Nebula Nights: Love Among The Stars

by Melisse Aires

  “Yes, as a matter of fact, we’re surrounded by monks.” Andi chuckled. “But we didn’t take any vows of celibacy.”

  “Good thing. That’s one vow I couldn’t keep, not around you.” He kissed the tip of her nose. “It was hard enough to keep my hands off you when we were dancing. Did I mention that dress you had on made it very hard to concentrate? I could barely remember what I was really there for.”

  “Glad you noticed.” She snuggled in closer to his warmth.

  “I said so at the time, as I recall.” Reaching to the foot of the bed, Tom tugged the furs and comforters around both of them, holding her tightly. “That guy was a fool.”

  “Guy?” Andi tilted her head as she tried to follow his thought.

  “Whoever you said you were waiting for that night. That guy. He was a fool to stand you up.”

  “Oh. Him. Let me explain—” Andi tried to turn in his arms so she could see his face.

  He pressed her head onto his shoulder, dropping a kiss on her curls. “Shh, he’s not important now. Time enough for that subject later. Today is about us, you and me. No one else.” He yawned.

  “I should let you sleep.” She made a move to shift away, getting ready to stand.

  “Where do you think you’re going?” He drew her back, curled around her. “I’ll sleep just fine, as long as you’re here with me.” One big hand moved to cup her breast again.

  She relaxed into his embrace, drowsy herself and very content. She dozed off briefly, and a few minutes later, when she wakened, she could tell by the rhythm of his breathing and the relaxation in his body against hers that he’d fallen asleep.

  Gently she disengaged his hand and turned to see his face. She touched his cheek, feathered a kiss over his lips. He’s an amazing lover. He’d survived a near-death experience with her help, of course he was grateful. Is there more to it than just gratitude? Some of what he’d said seemed to imply that maybe his feelings ran deeper. She’d known he’d been attracted to her since the night of their dance. Andi sighed. After we get back to the capital in one piece, then I can see what comes next between us.

  Lords, keep him from getting orders to ship out offworld to another assignment any time soon. Or me getting transferred by Loxton!

  ***

  When Mitch came to assume the duties of caretaker several hours later, Andi was demurely curled in the big armchair, no evidence of her interlude with Tom to be found. No telltale signs there for the sergeant’s sharp eyes. Still, her cheeks flamed in a small flush as she slipped away to her room for real rest.

  Returning to the sickroom later in the morning after a good sleep and a hearty breakfast, she found Tom sitting in bed working his way through an overflowing breakfast tray. Mitch leaned one elbow on the large chair, sipping at a cup of coffee, glancing out the window from time to time. Both had the air of men at peace with the world.

  “Good morning, ma’am.” Mitch smiled, waving his mug carefully at her. “I saved you a cup of coffee, if you’d care for some.”

  “Would I?” Andi helped herself to the coffee waiting on the slender table. She sipped at the steaming brew as she strolled to the bed. “How are you feeling this morning?”

  “Like my old self.” Tom stretched out a hand, palm up. When she put her hand in his, he drew her closer, planting a kiss on her cheek. “Amazing what a good night’s sleep and a decent meal will do for a guy.” Winking at her, he let her go.

  Mitch watched the byplay with raised eyebrows and a serious face. Glancing from Andi to Tom, he cleared his throat. “I’m, ah, glad you don’t kiss all your nurses, Captain.”

  “Just the beautiful ones.” Grinning, Tom took another drink of his coffee. “Which leaves you out, Mitch.”

  Andi’s cheeks felt hot. She kept her head down and backed away from the bed, moving toward the refuge of the chair. Taking a sip of the coffee to lubricate her dry throat, she tried a casually teasing tone. “What? No gratitude for the high-quality nursing he provided? And here poor Mitch and I stayed up all night, the last three nights in a row, no less, listening to you snore. And you do snore, don’t try to deny it.”

  The door crashed open, startling the room’s occupants. Andi jumped, her coffee sloshing as Mitch drew his blaster. Tom threw the covers aside to get out of bed.

  Corporal Rogers ran into the room, followed by Rahuna and one of the elder monks. “We’re under attack, Sarge,” Rogers reported. His salute for Tom was belated, amazement on the soldier’s freckled face. “You’re better, sir? Sorry I forgot to knock, sir.”

  “What do you mean ‘under attack’?” Tom planted his feet firmly on the floor. “Situation report, corporal.”

  Rogers went to attention, eyes straight ahead, hands at his sides. His voice was clipped. “A force of approximately thirty men tried to come across the bridge at dawn a few minutes ago. Latvik and one of the monks standing guard sounded the alarm. We’ve repelled the first attack, but it took a lot of firepower. The hostiles are massed across the ravine.”

  Swaying somewhat in the attempt, Tom stood. Andi and Mitch collided as each came to help him.

  “Take it easy.”

  “Don’t rush it, sir.”

  Glaring at both of them, Tom waved them off. He grabbed his neatly folded uniform lying at the foot of the bed.

  “The monastery defenses are holding for now.” Rahuna spoke for the first time.

  “What kind of defenses exactly?” I know they mentioned this before but really, what kind of shields or weapons would a monastery have? Remembering the complicated, highly advanced mechanisms in the healing chamber, Andi wondered if there might be a similarly powerful set up for guarding the monks’ privacy and security.

  Rahuna nodded, showing every bit of his age this morning, cherubic face lined and unhappy. “Yes, when the monastery was built, the Ancients installed devices to prevent attack across the ravine, but the power seems to be failing. The monks say it hasn’t been used since the last Clan war, four hundred years ago.”

  “Maybe we drained it too much yesterday when we—” Mitch abruptly snapped his mouth closed on the secret of the healing chamber as Andi made a chopping motion with her hand.

  “Whatever kind of protective field this place has, it’s fading in and out, like the power source is running ragged.” Corporal Rogers’s eyes remained focused on Tom, oblivious to the byplay between the sergeant and Andi. He stepped toward the bed, leaned forward, expression intense. “And, Captain, the attackers have a blast cannon, sounds like Mark 80 at least, and they’re using it nonstop on this force field.”

  Tom fastened his uniform shirt. “Where in the hell did insurgents get that? Not ours from the APC?”

  Rogers shook his head. “No, ours slagged when it was sabotaged in the garage. Whatever their weapon is, it’s adding to the stress on the monastery’s defenses. I don’t like the looks of things, sir.”

  “Tleer has declared it’s time for you to leave. He sends his apologies for not giving you the message in person, but he’s busy preparing the exit for you.” The elder monk made his presence felt in the room, giving Rahuna a slight bow.

  Stomach churning with anxiety, Andi jumped from the chair to confront the monk. “You’re not thinking of handing us over to them, are you? Do you know what they’ve been doing in the villages and at the Obati nobles’ summer compound?”

  But the monk was shaking his head, long braid flying about his shoulders. “No one is talking about surrendering you to the rebels. There’s another way to leave the monastery, but it takes much time, requiring you to start now.”

  “What other way?” Hands on his hips, nostrils flared, Mitch looked askance at the monk. “It’s a sheer drop on all sides of this place—no mountaineer, no matter how expert, could handle the descent, let alone the party we’ve got. Might as well jump out the window here and get it over with.” He turned to Tom. “You haven’t seen the pinnacle this place sits on, sir. In my opinion, it would be impossible to descend without anti-grav, which w
e don’t have.”

  The monk bowed his head. Apparently, his calm wasn’t the least bit impaired by Mitch’s impromptu situation report. “Of course we don’t mean to hand you ropes and suggest you climb down the cliff wall.”

  Andi noted the monk’s placid face and the way he kept his hands linked. Sounds like he’s explaining something elementary to a roomful of children. Backward children.

  In the same faintly lecturing tone, the monk offered a bit more detail. “Those who built the monastery hollowed out a passage in the plateau, to the base of the mountain at the river level below. Your path to escape lies there. We waste time.”

  How can we descend a staircase two miles high? A pulse of vertigo making her nauseated, Andi glanced at Tom. From the expression on his face, he must have been thinking along the same lines. She raised her eyebrows and shook a cautionary finger at him. “You’re nowhere near well enough to attempt it.”

  “No choice. Good thing I’m better today.” He picked up his uniform pants and paused. “I want one minute of privacy to put my trousers on, and then you’re going to take Sergeant Wilson and me to see the situation for ourselves, Corporal.”

  Andi allowed herself to be ushered out of the sickroom by Rahuna and the officious monk. Once in the corridor, the deep rumbling coursing through the stones of the building, including the floor’s flagstones, became more pronounced. Her heart pounded in rhythm, and she swayed, steadying herself by bracing against the wall.

  No, it wasn’t her imagination—the stones were vibrating with the power of whatever ancient device provided their defense at the moment. A piece of white mortar crumbled out from between two of the ancient slabs and fell at her feet. Things are going from bad to worse if the building is starting to shake itself apart. Andi looked over at the monk accompanying them. “What will you do?”

  He stared at the fragments of mortar, the corners of his mouth turned down as if displeased or bored. His voice was flat. “We’ll gather at the hidden entrance to the shaft and chant you on your way. Then we’ll withdraw further into the innermost chambers to wait. After the first alarm, we cut the wooden footbridge, so the renegades can’t cross easily. Should they somehow reach the monastery, they won’t be able to locate us.” He raised his head to gaze at Andi from narrowed eyes. “And you’ll be long gone. Once the invaders have seen the monastery, they, too, will leave. There’s nothing here for the likes of them. Rebel fighters don’t care about us.”

  They weren’t indifferent to the poor priest at the Shenti temple. “I’m sorry we brought this trouble to you,” she said.

  The monk’s shrug was nonchalant. “Don’t worry. The prophecies said the monastery was to offer hospitality to those holding the fate of our world in their hands. We’ve enacted the role faithfully for you. Don’t you agree?” He stared pointedly at Rahuna.

  His Serene Holiness nodded. “It shall be as Sanenre wills. The monastery defenses have never failed in all of recorded history.”

  “All right, people. Let’s move it.” Tom and Mitch stepped into the corridor. Touching Andi’s elbow gently, Tom gave her a small smile as he passed. “Lead the way, sir, if you please,” he told the monk.

  “The exit shaft to the river passage is in this direction.” Standing aside, the man made a sweeping gesture with his arm.

  Tom caught at the monk’s sleeve before he took more than a step. “No, I need to see what kind of weaponry they’re using against us first.” He shook his head, hand on the blaster at his side. “I have to know so I can make a full report. There’s got to be time for me to look outside. But you can escort Miss Markriss and His Serene Holiness to the safety of the exit for me.”

  “I’m going with you,” Andi said. “I’ve seen everything else on this trip. I want to see this, too. I’m a witness.” And I feel much safer when you’re around.

  “All right, I’m not wasting time arguing. Just keep back, behind Mitch and me.” Tom frowned at her but motioned to the waiting monk. “Let’s go.”

  Rogers, having gone ahead while the others were waiting for Tom to get dressed, greeted the group at the monastery’s entrance. The rumbling of the defensive devices was pronounced here, causing Andi to clap her hands over her ears.

  Reaching out, Tom cautiously tapped Rogers on the shoulder. The corporal looked around. “Sir, the hostiles have stopped firing for the last few minutes. I think maybe they’re getting ready to make some kind of demand.”

  Tom took Rogers’ place at the edge of the doorway and risked a quick glance, then another. Whistling, he glanced at Mitch. “Now I’m getting the picture of what it must have been like for you to carry me to the monastery.”

  “Going over that bridge was awful.” Andi grimaced. “I don’t know how Mitch and the soldiers managed it.”

  “All in a day’s work,” Mitch said cheerfully. He pointed above their heads with his blaster. “What’s that green light? Is that the shield, Rogers?”

  Craning her neck, Andi saw a wall of translucent, green light above her, extending about thirty feet out from where she crouched. Projected from the arch in some unknown fashion, the shield extended below the bridge and far above their heads.

  Tom tilted his head back to study the luminescence, too. “Does it go all the way around the monastery?”

  Before anyone had time to answer his question, the reassuring wall of light flickered, thinning to a pale green. Andi could barely see the shield against the increasing sunlight. An opportunistic, sizzling blast from the enemy’s weapon penetrated the now-insubstantial defense, striking the edge of the great arch above their heads. Stone chips flew in all directions. People scattered, ducked. Tom pushed Andi behind him, shielding her with his own body. One shard of stone struck her cheek, stinging like an insect bite. She slapped her hand over the spot, and there was blood on her palm when she checked. Tilting her face with his big hand, eyeing the injury, Tom wiped the blood away with his thumb. He rubbed his hand on his pants leg.

  He gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder. “Just a graze. Might not even scar. Stay further back, okay?”

  Andi sighed in relief. “No problem.” Leaning on the wall because her legs were rubbery, she moved away from the entrance as ordered.

  “Shield’s back,” Rogers said. “I’ve seen the same fluctuation several times since the attack began.”

  Andi stared at the soldier next to her. Rogers sounds a whole lot calmer than I am right now.

  “I fear we may not have much time before this ancient safeguard falls.” Rahuna withdrew into the safety of the corridor, stopping next to her.

  “Incoming.” Mitch yanked Tom flat against the inner wall as a second bolt of pure energy sizzled against the stones of the monastery. More rock crumbled under this next assault. Gasping, Andi scooted further back, her hand locked on Rahuna’s elbow, dragging him with her.

  “Not a Sectors cannon.” Tom crouched well inside the entry. “Mitch, what do you think?”

  Risking another quick look around the edge of the arch to check the status of their green defensive shield, the sergeant considered. “You’re going to think I’m crazy, sir, but it whines and spits like…Mawreg armament. Blast beam’s the right color.”

  “Precisely what I was thinking.” Tom’s fist clenched on the butt of his blaster. “Wish we had the viewers handy. I’d like to make sure.”

  Mawreg? Andi’s stomach lurched at the idea of the dreaded, sadistic enemy. But the Mawreg are nowhere near this sector. And the Seventh Star Guard Fleet is between us and them. Tom and Mitch have to be wrong.

  “It’s locals using the thing, sir, not Mawreg.” Rogers added another piece of information to the puzzle. “Latvik and I shot at least a dozen guys in the first attack, before the green light shield came on. Where would the Naranti get a Mawreg weapon? And how would they know what to do with it? Every briefing I’ve ever had indicated those alien bastards don’t work with indigenous planetary residents. Once the Mawreg pull out the high-powered ordnance, the local populace
is fodder.”

  Or the locals commit mass suicide to avoid what the Mawreg would do to them. Like on Halarikon 3. Andi’s stomach heaved again. She swallowed hard. Wish I hadn’t eaten breakfast.

  Tom came to offer her his hand, pulling her upright while scanning her face. “You okay?”

  She nodded. “I’ll manage.”

  I never doubted it.” Warm smile lighting his face, Tom kept his light hold on her hand, pulling her into the shelter of his free arm.

  He makes me feel so protected, so safe. But if there are Mawreg out there, nothing and no one can save us. Andi shivered.

  Tom eyed the force shield. “I don’t like the way the light flickers on and off. Time to escape may be even shorter than we anticipated. Where’s Latvik?”

  “Sent him with another monk to gather the gear,” Rogers said. “We’ll meet wherever the entrance to this river passage is.”

  “Well done.”

  Rogers drew himself up to his full height at the compliment, grinning.

  “Do you think the rebels can bridge the center gap?” Andi asked. “It’s quite a space to cross. Maybe we are safe to stay here.”

  Tom’s assessment was unflinching. “I could get across the gap, given the time and manpower, both of which the Naranti have in ample quantities. What do you think, Mitch?”

  “Yes, sir, I’d say so.”

  Andi gave the sergeant a wry glance, pursing her lips. “Gee, that’s so reassuring. You could have lied to me, made me feel better.”

  “And even if they never get across, they still win if we stay bottled up here.” Tom addressed Andi and Rahuna. “We’ve got to get our information back to the capital before this war gets any bigger. At some point, the momentum of events will be unstoppable, no matter who started it. Time’s running out for restoring peace on Zulaire.”

  “This place may be bristling with unusual stuff all right, but it’s lacking in the one thing we need now, which is a simple comlink.” Mitch sounded resigned.