Babylon Sunrise
Hugh Gordon
Smashwords Edition
Copyright 2009 Hugh Gordon
Smashwords Edition, License Notes
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“Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.”
William Goldman, The Princess Bride
PROLOGUE: FROM BENEATH
At first, the water was smooth as glass. Then, a few bubbles pierced the surface from beneath. More bubbles, and then ripples, fractured the surface. Finally, a semi-spherical shape emerged from the bubbles. A pair of narrow almond shaped eyes could be seen peering through a visor. The woman that emerged from the water had finely chiselled facial features and large rounded lips, but it was the dark eyes that most people noticed. They were always cold and serious. Even when the woman had been young and relatively carefree, her eyes had always been serious.
The prolong treatments, while making Takhara Miyomi Alita seem no older than a woman of twenty-five, could not make the fifty-year old woman feel any younger. The slinky aqua blue latex wetsuit with domed helmet that she wore only accentuated the “womanly” curves of her immaculate body, but most of her life she had never felt “womanly”. She had never paid much attention to her beauty, rarely using it to attract men and never using it as a weapon in her work. The prolong treatments had been administered for her to do her job longer, initially to keep her alive after a tortuous pregnancy, but not to keep her beauty. However, at this particular moment, she was not sure she could do her job.
She was tired. She felt fifty years old. She did not know for how many hours (or possible even days) that she had been awake. It had taken a long time for her to get back here. Most journeys were linear; hers had been circular. Time and time again, she had kept returning to Babylon. This would be the last time. Even if she did not survive to leave this hellish place, she would see it destroyed. That was her task.
An Imperial Mesaran Navy submarine had brought her to the island. The defence forces had been distracted by the air attack. The missiles had taken out most of the radar sites while the submarine had been able to slip through the asdic net undetected. That was the good thing about cooperating with your enemies; they knew all the weak points. Of all the groups that could have aided her in her mission, Alita never believed that she would have accepted, let alone asked, for the Mesarans’ help. However, if there was no other way to get the devil herself than by allying with the devil’s minions, then that was the way it had to be.
She pulled herself out of the water by means of a ladder attached to the side of the concrete dock. She was actually inside the island’s own submarine pen and covered shipyard, but there was no one here at the moment. Her foe had all her subordinates manning the AA guns and aerial observation posts, telling them that it was the enemy in disguise, not their own countrymen who were attacking from the sky.
Alita shed her helmet and let her spiky short blond hair flow free. Her hair colour was most unusual for someone with her particular features, but she had never been one to judge anyone by the way they looked. She did not take care of it either, hacking it off herself whenever necessary. Long hair got in the way.
She removed the breathing apparatus from the wetsuit, until it was more like a combat catsuit with a pistol and utility belt. It was not a lot of firepower for infiltrating what had been the planet’s most heavily defended compound, but major “distractions” had been supplied. No one expected a raid from the sea, let alone a single lightly armed intruder.
Most other attackers would have taken one look at the black fortress in the centre of the island and decided that it was impenetrable. Not Alita. She would scale a solid smooth steel wall to get into that place. She had a score to settle with the Mistress of Babylon. Whore of Babylon was more like it. Sian-Liana Cobrana was, in Alita’s opinion, the basest human being who had ever existed and had to be silenced.
Reaching a long dark tunnel that led to the fortress and its inner sanctum, she cocked her pistol. There was still a long walk ahead of her with unknown dangers lurking in her path. However, Alita only thought of one danger: Sian-Li. They had known each other for over thirty-five years. Alita still remembered the day she had met the Mesaran. She almost laughed as she realized that the first thing that came to her mind was the honeysuckle.
PART ONE
CHAPTER ONE: JUST TWO NEW FACES
From the start they were marked as different, but it seemed as if their paths were destined to meet. They came from different directions, via different means of transportation. However, their journeys were both long and their destination was the same.
Takhara Miyomi Alita travelled by train from Numanda in the Western Provinces. It took a week. She travelled through a large part of Tarasita, hugging the northern coastline for the most part. In Taras, she boarded the express for Karba in Kulman and Murex in Sealandia, but it still took a long time. She would not have missed it for the world. Everything fascinated her, from the deserts and grasslands of home, to the densely populated capital, to the legendary Kulmanite cities cut into stone. She wished she had more time to explore all the wonders of her world. Instead, she had to make do with her trip. It was a poor girl’s way of seeing the world.
For Alita was indeed poor. Her parents were from nomad families whose ancestors had once led great caravans across Tarasita, delivering goods and passengers through the dangerous sands. With the age of the iron horse and the airplane, their fortunes had changed. Her grandparents had to sell their beautiful villa with its terraced levels and tiled floors. Alita had vague memories of the place before the smaller and smaller apartments in the cities. Finally, her parents had resorted to recapturing the ancient ways in their tents and travelling by horseback. They had a business taking city folk out for desert treks. Unfortunately, most people would rather have travelled in modern conveyances with modern conveniences. Her parents barely had enough to scrape by. It was a blessing from the Goddess when their daughter passed all the entrance exams for Ms. Hood’s Youth Academy in Murex, Sealandia. At first, they were not sure whether the news was a blessing or a curse until it was learned that her score had been high enough to warrant a full scholarship, something rare at the Academy.
She took a taxi from the city’s Railway Terminus to the school. It was a long drive and the cost took up most of the Sealandian crowns that her parents had given her. The driver was friendly enough and spoke Alita’s language. He explained to her the history of every landmark they passed on the way. Alita learned more about Sealandia in that short trip than in any of her school classes back home.
The campus was lush and green. It looked as if there were several large trees for Alita to sit and read under. There looked like several hundred young men and women running and laughing around the grounds. Alita had barely been with other girls her own age, except those who had gone on her parents’ tours. This was going to be fun.
And boys. At age fifteen, she had already started to see boys. There had been a few near where she lived, but she had never spoken to them. However, she had seen them looking at her from time to time. Now she would have to speak to them. Hopefully, she would not sound too much like a country bumpkin.
Students were lining up in front of the Administration Building. Large signs were telling new and returning students to line-up in the queue appropriate for their year (and gender) so that they could be assigned a dormitory. Alita stood among other first-year girls with her luggage piled around her. Fortunately, her mother’s aromatic care package of food had been eaten on the train and there was nothing to drive other students away.
Just before Alita reached the door, there was a great commotion from the other mostly Sealandian students around her. It looked as if another student was trying to push into the front of the line. Well, not exactly push. The girl was making her uniformed guard push though the line exclaiming: “Make way for Mistress Cobrana!” The Sealandians and Tarasitans who did not have a noble class left in their societies, grumbled at this. Of course the girl was a Mesaran. They felt everyone else were their social inferiors. However, the guard was at least six feet tall and the girls in the line scattered readily, only to queue up again once he and his charge passed.
Alita managed to catch a glimpse of the girl who had caused so much trouble. Her head appeared to be coated in shiny black hair that was shorter than Alita’s. Her lips were constantly upturned in a slight superior smile. Her eyes flashed with gentle silver hues that were disturbingly piercing. She had a bounce in her step as if she ruled the world. All Alita could think of was that she did not want to be sharing a dorm room with this Empress-wannabe.
Even with the Mesaran’s interruption, the line was not too bad. The Academy had been registering and sorting students for several hundred years. However, Alita did find herself picking up and setting down her bags quite often after moving them a few centimetres forward at a time. It was annoying, but only worth an eye roll. Finally, she reached the inside of the building and the head of the line. A woman with small round glasses and a long nose peered down from a booth at Alita.
“Your name, young lady?” She asked in Tarasitan. Alita’s nationality was obvious from her clothing.
“Takhara Miyomi Alita.”
The woman checked off the name on a printed list. “Yes, young lady… We received your records, but not your preference for a roommate. We did not receive a list of your hobbies.”
“I don’t have any hobbies.” It sounded stupid, but it was true. Alita was a bookworm, reading whatever she could get her hands on. She was hopeless with any type of arts or crafts.
The woman’s brow furrowed. “Hmm… Most people know others or put down preferences. Wait a minute, there is someone who did not say anything, expecting a single room. However, the Fleming Wing with all the single rooms for girls is being renovated. So… Room 535 in the Market Building. That’s across the quadrangle and at the end of the lane. Here is your key and information package. Dinner is promptly at six in the main dining hall. Dress is formal for the first night.”
“What’s my roommate’s name?”
“Sian-Liana Cobrana.” The woman said after checking her list.
The Mesaran. This did not bode well. Alita tried not to groan. Her Sealandian dialect was bad enough, her Mesaran was non-existent. And that girl did not look very patient. What fun this year was going to be. However, she could hear her mother saying: “This school will be a good experience for you to learn about other people and other cultures, Alita.”
Alita sighed, but still kept her smile on her face. She had not met the girl yet. She trudged across the quadrangle, obeying the “Keep off the grass” signs. There were so many traditions she was obligated to learn. She had this incredible urge to run barefoot across the grass, trampling it beneath her toes.
The Market Hall was one of the newer dormitories. It was built around a hexagonal atrium. The halls of the dorm rooms were on five of the six sides of the gigantic building. It was the largest girls’ only dormitory on the campus, housing 500 girls on five floors. At least there was an elevator. Numanda was not so remote that it did not have such conveniences, but they were only in the most expensive hotels or office buildings. Most residences were still made of mud-brick, even though the rest of Tarasita was using concrete, aluminum siding and steel.
Room 535 was like any other in the building. The heavy door was open to the hallway. Alita could hear cursing from inside. She knocked on the open door and peered inside. The pretty girl with jet hair was standing over one of her trunks, rummaging through it frantically. The guard was standing beside her quietly. He saw Alita first, smiling sadly and shaking his head.
“Mistress Cobrana,” he said.
“What, Helgar? What?! I cannot believe Mya did not pack my good dress!”
“I can have your Lady Mother send it to you from Sisteria, Mistress.”
“Very well… What is it, Helgar?”
“Your roommate, Mistress… She’s here.”
The other girl’s eyes snapped up. Alita had forgotten the silver hue. The intensity of their colour shocked her. At first Alita thought the young woman was going to say something harsh, but then a small smile crossed her lips.
“Hello,” Alita’s roommate said. “I am Sian-Liana Cobrana, from Sisteria in the Empire.”
Alita wanted to say: No, really? I never would have guessed!, but she decided that this was not an appropriate time. Instead, she said. “I am Takhara Alita, from Numanda, Tarasita.”
“So your given name must be Alita, then?” Sian-Liana answered in Tarasitan dialect. Obviously she was not totally stupid. “I am Sian-Li, to my friends.”
“Are you a member of the Imperial family?” Alita mustered her best Mesaran.
“No, no, just Sisterian nobility actually. My mother is a Duchess and the sub-Intendant beneath Her Imperial Highness Princess Lady Dominatrix Ilsa Domina. This is Helgar Yonan, he is or was my personal slave and will be again when I go home. You see, students are not allowed to have slaves here.”
I can’t understand why, Alita thought in a sarcastic tone. Then she said. “Uh-hmmm… My family were prosperous merchants once, and Senators… All my grandparents were patrons of the school, but I got a scholarship.”
“Ooohh. A brainiac to help me with my homework! Come in, come in, this is your room too! Helgar, unpack for Mistress Alita!”
“Yes, Mistress.” The guard/slave mumbled. Alita was dumbfounded when he took her bags and started unpacking them. Fortunately, she was not a girl used to privacy, but it was a little disturbing. She realized that this was the other girl’s idea of good manners.
Helgar seemed to be an expert at placing things neatly. Alita was impressed. It almost made her wish he was her slave. Almost. Alita thanked him, something Sian-Li did not do. In her mind, he was to be ignored until he did something wrong. Then she paid special attention to him, or she said. Whatever that meant, she did not make clear to her roommate. Alita did not wish to know.
“So,” Alita said, sitting down on her new bed, “How did you get here?”
Sian-Li shrugged. “My parents had our pilot fly me here. It was cheaper and faster than going commercially.”
“You have a plane?”
“Of course, most nobles have jets. Ours is meant for long ranges and can even sleep people on it.”
“Wow.” Alita hoped that was suitable admiration in her voice. “I took a train. It was so beautiful crossing Tarasita, Kulman and Sealandia.”
“You should see Mesara.” Sian-Li said.
Alita managed not to roll her eyes. She could see what living with this girl was going to be like. She just smiled and nodded and watched as the slave continued to unpack for his Mistress. Helgar managed to keep his eyes down the entire time. Once, he tripped over a bag and stumbled over Alita’s legs. Sian-Li took instant action. She took a riding crop from the side of her bed and lashed out at the unfortunate man across his chest and back several times. She also slapped him across the face. Alita was shocked, but did not say anything. So this was what Sian-Li had meant. She just stared wide-eyed at the large slave who was cowering in fear.
“Okay, Helgar. I think it is time for you to go home.”
“Yes, Mistress.” He bowed, gathered up some of the empty cases and left.
“I swear,” Sian-Li said, “Sometimes I don’t understand why my mother keeps Helgar. He can be so clumsy. Is your leg all right?”
“Fine.” Alita assured her. “Do you have the time?”
“It’s almost six.” Sian-Li said checking a gilded clockwork pocket watch. “Shall we walk to the Dining Hall?”
“Sounds good.”
The two teenagers left their room. Sian-Li locked it with her key. The lock bolted with a satisfying clunk. The girl replaced the key around her neck. They walked to the elevator. When it reached the fourth floor, other students entered it. By the first floor, Alita and Sian-Li were pushed to the back wall. Two faces among many.
Alita was used to being near large masses of people, especially when she had been shopping with her mother in the market in Numanda. Those were the unwashed masses as well. It was obvious that Sian-Li measured her personal space in vastly different terms. Not only did the crowd alarm her, it angered her. The group was lucky enough to exit before the woman exploded.
At first, Alita thought the other girl claustrophobic, then she realized that Sian-Li was not used to having strangers so close. She was used to passing people, or walking ahead of them, not behind them.
“Are you all right?” Alita asked partly out of concern, partly to distract her new roommate.
Sian-Li turned to her, those silver eyes blazing. Alita had not quite gotten used to them yet. Again, after a moment, they softened. There was a smile on the girl’s face.
“Yes, of course. I don’t like being so close to people.”
“It’s common custom where I’m from. Your neighbour’s elbow in your face is nothing unusual. You’ll get used to it. We are in a building with 500 other girls....”
“And on a campus with several hundred boys.” Sian-Li grinned.
Alita grinned back. “I’m sure you want to get close to them.”
“You have that right.”
Rather than some school dining halls that Alita had seen in pictures, the Academy’s hall was semi-circular like an amphitheatre. The Head Table was in the centre where the professors and teachers sat. First Years sat in the top row and the Second Years sat in the next row down and so forth. Sian-Li actually did not mind sitting at the top. She seemed to like having a commanding view of everyone below her.
When the Headmistress gave her first address of the year, Alita knew her life had been changed irrevocably. She was no longer the desert girl, she was now a student.
“Greetings to all our new students.” The Headmistress told them. “I know all of you had a long day, so I will be brief. The Academy is a school that has long-standing traditions, the most important being that we do not stand on ceremony. Ceremony, as our founder Ms. Cecilia Hood once said, only slows us down. We cannot lead the way to the future if we are wearing constraining clothing, reciting ancient poetry, or not walking on the grass! That is one rule I have just ordered done away with. All those signs will be removed. Originally, this was a school for young women, and then we decided that men would benefit from our education as well. Here, at the Academy, we prepare you for tomorrow. We prepare you to rule the world. This is not an idle boast. Senators, Kings, Queens, Empresses and Presidents have all come through these halls. Now, to say we do not stand on ceremony does not mean we do not have rules. Being passed around now is your combination Academy Code of Conduct and School Calendar. Keep it with you at all times. All important telephone numbers and contact information for the school and your professors are in here. All your assignments and messages from teachers will be recorded in these books...”
Alita received her copy. It was heavy and leather-bound. The code of conduct was printed in bold typeface. The legalese was in Sealandian. It would take her a while to wade through it.
“Now, one part of the code I wish to impart with you this evening is section 5A. It states that if a student is wronged by another student, the victim punishes the aggressor. However, so that this does not lead to anarchy, a member of the staff determines the punishment beforehand. I warn you all that if you punish those who have wronged you without proper authority, you shall be punished by the staff or by me. There are variations of this rule for different situations, but that is the general idea.”
“Sounds fair to me.” Sian-Li whispered to Alita.
“I wonder what the punishments are.” Alita whispered back.
Sian-Li shrugged. “I guess we have to wait and see.”
Below, the Headmistress was finishing her speech. “Now, I want all of you to eat heartily. Tomorrow your classes begin and I want you to have a good night’s sleep beforehand. Tonight curfew will be at 9, but normally it is at 11. Your schedules have been placed on your residence doors. You will receive your texts and syllabi in class. Again, welcome to the Academy!”
“I wonder what the food is like here…” Sian-Li mused. “I mean, I am not expecting anything high class.”
“Anything edible is okay with me.” Alita shrugged.
The plates were set out. There were servers who laid dishes in front of the students. Alita was surprised that the food was actually very well presented and it even tasted excellent. Of course it was not the President’s Palace, but she had never been there either. For her part, Sian-Li seemed quite impressed and ate well.
On the walk back to the residence, Alita and Sian-Li met a couple of Kulmanite girls who were also first-years. They were twins who giggled a lot. Talking to them appeared to open up Sian-Li. They wore identical clothing as well; the style appeared to impress Sian-Li. Alita was glad her roommate was making friends. The unmistakable scent of honeysuckle was in the air and the pleasing fragrance relaxed Alita. She knew that she would like it there.
CHAPTER TWO: EXAM ANXIETY
Sian-Liana Cobrana hated history, especially if it was Sealandian. Sisterian and Mesaran history was at least palatable, but what they called history in this country was an absolute joke, not to mention the fact that remembering all the long names and titles of the Sealandian Kings and Queens was impossible. And now she had to write an exam about Sealandian history! At least she would be going home for the holidays soon.
Sian-Li could not believe that an entire term had passed. The girl had experienced many new things upon arriving at Murex and the Academy, but she had never thought the time would go so quickly (except in Janis Yurogan’s Sealandian History lectures!). Sian-Li had gotten along well with Alita; the other girl made friends easily and introduced them all to Sian-Li. Even though she would never admit this to Alita, Sian-Li appreciated all that her roommate had done for her. She was thinking of asking Alita if she wished to spend the holidays with her family back in Sisteria and would ask after this exam was finished.
She glanced over at the window. It was a dark and dull day outside and had been raining earlier. The yellow overhead lights cast an artificial glow on the faces of the students perched over their papers. Snow would not come for another few weeks. Sian-Li hoped she would be in Sisteria before then.
History was one of the few subjects where Alita and Sian-Li sat next to one another. Pairs of students shared desks. Their workspace was in the back of the classroom. Sian-Li sighed and flipped a page. At first, it was just an accidental glance as she was stretching her neck, but all the same, she managed to get a glimpse of Alita’s neatly written prose on her page. Her glance was just long enough for Sian-Li to make out the name of a Queen she had forgotten. Oooh… Lucky break… She changed what she had written on her paper. What else could she see?…
Alita had not realized that her friend was staring over her shoulder until a figure marched quickly down the aisle and the quiet of the classroom was broken. Sian-Li was literally lifted out of her seat into the aisle. The teacher, Professor Janis Yurogan, was the school’s female wrestling teacher for a reason. She had her hand on the girl’s collar and pony-tail so that Sian-Li had to look into her eyes.
“Cheating, Miss Cobrana? I would have expected a more devious means than simply staring over your friend’s shoulder. Did you know anything about this, Miss Takhara?”
Alita was too stunned to say anything, except, “No, Professor.”
“I thought not. Well, Miss Cobrana, before I fail you, is there something you would like to say to your roommate?”
“S… Sorry, Alita.” Sian-Li stammered. She looked scared, but her silver eyes glared coldly at the teacher.
Alita murmured something sympathetic. Her friend’s cheating had not bothered her, but her teacher’s actions were shocking her. No one had been caught cheating before. She had thought that teachers were not allowed to be so physical with their students.
“You are the victim here, Alita.” The Professor said. “You are required to punish her.”
“But what is the punishment?” Alita asked, not totally understanding.
“My cane is at the front of the room.” The Professor said, releasing Sian-Li, who dropped to her hands and knees in the aisle. “Give her fifteen lashes.”
“No.” Alita said, shaking her head. She was a pacifist. Her parents had taught her that physical violence was not only pointless, it was immoral.
If the other students had been trying not to stare at the commotion at the back, now everyone turned around. The Professor gave them all a glare and they turned back to their papers. She turned towards Alita, her glare still very much in evidence.
“What did you say?”
“I will not lash her. I don’t think it is an appropriate punishment.”
“Why not?” The Professor hissed.
“She may be bad at history… but she was also too proud to ask for my help. Failing her is humility enough.”
“You have no right to determine punishment, Miss Takhara! The code states that you will deliver the punishment I set for her!”
“And what happens if I refuse?”
“Very well!” The Professor sneered. “She shall merely fail the test… but you, Miss Takhara… You have disobeyed me. You deserve punishment as well. Miss Cobrana, since Alita was kind enough to spare you, I will not show her the same courtesy. Give her the fifteen lashes.”
“Yes, Professor.” Sian-Li scampered to the front of the room.
Alita had not expected this. What kind of an insane Code of Conduct was this where one student could be beaten for refusing to beat another? This woman was sadistic. And Sian-Li was not standing up to her. Alita did not blame her. The girl was lucky to get off with simply failing the test; she could have failed the course as well.
Sian-Li returned with the cane. Alita stayed in her chair, hands steepled together, her face straight ahead. If the Professor wanted to punish Alita, she would not get any help from her.
This only enraged the Professor. “Assume the position, student!”
“No.”
The cane lashed across the back of Alita’s neck. She crumpled over in pain and half fell out of her chair onto the floor. At first she thought that the Professor had taken it from Sian-Li’s hand, but no, it was her roommate’s own doing. What was going on?
“You heard the Professor! Assume the position!” Sian-Li called out.
Alita’s skirt was pulled up. Her face was flushed with embarrassment. What kind of fucked-up place was this? Sian-Li began lashing her, calling out each one loudly. Alita could hear the excitement in her friend’s voice. Soon, the Professor was calling out the lashes with her.
Alita wanted to cry, scream, run… anything. But she just sat there, unmoving. When the final lash was called out, she just stayed there, even though the Professor ordered her back to her seat. How could Sian-Li do this to her? Alita had just put her own honour on the line for her, and the girl had whipped her like Alita was her slave. She had enjoyed it.
Finally, the Professor lifted Alita up and dropped her in her seat. She indicated Sian-Li to follow her to the front of the classroom. Alita could see that the Professor was smiling at her roommate. Sian-Li shot a glance at her friend, no emotion anywhere.
“Sorry,” was all she said, but somehow, Alita was not so sure.
At the end of the class, both girls were sent to the Headmistress’ office. They sat in chairs in the hallway outside the door, waiting. Sian-Li was bored, her eyes were wandering. Alita was staring straight ahead, her eyes not moving. Sian-Li placed her hand on Alita’s shoulder. Alita turned to glare at her friend, her dark eyes chilling Sian-Li.
“I… I wanted to invite you to my home in Sisteria…” Sian-Li started meekly. “Before all this… I still want to… Back there…”
“Stuff it.” Alita said, finally, sighing. “This place is just crazy. Promise me you won’t do it again?”
“Promise.” Sian-Li said quietly. Alita thought she meant it.
“Fine… I’ll have to ask my parents.” Alita said slowly.
Sian-Li was relieved. Only one more hurdle…
“Oh yeah…” Alita said.
“What?”
“If you ever hit me like that again, I will lash you next time.”
“I don’t know what you mean, Alita… She would have expelled me…”
“Stuff it.”
The Headmistress opened her door and sighed. The two girls walked in. Even though they had seen her many times during the term, they had never spoken to her. They sat in chairs facing the Headmistress’ desk in front of the window. She had both of their files open.
“I do not know what to do with the two of you. One student is caught cheating. The other refuses to punish her. We must have none of this at the Academy. I must say I find Professor Yurogan’s solution distasteful, even though your refusal was against the code, Miss Takhara… Well, what do you have to say?”
“I do not believe in violence.” Alita said. “I did not think she should have been lashed.”
“Perhaps… and perhaps not. It is not your decision. But I respect your courage, Miss Takhara, for standing up for what you believe in. As for you, Miss Cobrana, I must inform your parents about this. They assured me that your past history would not be repeated.”
Sian-Li stiffened. “I am having trouble in History, Headmistress.”
“Perhaps. And perhaps your roommate will be good enough to tutor you… Very well, that is your punishment, Miss Takhara, to tutor your roommate to the best of your… rather profound… ability. For the moment, your disobedience will not go on your record. Miss Cobrana, I shall inform your parents. I think their disappointment in you will be punishment enough, as well as the mark on your record. That is all.”
The girls left the office. Alita was relieved that her parents would not be notified, but now Sian-Li was in a funk. She caught her roommate by the arm so that she could see the anger in those silver eyes.
“Don’t worry about it.” Alita said. “You were scared. Look, I’ll bet that with my tutoring you can get top marks by the end of next term.”
Sian-Li smiled in spite of herself. “You think so?”
“Sure… Come on, I think we need something to eat.”
In the end, Alita forgave her friend the harsh lashes. She realized that Sian-Li had probably hit so many slaves that she had not known how to treat friends. Sian-Li was obviously ashamed about what she had done, since her parents had been informed. And with Alita’s tutoring, she would not need to cheat again.
CHAPTER THREE: BABYLON
They had been travelling over water for thirty minutes. Alita had never travelled on an airplane in her life before that day, and now she was ready to leave the experience behind. They had left Murex nine hours earlier on the Cobrana family’s private jet. They had landed in a city that Sian-Li informed Alita was called Empress’ Landing, in the Mesaran Realm of Margoritania. Soon, they lifted off after refuelling on their last leg to the family home of Babylon, which Alita learned, was actually an island off the coast of Sisteria. Sian-Li’s family also owned an estate on the mainland, but their pride and joy was Babylon.
It was not that the jet was uncomfortable; rather, she had not experienced such luxury other than in memories of her grandparents’ villa. It was the fact that she was being catered to every second that bothered Alita. Sian-Li’s family had sent a female slave to serve them. If Alita had thought Helgar had been treated badly, the female slave was treated worse. First of all, she wore little other than what looked like a solid gold bikini. In the plane’s air-conditioning, she was constantly trying not to shiver in front of Sian-Li. She was obviously afraid of what would happen if she made her presence visible to her mistress. She was not supposed to be seen. Sian-Li told Alita that the girl, Valeria, was actually her father’s slave.
“You are very rigid.” Sian-Li noted.
“I still have not gotten used to flying yet,” Alita lied as Sian-Li actually spanked Valeria for spilling a few drops of her drink.
Sian-Li laughed. “You should be on standard commercial flights. They are not as smooth, the seats are harder.”
Alita forced a weak smile. “I appreciate you taking me on this trip.”
“Nonsense! You are my best friend… And besides I owe you a break at the very least.”
“Thank you. I was not even going to home for the holidays.”
“Well, some of us are luckier than others… Ah, we’re almost there!”
Sian-Li had noticed the plane beginning its descent. At first there was nothing but a mass of clouds for Alita to see. Suddenly, the plane broke through the overcast and Alita was able to see their destination. The first time she saw it, it took her breath away with its beauty. In later years, the fear from seeing it would take her breath away.
The island was about twenty kilometres in diameter. It was a green gem on a blue background. From this distance she could not tell how modern the buildings were. She was able to see a strip for the four engine jet plane she was on. It was coming up fast.
The plane landed gently. She could see that Valeria and the other slaves onboard had no protection from the jolt of the landing. Sian-Li used a couch, but no safety belt. Alita, never having flown before, used the device because she was afraid of not using it. Her friend laughed at her seemingly rural fears.
The plane taxied to a stop beside a limousine. Did they really need a vehicle like that on this island? Was the island that large, or was it just one of the many luxuries the family had available to them?
Helgar was waiting for his mistress. She allowed him to kiss her, as well as an embarrassed Alita. He took their bags and placed them in the groundcar. He opened the door for Sian-Li, waited for her to seat herself, closed the door, opened Alita’s door, closed it for her, and then went to his position in the driver’s seat. What an existence, Alita thought sadly.
She tried to distract herself by examining the landscape of the island around her. Alita noticed that a lot of the land was dedicated to agricultural usage. She remembered from some of her politics classes that while her own Tarasita had an industrial edge, Mesara had an enormous agricultural surplus based on its slave economy. The wealth of the upper elite was based on the toil of the slaves who were fed well, but had little else.
She did not have the trained observatory skills that she would be taught later, but Alita noticed that the division of land allowed the island to be quite self-sufficient. Orchards, livestock, wheat fields... Interesting. She wondered what her meals would be like here.
The Duchess’ mansion was in the exact centre of the island. The architecture took Alita’s breath away. Unlike the pictures she had seen of the pyramidal Emperor’s Palace in the capital of Goddess’ Haven, this was much older with a white colonnade of ionic columns and a carved frieze of a battle scene. It looked like some ancient temple with a simple, but large, set of wooden doors in the centre.
A woman was waiting for them as they alighted from the limo. She had extensively coiffed hair done in a beehive shape. Her puffy dress was made of red velvet and trailed behind her. Alita had learned not to gawk at Sian-Li’s dresses and accessories, but this time she could not help it. Duchess Cobrana’s get-up was the most decadent outfit Alita had ever seen, and she had seen wealthy desert dwellers in extensive robes.
“Hello, my daughter! It is good to have you home!”
“Greetings, mother.” Sian-Li said coolly, embracing the woman. Alita could see that she was actually a little embarrassed by her mother’s outfit. “Are you actually wearing your court robes at home now, mother? That is a little over the top.”
“Oh, really? I thought I should look nice for your return, my dear... Oh, Sian-Liana... you must tell me all about your school... And this must be your roommate!” The woman switched into broken Tarasitan, which was at least better than Alita’s Sisterian-Mesaran. “I am the Duchess Yolanda Carrinan Cobrana, my dear.”
“Takhara Miyomi Alita, my lady.” Alita had asked Sian-Li on how to address her mother. The other girl had been taken quite aback for one of two reasons. Either she had assumed that Alita was too much a country bumpkin to have the forethought to ask or like Mesarans she would have known the proper way to address a Duchess.
“You look tired, Alita, please come inside. You are most welcome.”
This did not seem to be the image Alita had made for herself of Sian-Li’s sub-intendant mother. Oh well, one should not judge all Mesarans by some of their more... obnoxious... offspring. At least the woman was openly polite. She could say whatever she wanted about Alita’s simple robes in private.
“Both of you must be hungry and tired!” The Duchess said. “Come inside, the staff has prepared meals for us… You look like you could use a good meal, Alita. Don’t they feed you there, Sian-Liana?”
“Oh, mother! The meals are actually quite palatable. Alita has a metabolism that I could just kill for.”
Alita had not realized that her friend was actually jealous of some of her physical attributes. She knew that the girl admired her brain, but her physique was something else. She had never really shown that much interest in Alita.
The Duke was waiting inside. He looked as Alita had imagined him to be. He was just as preened as his wife, but in a different manner. Duke Ruprecht had a long handlebar moustache, black eyes covered with black eyebrows. It gave him quite a dark sinister look. The curl on his lips turned her stomach. She knew that he did not like what she represented, but that he was attracted to her physically. That sent an additional shiver down her spine.
“This is Takhara Alita, Ruprecht.” Sian-Li’s mother said.
“Good to meet you, Ms. Alita.” The Duke said,
“That’s her first name.” The Duchess said.
“Oh, is that the way the Tarasitans do it, I never understood that.”
“Dear...”
“We believe the family should come first.” Alita said.
“I see.” He murmured and turned towards his daughter. “I hope you learned from your experience, Sian-Liana. Girls who are going to be Duchesses should not have to cheat to gain their marks! I had to promise that blasted Sealandian school a blasted wing for their library to have your record expunged.”
“I have, father.” She told him, her voice quiet. “Alita has tutored me sufficiently so that my marks have been brought up to their usual standards.”
“Ah yes, their usual poor standards! I would have had you stay at that school to study throughout the holidays, but your mother for some sentimental reason decided that you should come home.”
“She has improved, dear!”
“Bah!” Duke Ruprecht turned away, his cape swirling around his legs.
“Is he that upset, mother?” Sian-Li asked.
“No, it is not you, it is something else.”
“Oh?”
“Matters of state, my dear. Can’t talk about it.” Her mother said in all seriousness.
Sian-Li rolled her eyes; obviously her mother’s comment was not something new. The Duchess beckoned both girls into a long dining room. While it was obviously large enough to hold twenty tables of ten people each, only one long table in the centre was set. It was covered with mounds of food. Alita had no idea what it all was. She recognized beef, chicken, fish and even seafood (a true delicacy in Tarasita) in abundance. There were twenty pitchers of ten different kinds of fruit juices, wines and other assorted drinks. The amount of food could have fed Alita’s entire family for two weeks.
“Are we eating with the servants?” Alita asked breathlessly.
A look of surprise from the Duchess and a genuine laugh from her friend. “No, it is all for us, Alita!”
“I’ve already eaten.” The Duchess said in bewilderment.
“If my mother is in a good mood, it will be used to feed the servants, but only if they have not dropped any dishes or displeased her in any way.”
“Oh, I usually give the servants the scraps!” The Duchess waved a dismissive hand. “Dig in!”
Alita hoped her manners were all right. The food was unlike any she had ever tasted. The Mesarans obviously liked hearty food with strong sauces that were full of spices and smoky flavours. Sian-Li could tell that her friend enjoyed it.
Alita had not expected a full-fledged guest room. The place was ornate to an extreme. A plaque on the wall stated that Empress Ilsa Domina VII had once slept there. The Cobrana family was obviously proud of it. The bed was very soft. It appeared to flow beneath her. It took her a few seconds to realize that it was a waterbed. She lay back and wondered if she would ever own such luxury as this.
CHAPTER FOUR: RUDE AWAKENING
Alita awoke to find Duke Ruprecht standing over her bed. She let out a shriek and moved backwards until her head hit the backboard. Her hands gripped the silken sheets tightly; she sucked in a deep breath. She was ready to scream.
“Don’t be so dramatic.” He told her. “I just wanted to ask you something.”
“In my country, a gentleman knocks before entering!”
“How can a person from such a dirty country talk about manners?!”
“Get out!” She shouted at him.
“Be patient.” He said. “I just want to ask a question.”
“Then ask it... and get out of here!”
“I just wanted to know if you have any connections in the government.”
“The government?” Alita was totally confused. “In Tarasita?”
“Yes.”
“My cousin is a town prefect...”
“No, no, in Taras or Kir...”
“No, we don’t know anyone in the Central Lowlands...”
“I see. Too bad, you might have been of some use.” He said turning around.
“Use for what?”
“Freeing this country,” was what she thought she heard him murmur as he strode out.
Alita managed to stagger out of bed and make it to the bathroom before she vomited in the porcelain commode.
CHAPTER FIVE: SOMEONE TO FEAR
Sian-Li arrived next. She was upset, that was easy for Alita to see. She was white, which meant that she could hardly contain her rage. Her eyes shone even brighter than normal. Her fists were clenched. She tried to keep a civil tone with her friend.
“I am sorry, Alita.” Sian-Li managed to say. “I have no idea what came over my father. If he did that to any Mesaran woman, he would be arrested for sexual harassment.”
“I did not realize you had such laws...”
“Only for citizens, but unfortunately, you are not one, so you could not press charges...”
“You would want me to press charges against your own father?”
“He’s a creep. He wants me to become a fucking academic, not someone in the government. I am my mother’s heir. I have to learn how to govern.”
“Uh huh...” Alita was not sure what to say.
“What was he in there for? If he was trying to seduce you, I will tell mother...”
“He wanted to know if I had any government contacts...”
“You will have to excuse him. He works for the Imperial Interrogation and Pacification Agency... He probably wanted to gain a contact in Tarasita.”
“Actually, he said something about freeing Mesara.”
The instant she said it, Alita regretted that the statement had come out of her mouth. It was obviously something that the Duke had not meant to say in the first place and it was something that Sian-Li had not been supposed to hear.
“Were those his exact words?”
“Well...”
“Tell me!” Sian-Li shouted. The voice was loud, commanding and cruel. It scared Alita to hear it.
“He said he had wanted to know whether I would have been of any use in ‘freeing this country.’“
“Are you sure?”
“Positive. Do you know what he meant?”
“I have an idea. Listen, Alita, my mother is waiting for you downstairs, breakfast is ready. I have already eaten and I will join you afterwards.”
“Where are you going to be?”
“Just checking on something. Go ahead and enjoy yourself, my dear. I will be with you shortly.”
The Duchess was already dictating letters to a scribe slave when Alita arrived. The first one Alita eavesdropped on as she selected her fruit and flatcakes was to the Lady Dominatrix. As Sub-Intendant, Sian-Li’s mother should have been in the regional capital of Ælah (named after the Sisterian omni-goddess), but Alita gathered the woman’s duties were mainly ceremonial. She opened parks and factories, gave speeches to police officers, toured military installations... It made Alita wonder whether all Mesaran nobles performed such ceremonial roles while the dictatorship was concentrated elsewhere. She was not sure how to ask Sian-Li that question.
Finally, the Duchess stopped and came to sit at a table next to Alita. The woman looked relaxed. Her friendliness was the same as before. Alita wondered how she could be married to such an unfriendly person as the Duke, but then she remembered that in order to retain perfect bloodlines, most Mesarans had arranged marriages. The Duchess’ face turned serious and Alita knew what she was going to say.
“Alita, I am...”
“I would rather forget it, my lady. You husband distressed me terribly and I would rather not remember the experience.”
“But I just wanted to explain...”
“Oh?”
“My husband and I do not like what our country is doing.”
“Oh?” Alita could not think of anything else to say.
“Our country’s thirst for slaves and conquest will only get worse. We are Sisterian, not Mesaran. A long time ago were absorbed into the Empire when our own Queen was offered more power and wealth. These Mesarans are far too religious, too assured of their superiority... They will use any means to achieve their goal of world conquest. Tarasita will have to face them soon enough. We wanted to help warn your country...”
“As I said to your husband, I do not know anyone.”
“A pity...”
Alita kept eating her breakfast, her stomach still upset from her experience with the Duke... Or was it because of the way that Sian-Li had reacted? The vehemence in her friend’s voice was not easy to forget either. Alita was suddenly gripped by a horrific thought. She turned back to the Duchess who was now smoking a cigarette.
“What does Sian-Li feel about all this?”
“Sian-Liana? She is not interested in this sort of thing... Grew up believing that the Empire is all-powerful and perfect. She would be horrified that her father and I would be trying to contact your government. I will admit, I was surprised when she said she had made a Tarasitan friend. Normally, she cannot stand to have anything to do with Tarasita...”
“I... see. I think she might suspect something...”
“Why?”
“I told her what your husband said to me, she became quite upset.”
The Duchess’ expression did not change, but she did turn quite white. She blinked a few times, before nodding ever so slightly. She sighed.
“I guess I will have to have a talk with her... Helgar!”
The slave appeared in the doorway. It was obvious to Alita that he had been eavesdropping. “Yes, Mistress?”
“Fetch the Young Mistress for me.”
“Yes, Mistress.” He bowed and left.
“Um, my lady,” Alita said, standing. “I think I should not have said anything... To either of you...”
“Nonsense! Sian-Liana is a smart girl. But if you must... I understand. She does tend to assume the worst.”
Alita was not sure whether she detected a note of bitterness in the woman’s voice. She walked out of the dining area. Immediately, she heard the clicking of Sian-Li’s heels along the corridor. Alita went through the nearest door, which was the kitchen.
Suddenly, ten pairs of eyes were upon her. Alita gave the kitchen slaves an embarrassed smile. They were not upset. They were just surprised that the foreign guest would set foot in an area that the master and mistress of the household never deigned to enter. Alita was going to step backward when she heard Sian-Li walk past with Helgar. She froze, unsure of what to do.
When Helgar opened the door, she looked at him with her eyes bulging. He put a finger to his lips and gave her a small smile. He led her to a portion of the wall that adjoined the dining area. There was a hole in it. Alita remembered there had been a painting over the area on the other side. Was it possible that the Cobrana family did not know about it?
“It is a ‘security’ measure. They worry about assassinations. It is for us to hear screams in case something goes wrong.”
In order to hear the quiet conversation, Alita had to put her ear directly against the hole. To her surprise, Sian-Li did not even let her mother speak. As soon as entered the room, she launched into a tirade against the older woman.
“You would not believe what I have just heard from Alita, mother! The idea is so preposterous that I would not have believed it from anyone else but a sweet and innocent simple-minded idiot like her! Has my father, your husband, gone completely insane? Trying to enlist my friends in your rebellious activities? I always knew both of you hated the Imperial government, but outright treason?...”
“You have not been home in months, Sian-Liana... You are not aware of what has been going on...”
“I read newspapers at school, mother! The Emperor is trying to reform the way the government is run!”
“Reform!” Her mother retorted. “Centralization is more like it! Sisteria joined the Empire hopefully as a partner, not as a tributary! He bleeds the Domains dry to invest in the already-rich provinces. More golden baubles for his temples when he needs to feed his people!”
“Cuts must be made to preserve spending as a whole...”
“You have no experience of government, my daughter. I have been Sub-Intendant for fifteen years, twelve under the Empress, three under the new Emperor. Fortunately, Sisteria has a healthy economy and can afford to send its surplus to Goddess’ Haven, but what happens when there is no surplus? What happens when the Emperor’s precious military eats up all the extra?”
“We go to war and take what is rightfully ours.”
“To where? Mesara has profitable trade with Sealandia. Kulmar is not worth occupying...”
“Tarasita is wealthy. Their military is weak.”
“Ah yes, Tarasita. They are not as simple-minded as you think they are...”
“They are heathens!”
“They believe in the same Goddess, Sian-Liana. Just under a different name.”
“I cannot believe you are like this, mother... a servant of the Empire!”
“A good servant tries to improve her mistress’ house. “
“Not against the mistress’ wishes... I will let you know mother, since we are related... I have informed the Lady Dominatrix, Princess Minor Ilsa Domina that you and father are traitors.”
“You what?” The Duchess, who had been fearful of Sian-Li’s anger, had never thought of this before.
“I want to make sure that the sullying of our name stops with the two of you. The Intendant will go to the Emperor to ensure that my succession as Duchess and Mistress of Babylon runs smoothly. When I graduate from school I will become the new Sub-Intendant.”
“Are you mad? I’m your mother!”
“Perhaps in flesh only. If you were a true mother you would not have sent me to some foreign school to weaken me with their liberal ways.”
“That school has educated Empresses and other world leaders! Where have these... these... hateful things come from? We have given you everything you ever wanted... You never seemed unhappy with us before.”
“I thought you and father were merely incompetent. I did not realize you were traitors to your country as well. Mesara is Sisteria. It is time you learned that.”
“You would send your own parents to their deaths?”
“Her Highness promised you will serve out your days in a penal colony. You can write those precious memoirs you have been wanting to write. I am not so cold-hearted that I would allow them to kill you. The Princess seemed quite surprised that I would inform on my own mother. I told her that I was doing my duty as a patriotic citizen, not as a means of gaining what would have been mine anyway.”
“You may think you are doing the right thing now, Sian-Liana. But some day you will regret this.”
“Perhaps... and perhaps not. Go gather up your things in one suitcase that you can carry yourself.”
“Your father will not go as easily.”
“Then you shall have to calm him down... It is his own fault. If he had not acted so stupidly towards my friend, I might not have found out for years. At least this way not much harm has been done.”
The Duchess started to leave, tears in her eyes. But Sian-Li called out to her, in a quiet voice. “Oh... mother!”
Her mother turned. Sian-Li spoke to her as if nothing had happened. “Where is Alita?”
“Um... I believe she went for a walk in the garden.”
Helgar tapped Alita on the shoulder and pointed to a door on the opposite side of the kitchen. It was open to the outside. Alita dashed through it, quietly. The morning sunshine was blazing in her eyes. After blinking a few times and shielding her eyes, Alita could see the cultivated walls of a formal garden in front of her. She strode into it and made a few turns before she came to a bench next to a pond. In the idyllic setting she tried to calm herself down and put the vicious conversation she had just heard out of her mind.
Unfortunately, that was not to be. Within about a minute of when Alita settled herself down, Sian-Li strode around a corner, hands behind her back, a pursed expression on her face. She showed no emotion.
“Ahh, mother said you would be here, my dear. We have some things to discuss.”
“Oh?” Alita said, hoping that she would not act as if she knew anything.
“My mother and father are about to be arrested for treason... something most unpleasant. Fortunately, I will not be affected by this, but I thought you should know before the Intendant arrives with her Security Police.”
“But... why?”
“My parents are just a little too open about their anti-Imperial views. It was bound to hurt them at some point.”
“How did the government find out?”
“I told them.”
Even though she knew the answer, Alita could not help but to drop her jaw, not in surprise, but amazement at her friend’s cool demeanour. She still could not believe what she had heard. She wondered what she could say to Sian-Li to avoid drawing the girl’s anger on her.
“Was that the right thing to do?”
“My parents were jeopardizing my future. I had to ensure my succession. They will not be harmed, but they will be removed from their positions of power.”
“I... see.” Alita was still at a loss for words. “Do I have to stay out of the way?”
“Oh no, please, I want you to meet the Intendant and I want her to meet you.”
“Oh... okay.”
They spent the rest of the morning in the garden, trying to ignore the shouts from the house. Sian-Li ignored the commotion, except to call Helgar and tell him to ensure that her parents did not take any of the family heirlooms. She kept Alita engaged in conversation by discussing their professors and their courses. Alita could see that she was not even thinking about her parents. Alita found herself shivering constantly. There was something about this girl that was just so cold. What about love? What about honouring your parents?