Chapter 22: Chapter 22

ISABELLE

As she sat on the lounge in her room, Izzy felt that same strange feeling of being pulled in a direction she could not identify and knew the ship had jumped. She went to her window and looked out.

Filling half the window and floating in front of a sea of stars, a bright coruscating shape lit from within showed every color of the rainbow.

Like mother-of-pearl, or an enormous black opal, it shimmered, backlit by several nearby stars.

She stood transfixed, looking at the ever-changing colors hanging in the heavens like the largest Christmas ornament ever created. ~It’s so beautiful. No wonder Mikhlas wanted to stop here.~

As if just thinking of the man caused it, she heard him and Silian approach down the corridor, their voices raised.

“He cannot be serious!” Silian said.

“Enough, First! We’ve been given our orders. We will carry them out.”

Izzy heard the two men stop, and she slunk closer to the open doorway, tilting her head to hear as Silian dropped his voice.

“We’ll be targeted the moment we step onto the planet, Captain. Everyone seeking to make a reputation will come after both of us since we defeated Kellille.

“Why a fighter like him wanted to be a rebel, I’ll never know. We have enough problems when we visit a regular world with young bucks trying to make a reputation. Going to the battle world—”

“Is what we must do. Go back to the bridge. I want to know how long until we reach Arkadia at sub-light, and when we can make the next jump. The sooner we get the queen to Homeworld and safety, the better.”

~Battle world?~ Izzy thought as she stepped back and quickly sat on the sofa. ~I hope this isn’t Mikhlas’s idea of showing a girl a good time.~

Her heart raced in her chest as she heard the footsteps of Mikhlas come closer. ~I need to look him in the eye and not feel embarrassed. God, easier said than done.~

As Mikhlas turned the corner and found her door open, she brushed her hands on her jeans and called out, “Come in, Mikhlas.”

Mikhlas entered, nodding his head to her. “Sorry for disturbing you, Dakira Izzy. Something has arisen that I must speak to you about.” He glanced at her before looking up at the wall behind her and standing straight.

“I…” She couldn’t form the words. What she wanted to say felt lined up inside her head ready to come out, but lacking the key to unlock them. “…see. Please, Captain Mikhlas, tell me what is happening.”

“There is unrest in the Realm from your absence, Dakira. Givan Bala, the Governor of Homeworld, is missing.

“Commander Remkin has ordered me to go to Arkadia and seek an audience with Vayth, the head of the Order of Morkai, and determine whether the man still lives or has crossed into Morkai’s domain.”

“You told me about the orders, didn’t you? That they were a holdover from when the Sentinels themselves ruled the Realm eons ago.”

“That’s right, Dakira. Commander Remkin believes that Vayth may be able to shed some light on the Governor’s disappearance and who is responsible.”

“Is this going to be dangerous?” she asked, his overheard words in the corridor springing to her mind.

Mikhlas hesitated. “Not for you, Dakira Izzy. You shall remain aboard the ship while Silian and I go to the planet in search of Vayth. If there is any danger, we will face it.”

“What makes this dangerous for you, Captain?” Izzy said, frowning at the thought that she would be left behind.

“Arkadia is the location of the Grand Tourney,” Mikhlas said in his deep honey-and-cigar-smoke voice.

“Every four Homeworld years, contenders fight for the right to challenge the Royal Guard for the honor of protecting the chosen Monarch. The fights take a long time and are considered to be a public spectacle.

“Many come to wager on the outcome. Anyone can enter into the Grand Tourney, and every fighter is given a ranking.

“Five months ago, Silian and I were tasked with arresting Kellille, a highly ranked Gallobarean revealed as a rebel.

“We went to Arkadia and found him in the company of some lesser-ranked fighters who turned out to be rebels also.

“He didn’t come quietly. There was a fight, and I accidently killed him. Silian killed three of the lower-ranked fighters protecting me.”

“Go on,” she said, holding her breath as she imagined the fight.

“If you kill a ranked fighter, you automatically take their ranking. And any fighter can challenge any other fighter to try and increase their own ranking. And the old laws still apply.

“Fights to the death cannot be refused. Refusing to accept a challenge means banishment from the Realm. When Silian and I go there…”

“You’ll be challenged,” she finished. She crossed her legs and looked up at him. “Ever consider going in disguise?”

“I…hadn’t. It’s a good idea.”

Izzy tapped her chin, thinking hard. “This is one of the major worlds in the Realm, isn’t it?”

“Yes,” Mikhlas replied.

“I’d like to go with you.”

“Absolutely not.”

Izzy clenched her jaw and stood, looking at him from under lowered brows. “The Sentinels chose me for a reason, Mikhlas.

“I can’t believe that I am supposed to rule over every citizen of the Realm without knowing anything about them.

“You speak about how dangerous and dark the Realm is, yet how am I supposed to fix the Realm cocooned within a Palace? I need, no, I ~must~ see what the life of people in the Realm is like.”

Mikhlas clenched his jaw. “It is too big a risk, Dakira. Rebels use nanite jammers.

“It’s why Silian and I needed to fetch him in person from the planet instead of simply teleporting him onto the ship. If we get into trouble, Prime might be unable to get you to safety.”

“I insist, Mikhlas. I’m coming with you,” she said, crossing her arms. “Can’t you see how important this is to me? I have to know what your world is like. For myself, not just through the eyes and words of others.

“Besides, who is going to recognize me? No one knows who I am except the crew.”

“Are you making this a command, Dakira?” Mikhlas said, his eyes flashing red for a moment before focusing back on the wall behind her.

“I am.” ~Oh, Mikhlas, there’s something between us, and I need to find out what it is. I can’t do that if you get yourself killed.~

“I hear and obey, Dakira. I just hope these disguises are impenetrable.”

AMY

“No way!”

“I assure you, Amy,” the voice of Prime came from the Amy-shaped black mannequin which modeled the outrageous clothing.

“This is what noblewomen in the Realm wear. Since you have chosen to disguise yourselves as ladies from a minor noble house, there are limited choices as to what is available.

“I selected House J’Selnik from one of the Moon mining colonies that have many noble daughters.”

“But, it’s so skintight.” ~There’s no way I’m going out in public with a camel toe.~ “Show me the one with shoulder pads again.”

Amy looked back over at Izzy as another Prime doll did weird things with her hair that made the usually dark-brown tresses fade gradually into a light pink color and fall into graceful heavy ringlets.

Izzy had already chosen something, and Amy had to admit, she rocked the dark green off-the-shoulder number.

The heavy golden boots that gave her added inches of height, a gorgeous metallic belt that showed off her slim waist, and some kind of head protection that immediately made Amy think space tiara looked natural on her.

Izzy didn’t seem to mind the ultra-tight pants. ~But she’s got the legs for it. ~When Amy tried it on, she looked like she wore a trash can in comparison.

She looked back as Prime morphed a different outfit. Something black and shimmering with a high collar, with a slit so high-cut she’d be flashing her underwear with every step.

“Prime, just tell me ~why~ all these outfits will make me look like a space prostitute?”

“You’re unmarried noble ladies. Arkadia is frequented by many noble sons who are attracted to the fights and the wagers. Many attractive noble ladies seek suitable partners in the lead up to the Grand Tourney.

“It is the social event of the decade. While many nobles have pulled back into their enclaves due to the civil unrest, it is only the major houses.

“Smaller houses will be seeking advantage during this time, including suitable and profitable marriages.”

“You mean we’re disguised by being noticeable, by hiding in plain sight?”

Izzy laughed. “Because we aren’t the ones who need disguising. It’s Mikhlas and Silian who can’t show their pretty faces.”

“Please don’t move your head, Dakira Izzy.”

“Sorry, Prime.”

“Okay, Prime, add the skintight pants from the last one, would you?” ~At least they’ll be hidden under the dress.~

“Hey, that’ll look great on you!” Izzy said as her prime doll morphed a mirror so she could examine her hair.

Amy squinted at the combination before she shrugged. “Okay, Prime, let’s try it.”

Amy held her arms out as a swarm of nanites rose from the floor and surrounded her. She tried not to giggle from the soft feathery touches as the nanites did their work.

When the cloud of silver nanites dropped back into the floor, she tilted her head and looked in the mirror.

~I have to admit, the black does show off my coloring, and this corsetry really accentuates the girls.~ She frowned at the belt, though. It still made her hips seem much wider than they really were. “Can we lose the belt?”

“Amy, without the belt, I have nowhere to add the lifters. Arkadia is twice the size of Earth, and almost twice the gravity.”

“Right. You’re going to do weird things to my hair, aren’t you?”

“I thought I might leave it long and simply straighten it.”

“Okay, while you do that, tell me more about this planet, would you?”

“Arcadia. Third planetary body of this trinary system, a unique world. We know that in the early formation of this system, two planets collided, a predominantly ice world and a molten one.

“The gravitational forces of the three suns caused the resulting mixture of molten and ice material to coagulate around a super dense core.

“This created a planetary structure that formed large and stable geological formations that extend down to the center of the planet.

“Arkadia enjoys the perfect conditions for life, with ample marine creatures and a mild climate at equatorial regions.”

“Is that why it’s used as a huge gladiatorial combat arena? Because the weather is nice?”

“That is an oversimplification, but yes.”

“Bet the gambling here is intense.”

“Fortunes are won and lost on a daily basis on the outcome of fights. And every four years the best fighters are allowed to challenge the Royal Guard for the honor of protecting the current Monarch.”

“So, what are the rules of these combats?”

“Rules, Amy?”

“Yeah, I mean there has to be some kind of rules in place.”

“Most bouts are to first blood, simply to determine a winner and the respective ranking of fighters. Such a bout only moves the respective ranking a small amount; however, fighters can also be challenged to death battles.

“Such a fight enables the challenger to assume the ranking of the defender, but no challenge can be refused, even a challenge to fight to the death.”

~Well, that’s decidedly ominous.~

“As for methods, weapons, armor, and the like, each combatant may use as much or as little technology as they see fit.

“As you can imagine, Arkadia provides a wonderful testing area for many producers of handheld advanced weaponry.”

~That’s just wonderful. A whole planet full of testosterone-fueled aliens with free rein to blow shit up in a ring. Whoever thought this was a good idea was fucking insane.~

ISABELLE

Izzy heard the door chime and glanced at the Prime doll sliding a few long ornate hairpins into the small chignon at the nape of her neck.

The AI understood her questioning look. “It’s Captain Mikhlas and Silian, Dakira Izzy. They are wearing their disguises. Shall I let them in?”

“Please do, Prime.” ~I want to see what they look like.~

The door cycled open, and both men stepped into the room.

~Their height is the only way you can tell them apart,~ Izzy thought. “Will the masks come off?” she asked.

“Not unless we go swimming. Prime, is it absolutely necessary to make us both Amphibians?”

Izzy smiled. The large blue scales, facial spikes, and completely black eyes gave them a fish-like appearance.

Aside from the masks that hid their features, she saw that their clothing included cowls that would help cover them even more.

“Yes, Captain. Few races possess the strength and size of Homeworlders, and Amphibians are the ones with the correct number of limbs.”

“Except we can’t breathe underwater,” Silian said.

Izzy stood up and made her way closer to the pair. Their usual uniforms were replaced with something that looked more appropriate to the Spanish Main.

Both wore long black coats over shining metal body armor. The coats looked like thick leather with shortened sleeves that showed off their scaled and spiked upper arms.

As her eyes trailed down, she saw a glowing vambrace on each arm and gauntlets.

“What do those do?” she asked, pointing at the intimidating-looking things.

“Nanite suits would give us away. These are Cantian force projectors,” Silian replied. “They have a similar effect as Prime’s morphing abilities, but with a limited number of preset options.”

“I see.” She stood back after her inspection and then held her hands out. “What do you think? Do I look like a noble lady of J’Selnik Mining House?”

Internally she cursed the masks. While they did their job of hiding the men’s faces, she could not read their facial expressions, and with their eyes hidden behind the dark lenses, she couldn’t read those for clues either.

The only thing she could use to gauge their reaction were their voices.

“You look…like a true lady. There is only one thing missing. Prime, can I have a Carillion, please?” Mikhlas said, and the floor next to him moved in a cloud of silver dust.

On his outstretched glove, a short green stem formed before bursting into a colorful spray of white and red flowers that looked like some kind of orchid.

Izzy watched it happen as her heart raced. ~I don’t think that will ever get old.~

He held it out to her, and she stepped forward with a smile and took it.

“Um, thank you,” she said, smiling at him and admiring his gift as she held it. ~He gave me a flower. Is he trying to be romantic?~

Mikhlas nodded. “The Carillion is native to Homeworld. Many ladies of the court wear it for protection.”

“Protection? I don’t understand?”

“Carillions bond to people and get very protective of their host,” Silian said.

“Unlike a normal plant, they feed on bioelectricity. The small bell portion of the flower contains a minute dart full of a sleep agent. If you get angry or scared, the Carillion will try and protect you.”

~Oh, it’s just for my protection, not that he wanted to give me something pretty.~

She smiled ruefully as the tiny plant wrapped the short stem around her finger with gentle pressure, the little flowers opening to her, showing more of their vibrant color.

The door to the bathroom opened, and Amy stood framed, staring out at all of them. Prime had center-parted her long fringe, pinning the hair to the side with silver clasps that matched the accents on her dress.

Izzy noticed Silian’s open-mouthed expression. ~See, that’s how you give a girl a compliment without even having to say anything.~

“Cool flower,” Amy said.

“Would you like one? I can ask Prime to make you one,” Izzy said.

Amy sniffed, stepping into the room and looking at the men with interest. “No thanks, I’m not a lady. I don’t need flowers.”

Silian stepped forward. “Wear one for me?” he asked.

Amy hesitated for a moment before nodding.

After Prime created one on Silian’s outstretched hand, he stepped close to Amy and gently tucked it into her hair, behind her ear.

Izzy smiled at the tenderness and care Silian displayed toward her friend, but she averted her eyes from the private moment and tucked her own flower into her hair, wishing she didn’t have to.

She looked toward the window and saw a reflection of the two of them still standing close to each other. ~Good for you, Amy. At least one of us gets a chance to be happy.~

Izzy shook her head, taking a deep breath to clear her thoughts and turned back to them as they moved around with a smile, meeting Mikhlas’s deep-black, masked eyes. ~Is he even looking at me?~

“We should be within teleport range of Arkadia now,” he said.

Izzy nodded. “Why don’t you all go to the transport room? I need to tell the kids that we’re going.”

Amy nodded, and she held Silian’s hand and led him from the room.

Mikhlas watched them go and then turned to face her, shifting his feet on the floor.

“Yes, Captain?”

“I... I just wanted to say…”

“Yes?”

He stepped forward and raised a shaking hand, plucking the flower from her ear and moving it to the other side.

“They are worn on this side,” he breathed, and she smelled that citrus in the air before he turned and hurried out the door after the others.

Izzy shut her mouth, shaking her head. ~That man confuses the hell out of me.~

She stepped across the corridor and knocked on James’s door. “Come in,” her son’s voice called from the other side, and the door opened.

She stepped into the room and stopped in shock. Her room looked elegant, with a color motif of white and red.

James’s room, while having the same basic configuration, looked like a cross between a home cinema and a hardcore gamer’s paradise.

Mounted on the walls like some kind of trophy were rows of stormtrooper helmets, with every third one a Darth Vader mask.

One entire wall was just a huge screenshot from some sci-fi movie she didn’t recognize, and there were four enormous black reclining chairs, with strange glass-like domes over the top.

One of the chairs spun, and James sat up. “Hey, Mom. Wow, you look awesome!”

“James, your room?”

“Cool, isn’t it?” he jerked a thumb toward one of the chairs. “Prime did it for me.”

The three other chairs spun around, and she smiled when she saw Lucas there with him.

The other two chairs contained a Prime doll, and the fourth chair a smiling Iry, who flipped out of her supine position and bowed low to her. “Dakira Izzy, an honor.”

“What are you all doing?” she asked, going over to them.

“Just playing a video game,” James said.

Lucas waved his hands in the air, “Prime is super awesome at making games, Mom. She just made this alien shooting one for us. Iry’s kicking our butts,” he said with a grin.

“The princes display great skill,” Iry said, lowering her eyes to the floor. “I usually run simulations against Prime, and she suggested I provide an opponent for the princes in a two-by-two battle simulation.”

“It’s really awesome, Mom. Want to have a go?” James asked, turning back. ~Alien shooting game, how fitting.~

“Maybe next time. I’m glad you guys are having fun and making friends with the crew,” she said smiling at Iry.

“Listen, Amy and I are going out for a while to visit a planet in this system. It is one of the major worlds of the Realm. We should be gone for a few hours or so. Are you two going to be okay?”

“Yeah, Mom, we’re cool. Have fun…Love you,” Lucas said without looking at her and returning to the glass bubble.

James looked at her and smiled, before getting up and walking over to her. He gave her a hug and kissed her on the cheek.

“You look beautiful, Mom. You going to be okay?” he asked before a grown-up seriousness took over his expression.

“Yeah, honey. I’ll be fine. Try to stay out of trouble. And bedtime still applies. No gaming all night,” she said.

James laughed and nodded. “You sure you don’t want me to come with you?”

Izzy smiled. “No darling, you’re not dressed for it, and it’s past bedtime.”

“Next planet we visit, can we come?”

“We’ll see. Make sure your brother gets to sleep on time.”

“Yeah, sure Mom. Have fun,” he said, shaking his head and lying back down in his oversized chair.

“I will make sure the princes go to sleep soon, Dakira,” Iry said, “But I believe the butt kicking is not over yet. Excuse me.”

Izzy rolled her eyes and left. When the door to James’ bedroom closed, she paused.

“Prime, keep an eye on them for me, please. Make sure they don’t get up to anything dangerous, and turn the game off at midnight. They need to sleep.”

“Understood,” Prime said.

~Weirdest babysitter ever.~