Starfire

by Imogene Nix

  Her body seemed to float, lighter than ever before. The gray tinge filled her vision again. Suddenly Raven hunkered beside her, his arms around her.

  “Sorry, Raven. I tried. I really did...” She felt boneless, and her knees started to buckle. She closed her eyes as the blackness descended.

  * * * *

  Raven had seen the shot as he dodged the guard. His hand balled into a fist as he pulled his arm back. A roar of anger escaped him as Jemma’s body jerked slightly and shock spread across her face.

  Crack! His fist connected with the guard’s face with an audible crunch. Blood spurted from the guard’s nose. He pulled his other arm back and swung. He used every bit of fear and anger to push his hand toward the guard’s lower chest. He gained ground and moved forward, determined to get to Jemma. She stood there looking like an avenging angel, the dress she wore now coated with her blood.

  His foe reached up to protect his face, and Raven wrenched at his gun, his own having been taken by one of these when he’d been detected. The butt felt unfamiliar in his grip, but he held it tight and met each defensive move with another far more accurate blow.

  The guard responded by pulling back. Raven held on, wrenching at the gun while his other hand delivered another stunning blow to the face. The guard was now dazed and lost control of the gun. It clattered to the floor, lost beneath the seething mass of humanity.

  He kicked the guard in the kneecap as the women spilled over from their fight with the one who had them against the wall. He heard Jemma yelling, but his vision tunneled. The guard went down heavily, and Raven pressed the trigger, finishing the fight. Barely seeing the Ru’Edan fall still, Raven moved forward to Jemma.

  Her face was now colorless, her lips tinged blue. She wavered on the spot, and he heard her whisper, “Sorry, Raven. I tried. I really did...” Her voice died away as her eyes closed.

  “No!” he screamed, clutching her still body to his. He looked to Chowd and saw the horror on his face mirrored.

  “Get the women and get out of here. Once you’re outside the bunker, you should be able to raise the Elector. Get her to the SurgiTech suite. I’m taking Meredith and heading to find Crick Sur Banden and hopefully whatever they are using to jam the signals.” With that, Chowd turned, pulled Meredith back through the door, and disappeared from view.

  Raven looked down at Jemma, her breathing shallow, and he noted the blood still seeping from her side.

  “Don’t you leave me now. You promised me.” He wasn’t aware of the seeping tears, only that he scooped her up and held her close. The whisper of her breath was thin and urgency filled Raven. “Hang on, Jemma.”

  He headed to the door. “Follow me!” he yelled, setting a rapid pace, hoping they would get out without meeting any other guards. Time was of the essence. He had to get help and fast.

  He didn’t look around to see how many followed, just hoped that they would. Down the corridor he ran with Jemma in his arms, turning the corners unerringly. The light at the entrance shined, the golden glint of moonlight filtering through the door. They had just reached the entry when a voice called for them to stop.

  Screaming. The women were screaming. He looked back to see them descend on a single guard, heard the grunts and screams. Indecision warred, but Jemma needed help. That kept him moving.

  Once outside, he sucked in an unsteady breath, while he checked her heart rate. Uneven but still there. It would do until he could get her to Elara. Raven laid her gently on the ground. “Just another minute or two, Jemma. Then Elara will look after you. She’ll fix you.”

  The pregnant woman who’d helped Jemma waddled over, then helped the younger woman she clutched to the ground. With an oomph she dropped down beside him. “You need pressure on the wound. Call your ship. I’ll help.” She tore another strip off the rags she wore and pushed down firmly.

  He raised a shaking hand to his commbadge. “Elector, this is Raven. Get Jemma to SurgiTech now. She’s hurt. There’s a woman with her.”

  The badge crackled and popped, but he heard “Transmission set to begin. Direct to SurgiTech.” Grayson’s voice. In a haze, Jemma and the captive they’d rescued, Kera, disappeared from view.

  He turned and saw the women huddled in groups. “There’s a young girl. We left her in the crevasse,” he said, his voice hoarse. He wanted to get back to the Elector and be with Jemma. He felt the loss of her keenly, but she’d have told him to finish the job first. She’d be right. So instead, he pointed to the canyon. “Over there. Someone should find her and bring her back.”

  The squark of a communicator blared and eyes settled on him.

  “Raven.”

  Grayson’s voice shimmered through the comm. “We’re about to transmit some guards down. Stand by.”

  The shimmer began again, and three burly security officers stood in front of him. He nodded to them, feeling old and sick. He turned and headed back inside the bunker. The gun in his hand shook from the hate boiling inside him. He moved down the corridor and caught sight of a Ru’Edan skulking in the shadows ahead of him. Raven broke into a run. I’ll get this one!

  The Ru’Edan looked back, raised his hand, and fired a small gun, then set off away from him toward the end of the bunker with in limping spurt of speed. Raven twisted as the laser fire surged past him, hitting the wall with a thwack. He followed the Ru’Edan, his feet pounding down the metal floor.

  “Stop!” he screamed, but the Ru’Edan warrior paid no attention. He reached another doorway, stopped, and swung around. Raven ducked as another flash of laser shot toward him, this time hitting the wall beside his head.

  He let off a round that missed and swore in frustration. The Ru’Edan reached out, opened the door, and moved through at speed. Raven ran to the door, pushing and heaving against it until it finally splintered, rage giving him a strength he normally lacked. He pushed his way inside just in time to see the Ru’Edan warrior disappear through another door at the end of the room. This time he kept running, with Raven behind him.

  “Bloody labyrinthine base!” His chest ached but he kept running.

  Raven used the door as cover to look around. Another door! He snarled. It stood open, and he heard thudding from the other side. He pushed away, his heart pounding as he followed out through the door.

  A spiral metal staircase led up and Raven followed. “Surely...not too...much...further.” Beyond his sight, a whine built. Loud and the walls trembled. “Barsha!” It was the sound of an engine.

  The stairs led to a dock, where rows upon rows of Phobos spooks sat waiting. Just as he reached the plascrete, he caught sight of a battle shuttle rising as the dock doors closed. He squeezed off a shot. It twanged on the shields but with no real effect.

  Raven backed off just in time to see the thrusters spew fire and smoke as the ship shot out of the cavernous opening and into the night.

  Thudding behind him had him raising his gun once more, but just as he was about to call to the person running up the stairs, he saw it was Chowd and Meredith. He dropped his gun.

  “They got away.” His chest heaved with exertion. “Only just, but they still got away. Barsha!” He dropped to his knees and cradled his head, back bowed. His body protested against the mad dash he had made, but he pushed that aside. “Jemma. I need to know how Jemma is.” He felt one hand, then another, on his shoulder.

  “Meredith found the jamming device. We can transmit.” Chowd’s voice was strained.

  “Wait. The women. Outside. A security team transmitted in.” His voice was defeated, and he felt unutterably weary. His head remained bowed, his eyes closed, fear beating in his heart.

  “I’ll see to them. Chowd to Elector. Transmit Raven directly to SurgiTech.”

  He closed his eyes and let them take him wherever they would, so long as he was with Jemma.

  * * * *

  Her eyes opened slowly. God, how I hurt! The white light hurt her eyes, and she screwed them up, moaning quietly. A rustle to her side made her turn slightly. He
r side pulled, and she sucked in a breath at the sudden lancing pain. A soft hand lay on her arm, and she opened her eyes. Raven, his face tired and drawn.

  “Barsha! You gave me such a fright!” His voice was thick with emotion, and his eyes shined with tears, making their blue sparkle. His hand unsteadily rose to her face, pushing sticky strands of hair aside and stroking the skin. She could feel his fingers, gentle and looking for reassurance.

  “I’m sorry. I tried to stay safe. I really did.” Her voice broke, and her eyes burned. She felt the tears softly roll down her face, hot and wet. She tried to raise an arm and struggled. “They were going to hurt you. I couldn’t let that happen. If I lost you, I’d be nothing. Just empty.”

  A set of muffled footsteps interrupted. “I see my patient is awake and you’ve already upset her.” Elara stood looking down at her, looking relieved. “You caused me a great deal of worry. Worry we really didn’t need.” She moved forward, laying her scarred hand on Jemma’s arm for a minute. “Raven. I need five minutes with Jem, then she’s all yours.” Her tone was kindly but firm, and Raven rose from the seat without an argument. He moved wearily to the door.

  “I’m going to shower and change, then I’ll be back.” He turned and left them to it.

  “Well, Jemma. I’ve never met anyone who can get into as many accidents and life endangering situations as you.” Amusement colored Elara’s voice. “By the time we got you here, you were going into shock caused by blood loss. We had to use all our stored plasma supplies for your blood type.” She worked quietly, checking her handscreen as she spoke. “All I can say is thank heavens we’ve now perfected the enzyme activated plasma, so it didn’t matter what type you were. Apart from that, we had to stabilize you before we could treat your injuries, but thankfully the shot missed most of your vital organs. You did nick one of your kidneys, but we have used nanite therapy to rebuild the damaged tissues.”

  Elara stowed the device in her pocket and sighed.

  “The long-term damage is negligible, but your recovery will be longer than you’re used to.” She smiled at Jemma. “You should be able to leave here as early as tomorrow. Mind you, after several days here, you may be feeling a little weak.”

  “Days?”

  “Yes, three days.” Elara pressed a button, and the bed moved to a reclining position. “This is a good start to get you a little bit upright. I have someone just outside the door who wants to see you, so I’ll leave you to it. When Raven gets here, he can stay until you go to sleep, then tell him to go to his cabin. He’s been messing the place up ever since he transmitted back.” There was a fondness to her voice, and she stooped down to quietly whisper, “I’m really pleased to see you back in the land of the living.” Then she swirled and was gone, the spot filled by a person who looked vaguely familiar.

  It took a minute of hard thinking, then... “Rodi. That’s your name, isn’t it?” The woman came forward, smiling and nodding, her stomach now flat. Oh God, what had happened? “Your baby?”

  “Born two days ago. She’s making remarkable progress, though she’ll need time in a humidi-crib. She was early. The doctor said it was the stress, but lucky for me your people were able to help. She’s all I have now. My husband, Rayhan, was killed when the Ru’Edan overran the bunker. I’m so thankful to the crew of the Elector and particularly you. I need to name her, and I wanted to call her Jemma. After you. Jemma Reyna Van Doren. Do you mind?” She stood in the doorway looking anxious, her brown hair bound back in the traditional hairstyle of the miners, fingers twisting as she waited for the answer.

  “I’m honored. But I didn’t really do anything other than my job.”

  “No, you were the one who risked everything for your man and us. I’ll never forget what you did for me and my babe. The Elector will have a place in our tales of the history of Alpha Star Colony, too, for the warriors it carries. Already they are singing songs about the victory wrought by so few.”

  Jemma felt her face flame. “Well, I really don’t know about that. But I’m deeply honored. Will I get a chance to see her before we leave?”

  Rodi looked at her. “I brought you a holo-pic, because we weren’t sure of when you would wake and when the Elector would move. Captain McCord said it depended on the orders the Elector received.” She grimaced. “I would also like you to be her care mother.”

  “Care mother?”

  “It’s a mining expression from years ago. The care parent, in her case, care mother, steps in if the parents perish. Because we started to open so many new frontiers, many died on planets, asteroids, and moons and had to have someone to stand in to care for their children. I want you to be Jemma’s care mother because you’re a strong figure. Please?”

  Once more Jemma felt uncomfortable. “Yeah, I guess. When you put it like that,” she mumbled. A quick grin from Rodi then Jemma looked up, and in the open doorway was Raven. She smiled at him, and Rodi looked behind her.

  “Ahh, I should leave you be. I’ll leave my details with Elara. She will know how you can contact me.” With a quick squeeze of her hands, Rodi was gone and Jemma was left alone with Raven.

  “So, how is little Jemma today? Did Rodi give you an update?” He surprised her by seeming to know exactly what was going on.

  “You knew?” she gasped.

  “Yeah, she was brought in because she was so early. Elara had Rodi and the baby here for twenty-four hours to stabilize then transferred them to the Alpha Star Colony Infirmary. Rodi asked after you, and once Elara explained your position, the only way she would let us transfer her was to promise that once you regained consciousness, we would let her come back to see you.” He sat down beside her. He looked better than he had.

  “How long were you here?”

  “Most of the last few days. Duvall let me take leave so I could be with you. He and Mellissa filled in when Elara made me go back to the cabin. You know what? I never knew ’Lara had a mean left hook.”

  She laughed, even though it made her side ache, at the idea of Elara threatening, let alone hitting him.

  His face softened, and a warming glow started right inside her, filling up all the empty spaces that had never been filled before. “Raven? Do you remember you said we would talk when I was ready? I’m ready to talk now. I want forever with you.” She reached over and touched his hand. “No one else will ever fulfill me like you do, or even understand me. But I’m ready to find what there is waiting for us. Now.” She smiled at his stunned expression. “So, what do we do next?”

  He swooped in, kissing her fast and hard. “When you get out of here, we’ll make this official. I’m not letting you change your mind.” His voice was thick with emotion. “I want to be with you forever too.” His hand slid over the tears that leaked from her eyes.

  “I want that too. It took seeing that guard going to hurt you to remind me that I’ve been a fool. Now that I know what I have, there’s no way I’m ever letting you go.” Her words were hard, and he dropped his hands to lace them through hers. “Forever.” It was a vow.

  Epilogue

  They stood on the bridge of the Elector, waiting for Duvall to complete his preparations. He was thoroughly flustered as he stood there in his best formal uniform, finding the rites on the desk screen. Jemma chuckled silently to herself. Here they were, Raven and herself, waiting for him to perform their communing ceremony, and Duvall was the one as nervous as a virgin.

  She wore her best ship suit, now that her personal effects had been transferred from the Star of Ishtar after its arrival some days before. Raven stood quietly by her side, a grin on his face.

  Not too many days before, Duvall had carpeted her for the inappropriate relationship with Raven, and here he was joining them forever. She looked at Raven, and his eyes twinkled.

  Neither had wanted a big deal in the ceremonial halls on Earth. The Elector was their home and the crew their family in every way that counted.

  As far as Jemma was concerned, no other man could ever live up to Raven. His b
lond hair and blue eyes had caught her attention from the beginning, and no matter how much she had fought against her desire, it kept coming back to her in waves. The rocky road they’d traveled together had made them stronger.

  She smiled softly, looking at Elara and Mellissa. The ceremony would not have been complete without them.

  Duvall cleared his throat, and they turned to look at him. “Raven Fraser, do you promise to continue in a communion with Jemma Cardnew, to keep her safe, to respect her, love her, and protect her for all the days of your life?” The words that would bind them together resonated within her soul.

  “I will always do so.” Raven looked at her. His eyes shining with triumph. He smiled as he held her hand.

  “Jemma Cardnew, do you promise to continue in communion with Raven Fraser, to live with him, to love him, to share your joys and your sorrows with him, and to protect him, for all the days of your life?”

  “I will always do so.” Her voice was soft but firm. Never had she wanted anything more. Never had she hungered for the connection they were forming. Her heart swelled and threatened to choke her as her eyes burned.

  Elara brought forward the equipment to mark them with the visible evidence of their communion, and they laid their arms out to accept the final step in their union.

  Jemma had always been alone before. She had always kept herself aloof from everyone around her, protecting herself from the potential fallout of relationships. Never trusting or forming long-term connections. Now here she was, a part of a family. The senior crew of the Elector would always be there for her and for Raven forever.

  * * * *

  They nearly had him. He sat in his shuttle, his anger boiling in his chest. His ground crew and pirates were gone, captured on that piece of dirt, Alpha Star Colony, and he swore viciously. How could this happen?

  He grabbed the pipe. He needed his Xeradax, needed it now, but his supply had been left behind. He puffed on the fireweed in the pipe, sucking it in as if his life depended on it. He was lucky to escape. But at what cost?