Nebula Nights: Love Among The Stars

by Melisse Aires

  “I’m standing.”

  “Are you a strong woman, Kala of Xenonia?” Zaren’s tone was firm, but curious.

  “I don’t know what you mean by ‘a strong woman’.” Kala felt confused and uncertain about his intentions.

  “Then you have light years to go, Kala. We have no room for weakness on the mission tomorrow.” Zaren’s voice seemed to boom in her ears. The sting of his words were obvious in her expression. “That especially means our leaders.”

  “Zaren, I can deal with, and will address whatever occurs on the surface tomorrow. Our people, psionic and otherwise, will be safe. I will not allow anything to hinder our mission.” Kala spoke with a certainty that even surprised herself.

  “Prove it.”

  “How? What do you expect of me Zaren?” She looked at him, completely lost. She desperately wished she had her abilities. Without a read of his emotions and thoughts she felt lost and attacked by his position and attitude toward her.

  “I expect you to stand up. “

  “Zaren, I am standing.”

  “No, you’re on your feet but you are not standing. You are in a weak body that will prove to be the downfall for Alpha team tomorrow. You need to make a stand to avoid this.” Zaren words were intended to sting, and Kala’s reaction confirmed they did.

  Her eyes started to moisten. “No. I told you I will not be a hindrance on our team. I will not allow our people to suffer for any reason,” she said with conviction.

  “Prove it.”

  His tone struck a chord within Kala. “I don’t know how you expect me to prove it now. I’ve done what I can.”

  “No, you’ve done what a slave does. Fight their way to appear well enough not to be disliked by their master. You are nothing more than a slave, and that is all you will ever be.” Zaren turned his back on her, and started to walk away.

  Kala just stared at him as he walked away. She was terrified he was right.

  What if she was still walking the slave’s path? By law, she was yet a slave, but here she was not. How would she benefit her team if they believed she was nothing more than their slave? How would she stand firm when the battle began? What was going to happen tomorrow if she didn’t have her abilities? Was she really an asset without them? Could she really help her team in her current state? Why was she so selfish? How could she have put Yatrell’s safety above that of the team? Was she wrong? Did she really risk her people more than help them?

  Kala stumbled forward and hit the ground, hard, before sobing.

  Zaren paused his step, but refused to look at the fragile broken woman on the floor. “You made your choice, Kala. Now we will pay for it.” He clenched his fists, but didn’t move through the door.

  “I…”She closed her eyes, and cleared her mind. “I did not do anything anyone will have to pay for!” The resounding ring of her voice surprised them both. She staggered to her feet, tears still streaming down her cheeks. “I did not do anything that will hurt this team. I did what I had to do to help us. To save lives. To protect our mission. I did what was right!”

  “Did you?” His tone was even. When he felt something familiar happen, something that had become a natural feeling for him, he smiled.

  A moment later he flew backward several lengths before coming to a stop.

  Both of them were stunned by her actions. They looked at each other in silence for several minutes.

  Kala broke it this time, through the tears she spoke with venom in her tone. “You don’t know me Zaren. You have no place to accuse me of things I do not reveal to you as the case. You have no place to do what you’ve done. You are nothing more than a petty and small man who can’t grasp the idea that this woman would be more than you can accept. I protected our people, prevented the loss of an entire world to the Ven, and I will continue to do that tomorrow. Do not question me again. Is that clear, Commander?”

  A smile crossed his face, from ear to ear, he looked down into the fire that sparked in the deepest green eyes he’d ever seen. “Now you are standing, Kala.”

  She looked up at him, with angry tears running down her face. Pain contorted her features. Confusion dominated her emotions. “I am?”

  He nodded. “Yes, Kala. You reclaimed your abilities. You reclaimed your own spirit. You are now standing.”

  She looked down at her hands momentarily.“Oh.” A warm smile crossed her lips. She stood with Zaren in a contented silence.

  Zaren knelt on one knee, lowered his head so his gaze was upon her feet. “This woman who is standing before me is worthy of my loyalty and my service. I look forward to following you into battle, Kala of Xenonia.”

  Kala stood, unsure of what to say and unsure of what she was experiencing.

  Zaren continued, “As the first person to stand among those around us, in Tauwin tradition, I give you my pledge to be Sharii, your protector.”

  Speechless, and unaware of Tauwin traditions, Kala’s face warmed. “I should get back to my quarters, or I won’t be standing in time for our mission tomorrow.”

  Zaren nodded in agreement. “May I have permission to see you to your room? To be certain my commander arrives safely.”

  She smiled and agreed. Together they retrieved their trays and walked them back to the mess hall and then to the senior officer’s quarters. Zaren left her side, only when Kala entered her quarters without aid.

  Kala walked into her quarters and almost collapsed on her couch. Winded from the day’s activities thus far, she briefly considered meditation, and then another thought crossed her mind. She stood carefully, and sought out a listening stone. She was aware she’d need whatever help she could get to reach him. With a stone in hand, she curled on the couch, and focused her psionic energy through it. She reached for Yatrell but couldn’t hear him. Her hearts sank. She tried again, and still heard nothing. She bit her lip, and lay down on the couch.

  She whispered to herself, “Please, don’t be dead. Please don’t be gone. Not now. Please don’t let the sacrifice be in vain.”

  ~*~

  He felt her touch his mind briefly, but then she was gone as quickly. This concerned him and he reached back to her. As he established the link he heard her words and projected,~ I’m far from dead. A little banged up, but moving, a little at a time. I think your ship saved our people. And I was informed you’re the reason I am still alive and free. Thank you, Kala.~

  ~You’re hurt?~ Kala did nothing to hide her concern.

  ~Not as bad as some but worse than others. I’ll be fine. Your end of this is weak, Kala are you alright?~ Yatrell projected to her and put down what he was working on.

  ~I..um… I will be. ~

  ~You gave our ships almost ten minutes to attack before all of theirs came out of cloak able to respond. We still lost most of the fleet and more lives than I want to imagine, but you saved more than were lost. I will forever be indebted to your ship and crew, and to you. Although most will never know it, so will all of Dentonia.~ He paused, and his mind wandered through the first conversation he had with Anara after waking in the battle. ~I owe you my life, and freedom. Thank you.~

  ~No, Yatrell. No one is indebted. We have what we need to achieve our mission.~ She bit her lip. ~Yatrell, I… when this mission is over, I want to see you.~

  A broad smile crossed his lips at the thought of being able to see her face to face. He looked around the remains of the ship as he walked through it.

  ~Kala, there is more to do here than I can explain, and I’ve never learned to project images. It’s horrible. We have bodies upon bodies to bury or return to what might be left of family. We’ll keep talking. If we can find a way, I want to finally see you too. ~

  Softly, Kala projected, ~Alright, Yatrell. I’m… getting weaker. Yesterday harmed my abilities significantly. I need to go. Please stay safe, Konair.~ she faded from the link unable to hold it any longer.

  As she left his mind, Yatrell closed his eyes, wishing he could have promised her more. He was on one of the few ships still abl
e to move. Their new mission was one of transporting survivors from the ships that couldn’t move to Dentonia. They were due to make many runs daily between Sector Twelve Beta and Dentonia, once the light ride engines came back online.

  Four hundred strong working Dentonian ships made their stand against what was easily double that in Ven ships. Of the four hundred ships that took their stand against a superior foe, only eighty or so still moved, and maybe another twenty, at most, were salvageable. They held off the Ven, but not without heavy causalities and loss of ships. For the most part, Sector Twelve Beta became a Dentonian graveyard for ships and people. If the Xenonian ship had not exposed the Ven fleet before they arrived in this sector, there was no telling how much worse it could have been.

  Yatrell stepped into what was left of his office, and lifted his shirt slightly to check his bandages. Content he was healing as he expected to, he pulled his uniform down, and walked to the mess hall. The route was littered with debris from the other ships as well as damage done to his. He passed crews that had been working since the battle ended, and a few new crews taking over a shift. As he stepped into the mess hall, he found one option for food, and few people in there to eat it. He prepared a tray, and took it back to his quarters, his mind swirling with concerns. He knew he had to adjust the repair crew shifts toimprove the way the repairs were going. He had to get the medical people onto rotations again, too. It seemed like no one was getting sleep the way things were.

  By the time he reached his quarters his mind had started to drift back to his conversation with Kala.

  Why was she suffering? How could he help her? Why couldn’t she maintain the link when she had become so strong and well trained? Was there anything he could do? Was it his fault she suffered?

  He shook the thoughts from his mind. He had more pressing concerns. Whatever happened, it was part of a war, and that war almost ended for his people in the most horrific manner. He would always be grateful to her, but until such a time as he was able to show her, he had to remain focused on the tasks at hand.

  Yatrell crossed his quarters, and sat at his desk to see if the computer system was up. It went down after the first assault. The power dropped, and then every aspect of the computer when down in spurts. This made targeting and weapons difficult to use. Somehow, he had managed to turn a number of their shuttles into anti Ven bombs. The attack was successful in holding the Ven off long enough to get partial systems back on, and enable the ship to fight again. It saved Dentonian lives and he knew it. When he was able, he transmitted the information to other ships. When he wasn’t able to transmit, he explained it telepathically to a handful of other telepaths in the fleet as well as a few engineers who welcomed the information.

  The screen didn’t come up on his initial try. He made another attempt and the screen flickered to life for roughly a second before going black again.

  “Fine, fine, I’ll eat.” He grumbled.

  He sat back in the chair, and stirred what looked like slop in front of him. Finally, he got the nerve up to eat it, even with his stomach in knots. Slowly, he picked through the food until the pile became a memory, and he drank the water provided him with the meal. Yatrell felt the weight of his people on his shoulders when he finally fell asleep for the night.

  Morning came in like thunder rumbling through the empty plains. Yatrell woke with his hearts racing, and his thoughts unclear. The ship shuddered and veered hard to one side before righting itself again. He focused his telepathic mind long enough to understand what he heard from others. What he gathered surprised him. Something wasn’t right. Yatrell changed into his only clean uniform, and headed for the bridge.

  As he entered the captain called him to center. “Ah, Yatrell. Come over here m’boy.”

  “Yes, Captain?”

  “Commander Jae, do you agree with the assessment that our people should always be prepared for whatever may occur?” The Captain’s voice boomed across the bridge.

  “Aye. Being ready will help us avoid further problems.”

  “Good. Now then, do you find it acceptable that our current helmsman has no formal combat training at the helm?” The Captain’s voice continued to resonate throughout the room.

  Yatrell glanced over his shoulder, and noticed the helmsmen shrink into his seat some. He returned his attention the captain. “No, I do not believe that is the ideal situation for what has become the Fleet Commander’s primary ship, however we are limited in our options at this time.”

  “Agreed. We need to revisit the options we have, and provide better assignments to the crew. Have you completed our current crew manifest?”

  “Yes, Captain. If I am able to access my data from here, I will provide it to you, otherwise, I’ll return to my office and retrieve the appropriate manifest.”

  Rex nodded and Yatrell attempted to use one of the consoles to retrieve the information from his data tablet. That was unsuccessful. He then walked down the hall, retrieved the tablet, and brought it back to the captain. As he waited for the captain’s response, his mind focused on what was going on. With his mentor behaving so far out of character, he knew something was wrong. He was reluctant to enter his mind directly to determine the reason his behavior was erratic.

  The captain reviewed the manifest, and frowned. “We need more pilots on this list. What happened to Chambers and Colie?”

  Yatrell’s expression darkened. He looked at his captain, trying to ignore the thoughts of the other survivors on the bridge. “Chambers was cut down at his post where Garrett sits now. His station shorted, and sent high voltage current through him, before it exploded, and threw him from his seat. You were still giving orders at the time, sir. During the reconstruction of the station, the engineers spent hours just removing his skin from the console. Colie flew the last shuttle into the Ven fleet, as ordered, and didn’t make it back, sir.”

  He watched the captain carefully. Considering the unexplainable change in the salvage and rescue operations, and now his significant lapse in memory, Yatrell realized his captain was unfit for command. Both of these were clear residual symptoms common among many in command during a Ven attack. Although he knew what had to be done, he knew that things were not going to fair well for the captain if it happened while they were still en route to Dentonia. In that moment he made the decision to protect his captain until the ship reached home and he could get help.

  Disappointment, and perhaps sadness, encompassed Captain Samuel Rex’s aged features. “Yes. Of course.”

  “Captain, may I make a few adjustments in a manner that will allow for the best possible bridge rotation?” Commander Jae had more respect for his captain than most people on this ship, but he was not going to allow the clear mental deterioration to take from the safety and security of his crew.

  “Yes, Commander. Please do.” The captain returned to his seat.

  Yatrell feigned entering codes into his data tablet, and he projected to his most trusted crew members. ~ Set, Canith, and Anara please report to the bridge. We have a situation.~ He turned back to the captain. “There was a request for transport details by the Senate. Sir, will you be preparing that?”

  As if coming out of a fog, Rex looked back to his commander. “Hu..ahh yes, I’ll do that now.” He stood and focused on Commander Jae. “You can manage the bridge?”

  “Aye sir.” He spoke out loud for the benefit of the crew on the bridge, but he projected a gentle reminder to his mentor. ~Don’t forget your report to the Senate, sir.~

  The captain smiled slightly. “Good man. I’ll be in my office.” He left the bridge, still appearing to be distracted.

  As the captain’s office door slid shut, the crew door slid open and Anara, Set, and Canith stepped onto the bridge. Yatrell turned to them. “Guys we need to deal with something.”

  He turned to the crew on the bridge and ordered them to take the remainder of the shift off. Once it was just the four of them, Yatrell explained what he’d seen from the captain and why it concerned him. He
then discussed the plan he had to protect the captain’s image until they reached Dentonia in another full day without light ride engines. If light ride engines were repaired sooner, they would arrive home in hours.

  “Full day of round the clock shifts is a lot to ask of anyone.” Set pointed out at the first opportunity.

  “It is, but you know we won’t be sitting them alone.” Canith gestured to Yatrell.

  “Yep, he’s got a bad habit of overextending himself anyway, so a four man bridge we’ll manage.” Anara stood a little straighter. “You sure, a few days out of torture, you’re up for this?”

  “Yes. I’ll manage.” Yatrell met the gaze of each teammate before he continued. “It will be just the four of us. I’ll be sure meals and other supplies are brought up. We can take turns retrieving things not on the bridge as we need to. We’ll do what we can to keep the captain in his quarters and office during that time. Anyone who sees him, will question him. We don’t want that until we’re actually on Dentonia. He’s fought for our team from the start. We need to show him the same respect.”

  “Agreed.” The team responded in unison.

  As if they knew what was needed, each one took a different post and began to review the status of the ship’s systems, their mission, and plans.

  Several hours passed before the captain reemerged. He was surprised by the new faces, and the otherwise vacated posts. He crossed over to the captain’s chair where Commander Jae quickly relinquished the position. “I see you’ve handled the lack of experience on the bridge, Commander. Well done. Much to do yet to prepare.”

  “Prepare sir?” Yatrell attempted to maintain a neutral expression, but found it more and more difficult hearing how scattered the captain’s thoughts were.

  “Yes, yes, the Ven. We need to be ready. They have a fleet coming to invade. We must be ready to stop them.” The captain sat down with purpose. “Did I fail to brief you?”

  Yatrell shifted feet from one to the other. “No, Captain. That battle already occurred. We’ll be at Dentonia shortly with the third group of survivors. Trips are taking much longer now because our light ride engines are still not at full capacity.”