Chapter 29: Chapter 29

ISABELLE

A small poky knee hit Izzy in the stomach and woke her up. She pushed Lucas’s leg away gently, and as he turned on his side, she pulled him into a cuddle.

His restlessness and worry for Mikhlas last night kept him up long past bedtime, and the only way she could get him to sleep was to bring him into her bed.

She lay there, holding her son, her eyes closed but her mind already working.

~There is so much I don’t know. So many things I need to learn to keep him safe.~

Lucas squirmed in her arms with a mumble, rolling away into a starfish on her massive bed. She smiled. ~At least he has the space to do that in this huge bed without me getting a foot in the face.~

Looking at her son, peacefully asleep and safe, she eased a lock of his blond hair out of his eyes and realized that the more she knew, the better prepared she would be.

She inched out of bed so as not to wake Lucas, and went to her bathroom. She caught sight of herself in the mirror and paused to stare at her own face. ~Time to get educated, Your Highness.~

She left the bathroom, and with Lucas still fast asleep in her bed, she went to her lounge, pressing the button to shut the door.

“Prime, is Amy awake yet?” she asked.

“No. Her recent physical exertion and late sleep cycle have worn her out. I estimate she will be asleep for a few hours still,” Prime said.

~Physical exertion? I thought she had a predatory look in her eye when she went after Silian. ~Izzy smiled at the thought of her friend finding some happiness on this crazy adventure.~ Oh, I want details.~

“What about everyone else?” she asked as a buzzing sound from the table next to her caught her attention.

A steaming cup grew from the metallic surface and as the aroma hit her nose, she grinned. ~Coffee! I’m really starting to like this ship!~

Izzy picked up the cup, holding it both hands and pulling in the scent of it. “Thanks, Prime,” she mumbled.

“You are welcome, Dakira Izzy. Prince James is asleep in his quarters. The Captain is still asleep in the recovery room. Silian is also asleep. Would you like me to list the activities of the rest of the crew?” Prime said.

“No, that’s okay. Thanks, Prime,” she said, taking a sip of coffee and sitting down. She marshaled her thoughts, trying to think of everything Mikhlas already told her about the Realm and the Sentinels.

Something nagged at her brain, but she could not place it. “Prime, I want your help, please. I need to learn all I can about the Realm. Can you teach me?”

“Certainly, Dakira,” Prime said, and the window in her lounge faded to black, and pictures filled the screen.

“What would you like to know?” Prime asked.

~Everything, ~Izzy thought, but said, “When we were on Arkadia, I met Vayth. The religious orders are holdovers from when the Sentinels ruled the Realm directly, acting through these religious arms, as it were.”

“That is correct, Dakira Izzy.”

“Yet each religion couldn’t agree with the others and it started a war. The Sentinels withdrew from power and selected one person to rule in their stead. A Chosen One, who fought a war and bound the Realm together.”

“As a central authority. Correct, Dakira Izzy.”

She took another sip of coffee and sat back, frowning, a dimly remembered political studies course in college coming back to her.

“So, the Realm moved from a kind of shared theocracy to a sort of religious-based Monarchy.”

Prime remained silent, as more images flashed up, one of which she’d seen before. It was a picture of G’ Talnac N’Doshi, the one female Royal Guard.

~Mikhlas said she was picked up by slave traders before entering the Grand Tourney. It didn’t register then, because there was so much information. Slave traders?~

“Prime, how does the Crown hear the voice of the everyday citizen of the Realm?”

“It doesn’t, Dakira Izzy. The Crown holds ~supreme~ authority. The previous Monarchs felt no need to communicate with any beyond their advisers and the nobility.”

She gripped the arm of the sofa as a horrible thought flashed across her mind. “Prime, does the Crown own slaves?” she asked.

“While that precise term is not in the lexicon of the Realm, I understand your meaning.

“If you consider the membership of the Fleet, whose current roster sits close to thirty-five billion, the Crown would be considered the largest slave-owner in all the Realm.

“However, prior to the Dark King, Fleet staff were retired after twenty-five years of loyal service and given a small stipend.

“They effectively earned their liberty through service to the Crown. When the Dark King was faced with war, he drafted every able-bodied Veteran back into the Fleet and ended retirement. Fleet staff now serve until they die.”

She sat stunned. ~Mikhlas and Silian are slaves? In fact, the whole crew are slaves? That’s why he thinks he is not good enough for me.~

Izzy blinked back tears. ~Everything needs to change. This is the reason for the rebels. My God, they aren’t even rebels, they are freedom fighters.~

The enormity of what faced her felt overwhelming. ~How the hell am I meant to undo this nightmare? Wait a second—~

She squinted at the ceiling. “You did this, and now you expect me to fix up your mess?”

“I don’t know what you mean, Dakira Izzy.”

Izzy tried to emulate Prime’s subtle tone. “‘Perhaps a fresh perspective not burdened with the societal conditioning of the previous Monarchy was deemed a high selection criterion, leading to your being chosen.’

“You ~knew~, you knew someone from within the Realm would just continue the status quo.

“They’d just move into the Palace and live the high life thinking they were entitled while the vast majority of the people of the Realm lived in misery.”

Prime remained silent.

“How in hell am I meant to fix this without hurting people?” She stood up and paced back and forth between the window and the lounge. “If I change the system, the nobles will be unhappy.”

“The noble—”

“Anyone who is a slave trader immediately goes out of business.”

“Some—”

“If I give the Fleet their freedom now, they might all just walk out.”

“The Fleet—”

“But I can’t leave billions of people as slaves. Oh, you’ve stitched me right up, haven’t you, Alpha Primordial Sentinel Being?

“I’m just a single mom from Vancouver whose only job was to keep my kids safe.

“How am I meant to keep them safe when you’re taking all of us into the midst of a damned revolution!” she shrieked, pointing an accusing finger at the ceiling.

“~Supreme~ ~authority,~ Dakira Izzy. Your word is ~infallible law.~ Backed by five beings of creation and a thirty-five billion strong army.

“If you choose to give away some of your power and form a government to represent the people of the Realm, it will be seen as the will of the Chosen One, and by proxy, the will of the Sentinels.”

“Mom? What’s with all the yelling?” a yawning Lucas asked from her bedroom door.

Izzy glared at the ceiling one last time before turning a smiling face to her youngest.

“Sorry, honey, Prime and I were just discussing something,” ~which we are not finished with.~ “Do you want some breakfast, or do you want to try and go back to sleep?”

“Can we have waffles?” Lucas asked, coming over as Prime made him a chair.

“Sure, so long as you have some fruit too. How about some strawberries?”

Lucas made the ick face but nodded.

“Prime, when breakfast is over, and Captain Mikhlas, Silian, and Amy are all awake, ask them to come visit me. We have a lot to talk about.”

MIKHLAS

Mikhlas tore open his eyes, taking stock of his body. The last of the nanite film moved off him and as the feeling returned to his limbs. He stretched his tight muscles and smiled at the instant relief from the searing pain.

He thought back on the events before the darkness took over. The fight on Arkadia. The brutality of it. ~Izzy saw that. She watched me become a monster again.~

The light in the recovery room and the rested feeling in his body creased his brow. “Prime, how long have I been asleep?” he asked.

“Eleven hours,” Prime said, and he shot off the bed.

“Why so long?” he demanded. He went for the doorway and then noticed he wore no clothes, remembering that Prime healed best with a naked patient, and held out his hands at his sides, glaring at the ceiling.

The mist grew from the ground and stitched his uniform together over his skin.

Prime said, “You had not rested in over sixty-two hours, Captain. My function is to ensure the well-being of the crew, yours included. Despite your race’s lack of need to sleep every night, you still need your rest.”

Mikhlas waited until the fog moved off his face before he spoke again. “What have I missed?”

“You have been nominated by Dakira Izzy to be her Doge.”

He remained still. ~I will never survive the trial. The next few days could be my last in this Universe.~

“Captain?”

“Thank you for telling me, Prime.”

“There’s something else, Captain, I should tell you. When I informed Dakira Izzy that her words on Arkadia confirmed your nomination, she asked me what I thought your chances were.”

“And?”

“She requested you take the Kingship Trials instead, sir.”

“She…what?”

The door slid shut, and a soft audio played.

~“Thing is Mikhlas, when you were down in that ring fighting for your life, I was so scared. Vayth could smell it, and he asked me why. It made me realize how I truly felt about you.~

~“The thought that if you died, I’d never get to sort out this thing between us and tell you. I know we haven’t known each other very long, and it seems like madness when I look at it, but I can’t change how I feel about you.~

~“I can’t shut off my emotions like that, even if you think you are a bad man for the things you’ve been forced to do. I choose you to be my King, Mikhlas, because I’ve fallen in love with you.”~

Mikhlas smiled as the words spoken by his love seared across his very soul. They sounded familiar as if he knew she’d said this to him and remembered a sensation. “She kissed me, didn’t she?”

“Yes, Captain.”

“Could you please save that audio somewhere safe, Prime?”

“Of course, Captain.”

He took another moment to gather himself and then made for the door. “Any other bombs you want to drop on me, Prime?”

“An information burst came through while you were asleep. Silian responded to it. Would you like to listen to it?” Prime asked. Mikhlas nodded as he made his way to the bridge.

Once it was finished, he asked, “How did Silian respond?”

“He altered the jump coordinates from the last FTL jump. We are now in the mining colonies waiting for the drive to respool.”

“He pushed the ship beyond safe jump levels. The colonies are at least six hundred million light-years from Arkadia. What is he thinking?” Mikhlas said as his eyes stung.

“His justification for his actions to Amy was that he did not wish to stay the course plotted by higher command.

“He expressed suspicion toward the Lady Justice, that she might be behind the disappearance of Governor Bala. Kasana’s demand for an explanation worried him, and he wanted the ship harder to locate.”

“Damn it, Silian!” he barked out as he entered the bridge. “Is he awake?”

“No. Shall I wake him?” Prime asked.

“Yes,” Mikhlas demanded. “Have him report to the bridge immediately.”

Mikhlas sat down in his seat and began tapping at the commands as his eyes burned.

~I need to figure out where we are exactly and the risk this poses to Isabelle and the Princes.~ Just the thought of her made him smile to himself. ~Is she awake yet? How did she sleep?~

He pushed the thoughts of her out of his mind at the sound of heavy boots running onto the bridge. He turned to find Silian heading his way. The anger returned, and he stood when Silian got close.

“A word, First!” he said and marched to the back of the room to a private section of the bridge.

“Captain, is everything all right?” Silian asked, and Mikhlas turned a blazing-red gaze to him.

“What were you thinking? You pushed the ship beyond safe jump levels, you took us off course, and you disobeyed a direct order from a superior. Do I need to remind you of the punishment for your actions?”

Silian shifted his feet, standing straight. “Captain, we both know there is something terribly wrong in the Realm. The murder of Givan Bala. It points to a conspiracy with roots deep within the command structure.

“Our only priority on this mission is to ensure the safe return of our queen and the princes. I did what I thought was the right thing to do. I will not apologize for it.”

Mikhlas dropped his gaze. ~He is correct in his words, but the actions of this ship endanger everyone onboard.~

“You know that disobedience is not tolerated. We follow the rules or we die.”

Silian shook his head. “This Fleet is meant to stand for peace, protection, and fairness for all. Not what it has become.”

“I know, brother,” Mikhlas said, lowering his voice. “But until the laws change, we still have to follow the old ones.”

Silian met his eyes. “I don’t know how much longer I can do that.”

“Don’t talk like a rebel. I’d have to kill you myself. It will not be like this forever. We need to believe that with new leadership, new laws will form. You know Dakira well enough already. You know change is coming.”

“We will soon know,” Silian said.

“There’s something else,” Mikhlas said, finding Silian’s eyes. “Prime told me she nominated me to be her King.”

“She did? When?”

“Last night, while I lay in the recovery room.”

“Does she understand what that means?”

“I don’t know.”

“Should I bow, Dakiro Mikhlas?”

“You do, and I will hit you. There’s only one way I can live now, and that is to succeed in the trials. I will have to face the Sentinels.”

“But if you do that, and they reject you, it will kill you.”

“Yes, and maybe that’s for the best too.”

“Why?”

“Because I don’t want to live if I cannot be with her.”

“Do not speak like that, brother,” Silian said, lowering his voice.

“You are more than capable of the role. And the love you and Dakira have for each other is strong. The Sentinels will take that into consideration during your trial.”

“Perhaps. But no one from my low station has ever been made King. For now, let us focus on our duties.

“We need to jump again. With our course altered, it will take us at least two more jumps to reach the Homeworld. Let us return to work.”