Taking a deep breath, she glared at DiMackerlyn. “I need time to think about it,” she said darkly.
“Don’t take too long,” her father commented. “I don’t know how much longer Bellit will live.”
She gave him one final look, then pivoting around, she stalked out of the bay, putting as much distance as she could between her and the man who personified the bane of her existence.
Chapter Ten
Story
“Terrin.”
Star turned around and buried herself within her husband’s embrace. He held her tightly, knowing she needed his comforting presence.
“I’m confused, Udo. I don’t know what to believe anymore.”
“It’s all right, my love.” A kiss brushed her temple. “I came because Deceiver called an emergency meeting.”
She looked up at him. “Why didn’t he make an announcement over the intercom?”
“Because he didn’t want DiMackerlyn to know. Right now Bruiser’s tailing the guy around, showing him points of interest inside the base while making sure the man doesn’t wander off into any classified areas.”
“What about the other one? Wooly?”
“He’s with Commander. They’re working on Two, and Deceiver doesn’t want them disturbed unless it’s an emergency.”
Star raised her head to look at him. “Deceiver doesn’t believe his story, either,” she stated.
“A few of us are still riding the rim of that nebula, but it’s because they’re confused. They don’t know the whole story. Terrin, we think it’s time you let us in on your past.”
She nodded, sighing. “You’re right. Let’s go.”
He blinked them out of their apartment, appearing an instant later in the meeting room. Everyone was already seated around the large oval table. When Hunter and Star stepped out of his shield, they got quiet and waited for the couple to take their seats.
Deceiver wasted no time getting to the point. “Star, we need an explanation as to the current state of affairs, please.” The ‘please’ almost sounded like an afterthought. Regardless, she knew she owed them. As she opened her mouth, an invisible hand touched her shoulder. Hunter’s touch, although he sat a few meters away, was reminding her he was there whenever she needed him.
“I was four when I levitated my first magnetic object. At first, I didn’t understand why I could make some things float but not others. Not until I realized I could only affect metal things. I don’t remember much about what I did while I played around with my ability. It was like a toy. A harmless bit of fun. I had no idea I was frightening my parents.”
“If you were frightening them,” Morning Fire interjected.
“I agree with Fire,” Animator added. Looking at Seeker, the woman inquired, “Did you get any drift as to whether or not the man was telling the truth about that?”
The younger Guardian shook her head as she gave a half-hearted shrug. “It was hard to make out a lot of things about him. What I could discern, however, was the fact that he was definitely shocked to see Star.”
“Shocked how?” Blender spoke up.
“Just…shocked. Like he really didn’t expect her to be here. To actually be his daughter.” Seeker added another shrug. “To get deeper, I’d have to touch him.”
“That can be arranged,” Deceiver commented. “Go ahead, Star. Tell us about the gypsy caravan.”
At the mention of the touring group, Star felt herself starting to break out in a small sweat. Small trembles began in the pit of her stomach and began to spread outward until Hunter’s soothing calmness held them at bay, giving her the chance to continue. Clasping her hands together, she placed them on top of the shiny onyx table and kept her eyes glued to their reflection on the surface.
“I do remember my parents arguing a lot. It seemed they were always yelling and screaming at each other. Then one day my father told me to get dressed and come with him. He didn’t tell me where we were going. Mother wasn’t home to tell me anything. He took me outside the city where we lived.”
She slowly shook her head. “I don’t know the name of the place where we were. I don’t recall what the planet was called or anything. Why would I? It didn’t matter to me. I was so young. I didn’t pay any attention.”
A deep breath helped to calm her, along with her husband’s loving touch. No one spoke. No one interrupted or asked her any further questions. Not yet, anyway.
“I remember the camp. It smelled. And it frightened me. There were enormous transparent boxes with all kinds of creatures in them. Creatures I’d never seen before, but I recognize some of them now.” She looked up to see Deceiver staring intently at her. “There were Geemandites and a couple of borer worms from Anta Hebron Five.”
Deceiver gave her a startled look, but it was Provoker who spoke up. “Dear gods, they caged intelligent species? Why?”
Star glanced at him. “I guess for the same reason my father handed me over to a man named Girith. Girith Varthay.” She grimaced at the memory of the pale man with the white hair and red eyes. A man who smiled at her with black teeth as he gave a disk to her father, then took her hand.
“Go with him, Tereshca. You’re going to be staying here for a while.”
“For how long, Father?”
“I’ll come back to get you as soon as your mother comes home.”
“He told me I was to stay with them until Mother came home. Then he’d return for me. Except he never did. I waited for days, and he never came back for me.”
Tears were forming in her eyes. She allowed them to fall, no longer caring what the others thought. Except for that invisible thread of love that continued to wind around her. She needed it, and Hunter made certain she remained aware of it.
“They put me in one of those clear boxes. They gave me food, but I didn’t like the way it tasted. I wouldn’t eat it. But after a while I was so hungry, I ate it anyway. Every now and then they’d give me a small bowl to relieve myself in. They also gave me a thin pallet and a blanket to sleep with. And evert once in a while I had to strip so they could clean my jumper. But they never let me out.”
“How long were you there?” Morning Fire’s soft question hung in the room.
“The camp remained there for days, I think. I remember Girith putting objects inside my box. He’d tell me to pick them up with my power, and I did because he frightened me. I was afraid of what he’d do to me if I refused. He’d put bigger and bigger objects inside, and tell me to lift them. I did, and that made him happy. But he got very excited when he told me to make one of the small lifepods move, and I raised it off the ground.”
Star wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and took a deep, shaky breath. “Then one day my box was packed inside this ship, along with the other boxes. It was dark where we were. Dark and cold. I got very hungry, and I was so ashamed when I had to use a corner of my box to relieve myself, but I had no other choice. We finally landed somewhere, and our boxes were unloaded. I remember how bright the suns were. Blue suns. Two of them. I remember one was bigger than the other, and I’d pretend one was the father sun and the other the mother sun.”
Somewhere to the side, she heard Time Merchant murmur to Disaster. “Beir Hyderia system?”
“Or Magnusti Obero Tendai.”
Star continued. “Strange looking people came to see us. Our boxes were suspended outside a big yellow tree-looking building. Girith would throw things inside my box and tell me to lift them again. Then he would ask the people for suggestions, and he’d tell me to lift those things they handed him, too. There was only one thing I couldn’t move. Not much, anyway. That was the main ship. It was too heavy for me, but remember I was still a child.”
“How long were you part of the clan?” Condemner asked.
Corona picked up the thread. “Yes. How long were you held captive?”
“I don’t know,” Star answered. “I had no way of telling time. I remember growing up. I remember when I got my first flow. Girith was very angry at me fo
r bleeding inside my box, but I couldn’t stop it. I was terrified. I thought I was dying.”
“Star?”
She glanced over at Animator, whose face had gone pasty white.
“Did they ever let you out of your box?” the woman whispered.
“No. Never. I guess they thought I’d run away. I don’t know how much Girith paid for me, but I guess I was too valuable to lose. As I got older, I finally managed to move the ship. First I could rock it from side to side. Then I could raise it a few centimeters off the landing pad. Sometime later, I was able to lift it as far above our heads as I wanted.”
Inside her, she felt Hunter’s shock. She had already told him much of her history, but not all of the finer details. His pity washed over her like a blanket of love. His pity she could take because she knew it came from his heart.
“How did you finally manage to get away?” Seeker asked.
Sniffing, Star wiped her nose on her sleeve and continued. “I don’t know exactly what caused it. I no longer cared where we were or where we were going to land next. I was tired and depressed. I was lonely. Girith allowed no one to go near me. I guess he was afraid I’d form friendships. Maybe he thought I’d convince them to let me out. I don’t know, but I’d lost the will to live. I wanted it all to be over. I hated those people. I hated Girith the most. I wanted…I wanted him dead. But I knew I couldn’t touch him, so…so I tried to kill myself. I stopped eating. Stopped drinking. I refused to do anything, hoping Girith would get so angry with me that he’d kill me. But when I grew too weak, while I was unconscious, he had me taken to a medical clinic somewhere. They kept me strapped down there until I got stronger, then they knocked me out and shipped me back to the gypsies.”
Her face was wet with tears, and more followed as she told them her story. As she let it all out—the emotional agony, the physical pain, the self-loathing, the suicidal thoughts.
“We were in route to gods knew where. I remember the booming sounds. The ship lurched and rolled. The internal gravity failed, and I was thrown around inside my box. The next thing I knew, the bay was torn open. The ship just shredded into pieces, and my box was thrown out into space, along with the other boxes containing the other creatures. I floated there as I watched the ship continue to disintegrate. It kept exploding outward. One piece came flying toward me and my box. When it struck the box, it must have hit it just right. The box opened up, and I floated into space.
“I held my breath as long as I could, thinking I would die. Then…I don’t know. It didn’t matter. I opened my arms and closed my eyes, ready to finally die, when I felt this tugging on my skin. It pulled me, dragged me toward a nearby planet. But as I got nearer, my speed increased. I struggled against it, afraid I would crash, or burn up when I hit the atmosphere. I…I started slowing down. I was still falling, but at a slower rate. In fact, I discovered I could hover if I concentrated hard enough. Then I found out I could fly. So I went down to the planet.” She smiled. “It had an orange sun, with a bunch of little moons circling it like a bracelet. The creatures there were almost humanoid. They took me in. They fed me. Gave me a place to rest and sleep and recuperate. One of them, I called him Bik, he made me my first suit because my jumper was too small for me. It was mostly rags anyway.”
“The black one? He made your black suit?” asked Disaster.
“Yes. They wore something similar, and it didn’t seem a problem for them to make me one. I was… Their caring was…” She shook her head. “I kept waiting for something bad to happen. For them to trap me, or do something to hurt me. But they didn’t. Nothing bad occurred. Those people were prayers come true. I wanted to do more than thank them. That’s when Bik showed me how they used a certain metal to power their little ships, but it was very difficult to mine for that source. To thank them, I found massive amounts of the metal deep below ground, and brought it to the surface where they could get to it. They were very happy and grateful, but the truth was, I was more grateful. They saved my life…and my sanity. But I wish…”
“You wish you could have done more?”
“Yes. I didn’t want to leave them, but I knew I wasn’t like them. I wasn’t their species. I didn’t fit in, but I knew there were others out there, beyond all the planets and moons, who were more like me.”
“Is that when you began roaming the galaxy?” Animator inquired.
Star nodded. “I wanted to see if I could survive in the void of space. I could, although it was too cold to stay too long. That’s when I decided to see if I could make short hops, like go from planet to planet. Offer the inhabitants my services in exchange for food, water, and shelter. And that’s what I did…for years.” Somehow, incredibly, she managed to smile. Lifting her head, she shared it with them. “And, well, that’s what I was doing when I came across you guys and ended up here.”
For a long moment the room remained silent as everyone digested her story. She had glossed over most of what she had endured, but the tale’s impact was too powerful not to feel her pain. Presently, Morning Fire got up from her seat and walked over to give her dear friend a hug. Seeker and Sender followed.
“Don’t take this wrong, Star, but how did you learn to read and write? I get the impression Girith wasn’t the sort to provide you with lessons,” Provoker questioned her.
Star gave him a wink. “I didn’t learn. Not until I became a Guardian.”
Her admission stunned them. Even her husband.
“Say that again?” Hunter requested.
“I said I didn’t learn to read or write until I became a Guardian. Remember how you all used to tease me about staying in my room for hours on end? That’s what I was doing. Crash courses, mnemonic sensors, implanted information, the works. Every chance I got, I plugged myself in and practiced. Even when I slept.”
“That’s very impressive,” Condemner commented.
Deceiver stood, drawing everyone’s attention to him. “Thank you, Star, for the clarification. We appreciate you letting us know, even though it brought back many unpleasant memories.” He looked at her directly. “I know it must have cost you to open yourself up like that.”
She nodded but didn’t reply.
“All right. So now that we know the history, we’re better prepared for whatever DiMackerlyn may have in store. Seeker, Bruiser is guiding our unwanted visitor to the dining hall. I think that would be the perfect opportunity for you to brush against him and get into his head.” He glanced at Hunter. “Until we learn what this guy is up to, I suggest you stick to your wife like a second shadow.”
“I have every intention to.”
“May I comment here?” Morning Fire spoke up.
Deceiver waved a hand in her direction. “By all means. What’s on your mind?”
Standing up, she barely rose higher than she would if she’d remained seated, but her movements got their attention. “Destiny, you’ve been awful quiet these past few hours. In fact, we’ve heard very little from you in the last couple of weeks. I’m curious. Did you know DiMackerlyn was coming?”
The older woman who normally sat at the furthest end of the table gave them an enigmatic smile. “I know many things,” she told them in a soft voice. “But you are aware that there’s just so much I can tell you.”
“Yes, we know that,” Challenger acknowledged. “The more you tell us, the less chance the future events you see will occur. But that doesn’t answer Fire’s question. Did you know Star’s father would show up?”
“Yes, I did.”
“Then why didn’t you warn us?” Star demanded. “If you had, then maybe he wouldn’t have shown up.”
Destiny tapped a forefinger to her lips for a few moments before replying. “Remember back when I originally auditioned to become a Guardian? I told you I could foresee three specific types of events. I think of them as the impossible, the possible, and the cataclysmic.”
“Run those three by me again,” Disaster asked. “Considering I wasn’t here when you were inducted.”
&
nbsp; Sighing, Destiny stood. Her voice, although soft and mellifluous, carried throughout the room. “The impossible is something that will occur whether I intercede or not. It would be impossible for me to change what is to be. The possible is something that could go either way, depending on how I read and interpret it. The cataclysmic…” She held up her hands in surrender. “I think that one’s self-explanatory.”
“So our being ejected from that wormhole was a possible event?” Hunter asked.
At the woman’s nod, Star added, “Is my father being here also a possible event?”
This time, the woman remained mute. It was clearly obvious that she was afraid of saying anything more about DiMackerlyn’s appearance.
“Can I interject with another question?” Provoker asked, raising a hand. “Why are we hosting this man anyway? Wooly I can understand. But why not pack DiMackerlyn on the next outbound cruiser?”
Hunter answered. “Because until we know this man’s reasoning, he won’t let up. He’s been hunting for her this long. If we deny him, he’ll keep coming back and harassing Star and bothering us until he’s ready to go on his own.” Getting to his feet, he walked over to stand behind Star’s chair, and laid his hands on her shoulders, but he addressed her directly. “Terrin, this man claims that all he wants is for you to visit your mother one last time before she dies. Would that be a problem?”
“Hell, yes. I don’t want to be cooped up in One with him the entire way.”
“How about if you flew outside and he handled the throttles?” Morning Fire suggested.
“For nine days?” Corona reacted. “Remember, Star can’t move at hyperlight speed.”
“But I can,” Hunter reminded them. “Terrin, what if I was to go with you? Unobserved, of course.”
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