Chapter 5
Future
She and the others were hustled off the shuttle after it landed inside the warship’s bay. Each of them were forcibly taken by the arm and almost dragged through a series of air locks to the area containing the ship’s decontamination chamber. After they were thoroughly sprayed and bombarded with cleansing ions, they were ushered down into the bowels of the ship where the brig was located.
She was shoved inside a little two-by-four meters cell. By the time she turned around, the entrance had been sealed. Going over to it, Kelen pounded on the door and called out. “Hello! Can anybody hear me? Mellori? Jules? Anybody?”
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.