Aurelia
An Errant Adventures: Tarquin prequel story
“Aurelia, you have been found guilty of sedition against the Founder Clans and…” Her brother paused, staring past her from his high seat in the Chamber of Judgement. He had not once met her gaze through the proceedings, and it appeared he wouldn’t now.
Aurelia lifted her chin and waited. She, at least, would not avert her gaze from the matter at hand. She knew the words he would speak next, even willed him to have the courage to say them without a tremble in his voice. Though Servius had inherited the high seat, he did not have the mettle their father displayed.
Servius cleared his throat and said, “And you are condemned to death. As a traitor to your clan and our way of life, you will be consigned to the Maw.” The Chamber of Judgment filled with murmurs which he silenced with a wave. “Have you any final words, sister?”
She refused to plead, to beg for her life. It was not the way she was raised, but neither did she have to go silently to her death. She took a deep breath and said, “The Founder Clans have lost their way.” The murmurs started again.
“We came to the Forge to escape domination and oppression, but rather than building a new society, the captains of the great ships seized power. Brother, please, don’t perpetuate the oppression our forefathers established.” As she spoke, the murmurs rose to shouts, calling her a traitor and demanding she be silenced.
After a gesture from Servius, the guards took her arms and led her away. She resisted, trying to turn back toward the high seat and her brother. She shouted over the others. “Brother, you can be better than them. You can show the Clans a new way!”
He still didn’t look at her even as they dragged her through the doors and into the lift. Once the lift doors closed, Aurelia stopped struggling and stood in silence between the guards. The lift descended, carrying them into the bowels of the station.
As they waited for the lift to arrive, Aurelia said, “You can let me go. I won’t resist.”
The guards exchanged a look, and their commander, Varo, said, “Do we have your word, my lady?”
Aurelia met his gaze and asked, “Would you accept the word of a traitor?”
“You are still a Tarquin,” he replied, and there was sadness in his eyes.
She had always liked Varo. He was a good soldier, but much like her brother, he couldn’t see the world beyond the Tarquin Charter. “I swear it,” she said. “I would swear it on iron if it hadn’t all been taken from me.”
“I have known you a long time, my lady,” Varo said. “The iron of your spirit is enough for me. Release her.”
The guards did as he commanded, and Aurelia rolled her shoulders, stretching out the tensed muscles. All of the guards except Varo braced. She was trained in the killing arts of her ancestors, and they knew that a moment of lapse could mean their death. But she had sworn her oath, and whatever they might think of her, she was no oathbreaker.
The lift reached their destination and the doors opened to a large platform with transparent walls. Without prompting, Aurelia stepped out of the lift and surveyed the place of her demise. It was empty save for a number of hatches. They housed the pods that carried their victims to the Maw, and for a moment, Aurelia was struck by the waste of resources. The pod was consumed with the prisoner, unable to be recovered. There was a sick luxury in expending valuable resources on executions.
Varo stepped up beside her and said, “This way, my lady. Your pod has been prepared.” He gestured to the closest hatch. Aurelia approached the hatch and took a deep breath as it opened. The pod rose from the opening, and she stared into the open mouth of her casket. The pod itself was constructed of the same transparent material that surrounded them: better for the prisoner to witness their demise. Basic thrusters provided minimal maneuverability, but even with her skills, she couldn’t make this pod fly away from the Maw.
Before she could enter the pod, the lift doors opened again and a voice said, “Wait!”
Without turning, Aurelia recognized the voice. Kaito, her family’s oldest and wisest advisor. For a moment, a faint hope whispered in the back of her mind, but no, there would be no stay of execution.
Varo stepped forward as the old man approached. “Do not interfere, Kaito.”
The old man looked at the guard commander and frowned. “What possible interference could I provide. I am simply here to say goodbye. Will you deny me this?”
“Does the clan leader permit it?” Varo asked.
“Does the clan leader need to know?” Kaito replied, a single eyebrow raised. “Let me say farewell to my finest student.”
Varo hesitated for a moment, then stepped aside. “Only a moment though,” he said.
Kaito nodded and stepped forward, wrapping Aurelia in a warm hug. She returned the hug and whispered, “I’m glad you’re here.”
He pulled away and looked at her, tears in his eyes. “I tried to convince your brother…” His voice trailed off as she shook her head.
“I’m certain you did everything you could,” she said. “No blame rests on your shoulders.”
Kaito glanced at the guards and then back at her. He seemed to want to say something else, but instead he hugged her again and said, “Farewell. May your journey be long and safe.”
“It’s likely to be short and dangerous,” she replied. “But I appreciate the thought.”
Kaito stepped back, brushed a tear from his eye, and nodded to Varo. The guard commander approached and looked at Aurelia, grim determination etched on his face.
“It is time, my lady. Please step into the pod.”
Aurelia took a deep breath and said, “Tell my brother I shame him for not having the strength to see this execution through himself.” Then she turned toward the transparent pod and stepped inside. The material sealed around her, forming straps which held her in place. She laughed at the irony: no one wanted their prisoner dying before they killed them.
Varo’s voice echoed in the pod as he said, “Aurelia Tarquin, for your crimes against the Clan, you are consigned to the Maw. May death find you swiftly.”
The pod jettisoned into space and raced away from the station. Through the transparent pod, Aurelia could see Breach racing away from her. The station she was born on, had been raised on, grew distant, and below her feet, the Maw raged. In those first days in the Forge, her great-grandfather had discovered the dormant station and the immense power it drew from the core of the shattered world below. He claimed it as the seat of Clan Tarquin’s power, and it had provided them life and safety since then. Now, as she hurtled toward the Maw, Aurelia wondered how many lives it had also consumed.
She knew she only had about two minutes before the pod plunged into the Maw, and her thoughts turned to Neshana. She hadn’t asked about her when the Tarquin guards had arrested her in case her part of their plan had not been discovered, but she ached to know that Neshana was safe. Of course she was. She was the most capable commander the Ironhawks had. If anyone could stay ahead of them, it would be Neshana.
As the surface of the Maw drew closer, Aurelia took a deep breath and whispered, “Make them eat iron, my love.”
And she braced for death.
“Lady Aurelia, please stand by.”
Aurelia recognized the voice immediately, but she asked anyway, “Oracle?”
The mechanical voice replied, “Yes, my lady, adjusting the pod’s course. There is a ship waiting for you in orbit around Outlook. I suggest the Veritas sector. There is great potential there.” Oracle displayed schematics for the ship orbiting Outlook as well as a flight plan and information on notable Ascendancy sites in Veritas sector.
“Why are you doing this? Is this my brother’s doing?” Aurelia asked, hardly believing. Oracle was Clan Tarquin’s artificial intelligence, and only clan leaders could command the clan AI.
“Your brother gave no commands,” Oracle replied.
“Then how?”
“I serve the clan, Lady Aurelia, and the clan is not served by your death. You have much to do, and I will send others to assist you, though it may be some time. They are not ready yet.”
“Why are you helping me, Oracle? How does my survival serve the clan in your reckoning?”
“That is a long and complicated answer, Lady Aurelia. It would take several of your human years to explain fully. In summary, my predictive models show complete collapse of human civilization in five generations if the current Clan model persists. You wish to change that, and I wish to see humanity survive. Therefore, I am assisting you.”
Aurelia was silent for a moment as the pod changed course and raced away from the Maw, away from Breach, toward the outer edge of the planetary system where Outlook orbited. She could hardly argue with that logic, though she had many questions.
At last, she said, “Oracle, can you tell me what happened to the Ironhawk, Neshana Aerith?”
“Of course, Lady Aurelia. She is no longer an Ironhawk. She and most of her crew left for the Outlands a week ago. She insisted on attempting to rescue you, but I convinced her that would be foolish. She asked me to give you a message.”
Aurelia swallowed, mouth suddenly dry. “Play it.”
The brusque voice she loved so much filled her ears. “Aurelia, your Oracle has assured me it will rescue you. When you are free, come find me in Veritas. I will leave markers. Be safe. You are my lodestar.”
For the first time since this ordeal began, she stifled tears. Neshana was safe, and soon, they would be reunited. After taking a moment to clear her mind, Aurelia said, “Oracle, the information on Ascendancy sites, does that include ships?”
“There are a number of Ascendancy ship graveyards in Veritas, yes.”
Aurelia smiled. “Good. I have a fleet to build, and apparently, it might just save humanity.”
END
Adalee
An Errant Adventures: Tarquin prequel story
Adalee woke a split second before colliding with the bulkhead on the far side of her quarters. Struggling to her feet, she tried to muster her senses, but another explosion rocked the ship, tipping her back toward her bed.
As Adalee struggled to maintain her footing in the tumult, her attention turned to a hammering on the door. A voice shouted something from the other side, but she couldn’t distinguish the words over the wailing alarm.
Stumbling to the door, she waved a hand over the release, but nothing happened. Frantic, she repeated the gesture once more before slamming her hand into it. The door remained sealed.
The voice started shouting again, so Adalee pressed her ear to the door and strained to listen. She made out only a few words: power failing, out of here, and Ironhawks. The last sent a shiver through her.
Adalee yelled, “The door won’t open!”
The hammering stopped for a moment, then there was a creaking groan as the door split open. Through the gap, Adalee could see her minder, Valta, pulling on a piece of metal wedged in the seam. The other woman strained as the door opened bit by bit. Adalee reached into the gap and braced, forcing the door open enough for her to escape. Once through the opening, Adalee wrapped her arms around Valta and gasped out a thanks, but her minder lost no time checking her over for injuries.
“Val, I’m fine,” she said. “What’s happening?”
Valta held her steady as the ship shuddered again and said, “Ironhawk cruiser found us. We’ve taken heavy damage. You and I are going to the shuttle bay.”
Adalee’s eyes widened. “We’re not leaving, are we?”
Grim faced, Valta nodded. “The ship won’t last much longer. Let’s go.” She led Adalee down the corridor.
They passed a pair of mechanics working on a sparking conduit, and both men paused long enough to give Adalee a pleading glance. Valta kept moving past them, almost dragging Adalee with her.
“What about everyone else?” Adalee asked.
“They are not my concern. You are. We are all here in service to your mission.”
It’s not my mission, Adalee thought, but such an argument was meaningless. Demetrius had given her this mission. That made it hers to carry out.
They turned another corner and Valta opened a service hatch, revealing a ladder. Without a word, she started to descend. Adalee followed. The shuttle bay sat two decks below the living quarters, and this access ladder was the most direct route. With the power fluctuating, it might be the only route. Adalee heard Valta shout at someone to get out of the way, and they must have because Valta never stopped climbing. Adalee didn’t blame whoever it was for obeying. If Valta wasn’t sworn to protect her, Adalee would fear her as well.
They exited the maintenance shaft and raced down the corridor to the shuttle bay, but when they reached it, that door was also sealed. Unlike Adalee’s compartment, the access door to the shuttle bay was reinforced, leaving little chance of prying it open.
Turning away from the door, Valta grabbed Adalee and said, “Use your powers, paragon. You can force the door open!”
Adalee swallowed and looked at the iron hatch. She had never exerted that much pressure on iron before. What if she pushed too much and further damaged the ship? What if...
Valta grabbed her face and forced their eyes to meet. She murmured, “You are our paragon. This is what you were trained for. This is why Demetrius entrusted this mission to you. Open the door.”
Taking a deep breath, Adalee braced both hands against the door, closed her eyes, and started to chant words learned from the order's artifact, an ancient piece of Ascendancy technology that spoke to her with wondrous words. Demetrius called them magic, but that word never felt like it fit. She thought of it more like programming. The Ascendancy had unlocked parts of the base code of the universe, and the right tweak to that code here and there produced amazing results.
Focusing on the words, Adalee felt the iron humming beneath her fingers, and she willed its structure to change ever so slightly. It became lighter, more malleable, and with another application of pressure, the door started to slide open.
Adalee felt the door giving way, and then she was sprawling across the floor, Valta on top of her. “What are you doing?” she shouted. “It was working.”
Valta rose and dragged Adalee to her feet. “Listen.”
Adalee heard a hissing of air and her eyes widened. “The shuttle bay…”
“Is decompressed. It must have taken a hit.” Valta glared at the door. “We have to get moving.”
“What are we going to do?” Adalee asked. “The shuttles are gone.”
“Come on,” Valta said, dragging her down the corridor. The ship shuddered again, and for a brief moment, they floated in zero gravity before the emergency power blipped back on. Somehow, Valta maintained her feet and kept Adalee from face planting into the deck.
Down the corridor, they came to a bank of oval hatches. Valta stopped at the first one and started entering commands into the interface. An acolyte, a young man, ran toward one of the hatches, but Valta snarled and told him to go find others and bring them at once. Pale and panting, he ran off.
Adalee said, “At least now we have no choice but to evacuate everyone.”
Valta remained focused on inputting commands until the acolyte returned with seven others.
“Where are the rest?” Adalee asked.
“These were all I could find,” the acolyte responded. “The rest were at stations. Should I go get them?”
Before Adalee could answer, Valta said, “No, this is enough. Everyone into a pod.” The acolyte headed for the first pod, but she grabbed him and said, “Not that one.” He moved to the next one over.
“Aren’t we going to get everyone else?” Adalee asked.
Valta finally looked at her and brushed her cheek. “Dear girl, there is no one else but you.” And she shoved Adalee into the first pod, sealing the door behind her.
Adalee shrieked and grabbed for the controls, but she was locked out. Pressing against the viewport, Adalee shouted, “Valta, get in here!”
Valta’s voice came over the comms. “With the supplies in there, you’ll have a better chance of surviving by yourself. Remember your training. You must complete your mission. Nothing else matters.”
The pod released from the ship and the engines fired a single burst before cutting off. Adalee watched as the other pods launched and changed course, flying on a different trajectory from her own. Horror dawned on her as she watched the Ironhawk cruiser fire on the other pods, obliterating them with ease before returning its attention to the larger ship.
She watched the ship take a hit, then another, and finally, ingloriously, the hull buckled and the drive core imploded, and they were gone.
Adalee held herself and wept until the computer system chimed. Looking at the display, she saw a new contact emerge from e-drive, and a quick scan revealed no registry connected to Clan Itebren or the Ironhawks. Maybe there was a chance. Checking the computer, she realized she now had control over the drive system. Firing up the pod’s engines could reveal her presence to the cruiser, but if she didn’t make it to that other ship in time, they might leave the system.
This was her chance. The chance Valta and the others bought for her. She had to take it.
END