by Bianca D'Arc
They had arrived when it was night on this side of their world and it seemed like there were still a few hours left until dawn. The novitiates showed Star and Julian to two rooms that had a door between them. No instructions were given. The silent monk trainees just dropped them off and then locked the two doors, leaving it to Star and Julian to figure out who was sleeping where.
The rooms were small, but comfortable. They were also identical. Each had its own small, sanitary chamber, a bed, a desk, chair, work lamp, view screen and closet containing one set of plain robes. The robes would fit Julian rather well, but Star would be swimming in them. Still, she could use all that fabric as a blanket if she got cold.
The view screen had a couple of channels of entertainment, though nothing that appealed to Star after a quick browse. The bed was designed for one person, though it seemed as if the jit’suku were all built on the large side, so the single bed was large by Star’s standards. Again, Julian would fit it just about right. He was soldier stock, of course. They were usually the biggest and toughest the human race had to offer. And they could hold their own with jits. Or the war would have ended a long, long time ago.
“I think we should prop this connecting door open with something,” Julian observed. “Or stay in one room together, so they don’t separate us.”
It touched her heart that he wanted to keep her with him. She turned from examining the robe in the closet to look at him.
“My place or yours?” she asked with a small smile.
He shrugged. “Either will do.”
He placed the chair from his room in the open connection doorway before joining her in small room. Since she sat on the room’s only chair, he plopped down on the edge of the bed, facing her.
“Do you think we’re under surveillance?” she asked bluntly, wanting to hear his thoughts and not really caring if their captors knew she knew that they were being monitored.
“Without a doubt,” Julian agreed. “But it might be simple, passive computer monitoring. Or it could be there’s some poor guy stuck watching the live feed, weighing our every word and action.” Julian waved toward the screen on one end of the room as if saying hello.
“What do you think they’re going to do with us?” she couldn’t help asking, even though it betrayed some of her fear and uncertainty.
“Hey babe, you’re the clairvoyant here. You should be telling me about the future, no?” His gaze was challenging and his mouth quirked up in a smile. He was teasing her.
But it also gave her an idea. Star used the remote control to check for some kind of white noise or ambient music channel on the entertainment console. Finding something that might work, she got up and took a pillow off the bed, clearing an area on the floor between the bed and the desk. Julian watched, clearly intrigued.
“If you’re sleepy, the bed is yours,” she offered. “I’m going to try to meditate. Perhaps I’ll be able to see a bit of what comes next.”
“Seriously?” Julian stood, facing her. “Do you really think that’ll work?”
She shrugged. “The location isn’t ideal, but I might as well try.”
“What can I do to help?” He seemed willing to give her the benefit of the doubt, which she counted as progress.
“Nothing really. Just be quiet and try not to move around too much. I usually mediate in a special room where there are no distractions. This setting is strange, but it couldn’t hurt to try to focus. We don’t have anything better to do right now, right?” She smiled and he echoed the gesture.
“Would it distract you if I did a little mediation of my own?” Julian surprised her by asking.
She gave him a sideways look. “You meditate?”
“On occasion,” he replied, shrugging as if his answer didn’t mean much, but she sensed his meditative practice meant more to him that he was comfortable letting on. “I’ve studied the fighting arts since I was a kid and my mother taught me the basics of deep thought when my more aggressive tendencies started to emerge. It’s been helpful, over the years, to keep up with the mental disciplines she instilled in me.”
“Your mother was a very special woman,” Star said, moving forward to take his hand. This was the first time he’d really opened up to her about the woman he had named his ship after and whose voice he had given his ship’s AI. It was touching to see how much he still loved the woman who had raised him and died so tragically.
“She was,” he agreed, stepping closer to Star. His hands went to her hips and hers rose to clutch his biceps. He was very close and she wanted nothing more than to kiss him in this moment of shared intimacy. “She would’ve liked you, Star.”
Touched beyond reason by his simple words, Star felt her eyes well with unshed tears. “I know I would’ve liked her too. She raised a good man in you, Julian. Never doubt that.”
When he would have argued or made some flip remark, she rose on her tiptoes and forestalled any of his comments by placing her lips against his. He took it from there. His hands tightened on her waist and his head dipped to deepen the kiss. His mouth claimed hers and she willingly gave in to his dominance and strength. She reveled in it.
When she would’ve taken things further, he stepped back. His eyes flicked to the view screen on one end of the room and she remembered where they were and the likelihood that they were being watched. Yeah. Okay, then.
She had to calm her racing heart and the fire in her skin that begged for more of his touch. She was an addict after only a short time. She was totally addicted to Julian’s touch.
His gaze promised her that they’d finish what they’d started. She had no idea when they might have the chance, though. Which reminded her…
She scooped the other pillow off the bed and threw it at him. He caught it easily, his sharp reflexes easily handling the soft projectile.
“To sit on,” she explained, nodding at the pillow. “Might as well be comfortable when looking within, right?” She sent him a crooked smile, which he returned.
They sat on the floor on opposite sides of the rectangular room, facing each other. It didn’t take long to settle down to meditate once they’d made the decision to do so. Julian had practiced his mental exercises under all sorts of conditions, including in the battlefield, so it wasn’t hard for him to reach inside and find the place where calm and pure thought existed.
He did so, glad of the opportunity. It had been way too long since he’d sought the peace of the meditative state.
Even as he was inspecting his own inner space, he was aware of the bright light that was Star, on the other side of the room. She fidgeted a bit, but finally settled into her own routine, which seemed to consist of deep breathing exercises that helped her gradually reach some inner framework in which she seemed suspended for long minutes.
Time passed differently in meditation and Julian wasn’t really sure how much had passed when he became aware of a change in Star’s position. He blinked himself into awareness of the real world quickly and took in the scene before him.
Star was shaking. Her body went from shivers to bone-wrenching shakes as he watched. He sprang to his feet and bounded over to her when the shakes turned into something else. Something very close to convulsions, but not quite.
He took her in his arms, very worried about her state when suddenly, her eyes blinked open and it was over. She was out of whatever altered state she had been in.
Her beautiful eyes looked up into his and for just a moment it was as if he was looking into eternity. And then the gateway to…elsewhere, closed as she blinked and came all the way back.
“Wow,” she breathed, her voice weak as he held her.
“What did you see?” he asked, unable in the face of what he’d just seen to keep pretending that he didn’t believe in her powers.
“Danger. Betrayal. Murder. Plotting.” She shook her head, her eyes hazy with memory…or whatever it was she saw when she had a vision.
“Take a deep breath, baby. Come on. I have you. Relax now. I’ve go
t you,” he whispered, drawing her close and rubbing her back and shoulders with gentle strokes. She looked so lost. He didn’t like the faraway look in her beautiful eyes. He wanted her firmly locked here, in the present, with him.
She pushed against his shoulders slightly and he reluctantly pulled back to look into her eyes once more. The expression on her face was one of urgency and some kind of shattering knowledge.
“You look a lot like your mother,” she whispered. “You have her eyes.”
Julian felt a chill go down his spine. There was no way she should know that.
“That’s what my father always said,” he agreed, not sure where she was going with this, but willing to play along.
“I saw her. Just a flash. Not sure how. Usually, I only see the future, but somehow what’s happening right now and what will happen shortly is all tied up with the past—and with what happened to your family. Oh, Julian…” She gripped his shoulders, holding tight, the look on her beautiful face, tragic to behold. “I’m so sorry for what happened. If it’s any consolation, the end was quick. They didn’t suffer long.”
“How can you know that?” He wasn’t surprised his own voice came out in a cracked whisper.
“I’m not entirely sure. But I do know that you will finally have justice for their deaths. They will be avenged, by your hand.” Her tone was firmer as she came back to the present. Little by little, the vision seemed to let her go as she became re-rooted in the here and now.
“I don’t see how, considering the circumstances.” He gazed around the room, shooting a glance at the locked door. It was a nice cell, but it was still a cell. They were prisoners.
But she smiled at him. “You will. Give it just a little more time. It will all come clear and if we stay on our present path, the future is assured. Please trust me. I wouldn’t lie to you, ever. And especially not about something as important as this. If you let me help, you will have justice.”
“I don’t want to put you in further danger, Star.” He realized it was beyond time to come clean with her. “I…care about you. A lot. More than I probably should.”
She smiled at him and it lit his world. Maybe he more than cared for her.
“That’s good because I think I’m falling in love with you, Julian. I know it’s not wise to show your hand before the game is over, but I think you need to know that you’re not alone in the universe anymore. You’re going to find out really soon that there’s a whole bunch of people out there that care for you and who will love you, if you give them half a chance.”
“Sweetheart, you’re speaking in riddles. My entire family was murdered. They’re the only ones who ever truly cared for me.” It broke his heart to say the words, but that sad truth was what had driven him for years now.
“Maybe so, but from what I just saw, you are missing some key data. It will be revealed shortly and then new doors will open to you.” She smiled at him and it was a delicate, hopeful smile. “And just so you know, I’m behind one of those doors, Julian. There’s a distinct possibility that I might be in your future—if that path is the one that solidifies down the line. For right now, it’s like you’re straddling several intersecting lines of possibilities. If you go down the one that is starting to become more solid the longer we are together on this journey, you’ll end up at a room full of doors. From there, the possibilities expand once more, but all of those doors are white, which means good things in the language of my visions. If any of the other lines of possibility start to solidify, it leads to red and even black scenarios. Those are the lines you were on before we started traveling together and I’m glad to say they have begun to fade the longer we’ve been on our shared line. But they’re still there. You still need to be really, really cautious.”
From the way she clutched at his shoulders, he knew she believed what she said. And if he was going to be honest with himself, he believed it too. He believed in her, and her gift.
It was interesting to hear the way she described the way she saw the future. Interesting and more than a little scary. He hadn’t contemplated how one decision leads to another in a long time. For too long, he’d been on a road paved with vengeance. He hadn’t been looking at the consequences of his choices.
Star’s vision, and the way she described it made him stop and think about the future for the first time in a very long time. Already, she’d had a big influence on him. He still wanted his vengeance, but even that was in the cards—if he believed what she’d seen—if he played the hand right.
She yawned and he realized they’d both been awake entirely too long. It was time to rest and regroup for whatever would come in the morning. He stood, lifting her in his arms as he went. He brought her over to the bed and lay her down upon it. They’d have to sleep in their clothing tonight, since no other garments except monks’ robes had been provided, but he was okay with that. He’d rather be dressed and ready to go at a moment’s notice.
“Let’s get some sleep. This will all still be here in the morning. We can deal with it then, okay?”
She nodded sleepily, sliding over to make room for him on the small bed.
He collected the pillows, then joined her, holding her close as they got as comfortable as they could. He kissed her forehead as she settled next to him and he realized it felt really good to have her warmth beside him.
He could get used to this.
They were awakened about eight standard hours later by the view screen in the room. It chimed rather loudly, lit and then they were looking at the old monk from the night before. Julian had stirred the minute the chime had sounded, rolling out of the bed into t ready position on the floor. Star merely sat up and rubbed at her eyes, clearly unhappy to be awakened so abruptly.
“Good morning,” the old monk said, his face five times the size it actually was due to the large view screen. “I’m glad you slept. There is quite a bit to discuss today. I will see you after the morning meal and we will get to work. Your escort will arrive at your door in half a standard hour.”
As abruptly as the screen had lit, it blanked again.
“Well, that sounds promising,” Star offered, brushing her hair back from her face.
She was adorably disheveled after sleeping in his arms. A warm feeling broke over Julian that he refused to examine. As the old monk had said, they had work to do.
“Do you want to use the lav first?”
“I can use the one in the other room,” she offered, unsuccessfully trying to smother a yawn.
“Nah. They still might close the connecting door and try to separate us. I’ll do a quick sonic shower and then you can have the one in here all to yourself, okay?” he offered.
“Sure,” she yawned and plopped back down, shutting her eyes. “I’m not much of a morning person anyway. Wake me when you’re done and I’ll get my turn.” Her voice trailed off as she fell into a doze.
Julian just grinned as he headed for the lav. He left the door open and stuck the remaining chair in the open doorway to hopefully prevent anyone from closing it and separating them. He didn’t think the jits were going to pull anything, but it paid to be cautious.
Three minutes later he was out of the sonic shower and combing his hair as he waited for the fresher to cycle his clothes. Two minute after that, he was dressing and on his way out of the lav. That left twenty-five minutes to get the princess out of bed and through the same routine.
While he would have enjoyed standing there, watching her snuggle into his pillow for a few minutes—and he didn’t examine why that thought gave him such satisfaction—he could see she was going to need some time to get functional.
“Wake up, sleepy girl,” he called, earning a mumble from her that he didn’t quite catch. He sat on the side of the bed and touched her hair, then stroked his hand over her soft cheek. “Time to get up, Star,” he said in a tender voice that probably betrayed the feelings he was trying so hard to hold in check. But after all this—when they could die at any minute—why was he still trying t
o fight the feelings he had for this amazing, stubborn, beautiful woman?
Her eyes opened and she looked up at him. “You’re done already?”
He smiled. “Five minutes in and out,” he confirmed. “But something tells me you’ll need a little longer. So it’s time to get vertical, sweetheart.”
“Do I have to?” she mock-whined. He liked the way she played with him. It had been a long time since anyone had dared to do so.
“I’m afraid so,” he confirmed. “We’ve been promised an escort to breakfast, so we’re going to need to be ready.”
“Okay,” she said grudgingly, sliding out from under the blanket and getting slowly to her feet. “Has anyone ever told you that you’re entirely too chipper in the morning?”
“I may have heard something like that a time or two,” he allowed. “How many cups of java does it normally take to wake you up?”
“At least two,” she said, sliding past him toward the open lav door. “How’d you know?”
“Lucky guess,” he quipped as she slid past the chair and into the small room. He was glad to see she’d left his precautionary chair in place.
“So what do you think they’re going to do with us today?” she called out.
“I’m not really sure. The old monk mentioned discussions. I’m pretty sure that means interrogations. They’ll likely split us up for that.” He didn’t like that thought one bit. After they were separated, there was no guarantee they’d ever set eyes on each other again. They were completely at the jits mercy here and Julian knew first hand that the alien bastards had none.
“Hold that thought. I’m going into the sonic. Out in a minute,” she said from inside the lav.
He heard the slight click of the sonic shower door opening and then snicking closed. The personal cleansing system powered up and he knew she couldn’t hear him for the moment. A minute later, the same sounds announced her exit from the unit.
