‘Thousands,’ Lucian replied to her chagrin, ‘but nothing we humans need fear too much. Care for a swim?’
Excitement welled in her gut and the smile returned to Taren’s face. ‘You know it.’
Lucian beckoned with a finger for her to follow him into the suiting room just outside of the sub-bay area.
Geared up and briefed, Taren followed Lucian into the pool from which they usually launched their smaller marine submersibles. As sub-bay was a pressurised cabin—preventing the launch pool from flooding the chamber—the watery recess dropped straight into the ocean, which was simply teeming with life.
The water was incredibly warm and clear, allowing a view of some distance through the shallow sun-soaked sea garden of reefs, multicoloured weed and coral formations.
From underwater AMIE appeared even more massive than she had in space and Taren’s heart welled in her chest with pride. She was part of an amazing project, and neither the USS, the MSS, nor anyone else was going to shut AMIE down—not if she had anything to do with it.
Although Taren was certified to dive, it had been a long, long time since she had. She felt very confident in Lucian’s company, however, as he appeared as at home in the water as he did on land and in space.
It was mating season and all sea life was in a frenzy of activity and flaunting their brightest colours in order to attract a mate. Taren felt spoilt for choice for what to admire, but stayed close to Lucian, as there were quite a few large fish cruising the floor of the reef that she imagined would have no trouble in swallowing her whole.
Lucian swung Taren around in the water suddenly to witness one of Frujia’s great wonders.
The aquatic-reptibat, reported to grow to the size of a human being, was the only animal known that could move as fast through the water as it could through the air. Its wings had large, long fingers with a waterproof membrane spread between them that also attached to its body. These skin-like wings and the creature’s long agile tail both aided in propelling the large animal through the water and in launching it back into the air. Its deep jade-coloured body was scaled to protect against water and sun.
The huge creature, having targeted its prey, had dived into the water and went soaring past Taren and Lucian at lightning speed. It gracefully darted in and around obstacles to reach its prey, and clutching hold of a huge fish in its back talons it swooped up and into the sky with it.
‘That was absolutely amazing,’ Taren exclaimed once she was free of her breathing apparatus in the suiting room. ‘I thought that thing was coming at us for us a second! I mean, wow.’
Lucian was grinning broadly as he listened to her ramble on and inspired by her excitement he kissed her.
This long-awaited event was overwhelming for Taren, and she was glad that the water hid her tears of anticipation and relief. She was also very thankful for the easy-zip removal of the AMIE wet suits, as their romantic encounter intensified into a desperate need to get naked very quickly. As they kissed and shed their suits, Lucian led Taren out of the suiting room and down the corridor where he opened a door to one of the sleeping quarters with the same underwater view as the lower control deck.
‘You certainly know how to impress a girl,’ Taren murmured, acknowledging the beautiful setting for a moment, although they could have been in the loading bay and it wouldn’t have bothered her.
He caressed her naked back with the tips of his fingers, then paused to assess that this was what they both really wanted. ‘I hadn’t expected to ever have the need again,’ he said, nuzzling his forehead against hers. ‘My feelings for you are an unexpected and very pleasant surprise.’
‘Really?’ His confession made her brave, and she smiled mischievously. ‘I’ve been lusting after you since I first started studying science at the academy.’ She had no problem admitting this, knowing his wife’s betrayal would have damaged his confidence, and Taren wanted Lucian to know that she thought him very desirable—and always had.
Her sultry avowal sent Lucian’s desire and ego soaring and he kissed her again with renewed enthusiasm. He swept Taren up to carry her to the sleeping pod and she giggled, as the captain ordered the door behind them to ‘close and lock’.
Many hours later, Lucian was happier and more relaxed than Taren had seen him in quite some time and she felt like a new woman. They had shed all their cares along with their wet suits and were draped across each other, exhausted, viewing the ocean through the large portal to one side of them. They were both quite content never to move again.
‘I just know there was something I was supposed to be doing today,’ Taren commented, not too worried, as she felt no occasion could be more compelling than her current engagement.
Lucian glanced at his watch. ‘We were both supposed to be at the memorial service about—’
Taren gasped, ‘Oh my stars, that was today, wasn’t it?’ She knew the service was for all the victims of the recent disaster, including Amie. ‘I am so sorry to have—’
Lucian held up a hand to silence her apology. ‘I was still undecided as to whether or not I wanted to go, and as it turned out events decided for me,’ he concluded. ‘I am not letting you out of my sight, and as you are confined to this vessel, well…’ he shrugged. ‘Why celebrate a bad ending, when you can celebrate a new beginning.’
‘Indeed.’ Taren snuggled into Lucian. Obviously this affair they had begun was not just a fling for him either.
‘What to do about my brother is a more pressing concern,’ he commented, inviting Taren’s thoughts on the matter.
‘Without proof that he was working for the MSS, or that he was in some way responsible for the disappearance of Maladaan, then what can we really report him for? Surviving?’ Taren reasoned and Lucian nodded in accord.
‘If he was responsible for any of this, he is still not admitting it. The only thing he confessed to willingly was sending you to us, and I can hardly complain about that.’
‘But he threatened to kidnap me?’
‘He said he needed some insurance,’ Lucian outlined. ‘I just assumed that insurance was you.’
‘What did you ever do to him?’ Taren couldn’t understand why, when Swithin was on such a good thing with AMIE, that he would betray his brother and partner so completely.
‘I let him walk all over me, because I wanted to believe that he could be one of the good guys.’ Lucian shook his head at his selfdelusion.
‘Well, you can’t choose your family,’ Taren said lightly.
‘Speaking of family…’ He rolled onto his side to look at Taren and play with her hair. ‘You never talk about your parents. Tell me about where you grew up.’
Taren’s heart sank as the MSS had stolen most of her childhood recollections, and a strong sense of déjà-vu drowned out her regret.
‘Taren?’ Lucian asked, as she seemed to be speechless.
She recalled seeing this moment in time before, along with the demise of Maladaan, a huge city of ghostly buildings and a Phemorian woman.
‘But why did the MSS choose to believe in your power, whilst they chastise all others with the same abilities?’
As Taren remembered the vision her eyes opened wide, rolled back in her head and she fell into a deep trance state.
CHAPTER 14
PRECOGNITION
Lucian had Kassa report to AMIE immediately and was absolutely frantic as he accompanied the ship’s physician down to the marine module.
‘Wait here,’ Kassa said when they arrived outside the room where Taren lay unconscious, but picking up on Lucian’s recent activities, she reconsidered. ‘On second thoughts, that won’t be necessary.’
Lucian desperately tried to wipe the grin off his face with little success. ‘Kassa, please stay out of my head…I’d really like to think that my private life is my own.’
The telepath humorously denied his implication that she would pry on purpose. ‘If you don’t want me to pick up on your private life, then stop thinking about the great time you’
ve had this afternoon.’
Lucian sighed at the thought of his own betrayal, while Kassa moved quickly to check Taren’s vital signs.
‘Is she going to be all right?’ Lucian wanted to be patient, but was finding it nigh on impossible.
‘I should think so,’ Kassa said. ‘She seems perfectly well…glowing, in fact.’
‘Then why is she unconscious?’
‘I don’t think she is unconscious exactly,’ Kassa informed him. ‘From what I can tell, she seems to be in some sort of deep trance state. I’ll have to get her upstairs and hook her up to an EEG to be certain.’
Lucian breathed a little easier at the news. He approached to lift Taren, still draped in a sheet, and get her up to Kassa’s medical chambers in Module A. ‘Just my luck that I find a wonderful woman and she spends most of her time in an altered state of consciousness.’
‘Ha! Welcome to the world of living with someone with the Powers,’ she quipped, as she led off to the elevator.
‘Speaking of which, you seem to be spending a lot of time in Leal’s company lately,’ Lucian said, hoping to get her back for sticking her nose in his private life. ‘Zeven tells me he’s not been well. Is it serious?’
Kassa knew her smile would give her away, but she couldn’t help but grin every time she thought of her new love interest. ‘Nothing to worry about,’ she replied, trying to sound unflustered and casual. ‘I’m on top of it.’
‘Have you…’ Lucian seemed a little shy to ask further.
‘Have I what?’ Kassa’s heart skipped a beat. Her affair with a younger man was still making her feel a little uncomfortable to admit to at this early stage.
‘Have you confided in Leal about your…you know?’
‘Oh…’ Kassa breathed a sigh of relief. ‘Yes, I have actually and he is very understanding…and thankful for my honesty.’
Lucian, although he was pleased to hear this, was curious. ‘What did you think I was going to ask?’
Kassa was stumped for a response, her smile growing ever more impish.
‘What has happened?’ Dr Portus hurried to inquire, as she was passing by on their way down the main corridor through Module A.
Kassa quietly thanked her lucky stars to be spared from her embarrassment. ‘She’ll be fine,’ she assured the doctor, keeping them moving forward.
‘But where is the stone?’ Dr Portus asked, noting that Taren was naked beneath the sheet.
‘What stone?’ Kassa wondered, but Lucian could only answer one query at a time.
‘I believe Taren left it in her quarters,’ Lucian replied to Dr Portus.
‘Understand,’ she impressed on the captain, ‘that if the Phemoray gave her this gift, she is in grave danger and should have the stone with her always, in case she must disappear.’
Lucian couldn’t see Taren making any such moves in the condition she was in, but to appease the doctor he requested that she fetch the stone and bring it to Kassa’s chambers.
‘I will now do this,’ she assured him and hurried away.
While Kassa attached EEG sensors to Taren’s head, Lucian told Kassa about the stone in question. He wondered if it might have something to do with Taren’s current altered state of being.
‘She could be having some sort of flashback to her recent transdimensional experience,’ Kassa warranted.
Lucian’s communicator alerted him to a call which he guessed was his brother—audio only, caller unknown—and moved into the next room. ‘Hello.’
‘It’s Swithin.’ He sounded short of breath and possibly in pain.
‘What do you want?’ Lucian was not in the mood to be sympathetic.
‘I’m calling to warn you that the MSS are alive and well…’
‘How would you know that?’
‘Because,’ Swithin paused to suppress his urge to moan, ‘I just escaped an MSS-led interrogation. They know everything, Lucian.’
‘What do you mean, everything? What did you tell them?’
‘I didn’t tell them anything. They already knew about the sample and our connection to it. They are going to pin Maladaan’s disappearance on AMIE and then the MSS will fuck off with our vessel and use her as a base for their operations. You’ve got to get out of here…now.’
‘And be arrested for flying the coop before the inquest? I think not.’
‘How easy do you think it’s going to be to pin Amie’s death on your new squeeze?’
‘I’ve already handed in Bonar Colbers to the authorities here and filed a report—’
‘The same authorities now working in cooperation with the USS and the remaining MSS on the Maladaan investigation. Those authorities? Bonar Colbers does not exist, he’s an agent! Get it?’
‘So was Amie,’ Lucian countered.
‘I’d like to see you prove that outside of the MSS. They are going to pin this on your girlfriend, whose PMD file will miraculously appear out of the ether and it will be trial by public paranoia.’
‘Swithin, you are so full of shit.’ Lucian couldn’t stand the lies any more. ‘You’ve been working with the MSS all along and so was Amie. My guess is that they own this vessel anyway!’
‘Oh, fuck. So you know…’
‘What, that my wife was your lover and spy for the enemy? Yeah, I found out. Tell me, Swithin, did you brainwash her, or was she unfaithful willingly?’
‘Nope, I didn’t brainwash her…she was just a bad girl, pure and simple. Wish I could have warned you about her, but I was already in over my head when she came into the picture.’
Lucian was really struggling to keep from collapsing into tears as the pain of Amie’s total betrayal stabbed at his heart. ‘Tell me Taren’s code name.’ It was the only thing he wanted from his brother now.
‘I’m real sorry about the past, Luc, but I swear to you on our parents’ grave that if you don’t believe me now, the future of AMIE is going to be a whole lot more fucked. The powers that be are very interested in your new girlfriend. They want Dr Lennox in their lawful custody, and they’ll stage anything to make that happen. This time you can’t say I didn’t warn you.’ Swithin hung up.
Joy and contentment had been short-lived. Lucian sat alone in his office trying to fathom how he would explain their involvement in the Maladaan incident. Obviously, if the MSS were still operational then knowledge of Taren’s psychic attributes had not vanished with the planet. Was that why they were so interested in taking her into custody? What lies had Swithin spun the MSS to get himself off the hook?
‘Why concern myself with Swithin’s lies at all?’ Lucian debated himself, as he’d been doing for the several hours since his brother had called. ‘Just because I cannot see his motive for contacting me doesn’t mean he doesn’t have one. We should get out of here now.’ He repeated his brother’s advice, gave a laugh and shook his head. ‘And go where? It’s not like we are the fastest vessel in the galaxy!’
He was torn. If it was only a matter of losing AMIE, he could live with that. It was the threat to Taren that had his gut churning. He could really use her advice right about now.
‘Captain.’ Aurora had knocked and entered with Kalayna in tow. ‘This is my friend, Kalayna.’
Kalayna waved from the doorway.
‘I just wanted to show her around, if that’s okay?’
‘Ah…’ Lucian’s mind was elsewhere, ‘sure.’
‘Ta.’ Aurora headed back to reception where she nearly collided with Zeven, who was carrying a large bunch of flowers.
‘For you.’ He handed them to her. ‘I really did appreciate your help this morning and I am really sorry for being such a jerk,’ he blurted out in a rush. ‘I was just pissed off because you found a date better-looking than me.’ He glanced in Kalayna’s direction and served her a cheeky grin.
Kalayna nodded to him, impressed by the apology. Delighted, Aurora accepted the magnificent bouquet. ‘I suppose I could find it in my heart to for—’
‘Sorry again.’ Zeven made haste into the capt
ain’s office.
Curious, Aurora followed him.
‘I’ve got some bad news,’ Zeven began before the captain even realised he’d entered. ‘United Star System’s forces are on their way here to escort our crew to the Maladaan inquest. Leal has already been escorted there, which is rather curious when the official inquest is not scheduled to commence until tomorrow morning.’
Lucian paled. I cannot let them find Taren.
When the captain suddenly rose and fled the room, the pilot was confused and so followed him. ‘Where are you going? They are practically on the doorstep.’
The captain did not respond and Aurora was concerned as she watched Lucian break into a sprint down the corridor. ‘You should go,’ she urged Kalayna.
‘Nah, this is far too interesting,’ she stated with a grin. ‘It will take them a while to work out I’m not one of the crew, and until then we can hang out.’
Aurora loved Kalayna’s adventurous and brave spirit. ‘Come on then. Let me show you my quarters.’
Zeven trailed the captain to the medical rooms, but on approach to the entrance USS troops rounded the bend ahead and called to the captain by name.
Lucian sped up, determined to beat them to Kassa’s surgery, until they raised their weapons and asked that both he and Zeven halt.
Lucian cursed under his breath when the soldiers approached and requested the door to the surgery ‘Open’. Fortunately, the door was locked to external access.
‘This is Special Agent Nikkos of the United Star System’s Task Force. Open this door immediately,’ he barked into the intercom.
‘This is a surgery, gentlemen,’ Kassa advised through the intercom. ‘I have a woman indisposed at present, so I’ll need a few minutes.’
‘I don’t care if you’ve got President Anselm indisposed in there. Open the damn door!’ the soldier demanded.
The door slid aside to reveal Dr Portus arising from the consultation bed that Taren had been occupying. Watching the tall, comely doctor button up her blouse kept the soldiers occupied for a few moments.
Zeven had to wonder why both Dr Madri and Dr Portus were grinning at Lucian. What were they all up to? Lucian, however, was relieved to realise that the women had thought to do exactly what he had hoped. They’d placed the banishing stone in Taren’s hand.