Nebula Nights: Love Among The Stars

by Melisse Aires

  He found himself relieved that she had a method that worked. ~They don’t make things difficult because you’re a telepath?~

  ~They try to, but my current telepathic trainer is helping me avoid those situations.~ She fell into formation and returned to the training deck. As she did the weapons trainer entered the room carrying small handheld directed energy weapons. ~I should go. It’s time to begin target practice.~

  Yatrell nodded, ~Ok. I’ll check on you again soon.~

  ~Thank you for your concern. You were right and I can and must handle this. I will and am.~

  She watched the trainer demonstrate each weapon and proper targeting techniques. Each of the other telepaths stepped forward to try their hand at the same. Henessa was on perfect mark and moved as if the weapon has been with her since birth. Kala also noted that only Merx found noticeable difficulties before her.

  She stepped forward and saw, from the trainer’s mind, what she needed to do. She lifted the weapon and fired. Kala was disappointed when she cleanly missed the target.

  “Again.” The trainer nearly growled at her.

  “Aye sir.” She lifted the weapon and fired again at the target, again missing it. She became frustrated with herself.

  “Not as easy as reading minds is it, Cadet?” The trainer was angry at her. “Again.”

  She nodded ever so slightly, and complied quickly. Kala repeated her attempts many times before she finally hit a target. The trainer activated the target’s movement, and made her fire again. An hour passed before she hit another target, and was able to pass her weapon to the next person. Disappointed in herself and sensing the trainer’s anger at her ineptitude she remained silent as each of the other members of her team took their shots. Henessa did catch Kala’s attention. With five moving targets moving about, Henessa struck each one, rapidly, in succession, without fail.

  When target practice was over and they were dismissed for dinner, Henessa projected to Kala, ~I’ll help you with that after we eat, and the training deck is free again.~ She turned to the captain as she walked through, and acknowledged her. The captain nodded at Henessa and barely glanced at Kala or the others. Once the captain passed, Henessa turned to Kala. ~Don’t worry, she doesn’t say much to anyone.~

  Kala followed everyone back to Blackout Corners, almost forgetting her other appointment, ~Nessa, I can’t train weapons tonight. Lieutenant Palrion has specific training goals I need to meet.~

  Henessa smiled, and followed the group into the common area. She leaned over to Kala, and whispered, “Found yourself someone of interest?”

  Kala blushed deeply, feeling instantly uncomfortable. “No. I… I’ve not had… Well, once, but that was on Xenonia. But … no. He’s training me. There isn’t anything more. “

  Henessa grinned, “Sure.” She walked over to Merx who was cooking dinner and checked on the meal. “Looks good.”

  He smiled warmly at Henessa, and turned back to his cooking. Henessa got plates out, and placed them in everyone’s usual place. She then directed Kala to join her for a moment to wait. Kala sat down, and folded her hands over the listening stone.

  Henessa observed, “You’ve been attached to that since you got it.”

  Kala nodded, and said nothing. Her mind was still preoccupied on the idea her friend had about her intensive training with Lieutenant Palrion.

  “It’s a nice connection, even if only to each other.”

  “Yes.” Kala’s word came so softly that Henessa almost had to ask her to repeat it. “I’m sorry. Yes, it’s helpful. The Lieutenant is showing me how else I’m able to use it with all of my…”She stopped herself and looked around instead. “Maybe I’ll tell you later.”

  Confused, Henessa studied her momentarily, and then nodded, “Alright. Later then.”

  Merx brought Henessa the first plate, ans picked up Kala’s and the empty plate at Henessa’s seat. He walked back to serve everyone else. He left the other plates on the counter explaining that dinner was ready, and everyone should grab what they wanted. Kala watched their interaction, smiling as she realized how close Merx and Henessa were. She stood, got her own food and then sat back down to eat with Henessa. Merx, Phelian and Rol sat at another table discussing weapons training.

  Chapter 3

  Kala ate in silence for several moments before she heard something unexpected. The intercom in Blackout Corners came alive requesting that Kala meet her new master. Without hesitation, she walked out to meet him, leaving her plate upon the table. When she crossed the ship’s barrier into the normal section of the ship, her master stood waiting for her. She listened briefly, and followed him, silently and in a slave’s demeanor. The door slid open, allowing them entry to his quarters, when they arrived. He gestured toward the couch, and Kala complied by sitting in silence.

  “We should talk more, Kala.” Her master put a small device around his wrist, and pressed a button. When the device lit up, Kala found it harder to read his thoughts. “This, my dear, is a psionic blocker. It’s still in beta but effective enough for my use.” He smiled and sat beside her. “Now, tell me, how is your training going?”

  Kala began to feel uneasy with him, “It is going well. I… am … have a good trainer.”

  “Yes, the good Lieutenant seems to have taken a personal interest in your training.”

  She nodded, unsure how to respond.

  “Good. Good. I have found he is proving to be quite useful as a sensor and trainer.” Her master laid his hand on her thigh. “Now, I assume you know how you can be useful, correct?”

  Kala’s hearts began to quicken. Uncomfortably, she looked down at his hand and blushed deeply before she spoke. “Have you not been taken as mate to a member of the command structure? The captain, perhaps? She seems like a good woman.” Kala thought he seemed both useful and capable, which should have made him valuable to many of the women on the ship.

  “No. I’ve not been taken as a mate. There is a professional boundary set.” He leered. “Law is law. The contract that purchased you did require a person to take on the responsibility for your debt. It was quite a debt, too. You do understand that formally, you are still an owned slave, correct?”

  “Yes sir. I understand.” Shifting in her seat, she was unsure if trying to leave would yield harsh punishment. “Sir, I’ve… never been used as that kind of slave. I tended to my girl at home, kept up her room, helped with her homework, chores and such. Never… ahh… favors of that nature, sir. Neither my master or her husband required me in such activities.”

  The older man chuckled, “Never? That’s a shame.” He touched her face gently and then leaned over to kiss her. When his lips met hers she didn’t move or respond. “Have you never been kissed, girl?” She shook her head. “Sheltered indeed. We have much to help you with.”

  His grin was mischievous when he leaned in to kiss her again, this time running his hand down her arm and lower to her lap. Kala trembled beneath his touch, and quivered fearfully when his lips met hers once more, which drew him to anger.

  “You do belong to me, until death, dismissal or challenge. Remember this, girl.” Overcome by a growing fear of him, she tried, and failed, to control her involuntary reactions to his continued attempts. Finally, he growled, “Get back to your beloved Corners!”

  Without another word, she stood, and quickly walked from his quarters. As the door closed, she heard something crash against it, making her jump. Feeling confused, and afraid by her new master, Kala moved through the halls toward Blackout Corners. Along the way she noticed a significant shift in the emotions of the crew. Opening her mind, telepathically, she listened. “What’s ah… Ven?” she whispered to herself not expecting answer. She was surprised when she got one.

  ~Ven are the reason the Xenonian fleet recruit us, Kala. As a slave this fact may have been omitted from your studies.~ Lieutenant Palrion rounded the corner, and stood before her. ~You are feeling the anxiety of the crew right now. We, as a ship, just apprehended a Ven woman trying to spy on
our training fleet.~

  Curiously she looked at the Lieutenant, “Spying? What happens to spies?”

  “They are executed, once one of us have assisted with or interrogated them.” Palrion looked at his pupil in silence and studied her carefully. “I want you to be a part of this. Come.”

  He turned, and walked in the direction of Blackout Corners, ignoring Kala’s initial reaction to his answer. His pace was fast, and his steps were deliberate as they passed the Corners, and continued down the hall.

  Kala followed her trainer closely, albeit with hesitation, through the long corridor. At the end of the hall, they stepped onto the lift. Lieutenant Palrion inputted the command for the life to go down to the brig. As it moved, Kala could sense the tension below decks.

  She could feel the guards holding the Ven woman, as well as the ones watching her from other locations. Although she perceived the Ven woman, her thoughts were concealed from Kala. This made her both incredibly uncomfortable, and curious. The moment the lift came to a stop, Palrion prevented the doors from opening, and she watched him in silence

  “Kala, how many guards are with the Ven?”

  Kala answered confidently about what she could sense. “Four in the room with her, three in the control room and one at the controls for the relocator.”

  Palrion gestured her forward. “Let’s see if you’re as correct as you believe you are.” They stepped off the lift, and walked down a narrow hall toward the brig. He watched as Kala’s eyes darted around the hallway at the various emitter points, “Those are the pulse cannons. If we have an escapee they are activated before the person gets to the lift. The floor below us moves back toward the brig, and the lift is shut down, at the same time. “

  ~So there is nothing that could easily be done to get out of here then?~

  “No, Kala. This is the single most secured place in the ship. There is only one room where a telepath can hear down here.” He looked at her and continued to speak, “Well, a normal telepath. You see Kala, telepathically I can’t project here. Normally, I’m only trained to hear and send projected thoughts. Here, I can do neither.” He stopped just inside the room and looked her in the eye, “But clearly, you’re not. Are you holding your comfort?”

  She nodded, “It’s in my palm.” She unfolded her hand and showed him the listening stone.

  The Lieutenant looked at it then back at her, “I have one in contact with my skin as well and I’m still deaf here.” He just watched her expression as his words sunk in. “Now, we have a guest to speak with.”

  They stepped toward the large desk in the center of several holding cells. Paying close attention to the design and layout, Kala noted two cells on each side and two next to the long darkened hallway behind the desk.

  A tall slender guard emerged from the blackness behind the desk. “Lieutenant, I assume you’re here for the Ven?”

  “Yes.” The Lieutenant walked directly to the desk, and put his thumb on a small glass panel. “Kala is here to assist and learn.” He gestured that she should also place her thumb on the same place.

  She tentatively followed her trainer’s lead, and a laser passed over her skin. She felt a slight tingling sensation that passed quickly. The guard scrutinized her for a long moment before he activated the cascading lights in the hallway. The lights moved toward the front hall.

  “You know the routine, Lieutenant Palrion. Straight into the room. She’s in shackles now. Two guards will remain and she’s all yours.”

  Palrion acknowledged the guard before he walked down the hall. Kala followed quickly, not sure what to make of the mixed empathic read she was getting from the guard. The hallway stretched the length of the cells in the front and further. There were emitters on all sides and a dark heavy door at the end.

  Lieutenant Palrion pressed his hand against a light colored panel on the door to open it. They stepped through, and he nodded to a small door on their left. “That is the control room.” He gestured toward the next door. “Through there is the Ven woman and guards. How many are in there now?”

  Kala focused her mind as she’d been taught. “Four guards beyond that door and the Ven woman. The control room has two inside of it now and …” She trailed off, and frowned, not seeing another door, “Where is the relocator control room?”

  Lieutenant Palrion laughed, “I was wondering if you’d still sense that or not. The relocator control room is about three lengths behind a wall on the far side of the room we’re about to enter. Kala we are the closest we can get to the strongest psionic barrier this ship offers. Psionic barriers are designed to affect the psionic lobe specifically, to negate psionic abilities. This should be the most difficult place on the ship for you, yet you sense everyone in the area.”

  She smiled timidly, “I see.”

  “Come, we have a woman awaiting conversation with us.” Lieutenant Palrion stepped toward the door and a beam passed over him as he crossed the threshold. Kala followed and the same beam passed over her as well. Inside, the Ven woman sat at a long and tall metal table. Her hands were shackled to a ring on the side of the table and her feet to the chair she sat in. Palrion walked over to one of the open chairs, and sat across from her, saying nothing.

  Kala timidly stepped forward, but did not sit in the chair next to him. She relaxed her own barrier, and opened her mind. As she began to hear things, she became very uncomfortable when she realized that her trainer still couldn’t hear.

  She gently whispered to him, “Why can I hear them but you cannot?”

  He hinted at a smile and looked back at her, “They need to drop the psionic barrier.”

  Kala acknowledged him with a gesture before she looked at the Ven woman. Getting a very clear empathic reading, she realized this woman was not concerned she was captured.

  Kala then looked at the guards, who were very uncomfortable with her involvement in the process. Not wanting to offend anyone, she lowered her eyes toward the deck, waiting for the barrier to be dropped. As soon as it fell, she heard the voices much louder in her mind. She tucked the listening stone back into her pocket, and listened to everything around her. Even with the psionic barrier lifted, Kala barely heard the Ven’s mind. She realized the Lieutenant couldn’t hear the woman at all.

  Palrion studied his student closely as the barrier dropped. Once he realized that she was uncomfortable, he dismissed the two guards that often gave him trouble. Reluctantly, they left the room. He looked at the remaining guards who placed hands on their weapons but stepped back out of the reach of the table, leaving Lieutenant Dak Palrion alone with his student and the captive.

  “Now, what is your name?” He asked the woman.

  The woman failed to respond.

  Kala examined the prisoner carefully. She noted that although she was sitting, it was clear the Ven woman was much shorter than Kala. This fact alone was intriguing, as Kala’s own stature was among the shortest she’d ever known for Xenonians. The Ven woman had long brown locks that started in the center of her head, and flowed down her back. To some it appeared as if they wore their hair pulled back, but as Kala realized, that was how it grew. Around her head was a thin silver band with a dropped point between her eyes. The woman’s features were neither soft nor aged, but it was clear by her mannerisms that she was not young.

  The Ven woman glanced up a Kala, and calmly projected to her. ~Don’t worry child, you’re safe to listen to my words.~ The woman’s expression was emotionless and her tone was deceptively controlled.

  Kala studied her closely, before she projected back, ~I am not a child. What is your name?~ Kala’s tone was soft and her eyes remained locked on the Ven’s.

  ~I am called Greshna. I am of the Ven house of Grex. You are a slave girl from the house of Andor on Xenonia.~

  Kala’s eyes grew wide and her greater heart seemed to pause a moment.

  Seeing her expression change, Palrion spoke up, “Kala, are you ok?”

  She nodded, and said, “Her name is Greshna.”


  The Lieutenant’s eyes narrowed, and he focused on Greshna intently. “What are you telling my pupil?”

  Greshna refused to respond to the Lieutenant. Instead, she turned her attention back toward Kala. ~Your teacher is anxious, as are you. Do you fear me?~

  Kala’s face wore a passive expression. ~Should I?~

  ~No dear, you should not.~ Greshna folded her hands together, and looked at Palrion, “Your student is not sure how to address this.”

  Dak stared hard at her. “Most don’t know how to take their first encounter with a Ven.”

  “Nor with any other species you lock up in shackles and force into captivity. Your first encounter with my people was rather pleasant as opposed to hers.” The corners of Greshna’s mouth quirked up slightly.

  Kala watched the exchange, uncomfortable and confused, but she refused to pry or read her teacher’s thoughts. Some things were kept private for good reason, and she intended to respect that.

  Instead, she looked at Greshna, and projected gently, ~Why do you taunt him?~

  The Lieutenant snapped harshly in response to the Ven’s comment, “My first encounter with your people is not what we are discussing. What was your assignment?”

  The woman tilted her head slightly, her eyes drifted back to Kala, ~I do not taunt him, merely speak what is truth.~ Still not turning to him, she spoke to Palrion, “Your student is far more pleasant than you are. I will deal with her and her alone.”

  “You will deal with me.” Lieutenant Palrion leaned over the table, and glared at Greshna. “I am the commanding officer. You do not dictate procedure upon this vessel.” He gestured to the guards, “Take her to the cell and increase her psionic barrier by thirty percent. Adjust food requirements to minimum and we’ll re-approach this later.”

  Quickly the guards moved to the table and unshackled Greshna from the table and chair. She complied with their orders, and patiently followed them to the door, and down the hall to her cell. As the guards left the room, Palrion audibly sighed and leaned back in the chair, “Sorry, Kala. This is not how I pictured this meeting going.”