Nebula Nights: Love Among The Stars

by Melisse Aires

  Anara spoke with sarcasm dripping from every syllable. “Aye, Sir.”

  Yatrell turned again and looked out the port window. His mind cleared, and he reached out for the person who knew more about this than anyone else. Calmly he established the link with Kala and listened. She was tense and upset but he wasn’t able to identify why.

  ~Kala?~ he projected across light years. ~Are you well?~

  ~No. What do you need my friend?~ Kala looked over the new mission plans, frustrated and worried about the adjustments.

  ~We found the invasion force you mentioned to me last night.~

  She sat up, and refocused her mind on him. ~What did you find? Are you okay?~

  She watched those in the room with her as she projected back to him. Carefully she erected psionic barriers that prevented anyone from listening to her conversation with the Dentonian Commander.

  ~Yes, I’m okay. The fleet ... the Ven fleet is passing by mine now under cloak.~ Yatrell slowly started to lower some of his otherwise limited barriers so that the voices would become louder to him.

  ~The whole fleet is under cloak?~ Kala watched as Palrion spoke, but she was unable to focus on anything he said. Her hearts were completely wrapped in the conversation with Commander Jae.

  ~Yes. The entire fleet is out there. Kala, I need to know what you think they are looking for, exactly.~

  ~I spoke that to you last night.~ Kala looked at Henessa who could tell what was going on, and she nodded. Henessa frowned, but returned her attention to the captain. ~Yatrell, there is a lot we discussed while you were in a coma. I think you know the answer you’re looking for. Just please, do not confront either Greshna or Gardesh before we’ve had the opportunity to check on the subliminal command. We erased it, or tried to, while you were unconscious. We had no opportunity to test that, though.~

  Yatrell nodded, then rolled his eyes at himself realizing Kala couldn’t see his gesture. ~Finish the meeting. I’ll be in touch again later today. Promise.~

  Urgently, and with genuine concern Kala projected, ~Please be safe Yatrell. I don’t want the first time I see your handsome features in life to be upon your burial stone.~

  ~You won’t. You have my word on it.~ Yatrell withdrew from her mind and turned to Anara. “Whatever we do, we have to make it precision, not a haphazard or frontal attack. Who are the best options for a focused strike?”

  “Set, Canith, and myself,” she stated in a matter-of-fact tone. “What did you learn?” As she spoke, the lights all around the ship shifted, and the soft hum of standby for battle became the background noise.

  “I learned what they are looking for exactly, and I have no intention of allowing them to have it.” Yatrell stared into Anara’s eyes with an intensity she was unaccustomed to. “I want to strike the lead ship, and it won’t likely come out of the cloak. They are cunning bugs that need squashed.”

  Watching him in this state of mind was disconcerting for Anara. “What are you worried about Yatrell?” Her eyes narrowed. “Who are you worried about?”

  “The Ven are seeking an experiment they conducted about twenty years ago. I have no intention of them being allowed to reach those individuals.”

  Yatrell knew his priority was to take out Greshna and Gardesh so they could never do the harm to Kala or anyone like them again. Taking out Turaant Red leaders would minimize the impact of the Ven fleet as well as secure his goal.

  “What’s our target, Commander?” Anara fell into her soldier’s mindset and stance. She began to prepare her mind for what would certainly be a highly dangerous mission.

  “Gardesh, a Turaant Level Red Ven and his twin sister, also the same level.” Yatrell turned around again, leaning his head on his arm against the wall. He stared into the stars, knowing the fleet was about to move again.

  “Aye sir. I’ll get the team together.” Anara turned on her heel, and started to leave when she noticed a shift in his demeanor. “Sir? Is there something more?”

  Yatrell listened as the hundreds and likely thousands of Ven voices joined in the chorus of Dentonian voices he was accustomed to listening to. The words blurred together, and the sounds were barely tolerable. He winced when he felt the headache begin.

  His voice shook ever so slightly. “Nothing more, Lieutenant Commander. Notify me when the team is ready. Dismissed.”

  ~*~

  Something was different in him, and she couldn’t place a finger on it. She knew him better than anyone was allowed to, but she couldn’t define the change or the problem. As she walked down to her quarters, she reflected on the fact he was more focused on a goal than she’d ever seen him. The first thing she did when she entered her quarters was to notify both Lieutenants Set and Canith to report with full battle gear. When both men arrived five minutes later the battle alert sounded, and she cursed under her breath.

  “What’s up, Anara?” Canith inquired as he readied his weapon, and prepared to move to his battle station.

  “Yatrell has a personal mission for us.” Anara readied her own firearms, and checked her bladed weapons.

  “If Yatrell needs us to deal with something, then we deal with it.” Set holstered his primary firearm, and stood at the ready near the door. “Where are we going?”

  “I don’t know yet. Our fleet is moving in to attack the cloaked Ven fleet. We need to be able to identify the ship. Our target is to get on the lead ship, take out 2 Ven and get back here, in one piece.”

  “Relocation room?” Canith stood, and was knocked a few steps backward as the ship was jolted from the weapons fire. “Crap. The fight’s begun.”

  Anara pulled up the battle scans on her console. “We still don’t have info on the ships.” She looked up at Set. “Can you get identification from the bridge?”

  “Yep. Without doubt.” Set exited the door with Anara and Canith following him. The three moved quickly through the halls, and onto a lift. With the crew immersed in battle movements, the three person team went unnoticed until they reached deck one.

  The captain stopped them as they entered the bridge. “Why are you three here? Don’t you have teams to lead?”

  “Aye, Captain.” Set began, “I can use the limited information we get from our weapons impact to ascertain the most crucial targets, based on data from previous encounters.”

  Captain Rex gestured the tactical officer to another console. “Work quickly Lieutenant Commander Tau.”

  Set focused on the task at hand.

  The captain then turned his attention to Anara. “Where’s Yatrell?”

  Confused, Anara looked around the bridge. “Sir, I left him in his office after receiving battle orders.”

  Canith readied his weapon. “We need to move. He’s not here. That’s not like him.”

  “Agreed. Find him.” The captain knew that his first officer was one to be in the thick of things, not lagging behind the battle lines. His movements and actions were often among the reasons this crew remained in place and alive.

  Anara looked at Set, who nodded and followed. Canith, Anara and Set moved off the bridge, as the ship sounded the intruder alert. Anara glanced at her team, and the without a word, the three of them ran toward Commander Jae’s office. When they arrived, they found the commander on his knees in pain.

  His contorted face looked up at them. “He’s here. He’s coming.”

  Anara turned to Set and Canith. “Activate your psionic blockers. The Ven are here for him. Move into the shadows, let’s see if we can give them a reason to question the choice.” The men moved off on her order, both taking protective positions not far from the door. Anara moved to Yatrell’s side and rested a hand on his back. “Commander, they aren’t getting in here. You have my word.”

  Weakly, Yatrell spoke to her, “No, just let them take me. You’re facing Turaant Red. They… arrrrrggggggahhh.” He screamed out, while his hands clutched his head. The pain forced him to bend closer to the ground.

  Anara’s head snapped to the door as three Ven males entered the r
oom. “You want the Commander you’re going to have to come through me first.” She stood protectively over Yatrell as he writhed in pain.

  “Girl, you have no chance. Step away, and allow us to retrieve what is ours. We might even leave your home world alone.”

  Gardesh stepped into the scant light given off by the monitor on the commander’s desk. Anara said nothing, simply pulled her weapon and aimed it at the Ven’s head.

  “Humm, as you wish. It’s not my burial that will be planned.” Gardesh locked his gaze on Anara. His focused intensity wrought havoc on her mind. He smiled when tears welled in the Dentonian woman’s eyes.

  Anara glanced back as she noticed the other two Ven becoming complacent in their job. They stood waiting on their leader to force her to succumb. Before giving in to the ever growing ache her limbs, she gritted her teeth, and fired at one of the Ven behind Gardesh. He fell to the ground, and disintegrated before their eyes. Set and Canith stepped from the shadows the moment Anara finally joined Yatrell on the ground in pain.

  Gardesh turned around quickly. “Ah, an ambush.” Before he finished speaking, the last of his back up was also killed. Gardesh just laughed. “Such small creatures you are.”

  “Funny you should say that.” Canith stood over Gardesh by at least two full lengths. He glared down at the Ven.

  “You have no mental understanding of what you are grappling with. And no, I will not become your prisoner. You are rather overconfident.” Gardesh looked around the room, and back at to the taller Dentonian man in front of him. “I’ll let you live for now.“

  He entered Set and Canith’s minds, and forced them to believe they couldn’t fire upon Gardesh. He leaned over to examine Yatrell, shoving Anara aside as he did. He laid a hand on Yatrell’s shoulder, and said, “Don’t worry child. The pain will be gone soon.”

  With that statement, both men vanished from the room in a ball of light.

  Captain Rex brought another team into the room as Yatrell and Gardesh disappeared.

  Anara staggered to her feet. Canith was by her side, before she was steady. In a forced tone, she ordered, “They have him. We have to go after them.”

  “How Anara? We have no way to find him on cloaked ships. We also have our planet to defend. We can’t risk further people on a haphazard rescue mission for one man.”

  The captain felt the loss as deeply as his crew did, but he knew there had to be reasonable priorities. As much as the effort pained him, the loss of a son was small compared to the billions of lives at stake.

  Set’s mind cleared as the effect left behind by the Ven lifted. “We may be able to get him, if we can make a dent in the Ven fleet.”

  “Let’s get to the bridge, and figure out what we’re dealing with.”

  The captain strode out, pacing the group to move rapidly down the hall, and onto the bridge. As they did, the main screen lit up with the image of the vastness of the entire Ven fleet as it decloaked. Literally hundreds of Ven ships appeared on the projection, and all of them moved at once. Streaks of light filled the image, and everyone on the Dentonian ship was left trying to grasp what happened.

  Chapter 13

  Kala finished her shift in the medical facility, and chose not to join her team for dinner. Walking directly to her quarters, she found herself distracted by the conversation she had during the meeting. She still hadn’t heard from Yatrell. The night was growing late.

  Seventeen hundred hours came and went, and still nothing. As nineteen hundred approached, Kala opened her eyes from meditation, and reached for him. She hoped she wasn’t interrupting anything intense, but what she heard caused her to panic.

  She could hear him scream. She heard voices around him, promising to stop the pain. He was being tortured. Her hearts focused with all intensity on their link, which was being attacked by another source. She heard a request from the attackers, and realized the Ven not only had him, but knew she was in the area. They were hurting him so he would expose her. Tears silently dripped down her cheeks as she listened to him refuse repeatedly.

  As gently as she could project, ~I’m coming Yatrell. I don’t know how yet, but I’m coming.~

  She heard him cry out no, but she didn’t linger to determine if it was to her or to them. She stood and walked to the panel at her desk contemplating contacting her team.

  “No, before I do that I need a better idea what’s going on.” She spoke her thoughts as if it would help calm her racing mind.

  She began to pace in her quarters, trying desperately to organize her thoughts. Without thinking about where, she stepped into the hall as the lights dimmed for overnight hours. She began to move quickly toward the lift, and down to the training deck. Walking into the room she found she needed to lose herself in something, but her thoughts were so garbled she had no idea what. As she walked to the training mat, and then to the weights, she found nothing guided her focus. Her mind was consumed by the sound of his screams.

  She heard a noise, and turned, instinctively connecting with another psionic. Prepared to defend herself, she found Henessa and Merx standing not far off with hands raised.

  Kala blushed and mumbled, “Sorry.” She went back to walking the length of the gym.

  Henessa moved to keep up with her. “What happened? You walked past our room, and whatever it is, it got Merx’s attention. Your mind is protected, so I can’t tell. Let us help.”

  “They have him. They took him. I don’t know how or where. I know why. They want me. They think he’ll give me up.” As she talked, her pace remained quick and difficult to match, even with the difference in height. “They are hurting him. His screams… Yet, he refuses. They are hurting him because of me… I’m the reason they know we’re connected. I’m… “ Drained and overwhelmed, she stopped short, and looked up into Henessa’s intense blue eyes. “Can you help me secure a private line to the Dentonian fleet we passed by yesterday?”

  Henessa felt uneasy with the request. She knew it would ripple into larger problems, but then she’d never seen her friend like this either. “Let’s talk to Palrion first. We brought the ship into an exo-polar orbit just before lights out tonight. If and when they come by, we won’t be easily found. We’re ahead of both fleets. This gives us time to play with. No matter what we’re able to do, we won’t be able to do it until they get to this point.”

  Kala acknowledged her with a gestures, and gazed as Merx approached them.“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to disturb you.”

  His gentle voice seemed to wrap her in comfort. “Kala, there is nothing to be sorry for. You’re worried about a friend.”

  She remained outwardly silent, while her mind raced loudly.

  “Come on. Let’s go find Palrion.” Henessa place her arm around her friend, and directed her out of the training deck.

  ~*~

  Yatrell felt the bonds lock into place again. His hands were held at his side, and his feet locked against the wall. There was no movement now. He knew this was to relax their minds. It was only time before they came for him again. He couldn’t give what he didn’t know. He was glad he was unsure, because he wouldn’t have given the knowledge to them willingly if he did.

  He had only been there overnight so far, but it felt like the longest night of his life. The same question was asked every hour. Every hour the question was followed by excruciating pain as they telepathically ravaged his mind and body, rendering him incapable of fighting. Through it all, he could only hope he protected her when she linked with him. He had no way of knowing if they were able to track her. He heard her promise she was coming. He didn’t want her to come. He didn’t want to risk her being captured. He didn’t want her to suffer, and he knew he’d do whatever he could to keep her out of their hands.

  His stomach ached for food. His muscles stung with sharp pangs of intense pain. He found himself unable to control his telepathy at all, due to the physical pain inflicted upon him. He still worked to keep his senses about him. He wanted to be ready for any opportunity to esca
pe. Before he knew it, Yatrell was overcome by exhaustion.

  ~*~

  “Kala, we can’t just go after one man. No matter what you say to Palrion he won’t authorize that.” Henessa wanted to help her friend understand the situation she was in, but her emotions had clearly taken over.

  Kala sat, considering everything they had discussed through the night, and she came back to the same conclusion. “We need more information.” She hung her head a moment. “Are we still running continual scans of the sector?”

  “Of course. We need to know what’s going on.” Henessa looked at Merx, then back to Kala. “I’ll go up to the bridge and see what I can find out. I’ll contact you both once I know.” She paused a moment. “Actually, contact Phil, too. Have him stop by. I feel safer with two of you here with Kala.”

  Kala turned her face to meet Henessa’s gaze again. “Henessa, let’s see what’s happening. I’ll be fine.” To their surprise, the communications panel lit up. Kala walked to the wall, and activated the speaker. “Yes, sir?”

  “Kala, we may have a situation.” Palrion’s voice crackled through the ships intercom system. “Can you come up here? We need your help.”

  “Of course. I’ll be right there sir.” She turned, and looked right at Merx. “So it wasn’t just me this time?”

  He shook his head. “No. Certainly those in command are feeling it now too, and a few others who know.” He paused a moment. “I’ll be in Engineering.” He stood, and walked through the door, saying good bye to Henessa before he disappeared around the corner.

  Kala and Henessa made their way to the bridge. Henessa relieved the tactical station when she arrived. Kala approached Captain Palrion and First Commander Maddux, trying to push back her anxiety and theirs. The men stood around a projection console of the planet in orbit, and the star system around it.

  She spoke as calmly as she was able to display. “How may I help you, gentlemen?”