look at the creature that would forever haunt her nightmares.
It was grotesque, its abnormal head appearing almost identical to a regular human, but being elongated with an oversized, slavering mouth, with saliva dripping down an oversized jaw. Its arms were gangly, being twice the length of a normal human, with what appeared to be two joints, or double-elbows, one close to the shoulder and the other close to wrist. Sharp bones protruded from the sides of each forearm, just below the lower wrist, curving around human-like hands, to end in a sharp point. Its legs held tightly bound muscles that pulsated against its taut skin, their length twice the size of the creature's muscular torso. Its skin itself had a greenish tint, almost glowing, but appeared to be similar in texture to a normal human. Then, she looked into its eyes...human eyes...showing human intelligence.
The creature used its razor sharp bones that curved around its hands to carefully dissect chunks of flesh from the dead researcher, then, to her rising horror, proceeded to eat them. She gagged at the sight, her stomach threatening to release. Trent stepped before her, but she pushed him away, knowing she had to watch.
After all the researchers disappeared or had passed out on the floor, the creature departed. Sasha found it odd that it had ignored most of the researchers who'd collapsed from contact with the orange cloud, but she assumed they were probably left to feed the other creatures when they hatched...an easy meal. The record started accelerating and to Sasha's horror, the bodies on the floor became covered with a gooey green substance, or slime. It gradually grew larger, forming into the same type of pod as the others that still lay unhatched within the cavern.
Alutia Rising, Anniversary Edition (Alutia Rising Series, Book 1) Page 36
