The Lost Star Episode One (21 page)

The door opened.

The lights were turned off in her room, it
was completely dark. But as the doors opened, the light from the
corridor swept in and revealed Ava in the center of her room,
seated on the floor, knees drawn up to her chest, head nestled
between them.

She brought a hand up to her eyes and turned
towards the open door, blinking at the sudden illumination.

Then her hand dropped, she sucked in a
choked breath, and jolted backwards as if she was expecting to be
struck.

He lurched forward, hand outstretched,
fingers spreading towards her. “Ava? Are you alright?”

“
You wait outside, lieutenant,” Phar
snapped as he strode into the room.

Hunter was standing in the doorway, and as
long as he continued standing there, the doors would not
close.

H
e wasn’t going to move a muscle.

Phar twisted his sinewy neck around and
stared at Hunter, brows pressing hard into his dark gaze.
“Lieutenant, wait outside.”

Like hell.

He didn’t give a damn about the Avixans
and what they meant to the Coalition.

He wasn’t going to leave her alone.

“
Lieutenant
—”

“Stay exactly where you are,” someone
said.

Harvey.

He came striding down the corridor and
walked purposefully into the room.

“
Captain
, you and your lieutenant will wait outside. Once I’m done
here, Ensign Ava will be leaving this ship with me. She is no
longer a member of the Coalition Army. And as such, you have no
authority over her or myself.”

Harvey didn’t react. He did bring his arms
up slowly and cross them. “Don’t tell me what to do on my
ship.”

Phar bristled, a smattering of blue flecks
charging up his cheeks. “This has nothing to do with you.”

“
Like I said, this is my ship. It has
everything to do with me. Any business you have with one of my
ensigns, you have with me. Now you’re going to answer my
questions—”

“
You would threaten the treaty with Avixa?
Your behavior is unacceptable, captain. When the Coalition
convinced Avixa to join its fold, we made it explicit that you are
not to intrude in our society. So turn away, walk out that door,
and stop intruding.”

“Like hell I’ll stop intruding. Like I said,
any business you have with a member of my crew, you have with me.
Now step out of these quarters.”

Ava hadn’t moved a muscle. She remained
exactly where she was on the floor, limbs locked forward, tensed
hands pressed against the soft cream carpet, head locked down, her
hair forming a veil over her face.

It honestly felt like Hunter’s heart
wanted to push from his chest and reach out to her.

His heart couldn’t. But he could.

He lurched into the room, got to one knee,
and offered her a hand. “It’s okay.”

She wouldn’t look at him.

“Stop interfering,” Phar snapped. “We don’t
have time.”

“What’s the rush?” Harvey growled.

“This is an internal matter, do not
interfere,” Phar snapped so vehemently it was a surprise spittle
didn’t fly from his mouth.

“
If you intervene in the security of this
ship or directly threaten any member of my crew, including myself,
I have every power to lock you in my brig. Just give me one more
reason,” Harvey warned, voice so low it was barely more than a
rumble.

Phar took a jerked step back, lips
crunching hard against his teeth. Then he jerked his head down to
Ava. “Stand up. We will return to my ship. Sovereign Avixa land,”
he emphasized with a hiss as he looked at the captain.

“
You don’t have to do what he says—” Hunter
tried.

Ava ignored him. She picked herself up. She
was visibly shaking. Her hair trembled as it half covered her face.
He saw enough to see how fearful she was.

It was worlds and worlds away from the
strong unflappable ensign he’d met several days before.

“
Ensign
, he’s right, you don’t have to leave—”

“Come,” Phar snapped.

Ava took a step forward. She wouldn’t look
at Hunter.

“
Ava.” He stood right in her way. He ducked
his head down, trying to get her to look at him. “Ava, you don’t
have to do what this guy says.”

“
Lieutenant
, get out of our way,” Phar growled.

Ava still wouldn’t look at Hunter. Instead
she walked around him towards the door.

Hunter snapped his head around, fear and
anger curling his blood. “Harvey, do something,” he bellowed.

Harvey looked just as angry as Hunter
did.

But it was also clear he wasn’t going to
intervene. “There’s nothing we can do,” he said through clenched
teeth.

“
Like hell there is, you just gonna stand
there and let him kidnap her?”

Harvey wouldn’t answer.

At that exact moment Shera and Meva bolted
around the corridor.

Shera
looked incensed.

Then she took one look at Phar, her gaze
slipping down to the pin on his left breast, and she stopped
dead.

“
Lieutenant
commander, what are you doing here?” Harvey
snapped.

Seconds before she’d looked ready to tear
someone limb from limb, but now as she straightened and slowly
strolled forward, you couldn’t deny the glint of satisfaction in
her eye. “I’m sorry, captain, there was some confusion.”

Hunter couldn’t be sure, but it looked as if
Phar gave Shera a meaningful look.

“What kind of confusion?” Harvey
snapped.

“
I apologize, captain,” Phar said, the
anger that had once rung through his tone like thunder now slipping
away to be replaced by calm diplomacy, “You may not understand this
interaction, because you do not understand Avixan people. Ava has
committed a grave crime,” his voice dropped so low it was barely
audible, “The lieutenant commander here was no doubt coming to see
that the criminal will be dealt with in correspondence with our
cultural laws. And I can assure the lieutenant commander that she
will.”

“What the hell is going on here?” Harvey
barked.

“
What is going on, is I am extraditing Ava.
As I have full right to do under the treaty. She has committed an
unforgivable crime and must be brought to justice,” Phar spoke
easily now, most of his tension gone, as if he was comforted by
something.

And the only thing he could be comforted
by was Shera’s presence.

If Hunter had thought he couldn’t bristle
any further, he was wrong. Every single hair along his body stood
on end as nerves pulsed through his skin.

He looked at Harvey.

This was all down to Harvey
now.

And Harvey… Fuck it, Harvey looked at
Shera.

“
It’s okay, captain, you can trust me. You
may not understand this, but trust me,” her voice shook with
emotion, “It’s the right thing to do.”

Harvey paused.

“Right thing to do,” he repeated to
himself.

Shera
smiled. Encouragingly. Lovingly. The kind of smile that
would set anybody at ease. “Just trust me,” she said once
more.

Hunter looked right at his brother.

He waited, waited for Harvey to either save
Ava or condemn her.

If he condemned her – chose to let the
Avixans take her away – then goddammit, Hunter knew what he would
have to do.

“
Trust,” Harvey repeated once more, this
time his voice firmer, more resonant. He turned on his boot and
faced Ava. “As captain of this vessel, I can and will offer you
asylum. If you are fleeing an unjust system, the Coalition will
give you safe harbor. All you have to do is say the word.” As
Harvey spoke, Hunter could tell how hard it was for him, how much
every word hurt.

Harvey wasn’t like Hunter. Hunter could
throw a relationship away and bounce back. Harvey… Harvey was as
loyal as they came.

And yet he was still doing the right
thing.

Shera
bristled. Blue dots exploded up her cheeks, pushing high
into her brow. “What are you doing?” she said through clenched
teeth.

“
I’m using my prerogative as a captain.
Lieutenant commander, you are no longer needed here. You and
Lieutenant Meva will return to your quarters.” Harvey punched his
chest out as he spoke, brought his head back, and stared right into
Shera’s eyes.

“I don’t have time for this,” Phar
practically roared. “Ava, you will follow,” he barked, treating Ava
like a disobedient dog.

Ava hadn’t breathed a word, hadn’t moved a
muscle. She just stood there, dead gaze locked on the floor.

He’d never seen someone look more lost.

“
Ava, the captain is offering you safe
harbor. Take it. I don’t know what’s going on here,” Hunter’s voice
broke, “But we’ll keep you safe.”

She looked up at him briefly. In that moment
it felt as if he could see right through her eyes and deep into her
soul.

Then she closed her eyes. “Sorry,
Hunter.”

Harvey took a strong step forward.
“Ensign, we can and will keep you safe. If you’re worried about
retribution from your government, just hang tight. Who knows what
the result of the civil disturbance on Avixa will
bring.”

Ava froze. With tiny, almost fractured
movements, she shifted her head up, her mouth parting wide. “Civil
disturbance?” her voice was barely audible.

The intensity of her reaction sent nerves
jamming down Hunter’s gut, and he could bet it had a similar effect
on Harvey as he swallowed hard.

“
Weren’t you aware? If recent reports are
correct, Avixa is on the brink of a civil war,” Harvey
said.

Ava didn’t just looked shocked. She looked
shattered. As if her worldview suddenly twisted around, fell at her
feet, and crumbled to dust.

Then something else dropped. She clearly
realized something as she jerked back and stared with wide eyes at
Phar and Shera. “What’s going on here? Who do you represent?
Captain,” she jerked her head towards Harvey, her hair spilling
around her shoulders, “I have to make a call to Avixa. I have to
find out what’s going on.”

“
What’s going on, ensign?” Harvey
snapped.

“
You may not be able to trust these
people—” Ava began.

“Do something,” Phar bellowed at Shera.

So Shera did. She snapped towards
Ava.

But she didn’t reach her.

Harvey suddenly barreled into her side,
wrapping his arms around her middle.

He couldn’t fight against her innate
strength and pull her to her knees, but his move was enough to
surprise her.

And to give Hunter an opportunity.

He wrapped an arm around Ava’s middle and
tugged her backwards, the both of them falling through her quarter
doors. “Computer, lock the doors and call security. Call
security.
The captain’s been attacked.”

The doors slammed closed before Phar
could
throw himself in,
a heavy blue force field flickering in place before
them.

Ava sat for a single second, eyes rimmed
with white as she stared at the door in utter shock.

“Ava?”

She punched to her feet. “I need to call
the Avixan government,
now.”

“What’s going on? Ava, what's happening?” He
jerked up to his feet.

She wouldn't look at him. Her chest was
pushed out at a tense angle, her neck twisted to the side, her eyes
still as wide as moons.

“Ava?” He lurched over to her side and
settled a hand on her shoulder.

“
They want this ship,” she said,
realization cracking over her once terrified face like ice melt
breaking up a glacier.

“
What?!”

“Shera's after this ship.”

“Why?”

Ava turned to him. The terror was gone from
her expression now, replaced with a quiet kind of shock.

It was clear she was weighing up the costs
of telling him something.

He took a determined step forward and
ducked his head down. “Ava, you can't keep us in the dark. We have
to know what's going on. My brother is—”

“
He’ll be fine. She won't hurt him. She’ll
need his
command
codes.”

“Ava, what's happening?” he couldn't control
his voice anymore. It slammed out of his throat and rattled through
the room. “Why did Shera try to kill you?”

“…
Because I can stop her. But first I have
to get in contact with my government. I don't have the privileges
to make an off-ship call without a superior’s approval.” She turned
to him and faced him in full. “Hunter, you have to patch me through
to my government.”

He took a breath. It settled high in his
throat, incapable of descending down into his lungs, as if someone
had stuffed a rag down there.

“… Not until you tell me what's going
on.”

This wasn't a time to be playing with
ultimatums. He could see how desperate Ava was.

And yet, the lies had to stop.

Now.

Maybe she understood his determination as
she stood there, because she closed her eyes, tipped her head down,
and took a breath. “We’re monsters.”

“What?”

“The Avixan people are monsters. We are
extremely powerful beings. Many eons ago, we used this to our
advantage. This… what I’m about to tell you, is the greatest crime
an Avixan can commit. I’d be killed for this. But… you’re right –
the lies have to stop.”