Child of Earth
By Lumendea
Chapter Twenty-Six: Durmino Empire: Call to Arms
Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or any of the spinoff material and I gain no income off of this story, just the satisfaction of playing with the characters.
…
Rose Tyler moved amongst the bookshelves thoughtfully. She wasn't sure what she was looking for, but was confident that she'd know when she found it. The stacks of the Cambridge University hadn't been a common location for her to go over the past few years. With her science and computer science based classes it was rare to find anything new enough to be of use for her assignments here. Still she had a paper to write and was lacking inspiration for a topic.
All of a sudden Rose felt an off prickling over her skin. It was strange, but also very familiar to her. Tensing up, Rose moved further into the stacks beyond the sight of anyone or any cameras she hoped as the energy continued to tingle across her skin. It became harder to breathe as the energy level increased further. Summoning her sword, Rose almost braced herself but remembered that it wouldn't do much good. Her last thought as the world fell away in a wave of blue light was that maybe she needed to start wearing that biodamper ring.
Things came back quickly and Rose found herself in a rather stark white room except for a console of controls. A familiar-looking alien was standing at the controls in a crisp and clean dark blue uniform with a familiar face next to her. As the female alien smiled sadly Rose forced herself to relax.
"Alenica," Rose greeted in surprise, allowing her sword to retract and putting her hands on her hips as she studied the Durmino Princess. "What- uh hi."
"Hello Star Knight Rose," Alenica greeted in a soft muted tone as Rose took her in.
Alenica regal face was tight with worry and the normal bluish tint on her pale skin was almost invisible. Her eyes were wide as even, but the blue color was dull and dark with sorrow. A dark blue scarf was hiding Alenica's deer like ears from Rose's view and she was dressed in a somber dark blue gown. Rose's mind went unbidden to the Doctor's remark once that blue was a much more universal color of mourning. That conversation had dimmed her affection for the color, but at least it wasn't purple.
"Alenica what has happened?" Rose questioned.
"Forgive me for summoning you like this," Alenica implored quickly, stepping forward and took one of Rose's hands. "You are not one of my subjects and I do not have the right, but I desperately need your help."
"I'll help if I can," Rose assured the distracted princess. "Tell me everything."
"My father, Emperor Reikigot is dead," Alenica forced out through a soft sob. "Murdered. The Empire is under attack by a space Warlord known as Khandrin. I believe they had him killed."
"What about the Otharans?"
"Their fleet is tied up four systems over dealing with another Sycorax enslaved planet and Khandrin has already attacked their flank. There had been meetings in the Shadow Proclamation about if action should be taken against him. We were in favour and this seems to be our punishment."
Invasion, murder and politics, lovely.
"Uh alright then," Rose breathed uneasily. "Perhaps we should start with some basics," she remarked scrambling for something to say.
"Indeed," Alenica agreed with visible relief. She stepped out from behind the control panel and extended her hand to Rose. "I have a room prepared for you. It will be a couple of hours before we arrive. We can discuss the situation."
"It would also help if I knew some basics about the empire," Rose added carefully as she took the Princess' hand.
"Of course, all rooms have an information system. You can look up anything in the Durmino Empire files," Alenica assured her with an eager nod. "Just… please, I can't do this alone."
"If your father is dead then aren't you Empress now?" Rose questioned as they stepped out into the corridor beyond.
"Well I am… in a way, but it isn't official until my coronation," Alenica explained uneasily. "And I'm afraid that if the situation with Khandrin isn't resolved soon that the faction still wanting us to be conquerors may make an attempt at power."
Rose nodded, she'd almost forgotten about that. She'd met Alenica when that faction under a General tried to frame her planet for the assassination of Alenica. Rose had barely prevented the interplanetary incident then and she could imagine that the chaos of an invasion of the Empire might be too tempting. It was an ugly thought, the idea that rather than rallying to protect their people and planet some might just see it as a way to gain power for their agenda.
"Here Star Knight," Alenica called, stopping in front of a metallic door that slid into the wall as it opened for them.
The room was fairly small, looking like something out of a science fiction show with sleek white walls, rounded deep windows looking out at the passing stars and a bed secured to the wall. There was a small desk coming out of the wall with a comfortable looking chair on each side. Small, but very serviceable for such a short trip.
"I'm sorry it isn't anything becoming a Star Knight," Alenica apologised surprising Rose. "I brought one of our faster ships. The warships couldn't be spared."
"It's lovely," Rose told her quickly as she sat down at the desk and turned the screen of the computer like device towards her. Thankfully it looked very simple. "Please sit down and let's go over everything."
The princess nodded and sat down across from Rose, giving her a moment to study the other young woman. She didn't know too much about Alenica's people, but her normally soft blue skin was pale and her ears seemed to be turned back as if she was afraid. Staying silent, Rose gave Alenica a moment to gather her thoughts while she marvelled at how in control the young woman still was. Her father had been murdered and yet she was focusing on finding ways to protect her people.
"Khandrin is a warlord from the Betisit system," Alenica explained in a tight, but controlled voice. "He gained his first ships while working as a smuggler and pirate. Gradually he gained more and more men and ships. Then he started taking slaves and selling them."
"I'm surprised slavery is a thing with all the technology available," Rose remarked with a frown before the possibilities hit her. "Uh anyway, no one tried to stop him."
"Rumour is that a mysterious alien called the Doctor stopped one of his slave runs and shut down the entire system's slave market," Alenica informed her as Rose held back a smile. "But it didn't stop him for long. He's conquered several worlds and lost them only to come back again. He's survived massive battles and some say that he can't die."
"I have a hard time believing that," Rose sighed though the idea of a space warlord who kept resurfacing no matter the defeat was intimidating.
"He has a reputation as a great commander, but also isn't afraid to use underhanded tactics."
"You were able to come to Earth to get me," Rose observed quickly. "Does that mean you were off planet or was it not surrounded?"
"No, not yet anyway," Alenica agreed with a nod. "And teleportation signals are almost impossible to completely cut off so full blockade is impossible. But it still represents a major problem."
Rose nodded carefully, leaning back in her chair and licking her lips. There was a bad feeling creeping up her spine that she couldn't put her finger on. Maybe it was the idea of saving another world from invasion, the knowledge that even the Doctor hadn't permanently put a stop to this warlord or the weight of expectation she could feel from Alenica's eyes. Thanks to the Princess' culture and their regard of Star Knights, she had a tendency to see her in the best possible light. It was partially her own fault, but that didn't mean that Rose wasn't still nervous.
"Anything else?" Rose questioned, leaning forward and folding her hands.
"I'm afraid not. Khandrin has ordered that I meet with him in a few hours. We'll arrive shortly before then and I'd like you to come with me."
"You're going to meet with him after he demanded it?" Rose questioned as that uneasy feeling surged again. "Is that wise? It has to be dome sort of trap."
"It will buy time," Alenica answered softly, looking too defeated. "He has the ability to do serious damage to my planet."
"Were there no ships in orbit to protect the planet?"
"There were three battle cruisers in our solar system, but… he got the drop of two of them and ambushed them by hiding in the magnetic field of one of our gas giants. The third ship was able to destroy four of his ships but took heavy damage. Most of the fleet is still two days travel away, but seven cruisers from other sectors are on their way." Alenica gestured to the computer at Rose's side. "I have some things-"
"I'll familiarise myself," Rose finished gently. "I understand. Thank you Alenica."
"No, thank you Star Knight Rose," Alenica told her with a grateful smile. "So very much."
Rose nodded even as Alenica stood and left the room. The sudden silence was heavy and Rose turned the screen of the computer towards her. For a moment she was a bit lost but quickly discovered that it responded to her touch and began to sort through the library. Rose was uncertain as the whole of the Durmion Empire's knowledge opened to her but decided that their information on Khandrin and the legalities of succession was the best place to start. As the requested information came up, Rose inwardly sighed and resigned herself to a lot of reading.
A couples hours later a soft chime overhead pulled Rose from her musing and research, alerting her that something was happening. It wasn't an alarm but was enough to get her attention and Rose stood up from the desk. In the corner of her eye, she caught sight of a planet coming into view and smiled despite the seriousness of the situation. Rose had never been to the Durmion Empire much less their capital planet Durmion. Her interactions with Alenica had thus far taken place in Earth's orbit and on Etheian when she'd helped with treaty negotiations. She hadn't thought too much of what the planet would be like, convinced that she'd see it one day. If nothing else she'd ask the Doctor to bring her here.
Large cities covered much of the planet's surface, appearing like great white seas from orbit with small islands of green scattered throughout. Between the cities were lush patches of bright leaf green and the continents were defined by bright blue seas. It resembled Earth in appearance more than Rose had been expecting. Chuckling at herself, Rose rolled her shoulders and took a deep breath. She didn't have a plan yet as it was, but she'd stand with Alenica during the next contact and just see what happened. Behind her, the door slid open and Rose turned to find a woman in the Durmino blue fitted uniform.
"Star Knight," she greeted with a bow before Rose could say anything. "Her Majesty requests that you accompany her down to the planet."
…..
The teleport down to the planet felt shakier than the one from Earth and Rose wondered if their enemy might not be trying to block them. It was a worrying idea, but Alenica calmly stepped off the platform with her white cloak fluttering behind her. Rose followed her, trying to look confident and relaxed even as the staff nearby gaped at her and their eyes all moved to the golden cuff bracelet on her right wrist. Staying near Alenica, Rose took quick glanced around in an attempt to stay building a mental map of the area. The bad feeling hadn't gone away and was getting a little worse with every step.
They stepped into a large white room that was brightly lit with control consoles and screens lining all the walls. Several of Alenica's people in uniforms of shades of blue stood up as they entered and dropped into low bows to the Princess. Waving her hand, Alenica nodded in recognition to them.
"At ease," she called calmly, looking every bit in control and Rose felt a jolt of respect.
The doors on the far side of the room slid open and a tall Durmion man strode in with a scowl etched into his features. Judging from the crisp blue uniform and markings on it, this was a man of great importance. Rose was guessing a general as she'd seen a similar uniform before. He stopped and for a moment they just studied each other. While Alenica had long braided hair, his was cropped short making his large deer-like ears really stand out. His ears were turned forward, alert and he finally nodded.
"Princess Alenica," he greeted turning his attention back to the Princess and bowing. "I am pleased you have safely returned.
"Any new developments?"
"Not yet, battle cruiser Yukivo reports it will be here in four standard hours, but-"
"It can't do much alone," Alenica finished with a nod. "It seems that using Khandrin's talks remains our best option."
"I don't like it," the man replied with a huff. "While having you hand over the Empire would make all this legal before the Shadow Proclamation, he could just as easily use it as a chance to kill you."
"That is why I'm asking Star Knight Rose to accompany me," Alenica replied calmly, gesturing to Rose.
"So this is the Star Knight," the General remarked thoughtfully. Thankfully Rose saw mostly curiosity in his eyes though there was a hint of doubt. "I bid you welcome," he greeted more formerly this time, giving her a small bow. "And I extend my thanks to you coming in our time of need, Her Majesty has great faith in you. I am General Tokius, it means one who leads."
"Pleasure to meet you," Rose returned carefully, unsure if Tokius actually liked her being there or not.
The large table began to glow and 3-D images appeared above it showing the planet and a small fleet of ships. Rose swallowed thickly at the sight of them, understanding the General and Alenica's worry fully. The planet was partially surrounded with only a few gaps, the very gaps that Alenica must have used.
"Thankfully they haven't settled into full blockade mode yet," the General remarked as he studied the display with sharp blue eyes. "Once they do it will be difficult to transport enough food to keep the population healthy."
"Have they made any demands?" Rose questioned.
"Surrender the Imperial Throne," Alenica answered darkly with a scowl. "Nothing new, but Khandrin isn't budging on his desire to take over Durmino."
"And then no doubt conquer more territory," Tokius added with a deepening frown. "He knows that our forces are tied up with the Sycorax."
"But they won't be that long surely," Rose insisted with the feeling she was missing something. "He can't truly think that people will stand for this."
"If I willing give him the throne then in accordance with our laws it all becomes legal," Alenica explained gently before sighing. "He doesn't need to fight to hold it."
"Which is why we can't let him back us into a corner," Tokius insisted, straightening up. "We need to counter attack."
"A battle so close to the planet will create fallout," Alenica countered with a shake of her head. "One more reason why I'm sure he's certain we won't attack." She looked at Rose and nodded towards the images of the long rough looking space ships. "Khandrin's fleet is purposefully old. The weapons are state of the art, but the engine systems are unstable and if destroyed can cause a great deal of damage to the ships that attack him."
Another chime echoed through the room making Alenica tense. Rose looked over at her sharply and frowned as the Princess exhaled slowly. A disgusted look took over Tokius' face and he all but growled, "Is there nothing I can say, Your Majesty?"
"Unless you have a way to make our fleet return home faster or use the planetary defences to destroy Khandrin's fleet without the fallout killing our people there is not," Alenica replied with a hint of defeat in her voice. She turned her eyes to Rose and held her chin high. "Will you come with me, Rose?"
"Of course," Rose forced out as her stomach tried to turn. She'd give it ten minutes and if things were going badly then she was calling the Doctor. "Lead the way."
It didn't occur to Rose that she might not even have ten minutes.