by Linda Mooney
She slid off the bed and tried to go around to where Kyber should be, but her legs gave way. She hit the floor with her stomach and breasts, barely managing to avoid clipping her chin on the icy surface. When Goolith reached down to help her back up, she accepted his offer but struggled to reach the empty bed.
“Where is he? What have you done with him?” She was panicking. An ugly possibility went through her like a nauseous wind, and she turned to the physician. “Where is my husband?” Suddenly, she couldn’t breathe. Clutching her chest, she fought the tears and forced herself to utter that one hated question. “Is he dead?”
“No.” Goolith’s reply was firm. “He was stable when he was transferred to the Den Tirim.”
She hiccupped. “Stable? What?”
“The Por D’har was—”
“Where are we?” she demanded. “Are we on our way to Seneecia?”
“No. We are still orbiting the space station.”
“Why? Why wasn’t I taken with Kyber? Why was I left behind?” She glanced around the medical bay. “Give me something to cover myself.”
“You need to return to the bed. Your wounds have been healed, but you have not regained your—”
“Give me something to wear, damn you! Or else I’ll leave here bare-ass naked, if I’m forced to!”
“Kelen…”
Yes, she knew she was as weak as a newborn baby, but she had to make a stand. She felt she had no choice but to put up a strong front if she was going to get anywhere with the Seneecians. Which was why she hurried for the door.
Exiting it, she nearly collided with a guard who’d been stationed there. Her unexpected appearance left him momentarily stunned. Without stopping, she took off down the corridor, passing several more Seneecians who gaped at the sight of the naked Terran.
Her equilibrium was off. She hit the wall several times, until she was forced to use it to help keep her on her feet.
She didn’t get far until a burly reddish guard wrapped an arm around her and held her firmly against him. Kelen tried to fight him, but what little strength she’d had was gone. She couldn’t have gone much further, anyway. She went limp in his embrace and allowed him to carry her back to the medical bay.
When they arrived, D’har Stek was waiting for her. The man gave the guard a signal, and she was dumped onto the floor at the D’har’s booted feet.
“Ambrun, have the skint cover herself,” the man ordered in disgust in Seneecian.
Another one of those thin wraps floated down into her lap. Taking it, she drew it around herself twice and tied the two ends above her shoulder. But she remained on the floor. She would make no attempt to stand. Not in her weakened state, and not while she was here alone and unarmed.
But everything else was up for grabs.
“Where is my Confirmed?” She lifted her face to glare at the D’har. “Where is Kyber Nau?”
“We are in negotiations to have you returned to the outpost,” he answered in Terranese.
“Tell me where my Confirmed is!” she yelled at him. By his facial expression, she knew she’d hit a nerve. She even saw his ruff go up in response.
“You have no right to speak to me in that tone.”
“You have no right to keep me from my husband!” she shot back.
Stek growled. “No Seneecian would take a skint for his Confirmed.”
“Then you must have shit for brains,” she countered. She struggled to get to her feet, noting that no one, not even Goolith, dared to help her up. She managed to stand, wobbling a bit until her head cleared, then faced the D’har. “I don’t care whether or not you believe me. If that’s going to be your attitude, then I demand to speak to the Triumvirate! Let them make the determination!”
Stek sneered. “You have no right to speak to the Triumvirate. You have no rights at all. The only right you have is to be returned to the outpost, which I agreed to do once you were well enough to be moved.” The D’har motioned to the guard. “Take her to the shuttle bay and have one of the crew deliver her,” he ordered in Seneecian.
All those lessons she’d been forced to sit through back at the Academy regarding Seneecian protocols came flooding back to her. Lessons she’d thought were boring. Lessons she’d never believed she’d need to call upon. And the one foremost in her mind whispered its warning.
Do not initiate a touch, or else it could be construed as an attack, a personal assault.
The Seneecian guard reached for her, but she slapped his hand away and took a step closer to the D’har, not touching but getting right up into his face. To her satisfaction, the man took a half-step backwards.
It was a small retreat. Now for a bigger one.
“Tell me, D’har Stek. I’m assuming that’s who you are, since you’ve never had the courtesy to introduce yourself to me. Tell me, what is the punishment for keeping a Confirmed couple apart? For denying a Confirmed from being with his or her mate?” She kept her voice low yet threatening.
“That is inconsequential and does not apply in this matter.”
Pursing her lips, Kelen nodded, then smiled. “Then that means it must be a substantial punishment. Answer me this, D’har.”
“I do not owe you any answers!” Stek almost roared.
Kelen ignored the outburst and continued. “Tell me, Stek. What are the proceedings to determine whether or not a couple who claim to be Confirmed are telling the truth?”
Stek frowned. Not giving the man the chance to think up an excuse, she pressed the issue.
“I demand that I be given that option! I demand for a special Council, or whatever the hell tests your people use, to be given to me so that I can prove to you that I am Kyber Nau’s Confirmed.”
“You cannot—”
“Do it, Stek! Allow me that chance, or by all your four gods, I will plead my case directly to Central Command, who will take it to your Triumvirate whether you want them to or not! I know Seneecian law! I know you cannot separate or keep a Confirmed couple apart, not even if one of them is incarcerated!”
It was part bluff, part gamble, but it was the only chance she had. By keeping her dark look directed squarely in Stek’s face, she hoped to overcome his resistance by sheer will.
After a few seconds of hesitation, Stek addressed the guard in Seneecian. “Take her to the Bridge and await me there.” With that order, he turned and hurried out of the medical bay.
Chapter 28
Findings
After Goolith showed her to a small lavatory, Kelen was helped to the Bridge where D’har Stek was seated. Colonel Pfeiffer was already on the main viewscreen when she arrived. The man’s face revealed his shock when he saw her.
“Lieutenant Chambliss, are you well?”
She gave a nod. “I am doing better, thank you.”
The colonel narrowed his eyes at the D’har. “Very well, D’har Stek. You have proven that she is well enough to be transferred back to the outpost. I will instruct my men—”
“They took Kyber away!” she yelled at the screen. “I have the right as his Confirmed to be with him, but they sent him off to Seneecia and left me here! They separated us, and that is not allowed under Seneecian la—”
A large furred arm came around her and a hand closed over her mouth. Kelen didn’t think twice about her next reaction, and sank her teeth in the ball of the man’s thumb. The guard yelped as he jerked his hand away. In the next instant, he slammed his injured hand down on her shoulder. Kelen heard a snap as bright agony knifed through her body and she crumpled onto the floor.
She was aware of yelling, but her mind wouldn’t focus on the words. All she was aware of was the unrelenting pain lancing through her, and the fact that she couldn’t move, or else the torment increased.
Ambrun Goolith arrived and squatted in front of her, calling to her until she was able to look up at him.
“It looks like your collarbone is shattered. There could be more damage, internal damage, perhaps bleeding, but I will not know until I get you back
to medical to have you examined.” He held up what appeared to be a portable injector, similar to the kind Sandow used. “I am going to give you a shot to put you under so we can transport you.”
“No.” Her voice croaked. Her breathing was reduced to short gasps because it hurt too damn much to draw air. She tried to turn her head, but the amplified pain stopped her. But at least she could see Colonel Pfeiffer’s reddened face. His concern and anger reflected in his eyes. “Please, Colonel. I want to be with my husband. I demand to go to Seneecia to be at the side of my Confirmed.” This last was directed to Stek, even though she wasn’t able to look directly at the man. “Send me to Seneecia.”
“Lieutenant…” Pfeiffer started to say more, when he locked his gaze on the D’har. “Enough of this, D’har Stek. I’m tired of playing these little games with you. The life of my lieutenant and those of my crew are at stake, and that means all of these petty little rules you’ve been imposing on me and my command are coming to an end now.
“Two weeks ago the survivors of the Ist Umberu and Manta, along with a strong military presence, took off for the neverwylde planet your people have been trying to keep secret. We have already received several communications back from them.”
Kelen was surprised to see a malicious grin came over the officer’s face. Watching it spread gave her a wicked sense of gratification.
“Those communiques have been forwarded to our Central Command, as well as to the Bakkite Grand Council, the Galactic League of Planets, and to your Seneecian Triumvirate. Now that we are aware of the extent of what you’ve been hiding, there are a lot of questions your Triumvirate is going to have to answer to. In addition, I am sending this conversation and your unprovoked attack on Lieutenant Chambliss to all concerned. I’m sure you will be hearing from your people soon after they view it.”
Kelen wished she could turn her head to glance up at the D’har and hopefully get an idea of what was going through his mind, but she found herself unable to do so.
“And while I still have your undivided attention…”
“This conversation is over,” Stek announced and raised a hand to cut the transmission, when Pfeiffer also raised a hand.
“If you don’t hear me out, your career is over!” the colonel flatly told him. Gone was the grin. Gone was the diplomacy. This was the side of the man that had earned him his rank.
Stek paused, and Pfeiffer used it to press his issue.
“This next is directed specifically to Lieutenant Chambliss because she is directly affected by these discoveries. Corporal, run the transmission.”
The viewscreen blanked out for a moment, until a familiar visage came into view. It was Jules. And from what she could see in the background, she knew where the navigator was.
“This is Lieutenant Derric Jules, former navigator on the Manta, currently on special assignment on board the Egaragutu. I and several of my fellow shipmates from the Manta are investigating a phenomenon referred to in Seneecian lore as a neverwylde. By Seneecian definition, a neverwylde is a planet that has undergone a cataclysmic event, yet continues to be able to maintain a breathable atmosphere, including native lifeforms. Therefore, throughout this investigation, we are calling this planet Neverwylde.
“The purpose of this assignment is twofold. Our primary focus is to investigate the possibility that the location of Neverwylde is being kept secret by Seneecian authorities for as yet unknown reasons. And if that is the case, discover those reasons. Our secondary focus is purely scientific. How is this planet able to sustain life? What kind of life does it hold, and can any of these lifeforms be registered as sentient? If sentient life is confirmed, then by keeping this planet undocumented, the Seneecians are violating several laws as stipulated by the Galactic League of Planets.”
Jules grinned into the tablet that was recording his message. “This next part goes out exclusively to Lieutenant Kelen Chambliss, former pilot on the Manta, and D’har Kyber Nau, former Por D’har of the Seneecian ship Ist Umberu. Both Chambliss and Nau were survivors of the crash that brought me and my fellow crewmembers to Neverwylde. You can read the attached statements given by the other survivors of our fight for survival on Neverwylde during the weeks before our rescue. In the meantime, Kelen, Kyber, you guys are not going to believe what we’ve found so far! It’s incredible!”
He held up his hands, fingertips touching, as if holding a ball. “You know how the planet looked like it had been sliced into two pieces? Well, we weren’t too far off track. Somehow, as far as we can tell, there was a massive explosion at the core of the planet, cracking it in two like an eggshell.” His hands, still cupped, spread apart. “But the other half isn’t gone. It’s below the portion we landed on!” His right hand moved below his left. “The planet’s two halves are still somehow connected through a thin atmospheric blanket.”
Jules sighed. “We’ve been here three days, and already we’ve discovered stuff that goes beyond anything we could have imagined. I’ve uploaded all videos and reports from those days, including everything I recorded during our tenure after the crash. But without a doubt there is technology here that Dox promises could change and revolutionize warfare throughout the known galaxies.” He smiled again. “And wait’ll you hear this! Guess who we found on the planet still alive! Commander Dayall! He wasn’t dead, like D’har Plat told us he was. Which means Plat not only lied to us, but he caused us to leave this planet without him, and I don’t have to tell you how many laws were broken because of that. Dayall also told us it was he and Plat who destroyed those panels in the temple and all, to prevent us from using them.
“Oh, and one more thing before I end this transmission. You know those monitors we found in the pink room? The ones that showed everything that was going on in the other chambers? Dox found out that those monitors are also recording everything that comes across their sensors. It seems whenever one of us came into view, it tripped a motion detector of some sort. There are hundreds of millions of hours of stuff for us to sift through. God knows how many years, hell, eons have been recorded! It’s going to take our scientists decades to watch and evaluate and study all we’ve been downloading! We even got visual proof of the fight between Kyber and Plat, where Plat swears Kyber pulled a rifle on him. We got visual evidence showing Plat grabbing the rifle from Cooter during that Tooth and Nail fight and firing it at Kyber. And…and if we have that, then it’s only a matter of time before we find evidence of Plat refusing you and Kelen your right to finish your Confirmation.”
Jules flashed another grin, this one tired but jubilant. “This place is a gold mine of stuff that’s going to take longer than my lifetime to explore and study. Wish you guys were here with us. Oh, and Five says to tell you hello. Dox outfitted the little dude with an interpreter, like the kind Hoov wore. Now the little fella won’t shut up.” He laughed and gave a wave of his hand.
“This is Lieutenant Derric Jules, signing off for now. Talk to you later!”
The screen went dark for a second, then Colonel Pfeiffer’s face returned, his attention cemented on Stek.
“We have a saying in Terran military. It’s spelled F-U-B-A-R, which stands for Fucked Up Beyond All Recognition. D’har Stek, as of this moment, you and your fellow conspirators, including D’har Plat, are officially FUBARed, and I’m guessing I don’t have to elaborate any further on what that means for you in particular. There is a Wistenoff shuttle on its way to your ship. When it arrives, you are to release Lieutenant Chambliss immediately. By that time you should also be receiving a communique from Seneecia ordering you to return forthwith to your home planet to face punishment for your actions.”
The colonel looked down at where Kelen was still lying huddled on the floor. “We’ll get you to Kyber, one way or another. I promise. But you need to come back here first to heal.”
Somehow she managed to smile her thanks, then the viewscreen went black.
Chapter 29
News
Ambrun Goolith was forbidden to give her a
ny medical help. Instead, she was picked up by the same guard she’d bitten and carried to the shuttle bay. There, she was placed on the floor and left to await the arrival of the small craft as he stood nearby to make sure she didn’t go anywhere. The irony of her situation was not lost on her.
There was no further communication with D’har Stek. She could only imagine what the man was currently doing, or who he was talking with, since the disclosure of Neverwylde. With the Seneecians’ little secret now exposed to every galaxy in the League, the pressure would be on Seneecia to explain why they’d kept it under wraps. More so, if Five and his species were deemed to be cognizant and a dominant sentient lifeform, the Seneecians’ attempt to keep that knowledge silent was a major breach in their treaty with the GLP.
Add to that the possibility of new and potentially more powerful weaponry and technology being discovered, and the Seneecians could be looking at major consequences. Nobody liked the idea of starting an all-out war, but in this case, Seneecia would be faced with the equivalent of nearly two hundred planets converging on them with every armed warship at their disposal.
She smiled, recalling how excited Jules was during his transmission. If Jules was that enthused, she could imagine how motivated the others were with the discovery of this previously unknown phenomenon. And Dox…
He’s like a child who’s been dropped in a planet-sized toy and candy store. I hope someone is watching out for him. Making sure he eats and gets enough sleep.
When the craft arrived, two medical techs were on board to tend to her during their return trip. Once she was back at the outpost, Colonel Pfeiffer came to see her in the medical bay.
“That was a pretty gutsy thing you did,” he complimented her.
“I had to say it. They’re trying to sweep everything under the rug, as if it never existed, or was too inconsequential to notice.”
Pfeiffer looked to the physician. “How is she doing?”
“Shattered scapula and clavicle. Her spine’s also been knocked slightly out of alignment.” Dr. Ashter turned to her. “Which could explain why you’re temporarily paralyzed. Once you go under, I can reset it, and also start a program to stitch up those bones.”
