Before Impact
"W...what was that?"
It was a fundamentally useless question and despite the increasingly serious situation, Alessaria still found herself able to grow annoyed at the whining voice which asked it. The young noble woman turned to begin explaining in perhaps impolite terms how clearly no one present would be able to answer such before a far more powerful shudder ripped through their surroundings. Expensive fittings, sculptures and other such luxuries were scattered across the ground as the floor itself seemed to turn, a servant letting out a cry of pain as the sharpened end of a decorative blade impaled them tumbling from the wall. The nobles themselves fared little better, tumbling and crying out as they lost their footing.
Alessaria slipped herself, but she prevented herself from rolling further by swiftly grabbing the leg of a heavy tabled, the shuddering motion of the vessel passing through her, an involuntary moan of pain passing her lips, before the stupid girl asking the questions collided with her.
"Get. Off....Me." She allowed all her frustration out as she shoved the young woman away from her despite the shocked protest of her fellow noble, but Alessaria was already moving, climbing to her feet and patting herself down before starting to stride towards the exit. She still had no idea of what exactly was going on, but she'd already decided that one of the noble lounges was a decidedly poor choice to wait this particular crisis out. As she did so, Trennek, the member of her household guards assigned to her personal protection, moved in step to fall in behind her.
"Alessaria, where are you-" One of the other gaggle of women attempted to approach and speak to her, but Trennek quickly stepped between them, preventing the lesser noble from delaying his mistress any further motion. The lady herself didn't bother to respond, instead passing through the ornate entrance to the lounge even as another rumble rocked the vessel.
"I do believe something is quite wrong, Trennek, and much as I am loathe to admit, I do not think this is the sort of wrong which father's name will be able to fix." She spoke with an exasperated tone as she clutched to the guard to steady herself.
"Quite so, my lady."
"So....what do we do?"
"I believe you will be safest in your private chambers, my lady, I would recommend locking the door."
"Very well, let us be about it."
Matters, despite their already somewhat dismal state, did not improve. It did not take long for Alessaria to make it back to her private quarters with Trennek’s aid, the noblewoman locking the chamber as suggested as the ship continued to shudder and churn.
“My Lady, it would be best if you take shelter within sturdy confines...such as this.” The bodyguard motioned to one of the heavy set chests adorning the room, an action that earned him an aghast stare from the young woman in question.
“In….the box, are you mad?”
“I’m sorry my lady, I wouldn’t suggest such a thing if this weren’t a dire situation, I do not believe the safety of this room can be guaranteed.
It still took Alessaria a moment to recover from the insinuation, but another fierce tremor rolling through the ship made her mind up for her, and she nodded hastily. “As you say.” Trennak was already opening the ornate chest, removing some of the contents in the process, mostly some of the more personal clothing of Alessaria’s expansive collection. Even so, it was a tight squeeze and not exactly a situation the noble woman was used to, wiggling her way inside so that the lid may be shut.
“Stay put, my lady, the Emperor protects.” Trennak spoke with a ghost of a smile, which earned him a tremoring nod from Alessaria, before her world was plunged even further into darkness by the closing of the chest.
Planetside
Amongst the ruin of what had once been a noble imperial vessel, the chest rocked back and forth for some time, before finally tipping over. Alessaria sprawled outwards as she was finally able to take full breaths of air, choking immediately as she instead tasted smoke and ash, the ruins of the vessel, mostly her personal state room, all around her. She choked back a cry of fear as her eyes fell on the partial remains of her bodyguard, scrabbling over to the corpse. A full third of his upper body was simply missing, bisected by some amount of debris in the impact no doubt. With a whimper, the noblewoman fumbled with his belt to remove the ornate las pistol at his waist, her hands tremoring as she held it herself for the first time.
”Hello!?” She called out in as loud and even a voice as she could manage, which was fairly successful in the former, but certainly not in the latter.
