Nebula Nights: Love Among The Stars

by Melisse Aires

  “No. She’s on training deck with Lieutenant Commander Palrion.” Private Merx Tol, stood in the doorway blocking the view to the room.

  A woman’s voice from within called out, “Merx, who is it?”

  “It’s nothing, Nessa. Someone’s here for Kala.” Merx spoke over his shoulder before returning his attention to Maddux. “She’ll be there for several more hours. The demands on her training exceed most anyone else’s.”

  “Understood.” Maddux left. With a distracted mind, he walked to his own quarters on the other side of the ship.

  Merx walked back into the room and sat next to Henessa on the couch. “It’s about time Kala found other companionship.”

  Henessa leaned against Merx and laid her head on his shoulder. “She’s got a lot going on for her right now. Other forms of companionship aren’t on her priority list.” Merx wrapped an arm around her, and they sat in silence for several moments before Henessa added, “Besides, there’s always Yatrell.”

  Merx chuckled. “The Dentonian she can reach, somehow, across light years? Yeah, that’s not something that would last. They are on opposite sides in a war. Besides, the way Kala operates, she couldn’t handle a lifelong military man. I could be wrong, but that’s the impression I get of her. From you I gather he’s military focused. Not a good pairing.”

  Henessa smiled, and looked up into Merx’s eyes. “I can handle a lifelong military man, but only if he’s an engineer.”

  Merx felt his face warm slightly as he leaned over and kissed her. “I think I can accommodate that.”

  “Mmmm that’s good. Because I’d hate to think I’ve selected the wrong mate.” She leaned into kiss him again, savoring the moment.

  Merx pulled out of the kiss and his eyes locked with hers. “What if I don’t accept your selection? What else will you find? Who would you select then?”

  Henessa allowed a mischievous grin to cross her face. “I didn’t explain, you’re already the second choice.”

  “Second, hu?” Merx wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer.

  She started to wiggle and squirm until he let go. She giggled as she stood and darted across the room.

  Quickly, Merx followed playing in the game of chase. They moved from one room to the next, laughing, and chasing and being silly. By the time the game darted to the living area again, Merx finally caught up with his love and wrapped his arms around her firmly. “Not getting away with that one, Nessa.” He leaned in and kissed her tenderly.

  The door slid open, and one of their roommates walked in to another kiss. “I’m sorry for interrupting. I’ll go grab dinner in the mess.” Kala turned on her heal, and walked back out of her quarters, slightly flustered.

  Merx and Henessa started to laugh and call after Kala, but she was gone already. Henessa smiled. “Maybe next time we’ll end that in… your bedroom?”

  “What would be even better would be if one of us were allowed to do our job so we could earn rank right along with everyone else, which will give us our own quarters. This ‘sit and be still until needed’ stuff is annoying. Even though I can put together the Reverence’s engines with my eyes closed, on a random conveyor, they still won’t let me near them. I come on shift down there and they send me in to clean the tools for the ‘real’ engineers.“ Merx’s tone was frustrated and bitter.

  Henessa wrapped her arms a little tighter around him. She rested her head on his chest before she spoke. “Merx, they will let you, just like security will let me do more than the daily inventory. Things will change for us, I’m sure of it, Konair.”

  Merx couldn’t help but to smile when she spoke that word to him. He nuzzled her cheek and neck with his face and nose, just to enjoy her scent, and being near her. “Sontair.” He whispered to her gently. “I would be lost without you.”

  ~*~

  Kala sat alone near the windows, telepathically speaking with another psionic on the Enpassant. She nibbled on her food while sitting in what appeared to be silence to those around her. As the fleet moved into an attack formation, Kala could sense the rise in emotion among the crew. She was confused, as this was a practice, but she had only seen a handful of battles since coming on board. Due to the restrictions assigned to her and other psionics, she’d only known the aftermath.

  She explained this to her friend as they discussed the reactions among the fleet, and people to the psionics. Kala worked hard to overcome the damage that Greshna forced her to create. Every one of the psionics she had spoken to about it were more understanding the better they got to know her. Naturally, this was a relief to Kala, who only wished the non-psionics were more open to her and those like her.

  Maddux walked into the mess hall, somewhat frustrated with himself. As he sorted out his thoughts, he selected his food, and stepped out of the way of those following behind him. When he was standing in the middle of the room, he couldn’t locate an empty table. Just as he was about to take his tray back to his quarters, he noticed Kala sitting at table alone. He felt his stomach do flips before he took a deep breath, and approached her. “Would you like company?”

  Kala looked up and smiled. “Sure. Have a seat.” She gestured across from her and she telepathically told her friend on the Enpassant that she had company to speak with. They politely said good bye, before she returned her focus to Maddux. “It must be nice to be out of that medical bed.”

  He nodded and started to pick at his food. “Yep. No more prodding, and crazy over attentive nurses.”

  Kala laughed softly, and continued to eat. Although the other psionics she has gotten to know, telepathically, were good company, she did enjoy her friends on the Reverence as well. Private First Class Rouen Maddux was a friend now as well.

  “So, what do you normally do when you’re off duty?” Rouen pushed the food around his plate a few more times before deciding he was too nervous to eat, and put his fork down.

  “Meditate, train…something like that.” She shrugged, and found his reactions confusing, but said nothing about it.

  “What no hobbies?” He leaned forward on both arms and looked right at her. “No favorite books? Or favorite playbacks to watch?”

  “No, not really. I don’t see time for those things now. When I was I child I played a stringed instrument but not now. Training with all of my abilities seems to make more sense than being caught unprepared.” She looked out the window as the ships moved through practiced maneuvers. “Much like the fleet is doing now. Preparation will save lives, unlike the last few battles we’ve been in.” Kala was getting tired of watching the med bay fill with bodies, and triage stations being formed all over the ship. It seemed few battles under this Fleet Commander were as successful as her record indicated.

  Maddux lowered his head and grumbled softly. “Yeah well, if she’d get a grip some of the tools at her disposal might actually be useful.”

  Kala’s eyes darted to him. She didn’t realize he was feeling the same frustration the other psionics were. She knew he was permitted to socialize and work uninhibited because he was a touch telepath and therefore not considered a threat. Because the telepathic effort for Maddux required conscious thought and physical interaction, the non-psionics considered him not much different than they were. “I didn’t realize this was affecting you.”

  “I hate watching good people suffer because of one person or one person’s stupidity.” He looked down at his hands and added, “Especially people I care about.”

  Suddenly the different sensation she was getting from him became clear and she blushed. She sought the right words to respond with, but was at a loss on the subject. “We’ll be fine. We’re all trained to handle whatever comes our way. Even if what comes our way is a lot of hatred and uninformed bigotry.”

  Maddux looked up from the table, and his eyes met Kala’s. “Ah… I know it’s not typical for a man to speak up first,…but umm…I mean…” Frustrated and embarrassed, he pushed the plate away from himself and just looked out the window.

&
nbsp; Gently Kala placed a hand on his arm. “It’s okay. I already know what you’re trying to say.”

  He looked back, still uncomfortable, but not surprised that it was starting to fade with her touch. “So…then…is it mutual? Or am I reading more or hoping to be or …” He sighed. “Or am I just stumbling over myself because of a pretty face?”

  Kala smiled softly. “I don’t know about the stumbling over yourself thing, nor the pretty face thing, but I know we are very close friends. I like things that way. I’m not distractible enough, right now, for more.”

  Maddux searched her eyes and her features. He understood what she was saying, but he failed to hide his disappointment. “Uhmm, I should go. I need to get some reading or something done.”

  He stood quickly, leaving his plates at the table when he left to walk back to his quarters. He walked directly into his bedroom, where his hands found a small, but heavy, round piece of polished stone, and hurled it at the wall. He then slumped down on the bed, leaned forward on his knees, and held his face in his hands while trying to figure out why he bothered to speak up.

  ~*~

  When Kala cleared the table, she returned to her shared quarters. Silently she just walked back to her own bedroom. The conversation and emotions she sensed from Rouen Maddux ran through her mind, repeatedly. Unsure if she handled herself correctly, she tried to meditate only to find herself far too distracted to do so. She then sought out the mind across the universe, hoping to find the distraction from her own thoughts.

  As she connected with Lieutenant Commander Jae, she sensed great urgency. ~Yatrell, are you well?~

  ~*~

  He looked around the bridge of the ship taking mental notes. Satisfied the bridge was clear, he opened a communications line to the entire vessel. “Canith did you download a full copy of their computer?”

  “Yep. All downloaded.” Canith’s voice carried over the ship’s intercom system.

  Yatrell then requested every team to check in with the status of their assignments. The ‘all clears’ began to funnel in. As he waited he projected back to Kala, ~You have bad timing, once again. Yes, I’m fine. Just trying to blow up an enemy vessel. Really need to go now.~

  He solidly blocked Kala from his mind, and focused on the task at hand.

  Lieutenant Anara Cree walked onto the bridge and directly to Yatrell. “We need to blow this now. Charges are set below, and the computer team is moving off the ship now.” Her eyes met his with intense seriousness, and her tone bordered on an order. “Our turn.”

  He nodded. “Agreed.”

  He set his attention on the main charge. Preparing the bridge for detonation thirty seconds from relocation, he ordered them moved to the Dentonian vessel nearby. Moments later, he and Anara stood at a port window to watch the enemy ship explode from a safe distance.

  When he gazed at the tablet in his hand, a message scrolled across the screen.

  XSS Sentinel computer core copy confirmed. Ship confirmed destroyed.

  Chapter 9

  Several weeks passed before Palrion heard back from his contact in the Xenonian Senate. After a lot of discussion and debate, he was handed down the orders he was looking for. The same moment he received them, he ordered all of the psionic soldiers, fleet wide, to the Reverence training gym. When he stood before a full gym of his psionic teams, he prepared himself to make a difficult selection.

  Once each one stood before him in proper formation, he began, “You wanted to see action and the Senate heard you. You wanted the opportunity to use your abilities to help the Xenonian people, and the orders have been handed down. A very small and select group will be allowed to directly engage the enemy. There are two tasks and assignments, and only one team that will be permitted to venture into these battles. They will be battles. People will die. We will be asked to take lives. If you cannot handle either of those ideas, leave now.”

  A number of the soldiers exchanged unspoken glances. Kala knew many of them just wanted to be good soldiers. They weren’t seeking glory or battle on the front lines, they just wanted to be who they were. An idea like Palrion was presenting made many uncomfortable.

  She could feel the change in them, including the desire to avoid this assignment. The longer the room stood in silence, the more she could sense the tension and the rise of anxiety of many around her. Finally, some broke ranks, and left the assembly. Kala stood among a group who left and felt herself inclined to follow, but she hesitated. She wanted to hear everything, the Lieutenant Commander had to say. She stood with her mind guarded, but listening closely to him and those around them. Of those that remained, she could sense the heightened levels of anxiety.

  Noting that his crowd had settled, he began again. “Of the team members left, all available psionic disciplines are represented. This small team needs to consist of those who can use their abilities both as attack and defensive measures. If you’ve not previously honed those abilities, you can be trained, but not for this mission. We have a month and a ship is being prepared for us. Most of this team will be officially transferred to the Reverence, however, and will begin operations on the other vessel later today.

  “This operation is against the Fleet Commander’s better judgment, and she has expressly indicated this to the Xenonian Senate. This is a classified operation. The orders for which will not be disclosed except to the small team involved in this. Our beloved Fleet Commander and captain is unaware of the specifics.“ Palrion had to avoid smirking. “My orders, at this time, are to determine who will be on this mission, and who will remain on the Reverence, and among the fleet as continued support for our teams.”

  When he paused, a few of those who were unsure of their ability to accomplish what was described left the training gym. The remainder of the room remained at attention. None spoke, projected, or fidgeted.

  He looked over the crowd that had dwindled to under a hundred psionic individuals out of a possible three hundred. He had thought the choice would have been more difficult. However with so few, he already knew his short list from among those that remained.

  “You will need to control your abilities to the most exact detail. You will be required to train relentlessly until we arrive at our assignments. You will also have to work in rotation with the remainder of the small crew who are operating as our support. This duty will not be an easy trip. We are going to venture deep into enemy space, and at times dance along the edge of the Goshen border.”

  He watched for reactions as he spoke. Although, most responded as expected, he was surprised by the cool collected nature of the short list he had in mind. Everyone on that list seemed as if this was already anticipated. He looked right at Private Kala when he ordered, “Divide by discipline, then rank, and fall into this order, Telekinetics, Telepaths, Pyrokinetics, Electrokinetics, Cryokinetics, Humanoid Empathic Manipulators, Non Humanoid Empathic Manipulators, Tactile Telepaths, Astro-Projectors, Teleporters, and Psi Healers of all variations.”

  The room began to shift and move. As the majority moved into rank and position, Kala started to leave the gym, certain she didn’t want to see this process directly. She was stopped when the Lieutenant Commander projected to her.

  She turned and faced him, and calmly responded in kind. ~This isn’t where I belong.~

  ~Kala, you’re under orders. You will remain with this group.~

  She frowned, but returned the group. After looking at the lines she turned back to her teacher. “Where do I fit, Sir?”

  “You will remain with me. You’re not in any single group, and I require your assistance with the testing aspects. This is why you are under orders to stay.” Lieutenant Commander Palrion walked to the computer panel, and began to input various training scenarios for each of the disciplines. He then turned to Kala, and quietly spoke to her. “I need you to use your abilities to distract the volunteers. I need to know they can operate in any circumstance.”

  Kala acknowledged him, and remained by Palrion’s side while he addressed the lin
es of psionic soldiers waiting for his next order.

  He walked to the Non Humanoid Empathic Manipulators. “You’re unable to be tested upon a ship. Some of you will be joining us, but others will remain with the fleet to maintain a psionic presence. Please, return to your quarters and collect your items before returning to your normal duty. I’ll update the assignments once we have completed our task here.” With that, the group was dismissed, and left the training gym.

  He then engaged the Psi Healers. “Report to the medical facility. Nurse Kelv will assess you there.” Acknowledging his orders, this small team also departed the training gym. Then he walked over the a lone man standing at the end of the disciplines. “Private First Class Ney Til, you are the only teleporter that remained, you will assist the cover team as a member of support. You are dismissed to prepare your things. You will receive your orders once we have determined who will join you.”

  He nodded, and in a blink, he vanished from the room.

  Palrion then turned to the remaining psionic disciplines. “Most will face the same holo projected training you are already able to engage. This will not be at your typical practice pace or intensity. I have adjusted the programming for each one of you, and there will be other outside distractions. Those of you who can still perform your duties under those conditions will receive the transfer to the psionic ship. This is a one time pop quiz, winners take all. One run through. One try. No back tracking. No do overs. Everything is programmed. Clear the floor. Remain in rank, discipline, and line the walls, same order.”

  For several minutes, the room filled with the noise of perfectly in step movement. The lines form against the wall, leaving the center of the gym open for combat training simulations. Lieutenant Commander Palrion activated the first level of training. As he did so, the lights dimmed in the room. The practice mat descended into the floor and ceiling projectors generated a large hexagon in its place. The soldiers watched the transformation in silence.

  The second phase activated once the first completed. In the center of the ring appeared three armed Android soldiers and three armed Ven soldiers. The holo projection grid reinforced the visuals with simulated realistic responses and physical impact. Palrion then turned to his assembled volunteers.