The Solar Flare

by Laura E. Collins

  The Asterions in the common area were stunned by Ava’s sudden outburst and started discussing the situation after she was safely out of earshot.

  “I know that she’s been through a lot, but I still don’t see how she says she feels nothing for me. It’s not supposed to be this way. . .” Xavier remarked sitting back down into his seat.

  “I’m surprised she’s acting like this. A match like this has never happened to any of us before. It’s supposed to be like love at first sight, except in this case without the participation of the other person. However, she isn’t one of us; she’s human. When it comes to something like this she has free will. I can’t imagine how you must feel, James. I wonder if it’s possible that she’s bonded with Robinson permanently? If she’s that attached to him, then perhaps her heart may be closed to you.” Melanie said, trying to come up with a reasonable explanation of things.

  Xavier rose up to leave the common area, lost in thought. He wanted to think about this alone. His affinity for Ava was overwhelming. The prospect of letting her go was heartbreaking to him after all of these years of being alone, but feeling her hatred of him was just as worse. Perhaps they were wrong. Maybe they shouldn’t have taken her away from Robinson without her consent. He didn’t want her to hate him and he didn’t want to force her to live a life in contempt of him. Sadly, he realized he had only one choice. He must return her to Robinson.

  Later that afternoon Xavier tapped on Ava’s door and entered. She looked up from where she was sitting, resting against the headboard on the bed with her knees drawn up. She took the remote and turned off the program she was watching on the monitor. She watched him as he slowly came to one side of the bed and sat down on the edge, facing away from her. After a few moments of silence he spoke. “I’ve been doing some thinking. I don’t want to force you to come with me. If you truly feel nothing for me then I shall take you back to him.”

  Ava processed what he said for a minute and replied softly, “do you really mean that?”

  “Yes,” he responded numbly.

  “Thank you,” she smiled and breathed a deep sigh of relief.

  “We’re launching within the hour. Once we are in space we will attempt to locate Robinson. He must surely be out looking for you by now.” Xavier kept his gaze focused on the floor, he couldn’t look at her for fear his resolve would crumble. He didn’t say another word as he abruptly got up and left her quarters without looking back.

  Chapter 17: Earth

  “He should have been here by now!” Kaden bellowed to Draves and his remaining crew members.

  “He’ll be here, give him some more time. The weather conditions aren’t exactly easy for transporting things out there,” Torian responded, his teeth chattering from the cold.

  “It’s bad enough I lost my ship and have to tool around in this heap of scrap metal!” Kaden whined, gesturing at the Andromeda. After hijacking the fallen starship, he, Torian, Cassidy, and Draves flew all the way back to Earth to an old desolate abandoned hangar on the surface to make repairs. They could not have taken it to one of the space stations as it would have been recognized as being stolen, and also the subject of inspection by the ITO due to its assaulted appearance.

  “We’re lucky that we’re still alive!” Cassidy remarked sharply, quickly being irritated by Kaden’s attitude.

  Draves, who sat quietly on a nearby crate looked sharply towards the entryway as a small battery powered truck entered and headed towards them, heaped with what appeared to be starship parts in the back. An average sized man with dark brown hair and eyes emerged from behind the wheel, he was an Asterion. “Torian, long time no see,” the stranger exclaimed casually.

  “Warren, this is Kaden, Cassidy, and Draves,” Torian announced as he introduced the group to the newcomer.

  “What have you got for me?” Warren asked of the group.

  “We need some assistance re-furbishing this,” Torian explained as he pointed towards the Andromeda.

  “Isn’t that the Andromeda? Robinson’s ship?” Warren asked nervously, backing away slightly. The last thing he wanted was to get involved in a war between Asterion clans.

  “It’s my ship now!” Kaden announced. “We’ve got your money, now show us the parts!”

  “Right away,” Warren replied, hurrying towards the rear of the truck. Kaden seemed pacified after seeing what Torian’s contact was able to bring them. The abandoned hangar on Earth in the freezing tundra of what used to be a desert would have to do for now. At least they were out from under the ITO’s nose and away from Robinson’s reach for the moment. Draves had informed him that the Captain had been temporarily distracted by the simultaneous kidnapping of his mate. He laughed at the thought, poor Robinson, he never gets a break.

  Despite Draves’ usefulness, Kaden noticed he had seemed to be going downhill over the last few days, often seen muttering, gesturing, and laughing crazily to himself. Perhaps the dashed hope of having a peaceful quite planet to live on had put him over the edge. Even his energy and strength seemed to have diminished slightly. Kaden decided he would guard his thoughts and watch him for now. If Draves’ sanity continued to decline, he would do whatever was necessary to protect himself.

  ∞

  Ava enjoyed a new sense of calm and a renewed feeling of hope after her conversation with Xavier. She no-longer felt compelled to stay in her quarters all of the time and moved about and explored the Solstice freely. Now that he had promised to take her back to Wesley she did not feel angry with him anymore. Even though things were much less awkward between the two of them, she still kept a distance and only spoke casually with him whenever she found herself in a situation alone with him. She couldn’t help herself observing all of these new Asterions closely. They seemed like Wesley’s family, a tight knit group. It made her long to be reunited with them soon. After several days in orbit scouting for a signal, Ava’s patience began to waiver. What if something had happened to Wesley during Kaden’s attack? Could that be why they haven’t been able to track him? She pushed these thoughts from her mind; she had to try to remain positive. As more days passed, Blayke finally suggested that they do a sweep near Capri and what was left of Orionis, some of the closer stations to the Earth.

  Late one evening, Nicholas called Xavier to the flight deck, “I’ve got him.”

  “Where is he?” Xavier asked calmly.

  “He’s in the Southwest desert on Earth, probably in that old abandoned military hangar, we’ll know for sure once we get closer.”

  Xavier inspected one of the monitors. “The transmission is encrypted.”

  “Yeah, I thought that was weird too. It’s definitely him though. He’s probably doing that to maintain a low profile, especially if he’s hunting us and wants an element of surprise.”

  “Bring us in closer and hover. We’ll try to make contact with him, I’ll let Ava know.”

  “No problem.”

  Xavier left Blayke and Nicholas in the flight deck and found Ava in the common room holding a tablet, apparently watching the local news to keep herself occupied. He sat down next to her and she put it down, waiting for him to speak.

  “We’ve found him.”

  “Really!” Ava didn’t even try to hide her excitement from Xavier, although he seemed less than thrilled to be telling her. She noticed how sad he looked. Even his muted energy seemed to dip.

  “Yes, we should be there in about two hours. You may take your clothes and things with you if you like.”

  “Thank you James, I will never forget your kindness to me,” Ava said sincerely, surprised that she herself felt a little down about their impending separation.

  “You’re welcome Ava.” He got up and left the room, finding her presence and their forthcoming farewell a bit unbearable.

  As the Solstice descended down towards the Andromeda’s signal, Xavier tried to make contact with Robinson. Ava went with him to the flight deck, just in case Wesley wanted to speak with her. She hoped for a peaceful reunion with
her fiancée. As much as she disagreed with Xavier’s kidnapping attempt, she did not wish him or his family any harm, after all they did save her life.

  “Robinson, do you copy?” Xavier’s beautiful voice rang out loud and clear over the receiver. Two minutes went by and no response. He tried again. “Captain Robinson of the Andromeda, do you copy?” His response was nothing but static.

  “He knows we’re here by now, why wouldn’t he respond?” Blayke asked.

  “Can I try? Maybe if he hears my voice he’ll respond,” Ava asked. Xavier handed her the microphone without hesitation.

  “Wesley, it’s Ava. I want you to know that I am okay. Can you hear me?” Her contact attempt was also met with static. Ava handed the microphone back to Xavier.

  “Looks like we’re going to have to go down there,” he announced.

  “Into the hangar?” Nicholas asked, surprised. “They could ambush us!”

  “Wesley wouldn’t do that if he knew I was with you,” Ava reasoned.

  Xavier ignored Ava’s comment. “You’re right Nicholas, they could be hostile. Arm the ship and put the shields up. Blayke, I want you and Lucas in position to return fire if they start attacking us.”

  “What?!” Ava asked, astonished.

  “It’s only for our protection Ava, we’re not going to open fire on them unless they do it to us first. Melanie, I want you to wait with Ava near the ramp. I’ll go down first and call you on the PCD when it’s safe to send her down. Nicholas, keep the ship on standby in case we need to leave in a hurry.”

  “Got it,” he replied.

  “It’s going to be freezing in that hangar, let’s get you a coat Ava,” Melanie said, pulling her away.

  After a few minutes and a flurry of activity the Solstice slowly descended down into the freezing snow filled sky of Earth’s atmosphere and glided carefully into the massive dimly lit hangar. Nicholas gently set the ship down several hundred feet away from the Andromeda, keeping close to the entryway, just in case they were attacked.

  “What the hell happened to her?” Nicholas asked Xavier in the flight deck as they took in their first shocking glimpse of the Andromeda.

  “Ava said Robinson was in a war with someone named Kaden when we found her,” he replied.

  “His ship is beat to Hell. . . I’d be surprised if it’s even safe to fly.”

  “We’ll find out,” Xavier said as he left to meet Melanie and Ava at the ramp.

  Ava, sensing this was her last chance to say good bye to them, started to speak. “James, I . . .” He held up a hand to stop her. “It’s okay Ava. Just promise me that you will be careful and take good care of yourself.”

  “I promise.” She smiled at him. He nodded and proceeded slowly down the ramp into the hangar.

  He walked a few yards out from the ship and stopped and waited. He looked around the silent, cold hangar, his breath steadily visible as quickly evaporating puffs of air. He didn’t like this, he couldn’t sense Robinson’s presence anywhere.

  A few minutes went by. Ava could no-longer see Xavier from her position at the top of the ramp and couldn’t take the suspense anymore. She surprised Melanie by quickly breaking free of her grip and running down the ramp and towards Xavier. She stopped abruptly when she saw the Andromeda. “Oh my God!” She raised her hands to cover her mouth in shock. She could not believe what met her eyes. The once beautiful and impressive silver starship she loved was peppered with damage from the recent battle and now in various states of repair. Parts of the ship and what appeared to be new parts were scattered about the large space.

  Her thoughts immediately went to Wesley. He could be hurt, she thought. She started to run past Xavier to the battered ship but he caught her by putting a firm hand on her shoulder to hold her back.

  “Something’s wrong. Robinson isn’t here. I need you to get back in the ship Ava,” Xavier told her quickly.

  Before she could respond they saw movement from behind some of the landing gear of the Andromeda. A disheveled looking man with a nervous laugh stepped out from behind it. Ava suddenly became aware that at least two Asterions were with them in the hangar. They made no attempt to suppress their energy and it stung her, making her a little uncomfortable. Then, a woman with short dark hair stepped out of the shadows on the opposite side from underneath the ship. Apparently these two strangers seemed amused that the intruders into their hangar were unarmed. Both of them slowly started coming towards Xavier and Ava.

  Xavier protectively wrapped an arm around the front of Ava’s chest and shoulders, drawing her with her back up against him. She did not protest. Her visible breath in the cold hangar quickened as she sensed the danger they were in. Xavier seemed to study the desperate looking man who turned his attention to Ava. Ava flinched as the stranger locked eyes with her and then began to laugh. She felt as though her mind had been violated.

  “That’s her, that’s the woman!” Draves said quietly and excitedly to Cassidy, then he turned his attention to Xavier. After a moment he spoke. “You’re the other one aren’t you?” He started laughing hysterically. Cassidy looked at him in confusion.

  “Get out of my head old man,” Xavier responded, annoyed.

  “You should not have brought her here, priest!” Draves said menacingly to Xavier as he slowly moved towards them.

  “I am no priest,” he answered sternly. Ava could feel him start to unleash his energy and direct it towards Draves.

  Suddenly, Draves dropped to his knees and clasped his hands over his mouth. He screamed at Cassidy through his closed mouth, it was if as someone had gagged him. Xavier turned his attention towards the woman, who glanced curiously at Draves, trying to figure out what was happening to him, after all he had been acting more deranged than usual as of late. Cassidy was used to Draves’ odd behavior by now, but she’d never seen him do this. Perhaps the stress of the failed attempt to take over Kyanos was too much for him.

  Xavier studied the woman who was cautiously approaching them. “Where is Captain Robinson?” He asked her in a low, somewhat intimidating voice. The woman stopped coming towards them and laughed shrilly, which Ava found disturbing. She watched this strange woman critically, waiting to hear what had become of her fiancée.

  “Robinson is dead!” She lied, cackling loudly again as Ava gasped.

  “No!” Ava whispered, unable to stop the tears that had started to fall, dragging as they were practically freezing on her face. Xavier continued to stare at the woman.

  “That’s a nice ship you have there,” Cassidy purred as she nodded towards the Solstice. “You wouldn’t mind if I . . . stole it from you, would you?” Her voice was like acid, and suddenly a gun seemed to have materialized in her hand, pointing directly at Ava.

  “I wouldn’t even try it if I were you,” Xavier warned her.

  “Watch me!” Cassidy pulled the trigger and the shots burst out in a red blur streaming directly towards Ava, still clasped against Xavier in his iron grip.

  Xavier’s energy seemed to heighten and course all around them deflecting the stream of laser bullets away while Ava screamed. Cassidy, suddenly realizing what she was up against, stopped advancing on them, apparently frozen in thought. Telekinesis was rare for her kind, and incredibly hard to beat. His energy, on the other hand, frightened her. She was familiar with Robinson’s energy as they had fought many battles in the past, how could it be? This man felt like Robinson, but it wasn’t him. No two Asterions she had ever encountered had the same energy. She began to panic.

  Then things seemed almost surreal to Ava as Xavier released his energy to deal with the hijackers. It consumed both of them, penetrating Ava to the core. She flinched at the familiar sensation, which she had only ever felt when she had been intimate with Wesley. She watched as Xavier raised his free hand and the gun flew out of Cassidy’s grip, then he used his powerful ability to lift her up and slam her high up against the wall of the hangar. As she fell she let out a loud scream as she plummeted towards her doom. She landed fac
e down, and was impaled on, several large thin rods standing upright in racks on the ground. They were parts that were apparently meant for repairing the Andromeda. Bright red blood gushed out from several places on her chest, abdomen, one arm, and one leg. Ava felt the Asterion’s energy rippling about her as she futilely struggled to try to heal and free herself from her death, but it was no use.

  Xavier turned them to face Draves, still in his kneeling position on the ground breathing heavily. Xavier released the hold binding Draves’ mouth shut and he struggled to catch his breath, clearly hearing the deadly thoughts running through Xavier’s mind.

  “Please! . . . Please just do it! I can’t live like this anymore!” Draves requested of Xavier.

  Without hesitation, Xavier let his energy loose and Draves grasped his chest, making some choking and gagging noises. After a few long moments, he collapsed on the ground. Ava had never actually seen anyone kill another person right in front of her and started sobbing from the stress of the situation, and from learning about Wesley’s death. Xavier dropped his arm around Ava’s waist, turned them and quickly moved them back towards the Solstice. He sensed that there could be more Asterions and did not want Ava around if they decided to come back.

  “Nicholas! Get us out of here!” He commanded as soon as the ramp began to shut behind them, ushering Ava towards the common area. She couldn’t pull herself together, the heightened energy flowing all around her from Xavier and the others felt so potent it was almost as if she was experiencing a sense of impending doom. Once at the common area she pulled herself out of Xavier’s grasp and collapsed down on all fours on the floor, hyperventilating and crying at the same time. He reached for her as the others arrived.