Allison woke up with a start because she heard birds chirping. Since she’d fallen asleep in a starfighter on a barren moon orbiting a gas giant, she was pretty sure there should be no birds. She looked down and she was wearing a nightgown. She never wore nightgowns; In fact she rarely wore anything but a t-shirt to bed. Light was streaming through a nearby window and a breeze was blowing white ethereal looking curtains. She blinked a few times and recognized the architecture immediately. When Aryna shared memories with her they never faded, and this was the Qual’sa royal palace.
Her armor, weapons and the sword she had used as a cane before her legs healed were all neatly laid out on a nearby table. Her translator and holo-phone were also there. Her contacts were still in her eyes but had gone to low power mode since her phone would switch off if removed. An ornate golden dress rack was against one wall, and it had five dresses, all of them looked like they would cost Allison a year’s salary back on Earth. Each was unique but each was gorgeous.
She noticed movement out of the corner of her eye. It was a nargle with red fur of varying shades giving it the appearance of a ginger tabby. It was massive compared to Oozie. It was eye level with Allison’s chest. Based on what Aryna had told her about their sizes, this one was likely male. He had golden eyes that watched her warily. She looked at him and spoke in Qual’sa.
“Hey, they kidnapped me, I was just sleeping in my fighter, minding my own business, so don’t you go giving that look, I don’t want to be here anymore then you want me to be here, but this is probably just one of their memories, since this place was destroyed in a supernova six thousand years ago and you’re long dead… and now you’re talking to an animal in someone else’s memory Allison so basically you’re talking to yourself and expecting an answer… and you’re still doing it.”
Allison sighed. Aryna appeared from the doorway. Allison frowned at her.
“What gives Aryna? I have no idea how you tracked me down but stop the link now, I need to go.”
Aryna raised an eyebrow then quirked her head to the side.
“You address me with great familiarity, Synthlin vassal. I have allowed you to stay in my palace as a courtesy extended to an ally but do not mistake my hospitality for familiarity. I do appreciate that you have the respect to address me in my chosen language.”
Allison blinked. Aryna sounded much more mature than she was used to, in fact she looked older. It was hard to tell with the long-lived race, but her features looked more adult. Allison was rendered speechless. This was not right. Not right at all. Whose memory was it and could she even interact with them?
“I see you are out of sorts. Please, take the time you require to come to terms with your new surroundings. You are safe within these halls, I politely request that out of respect you do not wear your armor, or your weapons. I have provided you with a selection of appropriate courtly wear. One of my servants will be by soon to assist you with bathing and getting dressed. Once you are prepared for an official royal meeting I would speak with you in my gardens. We have much to discuss vassal. One final thing, this is Raghar, he is my bodyguard. Out of an abundance of caution my royal guard has requested he keep an eye on you. He is large, but he is not vicious. If you have no evil in your heart, then you will find no evil here.”
Allison wasn’t sure what to do, so she just bowed her head.
“I am sorry for being so familiar Tearyna. You remind me of a friend.”
Aryna was turning to leave then paused.
“It is strange that you know my name, and my true name few realize the difference. It is even more strange that you know me by my appearance. Tell me vassal, have we met before, for I do not recall.”
Allison bit her lower lip.
“Then, Tearyna, we could not have met, your memory is infallible.”
The queen turned fully back towards Allison.
“For a vassal species of a primitive species you are well informed. Or you are an agent of the Ne’Qual’sa.”
Allison shook her head.
“No, Tearyna, I have no association with them. Though they might be after me.”
Aryna swept closer. The queen seemed to hover above the ground with her perfectly smooth gait and her long dress.
“Why would they care about a lowly vassal?”
Allison shrugged.
“I killed their queen, Tearyni. I also think I wiped out most of their army or some of it? I can show you just start a link.”
Aryna raised an eyebrow.
“With a non-Qual’sa? Do you have such little value for your own life? I would burn out your brain. Tell me vassal who are you?”
Allison bit her lower lip.
“You should probably read my surface thoughts, or you won’t believe me.”
Tearyna motioned for Allison to go on. Allison decided to go with the big guns that might get her some more leeway.
“I am Duchess Allison Wanjala, Head of the Qual’sa Grand Noble house Wanjala, Crown Princess to the Empire of Eternal Night, Sister to Tearyna Qualistori and some other stuff that isn’t really important right now.”
Tearyna quirked her eyebrow.
“You believe that is the truth. I have not met you, so why would you call me sister?”
Allison just shrugged.
“I don’t know. I still think I’m stuck in someone’s memory from a link. Because where I’m from this world is a debris field around a dead star. Umm, majesty… sorry. Aryna and I are basically sisters. She and I link all the time to share memories. You have her face; It is hard to separate the two.”
Aryna inched closer.
“All of this is true, as far as your memories are concerned, this is all fact. How was my world destroyed?”
“Something about your… Aryna’s mother compacting the star until it went nova to destroy the Sal’nash.”
Aryna was standing right in front of Allison looking up into her eyes.
“I am not familiar with this species. Show me.”
She offered her hand. Allison took it. She fell backwards into her memories of the rogue planet. Aryna had pulled her out of the memory, and they watched as Allison fought them off in the hallway. Allison had expected the same intimacy this link caused with Aryna, but there was nothing of it. Just the vague presence of another mind touching hers. Allison lost focus for the briefest of moments and the memory switched to her kiss with Tyler on the windswept embassy roof. She broke the link as her heart began to break when she realized wherever she was, she would never see him again. Tears were already starting to form in her eyes.
Aryna blinked and touched her lips. Tears formed in her eyes. The emotional strength of the memory had left an impression on her hostess. Aryna’s hand moved to her chest.
“Is that love?”
Allison was sinking into a well of self-pity, but the question snapped her out of it. How could she not know what love is?
“I don’t know. I just know I’m never going to see him again because I’m stuck where…”
Her eyes went wide. She thought, Whenever?
“Tearyna, are you on the high council?”
Aryna was still touching her chest and trying to catch her breath. Her other hand drifted to her lips while she answered absently, her mind seemed to be elsewhere.
“What high council?”
Allison bit her lower lip.
“The League of Sentient Races High Council. On Silwra.”
Aryna shook her head. Her lower lip began to quiver.
“I do not know what you speak of, excuse me, Duchess, I have matters to attend. I will meet with you in the gardens.”
Aryna rushed off. Raghar looked like he wanted to chase after her but then turned back to Allison. Her time with Oozie had made her sensitive to nargle body language and their telepathic queues. She motioned at the door.
Stolen novel; please report.
“Don’t stay here on my account, I’m not going anywhere and I’m not going to hurt anyone, she needs you.”
The nargle bolted after Aryna. Allison sat down on the bed and stared at the floor while she tried to muddle through what she knew about her situation. No System’s Alliance beacons were active. She could not reach anyone on comms. The Ne’qual’sa were active. Qual’sa was still here. Aryna… Tearyna was older almost an adult. There was no League… Was she in the past? No, the League fleet and beacon were here. Unless they had dragged here because of an anomaly, or did she drag them here?
Allison heard a scream; It interrupted her train of thought. She rushed to the table and picked up her pistols. Raghar’s deep growls were echoing in Allison’s chest. She found a naked woman with long silver hair standing in the middle of the hallway she was covered in a clear ooze that dripped down her body. She could not see what her face looked like but her skin was pale. She had her fists clenched. Raghar was standing in front of a fallen Aryna. When Allison heard the woman speak.
“Did you miss me sister?”
It was Tearyni. She reached out her arm and looked over her shoulder. The two royal guards that had appeared screamed as their bones burst from their skin. A vicious grin spread across her lips.
“Allison…”
She looked down at her sister. While she spoke her skin slowly turned pitch black.
“I see your attack dog returned to you.”
Allison pushed past her shock and acted; She emptied her pistols of charge trying to shoot Tearyni. The dark twin of Aryna held up her hand and not a single blast hit her.
“I thought we were past that, vampire. You and I have a much more intimate relationship with each other. Tell me… how did I taste?”
Allison extended her fangs and launched herself at Tearyni.
“Like I want more!”
Allison found herself suspended in midair once again. Tearyni used her favored tactic squeeze the life out of her victims. Allison felt the pressure on her bones it was agonizing but she felt that well of power building up in her chest her eyes flashed silver. Tearyni’s eyes went wide and she flicked her wrist. Allison’s neck snapped bending her head sideways.
“No, thank you, I do not wish a repeat of that. Pity I wanted to see you suffer.”
Tearyni turned to Aryna and started to monologue.
“All that power and too frightened to use it. You were born to be a sheep. Led to the slaughter at the altar of the ancients. You think those memories are your own? You’re a cheap copy of my sister. I’m going to put an end to this. I’m going to strangle the life out of you with my bare hands then, I’m going to end this charade once and for all. Before you can start the cycle over again, I’m going to kill your future little host here and then I’m going to destroy your dark little secret.”
She looked up.
“Are you going to stop me? You can’t. You and your pathetic rules.”
Tearyni lifted Aryna up wrapping her hands around her throat. Aryna’s eyes bulged as she struggled to breathe. Tearyni’s rage fueled strength was too much for the softly spoken Queen.
Allison had a unique experience. She was dead, or her body was, but her brain was still working. It didn’t hurt, her spinal cord was severed so she couldn’t feel anything. Panic rose up in her mind but she could do nothing. Then pain came as her nanites stitched her spinal cord together her blood seeped into the broken bones and muscles fusing them together once again. She gasped for breath.
Allison pounced on the distracted Tearyni sinking her fangs into her blackened skin. Her bite was vicious she tore through her flesh. She wasn’t lost in bloodlust she was just furious that the Ne’qual’sa had killed her. Tearyni dropped Aryna. She managed to throw Allison off of her with a burst of telekinesis. Allison smashed into a hutch holding a priceless decorative display of plates. The sixteen-year-old was spent. Even with the fresh infusion of blood she was feeling drained. Her nanites were depleted from resurrecting her once again.
Tearyni held the gaping wound in her throat. Her voice had a gritty quality now.
“This isn’t over, you are going to wish you’d stayed dead.”
The royal guard rushed towards the three young women. Tearyni reached out with her free hand flinging them off of a balcony to their deaths before leaping off herself. The royal guard rushed past Aryna, as if she didn’t matter and looked over the balcony. Allison pulled herself up with a groan and moved to Aryna’s side.
“Are you alright?”
Aryna rubbed her neck and looked up at Allison.
“I don’t know how she got here.”
Allison offered a hand to Aryna.
“She was covered in ooze, maybe we can track it.”
Allison looked at Raghar who had growled at Tearyni a great deal but hadn’t attacked her.
“Maybe you can help, after letting us nearly get killed, it would be the least you could do, some bodyguard you are.”
The nargle’s ears went back and he sat down but didn’t move. Allison rolled her eyes and she slowly bent down to pick up her pistols. Her back was aching from slamming into the hutch. She pointed at an ooze footprint.
“There. This way.”
She started backtracking the path laid out by the ooze footprints. Aryna hesitated but followed her. Allison spoke quietly.
“Sorry about your guards. They seem like good men.”
Aryna nodded.
“I have a nargle too, her name is Oozie. I hope she’s better at protecting me then yours is.”
Aryna sighed.
“Raghar is bound to Aryni and I, because we are twins. He wants to protect us both.”
Allison frowned and leaned on a wall to recover some of her strength. She was getting dizzy. It was her nanites eating up the sugar her body needed to keep itself going.
“I know I killed her, she died. I drained her until she was near death. How did she even get in here, and why was she naked?”
“I do not know, Duchess, but I see now why you hold the position you do. Even my mother could not defeat Aryni and you have done it twice. I do not understand why or how you are here, but I am truly honored that the ancients have put you in my path.”
Allison pushed up and took a deep breath, then she continued backtracking the footprints. They led to a dead end in the bowels of the mountain the palace occupied. She focused on her senses as her blood infused her eyes and ears the world went from its normal dull self to high definition. She saw it, imperfections in the hologram, it was a solid hologram, something that for the System’s Alliance was bleeding edge technology. She looked for other imperfections and she found one she pressed the rock and a panel slid open. There was a pad in there.
“Tearyna, if you could please put your palm here.”
Aryna put her palm down and the pad flashed. The hologram vanished. It revealed a vast chamber of organic pods. They sort of reminded Allison of the Sal’nash stasis pods. They lined the walls on either side in stacking rows. They alternated, one column had Aryna, the next had a full grown Raghar. The clones were all of an Aryna about the age Allison was familiar with. Aryna looked disturbed.
“What is this?”
Allison could imagine what she would feel like if she’d seen something like this, only it was copies of her. She reached out and put her hand on Aryna’s shoulders. The young queen jumped at the touch but did not pull away.
“I think it’s the dark little secret Tearyni was ranting about.”
Allison pointed to an empty pod with fresh ooze dripping from it.
“Somehow she got into that one there and took it over.”
Aryna shook her head.
“This is not possible, I remember growing up, I remember Aryni betraying our people. She was angry that I was chosen and not her. She killed our mother. How can it all be a lie? I remember it.”
Allison squeezed Aryna’s shoulder.
“I don’t know.”
Aryna was shaking. Allison pulled her in for a tight hug. It was a reflex. She was so used to Aryna being her sister now. Aryna didn’t resist. Allison was pondering if the memories her friend in her own world had shared with her were real or implants. It was horrific. It reminded her of when she found out about her real identity, it had felt like the universe was one big lie. Raghar must be in on it, he didn’t want to come here. Which means Aryna was kept in the dark purposely. Allison whispered.
“We should put things back the way they were and leave. They hid this from you on purpose, and I don’t think you’ll be safe if they find out you know.”
Aryna stiffened.
“I am Queen, they serve me, I will know the truth.”
Allison shook her head.
“If your childhood was a lie, what else is? We need to go; My pistols are empty. I need food and blood. I can’t take on the entire royal guard or Raghar. Listen to reason, because if I’m the one being reasonable things are really bad.”
Aryna looked at Allison and nodded. They hurried out of the Aryna bank and sealed the entrance. Allison returned to her room with Aryna in tow. Aryna still looked freaked out. Allison didn’t blame her, but she knew the key here was to pretend everything was normal until they could figure a way out of the prison disguised as a palace.
“Tearyna, how did I get here?”
Aryna motioned towards the door.
“A scout ship found you and your fighter. They found my sister…”
Her voice trailed off. Allison put her hand on Aryna’s arm.
“Tearyna sort it out later, how did I get here?”
She blinked.
“They brought you and your starfighter here. They traced you from where you killed my sister to where you’d landed and brought you here. You didn’t wake up, so I had your armor removed and had you checked for injuries. I needed to know how you defeated her. We are losing the war. Everyone was very confused you had the weapons of a high noble designed specifically for your physiology. You are an anomaly.”
Allison rubbed her face.
“Yes, but how did they get me from the opposite side of the galaxy to here?”
Aryna seemed confused.
“They folded space of course, is that not how you travel vast distances quickly?”
“Uh… I guess we do. I didn’t think anyone else had that technology.”
Aryna’s confusion became more profound.
“We use our minds, or our navigators do. It is a very specific talent that only a few have. Such things are not within your power?”
“No, I’m just… I’m half… I’m not like you.”
“You are, you used the same power as us to defeat Aryni, I saw images of the destruction. I sensed it in you when you faced her here.”
Allison blushed. What if she had managed to do it again? What would have been left of the palace?
“I don’t know what that was, it’s not something I can do. I… I think it is my mother protecting me. She could do things like that. It doesn’t matter right now; We need to get out of here. You’re all mind readers, it won’t take long for them to figure out you know what’s down there. Aryni seemed to think something was going to take you over. I need to think. We need to buy ourselves time. So, we need to pretend everything is normal. I will get cleaned up, get into one of those fancy dresses and we will meet in the gardens for that lunch you promised. When I know where my fighter is and more about your planetary defenses, we can plan our escape. Until then, everything is normal, okay? I know you can do this because my Aryna can do this. She is the smartest person I know. You need to just push through whatever seeing that is doing to you. Focus on pretending everything is normal and planning our escape. You have lots of time later to sort through your feelings.”
Aryna nodded and stood up straighter.
“You are right, Duchess. I will ensure a servant is sent to aid you in preparing for our lunch.”
Aryna left the room and a short time later a Qual’sa woman came in. Allison could not believe how pretty the Qual’sa were. She was going to have body image issues for the rest of her life after having to stay here for any length of time.