by Rena Marks
Serepto turned to her, his eyes narrowed. “It appears I owe you much.”
“Of course not,” Arian said. “But now that I know how you feel, I’d appreciate if you stay out of my way. I don’t have time to deal with drama.”
The group was silent as they prepared meals at the small kitchenette bar. Arian fixed a plate for Dieroc, who still manned the captain’s chair.
“Why don’t you set the autopilot and come take a break?” she said. “Give that new body time to adjust to being human.”
He gave her a smile, and did as she requested. They all sat around the bar, and began to eat.
“When will we begin the revival on the others?” Serepto asked.
“That should be up to Arian,” Rune said. “She’s the one who has to sacrifice her health if another infection occurs. She’s the only one with universal DNA.”
Serepto’s lips tightened.
“If we wait long enough to get to your planet,” Jax said, “we’ll have others available for transfusions should something go wrong.”
“But if we’re found by the Zetans,” she countered, “they’ll outnumber us.”
“There is that chance. But ultimately, the choice is yours.”
The worst had already happened. Serepto tried to turn the rest against her, and they rejected it. If it happened again, and they decided to go for it, well, she’d deal with it then. In the meantime, she’d have to take the best interests of everyone into account.
“We’ll revive everyone. Beginning tomorrow.”
“What is wrong with today?” Serepto said. He was no longer emotionless, and the others turned their heads.
Jax spoke. “If you wish to begin the process, Tess can instruct you. I am taking Arian to our quarters. She’s dealt with enough.”
“You owe it to your own people to revive them.” Serepto’s voice was harsh.
Vann stepped forward. “Arian has been through a lot. If Jax wishes to return with her to their quarters, we will begin the process to revive the others on our own. There is no need for him to rearrange his plans.”
“One female aboard this ship and everyone acts differently,” Serepto said. Though he breathed deeply, his tone was more modulated than before.
Sifahn cocked his head, as if he accessed thought. “Arian needs…rest. She has been through a lot. There are no emergencies in which we need Jax at this moment. There is no problem with him wishing to care for her.”
Arian watched as Serepto slowly unclenched his fists and nodded.
She hoped Serepto would come to his senses and that he wasn’t just building up issues to explode later. Then Jax was tugging her hand, pulling her toward the hallway.
“Do you think he’ll be all right with our relationship?” she asked him when they were alone.
“He’ll have to come to grips with it. And he will, eventually. He’s just wary that I’m under some kind of spell. Don’t worry about it.”
She couldn’t help but worry. This was Jax’s best friend. And it left her wondering…what was their relationship?
Once in their room, Jax pulled her clothing off her and set her in the shower. He flipped the water on, allowing it to wet her with warmth while he removed his clothes. He stepped into the enclosure and soaped her, massaging the foam into her limbs. Then he used the shampoo spray to wash her hair, and switched the spray to plain water to rinse her off. He washed himself quickly. When they were both clean, he turned off the water and used the dry button. There was no air with the dry button, like one would expect. Instead, the enclosure lit with a red glow of heat and the water was dried from their bodies within a few minutes. He picked her up and carried her to bed.
“Jax?” she asked. “What will happen to us? When you’re finished helping with my planet?”
“No worries, Arian. We will cross that bridge when we come to it.”
“How can I not worry? We have no idea how your people feel about us having a relationship.”
“It doesn’t matter how they feel. I know what I feel for you. I love you. You do not have to love me back, but I would like to remain with you. This is a new life for me and I would like to build it with you.”
No wonder Serepto hated her.
“I know you’re tired,” he murmured. “I’ve watched you go for hours. Rest up, Arian. We need you strong for tomorrow.”
He cuddled her close, and she felt warm and comforted against the muscled planes of his chest. It was easy to fall asleep, because for once, she felt like she belonged.
* * * * *
He was gone when she woke.
“Tess? Locate Jax.”
“All members of the council are in the main hull. They are having a slight disagreement over how to proceed.”
“I imagine Serepto’s involved.”
“He is one of the council,” Tess pointed out.
Arian dressed quickly and headed through the ship to find Jax. From the hallway, she could hear the voices of those on the council.
“He has been different since he met her.” A strong voice rang out. She winced. There was only one “her” on the ship.
“Of course he is different. He has been revived longer than the rest of us, and we’ve determined emotions come easier with the more passing of time.”
“I feel she has somehow contaminated him with these emotions. That he is not thinking with logic, the way he should.”
“There should be a balance between emotion and logic,” Jax said. “Beings who are too logical are not any better than beings who are too emotional.”
“We need to know where you stand,” Serepto roared.
“This is her ship. She saved us from a planet about to blow. We owe her a lot.”
“Agreed,” Dieroc said. “I don’t see where Jax is being disloyal.”
“Perhaps it’s because you all are joining him in the more emotional state,” Serepto said.
“That could very well be,” Rune said. “We will watch for that. In the meantime, you are to curb your own issues with Arian. Jax is right, this is her ship and we will not overrule that fact.”
There was sudden silence as Arian stepped into the room. “I think perhaps Serepto and I need to have a talk. Alone.”
A few voices spoke at once.
“No—“ Jax said.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Rune said.
“Already she changes our dynamic,” Serepto said. “In the past, the council made decisions. Now she steps in and wishes for things to be different.”
Jax pulled a chair out for her. “Arian, please. Sit and we can have a civilized conversation among all of us.”
Calmly, she took the seat. “Let’s talk then. Serepto, please begin.”
His beautiful face still looked gorgeous, even when flushed with anger. “I don’t like the way you rule everything,” he said.
“We have gone over this. It is Arian’s ship,” Jax said, his voice heated.
“I don’t trust you,” Serepto said to her, ignoring Jax. “I don’t know you, and we should be more wary as a whole. Instead, the others make allowances because you’re a lone female.”
“It’s not that,” Jax said. “The rest of us respect that it is her territory. Her ship.”
“I think there’s more going on here,” Arian said. “You are best friends with Jax.”
“Yes. What does that have to do with anything?” Serepto said, yet he refused to look toward Jax.
“You’re feeling an emotion I don’t think you’re used to. Jealousy.”
He looked surprised for a moment. “You’re calling me jealous?”
She nodded. “It happens when friends become involved with others. In your case, you’ve been flung into a physical body after so many years of not feeling emotions. It’s given you whiplash to the point you’re not even aware of it.”
“That makes sense,” Rune said.
“No, it does not,” Serepto said.
“Tess,” Jax said. “Please scan Serepto’s tempera
ture.”
“101,” she answered. “Two degrees higher than normal.”
“That would indicate high emotion,” Echo said.
“It doesn’t prove jealousy,” Serepto said.
“No, it does not,” Arian agreed. “But then again, you can’t prove that Jax is under my influence with his emotions either.”
Touché. She noticed the stillness in the room when Serepto’s argument was taken away.
“If we want to think logically,” Sifahn said, “it would make no sense for Arian to sway Jax’s decision making. And it would definitely not make sense for her to undergo painful procedures for someone she doesn’t even know…other than knowing he is Jax’s best friend and she could save him.”
The room grew quiet.
“What do you mean?” Serepto asked.
“Your body had an infection. That much you knew. What you didn’t know was that the infection was cured with the introduction of Arian’s blood and marrow, which was a painful procedure for her. Say hi to your donor. She was the only one available, so you’re lucky she agreed.”
All the council except Serepto had aggressive stares on their faces, as if challenging him to disrespect her now.
“It’s not a big deal,” she said. “I’d have done the same for any one of you.”
“That’s the point,” Jax said. “It was a selfless act. I’d hate to think what might happen if you were in the same position. How many here would have volunteered to save you? Or have we become a race who merely thinks we can have her ship when she’s gone?”
“Arian?” Tess’s computerized voice sounded overhead. “You wanted me to notify you when we were a week away from home.”
“Thank you, Tess.” Arian turned to Jax. “Are you ready to wake everyone else?”
He nodded. “The bodies are moving along more quickly now that we have a system down. Now that we have the experience with the revival process. We’ll be ready.”
“Let’s get to work.”
The seven council members and Arian allowed Tess to navigate the ship while they prepared bodies. The medic-bay was sterilized, and the skeletal frames given a bed.
After countless bodies had been prepped and cared for, Arian found she was working alongside Serepto, of all people. He seemed startled when he realized he was next to her, but no one else seemed to notice anything.
“What kind of hair are we giving this one?” Echo asked her cheerfully.
“See who’s going to inhabit the body,” she answered. “Then you tell me if he’d prefer long or short.”
“Definitely short.”
“We can always dye his hair pink,” she said with a wink.
Echo laughed. “There would be two hundred upset warriors to two. The odds aren’t in our favor.”
She mock-sighed. “Perhaps not, then.”
Across the room, Jax smiled at her. He’d noticed that Echo added himself to her odds. From the jerky hand movements of Serepto, he’d noticed too.
Eight long hours stretched by before the last body was set and covered in plastic.
“That’s it,” Arian said. “Now we wait. Who wants to join me in the kitchen for pancakes? It’s a sweet treat. I promise you’ll love them.”
There was a chorus of voices agreeing, and then Jax hooked an arm over her shoulders for the walk down the hall. He pulled her close to whisper in her ear.
“Everyone loves you as much as I.”
Everyone except for his best friend.
* * * * *
Things didn’t get better with Serepto in the next few days. If anything, he seemed to avoid her, which was difficult to do when there were eight people on a cruise ship. Arian decided it was for the best. She had no idea what would come of his and Jax’s relationship, but damned if she would be at the root of it.
For now, she’d busy herself with the revival of the other bodies. Carefully, she lifted a sheet to peek underneath. “This one seems to be moving faster than the others,” she said.
Jax and Echo moved across the room to see the body she stood over. She peeled back the rest of the sheet. “His skin is already formed.”
“So are his eyelashes and fingernails,” Echo announced. “I’d say he’s our first revival.”
“Who is it?” Arian asked.
“His name is Malayan.”
“Let’s get him up and moving,” Jax said.
The doors to sick bay opened. Arian glanced up to see who it was, and fought back a groan.
“What’s going on?” Serepto asked.
“Malayan is the first one ready to be revived,” Jax said. “Arian, do you want to get his electrodes in place?”
“Of course,” she murmured, deeply aware of Serepto watching her every move. She parted Malayan’s hair and carefully shaved the small sections she needed. Then she attached the wires and stood back.
“Should his heart be shocked?” Serepto asked.
Arian started. He spoke to her. He asked her a question. “No,” she said. “His heart has been active for several hours. It’s a strong beat. We just need to stimulate his brain at the same time his consciousness inserts.”
A couple of minutes later, it was done. Malayan sat up and looked blankly around the room.
“Easy,” Jax said. “It’ll take a few minutes for your consciousness to connect with your sudden feelings and emotions.”
Malayan held his hand out, studying the movements as he slowly squeezed his fist. “I’d forgotten what this was like,” he said thickly.
Echo squeezed his shoulder. “We know, brother. It just takes time to adjust. Then you can help revive others.”
“You even sound different,” Malayan said, a bit of surprise in his voice.
Echo laughed. “And with each second that rolls by, so do you. Do you realize you just had surprise in your voice?”
Malayan blinked in surprise. He’d had no idea. Emotions had been long forgotten.
“This feels…surreal,” he said.
“You can thank Arian,” Jax said.
Malayan turned toward her.
“It’s okay,” she held up her hand, laughing. “Just get used to it. We need help with all the others. The rest of the crew is divided between navigating home and replicating uniforms.” She reached under the table for folded fabric. “Here you go.”
Serepto turned toward her. “Since it takes a while for hunger to set in, why don’t I make them a smoothie to sip on to kick start their sluggish bodies?”
“That’s a good idea. Tess has a ton of recipes,” she said.
He nodded once, then turned and left.
“He’s warming up,” Echo whispered, then turned to help Jax explain how to put on the uniform to Malayan. Arian went off to inspect other bodies to give them privacy.
Chapter Nine
“Incoming call from Orion.”
Arian turned to the viewing screen. “Son? What is going on? Where is your brother?”
“Leading the troops in defense of the wall. The natives are restless. We have traced magnetic waves to another ship. It looks like someone is spying on the planet.”
“Any idea who it is? Are your cloaks holding?”
“They are. There is no way they are aware of us. But they have the native people riled up with energy. It seems to cause a hum—a steady vibration throughout the planet.”
“Are you safe?”
“We are fine. I wanted to warn you before you land so you wouldn’t be alarmed when you saw them trying to climb the walls.”
“Thank you for the warning. We’ll keep an eye out.”
“Still arriving on time? We’ll shield your descent and wipe any traces of your magnetic waves.”
“We are. We’ll get the wall reinforced in no time.”
Arian felt Jax approach from behind her.
“Until then. Much love, mother.”
“Love to you, my son.”
“Jax, keep her safe.”
“You know I will.”
Arian felt hi
s hand cover her shoulder. With a nod, Orion disconnected.
“You raised good kids,” he murmured.
“My boys are awesome,” she agreed. “I worry about the Zetans attacking. They will kill my children mercilessly.”
“They’ll never have a chance to get close. Not with us here.”
“They’re a vicious race,” she said.
“You have to be when you bully women and children. But you know who else makes for a vicious race? Victims. The AI were victims for too many years to be gentle, Arian. We’ve got this.” He leaned forward and kissed her forehead.
The doors to the main hull opened
Vann, Sifahn, and Serepto entered with a group of two dozen men, giving them a tour of the ship.
“This is Arian. You are all aware of her. She is the one who saved our species,” Vann said. There were a few murmurs.
“Welcome, everyone. We’re headed to my planet where I have other friends and relatives living incognito. We hope to enlist your help in building a stronger wall for protection against the natives and elements.”
Several heads nodded in agreement. Then Jax’s arms enclosed around her, and pulled her body up against his, staking a claim in front of everyone. The group moved on.
“Relax. You’re too worried about it,” Jax whispered into her ear. “They will help. They will like it. They will all love you, just like I do.”
“You’re just biased,” she teased.
“Alert! Arian, high-priority alert.” Tess’s voice boomed over the loudspeakers.
Jax and Arian maneuvered to the captain’s chair, where he sat next to her. “Report,” Arian said.
“Incoming Zetan vessels. Six of them, fully armed and loaded.”
“Are they aware of us?”
“No.”
“Cloak vessel.”
“Done. However, that reduces your speed and you will be unable to flee.”
“I’m aware of that.” She traced the map on the small viewing screen located on the arm of her chair. “Change course by forty-five degrees south.”
She barely noticed the blue lights flashing in the eyes of the men surrounding her.
“I hardly think we can outrun them at this rate,” Echo said.
“I know what she’s doing,” Serepto said, peering over her shoulder at the map. “There’s a wormhole in our course.”