Nebula Nights: Love Among The Stars

by Melisse Aires

  “Oh, yes, that is true.” The captain stared off again toward the holo projection platform. “Maybe we should report in to the Fleet Commander.”

  “Sir.” Anara spoke up from the tactical and weapons station to the rear of the bridge. “You did that with a full report this morning. You included the new crew compliment, and details about our current repair status.”

  Yatrell shot a glance her way, and projected, ~When did you send that out?~

  The captain responded, “Of course I did. It’s just a good idea to confirm he’s received the report, and new manifest, and anything additional requested.”

  “Captain, I’ll compile the message now and forward it to you for approval.” Anara quickly completed a confirmation of receipt request and forwarded it to the captain’s chair. She was relieved to see the computer system working better for the moment. The captain quickly approved her message, and then she sent it out. “Everything has been forwarded as requested, and an update from the engineers includes significant improvements to the light ride engines. Anticipation timeline for all applicable repairs is tomorrow morning.”

  “Good. Good to hear it.” The captain appeared to be scanning over information scrolling past on his chair display. He tried to use this to steady the random thoughts that surfaced.

  Yatrell could hear how hard it was for the captain to focus on the words and information that he was reading. The thought of this man being anything less than the calculating tactician distressed the commander greatly. “Captain, you’ve worked an extended series of shifts as it is. Let the crew do what we do best sir. You should catch up on the sleep you have been neglecting.”

  The aged man looked up at Yatrell and nodded. “You know, Commander, I haven’t heard a better idea all day.” The captain stood once more. “I’ll be in my quarters.” With that he walked back through his office door, and further into his quarters.

  Waiting for the captain to be off the bridge before he spoke, Canith looked back over his shoulder at Yatrell. “I would never have guessed it was that bad. Not because I don’t trust you, Yatrell, but because it just doesn’t fit that captain.”

  “No, it doesn’t.” Set pulled up some of the basic ships information, and began to reroute some of the ship’s systems.

  “What are you doing, Set?” Yatrell crossed the bridge to him.

  “Rerouting communications away from the captain’s quarters. He can reach us, but not off ship.” Set looked up over his shoulder at his respected colleague. “The goal is to preserve his appearance of sanity. If we are to achieve this he shouldn’t be randomly trying to reach his high ups. We should know about it.”

  “Agreed. Good thinking.” Yatrell returned to the operations controls and checked on the ship’s status.

  Everyone on the bridge felt an obligation to the man, Samuel Rex. Through the years they have known him, he had been one of their fiercest supporters. He had been involved in protecting each one, teaching them, and encouraging them to find their own way. He was the reason Canith remained in the military after an incident on the training vessel. For Anara, Samuel Rex had motivated her to train and hone the skills she enjoyed using. If it were not for him, she would have been assigned to a mundane, non-combat assignment, instead of security, where she thrived. Samuel Rex was the reason Set had been able to pursue his combat research and development. The applied adjustments to the ship’s weapons contributed to many lives saved and battles won. For Yatrell, his sense of obligation was more personal. Samuel Rex was the first person to accept him, believe in him, and encourage him to be himself by doing what he does best. Even his adopted parents had worked to conceal and repair him, instead of attempting to know or support him. Rex guided him, and had never once taken anything from him.

  The evening dragged into the next morning. Canith piloted the ship steadily, and remained in contact with the engineers working on the engines. Anara maintained and monitored the ship’s available systems. Set monitored and managed communications both on and off the ship. This included quiet conversations with doctors on Dentonia. Yatrell coordinated the crew, monitored, and compiled the ship’s recovery data, and completed all of the standard and expected reports. About midmorning, light ride engines came back online. Canith wasted no time in jumping to light speeds. The nearly two day trip at sublight speeds took only hours from their position. Before long, they began to unload non-combative survivors and the medically needy. A short while after their arrival, Anara reported that everyone was off the ship, and that Set had confirmation from specific doctors for the captain.

  Yatrell took a deep breath before speaking, “Well done Lieutenant Commander Cree.” He looked at his friends Set and Canith. “Well done gentlemen. I guess I’m up now.”

  No one said anything because they knew that the task Yatrell had ahead of him was a daunting and upsetting one. He walked into the captain’s office, and crossed it to the door on the far side. He hesitated for several minutes before he pressed the notification chime. Briefly, he attempted to hear the captain’s thoughts, but they were more and more garbled. Try as he might, sorting the captain’s shuffled mind from the minds around them was painfully difficult. After finally getting his request to enter approved, the door slid open. The captain was in a chair staring out into the black of space, and in rotation, the surface of their home world.

  He cleared his throat. “Captain, it’s time for us to talk.”

  “Isn’t Dentonia beautiful from up here? The lush blue hues mix flawlessly with the green and red of the ground? And the danger we know of the lava run down the side of Hanter Mountain, in the East is replaced by the warm glow of new land growth instead.” The captain’s voice was distant, and seemed almost lost.

  “Yes, captain it is quite a sight from up here. We need to talk.” Yatrell walked over to where the captain was sitting, and found a position on his couch. He was still in the captain’s line of sight, but not impeding his view of the stars or Dentonia.

  “Yes, a talk. Much for us to talk about Yatrell. You are an incredible soldier. You are one of the best men I’ve met in this war. I have something I want you to own. Just off the western shores of Hel, there is a lovely green cottage. My wife and I visited there many times in our lives before she passed. It actually sits over the edge of an underwater construction facility. My pet project is there. I’ve not worked on it in ages, but it is wonderful. The house, the pet project, and everything attached to it is yours. I’ve already entered it into the computer. You just need to find yourself a nice Dentonian girl to settle down with and get out of this blasted war, before it does to you what it’s done to me.”

  “Sir. That’s …” Yatrell found himself at a loss for words.

  This was only the second time he’d heard the captain speak of his wife. Most of the crew were completely unaware Samuel Rex had ever been married. Even Anara was taken by surprise when she’d learned of it. He became confused by the gesture and gift.

  “Where will you stay when you retire again?”

  “Ah… yes well that… I won’t need a place where they will send me.” The captain nodded. “You know how my wife died?” Yatrell shook his head to indicate he didn’t, but remained silent. “She went to find the second stone. She wore the first, but she went to find the second. The Cybernetics got her on that trip. I didn’t go with her. I begged her not to go. She never fought in the wars. I left war to be with her.”

  Samuel Rex turned to the young commander. His eyes moistened, but his tone was serious. “No matter what, you fight to stay with the girl you love. Never let her out of your reach. Ever. What air she breathes, you breathe. Where ever she finds home, you find home. Where ever she goes, you make sure to follow. Always. The moment she’s gone,…” his tone softened, and he pressed his index and middle fingers into his chest before finishing. “So are you.”

  Yatrell swallowed hard before he could respond. “Yes, sir. If I ever find a girl, err… woman that I can tolerate long enough for such a relationship…or
that could tolerate me. I’ll keep that in mind.”

  “No, you must go out and find her. You must hold her close, always.” The older man sat back with purpose. “Now, the house and everything with it is yours, and hers.”

  Yatrell looked at him, trying hard to sort both his own thoughts and the captain’s. The captain was using a lot of effort to remain remotely focused, and this was very distressing. Because of the efforts, Yatrell found it nearly impossible to discern the exact thoughts before the captain spoke.

  “Yes, yes it is a nice gesture. You’re the closest thing I have to a child, Yatrell. That’s who should have those items. I have one small request though. There is an amulet my wife owned. It is rather large, my wife was a small woman, but she’d wear it anyway. She said if she ever found the second stone, she’d be able to change things. I never understood what that meant. Anyway, it is a red stone, wrapped by a black stone and set in a silver casing that hangs on a thicker chain. If anyone can figure out what my wife meant, it would be Anara. Make sure she gets it.”

  Yatrell nodded, not liking the way the conversation seemed to be going, nor the effort the captain was clearly needing to hold it.

  “In the workshop below the sea there are three small helmets. They aren’t very special or anything, they just help the wearer by putting the communication into their protection. Give the prototype, you’ll know which it is, to Set. He can fix it up, if you also give him the specifications. The other two, please make sure that Cal gets one and Canith the other. Yes, Cal is a difficult man, but his hearts mean well. He’s among the survivors, I checked from the incoming transmissions.“ Again, Yatrell nodded. “Good boy. I knew you’d hear me out, and carry out my wishes.“ He handed Yatrell a small data tablet. “Ownership rights are all on here. Everything you need to possess the home and surrounding properties. They are on that tablet. Now, I should go.”

  “Yes, Captain. There is a team ready to receive you. We did all we could to protect everything so that when you return, you’re still the expert everyone has come to respect.”

  The captain hung his head. “No, Yatrell. I won’t be returning.”

  As the words left the captain’s mouth, Yatrell’s eyes widened and his lesser heart stopped. “No, captain. There is treatment for this. You can come back as strong as ever. Please don’t do this.” He clutched the data tablet, and looked around the room for whatever the intended means were.

  The captain simply looked into the eyes of the young man he had accepted as family. “Goodbye, son.” . Then the familiar pop of a battle weapon was heard and the captain slumped over in the chair.

  Tears streamed down Yatrell’s cheeks and he moved to hold the man he’d so respected. “No, no no…. why did you do this? No!”

  As the captain took his last breath, Yatrell found the entry wound. It was a perfect shot right to the back of his greater heart. The dart, in this case, left no blood, just a small hole that pierced through his back and into the selected heart. Death took him quickly. Yatrell had seen men die, many in gruesome ways, but to lose someone he respected so greatly and to lose him to his own hand….

  What felt like hours passed as Yatrell tried to compose himself, knowing the man who’d been such a vital part of his life was gone. This man had protected him, supported him and looked after him in ways his adoptive parents never did. Now, he was gone. He died before Yatrell’s eyes, and there was nothing he could do. He moved the man’s body from the position it was in and forced himself to call the medical team, even though he knew there was nothing more he or anyone could do.

  He began to investigate how the captain managed to shoot himself in the back. He searched the chair, and found a hole that went straight through. Tracing it back to the desk behind him, he found the dart gun attached to a rigged trigger unit on a timer. Grim, Yatrell realized how well planned the captain had things. With his state of mind, he had to have begun the process the night before. Easier means could have been found, but the damage done to Rex’s mind clearly guided him here. Yatrell realized he had to have made his choice the moment he left the bridge in secure hands.

  When the medical team entered to retrieve the body, Yatrell shared what happened for their reports. Once they carried the body out of the room, he stood there in an eerie and uncomfortable silence. He was shaken in a way he’d never experienced before. With his telepathic mind and inability to block out everything around him, he just couldn’t come to terms with why he didn’t hear what the captain had been doing. He couldn’t understand why he wasn’t able to hear it when he entered the room.

  Canith, Set, and Anara came into the captain’s quarters, and silently watched their friend try to process this for several agonizing minutes.

  Finally, Set spoke up, “He made his choice, Yatrell. There was nothing any of us could do about it.”

  “Yeah.” An exasperated sigh came from him. “He left stuff to us. He wanted you guys to have something. Cal too.”

  “Will that help you find closure, Yatrell?” Anara spoke up, consumed by sadness rooted in this situation.

  Yatrell shrugged, unsure of everything around him. “I don’t know. I know he made it a point to gift some things to us, likely set the timer in a way he knew would allow him to speak to one of us.”

  “Yeah, well…. That doesn’t change things here. We need you to step into his position until his replacement is selected.” Canith tried to give his friend a reason to keep going. “The survivors are going to need us, and you.”

  Yatrell turned, and looked at each of his friends. Those in the room with him fought alongside of him since he was sixteen. Now, for the first time since Yatrell entered the war he’d lost someone close to him, someone he respected. He’d lost the first person who ever truly believed in him. In front of him were the next three to trust him.

  Someone was missing. It hurt him to consider that possibility. He knew that kind of attachment was dangerous. Even the attachment to those in the room was dangerous. He refused to let himself hold on to the thought that she was missing right now.

  He turned to look out the window again. “I’m going to try to shower and change my bandage. Then I’m heading to the surface for a while.”

  Anara, Set, and Canith acknowledged him in their own way. Each one felt their own unyielding pain from the situation, and each one worried about their friend who witnessed it.

  Yatrell made his way quickly to his office, and then to his quarters. He sat in a chair next to the window and looked out, knowing she was in Dentonian space somewhere. He hesitated, but finally, he reached out for her telepathically. ~Kala? Can you hear me?~

  Through carefully erected boundaries, she projected back to him. ~Yes, Commander Jae, I hear you. This isn’t the best time to talk.~

  She screamed out when she was pushed face first into the floor. Blood trickled from her lip, but she didn’t cry as the Dentonian male over her yanked hard on her bindings and dragged her back to her feet. She remained silent to them.

  Moving to his feet, he urgently projected, ~Kala, where are you? What’s going on?~

  ~I’ve been captured by your good people on the prisoner encampment.~ The Dentonian male leered at her for a moment before dragging her down to a single cell, far from the other Xenonian captives.

  ~Why? What happened to your team?~ His focus became his concern for her.

  ~My team is in orbit. They are waiting for my signal. Unfortunately, it’s been delayed.~

  A rack of bars moved across the front of Kala’s cell, and locked into place. When she was alone, she leaned back on the cot, and put her fingers to her lips to check the amount of blood and the cut. She determined it was superficial and that she had nothing to worry about.

  ~What happened? How did you get captured?~

  ~I got too close to the base before signaling my people. Naturally your soldiers here are assuming there are more of me, and have no idea how to deal with empathic manipulation. Unfortunately, they know I’m psionic.~ She settled her legs as clo
se to her standard meditative position as possible. ~They’ve erected a so called psionic screen, however it’s not the most effective unless they are very close. That just means that I can’t use empathic manipulation to get me out of this, but I have other resources that will be available soon.~

  ~How will you signal your people? Do you need help from here? I won’t have them continue to mistreat you like that. You’ve done nothing but get caught. We don’t condone that behavior.~ Yatrell’s concern became more passionate.

  Kala responded calmly, ~There are telepaths on my ship. Once one of them connects to a listening stone, I will hear them. I will convey the concern to them when they do and we will go from there. You have no need to risk your position.~

  ~They still have no right to treat you like that. I’m going to make some contacts. Don’t do anything to get yourself undue attention, please.~ Yatrell leaned forward and clutched his head with his hands.

  ~I assure you Konair, I will be fine. It is time for me to go now.~ Kala cut him from her connection and focused on reaching her ship.

  Yatrell started to pace the room, angry and hurt.

  How did she let herself get captured? Why was she there and why was she so calm? How could he help her?

  He paced the room for several moments, feeling powerless, again. He slammed his fist through the wall by his door. He pulled his hand out of the twisted metal and gnarled wires, and stopped himself short of crying. Within minutes, the cuts started to scab over.

  Yatrell stalked out of the room, trying to consider how Rex would have resolved the situation. If he were still alive, in his right mind, Yatrell would have taken the situation to him. Without his mentor, he felt powerless to help her.

  Chapter 15

  On the Enpassant the senior staff readied themselves for the mission. Maddux was more frustrated than not. After snapping, again, on one of the crewmen not involved in the special ops mission, Henessa placed her hand on his arm.