by Donald Swan
“Yeah, big guy, I got that,” Nick muttered. He desperately needed to know if it was still the old Arya behind those sleeping eyes. If it wasn’t…. He couldn’t bear to think of the consequences.
The day turned slowly into night as Karg stood watch. Eventually, Nick dozed off in one of the chairs he had pilfered from the mess hall. Karg stared curiously at the snoozing human beast, his big head tilted in consternation. Nick was turned crossways in the chair, his feet draped over one arm of the chair and his head hanging off the other. A spot of drool escaped from the corner of his wide-open mouth and dripped onto the floor. How Nick could sleep in that position was beyond him. It looked incredibly painful to the neck. But perhaps that was a normal sleeping habit of humans.
“I still have much to learn about your strange species,” he said under his breath. He grinned and shrugged his shoulders. It was best to let his friend sleep for awhile. Nick was awfully cranky when he was tired.
A soft tone chimed from the chamber that held Arya, signaling the beginning of the Cryo-unit’s regeneration routine.
Karg reached over and poked Nick in the arm. “Nick! Nick, wake up.”
The poke startled Nick. He jerked his head up, his eyes barely cracked open, and looked around the room.
“Nick! Wake up,” Karg repeated.
“Wha…I’m awake, I’m awake. What’s going on?” Nick sat up and rubbed a hand from his head down his face and back up again, then knuckled his tired eyes and blinked several times in an attempt to shake the sleepiness from his head. His brain began to kick in, and he realized why he was in the Cryo-room with Karg. “Arya? Is she okay?” He frowned as he wiped a disgusting dribble of drool from the side of his mouth.
“She’s fine. The med-bots have done a good job repairing the damaged neurons. She should be back to normal. Functionally, anyway. I just thought you would want to be awake when she came to.”
Nick was annoyed that his body betrayed him with a yawn at that critical moment in time. It seemed disrespectful somehow. “Yeah, definitely. Thanks. I must have dozed off.” He yawned again and stretched, trying to force his dry eyes open. He’d swear someone had poured glue in them while he had slept. “Damn, I hate that.”
He blinked profusely, waiting for a little moisture to lubricate his gritty eyeballs as he gazed down at Arya’s serene face.
Karg cocked his head as he looked at Nick. “What is that noise you make when you’re sleeping? Do all humans do that?”
“Noise? What n―” Karg’s implication suddenly smacked him in the face. “Hey! I do not snore!”
“That’s what you call it? It’s…annoying. How can you sleep through that?”
Nick threw his hands into the air. “I don’t know…we don’t notice it, I guess. But I don’t snore. No one has ever said I snore, except for…Emily Rogerson back in college. Okay, so maybe I snore some. Once in awhile. When I’m really tired. But that’s it.” He shook his head. “Enough about me already. How’s Arya doing?”
“So far, so good. I haven’t given her any new translator nanites yet. Wanted to be sure she was alright first. Don’t want to go through all that again.” Karg pressed a button on the console. “This should stimulate her brain to wake up.”
In the open Cryo-tube, Arya took a deep breath. Her response to Karg’s brain stimulation was a relief to her shipmates, but they were far from out of the woods yet. They still needed to know if she was the real deal.
Arya’s long eyelashes fluttered and then her eyes slowly opened. She lay still for a split second and then swiftly sat up, looking around in a panic.
Startled by her sudden movement, both Nick and Karg quickly took a step backward away from the chamber. Karg was preparing to fight, ready to pin her down but then she spoke.
“Nick! Help me!” She tried to grab at Nick’s arm, but he was too far away. “Please don’t let it take me. Please!”
Nick could see the legitimate fear and panic in her eyes. It would seem that the old Arya was back. He cautiously stepped closer and allowed her to take his arm. “It’s alright. You’re safe now. The artificial intelligence is gone.”
Arya stared strangely at Nick then turned to Karg and said, “Karg? What’s happening? I can’t understand Nick.”
“It’s okay, you don’t have any translators yet,” Karg explained. “They got blasted by the magnetic pulse.”
Arya looked even more panicked. “I can’t understand you, either!”
Karg grabbed a small device from a nearby table and handed it to Arya. “Sorry, I forgot. Here.”
Arya turned the device around and glanced at the page of text displayed on its screen. The device had been printing out the conversation as they spoke, translating everyone’s language into written Arisian text. As Arya read the text, her body began to relax. “This is so weird. I was only an infant when I was injected with translators. To suddenly be unable to understand anyone is a shock. I even panicked and tried to access the console with my mind but couldn’t.” She looked at Nick, and her cat-eyes formed into a familiar squint. “How does your species bear to live this way? It’s so…isolating.”
Nick chuckled. “I guess you would see it that way. I suppose you can’t miss something you never had. I’ve finally gotten used to having nanites in my head. I think I would actually miss them if they were gone.”
“I think it’s safe to go ahead and inject the translators now,” Karg said, his big, round eyes on Arya.
Arya read the translated text then nodded in agreement. “Yes! Please. That would make things so much easier.” She tilted her head to expose the artery in her neck to receive the injection. She frowned when Karg hesitated. “Well, what are you waiting for?” she asked impatiently. “Hurry up and do it.”
Karg grinned. “I think she’s going to be okay,” he said with a wink to Nick.
An hour later, Nick sat with his arms draped over a chair and watched Arya finish the two helpings of dessert that Karg had brought up from the galley. Arya took the last bite then sat back and licked her fingers in satisfaction. The translator nanites in her brain were beginning to work again. “So glad that’s over with. Not being able to understand anyone was horrible.”
Nick voiced the question that had been on his mind since her awakening. “What was it like? I mean, it must have been terrifying for you. Being trapped in your own body, watching the nanite bugs doing their horrible deeds and not being able to stop them.”
Arya stared at the floor for a long moment. Her eyes glazed over, a hint of tears forming in the corners. “It’s hard to explain. I don’t think I’m ready to talk about it yet. But, yes, terrifying would be a good word, yet wholly inadequate.”
Nick sat silent for a moment. “I understand. If you ever want to talk about it, I’m here. And I’ve always been a good listener.” He reached out and touched the back of her hand. She glanced up at him, her eyes filled with a mix of emotions.
“Of all people,” she whispered. “For me to be the spy.”
“It’s okay,” Nick soothed.
“It’s sacrilege,” Karg added. “For them to use the Queen of Aris for such a mission.”
Arya looked over at her four-armed friend. “Can you ever forgive me?”
“There’s nothing to forgive. You were a victim,” Nick answered. “You tried to stop the nanites. You fought them so hard. I saw it happening.”
Arya’s lower lip quivered. She pressed a speckled hand to her mouth to stop the quiver from getting worse. A tear streaked down her pert little nose and landed on the back of her hand. Nick stared at the tear. It looked like an iridescent jewel against her green skin. Beautiful and sad at the same time.
“It’s going to be okay,” he said. “I promise. You’re safe. We’re all safe.”
“And stuck in hyperspace,” Karg said.
Arya looked at him in shock. “What?!”
Nick grinned. “Yeah! That was my doing. I saved our asses by using the module to open a window into hyperspace. The Ashok ba
rely escaped by coasting in behind me. It was close, but the Dragorans lost this battle.”
She stared at Nick. “This time, anyway.”
“Yeah. Well. We still have technology they don’t have.”
“And now you’re…we’re a bigger target than ever,” she reminded him.
“We’ll worry about that later.” Nick took her hand in his and gave it a squeeze. “Right now, all we need to do is eat more dessert.” His gaze pivoted to Karg. “Because the big guy here didn’t think to share. Let’s go to the mess hall and get some real food. Like bacon burgers and French fries, and—“
Arya laughed. “You are beyond strange, you know that. I don’t know what the frek you’re talking about half the time.”
“What’s a bacon?” Karg asked.
Nick dropped his head into his hands. “If we ever find a hog on one of these barren planets, I’ll show you what bacon is. For now, let’s get something, anything, to eat. As long as it’s tasty.”
Karg rumbled, literally rumbled.
Nick raised his head. “What the hell was that?”
“All this talk of food is making me hungry.”
“Listen, guys, I don’t want to go to the mess hall. I want to be alone, so—“
“Karg won’t mind fetching us some vittles, will you, Karg?” Nick volunteered him.
Karg grinned. “I’ll be right back.”
Nick turned back to Arya as Karg left the room. She stared at him with forlorn eyes.
“Nick, I’m afraid the crew will refuse to accept me after what’s happened.”
“I know you are. But don’t be. You have no idea how much these people love you, how much they will do…and in fact did do, in order to protect you. And they don’t even know you’re the Queen of Aris. They do it because you are one of them, a part of them. You are the glue that holds us all together. Don’t forget that. These people are loyal to you until the day they die.”
“That’s just what I’m most afraid of,” Arya replied softly. “I don’t want to be the cause of their death.”
Nick once again took her hand. After a long silence, he gently rubbed his thumb over the soft skin of her hand. “When I make a promise, I keep it. And I promise you this…. We will find a way to defeat the Mok’tu. I will find a way. I’m going to make everything right. You can count on me.”
Arya was silent for a long time before she answered. “You know…I believe you. Strange as you are, I do believe you.”
One month later….
Nick poked his head into Karg’s quarters. “Hey, buddy, do you know the results of the vote yet?”
“Yeah, come on in. I just finished going over it.” Karg waved at him, urging him to enter the room. “Arya, by a wide margin. Just as I suspected.”
Nick smiled and gave a nod. “I think that’s a good choice. When are you going to tell her?” He pulled up a chair across the table from Karg and plopped down.
“We’re going to announce it in the mess hall at dinner. Sirok rigged it to broadcast ship-wide.” Karg slid a giant bowl of green chips toward Nick. “Want some?” he mumbled through a mouthful of the crunchy green food.
Nick hesitated for just a moment then decided to give them a try. He reached out and plucked a chip from the bowl. “Sure, why not. Don’t tell me what they are, let me guess.” Nick bit a small piece of chip off and gingerly tested it for taste. A flavor something like wasabi attacked his taste buds, followed by what could only be described as spinach mixed with peanut butter. “Whoa, that’ll open the sinuses.” He sniffed and fought against watering eyes. “Okay, I have no idea what this is, but don’t tell me. It would probably just ruin it for me.” Nick finished the one chip and grabbed a few more, holding one up to Karg. “Thanks.”
“Good aren’t they? They’re—”
Nick threw up a hand to warn Karg off any explanation. “No, no, no, I said don’t tell me. I really…really don’t want to know. Did you say you were going to announce it at dinner? It’s almost that time, isn’t it?”
Karg glanced at the digital display that resembled a clock. “Shek, you’re right.” He stood, plucked a paper off of the table, and grabbed a handful of chips. “Better get going. Don’t want to miss Arya,” he said as he shoved the handful of chips into his mouth.
In the mess hall, Arya sat at her usual table. When Karg saw her, he tapped his com-link twice to open a link for his announcement. “May I have your attention? As you know, due to current circumstances, we called for a vote on who the next Captain should be. The results are in.”
The crew’s sudden silence only enhanced the loudness of Karg’s voice as it echoed over the ship’s intercom. “The results are as follows. Two votes for Sirok. One vote for Karg. Glad to see someone appreciates me. One vote for Kyrk, and fourteen votes for the new Captain of the Ashok…. Arya!”
The crew immediately came to their feet and began applauding. An overwhelming majority had made it clear who they wanted for their next Captain.
Arya sat frozen, stunned by this sudden announcement. Even with the recent turn of events, they had still picked her to be their leader. It was the last thing she had expected.
Arya suddenly realized everyone was staring at her. Feeling oddly shy, which she’d never been before in her life, she stood up and walked over to Karg. “Just for the record, I voted for you,” she whispered to him.
Pasting a smile to her face, she turned to look at the crew. They were all still on their feet, the applause slowly dying down as they waited for her to speak. She cleared her throat and began her first address to the crew. Her crew. It seemed so odd to think that. These people were now under her protection. She would be responsible for them from now on. For all of them. Even Nick.
“No one could ever replace Argos,” she began slowly.
A voice from the crowd spoke up. “Hear, hear.”
“No, I could never replace such a great man. But I promise all of you I will do my best to make you…and Argos…proud. Our mission is a vital one, one that could alter the course of the war. For many years, I have been proud to be a part of this crew. I have had the honor of working alongside all of you at some point in time, and I am honored that you chose me as your Captain.” Her voice began to grow in strength as she took on the mantle of Captain. Her back straightened, and her chin lifted proudly. “We have had our setbacks. We have lost people close to us.” Her eyes burned with fiery determination now. “We have been chased to hetek and back, but I swear to you, we have just begun to fight! Those baskurts will regret the day they set eyes on our sector of space!”
The crowd erupted in a long roar of approval as they cheered Arya on. She turned her head to meet Nick’s gaze. He smiled, obviously proud of her. She shrugged and grinned back at him. Captain. This was a moment she’d never foreseen. Her stomach fluttered. Ready or not, the Ashok was her ship now.
The anxiety level on the Ashok grew by the hour as they pushed further into Demented Space and their rendezvous with fate. The unusual effects of the strange region of space didn’t help the crew’s edgy demeanor. Navigation was tense at best. Sudden strange symptoms of nausea and headaches plagued the crew. Everyone felt a sense of impending doom, perhaps Arya most of all. It was as if a thick syrup had poured over the galaxy, covering everything in a huge blanket of dread. But she had to press on.
The thump of Karg’s feet reverberated down the corridor in front of him as he slogged along. He was too deep in thought to hear anything. The time had come. The ship drew near its destination. Soon, Nick would be making the ultimate sacrifice in an attempt to save numerous races of beings on planets that he had never even seen.
The universe had conspired to put this rag-tag band of diverse races together in the right place at the right time. By the Gods, they might actually be able to put an end to the enemy plague that had swept across their sector of space. The prophecy could actually come true, after all.
Karg reached Nick’s quarters and poked his head in the door. He hated to inte
rrupt Nick as he recorded his thoughts, but he had no choice. “It’s time,” Karg announced from the doorway.
“Be right there, Karg,” Nick replied, giving a nod.
Karg ducked back into the corridor and headed to the hangar bay. The hollow echo of Nick’s final words faded behind him in the distance. He’s one brave warrior. I’m proud to call him friend, Karg thought to himself.
Arya rounded a corner in the corridor, headed his way. He knew exactly where she was going.
“Karg, have you seen Nick?”
“Yeah, he’s in his quarters finishing his message. I don’t know why he insists on using that antiquated recording device. We have much more efficient ones on board.”
Arya hardly broke her stride as she answered. “Because it’s the only thing his people would be able to read. It would take them too long to decipher our tech.”
“I guess that makes sense,” Karg replied as she passed by him. “I’ll be waiting in Bay Two.”
Arya trudged down the hall, her heart beating harder with every step. If only there was another way. Any other way. As much as she wanted to call off this mission, she knew it came down to the numbers. One man’s life for the lives of billions. She couldn’t be selfish under those circumstances. This could be their only chance to stop the Mok’tu.
Arya rounded the corner to Nick’s quarters and collided with him on his way out. She instinctively put up her hand to stop herself. She pushed herself back from Nick, but her hand lingered on his chest as she stared into his pale, blue human eyes. The feeling of his heart beating beneath his shirt overrode her strength to pull away. She wanted to be close to him. If only she had more time.
“Arya,” Nick sputtered. “I was hoping I would see you before I…go.” He paused. “If I don’t make it back, I just wanted to thank you. For everything.”
She stared down at her fingers as they lay against his shirt.
“You know, I’ve been wanting to tell you what the word Aria means on my world, but I just never seemed to get the chance. It refers to a beautiful song. A graceful melody that floats on air and delights the senses. It’s a fitting name for you.”