Beyond the Stars: INEO (17 page)

REGROUP

Gaelan awoke early and was eager to start charting a course to find the Dreons with Loic’s newly drafted plans. I, however, had nothing to do. With no job to report to, I had freedom like never before. Regardless, instead of seeing the time off as a good thing, it made me feel useless and unproductive.

Although I had helped in the ship’s café on our journey to Kataria, I wasn’t invited back. When I asked if they needed my help, I always received a “no thanks.” Leave it to me to get fired as a volunteer. I decided to use my free time to visit Urit. He looked so frazzled and worn down yesterday. The situation with Nia was definitely taking a toll on him.

I entered the ship’s hospital and found Urit working in his conjoined lab with the overhead lights off. The place was full of wonders; a stark contrast to the hospital’s aesthetic and uncluttered space. It had strange contraptions, a holographic microscope, two levitated tables, and a lighted glass cabinet that lined one side of the room. The shelves were full of colorful glass test tubes and jars. The lab was a scientists’ dream, complete with an aquarium of lab mice. A lamp with a green lightbulb shined dimly above Urit’s workspace. Urit was wearing goggles, gloves, and a protective yellow gown over his navy blue uniform. He seemed to be completely enthralled by a beaker full of green liquid. It was being stirred by a hovering mechanical hand holding a long glass stick. I noticed his newly acquired exscrapulator lying on the table beside him.

“What
is
that?” I questioned him with real curiosity and leaned in a little closer to get a better look.

“It’s nothing,” he snapped, flinching as though I had startled him. “Just something I’ve been working on. Stay back or you’ll contaminate it. I don’t want to create something that’s harmful to us.” His lips thinned as though he was nervous he had said too much.

“I didn’t mean to …” I pulled myself away. What in God’s creation was he making?

He released the remote control for the mechanical hand and covered his project with a tall glass cube and black towel. And then he stepped between me and his experiment, making me more suspicious. Either he was seriously concerned for my safety or worried I would disrupt his work.

“Lights,” Urit commanded, and the room brightened. “Sorry, Sam, I didn’t hear you, and I’m a little on edge.” He sighed as he pulled off his goggles and gloves. “I still can’t believe the Dreons took her—right in front of me. My beautiful Nia is with those freaks. Just thinking about them infuriates me. I feel like I’m losing control of my entire world. I never saw myself as victim until now. I’ve been trying to stay busy, though it’s been hard to focus. I have to be careful not to make any mistakes.” A mixture of hate and pain welled up in his eyes.

For the first time, I realized that Urit was telling me the truth about his being ninety-one years old. Despite his treatments to enhance his longevity and speed, today, he almost looked his age. His light brown hair was sticking up like he hadn’t bothered to brush it, and more unsettling, he moved as if he was injured. Usually, he had the quickest reflexes I’d ever seen due to the experimental treatment he developed to improve his reaction time.

“We’ll get Nia back soon,” I said. “Gaelan and the others are working hard to find the Dreons’ ship. And, Gaelan really believes the Katarian treaty will keep them from harming her. She must be important to them or they wouldn’t have taken her to begin with.”

I knew my condolences weren’t exactly the words he wanted to hear. Importance to the Dreons meant only one thing—specimen.

“I know she’s alive,” Urit said, gripping his Katarian band.

He reminded me that the bracelet not only bonded couples in marriage, but provided a link to every member of the family. I remembered when I first noticed the tie it held to Gaelan’s parents. The two of them looked at me knowingly when they first met me. It was as though they had been forewarned of our union. I imagined that the addition of my biofield was as obvious as watching a changing tide.

“Can you tell if she’s okay?”

“No, not exactly. However, I can sense something isn’t good.” He gave me a look of despair and let go of the bracelet.

There was no way to comfort him. There was no telling what the Dreons were doing to Nia. Losing a child, even if she was an adult, would be unbearable. The blood drained from his face as he stared out across the lab.

“If there’s anything I can do.” I laid my hand on his shoulder.

He glanced at me for a moment in silence.

“When the time comes, you can keep me from doing anything I’ll later regret,” he said.

“Urit, I’m here. I will be right beside you when we find her. You don’t have to do this alone.”

He looked at me fondly and nodded.

I thought about Urit’s words. They were both haunting and full of sadness. I wondered what he had meant. After sensing Urit wanted company, I stayed with him the rest of the morning. We tinkered with some other experiments and pretended that all was well. I think he enjoyed sharing his research with me, and I was happy for the work. He told me that I made an excellent lab assistant and gave me an open invitation to join him whenever I wanted, which I quickly accepted.

I loved helping Urit. He was brilliant. On the way to Kataria, he had given me a vaccine he developed that protected me from the environmental threats of Space, such as radiation, and corrected any damage my body had previously endured by correcting the replication of my DNA. I hadn’t felt this young in years. When I learned it would lengthen my lifetime considerably, I initially freaked out about living too long. Then I learned it was unavoidable. I would have died without it. I owed my life to him. He was my miracle worker; now, it was my turn to be his and help him to get Nia back safely. Nothing would deter me. I was willing to do whatever it took, even though it meant having to face the Dreons again. Everything had a price.

* * *

I headed to the café to meet Gaelan and the others for lunch. It was located in my favorite place, the ship’s lowest level. It had an open feeling and convincible artificial sunlight. Besides the café, it had a gym, store, theater, and nightclub, all surrounding an amazing park complete with a bubbling stream supplied by a three-story waterfall. The food court reminded me of a greenhouse, with food planters and fruit trees interlacing the café’s round tables. Someone put an inordinate amount of thought into its design. I
loved
it. Along the way, I ran into Noah.

“So, Noah, did you have a good night with Lanie?” I asked, only to make conversation.

“Yes and no,” he said with a sigh. “Last night was great, but this morning I blew it.”

“Why? I thought things were going well between you two.”

“So did I … before she dumped me,” he said with a frown. “I made the mistake of inviting her to lunch. I wanted her to join us. She told me that she had other plans and then went on to say that she had no intentions of making me her boyfriend and said we should just end it before I thought it was more.”

“Humph. I never thought
that
was possible,” I said, shaking my head in disbelief.

“What?”

“That there are women even less committal than you.”

“Apparently. And you know what’s crazy? Although I’ve only known her for a week, it still hurts. I really liked her,” he said, looking at me with visible heartbreak written across his face.

I stopped walking to give him my full attention. “I’m sorry to hear that. Rejection sucks. Any woman would be stupid to turn you away. You’re very lovable.” I put my hand on his back.

“Thanks, Sami. At least you think I’m worthwhile.”

“Noah, you have so much to offer. You just need to choose better women. Stop thinking everything is just about sex.”

“
It isn’t?”
he said, raising his voice as though it was a novel idea.

“Forget it. You’re hopeless,” I moaned. “Why can’t you date someone who is capable of real intimacy? You need to find a person worth letting in.”

“I would rather rely on myself,” Noah said defensively.

“Why?” I asked. “Hold on, that’s it. I know what your problem is. I thought maybe you were shallow, but I’m wrong. You’re guarding yourself. I think it’s because your parents died when you were young. You’re secretly afraid of abandonment. You think you’re unworthy of love.”

He looked at me, and his mouth fell open as he processed my words. “Maybe I am,” he finally spoke. “After they died, I promised myself I would never feel lonely again. Sami, imagine your life is wonderful and then
bam
—it’s gone. You’re parents are dead, you lose your home, and everything sucks because you’re alone. That’s my childhood. It made me become leery of times when I think everything is going too well in my life because I know it can all be taken away when I least expect it.”

I touched his arm and gave it a squeeze. I wished I could have been there for him. “You don’t have to be so tough all the time.”

“I know,” he huffed. “Damn. I can’t believe she dumped me. She threw me out like I’m an old pair of socks. I’m not a possession. I want more. I deserve more. Lanie wasn’t good for me.” Noah shook his head and appeared to get an enlightened expression. “I guess I’ve been dating at the level of my self-worth.”

I looked at him with amazement. “Wow. You just might be a grown up after all.”

Gaelan waved to us from across the room when we entered the café. I was happy to see him.

“Sami, where have you been?” Gaelan asked as Noah and I approached. “We got a giant pom-pie.”

Everyone had already started eating lunch. I smiled and took the seat beside him.

“It smells great,” I said when I got a whiff of the freshly baked crust and roasted tomatoes. I loved Katarian pizza day. It was the closest thing to Earth food on the menu. I picked up a huge slice and ravenously bit into it without reservation. I wasn’t sure why, but lately I was getting an exorbitant amount of pleasure out of eating. I felt hyperaware of everything around me. Things smelled stronger, tasted better, looked brighter. It was as though I was experiencing everything for the first time.

“Better eat fast,” Noah joked. “Sami’s going to clear the table again.”

“Ha-ha, very funny.”

He had a valid point. I had a tendency to eat other people’s leftovers. It seemed so wasteful to throw away perfectly good food. Besides, I never realized how much I grazed. At home, I could get to food all day long. Here, it was scheduled meals only. And today, I was starving. I felt like I was growing, as if I’d never tasted food.

“Where does it all go?” Azil shook her head as I began to devourer my second big piece.

“I don’t know. I’m hungry,” I mumbled after I finished chewing. “So, did Loic come through in delivering the Dreon routes?”

Azil rolled her eyes. “Be happy you’re late,” she said to Noah and me.

“Why? He didn’t give you the directions he promised?” Noah asked curiously.

“Oh, he did. If that’s what you call them,” Zaric said with thick sarcasm.

“Why? What’s wrong? They’re not good?” I surmised.

Gaelan frowned and brought his hand to his chin to think. “Let’s see. To sum it up, he’s a slob. He drafts his routes in freehand and can’t even draw a straight line. He uses estimates in place of exact mathematics. The map is all marked up with his scribbles and is practically illegible. We even have to struggle in deciphering which star system he’s referring to in his notes. The papers are all crinkled and smeared, and one sheet was even whizzed on by that weasel of his. It stinks so bad it makes your eyes water.”

“Eww, yuck,” Azil and I replied with disgust.

“Oh, and did we mention he’s a shit?” Zaric added. “Ask him one question and he explodes.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle with the others.

“Calm down, Zaric. You promised me you would exercise restraint,” Azil said as though she was trying to shush her husband.

Instead, it encouraged him. Zaric got a gleam in his eyes and elaborated, “Sami, did we ever explain the Katarian fundamental rule of how you should never mix shitheads and spaceships? It leads to unhappiness and discontent amongst the crew. There is nowhere to run once you’re stuck living together onboard.”

Gaelan tried to explain, “Loic gets defensive anytime we question him or make a suggestion. His personality isn’t ideal for this environment. Even so, he’s given us better leads than we had without him.” Gaelan’s voice rose with hope. “Loic’s highlighted the three top locations they’re most likely to be. We are almost at the first point on the star map. We are scheduled to arrive before seventeen hundred hours.”

Azil raised her brows and looked at Zaric and Gaelan in disbelief. “I still can’t believe you guys let him aboard this ship. Loic’s never been a team player.”

“Yeah,” Zaric agreed. “It’s as though he enjoys being hated—so much so that he tries to provoke everyone he comes in contact with.”

Azil squinted as she thought. “Don’t you see? It’s probably easier for him to be nasty than to try to get along with others. Gaelan, you should have left him on Dalinova. I remember how you dreaded being assigned to work with him when you were in training,” she said.

“I know.” Gaelan shrugged. “Sometimes you need to be reminded of past mistakes the hard way. Anyway, we might as well use him since we are stuck with him for now. There’s no place we could drop him in good conscious around these parts.”