"What a day..." Sasha's words showed her fatigue. Tiana's own words were on the tip of her tongue and she tried to hold them back, but they came anyways ...she had to help her friend!
"Oh, Sasha, why him?" A confused look passed over Sasha's face, squinting her eyebrows at her friend's question.
"What do you mean, Tiana?" The tone of Sasha's words made it apparent Tiana was stepping on dangerous ground.
"I don't know, Sasha...I mean...you are a beautiful woman who could have any man she wanted in the universe! Why did you choose him?" Sasha's confused look changed to understanding, but a little bit of something else was hidden in her eyes...Tiana realized she would need to be careful.
"Tiana, I'll tell you one thing. I love him. I do not know why and I do not care why, but I love him. I believe there may have been a force bringing us together, forcing our meeting, but I am positive the feelings are my own." Tiana saw nothing but truth in her friend’s eyes, but her words made her concern grow.
"That's it, isn't it strange? Why would something want to bring you together with him?" She pointed at Trent as she continued. "... Sasha, there's something wrong with him, I can see it! That incident earlier, it shows there's something wrong, wrong with his heart!" She regretted the words as they left her mouth and she quickly closed her eyes, scared of her friend’s response.
"Tiana, open your eyes." Sasha's reply held no emotion and Tiana squeezed her eyes together with all her might.
"No! I know you’re mad, but I had to say it! I love you too much! And seeing you have to suffer for the rest of your life because you were forced to meet someone who you may love, but would have never met otherwise...and is completely wrong for you!" She buried her face in her hands, hiding herself, hiding her tears. She was scared of what was to come as she continued to dig her own grave.
No response came and Tiana, after a few minutes, slid her hands down enough to peek at Sasha, who sat stone faced, staring at her. She quickly raised her hands again, but after a few more minutes resigned herself to her fate and looked at her friend with tear filled eyes.
"Tiana, I know you love me, but I wish you would trust me. Trent is..." She paused, then sighed. "...don't mention this to the others, or to Trent. You are right, there is something wrong with him, but it is not his fault. He is kind Tiana, too kind, and that brought him only trouble...only pain." She paused as she squeezed Tiana's hands. "Should I abandon him because he was hurt? Should I not love him because of his past? I asked myself these questions and many more, but the answer was the same. Oh Tiana! He is a kind man, a great man...I can tell, I know...but his pain, oh his pain!" She looked down at her hands, gripping Sasha's tightly, tiny tears forming in the corner of Sasha's eyes.
"In the end, no matter the cause...no matter the reason...no matter what he is, I love him...and Tiana, for me......please...for me, try to know and understand him, because if you do, I promise you will grow to love him, as a friend, as you do me." Sasha's pleading words caused Tiana to break down, tears storming free, feeling the fire of her love striking against the cold lump that had perpetrated her heart. It would take time, she knew, but she would trust her friend’s words and look passed the surface, passed the barriers, and into his heart.
The crying embrace lasted for longer than Tiana could remember and only when they suddenly became aware of Vickie and Regalia, having entered the room silently, did they release each other. The curious looks from the other two ladies were not accompanied by questions, which she was grateful for, allowing her to recover her wits and look back at Sasha, who had done the same.
"I will do as you ask, because I trust you...and love you." Tiana felt lighter, knowing her concerns had been stated, but she noticed they still persisted, if not as strongly. Regalia suddenly pushed between the two girls and hugged Sasha tightly.
"I love you too, Sasha!" The genuine love of a child made Tiana suddenly forget everything else and she hugged them both. Terra let out a squeak of delight.
"My, you ladies do know how to have fun!" Vickie said with an inappropriate sounding purr, suddenly jumping on the girls, squeezing them tightly. Tiana felt a hand grab her rear, causing her to squeak in unison with Sasha, both looking at Vickie and seeing her mischievous little smirk. They fought to escape the woman's clutches, but ended up in a pile of giggles on the floor next to the couch. Finally breaking free of the woman with no shame, they all lay breathing heavy on the floor.
"I think we all need some sleep." Vickie brought up the idea and Tiana agreed.
"Sasha, you can share my bed, I don't mind." She suggested the obvious, not thinking she would choose to share a bed with Vickie.
"Thank you for the offer, Tiana, but I will be sleeping in my bed." Tiana shot up and looked at her friend, then the sleeping Trent.
"But...but, Sasha, will you be alright?" Even if Sasha did love Trent, her fear of being naked around men was still present. Sasha sat up as well, a naughty look burning in her eyes.
"Let us just say tonight will be a test. If I cannot bring myself to do it while he is drugged and asleep, then I may never be able to..." At Sasha's words Vickie stood, placing her hands on her hips while studying the two women.
"Now, what don't I know? And what is this thing you speak of that you will be doing to poor old drugged Trent?" Sasha and Tiana looked at each other, the fear obvious in Sasha's eyes. Tiana decided it'd be best to bend the truth for her friend.
"When Lady Sasha was younger, some evil men held her down and took scans of her naked." Tiana gasped as Regalia sat up and spoke, Sasha sharing her look of shocked disbelief. Vickie looked at the ladies with a wide grin, full of trouble.
"This, Your Grace, is why I am here. The best therapy is shock therapy. Tiana, give me a hand!" Before she could react, Vickie started forcefully stripping Sasha of her red dress and within moments had her naked on the floor, her face full of confusion.
"Now, get in that bed!" The entire episode was so ridicules that Tiana started laughing, followed by Vickie and a deeply confused Regalia. But Sasha just stood, flushed and frozen, looking with fear at the man who she loved, lying unconscious on the bed.
*********
A root jumped up and caught his foot, causing him to stumble and fall into a small pit of mud. He cursed, wiping the rotten smelling gunk out of his eyes, trying to catch his breath as the screeches and howls were getting ever closer. Tho'Mos crashed through the bushes beside him, sliding to a stop next to the small mud pit.
"We move or die." The words were barely audible over his heavy breathing. Daniel was pulled to his feet and pushed forward, causing him to almost fall over another tangle of rotting vines.
As they moved towards the evacuation point the jungle seemed to get thicker and thicker. The sky was now completely blocked by a canopy of trees and vines, while the undergrowth had thinned considerably. In its place, small pools and mud pits littered the paths between the trees. Most of the pits were hidden under dead growth with a foul, rotting stink. It was usually too late by the time he found them...Daniel was lucky he'd not yet broke his ankle.
Another dense group of vines stopped him and he desperately pushed them aside, attempting to keep them from tangling around him. Pushing his way clear of the last of the vines, he slipped and fell into another nasty smelling pool of water. He quickly gathered his feet when a sight caused him to freeze in utter horror.
About five meters in front of him, in the middle of a small clearing, illuminated by a beam of sunlight that cut through the canopy, was a grotesque creature that had an eerily human like form, eating what looked like a monkey. The head and body were shaped similarly to a human, with double jointed arms and long muscular legs. Tho'Mos had followed behind him, avoiding the pool like he knew it was there, quickly kneeling at its side to help Daniel up the slippery edge.
"Quietly, around the side..." Tho'Mos lightly pushed him towards the trees surrounding the small clearing as he whispered in his ear.
Daniel stepped as swiftly, and quietly,
as possible, keeping an eye on the hideous creature as he made his way past the giant tree trunks. A loud snap at his feet caused him to stop, cursing under his breath. The creature's head turned from its meal, looking in his direction. A green laser bolt took the creature in the midsection, causing a howl of pain and a strange orange cloud to explode into the air from the creature's dying body. Behind him, Tho'Mos was on one knee, lowering his laser arc to his side. Screeches broke through the forest all around them, some only a few meters away.
"Go and don't stop!" At the words he dropped his head and ran for the break in the tree line. A grunt filled the air behind him, but he didn't stop...he didn't care. He would live, no matter what.
The opening quickly narrowed and he was forced to desperately climb over a large fallen tree trunk, letting himself slide and fall to ground on the other side. Quickly, he crawled to his feet, through the decay smelling mud and gunk, a clear path suddenly appeared before him, an animal trail...he broke into a sprint.
The haze appeared suddenly and Daniel didn't have time to slow before he felt the impact. An almost completely invisible wall crossed the path when it widened, causing Daniel to bounce back almost an entire meter, landing hard on his side. Darkness threatened to overtake him as stars filled his vision, but the sound of a primordial screech caused his adrenaline to break through the darkness, clearing his mind. He crawled back to the invisible wall and groped desperately, trying to find a way through...but he'd been too late, the containment barrier had been activated...they'd left him behind.
The sight of the empty path behind him affirmed his belief that Tho'Mos had fallen. A slight twinge of regret filled him, but quickly passed...at least it wasn't him. Another screech rose from the dense undergrowth to his side, a howl responding from the other. He pulled his laser arc, pointing it in the direction of the first sound, while pushing his back flush against the invisible wall.
Daniel fired, the laser bolt catching the older man in the arm as he broke through the brush, onto the path. The bolt continued through the forest behind him and struck the creature that pursued, its gurgled screech telling Daniel of its fate. Tho'Mos finished tumbling and quickly recovered his feet, apparently unaware of the hand missing from the end of his arm.
"Damn, thought we'd have time to get through before they activated it." The older man placed the stump in his pocket as he walked up to the barrier, placing his other hand on the invisible wall. Daniel was stunned...was the old man in shock? How could he not be writhing in pain from the loss of his hand? Tho'Mos noticed Daniels confused stare, showing a bloody smile with a few teeth missing.
"Don't worry, I lost the nerves in my arm when a NSD breached and I was too close when the containment collapsed. I don't feel nothin'." Daniel looked at the old man and shook his head...finding that he really didn't care.
"What now?" he asked himself out loud.
"I think we can ride that...if they have room." Tho'Mos pointed towards the assault shuttle that was hovering silently a hundred meters above their heads. A tube shot out from its bottom and stuck into the ground a few meters up the path from where they stood. Two armed Alutia Battleguard's, in full combat armor, smooth metal bodysuit of tilitium reactive programmable matter that encased the entire body, and combat arcs, much larger cousins of the laser arc, emerged, aiming their weapons at the two men. Tho'Mos raised his arms and Daniel looked at him, then at the Alutia Battleguard's in confusion.
"Raise em' kid, we ain't gettin' out of here unless were scanned." Daniel felt indignation at the words, but complied anyways. One of the battleguard's approached slowly, brandishing a genetic scanner, which he touched to Daniel's, then Tho'Mos's skin. Hidden words passed between the two guards as they lowered their weapons and pointed to the extended tube. Daniel sighed as he obeyed, rushing into the tube, his relief quickly overcome by anger as he floated up to the shuttle. Someone would pay for this...and he knew who. The person that must be responsible for this and everything else that had happened since he arrived on the scene...the Earthling named Trent.
Chapter 22
Trent shuffled down the corridor with Sasha holding one elbow and Tiana the other, suppressing his dignity at having to be supported by the two lovely ladies...at Sasha's request. Each step was met with pain ...piercing...unrelenting pain. But he could endure...he had too...for Sasha.
Medical Officer Quo'Moy provided him something that for one day of semi-mobility would require at least another week of recovery, unless he decided to get tubed. The thought gave him chills and he knew his fear of tubing had been born of the earlier incident at TSB Earth Base. From what he'd learned, after being shot by Sir Simwa, he'd been in a medical tube for over a week to regenerate his arms and partially alter his genetic makeup, which explained the BC node and his younger appearance. But he now found he feared having that experience again, having strange dreamlike memories of isolation, darkness, and pain. Plus, the idea of being completely immobile and locked in a tube, while isolated from the outside world, went against his being...and he would grasp any opportunity to avoid it again. So when presented the option, he was more than happy to take the longer, less tubed alternative, of bed rest and nanite treatment.
So when he awoke that morning, ready to start mentally preparing for the pain that he knew would come from attending this important meeting, he'd found Sasha cuddled up against him. Her arms and legs were wrapped tightly around him, with her head resting on his chest, a full length nightgown covering her hourglass figure. The gown was thin and he'd spent the first few hours after he awoke trying to ignore the softness being pressed against his side, providing a very pleasant sensation.
When Vickie, Tiana, and Regalia arrived, a noticeable tension permeated the air. He assumed, at first, it may have been caused by Tiana. But she no longer looked at him with the same disgust that had been prevalent the night before. Instead, she now looked at him with veiled suspicion...better he guessed.
This new tension seemed to arise for a separate reason, filling the air between Vickie and Sasha. Whenever their eyes met, a cold look of contempt would fill Vickie's gaze. She even seemed to look at him differently, the slight lust and playfulness of the night before replaced by unabashed craving. It was similar to the look he remembered receiving from his ex-girlfriend, Samantha, when she began seducing him. He sighed, garnering glances from the two women helping him walk. He shook off their concern and smiled. Best to keep out of something he doesn't understand...especially something between women.
The double doors they approached were covered by, what Trent had learned to be, the crest of Alutia, three rose vines wrapped around a platinum tiara, with a rose at each peak. Right before they were about to reach the point of no return, Trent stopped, forcing concerned looks from the women at his flanks.
"Sasha, you should go first. I'll walk in on my own." She stared into his eyes, obviously thinking to rebuke him.
"No, you shall accompany me as I enter." Her words were stern, leaving no room for argument. Trent sighed, then nodded, knowing she knew best when it came to these noble matters. She quickly glanced around him at Tiana, who smiled and gently released Trent's arm, moving behind to join Vickie, Regalia, and the escorting guards. Sasha took a step forward, pushing her elbow to her side while placing her hand to the fore. Trent stared for a second, then felt a painful nudge strike his back.
"Place your hand under Sasha's in the same fashion." whispered Tiana in his ear. He nodded in understanding, stepping forward, trying his best to hide the pain and not stumble...but having little luck at both. As he placed his hand under Sasha's, she grasp it tightly, holding it, and him, steady.
The pain coursing through his body multiplied as he stood on his own, attacking in waves. Sasha must have sensed this and quickly started forward, walking with a strong regal grace towards the waiting doors. Trent tried to match her step, pushing the pain away...this was no time to show weakness. He needed to prove he was worthy of this goddess he loved so. The two red uniformed Alutia
Battleguards, the military version of the Alutia Guard, saluted, then ceremoniously opened the ornate doors.
"Presenting...Grand Duchess Sasha Alutia and Sir Trent!" Everyone stood as they entered the packed conference room, the majority of the uniforms matching the crimson covered walls, but some showing the blue and white of the TSB. A square table sat in the center of the room, with five seats on each side and rows of additional seating lining the walls behind. His eyes went wide as he looked up to the domed ceiling...intricately carved with the Alutia Crest...it was an impressive sight. As they moved towards their seats, Trent scanned the room and was able to locate a few faces he recognized.
Knight Captain Quinn and Vice Commander Daiyu sat to the right with a small group of blue and white uniformed TSB officers. On the left, he recognized Knight Admiral Bhool, who he'd met briefly when he awoke for the first time on the starship. A red faced man stood out on the far side of the conference table, appearing on the verge of bursting, anger flowing from his face.
Sasha stopped behind her chair and Trent knew what he had to do. He released her hand and moved as naturally as he could, pulling the chair out and pushing it in as she sat, trying to ignore the angry expression that flashed across her calm face. He moved to his own chair, which was pulled out by a young man dressed in a uniform of dark red, which Trent had learned was the standard color for anything Alutia.
His own clothing was meant to match Sasha's rose red gown. A tight doublet of red and black, cut slightly at the top, matching a pair of black pants, with rose red strips down the sides. When he first saw it, he knew he would look ridicules, but the ladies assured him he looked dashing, which he wanted to say was a lie, but something told him they were serious.
Alutia Rising Page 40
