Chasing Constellations (The UGS Constellation Series)

by HA Fortman

  Hesitantly Elisa slid her own hands into his and allowed him to help her to feet, and then guide her towards the cot.

  She never realized his other hand was busy gently moving her clothing back as much as possible, or that the odd… creature standing behind him was moving towards them with some sort of small handguns in one of his four hands.

  Guiding Elisa down to the bed Chase leaned over her head and pulled a covering from inside the table beside them, gently spreading it over her legs up to her stomach before stepping back to allow the healer to come closer.

  “My name is Healer Yannick Maleet, I am going to make you feel better, but we need to get you to relax first.” As the creature spoke his other hands began to move her clothing aside as much as possible to allow him an unhindered view of the damage done to her. “I’m going to inject you with a sedative. It's just enough to help you relax, but not enough to make you sleep, ok?”

  Without even waiting for Elisa to say anything, the hand with the hypo spray pressed against her neck. She never felt the medication enter her system, but its rapid effects were noticed by both of the males.

  The fear dilating her pupils slowly receded, leaving her soft green irises more room to expand while her heart rate settled into a steady and slow rhythm. They watched as her body slowly appeared to sink into the soft cushioning of the bed, with the soft sigh that left her parted lips, they knew it had eased her torment and drove at least some of the pain away.

  “Good, good. You are responding quickly. There now little one, do you feel better? Do you think I can examine you so that I may make the pain go away? We truly do not wish to hurt you.” With a brief nod, Elisa turned her attention to the creature’s hands and watched as they began to remove her shirt without even lifting her body. It simply waved two of its arms over her body and the fabric vanished.

  “You did the right thing bringing her here Commander,” Yannick paused in his exam of the Earthling to tilt his head at Chase.

  “She has massive injuries; internal bleeding, a punctured lung from one of the broken ribs, several other ribs that are cracked or broken, and a plethora of contusions. Her throat is swollen because of the bruising and she might never regain her voice like it was before. Not to mention several fractures to her face, and there are numerous bruises covering her internal organs. What the hell happened down there?”

  Elisa gave a soft chuckled as her eyes dreamily cast over the creature hovering above her. To her it resembled a cross between a zebra with purple and blue striped scales, stripes that were broken and jagged, and a macaw with the ruffled crest and feathers along the outer edge of its limbs.

  What she could see, that wasn’t covered with a form fitting black suit, was taught with muscles that caused the scales to reflect the bright lights of the room.

  Over the suit was a sterile looking white coat that wrapped snug against the creature’s throat, down its long arms and stopped just above its four knees.

  “How do you sit down? Better yet… what are you?” Try as she might, Elisa couldn’t help it as the sedative slurred her words.

  The fact that both men ignored the first question annoyed Elisa, but only for a moment as the medicine coursing through her body helped her to forget most everything. Instead she felt a pleasant floating feeling that made her giggle from time to time.

  When Chase gave her a slightly lopsided grin, which brought to life a small dimple in the corner of his left cheek and answered her second question she fought to pay attention. “Yannick is the best healer in the Fleet. His kind is known as the Atunre, and is what you would call a doctor, since they can heal almost all but deadly wounds naturally. Do you feel well enough to tell me what happened?”

  Elisa started to take a deep breath, but ended up moaning in extreme pain. She was unable to take more than a shallow gasp. “I don’t… I don’t remember much. I… had gone out earlier… I just wanted to explore and have a little fun. It’s been so long since I just went out around a town and did nothing but enjoy myself. I’ve never been to California so I decided to wander around and shop a little. I’d just gotten home and was getting my keys when someone attacked me and pushed me into the house. I fought as best as I could and was finally able… to get away.”

  As Elisa spoke, she watched Yannick move his primary hands to hover over her chest while the secondary set gently lifted first her right and then her left arm and moved them aside. Before her amazed eyes Elisa watched as his hands started to glow a soft pink color, she didn’t notice right away that the pain in her ribs gradually reduced to just a dull ache. Even that was gradually disappearing with the movement of the healer’s hands over her body. While it didn’t vanish completely, it did recede to where she never noticed unless she moved too far in any direction or jerked suddenly.

  “Do you remember what he looked like?”

  “He… He looked…” Lowering her gaze to Yannick’s hands, Elisa tried to bring the man’s face to the front of her memory.

  She closed her eyes and shuddered as she remembered each blow against her body, each sickening crack and thud as his fists met her flesh, before she turned her glare back to Chase. “He looked like you! But... but something was different…”

  Chase nodded and gave a soft sigh, it was as he had suspected. He wasn’t exactly sure why she had been targeted, but he had his suspicions. However, he was sure if he hadn’t arrived when he had then she would have been worse off and possibly could have expired.

  “See to her care Yannick, I need to speak with Tracker.” With a nod at them both, Elisa watched as Chase spun on his heel and left the room with the soft slide of the automatic doors.

  “Well, my dear, you will be fine in a bit but for now I want you to rest. You’ve had quite the shock to your system and I don’t want to harm what I’ve healed.” Patting her tenderly on her right shoulder, Yannick gathered his hypo and turned to leave her to rest.

  “Lights, dim to forty percent.” He softly murmured as he made his way back to a doorway Elisa hadn’t noticed before.

  “Where am I? You never answered me. Please, just tell me where I am.” With a groan Elisa lifted herself up onto her elbow and tried to turn to her side, she didn’t want to be left alone.

  A slight smile crossed the healer's face when he turned back to the bed. One of her questions was answered when he pushed a rolling stool toward the bed and perched on top of it, each of his long legs spread across it much like the legs underneath that held it upright.

  “I am not sure what the Commander has told you, but you are aboard the UGS Constellation, it’s a galactic battle cruiser class warship for the United Galactic Securities. Basically the safety of the known galaxies relies on us and the rest of our ships, of which there are too many to count. We are currently in orbit over your plant of Earth, just far enough away that your satellites aren’t able to detect us, but close enough to transport to and from when needed. The Commander brought you here because you were severely beaten, what happened to you? Do you remember anything?”

  Gently as though he were afraid to scare her more than she already appeared to be, Yannick placed a hand on the side of her shoulder and let his long thin fingers cup around it.

  “I… don’t remember much, no. I think… I think I got a threatening call? But then my friend from back home called and we talked on the phone for hours. I forgot all about the first call by the time we were done talking.”

  When the healer came and sat with her, she gradually relaxed back against the bed and pillows, turning her head to watch him while her fingers played with the light blanket after tucking it under her arms to hide the rest of her body.

  Nodding as he leaned to the side and pressed a button on a small panel near the head of the bed, Yannick adjusted it so she was in a more comfortable position with her head elevated slightly. “Back home? I take it this... Callleefornieaa isn’t your home?”

  Shaking her head, Elisa said with a slight chuckle as Yannick brutalized the pronunciation, “Close
, it’s California.” Slowly she taught him the proper way to say it, although there was a heavy accent to his words, he did remarkably well. “No. I only came because I knew I had to help and I found something that the police might have missed, the other killings that hadn’t been tied in.”

  She gave Yannick a slight smile as her body lifted with the bed, breathing a sigh as the shift made it easier for her to breathe.

  While most of the injuries had been healed, she still had most of the bruises that were painful still. Her lungs were now just bruised instead of being punctured and the healing was well under way, but the ribs surrounding them still had massive trauma. Her throat and face were still sore and no doubt would be bruised for days yet, but at least she was able to breathe with only slight discomfort and open her eyes fully.

  “After the call I went out and explored a bit. It was fun and I wasn’t paying attention when I got home. I was just trying to get in and thinking of taking a nice long soak, then maybe having some dinner but instead I was attacked before I could even blink.” Elisa couldn’t stop the shudder that ran through her body.

  “Are you hungry still? I can have the mess hall bring something in for you to eat.” Her rumbling, growling stomach provided the answer, reminding her that she hadn’t eaten since her early lunch the day before.

  The rough sound caused a slight blush to light her face. “Interesting, the mention of food seems to have awoken a monster hiding in your body.”

  With a wink that was quite comical, and Elisa was sure was a move he didn’t often do, Yannick rolled backward toward the doorway where the com unit was and placed her order before moving back. “It should be here soon.”

  After Yannick nodded for her to continue, Elisa ducked her head down slightly and stared at the bruises along her arms as she told him the full gory details of the attack. Pausing only when the food arrived as Yannick lifted the bed more upright so that she could eat.

  “Well, I’m glad that Commander Chase was there, although I wish he could have saved you the expense of meeting me in such a way.” Yannick said as he stood and pushed the stool back to the wall. “Now, eat and rest. I’m sure that Chase will be back any time now and will want to speak with you. I’ll be in the other room if you need me, alright Dena?”

  “Thank you Doctor Maleet, for everything you've done for me. Um… what does Dena mean?” Elisa nodded towards her body and the food.

  Although a strange combination of pasta and a rich creamy blue sauce, the food was astonishingly good if a bit strange.

  “It was my pleasure, Dena. Please feel free to call me Yannick, Doctor is not a term I am accustomed to and Healer Maleet is my father. As for Dena, hmm… it is similar to what you would call an offspring.” Having said what he wanted to, Yannick slipped quietly into his office.

  Chapter 10

  “How’re you feeling Anare?”

  The voice from the doorway startled Elisa into nearly spilling the food all over her lap, though she managed to catch it in time to keep it from spilling. She didn’t catch the slight smirk at catching the poor girl off guard and Chase didn’t miss the grumbled words.

  “I’d be better if people would stop sneaking up on me.” Glancing up, she noticed that Chase had changed into a form fitting one piece suit that matched the Doctor’s.

  The cloth looked smooth and supple as it encased his trim body, accenting the ripples and planes of his muscles. Speechless Elise let her eyes wander over it, a slight blush gracing her cheeks as she noticed how well it didn’t hide the stretch over his chest and abdomen before lovingly caressing his thick thighs and vanishing into the tall knee high combat styled boots. He’d left his hair loose and flowing about his shoulders. The long strands easily brushing the small of his back. Although from the damp appearance, it looked as though he had recently come from a shower. He stood in the doorway, arms crossed over his chest as well as his ankles crossed, creating a vision as the low light contrasted with the bright light shining behind him.

  Dropping his arms, he strode confidently into the room, grabbed the stool and wheeled it towards Elisa before sitting in it. He looked ready to sit there until all of his questions were answered to his satisfaction, no matter how long it took.

  “Do you believe I’m not the person responsible for your current state?” Once again thick arms moved to cross in front of his chest as he leaned back slightly, just enough to comfortably cross one ankle at the knee.

  “Yes, but you look just like him.” Her voice trembled slightly as Elisa spoke, Chase noticed her hands shaking as she pushed the food around in the bowl while she cast quick glances up at him through her hair. “I don’t know why he attacked me, I didn’t do anything to him, why would he want to hurt me and then leave?”

  Chase reached forward and took the bowl from her hand, twisting at the waist; he set it down on the table next to the bed. “You were too close to the truth and he’s trying to drive you away. Plus, it was a warning to me that he’s going to hurt you again and again until I can stop him or he stops me.” He said. With a lift of his shoulders, Chase shrugged before turning back to her.

  He dropped his foot back to the floor, crossed his arms and leaned forward to pierce her with his neon blue eyes. He reached forward with his hand and tenderly brushed the tips of his fingers against her cheek. He said, “He knows about you now. I can’t let you go back or you’ll be attacked again.” His voice dropped, turned rough as he spoke ending with a soft growl.

  “Can’t let me… but… I can’t stay here!” Elisa jerked her head back out of his reach, her words a bare whisper that broke on the fear choking her. She forced herself to go on, “I have to help them catch him. If… if he’s the one that was doing the killings then he has to be stopped! Maybe… maybe they can use me as bait. If I talk to Detective Tanner I’m sure he can come up with something. I can’t let him hurt anyone else. Please, you have to see that!”

  Chase shook his head as he leaned back slightly on the stool, once more crossing his arms across his chest as his face drew into a fierce frown. It was obviously a look he used often on the rest of the men under his command, but one that Elisa was determined to not let get to her. “I can’t risk that Elisa. I can’t risk you. I won’t risk you!”

  “You can’t stop me.” Elisa said as she stubbornly mimicked his pose by crossing her own arms under her chest, accentuating her breasts by pushing them up and together over the sheet covering her. She had forgotten that her shirt and bra had been removed to allow the Doctor to see to her wounds.

  “I got hurt, yes. But in a few days I’ll be good enough to help. And besides, if he sees that I’m not there he’ll leave the area. Although if he sees me there, and still covered in bruises from his attack, he might be tricked into using me as bait. It’s worth a shot at least! Normally he just kills. He doesn’t just attack like this and then leave.”

  Chase chuckled at this declaration, his head shaking back and forth slowly. “I know he usually kills. Trust me. I’ve been following him for a while, a lot longer than you. I have a personal interest vested in capturing him and making him pay for what he has done. As for using you as bait…” He tilted his head to the side and studied the young lady before him, watching her hands as they clutched her upper arms in an attempt to hide the shaking. “I don’t like you putting yourself in such a precarious and dangerous position, but it might be what we have to do. You are my Anare, my heart and my soul, it is not something I like to think of having to do, but I will do whatever I can to catch him and end his reign of terror.”

  Elisa nodded as though she understood what he had said, granted she knew most of it, but she had no idea what Anare meant or why Chase thought she was one. Dropping her hands back to her lap and working the material back and forth between her fingers, she thought of the next words she wanted to say, choosing how to tell them so she wouldn’t appear to have lost her mind.

  “Am I… am I really out in space right now? If you’re not from Earth, then why do you look l
ike one of us and why are you here?” Softly spoken, as though the words had to be coaxed into existence, Elisa peered at the man beside her from the corner of her eye.

  Her breath caught as she watched the slow smile spread effortlessly across his lips, traveling up to his electrifying eyes. Chase took a deep breath as he ran his hands over his face, then dropped them down to his knees, his weight leaning against his elbows. Those mesmerizing eyes of his locked on Elisa’s and seemed to peer into her very mind.

  “I only look like you because I need to. I, and most of my crew, am Zeraken. I’ll tell you more about that later when you’re not in shock and sedated. Yes Anare, you are in space and no I’m not going to let you get hurt, but I think you might have something with using you as bait… but first I want to you to think back as well as you can. Try to remember what your attacker looked like, and describe him to me with as much detail as you can remember. I need to make absolutely sure we have the correct person responsible for this. I can smell him on you, but I need confirmation that it’s Mestrock before I bring charges against him. Can you do that for me please?”

  Elisa nodded as she returned her gaze to her lap, watching as her hands pulled and twisted at the blanket covering her body. Closing her eyes, she started to remember everything, Chase’s soft words had made it easier to remember, his soothing voice walking her back through the attack. Gently they coaxed her to remember every minute detail right down to the light flashing off of the metal keys as she slid them into the lock. Details she thought she had forgotten suddenly became crystal clear, drawing a startled gasp as she watched in her mind as though she were floating above the event itself.

  She witnessed the male stalking her unsuspecting body, then grabbing her and forcing her into the single story brownstone house. Watched as they fought and Elisa was finally able to break away. Screamed with all of her breath as the male pulled her back in through the window and tossed her before he started raining blows down on to Elisa.