Alutia Rising

by Craig Gerttula

  There was no kickback as a bluish green laser bolt shot out of the weapons arrow like tip and struck the wall, blasting a hole nearly a meter deep and sending up a spray of dust and debris. Whistling to himself he waited a few seconds for the button to light up again. He didn't notice any ammo slots, figuring the weapon had a set amount of shots, then had to be discarded, was self-charging, or required a charging station of some sort. Trent slowly slid the cylinder shaped weapon back into his holster and requested directions to medical bay one.

  "Transport tubes can be found 50 meters down the hall to the right of your current location." Trent nodded to the metallic voice as he began to move, laughing quietly to himself at the absurdity of the gesture...the voice was in his head after all.

  The transport tube was a wide cylinder that reminded Trent of the message vacuum tubes that could still be found in some of the older skyscrapers around the world. He slowly stepped inside, carefully checking that the tube could indeed hold his weight. He jumped as the door slide shut and a pleasant, feminine voice requested a location. It took him a couple seconds to register that the voice had come through his ears, not his mind, finding he'd become accustomed to only talking with the voice in his head. Smiling at the strange notion, he thought medical bay one, then laughed at himself.

  "Medical bay one." The transport tube shot off at a speed his mind believed should have sent him flying, but he barely felt the movement.

  The trip lasted 10 minutes and the tube came to a sudden stop at what appeared to be an exquisitely designed lobby. Navy blue rugs covered the large open area in front of a row of transport tubes, with a massive fountain set in the center. A statue stood larger than life in the middle of the tumbling water, made of a strange swirling metallic substance that drew his attention, almost causing him to miss the fact that it looked very much like the massive bearded man he met before he was shot.

  The lobby extended into a gigantic circular room, with a domed ceiling that stretched hundreds of meters above with large window's set at even intervals on the rising, smooth white walls. The domed ceiling was painted with the likeness of Earth, with blue and white light streaming through strategically placed gaps.

  Past the fountain and lobby, in the middle of the large domed room, stood a tall tree, an oak or a maple, Trent wasn't sure, on top of a small grassy knoll, surrounded by a five meter tall silver wall. To the right of the tree, set in the wall of the domed room, was a wood colored, arched, double doorway with the word, Medical, floating above.

  On the other side, across the room and to the left of the tree, was a much larger square metallic door, with the words, Hangar Bay, floating above. Directly across from Trent, on the far side of the tree, was a small, single door, surrounded by words too small for him to read.

  Trent, amazed at the majestic sight, slowly walked out of the lobby, looking side to side, his hand on his holster. He lowered his guard as he realized the large room was empty and started walking briskly for medical bay one, staring intently at some strange objects that littered the floor beyond the large tree.

  The carpet tripped him as his mind registered what he was actually seeing...charred and smoldering bodies. Trent's panic rose as he started back towards the transport tubes, but was stopped short as a large door slammed shut, blocking him from the lobby and his only escape. A voice suddenly boomed all around him.

  "Well, well, well, what have we hear, Enlistment Candidate Trent if I am not mistaken. I was getting tired of looking for you while that disgusting man Quinn acted as if you did not exist. But now, you are mine, and I will make sure you'll never open your mouth again." Trent could never forget the venom filled voice of Sir Simwa, which caused his arms to ache and him to shiver uncontrollably.

  The large hanger bay door split open and two green uniformed men emerged, both with weapons drawn. Trent's mind went blank as he reached for his own, breaking into a full sprint towards the door marked medical bay, thinking it his only salvation. Two laser bolts burst into the spot he just vacated, sending up tendrils of smoke and debris as he returned a blast of his own, splitting the two men and causing them to dive to the floor. He caught a glimpse of another small group emerging from the small doorway beyond the smoking bodies, which he now noticed had the words, Command Center, floating above. They fired wildly as they ran to cut him off, missing him by over 10 meters. Quickly glancing over his shoulder, he ducked, accidently falling into a roll, as two more laser bolts scorched the air overhead. He climbed back to his feet, seeing three people emerge from beneath the medical sign with weapons raised, aiming in his direction. Seeing no other option, he dove towards the curved wall, preparing to turn and fight his attackers to his last breath.

  Two of the three blue and white uniformed personnel who'd emerged from the medical bay, ignored Trent and started firing on the two groups wearing green. One of Trent's pursuers fell, a smoldering hole in his chest, while the group that emerged from the command center door started fumbling back to cover. Trent quickly recovered himself, and started again towards the medical bay as mayhem ensued around him. He fired once at the man who continued to follow, who dove for cover behind the wall that surrounded the hill. It took him only a few moments to reach the medical bay, turning to help the two men hold back the assault.

  "Inside, now!" the female shouted as she grabbed Trent and dragged him through the door. The two other men fired a final salvo, then quickly followed, shutting and barring the door behind them.

  Trent was breathing hard as he fell heavily to the floor, looking up at his saviors. The female who'd dragged him inside, leveled her laser arc on him.

  "Drop your laser arc!" she shouted, voice trembling. Trent, suddenly realizing he was still holding his weapon, dropped it obediently.

  "Name and Rank! Do it quick if you want to live." Trent had instinctively raised his hands as she continued yelling.

  "My name is Trent and I don't have a rank. I just woke up and don't have any idea what's going on." The female's eyes went wide and were suddenly filled with an icy fury as sweat poured down her face. Trent thought his life would soon end when a young man, a sly smile on his lips, emerged from the rear of the medical bay and stood in front of the woman, blocking her raised weapon.

  "Stand down, Private Jan'Lus!" Trent couldn't clearly see her face, but heard a primordial grunt escape her lips as she lowered her weapon.

  "This is the guy, Taku, the one that Sir Simwa wants...the cause of this entire mess! Let's kill him and hand him over!" Trent froze again as he heard the word kill come from Private Jan'Lus's mouth. He glanced down to his right, seeing that his laser arc was still within reach, inching his hand closer.

  "That is exactly why we can't hand him over! Sir Simwa is up to something and Knight Captain Quinn left a standing order, that if you should find a man named Trent...to protect him with your life! Who do you report too? Knight Captain Quinn or Sir Simwa?" The young man called Taku voice rose to a shout, full of hate as he spat Sir Simwa's name. Trent could see Jan'Lus shaking, anger spilling through her every pour. She looked at Trent.

  "This is all your fault!" she yelled and Taku, with a sudden quickness, removed her weapon as he knocked her unconscious to the floor. The young man shook his hand out as he extended his fingers, appearing to try to remove the sting from the punch.

  "And it's Lieutenant Taku you twit." he said to her as he looked at the two men standing in shock.

  "Take her to the rear medical bay and tell Medical Officer De'Witt to keep her out and restrained. I know we need every able body, but I don't think we can trust her." The two shocked men quickly saluted and started dragging the unconscious Private Jan'Lus down the rows of metal beds. Taku quickly turned to Trent and reached out his hand, Trent grabbed it and was pulled to his feet, getting a good look at the young man. He was definitely of Asian descent, with short black hair and distinctly cut features, but he looked to be no older then sixteen. He stood slightly shorter then Trent and had a skinny, muscular build that he was sur
e contained a hidden strength.

  "So...you are the mysterious Trent who started this entire fiasco." Trent couldn't mask his surprise by the unexpected words.

  "I'm sorry...I don't have the faintest idea how I could have started anything. I just woke up a couple hours ago and before that, the last thing I remember is being shot by Sir Simwa!" Trent let his voice rise at the end, his frustrations taking the place of the surprise. Taku's face looked puzzled.

  "You were shot by Sir Simwa? That story is slightly different then what we have been told. From what he and his noble friends have been claiming, repeatedly, it was you that dishonored him and, along with the Commander and Vice Commander, tried to kill him." Taku said as a small smirk crossed his lips, apparently amused at how Trent's expression turned to utter confusion. He was about to respond when Taku held up a hand.

  "Before you begin, let's go to the back, I'd like everyone to hear your story...and I'll see about getting a Program to verify if you're actually telling the truth." Taku finished looking him up and down, smiled again, then walked past him, Trent following cautiously behind.

  The medical bay was similar to the one he'd left, but there were less beds and more medical equipment and silver crates lying around. They quickly reached the back wall as the two men who'd carried Jan'Lus away exited, saluting swiftly, before rushing back towards the front door.

  The square room in the back of the medical bay was enormous, people in blue and white uniforms were scattered all around, most sitting in small groups. More of the silver crates were stacked randomly throughout the bay, Trent assumed holding additional supplies, while rows of oval tubes, similar to the one he had seen when he awoke, lined the back wall of the chamber. Trent followed Taku to the center of the room and stared in wonder as the man looked up to the ceiling.

  "Program, I would like authorization to conduct an interview with truth finding enabled." asked Taku politely, as the small groups, curious about what was happening, started moving towards them.

  "Permission Granted. All statements are now being logged." The monotone voice Trent had almost forgotten, but not quite, replied. Taku turned to the approaching blue and white uniformed crowd that had gathered.

  "Attention! As you've all heard from the nobility, our Commander and Vice Commander, along with an Earthling named Trent, dishonored and attacked Sir Simwa, the NHA representative to the TSB. Sir Simwa demanded justice and claims he was denied and imprisoned, which is why we are in our current predicament..." Murmurs could be heard as Taku's words trailed off. "...Well my fellow honorable TSB members, we have a guest who may be able to shed some light on exactly what happened." He turned to Trent.

  "Now Trent, let use hear your side of the story, and remember to tell the truth..." Taku pointed up to the ceiling. "...We will know if you're lying." Trent looked to Taku, then the crowd, who broke out into a sea of whispers when they heard his name, and sighed, sitting on a small stool provided and began his story.

  "I guess I'll start from the beginning...I was walking down an old railroad track when..."

  Chapter 11

  The rose red and black jumpsuit lay flush against every curve, squeezing her hourglass figure almost to the point of bursting. It wasn't her preferred style, but Sasha didn't have much of a choice in the matter, her belongings in enemy hands, and the elegant dress she'd adorned previously made moving within the tight corridors of engineering rather difficult.

  Terra squawked in anger, circling her neck while letting his irritation known about being separated from his favorite sleeping spot. Sasha exhaled as she slowly started unlatching the top of the jumpsuit, until the irritating squeals stopped and a warm fuzzy sensation caressed her bosom, Terra curling up happily in his preferred bed.

  She studied her reflection in the provided mirror, running her hands over her flowing curves, flattening imaginary creases and noting that Terra appeared content with allowing her to show only a modest portion of her cleavage. She thanked him, and the universe, for small favors, before grabbing her laser arc, the last piece of her new ensemble, and latching it around her waist. She quickly inspected her temporary quarters, using it as an excuse to become accustom to moving in her new skin tight attire. But she quickly realized she'd probably never get use to the uncomfortable feeling of the fabric clinging relentlessly to every curve, so she gave up her search and hurried to the meeting room.

  Almost two days had passed since they set their plan into motion and they were already a day behind schedule. They could have started sooner, except that Tho'Mos programmed the wrong agent into the detector. Sasha knew it was her own fault, having been too vague when giving the order, not clearly spelling out her own expectations. So Tho'Mos chose the most effective option for incapacitating the traitors...unfortunately, it was occasionally lethal. So after much debate, Sasha clearly explaining she wouldn't accept the risk that it may accidently kill the hostages, it was decided enough time remained to reprogram the detector with the less lethal alternative.

  Communications with the assault shuttle trailing the ABF Princess One had cut off a little over a day before. Apparently someone on the bridge had stumbled upon their unauthorized access to the communication array and decided to overload the entire system. This baffled everyone, since it would also influence the traitor's ability to communicate with their allies, presumably the Hulk'Zif Battle Fleet, when they arrived. But one critical piece of information slipped through before communications were lost...they were still a day away from the Earth star system.

  The lack of qualified bridge officers among the traitors meant that a captive communication and engineering officer were the only two individuals that could safely pilot the starship. This had caused less than stellar operation, helped along by a few minor tweaks on their end, creating a significant delay in travel time. If current estimates held true, they would be reaching the outskirts of the Earth star system in less than an hour.

  Sasha entered the meeting room and everyone stood, saluting. Surprised, she clumsily saluted back, stopping her trained curtsy before it began.

  "Thank you everyone. Please be seated and we will review the plan one last time." Sasha glanced at Knight Admiral Bhool, who nodded while she called up a schematic of the shuttle on the PDU built into the ceiling of the small briefing room.

  "It's go time, ladies and gentlemen. We are less than an hour outside the Earth's star system to be handed over to Duke Zehman for a fate I can't begin to describe." She looked at Sasha with eyes of concern. Sasha nodded back, knowing that she would be the one that would feel the brunt of Duke Zehman's wrath should she be captured alive.

  "First, we will be splitting into three teams. Alutia One, which will be led by me, will assault the bridge, regaining control of the helm and trying to redirect our course to the TSB Fleet Base..." Originally they'd planned on attempting to rendezvous with the ABF battle groups that should be arriving at the near-Earth SJS Gate, but Vin had intervened, recommending the TSB Fleet Base instead. Apparently, there were fluctuations in the Neutron Star Drive that had slipped through the last maintenance check, and the faster they could get to dock, the better.

  "...Alutia Two, led by Guard Private Usa'Pol, will ascend the elevator shaft and secure the apartment and guard quarters. Alutia Three, led by Senior Deck Engineer Tho'Mos, will release the sleeping agent into the air supply, then secure the incapacitated guards and move them quickly to the temporary holding cell in the engineering tools section." She turned to Sasha, fire in her eyes.

  "Your Grace......you and the other noble ladies, including Gil'Da and Guard Lieutenant Lia'Sil, will wait in the ferry shuttle. If anything happens, you will launch immediately and head straight to the TSB Fleet Base. You should be small enough to pass through most sensor nets, but just in case, stay away from any starship you encounter...no matter if they are TSB or ABF. We do not know the situation inside the star system and Earth may have already fallen...which means nowhere in this system will be safe..." The Knight Admiral paused, consider
ing her next words. "...If that is indeed the case, you will change course to the outer star system, to the coordinates I provided Vin, where an allied starship should, eventually, rendezvous." Sasha wanted to say no, wanted to say she could help, but knew in the current situation...she was useless.

  "With all due respect, Knight Admiral Bhool, we are not useless children! There must be a way we can help! I refuse to sit around in the ferry shuttle and do nothing while the rest of you risk your lives! All I've been doing is nothing and I can't take it anymore!" Tiana screamed, tears streaming down her rosy red checks, a few stray locks of blond hair blocking their path. Sasha knew exactly how she felt and tightly embraced her friend, cooing lightly as she broke down into sobs. Regalia stood close by, face frozen with fear, Gil'Da's hands folded across her chest. Knight Admiral Bhool had uncharacteristically flushed when Tiana yelled at her, but kept herself from responding when Sasha looked back over her shoulder, eyes explaining that any retort would not be tolerated. Knight Admiral Bhool quickly cleared her throat, took a deep breath, then continued.

  "It's time......are there any last minute questions?" A young junior engineer stood, hand raised.

  "Ma'am, what if something goes wrong?" It was the question that lay in the minds of all present, but nobody wanted to ask for fear of already knowing the answer. Knight Admiral Bhool looked at the young man, eyes rigid.

  "You die...if it will protect Her Grace. If not, you move to the escape shuttle attached to the Grand Duchess Sasha's apartments, or to one of the escape pods. But remember this......the safety of the Grand Duchess is paramount, if I have to blow the ship to save her, I will...." An eerie silence greeted her words as the crewmen mentally prepared themselves for what lied ahead. Knight Admiral Bhool was about to speak, but Sasha quickly raised her hand, gesturing to interrupt.