by Linda Mooney
Pressing her ear to the nearly seamless wall, she listened, but the silence was absolute. Like the others, she was completely isolated from having any contact with her fellow shipmates, even though only a few millimeters of metal alloy separated them.
She’d never been inside a prison cell before. Not personally. There had been a couple of times in the past when she’d examined the ones on the ships she was assigned to. Mostly out of curiosity. Her final reaction after checking them out was that she was glad she didn’t suffer from claustrophobia.
Kelen glanced over the bare, dark gray interior. She was expected to sleep on the floor. As for being able to use the head… She got down on her knees and probed the far corner, away from the doorway. Not finding anything there, she checked the other corner. This time she discovered the removable plating, revealing a small depression with a stream of water running through it. Apparently she was expected to squat to use the facilities. Kelen dipped her hand into the water, then lifted it to her nose. Not finding any suspicious odor coming from it, she touched the tip of her tongue to it, and immediately spit it out. “Well, one thing’s certain. I can’t be expected to drink that.”
Sitting on the floor, her back pressed to the wall, she stretched her legs in front of her. Weariness was making her dizzy. Her eyelids felt heavy. Regardless of her raging thirst, and the gnawing hunger in her stomach, she needed rest. If there was a positive to becoming the Seneecians’ prisoner, it was the fact that she no longer had to worry about something creeping up on her. The constant fear she’d been living with ever since their crash landing on that half world was gone. Relief was a blessing.
She had no recollection of falling asleep, her chin to her chest, as she finally allowed herself to wind down. She wasn’t aware of the cell door opening and someone entering the chamber until a warm hand touched her leg, right above her boot. Jerking awake, she snatched her foot back, gasping in surprise, until she saw who her visitor was.
“Kyber!”
He pulled her into his embrace as she threw her arms around his neck. Holding each other tightly, they remained silently comforting each other, until Kyber drew away from her and looked directly into her eyes.
“Are you well?”
Kelen managed a small smile. “I’m thirsty, I’m hungry, and I need to sleep for a week. Other than that, I’m fine. What about you? Did everyone make it on board?” She reached up to run her fingers through the soft mat on his face. That strained expression was still etched around his eyes. It was obvious he hadn’t had any chance to rest or relax, or to cleanse himself. He looked the same as when they’d been rescued.
“Yes, we all made it aboard. I will make sure you and the others are brought something to eat and drink soon. Listen, my only. There are some serious issues we need to discuss. I need your answers before I proceed any further.” His voice was colored with worry, but it also held indecision. She tried to read his face, but he’d erected that stoic wall, preventing her from getting a clue as to what he was thinking.
“What is it you need to know?”
He glanced down at where he held one of her hands. “These past few weeks, I had dwelled on what I believed were frivolous hopes. Wondering what our future held, and wishing circumstances were different. I had already resigned myself to the realization that whatever days were left for us would be drenched in fear and inevitability. I never believed, or even dared to hope, for rescue. But we have been rescued, and the fate of our future has now come to the forefront.”
She touched his cheek. “What are you trying to say, my love?” she whispered.
Kyber looked deep into her eyes. “What happens to us now?”
Puzzled, she tried again to read him as she tried to figure out what he meant. Unable to find an answer, she tilted her head. “What do you mean, what happens to us now?”
“I mean us. You and me.”
His intent suddenly became clear. “Oh. You mean what are we going to do since I’m Terran and you’re Seneecian?”
“Exactly.”
“I…don’t know. I guess it depends on what happens to us when we reach Seneecia.”
He released her hand as he took a deep breath and leaned back. “Actually, Kelen, we must make a decision before we reach Seneecia.”
“I don’t understand.”
“From what I can see, we have two options. Either you remain on Seneecia as my one, or you return to your world.”
“You think they’re going to release us to return to Earth when we reach Seneecia?”
“There will be a trial,” he tried to explain. “Once you are sentenced, your government will be notified and given the option of taking you back, or letting you remain to serve out the term of your sentence.”
She stared blankly at him. “A trial? On what charge?”
“For attacking D’har Plat.”
Kelen made an exasperated sound. She started to object to the ridiculousness of the accusation, when she realized the Seneecians had every right to condemn her and her fellow shipmates for holding the man prisoner.
“So it was okay for you and your men to attack him and hold him accountable, but not for us.”
Kyber slowly nodded.
“That’s crazy. So what does that have to do with me remaining on Seneecia with you? I’m not following you.”
“Being my Confirmed, you are entitled to special dispensation. You will not be held under guard, and you will not be confined as you are now.”
There was something he wasn’t telling her, and she had a pretty good idea what it was. “But I’ll still be considered the enemy, won’t I? I won’t be kept under guard by one of them, because that’ll be your job, won’t it? I’ll still have to serve out my sentence, but I’ll have to do it under your protection.”
That wall was back. His face was like stone.
“Wait. What happened to the option that you return to Earth with me? Say I’m charged, along with the rest of us, and my world has me extradited back. Why couldn’t you come with me?”
He started to shake his head, but she pressed the issue.
“So, let me get this straight. What you’re suggesting is that I either go to live on Seneecia with you, or return to Earth to live without you? That’s it? And what will I do if I choose to remain on Seneecia? You’re planning to go back into space, aren’t you?”
“That is my desire, yes.”
“What about my desire? The space military is as important to me as it is for you. But you know as well as I do that females are not allowed to serve in the Seneecian military fleet. What am I supposed to do? Twiddle my thumbs while I sit at home and wait for you to return?”
He bowed his head again. From the slump in his shoulders, it appeared he’d gotten the answer he was seeking. And it wasn’t the one he’d hoped for.
“Then…our future is clear. It is to be without each other.” The solemn sadness in his voice sparked fear in her.
“Kyber, no.”
He moved away from her. His movements, his demeanor, everything about him signaled he was distancing himself from her. Kelen panicked and reached for him, but he avoided her grasp.
“Kyber, no!”
He got to his feet, stumbling slightly as he managed to stay upright, his eyes averted. “It is clear we are at an impasse. I would never be welcomed into your space corps any more than you would be commissioned in mine. You could live on my world, but I cannot see how I could survive on yours.”
“Wh-what are you saying?” She had to ask, but she knew she didn’t want to know. She couldn’t bear to hear him say the words. To tell her it was over between them. “Kyber, don’t tell me you don’t love me anymore. Please, for God’s sake, don’t tell me you no longer love me!”
He gave a deep sigh as he turned his back to her, pausing in front of the door. “That is the problem, Kelen. I still do…and always will.”
Before she could respond, the portal opened and he slipped outside, leaving her alone once more.
Chapter 6
Collapse
Kelen threw herself against the door, hoping to make it through the opening before it closed, but she was too late. Slamming her fist on the metal, she cried out to him, hoping there was the chance he could hear her.
“Kyber! Kyber, wait! We can work something out! I know we can work this out! Please! Don’t turn away! Talk to me, Kyber!” Her chest clogged up, her face became hot with building tears. Hitching a breath, she slapped the door again with her palm. “Talk to me,” she repeated in a softer voice. “Please. Come back to me.”
She waited, but she knew he wasn’t coming back. At least not to talk to her any further about them and their future together.
Returning to the rear of the cell, she sat and drew up her knees, wrapping her arms around them and bowing her head. She went over what Kyber had told her and realized he was wanting her to tell him she would stay with him. He wanted them to remain together. The only problem was, where would they spend their lives?
“I can’t stay on Seneecia,” she whispered, hiccupping. Wiping her face with her hands, she swiped the sleeve of her uniform under her nose. “If there was any way the Seneecians would allow a female crewmember on their ships, I’d readily stay. But then where would we be? You on your ship and me on mine? What kind of marriage can last under those conditions?
“But I can’t stay land-bound, either. I’ve spent years training to be a pilot. Being in space is in my blood. I can no more give it up than you could, Kyber. Why can’t you accept that? Why can’t you help me work out something that we both can be happy with?”
Closing her eyes, she tried to calm herself. It had been apparent he’d declared their marriage over because he’d seen no solution to their problem. He’d declared it, but he’d hated every word coming out of his mouth. She gritted her teeth.
“It’s not over between us, my love. I didn’t give myself to you on a whim. We connected. We bonded. We found a place where we could be equals, despite our vast differences.” Sniffing, she wiped her eyes. “I’m not giving up on us. I’m not. I’m going to fight for us, even if you won’t. Damn hard-headed Seneecian.”
She tried not to cry, but the tears continued to leak from her eyes. She sniffed again and took a deep, cleansing breath. His last words to her continued to ring in her ears.
That is the problem, Kelen. I still do…and always will.
Always will.
“Then let’s fight for our right to be together, damn it! Don’t assume we have to follow the norms. That we have to do what they say just because they say so! We’ve defied traditions. We’ve defied all social norms. We were not meant to be, Kyber, but we are! And no one has the right to say that what we’ve done is wrong. Nobody!”
She found herself rocking forward and back in agitation. She needed to remain as calm as possible in order to think. If she allowed her emotions to take over, she knew she’d react impulsively, and she could lose this fight before it ever started.
I need to keep a level head. Go into emergency mode, Chambliss. Calm. Controlled. Keep focused. Steer toward your destination, regardless of impediments.
She curled her fingers into fists and took several more breaths when the door unexpectedly opened. A Seneecian warrior she didn’t recognize stood there with a packet. He tossed it to her without commenting, and the door closed before she had the chance to get to her feet or to say anything.
The packet landed on the floor beside her. Picking it up, she opened it to find several smaller packets inside. Two felt spongy in her hands. Two felt like they contained water. Tearing off the tip of the small nipple-like extension, she squeezed some of the contents into her mouth. It was water, as she’d suspected.
She drank until she emptied the bag. The rest she left for later. She had no idea when she’d be fed again, but at least the cramping in her stomach was assuaged for the moment. She could sleep now.
Sleep…and plan.
*
Kyber made it to the end of the rows of cells and out into the main passageway when he could go no farther. His legs gave way and he fell against the wall, sliding to the floor where his body refused to obey any further commands from his brain.
“Sir!” A pair of hands reached down to help him up, but he waved them away. He tried to rise, but he couldn’t move his feet. The hands reached for him again. Unable to defer the man’s offer, Kyber felt himself being lifted and half-dragged, half-carried further down the ship’s wide corridor.
They encountered another Seneecian warrior, who quickly took Kyber’s other side. They didn’t tell him where they were taking him, but they didn’t have to. Kyber knew he was showing all the signs of extreme battle fatigue. Of a man who had repeatedly pushed himself past exhaustion and past all endurance, to the point where his body was finally revolting by shutting down all muscular activity.
The two warriors ended up carrying him into the ship’s hospital. One took his hands and the other took his feet, and together they lifted him onto the first empty bed. Kyber laid there, barely cognizant as the transparent dome sealed over him, and the low hum of the computer examining him filled the space around him.
He felt totally paralyzed, yet he wasn’t alarmed. He’d known this might occur sooner or later. But he knew without a doubt that his meeting with Kelen had been the final assault to his stamina.
What about my desire? The space military is as important to me as it is for you.
He knew that without her telling him. In fact, he’d known before he’d presented his question to her that she would turn down his offer. And, truthfully, he understood her protest because he would have said the same thing had the tables been turned.
The scan completed. A readout of all his injuries, external and internal, appeared on the top of the dome for him to see. A strap snaked over one arm to hold it steady for a needle to be inserted into a vein. The same was done to his other arm. Seconds later, Kyber felt the drugs entering his bloodstream as a robotic hand started to work on the wound at his hip.
A face appeared above the dome over his face. Kyber blinked and tried to focus.
“Kleesod.”
“Do not fight it, Kyber,” the Seneecian told him. “Let them heal you.”
“Feed…Kelen. Feed…the p-prisoners.” There was no feeling left in his lips. Trying to form the words took too much effort.
Kleesod gave a nod. “I will see to it. You must rest now. Rest so that you will be strong enough to face the Triumvirate when we return.”
The man was right. He had to allow himself the time to rest and recover, so that when it was time to face the lawmakers, he could present himself as capable in mind and body. Weakness was not tolerated, and he’d already exposed a major weakness when he’d declared Kelen, a Terran, one of the enemy, as his Confirmed.
Kelen.
Kyber closed his eyes as a chemical lassitude took control.
Kelen.
Kyber, don’t tell me you don’t love me anymore. Please, for God’s sake, don’t tell me you no longer love me!
I will never stop loving you, my one. But you and I both knew that the moment we left that half world, any life we had hoped to share together would no longer exist.
His final thought as he succumbed was the vision of her tear-stained face before he turned his back on her.
Chapter 7
Questions
Kelen lost all track of time. There was no way to tell how many days they were aboard the warship. The Seneecian who brought her the packet of water and food didn’t appear to come on a regular basis. Or he could have been. It was difficult to know, since she spent a lot of her time sleeping. When she was awake, to try and fend off boredom she did exercises, working specifically to get her leg and hand back up to par. Otherwise her thoughts centered on Kyber and the rest of her crewmembers. Wondering how they were holding up. More importantly, how he was handling the problem of having declared the Terrans his allies.
Kyber.
It was impossible to put words
together to explain how she was feeling since he left. Since he said they were to be no more. Part of her wanted to scream and beat on the walls to vent her frustration. But more than anything, she wanted to run into his arms and demand he make love to her. She needed him emotionally and physically. She needed the way he mentally challenged her. She thrived in his presence, and felt bereft without him.
Sometimes she berated herself for her weakness, until she was finally forced to admit all her anger and heartache was because of her love for him. And the realization surprised her. She knew she’d fallen in love with the big black Seneecian, but she’d never experienced this depth of commitment to another being until now.
It was sad to discover that all her loves in the past, those whom she’d had affairs with, and whom she’d thought she’d found the ultimate love of a lifetime, were nothing but pale reflections compared to how much she cared for Kyber. He was life-altering and eternal. He was as important to her as the air she breathed and the blood that flowed through her veins.
He was, and always would be, her other soul.
And she had to get him…if he would let her.
“Just because I love him that much doesn’t mean he feels the same way,” she argued with herself.
Then why did he Confirm himself to you? Isn’t that type of commitment considered sacred among Seneecians?
He’d told her it was. And later, when he’d announced them as Confirmed to his fellow Seneecians, they’d been flabbergasted to learn of what they’d done.
“So why is he so willing to call an end to us—”
It was like getting slammed in the face.
To protect you.
She sat up and pressed her back to the wall. “He did it to protect me. To save me.”
She knew virtually nothing about the intricacies of Seneecian protocols. But considering how deep the hatred between Terrans and Seneecians ran, it made perfect sense. He was willing to end their relationship if that was the only way to save her life.
