Danelar was chosen as the site for the Naval Officer’s Academy because of its proximity to Astrian Space Station, the military headquarters, and because of its year round temperate weather. It rarely was warmer than sixty-five degrees making it an ideal training world. Since it didn’t snow, winters saw an increase in storms and rainfall. The rain didn’t stop their outdoor PT, but Captain Feren did permit them to change in the gym’s locker room into another set of workout uniforms, which also prompted the need to do laundry during the week.
After the formal the intensity of the classes increased. They practiced with both sword and spears during PT, classes increased the amount of homework and introduced final projects in addition to having finals at the end of Satallia. More time was spent in the Library and other study groups had formed. Kiera’s broke apart becoming her, Hailey, Koda, Jin, Corbin, Sam, Eikire, and Peter. Apparently there was some resentment that some of the guys didn’t get to dance with the girls, which was ridiculous. Koda dn Kiera and Sam and Hailey also seemed closer and rumors had started that the pairs were dating, which bred jealousy. It had made studying more difficult for Kiera, and when she called them out on it the others left. Eight people were more manageable anyway.
The day before finals came and found Kiera in the library rebuilding a project that she knew that she had turned in. Sergeant Ransing had been surprised that he didn’t find it, especially since he remembered seeing it and he had the projects of everyone else in the study group. He gave her an extension and promised to check the turn in folder again. Kiera had spent all day rebuilding it; her copy of the project was missing but she had her notes and both Koda and Hailey gave her their copies to help her build it faster. They had to design and create a schematic for a modified version of a mecha that was either already in use by the military or a non-military mecha for military use that Ransing had to approve; each student had to choose a different mecha. In the case of duplicates Ransing randomly assigned the mech to one of the students and made the others pick again. Kiera chose the Glass Darner.
She took a break to get dinner with the others, getting the project done before the twenty-two hundred our curfew was going to be tight. The program they were using was too complex for their datapads. Kiera yawned as she climbed the stairs to the library, spending all day in front of a console was somehow just as tiring as doing the extra drills from last quarter.
“Cramming for the exams? You’ve been here all day,” one of the guards asked as Kiera approached the doors.
“One of my final projects got lost, and my backup wiped. I’ve been spending all day working on it. It’s going to be close to finishing it before curfew and I’d rather get it done today so I don’t have to worry about it, despite the extension.” She yawned, “Sorry.”
“Oof, that sucks. Want an energy tab? They help me get through some of these long shifts, especially when I get the night rotation.”
Energy tabs had become popular last quarter because of the sheer volume of work they had with little time to complete it. They were readily available in the Empire without a prescription; Lieutenant Danran kept a supply in her office and strictly limited the amount that any cadet could take. She also required each cadet to have their blood pressure taken before giving them out.
“That would be great. I was considering running to medical, but that would take up time I don’t have. Thanks.”
Kiera took the tab with her into the library and rana quick scan on it with her PUC; while she trusted the guards there had been hijinks last quarter and she wanted to verify that it was the same thing she took. She sent the results to Danran; her requirements weren’t official but Kiera still felt the need to get approval. The return message came quickly verifying that it was the same dose and type that she was giving out. Kiera’s past blood pressure results had been in the normal range, and a few had been textbook. With her approval, Kiera took the tab.
She finished the project and sent it in just as her PUC beeped giving her a ten minute warning to get to the dorms. She would have to jog to make it in time. After saving a copy to both her PUC and her ID band, Kiera headed out of the dorms.
“TDid you get it done?” the guard asked her as she walked through the door.
“Mhm,” Keira replied sleepily, the tab’s effects had worn off an hour before. They were good for only three hours of increased energy. Using too many could make you crash hard or give you a heart attack. Just the one left you a little more tired than before., “I really appreciate the tab, it helped me get through the dragon’s share of the work. Just for transparency I did end up running it by Lieutenant Dinran.”
“You’re restricted. I’m sorry, if I knew that I wouldn’t have offered. You just looked really spent.”
“Yeah, but I haven’t had one in awhile. Better to be transparent then get yelled at. Or maybe I’m just too much of a good girl. Thanks again, but I need to get going or I’ll be late for curfew.”
“Let me give you an escort,” the guard said, “I’ll send a message to give you a ten minute extension so you’re not rushing.”
Kiera paused and gave him a smile, “Thanks, I really appreciate that.” There was a breeze in the air, enough that it made the night feel a little cooler, but not anywhere near enough to make her shiver. The presence of the guard made her feel better; nothing had happened since the group was caught at midterms; they had used a glorp to slip under all the doors to bypass the locks and a scrambler to keep the cameras in a loop.
Halfway to the dorms a patrol pulled up, “Do you want a lift cadet? We’ll get you to the dorms before curfew is up, and let Dorney get back to his post.”
The guards were certainly being friendly tonight. Usually they were pretty aloof and rarely talked to the cadets. Maybe it was because it was finals or close to Reflection? The holiday was the last two days of the year; all imperial holidays were two days long. During Reflection you looked back on the year and reflected on things that happened, how you grew, mistakes you made, and things to improve upon the next year. Presents were exchanged with close friends and family on the second day and one was always given to the person who had impacted you the most that year.
“That would be great,” Kiera said, “All you guys are being really nice tonight.
“It’s finals,” the guard in the passenger seat who had offered the ride, “And almost Reflection. Cutting you cadets some slack is the least we can do.”
Kiera climbed into the back of the hover jeep after thanking her escort. As they drove Kiera began to feel even more tired. Her eyelids grew heavy and she felt herself nodding off. They reached the dorms after a few minutes. Kiera started to thank them and unbuckle her seat belt when the passenger turned towards her with some kind of rod in his hand.
“Good night, your majesty,” he said.
A blue light flashed over Kiera’s eyes and she fell asleep.
23 - Kidnapped
Kiera groaned as she opened her eyes. She had a pounding headache, and she was lying on a cold metal floor. She pushed herself to a sitting position and looked around. She was in a cage that didn’t give her enough room to stand; just sitting up left her inches from the top. There were two other empty cages near her. Her movement caused a light to turn on in the prison, its light was pale and it barely illuminated the room. With the light Kiera noticed a door on the opposite side of the hold, and three secured crates near it.
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“Her Majesty’s awake,” she heard a male voice call, “Do you want to dose her again?”
“Her Highness,” another man’s voice corrected, “No, the empyrean gas is too expensive and the somniator works best if she’s breathed in the gas. Too much exposure can have lingering effects; the client wants her unharmed.”
“Give me a few hours and I can fix that,” the first man said, “This Republic tech is interesting. I do like the modular designs.”
“Who are you two and where are you taking me?” Kiera asked. She didn’t think that they would answer the question but it never hurt to try. If they were overly arrogant, or stupid, they might tell her. She didn’t know how that information could help her at that moment but knowledge was power and she needed all she could get her hands on.
Instead of a response Kiera heard the whoosh of a door closing.. They were professionals not willing to give her any information willingly or unsuspectingly. Her wrist where she wore her ID band and PUC felt strangely naked, and both were missing. Not only were her captors professionals, they were competent professionals with the knowledge and tools to forcibly remove someone's ID band. That made them dangerous. Any action she took would have to be well planned out and considered carefully.
Without her ID band the Empire would have no way to find her. She put together the limited information she had available. She had no idea how long she had been unconscious, how fast they were going or what their destination was. If they used the system gate to leave they would have needed to buy a pass and all ships had to transmit a cargo manifest and be subject to a scan before passing through. The scan would reveal her presence, and since slavery was illegal in the Empire they would likely be stopped for a physical inspection. Using Stargates was the fastest way to travel in the galaxy, but not everyone used them. Smugglers avoided them and so did people who either couldn’t afford the fees or preferred long distance travel. There were checkpoints between imperial systems, but not all systems in the Galaxy were officially part of the Empire. They only claimed systems the Astria Comet passed through. The Comet was sacred to the Empire and revered. It helped to guide the Empire. The exceptions were systems who requested to join the Empire.
They were likely headed to a non-imperial system in the galaxy. Travel between galaxies was possible but they were months or years long trips. Some of the Empire’s enemies, such as the Relumian Imperial Republic were located in a different galaxy. Communication and skirmishes with the Republic had become so rare it’s exact location was no longer public knowledge and even the military only had a vague notion of its location. The Empire had never attacked the Republic; all skirmishes were done between the galaxies or in Imperial territory.
“Okay, Kara, what do we know about these guys? They are extremely good at their jobs. They infiltrated academy security, and have gas and equipment I haven’t heard of before. They were also hired to kidnap me and aren’t supposed to hurt me. They also know exactly who I am, or at least I’m some kind of princess if they’re not from the Empire.”
She examined the cage. It didn’t have a mechanical lock, but she didn’t have anything that she could use to try to unlock it; Emily was the one who had always bypassed all the locks, either with hairpins she kept in her hair or some small device she hid in her apron. Even if she could get out, could she overpower the guards and fly the ship? Maybe she wouldn’t have to, charming them or enthralling them was probably her best bet. Kiera let her Radiance out and let her intent to charm fill it. Over the last semester she had become very good at maintaining her soothing and the intensity of her aura. It made communicating with the guys easier, and helped them focus during their exams. The only stipulation Major Peregrine put on her was that she had to affect the entire class and made arrangements for all of them to sit in the same exam room. Kiera wasn’t affected by her own soothing, but not feeling over forty other cadets' anxiety was just as good.
“Okay, Plan A to be a self-rescuing princess started. The academy probably knows I’m missing. I missed curfew and unless Hailey was asleep then she would have noticed that I didn’t come back. At the very least, if they tossed my ID band into the dorms Hailey would notice I wasn’t in bed or in the bathroom.
The academy would have contacted Planet Security and when they couldn’t locate my ID Band or me physically they would have alerted Astrian Station and the Navy would be dispatched to search for me. Space Patrol will stop and physically search all ships, no need to panic.”
Kiera looked around the room for a camera. The cages and sheer ease that they had kidnapped her made it obvious that this wasn’t their first task. They should have a camera on her to make sure she didn’t do anything. They had noticed the light turning on with the motion sensor, at least she assumed they did, unless they saw on a monitor the light turned on.
The light turned off after a few minutes of Kiera not moving and she did nothing to turn it back on. There wasn’t anything to see in the prison and if they were using a camera and couldn’t see her, all the better. There was nothing that she would do but wait.
-[]-
Light spilled into the hold as the door opened with a woosh and the weak light of the hold struggled to turn on. The man in front of her was dressed in a black flight suit with a helmet on that completely covered his head. He crouched down and held out a small white package.
“This is a ration bar. Back away from the front of the cage and I will put it down. Refuse and you’ll be hungry a while longer.” His voice was even, no indication of a threat. Kiera couldn’t get a read on his emotions, it was just like trying to read Major Peregrine.
“You could save all of us some time and let me out, then put yourself and your partner into these cages. The Imperial fleet is likely searching for me as we speak,” Kiera said, scooting back into the cage. There wasn’t a lot of room for her to move, but it kept her hands and feet away from the bars.
“They won’t find us,” he replied, putting the bar in the cage.
“Could I get some water?” Kiera asked, “Maybe a few minutes to stretch my legs? I’m thirsty and my legs are cramping.” The request was a simple one to test to see if he’d been charmed. The downside of her Radiance was she didn’t immediately know if it had affected someone without seeing their expression or feeling their emotions change.
The man paused as if considering Kiera’s words. He walked over to one of the crates and took out a cylinder about a foot long and a few inches in diameter; about the same dimensions as the water bottles at the academy. He walked into the cockpit. “Altrius, I need the cell key.”
“The famous nymph charm. She’s affected you, my friend. Go ahead and let her have some water, but make sure to retrieve the container. The last thing she needs is a potential weapon.She stays where she is until that charm wears off,” Altrius replied, “I heard that you were clever, Princess, and you are proving that. But if you don’t cease your charm then you’ll spend the rest of the trip unconscious.”
“You said the gas was expensive, Altrius. How much are you being paid to kidnap me? I’ll match it and add fifty percent if you release me on a habitable planet and let the Navy know my location,” Kiera offered. She withdrew her Radiance.
“You can’t afford us, Princess.”
It was worth a shot, “Thank you, what’s your name? I’m Kiera,” she accepted the water container with a smile. Even though her Radiance was withdrawn the charm effect would last a couple more minutes.
“Qwent,” he answered, then returned to the cockpit. The door surprisingly stayed open.
Kiera took a drink, the water was cold and rather refreshing. She opened the package and saw it was some kind of multigrain cracker with swirls of various colors striping it. The ration bar was hard, dry, and had a faint flavor of beef stew. Kiera debated if she was hungry enough to eat it. Her growling stomach told her she was. The water helped her choke it down.
“You guys should really look into getting Imperial Survival bars,” she called, “The portions are a bit small, but they come in a lot of flavors and taste really good. The chicken bake and chocolate are my favorites.”
“What do you mean, small portions?” Qwent asked.
“They’re divided into twelve sections and you’re only supposed to eat one section a day. The packages are re-sealable. Someone tampered with our cafeteria last quarter so we had to eat them for a week. A couple of guys ignored the warning and spent a couple hours on the toilet from nutrition overload and had to get treatment from medical.”
A beep from the cockpit caught her attention. From what little she could see, it caught Qwent’s as well. “They’ve found the decoy,” Kiera heard him say.
Decoy? What did he mean by a decoy? Did they kidnap someone else and put her ID band on them? It was clever, but as soon as the ship was captured the ruse would be discovered. “Decoy is destroyed.”
“Congratulations, Princess,” Altrius said, “You’re dead.”