Episode Four (Part I)

{{Written by Anne}}

Victoria was not pleased. The ship had landed safely, and though Arturius and Stella had both reviewed the distress call they had received from the planet, Victoria had yet to see any of it. The ship’s gangplank lowered as she waited for it to hit the ground before walking out into the fragrant air of Isis. Stella flanked her right side, and Arturius her left-bristling with weaponry as usual.

“Don’t worry, Cap’n, Arty and I got this all under control. You an’ Lady Violet just go an’ enjoy your little shopping trip. Anything we can’t handle, Kots and Marie can.”

The Captain growled. “Would you quit addressing him as ‘Arty,’ Stella?”

“No can do Cap’n. He grins when I say it.” Arturius shook silently with laughter, making the guns on his back rattle like porcupine quills.

“Arturius, how many weapons are you carrying?” She slyly asked him.

He straightened up immediately, reporting, “Fourteen handguns, nine rifles and long range guns, six bayonets and,” he checked under his great coat, “exactly thirty-five blades.”

Kots walked up beside him. “Gonna need more,” he mumbled around his pipe.

Stella harrumphed at them both. “Well, time to get moving. The three of us will handle the distress beacon, while the two of you go shopping. Marie can stay here and mind the ship.”

“This isn’t your ship you know. You only get to captain the Nun-you’re still Prima here,” said Marie.

Victoria turned and leaned awkwardly to see into the kitchen, where Marie was talking from. “She makes a good point, you know,” she said quietly to Stella.

Marie appeared in the doorway of the kitchen wielding some wicked looking cookie cutters and wearing and outfit that was more suited to fine dining than kitchen labor. “Luckily, I’ve started scones, so you can proceed with the orders.”

“Still ain’t happy Cap’n?” Stella peered at Victoria, who was still seething.

“Hardly. Ready Violet?”

Violet blustered out of the back quarters of the ship carrying a pile of clothing which seemed to fall apart as she walked towards them. “I told you, it’s the Lady Violet Rosa Chandra Lillian d’Tarquin of-“

“Yes, yes, no one cares on this ship, now let’s get this over with,” said Victoria. It was a mistake.

No sooner had the words left her mouth than Arturius had grabbed Victoria and had her pinned against the airlock, his arm over her throat.

“You WILL respect the lady.” This caused several reactions, all which happened at the same time. Stella had both guns cocked and pressed against Arturius’s heart and head, and Kots had a gun to his own head as well as Stella’s. All of it only took a split second, training locking in before instincts. Victoria locked eyes with Arturius and he immediately released her, turning away from her to hide his shame at harming one he swore to protect.

“Kots, Stella, put up your weapons, this is between Arturius and I.” Both put up their weapons and stepped back to give the two space.

A scone bounced off Stella’s head. “Scones are ready!” Said a jubilant Marie. Both were happy to have an excuse to leave. Violet started forward.

“You need to go get ready for your shopping trip Lady Violet,” Arturius said quietly. She backed away to her room, also glad for the release.

Arturius faced Victoria and hugged her tightly. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, I’m sorry…”
“Me too. Sorry it had to come to this.”

He pulled away, “This? No, that was my fault entirely. I only meant-I just…” Words failed him again.

“No. I’m sorry. I’m sorry we’re here on this ship, sorry we have to sneak to this planet like criminals, sorry we can’t go back to what we had,” she smothered whatever other emotions were welling up inside of her by navigating around his weaponry and giving Arturius another crushing hug.

“I’m not.”

She appraised him.

“Because this way I get to be with you. This way I see you. This way we get to work together, side by side-as it should have always been.”

“But we could’ve been so much more. I was lieutenant-general when I left. You had quite the military career in front of you as well.”

“Not as much as you did. You were landed and titled, remember? For someone of my class, there’s only so high I can go.”

“Yes, but it meant something.”

“It couldn’t’ve lasted forever. We both know that. Your father would have stripped me of all rankings I had gained if he knew we fought together.”

“And mother?”

Arturius let out a long sigh.

“You need to go get dressed for shopping now. I doubt the mutilated outfit of an Anubian general will pass for proper aristocratic shopping clothes in a district like this.”

They stepped out of the airlock, Arturius to run over schematics again with Stella and Kots, and Victoria to see if Violet had anything that would fit her, and then if it was something she wouldn’t be recognized in.

She followed the trail of clothes Violet had dropped when she had rushed up to the gangplank before. Entering the secondary crew quarters, she saw a mess of fabric and jewels strewn about the bunks.

“Oh good! I’m glad you’re here so I can dress to what you’re wearing and we won’t clash. A lady of society never clashes with her companions. Let’s see, blue or gold for you?”

Victoria appraised both dressed with a mixed air of confusion and duty. “Lady Violet, there is something I should address before we begin this excursion.”
She stopped and looked up, “Yes?”

Victoria was still shaken by the episode with Arturius and had a hard time wording what she was trying to say in the best of circumstances. “Right. Well, you should know, even though we were born into the same class, we um, well, I was raised in a, hm, somewhat different household than most. Isis is a beautiful lush planet, filled with gardens and the best of the arts in the Anubian system. Anubis is primarily a governmental planet, focused on maintaining that government through laws and the military. The household I grew up in was ruled by the iron grip of my father.”

“I know this. I’m not stupid, remember? Your dad and my dad knew each other from the military. That’s why he was able to call in a personal favor when our province was experiencing trouble and when he got hauled off to military trial on Anubis.”

“Yes, but my point is that since I was my father’s only child, I became what he poured all his military vigor into. He ignored my mother to the point that she ran off with someone from the plebian class.” Violet’s eyes widened. Victoria ignored it and continued, “I was never raised to be a ‘lady’, I was raised to general the Anubian Army with an iron fist. So even though we are of the same class, I lack the finer training you might’ve had in finishing school.”

Violet smiled. “Don’t worry. I’ve got this one covered. We can put you in the blue and I can wear the gold and I’ll coach you as we go. Sound good?”

Victoria was confused. “Did you catch any of that?”

“Oh yes, and I’m more then refined enough for the both of us, so we’ll have no trouble at all blending into society. And this is my planet, remember? We’re playing on my turf now.”

Victoria could only nod as Violet wooshed chiffons and silks around. Violet paused in her frenzied repackaging of her wardrobe.

“Did you say ‘your father’s only child’? So your mother had more than one baby?”

Victoria smiled. Violet didn’t miss anything.