Alutia Rising

by Craig Gerttula

  "Please survive, I do not know half of you as well as I should...having only been aboard this fine vessel for a few weeks...and knowing each and every one of you is willing to sacrifice so much for my sake, touches my heart..." Tears began filling her eyes. "...but I do not want anyone else to die for me. So I order you all, as your Grand Duchess, to live, and to succeed in your mission!" The tears broke free and Sasha saw many of the frowning faces turn red with thankful smiles. Knight Admiral Bhool seemed touched by her words as well, coming out of her temporary reverie and presenting her reassuring, stoic face.

  "Everyone into position! We go in five minutes!" The room emptied and Sasha, holding Tiana and Regalia's hands, rushed to the small docking bay and entered the ferry shuttle. Sasha sat in front, in the pilot seat, while Tiana sat to her right, in the co-pilot seat. Gil'Da and Regalia took the two passenger seats in the middle, while Guard Lieutenant Lia'Sil was strapped to a stretcher that locked into place where the rear seats usually stood.

  Lia'Sil looked better, Sasha noted, but knew that there was little hope for a full recovery. Neural gas was a particularly nasty weapon, destroying the neural pathways in the brain and leaving most victims dead or comatose. So even though Lia'Sil had only inhaled a tiny amount, it was enough to disable most of her higher brain functions. She was lucky that the area that controlled her autonomous functions, heartbeat and breathing, remained fairly intact. Sasha suddenly realized the grim reality, the woman would most likely never recover and she would need to write Lia'Sil's fiancé to let him know of what had befallen his love, before turning back to the task at hand.

  She studied the area in front of the pilot's seat, finding only the PDU responsible for projecting the control unit and viewscreen, when a familiar fluidic sphere suddenly appeared before her.

  "Integration complete. Vin is now integrated into the ferry shuttles systems." Vin's monotone voice stated. Sasha stared at Vin's sphere for a second, grasping at a sudden idea.

  "Vin, could you prepare the shuttle for launch?" She would expect a no from any other Program, but she knew Vin was a different, having little trouble indirectly interfering in the current events. Most Programs would never become involved in anything but the highest level decisions, but he'd integrated into her very life, becoming more of a friend then a normal Program.

  "Very well, Grand Duchess Sasha Alutia, I will commence launch preparation. Please inform me when you are ready." Sasha smiled.

  "Vin, please patch me into the audio communications being used by Knight Admiral Bhool and her strike teams." She could have easily linked in herself...but why waste a good thing. A click sounded and Knight Admiral Bhool's voice filled the interior of the ferry shuttle.

  "One minute, are you in position Alutia Two?" Lady Bhool's voice was a whisper. She must have been right next to the barricaded door.

  "We're at the top of the elevator shaft and the charges are being placed." Guard-Private Usa’Pol's responded immediately, her tone unwavering. Her last remaining loyal Alutia Guard, other than Sir Seb'Losh, had been distant for the past two days, watching over Sasha with bloodshot eyes, making it clear that she was in no mood for conversation. Sasha figured she was having a tough time accepting what had occurred, and who could blame her....the people she trusted with her life being traitors.

  "You better hurry, 30 seconds...How is gas dispersal preceding, Alutia Three?" A little concern could be heard in the whispered words.

  "They should be out cold, Ma'am. They have been breathing in a fifty-fifty mix for the last minute." Tho'Mos's voice boomed over the speakers, apparently unconcerned about being overheard. Sasha found she was holding her breath and felt a hand squeezing hers. She looked over at Tiana, who'd regained her composure, her face only slightly puffy from tears.

  "Oxygen masks on now! Nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one, go, go, go!" Knight Admiral Bhool yelled and the starship rumbled from two simultaneous explosions. A few seconds passed in silence, Sasha waiting with baited breath.

  "Bridge clear! Alutia Three, bring up the ladder and start collecting the prisoners!" Sasha sighed in relief and Tiana's eyes once again filled with tears.

  "Knight Admiral Bhool, the Grand Duchess's apartment is clear, but we have a problem..." said a noticeably shaken Guard-Private Usa'Pol, her voice uneasy. Sasha tensed and clenched Tiana's hand, ignoring the concerned squeaks rising from her bosom.

  "There is a time coded bomb in the guard quarters. It's melded to the deck and the countdown timer is at five minutes." Sasha froze. If she recalled correctly, a countdown bomb required a code to be entered within a set time period, such as once every 30 minutes. If it wasn't entered, the bomb would go off. Nobles had once been known to use them during negotiations to guarantee the other side didn't try anything dirty...which in itself made little sense to her.

  "Tho'Mos-." Knight Admiral Bhool started to yell, but was cut off.

  "Already there, Ma'am. It's trouble, get everyone to the emergency escape shuttle!" Sasha felt her face drain, knowing the order to come.

  "Grand Duchess Sasha Alutia, launch immediately, I repeat launch immediately." She took a deep breath and did as the Knight Admiral ordered.

  "Vin, launch!" A few seconds passed as the hanger doors opened and the ferry shuttle rocked violently as it launched, having been forcibly ejected instead of the smooth, unpowered launch she'd become accustomed too.

  Sasha had been provided a crash course in emergency starship piloting during one of her trips to Planet Vn'Oco, having been amazed at the time by how the 10 helmsmen, through the use of their BC nodes, maneuvered the massive, 40 kilometer long super-capital ship in trained unison. But that skill required years of training, so in emergencies, all starships were still able to be piloted manually with the sphere control unit, which suddenly appeared before her. She stuck her hands into the project sphere, stopping its sudden rotation as the engines came online.

  "Grand Duchess Sasha Alutia, please direct the shuttle towards the blue circular reticule on the viewscreen. This can be done by manipulating the sphere control unit in the direction of the displayed arrow. Once the ferry shuttle is properly aligned, it will lock into automated flight for high-speed travel." She stared intently at the viewscreen that appeared before her, displaying the darkness of space flecked with many stars, quickly locating the small blue arrow in the top right corner. Taking a deep breath, her gaze fell on the white faced Tiana, who was looking at her with desperate eyes. Nodding and forcing a reassuring smile, she turned back to her task, trying to steady her trembling hands.

  She tilted her hands within the sphere towards the upper right, causing the sphere and the ferry shuttle to move in unison. The arrow suddenly became a circle, which floated right past the center of the viewscreen and to the bottom left, turning back into an arrow. Cringing, she angled her hands to the lower left and the shuttle responded immediately, turning to the lower left as the circle once again past the center of her display. Quickly, she rotated the sphere to the top right, stopping the shuttles rotation, but causing the circle to shoot back to the bottom left. She grunted in frustration and tried again, her failed attempts causing the shuttle to begin undulating like a wave, unable to steady its momentum. Gradually it begin to slow as Sasha started to get a feel for manipulating the sphere, until finally the viewscreen was dead center on the small, blue, circular reticule.

  "Automated flight locked." Vin confirmed as the control sphere vanished.

  "Preparing for high-speed acceleration, NSD field active, NSD Propulsion coming online." Vin's monotone voice continued.

  "Wait! What about the crew, did they get out safe?" Sasha asked desperately as the adrenaline from trying to level the ferry shuttle began to fade. Silence was the only response and she looked to Tiana, seeing the color return to the young girls face, but fear still present in her bloodshot eyes.

  Minutes past and Vin continued his unexplained silence. She was about to ask again, fearing the worst, when an alarm sounded and the shu
ttle began shaking violently from a gravitational shockwave that could only have come from the destruction of the ABF Princess One, her first gift from her parents...gone forever. Tears crept into her eyes. She knew it was her fault, that her ignorance was to blame, but before the sorrow became overwhelming, she pushed the thoughts aside, holding back the cresting tears...this wasn't the time.

  "Emergency escape shuttle detached safely, all crew aboard. Engine damage has been reported and high-speed travel is impossible. Knight Admiral Bhool requests that we continue to the TSB Fleet Base and report their location upon arrival." Sasha's head drooped as she heard Regalia and Gil'Da scream in joy. The tears she'd been holding back broke free, gushing down her cheeks as she climbed out of her seat into the arms of Tiana, who returned her hug and tears.

  "Entering high-speed flight, time to destination, 16 hours, 32 minutes." Vin's voice faded in the cacophony of tears.

  *********

  The third day of simulated combat ended as uneventful as it began and Daniel once again stumbled back to his quarters aboard the TSB Ero'Cia. The exercises seemed endless as the fleet slowly made its way to their standby location just outside Neptune's orbit.

  Initially, the simulations appeared more like readiness drills for an upcoming battle, being centered around the TSB fighting larger, traditional NHA fleets that were trying to invade the Earth star system. But the last few exercises had changed, concentrating on offensive battles against ASU fleets, and support missions for NHA battle groups. Daniel found it odd, and started to question his original belief that this was a move to counter the allies of Sir Simwa, and not just a regular exercise

  Captain Aysi had returned shortly after the first simulation a few days prior, and following a full after-action debrief, started preparing the crew for the additional combat simulations that were planned. Of course, Daniel wasn't left out, having spent hours being lectured by the Captain on what was expected of him as the primary tactical officer, then spending his rare off-hour's reviewing known EW markers. It'd been a long, stressful three days, and he was ready for sleep.

  He let his uniform fall to the floor of his quarters before the door slid shut and collapsed onto his bed, the sweet embrace of sleep overtaking him the moment his eyes closed.

  He awoke as the battle stations alarm blared, seeming to emanate directly from his skull. A groan escaped his lips as he rolled over, still feeling as if his head had just hit the pillow, but finding that two hours had indeed passed. He stumbled to his feet and pulled on his wrinkly uniform, exiting into the bustling corridor to make his way to the bridge.

  Captain Aysi and Executive Officer Geoff were already at their posts when he arrived. The Captain had the distant look of using her BC node and XO Geoff nodded at him as he entered the bridge, his face unreadable.

  "Get to your station and switch to combat mode, Lieutenant. Check your communications with battle group command and make sure your array crews are ready." Daniel froze while his mind registered what he'd just heard, the last thread of drowsiness immediately vanishing.

  "Yes, sir." he responded, running to his station. His hands were shaking as he touched the standby icon hovering over the tactical stations PDU, causing the tactical display to appear before him. He quickly entered his authorization code to go to full combat mode, then queued a test communication to battle group command, receiving an immediate affirmative, his system was linked and ready.

  As he sent readiness queries to each of his LPA crews, the rest of the bridge officers began arriving. Every officer paused when they heard the orders, before rushing, white faced, to their stations.

  Daniel cursed under his breath as he received retransmit requests from most of his groggy weapon crews. They seemed to be under the impression that the orders had been a mistake. He started keying his response and confirmations, cursing again at his lackadaisical array crews, when XO Geoff, having overheard his muffled cursing, moved to his side and glanced over his shoulder. He leaned in and hit a few icons on the three-dimensional input, causing a sub note to be added to his message, signed XO. The confirmation requests ceased and reports of full readiness began taking their place, except for point defense LPA 20, which was failing to deploy. They returned an estimate of 30 minutes to full operation.

  "Station status. Communications!" the Captain shouted, the bridge CID changing from local space to the full star system view.

  "Online, Captain." Lt.-Commander Xi reported through the bridge communication channel, linked to the combat PDU wore on the ears of every bridge officer.

  "Good, Engineering?" The Captain decided to use the communication channel as well, giving up her attempt at yelling her orders...which as every bridge officer knew, wouldn't last.

  "NSD running at 102 percent, Captain......ESS ready to deploy." Lieutenant Pablo reported.

  "Get that up to 105 percent, Lieutenant! You never know when we'll need the extra power. Eyes!" The Captain started shouting again.

  "Active and reading clean! All EW systems ready to deploy!" stated Lieutenant Howe, the sensor operator.

  "Fantastic! Helm!" Her voice kept getting louder.

  "Locked in, Ma'am. Awaiting destination!" Commander Rew'Da responded with an equally excited bellow.

  "Excellent! Tactical!" She stared at Daniel as she yelled, her eyes full of expectation.

  "Point Defense LPA 20 is currently inoperable...estimate 30 minutes to bring it back online. All other weapons report green." He knew the response before she voiced it, already keying the message to the responsible array crew.

  "I want it back online in 10! Communications! Open a channel to the crew." The Captain yelled the first part, then went back to using her communicator for the second.

  "Yes, Captain......patching you through now." said the always calm Lt.-Commander Xi. Daniel felt his own tension rise, breathing heavy, his mind racing as he studied the tactical display showing the eight TSB battle groups and roaming frigates. It was a formidable sight, but he knew it was nothing in comparison to what they might face.

  "Attention crew of the TSB Ero'Cia. Today we embark on a journey, a journey to execute our sacred duty. A fleet of seven Hulk'Zif Battle Fleet battle groups have appeared at the edge of the Earth star system. We have known for days, and have been watching silently while we prepared, waiting for them to make their move.

  "A skirmish has just occurred between an HZBF patrol and a starship of the Alutia Duchy, who many of you may have already heard, has been assigned responsibility over the special protectorate of Earth." She paused, glancing in Daniel's direction, causing him to remember that his misspoken words on the shuttle had spread even to the ears of Captain Aysi.

  "Preliminary sensor reports indicate that the Alutia starship was destroyed, and records indicate it was none other than the NHA Shuttle ABF Princess One, the private starship of the Grand Duchess Sasha Alutia, daughter of our King." A muffled gasp escaped from the far side of the bridge.

  But Daniel smirked, knowing if the Grand Duchess had indeed died in the attack, the King would not let Duke Zehman go unpunished, perhaps deploying his massive King's Fleet to their aid. Except that left the question of the Emperor, who was notorious for showing up with his own massive fleets to remove the offending nobles before any major civil wars could occur. Minor skirmishes happened all the time, he knew, and if history held true, this battle would probably only show up as a small blip on the Emperor's radar. Unless, of course, the King became involved and Duke Zehman decided to resist...then the Emperor might take the situation a bit more seriously.

  A blinking icon appeared on the bottom right of Daniel's tactical display. Curiosity overtook him and he selected the unknown icon, causing the view of local space displayed at his station to change to an expanded view of the entire star system, which was fed directly by the Earth system sensor net. Daniel glanced at Lt.-Commander Xi, who was grinning as she fed the sensor data to all the bridge officers.

  The Earth star system contained one of the more complex s
ensor nets in the universe and could reportedly pick up matter as small as a meter that passed through its massive reach. The sensor platforms were located at million kilometer intervals, throughout the entire star system, and used ripple space technology in conjunction with miniature SJS Gate transmitters.

  The ripple space technology was based on the inherent properties of the universe that created a type of ripple when existing matter moved, similar to how water rippled as boats passed over its surface. The sensor platforms punched a hole in the universe, identical to the first step in SJS Gate creation, and place an active probe into the hole as the universe repaired itself, allowing the reading and deciphering of the ripples. Once an object was located more powerful, conventional scanners pummel the object, searching for gravity fluctuations, electrical signals, material composition, and any other identifying features. This data was then instantaneously transmitted to a central hub, through the use of miniature SJS Gate transmitters built into each platform, which analyzed the signals and returned the results to TSB command.

  Currently he could see the eight TSB battle groups, shown as medium sized blue dots, on the upper left side of the display, just outside Neptune's elliptical orbit. Seven much larger red dots, that could only be the Hulk'Zif Battle Fleet, or HZBF, battle groups, flanked at distance by two additional medium blue dots, could be seen about a million kilometers outside the official boundary of the star system, a third of the way around the elliptical. A solid red line projected the enemy fleets current trajectory, intersecting a small cross which Daniel figured was the location of the destroyed shuttle. After closer inspection he could make out tiny blue dots, TSB scout frigates, circling the big red dots of the HZBF at a little over a million kilometers. They must be keeping eyes on the HZBF movements, while staying just out of weapons range...which made sense, he thought. A few additional TSB scout frigates could be seen a short distance from the blinking cross, within an hour flight time.