The Smuggler's Ascension: Dark Tide Rising Read online

  The screen went dark and Korvan sat quietly, staring at its blank surface. Silently, he cursed the Emperor in the vaults of his mind where no one could hear. The plan would need to be changed now, he knew. The destruction of Dorcanus II’s moon was no longer a viable option. He quickly sent a message to Lt. Ravos to call the ship’s officers to the briefing room. But first he would deal with his guest of honor, the bait.

  A short time later the office door chimed, and two security officers escorted an elderly man into Korvan’s office and deposited him in a chair across from him. The man had an aristocratic bearing and was dressed well in a suit of finely tailored silk, but he was clearly distressed by his handling aboard the Vengeance.

  “Greetings,” Korvan began, “Mr. Salas Arctura.”

  ~12~

  Despite many objections, Sabine dressed for court with a grim determination to not remain in the royal apartments one day more. It had been three days since Anasha and Subat had discovered their crystal solution, which had worked wonders for her. The flashes of darkness and overwhelming cold kept coming to her, but each time they did Kristof and Anasha had been able to share the load, so to speak. And now, after much searching through the Temple storerooms, they had found a trio of smaller crystals that would serve the same purpose.

  Sabine had chosen a pale pink crystal that easily attached to a necklace around her neck so that she would have immediate access to it when an episode occurred. Anasha had taken a curiously curved crystal that gave off a silvery sheen and had the jewelers in the city fashion it so that it curved around in a fantastic ear piece. It had turned out stunningly, and Sabine could not stop admiring it; plus it gave her an excuse to be up close and touching Anasha’s face as she admired it, which neither woman seemed to mind. The dark amethyst crystal given to Kristof was fitted into a ring of silver for him to wear.

  At first there had been some concern about the ability of the crystals to work over distances since they were much smaller than the orbs were, but a few tests during Sabine’s intermittent episodes quickly dispelled that concern. They actually found that with the crystals in constant contact that they were able to abate the effects much quicker. The end result had been that Sabine was now mostly back to normal, with only brief periods of disquiet that anyone not familiar with the situation might miss all together.

  So it was that Sabine had determined she would resume her place in the government. Kristof had wanted her to rest another day, but he hadn’t pushed the matter too much after seeing her determination. Anasha had been no more pleased than Kristof, but she had also remained silent, to everyone’s amazement.

  “You look beautiful,” Kristof’s voice came from the doorway behind her.

  Sabine turned towards the door, beaming. She knew Kristof loved her in red, so she’d purposely chosen an informal gown of that color. The day’s meetings were mostly with the Prime Minister and General Mannis, so she hadn’t felt the need for full royal regalia. She spun in a small circle so Kristof could get the full view, and reveled in the smile that appeared on his face.

  “I am so glad to see you feeling better,” he said as he took her in his arms and kissed her softly.

  “I’m so glad to be feeling better,” Sabine admitted, her relief evident in her voice. “For a while there I feared I’d never find my way out of those dark, cold visions. I still don’t understand what they even mean.”

  “When I was the ak’Sun Su’Tani, I had moments like what you’ve been feeling,” Kristof told her. “Many of the threads of the future ended badly and felt like that. But many just ended that way and meant nothing at all,” he added after seeing worry enter her eyes. “Don’t go reading anything into what you are experiencing, for all we know this is just something the baby feels from its perspective within you, total darkness.”

  “But why the cold and pain, too?” Sabine asked worriedly, anyway. “It’s surely not cold or painful there.”

  “I don’t know, love,” Kristof admitted with a frown. “It could be coming from whatever is causing all of this. It’s a question for another time, though. Come, Anasha has someone she wants you to meet.”

  Sabine’s curiosity perked suspiciously as they entered the large living area that they liked to use when entertaining a large number of people. Anasha was waiting there in a blue and white full body glove that bore the markings of the Su’Tani Royal Guard, which she now led along with her father. She’d also donned blue armored shoulder pads, greaves, and tactical forearm gauntlets that contained sensors, comm gear, and almost limitless possibilities in their modular slots. At her waist was her gun belt with twin blasters. The crystal ear piece on her left ear gleamed in the morning light.

  “Are you going to war with someone?” Sabine asked lightly after surveying her wife’s attire admiringly.

  “Only if they are tired of living,” Anasha said lightly, which brought a laugh to everyone in the room. “No, today we will be conducting full gear trials with Su’Tani novitiates who are ready and wishing to graduate. Those seeking the possibilities of command rank in the future will face me personally.”

  “Go easy, then, love,” Sabine said as she kissed Anasha lightly. “We do need new commanders in the future, so try not to break them all.”

  Anasha laughed with her, then turned to the woman near a window that Sabine had not met before. She remembered Kristof saying that Anasha had brought a guest for her to meet, and she gazed at her curiously.

  The woman was dressed in a traditional Su’Tani blue and white robe of plain cotton. She was aged but still showed signs of a great beauty in her face and the way she carried herself. Her pale blue eyes matched the blue of her robe perfectly, and her hair that was once blond was now a shining platinum color.

  “This is Celeste,” Anasha said as she introduced her to Sabine. “Celeste is a member of the Mystics at the Temple and was my teacher in the use and control of my empathic powers. The Mystics are all experts in the paranormal side of Su’Tani abilities. She heard of your, our, unique problem and has offered her assistance.”

  “Assistance how?” Sabine asked Celeste curiously.

  “If you will consent, my Queen,” Celeste said in a musical voice, “I would be honored to accompany you this day and seek to assist calming your child’s nightmares, while also seeking their source. In addition to being an empath myself, like Anasha here, I am also a skilled healer through the Su’Tani arts.”

  “You think that these are just nightmares, then?” Sabine asked. She could see that Kristof had taken a keen interest as well.

  “Perhaps,” Celeste went on. “Or not. It may be that, as I too experience these dark episodes, I can guide Anasha in how to quiet the child’s powers until their proper awakening.”

  “Why can’t you do it, if you’re able to get that great a sense of the baby?” Sabine asked, hopeful for a long term solution to what had become her own personal nightmare.

  “The Elders have declared that only Anasha can truly cure this disruption of the natural order,” Celeste told her softly, “Which to me indicates that they know something more of this than they have spoken, or they at least suspect more. As the power of the child itself descends from Anasha, so too must come the resolution. Were Kristof in full control of his own ability, which also descends from Anasha, then he too could have done this, but he has not had time to fully come to grips with all he now possesses.”

  “If there is any hope,” Sabine whispered as she weighed all of the options, “Then the honor shall be mine to have you with me today, Celeste.”

  Celeste bowed her head and stepped back to her place near the window.

  Their group parted ways soon after. Anasha went off to oversee the novitiate trials, while Kristof and Max were off to the shipyards in orbit to tour one of the new warships General Mannis had commissioned last year as a counter to the Clovani dreadnaughts. Sabine shuddered at the memory of the expense of the ship as well as the mammoth construction effort involved, and that of its twin being built
above Durani; but it had been necessary, she knew. Subat had chosen to remain with Sabine, as her personal bodyguard for the day, as well as having a seat on her inner council.

  Together, along with Celeste and her ever present quartet of royal guards, they made their way to Sabine’s offices that she kept in the People’s Senate Hall and the Fleet Headquarters. The Protectorate was not used to having a hands-on ruler such as Sabine chose to be, so there had not been offices set aside for her in the Palace to use. Sabine actually liked it better this way, anyway. It made her feel more involved with the government when she met them on their own footing rather than them being forced to always come to the Palace.

  Prime Minister Rossada met with her first that morning. The day to day running of the Protectorate was a tedious process, and Rossada seemed a perfect fit for the job. The man seemed tedious himself, Sabine thought to herself, but she could not fault the man’s ability or loyalty. She remembered well that her throne had remained for her on her return to Purannis mainly due to this man. His defiance of Grand Duke Michal Duranis had not been without danger to the Prime Minister himself, so Sabine greatly appreciated his loyalty.

  “Lastly,” the Prime Minister went on as he wrapped up his report, “You will be happy to know the first waves of supplies and aid have reached Bonibus. Medical clinics and food banks have opened all around the moon, and the Civil Engineering Corp has begun planning out a way to make Bonibus a self-sufficient entity once more.”

  “This is most excellent news,” Sabine said happily. “How will they work towards helping the people of Bonibus achieve self-sufficiency?” she asked curiously.

  “The planet the moon of Bonibus orbits, Orcorno, is a gas giant rich in valuable gaseous resources. The Corps is beginning to build a way to allow the people to harvest those resources by constructing large gas mining stations in orbit over the planet. There is much to be done, but it is a start,” Rossada agreed. The Prime Minister left shortly after, and not a moment too soon.

  As the door snapped shut behind the Prime Minister, another wave of pain, cold and dark enveloped Sabine from the baby’s seeming nightmares. She immediately reached up for the crystal around her neck, but felt someone stay her had even as another hand pressed against her stomach. The pain and cold became excruciating before the one hand released her and allowed her to grab the crystal around her neck. Immediately, she felt Kristof and Anasha there with her and the cold and darkness receded, though the pain lingered a moment before also receding.

  “Are you ok, my daughter?” Subat asked worriedly. He had not witnessed many of the episodes before and had not become as accustomed to them yet.

  “Yes, father, I’m alright,” Sabine said weakly before turning to Celeste, her anger rising. “Why did you prevent me from reaching my crystal?”

  “My apologies, Your Majesty,” Celeste said with a bow as she stepped back away. “I needed to truly feel the effects of the episode for myself and get a sense of what the child was seeing and feeling before you and your mates eased the episode’s passing.”

  Sabine wanted to be angry, but she could not fault Celeste’s intent.

  “Warn me first, next time,” Sabine said curtly, and Celeste bowed her head in apology.

  “Be nice now, my child,” Subat chided her gently. “Celeste only seeks to help you through this. She is quite skilled at her arts.”

  Sabine sulked as Subat went and admitted General Mannis. The stress of being the Supreme Commander of all Protectorate forces had taken a toll on her old friend, Sabine saw. His hair had greyed more, she saw; and he seemed to have lost weight and he had not been a terribly robust man to begin with. The General bowed before taking the seat across from Sabine’s desk.

  “Your Majesty,” General Mannis began, “It is good to see you feeling well once again.”

  “Thank you, General,” Sabine replied warmly. “Tell me how the war goes,” she said teasingly, knowing there was no active war at the moment, not since the destruction of the Clovani fleet a year ago.

  “The only war I have at the moment is with the money handlers in Finance,” the General said with a rueful smile. “It is a bloodbath every time I try to procure funding for the fleet expansion.”

  “They do know why I ordered the expansion, yes?” Sabine asked as she began to feel some of the General’s frustration.

  “Yes, but you know how accountants can be. They forget that all of that money they handle is not actually theirs.” Sabine joined the General’s laughter.

  “I will have another talk with Minister Cole,” Sabine promised. “Tell me about the Archangel. Kristof and Max flew up this morning to give her a once over.”

  “Yes, I saw your husband and his foul mouthed friend at the landing pad as I returned this morning,” General Mannis replied as he brought up a visual of the new dreadnaught in orbit above them. “The Archangel will be fully ready for operations by week’s end, and thank the Gods. Never have we taken on such a ship build before, and to have completed it in such a short time as you ordered was no small feat.”

  “My apologies, General,” Sabine said as she viewed the massive vessel on the screen. “After what we faced last year with the Clovani fleet, I do not intend to be in such a defenseless position again.”

  “Agreed. The shipyards at Durani report nearing completion of the Queen’s Honor as well,” the General added, giving Sabine a shrewd look as he said it.

  Sabine sat speechless for a moment at hearing that their second dreadnaught had been named the Queen’s Honor, her face turning red from equal amounts of anger and embarrassment. After a few long moments of failed attempts to speak, she finally found her voice again.

  “Who in the hell named it…,” she began, the stopped herself as realization dawned. “Stephan.”

  General Mannis chuckled as he replied, “The Grand Duke is most eager to win back your favor, it seems. He was most appreciative for all you did for him last year.”

  “You mean he’s glad I didn’t shoot him like I promised,” Sabine said darkly, then sighed. She knew her former seneschal meant well and was trying to do the right thing by her after acting at his family’s command to betray her the previous year. Luckily, his guilt had made his betrayal only half-hearted, or she would likely be dead now.

  “Send the Grand Duke my compliments,” Sabine added as well. “I don’t suppose there’s any way of convincing him to change the name, is there?” she asked hopefully.

  “Since tradition allows each shipyard to christen the ships they build, I doubt it,” General Mannis informed her. “And he really is trying to win your grace again. Stephan is not the man he once was.”

  “Oh well,” Sabine sighed. Rising, she said “If there is nothing else, then, General…”

  “Actually,” General Mannis interrupted, “I do have one last item. I have been loath to bring it up, given your ill health of late, and this information’s a rather upsetting topic; but I cannot withhold it from you in good conscience either. It is also time sensitive in nature.”

  “Go on,” Sabine said as she resumed her seat.

  “Two days ago, rebel intelligence assets in the Dorcanus system sent us these images from the rebel leaders there,” the General stated.

  General Mannis punched in a few commands on his personal data pad and the monitor on the wall beside them changed to a new set of images. The images seemed to be of a large mining and foundry facility. The camera’s focus then zoomed in on the facility’s landing pad and a number of people exiting a common passenger shuttle. One particular image jumped out at Sabine, and her anger flared like an explosion.

  “Salas.”

  ~13~

  Anasha could not remember ever seeing Sabine as furious as she had been when Anasha came to Sabine’s office to walk her back to the Palace. In the year since her resurrection by the Phoenix God, Anasha had not had many opportunities to witness the tiny Queen’s fury other than at the trials of the Duranis family. The trials had required Sabine to maintain cont
rol, though, yet there was no control to Sabine’s fury now.

  After listening to a long tirade of swearing, Anasha finally learned that the source of Sabine’s ire was her great uncle, Salas Arctura. Anasha had arrived in Sabine’s office moments after General Mannis had revealed the old man’s location, so Sabine hadn’t had time to vent her rage fully yet. Poor General Mannis had grown pale in the face of the Queen’s wrath.

  “General,” Anasha interrupted, once she had the gist of what was going on, “Why don’t you arrange a meeting of the senior command for first thing in the morning.”

  “As you wish,” General Mannis nodded, eager to be out of range of the tiny Queen’s sudden anger. The General rose and bowed to the Queen and then made a hasty and not so graceful exit. Anasha would have laugh were Sabine not so furious.

  “I could hear you from down the hall, my love,” Anasha said lightly as she closed the door, looking for a way to diffuse Sabine’s rage.

  “I want that slimy piece of shit Salas in custody immediately,” Sabine snarled in uncharacteristic antagonism. The Queen’s face had even taken on a feral look to it, as if she would soon sprout claws and begin slashing at the drapes.

  “I know that, Sabine,” Anasha said firmly. “Kristof knows that, General Mannis knows it, and now half of the Senate Hall knows it as well.”

  Sabine suddenly flushed as she realized for the first time just how loud she’d been in her tirade of hatred for Salas Arctura. Anasha knew well how much Sabine wanted the man to face a trial since he was the last person left who had not faced justice for the murder of Queen Josephine, Sabine’s mother. Salas had somehow slipped away prior to the battle that led to the capture of Grand Duke Michal Duranis and the other conspirators. Since then, the man had hidden under the umbrella of the Clovani Emperor’s protection.