RIBUS 7

by Shae Mills

  Fremma pulled up a seat beside her. "Do you have any questions?"

  Her fingers tapped momentarily on the keyboard before she faced him, her exuberance fading. "Just one," she began. She hesitated, looking into his eyes briefly, before staring down at her hands. "Does Korba know if I'm alive or not?"

  Fremma was taken aback by her question. He answered cautiously. "He has made no attempt to contact me, and I have not been asked to resume my command on RIBUS 7, so I assume that he knows that you are alive and in my care."

  Chelan looked up at the blank screen for a moment before returning her gaze to her hands. She took another deep breath. "Does he know where I am?"

  "Of that, I'm not sure," he began solemnly. "Dar brought you here unbeknownst to him, but whether Dar has chosen to inform him of your whereabouts, I don't know. You'd have to ask Dar."

  Chelan remained still. The ramifications of his answers stabbed at the defensive wall she had erected between her and her emotions. "I guess it doesn't matter, does it?" she said, lifting her heavy eyes toward him.

  Fremma paused. "What do you mean, it does not matter?"

  "How many people know I exist?" she asked, ignoring his question.

  Fremma sat back in his chair, concerned about where the conversation was headed. "There's Stose and Manza, and the rest of the Calley landing crew. And then there's Korba, Dar, and myself, and a few of our select men, and of course, Marri."

  "I've been reading about your people, your culture and your beliefs. I'm a mistake, aren't I?"

  "Oh, Chelan, don't..."

  But Chelan jumped to her feet and stepped away from him. She placed one hand on her hip and the other on her forehead as she fought to regain her composure.

  Fremma rose warily, a pit forming in his stomach.

  Chelan shook her head at him, halting his approach. "I'm not supposed to be here, am I?" She paused as she took several deep breaths and stilled herself. "And Korba's no small cog in the Empire's military wheel, is he?" she stated quietly, not expecting an answer.

  "I've read about the laws that govern your people, and now I know he deceived me. A relationship with him could never be." She faltered momentarily. "He was supposed to kill me." She took several more deep breaths. "Hell, Tarn was supposed to kill me." She emitted a quiet sob, but caught herself. Fremma took a step forward, but she held a finger up to him and shook her head.

  "Chelan, don't do this."

  She shook her head again. "From the beginning, this was against everything ever written into your laws, Iceanean and Imperial. So why am I still here?"

  That, Fremma could not answer. But he was too angry to speak anyway. The fire in his soul kindled by her pain left him with the unthinkable urge to confront Korba, a move that would be pure folly in the end.

  He could see that, though she was standing strong, her resolve was evaporating. He tried approaching her again, and this time she let him. He hugged her and ran his hand down her beautiful hair, wishing he could take care of her forever. "Chelan," he whispered. "Chelan," he repeated as he looked down into her troubled eyes. "I know Korba cares. That is why you are still with us." Fremma hugged her tighter. "And don't worry. There is a place for you among us. You just have to learn more. You have to be patient, and you have to be strong. And I will do everything in my power to help."

  Chelan looked up at him. A faint smile crossed her lips. "Thank you," she whispered.

  Fremma gazed down at her for a long time, wanting so badly to kiss her suffering away. His eyes flowed over her pink lips, his body rendered weak by her beauty, but he clenched his jaw with frustration. He knew her culture was vastly different from his own, and that her kind valued love and fidelity. He knew that his world was strange and alien to her, and the taking of her body by him would be perceived as a violation. Even if she consented, he knew her alien heart, no matter how he pleased her physically, belonged to Korba, his Commander. Fremma drew in a deep breath. He now had a new mission, and that mission was to win her heart, one way or another, one slow step at a time.

  Chapter 22

  Chelan awoke slowly and looked around at her surroundings, realizing with relief that she was in her own bed... or rather, Dar's. She quickly searched her memory. She must have fallen asleep in Fremma's arms yesterday, and he had put her to bed. She ran her hands down her body. She was still dressed in her white gown, and she smiled. Her trust in the gentle and sensitive man was growing rapidly.

  Sleep had cleared her clouded thoughts, and it was time to begin another day. This morning she would start off fresh, pushing Korba forcefully into the depths of her troubled soul. Rising, she quietly made her way to the Command Center. Entering, she squinted against the bright lights and then froze as the main chair swung around.

  "Good morning," came Dar's deep voice.

  "Good morning," answered Chelan, her eyes darting anxiously about in search of Fremma's comforting presence.

  "Don't worry," Dar reassured. "I've only given Fremma the morning off while I do some work here. He'll be back later."

  Chelan remained very still, not sure if she liked the fact that the Commander had read her mind so easily. She smoothed her gown down with her palms and looked apprehensively at him. "Am I disturbing you?" she asked quietly.

  "Not at all," and he beckoned to her. "Come sit here. I won't hurt you."

  His warm smile did not quite convince her of that, but she felt that she had no option. Chelan nervously padded to her chair and sat down stiffly. She had not seen the Commander since their initial meeting, and she had just begun to feel comfortable with the thought that she would not run into him again. She shivered; his unearthly blue eyes never left her.

  "How are you feeling?" he inquired.

  "Fine," came Chelan's hurried reply. "Much better," she added timidly. "I seem to be regaining strength each day, flourishing under Fremma's care, I guess you could say."

  "I can see that. How has the reading been going?"

  Chelan smiled. "It's going very well, thank you."

  Dar smiled back. "May I look at where you are in the material?"

  Chelan hesitated, but nodded.

  Dar leaned forward, noting her perplexed look. He rested his elbows on his knees, his hands clasped in front of him. "You see," he explained, "the computer scans and records accurately your progression through the material, the length of time that you have spent on each section, the speed at which you read, and the number of times you go over a particular part, or word, or symbol. It acquires that data by continuously scanning your retinas and recording your keystrokes. I can access that information and see how far you have come, where you excel, or where you have had troubles."

  Dar watched her squirm. He continued in a soft voice. "Now that you are aware of this, I want you to know that I have no desire to infringe upon your privacy. If you wish that I do not look, I will respect that. I am actually most interested in how you are progressing with our language. That is where the retinal information is of real value." He waited for her reply.

  Chelan hesitated, disquieted by his intrusion. "No, it's okay."

  Dar smiled inwardly at her fib. Then he gazed into her beautiful eyes, not sure if he wanted to tear himself away from their depths. But he summoned the willpower to stand and to walk over to the console where she sat.

  Chelan stared at him as he stood, her eyes widening as she noticed for the first time that his jacket was open. The flash of the smooth bronze skin below the deep black military garb caused a wave of wariness to wash over her, and she averted her eyes.

  Dar leaned casually on the console and began striking some keys. Symbols began to appear on the screen in what Chelan had come to know as the Iceanean language. She finally looked up at him, noting that the man's face had taken on a more serious expression. Chelan kept her eyes on him, realizing that she was holding her breath in anticipation of what he was learning about her.

  After a few moments that seemed like eternity to her, Dar stopped and looked directly at her,
studying her closely. Chelan cowered under his gaze, her agitation forcing her to speak. "Is something wrong?"

  "No, no," came his soft reply, his eyebrows rising. "Can you read the section on the Empire as it is today?"

  Chelan glanced at the monitor. "Yes," came her diffident reply. "Well, most of it... with some difficulty."

  Dar was quiet for a moment. He took one more look at the screen and then peered back at her, his expression betraying his astonishment. "That section is almost totally in Iceanean."

  Her voice wavered. "Is that not okay? Korba said he would translate an ever-increasing proportion to Iceanean as I progressed. He told me that I could learn the language. I do get some of my information from the context. And I still require the English."

  Dar noted her anxiety. "I'm not angry with you, Chelan," he assured. "I'm amazed. No, I'm shocked at the rate at which you are covering the material and learning the language."

  Chelan relaxed only slightly under his scrutiny.

  "What proportion of your time do you spend at the computer, and how much of our text do you understand?"

  Chelan shrugged. "I really have no concept of the time here. There are no clocks like we have on Earth. I simply spend most of my waking hours on the computer." She took a deep breath. "As for the language, I don't know how much I would understand if it were spoken to me by another. The computer speaks slowly to me. And I still can't speak it as the inflections are still too unfamiliar. But I can read it, at least most of it." She watched him carefully as he leaned back against the console and crossed his arms over his chest, his eyes still upon her.

  "Has Fremma helped you?"

  "Not yet. I'll get his help when I am confident enough to try speaking it."

  Dar continued to study her, and his visual exploration caused her to fidget. A smile touched his lips. Suddenly, he straightened and walked away from her a short distance. "Just after Korba took you out of sickbay and to his quarters, he spoke to me about you." Dar turned to face her. "He said that he felt that you were special, and so you are."

  Chelan blushed and looked down at her hands. "Thank you," she said quietly.

  Dar returned to his chair and pushed his way along the Command Center until he was face-to-face with her. "There is just one more thing we should talk about."

  Chelan felt a shiver run through her.

  "Last night," he began, "I checked in with Fremma on your progress, and he was concerned about a few things." He saw her flinch, and he softened his voice. "It seems that I have a few questions to answer for you that Fremma could not."

  Chelan looked up at him. "I didn't mean to upset him if I did," she apologized. "And you don't have to answer any of my questions." Chelan paused. "I no longer require the answers. They make no difference to my situation."

  Dar hung his head. "Chelan, Korba is my closest friend, and I know him better than any man could, and better than any woman has." He hesitated and looked into her dark eyes. She continued to hold herself rigidly, her face emotionless. "I won't tell you of his past history; that is not my place. But I will tell you that he has chosen his career over all else, including women. He knows better than any man the ramifications of choosing an alien for a mate. In our culture, if it were possible, such a choice would create a very difficult situation for him."

  Chelan looked at him coolly. "Mate?" she uttered incredulously. She stood abruptly. "I... we... we hardly know one another. And besides, how could he have ever considered me for that when he didn't even check on me when I was ill?"

  Dar watched as the flustered woman whirled away from him. She was right. Dar did not fully understand Korba's actions either, and he dared not attempt to explain them. He watched her long, slender body tremble as waves of frustration washed over her. Dar stood and moved to her. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you."

  "It's okay," came the meek voice. "It is me who is intruding on your world, and it is me who is causing the upset. Therefore, it should be me who does the apologizing."

  Dar looked directly into her alluring eyes. "You know that is not true. It is because of us you are here. If there is any upheaval, it is we who have caused it." He paused. "Now, is there anything I can do to help?"

  Chelan hesitated for moment, contemplating his offer. Then she threw him an unexpected and disarming smile. "Yes, as a matter of fact, there is. I'm curious about the ship."

  "The ship," Dar repeated, surprised by her abrupt change in topic. "What about the ship?"

  "Well," Chelan began, "I know nothing about it—its size, its shape, its structure, how many people are on board, what it is used for, or anything else about it for that matter." She hesitated, a feeling of excitement washing over her as she glanced around the Command Center, her smile intensifying. "In fact, I don't even know if there is a ship for sure."

  Dar's face lit. "Yes," he stated, "I suppose from your limited access you might question the reality of such a vessel."

  Chelan could barely contain herself, and she seized the moment to wipe her obsession with Korba from her mind. "I know I can't go anywhere because I'm contraband, but surely you can give me some idea of what the exterior and interior looks like, if it is allowed."

  Dar backed away from her to the main console, his eyes riveted to her. He hesitated and then beckoned her to follow him. "Since you don't appear to be a major security threat, I think a brief overview is allowed. Let's see if you can learn as much about the ship as you have about our language."

  Chelan stepped toward him as he presented her with his chair. Once she was seated, he rolled her back from the console to the base of the stairs. Taking a small instrument in his hand, he seated himself on the stairs next to her.

  His heart was aglow as he looked at her, immersing himself in her enthusiasm and her radiant beauty. "Okay," he said as he made himself comfortable. "Let's start at the top with the Bridge."

  A huge screen in front and above Chelan popped to life, startling her. Her eyes widened as she looked at the scene. There was a massive room containing a large screen at its center portraying an ever-changing array of stars. Back from the vista of space was a panel of instruments being watched over by two seated men, and a third seat was empty. Chelan looked at them, all in the same black-on-black uniforms, all with long blue-black hair, and yet each was distinct.

  The camera panned. Raised above and behind them was a large chair. It, too, was empty, but it seemed to Chelan to occupy a position of importance. This time the Command Center screen flickered, and Chelan assumed it did so due to Dar's manipulation. Another view of the Bridge appeared. All around the main chair was a multitude of displays and printouts similar to the ones she was now familiar with in the Command Center. In this area of the Bridge, Chelan could see five more men and two women, all in the same skintight military garb, all busy at their respective posts. As the scanner panned, many more people came into view.

  Suddenly, a man dressed in a shroud strode in and sat down in the main chair. He cocked his head, and Chelan could tell that he was listening to someone just out of sight. "Who is that?" she asked, not moving her eyes from the screen.

  "His name is Solis. He is my Second-in-Command, and right now he has the Bridge while I'm away."

  Chelan glanced at Dar and returned his warm smile, his azure eyes distracting her momentarily. Then she returned her attention to the screen. It changed again, revealing a room nearly beyond description and proportion. On each side of a colossal corridor were giant, cylindrical tubes. They were of a dimension Chelan guessed to be approximately twenty meters in diameter and at least sixty meters long. All were side by side, their rounded ends directed toward the middle of the corridor, their metallic bodies extending into the distance for as far as Chelan could see. Periodically, a person would appear and then disappear, the human flecks illustrating the overall majesty of the spectacle. Chelan sat with her mouth agape.

  Dar enlightened her. "This is one of eight main engine rooms. Each cylinder contains an infinitesimal amount of fuel,
which is used for all the ship's functions: its propulsion systems, its expansive weaponry systems, its shielding, all our manufacturing, and all life-support systems. Contained within each pod are a carefully controlled series of reactions that produce the energy required for all the ship's purposes."

  Chelan swung around to Dar. "You don't mean fusion, do you?" Her eyes were wide with anticipation.

  Her question took Dar by surprise. "Fusion," he repeated, quietly.

  "Yes, fusion. You know, the nuclear chain reaction that—"

  Dar interrupted her. "Yes, of course I know it, and that is exactly what goes on here, but how—"

  "You're kidding, right?" she blurted, a huge smile spreading across her face. "How do you get the reaction initiated cleanly? And how do you control such a starting mechanism, not to mention the resulting fusion reaction?"

  Dar was rendered speechless by the unexpected barrage of academic questions. For a moment, he could only look at her in amazement. He wondered if Korba had known just how right he had been when he had said that she was special. Korba had also indicated that Marri felt that Chelan bordered on brilliance for a native of Calley, and Dar was only now beginning to realize the true extent of this. His eyes searched hers. "How do you know about fusion?"

  Chelan was somewhat bewildered by his question. "Don't most people know about it? It fuels the stars. The scientists on Earth have long known about it and its untapped potential as an unlimited clean power source, as opposed to fission."

  "No, no," corrected Dar quietly. "That's not what I meant. Maybe I should have asked, why do you know so much about it?"

  "Oh," said Chelan smiling. "Science is my life. Originally, I studied at one of our universities and graduated with a degree in aeronautics. For some of my electives, I took nuclear physics. But I've never worked in this area as—"

  Chelan's sentence broke off as she was momentarily swept away by Dar's penetrating gaze and his interest in her. She cleared her throat. "At the university I concentrated on aeronautics... I have my doctorate..." Chelan's voice trailed off again as she suddenly became self-conscious, feeling silly raving about her accomplishments to a man who undoubtedly found her world's knowledge primitive and archaic at best. In embarrassment, she tore her eyes away from him and returned her attention to the screen.