The Key

by Brian Fisher

  Chapter 35

  "Kam, thank the Gods you're safe." T'Sula pulled her cousin into a tight embrace. The fears of the last couple of days seeped away from her as she hugged the only surviving member of her family close to her chest.

  "T'Sula, I can't believe it." Kamira tried to hold the tears back. "I thought you were dead."

  "I almost was." T'Sula pulled herself back so that she could look at Kamira, and smiled sadly. The fact that Kamira was safe, and that they were together brought her peace to her heart, but deep inside she knew that the peace could never last. She kept the details of what had actually happened sealed tightly inside her mind. The things that Nom had done, the fact that he had survived their first encounter troubled her in ways that she could never articulate.

  "You look like crap." T'Sula grinned as she teased her cousin.

  "Thanks. You too." Kamira smiled. "I've got so much to tell you." The tears started to come now, streaking down her cheeks until they fell freely to the deck. "I thought you were gone..."

  "Commanders, I regret interrupting your reunion, but why are we still in the airlock?" Narja's voice boomed in the tight space. His armor and weapons were scorched and pitted from the battle, but still fully functional.

  "Oh, Kam, this is Major Narja." T'Sula pointed to the hulking Caldonian. "Major, this is Kamira Nor, my cousin."

  "Major, it's nice to see you." Kamira smiled as she looked around the airlock. "I wish that we were back on Redemption, instead of here."

  "Commander, it is good to see you as well. Your husband will be pleased that you are safe." Narja glanced over at Kamira. "Do you know why we are still in the airlock?"

  "Well, Major, I can answer that." Corin interrupted from the other side of the forcefield. Brutus stood by his side; his eyes never left the newcomers.

  "You are still in the airlock, because I will not allow a fully armed and armored individual any further inside my ship. You're lucky that I allowed you to come this far." Corin sighed, not entirely sure how to proceed. Kamira and T'Sula factored well into his plans, but Narja was a wild card that he was not ready to deal with just yet. "Commander Nor here, has been cleared to enter, but Commander Mir, on the other hand, has not."

  "And you are?" T'Sula looked at Corin with interest. He had the look of a man that had seen his share of difficulties, and somehow come out the other side in one piece. Whoever this man was, he could be either a potent ally, or a dangerous threat. Either way, T'Sula was not sure if she could trust him. The fact that she was essentially a captive meant that she probably couldn't trust him at all, but she decided to see how things went.

  "T'Sula, this is Corin Dante." Kamira ventured quietly. "He's the one that saved us from Olcai. Like I said, there's a lot that I want to talk to you about."

  "Thank you Kamira." Corin grimaced. This was not going to go the way that he wanted things to go. If he didn't do something quickly, none of them would cooperate. "Alright, Major, I'm going to have to ask you to disarm, only then you will be allowed to leave the airlock."

  "I will not disarm." Narja declared after a moment’s thought, bringing his assault rifle to bear. "That is asking too much, with no reason to trust you. Return us to Redemption, or I will consider you and this ship my current target."

  "Major, I am not threatening you. Put the weapons down, or I will be forced to do something unpleasant. I don't want to hurt you." Corin blinked rapidly as he spoke, accessing his implanted remote controls. He knew that he had just lost control of the situation, and now if he didn't act quickly and decisively, he could lose his ship as well.

  "A Marine never relinquishes his weapon to the enemy." Narja snarled. "Take us to Redemption."

  "I don't have time for this." Corin cursed under his breath. "You leave me no choice." As he spoke, two force fields snapped into place, one on either side of T'Sula. One forcefield separated her from Kamira, while the other separated her from Narja and the airlock. With the forcefield in place, the airlock opened, and Narja was ejected into the vacuum of space.

  T'Sula tried to reach for Narja, but the forcefield stood in the way. She screamed his name in defiance as the airlock closed and the forcefield disappeared. Slowly, she turned and faced Corin Dante. Obviously, she could not trust her safety or Kamira's to him. She would find a way to escape, and she vowed to herself that she would make him pay.

  "Kamira, please come with me. I need your assistance." Corin offered her his hand as the forcefield between them disappeared. Stunned, Kamira left without comment, leaving T'Sula behind in the airlock. "I'm leaving a forcefield in place until you can be cleared for entry into the ship. I need to speak with you Commander, but I think that will have to wait."

  "Let me out!" T'Sula snarled as she launched a series of devastating kicks at the forcefield. The barrier sizzled, then threatened to fade, but held under the barrage. "When I get out, I'm going to rip your head off." she promised under her breath.

  When Corin and Kamira were finally out of sight, T'Sula forced herself to sit in the middle of the airlock and close her eyes. Meticulously, T'Sula sat down, and crossed her legs, one foot resting on top of the opposite knee, with the other under. She rested her hands, with her thumb touching her middle finger, palm up on top of her knees, and then closed her eyes. Clearing her mind proved too difficult, so she focused on her breathing. As she focused on her breathing, the pounding of her heart gradually slowed to a gentle rhythm and the fog of her emotions began to lift. Her mind began to clear, wiping away her anger and the vicious thoughts of retribution toward Corin Dante, and focus on the issues that confronted her. She was still confined in the airlock, but with a clear mind, she would find a way out.

  Corin had mentioned needing to talk to her. What was it that he needed to talk to her about? Why was she unable to get clearance to leave the airlock? What did he need with Kamira? Why did Kamira seem to trust this man? Should she trust him? The questions began to tumble through her mind like a whirlwind. As quickly as she could dismiss one question, another took its place in an endless stream of unsolvable problems. In the end, T'Sula realized that everything she was worrying about came down to a single question.

  Could she trust Corin Dante?

  The man had saved her from Olcai. He had saved Kamira as well. She wanted to be able to trust the man, but could not bring herself to do it. She had known him for less than ten minutes, and he had launched a trusted comrade into space. She wanted desperately to beat him until he begged her to stop. He would have to answer for what he had done, just as she would have to be responsible for her own actions and thoughts.

  Still frustrated, T'Sula rose from her position on the floor, and started to pace the confines of the airlock. It was a tight space, only a few square meters, and she found herself occasionally brushing against the cold bulkheads. It was quiet, almost unnervingly so, and it started to irritate T'Sula even more.

  It took her considerable effort not to scream in frustration. She stopped her pacing, and thought of the teachings that she had learned in what seemed to be another life. Her teacher, Ch'Lan, had taught her so many things, and the one thing that continually escaped her, was patience. Striking at the forcefield was a foolish display that would not accomplish anything. There had to be another way, a way that would actually help her to attain her freedom.

  She didn't trust Corin Dante, but even worse than that, she didn't trust herself.