Sasha, no longer caring about hiding from her guards, walked through the front gate, ignoring the queries about where she'd been and if she was all right. She locked herself in her private quarters for over a month and Tiana had to deal with constant interrogations of what happened, which she would deflect, saying she only found Sasha as she was returning from wherever she'd been.
When Sasha finally emerged she seemed little changed to most, but Tiana noticed something wrong almost immediately. She no longer laughed with the same carefree attitude and would turn melancholy, breaking down over the tiniest things. But what bothered Tiana the most about the new Sasha, her laughter and smiles were fake...containing no actual joy.
Tiana returned to the present, hearing Regalia in the shower as Gil'Da hand washed the young-girls jumpsuit. Wonder filled her...why had the sudden memory returned...and so vivid? Was it because of seeing the interaction between Regalia and Gil'Da, reminding her of their childhood? Or was there a deeper meaning, one that held of her failure to her friend? She quickly wiped the fresh tears from her eyes at the last thought, shaking her wavy, long blond hair as she slapped her cheeks. It was no time to reminisce, she had to think of a way to reunite with Sasha.
She fell back onto the bed, stretching out her hands as she stared at the ceiling, thinking hard. But nothing came to mind, she had no idea how to help her friend...she was helpless, yet again. Sighing in resignation, she climbed off the bunk, staring at the floor as she walked to the kitchen to find a drink.
The door suddenly chimed and Tiana glanced at the startled Gil'Da. They'd yet to inform anyone of Sasha's disappearance, since they didn't know the exact reason behind it, but they knew it was inevitable for someone to find out. Tiana walked to the door, took a deep breath and hit the unlock icon, causing the door to slide open. A young boy, with unkempt, dirty blond hair, wearing a blue and white jumpsuit, stood just outside the door, eyes wide and sweating profusely. The boy looked at Tiana, then to his sides, finally returning his gaze to her.
"I ne..need to spe..speak to Her Gra...Grace." His voice was high pitched and shaky, showing obvious signs of nervousness.
"Come in." She quickly ushered the boy through the door, locking it behind him. Tiana sensed that his unease wasn't just from the fact that he needed to talk to Sasha, but from something else...like he was being chased. She sat the boy down at the table in the kitchen, looking up at Gil'Da who was already preparing a drink for their guest.
"What is your name?" Tiana's voice was full of command, the way she'd heard Sasha speak since they left Tidelia. It was about time for her to start growing up a little bit, and now looked like as good a time as any.
"Trainee Donnlie...My Lady?" His voice had calmed after having a sip of the warm beverage Gil'Da provided.
"Yes, I am Lady Tiana, and this is Friend Gil'Da. Grand Duchess Sasha is currently indisposed, but we will be happy to inform her of your message." The boy suddenly went wide eyed again, as if Tiana's words had made him remember the reason for his visit. He gulped noticeably as he set his trembling drink down carefully on the table.
"Commander Talan is going to turn Her Grace over to Duke Zehman, me and the others overheard him talking to the rest of the teachers. He said something about a noble title to any who help." His voice trembled, but he was getting his words out, eyes full of fear.
"Me and the rest really don't like Commander Talan, he beat Tomi so bad she had to be tubed for a week." Tiana cringed at the thought. To be put in a medical tube for a week meant that the girl would have had to sustain some pretty serious injuries.
"I'm sorry to hear that, Donnlie. So what else can you tell me about Commander Talan's plan?" She figured the boy was telling the truth, but she needed more information before she could make a decision.
"Last I heard...Commander Talan was trying to get in contact with Duke Zehman to setup a rendezvous. Then he was going to come and get you, move you to a more secure location..." He looked around, fear bursting from his eyes.
"...You're really with Grand Duchess Sasha...right?" Donnlie's voice was full of distrust. Tiana didn't understand the sudden change in his mood, but she had a sense that the boy definitely had major trust issues.
"Yes, I am her lady-in-waiting..." The fear left his eyes and changed to confusion at her words. "...I'm her friend and confidant. People of her rank are rarely allowed to mingle and make friends, so other lower ranked noble ladies offer themselves to be companions and accompany her in her daily life." Tiana thought that her words weren't completely true, she had no choice in the matter, but if she did, then she would have probably chosen to stay with Sasha anyways.
She returned to the matter at hand. If Commander Talan was planning on capturing them then it was highly unlikely he'd already captured Sasha. So first they would have to locate Sasha, then, they would have to escape this place.
"How many Trainees are there?" she asked the question, knowing what she was planning would make things more difficult, but being unwilling to leave these children behind.
"Ummm...I think around 20. Everyone over 16 was assigned to a starship and you don't start in the academy until your 12. I just started a month ago!" There was a hint of pride in Donnlie's voice. So, she needed to gather up Sasha, these 20 children, and find a way to escape this place...simple. She smirked to herself, wishing again that Sasha was here to make the tough decisions.
"Donnlie, do you know how Commander Talan plans to deliver us to Duke Zehman? I was under the impression that all starships were currently in space." The young man thought for a moment before he responded.
"Well, My Lady, there are the unpowered shuttles that go to Earth, but they're not much good for anything else." he spoke while he fingered his drink, forehead furrowing in thought. His head shot up and he looked at Tiana in sudden excitement.
"Sir Simwa's ship! It's currently locked down, but Commander Talan could easily override the order!" His excitement at figuring out the commander's plan quickly faded and a look of concern again overtook him. But the words were just what Tiana wanted to hear and now her plan was complete...she knew what they had to do. She looked to Gil'Da, who showed her noticeable concern openly on her face, and the thought of asking her opinion quickly vanished as she remembered what she'd once told her...A servant serves and a noble leads, never mix that up...Tiana sighed, hoping the young boys reaction to her next words wouldn't cause to much of a scene, then began.
"Donnlie, the Grand Duchess is not here, she left about five hours ago." Tiana tried to say the words as calmly as possible, but the young boy looked like he had just been shot, mouth agape and eyes wide. Tiana quickly continued.
"But it sounds like she hasn't been captured. So what we need to do is locate her, collect the rest of the children, and get to Sir Simwa's ship before anyone finds out....Can you help me?" Donnlie's face returned to somewhat normal, still unable to shed the look of disbelief.
"It may be possible, Tomi is a wiz with the systems, so she should be able to locate her. But we have to leave now...I don't know how much longer Commander Talan will wait." Tiana nodded in response.
"Gil'Da, are my clothes ready, I'm starting to get cold...eeck." Regalia popped her head out of the bathroom, but seeing Donnlie, pulled it back with a loud squeak which reminded her of Terra the catillian. Tiana noticed Donnlie's face turn flush, with a look of wonder in his eyes. She couldn't help rolling her own.
"This is not the time..." She stood as she spoke, startling the young boy as she quickly turned to Gil'Da.
"Get her dressed and ready, were leaving in five minutes." Gil'Da nodded and ran towards the bathroom. Tiana turned back to Donnlie.
"We are in your hands, Trainee Donnlie. I trust you will deliver us safely?" Trainee Donnlie stumbled to his feet and saluted clumsily. She smiled and placed a soft hand on his shoulder, then turned and started collecting their things, making sure that she didn't forget to strap the laser arc around her waist.
Chapter 16
The plung
e into darkness was out of a nightmare and it took all Trent's will to keep his wits. Sasha's full-bodied embrace helped, her warmth reassuring, allowing him to concentrate all his thoughts on her. But the howling wind rushing passed his ears, and the terrifying feeling of freefall, grated on his frayed nerves as they continued...ever deeper.
He soon realized, after they jumped into the small tunnel, that it wasn't the short drop to freedom he'd originally anticipated, but a deep, dark hole, with no bottom in sight. At first, he tried to yell to Vin, hoping to find out exactly what sort of exit it had provided. But he couldn't hear its response, or even know if it made one, the rushing wind muffling all sound. He then tried using his BC node, but had no luck, experiencing a strange sensation of being pulled in when he tried to link directly with Sasha. Finally, he decided to give up, to lose himself in Sasha's embrace and his fledgling feelings, as they fell into the eternal depths of darkness.
The air suddenly thickened, tendrils appearing from below, grasping their falling bodies. A creature of infinite horror appeared in Trent's mind...they'd been led into a trap, to be dropped into the belly of an ancient beast. Before he had a chance to voice his panic, say his last goodbye and pour out the feelings that had slipped free of his iron heart, his feet hit something solid and they both tumbled to the ground. It took a moment for his mind to return, having been lost in fearful hallucination...he was alive, not in the belly of some imaginary beast.
"Are you alright?" he whispered into Sasha's ear, not wanting to talk too loudly in the darkness, still fearful of what may lay hidden. She stirred against him.
"Yes, I'm fine..." Her response was weak and he guessed she had as much trouble with the fall as he did. They slowly untangled themselves and climbed to their feet. Trent, still scared of losing his only sense of reality in the oppressive darkness, kept a tight grip on Sasha hands.
"Light." At Sasha's word, a dull light lit the circular room, born from the walls themselves. The odd walls were bare, slightly silver in color, with a single curved doorway located on the far side, a strange symbol on its face. He sighed in relief, the final ounce of fear that had clung to his being, fading away. They were safe...for now.
"Anti-gravity device...don't jump." Sasha's words came as Trent's gaze fell to the floor. A strange black and white swirling mist filled its center, appearing to pull the light out of the room itself.
"Is that what I think it is?" Sasha followed his gaze and smiled lightly, putting him at ease.
"It's an older version...but yes, that is a contained singularity..." Trent shuddered at her words...it was unnatural. He started towards the door, wanting to remove himself from the room as fast as possible, gently pulling Sasha along with him.
"This place is really old..." Sasha said under her breath as she walked around him, stopping in front of the strange door.
"Why would you say that?" Trent asked as he studied Sasha, the inquisitive look she adorned, making his heart race.
"See this crest? It is the Emperor's crest." Trent looked closely as Sasha pointed to the door, running her hand over the symbol on its surface.
The crest appeared to be of a no faced man standing with his legs spread and arms crossed. Groups of swirling dots outlined the body...each one similar to the galaxy he'd seen above the King's statue in the room they'd just left. It took a moment for Trent's mind to register the sight...the entire body was made up of individual galaxies. He found it gaudy at first, but then realized the Emperor did in fact rule over multiple galaxies, which made it suddenly appear less gaudy and more overwhelming.
"The design changes as new galaxies are colonized by the NHA. This crest appears to be made of under a hundred galaxies...." Trent quickly thought back as he considered Sasha's words. If he was not mistaken, this was galaxy 189 of the NHA.
"That means this room is from 20,000 to 30,000 years ago..." she touched the crest as she spoke to herself, wonder filling her words. "...probably closer to 25,000 since that is the era Earth was colonized." Trent starred in amazement at Sasha, her casual words once again destroying his basic beliefs. This information makes all the claims that early human remains were found from millions of years ago, false. But then he realized the years that Sasha was referring too might be different then the years on Earth.
"25,000 Earth years...or is there a different measurement? Because if I recall correctly, fossils that could be related to Humans were found and dated over a million years earlier." Sasha's head tilted with a peculiar look, before smiling kindly.
"I'm not sure how long Earth days and years are...but the NHA follows the 25 hour day, 382 day year, based on Planet Origin, Capital of the NHA." Trent nodded as he listened to Sasha's response....so it was a little longer, but not enough to account for the massive time difference, he realized.
"Native bipedal species, similar in build and appearance of Human's, existed on Earth before colonization. Local naming conventions refer to them as Neanderthals." Vin's monotone voice answered his other question. Trent shook his head in wonder as Sasha turned back to the door, seeing his curiosity sated.
He stood next to her as she continued to run her fingers over the crest, like the contact helped her think. After a few minutes, and moments before he could provide his own recommendation, she suddenly stopped and looked at Trent.
"I remembered this time." A small smile eased across her lips. Trent blushed, unable to control the sudden powerful feeling that filled him at the sight, as she raised her left wrist to her lips.
"Vin, how do we open this door?" Before she finished the question, the door slid open and lights illuminated, one after another, every five meters or so, down a long, narrow tunnel.
"I guess that's how you open it..." He smiled in response, forgetting for a time that they were on the run. Her own smile widened as she hooked her arm into his.
"Shall we?" At her words they started down the long tunnel, watching the lights flickering on one after the other into the growing distance. As they walk in silence, Trent turned to Sasha, having remembered the moment before they plunged into darkness.
"It looks like you have a question?" Sasha's tone was slightly playful as she beat Trent to the punch. He couldn't help himself, letting a wide grin spread along his lips.
"Yes, actually I did. What was all that business with the giant statue and the...what did you call it...the Star of Terra? It seemed like I was part of an important ceremony, but I really have no clue why." Sasha's smile faded and a dumbfounded look took its place.
"I thought I told you?" Her smile turned innocent, eyes twinkling...Trent realized she was trying to play with him.
"Nope...nothing, I'm completely in the dark." he tried to force a slightly offended tone into his deep voice, but instead, sounded slightly ridiculous. Sasha laughed and leaned in, laying her left hand across his arm.
"Well, I guess I do owe you an explanation...and now is as good a time as any..." She turned away, feigning a yawn. Trent stared at her for a few seconds and could see her trying to repress a laugh. He started to wonder if this entire experience had started going to her head or if some of her real personality was starting to break through the surface as the tension eased.
"Vin...could you let me know what that ceremony was all about?" Trent said with a childish grin, laughing as Sasha turned to him in shock. She wasn't the only one who could play these games.
"Vin, ignore that question. I'll answer it." Sasha's voice returned to normal, feeling the game had run its course. Trent smiled again...he liked the playful side of Sasha...then frowned when he recognized the growing feelings in his heart. He immediately tried to push them away, back down into their prison... he'd promised himself never again and even if he accepted the feelings, it didn't change the fact that she was a princess.
"A couple of weeks ago I received word from Duke Zehman and about a 150 of his nobles that Sir Simwa was dishonored on Earth by an evil Earthling named Trent..." She looked at him accusingly, but Trent's mood had changed and he could only
smile back weakly. Seeing her playful attempt turned away, Sasha's face changed to concern, but she continued.
"...Along with Knight Captain Quinn and Vice Commander Daiyu, who assaulted and almost killed him, then imprisoned him and his starship." Trent felt the blood rushing to his face as anger started clawing its way back to the surface, pushing past the already rising despair. He already knew what Sir Simwa said they'd done, but hearing the words come from Sasha mouth, so matter-of-factly, made it worse, causing his anger to return. Sasha must have picked up on his rapidly changing moods since she started slowly caressing his arm, causing some, but not all, of the rising fury to subside.
"Well, I found it all wrong and the facts didn't add up. Plus, there was this sealed record of said Earthlings trial that was supposedly impossible for me to see. Knight Captain Quinn knew this and he thought of a way to forward me a copy of the record." As Sasha spoke, Trent felt himself calming, knowing that his anger was unjustified, but still being unable to remove its taint completely.
"Since your actions to save the life of Vice Commander Daiyu were deemed heroic by the Program present, Knight Captain Quinn was able to recommend you for the Star of Terra, the highest reward for bravery in the galaxy and second only to the Emperor's Boon." Sasha stated with pride overflowing from her words. Trent stopped and looked to her blushing face, having some trouble grasping the meaning of what she said.
"It sounds like an honor...but I'm guessing this award is pretty common?" Trent didn't know why he asked the question. It may have been because he didn't think he did anything special, just what anyone in his situation would have done. Sasha's face froze and for the first time since they'd met, he had trouble reading her expression.
"No... It is actually so rare that no one has been awarded it in over 400 years. Why would you think the most prestigious award for bravery is common?" Sasha seemed somehow offended and Trent knew he was the reason. His chest tightened, knowing he had said something wrong, proving that his emerging feelings were no longer hidden, but seeping free to allow him to be hurt by them once again. He sighed and decided, as he always thought best, to be honest.
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