“Ven.”
Brax fell silent as Yatrell prepared to go onto the bridge. When he did speak up his voice was ominous. “No, not just Ven, brother. Caretaker.”
Yatrell’s jaw set. “Gardesh. I can feel him now. And he better get out of my head.”
Brax bowed his large green head slightly and entered his friend’s mind. Together they pushed out the Taruuant Level Red Ven. When Yatrell’s mind was his own again, he ordered his senior staff to the bridge, and Brax went with him. As he walked onto the bridge with his crew coming out of the lift, he wasted no time updating his team. “The Ven are out there. They got close enough to set off the sensors and backed away. Gardesh is in my head, or was. We need to find them.”
“Understood, Captain.” Canith began to adapt their standard sensors in a way that would enable him to find a cloaked Ven vessel.
Anara sent out an encrypted communication to the nearest ships and the Fleet Commander. One message came in acknowledging her, and then the system appeared to be dead. She tried again but nothing responded. “Captain, they’re jamming communications. I got some messages out, but I’m not sure that all were received.”
Set programmed a charged probe to lock onto anything that was not made of Dento alloy. When he launched it, he pulled up an exterior projection of what was occurring. On the visual, they watched the probe move swiftly to a target very close to the ship. When the probe set off the electrical charge it shorted the Ven cloak, and exposed a small ship.
. Set mumbled, “There might be three people in there, at most.”
“One of them is Gardesh.” Yatrell seethed with anger.
“Don’t worry. We’ll get him.” Anara activated shields, and began to charge the weapons coil.
~Brother, he’s here for you. He has no idea I’m here.~ Brax projected to Yatrell as he looked for a firearm.
~Yes, I’ve noticed. I still want you to protect the engineers, and make sure he doesn’t get into that room. The last time we faced them with a large fleet, our people realized you were on their side. They will trust you.~ Yatrell prepared himself. “Do we have a pulse ready yet?”
“We could fire, Captain, but they are close enough the charge may bounce back against our hull.” Anara became frustrated. “Navigation, pull us off the target at least forty lengths.”
As the ship moved so did the Ven. Once they’d reached the forty lengths mark, the small ship was beneath them. Aggravated, Yatrell looked at Set. ”We need options.”
“I could prepare another probe charge, but it’s not going to be strong enough to even slow down primary systems because they are too close to us.” Set began the process of programming another charge.
“What about three charged probes?” Yatrell had an idea, and he knew no one on the bridge was going to like it, but he also knew it would work. Interrupting the discussion, the computer notified them of a laser cutting through the underside of the ship. “What are they thinking?”
~They are thinking they will distract us.~ Brax walked to the lift, ~I disagree with your plan brother, but you are correct to think it will likely work.~
Brax took the lift to the bowels of the ship, and looked for the point in the hull they were trying to cut into. Xentue, like Ven, were able to survive for short periods of time in open space. He prepared himself to take on the invaders if needed.
Yatrell watched Brax leave, and turned back to his team. “Set, prepare three very highly charged probes. Anara set the weapon to target those probes. I’m going to get them to move away from the ship.” He turned and looked at Canith. “You’ve got the bridge, Commander.”
he walked off the bridge before anyone could protest. Gardesh was here for him, and he was not going to easily let that happen. Yatrell retrieved his favorite assortment of firearms, and strapped them to his body. He walked directly for the shuttle bay. His personal communicator came alive with activity. He ignored its alarm until he entered one of the ship’s shuttles and began pre-flight checks. He then contacted the bridge. “I’m not letting them have my good shuttle, so drop the exterior shield.”
Set’s voice crackled into the old shuttle’s speakers. “Captain, there is no need to risk yourself like this.”
“If I get them off the underbelly, you can cripple them. I’ll use a relocation system, if I need to. Just don’t expect me to. I’d rather have this shuttle back, and in working order.”
“You’re acting on a feeling. What if they are just here for coil plans? You have no way to tell.” Set urged him back to the bridge.
Annoyed, Yatrell projected to Set instead of using the communications systems, ~Set, I do have a way to know exactly what they want. Now, drop the outer shield, or I’m going to take out the emitters on my way out of this bay, and you’ll be in charge of the zero g walks to repair it.~
He activated the helm controls. The thrusters came alive, and it lifted from the deck. By the time he reached the shield, his crew dropped it, and he flew out. Yatrell set coordinates for the shuttle roughly sixty lengths from the Rexion. He activated shields on the small older shuttle, but he wasn’t sure if they would hold up in a firefight. Taking the disadvantage into consideration, Yatrell programmed a series of evasive maneuvers that would put him at an advantage, if they had to be used. The sensors alarmed, and the pursuit began.
~Yatrell, child, you don’t want to experience the same pain as before, do you?~ Gardesh projected intensely into Yatrell’s mind. ~You should just come home, where you belong.~
He refused to respond to Gardesh. Instead he sent a grappling wire backward until it locked in the Ven hull, holding the ship in place as Yatrell flew toward the coordinates.
~What do you think you’re doing child?~ Gardesh looked at his two man crew, and ordered them to release the grappling. As the crew worked Gardesh projected to Yatrell. ~Come now boy, this childish game of chase is pointless. We will close on you, and we will bring you home.~
Yatrell refused to acknowledge him. When he saw the probes leave the Rexion he smiled. He remained connected to his pursuers until they were a safe distance. He commanded the shuttle to release the grappling wire. The computer responded to the command, but the wire didn’t detract. Frustrated, Yatrell gave the order again, and again the computer acknowledged the order, and again it didn’t budge.
Mumbling to himself, “If I don’t get that thing off before the probe charges go off, it’s going to travel, and short out this computer too.”
Yatrell found a very specialized tool, his phase weapon, and walked to the rear of the hull. He set the beam for a very thin, but high setting, like a cutting tool. He found an oxygen mask, and put it on. Once he could feel the air flowing, he began to cut through the inner hull, and down into the grappling mechanism. He had to cut the base of the mechanism before it released the taunt cord out of the hole it was launched from. Free of the Ven ship and venting atmosphere, he ran back to the front of the shuttle.
~*~
~Yatrell, what are you up to child?~ Gardesh’s panels lit up with electrical charges. One flew off the wall of the small three person navigation pod. He slammed his fist on the arm of his chair, as the Ven pod came to a full stop. Angrily, he spoke out loud. “What did he do?”
“Three probes attached to our hull. When he released the wire from his shuttle thing, the charges activated, and shut down our primary systems. Sir, the auto repair system is active and working. It may be hours before we can maneuver. Sir, I suggest moving to our side of the border until the ship has been restored to full function.”
“Fine. Do it.”
Gardesh looked around the rounded room. Three chairs, three men all piloting and running the ship from this one location. A flat view screen allowed him to see everything going on outside, and a small green panel on his chair allowed him to see what was going on inside. Gardesh sat there, sulking that he once again missed this child. He was tossed from his chair by another explosion moments later. Momentum pushed the pod into Ven space, disabled completely.
>
As he staggered to his feet, seething, her ordered his crew to recall the prime vessel, and to contact his select team. He began planning the next assault.
~*~
Yatrell smirked at the explosion, and piloted the shuttle back to the Rexion. When he landed the shuttle inside the ship, he took the oxygen mask off, and leaned back. Before he had a moment to think, there was a loud banging on the shuttle door. He opened it and in walked Anara and Set.
He grumbled, “Don’t lecture the Captain.” Yatrell stood up and walked off the shuttle. “The engineers have a hole in the back to patch up.”
Anara walked to the back to inspect the hole Yatrell mentioned.
Set followed him out of the shuttle bay and into the halls. “What did you think you were doing out there? If that grappling wire had gotten stuck you could have been fried right along with them”
Yatrell walked quickly, and responded with authority evident in his voice. “It did get stuck, hence the hole. They weren’t fried. They have systems in place to prevent most electrical problems from translating into physical ones. “
“Well, Captain, we don’t. If that wire carried the charge back to the shuttle you’d have been fried. We’d be without a captain again. You can’t pull stunts like that, Yatrell.” Set was annoyed, and angry his friend would be so selfish.
Yatrell stopped short, and looked at Set, “Everyone is alive, right? So don’t lecture me. I’m going to do what I believe is best for this crew with or without your permission.”
He stormed off to his quarters to put his weapons away, and resumed his duties on the bridge. He remained aggravated through his shift, and when it concluded and stalked back to his quarters.
All of his friends worried for him, but only Anara was asked to check on him. She did. When she entered his quarters, he looked at her in a way she wasn’t sure about. “Yatrell, we’re worried. Did he get to you again?”
Yatrell didn’t say a word to her. Instead, he walked up to her and backed her against a wall. She shifted uncomfortably. He placed a hand on either side of her head, and used his body to prevent her from moving. When she looked in to his eyes she saw intensity unlike she’d seen in him before and her face flushed. He leaned over and kissed her hard. She returned the kiss, even amid the mixed emotions. Soon they were in the middle of a sexual battle for dominance. There was nothing tender or sweet about it, but nothing unexpected either.
He won.
This became their pattern after every battle. Yatrell would sulk on the bridge until his shift was over, and he would pace in his quarters until she arrived. They would have sex repeatedly until he was too exhausted to move. She would lay in his bed, and hold him while he slept. It was in these moments afterward that she felt the most alive and the most tenderly drawn to him. In these moments she felt more connected with him than she had ever felt for anyone in her life.
This pattern continued for months. The longer it continued, the more Anara felt like they were becoming more than they had ever been before. He’d always been her friend and someone she respected and trusted completely. He had to be. He was her team leader. Now, after all of these years, she felt close to him in a whole new way. The instances she held him into the early morning hours were the ones that struck her the most.
Finally, she couldn’t hold back what she felt. She’d never been willing to feel like this for anyone before him, and when they were alone one night, she suggested they bond formally. She was unprepared for his response, but listened patiently, none the less.
“No. There’s only ever been one person who I’d have considered bonding with, and she’s dead.” Yatrell sat up in the bed and ran his hands through his hair. He threw his legs over his bed, and put his back to her. “I won’t bond with anyone, ever.”
Anara hardened her tone to hide the hurt before she spoke. “It was a thought.” She paused, not sure if she wanted the answer to what she was about to ask, but she asked anyway. “What was her name?”
He hung his head, and nearly crumbled into himself. “Kala. Not a day goes by that she isn’t on my mind. Not a day has since …” He trailed off.
Anara wrapped herself around him, and held him. Softly she whispered, “The Xenonian intelligence agent.” She trailed off for a moment before asking with honest curiosity, “What was she like?”
“Beautiful. Her spirit, her gentleness, her giving self sacrificing hearts.” He took a deep breath. “She’s the reason anyone survived the battle with the Ven at section twelve beta. It was her effort and personal sacrifice that gave us the time to respond. She did it because she loved… people. Because she loved me.” He cringed before he spoke again, “I never told her. I should have…anything.” He let himself cry over Kala’s loss for the first time ever that night.
Anara just held him close, aching now for them both. She wished she would have settled on the suspicion she had when the women spoke two years prior. “She left a strong impression, even in our brief conversation.” The loss of Dentonia’s savior was more personal now than she ever could have imagined. She ached with every breath she took. She ached with every breath Yatrell took.
His body shuttered as he sucked in a breath. “She had a way of lingering in your thoughts, long after a conversation.”
She rested her cheek against his shoulder. “I’m so sorry, Yatrell. I didn’t know.”
He hung his head lower. “I didn’t want you to know. I didn’t want anyone to know.” The tears stained his features, and he briskly tried to wipe his face clean. “She was so much more than I ever wanted her to become. More than I thought possible, and then she was gone.”
Anara draws a sharp breath, and finds herself holding it to fight back tears. She whispers, “Sometimes people sneak in like that.”
Anara never mentioned bonding again. She ignored the ache in her own hearts, and made herself content to be whatever he needed of her. Months continued moving forward, and things remained the same. The two were all business on the bridge and in battle. They had fierce, active sex after his dinners with Brax, and there was no discussion of more. With difficulty, she accepted that this was all she would be to him.
On a given night, after a sharp battle with the Ven, Yatrell found himself in the mess hall with his friend. Brax watched him, and he watched Brax. Much of their conversation was held telepathically. Then, Anara, Set, and Canith walked in for dinner. Yatrell followed them with his eyes, and grew silent.
~You know she can’t replace, her right?~ Brax finished eating his fruit, while he waited on his friend to respond.
~Yes, I know that. She doesn’t even want to replace Kala. She…~ Yatrell cut the projection off.
He knew Anara just wanted what he couldn’t give her. He couldn’t give it to Kala, and he was in love with her. Without question, he was still in love with her. How could he give his hearts dedication to Anara who was just a little more than a bed partner? It wasn’t there.
~She hurts all the time now. You let that happen. You need to fix it.~ Brax looked at him, his face devoid of emotion.
~I know. I just don’t know how to. I didn’t plan for this to happen. I’m not sure there is any part of me that wanted this to happen. She’s my friend, and she always has been. Even early on when she’d insist upon being my bed partner, I…~ A frustrated sigh betrayed the emotion of their telepathic conversation. ~This isn’t what I wanted to happen.~ Yatrell pushed the food around on his plate. ~She deserves better.~
~Yes, she does. ~
~Brax, I have no idea how to fix this.~ Yatrell looked over his friend’s shoulder to the woman who had become whatever he needed of her when he needed it, except who he actually needed. ~She really is a good woman, and a valuable ally. I’ve ruined our friendship, and our working relationship. I need to change things.~
~The choice is simple, Yatrell. Bond with her for life, or release her from your bed. Give her the emotional freedom to find what she needs and deserves.~ Brax lifted his tray and walked across the room to deposi
t it to be cleaned. When he returned, Yatrell was still toying with the last of his food.
~You are aware few choices are easy, even when they are clear to us.~
~You’re right, as usual, brother.~ Yatrell glanced at the table where she sat. ~ I don’t want her to suffer because of me. I know someone else wants her happy, but I may have ruined things there as well.~ He pushes the plate away. ~ I’ve ruined so much.~
Looking across the room, Yatrell gently projected to Anara that he wanted to just talk, nothing more, when she was able to. He made it clear there was absolutely no reason for her to rush her evening plans. Then he also cleared his tray, and left the mess hall alongside his Xentue brother.
By the time Yatrell reached his quarters he heard more minds than just his crew. Instead of walking into his quarters, he went to the bridge. “Beta shift, report.”
The navigation controller reported all things clear in his section, and then a sensor returned a new reading. “Correction sir. We have ships incoming. Three of our own. One is limping.” After another moment he was able to identify which ships were coming in. His face paled. He looked over his shoulder at the captain., “Sir, one of them is the Thox. The Fleet Commander’s ship. The one that was attacked.”
“Captain, I’ve got an incoming message from Taxlor. The fleet commander’s dead. They are falling back here to regroup. The Thox took causalities, and is barely operational.” The communications specialist frowned. “Captain, there’s an additional report incoming for your eyes only.”
“Send it to my office. I’ll decrypt it there.” The specialist acknowledged her captain before Yatrell exited the bridge into his office.
His team watched him exit, each one concerned in different ways.
The duty officer spoke up. “Let’s get it together. We’re the fall back point, we need to coordinate medical and supply needs. Contact the Thox, Taxlor, and Sumbient. Find out their needs, and make sure our people are addressing them.” Without another word, the crew followed his orders and coordinated the efforts.
Nebula Nights: Love Among The Stars Page 140