“That is true, Lady Liana, and usually, this would not be the time. But a certain occurrence, and the arrival of a certain prince, during the afternoon court made this particular “endeavor” more than necessary.” Vickie stared at Tiana's mother, transmitting the rest of the message with her eyes.
“When is the official marriage ceremony?” Liana said with an understanding sigh. “I do not believe I can handle much more of this...” Tiana's eyes caught Vickie's and they both failed to repress a laugh.
“Presenting! Grand Duchess Sasha Alutia and Sir Trent!” A battleguard's voice boomed throughout the chamber. A collective gasp escaped from the noble assembly as a couple, arm in arm, entered, walking steadily to their thrones.
At first glance, it appeared that Trent and Sasha had been replaced, the two nobles now overseeing the court obviously romantics or paramours, their overly revealing clothing relating clearly to this fact. Though Tiana quickly realized that they were, indeed, still the Trent and Sasha she knew so well.
“Whoops,” she whispered to herself, recalling the servant who she had asked to fetch a new set of clothing, Vickie’s personal servant Til'Ma, who must have instructed their choice based on Vickie's romantic taste. But that was only part of the reason for the gasps, Tiana quickly realized.
Sasha glowed brighter then the rising sun, and Trent looked like a different man, his expression one of pride, as if he'd just conquered the entire ASU single handily. Vickie stood with a playful grin and started clapping. The noble assembly, confused at first, but always mindful of saluting their own, no matter the reason, followed her lead, joining the applause. Both Trent and Sasha flushed so deeply that their skin almost perfectly matched their crimson clothing. A booming dong sounded and the double doors at the entrance of the grand court flung open, a line of ornately dressed Royal Guards in the purple and black livery of Vn’Oco rushing through to create a cordon all the way down the rose stone pathway, through the sea of standing nobles.
“This should be interesting,” Vickie whispered from across the table as Trent and Sasha, arm in arm, started down the steps to greet Sasha's parents; the king and queen of galaxy 189.
*********
A hurricane of emotions raged as he started forward to great Sasha’s parents, the king and queen of NHA Galaxy 189. Moments before, he’d thought the storm about to wane. But an unexpected ovation had arisen from the noble assembly, thanks to Sasha’s mischievous ladies, renewing its strength a moment before the dong sounded Sasha’s parent’s arrival.
He stumbled on the first step, barely able to avoid tumbling down its length thanks to Sasha's steady support. She strengthened her grasp on his outstretched hand, glancing at him briefly, her eyes shining brighter than all the stars in the universe; telling him clearly of her love.
I love you as well, Sasha, his heart cried in response. But even knowing this fact, he’d doubted her, hurt her; tried to give her away to another man. When she learned of this, she’d smacked him, again and again, destroying the hateful thoughts and calling forth the raw emotions buried beneath; of jealousy and possessiveness. But that’s not all, he’d learned, Sasha had discovered a way to manipulate their bond, feeding him her passion to rile his instincts, causing an experience beyond imagining, almost unworldly, that he would never forget for the rest of his days.
“Presenting! King Johan Vn'Oco and Queen Vahna Vn'Oco of the 189th Galaxy of the New Universal Empirical Human Alliance!” A respectful applause rolled through the ranks of the noble assembly as the two royal guests came into view, nodding to all who caught their eyes. Trent almost stumbled again when he beheld Queen Vahna clearly for the first time.
At first glance, she looked like Sasha's older twin, but not exactly, Trent quickly corrected, having spent many a day memorizing Sasha’s every feature. Vahna had much smaller ears, almost childlike, that were barely hidden by her long, silky, jet black hair that matched Sasha’s exactly. Her eyes were slightly more curved, like she held a hint of Asian descent or the NHA equivalent, with a nose less “sharp” and more “button” than Sasha’s own. But those were the only noticeable differences. Her other features were soft, like Sasha’s, with only a hint of age showing within their perfection. Thin eyebrows shaded eyes faceted by glistening emerald jewels of perfect sculpting, telling a story of days long past, while full, luscious lips of the darkest crimson curled into an almost imperceptible smile. Her figure matched Sasha’s uncannily, being a perfect hourglass and filling out the gown of sparkling, pure violet that covered all but her head and jewelry covered hands. But with every step closer Trent realized her hips were actually shapelier. It just that Queen Vahna carried herself with such elegance that most would never notice the difference, being hypnotized by her regal beauty.
King Johan, on the other hand, looked strikingly different, like he couldn’t possibly be Queen Vahna's husband or Sasha’s father; but great-grandfather to them both. Knee length white hair hung before his chest, partially masking the open front, noble coat of pure black, with a dulling purple outline, cinched tightly around a waist so thin Trent wondered if there was actually a body within. The coat’s tail dragged upon the floor behind him, like a wedding gown of old, while its large, fur laden collar partially masked his features, but not the hunch that made Trent think, momentarily, that the hunchback of Notre Dame had appeared before him. He shook off the thought, noticing as the king shuffled ever closer his skin sagged like melting wax on cheeks of pasty white, telling Trent the most likely reason for the hunch being his age. Or possibly stress, he realized when the severity of the king’s polar opposite looksC to Queen Vahna, and almost every other noble he’d ever met, fully sank in.
His heartbeat became a sledgehammer when he found the king and queen’s powerful gazes turned upon him, they having reached the foot of the stair leading to their thrones. Sasha squeezed his hand ever tighter, calming reassurance tinted with anxiety flowing through their bond. He squeezed back, trying to sooth her anxiety, but found only piercing pain forcing its way through from the use of his injured arm.
At Sasha's queue, he bowed deeply, trying to mimic the trained bow he’d seen Prince Georigi perform earlier in the afternoon. As his head rose, knowing quite well he failed at matching the prince’s grace, the Eye of the Emperor activated, filling his veins with a soothing warmth that told clearly these were good people.
Queen Vahna's stare rested upon him, studying his every inch. An image of Vickie flashed within his mind, overlaying the queen, as if she too was a predator analyzing her prey. King Johan, whose ancient, unwavering gaze locked his own, was unreadable, slightly hazy, it taking all Trent’s will not to look away.
“Father, Mother, I welcome you to the Alutia Duchy and present you Sir Trent, holder of the Star of Terra and the Eye of the Emperor,” she stepped away, turning toward him while showing her palms, like he was a piece of art to be appraised. But Trent didn’t mind, finding himself again lost in her gaze, full of pride, joy, and love. How could I have doubted her, doubt myself? He cursed again. “He is also, Father, Mother, my chosen consort, who I have selected of my own free will, and my hero, who has saved my life on multiple occasions, suffering the most grievous of wounds in return. He is my protector, my confidant, the man who will rule equally by my side,” Sasha declared honestly, with emotions that could only be born from the heart. Trent forced himself not to fidget in embarrassment, finding such complements still unsettling, they being so against his own view of himself. Queen Vahna stepped forward, hugging him unexpectedly, tears showing in eyes that seem unaccustomed to their like.
“Thank you for watching over my daughter, Sir Trent. It is a cruel fate that I must rely on others for her safety, since I am not allowed to raise her myself, which was once promised. But I am glad she met you and I am so very sorry for the loss of your childhood home.” Trent hugged her back, the gentle aroma that touched his nose calming, reminding him of his youth, before the time of his first betrayal. Sasha wiggled her way into the embrace, a
tear damped cheek pushed against his own.
Hushed whispers rose from those nobles standing just beyond the cordon of guards, Trent catching bits and pieces talking of a most grievous breach of protocol. But Queen Vahna, nor Sasha, seemed to care, pulling him closer as she hid tears that started breaking free. When she released them, as if through magic, her expression returned to normal, eyes clear, showing no sign of the previous emotion. But Trent did notice Sasha hiding something in her gown, a shimmering cloth of some sort, used to dry any shed tears.
“I thank you as well, Sir Trent, and hope you prove to be the man I expect of such a grand introduction,” Trent bowed deeply to the king as he too stepped forward with unexpected strength, turning to Sasha to place his hands gently upon her shoulders, “and my dear, dearest Sasha, how you have grown and how I have missed you. I regret more than words could ever express not being present to witness you grow into such a fine noble woman. But now the prohibition is lifted and I can visit you till my heart's content,” King Johan embraced his daughter fiercely, emotion finally peeking through the aged king's stone-like façade, and Trent knew then that this man clearly loved his daughter. But Queen Vahna, who now stood at Trent’s side, stared through her husband, appearing not to actually see, or care, about his existence. An unexpected emotion flashed within her eyes; disgust. Before he could verify the look, Sasha released her father, kissing him tenderly on the cheek, then returned to Trent's side, causing the calm that always accompanied her touch to return, and a knowing smirk to appear on the queen's lips.
“It would be of great honor to both I and Sir Trent, my dear parents, if you would reside at our side for the rest of the day's court to assist in the decisions and judgments of state that may take place herein,” Sasha asked reverently, more as a formality then actually expecting a negative response.
“We would be honored, my dearest daughter,” the king answered as expected, he and Queen Vahna following them back up the steps. Two thrones of modest make had appeared, one on each side of their thrones. The queen took the seat next to Sasha, leaning in to whisper into her ear, while, to Trent's chagrin, the king sat to his left. As soon as they were settled, King Johan turned to him.
“I must speak with you about your decree in regards to the Duke of Hulk'Zif. There have been calls for you to be severely punished since you, quite clearly, have overstepped your legal bounds.” King Johan leaned in to whisper in his ear, voice bereft of all emotion. Trent's mind stopped, but he forced it to start again. He knew what he had to do.
“That is good. I must speak to you as well about why you have let the man who attempted to kill your daughter roam free, as well as giving clemency to the woman responsible for destroying my home planet.” Anger seeped into his responding whisper, he not knowing how to mask his true emotions like the king. King Johan looked deep into his eyes, face as readable as a stone. But then, to Trent's surprise, he smiled, the way the sagging skin fluttered alongside reminding him of a golly old grandfather. The king placed a friendly hand on his shoulder, squeezing with a hidden strength.
“I like you, Sir Trent. No one has dared talk to me like that since I was still a prince,” his honest declaration carried to the front row of the noble assembly, whispers slowly rumbling through the rest as the king's words spread. Sasha and Vahna, having overheard the entire conversation, stared at them with open wonder. Trent couldn't help but smile, the king’s contagious, and not knowing exactly why, he started to laugh merrily. A moment later, the king followed, slapping his back repeatedly like they were two chums at a bar, laughing over jokes and drinks. And that laughter, like the best medicine in the universe, took with it the tension that had filled the air between them, leaving a space that could lead to a true friendship.
A polite cough rose from the ladies at his side, Sasha squeezing his hand to let him know it was time to get to business. He nodded politely to the king, whose skin glowed, no longer a pasty white, making him appear 50 years younger, and turned back to his love, who continued to peer at him with fascination.
“You need to teach me that trick.” she whispered in his ear and he fought back the urge to kiss her playfully.
“Chief Officers to Alutia’Earth of the Vn'Oco Royal Biological Architectural Core, Senior Architect Bei'Nwi, to see the Grand Duchess Sasha Alutia,” the ABF Battleguard’s introduction didn't boom like before, Trent assuming that right reserved for nobles. Three men in black and purple jumpsuits approached the throne, a crest showing a red sun topped by a golden crown on their breast. They bowed deeply the moment they reached the base of the dais.
“Your Majesties, Your Grace, and Sir Trent. I’m here by request to present a plan to fully develop Alutia'Earth.” As Trent expected, murmurs of confusion spread across the noble assembly at the architect’s words.
From the brief explanation he had received, Sasha was planning something unheard of, and though he knew not what, he intended to fully support and protect her. One of the men who accompanied Bei’Nwi went “node locked” at his command. A massive projection of Alutia'Earth appeared in the air high overhead a moment later. Large areas of the planet’s surface were highlighted blue, almost half the total landmass of the five primary continents. Each highlighted area was further overlaid with descriptions, apparently planned cities, estimated population numbers, food and service requirements, and the like. At both poles appeared enormous, conical space stations with the point aiming at the planet's pole. From its tip, extended multiple tethers, possibly space elevators, he wondered, extending through the planet’s atmosphere to intersect its surface. Trent stared at the image with uninhibited fascination, unable to hide his awe at the site of the moon sized space stations, trying to guess what they could possibly be for.
“As you can see by the areas highlighted blue, we have planned a little under half of the planets above sea level environment for conversion to biological cities. I’m afraid our original population estimate was low due to the unexpected resilience and strength of the native flora, and the ability to produce breathable air in enormous quantities. We have found that Alutia’Earth can, quite easily, be developed to support over 250 billion citizens,” Bei’Nwi explained with excitement, his words almost drowned out as the murmurs from the noble assembly shifted partway through to shouts of confusion. King Johan raised a single hand, the noble assembly going instantly silent.
“Go on,” King Johan instructed.
“Thank you, Your Majesty.” Bei’Nwi bowed, unable to hide his own confusion at the noble assembly’s initial reaction. “Now, if I may...to feed a populace of that size to noble levels would normally require 100 large food production orbitals. Unfortunately, we realized during our initial design test simulations that there would be a negative impact on the local ecosystems based on these facilities in orbit. But after conferring with our colleagues in Royal Engineering back on Vn'Oco, they agreed to design custom food production facilities.” The two space stations around the poles started blinking, and Trent finally understood. “Each facility will produce enough food to feed 250 billion residents, while having no impact on the local environments. Low visibility building materials and engineering will also be utilized, keeping those cities that would normally be able to view the structures isolated from the sight.” Bei'Nwi finished and turned his attention back to the seated nobles.
“Even if you decide against the project, Your Grace, I would like to thank you for allowing us to design such a development plan.” The men bowed deeply. Trent looked to Sasha, a wide smile telling him her decision had already been made.
“Thank you, gentlemen, I would now like to open the floor to the noble assembly and any who may have questions or comments regarding the plan to fully develop Alutia'Earth.” Silence filled the court until a colorfully dressed noble near the back, stood, clearing his throat.
“Your Grace, what is the point? Almost all the nobles of the NHA would have to immigrate here for you to fill all this space. Why not just expand normally...when required?�
�� He asked honestly, Trent also curious, but thinking he had an idea of what she planned.
“Thank you for the question, sir. I am guessing that word has not fully spread. Alutia'Earth will allow both nobles and commons to immigrate.” Horrified shouts exploded from the crowd in response.
“That is illegal!” One shout rose above the rest, born from a woman seated in the front row, who Trent recognized as being from Tidelia.
“Actually...it is not. We verified the proclamation with the Programs and there are no universal or galactic laws stating it is illegal for commons to live on paradise planets. It's just an antiquated tradition.” Sasha explained politely, the woman ready to shout again, but instead, fell back into her seat, face unable to hide her irritation.
“King Johan, are you going to allow this travesty to occur?” a duke shouted, and Trent knew immediately that one of their new verbal trade agreements just went up in smoke.
The crowd went silent as King Johan stood, straining, a little too dramatically, with every step to confer privately with the three architects. They laughed at the king’s whispered words, then responded enthusiastically, only bits and pieces reaching Trent’s ears. The king nodded, thanking the architects, before climbing back up the steps much more spryly. He turned to the crowd of expectant nobles.
“The reasoning behind the creation of the tradition to limit who could live on paradise planets were for fear that biological construction itself would have a negative impact on a paradise planet's fragile ecosystems. In the 80,000 years since this tradition began, we have perfected the biological sciences of integrating naturally into a native habitat. This, in itself, has made the tradition obsolete,” cries of disbelief erupted forth, much louder than before, the majority of the nobles joining in, but quickly silenced as the king raised both his hands. “With this in mind, I find no issues with this plan, however,” the assembly took a unified breath. “To allay the worries many of you may have, I leave the decision of who is allowed to immigrate to paradise planets in the hands of the ruling nobility...as it has always been in galaxy 189...and as it always shall be,” a relieved exhale followed the king’s explanation, but were followed by many angry whispers.
The Noble Petty, Complete Edition (Alutia Rising Series, Book 2) Page 16
