by Linda Mooney
Plymon could feel his jealousy ebb away. He almost smiled at the news. “What is their reason for trading him, or did they say?”
“They didn’t,” she replied. He expected such an answer. “But I suspect my incapacitation had something to do with it,” she added. Again, he silently agreed.
“Is the Legion returning him to Regency Base?”
Her eyes appeared to droop. “I don’t know, and at this point, I don’t care. Notify me when we arrive at our destination, and when the Legion shows up, if I’m not already out of stasis.”
“Will do.”
“That’s all, Plymon. Send Killy back in when you leave.”
She was already dismissing him? When there was more he wanted to talk about?
Her eyes opened wider, as if realizing he was still standing there.
“What?”
He briefly debated bringing up some other issues, versus facing Killjorn’s wrath at not letting her patient rest, and decided the issues could wait. Smiling slightly, he shook his head. “Nothing. I’ll check back again soon.”
Stepping away from the monitor, he turned and exited the bay. The doctor was waiting on the other side of the door.
“She wants to see you,” he informed the woman.
“She probably wants to ask for some more pain medication.” Without waiting for his response, Killjorn stepped into the sterile bay.
Plymon watched the door close behind her. With her gone, he turned to see if Vall was still in his corner. A pair of yellow eyes stared back. Questioning eyes. Hopeful eyes. The man was curious to know how the Captain was doing.
The Sub-captain debated for a moment whether or not to tell him anything, then chose not to. He realized it was a petty thing to do, to keep the information to himself, but something inside him delighted in knowing he could hold some sway over the young man. To use what knowledge he had, and dangle it in front of Vall’s face. Look what I know and you don’t. Look at what I can do, that you can’t.
He started to speak, to taunt the man, but suddenly decided not to. Whether it was because of his conscience, his sense of duty, or some other emotion, Plymon realized he didn’t want to see the results of his vindictiveness reflected in those yellow eyes. Instead, he left the medical bay. Vall would be gone soon enough. And once the man was delivered to the Legion, Will would return to Plymon and his bed in due time. He simply needed to be a bit more patient, and patience was the one thing he didn’t have much of. Fortunately, he had very little time left to wait.
Chapter Eleven
Orders
Will watched the doctor peer into a monitor beside the door. “What do you see?”
Killjorn smiled and stepped away. “He’s gone.”
“Vall?”
“Still sitting in the corner.”
A shudder went through her, and Will felt a warm tear slide down her cheek. The wetness stung the reforming skin. She sensed a presence standing in front of her.
“Would you like more painkillers?”
“No. I need my head clear.”
“But the pain will retard your healing,” Killjorn told her.
“I need to deal with Vall.”
The doctor remained next to her, silently watching her. Waiting. At Will’s request, she had stood off to the side, out of sight of the transmission, in case the Regents had embedded a return screen order into their message. It wasn’t done often, but it was known to happen. And Will knew of many captains who had been caught letting their subs be privy to an eyes-only or ears-only message because the Regents had been able to view them together on the return relay.
But in this case, Will had requested Killjorn to remain close by. If a Regent suspected her being there, Will had planned to use her medical condition as the reason why the doctor was needed within reach. She had known before the transmission even began that the Regency had made a decision about Vall, and she’d needed Killjorn there in the event she was unable to finish the discussion.
“I forgot to ask Plymon how long we’ll have to wait after we reach Tidel 44 before the Legion arrives.”
“Willis, eventually he’ll have to go back to his own people.” If Killjorn could have put a comforting hand on her shoulder, Will knew she would have.
“I know that.”
She heard the doctor heave a sigh. After a while, the woman started to leave.
“Send him in here.”
“Are you sure you want to do that?”
“And I want you to stay and translate.”
Killjorn shook her heard, but left the room to obey. It wasn’t long before she came back through the door. Vall followed slowly.
At first, he stared in shock and sorrow at the stasis field keeping her safe while her skin repaired itself. It was his first time to see the extent of her injuries, and she wondered if he’d had any idea as to how serious they were. Killjorn plucked at his sleeve and led him over to the monitor where Will could talk to him.
The information the Regents had been able to gather continued to swirl in her head. However, it was their decision that had hurt the worst. Will hurried to hide her emotions before he had the chance to read her.
She opened her mouth to speak when he held out a hand to her.
“Uli.”
Killjorn gasped. Will glanced at the physician.
“Is your translator on?”
“Yes. I turned it on before I brought him in here.”
“Then why didn’t…” Will hesitated, then remembered the first time he’d spoken that same word to her on Precorut. At that time, her translator had been on, as well.
“Why didn’t the translator translate it?” Killjorn wondered aloud.
“Because it’s not a word,” Will whispered. “It’s a proper noun. A name.” She continued to stare up into his golden-brown gaze as he watched her reaction. “Uli.”
He smiled. He started to lift a hand toward her, but Killjorn quickly pushed it away with a shake of her head.
A flash of sadness went through Will. It would have been nice to have felt his gentle touch. Before she could stop herself, the memory returned of his lips upon her neck, and the way his hands had caressed her back. Such gentleness was rare among the men she’d allowed within her private aura. So much so, that she hoped her recovery would progress quickly, in order to give her some time with him before he was taken away.
“Vall, listen to me. We’re heading for a section of space called Tidel 44. It’s a massive ion cloud where we can hide from the Ben Objure while we wait for the arrival of the Legion of Mercy. They’re going to take you to Regency Base.”
He started to frown, his precursor to rejecting her statement.
“No. Listen to me, Vall.”
“Uli,” he gently spoke.
“Will you stop and listen to me! I’m not at one hundred percent. My ship is still damaged from when we fought the queen ship. The Legion is a bigger ship. And even if it’s not swifter than this one, it has just as much firepower. It’ll get you to the base where you can be free. Do you understand? You’ll be free!”
Vall shook his head. “I want to stay here.”
It was a complete sentence, clearly spoken. His first to them. Will wondered how long it had been since he’d talked.
Tears stung her eyes. It took several huge breaths before she could look at him again. If there was any way, any way he could remain with her…but there wasn’t, and never would be. And I have to stop these useless wishes.
“You can’t stay here. This is a Nion warrior ship. You must be one of us to be a member of the crew. We can’t traverse the galaxies with a guest on board.”
“Let me stay.” He pleaded with her. His eyes were wells of sadness and suffering, and they were too much for her to take. Especially now. Will lowered her face to prevent him from seeing her reaction. She knew he already blamed himself for her injuries. He didn’t need another reason to chastise himself.
“Killy, would you have someone show him to his cabin?”
“No. I want to stay.” He remained in front of the monitor and gave Killjorn a flat, stubborn look.
Will saw the same expression begin to come over Killjorn’s face, and realized Vall was about to subjected to a little Nion forcefulness.
“Killy, stop. Wait.”
The glow that was beginning to surround the physician immediately dissipated, and Killjorn turned to look at her.
“Vall? Will you do this for me? Let Gayt show you to your cabin. Get something to eat and drink, and perhaps rest for a while. Then you may come back here. I’d love to hear more from you. Perhaps you can tell me about yourself.”
She watched the play of emotions race across the young man’s face. Eventually, he turned and escorted himself out the door. Will caught a glimpse of Gayt in the next room. So did Killjorn.
“I’ll tell her what you said,” the doctor commented, and left.
Will let out an exasperated whimper. She was tired, and her head ached, but she had to view the transmission one more time before she tried to sleep.
“Play transmission 42R dash HK4.”
The monitor in front of her went dark, then the face of Regent Byms appeared.
“Captain Willis Tayte, of the Nion warship Trinity of Hope. I am Regent Byms. We are aware of the situation regarding the prisoner you rescued from the Ben Objurian queen mother ship. We have had our scientists working on trying to extrapolate DNA and other materials you relayed, which would prove the young man’s origin, and perhaps give us a destination where you can return him. At the same time, we have been working on translating the Objurian data you obtained from the queen ship. Although we haven’t come up with much at this time, we have found some information we believe you should be aware of.
“The creature referred to as Vall has been aboard the queen mother ship since he was nine cycles old. In the time he’s been there, he has been introduced to numerous hominid species. We’re assuming at this point that the Objurians were hoping he would latch on to one of the species and form a friendship or other type of bond, but it seems they were unsuccessful. As the child reached puberty, he was paired several times with other female hominids. After some period of time, those females were removed. Nothing is noted in the files as to what the Objurians did with them.”
The Regent paused before continuing. “From what the records tell us, Vall is both sexually mature and experienced. He is also a viable genetic resource, but so far none of the couplings he’s had with past females have produced any offspring.
“By the way, there is another word the Objurians have used when referring to Vall, which is the word ‘it’ in their language. And that is ‘umerint’. At this time, we have not decoded what umerint means.
“His DNA shows he is from a Class R planet, much like your own planet, Nion. He is a carbon-based, oxygen-breathing life form. His body demands vegetable protein and water to sustain life. And he needs brief cycles of unconsciousness to remain mentally and physically healthy.”
In short, he needs to eat, breathe, and sleep, Will told herself.
“However, there remains a small anomaly that our scientists are unsure how to label or describe.”
At the mention of the word, she instantly remembered the small ball of light emanating from Vall’s chest on board the space station. After seeing it, she had given some thought as to what it was, and what had caused it, but gave up, believing it was part of his genetic makeup, the same way her shield was a natural extension of herself.
“Nothing in our files identifies another species with that anomaly. There is no extra organ that could be creating the effect, yet your internal scans show a definite presence within the man. Which is why we need you to return Vall to Regency Base.
“Captain Tayte, you will remain inside Tidel 44 and await the arrival of the Legion of Mercy. You will hand Vall over to them, and they will bring the young man here. Once you are deemed healthy enough to resume your captain’s chair, you will head for the Gar Corja system, and the outer border of the Ben Objuria galaxy. Find where the Objurian crafts that attacked Precorut went and follow them, but do not, do not, engage them. If they challenge you, back away. But you will make it very clear you will remain on guard, watching them, and staying with them until Vall is delivered to Regency Base.
“Reply to this transmission via regular protocol. You have done an admirable job, Captain Tayte. Carry on. Regent Byms signing off.”
Chapter Twelve
Insight
It was several hours later before Killjorn rubbed her burning eyes. It had been a disastrously long day, and she needed rest. Or else she could make a mistake that could be fatal for her patients.
She yawned and walked from her office directly into the medical bay for one last look at the woman floating in her healing aura. Willis was asleep, which was good. The Captain had a stubborn streak that made her one of the most successful Nion captains, but it could also test the most beneficent spirit.
Leaving the unit, the physician entered the outer room of the bay, when she spotted the figure sitting still and silent in the far corner. At first, she felt a twinge of alarm, and her armor briefly flared in the low light. The glow was enough for her to recognize the young man.
“Vall?”
The figure lifted his head.
“Were you asleep over there?”
She crossed the room and extended a hand down to him. The young man accepted it as he got to his feet.
“Will.”
Killjorn instantly understood. “You want to see the Captain one last time before you retire? I can relate. I did the same thing just a moment ago.”
She re-entered the inner room and stopped beside Will’s unit. Vall halted beside her and stared down at the unconscious figure wrapped from head to toe, totally unrecognizable at first glance. Killjorn watched his reaction, waiting for any questions he may have. What she heard surprised her.
“My fault.”
“No. It’s not your fault,” she softly corrected him. She sat down on the warm plated floor and patted the spot next to her. Vall obediently joined her, crossing his long legs in front of him. At this angle, Will’s body floated just above their heads. When Killjorn propped her elbow on her knee, and her chin in her palm, she could comfortably watch the Captain sleeping.
“Is she…hurting?”
“No. Not now. I have her on meds that are allowing her body to regenerate its skin without pain.”
Vall never took his eyes off the figure encased it its blue healing aura. There was no telling what he might be thinking, but Killjorn figured some of it had to be self-deprecating.
“You know, she was very lucky it occurred here on the ship.”
Vall bowed his head. His hands lay still on his lap.
“Did you know a Nion warship is better equipped to handle stripping than any medical bay on any Regency-held colony or outpost? Only on Nion, our home planet, could she find better treatment.”
This time, she got his attention. He looked at her, as if silently asking her how.
Killjorn smiled gently. “When we first took to space, we knew the loss of our shields would be our worst injury, outside of death. So each ship was equipped with every medical necessity in the event of such an accident.” She waved a hand around the bay. “I can handle up to four patients at one time, and take care of them until their skin has regenerated.”
“What if there are more?” He spoke softly, slowly, as if verbalizing was an effort.
“I can hospitalize the entire crew, if need be, until more warships arrive to help. Or until we reach a Regency Base. Of course, if the whole crew, with the exception of myself, ended up being stripped of their armor, we would be in one fekking mess.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know how to drive this ship.”
Incredibly, a smile tilted the corners of his mouth. The sight of it even made her feel
better.
“Has this…happened before?” he cautiously asked.
“Do you mean, has Willis lost her shield before? No. This is the first time. And if she remains a Nion warrior, there’s a good chance it may not be her last time.”
He lifted his face to look at the Captain. “She is my Will.” He sounded dejected.
“She’s a captain of a Nion warship. In the whole fleet of nearly eighty, she’s only one of six women capable enough to handle the job. And she’s only one of three still actively on duty.” Killjorn laid a hand on the young man’s arm. She was mildly surprised when he didn’t flinch or draw back. “She’s also a young woman with a need to be loved. But she has to be careful. She can’t take reckless chances, not if she’s to maintain her captaincy. And that means she has to deliver you over to someone else, and have them take you to Regency Base.”
“She is my Will,” Vall repeated with greater emphasis.
Killjorn nodded. “If the two of you are meant to be a couple, the stars will find a way to bring you back together. Until then, you must be strong, and you must be patient.”
A warm hand was placed on top of hers. Steadily, she could feel heat rising from his palm, until it was almost too painful. She tried to pull away, but his grip was absolute.
And the heat became incinerating.
The physician threw up her shield around her hand and arm, but Vall continued to cling to her as if the aura wasn’t there.
Killjorn felt her fear rising as she stared into golden eyes that suddenly appeared to flare like yellow suns. Vall’s expression changed from melancholy to something that terrified her all the way to her soul.
“She…is…my…Will.”
There was more pain, more intense fire, and two suns that scorched her retinas, all the way up into her brain.
The dim light inside the medical bay washed through her like a soothing balm. Gasping, Killjorn glanced at her damaged hand, but the skin was smooth, unblemished. There was no damage that she could see. She also knew that if she placed her hand underneath the scanners, she wouldn’t find any sort of injury within, either.
