A3 - Chapter 144 – Tia (Part 2) (Patreon)

USD: A week later

Location: Luna, Imperial Residency, Princess Celestia’s Wing

The scent of horses and the outdoors followed Celestia as she navigated the main hallway of her wing of the Imperial Palace. She’d put her oldest mare through the paces and spent an hour rubbing her down and brushing her coat. Everything was more vibrant, the colors of the tapestries lining the walls, the golden hues from the faux sun shining on the golden gilding of the woodwork.

Even the faint leavings of manure from her riding boots that sent her maids into a cleaning frenzy behind her tickled her senses in ways she barely understood.

It was like suddenly understanding of how everything worked, not just on a basic level, but on a fundamental one. Whenever she faced something new or unknown, the answer would manifest in her thoughts almost immediately.

Sometimes, it felt like someone else was there with her, listening to her thoughts and giving her the answers she needed.

Annoyingly, it currently wasn’t telling her where Livia was.

Her companion had been distant and distracted the last few days, and Tia wanted to tell her about her newfound ability to keep pace with her horse, and how she had leaped up on top of the stable without a problem. Celestia knew she might get a minor scolding for it, but it was amazing!

Instead of Livia, Melanie was waiting around the corner. Despite her earlier animosity, her sister had come every day to help guide her through the complexities of her new abilities. Virtual spaces, accessing LunaNet with nothing more than her thoughts, and maintaining multiple viewports had all been easily understood and learned with her older sister’s help.

More than the new things, Tia loved the new attention, the praise for success, and affection of her older sibling that she’d never received before. Becoming an NAI was the best thing that had ever happened to her in her entire life.

A warm smile appeared on Melanie’s face as their eyes met. Celestia shot a cheerful one back. “Have you seen Livia?”

Melanie’s expression shifted into a frown. “I’m afraid Livia is in trouble and needs our help.”

Tia’s brow furrowed in confusion, but a caress in the back of her head whispered that her sister wasn’t lying.

“How? Where?” Tia asked.

Her sister placed a gentle touch on her shoulder, then guided them through the maze-like corridors of the palace. Winding out of her personal wing and into the main body of the Imperial Residence, Tia felt her stomach fall when they came to a hidden set of stairs in a cubby-hole.

It went down to the basement. The basement was scary.

Tia hesitated as Melanie let her go first. The scent of metal, rust, and oil wafted up to her. The mechanical bits of the palace were many times the size of the actual living spaces and it was easy to get turned around in the labyrinth. She’d escaped Livia one year to go exploring, and everyone had ended up in trouble when she’d gotten lost.

As she descended the dimly lit metal staircase, the air grew slightly cooler, and a shiver passed down Celestia’s spine as the basement was everything she remembered.

“Why is she down here?” Tia asked.

“It’s not far. Just right over here.” Melanie answered, her face now veiled in the shadows.

Her sister opened the door for her, and as Celestia cautiously stepped into the room, her eyes widened in horror.

Livia was chained to a bare metal wall at the far side of the room. Her clothes had been torn and her body was bruised and battered.

“Livi!” Celestia’s hands turned into fists, her heart racing as a mix of shock, fear, and anger filled her. She rushed forward, eager to help and unchain her friend, only to be stopped in her tracks by the sudden appearance of her brother, Andrew.

Tia snarled at him, baring her teeth. “Andrew, what have you done to Livi!” Celestia shouted, her voice shaking. When he didn’t answer immediately, she pulled back her leg and kicked at him.

He deftly stepped aside, avoiding the blow while remaining nonplussed. “She’s been spying on you, dear little sister.”

A sinister grin appeared on his lips as he pulled a small holographic datachit from his shirt pocket. It sprung to life, displaying a dense block of code. Her new HUD overlay highlighted it immediately.

Understanding and the truth of the information poured into her, despite her internal turmoil trying to push it away.

Tears streaming down her cheeks, Celestia turned to Livia and choked out a single word. “Why?”

Livia’s chains jingled as she looked up, tears mimicking Tia’s streaming down her cheeks. “I’m sorry, Tia. I didn’t have a choice; the Count takes care of my family.”

Tia swallowed her pain and ordered her thoughts. Livia had sent regular reports on her behavior, growth, and an opinion on how suitable Tia was as a princess.

In the back of her head the voice explained more, that the Count was likely trying to find out if she would make a suitable ally and the information was unlikely to have been used to harm her. It also confirmed Livia’s statement that her family lived in the Count’s fief as his servants.

Celestia exhaled a deep breath, swallowing the sense of betrayal and pushing it away before closing the distance between them. She wrapped her arms around Livia in a protective embrace. “I forgive you, Livi,” she murmured.

A cruel, disdainful laugh filled the room, and Tia turned to glare at her brother. “I hate you!” she screamed, her voice echoing through the basement. “You didn’t have to hurt her like this!”

“We are merely teaching you an important lesson, Celestia.” He replied.

Tia’s brow furrowed as Melanie stepped forward and she felt her stomach lurch as the realization finally set in. “Why did you help him, Melanie?”

“Celestia, Livia has been spying on you for a noble. She betrayed you and the Imperial Family. That makes her a traitor,” Melanie said, a sly grin creeping onto her face.

Tia stared at her sister, her mind reeling as the word ‘traitor’ echoed through her thoughts. The air around her seemed to thicken, making it difficult to breathe. She turned to look at Livia, her heart pounding in her chest.

Traitor.

Invisible threads wrapped themselves around her, urging her to reach out and end Livia’s life with a swift, brutal snap of the neck. But Tia resisted, her entire being screaming in protest.

Traitor. Treason.

She would not hurt Livia; she would rather die!

“Tia...?” Livia’s voice was weak, but the concern on her battered face was evident.

TRAITOR. TREASON.

Tia’s eyes overflowed with red nanite laced tears, turning Livia and everything in her vision a scarlet red. Squeezing her fists tighter, Tia’s nails bit into her skin, leaving cuts on her palms.

Melanie’s voice cut through the haze. “Ertan, Andrew. She’s literally going to melt herself. Do something.”

“Let me help you, Celestia,” Andrew said, kneeling in front of Livia and placing a firm hand on Tia’s shoulder. “You must care for her deeply, but there’s another option besides getting rid of her.”

She couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t scream at him to leave Livia alone.

Traitor.

He clenched his fist, making sure Tia saw it, and then slammed it into Livia’s torso. Blood splattered everywhere, but the unbearable compulsion gripping Tia suddenly released.

“Livi!” Tia screamed, pounding at Andrew with her small fists. He merely pushed her away, standing back up with a disdainful sneer.

“Behave. You can make her your sub-core now. Isn’t that nice?” he taunted.

Tia turned back to Livia, frantically trying to stem the flow of blood from her friend’s wounds. Livia’s eyes, now pulsing a deep ruby red, locked onto Tia’s as she whispered her name.

“Tia…”

Tia sobbed, holding onto Livia as a stinging sensation took hold. Andrew watched with a cruel expression. “Oh dear. It looks like you haven’t learned how to make a sub-core yet.”

Tia could only scream as Livia dissolved into a painful, stinging cloud.

Melanie turned to Andrew, her voice a venomous hiss, “They’ll detect it; mother will punish us. Nullify the rampancy.”

“Let her feel it a little longer,” Andrew replied, smirking. “It should be a lesson she never forgets.”

***

USD: 1 Day after Cadre-S Graduation

Location: Van Biesbroeck’s star, Meltisar, MIL-1A Elevator, Main Transit Hub

Tia’s eyes snapped open, her breath catching in her throat as she inhaled sharply through her mask. A red warning light blinked urgently, urging her to move. With a desperate roll to the side, she narrowly evaded a deadly black spear.

Pain surged through her left hand and arm. She shook it vigorously, flinging off a thick layer of black rampancy that had taken hold while she was unconscious. The AGAI had hit her. Hard.

Get it together.

Her defense field flickered weakly as a barrage of spikes hurtled towards her. The black nanite forms penetrated the sphere with ease, and Tia somersaulted through the air to avoid being hit. The AGAI had closed the distance, its hateful gaze locked onto her.

Most of its body had morphed into a shapeless mass, but its head remained the same enigmatic black helmet with glowing red eyes. A sudden twinge of pain at her temple blurred her vision, and an image of Livia’s face replaced the helmet. Uncertain why the memory haunted her now, Tia pushed it away.

Pointing a finger above the creature’s head, a small whine preceded a sharp crack. The projectile was small, but it carried enough energy to dislodge the damaged support beam, causing the nearby scaffolding attached to the ceiling to crash down onto the AGAI’s head.

“You need to get further away from it, Tia!” Alex’s frantic voice buzzed in her ear.

“You took my modules,” Tia accused. “I don’t think I can get any further. I’m running on empty here.”

“It’s getting tired too,” Alex said. “Stop trying to brute force it! Use your head!”

“I don’t have any more tricks! I already collapsed the ceiling on it!”

A brief pause ensued as Tia started to retreat, but as soon as she moved, the AGAI roared and charged after her.

“There’s an unexploded gas tank in the tram wreckage. It’s nitrogen, but it’s very high pressure; it might work,” Alex added finally.

Tia’s eyes darted to the center of the wrecked station, her HUD highlighting the container using Alex’s tag. It was a better idea than anything she had.

A black pole shot out from the AGAI’s arm, smashing into the ground behind her. The floor caved in, buckling, and flying out of the station’s I-field. Barely having time to react, Tia jumped and kicked at the weapon as it lifted back up, propelling herself through the air toward the destroyed tram.

A spike followed her trajectory, slamming into her side and drawing a ragged curse. She clutched at it, focusing as she tumbled through the air. Her nanites rapidly cloaked her hand, cannibalizing the hostile mass and sealing the injury.

As Tia soared through the air, her eyes locked onto the unexploded gas tank nestled within the twisted wreckage of the tram. The distance was closing, but she could feel her energy reserves dwindling. She gritted her teeth, determination flaring within her.

The AGAI, relentless in its pursuit, launched another volley of spikes her way. Tia twisted her body, narrowly avoiding a few, but some grazed her arm and leg, leaving trails of pain in their wake.

“Almost there,” she muttered under her breath as she neared the nitrogen gas tank.

With a final burst of speed, she grabbed it, her fingers digging into the cold metal. Tia spun around, facing the rampaging AGAI, and heaved the tank in its direction.

Predictably, it chopped the tank in half with its arm.

“Alex, now!” Tia shouted, kicking off the wreckage and leaping into the air. The overpressure wave expanded forcefully, sending her hurdling across the station.

A second later, the entire transit hub lit up with a blinding flash of light as a ship grade laser turned a meter wide swath into plasma.