“Whenever you're ready, my duke,” Sasha said, her soothing tone making him feel at ease, at peace.
“Petties,” he said bluntly. She nodded understanding, and he knew instantly that she'd agreed with his view.
It was only recently he came to understand the full meaning of the word, since much of the official documentation never referred to them by that name. But what he found made his stomach turn. The vast majority of the NHA population being forced vassals of the nobility, having the same rights and privileges as slaves, not even treated like humans.
“A horrible system that was created by the corrupt, traditionalist nobility,” she seethed, her words filled with an honest fire, and he had to resist the urge to kiss her again.
“Good, then we should abolish it in Alutia,” he stated simply.
“Shouldn't we first consider the repercussions?” she asked, seeming surprisingly hesitant.
“You're right,” he admitted, having realized it would probably be more difficult then that, but still felt a tinge of uneasiness fill him. “You have much more knowledge about petties then I do. What would we be dealing with?” he forced himself to calm as he responded.
“Well,” she turn to him, perching her head on her elbow, “they are mainly uneducated and there is the issue of how the ruling nobility will react,” he nodded, two answers quickly coming mind.
“What about creating some sort of education system, like trade schools? Something that any petty that arrives within the Alutia Duchy would be required to attend. Of course, they could always reenroll if they don't like their chosen profession,” Trent explained quickly, thinking as he spoke.
Sasha started caressing his fingers, deep in thought. “That is an interesting idea. It reminds me of the specialty schools run by many of the common owned business interests. We could request that they oversee its design and operation. But what would we do about those who refuse to work? Or just find no jobs in their specialty of choice?” She raised a valid point and he thought about it for a moment, taping his fingers on her arm.
“What do they do now?” he asked.
Sasha shrugged. “I'm sorry, my duke. I do not know,” she sounded frustrated.
“It's ok...” He considered for a moment, another question flashing within his mind. “How do they handle unemployed commons?” he asked, thinking the answer should provide him a better idea.
Sasha seemed perplexed. “Now that I think about it, I've never heard of that being an issue. Commons are in such high demand that work finds them. There are billions of common and noble companies scattered throughout the universe that are always in search of talent...” she trailed off, her eyes twinkling as she seemed to sense the idea that popped into Trent's mind while she spoke.
“Then if we don't provide a distinction between the petties and commons after they finish schooling, then...” Trent let his voice fade.
“They would be offered jobs as well as the current commons and no one would be the wiser. We'd be returning the system to the way it was meant to be!” She dove into his embrace, kissing him suddenly, her excitement gushing forth. He pushed her away, taking in her lovely smile. “It is genius, my duke,” he felt relief wash over him, grasping firmly onto the love that poured through their bond. He returned his own feelings, those of happiness, or so he thought. Sasha froze, like something had struck her from the inside.
“Trent, what was that?” she asked.
He looked at her, confused. “What was what?”
“That feeling, I have never felt it from you before...” she said, her words full of wonder.
“Oh...ah, happiness...I think,” he responded, knowing it sounded strange. Aren’t I always happy when we are together?
“That's not it...I know quite well what your happiness feels like,” she blushed and Trent felt a hint of the emotion behind it, causing him to blush as well. “Pride,” she blurted as she realized. Now that he heard her say it, he knew she was right, it was definitely pride, pride at being praised by the woman he loved. “I like it,” she said, sliding her fingertips down his chest.
“I guess I'll need to do more deeds worthy of your praise, my love,” he kissed her tenderly and she responded by grabbing his cheeks and forcefully kissing him back. When she finally released him, her eyes sparkled in the way that he knew meant something important had come to mind.
“What about the other nobles?” Sasha asked.
Trent laughed sarcastically. “Most already hate us! Plus, we do have that little old gorian mine...if they want anything from it, then they can't complain, can they?”
Her expression went dubious. “That is true, but I'd rather not antagonize anymore of the ruling nobility then we already have.” Trent nodded, having to agree. They had enough enemies already to last a lifetime. He rolled onto his back and looked up at the twinkling stars high above.
“So...we agreed?” he asked, already knowing the answer.
“Yes, Trent......we shall abolish the petty system in Alutia and implement an education program,” She squeezed his hand. A wave of felt relief washed over him as a meteor streaked through the atmosphere high above.
“Make a wish...” he whispered without thought, causing long forgotten memories of his childhood to return.
“What do you mean?” Sasha asked in obvious confusion.
“An old Earth tradition...a wish upon a star. When you see a shooting star, you make a wish, and according to legend, it would come true. I use to do it a lot as a child.” Slight melancholy touched his words, but he didn't fall into despair, just old memories.
“What did you wish for....when you were a child?” she asked, an innocent question that made him think.
“A friend...” A tear broke free from the corner of his eye; Sasha immediately wiping it away while rolling on top of him.
“Did it come true?” she whispered, her breath’s caress touching his ear.
“More then I could have ever imagined.”
She kissed him as they embraced under the starry sky.
As the morning light filtered through the transparent leaves of the surrounding forest, he awoke to a strange sight. Terra and Lia were on his chest, curled in an undulating ball of blue and purple fur. Muffled squeaks escaped from within and Trent, too confused to move, tried to wake the sleeping Sasha at his side. She complained, but opened her eyes after his hand slipped over her leg. He nodded slightly towards his lower body.
“Mmm...I'd love too...” she started slipping her own hand down his chest, but suddenly froze when she noticed the multicolored ball of fur.
“What are they doing?” he whispered as Sasha blinked the sleep out of her eyes.
“Bonding...” she murmured.
Trent tried not move, his eyes going wide. “What do you mean? How can they bond again?” His breathing became tense as he tried his best to control it.
“It's different...they're mating.” she yawned, acting like it wasn't a big deal.
“On my chest?” He felt like it was wrong, his poor Lia being defiled by Terra.
“Oh...” she laughed, the final layer of sleep clearing her mind.
“They're not reproducing...this is more like a marriage. It will be a couple years before they have children...this is their life bond. Yukie told me about it, I guess it only happens when elevated couples both have catillians...” She moved closer to the ball of fur, staring at it intently.
“Well...you could have at least warned me,” he feigned hurt.
Sasha forced a frown. “I'm sorry, Trent, I completely forgot.” He could see she was lying. Not through the Eye of the Emperor, but through good old fashion intuition.
“Thank you, Sasha,” he mocked, recalling a question he'd meant to ask the previous evening, before they became sidetracked. “I've been curious about something, are catillian's intelligent?” Sasha sat up on her elbow, noticeably perplexed.
“Animal intelligence. We would not allow them to accompany us if they showed higher level intelligence. I
'm sorry, my duke, have you not read about this in your studies?” she asked.
“A bit, but nothing made much sense. There were some books that seemed to suggest a reason for fighting non-humans, such as the war with the ASU, but they all contradicted each other and provided little concrete information.” He remembered his bewilderment when reading through the history of the war with the ASU, and the many unanswered questions that the reading had caused; ones he'd meant to ask Sasha time and time again. But they always seemed to slip his mind.
“What do you mean...contradicted?” Sasha's mood turned serious. Trent concentrated, trying to recall the different books he'd read.
“Well...the emperor at the start of the war had stated that the cranillium...I believe that is the name of the race that rules the ASU?” she nodded, urging him to go on. “That they tried to eradicate NHA colonies and they had to be annihilated. But a compilation of battle reports made by a historian showed that no NHA colonies at the time were ever attacked. Plus, the cranillium would always begin each battle with a request for a peaceful resolution,” Trent recalled, unable to read Sasha's expression, causing his own anxiety to build.
“The historian was right, the emperor of the time lied to incite the populace,” she paused, taking a deep breath. “Trent, a primary mandate of the NHA is to annihilate all other intelligent life in the universe,” she stated, her eyes hard, telling him he should let her words sink in before he responded.
“Why?” It was the only question he could ask, the idea she presented being absurd.
“I do not know, but when we locate an intelligent species, we must destroy it, it is the duty of the NHA ruling nobility and article two of the NHA Founding Charter.” Trent couldn't believe his ears, he wanted to stand, scream at what he could only think of as a type of genocide.
“Sasha, please tell me you don't believe that is right? The killing of innocents, no matter what species, should not be tolerated,” he started to shout, his rage building, reaching the tipping point and flowing through his bound to Sasha. She stared at him, expression as readable as stone, but her breathing quickened.
“Trent, do you think I would support the killing of innocents?” she questioned unemotionally. A flash of doubt, doubt for Sasha, came into existence, then vanish just as quickly.
“Of course not...I...I'm sorry I doubted you,” he sighed. Her expression softened and his breathing eased. How could I have questioned her, questioned my love? He knew she would never be that cold hearted. But that left the question; why was she being so casual about it, not getting angry like she did about the petties?
“Vin? Why must we destroy all intelligent life besides huma-.” Sasha covered his mouth, fear filling her eyes.
“Information restricted. Please refrain from questions in regard to this article of the founding charter, per NHA proclamations: disregarding this warning will result in the punishment of death.” Trent squeezed his eyes shut as he realized he’d spoke before thinking. He felt a kiss on his forehead, then his cheek, then his lips.
“I'm sorry,” he whispered.
“It's alright. We will find a way to discuss this matter, but for now, I think “silence” is our best option.” A wink accompanied her soft, loving smile. He nodded, realizing the hidden meaning of her words.
If they didn't inform anyone of the planets that contained intelligent life, they could perhaps get around the issue, for a short time at least. He would need to discuss this issue further, perhaps with Yukie or King Johan, when he had a chance.
They lay still for awhile, letting the tension fade, watching the two catillians perform their courting ritual. “How long do you think they wi-,” he started to ask when the ball of fur on his chest split and the two catillians danced for a moment, then scurried into Sasha's bosom. She squealed in surprise and Trent leaned close, trying to get a good look at what they were doing within. Sasha tapped him lightly on the cheek, noticing his gaze had turned away from the catillians. Then, as he started pulling away, the catillians crawled clear of her bosom and jumped onto his head. He grunted in surprise, falling away from the now chuckling Sasha. After a few minutes of exploring his curly brown locks, they both emanated an odd hoot, like an owls, before Terra hopped back onto Sasha's shoulder.
“Introducing their homes?” he asked when Sasha finally stopped laughing.
“I believe so...that definitely helped lighten the mood. Shall we indulge in some breakfast, my duke?” His stomach growled at her words, causing her to again, breakout in exaggerated laughter. He stood with a sigh, shaking his head, and led the still giggling Sasha along the path towards their small cottage.
Like everything else Queen Vahna had gifted them, their vacation cottage was grown from a rose bush. Its majestic, curling vine walls made it appear more like a cottage from a fairytale. He found he liked it, being much more modest then the palace, and only containing a few rooms to meet their humble needs.
They entered through the always open front door, into their tiny dining area, which contained a small table with two comfortable chairs next to windows covering the side walls, providing an atmosphere like they were still outside. The far wall had a door on each end with a picture of Trent and Sasha sculpted out of rose vines above a simple couch in its center. He had been impressed the first time he beheld it, but Sasha explained that it was actually quite a simple creation, just programming a scan of them into the biological buildings design. The interior of the house was also covered in freshly bloomed roses, making him feel calm, the aroma similar to Sasha's favorite perfume.
As he seated himself, Sasha selected both their meals; a bizarre, purplish soup that tasted unexpectedly good and had all the nutrients humans required. Trent found most of their meals while in isolation were very basic, at odds with the lavish feasts they would be provided at the palace. Sasha explained that it had to do with the automated nutrition dispenser within their cottage being different then the complete food preparation systems in use at the palace. With a nutrition dispenser, he’d learned, the entire meal was assembled within, while the complete system in the palace provided fresh ingredients and preparation assistance to the highly trained servants, like the grand chefs of old Earth, who would prepare the luxurious meals. Usually, the type of simple yet delicious food provided by the basic nutrition dispenser was unfit for nobility, or so Sasha had explained with a wink. He finished the last drop, resisting the urge to lick the bowl, and looked to his love, who was staring at him like she wanted to ask another question.
“Yes?” he asked politely. She flushed in embarrassment as she must have realized she was staring.
“What do you think of nobles?” Her question caught him off guard, so he bit his tongue, pushing back his first response, deciding to think it through and answer sincerely.
“Honestly,” he took a deep breath. “I despised them. Every noble I met was either out to get me or cold,” he paused and looked into her concerned eyes as he squeezed both her hands. “But I met you and your ladies, Knight Admiral Bhool and Sir Seb'Losh, King Johan and Queen Vahna, Empress Yukie...but even after that, I still...I still distrusted most. When I'd hear someone talk of nobility, my heart would skip, and I'd look to my laser arc. But that all changed at our wedding...did I ever tell you how many cold nobles I felt that day?” She shook her head. “Out of the thousands who attended, not one had evil in their heart,” he leaned over and kissed her, then stood.
“But in all honesty, I'm not sure about one particular noble,” Sasha raised an eyebrow. “Her name is Grand Duchess Sasha Alutia, who seems to be trying to put off our morning exercise!” Sasha jumped to her feet, smiling ear-to-ear.
“Oh, I did not forget. I just wanted to finish our questioning first. Do you have anymore, my duke?” he paused mid-pounce and smiled.
“Actually, I do. Remember that thing Vickie taught you? Could you do it again, but this time...”
*********
“You do not own me, Sir Georigi! If I feel fit to travel with yo
u, then I shall!” Vickie shouted as she raged, her face mere millimeters from his own. What is this woman thinking? He asked himself, trying to hold his own furious response in check. Vickie, once again, was being unreasonable.
“I refuse to allow you to place yourself in danger! If the communications we have received hold true, the nobles in charge of this planet could be enemies of Alutia!” Sir Georigi barely kept from shouting, knowing it would not be appropriate in front the fleet officers that were working, eyes diverted, on the NHA Super-Capital GBF Loyalty's fleet command deck.
“This is exactly why I must go. We will require a bit of diplomacy, my dear Sir Georigi...and as it seems you have forgotten...that is the one thing you lack, given your actions on Alutia'Earth,” her words struck his tender heart. He knew he had done something horrible upon his arrival, being manipulated by Sir Mandle to believe he was the rightful fiancé of Grand Duchess Sasha. But even so, he was a trained diplomat and had handled many tense negotiations in his father's name. But there was no getting through to Lady Vickie once she'd made up her mind, so he had no choice but to reverse his stance to keep any shred of honor in her eyes.
“Very well. But you shall stay by my side at all times and we will be accompanied by a full battalion of my guards,” he demanded, knowing even though he may allow her to come, he would be adamant about her safety.
As suddenly as her expression had changed to anger when she learned she would be left behind, it returned to its diamond cut beauty. He sighed, knowing that once again, she manipulated his noble heart. Mother, is this why you warned of these types of women? He sighed to himself.
The emergency message they received while exploring Alutia Q3945 had been short, but detailed, and as soon as he began recalling the words, his gullet rose, along with his disgust. The message, having originated from an unknown freighter captain who did not reveal his, or his starship's identity due to fear of repercussions, reported that the petties of Alutia V5432 were being abused and murdered, as well as sold illegally to some unknown buyer in the far reaches of the universe. The idea that such a travesty was taking place within his adopted duchy begged his honor to investigate.
The Noble Petty, Complete Edition (Alutia Rising Series, Book 2) Page 32
