Beyond the Stars: INEO (32 page)

We repeated the exercise over and over, until one of us complained of fatigue. The temptation to go back and relive every good memory I had with Jack and the kids grew like a craving. I knew it was selfish. I couldn’t resist—even though I worried each time that I would alter my reality and find myself living back in time. I realized that death could never erase my feelings for Jack. In a way, it strengthened them. I had unconsciously kept him in my heart. Being in love with Gaelan didn’t change that, although it made me feel torn. Flashes of recent memories of Gaelan kept popping into my mind, probably out of guilt. How could I be so blessed and still think be thinking of Jack? Maybe the past shouldn’t be revisited for that reason alone. This morning, I think Tyden was starting to sense my discomfort.

“Let’s stop for today. And, Samantha,” Tyden said before he dismissed me, “I hope you realize how special you are.”

“Thank you, Tyden. That’s kind, though this wasn’t something I chose.”

Tyden gave me a strange look. It made me believe he was not only grateful for the voyeuristic experience, but that he may have been changed by it.

“I’m not talking about the Ineo. I was referring to your ability to love. It’s enlightening. I now understand why Gaelan defended his relationship with you so strongly to the Council when he was put on trial. He never faltered. Did you know he offered to resign his position as commander in order to stay with you?”

“No,” I answered in shock. How could he sacrifice his livelihood for me?

“That’s why the Council came up with the verdict of suspending his flight privileges. They wanted to see if Gaelan still felt the same after you parted. Besides, they didn’t want to lose him. He’s one of our best. They said they would honor his relationship with you if you both survived a trial separation. They tempted him with the fact that you would be given citizenship to Kataria if he agreed to the terms. Gaelan told them they were being fools and that his affection towards you was unbreakable. After bearing personal witness to how you view your family and loved ones, I believe you would do the same for him. It makes me glad that Gaelan has met you. I know he won’t come to be my age and share my same regrets.”

“How so?”

“I picked my companion, Willa, to appease my parents. To them, she embodied all of the requirements of a perfect mate. For me, she had none. For years, I blamed her for my discontent. Only I should have blamed myself. I never should have agreed to the arrangement. Not wanting to love her, I never fully let her in. As a result, she became increasingly callous and bitter towards me. I hate the way she treats me. Despite our trying to act civil when I’m home, we always end up fighting …
and
she likes to throw things. Actually, her aim has gotten quite good,” he admitted, before inhaling loudly as if he were picturing the abuse in his head. “We have decided it’s better to live our lives separately—trying to keep half a galaxy between us at all times.”

“Can’t you end it?” I asked, feeling bad for him.

“No. I’ve always prided myself on upholding my responsibilities. I gave her my word. Besides, leaving her would be regarded as a huge dishonor to someone of her stature.”

“It must be awful for you.”

“No. I have lived my entire life this way. Even my parents were unaffectionate people. My upbringing was very formal.” He cleared his throat.

I reached out and laid my hand on his. “It’s never too late to find someone to love.”

“Thank you. Perhaps you are right,” he said before he turned and walked away.

* * *

I went to the ship’s hospital to find out the progress on Nia’s recovery. Last evening when I checked in, Nia was still in her unconscious state, and Urit was busy running an array of tests to determine the extent of her injuries. I stood outside the cubicle window and looked in. She was asleep. I was surprised to find Noah sitting at her bedside. He gave me a slight nod hello, but remained frozen, with his back comfortably reclined in his seat. He looked tired and was wearing what he had on yesterday. He must have stayed the night. It seemed to be at Urit’s dismay. Urit moaned and stepped over Noah’s long outstretched legs crossed at the ankles, as if he was in the way, and made his way over to me when he saw me standing there.

“Sam, thank you for your help yesterday.” Urit came out of the small room and rushed towards me to give me a friendly hug.

“Don’t mention it. How is she?’ I asked with hesitation.

I stared through the glass partition at her comatose body.

“She’s weak, malnourished and a metabolic mess, but I think she’ll fully recover. She woke up briefly and recognized me after the sedatives they gave her wore off. She would be awake right now, except I have to keep her lightly sedated so she doesn’t go into withdrawal. She was able to tell me and Noah about what she remembers of her time onboard. She only remembers parts. They subjected her to countless mind invasions and instilled her head with some pretty gruesome images. It must have taken all of her strength to endure them and not lose her sanity.”

“Oh,
Urit,” I consoled.

“Hearing it all was almost too much for a father to bear. Then, to make matters worse …” Urit said with a sigh.

I braced myself for the terrible news.

Urit looked at me with tired eyes. “Nia grabbed Noah’s hand and begged him not to leave her before she fell back to sleep. I told him she wasn’t in clear conscious and that he could leave, except he won’t listen. He’s like a loyal pet. He
won’t
go away. Do you know how I can get rid of him? Please, I’ll welcome your suggestions,” he said with desperation.

I held back a laugh when I learned it was nothing serious.
Poor Urit.
I knew the extent to which he valued his privacy. He was the happiest loner I’d ever met.

“I’ll talk to him,” I said.

“On a more important matter,” Urit said, giving me one of his intellectual looks, “I am worried that the Dreons may have changed their agenda. They never should have let us go so easily. Also, the fact that they so blatantly broke our treaty demonstrates how unpredictable their behavior has become.”

“What makes you say that?”

“Do you remember the fetuses we saw?”

“Are you kidding? The image is forever scorched on my brain.”

Urit gave me an empathetic look, acknowledging my repulsion before he continued. “Some of them were way too human looking. I fear that they are being manufactured for a reason. They never create anything without having an ultimate goal in mind,” Urit surmised.

“Urit,” I said, “Hyril gave me a private message when he was in my mind. He said he wanted to be friends. He sounded sincere. He apologized for taking Nia. I think he is planning to leave the ship.”

“I wondered how you could be so nice to him. Sam, you really shouldn’t try to like everyone you meet.” He exhaled loudly.

“We should help him.”

Urit’s body stiffened.
“What?
No! It could be a trick. They are manipulative, and we are way too gullible to know when it’s happening. Don’t get involved with helping him, Sam. One kind gesture does not change who they are. You can’t erase the past. They’re intrusive by nature,” he warned severely.

“He didn’t ask to be born into that life. It’s not entirely his fault.”

“Never is.”

“Hyril showed me and Gaelan a baby that appeared completely human. She was the one from my vision. The one he had mentioned. It was a little girl and … she was mine. I wanted to take her with me.”

He looked at me with understanding. “Yes, I heard how angry Hyril sounded when he mentioned the faltering link you shared with the infant. It confirms our theory of quantum entanglement. You must try to forget her in order to weaken your bond. Who she becomes is beyond your control. Let her go. Accept the Dreons for who they are. Thieves. They take DNA, manipulate it without any regard to how it is obtained, and never think of the being’s needs they create. We are all specimens for the taking. Again, which brings up my concerns, I found these strange shaved areas on both of Nia’s arms.”

“Like these?” I pushed up my sleeve to show Urit the track mark on my newly scabbed arm.

His lips parted with a small gasp. He took my arm in his hand and gazed at the wound.

“Sam,
why didn’t you come to me?”

He appeared to be hurt that I didn’t ask for his help.

“You were busy caring for Nia and the bleeding stopped on its own. Never mind this,” I said, taking back my arm. “What do you think they’re doing with the skin?”

“Your guess is as good as mine.” He brought his hand to his mouth as he thought. “When Nia was awake, she did say something odd. She told us that some of the Dreons would quiz her extensively on what it was like to be human. She said they appeared to be overly interested in the subject. They asked her to provide them with intricate details of her daily life on Kataria. And after seeing the more human looking offspring, perhaps they are planning some sort of infiltration. They have to be stopped … Humph, I …” he shook his head. “… ugh. I
could have
stopped them.” His face fell into a solemn expression. “Sam, I almost did something terrible. It would have haunted me to the end of my days. To make matters worse, part of me is still struggling with
not
going though with it.”

“I’m not following. Are you talking about the exscrapulator you brought with you?”

He gave me a puzzling look.
“You
—you knew.”

“Yes, I saw you take it out and hide it in your hand. What was it for?”

He crumpled his body limply into a nearby chair and leaned forward to rest his forearms on his thighs.

“Can I confide in you?” He looked up at me with distress.

“Of course.” I lowered myself in the seat beside him.

“I produced a virus that would have wiped them out for good. I was on the verge of annihilating their race.”

My eyes widened. “So you didn’t,
did you?”
I asked with alarm.

I immediately wanted to rein in my overreaction and waited for him to speak. I didn’t want to appear judgmental, but learning that Urit would have no problem creating a biological weapon capable of destroying an entire species made me wonder if he was wicked enough to use it.

“No.” He lowered his head. “But please, no one, not even Nia, can ever know. I’m ashamed of myself. I was so angry when they took her. I was only planning on releasing it if I’d lost her.”

“Urit, you put the virus in the exscrapulator? I saw it lying on the floor!” I said, feeling unable to breathe.

“What! No—” Urit reached for the jacket he had hanging on the back of my chair and frantically dug his hand into each of the pockets. They were empty. He gave me a torn expression. It was one of pain and remorse.
“What
—have—I done?”

I realized we couldn’t turn back and that there was no way to notify the Dreons without ratting out Urit or putting us at risk. There was nothing we could do. It was too late. “Maybe they won’t open it.”

“They will and they will die.”

“Then they will no longer be around to terrorize your people. It’s okay. Your secret’s safe with me. I can only imagine the stress you’ve been under.”

“I’m sorry. I’m not the man you think I am. Can you ever forgive me?”

“Please, stop. You’re forgiven. Urit, I would never think less of you. Besides, you didn’t do it. You dropped it in all of the excitement. It was an accident. And I might have done the same thing if I was capable, had I been in your shoes. It was probably just your way of coping with the situation. Maybe it’s for the best.”
Maybe.
I suppressed my sorrow in thinking that Ellison’s life would soon end. At least she wouldn’t have to live out her lifetime with those creeps. It made me sick that they had her. Either way, it hurt. It felt like a boulder had landed on my chest.

“Thanks. I couldn’t have made it without you,” Urit said, touching my hand.

I looked at Urit and squeezed his hand in mine. I couldn’t blame him for wanting to destroy the Dreons. I fully understood his innate desire to protect Nia from the predators that took her. Parental instinct didn’t just turn off when your children grow up. Urit looked terrible, as though I should put him on a suicide watch.

Noah came out of the cubicle and joined us. I fought to suppress my rattled reaction and tried to act normal. No one could ever know. Urit quickly got up and went to check on Nia. He appeared eager to escape from our conversation.

“Hey, Sami,” Noah said, rubbing his hand through his disheveled hair.

“How long have you been here?” I asked, noticing his wrinkled, untucked shirt.

“All night. Nia told me she needed me. She looked at me like I was the most important person, I can’t explain it. I want to be near her, too. I feel a connection. Not to mention, she looks like an angel when she sleeps.”

“Oh,
Noah, please, you can’t. Don’t start falling for her.”

Noah scrunched his face.
“Jeez,
you’re confusing. First you tell me to find myself a high quality woman, then the second I do, you tell me it’s a bad idea. Why is that? It’s because you don’t think I’m good enough, isn’t it?” he said defensively.