{"id":1192,"date":"2015-12-28T07:25:30","date_gmt":"2015-12-28T13:25:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/?p=1192"},"modified":"2015-12-30T07:34:10","modified_gmt":"2015-12-30T13:34:10","slug":"the-cimalian-princess-clone-part-10","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/?p=1192","title":{"rendered":"The Cimalian Princess: Clone – Part 10"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Cimalian Princess: Clone<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

by AJ Marks<\/span><\/p>\n

Part 10<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Meia made her way along the streets with Victor close behind her. She took note of the empty streets, which concerned her especially considering the traffic earlier.\u00a0 Had she missed out on a curfew in place?\u00a0 She hurried along knowing a couple of more streets they would be headed back into the forest and the shuttle.<\/p>\n

The echo of footsteps behind her did not match Victors. Turning she froze to listen as Victor stopped as well.\u00a0 She looked at the shadows, watching for any change.\u00a0 The footsteps continued despite her wanting them to pass her by.<\/p>\n

\u201cOver here!\u201d<\/p>\n

Her eyes went wide at the shout, but what shocked her even more wasn\u2019t that it came from the group but Victor. The street lit up momentarily blinding her as she shielded her eyes trying to see something.<\/p>\n

\u201cSurrender at once,\u201d a commanding voice said.<\/p>\n

Meia blinked hoping to see something. She wanted to be able to do something about the situation.<\/p>\n

\u201cFire.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meia felt a slight sting on her arm and looking down noticed a small dart projectile sticking out of her. It had to be drugged, as she felt it start to work.\u00a0 Unable to control her body she fell to the ground as her strength failed her.\u00a0 Her vision dimmed as she lost consciousness and one question came to her.\u00a0 Why had Victor called out?<\/p>\n

*****<\/p>\n

Jezic paced around the command center causing everyone to be nervous. He only knew he was waiting for some mysterious message.\u00a0 He already had the 1st<\/sup> CF on standby, ready to go the moment he gave the order.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdmiral, incoming message for you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPut it through,\u201d Jezic replied.<\/p>\n

\u201dAdmiral Jezic, this is Captain Hellis of the enforcer patrol in section Gamma Six, we\u2019ve caught an intruder that we were told about and instructed to report to you,\u201d Hellis said.<\/p>\n

Jezic understood the order now. This was set up by the Emperor and he now had to act according to the plan.<\/p>\n

\u201cBring the prisoners to me,\u201d Jezic ordered.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy your will admiral,\u201d Hellis replied.<\/p>\n

Jezic ended the communications and immediately ordered an open channel to the 1st<\/sup> CF.\u00a0 It took only seconds before Admiral Wambu appeared on the screen.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdmiral Jezic, you wished to see me?\u201d Wambu asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, you are ordered to attack the Alliance fleet orbiting the moon at once, no ship is to survive,\u201d Jezic ordered.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy your will Admiral,\u201d Wambu replied.<\/p>\n

The screen went dark and Jezic waited a few seconds before finally contacting the emperor to let him know what the situation was. He wondered what the next part of the plan was.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdmiral,\u201d Emperor Henry said his face appearing on the screen.<\/p>\n

\u201cEmperor, it was as you decried. We have caught prisoners, they are on their way here, and I have ordered Admiral Wambu and the 1st<\/sup> CF to attack the Alliance fleet,\u201d Jezic said, waiting for the next order.<\/p>\n

\u201cExcellent, all according to the plan. Bring the prisoners to me I shall decide their fate personally, especially if they are who I think they are,\u201d the emperor said.\u00a0 \u201cI will want all information about the Alliance fleet the moment the battle is over.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBy your will emperor,\u201d Jezic said with a slight bow of his head even as the screen went black. Jezic pondered who the prisoners might be, or even is \u2018she\u2019 might be with them.\u00a0 He turned back to his staff.\u00a0 \u201cI want to know the moment the prisoners have arrived.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes sir.\u201d<\/p>\n

He looked over the reports anticipating the meeting. The minutes dragged by, but finally the report came in that the prisoners had arrived.\u00a0 He made his way down to personally escort them to the Emperor.\u00a0 He looked at the enforcers, noticing one prisoner was awake and the other had been dragged in.\u00a0 He looked at the awake prisoner, he had black hair, blue eyes and much shorter than Jezic.\u00a0 The other he thought he recognized as \u2018her\u2019.<\/p>\n

He could not wait for what the Emperor had in mind.<\/p>\n

*****<\/p>\n

Randy looked down once more at the screen watching the latest news come in. He looked up with the latest bit of information from the scanners, a Camilian fleet.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdmiral, Cimalian fleet dropped out of hyperspace, they are heading towards us,\u201d Aaron said confirming what Randy saw on the screen.<\/p>\n

Randy suddenly had a delimna on his hands. Meia and Victor were still on the planet gathering information and now it appeared a Cimalian fleet had returned to confront them.\u00a0 The Akagi could not possibly fight off the enemy fleet and were hopelessly outnumbered.\u00a0 He also had orders to avoid engaging any Cimalian fleet.<\/p>\n

\u201cOrders admiral,\u201d Kim asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cTell all ships to prepare to jump to hyperspace,\u201d Randy ordered. The decision would not be popular with those who liked Meia and Victor but it had to be done.\u00a0 \u201cHead to the first jump point.\u201d<\/p>\n

He looked around at his command crew noticing they were all looking at him with questioning eyes except for Toni and Aaron. No one wanted to abandon Meia and Victor.\u00a0 Randy also understood that if they failed to leave now they would never have a chance to return.<\/p>\n

\u201cRelay the message to the shuttle on the planet, we\u2019ll try to make a return trip so they will need to keep watch,\u201d Randy said. \u201cThen tell the rest of the fleet we leave now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Randy watched as Kim relayed the message to the rest of the fleet before hearing the hyperspace engines power up. He sent a brief wish down to the planet hoping Meia was all right and could survive a bit more on her own.<\/p>\n

*****<\/p>\n

\u201cAdmiral, scanners indicate the hyperspace engines powering up on the Alliance fleet.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jezic turned to see the scanner for himself knowing from the position of the ships the 1st<\/sup> CF would not be able to intercept the Alliance fleet.\u00a0 Even as he watched all three ships disappeared from his scanner as they jumped.\u00a0 This is not what the Emperor ordered.<\/p>\n

\u201cSir, Admiral Wambu is on the line.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTransfer him here,\u201d Jezic ordered knowing things had not gone well and someone would have to be punished. Wambu\u2019s face appeared on the screen.\u00a0 \u201cAdmiral, you allowed the alliance fleet to leave, why did you come out of jump so far away?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI await punishment,\u201d Wambu said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat will be up to the emperor after I inform him of your failure,\u201d Jezic said, wondering how the emperor will take the latest news. He thought about opening up a communications but another aide walked into the room waiting patiently to be addressed.\u00a0 \u201cSpeak?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAdmiral, you wanted to know when the prisoners arrived, they are waiting for you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cVery well,\u201d Jezic said, moving down to where they waited. He spotted the uniforms of the enforcers along with one other who appeared normal.\u00a0 Jezic did not recognize the man at all but the other was unconscious and held up by one of the enforcers.\u00a0 He reached out pulling her face up and even with the reddish-blonde hair he recognized her, Meia.<\/p>\n

\u201cPrepare them for transport to the emperor at once, I\u2019ll be with you shortly,\u201d Jezic said.<\/p>\n

He watched them be taken away. It seemed strange that the male prisoners seemed unfazed by the order and he made a mental note to keep an eye on him.\u00a0 he walked back and sent off a quick message to the Emperor and that he would be on his way to the palace with the prisoners.\u00a0 He informed his staff where he could be reached then walked out.<\/p>\n

*****<\/p>\n

Meia felt the haze covering her consciousness slowly lift allowing her access to small bits of information of her surroundings. Muffled voice, unclear and coming from all around her meant nothing as she could not make sense of it.\u00a0 She started to use her other senses to gain a better picture of where she might be before opening her eyes.<\/p>\n

Her hands were cuffed behind her back and she felt the cold floor under her indicating she was lying on it. It still did not tell her where she was.\u00a0 She listened in to the voices as the haze slowly lifted.\u00a0 It was the voice of the Emperor which chilled her the most.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe drug should be wearing off shortly emperor,\u201d a voice said close to her.<\/p>\n

She quickly thought back to everything which happened, the mission and the meeting with Trina. She and Victor had been on the way back when confronted by some enforcers who had been called over by Victor.<\/p>\n

The thought of the betrayal caused her to open her eyes. Victor betrayed her, but why?\u00a0 Her vision slowly cleared allowing her to see exactly where she was.\u00a0 The expensive tile on the floor and she figured could be the throne room, considering she heard the emperor.\u00a0 She turned slightly allowing herself to see more of the room and saw Victor standing not far away with a smug look on his face.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, well, it appears she\u2019s awake a bit sooner than you thought,\u201d she heard the emperor\u2019s voice say. She froze at the sound of his voice taking a few moments to overcome the chill she felt.\u00a0 She looked towards the throne.<\/p>\n

There sat her uncle, Henry, casually looking back at her. She noticed his blue had not changed and conveyed the same cruelty she observed years earlier.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ve caused me a great deal of trouble my dear,\u201d her uncle said as he stood up straight and made his way down to where she lay.<\/p>\n

Fear coursed through her body at the sight of him. He stopped only a few feet away and crouched down but still forced her to look up.\u00a0 She found herself unable to look away from him.<\/p>\n

\u201cI see you still remember me, good for you,\u201d he said with a slight smile. \u201cI won\u2019t have to go through the trouble of teaching you again.\u00a0 Don\u2019t worry I have plans for you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meia shivered at the tone in his voice knowing whatever he had planned was not good for her.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, don\u2019t worry, you won\u2019t feel a thing, at least nothing I don\u2019t\u2019 want you to, not yet,\u201d Henry said to Meia before standing back up and turn his attention towards Victor. The young man had no fear at being so close to Henry.\u00a0 Meia thought she saw some pride in Victor\u2019s eyes as Henry addressed him.\u00a0 \u201cAnd you, my little friend, I think Meia wants to know why?\u201d<\/p>\n

Looking up at Victor she noticed his smile. \u201cSimple really, my sister.\u00a0 You see, you were responsible for it, for it all,\u201d he said, his tone cold.<\/p>\n

Meia could not believe what she heard. He still blamed her for Pam\u2019s death<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ve got them all fooled about the Cimalians, don\u2019t you. Yeah, even the admiral looks up to you as do all the other pilots, like fools.\u00a0 You are nothing, and you deserve to be treated that way!\u201d Victor yelled at her.<\/p>\n

His face had a look of rage on it as he bent down to be more at her level.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou see, I understand a lot more about vengeance than you ever will. I don\u2019t care about the Alliance, I want to make sure you know all about suffering,\u201d he said to her.<\/p>\n

\u201cA person after my own heart,\u201d Henry said causing Meia to look back at him. She heard the tone before and the look in his eyes was anything but friendly causing her to want to flee.\u00a0 Her body refused to move.<\/p>\n

She watched as Henry paced a bit, pausing slightly to say something she did not hear before turning back to her and Victor. She knew something bad would happen by the look in Henry\u2019s eyes.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou realize you\u2019ve done the empire a great service,\u201d Henry stated.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf it gives me vengeance then it\u2019s all worth it,\u201d Victor said, his eyes never leaving Meia.<\/p>\n

\u201cNonetheless, a reward you shall have,\u201d Henry said causing Meia to shiver. She looked at her uncle who waved his hand and the sound of heavy footsteps approaching them.\u00a0 She saw a pair of black, shiny boots and a green camouflage uniform of the person approaching that looked so familiar to her.\u00a0 She looked up the rest of the figure not surprised to see Admiral Jezic standing there.<\/p>\n

She felt a bit of shock at seeing him, he managed to survive the battle somehow. Meia knew she did not wish to watch any reward to Victor.\u00a0 Jezic stopped close to Victor who had yet to pick up on the dangerous aura of the man.\u00a0 The height difference was evident even from Meia\u2019s position on the floor.<\/p>\n

One quick movement as Meia closed her eyes hearing the sickening crack and snapping of bones followed by the thud of a body falling on the floor. Opening her eyes she knew Victor was dead and looked up to see Jezic brush off his hands and turn towards the emperor who walked over to look at the body.<\/p>\n

\u201cSilly fool, did you really think I\u2019d allow someone like you into the empire, have someone clean up this mess,\u201d he said turning his attention back to Meia. \u201cNow, for you my dear niece.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meia felt the panic welling up in her again being so close to him. her last thought before passing out was concern with getting away.<\/p>\n

End part 10<\/p>\n

Continued in part 11<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Cimalian Princess: Clone by AJ Marks Part 10 Meia made her way along the streets with Victor close behind her. She took note of the empty streets, which concerned her especially considering the traffic earlier.\u00a0 Had she missed out on a curfew in place?\u00a0 She hurried along knowing a couple of more streets they […]
Continue reading…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[3,25,28,5,12],"class_list":["post-1192","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-original","tag-aj-marks","tag-cimalian","tag-original","tag-sci-fi","tag-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1192","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1192"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1192\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1202,"href":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1192\/revisions\/1202"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1192"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1192"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1192"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}