by Eden Ember
The next morning, Kezon announced that they would enter through the first wormhole and would resume their normal hyper-speed afterward. Traveling through the wormhole shouldn't interrupt her work much, but for safety’s sake Kezon told Blaire to sit down and not have anything sharp in her hand at that time. The lights dimmed and the ship shuddered momentarily as it entered the wormhole. A wave of nausea struck Blaire hard as she felt the new experience. It probably didn’t help much that she knew they had flown several thousand light-years away from the solar system in a short period of time. Her stomach churned and rolled.
Kezon walked into the lab as Blaire stumbled to her worktable. His image blurred when he approached her as a wave of extreme dizziness hit the woman. He lurched forward as she fell right into his strong arms.
"Blaire! Are you alright?" Kezon asked as he held her tightly.
The scientist tried to right herself while taking several deep breaths. The room spun and she couldn’t gather the strength to stand up. "I think going through that wormhole made me a little sick," she admitted.
“Come on, let’s get you to sick bay and let Ahlan have a look at you.” Kezon attempted to lead her to the door.
Blaire paused as she put her hand on the back of the stool. “No, let me see if this will pass first.” The longer she stood there, the worse she felt. It was similar to the time she'd gone out on the ocean with some friends and became violently seasick. She looked up at Kezon sorrowfully. “I'm sorry, I just can't work right now.”
Kezon took her arm and led her to the door. "I insist. Ahlan is the best Hjott doctor around."
Blaire walked uneasily down the corridor as she allowed Kezon to guide her. The Terran woman swayed with a great deal of dizziness. Once inside sick bay, Kezon stayed close to her as Ahlan checked her vitals.
"I think It would be best for her to stay here for the time being. I can give her an infusion of madsen which will help to calm her stomach. She needs to acclimate to space travel. It would also help if she could eat something until her stomach settles," Ahlan told Kezon.
Blaire agreed to be kept there and fell into bed, one which was much more comfortable than her cot. Perhaps this would be a good way to acclimate herself to traveling so far through space. Kezon came into the sick bay several times over the course of the day to check on her. This surprised Blaire because back at home she didn't have anyone who would check on her when she was sick. The only reason they ever checked on her was because they hated to be down one scientist in the lab. Kezon seemed genuinely concerned for her. Because of this, Blaire began to find his presence very warming.
Chapter 5
Kezon
Satisfied that Blaire was finally resting well, Kezon left her and he checked in with command. He hadn't spoken to them since the first wormhole jump. The ship was still flying faster than the speed of light, making it nearly impossible to send communications ahead. They still had several more to jump through as well, and he was uneasy about being so far from home.
After several unsuccessful attempts at communicating, Kezon retreated to the bridge. Uza stood at the controls, carefully watching the instruments as they flew through space at hyper-speed. Kezon stepped up beside him, looking out the front window and the planetary systems streaking past.
"We need to pull out of hyperspace and go into drift. I'm having trouble sending communications home to find out what's been going on. It's also probably better for Blaire to relax with the decreased travel speed," Kezon said.
"Aye, commander." Uza turned a switch that caused an alarm to ring out in the ship. This was to let those onboard know that they were about to leave hyper-speed. Pulling back the lever, the streak of star systems slowed, and a splattering of brightly twinkling dots appeared from the bridge window.
"Thank you," Kezon said as he nodded and turned to go back to the radio room.
"Commander Kezon, Ura'tem here. Prorr is experiencing a peppering of cyborgs from Arthexei. It's apparently a test run since the actual army is much larger. Jatra has hailed the neighboring systems to let them know that we're under a threat of invasion by the cyborgs," Ura'tem told him.
Kezon tensed. A sensation of doom passed through him as he realized how far away they were from having a practical solution to the cyborg problem, even with the Terran scientist onboard. With her feeling so unsettled, he was uncertain how much help she could be.
"We are approaching the second wormhole very soon. The Terran we have on board is unwell, as she's never traveled through wormholes before. She is in sick bay recovering, and I need to give her more time to rest. Hopefully that rest will strengthen her and we’ll be able to pass through the second and third wormholes without issue. We’ll be there as soon as we can," Kezon replied.
He shook his head as he paced on the bridge while the ship traveled at reduced speed. He eventually made the trip back to sick bay to check on Blaire. Kezon had doubts that she could do anything at this point to help. The entire trip would be useless if she couldn’t go into the laboratory to continue working on the virus that would help stop the cyborgs.
Blaire laid back on the bed while feeling anxious. She moved quickly around and sat up when Kezon walked in. Offering a faux smile, she asked, "May I please go to the lab to work?"
Kezon chuckled briefly as he walked towards her. "How are you feeling?" he asked.
"I'm feeling better. It's much like car sickness back home for me. You feel terrible during the trip, and for a little while shortly after. Then it goes away," she replied.
"I want you to rest for a little while longer. In fact, I want you to stay in here as we arrive at the second wormhole. I've kept the ship at a reduced speed for a while, hoping to give you a chance to rest. It's very important that you get back to the lab and deal with work as soon as you can, but you won’t be much use if you are ill. I have been told that the rebels have already released a small contingent of cyborgs for a test run against my people. We don't know how much longer it will be before they send the entire army. It is imperative that we get back to them, even if you are sick along the way," Kezon said to her.
"Don't worry about me, I will be fine. Just get us through that second wormhole and give me a few minutes to recover. Surely I'll get over it by then," Blaire said with confidence.
Ahlan stepped forward with a special piece of equipment that resembled a cuff or bracelet. "Here, Blaire, please put this on your left wrist and hopefully it will help you to not feel the effects of the passage through the wormhole so much," he told her.
“Ah, like sea bands,” she said.
"What is a sea band?" Kezon asked.
"On Earth, we wear these bands around our wrist while we’re on a ship at sea. The sea bands help us deal with seasickness.”
Kezon nodded his understanding. "Alhan, send her to the laboratory if Blaire feels like it after we jump through the second wormhole," he said before turning and leaving to go back to the bridge.
Once back at the bridge, Kezon took control of the ship and pushed it into hyper-speed again. Within moments they had reached the second wormhole, and he throttled forward; picking up even greater speed as he aimed for the center of the wormhole. He held onto the control with white-knuckled hands, his six fingers squeezing hard. The ship shuddered as it passed through the eye of the wormhole and came out on the other side in a quiet whoosh. He didn't have time to check on Blaire; he trusted Ahlan would take care of her and get her to the lab as soon as she was able to go.
Suddenly, the proximity alarm began to sound and the radar showed a single ship closing in on them.
"Commander, it’s a rebel ship. What are they doing out this far?" Uza asked.
Kezon pressed the alarm, sending the crew to their battle stations on the ship. He knew that the alarm would also reach Ahlan, and that he would take the proper measures with Blaire to keep her safe. "Go into hyper-speed again and let's get to the third wormhole so that we can lose them," he commanded his crew on the bridge.
He pushed
forward the throttle, causing the ship to advance into hyper-speed. There was no time to cool down between the wormholes with the rebel ship following closely behind them. Kezon only hoped to soon jump through the wormhole and lose the rebel ship. He didn't want to risk opening fire and damaging the Gamma Revolution before they could reach their own system. Being damaged out in the middle of nowhere would likely not lead to a good outcome.
"Wormhole three ahead," Uza reported.
Kezon set course for the ship dead-center of the wormhole. An alert was sounded to let those on the ship know that they would soon be passing through the wormhole in moments. They cruised through the third wormhole and eventually came out on the other side, losing the one ship that had been following them. Once they slowed the ship’s speed, the crew scanned the area and found that there were no other ships around. There was nothing around them but empty space. Kezon breathed a sigh of relief, thankful that they had evaded the rebel ship. With all the wormholes that were in the vicinity, their enemy wouldn’t know which one they'd gone through.
Kezon excused himself from the bridge to go back to see how Blaire was doing. Upon entering the sick bay, Ahlan met him at the door.
"Seems our Terran decided that she would take her chances in the lab. She insisted on going there and has been there ever since. I was just about to go check on her," Ahlan reported to Kezon.
Kezon took off for the lab, fearing that she would not have fared well while going through the second and third wormholes. As soon as he walked through the doors of the laboratory, he saw Blaire was bent over at one of the workstations. The young scientist’s face was pale and she appeared as if she were about to vomit. He quickly rushed to her side as Blaire once again fell into his arms.
"Blaire, I told you to stay in the sick bay while we went through the wormholes," Kezon said with a grimace.
She looked up at him with her eyes wide. "You didn't tell me that you would go through the two of them so close together," she answered.
"We had a rebel ship following us and we had to lose them. I’m sorry for the multiple jumps. The cuff isn't working, is it? Perhaps you need another infusion to calm your stomach.” Kezon took her by the arm and Blaire didn't fight him as he led her back up the corridor to the sick bay. Ahlan noticed that she wasn't feeling well and began immediately preparing the infusion.
Kezon helped Blaire settle onto the bed and once again she collapsed back onto the pillows. His uxormea burned upon his chest, and he placed his hand over it, hoping to cool it. His heart pounded for the weak Terran.
“I’m so sorry. I need to get back to the lab as soon as I can. I didn’t realize how seasick I would be out in space like this,” she said to him.
“Ah, even the fiercest Hjotts are often sick on their first space flights,” Ahlan told her from the side.
Kezon glared at him. “Speak for yourself. I fared just fine on my first flight. It separates the weaklings from the warriors,” he said and grunted, barely noticing the strained look his guest gave him from the bed.
Chapter 6
Blaire
Blaire hadn’t smiled much since she left Earth over a week before. She had always prided herself in being strong and sure of herself, but space travel was hard on her body. Vomiting while traveling faster than the speed of light had to be one of the worst types of sickness, she supposed. While the ship seemed stable, Blaire’s insides knew they were traveling at high speeds, and she hurled every time they passed through a wormhole gateway or entered hyper-speed. The infusion didn’t help and neither did the damn sea band Ahlan gave her. Nothing seemed to take the edge off her illness, but still Blaire trudged on because she had a job to do. If she couldn’t come up with a potent virus to help defeat the cyborg army soon, she’d be required to remain in the Vada System until she did.
Determined to work through her sickness, Blaire kept a small lined trash container nearby and steadied herself at the laboratory workbench. Kezon didn’t like the situation one bit, but she didn’t care. The large, brutish aliens were always involving themselves in her business, grunting and feigning concern. She knew better; they didn’t give much concern for her outside of her expertise to help them defeat the cyborg army.
“Sir, the command post has sent out a hail to us asking why we’re taking so long in approaching Arthexei,” Uza told Kezon. They didn’t know Blaire had wandered out of her lab in search of more trash liners or that she had approached the bridge. The Gamma Revolution wasn’t such a very large ship that the scientist could get lost easily.
“Listen Uza, our priority is Blaire right now. She’s such a fragile Terran. I don’t know, I thought she’d have overcome the flight sickness by now,” Kezon said as he shook his head.
Blaire overheard the short conversation and stomped away while fuming about it. It wasn’t her fault. Why couldn’t their people have developed the same biology and AI connections that she had on Earth? After all, weren’t cyborgs part AI and part biological matter? She stopped short of thinking of them as ignorant. Her own kind had only just gained the ability of space travel and entered the space age eons after all their alien counterparts.
The ship lurched and before Blaire could find a liner for the trash bin, she emptied what little she had inside her stomach into the container. Backing up to a wall, she had to brace herself because of a bout of dizziness that hit her suddenly. Sliding down the wall she clutched the soiled container to her chest. A slight cry escaped her lips as her insides rolled, leaving her weak; as weak as Kezon had complained that she was. Blaire would like nothing more than to march into her laboratory to finish her work, showing them all just how capable she really was.
Once her stomach settled, the young woman crawled up the corridor and prayed that an alien would step out and see her. It was humiliating. She paused as a wave of nausea passed over her. Damn flight sickness. It felt like having the stomach flu back home, only back there she would be stationary and could lie in her bed until she felt better. Her hand flitted to her head, feeling her clammy skin, cool to the touch. At least she had that going for her. There was no fever.
Nothing would stay down in her stomach, and Blaire feared dehydration. In fact, her lips were horribly chapped and her mouth was growing parched. Understanding human biology as she did, she knew that she needed hydration quickly. A headache had set in and there was pounding in her temples, two classic signs of needing more water. Her shallow breaths were yet a third sign. Blaire wasn’t sure that she could continue to put on the facade that she had worn in the laboratory. Soon she might collapse in a heap and give Kezon yet another reason to complain behind her back.
Blaire reached the lab doors and reached up to a panel to open them. They quickly slid open, and she crawled inside and before leaning against a wall. Her heartbeat continued to pound in her temples. She’d have to see Ahlan for hydration soon if she were to keep herself healthy enough to work. He had IV fluids for her and could give her to keep her hydrated. Maybe her stomach would settle once she had gotten the fluids she needed.
The lab doors opened before she could take a seat. Kezon rushed forward, his face etched with deep concern.
“Blaire! Oh no!” He bent to her as she glared up at him.
“Just leave me alone, I’ll be alright,” she said with a frown.
“You’re cold and unwell,” he replied as his hand lightly touched her forehead.
“How would you know if a Terran is cold anyway? We are not entirely like you, after all.” she said to the golden-skinned alien.
“I’m taking you to the sick bay,” he said as he lifted her to him. Kezon didn’t ask permission and though Blaire struggled, she was too weak to fight him all that much. He was right; she must be a fragile Terran.
“I wish I were on Earth and on land.” She cried, delirium beginning to set in. Blaire couldn’t help herself.
“She’ll be fine, Kezon. We just need to continue treating her for the flight sickness,” Ahlan told him.
“I need hydrati
on, but I keep vomiting,” she said.
Kezon nodded. “Give her the glucose water infusion. She can’t hold anything down. Perhaps it will rejuvenate her.”
Blaire smiled at the alien. “Smart one, you are,” she said, meaning it as a genuine compliment.
Ahlan pierced through her arm with a needle and began infusing her with the glucose solution. Kezon peered at her. “This is an order. You are not to leave this bed until tomorrow and only then if you feel much better.”
This time Blaire didn’t argue. Kezon pulled up a chair and sat down by her bed, gazing upon her.
“Don’t you have a ship to fly or something?” she asked.
He smiled. Dammit, why did he look so handsome when he smiled? “Believe it or not, this ship can fly itself in most instances. Besides, my second in command is more than capable of doing the job for me. My top concern right now is getting you to the Vada System healthy and whole.”
Blaire frowned. “Oh, you’re not sitting here with me because you enjoy my company?” She chuckled at her own sarcasm.
“Quite the contrary, my fragile Terran. I thoroughly enjoy your presence and I’m concerned for your wellbeing. I’m sure that you think of us as nothing but brutish warriors, but I do have a heart,” he replied.
“Prove it,” Blaire dared him.
Kezon’s eyes widened as he appeared as if she had just slapped him across the face. After clearing his throat, he smiled at her. “I’m sorry that you don’t see me as compassionate. Yes, I am a warrior, but I would think that you’d be glad of that. I knew how to throw off that rogue rebel ship three days ago, after all. I’ll leave you to your rest for now, though. Perhaps when you are feeling much better you’ll have a better view of me,” he said before standing and leaving the room.
