by Linda Mooney
“I’m holding onto Vall. We can’t approach the doorway like this. We’re going to need―”
“Right beside you, Captain,” a voice spoke behind her. It was Peersoff, offering to help them into the ship. She thanked him, and he, along with Plymon, half-carried, half-guided her and Val to the entrance, setting them on the large circular base.
“I’m grounded,” she told them. “Lower us in. Have Killjorn meet us in the docking bay.”
The platform lowered itself into the ship and into the wide airlock chamber. When it settled them on deck, a second panel slid shut above them, and the chamber filled with oxygen. Will waited for the signal that it was safe to lower her shield. Vall’s eyes widened in surprise when the mistiness around them evaporated, and she took his hand to lead him out of the chamber. “We have to let my men in,” she informed him.
As each man reentered the ship, Vall watched closely, especially when the outer shields were disturbed, revealing the person inside. Plymon was the last to be lowered into the airlock chamber. By the time he was ready to emerge, the ship’s physician had joined them in the docking bay.
Killjorn started upon seeing the young man sitting on the floor, legs crisscrossed in front of him and hands tucked under his armpits. The older woman gave Will a stern look.
“Do you know how close you came to dying out there? One wrong move, and you could have shredded your armor.”
Will snapped back. “There was no time to think, much less time to order one of the men to grab him. I was closest, anyway. Besides…” She flashed the doctor a warm smile and winked. “It’s done and over. How are the Anglites doing?”
“Fine. Fine. I’ve turned them over to Gayt.” The woman nodded as she continued to stare at Vall, scrutinizing him from top to toe. “This one’s humanoid. I take it he was the last prisoner?”
“Actually, no.” Plymon stepped forward. “There were others, but the explosion took them before we could.”
“I’ve never heard of the Ben Objure rigging their ships to detonate.” Peersoff moved up to join them after ordering Gorin to return to security. “Maybe it’s something new they’ve taken to doing.”
“Or maybe it’s specific to just the queen ship,” Will wondered aloud. She bent down where Killjorn was giving Vall a closer visual examination. Maybe it was because the physician was female that Vall allowed her to touch him. Will watched as Killjorn moved his nearly skeletal arms and legs to get a better view of his torso. An expression of sadness crossed the doctor’s face. Before Will could inquire what she was thinking, Killjorn sighed loudly.
“He’s terribly emaciated. I’m willing to bet he’s also dehydrated and full of all kinds of nastiness the Objurians injected into him.”
“You want to talk about nasty? You should have seen his cell.”
The physician wrinkled her nose. “Hey, young man.”
“His name is Vall,” Will told her.
“Vall.” Killjorn held out a hand. “Come with me. I need to get a good look inside you. I bet a bowl of warm soup and a hot shower would make you feel better, too.”
Vall stared at Killjorn’s outstretched hand for a moment, then he looked at Will. The expression on his face was eloquent. Giving him a small smile, Will held out her hand to him instead. She wasn’t surprised when he took it, and she helped him to his feet.
“It appears he wants me to stay with him, at least until he feels comfortable enough to let me go.”
“Captain, we need to debrief,” Magnus informed her over the intercom.
“I agree. Let’s all gather in medical. Gayt?”
“Here, Captain!”
“I need you in medical. We have an unknown humanoid as our guest, and I need your help.”
“On my way,” the scientist replied.
Lacing her fingers through his, she led Vall out of the landing bay, with the rest of the crew in tow. The rescued man remained silent, but he examined every aspect of the ship along the route. Each door panel, corridor offshoot, and crew member who walked by and acknowledged their captain in passing, were all given the same short but intense scrutiny.
Will noticed how he continued to walk hunched over. In the brighter light, his filthy appearance stood out. For the first time, further evidence of his imprisonment was clear to see, including the prominent ribs, the lack of muscular strength and coordination, and the almost death-white skin stretched over his shoulders and collarbones. A quick glance behind him verified what she had felt earlier. He had been brutalized. Vall glanced over at her. His obvious trust in her tugged at her heart.
“Don’t worry,” she said, smiling up at him as they neared the medical unit. “We’re going to make you well, and then we’ll get you back to your home world.”
To her delight, he finally managed to lift the corners of his mouth. It was a smile, short-lived and trembling, but a smile nonetheless.
By the time they reached the clinic, Vall was showing signs of exhaustion. Without waiting for Killjorn to motion toward the examination bed, he collapsed onto it and stretched out. He appeared surprised to feel the bed adjusting to his size, adding enough padded length at the foot to accommodate his height.
Will stood back as the warm air flowed over him, followed by strands of soft molecules that solidified to become a blanket. Underneath him, the computers ran a thorough exam, including a DNA scan.
A young woman entered. She carried a small unit in her hand, which she quickly plugged into the med lab’s console.
“What’s the latest on our Anglites?” Will inquired.
“Nicely settled into their cabin,” the xenobiologist answered. “I’ve equipped them with proper nutrition, and I’ve added a few modifications to make their trip as pleasant as possible until we arrive at the Vinestri Prime Cluster. Granth has notified their home world of their rescue and return.” The petite woman looked over at her. “Their people are elated. Seems this father and his two daughters are very important officials.”
A blue light glowed at the base of the unit. Gayt shook her head. “Killy, I don’t like these readings.”
“Neither do I,” the doctor commented, studying her monitor.
Will immediately sent a mental order to stop all translations. The last thing she wanted was to alarm Vall. The man had already been through too much. By this time, everyone was present inside the clinic.
“What have you found?”
“A lot of damage, for one thing, but nothing that time, proper nutrition, and a little kindness won’t undo. Data estimates his body is the equivalent of a twenty-eighty to thirty year-old male, but that’s not what bothers me.” Killjorn glanced at Gayt. “Us.”
Gayt nodded and handed her diagnostic unit to Will, who examined the readings.
“What am I looking at?” Will asked.
The scientist pointed to a little blue line running along the bottom of the screen. “That.”
“Be more specific.”
“It means this man isn’t humanoid.”
Several people gasped. Magnus chuckled. “So what is he? A shape shifter?”
Gayt shrugged. “Possibly, but if that was the case, I would be getting some kind of reading other than a flat line.”
Killjorn added a guess. “Parasite?”
“No. Definitely not a parasitic relationship, although one thing is clear, however. What we’re looking at is not the real deal. It’s a shell, much like our shields we erect around us.”
“How can that be? I heard his heart beating. I heard him breathing,” Will argued.
“Maybe it’s part of the disguise, to make others believe that what they’re seeing is the real him.”
“So, what you’re saying is that the real Vall is inside?” Will clarified.
“Yes.”
“Can what’s inside have the same appearance as what he appears to be on the outside?”
Again, the scientist appeared puzzled. “It’s possible. At this point, I can’t tell you anything further until we run more tests
on him.”
“Have you at least gotten everything you need?” Plymon interjected. “The man needs to do some serious cleaning up. This place is starting to smell.”
Vall reached out, seeking her hand. Will gave it to him, giving his a squeeze to reassure him. He was aware he was not being allowed to listen in on their conversation, and their discussion was beginning to worry him.
“Plymon’s right. Gayt, can you ready a cabin for him?”
“Will do, Captain.” She hurried out of the lab just as Granth called over the intercom.
“Captain Tayte?”
“Here.”
“I was able to glean a little more information about our newest guest.”
“What have you found?”
“Well, for one thing, Vall isn’t his real name.”
Killjorn snorted. “How apropos. An unreal name for an unreal humanoid.”
Will gave the physician a condescending look. “What is his real name?” she asked.
“I don’t know, and from what I can decipher, the Ben Objure didn’t, either.”
“So, why is he listed as Vall?”
“Vall is the Objurian word for it. He was an it to them. But here’s the kicker. I also found out how long he’s been on that ship.”
“How long?” She was almost afraid to ask.
“Since he was nine years old.”
Chapter Four
Encounter
Will lay staring up at the ceiling of Plymon’s cabin, but the ceiling was invisible in the perfect darkness. The Sub-captain needed an absolute lack of light in order to rest. Being from the Pellucidor cluster, his home planet received sunlight every hour of the day. In order to survive, the colony that settled on Pellus Six was forced to build its cities underground, to get away from the constant day. Underground, the colonists could simulate the hours of day and night with regularity.
Tonight, the blackness wasn’t as comforting as it usually was. Beside her, Plymon snored softly. At first, she’d thought a hard, wild fekking would help banish the demons haunting her. But her mind had been a blank, and her body had felt no rush of pleasure when he took her. She’d let her crew member have his moment as she laid unresponsive. It wasn’t long afterwards that he’d fallen asleep.
She swung her legs over the side of the bed. The metal floor was warm beneath her feet. She used her foot to search for her garment, and found it nearby. Grabbing the short shift where she’d dropped it, she drew it over her head and exited the cabin.
The ship was on night watch, which meant the lights in the corridors were dimmed. Even so, it took a moment for her eyes to adapt. Up top, she knew Badin was acting captain up on the bridge, with a small crew of three to assist him. But if something major was to occur, he would contact her immediately, as well as rouse the entire ship.
Will resisted the temptation to see what time it was, for fear it was nearer time to rise than she wanted. She needed sleep, but the events of the day were finally taking their toll on her nerves, leaving her unable to rest.
Her first instinct was to go to the clinic for something to put her out. Halfway there, her throat began to tickle. Will coughed and tried to swallow, but her saliva felt thick. At the corridor intersection, she turned and entered the tube to drop to the next level. Stepping into the corridor, she turned again and walked into the small dining area to get something to drink.
And nearly bumped into the figure leaning in the doorway.
Will stopped abruptly and stared up at Vall swaying slightly. He appeared to be confused or disoriented. He was no longer naked. A pair of off-duty slacks hung off his bony hips, but he had shed the pullover top. His wrists were bound in medicated wraps, and she could see similar adhesive patches around his ribs and shoulders.
His face lit up at the sight of her. His gritty thick hair had been pulled into a single rope behind his back. For a moment, Will blinked at the sight of his chest. His male nipples were heart-shaped. When he moved in her direction, she glanced back up at him.
“What are you doing out of your cabin?”
Golden brown eyes looked pleadingly at her. There was no telling what the man was thinking, but it was obvious something had persuaded him to move about the ship. Maybe after all those years confined in his small cell on the Objurian ship, he needed this freedom suddenly allowed to him. If that was so, why hadn’t the sensors noticed him moving about before now, and summoned someone to come offer to return him to his cabin? Surely someone was monitoring from the bridge.
Maybe someone did. Maybe someone tried to persuade him to go back, but Vall ignored them. If Vall had refused to obey, no one would have forced him. He was their guest, and as far as they knew posed no threat. Even if one of her crew members had attempted to return him, either physically or with their shield, that person would have had to answer to her for their actions. When it came to Vall, she was quickly finding herself becoming increasingly protective of him as she tried to learn more about his history with the Ben Objure.
Giving him a warm smile, she decided to change her tactic. “Hello, Vall. I’m thirsty. What about you? Would you like something to drink?” She held out her hand, which he took without hesitation. Together, they entered the room.
She procured two packets and filled them with water from a wall dispenser. After handing one to him, she gestured for him to follow her, and led him back into the corridor.
The lower part of the ship, directly under the bridge, was a place where everyone came to relax and enjoy the view via the immense, bubble-shaped dome that encompassed nearly the entire chamber. Referred by the crew as the observation deck, the place was empty this time of night, for which she was grateful. It would take him time to adjust to being around humans.
She led Vall into the room, then paused to let the man soak in the view of space swirling around them. After a few moments, she gave his hand a tug and led him over to a small divan against the bulkhead. Here, the cushions were large and comfy, just right for relaxing. With a little luck, she might become drowsy enough to fall asleep.
“I love to come here when I’m tense or tired. Looking out at all those stars and planets calms me.” She glanced over at where his gaze never wavered from the view. In the distance, a small nebula blazed in shades of red, blue, and purple, and the colors reflected across his face in the dark room. She watched as he drank from the packet with audible gulps. Already, she could see a slight change in him. Most of the grime had been wiped away, but overall he still wasn’t completely clean. At least, he didn’t stink anymore. Plus, the medicines Killjorn had given him appeared to be working.
Time. He’ll need lots of time. And he’ll have to take one step at a time to recover mentally and physically. And baby steps, at that.
She continued to study him. Knowing he had been a prisoner of the Ben Objure explained a lot about his muteness. Even more about his reactions. Her heart ached at the thought of what a nine-year-old had been forced to endure, and continuously endure for nearly twenty horrible years.
“Tomorrow, I think we’ll introduce you to the cleansing chamber. You’ll like the way you feel after you go through it.”
He took one last draw on his drink, when the packet imploded in his grasp. Vall started slightly at the wad of material in his palm that used to be a container of water. Will laughed softly.
“It’s all right. It’s supposed to do that. Everything on this ship is recycled, Vall. Nothing goes to waste, and most of it is reconditioned for reuse. You’ll get accustomed to it after a while.”
The man looked up at her and tilted his head slightly. Reaching over, he touched her hair, lightly grazing the tips of his fingers across her cheek. Before she could react, he slowly scooted over, narrowing the distance between them. He took her by the arm, and pulled, guiding her toward him, until she rested against his side.
Will found herself with her face lying in the hollow between his neck and shoulder. One of his arms cradled her, his hand on her hip. The other hand found one of h
ers, and their fingers laced together on top of a pillow. Content, Vall sighed and leaned his cheek on top of her head.
Will remained unmoving and unable to believe how happy she was by this simple arrangement. Normally, she was very picky about who she made physical contact with, but somehow this man was able to manipulate her without any protest from her.
She could still hear his heart beating, this time slow and regular. Air moved in and out of his lungs; his breath gently tickled her face.
By the holiest of worlds, what’s happening to me?
Outside, the stars sped by. Planets spun overhead, then disappeared behind them. Whole galaxies whirled in brilliantly lit glory as the ship passed them by. Gradually, Vall’s breathing slowed as he drifted off to sleep. Oddly enough, Will felt herself becoming equally drowsy. She was warm. She was comfortable. And for some reason she couldn’t fathom, she felt protected. Safe. Wanted. It was an odd sensation, given the fact that he didn’t possess a natural shield like she did.
She fell asleep within his embrace, and the dreams she thought would haunt her never appeared. Or, if they did, she didn’t remember.
Chapter Five
Confrontation
“Captain, I think it’s time you woke up and assumed your duty.”
The voice was harsh and strident. Will opened her eyes to find Plymon standing less than a meter away, arms crossed over his chest, and a peeved expression on his handsome face.
Vall moved first, standing and facing the Sub-captain. He moved slightly to the side, as if to block her from Plymon’s view. To Will’s surprise, she saw his hands curl into fists against his thighs. She scrambled to her feet and stepped in front of him.
“Report to the bridge, Plymon. I’ll be there shortly.”
“Will he be coming with you?” the man snapped, his eyes never leaving those of the man standing defiantly in front of him. His tone grated on her nerves, and she snapped back.
“Sub-captain, you have your orders. Obey them immediately.”
Plymon dragged his eyes from Vall to give her a shocked look. Without answering, he pivoted and walked stiffly from the room. With him gone, she could turn around and face Vall, who continued to stare at the doorway with an intense expression.
