Children of Trident Book 1: Broken Treaty

Trident (Earth year 1088)     Justine Kalli ran down the steps of her ancestral home. Behind her, flames licked at her nightdress. Somehow, she had survived. She did not understand why. Enhancements were not allowed for someone her age and her exits had been blocked. She watched as windows burst with flames.     Night came and the roaring fire continued to consume the palace. A shuttle approached from the city and Justine hid in one of the fields. She had no idea who had sent the shuttle. As the hatch opened a large man carrying a photon rifle exited. No mistake could be made. Law had finally arrived. She sighed in relief and cautiously left her hiding place.     “Law,” she cried out and the soldier trained his weapon on her. She instinctively raised her hands.     Law looked at the singed clothed and soot covered teenager before him. Slowly he lowered his weapon.     “Where are the others?” he asked her.     Justine lowered her head. She had no idea if there were any others. Tears slipped from her eyes.     “We need to get you to safety.” He walked forward and took her by the upper arm.     He nearly dragged her onto the shuttle, and before the door closed, they took off. She felt shock run through her. Lower class citizens, commons as they are referred to, were not allowed to lay hands on the high-borns, especially someone of Justine’s rank. Special Guard of the High Council did not excuse his actions. Justine watched her home disappear below as they headed to the city.     They landed on the top of the High Rise, an administrative building that housed the offices of the top three Trident leaders. The black and silver sides of the building reflected the lights from below. What the High Rise lacked in stature and grandeur, it made up for with security. None of the other buildings in the city had as strict control over access as the High Rise.     She had been in this building dozens of times with her parents, and during one particularly cold winter, had stayed with them. Law escorted her off, but this time, he did not drag her. An armed escort waited, all carrying photon rifles. They bowed as Justine passed them.     “I want the fire out and I want a count of all the bodies. We need to know if there are any other survivors,” he said talking with another soldier as they made their way to the door.     The soldier left at the door and Law went through first followed by Justine. They were followed by two more soldiers before the door locked shut.     “The whole building went into lockdown when your home was attacked,” Law explained.     Justine said nothing, she just followed. Where were her parents?     They entered the elevator and it took them down three floors, opening to the outer hall of one of the apartments. This apartment belonged to High Council, the leader of the Trident Empire, her father. The walls had decorative hangings and portraits of past Kalli rulers. The floors had been recently re-carpeted with a rich wool from the Hullan system that dampened their footsteps. The busy nature of the reds distracted from the plain, soft colors of the walls.     Justine could hear people talking as they passed through the doors into the apartment. Her heart skipped a beat. She recognized her mom’s voice.     “Justine,” a lady’s cry echoed.     Her cheeks streaked with tears and worry. Her usually well maintained and tightly curled hair had fallen to her shoulders. This was Pi, Justine’s mother.     Justine ran to her mother. She sobbed as the lady cradled her. Next to them stood a large man with silver hair and full beard. He towered above his wife and child. Even Law had troubled looking him in the eye.     “What happened?” he said looking at Law. “Where is Mageena?”     “High Council,” Law said bowing. “We were not able to find your younger child. We are not sure how they got through our defenses, but we will find out.”     “They nearly killed one daughter, and my other one is still out there. You had better find out before something worse happens,” High Council said angrily.     Justine clung to her mother and continued to sob. Masked men attacked her. They tied her to a chair. They started the fire around her. They left her. Her mother held her as she continued to relive her fears.     “She needs medical help,” Pi said noticing the rope burns on Justine’s wrists.     “Take her downstairs,” High Council commanded.     Pi easily picked up her daughter and carried her out of the room. Justine could hear her father continue to berate Law about the holes in the security at the estate. Before they entered the elevator, she could hear her father calling for High Command, the leader of the military and security forces. The elevator took them down three more floors and they exited into a long hall.     Designed more like a hotel then an apartment, this floor housed attendants and the medical bay. Pi carried Justine down the quiet hall, passing door after door until they reached the large set of doors at the end. No one entered the hall while they made their way to the end. Pi stood there for a few moments before they opened. Medical staff and a stasis bed waited for them on the other side. Pi lowered Justine onto the bed and a dome appeared over the top.     Justine woke several hours later to find herself in a small dark room. The soft white tones of the ceiling danced with the shadows made from the light of the hall. Beside her, Pi had fallen asleep, laying partially on the bed. Justine studied the blonde curls as they cascaded off her mother’s shoulders and onto the bed. Her mother had always been an incredibly beautiful lady and the public adored her. Justine did not inherit the blonde of her mother’s bloodline, but instead, she had the jet-black colors of her father’s.     Long ago, before he became High Council, Ryl’s hair had turned silver. He took over as High Council when his mother, Finna, retired. Ryl met Pi fifty years into his reign, and they paired soon after. Another hundred years passed before the couple welcomed their first child, Justine. Justine wished she could have met Finna, but the previous High Council died months before Justine’s birth.     A dark shadow blocked the light from the hall, and she looked up to see her father looking in on her. She waved meekly and put her head back down. He quietly entered the room and approached her bed from the opposite side as her mother. He leaned down and kissed her on the forehead.     “How are you feeling?” he asked softly.     “Better,” she said groggily.     “I was so frightened when Law told us the house had been bombed,” he said hoarsely.     His face had gone red and tears fell from his eyes.     “I’m sorry,” she said. “They all died, didn’t they?”     He nodded. “They were able to recover the bodies of the others.”     “Mageena?” Justine asked.     Fear went through her. Her baby sister. Ryl said nothing. A slight nod told her Mageena had perished. Tears slipped from Justine’s eyes as she let out a small sob. Pi stirred and looked up to her husband. He gripped her hand and pulled her to a standing position. Her mother looked down at their oldest daughter while being led from the room. From her bed, Justine watched as her father broke the news to her mother. Pi collapsed in anguish. She released a wail of pain while her husband tried to hold her. Justine covered her face and sobbed into her hands. Soft hands cradled her as she cried.     Hours passed before Justine healed enough to be allowed back into the apartment. Her arms still bore the rope burns, but the more severe ones were bandaged with hydro patches. This encouraged healing and prevented scaring. As soon as the bandages were removed, the chief medical attendant discharged her.     She walked next to High Command; a powerful woman named Peddina. She dressed in combat clothes with her black hair pulled into a bun at the nape of her neck. On her right arm she wore a black band. It was Peddina who had recovered the body of the High Council’s second child. It was Peddina who comforted the sobbing Justine in the medical ward. Now, Peddina had been tasked with finding and destroying the Federation agents responsible for the attack.     The large bed in Justine’s assigned room looked inviting. She ignored the décor which made the room more suitable for an adult rather than a child. Ganga wood paneled the walls and the window looked out over The Kalli’s Seat. The ruling body of the Trident Empire met there once a quarter to discuss matters of the empire, but only the governors held offices in that building. A previous High Council had moved their office to the High Rise and ordered High Regent and High Command to follow.     Justine crawled into the bed and closed her eyes. She fell into a dreamless sleep that lasted only a short while. Soon, the flames that consumed the estate threatened to consume her. She let out a scream and sat up in her bed. Pi had fallen asleep next to her and woke up.     “What is it, my child?” Pi said trying to comfort her.     Justine could not put into words what she had seen. She allowed her mother to hold her. Sobs escaped her as she shook with fear. The door opened and Ryl entered. He had changed from his official robes into night clothes. He crossed the room quietly and climbed in on the other side of Justine. He pulled his family members into a long embrace. There, they slept until daybreak.     Justine woke alone in the large bed. Ryl had already seen several governors and High Command when Justine came out for first meal. Pi worked on coordinating Departing Services for the youngest member of their family. An attendant offered Justine a traditional first meal of nuts and a boiled Kafka egg.     Justine slowly ate her food as she watched a broadcast while the attendant returned to the kitchen. The screen showed the devastating fire that took her home and her sister’s life. The broadcast captured the moment the roof collapsed. Justine turned away as tears threatened to fall.     “Turn that off,” Pi’s voice called out. “This is not appropriate for her to watch.”     The screen went black.     “Sorry, mom,” Justine voice quivered as she stared down at her food. Her plate received a single tear from her cheek.     “For what, young one?” her mother asked.     She came over and wrapped her arms around her daughter.     “For not saving Mageena,” Justine said.     More tears fell onto the plate.     “That is not your fault. Don’t ever blame yourself for that,” Pi responded. She picked up the teenager again and held her tight. “I am grateful you are still here. I am grateful you are still alive,” she whispered into Justine’s ear.     Ryl entered the dining area. He cleared his throat and they looked at him. His eyes were red, and he somehow looked frail and frightened. Fear had left its mark on his face.     “We must talk,” he said to Pi. “You have to go, but we must cover some things before you leave.”     Pi put Justine down and kissed her on the head. She walked to her husband who escorted her out of the room. Justine had never seen her dad look so frail, so frightened. Leaving her half eaten first meal, she followed; the quiet carpets muted her footsteps. The door to Ryl’s personal office had been left cracked open. She peered in, no attendants to stop her.     “What do you mean? You’re High Council.” Pi had raised her voice.     “It doesn’t matter. The citizens of our great empire are worth more than me,” Ryl said in an even tone.     “There is nothing we can do,” another voice said.     Justine recognized it as High Command.     “Peddina, will you give me your word you will protect my family?” Ryl asked.     “Of Course, Ryl.”     This shocked Justine. She never heard anyone but her own mother call her father by his first name.     “They are going to kill you for what? An infraction that happened years ago by- by some ancestor that’s long dead?” Pi’s voice became shrill.     “They are blaming my mother, and yes, this is for a perceived infraction,” Ryl said. “The treaty clearly states this has to happen. I must be the sacrifice to save you and Justine.”     Justine felt a shock run to her toes. She could no longer control herself.     “No,” she yelled running into the office. She grabbed onto her father and refused to let go. “Don’t go. They can’t take you too.”     All three adults were shocked by Justine’s actions. They exchanged looks between one another as Justine sobbed into her father’s robes. Finally, Ryl removed her arms from him.     “Justine,” he said as she struggled to continue to try and hold her father. “Justine,” he said firmly taking her face in his hands. His steel blue eyes reflected in her own.     “I have to go. What I need you to do is to protect this.” He slipped his ring off. “In it holds all the power our family has gained through the years. No one in the Trident empire will refuse you anything. Use it at your most difficult times.”     He slipped the ring onto her largest finger. She closed her fist and examined the large ring through bleary eyes.     “You will be ok,” he promised. “Go with your mother. You will be safe with her.”     Ryl looked up at Pi, who turned away. Justine began to shake her head. She grabbed at him again. She let out a wail as High Command lifted her away from him.     “Dad,” she screamed as High Command carried her from the room over one shoulder. “Daddy, don’t go.”     She watched as her mother closed the doors to Ryl’s office.     High Command carried a struggling Justine through the apartment and to the elevator which took them to the roof. They entered a waiting military shuttle where High Command tried to strap Justine in. Pi arrived and took over strapping the teenager in and then strapped herself in.     “Tell DaAnn I am sorry,” Pi said.     “Yes, ma’am.” High Command exited and the shuttle took off.     Justine sat in shock. She no longer struggled. She stared at the empty seats across from her. What happened? Her mother leaned over and produced a silver chain. She removed the ring from Justine’s finger and put it on the chain. Pi placed the chain around Justine’s neck.     “Where are we going?” Justine asked.     “We are going to Earth,” her mother answered.     “Is dad going to join us?”     “No. Your father has agreed to end the war only if we were allowed to leave.” Tears slipped down Pi’s cheeks.     “What’s going to happen to him?”     “He’s-,” Pi faltered. She choked on her own words. “He’s-,” she could not finish her words. Tears fell freely.     Justine waited in silence and bowed her head. Her mother’s unspoken answer hung in the air.     The shuttle broke the atmosphere and they docked with a large ship called the Opus. This guardian class ship operated as an official transport ship for dignitaries and governors. Justine had never been off planet, but she knew Ryl had a larger ship. She wondered why they were taking the Opus, but her fear of the answer kept her from asking.     For two days, she stayed secluded in their quarters, not wanting to meet any of the crew or other dignitaries that happened to be traveling with them. The captain came by on the second day and delivered a tablet to her mother. After reading it, her mother sobbed for the rest of the day.     “He’s gone,” was all she said.     On the morning of the third day, they were escorted to the shuttle again and traveled one more day aboard the smaller ship. Finally, they landed on a planet called Earth. The Kalli family would remain in hiding for the next 900 years.